Recommended Anime/Manga?

[Raytrace]

I think he did - but to be honest I didn't think it was quite as Mishima-esque as I thought it was going to be at all.

[Cata]

Just finished rewatch of The Cockpit OVAs - just as brilliant as I remembered them.

Oh wow, I should really check those out

[Ji-L87]

Since we all (?) liked Blue Blazes so much, it might be of interest to people here that ANN just published a piece about Shimamoto:
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/house-o ... oto/.86936

[soprano1]

New Saint Seiya series focused on the Gold Saints started today. Deathmask has a goatee.
Was surprised it seems to take place on Asgard. Best filler arc ever, can't wait. Also, new version of Soldier Dream for OP.

[Raytrace]

Just finished rewatch of The Cockpit OVAs - just as brilliant as I remembered them.

Oh wow, I should really check those out

They are excellent

[S_Fang]

This news may regard only me, but still:

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/20 ... ume/.86781

Tegami Bachi was my first love (really, same feeling of infatuation) and I'm both sad and happy for this: sad because It will be hard for me to find another series with such magic, atmosphere and style, those things that resounded inside my soul. But I'm happy because it will stop before rotting in a squallid mess and also because it really made me passionate about things like art and comics.

I will surely re-read the series once is compleated and published in Italy, as scan teams are all uninterested about translating this (curse them ).

[juonryu2nd]

I'm reading GTO again. It's been ten years and it's still as fun as I remember.

[soprano1]

I'm reading GTO again. It's been ten years and it's still as fun as I remember.

http://www.fanserviceftw.com/gallery/_i ... 0snake.jpg

[Ji-L87]

So I just sat through the first Patlabor movie again after getting the Maiden Japan BD release in the mail, and, well...it's good as usual Great movie with a good mix of the elements that make Patlabor tick, always a joy to watch.

[KAI]

I should rewatch that movie (and the other 2) too. Right now I'm rewatching the Early Days OVA and the TV series.
Has anyone watched The Next Generation? Those trailers look damn good.

[Ji-L87]

I should rewatch that movie (and the other 2) too. Right now I'm rewatching the Early Days OVA and the TV series.
Has anyone watched The Next Generation? Those trailers look damn good.

Only a few trailers on which I couldn't make up my mind Aside from Blue Blazes, I really struggle with the kind of over-reacted acting you'll find in the live action stuff, so I'm not sure if I want to take the plunge or not...

I used to really like the Early Days OVA of Patlabor but now I feel the TV series do an overall better job with making the show, well, the way it is. Granted, the "Longest Day of SV2"-arc is truly great stuff and I prefer the way the OVA starts, but it sure can feel a bit rough around the edges.
I still like it though, but my appreciation for the TV series + The New Files have really shot up as of late

With that in mind, I've been toying with the idea of showing it to a couple of friends who also enjoy anime, but I'm not sure it'll do that well. Patlabor always seems such a divisive work and we've watched Assembler Insert before - which I think has a similar sort of feeling - and that wasn't a big hit with them....though I loved the shit out of that

[Skykid]

I'm trying to read Berserk. While vol. 1 was fine, the translation in 2 and 3 are absolutely awful. There's no way it was translated by a native English speaker since everything is horrible grammatically, sentence structure is broken and it's rife with spelling errors.

Before I plough on, does anyone know if a superior translation exists? And if so, where is it hosted?

Appreciate the help.

[Pretas]

Wicked City's OST is getting a remastered vinyl release from some enterprising gaijin hipsters. Limited to 1000 copies. Unfortunately, there won't be any liner notes.

They're going to be doing more classic anime soundtracks on vinyl eventually. I wish they'd use the original promo illustrations for the packaging instead of their lame fanart.

[Frenetic]

Kaze no Sylphid aka (Wind of Sylphid or Wind of Silpheed)

This one is about a young boy and his horse's journey to the top of the racing world.

I played a lot of Gallop Racer 2004 and Gallop Racer 2006 on my Playstation 2.

Gosh, I'm a sucker for all these old school manga and anime that I missed growing up. I've ordered Fantagraphics Shigeru Mizuno's reissues, and Tatsumi's (RIP) epic autobiography/memoir "A Drifting Life." Even got Moto Hagio's stuff too. Gonna check out Picture Box as well...anyone have any other recs?

Enjoy!,
The F-man

[Cata]

Wow, totally didn't expect them to start making a new Dragon Ball series
http://kotaku.com/dragon-ball-is-gettin ... Socialflow

Much more interested knowing toriyama is involved

[Lord Satori]

Wow, totally didn't expect them to start making a new Dragon Ball series
http://kotaku.com/dragon-ball-is-gettin ... Socialflow

Much more interested knowing toriyama is involved

My body is definitely ready for this.
I had a reaction gif perfect for this but I can't find it. :(

[lilmanjs]

Wow, totally didn't expect them to start making a new Dragon Ball series
http://kotaku.com/dragon-ball-is-gettin ... Socialflow

Much more interested knowing toriyama is involved

I'll wait for the abridged version where they cut out like 2/3rds of the series! lol. I'm not sure if I should be excited or not. Dragon Ball stuff was part of my childhood.

[ZacharyB]

Ha ha, the only reason the original Dragonball is so long (as well as every other serial anime) is because the animation staff has to keep waiting for the manga's story to progress. If there's no manga to follow, then there's no precedent for things like "filler". Unless they need to fill up a few episodes to round out a season order from the network.

[Cata]

Yea I totally didn't even think about the absence of a manga. Maybe that will make the show a bit better without filler but we'll see

I just totally love how they are retconning GT

[Lord Satori]

Does it really count as a retcon if it was never canon to begin with?

Really, though. I do, too. I didn't like GT very much. The blackstar dragonball saga was sorta okay (at least from the bit I've seen), but largely I can't think of anything I'd miss.

[BryanM]

Amused by the comments on chunibyo manga Gesellschaft Blume, the one where the hero has a giant sword and he cries tears of blood and makes giant crosses and tombstones made of blood appear on his sword. Since it's "dark" and "edgy", the protagonist is known as Edgelord.

I'm not sure there's any merit to the series whatsoever, but I can't stop reading it yet.

[DaneSaga]

Kickstarter for an Otaku no Video Blu-ray by AnimEigo incoming.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ma ... n=b8a32c43

[drauch]

Very cool, but I'd wish they'd do one of their other titles like the original Vampire Princess Miyu OVA or Dagger of Kamui. Still, I love Otaku no Video, but I don't think it's as solid as it could have been. The "interviews" are entertaining, but I feel they sort of drag. Have you picked up the Bubblegum Crisis BD yet? I've been putting it off for weeks... convince me!

[DaneSaga]

AnimEigo seem pretty insistent on doing Blu-ray releases only thus far via their crowd funding ventures, so shows like Vampire Princess Miyu and Dagger of Kamui which are yet to receive HD scans, are most likely not on the cards due to the enormous cost involved authoring said scans.
Personally, I’d be completely content with an improved DVD release for something like Kamui no Ken (especially as their last DVD of it was just god awful), but I think AnimEigo sees the market not responding too positively (mainly the vocal Blu-ray or die elitist jerk-offs) to stuff with/ or without HD materials available being released on such an aging format, particularly with previous DVD releases still readily available.
For example just look at the amount of vitriol Discotek has to deal with when they announce new licences, those ignorant to the massive cost disparity between printing BD over DVDs.

Anyway, they did say they have at least three projects in the works, so following the trend of shows still currently under licence by AnimEigo with existing HD scans, Riding Bean seems like a shoo-in to feature in their next kickstarter project. Maybe Arcadia of My Youth after that if they can negotiate rights again.
I somewhat doubt AnimEigo are willing to do anything they don’t already have subtitle scripts for.

Have you picked up the Bubblegum Crisis BD yet? I've been putting it off for weeks... convince me!

Yeah I bought the Bubblegum Crisis BD set once they put it on their site. The visual design for the art box, slips, and included trinket look a tad amateurish (which becomes even more apparent when compared to the JP box set) but the show itself has never looked better. Filled with lovely film grain, and a remarkably high bit-rate with no visible signs of post processing, it’s a definite upgrade over anything released prior. No more composite dot-crawl that plagued the DVDs, and the frame now being opened ever so slightly, AnimEigo certainly need to be commended for the content they’ve produced on disc. So unless you’ve already seen a rip of the Japanese BD, this new set should be a revelation to you provided you have a decent set-up at home.

[drauch]

Ah yeah, makes sense regarding no HD scans on those. I rarely keep up with the JP stuff so I'm never sure what's been done yet. I'm right with you on just having nice DVDs, definitely. I basically left the Bluray.com forum for that reason. Too many ignorant twats that care more about slip cases and absolute perfection rather that the films themselves. People are so spoiled now. Hell, even my friend that used to love all sorts of great stuff grew to watch less and less because he refused to watch it if it wasn't on Bluray! I don't know how many times I've had to defend Discotek and Rightstuf now for releasing shows on DVD, despite the fact they still look amazing. People really don't understand the cost of this sort of thing... You'd think having to start a Kickstarter would be a good indicator.

Yeah, not surprised the set quality isn't the best. Oh well, can't be worse than the few AnimeSols releases. I'll go ahead and take the plunge tonight. You've sold me on it. It's a favorite, but I'm just wary about most crowd-backed projects when it's their first, especially since it's their first foray into BD.

[DaneSaga]

They did release the Lone Wolf and Cub Collection, as well as a couple Shogun Assassin standalone Blu-rays and Box-set, so they have dipped their toe into the BD market before.
I've no interest in bastardized shit like Shogun Assassin, but I do own the Lone Wolf and Cub discs, which are of....moderate quality. Ironically the Shogun Assassin movies look considerably better I hear so go figure

AnimEigo have a pretty spotty record quality control wise so I can understand being hesitant in anything they do. That said, the Bubblegum Crisis set turned out as good as I could of hoped, so I'm thinking of backing the Otaku no Video kickstarter if just for the lower price than what they will inevitably charge on their own site.

[drauch]

Forgot all about the Lone Wolf set. Was on the fence with that one as well. For awhile it was only 17 bones on Amazon, so I kinda regret that, but now it's impossibly expensive. I'm actually quite satisfied with all the past Animeigo live-action samurai stuff. I think they all still look quite nice, especially considering the age. Really about the only folks that release the stuff in the states besides Criterion and formally HVE.

[Ji-L87]

Me and Otaku no Video have a bit of spotty history, including one or more embarrasing blog posts where I just didn't understand the show- the live sequences especially, or the fact that they were joking about those - but it's grown on me over the years as I've watched more of the stuff they're actually parodying. Still a bit put off with the live sequences though, as they come through as so negative compared to the rest of the OVA, something which I've never really understood the point of...even if they're mocking themselves.

That said, I've watched a rip of the Japanese BD just a month or so back and it looked great, so good in fact that I wonder if there will be any noticeable improvements at all with the higher bit rate Animeigo is offering. Not complaning though.

Riding Bean would be really cool, especially considering there's a nice BD out in Japan now which, again, looks stunning.

I will admit to being part of the HD-hype crowd. If I'm going to buy, of course I want to get the best quality possible. If DVD is the only option (such as older movies/TV series), then fine, but if there is a HD release somewhere, then a DVD only is just sad - I would seriously have trouble buying a show in lower quality than I've got rips on my HDD...

[Xyga]

Punch Line (studio MAPPA) at first seems like another silly gals in panties anime, but is actually a rather well designed and intricate sci-fi story.

It's part of Fuji's noitaminA anime block which usually selects quite good stuff like Eden of the East or Psycho Pass to name only a couple.

[Raytrace]

read Baoh - it was interesting, and mad props for having two Streets Of Fire references in it :p