Summer Anime 2009

[zakkrusz]

What is your opinion on Gantz? I recently watched the first few episodes and it was OK. I then read about it online and found that many fans thought it was under-achieving.

I always liked anime, but I too don't know where to start or what to go for. I like Science Fiction, Mysterious Stuff, Cyber-Punk, Spy, can you recommend some titles like that, or other good anime websites?

Gantz is the type of series that makes you wish you could get all the wasted hours you spent watching it back. It's pretty much nothing but ultraviolence and sex with no substance, soul, or proper conclusion. Really not recommended unless violence and sex are the only things you're watching it for. The first half was alright but the second half is a horrid trainwreck.

As for recent stuff you might like, you might want to give:

Darker Than Black
Eden of the East
Ergo Proxy
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
The Kara no Kyoukai films
Kaze no Yojimbo
Kurenai
Monster
Red Garden
Rideback
Ryoko's Case Files (Yakushiji Ryoko no Kaiki Jikenbo)
Time of Eve (Eve no Jikan)

....a try.

Adult Swim can poke fun at anime fans because the comedies can get up to three times the ratings of the anime shows (Bleach is the only show that is considered a serious contender on Saturday nights, and even it falls noticeably short of the Sunday night shows). Comedies are where Adult Swim's bread and butter is, and they have no problems letting anime fans--who frequently send them otaku-style letters/emails complaining about this or that--know that.

Well, I could tell off all the people that piss me off at work too, but its just dumb and simply bad bussiness practice. You want people to use your service so you can get money. Being an asshole is counter-productive to this, because you will lose customers, and in AS's case, viewers. AS whines that anime doesn't get the ratings when their own actions have played a large part in why that is, by driving them off in the first place.

 

[C.E. Evans]

Adult Swim can poke fun at anime fans because the comedies can get up to three times the ratings of the anime shows (Bleach is the only show that is considered a serious contender on Saturday nights, and even it falls noticeably short of the Sunday night shows). Comedies are where Adult Swim's bread and butter is, and they have no problems letting anime fans--who frequently send them otaku-style letters/emails complaining about this or that--know that.

Well, I could tell off all the people that piss me off at work too, but its just dumb and simply bad bussiness practice. You want people to use your service so you can get money. Being an asshole is counter-productive to this, because you will lose customers, and in AS's case, viewers. AS whines that anime doesn't get the ratings when their own actions have played a large part in why that is, by driving them off in the first place.

Adult Swim also knows how thin-skinned most anime fans are, which makes poking fun at them even more tempting. But the more anime fans that leave, the less reason Adult Swim probably has to continue airing anime--and it wouldn't be that significant of a loss to them, probably.

In a way, anime on television is something of a losing proposition--unless it's something that appeals to the 6-11 male demographic and has a popular card game or toyline behind it. There are anime fans out there who won't watch a show on TV because they either already have it on DVD, it's edited for US television, or (even if they haven't seen it before) simply because its dubbed. That's a chunk of a potential audience already gone.

To be fair, though, Adult Swim could have easily got rid of all their anime a long time ago (i.e., "pulled a Naruto" like Cartoon Network proper did). They probably could have got bigger ratings airing reruns of Welcome Back Kotter and Chico and the Man than new episodes of Bleach and Code Geass R2. I think it's actually amazing that Adult Swim is even bothering to show Moribito again and in its entirety...

 

[barnaclelapse]

I suppose.

I also think they know that they run the risk of killing some of their comedy shows if they don't have something to kind of buffer between them. I don't know.

Still, I'd say the most successful Anime series they ever ran was probably Cowboy Bebop, with Trigun and Lupin III doing pretty good as well.

 

[Leroy]

Also gotta love how AS has bumpers of the 1/1 scale Gundam and acts like it loves the franchise when they where responsible for canning 0079 and refusing to air 00.

 

[C.E. Evans]

^^^
Perhaps they thought most people had forgotten that Gundam once aired on Cartoon Network...I know I sure did when I saw that bumper. It's been, what, four years since CN finally threw in the towel after being burned by one too many Gundam shows?

Still, I'd say the most successful Anime series they ever ran was probably Cowboy Bebop, with Trigun and Lupin III doing pretty good as well.

The fact that they're still showing Bebop today says much about how well it did and how it's still got a faithful audience. Ditto for Full Metal Alchemist, Ghost In The Shell, and the other anime shows that fill out the rest of Saturday night/Sunday morning.

Though it might be possible that the only reason why those shows are still on is because Adult Swim may have finally given up on Saturday nights and that they might as well show anime after all...

 

[zakkrusz]

FLCL was also pretty darn high on the ratings scale for the anime they've aired. Probabally because it was funny, which could also explain why some of the others had the viewership as well, because they included humor to a fairly significant degree. You think they'd try to roll with that angle and get more comedy anime if comedy is successful on AS. If they were smart anyway....

Maybe pick up Azumanga Daioh, Bamboo Blade, Chobits, Excel Saga, the Galaxy Angel series, or even The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzimiya if action stuff doesn't work.

 

[melancholymecha]

BTW, a bit off topic, but what's with all this new kiddified reality crap on CN now? I saw this huge promo commercial for it before the trailers that ran for Up this summer, & just sat there watching the screen mortified....start them when they're young, I guess.

 

[clint g]

FLCL was also pretty darn high on the ratings scale for the anime they've aired. Probabally because it was funny, which could also explain why some of the others had the viewership as well, because they included humor to a fairly significant degree. You think they'd try to roll with that angle and get more comedy anime if comedy is successful on AS. If they were smart anyway....

Maybe pick up Azumanga Daioh, Bamboo Blade, Chobits, Excel Saga, the Galaxy Angel series, or even The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzimiya if action stuff doesn't work.

Oh god I can just hear the complaints from people over how Excel Saga ruined their lives because of its cracked out psychotic humor. I loved that show I think one of the problems is that AS didn't really choose some of its shows well. i for one loved Moribito but it really wasn't right for the channel. What they need is something edgy and daring. Something like Elfin Lied

 

[CorporalClegg]

Call me crazy, but I've just never found Excel Saga all that funny.

It's like my friend's favorite show and he's always trying to get me to watch it and every time I do, I find myself struggling to get a laugh out.

 

[clint g]

Its probably because you aren't stoned. its the most important part of the experience

 

[firehawk12]

But Japanese people can't get stoned.

 

[zakkrusz]

I love random, wacked out comedies like Excel Saga personally. Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro Chan and Kodocha! are a couple others along the same lines that get me rolling. Despite that, I can't say that I'm too big on comedies. I tend to ignore them and gravitate towards the more serious stuff. I only really watch a comedy if I'm in the mood.

As far as Excel Saga goes it's got the added bonus of being stuffed full of references to and parodies of other anime and even Star Wars. It's ten times more funny if you know what they're ripping on. It's an anime for people who watch too much anime, really.

 

[Holoaddict]

FLCL was also pretty darn high on the ratings scale for the anime they've aired. Probabally because it was funny, which could also explain why some of the others had the viewership as well, because they included humor to a fairly significant degree. You think they'd try to roll with that angle and get more comedy anime if comedy is successful on AS. If they were smart anyway....

Maybe pick up Azumanga Daioh, Bamboo Blade, Chobits, Excel Saga, the Galaxy Angel series, or even The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzimiya if action stuff doesn't work.

Oh god I can just hear the complaints from people over how Excel Saga ruined their lives because of its cracked out psychotic humor. I loved that show I think one of the problems is that AS didn't really choose some of its shows well. i for one loved Moribito but it really wasn't right for the channel. What they need is something edgy and daring. Something like Elfin Lied

I am not sure how they could possible air Elfen Lied. Though it might be hilarious to see them try. If they somehow managed to get half the series on screen I would be impressed. If what they showed actually made sense I would be downright amazed.

 

[Leroy]

They could aie Elfen Lied but it would be censored really bad like with what they did with that awful Tom Wiseau move "The Room" that AS aired on April Fool's.

 

[CorporalClegg]

Its probably because you aren't stoned. its the most important part of the experience

I can assure you that wasn't the problem.

 

[zakkrusz]

Yeah, Elfen Lied would be downright unwatchable if it was constricted by the AS censoring policy. The show has so many television no nos that there'd be hardly anything left. It would be nothing but blurred visuals and bleeps.

 

[clint g]

I'd still watch, should be good for a laugh

 

[CorporalClegg]

Nyu!!!

 

[Holoaddict]

Yeah, Elfen Lied would be downright unwatchable if it was constricted by the AS censoring policy. The show has so many television no nos that there'd be hardly anything left. It would be nothing but blurred visuals and bleeps.

Maybe I need to rewatch the show, but I do not remember a lot of swearing. Most of that came up whenever that pyschotic soldier was on the screen.

Even so, there are plenty of other elements that would need to be censored for AS to air the show.

 

[C.E. Evans]

Actually saw Elfin Lied for the first time on Anime Network last year--there is no way in hell that show is going to make it onto basic cable, much less Adult Swim...