danth

I appreciate the advice and comments. Just so you know, besides checking this forum, anime isn't a big part of my life. I watch my Tenchi and Robotech DVDs sometimes and that's about it. But, since I was once heavily into japanese animation, I still feel the urge to watch a good anime now and again. Whenever I do, I'm disappointed. You know, I hear a lot of good stuff about Legends of Galactic Heroes from people who also hate new anime...

I hope this isn't tacky, and I also have no idea where to post something like this, but here goes... I'm trying to buy some books from a japanese vendor that only ships within Japan (and possibly China/Korea/etc. as well). So, I'd have to ship to a Japanese buddy, and then have the Japanese buddy ship it to me. But alas, I have no buddies in Japan. So, if there's anyone in a situation to help me out, I'd be willing to make it worth it for you. Sorry if this is in the wrong forum!

I just figured out a good way to express myself on this subject without using the word "sucks": Modern anime does not satisfy my needs as a Japanese Animation fan. Also, I've discovered that I can't trust anybody's taste. I hate most anime that people recommend to me.

Ha! I was thinking the same damn thing!

I modified it a bit, but I have nowhere to post it. I made it smaller, took out the text, and added a mospeada logo.

Yay! You're the best JB0! I wonder if the unadulterated image exists somewhere, without the bottom wedge removed.

I was looking through the manga at Borders today and I noticed some trends. * New manga lacks the detail in the panels' backgrounds. It's usually all white, sometimes black, or sometimes a weird effect (like speed-lines or a grey smear). Older manga had richly drawn backgrounds with beautiful detail. * New manga has very little depth and balance of black and white. It's usually all thin black lines with no grey, or if there is grey, it's very light grey. There's no richness. Older manga has a lot of dark black shadows, and many different shades of grey. * Overall the aesthetic appeal of the linework has degrated, in my opinion, but it's not as bad as it is in anime. Another thing, I just realized why anime now sucks: all of the talented people went into video games.

You are my hero, JB0. And yellowlightman, it's definitely Japanese. As for the actual artist, I'm not sure, but maybe the upcoming scan will have a signature.

D'oh...I'm searching for a picture (I can't edit the mispelled title...). I have book called Invid Invasion somewhere but I can't find it. On the back cover of this book is a beautiful Mospeada painting of Ray & Mint (Rand & Annie) on the back of a Armo-bike (Cyclone), and in the background is a towering Legioss armo-soldier (Alpha Fighter). I have a tiny version of this picture but I'm looking for a larger image. Can anyone help me with this? Here's the tiny version:

Were you talking about the new "Here Comes the Bride" DVD? I just watched that and it was a horrible piece of trash. Hideous animation and a boring and pointless story. As a die-hard Tenchi fan, I wish I never saw it.

A lot of people have been saying that. I should check that one out too.

Whoa, I have that. I haven't watched it yet.

Okay, picks for best of the new: Cowboy Bebop Ghost in the Shell: SAC Full Metal Alchemist Last Exile Escaflowne Does sound like a good top 5?

Hmmm... Okay, I admit that there were stinkers in the eighties too. But, the percentage of good anime has decreased dramatically. But let's say for argument's sake that 90 percent of both old and new anime sucks. That still doesn't mean old anime isn't better. I think the "good" anime of today is only somewhat decent, and the "good" anime of the eighties was amazing. My taste hasn't changed -- otherwise, I wouldn't still be watching Macross. Anime has changed. If it changed for the better, I wouldn't have a problem. But to show that I'm the sporting type, I'll promise to watch the top 5 picks for new anime (the first few episodes, not the whole series, unless I like it). So far, people mentioned Full Metal Alchemist a lot, so I'll probably watch that. What else would you all consider "the best of the new?"

Okay, let's be superficial for a moment. Can anyone recommend a post-1999 anime that looks beautiful? I'm talking great-looking animation and design. This is your chance to change my mind.

That's true, but it has nothing to do with why I don't like new anime. For instance, I really like old fastback Mustangs. It has nothing to do with nostalgia or mystery -- I wasn't even alive then, and those cars are too popular to be mysterious. I just happen to like them a lot, and they happen to be old. I think the eighties Mustangs suck all kinds of ass, and that was the same time I'm nostalgic for when it comes to music or TV. The two are different and I happen to like the old one better, like many other people.

My Favorite Bands: Erasure A-Ha New Order Billy Idol Belinda Carlysle Def Leppard Enya Favorite Movie/TV Soundtracks: Never Ending Story Star Wars (Original Trilogy) Robotech Favorite Video Game Soundtracks: Secret of Mana (Video Game) Chrono Trigger Honorable Mentions: Cure Pet Shop Boys OMD Foo Fighters Garbage Weezer Since so many people here like New Order, recommend some songs to me. I've only heard Substance, but it was so good that still I consider New Order one of my faves. What are their best songs (besides Subculture, Shell Shock, Bizzare Love Triangle, Blue Monday, and True Faith)?

Yay! Have you heard any of A-Ha's new stuff, or any of their not-well-known old songs like "I've been Losing You" or "The Swing of Things" or "Stay on These Roads"? Some people think they are a one-hit-wonder, but they have a lot of great songs. And they're HUGE in Norway.

I'll admit to nostalgia if you admit that new anime is qualitatively different than the old stuff. I don't mean better or worse, just different in a distinct way.

Good advice which I have already implemented. I'll still watch the old stuff though.

Yes and no. Nostalgia plays a huge role. On an emotional level, I am definitely fond of the old stuff. But I don't look at the past through rose-colored glasses. I admit the faults of old anime; for instance, some of the old Macross episodes look like garbage (thanks Anime Friend), and I've always known that. But nostalgia isn't the only reason I like old japanese animation, not by a long shot. The style has changed, and not for the better, in my opinion. When I first saw Robotech, I was awestruck with how beautiful the style and animation was. If the first anime I saw had been Full Metal Alchemist, I would have passed it over in favor of GI Joe. It's not nostalgia -- the two are styles are different and I just happen to like the old one better. Remember the battle between Max and Milia aboard the Macross, as Hikaru watches from the hospital room? Remember how you can see the Q Rau from all angles as it flies by, the perspective changing in every frame, the blast of her thrusters causing visible distortion, hundreds of chunks of building falling to the ground? Have you ever seen anything like that in anime in the past ten years?

See, that's so weird. I don't even like anime that other anime fans like. I didn't like Mac Plus that much. Sure, it was cool seeing Valkyries kicking ass, but the story was gay. Isamu would NOT be allowed anywhere near a test plane in any version of reality. Isamu and Guld were both jerks, Myung was a hopeless victim, and that blonde chick was a ditz. I hate them all. Plus, the animation style was ugly. And then there's Cowboy Bebop, an anime that can trick anime fans into thinking its uber-chic. Now there's an accomplishment. "Ooh, this guy wears a 70's style suit and knows kung-fu and smokes cigars! And the music is reminiscent of Shaft-- how cool!" Blah. I bought the first DVD and, as much as I tried to want to, I couldn't justify buying the next volume. I mean, look at character development in anime now: Dumbass guy blows stuff up, then goes into melodramatic monologue, complete with still images, about his painful past. Ooh, I now identify with this character! I mean, you don't know how often I kill bad guys with fiery explosions and then recount how my father never loved me. Yeah, this really is a self-hating anime fan thread.

Ever since I watched Robotech as a kid, I've loved japanese animation. Back in the eighties, I would watch any animation that I could tell was Japanese. I would search for comics and toys and videos and models, anything. It was all so very cool and exotic. Now days, I still want to capture that feeling of discovery and wonder. So I'll rent some anime every once and a while, and, invariably, I find myself bored and annoyed at whatever I'm watching. Full Metal Panic, Gasaraki, um...poo, the other 20 or so were so bad I can't even remember their names. Anyway, I hated all of them. Everything new I try out is melodramatic, super-silly, and downright boring (I don't even care much for Cowboy Bebop. The movie literally put me to sleep). The anime they show on local TV is horrible, and the Cartoon Network stuff is just not that good. Still, for some reason, I always give anime another chance. I can't shake the addiction to what I felt watching Macross and Bubble Gum Crisis and Megazone or reading Appleseed and Caravan Kid. Then, the other day, I watched Venus Wars on cable. It was beautiful. The designs and animation rocked. The characters were believable and well drawn. It actually looked like Japanese animation. So, the pattern emerges, and it was so obvious. I hate new anime, and I like old Japanese animation. I think the old stuff shouldn't be called anime. I think anime developed around 1995. Anything before that should be called Japanese animation, and has a chance of being good. Everything after that is anime, and most likely sucks. Who's fault is it? What about all the unbathed and crusty-haired fans, who were so nerdy they found the Japanese word for animation instead of simply using the term "Japanese animation," and consumed uncritically all the crap shows that came to the US? What about Clamp and Shonen Jump, who seem to be a heavy influence in the industry, pushing their style of poorly drawn and poorly written cartoons? The real pattern, though, is this: I like eighties-style animation with characters I care about. The last "anime" I've seen like this was Tenchi Muyo, the TV series. And of course it all started with Macross. Does anyone else share my taste?

Good point. I bet it would cause yellowing or something. But, I was only half serious.

Ozone. My brother cleans apartments after they are vacated, and he has an ozone machine that gets rid of cigarette smell. Good luck getting some ozone, but if you do, that should do the trick. P.S. You can't breathe ozone (O3), so make sure there is plenty of ventilation.