Dagger

A "spoiler alert" is not nearly enough here, dear. And as the person who tagged your post, I had no choice but to see what you wrote. If there's one thing that really gets my goat, it's being spoiled... seriously, this is the kind of thing which makes me want to never venture on a message board again. So please, the next time you plan to discuss major plot twists, simply type [spoiler]text[/*spoiler]--minus the asterisk, of course. I don't think the two anime are at all similar, to be honest. The phrase "the same creator" is quite misleading, and I have no idea what you're trying to imply by using it. Wolf's Rain and Cowboy Bebop have different directors; as a result, Wolf's Rain lacks Shinichiro Watanabe's distinctive touch. The director of Wolf's Rain had a small hand in the Cowboy Bebop movie, but that's it. They do share the same script-writer, Keiko Nobumoto, yet in Cowboy Bebop he was just one part of a much larger team. Yoko Kanno has worked on a huge number of anime--everything from Turn A Gundam to Escaflowne to Earth Girl Arjuna. Just the fact that she did the music for both Cowboy Bebop and Wolf's Rain is not the best reason to claim they're similar, particularly since the soundtracks of said series are rather different. They have the same character designer, but again, that's a pretty superficial connection. For better or for worse, Adult Swim chose to hype Wolf's Rain as being made by the creators of Cowboy Bebop. Because of this, people tend to think that Watanabe directed both anime, and so on and so forth. ~Dagger~

One thing to keep in mind is that the Peacemaker Kurogane manga is actually the sequel to an earlier series called "Shinsengumi Imon Peacemaker," which is currently unlicensed. The anime covers most of the events that take place in Shinsengumi Imon Peacemaker but mixes in some bits from Peacemaker Kurogane as well. So in a certain sense, the PMK manga can also be viewed as a sequel to the anime. All hell breaks loose in the second half of Peacemaker Kurogane v. 2--it's quite bloody and symbolizes the start of a long downward spiral for most of the characters in the series. As many of them are based on real historical figures, and as many of said real historical figures died very tragically, I expect that this manga will not have a positive ending. Anyway, it'll be interesting to see how you and others react to [spoiler]Sannan's[/spoiler] death. I found it very moving, but I had already become well-acquainted with the character through reading parts of Shinsengumi Imon Peacemaker and watching the Peacemaker anime. If you're enjoying PMK, I recommend watching the anime--if only to gain a greater understanding of Suzu's character. PMK doesn't explain why Suzu is the way he is. Though Shinsengumi Imon Peacemaker isn't licensed, the anime does an excellent job of laying down the basis for [spoiler]Suzu's transformation into a total psychopath. Prior to becoming utterly insane, he was a very sympathetic and likeable character, as well as a great foil for Tetsu.[/spoiler] The anime isn't exactly action-packed, though. The action it does have is great, but for the most part it's more of a slice-of-life series. At the very least, you should definitely try to rent or buy volume 7 (although that won't be coming out for a while). It will contain some of the most stunning swordfights you'll see in any television anime. ~Dagger~

The official Peacemaker thread is located [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=35690&page=7&pp=15][u]here[/u][/url]. Please post there if you would like to discuss the show. Additionally, be certain to work on your post quality--proper capitalization and punctuation would make your writing a great deal easier to read. If you have any questions, feel free to private message me or one of the other moderators. Thanks! Thread closed. ~Dagger~

I felt rather let down by Pita Ten. As expected, it started off in a flurry of fluff and cuteness. I figured that the show would get interesting once all of the main characters were introduced; I had heard that the manga on which it was based is pretty dark, so I wasn't terribly worried by all the cloying sweetness and sap. Yet thirteen episodes in, Pita Ten had gone absolutely nowhere. The same jokes were re-used over and over and over, to the point that I could pretty much predict every single thing which would happen in the course of any given episode. Predictable series aren't inherently bad just by virtue of being predictable, but in this case I found it extremely annoying. More obviously shounen than, say, A Little Snow Fairy Sugar (also based on a manga by Koge Donbo), Pita Ten completely lacks Sugar's gentle charm. It was difficult to get through and so unrewarding that I eventually stopped watching it altogether. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Gatsu']I use Anime Nation, even thought their prices aren't the best they have great customer service and I live a state away so I get my order within 24-48 hours for the price of ground shipping. I have had some terrible experiences with Right Stuf.[/quote] Could you describe what happened to you? I'm curious, because TRSI usually doesn't get very much bad press. In terms of distance, I've had similar luck when it comes to Amazon and Target (which ships through Amazon). Even if I pick free shipping, most items arrive in a day or two; they must have a large warehouse fairly close to where I live, or something to that effect. It's just too bad that Amazon's regular (and to a lesser extent, pre-order) prices aren't at all competitive, even with Share the Love and all that jazz. ~Dagger~

Just thought I'd mention that I stopped by a local library earlier today and managed to snag myself a copy of Oryx and Crake (interesting cover, by the way--it reminds me of something one might see in the later episodes of Texhnolyze). I haven't actually started reading it yet, but I glanced through the first few pages, and I like Ms. Atwood's prose. I guess I'll try to finish the book before I head out of town for New Year's Eve. ~Dagger~

Final Fantasy X is not worth buying. On the one hand, the battle system is decent, and I appreciate the fact that you're given some choice when it comes to levelling up the characters. On the other hand, the storyline is painfully predictable and ends up being little more than a great way to cure insomnia. The English voice acting is [i]painfully[/i] bad, and I say this as a fan of dubs. I'm just lucky that a friend gave the game to me for free (or maybe lucky isn't the word--I want those hours of my life back!). I played some Inuyasha game a while ago--I think this may be the same one you referred to, fanfaf--and it was indeed pretty pathetic. For the most part, I try to stay away from that kind of anime tie-in. ~Dagger~

Welcome to OtakuBoards, HarukoExcel. ^_^ As is stated in OB's rules, introduction threads are not allowed. Other members can get to know you through your posts, so you should feel free to dive right in and start participating in the discussion of your choice. If you have any questions, you're quite welcome to private message me or one of the other moderators. Thread closed. ~Dagger~

One of the DVDs I got for Christmas was Millennium Actress, so I finally got to see this film. I didn't like the fact that DreamWorks refused to include a dub, but no matter; I got over that gripe once I became absorbed in the movie itself. The way Millennium Actress was presented reminded me strongly of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. To be honest, I enjoyed the first half--a fun, surreal romp through Japanese history--much more than learning the resolution to Chiyoko's story. The bicycle sequence was easily my favorite part of the entire film; it carried such a wonderful sense of joy and freedom, and did all this on the strength of visuals alone. At times the music was adequate, but for the most part it just made me have visions of Paranoia Agent (Susumu Hisasawa composed the music for both anime)... not to mention cheesy B movies from the '50s. Dramatic piano themes simply do not mix well with eerie alien sound effects which could have been lifted from something like "The Day the Earth Stood Still." Overall, I thought it could have been a bit shorter; after a while I tired of hearing about Chiyoko's quest. But in the end Millennium Actress was a pleasant, nicely executed--if slightly overrated--movie. I might watch it again on a rainy day. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Morpheus']As much as I hate to say this, this is not the place to ask. There is a very, very minimal chance that anyone will want to send anything. We're not hateful or anything, but this is a little too much to ask of mostly teenagers. Even if we did want to help, Where would we send funds? How will we now they are not going strait to you? You need to show that this is authentic and provide an address for sending.[/quote] He didn't say, "Send money to me." He asked that people send money to the programs, charities, etc. which would be providing aid to the countries affected by the tsunami. It was an appeal to "the better angels of our nature," so to speak. I think you all are totally misinterpreting this, but I'll let Daermon_Nashabe clear things up. ~Dagger~

Manga should be discussed in the manga forum, located [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=81][u]here[/u][/url]. When an anime has a corresponding manga, the discussion in this forum may eventually grow to encompass comparisons between the anime and manga. However, the Anime Lounge isn't the place to talk about manga-only series like Diabolo. I don't mean to be a party pooper or anything, but favorites threads get old extraordinarily fast--particularly when they're very general, as in "Who's your favorite character?" or "What's your favorite show?" Next time try to narrow things down a bit; for example, you could limit the discussion to a specific genre, such as fantasy, mahou shoujo or harem comedy. Moreover, it always helps to explain your choices: i.e. "I like Witch Hunter Robin because of its dark atmosphere, beautiful animation and engaging storyline." If you have any questions, you're welcome to private message me or one of the other moderators. Thanks! Thread closed. ~Dagger~

Inuyasha is over (in Japan, at least), but can still be discussed [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=39612&page=47&pp=15][u]here[/u][/url]. Next time, please be sure to check the Directory sticky before creating a new series-specific topic. Also, bear in mind that double-posting is strictly forbidden--which you would already know, had you taken the time to read OtakuBoards' [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/rules.php?][u]Rules[/u][/url] and [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/faq.php?][u]FAQ[/u][/url]. If you have any questions, feel free to private message me or one of the other moderators. Thank you very much. Thread closed. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=Lore][color=#4b4b79]I do think it's interesting, though. You don't really hear people mention it (in, say, "What do you find attractive in the [strike]opposite[/strike] [strike]same[/strike] desired sex" threads), but voices can be incredibly sexy, heh. I don't know how many people listen to radio often, but you can develop quite an idea of what a person is like (not that it is necessarily right, heh) just by listening to their voice for a while. In the old [b][url=http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/ShowMainServlet/showid-297/Beauty_and_the_Beast/]Beauty and the Beast[/url][/b] show, for example, there were a [i]lot[/i] of women viewers who were absolutely enraptured by Vincent's voice. bowling for soup, Sara[/color][/QUOTE] This reminds me of a similar phenomenon in the anime fandom--certain Japanese seiyuu are incredibly popular among English-speaking fans, even though it's hard to judge the acting ability of someone when you can't understand what he's saying (without the aid of subtitles, at least). It gets pretty interesting when you have women portraying male characters; does that mean the actress's voice is attractive because the viewer thinks of it as a male voice, or what? My personal favorite seiyuu is a low-voiced woman who has a lot of male roles under her belt, but also plays the occasional female. I think she sounds dead sexy regardless of her character's gender. Anyway, British accents are nice. ^_^ ~Dagger~

[quote name='Sol-Blade][SIZE=-3]One used to say that, [I]"The Ultimate act of Patriotism, was following your country right or wrong."[/I']Not to hijack a thread or anything, but what do you guys think of that?[/SIZE][/quote] Dead wrong. If you feel that your country is heading in the wrong direction, the ultimate act of patriotism is pouring your heart and soul into setting things right. Martin Luther King Jr., for example, was a true patriot. ~Dagger~

Let's be clear: the war in Iraq was not waged in retaliation for the 9/11 attacks. The war in Afghanistan, on the other hand, did follow the pattern of "someone attacks us, and we take care of it." I've almost never heard anyone complain about America's invasion of Afghanistan, as it was undeniably justified. Your post is a bit confusing--whether or not you supported the war in Iraq, it's really impossible to frame it as anything other than a pre-emptive strike. ~Dagger~

Unfortunately, nope. Although to be honest, it always makes me feel a little uncomfortable when dub actors use Japanese honorifics. :p Anyway, I'm really happy that you posted! I recently watched the third volume (which contains episodes 11 through 15), and it was incredible. I nearly cried like a little baby when I realized I wouldn't be able to finish this particular arc until whenever the next R1 DVD comes out (sometime in February, I think). The whole concept of the Limitless Fortress is very interesting and well-done. The comedic sequences with Ginji and Akabane had me in stitches, especially when Ginji kept desperately trying to escape from him. There were also some great serious moments, and I finally got to catch more than a fleeting glimpse of Makubex--Mitsuki Saiga's character!--as well as Jubei, whose character design is just awesome. So I definitely want to learn more about those two... not to mention Kazuki, another one of my favorite characters. The part when [spoiler]some expendable bad guy impersonated him and pretended to betray Himiko[/spoiler] completely fooled me, haha. I started shaking my head and thinking, "It's always the quiet ones, isn't it?" On a different note, Akabane seems to play the same sort of role as Hisoka from Hunter x Hunter, or even Yami no Matsuei's Muraki (evil doctors, anyone?). I love guys like that. ^_~ ~Dagger~

One of the titles currently being released by CMX (DC Comics' new manga imprint), From Eroica With Love is a delightful shoujo classic. Clever, sublimely funny and just a little bit over-the-top, it centers around the escapades of one Earl Dorian Red Gloria, a flamboyant, narcissistic sensualist who moonlights as "Eroica," a notorious art thief. Chance pits him against the disciplined, uptight German officer Major Klaus, and thus the hijinks begin. I particularly like Eroica's artwork. It's quite old-fashioned, with delicate, graceful lines and impossibly slender characters. That adds a lot to the manga's charm. There's also a great deal of shounen-ai innuendo (the Earl is openly gay) but it's often played for laughs, and generally doesn't extend beyond the level of subtext. Fans of Pet Shop of Horrors might enjoy this series, as it offers a somewhat similar dynamic. So, has anyone else heard of or read this? It doesn't seem to have gotten that much press, although the first volume has been out for at least two months. ~Dagger~

I'm happy to report that volume 9 is vastly superior to volume 8, and is (in my judgment) probably one of the most pivotal installments of the series. It's just disheartening to remember that there are only three books left. I was astonished to find that Shuichi had actually developed a backbone. The events in this volume really go to show how much he's grown since the beginning of the series (which makes his increasingly shouta-ish character design appear unintentionally ironic). Seeing Shuichi declare, [spoiler]"I'm not his pet hamster or his cheap cup of ramen, and all the other things he has only the occasional moment for. To put it plainly, [i]I am not his *****![/i][/spoiler] was deeply gratifying--and this time he walked his talk, rather than crumbling at the last moment. Things even got to the point that several characters started questioning Eiri's humanity, which was pretty interesting and shed some more light on his eternally confusing and contradictory personality. And Reiji, who was unbelievably annoying in volume 8, has begun to come into her own. [spoiler]Her crush on Shuichi[/spoiler] could have been handled badly, but I thought it ended up being rather cute, especially when [spoiler]Shuichi gently turned her down.[/spoiler] By the way, am I the only one who suspects that she and Judy have something going on? Yuki has another hilarious encounter with Sakano, and [spoiler]Kitazawa's[/spoiler] transgendered little brother shows up! His conversation with Shuichi was both touching and somewhat creepy, particularly when he impersonated [spoiler]Kitazawa.[/spoiler] All in all, a hilarious and very satisfying volume that nicely set the stage for future hijinks. I'm really happy with this one, particularly considering how much I disliked volume 8. ^_^ ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=AzureWolf][FONT=book antiqua][SIZE=2][COLOR=blue]I loved Haibane Renmei (so anyone who disses it will have to answer to me! j/k). I have to disagree with your description, Dagger. I don't know why you saw the scene as gruesome, but to me, there was little to be grossed out about. In fact, I dare say that the whole experience from the scene is akin to [SPOILER]pinching one's self to make sure they are awake. What is happening is extraordinarily real, just as the pain is extraordinarily great[/SPOILER]. Anyway, the whole event wasn't... "gruesome."[/color][/size][/font][/quote] That's a good point, and I can see how the experience would be valuable to Rakka, but it did make me cringe. Her pain was portrayed very realistically and unflinchingly, which is what impressed me. It's not that I was grossed out, precisely--I just found it uncomfortably easy to imagine what it would feel like. Gruesome may have been too strong a word. "Disconcerting," maybe? ~Dagger~

Welcome to OtakuBoards, backlash_wave. Had you read the rules, you would know that double-posting (not to mention triple-posting) is strictly forbidden. Moreover, we place a strong emphasis on post quality and remaining on-topic. Please attempt to use proper spelling, punctuation and so forth. While you're at it, be sure to cut down on the smilies. As is explained in this forum's sticky topics, we maintain one official thread for each anime. The official Inuyasha thread, for example, is located [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=39612&page=47&pp=15][u]here[/u][/url]. You can post there if you'd still like to discuss the show. And if you have any questions, feel free to PM me or one of the other moderators. Thanks! Thread closed. ~Dagger~

I went into this anime with a wee bit of trepidation. As feared, the first episode basically started putting me to sleep--but the scene in which [spoiler]Rakka's wings sprouted[/spoiler] really made me sit up and take notice. It was startlingly gruesome and quickly succeeded in jolting me out of my stupor. If I make it past the first DVD of Haibane-Renmei, it will be thanks to the potential offered by that initial hint of darkness. ~Dagger~

Haibane-Renmei's dub tends to receive a lot of good press, but now that I've finally gotten my hands on the first DVD, I fail to see (hear, rather) why it has so many fans. I find the main character's voice vaguely irritating, and there are a lot more awkward lines than I'd expected. Hopefully it'll improve over the course of the show--after all, I have only watched the first few episodes. Yet at the same time, I've come across too many dubs that are great from the very beginning to just totally ignore a rocky start. I can't remember whether or not I've mentioned this before, but Get Backers has a really solid, satisfying dub. A major character's voice actor changed between the first DVD and the rest of the series--and I didn't even notice! All of the core roles, both male and female, are a real delight to listen to. ~Dagger~

Melody of Oblivion is very, very strange. It actually surpasses Revolutionary Girl Utena in terms of sheer symbolic weirdness, which is a rather astonishing feat. Of course, even to a first-time viewer, Utena can make sense on some deeper intuitive level. Melody of Oblivion just doesn't. Watching it, I was left with the feeling that the director was probably having the time of his life snickering at all the viewers who tried to work a serious meaning out of the sexual imagery and increasingly bizarre situations. The last episode provides some closure, yet the ultimate outcome is left entirely up to the viewer's interpretation, which just makes things more bewildering. All of the anime mentioned so far have been purely or mostly comedic; Melody of Oblivion has its amusing moments, but for the most part it's pretty dark and dystopian. It's probably the weirdest serious anime I've ever seen, to the point that I occasionally wondered if the show was secretly some kind of huge parody. ~Dagger~

This thread got off to a nice start (thank you very much, Hiei's_lil_girl, for paying attention to my earlier suggestions). However, I'd like everyone to keep in mind that post quality is important. Try to follow the topic creator's example; she has done an excellent job of explaining why she's fond of the demons she listed. Anyway, I can't remember whether or not Ryoko (from the Tenchi franchise) is actually a literal demon. It's been so long since I watched that show. But if she is, she would have to be one of my favorite demons--assertive, absolutely gorgeous and capable of kicking some serious ***, yet still occasionally gentle and shy. Her selflessness in Tenchi Universe simply blew me away. ~Dagger~

[quote name='3v1l.l33t']The love story thing. I wish, as stated earlier, that you could choose characters to "fall in love with".[/quote] Well, isn't that what dating sims are for? ;) ~Dagger~