The Anime Thread

[11B4V]

What's the difference between this and cartoons?

What a silly question. They are cartoons.

Looney Tunes are cartoons. This stuff not so much.

[CountDeMoney]

Looney Tunes are cartoons. This stuff not so much.

[Eddie Teach]

Looney tunes are *good* cartoons. Anything stringing together a bunch of drawings to show animation on tv is a cartoon.

[jimmy olsen]

My 15 year old nephew has been tainted with Naruto. 

The manga has just ended.  The anime is still ongoing though.  From what I have read, it seems One Piece is more popular than Naruto in Japan by a wide margin, but the reverse is true in North America.  Part of the reason is that the they somehow screwed up the English version of the One Piece anime.

I don't know about that; I think the art style of One Piece may have something to do with it. Certainly I find it gives me a feeling of "wrongness" (and even, dare I say it, "childishness") compared to the art of Naruto, Fairy Tail or even (the almost equally weird to western eyes) Bleach.

I don't know about the manga, but I have seen all the One Piece episodes and 540 out of 610+ Naruto episodes (working on it at 5 episodes per week).  I think the One Piece anime is clearly better than the Naruto anime in terms of production values.  The animation is much more detailed, and there is less variation among the different episodes (the episodes are subcontracted out to different studios).  The Naruto anime is pretty average, or even below average, in terms of animation. 

Story-wise, I also like One Piece more.

Production values don't matter if the style being produced is hideous, which it is. I just can't stand what the characters look like.

[Monoriu]

Production values don't matter if the style being produced is hideous, which it is. I just can't stand what the characters look like.

Not going to argue with you or anyone over style, which is very much a matter of personal taste.  I find the One Piece style unique and perfectly acceptable.  I think one thing that stands out for One Piece is that the artist draws very unique faces.  One Piece is a huge world with a cast of hundreds if not thousands.  One problem with Japanese manga and anime in general is that often the characters all look the same, and the only thing that tells them apart is hair colour and style.  This problem is averted in One Piece, as the characters, especially the males, have many unique looks. 

[Monoriu]

Tsukimonogatari, or possession story.  The tenth story in the "monogatari" series, just broadcast in Japan on new year's eve as a four-episode TV special.  This is a world where anomolies like vampires and deities exist, and may possess human beings causing trouble.  The story is about the protagonists' attempts to deal with these anomolies.  The series is known for its lengthy and clever dialogue, and stylish visuals done by well-known studio Shaft.  Both the source novel and the blu-ray discs of the series are best-sellers in Japan.  A normal anime series is said to do relatively well with 4k-5k in BD sales.  Each "monogatari" easily sells for over 10k or more, which is uncommon these days.

In the early stories of the series, the formula is that a girl is possessed by an anomoly, and Araragi, the male protagonist, saves the day.  The characters all grow and develop throughout the series, and this story is the first where the reverse takes place.  Araragi, himself possessed by a vampire from the start, must now face his own problems.   This time, Yotsugi, the girl pictured above, helps him.  I am not heavily into arty stuff, but I have to say, this show is a visual feast.  Not in the sense of having very detailed backgrounds and a limitless budget.  But the scenes are presented in highly symbolic and unique styles that command attention.  Despite having like two or three times as much dialogue as other animes, the story is engaging.  One event leads to another, and the thinking process of each character is well-explained. 

This is another successful entry in the long-running series.  This one is the official opening of the so-called third season.  Shaft has already said that it will animate all the remaining novels.

[Duque de Bragança]

Maria the Virgin Witch.  During the hundred years war, Maria, a powerful witch, does her best to stop the battles affecting her village.  Apparently, the arch-angel is displeased with Maria's actions, and has sent an angel to make sure that she doesn't use magic in front of the muggles, or to have sex with anyone. 

"Sorcière de gré, pucelle de force" sounds  like an interesting starting point for a weird Japanese take on Joan of Arc. 

[Monoriu]

Doraemon.  I have to talk about this today.  This isn't the usual anime show.  It has been a fixture on mainstream Japanese and Hong Kong TV since the 70s, running almost continuously since then.  That's why the seriously outdated 70s style cheap animation.  So yes, there are over 2,000 episodes and like 30-40 movies (one is released annually).  Everybody in this cornor of the world knows the main plot, even the anime haters and grandparents.  The movies gross more than the most popular late night big budget anime adaptations.  The main characters are national icons.  No, I haven't seen all the episodes, just a couple hundred of them when I grew up   

Nobita (the one in yellow shirt) is a loser pre-teen.  He is a slacker, does badly in sports and academics, often bullied (by the brute in orange and the rich guy in the right bottom cornor), has a crush on the girl pictured above but can't say it etc.  Enters Doraemon, a bumbling, talking robotic cat from the future to help him (sent by his descendents.  The idea is to improve Nobita's grades so that his children will have a better life.  Due to Nobita's failures, his children are too poor to send anything other than an imperfect factory-rejected cat).  The story is episodic and always follows the same formula.  Nobita has a problem, Doraemon pulls out a powerful gadget from its hyperspace pocket, Nobita solves the problem initially, Nobita abuses the gadget and it backfires horribly, the gadget is forgotten and the next episode begins.  The gadgets are quite interesting, like there is a red-bean cake that, when eaten, makes the eater tell the truth.  The gadgets are usually one episode affairs, but there are a few that stays, like an "anywhere door" that allows instantaneous travel, a time machine hidden in Nobita's desk, and a headgear that allows one to fly around like a helicopter. 

I have to talk about this today because the Cantonese voice actor for Doraemon just died yesterday.  He has been on the job for over 30 years.  It is all over the headlines here today 

[Barrister]

I realized my 4 year old has been watching Pokemon on Netflix when he gets his hands on the iPad.

I wonder if I need to intervene. 

[Monoriu]

I realized my 4 year old has been watching Pokemon on Netflix when he gets his hands on the iPad.

I wonder if I need to intervene. 

Resistance is futile    The more my parents intervened, the more I wanted to watch them 

[Barrister]

I realized my 4 year old has been watching Pokemon on Netflix when he gets his hands on the iPad.

I wonder if I need to intervene. 

Resistance is futile    The more my parents intervened, the more I wanted to watch them 

That's why I haven't intervened yet.

[Admiral Yi]

I realized my 4 year old has been watching Pokemon on Netflix when he gets his hands on the iPad.

I wonder if I need to intervene. 

Give him the Clockwork Orange cure.

[The Brain]

Make him smoke a whole carton of cigarettes.

[Agelastus]

At least we agree on the awesomeness of No Game No Life.     That's the only one out of your list that I have seen.

Even the guy who's currently in charge of Random Curiosity agrees on the awesomeness of "No Game, No Life".

http://randomc.net/2015/01/05/best-anime-2014/

[Monoriu]

Gundam 00.  A standalone gundam show with its own separate continuity, so knowledge of other gundam shows is not necessary.  In the future, Earth is divided into three major factions and numerous small countries.  To solve an energy crisis, humans have built a massive solar array, and three gigantic elevators that provide access to them.  Enters Celestial Being, a private military organisation that vows to stop all wars with "armed intervention".  Their words are backed by four gundams that are decades ahead of anything that the world governments can field. 

Gundam shows are known for their moral ambiguity.  Most factions have shades of grey, but this seems to be the most pronounced in Gundam 00.  Celestial Being is well aware of the inherent contradiction in its methods.  Its actions, including attacking all sides in a civil war, can be interpreted as blithe superiority or even terrorism.  And there are real consequences, which are not limited to collatoral damage and civilian casualties.  They can make matters worse, they can provoke others into going to war, they can make innocent people suffer, they maybe taken advantage of, and even within Celestial Being there are very different views on how to achieve the war to eradicate all wars.  I have not seen a gundam show where it is so difficult to root for the protagonists, as the counter-measures adopted by the world governments are reasonable and there are genuinely likable characters on the other side of the conflict. 

Overall the show is very enjoyable with the complex relationships among the different factions and characters, its interesting political messages, the "must watch the next episode" momentum, and high production values.  Probably one of the most political gundams I have watched.  It isn't without its flaws.  It takes some serious leap of faith to believe that a private organisation can keep itself hidden from world view for centuries and achieve technological superiority over the rest of the human race.  Watching the invincible gundams curb-stomp the world's best military for the nth time can be boring.  The show has a habit of inventing new powers and never-before-seen allies for the protagonists whenever they run into trouble.  Despite these imperfections, I found myself finishing the 50 episodes and movie within days.  One of the better gundam shows that appeared in the past decade.