on the other hand, I tried to watch an episode of Silent Mobius last night and couldn't sit through it.
Crap, yes, but it's merchandisable crap, therefore those series are what get the most face time. After all, it's not as if Pokémon was any kind of ground-breaking work. If, like me, DVDs are where a large portion of your disposable income goes, do yourself a favor and pick up some of the Miyazaki films that come out on the 15th (Spirited Away, Castle in the Sky, Kiki's Delivery Service, etc.). You won't be disappointed.
Aside the obvious Faustian deal response, my best guess is that the show focuses a great deal on cards, a very marketable item. Cards = merchandising = $$$ = licensing incentive Despite its being entrenched as a sub-culture, anime in the U.S. just isn't that profitable yet. As such, only titles that are slam-dunk money makers will get any real publicity (i.e. Sailor Moon, Pokémon, DBZ, etc.).
If DBZ wasn't dumbed down and bastardized for a 10-15 year old fanbase you'd all be on its nuts, don't trip.
A bit of Alex_1 trivia.... And Dragonball has been around for years and [/i]years[/i]. You know, I still have the very first Dragonball video game for my NES. Anyone remember what it was called? Dragonpower! It was a cheesy game, pretty tricky but it was based off of the first Dragonball series. The game came out in I think 1986 in the US under that name - the same time that Dragonball was popular I think. And the Dragonball series was definitely geared more towards little kids like myself at that age so yeah, there you go! Don't let others tell you that the "Budokai" or "Ultimate Battle" are the First video games of the franchise. Anyway, Dragonball haters have something else to hate - Dragonball AF...
My best friend is a huge DBZ fan. But he hates DB, the first series. He claims its too much for kids and just doesn't have enough violence and action. The biggest problem with the series is that its very much edited down for airing on Cartoon Network in the afternoons, so that is what people see I guess, as Jawz put it, the dumbed down version. I personally don't like the series' all that much, but hey, to each their own.
The concept is completely lame IMO. I mean good lord trying to sit through 10 minutes of it makes me wanna tear my hair out.
Re: A bit of Alex_1 trivia.... "doragonball - shenron no nazo" is the very first db game available on nintendo system. it was released around 1986-87 i believe. i don't know how it is called in the other countries or if it is ever released ouside japan. you get panties and you run fast.
dang, I hate friday through sunday. No adult swim on two of those days, and sunday's lineup just plain sucks.
Today is Astro Boy's birthday. The boy robot who started it all. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/07/international/asia/07JAPA.html
Tonight's episode of Trigun was the best yet, easily! Cool as all hell showdown at the end, whew!! Good stuff.
There's a video clip someone made that's making its way around the Internet - the guy spliced together parts of Cowboy Bebop and Trigun to make it look like Spike is hunting Vash. It's pretty cool, if you can find it.
I'll keep an eye out for that. Trigun tonight was not as good as last night, but still better than the first couple of episodes. I liked them too, but now more secrets are coming out about the past, more serious action occuring, etc. Its gettin pretty cool. In other news: I hate Inuyasha, or however its spelled. What a waste of time.
So very glad I'm getting paid Thursday ... had four prebooks come in today. Excel Saga #6 Rune Solider Sugar Noir #2 Hopefully the tax return will help take the edge off of that spending spree.
I, for some reason, just cannot get into the purely fantasy/medieval based series'. I will admit that the english, terrible english dubbing is alot of what puts me off. And I am willing to watch it, un-edited and in original Japanese before I completely write it off. The stories might be great, the writing might be ok, I don't know, but it isn't for me. At least not in the form that is broadcast on Adult Swim. I haven't seen Ranma.
Ronin Warriors Like I needed another reason to spend money.... Out on DVD. I used to love this series. So much so, that I even have all of the original action figures... un-opened! Cryptic animation, yes, but I still loved this series. They're also releasing the OAV's!
Question for anime buffs: What appeals to you most about this genre? Is it the animation itself, or are the stories powerful and engaging in a specifically Japanese way? I saw "Princess Mononoke" in an art-house theater a few years back and liked it a lot on both accounts. The eco-sensibility was interesting and different from traditional U.S. fare, and the artwork was breathtaking. The plot was also pretty fast paced and kept my attention throughout. But then I saw "Akira" on tv recently, and it just didn't hold my attention. The story seemed jumbled, as if the director was just trying to provide scenarios to display the amazing animation (which was pretty great, of course). Anyway, I plan to see "Spirited Away" soon.
I'm not an "anime fan" per se. I won't watch any old crap just because its anime. Like all other forms of entertainment, 90% of anime is derivative, cliche-ridden lowest-common-denominator nonsense and I ignore it. I do, however, like the insights into Japanese society and cultural information given by a series like "Maison Ikkoku" and the excellent and intellectual story-telling from series like "Neon Evangelion" or much of Miyazaki's work. I'll throw in Shirow's manga series from Appleseed on into this second group as well even though it's not anime. Cowboy Bepop is great too simply because there's nothing like it coming from "the West" (unless you count some of the better "cyberpunk" books by, say, William Gibson or Bruce Sterling), certainly not in movie of animated form. And if I want to turn my brain off and have some mindless fun, there's always the venerable Ranma 1/2 or Inu Yasha or The Slayers that are funny and won't bore me.
Sailor Moon was a very good show - at least, with the original seiyuu. (voice actors). The American version, as has been the case with much of the imported shows, was dumbed down and repackaged. It becomes a completely different show in some cases. I've seen lots and lots of different series since my first Anime convention (AnimeExpo 98), and I like mecha as much as shoujo. I can pop in Kare Kano, move on to Adventures of the Mini-Goddesses, and end up with EVA Death and Rebirth in one night. I guess I have an "eclectic" taste when it comes to anime...
The anime I enjoy the most are the ones that tell a story using the arc format of story telling. Series like Escaflowne, Eva, Bastard and Record of Lodoss War are ones that I am drawn to. I have so many still that I need to see that I am not sure I will ever have the time I also enjoy the stand alone movies from time to time, with my two favorites being Castle of Cagliostro and Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust I don't tend to enjoy too much episodic anime with the obvious exception of the brilliant Cowboy Bebop (which has just enough arc components to keep one interested in the higher story). The arc story telling is probably why I am so drawn to a TV show like Babylon 5. Here is a link to my current small collection of Anime on DVD, which will hopefully continue to grow as my wife and I find time to watch. http://www.dvdaficionado.com/dvds.html?cat=1&sub=Anime&id=andy_b Andy