what anime should I start collecting?

[WizarDru]

I liked Dual, quite a bit, actually. It was a fun SF romp, with a little depth thrown in. It was fun in a silly way. The main character was not a rip-off of the character from Eva...because I liked the character in Dual.

RahXephon is actually quite good, with lots of twists and turns. Is it influenced by Evangelion? Yes. Is it a ripoff? No. Heck, it owes as much to Megazone 23 as it does to Eva.

Full Metal Panic is a lot of fun, too. ARMS isn't for everyone, but I like it lots. But I like high-school students with cybernetic attachments fighting against super-secret organizations, anywho. Just look at how much I love Cyborg 009.

 

[Enchantress2]

I saw an ep. of Cyborg 009 and didn't really care for it. I did, however, see some of both Fushigi Yugi, and Akira. What little I saw of both empressed me and kept me from changing the channel.

 

[Enchantress2]

By the way, can someone remind me what OVA stands for? I know I've heard it, I just can't remember.

 

[WizarDru]

It stands for Original Video Animation, or Original Animation Video, depending on which acronym a particular company favors (although OVA won out, overall).

Cyborg 009 isn't for everybody. It's very old-school, and I expect a lot of younger anime fans won't dig it. That's why I didn't out-and-out recommend it. Fushigi Yugi is an acquired taste..some love it, some hate it. It's very slow for my tastes, and often emphasizes the plot elements that interest me the least, and marginalize the ones I'm most interested in.

Akira is nothing short of one of the masterworks of anime, and really needs to be seen on a movie screen to truly be appreciated. It's impressive now, but in 1988 it was absolutely mind-blowing. Especially when you consider that little to no CGI was used in the film. However, Akira's appeal varies from person to person. I love the manga more, but still enjoy the movie.

 

[spacemonkey]

Great thread. You guys seem pretty knowledgeable, so maybe you can let me know if a couple anime are good or not.

Juuni Kokki - looks interesting, but I know little about it
X - pretty much same as above..

I would agree with most of the stuff I have seen suggested here (that I have seen). Full Metal Panic is good, I have about 4 episodes to finish on that one. Ooh, I get to finish Berserk tonight. I just hope that the ending is good... I know there is a ton of manga, I hope they can wrap it up nicely with the final dvd.

Speaking of Manga, jdavis mentioned that he was waiting for the Berserk manga. Is that available in the US? I don't know much about manga (except that you read it backwards ). Where do you get it? Is it in english (can't read japanese, unfortunately)?

 

[WizarDru]

Glad to help. Let's see:

Juuni Kokki is a new anime I have yet to see, otherwise known as the 12 kingdoms. Early reviews I've heard indicate that's it's very good, if not a tad formula.

X - I'm assuming you mean the TV series. Again, I've seen snippets but haven't actually seen it. I know those who've read the manga, which the TV series is more closely based on. It's a Studio Clamp production, which means pretty boys in the offing. However, I'm told that if you get beyond the surface appearance, it's a very deep anime concerned with friends, lovers and the apocalypse. Oh, and whether or not our fate is predestined.

As for one of my personal favorites, the manga of Beserk is being brought over by Dark Horse comics, in digest format similar to the Lone Wolf and Cub compilations, or so I understand. Which will, quite simply, KICK ASS.

If you haven't read my earlier thread about the ending of the TV series, let me just warn you...IT IS NOT THE END OF THE SERIES. NOT EVEN CLOSE. THERE IS A LOT MORE STORY.

Manga is now widely available in the US, mostly in comic shops for monthlies, and chain book stores for the collections. They usually read right to left, are in English, and cover more diverse topics than you can imagine.

In addition to the collections, you can get Raijin Magazine here in the US, which has just gone from weekly to monthly. It is rerunnning a lot of great manga (and some not so great) from years ago and recently. You can also get Shonen Jump, which is an american version of the Japanese comic, which is skewed at a slightly younger audience. (Titles include Dragonball/DBZ, Yu-Gi-Oh, One Piece and so forth).

 

[Sixchan]

I'll have to look into X and see if I'll get it anywhere around in Britain. Clamp's stuff is usually good (I even have a few Cardcaptors Manga ).

Oh, has anyone ever read a Manga called "Joan"? I saw it in Borders a few weeks ago (still got to check my FLCS for it), and it looked different and cool. Might get it, but if anyone's read it, I'd appreciate any advice on it's quality.

 

[Enchantress2]

It's a Studio Clamp production, which means pretty boys in the offing. However, I'm told that if you get beyond the surface appearance, it's a very deep anime concerned with friends, lovers and the apocalypse. Oh, and whether or not our fate is predestined.

Sounds just like an anime version of Buffy.

 

[spacemonkey]

If you haven't read my earlier thread about the ending of the TV series, let me just warn you...IT IS NOT THE END OF THE SERIES. NOT EVEN CLOSE. THERE IS A LOT MORE STORY.

I did know that, the manga is quite long-running I hear. What I meant was: Does the series wrap up at least what was shown in the beginning episode (the future, with Guts-xbow-arm etc)? If its a spoiler, don't tell me (I don't have to wait long after all ), but that was what I was really interested in. I will be satisfied if they explain that stuff in the last dvd.

---

I thought of one I liked but hasn't been mentioned: King of Bandits Jing. You have to go in knowing that it is a bit more comical and romp-y, but I enjoyed the episodes I saw.

 

[jdavis]

Speaking of Manga, jdavis mentioned that he was waiting for the Berserk manga. Is that available in the US? I don't know much about manga (except that you read it backwards ). Where do you get it? Is it in english (can't read japanese, unfortunately)?

Berserk Manga information: (Published October 15, 2003)

Dark Horse pre-order page
http://www.darkhorse.com/products/p....html?sku=12705

News bits:
3/11/03
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/article.php?id=3298
6/11/03
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/article.php?id=3730