darth_mark wrote:i'm recommending MUSHISHI.
it's difficult to describe what exactly mushi are, and to an extent, defining what they are is what the series is about.

I've seen the first episode and can recommend it based on that. The art is really good. Language note, though:

"Mushi" means "bug" and "shi" (I think) means "killer" or "master," so the title of the show can effectively be translated as "bug-killer" or "exterminator." Not that the mushi of this show are ordinary bugs.

More plot info at Wikipedia.

drinian wrote:I've seen the first episode and can recommend it based on that. The art is really good.

indeed, i forgot to mention the beautiful animation and the lush backgrounds. it's gorgeous.^^;

drinian wrote:Language note, though:

"Mushi" means "bug" and "shi" (I think) means "killer" or "master," so the title of the show can effectively be translated as "bug-killer" or "exterminator."

The first episode of that Haruhi anime is utterly incomprehensible.

Space Penis wrote:The first episode of that Haruhi anime is utterly incomprehensible.

Do you mean episode 11, "The Adventures of Asahina Mikuru"?

darth_mark wrote:i'm recommending MUSHISHI.

This one is good. I first got a pointer to it as saying that if you liked Kino's Journey, you'd like this, and vice-versa; and I think that's a fair comment.

Mushishi's possibly distant corners of 1920s Japan (Call of Cthulhu era), given Ginko's modern style of dress.

Space Penis wrote:The first episode of that Haruhi anime is utterly incomprehensible.

well the end of the episode pretty much explains it, you were just watching a student film made by the characters in the anime.
the first episode is more of an introduction, the story doesn't really begin until the second episode. oh and if you're confused by what tines said, pay attention to what haruhi and kyon say in the next episode previews.;)

Err... its a shame, but I didn't read all the six pages if this one was posted... but I bet that nobody voted for this one:
Aquarion
"Holy Genesis Aquarion" in full length.
For the first blink, it I thought that it is but a mere and filthy NGE clone. My brother watched it and told me that its awesome. I didn't think like that back then.
Around a month ago, I sat down and watched it.
Damn, I was soaked after every part! Or 85% of them at least! It is terrrrrrific!
I would describe it as NGE Minus, since its an extrovert and emotional story. But its not an "I-love-you-so-we-save-the-world" type; in truth, it's plot is quite crafty. Has a couple of surprising turns.
It would also fit as an NGE sequel, though it has absolutely nothing to do with it. The beginning is like "people lived happily, then God pressed the "more destruction and genocide, plz." button; after that people are living in a fucked up world, harassed by the Shadow Angels".
It has a good philosophy too, and is a lot brighter than NGE (no offense, of course). If I wouldn't have watched Aquarion, I wouldn't be the person I am (and that was a positice comment! :P).
For more info, look around at www.mahou.org (not sure if it is well spelled; sorry for that :roll:) and as usual, google. And something like "animeyume.com" (or whatever, maybe its .net; I can't remeber these things) comes to my mind too. Some pics are there.
I sincerely hope that someone will bother to give it a try.

Mr. Tines wrote:

darth_mark wrote:i'm recommending MUSHISHI.

This one is good. I first got a pointer to it as saying that if you liked Kino's Journey, you'd like this, and vice-versa; and I think that's a fair comment.

I recently finally gotten around to Kino's Journey, and I agree with the sentiment. I started watching Mushishi near the end of last year when C1 was subbing it. I read somewhere about Kino's Journey and picked up the boxset back when ADV was having it's easter sale (I think I got it for 20 bucks or something ridiculously cheap). I really enjoyed the series and am starting a second viewing this weekend with my GF. Although the format of the story is different than Mushishi, I thought it was a great exposition of the human condition from the neutral viewpoint of Kino.

Faußtin wrote:Aquarion
"Holy Genesis Aquarion" in full length.

I'll add this to the queue. The first time I saw the description (I think it was on ANN) I immediately thought, "Hey, this sounds a lot like Evangelion", and soon forgotten about it completely.

Now for a recommendation, it's an old one and I'm sure a lot of you have already seen it before, but for those who haven't I highly recommend Grave of the Fireflies. Directed by Isao Takahata, one of the co-founders of Ghibli Studios, this movie is (IMO) one of the best works of cinema (animated or live-action). Very well directed and paced. The story is of 2 siblings, a 14 year old Seita and his little sister Setsuko, as they try to survive the U.S. firebombings near the end of WWII, while they are surrounded by indiffernce and ignorance. The movie is told in a flashback format, where the beginning of the movie you see a starving, homeless Seita about to die. Then the ghosts of the 2 siblings watch as the story is being told.

The interactions between Seita and Setsuko remind me a lot of Roberto Benigni's "Life is Beautiful", except instead of the love between a father and son, it is between big brother and little sister. I've only managed to watch it twice and I don't think I can sit through another viewing. To say that this movie is emotional may be an understatement. When my GF watched it, she was so upset afterwards that she couldn't speak for hours. A friend of mine in Japan asked me what my favorite scene from the movie was, and I think hands down, near the end of the movie, when the war was over and these rich Japanese folk were returning to their home. A phonograph was playing Sir Henry Rowley Bishop's "Home, Sweet Home" sung by Amelita Galli-Curci, and we're shown scenes from the bomb shelter, ragged and abandoned, with a ghostly Setsuko playing, laughing, and enjoying life.

This movie was based on the semi-autobiography written by Akiyuki Nosaka, who in the movie was Seita. He blamed himself for his little sister's death and wrote the book as a way to come to terms.

Ornette wrote:Grave of the Fireflies.

i really didn't like this movie. i heard all the hype before i got to watch it and i expected a heart-rending, tearjerker with the usual ghibli flair. but the main character really, REALLY annoyed me.

it just seemed to me that he was just being lazy and cowardly, with the way he refused to face reality. sure, i'm with all the preserving his sisters' innocence and all that, but not at the cost of her life eh? i was especially annoyed(angry even) at the way her sister starved to death and it turns out they still had money in the bank! get you priorities straight son!

I really didn't like Aquarion. It just seemed totally bland and cliched to me, although the CGI was pretty good.

And as a bizarro-reccomendation: I would not reccomend Transformers: Super-God-Masterforce to anyone ever at all.

The first episode of that Haruhi anime is utterly incomprehensible.

The first was one of my favorite episodes, the part where shamisen starts talking and najato tries to cover it up by saying its ventriliquism was so funny.

What? I never understood the talking cat part. Was it some sort of insider thing in the books? That cat didn't show up again later on the series.

AchtungAffen wrote:What? I never understood the talking cat part. Was it some sort of insider thing in the books? That cat didn't show up again later on the series.

There's a lot of material in the novels, enough that I don't think it's out of the question that there will be a second season. The cat talking was one of those things.

Just finished Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi, definetely gets my reccomendations.

Mr. Tines wrote:So, having discharged that obligation, and as people are recommending works-in-progress, I shall put in a word for

Simoun*

Crikey! I wrote that when we were only up to about episode 8, and things had only just started to get dark. I'm now up to episode 16, and to paraphrase a recent post on /a/ — "What is all this awesome doing in my lesbian fanservice!?"

Since this thread got revived I will add another recommendation. Kiddy Grade It is another Girls with guns anime and is sort of a cross between Noir and Dirty Pair.
Here is the Wiki description of it which isn't bad--->The story takes place in a future where the human race expands and inhabits a multitude of planets in the universe with fantastic technology. Unsurprisingly, crime has grown alongside technology, and thus the GOTT, Galactic Organization of Trade and Tariffs, is formed as a sort of universal police force. Within this organization, there is a special (and secret) branch known as the ES Force (ES standing for "Encounter of Shadow-work"), consisting of twelve young people that possess amazing superpowers. Each ES member operates with another as a team, and the series' focus is a team of two low-level members, Eclair and Lumiere. The series follows their missions as Eclair begins to be struck by violent flashbacks of events that no one wishes for her to remember.<---
There is a lot of action and a good amount of suspense in the anime but also it has some refreshingly funny parts that balance it out. It does get a wee bit confusing in the middle but nothing too bad.

As for recommending another anime, I am going to skip that this time. The only previously posted one that I would recommend would just cause you goobers to orgasm all over the board again.

This is a good thread, so pardon the revive.

Anyway, I'd like to recommend Wolf's Rain. I've watched it a while ago and fell in love with in IMMEDIATLY.

Basically it's in a world going through fimbulwinter(wiki-search it if you don't know what that means), where there is a prophecy that in the end of the world awaits a place called Rakuen (Paradise), and that only the wolves would be able to sniff it out. Conviently, the wolves have seemingly disappeared 200 years prior to the series' start and are believed extinct.

OR ARE THEY? The wolves have learned to adapt to the new situation, and by the use of mental imagery can fool humans to think that they are humans, which they are not. This isn't a form of shape-shifting, just mental imagery, though. The story centers around a wolf by the name of Kiba (literally translates to Fang in Japanese), as he is attracted to a town called Freeze City by the scent of 'The Flower Maiden', Cheza, a girl who is also a Lunar Flower, and the key to unlocking Rakuen. After being kidnapped by a masked man in front of Kiba's eyes, Kiba follows instinct and goes on a journey to find Cheza and reach Rakuen. To him join three more wolves and together they form a pack which travels to Rakuen together, going through the world's chalenges together.

The show has some great action parts and the art is really good. Also, the human characters there are very intresting and also donate much to the plot. It really is a great story about chasing the meaning of your life, your purpose. Kiba symbolizes this very much and his determinatino is very inspiring. The Anime draws some intresting resemblence with EVA's structure-Wolf's Rain has 26 episodes and a 4 episode OVA, compared to Eva's 26 and EoE (which is the length of four episodes). The music is also very good, and has some great english tracks and Japanese tracks.

I can't find any decent pictures, so I'll just give you an AMV with my apologies.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=M8Mp_s4xfOQ

I'm watching Gunslinger Girl again. It is so horribly depressing.

One day, when someone I don't particularly like is getting married, I'll show them the last episode. Then they'll be all sad when they get married.

ferrarimanf355 wrote:And don't believe the Narutards: the English dub is pretty decent. Just try it before you knock it.

Naruto is the only anime that I have to watch in Japanese. I saw a few episodes on adult swim and i couldn't stand it. As a whole, the series has a lot of good (amazing action, lots of well developed characters, and light hearted humor) and lots of bad. The bad is particularly bad though. Hours and hours of flashbacks (sometimes flashbacks to an earlier point in the SAME EPISODE). Sometimes its like pulling teeth. The show takes hours to say what other anime series could say with a pained expression or a quick word.

I'll say it: Naruto is a BAD ANIME. But its hella entertaining.

I recommend you Battletoads.