Anime and Manga: Beware of Spoilers!

[Lemonade]

The writer of the Monster manga also did 20th Century Boys, which I had a nice time reading. It's similar in tone; basically these group of kids create "friend," and when they grow up some guy becomes "friend" and creates a cult of sorts. What's really well done IMO is the author is able to switch between childhood flashbacks and the current time to give the backstory and the main story. I'm not sure if it is an anime though.

 

[Darkaxis]

Da Letter El I strongly reccomend Mirai Nikki, or Angel Beats.

 

[Da Letter El]

I am 2 episodes away from finishing Steins;Gate. It is excellent.

I will look into those afterwards, thanks!

 

[Eraddd]

Angel beats is the inferior version of clannad after story which in itself was overhyped by the masses. Cheap emotional rides appeal to the masses I guess?

 

[Dave]

http://myanimelist.net/profile/ZweiTheBadAss

My MAL if anyone wants to send an invite. Im one of the bigger anime nerds on here haha, and down to talk anime anytime. :p

Angel Beats is nothing like Clannad lol. Like, I can't even think of a legit comparison xD.

 

[Fishin]

Angel Beats and Clannad have the same writer and follow the same general formula of "introduce cast of characters and let them play around for awhile, then start dropping tragedy bombs". The main difference is that Angel Beats is too ambitious for its own good and tries to do far too much in too little time and ends up underdeveloped and kind of a mess. Clannad doesn't suffer from these issues and is overall better though it's not until After Story that it starts really living up to its full potential.

 

[Zoro]

Can anyone recommend me some "depressing as shit" mangas like Higurashi/Umineko or Puella Magia Madoka Magica? I read the latter like two days ago and it's exactly the kind of stuff I was looking for. All of those start out sweet and harmless but the story gets progressively darker and more f'd up.

Thanks in advance ^_^

 

[Ace Attorney]

Grave of the Fireflies : http://myanimelist.net/anime/578/Grave_of_the_Fireflies

However, it is an anime movie. I don't watch sad animes but when it comes to tragedy/depressing requests I see this one a lot.

I'm also recommending watching Barefoot Gen after watching Grave of the Fireflies, they're based around the same things.

 

[Eraddd]

Angel Beats and Clannad have the same writer and follow the same general formula of "introduce cast of characters and let them play around for awhile, then start dropping tragedy bombs". The main difference is that Angel Beats is too ambitious for its own good and tries to do far too much in too little time and ends up underdeveloped and kind of a mess. Clannad doesn't suffer from these issues and is overall better though it's not until After Story that it starts really living up to its full potential.

Echoes my sentiments. Although I didn't like how After Story finished off.

Hide

Bringing Nagisa and his daughter back to life? Ugh, leave the dead be.

 

[Acklow]

Can anyone recommend me some "depressing as shit" mangas like Higurashi/Umineko or Puella Magia Madoka Magica? I read the latter like two days ago and it's exactly the kind of stuff I was looking for. All of those start out sweet and harmless but the story gets progressively darker and more f'd up.

Thanks in advance ^_^

Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai, because the whole premise is depressing from the start.

Edit: (I had read anime, lol, but Ano Hana is based on a manga, I'm fairly sure)

 

[His Eminence Lord Poppington II]

i'm pretty sick of that formula, it feels really artificial and you can tell that by how inane their general interactions are that something big is going to happen... oh not to mention the characters in clannad and angel beats were incredibly bland and basically anime templates.

 

[Eraddd]

Yeah it really annoyed me that other than Tomoya (the male protagonist), I didn't feel that the others had any sort of development other than shitty slapstick or overdone emotional motifs.

Clannad was probably one of the first animes I've had the unfortunate chance to watch along with Fate Stay Night, two of which really turned me off anime for another year or so, because Clannad embodied everything I disliked about animes, and even shows in general. For a general audience, I expect Clannad to appeal to them but I hate trying to digest some fast food cheap thrills, when I could have the medium rare steak served just as easily.

Also, for Fate/Zero, I was really disappointed they didn't expand as much on Saber/Berserker (well they did, but ugh, could've given it a bit more thought, less screen time for shitty Lancer and more for Berserker seriously). I was also disappointed on how brief the final climax was, although I did enjoy a bit of Kiritsugu's change in the end. It sets it up nicely for Fate Stay Night, which in my opinion should be redone by Ufotable again, but alas, Studio DEEN still owns that franchise from last time I checked. Maybe they'll make another epic set of movies I don't know.

 

[CyzirVisheen]

Ufotable should adapt Hollow/Axtaria. Actually related to T/M stuff, who's animating Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya again?

 

[Fishin]

Lancer was fine; maybe a little too much screentime dedicated towards him and Saber sharing knightly chivalry circlejerks (and ultimately he was kind of a weak servant esp compared to the last surviving 4, though conversely Kayneth was one of the strongest Masters) but his death scene set a good tone for the rest of the series. If anyone was too superfluous, I would say Caster, as he clearly didn't have any interest in winning from the start and was basically there to be a common enemy for awhile. That and Assassin but being superfluous was kind of Assassin's point so I don't have an issue there.

On the flipside one area that should definitely have been expanded on is exactly what happened to Gilgamesh

Hide

while he was in the mud and why he comes out of it unharmed:


"The voice of the curse asked.
What was right?
Who was there to acknowledge it? Who was there to permit it? And who was to bear the burden of sin?
Facing the bombshell tossed from the darkness— in reply, a resounding and concrete sneer.
A foolish question. That goes without asking.
The King will acknowledge it; the King will permit it. The King will bear the burden of the entire world.

"——!?"

The mud asked, what is a king?
But at the same time that it asked the question, it realized that it had contradicted itself.
In this place that strictly did not allow the existence of ‘entities’, the mud had admitted that there was someone else within it. Some strange foreign object, that could not exist, had appeared here.
That was — King — a presence that was an absolute controller, as well as one that had no equal.
His name was — King of Heroes, Gilgamesh.

'That is I!'

And yeah, it's kind of a pity what happened to the Fate/Stay Night anime. I think the original 24-episode series is a decent enough work in a vacuum even if it adopts the worst of the three routes, but it doesn't come close to telling the full story and unfortunately DEEN doesn't seem to be planning on doing that anytime soon (there's the UBW movie too but it kind of sucks) so the only real way is to read the VN.

 

[Raikage]

The terribler is here and this is his command:

Watch everything by Oisin. Also SHAFT needs to animate Zetsubou ending and Zaregoto.

 

[Eraddd]

Lancer was fine; maybe a little too much screentime dedicated towards him and Saber sharing knightly chivalry circlejerks (and ultimately he was kind of a weak servant esp compared to the last surviving 4, though conversely Kayneth was one of the strongest Masters) but his death scene set a good tone for the rest of the series. If anyone was too superfluous, I would say Caster, as he clearly didn't have any interest in winning from the start and was basically there to be a common enemy for awhile. That and Assassin but being superfluous was kind of Assassin's point so I don't have an issue there.

On the flipside one area that should definitely have been expanded on is exactly what happened to Gilgamesh

Hide

while he was in the mud and why he comes out of it unharmed:

Hide

From my scant knowledge of the Fate series, Gilgamesh, after being engulfed in the mud, was essentially reborn, given a physical body, allowing him to stay in the world after the Holy Grail War. Of course, he still needs mana to sustain himself, so Kirei provides him a rather unsavory way (one can say Caster would approve heh) of gaining mana, and Gilgamesh goes into hiding until the next war. I think the Grail partially granted his wish based on the conversation above, but I could be wrong, since Gilgamesh wanted the grail only for his Gates of Babylon iirc.

Caster in my opinion was an interesting character. Not enough was done to explore his relationship with Jean d'Arc, and mostly focused on his obsession with Saber which we see enough of from Gilgamesh (seriously stop). The only glimpse we get is a brief flashback that he somehow regretted everything, and nothing else. (Ugh the recurring theme of not exploring a character enough pops up everywhere). Sadly I don't think he put enough work into getting the grail which would've been interesting to see what happened with the Grail's inherent evils. I still liked Caster in the end though, even though he was fucking twisted.

Lancer was well developed and I agree that it did set the tone for the series. However, I wish Berserker got the Lancer treatment quite honestly.

Maybe I'll just go read the LN and see if it provides more answers.

 

[Dave]

Lets talk about the new Berserk movies instead, and how badass these re-makes are. LGI.

 

[Forte.EXE]

The only wish that was granted (and even then, it failed) at the end of the fourth Holy Grail War (the one Fate/Zero is based on) was Kirei's wish for an end to humanity, which came in the form of the Fuyuki fire (where Kiritsugu found Shirou).

The reason Gilgamesh came out unharmed from the mud is because he is, literally, incorruptible. Not even Angra Mainyu, the embodiment of all of the world's evils, can corrupt him. Gilgamesh, out of all of the Servants, is easily the most powerful. It's his arrogance that leads him to defeat every single time.

 

[kd24]

just finished season 1 of kaiji. i dont care what anyone says about the ending i was on the edge of my seat the entire time and my jaw was literally dropped at the end. going to "finish" the series in the coming days but this is definitely one of the best shows ive ever seen:

great soundtrack
great commentary on human nature
great "love to hate" villains

my only major complaint is the best gamble is the first one. nothing comes close to rrps except maybe e-card, but that wasnt so much psychological warfare as it was just a war

if you want to friend me, you can add me here http://myanimelist.net/profile/kd24

 

[Forte.EXE]

You should check out One Outs and Akagi.

 

[zenzen~]

i second one outs, that show is hella legit. MC is pretty much baseball akagi, and i'm completely fine with that

 

[Fishin]

Gambling Legend Zero is probably the best thing similar to Kaiji (same author) though it unfortunately only exists as a manga atm. One Outs and Akagi are definitely worth watching though.

 

[Chieliee]

Honestly, this thread deserves more posts and more discussion and more luvdiscs and more attention and more everything.

My favorite anime is by far Elfen Lied, an anime that is well-known to contain high levels of gore and nudity. However, those who have watched it will likely have found the true beauty of this series. It's the favorite anime i've ever watched (admittedly, that doesn't say a whole lot) and manga it is based upon is amazing as well.

Elfen Lied's main protagonist is Lucy, who belongs to a superior kind of species known as Dioniclii. They have control over devastating weapons called vectors. Vectors are invisible arms, able to cut through human bodies like a hot knife through butter. When Lucy meets up with an old friend from the past, things slowly get horribly tragic.


Here are some questions to discuss Elfen Lied:

Spoilers

- Do you think Lucy/Nyu/Kaede is alive by the end of the anime? Who is the sillhouete seen in the last scene?
- Why do you think the Grandfather's clock is shown so often?
- Is humanity really evil, or does this series exaggerate?

oh and P.S.: For those who plan to watch the series, don't get scared off by the first 10 minutes. That's the goriest it gets.

animelist
mangalist

 

[faint]

oh and P.S.: For those who plan to watch the series, don't get scared off by the first 10 minutes. That's the goriest it gets.

This needs to be stressed. Too many people are "afraid" to watch this show because they assume it's loli's that kill. (but it kinda is, the point is that as you mentioned that is not what makes the show good)

Anyways I watched this show in one sitting with a friend. I remember after we finished episode 1, we didn't really know what to say. We both sat there with a "..." look on our face. We agreed to give it one more shot, so I started episode 2. A few hours later the show was over, and we both ended up loving it. The gore / nudity / incest had no impact on us, which honestly surprised since she's never really watched an anime like this before.

I thought the characters were great, and the pacing of the show was just right. I'm not a fan of manga, and therefore was never introduced to the story of Elfen Lied. I'm not sure if it follows the manga at all, but regardless the show as an individual was great. I would recommend anyone give it a shot.

In related anime's I'm currently watching Higurashi, which so far I am really enjoying.

 

[Smith]

I'm currently too lazy to make a big gigantic post so here are my favorite anime (in order of descending preference)

Haibane Renmei: Ok some of the other anime I'll post are kinda "guilty pleasures," like my brain acknowledges that they're kinda trashy and not that special but I just love them anyway. Haibane Renmei is the complete opposite of this. No guns, no boobs, all thought. This is a thinking anime, that you have to pay attention to while watching, that explores themes like redemption, loneliness, the meaning of life, etc. The whole universe in which this anime takes place in is a microcosm of our existence, and it's really beautiful to watch unfold. The more you think about and the more times you re-watch this anime, the more genius you'll uncover. There are other thinking animes I guess, but this one is my favorite because I really do agree with all the answers they come up with. It's only 13 episodes and it is just absolutely stellar.

Mushi-shi: This is a really fascinating show that is set in like pre-modern Japan but with an interesting twist; strange little creatures called mushi. Probably related to the kami of Shinto lore, mushi are the essence of all life and are kinda difficult to describe so im going to stop lol. Again, no guns, no boobs, and only one or two episodes of real violence, but this show is visually stunning and in each episode presents a different story of sorts. It's a really unique show thats difficult to describe, but it's like every episode some old Japanese dude sat down next to you and told you a different story of Japanese folklore. Really fantasitc, unique show.

Kokoro Connect: This one is more on my "trashy" end of the spectrum, I just finished watching it and it was LOVELY. Toradora! is kind of a better version of this, but I just personally couldn't enjoy Taiga as a character so, while I really loved the show, it never really got me. This show is more SOL-y, yes, but still very dramatic and with really refined, believable, engaging characters. There's good drama, fantastic animation, a very catchy OP and pretty good character development on all fronts. Not a unique show, surely, but a great one. After watching this I really want to watch Hyouka next, but the FINAL FOUR EPISODES OF KOKORO CONNECT COME OUT ON DECEMBER 30 so I have to wait until then.

Princess Mononoke: Yeah I have a movie on here what about it? Another Miyazaki movie, yes, and while I haven't seen too many I feel like this must have been his greatest. It's about the environment and nature and it's balance with humanity, and it explores these concepts by, like Mushi-shi, re-introducing some shinto-ist elements like spirits and kami. I think, like most Miyazaki movies, that it's a great coming of age story, and I love all the visuals in it. Good flick.

Angel Beats!: Again, closer to the trashy end of the spectrum but I still really liked it! It's like a mix of Clannad and Haibane Renmei for me, and while most of the characters aren't anything special, I really enjoyed the premise of the show and the story that I watched unfold. There was some FANTASTIC drama in the show, and the last episode was just heart-wrenching; it's the only show that has ever made me literally gasp, all while trying to hold back tears and then just being reduced to sobbing. It's worth the 13 episodes imo.

Clannad After Story: I think this show was kinda limited by its being based on a visual novel and having to go through all of the other routes and such like; if it had just been Nagisa and Tomoya from beginning to end, while possibly developing other important characters like Sunohara and some of the other chicks to some degree non-romantically, it would have been a lot more touching and beautiful than it already was. Some flat characters, definitely, but still a really precious storyline. Episode 19 of Clannad After Story made me cry like a little bitch[EDIT: maybe 18? the one with the robot in the field], and if you didn't then I don't know what else to tell you. Is it overhyped? Yeah, probably, but it has some of the best production values of any animation in history and a beautiful storyline so just go watch it.

5 Centimeters Per Second: Yeah this show's animation was so good that it makes real life look unrealistic. Let me rephrase that. After watching this show in HD quality, I looked around my room and was wondering why the resolution was so bad. The animation is really good. Combine that with a touching and realistic love story, and this is worth the 72 minutes of your time it will require you to watch this masterpiece.

Usagi Drop: This show is just heartwarming. The manga got REALLY weird after a certain point (or so I'm told) so I'm glad the anime stopped before that, but it's just a story about a middle aged man who adopts a 5 year old girl who nobody else wants. How cute is that? The girl does cute stuff and the gruffy dude turns out to be a great dad and it's charming and I love it.

Welcome to the NHK!: Probably the only show I've watched that where I really enjoyed every OP and ED. This is a somewhat dark show, but I think it's really valuable, and it hits home pretty strong for a lot of us who think they spend too much time on the computer pissing their lives away. Most people have seen this so I won't go too in-depth but go watch it if you haven't, it's a classic for a reason.

Baccano / Durarara: pretty comparable shows imo, the strengths here are the stream-of-consciousness style of storytelling, really great characters, and an intricate and engaging plot. One explores mob life in the 30's, one explores urban gang life (to some extent). Have you noticed how my descriptions are getting shorter and shorter lol? It's like I'm writing RMTs again. You'll fall in love with the characters and be entranced by a plot you don't fully understand until the very end, all with some great action scenes. Good shit.

Kino's Journey: Another thinking anime, but probably just a tad too artsy. Kino is a great character and Hermes is a pretty all right straight man, and together they go on an adventure and explore the world and learn about different cultures and ideologies. Every episode has a life lesson of sorts, and you can agree or disagree with what they say but it's still valuable, I think. My brother thinks they bite off a tad more then they can chew sometimes, and I'd say that's a valid criticism, but I still really like it.

edit: wow that turned out pretty gigantic anyway