No Right Answer: Attack on Attack on Titan

[J.McMillen]

You're Under Arrest

A great series that many people haven't heard of. Or at least that's been my experience whenever I mention it to anime fans that I've met.

 

[Jacked Assassin]

I'm just going to copy & paste my reason to why Cowboy Bebop doesn't count from a different forum....

I have to say the biggest waste of my time is one of my favorites, Cowboy Bebop: The Series. Because if the main plot of the series was Spike versus Vicious then the only episodes that needed to be watched were
05 - Ballad Of Fallen Angels
12 - Jupiter Jazz Part 1
13 - Jupiter Jazz Part 2
25 - The Real Folk Blues Part 1
26 - The Real Folk Blues Part 2

So I take it you don't like standalone episodes?

Which is kinda strange, because CB really isn't about any overall plot. I don't wanna call it Sienfeldian, but yeah, it's more about the characters than any one particular plot.

And even then its never explained how Julia fits into why Vicious hates Spike. Though if her story were excluded it becomes more about Vicious being mad that Spike left. With Julia included however certain fans have assumed Julia was originally with Vicious before leaving him for Spike. That assumption however excludes the fact that in 05 Vicious is happy to see a similarity between him & Spike. Only for Spike to deny it angering Vicious who then throws Spike out that window. Or in 26 Spike tells Vicious that Julia is dead & Vicious feels no guilt.

He hated Julia for being the reason Spike left.

Even worse Faye & Jet never get their own proper sendoffs. They instead have to deal with trying to prevent Spike from going on his suicide mission against Vicious. The series just ends there after that as neither Faye nor Jet were the main focus of the series even though the series didn't have a main focus to begin with.

Because the series was about the Gang, and with Spike dead and Ed and Ein back on Earth, the Gang was irrevocably broken.

I don't remember saying anything about hating standalone episodes. I would've probably preferred if it remained nothing but standalone episodes because if it didn't end the way it did Spike & Vicious's story would stand out less.

I didn't deny Vicious being mad at Julia for being the reason why Spike left. I've read post from fans that declared Vicious & Julia were a couple just because of a picture of the 2 in the same bed. On the other hand I also had read that the creator of Cowboy Bebop wouldn't explain how Julia fitted into the story.

If it were up to me
When it comes to Faye Valentine "My Funny Valentine" would have happened after "Hard Luck Woman". Her send off being she probably quits being a Bounty Hunter for the life of a con artist.
When it comes to Jet Black his would happen after Faye's in "Black Dog Serenade" where he would either die or retire from being a Bounty Hunter.
Then Spike Spiegel could have still had "The Real Folk Blues" episodes minus the rest of the cast.
But No....
Instead Spike dies then Faye & Jet become irrelevant because of Reasons. Heck they didn't even take time to do single picture of each to explain if the 2 did anything after Spike's death.
The series was also named after the Ship which Jet Black owned. If the group on the ship was all that matter it should've probably had a different name.

 

[DarkhoIlow]

Suggestions? Steins;Gate and Code Geass..my favorite anime ever.

That is all.

 

[bdcjacko]

Does Bojack Horseman count as anime? Because Dan should watch that.

 

[medv4380]

I watched Gundam Wing for a bit because it was on next to DBZ and enjoyed it here and there for what it was, but can't for the life of me remember anything from it. I caught episodes of other Gundam series once in a while, but nothing made me sit down and really give it a shot.

Looking at what you like, and what you don't I have some additional ideas.

You're missing a bit of the variety.
Since you don't like Fruits Basket then you should stay away from most slice of life dramas. They're not for everyone. You might try out Baby Steps [http://www.crunchyroll.com/baby-steps]. It's a sports anime, and you didn't mention any as something like like or hate. Baby Steps is almost over, and utilizes a lot of time jumps to skip over logical fluff. It's kind of like a slice of life so if the first couple of episodes don't get you then skip it. It's not a female fan-service anime like Free so you don't need to worry about it being a trick. It has enough in common with down to earth anime from Miyazaki that you might like it.

Since you just don't remember,but enjoyed parts of Gundam Wing you might try Aldnoah Zero [http://www.crunchyroll.com/aldnoah-zero]. It's hard for me to recommend because it's not finished. It's only about half done, and could easily go south. It'll be a short 24 episode series at this point, but there is no way of knowing if they intend two seasons until it's finished. It is a mech anime, but the hero hasn't got a super mech, and has just MacGyvered his way to victory due to the enemy being overconfident. It covers a lot in terms of PTSD, and if you're into the horrors of war it could be a good one to watch.

Since you liked some fantasy Anime then you might give Record of Lodoss War a try, but you have to watch it the right way. Get the first series and watch it up until they deal with Karla which is right after their big war. Then get Record of Lodoss War chronicle of the Heroic Knight [http://www.crunchyroll.com/library/Record_of_Lodoss_War:_Chronicles_of_the_Heroic_Knight]. After their fight with Karla the original set condenses the entire story of Heroic Knight into a few episodes with the wrong characters.

My wife suggest Planetes [http://www.crunchyroll.com/library/Planetes]. It'll be hard to find streaming along with Lodoss war. However, Planetes is the best anime about garbage collecting you'll ever find. It's more about near future events so it's more grounded in reality, but is still a space anime. It's a family favorite.

There is very little if any fan service to distract from the story in any of those.

Since you like FLCL, and Shin Chin I sill have to suggest No Game No Life in spite of its fan service. That, and I still suggest Psyco Pass if the first episode doesn't hook you then just skip it.

 

[Right Hook]

Don't you EVER tell me not to recommend Cowboy Bebop. Go watch it, I'll wait...

But it's not on Neeeeetfliiiiiiix! D:

The amount of times something I'm actually looking for on Netflix is on there is about .001%. Just borrow it from your weird friend who still collects all the DVD & Blurays of everything ever, pretty sure everyone has a friend like that.

 

[Ghadente]

Trigun and Berserk are two of my favorites. Gundam Wing i enjoyed a lot too, and of course "the anime that shall not be mentioned" (its like Firefly as an anime, how can you not like it).

I really enjoyed Attack on Titan, both anime and manga. I also prefer to watch anime in original audio with subtitles so less is lost in translation and don't have to sweat the voice acting.

 

[Ishal]

snip

Chris I just want to say this was one of my favorite episodes of the show. It's honestly frustrating to be surrounded by so many people who just ADORE anime and can't understand why someone might not like it. That has been the experience with my friends for the past several years. Hearing this was refreshing.

I'm not a fan of anime, sturgeon' law reigns supreme in this genre more than any others.

However, I do implore you to check out at least one anime: Black Lagoon. It's been suggested a bit in this thread, which makes me happy. Honestly I'd watch it before Bebop.

- I don't even look at it as an anime, as it refuses to indulge in so many terrible anime tropes. It's less of an anime and more of a animated John Woo movie with a Quentin Tarantino script.
- It's very westernized, and it should be watched dubbed. It's one the best, if not THE best dubs out there.
- The cast is refreshingly racially diverse
- Colorful characters that are fleshed out in 26 episodes, something most anime of today could never hope to achieve
- The dialogue is just not your typical anime fair. Sometimes it get's pedantic, but it feels real. The actors sell it really well.
- No grandiose plots or contrived circumstances where the writers write themselves into a corner. It's all down to earth and real.
- The only detracting factor is that sometimes the violence get's over the top and a bit too unreal. But hey, it is animation.

 

[SuperSuperSuperGuy]

I think that Steins;Gate has one of the best localizations ever. The dub is amazing, with great actors, and the writers added some jokes that would only make sense to an English-speaking audience, however dated they might be. A particular line that comes to mind includes a reference to Zero Wing's infamous "All your base are belong to us line". But, most of all, the series is smart, and doesn't assume that the audience is stupid. There's a reason why Steins;Gate is on my list of top anime of all time. Starts out a bit slow, but that's kind of the point, and it makes the payoff that much more satisfying.

As for a series in which every episode is significant, Puella Magi Madoka Magica comes to mind. I can't give any details, but for the love of god, if you start watching it don't stop until you've at least finished the third episode. You'll understand when you see it, Dan. Trust me. It's a 12-episode anime, so there's no filler or bullshit, either. The dub's not great, but it's passable. Starts out a little slow, too, but it's all still significant. Akiyuki Shinbo, the director, is one of my favourites of all time because he knows how to do cinematography for anime, and his works are always packed with visual symbolism that I had a wonderful time breaking down for my grade 11 film studies class a couple years back.

I would recommend Fate/Zero, as the anime wastes no time with anything, but the problem is that it's part of a series, kicked off by Fate/stay Night, which wasn't nearly as good, and the series itself is part of a expanded universe that's made up of all of the works by Type-Moon, so there's a shit-ton of lore and flavour text. I find that somewhat interesting, but it makes it difficult to get into. The anime is comprehensible and good on its own, don't get me wrong. It's just that there's a lot going on beneath the surface that might be a little confusing.

My thoughts on Attack on Titan: tried it, hated the art style, since while it was very nicely detailed there was little colour and things of visual interest were few and far between, hated the 3D-maneuver stuff 'cuz, while visually impressive, made no sense to me at all, and the plot and setting subjected me to Darkness-Induced Audience Apathy, so I just kind of stopped giving a fuck. Compared to Black Bullet, another anime with a similar setting, I say that Black Bullet was way better. It was just as dark, if not darker, and had a hefty amount of positivity to contrast with the horrible things that happened. Even if the whole "Tendo-style martial arts" thing never really made much sense, I'd still say it's WAY better than Attack on Titan.

 

[Legomaniac91_v1legacy]

Well I was going to say Cowboy Bebop until I saw the last 3o seconds of the video. Instead, I'll recommend Black Lagoon. Its an anime thats the most grounded in reality that I've seen (well, as grounded as any 80s action movie). No magic, no giant robots, no annoying wannabe ninjas in orange jumpsuits. It just tells the story of a crew of pirates in the South China sea set in the late 90s-early 2000s with great action and some of the most badass, and terrifying, women ever put to animation.

 

[zinho73]

Short answer: go read wolf and cub. It is Manga, not anime, but it is one of the best comics ever.

Also, it looked like you are mostly criticizing localization and not the anime itself.
And, finally, the extension of time (AKA nothing is happening) is a cultural aspect of Japanese storytelling. They also exacerbate the obvious to invite reflection on the subjective.
Americans crave for immediacy and do not have the patience to get it (specially old geezers like you guys that have a lot on ingrained habits).

That said, most anime is actually very bad and they are outdated in terms of narrative. Attack on Titan is ok. But Monster, Planetes, Psycho-pass, Persona 4, Black Lagoon and Death Note are very interesting. They are not masterpieces but they are highly entertaining and very well done.

Also, a tip: you do not watch anime because of the story. Although some stories are all right and have some cool plot twists, the most important elements of anime are setting, scene composition and character design and development.

 

[infohippie]

This episode just perfectly encapsulated why I do not watch dubbed anime and much prefer fansubs. I do not want my anime to be localised! That rather misses half the point of watching it in the first place. I want the odd Japanese idiosyncrasies, I want to be watching a story from a different culture. The last thing I want is another bland Americanisation.

 

[Jadwick]

Just in case you're not aware (considering that you did use the past tense just then) - Space Dandy S2 is already being released, they're ten episodes in, 11 comes out on Sunday. I've been watching anime long enough that I've developed an allergy to dubs even when they're localized well, so I can't report on that, but the anime itself just keeps getting better.

Yup I've been keeping up, but if you are watching the subbed version you are missing out on great things in the dub. For example; the narrator's description of Planet Trendy in the latest episode:

"This is planet Trendy.
A poppin' joint where you'll find the hippest couples in the universe droppin' it like it's hot.
If you wanna show your bae that 'you da man' then you best 'turn up' here; er'body in the place be swaggin'.
Don't matter whether shorty like hangin' outdoors or gettin' crunk in da club.
If you got the scrilla' then planet Trendy got yo back."

 

[Arokh64]

if you want stuff happening every episode, kill la kill is the fastest paced anime I've ever seen.

 

[xPixelatedx]

I assume you're talking about the ride through the forest, which is one of the most intense scenes in the show, btw. There was not three episodes dedicated to the characters talking about trust. There was one where they had that discussion, I have no idea what you were watching but it seems like you are deliberately handing out exaggerated information to make a case that doesn't exist.

Teeth don't work like that

I am pretty sure people also aren't 100ft all, skinless and regenerate. I want to let you in on a little secret here, but only if you promise not to tell anyone... I think the Titans might be monsters. Shhh! Don't tell anyone I told you that, I don't think the internet could handle it. XD

As for the female titan, of course it was obvious who it was. That was the point! And to the credit of the characters Armin did realize who it was around the time she stared him down, he just couldn't, or didn't want to believe it. It was incredibly significant because it meant their greatest enemies had infiltrated their ranks (just as they feared), but even more important, these abominable monsters were in fact nice people that the other characters were capable of getting along with. That put an entierly new spin on the unknowable nature of horrors like the Colossal Titan, and it was all placed there to make the audience try and uncover the real mystery, which was a hint at who the Colossal and Armored titan was.

Cryptic nonsense

If you don't like those kinds of stories, then yeah, you won't like AoT, at all. But that's the appeal to a lot of people out there. The cryptic stuff is the most interesting part, I hate worlds that are shallow and just what you see on surface level. They aren't interesting at all.

And even though I am not the biggest fan of anime, it's clear you guys went into this with a bias, as admitted at the end of this video. If something isn't happening that you find particularly interesting, nothing is happening at all? Every episode of AoT I found interesting and important in some way, that is if you actually take the time to look at it all from the bigger scope of what it is.

I can't talk about localization, you are probably right there. I don't buy manga so I wouldn't know.

 

[TehAardvark]

The dub of Attack on Titan isn't that good, the Japanese is better though not perfect(I know been said, but legitimately I'm not saying Attack on Titan is bad, even the dub is better than most live action shows on the air at the moment). Based on your tastes as seen from previous episodes the best recommendations I can give are:

Black Lagoon(Serious, explicit, dark).

Gurren Lagann(Insane fun).

Stein's Gate(Scifi-ish, but far more focused on the characters) though for this one you will have to deal with a slower start(3-4 episodes of world building).

Psycho Pass(cop show, mostly the intriguing ideas make it stand apart) though again it can be a little slow as they build the world.

Beyond the Boundary(Beautiful animation, supernatural, more character driven, but has an interesting world and concepts).

Outlaw Star isn't a bad choice, but a little formulaic.

Highschool DxD is actually well voice acted and can be funny if you like a little pervy humor. Same with Heaven's Lost Property.

Samurai Champloo(A more "realistic" action/character historical fiction).

Lastly if you don't mind subtitles there's Blood Lad.

Some suggestions I'd stay away from: Bleach, Inuyasha, Hellsing Ultimate, Naruto, (you might like Hunter x Hunter & One Piece but it's a hell of a commitment), Sword Art Online, Blue Exorcist, Trigun, & Soul Eater. I don't think those would be your speed, though most of them are good to anime fans.

 

[shintakie10]

-snip-

Fucking Psycho Pass man. I was part of the run away screaming part after dealing with the show trying to tell me that the female officer not wanting to murderfy the victim of a brutal rape is somehow the idiot of the group.

I stuck with it for five episodes, but I just couldn't get over how whacked out the universe was. If they had started with any of the next few cases first, fine. I can be eased into how this universe is not like our own and how their morals/viewpoints are different from ours. Instead, victim of brutal rape should be shot in the head instead of counseling. I get that a large point of the story is to talk about how fucked up their society is, but seriously ease me into the process.

Change topic!

Baccano! is a really good anime to get into. Its not hilariously over the top (though there are a few characters that can best be described as out there), there's violence, but its again not over the top violence. Its set in a time period you don't actually get to see all that often nowadays. Plus its so quick that you never have a time where you're waitin for somethin to finally happen. The way the story gets told take a bit of getting used to

Fate/Zero is a good choice, sort of. Its a wonderful anime with a great plot, but its got an incredibly downer start to a lot of the characters stories, followed by a really brutal middle act, then ending on an incredibly depressing finish. Its really good and really beautiful, but levity is hard to find here.

Sword Art Online and Darker Than Black. Absolutely only watch the first seasons of both of these though. The second seasons go off the deep end extremely quickly (and by that I mean immediately).

There was another anime that was on netflix not too long ago but I can't exactly remember the name. It was about this female spear wielder who ends up taking a prince in because his father (or like, the high priest or something?) wants him dead due to their being some sort of demon in his stomach that is supposed to bring on a great drought? My description isn't very helpful, but I remember it being a really great anime. The fights were fluid, the characterization was great, and the dub was definitely above average.

 

[Rakor]

I mean, suggestions for anime are not a simple thing. I appreciate that Dan is willing to take suggestions. It is my opinion that anyone that claims they do not like anime as an all-inclusive statement is wrong. There is such a variety of things in anime that there will be something for everyone. That said, need more description of what kind of show Dan likes. There are many anime that I entirely adore that I can pick out many big things that people probably don't like about them.

Angel Beats and Persona 4 the Animation are my two favorite anime of all time. They've got great comedy, action, romance, drama.....but they are inevitably about high schoolers which is fine with some and horribly bothers others. I love the Monogatari series.....it is primarily people having incredibly lengthy conversations while alot (I mean ALOT) of the major action and plot elements happen off-screen......and I love every minute of it. Someone mentioned Baccano!, which I also like alot. Some people don't like it's storytelling method of flipping back and forth in time seeing situations from multiple perspectives. Kill la Kill is a pretty cool show with alot of action, undertones, and interesting interpretations.....it also has g-r-a-t-u-i-t-o-u-s fanservice.....that fanservice is also very much a red herring if you're paying attention. You see the problem of suggesting specific anime. >.<

So the question is here: Do you want a fast show? A slow show? A thinking show? A mindless action show? A funny show (mind you this has further questions of taste and context)? An inspiring show? A dark show? Clearly Dan has strong opinions of the kind of show he likes and just throwing random shows is not a horribly effective method.

I am going to make the jerk response to disliking localization and say watch subs and not dubs. It will sound better, conversations will flow better, voice actors won't have to make up dumb phrases because they need to fill space (believe it)(well, at least you won't notice when they do...). I know some people dislike having to read while they watch or they like to be able to not always need to look at the screen to get what's going on. Fair enough. I still think it sounds better to watch in it's native tongue (or more importantly, with it's original voice actors).

I wish you luck and godspeed on the hunt, Dan. Yours is the drill that will pierce the heavens and find a show that you like. Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, also a really good show (well, a show I really like) that I can see people firmly on two sides of a fence about.

 

[Ikasury]

Attack on Titan is like the epitome of generic shounen manga, like so watered down it has less then a percent DBZ and DBZ is like the go to for saying 'this is shounen', its just so very blah and generic... course i was saying this when it first came out and all through the hype, i don't get why everyone thinks its so great, they obviously must have never seen DBZ or Yuyu Hakushou, old 90s shounens that were at least interesting to watch if not laugh at... AoT isn't even funny :/

but a lot of 'new' stuff is pretty boring, i think the most interesting thing anime-wise i've watched in a long time was Puella Magi Madoka Magika, a magical deconstruction, which is amazing considering it has a very 'fluffy' style... and of Mirai Nikki, because Yuno Gaisai *snickers* dunno about the dubs... i hope they're good...

i've seen a lot of people suggest Sword Art Online, but to me that's just like Attack on Titan, over hyped and paper thin, if i wanna watch a VR-MMO thing i'll go watch the original '.hack//:sign' and its attachments, or even more Ur for net shenanigans anime 'Serial Experiments Lain'

'Blue Gender' is one of my favorites because its mecha/apocalypse/dystopian/green-is-good kinda thing where the planet's trying to kill us... but not 'shounen' and the dub's good. main reason i like it is because the character development is so good and seamless how the MCs change throughout the series you won't even notice unless you play the last ep then the first one again... it physically hurts the brain trying to comprehend XD

course there's always ultraviolence and crack: Black Lagoon, Panty and Stocking, Kill la Kill (anything from gainax post EVA...)

sad to say, but to find the good stuff its best to dig, steer clear of the hyped up stuff and just watch something obscure... my favorite's a movie series called 'Kara no Kyoukai' which i don't think will ever have a dub, i think they released a box-set outside japan but it was subbed because reasons~ cool fights, crazy shenanigans, lots of heavy meta-stuff you aren't supposed to really get and each movie, while connected (and out of temporal order), are basically their own story so no filler, but that's to be expected with a movie series i suppose...

want something for a strange reverse and basically be nothing but filler yet strangely be fun to watch cause its one of those 'slice of life' meets 'insanity' kind of deals? 'Welcome to NHK' its amusing, it really is...

*shrugs* Attack on Titan and those like it aren't a 'great' way to get into anime, its just the superficial hype in my opinion, 'Knights of Sidonia' is better in my opinion, but weird as all hell with lovecrafthian horrors in place of big naked people... and its in space, which automatically makes anything better *snickers* kinda glad it got an anime, the manga's weird and amusing...

still waiting for 1/2 prince to get an anime, then i may have to replace .hack//: for VR-MMO awesome~

or Onepunch-man... hehehe...