Television The Caf' Anime Thread

Kazi

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Any good new shows out there?

Come to think of it, there hasn’t been a top film released this year either - there’s usually at least 1 a year. Been spoilt with Kimi no Na wa and Koe no Katachi recently.
 

Luke1995

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The way Naruto explores human emotions is incredible even if there are more complex animes out there, it's my favorite anime ever.

FullMetal Alchemist Brotherhood is a masterpiece, really makes you think about human nature

Death Note is very fun until a certain point

One Piece I watched only until the skypea part but loved it so far, it is so looong though! Zoro is a legend!

If you really like violent stuff, Shigurui is your thing, there's blood everywhere. The backstory is good too.

Madoka Magica is beautiful

Serial Experiments Lain is the most complex anime ever, Evangelion is on my list to watch though...

NHK is very good to understand the issues of shy people, the hikikkomori are a very big thing in Japan, highly reccomend it

Yu Gi Oh has some brilliant stuff in the ''battle of the city'' part, evil Marik is awesome, Kaiba is my favorite character though!

Watching To Aru Majutsu no Index now
 
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Ødegaard

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Any good new shows out there?

Come to think of it, there hasn’t been a top film released this year either - there’s usually at least 1 a year. Been spoilt with Kimi no Na wa and Koe no Katachi recently.
Black clover is OK.
Other than that... Not really.
 

Ødegaard

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The way Naruto explores human emotions is incredible even if there are more complex animes out there, it's my favorite anime ever.

FullMetal Alchemist Brotherhood is a masterpiece, really makes you think about human nature

Death Note is very fun until...

One Piece I watched only until the skypea part but loved it so far, it is so looong though! Zoro is a legend!

If you really like violent stuff, Shigurui is your thing, there's blood everywhere. The backstory is good too.

Madoka Magica is beautiful

Serial Experiments Lain is the most complex anime ever, Evangelion is on my list to watch though...

NHK is very good to understand the issues of shy people, the hikikkomori are a very big thing in Japan, highly reccomend it

Yu Gi Oh has some brilliant stuff in the ''battle of the city'' part, evil Marik is awesome, Kaiba is my favorite character though!

Watching To Aru Majutsu no Index now
Naruto: overrated
FMA: brilliant
Death Note: great up until a certain point.
One piece: great but slow as hell.
Index is decent. Slightly above average. The universe itself is more interesting though, especially with accelerator in a more prominent role.
 

Luke1995

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Naruto: overrated
FMA: brilliant
Death Note: great up until a certain point.
One piece: great but slow as hell.
Index is decent. Slightly above average. The universe itself is more interesting though, especially with accelerator in a more prominent role.
Yeah Index is not all that complex but it is very fun, the perfect stuff to fill a boring time. Accelerator is the best character, they say the second season is better than the 1st though
 

Art

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Alright fully caught up on One Piece. God waiting every week is going to be brutal.
 

Invictus

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Old-ish news but the Studio Ghibli theme park is set to open in Japan in ~2022:
Lovely! :drool:
 

Kazi

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That gives me an excuse to go back to Tokyo. The Castle in the Sky and Nausicaa rides should be good.
 

Invictus

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That gives me an excuse to go back to Tokyo. The Castle in the Sky and Nausicaa rides should be good.
On a personal note, I'm biased in favor of The Forest from Mononoke Hime and Yubaba's Bathhouse from Spirited Away. :)

Apparently, the former was inspired by the real-life Shiratani Unsuikyo Ravine in Yakushima Island:


https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4654.html
 

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New season of Attack on Titan started. I hate watching weekly episodes though, need it all in one go.
 

Yagami

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Speaking of Studio Ghibli, Spirited Away is on Film4 right now. I'm going to watch it from the beginning on +1.
That gives me an excuse to go back to Tokyo. The Castle in the Sky and Nausicaa rides should be good.
How was your time there?
 

Yagami

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So Film4s rule is: anime on at day = dub, anime on at night = sub
 

Kazi

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Speaking of Studio Ghibli, Spirited Away is on Film4 right now. I'm going to watch it from the beginning on +1.

How was your time there?
Loved it. Loved the food, loved the people, loved the culture. Only had like 8 days though and tried to cover Tokyo/Osaka/Kyoto in that time. Needed longer really.
 

Yagami

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These next two weeks - at the very least - we're having our entire kitchen ripped out so, whilst they're doing that, I'll catch up on some anime with the free time that I'll have. I'll be watching a Korean show called Running Man, too, so they'll be thinking "what the hell is this chap in to" with all the Korean and Japanese they'll be hearing. Maybe I'll spare them and wear headphones.
Loved it. Loved the food, loved the people, loved the culture. Only had like 8 days though and tried to cover Tokyo/Osaka/Kyoto in that time. Needed longer really.
Awesome! I'd love to visit one day. I'm glad you had a good time anyway. Any stand out things you enjoyed most whilst there? Food, places to visit, etc..
 

Kazi

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These next two weeks - at the very least - we're having our entire kitchen ripped out so, whilst they're doing that, I'll catch up on some anime with the free time that I'll have. I'll be watching a Korean show called Running Man, too, so they'll be thinking "what the hell is this chap in to" with all the Korean and Japanese they'll be hearing. Maybe I'll spare them and wear headphones.

Awesome! I'd love to visit one day. I'm glad you had a good time anyway. Any stand out things you enjoyed most whilst there? Food, places to visit, etc..
Favourite city was Kyoto, stand out was the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove. There’s also a whole bunch of very memorable shrines to visit there. For nightlife, Tokyo is best. Just walking around in Shinjuku in the evening is an experience. For food, having sushi at Tsukiji Fish Market is a must. Also had amazing wagyu at the Osaka Hilton - that was my best meal but very expensive (over £100 a head).

Can I ask what sort of budget you're looking at for 8 days there?
A big one! Tbf, I went with my brother in law who pretty much paid for everything. I would say around £1,000 for 8 days, not including flights and hotels.
 

Yagami

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Having watched Spirited Away the other night, I fancy going on a Studio Ghibli binge. My Neighbours the Yamadas is on Film4 tonight so I'll tune in for that and also intend on watching Castle in the Sky tonight, too.

I was also thinking of watching the dub of Spirited Away but I love Chihiro's Japanese/original voice so much that watching it without that is kinda off-putting!
 

3KDré

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I've been told to watch Hunter x Hunter, the first two episodes are OK I guess, but anyone know if it is worth continuing?
 
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Twigg

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I've been told to watch Hunter x Hunter, the first two episodes are OK I guess, but anyone know if it is worth continuing?
Hard to guage it so early on, I'd say watch until the Zoldyck arc finishes (around 27 episodes in), and if you aren't feeling it by that point then don't continue it.

Personally, I loved HxH, fecking awesome anime with a beautiful soundtrack.
 

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Excuse me for not being knowledgeable about this, but I have no idea what the fascination is about with anime. I am interested tho, if someone could sell me the experience. What are they about? What are maybe the best ways to approach watching anime? What kind of people usually find interest in anime? If not anime, is there other regular tv-shows that could in some ways compare, if so, or not, care to explain?
 

Invictus

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Agree with @Twigg...don't give up just yet, @3KDré! The first couple dozen episodes are admittedly a tad bit childish and ponderous (as opposed to something like Bleach which hits you in the face from the get go and introduces the first major conflict by just Episode 14), but the writer's focus is on world-building and engendering a sense of chemistry between the primary characters — so the leisurely pace kinda makes sense. Give it a fair go — if you're not hooked by Heaven's Arena arc (a definite turning point for me: analogous to Baratie and Arlong Park in One Piece), then H x H is probably not for you.
Excuse me for not being knowledgeable about this, but I have no idea what the fascination is about with anime. I am interested tho, if someone could sell me the experience. What are they about? What are maybe the best ways to approach watching anime? What kind of people usually find interest in anime? If not anime, is there other regular tv-shows that could in some ways compare, if so, or not, care to explain?
The trick to watching anime (and having a semi-enjoyable time) is to think of the activity as no different than reading a book or watching a non-animated show (more normalized entertainment pursuits) — that's the biggest stumbling block for newbie watchers who're acutely aware of the stigma surrounding grownup weirdos that watch “cartoons” and let it color their fun-time. Really, the only significant difference between the three is how the story is conveyed: art/words/motion-picture photography. Even though most of the mainstream focuses quite heavily on the teenage male viewer-base, the anime medium has a fair bit of depth — even for more mature viewers, so it's not about a constricted subject matter or premise in particular (rendering the what are they about bit moot), and caters to just about every taste (suspense/thriller, hack-and-slash, fantasy, western, mecha, romance, day-to-day slice of life, adventure, horror, trope heavy shōnen, Sci-Fi, comedy, supernatural, and so forth). Guess that's what the fascination with anime is all about: variety is the spice of life and it's just an alternative (and historically non-traditional) source of entertainment.
 

MikeKing

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The trick to watching anime (and having a semi-enjoyable time) is to think of the activity as no different than reading a book or watching a non-animated show (more normalized entertainment pursuits) — that's the biggest stumbling block for newbie watchers who're acutely aware of the stigma surrounding grownup weirdos that watch “cartoons” and let it color their fun-time. Really, the only significant difference between the three is how the story is conveyed: art/words/motion-picture photography. Even though most of the mainstream focuses quite heavily on the teenage male viewer-base, the anime medium has a fair bit of depth — even for more mature viewers, so it's not about a constricted subject matter or premise in particular (rendering the what are they about bit moot), and caters to just about every taste (suspense/thriller, hack-and-slash, fantasy, western, mecha, romance, day-to-day slice of life, adventure, horror, trope heavy shōnen, Sci-Fi, comedy, supernatural, and so forth). Guess that's what the fascination with anime is all about: variety is the spice of life and it's just an alternative (and historically non-traditional) source of entertainment.
Thanks. I'd love to watch something with depth. I remember I had a couple male teenage friends who was into anime, how does it specifically target that base? It sounds like a turnoff for me especially now, since it didn't interest me back then even. Is it that the characters are kids?
Finally, do you have any recommendations? I guess I would be most interested in something with "wise" subtext.
 

Invictus

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Thanks. I'd love to watch something with depth. I remember I had a couple male teenage friends who was into anime, how does it specifically target that base? It sounds like a turnoff for me especially now, since it didn't interest me back then even. Is it that the characters are kids?
Yes, partly — a lot of the characters are kids because it makes for a more immersive experience. But also, the themes and plots and characterizations for the most popular and most profitable mainstream anime genre (shōnen: which literally means boy in Japanese) resonate strongly with the teenage demographic. Though again, just because they're the primarily target audience doesn't mean the shōnen genre can't appeal to older viewers. Just like The Lord of the Rings has timeless appeal across all age demographics, even though it was mostly a fantasy tale for children and young adults:
In a 1955 letter to W. H. Auden, Tolkien recollects that he began work on The Hobbit one day early in the 1930s, when he was marking School Certificate papers. He found a blank page. Suddenly inspired, he wrote the words, "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit." By late 1932 he had finished the story and then lent the manuscript to several friends, including C. S. Lewis and a student of Tolkien's named Elaine Griffiths. In 1936, when Griffiths was visited in Oxford by Susan Dagnall, a staff member of the publisher George Allen & Unwin, she is reported to have either lent Dagnall the book or suggested she borrow it from Tolkien. In any event, Miss Dagnall was impressed by it, and showed the book to Stanley Unwin, who then asked his 10-year-old son Rayner to review it. Rayner's favourable comments settled Allen & Unwin's decision to publish Tolkien's book.
Finally, do you have any recommendations? I guess I would be most interested in something with "wise" subtext.
Umm...could you expand on that? It's just...I don't quite understand what “wise” means in the context of anime — are you looking for enlightenment or self-help? Along the lines of Hesse? Aurelius? Balzac? Carnegie? If so, then no, I don't have any recommendations.
 

oneniltothearsenal

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Excuse me for not being knowledgeable about this, but I have no idea what the fascination is about with anime. I am interested tho, if someone could sell me the experience. What are they about? What are maybe the best ways to approach watching anime? What kind of people usually find interest in anime? If not anime, is there other regular tv-shows that could in some ways compare, if so, or not, care to explain?
I watched anime as a kid in the 1980s because the stories were far better and more mature than any cartoons coming out of the west in that era. Robotech (1982) had transforming robots but it dealt with heavy issues for me as a kid like death of a friend, and viewing 'the enemy' or the Other as real people. Lupin the Third (1979, 1984-85) had fun, clever heist stories based on a character I discovered when I was older derived from a classic French noir writer who wrote Lupin, the anti-Sherlock Holmes gentlemen thief (the anime is based on Lupin's grandson Lupin the third). Akira (1988) and Ghost in the Shell (1989) were dystopian futures that were far ahead of their time when they were written in the 70s.

I'm not really up to date on current anime but any recommendation depends on what genre you want?
If you like action shows like Banshee or gangster shows like Gomorra you'd probably like Black Lagoon (2008) which is based on pirates in the Indian Ocean. Also Cowboy Bebop (1998) is a classic that most people can get into if you have any interest at all in spaceship based sci-fi/space opera.
 

MikeKing

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Thanks guys. Im glad it helped you @oneniltothearsenal I guess i'll just gamble on one of those one of these days.
Umm...could you expand on that? It's just...I don't quite understand what “wise” means in the context of anime — are you looking for enlightenment or self-help? Along the lines of Hesse? Aurelius? Balzac? Carnegie? If so, then no, I don't have any recommendations.
No, not directly. I mean in the context of anime i know nothing, so I'm talking more about the way some stories are told with levels to them. I figured there had to be some that were a bit more layered like that. Like, i enjoy to watch something with entertainment value that also have enough in it to maybe get something else out of it. If that makes sense
 

Yagami

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My Neighbours the Yamadas was unique! I enjoyed it, though. When it started I didn't think I was going to but I got sucked in after a few mins and it was definitely worth a watch, imo. Loved all the characters, loved the art, the music was nice, and it did make me laugh a few times. A couple of the segments fell a little flat but, overall, it was really enjoyable.

I've been told to watch Hunter x Hunter, the first two episodes are OK I guess, but anyone know if it is worth continuing?
I liked the beginning - Hunter exam, Tournament arc and Yorknew. It really picks up when they begin the exam so I'd recommend at least carrying on for a few more eps. After that, well, I don't want to spoil anything for you if you do decide to carry on, but I lost interest for a specific reason.

The reason I lost interest was because Kurapika and Leorio - probably my two favourite characters - became background characters and weren't in the main story for a long time. Moreso Leorio who just vanished and, when returning to the story, doing nothing of note. I liked them all as a group so when they split up, coupled with me not having any emotional investment into the new characters who replaced them, it just lost the charm for me.
 

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No, not directly. I mean in the context of anime i know nothing, so I'm talking more about the way some stories are told with levels to them. I figured there had to be some that were a bit more layered like that. Like, i enjoy to watch something with entertainment value that also have enough in it to maybe get something else out of it. If that makes sense
Alright, I think I get what you mean now — you want something that's a bit more substantial than just mindless cartoon-ish entertainment, right?

IMO, Fullmetal Alchemist (not Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, do not watch that just yet) is the perfect gateway anime and one I usually recommend to the uninitiated to pop their cherry — has a broad appeal because it has a bit of everything: a diverse caste with a handful of cool characters, gritty steampunk setting, drama, political intrigue, symbolism — not too long, and fairly layered in terms of the narrative and philosophical themes. Plus, the English dub is quite good!


https://myanimelist.net/anime/121/Fullmetal_Alchemist
 

celia

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Maybe go with Ghibli movies first. Probably Spirited Away or Princess Mononoke. The Ghibli movies are probably easier to get because they don't rely that much on tropes really known to fans.

Then try to get first the relatively short anime, not the adaptations of really long shonen.

If you like hard SF, Planetes (more a kind of normal life if it can be for people working on removing some waste close to Earth) or Knights of Sidonia (epic and sometimes harsh story of people defending their spaceship against aliens).

Death Note is really great if you are in fantastic thrillers. Don't watch the netflix movie adaptation, it is a completely watered down version.

Shiki or Corpse Demon is what you have when vampires go to a small town. Some drama, difficult choices. It isn't an action fest but rely a lot on the psychology of the characters.

Death Parade is another good choice to see a psychological anime.

What may be annoying to a newcomer or some of the watchers is the fanservice in many anime.
 

Yagami

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You're right about the fanservice, @celia - It's one of my biggest gripes with anime.

Anyway, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is on Film4 right now. I'm going to catch it from the beginning at 2:10am on +1.
 

Yagami

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Speaking of fanservice, I thought I was looking at Nausicaa's naked butt throughout the first half of the film. Turns out she wears really tight cream coloured pants!

As for the film itself, it was okay. I enjoyed it but, so far, it's probably my least favourite Studio Ghibli film which I wasn't expecting having read all the praise it's got. I looked it up and saw that Patrick Stewart's in the dub voicing Lord Yupa - that kinda makes me want to rewatch it in English. I love Patrick Stewart!
 

Kazi

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Speaking of fanservice, I thought I was looking at Nausicaa's naked butt throughout the first half of the film. Turns out she wears really tight cream coloured pants!

As for the film itself, it was okay. I enjoyed it but, so far, it's probably my least favourite Studio Ghibli film which I wasn't expecting having read all the praise it's got. I looked it up and saw that Patrick Stewart's in the dub voicing Lord Yupa - that kinda makes me want to rewatch it in English. I love Patrick Stewart!
First thing I did after I watched Nausicaa for the first time was Google ‘Was Nausicaa naked?’