While I will forever hate dubs, Lina's dubbed voice as well as that for the main character in excel saga were truly, truly awful.
I did like Lisa Ortiz as Lina in the Slayers TV series (Cynthia Martinez in the OAVs was okay, but Lisa is better). NOW, I think generally the Slayers dub was rather mediocre and very inconsistent--the voice directors at Central Park Media were AWFUL about doing simple things like making sure actors pronounced names the same way or casting an appropriate voice for the part (looks at Jimmy Zoppi as Miki in Utena and glares. Who the hell decides to make a 12 year old sound 40?). But I was okay with Lisa Ortiz, and she's generally a good actress. And I was okay with Larissa Wolcott as Excel (she was the 2nd Excel dub actress). Sure she's no Kotono Mitsuishi, but who the hell is? Kotono Mitsuishi is amazing (as is Megumi Hayashibara) but I was fine with the dub folks too. I tend to switch back and forth between either depending on the mood I'm in.
Code Geass also was pretty good... Even the Japanese prefer Jonny Yong Bosch as Lelouch instead of Jun Fukuyama. Or so I've heard.Cowboy Bebop. Your argument is invalid.
Funimation did a really good job on Baccano! however.
I'll add to this and reiterate my earlier assertion that R.O.D the TV is actually better to watch in dub, for a variety of reasons (not Read or Die OAV, though).
Basically, rather than make a blanket statement about sub or dub and join the animefanboiwarz I will be an audacious, horrible, traitorous person and say this:
For any given anime you decide watch, watch at least one episode in both original language and the dub in your native language, and then decide which one you're comfortable with/happy with/impressed the most with the acting/able to understand what's happening best for that individual anime.
No studios, translators, actors, directors, or even subtitle-styles are the same, so why tar all subs or all dubs with the same brush?
(I tend to watch both for series I like, once each way at least one time through. I know, I'm a horrible traitor to my race.)
TOZ: Ah, Mihoshi always makes me smile no matter what language she's speaking. :)
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Depends on the dub and the sub for me.
Cowboy Bebop and Baccano* are great examples of awesome dub work. Seriously, Ladd Russo's dub actor, oh man.
And then there's the Patlabor TV dub. :(
And then there are cases where the original language version just feels so right. Gurren Lagann for example.
*Isaac and Miria are also best pony
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Ladd Russo's VA performed admirably out of fear of Ladd killing him for a poor performance. :)
Simon's speech is awesome. Especially when delivered by Viral.
You've all managed to make me feel Very, very old. I don't think I have ever watched an anime that had any, let alone large numbers of chibi cut-ins.
Here are a few old school series for you to look up though:
Space Battleship Yamato (called Star Blazers in the English)
An epic that ran over three volumes, The Quest for Iskandar, The Comet Empire, and The Bolar Wars
Bubblegum Crisis (original only, not the remake), Bubblegum Crash, and A.D. Police Files
A collection of cyber-punk OAV series all set in the same massivly over-populated version of Tokyo.
Venus Wars
exactly what the name says it is and how can you not like a movie where a fule truck becomes the worlds largest Molotov Cocktail ;-)
Mermaid's Scar (also the Manga Mermaid's Forest)
A very creepy supernatural piece by Rumiko Takahashi - Nothing like Ranma 1/2, Lum Urei Yatsura, or Inu Yasha.
Vampire Princess Miyu (both versions)
Another very creepy supernatural series. First series was a collection of 4 OAVs, the second was a series of I want to say 26 interconnected episodes.
I prefer subs for the most part, but I can appreciate a good dub.
I can't. The Viz wars have ruined me for dubbing. The original language will always trump any secondary for me.
You've all managed to make me feel Very, very old. I don't think I have ever watched an anime that had any, let alone large numbers of chibi cut-ins.
Here are a few old school series for you to look up though:
Space Battleship Yamato (called Star Blazers in the English)
An epic that ran over three volumes, The Quest for Iskandar, The Comet Empire, and The Bolar WarsBubblegum Crisis (original only, not the remake), Bubblegum Crash, and A.D. Police Files
A collection of cyber-punk OAV series all set in the same massivly over-populated version of Tokyo.Venus Wars
exactly what the name says it is and how can you not like a movie where a fule truck becomes the worlds largest Molotov Cocktail ;-)Mermaid's Scar (also the Manga Mermaid's Forest)
A very creepy supernatural piece by Rumiko Takahashi - Nothing like Ranma 1/2, Lum Urei Yatsura, or Inu Yasha.Vampire Princess Miyu (both versions)
Another very creepy supernatural series. First series was a collection of 4 OAVs, the second was a series of I want to say 26 interconnected episodes.
I watch Bubblegum Crisis and other Kenichi Sonoda stuff on a yearly basis. And I truly love Venus Wars, I am slowly collecting the venus wars II manga.
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Here are a few old school series for you to look up though
Space Battleship Yamato
Need to get around to this one.
Bubblegum Crisis (original only, not the remake), Bubblegum Crash, and A.D. Police Files
Hell yeah BC! I didn't know A.D. Police was in the same universe tho.
Venus Wars
Awesome show if I remember it right.
Mermaid's Scar (also the Manga Mermaid's Forest)
Yeah, that was a good one too.
Vampire Princess Miyu (both versions)
I need to get around to watching this, since I took the time to track it down.
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You just became my favorite person on these forums with that line.But I will know not to ask you to look over the Slayers d20 revision/Pathfinderization I'm finishing up.
because of the Slayersd20 revision or because I'm not asking Freehold to look at it? ;)
And if YOU have any interest in looking at many many many pages of rules, let me know. :)
I suppose I'd have to say "It's a secret".
Slayers is most definitely my favorite series and I'd love to look over your conversion. I enjoyed the take that Guardians of Order did on the Slayers d20, especially how the casting system worked. I never actually had a chance to use it in play sadly (my normal group is not the type to try such games, usually ending in either 'kill the main characters' type runs, or far far worse). It looked like it might've ended up a tad clunky from the number of rolls for it (if I recall it's a control check, fatigue check, fatigue damage, then resolve spell right?). But it looked like numbers were more static as fewer buffs existed.
I suppose I'd have to say "It's a secret".You just became my favorite person on these forums with that line.But I will know not to ask you to look over the Slayers d20 revision/Pathfinderization I'm finishing up.
because of the Slayersd20 revision or because I'm not asking Freehold to look at it? ;)
And if YOU have any interest in looking at many many many pages of rules, let me know. :)
LOL.
Slayers is most definitely my favorite series and I'd love to look over your conversion. I enjoyed the take that Guardians of Order did on the Slayers d20, especially how the casting system worked. I never actually had a chance to use it in play sadly (my normal group is not the type to try such games, usually ending in either 'kill the main characters' type runs, or far far worse). It looked like it might've ended up a tad clunky from the number of rolls for it (if I recall it's a control check, fatigue check, fatigue damage, then resolve spell right?). But it looked like numbers were more static as fewer buffs existed.
For the casting system:
Casting spells deals nonlethal damage. So first you make "drain check" which is a Fortitude save, then determine how much nonlethal damage you take based on how well you succeeded or failed, and roll that damage (for my revision I just made it a static number that you might halve or double depending on the result of the Fortitude save).If you fail the Fortitude save (and only if you fail the Fortitude save), you have to make a control check, which is a concentration check to make sure you don't fail the casting due to the damage you take (I switched Concentration check to work like PF concentration checks more or less).
And then yes, resolve spell. So it can be 3 steps (make Fort save, take damage, resolve) or up to 4 (make Fort check, take damage, make concentration check, resolve if successful).
There were fewer buffs overall, but there are a lot of buffs and penalties to the Fortitude and Control saves for casting (for example, if you take more time to cast the spell, you get a +5 to your Fortitude save per round you extend your casting by) so there is a lot of math you have to do to cast spells. And while I've tweaked it a bit, there's still a lot to keep track of there. Which is one of the reasons why I'd like other people to take a look.
I still find it very interesting as a non-Vancian system though, which is why the whole project started. I was originally going to just rewrite up the magic system and then I started revising the classes and feats and skills to go with it (and streamline a la Pathfinder). I got rid of the nearly mandatory prestige classes and restreamlined the number of skills back to a manageable number.
Oh, and I revamped the psychological warfare system, writing up new conditions for being embarrassed or disoriented.
I think Combat Mecha Xabungle is a giant robot series that needs more attention and love. Anybody who likes giant robots should check this one out.
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For the casting system:
Casting spells deals nonlethal damage. So first you make "drain check" which is a Fortitude save, then determine how much nonlethal damage you take based on how well you succeeded or failed, and roll that damage (for my revision I just made it a static number that you might halve or double depending on the result of the Fortitude save).If you fail the Fortitude save (and only if you fail the Fortitude save), you have to make a control check, which is a concentration check to make sure you don't fail the casting due to the damage you take (I switched Concentration check to work like PF concentration checks more or less).
And then yes, resolve spell. So it can be 3 steps (make Fort save, take damage, resolve) or up to 4 (make Fort check, take damage, make concentration check, resolve if successful).
There were...
The non-vancian aspect was definitely a draw for me as well. I've always liked the flavor of sorcerers, but mechanically I just don't like them (Pathfinder improved them, but still not quite there). And I did forget about the casting variables. Incantation, naming, and something else if I recall.
I'd definitely be interested in taking a look at your conversion whenever you're ready for it. Just let me know. If you need an email, it's my name here at yahoo.com.
Hey ya'll! This is only slightly related, but I thought I'd pop in and mention it, as it seemed to be up the alley of anime-loving roleplayers.
I just download Analogue: A Hate Story off of Steam, and am loving it! It's got a cool anime art style, though the cultures concerned are Korean and a bit Chinese thus far. The schtick so far is that you are a member of a space salvage crew in the far future and you're the first on the scene to recover a lost Korean "generation ship" that was lost headed to the Antares system. The game then becomes your terminal and interface with the lost ship, it's AI personalities, and the logs of the lost crew members.
And then things take a pretty dark turn. It's pretty low-tech, not really any animation (just changing character illos like in a lot of 90s RPGs) and a lot of reading, but it's immersive in a very meta way and the world they've created is founded on a pretty awesome premise. There's a free demo and I was sold by the time I got to the end. Just thought I'd pass it along. [/Advertisement]
To stick with the original purpose of this thread:
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
Memories: Magnetic Rose
Cowboy Bebop (Duh)
Bastard
Descendants of Darkness
Pet Shop of Horrors
Berserk
Slayers
Gravitation
Black Butler
Just to name a few. Probably no surprises here for people who know me or what I tend to write. ;)
Most of my favorites have been mentioned so I won't repeat them, but I'll jump in with a few that I don't think anyone's posted yet:
Princess Mononoke (my introduction to anime)
Blue Gender
Rune Soldier Louie (should be popular with the gaming crowd)
Haibane Rainme (Angel Sanctuary)
Hikaru no Go (Yeah... it's about a kid who plays Go. Still surprisingly watchable)
Kino's Journey
Crest of the Stars/Banner of the Stars (one of the best space operas out there)
Yugo the Negotiator
Fruits Basket
Witch Hunter Robin
Bubble Gum Crisis
FLCL
Yu Yu Hakusho
Capricorn
Megami Paradise
Jungle de Ikou
Otaku no Video
Maho Tsukai Tai
Inu Yasha
Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi
Idol Project
Demon City Shinjuku
Gunsmith Cats
Geobreeders
Steam Boy
Ruin Explorers
Golden Boy
Maze
Galaxy Fraulein Yuna
Miyuki-Chan in Wonderland
Lucky Star
Wild Cards
Shugo Chara
The Girl from Phantasia
Burn Up
Burn Up W
All Purpose Cultural CatGirl Nuku Nuku
Rosario + Vampire
Shakugan no Shana
Haunted Junction
Venus Wars
Robot Carnival
Photon
Tenchi Muyo
Sabre Marionette J
Hell Girl is one of the greatest things I've ever seen. I strongly suggest everyone start with season 2- it is more "anime" than season 1, which is more Japanese TV live action mystery than anything else. Season 3 is a bit weird, but just as good. If you aren't watching Hell Girl, please do.
All that's left is for you to decide.
I suppose I'd have to say "It's a secret".You just became my favorite person on these forums with that line.But I will know not to ask you to look over the Slayers d20 revision/Pathfinderization I'm finishing up.
because of the Slayersd20 revision or because I'm not asking Freehold to look at it? ;)
And if YOU have any interest in looking at many many many pages of rules, let me know. :)
LOL.
Good god, the amount of time I heard that both in english and in japanese have made my ears bleed.
Slayers is most definitely my favorite series and I'd love to look over your conversion. I enjoyed the take that Guardians of Order did on the Slayers d20, especially how the casting system worked. I never actually had a chance to use it in play sadly (my normal group is not the type to try such games, usually ending in either 'kill the main characters' type runs, or far far worse). It looked like it might've ended up a tad clunky from the number of rolls for it (if I recall it's a control check, fatigue check, fatigue damage, then resolve spell right?). But it looked like numbers were more static as fewer buffs existed.For the casting system:
Casting spells deals nonlethal damage. So first you make "drain check" which is a Fortitude save, then determine how much nonlethal damage you take based on how well you succeeded or failed, and roll that damage (for my revision I just made it a static number that you might halve or double depending on the result of the Fortitude save).If you fail the Fortitude save (and only if you fail the Fortitude save), you have to make a control check, which is a concentration check to make sure you don't fail the casting due to the damage you take (I switched Concentration check to work like PF concentration checks more or less).
And then yes, resolve spell. So it can be 3 steps (make Fort save, take damage, resolve) or up to 4 (make Fort check, take damage, make concentration check, resolve if successful).
There were...
I have something similar in my homebrew. I would like to check this out as well.
I think Combat Mecha Xabungle is a giant robot series that needs more attention and love. Anybody who likes giant robots should check this one out.
I need to check out this series. I think my only encounter with it has been in Super Robot Wars.
Most of my favorites have been mentioned so I won't repeat them, but I'll jump in with a few that I don't think anyone's posted yet:
Princess Mononoke (my introduction to anime)
Blue Gender
Rune Soldier Louie (should be popular with the gaming crowd)
Haibane Rainme (Angel Sanctuary)
Hikaru no Go (Yeah... it's about a kid who plays Go. Still surprisingly watchable)
Kino's Journey
Crest of the Stars/Banner of the Stars (one of the best space operas out there)
Yugo the Negotiator
Fruits Basket
Witch Hunter Robin
Thanks for reminding me about Haibane Rainme. If you don't mind slow, emotional show it is good.
My favorites:
- Record of Lodoss War (both original OAVs and TV)
- Bubblegum Crisis, Crash, AD Police (mostly the originals)
- Tenchi Muyo (TV only)
- El Hazard
- Patlabor (mostly the 2 movies)
- Evangelion
- Armitage III (both movies)
- Escaflowne
- Cowboy Bebop
- Ghost in the Shell (both movies and TV, but especially TV)
- Robotech/Macross, Macross Plus, Macross 7, Macross Zero, Macross Frontier
- R.O.D. (especially TV)
- anything Miyazaki/Ghibli (but mostly Howl's Moving Castle and Spirited Away)
- Noir
- Gasaraki
- Last Exile
- Samurai Champloo
- Darker Than Black
Miyazaki is the man and Spirited Away is my favorite of his films.
Basically, rather than make a blanket statement about sub or dub and join the animefanboiwarz I will be an audacious, horrible, traitorous person and say this:
For any given anime you decide watch, watch at least one episode in both original language and the dub in your native language, and then decide which one you're comfortable with/happy with/impressed the most with the acting/able to understand what's happening best for that individual anime.
No studios, translators, actors, directors, or even subtitle-styles are the same, so why tar all subs or all dubs...
I'm with you on this. Some series I prefer the dub (I tried watching Martian Successor Nadesico subbed and was very meh on it. Saw it dubbed a few months later and laughed my butt off.) and others I prefer the sub (Record of Lodoss War's dub drives me up a wall. Same for Rorouni Kenshin.)
In general, I seem to prefer the dub for more light-hearted series and the sub for more serious ones (though there are always exceptions).
El Hazard had a good dub because they took a lot of the phrases that don't make sense in English and replaced them. Instead of doing a litteral translation, they took some artistic license
I started watching Black Lagoon last night. Its a fun series with a more realistic art style. If you like watching anti-heroes its a great first season. They do a similar thing with the dub, where its not 1 for 1 with the sub. I put the subtitles on when my roommate started playing games and it was highly amusing to hear the differences, and all the extra swearing.
Heh, El Hazard was all kinds of great. One scene that stuck with me was Ura's line "It's a job..."
I noticed no one has mentioned Gungrave. That one is definitely worth a watch. It’s the story of two friends with recognizably real and complex personalities and the simple misunderstanding that sets them at each other’s throats and causes massive destruction to everyone involved bar none, including family and friends. Also it’s a crime drama with gun battles against hideous monsters, there really is no downside.
Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex really amused me because my initial impression of it was that it was going to be a relatively simple action based cyberpunk story but really it was a decently complex social commentary that blended real world modern concepts with theoretical future issues, very cool.
Vampire Hunter D is awesome. That fictional character has been a better wingman for me then most of my friends who have the advantage of being real people. If only he existed so I could give him a high five.
I actually don’t recommend the Berserk anime but the manga is one of my favorite stories of all time despite how uncomfortable that story makes me(not even because of the dark subject matter but more because there are some poignant psychological similarities between Griffith and I that make me ask questions about myself.) That story is one I’ve literally had eight hour conversations with friends who are also fans about.
I noticed no one has mentioned Gungrave. That one is definitely worth a watch. It’s the story of two friends with recognizably real and complex personalities and the simple misunderstanding that sets them at each other’s throats and causes massive destruction to everyone involved bar none, including family and friends. Also it’s a crime drama with gun battles against hideous monsters, there really is no downside.
Well said. :)
In other news, thanks to everyone who recommended Moribito. One of the best anime series I've seen, even if gets pretty trite at times.
For example:
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Has anyone been watching Toonami since its return? First off, having seen the show, I knew the obvious swear words in Deadman Wonderland would get the 'bleep' treatment. However, I didn't think some of the other colorful colloquialisms used would be left intact.
I'm not sure how I feel about Casshern Sins. I want to like it, but I can't seem to. Not sure what it is.
Folding Bleach into the line-up was a no brainer and a great way to kick off Toonami. Having Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, GITS: SAC 2nd Gig and Cowboy Bebop as well is just the proverbial icing on the cake. Can't wait to see what else they do with this Adult Swim version of Toonami.
Has anyone been watching Toonami since its return? First off, having seen the show, I knew the obvious swear words in Deadman Wonderland would get the 'bleep' treatment. However, I didn't think some of the other colorful colloquialisms used would be left intact.
I'm not sure how I feel about Casshern Sins. I want to like it, but I can't seem to. Not sure what it is.
Folding Bleach into the line-up was a no brainer and a great way to kick off Toonami. Having Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, GITS: SAC 2nd Gig and Cowboy Bebop as well is just the proverbial icing on the cake. Can't wait to see what else they do with this Adult Swim version of Toonami.
Sounds a bit too shounen for my tastes, but I hope it does well.
I noticed no one has mentioned Gungrave. That one is definitely worth a watch. It’s the story of two friends with recognizably real and complex personalities and the simple misunderstanding that sets them at each other’s throats and causes massive destruction to everyone involved bar none, including family and friends. Also it’s a crime drama with gun battles against hideous monsters, there really is no downside.Well said. :)
Thanks. So what did you think of that series? (or are you just saying you like my description?)
I preferred the video game to the anime.
Also, has anyone else seen nyan koi and tytania? I feel like I'm the only person who has.
@ Freehold: No dice for me, those two aren't on netflix instant streaming. :(
Been watching Death Frenzy, and while it does have its good qualities, I have to add an item to my "What drives me crazy about most anime" list:
It seems that in most anime, there are vast chasms between the skill levels of any two enemies. It's like watching a D&D game where nameless NPCs are 0 level, mooks are all 10th level, the PCs are all 20th level, their tough foes are all 30th level, and the villain is 40th level.
Conflicts are incredibly one-sided, with a single more-skilled warrior taking out arbitrarily large numbers of less-skilled warriors with virtually no risk of injury. It's not that I mind super hero stuff, but the melodrama that these situations create feels...I dunno, contrived and forced, I guess. And certainly other genres are guilty of these situations as well, but animes for some reason seem to fall into them more often than not.
Thanks. So what did you think of that series? (or are you just saying you like my description?)I noticed no one has mentioned Gungrave. That one is definitely worth a watch. It’s the story of two friends with recognizably real and complex personalities and the simple misunderstanding that sets them at each other’s throats and causes massive destruction to everyone involved bar none, including family and friends. Also it’s a crime drama with gun battles against hideous monsters, there really is no downside.Well said. :)
Haven't watched it yet, but it does appear to be on netflix instant streaming. The plot summary doesn't seem to match your description though; is one of the protagonist's name Brandon Heat?
My favorites would have to be:
Fullmetal Alchemist (both series, prefer Brotherhood)
Baccano!
Durarara!!
Haruhi Suzumiya (I think this might be a sign that I like nonlinear storytelling. Probably the same reason I like MSPA.)
Cowboy Bebop
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
Princess Tutu
Rurouni Kenshin
Yu Yu Hakusho
Darker than Black
As for subs v dubs, I am a chronic multitasker and prefer to have it in a language I know so I don't misread something and have to rewatch a scene to figure things out. However, if I run into something that makes my ears bleed, I will definitely go with the sub.
Haven't watched it yet, but it does appear to be on netflix instant streaming. The plot summary doesn't seem to match your description though; is one of the protagonist's name Brandon Heat?
Yes, that’s it, the two most central characters are the friends Brandon and Harry. If you watch it you’ll see what I’m talking about. To whet your appetite a bit here is an AMV that captures both the tone and conflict of the series pretty well.
Anime, update!
Angel Beats and High School of the Dead were both great fun. I love that they both have gamer and pop culture references. A bit of humor goes a long way. :)
Moribito took a few episodes for me to warm up to, but turned out fun. I'm still wondering how that random swordsman came back to life after Balsa killed him though. Oh well, I'm still wondering why there were polar bears in Lost too.
Elfen Lied was pretty cool too, though I'm still wondering what the title has to do with anything. ('Lied' is pronounced 'leed,' which is especially confusing.) I'm also still not convinced that the diclonians have horns. They look like cat ears!
Currently I'm three episodes into Gungrave. I'm not feeling it yet, but sometimes it takes a few episodes.
HUZZAH TS!!!!!
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Has anyone been following a series called Towa no Quon? It's been coming on Anime Network on Demand and appears to be done in the same manner as Break Blade (that is, each episode is a mini-movie). The plot is as follows: in a futuristic Tokyo, unique human beings who have awakened distinct powers are being hunted by a secret organization named Custos. Known as "Attractors", these exceptional humans are joining forces to defend themselves. They are led by a boy named Quon, an idealist who is determined to save all the Attractors he can.
I'm up to episode three (of six) so far, and it's been an interesting show to watch. I'm hoping the movi-sode format starts to catch on, but I think it's something unique to Sentai Filmworks. The pacing in the episodes don't feel rushed to me at all, but they're packed with plot.
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I checked it out, and really enjoyed it, but didn't follow up on it. I need to get on that. I also enjoy the movi-sode format, but I doubt it will catch on. Regarding Anime Network on Demand, I check up on it every once in a while. That's how I've found several series that I really enjoyed, including Break Blade, Angel Beats!, and a few others.
