Anime 101

[Wraith]

--"No occupation, just that Japan turned into an authoritarian police state..."

Read the opening text again. The reason they ended up an authoritarian police state is because of the loss to Nazi Germany. That's why there's so much German-influenced stuff around the background, from the Volkswagen Beetles to the machine guns the Capital Police Special Unit carry.

--"but not very accessible, and so probably not something to start off on."

For most I wouldn't even think of suggesting it. However, it does fit his main requirement...

Wraith
"They yell the names of the weapons. I wonder if it's got voice recognition?"
-- Goat Hoary ("Martian Successor Nadesico")

[DaShi]

I think Cowboy Bebop is an excellent start, since it was where I pretty much started. While it is a fairly standard sci-fi world, there's a lot of detail in it. Very well thought out.

I thought Miyazaki created most of the spirits in Spirited Away himself on the Japanese idea that most things have a spirit. There were no actual fairy tales that they were based on.

[Modo44]

Spoiler warning.

Originally posted by chegitz guevara

Originally posted by Modo44
Metropolis - loosely based on the original movie from 1926

It's not based on it very much at all. It's based on post-war Japanese manga.

The word loosely was used for a reason. The guy that rules a major city, the mad scientist, the android, the worker masses (robots in the anime), and many other ideas - all are taken directly from the original Metropolis by Fritz Lang. Now, the plot is different to the degree of being original (which is why I like the anime so much), but it resembles the movie in a number of ways.

[Koyaanisqatsi]

Thanks for the suggestions...sorry I disappeared for a while and couldn't answer any questions. I was trying to keep her from seeing the thread...

I ended up getting Escaflowne...I read some more about it, and it sounded like something she'd like. Is there a reason why there seems to be two distinct price points for the box set DanS linked at different stores (one seems to be around $35, the other around $80)? The cheaper one was often listed as an import, which I assume just means it's not region 1...is that right?

I hope so, since I ended up getting that one....

[pchang]

There is a show on Cartoon Network called "Stand alone something". The main character appears to be a woman whose brain has been downloaded into an android body and is policeman in a special squad with the rank of major. She wears a wierd looking outfit. How about this one?

Also there is another one I think is called Witch Hunter Robin.

[Impaler[WrG]]

Never heard of that one, but it sounds vaugly like Big-O. Did it involve any giant 100foot City smashing Robots and a slick "Negotiator" named Roger? If so you probably have the Episode name rather then the series.

By the way I think that show would be SOOO much better without the cleshay Giant Robots, the main characters are more then capable of saving the day and entertainig us without the giant robot who gets "summoned" as a constant Deis Ex Machina to save the day in a painfully stale Robot on Robot battle ala Voltron.

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by Impaler[WrG]
Never heard of that one, but it sounds vaugly like Big-O. Did it involve any giant 100foot City smashing Robots and a slick "Negotiator" named Roger?

Ghost in the Shell spin off.

[Unspeakable Horror]

Wraith
"You know the times you can see the dust in your eyes? I'm chasing it right now."
-- Osaka ("Azumanga Daioh")

Azumanga Daioh!
I saw the last episode a few days ago *snif* really great and fun anime

The Slayers is humorous fantasy.

That´s a bit old now but still is one of the best IMHO

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by pchang
There is a show on Cartoon Network called "Stand alone something".

Ghost in the Sheel: Stand Alone Complex, all of the action, none of the thoughtfulness, from what I saw, which, I admit, has been limited due to the fact that I don't have cable.

[Jaakko]

Last Exile is pretty damn good as well, especially if you like '30s style pulp sci-fi. If you liked Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, you'll love Last Exile.

[DanS]

The cheaper one was often listed as an import, which I assume just means it's not region 1...is that right?

I hope so, since I ended up getting that one....

No, it means you got a Hong Kong bootleg. I inadvertently got that one too and was rather disappointed that I had done so. The quality on mine was OK, if I was watching on a regularly-sized TV.

[Koyaanisqatsi]

Originally posted by DanS
No, it means you got a Hong Kong bootleg. I inadvertently got that one too and was rather disappointed that I had done so. The quality on mine was OK, if I was watching on a regularly-sized TV.

Oh...oops. Dammit, I even thought about that, too, but I figured they wouldn't be selling those through Amazon...

[Wraith]

--"There were no actual fairy tales that they were based on."

No, a lot of them are fairly standard fairytale-ish creatures. Like the lamp I mentioned. From what I've seen, though, the fairy tales would easily lend themselves to new versions. Just about any inanimate object gets a soul if it's around long enough, for starters.

--" Is there a reason why there seems to be two distinct price points for the box set DanS linked at different stores"

As has been mentioned, the cheap "import" is a bootleg. Amazon lets people bootleg through their site because they get a cut for it and technically it's not them who'll get hit by any possible lawsuits (the whole affiliate or whatever status). I'd see if you can cancel and get an official version. You might get decent image quality (which is rare but possible), but unless they ripped straight from the R1s you're going to get god-awful subtitles and no dub.
Not that the Escaflowne dub is particularly worth listening to, but still.

--"There is a show on Cartoon Network called "Stand alone something". "

DinoDoc got it. It's a Ghost in the Shell series. I couldn't get too much into it, but it does have some good moments. I quite enjoyed the Tachikoma.

--"I saw the last episode a few days ago *snif* really great and fun anime"

Yeah, it's one of the better ones to have been released in the US recently. It was my pick for best new comedy show in Japan for 2002 as well (the same year Haibane Renmei was my pick for best drama; damn good year for anime).

Oh, and Jungle wa Itsumo, Hare Nochi Guu is going to be released in the US next year under the title "Hare+Guu". Probably the US release I'm most looking forward to. Japan is kind of a toss up between the Ah My Goddess TV series (as long as they do at least one Peorth storyline) and the possibility of Banner of the Stars III now that the next book has finally come out.

--"Last Exile is pretty damn good as well"

I found it pretty meh. It's a damn good try for Gonzo, but that doesn't mean much. They really muck up the ending, but they're pretty famous for it.

Wraith
"If Guu's having fun everything's all right."
-- Guu ("Jungle wa Itsumo, Hale Nochi Guu")

[loinburger]

I recently saw the television series X, and, more than ever before, I am simply amazed at just how friggin awful the movie X was.

[pchang]

I also saw one where these guys were flying around in what looked like lighter than air battleships and were pounding the snot out of each other. It looked like Sky Captain but clearly predated that movie.