General anime discussion thread

[LOG]

I tried to watch the Guin Saga anime.
I could not.
It is just so poorly directed and suffers from constant disconnects and really awful dialog.

[LOG]

Started watching Angel Beats, it looks like it's gonna be a fun ride.

Also on my list:
Chobits
School Rumble
Xam'd

[savagelilies]

So, yesterday I watched the most awful dub of the Revolutionary Girl Utena movie (The Adolescence of Utena, I think it's called) and it reaffirmed my notions that anime dubs are patently awful. I don't think I've ever heard such emotionless voice acting.

(Unless it's Sailor Moon because I grew up watching the dub in the 90's. No matter how awful the voice acting, I will always love the dub. )

[elindsen]

Hey guys! New to this thread. Got a question for you.

Don't laugh, but I'm behind the times. My husband and I recently watched of of the Dragon ball series (including Z and GT). I absolutely love it. Fabulous!

So here's my question. I want to try other anime since DB so so successful. What should I try next?

Criteria:
It doesn't have to be brand new. DB wasn't and I still enjoyed it.
It must have good action/fight scenes
Some romance

That's about it. Is there something comparable to Db, more importantly DBZ?
BTW-Huge Vegeta fan

[Dawnstorm]

Originally Posted by LOG

Started watching Angel Beats, it looks like it's gonna be a fun ride.

Thought it was decent; neither particularly good, nor particularly bad. I heard they originally planned for 24 episodes but got cut short. It would makes sense, since the end seems extremely hurried.

Also on my list:
Chobits
School Rumble
Xam'd

I know nothing about Xam'd. Chobits is simply charming, and School Rumble is among the most hilarious anime comedies I've seen. It's even got a decent dub (I still prefer the sub, but that's me).

@elindsen:

Hm, I really don't like Dragonball, so I can't compare other anime to it. But in the same genre you might try:

Inuyasha, Naruto or Ao no Exorcist. I have a hunch that Inuyasha might come closest to what you want, but I'm not sure.

Also, maybe, Visions of Escaflowne. Hm, Asura Crying? Kaze no Stigma?

[BigWords]

If you decide to watch Naruto, pick up several seasons worth of episodes in one go, and be prepared to fast forward through the endless and interminable recaps - there is a great story in there, and some excellent animation, but the reused elements which stretch the episodes out becomes wearisome at the beginning of the second box set (less so as it progresses, but still there).

[Camilla Delvalle]

Originally Posted by elindsen

So here's my question. I want to try other anime since DB so so successful. What should I try next?

Criteria:
It doesn't have to be brand new. DB wasn't and I still enjoyed it.
It must have good action/fight scenes
Some romance

If you like fantasy I recommend The Twelve Kingdoms (Juuni Kokki), which I'm rewatching now. It is similar to Narnia, but in an Asian setting, or like Game of Thrones, cruel but less cynical. I'm sorry but there isn't much romance, and the fight scenes are very short. The strenghts are the story, the characters, and some philosophy. It's quite character driven, especially in the third season where everyone end up in the place where they are because of decisions they made themselves on the way, rather than being forced by circumstances. The depth of my love for this series is immense.

[kuwisdelu]

Originally Posted by elindsen

Hey guys! New to this thread. Got a question for you.

Don't laugh, but I'm behind the times. My husband and I recently watched of of the Dragon ball series (including Z and GT). I absolutely love it. Fabulous!

So here's my question. I want to try other anime since DB so so successful. What should I try next?

Criteria:
It doesn't have to be brand new. DB wasn't and I still enjoyed it.
It must have good action/fight scenes
Some romance

That's about it. Is there something comparable to Db, more importantly DBZ?
BTW-Huge Vegeta fan

Hmm, for stuff similar DBZ, I'm definitely the wrong guy, not being a big fan of endless shounen fighting series. The Big Three Shounen that you should probably check out if you enjoyed DBZ would be Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece. As mentioned above, Inuyasha would probably be good, too.

The only shounen fighting series I've really thoroughly enjoyed so far have been the Fullmetal Alchemist series. Ao no Exorcist was also pretty decent. Oh, and maybe the Toaru Majutsu no Index series.

If you don't mind branching out into mecha, I would also recommend the Break Blade movies.

Oh! And Gurren Lagann! Definitely, definitely, definitely Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann.

[Shadow Dragon]

Originally Posted by elindsen

Hey guys! New to this thread. Got a question for you.

Don't laugh, but I'm behind the times. My husband and I recently watched of of the Dragon ball series (including Z and GT). I absolutely love it. Fabulous!

So here's my question. I want to try other anime since DB so so successful. What should I try next?

Criteria:
It doesn't have to be brand new. DB wasn't and I still enjoyed it.
It must have good action/fight scenes
Some romance

That's about it. Is there something comparable to Db, more importantly DBZ?
BTW-Huge Vegeta fan

Bleach is probably the closest series I can think of to the DB series. You'd probably also like Samurai Champloo since it has a lot of fighting and some of the best fight scenes in anime, in my opinion.

[LOG]

Originally Posted by Dawnstorm

Thought it was decent; neither particularly good, nor particularly bad. I heard they originally planned for 24 episodes but got cut short. It would makes sense, since the end seems extremely hurried.

Finished.
I thought it was absolutely amazing, and it's one of the very few works, of any medium, that has ever succeeded in making me cry.
I think 24 episodes would have only made it even better with more backstory and time to see off all the characters.
I absolutely loved the music in this series too.

[Kyra Wright]

Originally Posted by elindsen

Hey guys! New to this thread. Got a question for you.

Don't laugh, but I'm behind the times. My husband and I recently watched of of the Dragon ball series (including Z and GT). I absolutely love it. Fabulous!

So here's my question. I want to try other anime since DB so so successful. What should I try next?

Criteria:
It doesn't have to be brand new. DB wasn't and I still enjoyed it.
It must have good action/fight scenes
Some romance

That's about it. Is there something comparable to Db, more importantly DBZ?
BTW-Huge Vegeta fan

I second the Fullmetal Alchemist suggestion. I'll also throw out out Basilisk (which isn't like DBZ, but does have a lot of fighting, and a bit of romance- it's Romeo and Juliet with ninjas).

[MVK]

Just finished Darker than Black Season 2 (Gemini of the Meteor). Some interesting elements but a real step down from the previous season. The first season has some twists and turnsand a sort of philosophical ending that at least made sense to me on some level. Season 2 just left me feeling generally dissatisfied and wondering what the hell happened.

Now, this time on to Noir or Ergo Proxy for real.

[LOG]

Finished the first season of School Rumble.
I found it pretty good, although the ending was weak (thankfully I'm only about half way).
Found the humor somewhat hit or miss, it usually hit, but when it missed, boy did it miss. I liked the occasional drama, and how they kept the plot moving along despite everything.

[DeVon72176]

Originally Posted by kuwisdelu

Oh! And Gurren Lagann! Definitely, definitely, definitely Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann.

As I was scrolling down the page, I was getting ready to recommend this when I saw you beat me to it.

Love Gurren Lagann. Amazing anime. Watch the series first before watching the movies (if you have the option).

If you're looking for a movie, I'd recommend Sword of the Stranger (if you like samurai films). The animation is amazing.

[elindsen]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Time to do some research on what to watch first.

Have you guys ever heard of a show called 3x3 eyes? A friend said id love it.

[LOG]

Finished half of the second season.
I like that the cast expanded beyond Kurasama, Tenma, and Harima, but I think it may have gotten a bit too large . . .
Also, what's with the sudden yuri overtones? I don't mind yuri, but I don't recall it in the first season, seem strange to start playing with it now.

[Dreity]

Originally Posted by LOG

Finished.
I thought it was absolutely amazing, and it's one of the very few works, of any medium, that has ever succeeded in making me cry.
I think 24 episodes would have only made it even better with more backstory and time to see off all the characters.
I absolutely loved the music in this series too.

A few days late, but I wanted to tell you that I cried too! I NEVER cry! I would admit that some parts of it were kind of weak, but that last episode was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. It gave me a completely new appreciation for the medium.

[DeVon72176]

Originally Posted by elindsen

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Time to do some research on what to watch first.

Have you guys ever heard of a show called 3x3 eyes? A friend said id love it.

3x3 eyes. Good show, but only covers a small part of the manga. If you check out the show and like it, you'll need to check out the manga to find out what happens. But don't let that deter you. I recommend it.

[Seth?]

Hey everyone! New to AW but not new to anime.


Does anyone have any thoughts about Clannad? It's been recommended to me so many times, and I'm always told that Clannad and Clannad After Story are apparently very sad and amazing, but I haven't gotten around to watching either.


not really a spoiler but I'll still put a warning. Second, am I the only Death Note fan who doesn't like L? (I know I know. Scandalous.)


-Seth

[Himmie]

It's been forever since I watched anime, but I've recently started watching them again. I have watched Gundam Wing AC, Inuyasha, Trinity Blood, Gauken Heaven, and Black Butler again. Anyone have any suggestions as to what I should watch next? Honestly I'll watch any genre but I will not watch Naruto, Bleach, or One Piece. I can't stand any of them.

[Dawnstorm]

@School Rumble: Yeah, some of the humour is... questionable. But on the whole I like it. Have you come up to the Sleeping Beauty play yet? It's one of my favourite moments.

@Clannad: Search this thread for the title and you'll find some conversations about it. Clannad isn't particularly sad, though it has some moments. It's major strength is the absurd humour, IMO, but the added drama is vital for balance. Afterstory shifts that balance after about half time and becomes an entirely different kind of show. And it works. I'm torn about the ending; I think it might have worked better in the original game... Well worth a watch. I love it, despite hating the character desing. (I find it just ugly.)

@Himmie: Not sure what to recommend. Of all the shows you mentioned, I've only seen the occasional episode of Inuyasha (which is nice, but I don't watch neverending series). I also tried Black Butler, but didn't like it much. Haven't seen enough to really judge, so it's status is "judgment pending". I have no interest at all in the Gundam franchise, and know next to nothing about Gakuen Heaven or Trinity Blood. Any other titles you like? At the moment I could recommend just about any show I half-ways enjoyed, which is a lot and probably not very helpful.

[LOG]

Originally Posted by Dawnstorm

@School Rumble: Yeah, some of the humour is... questionable. But on the whole I like it. Have you come up to the Sleeping Beauty play yet? It's one of my favourite moments.

Yeah, nearly at the end of the second season.
Wasn't sure if it deserved its MA rating at first, but eventually it shows that it does.

[kuwisdelu]

Originally Posted by Seth?

Does anyone have any thoughts about Clannad? It's been recommended to me so many times, and I'm always told that Clannad and Clannad After Story are apparently very sad and amazing, but I haven't gotten around to watching either.

Clannad is definitely worth watching even if only to get to the excellent After Story, which goes places you just don't expect an anime in its genre to go, and works very well because of it. It's a shounen anime that ends up dealing with very josei themes, which is a combination I can't say I've ever seen done before or since.

not really a spoiler but I'll still put a warning. Second, am I the only Death Note fan who doesn't like L? (I know I know. Scandalous.)

I certainly wouldn't call myself a Death Note fan, but I liked L. I hated his replacement at the end, though.

Originally Posted by Himmie

It's been forever since I watched anime, but I've recently started watching them again. I have watched Gundam Wing AC, Inuyasha, Trinity Blood, Gauken Heaven, and Black Butler again. Anyone have any suggestions as to what I should watch next? Honestly I'll watch any genre but I will not watch Naruto, Bleach, or One Piece. I can't stand any of them.

Hmm, it's hard since like Dawnstorm I haven't really seen any of those series besides the random episode of Inuyasha. What kind of show are you looking for? Genre? Tone?

[kuwisdelu]

Originally Posted by LOG

Finished.
I thought it was absolutely amazing, and it's one of the very few works, of any medium, that has ever succeeded in making me cry.
I think 24 episodes would have only made it even better with more backstory and time to see off all the characters.
I absolutely loved the music in this series too.

Yeah, I wish it had gotten its 24 episodes. I loved it the first time, and I still like it, but the second time I watched it, the pacing problems in the latter episodes really showed, and made me feel there was a lot of missed potential there.

[Camilla Delvalle]

Originally Posted by Seth?

Does anyone have any thoughts about Clannad? It's been recommended to me so many times, and I'm always told that Clannad and Clannad After Story are apparently very sad and amazing, but I haven't gotten around to watching either.

Clannad has a special place in my heart. To me it is both the funniest and most tragic anime. I laughed so much during a certain concert, but I literally cried all through the last episodes. As a high school comedy it is rare in showing what happens after graduation, when everyone has to take responsibility for their lives and take the consequences of their actions. There is some beauty, some eeriness, and some philosophy that is relevant for life. Yes, the character design is not the best. Nagisa sometimes looks like something from outher space, but Tomoya is handsome. I often rewatch the first season because it's cute, but I'd rather have my heart torn out than watch the second season again. Btw., last week I learned to sing the Dango Daikazoku song...

not really a spoiler but I'll still put a warning. Second, am I the only Death Note fan who doesn't like L? (I know I know. Scandalous.)

Well, I'm a fan of Death Note and I love L, especially in the spin-off L: Change the World, where he is super cute. I like Near too. Why don't you like L? Nowadays I don't rewatch it so often because with the low level of romance it doesn't feel emotionally satisfying.