[Official] Anime/Manga Thread


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+1

The movie wasn't depressing. It's a fantastic suspense thriller.

Well, some parts of it are depressing, specially if you want the girl to do well lol. I mean, ya, great suspense thriller/horror, but sad as well I always thought.

About that Link on the previous page and it dealing with "stealing" of anime. Maybe they should not worry about stupid "dubbing", and actually release the anime with subs only. Also, it might help their industry if they get their animes over to the west in the first place. Tell me where I can get naruto shippuuden or bleach? I can't find it, except maybe for episode 1 and 2, on a dvd. Also, they charge way too much for animes. A series consisting of 150+ episodes, being sold by 2 episodes per dvd for $25, would end up putting most consumers bankrupt trying to just get a full series. They need to rethink how they distribute their product, as well as how much they are charging for it. Hell, its even harder to find the manga's of these anime.

So is it our fault we "have" to download our anime because it is not available for us to purchase?

What a joke. Who does this guy think he is? He wants us, western customers, to stop pirating? Fansub group and volunteer manga translators provide a better product that the rubbish these guys put out. Yellow subtitles? Can this company even match OZC's 1080p translations of Code Geass, Ghost in the Shell and Black Lagoon? Dropping a mainstream Japanese manga mid way through the whole serious? That's exactly what these guys do. Bang Zoom! isn't even a Japanese studio. It's a Californian dubbing company. They can go die off. The dubs might as well be spoken by people who perfectly enunciate the American English dictionary. The president even has the audacity to pander for sympathy by mentioning that families will starve because they won't get paid for their awful dubbing. He should review the product he's selling rather than cry about piracy.

Anime is never going to die off. It's simply going to become more and more popular since it hasn't even tapped into the western market as thoroughly as they can.

Yeah, the guy is definitely way too over the top, but still if something were to happen to the licensing and dubbing companies here, wouldn't that still affect the industry in Japan too? Of course it won't die because of it, but wouldn't it still create a bit of an impact?

Also, what's wrong with dubbing? There are some series that have worked pretty well dubbed you know. And sometimes, dubs are good for those who want to check out anime or get into it because it's easier to take in at first. At least, that's how it was with me and also, it's usually nice to be able to occasionally enjoy a series in a language I can actually understand. Gotta mix it up sometimes.

Guys, sorry but I have seen everything that has been recommended so far. But I admnit that your recommendations are great.

Except Dog of Flanders, are you talking about the 1999 version? That didnt depress me at all.

Yeah, the guy is definitely way too over the top, but still if something were to happen to the licensing and dubbing companies here, wouldn't that still affect the industry in Japan too? Of course it won't die because of it, but wouldn't it still create a bit of an impact?

Also, what's wrong with dubbing? There are some series that have worked pretty well dubbed you know. And sometimes, dubs are good for those who want to check out anime or get into it because it's easier to take in at first. At least, that's how it was with me and also, it's usually nice to be able to occasionally enjoy a series in a language I can actually understand. Gotta mix it up sometimes.

I have seen maybe 1 or 2 anime in which the dubbing was decent. There have been a few movies that have celebrity voice overs, which do justice to the movie since at least they can act. But most dubs are horrible. They will lack emotion, urgency, or just totally be off voice and tone for what the character should be. Even if I can not understand the language spoken, I can still understand the emotion put through, which is what most dubbing lacks.

Also, what's wrong with dubbing? There are some series that have worked pretty well dubbed you know. And sometimes, dubs are good for those who want to check out anime or get into it because it's easier to take in at first. At least, that's how it was with me and also, it's usually nice to be able to occasionally enjoy a series in a language I can actually understand. Gotta mix it up sometimes.

I can count the number of anime series that had amazing dubbing with my fingers. All of Miyazaki's movies had top notch voice acting. Howl's Moving Castle even managed to get Christian Bale and Billy Crystal! My favorite series of all time, Ghost in the Shell, features mediocre voice acting. Motoko sounded like a boring monotone character who didn't deserve being the main lead.

Guys, sorry but I have seen everything that has been recommended so far. But I admnit that your recommendations are great.

Except Dog of Flanders, are you talking about the 1999 version? That didnt depress me at all.

I'll give you one that actually made me shed manly tears. Rurouni Kenshin's OVAs. Both of them are absolutely tragic. I read the manga series and watched the long TV series, then picked the OVA's up... My heart was in my throat the whole time because I finally understood the duality of Kenshin. </3

Check out Berserk and Basilisk too. It's not depressing but they all have tragic figures. The two anime series seem to pay homage to Shakespeare's Macbeth, Romeo & Juliet and Hamlet, such as the symbolism of blood, main characters contemplating on their duality and weaknesses.

Even though the following series aren't my cup of tea, I thought they would have been highly rated anime series better than any of the silly drama of Clannad.

Myself;Yourself (Drama that uses the boring archetypes but takes a serious tone quarter of the way into the series. Suicide, depression)

The first three episodes of Aoi Bungaku (Rape, suicide, clinical depression, dependability issues) <-- One of the only anime series that made me feel sick to my stomach

Speed Grapher (not exactly drama but features horrifying, sickening scenes that made me start thinking of how dark human beings can be. (Child abuse, sadism, rape, child prostitution)

Note: If you read manga from the Seinen genre, they almost always feature depressing stories that make you feel gut wrenched.

Ergo Proxy

I'm sure you've seen it though

Yeah, in fact it surprises me you find it depressing? :unsure:

As a reference, for me depressing is something like Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien, Saikano or School Days

@Sanctified

If you're into the sappy stuff like KGNE, then check out Ef ~ A Tale of Memories.

Ergo Proxy

I'm sure you've seen it though

Ergo Proxy isn't depressing. It's just a woman with childhood issues dressing up as a goth while her loyal servant tags along chasing around a man struggling with existentialism.

I can count the number of anime series that had amazing dubbing with my fingers. All of Miyazaki's movies had top notch voice acting. Howl's Moving Castle even managed to get Christian Bale and Billy Crystal! My favorite series of all time, Ghost in the Shell, features mediocre voice acting. Motoko sounded like a boring monotone character who didn't deserve being the main lead.

So if I wanted to check out some of Miyazaki's movies, would you recommend I watch them subbed or dubbed?

@Sanctified

If you're into the sappy stuff like KGNE, then check out Ef ~ A Tale of Memories.

Sappy?? :angry:

Nevermind, just remember we had this exact same debate months ago? :laugh:

P.D. Already saw Ef.

So if I wanted to check out some of Miyazaki's movies, would you recommend I watch them subbed or dubbed?

When it comes to Miyazaki films, there is no significant difference between the two different audio versions. The only reason is because they are feature length movies and not 13, 26, 52 or even 76+ episode anime series that depend on the viewer understanding the context.

It depends on what standards and expectations you have before watching any anime series/movie. The only series I have watched dubbed the first few time was during my first real exposure to anime are Spirited Away, Yu Yu Hakusho, Rurouni Kenshin, Mobile Fighter G Gundam, Princess Mononoke, Kare Kano and Howl's Moving Castle (in that order).

Spirited Away, being the first time I watched something dubbed in its entirety, was amazing. I never knew how cool animation could be (both Western and Eastern). I watched it the first time and was completely immersed in the movie's world. (Explains why I hold anime to very high standards).

Yu Yu Hakusho and Rurouni Kenshin (when they aired on Cartoon Network) sounded silly at first but it was never annoying enough to fail my suspension of disbelief. In fact, I actually watched them both in English first because of nostalgia.

Princess Mononoke was the first time I started noticing how "perfect" the English sounded. It was like I was listening to people who mastered the American pronunciations of each spoken world. Again, it didn't stand out too much that I was bothered by it.

I never managed to complete the anime series but a few years later I did (thank gawd for fan subs). I immediately noticed the emotional tones in the voices of each character that were missed by American voice actors. The hesitation, the urgency, the slight sense of anger that sounds urgent in the American context but more subtle in the Japanese context... It was a very different experience.

Watch them dubbed first then watch subbed. You'll understand exactly what I'm talking about when you pick up the missed undertones the Japanese voice actors delivered that failed to translate over into English.

As an anime fan who has watched a lot of anime, the subbed vs. dubbed debate should simply be rested on this argument:

If you're not interested in finding out about the cultural differences depicted in anime, then dubbed is the way to go. If you want to continue to watch anime series and notice every detail as you watch them, then subbed is the way to go.

Food for thought:

For all of you who have watched Sayanora Zetsubou Sensei, could you have understood the Japanese jokes if you watched it dubbed?

Sappy? :angry:

Nevermind, just remember we had this exact same debate months ago :laugh:

P.D. Already saw Ef.

:p They are sappy. The shows rely on excessively sweet, emotional scenes trying to play to the viewer's emotions. It's not like it's a bad thing. It's just a different genre that is not my cup of tea.

(/troll: It's the kind of tea I would chuck out of the window. :D)

I strongly recommend Myself;Yourself if you liked KGNE and Clannad. It's quite depressing. (enough to make me feel bad even though I dislike the genre)

Food for thought:

For all of you who have Sayanora Zetsubou Sensei, do you believe you can understand the Japanese jokes if you watched it dubbed?

Hell no. It's safe to say that none of Akiyuki Shinbo's dark humoured work will be dubbed, that's best left untouched from the world of dubbing :p

When it comes to Miyazaki films, there is no significant difference between the two different audio versions. The only reason is because they are feature length movies and not 13, 26, 52 or even 76+ episode anime series that depend on the viewer understanding the context.

It depends on what standards and expectations you have before watching any anime series/movie. The only series I have watched dubbed the first few time was during my first real exposure to anime are Spirited Away, Yu Yu Hakusho, Rurouni Kenshin, Mobile Fighter G Gundam, Princess Mononoke, Kare Kano and Howl's Moving Castle (in that order).

Spirited Away, being the first time I watched something dubbed in its entirety, was amazing. I never knew how cool animation could be (both Western and Eastern). I watched it the first time and was completely immersed in the movie's world. (Explains why I hold anime to very high standards).

Yu Yu Hakusho and Rurouni Kenshin (when they aired on Cartoon Network) sounded silly at first but it was never annoying enough to fail my suspension of disbelief. In fact, I actually watched them both in English first because of nostalgia.

Princess Mononoke was the first time I started noticing how "perfect" the English sounded. It was like I was listening to people who mastered the American pronunciations of each spoken world. Again, it didn't stand out too much that I was bothered by it.

I never managed to complete the anime series but a few years later I did (thank gawd for fan subs). I immediately noticed the emotional tones in the voices of each character that were missed by American voice actors. The hesitation, the urgency, the slight sense of anger that sounds urgent in the American context but more subtle in the Japanese context... It was a very different experience.

Watch them dubbed first then watch subbed. You'll understand exactly what I'm talking about when you pick up the missed undertones the Japanese voice actors delivered that failed to translate over into English.

As an anime fan who has watched a lot of anime, the subbed vs. dubbed debate should simply be rested on this argument:

If you're not interested in finding out about the cultural differences depicted in anime, then dubbed is the way to go. If you want to continue to watch anime series and notice every detail as you watch them, then subbed is the way to go.

Food for thought:

For all of you who have watched Sayanora Zetsubou Sensei, could you have understood the Japanese jokes if you watched it dubbed?

I usually tend to watch things in whichever language seems to have the voices that fit the characters best or if I prefer a certain set of voice actors. Kind of how I immediately switched to the Japanese version of Shakugan no Shana after noticing how odd it sounded in English, or how dubbed Baccano! is great because of the accent the VAs add in to match the time period and locations.

And I haven't watched SZS but I have seen random episodes and clips and it is definitely is one of those shows where a dub would never work.

And also, I'll keep those points about the films in mind when deciding how to watch them (if I ever get around to it lol).

Really? The summary made it sound like a generic school anime, which I am not a fan of. Seems to have good review on MAL though...

The main girl looks like a Haruhi rip-off as well. :laugh: :laugh:

Yeah, it does have Haruhi traits but it's somehow different :laugh:

Since when is it okay to watch a series called Angel Beats emblazoned across the front of a magazine in pink? Standards, people!

E6L5j.jpg

Who really cares about the magazine? I sure as hell don't :rofl: Jun Maeda/Na-Ga + P.A. Works = quality animation (Y)

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