OMG SHIPPUUDEN

[fahye]

Wow. I bet a lot of you have never been around while I'm in the middle of an anime obsession, have you? The thing is, anime was my High School Thing, and the reason I got onto LJ in the first place, and the reason I started writing fanfic, but once I'd spent some time in the Yami no Matsuei and X/1999 fandoms around the age of sixteen/seventeen...I didn't really watch it much. (With the notable exceptions of Ouran and -- recently -- Death Note.) I stopped going to conventions and cosplaying and reading manga.

But, apparently, I never quite managed to shake my inner anime fangirl. So now I'm watching Naruto and planning fic and cosplay (maaaaaaybe) and learning silly dances and it's pretty much entirely ryokophoenix's fault, but I'm having a great time. I'd forgotten what it was like to be able to sing an entire song in Japanese despite not knowing more than five words in the language, and to share a fandomly enthusiasm with people that you know in real life.

And now I'm wondering what other series I've been missing out on. Because I really love this medium; it was such a huge part of my high school experience and it's still so, so different to anything the Western market produces (except Avatar! WHOO AVATAR!). Mel & I talked today about the fact that very few Western TV shows aimed at children have such epic scope and such hugely emotional, moral cores as most anime series. Most Western TV shows for kids have plots that are contained within a single episode, and most of them don't make many intellectual demands on the viewer or ask that they absorb more than a simple message. Granted, not all anime does this, but most of it does focus on a story arc that can take years to climax, because they're usually based on something that was a serialised graphic novel. It demands an attention span. And a willingness to pay attention to complex ideas. (And that's not even starting on the fact that in Western society, most animation is aimed only at children, and graphic novels are considered the provence of a subculture rather than a legitimate medium for any genre imaginable.)

I'm quite tipsy, so I could be talking out of my arse, but I am really glad that I got into anime before I started judging it based on its collective fans or its popularity or, god help me, American dubs.

Comments

[-leareth.livejournal.com]

Off the top of my head I will shove at you Full Metal Alchemist if you haven't seen it, because it is epic and smart and so much fun (ignore the fandom). Also Nodame Cantabile because it's all about university students studying classical music performance, and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex for the amazing animation and the fact that you need your brain switched on to understand what's going on properly. OH and Princess Tutu which contrary to my expectations of pink magical girls is actually really, REALLY interesting and it's all about storytelling and ballet.

RE: American dubs; most should be avoided because 9/10 times they're never as good as the original, the only series I'll say the opposite for would be Cowboy Bebop and Ghost in the Shell which are the rare exceptions where the English is actually an improvement. Oh, and Hellsing, but that's mainly because that story is set in England meaning the English dub gave everyone proper and class-accurate English accents.

[fahye.livejournal.com]

I have only seen about half of FMA and REALLY want to see the rest one day! & I've heard great things about both Nodame Cantabile and Princess Tutu. And I've seen the subbed versions of both Cowboy Bebop and Hellsing but now I kind of want to track down the Hellsing dub because it would be GREAT with proper British accents.

Also on my list are Honey & Clover and Ergo Proxy -- have you heard much about either of those?

[-leareth.livejournal.com]

I have all of FMA (subbed) and Princess Tutu (subbed). Nodame Cantabile I have both the anime and the live action drama subtitled (the live action is in some ways even funnier than the anime, if nothing else for campy Japanese trying to be Westerners). Hellsing I have some of the OAVs in dub, and Integra with a crisp British accent is fun, almost as fun as Father Anderson the Irish-Catholic priest with an Irish accent.

Honey & Clover -- done by the same studio that did Nodame Cantabile; about the trials and tribulations of university arts students. Haven't actually watched all of that, now that I think about it, it's on my 'To Watch' list.

Ergo Proxy -- sci-fi, only actually seen the first episode and never got around to the rest, all I remember is some mutations and pseudo-religious metaphors and a main character with awesome blue eyeshadow and coat. Also on my 'To Watch' list.

[fahye.livejournal.com]

Eeeeeexcellent. I'll just shove some blank DVDs at you, then.

[ryokophoenix.livejournal.com]

COSPLAY YES GODALKSHAIASDAMN YOU.

ALSO, HAVE MY CHILDREN.

[fahye.livejournal.com]

CHILDREN? YOU KNOW ME BETTER THAN THAT.

But I can't decide between Jounin & ANBU! Though I am leaning towards ANBU as having greater flexibility of costume composition and availability of surfaces to place the Konoha Hospital logo. TALK KATHY INTO POLICE!SASUKE.

[ryokophoenix.livejournal.com]

ANBU WOULD TECHNICALLY BE EASIER TO MAKE.....but sorta out of place if neither Sasuke or Naruto are the same. :S THIS IS SO HARD. XD

FINE. HAVE MY INCORPOREAL INTERNET CHILDREN, HO.

[fahye.livejournal.com]

True, in that case perhaps a Jounin vest with...maybe a short black skirt and then RED ASSCAPE something else with the logo.

INCORPOREAL INTERNET CHILDREN WOULD BE HANDY ACTUALLY. They could run around and find interesting things for you to look at.

[ryokophoenix.livejournal.com]

DAMN YOU AND YOUR BAJILLION ICONS, I'M ASKING FOR PAID TIME FOR MY BIRTHDAY.

Y'know, I saw some fanart where the medic-nin had a Jounin vest in a different colour...sadly I have never seen this in canon and also it would be really stupid in practice. But arm bands/ass capes/leg bands/hitai-ates could all work.

IF THEY LISTEN TO YOU. MINE JUST TEND TO MAKE A MESS ON MY INCORPOREAL INTERNET CARPET.

[fahye.livejournal.com]

At this rate I'll have to order a wig, the vest and the forehead protector and it will cost a MINT.

[ryokophoenix.livejournal.com]

I HAVE A SPARE HITAI-ATE! I actually have three, but one's enormous.

Also, ever wanted to hear the voice actors sing? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-FW25hUlDo)

[fahye.livejournal.com]

And would you let me mutilate it so that I could put it on a red band? :D

[ryokophoenix.livejournal.com]

.......yeeeeeeeees. O.o

Next time I see you, I'm showing you the posts with the screwed up screencaps. I COULD send you the links, but I want to see your face. >D

[sophistry]

*noses in* There is a place like five minutes walk from my uni that is selling a whole bunch of the Naruto headbandy things, with different designs etched thereupon. Also possibly wristbands, but on that I am not 100% sure, since I just noticed them in passing and thought of you. ANYWAY, my point was: directed to a picture of the one you need, I could see if I could find it and send it to you?

[sophistry]

I second the Honey & Clover rec, because it is just... lovely. Also Nana. Both slice-of-life animes, but slkdfj;asl they are excellent.

But sdlkfhsdkfjadlkfjl' THIS SERIES THAT I KEEP TRYING TO MAKE A COHERENT PIMP POST FOR AND FAILING BECAUSE I CAN'T EVEN COMPOSE MY THOUGHTS ON HOW EPIC AND AMAZING AND BEAUTIFUL AND UPLIFTING AND MEANINGFUL AND INTENSELY MOVING IT IS: Seirei no Moribito. Why yes, that is a link to direct downloads of all 26 episodes and the two unbelievably gorgeous OSTs. Oh, god, please watch it. I WAS RIGHT ABOUT ROME AND BONES, WASN'T I?

[schiarire.livejournal.com]

PIMP IT. PIMP IT, SOPHS.

[sophistry]

KJSDA;LSSJDA HAVE YOU SEEN IT OR IS MY CAPSLOCK JUST INFECTIOUS

[schiarire.livejournal.com]

YOUR CAPSLOCK MAKES ME WISH TO KNOW WHAT JUSTIFIES IT, for if you pimp well and hard I will watch!

[sophistry]

IN THE MEANTIME YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO THESE TWO TRACKS OFF THE SOUNDTRACK, on account of I think they just might be gorgeous enough to persuade you on their own.

[schiarire.livejournal.com]

I actually don't know if you would like Honey & Clover as much as I did; I mean, it'd be so easy to summarize as "art students live normal lives." Very light on plot, at least for some time.

BUT YOU MUST WATCH PRINCESS TUTU because a lot of the ministories are taken from actual ballets and a lot of the dances are ALSO taken from ACTUAL BALLETS. IN ADDITION TO THIS DANCE-Y AUTHENTICITY, it is really wonderful, wonderful storytelling meta if you get far enough in. It takes some getting used to (I personally don't really like the animation style though lots of other people do) because it's SO CRAZY, but if you can go with the flow, it's amazingly -- moving. And clever.

I love Nana but prefer the manga to the anime because the plot can be a bit slow and/or mixed-up, which bothers me less when I'm reading than when I'm waiting for a 20minute flashback episode to end.


And ... there's no way Ergo Proxy won't ROCK you. It takes a little to get off the ground and can be confusing (I made Holly watch the first two episodes twice) but then it builds up in a fury of competent worldbuilding, AZTEC MYTHOLOGY, and the need to KNOW THE TRUTH EVEN IF IT WON'T NECESSARILY MAKE YOU HAPPY to an explosive head that I think peaks at about Episode 9. (AND HOW!!!!) Then it throws some of that full head of steam by the wayside and decides to swim around in philosophy for like, TEN EPISODES, but if you didn't mind that in The End of Mr. Y, you can probably live through the thought experiment episodes of Ergo Proxy.

I'M NOW VERY CURIOUS ABOUT THIS NODAME CANTABILE THING AND ALSO, SOPHIE, MAKE A PROPER PIMP POST COS I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THIS SHOW.

[tammaiya.livejournal.com]

I haven't watched the Nodame Cantabile anime, but I've read the manga and watched the drama. I really like the drama! I recommend it! :D (Also, the Hana Yori Dango drama is love.)

On the anime-for-Fahye front-- I know I've showed you Tactics. I think you'd really like Saiunkoku Monogatari-- I definitely told Mel about it at your party, I think I told you too. Other than that, and FMA, I dunno; there haven't been heaps of great anime lately.