Is Anime Healthy?

[Vudu]

exactly. you know how kids can be so reasonable and when they become teens at some point their ego overwhelms them and they turn into idiots? well that's korra for you, but she learns (the hard way as you said it) and develops to become less bitchy and less stubborn during the second season, enough so I am really waiting for the third season. just the balance between personal things and the big stories that affect their world seems to be a bit difficult o get right, but then, teens seem to think that their problems are more important than those of the rest of the world, I guess LoK reflects that mindset aswell.

as further watching advice, Miyazakis films are pretty good and different from other anime as they draw more from life, but they have more of farietails that have some lessons for children too.

Korra's attitude wouldn't even be a big of a deal to me IF we hadn't all met Aang first! He's 10 and much better at handling things than Korra. Aang found out he had to save the world in the first season and didn't act as immature as Korra, who only had to save a city in her first season(kind of). Aang faced rejection from his crush and dealt with it. He also had to figure out how to let it go in order to do his duty and that process wasn't angsty as all. He took responsibility of his feelings. Korra is a freaking mess when it comes to liking a boy and treats him like crap when he has the best intentions.

So if The Legend Of Korra was its only thing and didn't have to follow in the footsteps of Avatar: The Last Air Bender, it 'might' be okay. But America met a child who was wise beyond his years first. Who held the fate of the would on his shoulders and took all hardship in stride. Korra doesn't hold a candle to him.

 

[TakerFoxx]

I...I'm at a loss for words. okay so I just finished Modaka. After I got a ways in, I restarted it to watch it with someone else because I was so amazed and wanted to share it. What an ending! And I'm not someone who thinks existing for eternity is a good thing. It's hell, quite frankly. So I had to hold back some tears in order to save face while watching it. I'm holding back tears now just writing about it. Anime has never done this to me. The flash back episode...Ahhh I can't talk about it. And it gives me a whole new perspective on all of those magical girl shows. Who know that Luna from sailor moon, the blonde from that mew mew show, and all those little magical girl pets were actually dicks. Who knew they targeted ten year old girls to be magic because they knew ten year old girls are stupid and would waste a wish on something dumb like a boy in order to become a slave to a higher purpose. This was a smartly written show. I'm actually wondering where to go from here. A lot of shows have been recommended but I only want to go up. Of the shows recommended to me, what would be considered 'better' than Modaka? Gahh choices..!

That's going to be tough, as Madoka sets a very high bar (it is one of the most critically acclaimed shows to recently come out), but I'll do the best I can.

If you're looking for something similar to Madoka, then there are two examples that have been mentioned already. First is Gunslinger Girl, which follows a group of young girls who have all experience something horrible that, in many cases, left them near dead and without families (specifics change from girl to girl) and have thus been rebuilt and mentally reprogrammed by the Italian government as special assassins. But rather than focus on the assassinations themselves (though those do get a fair amount of attention), it's mostly focused on the lives of the girls while "off-duty" and the relationships they form with each other and their handlers, during which they act like, well, young girls who are friends with each other. What makes this series work is that they are perfectly aware that they're being used, that they've been brainwashed, and that their days are numbered, but they're completely fine with that, making the show rather quietly tragic.

Another one would be Serial Experiments Lain, which is an oldie but a goodie. Similar to Madoka in a lot of ways, though it's more of a mindscrew than a cosmic horror story, it's about a super-shy girl who discovers that she has an online alter-ego that she hadn't known about that's the complete opposite from her. And...things get really, really weird.

If you're looking for something different, then my first pick will always be Baccano. There's really no way to describe this show and do it justice, but one way is to say that it takes place during the Great Depression, has a number of criminal groups that have nothing to do with each other that range from the noble and likeable, the dangerously ruthless, and the bugnuts insane, and coincidentally put them on the same train with a different reason for being there and just watch everything fall apart. It jumps from hilarious to heartwarming to fist-pumpingly awesome to downright horrifying without missing a beat. It's also very smartly written with a deliberately complex plot that takes a couple of watch-throughs to really get, but it avoids pretentiousness on account of just how much fun the writers were obviously having. Seriously, go watch it. It's great.

Also, there's Durarara, which is by the same people as Baccano and takes place in the same universe, but tells a different story with different characters (though a couple of the Baccano guys make cameos). Not...as good as Baccano, but still great in it's own rights.

Also going to re-echo Black Lagoon. This one follows a group of modern-day pirates/smugglers for hire after they've taken a Japanese businessman nicknamed Rock hostage. Things go wrong, and he eventually ends up joining the crew, and the rest of the show follows the various jobs they take while exploring Rock's attempts to adjust to his new life. I don't know how you feel about Quentin Taratino movies, but if you like his style, you'll love this show, as it's pretty much what an anime directed by Quentin Taratino would look like. Even if you don't I'd still recommend giving it a shot.

But if you want to split the difference, someone mentioned Gosick. This takes place right before WW1 and follows a Japanese student who goes to study in a prestigious academy in a fictional European country. There, he meets a very strange yet cold girl who looks like a doll and spends all her time in the library, and is apparently so smart that the local police detective often bribes her to solve his mysteries for him. This show's primarily a mystery series (and a good one at that), but also has an underlying plot regarding the girl's past that comes to play in its second half. Also note that while the girl is very much a tsundere (acts like a jerk despite having feeling for the guy), unlike the ones you've seen in Naruto and whatnot, she actually has a very good reason for her behavior which becomes a major plot point.

 

[Gigano]

Well, taking one's cues from the shitty, superficial, and ultimately superfluous animes probably isn't healthy. Then again, neither is taking one's cues from any other sort of shitty, superficial, and ultimately superfluous specimens of entertainment.

Obviously, that the medium is "anime" doesn't guarantee any sort of quality. Nor does it preclude it. Superior works exist, but they are as few and far between as with any other sort of media.

 

[Vudu]

I...I'm at a loss for words. okay so I just finished Modaka. After I got a ways in, I restarted it to watch it with someone else because I was so amazed and wanted to share it. What an ending! And I'm not someone who thinks existing for eternity is a good thing. It's hell, quite frankly. So I had to hold back some tears in order to save face while watching it. I'm holding back tears now just writing about it. Anime has never done this to me. The flash back episode...Ahhh I can't talk about it. And it gives me a whole new perspective on all of those magical girl shows. Who know that Luna from sailor moon, the blonde from that mew mew show, and all those little magical girl pets were actually dicks. Who knew they targeted ten year old girls to be magic because they knew ten year old girls are stupid and would waste a wish on something dumb like a boy in order to become a slave to a higher purpose. This was a smartly written show. I'm actually wondering where to go from here. A lot of shows have been recommended but I only want to go up. Of the shows recommended to me, what would be considered 'better' than Modaka? Gahh choices..!

That's going to be tough, as Madoka sets a very high bar (it is one of the most critically acclaimed shows to recently come out), but I'll do the best I can.

If you're looking for something similar to Madoka, then there are two examples that have been mentioned already. First is Gunslinger Girl, which follows a group of young girls who have all experience something horrible that, in many cases, left them near dead and without families (specifics change from girl to girl) and have thus been rebuilt and mentally reprogrammed by the Italian government as special assassins. But rather than focus on the assassinations themselves (though those do get a fair amount of attention), it's mostly focused on the lives of the girls while "off-duty" and the relationships they form with each other and their handlers, during which they act like, well, young girls who are friends with each other. What makes this series work is that they are perfectly aware that they're being used, that they've been brainwashed, and that their days are numbered, but they're completely fine with that, making the show rather quietly tragic.

Another one would be Serial Experiments Lain, which is an oldie but a goodie. Similar to Madoka in a lot of ways, though it's more of a mindscrew than a cosmic horror story, it's about a super-shy girl who discovers that she has an online alter-ego that she hadn't known about that's the complete opposite from her. And...things get really, really weird.

If you're looking for something different, then my first pick will always be Baccano. There's really no way to describe this show and do it justice, but one way is to say that it takes place during the Great Depression, has a number of criminal groups that have nothing to do with each other that range from the noble and likeable, the dangerously ruthless, and the bugnuts insane, and coincidentally put them on the same train with a different reason for being there and just watch everything fall apart. It jumps from hilarious to heartwarming to fist-pumpingly awesome to downright horrifying without missing a beat. It's also very smartly written with a deliberately complex plot that takes a couple of watch-throughs to really get, but it avoids pretentiousness on account of just how much fun the writers were obviously having. Seriously, go watch it. It's great.

Also, there's Durarara, which is by the same people as Baccano and takes place in the same universe, but tells a different story with different characters (though a couple of the Baccano guys make cameos). Not...as good as Baccano, but still great in it's own rights.

Also going to re-echo Black Lagoon. This one follows a group of modern-day pirates/smugglers for hire after they've taken a Japanese businessman nicknamed Rock hostage. Things go wrong, and he eventually ends up joining the crew, and the rest of the show follows the various jobs they take while exploring Rock's attempts to adjust to his new life. I don't know how you feel about Quentin Taratino movies, but if you like his style, you'll love this show, as it's pretty much what an anime directed by Quentin Taratino would look like. Even if you don't I'd still recommend giving it a shot.

But if you want to split the difference, someone mentioned Gosick. This takes place right before WW1 and follows a Japanese student who goes to study in a prestigious academy in a fictional European country. There, he meets a very strange yet cold girl who looks like a doll and spends all her time in the library, and is apparently so smart that the local police detective often bribes her to solve his mysteries for him. This show's primarily a mystery series (and a good one at that), but also has an underlying plot regarding the girl's past that comes to play in its second half. Also note that while the girl is very much a tsundere (acts like a jerk despite having feeling for the guy), unlike the ones you've seen in Naruto and whatnot, she actually has a very good reason for her behavior which becomes a major plot point.

Gantz! That's what the series Monoka reminds me of. It's sort of the same thing though I never finished the Gantz series so I can't compare the endings. I read the Gantz manga which is about people who die and are recruited before passing over by a supernatural orb and giving super strength suits and weapons in order to kill invisible aliens. They accumulate points when they kill Aliens and, when they get to 100, they get to make a wish. It's very Gory and has that Game of thrones aspect of MAIN CHARACTERS DIE ALL THE TIME. In other words, getting to 100 is hard.

Anyway, it looks like Im going to go with Baccano because waaay too many people have recommended this one. I can't possibly pass it up. I saw the opening of it on youtube and it just looks fun.

 

[TakerFoxx]

Anyway, it looks like Im going to go with Baccano because waaay too many people have recommended this one. I can't possibly pass it up. I saw the opening of it on youtube and it just looks fun.

Seriously, it's a blast. It also has one of the best mid-show twists you're likely to find. Go for it.

 

[Zakarath]

Glad it sounds people have steered him onto the right path (I.E. away from the long-runnering shonen).

Most of my favorites are 13-26 episode long action-dramas with SF/Fantasy elements like Last Exile, Madoka Magica, Kill la Kill, Angel Beats...

Oh, and I just watched Durarara, and it was awesome. First half was better than the second, though. (especially the opening song)

 

[T3hSource]

Korra & Madoka

Have you watched the end of Legend of Korra season 2, it kind of redeemed itself once the original writers FINALLY came back to fix this shit.

As for Madoka, search for Madoka Magica: Rebellion and find a way to watch it subbed, it's out now on many various sources, you are going to be blown away again!

Also another vote for Spice and Wolf, it's quite the intellectual flexing and character investment.

Black Lagoon is just so Western inspired it belongs with all the other US made action movies, it's even better then them in many many respects.

Claymore will satisfy your Battles Blades and Babes itch, the ending just says read the manga, which is also pretty good.

Berserk is one of the oldest Seinen still going on to this day, you can start with the anime(NOT THE MOVIES, fuck those) and read the manga in the beginning. If you thought Madoka was dark, this is relentless.

Studio Ghibli is the Japanese Disney, but their films are bloody emotional artful and with some serious adult themes, despite being kid friendly.

Also I recommend doing something like this: bookmark this thread and make a text document on your desktop with all the titles mentioned in this thread.

MOAR LISTS:

http://animu-mango.wikia.com/wiki/Anime_Recommendations

http://redditanime.wikia.com/wiki/The_massive_%22I_just_got_in_to_anime%22_recommendation_list

Spoiler: 25 recommendations vid

 

[PaulAtreides]

Do you really think that I don't know that last airbender and LoK aren't made in japan? Their animation style is just way closer to anime than to cartons.

I'm not sure where you think Avatar was made, but I do know you said it's anime. Which it isn't, that statement is blatantly false.

Anime is often seen as an art form, where you hardly ever could say that about cartoons.

This is irrelevant and pointless statement. Anime is the Japanese word for Animation, it is used by us to describe Japanese Animation in a way that separates it from other animated media. Lumping Avatar in with actual Anime just because you think it's similar defeats the entire purpose of using the word Anime as a non-Japanese person yourself.

And cartoons aren't art now? So animation made in one country is art, but animation made in other isn't? Do you know anything about Ralph Bakshi? Don Bluth? Are you going to say they aren't artists solely because their animation was made outside of Japan?

If you showed LoK to someone who didn't know, they would think that its anime.

You're right here, if I showed it to somebody who had no idea what they were talking about they'd be ignorant. This doesn't mean you can make the same mistake without being ignorant yourself.

Key differences to most mainstream anime is that its drawing style looks less lazy to me (characters actually have different faces and bodies and arent just colored and styled differently), its way of handling relationships is also way different.

This is entirely dependent on what you're watching, don't make assumptions. A lot of anime characters are the exact same face with different hair, look at 90% of what KyoAni produces. And the "way of handling relationships" in many anime is absolute toss, try any harem anime appealing to a lonely male audience. I feel like you're judging the entire non-Japanese animation scene based on how you feel about Family Guy or something, expand your knowledge or remain ignorant.

So not mentioning it just because of where its from seems a little redundant to me.

You said watching Korra would restore his faith in anime, care to explain that statement for me? How can watching an American cartoon restore his faith in anime? Anime is Japanese, period, so mentioning cartoons is irrelevant. If you want to say OP might enjoy Avatar, sure. But you claimed it was anime. You said it was the best anime of the 2010s. Which is misinformation and it's stupid.

 

[Jenvas1306]

btw, the original word for japanese anime was japanimation as it came up in the 70s, now using that word for something that doesnt come from japan would be silly and today you usually only find it when someone wants to clarify they are speaking of anime from japan. some call animated series or movies that are in anime-style anime-influenced animation, but none has or could really make rules if anime has to be from japan to be called anime or not, that is up to personal definition. For a lot of people anime is a style of animation that focuses on the visual style and realism rather than on the animation of motion.

Key differences to most mainstream anime is that its drawing style looks less lazy to me (characters actually have different faces and bodies and arent just colored and styled differently), its way of handling relationships is also way different.

This is entirely dependent on what you're watching, don't make assumptions. A lot of anime characters are the exact same face with different hair, look at 90% of what KyoAni produces. And the "way of handling relationships" in many anime is absolute toss, try any harem anime appealing to a lonely male audience. I feel like you're judging the entire non-Japanese animation scene based on how you feel about Family Guy or something, expand your knowledge or remain ignorant.

why do you agree with me in a way that sounds like you are disagreeing?
you agree about the designs of many anime characters and the way relationships are written badly in anime and then call me ignorant for having the same opinion as you? I was talking about anime and some of the stuff thats bad about the cheap mainstream anime

So not mentioning it just because of where its from seems a little redundant to me.

You said watching Korra would restore his faith in anime, care to explain that statement for me? How can watching an American cartoon restore his faith in anime? Anime is Japanese, period, so mentioning cartoons is irrelevant. If you want to say OP might enjoy Avatar, sure. But you claimed it was anime. You said it was the best anime of the 2010s. Which is misinformation and it's stupid.

The problems with the japanese anime industry are desolation and lack of motivation, mass produced and cheaply animated animes (that rather use iconography than actual expressions) are becoming a bigger part of it. outdrawn and exaggerated actionscenes are more common than actual depth and sophistication. The OP was disappointed exactly with those things. Does it not give hope to anime fans that there isn't just the japanese anime but that more parts of the world slowly start their own anime(-styled) industry with new ideas that might even influence the japanese artists in return?

Ill repeat, the term anime is used also for anime-styled animations from other countries than japan. Last time I checked the term anime has not been trademarked like certain cheese names.
The argument for keeping it exclusively for japanese animations is usually that it would rob anime of its cultural identity, but as I explained before, that's not necessarily a bad thing.

 

[Nouw]

Yeah Kikokugai the Cyber Slayer WAS pretty rad I agree.

Funny you mention that, I've had it bookmarked for ages. Should I give it a try?

It's every dumb cyberpunk movie AND every dumb Chinese crime/revenge movie.

Great fun, highly recommended. Bit heavy on the rape though.

Not convinced a visual novel could pull off cyberpunk and Hong Kong action but I'll give it a try. Better have a kickass soundtrack...

 

[Richard Dubbeld]

Any anime whose story is primarily concerned with romance is almost always destined to fail, unless it is a parody or has real critical elements on the genre (I'm thinking Mysterious Girlfriend X).

Romance is always best as a secondary motivation (Bakuman).

Harem anime is the worst, at least American TV has at the very most about 3 love interests per season, and stagger their appearance through the season so they only just overlap.

Winry and Ed from FMA Brotherhood will always be my favourite love story in anime. Mostly because it feels natural and complements the main plot nicely.

 

[Richard Dubbeld]

I have pretty much resigned myself to the fact that most anime is just an extended teaser for the manga it is based on...

 

[Zontar]

Give me a concrete example.

Well, it's the entire premise of the Real Robot Genre, the most prominent example of this. Starting with Mobile Suit Gundam in 1979, the genre became an overnight success and almost immediately overshadowed the Super Robot Genre, which it does to this day. (though this was helped by the near death of the Super Robot Genre from 1995-2008 thanks to Evangelion, which was itself a realistic deconstruction of the genre. Though a massively overhyped one which isn't nearly as good as most fans would have you believe).

I could also list specific examples, but that list would be far too long.

 

[Zontar]

Give me a concrete example.

Well, it's the entire premise of the Real Robot Genre, the most prominent example of this. Starting with Mobile Suit Gundam in 1979, the genre became an overnight success and almost immediately overshadowed the Super Robot Genre, which it does to this day. (though this was helped by the near death of the Super Robot Genre from 1995-2008 thanks to Evangelion, which was itself a realistic deconstruction of the genre. Though a massively overhyped one which isn't nearly as good as most fans would have you believe).

I could also list specific examples, but that list would be far too long.

So you're saying a sci-fi story of giant colourful robots that look like plastic toys and are only piloted by teenagers.... a story about monster angels attacking humanity.... a story about a shy kid who for no actual reason and with no training becomes a pilot of a giant robot and has all pretty girls fall in love with him (one of which is a clone of his mother apparently)....

.....are realistic?

I think we have a different definition of realism here. Even if we set all the fantasy elements aside, the story STILL has nothing of realistic.

It's called suspension of disbelief. By the standards of Western media, all the examples I mentioned fall on the harder side of the "realism/fantasy" scale. I could give you countless examples on things which are considered realistic that are just as out-there as those stories.

Some examples include:

-Every Comedy ever made.
-Every action movie ever made.
-Every story about investigations and/or crime ever made.
-Every movie about super heroes ever made.
-Every war movie that isn't a documentary ever made.
-Every sports movie ever made.
-Anything staring Nick Cage.

And so on.

What makes something realistic isn't the ability to show something as it would happen in real life (nothing that people make as fiction would pass that criteria), what makes something realistic is the ability to trick you into thinking it is within the realm of possibility for it to happen, if a logical set up is given and the execution pulled off.

 

[SweetShark]

Actually this is the main reasons I fear to start watching an Anime TV series...and some others personal as well:
-The idiotic "I explain my new move I will use for the first time" cliche.
-The MASSIVE Fan-Service which in reality some TV shows only exist just for that.
-Dragging a specific story Arc, for VERY LONG!
-100% agree also with the relationships in most Anime.
-The "heavy" Tsundere type of characters.......I f*cking hate them!!!
-I somehow dislike little by little the Basic Anatomy of a Anime Character. I accept only the "unique" styles.

But yes, if you search a little you will see a lot of other options you may like.

But I just wanted to say something about the relatioships factor in Anime TV Shows.
Adventure Time did the relationships between characters perfect. Anime developers must take some lessons from this show

 

[SweetShark]

Read the thread, people have gone over this many times. Not every anime is shitty battle shounen made for kids.

Yes, I know, that why I said he should start looking for other kind of Anime TV Shows/Films.
Sadly the majority of the Anime follow the things I mostly dislike.
But yeah, there are some [or many if you search a lot] awesome Anime out there. Some examples for me are:
-Dead Leaves
-Red Line
-SteamBoy
-Bakemonogatari
-Death Note [I prefer the Manga, but the Anime is also good]
-Elfen Lied [Cute + Gore = My first lesson not liking everything is cute]
-GunGrave [Yes, it is base on a Videogame, but it is a pure awesome tale of a mafia family]

 

[MXRom]

Like everything else in the entertainment industry, you have to wade through mountains of crap to find the real gems.

So far one that's hooked me was Space Dandy which lampoons damn near everything that saturates anime and pop culture.

 

[Use_Imagination_here]

No one is recommending darker then black.

Chinese electric batman will garrote wire you all.

 

[Someone Depressing]

That, my dear friend, is what happens when you involve this strange creature known as a "tsundere".

They are loud, stupid, cliche-ridden hags that tend to serve as much purpose to the story as a gas leek in a nuclear station. Why do they exist?

To drag the show on for a few more seasons.

And that's how Ranma 1/2 went on for soooo damn long.

 

[metagross111]

Snip

Because it sounds like you're restricting yourself to the Shonen demographic category(i.e. shows written for young to adolescent boys), of which the most popular shows are dominated by ones that go on for ever, have lots and lots of filler, the female love interests tend to be tsunderes, and the fights go on forever. I think it's time to expand your horizons a bit. Anime is a very diverse medium with stories out there for literally everyone. Below is a handy chart of the four primary demographics.

Shonen. Intended for young to adolescent boys. Here you'll find your Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, Bleach, One Piece, etc. Surprisingly, technically also includes Death Note, Cowboy Bebop, and Evangelion, despite them having more in common with the Seinen genre.

Seinen. Intended for adult men. Here you'll find your Baccanon, Berserk, Black Lagoon, Madoka Magica (which I should point out is currently the most popular Seinen title while only having thirteen episodes and a movie. That's it), and...Chi's Sweet Home. Hey, I said anime was diverse.

Shojo: Intended for young to adolescent girls. Here you'll find your Pretty Cure, Fruits Basket, Princess Tutu (don't let the name fool you. This one is surprisingly dark), and Sailor Moon.

Josei: Intended for adult women. Probably the least known demographic. Here you'll find your Paradise Kiss, Pet Shop of Horrors, Honey and Clover, and Eden of the East.

Generally, only the Shonen demographic really hits the mainstream in the west, hence the assumption people tend to make that it's representative of the entire medium. But trust me, there is a ton of stuff from just about every genre under the sun out there. Some is long and plodding, others are short and snappy. Personally, I'd suggest you give the Seinen genre a shot. I'd personally recommend starting with Baccano, which only has about 16 episodes. After that, give Black Lagoon a shot. It's longer, but not nearly to the extent of things like Naruto and Bleach.

Wow...Okay so I saw most of my anime on Toonami (cartoon network) and so you seem to be 100 percent right on my exposure. Occasionally I dabbled and would just walk into a video store and pick up something new. One vacation as a kid, I accidentally picked up soft core Hentai, not know what hentai was. Everyone on the cover just seemed so happy with pink and purple hair and big smiles and cute outfits. Mom made me throw it away. If you don't mind recommending me things, I'd just like to say I don't like too much boob and upskirt shots. It's not fair of me to call the Japanese repressed but Jesus Christ. Can each individual fight be wrapped up in an episode? Not too much angst (i.e no Sasuke's please...ever).

I have to second this. The reason you're not really enjoying watching anime anymore is because you have grown up out of the "shonen" demographic and you're looking for series with more mature themes. By mature, I don't mean hentai or erogi or anything (though that can be part of it for people interested in those things), I'm referring to series that have more rational plotlines, interesting characters, and genuine emotions with the exception of angst. It covers more genres, instead of your traditional fighting-type series where the plot hinges on violent conflicts and unrealistic relationships.

If you're looking for more recent anime with significant quality and genre's outside what you're used to, a few series I can recommend are Silver Spoon (a slice of life series involving an agricultural high school) and Log Horizon (fantasy-type series when a game world becomes real. Conflicts are more commonly found in social interactions and diplomacy rather than violence). Not only are they incredibly fun to watch and highly acclaimed, they're short as well, either series currently topping off at about 30 episodes, and they're currently free to watch on Crunchyroll. Give them a shot, and maybe it'll give you a clue to what you might want to watch next.