Official Anime/Manga Thread

[AstroSeedP]

3 hours ago, goku262002 said:

Yeah whats with Aniplex going on a license rampage as of late? did something happen??

My guess is that since they now have Aniplex of America they decided that what's the point of licensing out to other companies. The reason they did was because back then they had no way of selling things in America so they licensed their shows to local businesses.

[goku262002]

But Aniplex of America isn't a dubbing company though right? even so, Funimation should still hold some of the licensing rights.

[AstroSeedP]

3 hours ago, goku262002 said:

But Aniplex of America isn't a dubbing company though right? even so, Funimation should still hold some of the licensing rights.

That's not exactly the way it works with dubs. When a show license returns to the original creator so does everything that was made with that license. FUNImation can't own the dub because it doesn't own the show, there's a reason it's called a license. This is done because if the creators want to re-release it again through other means they have the option of not starting from scratch. It might be a dick move but it's practical in a business standpoint.

[Yoko/葉子]

So I started watching more of Beautiful Bones. As I expected, I love the poetic reference in the Japanese title. I only finished the first two episodes, but Sakurako is strongly reminding me of myself. Eccentric, yet well... stuck in the past on something. I think Shizuka Ito is a great Sakurako and I'm not just saying that because I bump into her work sometimes. I don't see why hulu gives it a TV-MA, but I can see a TV-14. Perhaps I need to see more to understand. To think it's already been about 10 years since I first heard Shizuka as the bubbly Himawari in xxxHOLiC.

Anywho, I'm getting more cutesy and cheesy shows that are obscure. One of them has Maaya Sakamoto and Julie Ann Taylor as the same character, so that's special to me.

[Salamander]

I enjoyed Beautiful Bones as well; I think my favourite aspect was how unconventional Sakurako was as a main character in a medium full of innumerable chirpy high-school detectives.  I felt the pacing was a bit odd sometimes, but I suspect that was simply a casualty of the transition from the light novel medium - on which note, I don't know how many of the light novels the anime adapted, but I have my fingers crossed for a second series (though I believe these are pretty rare among anime adaptations).

[Yoko/葉子]

58 minutes ago, FFWF said:

I enjoyed Beautiful Bones as well; I think my favourite aspect was how unconventional Sakurako was as a main character in a medium full of innumerable chirpy high-school detectives.  I felt the pacing was a bit odd sometimes, but I suspect that was simply a casualty of the transition from the light novel medium - on which note, I don't know how many of the light novels the anime adapted, but I have my fingers crossed for a second series (though I believe these are pretty rare among anime adaptations).

Speaking of light novels, is it just me or do they generally have less faithful adaptations than manga? I can't read enough Japanese to be sure, but I know Lost Universe has a different set of events in the novels when compared to the anime.

I know Karin had a novel series based on the manga and even had the mangaka as the illustrator.

[Salamander]

I simply don't know enough to give a good answer; I don't watch huge amounts of anime and look at what the light novels were like even less often.  From things I've watched or heard of, I can think of at least one counterpoint; I believe the Tokyo Ghoul anime was unpopular for cutting and remixing events, and the second series then had an original storyline written by the mangaka probably because the anime format simply didn't have room to fit everything in - which is a common problem.  Danganronpa the Animation was apparently well-received by people who hadn't played the game, but was hammered for its cuts by the people who had, and lo and behold they're doing an anime sequel with an original storyline now rather than following the second game's plot.  I suspect it's simply easier to adapt manga to anime in general because of the shorter installment size, so you can leave off more or less wherever you want, whereas with light novels then each volume represents more ground to cover.  I've heard of a few anime adaptations which've had to cram whole novels into single episodes - I think this happened with Gosick, Sunday Without God, My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU...  Conversely, there's the trainwreck of Haruhi Suzumiya's second season, which stretched one short story over eight episodes.  I think it's perhaps simply that anime adaptations are a minefield for scheduling and production issues.  More cooks to spoil the broth.

[Dizcrybe]

So the Love Live English dub just officially made its debut on American TV on some obscure K-Pop channel and it's actually pretty good.

I'm still trying to wrap my around head Love Live being on American TV at all, though. Like, the movie being shown in theaters here was crazy enough, but this...

[ElectricAngel]

I'm surprised you actually liked the English dub. Well, if the voices were fine then I guess I can understand. But after seeing some online reviews, it looks like they were incredibly lazy and weeaboo pandering with the dub. And this isn't just an issue with Love Live, it's become a very big problem that I despise in American dubs. 

Okay, and you know what? I've been wanting to talk about this for a while. I'm not going to be polite but let it be known that I'm not attacking just Love Live. This is a rant on how anime dubbing in America has become almost pointless and lost its special spark it once had, which made me love them beforehand. I'm talking about the music.

Let's take for example, Love Live. It's a musical anime. The characters sing a lot of songs, obviously. When dubbing to English, it would be odd not to dub the songs, right? Well, for some reason it seems in the dub they kept them in Japanese! I haven't seen the episode but from what I read online, many people say this creates an awkward as hell dub, and it's easy to imagine why. It makes no sense as to why they wouldn't dub the songs. What can I point to? Laziness? Cheapness? I'll go with weeaboo pandering. Why? Well, for the times dubbing companies have actually dubbed songs, you always see people complain on how they "ruined the song" and how "it doesn't have the same meaning", and it's extremely annoying. If you don't want to hear English, then why do you watch the English dub? 

When companies don't dub songs in English, especially for something like Love Live it just seems to me like they are too scared the extreme fans might get pissed off. You can't say it's not possible to make the songs sound good in English when plenty of fans like Nathan Sharp and Sapphire have made amazing renditions. It's all up to if the licensing company is actually willing to put enough effort. And don't give me crap like "oh but Japanese people hate it when you dub their songs!" or "b-but it's too expensive for them to dub the songs!". Tell me why countries in Europe can fully dub their anime with openings and endings? Tell me how even countries as poor as Greece can even execute it? I'm just tired of excuses.

So maybe some of you are wondering "oh jeez don't be so uptight about it! it's just music! it's not a big deal". Well you'd be surprised what an important role music plays in animation, especially vocal tracks. And why should thousands, maybe millions of people be left out of what could have been? Would it be that hard to ask people to dub songs in English so that English speakers could get more immersed and understand the meaning of the song? The dub of Love Live doesn't even have subtitles from what I heard! That's inexcusable! And also, maybe it's just me, but I cannot get as involved in an anime if there are two clashing languages. I just feel like I'm watching a half finished product. When Funimation had stopped dubbing the One Piece openings they stated it was due to "licensing issues". But hmm... that coincidentally happened right when their airing contract with Cartoon Network stopped. And oh! Germany is dubbing them just fine it seems. And look at that! A Dragon Ball Z Kai dub on Nickelodeon with a... *gasp* dubbed opening and ending?! So yeah I'm not falling for corporate lies. 

Perhaps I am overreacting and perhaps it's not something I should be this pissed off about, but I wanted to get it off my chest. I just don't like how with every show ever localised in every country (literally) they make an effort to dub the dialogue and music to fit them. As someone who's vastly interested in different cultures and languages, it's great seeing these differences. So when I see American companies carefully picking out how characters word things, sometimes even keeping Japanese phrases when they can easily be translated, and not bothering dubbing the music, it just screams weeaboo pandering to me. Heck, in a behind the scenes feature of the Attack on Titan dub, the producer or licencor or whatever, he said that when they made dubs they take the fans in consideration first. Because apparently "most people who watch the dub have already seen the subbed version". But as far as I know, those are lies and excuses too. From the people I have met, those who watch the subbed version of a show will mostly never touch the dub unless they are super curious. And those wanting to watch a show from the start, will tend to check out the dub first. 

So hate me if you will but that's my opinion on things. Also, going back to Love Live for a second, I can't help but think "why even bother dubbing?" because if you don't dub the songs to a musical anime, then it just seems pointless and a waste of money. Well whatever, I'll just sit here plugging in fandubs and creating my own "full dubs" of anime for my personal enjoyment. *munches on cookie* Wake me up when American companies start caring again. 

[Dizcrybe]

43 minutes ago, ElectricAngel said:

I'm surprised you actually liked the English dub.

I'm not surprised you didn't (well, I'm assuming as much because I'm not reading such a huge post on what i presume is why the dub is "bad" because my self-esteem just can't take it). I'll make this brief; I'm the guy that like most dubs, even the "bad" ones. So if you hear a dub and are ever like, "Is there anyone that likes this?", hi, nice to meet ya.

I'll just add this since I saw something about "weeaboo pandering": anime panders to hardcore otaku enough before it's even licensed for an American release. Besides, weebs don't like dubs anyway, so if they really wanted to pander to them, they wouldn't have bothered.

[ElectricAngel]

Just now, Dizcrybe said:

I'm not surprised you didn't (well, I'm assuming as much because I'm not reading such a huge post on what i presume is why the dub is "bad" because my self-esteem just can't take it). I'll make this brief; I'm the guy that like most dubs, even the "bad" ones. So if you hear a dub and are ever like, "Is there anyone that likes this?", hi, nice to meet ya.

Well actually my post was more on music in English anime dubs. I personally have yet to see it but from what I heard, it has problems, such as all the songs being still in Japanese. I'm sure the voice cast is fine though, I mean all the recent dubs I've seen have a fairly good cast. So yeah don't get me wrong, I like dubs too and watch more dubs than subs but yeahh. Maybe I went overboard with that post. :L 

[Dizcrybe]

3 minutes ago, ElectricAngel said:

Well actually my post was more on music in English anime dubs. I personally have yet to see it but from what I heard, it has problems, such as all the songs being still in Japanese. I'm sure the voice cast is fine though, I mean all the recent dubs I've seen have a fairly good cast. So yeah don't get me wrong, I like dubs too and watch more dubs than subs but yeahh. Maybe I went overboard with that post. :L 

Oh. Well, as far as all the songs still being in Japanese, I just figured translating and dubbing them would've been too expensive than they can afford. Maybe European countries have more money.

Besides (again), when any "musical" anime gets dubbed, the songs being undubbed is kind of a given. The ones that actuall do dub the songs are the exception, rather than the rule, and the only anime I've seen that did that is the Sailor Moon redub for one episode.

[Cy-Fox Unit]

I actually found an unopened copy of the complete Robotech: The Macross Saga that I guess I bought at Walmart a few years ago. It took some getting used to being acclimated towards late '90s and later graphic design and there was a bit of cheese with the voices but it's been pretty inspiring for my writing. Especially appropriate in the wake of playing XCOM 2, SDF-1's pretty much akin to the Avenger.

[ElectricAngel]

2 minutes ago, Dizcrybe said:

Besides (again), when any "musical" anime gets dubbed, the songs being undubbed is kind of a given. The ones that actuall do dub the songs are the exception, rather than the rule, and the only anime I've seen that did that is the Sailor Moon redub for one episode.

Nermia Daikon Brothers is a musical anime and all the songs there were dubbed. Of course, that one is kinda old, back when they'd still dub songs. Aaaanyway, it's not so big an issue that I won't watch dubs, though in Love Live's case I honestly think I'll skip it.

[DiamondX]

I watchmost of the animes in japanese, with a few exceptions: the ones that air here. We dont get so many animes here, not even sure if theres any dubbed atm, but Naruto,Sonic X(yes, i consider it an anime) , Inazuma Eleven, these are the ones that i dont watch on japanese. I still watch Dragonball Super, but im hoping for a dub so i can see it on the tv.

[Dizcrybe]

I had a lot more to add to my post but print preview screwed me over so whatever.

[Yoko/葉子]

 

I saw this on my YouTube subscriptions and thought the Eva fans might enjoy this from none other than Bentley Jones!

[Toa Axis]

You know, even if Grimgar doesn't quite hit home some of its more dramatic moments, it's excellent at capturing the everyday activities that the main characters partake in, yet without feeling stale or monotonous. The character interactions are great as well, the most recent episode being a highlight. Grief is nothing but continuous, and it portrayed that well. The final scene felt earned due to our crew gaining enough texture, and it even made me teary eyed. 

The show has some notable weaknesses, but it's strengths sure are something to behold.

[Yoko/葉子]

So I browsed Sentai's website and found an interesting show, if you like shows about death.

Shigofumi is about a girl that sends letters from the dead to the living. It seems pretty mysterious so far. I have only seen the first episode and I'm already hooked.

Speaking of Sentai, anyone seen their re-release of Vampire Princess Miyu?

[TheBlueRenegade]

I only started watching anime and reading manga in September of last year but trust me, I don't regret it lmao

Anime that I've watched and recommend include Blue Exorcist, Toradora!, A Certain Scientific Railgun, The Devil is a Part-Timer and Kill La Kill.

Feel free to suggest any anime to me that I should take a look at.

[Yoko/葉子]

20 minutes ago, TheBlueRenegade said:

I only started watching anime and reading manga in September of last year but trust me, I don't regret it lmao

Anime that I've watched and recommend include Blue Exorcist, Toradora!, A Certain Scientific Railgun, The Devil is a Part-Timer and Kill La Kill.

Feel free to suggest any anime to me that I should take a look at.

What genres are you into? I'll make a list.

[TheBlueRenegade]

9 minutes ago, Lime/Key/Parvati-Pai said:

What genres are you into? I'll make a list.

Action, Comedy, Ecchi, Slice of Life, Romance and Supernatural.

[Yoko/葉子]

For supernatural/ecchi/romance, I suggest Dusk Maiden of Amnesia. It's about a sultry ghost who does not remember how she died.

If you like Lonney Tunes-esque goofy humor, go for Bo-BoBo Bo-BoBoBo. It's so wild and random, that the characters made jokes about the show being cancelled.

One Rom-Com I might suggest is Arakawa Under the Bridge. A guy tries to avoid being indebted to anyone, but it saved by a literal homeless person. Everyone living under the bridge is eccentric. There's a man who acts as a Sister, one guy thinks he's a kappa. The list goes on.

For action, supposing you don't mind really old animation, the original Casshan was really brutal for it's time. It was the inspiration for many aspects of the Classic and X series of Megaman, including Sigma, the X-Hunters, Rush and possibly Dr. Ciel in the Zero series.

Not sure if horror-supernatural counts, but Hell Girl is a mostly episodic show about people summoning Ai Enma, the Hell Girl to send their tormentors to Hell (literally), but this service comes at a price. The client will also go to Hell when they die. However; if you send someone to Hell in order to protect someone, the one you are protecting is spared.

If you grew up on Power Rangers and Sailor Moon, I might suggest the 70's Science Ninja Team Gatchaman. It was about 5 people in bird-themed costumes foiling terrorist plots every episode. This show invented the Sentai genre. Unlike it's successors, many of the monster robot battles were not immediately obvious as to how to beat them. For example: in one episode, they fight a monster that keeps absorbing parts, but they realize there must be openings when it changes shape, so they blast it as it morphs. In another episode, a mantis robot is too fast for them, so they make an artificial tornado to rip it apart. There's a movie that compiles the meat of the main episodes, if 105 episodes is too many.

If you like food, action and puns, Toriko might be in good taste. It's sorta like DBZ mixed with Monster Hunter and The Food Network. Everything revolves around food in there.

If you like mecha from the 90's with a bit of romance and action, The Vision of Escaflowne. It is about a teen girl sent to another planet with a medieval mecha theme. Dragons are a theme, a real person is the villain (implied). There's lots of tragedy and adventure.

[Dizcrybe]

I saw like three episodes of Railgun, thought it was pretty interesting but then it quickly revealed itself to be little more than WACKY LESBIAN HIJINKS.

[Diogenes]

Been a while since I've talked about the animes and mangas, so here's some stuff I've been reading lately.

Dungeon Meshi

Spoiler

A medieval fantasy rpg cooking manga. After a party member is eaten by a dragon, it seems like the raw economics of adventuring will prevent the group from diving back into the dungeon to save her. At least until they decide to save money by eating monsters. A good mix of funny and chill, with a bit of action mixed in for flavor.

Helck

Spoiler

After a demon king is killed, a tournament is held to find a replacement. A suspicious and huge dude named Helck shows up, and Vamirio, one of the high-ranked demons running the tournament, tries to get him disqualified. Starts off comedic, pivots into serious territory after a bit, but in a good way, and without losing its sense of humor.

Mob Psycho 100

Spoiler

By the author of One Punch Man. Mob is a kid with incredible psychic powers but sees them as a burden and represses his emotions to keep them in control. He tries to work towards a normal, productive life, but along with his con artist mentor he's inevitably drawn into conflicts with spirits, cults, and other psychics. Be aware that the art is by the author, not the guy who does the redraw of OPM (and whose art the OPM anime was based on). ONE's art is...kind of an acquired taste. It's also getting an anime, which looks rad as fuck from the preview, IMO:

edit: Also Jitsu Wa Watashi Wa/My Monster Secret is still the best.

Spoiler