[mochimon]

hi guys.

Let me start by saying that i am not a huge anime addict or anything - i really just like animated films and the types of stories that you find in alot of them.

that said, i was wondering if any of you can recomend a new series or movie to me.

let me say that i really really loved FLCL - the artistry and fun of the series was really amazing to me. i also liked bebop(duh), miyazaki, GTO(manga), GitS, etc.

what i DONT like is the extremely commercial stuff like naruto, ful metal alchemist, etc. and i usually do not like english dubs.

the most intriguing thing to me about animated films is the world they create and the sense of existing in that world. Or the way that they show the world that we live in a way that makes us experience it differently for ourselves.

oh and if it were to have really good music that would be a plus too.
(i like sakamoto and yoko kanno alot, usually).

manga welcome too. Thanks guys!

 

[mochimon]

oh yeah, and if anyone can recomend a good anime forum? or just animation. it doesnt need to be japanese.

 

[Kirosia]

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=122999

Oh, and try not to double post.

 

[Gautama]

I like Yu Yu Hakusho for action

 

[goldenratiophi]

The only thing worse than Naruto is its fanbase.

Before anyone gets offended, I'm talking about those people at my school who think every day is a good day to cosplay as a Naruto character, and have conversations like this:

Naruto fan: "Do you like anime?"
Me: "Sorta. I've seen Evangelion and-"
Naruto fan: "OMG DID YOU SEE NARUTO LAST NIGHT WHERE THE GUY DID THE THING AND LOL KAKASHI AND OMG NARUTO IS SO HOT

...ALSO GAIA LOL"

 

[Chrispy]

Evangelion. Ghost in the Shell.

 

[Carl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by goldenratiophi /img/forum/go_quote.gif ...ALSO GAIA LOL"

Gaia is the cancer that's killing pretty much everything. Scary place.

 

[Dual]

Check out:

Black Lagoon
Ergo Proxy
Death Note
Darker Than Black

 

[dissembled]

Pokemon.

 

[mochimon]

yeah, ive been watching a litle death note on youtube. the story is very nice, but i really hate the animation. its just so lifeless and bland.

i dont like the way that most anime looks like it was all drawn by the same lifeless drones. like they all use the same crappy programs. i hate the way that alot of animation these days looks so motionless and worldless.

to me the art form of animation is about making a world happen without having to draw every last line or say every last word. emanuel ho does a good job of this. my heighbors the yamadas did a good job aswell. in some parts of series like his and her circumstances, evangelion, paranoia agent, etc. do it too, but i just hate to see animation studio's or animators or directors that are glad to simply slack off the work and "stick to the script".

 

[lumanogin]

I think the animation in Death Note is rather good actually and matches well with what the manga tried to convey. It helps create the mood that was intended. It's a nice change from the over saturated color scheme of everything else.

I recommend Elfen Lied, Haruhi Suzumiya, and Blood+ for it's soundtrack. A couple of new ones that I'm enjoying are Darker Than Black and Gurren Lagann. I don't know if they're too "commercial" for you, but what's wrong with liking them if they're good?

 

[tk3]

I think Wolf's Rain will be perfect for you, if you haven't seen that yet.
The OST is done by Yoko Kanno, plus, 2 of the songs are sung by Maaya.

You may like Escaflowne too, I haven't seen that myself, but the OST is excellent also.

 

[mochimon]

when i say commercial i mean that certain anime's are made with the goal of becoming long running cash cows like naruto and one piece. i feel like they are insincere in this way, as though what i experience in them is nothing but an advertisement, a plee for money. it saddens me how the japanese animation industry is based around their manga industry - how anime's are rarely made that didn't already sell very well as manga.

its similar to the hollywood dilema here in the U.S. Studios pour so much money into projects that they cannot afford to make something that wont sell. so they go by the numbers and end up with dull, bland, generic (i believe the anime industry is a VERY generic indusry) frap. conducting what is essentially a business of creativity in this way stiffles the very source of growth and longevity that keeps it alive.

i feel like most "commercial" - as in: for profit, not passion - industries are far from alive. i believe they are stagnant and dead.

 

[Carl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mochimon /img/forum/go_quote.gif i dont like the way that most anime looks like it was all drawn by the same lifeless drones.

Animators are lifeless drones. The wages relative to the cost of living in urban Tokyo is impossibly low, you can't live like that. Making a minimal number of key frames and farming all the inbetweening off overseas is a reality the industry has no choice but to deal with.

That said, a lot of animators are really proud of what they do, the pleasure of creating stuff with their own hands is the only consolation they get for their long hours and poor living and working conditions. The result is more subtle and pervasive than in your face and you do have to be able to look around the uninspired and poorly done to be able to appricate it.

Quote:

but i just hate to see animation studio's or animators or directors that are glad to simply slack off the work and "stick to the script".

Sticking to the script is the job of anyone working in motion pictures. If you just do whatever you want you're going to end up getting the sack.

Quote:

it saddens me how the japanese animation industry is based around their manga industry - how anime's are rarely made that didn't already sell very well as manga.

That's because the manga industry gave birth to the anime industry in the first place. The first decade of commerical anime almost entirely consisted of economic failures which basically served as advertising for popular manga. It was only merchandisation in the 70s, straight to video mass production during the 80s economic boom, and then overseas licencing in recent times that gave the industry any sense of profitability as a seperate entity. A bit over half of modern anime is manga derived, with the rest a mixture of original content, novel-based and eroge-based stories. Seems pretty standard for mass media to my eyes.

Quote:

i feel like most "commercial" - as in: for profit, not passion - industries are far from alive. i believe they are stagnant and dead.

Most people who are passionate about something wouldn't take the pessimist's view on it. I've watched quite a bit of anime from the 70s and and quite happy to say modern works are far more accomplished. And it's animation, not something that was ever intended to be taken too seriously.

 

[Zorander]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tk3 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think Wolf's Rain will be perfect for you, if you haven't seen that yet. The OST is done by Yoko Kanno, plus, 2 of the songs are sung by Maaya. You may like Escaflowne too, I haven't seen that myself, but the OST is excellent also.

You can add "Darker Than Black" to that list. Yoko Kanno has once again showcased her prowess with this great mystery, action show.