Oooh, I've just downloaded that series. I was planning to start it tonight, in fact.

Over the weekend, I saw the movie Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo (The Girl Who Leapt Through Time), which has been widely recognized as the best anime movie of 2006. As the title suggests, it's about a girl who discovers that she suddenly has the ability to travel backwards in time. It starts out as a comedy through some of the ways she uses her new power, but then turns serious when the consequences of her time leaps start to pile up. It's pretty fabulous. You can find the fansub at the usual locations - but make sure your computer handles Matroska (.mkv) format, because that's all I've been able to find.

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The anime version of the popular manga, Claymore is subbed up to Episode 7 currently. So if you like your anime bloody, full of monsters and chicks with swords who kick ass, there ya go

Anime News Network is quoting reports that Maria-sama ga Miteru has been picked up for a fourth season. No word yet on whether it will be broadcast or direct-to-video. I never got into that show, but I know there are a lot of folks here who like it.

Meanwhile, I'm currently watching Claymore (which is just as Kieli advertised ), Dennou Coil (which is kind of like Hayao Miyazaki meets William Gibson), and the new season of Higurashi, now that I've caught up with Season 1.

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Hey Bob, have you been paying any attention to the yuri manga/anime? I was going to create a separate topic for the girls' love genre but wanted to wait to see if anyone was interested. LOTS of excellent yuri manga out there.

I really haven't. Actually, these days I've been following more Japanese live-action dramas than anime shows. They fit more with the style of my own writing. Actually, I was just planning to write a LiveJournal post about that this afternoon, in fact.

You probably wouldn't need the separate topic. Girls' love stuff is what gets the most attention in this thread anyway.

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I'd be happy to see that post. I've been looking for a particular J-Drama that a friend recommended to me whilst she was in Osaka. I lost the link she sent to me and don't remember the title Got any suggestions for decent subbed J-Dramas? I still want to purchase Shinobi, a j-movie based on an old samurai manga series.

My post is up.

http://bbovenguy.livejournal.com/392730.html

What was this drama your friend recommended about? I may have heard of it.

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I wish I could remember the title. I've been scouring my chat logs trying to remember the conversation. Oh how I bloody wish I hadn't lost the link to TV Asahi. I think that's the channel it was on.

I'm posting this for Centauri2002 as there was an error when she tried to post. So here goes:

Well, I've been watching a lot of anime lately and reading the odd manga too. I've kind of rediscovered my interest in it. Also, I've come across some yuris that I actually like, which is surprising, would have thought I'd found them a long time ago.

Now, this topic has probably already covered them but indulge me, I'd like to share it with you. Plus, I'm lazy and reading through eleven pages seems like an awful lot of effort to me.

Kannazuki no Miko - This series isn't widely appreciated and I can kind of understand the reasons. It's pretty confusing in places, got some unnecessary aspect (Giant Robots anyone?) and has quite a bit of fanservice, but even though it has faults, I still love it. Why? I have no idea. It has a deplorable assault scene at episode 8 but it fits into the story, and having read the manga, I understand the reason for it even more now. Besides, it was the first anime I saw that the girl gets the girl, even if it takes a while.

Kyoshiro to Towa no Sora - Widely considered to be the next reincarnation of the two main characters from Kannazuki. KyoSora doesn't focus entirely on these two characters though, but if you can sit through the sickening "love" story of the guy and girl, you should appreciate the Kaon/Himiko scenes. Well, I did anyway.

Strawberry Panic! - This one doesn't hurl unnecessary action scenes at you, in fact it is purely character driven. Strangely enough, all the students at this all-girls school are gay or at least are attracted to girls at some point. That made me laugh anyway. There are a few nice love stories though, especially between the two main characters. It's a series that takes a while to warm up but delivers a nice ending eventually.

Yami to Bosi to Hon no Tabibito - Kannazuki is considered Yamibou's spiritual successor so if some of the characters seem familiar, that's the reason why. Personally, I found this series strange. Not only because it expects you to have played the game before to actually get the storyline but it has traces of weirdness in the character relationships. I also didn't like the ending. However, there were funny moments and some nice animation. Still worth watching.

Mai HiME - Not a yuri series as such, but it does have a lesbian character in it, though that isn't revealed until near the end of the series. What happens to her is probably a bit cliched too but it all works out in the end. The series itself is enjoyable and has some good comic moments. Mai Otome is it's sequel but it's set in an AU, with some different characters.

That's really all I've watched so far. Considering watching Marimite but I'll need to mull it over a bit more. Hope you liked my little guide of recent viewings.

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If you'd bothered to read through the previous 11 pages, you might have saved yourself the trouble. All of these have been mentioned and discussed. Each even has their own extensive fandoms.

AfterEllen.com has an article up about Yuri anime:

http://www.afterellen.com/Print/2007/7/ ... uidetoyuri

All our favorites get mentioned...

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Looks like there's a new yuri anime series coming up. Blue Drop: Tenshi-tachi no Gikyoku premieres on Monday, October 1. Here's the description:



The official website is here (if you read Japanese or just like looking at the pictures):

http://blue-drop.jp/

The ANN Encyclopedia entry is here:

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclo ... hp?id=8265

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Hey,

Anyone see "Devil Hunter Yokho"?

Is it worth my time to find? If so, where should I start looking?

(yes I do know a little bit about it, that is why I am asking here)

Thanks!

Tim

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Tara: "My whole life has been 'Tara, don't use your magic.' 'Tara, hide your powers.' 'Tara you will scare someone.' But you tried to hurt and then kill Willow. So maybe it is time I showed everyone just how powerful I am."
- The Dragon and the Phoenix, Episode 7: The Road to Hell

Ooh, animes! I love 'em, even though I haven't had much time to watch them as of late. I like Mai HiME (Shiznat shipper all the way! Those two are too cute), Kannazuki (even though most of it frustrates me to no end, it has a nice love story and a somewhat happy ending), Noir, Hellsing, Utena, Evangelion, Love Hina (though the manga is better), Rayearth, Oh My Goddess... Hm, lots of them, really.

And there are the classics of course. I grew up watching Saint Seiya, Shurato, Yu Yu Hakusho, Dragon Ball and those live action shows that now seem really, really lame. Did anyone see that Ultraman movie they did back in 2004? In a fit of nostalgia, I did.

Right now I'm hankering for Sailormoon, for some reason. The whole thing is really silly, but I loved the S series. Haruka and Michiru! SS and Stars were nice too, though those Starlights are... weird. I think I'll rewatch some of the episodes I have on cd. Sadly, most of them are dubbed. Does anyone know where I can download the episodes with the original audio and subtitles?

Ta-ta!
Anna

Just saw all three episodes of the ICE OVA in a row (subs by Makoto). Any of you perhaps seen it? It blew me away!

I'm really bad at describing storylines so I'll just copy a summary from the AniRec Database here:



I don't recommend it if you're not partial to bloody and violent scenes or if you don't like open/tragic endings (the ending was just a tad too "hmm, I don't know how I feel about this" and non-happy-endingy for my taste), but if you like heroic kick-ass female characters in a non-conventional and tragic anime that tugs your heart strings, then ICE is definitely the OVA you should watch! (aaaand I just realized the plot sounds an awful lot like "Y: The Last Man", but seeing as I've only read the first two volumes of that graphic novel and it didn't really ring my bell when I watched ICE, I guess it's not really worth fussing about .)

There was one thing that bothered me however and that was Nagi, err, I mean Ishida Akira's casting choice of seiyuu-ing a women's role. It was creepy and I couldn't get into it.

Lately I've also been craving more shoujo-ai manga and correct me if I'm wrong, but I've not yet seen a rec for Strawberry Shake Sweet, which has been translated for some time now by Lililicious (of course who else they rock!).

Now this manga just had me writing in various fits of laughter! It's so funny, silly, kinda romantic, but above all just hilariously cute and adorable! It's basically about teen Idol Julia crushing on her new competitor in the business, Ran. Erica Friedman reviewed Strawberry Shake Sweet a while back and I agree with her wholeheartedly in that post ! Damnit, we need more lighthearted teenage lesbian sillyness! I can so totally relate to the character of Julia, because I act pretty much exactly the same way like her when I'm crushing on someone, heh!

So if you haven't checked that one out, your homework for this week is to do so now!

About Blue Drop. Read the scanlations (very interesting!), but I've yet to catch up with the latest episodes of the anime version. Somehow I find it more difficult to follow up on those, don't know why. Someone else following this and got some thoughts on Blue Drop?

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It's weird.

What's been set up as the main relationship of the story is progressing very slowly - but that's not a bad thing.

The spaceship "Blue" comes from an alien race that's entirely female, and they're rebelling against the leadership. There's a subplot where they capture a woman whose lover was onboard Blue and was killed in some kind of accident, and now they have to deal with their captive's grief and anger.

When Blue Drop was first announced, people were comparing it to Kannaduki no Miko, but it's way more subtle - like night and day.

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My, you think FAR more highly of it than I did. I found ICE's animation to be shoddy, the story even shoddier and the ending just plain..odd.


Hayashiya Shizuru's work is very quirky; I love her stuff. She also was part of a doujin group called Jesus Drug that does a lot of Marimite, Strawberry Panic, etc doujins. Thankfully, a friend picked me up some when she was at the Yuricon in NJ recently. You MUST MUST MUST check out her series Hayate Cross Blade. It's chicks with swords, interesting yuri dynamic and just plain hilarious. I managed to acquire both of the HxB drama CDs and the mini-drama CD and it was worth every penny. Strawberry Shake Sweet is ongoing and I believe it's being serialised in the manga periodical, Yuri Hime. Right now, it's being published in the magazine only once every few months so it's been slow going.

Now if you want some more cute, sappy yuri manga then try Hatsukoi Shimai, Aoi Hana, Saigo no Seifuku (licensed by Seven Seas as "The Last Uniform"), Iono the Fanatics (also licensed here in the US), and Kotonoha no Miko to Kotodama no Majyo to. If you want more details or translations, I think I can point you in the right direction I've got a fairly large collection. PM me if you wish.

Blue Drop is a bit more involved than Bob lets on. There's a couple of threads over at AnimeSuki with more detailed information both about the manga and the anime. The anime is the prequel to the manga (Blue Drop, Blue Drop - Tenshi no Bokura and Blue Drop - Tenshi no Itazura). The first volume of Blue Drop is rather good and set about 300 yrs after the Arume invade and overcome Japan. Bokura and Itazura are set far earlier than that. I warn you, Bokura can be a little stomach turning. I gave up on it after four chapters.

The anime, IMHO, is a bit better in that it's slower paced, we can feel the development of Mari's and Hagino's relationship over time and the yuri vibe feels FAR more comfortable and realistic than in KnM.

That's because I wasn't about to attempt a full-blown explanation. I'd be here all day.

And also, the fact that the anime is a prequel to the manga is a problem for me. I haven't read the manga, but I don't like what I've heard about it, and that undercuts my ability to enjoy the anime on its own merits.

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Okay, so maybe I was being a bit too enthusiastic about ICE in my post . I'm not very well educated in the ways of the Anime, but I know when I like something, I just like it I guess... and I tend to like stuff better when I watch 'em at 2 a.m. hehe. ICE's animation didn't bother me that much (I dug the interweaved 80's style), the story could have been WAY MORE confusing, but yeah that ending. Still not sure how I feel about it. I sure do like that end song though! Ha, just found out what exactly AKB48 is and, heh, that's a lot of girls .

Thanks for all the lovely recommendation titles! I'll be sure to check 'm all out when I find the time. Hayate Cross Blade sounds like a lot of fun! Unfortunately I'm in no way adequate in the Japanese language besides a couple of daijobe deskas and wakarimaistas to fully appreciate the medium, so I think I'll have to skip the drama CD's...

And I've finally got my ass moving and watched all subs of Blue Drop up till the 9th ep. And yay, finally some more initial sparks of "(attr)action" between Hagino and Mari (brought about by angst, but heck... that's usually the case isn't it? Ooh with the exception of the Hagino unzip-take in ep7... fanservice much?! ). They are absolutely nothing like Chikane and Himeko (from what I can remember), so I'm wondering where the comparison came from.

I'm also starting to appreciate the supporting characters more, but I still find the pace to be a tad too slow (and like Bob said, it might not be a bad thing... I just like instant gratification! Tsk tsk, I know-today's generation is hard to please ) and I don't really like the designs of the alien spaceships. Oh well. I'll keep following it though (maybe even join the discussion over at AnimeSuki).

Again, thanks for the rec's!

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Olivia: "Okay y'know what, I don't know what they're drinking- The point is..." [Guiding Light 08/22/08]

You're usually so loquacious about certain anime you've found.

Really, the first manga volume is the best. It's a series of short bits of backstory that have a little action, a little melancholy, a little slice of life. Itazura and Bokura really aren't worth your time. Try to ignore the fact that there is even a manga out there. The anime only shares a few facts from it anyway; it's almost like a standalone story.

Daijobu desu ka and wakarimashita *LOL* You could always go to Erica Friedman's blog and read her quick and dirty summaries on them. Those alone are hilarious.

It seems like anything yuri-related gets compared to one of the few recognizable canon yuri couples, though their relationship disturbs me on some level because of Chikane "raping" Himeko. That did NOT sit well with me. Souma was irritating as hell and I wanted to fork him to death repeatedly.

I'm rather grateful for the pace and it makes for a better, more rewatchable story IMHO. I've watched all of the eps at least five times or more in the past week and it keeps getting better to me. The spaceship designs hearken back to the days of the Space Battleship Yamato (better known as Star Blazers), an old 80s anime that was extremely popular here. Blue looks very much like the Argo to me. Be warned, FLoser's translations of the Blue eps are decidedly loose and not entirely accurate. I watched them up to Episode 6 and they pained me so much I had to stop watching. The English in them was so horrible.

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone. I started watching Kashimashi Girl Meets Girl, and wow, thanks for the recommendation It's a liitle bizarre, but gender bending and entertaining.

If you get a chance to read the manga, it's a bit better than the anime (I won't spoil the ending of the anime for you but...it's a tad bizarre ) and you get a little more of the story than what the anime covers. It tends to jump around a bit. Seven Seas licensed that manga so you should be able to pick it up just about anywhere. Volume 4 won't be out until sometime in January. Its release date got moved up a bit.

I'll keep an eye out for the manga as well; I'm about through ep 10, and the series is very bizarre, so I'm guessing the ending will be as well. I love the voice actor interviews as features to the dvd. The actress who plays Hazumu seems to be flirting with the actress who plays Ayuki.

Heh, that happens alot, especially if you get to listen to the Japanese VA interviews. Sometimes they're really hilarious, as in the case of the Hayate Cross Blade Drama CD Vol 2. All of the seiyuus introduced themselves and their characters at the end of the CD and they all sounded rather punchy. It was totally hysterical when many of them flirted with each other, both in and out of character.

Word on the street is that this week's Blue Drop (Episode 12) has some hot girl-on-girl action in it.

Well, more like underwater smoochies, actually. Someone was comparing it to a similar incident in Strawberry Panic.

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Yer killin' me, Bob *cries* I sure as hell hope that it's better than that underwater dealie in SP. That was so anti-climactic for me.

I don't make the news. I just report it.

There are more descriptions up at AnimeSuki now, along with at least one, "It's about time!"

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I adore anime, although technically it's not really a genre so much as a format.

Recently finished Sailor Stars, completeing my epic jounrey through the Sailor Moon series. Very beautiful, and utterly fantastic. Michiru and Haruka are now two of my favourite characters of all time and having seen them I can only say that it's a travesty how the dub made them "cousins", although considering the level of intimacy displayed on screen I can only imagine that just came off somewhat creepy.

It has inspiried me somewhat to want to explore the attitudes to homosexuality in Japanese anime compared to the western market. Certainly, in SM alone with get the Stars who actually transform from male to female, at leats two lesbian relationships, a male gay couple and a cross-dressing male attracted to other men. All of which was altered removed, or in the case of Stars, never broadcast in the west. Why can a Japanese young audience handle it but the West can't? There's an essay in there somewhere.

Somewhat getting off the point which is just how brilliant SM is. A few spoilers in the following comments:



I feel I may ahve gone on but honestly, there's so much more. Sailor Moon, in general, is such a beautiful and touchign series and so full of joy. I'd never dare touch the dub and what they did to it can only be considered a crime but the original series... perfect.

Have to end on this (possible spoilery) music video I found on youtube... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7LON2CmjM0


- Scarecrow

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"I'm The Doctor by the way!"

If you'd bothered to read my post, you might have seen that I said it was MY guide to the series. I was fully aware that most of them are popular series. Unless I'm mistaken, I didn't think personal opinion was to be excluded here. I think it was a tad rude of you to say that, to be honest. And it wasn't any trouble... I wanted to share. :/

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If I really cared about this, I'd comment. I don't. End of story.