Where has all the manly violent anime gone?

Never_Scurred · Post by **Never_Scurred** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 7:09 pm

I recently started getting back into anime and I noticed a very disturbing trend. All the anime thats out now seems to nothing but little schoolgirls with bugged out facial expressions and softfocus animation and whatnot. WTF, man? I don't wanna watch no Bleach or Naruto or any of that bullshit. What happened to the grown up, manly, serious, blood gushing, limb severing, tentacle rape anime of the old days? Are they marketing anime to little girls now or what?
I want the good shit. You know, that Devil Man, Violent Jack, Vampire Hunter D, Ninja Scroll, Wicked City, Golgo 13, Berserk, Fist of the North Star type shit.(Well, at least we have FotNS/Hnk still alive and kicking).
C'mon, now. has anime turned gay and sissy now or what? Is there any good (non hentai) stuff worth checking out that don't involve shrieking little girls, cheesy romance, and lame ass pop music intros?

Pixel_Outlaw · Post by **Pixel_Outlaw** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 7:24 pm

Sort of off topic but I really liked the look of the 80's anime. They had less color, detail and shading but they seemed so much better looking. I think all the DBZ worship may have ruined any serious anime.

I think it all went downhill when female eyes grew 100% and males were forced to shave off the sideburns.

Never_Scurred · Post by **Never_Scurred** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 7:28 pm

Pixel_Outlaw wrote:Sort of off topic but I really liked the look of the 80's anime. They had less color, detail and shading but they seemed so much better looking. I think all the DBZ worship may have ruined any serious anime.

I think it all went downhill when female eyes grew 100% and males were forced to shave off the sideburns.

I agree.

PC Engine Fan X! · Post by **PC Engine Fan X!** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 7:42 pm

Check out the rare all-done by hand anime OVA (Original Video Animation) series of eX-Driver that is only six episodes long circa 2001 that the creator expresses that by being rendered entirely by hand (a rarity in modern day anime these days) gives it more cooler detail then if it was rendered entirely in CGI (i.e. Intial D anime series).

The mysterious character Rei with her sexy hourglass figure and provocative attire is worth a look in the 3rd episode of eX-Driver OVA series. There is no nudity but you can use your imagination as to how Rei looks in her birthday suit.

You might want to check out the eX-Driver motion picture as well...it was released in the USA not too long ago on Region 1 DVD format. ^_~

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

clp · Post by **clp** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 7:46 pm

ghost in the shell 2.0 is out soon if not already in japan , cant wait to see the improvements over the original.

Ruldra · Post by **Ruldra** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 7:48 pm

Let's see...

- Claymore: set in a medieval world where demons eat humans and claymores hunt them. It's a bit like Berserk.

- Black Lagoon: shows the lives of a bunch of mercenaries. I only watched the first episode, but it looks real good.

There's also Gantz and Bokurano, but never watched those. Heard it's pretty dark though.

And yeah anime nowadays is all about happy schoolgirls, fanservice and wimpy guys. Makes me sick.

FIL · Post by **FIL** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 7:54 pm

Anime is marketed at kids and nerds, tv anime for kids doesn't seem to be able to get away with the same level of violence that it used to, and the late night shows for nerds are mostly slice of life and highschool comedies. TUFF manly anime doesn't sell these days I guess, there isn't much of a market for Kenshiro bodypillows. There is a HnK side story airing right now though, no idea if its any good.

I think its just the current trend to have very feminine male leads. Its the same in other aspects of media like tokusatsu. Compare the Kamen Riders of the 70s and 80s with the pouting girly-men that star in it these days.

80s anime is awesome, the mid 80s to early 90s are my favourite period in anime, but its easy to over estimate how good a lot of it was. The most memorable examples of 80s anime are the OVAs and movies, TV anime was just as badly animated as it is today for the most part. And for every Do You Remember Love or Gunbuster there were about 20 stinking turds.

Never_Scurred · Post by **Never_Scurred** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 7:55 pm

clp wrote:ghost in the shell 2.0 is out soon if not already in japan , cant wait to see the improvements over the original.

NO.

That show is wack. Fucking lame. I tried SAC 1. Coundn't make it through the 3rd episode before I deleted that bullshit. I never understood why people like that show so much. Its mad boring, the protagonist is wooden as fuck, no personality, and itsnothingbut technobabble most of the time. Booooooooo.

Zebra Airforce · Post by **Zebra Airforce** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 8:01 pm

You probably aren't looking hard enough, but I don't really know because I'm so out of the loop on stuff like this. Heard good things about Black Lagoon. I was surprised Samurai Champloo and Cowboy Bebop weren't on your list?

SAC sucks hard. What a shitty show.

Never_Scurred · Post by **Never_Scurred** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 8:02 pm

FIL wrote: there isn't much of a market for Kenshiro bodypillows. There is a HnK side story airing right now though, no idea if its any good.

You mean Souten no Ken?
That show it tough. I have the first 3 episodes, never got around to getting the rest...
As far as HnK is concerned, I wish there were more shows like that. With a manly(no homo), badass hero dude who just walks around, fucks and kicks ass. All these shows with little girls with bug eyes and Naruto makes me sick. I cold tolerate some Samurai Champloo or even some Wolf's Rain. You know, serious stuff. I dunno, its frustrating trying to find some good stuff to watch.

Observer · Post by **Observer** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 8:08 pm

And whenever I complain about the all-female animes and shit I get flak from all directions... Good to see someone else bringing this topic.

Guess I'm an old troglodyte who prefers the Armored Warriors, Fist of the MotherFucking North Star, good ol' Macross and all the manly macho shit. But, yes, then we are all 'close minded elitists' who can't appreciate good things.

Reminds me of Icycalm complaining about No More Heroes (I so fucking hate this game... but with reason, you have to see the censored australian version my friend showed me, she got bored of it after a couple of hours, and someone should kick that censoring commission on their stupid fascist asses) and this.

For every new generic loli-moe-kawaii cuteness, one mecha or macho Rambo falls apart in a corner, rusted and lifeless and our phalluses shrink in size before we all turn into little girls in the final conflagration. =(

note: time to note that I'm not being too serious (just in case we start getting the 'close minded' stuff or worse, you know the drill: Internet = Serious Business)

Far from 'manly' but quite surreal, you could try Gankutsuou (Montecristo) Some parts do get annoying bit it's quite nice. Then, maybe (and only maybe), Heat Guy J. It is also far from super manly but J is a megafucking cyborg of doom that speaks sayings and offers counselling about how to be a "true man"/gentleman. "A true man never steps back in front of an obstacle". I cannot recall any anime telling guys to be anything but nerds, geeks, idiots or pervs... It has an odd retro-tech feeling and the designer is the same that did the Escaflowne designs.

FIL · Post by **FIL** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 8:11 pm

Never_Scurred wrote:You mean Souten no Ken?

Hokuto no Ken Raoh Gaiden: Ten no Haoh, it started last month.

croikle · Post by **croikle** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 8:11 pm

Ruldra wrote:Gantz

I hear the anime version is pretty bad, but the manga is awesomely over the top. Imaginative monsters, epic fights, sweet weapons, lots of gore, ecchi, character death, etc. It's definitely worth reading.

Post by **undamned** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 8:13 pm

I vaguely recall an anime from the 90's called Baou or something (my friend pronounced it "Baw-Oh"). It was about this genetically altered guy that would get all super human when he needed to (yeah, like teh Hulk) and had these blades on his elbows and totally ripped the snot out of everything. In the episode I saw he takes on this tiger that was enhanced like him. Pretty bloody and amazing animation.
-ud

Observer · Post by **Observer** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 8:15 pm

croikle wrote:
Ruldra wrote:Gantz
I hear the anime version is pretty bad, but the manga is awesomely over the top. Imaginative monsters, epic fights, sweet weapons, lots of gore, ecchi, character death, etc. It's definitely worth reading.

Add the mega monster built entirely out of female bodies (Dalí inspired?) and a crazy weirdo screwing said giant monster. (I wish I was kidding now)

Never_Scurred · Post by **Never_Scurred** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 8:23 pm

undamned wrote:I vaguely recall an anime from the 90's called Baou or something (my friend pronounced it "Baw-Oh"). It was about this genetically altered guy that would get all super human when he needed to (yeah, like teh Hulk) and had these blades on his elbows and totally ripped the snot out of everything. In the episode I saw he takes on this tiger that was enhanced like him. Pretty bloody and amazing animation.
-ud

I know what you're talking about. I have that on VHS somewhere. Basically, he could not die even if he wanted to. I recall a part where he tried to jump off a building or something(its been years) and his body stopped him. Good stuff. should have been an series.

Post by **undamned** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 8:24 pm

Observer wrote:Then, maybe (and only maybe), Heat Guy J. It is also far from super manly but J is a megafucking cyborg of doom that speaks sayings and offers counselling about how to be a "true man"/gentleman. "A true man never steps back in front of an obstacle". I cannot recall any anime telling guys to be anything but nerds, geeks, idiots or pervs... It has an odd retro-tech feeling and the designer is the same that did the Escaflowne designs.

Right now, Right Stuf has a ridiculous sale going on and you can get a bunch of stuff, including Heat Guy J for $3/DVD (many DVD's lower than that).

croikle · Post by **croikle** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 8:24 pm

Observer wrote:Add the mega monster built entirely out of female bodies (Dalí inspired?) and a crazy weirdo screwing said giant monster. (I wish I was kidding now)

Yeah, that one was a bit odd. Its other forms were rather more manly...

Never_Scurred · Post by **Never_Scurred** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 8:26 pm

FIL wrote:
Never_Scurred wrote:You mean Souten no Ken?
Hokuto no Ken Raoh Gaiden: Ten no Haoh, it started last month.

Oh word?
I need to check that one out. Is it on the same level as the movies (Toki Den, Yuria Den, etc)?

GrimoreLibrarian · Post by **GrimoreLibrarian** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 8:37 pm

The manly anime died out when the fad did. The majority of people who watch/make anime only want ot watch/make cutsy, anime that doesn't take a lot of thought and effort to make.

In other words the Majority sucks.

Pixel_Outlaw · Post by **Pixel_Outlaw** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 8:46 pm

After reviewing multiple styles I think the manly agression DOES reside in sideburns.

Never_Scurred · Post by **Never_Scurred** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 8:48 pm

GrimoreLibrarian wrote:The manly anime died out when the fad did. The majority of people who watch/make anime only want ot watch/make cutsy, anime that doesn't take a lot of thought and effort to make.

In other words the Majority sucks.

I wish I could backhand slap all these Naruto and girly anime cosplayer fans for fucking up a good thing. I can't even tell people I like anime no more cause of all the shit out here on the market is wild homo. The fuck I wanna see some little girls for. I'm a grown ass man.

Ceph · Post by **Ceph** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 8:58 pm

undamned wrote:I vaguely recall an anime from the 90's called Baou or something (my friend pronounced it "Baw-Oh"). It was about this genetically altered guy that would get all super human when he needed to (yeah, like teh Hulk) and had these blades on his elbows and totally ripped the snot out of everything. In the episode I saw he takes on this tiger that was enhanced like him. Pretty bloody and amazing animation.
-ud

You mean Baoh, which was a pretty cool 80s manga series (iirc, Viz translated it into English in the early 90s). There was only one OAV, unfortunately (that's what you saw). Baoh was by the same artist who later drew JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.

Lordstar · Post by **Lordstar** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 9:17 pm

ok i love my girly anime but want i want to know is

WHERE THE FUCK IS MY OTHER SEASONS OF BERSERK!!!!111!1!

DJ Incompetent · Post by **DJ Incompetent** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 9:25 pm

Good call Never_Scurred. Didn't really notice this trend. Prolly why I never watch any.

Come to think of it, Blood: The Last Vampire was the last slick one I've gotten a hold of. I'd check that shit out. If you haven't seen Spriggan, fuck yeah find a way to see that one.

You'd think Twiddle and Icarus could name drop some...

Mortificator · Post by **Mortificator** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 9:28 pm

Ceph wrote:
undamned wrote:I vaguely recall an anime from the 90's called Baou or something (my friend pronounced it "Baw-Oh"). It was about this genetically altered guy that would get all super human when he needed to (yeah, like teh Hulk) and had these blades on his elbows and totally ripped the snot out of everything. In the episode I saw he takes on this tiger that was enhanced like him. Pretty bloody and amazing animation.
-ud
You mean Baoh, which was a pretty cool 80s manga series (iirc, Viz translated it into English in the early 90s). There was only one OAV, unfortunately (that's what you saw). Baoh was by the same artist who later drew JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.

No, Viz started translating JoJo (series 3 only) not too long ago. Unfortunately, their volumes seem to be on indefinite hiatus after some Islamic group raised a stink.

You could track down the fan-translated scans of series 1 and especially series 2 for some brutal old-school manga awesomeness.

Anyway, a Golgo 13 anime TV series started airing in Japan this spring. It's not as good or as gory as the movies, but Golgo still has sex with hookers and shoots people in the head, both with the same grimace.

kengou · Post by **kengou** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 9:36 pm

Last anime I enjoyed was Gantz. It's awesome up until the (really lame) ending. I hear the manga is a lot better.

Lordstar · Post by **Lordstar** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 9:40 pm

Mortificator wrote: No, Viz started translating JoJo (series 3 only) not too long ago. Unfortunately, their volumes seem to be on indefinite hiatus after some Islamic group raised a stink.

that makes me sick. specialy the bit at the end

Update: Hitoshi Igarashi, the Japanese translator of Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses novel, was found murdered by an unknown person in 1991 after Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini called for the death of Rushdie over this book in 1989. A manga called Allah-kun was published in 1969, but has not been republished in over a decade. It is no longer listed in almost any Japanese bookseller. Thanks, mrsatan.

Its just pathetic.

Ganelon · Post by **Ganelon** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 9:57 pm

It's a huge disappointment that Japan is now in a chibi phase, all the meanwhile holding an ever more intolerant view of traditional sex and violence. The cold computer-drawn artwork used in every anime nowadays reinforces that notion. I miss the serious, melodramatic anime from the late 70s to mid 80s like Muu no Hakugei, Igano Kabamaru, Saint Seiya, and Space Runaway Ideon.

Skykid · Post by **Skykid** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 9:59 pm

SAC is shit. I watched about 5 episodes and sold the set straight away.

Samurai Champloo was actually pretty damn good.

Although I'm totally with you on Anime these days - it's like it's otaku apeing otaku and it's so weedy it's pathetic - I have to say that I thought Afro Samurai was a pile of shit too.
The worst thing about it was Samuel L Jackson - almost unbearable to listen to.

In general, 80's to mid 90's anime had a lot more balls that today's stuff. I wish that we could have some more Ninja Scrolls and less of the half-hearted flash stuff.