August 29, 2006
As you might remember, the new school year has begun at Duck U. That's part of the reason for sparse posting as of late: it's christmas at the Bookstore. We do nigh on 75% of our year's business over a month's time (roughly); the first two weeks of each semester, which is where we are firmly located at the moment.
But the return of the ducklings to the U. also means that the Duck U. Anime Club is beginning to creak back to life. Being the Staff Advisor has some perks to it, namely I don't have to do too much work other than designing the weekly poster (which I enjoy to no end) and being the final arbiter of what will or won't be watched in a semester ('are you kidding?' to Eiken, 'no' to Elfen Lied, 'yes, if we can get the rights' to Hellsing, 'yes' to Noir, as examples from last year).
The hardest part is, without a doubt, getting the viewing rights. Other people have complaints about ADV, mostly stemming from their 'sitting on the release rights' to various anime series. As a club, however, we consider them the model for what an anime distributor should be.
We've NEVER had a problem with them when it comes to viewing rights. Heck, they've been flat-out eager to let us watch their shows! They know that the club is an advertisement for whatever series we want to watch; if we're not given viewing rights, we can't watch, and are therefore much less likely to buy.
As a club, we've mostly given up on Bandai or Geneon released shows, simply because they've never, EVER, returned our calls or e-mails. EVER.
People say that ADV actively antagonizes their fanbase. I can honestly say that I've never seen it.
Posted by: Wonderduck at
06:47 PM
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I've been lurking around the pond now for a few months, and am finally making myself known. I'm a huge fan of F1 (which is how I found the pond) but have also found the anime talk interesting as well. So let's say my curiosity is piqued! That being said, what titles can the pond's anime fans recommend for a newbie? My entire anime experience up until now was seeing "Akira" at the theatre (and not getting it!). I just bought the "Ghost In The Shell" movie, so that was my first official anime DVD purchase.
Thanks!
madmike
Posted by: madmike at August 30, 2006 06:04 AM (o+iiH)
Posted by: Steven Den Beste at August 30, 2006 06:57 AM (+rSRq)
It depends on your tastes, but here's a few of my favorties as "gateway" choices:
Tenchi Muyo (OAV or Universe, avoid Shin like the plague) or Ranma 1/2 for the Harem genre.
The Gundam series is the archetype of the "giant robot/mecha" shows; but I'd also recommend the original Macross series (which Harmony Gold reworked into Robotech) as it has been released unedited and subtitled. Don't watch Evangellion, it's as confusing as Akira.
Dragon Ball Z is probably the best "Fighting" anime ever made, but settle in; it's looooooong.
Slayers is good for the Magic/Adventure category (not to be confused with the Magical Girl category, which I'm not as familiar with.), but watch them in the right order: The Slayers, Slayers: Try, then Slayers: Next, if you're still interested. The OAV's are optional (but you'll miss Naga) and are prequels to the whole series.
If you like the Ghost in the Shell movie, check out the anime: Stand Alone Complex and S.A.C. 2nd GIG.
Also, if you have cable, check out Cartoon Network at night, they have a few good series in rotation.
Good luck!
Posted by: JP Gibb at August 30, 2006 12:06 PM (+RrvX)
Different people have different tastes. I don't agree with any of JP Gibb's recommendations. (Just goes to show you, don't it? Ask 10 otaku for recommendations and you'll get 15, none the same.)
Posted by: Steven Den Beste at August 30, 2006 12:25 PM (+rSRq)
Posted by: JP Gibb at August 30, 2006 12:54 PM (+RrvX)
Posted by: Steven Den Beste at August 30, 2006 03:52 PM (+rSRq)
It's basically light romantic comedy with some drama thrown in at times.
And the original OAV series was the 2nd anime I ever saw... right behind Ranma 1/2, which is also a decent gateway show.
Posted by: Wonderduck at August 31, 2006 09:28 AM (+rGmJ)
Posted by: Pixy Misa at August 31, 2006 10:09 PM (oFrbW)
My suggestion is, try something acknowledged as good. Akira is, frankly, not my cup of tea, it's too preachy. Steven says that Haibane Renmei is too great a work. Fair enough, try Someday's Dreamers then.
Another practical thing to do is to go to a big enough convention, ignore all ther weird people and just camp in video rooms. The good video selection is why I suggest a big convention like AX. Fanime is probably the smallest suitable size. Spend 3 nights and 4 days watching, and you'll be up to speed on everythinig. Don't forget to take notes though - a normal person's brain is not capable of retaining this much info.
When I decided that I wanted to know what's out there, I went to AX. As the case may be, they were showing Haibane Renmei on a special industry media with "PREVIEW" warnings :-)
A con is not only quick, but also a cheap way to catch up. For the price of 2 DVDs (not counting hotel, alas) you see 20 to 40 titles.
Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at September 01, 2006 09:00 AM (9imyF)
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