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- From: pearl@gandalf.rutgers.edu (Starbuck)
- Newsgroups: rec.arts.anime,news.answers
- Subject: rec.arts.anime: Anime Primer
- Keywords: monthly informative posting
- Message-ID: <Nov.11.15.45.50.1992.7572@gandalf.rutgers.edu>
- Date: 11 Nov 92 20:45:50 GMT
- Followup-To: rec.arts.anime
- Organization: the Worlds Welfare Work Association, Rutgers Anime division
- Lines: 471
- Approved: news-answers-request@mit.edu
-
-
- Archive-name: anime/primer
-
-
- The Anime Primer
- or
- WHAT ANIME SHOULD I WATCH NOW?
- produced by rec.arts.anime gestalt
- (Edited by Bruce Carlson,
- comments/corrections/additions to 71021.3160@compuserve.com)
- last revised January, 1992
- With corrections made March, 1992
- (thanks to Enrique Conty & Steve Feldman)
- and May & July 1992 (by Steve Pearl)
-
- This is intended for those who are new to anime, and looking for some
- suggestions of what to watch next.
-
- Anime programs come in three flavors: TV shows, Movies, and Original
- Animation Video (OAV or OVA). The latter were made expressly for the
- home video market. In general, movies have the best animation quality,
- while TV shows use less motion, and OAVs vary widely between those.
- Entertainment value is where you find it.
-
- The vast majority of Japanese animation is only available in Japanese,
- of course (and as with everything else, much of it is crap). But,
- there is a lot of fan-subtitled anime out there. Naturally, these are
- mostly available as dubs from clubs and individuals, tho there are some
- commercial products available (later ...). Getting a subtitled film or a
- script is a necessity if you don't speak Japanese and want to actually
- understand a film. :)
-
- Most cities of even moderate size have an anime club somewhere. You
- might visit, write, or call. They probably meet periodically and view
- the latest stuff, and probably have a decent library. A good way to
- find your local club is pull a recent issue of Electronic Animation
- Velocity from the U-Texas FTP server and look thru the list in the back.
-
- Also, most Science Fiction conventions have an Anime program in a room
- someplace these days. Drop in and sample some stuff.
-
- Recommendations on Anime? Well, there's an awful lot of it, I haven't
- seen even a significant fraction, and tastes vary. I'll try to
- suggest a few of my personal favorites, and mention some shows that
- others seem to really like even if their merits escape me. So, with
- those caveats, some thoughts on what to see.
-
- APPLESEED: A police officer and her cyborg friend confront a
- conspiracy in paradise. An OAV based on the manga (comic book.)
- The video has nowhere near the depth of the comic, of course..
-
- AKIRA, now available in English thru Streamline pictures or from
- local comic shops. Bikers and the Army battle over the mysterious
- mutant entity known as Akira in future Tokyo. Sharp animation but
- a muddled plot..
-
- ANGEL'S EGG - Ethereal film with religious overtones, but neat
- animation. An American scifi film uses a lot of footage from this.
-
- ARION is a gripping tale of Olympian intrigue which sports terrific
- animation, nice characterization, and a score of mythological figures,
- though not exactly as the Greeks saw them. Many love it, some find it
- muddled. Nice score by Jo Hisaishi. Rousing ending with all manner
- of plot twists.
-
- AURA BATTLER DUNBINE (TV series, OAV series). Biological mecha
- (look like bugs) and parallel dimensions reign. Good plot, character
- development. Good mecha combat, but the designs are "unique", to say
- the least.
-
- BLACK MAGIC M66 - M66 the Robot Assassin gets loose from the
- military and heads after it's test program target: the inventor's
- daughter. Energetic news reporter bulls her way into story. Sort of
- like The TERMINATOR. Quick action / suspense a la The Terminator.
- Available with subtitles from US Renditions.
-
- BUBBLEGUM CRISIS is a series (not yet complete - 8 videos out
- so far) of OAVs set in Megatokyo 2032-?. A mix of rock & roll,
- cyberpunk, and girls with guns & body armor, it is currently a very
- popular series in the US. The plot does not seem to be the point.
- Best place to start would be episode 1, of course. After Episode 8
- the title (and much staff) changes to BUBBLEGUM CRASH. BG Crisis &
- Crash are available with subtitles from AnimEigo.
-
- CAPTAIN HARLOCK. High romance in space as pirate Harlock wages a
- secret battle to free the earth from alien control. English "Vengeance
- of the Space Pirate" is almost MY YOUTH IN ARCADIA. Fan-subtitled
- versions exist.
-
- CATS EYE is an old TV series in which 3 young women run a cafe by
- day and steal back their father's art collection by night.
-
- CITY HUNTER is an action-adventure private eye with a powerful lust,
- and a flock of women to keep him frustrated. A long TV
- series and a movie (or two.).
-
- CREAM LEMON. Series of adult porn-comedy. Most popular is probably
- "Pop Chaser".
-
- DAGGER OF KAMUI, a sprawling ninja tale set in the 19th century,
- even manages to get to Alaska and California before the story ends.
- Surprisingly hypnotic, operatic, and textured. An English version,
- "Revenge of the Ninja Warrior", is almost the same film.
-
- DIRTY PAIR: a book trilogy, a TV series, an OAV series, and a movie
- revolve around this SF comedy of two cute female agents of the far-flung
- future. Code-named "Lovely Angels," the duo are better known as the
- "Dirty Pair" because whatever the problem, their cure is sure to be
- worse. Best bet would be the movie, a/k/a PROJECT E.D.E.N.
-
- DOMINION - Action-comedy SF OAV, rather silly at times, about the
- Tank Police in a very punk future. Based upon characters and situations
- created by Masamune Shirow. Now available subtitled from US Renditions.
-
- DRAGON'S HEAVEN. A French-Japanese co-production highly reminiscent
- of French comics, such as those of Jean "Moebius" Giraud, but also of
- manga. Unique drawing style embellishes tale of two battle robots and
- their centuries-old vendetta. The good robot has a sexy female pilot.
-
- FIRETRIPPER, LAUGHING TARGET, and MERMAID's FOREST are more serious
- works by Rumiko Takahashi (Lum, Ranma, Maison Ikkoku). In FIRE TRIPPER a
- young girl gets moved back in time to feudal Japan. LAUGHING TARGET is
- spooky horror with supernatural turns. Mermaid's Forest is about the strange
- experiments of some folks in a creepy old house on a hill seeking immortality.
- These are U.S. Manga Corps release schedule for a subtitled release.
-
- FIST OF THE NORTH STAR a/k/a HOKUTO NO KEN (TV series and movie).
- Very bloody post-apocalyptic martial arts sword & sorcery fantasy. CONAN
- meets THE ROAD WARRIOR starring Sylvester Stallone possessed by the
- spirit of Bruce Lee. ;) A heavy metal or professional wrestling fan's
- dream-come-true. The TV series is addictive. The movie has to be seen
- to be (dis-)believed.
-
- FIVE STAR STORIES (OAV based on first book of the manga by the same
- name). Although not authorized by Nagano, this video is animated
- beautifully, and features all the nifty characters, plot, and mecha
- from the manga. In a distant galaxy, some folks are bred & raised to
- run robots for the Empire.
-
- GALL FORCE is a series of (7?) SF OAVs about cute girls with
- guns and space ships. All the men of the race died in the everlasting
- war with the Evil Paranoids, and there's nothing left but sexy young
- women who reproduce by cloning. But, they have a plan... Part 1 licensed
- by US Manga Corp for subtitled distribution in US.
-
- GRAVE OF THE FIREFLY. A very sad tale of two kids trying to survive
- amid the wreckage of end-of-WW-II Japan. Fantastic animation, not often
- shown at groups because of the tear-jerk factor. It is only slightly
- less grim than watching The Sorrow and the Pity.
-
- GUNDAM. In several series: GUNDAM, SUPER-DEFORMED GUNDAM, ZETA-
- GUNDAM, ZZ-GUNDAM, GUNDAM 0080, 0083, etc. etc. *The* giant robot (mecha)
- series I guess. Try ZETA-GUNDAM (series) or CHAR'S COUNTERATTACK (movie)
- for mainstream action, or War in the Pocket (0080) as an nice self-contained
- side-story of 6 half-hour parts.
-
- ICZER-1. A three-part SF OAV involving hideous monsters from space,
- cute but lethal girls, and two giant robots. Meant to be taken only
- semi-seriously, but has some great slime-monsters that'll make your
- skin crawl. (Not to be confused with ICZER-3, the recent 6-part sequel.)
-
- KIKI'S / WITCH'S DELIVERY SERVICE is another Miyazaki story for kids
- of all ages, about a 13-year-old witch who sets out to make her way in the
- world. Lavishly animated.
-
- LAPUTA, Castle in the Sky, is a great fast-moving action adventure by
- children's film-maker Miyazaki, and features designs Jules Verne would
- approve (not to mention Swift.) Two kids flee pirates, the army, and other
- parties in a race to find the legendary Laputa. Great soundtrack, too.
- A Must See. (Dubbed to English by Streamline, but not available.)
-
- LEGEND OF GALACTIC HEROES is a far-future SF epic in which two vast
- space-faring governments, the Empire and the Federation, vie for
- supremacy amid the sea of stars. Against this backdrop two young
- heroes on the opposing sides wage war with each other and politics with
- their peers.
-
- In LOCKE THE SUPERMAN, an intergalactically famous superbeing lured
- out of voluntary seclusion helps save Earth from a group of elite ESPers
- bent on galactic conquest. The design sense is rather primitive but the
- story line is lean, exciting and propulsive, revolving around the title
- character, a powerful female ESPer, and an evil conclave. Admittedly,
- these are simple premises, but the action & storytelling are first-rate.
-
- LODOSS WAR. Current OAV series (to be 13 parts?) based exactly on
- D&D. A party of adventurers (the usual fighter, cleric, mage, dwarf,
- elf, and thief) wander about opposing evil orcs, wizards & dragons.
-
- LUPIN III is a semi-modern series of (TV & OAV) stories about a
- stylish thief with a heart of gold and his gang. My personal favorite
- installment is CASTLE CAGLIOSTRO (see Miyazaki, above), although PLOT OF
- THE FUMA CLAN is one of the most action-packed and entertaining anime
- around. Fan-subtitled versions exist. Most LUPIN III is not by
- Miyazaki, but by a fellow who calls himself "Monkey Punch" (I'm not
- making this up, you know).
-
- MACROSS: DO YOU REMEMBER LOVE is the feature-film version of the
- Sci-Fi MACROSS TV Series (part of the ROBOTECH saga in the US), but much
- better drawn than the TV show. A reasonable SF entry. Fan-subtitled
- versions exist. Minmei sings a lot. (Note: Although MACROSS is ROBOTECH,
- this is NOT the "RoboTech Movie.")
-
- MAISON IKKOKU - A delightful contemporary romantic comedy about odd
- assortment of people sharing an apartment complex. From Rumiko Takahashi.
- Fan-subtitled versions exist, thanks to Arctic Animation.
-
- MANIE MANIE: LABYRINTH TALES - an "artsy" film like ROBOT CARNIVAL.
- It has three segments, one of which - "Order to Cease Construction" - is by
- Katsuhiro (AKIRA) Otomo.
-
- MEGAZONE 23. SF. A bunch of bikers, a sentient world-controlling
- computer disguised as a rock singing idol, giant robots, and a rock
- soundtrack propel this popular story of folks entirely unaware they
- inhabit a giant space ship. In 3 parts (except part 3 is in two sub-
- chapters). Part 2 is in available in English as well as Japanese.
- (It's Megazone Two-Three by the way, not "Twenty Three".)
-
- MIDNIGHT EYE GOKU. Futuristic detective fantasy. Private
- investigator Goku has a computerized eye that can interface with any
- electric device at will, as well as an expandable baton that enables him
- to skewer adversaries and vault across skyscrapers. Stylish animation
- with soft-core sex and bondage motifs.
-
- NADIA (SECRET OF BLUE WATER). Recent TV series in 39 parts.
- Starts as a Miyazaki-clone light action-adventure about a girl with a
- mysterious past and a fantastic amulet, "Blue Water", and the young boy
- who takes off with her. Gets silly for long stretches, ends with a bang.
- A 6-hour compilation of the TV series is titled "Nadia: The Nautilus
- Adventure". A new Nadia Movie is just released & not well reviewed.
- This series is being made available in dubbed format from Streamline Pictures.
-
- NAUSICAA OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND is probably Miyazaki's most
- popular film - a sort of post-apocalypse mystic eco-fantasy, more
- notable for plot, character, music and designs than the smoothness
- of animation. Excellent Jo Hisaishi soundtrack, too. Based on
- the comic (manga) of the same title. A classic.
-
- ORANGE ROAD. A TV series, many OAVs, and a movie. Contemporary
- high school students work out their love triangles and try to grow up,
- even though one has ESP "powers". A kindly, comic look at the youth
- experience, relatively easy to understand. Recommended. Fan-subtitled
- versions of it all exist, courtesy of Arctic Animation. AnimEigo is releasing
- the OAVs and Movie in subtitled format.
-
- OUTLANDERS. Cute but vicious space invader Kahm picks up a human pet,
- then tries to help him save Earth from even nastier daddy. SF/Fantasy from
- Manabe.
-
- PATLABOR - near-future police use mecha to combat criminals who use
- "labors" (mecha). Light action/comedy. The movie is more serious, and
- IMHO is a surprisingly neat action mystery if you can understand the
- dialog to follow the plot twists..
-
- PROJECT A-KO (the 1st film). Spoof of just about every anime
- series, about three school-girls with super-powers and mecha and bad
- cooking. Very, very funny, or very very silly, depending on if you get
- the jokes. Several sequels. #1 available from US Manga Corp.
-
- RANMA 1/2. Current comedy about a boy with a curse that turns him
- into a girl whenever s/he gets wet. (Could be worse - his dad gets
- turned into a Panda, and I won't even mention the little piglet or the
- cat.). More slapstick from Rumiko Takahashi. Fan-subtitled versions
- of some episodes exist.
-
- ROBOT CARNIVAL. 8 separate short pieces by different artists, some
- serious, some comedy, almost all very well done. All involve a robot
- somewhere - some more than others. Some comedy, some pathos. Artsy.
- Streamline dub versions exist (only 2 segments had dialog, anyway.)
-
- SUPERNATURAL BEAST CITY. Definitely for adults. Demon terrorists
- resist treaty to separate demons & mankind. Stylishly drawn.
-
- SOL BIANCA. Scifi OAV series about five sophisticated (?) pirate women
- and their alien spaceship. Sort of like a cross between BUBBLEGUM CRISIS
- (from the same studio, Artmic) and BLAKE'S 7. Nice mecha design.
-
- SPACE CRUISER YAMATO, the SF TV series that turned into STAR BLAZERS
- in North America. Also has several movies (YAMATO, BE FOREVER YAMATO,
- ARRIVIDERCI YAMATO, THE NEW VOYAGES, FINAL YAMATO.).
-
- TIME STRANGER is an involving variation on THE TERMINATOR, with
- slight nods of the head towards TIME BANDITS. The animation is very good
- and the story, complex. Feudal Japan is depicted nicely and in detail,
- as is the far future. Great plot complications throughout.
-
- TOTORO, MY NEIGHBOR. Miyazaki's most gentle film is about two kids
- who meet an odd-looking forest-spirit (Totoro) in their new rural neighborhood.
- In part a celebration of Japan's countryside, with a touch of pure magic.
-
- TWILIGHT OF THE COCKROACHES. A mixture of live action and animation
- in which a man becomes friends with the tiny inhabitants who share his
- apartment, until The Woman arrives. Funny. Available from Streamline Pictures
- in dubbed (videotape) or subtitled (laserdisc) versions.
-
- YOTODEN, Legend of the Mysterious Sword, is an historical sword & sorcery
- saga in 16th century Japan, with a trio of Ninja opposing the despot and his
- demon minions; (or is the despot the minion of the demons?) 3 parts.
- Crisp action.
-
- YOMA is another historical demon vs ninja tale, but is not on as grand
- a scale as Yotoden. Suppose your brother was possessed and out to kill you?
- Told in 2 parts.
-
- URUSEI YATSURA (translates as something like "Those Obnoxious
- Aliens", I'm told), a slap-stick screwball comedy about Lum, the flying
- electro-demon girl from space, Ataru, the earth boy she wants, and a host
- of other crazy characters. Popular madness in TV, OAV, and movie formats
- by Rumiko Takahashi. This entire series is planned for release in subtitled
- format by AnimEigo
-
- VAMPIRE HUNTER 'D'. Mutants roam the countryside, and a vampire has
- set up shop in the castle. A bite victim sends for 'D' to save her. D's
- a strange one indeed. Horrors. Available dubbed from Streamline Pictures.
-
- VAMPIRE PRINCESS MIYU. A supernatural horror series about a
- contemporary "vampire" who stalks wayward demons (Shinma) loose on Earth
- and sends them back to Darkness, while pursued by a persistent exorcist
- not as enthused about unlife as Miyu. Quiet, moody brooding chiller,
- hopeless to follow without understanding the dialog. Available subtitled from
- AnimEigo. Recommended.
-
- WINDARIA is a lovely fantasy story of two kingdoms at war, and how
- that disturbs two pairs of lovers - one peasant, one royal. A tragedy.
- Well worth the watch, IMHO. Nice music, too.
-
- WINGS OF HONNEAMISE. SF. Man's first trip into space, from the
- fictional nation of Honneamise, explores issues of morality, bravery,
- and dedication to a cause in first-rate animation. Some find it slow,
- though.
-
-
- As I said, tastes vary, and if you ask someone else you'd probably get
- a different set of shows. But, maybe that'll help a little bit. And,
- I've certainly not mentioned a lot of shows. (In particular I left out
- any shows that aren't widely available - like TV series not available on
- video. (The existence of fan- subtitling efforts not only means you
- might find a version you can understand, it also implies that somebody
- somewhere liked it enough to go to the trouble of translating and
- subtitling it. I don't claim to be aware of all fan-subtitling - or
- even a noticeable percentage.)
-
- Oh, there are some commercially available, legally licensed anime. In
- fact, there's quite an explosion of it this year, and it's getting hard
- to keep track (this list was 4 titles long last year, and empty the year
- before.)
-
- Subtitled efforts from AnimEigo include:
-
- BUBBLEGUM CRISIS (see above) 1-8 and BUBBLEGUM CRASH 1-3.
-
- MADOX-01 is a parody of mecha films, in which a young lad gets
- trapped inside a big metal suit. The army wants the suit back, and the
- hero just wants to keep his date. Only funny after you've seen too much
- other anime, IMHO.
-
- RIDING BEAN, a contemporary crime story about a crook-with-a-heart-
- of-tarnished-gold, well executed with an engaging, twisty plot and fast
- action sequences.
-
- URUSEI YATSURA (see above) Available over the course of three years.
-
- VAMPIRE PRINCESS MIYU (see above)
-
- Subtitled from US Renditions:
-
- APPLESEED: (see above).
- BLACK MAGIC M-66: (see above)
-
- DANGIAOH: Three cute girls and a guy pilot giant convertible
- robots to save the world. (Only part 1 of 3 available.)
-
- GUNBUSTER: Cute girls in convertible giant robots save the universe
- from evil invaders. Sort of wobbles between comedy (it starts as a parody,
- with robots doing pushups, etc.) and drama (coach falls ill, time-dilated
- pilots lose all their friends & family.) The ultimate Zero-G jiggle anime.
- In 3 volumes (6 episodes, 2 per.)
-
- (Coming soon: Macross II, Guyver)
-
- Subtitled from US Manga Corp:
-
- DOMINION (see above), part 1 out, 2-4 planned for 1992.
- PROJECT A-Ko (see above)
- GALL FORCE I (see above) not yet released.
- HUMANOID
-
- Dubbed in English from Streamline:
-
- AKIRA (see above.)
- ZILLION (multiple episodes) Laser Tag Academy goes Japanese.
- NADIA (see above) First 13 episodes planned.
- ROBOT CARNIVAL
- VAMPIRE HUNTER D
- LENSMAN
- TWILIGHT OF THE COCKROACHES (Also available subbed on LD)
- (Castle Cagliostro, Hokuto no Ken, Lensman series are planned for
- home video release.)
-
- (Streamline also released dubbed, LUPIN III: Castle Cagliostro with
- subtitles, and Hukoto no Ken dubbed, thru theaters, but not on home
- video at least not yet. )
-
- In addition, RoboTech and StarBlazers are found in many video stores,
- as are the FHE Just-for-Kids English (heavily edited) versions of popular
- anime that have had their names changed so that:...
-
- Macross '84: Do You Remember Love becomes ATTACK OF THE BIONOIDS (US)...
- or SUPER-DIMENSIONAL FORTRESS MACROSS
- (Aust)
- Locke the Superman becomes LOCKE THE SUPERPOWER
- Windaria becomes ONCE UPON A TIME
- Dagger of Kamui becomes REVENGE OF THE NINJA WARRIOR
- Famous Detective Holmes becomes SHERLOCK HOUND
- Captain Harlock becomes VENGEANCE OF THE SPACE PIRATE
- Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind becomes WARRIORS OF THE WIND
-
- ... and others I've forgotten. Most folks will tell you the editing
- makes these worthless. (Or maybe they don't find them so much fun
- when they can understand the plot? :)
-
- If you want more on recommendation, you might pull the copies of
- electronic anime "magazines" like "Anime Stuff" (from the UCSD FTP
- server (128.54.16.3) anime/anime.stuff/AS_issues) or Electronic
- Animation Velocity (EAV) from the ix1.cc.utexas.edu FTP server
- (128.83.1.21) and see what they said about some programs.
-
- Also, you can find several publications on anime at most comic book
- shops: Animag, Protoculture Addicts, and Animenominious (I refuse to
- try to pronounce the latter :) If your comic shop doesn't carry
- these, demand they do! (Seriously, it's worth asking about - many
- shops don't carry extra copies of low-volume stuff, but can get it for
- you if you want.)
-
- You can find many comic books in the US translated from the Japanese
- Manga that either spawned the anime or vice versav. Current stuff
- includes: Appleseed, Dirty Pair (a US-drawn version), Sazan 3x3 Eyes,
- Silent Moebius, Midnight Eye Goku. Older titles that might be in back
- issues include Nausicaa, Lum & Firetripper.
-
-
- What you want to see will depend on you tastes:
-
- Fantasy: Nausicaa, Laputa, Windaria, Nadia, Angel's Egg.
- Sword & Sorcery: Yotoden, Yoma, Dagger of Kamui, Lodoss War,
- RG Veda, Wizardry, Emblem of Gude, Madara.
- SciFi: Macross, Bubblegum Crisis, Gundam,
- Crusher Joe, Megazone 23, Harlock,
- Yamato, Wing of Honneamise, Akira,
- Galaxy Express 999, Queen Millenium
- Contemporary Action: Lupin III, Riding Bean, City Hunter, Goku
- Rock Music: Bubblegum Crisis, Megazone 23
- Comedy: Urusei Yatsura, Ranma 1/2, Maison Ikkoku
- Orange Road, Patlabor TV, Assemble Insert.
- Horror: Vampire Hunter D, Vampire Princess Miyu,
- Yoma, Yotoden, Harmagedon, Iczer-1, Sazan 3x3 Eyes,
- Mermaid's Forest, Supernatural beast city.
- Girls with Guns: Dirty Pair, Gall Force, Bubblegum Crisis
- Gunbuster, Dangaio, Iczer-1, Iczer-3, Sol Bianca
- Tear Jerkers Grave of Firefly, Windaria, Nausicaa
- Mecha (robots): Bubblegum Crisis, Gundam, Macross, Southern
- Cross, Gunbuster, Dangaio, Dancougar, Megazone 23,
- Patlabor, Mellowlink, Votoms.
- Gods at War: Arion, Saint Seiya, Shurato, RG Veda.
- Porn: Cream Lemon, Wandering Kid
- Mystery: Etranger, Urban Square, Patlabor movie, Lupin III
- Romance: Orange Road, Maison Ikkoku, Slow Step.
- Sports: Slow Step.
- Children: Totoro, Kiki, Laputa, Nadia, Sherlock Holmes, Granzort
- :)
- Blood 'n Guts: Baoh, Devilman, Hukoto no Ken, etc.
- <>
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