Rate the last anime you watched out of 10

If he has said what you quoted, then that explains why I dislike his films. I rank characters first, story second and visuals third. There needs to be balance, obviously, but if you asked me to order those three then I'd put them in the opposite order to Oshii.

I also don't like how he turns simle stories into over-complicated ones. The story of Patlabor was really just a basic story of a third party turning two sections of a country against each other and then waiting for his chance to make his move. However, Oshii presented it in such a way, because of the silly amount of dialogue that it was painfully hard to follow. He makes his mark on stories by making them as confusing as humanly possible.
 
Aion said:
If he has said what you quoted, then that explains why I dislike his films. I rank characters first, story second and visuals third. There needs to be balance, obviously, but if you asked me to order those three then I'd put them in the opposite order to Oshii.
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Well yeah, that's the order most films do things. I love well developed characters most of all, but to see the usual practices turned on their head is something I enjoy every once in a while. I couldn't take his style for long periods of time and I still enjoy my mindless entertainment, but I like how much his films make me think and reflect more than any others. The fact that he always deals with philosophical concepts which interest me helps too, I think.
 
I just typed up a three paragraph mini review of Riding Bean and then when I minimised Firefox my computer locked up on me entirely, forcing me to reset. Here we go again... :x

Riding Bean - ?/10

Argh! I honestly don't know how to rate this. I have such conflicting feelings about it. The story was pretty good and the action scenes and animation were excellent (I'd be willing to buy it on Blu-ray simply on animation quality alone) but at only 45 minutes long it felt so unfinished. It would have made an excellent 90 minute film, which might have given some time to devote to some of the unanswered questions and given some time for development of characters who deserved more depth.

On the plus side it was fun - the action, car chases and proper, bloody violence made it fairly exciting and the kidnap / framing plot was passable. It even achieved that rarest of things and made me laugh out loud at one early scene (frying pan to the face) though that was more down to excellent directon than the actual event itself. It also wins points for including a Shelby GT500 (though I prefer the earlier '65-'66 GT350's myself) driven by Inspector Percy who, given his methods, must surely be related to Inspector Zenigata from Lupin III.

On the downside I sat watching the clock, knowing that it was going to end after 45 minutes and just hoping that the runtime was somehow a mistake and that it had meant to say 1hr 45. It didn't piss me off anywhere near as much as the similarly faulted Kai Doh Maru (after which I just sat with my jaw on the floor for five minutes before screaming "That's IT!?"). But the character development was virtually non-existant. The relationship of the main villain and her young "partner" felt especially dark and wouldn't be out of place in an adult orientated live action crime drama of today. But they get little to no development other than "look how evil she is to treat this young girl this way" - A few more scenes of them together or an explanation of how things came to be this way would have made for a much more well rounded story. And some explanation of why Bean feels compelled to help kids (or for that matter, why he can take shots to the head at point blank range and not be affected) wouldn't have gone amiss... y'know, what with him being the main character and all.

The idea, animation and direction deserve 8 - 8.5, but the lack of explanation and development coupled with the running time mean it should barely scrape a 6. And to go halfway and give it a seven feels unfair on it's merits and neglectful of it's flaws. It did feel very much like a pilot, so perhaps now it's time to watch Gunsmith Cats and see if that changes my opinion of it in any way.
 
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Riding Bean is essentially unrelated to the Gunsmith Cats OVA. Bean is a side character in the manga but he doesn't appear in the anime. GSC tells a more complete story than RB but if you're looking for character development you won't find much of it there. Though it stands alone perfectly well, I get the impression that the anime, much like the Ah! My Goddess OVA, was primarily intended for those already familiar with the manga.

I'm glad you enjoyed Riding Bean, anyway. Er, at least I think you enjoyed it :p
 
I think I enjoyed it as well.

In the end my major problem with it comes down to the runtime, which meant there was hardly any time for even the scantest of development. Now I know how people feel when they enjoy a pilot episode of the show and can't wait for more, but then show is never picked up - I wanted more and I knew even before I started watching that there wasn't going to be any. Hence I'd like to give Gunsmith Cats a try, even though it's not actually a continuation.

@chaos - Heh. I like everything I've watched off that list so far. There's only Escaflowne and Dead Leaves I haven't seen yet.
 
ayase said:
Argh! I honestly don't know how to rate this. I have such conflicting feelings about it. The story was pretty good and the action scenes and animation were excellent (I'd be willing to buy it on Blu-ray simply on animation quality alone) but at only 45 minutes long it felt so unfinished. It would have made an excellent 90 minute film, which might have given some time to devote to some of the unanswered questions and given some time for development of characters who deserved more depth.
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Runtime is really bad. As for character development, you only see a little in the manga. Not even GSC OVA's have any development. And, yes this does feels like a pilot episode. It's a shame there is not much more of GSC in anime form.

I'd love to see GSC in another media (live action or anime).

ayase said:
It also wins points for including a Shelby GT500 (though I prefer the earlier '65-'66 GT350's myself) driven by Inspector Percy who, given his methods, must surely be related to Inspector Zenigata from Lupin III.
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GSC is the reason I want a Mustang myself. I even considered getting me a GT500 replica. There's more of GT500 on the anime and on the manga. The chase scene in GSC anime is absolutely fantastic.

ayase said:
But the character development was virtually non-existant. The relationship of the main villain and her young "partner" felt especially dark and wouldn't be out of place in an adult orientated live action crime drama of today. But they get little to no development other than "look how evil she is to treat this young girl this way" - A few more scenes of them together or an explanation of how things came to be this way would have made for a much more well rounded story. And some explanation of why Bean feels compelled to help kids (or for that matter, why he can take shots to the head at point blank range and not be affected) wouldn't have gone amiss... y'know, what with him being the main character and all.
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Unfortunately, this is an anime that requires previous knowledge of the series.
The shot to his head is the headband. He wears a bulletproof coat and headband.
Rally is really under used in this anime. An extra hour could have made Riding bean a 9~10/10 material, but I'm a fanboy.
Still, the way it is now, I would not rate it higher than 8.

ayase said:
@chaos - Heh. I like everything I've watched off that list so far. There's only Escaflowne and Dead Leaves I haven't seen yet.
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Dead leaves is one I haven't seen myself, but Escaflowne I've seen. Both TV series and movie and I must say you will love it.
Seriously, it's one of the greatest mecha series I've seen and as you like mecha, I though you would like it as well.

BTW, have you seen Magic Knights Rayearth?
 
chaos said:
ayase said:
It also wins points for including a Shelby GT500 (though I prefer the earlier '65-'66 GT350's myself) driven by Inspector Percy who, given his methods, must surely be related to Inspector Zenigata from Lupin III.
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GSC is the reason I want a Mustang myself. I even considered getting me a GT500 replica. There's more of GT500 on the anime and on the manga. The chase scene in GSC anime is absolutely fantastic.
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If you get a Mustang I seriously want to be your RL friend! 8)

It was the Steve McQueen film Bullitt that did it for me. How cool are Mustangs? Only Dodge Chargers can hold a candle to them in my book (coincedentally also in the car chase in Bullitt...) Tell you what, you get a Mustang, I'll get a Charger. We can re-enact it.*

I missed the headband thing. I noticed he had a bulletproof vest, but still cringed a little when he apparently shrugged off a headshot. It's crossing my suspension of disbelief line a little too much again... I don't expect every anime to have deep characters, but I suppose most have a little longer to develop than Riding Bean did. Perhaps the truest statement I could make about it is that it did the best it could with the time available.

Anyway, consider my interest in Gunsmith Cats piqued. I've not seen Rayearth, both it and Escaflowne are series' I've heard of by name but know next to nothing about... I'll have a look into them. ;)

*Though I won't crash mine into a petrol station at the end.
 
ayase said:
If you get a Mustang I seriously want to be your RL friend! 8)
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I'm closer to this goal than you might think ;)
Not a GT500, I will get one one of these days, after all, who needs a house? then I can drive my way to Yorkshire ;)

ayase said:
It was the Steve McQueen film Bullitt that did it for me. How cool are Mustangs? Only Dodge Chargers can hold a candle to them in my book (coincedentally also in the car chase in Bullitt...) Tell you what, you get a Mustang, I'll get a Charger. We can re-enact it.*
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I had a 74' V8 dodge dart. It almost killed me. But, if I get a mustang I'll let you know :D

ayase said:
I missed the headband thing. I noticed he had a bulletproof vest, but still cringed a little when he apparently shrugged off a headshot. It's crossing my suspension of disbelief line a little too much again... I don't expect every anime to have deep characters, but I suppose most have a little longer to develop than Riding Bean did. Perhaps the truest statement I could make about it is that it did the best it could with the time available.
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mm, ok, I understand. In the manga there are some other OTT things that makes Bean and Rally superhuman-like.
Gunsmith cats was one of the mangas I used as a transition between american comics and manga, so it didn't bother me that much back then. No idea how it will work on you though, but Bean strenght and his stopping bullets with his coat / headband and Rally markmanship are part of the best thing in it. The anime have a bit of obvious fanservice, but it does not ruin it at all.

ayase said:
Anyway, consider my interest in Gunsmith Cats piqued. I've not seen Rayearth, both it and Escaflowne are series' I've heard of by name but know next to nothing about... I'll have a look into them. ;)
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Rayearth is clamp, I'm a clamp fanboy, so I woldn't blindly recommend it - you can try starting with the OVA and if you like, you can move to the TV series. But Escaflowne is a serious recommendation. It's a mix of fantasy / mecha that is really nice. Start with the TV series first, then try the movie.

ayase said:
*Though I won't crash mine into a petrol station at the end.
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Good ! so I don't have to worry too much about this re-enact thing ;)
 
chaos said:
ayase said:
If you get a Mustang I seriously want to be your RL friend! 8)
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I'm closer to this goal than you might think ;)
Not a GT500, I will get one one of these days, after all, who needs a house? then I can drive my way to Yorkshire ;)
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I'd advise against this little stunt re-enactment. The fuel consumption required to dart up and down the A1 would be rather hefty on one of those vehicles.
 
Claymore vols 1 & 2 9/10.A superb series from start to finish .My one regret is that a second series has yet to be commissioned.This is most likely due to the fact that Yagi the author has yet to produce enough source material in terms of Manga to produce a full 26 episode series.
Fingers crossed ,maybe in a year or two we may see something come down the pipeline. :D
 
Zin5ki said:
chaos said:
ayase said:
If you get a Mustang I seriously want to be your RL friend! 8)
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I'm closer to this goal than you might think ;)
Not a GT500, I will get one one of these days, after all, who needs a house? then I can drive my way to Yorkshire ;)
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I'd advise against this little stunt re-enactment. The fuel consumption required to dart up and down the A1 would be rather hefty on one of those vehicles.
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Dude, if I ever get a Mustang, I won't bother with the fuel comsumption ;)

Actually, I wouldn't bother at all if I get a GT350 or GT500 =)
Those cars are worth more than my house. (That I rent, mind)
 
Berserk - 10/10

Flawless, well in my opinion anyways. The story was fascinating and had plot twists in all the right places. I'm so pissed that I decided to read into the plot beforehand and I ended up spoiling quite a bit of it for myself. Nevertheless, the way the anime executed the event(s) that I already knew off was amazing and not how I had imagined it would do so.

I cannot believe the manga is supposedly superior, even though that is the case in most instances; I just can't imangine anything better than what I just saw! I'm compelled to read the manga and have 'obtained' the first volume. I recommend this show to everyone and anyone, a must-watch!

PS - I've watched the first 7 episodes of Soul Eater as well, nothing special; your typical Shounen. The visulas are refreshing and a change from the 'old school' Berserk. I dont think much of it, but I can definitely say its more entertaining than Reborn!; well at least the first few episodes...Unto NTHT!
 
Gokusen - 8/10

A great alternative to GTO. None of the episodes contain anything jaw dropping, and its short length works against it, but it's still a very fun, mostly episodic series. Well worth the tenner I spent on it.

In case you're anywhere, Gokusen is about a yakuza gang leader (of sorts) teaching a class of delinquents. Comedy ensues as she tries to hide her other identity and not show her students her martial art skills.

What helps the series out is its small cast of characters. While the 13 episode length prevented me from ever getting to know all of the cast in depth, I still learned enough about the lesser members to understand them and the more important characters did receive some development. It worked rather well as a comedy series with a small scope.

I can't say I understand why a fugly dog, who could walk on two legs, smoked and had thoughts in English was included, though. Most viewers of Gokusen hate the pointless dog with passion.

It's a shame the anime only lasts for 13 episodes. The manga has 15 volumes, so there was a lot more than what was included that could've been used. From what I've read, the one thing the short length of the anime did was allow for the story to flow better and not leave the viewer thinking the plot was wandering aimlessly for lengthy periods, but I still would've liked to see more episodes. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have found myself too bored if the series had lasted for 26 episodes...

In terms of plot threads I wanted to see the until completion, the conclusion of the KumikoxShin/teacherxstudent subplot, which had been building since the start, would've been nice to see. I doubt it would've gone anywhere because of their age difference, but there was definitely something there - Shin even got jealous in the final episode.

Watching Gokusen has made me want to watch the GTO anime at some point. The manga is a bit too long and expensive. The problem is, at present it'd cost £43 or so to import the two R1 box sets...unless I try TRS. Not bad but I'd rather wait to see if the pound raises in value more - it isn't as if I'm in a rush, after all.
 
Fullmetal Alchemist S1 part one 8/10
First saw the show on the anime channel aways back and I loved it ,the further the show the went on the more serious and darker the show got and that was one of it's greatest strengths.I love the artbooks that come with the discs,galleries on the discs are all well and good but sometimes it's nice to hold an artbook and thumb through it.
Have already ordered part two of S1 and just waiting for S2 to come now.As an aside I've been watching the new series on fansub and so far I can't say I'm impressed.I know that the original anime series broke away from the manga half way through but this new series which I've watched up to episode 11 has so far added nothing new and this is just my opinion but considering the original series is nearly five years old the quality of the new series I think is actually not as good as the original series.
 
Fist of the North Star Boxset (The boxset that Manga ent. released years ago)
10/10
Insane fighting violence? post-apocalyptic setting? people with insane martial arts? Drum and bass sound track?
Fist of the North star has it all.

Basically FOTNS is Legend!
 
Popotan 7/10

Something both Rui and I can whole heartily agree on, is the character designs by Akio Wantanabe (Poyoyon Rock) are moe eye candy. To it a similarity to Komugi-chan, but felt the plot had substance to it where such elements of the VN couldn't be used.
The only disadvantages was some of the voice actors that had been placed in the ocean group dub, didn't seem to fit them, but the acting of Mai and Mea fitted spot on.

I was able to get this full set for a mere £12, which is pucker :3
 
Mushi-shi complete boxset - 8/10.

Such a nice little series this. Thought I wouldn't get along with the stand alone episodes but it doesn't matter since a majority of them were so good and enlightening. It was a pleasure to watch and very different from your average anime series. How can I describe it? Hmm, it's like bedtime tales for adults. The episodes seemed to get a lot better after about the 10th.
 
Shigurui - 7/10
gory anime. Technically perfect, the music gets you in the mood, but the it's pace is too slow for me.
 
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