Dagger

Oh, don't get me wrong. Koi Kaze is one of my absolute favorite recent anime, actually. It's just that I haven't made it past the first few chapters of Angel Sanctuary. I definitely want to read more, both to support Kaori Yuki and because I have plenty of faith in her ability as a writer and an artist. If it starts slowly, so be it. There are other manga by her (most notably Count Cain) that I felt somewhat apathetic about at first but eventually came to love. The thing is, it's ironic and even vaguely silly that I praise Kaori Yuki to the high heavens without having read what is easily her most popular and acclaimed work. I certainly didn't dislike what I saw of Angel Sanctuary (I think the first time I encountered it was in a Viz manga sampler). I read the excerpt, thought "Hm, that's kind of cool," and made a mental note to pick up volume 1. I remember re-reading it a couple of times when I ran out of other manga, but still kept forgetting to continue the series. This wouldn't be a case of me forcing myself to spend money on something I found distasteful. By the by, I'd still love to talk about Naruto and Bleach and all that jazz. Would you like to make the thread, or shall I? :) ~Dagger~

What's funny is that I [i]love[/i] pretty much every single other manga Kaori Yuki has created (her shounen-ai one-shots are amazing!), but I've never been able to get excited about Angel Sanctuary. Maybe I'll buy the first few volumes once Koi Kaze starts coming out on DVD and have myself a little private incest-fest. XD More seriously, I suppose I have no choice but to eventually start purchasing and reading Angel Sanctuary--there are so many other Kaori Yuki titles that deserve a decent North American release, and perhaps they'll be licensed more quickly if Angel Sanctuary sells well. ~Dagger~

Will wonders never cease... I just thought of a female villain whom I loathe even more than Last Exile's [spoiler]Maestro Delphine.[/spoiler] Ichinomiya Fukiko is perhaps one of the most important characters in Brother, Dear Brother (Oniisama E). Miya-sama's decisions have a huge effect on the protagonist as well as on many other members of the cast. Yet she's capricious, seems to harbor a secret fondness for random acts of cruelty, and manipulates people like there's no tomorrow. Because of this, her romantic obsessions and penchant for melodrama are utterly unsymphathetic. I loved Saint-Juste--I even liked Mariko--but Miya-sama is just despicable. Granted, I was still very interested in learning about her past and so forth. I suppose that speaks for the quality of the show as a whole. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Drix D'Zanth']? then how can it account for a nearly exponential increase in the number of admittedly ?gay? people in the last decade?[/quote] Genetic arguments aside, I think this can be attributed to the fact that more people are unafraid to come out of the closet. Historically--or even just in this past century--the number of gay people proportionate to the overall population has probably remained more or less constant. However, in earlier decades/centuries, a gay person would have been much more likely to remain in denial or never come out (for obvious reasons). A greater level of tolerance simply means that more homosexuals will acknowledge what was already there in the first place. That's my way of looking at it, at least. :) ~Dagger~

I'm in; this sounds like a lot of fun. I love books, but as I've tried to juggle other priorities, reading has quickly fallen through the cracks. However, as a member of the book club, I'm confident I'd be able to keep up with the schedule and all that. I've been meaning to read more lately, so for me this is perfect timing. :) Speaking of schedules, I second mal's suggestion. Like her, I'm also a fast reader, so I don't have any particular preference regarding how quickly or slowly we're supposed to get through each section. ~Dagger~

So I gather that Kanonoji (Kan'onji?) is going to stick around for a while? Hm... that's both good news and bad news. On the one hand, I'm glad episode 10 has some purpose in terms of the larger storyline, since--at least when I watched it--it felt like total filler. On the other hand, the episode as a whole kind of annoyed me (although it had some good aspects), and I'd be rather worried if the remainder of the upcoming arc is going to reflect it in terms of atmosphere, humor and so forth. The action in episode 10 is pretty much flawless, considering the show's budget and the standard it has set for itself so far. I watched most of the fight sequences a couple of times but couldn't find anything to nit-pick, which is pretty rare for me. Additionally, [spoiler]the Hollow transformation[/spoiler] was [i]very[/i] well done, with some really striking visuals. Even Rukia's explanation cards seemed unusually eerie. I have to admit, the [spoiler]Kan'on Ball[/spoiler] joke made me double over laughing. The comedy throughout the episode was surprisingly uneven and at times overkill, but that one gag nearly made up for it. It seems as though [spoiler]Quincy... or, uh, whatever he's called...[/spoiler] will show up in episode 11! I know absolutely nothing about him, aside from the fact that he's an important member of the cast. Oh, yeah, and his character design is quite intriguing--it brings to mind Itsuki from RahXephon and Jin from Samurai Champloo (as I think Dan Rugh already mentioned). I'm more than happy to get excited about the arrival of someone who looks very much like two of my favorite male characters. :p ~Dagger~

[quote name='Adahn][font=Courier New][size=2][color=#0000ff]If you'll notice, I didn't mention incest or murder in any of my previous posts, so please, don't put words into my mouth.[/color][/size'][/font][/quote] I'm not putting words into your mouth, dear. I chose "incest" and "murder" because I was tired of repeatedly typing "bestiality" and "adultery." If you like, feel free to substitute those in the next time you go over my previous post. You asked DarkOtakuBoy, "So, I guess you don't have anything against bestiality or adultery, then? Those are religious ideals," as though you felt that it was impossible for or hypocritical of a non-religious person to object to said activities. I don't see why incest and murder should be placed in a different category, but whatever. There is no intellectual basis for prohibiting bestiality? Uh... I am bewildered. Care to elaborate? Although, in this case, my gut feeling is more than enough to let me know that bestiality is wrong. EDIT: I used the term "faith" in its most general sense. You say you are Christian--thus, you are a member of the Christian faith. I did not planning on getting into your specific personal beliefs. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=Adahn][font=Courier New][size=2][color=blue]If there is a male homosexual relationship that doesn't involve what is described in that verse, then I've got no beef with it. There is no 'broad definition' of sex that involves all actions men and women can do to please each other. Sex is vaginal or anal penetration by a male.[/color][/size][/font] [font=Courier New][size=2][color=#0000ff][/color][/size][/font] [font=Courier New][size=2][color=#0000ff]Probably not, but when I see a verse inbetween 'don't have sex with animals' and 'don't commit adultery', I take it rather seriously.[/color][/size][/font] [font=Courier New][size=2][color=#0000ff][/color][/size][/font] [font=Courier New][size=2][color=#0000ff]Goldensensei, I'm sorry, but you're going to have to explain yourself further, because I can't seem to understand what you're trying to say.[/color][/size][/font][/QUOTE] Doesn't it strike you as being a little strange that God would prohibit male-male sex, but not hot and heavy female-female... uh, carnal relations? I'm having a lot of trouble understanding where you're coming from, particularly in regards to this whole "penetration" business. So homosexual acts are only sinful when penetration is involved? I believe that many people of your faith would disagree with that assertion. Assuming the same definition also applies to adultery and bestiality, is it okay for me to fool around with someone other than my spouse--just as long as we don't actually have intercourse? To me, that doesn't make sense, neither in the context of homosexuality nor anything else. Do you think heterosexual anal sex is a sin? EDIT: Christianity does not have a monopoly on what is right and wrong, Adahn. Just because someone rejects religious ideals (Christian or otherwise) doesn't mean he endorses, say, incest or murder. That kind of reasoning drives me crazy. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=Meggido]Well since no one has answered the second part of my question I'm going to try a place everything in a chronological order through what I've read and watching the first movie a few times. Correct me if I'm wrong and tell me if I'm right. I believe the order is: Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Ghost in the Shell:Innocence Ghost in the Shell Now that waht I've come up with from reading from this site and watching the first film. That is because the ending to the first film seemed like a conclusion rather than the beginning to a whole series.[/QUOTE] It's actually more like the reverse. ^_^;; Innocence is clearly a sequel to Ghost in the Shell, since [spoiler]Motoko plays a minimal role in it and no longer possesses her original body.[/spoiler] Stand Alone Complex may as well take place in a different universe, although I've been told it does have some connections to the first movie. One could think of Stand Alone Complex and Innocence as being "alternate" sequels, since fans might see them as presenting different visions of what would happen after the end of Ghost in the Shell. I would arrange it like this: Ghost in the Shell Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex / Ghost in the Shell: Innocence ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=Adahn] [font=Courier New][size=2][color=blue]I am only talking about male homosexual relationships.[/color][/size][/font][/QUOTE] So, what? As James pointed out, not all male homosexuals engage in the same sexual practices, just as not all male heterosexuals engage in the same sexual practices. I mean, what you described a few posts back is in its essence akin to saying something like, "heterosexual couples always use the missionary position" or "lesbians only have oral sex." Out of curiousity, do you strictly follow every single rule laid out in Leviticus? ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=DarkOtakuBoy]Yeah, I'm also one of the only guys I know who like Gravitation. I showed it to a few friends, and they were turned off to say the least. I think, however, since this came state-side and was a mega sucess, hopefully we'll be seeing more [I]shonen-ai/yaoi [/I] titles in the near future. ^_^ Hehe...I'm also very much like Shuitchi, especially after I have a few cans of Pepsi in one sitting.[/quote] Speaking of more shounen-ai... I think that the two-episode Gravitation OVA is supposed to come out some time in the first half of 2005. Its character designs are slightly different from the television show's--Shuichi has red hair, green eyes and generally looks more like his manga self. The animation is markedly better and (at least in certain parts) the shounen-ai content is a bit more pronounced. It also has some fantastic music. So the Gravi OVA is definitely a title to watch out for. ^_^ That aside, here's a general question for everyone: how does Gravitation compare to the other shounen-ai series and OVAs you've seen? ~Dagger~

[quote name='Adahn][font=Courier New][size=2][color=#0000ff]From what I know, male-male sexual relationships are more enjoyable for one person than the other. Since we can't ask animals how they feel, there's no reason for us to assume that the passive partner enjoys it any more or less than an animal would.[/color][/size'][/font][/quote] Um... aren't you making an [i]extremely[/i] offensive assumption here? What is the phrase "from what I know" supposed to imply, anyway? Does it automatically let you off the hook if you're completely wrong? ~Dagger~

[quote name='Monkey_Orange][COLOR=DarkOrange']I had no idea that he was sick. Yes. Let's hope that he get's better soon *^_^* Also, did you know that HxH Manga has been licensed for the US? Keeping that in mind, I think that it won't be too long before the show becomes licensed all together. If it does get licensed, then i just pray that the show doesn't get kiddified! *sighs* I mean, just look at poor Groove Adventure Rave and One Piece! Such sad fates! (>_

About the "coolness" of bisexuality... I think flaunting one's sexual orientation, or pretended sexual orientation, is much more common among teenage girls than among boys of the same age. It usually stems more from the "guys like lesbians" reasoning than from feeling genuinely conflicted or confused about one's sexuality. Speaking in a very general sense, females are usually far more accepting of lesbians than males are of gays, which is why you don't really see this happening among young males. Also, it's true that in [i]some[/i] areas of America, it's in vogue to boldly declare oneself bisexual. But once you get out of the blue states, people's attitudes about homosexuality and bisexuality change drastically. This fad is not quite as widespread as it seems. So although I agree with what earlier posters have said, it only applies to a certain extent; prejudice is still a problem in many parts of the country. I can't speak for other nations, only my own. I personally find it ridiculous that teenagers feel so pressured to categorize themselves. Whatever happened to simple experimentation? To claim that you're bisexual while you're still going through puberty is just a little silly, in my opinion--nearly everyone around that age is going to experience some curiousity and question his or her sexuality. If it lasts into adulthood, then at least you have a real basis for pigeon-holing yourself. To answer the original question, I have nothing against lesbians or gays. ~Dagger~

[quote name='ChibiHorsewoman][color=darkviolet]Eh, you could be, but that's because I don't like Mamoru or Tuxedo Kamen at all. So I have a slightly biased opinion on the guy. Besides if you like Zoisite you may end up disliking Mamoru/Tuxedo Kamen after a while because[spoiler]he's the reason Beryl kills Zoisite [/spoiler'] At least in my opinion. [/color][/quote] Astonishingly, watching this arc has made me like Mamoru more. I was actually [i]very[/i] pleased with how [spoiler]Zoisite's death was presented. For a second or two I was worried he would just evaporate, but he was able to die in Kunzite's arms, surrounded by flowers. He made his last request or whatever right when I was getting a little teary-eyed, haha. Although naturally I was very sad to see him go, I still found Kunzite's insta-garden hilarious. That's the kind of thing I love about this show. ^_~[/spoiler] I didn't think of [spoiler]his death as being Mamoru's fault... I'm not totally sure I understand the situation, though. Why did Zoisite want to kill him, anyway? Was he trying to get revenge for his beautiful face? Was it because Kunzite gave him permission to? If so, maybe I'll have to revise my opinion of Kunzite. However, at the moment it looks to me as though the whole situation stems from the fact that Queen Beryl is a royal *****.[/spoiler] What really surprised me is that Kunzite appears to be a relatively straight-forward guy, at least in comparison to Zoisite--he doesn't pull any punches. In that sense, he's a much more respectable villain than any of the previous ones, and he also seems a lot more powerful. I hope Mamoru eventually goes back to being his annoying, snarky self. It was always fun to watch him torment Usagi. [spoiler]Uh... is Queen Beryl [i]in love[/i] with him? Or is it Queen Metalia? Or, heaven forbid, both? ^_^;; Anyway, it's nice to see the guy get abducted for once.[/spoiler] ~Dagger~

Most of the posts in this thread have been more than adequate. However, some of the past few are a bit questionable. I'd like everyone to keep in mind that although extremely short replies are not against the rules, one or two sentence posts run a higher risk of being marked as spam, particularly if they're hard to understand (with poor grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc). This is what mods usually mean when they mention "post quality." Naturally it's desirable to remain on-topic and write something of substance, but coherently expressing your thoughts is equally important. Thanks for keeping this in mind. ^_^ ~Dagger~

Welcome to OtakuBoards, kagome1111. ^_^ Please follow the link posted by Dan Rugh. Additionally, be sure to read the forum rules and try to work on your post quality--for example, absolutely perfect punctuation is not required, but it certainly helps. If your future posts are both short and excessively difficult to read, they will be deleted as spam. You're quite welcome to PM me or one of the other moderators with any questions, concerns and so forth. Thanks! Thread closed. ~Dagger~

[quote name='AzureWolf][FONT=book antiqua][SIZE=2][COLOR=blue]This entire statement shocks me, to be honest. I guess with future generations being more "liberal" (if that's the word for it), this concept doesn't seem like a big deal. Don't get me wrong, I'm willing to forgive them too, but that's not something to just brush aside because they were kids.[/COLOR][/SIZE'][/FONT][/quote] I guess part of my confusion stems from the fact that in earlier episodes, when Ed and Al were preparing to try and resurrect their mom, Al's main objection to the concept of human transmutation seemed to be that no one had ever done it successfully before. On the one hand, they lived in a pretty small, secluded place--on the other hand, they were fairly well-read for little kids. Did they know about the dangers (physical, moral and otherwise) involved, and if so, were they still too blinded by grief to understand what they were getting into? Thinking about it, I guess they must have known, particularly since they were doing research on human transmutation. I don't like the idea of that, though--it reflects really badly on Ed, even though he obviously learned his lesson. I guess I prefer to think of human transmuation as something that ( in their society) is so taboo that it simply isn't discussed. It didn't exactly help that Colonel Mustang reacted so calmly (relatively speaking, of course) when he found out what they had done. At first, I figured that his feelings on the matter would be representative of what alchemists in general might think of it--but after reading your post, I've changed my mind. I wonder what that says about him... [QUOTE=AzureWolf][FONT=book antiqua][SIZE=2][COLOR=blue]Oooo, Dagger be callin' me OUT. Seriously, why are you so confrontational lately? O_o Anyway, I'd be more than happy to discuss it after this Wednesday. I think it would be better to do it outside the Bleach thread, because I don't want to sour any discussion there.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE] Hahaha, can I put that first sentence in my sig? XD Do I seem confrontational? Maybe I should have added a funny smilie or something. Trying to keep up with the whole Media Factory debate must have done a number on my Internet social skills. No hard feelings, right? :( ~Dagger~

[quote name='Heezay]And just because the Israeli army uses bullets instead of bombs to kill random people, that makes [I]them[/I'] civilized? What the hell?[/quote] This immediately reminded me of [i]The Princess Bride[/i]... [b]Fezzik:[/b] We face each other as God intended. Sportsmanlike. No tricks, no weapons, skill against skill alone. [b]Westley:[/b] You mean, you'll put down your rock and I'll put down my sword, and we'll try and kill each other like civilized people? ~Dagger~

The Daily Show is the only non-animated television program I watch with any regularity, so I guess that's indicative of... well, something. It actually makes me laugh, which is more than I can say for most sitcoms and so forth. Their election coverage, if obviously slanted, was priceless--and I loved reading about the furor that ensued when Jon Stewart took on Crossfire's hosts. ~Dagger~

Regarding last night's episode: I was surprised that [spoiler]of the two brothers, only Al finished the written exam. It was a nice development, and I was really touched and saddened when Al later realized he couldn't go on without revealing what they had gone through in the past.[/spoiler] However, I don't understand [i]why[/i] it would be so horrible for other people to find out that Ed and Al tried bringing their mother back to life. After all, at the time they had both been very young--surely it's acceptable for children to make mistakes, right? Is there just an incredibly huge stigma attached to human transmutation, one which might plague them for the rest of their lives? I guess that would make some sort of sense--in the first two episodes, Ed showed a great deal of reluctance about telling Rose what had happened to him and Al. Oh, and the sudden onslaught of pregnancy jokes was flat-out creepy. I mean, I'll admit I let out the occasional nervous giggle, but only because that woman's shrieking was all too obviously the low point of an otherwise great dub. [quote name='AzureWolf][FONT=book antiqua][SIZE=2][COLOR=blue]Also, after previewing this and a few other episodes of random anime action shows, I'm more adamant about Bleach being the biggest knock-off of Naruto I've ever seen. But that's for another thread...[/COLOR][/SIZE'][/FONT][/quote] Well, I'm all for discussing this. Would you prefer to talk about it in the Bleach thread, or in a new "biggest knock-offs" topic? ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=AzureWolf][FONT=book antiqua][SIZE=2][COLOR=blue]What's this "visual depth" you are referring to, out of curiosity?I'm not sure what you are trying to say. Are you insulting my capacity to understand generic GitS storylines? You quoted my hacked brain thing, but I don't see what it has to do with what you said. :confused: [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE] Oh, by "visual depth" I just meant that (to me, at least) the show [i]looks[/i] very layered, with richly detailed background paintings and some of the smoothest, most unobtrusive CG I've ever seen in an anime. The character drawings also have a lot of shadow--which is something I've always liked, for the same reason that I tend to prefer manga that make heavy use of screentone. The phrase can also be read in a more metaphorical sense, I guess. Even then I feel that it does hold true; there are a lot of fun little details which are never explained in words. For example, in episode 11, [spoiler]the nurse named Marta looks almost exactly like the woman who played a somewhat similar character in the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.[/spoiler] It's a kind of visual pun. The problem with these sorts of references is that most people won't notice them--I didn't think her physical appearance had any importance whatsoever until a film-buff friend of mine pointed it out. As for your second comment, I definitely didn't intend to sound insulting. I planned on talking about hacking brains, but I guess I rambled too much and forgot. Anyway, I hope I make more sense this time around. What I meant to say is that while brain-hacking or whatnot occurs fairly frequently in the GitS universe, it is rarely the solution to a mystery or the crux of a particular case. It typically demands investigation, but leads to some larger or more enigmatic problem. Not all of the stand-alone episodes are especially "deep," so as I mentioned before, your mileage might vary. A few of the Laughing Man episodes can come across as being almost banal when they are judged individually. For example, episode 9 takes place entirely in a chatroom full of Laughing Man fans, and the whole thing is basically one long convoluted dialogue in which they present different Laughing Man-related theories. On its own, it would be dull and painfully slow. In the context of the earlier Laughing Man episodes, it's surprisingly interesting. That's all I was trying to get at by blathering about the over-arching story and so forth. Anyway, I'm really glad you made your original post--threads filled with nothing but praise are often rather boring. :) Would anyone care to calculate or guess when Adult Swim will catch up with the SAC DVDs? I have yet to figure out when I ought to switch over, heh. ~Dagger~

[quote name='AzureWolf][FONT=book antiqua][SIZE=2][COLOR=blue]Forgive me God, for I have sinned... I saw yet another lackluster piece of the Ghost in the Shell universe.[/color][/size'][/font][/quote] Was this a stand-alone episode or a complex episode? I sort of know which one you're talking about, because I fondly remember getting a brief glimpse of Motoko's harem, but beyond that I'm drawing a blank. That aside, I doubt I could convince you to reconsider anything Ghost in the Shell related; I just don't have that much faith in my powers of persuasion. But after watching volume 3 earlier today, I do feel compelled to defend the series. I actually think the two movies are much easier targets, though I personally enjoyed them. SAC is a lot more accessible in a whole number of respects. [QUOTE][FONT=book antiqua][SIZE=2][COLOR=blue]First off, the character design is really insulting. It's hard to tell men and women apart, and the generic characters look either bulky or extremely depressed out of their minds. Normally, I would say that the story is what is important, but with art this bad, it's hard to let it go. ESPECIALLY when they try to give you fanservice with that kind of garbage. In the episode I saw, there was a three-girl sleepover FOR NO REASON. So, we got to see them hugging each other in their sleep, followed by nothing else, really.[/color][/size][/font][/quote] Are you annoyed by the fanservice, or by the fact that it didn't lead anywhere? ;) Also, now I'm curious... which set of character designs did you like more--or dislike less, heh--those found in the movies (I guess in this case one ought to use the first movie as a main reference) or those found in SAC? I really like the consistent, clean shading and the fact that there's a lot of visual depth. Artwork is a highly subjective topic, of course, but it is worth noting that SAC's actual animation is superior to that of virtually every other anime series out there. It certainly puts every other 52-episode show to shame. [QUOTE][FONT=book antiqua][SIZE=2][COLOR=blue]Luckily, the story by itself is also cheesy. What is this? The 40th time that the same people have had their brains hacked? Don't recycle the same idea forty times over, then it just gets lame. It was an interesting idea the first time, and there were some cool variations, but now it's just so stupid.[/color][/size][/font][/quote] Even if this was a Laughing Man episode, it's still too early for the viewer to comprehend the over-arching meta-story; moreover, your enjoyment of the plot would have been severely hampered by being tossed right into the middle of it. As for the stand-alone segments, some are simply much better than others. My mileage has varied, although if I get bored with a stand-alone episode's plot, I'm always quite happy to lose myself in the insanely great production values. The excellent acting (in both languages) does help. [QUOTE][FONT=book antiqua][SIZE=2][COLOR=blue]The character personalities aren't any better. None of the characters have a refreshing charm about them. Execution of these stereotypes is what really makes it bad. Everyone is beyond generic: the "by-the-book" guy, the "insubordinate" main character who is allowed to get away with things because she gets the job done, and so forth.[/color][/size][/font][/quote] Due to the nature of the show, the characters are gradually and subtly given depth. For example, in episode 10 both Batou and Togusa (he's the "by-the-book" guy, ne?) have to face some extremely wrenching situations. The way they react to these dilemmas reveals a lot about them with a minimal amount of dialogue and exposition. SAC's style of storytelling is rather elegant, in my opinion--though plot is placed above the characters' emotions, it is thanks mainly to the plot that their personalities get fleshed out. And let's be fair; if I watched a single episode of Naruto, I'd probably come away thinking, "Hoo, boy! There's the useless chick, the annoying outcast protagonist, the cool rival... Gee, where have I seen this before?" A randomly chosen episode will rarely reflect well on an anime when taken by itself. One of the most charming and appealing aspects of the franchise--the easy-going yet paradoxically delicate relationship between Motoko and Batou--is, like the characters' predilections and quirks, something that slowly unfolds and is never stated outright. Far from insulting the viewer's intelligence, this lets him interpret the characters' actions himself. In terms of both storyline and characterization, SAC can be genuinely profound--but it rarely spoon-feeds you its depth. If you're determined to see it in the worst light possible, you definitely will; that's true of any anime. [QUOTE][FONT=book antiqua][SIZE=2][COLOR=blue]Normally, I would watch a show till it completes (or one arc if there's more than 26 episodes), but I've seen the other GitS series enough to know that there's nothing more here besides trash. "Milestone in anime?!" Bah, more like the Eva of anime - oh wait, Eva is an anime too... I need more similies. But still, all talk, no substance: GitS, like Eva, is praised without having true merit.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE] But in a certain respect, isn't this worse than going into a show with neutral expectations and then just totally dropping it out of disgust? There are plenty of people who dislike and even hate the movies, but are quite fond of SAC. In every regard except artwork and animation, I think SAC is vastly superior to both films. Perhaps you could try watching only the complex episodes, if the stand-alone stories bother you to no end. Or maybe you could try watching a stand-alone episode that seems to receive an incredible amount of praise (so you don't accidentally land on a lackluster one again). I initially watched SAC almost solely for its dub, music and lavish visuals. However, with each DVD it seemed to get better and better. Most recently, episode 10 and episode 11 sent a torrent of shivers down my spine (the former is a stand-alone episode, while the second deals with the Laughing Man). There were some moments that utterly enthralled me--I sort of hate to use the phrase "poetic beauty," but that was the sensation I experienced when I saw Batou's flashback [spoiler]to the aftermath of the village massacre.[/spoiler] It was absolutely horrific, and at the same time horrifyingly lovely. The final frame of episode 11 nearly made me explode. It was so fitting, unexpected and just plain [i]good[/i] that I almost couldn't take it. It's been a while since an anime made me feel like that--satisfied in both an intellectual and an intuitive sense. [spoiler]After the bit with Togusa's amusing sketch, I was expecting a light-hearted final scene. But then the camera returned to the locked-up children, and panned over Aoi's abandoned baseball mitt. I saw letters, and thought perhaps it would be the Laughing Man's catchphrase. Instead, the scrawled words read "You know what I'd like to be? I mean if I had my goddam choice, I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all." Only [i]then[/i] did I have enough sense to look up the Laughing Man's catchphrase, "I thought what I'd do was, I'd pretend I was one of those deaf-mutes," and realize that it is also taken directly from Catcher in the Rye. Suddenly a bunch of other stuff (such as the focus on children) instantly fell into place.[/spoiler] It's not something I can describe with words, haha. But there are a lot of hidden connections to be made from episode to episode--i.e., it's hinted that the [spoiler] high-voiced adult in the chatroom episode is actually one of the children in episode 11's social welfare facility.[/spoiler] It's impossible to notice the layers of complexity (ooh, a pun!) with just one episode to go by. For whatever it's worth, I think it's a mistake to say that SAC has no substance. I also think I'd better stop typing now, heh--looking back, this post is really overkill. :sweat: ~Dagger~

I agree that this sounds very much like Kill Me, Kiss Me--which is a manwha, not an anime, and can therefore be discussed in the manga forum. In summary: question asked, question answered, thread closed. ~Dagger~

[quote name='XxDARKAYNxX]I really hate DBZ and Petie Princess Yucie! Yuck! First of all in DBZ the same thing happens over and over again. Second of all in Petie Princess Yucie...It's about princesses of all things!!!! No blood guts and killing people! [b']Just not my cup of tea.[/b][/quote] But there is a significant difference between a bad anime and an anime that just isn't one's cup of tea. Of course it can be difficult to decide which shows belong in which category, but nevertheless, it's a distinction that should be made. For example, despite my strong personal dislike of Gundam SEED, I can sort of understand why people enjoy the show. I [i]can't[/i] understand why anyone would enjoy the Nadia movie. The Nadia movie! Now there's a good one. The TV series is brilliant (barring the island and Africa episodes, which deserve to be burned). It recovered magnificently from an awful filler arc, got right back on track and ended with a bang. Once I finished drying my eyes after the heart-warming final episode, which was perfect in pretty much every aspect imaginable, I immediately popped in the movie, eager for more Nadia. Oh, what a mistake. I found myself facing an onslaught of bad characterization, poor production values and the worst plot since... well, I don't even want to think about that. Bleh. ~Dagger~