Anime Primer

[€uroMeinke]

After watching Millenium Actress from a recommendation from Flippy Shark, I have to say I was blown away by the level of sophisitication of both story and imagry. Obviously this genre has exploded between my childhood viewing of Kimba, Speed Racer, and UFO Diapolon and today.

I've laready been delving into the Studiuo Ghibli offereings, but after a recent trip to Tokyo seeing stores stuffed full of animation action figures, I know there is sooo much I'm clueless about.

I know all genres have their good and bad represetations, so I'm asking help from those of you in the know - what do you consider the classics of Anime? What recommendations would you make to someone like me, who's just scratched the surface?

[Ghoulish Delight]

One of my favorite subjects. I'm more well versed in TV series than feature length, so that's where my recomendations lie, though they do take more of a time commitment to fully enjoy.

Chris, I think you specifically would enjoy Nadia: Secret of Blue Water. It's loosely based on 20,000 Leagues, and in turn Disney's Atlantis is loosely based on Nadia. Very entertaining adventure story.

A common theme in anime is the end of the Samurai age in Japan, as the government embraced the use of firearms and Samurai were being forced to give up their swords. My favorite series from that genre is Ruroni Kenshin. Beautifully animated, great characters. And it's fairly non-serial (there are some larger story elements that progress through the series as characters are introduced or written out but for the most part each episode is self contaiend), so it's easy to stop and start at your leisure.

The ever popular mech-suit genre is headlined by Macross. There's a lot of material in the Macross series, but Macross Plus is my favorite, an excellent movie.

That's the top of my head list.

Edit: Oh, and in terms of classics, Ghost in the Shell and Akira are two must-sees.

[Tref]

[QUOTE=Ghoulish Delight] Christopher, I think you specifically would enjoy Nadia: Secret of Blue Water. It's loosely based on 20,000 Leagues, and in turn Disney's Atlantis is loosely based on Nadia.QUOTE]

Correction: I believe Disney's Atlantis was loosely based on The Adventures of Crappy Crap Craperson.

[Not Afraid]

Edit: Oh, and in terms of classics, Ghost in the Shell and Akira are two must-sees.

Those two are already in my queue!

I'm also interested in Lupin the Third but I can never remember which one I should see. I am not as interested in the TV series as I am the features.

Just a reminder to my honey - we still have Ghibli to watch.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Most of the popular TV series have feature film versions. But it's hit and miss whether they're good or not.

[mousepod]

GD is right on with his recommendations. I'll add:

NOIR, FLCL, Serial Experiments LAIN, Jin-Roh... (descriptions to follow, perhaps)

[Boss Radio]

My Youth in Arcadia.
Galaxy Express.
And as already referenced:
Akira.
Ghost in the Shell.
Steamboy looks good, but have not yet seen it.

[tracilicious]

I'm not well versed enough in anime to know what's good, but my favorite is Grave of the Fireflies. I also liked Lain, and if you want a super creepy anime, watch Perfect Blue. I'm glad you started this thread, Euro. I love anime, but haven't seen nearly enough of it.

[Motorboat Cruiser]

I'm not well versed enough in anime to know what's good, but my favorite is Grave of the Fireflies.

Oh, I loved that film! :)

[mousepod]

Grave of the Fireflies is a Ghibli film, just not a Miyazaki flick. It was directed by Isao Takahata. Heather and I just watched his Ghibli film "Only Yesterday" (1991) last week and enjoyed it immensely.

His other two Ghiblis - 'Pom Poko' and 'My Neighbors the Yamadas' are both released today in the US (thanks, Disney!).

[Not Afraid]

Yes, more Ghibli to buy!!!!! Now, where is my 2-disc Totoro?

[Not Afraid]

So, via a cat that appears in several episodes of this series, I have become curious about the Trigun Series (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005OW09/qid=1124946917/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-9620204-9286314?v=glance&s=dvd&n=507846). Now, I'm not going to go out and get any huge set anytime soon, but I wonder if it is worth checking out? Or, maybe, I should just buy the T-Shirt (http://www.hottopic.com/store/product.asp?LS=0&G=1&ITEM=203349).

I have a thing for black cats, what can I say?

[modern folly]

I'm not well versed enough in anime to know what's good, but my favorite is Grave of the Fireflies.
I watched that when I was a wee little girl, I was a bit traumatized, and depressed afterwards. I've seen it again a couple of months ago, and I absolutely love it. I'm not too interested in anime anymore, alot of the premises for series seem to be re-hashed.

[flippyshark]

I watched STEAMBOY a couple of weeks ago, and I liked it. There has been a lot of criticism (often from Akira fans) that it was great to look at but disappointing in the story department. As a result, my expectations were low. I wound up getting a lot out of it. To be sure, it isn't nearly as fascinating as Akira, but it's probably a lot easier to absorb on first viewing.

The biggest fault with STEAMBOY is the tendency of its main characters to ramble on and on in long arguments, hammering the themes of technology and science vs. humanity into the ground. Still, well worth a rental.

I noticed that the transfer of STEAMBOY looks very dark and muted, and this seems to be intentional, making its setting of steam-punk Victorian London grimy and hazy. However, in the supplements, clips are shown in vibrant color-saturated hues. All of the extras are concerned with the American theatrical release, which caused me to wonder if perhaps the US version had been "brightened up" for American audiences. As it is, the film on the disc is longer than the US release and represent Katsuhiro Otomo's cut. Japanese language with subtitles is available, and preferable. (Interestingly, on the English language track, the young boy protagonist is voiced by The Piano's Anna Paquin.)

Trivial aside - there are characters in this movie named Scarlett O'Hara and Robert Louis Stevenson, but they don't really seem to be the same figures we are familiar with. (Stevenson could be, in an alternate universe sort of way, but Scarlett is most definitely not the Margaret Mitchell character.)

Another anime recommendation: MEMORIES
This is an anthology of three short stories, some written by and one directed by Katsuhiro Otomo.

The first segment is my favorite, MAGNETIC ROSE. Essentially a ghost story set on a derelict ship in space, it's literally operatic in its grandeur, and also delightfully chilling. What's more, it's got images and atmosphere that brought to mind my favorite film, 2001.

Segment 2 - STINK BOMB. This is a light-hearted but apocalyptically destructive tale about a regular shmoe who accidentally ingests an experimental drug and becomes a lethal human stink bomb. In truth, this segment got annoying, as the guy seems frustratingly oblivious to the fact that all living creatures around him are dying. (He's actually good for the plant life, though.)

Segment 3 - CANNON FODDER. This is the Otomo directed segment. It's actually pretty short, and a lovely piece of political satire. It offers a look at an entire society that exists for no other purpose than to load and fire enormous cannons at an unseen, and possibly non-existent, enemy. Its brevity is a strength. There is a (somewhat grotesque) young boy who serves as something of an audience identification figure, but he is kept at arms length from us emotionally. This somewhat cold-hearted essay was a practice run for techniques (and themes) used in STEAMBOY. Well worthwhile.

In any case, put MEMORIES in your queue for MAGNETIC ROSE. It's worth the price of admission.

[Not Afraid]

Thank you Flippy! And, God Bless Deluge and Monsoon's Mom.

You need to see my latest Anime cat love. He looks an awful lot like Jiji - and Buster for that matter. I NEED him. ;)

http://us.st2.yimg.com/store1.yimg.com/I/matrixcollectibles_1857_26560864

[modern folly]

Thank you Flippy! And, God Bless Deluge and Monsoon's Mom.

You need to see my latest Anime cat love. He looks an awful lot like Jiji - and Buster for that matter. I NEED him. ;)

http://us.st2.yimg.com/store1.yimg.com/I/matrixcollectibles_1857_26560864
Aw, I love Kuro Neko, he's so random on Trigun.

[Not Afraid]

But, is the series worth watching?

[modern folly]

Yes, absolutely. It's humorous, exciting, and has a storyline that runs deep as the series progresses.

[mousepod]

Glad you mentioned Memories, Flippy. I picked it up when it first came out as a Japanese R2 DVD - I haven't watched it in a long time. I'm certainly going to grab Steamboy ASAP.

BTW, the anime fans in this thread need to introduce the newbies to COWBOY BEBOP. Almost essential viewing for Swankers who dig anime...

[modern folly]

Oh yes, how could I have forgotten about Cowboy Bebop, i've loved [and still do] that series for years. The soundtrack is amazing.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

You need to see my latest Anime cat love. He looks an awful lot like Jiji - and Buster for that matter. I NEED him. ;)

http://us.st2.yimg.com/store1.yimg.com/I/matrixcollectibles_1857_26560864Buster...on drugs. ;)

Actually, that kitty is adorable. I love anime cuteness!

[Not Afraid]

Wait until you see my backpack on Bats Day!

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Wait until you see my backpack on Bats Day!
Wait until I see pictures of your backpack on Bats Day :(

[Not Afraid]

I keep forgetting you're not going to be there.

[€uroMeinke]

Dang - we need to start seeing some DVDs!

[Gwyren]

Ghost in the Shell is a good start. Personally, I could not recommend Akira as it was not my cup of tea.

Hmm...it sounds like you wish to stay with feature length anime. In that case I would also recommend Appleseed.

Ah! My Goddess - The Movie. Very touching story with incredible animation. Before seeing that it is worthwhile to hunt down the Oh! MY Goddess OVAs from Animeigo.spot

TV series:
If you wish to see some silly comedy - THose Who Hunt Elves. Two Discs for the first portion - 12 episoded (the DVDs are titled "Ready, Set, Strip" and "Elf Stripping for Fun and Profit".)

Mecha/Giant Robots - Macross was suggested, and it IS an excellent series. For first time mecha watchers who wish to see how mentally invasive anime can get, however, I would recommend Neon Genesis Evangelion. If you wanted a "lighter" taste you could pick up the "Death and Rebirth" and "End Of Evangelion" DVDs. These cover, in a different perspective, the last 3 or 4 TV episodes. The TV ending is a very different flavor and it is worthwhile to see both.

Soap Operaish - Fushigi Yugi. Very fantasyish, the characters have a lot of depth, and the series gets emotional. X is also incredible.

Samurai - Rurouni Kenshin. The Wandering Samurai arc is a great taste.

Incredibly cute - I thought nothing would ever top Cardcaptor Sakura...until I saw "A Little Snow Fairy Sugar". Amazingly, amaingly cute. The openning is enough for a sugar rush.

Not Afraid - you mentioned Trigun. Before that I would highly recommend Cowboy Bebop.

Blood and Guts - Berzerk. The story is top notch and there is A LOT of blood. Towards the end it becomes extremly dark.

Secret Agent - L/R

Someone said The Secret of Blue Water. Stay away from the movie and, for the TV series, skip episodes 23 - 30 or so. THey were tacked on to increase the episode count, and the story and animation in them suffers. The rest of the series is pretty incredible. And I would say Atlantis is a much based on Nadia as Nadia is 20,000 Leagues under the Sea.

Hmm...I had better stop now. I could list series such as .Hack, Wolf's Rain, Kiddy Grade, etc...all of which have their own special pieces.

[Boss Angeles]

[QUOTE=Ghoulish Delight] Christopher, I think you specifically would enjoy Nadia: Secret of Blue Water. It's loosely based on 20,000 Leagues, and in turn Disney's Atlantis is loosely based on Nadia.QUOTE]

Correction: I believe Disney's Atlantis was loosely based on The Adventures of Crappy Crap Craperson.

I thought Atlantis was based on retail projections, formulaic storytelling and no one that knew the difference..hmmmm

[Tref]

[QUOTE=Tref]

I thought Atlantis was based on retail projections, formulaic storytelling and no one that knew the difference..hmmmm

Boss knows.

[tracilicious]

Yesterday I watched, The Cat Returns. It was so wonderful! Hilarious and witty and fantastical. Definitely one of my favorites.

[Not Afraid]

I loved that one as well! It took me completely by surprise. Tim Curry cracked me up!

[tracilicious]

I thought of you while we were watching it. I love Anne Hathaway and thought she played a good Haru. Cary Elwes did a good job too. I loved that they introduced the king as "the king of cat kingdom, the cat king." Cracked me up. It was funny how being cool was such a big point of the movie. I'm gonna go watch it again.

[Tito's Kitten]

I know I am so far behind on entering this thread but how do I feel about anime?
My son's middle name is Akira.

[Gwyren]

For those who are interested - Neon Genesis Evangelion starts a run during Adult Swim in October. It is supposedly unedited. 0.0