[QUOTE=Rookierookie]Slightly off-topic, but I bought a CD of the music in Miyazaki's anime. Very nice [/QUOTE]
Miyazaki has typically matched his works and mucis nicely, so I don't think it's all that much off topic. For the feel that he seems to work towards in his pieces, they are very approriate at conveying the emotion placed in the characters by the Seiyuu. It's a shame we don't have the same dedication and desire here in North America. Animation is truly something else in Japan.
Do you know the name of the person who composed most of the music in Miyzaki's films, especially the theme of Laputa?
Howl's Moving Castle has been selecting as the closing film for Internation Film Festival Rotterdam. There are rumours that it would be released in the US on 10 June.
A quickie on this anime. Why no picture ? I'm too lazy to find ones for this one. Why ? Okay the bottom line this anime is soo boring for me that infact I plan to make a pass on this one. Then again I think some of you should know how my verdict on this anime.
Overall : Super Boring
Geez you have a timid & whiny gal as main char that hardly improve till the end. And the plot murky, the only one that I got is alien is on earth and schools are forming alien defense team consist of 3 gals that got voted by their classmates. Why how and what hardly shown thru all the anime.
I've checked on a site, there's a review by others. For some it seems there are hidden messages that made by symbolism in it. Yet if symbolism it is heck it's anime not a Shakespeare novel D'oh ! Imagine if there're lots of anime like this
Overall : Super Boring
Geez you have a timid & whiny gal as main char that hardly improve till the end. And the plot murky, the only one that I got is alien is on earth and schools are forming alien defense team consist of 3 gals that got voted by their classmates. Why how and what hardly shown thru all the anime.
I've checked on a site, there's a review by others. For some it seems there are hidden messages that made by symbolism in it. Yet if symbolism it is heck it's anime not a Shakespeare novel D'oh ! Imagine if there're lots of anime like this [/QUOTE]
What about Evangelion? Or GITS? or Lain? Wouldn't you say most anime has redundant amounts of symbolism and metaphorical connotations to a myriad of sources from the bible (NGE) to the state of human existance (all three mentioned XD).
As for the plot of this Anime... hehe sounds a lot like NGE.... ACk I really hated Shinji by the 5-6th episode
Tact is for people not witty enough to be sarcastic
[QUOTE=Ekental]What about Evangelion? Or GITS? or Lain? Wouldn't you say most anime has redundant amounts of symbolism and metaphorical connotations to a myriad of sources from the bible (NGE) to the state of human existance (all three mentioned XD).
As for the plot of this Anime... hehe sounds a lot like NGE.... ACk I really hated Shinji by the 5-6th episode[/QUOTE]
Those three are very much different compare to Alien9. Story line are drawn carefully, especially for GiTS - I like it very much. If ya wanna try just ry to watch Alien9 and prove what i've said But don't say I didn't told u so
As for bible symbolism ya can try to watch Haibane Renmei. Great anime A bit strange story but still watchable
About EVA, EVA have colorful characters to pay for it sins From Ayanami Rei, Asuka Langley (aye her EVA 02 is great; can only activated with Germanese command ) , Ikari Gendo and "Baka" Shinji
Why not ya make some review for : Martian Successor Nadesico, Martian Successor Nadesico : The Prince of Darkness, Gekiranger 3, Neon Genesis Evangelion ANd The End of Evangelion ?
[QUOTE=KidD01]Ekental, I'm gonna give ya some assignment
Why not ya make some review for : Martian Successor Nadesico, Martian Successor Nadesico : The Prince of Darkness, Gekiranger 3, Neon Genesis Evangelion ANd The End of Evangelion ? [/QUOTE]
In addition, provide a detailed biography of each character of Naruto...
Now, this was one I was very leary about watching, for a couple reasons. The first, and strongest reason was because it quickly gained a huge fan base, along with die-hard fans. They have somewhat of a nasty habit of ruining a series for me, just because I get sick of hearing about. The other one was the premise behind the story. One aspect that I noticed, is that the story really places a strong emphasis on brotherhood, and family. It is the main reoccuring theme, I'd say, with the main characters being brothers, as well as imposters, that happen to be brothers, with a strong anti-hero character doing what he was doing, for his brother.
The story itself revolves around a pair of brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric. You get the typical tragic hero origins: Missing father, deceased mother. Add into the swing of things, Edward has two metal limbs (hence becoming the 'Fullmetal Alchemist'), and Alphonse (Now, Ed and Al, respectively) has become a living suit of armour. The whole armour thing sent up flags in my head, as it struck me as a bit of a foolish idea. Essentially, Ed and Al are looking for a way to restore their bodies to the way they were before they had performed a taboo of society, the taboo being that they attempted to revive their dead mother using Alchemy. In order to do this, Ed becomes a State Alchemist, and the brothers begin their search for the Philosopher's Stone.
The animation is solid, but at times there seems to be some descrepencies in how some characters look. Mostly proportional, but it can be noticable. It's nothing that detracts too much from the viewing, but it was enough to annoy me at times. Unlike a lot of series these days, combat was done incredably well. Fluid movements, as well as flashy animation aided the endevor quite a bit, and worked to create a very entertaining sequence. Sometimes, though, I would question the physics of it all, as I don't believe either Ed, or Al could move in the manners they did (especially Al, who is a clunky, hollow, suit of metal).
The sound track, I feel, is where this title really shined. The music was enough to convey the feel of the characters, and severity of the situations they were placed in. Both the opening and closing tracks (of which, there are about 4 or so each) fit the theme of the show well, and have a great sound to it. Other sounds, though, would get to me after awhile, specifically the incessant clapping Ed would do throughout an episode. Minor peeve on my part, though.
All in all, the series is impressive, but with backing of not only Bandai, but Square-Enix (May Enix rot in hell), it stands up to the quality test. The 51 episode series is well done, entertaining, was enough to draw me in so that I watched the entirety in roughly four days (Reading week. I was bored.). I'd definatly recommend this title to any getting into anime, or any who are looking for something a little bit more fun than some of the more psychological stuff circulating these days. It's definatly no Cowboy Bebop, but it's worth it.
Here you can chat about your favourite animes and mangas. I personally like Ranma, Rouroni Kenshin and Hunter X Hunter.
And I have a couple of things to say about the american anime voiceactors, YOU SUCK! I you watch anime that comes from USA and it's dubbed you get like a total shock! I was so shocked when I first heard american anime that I almost started to cry! The american voiceacting is like a rape! They are raping the anime and raping people/things is ILLEGAL! I can't understand how people in america can watch anime with american dub without going insane, it's beyond my comprehension... the original japanses animé sounds sooo incredibly much more realistic and soo much better!
The problem with North American voice acting is the fact that there is essential a group of 8 people who do most of the prominant voice acting for anime, and a lot of children's programing, all of which are nowhere near the talent of Hank Azaria, of Dan Castellenta. Because of this repetition of talent, it becomes easy to pick out a voice actor, and even easier to dislike one.
Also, there is a different set of priorities when voice acting in North America, and that's realism. Over here, we are obsessed with making sure the mouth and the dialogue line up. Because of this, subtle changes to the script are made in order to accomodate for this. This causes for the original meaning and intent to be changed, even if only in a subtle manner.
Lastly, for some reason, North American's feel the need to add additional ambient sound to the anime. A lot of the time, this is highly unnecessary, as it can drown out subtle text, or distract from the story itself. It's essentially just extra fluff.
Seiyuu's are highly respected and valued in Japan, and rightly so. The amount of talent and effort they put into their work is astounding. You can hear the emotion in the character, as well as the feeling. It's something voice actors over here lack.
… It's definatly no Cowboy Bebop, but it's worth it.[/QUOTE]
Actually, I am watching Cowboy Bebop right now, so I will get back to you on that. My wife, however, may not make it through all the episodes because she is offended by the way they make women look like sex toys, the fan service, and the frequent references to pornography. Come to think of it, I may ended up watching this with BS.
In terms of Full Metal Alchemist, I was pleasantly surprised by this series. I was expecting something more mecha-like, but the show was unexpectedly multifaceted. Also, I feel like it dealt with large, complex themes, like hubris (i.e. man playing god), suffering, and the insanity of power. One of the things that impressed me about this anime was that it was fearless in terms of going into some extremely dark places (genocide, war, sin, madness, etc) and yet balanced that very well with the humanity of all the main characters. The character development overall was commendable and the dynamics of how the story universe worked was intriguing. Finally, the storyline was infused with spiritual and philosophical themes, which I thought was handled very well. It was no coincidence, for example, that the names of homunculi came from the Seven Deadly Sins. The concept of seeing the shape of one’s sin, and of having to be responsible for that and live with the consequences, could in itself be the basis for several hours of discussion.
The main downside for me was the over-utilization, in my opinion, of the super deformed technique to communicate a slap stick sense of humor. It was jarring in several places and interfered with the pacing and emotional tone of the situation. A more subtle approach would have been appreciated.
In general, I would recommend this anime and place it in the same category as Hikaru no Go or Utena.
Those who will play with kitties must expect to be scratched.
Many are cold; few are frozen.
Absence is to love what wind is to fire... it extinguishes the small, it enkindles the great.
[QUOTE=Ideal Maxima]Rurouni Kenshin definitly rocks. At this point, it's at the top of my list. I mean common, did you even look at my avatar [/QUOTE]
My problem with Kenshin is that it's been over exposed, much like so many other titles I know. When a title becomes so exposed, it often loses a lot of it's appeal, and it reaches the horrid following of fanboys
I personally like to check out a lot of the lesser known titles, and in many cases, titles that don't get popular until a year or so after initial release (I suspect Gankutsou will be like this).
[QUOTE=Squee]But still, Kenshin rocks! Right now I'm watching Prince Of Tennis (Highly undersetimated) and Bleach. Oh, and Inuyasha too, just look at my avatar![/QUOTE]
It's a shame that the fanboys of Inuyasha have mixed all the subpklot/text of the show. When really breaking it down to it's basics, it's actually masterfully done.
[QUOTE=Aegis]My problem with Kenshin is that it's been over exposed, much like so many other titles I know. When a title becomes so exposed, it often loses a lot of it's appeal, and it reaches the horrid following of fanboys
I personally like to check out a lot of the lesser known titles, and in many cases, titles that don't get popular until a year or so after initial release (I suspect Gankutsou will be like this).[/QUOTE]
Over exposed? No way, or atleast not where I'm from. I actually made a comic similar to RK's storyline, and nobody even heard of it, but loved it. It was and still is the best "school" comic. (That's hand drawn/written)
[QUOTE=Ideal Maxima]Over exposed? No way, or atleast not where I'm from. I actually made a comic similar to RK's storyline, and nobody even heard of it, but loved it. It was and still is the best "school" comic. (That's hand drawn/written)[/QUOTE]
When I say exposed, I mean in anime circles. I happen to attend, and in some cases work, a lot of anime conventions, and more often that not, there the fanboys who fawn over a few key animes, Kenshin being one of them. Not only that, but so many people hail it as 'the' samurai anime, even when their are far better ones out there ( Samurai Champloo, Samurai 7, Deeper Samurai Kyo). Personnally speaking, I enjoyed the anime, but I didn't find it to be anything spectacular.
[QUOTE=Aegis]When I say exposed, I mean in anime circles. I happen to attend, and in some cases work, a lot of anime conventions, and more often that not, there the fanboys who fawn over a few key animes, Kenshin being one of them. Not only that, but so many people hail it as 'the' samurai anime, even when their are far better ones out there ( Samurai Champloo, Samurai 7, Deeper Samurai Kyo). Personnally speaking, I enjoyed the anime, but I didn't find it to be anything spectacular.[/QUOTE]
I completey agree with Aegis. RK or Samurai X was a good anime. But alas it seems blown into something much like OJ simpson case hippe lately. I guess it probably because it just aired in US. If you look the other way to tohers anime like Aegis said there are better ones. BTW Aegis you forget one old classic : Samurai Troopers aka Ronin Warriors aka Yoroiden Samurai Troopers. that one is real classic Want more titles ? Let's see : Kamen no Ninja Akakage aka The Red Shadow (the live motion picture version really bad though), Samurai: Hunt for the Sword aka Kai Toh Ran Ma, Mirage of Blaze aka Honoo no Shinkirou, hakkenden aka The Legend of the Dog Warriors, etc.
[QUOTE=Ideal Maxima]<SNIP>The only manga I've read is Yu Yu Hakusho and DBZ (Shonan[sp?]) [/QUOTE]
It's Shonen. Shonen means boys in Japanese. FYI Shonen also a company that have several great mangas i.e. X, Slam Dunk etc. (I love X ^_^ )
[/QUOTE]
