• Most new users don't bother reading our rules. Here's the one that is ignored almost immediately upon signup: DO NOT ASK FOR FANEDIT LINKS PUBLICLY. First, read the FAQ. Seriously. What you want is there. You can also send a message to the editor. If that doesn't work THEN post in the Trade & Request forum. Anywhere else and it will be deleted and an infraction will be issued.
  • If this is your first time here please read our FAQ and Rules pages. They have some useful information that will get us all off on the right foot, especially our Own the Source rule. If you do not understand any of these rules send a private message to one of our staff for further details.
  • Please read our Rules & Guidelines

So, you want to watch anime...

Malthus

Well-known member
Donor
Faneditor
Messages
1,599
Reaction score
1,635
Trophy Points
148
mnkykungfu said:
Malthus, I have to think about how I should respond to your other post.  I don't want this to become negative...I'd like to keep it as simply a friendly recommendation about what things we personally enjoy more...

I apologise if my comment came across as negative. That was not the intention. I was simply trying to highlight that the anime you were being critical of or deem shallow have near identical sources, specifically shonen manga. It was not an attempt to critique your choices. Rereading it the last sentence may have seemed aim at you specifically but it was the royal you. Thanks for engaging in the discussion.
 

mnkykungfu

Well-known member
Donor
Messages
2,279
Reaction score
747
Trophy Points
123
Yeah, I had time to get familiar with the different kinds of anime and manga while I was living in Japan.  As my suggested titles were split almost exactly 50/50 between original anime and adaptations from manga, I didn't see what pattern you were going for. 
your points about One Piece are way off the mark... What you are really talking about is long form anime... Now, let's look at your list: There's a pretty clear trend in the titles you suggested.

My advice would be looking at what the anime is based on before you start watching and read reviews and check its target audience. I'll be dealing with this more in next week's topic.
No harm, no foul, Malthus.  The part I had to think about was your last comment, which I'm sure you didn't mean to be negative, but kind of read to me like if I watched something and didn't like it, then that was my fault for not knowing what it is or researching better.  To me that just kind of contradicted the entire point of this forum.  Even though I lived in Japan and have talked with lots of people and read up on lots of anime, I still find it difficult to get trustworthy recommendations.  That was why I initially suggested starting this forum for people like Addiesin who are perhaps more particular about which anime resonate with them and would like recommendations beyond what is often found on anime forums.  Those are often written by more hardcore fans who might not notice or care about the same issues a more casual fan would.

I probably made a mistake in yucking somebody's yum.  Like with some TV shows like LOST, or other massively popular, long-running anime series (like Ranma 1/2, Dragonball, Fruits Basket, Revolutionary Girl Utena, or Naruto) I had friends that kept insisting it would "get better" and to not think I knew what it was going to be like just from a few episodes.  I'd watch an episode in season 3, season 5, or episode 200, and...yeah, it was the same for me.  I realize what I'm looking for is not the same as everyone else though, and I should've focused more on the positive things I love about the series I recommended.

So let me focus on the positive by saying why a series really rises above others in the genre for me.  I'll pick Evangelion, because it seems to me that it's gotten very fashionable to bash it nowadays, given that it had such a strong reputation for so many years.  It might be my favorite series of all time, but it did take me a few episodes to really get into it.  At first, it seemed much like Voltron for example, another in the series of "teen boy gets huge powerful robot to fight a new monster each episode" anime.  But I soon realized that Evangelion was playing with the tropes of the genre as much as it was living by them. 

Rivalries and love triangles and big showdowns sometimes have the gratifying payoff the audience expects... and sometimes the conventions get totally subverted and the show digs much deeper.  Within 15 episodes, the series is delving deep into characters' psyches, as well as developing a multi-layered narrative thread that references religion, philosophy, psychology, as well as paying homage to previous anime series.  By episode 26, the characters are not only asking what it is to be loved, but are exploring the meaning of life itself.  The audience is not walked through this with hand held, but asked to question the honestly of characters' answers, and to dig deeper.  It redefines what an anime series can be, and what it can do... and all this from an apparent Shounen Mecha anime setup.  This is one that transcends the genre.
 

Malthus

Well-known member
Donor
Faneditor
Messages
1,599
Reaction score
1,635
Trophy Points
148
Lesson #3 Mobile Suit Gundam

Giant robots are such a popular subject in anime that they comprise their very own genre; Mecha. Mecha anime fall largely into two camps:
 
  • Super Robot
  • Real Robot

Super robot anime focus on skyscrapper sized titans and tend to involve fantastical elements. Some examples of the super robot genre are: Mazinger Z, Voltron, Giant Robo, The Big O. 

Real robots on the other hand are typically smaller in scale and the shows and the mecha themselves adhere to a hard sci fi principles. The most successful franchise within the real robot subgenre is the one that spawned it: Gundam. Or to give it its full name: Mobile Suit Gundam.

Gundam is a meta franchise of epic proportions that dates back to the 70's and has produced dozens of shows, novels, games and other merchandise that take place in a variety of continuities. For an in depth look at the franchise take a look at this.

Did you know the original Gundam movie trilogy is available completely for free on the official Gundam YouTube page? No? Well lucky for you here are the links:

Mobile Suit Gundam
Mobile Suit Gundam II
Mobile Suit Gundam III

Personally I really like the original trilogy but I am also a fan of Gundam Seed, Gundam 00 and G Gundam Fighter each of which are set in there own continuity. If you're a fan of Star Trek or Babylon 5 the universe's of the Gundam Franchise might be a great entry point to explore anime as a genre.
 

TM2YC

Take Me To Your Cinema
Staff member
Donor
Faneditor
Messages
14,871
Reaction score
2,384
Trophy Points
228
The BFI doing a premiere stream right now...

 

mnkykungfu

Well-known member
Donor
Messages
2,279
Reaction score
747
Trophy Points
123
Malthus said:
Did you know the original Gundam movie trilogy is available completely for free on the official Gundam YouTube page? No? Well lucky for you here are the links:

Mobile Suit Gundam
Mobile Suit Gundam II
Mobile Suit Gundam III

Thanks for posting these Gundam links (unfortunately they're region-locked and don't work for me, but still)!  I would second that it's a great "classic" that holds up to modern viewing.  For anyone that is less sure of what anime they might like and looking to expand beyond Miyazaki, this could be a good starting point, too.  It's definitely hard sci-fi, but with universal concepts and a similarity to Miyazaki works in that there's a young person who gets in over their head and has their viewpoint of the world challenged.

There's also a follow up film, Char's Counterattack, which I think is one of the better anime films ever made.  It requires viewing the earlier trilogy first to fully appreciate it, though.
27A6918C-10B4-40CD-8520-919E7D435AF2.jpeg


And on the idea of small-scale mecha stories, I remember (it's been awhile) very much liking Gundam: The 08th MS Team, which is a short OVA series in the Dirty Dozen vein.  A more intimate morality play than the typical epic space battles the series might be more associated with.
 

Malthus

Well-known member
Donor
Faneditor
Messages
1,599
Reaction score
1,635
Trophy Points
148
Are you a fan of Daft Punk? Did you know for their seminal album Discovery they produced an entire anime film with the legendary Leiji Matsumoto at the helm? If you've never watched it it's a bizarre musical space opera involving intergalactic kidnapping, romance, robots and a musical conspiracy. If you've never seen it nows your chance and if you have already watched it then why not watch it...

One

More

Time


Interstellar 5555 Full Playlist
 

Jrzag42

Well-known member
Faneditor
Messages
4,004
Reaction score
1,023
Trophy Points
138
There was a cartoon from 2006-2008 called Kappa Mikey that was an attempt at a parody of anime. It's about an American guy named Mikey (drawn in a thick outlined weirdly proportioned western style I guess) who wins a contest and moves to Japan to become the new lead role in a long running anime with a declining popularity. I've only seen the first four episodes out of 52. It's not a good show, not good at all. After the first episode, the other three that I watched made no attempt at poking fun of tropes or whatever, it does nothing clever and devolves into any other children's animated comedy from the time. Like there's a pirate episode that makes no attempt at parodying One Piece, you had one job...
Anyways, it has a certain charm to it at times, and the theme song is really catchy.
I bring up this show because it came to my attention again recently when I discovered on Twitter that it's being uploaded officially on YouTub weekly in higher quality than ever before. Out of morbid curiosity I think I will watch through the show as it's being re-released. I really hope that it eventually finds its footing and truly takes advantage of the concept. I shouldn't expect much, but the fact that it has a bit of a fan base, and that it lasted more than one season leads me to believe that there must be something more to it.
 

mnkykungfu

Well-known member
Donor
Messages
2,279
Reaction score
747
Trophy Points
123
Malthus said:

Thanks for posting the links to Interstella 5555!  I haven't been able to track that down for years, definitely excited to watch.

Earlier I mentioned anime that moves quickly and has lots of character exploration.  Famed director Satoshi Kon (RIP) had a visual style so visionary and creative that some people found it easy to just think he was flashy and miss the substance behind it.  (Paprika has probably received the most dismissal from Western audiences.)  Here's a short, impeccable visual essay that shows a bit more of how Kon's editing style revealed character and story depth, implying connections and meaning almost subconsciously.

For anyone that is aware anime is not just for kids or gawky teens, but isn't sure where to look for dense stories that don't hold your hand, I'd recommend checking out Kon's work.
 

mnkykungfu

Well-known member
Donor
Messages
2,279
Reaction score
747
Trophy Points
123
Only one of the films in this is actually anime, but it's still an awesome piece of animation in and of itself.  Thought ya'll might like it.
 

TM2YC

Take Me To Your Cinema
Staff member
Donor
Faneditor
Messages
14,871
Reaction score
2,384
Trophy Points
228
^ That trailer was too exciting and promised too much: "Launching in May... nationwide screenings and a landmark season at BFI Southbank". 2020 has ruined everything :dodgy: .
 

mnkykungfu

Well-known member
Donor
Messages
2,279
Reaction score
747
Trophy Points
123
Well, for those who couldn't go anyway, it's nice just to have the trailer, lol.  And for anyone who wanted to work from home, 2020 has actually offered a blessing.  :D
 

It'sOnRandom

Well-known member
Donor
Faneditor
Messages
827
Reaction score
198
Trophy Points
63
Just started my first anime yesterday, Death Note (probably the most well known). So far I'm on around episode 17 and I'm absoultely loving it so far.

I've been told to watch Code Geyoss next, however I wanted your guys' opinions on it first if that is a good one to go to next.
 

Malthus

Well-known member
Donor
Faneditor
Messages
1,599
Reaction score
1,635
Trophy Points
148
I thoroughly enjoyed Code Geass and its sequel. I've yet to watch the Spin off OVAs. The series is a solid example of Mecha anime and features a really unique conceit that sets it apart from its peers. I would absolutely say that its first few episodes are not exactly representative of its full arc so if you enjoy the core ideas please stick with it. I assure you once you get passed the "cat episode" you've effectively finished high school hijinks. The character designs are by the iconic mangakas CLAMP and the anime is unusual as it marked the first time CLAMP lent their artist talents to a project that was not their own idea.
 

It'sOnRandom

Well-known member
Donor
Faneditor
Messages
827
Reaction score
198
Trophy Points
63
I thoroughly enjoyed Code Geass and its sequel. I've yet to watch the Spin off OVAs. The series is a solid example of Mecha anime and features a really unique conceit that sets it apart from its peers. I would absolutely say that its first few episodes are not exactly representative of its full arc so if you enjoy the core ideas please stick with it. I assure you once you get passed the "cat episode" you've effectively finished high school hijinks. The character designs are by the iconic mangakas CLAMP and the anime is unusual as it marked the first time CLAMP lent their artist talents to a project that was not their own idea.

I'll definitely give it a go then, i never thought that I'd like anime but Death Note has totally flipped my perspective.

Also sorry for my terrible spelling in the last post :)
 

Malthus

Well-known member
Donor
Faneditor
Messages
1,599
Reaction score
1,635
Trophy Points
148
If you want some other titles to consider I recommend any/all of these:
  • Cowboy Bebop
  • Escaflowne
  • Megalobox
  • Gundam 00
  • Made in Abyss
  • Kino's Journey (original series)
  • My Hero Academia
  • Full Metal Alchemist
With the last one you can watch either the original or the remake entitled Brotherhood both have their merits. Brotherhood's is largely more faithful and adapts the original ending of the manga while the original anime is shorter and has its own ending plus its own sequel movie.
 
Last edited:

El Marv

Member
Messages
6
Reaction score
3
Trophy Points
18
I don't know if these anime have been mentioned but I highly recommend Vinland Saga and Mob Psycho 100.
 

Jrzag42

Well-known member
Faneditor
Messages
4,004
Reaction score
1,023
Trophy Points
138
@It'sOnRandom
If you like Death Note, there's also two pretty decent Japanese live action film adaptations. I mean it's pretty close to the source material so it's not too much of a different experience, but it's neat to see how the story is condensed, and there are some neat changes. I just remember when I was younger, finding out about those movies and watching them was like the best thing ever. In hindsight they're not the best thing ever, but if you're a fan then they might be worth checking out.
There's also the Netflix movie which is lovably terrible. A great big fun mess, would recommend if you take pleasure in watching bad movies.

As far as other anime to check out, I second Fullmetal Alchemist. I've only watched the old series, I still need to get around to watching Brotherhood. The original was my favorite anime for a while.

Oh, forgot to mention, there's a point in Death Note where it starts to go downhill in my opinion, you'll understand when you get there. I always forget about that part of the show, and I suppose I never ended up finishing it.

I'm trying to think of other series that are similar to Death Note, or that I enjoyed around the same time that I got into Death Note.

Edit because I accidentally hit send: Some other series that come to mind are Black Butler, Bleach, and Soul Eater. Now, while I loved Bleach and Soul Eater back in the day, they can be a bit more perverted than I have the tolerance for now, so be warned. As for Black Butler, you might like it, you might not, it's been a while since I watched it, but I recall loving it. It can be a bit similar to Death Note tonally, but much different thematically. The first season at least. Go straight from Season 1 to the third season titled "Book of Circus," season 2 is to be avoided, if you so choose to check out the series.
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom