OAO Anime/Manga Thread

[Guest cobainwasmurdered]

I stayed up most of the night to finish Neon...holy shit what a fucked up show. I actually dug the ending of the last episode but the last two episodes felt like I was on drugs.

[Thoth 0]

I stayed up most of the night to finish Neon...holy shit what a fucked up show. I actually dug the ending of the last episode but the last two episodes felt like I was on drugs.

I was expecting an angrier reaction, like "THE FUCK IS THIS"

[AlwaysPissedOff 0]

I like the Eight Tails Host. Not so much for the stereotype but because he's cool as hell in design and fighting style. It's not like he'll last long anyway.

 

You can basically skip 136 to the beginning of Shippuuden, Hawk. I mean, there are a couple episodes and arcs somewhere in there that are okay, albeit not good, but nothing of great importance.

 

I don't mind him, either. I would definitely put him above "Ultra-Powerful Transexual Guy" in Bleach right now. At the very least,

completely shit-kicking Sasuke in about 7 pages earns him some points in my book.

 

And, for the most part filler is regulated to single episodes in Naruto, and aren't too bad. There is only one arc ("Tea Country Race") which you might want to avoid (Episodes 102-106). The biggest problem is that after 135, you literally have 85 episodes of 1-5 episode arcs, the best of which are decent, the worst of which are mind-numbingly bad. There is a modified 135 out there done by some fans which is recut to lead into Shipuudden ala the manga which you will want to find.

Ugh... I'd rather watch the Tea Country Race arc a thousand times before watching that stupid Naruto/Ino one with the fat princess and that retarded Elvis wannabe, the one with the stuck-up rich kid, the one when Naruto's running around with Konohamaru's team, and that god awful Raiga arc.

 

but at least he's not as completely dull and dreary as Pain is and actually has a discernible personality.

I loved how Kishimoto ruined Pain after making him seem all badass by showing he's just a whiny bitch with a god complex and parental abandonment issues. I wonder how he's going to fuck up Kisame since he seems to be the only villain worth a damn left.

[AlwaysPissedOff 0]

Coolhorn looking like a failed attempt at a Sailor Moon bad guy makes me wonder if Kishimoto and Kubo have been buying their drugs from the same dealer.

 

Is anybody else watching Slayers Revolution? It's been pretty great so far, but then again, I'm a huge mark for anything Slayers.

[Guest cobainwasmurdered]

I watched all the dubbed episodes of Bleach in like a couple days are really really liked it. I just started the Sasuke Retrival Arc in Naruto as well.

 

I've started watching Bebop and Berserk.

[Ravenbomb 0]

I borrowed a friend's hard drive and copied a bunch of complete anime series'. I got Gokujou Seitokai (Best Student Council?), Ayakashi, Black Cat, Monster, St. Luminous, and XxxHolic. Any of them any good?

[Golgo 13 0]

For sure Monster. There are three different anime with Ayakashi in their name, but I'm assuming you're talking about Samurai Horror Tales, so yes.

[Ravenbomb 0]

Yeah, it's a horror anime. And I've heard good things about Monster. I'll probably start with something else though since Monster is really long and other ones have like 11 episodes.

[Golgo 13 0]

Seirei no Moribito starts this week.

[Thoth 0]

Slayers Revolution is like every other Slayers ever, so far. It's comfort food, basically.

[Hawkius Maximus 0]

Earlier today I finished the Rurouni Kenshin manga...I was a huge fan of the anime, but I never looked into the manga. More or less because the ending of the main Kenshin anime really, really pissed me off. I typically find a series and blow through it, so I targeted Kenshin for lack of anything else to do.

 

The quality of that final arc really makes you wonder what the hell they were thinking regarding the Kenshin anime. It even ends differently then the full anime package did. Some good action, good enemies...it stretched things somehow even further then Shishio did, but still enjoyable stuff.

 

When they showed that Enishi had "killed" Kaoru I FREAKED OUT. I should have seen the "swerve" coming, but I didn't for some reason. It was only after I thought about it did I think it was probably a ruse, which it ended up being.

 

The subtle shift of focus from Kenshin to Yahiko was good stuff too. By the end he went from a minor character to one of the major factors.

 

Right now I'm caught up in Hajime no Ippo, Mahou Sensei Negima, Black Lagoon & Bleach, as far as the translations go anyway. I generally will find a series with a large stockpile, or an anime I just watched (in Black Lagoon's case), and then blaze through it.

[Conspiracy_Victim 0]

Well, I'm giving Bleach another go around. After fading out around episode 70 last time out I thought I'd give it another chance. I still enjoyed the Soul Society arc (Kenpachi is still by turns frighteningly psychotic and hilarious) but now it's over and I'm heading in to the damn vampires or whatever the hell they are that made me turn it off in the first place. I will push through though. I still need to find the newer episodes (everything after 139) and none of my torrents are downloading. I'm hoping what I've got takes me though to the arrancar and visoreds. I want to see the rebel captains (names withheld to protect those who are watching it now) get what they deserve.

[Hawkius Maximus 0]

Hate to break it to you, but right smack dab in the next major arc they go to fillers.

 

They kind of altered a major situation, and then said "ANDNOWFORSOMETHINGCOMPLETELYDIFFERENT~!" with a filler arc...within the arc...without anything to do with the arc. Damnedest thing.

 

I haven't even touched Bleach's anime in months now. There's no point to it. The last filler arc was miserable, and I haven't seen much in the way of positives about this one.

 

It's one of those decisions that make you go "...whatthefuck?" when you've actually read the source material.

[Golgo 13 0]

I know I've commented on this before, but they've just gotta give Bleach a long break.

[Nightwing 0]

I know I've commented on this before, but they've just gotta give Bleach a long break.

 

Or Kubo needs to learn how to manage his characters correctly. The whole

Hueco Mundo

arc was ruined by Kubo concentrating on one character or one "trick" (You know, the whole "I have unbeatable move X!" and by the end, that advantage is neutralized) per chapter. The anime gave him something like a year or so to put distance between him and the show, and he just wasted by drawing out every fight he could pack in, one at a time.

[Hawkius Maximus 0]

I don't see how Kubo is at fault at all with the anime. It's not his job to manage that. It's his job to provide something that can be adapted. Whatever they do with the anime from there is not his responsibility.

 

The anime could have went for several more weeks before it stopped. In fact, the manga had a perfect built in stopping point that had been already done up by Kubo. I know because I went and read the manga AFTER they hit the filler break off point on the anime. The anime people just upped and decided for no real reason to suddenly go to fillers.

 

They've taken multiple week breaks with the fillers. Why they couldn't have either done a reduced Bleach schedule, or taken a break isn't Kubo's fault. It's the anime people and the station for being greedy. This is the same exact thinking that killed Kenshin off. I would not be surprised to see it happen to Bleach given how absolutely boring Bleach's are.

 

If there's one saving grace. Is Kenshin's post-Kyoto arc ranged from mundane to down right INSULTING. While Bleach's are just...there.

[Nightwing 0]

I don't see how Kubo is at fault at all with the anime. It's not his job to manage that. It's his job to provide something that can be adapted. Whatever they do with the anime from there is not his responsibility.

 

The anime could have went for several more weeks before it stopped. In fact, the manga had a perfect built in stopping point that had been already done up by Kubo. I know because I went and read the manga AFTER they hit the filler break off point on the anime. The anime people just upped and decided for no real reason to suddenly go to fillers.

 

They've taken multiple week breaks with the fillers. Why they couldn't have either done a reduced Bleach schedule, or taken a break isn't Kubo's fault. It's the anime people and the station for being greedy. This is the same exact thinking that killed Kenshin off. I would not be surprised to see it happen to Bleach given how absolutely boring Bleach's are.

 

If there's one saving grace. Is Kenshin's post-Kyoto arc ranged from mundane to down right INSULTING. While Bleach's are just...there.

 

I disagree.

 

I assume when you say "Built in cut-off", you're talking about

"Turn Back the Clock"

, right? Well, that came out a month before the fillers started. I don't know how much communication there is between Kubo and the Anime team, but I doubt it's enough to change course of a planned arc within a month. Hell, they were right on his heels at that point. The anime attempted to give Kubo a year with the

Bount Arc

, and it's given four or five months after that with scattered fillers, and I'd wager that the anime, if it started today, could be caught up with him in maybe 5 or 6 months if they started back on new material now.

 

It's not a matter of breaks. It's a matter of giving the anime actual material. I mean, throughout this time he hasn't been delivering an absolutely fantastic manga. Hell, the last arc is passable, maybe good if you want to be generous. But it dragged on forever. Let's compare

Hueco Mundo

to the Soul Society Arc. The Soul Society was almost double it, give or take. But characters were changing, the fights were faster, and the plot was moving along. At the very least, you could be excited for the next chapter.

Hueco Mundo has been all fights, and nothing to do with characters. We get sort of glimpses of coolness (Mayuri stands out), but for the most part it's just fighting for fighting sake. And we've reached "the end" of it and nothing has been accomplished: Orihime is still being held by Aizen/Ulquiorra and the everyone is still stuck in Hueco Mundo. It might be forgivable if the characters developed a bit, but we just got the same old characters. It also doesn't help that things like the Szayzel fight are the things that make kittens cry. The only thing that really saved that arc is Mayuri's arrival and Aizen's final monologue.

 

Heck, I could accuse Kubo of drawing out things to make more money, too. The fact of the matter is, he hasn't delivered anything truly great outside of the

flashback stuff

, and that wasn't too long. Kubo needs to actually move the damned plot along and stop indulging himself in overly-long and underwhelming fights and give the anime something that they can branch off of.

[Maztinho 0]

Just clicked a new show at random called Michiko to Hatchin... I love it. It just _feels_ Brazil to me. Good stuff.

 

Michiko Malandro... awesome name for an escaped convict, since Malandro is slang for "No Good Punk."

[Warriorfan 0]

I would highly recommend KARAZUKO!

 

Its a great mix of action with beautiful animation.

[AndrewTS 0]

http://www.japanator.com/elephant/post.phtml?pk=8801

 

The new season was confirmed earlier in September's issue of Monthly Dragon Age magazine. Megumi Hayashibara has also made mention that she will be back to voice Lina yet again, but is first taking care of business with her musical career. I definitely feel that Slayers wouldn't be the same if it didn't have Ms. Hayashibara as Lina, nor doing the theme songs, so I'm glad they'll be including her.

 

Slayers Evolution-R will take place directly after Slayers Revolution -- though it is called series five, it's technically the second season of series four, so it will tie in directly with the current series. It's speculated that it will start up in the first quarter of 2009

[Hawkius Maximus 0]

I didn't want to do this...but I have to get this off my chest. I'm sure this will get me some heat.

 

I just finished Neon Genesis Evangelion. Finished as in watched End of Evangelion.

 

I want to preface this by saying I really enjoyed the first twenty four episodes of the anime. Really did. The mythological/biblical stuff didn't bother me. I've seen it before. I enjoyed the characters, I enjoyed how they felt "real", and had legitimate issues to death with. Flawed characters are good. It's a good thing to not have a superman in the leading role. Every character was relatable as the show went on. We found out what drives them, what is causing them issues. Everything was well and good. I felt invested in the characters, and I wanted to know what the mysteries were in the show, of which there were many.

 

Then those final two episodes. Again, I want to preface this by saying that I got what was the intent. I also did some minor research and saw that the director (I believe) has dealt with mental problems/depression, and wanted to reflect that. Fine. I get that. The problem is, just because I "get it", doesn't mean I "liked it". The final two episodes were complete psychoanalysis "THIS IS ART~!" type bullshit. They tried so hard that it became difficult to watch. It's not that the characters didn't have issues. Far from it, but it's the avenue they used to display it. The "popup words" that were supposed to reflect either their inner mind, or another persons were jarring and ultimately useless. In Shinji's case, we had already seen glimpses into his psyche multiple times. To devote an entire episode to his mind at that point is odd. On top of that, the issues came down to the same issues being brought up multiple times, usually some form of whining while the omnipotent voice continued to "dig" further by asking it again. In a slightly different way. Then again the original phrase. And more time is spent on Shinji's issues, and then I believe any of the others combined. In addition, the animation became horrible as they would use the same images multiple times to fill time (I started laughing every goddamn time the image with Kaji standing all "cool" popped up behind Shinji with his eyes all freaked out. It seemed to be every twenty seconds).

 

The only part I liked was I believe in Episode 26 where they flashed to the "alternate possibility", in which every character is just someone Shinji knows. I would have really liked to see this further developed. The sheer idea that the show morphed from a ultra-serious Giant Robot show to a romantic comedy with all the usual gags and setups is a great idea. Alas, it lasted like four minutes. At first, I honestly believed they were going to go the "IT'S ALL A DREAM!~!~!" route which would have been maybe the worst thing they could have done.

 

All these issues come back in End of Evangelion, where

they do their hardest to make Shinji the most unlikable, un-relatable, hate-able main character I've ever seen. It's like they felt the fact that he was someone you could at least understand was a bad thing, and went out of their way to completely eradicate it. He does a horrible thing at the start, he whines throughout the entire episode, he hides, he runs, he allows horrible things to happen to Asuka WHILE whining, he finally gets in his Eva and then does *nothing* while the Evas try to bring the end of days, all while whining, complaining, and crying. In the final few minutes they show him strangling Asuka *TWICE*. The second of which he stops when Asuka shows him affection, which...I still don't get unless somehow him STRANGLING HER conveyed feelings.

 

Throughout the anime series, Shinji's still relatable. In the end, he has enough common sense to generally come through and save people. Hell, in one scene he gets so angry at seeing Asuka and Rei hurt, that he flies into a rage causing his Eva to evolve. We see him in softer moments having fun talking with Misato. We see him trying to get closer to Asuka. Trying to understand Rei. We see *NONE* of this Shinji in End of Evangelion. They took every aspect of Shinji that made him hard to relate to, and amplified it to many degrees while completely getting rid of the parts that helped you relate to him.

 

And furthermore, in regards to Shinji's mental issues...What the fuck is his major holdup? He was abandoned. He wasn't loved as a child. He didn't have anyone. I think they implied he watched the Eva kill his mother but I'm not terrible sure. Was there something I missed exactly? Because the mental issues Asuka (Her mother alone trumps Shinji's), and Rei's (SHEISARTIFICIAL) have are incredible, yet Shinji's...is pathetic. And yet, despite him getting the most "resolution" of his issues throughout the show, they went out of their way to completely bring them back, in much more impact. I've dealt with depression, and I know that you don't need some majror catalyst for it, but at the same time psychological problems created by serious external issues are generally worse then internal, and Shinji's are nowhere near theirs. It's very much like "plotkai" in a fighting anime, in that someone said, "Well...We need to write out Asuka here...Lets have a bunch of Eva's kill her. Or not. We'll leave it vague!", and another guy said, "What about Shinji? Surely he wouldn't want that to happen", and the original guy replied, "That's easy. Lets just make his mental condition worse then it's ever been. He can whine and cry about life and not being able to do anything while it happens."

 

It is completely one thing to have flawed characters. It's a totally different beast to make the characters so utterly unlikable that all you can do is watch. You don't feel anything. If you don't feel anything for the characters, then in the end, whatever happens doesn't matter. I got to that point in Evangelion. They sucked away all the character's ability to relate to the viewer in those final moments. And really why? What was the point of any of it? So in the end, they can have a "choose your own ending" ending with Shinji and Asuka with no firm telling of WHAT has exactly happened? They couldn't achieve this moment by having Shinji come off as a real person still and not some complete wreck of a creation that clearly cannot be a real person since they would have LONG AGO killed himself?

 

It's a shame too. I was always intrigued by this show, and really none of the "controversial" issues on the show bothered me. What bothered me was poor writing, and bad direction. The bad in the final bits just about out-weighs the good in the original. I got to see the end of the mysteries...and I guess in a vague way I got to see the resolution of everyone's feelings (Asuka & Shinji show affection, Rei comes to save Shinji (...or some variation), Gendo expresses regret, Misato shows full motherly instincts), but it was all done in a way that made it hard to understand, and not enjoyable. They completely ignored what worked in the anime series and tried to forge a brand new path. It didn't work.

 

Five star anime, this is sadly not.

 

And my god that was a big rant. I haven't had that much to say in a long time.

[dubq 0]

Anyone get the Blurays for Freedom? They're pretty pricey for only 4 discs/7 episodes.. but I managed to get it as cheap as I imagine it going ($60 off) during a sale at Amazon. It's a pretty good series. I would've liked to have seen it fleshed out with more episodes, but they still managed to weave a good story with equally good characters.

[Thoth 0]

I didn't want to do this...but I have to get this off my chest. I'm sure this will get me some heat.

 

I just finished Neon Genesis Evangelion. Finished as in watched End of Evangelion.

 

I want to preface this by saying I really enjoyed the first twenty four episodes of the anime. Really did. The mythological/biblical stuff didn't bother me. I've seen it before. I enjoyed the characters, I enjoyed how they felt "real", and had legitimate issues to death with. Flawed characters are good. It's a good thing to not have a superman in the leading role. Every character was relatable as the show went on. We found out what drives them, what is causing them issues. Everything was well and good. I felt invested in the characters, and I wanted to know what the mysteries were in the show, of which there were many.

 

Then those final two episodes. Again, I want to preface this by saying that I got what was the intent. I also did some minor research and saw that the director (I believe) has dealt with mental problems/depression, and wanted to reflect that. Fine. I get that. The problem is, just because I "get it", doesn't mean I "liked it". The final two episodes were complete psychoanalysis "THIS IS ART~!" type bullshit. They tried so hard that it became difficult to watch. It's not that the characters didn't have issues. Far from it, but it's the avenue they used to display it. The "popup words" that were supposed to reflect either their inner mind, or another persons were jarring and ultimately useless. In Shinji's case, we had already seen glimpses into his psyche multiple times. To devote an entire episode to his mind at that point is odd. On top of that, the issues came down to the same issues being brought up multiple times, usually some form of whining while the omnipotent voice continued to "dig" further by asking it again. In a slightly different way. Then again the original phrase. And more time is spent on Shinji's issues, and then I believe any of the others combined. In addition, the animation became horrible as they would use the same images multiple times to fill time (I started laughing every goddamn time the image with Kaji standing all "cool" popped up behind Shinji with his eyes all freaked out. It seemed to be every twenty seconds).

 

The only part I liked was I believe in Episode 26 where they flashed to the "alternate possibility", in which every character is just someone Shinji knows. I would have really liked to see this further developed. The sheer idea that the show morphed from a ultra-serious Giant Robot show to a romantic comedy with all the usual gags and setups is a great idea. Alas, it lasted like four minutes. At first, I honestly believed they were going to go the "IT'S ALL A DREAM!~!~!" route which would have been maybe the worst thing they could have done.

 

All these issues come back in End of Evangelion, where

they do their hardest to make Shinji the most unlikable, un-relatable, hate-able main character I've ever seen. It's like they felt the fact that he was someone you could at least understand was a bad thing, and went out of their way to completely eradicate it. He does a horrible thing at the start, he whines throughout the entire episode, he hides, he runs, he allows horrible things to happen to Asuka WHILE whining, he finally gets in his Eva and then does *nothing* while the Evas try to bring the end of days, all while whining, complaining, and crying. In the final few minutes they show him strangling Asuka *TWICE*. The second of which he stops when Asuka shows him affection, which...I still don't get unless somehow him STRANGLING HER conveyed feelings.

 

Throughout the anime series, Shinji's still relatable. In the end, he has enough common sense to generally come through and save people. Hell, in one scene he gets so angry at seeing Asuka and Rei hurt, that he flies into a rage causing his Eva to evolve. We see him in softer moments having fun talking with Misato. We see him trying to get closer to Asuka. Trying to understand Rei. We see *NONE* of this Shinji in End of Evangelion. They took every aspect of Shinji that made him hard to relate to, and amplified it to many degrees while completely getting rid of the parts that helped you relate to him.

 

And furthermore, in regards to Shinji's mental issues...What the fuck is his major holdup? He was abandoned. He wasn't loved as a child. He didn't have anyone. I think they implied he watched the Eva kill his mother but I'm not terrible sure. Was there something I missed exactly? Because the mental issues Asuka (Her mother alone trumps Shinji's), and Rei's (SHEISARTIFICIAL) have are incredible, yet Shinji's...is pathetic. And yet, despite him getting the most "resolution" of his issues throughout the show, they went out of their way to completely bring them back, in much more impact. I've dealt with depression, and I know that you don't need some majror catalyst for it, but at the same time psychological problems created by serious external issues are generally worse then internal, and Shinji's are nowhere near theirs. It's very much like "plotkai" in a fighting anime, in that someone said, "Well...We need to write out Asuka here...Lets have a bunch of Eva's kill her. Or not. We'll leave it vague!", and another guy said, "What about Shinji? Surely he wouldn't want that to happen", and the original guy replied, "That's easy. Lets just make his mental condition worse then it's ever been. He can whine and cry about life and not being able to do anything while it happens."

 

It is completely one thing to have flawed characters. It's a totally different beast to make the characters so utterly unlikable that all you can do is watch. You don't feel anything. If you don't feel anything for the characters, then in the end, whatever happens doesn't matter. I got to that point in Evangelion. They sucked away all the character's ability to relate to the viewer in those final moments. And really why? What was the point of any of it? So in the end, they can have a "choose your own ending" ending with Shinji and Asuka with no firm telling of WHAT has exactly happened? They couldn't achieve this moment by having Shinji come off as a real person still and not some complete wreck of a creation that clearly cannot be a real person since they would have LONG AGO killed himself?

 

It's a shame too. I was always intrigued by this show, and really none of the "controversial" issues on the show bothered me. What bothered me was poor writing, and bad direction. The bad in the final bits just about out-weighs the good in the original. I got to see the end of the mysteries...and I guess in a vague way I got to see the resolution of everyone's feelings (Asuka & Shinji show affection, Rei comes to save Shinji (...or some variation), Gendo expresses regret, Misato shows full motherly instincts), but it was all done in a way that made it hard to understand, and not enjoyable. They completely ignored what worked in the anime series and tried to forge a brand new path. It didn't work.

 

Five star anime, this is sadly not.

 

And my god that was a big rant. I haven't had that much to say in a long time.

 

The movie made you hate the characters on purpose. Anno got tired of people bitching that Evangelion needed a real ending, so he made a movie that made you really depressed, or hate everyone.

 

Also:

 

"The only part I liked was I believe in Episode 26 where they flashed to the "alternate possibility", in which every character is just someone Shinji knows. I would have really liked to see this further developed."

 

This has been done, read the manga Angelic Days.

[dubq 0]

http://www.amazon.ca/Akira-Blu-ray-Katsuhi...ref=pd_sbs_d_43

 

According to this amazon listing, the impending bluray release for Akira has the original 1988 English dub on it! Normally I'm a subtitle guy, but this dub holds some nostalgia for me as it was the only version of the movie I could get on VHS back in the day. I was disappointed when all of the DVDs came out had the dub re-done (it's still pretty good, though as I think JYB does a good job as Kaneda) and the only place you could get the original English dub on DVD was via the UK Ultimate Edition. Anyway.. huzzah!

[Hawkius Maximus 0]

I didn't want to do this...but I have to get this off my chest. I'm sure this will get me some heat.

 

I just finished Neon Genesis Evangelion. Finished as in watched End of Evangelion.

 

I want to preface this by saying I really enjoyed the first twenty four episodes of the anime. Really did. The mythological/biblical stuff didn't bother me. I've seen it before. I enjoyed the characters, I enjoyed how they felt "real", and had legitimate issues to death with. Flawed characters are good. It's a good thing to not have a superman in the leading role. Every character was relatable as the show went on. We found out what drives them, what is causing them issues. Everything was well and good. I felt invested in the characters, and I wanted to know what the mysteries were in the show, of which there were many.

 

Then those final two episodes. Again, I want to preface this by saying that I got what was the intent. I also did some minor research and saw that the director (I believe) has dealt with mental problems/depression, and wanted to reflect that. Fine. I get that. The problem is, just because I "get it", doesn't mean I "liked it". The final two episodes were complete psychoanalysis "THIS IS ART~!" type bullshit. They tried so hard that it became difficult to watch. It's not that the characters didn't have issues. Far from it, but it's the avenue they used to display it. The "popup words" that were supposed to reflect either their inner mind, or another persons were jarring and ultimately useless. In Shinji's case, we had already seen glimpses into his psyche multiple times. To devote an entire episode to his mind at that point is odd. On top of that, the issues came down to the same issues being brought up multiple times, usually some form of whining while the omnipotent voice continued to "dig" further by asking it again. In a slightly different way. Then again the original phrase. And more time is spent on Shinji's issues, and then I believe any of the others combined. In addition, the animation became horrible as they would use the same images multiple times to fill time (I started laughing every goddamn time the image with Kaji standing all "cool" popped up behind Shinji with his eyes all freaked out. It seemed to be every twenty seconds).

 

The only part I liked was I believe in Episode 26 where they flashed to the "alternate possibility", in which every character is just someone Shinji knows. I would have really liked to see this further developed. The sheer idea that the show morphed from a ultra-serious Giant Robot show to a romantic comedy with all the usual gags and setups is a great idea. Alas, it lasted like four minutes. At first, I honestly believed they were going to go the "IT'S ALL A DREAM!~!~!" route which would have been maybe the worst thing they could have done.

 

All these issues come back in End of Evangelion, where

they do their hardest to make Shinji the most unlikable, un-relatable, hate-able main character I've ever seen. It's like they felt the fact that he was someone you could at least understand was a bad thing, and went out of their way to completely eradicate it. He does a horrible thing at the start, he whines throughout the entire episode, he hides, he runs, he allows horrible things to happen to Asuka WHILE whining, he finally gets in his Eva and then does *nothing* while the Evas try to bring the end of days, all while whining, complaining, and crying. In the final few minutes they show him strangling Asuka *TWICE*. The second of which he stops when Asuka shows him affection, which...I still don't get unless somehow him STRANGLING HER conveyed feelings.

 

Throughout the anime series, Shinji's still relatable. In the end, he has enough common sense to generally come through and save people. Hell, in one scene he gets so angry at seeing Asuka and Rei hurt, that he flies into a rage causing his Eva to evolve. We see him in softer moments having fun talking with Misato. We see him trying to get closer to Asuka. Trying to understand Rei. We see *NONE* of this Shinji in End of Evangelion. They took every aspect of Shinji that made him hard to relate to, and amplified it to many degrees while completely getting rid of the parts that helped you relate to him.

 

And furthermore, in regards to Shinji's mental issues...What the fuck is his major holdup? He was abandoned. He wasn't loved as a child. He didn't have anyone. I think they implied he watched the Eva kill his mother but I'm not terrible sure. Was there something I missed exactly? Because the mental issues Asuka (Her mother alone trumps Shinji's), and Rei's (SHEISARTIFICIAL) have are incredible, yet Shinji's...is pathetic. And yet, despite him getting the most "resolution" of his issues throughout the show, they went out of their way to completely bring them back, in much more impact. I've dealt with depression, and I know that you don't need some majror catalyst for it, but at the same time psychological problems created by serious external issues are generally worse then internal, and Shinji's are nowhere near theirs. It's very much like "plotkai" in a fighting anime, in that someone said, "Well...We need to write out Asuka here...Lets have a bunch of Eva's kill her. Or not. We'll leave it vague!", and another guy said, "What about Shinji? Surely he wouldn't want that to happen", and the original guy replied, "That's easy. Lets just make his mental condition worse then it's ever been. He can whine and cry about life and not being able to do anything while it happens."

 

It is completely one thing to have flawed characters. It's a totally different beast to make the characters so utterly unlikable that all you can do is watch. You don't feel anything. If you don't feel anything for the characters, then in the end, whatever happens doesn't matter. I got to that point in Evangelion. They sucked away all the character's ability to relate to the viewer in those final moments. And really why? What was the point of any of it? So in the end, they can have a "choose your own ending" ending with Shinji and Asuka with no firm telling of WHAT has exactly happened? They couldn't achieve this moment by having Shinji come off as a real person still and not some complete wreck of a creation that clearly cannot be a real person since they would have LONG AGO killed himself?

 

It's a shame too. I was always intrigued by this show, and really none of the "controversial" issues on the show bothered me. What bothered me was poor writing, and bad direction. The bad in the final bits just about out-weighs the good in the original. I got to see the end of the mysteries...and I guess in a vague way I got to see the resolution of everyone's feelings (Asuka & Shinji show affection, Rei comes to save Shinji (...or some variation), Gendo expresses regret, Misato shows full motherly instincts), but it was all done in a way that made it hard to understand, and not enjoyable. They completely ignored what worked in the anime series and tried to forge a brand new path. It didn't work.

 

Five star anime, this is sadly not.

 

And my god that was a big rant. I haven't had that much to say in a long time.

 

The movie made you hate the characters on purpose. Anno got tired of people bitching that Evangelion needed a real ending, so he made a movie that made you really depressed, or hate everyone.

 

Also:

 

"The only part I liked was I believe in Episode 26 where they flashed to the "alternate possibility", in which every character is just someone Shinji knows. I would have really liked to see this further developed."

 

This has been done, read the manga Angelic Days.

 

That only makes me hate the show even more.

 

Honestly, why is it SUCH A PROBLEM with anime to demand that an anime series ends on a good note? I can probably count on my hand how many series I've seen that ended on a truly good note, or didn't have a better ending later in the manga.

 

It seems like there's almost an aversion in Anime to giving people good endings, instead of half hearted cop out bullshit.

[ChrisMWaters 0]

Bumping this for one reason.

 

Apparently, they're doing a crossover that has probably been done at least 100 times in fanfiction before FOR REALZ.

 

Check It Out (It's in Japanese though)

[AndrewTS 0]

Would be interesting to see Detective Conan not have shitty animation.

 

Honestly, why is it SUCH A PROBLEM with anime to demand that an anime series ends on a good note? I can probably count on my hand how many series I've seen that ended on a truly good note, or didn't have a better ending later in the manga.

 

It seems like there's almost an aversion in Anime to giving people good endings, instead of half hearted cop out bullshit.

 

The biz isn't so kind to self-contained episodes/storylines, however Gainax is particularly guilty. They're pretty much synonymous with mind-screw endings.

 

Remember, true art is angsty, and sometimes ya gotta kill 'em all.

[Conspiracy_Victim 0]

Would be interesting to see Detective Conan not have shitty animation.

 

Honestly, why is it SUCH A PROBLEM with anime to demand that an anime series ends on a good note? I can probably count on my hand how many series I've seen that ended on a truly good note, or didn't have a better ending later in the manga.

 

It seems like there's almost an aversion in Anime to giving people good endings, instead of half hearted cop out bullshit.

 

The biz isn't so kind to self-contained episodes/storylines, however Gainax is particularly guilty. They're pretty much synonymous with mind-screw endings.

 

Remember, true art is angsty, and sometimes ya gotta kill 'em all.

 

I was going through some of those tropes and checked out the "Kill 'em All". Jesus, what's up with Bokurano? That might be some of the most fucked up shit I've ever heard. It's no wonder I stick to the harem comedies and light hearted sci-fi fare like Dual! and GXP.

[Guest Marneywasmurdered]

I'm watching "Now and Then, Here and There" It's pretty intense.

[Guest Marneywasmurdered]

Just finished both seasons of Black Lagoon which was highly enjoyable and I've started Blue Gender.