Anime beyond Miyazaki?
 

I'm a huge fan of Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli but I haven't found much other anime that interests me. I've seen Akira several times, and it was okay, but not really my speed. Felt the same way about Vampire Hunter D and Cowboy Bebop. I liked Grave of the Fireflies, but man was it depressing. Robot Carnival is another one I remember liking, but it's been a long time since I've seen it. In general, I'm not a fan of anime space epics or super-violent genre stuff. Can any of you recommend something on DVD?

From what I hear all anime either has tenticle rape scenes or characters with really huge eyes going "KAWAII" every five seconds as they sneak a peak at the harlem's panties while tear drops come out of their heads and blood gushes out of their nose. ^___^'

rotfl yes, that's practically what it's all about. No offense. :eyebrow:

Harlem's? I'd rather see the Lower East Side's undies...

You mean it isn't?

http://panther-press.org/images/bakuten/07.jpg

I bet you'd like, "Voices of a Distant Star." It is short, like 30 minutes and is entirely a one-man product. The picture quality is, no pun intended, stellar and the story very moving -- it is a not a space epic despite the setting, rather an examination of a relationship under a peculiar kind of stress. The extras include variations on a theme about a cat and his owner told in a whimsically oblique fashion.

A series that I've found often appeals to non-traditional fans of anime is Noir. It is a very spartan kind of production about a french and a japanese girl in Europe with extremely ambiguous pasts that end up working as assasins. Zero T&A aka fan-service and despite being about a pair of assasins the violence is utilitarian and not emphasized. The soundtrack is very haunting and the story, unlike MANY anime series, actually wraps up all the loose ends in a very satisfying way. Image quality is also top-notch, but not anything like the ultra-detailed style of Miyazaki.

Miyazaki once did say after winning some award that the Japanese anime makers all have the talent and style but they are mostly towards sex.If only they could make a good decent story rather than centering on sex.

^_______^'

On that note. Bakuretsu Tenshi really did start sucking after episode 11 or 12 when their breast started getting 20% bigger every episode and to this day they still haven't stopped growing at that rate per episode.

I miss the old Meg. She had just the right size fan service boobs.


UGH UGH UGH YACK! I hated Voice of a distant star. the animation was half great and half total crap. The story was very perdictable and it wasn't all that pleasing to watch. I really really disliked it.

I watched the trailer and it looks kind of interesting, but it still seems primarily like a lot of giant robots blowing each other up.

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A series that I've found often appeals to non-traditional fans of anime is Noir. It is a very spartan kind of production about a french and a japanese girl in Europe with extremely ambiguous pasts that end up working as assasins. Zero T&A aka fan-service and despite being about a pair of assasins the violence is utilitarian and not emphasized. The soundtrack is very haunting and the story, unlike MANY anime series, actually wraps up all the loose ends in a very satisfying way. Image quality is also top-notch, but not anything like the ultra-detailed style of Miyazaki.

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The more I investigate, the more I get the impression that there really is nothing out there approaching Miyazaki. I know the quality of his animation is essentially unmatched, but I was kind of hoping there was something out there that at least had plots and characters as innovative and interesting as those featured in his films.

Wings of Honneasmise (sp?) might be one to your liking. The first time I saw it, in high-school, I found it boring (prob coz of non-action/blood/gor/etc) but then I grew up, watched it again and realized the story is really great.

EDIT: Also forgot about some of Mamoru Oshii's stuff like Jin-Roh the Wolf Brigade.

HA! HA HA! yes, nothing against Miyazaki and his style is very good, but a lot of different series are just very good in quality.

My thoughts is that you like Miyazaki because he has that sort of Disney of 10 years ago feel to his films.

You want the lack of fan service and other fanservice style of things then I would suggest one of my all time favorite anime series. AZUMANGA. simply fun stuff. no giant robots. No random T&A. No three way love relationships. It's just good comedy. The sienfeld of anime cause it's a show about completely nothing but soooo damn good.

How about Satoshi Kon? He directed Millennium Actress and Tokyo Godfathers and they are excellent work too.

Man, what did they do to Meg?!? It's like they decided to have her do a guest spot on Divergence Eve or something! GAH!

BTW eau, don't forget Perfect Blue...

Know the toe...

Check out Perfect Blue, Millenium Actress, and Tokyo Godfathers.

Stuff from Mamoru Oshii is pretty interesting too... He did Ghost in the Shell 1&2, as well as other feature films (both animated and live-action [like Avalon])...

you might try Unico. its by the late great Tezuka. At first glance it seems pretty juvenile, and maybe it is. But it is well done. Beautifully animated and with a wholesome theme. It is great for kids, but id suggest a preview first. The villan is pretty intense and scary. It was also among the first anime to hit over here. the 2 movies coming in 1981 and 1983. Just search it on IMDB for more info.

The only drawback is its availability. You can find bootlegs of the 2 movies and the original Japanese pilot on 1 disc. But it is nothing more then a dub off of the VHS, so the quality is kinda blah. I dont know if its available on LD.

I saw this as a kid (Im 25 now). im not really sure where it came from, but somehow a VHS found its way into my home. Neither my parents nor I could remember the title. But after some searching i managed to figure out what it was. I watched it after I got it a few months ago and still find it enjoyable (poor vid/aud quality aside).

In short, if you are looking for anime to enjoy and the subject matter appeals to you, track down the disc. If you are looking for something to collect......well its just a bootleg. It does however offer some significance as some of the early anime over here.

Thanks! I knew I forgot something but couldn't quite recall what it was :p

GTO is some of the funnest anime I've ever seen. That show is just damn funny and will make you smile. I will list some others later for ya.

Do you wacth dubs or subs I just wacth dubs so the shows I list all have good dubs.

[purist]dubs? yack yack yack. awful. simply awful [/purist]