OAO Anime/Manga Thread

[dubq 0]

Also, since I didn't see it mentioned anywhere, anyone heard about the Dragon Ball Z live action movie? I figure the last fight scene in Matrix Revolutions shows that the over the top fights can be done, and James Wong has some experience with the sci-fi kung fu genre ("The One"). The cast doesn't seem too bad either with Chow Yun-Fat as Roshi, Emily Rossum as Bulma, and James Marsters as Piccolo.

 

See I'd be interested in this if it was a CGI movie with those actors as the voices. Movies like Dragonball and Justice League should never be made into live action as the product is pretty much guaranteed to be total ass.

[Hawkius Maximus 0]

I'd argue that the Soul Society arc of Bleach is up there as one of the better "arcs" in fighting Anime, up there with Kyoto in Kenshin.

 

It's long, but they know where their going. They also never forget to remind the viewer of what the end-goal is despite how long it is. The show never loses itself in what it's doing. Every fight in the show makes sense too, there's nothing that happens in the arc that just...happens. Everything achieves something in terms of how the storyline plays out. I'd also say all the backstory on the characters really makes you care when everything gets going at full-bore near the end.

 

After that, the show falls off a fucking cliff though. The Bound Arc is 100% filler, and easily one of the most BORING arcs I've ever seen. It's not even bad enough that you can get angry at like the Post-Christain stuff in Kenshin. It's just...ungodly boring. And it's long, like 50+ episodes. It just...never feels like it's ending.

 

The current arc is pretty good. With the newest translated episode it actually feels like it's getting to a strong point...but the show baffles me. For whatever reason, the show has lost internal consistancy. Ichigo, as a character, cannot fly. Yet for whatever reason, at random spots, they'll show him just...hovering in the air. What makes this stupid, is it's not consistant. One minute he's hovering in the air like he has a jet pack, and then next he's staring at an opponent who CAN fly in despair because he cannot. It's like they suddenly went "...HEY! Let's have him fly here!" and then forget about it five minutes later.

[Conspiracy_Victim 0]

I'm not saying that I didn't enjoy the Soul Society arc, and the payoff fight between Ichigo and Byakuya kicked some ass, plus I like the though of Soul Society itself drawing battle lines between the captains (BTW, the sight of Yamamoto taking off his captain's uniform before fighting Kyoraku and Ukitake was... something). I just thought that some of the episodes went off on tangents that could have been ended sooner or ignored.

 

You're really filling me with confidence about the rest of the epsiodes Hawk. At least I have an idea what to expect.

[Hawkius Maximus 0]

Honestly, I'd skip the Bound arc. If you do, the series never has a significant dip in quality. Although you'll still notice the randomness of the hover issues. Oh, and when their hovering and get hit...they skid on air. With like...clouds coming up in the place dust would on the ground. Hard to explain without seeing it.

 

The current arc is close to the level of the Soul Society arc...I don't think it has the complexity that that arc did, but it's close. Still has a looooooong way to go though before the arc ends so it could get more complex.

[Conspiracy_Victim 0]

Does Aizen have anything to do with the Bount, like the characters keep suggesting, or do he, Tousen, and Gin basically retreat until the arrancar (I know a little bit about it, but nothing specific)? Basically I want to see those three get their asses kicked. Especially Gin. He irritated me immensely during the Soul Society. Aizen's just a dickhead who doesn't give a shit about anyone and Tousen, well, I still don't entirely understand his motivations (something about them being in charge of everything is the only way to guarantee peace I think), but Gin's just so smarmy and annoying I want to see Ichigo or Zaraki (I think it says something about me that Kenpachi's actually one of my favorite characters so far) draw and quarter him.

[RepoMan 0]

Actually, come to think of it, anyone else like Paranoia Agent? It's such a weird and creepy little show that I greatly enjoyed it, but I've never ran into another fan or seen anyone discussing it.

 

I love Paranoia Agent. Most recent anime that I ever got into.

 

[Hawkius Maximus 0]

Aizen, Gin, and Tousen have absolutely nothing to do in the Bound arc. They come up with a reasoning why their not in there. Everything they do in the Bound arc is either undone in the end, or doesn't matter in the overall framework. It's a filler arc. Nothing substantial or meaningful is accomplished. Given how boring it is, it's amazing the damn show wasn't cancelled during the arc. As all bad filler does, it plays fast and loose with the universe it exists in, and changed canon to reflect it's need to be coherent...but everything's whitewashed by the end.

 

There's only been three times when I quit watching Bleach for a significant amount of time:

 

The Ichigo/Ikkaku fight (Something about this fight bugged the hell out of me back then. It makes sense NOW, but back then it was like "...why's the fight going four episodes? Who the hell IS this guy?!")

The Entire Bound arc (I'm including multiple stops. I nearly walked away entirely like...five times)

and recently I had a pause around...120-something during some filler.

 

Like I said...If you can accept that nothing in that arc matters, and it's just a 50+ episode time waste, it's not too bad...it's just reeeeeeally boring. Zaraki has a cool moment though.

 

And yes. Zaraki's my favorite too. I just liked how during the final bits of the Soul Society arc, the only reason he sides with Ichigo during the whole final bit is because A) Ichigo beat/drew him and B) Beating on other Captains made him happy. His reasoning went no further then that.

[Nightwing 0]

Just as a point: Ichigo flying during the Soul Society Arc comes from two different things that Yoruichi gives him. I'm not sure it's mentioned the second time, though, which makes it confusing (Especially since he already used something to fly around in). But I thought that was somewhat forgivable. And Yammato's release sequence is pretty badass in the anime.

 

Any mangas I should look into? I'm not a big manga guy (I normally just watch the mainstream animes every now and then), but I've paid attention to Bleach (Which can be frustrating given Kubo's love of the "Rescue" arc) and Naruto (Which I gave up for a little while but got back on board and have been pretty happy with for the last year or so).

[Hawkius Maximus 0]

My point wasn't really about Soul Society because that was explained.

 

In the next major arc, random people just hover for no apparent reason. Not just Ichigo. It happens to the Shinigami in that arc too, when only a few of them should fly (Hitsugaya comes to mind in his Bankai). It's just...weird.

 

I'd advocate Inuyasha for manga, myself. The story seems like it's going to be ending soon, so now would be a good time to binge on it. It's an entertaining read.

[Nightwing 0]

Is it better than the actual show? I mean, the show just irritates me, but mangas and animes can be much different.

[Hawkius Maximus 0]

It's the same plot and characters, so I don't think it's radically different. If fighting and romantic stuff being on an equal footing isn't for you, then yeah, it probably wouldn't be a great read.

[Maztinho 0]

I'm a dabbler in Anime but I just started watching Black Blood Brothers, and I really want to find the end credit song name so I can download it. Is there a good reference site anywhere?

[devo 0]

Anime News Network is what I use. Incidentally, the name of that song is "Shinkirou" by LOVEHOLIC.

[Golgo 13 0]

ANN is what I use also. Wikipedia also works.

 

I have Shinkirou in 192 if you want it.

 

Anyone watch Tokko or Tokyo Majin? The entire series set for Tokko comes out next week..

 

Haven't seen Tokko, but I've heard good things. I haven't seen the sequel, but Tokyo Majin is one of my favorite recent group action shows, if only because of its supernatural elements.

 

Actually, come to think of it, anyone else like Paranoia Agent? It's such a weird and creepy little show that I greatly enjoyed it, but I've never ran into another fan or seen anyone discussing it.

 

I've talked about it. There are plenty of others that like it, it's just a few years old by now. Every one of Satoshi Kon's efforts are worthwhile, in fact.

 

Regarding Bleach, the hovering thing seemed to start after they returned from Soul Society and as far as I know, has never been explained. I've chalked it up to being just another plothole.

[Conspiracy_Victim 0]

Well, based on Hawk's sterling recommendation of the next 50 episxodes of Bleach, I've decided to take a break and switch to Naruto. I'm catching the dubbed episodes on YouTube before they get deleted (for some reason YouTube really seems to be cracking down on Naruto episodes), and so far through the first 70 episodes I'm enjoying it quite a bit. Naruto's a bit annoying, Sakura's pretty much worthless so far, and Sasuke's to emo for me (although I'll give him a little leeway based on his family history), but Kakashi's entertaining as hell and a lot of the secondary characters are pretty engaging (esp. Shikimaru).

 

I will say that the character that surprised me the most was Rock Lee. When I first saw him I though his was going to annoy the hell out of me, but his fight with Gaara in 48-49 really impressed me. It's amazing what a little backstory can do for a character. Plus, the shot of him dropping the leg weights is probably one of the more memorable moments in anime. I'm anticipating them doing something with his character, because there's no way they can leave the character the way it is right now. All in all, I'm interested in where they're going to take the story now that war's broken out. Hopefully Naruto learns to calm down a little bit, because right now he makes me want to slip him some decaf. Believe it.

[Hawkius Maximus 0]

I just watched 27 episodes of Death Note in two days after getting a torrent.

 

Usually, when I splurge like that, I mentally short...but I don't know. When I started watching Death Note, it was on a whim after I accidently downloaded one of the songs from the OST. Ep 1 was interesting, so I kept going.

 

That show...jesus. I'm considering writing up a full review just to get it off my chest. And reading that

Amane Misa kills herself after the show ends

just made it fucking WORSE.

 

I don't feel sad, or upset that the show is over, I feel like...I've been scared. It's the most disturbing feeling I've ever felt regarding Anime.

[Nightwing 0]

Well, based on Hawk's sterling recommendation of the next 50 episxodes of Bleach, I've decided to take a break and switch to Naruto. I'm catching the dubbed episodes on YouTube before they get deleted (for some reason YouTube really seems to be cracking down on Naruto episodes), and so far through the first 70 episodes I'm enjoying it quite a bit. Naruto's a bit annoying, Sakura's pretty much worthless so far, and Sasuke's to emo for me (although I'll give him a little leeway based on his family history), but Kakashi's entertaining as hell and a lot of the secondary characters are pretty engaging (esp. Shikimaru).

 

I will say that the character that surprised me the most was Rock Lee. When I first saw him I though his was going to annoy the hell out of me, but his fight with Gaara in 48-49 really impressed me. It's amazing what a little backstory can do for a character. Plus, the shot of him dropping the leg weights is probably one of the more memorable moments in anime. I'm anticipating them doing something with his character, because there's no way they can leave the character the way it is right now. All in all, I'm interested in where they're going to take the story now that war's broken out. Hopefully Naruto learns to calm down a little bit, because right now he makes me want to slip him some decaf. Believe it.

 

If you stopped right at 70, you're going to have a real treat for Episode 71. It's arguably the most entertaining fight of the entire series (And one of the best anime fights I've ever seen).

[Thoth 0]

I think the

Naruto v Sasuke (the real one)

is incredible animation for a shounen TV series.

 

Also, the new Death Note manga was translated. Thoughts? Do we care? I don't know why it needs to exist, personally.

[devo 0]

There's a new one? I didn't realize. Does it continue where the main storyline left off or start a new one?

[Nightwing 0]

I think the

Naruto v Sasuke (the real one)

is incredible animation for a shounen TV series.

 

Also, the new Death Note manga was translated. Thoughts? Do we care? I don't know why it needs to exist, personally.

 

Yeah, definitely, but the

Hokage Fight has all the ridiculous jutsus being busted out. When Enma turns into the diamond-hard nyoi-bō (A take on the one Sun Wukong used), forcing Orochimaru to pull out the Kusanagi, it was like a total oriental myth mark-out moment for me.

Both are great examples of excellent anime that doesn't resort to a lot of delaying.

[Conspiracy_Victim 0]

If you stopped right at 70, you're going to have a real treat for Episode 71. It's arguably the most entertaining fight of the entire series (And one of the best anime fights I've ever seen).

 

Yeah that fight's pretty epic. Orochimaru's a bitch, but he/she/it can bust out some jutsus when needed. Plus it was good to see the Hokage in action. I've actually slowed down a bit and only made it up to 88 at the moment. Jiraiya's a pretty fun character and it's good that they've finally gotten to the Rasengan, but Naruto's still irritating me sometimes. Rarely, but the moments are there.

[AnnieEclectic 0]

I'm a bit out of the loop but has anyone heard of a second season of the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya?

 

Best romantic comedy including the most FUCKED UP PLOT EVAR yet still being a good romantic comedy. Sort of like how Ranma did romance + fighting + comedy blend and pulled it off.

 

Although Ranma did also have the 'possible tits at any time' factor which helped I'm sure. Kept me tuned in.

 

-Annie

[Thoth 0]

Second season is almost here.

 

Wish there was a KoF anime that was really good, too.

[AnnieEclectic 0]

Second season is almost here.

 

Wish there was a KoF anime that was really good, too.

 

I'm pleasantly unsurprised that you were the one to answer me. Ditto on the KoF anime though.

 

... or a King/Vanessa doujin. Both Z and I would kill for a good one.

 

-Annie

 

[Thoth 0]

Second season is almost here.

 

Wish there was a KoF anime that was really good, too.

 

I'm pleasantly unsurprised that you were the one to answer me. Ditto on the KoF anime though.

 

... or a King/Vanessa doujin. Both Z and I would kill for a good one.

 

-Annie

 

You and I both know that KoF doujins, from here on in, are shota territory. No one does any KoF doujins anymore, other than Saigado.

[Conspiracy_Victim 0]

If you like slapstick humor, get/dowload Puni Puni Poemy. Kind of an offshoot of Excel Sage but I'm pretty sure they took it up a few notches. Makes fun of many elements in both anime and the anime industry, and the bad guy's motivation and the ending are some of the most bizarre things I've seen. If you can, get the torrent that includes the cast commentary. It has most of the main characters' VAs and is just about as wierd and scattershot as the show. Plus if you're from Houston, you'll enjoy the shout-outs Chris Patton gives to a few locations in town.

[Hawkius Maximus 0]

Damn. It has been about a month since the last post in here.

 

I don't remember when my last update on the anime watching was...I think Death Note.

 

Since then, I've watched Hajime No Ippo, Lucky Star, and just finished The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.

 

On a bit of a Aya Hirano kick right now.

 

Hajime no Ippo was a good anime in kind of a Rocky vibe...Problem is, I've read large portions of the manga now, and it's become obvious that they cut the anime off at a really odd point. I don't know if they'll be a second series or what, but odd cutting off place. Show has good fight scenes, but it fails much like the manga at building any kind of lasting connection with the characters. It also has a weird, almost homoerotic vibe at times. Ippo's love interest cares for him deeply...but he spends more time praising his opponents for being so "manly" in and out of fights. That's not even talking about how Ippo's entire world stops around Miyata. The manga is even more insane, as the plot moves ahead years into the story, and almost NO progress is made in any of Ippo's relationships. I fucking *HATE IT* when shows or manga's do that.

 

Lucky Star is what Lucky Star is. It's a show that's about nothing and glorifies that. I loved the Konata character, and if she wasn't on the show it wouldn't have even a quarter of the humor. I don't know how deep you have to be in the "otaku" culture to get the references and jokes, but I found it very amusing. The "Lucky Channel" segments were almost consistently the funniest bits of the show. The humor will either work for you, or it won't. Minoru Shiraishi is a fucking pimp.

 

I had really high expectations going into the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya...and it didn't really live up to them. For one, the two different viewing orders confused the fucking SHIT out of me, as I thought it was essential to the plot to watch the "Kyon" order. Turns out, you can watch in chronological order or the "Haruhi" order and get everything just fine. The show felt like a mish-mash of concepts, ideas, and tone more then a coherent story. At times, it wants to be WHACKY~! and possibly have multiple love interests, but other times it wants you to suddenly buy that OMG THE WORLD MIGHT END~! and it just didn't work for me. One thing that bugs me, is they present all these Sci-Fi type concepts...but never once do they EXPLAIN anything about any of it. I like Sci-Fi stuff. I like philosophical stuff...but I like to have *HOW* explained to some degree. I felt nothing for any of the characters other then Kyon...Kyon's the only sane person in the entire show. Haruhi's too...out there, even by anime standards to like. If she wasn't voiced by Aya Hirano (Who absolutely smokes everyone else on the VA vast) there wouldn't be really anything redeemable about her, and everyone else is a bit character. Non-plot wise, the show has some of the highest grade animation I've ever seen in a series. So that's a bonus. The show has a gigantic following, so it may just be me here.

 

Between all this, I've watched a few episodes of Ikki Tousen (...Saw some clips. Intrigued me), caught up on Bleach manga (Bleach Manga > Bleach Anime), and was watching Keroro Gunsou until I got absolutely frustrated at the complete lack of a plot. There was probably some more stuff in between there, but I forget what.

 

This is what happens when I'm off school for a few weeks, or the classes are easy.

[Golgo 13 0]

I've always seen Haruhi as a love it leave it show. You either like it or you don't, but since I'm of the former and am further in the story thanks to novel translations and have a different perspective, let's see if I can make a counter.

 

Yeah, you can grasp the plot either way, but the Haruhi/broadcast order is by far the most enjoyable and recommended, and should be watched first. The Kyon order is better served as a second viewing just to catch anything that was missed. There's more a sense of surprise with the Haruhi order, in both the main plotline and the side stories you're left wondering what'll come next. Since it's mainly built around the one book, Melancholy, it has a much better lead up to the climax and features what's intended to be the true finale of the series as it's presented in the book without giving it all away.

 

Meanwhile the Kyon order closes out Melancholy early, slows up and ends with Someday in the Rain. A nice, original episode to be sure, and one that emphasizes the day to day and romantic aspects over the chaos in the Haruhi storyline, but one that isn't really suited as a big finale and doesn't really make someone want to watch more. I'm saying maybe the lack of fervor and slow end in the Kyon order makes it disappointing to some if that's what they watch first. The anachronistic order is also, more or less, the format in which the novel series is presented and is probably the way the second season will be too, meaning it's as intended, and that's always been a big thing to me.

 

I think the mix of concepts, sci-fi, mystery, harem, romance, school life, all of it, is what made it refreshing. For trying to do all of that at once it is balanced and pulls off everything well.

 

I can understand how, to you, there wasn't enough of the why or how since there was too much going on, but as someone further along, some of those nagging questions do get answered at some point, we do find out what happened in the past, etc. And while it is as much philosophy and theorizing (see: Koizumi), what fun is it if everything were answered so easily. What the novels do is get around to some things, but after that, it opens up more questions and introduces other elements. Basically the road to wherever it's going and the questions constantly being raised is part of the reason I like the series so much.

 

While it'll always revolve around Haruhi and her threat, there is much less emphasis on her as time goes on, she does mellow, and what's in her head becomes just one part of everything going on around them. So without giving too much away, we do get to see some depth and development for other characters later, and no longer is it the Haruhi show like it was early on. It may not mean much to you, but there is more to it.

[Hawkius Maximus 0]

Here's my problem. Everything you described for later on sounded good...but it didn't happen on *this* season. I've been a fan of shows that have seasons before...They don't give you all the details, and because they don't since they have a "One more season" mentality, the next season never comes with the resolutions on things. Obviously, another season of Haruhi is coming...but that doesn't mean they'll be a season after that one. And when viewing something like this, you have to take it at it's core values. IE what is presented in this show and not a promise for more later.

 

The double episode order remains a major bristling point with me, because I really think it's among the stupider concepts I've seen in some time. I tried to watch the non-linear episodes, but more often then not, I cued up the wrong episodes. It was only until I flipped to Linear that I got any enjoyment from the show whatsoever. Why? Because the episodes are titled 1-13 (00 not withstanding) and I could easily figure out which episode to go to next. If the Non-Linear order is intended, then the episodes should not have been put on DVD in chronological order. Hell, the episodes should have been re-numbered with the non-linear episode format BECOMING the chronological number. Wouldn't have changed anything, it just would have made it easier to go "Okay, I just watched #3, now I'm onto #4!" instead of "Okay, I just watched #3...Now...I load up...10? Maybe?"

 

I didn't hate the show, but it didn't really grip me. Kind of in neutral territory. I like to feel invested in the characters, and I didn't get that here. The love aspects didn't even work because there's only one female in the entire main cast he CAN get with in Haruhi. Kind of dilutes that aspect when there's no other options available on the main cast. I liked what I saw enough to check out season 2...About all that can be asked for I guess.

[Golgo 13 0]

Let's chalk it up to our different levels of exposure and tolerances. I watched as the anime was aired as intended and subbed, switching to the novels shortly after it finished airing.

 

I don't mind that Haruhi is the only viable option. It makes things more interesting, sure, but romance in anime doesn't have to be predicated on a harem setting or any number of other rivals. It's more a romance between Kyon/Haruhi than true harem, anyway, and there's nothing wrong with it being any more. Sometimes it's just forced and if Kyon's lust toward Mikuru, for example, was anything more than that or recriprocated in any way, it'd probably feel the same way. She's basically there for service at the outset and to present the slim possibility of a relationship, which is shot down quickly with older Mikuru's appearance and her own dismissal. What's interesting on that front is what eventually led everyone, and Kyon and Mikuru herself, to that point. It's as much the journey, like I said. It's fine to me that her and any other rivals are basically a means or stimulus toward Kyon/Haruhi and the plot itself.

 

Since it seems you watched on DVD I can see how that would be a problem. I thought they should've released it in broadcast order on all versions, but that's just me. Though I can reason why they did and decided to print them as broadcasted on the deluxe DVDs only. I don't necessarily think it's a fault of the studio, author, or the concept itself. Just the companies who decided to release it on DVD the way they did.

 

Since I read the novels, too, I can look at it as a whole. I know what's coming and I can't wait. Even if no third season is ever released, I wouldn't mind that much since I would have that to fall back on. I think additional seasons are basically guaranteed. If not right away, then at some point, and I'm willing to wait it out, though I can understand that some may not be. It definitely wasn't a sure thing once the anime began, but since it's turned into the success it has, episodes will be released as long as the story and the money to be made off it demand it. I'm also more tolerant toward the practice than a lot seem to be. The only time it doesn't pan out is when the series is bad to begin with and doesn't really deserve a second season anyway.