Many, Many Suggestions

[myusollo]

Greetings, my otakouhai!

In my casual perusal of anime over the past few years, I've come across some shows that I think y'all oughta check out. Not a comprehensive list, of course, but a few gems that the club might enjoy. In the interest of not having to think about order by preference, I'ma just do it alphabetically.

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Detective Loki

Also called Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok and Matantei Detective Loki Ragnarok. What little I've found of the manga struck me as better, but it's still quite fun, and it's kinda neat catching the (somewhat awkwardly included) Norse mythology references. Definitely has some fun goofy moments, and slightly MST3K-able.

FLCL

Fooly Freakin' Cooly. An amazing series. Good in both English and Japanese, too. Not a beginning-of-the-year anime, better after people are a little prepared for the trippiness. But still one of my all-time favorites.

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

The first season is absolutely brilliant. Better than the original movie by far, and it actually has a phenomenal English dub. It's also quite accessible to people who are new to anime, as it has been on Adult Swim quite a bit and is not quite as crazy as other shows. Oh, and before I forget the best part . . . Tachikomas.

The second season is not as good, sadly, but not horrible.

Heat Guy J

Picture Spike. Make him blonde. Make him lazier and less competent. And replace Jet Black with a giant robot that expels steam and compliments pretty ladies. . . . Okay, so it's not really like Cowboy Bebop. But it's still awesome. I've also seen a couple episodes of the English dub, and it seems quite good. Definitely worth checking out.

Kujibiki Unbalance

An unusual series because it's actually an adaptation of an OVA that was a parody of anime cliches and conventions. The OVA first appeared in Genshiken, one of my favorite shows of all time, and it was fascinating to see how they changed this show. It's definitely very different. Also a lot of cheesecake for the guys, if you fangirls wanna play fair.

L/R: License by Royal

I don't know why I'm including this one. It's kind of weak, although it has its moments. The soundtrack is edited in a bit awkwardly, so the music often sounds out of place. But the opening song? So damn awesome! Plus, fangirls (you know who you are *cough* JEN *cough cough*) may enjoy the fact that the main characters are bishounen and "partners". Or not. You guys confuse me sometimes. d^ 3

R.O.D.: the TV Series

People tend to love or hate this series, in part because the beginning follows characters from the manga OTHER than Yomiko Readman. The thing is, if you can really get into it, it's actually quite good, and it does a better job of developing certain characters than either manga series. Should DEFINITELY only be watched after the Read or Die OVA.

S-CRY-ed

Made by Sunrise, so you know the English dub is good. The main character, Kazuma, has a cleverly designed fighting style that I find quite intriguing. Actually, this is another one that I think the fangirls in the club will like, mainly because the English dub has some very entertaining unintentional innuendos. I also love the opening song.

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Whew. Way too freaking long. Anyhoo, if I think of/see any more, I'll add them.

[myusollo]

So I decided to add a list of movies, too, and, instead of creating another topic, I thought, "Why not be organized and use the already-created thread?" I know, me, organized? Shock!

Anyway, here's a list of some one-shot movies I would recommend. Oh, and just so you know, I'm not including any Miyazaki's because you should just watch them all. In Japanese.

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Akira

Mainly worth watching because it's an anime landmark and because, well, it is pretty cool. Not much of a plot to speak of, just lots and lots and LOTS of craziness.

Appleseed

A decent movie, and particularly interesting because it's a cel-shaded style, which you don't see very often. The main characters have a very interesting relationship. Plus, it makes a pretty sweet action movie. Appleseed: Ex Machina is the sequel and is arguably better.

Ghost in the Shell

Honestly, if you watch the series you can skip the movie, but it is an anime classic. DEFINITELY watch it in Japanese, the English dub is awful. Also, be prepared for much nudity.

Lupin III: Episode 0 "First Contact"

Now I know Lupin III is one of those binary animes, you either love it or hate it, and I know a few people in the club have professed the latter. That said, it's an important anime that people should be at least passingly familiar with, and this particular movie's good for that. It's an origin story that introduces the characters, establishes their relationships, and does a really good job of giving you the feel for the series. A phenomenal film.

Metropolis

Surprisingly, it's not based on the famous black-and-white movie of the same name, although it is in a futuristic steampunk city. Pretty well done.

Paprika

Think The Cell meets The Matrix but really really really good and about five times as trippy. By the studio that made Paranoia Agent and Tokyo Godfathers.

Tokyo Godfathers

A film by the same studio that produced Paranoia Agent and Paprika, Tokyo Godfathers is very psychologically compelling without being quite as trippy or dark. It's the story of three homeless companions who find themselves in the possession of an abandoned baby. Very sweet, very interesting, very much worth watching.

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Once again, my brain is out of recommendations. Maybe more later?

[Torint]

I'd like to add Mushishi if anybody can get the DVDs. It's a very beautiful show, and a huge change of pace from what we've been doing lately.

[ninfa]

I recommend Tekkon Kinkreet to anyone who hasn't seen it. It's a very strange anime (really, it's an OVA), but for those of us who love Paprika, Paranoia Agent, Ghost in the Shell, and FLCL-I'm sure it isn't too out of the ordinary. <_< Check out the link below to see what it's about (street orphans whose territory is being taken by the yakuza)!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tekkon_Kinkreet

[duohimura]

Apr 30, 2009 16:08:02 GMT -5 Torint said:

I'd like to add Mushishi if anybody can get the DVDs. It's a very beautiful show, and a huge change of pace from what we've been doing lately.

I have Mushishi, and can second the fact that it is unbelievably amazing.

However, what I would like to add (and we should absolutely watch this next year) is...

Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo

An adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' classic novel, set in the future, and focusing on a relatively minor character from the novel, Albert de Morcerf. This casts the Count in the role of a villain (a role which he is quite well suited to, I might add), and makes the story less of a tale of revenge and more of a coming-of-age story, with many other minor characters from the novel getting a lot more screentime and major personality upgrades. Entirely watchable to people who are unfamiliar with the story (it pretty much tells you the premise in the opening theme, as awfully sung as it is), it's also filled with a bunch of treats for fans of the novel, such as elements that are pulled directly from Dumas' descriptions. However it does go in its own direction, so some purists may dislike that--nonetheless, one of my favorite anime of all time, and somewhat sadly unknown.

Oh, and the artwork is absolutely gorgeous after a few episodes' of adjustment time, where it's a little jarring and not as well executed (clothes and hair and such are rendered as photoshop layers that don't move when the characters do, so there's a certain... stained-glass look to the show. CGI and such are also very well implemented, later on at least).

So yeah, we should totally watch that.

--Ben S. '13