must have animes?

[ian]

hiya i have noticed that people on the boards like anime ;D
can anyone recommend a decent anime which is like street fighter? i know there is a guilty gear series but i have never seen anythink of it apart from clips in amv videos.

[Dr. Macon Dead]

The first half of Hellsing was really good, but the second half sucked. They brought in a character named "Incognito" as the main villain, and it was pretty obvious he was pulled out of their ass because they ran out of money. No other explaination...he comes out of nowhere, the series is only half the length of a normal anime, he's poorly thought out and ugly as sin, etc. There are too many unanswered questions(like: what happened with the vampire chips? Are they still being produced? When exactly did any of the last half seem like a good idea?) I don't think its played on TV, so the only way to see it would be to either rent or buy the DvDs; I wouldn't reccomend going past the second or third DvD.

My friend loved an anime called berserk, but I didn't really like it. Its pretty bloody at times(mideval setting). It follows the story of a guy named guts who was a cursed child. He grew up with a mercenary team and got...enormous(big, muscly guy). Eventually he's defeated by a guy named griffith and forced into joining with his mercenary group as they try to become a royal army. Its pretty interesting, but there are a couple dull episodes, and the ending just plain sucked. Seriously, they needed another episode or three, it just ends abruptly halfway through an action scene. Still, worth a look if you're into bloody anime and you see it on tv or at blockbuster or something.

[Abyx]

Hellsing is fucking awesome, period. The Anime did NOT follow the actual story at all(Incognito doesn't exist in the actual story line), but yes, the first half is really good. And it's known for being one of the only animes that doesn't have terrible voice acting. Or you could just wait for the OVAs which follow the manga story about 100%, dunno.

Had to add that, I really haven't seen very many animes to add anything in.

[ian]

looks like il be lookin at hellsing then, my sister always said that it was shit.
maybe she just saw part 2.

[zynthetic]

The new series (oav) is better.

Dead Leaves, Gunnm/Battle Angel, Wonderful Days.
Besides the stuff everyone knows about already I cant think of much else at this time.

[ian]

hmm never heard of battler angel il have to look that one up.
any one ever heard of a anime called Blue Sonnet? my sister has been after it for ages since she saw it on sci-fi channel about 5/6 years ago, i can find infomation about it but everytime i look for it i can never find it and everytime i ask about it everybodies never heard of it. see a pattern here

also i am currently getting angel sanctury all the reviews i have read about it give mixed views some say really crap stuff but then others say it is a really gd anime, what do u guys think about it?

[Abyx]

Two of my friends read the Angel Sanctuary manga, or did, they haven't gotten any ones in awhile. They never told me about it, but as far as I know, it's not bad.

[uwasawaya]

Must have anime depends on each person. Don't watch anything by Takahashi Rumiko, it's all mindless crap designed to milk as much money out of it's audience as possible.

If you want anime that's thoughtful and well produced, Now and Then, Here and There is incredible... don't be deceived by the first episode, it's brutal, dark and totally unforgiving. Good lessons about humanity in there. Furi Kuri is fun, but most people seem to misunderstand it... don't watch it unless you really know your anime, otherwise it'll just confuse you. Good coming of age story.

Blue Submarine # 6 is good... short and well done. For films, I'd suggest Jin Roh, which is not for everyone, but damn did it get to me. Abyx, if you're the gun nut you seem to be, Jin Roh is worth it for that... it'll make you weep with joy. Very well done, very accurate in it's portrayal of weapons, tactics and society in general. Another film that's good is Perfect Blue... which is freaky as crap.

Above all, don't watch them in English. Even if you don't like subtitles, the emotions conveyed become hokey and ruin the mood of the show. Especially with Perfect Blue. Anyone with any history in Japanese can tell you that the culture is in the language... you can't change that without losing a lot, no matter how good the dub.

If you want something lighter than those though, Cowboy Bebop is really good, even if it seems to hold a place next to Dragonball in the obnoxious anime fan love list. If you want to cry like a baby, Grave of the Fireflies is supposed to be really, really good for that.

Oh, and Urotsukidoji... a high quality, beautiful romantic comedy.

[Abyx]

I'll look into Jin Roh then...sounds familier actually.

[Dr. Macon Dead]

I saw Jin Roh; it was pretty good. There were a few moments where it was a little corny, but the emphasis there is on few. Its a very realistic semi-futuristic anime, and has one of the best endings in the history of film.

And now for something completely different: Excel Saga! This follows the story of a girl working for a man named Lord Ilpalazzo, who has the coolest name in all of anime, in a secret organization trying to take over the world. Something always manages to go wrong, of course, but lots of random silly/crazyness ensues. Its random, funny, disturbing on more levels than I can possibly list, and more blood than that one part of army of darkness. You know the part I'm talking about. Anyway, if you like senseless, random, silly animes with some mature themes thrown in for good measure, this is the crazyest one of all(several times throughout the series the writer dies and they have to reset the universe). Plus, aside from a side-story about a minor character that doesn't even appear in the manga, all the story is crammed into the last 5 or so episodes, leaving some 20 odd episodes of pure random hilarity. Also, a dash of ultraviolence for good measure.

[zynthetic]

uwasawaya said:

Oh, and Urotsukidoji... a high quality, beautiful romantic comedy.

and how could I forget Excel. I actually own the dvd set, it's that good.

[uwasawaya]

"I saw Jin Roh; it was pretty good. There were a few moments where it was a little corny, but the emphasis there is on few. Its a very realistic semi-futuristic anime, and has one of the best endings in the history of film."

Not sure what you found corny, but maybe I'm biased. The weapons were perfectly realized... and it's actually not futuristic at all... everything they use in the movie is from the 1940s/50s... the armor, the MG42s, the beetles... it's all German equipment from when they occupied Japan. But yeah, definately an awesome ending, which is good, since very few Anime end well (for American tastes anyway).

The sequal to Ghost in the Shell is also good... freaky at times... it was weird when I first saw it, because I was walking through an electronics store in downtown Nagoya and the preview for it was on... I was like "That guy looks like the Ghost in the Shell dude..."

Of course in Japan it has a different title, so I didn't make the connection right away.

[Dr. Macon Dead]

Thinking back on it, you're right. The only thing futuristic about it was the armor; it looked like the powered armor from the fallout series. I can't find anything stating whether it existed or not.

I guess corny is the wrong word for it; I just remember one part where there was an alert out against the two characters. The order was "The culprits are a man and a woman; you are ordered to shoot on sight"(something to that effect at least; I saw it some four or five years ago). I thought it was weird to have to shoot on sight and give such a terrible description. Sucks for Jimmy and Anne on their date, eh? Also the leg movements were a little jerky at times, but that's the most minor of minor points and didn't distract from the anime at all. Still, very good anime, and definately worth a rent.

[uwasawaya]

Actually, Macon, I submit my apology... you're right, that part was kinda funny... an yeah, it would be funny to watch them mowing down random couples... lol... another thing is the ending, (won't spoil...) if you don't know how certain parts of a gun work, you might be confused as to what occurs with who... (in my Japanese film class, there were a number of people who didn't realize what happened... until I explained)

[Dr. Macon Dead]

I've heard good things about grave of the fireflies, but have never seen it myself. Apparently its about the end of the war(Yeah. THAT war.), but that's all I know about it. Still, people who despise anime love that movie, so I figure it has to be really good.