Recommended Anime/Manga?

[Skykid]

Awesome man. A masterpiece seinen. Glad I turned someone on to it.

it really is, so 2000AD in feel also, which I obviously like a lot. The art just kept getting better and better aswell.

Definitely. By the Motorball it's unreal, but the whole desert train assault thing thereafter is almost even more incredible. I just think the sky was the limit at that point. Head for Alita New Order at your risk. The art is a bit of a turn-off and it takes ages to start cooking, but some of his old imagination starts to rear its head later. I'm struggling a bit to get through it though as it seems to have a lot of pacing lulls.

[Raytrace]

Definitely. By the Motorball it's unreal, but the whole desert train assault thing thereafter is almost even more incredible. I just think the sky was the limit at that point. Head for Alita New Order at your risk. The art is a bit of a turn-off and it takes ages to start cooking, but some of his old imagination starts to rear its head later. I'm struggling a bit to get through it though as it seems to have a lot of pacing lulls.

yeah I started Last Order but it so far seems a bit less exciting ideas wise. I looked at some of Ashen Victors art, that was REALLY different.

[Skykid]

Definitely. By the Motorball it's unreal, but the whole desert train assault thing thereafter is almost even more incredible. I just think the sky was the limit at that point. Head for Alita New Order at your risk. The art is a bit of a turn-off and it takes ages to start cooking, but some of his old imagination starts to rear its head later. I'm struggling a bit to get through it though as it seems to have a lot of pacing lulls.

yeah I started Last Order but it so far seems a bit less exciting ideas wise. I looked at some of Ashen Victors art, that was REALLY different.

Ashen Victor is amazing. The guy has chameleon skills when it comes to changing art style.

[Raytrace]

Ashen Victor is amazing. The guy has chameleon skills when it comes to changing art style.

I don't know which artist it reminded me of - I think the main Bad Company artist - (well from my era anyway) - Peter Milligan I think.

[GaijinPunch]

Weird that these are getting a US release. I assume they are still 480p. Do they have forced subtitles, or selectable?

1080p, uses same video source as the Japanese masters that were released on Bluray a couple years ago I believe. No hard subs.

Hmm... not seeing them on Amazon, but I'm way out of the loop! Sanks for the heads up. Might check these out.

[KAI]

This:
Kaze Tachinu (The Wind Rises) Official Trailer

[Raytrace]

I shall most certainly like this, so far of Ghibli stuff I've seen, Porco Rosso is by far my favourite - (I love aircraft).

[Raytrace]

watching more Hokuto No Ken...

'You are already dead.'

what a line hahahah

[trap15]

Heh, so I guess I'm not the only person who's picked up Hokuto no Ken only recently. I've been blazing through it, watching while making perlers

Great show, here's a silly thing I realized far too long into it: Shin and Ken. Hokuto Shinken. :V

[Raytrace]

Heh, so I guess I'm not the only person who's picked up Hokuto no Ken only recently. I've been blazing through it, watching while making perlers

Great show, here's a silly thing I realized far too long into it: Shin and Ken. Hokuto Shinken. :V

it really is a great show - man that Thin Lizzy-esque (well at least untill the vocals come in) OP is ace too .

[Edmond Dantes]

FF: not sure if you mean the US release entitled FF the movie, which was an OVA crammed together to be feature length

Uh, I think you're getting Fatal Fury confused with something else. There were indeed two Fatal Fury OVAs, based on the first and second game respectively, followed by "The Motion Picture" which was indeed a theatrical release and which was also an original story.

And with regards to the latter, how is the Japanese dub better!?

Seems like this might end up being an "agree to disagree" thing.

Even before I saw the Japanese version, I had issues with the dub's dialogue. It had Manga Video's typical need to make everything sound "edgy" (yeah, because Street Fighter is known for its edginess, right?) and all the characters come off as one-dimensional action movie tough guys/girls, as opposed to their more subtle and nuanced portrayals in the original. Not to mention problems with the dialogue itself--Bison saying "I'll fight you as a martial artist!" (what he says in Japanese) could mean a lot of things, but "I'll fight you at your own level!" (what he says in the dub) makes it sound like Ryu and Ken only won because he deliberately held back, and neuters their victory.

And then there's the soundtrack. Oh god, the soundtrack. The Japanese soundtrack was awesome, and the music was just right. Why oh why did they have to repeat the same mistake Funimation made with DBZ and replace an already-great soundtrack with bland, generic grunge metal garbage hallmarked by people screaming out like they're in pain and saying lyrics you can't possibly make out? Especially, the showdown with Bison/Vega at the end was completely emasculated by the dub soundtrack. It just loses all feeling and becomes just another fight.

just, in general, a comparison between the two versions is a shining example of what the Japanese know and what Americans (or at least dubbers) just can't grasp.

[Raytrace]

all I remember about that SFII Manga Ltd. dub is when I watched it back then on VHS, bursting out laughing when Vega says something like 'you bitch, you scraped my beautiful face!' to I think Chun-Li.

[GaijinPunch]

This:
Kaze Tachinu (The Wind Rises) Official Trailer

Was planning on seeing that this week... not sure if I'll make it, but might try tonight.

[KAI]

Watching Samurai Pizza Cats after almost 20 years. I'm impressed the series still rulz, the spanish dub is super hilarious.

[BryanM]

just, in general, a comparison between the two versions is a shining example of what the Japanese know and what Americans (or at least dubbers) just can't grasp.

I think we've come a far, far way from the days when Guile sounded like he needed to desperately, desperately pass a bowel movement. Or the guys in Pet Shop of Horrors came across like a romance between Chuck Norris and Mr.Smithers.

The concert scene in Haruhi was the biggest surprise for me on that front this year (Japanese version vs Dub) in that... um, how do I put this? It wasn't a complete disaster. And is easily the sort of thing you'd disaste up, no matter your intentions.

Somewhere along the line a generational shift happened and kids who grew up as fans of these things weaseled their way into the writer's rooms and voice actor jobs. It's been a long, long time since Rock the Dragon or invisible parachutes were the norm.

(I say this literally the same day they release this abomination of the past to appease their nostalgic otaku fanbase.)

(And my brief research indicates that even the original Kai lacks Spirit vs. Spirit (the Japanese Tom Jones, my father used to call it). Wat up with that.)

[Skykid]

FF: not sure if you mean the US release entitled FF the movie, which was an OVA crammed together to be feature length

Uh, I think you're getting Fatal Fury confused with something else. There were indeed two Fatal Fury OVAs, based on the first and second game respectively, followed by "The Motion Picture" which was indeed a theatrical release and which was also an original story.

And with regards to the latter, how is the Japanese dub better!?

Seems like this might end up being an "agree to disagree" thing.

Even before I saw the Japanese version, I had issues with the dub's dialogue. It had Manga Video's typical need to make everything sound "edgy" (yeah, because Street Fighter is known for its edginess, right?) and all the characters come off as one-dimensional action movie tough guys/girls, as opposed to their more subtle and nuanced portrayals in the original. Not to mention problems with the dialogue itself--Bison saying "I'll fight you as a martial artist!" (what he says in Japanese) could mean a lot of things, but "I'll fight you at your own level!" (what he says in the dub) makes it sound like Ryu and Ken only won because he deliberately held back, and neuters their victory.

And then there's the soundtrack. Oh god, the soundtrack. The Japanese soundtrack was awesome, and the music was just right. Why oh why did they have to repeat the same mistake Funimation made with DBZ and replace an already-great soundtrack with bland, generic grunge metal garbage hallmarked by people screaming out like they're in pain and saying lyrics you can't possibly make out? Especially, the showdown with Bison/Vega at the end was completely emasculated by the dub soundtrack. It just loses all feeling and becomes just another fight.

just, in general, a comparison between the two versions is a shining example of what the Japanese know and what Americans (or at least dubbers) just can't grasp.

I absolutely can't get it. I'm a subtitle and original soundtrack guy every step of the way, but there are a few rare exceptions and SF animated is definitely one. The Japanese version is flat, lifeless and dull. I didn't find anything 'nuanced' about the performances - and why should there be? This is a movie about guys fighting, it should be as brash, loud and thoroughly entertaining as the dub it became. The US version is also several times more cinematic and I never had a problem with the music accompaniments - it's a surprisingly good mix, one that takes the fights and elevates them tenfold. Balrog/Chun Li is completely lifeless in the JP original: flip to the US and it's a whole different, far superior action movie.

[Raytrace]

I absolutely can't get it. I'm a subtitle and original soundtrack guy every step of the way, but there are a few rare exceptions and SF animated is definitely one.

definitely enough to make it ok for me to post this again :p -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo1gm4pC1ck

[BryanM]

On the topic of gaijin-produced Streetfighter music, the Ken Song remix certainly jazzed up the climax of Gantz Abridged, for sure.

[Skykid]

I absolutely can't get it. I'm a subtitle and original soundtrack guy every step of the way, but there are a few rare exceptions and SF animated is definitely one.

definitely enough to make it ok for me to post this again :p -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo1gm4pC1ck

^ That's another, although I like the Japanese theme tune better. Ninja Scroll is more enjoyable dubbed, too.

As for SFII, there's just no comparison.

[Edmond Dantes]

I absolutely can't get it. I'm a subtitle and original soundtrack guy every step of the way, but there are a few rare exceptions and SF animated is definitely one. The Japanese version is flat, lifeless and dull. I didn't find anything 'nuanced' about the performances - and why should there be? This is a movie about guys fighting, it should be as brash, loud and thoroughly entertaining as the dub it became. The US version is also several times more cinematic and I never had a problem with the music accompaniments - it's a surprisingly good mix, one that takes the fights and elevates them tenfold. Balrog/Chun Li is completely lifeless in the JP original: flip to the US and it's a whole different, far superior action movie.

Yeah, we're definitely gonna have to Agree to Disagree here.

As for "nuanced" take for example when Chun Li is confronting Guile in that garage... the scene where she stands stock-still as he threatens to ram her with his car, which she knows he won't. The dialogue in that scene works in the original, but just feels like they're trying too hard to inject testosterone into it in the dub. Compare Chun-Li calmly informing Guile that Bison killed her father (allowing him to draw the comparison to his own motives) to the Dub where she has to add "I'd like a piece of Bison's ass myself." It feels like an unnecessary attempt to make the dialogue grittier, and hurts her character by making her feel more generic. In the original... she feels like a human being. The dub makes her sound like she came from some issue of Marvel Comics' Gritty Superhero #228

"This is a movie about guys fighting, it should be as brash, loud and thoroughly entertaining" - I can't get behind this thinking at all. Even an action movie that's mostly about fighting needs depth and some form of subtlety. Hell, that's one of the strengths of the fighting games themselves--you can tell a lot of things about their characters just by their designs, their body languages, the looks on their faces, and their win quotes and endings. No writer worth their salt would have Terry Bogard and Andy Bogard speaking or acting the exact same way, as even at a cursory glance they're very different people. Indeed, I seem to recall saying that overlooking details like this is part of why fighting game anime usually don't work.

That's what I don't care for about the dub. Manga thought entirely about punching it up and making it more gritty, so we have Guile saying "Bison's ass is mine" and Chun Li later saying "I'd like a piece of Bison myself"--they both sound like generic tough guys when they talk that way. Their original lines, different only by choice of words, still convey them far better.

And then there's Bison's "I'll fight you at your own level!" vs Vega's "I'll fight you as a martial artist!" Which entirely change the meaning of the line--the former just means he's not using his full power (which throws a wet blanket on that final fight), whereas the latter could be taken to mean he's pulling out all the stops. Frankly, the final battle was already hurt by the replacement soundtrack. It NEEDS that song, with those vocals, to work. The way its timed so exactly with Ken entering the fray (whereas the dub soundtrack is just kinda there and doesn't feel like its even trying to work with the action), and also that its an optimistic song that comes at a point where clearly things are no longer going Vega's way... just makes it work.

And actually, I found the music during Balrog/Chun Li better in Japanese too. Especially because in that case, the music comes from the radio in Chun Li's room. Which Chun Li turned on during a calm moment when she wasn't aware of danger. Which means you have to assume she likes that kind of music since she doesn't change the channel (which again goes towards making her feel more like a generic tough girl in the dub)... and in the dub's case, the music is just something that COINCIDENTALLY happens to be fight music, whereas the Japanese track is completely dissonant (as it should be, and IMO that somehow enhances the action).

Yeah, I notice stuff like this.

But again, we seem to be going into Agree to Disagree territory. Seems like it ultimately comes down to what parts stand out most to you, and what meaning you take away from what you see.

[Skykid]

And actually, I found the music during Balrog/Chun Li better in Japanese too.

There's absolutely no point in discussing this further.

[Edmond Dantes]

Agreed.

In other news, recently I was at Goodwill and they had Fist of the North Star on VHS. It's the Streamline dub of the movie.

... To be honest, I was very underwhelmed. My issues with it were, in a nutshell:

1. Ken wins fights too easily. A new bad guy is barely introduce before Ken has made him Already Dead.

2. The ending made no sense at all. I can't explain further without spoilers.

3. The animation... it felt like the movie was TOO well animated, and it actually felt weird in some scenes, to the point of being distracting.

I was gonna pick up the TV series, but now I want assurances that its much better and doesn't suffer from these issues before I pluck down the cash (I have read a few chapters of the manga and I recall enjoying it, but I recall it also having the "Ken wins too easily" issue).

[drauch]

Oh my, the series is a million times better. I'm a big fan, so I DO enjoy the film, but it's a bit of a mess. I dunno if you'll enjoy the series, though, because part of the appeal is that Ken kills hundreds of dudes without breaking a sweat. The film is sort of a retelling of the first arc, so not many major characters are introduced that put up much of a challenge. Later in the series, however, he comes across major opponents that are better trained in various styles of martial arts, resulting in some tense and worrisome moments. But yeah, all the small fries in between: no chance. Hokuto Shinken is invincible, after all.

[Raytrace]

Oh my, the series is a million times better. I'm a big fan, so I DO enjoy the film, but it's a bit of a mess. I dunno if you'll enjoy the series, though, because part of the appeal is that Ken kills hundreds of dudes without breaking a sweat. The film is sort of a retelling of the first arc, so not many major characters are introduced that put up much of a challenge. Later in the series, however, he comes across major opponents that are better trained in various styles of martial arts, resulting in some tense and worrisome moments. But yeah, all the small fries in between: no chance. Hokuto Shinken is invincible, after all.

I'm on episode 5 and even though yep hes pretty invincible, I still love it - just pure OTT revenge and action constantly. I love all those lines like:

'You pigs who have abandoned your human souls.' etc. are cool too.

couple that with AMAZING OP and ED and music in general - and well I just love it - btw Drauch a (probably better timed) Blazing Transfer Student is 'out there' now.

I watched first 2 eps of Welcome to NHK - I did like it. Kinda feel's Steins;Gate ish to me, then again that's probably cos that's the only other anime I've watched set roughly 'now'.

[nasty_wolverine]

watching Xam'd, seems good.

[KAI]

I watched first 2 eps of Welcome to NHK - I did like it. Kinda feel's Steins;Gate ish to me, then again that's probably cos that's the only other anime I've watched set roughly 'now'.

I'm sure that's because the main characters have the same voice.

watching Xam'd, seems good.

I've heard it's like Eureka 7 with different characters.


Started watching To Aru Majutsu no Index. I'm really enjoying it. Hoping to finish the whole series before they release the movie.

[drauch]

Cool, thanks for the heads up! I'll be sure and snag that at some point.

[nasty_wolverine]

watching Xam'd, seems good.

I've heard it's like Eureka 7 with different characters.

Thats what i heard too, but i havent yet seen eureka 7 yet. I mostly read manga, and lately i have some spare time and was looking for something grim to watch. If you have anything similar to getbackers, hellsing, tenjou tenge, do recommend, but only short 12/26 episode stuff.
Was watching silent mobius before that but got hooked to Xam'd.

[KAI]

Watch Mnemosyne no Musume Tachi.

If you love Mazinger but you hate lolis, you will lovehate Robot Girls Z


Anime of the century. Mazinger Z-chan is my new waifu.

[Frenetic]

Ashita no Joe

1968 was such an important year. I'm really getting into these older manga from the late 60's through the 70's. There is just so much heart and spirit in the best manga from this period. Even the narratives seem so fresh.

Joe Yabuki a young man never given a chance and Danpei Tange an old man given too many chances meet in the slums. Together they look up towards the horizon and take one last chance and try to cross that bridge of tears.