Dagger

[QUOTE=AzureWolf][FONT=book antiqua][SIZE=2][COLOR=blue]Actually, I'm of the opinion that because Naruto didn't have a place where the topics could be neatly distributed, the ever-growing thread became more and more daunting. Certainly, no one wants to read a novel before putting their two cents in. To have to shuffle through unrelated posts (with respect to the topic of interest) to make sure your post won't be redundant is quite a hassle, and more than likely the reason the Naruto thread waned. At least, I can vouch for the Uchiha, who started the thread. In theory, every show, no matter how good, is going to wane in its popularity. That's why the rotation idea should be put into place. That way, when a show is new, fresh, and hot, all the discussions possible will be generated. Then when it starts to suck, dump the thing in the anime archives and have the next thing big thing. It wouldn't hurt to try, right? The anime lounge hasn't exactly been "Studio 69" as of late.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE] No kidding... *gets depressed* :( Another nifty thing about this is the ability to resurrect stagnant sub-forums if the anime in question suddenly gets a second, third or fourth season. That's what impressed me most when I first saw it in action, so to speak. I guess the difference between us is that you see it as a way to draw more activity and revitalize the AL--and while I would love to think that it could, I feel a bit more cautious. Hypothetically, it might be a good idea to create some kind of poll so that members could vote for which sub-forum they'd most like to see next. I'm also somewhat concerned that the addition of extra sections might leave Tokyo-3 severely under-moderated... Solo already has to look out for the entire category, after all, and with new sub-forums he would be forced to put in a [I]ton[/I] of work. ~Dagger~

I've seen high-traffic message boards which use this method, and it appears to work extremely well. However, here at OB there are only one or two shows (i.e. Fullmetal Alchemist) I'd consider capable of sustaining their own sub-forums, and I'm not totally sure that it would be worthwhile to implement a new system just for those. As another example, a lot of Naruto fans have sort of drifted away from the boards in the past few months, which means that the once highly active Naruto thread isn't updated nearly as often anymore. I can definitely see the same thing happening to Bleach once its episode count gets into the teens. The other downside of this is that the most popular series threads--such as the one revolving around Inuyasha--seem to draw slightly... er, sub-par members. Giving such anime their own section might only serve to exacerbate what is now a minor problem... just look at what became of the Yu Yu Hakusho forum. -_- The idea definitely has its merits (personally, I find it pretty interesting), but we have no way of knowing how well it would function at OB. I do think it deserves further exploration. ~Dagger~

Try [url=http://www.we-love-anime.com/][u]this[/u][/url]. That having been said, I'd like to remind you to carefully read the forum rules. OtakuBoards isn't really the place to request images and so forth. However, if you want to discuss the content of Outlaw Star, feel free to post in our pre-existing Outlaw Star topic, found [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=35101][u]here[/u][/url]. If you have any questions about OB's policies, you're also more than welcome to PM me or one of the other moderators. Thanks! Thread closed. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=Akimi]I watched FMA a while ago, I downloaded the subs, I don't get adult swim, so I can't watch the dub, I am told that Al's voice is extremely annoying. I really liked the subed one. They most likely edited out all the swears, in some eps Ed say "don't ******* with me!" and he also say ******* alot, and says a whole bunch of other swears, so...they probably took it all out, and say they were "protecting" us. They japanese version was really good, I recomend downloading the subs :)[/QUOTE] Go see what EVA Unit 100 said about swearing and Japanese grammar; that type of editing isn't a big deal, especially considering that the DVD version will be uncut. I certainly hope you aren't advocating downloading instead of buying the upcoming bilingual DVDs, the starting volume of which will be released in early February. Visually, at least, the first episodes of Fullmetal Alchemist and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex were both left fully intact. There's little need to worry about censorship and all that. ~Dagger~

I merged your thread with the "sequels" topic, which approaches this subject from a similar angle (i.e. which shows are good enough to deserve a second season, not which shows ended so badly that they [i]need[/i] a second season). I haven't even finished Last Exile yet, but I would love to see a continuation. It's just such an all-around high-quality show. The Read or Die franchise, which consists of an OVA, a television series and some rather iffy manga, has given itself plenty of room for expansion. The TV anime in particular really broadens the world of the OVA. Although the last few episodes are stellar and wrap things up very well, there's still a lot left to explore. ~Dagger~

After watching volume 6 (multiple times, I might add), I'm firmly convinced that Last Exile is the best show GONZO has ever made. There were some truly heartbreaking moments in this set of episodes, which covers 21 through 23... in my mind, Lucciola has cemented his position as one of the coolest supporting characters/side-kicks I've ever seen. He selflessly and courageously [spoiler]gave his life to rescue Dio from Maestro Delphine. I still can't believe he actually succeeded in killing Cicada![/spoiler] Of course, it was also very rewarding to witness Mullin finally coming into his own and taking a stand. [spoiler]To be honest, I don't think he's actually dead. However, that doesn't make his obstensible demise any less poignant, particularly in light of how he protected his... er, lady friend.[/spoiler] The dub has gotten steadily better; by now, it's nothing short of brilliant. Mia Bradley makes a very creepy, easy to hate Delphine. Joshua Seth and Mona Marshall really did a remarkable job of making Dio and Lucciola feel like actual people, despite their exotic origins--there were a number of scenes in which Dio [spoiler]totally loses it and flips out, usually thanks to his diabolical sister, and Mr. Seth handled these parts with real passion and finesse.[/spoiler] I will be very, very sad to see Last Exile end, and I can't believe there's only one volume left. Of all the shows I've been following over the past year or so, Last Exile (despite its so-so disc count) has definitely given me the most bang for my buck. It's original, addictive and visually ravishing. No matter how it ends, this is a series I plan on revisiting time and time again. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Baron Samedi][size=1']What do you do in Heaven? Is there any point to existing in Heaven, is what I'm asking. Because you don't do anything. Heaven is sterile and unchanging.[/size][/quote] You just said asked what people do in Heaven, a question which none of us can confidently answer--and then, immediately afterward, provided your own response! How can you make such an assertion? Unless God personally informed you that Heaven is "sterile and unchanging," your assumptions have absolutely no basis. I certainly can't think of any theological references that suggest Heaven is such a boring place. I admire Ben for trying, but this debate is heading nowhere--certainly, I [I]can[/I] say Heaven is more interesting or rewarding than reincarnation, and you can just as easily argue the opposite. However, there's no truly objective evidence on either side. ~Dagger~

And now for some interesting information regarding Saturday's premieres: [quote=ANN]Saturday's premiere of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex ranked #1 against all ad-supported cable broadcasts among "persons & males 12-17, 12-24, 12-34 and 18-24." Cartoon Network saw an impressive jump of 294% among adult male viewers 25-49 during the broadcast, versus the same time slot the previous week. In addition to beating out competition on other cable networks, Cartoon Network's Saturday premiere of Stand Alone Complex received higher ratings than Cartoon Network's premiere of Fullmetal Alchemist, which also aired this weekend. The exact ratings of both shows in all demographics will be available next week when they are released by Nielson Media.[/quote] I'm actually not surprised that GitS: SAC did better than FMA; the name recognition factor probably pulled in plenty of viewers. Hopefully it will continue to perform well. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Kippky']Worst ending? hmmmm, Cowboy Bebop takes the cake there. As does Helsing...Alucard is_____ ...*ish maddened* :flaming: HE CAN:T BE______! And Spike _________!!! That's just wrong! He needed to marry Fay! :D :flaming: WHY IS ALUCARD________?!?!?!?! ((I added blanks so I don't spoil anything 4 anybody...))[/quote] Thank you for being so considerate. If you'd like to use spoiler tags, simply type [spoiler]text[/*spoiler]. They allow you to go into much greater detail without needing to worry about ruining any plot twists for other members. On a slightly different note, I'd appreciate it if you toned down the punctuation a bit. Thirteen exclamation points are never more meaningful than three (that's an extreme example, but I'm sure you see my point). ~Dagger~

[quote name='Noside']A quick question, was FMA or GITSSAC edited at all?[/quote] I can't speak for FMA, but I would assume not. As someone who owns the first couple of DVDs, though, I [i]can[/i] confirm that GitS: SAC was totally unedited. I sort of expected AS to cut out the scene in which [spoiler]the robot geisha's head gets splattered to bits,[/spoiler] but it's certainly gratifying that they kept it in. I read somewhere that both Al's Japanese and English actors had to talk into metal bowls in order to create that nice, tinny "suit of armor" sound. My only complaint about Al's English voice is that at times it seemed a bit too quiet (particularly during the next episode preview narration). ~Dagger~

I have to admit, when I started watching this series I was pretty disappointed. I had been expecting it to go down in a grand blaze of panty shots, high-pitched voices and irritatingly obvious CG. Compared to the promos, the first few episodes were almost wholly free of blatant fanservice--and the characters turned out to be pretty interesting, too. I soon became afraid Mai-Hime would instead flounder in bishoujo-packed mediocrity, demonstrating only the occasional flash of brilliance. But so far, at least, Mai-Hime is fun, solid entertainment and not terribly annoying. Hyped as Sunrise's first bishoujo anime, it revolves around the HiMEs, a group of teenage schoolgirls with supernatural powers who have to fight monsters known as Orphans. The main character, Mai, works numerous part-time jobs to provide for her sickly younger brother, but is cheerful and brave despite her personal troubles. The battles flow nicely and look great, and the comedy, if unoriginal (underwear thieves, anyone?) works well enough in the context of the show. There's enough underlying tension and drama to balance it out, and I expect things will become more serious as Mai-Hime progresses. I wouldn't normally give an anime like this a second look, but Mai-Hime actually makes a relatively pleasant watch. ~Dagger~

Welcome to OtakuBoards, Kaory. ^_^ When starting a series-specific thread, it's usually a good idea to summarize the show in question so that people have some idea of what you're talking about. For example, members who come across this topic might not know whether you're referring to the ADV series Aquarian Age, the related movie or an adaptation of the unrelated shoujo manga Aquarian Age: Juvenile Orion. It also helps if you explain why you like or dislike the show, ask questions (should you have any), and so forth. A topic creator often has to set an example for everyone who will be posting afterwards, so starting a thread may require some extra effort on your part. Merely asking if anyone else has seen the anime won't net the best responses, and tempts people to just say "yes" or "no." I'm going to leave this topic open for the time being, because we have no pre-existing Aquarian Age thread. Seeing how as the R1 DVDs have just started coming out, there may be other members who want to talk about the show. However, please bear in mind that threads like this are nearly always closed. Thanks! EDIT: Thank you very much for editing your post. ^_^ ~Dagger~

[quote name='Siren']So, the Tree definitely makes a sound even when no humans are around to hear it.[/quote] Additionally, there are plenty of noises which human beings are physically incapable of hearing, regardless of how near they are to the sound's source. Dogs, for example, can perceive high-pitched notes that people simply can't... it would be silly to assert that this means such sounds may as well not exist. ~Dagger~

[quote name='QuincyArcher']actually in the credits Kubotite is only listed for the Original concept and the voice of Kon. so its whoever the director is thats making the changes[/quote] According to [url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=4240]ANN[/url], the director of Bleach is Noriyuki Abe. He has also directed [B]Yu Yu Hakusho[/B], Great Teacher Onizuka, Tantei Gakuen Q, Tokyo Mew Mew and Gakkou no Kaiden. Wow... that's quite a resume, and definitely food for thought. Until I looked this up, I had no idea that the director of Bleach had also been in charge of Yu Yu Hakusho! Maybe this explains a) why his name sounds so familiar, and b) why I instantly took a liking to Bleach. Great Teacher Onizuka and Tokyo Mew Mew are both fan favorites. In a pleasant sort of coincidence, I'm currently on the fifteenth or sixteenth episode of Tantei Gakuen Q, otherwise known as Detective Anime Q. It's surprisingly addictive and well-made. Yu Yu Hakusho is one of the few super-long shounen action anime with almost no filler and a satisfying ending, so knowing that Bleach has the same director gives me a lot of hope for the future of the anime. ~Dagger~

I'm not totally sure what you're trying to say, but I will mention that this is usually where religion comes in. If you're an atheist, you [I]have[/I] to accept the fact that you are eventually going to cease to exist; believing in some kind of afterlife utterly alters how a person views the prospect of death. ~Dagger~

A recent show whose Japanese vocal cast works particularly well is School Rumble, the latest addition to a long and venerable line of wacky high school comedies. Ami Koshimizu plays the female lead, Tenma-chan. It's a really quirky, high-energy role and she just sounds great, regardless of whether her character is stalking her crush or gibbering over the latest episode of her favorite samurai drama. Sometimes I measure (or try to measure) a seiyuu's acting ability by how good he is at modifying his voice. If I can't instantly recognize someone as being "the person who played ____ ____ and ____," that's probably a good thing. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=Boba Fett][color=green]I don't eat puppies, I eat chickens. It's painfully obvious that since most people don't consume dogs, we are more emotionally attached to them than say cows or chickens. This creates a level of empathy with puppies that we dont have with chickens. There is a difference, and this allows us to rationalize violence against chickens. May not be right, or moral/ethical, but it's going to happen. Live with it.[/color][/QUOTE] For the most part, I agree with you. However, the logic you employed in the final few sentences of your post disturbs me--it would make greater sense to say "Live with it [i]if you plan on continuing to eat chickens[/i]." Personally, I love meat and simply don't want to give it up. But the way you phrased this made it sound as though even people who are utterly stricken by violence directed at chickens should just shut up and deal with the fact that not everyone will find it as emotionally stirring. Assuming they don't decide to start interfering with my own eating habits, I encourage those who think this is truly morally repellent to actually do something about it--i.e. become a vegetarian. ~Dagger~

[quote name='kaitoiscool']wow that is so true. yu yu hakusho is also easily my fav anime besides yugioh:twitch:. heh. but they did so bad with the dubbing of kurama and hiei in the english version so i have been forced to watch the *** version with chinese subbies... and i cant even read chinese :faint:[/quote] Is there any particular reason you don't like their voices--other than the fact that they're not speaking in Japanese? I'm personally a huge fan of John Burgmeier's take on Kurama; of the four main characters, only Kuwabara really suffered in the transition to English. He still demonstrates the occasional spark of intelligence, but his personality is generally a bit more clownish than in the original version. On the other hand, this makes Hiei's English one-liners all the more priceless. There's nothing wrong with not liking a dub. However, I can't imagine any dub being so awful that it would "force" you to watch a bootleg--particularly since uncut, dual-language, [i]legal[/i] Yu Yu Hakusho DVDs are available and have been around for quite a while. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Siren']One sentence, lol. Can't even use a semi-colon, which is unusual. So, in thesis statements, I usually go comma-happy.[/quote] Hoo, boy. I can't imagine a world without semi-colons... is there a specific, concrete reason you're not permitted to use them in your thesis? I suppose one could argue that they make it easy to "cheat" (i.e. conjoin what should rightfully be two separate sentences), but I'm interested in learning whether your professor gave a different explanation. ~Dagger~

I also thought episode 5 was the best thus far. I want to see more of the [spoiler]cockatiel boy, darnit! The aural transition from his higher-pitched bird voice to his normal-sounding spirit voice[/spoiler] was actually surprisingly well handled. The next episode looks as though it will lean more toward comedy than action, although I'm not wholly inclined to place a lot of faith in fifteen-second promos. It was pretty clever of the scriptwriters to make the previews be narrated by characters who have not yet been introduced... I'm curious about the guy who's taken care of the past two previews, not to mention that bizarre plushie/animal/thing which appears in the opening animation. EDIT: It would be interesting if Kubotite was indeed behind those alterations, Dan. I like the idea of a manga-ka being able to streamline and otherwise improve his work as it undergoes the transition from page to screen. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Noside]Yu Yu Hakusho: [spoiler'] The beginning of the first episode BAM! the main character dies. It wasn't his death that got to me, but the rest of the episode because of this death. His wake for some reason really gets to me and it brings a tear to my eye. [/spoiler][/quote] I completely agree. [spoiler]It's an excellent first episode because the characters' reactions to Yusuke's death are startlingly poignant. Even without knowing much about the various members of the cast, I thought the wake was touching and very nicely done. Kuwabara's outburst is well-acted in both English and Japanese.[/spoiler] MaineOtakuNo2, if you'd like to use spoiler tags, all you have to do is type [spoiler]text[*/spoiler], minus the asterisk. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Siren']You accept what Adahn is saying...you accept his new, radicalist interpretation of the Bible instead of approximately 2000 years of a steady interpretation, you get "saved" ("blessed" with eternal life--but seriously, who in their right mind would want that, anyway?). You treat the theory as crap, which is what many people would do, and you're going to get punished for it. Don't let Adahn fool you, Baron; there's definitely still a Hell in his theory. He just either: A) doesn't realize it; B) won't admit it.[/quote] Ohhh, I think see what you mean. You're framing the situation in relative terms, right? His theory lacks a "Hell" of the fire-and-brimstone nature described in the Bible, but for whatever it's worth, he still believes that people who don't accept Jesus will be punished. If reincarnation is the worst possible punishment in Adahn's theory, it is simply the Hell of his system of belief. ~Dagger~

You know, it's weird... I never really got into this show when it was being fansubbed; by the time I decided to try wading my way past the first four episodes, it was licensed. I've watched the beginning several times, though--and for some reason seeing it in English made me like it much, much better. It helps that Adult Swim is probably planning to air the show uncut; no matter how gory FMA gets, it can't be much worse than the first episode of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (which ran completely unedited). [spoiler]I don't remember the shot of Ed's bloody leg being on the fansub I watched...[/spoiler] was it added for the DVD version of the show, or do I just have a spotty memory? To me the dub sounded a little less frantic than the Japanese version. This time around I actually [i]liked[/i] Rose's voice, and it's nice to hear Vic Mignogna in a leading role. On a related note, my last post was wrong--Aaron Dismuke is actually the kid who played young Akito, not Hiro, in Fruits Basket. If the first episode is anything to go by, Fullmetal Alchemist could become one of FUNimation's best dubs. ~Dagger~

Well, in the final episode of Elfen Lied... [spoiler]My opinion of an "evil" character was yet again turned on its head. Mariko, the youngest and most powerful Diclonius, transformed into a weeping little girl when she met her true father, Kurama. Only an episode earlier, I passionately hated her for hurting Nana and Lucy... but for some reason, the scene shown prior to her death just made all of that go away. The most heartbreaking moment transpired when Kurama pointed his gun at Mariko's head, fully prepared to kill her, and Nana cried "Papa!" To me, the look of sheer disbelieving horror and betrayal on Mariko's face seemed far more powerful than any of Elfen Lied's numerous gory decapitations. The fact that Kurama chose to die with Mariko showed me that he was ultimately worthy of Nana's adoration. Amazingly enough, even she let them go together. I'm still stunned by how I unquestioningly lapped all of this emotional drama up--Elfen Lied really, really stretches the viewer's credulity, yet I was utterly engrossed throughout Mariko's first and final meeting with her father. Despite her previous cruelty and wanton disregard for human life, her grief brought tears to my eyes. The actual death scene was shown only as an explosion, demonstrating surprising restraint on the part of the director. I've watched it several times and still have no complaints; it's beautiful, fitting and tragic.[/spoiler]

In this case, I believe "archetype" is probably a more suitable word than "stereotype." If nothing else, it doesn't carry as many negative connotations. Also, thank you for bringing up Fruits Basket! I knew I had forgotten something important. [quote name='AzureWolf][FONT=book antiqua][SIZE=2][COLOR=blue]Or, series with the best characterization of real life character development even.[/COLOR][/SIZE'][/FONT][/quote] That statement nicely pinpoints the kind of shows I've tried to mention in this thread. On second thought, the phrase character development does suggest an extended length of time--characterization has more of a snapshot feel to it, I guess. Your explanation made sense. :) ~Dagger~