Anime Apolyton

[Wraith]

--"Okini."

I've been rewatching some of this, and I think her accent gets worse over the course of the series. In one of the later episodes Osaka says that something scary happened to her that morning, and Tomo asks her if she woke up speaking standard Japanese.

--"I finished off the fansub for Hajime No Ippo TV"

I haven't watched any of the anime, but I've read a little of the manga. Not really my kind of thing, but I don't normally get into sports anime.

As far as Initial D goes... please refrain from mentioning that one *shudder*

--"I guess this is the last Anime Apolyton."

Latest yes, but last is unlikely ^_^

--"Don't know if anybody here has a high definition display and cable HDTV service,"

I don't, but this is good reason to consider it in the future. I've been planning to get a front projector at some point after I move, but mostly for DVDs. If they're actually airing HD anime...

--"but currently they're running Spriggan"

Uh, okay, maybe not. One of the worse anime movies I've seen. Kind of like a bad Arnold Schwarzenegger movie with a cheap Temple of the Lost Ark rip-off mixed in.

--"You’re Under Arrest: The Movie."

Haven't seen this one, but the OVA and series are pretty good. I think it's fairly old, though, so it's another one that isn't a great candidate for HD.

On the other hand, lots of anime recently has been made in HD. I would absolutely love to see Haibane Renmei in a full HD run.

--"and anybody who has seen parts of the show know that the music was one of the best parts of the series"

"One of"? ^_^

--"It's only been Kyoto arc episodes I've caught"

Interesting. Last I heard anything about it, CN wasn't planning to air the Kyoto arc. I can't recall why not. Guess they changed their minds.

--"Not that the plot is much more than a giant excuse for a lot of duels,"

This is pretty standard for action anime. The only one I've seen so far that I really enjoyed was Hunter X Hunter. The fights are short (most last a couple minutes or so) and there's a real story and interesting characters.

--"I haven't seen Noir. I'm told it's a bit slow, but decent."

I've seen it, and again the music is the best part. It's self-conciously pretentious. They made it a point to not show blood in a show about assassins, for example. The pacing is all over the place; the first few and last few episodes are pretty decent, but the rest can be skipped. They also rely way too much on stock footage; there's one particular flashback sequence that sometimes appears several times an episode.

--"It's the same guy who did the voice of Spike for Cowboy Bebop."

David Lucas (or so it is attributed). He is one of the good ones.

Wraith
"Can't we just break the shell with a hammer or something?"
-- Kana ("Haibane Renmei")

[Drake Tungsten]

Interesting. Last I heard anything about it, CN wasn't planning to air the Kyoto arc. I can't recall why not. Guess they changed their minds.

The Kyoto arc was in full swing when I left America at the end of July. I'm kinda pissed I didn't see how it ended.

Spoiler:

Last I saw, Shishio was on his way to shell the **** out of Tokyo.

[DanS]

As far as Initial D goes... please refrain from mentioning that one *shudder*

Yes, I can understand how it would annoy you. But it didn't annoy me, and I don't mind watching some B material if it fits the formulas that I enjoy, so it's all good.

I don't, but this is good reason to consider it in the future. I've been planning to get a front projector at some point after I move, but mostly for DVDs. If they're actually airing HD anime...

INHD is in the HD tier for Comcast, Cox, TimeWarner, and Bright House cablecos. Not all locations are served with HDTV for cable, though. I've got a thread going on an HDTV forum for reviews on how Noir looks, which is starting this evening with two eps. I'll let you know how it turns out.

As for the HD material being produced in Japan, WOWOW (their digital channel) airs in HD. I guess anything copyrighted by them is likely to be produced in HD.

With regard to front projectors, I can clue you in, once and if you're ready. I've got an Infocus Screenplay 7200, which is a very nice 720p 16:9 projector. It was pretty expensive, though, so I might not recommend it for the weak of heart (I had buyer's remorse for a while).

[ColdWizard]

Originally posted by David Floyd
What are y'all's opinions on Evangelion? My roommate wants me to watch it, but I dunno...

I liked it, I found the first bunch of episodes hilarious with the others dramatically compelling

Originally posted by Wraith
The last two episodes of the series will probably confuse you. Make sure to also watch End of Evangelion.

I'm still

[Harry Seldon]

I had no idea what was going on in the last two; always figured I was going to have to find the whole series and watch it through.

I found Boogiepop Phantom's Ultra Edition again at Best Buy and they dropped the price from $106 to $53. I picked it up and was jamming the soundtrack back to work. Pretty damn excited since it's so highly recommended, even if most everyone laid my Spriggan low.

[Skanky Burns]

Well, I finally got around to watching some episodes of FLCL. Hmmm.
Lets just say its a good one to watch while drinking (heavily).

I still have NFI whats going on, but I must say I'm loving it.

/me pours some black Sambuca and starts episode 3 rolling.

[Harry Seldon]

There appears to be a problem with the sound on Boogiepop Phantom.

It appears to just be with the english dub I was watching while I ate dinner and couldn't read the subtitles. It's nice to see that quality is priority one.

I made it through the first four episodes. I thought initially that this was a standard series. When I was reading the backs of the dvds it appeared that each episode was standalone. After watching the first four they appear to be loosely related. Is the relation happenstance or are we going to have regular characters after awhile, like the ones named in the intro? Also, how many episodes are there? The box set only comes with twelve but I thought I heard somewhere there were more.

[Kassiopeia]

There are only twelve episodes in Boogiepop Phantom.

[DanS]

Apparently, Noir on INHD looks like a DVD upconvert. There's e-mail going back and forth with the company about this, so hopefully it will be sorted.

[Wraith]

--"Not all locations are served with HDTV for cable, though."

Well, I'm moving in a couple months. The area has both Cox and Time Warner, so if they're competing they've probably got the HD channels going. We'll see, though. I haven't actually even been planning to get cable. I barely use it.

--"With regard to front projectors, I can clue you in,"

Heh. I'll probably just dive in to the AVS Forum. ^_^

--"I still have NFI whats going on, but I must say I'm loving it"

There's actually a plot going on that gets (mostly) wrapped up. Surprising, given that they admit they were pretty much making it up as they went along.

--"There appears to be a problem with the sound on Boogiepop Phantom."

I seem to remember reading something about that, but I rarely watch the dubs anyway. Check with Right Stuf, they may have a replacement program in place still.

--"Is the relation happenstance or are we going to have regular characters after awhile, like the ones named in the intro?"

There are regular characters. All the events that seem loosely related at first are all centered around a few key events that tie things together. It may take a few veiwings to piece things together properly, though, with the way they jump back and forth between three main points in time.

--"Apparently, Noir on INHD looks like a DVD upconvert."

Hmm. Are these dubbed or subbed?
I have to wonder what the licensing deal covered for broadcasts. ADV may not be allowed to broadcast the original HD masters.

Wraith
- This Space Intentionally Left Blank -

[DanS]

I just finished the fansub of Chobits last evening.

The series has a lot of downsides, especially in the beginning episodes. Way too many nosebleeds, masturbation jokes, and kiddy porn tendencies (sometimes I wonder about Japanese society...). But I decided to stick with it, since the premise was good--a discarded android with a damaged memory bank is found in the dumpster by a cram school student from the sticks. After about mid-way, it turns into an intelligent discussion about the meaning of love in both android-human and human-human relationships. Sprinkle in some thoughtful portrayal on human alienation in modern society.

Some story loose ends aren't wrapped up, and they relied too much on the android being out of the ordinary--almost supernatural. But overall I was satisified with the ending.

Spoiler:

What I want to know is who threw her away, when was she thrown away, and why. Why didn't the person who threw her away actually destroy her first?

After the first part, it compares favorably to other sexy robot girl series, such Hand Maid Mai.

Heh. I'll probably just dive in to the AVS Forum. ^_^

Good show.

Are these dubbed or subbed?

Dubbed, I believe.

A question: Is there some forum other than the ones for fansubbing where all of the otaku hang out and I can discussion about some of these series?

[Wraith]

--"The series has a lot of downsides, especially in the beginning episodes."

All the other ones, too. ^_^ Seriously, though, three recap episodes in a 26 episode series? Not to mention the incredible amounts of filler in the rest of them.

--"After about mid-way, it turns into an intelligent discussion about the meaning of love in both android-human and human-human relationships."

I think it tried to do this, but failed. I haven't read any of it yet, but I'm told that the manga is a great improvement over the anime. If this is the aspect of it you liked the most, you might want to check that out instead. I'm pretty sure it's been licensed.

As far as who threw her away:

Spoiler:

Okay, I don't recall very well, but I'm pretty sure it was the landlady they were staying with. She and her husband were the ones who originally created the Chobits, or at least were presented that way in the series.

--"Dubbed, I believe."

Thought so. ADV has talked about (or perhaps others have talked to them about) adding subbed shows as well. This shouldn't really be a problem with a VoD setup.

--"Is there some forum other than the ones for fansubbing where all of the otaku hang out and I can discussion about some of these series?"

Lots of them, depending on what you're looking for. Stores like Anime Nation run forums, the Megatokyo forums tend to have a lot of anime discussion, and so on. I normally stick with the Anime on DVD forums unless there's something specific I'm looking for.

Wraith
How can I build a Death Ray if they won't let me have any busbars?

[DanS]

I think it tried to do this, but failed. I haven't read any of it yet, but I'm told that the manga is a great improvement over the anime. If this is the aspect of it you liked the most, you might want to check that out instead. I'm pretty sure it's been licensed.

Well, we're talking about human-android relationships. What do you expect? ;-)

Spoiler:

Re the landlady, that makes some sense. But would a "mother" really dispose of her "daughter" in this fashion? That's what got me confused.

I'll check out the manga. I've never read manga before.

Thanks for the Anime on DVD forum tip. :b

I've just started watching Slam Dunk! on fansub. What's with the thick lip animation? Reminds me a lot of Initial D.

[Wraith]

--"Well, we're talking about human-android relationships. What do you expect? ;-)"

Nuku Nuku ^_^

(This forum needs a smiley with cat-ears...)

(Oh, and that's OVA Nuku Nuku, not Dash or TV)

--"I've just started watching Slam Dunk! on fansub. What's with the thick lip animation?"

Couldn't say. I rarely watch sports anime, and this isn't one of the exceptions.

Wraith
"I can't die now! I have to give my daughter a stuffed fish."
-- Shinesman Sepia ("Shinesman")

[DanS]

Nuku Nuku? lol.

Well, good thing you said the OVA, because I saw the first couple of eps for TV and it was a real snoozer... zzzz