Anime

[Ryan]

You need to skip the filler in Naruto. Then it's good.

[Jimmyzilla]

Gundam 24:

Can't believe Chris is dead, didn't see that coming at all. Lichty? Don't care. Alejandro's GN monstrosity looks RUBBISH.

oh yeah what's up with the android/cyborg thing going on as well? Lichty and the trap as well probably...

[Kyouma]

R2 IS A FEW DAYS I ASPLODE FROM WAIT.

[JohnC]

I agree about the music though, the first couple of osts from the original were fantastic but I couldn't identify a non op/end track from Shippuden that wasn't used on the original. But then Evangelion aside, I couldn't name a show that had a consistently good ost over several albums and/or seasons anyway.

You've gone and made me get some Evangelion stuff and it's making me want to watch the show again Some great tracks there.

[Dandy_Sephy]

My work is done

[Mr.Jeff]

Just finished off Spice and Wolf. Nothing over the top and ridiculous but still a fantastic series. Interesting characters and good music and story.

Second series please!

Also, new Eureka SeveN lookalike series done by Bones has been revealed with more details on 10th of April. Teaser pic.

[Kyouma]

I still havent watched Wolf+Spice 12

[Jack]

So a Gundam 00 fact file book just came out, with some information on who was piloting the Gundam that Setsuna saw at the beginning of the series... Weird shit/spoilers obviously, this might be in the final episode.

The translation doesn't name him directly, but says "The pilot of the O Gundam is an artificial human, with the appearance of a boy. He hates his existence and questions why he was made. He hates humanity as much as he hates himself. He can interface with computers and machinery in Earth and in space, and knows all of Celestial Being's plans. While piloting the O Gundam on an intervention in Kurdistan, his mission was to kill everyone in the area. However, he saw Setsuna looking up at the O Gundam like it was an angel, and decided to let him go. Setsuna's reverent gaze gave him a reason to exist, and he now considers himself to be above humanity."

That's got to be Ribbons. NICE GOING, SETSUNA. IT'S FUCKING RIBBONS.

[Chow]

So a Gundam 00 fact file book just came out, with some information on who was piloting the Gundam that Setsuna saw at the beginning of the series... Weird shit/spoilers obviously, this might be in the final episode.

The translation doesn't name him directly, but says "The pilot of the O Gundam is an artificial human, with the appearance of a boy. He hates his existence and questions why he was made. He hates humanity as much as he hates himself. He can interface with computers and machinery in Earth and in space, and knows all of Celestial Being's plans. While piloting the O Gundam on an intervention in Kurdistan, his mission was to kill everyone in the area. However, he saw Setsuna looking up at the O Gundam like it was an angel, and decided to let him go. Setsuna's reverent gaze gave him a reason to exist, and he now considers himself to be above humanity."

That's got to be Ribbons. NICE GOING, SETSUNA. IT'S FUCKING RIBBONS.

PWNed

[Sketch]

What's wrong with NEO, exactly? I subscribed since they're cheap, and not being an expert or really into manga/anime they seemed ok. They seem to have the same low-budget set-up Retro Gamer had, of no internal team and lots of freelancers. So although I've seen mistakes, i realise it comes with the territory.

What mags would you recommend? I saw some USA import mags in Borders, but it costs £10 for one issue! It also reads back to front, which is wierd.

Anyway, I've never really been able to get into manga/anime, since video games were always complicated enough, but...

Please list me some great anime which a beginner should watch

I've just got a new router and my brother claims he can "hook me up" with whatever I ask him for, using it, so LIST AWAY! And say why it's good. I've seen stuff like Akira, GitS, and several Studio Ghibli films, plus the last episode of Evangelion (utter wank), but never a full series (saw a few early episodes of Exile and Jungle Guu while at Uni though - Jungle Guu is awesome insanity btw).

I'd like to catch up on some old shows I should have seen but didn't (this issue of NEO says FLCL was one to watch back in the day).

So, rllmuk, what's good?

[Jack]

Evangelion (utter wank)

And with this, you've been redeemed.

[Mr.Jeff]

So, rllmuk, what's good?

Cowboy Bebop

Azumanga Daioh

Samurai Champloo

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

Mushishi

Kino no Tabi

Toki wa Kakeru Shoujo/The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

[Kyouma]

What mags would you recommend? I saw some USA import mags in Borders, but it costs £10 for one issue! It also reads back to front, which is wierd.

Ah, my recommendations would be:

- Cowboy Bebop - Sci-fi/Space Cowboy

- Kaiji - Gambling Thriller

- Haruhi - School Life/Paranormal

- Code Geass - Mecha

- Death Note - Psychological thriller, Supernatural thriller

- Full Metal Panic - Mecha/Romance/Comedy

- Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann - "UNION OF FATE! GURREN LAGANN! WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK WE ARE?!"

- FLCL - Crazy/Mecha/Mindfuck/What the hell is going on here/OVAs

[Kyouma]

Behold. Gurren Lagann The Movie.

[Sketch]

Don't laugh. I realise they're doing it because traditionally manga runs from the back to the front (or rather, the Japanese pages are like that - I have studied Japanese). It was cool in the Sgt Frog manga I recently finished. But manga books are a linear read, where you start at the beginning and finish at the end. It's not too unpleasant for the brain to work like that.

To put it in a magazine IS weird, since as a native English reader my magazine flicking habits have a certain formula to them, based around the concept of starting on the left and then going wherever. No one reads a mag from cover to cover, so beyond a gimmick, it is odd, and very alien.

At least, I'm fairly sure it was a reverse order mag, it was in a bag... So I'm not 100% certain.

But thanks for the list!

[Yartek]

At least, I'm fairly sure it was a reverse order mag, it was in a bag... So I'm not 100% certain.

Sounds like it was Newtype, I picked up a random issue while on holiday in the US and the reverse layout did my head in.

It did introduce me to FLCL though, so all is forgiven.

[Yartek]

Just finished off Spice and Wolf. Nothing over the top and ridiculous but still a fantastic series. Interesting characters and good music and story.

Second series please!

Seconded! I'd happily watch half-an-hour of nothing but Lawrence and Horo talking and teasing each other.

Although was ever so slightly disappointed I didn't get one final singalong with the closing theme.

[Jack]

Gurren Lagann:

KAMINAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

And who the hell is this Nia person? Why did they replace Kamina with a doe-eyed moeblob fuckwit?

[Chow]

Gurren Lagann:

KAMINAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

And who the hell is this Nia person? Why did they replace Kamina with a doe-eyed moeblob fuckwit?

We feel your pain... But at least he went out like a true legend.

[Kyouma]

Don't laugh.

Ah, sorry

Gurren Lagann:

KAMINAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

And who the hell is this Nia person? Why did they replace Kamina with a doe-eyed moeblob fuckwit?

I feel your pain. I still weep. Anyway, about Nia, after you become attuned to her painful voice, she's not that bad. She's not there to replace Kamina, she's there for another reason.

[Jack]

I just have very bad flashbacks to Gundam SEED with her. I mean, Lacus Clyne came out of an abandoned box and has a fuck off annoying voice, and look at what happened to her!

[Kyouma]

I didn't watch seed (Or any Gundam for that matter)

Nia is allright, Yoko's still the best female in the show, but Nia's pretty good.

[Great_Sage_Equal_of_Heaven]

What's wrong with NEO, exactly?

They said Enchanted Arms was the same old RPG shite you've seen a thousand times before and that Blue Dragon was the tits, seemed to me like they had them the wrong way round. I thought they creamed over BD so much because of the heavy anime content (FMV), but as an RPG it was the same old fare as every RPG with nothing new really being brought to the table, at least EA used a different battle system to the usual turn based stuff.

But that was on the games side of things, I liked NEO and had a sub for a while. But after a while the reviews got stale, the features dried up and I didn't bother to renew.

[Jack]

I didn't watch seed (Or any Gundam for that matter)

Nia is allright, Yoko's still the best female in the show, but Nia's pretty good.

Basically Lacus starts off as a total space cadet pop singer, but then ends up somehow becoming the leader of a large resistance group, despite not actually doing anything other than being the director's wife's Mary Sue character. Fucking hate hate hate hate die.

EDIT- Just finished GL episode 12 and I still hate Nia. She's so great at everything! Cunt.

[Zappster]

Basically Lacus starts off as a total space cadet pop singer, but then ends up somehow becoming the leader of a large resistance group, despite not actually doing anything other than being the director's wife's Mary Sue character. Fucking hate hate hate hate die.

EDIT- Just finished GL episode 12 and I still hate Nia. She's so great at everything! Cunt.

Except for cooking

Personally I think she's very different to Lacus and she definitely isn't there to replace

Kamina

. I'd say the other characters particularly people like Simon and Kittan do a good enough job of that.

[Kyouma]

Except for cooking

Personally I think she's very different to Lacus and she definitely isn't there to replace

Kamina

. I'd say the other characters particularly people like Simon and Kittan do a good enough job of that.

I agree. She doesn't really become "likeable" until well after her introduction. Although that comedy skit in episode 12 is fucking hilarious, on the beach.

[Jack]

Basically I don't like girls who are found in boxes. See also: Outlaw Star, and that Tesco value maddy McCann girl whose parents did it for the press attention.

[Dandy_Sephy]

plus the last episode of Evangelion (utter wank),

Aside from the questionable worth in watching the last episode of a show(understandble if it was simply "on" at the time), and the lack of context that comes with it, the ending to Evangelion is...well.... I could fill several pages of A4 paper trying to explain it. Essentially I'd sum it up by saying "Don't judge Evangelion by it's final 2 episodes", especially as End of Evangelion is the real end. I heartily recommend you watch the show and End of Eva and ignore Jack's comment.

In terms of stuff for a beginner:

Full metal panic

Full Metal Panic Fumoffu

Trigun

Evangelion (like it or not, its something that you should watch at some point)

Azumanga Daioh

All of these are easily available from online dvd rental companys like lovefilm.

At least, I'm fairly sure it was a reverse order mag, it was in a bag... So I'm not 100% certain.

But thanks for the list!

Sounds like newtype USA to me. Thats more to do with it being a japanese mag in the first place more trying to do it "manga style"

They said Enchanted Arms was the same old RPG shite you've seen a thousand times before and that Blue Dragon was the tits, seemed to me like they had them the wrong way round. I thought they creamed over BD so much because of the heavy anime content (FMV), but as an RPG it was the same old fare as every RPG with nothing new really being brought to the table, at least EA used a different battle system to the usual turn based stuff.

To be fair to Neo, most journalists did the same thing. Enchanted Arms has always dismissed by the media, and Blue Dragon has always been overhyped.

[Jack]

I'll ignore you.

[Mr.Jeff]

Basically Lacus starts off as a total space cadet pop singer, but then ends up somehow becoming the leader of a large resistance group, despite not actually doing anything other than being the director's wife's Mary Sue character. Fucking hate hate hate hate die.

EDIT- Just finished GL episode 12 and I still hate Nia. She's so great at everything! Cunt.

On the plus side, at least she's not another Flay Alstar. Also, be placated that Nia's VA is absolutely awful at singing.

On a similar vein, have some GL movie gubbins which I swiped from 4chan:

New information for Gurren-Lagann's movie from Megami Magazine:

-The storyline will be completely different, with only theme similarities.

-The characters will remain with their core mostly untouched but some of them will play much smaller roles. They're focusing on the lead characters for development.

-Gainax apologizes to Megami because the movie will focus a whole lot more on the male characters. Nia will have the only prominent female role in the film, Yoko and the three sisters will be more on the line of secondary characters.

-Imaishi wants to give it a different mood/direction style more fitting of a film while still conveying the same excitement

-All new soundtrack/animation

-There's going to be more than one movie, but it will NOT be organized simply like Part 1: Simon as a boy and Part 2: Simon as a man. They won't make it like a straight summary either. "If we're going to tell a story, it will be told in battle. While throwing in new cuts, we plan on making it a work that has the surging hotness that you felt watching the TV version at the forefront."

-Because the dialogue won't match up if they're doing a reconstruction, all of the dialogue will be newly recorded.

-They would like to create more new works after the movie. They have many stories from the seven years after Lord Genome was defeated. If the movie is a hit, the possibility of them making more will become higher.

-The movie will have music as its theme.

-They're creating several new animated works, a little of which will be shown at the Anime Fair. The staff will differ for each one. Each one will be short, but have the staff's hot feelings packed in. They're still unsure when they'll be able to get these to the fans

Expect the major revelations tomorrow when the 3 main VA's are doing some kind of stage show with announcements and I think a trailer are being shown.

Edit: Added some more new information into the quote.