Discussion Forums - Foreign Films

I have decided that since there is no anime forum, to start a thread here. I would love to hear about any anime anyone has recently watched or what your favorite and most disliked series and movies happen to be. Ask questions, discuss, rant, rave, or just tell us what you recently bought, it all sounds good to me.

To start this going, hopefully.. Most recently I watched the Happy Lesson series + OVA boxset. I thought it was very amusing despite the mediocre reviews. Maybe because I haven't watched tons of harem type comedy series yet. I was initially curious if trading the usual harem of potential girlfriends with mothers would be funny, but it didn't disappoint me.

I've been a fan of anime since the horrid VHS days. I don't mean that the VHS were horrid, just having to spend 25 dollars for a vhs that contained two dubbed OR subbed episodes of a series was really expensive. I watched stuff like Akira, Golgo 13: the Professional, Crying Freeman, Demon City Shinjuku, so on, and I was hooked. I was enthralled with the creativity, and, uh, the sheer violence and adult themes.. I haven't seen as much as many other fans, but I am looking forward to each and every dvd.

Despite having entirely too many series waiting to be watched, I hit up the Best Buy sale today. The Tokko boxset for 12 dollars and something cents and Elfen Lied for something like 17$ were entirely too much for my weak-willed self to pass up. *half-hearted sigh*

Hey Dan -

I've seen both of the Ghost in the Shell movies and I liked the first one except for the ending. I thought it had just started to get really interesting and then it just .. well, stopped. I absolutely love the second movie, but I love shows that mess with reality, in general. The music was beautiful, also. I have the two seasons of Stand Alone Complex unwatched in my queue, but I hear they're great!

How did you like Gankutsuou? The story sounds quite unique, but unfortunately with Geneon going out of business, the boxset is so expensive, so I haven't had a chance to get it. Would you say it's worth the price?

Paprika is really something, isn't it? More than worthy of being in my surreal collection. I know some people complained that it didn't make complete sense, but that doesn't bother me if the ride is done well. I've only managed to see Spirited Away, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Totoro, and Princess Mononoke from Studio Ghibli. I would say that's also about the order I enjoyed them, from most to least. Very beautiful films though, I would like to see more.

I hate to admit this, but I didn't like the Akira movie. I felt that while the animation was good, it didn't make any sense, none at all. I realized when I read the manga series (something like 6+ volumes, pretty big books) that there was no way to condense all that into one coherent movie. That being said, I highly recommend the mangas, it does have a really great well-fleshed story.

I recommend the Cowboy Bebop series before the movie. One of my favorite series, if not my favorite altogether. Great characters, fun bounty hunting, and a super-smart dog, what more could one ask for? *smile*

I actually quite liked the ending of Ghost in the Shell. Okay, it's a tease, but what a delicious tease! I was less satisfied when Innocence concluded on a similar note of ambiguity though. But yeah, Stand Alone Complex is great. It makes a wonderful complement to the movies because it takes a more sociological approach to its setting and themes, as opposed to the very internal/psychological focus of the movies. If the movies ask, how will technology change human consciousness?, then the TV show asks what that will that mean for society and government.

I totally agree with you about Paprika. Fantastic animation, interesting ideas, very fun. What's not to like? Furthermore, why *should* it make complete sense? It's about the blurring of dreams and the internet and pop culture, fer crying out loud. The only thing I didn't like about it was that I thought it was a little homophobic. But I guess that, too, makes it very reflective of our times.

I think you're allowed to say you don't like Akira, at least as long as you like Miyazaki. : ) I'm glad to hear the manga are better. I thought the movie was good until about the last third or so, when it went completely off the rails. I need to get back on the Miyazaki train, I've only seen Spirited Away, Totoro and Kiki. Didn't much care for Kiki but the first two are great.

I enjoyed Gankutsuou, but for me it was a watch-once kind of deal. It had a very cool look that blended traditional animation with computer generated patterns, and of course it's a good story. But I wouldn't shell out a hundred bucks for it! Maybe you can rent it somewhere? Netflix has it now.

I just remembered that I have Gatchaman somewhere in my queue. I want to see how badly it was butchered when they turned it into Battle of the Planets, a show I quite liked when I was a kid. ; )

Gatchaman is a mech series, right? I personally haven't got into mech series, probably my least well-liked 'genre' in anime, but I admit I haven't given them much of a chance either. I guess I just envision plotless excuses to fight robots. I did love the Casshern live-action movie though and I really want to see the longer other-region cut.  I also dislike most of the fight for the sake of fighting stuff, barring those involving samurai and ninjas, and sports-based anime, but there aren't that many of those, I don't believe. I pass on a lot of the magical-girl shows, but I don't hate it.

My favorite genres include horror, for example the creepy Boogiepop Phantom, the aforementioned samurai and ninja stuff, which I also enjoy in live-action movies, fantasy, which covers entirely too much, sci-fi, again, tons of shows set in space and I do like a good romance series (or romantic drama, or romantic comedy), especially Shōnen-ai. It's a lot harder narrowing down what I love compared to what sort of anime I avoid.

So, Dan and anyone else out there, what are your most disliked and loved sorts of anime?

I'm not sure if Gatchaman qualifies as mech...there aren't any giant robots that I recall, though there is a lot of focus on the special vehicles that the characters pilot. It's an adventure show about a team of "science ninjas" who protect Earth from a variety of threats, particularly some kind of evil galactic overlord. It was shown on American TV as Battle of the Planets and G-Force. I later learned that the original show was darker than the American versions, which had a lot of the violence edited out. So I'm curious to revisit it, though I'm not expecting it to be brilliant.

As for favorite genres, I haven't seen enough to have any. Thanks for the Boogiepop Phantom rec. I just looked it up and sounds quite cool. Queued!

Cool. I've been looking for a thread like this.

I"ve been into anime for about eight years now. I've seen the first Ghost in the Shell movie and it bored me to be honest. Though, I do enjoy the series itself. Currently, I've been watching Ergo Proxy.

I"m a huge Kon fan, but I haven't seen Paprika yet.

My favorite genres are more action-oriented series, like Bleach and Ergo Proxy, but I love horror anime too. I'll basically watch anything if it looks good or interesting.

I love Gantz, Bleach, Death Note, Blood+, Mouse, Golden Boy, and I'm trying to broaden my range. I just discovered Anime recently so I haven't watched a whole lot yet. I would like cutesy stuff, action, horror, romance, mature, whatever. If anyone ever has a deal on Anime series DVDs, I'd love to get some new stuff.

I saw Paprika and it was ok...though, a movie I did like a lot was Perfect Blue.

Wow, no one has posted here in a while.  I love anime (it was love at the first time watching Vampire Hunter D).  I tend to prefer movies to episodic anime, although I am willing to make an exception for Lain (if you haven't seen it, it is hands down the best anime series ever made).  Hope a few of you tend to come back and chat some more!

I love anime.  My favorite is Inuyasha.  The series that got me into anime a lot are Dragonball and Yu Yu Hakusho.

The best two anime series of recent years have to be Full Metal Alchemist and Death Note. They're great not just from anime standard. I also love Cowboy Bebop. As far as movies, my favorites are (in no particular order), Ghost in The Shell (and the sequel), Akira,  Perfect Blue. Also pretty much anything MIyazaki makes is great (Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke.

I love Howl's Moving Castle. Have you read the book?  If you haven't you should. 

I like Fushigi Yugi,Fruits Basket, Yuyu Hakusho, G Gundam, Ruroni Kenshin, Ceres, Inu Yasha, Full Metal Alchamist, DBZ, and most Miyazaki films that I've seen. Hated Spirited Away though for some reason.

Princess Mononoke was pretty good.

How could anyone forget Sailor Moon. It was what started my obsession with anime and manga in general.  =) Other of my favorites are: Evangelion, Card Captor Sakura, Chrno Crusade, Ouran Host Club, Gakuen Alice, Akira,, Full Metal Panic, and of course Princess Mononoke, and Spirited Away.

Here's a few rec's from my son & grandson.  If I've misspelled it's because their handwriting is so bad it  looks like it was written by a serial killer (just kidding):

Claymore series

Otogi Zoshi

Sword of the Strangers

Records of the Lotus Wars

Spriggan

Baki the Grapple

Legned of Himiko

Sin

Moribito

I am offering the complete series of Yu Yu Hakusho here and the complete series of Angelic Layer in the WL Multiples Thread, if anyone is interested.

Well, I gotta say that I was never really interested in Anime besides the Sailor Moon for my daughter and other old ones like Kimba The White Lion and Speed Racer if they could be considered old school anime. But after watching some titles listed here on the postings I really enjoyed them and give props as the ones Ive watched are amazing. I've watched Akira, Princess Mononoke, Howls Moving Castle and very impressed. Funny that my nephews and nieces who are into that hadn't even heard of them and now they are raving to their little buddies about them. I've added Cowboy Bebop, Ghost In The Shell, My Neighbor Totoro, and a bunch more that I should get to watching soon. I've also come across and picked up some pretty rare and pricey stuff that I am holding on to so I can check them out later. Just last week I picked up 3 sealed Lensman VHSs which is not evenout  on DVD. Good stuff......and all thanks to SADVD

noir

gunsmith cats

cat planet cuties

gunslinger girls

vandred

I love yaoi and shounen ai anime.  So hard to find though.  I've watched a bunch online, but definatley need to add to my DVD collection! 

I'm always looking for others though: Ai No Kusabi, Cicada in Winter, Level-C, Gravitation, Junjo Romantica, Hetalia, etc...

I like other anime as well. Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away, Wolf Children.  Love it all!