Epic Post of Anime Recs for Beginners

[mystickeeper]

I know some of you don't like YouTube clips, but I really think it's the best way to showcase animation style, music, and quality, which I feel are essential with any series I spend my time with

Comments

[mystickeeper]

Wahhh, seriously?! I was just thinking the other day how awesome it would be if I had some Utena up on my walls! I can send you money through PayPal for shipping! Are the preview images anywhere online of what they look like?!

Re: CHUUUUUUUUUUU

[mystickeeper]

OMF, I love you! It'd be cool to get all of them, with the exception of the Chuu poster (AND YES, I HAVE SEEN THE SEGA OPENING ON YOUTUBE....WTF).

Umm, I am super excited about these posters. Is it cool if the Tokyo Godfathers one is going to my friend? She is an avid fan of the movie!

OMF Juri poster, even though it looks like he's gonna eat her boob.

[balladsofmirth]

this is incredibly informative!

[mystickeeper]

Thank you, and good! Sometimes I wonder how informative my informative posts are, lol. If one person finds it informative, that's good enough for me!

[balladsofmirth]

Oh yes, I definitely found this entry to be quite informative. A number of my friends enjoy anime/manga, and it helps to know where I could start reading/watching, if I wanted to, of course.

[tigrin]

Wait, what? What video store lets you rent kids movies for free? I've never heard of that. Not even at independent video stores.

I second all your recommendations, though I've never seen or had any desire to see Utena. You made it sound like it's worth watching, though. If someone sat me down to watch it, I would... otherwise, ehh.

[mystickeeper]

Really? Family Video does here! I'm not sure if Family Video is a nationwide chain or not. I just know I've seen it in Wisconsin and Upper Michigan.

[tigrin]

Never heard of it... the only chains we have around here are Blockbuster and Hollywood video (I can only think of one of these locally), and a small handful of independent stores. A lot of the Blockbuster stores have been going out of business, too.

[jiawen]

Laputa is one of my favorite movies of all time. It always makes me cry.

There's only one Utena series/movie, right? I've heard great things about it from everyone, and seen it occasionally at local used DVD stores, but I always worry it'll be like Record of Lodoss War or something where you have to start with the right miniseries. I don't want to accidentally start in the middle of things.

The treatment of the trans woman in Tokyo Godfathers had some problematic elements, but otherwise, great movie.

[mystickeeper]

Maybe I need to rewatch Laputa or something. I watched the English dub, and the use of James Van Der Beek (I'm a huge Dawson's Creek fan) as the voice of a 10-year-old kid kept throwing me. Is it a nostalgia cry, or a "this is good stuff" cry?

There is only one Utena series. It is 39 episodes long. It's been released a couple of times (like, I have one DVD that has episodes 1-7 on it), but the numbering system has always been the same. The series has most recently been packaged in arcs, and the order of those is the Rose Collection, Black Rose Saga, and the Apocalypse Saga.

Additionally, there is a movie. Since the movie encapsulates the series as a whole, I would recommend watching it after the series.

I can see how the trans stuff is problematic, :/

[jiawen]

I first watched Laputa in Mandarin Chinese, with Chinese subtitles. These days, I usually watch it in Japanese with English or Chinese subtitles.

It's definitely a "good stuff" cry, not nostalgia. It strikes just the right note of bitter and sweet for me. Kinda like Totoro, with its mix of happy, sad and just plain touching elements. There are tons of scenes in the movie that are just perfect for me, doing exactly what they need to do. And I love how it starts in media res. (Unlike starting in the middle of a series, which I can't stand. :) ) Can't say more without spoiling it for people who haven't seen it, but, well, it just makes me well up with emotions, good and bad, every time I watch it.

I'll try to get the full 39-episode series of Utena. Thanks for the explanations!

Re: Thank you!

[mystickeeper]

You're welcome! I'm glad it's useful.