I was just wondering what other animated shows people in this forum like. I'm always looking to discover new things and since we all have one very strong common interest I figure we probably have a lot of others as well. Specifically, I'm wondering if anybody here is particularly fond of any anime shows. Personally, I'm crazy about Cowboy Bebop right now (God bless the cartoon network).

-- Logo (vosepherus@aol.com), November 20, 2001

Answers

Well, I couldn't find the column I wanted so I will put this here. Anybody see the new Daria movie? Last name in the credits was Abby Terkule, but I didn't see Peter Gaffney's name. Hey if he's going to be making animated flicks for MTV maybe we should barrage him with email requests.

-- Barb e. (Suesuesbeo9@cs.com), January 29, 2002.

not necessarily shows, but anime i like...

macross plus: episodes 1,2,4 and the movie akira grave of the fireflies nausicaa

-- mckevin (bruin_boy@hotmail.com), November 20, 2001.

You know what, though - I bet (easy!) that what most people who log onto this website have for psychographic LCD's between us that we would reckon of any significance would make utterly incidental (or even inane) the fact of the show we're discussing being animated. It'd be nice if AEON FLUX took its cue from a genre that itself now altogether should ought in knid return the gesture. But what I mean, Logo - you see the inadvertant syllogism you would introduce:

(example) "'AEON FLUX'! HUH! WHAT HAVE I BEEN MISSING! HECK, I'M CERTAINLY NEVER GONNA BOTHER WITH GOING TO SEE ANYTHING DONE IN LIVE ACTION AGAIN, WHAT'S THE POINT" (another) "HEY! 'STORY OF THE EYE', EH? LOOK AT THIS, SO THIS IS PORNO!! HEY, I DIDN'T KNOW. SO THAT'S WHAT THEY MEAN ABOUT PORNO NOT BEING FOR CHILDREN: 'STORY OF THE EYE' IS PORNO.; 'STORY OF THE EYE' IS A RECOGNIZED WORK OF CLASSIC MODERN LITERATURE THEREFORE PORNO - HEY, I NEVER KNEW PORNO WAS ONLY FOR EGGHEADS AND YER SOPHISTICATED LADIES OR GERMS!? I'M GOING TO GO GET MY CORNER HAPPENING OUT ON THE 'VARD RIGHT NOW TO MEAT INTERESTING PEOPLE AND MAKE INFLUENTIAL FRIENDS!"

But on that note, I'll be logging off now I gotta go make some money...

-- dangerboy (artian@earthlink.net), November 20, 2001.

OH. But before I get off the curb - I read reviews some while back RE an anime feature that was supposed to be happening called, "BATTLE ROYALE"? And what's Eric Singer doing these days!

-- dangerboy (artian@earthlink.net), November 20, 2001.

Japanese animated films? Hell yeah! Japanese live action? Hai! Serial TV anime? Anoooo...

-- Inukko (nadisrec@worldnet.att.net), November 20, 2001.

I do like King Of The Hill. I've been an avid viewer, ever since I realized it was shoujo anime.

-- Inukko (nadisrec@worldnet.att.net), November 20, 2001.

I think King of the Hill kind of sucks. The reason I put an emphasis on Japanese animation is that most American animation is either just for kids, or it just plain sucks. Barring a few exceptions of course. I hope I'm not overstepping my bounds too much by talking about a non- Flux related topic.

-- Logo (vosepherus@aol.com), November 20, 2001.

The Maxx is one of my favorite animated shows... I'm also a fan of Ghost in the Shell, and Akira is okay as well, but not quite as interesting to me (it may all be nostalgia -- for me, as for many of my age I suspect, this was a first introduction to Japanese animation). I've seen Cowboy Bebop, and I like it. As for other American shows, I've always liked Futurama, and the Simpsons was good up until a few years ago (every once in awhile, though, they produce another gem). I do like King of the Hill... it's a very versatile show, bordering on drama sometimes, and it's usually well-written. I have to say I'm not a huge animation freak, meaning I don't go after animation for the sake of animation, so I've tended not to go looking for other stuff very often, hence the short list. Lately though, I do like the new animated Sprint commercials (yeah, really). Oh, and Sealab 2021 (?) on the cartoon network is one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time.

-- Mat Rebholz (loquat@csranet.com), November 21, 2001.

Yeah, futurama is pretty funny. I have to say that Family Gut is one of the funniest shows I have ever seen. I haven't seen any episodes from the new season though. Any Gundam fans in here? I thought 08th MS Team was one of the best animated series I had seen in a long time. Too bad it was only 12 episodes.

-- Logo (vosepherus@aol.com), November 21, 2001.

Battle Royale is a Japanese film, but it is live action - not animated. I own a copy of the UK release DVD and the Hong Kong release VCD because it is such a great movie - you should all check it out.

It does feature some pretty extreme and very graphic violence between young teens though (the plot is Lord Of The Flies-ish) so avoid it if you're not into that. Really, I like it for the humor... it is VERY funny.

As for animation I like, I am into Hellsing - a series currently showing in Japan but already licensed by Pioneer, I liked Berserk, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Trigun, of course Vampire Hunter D and Ninja Scroll, and the must-see Akira which everybody tends to like ;) I am also a huge Initial D fan... not sure why, but I am. And cannot forget Fist Of The North Star... it was really a classic, but for what reason? who knows - maybe because it was ridiculously violent to the point of humor.

There are many other series as well as animated movies I like (cannot wait to see Waking Life), but there are a few of the specifically Japanese ones

-- Attrox (attrox@vampirehunter.com), November 22, 2001.

South Park.

-- Barb e. (Suesuebeo9@cs.com), November 22, 2001.

They're Canadian Japanese anime.

-- Barb e. (Suesuebeo9@cs.com), November 22, 2001.

Thanks Attrox. I'll check out some of that stuff. I've actually been meaning to rent Trigun for a while now; anyone with two such cool names: Vash the Stampede, The Humanoid Typhoon, has got to be damn cool right? And I agree with you about Fist of the North Star. It's definitely a classic. Have you seen Fist of the North Star the series? I'm wondering if it's as good as the movie.

-- Logo (vosepherus@aol.com), November 22, 2001.

Trigun is a strange series... if you rent it, make sure you don't just stop watching after a few episodes. It is super goofy and doesn't get serious until half a dozen eps in.

If you like it, keep an eye out for Hellsing fansubs (they are around). Same lead artist, so the great style is their. Hellsing is a *TAD* bit darker though, heh. And by tad I mean about 100x ;)

-- Attrox (attrox@vampirehunter.com), November 22, 2001.

Thanks for the info. I generally prefer darker stories to comedic ones so I'd probably like Hellsung.

-- Logo (vosepherus@aol.com), November 22, 2001.

Hey Attrox. I'm fourteen episodes through Trigun, and it's a pretty good series. It is super goofy as you say, but it has a lot of heart and some pretty good characterization. They also put in just enough random mysteries surrounding Vash to keep you watching. Anyway, I was just watching episode fourteen, 'Little Arcadia', when it occured to me that the villain sounded an awful lot like John Rafter Lee, Mr. Trevor Goodchild himself. (See this thread is relevant). Anyone know if there is any truth to this?

-- Logo (vosepherus@aol.com), November 28, 2001.

Glad to see somebody put up the Maxx. So surreal. Did you know that Sam Kieth did another comic called Zero Girl? It only ran 5 issues and personally I loved it, it left the border from reality in that strange way the Maxx did. I do like Cowboy Bebop, its amazingly well done in style isn't it?

-- Barb e. (Suesuebeo9@cs.com), December 01, 2001.

I have a confession to make.

I haven't watched any commercial television on a regular or irregular basis, broadcast or cablecast, for over 15 years.

So it happens that I only saw one episode of The Maxx (for example). But when I saw it I knew I would remember it for how good at least one episode had proven now to be. I knew I'd have to make a point of it just to be straight.

But not only that ; but while I sat watching the show? I started having a problem with it. But it was an especially uneasy, alarmingly unfamiliar species of Problem With Commercial Television and I just had to sit ther for the whole duration of the show, hoping that when it was over with I could then take it in altogether as one complete sample of "The Maxx" and my mind's engines of critical analysis would surely - barring some preposterous outside possibility this show was extraordinary - duly deliver a profile of disappointment for how lonely and boring it had become being surrounded by an endless sea of pablum; and how I just still can't understand why can't there be even one other goddamn thing out there for me to point to as an example of worthwhile TV besides, of course, anything I should happen to be or have been involved in, for gods sake!

And then I began to notice that the commercials were easily in sufficient contrast in terms of any taste or intelligence or art at all to indicate that in fact the program I was watching was a monster of alien psychic freestyle, just unabashed in its wildly, alarming, impossibly wanton and utter absence of any regard for the fact that it was being played on American commercial television AS American commercial television or that there happened to be a dizzying myriad of unadvertised commercial tv conventions it immediately, right here before my eyes, and unceremoniously just was wiping out dashing to smithereens just out of control without so much as a tinge of self-congratulation or even acknowledgement of any kind to the hosts of offended said conventions now splattered about in streams of irrelevance and amnesiac unaccountability, all suddenly absent without leave from all of this...just utterly reduced to isolation and glaring naked stupidity isomerized on their tiny little islands now far or few between just fossilized in the breaks from our sponsors...

After it was over, I was really rather peeved and unsettled. Especially by the time it became apparent that no I hadn't even been dreaming - The Maxx was really, really really good.

One other thing was for certain afterward too, at least: AEON FLUX didn't have to worry about being the only one that mattered. And I mean I felt that dead heat thing coming up behind me like a freight train too - I mean maybe it was just me and my shadow but unh-unh: WISHFUL THINKING I would have to accept that we had serious competition - and, thrillingly, delightfully, radiant and resplendent in all its delicious dreamy monstrosity of delerium phantasmagoria, even on the same tv network!

sht.

God damn it.

Yeahyeahyeah, I - look just why don't

Just you -- um Imean,ah-yeah.

I mean, thanks. ImeanImeanthatthanksalot

-- dangerboy (artian@earthlink.net), December 01, 2001.

Yeah, the Maxx was pretty good. The funny thing is that as an animated show it reallly didn't have much animation. It was mostly just still shots mixed with the occasional paralax scrolling with the addition of voiceovers, which were pretty well done by the way. Since it mirrored the comic book basically to the frame, it was just like watching a comic book. I don't know what strange phase MTV was going through at that time, but I wish they would recapitulate that stage of development. We had Aeon Flux and the Maxx and not much else since then; although The Head had its moments.

-- Logo (Vosepherus@aol.com), December 02, 2001.

I still got most of the Maxx episodes on tape, they knew what they were doing with that on indeed.

-- nadar (nadar@BigPoppaPump.zzn.com), December 02, 2001.

Hey Nadar, welcome back! Anyone; just try to buy Kieth's original work, (and you won't find any from the Maxx). He can litereally live on the proceeds of what his original drawings alone sell for. I used to play just the begining of the Maxx, the part in the alleyway while it's raining in what seems to be NYC. It was so beautiful, sleepy dreamy intense colors and subtle plot. I think the Maxx complimented Aeon Flux really, they both seemed so classy to me. Very 'on the cutting edge'. I do have the Head, it wasn't too bad either. A runner up compared to those giants though.

-- Barb e. (Suesuebeo9@cs.com), December 03, 2001.

Anyone interested in animation that is kind of out there (and I'm assuming that describes the majority of people on this site) should check out Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Movie. It may be a little too shoujo for some people, but you won't get bored watching it. It has some pretty top-notch animation as well. And if you actually understand the story, please enlighten me because I have no idea what was going on.

-- Logo (Vosepherus@aol.com), December 07, 2001.