Dagger

[quote name='Otaku America][COLOR=Navy']Tokyo Godfathers had more of a holiday-feel to it, Perfect Blue is an Alfred Hitchcock inspired flick, Millenium Actress seperates from suspense and tells a love story, Paranoia Agent actually dives into the human mind and tells a story. All completely different, if you ask me.[/COLOR][/quote] What I meant in this case is that there are specific episodes of Paranoia Agent that parody/reference the films mentioned above. For example, episode 8 corresponds to Tokyo Godfathers. There are also shared elements of style in general, but that's a more subjective matter. [quote][COLOR=Navy]I've seen the show twice and from what I can see, the attacks aren't random at least from my perspective. They all seem like random attacks at first but later on the cops find out what is really going on. All of the attacks are connected, what do you think the math equations the old man is writing mean? For every attack there is a connection not a coincidence.[/color][/quote] I must have been really unclear or something, haha. What I meant to say in my post above is that we completely agree on this. The attacks are intended to appear random, but they [spoiler]aren't.[/spoiler] Which [i]is[/i] kind of a spoiler, so both of us might want to start marking it in the future. ~Dagger~

I second everything [B]pbfrontmanvdp[/B] said. If you're going to complain now, you should have voted back then. It's as simple as that. :animesigh Personally I'm kind of gratified that Utena even made the list, haha. I've been to places where it's considered a perennial favorite--right up there with the likes of Evangelion, Bebop and Berserk--but I didn't think very many people at OB had seen the series, much less heard of it. Y'all should also keep in mind that new anime usually have a very poor chance of doing well on lists like these--especially if they aren't complete! Loveless has yet to finish airing in Japan, for heaven's sake. Not that it isn't an enjoyable series, but for all we know the ending could turn out to be the worst ever written (or something to that effect). And Bleach probably isn't even halfway through... ~Dagger~

[quote name='Otaku America][COLOR=Navy']To me, Boogiepop Phantom and Paranoia Agent are two completely different species. Boogiepop Phantom has more in common with Serial Experiments Lain than Paranoia Agent. Paranoia Agent is totally original compared to both those titles. Shounen Bat aka Lil' Slugger doesn't attack at random he attacks people who are going mad. PA was "certainly" not influenced by Boogiepop Phantom either. Satoshi Kon wanted to create a series that could show a vivid and accurate portrayal of paranoia on the human psyche.[/color][/quote] Fair enough, but it's treading on dangerous ground to call anything "totally original," especially in comparison to other works that often get branded with the same adjective. Paranoia Agent itself is very similar to some of Kon's previous anime (including Millenium Actress, Perfect Blue and even Tokyo Godfathers). At least from my perspective, it still belongs squarely in the same category or genre as series like Boogiepop Phantom, Lain (which I personally think have much less in common than Boogiepop & PA, but oh well), and--albeit to a somewhat lesser extent--Requiem from the Darkness. I'll concede that it's a rather rash leap to say that PA was intentionally influenced by Boogiepop, but I don't see what's so negative about saying that they have similarities. If anything, I meant that as a huge compliment to PA. I'm not sure I like how you phrased your assessment of Shounen Bat. I'm also not sure why you said that he doesn't strike at random, because all that does is reiterate my original statement ("[Shounen Bat] appear[s] to strike at random") in a blunter light. Saying that something appears or seems a certain way is rarely equivalent to saying that it [i]is[/i] a certain way--especially since I wrote that rather early on in the show. Anyway, he doesn't attack people who are going insane; he attacks people who [spoiler]want an escape.[/spoiler] I'm fairly confident that you meant it differently, since you seem to have a good understanding of the show, but the wording might be a little misleading for those who are just getting into it. [quote name='Otaku America][COLOR=Navy']Paranoia Agent is different because this is the show that caters to all audiences.[/color][/quote] This is where I think you're completely wrong. Sure, maybe Miyazaki movies cater to all audiences. But Paranoia Agent? No way. Even Bebop & Champloo only have broad appeal in contrast to [i]other[/i] anime. ~Dagger~

[quote name='rascalkitten']have you ever noticed about how america take good mangas and makes them terroble? if america wants to make anime they could give the to adult swim so that they can atleat get a decint rateng. i mean they took .hack// and messed it up. no zeffie, no final mystery, no nothing funny. i mean mayber for the first few episodes it was like the manga, but in alot of animes the change the names and totally mess up the whole story plot. like in yugioh, tea's name is anzul tristen is honda, the only name not changed is yugis name.[/quote] 1. Using the words "anime" and "manga" interchangeably is only going to confuse the heck out of people (myself included). 2. When anime are different from the manga upon which they're based, it can usually be attributed to a decision on the part of the Japanese company which originally produced said anime. The [i]vast[/i] majority of R1 anime is bilingual and uncut. Of course, if you're just looking at series that show up on TV, that's a slightly different story. 3. No one's going to be able to follow your argument unless you keep your examples straight. You switch around so abruptly that it's hard to know what you're referring to. For example, I have no clue about which .hack series you had in mind. Nor do I have any idea where this thread is supposed to be headed, but perhaps someone will explain it to me... ? :animeswea ~Dagger~

Finishing up volume 3 reminded me just how much I love episode 11. Personally, I found it to be the first episode in which the emotional impact of the featured standalone story really outweighed the show's heavy emphasis on style and quick, quirky details. Also, it's the first Jin-centric episode (if I remember correctly), which makes it a breath of fresh air after so many episodes that focus mainly on Mugen. ~Dagger~

Gotcha. Personally, I'm not even sure what I consider anime--for me it's more of a "I know it when I see it" thing than a category I can describe specifically. There are even some examples of Japanese animation that I wouldn't necessarily lump alongside anime, which implies a visual definition--but it's obvious that even with certain shared elements, there's a lot more visual diversity out there (in anime as well as in animation in general) than most people think. So I dunno. Although I guess this is really a subject for another thread. :animeswea [quote name='Generic NPC #3']Man, I must have a different idea of what "really bad" is. To me, something doesn't outright suck just because it isn't for me. I don't care for Trigun, but I don't think it's really bad. Same goes for a lot of things, anime or not.[/quote] With most anime, I can kind of tell why others would like it. Mahoromatic isn't exactly my cup of tea, but I can think of reasons that people might buy it. I just don't cotton to "maid" series in general, personally. Yet there are also times when I encounter a show or movie that makes me wonder how someone could possibly enjoy it [i]without[/i] admitting that it sucks. Liking a series because it's a guilty pleasure (for whatever reason) is normal and all, but I am sometimes baffled at how people try to seriously defend so-and-so as groundbreaking entertainment or a brilliant work of art. ~Dagger~

*blinks* Pardon? I'm afraid you'll have to be a bit more clear and/or specific if you're searching for helpful answers. Cutting down on the smilies wouldn't hurt, either. Anyway, OtakuBoards has a [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=14][u]PC/Mac[/u][/url] forum (as well as a [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=83][u]Web Site Workshop[/u][/url]), so that's probably the best place to post questions like this one... assuming they can't be answered with a short trip to your friendly neighborhood search engine. If you have any concerns, feel free to private message me or one of the other staff members. Thanks. Thread closed. ~Dagger~

I always sleep with an electric blanket (and I turn it up all the way, too). The weather is irrelevant; I just need something to keep my toes nice and toasty, haha. Of course this means that I have to get a little creative with extraneous sheets/covers & what I wear to bed in the summer. :animeswea I'm also in the habit of draping myself in blankets when I curl up to watch a DVD. It just feels nice to be all wrapped up and cozy. ~Dagger~

Welcome to OtakuBoards. You might want to begin by taking a look at the site's [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/rules.php?][u]Rules[/u][/url] and [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/faq.php?][u]FAQ[/u][/url]. You should also feel free to private message staff members if you have questions about our policies. Please be aware that we have pretty strict standards when it comes to post quality--you don't have to write a novel, but it's important that you seem as though you're trying to be coherent and clear. Preferably, this involves using decent grammer, punctuation, etc. We generally don't allow introduction topics, which is why I've locked this thread. It's not that we don't want to seem open or friendly, but we'd rather get to know new members through their posts. So if you think you have a feel for OB, you can go ahead and start participating in whichever discussions interest you most. If there's anything you really want people to know about you, your signature & profile are good places to include relevant personal information. Thread closed. ~Dagger~

I haven't seen anything painfully awful for a while now, but I fondly remember [b]Futakoi[/b] (not Futakoi Alternative) as something I just couldn't stand to watch. Despite its fanservice-y concept, it tried to go for the cute angle--and failed horribly, I might add. The male lead is a wretch. And all the technical aspects (music, animation, etc.) are pretty blah. [QUOTE=katanagirl]good....gravy....have you even looked at the credits for avatar?!?!?! they are all american names!!! very american!!! geez! the creator's name and i quote, is Mike DiMartino!!! check out [url]www.tvtome.com[/url] if you will and you can see for yourself. baka.[/QUOTE] Try not to get carried away, okay? :animesigh He was most likely referring to the fact that the show's animation is done in Korea. At least that's what I'm assuming. ~Dagger~

I like orchestral music (i.e. the kind one can sometimes find on movie & anime soundtracks). Ordinary classical music often leaves me cold, though--I need something visual or emotional to associate it with. I wouldn't say I dislike most classical stuff, but a lot of what I hear is either a) so complicated and strict-sounding that it makes it really hard for me to relax, or b) has little raison d'etre beyond just being uber-virtuoso, if you know what I mean. I'd rather listen to a slightly sloppy or maudlin piece that at least tries hint at real meaning than a perfectly polished one which seems to have been concocted solely for artists to show off their abilities. ~Dagger~

I'm leaving for Japan on the 11th, so right now I'm pretty busy with packing and so forth. I believe I'll get back sometime toward the middle or end of July. After that my summer will be more or less open, although I fear that I'll still have a lot of stuff to take care of. Howl's Moving Castle had better stay in theaters until I return, unlikely though that seems... it's kind of ironic that living in Japan is what's going to keep me from seeing the dubbed version of a film I've been anticipating for years (well, it [i]feels[/i] like it's been years, heh). :animedepr ~Dagger~

[quote name='SunfallE']I'm sure there are lots of anime shows out there that people would love to write a review of that isn't in the current list of available titles and not among the ones that have been reviewed.[/quote] Agreed. Currently, I'm wondering how manga fits into all of this. theOtaku.com has a [b]Death Note[/b] hub--but thus far there have been no plans for Death Note to be made into an anime. So I was just curious as to how that relates to the grand scheme of things. Are there any plans for other stand-alone manga (that is, those which haven't been made into an anime) to receive their own hubs? ~Dagger~

Welcome to OtakuBoards, Solo. (Wow, typing that feels really strange. Every time I see your username pop up, I think of the other Solo. But anyway...) Please note that we try to avoid redundancy whenever possible. Duplicate threads are considered to be a waste of space. I am a little puzzled regarding why you created this topic, given that you posted in an [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?p=660035][u]extremely similar[/u][/url] thread perhaps a few seconds ago, but no matter (it shouldn't be hard to find a best/favorite anime thread around here, either). In the future, try to scan the first two pages of the forum (or look at the Directory, if you want to discuss a specific anime) before creating a separate topic. This helps us keep things nice and orderly. Thanks a bunch. Thread closed. ~Dagger~

Yes, [b]Loveless[/b] is wonderful. Kouga Yun fans may also want to keep an eye out for [b]Earthian[/b], which has been licensed by Tokyopop. One (unlicensed) series which happens to be very much worth checking out is [b]Rin![/b]. The art is by Yukine Honami, who has this really gorgeous style that sort of defies description--it's at once sketchy and clear, with loose, natural lines and an unadorned beauty to it. I love her character designs. Rin is a BL manga, but it's actually more about archery than anything else. [b]G-Senjou no Neko[/b] is also nice. Its style is a bit sharper and more refined, but somehow still soft. I'm not quite sure where the story is headed--but much like Rin, it has a bittersweet, idyllic atmosphere to balance out all the drama (which is something I tend to seek in manga, BL or not). ~Dagger~

Proposal 1: [b]Yes[/b] Proposal 2: [b]Yes[/b] Proposal 3: [b]Yes[/b] The third proposal should be particularly fun. I'm looking forward to seeing how it's implemented. I don't have anything to comment on beyond that--I was actually thinking of suggesting something like the first proposal myself, funnily enough. I guess next time I should try to be quicker to the punch. :p ~Dagger~

[quote name='EVA Unit 100']Well, I liked the experimentalness of Paranoia Agent. I felt that the variety of Paranoia's many styles made the show stronger; the fact everything about it was entirely radically different while being tied to the exact same plotline made it more emotionally involving for me. I guess since PA is the FLCL of its genre, and you don't like FLCL, you wouldn't be as obsessed with Paranoia Agent as I was.[/quote] It's not that I felt it was a negative factor in and of itself. Rather, the show tried to have it both ways (by exploring a variety of concepts & styles but also bringing in a larger story arc to hold the disparate elements together). This, I think, is why Lunox (and I as well, although to a lesser extent) had a problem with the suddenness of the big revelations toward the end. While it was clear throughout that Maromi would play a central role, Sagi [spoiler]did not make the most compelling main character--it didn't even seem that she was the main character until the final three episodes. At first I thought she was more of a catalyst than anything else. The entire show does contain plenty of clues about the true nature of Maromi & Shounen Bat... what's lacking are clues about Sagi. That's why I sensed a kind of dichotomy between the setting-oriented episodes and the plot-oriented episodes.[/spoiler] To clarify, I like Paranoia Agent quite a bit, and I was deeply impressed by its ending. It's not perfect, but few anime are. So I don't want to seem as if I'm going out of my way to pick on the series. [b]Lunox:[/b] Although I never found myself outright disliking Sagi, you've made a valid point regarding how weak she is as a character. By that I mean the fact that she remains a non-entity--a kind of bland enigma--for much of the show, not the fact that she's emotionally and/or mentally weak (although she obviously is). For me, the most compelling characters were Harumi, the older detective whose name I can never remember, Taeko and Maniwa. ~Dagger~

It'd been ages since I watched Big O II, so I can't come up with a completely coherent explanation off the top of my head, but... [spoiler]you can think of the ending as being analogous to the ending of Eva, with Angel playing the role of Shinji. Roger is the one who convinces her to accept herself--so instead of erasing the world, she presses the reset button again. Because she's gotten over her jealousy and insecurity, she makes the new world's Dorothy human rather than an android. Obviously there's a little more to it than that, but I'm afraid I might mix up some of the details if I try going into more depth.[/spoiler] As for Hikaru no Go, the strength of the story, characters & pacing are such that you don't need to know a thing about Go to enjoy it. The fact that it isn't an action title like most of its peers does work against it, but it dramatizes the game well enough that I can definitely see it appealing to younger kids (at the very least). It'd be an odd fit for Toonami, but I can't for the life of me think of any other stations that would go for it, and as far as I know Viz has never dealt with TAN. I'm sure CN could find a slot for it somewhere. Although I'm going to buy the DVDs anyway, so it won't affect me that much in the end. I would [i]love[/i] to see Fafner on AS. It'd be interesting to observe how people's reactions to the show would change as it went along--it goes through some growing pains, and the difference between the beginning episodes and the later episodes (mainly in terms of the quality of the writing) is nothing short of astounding. Of course, the danger there is that a lot of casual viewers might give up on it after the first few episodes. :animeswea EDIT: Come to think of it, Gungrave would be so perfect for Adult Swim. If only it hadn't gone to G4... ~Dagger~

Big O III? What on earth would that consist of? :animestun I would love to see Gankutsuou (The Count of Monte Cristo) on Adult Swim. I think it could do really well; the show's flashiness and unique visuals are backed up by a great plot. It has a lot of name recognition going for it, from the classic novel to GONZO to Mahiro Maeda to Anna Sui. On a different note, I'm wondering where/when Hikaru no Go will show up. Apparently Viz has its TV dates listed as "TBA," so presumably that means they have made some kind of deal. And I can only assume the series is going to air on CN, since I can't imagine any other channels (barring The Anime Network) taking a gamble on Go. ~Dagger~

I'm pretty sure there are only supposed to be 12 episodes. Nice banner & avatar, by the way. Episode 9 was great--but it ended in such an annoying place! I want to know what [spoiler]Kouya did to the other Zero couple, and why performing the spell made her cry (maybe she thought it would have some kind of backlash effect on Yamato--that's all I can come up with). It's really interesting that Kouya is shyer and more emotionally sensitive than Yamato... yet she's the Fighter and Yamato is the Sacrifice. It puts Yamato in a pretty difficult position, since she's forced to be the vulnerable one in battle even though she's actually more confident and level-headed.[/spoiler] So who do you think [spoiler]the other Loveless[/spoiler] will turn out to be? Personally, I suspect it's [spoiler]Yuiko.[/spoiler] At least, that would make a lot more sense than the other options. ~Dagger~

Interesting comments, Lunox. I actually prefer Boogiepop Phantom to Paranoia Agent; it's a lot more consistent in terms of style and atmosphere, and I thought the way in which the characters' stories tied into each other were more interesting. Boogiepop [i]does[/i] make sense (contrary to popular belief, haha), but it's much harder to figure out than PA, which for me meant that it had a lot more replay value. In PA, everything falls together almost too neatly--I'd watch it again, but mainly to see if I missed any huge clues the first time around. It also felt more like an "experiment," if that makes any sense; while the setting-heavy episodes were enjoyable, I thought they made the show weaker in a structural sense. As for the reason she [spoiler]created Shounen Bat, I never saw it as being solely because Maromi died. It had much more to do with her relationship with her father than with how she felt about the puppy. That's the key factor which I wish had been introduced earlier--her father and the role he played in her childhood. I found that her reason for creating Shounen Bat made sense, but mainly on a logical level rather than an emotional level. That said, I think you're really underestimating how the power balance in such a relationship can affect a young child. Her guilt, shame and fear must have been truly crushing.[/spoiler] [quote name='r2vq]Of course... when you say 'last scene' you mean the scene where you see [spoiler']a mirror of the first episode. The cellphones and whatnot. And a few characters rebuilding their lives, right?[/spoiler][/quote] Yep, that's what I was referring to. Another reason I like the idea of [spoiler]Maniwa breaking out of the cycle is that it means the world of the show isn't totally stagnant. There's some renewal/change, even if it stems solely from a single character. On that note, seeing the older detective have some kind of effect on Sagi's life--i.e. causing her to be a little more self-confident or open in the next cycle--would have pretty much made the ending perfect in my eyes. Actually... could her changed appearance (shorter hair, etc.) have been at all symbolic of a slight change in her personality? Or do you think it's just part of the overall shift from one cycle to the next?[/spoiler] That's all for now, I guess. :animeswea ~Dagger~

[quote name='kaisha']If you look on Adult Swim's site, in the episode descriptions Jakotsu is refered to as a female.[/quote] Seriously? Well, isn't that wonderful. If they're going to pull crap like this, they have absolutely no business showing series like Paranoia Agent and Samurai Champloo. What the hell are they going to do about the [spoiler]gay Dutchman[/spoiler] in Champloo episode 6? Anyway, thanks for keeping us updated. :animesigh EDIT: Um, which episode descriptions were you thinking of? I've glanced through a couple and so far they've only referred to him by his name. As a matter of fact, the description for episode 115 distinctly calls Jakotsu "he." ~Dagger~

Welcome to OtakuBoards. :animesmil The general [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/rules.php?][u]Rules[/u][/url] and [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/faq.php?][u]FAQ[/u][/url] cover most of the basics. However, when you go into a different forum or sub-forum, it's always appreciated if you glance up at the top of the page and read the pinned "sticky" threads (assuming there are any). Stickies usually cover rules specific to a forum or emphasize broader rules which tend to get broken in that forum. And looking at the [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/announcement.php?f=4][u]Announcements[/u][/url] topic will help keep you informed of updates, downtime, etc. As for special rules... well, one of them is that we don't allow introduction threads, heh. We always welcome new members, but we'd rather get to know you through your posts. So feel free to jump right in and start participating. If you have any questions, you're welcome to private message me or one of the other staff members. Thanks! Thread closed. ~Dagger~

Yeah, episode 33 was actually pretty entertaining. I'm glad I was able to watch episode 34 immediately afterward, though. On the subject of episode 34: what a cliffhanger! I'm assuming that [spoiler]Aizen will live, since it seemed as if he was going to become a major character.[/spoiler] One of the things I like best about this arc is all of the political double-dealing and intrigue that's apparently taking place among the upper-level shinigami. It makes things really interesting, especially since there appear to be multiple factions involved, and it's hard to tell who's truly the enemy (both for Ichigo and for the other shinigami). I hope that [spoiler]the person who attacked Aizen isn't Gin, because that's just so... obvious. It'd be kind of nice if Byakuya were behind it, actually. The writers have gone to great lengths to make Byakuya incredibly unlikeable--now I want to see if he's seriously evil/depraved/heartless or if he's just a big softie underneath it all.[/spoiler] And it turns out that Takahiro Sakurai is playing Kira. Rock on. :animesmil ~Dagger~

[quote name='kaisha']I saw previews for the next new Inuyasha episode, they gave Jakutso a girl's voice. That kinda sux, I mean you can really tell that he is NOT a girl.[/quote]Just how "girly" is the character's English voice, and how... er, effeminate is he really supposed to be? Jakotsu's Japanese seiyuu is female, so the presence of a female VA doesn't necessarily mean that the dub is going to turn him into a woman (I don't think that's even possible, logistically speaking). And if Adult Swim were to shy away from this kind of content, I'd be [i]very[/i] concerned about the future of Paranoia Agent. No matter how femme they make Jakotsu sound, I have to say that I'd be pretty shocked if they seriously tried to have him pass as female. ~Dagger~