Anime Corner

[SuboptimusPrime]

The original Evangelion was starting to get proper old when I started university (which was 2005), at the time FLCL was still in its last phases of popularity around here., which is why I watched it first. Eva itself I watched later and, well...I watched all of it, in installments, including the two equally bizarre endings. I can see why some people say Gainax did FLCL as therapy after finishing Eva.

Though it's confusing as heck as well, which makes sense, considering it's an anime about puberty. Still, not going to take Netflix up on its repeated offers of watching Eva again, I went through that psychedelic tunnel ride once, and that's enough. They supposedly removed some of the really weird scenes (Shinji, this is a hospital and she is in a coma, why are you taking your pants off?) but naw, my late-30s brain isn't equipped to relive that.

 

[Punktaku]

No, this particular Evangelion movie came out last year. It’s supposed to be the final final for real this time. But it’s the only one I haven’t seen yet.

 

[Punktaku]

Oh, that scene with Shinji in the hospital is still in there. Netflix is going more towards avoiding weird censorship. Heck, they make Big Mouth.

FLCL is one of my all-time favorites. Gainax and Trigger (an offshoot of Gainax) are my favorite studios.

 

[Heart of Storm]

See, I live Eva, one of my favourite anime and I've watched it through a good few times, its always worth a rewatch as those two endings do make sense, albeit in a bit of an all over the place kinda way, and I vastly prefer the ending of the original series to the End of Evangelion ending - which was a lot more bleak.

Its worth keeping in mind that they'd run out of budget by the end, and that the Director was mixing in some off the wall ideas (audience participation mainly when it aired in cinemas it showed shots of the cinema audience watching, which doesn't work so well in a dvd release as you just get shots of a Japanese theatre audience..)

Speaking of old anime with confusing endings, I really must rewatch Utena one of these days...

 

[SuboptimusPrime]

Utena as in revolutionary girl Utena?

My favorite weird ending is King of Thorn. They reveal every single detail of the incredibly convoluted plot in an extremely fast 5-minute exposition marathon that leaves you utterly mistified because it's impossible to catch every twist and turn. And as far as I know, in this case it was intentionaly, and not a sign of running out of budget.

 

[Punktaku]

I usually dislike anime endings…. I think a lot are left up in the air in case they get a new season. I think one of the reasons I like Gainax and Trigger is because once the anime is done, it’s done. Even though some of their endings leave a bit to be desired.

My favorite “shocking” ending has to be Tokyo Revengers. I’m pretty sure I actually yelled at the screen…

 

[Heart of Storm]

I think there was a big spate in the 90s and 00s of manga or light novel adaptations of series which were still being written, I can remember a lot of frustrating cliff hanger endings, non endings or ass-pulls where the anime writers decided to guess what might happen (cough cough Fullmetal Alchemist).

Seems it became less of a thing in the mid to late noughties, alas thats also when I mostly stopped watching anime - not because of the lack of unfinished shows but more because I just didn't have the enthusiasm for.it anymore

 

[Punktaku]

I watched Starblazers and RoboTech as a kid, and Akira. But it wasn’t until the late 90s that I really got into anime.

 

[Punktaku]

So the Winter 2021 season is four episodes in, and I must be getting old because all the definite keepers for me are slice of life shows….

 

[MusingWarboss]

Still waiting to see where Dr. Stone goes. The second season was much shorter than the first.

 

[ClockworkOrange]

Lol I’m new to this I’ve just binged Cowboy Bebop (the cartoon not the new show) where should I go next?

 

[Thorgor]

I can recommend a few things!

Safest bet going from Cowboy Bebop would probably be Samurai Champloo (same director, similar concept, different setting).

Psycho pass is also rather hard sci-fi, is about stopping criminals, and one of the main character is quite similar to Spike.
Trigun shares the same 'space western' theme but is goofier (at first at least) and less grounded.
Black Lagoon is also about a crew of slighlty unsavoury people who regulaly deal with way less savoury people, except on contemporary Earth.

Two other great series that I actually watched around the same time as Cowboy Bebop: The Vision of Escaflowne and Serial Experiment Lain (beware, mindfuck!)

And if you want to try something a bit OTT with some crazy cool animation, I can also recommend Gurren Lagann and Kill la Kill.

 

[Punktaku]

Hee hee hee…. Oh, what to recommend? Some Isekai? Mecha? Mecha is good…. High fantasy? Some light yori? Something with or without fan service? Magic? Guns? Harems? Hardcore WTF did I just watch? Maybe some nice slice of life…. OH THE POSSIBILITIES!!!

 

[Gunkaiser]

Galaxy Cyclone Braiger - Cowboy Bebop before Cowboy Bebop was Cowboy Bebop (also a giant robot, Monkey Punch character designs, and a catchy theme tune).

X-nebula did the subs for it IIRC, shouldn't be hard to find a torrent (and it's worth it)

 

[cronevald]

Lol I’m new to this I’ve just binged Cowboy Bebop (the cartoon not the new show) where should I go next?

The Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex series is pretty great for mostly serious cyberpunk. I found it a bit dull and hard to get into at first but absolutely loved it when I gave it another chance a few years later. The English dub is also one of the better ones, consistently using the same voice actors for several related series over the years.

 

[SuboptimusPrime]

My favorite order to watch GITS is: Ghost in the Shell (the movie), Stand Alone Complex (the Series), Stand Alone Complex: Solid State Society (the movie that isn't 100% part of the series), Ghost in the Shell: Innocence (the second movie).

Should finally get around to watching the new series and movie, no idea if those are any good. Oh, and, haven't watched the Live Action movie either, though I heard one should do that for Takeshi Kitano as Chief Aramaki alone. Maybe some day.

 

[CaptainDangerous]

@ClockworkOrange
Cowboy bebop the movie (takes place between episodes 22+23)
Nausica (movie)
Akira (movie)
Ghost in the shell (Movie)
Desert punk (series)
Trigun (series)
highschool of the dead ()

personal faves:
pom poko (they’re my spirit creature)
flight of the fireflies (everyone should be made to watch this at least once)

p.s. attack on titan
p.p.s. (Series)

 

[Thorgor]

Oh, and, haven't watched the Live Action movie either, though I heard one should do that for Takeshi Kitano as Chief Aramaki alone. Maybe some day.

It's okay. Not great but okay. Doesn't hold a candle to the original but okay. Similar to the Alita movie.

 

[ClockworkOrange]

@CaptainDangerous didnt know there was a Cowboy Bebop movie, thanks need to watch that whilst it’s fresh. Anybody know where I can stream it in the uk? Prime? Netflix etc?

 

[Thorgor]

flight of the fireflies (everyone should be made to watch this at least once)

Did you mean Grave of the fireflies? (one of the most depressing <anything> ever made — though I heard Barefoot Gen can give it a run for its money)

A few other recommandations, from a random list of gateway anime series/movies:

• Death Note (supernatural cat-and-mouse thriller — see also Code Geass for a similar base concept but with mechas and a lot more camp)
• One-punch man (Comedy / Super-hero)
• Kimi no na wa / Your name (a romance movie with some supernatural elements — see also The girl who leapt through time from something similar)