My First REAL Geekend...

MitchyD

While everyone was out of town and I was left all by my lonesome, I pounded off a serious amount of anime for myself. Manga too.

I've read from 1, and am half done number 11 of the Death Note Manga, and I'll likely complete that tonight. I bought six FMA DVD's and wrapped up one, picked up a double pack of TRINITY BLOOD and BASILISK (I saved you the trouble Mr. Period) which I am sampling currently. Looks interesting I guess... I saw GONZO on it, and from what Rym/Scott have said, I'll be wary. I fell asleep watching Akira last night, sadly and will be doing it up again tomorrow.

I'm really enjoying Fullmetal Alchemist. What a very decent show. I thought it would be kiddy-stuff but looks like that "Aw, cartoons are for kids" barrier has been completely shattered. I got them all on sale for 15 bucks a piece, so that's good. I can't seem to find any DVD after six however. Looks like it's BestBuy.ca for me.

I dumped 5 episodes of Cowboy Bebop on my PS3 (Low quality but it still looks good from where I'm sitting) and I'll be blowing through that all week, along with Trigun which I started as well.

I didn't get to marathon like I promised, but I had a good time with a bunch of really awesome stuff. Can anyone let me know about these Gonzo shows? I almost bought a shitload since they were also on sale, but I played it safe, just in case.

WallyBman

Everyone rags on Hellsing pretty bad, but I really enjoyed it. Same with DearS, but I saw in a different light than most people. Most people see it as just another moe show, just involving slavery this time around. The main character seemed, to me, to be another Shinki Akiri, but with an actual cause other than self-pity. I also saw it as about someone being born and bred to be nothing more than an object, and another person struggling with his own problems, and helping the slave to be who she is, and not who everyone tells her to be. Kinda like Black Snake Moan.

Note to Scott: Sam Jackson can fucking SING so old timey blues, let me tell you!

Then again, I differ from most folks in being willing to cricize Akira for being as meaningless as it is. I don't give two shits how cool Dave and Joel are, or how much I tend to agree with them about different shows, Akira is ass to me.

If you can find a torrent for it, Try watching some Japanese television live action versions of old anime series's, Such as "You're Under Arrest!" or "Sailor Moon." The Sailor Moon one is addictive if you ever saw Sailor Moon when you were younger, and can get past through the first 3 or 4 episodes. Although, I do have to admit, I watched Sailor Moon when it first aired here in the states, and I had a thing for Sailor Mercury/Ami Mizuno/Amy Anderson, so I DID feel a little creepy watching the show. You're Under Arrest! was entertaining, and a good way to waste a good chunk of a day if you wait to watch it until you have the whole thing.

Black Lagoon is pretty damn awesome, except I didn't much like how it just ended. The last little story arch was WAY too many episodes long, and left me wanting more boat action.

Have you ever watched the two M.D. Geist movies back to back? I picked them up as a set on VHS for like $7, and, hey, it's anime. I can say that much about them.

I was led to believe that Gasaraki was going to be the hardcore, realistic, "watching war gootage on CNN," sort of show. But alas, no. Once stupid demon shit starting showwing up about halfway through the series, I stopped watching, and the $25 boxset is just sitting there now.

Note to Japan: Demon shit can be cool. Hard, realistic mecha shit IS cool. Don't mix the two. EVER. Please. Thanks.

It's not anime, but Black Snake Moan was REALLY good. Sam Jackson, and a constantly almost naked Cristina Ricci; what more need I say?

MitchyD

Wow. I made another thread where you replied pretty much the exact same way... Two totally different topics though... How could you not like Akira and then mention MD Geist?

I watched my Ep 1-4 of Basilisk and I am liking it enough to go spend money on the next batch of DVD's. I have trouble torrenting (Wireless and all) so I will be buying a lot more DVD's than I'd like to be, but what do you do?

WallyBman

One of the reasons that I don't like Akira is that it is supposed to be this great epic masterpiece. Great epic masterpieces composed of amazing animation don't devolve into animated two tone concentric ring dubbed over with utter non-sense. It's like that "art" that is nothing more than an "artist" slinging black paint at a white canvas. Its not art, it's an excuse and opportunity for people of slightly higher than average bullshitting skill to convince other people of how smart they are when "explaining" it. As for M.D. Geist, no one, as far as I'm aware of, has ever claimed it's an epic masterpiece, no one has ever called it a tour de force. People call it brain dead, mind numbing shit, that is nothing more than scenes of outrageous violence strung together to by an inane plot. However, the plot almost makes sense, and by GOD, it succeeds in being what it really is. Akira is nothing more than M.D. Geist with a better PR spin, and some pseudo-psychological bullshit thrown in to make people feel smarter than they are. Kind of like the original last two episodes of Evangelion. The replacements further a story, the originals tell you that the story was never important. Which would you rather do, watch a show for a story, or watch a show to be told you wasted 13 hours of your life watching a show because it wasn't important and that you wasted God knows how much on the dvd's?

Me? I watch anime to be entertained. If I want to be educated, I'll watch a documentary on the Discovery Channel, or the History Channel., which I do if there is something interesting on, especially the astronomical type shows.

What sort of wireless are you on to where you can't pull torrents? I do know the feeling though, I had satellite internet when DirecTV came out with it, and it was ASS. Could rarely keep a signal, and it wasn't worth the hassle when I could.

The original BubbleGum Crisis is pretty amazing. And the original A.D. Police is really good as well.

And what about some Black Magic M-66? Good stuff, I'm telling you.

MitchyD

Akira isn't there for you to be educated, I have no idea where you're even pulling this from. I'm not defending it, I won't defend a cartoon, but I don't see where these justifications even come from - It sounds like something you made up to sound cool.

WallyBman

The whole anime that is teaching or enlightening deal is about the last two episodes of Evangelion, not Akira. The only thing Akira teaches you is what to do when you run out of money in your animation budget.

Rym

I watch anime to be entertained. If I want to be educated, I'll watch a documentary on the Discovery Channel, or the History Channel.
I rarely find entertainment in things that aren't also in some way enlightening.

cosmicenema

I watch anime to be entertained. If I want to be educated, I'll watch a documentary on the Discovery Channel, or the History Channel.

I rarely find entertainment in things that aren't also in some way enlightening.

Absolutely. There's no reason entertainment and intellectual stimulation need to be mutually exclusive.

Now if only I could've convinced my teachers of that . . .

MitchyD

Rym makes a good point - hence why 99% of summer action movies are a bit shit.