I’m a huge fan of Japanese anime and manga. I mean, my avatar for TGTBTU is Faye Valentine from Cowboy Bebop, after all.
My current favorite is “Bleach” (official site). Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim shows new episodes every Saturday at 11pm (Central) and Mon-Fri at 11:30pm (Central). I love this show maybe even a little more than I love Cowboy Bebop and that’s saying something. I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m half in love with the main character, Ichigo Kurosaki.
All of the anime I love is beautiful to look at and fun to watch. For sheer beauty in the art and backgrounds, as well as a fun urban-hip air, you can’t beat Samurai Champloo. SC’s story is complex and interesting. But more importantly, the show is full of beauty. The creators of SC use several traditional art elements such as woodblock prints and ukiyo-e, in addition to hip-hop music, pop-culture and dialogue, all set in a historical period. It all combines to make a “champloo” that is tremendously entertaining.
Like paranormal romance, anime is able to follow its own rules (much of it has paranormal elements). “Good” anime has as much humor as drama. “Bad” anime is just a bunch of drawings and normally so much violence that it’s a little sickening (can you say Street Fighter II?).
“Good” anime is properly translated and “anglicized” in a way that the dialogue makes sense to us westerners. “Bad” anime sounds like a stilted dissertation of a poorly translated Chinese restaurant menu.
“Good” anime just plain kicks ass.
Do I have any fellow otakus out there?
No, nerd-girl, you’re all by yourself. heh. J/K. I started reading Tokyo Pop. Oh, and does Harlequin Pink count?
Gwen, I have a huge crush on Spike Spiegal. Can’t help it and not ashamed to admit it.
The dh and I have been watching some Bleach episodes and you’re right, it’s great. Also started Outlaw Star, which I’m enjoying. Have you watched Trinity Blood? We’ve heard good things but haven’t managed to sit down with any episodes yet.
OMG. I so love Spike. I liked Escaflowne too, when that was on.
And I do so love the Miyazaki movies. It’s all happiness to me.
🙂
You’re not alone. I love manga as well, especially shojo. I love reading Shojo Beat. Right now I am really loving watching Ergo Proxy. What a great new series. Awesome animation.
Bam – I think I’m in good company (cough, cough, BAM, cough) when I say, “I AM a nerd-girl and damn proud of it! 🙂
I’ll have to check out Ergo Proxy and Escaflowne. I’ve heard they’re great.
Spike Spiegel has great hair. So does Roger Smith in the Big O series (I kid you not – that’s the name of the mecha hero in the series – Big O – yes I giggle every time).
Well, I loves me some Spike. Come on, my blog template is CB themed. And I’m currently going through the Samurai Champloo series through Netflix. Almost done with disc 6 and already have the 7th. I also like Hellsing. I’m not a huge fan, but I try to check out a bunch of series. The first discs of Gunslinger Girl and Witch Hunter Robin were good.
Oh, TokyoPop is having some of its manga animated into “iManga” on MySpace. Just got the email announcing it.
I also liked Escaflowne, although it’s been awhile since I last saw it.
I’m a big anime and manga fan! Kathryn, Trinity Blood is, imo, kind of a mess. It has a great premise and characters — Abel, Tres, Hugue, Caterina Sforza — but the series loses its way and starts falling apart about halfway through. And I hated Esther. Still, it’s worth a watch or a rent for the pretties, like Abel and Tres and the animation. I’m not too crazy about the manga either, but I’m giving the novels a try right now.
To come clean on my fangirly-ness, I read/have read these manga and manwha series: Saiyuki, Death Note, Trigun, Fullmetal Alchemist, Hellsing, Berserk, Tramps Like Us, Priest, Rebirth, Nana, Mars, Bastard!!, Vagabond, Devil May Cry, Inuyasha, Pilgrim Jager, Les Bijoux, Crying Freeman, and Rune Soldier.
(I’m also a fan of several Vertigo titles, like Sandman, Preacher, Lucifer, Hellblazer, and Fables.)
And I’ve watched ~40 anime series and/or movies: Cowboy Bebop and the CB movie Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door, Last Exile, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodust, Outlaw Star, Trigun, Wolf’s Rain, Gungrave, Trinity Blood, Witch Hunter Robin, Berserk, Samurai Champloo, Hellsing, Inuyasha and its movies, Haibane Renmei, Blue Submarine No. 6, Yukikaze, Samurai X: Trust and Betryal (and two other movies, but I never watched or read Rurouni Kenshin), Kaze no Yojimbo, The Twelve Kingdoms, Fullmetal Alchemist, Samurai 7, Gankutsuou, Nightwalker: Midnight Detective, Mirage of Blaze, Saiyuki, Bastard!!, Escaflowne and the Escaflowne movie, Serial Experiments Lain, Fullmetal Panic, His and Her Circumstances, RahXephon, L/R, Ninja Scrolls, Weiß Kreuz, Louie the Rune Solider, Texhnolyze, Gundman Wing and the Endless Waltz movie, The Big O, Paranoia Agent, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Spriggan, Ghost in the Shell franchise, Appleseed, FAKE, X, and Angel Sanctuary.
I want to watch Romeo and Juliet, Devil May Cry, Ergo Proxy, Gilgamesh, and The Chevalier D’Eon (the latter is based on a true story during the French Revolution) and read the Red River manga because it’s set in the ancient Hittite empire, of all places.
Some of these are excellent, some so-so, some are fun and campy, and some are purely guilty pleasures.
It’s my son’s fault. If he hadn’t been watching Gundam Wing and I hadn’t seen Zechs, I’d probably would’ve missed all the fun. 🙂
If anyone is looking for more info or recommendations, I’d be happy to corrupt…uh, that is, help out fellow anime and manga geeks.