The Anime Thread

[Agelastus]

Irregular at Magic Highschool: 7/10 "Irregular" is a very poor choice of word, and probably an incorrect translation.  The main character is a dead serious, mature, icy cold and highly competent student, who is somehow sorted into the "poor performing" half of the class.  The world looks huge, with tons of characters, complicated magic rules, and a rich backstory.  The hype surrounding this show seems well-justified.  Looking forward to this one.

The map of the post World War III world made me do a spit-take.

Why was the East EU the western part? Why was the West EU the eastern part? (the actual division was Latin/Germanic and hangers on judging by the map.) Why are Japan and China the only two nations in the world that don't seem to have federated with anybody? How on Earth does the Perso-Indian Federation (or whatever the name was) get its name - Iran has always been Iran to the natives of the country so a Federation would be Irano-Indian. Not that the existence of a united Islamic-Hindu state makes much sense but still, it is eighty years in the future so one has to allow a little license...and possibly the existence of Khan Noonien Singh since the state seemed to resemble his Empire from more traditional Star Trek versions of the Eugenics Wars.

For all that I enjoyed the first episode; compared to the Manga (I haven't read the novel) it was a lot more explicit about the existence of the darker parts of the "siblings" pasts which I thought made a good contrast with the high school scenes. There was a certain dissonance between the home and school scenes that worked very well.

[Monoriu]

Irregular at Magic Highschool: 7/10 "Irregular" is a very poor choice of word, and probably an incorrect translation.  The main character is a dead serious, mature, icy cold and highly competent student, who is somehow sorted into the "poor performing" half of the class.  The world looks huge, with tons of characters, complicated magic rules, and a rich backstory.  The hype surrounding this show seems well-justified.  Looking forward to this one.

The map of the post World War III world made me do a spit-take.

Why was the East EU the western part? Why was the West EU the eastern part? (the actual division was Latin/Germanic and hangers on judging by the map.) Why are Japan and China the only two nations in the world that don't seem to have federated with anybody? How on Earth does the Perso-Indian Federation (or whatever the name was) get its name - Iran has always been Iran to the natives of the country so a Federation would be Irano-Indian. Not that the existence of a united Islamic-Hindu state makes much sense but still, it is eighty years in the future so one has to allow a little license...and possibly the existence of Khan Noonien Singh since the state seemed to resemble his Empire from more traditional Star Trek versions of the Eugenics Wars.

For all that I enjoyed the first episode; compared to the Manga (I haven't read the novel) it was a lot more explicit about the existence of the darker parts of the "siblings" pasts which I thought made a good contrast with the high school scenes. There was a certain dissonance between the home and school scenes that worked very well.

My wife watched this for about 30 seconds, and she happened to bump into the WWIII intro.  She was like, "if they are in trouble, they should work together, not fight a world war.  I hate your anime." 

[Monoriu]

Mirai Nikki, or Future Diary.  A survival game where 12 people were given diaries that accurately predict the future in different ways.  The goal of the game is to kill all the other diary holders and become god, literally.  Wimpy Yukiteru has a diary that predicts everything that happens around him.  The problem is he uses his diary for purposes like getting great scores, and very soon attracts the attention of other diary holders who intend to kill him. 

The real highlight of the show is Yuno Gasai, another diary holder pictured above.  There are plenty of anime characters who are clingy jealous girlfriends played for laughs.  Yuno Gasai is not that.  She is a mass-murdering psychopath who has a body count probably higher than the rest of the cast combined, and she chops people up with glee.  She carries human skulls with her when she travels, talks to the corpses of her victims, and shows no hesitation whatsoever of killing 4-year olds.  Her "love" for Yukiteru is taken to insane levels.  Her diary predicts what happens to Yukiteru in 10-minute intervals.  She obsessively stalks him, breaks into his house with a hammer to cook for him (and much more), gives him a wet kiss in episode 1 (in Japan, kissing is a huge deal and a lot of romance shows reserve the kiss for the climatic moment in the last episode), intends to kill anyone who befriends him, and is more than willing to charge special police tactical teams head on to protect him etc.  Yukiteru is terrified of her, but he is also forced to use a loyal ally and competent melee figher as a bodyguard in the survival game.

The show can be quite sick at times and is filled with gore and nudity.  It is also one of the better shows that I watched recently and Yuno Gasai (Gasai, a real Japanese last name, literally means my wife) is one of the most memorable anime characters ever created.  She is the goddess of mental girlfriends.  All of the diary holders have unique abilities and colourful stories that make them endearing.  There is fast-paced, nonstop action with interesting plot twists.  It is just one step below true classics, as some of the side character actions aren't as well justified as they can be, and the production qualities aren't the best that I've seen. 

[MadImmortalMan]

I watched two episodes of Attack on Titan. So far, I hate it.

Why the obsession with a siege mentality? How many animes have that as a central premise anyway? I know I've seen at least three where the people were holed up inside their cities and the countryside was full of monsters. Why the huge flesh monsters? It's always flesh monsters. Mindless ones.

(This may be my ignorance--maybe the east asian concept of a demon is historically flesh monsterish and I'm just not plugged-in Tyr-style.)

[Monoriu]

I watched two episodes of Attack on Titan. So far, I hate it.

Why the obsession with a siege mentality? How many animes have that as a central premise anyway? I know I've seen at least three where the people were holed up inside their cities and the countryside was full of monsters. Why the huge flesh monsters? It's always flesh monsters. Mindless ones.

(This may be my ignorance--maybe the east asian concept of a demon is historically flesh monsterish and I'm just not plugged-in Tyr-style.)

Too bad.  Every anime show has haters and even the best ones are no exception.  I was hooked from the start. 

Black Bullet (being aired right now) has the same premise.  City under siege and the countryside is full of monsters.  Neon Genesis Evangelion and the original Macross are also siege-like shows.  I love them.  I don't think they are too common though.  I think there are far more mecha, magical girl, harem or school romance shows.   

As for the giants being mindless: [spoiler]keep watching.  Not all of them are mindless  [/spoiler]

Is there any particular kind of anime show that may interest you? 

[MadImmortalMan]

Honestly, I'm more curious about what these recurring themes say about Japanese culture and society. Why does the siege thing play well? Is there maybe a person who was involved in all of these shows who just really likes that kind of setting? Do many Asian guys feel like they actually live under siege and these are an analogy for modern life? I can get that.

But I don't dislike anything out of reflex. I plan to watch maybe three more of AoT before I take it out of the queue. I'm pretty forgiving, honestly. Some things take time to get traction. Hell, If Seinfeld had been aired on Fox instead of NBC it would never have gotten a second season. It didn't fit Fox's requirements in season one.

[Monoriu]

Honestly, I'm more curious about what these recurring themes say about Japanese culture and society. Why does the siege thing play well? Is there maybe a person who was involved in all of these shows who just really likes that kind of setting? Do many Asian guys feel like they actually live under siege and these are an analogy for modern life? I can get that.

But I don't dislike anything out of reflex. I plan to watch maybe three more of AoT before I take it out of the queue. I'm pretty forgiving, honestly. Some things take time to get traction. Hell, If Seinfeld had been aired on Fox instead of NBC it would never have gotten a second season. It didn't fit Fox's requirements in season one.

As you know, Attack on Titan is adapted from a manga.  The manga was actually shunned by many major publishing houses when it started because the premise was unusual.  I don't think a siege is a very common setting in anime. 

As for the layout of the Attack on Titan anime: [spoiler]episodes 3 and 4 are training episodes which can be a bit slow.  Episode 5 is the beginning of the first major battle arc.  Suggest that you don't drop the show until you reach at least episodes 5/6[/spoiler]

[MadImmortalMan]

Oh well maybe I'm just lucky, but I'm not a consistent anime watcher and I have noticed the siege thingy. Desert Punk, for example.

Madoka Magica, which you so endorse, is on Netflix now. How many should I go though again?

[Monoriu]

Oh well maybe I'm just lucky, but I'm not a consistent anime watcher and I have noticed the siege thingy. Desert Punk, for example.

Madoka Magica, which you so endorse, is on Netflix now. How many should I go though again?

Madoka Magica is 12 TV episodes and 3 movies.  Movies 1 and 2 (Beginning Story and Eternal Story) are compilation movies that tell almost the same story as the 12 episodes, with better pacing and graphics.  If you haven't been spoiled about the story, I suggest that you go through the 12 episodes first.  This is because the two movies assume that the viewers are already familiar with the story and contains a major spoiler opening sequence. 

The real story has yet to begin by the end of the second episode.  So suggest that you stick with the show past that point. 

Movie 3 (Rebellion story) is the sequel to the 12 episodes.

[Monoriu]

Ghost in the Shell.  Ghost means soul; shell means body in the story.  It is a police and crime story set in the distant future where most people have some kind of cybernetics implanted into their bodies, and many are full cyborgs.  The female protagonist is one such cyborg. 

The show almost feels like a western animation show rather than Japanese anime.  The cast are all adults and the character designs are rather realistic.  It certainly aims at a more mature audience, and explores philosophical themes like the relationship between soul and body.  Lots of computer hacking, cyberpunk culture, politics, philosophical babbling, government corruption, awesome fighting scenes, awesome music (done by gamed composer Yoko Kanno).  There is even a claim that the Matrix movies drew inspiration from this series. 

A major problem with the show is, when I type "ghost in the shell" in any search engine, I get tons of different names and I have no idea which is which.  I have watched them all and here is a quick guide.

Not counting the manga, there are 3 continuities, with different character designs in each.

Continuity 1

Ghost in the Shell (1995): a famed standalone movie released in 1995.
Ghost in the Shell 2.0: a scene-by-scene remake of the 1995 movie, with updated graphics.  The plot and sequence are identical.
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence.  Sequel of the 1995 movie.

Continuity 2

Ghost in the Shell: Stand alone complex (maybe shortened to SAC).  A 26 episode anime.
Ghost in the Shell: Laughing man.  Compilation movie of Stand Alone Complex.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand alone complex 2nd GIG.  A 26 episode anime that is a sequel to Stand Alone Complex.
Ghost in the Shell: Individual 11.  Compilation movie of Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand alone complex solid state society.  Some call it a movie, some call it an OVA.  Sequel to Stand Alone complex 2nd GIG.

Continuity 3

Ghost in the Shell: Arise.  There are supposed to be 4 movies/OVAs.  Only the first 2 have been released.  They are working on the 3rd and 4th shows. 

[Savonarola]

Ghost in the Shell.  Ghost means soul; shell means body in the story.  It is a police and crime story set in the distant future where most people have some kind of cybernetics implanted into their bodies, and many are full cyborgs.  The female protagonist is one such cyborg. 

The show almost feels like a western animation show rather than Japanese anime.  The cast are all adults and the character designs are rather realistic.  It certainly aims at a more mature audience, and explores philosophical themes like the relationship between soul and body.  Lots of computer hacking, cyberpunk culture, politics, philosophical babbling, government corruption, awesome fighting scenes, awesome music (done by gamed composer Yoko Kanno).  There is even a claim that the Matrix movies drew inspiration from this series. 

A major problem with the show is, when I type "ghost in the shell" in any search engine, I get tons of different names and I have no idea which is which.  I have watched them all and here is a quick guide.

Not counting the manga, there are 3 continuities, with different character designs in each.

Continuity 1

Ghost in the Shell (1995): a famed standalone movie released in 1995.
Ghost in the Shell 2.0: a scene-by-scene remake of the 1995 movie, with updated graphics.  The plot and sequence are identical.
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence.  Sequel of the 1995 movie.

Continuity 2

Ghost in the Shell: Stand alone complex (maybe shortened to SAC).  A 26 episode anime.
Ghost in the Shell: Laughing man.  Compilation movie of Stand Alone Complex.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand alone complex 2nd GIG.  A 26 episode anime that is a sequel to Stand Alone Complex.
Ghost in the Shell: Individual 11.  Compilation movie of Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand alone complex solid state society.  Some call it a movie, some call it an OVA.  Sequel to Stand Alone complex 2nd GIG.

Continuity 3

Ghost in the Shell: Arise.  There are supposed to be 4 movies/OVAs.  Only the first 2 have been released.  They are working on the 3rd and 4th shows.

If you ever get a chance read "Neuromancer" by William Gibson.  It's the grandfather of all cyber-punk; "Ghost in the Shell" borrows quite liberally from it.

[Savonarola]

Ghost in the Shell.  Ghost means soul; shell means body in the story.  It is a police and crime story set in the distant future where most people have some kind of cybernetics implanted into their bodies, and many are full cyborgs.  The female protagonist is one such cyborg.   

All those scenes of Major Motoko Kusanagi in her underwear and the high pitch voiced Tachikoma could only have come from Japanese anime.   

[frunk]

If you ever get a chance read "Neuromancer" by William Gibson.  It's the grandfather of all cyber-punk; "Ghost in the Shell" borrows quite liberally from it.

Molly Millions would kick Major Kusanagi's ass.

[Monoriu]

Ghost in the Shell.  Ghost means soul; shell means body in the story.  It is a police and crime story set in the distant future where most people have some kind of cybernetics implanted into their bodies, and many are full cyborgs.  The female protagonist is one such cyborg.   

All those scenes of Major Motoko Kusanagi in her underwear and the high pitch voiced Tachikoma could only have come from Japanese anime.   

I hate the Tachikomas.  They just feel...out of place in the story.  I don't think they appear in Continuity 1 and I am glad for that.  I am usually fine with childish antics and cute things in general, but these guys are simply annoying.  I usually insist in watching everything in an anime, but I just can't stand the Tachikoma monologues at the end of the Stand Alone Complex episodes.  I admit that I skipped most of them.

I am willing to reason that the major frequently appeared nude in the Continuity 1 movies due to the fact that she needed to activate her cloak system  .  I do find her outfit in the Stand Alone Complex episodes...odd.   

[Monoriu]

Macross Frontier.  Released in 2008, the show celebrates the 25th anniversary of the original Macross anime.  It takes place a few decades after the original but in the same setting, and features a totally new cast and story. 

It takes pains to retain most of the elements that make the original Macross great.  Weaponised songs, a love triangle, fighters that can transform into mecha soldiers, unknown aliens that respond to singing, a Miss Macross contest, a male pilot as the protagonist, a badass mentor.  Yes, they did mention Lin Min May a couple of times and even showed her portrait.  There is an entire episode dedicated to trolling the audience about the badass mentor.  In the original Macross, Roy Focker's girlfriend promised the make him some pineapple salad.  He performed some heroics on a mission, then went to said girlfriends place to play guitar, but died before eating the salad.  Cut to the empty cockpit which was completely shot up and full of blood.  This time, it is "pineapple bread", and the guy went to a threatre instead, and once again the maintenance crew were shocked when they saw the cockpit.

Instead of the pilot having to choose between a famed singer and his strict female superior, this time both female love interests are singers.  One is a confident, kickass, princessly big syster type.  The other is a cute, timid, and kind small sister type.  What amuses me is that, although the two girls should be fierce competitors both professionally and romantically, they are in fact best buddies to each other even though they are fully aware that they love the same guy.  To the point that fans jokingly point out that there is no need for the guy to choose: they'll do fine with 3 people under the same roof. 

The battle scenes are beyond awesome.  Only the Evangelion and Madoka movies are in the same league.  Yoko Kanno did the music, and she did not disappoint.  Some samples:

Aimo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bL4KkYaLJA0

Lion
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzCgTU5IJBI

There are two movies that are an alternative retelling of the story with some significant changes.