What to get next from the land down under.

H

hopeful_monster

Thousand Master
Rents are heading over to Oz in the next few weeks and this means I can order stuff from Madmanand they can bring it back. Yay. However the question is what to get? From a quick scan of the site ideas are
Big O- premise looks interesting, nice to see a mecha series where the main character is old enough to shave, and have been hearing good things about it in reviews and general chat on site. Opening title sounded very much like Queen’s ‘Flash Gordon’ though.
Geneshaft- Seen 1st few episodes when I was in the states, and it was piqued my curiosity, Part harem anime (but without a male lead), part serious sci-fi anime. However haven’t heard much about it on the net much, so don’t know how it paned out.
Infinite Ryvius- Another one heard good things about online, and an episode or two on You Tube. Interesting, just hope English VA’s aren’t as high pitched as the Japanese ones.
Last Exile/ Witch Hunter Robin- Going for the boxset rather than collecting them piecemeal over here, but would rather support UK industry.
Just so you know what I’m looking for favourite series are Rahxephon and Robotech. Partly due to the fact I’m a mecha fan, but also because the two have a very tight and flowing plot, neither have very episodic or arced plots, the characters are believable (smeg up, get the wrong end of the stick etc.).
So any advice on what to get? Missed anything?
 
Big O - I liked what I saw of it, although for various reasons I only managed to watch the first 13, so I can't comment on the ending which I've heard mixed views on. Along the lines of "there was going to be a second series, but they didn't have the cash," although I don't know how true this is. The butler was cool though 8) .
Witch Hunter Robin - If ever a series had a slow start, this is it. Very slow and episodic through at least the first 2/3 of the series, but very stylish, and has a satisfactory ending. Realistic characters, although some are underdeveloped. I would've liked to have seen the series taken further, though.
Last Exile - Again, I haven't seen all of it (mostly seen the ending :? ), but this is the one I'd recommend, on the basis of the interesting characters, and the storyline. Admittedly, the story is somewhat predictable, but it tells it well nonetheless. As to the graphics - when they work they're excellent, when they don't they look awful. But mostly they work.

The others I haven't seen at all so I can't comment, but I'd be interested by Infinite Ryvius purely on hearsay.
 
Berserk - It's the best anime, ever. It's gritty fantasy mixed with wonderful character interaction and development.
 
Witch Hunter Robin is my favourite series. I personally liked the stand alone episodes a lot. Especially episodes 4, 5 and 8 of the stand alone episodes. Episode 8, Faith, is my favourite episode of the entire series. The series also has one of my favourite endings in an anime series.
 
I have Last Exile and Witch Hunter Robin on DVD to watch myself, to me Witch hunter Robin looks like it will be a cracker, and the word on Last Exile is that it starts slow but shapes into a very good series
 
The Big O is a wonderful series that mixes film noir conventions into a mecha narrative which is less coming-of-age and more classy in it's execution than say Gundam or Rahxephon. Think Batman: The Animated Series where Bruce Wayne jumps into a Frank Lloyd Wright inspired Robot instead of a cape and cowl and you're pretty much there.

I would recommend both series to you, because they are both fantastic; but I will warn you about the ending, which was left deliberately ambiguous by executives at Cartoon Network (who funded the series for Adult Swim) in order to piss off American fans who had campaigned for a second series tirelessly. But then, I guess you could say one is not a true Otaku if they do not relish the ambiguity of Japanese endings.

If you decide to buy it and enjoy it, then visit the savebigo link in my signature and help out in the cause to get a third series made.

Last Exile is like Castle In The Sky meets Pod-Racing, smacked with a healthy does of speed. It's a beautiful series, but has a seemingly rushed and disappointing ending. But the ending isn't everything, and it's worth seeing for Range Murata's beautiful character designs if nothing else.
 
Paul said:
Berserk - It's the best anime, ever. It's gritty fantasy mixed with wonderful character interaction and development.
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While its not on your list, I certainly think Berserk is one of the best anime out there and well worth a purchase.

Neon-Noir said:
Last Exile is like Castle In The Sky meets Pod-Racing, smacked with a healthy does of speed. It's a beautiful series, but has a seemingly rushed and disappointing ending. But the ending isn't everything, and it's worth seeing for Range Murata's beautiful character designs if nothing else.
Click to expand...

Yay someone who agrees with me about the ending of Last Exile. Last Exile IS a good series that is well worth seeing, but the end is truly awful if you ask me.
 
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