posted
I'm sure everyone here, has unfortunately seen giant robot Anime at some point in their life. I, have seen it many times, for no other reason, that there used to be nothing at 2 in the morning. Well, to go on, here is my list of things that happen in Anime, (with giant robots) that are completely moronic and I thought would be quite laughable to you Hatrackers.
1. In Anime, out of nowhere, people will aquire Billion dolar robots that are 250 feet tall.
2. These giant robots NEVER seem to be noticed by the public, even when they are destroying their homes.
3. Whenever the robots defeat another giant robot, they cause BILLIONS of dollars in property damage; and yet, the government and people are happy for it.
4. A thousand times Japan has been destroyed by robots, and many different cities. Either they rebuild really fast, or Japan is about a kajillion square miles.
5. 250 foot robots are held in GIANT underground bases, that not even the government knows about.
6. Whenever these giant robots come out of the ground, no one seems to care. The government says, "Lets let them destroy our city, and cause billons in property damage. Then we will give them a giant reward, and go bankrupt.
7. All people have huge 2 foot eyes, that should be able to see to timbuktu ten times to tuesday. When, really, all the eyes do is make them completely blind as to the fact that their city and homes are being destroyed.
8. The color of most people's hair is blue, or purple, or some other weird thing. (To my standards. Hair is generally not such colors, to say.)
9. The islands of Japan seem to rgenerate rathre quickly, considering how often they are destroyed.
10. No other countries seem to exist. (Britain, Canada, India, USA, China, etc.)
I have more, and if you don't participate in this thread, I will destroy you with my conveniently placed GIANT ROBOT!!!! (Mouth still moving)
posted
Try Cowboy Bebop and Ghost in the Shell -- both the movie versions and the TV series. No giant robots, but the TV version of GitS, which is known as Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex, does feature annoying (but small) robot tanks. The lead in GitS does have purple hair, though.
I used to actively avoid anime, but those two shows were very enjoyable.
Posts: 10886 | Registered: Feb 2000
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posted
G Gundam is a worldwide affair, and they mostly accept the fact that giant robots are blowing the crap out of everything, and sometimes even embrace it. One robot per nation, all duking it out to see who gets to be in charge of the whole planet.
Big O buys into your theory, in that tons of damage is done to Paradigm City, but most people hate all the machines there, no one really cheers for them. Not even for Big O, and he tries to help everyone
You want good non robot Anime? Try Trigun, with the English dub, and Full Metal Alchemist but with the original japanese. It's so much better than the dub. Yu Yu Hakusho is fun too, though a little lower on the scale of greatness. The Hair color thing doesn't always work out, but there's no robots in those.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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posted
Good giant robot anime: Neon Genesis Evangelion. You must watch this.
*echoes recommendations for Trigun and Cowboy Bebop*
edit: Oh, and like Lyrhawn says, you should always try to watch your anime in the original japanese. It's much better that way.
Posts: 739 | Registered: Dec 2003
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Maybe you should try watching a non-explosion anime like Love Hina.
Or a vampire one like Helsing.
Or a sexually confused farce like Ranma 1/2.
If you watch nothing but shounen anime of course you're going to get giantoroboto.
I third Neon Genesis: Evangelion for giant robot anime and would like to add Mai Hime. Both are as heavy on emotion as they are on giant robots.
Oh, and about the eyes... Eyes are the window to the soul. Anime and other cartoon characters have big eyes so we can see they're expressions more clearly and more intensely.
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A third for Trigun... but let me also recommend the dub... the subtitled lines are not, IMO, as good as the spoken english ones.
Gun Smith Cats is set in Chicago and uses identifiable weapons and vehicles (the lead character favors a CZ-75 9mm and drives a Shelby GT500). There are many implausibilities in the story (the lead characters are supposed to be 18 and 19 yr old bounty hunters... and they can afford a Shelby?) but it's a fun ride.
Posts: 121 | Registered: Jan 2006
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Yes, I always look to animation for starkly realistic storytelling.
And I look to foreign animation for art and stories that reflect my American views on how art and storytelling should look.
...
Sarcasm aside, I *do* recall being amused, watching "Robotech", that one of the characters failed to recognize that the green-haired woman who suddenly showed up at base was an alien spy, largely because his own hair was blue.
But I find nothing "unfortunate" about being exposed to Anime. You can see it as an interesting window to a foreign culture and imaginations that may look at life through a lens which may be wildly different from your own. Or you can get irritated at the differences and implausibilities, at which point you should probably ask yourself if you wouldn't be happier watching something else.
And yes, some anime is wildly better than others. This isn't surprising, given that animation in Japan has been a far more robust art form than in America, by and large, and animation has been used for everything from giant robots to cooking shows. Many of the first imports were... Surprise surprise... Big robots and explosions. But don't tar the whole genre with the same brush, okay?
Posts: 3826 | Registered: May 2005
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A second here on Ranma 1/2. This was my first "real" introduction to anime (we shall not count Pokemon, nor Digimon), and I love it. Lots of fun.
And another voice on the Fullmetal Alchemist, too. Posts: 2849 | Registered: Feb 2002
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I must confess that Inuyasha makes me laugh, especially when it deals with whether Inuyasha will confess his feelings for Kagome. I enjoy watching it immensily as I am entertained easily and I feel relaxed after watching it. Ranma 1/2 shows you how messed up Anime artists are. Who conceives of these ideas? Ironically the same women responsible for Inuyasha is also responsible for Ranma 1/2 but STILL! Cowboy Bebop is a solid show. As for giant robots, its not limited to Anime. Shoot GI Joe, Silver Hawks, and shows like it frequently featured evil large robots.
Posts: 14316 | Registered: Jul 2005
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Blayne Bradley
unregistered
posted
Gundam Wing, Gundam Seed and GS: Destiny are all good mech anime's because it uses Gundams/Mobile suits as military hardware built and designed by a particular governments military and yes other countries exist.
Gundam Seed is more realistic then Gundam Wing in the way that the Gundams are simply more advance pieces of military hardware and can be taken down if used improberly and are dependant on a carrier (aka Archangel class ships) for refit and power regeneration, otherwise they're useless and shot down.
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I must be watching the wrong anime, because I can't think of any that have featured giant robots. I do know it's a staple in certain kinds of anime, but not the ones I watch.
I also recommend Trigun. Both the dub and the sub are good; I have a slight preference for the dub, because I really ADORE Vash's English voice actor. Other anime that I love include R.O.D. the TV and Fullmetal Alchemist.
Posts: 1805 | Registered: Jun 1999
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1. In Anime, out of nowhere, people will aquire Billion dolar robots that are 250 feet tall.
Not out of nowhere. It's a well known fact that Japan is 12 years ahead of us. In 12 years, a billion dollars is closer to 100. Just we haven't caught up yet.
quote: 2. These giant robots NEVER seem to be noticed by the public, even when they are destroying their homes.
Hmmm... alien enslavement, or destroyed cities. Shoot.
quote: 3. Whenever the robots defeat another giant robot, they cause BILLIONS of dollars in property damage; and yet, the government and people are happy for it.
See number 1.
quote: 4. A thousand times Japan has been destroyed by robots, and many different cities. Either they rebuild really fast, or Japan is about a kajillion square miles.
Japanese people are really focused.
quote: 5. 250 foot robots are held in GIANT underground bases, that not even the government knows about.
George Bush choked on a pretzel- politicians shouldn't be expected to know whats going on in their country.
quote: 6. Whenever these giant robots come out of the ground, no one seems to care. The government says, "Lets let them destroy our city, and cause billons in property damage. Then we will give them a giant reward, and go bankrupt.
Again, see number 1. They are essentially buying their heros lunch at wendy's. Second, Japanese get a -10% on all building costs. Didn't you play Age of empires?
quote: 7. All people have huge 2 foot eyes, that should be able to see to timbuktu ten times to tuesday. When, really, all the eyes do is make them completely blind as to the fact that their city and homes are being destroyed.
You are so stuck on people not caring. It's the end of the world, why bother caring, drinks all around!
quote: 8. The color of most people's hair is blue, or purple, or some other weird thing. (To my standards. Hair is generally not such colors, to say.)
And toys don't talk, but they certainly are interesting enough for 3 full length movies.
quote: 9. The islands of Japan seem to regenerate rathre quickly, considering how often they are destroyed.
The sears tower has the same problem.
quote: 10. No other countries seem to exist. (Britain, Canada, India, USA, China, etc.)
Yes, because every anime someone needs to say "Japan is being destroyed, for the love of God, someone call America!"
Posts: 530 | Registered: Jan 2003
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posted
The voice actor for Vash in Trigun really make the show for me. It's a fantastic performance.
And in G Gundam, the members of the security council are basically the most important characters, only replace Britain with Japan. Only instead of the UN, they tear up the planet with giant, awesome robots.
Gundam Wing has to be the best of the giant robot anime, I've never seen Evangelion, though my cousin swears by it. I really like Big O though. The setting is different and interesting, it's not about alien invasions and space battles.
You have to go into Anime with a certain open mindedness. I mean, people watch Lost, and how likely is THAT?
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Reticulum: I'm sure everyone here, has unfortunately seen Anime at some point in their life. I, have seen it many times, for no other reason, that there used to be nothing at 2 in the morning.
That last sentence explains your first sentence.
I'm sure most of what you're watching is the English dubbed garbage (imo) that Cartoon Network's "Adult Swim" broadcasts at those times of night. Thar be plenty robots thar.
It's definitely not for everybody (big eyes?) but there are several "quality anime series" out there that definitely not unfortunate to watch.
I second the recommendations for the "Ghost in the Shell" series, "Trigun", and "Cowboy Bebop".
"Wolf's Rain" is a nice fairy tale, with good music.
"Fruits Basket" is chicken soup for the soul if you like er...melodrama. But it ain't the best selling manga in the US for nothing!
"Love Hina"==funny in parts, but let's just say you can definitely tell who the target audience is in this anime.
And as far as big robots go, yeah, I'm not big on them either. The only robot anime I like is Robotech, but only the NOVELIZATIONS and not the actual ANIME. Posts: 1236 | Registered: Mar 2002
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quote:Originally posted by Reticulum: Yes, seen those, and they are quite good. But a good deal of anime has giant robots that destroy Japan.
11. There are NO cherry trees in Japan.
Try sakura - cherry blossoms. When have you ever seen an actual 'cherry tree' in anime? Maybe you misheard?
Posts: 63 | Registered: Feb 2006
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posted
Fullmetal Alchemist is one of my favourites too. I think Princess Mononoke is also a good intro to anime for people who think they don't like anime.
Also, many of the Gundam series deal with giant robots (and space colonization) in a fairly realistic way (as far as anime goes).
Posts: 1569 | Registered: Dec 2004
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posted
I think yo guys are right. Though I did not day it, I really meant that the giant robots are the bad anime. MOST at least. Trigun, Bebop, and other such shows are quite good good.
Two things though to anti-chris. I really can't tell if your exaggerating/kidding, so if you are, and I sound like an idiot, here is a disclaimer. Since when is Japan 12 years ahead? I have not heard of this fact. In fact, the American companies are at the forefront of technology, as is the government. Were do you get this information?
As for the money thing, 1 US dollar is worth 116.9 Yen. Of course, stuff like shampoo costs like 400 Yen...
Posts: 2121 | Registered: Oct 2005
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posted
Hey, Reticulum, what do you mean with "unfortunatly" having seen anime??? This animator is taking offense, >:[
Posts: 3389 | Registered: Apr 2004
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Recommending Evangelion and also Bleach, the last without any robots whatsoever (that I've noticed). Quite many swords, though Posts: 25 | Registered: Feb 2006
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I wonder if in the Japanese cultural subconscious there's a certain insecurity that is made up for in giant destructive creatures/robots. After the WW2 occupation and all... Giant robots and monsters are kindof a military power fantasy, y'know.
Posts: 3141 | Registered: Apr 2000
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quote:Originally posted by Reticulum: Yes, seen those, and they are quite good. But a good deal of anime has giant robots that destroy Japan.
11. There are NO cherry trees in Japan.
Actually, there are plenty, but since they aren't in bloom, you just don't notice. It's a well known fact that during the 2 weeks (more or less) when cherry blossoms are in bloom, there is a unspoken truce among all owners/controllers of Giant Robots to forego violence while everyone enjoys the brief but spectacular cherry blossom show.
Posts: 6394 | Registered: Dec 1999
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posted
Regarding Ranma 1/2, where can I find that? It sounds amusing. Would it be at local video stores in a small town, or would I have to order it from somewhere? And would the shopkeepers give me strange looks if I rent anime?
More seriously--the difficulty I have with anime as a window into another culture is that it's hard to tell what's "cultural difference" and what's just bad. I can certainly see why the Japanese might be obsessed with giant robots and monsters, as Jenny suggests (hi, Jenny! Write me sometime.). It's harder to tell about the odd-colored hair or the quick rebuilding of property damage--is that a cultural convention, or is it bad writing?
Posts: 1114 | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
I recommend Ninja Scroll (the first movie), if you haven't seen it. It's excellent work, but hopelessly violent, so beware.
Fooly Cooly - sometimes denoted as FlCl - is possibly the greatest thing I've ever seen. Premise: top animators in Japan, tired of being constrained by such things as "marketing" and "rational thought patterns," get together and make a 6-episode miniseries that involves them doing whatever they want. Don't expect fully cohesive plotlines, but the animation is topnotch, and I found it to be hilarious.
Golden Boy is another miniseries that I found really well done. Very little violence, but fairly prevalent sexual themes, though it's not what's called hentai. Bonus: pick up the dubbed version. It's voiced by the same guy who does Vash in Trigun. /URL=http://www.animenfo.com/animetitle,186,bgolzf,golden_boy.html]Description.[/URL]
Air is another quality miniseries. I've only seen a few episodes, but I've been meaning to finish it. Description here.
Can you tell I like shorter series? In my experience, animes that go over two seasons end up sucking sooner or later, ala Inuyasha, Naruto, and Dragonball. All, of course, have their redeeming factors. Naruto does some outstanding fight sequences, thought more so in the early-middle portion. Inuyasha creates an interesting world, and has Takahashi's great sense of humor. And Dragonball is great for sucking in kids while they're young. But by the time the 60th episode rolls around, I just want to strangle something while screaming, "WHEN WILL THIS END!?!?"
Posts: 2907 | Registered: Nov 2005
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posted
Not a big fan of giant robots, myself. I was irked when they showed up in the re-imagining of The Count of Monte Cristo (Gankutsuou).
BUT... The hair thing? If they all had black or brown hair like most people in their country, it would be hard to tell the characters apart sometimes. This is also, I assume, the reason for the very static sprigs of hair that stick out all over in some anime. (Don't go for that sort of art, or the kitten-eye thing much either - I like some anime because it's pretty, and other anime because the stories are good even if the drawing isn't compelling. Dumb story + art I don't care for = me no watchee.)
Posts: 9293 | Registered: Aug 2000
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posted
Well, I have seen animes where only natural hair colors were used, usually more in dramas or darker fantasies. But also, brightly colored hair can sometimes be another way of depicting character. For instance, white hair on persons of all ages denotes special power or wisdom.
I LOVE Fullmetal Alchemist and can't recommend it enough. Its probably one I'll rewatch over spring break.
I'm still following Bleach. It has gone alittle too cutesy/fighter for me, but I still really like the main characters and so I'm still watching and hoping it goes back to his darker roots.
Posts: 1733 | Registered: Apr 2005
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Are you saying that in reality there are none, or that in the shows there are none? Because there are cherry trees in Japan. In fact, the cherry trees in Washington D.C. came from Japan as a gift.
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Rake: Recommending Evangelion and also Bleach, the last without any robots whatsoever (that I've noticed). Quite many swords, though
Yes, Bleach is good but it suffers from dragon ball Z syndrome to some extent. That is, the focus is on characters becoming more and more powerful and having titanic battles with each other, which is in fact fun to watch . It has a far more interesting story and overall concept than DBZ though.
If you're in to "fantasy" martial arts action with story and character development, Naruto is also pretty good, but the manga is better than the anime. The same can probably be said for Bleach, but I've only recently began reading the manga.
Both of these series are largely aimed at a teen audience, but many college/university aged people like myself enjoy them as well.
There's also a new series called Blood+ that I've been watching. It's about vampires and a teenage girl who kills them... No, it's nothing like Buffy!
posted
I also love FMA, but haven't seen the whole series yet (not all of it is out on dvd).
My husband watched InitialD and we watched a realistic version of Ruroni Kenshin, both with characters with natural haircolors, and I did get confused. Also, at first I had trouble telling the dudes from the chicks in RK -- too many kimonos. Posts: 9293 | Registered: Aug 2000
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quote:Originally posted by Reticulum: 1. In Anime, out of nowhere, people will aquire Billion dolar robots that are 250 feet tall.
2. These giant robots NEVER seem to be noticed by the public, even when they are destroying their homes.
3. Whenever the robots defeat another giant robot, they cause BILLIONS of dollars in property damage; and yet, the government and people are happy for it.
Having grown up on superhero comics and seen the carnage left behind Superman and Co., I can't understand what the fuss is all about. Suspension of disbelief. Otherwise, we have to get into absurd comics about the clean-up crews.
Posts: 12266 | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
I fully recognize and accept that I am in the vast minority on this one, but I hated Neon Genesis Evangelion. No, I have not watched the entire series. No, I will not watch the entire series no matter how many people claim "It gets better" or "You have to watch them all for it to make sense." When the first several episodes are that thoroughly dull and pointless, I will not waste further hours of my life on the rest of the series.
That rant aside: Reticulum, I think even restricting Anime down to Anime With Giant Robots, the things you list are true in under 5% of them. However, you should totally watch Megas XLR (Not really Anime, just uses some of the style) for a show that makes fun of every Mecha cliche in the book. Not intellectual viewing by any stretch, but usually quite funny.
posted
bev: The tentacles in Mononoke Hime are NOT the hentai type. They're more the "feel my rage" type...
Posts: 7085 | Registered: Apr 2001
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posted
Enigmatic you are totally right! That show is Great! Oh, to bad they canceled it, because it is just great.
Mr. Porteiro- Yes, I was referring to the fact that are no cherry trees in quite a few Animes. Lots have it though.
To those who keep insisting I hate all anime... I can understand where you are coming from, but I only meant giant robot anime. The rest is good.
And to Advent. I don't think we need such vulgar responses here. Please try to refrain from insulting others and myself like that. It is my opinion, and if you do not like it, that is fine; I only ask that you respect it.
Posts: 2121 | Registered: Oct 2005
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My favorite part of many animes is that is doesn't follow the standard rules that is found in American cartoons.
Its not good vs. evil in many of them. There are so many shades of gray its not even funny.
Take Cowboy Bebop. I find the 'villians' and their reasons for their actions understandable. They almost justify the reasoning for the actions and leaves me with a disturbing feeling as I can both comprehend and hate the person. Its scary.
Anime has a surprising effect on many people.
P.S. I'm not a fan of many of the Giant Robot stories, but definately of the tension-filled love stories like Ranma 1/2 & Love Hina. But then again, I'm a hopeless romantic.
Posts: 119 | Registered: Aug 2004
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