Topic: Okay fellow anime junkies which should I watch?
Blayne Bradley
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posted
I just paid 5$ for an online subscription, basically for 5 USD I can now watch ANY anime series that ever existed and can download them all without having to find tricky torrents with bittorrent. I have 1 month to download as many as I can so which should I download first and watch? I am looking for dark and gritty ones btw as in NOT DBZ.
Example: My favorite kind's of anime are closer to FMA and Naruto where the "fighting" is generally wide and diverse doesnt always rely one 1 super power and can actually see 90% of the combat and a certain level of strategy is used thats is what I'ld put on the "high" end.
Any suggestions of what I should look for?
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Everything Ghost in the Shell related, Princess Mononoke, and lots of Gundam (my favorite being Wing, just because I haven't seen too many others).
But you probably know all those ones already...
Posts: 441 | Registered: Jun 2005
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First, the place you are downloading them from is almost certainly infringing copyright, even past the tacit detente between fansubbers and license holders using a US licensing date cutoff. Just so you know.
If you want dark and gritty, I'd look at Elfen Lied, Noein, Gankutsuou, and Witch Hunter Robin. Of course, neither FMA nor Naruto is dark and gritty, so for some anime more in line with those I bet you'd like Scrapped Princess, Full Metal Panic, and Saber Marionette J.
I may think of more later, I'm always forgetting anime titles.
Posts: 15770 | Registered: Dec 2001
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Blayne Bradley
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Morph Ive seen gundam wing but ill look at the other ones.
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If you want dark and gritty, you can go with Serial Experiment Lain, Boogiepop Phantom, and that one with the kid with the golden baseball bat...what the heck was it called?
Edit to Add: Isn't it Paranoia Agent?
Posts: 246 | Registered: Jul 2006
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If you like Dragon Ball Z and Naruto you will most likely like Bleach alot.
It starts out centered on the main character but it quickly branches into multiple characters each with their own abilities. There are 85+ episodes now so you have PLENTY to watch. Theres a movie too.
I find theres plenty of action and its cool to watch, and most of the time its really funny.
Posts: 14316 | Registered: Jul 2005
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quote:Originally posted by BlackBlade: Get "Bleach"
If you like Dragon Ball Z and Naruto you will most likely like Bleach alot.
It starts out centered on the main character but it quickly branches into multiple characters each with their own abilities. There are 85+ episodes now so you have PLENTY to watch. Theres a movie too.
I find theres plenty of action and its cool to watch, and most of the time its really funny.
Seconded. Bleach is basically DBZ with every aspect improved a thousandfold.
Posts: 246 | Registered: Jul 2006
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It's got action, drama, and vampires. The only problem is that you'll get hooked on it, and fansubbers have been pretty slow at releasing it. But there are 38 subbed episodes for you to enjoy for now.
Posts: 1569 | Registered: Dec 2004
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I am a big fan of Yotoden. It is dark and gritty and historical enough to really engross you. The fighting sequences are awesom. The story is stellar.
If you watch it, make sure you watch it in Japanese--the voice actors are excellent. Also, it was orginally 3 episodes. They made a movie from those three by just cutting out scenes and pasting them together. Therefor the movie is chaotic and not very good.
If you like dark...you will love it. If you like Ninja Scroll, you will like Yotoden.
From Wikipedia:
quote: While it shares much in common with Ninja Scroll, with the protagonists battling a team of foes with demonic abilities, it predates the film better known in the west by over five years.
posted
Filler is pretty much the only reason I can't handle Naruto. The creator said he used Dragon Ball Z as his model when making Naruto and man he was NOT kidding.
Episode A: FIGHTERS GET READY TO BATTLE! (Episode is dominated by the people observing the fighters as they both take their time preparing. Bystanders tell us how they feel about everything)
Episode B: FIGHTERS GET INTO FIGHTING POSITION! (Episode is dominated by both fighters analyzing their and their opponents motives, strategies, and general appearence, episode ends with both fighters springing into action)
Episodes C: FIGHTING! (Just Kidding its 8 seconds of fighting. The episode is really dominated by flashbacks!)
Episodes D-F: FIGHTING for real! (but the fighting is step by step and its often interupted by the thoughts of the bystanders and the fighters themselves. The fighters rotate pulling secret moves nobody knew about out of their butts until one of them unveils the coolest one yet)
I have just given you a synopsis of Naruto. Expect alot of it Posts: 14316 | Registered: Jul 2005
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I like Yu Yu Hakusho. There's some exposition and what not in it, but it's nothing like the filler on DBZ, it's actual character development and plot advancement. It's a great story. I picked up the entire thing on DVD from Ebay a couple months ago for $120 which is an amazing deal considering how much 32 DVDs should have cost me.
My second favorite of the Gundams after Gundam Wing is G Gundam, probably because I like the concept, and because they actually fight, fight, they aren't pilots, they are fighters who use something along the lines of advanced motion capture suits. The downside is, most every episode is an independent story that features a duel between two fighters. Even the later episodes at the tournament are still just bigger, fancier duels. There IS character development, but it's focused almost entirely on the main character.
Another favorite that I rarely see get much positive attention is Big O. The soundtrack to it is nothing short of amazing. The episodes are rich and can actually tug at your heartstrings from time to time. The plot gets a little...kooky towards the end, but then I've only seen it all the way through once, and I want to get it on DVD so I can watch it again, but it really is good stuff. Not quite your average 'giant robots fighting' show.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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There are more than one movies of Samurai X, I believe. Though I did not like the it nearly has much as Rurouni Kenshin.
Posts: 503 | Registered: May 2005
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While the format of fighting sequences in Naruto can frequently resemble Dragon Ball Z, I don't really watch it for the fighting, I watch it to see how the people in it will develop. For instance, the ways in which Sasuke and Naruto are originally alike but eventually diverge rather sharply from one another. The motivations of the characters-sacrificing for friends and people, and the recognition that fighting (or in a larger sense, struggling and living) for others instead of one's self makes a person stronger and more fulfilled.
I can't say the motivations in Dragon Ball Z was ever anything but, "Get stronger, get stronger, get stronger, to be the strongest / protect the world from some bizarre evil."
It's the difference between a story which is about doing your best, and a story about why to do your best. Why, in other words, characters do the things they do. To me, anyway-but I'm biased. I'm a sucker for stories like that, I admit.
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Anyway, everything I would've recommended has been said already and thanks especially to fugu for the recommends I've never heard of. I'd like to echo Lyrhawn for Big O too, the music is excellent and the story is very different, but in a fun, interesting way.
Posts: 17164 | Registered: Jun 2001
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S-Cry-Ed is a really good one if you like fighting and character devlopment.
Edit:
Also, I just finished Eureka Seven tonight, and I have to recomend it even more now. I really love the character development and even though somethings where a little hard to understand in the begining, it cleared it up really well and made me wish it had not ended.
Posts: 503 | Registered: May 2005
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Ghost in the Shell the series, especially the pilot episode of the 2nd season. Never seen an animation of a guy getting capped in the head from 3 feet away...
Posts: 1236 | Registered: Mar 2002
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Blayne Bradley
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posted
oy say a bunh of em alrdy'
saw Kenshin, saw Scryied, saw FMA, say alot of Inu Yasha (too many episdoes to keep track of now) YuGiOh (it gets better kater on), GS, GSD, GW. (I actually prefered the more realistic combat of Gundam Seed to Gundam Wing) DBZ I watched fanatically when it ws on YTV but when I was constantly annoyed at the long preparation scenes which while I watched msot of it in the end anyways so that I could know how it ends Naruto I find is 1000 times better the fight scenes are cooler that is undeniable like in BZ its whoever has the bigger beam blast in naturo its whoeevr that has the faster sneakier combination of Jutsu's and traps that wins.
Punja, its www.narutofan.com although my plus account isnt activated yet stupid paypal
IO suspect they found a legal loophole that theyre just providing the anime for free and only charging for the cost of the servers or something theyve been on for 2 years with the paid service. providng torrents for alot longer.
But no Naruto I dont find is anythinbg like DBZ except that theres a tonne of episodes, they do msot definately not spend 15 minutes to 3 episdoes charging up or preparing for attacks sheesh.
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If you want something along the lines of Naruto, go with Bleach or Hunter X Hunter.
If you want dark and action packed, definitely watch Berserk. Same goes for Rurouni Kenshin. I warn you though, both anime never finished the story when they were ended. So if you're patient enough, pick up the manga afterwards to see the whole story. (Oh, and don't watch "Samurai X" until after Kenshin. It's a prequel of sorts, and contains a lot of spoilers )
And finally, if you want something completely different, I recommend Hikaru No Go. It's about a kid who's inhabited by the ghost of a champion Go master from ancient Japan. Very fun, and I didn't think that a show with no violence could be that great, but it was. A boardgame can actually have action and drama.
Posts: 349 | Registered: Jul 2006
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I must admit I too, was very doubtful of Hikaru No Go, but it was quite good, although very very different.
Posts: 503 | Registered: May 2005
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I'm watching Bleach right now. Not as good as when it first started but it is in the middle of a mini-filler so I'm hoping it'll go back to its awesome self soon.
Posts: 1733 | Registered: Apr 2005
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I'm thinking that the Bleach filler will be going for a while yet. The manga is still even closer to the anime than Naruto right now. But fortunately, Bleach fillers actually aren't so bad.
Posts: 1569 | Registered: Dec 2004
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Right now Bleach is not following along with the manga but I think it is just allowing the manga to get ahead but I do not think it is going to have nearly has much filler as Naruto.
Man, I am really feeling the hole that Eureka Seven left. Anybody know another anime just as good and alot like it?
Posts: 503 | Registered: May 2005
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Blayne Bradley
unregistered
posted
but I like the filler I need my Hinata fix.
But ya I'm a person who thinks YuGiOh a show about a Crad game is a good show ill check out Go.
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You might try Card Captor Sakura, then, I haven't seen it myself, but its supposed to be among the best in the card-related genre.
Hikaru no Go is excellent; while I enjoy the Go, and its an important part of the series, its really a coming of age story/sports anime (that's a term referring to the general setup and pacing, not that it necessarily has anything to do with sports)/meeting of rivals show.
If they're a torrent site, what they're doing is linking to other people's torrents. What they're doing is of questionable legality (that's going through the courts right now, I think), what the people you actually download from is of unquestionable illegality (in most cases), and what you'd be doing is of unquestionable illegality (in most cases). There is a giant blind eye turned to fansubbed/dubbed anime not yet licensed in the US (several companies even use fansubbing popularity as market research to decide what to license), but most copyright holders would prefer fansubbers cease distribution when a series is licensed in the US, which would include almost all the series mentioned here. Note that this 'rule' applies even in Canada, since its usually licensed at the same time.
Posts: 15770 | Registered: Dec 2001
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Blayne Bradley
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posted
*shrug* Theyre site is too confusing to find their FAQ.
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If you want Bleach there are plenty of websites that have all the epiodes for free and the fan sub's are really well done. Though I think Samurai Champloo had the best subtitle work I have ever seen, it even had etymology on many of the feudal words and practices they say/experience.
I am in the 40's as far as episodes for Bleach go and I was amazed by the sheer volume of characters they introduced in the 30's.
My brother and I were watching it and drinking slurpees and there is one episode where I think its Ryou who is talking to Tatsuki and asks, "How can Orihime eat so much and not get fat?" and Tasuki says, "It all goes to her breasts."
We spent the next 15 minutes cleaning slurpee off the carpet. Posts: 14316 | Registered: Jul 2005
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Yeah, but almost all anime is better with subtitles rather than dubbed. (Although there are some that are better dubbed, Trigun for example.)
Posts: 503 | Registered: May 2005
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My girlfriend has some additional recommendations of stuff you might like (some of which I've seen, some of which I haven't . . . mmmm, so much anime). Its divided into a Dark list and a non-Dark list, each in roughly descending order of how good she thinks it is. The inline comments are hers.
Dark:
quote:Juuni Kokki (Twelve Kingdoms) - dark at some points, more ultra serious as opposed to really dark Hundred Stories Wolf's Rain .hack//SIGN Hellsing - though if you want the whole story you'll have to get from the manga Texhnolyze Akira Ayashi no Ceres
non-Dark
quote:Planet ES Haibane Renmei - gets slightly darker towards the end Crest of the Stars/Banner of the Stars I and II - it's all one series but each season has a different name. Escaflowne Great Teacher Onizuka - the manga's much darker but the anime is actually pretty lighthearted Last EXILE
posted
Hellsing is a solid choice, when it goes dark its something else
Trigun if you can get past the first few episodes which are alittle over the top silly it starts to get REALLY cool.
Escaflowne is worth a watch but its not for everybody.
I watched about 6 episodes of Gilgamesh and I confess I had trouble getting into it. It just felt so slow and not very interesting.
Record of Lodoss War (A really promising middle ages anime with dwarves, wizards and evil swords) but I found it to be overall mediocre. That being said if you watch the bonus cartoons that were made by the artists to make fun of ROLW I laughed my head off.
Does anybody know how many episodes of Orphan exist? I found 4 and I actually enjoyed where the story was going, any info on Orphan would be appreciated I really liked the concept.
Posts: 14316 | Registered: Jul 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Vasslia Cora: Yeah, but almost all anime is better with subtitles rather than dubbed. (Although there are some that are better dubbed, Trigun for example.)
ECH.
The U.S. VA's for Trigun are ATROCIOUS.
Posts: 246 | Registered: Jul 2006
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quote:Originally posted by BlackBlade: If you want Bleach there are plenty of websites that have all the epiodes for free and the fan sub's are really well done. Though I think Samurai Champloo had the best subtitle work I have ever seen, it even had etymology on many of the feudal words and practices they say/experience.
I am in the 40's as far as episodes for Bleach go and I was amazed by the sheer volume of characters they introduced in the 30's.
My brother and I were watching it and drinking slurpees and there is one episode where I think its Ryou who is talking to Tatsuki and asks, "How can Orihime eat so much and not get fat?" and Tasuki says, "It all goes to her breasts."
We spent the next 15 minutes cleaning slurpee off the carpet.
Just google "Dattebayo".
Posts: 246 | Registered: Jul 2006
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