A question for people who know their anime:
My favorite series tend to be the bizarre WTF science fiction - Serial Experiments: Lain, Texhnolyze, Boogiepop Phantom, for example. I kinda enjoyed some of Ergo Proxy, and bits and pieces of Paranoia Agent as well.
So what would you guys recommend along those lines? It's been forever since I've seen a blow-me-away quality show, and I need a fix. 
A question for people who know their anime:
My favorite series tend to be the bizarre WTF science fiction - Serial Experiments: Lain, Texhnolyze, Boogiepop Phantom, for example. I kinda enjoyed some of Ergo Proxy, and bits and pieces of Paranoia Agent as well.
So what would you guys recommend along those lines? It's been forever since I've seen a blow-me-away quality show, and I need a fix. :P
Sounds like FLCL to me 
Or along those same lines, Perfect Blue. FLCL always gets a nod from me, though, regardless of what you're looking for.
edit: I've seen some of the characters used in the wikipedia links break the BB code tags. A good workaround is to go old-school and use our good friend: <a href="..."></a>
It used to barf when I did that, so I quit. H/o, and I'll see what I can do upstairs.
FLCL seconded, or Paprika.
-- edited because the URL encoding is being a harpy; edited twice for double the fun 
I've seen all of those, actually.
I didn't mention FLCL because despite the WTF-sci-fi-ness of it, it's really more of a comedy/parody than anything else. I still love it, though.
I also love Perfect Blue, and I... didn't hate Paprika, but it didn't do much for me. Great concept that didn't quite deliver - for me, anyway.
Any other movies/series closer to the Lain/Texhnolyze style come to mind?
I don't know. I've only seen a couple episodes of Lain, and it struck me as a lot like Ghost in the Shell, which I'm assuming you've already seen. I haven't seen the other. I'm also assuming you've seen Akira.
Have you seen Jin-Roh? It has some of the same themes, but it's got a healthy dose of politics in it. On a somewhat lighter side, Planetes might be fun for you. I know it's not "science fiction", but the modern setting, the gritty aspect and the alternate world stuff might make Karas a good find (and at 6 episodes it's not going to break the bank, either).
For some stuff I've never actually seen, I hear Freedom is awesome. Or if you can get your hands on it, I hear Persona -trinity soul- (set in the same universe as the game Persona 3) is good.
I don't know. I've only seen a couple episodes of Lain, and it struck me as a lot like Ghost in the Shell, which I'm assuming you've already seen. I haven't seen the other. I'm also assuming you've seen Akira.
Yep, seen every scrap of GitS I could get my hands on. Loved the first movie and two seasons of the show, didn't care for SSS, and I hated the second movie.
Those others - Jin-Roh, Karas, Planetes - are all new to me, so I'll give those a shot. Thanks!
Jin-Roh is a scifi-ish retelling of Little Red Riding hood, but I don't recall it being much in the vein of WTFness like Lain, Akira or any of that. Planetes was awesome, but it's a near future slice of life scifi show. Outstanding though, I highly recommend it.
In the vein of weird scifi shows, Kiddy Grade might be up your alley. It's more along the lines of superhero stuff, but still quite Sci-Fi IMO.
All in all, I'm kinda stumped on this one. You've seen most of the ones I can think of off the top of my head, and this type of scifi is fairly few and far behind.
I wasn't coming at it from WTHeck, as much as the themes of identity and the different states of reality side of things.
If you hated Innocence I'm not sure you should take my tastes as a guide.
What would you call Cowboy Bebop?
Bubblegum Crisis, maybe? Though that's mostly just an excuse to get cute girls in tight metal outfits. I wasn't fond of Kiddy Grade. How about Elfen Lied?
Or what you could do is go to this list, read through and see if you find anything that floats your boat and then come back to us and see if anyone's seen it?
Those others - Jin-Roh, Karas, Planetes - are all new to me, so I'll give those a shot. Thanks! :)
Personally, I liked the Planetes manga more than the anime. But that's just me. I didn't like the voices in either Japanese or English.
EDIT: Momgamer, the link in your last post doesn't work.
One weird, whiskey tango foxtrot series that's been mentioned here is Higurashi no Naku Koro ni or When They Cry in the American release. It looks cutesy and all that but I hear it's seriously messed up. I also hear the ending's somewhat "meh," but I can't speak from experience; I tend to avoid those kind of shows, and while I liked Lain I can't say the same for Texhnolyze.
Would Evangelion count as WTF Sci-Fi? To me it would be included.
I think Paparika would probably be right up chirs3 interests.
Ghost in the Shell Movie 2: Innocence will also fit.
Elfen Lied, RahXephon and Kurau: Phantom Memory kind of fit as well.
Any other movies/series closer to the Lain/Texhnolyze style come to mind?
Haibane Renmei? I've only managed to catch an episode or so, but it did have a lot of mystery going on, as far as I remember, and it's made by largely the same people who did Lain. It's significantly more light-hearted though.
And not anime, but there's a Japanese horror movie called Marebito (Stranger from Afar) that's written by Chiaki Konaka, writer on Lain and Texhnolyze. It's Lovecraftian rather than sci-fi, and pretty damn f*cked-up and weird. I wouldn't recommend it to most people, but you might enjoy it.
chirs3 wrote:Any other movies/series closer to the Lain/Texhnolyze style come to mind?
Haibane Renmei? I've only managed to catch an episode or so, but it did have a lot of mystery going on, as far as I remember, and it's made by largely the same people who did Lain. It's significantly more light-hearted though.
And not anime, but there's a Japanese horror movie called Marebito (Stranger from Afar) that's written by Chiaki Konaka, writer on Lain and Texhnolyze. It's Lovecraftian rather than sci-fi, and pretty damn f*cked-up and weird. I wouldn't recommend it to most people, but you might enjoy it.
Seen and enjoyed Haibane Renmei. And it starts more lighthearted, but... well, keep watching.
Marebito... written by someone who worked on Lain and Texhnolyze = count me in. I'll try and grab it when I can.
Also, Elfen Lied has been brought up more than once, so I guess that should go on the list as well.
Since some people seem to be getting tripped up on the sci-fi, maybe I should try to just explain it a little better: my favorites are the bizarre WTF sci-fi, but what I love about those shows in particular (and also about shows like FLCL and Haibane Renmei) is that, for me, they're working on two levels, only one of which I can fully grasp.
In the shows I mentioned, I can follow what's happening with each individual character, and understand basically what is going on, but my head starts to spin when trying to put together all of the pieces regarding "how" and "why". Not everything is explained, a lot is left for the viewer to interpret, and in the end there's a second level on which the story takes place that is just barely out of my reach. Take Boogiepop - I can follow the individual storylines just fine, the basic "who are these people and what are they doing". But trying to assemble all of the pieces of the puzzle into a single coherent timeline/picture/explanation for everything makes my head spin. Same with Lain - I once sat down with a friend and watched it straight through, and we both had totally different theories on just what the hell happened at certain parts. Or a show like Haibane Renmei - again, the who what where when is easy (and very good - highly recommend this show). But many important details about the world they live in, what's beyond the wall, their past lives, etc, are never explained - vague hints are dropped, but nothing more. So you can guess, you can theorize, you can find evidence to support your ideas, but you can't ever really know.
So in the end, I actually get a lot of enjoyment of not fully getting it. I'm one of those people who instantly loses interest the moment everything is explained, so part of what I love about those shows is never really knowing everything. I can enjoy it on that first level, as a show with good characters and an interesting story, and I can enjoy not quite understanding that second level as a mystery, the answer to which is on the tip of my tongue but I just can't quite ever fully understand.
So those are the kinds of shows/movies I'm looking for.
Have you tried the Count of Monte Cristo anime? I forget how the name translates, but it was visually confusing at least.
...(bunch of stuff)...
Along those lines I'd throw out Ghost Hound, Denno Coil, and Rahxephon as some more (somewhat random) recommendations.
Would Evangelion count as WTF Sci-Fi? To me it would be included.
I think Paparika would probably be right up chirs3 interests.
Ghost in the Shell Movie 2: Innocence will also fit.
Elfen Lied, RahXephon and Kurau: Phantom Memory kind of fit as well.
I'm pretty sure Eva is the poster child of WTF Scifi. 
Have you tried the Count of Monte Cristo anime? I forget how the name translates, but it was visually confusing at least.
Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo
I watched the first 2 or 3 episodes. I'm liking it, but haven't had a chance to watch the rest.
The other day I finally sat down and watched Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo - The Girl Who Leapt through Time. Starts off pretty normal school life anime but has a nice Sci-Fi twist.
Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo
I watched the first 2 or 3 episodes. I'm liking it, but haven't had a chance to watch the rest.
I really wish this was available as HD downloads. I'd gladly pay Microsoft's exorbitant fees to watch this is glorious High Definition.
A friend lent me his DIVX copies and I couldn't sit though them, knowing how much detail had been tossed aside.
Dear GWJ Anime Braintrust,
Okay, so i'm not much of an anime-head anymore. But the trailer I saw for "Paprika" looked awesome, and I was interested. I saw it last night in the local video store, and i'm wondering if it's worth a rental. Mind you, this is coming from someone who really can't stand Hayao Miyazaki.
Dear GWJ Anime Braintrust,
Okay, so i'm not much of an anime-head anymore. But the trailer I saw for "Paprika" looked awesome, and I was interested. I saw it last night in the local video store, and i'm wondering if it's worth a rental. Mind you, this is coming from someone who really can't stand Hayao Miyazaki.
Then you're in luck. Paprika is nothing like Miyazaki films. As it's been said a couple of times already, Paprika is a bit of a mindf*ck (literally). I enjoyed, even though, the ending kinda didn't make much sense.
Dear GWJ Anime Braintrust,
Okay, so i'm not much of an anime-head anymore. But the trailer I saw for "Paprika" looked awesome, and I was interested. I saw it last night in the local video store, and i'm wondering if it's worth a rental. Mind you, this is coming from someone who really can't stand Hayao Miyazaki.
Paprika is by Satoshi Kon, who does a lot of psychological/reality-bending series and movies. I haven't seen Paprika yet, but the other works by Kon, Paranoia Agent and Perfect Blue are very much in the same vibe from what I've heard. Both of those were great IMO. One of my favorite podcasts, Anime World Order, did a review of Paprika here if you want to know more about it.
Dear GWJ Anime Braintrust,
Okay, so i'm not much of an anime-head anymore. But the trailer I saw for "Paprika" looked awesome, and I was interested. I saw it last night in the local video store, and i'm wondering if it's worth a rental. Mind you, this is coming from someone who really can't stand Hayao Miyazaki.
Not even close to Miyazaki. Definately worth a rental; I've got it on order. We all just got through recommending it to someone else about a page back.
I haven't watched any anime in a long time, but I just got back from Japan so I'm rather in the mood to watch some. Nothing to add, just keeping tabs here.
I haven't watched any anime in a long time, but I just got back from Japan so I'm rather in the mood to watch some. Nothing to add, just keeping tabs here. :)
Fedaykin98 is Daikoku-ten.
Fedaykin98 wrote:I haven't watched any anime in a long time, but I just got back from Japan so I'm rather in the mood to watch some. Nothing to add, just keeping tabs here. :)
Fedaykin98 is Daikoku-ten.
I was referring more to the God of luck and prosperity often shown as a neko (cat) with out stretched paws. But yes that guy is also considered one of the Daikokuten. My reference is to say you are one lucky fellow to have been able to visit Japan.
Believe it or not, that's what I thought you meant.
Started watching Giant Robo. I definitely like the animation and the store is very interesting so far!
Macross Frontier Ep. 9
- They backed off a little bit on the fluff and gave us a bit more space combat. This episode shed some more light on that strange alien fighter and some insight on Mikhail's background and also Klan. It wasn't the most exciting episode but I think character development needs to get done to inspire a bit of personal relation to each character. So it was still a good episode. I wish this series went on for 36 eps instead of the 25 they say.
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