The Gaming Den

Leress at [unixtime wrote:1186684442[/unixtime]]
I can't say what my favorite anime movie is, but I can tell you the worst one I have seen...E.Y.E.S. of Mars

Awww I saw that once, on SciFi channel. Liked the psionics, especially "skinny jealous girl" person with the pill addiction, but yes it was mostly boring, and the ending gave me nightmares somehow. (dreams about suffocation in space, as well as supernatural pre-human origins, go figure, don't ask. o_O)

Ohhhh I remember another one: Demon City Shinjuku, must be English dub! They redid the script to add in all these Harrison Ford-type quips and jibes, very funny as well as darkly violent/'ecchi'.
A masterpiece by Yoshiaki Kawajiri just like Wicked City (sex, too. TONS.) and Twilight of the Dark Masters (best action, compares to Akira but very random plot). Put the kids to bed, turn off the lights, and don't blink.
These movies resemble my dreams so much that I wonder if Kawajiri dreams whole novelettes/hour-movies like I do. Wake up, and bam.. whole script written out.
Conveying it to text or images, let alone a movie, is another matter though..

These movies make Bleach monsters look like fuckin Teletubbies. Kids these days, heh... know your roots.

Probably one of my favorite Anime movies is Grave of the Fireflies. I like pulling that one out when people a) tell me "cartoons are for kids" or b) "cartoons can't evoke emotion." or (and I'm a real bastard for this one) c) "I want to see a happy movie."

shau at [unixtime wrote:1186603870[/unixtime]]I have an irrational love of anime, which is to say that I probably would watch anything if it was drawn by the Japanese.

Ceilingcat: I just saw that on *coughahem*chan a few days ago, and this is the last place I expected to find it again!!!

Why do people compare full feature movies against weekly TV shows?

And whenever I hear this:

Those retarded outfits, the mannerisms, the godawful food, it's all the same in every fucking show from that island, and I refuse to watch any of it.

I hear in my head:

I refuse to watch some shared cultural identity that I don't share.

It's kind of a racist statement, really, and shows a real contempt for your own culture - since it was Americans (and western culture) who designed and implemented the uniforms, schools, etc.

-Crissa

That's a distortion in your head.
Yes, I suppose it is contempt for something both alien and unusual to my own cultural view, but as anime is quite possibly the most abundant cartoon form among children and teens today that very same Japanese school-child stereotype HAS FLOODED OUR TELEVISIONS!
There is quite simply no comparison in America.
My little brother saw some cultural reference in some random kids anime and asked me what it meant, those little sushi-lunchbox things. I told him I didn't even know what it was, until they started eating it (or rather, some kind of parody of what they think Americans eat like? "snarf munch" noises with food flying?)

It's bad enough that Japanese protagonists with names like Kikikoko Mimimanawaka are portrayed as having blonde hair and blue eyes while Koreans are squinty, dark featured, and tan skinned. Racism? What? I'm a racist? O really.
Why do they all look white? Is it a similar self-loathing?
I won't go deeper into that, as it's none of my business. Just wanted to point that out.

But for comparison to an American watching the slow conversion of culture, it's as if some African tribe member saw a California rave, or a Brazilian beach party, and tried to put the scene into context within their own experiences; confusion, jealousy, disgust, any range of reactions might occur, but familiarity is not one of them.
Then, if that same African saw others around them attempting to imitate that alien way of life without any relevant context, how would they then feel/think?

Anyone can call me racist for hating the inundation of American culture with Japanese standards, but I also have my own view. I am resistant to seeing and listening to people, sometimes friends, attempt to imitate a way of life that they have no knowledge about other than through cartoons and mostly badly animated cartoons at that; specifically, favoring sushi bars over cheaper or tastier restaurants (it's raw fish... you paid $50 USD for a meal of raw fish, rice, and imported wine?), speaking Japanese lingo, and restricting themselves to a diet of nothing but "j-pop".

Maybe to some it's the Japanese Experience, but it's really, really weird.

Maybe it is contempt for my own culture for making Japan for what it is, and while I do dislike American policies and our tradition of attack-dominate-convert-import, cultural invasion on a subtle but massive scale somehow makes my hairs raise.

I'm content to sit back and enjoy a cultural evolution, but when my nerd-peers choose to alienate me for not sharing their conversion to a far away country's ideals and mannerisms, that's not right. I admit it's a personal issue, but hell.. what ain't.

That's a distortion in your head.
Yes, I suppose it is contempt for something both alien and unusual to my own cultural view, but as Law and Order is quite possibly the most abundant crap among Australian Television today that very same ugly American cop stereotype HAS FLOODED OUR TELEVISIONS!
There is quite simply no comparison in Australia.
My little brother saw some cultural reference in some random CSI episode and asked me what it meant, those little magic UV ray plot device things. I told him I didn't even know what it was, until they started waving it around (or rather, some kind of parody of what they think Americans solve crimes like? bang bang noises with bullets flying?)

It's bad enough that American protagonists with names like Morat and Delanski are portrayed as having blonde hair and blue eyes while Koreans are squinty, dark featured, and tan skinned. Racism? What? I'm a racist? O really.
Why do they all look white? Is it a similar self-loathing?
I won't go deeper into that, as it's none of my business. Just wanted to point that out.

But for comparison to an Australian watching the slow conversion of culture, it's as if some African tribe member saw a California rave, or a Brazilian beach party, and tried to put the scene into context within their own experiences; confusion, jealousy, disgust, any range of reactions might occur, but familiarity is not one of them. (as they apparently have niether beaches nor parties in Africa)
Then, if that same African saw others around them attempting to imitate that alien way of life without any relevant context, how would they then feel/think?

Anyone can call me racist for hating the inundation of Australian culture with American standards, but I also have my own view. I am resistant to seeing and listening to people, sometimes friends, attempt to imitate a way of life that they have no knowledge about other than through cop shows and mostly badly written crap at that; specifically, favoring MacDonalds over cheaper or tastier restaurants (it's raw carboard... you paid $15 USD for a meal of carboard and salt, and imported coca based soft drink?), speaking American lingo, and restricting themselves to a diet of nothing but "Coke".

Maybe to some it's the American Experience, but it's really, really weird.

Maybe it is contempt for my own culture for making America for what it is, and while I do dislike Japanese policies and their tradition of providing the underground entertainment we couldn't be arsed to produce ourselves, cultural invasion on a entirely unsubtle but massive scale somehow makes my hairs raise.

I'm content to sit back and enjoy a cultural evolution, but when my populist-peers choose to alienate me for not sharing their conversion to a far away country's ideals and mannerisms, that's not right. I admit it's a personal issue, but hell.. what ain't.

After all our national cultural identities are unquestionably sacred and are in no way a complete farce so recently established as to have been manufactured within living memory.

And its perfectly reasonable to justify disliking something based on a fearful sense of cultural insecurity despite being one of the largest manufacturers of low quality cultural exports in the world.

Personally, I don't like most anime because most anime isn't any good.

The following things are hilarious: japanophiles, the Japanese fascination with western culture.

I'm sure the portrayal of Japan in anime is about as accurate as its portrayal of the US.

That's pretty funny, FartLobster. But unoriginal and therefore you fail.

wrote:But unoriginal and therefore you fail.

It is somewhat the nature of such a piece to by definition be unorgininal.

And therefore your criticism fails.

technomancer at [unixtime wrote:1186702580[/unixtime]]Probably one of my favorite Anime movies is Grave of the Fireflies.

Good choice, if not somewhat depressing.

sigma999 at [unixtime wrote:1186744711[/unixtime]]That's pretty funny, FartLobster. But unoriginal and therefore you fail.

l2copypasta

Probably one of my favorite Anime movies is Grave of the Fireflies. I like pulling that one out when people a) tell me "cartoons are for kids" or b) "cartoons can't evoke emotion." or (and I'm a real bastard for this one) c) "I want to see a happy movie."

I'm glad I can now type fucking here because I fucking hate Grave of the Fireflies because it makes no fucking sense. Dude, you and your sister are dying of hunger yet you won't go to the bank until after she's dead?! The fuck?

I mean, Jeez, yeah, spoiler and all, but, really, I'm glad. I saved your hours. Damn movie didn't make a lick of sense except as a commentary on, of all things, pride. And that's been done way better by better elsewhere.

Actually, he's dead at that point, Chan. They were waiting for the war to end so they could return to the city, or find their own way.

-Crissa

Actually, he's dead at that point, Chan. They were waiting for the war to end so they could return to the city, or find their own way.

Is the he you're talking about the dad? I got that. But what's with the "waiting for the war to be over to return to the city" stuff? Huh? The kid runs through a fucking hail of bombs (in one of the most harrowing scens in the film) yet he can't make it to the city? Huh?

No, the kid. When their mother dies, the family no longer has any reason to keep them on. So his plan is to wait out the war in the country and find work - but none of the country people will speak to him, so they starve to death on the canal.

There was a bonecrushing depressiong during the war, the home islands were emptied of military-aged men, and then once the industrial base is fire-bombed to smitherines, they nither have the resources to grow enough food for everyone nor is there work for anyone.

The war was long over before the fighting stopped. Americans liked a good punching bag and the Japanese had no cultural way to admit defeat.

The father is never in the picture.

-Crissa

Well an alternative title might be "kids do stupid things"..

I saw the first 10 minutes of Grave of the Fireflies and got bored, read a review later and decided that yes it was indeed a good choice not to watch it. I'm still never going to watch it.

I've seen a lot of Ghibli films but Princess Mononoke is still the best IMO.

I will never watch that movie. I'm sure it's well written and beautifully done, but I seriously don't need to see a two hour treatise on how horrible war is to civilians.

-Des

It is an amazing movie. It moved me to tears, which is more than any other movie has ever done. It is not just a treatise of how horrible war is to civilians, but an analysis of the human condition and how horrible CIVILIANS are to civilians.

I won't lie to you: it is crushingly brutal. But once I finished it, I felt differently towards my own sister, in a positive way. If that isn't a *spiritual* awakening, I don't know what is.


Anyhow. Recently I saw Paprika, by the same guy who did Paranoia Agent and Millennium Actress. Weird, but good. Him and Miyazaki are the only modern anime I can stand to watch.

I don't like much anime, or much TV/movies for that matter, but I'm a big Miyazaki fan and Outlaw Star has been my favorite anime series for years.

Millennium Actress! That was in my local library. I rented it thinking 'ah this looks like a decent plot with decent animation' which it was indeed.

However, also total MINDFUCK.

That old lady just creeped me out, too. But the interviewer cracked me up.. "I'll save you, my lady!" every scene, plus many references to classic movies.

I forgot about Millennium Actress! It was a good movie. Your right sigma999, it kind of messes with your head, but it has some hysterical moments.

Well relatively speaking (writing), MA was not as much as Paranoia Agent. The latter part of the series, that is. I started in spurts about halfway through, and finally caught the beginning after the ending.. and STILL didn't make sense.
However that pink doggy thing just pissed me off, even more than the girl's lying.

Tidbit: intro music was by Susuma Hirasawa, one of the best creative/pioneering electronic musicians IMHO. He did music for Berserk (after inspiring the artist to draw it? haha) and it always has that odd choral/marching/random noises as instruments feel to it. The tunes just get.. stuck... in .. your ... head..
It's nothing like any genre or other artist ever, probably from being a mix of Japanese and Western styles and beats as well as rhythym (he sings in Japanese but sometimes sounds like Latin pacing/accent? very weird.)
Susumu also remixes his own songs, somehow making them even better each time around.
Best ones: "Sign" and "Forces" from Berserk show or games.

I've neglected this thread for far too long... and I can't fall asleep.

Animes I watch regularly or have watched and would recommend:
Hunter X Hunter
Naruto
Samurai Jack
Cowboy Bebop
Trigun
Captain Tylor
Slayers
Get Backers
Hellsing
Grenadier
Dual! Parallel Trouble
Pokemon
Ghost in the Shell (SAC)
Big O
Yu Gi Oh (mostly like it because Yu Gi is such a cheating bastard)
Full Metal Alchemist

And koresh knows how many movies.

Anime's I'd strongly recommend would be Samurai Jack, Hunter X Hunter, Naruto (not counting filler episodes), Captain Tylor, Trigun, and most important of all Grenadier.

Grenadier only ran for 12 episodes, but it was great.
I'll let this youtube snippet of an endboss battle speak for itself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIOxsYDH ... br]Notable Animes that I really didn't care for (but often wound up watching when living with a couple friends and sharing the living room):

Nadesico
Crest of the Stars (this is undoubtedly being shown to captives in Guantanamo Bay)
Inuyasha