Anime Highs and Lows 2000 thru 2010
Dave Baranyi
after 2009 which was a very challenging year for me. So now as I start 2010 and
look toward a number of continuing challenges I am also taking a bit of time to
look back upon some select aspects of the past 10 years. I don't usually look
backwards, but my curiousity got to me and I decided to look back upon my anime
viewing lists from the years 2000 to 2009 in order to see just which anime
struck me most positively, and which anime struck me most negatively, over those
10 years.
So what I have below are the �A� anime, as well as the �D & F� anime that I
watched in each of those years. The year-groupings contain both anime that were
released during the given year as well as older anime that I happened to finally
see during that particular year. You will also see series which carry over from
year-to-year because I watched them over a year or more time frame. (And what
you will see in a few cases are series that I rated as an �A� in one year and
then I down-rated them as a �D or F� the next year because of the way the series
ended.)
2000 � My �A� list:
Nausica, Love Hina, Tonari no Yamada-kun, FLCL, Hidamari no Ki, Gakkou no
Kaidan, Meitantei Conan, One Piece
2000 � My �D & F� list:
Battle Hawk, Boys Be, Yuugiou, Gear Soldier Dendou, Trizenon, Glass no Kamen,
Gravitation
2001 � My �A� list:
Chikyuu Boei Kazoku, Soul Taker, Sister Princess, Jungle wa Itsumo Haren Nochi
Guu, Comet-san, Neko Taruto, Shiawase-sou no Okojo-san, Hikaru no Go, ROD OAV,
Sci-Fi Harry, Alien 9, Spirited Away, Haikara-san ga Touru, Meitantei Conan, One
Piece
2001 � My �D & F� list:
Transformers, Captain Future, Star Ocean E, Gene Shaft, Sagitarius, Bu Bu cha
cha, I, My, Me, Strawberry Eggs, Grapler Baki Tournament, Real Bout High School,
Psychic Force, Gaistars, Captain Cooper, Agent Aika, CLAMP School Detectives,
Tenshi no Shippo, Najica, Blue Gender, St. Seiya, G Savior
2002 � My �A� list
Tenshina Konomaiki, Chobits, Rahxephon, Mahou Tsukai Tai OAV, Azumanga Daioh,
Overman King Gainer, Noir, Rizelmine, Meitantei Conan Movie 5, Pitaten,
Atashin'chi, King of Bandits Jing, Abenobashi Mahou Shotengai, Princess Tutu,
Meitantei Conan, One Piece
2002 � My �D & F� list:
Beyblade 2002, Blaze of Mirage, Rockman Exe, Saikano, Full Moon o Sagashite,
Tokyo Mew Mew, G-On Riders, Asobot Senki-Goku, Bomberman, Sister Princess Re-
Pure
2003 � My �A� list:
Meitantei Conan, One Piece, King of Bandits Jing, Hikaru no Go, Tenshina
Konamaiki, Atashin'chi, Witch Hunter Robin, Overman King Gainer, Big O Season 2,
Nanaka 6/17, Mahou Tsukai ni Taisetusna Koto, Narutaru, Cromartie High, Noiseman
Sound Insect, Hanada Shounen-shi, Stop Hibari-kun, Princess Tutu, Full Metal
Alchemist, Hyakumonogatari
2003 � My �D & F� list:
Piano, Wolf's Rain, L/R, .hack//Tasogare, E's Otherwise, Pluster World, Mermaid
Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch, Fire Storm, Croquette, Tantei Gankuen Q, Technolyze,
Cinderella Boy, Hitsuji no Uta, Da Capo, Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito,
Saiyuji Reload, Battle Programmer Shirase, Bottle Fairy, Kime ga Nozumu Eien,
Gunslinger Girl, Gilgamesh, Maburaho, First Kiss Story, Tenchi OAV 3, Usagi-chan
de Cue, Metal Armor Dragonar, Bastof Lemon, Kikou Sennyo Rouran, Mouse, Saint
Beast
2004 � My �A� list:
Meitantei Conan, One Piece, Big O Season 2, Super Kuma-san, Hanada Shounen-shi,
Midori no Hibi, Aishiteruze Baby, The Portrait of Petit Cossette, Keroro Gunso,
Tokyo Godfathers, Hoi Hoi-san, Zipang, Rozen Maiden, Gankutsuou, Genshiken,
Mahou Shoujo Tai Alice, Witch Hunter Robin, Paranoia Agent, Full Metal
Alchemist, Hyakumonogatari, Samurai Champloo, Tsukuyomi Moon Phase
2004 � My �D & F� list:
Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito, Misaki Chronic Divergence Eve, Cosmopolitan
Prayers, D. G. Charat, Angel Rabbie, God Mars, Moekan, Madlax, Kakyuusei 2,
Nagareboshi Sentai Musumet, Futakoi, Wish, Hanaukyo Maids La Verite, HaniHani,
Kingdom of Chaos OAV, Futari Ecchi, Final Approach
2005 � My �A� list:
One Piece, Zipang, Meitantei Conan, Tweeny Witches, Samurai Champloo, Meitantei
Conan ďż˝ Magician of the Silver Sky, KamiChu, Sugar Sugar Rune, FMA ďż˝ The
Conqueror of Shambala, Black Cat, Noein, Paradise Kiss, Eternal Family,
Tsukuyomi Moon Phase
2005 � My �D & F� list:
Okusama was Joshi Kousei, Happy Seven, Lamune
2006 � My �A� list:
Nerima Daikon Brothers, Sugar Sugar Rune, Noein, REC, Meitantei Conan, Kamichu
DVD extras, xxxHolic TV, Welcome to the NHK, Black Cat, Kamisama Kazoku, Ghost
Hunt, Yamato Nadeshico Shichi Henge, Bakumatsu, Zegapain, Kemonozume
2006 � My �D & F� list:
Rakugo Tennyo Oyui, Lemon Angel Project, Bincho-tan, Soul Link, Gun Musashi,
Himesama Goyoujin, Sasami Mahou Shoujo Club, Chokotto Sister, Koisuru Tenshi
Angelique, Code Geass, Kujibiki Unbalance, Shinigami no Ballad, Simoun,
Higarashi no Naku Koro Ni, Kirarin Revolution, Zaizen Jotaro, Otome wa Boku ni
Koishiteru, Girl's High, Lovely Idol
2007 � My �A� list:
Saint October, Yamato Nadeshico Shichi Henge, Meitantei Conan, Tokimeki Tonight,
Reideen, Toki or Kakeru Shoujo, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, Ef ďż˝ A Tale of
Memories, One Piece, Nodame Contabile, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Oh Edo
Rocket, Dennou Coil, Moyashimon
2007 � My �D & F� list:
Kono Aozora ni Yakusoku o, Shining Tears x Wind, Wangan Midnight, Devil May Cry,
Kimikiss, Sky Girls, Goshuushou-sama Ninomiya-kun, Nanatsuiro Drops,
Myself:Yourself
2008 - My �A� list:
Meitantei Conan Movie 11, Spice and Wolf, Ghost Hound, One Piece, Meitantei
Conan, Natsume Yuujin-chou, Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, Nodame Contabile
Paris Hen, Byousoku 5 Centimeter, Mokke, xxxHolic Kei, Kemeko Deluxe, Kannagi ďż˝
Crazy Shrine Maidens, Soul Eater
2008 � My �D & F� list:
H2O ďż˝ Footprints in the Sand, Monochrome Factor, Chocolate Underground,
Telepathy Girl Ran, Kohime Mosou, Tales of the Abyss, Strike Witches, Kurogane
no Linebarrels, Akasaka, Tytania
2009 � My �A� list:
Zoku Natsume Yuujin-chou, One Piece, Meitantei Conan, Lupin vs Conan Special,
Marie & Gali �0�, Pandora Hearts, Shin Mazinger Z, Natsu no Arashi, Kimi ni
Todoke, Marie & Gali, Bakemonogatari, Natsu no Arashi 2, Summer Wars, Soul Eater
2009 � My �D & F� list:
Queen's Blade, Needless, Tatakau Shishou, 11 Eyes, Himitsu Kessha Taka no Tsume
Countdown, Chu-Bra, Fight Ippatsu ďż˝ Juuden-chan, Miracle Train, Element Hunters
Dave Baranyi
Terrence Briggs
On Jan 2, 11:38 pm, Dave Baranyi <david_bara...@yahoo.ca> wrote:
> 2000 – My “A” list:
>
> Nausica,
Wich Nausica was this?!?! Miyazaki's flick?
> 2004 – My “A” list:
>
> Rozen Maiden
Is this the OAV or the TV series?
> 2006 – My “A” list:
> Kamichu
> DVD extras
Just the extras? Not the show itself? :-)
> 2008 - My “A” list:
> Byousoku 5 Centimeter
I believe this is called "5 centimeters per second" in North America.
> Dave Baranyi
Terrence Briggs, wondering if any of these shows is on Funimation's
Youtube site.
Peace to you...
Dave Baranyi
> Some quickies, for clarification. Pardon by n00biness:
>
>
>> 2000 � My �A� list:
>>
>> Nausica,
>
> Wich Nausica was this?!?! Miyazaki's flick?
>
The Miyazaki film
>> 2004 � My �A� list:
>>
>> Rozen Maiden
>
> Is this the OAV or the TV series?
>
The original TV series.
>> 2006 � My �A� list:
>> Kamichu
>> DVD extras
>
I saw the series in 2005, so it is in the 2005 list.
> Just the extras? Not the show itself? :-)
>
>> 2008 - My �A� list:
>> Byousoku 5 Centimeter
>
> I believe this is called "5 centimeters per second" in North America.
>
Correct.
Rob Kelk
>The year-end Holidays are always a time of reflection for me, and in particular
>after 2009 which was a very challenging year for me. So now as I start 2010 and
>look toward a number of continuing challenges I am also taking a bit of time to
>look back upon some select aspects of the past 10 years. I don't usually look
>backwards, but my curiousity got to me and I decided to look back upon my anime
>viewing lists from the years 2000 to 2009 in order to see just which anime
>struck me most positively, and which anime struck me most negatively, over those
>10 years.
>
>So what I have below are the �A� anime, as well as the �D & F� anime that I
>watched in each of those years. The year-groupings contain both anime that were
>released during the given year as well as older anime that I happened to finally
>see during that particular year. You will also see series which carry over from
>year-to-year because I watched them over a year or more time frame. (And what
>you will see in a few cases are series that I rated as an �A� in one year and
>then I down-rated them as a �D or F� the next year because of the way the series
>ended.)
>
>2000 � My �A� list:
>
>Nausica, Love Hina, Tonari no Yamada-kun, FLCL, Hidamari no Ki, Gakkou no
>Kaidan, Meitantei Conan, One Piece
<remainder snipped>
Just out of curiousity, would you give all of these "A" ratings if you
saw them today?
(Obviously Meitantei Conan and One Piece have stood the test of time
since you're still watching them, and Nausicaa is a classic, but do you
still think as higly of the others?)
--
Rob Kelk <http://robkelk.ottawa-anime.org/> e-mail: s/deadspam/gmail/
"I'm *not* a kid! Nyyyeaaah!" - Skuld (in "Oh My Goddess!" OAV #3)
"When I became a man, I put away childish things, including the fear
of childishness and the desire to be very grown-up." - C.S. Lewis
Dave Baranyi
Tonari no Yamada-kun struck a cord with me that still holds. FLCL still holds up
very well - it was and still is a brilliant coming-of-age story. Hidamari no Ki
is a classic - it's unfortunate that so few fans outside of Japan have had the
opportunity to see it.
Love Hina - hmmm - there were some very good parts that still make it re-
watchable for me, but I suspect that today I would give it a "B", if only
because I have been influenced by the drop in story-telling quality of the OAVs
and the manga ending.
Gakkou no Kaidan would get a "B" from me today - it's still a very good
children's horror story, and it's too bad that the idiots who got the original
North American rights decided to deliberately screw up the translation in order
to try to sell it an older audience.
Dave Baranyi
Lee Ratner
> robk...@deadspam.com (Rob Kelk) wrote:
> Gakkou no Kaidan would get a "B" from me today - it's still a very good
> children's horror story, and it's too bad that the idiots who got the original
> North American rights decided to deliberately screw up the translation in order
> to try to sell it an older audience.
>
You are really going against majority opinion with your
opinion on the Gakkou no Kaidan dub. Most people in the anime
community realize that it was a children's horror story anime but the
problem is that for various reasons it would be unmarketable for
children in the United States. You could not really get Gakkou no
Kaidan on American television in a time slot appropriate for kids. Its
length would mean that it could only air on cable. However, some of
the content of the show would be inappropriate even on cable, like the
toilet humor or the semi-perversion of the male lead. Even if the
reference to death and dying might be too much for an American cable
channel in a show for kids. ADV could have attempted a straight dub
and marketing the DVD to kids but this is very expensive. When ANN
interviewed the former head of marketing at Geneon, he remarked that
the problem they had with a lot of their shoujo or seinen shows was
that adversting in the right magazine was very expensive.
This meant that the normal anime audience, teens in high schol or
college students, was the only audience for the show in the U.S. They
would not be amused by a striaght dub so what ADV did was a straight
sub and a gag dub. Whether the dub or funny or not is subjective but
most fans accept that aiming it an older audience was necessary on
ADV's part.
Dave Watson
> On Jan 3, 1:01 pm, Dave Baranyi <david_bara...@yahoo.ca> wrote:
> > Gakkou no Kaidan would get a "B" from me today - it's still a very good
> > children's horror story, and it's too bad that the idiots who got the original
> > North American rights decided to deliberately screw up the translation in order
> > to try to sell it an older audience.
>
> You are really going against majority opinion with your
> opinion on the Gakkou no Kaidan dub.
Oh, noes! I'm up against the genital public. With steel-toed boots
on. When do I attack? Anytime.
> Most people in the anime
> community realize that it was a children's horror story anime but the
> problem is that for various reasons it would be unmarketable for
> children in the United States. You could not really get Gakkou no
> Kaidan on American television in a time slot appropriate for kids. Its
> length would mean that it could only air on cable. However, some of
> the content of the show would be inappropriate even on cable, like the
> toilet humor or the semi-perversion of the male lead. Even if the
> reference to death and dying might be too much for an American cable
> channel in a show for kids. ADV could have attempted a straight dub
> and marketing the DVD to kids but this is very expensive.
Or they could have, you know, not licenced it instead of picking it
up, putting it on the ground and shitting in it.
> When ANN
> interviewed the former head of marketing at Geneon, he remarked that
> the problem they had with a lot of their shoujo or seinen shows was
> that adversting in the right magazine was very expensive.
>
> This meant that the normal anime audience, teens in high schol or
> college students, was the only audience for the show in the U.S. They
> would not be amused by a striaght dub so what ADV did was a straight
> sub and a gag dub. Whether the dub or funny or not is subjective but
> most fans accept that aiming it an older audience was necessary on
> ADV's part.
It still doesn't hide the fact that they debased it by giving carte
blanche to Steven Foster, one of those egotistical jerkoffs who thinks
he's funny and might even be fun to hang out with, but his so-called
"comedy" sucks through a sewer pipe. Face it, the only times his dubs
get anything resembling respect are for drama titles, where he can't
get away with Fosterization. While I did like what I saw of the
fansubs of Gakkou, I refuse to buy the R1 releases because there is no
way in hell I am supporting setting anime in North America back 30
years. At least I can take comfort in the fact that the former ADV
are extremely unlikely to do that again, especially since they can't
even afford straight dubs anymore. Maybe you-know-who is even off the
payroll now. Wouldn't that be nice?
Watson
Who doesn't just hold grudges, but swings them around like baseball
bats.
Lee Ratner
>
> Or they could have, you know, not licenced it instead of picking it
> up, putting it on the ground and shitting in it.
Shows are often sold in bundles to the anime translating
companies. To get good show A they often have to buy average show B
and bad show C. Also according to the good people at tvtropes.org, the
Japanese producers told ADV do what they have to do to make money off
the show. Once you have the license for a show, you might as well
attempt to make whatever money you can off it rather than let it set
on a shelf till the license experies.
>
> It still doesn't hide the fact that they debased it by giving carte
> blanche to Steven Foster, one of those egotistical jerkoffs who thinks
> he's funny and might even be fun to hang out with, but his so-called
> "comedy" sucks through a sewer pipe.
Again, apparently ADV was basically told do what is necessary to
sell the show. Sometimes Japanese producers have strange ideas about
the tastes of American audiences. Kind of like the Japanese owners of
Detective Conan ordering the names of the characters be Americanized.
Dave Watson
> On Jan 4, 2:40 pm, Dave Watson <dwbeingupfr...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> > Or they could have, you know, not licenced it instead of picking it
> > up, putting it on the ground and shitting in it.
>
> Shows are often sold in bundles to the anime translating
> companies. To get good show A they often have to buy average show B
> and bad show C. Also according to the good people at tvtropes.org, the
> Japanese producers told ADV do what they have to do to make money off
> the show. Once you have the license for a show, you might as well
> attempt to make whatever money you can off it rather than let it set
> on a shelf till the license experies.
Which might be one of the reasons they're not making much money on
anything right now (Sojitz is only one reason).
> > It still doesn't hide the fact that they debased it by giving carte
> > blanche to Steven Foster, one of those egotistical jerkoffs who thinks
> > he's funny and might even be fun to hang out with, but his so-called
> > "comedy" sucks through a sewer pipe.
>
> Again, apparently ADV was basically told do what is necessary to
> sell the show. Sometimes Japanese producers have strange ideas about
> the tastes of American audiences. Kind of like the Japanese owners of
> Detective Conan ordering the names of the characters be Americanized.
And if I ever meet the Japanese producer of the show, I will let him
know that not every North American likes to have shows fucked in the
earholes by unfunny comedians, and that I still refuse to buy it the
way it is now.
Watson.
robin-of-lox
> The year-end Holidays are always a time of reflection for me, and in particular
> after 2009 which was a very challenging year for me. So now as I start 2010 and
> look toward a number of continuing challenges I am also taking a bit of time to
> look back upon some select aspects of the past 10 years. I don't usually look
> backwards, but my curiousity got to me and I decided to look back upon my anime
> viewing lists from the years 2000 to 2009 in order to see just which anime
> struck me most positively, and which anime struck me most negatively, over those
> 10 years.
>
> watched in each of those years. The year-groupings contain both anime that were
> released during the given year as well as older anime that I happened to finally
> see during that particular year. You will also see series which carry over from
> year-to-year because I watched them over a year or more time frame. (And what
> then I down-rated them as a “D or F” the next year because of the way the series
> ended.)
>
> 2000 – My “A” list:
>
> Nausica, Love Hina, Tonari no Yamada-kun, FLCL, Hidamari no Ki, Gakkou no
> Kaidan, Meitantei Conan, One Piece
>
>
> Battle Hawk, Boys Be, Yuugiou, Gear Soldier Dendou, Trizenon, Glass no Kamen,
> Gravitation
>
>
> Chikyuu Boei Kazoku, Soul Taker, Sister Princess, Jungle wa Itsumo Haren Nochi
> Guu, Comet-san, Neko Taruto, Shiawase-sou no Okojo-san, Hikaru no Go, ROD OAV,
> Sci-Fi Harry, Alien 9, Spirited Away, Haikara-san ga Touru, Meitantei Conan, One
> Piece
>
>
> Transformers, Captain Future, Star Ocean E, Gene Shaft, Sagitarius, Bu Bu cha
> cha, I, My, Me, Strawberry Eggs, Grapler Baki Tournament, Real Bout High School,
> Psychic Force, Gaistars, Captain Cooper, Agent Aika, CLAMP School Detectives,
> Tenshi no Shippo, Najica, Blue Gender, St. Seiya, G Savior
>
>
> Tenshina Konomaiki, Chobits, Rahxephon, Mahou Tsukai Tai OAV, Azumanga Daioh,
> Overman King Gainer, Noir, Rizelmine, Meitantei Conan Movie 5, Pitaten,
> Atashin'chi, King of Bandits Jing, Abenobashi Mahou Shotengai, Princess Tutu,
> Meitantei Conan, One Piece
>
>
> Beyblade 2002, Blaze of Mirage, Rockman Exe, Saikano, Full Moon o Sagashite,
> Tokyo Mew Mew, G-On Riders, Asobot Senki-Goku, Bomberman, Sister Princess Re-
> Pure
>
>
> Meitantei Conan, One Piece, King of Bandits Jing, Hikaru no Go, Tenshina
> Konamaiki, Atashin'chi, Witch Hunter Robin, Overman King Gainer, Big O Season 2,
> Nanaka 6/17, Mahou Tsukai ni Taisetusna Koto, Narutaru, Cromartie High, Noiseman
> Sound Insect, Hanada Shounen-shi, Stop Hibari-kun, Princess Tutu, Full Metal
> Alchemist, Hyakumonogatari
>
>
> Piano, Wolf's Rain, L/R, .hack//Tasogare, E's Otherwise, Pluster World, Mermaid
> Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch, Fire Storm, Croquette, Tantei Gankuen Q, Technolyze,
> Cinderella Boy, Hitsuji no Uta, Da Capo, Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito,
> Saiyuji Reload, Battle Programmer Shirase, Bottle Fairy, Kime ga Nozumu Eien,
> Gunslinger Girl, Gilgamesh, Maburaho, First Kiss Story, Tenchi OAV 3, Usagi-chan
> de Cue, Metal Armor Dragonar, Bastof Lemon, Kikou Sennyo Rouran, Mouse, Saint
> Beast
>
>
> Meitantei Conan, One Piece, Big O Season 2, Super Kuma-san, Hanada Shounen-shi,
> Midori no Hibi, Aishiteruze Baby, The Portrait of Petit Cossette, Keroro Gunso,
> Tokyo Godfathers, Hoi Hoi-san, Zipang, Rozen Maiden, Gankutsuou, Genshiken,
> Mahou Shoujo Tai Alice, Witch Hunter Robin, Paranoia Agent, Full Metal
> Alchemist, Hyakumonogatari, Samurai Champloo, Tsukuyomi Moon Phase
>
>
> Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito, Misaki Chronic Divergence Eve, Cosmopolitan
> Prayers, D. G. Charat, Angel Rabbie, God Mars, Moekan, Madlax, Kakyuusei 2,
> Nagareboshi Sentai Musumet, Futakoi, Wish, Hanaukyo Maids La Verite, HaniHani,
> Kingdom of Chaos OAV, Futari Ecchi, Final Approach
>
>
> One Piece, Zipang, Meitantei Conan, Tweeny Witches, Samurai Champloo, Meitantei
> Conqueror of Shambala, Black Cat, Noein, Paradise Kiss, Eternal Family,
> Tsukuyomi Moon Phase
>
>
> Okusama was Joshi Kousei, Happy Seven, Lamune
>
>
> Nerima Daikon Brothers, Sugar Sugar Rune, Noein, REC, Meitantei Conan, Kamichu
> DVD extras, xxxHolic TV, Welcome to the NHK, Black Cat, Kamisama Kazoku, Ghost
> Hunt, Yamato Nadeshico Shichi Henge, Bakumatsu, Zegapain, Kemonozume
>
>
> Rakugo Tennyo Oyui, Lemon Angel Project, Bincho-tan, Soul Link, Gun Musashi,
> Himesama Goyoujin, Sasami Mahou Shoujo Club, Chokotto Sister, Koisuru Tenshi
> Angelique, Code Geass, Kujibiki Unbalance, Shinigami no Ballad, Simoun,
> Higarashi no Naku Koro Ni, Kirarin Revolution, Zaizen Jotaro, Otome wa Boku ni
> Koishiteru, Girl's High, Lovely Idol
>
> Saint October, Yamato Nadeshico Shichi Henge, Meitantei Conan, Tokimeki Tonight,
> Memories, One Piece, Nodame Contabile, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Oh Edo
> Rocket, Dennou Coil, Moyashimon
>
>
> Kono Aozora ni Yakusoku o, Shining Tears x Wind, Wangan Midnight, Devil May Cry,
> Kimikiss, Sky Girls, Goshuushou-sama Ninomiya-kun, Nanatsuiro Drops,
> Myself:Yourself
>
>
> Meitantei Conan Movie 11, Spice and Wolf, Ghost Hound, One Piece, Meitantei
> Conan, Natsume Yuujin-chou, Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, Nodame Contabile
> Crazy Shrine Maidens, Soul Eater
>
>
> H2O – Footprints in the Sand, Monochrome Factor, Chocolate Underground,
> Telepathy Girl Ran, Kohime Mosou, Tales of the Abyss, Strike Witches, Kurogane
> no Linebarrels, Akasaka, Tytania
>
>
> Zoku Natsume Yuujin-chou, One Piece, Meitantei Conan, Lupin vs Conan Special,
> Todoke, Marie & Gali, Bakemonogatari, Natsu no Arashi 2, Summer Wars, Soul Eater
>
>
> Queen's Blade, Needless, Tatakau Shishou, 11 Eyes, Himitsu Kessha Taka no Tsume
>
> Dave Baranyi
`Gee, I really liked some of the ones on your D&F list. I take it
you're not into yaoi at all, since all those seem to be Ds for you.
Much on your list is unknown to me, perhaps because they haven't been
shown in the States, or because you used the Japanese names.
Some of the ones you didn't seem to like that I really enjoyed are:
Gravitation and Mirage of Blaze. I loved Wolfs Rain, and all of the
Saiyuki's are my "comfort anime". I enjoyed Gunslinger Girl, and
adored Code Geass.
I wonder how much of it has to do with male vs female. Maybe not
<shrug>. It's a good thing that not everyone thinks alike, the world
would be so boring if that were the case.
One that I absolutely have to agree with you on though ..... Blue
Gender was the worst of the worst.
Robin
Dave Baranyi
> On Jan 2, 9:38�pm, Dave Baranyi <david_bara...@yahoo.ca> wrote:
>
(clipping my list)
> `Gee, I really liked some of the ones on your D&F list. I take it
> you're not into yaoi at all, since all those seem to be Ds for you.
>
It depends upon how well the story grabs me. So, for example, I liked
Yami no Matsuei (Decendents of Darkness) because I found the story line
interesting.
To a good extent, I just like fantasy, sci-fi and mystery stories a lot
more than more mainstream melodramas. So there was nothing in
Gravitation, for example, to catch my interest.
(And talk about yaoi - Wow! - the 13th Meitantei Conan movie, The Raven
Chasers, had a scene between Heiji and Conan that had a lot more implied
yaoi-ness to it than most openly yaoi anime. You haven't seen yaoi until
you see Heiji and Conan choking back tears during a goodbye scene. (LOL)
> Much on your list is unknown to me, perhaps because they haven't been
> shown in the States, or because you used the Japanese names.
>
A lot of the 1000+ anime that I've seen over the past 14 years have
never been released in North America, so that is likely part of the
reason. Also, since I almost always watch anime in Japanese I often only
remember the Japanese title and usually have to go to someplace like ANN
or Wiki to find out the English title (which is often not a direct
translation).
> Some of the ones you didn't seem to like that I really enjoyed are:
> Gravitation and Mirage of Blaze. I loved Wolfs Rain, and all of the
> Saiyuki's are my "comfort anime".
I liked the original Saiyuki anime enough to buy the R2s, but I found
the sequel series to be a horrible letdown in comparison. (I've learned
to be very wary of anime sequels.)
> I enjoyed Gunslinger Girl, and
> adored Code Geass.
>
> I wonder how much of it has to do with male vs female. Maybe not
> <shrug>. It's a good thing that not everyone thinks alike, the world
> would be so boring if that were the case.
>
> One that I absolutely have to agree with you on though ..... Blue
> Gender was the worst of the worst.
>
Yeah, what it needed was yaoi bugs... LOL
Thanks for the comments -
Dave Baranyi
> Robin
>
>
>
Dave Baranyi
I find it very interesting how Funi is selling tons and tons of the uncut
One Piece collections, and lots of anime stores can't keep them in stock. My
9 year old nephew and his buddies are all nuts over the disks and buy them
as soon as they come out - and they watch the weekly free Funi broadcasts
too.
Someone at Funi took a gamble that a quality, uncut release with decent subs
and acceptable English dubs would sell - and they are raking it in after
this decision and keep on releasing more and more of the series. Their
quality is so good that I am buying the R1 uncut collections too!
Fundamentally, those R1 companies that release quality product stand a good
chance of making money and making their customers happy. Those companies
that put out pure, unadulterated SHIT like Card Craptors or the abortion
that Gakkou no Kaidan became in English deserve to vanish into obscurity and
insolvency. Yes, all assholes dream of Making It Big by selling anime into
TV markets, but that doesn't mean that is the only way that anime can be
sold. And turning an anime into crap in order to pander to a wet-dream of
avarice via a TV broadcast is a fool's game.
Quality product will sell - crap will be ignored. Life is like that.
Dave Baranyi
robin-of-lox
>
> - Show quoted text -
I loved Descendants of Darkness, enough to buy it and even the music
CD (which never played right).
I know where you're coming from, I prefer the sci-fi and fantasy
myself.
Gravitation is actually quite a departure from my usual, I just happen
to like some yaoi too. So far nothing beats Sensitive Pornograph
though. Sweet, gentle, explicit, everything a yaoi anime needs. The
second story has a sweetness and gentleness about it too, even if it
is bizarre and twisted. The others I've bought (except for
Gravitation, D of Darkness, and M of Blaze) are total losers in
comparison.
Is that Conan as in Detective Conan the kid/teen combo? I'll look
around for it, I love a good teary good-bye.
Robin
Dave Baranyi
Ooops - my in-joke about Conan movie 13 has been misinterpreted...
Those of us who have been following Meitantei Conan, aka "Case Closed" for
the past 14 years have noticed a funny trend - although the lead character,
Shin'ichi has a loving girlfriend, and Shin'ichi's rival from Osaka, Heiji,
also has a loving girlfriend, the scenes between the two guys can often be
hilariously misread, particularly if taken out of context.
I'm certain that the author of the story only means to convey traditional
deep friendship, but I've often felt that the animation team loves to toy
with the undercurrents in the anime, particularly since the series has been
on for so long.
So no, the scene isn't supposed to be yaoi or "teary", but the animation
staff sure had fun with it, sort of a more subtle version of the nasty jokes
that the Disney staff used to put in their movies (like the priest's boner
in Little Mermaid).
In any event, MC movie 13 only came out in Japan a couple of months ago, so
I don't expect to see an R2 release too quickly in the future. That's not a
great loss because movie 13 was fairly weak and way too talky. It seemed to
be put together solely for the purpose of showcasing all of the police
detectives who have shown up in the TV series. But all it succeeded in doing
was making them all look like they were on Quaalude overdose.
Probably the highlight of the film was Ran using her Karate skills in a life
or death situation, and finding out the hard way that fighting against a
professional killer is much different from sparring with high school
opponents.
Dave Baranyi
(Consider this my lazy-man's non-review of Raven Chasers.)
Tank
one reason why I like your reviews. There was nothing on your A list
that I would say was bad, although there are quite a few shows that I
haven't watched yet (some archived fansubs and some DVD bundles that I
am trying to catch up with).
Only disagreement on the F side is KimiKiss Pure Rouge. Every bit as
good as Hatsukoi Limited if you watch it all the way through, although
I'll readily admit to having a greater affinity for high school romance
shows.
A few shows that you did not mention that I would rank highly:
* Kyo Kara Maou - started with yaoi overtones but ended up being very
funny, and they avoided too much travel between worlds.
* Monster - still one of the best thrillers in my book.
* Maria Sama Ga Miteru - strong yuuri overtones, but the show is so
refined and the characters so well portrayed that I looked forward to
every season.
* Beck - most realistic depiction of young musicians with great
characters and good music (and I'm not normally one for rap).
* School Rumble - should be considered a classic as far as high school
comedies go.
* Yakitate - only a talented writer could make baking this much fun.
The "reactions" are worth the price of admission.
* Genshiken - a great treatment of 'Otakudom'
* Shakugan no Shana (1st season) - true, another girl with sword show,
but very nicely animated and consistently good writing.
* Gun X Sword - while tones of an apocalypse made it look like a Trigun
clone, there ended up being a pretty good story behind the angst.
* Clannad (both seasons) - great characters made for a very moving
coming of age story.
* Shugo Chara! - formulaic at times, harkening back to CCS, but
punctuated with milestones that make for a very entertaining magic show.
* Itazura na Kiss - a refreshingly realistic look at a couple that runs
from high school to child birth with good pacing and characterizations.
* Vampire Knight (both seasons) - good writing made for a shojo show
that could appeal to both sexes.
* Toradora - like I said, I have an affinity for high school romances,
and I actually liked the ending.
* K-On - groovy moe-ness with great music.
* To Aru Kagaku no Railgun - even if you didn't like To Aru Majutsu no
Index, Railgun strips away much of the chafe leaving just the loli
fighter goodness, pushing the envelope in unexpected ways. A guilty
pleasure for sure, but one of the more enjoyable shows last season.
--Edwin E.
Dave Bieksza
following list that I just had to make some comments.
On Tue, 12 Jan 2010 00:42:23 -0500, Tank
<no_Tank_s...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>* Kyo Kara Maou - started with yaoi overtones but ended up being very
>funny, and they avoided too much travel between worlds.
Continued on too long to stay focused. It lost me when we found out
the Great Demon Kingdom had a Wild West town.
>* Monster - still one of the best thrillers in my book.
Too much filler -- not in the sense of hot springs hijinks, but enough
red herrings and blind alleys that at the end I couldn't follow if all
the twists and turns had been adequately explained.
>* Maria Sama Ga Miteru - strong yuuri overtones, but the show is so
>refined and the characters so well portrayed that I looked forward to
>every season.
I was dubious in the first two series but the OAV won me over. That
made it clear that Yumi and Sachiko really were better people for
knowing each other.
>* Beck - most realistic depiction of young musicians with great
>characters and good music (and I'm not normally one for rap).
Oddly, I wasn't impressed when I first saw it but in retrospect this
is looking better and better.
>* School Rumble - should be considered a classic as far as high school
>comedies go.
The first season was delightfully off-the-wall. The second season
didn't measure up, but I will give the production company credit for
avoiding M.O.T.S.
>* Yakitate - only a talented writer could make baking this much fun.
>The "reactions" are worth the price of admission.
Another series that started out good but overstayed its welcome. In
the last 15-20 episodes I was thinking, "This already reached a
conclusion, so why is it still going?"
>* Genshiken - a great treatment of 'Otakudom'
It did in the first season, but in what I've seen of the second season
it seems to have sagged badly.
>* Shakugan no Shana (1st season) - true, another girl with sword show,
>but very nicely animated and consistently good writing.
Complete agreement here.
>* Gun X Sword - while tones of an apocalypse made it look like a Trigun
>clone, there ended up being a pretty good story behind the angst.
I wasn't impressed by it, but darned if I can remember why.
>* Clannad (both seasons) - great characters made for a very moving
>coming of age story.
I haven't seen the last half of After Story, and I keep noticing
negative remarks about it at review sites. Nevertheless, I've greatly
enjoyed what I've seen thus far.
>* Vampire Knight (both seasons) - good writing made for a shojo show
>that could appeal to both sexes.
The first season was ho-hum, but the pace picked up considerably in
the second season.
>* K-On - groovy moe-ness with great music.
For me, "cute girls doing boring things." My major objection was
that, for a show about a band, music was hardly more than an
afterthought. In contrast, Nodame Cantabile was a comedy yet music
was central to the story, and La Corda d'Oro Primo Passo was a soap
opera yet music was central to the story.
------------------------
David S. Bieksza
bie...@noUCEerols.com.invalid
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