Not that there are many, but
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Unicorn_Blade — 15 years ago(July 14, 2010 02:49 PM)
I enjoyed trigun much more than Trinity Blood, mainly because of great supporting characters and deeper plot. TB had an irritating Esther that did not do much, but I still thought it was a really good show and there is quite a few aspects of it that I really like.
I think rationally thinking trigun is by all means superior, but I can't say that I didnt like the plot development and the sentimentality of Trinity Blood. There are not a lot of good vampire series out there, so I appreciate an attempt to do something now cheesy for once. -
Force_of_Legend — 15 years ago(July 14, 2010 04:48 PM)
I haven't seen Legend of Black Heaven, Toward the Terra, or Arjuna yetWhat are they about?
Alright when you start Gungrave. My advice to you is to skip the first episode, and start with episode 2. I think the first episode kind of spoils the rest of the series. You can read about that on the Gungrave board. Gungrave is really good. It is up there with Trigun Although after watching them both again recently I think I enjoy Trigun a little more since it was one of the first animes that I ever sawThe Gungrave is filled with emotion, and one of the best endings in any anime. The ending in Grave is up there with Bebop, and TrigunReally amazing. Although Grave has a lot less humor than Bebop, or Trigun. Have you seen Berserk? Oh man! I forgot about Big O! One of the best mech shows in my opinion!
@ Unicorn_BladeI really enjoyed Trinity Blood. For me though it just doesn't rank up there with the classics. Although I really do enjoy watching. What are some of your favorite types of anime?
Have a nice Day
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Lord_Drukore — 15 years ago(July 14, 2010 11:23 PM)
Legend of Black Heaven: An over worked, burned out Japanese office worker who used to be a heavy metal guitarist is pretty crushed by life and no longer living his dream. He's tapped by an officer of an alien fleet because only his guitar playing can power their ultimate weapon and win the war.
It sounds kind of goofy but it's incredibly well done and emotional and you really feel for the main character. 13 Episodes.
Toward the Terra: A sci-fi series that has a very classic sci-fi feel to it. My initial impression was, "If Robert Heinlein had been Japanese he'd probably have created something like this."
Basically, it's humans against humans that have developed psychic powers. The humans want the psychs destroyed, the psychs just want to be allowed to live their lives in peace. It's about them trying to find a place to call home, basically. 26 episodes.
Arjuna: A girl dies and is given a second chance if, in return, she promises to fight these things called Raja and save the planet from it's imminent destruction. Sounds kind of generic, but it's got a big enviromentalist/spiritual-ish slant to the series. It's not your typical Magical Girl anime by any means.
Plus it's got a soundtrack composed by Yoko Kanno. 13 Episodes.
@ Unicorn_Blade: I enjoyed Trinity Blood quite a bit until the last episode. The little scene past the credits ruined it for me. Sort of like Witch Hunter Robin. Was really enjoying the series and everything about it. Then, this big mystery they've been building up to the reveal is finally revealed and I'm all, "THAT!? That's dumb."
Sometimes the destination ruins an otherwise good journey.
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Unicorn_Blade — 15 years ago(July 15, 2010 11:27 AM)
I kind of though it was strange as well, they built up all that tension, and all in all my expectation were not quite fulfilled.
I think (from what I can remember) I enjoyed Witch Hunter Robin ending though, I don't mind open endings, since they do open up a lot room to (sometimes:)) fruitful discussions, but Trinity Blood just felt unifinished rather than anything else. -
Lord_Drukore — 15 years ago(July 15, 2010 01:44 PM)
Witch Hunter Robin, it wasn't that it was an open ending that I disliked, but rather what this big mystery/conspiracy turned out to be about. I'm a American comic fan as well, and having read what I've read, it made the WHR reveal bland and meh. I'd have probably liked it more if I hadn't already had a working knowledge of a certain comic franchise.
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Force_of_Legend — 15 years ago(July 15, 2010 05:03 PM)
Oh yeah Black Heaven! The opening song was done by John Sykes! Awesome guitarist! I am going to have to check those out.
Trinity Blood was alright. I will watch it again somedayI feel the same way about Witch Hunter Robin. I thought the begining was kind of boring, and dragged. Then it picked up when the STNJ was attacked. Then the last episode was very anticlimactic.. That series for me was a 6 out of 10. I am being generous with that one.
I love Berserk. I wish there was more though.I think at the time they filmed it. The manga wasn't that far along yet. Like with the original Hellsing.
@ Lord Gungrave is a lot better than WHR! If you can avoid the first episode though.They show what happened again in a later episode any waysThe ending is really good for that oneLet me know how you like it
Have a nice Day -
Unicorn_Blade — 15 years ago(July 16, 2010 04:05 AM)
I started watching Gungrave as well a few days ago. It has a Cowboy Bebop sort of climate, and it feels somewhat familiar. And maybe because I loved Bebop, I think I am equally going to enjoy this one as well. After watching over 50 episodes of Code Geass it feels a real refreshment to watch something that is not aimed at younger teenagers. I dont mind that you know what happened later as much, it is still interesting HOW are they gonna get to that point. Besides, I think in a few other series you kind of know how the thing is gonna end, even if they don't necessarily show it.
I think Robin's beginnings with the monster of the week were not that much interesrather bland to me, apart from Robin and Amon I didnt really get to like/remember anyone better. -
Force_of_Legend — 15 years ago(July 16, 2010 03:32 PM)
Glad to hear that you are enjoying Gungrave! It is an awesome series. To me it has a Shakespearean feel to it. I love Brandon Heat! I am going to try, and finish Baccano tonight. I am reakky getting into it. I think next I might try to pick up Black Lagoon. Speaking of Bebop feel. Baccano's soundtrack is similar in ways to Bebop. Lots of horns, and swing music! It is really awesome!
Yeah I wasn't too thrilled with Robin. Best part was the middle. Then to me it went nowhere at the end.
have you seen Wolf's Rain?
Have a nice Day -
Unicorn_Blade — 15 years ago(July 17, 2010 12:38 AM)
I have had Wolf's rain on DVD for absolute ages, the reason I have nto seen it yet is that I dont want to see all the good stuff just yet, so I am saving it for later:) I kind of realised that most of the good shows were done in late 1990 and early 2000, and I am slowly running out of things to watch. Or maybe I was watching too much before:) A lot of new series tend to be quite visually impressive, but do not fill out my expectations as for the character's development, plot, and the whole ambience.
I watched a few episodes of Black Lagoon a few years back and it was not too bad, but there is a cathegory of shows I have seen that might be quite good, and a lot of people enjoyed them, and I cant seem to get into them at all, like Noir. I think at one point I will finish the series, but it is not on my priority list and wont be anytime soon
I have not heard much of Baccano, I just checked out the plot, and it looks really really interesting, sGungrave I might have a look at it -
Lord_Drukore — 15 years ago(July 17, 2010 01:12 AM)
Watch the trailer to Baccano. I saw the trailer and it sold me on the series. Haven't watched it yet, but it looks good. And I do hear pretty good things about it.
I'm in the process of watching WOlf's Rain, slowly. It's good and I do like the music (bless Yoko Kanno!), but I'm taking it slow only because I started watching it with my mom. She likes it, so I don't want to keep watching when she can't, as she won't watch it solo.
And I totally hear ya, Uincorn_BladeMy all time top favorites are Arjuna, Black Heaven, Toward the Terra, Trigun, and Cowboy Bebop. The most recent two of those I'd seen were Trigun and Bebop. I watched them, basically, back to back. I've watched or started watching a few others series since and am having a hard time getting hooked on anything. I really think I watched too much awesome too close together and it's hurting my anime experience because really, how many series can truly measure up to Trigun and Bebop being so fresh in ones mind? -
Force_of_Legend — 15 years ago(July 17, 2010 06:24 AM)
I remember when Wolf's Rain came out on Adult Swim. It looked really interesting. I saw a few episodes, but never finished it. I need to pick up the box set.
I agree with you Unicorn, and Lord! Most of the best series were released in the late 90's, and early 2000's. Has anyone seen Outlaw Star yet? That one came out around the same time as Trigun, and Bebop. The same year I think.
I can tell you both! Baccano is awesome! It is one of the best "Newer" animes that I have seen! At first it is a little hard to keep up with. It tends to jump between years, and characters from scene to scene. The first episode introduces you to like a dozen lead characters! After the first couple of episodes you get used to the pacing, and start to notice everything coming together. Another thing about Baccano is that the music reminds me a lot of Bebop! The opening song is called Guns and Roses. Sounds similar to Tank! Excellent Dub as well! Do you guys prefer English Dubs?
@ Unicorn yes Gungrave! Just ask LordIt is really fantastic! It is one of my favorites as well!
Have a nice Day -
Lord_Drukore — 15 years ago(July 17, 2010 07:11 AM)
I tried to watch Outlaw Star, the problem, me thinks, is I tried to watch it after I'd just finished another sci-fi space western about bounty huntersOutlaw Star can't compete with Cowboy Bebop which I had just finished before I started it.
I think, once I finish what I'm currently watching (Wolf's Rain and Guyver: The Bio Boosted Armor) I need to take an anime break. I've been watching a lot in the last couple of months. -
Force_of_Legend — 15 years ago(July 17, 2010 09:20 AM)
Yeah I am just coming off of a year break myself =P. Have you ever seen Last Exile? I forgot to mention that one! Excellent voice acting! has Johnny Yong Bosch, Crispin Freeman, Steven Jay Blum! Just a amazing series!
Have a nice Day -
Unicorn_Blade — 15 years ago(July 17, 2010 12:08 PM)
Last Exile is good, I agree. I think from the more recent ones I really liked I'd definitely mention Texhnolyze (although the first few episodes were so puzzling that I didn't get anything and I was in doubt whether to continue watching), Haibane Renmei, Mononoke (not the Miyazaki's film, but the unrelated strange series about spirits, it features a character from Ayakashi, and the series resulted in me the most twisted dreams ever), Ergo Proxy, Blood+
Gilgamesh and Scrapped Princess had a potential, each one in their own way, and I liked some bits of them, and characters were quite wel ldevelopped, but overally Well, they could have done a better job.
I really miss shows like 'Now and then, here and there', that had a very suprirising animation for a complex plot, I think the animation put a lot of people off the show before they even understood how serious the series was. I have not seen anything quite like it since then. The same goes for Cowboy Bebop, I am happy to find so many good elements of it in Gungrave, it gets better with each episode.
I tried to see if anything good comes out at the moment and nope, it does not seem so. -
Force_of_Legend — 15 years ago(July 17, 2010 12:21 PM)
Last Exile is really good. I was surprised when a friend of mine showed the series to me. I haven't seen any of the the series that you mentioned. I always wanted to see Gilgamesh, Ergo Proxy, and Blood +. Blood the Last Vampire was really good. Have you seen Vampire Hunter
Bloodlust?
You know I barely remember Now and then, here and there! I bought it a couple years ago, and watched it with a friend. I am glad that you like Gungrave! Brandon Heat is a great character! I love the whole thing! the ending was just powerful! Most animes endings are not that good. I am happy to say Gungrave doesn't repeat that formula! I will stop there though. Don't need to spoil anything for you
What are your thoughts on Samurai Champloo?
Have a nice Day -
Unicorn_Blade — 15 years ago(July 17, 2010 02:47 PM)
I watched Samurai Champloo after being depressed over Bebop's ending, so I was happy to see something uplifting. I think, despite some dramatic moments, I appreciate it for its humour most (I can watch the baseball episode over and over). But the characters were great as well. I have a few friends that are interested in samurais and Japanese history, and they thought the show was quite rubbish; I found it very entertaining:) Maybe because I am not overreacting when it comes to historic details.
Vampire Hunter D is my all time favourite. I also really liked the first film. I think it had a great ambience, only the animation got old, you can so tell it was done in the 80's. Bloodlust has got this 'hollywood touch' to it, nevertheless I love the story! I even read a few novels from the series, and they were fun to read as well. The novel's translator into English said that there are projects to make another movie about D, or maybe a TV-series. I really like Kawajiri's stuff in general, I hope he would work on those projects too..
I just thought of two other shows that I quite liked: Speed Grapher and Noein, with the emphasis on the second one. And above all Paranoia Agent (and as a matter of fact everything done by the director). Satoshi Kon is a genius. I just saw Inception with diCaprio and thought that Nolan borrowed so much from Paprika
Have you seen any of those?
And I can definitely recommend Texhnolyze. It is far superior to Gilgamesh, you just need to get through first few uncomprehensible episodes with hardly any dialogue before things start making sense, but it is really worth it!
Also, would you recommend Berserk? I vaguely remember reading about it ages ago, and then seeing some dodgy AMV, which put me off the show a bit
I dont think I could go on a longer break with anime. For me it became a genre like any other else, if I can watch drama, I can watch anime as well, and as long as I find interesting things to watch, I am not planning a rehab:) -
Force_of_Legend — 15 years ago(July 17, 2010 05:21 PM)
I love Samurai Champloo! It had some very funny moments! The Baseball episode, and War of the Words where Mugen learns how to read, and write! The ending was really good to. Sad, but not Bebop sad. I am glad (SPOILERS IN NEXT SENTENCE) All of the main characters lived. Just wish they stayed together.
I feel the same way about Vampire Hunter Bloodlust. It is really fantastic. I liked the first movie as well. The animation is sometimes hard to watch lol. I heard rumor they were going to make a series out of the books. Hope that comes true.
Paranoia Agent was pretty good. I haven't seen Paprika yet. A friend of mine told me it was good. I really want to see Inception.
Would I recommend Berserk? Are you kidding me!? Haha! Yes Berserk is a must watch. The animation is a little old looking, but it is one of the best animes out there! similar to Gungrave where you have the first episode. Then it goes into a series long flash back of how the characters got where they are today. I am pretty sure you can pick up the complete series for pretty cheap now.
Well the anime "break" that I went on wasn't that I was tired of anime. I just slipped away from it more than anything. I guess you get to that point sometimes where you say I don't think there is anything else that amazing out there. Then of course you are proven wrong lol.
Have a nice Day -
Lord_Drukore — 15 years ago(July 17, 2010 05:22 PM)
I own
Paprika
Paranoia Agent
Noein
Ergo Proxy
But I haven't watched any of them yet.
I did enjoy Last Exile, Princess Monoke, and Haibane Renmei.
Some other good ones, kind of slow paced but well done, Voices of a Distant Star and The Place Promised in Our Early Days. -
Force_of_Legend — 15 years ago(July 17, 2010 09:24 PM)
Ihave seen Voices of a Distant Star before. I thought it was pretty good. I believe the same director did The Place Promised in Our Early Days. I have yet to see that one though.I think there is another one being made by that same director. Have either of you seen Shigurui: Death Frenzy? It is a Samurai anime. Very gory, and mature rated. I wasn't too thrilled with it. It really didn't have an ending like most animes.
Have a nice Day -
Lord_Drukore — 15 years ago(July 17, 2010 09:33 PM)
Voices of a Distant Star, The Place Promised in Our Early Days, and 5cm per Second are all by the same person. Not sure if there are others still.
I have not seen Shigurui.
Here are my brief views on a few series I've recently watched, copied from my Notes on Facebook.
Blue Drop:
Well, it wasn't quite what I expected based on the back of the case. Lot more slice-of-life drama as opposed to the sci-fi action implied. What the series did, it did well enough, but it's ending made it all feel like a prequel to an epic sci-fi war drama series that doesn't exist.
Can't say I felt my time was wasted watching it, but also can't see myself recommending this to anyone.
Saikano:
Shuji and Chise have just started dating when, during an air raid, he learns that his girlfriend is the ultimate weapon in the Japanese military's forces in the vast war being waged. It's all down hill from there.
It's about war and love and loss.
Well, that was a good series, but quite a downer. I don't think youcould make it more of a downer unless they had started killing kittens.
Tide Line Blue:
Loved it. A great mix of comedy, drama, and emotion in a post-apocalyptic waterworld. A rogue submarine commander setting out to start a world war as the UN tries to start over in this new world, with twin brothers Keel and Teen caught in the middle.
Serial Experiments Lain:
It was good, but didn't quite enjoy it as much as I feel I should have. I'm thinking I should re-watch the series when I'm in a mood that syncs up with it better. I had no idea what to expect going into it initially, so that may have hindered my immersion into it. Love the concepts it delves into though about what is real and what isn't and what the ultimate end result of the internet may be.