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The Great Classic Manga/Anime Appreciation Thread


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#21 BlackLightning

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Posted 13 October 2010 - 03:29 AM

Today's topic: Robot boys

Atom / Astro Boy: The story takes pace in the future where robots are very common and flying vehicles are everwhere. The manga/anime follows the story of Astro (Or Atom, yeah the name differ depending on where you live at.) a ground-breaking boy robot developed by a kind professor to serve as his son. What makes Astro so different from the other robots however is that he is literally a robot with free will and capable of learning and growing with his environment due to the artificial heart that the professor put inside him. Astro even as a robot wish to live his life as a normal human boy (a decision that the professor full-heartily support) however, that is pretty much impossible due to an evil organization who sets his eyes on him and wish to steal his technology to make weapon robots. Between saving the city, battle to the death with evil robots and living as an elementary school student, Astro definitely have his work cuts out for him.

Rockman (also called Rockman X in several countries): The first anime/manga of our favourite blue boy robot. The anime / manga mostly follows the story of the first generation Rockman, a boy robot who was developed as a household helper for his family. However, as disaster strikes in the form of Sigma organization and their evil robots, Rockman was upgraded into Rockman X and armed with the ability to turn his hand into a buster gun as well as ability to incorporate his enemy's weapon to make it his own. As the city where he live are consumed in flames, he has to fight to protect his family.

Edited by BlackLightning, 13 October 2010 - 03:31 AM.



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#22 ciardha

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Posted 13 October 2010 - 07:35 AM

QUOTE (Jenskott @ Oct 11 2010, 04:49 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Oh! My Goddess --Click here to view--

Sometimes what you wish is EXACTLY what you get.

Keiichi Morisato is a nice albeit hapless college freshman who is often imposed upon by his elder dorm-mates and brow-beaten into taking phone messages and doing miscellaneous chores for them.

One day, while he is alone in his dorm, he decides ordering pizza over the phone, but he accidentally calls the Goddess Technical Help Line, and a beautiful goddess named Belldandy –Norse Goddess of the Present and one of the three Norns-, materializes in his room (through a mirror was right behind him. Cue panicking and yelling) and she tells him that her agency has received a system request from him, so she has been sent to grant him a single wish.

Believing it is all a prank from his roommates, he wishes she stays with him forever.

To his surprise (and utter shock and panic), his wish is granted. Belldandy must stay with him, but as his dormitory is strictly male-only, they are both forced onto the street.

They set off on his motorcycle to find alternative shelter, and eventually seek cover in an old Buddhist temple. In the morning, they are greeted by the temple's sole inhabitant, a young monk, who welcomes them and gives them permission to stay until they can find permanent lodging. However, after several odd incidents, the priest decides go on a pilgrimage to India, and gives the couple permission to remain in the temple so long as they continue to maintain it.

After having found a new home, Belldandy and Keiichi start a sweet, low-key romance, as they attend Nekomi Institute of Technology. However, the tries of Keiichi for exploring their relationship are continuously disrupted by the crazy schemes of his friends, the attempts of third parties by split them up (like Sayoko Mishima, a girl tries seducing Keiichi so Belldandy leaves and she can again be the queen of the college, but slowly starts falling in love with the clumsy, honest and kind boy. Or her cousin Toshiyuki, who takes a fancy on Belldandy), and all supernatural weirdness Belldandy attracts and he must survive to.

And then shows up Megumi, Keiichi’s younger and cheerful sister, and a troublemaker on her own right.

And then shows up Urd, Belldandy’s elder sister (Norn of the Past) who owns more power than Belldandy, less self-control than Belldandy and is more prone to anger bursts (with explosive consequences). Oh, and she likes drinking sake a lot. She is irritated because their relationship hasn’t yet moved further in deeper levels of intimacy, and tries “helping”. Needless to say, her assistance isn’t wanted or welcome and it creates more and more troubles.

And then shows up Skuld, Belldandy and Urd’s temperamental and –too-enthusiastic little sister (and Norn of the Future), who is obsessed with technology –and ice cream-, thinks Keiichi isn’t good for her sister and tries sabotaging their relationship every so often.

And then shows up the demon Mara, who has a grudge against the goddesses…

And this is only a tiny part of the cast of the series, which includes characters of Norse Heaven, Hell and Nekomi Institute.

Ah! My Goddess combines the finest elements of America's 1960s "supernatural sitcoms" with a tender and sweet love story, lighthearted slapstick comedy and intense drama. It is a seinen manga, but its light-hearted nature makes it receivable to a wider audience.

It is a long-running manga (it began in 1987 and it is STILL ongoing), and it has been compiled in forty-one volumes so far. It spawned a five-part OVAs series which was successful and allowed two TV series and a film were made. It is a very sweet, funny story and it is highly recommendable.

You can read the manga in this site: manga. And watching the OVAs here: OVAs. And the Anime series here: Season 2; and here: Season 2



My favorite seinen manga smile.gif I think Belldandy and Keiichi are probably the best ever mutual beta type character couple. But my favorite arc was the funny, but with a sad underchord, revelation that Urd loved and still loves someone- Troubadour. Troubadour has strong feelings for her too (he gets fiercely jealous of Keiichi at first, thinking he had become Urd's boyfriend, but once he finds out Keiichi and Belldandy are the couple he's no longer worried about Urd being there), but he values a pursuit of a creative career more. It was the first hint that Urd had some hidden depths to her character. Urd is living her life as she pleases, but if Troubadour ever realizes that his feelings for her is more important than chasing after something he'll never attain (a career as his namesake) she'll probably take him back as a boyfriend. His songs are beautiful sounding, but his lyrics and singing voice are terrible.

Edited by ciardha, 13 October 2010 - 07:39 AM.

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#23 Jenskott

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Posted 13 October 2010 - 11:07 AM

QUOTE
Today's topic: Robot boys

Atom / Astro Boy: The story takes pace in the future where robots are very common and flying vehicles are everwhere. The manga/anime follows the story of Astro (Or Atom, yeah the name differ depending on where you live at.) a ground-breaking boy robot developed by a kind professor to serve as his son. What makes Astro so different from the other robots however is that he is literally a robot with free will and capable of learning and growing with his environment due to the artificial heart that the professor put inside him. Astro even as a robot wish to live his life as a normal human boy (a decision that the professor full-heartily support) however, that is pretty much impossible due to an evil organization who sets his eyes on him and wish to steal his technology to make weapon robots. Between saving the city, battle to the death with evil robots and living as an elementary school student, Astro definitely have his work cuts out for him.


Damn, BlackLightning! You have gone ahead of me!

Still I would like adding something about Astroboy because the show deserves it:

”Astroboy/Tetsuwan Atom” --Click here to view--

Astroboy is one of the most important comics created by Osamu Tezuka, the most important comic creator has ever been born in Japan. This series is greatly responsible of what the manga AND anime industries are and have been.

In the distant future, Dr. Tenma of the Institute of Science loses his son in a traffic accident. Mad with grief, he creates Tetsuwan Atom/Astroboy –a rocket-powered android- in the boy’s image and programs him to be a good boy.

However, Tenma not only wants recreating his son. He wants making a perfect version of his son, more powerful than any human.

Eventually he realizes a terrible truth: Astroboy isn’t his son. He will never be his son. He can never replace him. He starts yelling at Astoboy for such a horrendous crimes like not growing up, and picking up on the little robot boy (who can’t defend himself, and can’t understand what he has done to get his father so upset) for every little thing. Finally, he sells him in slavery.

Yes, you have read that right.

One while later, Atom is rescued and adopted by another member of the Institute: Dr. Ochanomizu. Unlike his “father”, Dr. Ochanomizu is a kindly and altruistic man, and his positive traits combine with Astroboy’s programming to inspire him to fight crime. This decision soon leads him into all manner of danger and excitement, as he battles mad scientists, evil aliens and giant robots.

Osamu Tezuka created Astroboy in 1951, and it lasted twenty-three volumes. It spawned several anime shows, and the first Astroboy anime was one of the first anime shows ever, and due to its success, the anime industry exploded.

Nowadays, it still is a big cultural phenomenon in Japan, and it is highly revered.

I am still trying finding links for the manga. But you can watch the 1980 series and the 2003 Series

”Gatchaman/Battle of the Planets” --Click here to view--

One of the most famous anime from his time and one of the most important sci-fi, action anime ever.

Gatchaman revolves around a group of five scientifically-engineered heroes, clad in bird suits and using ninja weapons. Each hero drives a special vehicle which combines in a big mothership (God Phoenix) which is able to fire missiles and morph into a firebird. They used his powers and his weapons to battle the gigantic mechas built by evil Galactor crime syndicate/terrorist army, which was led by Sosai ("Leader") X, an alien supervillain who wanted to rule the Earth, and Berg Katse, a mutant who could shift genders at will.

The five Gatchaman members are (I am using the Japanese names here):

Ken “The Eagle” – He is the level-minded leader and a great strategist. He is an orphan and sees Dr. Nambu (who commands the team) like his father. Usually he is controlled and calm, but later on the series he finds out his father can be alive, and the subsequent revelations threaten with making him –and the team- falling apart.

Joe “The Condor” – He is the second-in-command. Unfortunately, he is hot-tempered, hotheaded, impulsive and trigger-happy, so he is usually Ken’s constant headache.

Jun “The Swan” – She is kind natured, nice, smart and expert in blowing things up. She is a tsundere and there are hints of romantic feelings between Ken and her.

Ryu “The Owl” – He is God Phoenix pilot. He is big, gentle, slightly dumb, incredibly strong and a big eater. He is the only one who hasn’t lost his parents.

Jinpei “The Swallow” – The team’s kid. He is mouthy, smartass, loves animals and is a trouble-maker.

This was one of the first anime shows was dubbed and aired in America in 1978. Unfortunately, the original story has been twisted and cut down countless times. ADV Films released the 105 original chapters uncut in DVD, but the rights to it expired and it is hard to find.

Gatchaman spawned several anime series, a remake (in the way of OVAs) in the nineties, and even an American comic-book in the past decade.

If you like sci-fi shows and super-heroes, and you like see super sentai teams with cool outfits, weapons and vehicles an is highly recommendable.

To watch the anime: Link


In honour of Kishimoto drawing a baseball manga, I am recommending one of the most important baseball mangas ever: Touch.

The twin brothers Tatsuya and Kazuya and her neighbor Minami lived next to each other since they were babies. The lived together, played together (their parents built a house in the backyard in order to keep them from destroying their houses further) and grew up together.

But then their relationship changed when Tatsuya and Kazuya realized Minami was a girl.

Tatsuya is a pervert slacker, with apparently no ambitions or goals. Or that is what many people think. In reality he is very talented and is too kind for his own good. His little brother (Kazuya) is mature, hard-working, a good student and a great baseball player. Unfortunately, he completely lacks confidence (and he is too soft-hearted for his own good). Since middle school, Kazuya has received awards and recognition like an excellent pitcher and baseball player, as his elder brother let him take the limelight, unwilling compete with Kazuya in anything.

Including Minami.

Kazuya is in love with Minami, and the two of them are very closer at each other. All –including their parents- think they make a great couple. Tatsuya is in love with Minami as well, but he knows what his brother feels and he refuses competing with him, so he tries staying away.

Too bad Minami (who is smart and exceptionally sharp-minded and knows perfectly Tatsuya isn’t the useless slacker he pretends being) is in love with Tatsuya (and he drives her mad because he is glad in pretending being a slacker and doesn’t mind what people slights him), has her own mind and is unwilling ending up with someone else (even though he is one of her best friends) only because everyone (including her love interest) think she should.

And Kazuya knows this. And he knows what his brother feels and he is letting him winning in everything. Sometimes Kazuya has got angry with his brother because he doesn’t want being left win. He wants a fair fight.

Touch is a shonen manga created by Mitsuru Adachi, featuring romance, drama and baseball. It lasts twenty-eight volumes as it follows the main characters’ life through high school and baseball tournaments. It ran from 1981 to 1986 and it was adapted in a 101-episodes anime series which was one of the highest-rated television anime series ever, three anime movies which summarized the TV series, two TV anime specials which take place after the events in the TV series, a live-action tv drama special, and a live-action movie released in 2005.

So you can tell it is successful. There were many earlier, successful baseball mangas (like Kyojin no Hoshi or Dokaben), but it changed the usual sports manga formula, focusing on the lives of the main characters rather their sports successes and failures.

To read the manga: Link

And to read the anime: Link


If animes were able to get married and raise children, Slayers would be Record of the Lodoss War and Ranma 1/2 love child: it is a absolutely crazy high-fantasy series, even if it has plenty dramatic moments.

It is also one of the few shonen animes where the main character is female.

Lina Inverse is a powerful sorcereress. She is redheaded, pretty, greedy, gluttonous, self-centered, hot-tempered, and incredibly trigger-happy (mock her bust size at your danger). She wanders the world looking for treasure to loot, magic to learn and food to devoure. Unfortunately (to her), she tends to end up in situations where she has got to save the world instead of just make money (even though she will try making a profit anyways). Her amazing power and short-triggered temper usually are a volatile mix and have earned her the titles “Bandit Slayer”, “Dragon Spooker” and “Enemy of All That Live” in a few years.

Much to her chagrin, she ends up with a group of people following her around, usually because they are trying not getting killed by something:

Naga – A deranged sorceress who is self-proclaimed Lina’s rival and believes LINA is following her around. She only shows up in the OVAs, which happen before the TV series chronologically.

Gourry Gabriev- He is a blonde swordsman capable to strike down an army… and incredibly dumb. Well, after a fashion. It isn’t he is utterly stupid, but he has a short spam of attention, is very forgetful, and has a very narrow set of priorities (like find food and kill whatever is trying killing them. Hence, he is liable to forget things such like old friends have already left or foes they have already slain). Thus, he SEEMS utterly stupid. And he is very sarcastic, too. He found Lina when she was in danger (or so he believed) and –unnecessarily—saved her. From that day he set to follow her and protect her. Oh, and he is in love with her.

Zelgadiss- He is a swordsman and sorcerer got turned to a stony humanoid (he was obsessed with becoming stronger and he said to his great-grandfather he was willing to do whatever it took. His great-grandfather granted his wish. He wasn’t happy). Due to his condition, he is constantly traveling in search of a cure. Thus, he is serious, grim, determined and stoic. Therefore he is the only sane man in the group and the most affected by the incredible silliness surrounding Lina (sometimes he complains he is supposed to be a ruthless sorcerer and wonders if his fate is being the universe’s –or Lina’s- laughingstock).

Amelia- She is a fourteen years-old, white and black sorcerer and justice-obsessed princess. She loves wandering over the countryside in search of criminals to punish and monsters to destroy. She is also considerably clumsy. She is Naga’s little sister, but neither LIna knows that nor Amelia knows Naga was traveling with Lina for several years.

Xellos- He introduced himself like a priest, but in reality he is a Mazoku (monster, demon. Take your pick). And one of the most powerful Mazoku, in fact. He is one of the most complex characters in Slayers due to his personality: he is mysterious, and what he says is often at odds with what he does, and what he seems to do often appear at odds with the final outcome. He is trickster, double-faced… and he is always polite and he can be sympathetic... unless he is picking up on you (which he tends to make, just for fun). Then he becomes INCREDIBLY irritating. He is an unreliable traitor, and he has often used Lina and her friends in order to carry forward his goals. You can trust he will help as long as it benefits his plans. Nobody knows which exactly those plans are, but he hasn’t killed them yet, so…

Sylphiel- A young and beautiful shrine maiden. She is Gourry’s childhood friend and she is in love with Gourry, but she is afraid of he is in love with Lina. She joins the group occasionally.

Eventually Lina ends up liking her partners and falling in love with Gourry (although it almost took the End of the World in order to her admitting it to herself. And I am being literal here).

Slayers began like a serialized novel in the Japanese Dragon Magazine by Rui Araizumi in the nineties. The novels became very popular and they were adapted in five TV seasons, six OVAs, five movies, several video games and a lot of manga. It alternates between serious fights and quests to save the world and silly slapstick humor, and it manages to find a nice balance.
Slayers is one of the must-see series for Medieval European Fantasy.

I am looking for links to the many manga series, but in the meanwhile you can watch the different anime shows: Slayers; Slayers Next; Slayers Try; Slayers Revolution; Slayers Evolution-R

QUOTE
My favorite seinen manga I think Belldandy and Keiichi are probably the best ever mutual beta type character couple. But my favorite arc was the funny, but with a sad underchord, revelation that Urd loved and still loves someone- Troubadour. Troubadour has strong feelings for her too (he gets fiercely jealous of Keiichi at first, thinking he had become Urd's boyfriend, but once he finds out Keiichi and Belldandy are the couple he's no longer worried about Urd being there), but he values a pursuit of a creative career more. It was the first hint that Urd had some hidden depths to her character. Urd is living her life as she pleases, but if Troubadour ever realizes that his feelings for her is more important than chasing after something he'll never attain (a career as his namesake) she'll probably take him back as a boyfriend. His songs are beautiful sounding, but his lyrics and singing voice are terrible.


Heh. I remember that.

super-robot-wars-poster.jpg

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#24 BlackLightning

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Posted 13 October 2010 - 10:10 PM

Since you put "touch", might as well, kick it up... Today's topic: Adachi Mitsuru

H2: One of the most famous and longest baseball manga by Adachi Mitsuru follows the story of Kunimi Hiro, an ace pitcher extra-ordinary who has led his middle school to national championship on baseball. However, due to a scam from a fake doctor he was diagnosed to have a "glass elbow" which will shatter in three months if he continue pitching which made him quit baseball altogether and goes to a highschool which doesn't have a baseball club. However, when the fraud was found, he decides to check the truth and discover that his elbow was fine which led him to help the baseball fans in his highschool to resurrect the baseball club and takes it to koshien.

Niji Iro Tōgarashi (Also known as Natane in other countries): One of the few "non-baseball" manga from Adachi Mitsuru follow the story of seven "siblings" (Yes with quotes since all of them are actually only half-siblings and never meet each other prior to the story) living at a distant planet which is VERY similar to earth, specifically around the age of shogunate Japan. The story specifically concentrate on the only female among the siblings, Natane and the newest addition to the siblings, Sichimi. The siblings primary goal is to find their common parent, the father who actually flirt and conceive children from seven different woman but then disappear right when the children are born. Its later revealed that their father is actually the lord of the country who supports them from the background but remains anonymous due to untold reason. On the other hand, the siblings are also in danger of being assassinated by two foreign "ambassador" due to fear of their real origin to be revealed.

Personally, Adachi Mitsuru is one of my fav author of all time. His story are mostly lighthearted comedy but also quite touching with some action thrown in the mix. Although to many, his mangas may tend to be quite repetitive theme I find them to be unique in their own way. I especially like how he shows how the character are extremely dynamic and develop in subtle but noticeable way over the course of the story which in itself is quite an accomplishment compared to other mangakas.

Edited by BlackLightning, 13 October 2010 - 10:14 PM.



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#25 Jenskott

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Posted 14 October 2010 - 01:45 PM

QUOTE
Since you put "touch", might as well, kick it up... Today's topic: Adachi Mitsuru


Oh, Man... Don't even get me started... I still remember when I was barely eleven-years old and I watched Hi Atari Ryoko or Miyuki.

QUOTE
Personally, Adachi Mitsuru is one of my fav author of all time. His story are mostly lighthearted comedy but also quite touching with some action thrown in the mix. Although to many, his mangas may tend to be quite repetitive theme I find them to be unique in their own way. I especially like how he shows how the character are extremely dynamic and develop in subtle but noticeable way over the course of the story which in itself is quite an accomplishment compared to other mangakas.


Yes, I like a lot his mangas. And he is one of the Japan best-selling manga creators.

And now let's "touch" the work of another popular Japanese creator:

”The Mazinger-Z trilogy: Mazinger-Z, Great Mazinger, Grendizer --Click here to view--


Mazinger-Z is one the fathers of the super robots.

There were two super robot shows earlier to Mazinger-Z: Tetsujin 28-go and Astro Ganger. However, Tetsujin 28-go, even though it was well loved, didn’t popularize the genre. And Astro Ganger never became popular.

On the other hand, Mazinger-Z not only popularized the genre but also redefined it, introducing innovations and establishing the foundations all super robots series have followed since. Now it seems normal watching a show featuring combining mechas, or a robot fights using weapons, or a pilot must get inside the robot in order to control it… but Mazinger-Z was the first one did it.

The story itself is simple and straight to the point: a Japanese archaeological team discovers ruins of a lost pre-Grecian civilization (called Mycene Empire) on an island named Bardos. One of their findings was the Mycene used an army of sixty-foot-tall steel titans. A German member of the expedition –Dr. Hell- finds prototypes of those robots underground could be remote-controlled, and realizing their immense military power, he goes mad (although it can be argued he was ALREADY mad) and kills all the other scientists of his team.

Only Professor Juzo Kabuto manages to escape and go back to Japan. Straight after he tries warning the world of the imminent danger as he uses his private wealth and his findings (the Super Alloy Z, a metal forged from a new element named Japanium can only be mined from Mount Fuji; and the photoatomic energy).

Time passes and Dr. Hell is ready to set his plans in motion. Though he decides he needs getting killed beforehand the only man knows his plans. So he calls his right-hand “man”, Baron Ashura (a strange half-man, half-woman being), and commands him to murder to the Professor Kabuto.

Baron Ashura travels to Japan, swiftly finds out the Professor Kabuto’s house’s location (after assassinating Professor’s granddaughter), plants a bomb and blows up the entire place. Believing he has effectively eliminated the threat, he leaves, satisfied and confident.

Unbeknownst to him, Professor Kabuto manages informing his survivor grandchildren (Koji and Shiro) about the Dr. Hell, and reveals him he has built one weapon capable to obliterate Dr. Hell’s robots: Mazinger-Z. He shortly explains his use, warns to Koji he can become a god saves the humankind or a demon annihilates it when he pilots the massive robot, and beseeches him saving the humankind. At last, Juzo Kabuto passes away.

Crying and torn between pain, grief and fury, Koji hops into Mazinger’s cockpit and tries starting the robot, ignoring his kid brother’s warnings. After several –painful- tries he manages putting the massive machine in motion… and then he realizes he doesn’t know how controlling it. Out of control, Mazinger-Z starts trashing whatever was left of the Professor Kabuto’s lab, and nearly kills Shiro, when it is stopped by a red-and-orange, woman-like robot: Aphrodite-A.

Sayaka Yumi (Aphrodite’s pilot), barely manages stopping the Mazinger‘s rampage, and leads Koji to the Photoatomic Research Institute directed by Juzo's former right hand man, Dr. Gennosuke Yumi (Sayaka’s father and Aphrodite’s builder). Koji has barely explained the situation to them when they heard alarming news: two giant robots are rampaging through the nearest city, and nothing can stop them.

After murdering Professor Kabuto, Baron Ashura is starting the Japan’s conquest in the name of Dr. Hell.

Hastily, Koji and Sayaka get into their respective giant robots and head to fight evil Dr. Hell’s robots.

From that point, they will relentlessly fight the forces of the Evil, represented by Dr. Hell and his sinister Henchmen, chapter after chapter. Mazinger and Aphrodite often are trashed in tough battles, and they needed being repaired and modified frequently in order to keep up with Hell’s increasingly dangerous robots.

Koji steadily evolves and grows up, transforming from a mindless, reckless teen boy to a responsible, courageous and dutiful young adult. Dr. Yumi practically adopts him (since he is an orphan), and he and Shiro move into the Institute.

He also begins a heated and complicated relationship with Sayaka. Both of they are close, and like at each other, but Sayaka is unimpressed with Koji’s tendency to rush into situations and speak without thinking. And both of them are extremely hot-headed, so they get in fights constantly (Sayaka is maybe the first tsundere lead character).

At the end of the first series, Koji and Sayaka manage destroy Hell’s last robots, blowing up his HQ and killing him. However it is a pyrrhic victory: pretty soon they discover the Mycene civilization hadn’t been obliterated. They had hidden from their enemies underground and they had spent several millennia thriving in subterranean caverns and tunnels, grafting their bodies in mechanical monsters (called Battle Beasts) in order to survive as they longed for the sunlight, waiting for the moment to reclaiming the surface from the humans.

And that moment has come.

(The movie “Mazinger Z vs the Great General of the Darkness”, and the last chapter of Mazinger-Z narrate the same event but changing the facts. I consider the movie canon, and it overlaps the anime canon –and in fact the manga accounts the facts such like happened in the movie-, so that is what I’ll describe)

Unexpectedly they strike down, razing the main cities of the planet to rubble. Koji fights several of them in Tokyo and he realizes a terrible truth: he can’t win. This time it isn’t a mad doctor but an entire civilization. They are too many and too powerful. He barely he survives the combat, but he knows the next battle will be the last one.

Still, when the Mycene resurface, Koji rides Mazinger again, feeling absolutely determined to win or die. Unfortunately, Mycene’s monsters are extremely strong. Mazinger Z is mercilessly crushed and torn apart, and Koji is badly hurt.

Though, before the Mycene can kill him, shows up a new robot, similar to Mazinger but still different. The newcomer easily destroys the apparently invincible Mycene monsters and leaves.

Shortly after, Dr. Yumi finds out a surprising truth: Kenzo Kabuto, Koji and Shiro’s father, who had supposedly dead alongside his wife in traffic accident, is alive. His father rebuilt his body, transforming him into a cyborg. Still, he found out the Mycene were getting ready to attack the humankind, so he hid as he built a more powerful robot (Great Mazinger) and trained its pilot: Tetsuya Tsurugi.

The ending of Mazinger-Z was a transition to the next series in the trilogy: Great Mazinger.

Koji and Sayaka left for the United States to study UFO technology, and the Institute had been destroyed, so all of it was replaced by new characters and situations: now, Tetsuya Tsurugi (Great Mazinger pilot) and Jun Hono (Venus Alpha pilot) defended the evil Mycene Battle Beasts, led by Kenzo Kabuto.

However, Great Mazinger isn’t void of merits, and the characters are a bit more fleshed out: Tetsuya is an orphan whom Kenzo adopted –right like Jun-, and he is jealous of Koji for being Kenzou’s true son, Jun is a victim of discrimination for being the daughter of a black man and a Japanese woman (and it was pretty unusual back in the seventies the main character’s love interest was a half-black woman), Shiro’s relationship with his once-though dead father is strained and complicated…

At the end of the series, Koji returns with a Mazinger Z upgraded, and he joins to the battle again. Unfortunately, Koji and Tetsuya spend nearly so much time fighting among themselves like fighting the enemy.

However, all of them together triumph over the Mycene Empire, and they feel like if peace has come at last.

How naive.

After Great Mazinger begins the last series in the trilogy: UFO Robot Grendizer.

At the first chapter, Koji returns to Japan after another stay in America. He has been investigating further about UFO technology overseas, and he has even built a mock-up saucer-like “UFO”. Since he has heard UFO’s sightings has increased in Japan, so he returns to investigate.

He flies to a research laboratory called Space Science Lab, run by the Doctor Umon to gathering information, but he lands in a nearby ranch where works Doctor’s son: Daisuke. He meets Daisuke, the ranch’s owner (who is obsessed with aliens and frequently makes a fool of himself with his attempts for sighting one) and his daughter, Hikaru Makiba (who has a soft spot for Daisuke. Yes, I know. NOBODY saw that twist coming).

They talk, and Hikaru befriends him quickly, but Daisuke seems quiet and surly; unfriendly, even. Daisuke warns Koji he shouldn’t try to contact with those aliens because they are NOT a peaceful folk, but Koji refuses listening to him: he has gone through two wars and he doesn’t want enduring a third one.

Later, UFOS are spotted soaring over the region. Koji goes to get in his space saucer when Daisuke stops him and warns him against going. Koji ignores him and takes off. He approaches the UFOs and attempts contacting with them, but they ignore his tries for talking and his repeated statements of he isn’t an enemy, and shoot him down.

Daisuke watches the aerial battle from afar, utters an “I warned him” growl and dashes towards a secret chamber located below the research laboratory, where a massive ship (which in reality can be split in two parts: a flying, saucer-like ship and a robot) rests. He starts the ship and takes off.

His ship/robot annihilates the UFOs and rescues Koji. However, Koji has realized who is piloting the weird, unknown robot, and the next day he interrogates Daisuke privately. Cornered, Daisuke explains his story.

His real name is Duke Fleed, and he was the young prince of royal family of Fleed, a planet was turned into a radioactive wasteland by the invading force of planet Vega.

The Vega homeworld had become unstable due to the exploiting of Vegatron, a powerful radioactive ore, and they were seeking to expand his militaristic empire and find a substitute planet to settle upon. Thus, the ruthless King Vega unleashed his armies -composed of flying saucers and giant robotic monsters-, sending them against the neighbor worlds.

The Vegan army scorched planet Fleed, a formerly peaceful, idyllic and green world. Duke was the only known survivor of the royal family, and he managed stealing the Grendizer, the robotic embodiment of the Fleedian God of war, back from the Vegan invaders who planned using it to spearhead their invasion fleet. Unfortunately it was too late to make anything, and Duke fled.

Soaring faster than light speed, he entered the solar system and crashed on Earth, Japan, where he was found and befriended by Doctor Umon. The kind doctor helped him to hide Grendizer and took him in like his son. Duke began working at the nearby ranch, taking the name Daisuke Umon.

It had been two years since he arrived to Earth, and he had been living peacefully since then, trying forgetting what happened. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t. And now the Vegans were invading his –new- home AGAIN. He didn’t want fighting, he hated fighting, and he liked being Daisuke Umon, working in the ranch alongside Hikaru and living peacefully. But he had to fight. He had run away once and the remorse still tore him apart. He couldn’t run away again. He had to fight, even if he hated it, because he knew what would happen if he didn’t it, and he doesn’t want seeing another planet turned into a radioactive wasteland.

After listening to his story, Koji vows helping him to fight back the Vegans and allies with him.

Through the series, Daisuke and Koji fight the Vegans armies (even though Koji is demoted to sidekick in this series). At the beginning he fights the Vegans with his UFO, but later the Space Science Lab designs a new flying device Grendizer can attach itself to, and he starts using it.

Hikaru Makiba also develops along the series. Eventually she discovers Duke’s secret, and getting fed up with being hurt whenever the enemy attacks, she trains to become a pilot (despite Duke’s objections). She becomes a true fighter, and pilots a device allow Grendizer fight underwater.

Later on, it is revealed there were two more survivors from planet Fleed: Duke’s younger sister Maria Grace Fleed and a man who had rescued her and fled to Earth, raising her under the guise of her grandfather. Caught in crossfire between Grendizer and a Vegan beast, he reveals to Maria that she is the last survivor of the royal family of Fleed (since he believed Duke was killed) before dying from his wounds. Maria swears revenge on Grendizer and its pilot. She tries to ambush Duke, Kouji and Hikaru at the Space Science Lab, but the fight is short lived. Both –she and Duke- learn the truth and have a tearful reunion.

Maria becomes the last team member –piloting a vehicle allows Grendizer burrow in the soil and fight underground-, and the four of them battle together the Vegan forces.

(Maria is also an interesting case of disagreement between original creator and anime adapters: Go Nagai’s –the original creator- plan was bringing Sayaka back and having her piloting the third Spacer, but Shingo Araki –the character designer- intended introducing one character of hers –Maria-. Araki’s opinion ultimately prevailed, and Maria filled the role was intended for Sayaka, including being Koji’s love interest. A long-running joke in the Super Robot Wars video games franchise is when Sayaka and Maria coincide in one game, having them fighting over Koji, who is absolutely oblivious to their rivalry).

It is difficult explain the importance of the trilogy back in the seventies. The popularity of the super robot genre sky-rocketed thanks to them, and dozens of series were created copying their schemes and tropes (Grendizer was maybe the first super robot show used the space invaders trope like a main theme, and later it was used and reused). Even though several super robot anime shows tried breaking the mould, no one truly could… until an anime called Mobile Suit Gundam was aired.

A bunch of mangas and anime shows have been produced, telling and retelling the Mazinger storyline, or simply featuring the same characters but in an alternate universe: God Mazinger, New Mazinger, Mazin Saga, Z-Mazinger, Mazinkaiser, Shin Mazinger, Mazinger Angels… the list goes on, even to this day.

The three shows have been aired in many countries, even though they usually they were renamed (Mazinger Z became Tranzor in USA, and became Goldorak in France and other countries), awfully dubbed and heavily censored (if you have read my other reviews/summaries of seventies shows, you’ll be noticing a pattern here).

You can watch the original anime shows here: Mazinger-Z; Great Mazinger; url=”http://www.ovguide.com/tv_season/ufo-robot-grendizer-season-1-79760”]Grendizer[/url]

The webpage where I found the Grendizer episodes looked a tad unreliable (why the names of the last chapters are in French language? I hope those chapters aren’t French-dubbed!)... But it has taken work finding a site where the whole, English-dubbed series is uploaded.

If someone has better links, I would love replace them.

Go Nagai wrote and drew the three series, but he regarded Mazinger like a mindless fun he used for blowing steam as he wrote what he considered a better and more serious manga (Devilman). To his shock, the manga became wildly popular –and way more popular than Devilman-, and the anime deepened further in the story, fleshing out better the characters and the situations (it is a rare case where the anime adaptation surpassed the original material). Because the anime’s popularity kept rising up, Nagai’s editors asked him writing a second Mazinger-Z manga. That version was written by Go Nagai and drew by Gosaku Ota, and it is more faithful to the anime, so I personally think it is pretty better.

Still, this is the original Go Nagai manga: Mazinger-Z;
Grendizer

Unfortunately I haven't found the Great Mazinger manga yet.

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#26 BlackLightning

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Posted 15 October 2010 - 07:10 AM

Hmm... Mecha huh? dang, too bad I wasn't much of a big fan of em... I'm more into tokusatsu... like...:

Technoman / Tekkaman / Tekkaman Blade (Name differs due to countries): Follows the story of Takaya Aiba (nicknamed D-Boy or Dangerous Boy) a human-turned-tekkaman by Radam (The evil organization in the story) for the purpose of invading earth. However, he was saved by his father and manage to escape from the organization although his transformation crystal was broken. He was saved again as he floats around the space by members of the Space Knight (the good organization) and eventually joins them in fighting against Radam. This anime is arguably the first and the series that influence the creation of the infamous first Kamen Rider series as well as marking the rise of Japanese Tokusatsu anime in Western culture.

Guyver / Bio Boosted Armor Guyver: Follows the story of Fukamachi Sho, a high school student who accidentally encounter the test type Zoanoid (Imagine venom from Spiderman and you got the rough picture) and activated it, turning him into a super-powered being and making him practically immortal. As the story goes, its revealed that the armor was actually escaped from an evil organization, Kronos who will do anything necessary to retrieve it back and use it to conquer the world. the trouble escalates further as the Zoanoids aliens starts to come and goes stronger and stronger, threatening everyone in the world.


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#27 Jenskott

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Posted 15 October 2010 - 06:56 PM

QUOTE
Hmm... Mecha huh? dang, too bad I wasn't much of a big fan of em... I'm more into tokusatsu... like...:


Hahah, I am a big fan, but don't worry. Even though I plan including more mecha animes, not every updates will be about them.

QUOTE
Technoman / Tekkaman / Tekkaman Blade (Name differs due to countries):


Jesus, I used to watch Tekkaman Blade... after a fashion. It was the awful American adaptation...

Maybe it is needed explaining the original show (Tekkaman) was produced in 1975 by Tatsunoko. Tekkaman Blade was a reboot produced in 1992, and Technoman is what the series was called in America and other Western countries when it was licensed by Saban.

Anyway, I watched Tekkaman Blade several years ago. It was pretty good.

QUOTE
This anime is arguably the first and the series that influence the creation of the infamous first Kamen Rider series as well as marking the rise of Japanese Tokusatsu anime in Western culture.


I'm sorry, but I think you are mistaken about that. The first Kamen Rider series was produced in 1971 (I have checked it in Wikipedia) and Tekkaman was produced in 1975. Tekkaman can not have influenced the creation of Kamen Rider.

QUOTE
Guyver / Bio Boosted Armor Guyver:


Sigh. You just had to mention Guyver.

Several years ago, the first OVA chapter was published in my country. I loved it. A comic-book publishing editorial released the first chapters of the manga... and then, right when the story was getting better and better, it was cancelled. To this day, it hasn't been published whole.

It happened back in the late nineties. So I had no internet and no means to follow the rest of the story. I was very, VERY upset about it. I still am. sad.gif

I loved that manga. The story, the characters, the fights... The Guyver armor was cool beyond awesome. And the monsters were grotesque and impressive.

Oh, well. I had planned writing a summary about Ranma 1/2 and another anime show, but I have lost the text I was writing. So I must improvisse. You told you like tokusatsu series, so I hope you like this recommendation:

Neo-Human Casshern --Click here to view--

The story happens in a not so far future.

Dr. Kotaro Azuma invented the first robot with capacity to think. Inmediately, intelligent robots began to be mass-produced, since they were completely autonomous and could carry out any work, not matter how harsh.

However, the first android, BK-1, was struck by lightning and went out of control. It escaped despite attempts to stop it thanks to his great strength. Some while after, it renamed itself Braiking Boss and built a robot army against mankind; the robots mutinied en masse when their cold logic concluded that: they were being enslaved by humans; and the good of the Earth required the destruction of the human race.

Braiking murders his creator and his massive army easily takes over the world and enslaves the munakind. However, before getting assassinated, Dr. Azuma foresaw the imminent catastrophe and turned his son Tetsuya into a cyborg: Casshern.

Casshern wanders over the world, trashing robots wherever he finds them and hoping finding and destroying their leader someday. Gifted with great strength and agility, Casshern is more than capable of destroying with his bare hands squads upon squads of huge and sturdy robots.

Though, Casshern travels alone: he is hated by the robots, which consider him a traitor, and hated by the humans, who regard him like another of their robotic tyrants. He is a lonely hero, and his only company is his robotic dog, Friender, capable to transforming itself in vehicles such like a jet or a tank to help Casshern to fight the robot army (Mm… a robotic hero fights robots and a dog-alike, robotic helper. I wonder if the Megaman creators watched Casshern when they were kids).

Later a beautiful girl named Luna Kozuki joins him. At the beginning she was harmless, but later she got an electromagnetic pistol and she greatly helps in the battles.

Back in the seventies, Tatsunoko produced many animes mixed sci-fi and super-heroic themes (such like Gatchaman, Tekkaman or Hurricane Polymar). Casshern was one of the most famous.

The first series ran from 1974 to 1975. Twenty years later an OVA series was produced in 1993, a live-action adaptation movie in 2004, and in 2008 the franchise was rebooted with a new anime: Casshern Sins.

You can watch the anime here: OVA and 2008 Anime

Unfortunately I haven't found the original anime series yet.

And now, for those who preffer romance to sci-fi and action:


Miaka Yuki is a cheerful, gluttonous and carefree Middle-School student. She is studying in order to pass the entrance exam for the competitive Jonan Academy, despite her friends think she can’t get in because her best friend, Yui Hongo, has applied for that school and she wants they go to the school together.

While they are studying at the library one day, Miaka and Yui find a strange book, titled The Universe of the Four Gods. They read it, and then they are transported into the novel’s universe. However, Yui returns to real world almost immediately.

Inside the book, Miaka discovers she is the Priestress of Suzaku (according some Eastern legends, Suzaku –Red Phoenix of the South-, Seiryu –Blue Dragon of the East-, Genbu – Black Tortoise of the North-, and Byakko –White Tiger of the West- were the gods guarded the Four Corners of the World. Some legends replace one of the gods by Kirin or place Kirin in the center of the world, but it has nothing to do with this manga), and she is destined to gather the seven Celestial Warriors of the god Suzaku in order to summon it and obtain three wishes. She falls in love with one of her Celestial Warriors, Tamahome, who eventually reciprocates her feelings, and Miaka’s desire to enter any high school she wishes begins to shift to find a way to remain with Tamahome.

Unfortunately, there was a big obstacle in her plans: her not-so-best-friend-after-all, Yui.

Yui had been drawn back into the book when she was trying to help Miaka to come back to the real world, and then she becomes the Priestess of Seiryuu. She fell in love with Tamahome and began working against Miaka out of jealousy over the warrior and revenge for the humiliation and pain she had suffered when she first came to the book world.

Along the series, Miaka and Yui face many trials, both quest-related and personal. Each one of them feels betrayed by her best friend, and they fight at each other with her respective warriors, vying for the chance to be granted three gods by the god whom they intend summoning.

Fushigi Yuugi is an eighteen-volumes-long shojo manga created by Yuu Watase, which became very popular in the nineties, lasting from 1992 to 1996. A fifty-two-episodes-long anime show, several OVAs series and novels were produced, and Watase began writing and illustrating a prequel manga in 2003.

How you can see, this manga combines romance and action, and the art is quite pleasant. I think it is a good reading.

To read the manga: Manga
To watch the anime: Anime

Oh, man. Several links apparently are not working right now (I hope it is a temporary trouble with the original website). And there are many series I have not linked too yet. I hope I can catch up this weekend.

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#28 Jenskott

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Posted 16 October 2010 - 08:51 PM

More classic manga and anime series:

Captain Tsubasa --Click here to view--

Captain Tsubasa is another sport-themed shonen manga. Actually, it is the most popular and best-seller soccer manga ever.

The story begins when the family of Tsubasa Ozora (the main character) moves to the city of Nankatsu. The hyperactive, eleven-year old is completely thrilled because he is obsessed with soccer and spends his whole time playing with a ball. However, nobody liked soccer in the city where he lived before, and he always was forced to play alone and he had no friends. Still, his new hometown is famous by their talented high school soccer teams, so he hopes finding new friends.

He doesn’t know there are two schools (Nankatsu and Shutetsu) in his hometown, and there is one soccer club in each one. Though, the Shutetsu team is full with good players whereas the Nankatsu team is formed by enthusiastic but lousy players. And the former is always winning, bullying and mocking the latter.

Tsubasa is exploring the city while constantly kicking a soccer ball, when he runs by a soccer training field (where the Nankatsu uses to train) and realizes several fights are arguing furiously. Intrigued, he stops and listens.

Several days ago, the Shutetsu and Nankatsu teams had bet if the former could score more than ten goals to the latter, the Nankatsu team would hand over its training field to the Shutetsu team. The Shutetsu team won, and now Genzo –the tall and conceited Shutetsu captain and goalkeeper- demands they leave.

The Nankatsu players insist on that is THEIR field and they have no other place where play, whereas Genzo’s team does. Genzo gets tired with the argument and challenges them to score at least one goal, declaring he can stop anything shoot.

Several of them attempt scoring, but all of them fail, and the Shutetsu players suggest them –quite rudely- they leave at once. However, Tsubasa, who has watched the entire event and is feeling quite irked, steps in the team and challenges the whole Shutetsu team. He barely succeeds, and Genzo –who is very proud and can’t stand losing-, gets furious and challenges him to one duel in the next match.

That is the beginning of this manga focuses on Tsubasa's relationship with his friends, rivalry with his opponents, training, competition, and the action and outcome of each football match. Along the history, Tsubasa will meet friends (such like Ryo Ishizaki, Taro Misaki, Genzo –whom he eventually befriends- or Sanae Nakazawa, who is a cute, tsundere cute girl attends to the same school and cheers the soccer team, and will eventually become his wife) and rivals (such like Kojiro Hyuuga), as he participate in soccer tournaments.

Yoichi Takahashi created the manga back in 1981 and it lasted seven years, spanning thirty-seven volumes. Later he created several sequels: World Youth, Road to 2002 and Golden-23, and several spin-offs continue being published. Several anime shows, films and OVAs have also been done.

To read the manga: Captain Tsubasa; World Youth; Road to 2002; Golden-23; Dream Field

To watch the first anime version: Anime



This is another shonen anime featuring warriors with armor and a setting heavily influenced by Hindu and Buddhist mythology.

The plot revolves around two lifelong best friends and rivals Shurato Hidaka (the main character: enthusiast, bold and rash) and Gai Kuroki (who is calm, collected and compassionate). While fighting each other in a martial arts tournament, they are suddenly encased in a beam of light and transported to a parallel world, Tenkūkai which exists alongside Earth.

In that parallel world, modern technology does not exist and instead the people rely on Sohma, a sort of spiritual energy. Evil forces known as the Asura Gods are threatening to overcome the forces of good, forcing Goddess Vishnu, the Tenkukai’s ruler, to transport warriors from Earth to their world.

A young and cheerful native named Lakshu finds Shurato right after he is transported. She explains to him where he has landed, and Shurato discovers he is the reincarnation of an ancient king of the same name and one of the "Hachibushu" (a group of eight legendary warriors clad in animal-shaped armors) and was brought here along with Gai to fight the Asura Gods. However, for unknown reasons, Gai suddenly attacks them, attempting to kill Shurato and confusing him, since Gai not only he his friend but also he is a pacifist.

During the battle, Lakshu helps him to tap into his latent power and use his armor in order to survive Gai’s murderous strikes, and they manage surviving until Hyuuga, another of the eight warriors, finds them. He defeats Gai and guides them to the Vishnu palace where they meet the remainder Hachibushu.

However, Indrah, Vishnu’s highest advisor, turns out to be a traitor. He petrifies Vishnu and frames Shurato and Hyuuga, who must flee the palace. Indrah and the corrupted Gai –who is being influenced by Indrah- convince the remainder Hachibushu and all of Vishnu warriors and soldiers that Shurato and Hyuuga are evil and must be killed.

Framed, betrayed and hunted down, Shurato and Hyuuga must uncovering the conspiracy and cure Vishnu if they want surviving. They are accompanied by Lakshu and two Hachibushu, Ryoma and Reiga. Along the way they engage in battle with the remainder Hachibushu, Asura agents and the majority of the Tenkukai’s army.

And meanwhile, Shurato is constantly grieving because his best friend has tried murdering him and he doesn’t understand why Gai is doing that, or how managing he recovers his sanity.

Shurato displayed all classic elements you could expect of an anime starring warriors with armor (mythology, magic, brotherhood, friendship, rivalry, camaraderie), and was one of the most popular shonen anime in 1989. The original anime lasted thirty-eight episodes and ran from 1989 to 1990, and it spawned six OVAs in the early nineties.

It is well worth of being watched.

To watch the anime: link



The story narrates the life of Candace “Candy” White, a blonde, green-eyed, freckled, orphaned American girl growing up in the first two decades of the 20th century. It goes through her life in the orphanage, her adoption, her convoluted love life (first with Anthony, who dies tragically and later with rebellious Terry), her friends, her rivals, and her determination of being a capable and independent woman.

Candy Candy began like a novel written by Kyoko Mizuki in 1975 which later was adapted to manga, also written by Mizuki and illustrated by Yumiko Igarashi. It was one of the shojo mangas more popular back in the seventies, and its popularity spread through Europe and Latin America in the next decade.

Candy Candy isn’t only one of the first shojo animes I have watched (long before what I knew of the existence and meaning of the word “anime”), but it was one of the first mangas was published in my country, back in the eighties.

It is still popular, but due to the legal fights between Mizuki and Igarashi I’m afraid it is unlikely the manga or the anime will be licensed in USA.

To read the manga: Manga

To watch the anime: Anime

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#29 ciardha

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Posted 16 October 2010 - 11:15 PM

Have to add my first anime- watched it starting way back in Feb. 1971 when it first aired in my city on our then brand new independent TV station (later becoming our Fox affiliate)

Speed Racer/Mahha Go Go Go --Click here to view--
Yeah compared to modern anime there's not a whole lot to it but, well it was my first anime and I was just 4 1/2 when I first watched it. Speed Racer is a pretty campy adaption, but this was the era of campy TV adaptions in the US- The Monsters, Addams Family, The Monkees (a campy take on the Beatles, but popular in their own right), the live action Batman (my favorite take on Batman, I have to say- no surprise years later my favorite take on the Justice League, was Keith Giffen, with Guy Gardner, Ice, Fire, etc...)so it's not a surprise Mahha Go Go Go got a campy adaption as Speed Racer, but in it's case, it might have been campy but there was actual story lines, and a tiny bit of serious angst with Racer X's storyline. Heh, I can remember my mom getting caught up in the story in the episodes where Racer X makes an appearance. And Trixie (Michi in the original manga and anime) was a far stronger and independent girl (while still fangirling over Speed/Go in the original manga and anime) than was in any American cartoon of that era. Thelma of Scooby Doo was the closest one got to a female character with her own mind. But Trixie trumps her big time. Trixie could fight and could fly a helicopter. It seemed like Thelma lost her glasses sometime almost every episode and without them she was helpless. Trixie also foreshadows the shonen type tsundere with her hot temper, even when captured she was no cowering victim, she'd verbally rip into whoever caught her, and as soon as the rescue came she played an active part in her rescue. This was better than even Star Trek's Uhura, who was probably the best and strongest female character created for American TV from the mid 1960's-1971. (In 1972 Maude premiered. Maude was a middle aged outspoken liberal feminist)

It was many years after Speed Racer was shown before some of the original manga was translated and published in the US and more years yet before it became possible to see some of the anime subtitled. I have read some of the manga, but haven't seen the subtitled anime, other than the theme song in the original Japanese. But it's been on my "to see" list for years.

Dream you dream alone is only a dream, but dream we dream together is reality- Yoko Ono 1971

When you go to war, both sides lose totally- Yoko Ono

Remember, our hearts are one. Even when we are at war with each other, our hearts are always beating in unison- Yoko Ono 2009

#30 BlackLightning

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Posted 17 October 2010 - 12:19 AM

@Jenskott well... sorry about the mistake, the thing is that in Indonesia, Tekkaman Blade shows up BEFORE Kamen Rider series (with the first Kamen Rider that shows up actually was Black and then followed by Ichigo and Nigo, dun ask me why, I don't have the answer...) and... you can bet your a$$ I like Casshern, it was hella awesome. and... as far as Guyver is concerned, yeah, the armor is awesome, the monsters can make power ranger monsters seem like nannies... but the ending is the real shocker imo.

The ending here --Click here to view--
Kronos wins and conquer the world... Yeah, Sho loses


if thats not a shocker then I dunno what is

O well, todays theme: Cars and Racing

Shinseiki GPX Cyber Formula:

In the future, special AI computers called "Cyber Systems" has been used in racing as to help racers improve his ability and reduce accidents, one of them is a machine called "Asurada", a super-intelligent AI computer developed by Sugo Corporation, which is being targeted by Smith, who wants to use it as a military weapon. As the system is built for racing, Sugo puts Asurada into a car called GSX and delivers it to the Cyber Formula GPX's qualifying round in Fujioka, however, during the delivery, the machine is attacked.

The story focuses on a young 14-year-old boy named Hayato Kazami, the son of the designer of the car, who activates Asurada GSX in order to escape from Smith's men. But because of the machine has locked Hayato's driver data, he has no choice but to become a racer for the Sugo Team. Along the way, Hayato makes friend and rivals with other world-class racers as well as eventually fall in love and later going out with his childhood friend (and daughter of the owner of the team that Asurada belong to), Sugo Asuka.

This anime goes for a few seasons but largely unknown outside of Japan. I personally love the anime due to the effects and the technologies in the series as well as the showing of on-growing relationship between human and machine.

eX-Driver (also known as eX-D):

In the distant future people no longer drive cars themselves, instead relying on AI (artificial intelligence) computers to drive their cars for them. But when these AI systems start losing control and running wild somebody has to stop them. éX-Drivers are the people who are able to operate the older mechanical non-AI dependent cars who chase down the AI cars and stop them.

A good amount of future and near future technology was featured throughout the series, including automated highway systems and A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) technology. Automated highway systems have been proposed as a solution to the traffic congestion problems.

Anybody regardless of age can be an éX-Driver as long as they possess the required skills. This would explain why one of the main characters can be only 13 years old and drive. The premise of the show is that there are éX-Drivers all over the world but the focus is on the team operating in Japan.

Cars used by éX-Drivers are marked with an éX-D decal. Typically an éX-Driver car would be an older mechanical type car and almost always would be rear-wheel drive with the exception of an AWD (4WD) Subaru Impreza WRC since éX-Drivers usually employ techniques such as drifting when bringing down runaway cars, which is much more difficult with front wheel drive (FWD) cars and in an all wheel drive (AWD) car.

Initial D:

Follows the story of Fujiwara Takumi, a tofu delivery boy in Akina and unknowingly a mysterious downhill racer legend. Ironically, he is also absolutely have no interest in cars or racing despite his skill and that he's working in at a gas station owned by the father of his best friend. Takumi quite literally shot up from being an unknown to top star in street racing community after he literally owns a famous street racer in his own game using a heavily under-powered car (a Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-APEX (AE86)) against a Mazda RX-7 Type R FD3S. He eventually race against other big-shots of mountain pass street racing and become famous all over Japan as "Akina's 86" (Akina no Hachi-Roku) and later recruited into a racing team created by a famous mountain pass racer Takahashi Ryôsuke called the Project D.

This manga/anime develop a cult following all over the world and quite literally the one anime/manga that introduce the concept of drift in races as a way to tackle sharp corners especially used in rallies and later become an international sport competition. I personally love the anime due to the realistic drifting techniques shows in the anime and the fast-paced action (and the songs of course)

Edited by BlackLightning, 17 October 2010 - 12:24 AM.



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#31 Jenskott

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Posted 17 October 2010 - 08:47 PM

QUOTE
Have to add my first anime- watched it starting way back in Feb. 1971 when it first aired in my city on our then brand new independent TV station (later becoming our Fox affiliate)


Oh, yes. Speed Racer. I was going to add it eventually but I needed gathering information about it beforehand (I never watched it. It was broadcast in my country before I was born, and even before my big sister -who watched and loved Mazinger-Z and Battle of the Planets- was born) so I could write a proper review. Thank you for your help.

QUOTE
@Jenskott well... sorry about the mistake, the thing is that in Indonesia, Tekkaman Blade shows up BEFORE Kamen Rider series (with the first Kamen Rider that shows up actually was Black and then followed by Ichigo and Nigo, dun ask me why, I don't have the answer...)


Don't worry about it, there is people has committed worst mistakes. I have watched people claiming the first Gundam series is a Gundam Wing ripoff (despite Gundam Wing was made nearly twenty years later), Mazinger-Z is a Grendizer ripoff (despite Grendizer is one of the Mazinger-Z sequels) and Twlight fans claiming the Universal's film (The Wolfman) rips off Stephanie Meyer (ddespite The Wolfman is a remake of a 1943 movie and legends about werewolves are several centuries older).

QUOTE
you can bet your a$$ I like Casshern, it was hella awesome.


Oh, yes. It is.

Although I don't like the character designs from Casshern: Sins. They are too... slim. I don't know. I preffer the art of the original series and of the first remake.

QUOTE
as far as Guyver is concerned, yeah, the armor is awesome, the monsters can make power ranger monsters seem like nannies... but the ending is the real shocker imo.


Thank you for the spoiler tags. I am still trying finding the whole manga so I don't want spoiling myself. wink.gif

QUOTE
O well, todays theme: Cars and Racing


Those series sound interesting.

I would like add more series but I have no time right now to write summaries and reviews. Nonetheless, I promise my next post will have plenty series to talk about.

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#32 Jenskott

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Posted 18 October 2010 - 11:04 AM

Okay, I promised. Firstly, two sci-fi animes starred by action girls:

Bubblegum Crisis --Click here to view--

Bubblegum Crisis is an eight-episode-long, sci-fi series of OVAs, set in Tokyo in year 2032 and starred by a team of female bounty hunters with power suits.

The story begins in late 2032, thirty years after the earthquake split Tokyo in two. Genom, a mega-corporation with immense power and influence, is the main antagonist. Its primary product is the boomer, a kind of humanoid robot can be used and modified for any purpose. They were created to serve the humankind, but Genom uses them secretly with evil goals. In its hands they can become deadly weapons.

Opposing them are the Knight Sabers, a mercenary team formed by four women with considerable combat skills, clad in high-tech battle suits. They are led by Sylia Stingray, the daughter of the scientist invented the boomer technology before Genom’s agents assassinated him and stole his invention. Though someone sent Sylia a message, warning her from the Genom’s plans and revealing to her how building the hardsuits to oppose to the corporation. The remainder Knight Sabers are: Priss Asagiri, a beautiful, moody, temperamental and rebellious rock singer; Linna Yamazaki, an aerobics instructor; and Nene Romanova, a policewoman serves like Knight Sabers’ mole in the ADP Police.

Thank to their skills and weaponry, they can deal with threats the Police is inefficient against. Throughout the eight episodes they will battle against lethal threats will put in danger the whole of Tokyo and its citizens.

This series was originally plotted being thirteen episodes long, but due to budget issues and inner disagreements between the two studios producing it, it was cut down to eight chapters. Several sequels have been produced, and it still remains a fan favourite.

You can watch it here: Bubblegum Crisis; Bubblegum Crash; Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040



Year 2138. It has been a long time since humanity start exploring the cosmos. After several decades it has spread through several solar systems.

However, it doesn’t mean troubles have disappeared. A corporation called World Welfare Works Association (also WWWA) helps member systems of the United Galactica federation to deal with planetary-scale problems, by profit, by sending agents called “trouble consultants”. The most important arm of the organization is the Criminal Investigations section, which solves crimes or mysteries, and one of the best and most talented teams of trouble consultants is the named “Lovely Angels”, formed by Kei and Yuri. They have a near-perfect success record.

Unfortunately they are the last persons you want the WWWA sends to help you.

Why?

Because they tend to leave a trail of destruction behind them.

They have a reputation for being always successful… and for blowing up all they touch, and then claiming it was NOT their blame. Due to that reputation (which is totally unfair: they don’t ALWAYS blow up everything: only nearly the half of time. And it is not their blame! Although their mere PRESENCE uses to make everything worse), they have earned another nickname: the Dirty Pair.

Dirty Pair is a sci-fi series combines crazy comedy and action. It began like a series of eight light novels by Haruka Takachiho in the middle-to-late eighties, and it has spawned several anime shows, OVA series, films, graphic novels.

It is real funny, and the action is entertaining. I recommend it.

To watch the anime: Dirty Pair


Now a classic manga and anime series:


Ranma ½ is possibly the most popular Rumiko Takahashi’s work.

Ranma Saotome, the main character, is a sixteen-year old martial artist who has wandered over Japan and China with his father (Genma Saotome) in a long training trip for ten years due to Genma’s desire of training him in their family’s fighting style (Anything-Goes Martial Arts, Saotome Style) and turning him into the best martial artist ever. Due to that lifestyle, Ranma is stubborn, rash and cocky and he tends to talk without thinking.

And then, upon returning to Japan, his father informs him he is to get married to the daughter of his father’s best friend.

Akane Tendo, the female main character, is a sixteen-year old schoolgirl and martial artist lives with her father and her sisters on Tokyo, and trains hard to master her family fighting style (Anything-Goes Martial Arts, Tendo Style) and inherit the family Dojo. She is tenacious, brave, nice and sweet, but due to be forced to deal with an alarmingly high number of moronic boys everyday, she is quite temperamental and has very warped opinions about the opposite sex.

And then, one day, his father –Soun Tendo- calls her and her two sisters and announces his best friend, Genma Saotome, is coming today with his son Ranma… and one of them is to get engaged and married to the boy in order to join their martial art schools.

Understandably, neither of them is happy of getting forcefully engaged to someone they don’t know.

Before they can argue further, though, the doorbell sounds. Thinking the Saotomes have just arrived, the four family members head towards the door.

What they meet isn’t what they were expecting: standing in the threshold there are a big, laconic-looking panda bear, slinging a young person over its shoulder.

The panda bear unceremoniously puts down the young teen, who meekly affirms being Ranma Saotome. Soun hugs him, crying in happiness.

Then he realizes “he” is one “she”. Soun faints, crying in sadness.

Akane’s sisters –Nabiki and Kasumi- aren’t exactly impressed about that “fiancée”. But whereas Kasumi –who is exceptionally good-natured- is trying calming her father down and being sympathetic, Nabiki doesn’t stop complaining. Akane grows tired of seeing them harassing their guest, and she tries befriending Ranma.

After a convoluted chain of events, the Tendo family finds out that panda and that girl actually are Ranma and his father. Genma had accidentally led Ranma to a legendary magical, training ground in the Chinese mountains, full with cursed springs. Whoever falls into one spring gets cursed to turn into whatever previously drowned in that spring. Cold water triggers the transformation and hot water undoes it temporarily.

In an nutshell: Genma got kicked by Ranma into the Drowned Panda Bear Spring, and Genma in retaliation punched his son into the Girl Drowned Spring. And now they shape-shifting every time they are splashed.

And why would Genma would drag to his son to such a dangerous place? Because the guide he bought about Chinese training grounds was written in Chinese, and he doesn’t speak –or read- Chinese. That is why!

What do you mean that was real stupid!

After hearing the story, Kasumi and Nabiki mirthfully and enthusiastically agree Akane should get engaged to Ranma instead of either them. Neither Ranma nor Akane are happy with the idea (they were pretty angry with each other after a shower incident will not be discussed here) and they argue with everybody else and then with each other (an argument ends up with Ranma pummelled under the dinner table). Still, despite their protests and swearing they hate each other and “I will never get married to that stupid pervert/stupid tomboy!” shouts, they get engaged.

This is the beginning of one of the most famous anime couples ever. In spite of bad first impressions, Ranma and Akane start spending time together. Gradually Ranma realizes Akane is nice and sweet when nobody is setting her off, and Akane realizes Ranma is a good person deep-down, and they slowly fall in love with each other. Though, their pride and stubbornness don’t let them admit it aloud (actually, Akane is slightly more honest about her feelings. But Ranma is –despite all his blustering and tough façade- incredibly shy, and he is deadly afraid of telling aloud how he feels).

It doesn’t help Ranma doesn’t know how dealing with other people –his father never taught him-, tends to talk –and badmouth- without thinking, and Akane doesn’t take insults kindly, and she is prone to hit first and ask questions later.

Neither it helps a bunch of people (whose sanity –and its presence or absence- is dubious) gradually shows up along the series, wanting dating or kill either of them.

However they grow really close (and not matter what some “fans” tell, they can talk to each other WITHOUT yelling or arguing, they aren’t fighting the whole time and they are capable to apologize when they realize they are wrong). And when they fight together (instead of with each other), they are a good team.

Ranma ½ is a series had a very deep impact on the fandom, especially between American anime fans. Its blend of crazy comedy, romance and martial arts lured many people in it and ushered in the explosion in importation of anime in the middle to late nineties. Back then, the series was incredibly popular and extremely famous, and I remember anybody could find dozens of message boards, fanfiction sites, etc… devoted to Ranma ½.

This shonen manga ran from 1987 to 1996 and was adapted in two anime series, and several OVAs series and films.

And it is one of my favourite anime shows ever.

To read the manga: Manga
To read the anime: Anime; OVAs


And now, mindless fun with ninjas:

Raven Tengu Kabuto --Click here to view--

Japan. XVIth century. A brutal civil war has been ravaging the country during decades. Amidst the fights, the chaos, the desolation and the bloodshed, many ambitious men rise, willing taking advantage of the reigning mayhem in order to conquer the whole country.

Doki, member of the Kuroyasha clan. He is an ambitious sorcerer uses his black arts to bend armies of demons to his will. Evil reigns over that age, and he plots using that evil to take over.

Kabuto, member of the Tengu clan. He is a shinobi whose clan has sworn exterminate all demons wherever they are.

One day Kabuto is exercising in an inmense forest when he is ambushed by demons. He swiftly kills several of his assailants, and dashes off. Realizing the demons of the clan Kuroyasha have returned, he decides waking up Tengu clan’s Protector Gods.

Fastly, Kabuto heads into a shrine where are sealed Genbu, one of the four protector gods (and an actual Tengu. He is humanoid, with a mask-like, stony, crimson-hued face and long nose) and Hiryu, a deadly, bloodthirsty, sentient sword his father tried mastering.

Right when he has taken the sword, he is stricken by more demons. He kills them using his cursed sword, and he wakes up Genbu. The two of them get ready to gather the remainder Tengu gods (named after the gods who, according several Eastern legends, are the Protectors of the Four Corners of the World: Genbu, Byakko, Seiryu and Suzaku) and fight Kuroyasha and his minions and fell creatures.

Meanwhile, Doki is surprised there is Tengu clan members still alive, and he sends his demons to find them and exterminate them before they can stop his plans.

That is the beginning of the first part of the story. The second part features the hero’s son (who is not only named Kabuto but also looks EXACTLY like his father), who is a slacker isn’t interested in battling demons but in becoming rich, and uses his ninja skills for stealing. Though, the appearance of more demons –who can’t care less if he is willing fighting them or not- forces him to rethink his values, growing up and accepting his destine. Therefore, he becomes more responsible and dutiful, and fights the forces of Evil like it is his clan’s duty.

I confess this shonen manga is a guilty pleasure of mine and not a true classic. It is mindless fun featuring ninjas and fights in a fantasy Medieval Japan. It isn’t an overcomplicated masterpiece but carefree, escapist fantasy.

It has been created by Buichi Terasawa (creator of Midnight Eye Goku) and it lasted two volumes (from 1988 to 1989) and was adapted in a thrity-nine episodes anime show and a film.

The manga has been published in USA by ComicsOne like Kabuto.

Regrettably I am still looking for some place where it has been uploaded. So I can’t add links yet.

One of the characters (Byakko) wields two blades can be joined to shape a throwing shuriken looks like a Manji (Japanese name for Swastika), and the heroes use a ship also looks like a Manji (but the cockpit resembles a dragon’s head). In order to avoid mistakes, I remind you the swastika is a sign has been used for millennia in order to represent values have absolutely nothing to do with Nazism, and it has been used by nearly all human cultures, including the Japanese one. Its use in this series has nothing to do with Nazism (and if you remember, that sign also appears in Naruto)


Edited by Jenskott, 18 October 2010 - 11:18 AM.

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#33 Jenskott

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Posted 20 October 2010 - 08:04 PM

Okay. After a short rest, let's go on:

Firstly, an old, classic sci-fi anime:

Space Cruiser Yamato --Click here to view--

Year 2199. An alien race known like “Gamilas” has bombed Earth with radioactive bombs. The planet’s surface is a radioactive, polluted and poisoned wasteland, and it is inhabitable. Humanity has retreated into underground cities, but the radioactivity is killing them slowly. The Gamilas space ships have also decimated the Terran fleet, so humans can’t even fight back.

If nobody prevents it, the human race will be extinct in one year.

Though, in the middle of a battle against the Gamilas, a space ship crashes on Mars. Two space cadets investigate the wreckage, and inside of the destroyed ship, they find a dead woman carrying a message from Starsha, the Queen of Iscandar: if Earth can send a ship to Iscandar, she will give them technology will clean the radioactivity poisoning the planet.

Clinging to that last hope, humanity repairs the battleship Yamato, a gigantic, wrecked WW II warship lay on the exposed surface where ocean used to be, and refits it into a space battleship.

The Yamato determinedly sets forth towards the stars with one hopeless mission: reaching Iscandar and coming back within one year with the radioactivity-cleansing technology, and saving the humanity.

And the Yamato crew is resolute to blow up whoever gets in their way.

Right like Captain Harlock, Space Cruiser Yamato was created by Reiji Matsumoto back in the seventies, and it is one of the great sci-fi classic shonen animes. It was one of the earliest anime shows reached USA, dubbed Star Blazers and aired in the seventies.

The anime was created before the manga and it lasted twenty-six episodes long in 1974. The manga is two volumes long, and ran from 1974 to 1975.

To watch the anime: Anime


Now, a DB-influenced, fighting shonen manga:


Yaiba Kurogane is a kid who lives with his father Genjuro in a wood, and daily trains with a wooden sword. His dream is becoming a samurai, and he is real good with the sword… and little else.

One day, Yaiba and his father are attacked by wild monkeys and hide inside of a box. Unbeknownst to them, the box was full of pineapples were being shipped to Tokyo. Upon arriving to the city -and after causing untold mayhem-, the two of them accidentally meet an old friend and kendoist rival of Genjuro and his daughter, Sayaka Mine (who is the female main character and a tsundere). Genjuro automatically invites himself and his son to sleep in his old friend’s home, and he decides Mine’s household is a good place for his son living in.

Needless to say, his old friend wasn’t thrilled. Needless to say, Genjuro didn’t care.

Yaiba begins attending to Sayaka’s high school, wishing finding strong swordsmen so he can challenge them. He bumps into Takeshi Onimaru, a tall, strong and quite arrogant boy who is an excellent kendoist. Thrilled, Yaiba challenges him, but Takeshi refuses, on the grounds of he regards Yaiba like a dumb, noisy, rude and hyperactive kid. However, after surviving several traps set by Yaiba, he is just YEARNING for fighting him.

They duel with wood swords, and Takeshi loses. Being an arrogant and proud teenager kid, Takeshi can’t cope with his defeat, and he starts skipping classes and relentlessly training in his old mansion’s dojo. Little by little, he gets obsessed with the idea of crushing Yaiba.

Accidentally, he finds two ancient relics his family has secretly guarded during ages: two statues of Fujin (Japanese Wind God) and Raijin (Japanese Thunder God). The Fujin statue wields one sword and Raijin’s one is missing one arm. His grandfather reveals to him the blade Fujin is holding is the actual blade of the god, and what he fought Raijin with it (and chopped his arm off), and it stores the Fujin’s power.

Excited at the thought of he has found a weapon to defeat Yaiba with, Takeshi starts training hard with the sword, as his grandfather thinks nothing of it: even though that sword’s power supposedly can corrupt his wielder, nobody has managed awakening it.

Though Takeshi founds out how tapping in the power of the sword, and begins to train and master it, learning to generate strong gales can blow objects away, or sharp and quick winds can cut them from far away. He is thrilled, but he doesn’t realize the more he uses the power, the more obsessed he gets with it. The god’s power is too huge to be assimilated by a mortal mind, and it is slowly corrupting Takeshi, driving him mad and transforming him. He is becoming a demon.

Turned into a demon, Takeshi returns to the school, challenges Yaiba and easily trounces him. But he not only is trying defeating him, he wants killing him (without caring who can get hurt in the process). After almost succeeding in murdering Yaiba, he leaves, laughing loudly.

Back in home, Yaiba is feeling crushed and humiliated. He barely can hold back his tears as he wallows in his defeat. Sayaka is observing him from afar, feeling sorry for him, when Yaiba’s father shows up and reveals Takeshi is using Fujin’s sword, and it can only be defeated with Raijin’s blade. Yaiba pleads him telling where it is located, and his father explains it is rumoured that blade is guarded by a man named Miyamoto in Mountain Tengu…but he warns him mastering that blade can take a long time, and he can die in the meantime… or even worst, he can become a demon like Takeshi.

Yaiba doesn’t care for the risks and he sets forth to the mountain (dragging Sayaka with him). After several unfortunate mishaps, they find Miyamoto… who turns out to be Musashi Miyamoto; the best samurai has ever lived. Realizing Yaiba can hold the sword –which means he is the samurai chosen to rid the world of the evil is waking up- but he is quite inept –which means the world is doomed-, he decides training him.

Meanwhile, Takeshi’s power is increasing, and his madness and obsession along with it. He decides defeating Yaiba wasn’t enough good. He wants taking over Japan.

And Yaiba trains in the mountain, without suspecting he will be soon fighting gods, demons, spirits and all kind of beings.

This is the start of Yaiba, Gosho Aoyama’s first successful manga. It is a shonen manga heavily influenced by Dragon Ball, with stunning swordfights and light-hearted comedy. It ran from 1988 to 1993, lasting twenty-four volumes, and it was adapted in a fifty-two-episodes-long anime.

It was pretty successful, and it allowed Aoyama planning his most famous manga: Detective Conan.

To read the manga: Manga
To watch the anime: Anime


And finally, a romance shonen manga:

Video Girl Ai --Click here to view--

Yota Moteuchi is a caring, nice, considerate high school boy who has very bad luck with the girls, who regard him like a loser. He is in love with Moemi Hayakawa, but when the story starts he finds out she is in love with his best friend, Takeshi… and Moemi finds out Takeshi doesn’t reciprocate her feelings.

Feeling disappointed, heartbroken and sad because Moemi is suffering, he wanders around the city, when a mysterious video store called Gokuraku (Paradise) appears in front of him. He decides going into and renting a tape, choosing the “I’ll Cheer You Up” video.

When he arrives his home (where he lives alone since his father works abroad), he plays the tape. And the girl in the video –Ai Amano- comes to life.

It turns out that video store was special: the videos contained video girls, girls which come to life and out of the users’ television when the video tape is played with the purpose of cheer the customer up.

However, Yota played the tape on a broken video recorder, and Ai comes out “broken”: unlike the remainder video girls she can feel emotions. Cause it, she gradually falls in love with Yota, and begins to return his feelings.

However, the mysterious owner of the Gokuraku –known as Rolex- appears and tries recalling Ai, claiming she is faulty. Moreover, the Ai’s tape is nearing to the end of its playing time. And when it ends, Ai will disappear...

Video Girl Ai was the first -and probably best- sucessful manga of Masakazu Katsura, and it was quite popular in the early nineties –and very well drawn-. It ran from 1990 to 1993, spanning fifteen volumes, and it was adapted in OVAs, a film, and even a light novel.

The first volumes are very well narrated and very touching. Unfortunately, IMO, the story worsens later. Katsura drags on the story unnecessarily, and abuses the fanservice. Still the first volumes are very good.

To read the manga: Manga

To watch the anime: OVA

super-robot-wars-poster.jpg

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#34 crazyefra

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Posted 20 October 2010 - 08:26 PM

I got one, that was the first anime I saw, that for me was one of the best in the gundam series and in anime.
In the distant future, Mankind has colonized space (with clusters of space colonies at each of the five Earth-Moon Lagrange points), and, down on the Earth, the nations have united as the United Earth Sphere Alliance. However, the Alliance oppresses the colonies with its military power. The colonies desire a peaceful resolution to the situation, joining together in a movement headed by the pacifist Heero Yuy. In the year After Colony 175, Yuy is shot dead by an assassin (believed to be Odin Lowe), forcing the colonies to search for other paths to peace. The assassination also prompts five disaffected scientists from the Organization of the Zodiac, much more commonly referred to as OZ, to turn rogue after the completion of the mobile suit prototype Tallgeese.

The story of Gundam Wing begins in the year After Colony 195, with the start of "Operation: Meteor," the scientists' plan for revenge against the OZ military organization. The operation involves five teenaged boys who have each been chosen and trained by one of the five rogue scientists, then sent to Earth independently in extremely advanced mobile suits, one designed by each of the scientists, known as "Gundams." Their mobile suits are called Gundams because they are constructed from a rare and astonishingly durable material known as Gundanium alloy, which can only be created in outer space. Each Gundam is sent from a different colony and the pilots are initially unaware of the presence of the other pilots. Can be watched here.


----------------
Now playing: Green Day - The Static Age
via FoxyTunes
そして、あなたの声は私が聞いたすべてだった
しかし、私に値するものを手に入れる


Pairings:
Naruto: NaruSaku, (Fem)NaruSaku, NaruSasu (as brothers, rivals, best friends), ShikaTema, NaruInoSaku, NaruHarem (excluding Hinata), MinaKushi, ChouIno, YahiKona
Fairy Tail: NatsuLucy, NatsuErza :D
Bleach: IchiRukia

Characters:
Naruto: Naruto, Sakura, Shikamaru, Konan, Gaara, Kushina, Kakashi, Ino
Fairy Tail: Erza, Happy, Natsu, Grey, Lucy, Gajeel
Bleach: Ichigo, Nell, Kenpachi, Rukia, Karin, Kon

Misc.: Linkin Park, Green Day


In between Anti and Pro: --Click here to view--

Pairings:
Naruto: NaruSakuHina, SakuHina, NaruTayu, KibaHina, SakuKarin
Bleach: IchiHime

Characters:
Naruto: Hinata, Tayuya, Karin, Itachi
Bleach: Orihime, Chad

Misc.: Yuri :D



Pairings:
Naruto: SasuSaku, NaruHina, NaruSasu (as gay lovers), KakaSaku, SasuAnyone, ShikaIno

Characters:
Naruto: Sasuke, Madara, "fanon" Hinata (not to be confused with canon Hinata), Kabuto
Bleach: Aizen, Yamamoto

Misc.:Twilight, Yaoi, Fillers, Sakura bashing

#35 Jenskott

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Posted 21 October 2010 - 10:08 AM

Thank you! I'll add it right away.

I remember Gundam Wing. It was a good show, with good designs and good music. I even played the SNES video game (it wasn't a Super Robot Wars game but a fighting game, in case you are wondering).

super-robot-wars-poster.jpg

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#36 Jenskott

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    Manga/anime: Ranma 1/2, Saint Seiya, Kimagure Orange Road, Fist of North Star, Touch, City Hunter, Rurouni Kenshin, Mazinger Z, Devilman, Cutey Honey, Daimos, Space Battleship Yamato, Captain Harlock, Gundam, Bubblegum Crisis, Lone wolf and Cub, Naruto...
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    Videogames: Super Mario Bros, The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, King of Fighters, Earthbound, Golden Sun, Castlevania, Fire Emblem, Donkey Kong Country, Kirby, Kid Icarus, Final Fantasy, Sonic, Alex Kid, Golden Axe, Phantasy Star, Shining Force, Panzer Dragoon, Street Fighter, Mega Man, Crash Bandicoot, Medievil, Dragon Quest, Secret of Mana, Terranigma...
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Posted 22 October 2010 - 09:00 PM

Another new update. And this time I am talking about FOUR series:

First of all I'll review two classic Go Nagai's super robots anime shows:


As a means to explore deep-space, Professor Saotome creates Getter Robo, a humanoid machine shaped by three vehicles can change shape to adapt to the environment: the three ships can be assembled in three different ways to create a robot can comfortably move through land, sea or air.

However, a herd of reptilian creatures attack the Saotome Laboratory. They are a fraction of the army of the Dinosaur Empire, a civilization or reptile-like humanoids who evolved from remnants of dinosaurs escaped from extinction by hiding underground. The have lived underground for millions of years and now want reclaiming Earth, and destroying the humanity.

One of the mechanical dinosaurs shoots down a Getter protoyype, and Professor Saotome decides using the real Getter Robo, which is combat-capable, realizing it is the only thing can stop them. Thus, the Professor hastily enlists three classmates of his daughter Michiru to aid him to fight off the invasion: Ryoma Nagare, a rash and hot-headed artist martial (he pilots Getter-1 for flight combat): Hayato Jin, a quiet and calm loner (he pilots Getter-2 for land and underground combat); and Musashi Tomoe, a coward and slightly overweight -but cheerful and compassionate- judo practitioner (he pilots Getter-3 for sea and submarine battle).

The three of them and Michiru (who is a beautiful and strong-willed girl pilots a jet doesn’t combine with the others but resupply fuel and energy. For a while she also piloted Getter-2. Through all Getter Robo series, the Getter land-based unit has been piloted by Hayato or a woman) form the Getter Team and fight through many battles against the Dinosaur Empire.

However, Getter Robo is destroyed in the final battle and one member of the Getter Team (obviously I am not telling who) makes a heroic sacrifice in order to finish the enemy off. The getter team gets grief-stricken, but they can’t let themselves mourning their departed friend… because a new enemy is threatening humankind, and his sacrifice has bought them some time to build a new Getter and finding a replacement pilot (that was the beginning of Getter Robo G, the sequel).

Created in 1974 by Go Nagai and Ken Ishikawa (Go Nagai created the concept of the combining robot and pitched it to Ken Ishikawa, who took over the series from there), Getter Robo is just so revolutionary like Mazinger-Z: if Mazinger was the first robot was piloted internally, Getter Robo was the first transforming and combining robot, a concept has been used and overused from then in countless shows by both Japanese and American cartoons.

Getter Robo has spawned a lot sequels, spin-offs and alternate retellings along thirty years (the last of the which was created in 2004): Getter Robo G, Getter Robo Go, Getter Robo Armageddon, Shin Getter versus Neo Getter, New Getter Robo … the earlier anime adaptations toned the characters personalities way down in order to make the show more family-friendly (since their personalities in the original manga were… not QUITE heroic), but the latest adaptations keep the original personalities and the over-the-top tone of the original story.

The first manga lasted five volumes and the first anime series lasted fifty-one episodes.

To read the manga: Manga; Other Getter mangas

To watch the anime: Getter Robo; Getter Robo G; Getter Robo: Armageddon; Shin Getter vs Neo Getter; New Getter Robo


Kotetsu Jeeg --Click here to view--

It is also named Koutetsu Jeeg or Steel Jeeg (or El Vengador –The Avenger- in South American countries).

Hiroshi Shiba, the main character, is a young car racer who is mortally wounded on a laboratory accident. However, his father manages saving his life by turning him in a cyborg. Professor Shiba is a brilliant scientists and archaeologist who is investigating the relics of the ancient Yamatai kingdom, a country occupied Kyuushu in ancient times. During his research he finds a bronze bell with supernatural powers, and shortly after he is assassinated by soldiers of Queen Himika, the ancient ruler of Yamatai, who wants taking the bell and its power.

Shortly after the Professor’s death, Hiroshi learns his father hid the bronze bell in his chest and turned him in a cyborg capable to transform in the head of a giant robot, Kotetsu Jeeg, created by his father with the purpose of preventing Queen Himika from invading Japan. Himika’s army is formed by her minions and by huge haniwa robots, called phantom gods (according Wikipedia, haniwa are terracotta clay figures which were made for ritual use and buried with the dead as funerary objects in Japan during the 3rd to 6th centuries AD. Thus, haniwa phantom gods usually look like statues or figures of demons or undead beings), buried thousands of years under Japan's soil. And only Jeeg can destroy them and save the world.

Therefore, Hiroshi lives a double life as a racer takes care of his mother and litle sister, and a hero fights to save the world. He battles the haniwa phantom gods aided by Miwa “Micci” Uzuki, Professor Shiba’s lab assistant (and Hiroshi’s love interest), who pilots Big Shooter, a large jet not only shoots the Jeeg’s parts (Jeeg is formed by combining the different parts released by Big Shooter), but also sends to Jeeg replacement parts and whichever weapons Hiroshi can need in battle (which attach to Jeeg’s body by replacing a part of it).

Kotetsu Jeeg manga ran from 1975 to 1976 and was compiled in two volumes. The first anime series also ran from 1975 to 1976 and is forty-six episodes long.

Thirty years later, a sequel was produced: Kotetsushin Jeeg, which was aired in 2007 and lasted thirteen chapters. It takes fifty years after the original, and it changes or ignores several key events (such like Professor Shiba’s death) and alters the end of the original series: Hiroshi and Miwa fight Queen Himika in Kyushu, but her power is too big. While her monsters are overwhelming Jeeg, Himika blasts Big Shooter off the sky. That action enrages Hiroshi, who accidentally uses the bronze bell power to cast an impregnable force field around Kyushu, sealing the whole of Kyushu off the rest of the world. Stuck outside the barrier and cut off Hiroshi, Miwa makes preparations to fight Yamatai kingdom, knowing the seal won’t hold Himika forever. Fifty years later, the seal is breaking, and Kenji –the new Jeeg’s pilot- and Tsubaki –Miwa’s granddaughter and new Big Shooter’s pilot- must fight the rising menace.

Kotetsu Jeeg created the concept of a robot is formed by combining interchangeable parts. However, the concept wasn’t so exploited like Getter’s (I can recall only two series using it back in the seventies: Magne Robo GaKeen and Chojin Sentai Baratack. Neither of them became classic shows), and the series didn’t became so famous like Mazinger-Z or Getter.

Still, it was better than most super robot animes and it wasn’t generic by any means. Kotetsu Jeeg was entertaining and interesting on its own: the concept was good and it effectively used real world historical and archeological facts like background (Queen Himika was a real person, and Yamatai Kingdom also existed), and unlike earlier super robot shows, the enemy robots were built and moved by magic instead of technology, which was new and different and it gave the show an air of mystery and mysticism.

I haven't yet found a site where read an English translation of the manga, but you can watch the anime: Anime 1975; Anime 2007

JAM Project composed two songs by Kotetsushin Jeeg: Stormbringer -the opening song- and Dead or Alive (which sounds during one of the best scenes of the series). I put the links because JAM Project songs are sheer awesomeness regardless if you like or dislike the series. Trust me; listening to them is worth of your time.

Edit: I ignore why. but I can't embed Youtube videos. So I am posting the links:

Kotetsushin Jeeg Opening - StormBringer

Koutetsushin Jeeg - Dead or Alive


Go Nagai created more mecha series (Groizer-X, Psycho Armor Govarian…), but they are very minor and I won’t list them here. I won’t get you bored with them, don’t worry wink.gif )

The next work is one of the most important samurai-themed mangas ever written.

Lone Wolf and Cub/Kozure Okami --Click here to view--

Japan. XVIIth century. After several decades of civil wars, Tokugawa family has unified and pacified Japan. In order to prevent more civil wars and rebellions, the Tokugawa shogun (military dictator) uses several methods to control the daimyos (minor feudal lords). Three clans aid him to perform this task: the Oniwabanshu clan, who are shinobi spy on the daimyos; the Yagyu clan, who are assassins discreetly murder rebel daimyos; and the Ogami clan, who are shogun’s executioners.

Itto Ogami is a formidable warrior and master of the suio-ryu swordsmanship style serves like the Shogun’s executioner: he is responsible for enforcing the shogun’s will over the daimyo that the shogun ordered commit seppuku, assisting them to their deaths by beheading them.

His position is one of high power, since he is effectively acting like the shogun’s representative. And the Yagyu clan wishes taking that position from his family.

Thus, taking advantage of an absence of Itto, the Yagyu clan breaks into his home, brutally murders his whole family, and plant false evidence of he was conspiring against the shogun. However they accidentally miss Daigoro, Itto and Azami (Itto’s wife)'s son she had just gave birth.

Itto returns to find his household has been butchered but his newborn son and he has been framed by treason, which means he will be forced to forfeit his position and his clan’s name and commit seppuku.

Itto rebels against that, and he chooses abandoning the bushido (samurai’s honor code) and taking the Meifumado (the cursed journey for vengeance, which roughly means either “the way of the demon” or “the road to hell”). He becomes a ronin and assassin for hire and wanders over the country accompanied by his son Daigoro as he plans his vengeance against the Yagyu family, experiencing numerous adventures, and slying all assassins, ninjas and warriors the Yagyu clan sends, including the sons and daughter of Retsudo, the Yagyu clan head.

Created in 1970 by Kazuo Koike (writer) and Goseki Kojima (artist), and being twenty-eight volumes long, Lone Wolf and Cub is an incredibly epic and influential iconic manga, amazingly well written and drawn. This seinen manga is a real classic series and it is wholeheartedly recommendable (even if the story is very tragic and it can get quite bloody sometimes).

To read the manga: Manga


And now a volleyball shojo manga:

Attacker You --Click here to view--

You Hazuki, a cheerful, rash and energetic thirteen-year old high-school girl moves to Tokyo to live with her father Toshihiko –a cameraman recently returned from Peru- and her adoptive brother, a little kid called Sunny. Her mother doesn’t live with them, having left when she was very young.

You is an excellent jumper and she loves volleyball, dreaming with joining Japan’s national women’s volleyball team. However her father doesn’t support she plays volleyball and he gets pretty angry when the issue is brought up, which puzzles You.

Still she joins her high school’s volleyball team, and becomes one of the top players, although her coach, Daimon, is a brutal trainer and beats up violently his players when they make mistakes or –according him- underperform. You quickly befriends sweet and kind Meiko and becomes enemies with Nami Hayashe, the aloof and arrogant volleyball team captain, who likes neither You nor her cheerful attitude. They also became rivals for the heart of the captain of the boy’s volleyball team of their school, Sho Takiki.

You trains hard, trying becoming a better player and getting Sho’s attention. Gradually, Nami and her become best friends, forming a bond will last even after Nami joined another professional volleyball team.

Throughout the series, You will fight formidable rival teams as tries winning Sho over, keeping her friendship with Nami and other girls, and finding out why her father dislikes volleyball and her mother left her family.

Attacker You! Was a shojo manga written by Jun Makimura and illustrated by Shikuo Koizumi which lasted two volumes, running from 1984 to 1985. The anime adaptation was aired roughly the same years and it is fifty-eight episodes long. It was a funny, romantic story, and the volleyball matches were very exciting.

I remember it fondly. Unfortunately, it has never been released in United States (although it was aired in many European countries, where it became wildly popular), and it has been nearly forgotten. Still, it is worth of being read or watched if you can find it (and the DVDs version was released in Japan in 2004).

I have found some sites where the series can be downloaded. Unfortunately it is only the first episode so far: here and here

Edited by Jenskott, 22 October 2010 - 09:24 PM.

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#37 ciardha

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Posted 24 October 2010 - 12:21 AM

QUOTE (Jenskott @ Oct 20 2010, 04:04 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Okay. After a short rest, let's go on:

Firstly, an old, classic sci-fi anime:

Space Cruiser Yamato --Click here to view--

Year 2199. An alien race known like “Gamilas” has bombed Earth with radioactive bombs. The planet’s surface is a radioactive, polluted and poisoned wasteland, and it is inhabitable. Humanity has retreated into underground cities, but the radioactivity is killing them slowly. The Gamilas space ships have also decimated the Terran fleet, so humans can’t even fight back.

If nobody prevents it, the human race will be extinct in one year.

Though, in the middle of a battle against the Gamilas, a space ship crashes on Mars. Two space cadets investigate the wreckage, and inside of the destroyed ship, they find a dead woman carrying a message from Starsha, the Queen of Iscandar: if Earth can send a ship to Iscandar, she will give them technology will clean the radioactivity poisoning the planet.

Clinging to that last hope, humanity repairs the battleship Yamato, a gigantic, wrecked WW II warship lay on the exposed surface where ocean used to be, and refits it into a space battleship.

The Yamato determinedly sets forth towards the stars with one hopeless mission: reaching Iscandar and coming back within one year with the radioactivity-cleansing technology, and saving the humanity.

And the Yamato crew is resolute to blow up whoever gets in their way.

Right like Captain Harlock, Space Cruiser Yamato was created by Reiji Matsumoto back in the seventies, and it is one of the great sci-fi classic shonen animes. It was one of the earliest anime shows reached USA, dubbed Star Blazers and aired in the seventies.

The anime was created before the manga and it lasted twenty-six episodes long in 1974. The manga is two volumes long, and ran from 1974 to 1975.

To watch the anime: Anime


Oh yeah, that was the anime that made me (and my younger sister too) a confirmed fan. It was the first series that was translated somewhat faithful to the original, although all the names were changed- most the aliens only minimally though, Dessler became Deslock and the people he belong to were renamed Gamilons. The series, as you said, was dubbed Star Blazers (capitalizing on the name familiarity with Star Wars and Star Trek) It was shown on various independent stations throughout the US from 1979-80.

Battle of the Planets was my younger sister's introduction to anime, much like Speed Racer was for me. I watched Battle of the Planets and she watched it with me. I was kind of ehh on it because the voice acting wasn't so hot, but the art held my interest. Star Blazers, on the other hand, had better voice acting and a continuing storyline where character grew and changed, and even died. I've rewatched the show (from video releases) in recent years and from an adult's perspective, while Amy Howard and some of the others do decent voice acting, others were painfully bad. I've watched the original Japanese Space Cruiser Yamato, and the ratio of good voice acting to bad seems about the same- you can tell this was before anime seiyuu had the kind of voice acting training they started to get in the later 1970's.

Gatchman is about the same, better than Battle of the Planet's voice acting, but still kind of meh to me. I have a strong feeling the same will hold true for Mahha Go Go Go, because I've since seen other anime made from the 1950's-mid 1970's and the same uneven voice acting is there. Rose of Versailles' anime is about the earliest one I've noticed showing the change over to training for the actors. Rose of Versailles voice acting is the quality level you'd expect in good modern anime. That anime adaption was done in 1979.
Dream you dream alone is only a dream, but dream we dream together is reality- Yoko Ono 1971

When you go to war, both sides lose totally- Yoko Ono

Remember, our hearts are one. Even when we are at war with each other, our hearts are always beating in unison- Yoko Ono 2009

#38 Jenskott

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    Books: The Lord of the Rings, The Neverending Story, The Wizard of Oz, Dracula, Treasure's Island, Journey to the Center of Earth, The Black Arrow, Alice in Wonderland...

Posted 24 October 2010 - 09:05 PM

Yes, voice acting can be just so bad -and so jarring- like translation and dub. And back then nobody cared much, so it could be quite terrible and awful.

Next update. This anime blended romance with sci-fi and real robots, and spawned one of the most important manga and anime franchises:

”Macross/Robotech” --Click here to view--

Named Super Dimensional Fortress Macross (or Choujiku Yousai Macross), has been defined by his co-creator like “a love story set amongst the backdrop of great battles”.

At the end of the century, a massive (and I mean MASSIVE. It was as big as a city), unmanned alien starship crashed on the planet. Its coming heralded a new age for the humankind. After a violent war, the different countries of the planet joined under a global alliance and started studying the technology inside the starship, rebuilding it and renaming the SDF-1 Macross.

Ten years after the landing, the repaired starship is going to be launched. Hikaru Ichijyo, a young civilian pilot –and main character- comes to visit the Macross due to the request of Roy Focker, a formidable –and cocky- UN Spacy pilot (The UN Spacy is the military organization repaired the starship). However, during the launch ceremony, an alien race known like Zentradi indentifies the Macross like a former battleship used by his enemies.

The Zentradi approach the Macross, but suddenly the original systems override the crew’s commands and fire its main cannon. The shoot wipes out the advanced alien scouts and starts a war. The aliens strike back, bombing the Macross and the city built around it, and deploying field troops.

Hikaru takes the new VF-1 Valkyrie (a space jet can be transformed into a humanoid battle suit) on a test flight, and starts fighting the enemy. During the battle he finds a beautiful girl (called Lynn Minmay) about of being stomped by an alien and he rescues her.

However, during the battle, he finds out something shocking (and disturbing). The Zentradi are giant creatures… which look right like humans. And the valkyries actually were built in order to fight them.

Attempting fleeing, the Macross takes off towards the space. Later the ship’s crew attempts using the Fold System (an experimental drive allows faster-than-light travel) to escape the Moon orbit, but accidentally it sends them to the edge of the solar system. Since the fold systems have vanished after the jump, the Macross is forced to return to Earth by conventional means… despite they don’t know what may have happened to Earth after their leave and despite the constant Zentradi attacks.

During the journey back they are forced to constantly fend off Zentradi attacks and raids and little by little discover how dreadfully powerful is the Zentradi army… and there is something about the humans frightens the Zentradi by some reason. Something the Zentradi aliens call… protoculture.

And Hikaru finds himself not only in the middle of a war but also in the middle of a love triangle formed by the beautiful singer Lynn Minmay, the stern and dutiful pilot Misa Hayase, and himself (which was, in fact, the main theme of the series).

Macross initially started like an anime parodied the super robot genre (especially Mobile Suit Gundam), but it evolved into a more serious series. It started being aired in 1982 and became a big hit, spawning numerous films, OVAs and anime series continued the original story or happened in an alternate universe (the latest of them showing in 2009). Along with Gundam, it defined the real robots genre for the next decade.

It was aired in America in 1984, but the plot was adapted and edited, the characters rechristened and it was combined with two anime series had nothing to do with Macross (Southern Cross and Mospeada). The final result of that copy-and-paste was named Robotech.

However you want calling it, Macross is a series combines romance, action and humor with beautiful designs of characters and robots. It is definitely recommendable.

A new manga adaptation began being published the last year, with art by Haruhiko Mikimoto, the original anime’s character designer.

To watch the anime: Anime

The different Macross anime series have spawned many mangas series, but I am specifically looking for the most recent version, drawn by Mikimoto, to add to the List.


The next series is a popular nineties shojo manga... which has plenty action and fights, thus proving the "shonen=only fights/shojo=only romance" dichotomy is false:

Magic Knight Rayearth --Click here to view--

Hikaru Shidou, a redheaded, cheerful schoolgirl and kendo practitioner is visiting Tokyo Tower with her middle-school classes. Not far from her, another schoolgirl –Umi Ryuzaki, a beautiful girl with blue, long hair who loves fencing- is also visiting the Tower with her school. And a third schoolgirl –Fuu Houji, a smart-looking, serious girl with glasses who is a member of her school’s archery club- are also visiting the place with her respective middle school.

Neither of them known of each other. However, their lives and their fates are about of becoming irremediably and unbreakably entwined together.

Suddenly the three of them see a strange light, and a mysterious force addresses them like “Magic Knights” and begs their help. The odd light intensifies its radiance and surrounds them, blinding them.

When the brightness vanishes, they are floating several miles over an ocean, and they find themselves on a completely unfamiliar and bizarre place.

And they are falling down at the water is far, far below them.

They are beginning to panic when all of sudden, a giant flying fish catch them and carry them on its back to the shoreline. Over there, a strange man wearing robes greets them, introduces himself like Clef and explains that world is called Cephiro and he has brought them here. He also explains that world is held stable by the constant watch of the Pillar, a princess named Emeraude. Unfortunately, her former high priest, Zagato, has imprisoned her and monsters are rampaging over the land.

Clef informs them they are the Magic Knights who according will save Cephiro according the prophecy. He grants them magic armours and powers, but before he can teach them to use them, they are assailed by Zagato’s minions.

Hurriedly he sends them away, and they begin their mission to save a strange world, swarmed with ugly monsters, far away from their home, wielding witchcraft they don’t know how using, and without a clear idea of what they have to do.

During the course of her quest they must learn to use their new powers, obtain weapons, better armour, and giant robots, enduring different trials and defeating all monsters and minions Zagato sends to stop them.

It sounds enough standard for now, doesn’t it? Wrong. Things are not what they seem, and the plot has plenty unexpected twists and mind-boggling moments.

And victory can be more painful than defeat.

The sequel dealed with the Magic Knight returning to Cephiro and dealing with the consequences of what ranspired in the first part, trying fix the mess had been created and save not only Cephiro but also other worlds.

This shojo manga was created by CLAMP (a group of female comic writers and artists) and it blended elements of high fantasy, super robot series, magical girls and super sentai shows, adding a bit of humour and drama to create a very entertaining reading. Magic Knight Rayearth and its sequel ran from 1993 to 1996, spanning six volumes. Due to its success, two TV series and a three-part OVA series were made.

And as far as I can tell, it remains being one of the most popular CLAMP manga.

To read the manga: Manga
To watch the anime: Part I Part II

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#39 BlackLightning

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Posted 24 October 2010 - 10:38 PM

Today's topic: Bloody Action

Ok, I seriously can't believe this hasn't been added yet... I'm disappointed in you Jenskott... (And myself)

Neon genesis Evangelion:

Follows the story of Ikari Shinji, a wimp extraordinary who was called by his jerk-of-a-father, Ikari gendou to Tokyo three with nothing but a letter saying "Come to Tokyo 3, I have a use of you". The story goes on as Shinji found himself caught in the battle between humanity against creatures called the "Angels" as pilot of one of Evangelion Unit 01 (Ichigoki) along with a mysterious (and nearly emotionless) girl, Ayanami Rei, pilot of Evangelion Unit 00 (Zerogoki). The crew pilot later got another addition to their team in the form of one Boisterous and aggressive (especially toward Shinji) Shoryu Asuka Langley and her Evangelion Unit-02 (Nigoki). As the plot deepens, its becomes clear that the angels are not the only enemy out there, but there is also enemies inside the organization (Nerv and Seele) that has their own plan for personal gain.

This anime develop a huge fanbase and cult following due to its intense action, violence and bloody battles as well as the unique story line. Other than the original series, the franchise goes on to several OVAs, Movie and spin-offs (Including one VERY funny OVA called the Evangelion: Angelic Days) and the most current, there are several movies are being developped re-telling the story of the series with several modification under the title of Evangelion Rebuild.

I got more on the list for todays topic but I'll add later when i got the time

AREA 88:

Follows the story of a young pilot named Shin Kazama and his experiences at Area 88, a mercenary air force base secluded in the desert of a war torn country. Shin goes from head of his class at a world renowned aviation school dating the beautiful daughter of an airline president to a mercenary fighter pilot bound to Area 88 by a three-year contract that he was duped into signing by a jealous and competitive childhood friend. Determined to earn $1.5 million dollars to buy his way out of the obligation and return home, killing becomes second nature to Shin as he quickly rises to the top rank at Area 88. Overwrought with shame and self-loathing for what he has become, Shin begins to question whether he is still fighting for survival, or like his fellow mercenaries, for the sheer excitement and camaraderie of battle.

This anime is special for me due to the realistic and intense Air Combat maneuver and strategy that can put Top Gun to shame. the story itself is fairly boring for most people but I personally love it with the balance of serious and comedic moments as well as the intensity of the emotion shown in the anime, especially regarding the dilemma of a mercenary trapped between killing of be killed.

BT'X:

Teppei ("Tepp") Takamiya is the caretaker of a farm located in Kamui Island, north of Japan. His older brother, Kotarō Takamiya, leaves to study robotics in Germany and becomes one of the most brilliant scientists in the world.

Five years later, the two brothers reunite at a robotics convention in Mechatopia, China, where Kotarō is to announce his latest breakthrough in artificial intelligence. The convention goes awry when Kotarō is captured by the malevolent Machine Empire and taken to "The Area", a mecha base hidden within the sandstorms of the Gobi Desert.

By the means of a mysterious weapon called the Messiah Fist, a cybernetic gauntlet with various technological powers and options, Teppei manages to pursue the kidnappers by grappling onto their "transport", a giant insectoid mecha that is later revealed to be one of the Machine Empire's prized AI machines (known as a B't). Upon reaching the Area, Teppei is attacked by Metalface, one of the Empire's soldiers. Unable to win, Teppei is thrown, bleeding, in the Empire's junkyard. His blood reaches the trashed body of X, who was once considered one of the strongest B't of the Empire, and the disgruntled B't awakens. Faced with unanswered questions and imminent destruction, X reluctantly saves Teppei, and the pair flee the Area with soldiers of the Empire in hot pursuit.

Meanwhile, inside the Area, Kotarō discovers that he has been summoned by another of the Empire's soldiers, Major Aramis, to find a way to stop the ultimate B't - a creation known as Raffaello (ラファエロ) that has begun a terrifying and uncontrollable evolution.

As the series unfolds, the headstrong X and equally brash Teppei develop a brotherly bond, squabbling as much as they look after each other. They slowly uncover the Machine Empire's diabolical plan as they travel through strange lands and battle other B'ts loyal to the Empire, all the while trying to save Kotarō and to resolve the mysteries of their intertwined past.

This anime is one of my fav during my childhood and certainly have its own unique point from the generation's Mecha anime like Gundam or Eva. This anime is much more similar to GPX Cyber Formula for me, especially to this 1 point: The growing relationship and connection between human and machine. The action itself is very intense and bloody though not to the extent of Evangelion or Hellsing.

Edited by BlackLightning, 25 October 2010 - 06:34 AM.



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#40 Jenskott

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Posted 26 October 2010 - 02:54 PM

I haven't written a recommendation of late because I have been pretty busy. Still you can expect more recommendations soon.

That said:

QUOTE
Ok, I seriously can't believe this hasn't been added yet... I'm disappointed in you Jenskott... (And myself)

Neon genesis Evangelion:


Actually if I hadn't added it it isn't because I had missed it. It is because I don't like Evangelion. I won't explain my reasons here since this isn't the place, but I will tell one thing: I have watched the whole series and I have read the manga -the original version-. So I am not complaining about a show I haven't watched. I didn't plan adding Evangelion but I would do it nonetheless if someone requested it, since this thread isn't about what I like.

So you should not be disappointed in yourself. You have forced me to add Evangelion to the List biggrin.gif. Hence, you should be ashamed of yourself. tongue.gif

QUOTE
AREA 88:
BT'X:


On the other hand, these two animes are very good. I like Saint Seiya better than BT'X (the two of them were created by the same author, Masami Kurumada), but maybe it is my childhood bias because I think the latter's plot is better crafted.

And Area 88 is a very good series, but maybe it is somewhat tragic. Even depressing (especially the end. I am not going to spoil it).

Anyway if you crave for more action manga, my next update will feature several series of that genre.

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