That crazy "Japanimation" stuff!

Of course I speak of Anime and all that is awesome about it. I noticed we didn't have a thread about it so I thought I'd start one. Movies, TV shows, Manga. Dubbed or Subbed. Discuss!

I myself am I a huge fan of Naruto and Naruto Shipudden. Without internet I've unfortunately fallen behind a bit but I try to catch the new episodes when they're up and streaming on Thursdays. Any other fans out there?

I like a few series, like the 2 Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex series and definitely Cowboy Bebop.

I also have a few movies that I have really liked. Most of those are the Miyazaki films like Princess Mononoke and Howl's Moving Castle, but there are a few others like Grave of the Fireflies and Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust.

I don't have many more than that because I am very picky in my Anime preferences and lost contact with my friend who was big into it and loaning me movies. Also, the local Best Buy severely cut back their anime section to only stuff that is popular on Adult Swim like Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, Bleach, Fullmetal Alchemist, etc.

Suggestions for new shows/movies to watch would be welcome, though I do have some biases (not a fan of giant mechas or monster/fight of the week) that might turn me off.

I'm generally not huge on anime, probably because I've met so many people who are completely obsessed with it. Those people usually irritate me... No offense if that's any of you; I love you all.

But to be more on topic, I also like the little Hayao Miyazaki's stuff I've seen. Spirited Away was really amazing.

I've also seen a few films by Satoshi Kon. Tokyo Godfathers was really good and also interestingly un-anime in the way that nothing weird happened. Everything in that film was plausible; no mechs, no monsters, no supernatural stuff. Just homeless people. Although, the other Kon film I've seen, Paprika, is on the other side of the spectrum. It's still awesome, but really, really trippy.

Love Miyazaki, Howl's Moving Castle was a big fave of mine. My son likes Nausica and the Valley of the Winds quite a bit.

As far as the shows go- it's touch and go with me. I've liked a few but some of them get under my skin. Chris is watching Last Exile lately and it annoys the living daylights out of me for some reason... Of course he was also obsessed with Yugioh a few years back and that bugged me too, lol.

I absolutely loved Princess Mononoke and Howl's Moving Castle. Miyazaki does some excellent work. Myself I'm a sucker for a good story (though lacking a bit in story my buddy Tyree sucked me in to Naruto. Plus it's Ninjas for crying out loud!) and great animation. Fav movies include Ninja Scroll, Wicked City, Akira, Mononoke and there are some great series out there that I've watched. Aside from Naruto Shippuden I'm currently watching Claymore which is about a half-demon woman who hunts and kills full demons.

Gen: One recommendation I can make to you is Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit. It had a brief run on Adult Swim but they only showed the first 8 episodes if I recall. Though towards the end it does delve into the Monster side of things, it is predominantly a story about a young prince's journey into manhood as he's stripped from palace life and placed under the care of a bodyguard for hire named Balsa. It is superbly written, the animation is gorgeous and if you're like me, you'll grow to love the characters. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys good Anime.

Chubbalumpakis wrote:I absolutely loved Princess Mononoke and Howl's Moving Castle. Miyazaki does some excellent work. Myself I'm a sucker for a good story (though lacking a bit in story my buddy Tyree sucked me in to Naruto. Plus it's Ninjas for crying out loud!) and great animation. Fav movies include Ninja Scroll, Wicked City, Akira, Mononoke and there are some great series out there that I've watched. Aside from Naruto Shippuden I'm currently watching Claymore which is about a half-demon woman who hunts and kills full demons.

Gen: One recommendation I can make to you is Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit. It had a brief run on Adult Swim but they only showed the first 8 episodes if I recall. Though towards the end it does delve into the Monster side of things, it is predominantly a story about a young prince's journey into manhood as he's stripped from palace life and placed under the care of a bodyguard for hire named Balsa. It is superbly written, the animation is gorgeous and if you're like me, you'll grow to love the characters. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys good Anime.

We have volume 1 of Moribito. Pretty good stuff, I need to get hold of the rest of it though. Until recently I wasn't even sure if they finished it. Claymore has been pretty interesting too. I liked Jyu-oh-sei as well. And Toward the Terra.

Hmm, movies...

Appleseed was pretty good I thought. Ghost in the Shell (been a while though so I can't remember details) I did see Akira, but again it's been a while. I know there are more, but I can't think of them at the moment, lol

I have Appleseed and both Ghost in the Shell movies. #2, Innocence, is pretty good. I do also have the movie that follows the show's universe as well. I also have seen, but do not own, Akira. I thought it was good, but not great. I do understand that it was revolutionary in it's time, but imagine hearing "Smells Like Teen Spirit" for the first time in 2000.

OK, well since being recommended to me, I ordered Moribito off of Amazon. It arrived today, so got it in 3 days (I'm skipping the weekend/new years in that count). Got a complete collection set for only $16, too (from a seller called "DVD Closeouts"). Very happy with it so far. Just need to actually watch it now. It'll have to wait behind Season 1 of Penn & Teller's Bullshit, though.

*sucks in air loudly as this will take a while*

I think we can all agree that the Studio Ghibli movies are all fantastic, and not just the Miyazaki ones. Grave of the Fireflies is intense (though I haven't watched it the whole way through), Pom Poko is fun and environmentally concerned, and Tales from Earthsea brought to life a unique and interesting Euro-fantasy world through the Japanese perspective. Frankly, I find the Ghibli films' animation quality surpasses the interest of the stories by a long shot, but that is mostly a preference thing and nothing to do with the actual quality of the stories themselves.

As far as anime that also aired on Adult Swim that I enjoyed include: Coyboy Bebop, FLCL, Fullmetal Alchemist, the Ghost in the Shell series, Death Note, Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit, Outlaw Star (what three episodes I have watched), Paranoia Agent, Samurai Champloo, and Trigun (once again, what few I have seen).

Now the stuff yet to be mentioned that you may need to search for:

I've seen a bit of His and Her Circumstances (or Kare Kano), and it's cute. What few times I am in the mood for a Slice-of-Life/Romance/Comedy, this fits the bill. And this was the series Gainax made after Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Another Gainax title to watch is Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi (Abenobashi Mahō Shōtengai). It's...crazy. A lot of fun to watch.

As far as I am concerned, Director Hiroyuki Imaishi can do no wrong. His first directing gig was a film produced by Production I.G. called Dead Leaves (Deddo Rībusu). It was crazy and wrong in several ways but incredibly entertaining.

His first series is a show called Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, a mecha anime, also produced by Gainax, that acts as a tribute to decades of the genre through several story arcs. The story is incredible, the music rocks, the animation is gorgeous. Please excuse episode 4, as it was made with a guest director. I would say skip it but it introduces a few important characters. All in all, it is my favorite anime. EVER.

The guest director for TTGL Episode 4, Osamu Kobayashi, directed an anime in 2004 called BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad. It's about a small time band, almost on par with the American garage band, trying to make it big. Considering I was introduced to this show around the same time Guitar Hero was making it big and I discovered Tenacious D, I wanted to start a band SO HARD! Good writing, good music, decent animation...a good show.

...................um...let me check my Anime folder again...

Bones Studio has a few other good ones, other than FNL. Ouran High School Host Club is cute and entertaining. Soul Eater is also a big hit with me. They were redoing FML into Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood which is following the manga a whole lot more closely.

Excel Saga, and its little cousin Puni Puni Poemy, are hilarious and entertaining.

............too...many...to mention................