Since we’re winding down the newbie topic…
First: Thanks again QT3ers for the Twelve Kingdoms recommendation. It’s spread like wildfire through my friends, and I now pass onto you the props I get.
Here’s a few:
Gungrave: Way way, way way, WAY better than you think it’s going to be (so far). You must watch at least the second episode before judging this one.
Requiem from the Darkness: Very experimental. So far so good.
I’m working on Rorouni Kenshin right now. I’m really sad that Azumanga Daioh is all done, though.
Currently not watching anything. In fact, I havn’t watched any more than about 5 episodes in the last 2-3 months.
However, I just finished purchasing the last Saikano disk. Legit, even! Saikano now qualifies as the only series I have ever paid all the money to own the legit version.
Twelve Kingdoms and ROD - the TV as they are released on DVD.
Trying to decide whether to buy Full Metal Panic now that they’re being released on Swedish dvds. I’m also sort of watching Card Captor Sakura (meaning I bought the first dvd some time ago, and intend to buy the rest), and have plans to buy the season box for Sailor Moon S.
Maria-sama ga Miteru as they are released on fansubs (trying to decide whether to wait for the Lililicious releases) as well as Re: Cutie Honey.
Currently, enjoying Fullmetal Alchemist and SAC on Cartoon Network. Its so nice having decent anime on television again. If only they’d reconsider Zeta Gundam. :(
I’d been really enjoying WolfPackProductions’ Rockman.exe/Axcess a lot. Unfortunately, they’re one of these groups that is really spotty about their releases and you can go months without seeing anything new. Otherwise, a really good show that plays out the Battle Network GBA games really well.
Watching texhnolyze on and off. The first episode is cool, but also hard to watch (there’s virtually no dialogue for the whole episode). After that it settles down to something more normal.
I’m still on the second DVD, so I’m reserving judgement till I finish it. But I like what I’ve seen so far.
Gav
I’ve got a bunch of series on the go right now, and it’s only going to get worse when my Zeta Gundam boxset arrives at the end of November (hopefully)
Last Exile - Really good, one more disc to go
ROD The TV - Really good
Gungrave - Only seen the first disc, but it seems very interesting so far
Gundam Seed - Typical Gundam stuff, and another cheap “reimagining” of the original series. The character designs are terrible, unfortunately.
Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex - Occasionally good, but plagued with the same problem all the Ghost in the Shell products have, ie: rambling technospeak. The theme song is amazing though
Ikki Tousen - Uh… I’m watching it for the articles. Yes, that’s it.
Mezzo - I’ve only seen the first episode so far. The action sequences are the best I’ve seen in a long time
Shinichiro Watanabe’s Samurai Champloo. Not as good as Cowboy Bebop, still still quite amazing. The battles are just insane. I think it’s up to ep. 10 or 11 fansubed.
Stuff I’m gradually working through via Netflix:
The Big O : Kind weird and rambling, but I like it. It’s like Batman, if Batman was a mercenary with a giant robot.
Tenchi Muyo GXP : I’m a big fan of Tenchi Muyo. This is a spinoff, and not a Frasier-quality spinoff. More like After MASH. Still, it has some merits and it’s just a rental, so I’ll finish it.
Gregory Horror Show : I just have the first disk of this. While I think it’s probably good, each episode is just a couple of minutes long which makes it really hard to just sit down and watch for a while. It’s done in crude, cartoony cgi, and almost entirely from a first-person perspective. The narrator is trapped in the hotel Gregory House, and runs into the other horrible guests (like Nekozombie, a guest who woke up one day to find his eyes and mouth sewn shut). There’s no real plot to speak of, just a series of vignettes. I’ve never seen anything like it.
I think I made it through disc two… I’m really tired of the guy falling down all the time though…
Watching L/R right now, which is good, but I just got finished with Elfen Lied a couple of weeks ago, which jesuschristyouhavetowatchit’ssogoddamnedawesome. Just get through like three episodes… the first is weak and the second isn’t that good.
Not for everybody though - it’s extremely disturbing.
I’ve watched the first three Gungrave discs. It’s AWESOME. If you enjoyed Trigun, Nightow’s other major series, Gungrave has a similar style. It starts out as something and turns entirely into something else while building up these multi-layered and awesome characters along the way. It’s also basically a mafia tale that turns into sci-fi insanity. I love the games. I love the anime. Definitely one of my favorites.
What’s cool is that you KNOW where it’s going, especially if you played the games. But the thing is you really have no idea how it can get there. How will it all unravel? Is anyone in it really a “good” guy? Brandon is one nasty sonofabitch but he’s likable and he’s also the guy you know will be “good” eventually but jeez… the stuff that happens with Millennium…
Watch it. I also think the english dub is far superior to the japanese. The voice work is fantastic and professionally done.
–Dave
Yeah, Big O is savage. It was a bit odd at the start, I watched a few episodes and wasn’t too sure on the whole thing. The first episode in particular, while it set the tone left you fairly confused as to what the hell was going on, but the more I watched, the more I wanted to watch it. Especially towards the end it gets very good.
Apart from that the most recent anime i’ve seen has been the old Fist of the North Star stuff, Macross Plus, which I quite liked and i recently had one of those fits where I go and watch Ninja Scroll a load of times over the course of a few days. Top quality.
I’m really getting sold on Gungrave, but Greencine.com shows that the final disk doesn’t come out until 2005. I think I’ll wait.
I like it, too. Just waiting on the last DVD (which comes out in December, I think).
After seeing the final episode of Re: Cutie Honey, I’m happy to say that it didn’t disappoint me. Very nice action/humour mix. And it’s a damn fountain of fanservice, but for once, it feels like the fanservice has some heart to it instead of the crass idiocy one usually gets.
Some recent anime on DVD that I liked are:
Last Exile: it is excellent, good story and good ending.
ROD TV: fun series, whimps out a little.
Ghost in the Shell: SAC: some really good stories and some really “blah” stories.
Gungrave: saw some of the episodes on fansub, gave up on it, it was just too slow.
Fansubbed anime that I am watching:
Naruto: it is fun
Ghost in the Shell: SAC 2nd Gig: similar to the first season, some good and bad stories.
others- Monster, Gantz and Beck.
Re: Cutie Honey is just a damn good time. Very fun, with awesome character design and music.
Gankutsuou is a crazy futuristic retelling of the Count of Monte Cristo. It’s over-the-top stylish, the guy doing the voice for the Count is awesome, and the whole thing is just breathtaking. This will likely end up on my list of all-time favorites.
Genshiken is a warm-hearted and fun series about a college club called the Organization for the Research of the Modern Visual Culture – meaning they read manga, watch anime, play games, and generally do nerdy things. All the characters are likable, even the girlfriend who resents the club taking so much of her game-lovin’ boyfriend’s time.
Mai HiME is the magical girl show I’m watching this season. There’s plenty of hints about dark goings on in the background, but so far it’s been mostly light and fun. And the powers of the different girls are definitely more interesting than the standard fare.
Let me add a second vote for Gankutsuou - it is just oozing with great style and drama. It’s also the first Gonzo title I’ve liked, which says something.
Genshiken is also great, but you might not appreciate it unless you are otaku yourself.
If you like Cowboy Bebop, Samurai_Champloo can’t miss.
Windy Tales is a new series from Production IG. It has an unusualy visual style, an interesting premise, and a lot of heart. Some might find it a little slow.
Yakitate Japan! is a great anime about competitve bread baking. Try it for two episodes before you dismiss it :)
There’s also plenty of older fan-subbed anime that doesn’t get enough attention. I’m currently watching Touch (baseball/romance) and Hajime no Ippo (boxing) and they are both just really fantastic.
I caught the first disc of Paranoia Agent at a friend’s and was pleasantly surprised by how good it was. Plus, the box edition comes with one of the creepy stuffed things.