07-12-2003 07:12									#1
	Anime Apolyton Full PM-box? Change here!

Zenryaku,

It's time once again for Anime Apolyton. I've got to lead off with some non-anime, but animation news. Invader Zim, the wonderfully twisted series by Jhonen Vasquez, has been picked up for a DVD release. Early next year Media Blasters will put out a set which will include every completed episode (and as much of the uncompleted stuff as they can get). Highly recommended, and I hope they do some of the other great cartoons in desperate need of a DVD release.

A quick look at manga news, and Tokyopop has announced the license of the Crest of the Stars manga. The series is great, the manga should be quite good as well.

Several good series have started their US release as well. First up is Azumanga Daioh, kind of like the Japanese version of Peanuts. Although the first volume suffered from some over-localization (no reason to make Yukari's class Spanish, or to stop doing so halfway through the volume), they've settled down a fair bit. They're still having problems with Osaka's puns, but that's only to be expected.

Next up is One Piece. This is a shounen action series, but this one has a great sense of humor. The anime itself suffers the problems of most shounen action series (namely pacing and fights that are drawn out way too long), but happily this isn't an issue with the manga (at least, not so far). The rather unusual main character of this story is Luffy D Monkey, a young man who's set on becoming the PIrate King. He's aided by the fact that his body is, thanks to a cursed fruit he once ate, completely made of rubber, allowing for some rather interesting fight scenes. And we can't forget his companions, like Roronoa Zorro, a skilled swordsman who practices the three-swords style...

Next up is Berserk. The anime has already been released, but at one season it covers only the Band of the Hawk storyline in the manga series. A storyline that the first volume of the manga doesn't even touch upon. It's dark, violent, and bloody, so stay away if you don't like dark, savage hack-and-slash fantasy, but if you do, it's a must have.

To kick off the US anime news, the next DVD of Haibane Renmei is out this month ^_^ Yes, I will keep mentioning this series. No, you can't stop me. Yes, it is that good.

Several important releases have happened recently. The last volume of Banner of the Stars II is out, and this is a great series for the sci-fi or space opera (lite) fans. There will be more of it eventually, but apparently the creators are waiting for another novel to come out before doing another anime series.

The third volume of Twelve Kingdoms is out as well. This finishes off the first story arc of the series, with the second starting soon. This is another series that's on pause in Japan, again waiting for the original author to get further ahead rather than making up anime-only story. This is a good idea, btw. The main problem with the His and Her Circumstances anime is that they didn't do this.

Card Captor Sakura was also recently finished, with both volume 18 of the TV show and the second movie coming out.

Another in the cute vein was Risky/Safety, the first AnimeNation release. Theyve done a good job for a new company (although not as good as Synchpoint).

Speaking of SynchPoint, they're finally continuing the I'm Going to be an Angel series next month. It was put on hold for them to finish FLCL, but that's finished, so they're back on track.

The last bit of near-term upcoming release news is ADV's release of the Evangelion Director's Cut episodes. A must have for Evangelion fans, several of the last episodes were done with additional footage.

In longer term news, Texhnolyze has already been announced as licensed by Geneon. There's also rumors that US Manga is finally going to put Gunbuster on DVD, but that happens from time to time. The rumor, I mean. More likely are the rumors that Princess Tutu (yes, a magical girl show involving ballet dancing; it's actually quite good) has been licensed.
Oh, and ADV has announced the Azumanga Daioh dub cast.

For news about Japan, I just want to start off with a somewhat random tidbit. It looks like there's going to be Legend of the Galactic Heroes MMORPG next year (link in Japanese).

Not much to report on the currently airing shows. My favorite is Twin Spica, about a girl who decides to enter the Japanese space program after meeting the ghost of an astronaut who was killed early in the program. Very well done so far.

There are some... rather unusual shows as well, like Cromartie High School. This is basically Azumanga Daioh for Juvenile deliquents. One probably on crack. I really don't know how else to describe it. But it is amusing.

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is still running. I think it was extended out to 52 episodes, so that might take a while.

For vampire fans, Tsukihime is a should-see. It's all nice and dark and gothic (and angsty), and is surprisingly engaging for a series based on an H game.

I think that about covers it for now.

Wraith
"Baka! Baka! Baka! Baka! Baka! Baka! Baka!"
-- Tomo ("Azumanga Daioh")

	07-12-2003 07:45									#2
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Of the animes that Wraith mentioned...

I just got the last DVD of Banner of the Stars II in the mail today. As discussed in a previous thread, the translations are rather subpar, but the anime itself is quite worthwhile.

12 Kingdoms is definitely worthwhile. The third volume (ep 10) is where it starts getting good. I can't wait until they come out with some new episodes, although it will probably be a while.

I finished the fansub of Legend of Galactic Heroes through episode 47. It was VHS source, so the video was pretty bad, but there is an effort to get a better video source. The first fansub release with this better source is expected shortly.

Of those not mentioned by Wraith...

I finished off the fansub of Hikaru no Go. It hasn't been licensed in the US yet. The premise of the story is that Shindou Hikaru, a 6th grader, is looking in his grandfather's shed for stuff that he can steal and sell. Hikaru comes across an old go board, which he rubs, releasing a soul of an ancient go player that has been trapped inside. The ancient go player possesses Hikaru and the story proceeds from there.

I was skeptical on hearing this premise (sounds a little too much Jumanji), but it works extremely well. DanS recommended.

Of the stuff that is just being released in Japan, I'm continuing to follow Gunslinger Girl and Kimi Ga Nozumu Eien. Both are good series so far.

Last edited by DanS on 07-12-2003 at 07:50

	07-12-2003 07:50									#3
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I'm just going to chime in on two points:

One - Millennium Actress is the best movie of the year. In a perfect world it would win best animated feature at the oscars (and I'd personally vote for it for best picture as well).

Two - The Critic is coming out on DVD, finally. Similar to invader zim, another great show that is finally getting some respect.

	07-12-2003 08:06									#4
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quote: monolith said: One - Millennium Actress is the best movie of the year. In a perfect world it would win best animated feature at the oscars (and I'd personally vote for it for best picture as well).

I watched Millennium Actress the other day, I can certainly see why you praise it so much. Great film, it had a much more fantastic approach to the reality-blurring gimmick in Perfect Blue (an earlier work of the same creator(s)). The storyline was quite ordinary in a sense, but the approach was wonderful.

quote: Wraith said this: There's also rumors that US Manga is finally going to put Gunbuster on DVD, but that happens from time to time. The rumor, I mean.

It would certainly be worthy of a DVD release, while it starts out almost ridiculous I like the way the story developed. The final episode was stellar (excuse the pun). It's directed by Hideaki Anno, and I think it's in some ways superior to Evangelion. Mind, though, that NGE and Gunbuster are the only things by Anno I've ever watched.

quote: And this: To kick off the US anime news, the next DVD of Haibane Renmei is out this month ^_^ Yes, I will keep mentioning this series. No, you can't stop me. Yes, it is that good.

I watched Haibane Renmei. Then I watched it again. Definitely one of the best series I've seen so far. I'm still not sure exactly what it's about, but maybe it's best left uninterpreted to death. I loved the animation style, I tend to describe it as "comfortably realistic" (despite the halos and wings).

quote: This too: The last bit of near-term upcoming release news is ADV's release of the Evangelion Director's Cut episodes. A must have for Evangelion fans, several of the last episodes were done with additional footage.

I cannot stress enough how important the added footage is for a wholesale understanding of the story. Kaworu, for instance, becomes much more logical as a character to have around. I'm not really sure what the differences even are any longer, I haven't touched the original TV versions of the eps 21-24 for quite a while.

quote: DanS said: I finished the fansub of Legend of Galactic Heroes through episode 47. It was VHS source, so the video was pretty bad, but there is an effort to get a better video source. The first fansub release with this better source is expected shortly.

Subbing LoGH is said to be a really difficult effort for a translator, though, since there's supposed to be rare and old Japanese words even the seiyuus themselves didn't always know.

(Sorry about the quotes, did a copy/paste job.)

	07-12-2003 09:03									#5
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--"I finished the fansub of Legend of Galactic Heroes through episode 47"

Interesting. How long were these episodes? I ask because I've only been able to find two episodes of the main series (hour long episodes) fansubbed, but quite a number of the Gaiden (a prequel series) are around, and those are half-hour episodes.

--"I finished off the fansub of Hikaru no Go. "

That is a good one, and I've mentioned it before. Viz has the manga license, but has so far said they don't have the anime (after at one point saying they did). Wouldn't be too surprised if they did get the anime eventually.

--"I'm continuing to follow Gunslinger Girl and Kimi Ga Nozumu Eien."

I've heard a lot of about Kimi ga Nozumu Eien, but I haven't watched any of it yet. Other things keep interrupting.
Gunslinger Girl I couldn't watch much of. It seems like a bad Noir rip off, and I didn't much like Noir in the first place. And a show really has to be good to keep me watching past episode two when episode two is nearly half composed of footage from episode one...

--"One - Millennium Actress is the best movie of the year. "

I still need to see that one. My usual anime purchase place doesn't seem to be carrying it for some reason. May just have to get it localy.

--"Two - The Critic is coming out on DVD, finally."

This is another one I've been waiting for. Now I just need The Tick (animated, yes; live-action, no), Duckman and Eek! the Cat.

--"It would certainly be worthy of a DVD release, while it starts out almost ridiculous I like the way the story developed."

Yeah, it was one of the early, defining Gainax shows. They seem to have just started off by having some light fun with the mecha genre, then moved on to the main story.

--"I watched Haibane Renmei. Then I watched it again."

Is that all? ^_^ I've seen it dozens of times. At least. Of course, I run a webpage about it as well, so...
And I do love the art style. ABe is my favorite anime artist, and has been since I saw Serial Experiments: Lain. There's just something very nice about his style, especially the watercolor work.

Wraith
"Ecchi nano wa ikenai to omoimasu."
-- Mahoro ("Mahoromatic")

	07-12-2003 09:05									#6
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Where's your Haibane site, Wraith? I'd be interested in seeing it...

Also, Millenium Actress is an absolutely essential anime. I'm positively shocked that you haven't seen it yet.

	07-12-2003 09:43									#7
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quote: I've heard a lot of about Kimi ga Nozumu Eien, but I haven't watched any of it yet. Other things keep interrupting.

You can wait on it. It's not going to be your favorite of all time, just an enjoyable anime. Surprisingly good, for a knockoff of a hentai game.

quote: Gunslinger Girl I couldn't watch much of.

Not for everyone, for sure. Haven't seen Noir, so I don't know what it's ripping off.

quote: Interesting. How long were these episodes? I ask because I've only been able to find two episodes of the main series (hour long episodes) fansubbed, but quite a number of the Gaiden (a prequel series) are around, and those are half-hour episodes.

I think those two one-hour movies are repackages of the first couple of episodes (or the other way around). Anyway, I guess there are 110 24-minute episodes plus a lot of side stories/prequels/whatever (60?). Only 47 episodes of the main series have been fansubbed into English so far, because of the difficulty in translation, as Kass mentioned.

Let me know if you would like the links.

	07-12-2003 11:12									#8
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The next series I'm looking forward to on DVD is Azumanga Daioh.

It's just so awesome.

	07-12-2003 12:45									#9
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Saw Millenium Actress recently, and I second (or third, whatever) everybody's approval of it. I preferred Perfect Blue, but that's sort of like my preferring Psycho over Citizen Kane, so to speak.

Also saw Excel Saga and Puni Puni Poemi, and loved them both. Saw FLCL on Cartoon Network, and was disappointed.

	08-12-2003 01:07									#10
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--"Where's your Haibane site, Wraith? I'd be interested in seeing it..."

Sekai no Hajimari is it. There's a fair bit there, but I still need to finish up the character section properly. Just been a bit busy lately...

--"I'm positively shocked that you haven't seen it yet."

Well, like I said, my usual retailer hasn't had it for some reason. I'll get it soon; I've been buying the Haibane Renmei DVDs local (to make sure to get the pack-ins), so I'll just grab this as well.

--"Surprisingly good, for a knockoff of a hentai game."

There have been a lot of those lately, for some reason.

--"Haven't seen Noir, so I don't know what it's ripping off."

Girls with guns, over-stylized action (although not to the extent Noir takes it), angst angst angst, that sort of thing.

--"Let me know if you would like the links."

No, I can get them. I think I've just been misunderstanding something.

--"The next series I'm looking forward to on DVD is Azumanga Daioh."

It'll be out here next year. Fun show. Have you seen the manga yet?

--"Saw FLCL on Cartoon Network, and was disappointed."

Well, I haven't watched the dub, so I can't comment on that part. What did you find lacking? Or was it just too much hype beforehand?

Wraith
"Don't worry... I haven't come to steal anything. Please be assured... I've only come to kill you."
-- Excel (Excel Saga)

	08-12-2003 01:15									#11
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quote: Originally posted by Wraith Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is still running. I think it was extended out to 52 episodes, so that might take a while.

Oh...my...lord. *Wets himself with excitement*

	08-12-2003 02:29									#12
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Millennium Actress was good (*watched it the other day)

Jon Miller

	08-12-2003 03:13									#13
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quote: Originally posted by Wraith --"Saw FLCL on Cartoon Network, and was disappointed." Well, I haven't watched the dub, so I can't comment on that part. What did you find lacking? Or was it just too much hype beforehand?

The hype probably had something to do with it. I just found it rather boring, but might have found it less so if there had been less "This is the zaniest anime ever, you'll love it if you like madcamp things!" hype, or if I hadn't been desensitized to such things by the likes of Kentucky Fried Movie or The Meaning of Life or whatever. As an action anime it was fine, but I thought that its wacky-comedy aspects were wanting.

	08-12-2003 17:56									#14
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--"Oh...my...lord. *Wets himself with excitement*"

Heh. It's an interesting series, but not that interesting ^_^

--"or if I hadn't been desensitized to such things by the likes of Kentucky Fried Movie or The Meaning of Life or whatever."

Not to mention Excel Saga and Puni Puni Poemi...

Anyone, one more series to recommend, although not a new one. Mahoujin Guruguru, a story that's kind of like Slayers chibi, but with Gourry and Lina having switched intellects...

Wraith
"Anchor, anchor... We need an anchor... Say Zel how much do you weigh?"
-- Lina Inverse ("Slayers Next")

	08-12-2003 18:03									#15
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quote: Originally posted by Wraith Heh. It's an interesting series, but not that interesting ^_^

This is a reaction that I get from quite a lot of people who've seen it, and it's one that I don't quite understand. GitS:SAC got off to something of a slow start, I'll admit, but it's picked up recently and the plot is starting to get really interesting. Aside from that, IMHO the setting is fantastic; I love the world of GitS, because I think it manages to strike a good balance between the fantastical and the believeable. And aren't the Tachikomas just fantastic?

	09-12-2003 06:25									#16
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--"but it's picked up recently and the plot is starting to get really interesting."

Well, I've seen 22 episodes, and it is getting better. However, they have to be careful about falling into the "let's make it even more complex" trap and not be able to do a decent wrap-up (a-la Twin Peaks). I can't tell right now how good they're doing at this; the extra epsiodes may cause them a problem, depending how well they planned for this possibility.

Wraith
"If you're not going to kill me, I have things to do."
- Darkman

	14-12-2003 05:17									#17
	Suffering from ads?

Just wanted to bump things, since the third Haibane Renmei DVD is available early in some stores. ^_^

Wraith
Beware! The paranoids are watching you!

	14-12-2003 08:55									#18
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OK, I know I replied to this thread! This is the second of my posts that has mysteriously disappeared. At least, the second one that I noticed.

	15-12-2003 05:34									#19
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--"This is the second of my posts that has mysteriously disappeared."

It must be a conspiracy. Maybe you should repost, but tie a string to it so you can track down whoever takes it.

Wraith
"The universe is my dwelling place and my house is my only clothes! Why are you entering into my pants?"
-- Liu Ling ("The Story of the Stone")

	15-12-2003 06:07									#20
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I'm ashamed to admit that I've just started the Evangelion series. I do like the 'reversible city'. Good theme music.

A little too 'Shounen ish' sometimes for my tastes....(we have giant battle robots that for some reason can only be piloted by 14 year olds)

	15-12-2003 07:40									#21
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Wraith, nice webpage thank you for the wallpapers

	15-12-2003 07:44									#22
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few more days till Berserk vol 26!!!!!!! wheeeeee!~

(Have pity on us berserk fans... with volumes being released almost EVERY YEAR.... )

	15-12-2003 12:55									#23
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quote: Originally posted by Wraith --"This is the second of my posts that has mysteriously disappeared." It must be a conspiracy. Maybe you should repost, but tie a string to it so you can track down whoever takes it. Wraith "The universe is my dwelling place and my house is my only clothes! Why are you entering into my pants?" -- Liu Ling ("The Story of the Stone")

It's probably just the forum fizzing out on me. There are too many anti-greek subliminal messages in my posts that probably set it off.

Anyway, I saw "Kiki's Delivery Service" last week. It was great. I was thinking about how it didn't fit with the Disney genre at all. There's no lame villain and the female lead is independent yet has human weaknesses, unlike the "superwomyn" of Disney films. However, I still suspect those two old ladies were up to something. One of them just seemed too excited during the blimp disaster. How long ago did this become available in the US? Or in English, for that matter? I was surprised to see Phil Hartman as the voice of Jiji.

I also picked up "Castle in the Sky" last Friday. Compared to "Kiki," it was a disappointment. It just didn't move me like "Spirited Away" and "Kiki" did.

	15-12-2003 17:53									#24
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--"A little too 'Shounen ish' sometimes for my tastes...."

Heh. Give it time. It does start quite like shounen-mecha action, but there's other things going on.

There is a reason for the 14 year old thing, but I don't remember how explicitly it was stated in the series.

spoiler(highlight to read): Basically, the only people who can pilot the Evangelions are people born after the Second Impact. If you want more detail I can give it.

--"Wraith, nice webpage"

Domo. The wallpapers are from the R2 release, so they were probably done by ABe himself. Very nice, yes.

--"few more days till Berserk vol 26!!"

You hope ^_^

--"Anyway, I saw "Kiki's Delivery Service" last week. It was great."

That is a good one. Not typical Disney (thankfully), but more their thing than Princess Mononoke.
It came out on DVD just recently (this last year, I think), but it's been available in the US on VHS for several years now.

They've still got several Ghibli films to be released on DVD. The next will likely be (based on VA comments) Porco Rosso, which is my personal favorite.

Wraith
"A pig's gotta fly."
-- Porco ("Porco Rosso")

	22-12-2003 07:14									#25
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Wraith (or whoever): have you ever heard of an anime called either "She, the Ultimate Weapon" or possibly "The Last Love Song On This Little Planet"? If so, have you any info and/or opinions on it?

	22-12-2003 08:34									#26
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You cannot escape from One Piece in Japan. It's everywhere.

	22-12-2003 19:55									#27
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--"Wraith (or whoever): have you ever heard of an anime called either "She, the Ultimate Weapon""

Saishuuheiki Kanojou. The "last lovesong" bit is a subtitle.

I actually think a better translation of the title is "My Girlfriend, the Ultimate Weapon", but apparently the manga author uses "She", so it might just be some engrish ^_^

Anyway, it's one of two Gonzo shows I mostly like. Most of their shows are just plain pap; the kind of generic crud that's meant to appeal to a big audience of adolescent boys (ie. harem animes). This isn't at all like most of their shows, but it suffers from one of Gonzo's trademarks: messing up the ending.

Overall it's good, although as I mention, the ending needs help. There are some great moments, but some of them can get fairly intense. It is about an all-out war in the future, so expect a lot of deaths. The artwork took a little bit to get used to, but overall it's good (espeically some of the shots of Chise).

I'm pretty sure the manga has been licensed as well, but I don't know if it's started release yet.

--"You cannot escape from One Piece in Japan. It's everywhere."

Heh. Is it still running? I was fairly sure it had stopped, but maybe not. I expect Funimation to be picking this one up pretty soon; they're almost out of Dragonball, and this is a perfect replacement for them.

Wraith
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	22-12-2003 20:01									#28
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quote: Heh. Is it still running? I was fairly sure it had stopped, but maybe not.

I was talking about the manga, not the anime.

	23-12-2003 00:52									#29
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Next question: what's the difference between Robotech and Macross?

	23-12-2003 05:26									#30
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--"I was talking about the manga, not the anime."

Ah. Should have known.

--"what's the difference between Robotech and Macross?"

Robotech is a highly edited version of three Japanese series, including Macross (the other two being Souther Cross and Mospeada). Yes, someone (named Carl Macek) spliced three completely unrelated series together and wrote a dub that had little to do with the original story of any of them. That's Robotech. You can imagine the kind of copyright issues surrounding this series...

I've seen a little Robotech, but not much. Same for Macross. From what I've heard of the other two, they're not worth it, and the only reason most people I know have anything to do with Robotech is nostalgia. It did air on TV in the US, so more people have seen it than Macross.

Wraith
We all live in a yellow subroutine.