Shadedblade:

Fredrick2003:

Shadedblade:

PurpleRain:

Kinetic_man:

PurpleRain:
The gorgeous emotional drama that is Neon Genesis?

Actually a LOT of people all over the world really hate Evangelion, but I do see the point you're trying to make here. Although I myself like many Anime series/movies of old and new such as Eva, Lain, GitS (movies and the series), even Ergo Proxy, I always shudder at the bastard half-breed (mainstream?) Anime such as Naruto that feels like it was essentially manufactured for American seventh graders with learning disabilities.

I'm imagining there's a lot of hate over NG:E because everyone expects it to be a giant robot duel thing. Then the ask questions like: Why are the robots bleeding? Why do 14yr olds pilot them? Why does everyone have shields? Why don't they just blow the angels up with big lasers instead of making robots?

I've heard them all.

Every one of those questions is answered either in the show or the outrageously MA-rated movie that takes place during the psychological bit at the end of the show.
Edit: While I whole-heartedly reccommend the show, I wouldn't reccommend the movie. Every one of the characters that you may have liked is butchered in the movie. Everyone either turns into an evil bastard, or is killed off.

And that is precisely what makes the ending so good. Its hurtful and it fills you with rage and depression.

Spoiler: Click to View

I think it is best to watch both endings at least once, regardless.

I wouldn't really call that a "relationship" either, she new she was going to die, it was just like a "goodbye kiss".

I really loved End of Evangelion though, I honestly think I have watched it more than any movie I own. I don't know WHY exactly I love it so much, its just a true work of art in my eyes. I would attempt to explain why but anything I say will be written off as "teenage pretentious pseudo-intellectual bullshit", so I will just say both endings need to be experienced.

As popular as Evangelion is, I rarely hear from anybody outside of fan forums who actually liked it.

Sigh, okay, here's the thing. Japanophiles pay attention. It's not better just because it's from Japan. Japan has a history of ritualizing everything they do. As a result, everything they do takes on an almost religious quality. This does not make it better, it just means that people are less likely to question and therefor improve upon it. Japanese martial arts are no better than any other country's, Japanese Animu and Manga are no better than any other country's, and their culture, other than being a hodgepodge of elements of other cultures, is no better than any other. Stop worshiping the country, it's just another place. Also, Poky is just cookies dipped in chocolate, if you want the same thing without paying the import fees buy some animal crackers and a Hershey bar, same thing.

Captain Lag:

Easykill:

But Death note takes the cake.

I think you mean it takes the chip. AND EATS IT

I'll give you this strawberry if you don't tell anyone.

nightmare_gorilla:
-epic snip OF DEATH-

a gree with EVERY anime you put up there, I just finished burst angel like 2 weeks ago and it is AWESOME... of course that's because I just finished watching a few of those romantic anime with a bit of action sprinkled on top (rosario + vampire and Karin... a lot of fanservice, but I'm apparently just one of those freaks who works around it) so the epic action scene at the end was greatness, also the story does get pretty awesome at the end.

PurpleRain:
I agree with your point about Hellsing. I've grown tired of a series where the main character can't be killed. But with Evangelion, I find myself attracted to the script. It to me is a subject few films grasp. The script as well was brilliantly crafted. The fact that there was robots and intelligent penguins I can overlook for that fact.

Gladly conceded. I will admit it was above-par by anime standards. And looking over my previous post, I've realised how my review of NGE was barely-coherent raging babble. So I'd like to take a minute, just sit down there, and I'll try to make some sense.

Yes, the script has its moments, and occasionally the characters will manage to be interesting through their thick coating of messed-up-ness. However, I think the problem stems from one word: 'deconstruction'. Deconstruction is, in theory, the technique of taking a genre apart and showing its faults or exposing certain elements that would make no sense/cause catastrophe in real life, via a story. In practice however, it's the technique of 'oh goody let's throw angst at the screen'.

NGE is a deconstruction of the mecha battles genre, and as such shows the grimdark far future of giant robots hitting each other. Parental abandonment, emotionless clones, fear and loathing in Las Tokyo, etc. This may have been effective, except that 1) I don't care about mecha battles and 2) instead of properly exploring this strange deconstructed world, as Watchmen does, it drags us down to wallow in its misery. Instead of sympathising with its tragic characters, you want to break a chair over their heads. Instead of crafting its own story, we get some nonsense about angels and cloning. Instead of building the story to a natural conclusion, the final episodes are a Moviemaker presentation on how Shinji should just suck it up or something. Also I can't get over that fucking penguin.

As a high school student, I can say that I would choose to remove anime from history just to get rid of all the teenage Death Note enthusiasts.

Alright, that was going overboard I'll admit. But there are good animes out there. I fucking loved Ghost in the Shell, and this one anti-war movie I watched (Grave of the Fireflies) challenged beliefs that I had about WWII.

The real problem is that all these mass-market anime just jump into your face if you even just do a search for "anime", while in fact there are some tremendously excellent anime (action, non-action, or comedy) that you can find.

If you're willing to give it another shot, allow me to make some recommendations:
- Mushishi (non-action, fantasy story-telling)
- Basilisk (some action, excellent story, i think the story's actually some ancient legend or true story from the past)
- Claymore (action, & please forgive me for recommending this. It gets interesting but once you're done you'll know what I mean)
- The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (comedy, sci-fi, very weird)

Obviously your friend missed the whole "build-up" idea set behind Higurashi...it is enjoyed slowly, bit by bit instead of all at once
It will lie to you
It will destroy your emotional barriers (allowing for some noisy reaction)

PurpleRain:
snip

I feel for you, man. But Sturgeon's Law applies: 90% of everything is shite.

You're looking in the wrong places, anyway. Might I suggest Death Note before you completely turn your back on the genre?

EDIT: Damn it, I didn't notice the necro.

NuclearJonJon:

Captain Lag:

Easykill:

But Death note takes the cake.

I think you mean it takes the chip. AND EATS IT

I'll give you this strawberry if you don't tell anyone.

Might I just say that this quote tower is made of win.

Exactly as planned.

So your problem with anime is that it's anime?

I don't get it.

I find that if an anime is under 26 episodes long, it usually kicks total ass.

Examples:

Gun X Sword
Cowboy Bebop
Samurai Champloo
Berserk
Claymore
Trigun
Outlaw Star

Those are my go-to animes.

PsykoDragon:
The real problem is that all these mass-market anime just jump into your face if you even just do a search for "anime", while in fact there are some tremendously excellent anime (action, non-action, or comedy) that you can find.

If you're willing to give it another shot, allow me to make some recommendations:
- Mushishi (non-action, fantasy story-telling)
- Basilisk (some action, excellent story, i think the story's actually some ancient legend or true story from the past)
- Claymore (action, & please forgive me for recommending this. It gets interesting but once you're done you'll know what I mean)
- The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (comedy, sci-fi, very weird)

Warning: Some scenes in Claymore is a bit over the edge. Sensitive viewers be advised.

EDIT: Btw, Toppen Tenga Gurren Lagann is great... awesome... GODLIKE.

It really depends on the anime, for sure. Stuff like Gundam Wing and occasionally Seed would require the attention of somebody with a little bit more hormones, (aka Teens) where as DBZ is meant for the smaller type.

Saying that you absolutely cannot watch anything that isn't anime can be possible, but can't be truly real, honestly. And anybody that says they hate all anime just haven't found the one that they could like.

Anime really is just...too vast to say you hate or love. there's an anime where there's guts, gore, and bloodshed with cute girls in it, while another just has a story full of men who look like they're 30 but are suppose to be 16-17-18, and just live in a slapstick joke of an anime

(Elfen Lied and Cromartie High, respectfully).

Even some animes don't have the big-eyed look, as people create their artstyle for something more humanish.

Truly, though, I can't really say I'm not with the group, Death Note is pretty damn kewl as well as stories like Bleach or Trigun. But I guess I've been looking up new stuff to expand my list, pretty much. Just finished Heat Guy J (which was AWESOME!! seriously, It's more awesome than a gun that shoots shurikens and lightning), and my friend has dragged me over to watch Gungrave, I haven't finished it yet, but it'll be soon n.n.

New anime= Extreme pain

The only thing I can say to that rant about Anime...justified, but...

Mobile Suit Gundam.

Macross.

That is all.

@PurpleRain- Well someone have said it glad it was not me. Plus I do agree abit...

Now then the problem with anime/manga nowadays is what many subcultures went through or is going through, I like to call it Disco-Music Syndrome. It is when something gets so popular to the the point where they can have over the top retarded ideas (e.g Death Note) and still get away of it until they keep making bad idea after bad idea (also stuffing down our throats plays a factor, seriously if I see another Barnes and Noble that have 70 to 30 ratio (manga to comics)...) until it "crash" (hence this happened to Disco Music with other things (Videogames Included).

I personally do not hate all Anime (in fact in my top 10 graphic writers, Go Nagai is number 5), but the futher it goes, the more bland it become even the ones involve with the hyperactive comedy isn't much working for me. (thought I did state that I did perfer Western Comics due to DC Vertigo's way of story making).

ziggybogidou:
New anime= Extreme pain

What about Code Geass?

For the record, I think you've watched too much crappy anime. Most of the crap you were talking about isn't in the stuff I watch, I must say.

Abedeus:

ziggybogidou:
New anime= Extreme pain

What about Code Geass?

A show which went so badly wrong in season 2 that it earned the name Code Trainwreck. It was horriffic and wrong, but somehow you couldn't stop watching it.

Even Goro Taniguchi, the chief writer of Code Geass, doesn't like how it went in R2, which was apparently nothing like what he originally wanted to do, due to the timeslot move and other executve meddling from Sunrise.

Now, Macross Frontier, that was some good stuff.

PurpleRain:
I had to grab your attention,so you would know -

- it's Sturgeon's Fucking Law. 90% of everything is a complete shite with a side order of fries. The remaining 10% is the entertainment you like.

What really bothers me is fandom... but well,it's always fandom that really bothers us,isn't it?

GloatingSwine:

Abedeus:

ziggybogidou:
New anime= Extreme pain

What about Code Geass?

A show which went so badly wrong in season 2 that it earned the name Code Trainwreck. It was horriffic and wrong, but somehow you couldn't stop watching it.

Even Goro Taniguchi, the chief writer of Code Geass, doesn't like how it went in R2, which was apparently nothing like what he originally wanted to do, due to the timeslot move and other executve meddling from Sunrise.

Now, Macross Frontier, that was some good stuff.

Ah, see, TVTropes is right - the fanbase IS ruptured.

I thought that while the second season wasn't as good as the first one, it had some epic moments especially by the end, episodes 22+.

Yeah. Okay. Some anime is shit, some is mediocre, some is fantastic. *shrug*

Aren't all animes now about giant octopus with 100 penis tentacles raping a 5 year old schoolgirl?

PurpleRain:

The story basically went something like this:
In Japan, schools fight other schools for no reason. To fight you have to wear special earrings.

Stop, I know I must have been Ninja'd by now, but that's ikki tousen. How do I know? I saw a episode T^T Wah it was so terrible

But I do say you make a good argument. Some is good, some is just shit. It's hard to say all of it is bad

bagodix:
99% of people who have a problem with anime are the people who think it's a genre and that there are no anime movies (so movies from Ghibli and Mamoru Oshii etc. are not even factored in). Saying you don't like anime is a lot like saying you don't like movies, television or video games.

Foolishman1776:
Japanese Animu and Manga are no better than any other country's,

Where else in the world can you find the same quality and variety of animation? Nowhere. American animation consists of almost entirely of stuff aimed at children.

and their culture, other than being a hodgepodge of elements of other cultures, is no better than any other.

It's better than many other cultures (like, say, Afghanistan), because cultures aren't all equal. And what do you mean that Japanese culture is just a hodgepodge of other cultures? If you mean that it's been influenced by other cultures, then that's true for almost any culture. If you mean that it has no identity of its own, then that's just factually incorrect. It's a unique culture.

And you said what I was going to say better than I ever could. My hat's off to you, good (I presume) sir.

Really, while western animation certainly can be deep and varied, it usually is just for kids, animation age ghetto and all. Not that kids shows are bad (Tiny Toons Adventures was awesome), just that it's good to have plenty of more mature works.

Vault boy Eddie:
Aren't all animes now about giant octopus with 100 penis tentacles raping a 5 year old schoolgirl?

No, and anyone who thinks so desperately needs to see good anime.
Unless you were joking, in which case carry on.

I see it only scarcely mentioned but the OP should really, really, check out gungrave.

Its probably one of the best Anime's I've ever seen. It at no point has any half-naked panty shots. It does have great action scenes but it mostly has a deeply compelling story. It revolves around the bonds of friendship, family, and above all honor and betrayal. You really get to learn to love the characters even the main bad guy.

Brandon Heat is also one of the manliest men, and he doesn't have a sex-crazed love interest.

Abedeus:

I thought that while the second season wasn't as good as the first one, it had some epic moments especially by the end, episodes 22+.

See, episodes 22+ were where it all fell to bits, caught fire, and exploded. The confrontation with Emperor Curly was 22 minutes of incoherent nonsense ending with the biggest victory by authorial fiat that Lelouch ever pulled, and everything after that had the unmistakable scars of having huge swathes of plot chopped out because everything in R2 was rushed thanks to having to retell the first season again in 8 episodes at the start.

To respond purely to the OP:

I notice that most of what you mention liking is serious anime, pretty much straight science fiction and fantasy type stuff that takes itself fairly seriously.

The series you describe is more of a comedy, or genere satire, and that kind of thing can be pretty hit or miss. I guess it depends on how heavily your into absurdism.

While something of an Anime fan I will also say that in previous years something had to be pretty good to make it to the US even as far as fansubs went. In more recent years we've seen a constant shoveling of stuff onto the US market, which means we get a lot of total garbage.

Concerns over censorship (since anime is no longer totally under the Radar) and also the domestic racism inherant in Japan (fans screaming to keep the best stuff for themselves as purely Japanese, and getting on the case of companies for selling out) also play a factor.

I haven't followed it in detail, in part because of how it began to disgust me (the industry, not the Anime itself), but back in the day I read a lot of translated periodicals having to do with Anime and Games. I've talked about Final Fantasy X and what I found in other posts, but I also learned that the question of "why doesn't this series make it to the US, and that other series that is relatively crappy does" does not have a straightforward answer. Behind all of the talk about liscensing, marketing research, costs of translation, and similar thing a lot of it basically comes down to the fact that the rights holders are concerned that simply by releasing something in the US they can ruin their fan base in Japan, and if there is associated merchandie involved (like Model Kits or whatever) the risks can be bigger than you think.

In the final equasion though, understand there are a LOT of differant generes of Anime, and just because you like one, does NOT mean your going to like them all. Like any other media even within a genere things vary greatly. Just because you like one British comedy for example does not mean you will like ALL British comedy. An absurdist super-high school satire like anything comes down to the writers and how WELL it's done. There are good ones, and bad ones... and yeah a bad one can very much be "WTF" coming down to nothing but a blur of school uniforms, nudity, and epic explosions, if nothing ties thoe things together, or the plotline doesn't capture your imagination, like anything else it's going to fail. On many occasions I've watched Anime (of various generes) and felt the same way. Bad is bad. You can take the best formula in the world, say "this works on paper" and then have it turn out awfully.

Foolishman1776:
Japanese Animu and Manga are no better than any other country's,

Where else in the world can you find the same quality and variety of animation? Nowhere. American animation consists almost entirely of stuff aimed at children.[/quote]

Says the guy who never have seen (or read) the likes of the Heavy Metal series or it's many many spinoffs.

I've read this thread before, and I haven't responded at the time, but here's my thoughts: PurpleRain, you were just led wrong by your friend. Ikki Tousen is NOT supposed to be the anime for the people who don't like anime in the first place. Maybe if you started on the more "serious" stuff (the likes of Ghost in the Shell and Death Note), maybe you'd have a different opinion.

well i always wanted to watch an anime but i have limited band width and i don't know what channels play it around here. i also don't seem to have the attention span necesary to watch a ceral every week. plus i feel silly watching animes. but i did read all the death note books and they were great!