The Anime Thread

[Barrister]

Log Horizon. 

If "Lost Horizon" was set it in Canada, this is what it would be called.

The Royal Geographical Society sends two explorers to an unmapped location in the Canadian Rockies; eccentric British millionaire Jos Q. Eis and all-American boy Timothy Olsen.  Hilarity ensues as cultures collide on the train trip to Peace River.  Our intrepid explorers set off on what promises to be the adventure of a lifetime.  As they go deep into the mountains a blizzard strikes, and they fall hopelessly lost in the snow.  They awaken at a mysterious mountain city which the natives call Neilgra-la.  There they find people have extraordinary longevity and are dedicated to egotism, dreadnoughts and justice; but perhaps everything is not as it seems... 

As a one-time member of the Peace River bar, I can tell you it's not in the Rockies.

[Monoriu]

I am watching Ghost in the Shell now, and one of the episode titles is this -

¥€$ (=yes)

I think this is absolutely brilliant. 

[Tonitrus]

Log Horizon. 

If "Lost Horizon" was set it in Canada, this is what it would be called.

The Royal Geographical Society sends two explorers to an unmapped location in the Canadian Rockies; eccentric British millionaire Jos Q. Eis and all-American boy Timothy Olsen.  Hilarity ensues as cultures collide on the train trip to Peace River.  Our intrepid explorers set off on what promises to be the adventure of a lifetime.  As they go deep into the mountains a blizzard strikes, and they fall hopelessly lost in the snow.  They awaken at a mysterious mountain city which the natives call Neilgra-la.  There they find people have extraordinary longevity and are dedicated to egotism, dreadnoughts and justice; but perhaps everything is not as it seems... 

As a one-time member of the Peace River bar, I can tell you it's not in the Rockies.

I presume he meant that as just the end of the rail line before heading towards the Rockies.

Still seems like a detour though.

[Savonarola]

I presume he meant that as just the end of the rail line before heading towards the Rockies.

Still seems like a detour though.

I thought it was an amusing choice for the end of the line; but if you really need verisimilitude in a throwaway blurb about a utopia run by Neil then Tim O and Jos Q took the train to Calgary instead.

[Monoriu]

Magi.  Shonen adventure series, Arabian nights style.  This fantasy and magical world is divided into many different empires and kingdoms.  Mysterious dungeons have appeared throughout the lands.  Each dungeon is inhabited by a djinn.  Those who conquer the dungeon earn the allegiance of the djinn, and become powerful magic users.  There is a special class of magicians known as magi, who can make use of the magic in the surroundings.  Aladdin is a magi, and he meets Alibaba during his travels.  The two of them aim to conquer a dungeon together.  During their travels, they meet allies and enemies, and get involved in the wars among the empires.

This series distinguishes itself from other shonen series (e.g. Dragonball, One Piece, Naruto etc) by its willingness to deal with more mature and difficult subjects like slavery, racism, politics, war and peace.  The different empires have their own themes and sets of characters, e.g. there is one based on the ancient Chinese empire, another one based on the Roman empire.  The cast is huge, and there are multiple viewpoints.  The series is known for having very famous seiyuus voicing everyobdy, even minor characters.  Another advantage is that there are only 50 episodes so far, so it is less of a time investment.  The story has yet to end though.

I however feel that, as far as shonen goes, there are better stories out there.  Magi is a decent series, but Fairy Tail, One Piece and the non-filler episodes of Naruto are all more engaging and interesting. 

[Neil]

Log Horizon. 

If "Lost Horizon" was set it in Canada, this is what it would be called.

The Royal Geographical Society sends two explorers to an unmapped location in the Canadian Rockies; eccentric British millionaire Jos Q. Eis and all-American boy Timothy Olsen.  Hilarity ensues as cultures collide on the train trip to Peace River.  Our intrepid explorers set off on what promises to be the adventure of a lifetime.  As they go deep into the mountains a blizzard strikes, and they fall hopelessly lost in the snow.  They awaken at a mysterious mountain city which the natives call Neilgra-la.  There they find people have extraordinary longevity and are dedicated to egotism, dreadnoughts and justice; but perhaps everything is not as it seems... 

As a one-time member of the Peace River bar, I can tell you it's not in the Rockies.

I presume he meant that as just the end of the rail line before heading towards the Rockies.

Still seems like a detour though.

Logistics aside, I find that premise fascinating.

[jimmy olsen]

I am watching Ghost in the Shell now, and one of the episode titles is this -

¥€$ (=yes)

I think this is absolutely brilliant.

Overall it's a rather brilliant show.

[Monoriu]

I am watching Ghost in the Shell now, and one of the episode titles is this -

¥€$ (=yes)

I think this is absolutely brilliant.

Overall it's a rather brilliant show.

But also beyond sick at times 

[Monoriu]

One of the most heartbreaking moments in Sword Art Online is when Sachi sings Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer to Kirito.  The whole episode is like stabbing the audience in the heart; the song is like twisting the knife twice.  I've been looking for a version of that song that is performed in a similar way.  I've finally found it -

Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer - Aoi Teshima
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxYLb9FwEFQ

[Eddie Teach]

 

If you think that is moving, you should check out Alanis Morissette's rendition of My Humps.

[Monoriu]

If you think that is moving, you should check out Alanis Morissette's rendition of My Humps.

It is only moving if you have watched that episode 

Thanks for the suggestion though.  Anything else?

[Monoriu]

Bodacious Space Pirates.  This is one of the shows where the name is a problem.  I don't know how "bodacious" sounds to westerners, but the show is translated as "violent space pirates" in Chinese.  Another name for the show is "miniskirt space pirates".  Neither "violent" nor "miniskirt" is an accurate reflection of the series.  It is a light comedy/adventure series, has nothing to do with harem and there is not much fanservice. 

In a distant planet in the future, the government has issued letters of marque to several space piracy groups, allowing them to raid commerce shipping under certain rules.  These permits must be passed down the family, and this is how a teenage girl become the captain of one such pirate ship.  The "raids" are actually highly scripted events that are agreed upon in advance between the pirates and the shipping companies.  The pirates take the valuables of the passengers, who are then compensated by the insurance companies.  The shipping companies consider it a sort of entertainment for their guests, who welcome them as a harmless adventure.  Any injuries sustained throughout the raids are faked.  In addition to these, the space pirates also take odd jobs like rescuing hostages, investigating strange events, participating in space races etc. 

Despite the premise of a teenage girl leading a bunch of space pirates, everything else is quite realistic.  The description of the space battles is quite impressive and detailed.  They don't solve all their problems by charging ahead and firing missles in all directions.  They actually engage in electronic and cyber warfare.  Also nice that there are no excessive reliance on mechas or psyhic powers. 

[Agelastus]

Should have just left the title in the original mix of Japanese and English that the anime used; "Mouretsu Pirates" or "Mouretsu space pirates" is meaningless to an English speaker but still sounds better than "bodacious" or "miniskirt".

It is a very good series (and the premise isn't quite as silly as it sounds; the original letters of marque were real, issued during a rebellion led by Sea of the Morningstar against its Colonial masters - then both sides got thumped by a third party that doesn't really care what individual systems do as long as they don't fight each other and things evolved from there.)

I second the recommendation; it's a good enough series that I've actually bought the DVD release.

[Monoriu]

I almost forgot.  The opening for Bodacious Space Pirates.  This isn't music that I'd like to hear on my stereo system over and over.  But I do remember it, and it is one of those songs that keep ringing in my head. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcBXhDCQNJE
(warning: this isn't mellow and depressing.  More like loud and rockish)

[Monoriu]

Little Busters.  Yet another anime show based on a Key Visual Arts visual novel.  A bit different from the other four Key Visual Arts work (Angel Beats, Clannad, Kanon and Air) that Little Busters has a stronger emphasis on friendship, and the harem aspects are toned down a bit. 

Little Busters is the name of a group of five friends.  One day, they decided to form a high school baseball team, so they needed to recruit additional members.  The task falls to protagonist Riki, who must help the potential members to solve their problems.  The task is complicated by mysterious messages popping up from time to time that he and his friend needed to complete certain tasks to uncover the mystery of the world.  The story follows the basic Key formula of a male protagonist running around helping females (yes, all potential new members are girls) with their tragic pasts. 

If I need to rank these five shows, my ranking is Angel Beats, Clannad, Air, Kanon and Little Busters.  Angel Beats and Clannad are timeless classics.  Air and Kanon are very good shows if you like all things Key.  If you have seen the other four and like them, Little Busters is a must see, but I don't think it is as good as the other four.  The tragic pasts of the girls feel a little weird this time.  There is an overall "mystery of the world" plot, but my feeling is that it is a little weak in the sustaining disbelief department.  Key Visual Arts is notorious for producing content that makes people cry.  Perhaps it is a deliberate attempt to tone down the crying part this time, but I'd say the story is not moving enough.  It is not a bad show; it just doesn't live up to the standards set by the other shows.

The show is in an odd position now.  The main show has ended with 2 seasons and 39 episodes plus 1 OVA.  A new OVA series (EX route) with new girls is being released right now.  So far 3 episodes have been released and more are coming.