Recommended Anime/Manga?

[Skykid]

Where is that in the Dark Horse localisation volumes? I'm up to 21 here.
And yes, I've been trying to get people to realise BOI is the fucking greatest thing in action manga ever for a while.

Glénat (Spanish/French publisher) is at volume 26, about to release 27. I've dl'd 27 in Japanese though, I just couldn't wait.

If you like BOTI you should check out Vinland Saga if you haven't already! Excellent action manga about Vikings punching horses and other amazingly manly stuff! By Makoto Yukimura (Planetes).

Good tip, thanks!

[xbl0x180]

So I just got done watching Neo Tokyo.

My feelings about it are mixed.

It is clear that the labyrinth bit was meant to be a background to the other two stories, but it lacked a tangible story itself, thus was boring as fuck. It tried desperately to be avant garde, but it came across as pretentious and nonsensical. I loved the bit with Gymnopédie No. 1, though.

THE RUNNING MAN

Ok, so I really didn't like this one, either. While watching the cars explode was fascinating, and that one guy's expression will be etched into my brain for years to come, they really didn't focus on the details of the story, but instead relied on showing the viewer with visuals alone. The only things we knew about the main character was the fact that he was going insane from his dedication, and that he was a champion racer. They didn't bother to expand the story at all. This led for quite a lackluster watch. If I wanted to watch "abstract art", I would have gone to a museum of modern art (which I would never do). It still looked cool, though, despite the moments where basically nothing interesting happened. Better looking than the circus one with the boy and his cat, anyway.

CONSTRUCTION CANCELATION ORDER

This is where the movie shines, right here! The first three minutes I was like "ah, it'll just be like the other two," but that was definitely not the case I would soon find out. The relationship between the supervisor and the worker robot is priceless, and the jokes that occur between them are hilarious (Feeding the guy nuts and bolts, telling him it was no longer obligated to work for him, etc). Just watching the supervisor's insanity unfold was reason enough to watch Neo Tokyo, especially if you've ever been frustrated with electronics before. The only thing I hated about this one was that it was over_WAY_ TOO_SOON. What the FUCK were they thinking? This perfectly compelling concept could have been milked for at least 30 more minutes, as long as the jokes were fresh. Out of all three "sub cartoons", it was by far the best animated one and the one with the most inspired art direction (very impressive for something that was made four years before my birth!).

Overall, it's a watch for me. But I advise anyone who hasn't seen this film to skip over the first two "features". You would literally be missing nothing.

An accurate appraisal. Although I didn't dislike The Running Man (I liked its darkness and its theme) I would agree the first two are not must-sees.
That said, there is an impressive level of artistry in Labyrinth, the problem is it stuns you as the first in the pack because you're not expecting that kind of short from a DVD called 'Neo Tokyo'. Including that as an opener is an error in my book, but if you go back to it a second time knowing what to expect and take it on its own merits, it's quite a good - if 'arty' - little film.

But Construction Cancellation Order far eclipses anything on the disc. It's probably my favourite anime short ever, exhibiting the best qualities of Japan's dark sci-fi. Like you said, the only problem is you could have watched it for 45 minutes easy, and wanted it to go on. Even at just 18 minutes though, it's a pretty priceless Otomo piece: blackly humorous, hugely atmospheric and filled with dread.

Well, with regards to the title: "Neo-Tokyo" was how it was renamed for North American distribution. The real title is Manie Manie Monogatari, which means "Labyrinth Stories." Personally, I liked all three, but the best one is "The Running Man." I wasn't expecting deep character development, though. I was expecting to see a showcase of artistry unmatched by most in the industry - and I wasn't disappointed. At that time, I remember Taro Rin being most famous for his Matsumoto Reiji screen adaptations, Kawajiri Yoshiaki for "Wicked City," and Otomo Katsuhiro for Akira. Yep, some of the best in the industry

[Randorama]

I have a challenge: "food and drinks" anime/manga?

I know:

Ristorante paradiso (the anime which includes characters with my surname!)
Bartender (...not bad)
Yakitake
.
.
.
And the stupid ones:

Toriko (so bad it's actually good!)
Yumehiro Patisserie (meh, for girls)

Manga-wise, I remember that the recent Kami no Shizuku is quite interesting, with Oishinbo being a classic reading. Others?

[Siren2011]

I just watched Tekkonkinkreet for the first time. At first I thought I was going to hate it, but I ended up enjoying it a lot by the middle of the movie (the beginning was very slow).
I really don't feel like picking it apart right now, so I'll leave it at "I loved it."

Next up, Gainax's "Otaku no Video." It apparently was made with the same craftsmanship that was imbued into Gunbuster. There are even references to it because (so I hear) it's an animated, satirical take on the studio's fans. Fingers crossed that it'll be awesome.

[xbl0x180]

Next up, Gainax's "Otaku no Video." It apparently was made with the same craftsmanship that was imbued into Gunbuster. There are even references to it because (so I hear) it's an animated, satirical take on the studio's fans. Fingers crossed that it'll be awesome.

That's more of a pseudo-documentary that delves in the different types of otaku populating the scene. It has animated sequences and it does have a story, but the video was more about discussing the aspects of anime and manga fandom.

[greg]

Next up, Gainax's "Otaku no Video." It apparently was made with the same craftsmanship that was imbued into Gunbuster. There are even references to it because (so I hear) it's an animated, satirical take on the studio's fans. Fingers crossed that it'll be awesome.

Otaku no Video relives the glory days of anime, back when it was great. It also makes being an otaku great, back when it wasn't so bad. If you aren't hitting the pause button frequently and getting excited, then you won't get as much out of it as Specineff and I did.

And FYI, the live-action "interviews" are staged. They aren't entirely disingenuous however, since they portray the stereotypes of socially miserable otaku-types.

[borislaw]

Is their any Anime/Manga that has erotic content (ie. adult content-sex-nudity-etc) and is available for Instant Streaming on NETFLIX?.

[Siren2011]

If you're a sick puppy like I am, check out Elfen Lied. That one is filled to the brim with sexual/dark themes, nudity, and merciless violence. Yes, it can be streamed instantly.

I literally know of nothing else on instant cue that comes close...sorry, man.

EDIT: That reminds me, they really need to make Gantz: The Complete Series streamable.

[xbl0x180]

Is their any Anime/Manga that has erotic content (ie. adult content-sex-nudity-etc) and is available for Instant Streaming on NETFLIX?.

netfix got rid of all their hentai anime, so there aren't any available. I recall being able to order the discs for Urotsukidoji, Demon Beast Invasion, and Beast City (seems like they were all Anime 18 titles), but now they're gone.

[ChainsawGuitarSP]

If you're a sick puppy like I am, check out Elfen Lied.

So what kind of enjoyment are you supposed to get out of this show again? right now it sounds like you're trying to advertise it as a guro of some sort whereas before you were trying to push it as a drama.

[Frenetic]

There's also:

Manga:
Bambino
Mister Ajikko
Space Chef Caisar (NSFW)
Addicted to Curry

Anime:
Cooking Master Boy

There's also some good jdoramas for Bambino and Shota No Sushi.

Hope this helps!
-the F-man

I have a challenge: "food and drinks" anime/manga?

I know:

Ristorante paradiso (the anime which includes characters with my surname!)
Bartender (...not bad)
Yakitake
.
.
.
And the stupid ones:

Toriko (so bad it's actually good!)
Yumehiro Patisserie (meh, for girls)

Manga-wise, I remember that the recent Kami no Shizuku is quite interesting, with Oishinbo being a classic reading. Others?

[Siren2011]

So what kind of enjoyment are you supposed to get out of this show again? right now it sounds like you're trying to advertise it as a guro of some sort whereas before you were trying to push it as a drama.

It has elements of both... people die tragically left and right, characters face traumatic events, and people are betrayed. Capitalize your sentences so people can take you seriously.

Look, I don't like you, and I'm positive you don't like me. So do me a favor and stop talking to me. Thanks.

Back to the theme of the thread, I just saw the first episode of Death Note expecting it to be complete shit, but I was wrong. It was a very strong series opener with an original, intriguing concept. It will be interesting to see how they can take this idea and make 30+ episodes surrounding it without the show getting boring.

[xbl0x180]

Back to the theme of the thread, I just saw the first episode of Death Note expecting it to be complete shit, but I was wrong. It was a very strong series opener with an original, intriguing concept. It will be interesting to see how they can take this idea and make 30+ episodes surrounding it without the show getting boring.

Death Note had good suspense. I remember when it premiered on Cartoon Network years ago and I'd watch it with my little brother. The designs for it aren't too bad either; it's sort of Goth, yet cool.




I noticed netfix has "The Mysterious Cities Of Gold" available for streaming. If they have the discs, I'll watch it again

[iconoclast]

Death Note is pretty good as long as you pretend the final arc doesn't exist.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Is their any Anime/Manga that has erotic content (ie. adult content-sex-nudity-etc) and is available for Instant Streaming on NETFLIX?.

There's the Queen's Blade series with all three volumes to view at your leisure on Netflix. The character of Melona is an interesting one indeed.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[xbl0x180]

Is their any Anime/Manga that has erotic content (ie. adult content-sex-nudity-etc) and is available for Instant Streaming on NETFLIX?.

There's the Queen's Blade series with all three volumes to view at your leisure on Netflix. The character of Melona is an interesting one indeed.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

That's mostly fan-service type of stuff, not erotic per se. I'd also recommend Sekirei just on visuals alone if that's the case. Girls with huge tits fighting all over town. If the guy rubs their tits, a genie pops out or somethin'... I didn't even finish half of the first episode it was so awful

[Siren2011]

If the guy rubs their tits, a genie pops out or somethin'

This reminded me of something I keep forgetting to mention in this thread (I always remember halfway in my sleep, so I don't feel like getting up and writing it down.).

Guys, what are your thoughts on old hentai-vs. new hentai? Personally (and I know I can't provide links ) I find circa 1980s-1990s hentai women to be designed and animated in an extremely sexy manner (think Sailor Jupiter getting pounded by a tentacle monster the size of a skyscraper), while the new ones don't have that same...something. They have the same plain look that the girls in the above post have. The old ones just look prettier than modern ones, and look more convincing during orgasm (a red neck from lack of circulation, blushes with the lines on the nose, strong convulsions/ gasping for air, tears in that old school "glistening" effect, etc, etc.). Of course, the powerful emotion that one feels from it is a combination of great voice work, a remarkably pervy scenario from the darkest corners of the human mind, and gorgeous h-babes (which Japan has remarkably forgotten how to draw).

[xbl0x180]

If the guy rubs their tits, a genie pops out or somethin'

This reminded me of something I keep forgetting to mention in this thread (I always remember halfway in my sleep, so I don't feel like getting up and writing it down.).

Guys, what are your thoughts on old hentai-vs. new hentai? Personally (and I know I can't provide links ) I find circa 1980s-1990s hentai women to be designed and animated in an extremely sexy manner (think Sailor Jupiter getting pounded by a tentacle monster the size of a skyscraper), while the new ones don't have that same...something. They have the same plain look that the girls in the above post have. The old ones just look prettier than modern ones, and look more convincing during orgasm (a red neck from lack of circulation, blushes with the lines on the nose, strong convulsions/ gasping for air, tears in that old school "glistening" effect, etc, etc.). Of course, the powerful emotion that one feels from it is a combination of great voice work, a remarkably pervy scenario from the darkest corners of the human mind, and gorgeous h-babes (which Japan has remarkably forgotten how to draw).

Oddly enough, one of the few genres that either stayed the same or improved over the decades is pornographic [and erotic] comics and animation. I don't know if anyone's familiar with Urushihara/Urushibara Satoshi and his assistant Yoshimoto Kinji, but those few pervos who are know what I'm talkin' about. His studio works have produced some of the smoothest animation I've seen - and some of it is flat-out pornography. In fact, Front Innocent/Another Lady Innocent is probably the best in the genre.



It's somewhat new, although it was in the planning stage for over a decade. I remember seeing shots for a drama cd and stills that were published in one of his art books around 1995 or 1996 (I might still have the art book boxed up somewhere).

If there is one place where the moe and harem themes fits right in, it would be in this genre, and it goes way back to the early 80s oav series Cream Lemon from 1983 and 1984 (and before). A lot of famous artists and animators cut their teeth in one or two episodes, including Moriyama Yuuji (Project A-Ko) and Toshihiro Hirano (Kyuuketsuki Miyu). Looking back at it now, half of it looks rediculously low-budget and choppy. The modern equivalent would be this:




While a mainstream take on it looks like this:




It's an instance when production values = better quality hahah



Anyone got the uncensored dvds of La Blue Girl?

[Randorama]

Isn't pr0n better, though? I miss the point in watching animated sex when I could watch real one. Please keep in mind that I do watch porn, japanese one mostly, and furthermore for coniugal reasons, so I am quite seasoned on this

[ShmupSamurai]

If there's one anime from the 90's I'd recommend, it would be the almighty 8Man After four part OVA....dark, violent sci-fi action at it's finest.

[Siren2011]

Isn't pr0n better, though?

Of course it is! But I do enjoy the odd, well done hentai on occasion.

japanese one mostly

I can hardly ever bring myself to watch even a five minute clip of a Japanese couple going at it. The creepy way they kiss is a huge turn off. It looks like two snakes coiling around and tightening their muscles around each other. I'm all for French kissing, but that's a little too much for me. Plus, the dudes are so passive, they might as well have not filmed the damn thing at all. Isn't porn supposed to be about raging passion caught on film? (And for every truly great sex video on the internet, there are 800 lame ones. This is fact.).

[xbl0x180]

Isn't pr0n better, though? I miss the point in watching animated sex when I could watch real one. Please keep in mind that I do watch porn, japanese one mostly, and furthermore for coniugal reasons, so I am quite seasoned on this

Well, it's a different form of pornography. Is the real, live-action stuff better? F***yeah! It is not only better than the animated stuff, but also better than magazines, books, paintings, sculptures, photography, and pretty much any other medium (except for a strip club). Does the existence of better, live-action junk make the other forms of pornography and erotica bad? Not necessarily. It can aaaaaaall coexist

This being an anime and manga thread, though, I thought it was worthwhile to mention famous (and good) pornographic animated and comic works. Besides, I don't think a live-action version of Cream Lemon's "Star Trap" could ever be made, unless it's midget pr0n!

[Treasurance]

Isn't pr0n better, though?

yuck, hell no

[drauch]

I dunno, I've always watched/read Hentai because I found it entertaining, not to beat off. Just because stuff is getting fucked doesn't mean there isn't an entertaining story to it.

[xbl0x180]

I dunno, I've always watched/read Hentai because I found it entertaining, not to beat off. Just because stuff is getting fucked doesn't mean there isn't an entertaining story to it.

I can see this being the case for Urotsukidoji, "Wicked City," Guy: Double Target (esp. the second volume), Kite, and other movies and oavs that place a large focus on a story. I don't know if there are people old enough here to have seen 70s pornographic films (and I mean they used actual FILM stock!) that had stories; it's a little bit like that. This is beside the softcore stuff such as Skinemax (good up until the mid-90s) and Eurosleaze (the best is from the 70s). There are erotic comics and animation that work on those levels.

Not all hentai is created the same, though. There's also what would constitute as "gonzo" hentai, where every other page or every 10 minutes in the video there's just sex going on and on and on. It's a lot more difficult to animate a good sex scene, so they put in some choppy filler in between (not to be confused with a "story"). Check out Resort Boin to see what I'm referring to

[Siren2011]

I don't recommend Iria: Zeiram The Animation. Aside from great aesthetic appeal --which bore similarities to Nausicca and Panzer Dragoon's "dessert punk" themes-- and a great intro, the first episode (I didn't bother to watch the whole episode, much less the next tape.) was plagued with horrendous English dubbing, 100% suspense-free battles and scenarios, and lame characters (the personalities of which were ruined a great deal by the droning, robot-like aforementioned dubs.). It was farcically bad, and not bad in the "so crap, it's entertaining" sort of way, but just plain bad. It's really is a shame when I want to connect with characters in a show, but I'm incapable of it.

Which reminds me of something I've noticed. The only shows I find entertaining have at least one character who shares similar personality traits, agendas, and overall demeanor to my own. Is anyone else like this? I've also discovered that whenever music lyrics have similar thoughts to the ones I've had at some time or another based on life experiences, the song instantly sounds better for it. On the other hand, art which features foreign themes, i.e. ones that I can't relate to, I am incapable of appreciating. I believe it was Arthur Schophenhauer (though I could be wrong) who said "art is about identification." I totally agree.

[xbl0x180]

The design for Iria looked a little like it was done by Katsura Masakazu, esp. the way the eyes are done.




I liked Iria. My main complaint about the series was how the monster was indestructible, yet it was knocked over a few times with a kick or two. I've only seen it in Japanese and the voice for Iria was Hisakawa Aya ("Yohko" from Devil Hunter Yohko)

[greg]

Ugh... porn, hentai.... can we move all this to another topic, please?

I don't recommend Iria: Zeiram The Animation. Aside from great aesthetic appeal --which bore similarities to Nausicca and Panzer Dragoon's "dessert punk" themes-- and a great intro, the first episode (I didn't bother to watch the whole episode, much less the next tape.) was plagued with horrendous English dubbing, 100% suspense-free battles and scenarios, and lame characters (the personalities of which were ruined a great deal by the droning, robot-like aforementioned dubs.). It was farcically bad, and not bad in the "so crap, it's entertaining" sort of way, but just plain bad. It's really is a shame when I want to connect with characters in a show, but I'm incapable of it.

Oh man... You've just unintentionally committed one of my hugest anime pet peeves: you judged the show from watching the English dub. The majority of dubs suck, especially the ones from the '90s. Come on... you've been to Japan. It's time to start watching anime in its original language as intended, with subtitles. Iria is a decent anime, and even better if you like the live-action movies. Bad dubbing will ruin any great anime.

[Siren2011]

The majority of dubs suck, especially the ones from the '90s. Come on... you've been to Japan. It's time to start watching anime in its original language as intended, with subtitles.

Point taken. I'll give this show one more shot after I get my hands on the original Japanese voiced one. Though just by rough estimation, I doubt it would change much. Then again, I haven't seen past the pilot episode...how good does it get, and around when in the series does the show start to get really good?

EDIT: I don't think you understand, Greg. While I agree that many dubs are bad, this one was G.I. Joe Youtube parody bad. I can't remember the last time I have been this dissatisfied with voice actors.

[Siren2011]

The URL of that image says "Resort Boin," so out of intrigue, I torrented it.
Weeeell, I just finished watching ep. 1 and the girls look nothing like the sultry one in the image above does. Instead they have flabby, over-exaggerated titty/body proportions and are ugly as sin. Are there multiple spins on the show like Full Metal Panic/Full Metal Panic: Fumoffu, Mezzo/Mezzo Forte, etc.? I've even found an image on Google of the apple girl getting fucked after using the words "Resort Boin" in the search box... I'm completely confused here.

I can see this being the case for Urotsukidoji, "Wicked City," Guy: Double Target (esp. the second volume), Kite, and other movies and oavs that place a large focus on a story.

I still need to see Kite (I've only seen the classic bathroom fight on youtube), though I suggest you guys get ahold of the visual novel called "Saya no Uta," or in English, "Song of Saya." If you love dark themes and great plots, I guarantee you won't be disappointed.