Best anime series? ^^

Yes, the adventures of Sataka Kintoki!

Oooh, that triggers something. Mononoke, the anime. Twelve episodes. Nothing else needed.

I see a remarkable coincidence there. :mischief:

Agree, Mononoke sans Princess is actually a great anime, too. The art style is amazing.
 
Ah, anime, one of my very much loved passtime.
Though it's having a difficult time these days with a pretty low-brow base market, and being flooded with utter "cute girls" and "harem series" crap, there is still several gems you can find in the heap.

Two of the very best I ever seen, which are both VERY dark and pretty deep series, despite a misguiding cheery and cute graphical design.

Shinsekai Yori

Can't really describe the background without entering spoiler territory, but it's a mix of philosophy on what is humanity, the balance of morality and practicality, and coming of age. Yes, all rolled into one.
And as said : don't worry about the seemingly archetypical "cute highschool girls" style at the beginning, it really isn't about clichés.

Made in Abyss

A wonderful surprise from last year. It's gorgeous, it's disturbing, it's gripping. There is a huge hole in an island, obeying strange supernatural laws and from which incredible relics and artifacts are dug out. The setting is just stunning, both in terms of visuals, designs and atmosphere. The Abyss itself is the center of the story, managing to be both a source of true horror and yet at the same time deeply fascinating. A real experience (and another season has been announced, can't wait to see where the story is going).
 
^May be interesting, but the drawing style of both is indeed very much on the 'cute' style, which never is good news ^^
Ooooh no, trust me, I can't emphasize enough just how NOT "cute and harmless" either is.
 
Ooooh no, trust me, I can't emphasize enough just how NOT "cute and harmless" either is.

Well, i saw the first 3 episodes. Not sure how you call this horror or disturbing. The setting is very good, but how is this not 'cute'? (as in an adolescent/teen anime). I mean... it is a story with 10-12 year olds as protagonists :/
Next to this even Miyazaki is death-grim.
 
Well, i saw the first 3 episodes. Not sure how you call this horror or disturbing. The setting is very good, but how is this not 'cute'? (as in an adolescent/teen anime). I mean... it is a story with 10-12 year olds as protagonists :/
Next to this even Miyazaki is death-grim.
Yeah, well, wait a bit.
There is always something innocent and fairytales-like in the serie, but the more the story progress, the more disturbing it becomes.
Notice, it's mainly about the atmosphere and the feeling of going down in the unknown. It's not about gore or raw violence. If you aren't the kind to be immersed in a story, or if you expect TOO MUCH horror, you'll probably not feel the full impact.
 
Serial Experiments Lain is worse than Primer. Great intro though.
 
Lain is so, so much more than Primer.. And I liked that movie. Have you watched it once? I think Lain is one of those shows that you absolutely have to rewatch to get most out of it. It's the Twin Peaks of anime. I get, for example, warpus criticism that it feels pretentious at times. The aesthetic, sound design especially, dialogue, can sometimes seem purposefully obscure like some french post-structuralist writing, but it really isn't obscure for the sake of being obscure. Lain is a show you first have to experience empirically, you have to open yourself up, then, after you've seen it, you can come back to it and attempt to understand its subtleties.
 
Seems like far too much effort when I could just turn my brain off and watch people having foodgasms in Shokugeki no Soma....

(I have actually watched Lain, albeit probably the best part of 15 years ago, and while I did quite like it, it didn't blow me away and I certainly didn't have an urge to watch it again.)
 
Last edited:
The Orginal First Full length Film that defined the genre
"Nausciaa and the Valley of the Winds"

Magnum Opus of Anime

 
Seems like far too much effort when I could just turn my brain off and watch people having foodgasms in Shokugeki no Soma....

(I have actually watched Lain, albeit probably the best part of 15 years ago, and while I did quite like it, it didn't blow me away and I certainly didn't have an urge to watch it again.)

Food Wars is pretty mediocre, seen it. It's funny occasionally, but really offers little insight on actual cooking/recipes and the foodgasms are the only consistently funny thing about the show. To be honest, Food Wars is just a worse version of Yakitate! Japan, which did everything better. Also Food Wars just has too much big titty bullfeathers. I don't **** with that.

I mean why even compare one of the most cerebral anime ever made with some braindead show that is good for a few laughs? They have nothing in common. Or are you saying that anime in general is something to watch when you want to turn your brain off?

Yakitate does have some really good animation though. And the recipe in the very first episode is actually superb, ended up cooking that at home.
 
Food Wars is pretty mediocre, seen it. It's funny occasionally, but really offers little insight on actual cooking/recipes and the foodgasms are the only consistently funny thing about the show. To be honest, Food Wars is just a worse version of Yakitate! Japan, which did everything better. Also Food Wars just has too much big titty bullfeathers. I don't **** with that.

I mean why even compare one of the most cerebral anime ever made with some braindead show that is good for a few laughs? They have nothing in common. Or are you saying that anime in general is something to watch when you want to turn your brain off?

Yakitate does have some really good animation though. And the recipe in the very first episode is actually superb, ended up cooking that at home.

My post was somewhat tongue in cheek (I often can't resist having a little dig when people use the kind of language in your post on Lain to describe...well, anything :p ), but at the same time I do really appreciate stuff that I can enjoy with my brain turned off - not just anime, this goes for films, western TV shows, books, video games and so on. I get to use my brain plenty at work, evenings and weekends are the time for it to have a rest. And I consider the stuff that entertains me when I'm in this mood to be every bit as good as the complex thought provoking stuff I watch when I'm in the mood for that kind of thing.

I picked Shokugeki No Soma as it's the best currently running example of "great fun when you don't have to think". Yeah, it's stupid, yeah if you're watching it to get ideas for things to cook, you'll be disappointing, but I find it great fun to watch. And yes, I would say it's better than Lain. As I said before, I don't dislike the latter, but I've got more enjoyment from Soma, and given that I watch anime (or films, or play games, or read books etc.) primarily to be entertained, I consider the ones that entertain me most to be best.

I didn't enjoy Yakitate much, gave it half a dozen episodes but found it rather boring.
 
Again, this is the only actually dark anime i have seen:

Saw the first episode of Aku no Hana. Really MY kind of show :)


Even Paranoia Agent tends to include some comedic moments.

That said, Aku no Hana doesn't have a particularly interesting story. But the animating is good (using rotoroscopy is a good idea), and the premise is bleak. And has some tie to Baudelaire :)
 
My post was somewhat tongue in cheek (I often can't resist having a little dig when people use the kind of language in your post on Lain to describe...well, anything :p ), but at the same time I do really appreciate stuff that I can enjoy with my brain turned off - not just anime, this goes for films, western TV shows, books, video games and so on. I get to use my brain plenty at work, evenings and weekends are the time for it to have a rest. And I consider the stuff that entertains me when I'm in this mood to be every bit as good as the complex thought provoking stuff I watch when I'm in the mood for that kind of thing.

I picked Shokugeki No Soma as it's the best currently running example of "great fun when you don't have to think". Yeah, it's stupid, yeah if you're watching it to get ideas for things to cook, you'll be disappointing, but I find it great fun to watch. And yes, I would say it's better than Lain. As I said before, I don't dislike the latter, but I've got more enjoyment from Soma, and given that I watch anime (or films, or play games, or read books etc.) primarily to be entertained, I consider the ones that entertain me most to be best.

I didn't enjoy Yakitate much, gave it half a dozen episodes but found it rather boring.

I feel you.. I guess everyone needs to turn their brain off with some activity or another. I usually try to do that when I do very meditative things.. Like dishwashing, cleaning the house, cutting vegetables, doing a workout etc. But sometimes I also need my dose of lowbrow entertainment. I usually head to YouTube and just watch other people be better at videogames than I am :lol:

We can't all read an aramaic translation of GWF Hegel's lost opus magnum written on papyrus with goat blood while chanting ancient mantras, thus achieving enlightenment and becoming one with the earth, entering universal consciousness. Sometimes it's just big ole anime titties and over the top humor.

That being said I don't watch films (or series, or listen to music..) primarily for entertainment, but rather for the unique experience they provide.
 
Lain is so, so much more than Primer.. And I liked that movie. Have you watched it once? I think Lain is one of those shows that you absolutely have to rewatch to get most out of it. It's the Twin Peaks of anime. I get, for example, warpus criticism that it feels pretentious at times. The aesthetic, sound design especially, dialogue, can sometimes seem purposefully obscure like some french post-structuralist writing, but it really isn't obscure for the sake of being obscure. Lain is a show you first have to experience empirically, you have to open yourself up, then, after you've seen it, you can come back to it and attempt to understand its subtleties.

I loved Primer, I've seen it three times. I've watched six episodes of Lain.

The dialogue makes absolutely no sense, I'd agree that it is purposefully obscure for the sake of it.

I'd settle for understanding the most basic elements over understanding subtlety.

Let me rephrase. This show is worse than Upstream Color. Absolute failure to establish a coherent plot.
 
Top Bottom