SFX plan special edition magazine totally devoted to anime
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Karmatwisted
Brigade Leader
I'm just glad Trigun was in the list, pretty predictable but hey.
I know alot of people who saw that as one of thier first series, and the anime which really fortified thier curiosity into a love.
I dont see the order as much of a big deal to be honest, aslong as its on there its on there. But Totoro at number 1 did shock me at first but then there could of been an even more shocking choice at the top spot
I know alot of people who saw that as one of thier first series, and the anime which really fortified thier curiosity into a love.
I dont see the order as much of a big deal to be honest, aslong as its on there its on there. But Totoro at number 1 did shock me at first but then there could of been an even more shocking choice at the top spot
Noratav said:
People may rate Totoro as Miyazaki's best (I personally think Mononoke is) but I can't see what it has that makes you think "Oh my god! This is awesome" or some other superlative.
I think Urotsukidoji should be on that list because it's just... well... insane! And that makes it a must see.
I've not read the manga - but when I first saw Akira it totally blew me away. It's a work of art IMO... even if you don't like it, it's still something you just have to see. Hence it's place on the list!
7zark7 said:
I've not read the manga - but when I first saw Akira it totally blew me away. It's a work of art IMO... even if you don't like it, it's still something you just have to see. Hence it's place on the list!
I agree that Akira does belong on that list, but not so near the top. As someone who read the Manga first, I found Akira to be extremely rushed and not particularly well structured and plotted. Akira is probably my favourite Manga, I just found the film to be extremely disappointing.
hopeful_monster
Thousand Master
Got mine from Virgin Megastore, admittedly from the large one on Oxford Street (Village of London).
PS. Samurai Gun was crap.
PS. Samurai Gun was crap.
random_pie
Student Council President
I didn't think it was going to be that bad. But it was. Why are they putting so much effort into advertising Samurai Gun when they have better shows to promote. :?
ADV are heavily behind this because they were involved in the anime's initial funding and production. I was never particularly interested in the title when I first heard about it. It is one of those titles that seems to try too hard to appeal with violence and extremity, which in 90% of cases is just a wrapper for a title that lacks in substance.random_pie said:
random_pie
Student Council President
I know, but they aren't going to sell it very well compared to several of the DVDs that are going to be released next year and shows like Eva. So why not promote these other shows more nationally than trying to get anime fans to buy their DVDs that are receiving bad reviews. And obviously aren't very good :?
They do it for all the titles they were directly involved in, much like they did with Lady Death, which also got bad reviews. The fact that they have spent a lot of money on it already means that they are that much more fired up to make as many sales as possible. Heavy advertising tends to work regardless of bad reviews since a great many people out there don't read the reviews and go purely by the gut. These people could easily be swayed by such hype. I am sure there are people out there who actually enjoy it but to me it looks like it tries too hard to be "cool", which in itself makes it uncool.random_pie said:
What is this rubbish doing here? The first story is passable, the second a rather amusing but short lived poke at Akira-style OTTness and the last part just completely unwatchable. My guess is this is on here to justify the Anime scene's insistence that Katsuhiro Otomo deserves the kind of reverence he recieves, even though he only ever makes 75% of a good movie.
I am both surprised and pleased to see Escaflowne in a respectable position on the list. As i've said before, it's not Anime's best show, but it's an enjoyable catch-all that most people can enjoy whilst feeling 'it's not as good as X,Y and Z'.
If the Gundam franchise was a First Person Shooter tactic, it would be 'spray and pray'. Anime History has basically been spammed by a glut of Gundam and 75% of it misses the target completely. My guess is that they didn't feel like being more specific because any anime company backing they recieved for the issue would be undermined when UK companies are apparently disinterested in releasing a Gundam series of any actual quality, and those that are on release currently simply don't hold up to mention in a top 25 of best anime.
I stand by my utterly dislike of these movies, and their inclusion is along the lines of Akira. The second movie is slightly more palatable, but the first is a joyless pile of pretentious bull-crap caught up in its A-Level philosophy mentality and kept afloat by years of 'woah man, that's deep' fanboyism which actually springs more from Motoko jumping nude of buildings than it ever did from her standing in lifts for five minutes discussing the human condition in one of the film's lifeless dialogues.
Ugh. Whilst most lists these days hang onto this sacred cow somewhere in the bottom quarter (thanking it for 'creating the industry' or some other non-sense) SFX hold it up as a great example of anime. Thus putting the entire UK industry back some 20 years and failing to adknowledge that the film is actually less bovine perfection that it is bull-****. Akira may have created an anime industry, but it sure as hell isn't this anime industry. It created the early industry of lowest common denominator sci-fi, hentai and other rubbish. An anime industry epitomised by Manga's collection label. The goalposts have moved, and nods to Akira are frustrating. All it is, is a shallow super-hero film with a non-sensical ending. It is not the second coming. Akira should finally be laid to rest...
This is probably the bravest and least expected inclusion / placement on the list. Doesn't make it any less wrong of course. Totoro is cute and fluffy but at the end of the day, is it anything more? It's a pleasant film but it's not the best anime ever made. It's a film that just happens, and it leaves no left over resonances like better properties do.
But then, Totoro's inclusion only highlights the biggest flaw in the list: A list of the greatest anime ever that doesn't include Grave of the Fireflies, is NOT a list of the greatest anime ever!
Ok, so perhaps it's not everyone's cup of tea, but it does illustrate the flaw in the list best of all. Grave of the Fireflies isn't about cyborgs or dragons or robots or magical powers. It's about World War Two and thus cannot bare inclusion in a magazine devoted to Science Fiction and Fantasy products. Why is that a problem? Because the reality of what 'Anime' now constitutes is far more impressive than a list of sci-fi and fantasy products. Such a list would have floated 5 years ago, but it's only counter-productive for an industry that has been successful at diversifying in over the last growth period.