Anime Thread. [Prob not 56k safe]

[Avvesione]

Well, read through all 6 pages just now (done with Finals). Missed a lotta good discussion but whatever. I'll just say this: Gulk, I thought your job at work was to look at boobs!

Need some anime recommended to me! Some of my favorite animes are Bebop, Black Lagoon, Gungrave, EVA, Gundam Wing, Haruhi, all just off the top of my head. Shows that are completely finished are a plus! Thanks =D

Seems like everyone recommended a lotta great shows already, so you should try looking into those posted and see if they'll match your style or are something you're willing to branch out and try. Just looking at your list, I'll just toss out Darker than Black which seems to fit into the lines of those shows pretty well. Has a 25 episode series, then one OVA, then 12 episode second season, then 4 episode OVA.

[Caiyuo]

Always fun to see the recommendations lists. I liked RoD the TV though, lol. :<

[Maguspk]

Needless was a fun anime but I wouldn't recommend it before things like FMA Brotherhood, Bakemonogatari, Katanagatari, Durarara, Darker Than Black (just Season 1), etc.

[Kaylia]

Need some anime recommended to me! Some of my favorite animes are Bebop, Black Lagoon, Gungrave, EVA, Gundam Wing, Haruhi, all just off the top of my head. Shows that are completely finished are a plus! Thanks =D

Let's see..


Top tier show that should watch now.
-Gurren Lagann
-Death Notes (might want to read the manga in the 2nd half since it was done much better than the anime)
-FMA: brotherhood (might be worthwhile to read the first 10-15 chapters since the series skipped them)


Actions oriented series that match your taste
-Gundam 00 (takes a few episodes to pick up)
-Macross Frontier (you might want to watch one of the movie first, and maybe Macross Zero)
-Code Geass (great 1st season, underwhelming 2nd season, and one of the best ending I can think off)
-Darker than Black (same deal as Code geass, but replace the good ending with good OVA).
-Durarara
-Bacanno (especially if you like Durarara).
-Xam'd (great series that often go unoticed)
-Katanagatari (very weird story telling, but great art and original stuff)

If you want to go for something more serious and a bit more dramatics (most of these are 10/10 for me)
-Last Exile
-Dennou Coil
-Eve no jikan
-Tokyo Magnitude 8.0
-Bokurano (manga preferably, but one of the best drama)
-Monsters (good thriller, watch that if you want something dark like Death Note)

Drama/romance/economics
-Welcome to the NHK
-Honey and Clover
-Toradra
-Spice and Wolf

[Taube]

Darker Than Black (just Season 1)

Just season 1?! Heresy!
Season 2 is still very much worth it. (Though me studying Russian for a bit might make me biased though)

More names to the list:

• Ghost in the Shell (Movies, series, manga, the whole shebang... If there still is someone who hasn't seen it.)

• Afro Samurai
• Wolf's Rain
• Bubblegum Crisis (Though so dated the animation might turn people at this day and age off... Stay away from BGC 2040, it's just crap)

...And that's all I can think of right now, maybe I should go dig up one of those big anime recommendation pics from 4chan.

[Taube]

Fun fact:
Majority of anime I have watched I've found through AMV Hell

[Xanthe]

Clannad (plus After Story) is definitely worth watching. Like some others I put off watching it because I thought it was just another romance, but that couldn't be more wrong. It's a strong, character-driven drama, romance, comedy, slice of life, with an interesting twist of fantasy. The anime was so good that I've now been playing the visual novel that it was based on. The anime follows the game's main story very closely, but there are enough differences to make both worthwhile. To be honest, I'm afraid to even watch the movie now because I just can't see it fitting in the necessary story and character development that the other media provide.

In short if you have anything resembling a heart you will enjoy Clannad. You WILL cry multiple times.

[Kaylia]

I don't understand why Clannad get praised so much when you have to suffer through 36 episodes of uninteresting arc to get to the good part. Thank God there was character like Nagisa's father to make the show entertaining, because I couldn't stand the female cast.

And why the girls' eyes are so spread apart I just can't get used to Key's styles, it makes them look even more retarded than they are...which is pretty bad.
http://gargarstegosaurus.files.wordp...nnadladies.jpg




I personally found Honey&Clover a lot more enjoyable, because it delivered a similar story that was much more believable (sometime). It wasnt as dramatic, but at least, there was more than one well developped characters.

[Sylvrdragon]

I don't get why Clannad get praised so much, there is way too many boring episodes before it get to the good drama. Last 12 episodes were great (minus the ending), but we didn't need 36 episodes before that..

I couldn't keep my mind off of this show for about a week after finishing it, it hit so hard. My mind was too numb for me to watch other shows for a while after what this one put me through. I'm not sure it could have done that without the extra arcs in there to get me so familiar with the characters.

[popsiclestix]

I don't understand why Clannad get praised so much when you have to suffer through 36 episodes of uninteresting arc to get to the good part. Thank God there was character like Nagisa's father to make the show entertaining, because I couldn't stand the female cast.

And why the girls' eyes are so spread apart I just can't get used to Key's styles, it makes them look even more retarded than they are...which is pretty bad.
.

Clannad is funny, its the After Story that is sad...

[Xanthe]

The other arcs are a lot more powerful in the game since they can stand fairly well on their own, but I still think the anime did a good job of integrating them into the main arc. It's actually pretty amazing how well they adapted them while keeping most of the elements intact. I didn't find them boring in the least. They were definitely essential in both cases; in the anime for character progression of the main cast, and in the game for progression through the game as a whole. The two OVAs took the game arcs that had completely divergent story and finished them well.

Clannad is funny, its the After Story that is sad...

The game is even funnier than the anime. They really take the tsukkomi/boke comedy routines to the extreme. The Kotomi arc (while still heartbreaking) was a real side-splitter.

[Kaylia]

I couldn't keep my mind off of this show for about a week after finishing it, it hit so hard. My mind was too numb for me to watch other shows for a while after what this one put me through. I'm not sure it could have done that without the extra arcs in there to get me so familiar with the characters.

Build the romance over the first 12 episodes, then move to After story. That's more than enough to build a solid romance (actually, I'm not even sure they spent that much time on Nagisa). We didn't need another overdone harem setting.


I mean, what was the point of Kotomi, Tomoyo, the dorm lady, and sunohara's sister? None of these characters played a role in the 2nd season, and the emotional value related to that character didn't carry over. The only arc I would keep was Fuko's, because she was hilarious, and it actually played a significant roles for Tomoya and Nagisa.

[Ker]

SENGOKU BASARA OVA(A lot of spoilers).

[popsiclestix]

I mean, what was the point of Kotomi, Tomoyo, the dorm lady, and sunohara's sister? None of these characters played a role in the 2nd season, and the emotional value related to that character didn't carry over. The only arc I would keep was Fuko's, because she was hilarious, and it actually played a significant roles for Tomoya and Nagisa.

Well, they still had some value. Kotomi's was the least interesting arc, but Mamiko Noto plays the voice so well... Bo-n-Jour?

Any who, I think the the OVA2 (Kyo ending) is the best single 24 min anime OVA I have seen.

[Xanthe]

I mean, what was the point of Kotomi, Tomoyo, the dorm lady, and sunohara's sister? None of these characters played a role in the 2nd season, and the emotional value related to that character didn't carry over. The only arc I would keep was Fuko's, because she was hilarious, and it actually played a significant roles for Tomoya and Nagisa.

That's why my rating would go Game > Anime > Movie. The game had ~300 hours of story across all arcs if you weren't skipping common text between playthroughs (~90 hours otherwise). Naturally a lot of content will be lost when condensing to ~19 hours of anime or a 94 minute movie.

[Sylvrdragon]

Build the romance over the first 12 episodes, then move to After story. That's more than enough to build a solid romance (actually, I'm not even sure they spent that much time on Nagisa). We didn't need another overdone harem setting.


I mean, what was the point of Kotomi, Tomoyo, the dorm lady, and sunohara's sister? None of these characters played a role in the 2nd season, and the emotional value related to that character didn't carry over. The only arc I would keep was Fuko's, because she was hilarious, and it actually played a significant roles for Tomoya and Nagisa.

Well, perhaps they COULD have done without the extra arcs, but as Xanthe said, I think they hold enough merit on their own that I don't regret watching them in the least, regardless of whether they added anything to the main arc.

Cut away TOO much and you're left with the movie... which is but a mere shadow of the series (which is probably, in turn, a mere shadow of the game, much like Fate/Stay Night).

[Xanthe]

Putting some extra explanation in a spoiler. Don't read unless you've at least seen both seasons of the anime. You'll really be ruining the story for yourself otherwise.

Spoiler: show

If the arcs are played in the proper order the game spells out the story much better and the significance of those arcs becomes apparent, more so than just acquiring lights to proceed into After Story. Misae's and Tomoyo's arcs first introduce the lights. Miyazawa's arc goes on to explain a bit about what they are (this was the most significantly changed arc from game to anime, though the significance of the lights remained unchanged). The Fujibayashi Twins arcs, Kappei's arc (present only in the game), and the Sunohara siblings' arc serve as character development so we can understand character motivations in the final four arcs. Each arc can be viewed as a different reality as per the Ichinoses' scientific theory introduced in Kotomi's arc, and each of those are in turn connected to the Illusionary World. Progressing through the arcs we come to understand and see more connections, especially when reaching the final set of Kotomi > Fuko > Toshio (Koumura) > Nagisa arcs. It would be difficult to present that kind of content in a more linear and time-constrained format such as the anime so some of the elements were reworked into character progression and side-story.

I can't speak about the game's After Story yet since I'm only now finishing up Nagisa's arc, but I'm sure it will not disappoint.

Honestly, if you feel like some of the story in the anime was a waste or a dead end, play through the game using the 300 Hour Guide. You'll have a greater appreciation for those elements.

[Kaylia]

Well, they still had some value. Kotomi's was the least interesting arc, but Mamiko Noto plays the voice so well... Bo-n-Jour?

Any who, I think the the OVA2 (Kyo ending) is the best single 24 min anime OVA I have seen.

Kotomi was by far my least favorite character on the show. That kind retarded genius with down syndrome simply makes no sense to me. She did makes me laugh a few times with her innapropriate replies, but everything else about her was bad.

That's why my rating would go Game > Anime > Movie. The game had ~300 hours of story across all arcs if you weren't skipping common text between playthroughs (~90 hours otherwise). Naturally a lot of content will be lost when condensing to ~19 hours of anime or a 94 minute movie.

I'm not going to lie, I can't stand harem settings, and the female cast was pretty weak. The super ultra sad story they all went through does offer a minor redeeming values, but it still feel artificial and forced. In my case, tomoya saved the show in the first season. He was the one starting most jokes, and was one of the few characters with acceptables characters development

Season 1 was still l acceptable for the genre, but unless I ignore the first 40 episodes, I don't think Clannad was top tier material.

[Kaylia]

Putting some extra explanation in a spoiler. Don't read unless you've at least seen both seasons of the anime. You'll really be ruining the story for yourself otherwise.

Spoiler: show

If the arcs are played in the proper order the game spells out the story much better and the significance of those arcs becomes apparent, more so than just acquiring lights to proceed into After Story. Misae's and Tomoyo's arcs first introduce the lights. Miyazawa's arc goes on to explain a bit about what they are (this was the most significantly changed arc from game to anime, though the significance of the lights remained unchanged). The Fujibayashi Twins arcs, Kappei's arc (present only in the game), and the Sunohara siblings' arc serve as character development so we can understand character motivations in the final four arcs. Each arc can be viewed as a different reality as per the Ichinoses' scientific theory introduced in Kotomi's arc, and each of those are in turn connected to the Illusionary World. Progressing through the arcs we come to understand and see more connections, especially when reaching the final set of Kotomi > Fuko > Toshio (Koumura) > Nagisa arcs. It would be difficult to present that kind of content in a more linear and time-constrained format such as the anime so some of the elements were reworked into character progression and side-story.

I can't speak about the game's After Story yet since I'm only now finishing up Nagisa's arc, but I'm sure it will not disappoint.

Honestly, if you feel like some of the story in the anime was a waste or a dead end, play through the game using the 300 Hour Guide. You'll have a greater appreciation for those elements.

Spoilers inside, don't look if you're about to watch it

Spoiler: show

I wrote a paragraph about Kotomi's parents earlier, but ended up deleting it to not spoil anyone. I guess I can't escape it now!


I caught that part in the anime, and I thought it was an interesting explanation. However, nothing good came out of the Illusionary World for me, and in retrospect, I almost wish it wasn't present in the story at all.

The ending was setting itself to be one of my favorite then... BAM... time reset. I raged. The drama was beautifully done in the last stretch, and while it was very sad, it was still a "good end". Rebooting everything (and destroying everyone's memories indirectly) is just lame. Sure, Tomoya deserved something happier, but life isnt quite happy anyway. We didnt need this Disney ending, or at least, I did not.

[edit]
I agree when you say that every arcs had a purpose, it's just that I think it could have been integrated in the show better if the story had a natural flow to it instead of being broken down in segment like this. I'm not blamming them for adapting the games (I'm sure they did a fine job), I'm mostly blamming key for missing the opportunity to write something that could have been better.

Anyway, my biggest gripe was the girls. They were all stupid and dulls, and no amount of visual novels would make me change my mind on this. Kyou was probably the most tolerable (or reasonable), but that's not saying much.

[Xanthe]

Kotomi was by far my least favorite character on the show. That kind retarded genius with down syndrome simply makes no sense to me. She did makes me laugh a few times with her innapropriate replies, but everything else about her was bad.

Spoiler: show

Her inadequacies weren't cognitive at all. They was due to the psychological trauma of her childhood. After the release at the end of her story she grew beyond the issues you described.

Again I'll defer to the game explaining things much better than the anime. Outside of Nagisa, I'd put Kotomi as one of my favorite arcs.

I'm not going to lie, I can't stand harem settings, and the female cast was pretty weak. The super ultra sad story they all went through does offer a minor redeeming values, but it still feel artificial and forced. In my case, tomoya saved the show in the first season. He was the one starting most jokes, and was one of the few characters with acceptables characters development

Season 1 was still l acceptable for the genre, but unless I ignore the first 40 episodes, I don't think Clannad was top tier material.

That's another problem that occurred going from the game to the anime. The game doesn't have the harem feel at all, at least in my opinion. Putting all of the character arcs into a single linear story pretty much forced in some harem-esque elements. The stories feel much more natural in the game. That's going to happen with pretty much any visual novel to anime adaptation.

Of course, it also comes down to personal tastes as well. I'm not a fan of the harem genre in particular, but I'll tolerate some elements of it for the sake of an overall good story.

Huge spoilers, don't look if you're about to watch it

Spoiler: show

I wrote a paragraph about Kotomi's parents earlier, but ended up deleting it to not spoil anyone. I guess I can't escape it now!


I caught that part in the anime, and I thought it was an interesting explanation. However, nothing good came out of the Illusionary World for me, and in retrospect, I almost wish it wasn't present in the story.

The ending was setting itself to be one of my favorite then BAM, time reset. I raged. The drama was beautifully done in the last stretch, and while it was very sad, it was still a "good end" in overall. Rebooting everything (and destroying everyone's memories indirectly) is just lame. Yes, Tomoya get the ending he deserved, but I didn't want to watch a Disney flick.

.

Spoiler: show

Like I said, the Illusionary World ties in SO much better in the game. Playing through it now, those bits and the anime ending make much more sense. Also if you noticed in the "time reset" portion, Nagisa and Tomoya didn't lose their memories. They understood who they were to each other immediately. I believe (without having played through the game's After Story yet) that was large part of the significance of the lights as they carried the memories of people.

There is a huge amount of story within Clannad, so much that it doubled what the scenario writers initially planned. I really hate to sound like a broken record, but find yourself a copy of the game and English patch and give it a go. You will not be disappointed. The characters and story are much better developed. I can point you towards the resources you'll need to get going if you like. Yes, the anime suffers from being an adaptation of a greater work, but it is still well done. The art and music are fantastic, and the story as a whole is a faithful reproduction of the original.

I agree when you say that every arcs had a purpose, it's just that I think it could have been integrated in the show better if the story had a natural flow to it instead of being broken down in segment like this. I'm not blamming them for adapting the games (I'm sure they did a fine job), I'm mostly blamming key for missing the opportunity of writing something even better.

I definitely agree, and that's why I'm glad fans have worked to translate the game into English. Being the original work and medium it tells the story the way it was meant to be told.

Sorry if there's any repeated business in this post. I pretty much just tacked on extra comments as replies went out. I think I still get the message across: play the game!