# Anime fans



## mtmailey (Oct 21, 2011)

Are there anyone here that like/love anime?
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## lincrusta (Jun 25, 2014)

Very big fan, but mostly read manga. Lately been getting back into anime thanks to a few friends, and have watched some spectacular ones such as _Revolutionary Girl Utena_ and _Kaiba_.


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

I hate it! I can't understand the attraction


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

I only prefer Miyazaki films, which are a more "classy" kind of anime. None of that screaming with the eyes turning all white and the black lines shooting out of the head, lol.


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## Crudblud (Dec 29, 2011)

I'm a big fan of anime, I actually keep a list of reviews of things I've watched here (be forewarned that it contains some discussions of NSFW topics) which some people may find interesting or useful to read, though stuff prior to the _Jin-Roh_ review is rather barebones and not so informative, and I plan to go back and re-review most of the subjects of those lesser articles.

Anyway, anime is an incredibly diverse field of animation and there's tons of good stuff out there; naturally there's a lot of crap as well, but that's true of any other form of art, including our beloved classical music. In addition to formulaic stuff, there's a wide range of unique work out there which is highly rewarding. There's stuff produced for all age ranges, though the most common imports for the western market are _shonen_ and _seinen_, intended primarily for teenage boys and young men, _shojo _and _josei_ are marketed towards women of the same age groups.

As with classical music, it is such a diverse field that people may not know where to start. The following selection is made up of both popular, easy to find titles and some more obscure stuff that I like.

*Cowboy Bebop* (26 eps / 1998, dir. Shinichiro Watanabe / action, noir, drama)
*The Big O* (26 eps / 1999, 2003, dir. Kazuyoshi Katayama / giant robot, noir, mystery)
*Serial Experiments Lain* (13 eps / 1998, dir. Ryotaro Nakamura / cyberpunk, psychological horror, experimental)
*Planetes *(26 eps / 2003, dir. Goro Taniguchi / science fiction, space opera, drama)
*Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade *(feature film / 1999, dir. Hiroyuki Okiura / conspiracy thriller, psychological drama)
*Mononoke* (12 eps / 2007, dir. Kenji Nakamura / supernatural horror, experimental, Japanese/Shinto folklore)
*FLCL* (6 eps / 2000, dir. Kazuya Tsurumaki / postmodern, coming of age, surreal comedy)
*Le Chevalier d'Éon* (24 eps / 2006, dir. Kazuhiro Furuhashi / alternate history, swashbuckler, supernatural, conspiracy thriller)
*Azumanga Daioh* (26 eps / 2002, dir. Hitori Nishikiori / slice of life, comedy, drama, Japanese society/culture)
_*Monster*_ (74 eps / 2004, dir. Masayuki Kojima / mystery, detective, psychological thriller, crime)

_Cowboy Bebop_ has been incredibly well received by mainstream western audiences, due in no small part to its heavy referencing of western culture, in particular jazz music and film noir, and if you're only aware of outdated anime clichés and imported-and-bowdlerised-for-kids stuff like the _Pokémon_ and _Shaman King_ series you would do well to give it a shot, it just might open your eyes to the wider potential of the form. Along with _The Big O_, it's also one of few anime I've seen where the English dub is better than the original Japanese. If you like _CB_, go ahead and check out the other stuff on that list, and above all explore on your own, as with any kind of art the education you receive from checking out a wide range of material is essential in determining the quality of your overall experience.


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## lincrusta (Jun 25, 2014)

Huilunsoittaja said:


> I only prefer Miyazaki films, which are a more "classy" kind of anime. None of that screaming with the eyes turning all white and the black lines shooting out of the head, lol.


Miyazaki's artistic prowess is there, but to me his story telling is lack luster (in part as it's geared towards a younger crowd and uses a formulaic plot). I'd definitely recommend Kunihiko Ikuhara (notably for psychological, surrealism, and symbolism), Katsuhiro Otomo (_Akira_ is a true classic, but has some screaming as it's sci-fi/action), and Satoshi Kon (_Black Swan_ was over-inspired by his film _Perfect Blue_) to start out with. Those are some stronger classics within anime.



brotagonist said:


> I hate it! I can't understand the attraction


The attraction is a lot of the artistry that comes from animation itself; plus, the medium allows for more artistic freedom, versus using real people. I'm particular interested in anime because of the topics and visuals they use, but not necessarily because they are "anime" (if that makes sense).


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## satoru (May 29, 2014)

I watched all Miyazaki animes in theater, going back to "Hors: Prince of the Sun" 

OK, OK, yes, he wasn't the director on that one but an animator there, but still...

One of my early exposure to classical music was, surprise, Disney's "Fantasia". I still remember the excitement I had in the theater.


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## Crudblud (Dec 29, 2011)

lincrusta said:


> _Akira_ is a true classic


Jaw-dropping animation, but so much was lost in the translation from manga to feature film that the story is a total mess. Granted it's been the best part of a decade since I last saw it, but along with the first _Ghost in the Shell_ I feel like it is great to look at but seriously overrated as a piece of fiction.


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## lincrusta (Jun 25, 2014)

I'll contribute to Crudblud's list, mostly adding pieces I believe have historical or artistic significance within anime.

*Kanashimi no Belladonna* (movie 89mins / 1973, dir. Eiichi Yamamoto)
*Perfect Blue* (movie 85mins / 1997, dir. Satoshi Kon)
*Akira* (movie 124mins / 1988, dir. Katsuhiro Otomo)
*Neon Genesis Evangelion* (series, 26 ep. / 1995-1996, dir. Hideaki Anno)
*Zetsuai 1989* (movie, OVA / 1992, written & illustrated by Minami Ozaki)
*Saint Seiya* (series, 114 ep. / 1986-1989, dir. Kōzō Morishita & Kazuhito Kikuchi)
*Sailor Moon* (entire series, which was split into a bunch of parts so I will not list details)
*Revolutionary Girl Utena* (series, 39 ep. / 1997, dir. Kunihiko Ikuhara)
*The Adolescence of Utena* (movie, 80mins / 1999, dir. Kunihiko Ikuhara)
*Dragonball & Dragonball Z*
*Legend of the Galactic Heroes* (series, 110 ep. / 1988-1997, dir. Noboru Ishiguro)

It's a mix here, but these (along with Crudblud's list) would be a strong preliminary list for important animes. This is definitely not exhaustive and does have some of my biases haha



Crudblud said:


> Jaw-dropping animation, but so much was lost in the translation from manga to feature film that the story is a total mess. Granted it's been the best part of a decade since I last saw it, but along with the first _Ghost in the Shell_ I feel like it is great to look at but seriously overrated as a piece of fiction.


Agreed! The movie felt more like a splendid overview of the manga (albeit messy), than an independent story. Being familiar with the manga helps a lot.

Same goes for *The Adolescence of Utena*; if you don't know the TV series, then don't dive into the movie. Stunning and beautiful, but all the more confusing considering its intent was to expand upon several topics Ikuhara wasn't able to cover during the series. (Also, it's surrealism and symbolic lol)

Edit:
Would also suggest *Angel's Egg*. It's a collab between Yoshitaka Amano and director Mamoru Oshii. If you know Final Fantasy, Amano did a lot of character design for it all.

Anddd *Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo* is a stunning anime that leaves audiences at odds with its art: either you hate it or you love it (I love the art haha).


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## SiegendesLicht (Mar 4, 2012)

Could you please recommend me a good anime? Something along the lines of a melancholy, philosophical fairy tale/fantasy. Or maybe not fantasy, but melancholy and philosophical in any case.


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## lincrusta (Jun 25, 2014)

SiegendesLicht said:


> Could you please recommend me a good anime? Something along the lines of a melancholy, philosophical fairy tale/fantasy. Or maybe not fantasy, but melancholy and philosophical in any case.


Here's a few I could think of off the top of my head. P:

*Texhnolyze*: (2003 / 23 episodes/ dir. Hiroshi Hamasaki) CYBERPUNK
Incessant melancholy that tries to wrestle with some philosophical concepts; not fantasy, but sci-fi. A friend tried to have me watch all of it. I'd recommend taking breaks, not because it's melancholic, but more because I began loosing focus/interest if I tried to watch a zillion episodes at once.

*Zegapain*: (2006 / 26 episodes / dir. Masami Shimoda) MECHA-ROMANCE
Definitely hits the nail on the head with a couple philosophical concepts (notably regarding time & self); it's a fairly light series overall, but dips into the dark end at times.

*Haibane Renmei*: (2002 / 13 episodes / dir. Tomokazu Tokoro) DRAMA FANTASY
Tokoro worked on _Lain_; this isn't very deeply philosophical or melancholic, but fits to some extent what you're looking for.

*Narutaru (Shadow Star)*: (2003 / 13 episodes / dir. Toshiaki Iino) SUPERNATURAL DRAMA/HORROR
Although it looks sweet and pokémon-esque, this show's a favorite of mine; I'm not too fond of the translation from manga to anime though, and would suggest reading the manga (way more interesting).

*Revolutionary Girl Utena*: (series, 39 ep. / 1997, dir. Kunihiko Ikuhara) MAGICAL GIRL/FANTASY DRAMA (w/ surrealism & psych)
Ikuhara's work here is a masterpiece; trust me. Sitting through the shallow first arc is worth it. The second arc is fun, and the third is a real beauty (along with the movie). Ikuhara successfully deconstructs the magical girl trope and plays with a lot of subjects. (Note: Ikuhara directed a number of _Sailor Moon_ episodes!)

*Wolf's Rain*: (2003 / 26 episodes / dir. Tensai Okamura) SUPERNATURAL/SCI-FANTASY DRAMA
I saw this one a long time ago, so I can't say much now, but I remember it being fairly well done and treats melancholy & philosophy.

Stuff people recommend, but I don't particularly
*Kino's Journey*: Philosophy-by-the-episode. Each episode deals with something, but I find the series flimsy and lackluster.

*Mushi-Shi*: Fantasy + some philosophy. Wasn't too impressed by it and grew quickly bored.

Some more recs that I'm thinking of as I go
*Kaiba*
*FLCL* (does do melancholy & philosophy)
*Now and Then, Here and There*
*Princess Tutu* (philosophies of storytelling and life in a fairy tale like frame)
*Pale Cocoon*
*Noein*
*Monster* (How could I forget this one...)


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## Crudblud (Dec 29, 2011)

lincrusta said:


> *Princess Tutu* (philosophies of storytelling and life in a fairy tale like frame)


Definitely seconding this one. It's ostensibly a formula show, but it really transcends that, especially in the second half of the series.


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## mtmailey (Oct 21, 2011)

*Nice anime*



brotagonist said:


> I hate it! I can't understand the attraction


People like it for various reasons as for me it is humor/comedy.Also i like anime that is interesting
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## Richannes Wrahms (Jan 6, 2014)

I like a few of them, like the very tranquil *Mushi-Shi*, some action friendly in Fairy Tail (only the first season), *Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood*, D.Gray-man, *Soul Eater*. I tried Darker than Black but its too vague for me (and I love reading Kafka!).

I've been watching xxxholic, rather poor writing there but still entertaining.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

I've been a long time fan of Studio Ghibli movies (I have seen "Nausicaä," "Laputa: Castle in the Sky," "Totoro," "Grave of the Fireflies," "Kiki's Delivery Service," "Only Yesterday," "Porco Rosso," "Ocean Waves," "Pom Poko," "Whisper of the Heart," "Princess Mononoke," "Spirited Away," "The Cat Returns," "Howl's Moving Castle," "Ponyo," "Arietty" and "From up on Poppy Hill"), but it was only this year which I became interested in any television series. Only two series which I have completed were "Darker than Black" and "Code Geass." I would more quickly recommend "Darker than Black" (but don't watch the more recent series) which is less well known and shorter than "Code Geass" because I do think it has a more interesting subject matter which is given a lot more central focus than the digressions and "filler stuff" in "Code Geass."

Currently watching "Lucky Star" (which is a comedy in which every episode is just a group of girls in high school talking about stuff, many references to anime/manga stereotypes and otaku culture), "Cowboy Bebop" (see Crudblud's post) and "Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni" (which is mainly a thriller/murder mystery). 

What I enjoy about anime......I actually much prefer it to the western style of cartoons and animation due to the emphasis given on background to create atmospheres, even use of real locations and much more artistic consideration in the drawing style.


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## ProudSquire (Nov 30, 2011)

Huge fan here!

Here's a link to my anime-list thingy, which I haven't updated in quite sometime. :}

Link

:cheers:


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## mtmailey (Oct 21, 2011)

Crudblud said:


> Definitely seconding this one. It's ostensibly a formula show, but it really transcends that, especially in the second half of the series.


Yes i saw parts of it on HULU it was funny as well.


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

lincrusta said:


> I'll contribute to Crudblud's list, mostly adding pieces I believe have historical or artistic significance within anime.
> 
> *Kanashimi no Belladonna* (movie 89mins / 1973, dir. Eiichi Yamamoto)
> *Perfect Blue* (movie 85mins / 1997, dir. Satoshi Kon)
> ...


Angel's egg is one of the greatest I've seen. Probably because I tend to favour more "arty" animation. 
And another one with a similar meditative mood and probably my favorite anime movie is Night on the galactic railroad, visually it's certainly not on the level of late Kon or Miyazaki but I love the nocturnal atmosphere, very poetic and mysterious. It's also very slow and not for those who think that animation should be frantic.
I'm curious about Legend of the galactic heroes, I've seen only few episodes and I've found it a bit dated, is it great as many say?


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## Piwikiwi (Apr 1, 2011)

Crudblud said:


> I'm a big fan of anime, I actually keep a list of reviews of things I've watched here (be forewarned that it contains some discussions of NSFW topics) which some people may find interesting or useful to read, though stuff prior to the _Jin-Roh_ review is rather barebones and not so informative, and I plan to go back and re-review most of the subjects of those lesser articles.
> 
> Anyway, anime is an incredibly diverse field of animation and there's tons of good stuff out there; naturally there's a lot of crap as well, but that's true of any other form of art, including our beloved classical music. In addition to formulaic stuff, there's a wide range of unique work out there which is highly rewarding. There's stuff produced for all age ranges, though the most common imports for the western market are _shonen_ and _seinen_, intended primarily for teenage boys and young men, _shojo _and _josei_ are marketed towards women of the same age groups.
> 
> ...


/If you like cowboy bebop you should try samurai champloo and mitsiko to hatchin, their by the same people


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

SiegendesLicht said:


> Could you please recommend me a good anime? Something along the lines of a melancholy, philosophical fairy tale/fantasy. Or maybe not fantasy, but melancholy and philosophical in any case.


Movies:
Night on the galactic railroad
Angel's egg
Lamu Beautiful dreamer
Voices of a distant star, but also The Place Promised in Our Early Days ( anything produced by Makoto Shinkai has a melancholic mood)
La maison en petit cubes/the house of small cubes (this is a 12 min short that you can see also on youtube and doesn't look as a anime, but it's japanese nonetheless).


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## Crudblud (Dec 29, 2011)

Piwikiwi said:


> /If you like cowboy bebop you should try samurai champloo and mitsiko to hatchin, their by the same people


_Samurai Champloo _is a good one. I don't think it ever quite matches up to _CB,_ but that's pretty much an impossible act to follow in my opinion.


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## lincrusta (Jun 25, 2014)

norman bates said:


> Angel's egg is one of the greatest I've seen. Probably because I tend to favour more "arty" animation.
> And another one with a similar meditative mood and probably my favorite anime movie is Night on the galactic railroad, visually it's certainly not on the level of late Kon or Miyazaki but I love the nocturnal atmosphere, very poetic and mysterious. It's also very slow and not for those who think that animation should be frantic.
> I'm curious about Legend of the galactic heroes, I've seen only few episodes and I've found it a bit dated, is it great as many say?


Personally, _Legend of the Galactic Heroes_ seemed very dated and turtle-paced (that said I only watched half the series). It's interesting for its story, but the execution's pretty poor haha


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## Ravndal (Jun 8, 2012)

I love the Miyazaki films as well. Especially Howls moving castle, spirited away and princess monoke. Okey, and totoro.


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## Tristan (Jan 5, 2013)

I'm definitely a fan of anime (maybe you can tell by my avatar). 

My personal favorite anime is *Neon Genesis Evangelion*. Overrated as it might be, nothing comes close to it in my mind. I think it will always be my favorite.

I'm also a big fan of *Seirei no Moribito*, *Ouran High School Host Club*, and most recently, *Infinite Ryvius*.

I of course have seen and loved various Miyazaki films. Next on my list I should probably get around to seeing _Cowboy Bebop_, as I know it is always popular.


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## mtmailey (Oct 21, 2011)

Tristan said:


> I'm definitely a fan of anime (maybe you can tell by my avatar).
> 
> My personal favorite anime is *Neon Genesis Evangelion*. Overrated as it might be, nothing comes close to it in my mind. I think it will always be my favorite.
> 
> ...


ouran high school is another great anime funny as well i plan to get the dvd set soon.


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## mtmailey (Oct 21, 2011)

*classical music in anime*

So often in anime i hear a lot of music for piano & string orchestra.But it rare that i hear music of great composers.


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## Morimur (Jan 23, 2014)

I lost my fascination for anime in grade 10. I recall being quite impressed with 'Akira' even though the English dubbing was beyond horrific. I saw 'Spirited Away' a few years ago and while I enjoyed it, it's not something I'd care to see again. I guess I've lost that so called 'childhood wonder'.


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

I love anime but I don't know that many. I've been wanting to get into it more.

I've seen a few Studio Ghibli films (Kiki's delivery service, Castle in the Sky, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Grave of Fireflies).

Those were all great. I especially like the last 3 in the list.

I've watched Death Note. That anime had a really interesting premise

I really like Dragon Ball/Z, I know it's not the best anime or anything but it's the nostalgia factor and I also really like the characters.

I also love Avatar the last airbender, but it's not really anime I guess, only anime-inspired. It's certainly one of the best cartoons America has ever produced though.

Is anyone else a sub-only person? I'm like that with anime. I don't look down on people who prefer dub and I'm not snobby about it. But for me I just feel more enjoyment watching anime how it was originally made, in Japanese with subs. Adds a level of authenticity I guess(?).


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## Tristan (Jan 5, 2013)

^I sometimes prefer subs, but if the dub is a direct translation (which it often is), then I have no issue with the dub.


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## SiegendesLicht (Mar 4, 2012)

I've started watching Death Note last night, like it so far.


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## Crudblud (Dec 29, 2011)

violadude said:


> Is anyone else a sub-only person? I'm like that with anime. I don't look down on people who prefer dub and I'm not snobby about it. But for me I just feel more enjoyment watching anime how it was originally made, in Japanese with subs. Adds a level of authenticity I guess(?).


Sub-only except for a few special cases. I think _Cowboy Bebop_, _Big O_ and _DragonBall Z_ work better with English dub, probably because that's how they aired over here when I was a kid. I'm also a fan of the cheap dub work you find on low budget sleaze/gore stuff like _Angel Cop_, it increases the entertainment value tenfold.


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## lincrusta (Jun 25, 2014)

Prefer subs as well. Usually worried that a dub tries to 4kid the voices of the character, and -- thus -- screw up the mood the original voice actors recorded for. At this point it's odd watching anime in English. (Though French works ok?)

As far as famous Western composers in anime... it happens, fairly often actually. You just need to be on the look out. I'll try and update with a few.


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## Antiquarian (Apr 29, 2014)

The first Anime that I ever watched was The Last Unicorn by Rankin-Bass (actually Topcraft, a Japanese anime house whose more talented members would eventually form Studio Ghibli) and Peter S. Beagle. This was back in 1982. I was so taken by the heart-rendingly melencholic story that I had to find out if there were any other films like that. I've been a fan of Studio Ghibli ever since. The last anime I have watched was Metropolis, by Yasuhiro Nakura, inspired by Osamu Tezuka.


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## mtmailey (Oct 21, 2011)

Crudblud said:


> Sub-only except for a few special cases. I think _Cowboy Bebop_, _Big O_ and _DragonBall Z_ work better with English dub, probably because that's how they aired over here when I was a kid. I'm also a fan of the cheap dub work you find on low budget sleaze/gore stuff like _Angel Cop_, it increases the entertainment value tenfold.


I can not stand english subtitles find it annoying to read the them while watching anime.


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

Crudblud said:


> Sub-only except for a few special cases. I think _Cowboy Bebop_, _Big O_ and _DragonBall Z_ work better with English dub, probably because that's how they aired over here when I was a kid. I'm also a fan of the cheap dub work you find on low budget sleaze/gore stuff like _Angel Cop_, it increases the entertainment value tenfold.


That's funny you mention DBZ. For me, the cheesiness of the dub script is the very thing that eventually drove me to watch anime using subs exclusively. I understand the nostalgia factor though. Or maybe not necessarily nostalgia, but the dub just being what you're used to for that anime.


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

mtmailey said:


> I can not stand english subtitles find it annoying to read the them while watching anime.


You get used to it.


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

mtmailey said:


> I can not stand english subtitles find it annoying to read the them while watching anime.


I find it annoying to, I prefer to watch the animation than to read a subtitles. There are studies that say that if you read subtitles you lose something like the 20% of the movie. In a normal movie I agree that original voices are an integral part of the acting, but considering that in a anime there aren't real actors I prefer to watch it without subtitles.


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## BurningDesire (Jul 15, 2012)

I love anime, and it is one of my biggest interests outside of music. ^_^

My most favorite series is Princess Tutu, a magical girl fairy tale-styled show about a duck who gets turned into a girl who turns into a magical ballerina who works to restore the literally shattered heart of a prince with the power of her dancing. It is spectacular 

As far as dub vs. sub, I really tend to prefer whichever has better voice acting (or is more suitable). For instance, I feel like the acting in Princess Tutu's dub is alot more passionate and fitting than the original Japanese cast, and the dub for BECK is way better than the original because the dub cast can actually sing really well, and its a music anime, thats pretty important.


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## BurningDesire (Jul 15, 2012)

mtmailey said:


> So often in anime i hear a lot of music for piano & string orchestra.But it rare that i hear music of great composers.


Princess Tutu's score features music by Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, Beethoven, Wagner, Chopin, Prokofiev, Saint-Saens, Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov, Debussy, Ravel, Satie, and others


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## BurningDesire (Jul 15, 2012)

violadude said:


> I love anime but I don't know that many. I've been wanting to get into it more.
> 
> I've seen a few Studio Ghibli films (Kiki's delivery service, Castle in the Sky, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Grave of Fireflies).
> 
> ...


I'm not really sure if I agree with anime being reserved for works from a particular country. Its such a nebulous term, because sometimes it refers simply to animation from Japan, and sometimes it refers to stylistic elements and certain aesthetic values in animation. I really tend to not see huge distinction when its a series like Avatar. Plus there are those series that resulted from international productions, like Oban: Star Racers or Code Lyoko. Oban's ending theme was even composed by Yoko Kanno.


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