Utopia, what is one of your favorites?
Printable View
Utopia, what is one of your favorites?
Hmm...
Kimegura Orange Road (both anime and manga)
Please Save My Earth (manga and OVA)
Noir (anime)
Natsume Yuujinchou (Anime and Manga)
Eternal Sabbath (manga)
Kimi Wa Petto (manga)
Monster (manga and anime)
Hmm... I have lots I enjoy. It sort of depends on my mood. I gravitate toward slice of life or sci-fi/fantasy. I really enjoyed Mushishi- the pacing and the story. Also Moribito was really good. I have, literally (I am not using this word in a metaphorical sense, I am using it as the actual meaning), 6 CD books full of DVDs and CDs of anime and 4 full of DVDs/CDs of manga (mostly DVDs). I also have 2 books full of live action J-drama or K-drama (all DVD on those).
Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo
★★★★★ [Personal]
★★★★☆ [Overall]
Visuals
The animation is breathtaking but is not for everyone. The first two episodes can be an overload for the eyes, the patterns are intense, colorful and appear on near everything (in the shows defense the reason for this choice was dude to location, on the moon during carnival). I personally adored the animation and it didn't bother me or my eyes. Later episodes the intensity of patterns is not as overbearing as the first two episodes.
Story - Pace
The story is a lose science fiction retelling of the classic tale The Count De Monte Cristo story by Alexandre Dumas. Overall I found the execution of the story satisfactory and very well done. The error that bothered me the most was that Albert was not Edmond Dantès son but rather Fernand Mondegos (his mother is still Mercédès).
The pacing of the story is well done, it starts out very dramatic and leads into a short one to two episode calm before picking up again. Then throughout the 24 episodes building to a dramatic climax and a lovely conclusion.
Sub VS Dub
I personally prefer the English dub to the sub for this show. They did an excellent job on the English voices, a varied cast that suited the character well. I found the Japanese voices didn't suit the characters as well. So I suggest English dub over subs for this show.
Gay Sub-text
There is some gay sub-text. It is very much a heterosexual tragic love story (if you know anything about the novel). However, they hint at Albert and The Count (this works here dude to Albert not being The Counts son in this show), as well as, Albert and Franz (best friends since childhood).
Would I suggest this show?
Yes. A definite yes. This is a must watch anime no doubt about it.
Personally I give the show five stars because I am bias and adore The Count De Monte Cristo. It is one of my favorite novels and a classic I will never not love.
Overall I give it four stars because you expect it to be more closely related to the novel, but there are some big plot pieces that are altered to fit the science fiction genre. Though they do not remove or change the story itself it would have been nice if the show mirrored the novel a little more closely.
For a 24 episode retelling it was very well done. Visually breathtaking and memorizing.
---------- Post added at 10:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:29 PM ----------
Paradise Kiss
★★★★★ [Personal]
★★★★★ [Overall]
Visuals
It's got a unique style, fresh and fun to watch. I have no complaints or issue with the animation and the sometime interesting mix of real world and anime they pop in (not often just random short two seconds.) Over all not to much to say about visuals other than well suited to the show and a good representation of the manga's style.
Story - Pace
The story is lovely full of drama, so much drama, and hot and steamy romance (not just cute kisses, I mean full on tongue and teeth kissing, we even get some sex [non-graphic].) The story paces itself well balancing between being a romance and real drama that really touches on growing up and into ones self. It's not a lighthearted show either, it has it's funny moments and it's cute, but it get decent serous too. The ending is not what you expect either, which was a nice breath of fresh air (I won't ruin it for anyone who hasn't seen the show.)
Sub VS Dub
I prefer the Japanese voices with subtitles. The English dub isn't very well done, the voice choices were not suited to the character. Especially after watching it in Japanese, George voice makes you panties wet ladies. So SUBS ALL THE WAY with this one.
Would I suggest this show?
Yes. If you love romance, drama, slice of life anime this is a must watch. It is the best romance anime I know and have seen to date.
I've been watching 90's anime.
This winter season is so great!
Another
Marai Nikki
Ano Natsu de Matteru
Gah, I'm enjoying myself~
Watching Ghost Hound right now. It's soooooooo weird. XD
I watched that a couple of years ago on fan subs. I liked it. Not great and it took me a while to get into it, but pretty good.
Yeah, it's definitely not the best, but it is interesting. I like how I'm learning stuff, which is what makes is worthy enough to watch. That and it has an interesting concept. I think I'm up to episode... seven.
Does anyone here have an account on My Anime List, or anything like that?
I found making an account incredibly helpful. It was a little bit of work at first, trying to input all the series' that I've read or seen in the past but it's so nice to be able to keep track and find recommendations easily.
Just started watching Aoi Hana. It seems to be very cute so far. I want to read the manga as well, it has beautiful work with soft colors. :D
Just finished watching it, only 11 episodes so it didn't take that long. And it was by far a very realistic and moving romance. I'm going to take a look at the manga as well, since this didn't cover everything.
Aoi hana was a great Manga too. good slice of life romance without too much of the crazy worked in.
I think that's what appealed to me so much. The fact that everything seemed very realistic. Nothing was over the top, and nothing seemed unnatural. Some people reviewed it as being uninteresting and boring, but honestly I think that a lot of romance plots go out of their way to seem "original" and "exciting" but stray away from a genuine feeling.
I completely agree with you there. I like my Slice of Life to be full of life. Certainly there should be drama, but it shouldn't be over the top.
TITLE: ANOTHER / アナザ
GENRE: HORROR / MYSTERY / SUPERNATURAL
RATING: 4.5/5
REVIEW: I loved Another. It is a short series (totals thirteen episodes, averaging twenty minutes per episode) and well-paced! The artwork is decent (traditional anime-style), but a little heavy on the gore (although that is to be expected). In terms of story, Another is both consistent and well-presented. As it is a "mystery," Another leaves tons of clues and hints throughout the series before going out with a well-thought out, well-executed bang.
And, despite giving the audience a chance to unravel the truth before the big revelation, the ending is not entirely predictable (it does, however, get a bit more obvious within the last three or so episodes).
I highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys on-the-edge suspension and won't mind a bit of blood. The death scenes CAN be a bit overwhelming, but it really adds to the series.
TITLE: MAWARU PENGUIN DRUM /輪るピングドラム
GENRE: ... Too hard to categorize.
RATE: 4.5/5
REVIEW: There are elements of a shoujo-base to the series, but, at the same time, there is something more present. Personally, I think this series is suited for all types of audience. The artwork is brilliant, the soundtrack is appropriate, and the story is something that's just plain good.
In the beginning, the series starts off as a typical anime, but, as it develops, the anime possesses great dialogue, great scenes, and excellent characters. The character development in the series is something I have always enjoyed.
i loved mawaru penguindrum. ♥
i'm not usually a fan of most anime (i find most of them to be terribly uninspiring), but the story was just such a winner. and, oh. my. god. the ending.
#sobbing violently in memory
It's been a while since I've done anything with this place - and I think I am going to revamp it tomorrow on my day off. And also think of a more suitable idea to house all the reviews. *Ponder*
Updated the blog. [CHECK!]
Updated the front page to add a recent review section. [CHECK]
Ready for discussion! [DOUBLESUPERCHECK!]
I just got back from the book store, picked up a few titles I'm excited about.
First one is;
A DEVIL AND HER LOVE SONG VOL. 1
I actually read a snippet from this manga in a recent issue of Otaku USA and thought it was pretty interesting.
Quote:
"Meet Maria Kawai - she's gorgeous and whip-smart, a girl who seems to have it all. But when she unleashes her sharp tongue, it's no wonder some consider her to be the very devil! Maria's difficult ways even get her kicked out of an elite school, but this particular fall may actually turn out to be her saving grace...
Maria's frank nature gains her more enemies at her new school, but her angelic singing voice inadvertently catches the attention of Yusuke Kanad and Shin Meguro. Can these boys mend her hardened heart, or will they just end up getting scorched?"
---------- Post added at 08:55 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:48 PM ----------
The second book I got, which was marked 18+ and wrapped in plastic... was kind of an impulse buy. (Mature content plus mysterious plastic fortress made me curious) But I have been reading lots of books about this time period and can't help from picking more up!
SAKURAN
Quote:
"In Sakuran, Moyoco Anno lifts the veil on life in the Edo-period pleasure quarter, Yoshiwara. The story follows Kiyoka, sold into a brothel as a child and forced to work as a maid and her rise to prominence as one of the top-ranking courtesans in Yoshiwara. The allure of the "flower and willow world" as it was called by the artists in the day is underscored with those seemingly glamorous courtesans. Will Kiyoha's fox-like wiles give her a chance to break free of her gilded cage? Or will her fighting spirit ruin her chances of ever escaping the brothel?"
TITLE: SAKURAN VOL. 1
GENRE: Drama, Ecchi, Historical, Seinen, Josei
RATE: 4.5/5
REVIEW: I managed to read this thirteen chapter manga in one sitting last night, unable to put it down. The art style isn't what I'm used to seeing, but I still loved it. Almost every chapter had a few full color pages that were absolutely stunning.
Sakuran gave me a peek into the life of a courtesan. At times I thought they were much like celebrities, at others they felt more like prisoners. There were times when Kiyoha's tenacious antics made me laugh - which made it all the more harder to see someone so strong show moments of weakness.
The only issue is that occasionally (mainly in the beginning) it is hard to tell who is who in the female cast - ya know, with every female with the same hair and style of dress. Oh! And that this is the only volume to be released.
Just picked up a few manga's at the book store. I only had ten minutes to browse so they are kind of random... although we all know CLAMP, so it's kind of a "Well, I know this probably won't be bad." decision on that one.
GATE 7 VOL. 1 by CLAMP
genshiken VOL 1, 2 & 3Quote:
An innocent sightseeing trip to Kyoto opens up a magical realm to a shy high schooler Chikahito Takamoto. Visiting a legendary shrine, Chikahito stumbles into the mystical world of Hana and her comrades - and his immunity to their powers leads them to believe that he's no ordinary awkward teenager! Protecting our world from violent supernatural creatures, Hana and her team welcome the confused Chikahito - who isn't quite sure that he wans to be caught in the middle of their war!
Quote:
It's spring of freshman year, and Kanji Sasahara has a difficult dilemma. Should he declare his love for manga and anime fandom by joining an otaku club, like he has always wanted to? Is he prepared to deal with the social stigma attached to being an otaku? Meanwhile, Saki Kasakabe has her own otaku conundrum. How can she turn her boyfriend, anime fanboy Makoto, into a normal guy? Kanji follows his hears as does Saki. When both Kanji and Makoto join Genshiken: The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture, Saki chases Makoto through the various activities of the club from costume-playing and comic conventions, to video gaming and anime model figures. Saki finds otaku to be more than she imagined, but not necessarily in a good way.
Will be making updates to this in the near future!
My favorite is definitely Pandora Hearts... it's so deliciously messed up yet sugary on the outside~!
Manga
- Oyasumi Punpun
Seinen, Slice of Life, Surrealism
4/5
From Asano Inio, Oyasumi Punpun is the life story of Punpun. Represented as a caricature bird among fairly realistic artwork, Punpun is a boy who finds love and dreams, but is always at the mercy of his own fragile psyche, and the shattered remains of his family. Over the course of ten volumes (still ongoing), Punpun grows from a boy into a man, and experiences horribly depressing lows with few highs in-between.
Oyasumi Punpun is, if anything, a very interesting read. It eschews the common shonen or shoujo themes, and instead focuses on painting a realistic picture of a miserable life. It does this in the most mellowly surreal manner possible, and often delves into the the realm of absurdity. The very nature of the story seems contradictory, as it's realistic take on dark issues clashes with the very unrealistic rendering of the main character. Very strange things happen in Oyasumi Punpun, but it still works. Our main character is rarely depicted with human features (his entire family is drawn the same way), but I found myself entirely engrossed in his story-- he is characterized in the simplest of ways, the most raw of ways, and he rarely even needs to speak.
Asano Inio has crafted a story I've never quite experienced before, and I easily place it among my top five favorite manga. However, I do warn that portions of the story may seem nonsensical, and hard to follow. Sometimes it seems as though Asano Inio merely rambles, but in a story such as this, it's all apart of the experience.
- Bambino!
Seinen, Slice of Life
4/5
Sekiya Tetsuji has written perhaps the best culinary centric manga out there. Bamino! is about Shugo Ban, a small time cook who takes a big leap into the hectic world of the restaurant Chef. A completed work of fifteen volumes, Sekiya Tetsuji takes us on character focused journey that explores the inner workings of a very busy Italian restaurant named, Trattoria Baccanale.
This is a manga I've come to love, despite it's flaws. Upon finishing Bambino! I was left wondering just how Sekiya Tetsuji managed to completely avoid certain manga trappings, but completely fall into others. From the onset, Shugo Ban learns that he is a small fish in a big pond. He is displaced from the small, comfortable restaurant where he fostered his love for cooking, and thrust into much larger, much more professional kitchen. There he learns the harsh truth that he knows literally nothing. Unlike other manga, Shugo Ban does not pull a trick out of his sleeve, and astonish his new co-workers with some off-the-wall culinary skills.
He is literally a novice.
This devastates Ban. He does not roll up his sleeves, rattle off a one-liner, and impress everyone with his vast learning potential. This isn't a shonen. Instead I was greeted with a pleasant breath of fresh air; Ban struggles immensely. We are greeted with the picture of what it's really like to be a novice in a professional kitchen-- it's damn hard. Ban quickly degenerates from his position of arrogance, and instead finds himself humbled. However, he is hungry to be a chef. He doesn't give in, and he hangs in there the best he can. What transpires during the manga is a reasonable, well depicted, character growth that is founded on time and hard work. Shug Ban does become a respectable chef, he does acquire some skills, but it takes time and effort-- he fails and learns.
However, as I mentioned before, Sekiya Tetsuji is unable to steer clear of certain pitfalls that sensationalize most manga. Some of the culinary aspects are exaggerated, and certain events were enough to make me roll my eyes. These issues are few, and were easily forgiven.
There is also an ongoing sequel titled, Bamibo! Secondo; I have yet to read it.
I need to update this. :B
Partaking in a vanilla latte and re-watching Elfen Lied. :3
So I started watching Hanasaku Iroha this past week, and I have to say I really love it so far! I'm on episode 14, and I can't stop watching. I haven't been bored once during this show and love the array of characters.
I've been watching it on Crunchyroll which is nice, but a part of me wants to upgrade to a full membership to get rid of the adds.
LINKS;
http://www.crunchyroll.com/hanasaku-iroha
http://myanimelist.net/anime/9289/Hanasaku_Iroha
I actually ended up watching this show because I loved the design of the main character, Ohana. The show ended up falling under my general tastes anyway, being an easy going slice of life that has an appropriate blend of drama and comedy.
I know that Crunchyroll has some HQ videos and that's always a plus, but if you don't want to deal with ads and have an impressive selection of shows to pick from: kumby.com!
I should watch more anime, but... can't. ;_____;
Oh dang, it even has player options! Thanks for the link, I'm bookmarking it!
Heh, yeah, it's a pretty neat site... until they get a c&d order... lol. Just kidding. I hope that doesn't happen.
But, Ivan recently showed me a series called "Poyopoyo Kanatsu Nikki" and... it is the most ridiculous thing I have EVER seen, lol. I've only watched the first episode (about 3 minutes long) and... I have no idea what I was watching, lolol.
I've never heard of it! What is it like? hahaha,