Recommended Anime/Manga?

[FinalBaton]

Urusei Yatsura
Animes had a thing for pervert protagonists in the 80's, it seems. Anyway, that one is an example of the best kind of humour on anime. It manages to keep a light and happy spirit through the episodes, even considering that the characters are in general kind of bad persons.

So you quite liked it huh? I might give the series a go(kinda ashamed to have never watched that one )

Speaking of pervert characters : I watched a couple episodes of Devil Hunter Yoko and... it surprised me how ecchi it was, lol. All of Yoko's motivations and dialogues are about getting railed, and all of her mother's motivations and dialogues are about Yoko getting railed, and all her grandmother's motivations and dialogues are about Yoko getting railed... nothing wrong with that it was just... surprising. Also, all character reactions are always cranked out to 10(make that 11) even by anime standards. Not sure I'll continue watching...

Yoko's a cool chick though, look at all the sweet vidya games she's got : a PC Engine Duo-R(with turbo tap), a Megadrive, a Super Famicom, a GameGear and even a frickin' Atari Lynx!

[drauch]

Haha, I posted that exact same image a few years ago on here. Love that shot. She's also got some Ranma 1/2 volumes in her room.

[Lord Satori]

...I binge watched Cardcaptor Sakura plus the two movies in preps for watching the new series. I'll tell you, it's difficult going from watching five sometimes ten episodes a day to one a week.

What did you think of it?
Because of the bluray release, me and a friend have slowly been going back through it over the last year and we only have 4 episodes left now, plus the movies. However I sat down again with the first movie not long ago and I really still enjoyed it. It's beautiful and very in line with the shows better episodes, not to mention the music's pretty great too. Especially the ending song which tends to get stuck in my head with just the slightest provocation.

As for the TV series, I feel that most of the good stuff is in the first half, or perhaps the first third. The overarching story about Clow Reed isn't why I'm watching this, it's because I like watching a well-drawn Sakura capture the card of the week with some cheese and romance on the side.
Still, the rest is fun too although it does feel rather stretched out towards the end. I still very much cherish the very first episode. It looks great (character drawings are on point and locked in) not to mention most of the memorable pieces from the first soundtrack is being played throughout the episode.

We're going to start on Clear Card once we finish this but I'm worried how the visuals will hold up now that it's digital. Do they manage to capture it well enough?

I really enjoyed it.

As for Clear Card, it retcons the second movie and the last episode in favor of a new ending that serves as a prologue (found separately from the main anime). For some reason everything is literally much brighter in CC, but aside from that the overall tone remains the same.

[FinalBaton]

Haha, I posted that exact same image a few years ago on here. Love that shot. She's also got some Ranma 1/2 volumes in her room.

Are you speaking of the shot we see of her bed head with stuff on it? I liked that shot, there's a couple manga volumes and a couple videotapes neatly stacked on there. Didn't check for the manga names, pretty cool that they plugged Ranma 1/2!

[Ji-L87]

Yup, same here! I only took a few screenshots watching it but the bulk was from her room.
@FinalBaton:
The first episode especially is very much what you describe. It's about getting railed or not, or nearly getting it. It does step back after that though, but what a way to start!

Urusei Yatsura
Animes had a thing for pervert protagonists in the 80's, it seems. Anyway, that one is an example of the best kind of humour on anime. It manages to keep a light and happy spirit through the episodes, even considering that the characters are in general kind of bad persons.

I loved the manga, so much that I'm kinda akin to read it again. That, or maybe I should give the anime a shot. It created a funny joke, ran with it just until it was starting to wear out and you knew every inn and out of the joke, then it surprised you by turning it on it's head and suddenly it was funny again.

Ranma doesn't really manage this nearly as well, as it merely establishes jokes but don't put that much energy into changing it up and keeping it interesting.
I still like Ranma but it does show signs of stagnation and it's among one of the chief complains I hear about it.

As for Clear Card, it retcons the second movie and the last episode in favor of a new ending that serves as a prologue (found separately from the main anime). For some reason everything is literally much brighter in CC, but aside from that the overall tone remains the same.

Good to hear

[wgogh]

Urusei Yatsura
Animes had a thing for pervert protagonists in the 80's, it seems. Anyway, that one is an example of the best kind of humour on anime. It manages to keep a light and happy spirit through the episodes, even considering that the characters are in general kind of bad persons.

So you quite liked it huh? I might give the series a go(kinda ashamed to have never watched that one )

I do. Until now, they're introducing many new characters through the episodes and doing some little things to make the episodes less like fillers. Since every episode is fun in its own right, you wont be much of a problem if you dont watch all of the 195 episodes.

I loved the manga, so much that I'm kinda akin to read it again. That, or maybe I should give the anime a shot. It created a funny joke, ran with it just until it was starting to wear out and you knew every inn and out of the joke, then it surprised you by turning it on it's head and suddenly it was funny again.

Ranma doesn't really manage this nearly as well, as it merely establishes jokes but don't put that much energy into changing it up and keeping it interesting.
I still like Ranma but it does show signs of stagnation and it's among one of the chief complains I hear about it.:

The anime has a very good voice acting (making Ataru's screams pretty amusing), so thats a plus. Also, the OP and ending are cool.
"Let's put weird and weird together, and make it even weirder!"

[GaijinPunch]

GP:

I would like to open an anime review site called "Nietzsche maido nyan nyan!", in which I give only 1 Icycalm out of 5 to just any series I discuss. The reviews would be endless drivel about a series not having enough moe, and would be shot in your typical hikikomori room.

Do you think I would have a winning market?

Possibly. How much are you charging for a forum membership?

Urusei Yatsura
Animes had a thing for pervert protagonists in the 80's, it seems. Anyway, that one is an example of the best kind of humour on anime. It manages to keep a light and happy spirit through the episodes, even considering that the characters are in general kind of bad persons.

So you quite liked it huh? I might give the series a go(kinda ashamed to have never watched that one )

I do. Until now, they're introducing many new characters through the episodes and doing some little things to make the episodes less like fillers. Since every episode is fun in its own right, you wont be much of a problem if you dont watch all of the 195 episodes.

Maison Ikkoku smokes them both. I've tried Urusei Yatsura and will probably go full on at some point, as I do think it has some qualities.... but the perviness is a bit weird these days. Ranma even more so. I guess since it was authored by a female it's okay?

[FinalBaton]

Maison Ikkoku smokes them both. I've tried Urusei Yatsura and will probably go full on at some point, as I do think it has some qualities.... but the perviness is a bit weird these days. Ranma even more so. I guess since it was authored by a female it's okay?

Been meaning to try Maison Ikkoku for awhile now, your post might just be what makes me take the plunge.

Been reading that among anime laserdisc collectors, getting the Maison Ikkoku laserdisc complete box set is quite the expensive buy, lol (not into laserdisc myself, probs never will be)

What's your thoughts on Kimagure Orange Road? It's a love triangle thingie it seems like from the tiny bit of research I've done. How is it? Is it charming? Is it well-written?

[drauch]

Maison Ikkoku is my fav. I wish Takahashi went back to more 'mature' work. Sadly her career definitely rides on what is popular, and her artwork now is almost unrecognizable. Ikkoku is definitely goofy and light-hearted, but it's also grounded in reality and actual feelings which is why I like it so much. I love Ranma and Urusei as well, but they're all just sorta a running gag, so they don't stand out as much. First season of Ranma is aces, but after that I had to pass. The manga on the other hand is much better imo, although it's much of the same thing still.

KOR is awesome. Peak 80's stuff with a killer soundtrack. Still need to read the manga, but I was waiting on the localization kickstarter that may or may not be MIA now. With the show there's kinda some identity crisis with it at times, like how the main love interest is a sukeban girl (which they don't touch much on) and there's some magical stuff down the 'whimsical' road that begins to wear out its welcome with some filler, but overall it's great. The movie ties it all up nicely with a serious, realistic turn that feels like real closure.

But yeah, Ikkoku is better written as the characters are older and more realistic, but Orange Road is more 'fun' in its approach to silly, young love with a bit of fantasy.

[GaijinPunch]

Been meaning to try Maison Ikkoku for awhile now, your post might just be what makes me take the plunge.

That would make me proud

Been reading that among anime laserdisc collectors, getting the Maison Ikkoku laserdisc complete box set is quite the expensive buy, lol (not into laserdisc myself, probs never will be)

Back in the day? Yes, very. Now... definitely not. Most LDs lost all their value when DVDs came out. Not a huge secret that I was an anime nerd back in the analogue days... and, I took fan-subbing way too far, just like with all my hobbies since then. I didn't have a lot of access to people who could translate (and I couldn't then) but I had access to laser discs, and that set was one of them. I cleaned up and retimed Arctic Animations* subtitles of the whole series. It definitely wouldn't have happened w/o those, but it still took me 2 years, and the end product I thought was quite amazing. Sadly, I never backed up my scripts (didn't care then) b/c timed scripts were available all over the fucking internet (including mine). I figured why bother keeping an Amiga when I can just get them whenever I want. Sadly, they're all gone. Doesn't really matter much as I don't need the subtitles and others have done them (with admittedly better edited scripts) but it was still 2 years of college days, and it would be cool to look at them.

*If you don't know who AA is, it's worth a read. They pushed out TONS of stuff... more than any group does now by a cuntry mile. However, the quality reflected the quantity, and getting high quality copies was nearly impossible. To boot, dealing w/ them meant you got a shit ton of attitude (just read William Chow's page up there) which spilled into the subtitles from time to time (in the credits). I do tip my hat to him, but at the end of the day, some of the shit was way more dramatic than our beefs we have here... but without the convenience of the internet.

BTW that was my first time putting a face to the infamous name. Yowza.

What's your thoughts on Kimagure Orange Road? It's a love triangle thingie it seems like from the tiny bit of research I've done. How is it? Is it charming? Is it well-written?

Pure 80s... but a little young (even when I tried to watch it ages ago). Maybe I'll give it another try but always found it somewhat cheesy. Was hard to relate to, and I never cared for J-Pop which was it's main selling point. Actually, I do kinda like the 2nd opening theme it had. Was kinda catchy.

[FinalBaton]

Yeah, I know a bit about Arctic Animations! And one of the times I've heard of the Maison Ikkoku LD boxset being expensive back then just happens to be from William Chow himself actually, in this interview (that's a great YT channel btw, the interviewer and host of the show, Johnny, is ace) :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aq6soBD7yPA

He seems to highly regard William Chow, that's why it's interesting to hear your take on him. He(Johnny) didn't work with him obviously, so that's probably why he doesn't see him the same way as you do!

Back in the day? Yes, very. Now... definitely not. Most LDs lost all their value when DVDs came out. Not a huge secret that I was an anime nerd back in the analogue days... and, I took fan-subbing way too far, just like with all my hobbies since then. I didn't have a lot of access to people who could translate (and I couldn't then) but I had access to laser discs, and that set was one of them. I cleaned up and retimed Arctic Animations* subtitles of the whole series. It definitely wouldn't have happened w/o those, but it still took me 2 years, and the end product I thought was quite amazing. Sadly, I never backed up my scripts (didn't care then) b/c timed scripts were available all over the fucking internet (including mine). I figured why bother keeping an Amiga when I can just get them whenever I want. Sadly, they're all gone. Doesn't really matter much as I don't need the subtitles and others have done them (with admittedly better edited scripts) but it was still 2 years of college days, and it would be cool to look at them.

*If you don't know who AA is, it's worth a read. They pushed out TONS of stuff... more than any group does now by a cuntry mile. However, the quality reflected the quantity, and getting high quality copies was nearly impossible. To boot, dealing w/ them meant you got a shit ton of attitude (just read William Chow's page up there) which spilled into the subtitles from time to time (in the credits). I do tip my hat to him, but at the end of the day, some of the shit was way more dramatic than our beefs we have here... but without the convenience of the internet.

BTW that was my first time putting a face to the infamous name. Yowza.

Man that's great stuff, love learning about the early days of anime fan subs in North America. Pretty cool that you were involved in this. It's too bad your scripts are gone. Did you do scripts for other anime? And were you ever involved in other aspects (copying and distributing tapes, etc)?

What bugs me about Laserdisc is that so few of them got english subs... I looked at using a Genlock and superimposing scripts found online on top of japanese anime LD, but that's getting a bit complicated for my taste. Although doable. I'm just lazy basically, lol.



Speaking of KOR : AnimEigo still hold the rights over here for the movie, OVAs and tv series, and in the last few years they kinda, sorta hinted at re-scanning them for high-def...

And I've been bugging them to release an SD Bluray collection (would fit on 1 or 2 discs) of You're Under Arrest!, lol. Those DVDs are now sold out. (this one is probably too much work to re-scan, hence why I asked for SD on BD)
Hey, you never know, it might work! After all, I did the same with Discotek for Hokuto no Ken, and it worked!

[wgogh]

I remember watching a compilation of 80's anime openings in youtube that had much of the ones were discussing; Urusei, Ranma, KOR... Maison Ikkoku had cool music, as I remember. I believe it was the 2nd opening that had a Beatles-like song.

I was indeed planning to watch Maison if my interest last, and you guys also made me curious about that Yoko girl.

[FinalBaton]

I remember watching a compilation of 80's anime openings in youtube that had much of the ones were discussing; Urusei, Ranma, KOR... Maison Ikkoku had cool music, as I remember. I believe it was the 2nd opening that had a Beatles-like song.

I was indeed planning to watch Maison if my interest last, and you guys also made me curious about that Yoko girl.

lol, just watched am "80s anime op/end compilation" an hour ago and was about to post about it! That's too funny
Man that made me want to watch a bunch of these shows :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmmSCcij1UA

[wgogh]

I remember watching a compilation of 80's anime openings in youtube that had much of the ones were discussing; Urusei, Ranma, KOR... Maison Ikkoku had cool music, as I remember. I believe it was the 2nd opening that had a Beatles-like song.

I was indeed planning to watch Maison if my interest last, and you guys also made me curious about that Yoko girl.

lol, just watched am "80s anime op/end compilation" an hour ago and was about to post about it! That's too funny
Man that made me want to watch a bunch of these shows :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmmSCcij1UA

It was exactly that one! Great selection, he even got Daicon IV in there.
Inspires me to get back to anime and keep working on my japanese study!

[Randorama]

GP:

I would like to open an anime review site called "Nietzsche maido nyan nyan!", in which I give only 1 Icycalm out of 5 to just any series I discuss. The reviews would be endless drivel about a series not having enough moe, and would be shot in your typical hikikomori room.

Do you think I would have a winning market?

Possibly. How much are you charging for a forum membership?

Hmm, a small sum (30 cents of any currency) per single review, so that users are seldom aware of their pocket money being chipped off.
I still haven't done my math and marketing studies (ah!).

On a more appropriate note...

Maison Ikkoku smokes them both. I've tried Urusei Yatsura and will probably go full on at some point, as I do think it has some qualities.... but the perviness is a bit weird these days. Ranma even more so. I guess since it was authored by a female it's okay?

I would say that, in modern terms, Maison Ikkoku is an extremely well-crafted seinen/Josei manga, and Urusei and Ranma are silly ero-shonen stuff.
Erotic light comedies may even be targeted at adults, but you generally need a certain cultural background to appreciate them or, well, even endure them.
Italy has its own tradition on erotic light comedies (and hundreds of movies with starlets like "Edwige Fenech", in the '70s), so Urusei and Ranma were (and still are!) very popular.
I *believe* that Japan had and still has a similar tradition, and that there are no particular stigmas on authors' sex (!!!).

If you lack that kind of background (in whatever form), the "one-trick pony" nature of the genre will tire you very quickly, I believe.
I never absorbed any appreciation of this genre even if I am technically Italian (not culturally so, I daresay!), so I never went too deep in either series.
As a comparison, I guess that US and S.Korean fans can easily appreciate baseball manga/anime (but not everyone, of course!).
I had cases in which I simply couldn't stand a few episodes, even if technically superb (Cross Game, for instance).

Maison Ikkoku should be taught in schools. As an anecdote, I know that a fellow colleague (she works at Stockholm U. but was in Kyoto for decades) does use this series as a cornerstone of her reading list for a "Manga 1.01" course ("this is quintessential slice of life for adults").

[GaijinPunch]

Man that's great stuff, love learning about the early days of anime fan subs in North America. Pretty cool that you were involved in this. It's too bad your scripts are gone. Did you do scripts for other anime? And were you ever involved in other aspects (copying and distributing tapes, etc)?

I made a master SVHS tape off of the Laser Disc. Sometimes I made a few. I recall making some for some names that appear on the aforementioned link actually (small world). They'd disperse to their clubs. We did a few originals. Umi ga Kikoeru (I actually saw recently someone re-did that original script and actually credited me). The Cockpit is another. God I've not watched that in a while.

What bugs me about Laserdisc is that so few of them got english subs... I looked at using a Genlock and superimposing scripts found online on top of japanese anime LD, but that's getting a bit complicated for my taste. Although doable. I'm just lazy basically, lol.

It's easy it's just analog so very time consuming and you gotta wrap your head around it. No need though now w/ everything being digital.

[Lord Satori]

Watched Btooom! It's yet another anime that never finished the storyline. Unlike Deadman Wonderland, which is in the same boat, I found the ending somewhat satisfying, and at least implies that there's a happy ending and doesn't just leave you hanging there forever.

[S_Fang]

I would say that, in modern terms, Maison Ikkoku is an extremely well-crafted seinen/Josei manga, and Urusei and Ranma are silly ero-shonen stuff.
Erotic light comedies may even be targeted at adults, but you generally need a certain cultural background to appreciate them or, well, even endure them.
Italy has its own tradition on erotic light comedies (and hundreds of movies with starlets like "Edwige Fenech", in the '70s), so Urusei and Ranma were (and still are!) very popular.
I *believe* that Japan had and still has a similar tradition, and that there are no particular stigmas on authors' sex (!!!).

If you lack that kind of background (in whatever form), the "one-trick pony" nature of the genre will tire you very quickly, I believe.
I never absorbed any appreciation of this genre even if I am technically Italian (not culturally so, I daresay!), so I never went too deep in either series.
As a comparison, I guess that US and S.Korean fans can easily appreciate baseball manga/anime (but not everyone, of course!).
I had cases in which I simply couldn't stand a few episodes, even if technically superb (Cross Game, for instance).

I'm from Italy and I watched my fair share of sexy comedies feuturing Alvaro Vitali and Lino Banfi (those two are a blast if you like low-brow comedies), but I never enjoyed those as much as the rest of my peers, same thing for Takahashi's works: "Ramna 1/2" had many cleaver moments (the absurd fights with wacky fighting styles were nice), but then it got repetitive with the slapstick and the whole romantic misunderstandings with unfair resolution (I agree with BennetTheSage's points on that, but I don't tag it as misandry because is just a cheap punchline and nothing more), becoming a total chore to sit through and I don't have such patience anymore.
I didn't watch "Urusei Yatsura" that much, just the Mamoru Oshii's movie and a couple episodes on local TV, I couldn't stand the over-the-top style that makes everyone in the cast a pack of looneys, despise recognizing the effort of keeping slightly fresh as much as possible.
"Inuyasha" was cool for the setting and the fights (the one with a little bit of strategy involved), but the comedy was lame and perferctly disposable, the romance as well but at least gives a bit of depth to the main cast and the story was stuck in a tug-o-war for a stupid amulet. The people that dislike it have all the rights to feel and say so.

Regarding sports, I only watched "Captain Tsubasa" (the most favourite in Italy) and a bit of "Slam Dunk", but I was never into sport stories as I don't find things such as soccer and baseball (despite watching many american movies on that) interesting. Maybe I can try "Ashita no Joe" since I like boxing and I don't want to drown in that slog called "Hajime no Ippo".

Watched Btooom! It's yet another anime that never finished the storyline. Unlike Deadman Wonderland, which is in the same boat, I found the ending somewhat satisfying, and at least implies that there's a happy ending and doesn't just leave you hanging there forever.

The manga will finish this May, giving me a reason to check the manga if it didn't went to shitter in the last volumes (I had lukewarm feelings with Tegami Bachi and those weren't pretty).

[FinalBaton]

I guess I'm kinda interested in sports anime, wouldn't mind trying out another one. To my utter surprise, I ended up getting completely emotionally invested in Initial D : First Stage. That was a hell of a ride (pun intended), so good. I rewatch that season once every year now.
So what are other cool sports anime? I guess the aforementionned Ashita no Joe amd Slam Dunk are both good? What about that older tennis anime, Ace wo Nerae! ? Or that newer bike racing one, Yowamushi Pedal? And any other reccos?

[BIL]

I thought both series of Hajime no Ippo were pretty fun, mostly the first. Very reliant on the usual shonen tropes, but it's all done with heart and appropriate levity, and they also capture the hell of a boxer's training regimen pretty convincingly (the manga's author is a huge fan of the sport, I think he's been a professional cornerman IIRC).

I pretty much only watched so I could get some background on the characters in Treasure's (surprisingly excellent) GBA game, ended up liking it enough to see the whole thing. Was gonna continue with the ongoing manga but I got distracted.

I've been meaning to watch/read Ashita no Joe, seemed a lot rawer than Ippo. Liked what I saw but again my attention span can only go so far. Raytrace likes it I know (wonder what he's been up to lately).

[Xyga]

So is Initial D really packed with [eurobeat] or what? because that'll make it had for me to watch lol.

Yeah it's been on my watchlist for a long time.

[FinalBaton]

So is Initial D really packed with [eurobeat] or what? because that'll make it had for me to watch lol.

Yeah it's been on my watchlist for a long time.

There's Eurobeat during some racing scenes(not even all of them), so that accounts for around 15% of the episodes' run time maybe? At most, maybe even a bit less. And sometimes it's muted too, so we can hear the dialogues/monologues better. Def not a dealbreaker, I'd think

[GaijinPunch]

So what are other cool sports anime? I guess the aforementionned Ashita no Joe amd Slam Dunk are both good? What about that older tennis anime, Ace wo Nerae! ? Or that newer bike racing one, Yowamushi Pedal? And any other reccos?

Touch

[soprano1]

So what are other cool sports anime? I guess the aforementionned Ashita no Joe amd Slam Dunk are both good? What about that older tennis anime, Ace wo Nerae! ? Or that newer bike racing one, Yowamushi Pedal? And any other reccos?

Touch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBu9LDKZIF4

[soprano1]

So is Initial D really packed with [eurobeat] or what? because that'll make it had for me to watch lol.

Yeah it's been on my watchlist for a long time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chdSs8ggH70
google for the best version on flac.

[FinalBaton]

So is Initial D really packed with [eurobeat] or what? because that'll make it had for me to watch lol.

Yeah it's been on my watchlist for a long time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chdSs8ggH70
google for the best version on flac.

I think what he meant is that he doesn't like that type of music

[soprano1]

I think what he meant is that he doesn't like that type of music

Outrageous!
Sorry if that's the case, Xyga.

[Xyga]

Yeah it's like torture!

[BryanM]

Pure heaven.

[Ji-L87]

So I'm a bit late in this thread this time but the first season of Initial D is amazing. The 3D isn't actually horrible but I guess it helps that it's mostly used during night races and for the most part, cars are not 3D when not racing.

I used to think that the character drawings were derpy (and they are) but they look so much better than what they did to it in the second season, in which everything moved to digital and it looks horrible. And the 3D even meshes a bit worse, I thought, since they use 3D models more frequently throughout.

It's been a while since I watched the 2nd season however, mostly because I felt it was such a letdown from the fantastic 1st one, that actually got my friends (who have no interest in cars whatsoever) really hyped about each episode.

Regarding the use of Eurobeat. I think the music is used very well throughout and it's mixed into just the right moments. Not even the whole songs, just bits and pieces of it here and there for needed effect during special scenes and it works wonders.

As for something I watched recently, I finally watched Tatakae! Iczer-1.
I'm not into the whole body horror thing (and for some reason I thought it would be more pervy but alas) but character animation was really good throughout and I didn't hate my time with it. It's really short so there's that and while I won't be referring to it as a masterpiece or "must watch classic" any time soon, you could do worse.