The General Anime/Manga Thread

[Carrikature]

So. Okay. I don't get Anime. Can someone teach me why its so interesting?

When I was a teen, back in the late 80s and early 90s there were a slew of awesome Japanese animated films. Teen me and my friends thought they were really cool because they showed a lot of violence and sexuality in a cartoon, which was totally a weird thing back then outside of like, Ralph Bakshi's American animations. They seemed to be a continuation of Heavy Metal magazine's (the American version of French magazine Metal Hurlant) weird and wonderful which included the artwork of Moebius, Richard Corben, Milo Manara, Boris Velajo, and of course in the background of it all was the influence of Frank Frazetta.

The films that we watched as kids included Akira, Golgo 13: The Professional, Ninja Scroll, Fist of the North Star, Vampire Hunter D, and a number of others. I remember being extremely turned off to really ridiculous animes that had goofy faced characters, but as long as it had a decently intelligent plot line I was all for it. Later videos I dug included Blood: the Last Vampire, Princess Mononoke, Ghost in the Shell, Spirited Away, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, and I think the last Japanese animated films I was into was the Cowboy Bebop movie, and maybe Steamboy.

What happened to Japanese animation between the mid 90s and the current period? It seems like it was a period over-populated with ridiculous kid cartoons like Pokeman, Digimon, Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball Z, and the like, and then it graduated to teen-bop animes like Naruto, Bleach, Death Note, and a number of other japanimation cartoons that I had no interest in. What happened between 1986 and the mid-90s that resulted in such kidified cartoons that were mostly devoid of the adult themes that Japanese animated films were full of? Did those types of films disappear from the face of the earth? Are they still making cartoons like that, or was that a golden period that we'll never see the likes of again?

There are still some intelligent ones, but I have a hard time finding them. Fate|Zero I think is great*. I've been watching Black Lagoon of late, but I don't know what's next once I finish. Hulu has a lot of Ghost in the Shell, but I don't know where to start with those.

I'm not sure there's anything to explain, though. At the risk of offending some people, I daresay that for a lot of people anime is the foreign equivalent of a Michael Bay movie. It doesn't have to be intelligent, just flashy with overdone fight scenes.







*In all fairness, the effects in Fate|Zero aren't far off from a Michael Bay movie, either, but the character developments are phenomenal. My personal favorite might be when 'King' Arthur, Alexander the Great, and Gilgamesh are discussing what it takes to be a great king. There's a lot of philosophy laced through the entire show.

[Adrift]

There are still some intelligent ones, but I have a hard time finding them. Fate|Zero I think is great*. I've been watching Black Lagoon of late, but I don't know what's next once I finish. Hulu has a lot of Ghost in the Shell, but I don't know where to start with those.

I'm not sure there's anything to explain, though. At the risk of offending some people, I daresay that for a lot of people anime is the foreign equivalent of a Michael Bay movie. It doesn't have to be intelligent, just flashy with overdone fight scenes.







*In all fairness, the effects in Fate|Zero aren't far off from a Michael Bay movie, either, but the character developments are phenomenal. My personal favorite might be when 'King' Arthur, Alexander the Great, and Gilgamesh are discussing what it takes to be a great king. There's a lot of philosophy laced through the entire show.

It seems like a lot of the movies I was into back then turned into PG-13 anime series. The last series I watched with any interest was Attack on Titan, but the over-emphasis on characters who did nothing but yell all the time just wore me out. Some interesting visual shots ruined by really rudimentary still shots that became goofy at times. Its like it captures some of those better early 90s films, but then squanders that on terrible animation, and worse characterization. I gave up about half way through.

[Carrikature]

It seems like a lot of the movies I was into back then turned into PG-13 anime series. The last series I watched with any interest was Attack on Titan, but the over-emphasis on characters who did nothing but yell all the time just wore me out. Some interesting visual shots ruined by really rudimentary still shots that became goofy at times. Its like it captures some of those better early 90s films, but then squanders that on terrible animation, and worse characterization. I gave up about half way through.

The only one of those movies you mentioned that I have seen is Princess Mononoke, and it's been so long I don't even remember the plot. Attack on Titan I gave up on very quickly.

I would pretty strongly recommend Fate|Zero. With the exception of Episode Ten (which does not fit into the story except peripherally), it's probably the best anime I've seen. The soundtrack is great, weird facial expressions to show emotion are rare or non-existent, the interplay of the characters and their motivations is interesting and intelligently done, exposition is generally kept out of the middle of the fight scenes...there's plenty to like and little to dislike, in my opinion.

[Adrift]

The only one of those movies you mentioned that I have seen is Princess Mononoke, and it's been so long I don't even remember the plot. Attack on Titan I gave up on very quickly.

I would pretty strongly recommend Fate|Zero. With the exception of Episode Ten (which does not fit into the story except peripherally), it's probably the best anime I've seen. The soundtrack is great, weird facial expressions to show emotion are rare or non-existent, the interplay of the characters and their motivations is interesting and intelligently done, exposition is generally kept out of the middle of the fight scenes...there's plenty to like and little to dislike, in my opinion.

I'll have to check it out. I do highly recommend Akira and Ghost in the Shell if you haven't already seen them. Top grade stuff really. Very deep stuff for anime. A the very least you should check out the Cowboy Beebop movie. I never saw the series, but the film has a lot going for it.

[T-Shirt Ninja]

What happened between 1986 and the mid-90s that resulted in such kidified cartoons that were mostly devoid of the adult themes that Japanese animated films were full of? Did those types of films disappear from the face of the earth? Are they still making cartoons like that, or was that a golden period that we'll never see the likes of again?

There's a lot of stuff out there, you just have to find what you like. This is one of the things that can be a pain about anime. There's a lot of animes that I just don't care for even though a lot of other folks like them.

As far as suggestions go, there are two animes that I recommend:

Naoki Urasawa's "Monster" - This is a historical fiction anime that follows a brain surgeon in Germany before and after the collapse of the Berlin Wall. In the story he is connected with a serial killer and tries to find him in order to capture him. This anime is slow paced but VERY intense.

Mushi-shi - This show follows a man who is a Mushi master. Mushi are a type of spiritual creatures that are mostly invisible, small, and harmless. However, some Mushi are dangerous and cause all kinds of trouble and difficulty with humans. The artwork, music, and visual effects are absolutely superb. I found many of the stories to be fascinating.

[Adrift]

There's a lot of stuff out there, you just have to find what you like. This is one of the things that can be a pain about anime. There's a lot of animes that I just don't care for even though a lot of other folks like them.

As far as suggestions go, there are two animes that I recommend:

Naoki Urasawa's "Monster" - This is a historical fiction anime that follows a brain surgeon in Germany before and after the collapse of the Berlin Wall. In the story he is connected with a serial killer and tries to find him in order to capture him. This anime is slow paced but VERY intense.

Mushi-shi - This show follows a man who is a Mushi master. Mushi are a type of spiritual creatures that are mostly invisible, small, and harmless. However, some Mushi are dangerous and cause all kinds of trouble and difficulty with humans. The artwork, music, and visual effects are absolutely superb. I found many of the stories to be fascinating.

Thanks for the recommendations T-Shirt! I'll have to check those out.

[JonathanL]

I would pretty strongly recommend Fate|Zero. With the exception of Episode Ten (which does not fit into the story except peripherally), it's probably the best anime I've seen. The soundtrack is great, weird facial expressions to show emotion are rare or non-existent, the interplay of the characters and their motivations is interesting and intelligently done, exposition is generally kept out of the middle of the fight scenes...there's plenty to like and little to dislike, in my opinion.

I'll probably pick up Fate|Zero after I've finished Fate|Stay Night Unlimited Bladeworks (the 2014 TV series version, not the movie adaption).

[JonathanL]

So. Okay. I don't get Anime. Can someone teach me why its so interesting?

For me it depends on what I'm in the mood for. If I want to watch as series with interesting dialogue and character development I'll probably watch something like Katanagatari.

Sometimes I'm in the mood for a more slow-paced slice-of-life anime, in which case I'll be looking for something like Hanasaku Iroha or Barakamon.

If I'm in the mood for adventure and supernatural fights I'll probably go for something like Hunter X Hunter*, or One Piece.

And when I'm simply looking for some senseless humour that doesn't require me to activate my brain cells I'll probably go for something like Nichijou.

Basically, it all boils down to what I'm interested in at the moment. And most of the time there'll be a show that fills the particular need I have at the moment.




*Probably the best shonen adventure anime out there (think Naruto, Bleach and One Piece) mainly because of it's deconstruction of so many of the standard tropes of the genre. Not to mention that it has by far the best character development and relationship building in a shonen adventure series I've seen so far. And the plot for the individual arcs isn't anything to scoff at either (Especially the Chimera Ant Arc). Basically, anyone who enjoys the shonen adventure genre owes it to themselves to watch this awesome gem of a show. The only major drawback this series has, both the manga and anime is that the author takes numerous and long breaks, which means that the story is progressing at an extremely slow pace.

[Carrikature]

I'll have to check it out. I do highly recommend Akira and Ghost in the Shell if you haven't already seen them. Top grade stuff really. Very deep stuff for anime. A the very least you should check out the Cowboy Beebop movie. I never saw the series, but the film has a lot going for it.

I will check them out, then.

[Carrikature]

I'll probably pick up Fate|Zero after I've finished Fate|Stay Night Unlimited Bladeworks (the 2014 TV series version, not the movie adaption).

I don't know about Unlimited Bladeworks, but I could not stand Fate|Stay Night.

For me it depends on what I'm in the mood for. If I want to watch as series with interesting dialogue and character development I'll probably watch something like Katanagatari.

Sometimes I'm in the mood for a more slow-paced slice-of-life anime, in which case I'll be looking for something like Hanasaku Iroha or Barakamon.

If I'm in the mood for adventure and supernatural fights I'll probably go for something like Hunter X Hunter*, or One Piece.

And when I'm simply looking for some senseless humour that doesn't require me to activate my brain cells I'll probably go for something like Nichijou.

Basically, it all boils down to what I'm interested in at the moment. And most of the time there'll be a show that fills the particular need I have at the moment.




*Probably the best shonen adventure anime out there (think Naruto, Bleach and One Piece) mainly because of it's deconstruction of so many of the standard tropes of the genre. Not to mention that it has by far the best character development and relationship building in a shonen adventure series I've seen so far. And the plot for the individual arcs isn't anything to scoff at either (Especially the Chimera Ant Arc). Basically, anyone who enjoys the shonen adventure genre owes it to themselves to watch this awesome gem of a show. The only major drawback this series has, both the manga and anime is that the author takes numerous and long breaks, which means that the story is progressing at an extremely slow pace.

I'm not sure I can handle shonen style anymore. I liked Naruto and Bleach in college, but I tried to restart Bleach a couple of weeks ago and couldn't do it.

[JonathanL]

I don't know about Unlimited Bladeworks, but I could not stand Fate|Stay Night.

I've heard bad things about Fate|Stay Night as well. I'll probably watch a few episodes before forming my own opinion on it.

I'm not sure I can handle shonen style anymore. I liked Naruto and Bleach in college, but I tried to restart Bleach a couple of weeks ago and couldn't do it.

I actually consider Bleach to be pretty mediocre. If you're even consider getting back into the shonen genre I'd recommend picking up the Hunter X Hunter 2011 anime series if you don't mind watching a fairly long show (148 episodes). It might seem like your standard shonen adventure series at first, but if you stick with it might surprise you (in a good way).

[JonathanL]

Also, for anyone who has been considering watching Hunter X Hunter 2011 but haven't been convinced by what I've written in this thread so far, I offer this review from a myanimelist user. He's obviously heavily biased in favour of the series, but even so it's a pretty good overview of the show and why it's well worth the watch. It's a pretty long review and covers most of the reasons why the show is so intriguing, so if you're not interested in watching the series after reading it it probably means the show isn't for you.

http://myanimelist.net/profile/Cresherhsm/reviews

[JonathanL]

I mentioned Barakamon in one of my previous posts. Here's an english subbed version of the opening to the show:

Super Beaver - Rashisa

[Carrikature]

Also, for anyone who has been considering watching Hunter X Hunter 2011 but haven't been convinced by what I've written in this thread so far, I offer this review from a myanimelist user. He's obviously heavily biased in favour of the series, but even so it's a pretty good overview of the show and why it's well worth the watch. It's a pretty long review and covers most of the reasons why the show is so intriguing, so if you're not interested in watching the series after reading it it probably means the show isn't for you.

http://myanimelist.net/profile/Cresherhsm/reviews

Thanks for this. I probably wouldn't have ended up watching the show if I hadn't read it. I'll let you know what I think once I get into it.

[JonathanL]

Thanks for this. I probably wouldn't have ended up watching the show if I hadn't read it. I'll let you know what I think once I get into it.

Here's to hoping I haven't overhyped the show to the point where you'll end up disappointed with it.