sp4f on 26/5/2008 at 14:19
Check out Sayonara Zetsuobo Sensei (So Long Mr Despair) for some rather good black humour and weird characters (the hikkikomori who lives in the lockers and cupboards around the school for one).
Aerothorn on 26/5/2008 at 20:26
I'm not much of an anime buff - like any medium, there's some great stuff among the loads of crap, and I often just don't have the energy to find it.
GITS:SAC is great, but you've seen that.
And I'm sure Cowboy Bebop has been recommended a million times, but that's the other great one.
I recently watched Paranoia Agent, and while it has a few issues, it's very funny, and more importantly, very novel - so much of anime fits neatly into some specific sub-genre, and this is very original. Check it out.
a flower in hell on 26/5/2008 at 21:16
Quote Posted by icemann
Samurai X better known as for the OVA`s in their english versions. Those movies are excellent. Watched them on youtube a year ago roughly.
The Rebuild of Evangelion is in Japanese only if I remember correctly.
Anime with english voices only please. If its not with english voices then I wont be watchin it.
I can't read, apparently.
ADV will probably license the Rebuild movies in this country and provide them with the same horrible voice actors they used for the original series, I am sure. So there's hope for you yet. =)
But you should still consider stepping outside that box. A lot of the really good stuff is never marketed in English speaking nations, or when they attempt to do so something goes wrong.
For example, Geneon USA imploded before a lot of good series they had licenses for were finished or even started. Thus, these series are stuck in limbo. Geneon holds the licenses for North American distribution, but are refusing to localize because their North American division has financial problems. No one else can localize them, and most fansubbers will stop distributing them because they're licensed.
Geneon finished localizing half of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (known as "When The Cicadas Cry" or "Higurashi: When They Cry" in North America) but collapsed before finishing. No other company can finish, and no other company can localize the second season, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai.
Banksie on 27/5/2008 at 05:08
Quote Posted by Scots Taffer
Can't imagine it captures half the character of the way they express things, most dub jobs I've caught are pretty horrific.
I doubt anyone can talk about "special" bell pepper noodles in such a despondent way. :D
The Bebop dub is extremely well done. Most modern (post 2000) dubs are in pretty good order - there are exceptions like some of the Singaporean Ocean (I think that is the studio name) dubs which are budget dubs.
It is a crying shame Geneon imploded in the US as they generally did excellent dubs. Particularly those handled by New Generation Pictures - which included the Ergo Proxy, ROD tv, Haibane Renmei and the first four Hellsing Ultimate DVDs. Those are all solid dubs that go to a lot of effort to preserve the intent and spirit of the original show.
But don't characterise dubs today to the standard set during the late eighties and early nineties where some shockingly bad dubs were the norm.
Kroakie on 27/5/2008 at 07:45
Quote Posted by Banksie
But don't characterise dubs today to the standard set during the late eighties and early nineties where some shockingly bad dubs were the norm.
I only got into anime in 2005 and I think subs > dub. Something just feels wrong when I watch an anime in dub.
icemann on 27/5/2008 at 08:30
And alot of people feel that way as well. Myself not included in that bunch though.
For me I prefer to be watching the actual characters speaking rather than busy reading the text at the bottom of the screen. Anyways everyones welcome to their own opinions on it.
In alot of cases the engish dubs are excellently done, like in Rurouni Kenshin as I mentioned previously + .Hack.
jstnomega on 27/5/2008 at 14:00
youtube -> Happy Tree Friends
some stuff there that'll have you falling out of your chair wlaughter :)
SubJeff on 27/5/2008 at 14:52
I quite liked Appleseed and have the follow up.
Berserk and Cowboy Bebop are now on my list, as is AfroSamuri. Anyone seen that?
demagogue on 27/5/2008 at 16:04
Yeah, it's buried in my list... It's fun, pretty much just what you'd expect it to be.
One of the main voices in the dub is Samuel L Jackson.
Sulphur on 27/5/2008 at 16:16
Yeah, Afro Samurai's all right. Great production values, the voice acting's mostly okay. Buckets and buckets of the red stuff.
It's quite a bit like Kill Bill, only Sam isn't Uma Thurman, and there's not much, ah, depth to the story. Just your perfunctory flashback bits to fill in the history of violence here and there, but the core conceit works, it's nicely executed and the art's brilliant.
Okay, I'm rambling as usual. Let's just put it this way: you won't be watching Afro Samurai for its gripping story, but damn it's got some of the most amazing, explosive fight scenes right until the very end.
Also, for the OP: If you don't mind animé that's NOT filled to bursting with blood and severed limbs, everything Hayao Miyazaki has done is simply beautiful.
Princess Mononoke, Laputa: Castle in the Sky, and most especially, Spirited Away, are what you should see. Also, there's Grave of the Fireflies from Studio Ghibli, which counts as one of the most depressing stories I've ever seen, almost on a par with Requiem for a Dream. Not too sure if there's a dub for it, though.
Back to animé that's got the usual extended body counts: Movies - Vampire Hunter D was good. Akira's got a decent dub, but it's more about the amazing visuals.
Series: Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo are both awesome, though Bebop's more consistently funny AND brilliant. Also, Bebop has like the best soundtrack ever made for an animé.
There's also this very low-key animé called Mushishi that you probably haven't heard of. If you're a fan of actual, honest-to-goodness storytelling, you owe it to yourself to see it. It's a breath of fresh air. It doesn't hurt that it features some gorgeous artwork, most of it around pristine landscapes of green forests and snow-clad mountains.
That's all I can think of off the top of my head. There's tons more good stuff, but I'll leave that for a later time. From all the other awesome suggestions around here, looks like you've got a lot of watching to do. :)
