1st. Dragon Ball(?)
50th. Kure-nai
100th. Mindgame
150th. Redline
200th. True Tears Specials
250th. Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt
300th. Mars of Destruction
350th. Fumiko no Kokuhaku
400th. Kimi ni Todoke
Those crazy Hindu made a movie in the likes of AI or Bicenturial Man. Starts as a social drama and after the second hour it is non stop super awesome action http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqW0YXrUtFI
A lot of the appeal of My Neighbor Totoro comes from the characters, especially Totoro himself. Totoro is an entertaining character. He reminds me of the pokemon Snorlax in terms of build. The other characters capture the fun of childhood. Also, the theme of celebrating nature is portrayed very well. For a (somewhat) slice-of-life anime movie, it's one of the best I've seen so far.
What made Akagi stand out were the spectators. They freaked out at every move Akagi made, and their internal monologues really added to the suspense of the series. Even though Akagi is easy, everyone else is not easy at all. I still feel like the suspenseful aspect works there.
From what I've read from mahjong players, Akagi is a very deep series for tactics and strategies. I don't know any better, though...:/
Agreed on Kaiji being a unique character, because of being the stray dog of sorts. I enjoyed the end of S1, also partly because it was much different than the usual generic shounen ending.
Did you finish Berserk? Also, how was Kimi ni Todoke for you? It's probably one of the better high school shows I've watched. The characters were mostly fun, and the directing was tight (some suspenseful moments, even in a slice-of-life series).
Also, they didn't go for the cheap humor (not that I don't enjoy the DxDs and BakaTests...).
So what did *you* think of Totoro? One of Ghibli's better offerings?
I'm finally getting around to Akagi, and it's practically as good as season 1 of Kaiji if you have good knowledge of Mahjong. It still has some nice social commentary on human nature, just like Fukumoto's other works.
Dat scene where Akagi literally kicks everyone's ass. Also, dat scene where he's betting on dice, and the Yakuza slash him with the sword.
Well, there's enough happening to keep your attention. There's some political intrigue, military intrigue, other things like that, and a fleshed-out medieval setting. The animation isn't really eye-candy, but otherwise there's enough to keep watching.
Totoro was very enjoyable for me, even compared to other Ghiblis I've seen. Totoro himself is a lot of fun. You have kids bouncing off his belly, he's doing the rain dance, and riding around on umbrellas. The ending
might have been a bit rushed, with Totoro helping everyone out and the mother turning out fine and dandy. I couldn't expect something a lot different from a kids film, though.
Overall, a worthwhile pick for an easygoing, slice-of-life-esqe (but not really SoL) movie.
Some of my general thoughts on CCS and what I feel it excels at as a mahou shoujo.
First off, the atmosphere of the show seems to be on the right track, with the magical elements oddly enough not feeling that overbearing compared to other mahou shoujos. Specifically, a lot of the events seem to revolve more around fleshing out elements of Sakura's life as well as her numerous relationships with the other characters. The Clow Cards still do play a role, but they are usually seamlessly integrated into the theme of each episodic plot, usually touching on an theme of growing up such as relationships or reality/illusions. As such, everything just seems to be paced very well, with the show managing to establish its own rhythm before the conflict is built up to its climax. Part of this probably stems from the show not wasting time on re-used animation such as 1-2 minute transformation scenes and capture segments. The reason for this being that Sakura has her battle costumes pre-made by her friend, Tomoyo. While this may seem like a minor aesthetic choice, in actuality it allows CCS to avoid a huge pitfall of the genre. Generally speaking, lengthy transformation scenes affect magical girl titles in terms of how much content they can cram into one episode, negatively affecting their pacing.
As for the actual cast, they've been pleasant to watch so far due to their dynamics. Sakura in particular stands out (as she should considering she's the show's title character), and though I will admit she does have moe qualities, they do little to negatively detract from her characterization. If anything, her personality seems more in keeping with a young girl her age - elements such as her fascination with the world, schoolgirl-like crush and even somewhat bratty nature brings out her multiple facets. Her relationship with Tomoyo is also quite charming, as the two share a close bond with a lot of unspoken subtleties below the surface. For example, in the one episode where Sakura was going up against the Thunder Clow Card, Tomoyo prepared a special outfit made out of rubber to protect her against the electricity. It's just little moments such as this one that shows the closeness between the two girls and more specifically how well written the character dynamics are.
Another element of the show which I'm finding rather interesting is the whimsical and mystical nature surrounding the different Clow Cards. Apart from their varied designs, each one seems to possess a unique personality that determines how they behave, leading to a certain degree of unpredictability. Still, this aspect lends itself quite well in terms how Sakura must find a method of capturing each one, whether this is by her own skills or using the abilities of another card in her inventory it keeps things feeling fresh. This is one area which I feel CCS excels at compared to most other mahou shoujos, since it makes extremely good use of the monster of the week formula, turning it into something that is exciting and strategic, rather than dull or repetitive.
Last but not least are the production values, which while nothing outstanding for the time period are quite effective overall. While some of the directing is generally good, I'd say the soundtrack lends itself quite well in terms of crafting some of the show's stronger moments. Overall though, CCS seems to be on the right track as far as mahou shoujo titles are concerned. The characterization and dynamics of the main cast, along with the mysterious nature of the Clow Cards and excellent use of the monster of the week formula makes this stand strong as a mahou shoujo title. The show does have its weaker episodes where conflicts aren't built up as naturally or Sakura barely has to do anything to capture a Clow Card, but in general the show subverts a lot of the pitfalls with the genre.
Heya, regarding the second season of Chihayafuru it's been pretty much on par with the first. Being a direct continuation, the karuta matches are back in their full glory and the character dynamics still remain fresh and enjoyable. There really isn't a huge difference in quality compared to the first season, though personally I found the first one started off stronger with Chihaya's flashback. Furthermore, since the first season already laid out a lot of the basis for the game, this season has been more about the matches and the characters. Not sure if that would be a huge issue for some, but I found it added another layer of depth to the first season since it brought in other aspects such as the public view on a rather niche sport.
I also found the conclusion of the first season to be rather anti-climatic, so I'm hoping this season ties up some of the loose ends. Right now it's still a bit early to say since the episodes have only focused on a few new members of the karuta club and a single tournament. However, there have been a few mentions of Arata and Chihaya planning to take on Shinobu again, so it's a possibility later on we'll see some more intense stuff.
Well, looks like I took a week to reply as well...:/
Yeah Monster does a lot of things right. It's really atmospheric. The setting is built up really well without being wasted on killer lolis and things like that. Character development is top-notch, and the antagonists have a real presence. The setting and characters just give it a much different feel than the usual show. Well, tell me what you think whenever you're done with it.
With Chihaya, I enjoyed learning about a part of the culture (karuta), plus the characters are lovable. Add in Madhouse's production quality, and it's a recipe for success...
Kino's a must-see, Berserk (the series) is a must-see...I saw the new movie and it was pretty average, but the TV series was great. Great medieval fantasy setting, intense plot with shocking twists, fantastic characters, very memorable.
Texhnolyze is an obscure sci-fi must. They have a unique art direction, great dystopian atmosphere. Another dark and intense show.
Major S1 is the best shounen I"ve ever seen. Great plot with a lot of ups and downs, puts you on the edge of your seat for every single episode.
I've only seen a few episodes, but Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is awesome so far...
You could say Gundam has *un*likeable characters on both sides. The most compelling leads seem to be Amaro and Char, and Amaro can be an arrogant prick at times.
There's much less character/slice-of-life focus in Gundam than Macross (except for the half episode where Amaro had his existential crisis). But the Gundam action is slightly better.
The Gundam battles are more exciting than I expected, even with 1979-80 animation. Occasionally one side makes a strange tactical decision, but overall really good stuff.
I don't like a ton of fanservice either, but I'll just make an exception if I like a show enough (Welcome to the NHK and SZS, etc.).
I like FLCL as a comedy/parody of adolescence, so something I (and other guys) can relate to in some way...:S It's a strong adolescence show, just like Utena and EVA imo.
Does Kemonozume look good? Some even like it more than Kaiba.
Well, I've heard the fanbase are basically the bronies of anime. But I see it's just your traditional stuff which I am not really fond of unless they have some sort of charm to it.
I would recommend Madoka to someone who wants a mahou shoujo. But with seeing little of both, I would agree with you due to more of how these two are highly respected mahou shoujo.
While I wouldn't hold the monster of the week formula against a pure mahou shoujo title of all things, I can understand where you're coming from in saying there still needs to be something to allow it to stand out. I haven't seen the original Precure, though I can tell you some of the later instalments probably have improved significantly. Heartcatch features some genuinely good writing, an entertaining cast and absolutely FABULOUS action sequences/transformation scenes. The show also does a great job spacing out its filler episodes with plot events and flows quite nicely. The currently airing Smile Precure is much more episodic, but it's easily the most entertaining show this year. It just knows how to execute comedy and drama so well, and best of all it can switch between the two without feeling awkward like some shows do. There's also a ton of variety in the fights, as not all of them come down to the girls just using their fists/beam spam to defeat their foes. One episode featured a quiz game, while another involved the girls having the face the bad guys in some carnival games. I'd definitely recommend checking these two seasons out at some point.
