Recommended Anime/Manga?

[Edmond Dantes]

Surprisingly, the Minky Momo series hasn't been translated,

Actually, most of the movies/OVAs have been fansubbed. "La Ronde in my Dream" also got an English Dubbed release as "Magical Princess Gigi" and--though this may be nostalgia talking--I actually really like that particular adaptation.

Say what you will about Harmony Gold and Carl Macek, but they always got two things right: One, having awesome soundtracks, and Two, having voice actors who actually fit their parts and could act reasonably well (something anime struggles with even to this day). Jury's still out on turning Princess Rei into a dude though...

[xbl0x180]

If you're wanting older stuff, it's sad to say that most of it isn't translated. As someone above posted (sorry, forgot who), Akazukin has been. Cutie Honey has been turned into a few different series/OVAs now. I'm a fan of the original, xbl0x likes Shin and Re: I believe. I haven't watched any of Re: myself, but Shin isn't bad for fluff. The entire original Creamy Mami, The Magical Angel has been subtitled. I can easily recommend it. Very lighthearted and entertaining if you like 80s pop and cute shit. Surprisingly, the Minky Momo series hasn't been translated, nor has Little Meg the Witch Girl and Majokko Tickle, which are huge in the history of magical girl shows. I know there are a few Momo movies out there, as well as a join venture with her and Mami, as well as another OVA with a few other magical girls of the 80s. That's really all I can recommend from my personal experience. I'm sure if xbl0x is able to get online he'd also recommend Fancy Lala, which I've still yet to see any of.

JP Sailor Moon does get sort of melancholy during the last half. But Crom, it sure is awesome.

Fancy Lala is nowhere near as good. It's actually very tepid and average. I described its theme some months ago as, "What if the movie Big was made into a teevee series and had elements of the cartoon Jem inserted?" Still, the progression of the story is really slow for a series that's not long-running. The transformation sequences are really weak and Magical Girl shows are all about these really elaborate transformation sequences. Still, I kinda dug it, esp. because the video covers were done by Takada Akemi (same illustrator of PatLabor) and the special features had an interview with her

One Magical Girl series I saw recently is Uta~Kata, which was alright. It had a pretty weak story and only ran for 12 episodes. The funny thing from that was that the girl didn't have much magic to begin with. She could only really observe things from a distance; she didn't really solve things with her powers and only seemed to get her deeper into trouble - and that was part of the show's idea. The designs were quite simple, but neat-looking. The animation was smooth, of course, since it was made in the late 2000s. The music was pretty good; they were kinda moody in an almost Vampire Princess Miyu sort of way (although nowhere as good). When I watch it again, I will make sure to skip the last episode, as it makes for a better ending to skip the last episode.



You should track down Wedding Peach. It's sold as two sets for cheep at The Right Stuf, Intl., which is where I bought my copies. Also, you need to watch Rayearth - both, the manga and anime. They're superb and on the level with Sailor Moon.

[KAI]

Shingeki no Kyojin the animoooaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrr

WANT TO READ CHAPTER 44 RIGHT FUCKING NOW!!

[BryanM]

One of the things I find so wonderful about this genre is it feels like I could throw together a jumble of random shit and someone out there's made it. Like I dunno, a gorny NC-17 thing about a cardcaptor sakura type witch girl and her werewolf pal (and their pokemon-collecting gal pal) in a world where high schools rage bloody war against each other in a universe where it's all played dead serious. That has to already exist somewhere.

You, you don't get that same kind of span of possibility in your heart with other things.

[Edmond Dantes]

The recent Mega Man FPS topic reminded me. I recently rediscovered an old favorite among recent anime (oxymoron, I know): Rockman EXE.

The entire Battle Network series surprises me. Both that it lasted so damn long, and that the first game (only one I played actually) was quite good. And the anime was also quite good. NOT the English dub, of course, but the Japanese original, in fansub form.

SLOTTO-IN! ROKKUMAN EKUSEH! TRANZUMISHUN!

I keep thinking Netto Hikari's name is "Lan," for some reason.

[Raytrace]

watched some more Macross 7, also I've now finished ALL Patlabor, which kinda makes me sad as I did love it so, actually especially the wacky episodes which made up most of the 2nd OVAs.

[ancestral-knowledge]

macross 7 is a fucking piece of shit anime

[Raytrace]

macross 7 is a fucking piece of shit anime

I kindof agree with you, but as Magnus Magnusson once said: 'I started so I'll finish'...

[ancestral-knowledge]

haha true! i watched over 350 anime series (yes i'm serious) and most of them was crap.

>D

[Hagane]

That's masochistic. Most of the time I drop anime on the first episode (or before it ends) if I don't like it, on the second at most if I have some doubts. I rarely do that though since I can usually tell if I'll like something from the character designs alone.

[KAI]

Don't judge a book by its cover.

Reading the last volume of Usagi Drop. I'm aiming to read lots of Shojos this year.

[EmperorIng]

I don't know. I watched the first episode of Serial Experiments Lain, thought it to be the most boring, plodding, vacuous shit in the world, and assumed the rest of the series would be that way. And I THINK I WAS RIGHT.

I just dl'd AD Police Files, the OVA. I never watched Bubblegum Crisis before, but I hear this one is supposed to be good.

[drauch]

That's masochistic. Most of the time I drop anime on the first episode (or before it ends) if I don't like it, on the second at most if I have some doubts. I rarely do that though since I can usually tell if I'll like something from the character designs alone.

Yeah, no joke. Why waste your time if you don't like it? Seriously, that's masochism at its finest. Why torture yourself with 30+ episodes if you don't enjoy it? Watching two episodes is certainly not a cover. Like Hagane said, at this point in my life I can easily tell if I'm going to like something within an episode or two.

AD Police Files OVA is good stuff, although you'd probably benefit from watching Bubblegum Crisis first, which is a hell of a lot better in itself. The epitome of 80s action anime.

[Edmond Dantes]

I could never get into any of the Bubblegum Crisis spin-offs (Crash or either version of AD Police). They all seemed like they were basically fanfiction.

[ancestral-knowledge]

Just for the record I dropped the behaviour described above.

Now I watch like the first 3 eps and then decide if I go on. The hardcore time was when I was like 16 and had time for about any series that popped up. At that time (around 2002 if I remember correctly) anime was not that easy to get. The big anime trackers weren't there yet and I had to get series off DC++ and IRC.

It's really funny what crap I was watching and considered good back then. When you know nothing about animes just about anything is good. (The same effect with movies... the more you watch the harder it becomes to grab something worthwile.) I think 90% of the series I enjoyed back then would have been dropped after 1-3 episodes today. Some are really embarrasing.

[Edmond Dantes]

It's really funny what crap I was watching and considered good back then. When you know nothing about animes just about anything is good.

Ah, yes, the early years. An eager young anime fan would go to Suncoast (or wherever) and just get anything Japanese that sounded remotely interesting. and it usually was, just because it was anime.

Now? I look at shelves in FYE and I have trouble finding something that doesn't sound stupid.

[Skykid]

It's really funny what crap I was watching and considered good back then. When you know nothing about animes just about anything is good.

Ah, yes, the early years. An eager young anime fan would go to Suncoast (or wherever) and just get anything Japanese that sounded remotely interesting. and it usually was, just because it was anime.

Now? I look at shelves in FYE and I have trouble finding something that doesn't sound stupid.

Er, this non-discriminatory/critical behaviour describes a distinct proportion of this forum.

I can tell after 60 seconds that I'm not going to bother wasting my time, and that applies to 90% of all anime that comes my way.

[ancestral-knowledge]

Er, this non-discriminatory/critical behaviour describes a distinct proportion of this forum.

Please explain.

[Skykid]

Er, this non-discriminatory/critical behaviour describes a distinct proportion of this forum.

Please explain.

People spend their time indulging in poorly made shit.

[ancestral-knowledge]

Yes you are correct but when you are sixteen and haven't seen all the anime clichees yet series like bleach or busou renkin seem super duper awesome to you at first.

[Skykid]

Yes you are correct but when you are sixteen and haven't seen all the anime clichees yet series like bleach or busou renkin seem super duper awesome to you at first.

When I was sixteen I would take anything I could get, but that was a time of extreme scarcity for anime and manga. It was a trickle, and not the unending torrent it is today, where virtually anything is accessible and you're spoiled for choice.

Even then you could tell the difference in quality between Wings of the Honneamise and Legend of the Four Kings, Patlabor and Ultimate Teacher, Street Fighter: AM and Tekken: AM, Cowboy Bebop and Pokemon, Ninja Scroll and Ninja Resurrection, Akira and... well you get the idea.

[Raytrace]

I kindof agree with you, but as Magnus Magnusson once said: 'I started so I'll finish'...

well in this case, tbh the main reason is because I want to watch all Macross in order, though tbh, I'm not sure I'll like Frontier either that much

[Raytrace]

I don't know. I watched the first episode of Serial Experiments Lain, thought it to be the most boring, plodding, vacuous shit in the world, and assumed the rest of the series would be that way. And I THINK I WAS RIGHT.

I just dl'd AD Police Files, the OVA. I never watched Bubblegum Crisis before, but I hear this one is supposed to be good.

I wish I could do that, I just feel guilty haha, even Rinne No Lagrange which I UTTERLY despised, I went through till the end to see if anything good happened :p - I can stop then though, as in I have NO intentiion of watching the second season.

AD Police Files is good IMO though not nearly as good as BC OVAs. I think you will like it though definitely, just the art is nowhere near BC OVA standard, then again to me not much is.

[Raytrace]

AD Police Files OVA is good stuff, although you'd probably benefit from watching Bubblegum Crisis first, which is a hell of a lot better in itself. The epitome of 80s action anime.

I'm actually watching something right now I'm sure you'll tell me I should stop :p - Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040.
While it's not a patch on BC OVA so far, and the chara design is yucks, it isn't without any merit I think, the scene design/cinematography is nice and some of the music is pretty great (though again obviously nothing on classics such as 'Mad Machine' etc., or indeed 'Nowhere Fast' .

With 2040 I think it's kinda 'confident in it's style' if that makes any sense, it just isn't a style I particularly like, what I mean is I think all the lines etc. are supposed to be that way by design, as opposed to someone trying to do something and it turning out badly.

[EmperorIng]

TO be fair, I did stick through all six episodes of Angel Cop, even though I noticed they were getting worse as they went on (as soon as the psychics entered the scene, really). I suppose its over-the-top style and Manga UK dub kept me going despite the long slump.

It had a completely unsatisfying ending though. Really unsatisfying.

But still some of the best stupid lines one could ask for in a Manga UK dub:

-beats up some dude strapped to a chair-
"ALL RIGHT BUTTFUCK NO MORE GAMES"

"Never underestimate the power of Japanese technology, you bitch!"

-later-

"WHO'DA YA THINK YA AHR, THE LONE RANJUH HUH? WELL PRETTY SOON YOU GUNNA BE THE DEAD FUCKIN' RANGJUH!"
^best line in the whole shebang

[Raytrace]

-beats up some dude strapped to a chair-
"ALL RIGHT BUTTFUCK NO MORE GAMES"

"Never underestimate the power of Japanese technology, you bitch!"

-later-

"WHO'DA YA THINK YA AHR, THE LONE RANJUH HUH? WELL PRETTY SOON YOU GUNNA BE THE DEAD FUCKIN' RANGJUH!"
^best line in the whole shebang

I might watch that dub, though I did spend AGES trying to get what I think is the original uncensored sub (obv I'm talkin about politically censored here).

[Raytrace]

watched GE 999 episode 5 - the (Pluto Ice Planet) one, absolutely great, with that bittersweet Matsumoto melancholia throughout.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Выходила на берег Катюша,
На высокий берег на крутой.

[KAI]

Ghibli overdose!

Anyone watched Wolf Children? I've heard it's brilliant.

[Formless God]

Little Witch Academia is now on Youtube, fully subbed. I liked it quite a bit; it gave the warm fuzzy feeling I used to have when watching older Western animations.

Code: Select all

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjyhka0lM5Y

I personally wanna try whatever drug the makers were on when they did this.

And good call on the Ghibli stuff! I'll keep an eye out on them.