My Obscure Taste in Anime

[Area88]

I'm not afraid to admit it but i enjoyed the 1986 OVA called Roots Search.

For years i've avoided it as i've heard fans labeled it as the worst domestic release ever seen in the US. For starters this isn't even close to being a terrible title let alone the worst domestic release of all time. I've seen far worse like the crudely animated Ultimate Teacher, the incoherent mess of a story Crystal Triangle or the ultra violent excuse that is MD Geist.

I think Roots Search is a decent suspence science fiction anime. The character designs were nice, mainly for two central characters plus it was good to see some brief romance thrown in to it.

Does anyone else like Roots Search or if not at least explain to me what you find so bad about it?

It's available on VHS (which i own) or by torrent (click here) for anyone who wants to give a try.

Speaking of other anime people usually bash, is anyone anyone fond of Dirty Pair: Affair of Nolandia?

I rewatched this recently and found the story to be extremely engaging. I really enjoyed the more serious edge to the story and characters designs. I also loved it's unconventional pacing which made it unpredictable and gave it an almost artsy feel to it (it almost had an Oshii or Twlight Zone feel to it). Overall i enjoyed Affair of Nolandia as much or perhaps more than i do with Project Eden.

At least i can't be the only one with an appreciation for Nolandia as this review 1 (click here) proves and this review 2 (click here) too.

Also another movie i've watched recently is Lupin: Gold of Babylon which i absolutly loved. Again ironically many regard this as the weakest of the Lupin movies yet i regard it as one of the strongest. Overall the style felt as if they'd sampled the hyper feel of Project A-ko, added in the pop culture style of Megazone 23 and finished the cocktail by mixing it with a touch of Looney Tunes humour. The character designs and soundtrack are by far my favourite of out all of the Lupin movies, it really felt like 1985. I can't wait to own this on dvd so i can share the pure insanity of Lupin with fellow peers.

Finishing my theme of ambigous taste towards the most obscure and unique of anime, would it be sacrilege to say i don't like Akira? lol, even my taste for anime from the 80's isn't mainstream since i always end up loving most titles people hate and vice versa. I even find titles like Gunbuster and Bubblegum Crisis once the pinnacle of my love for anime, seem as generic as it gets and no longer meet my high set benchmark for my dvd collection anymore (time can be so cruel). The only pattern i can see emerging is my love for very artsy anime like Robot Carnival, Angel's Egg and Twilight Q, at least these have more appreciation from fan groups... i hope. Oh and 1984-1987 seem to be my absolute peak in adoring animation. Thats all i have to do say so now my journey to understand must continue, so much more i must learn.

Does anyone else understand my bloggish post?

[Graham]

I started watching anime in the late 80s and have watched a lot of titles, but I have to admit, I've never even heard of some of the titles you mention, like Roots Search, Angels Egg & Twilight Q.

First anime I ever watched was the very first OVA ever 'Dallos'.

Not much to say about understanding your post. Everybody has their own indiviual tastes so what's to understand?

What I will say though, is MD Geist rocks!

Graham

[F-ZeroOne]

At the moment - aided by a supply of, er, "acquired" anime from a friend - I'm on something of a retro kick. I've just had a rather heavy dose of Tomino shows, especially Ideon, and am currently making my way through VOTOMs (which is awesome). They're all shows that probably a lot of recent anime fans may well find unbearably tedious, so I can see where you're coming from. Even if you don't like Gunbuster, you heretic.

I've also enjoyed a few obscure things myself - Cats Eye being a particular favourite of mine.

Graham, Angels Egg was an experiemental Mamoru Oshii work. Its possible you might have seen it by accident, as parts of it ended up being used in a live-action Western science fiction film for reasons which must remain a mystery... Robot Carnival gets very good critical reviews, but AFAIK has never had a Western release despite having some real heavy hitters behind some of the sequences.

Edited March 17, 2007 by F-ZeroOne

[Radd]

Angel's Egg is fantastic, if you can appreciate a very slow moving, surreal sort of film. It's concentrated Oshii, in the best possible way. Amano's artistic direction truly makes this film every bit as much, though.

But yeah, I got to agree with Graham. Everyone has their own taste. Sometimes they fall into the mainstream, other times people find themselves practically alone with the anime of their choice, unable to find anyone who also appreciates even similar shows.

I know in my particular circle of friends, I'm the only big Macross fan. In fact, most people I know have an outright dislike of Macross. Worse yet, Giant Robo, Tetsujin 28, Galaxy Express 999, Captain Herlock, and Legend of the Galactic Heroes I simply cannot watch with more than one or two friends. The only other person I know who also likes LotGH I married.

Gao Gai Gar is by far the lease liked of my favourite shows. A couple of my friends outright refuse to be in the same vicinity if GGG is being shown.

Angel's Egg is another of my favourites that I really can't share, since few I know even remotely like it. Even those that like other Oshii movies.

[Totoro242]

Does anyone else understand my bloggish post?

I totally understand! Two of my favorite animes are Cybernetics Guardian and A Wind Called Amnesia. Total POS's in many books, but I love em. Oh, and Moon Station Dallos rocks

Also, I too dont really like Akira. I own it, have owned all four versions at one time, but I still cant list it in my top 20. Its beautifully animated, but the characters are very dull and one-dimensional. And to add even more insult to injury, I think I like the original Streamline dub better than the rest! Ouch.

[gerwalk25]

I enjoyed Big Wars and Roujin Z which was kind of an obscure Anime DVD titles. Another title I loved was Otaku No Video.

I don't know if Genshiken fits into that category (I like that series) plus I can't wait for the next installments (ep 13, 14 and 15) in the Kujibiki Unbalance DVD release.

[Noriko Takaya]

Roots Search was not that bad of a title, even though it was a blatant knock off of the movie Alien. I even own the VHS myself. I don't think it was ever released on DVD; Central Park Media may have lost the license to that jewel. Affair on Nolandia is another title I own. I have both the original Streamline Pictures version (IMO it was a fair dub.), and the recent update put out by ADV Films. I wish they had used the voice actresses from the original dub, as I felt they did a good job. I'm also a fan of 3 X 3 Eyes, which seems to be another title that is obscure. Great stuff.

[chrono]

Like others I can understand your need of story and anime personality rather then trend material.

Heck I picked up Harmagedon(1983), which was basically a dry run for the Akira movie, and found it quite nice(my God where have the quality backgrounds gone!). It's a shame though that early and mid 80's anime isn't making itself really available other than bitorrents and U.S. MANGA CORPS...

[Area88]

I've also enjoyed a few obscure things myself - Cats Eye being a particular favourite of mine.

Ah the female equivalent to City Hunter, only seen a few episodes but found it fairly enjoyable. I really must watch Votoms soon, i've been curious about it for a while now.

Another title I loved was Otaku No Video.

Me too, i wish more people would watch this since it really is a monumental parody and one of Gainax's best efforts, they really were at their peak in 1991.

Like others I can understand your need of story and anime personality rather then trend material. Heck I picked up Harmagedon(1983), which was basically a dry run for the Akira movie, and found it quite nice(my God where have the quality backgrounds gone!).

I really enjoyed the first 60 minutes of Harmagedon but i felt it really lost it's direction half way through the film which is a shame because it had a lot of potential. Glad you understand the desire for originality rather than the same tried and tested formula

Roots Search was not that bad of a title, even though it was a blatant knock off of the movie Alien. I even own the VHS myself. I don't think it was ever released on DVD; Central Park Media may have lost the license to that jewel.

Yay, someone else who enjoyed Roots Search, at last my search is over. Great to know you liked Nolandia too, i wish more Dirty Pair fans felt the same. Edited March 17, 2007 by Area88

[F-ZeroOne]

Ah the female equivalent to City Hunter, only seen a few episodes but found it fairly enjoyable. I really must watch Votoms soon, i've been curious about it for a while now.

Cats Eye was actually created by the same person as City Hunter (which you probably know). One of the reasons I like it is for Hitomis love interest Toshi, who as detectives go - well, thats just say hes not Batman.

Votoms is really impressing me. I think the main factor is - aisdes from the gritty setting - Chirico, who has a stare that can laminate you to the wall, and unlike just about every other mecha pilot lead out there, is a professional.

[chrono]

That very true about Golden Boy, unfortunately the same can be said about several of the newer anime's. But unlike GB they don't attempt to really hide their commentary because it's not a commentary but an agenda of some type. Akumetsu, though a manga(it'll get turned into an anime what isn't nowadays), is little more than that.

Gantz though is kinda sly about it using the monstrous events happening in plain sight as it's commentary about society being blind to what is obvious to others.

I've gotta dig deeper into the 80's anime...

[Area88]

I've gotta dig deeper into the 80's anime...

I'm glad this thread inspired you to do so.

Other stuff that gets a lot of flak from fandom yet i absolutly love include stuff like Appleseed OVA, Black Magic M-66 and Outlanders. Even the so called online critics bash these titles yet i think they all have unique and distinct qualities just not seen in present anime.

Just take a look at the wonderfully detailed backdrop of the Olympus city in Appleseed, does it not look simply stunning?

This is the kind of love, care and detail sorely lacking in contemporay animation, gotta love the electronic jazz music too. I've also realised that because anime is so subjective on most occasions you have to ignore the general consensus among fans and critics to truly discover some of the best gems.

One mans trash is another man's treasure.

[CoryHolmes]

I still watch and re-watch Angel Cop to this day. Most people can't heap enough crap on it, but I enjoy it. Same thing with M.D. Geist.

[Fortress_Maximus]

Waay too many titles in the original post, but I for one still do enjoy Dirty Pair's Affair of Nolandia and Project Eden, all of the Lupin films, even Ultimate Teacher OVA. I am in NO WAY remotely disappointed in the classic BGC OVAs and GunBuster OVAs, the follow up attempts were absolutely pitiful. There is no way I consider the classics generic, if anything these OVAs set the standards of todays "generic" and rehashed cliche anime and often pitifully predictable attempts at character developments and character designs. The day I classify the BGC OVAs, GunBuster OVAs, and others which many have long since forgotten as generic is the day I throw out other classics like Macross, Urusei Yatsura, Gundam Z tv series and other innovative OVAs like Robot Carnival.

Anime appreciation especially of the long forgotten dated titles is highly subjective; I don't expect any of the newer anime fans to take the time to research them or develop appreciation for them.

For myself it is enough that I still enjoy them, I've stopped trying to share with others titles I enjoy when they are hung up drunk on the anime of the month syndrome. I for one love the older 80-90s animes such as (in no particular order):

GunBuster OVAs,

Macross tv & DYRL movie,

Macross Plus OVAs & movie,

Bubblegum Crisis OVAs,

GUNNM OVAs,

Iczer-1 OVAs,

Dangaioh OVAs

Gundam trilogy movies,

Gundam Char's Counterattack movie,

Gundam Z tv series,

Gundam 0080 OVAs,

Gundam 0083 OVAs,

Urusei Yatsura tv, OVAs & movies 1-5,

City Hunter tv, OVAs, & movies,

KOR tv, OVAs & movie 1,

Maison Ikkoku tv,

GITS movie 1,

Devil Hunter Yohko OVAs,

Fire Tripper OVA,

Laughing Target OVA,

Mermaid Forest OVA,

Dirty Pair OVAs, tv, & movies,

Lodoss Wars OVAs,

Dragon Century OVA,

Escaflowne tv,

Bebop tv,

ZeGuy OVAs,

MegaZone 23 OVAs,

Patlabor OVAs,

Arslan OVAs,

Iria OVAs,

Outlanders OVA,

Plastic Little OVA,

Orguss02 OVAs,

Guyver 1st OVAs,

BAOH OVAs,

Yugen Kaisha OVAs,

Vampire Princess Miyu OVAs,

Vampire Hunter D movie,

AMG OVAs,

Video Girl Ai OVAs,

Nadia tv,,

Slam Dunk tv & OVAs,

Harlock OVAs,

Blackjack movies,

The Professional movie,

Wicked City movie,

Roujin-Z movie,

Nausicaa movie,

Laputa movie,

Whisper of the Heart movie,

.

Ptiy, so many of the OVAs & movies I listed above deserve a follow up tv series but pity most will not get the attention they deserve.

Of the newer animes I enjoy:

Berserk,

GITS SAC,

GITS 2 movie,

Perfect Blue movie,

Tokyo Godfathers movie,

Edited March 20, 2007 by Fortress_Maximus

[danth]

I love old-school anime from the 80's and early 90's, especially OVAs (back then we called 'em OAVs). I think they get slammed too hard in most online reviews. I too love Outlanders, Appleseed, and many others mentioned.

You just can't beat old anime. I personally think the new stuff stinks to high heaven, because they don't feature much movement. The budgets are so low they can't even afford to animate lips and jaws moving, so when characters seen in profile are talking, they talk out the side of their faces. And of course they don't animate people moving when they talk, or any motion at all that requires a significant number of cels. For instance, those dogfight scenes from (the non-"Anime Friend" episodes of) Macross -- you don't see stuff like that anymore (unless it's CG, which rarely looks as good). A few seconds of dogfight meant the same Valkyrie had to be drawn like 50 times from different angles and in different poses. Those dynamic actions scenes are why I love Japanese animation.

Plus, they must use a line-draw tool to draw digital cels nowadays, because none of the curves in new animation look natural. You can really tell when looking at characters' faces. Not only are the curves jarring, but they're simple.

I find that, in today's anime, the characters are melodramatic and overly angsty as well.

[ly000001]

Robot Carnival gets very good critical reviews, but AFAIK has never had a Western release despite having some real heavy hitters behind some of the sequences.

"Robot Carnival" was released with an English dub in North America by Streamline Pictures. Unfortunately, Carl Macek didn't do a 100% faithful translation (adding dialogue where there wasn't any in the original Japanese version, changing some of the titles, replacing the original illustrated ending sequence with a plain black background). I have their LD release, which fortunately includes the original Japanese audio track, but I still wish Animeigo or some other company would release an accurate subtitled version here.

[chrono]

Other stuff that gets a lot of flak from fandom yet i absolutly love include stuff like Appleseed OVA, Black Magic M-66 and Outlanders. Even the so called online critics bash these titles yet i think they all have unique and distinct qualities just not seen in present anime.

Just take a look at the wonderfully detailed backdrop of the Olympus city in Appleseed, does it not look simply stunning?

This is the kind of love, care and detail sorely lacking in contemporay animation, gotta love the electronic jazz music too. I've also realised that because anime is so subjective on most occasions you have to ignore the general consensus among fans and critics to truly discover some of the best gems.

One mans trash is another man's treasure.

Yep, the 80's anime had some of the best backgrounds! They also had some of the better movie grade character realism that you'll only find now in Production I.G. films. Thank goodness for LoGH anime!

I've got Appleseed & GiTS on VHS and had thought about getting Black Magic M-66, but after reading the Appleseed manga found that most of all of Masamune Shirow's material is nearly identical. So I'm passing on it.

Wicked City..... the beginning of the new 'thin' eye style era. A good 'nasty' flick. Demon City Shinjuku, though similar, was kinda boring and lame when the two are compared. It's like Demon CS lost it's way virtually 20 minutes in.

I'd like to get some of the older Robo-anime's like Ideon, Dragonar, and Iczier when they come out or I get around to it. I'd get KOR, but I want the manga instead! I'm badly drooling over having the GUNNM OVA's though!!!

Know if their is a site that lists older anime?

[Phren]

Ah! People who liked Robot Carnival. One of the things that showcases a lot of what drew me to watching anime in the first place, that as well an Angel's Egg, while never really appreciated by most, I really enjoyed those two. They had that unexplainable allure and slight mysteriousness that I ate up back then.

For my own odd picks from less recent titles, I Really enjoyed Green Legend Ran, Genocyber, and E.Y.E.S of Mars, dispite all the crap they get for various reasons.

Also Liked Video Girl AI and Narutaru, but not sure how old they are?

Also didn't care much for Akira myself, if it makes Area88 feel any better

Edited March 18, 2007 by Phren

[drifand]

Gao Gai Gar is by far the lease liked of my favourite shows. A couple of my friends outright refuse to be in the same vicinity if GGG is being shown.

May I ask why is that? GGG is one of the most energetic and enjoyable robot action series I've watched so far. Come to think of it, it's very much the '300' of anime! Fighters SHOUTING!!!! all the time, few against many, brave against the unrelentless, sacrifice, over-the-top fighting, even... babes!! ;-)

Another enjoyable series I liked that gets vilified: G-Gundam. Yes, yes, it's not REALISTIC, but it's a damn sight more entertaining than the usual UC politico-angst drudgery... plus a good ending too.

Edited March 18, 2007 by drifand

[F-ZeroOne]

"Robot Carnival" was released with an English dub in North America by Streamline Pictures.

Ah, okay - thanks for the correction.

[Area88]

Know if their is a site that lists older anime?

If you want a complete list of all the older anime released in the US then try this - List of anime (Click Here) and use it in combination with sites like animeondvd reviews (click here)

Also just for the record Appleseed and Black Magic M-66 are made by the same creator but are completly different from each other. The only similarity is they both have futuristic settings and are both in the cyberpunk genre.

Edited March 18, 2007 by Area88

[CoryHolmes]

Baoh is another good title that I'd forgotten about. Didn't like Robot Carnival much. Project A-Ko still makes me snicker for some god-awful reason

[F-ZeroOne]

I've watched Project A-Ko dozens of times and it still makes me laugh. Theres so many little in-jokes in there I still occasionally see something I didn't spot before.

[Radd]

May I ask why is that?

I wish I had an answer, but truthfully I'm not certain myself. The one friend I mentioned claims to hate specific things about the show, but few of the things he ever mentioned specifically are actually in GGG at all. The same friend apparently loves Herlock because he saw Arcadia of My Youth as a kid, but despises Galacy Express and Galactic Railways, pissing and moaning about 'trains in space'. He also couldn't wrap his head around the oversized tools GGG uses. That was like the one thing he ever mentioned that actually was in the show.

I'm pretty certain he simply hates giant robot anime of any sort, and rather than simply saying that he sought to justify his dislike of GGG with other nonsensical complaints he came up with during his initial, drunk, viewing of the show.

I need to see the old 80's Appleseed anime. I love the manga, but I must admit that I absolutely despise the recent all-CG Appleseed movie. Not for nostalgia, either, as I only finally read the entire Appleseed manga after having seen that movie.

[chrono]

If you want a complete list of all the older anime released in the US then try this - List of anime (Click Here) and use it in combination with sites like animeondvd reviews (click here)

Also just for the record Appleseed and Black Magic M-66 are made by the same creator but are completly different from each other. The only similarity is they both have futuristic settings and are both in the cyberpunk genre.

Thanks for the links. Had to switch over to 'tv' in order to get any depth and unfortunately it's wet my anime need far too much! lol

Combat Mecha Xabungle, looks like a fun watch. And I think I'm gonna finely break down and watch what many older fans consider 'classics'(Urusei Yatsura, Ranma, etc) but anything by a certain baseball manga freak is out of the question!

[Scream Man]

see, Im sorta the opposite; i ternd to not like aminstream anime as a whole. Sure i thought Bebop was awesoem, but hated the ending. Akira was so-so. Evangelion started well and gradually got worse and more depressing as it went along, till I stopped watching (I recently saw the ending and the films, which were even MORE depressing.) BGC was ok, but not great. 2040 started well, but about 3/4 of the way through became a different series and i stopped enjoying it. Fist of the Northstar was horrible. Wicked City, AD Police.....i just dont see the appeal!

I dunno, I like Macross (duh) but most people remember it only as Robotech and dont get the difference. Astroboy was awesome. Mysterious Citys of gold was good.

i should have posted at home, Id remember more titles i like if I could see my set. The last modern series i REALLY enjoyed was Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and its sequal.

[CoryHolmes]

AD Police.....i just dont see the appeal!

I really like AD Police Files, the three-volume OVA from way back when. Very nice views of the future with some great animation and stories.

[Wes]

Does anyone else understand my bloggish post?

Yeah have you ever hear of this 20+ year-old one called "Macross"? Seems like no one's heard of it.

I think this kind of mindset is typical of us. I'm not really a big fan of anime because alot of it is junk. It's either trying to be too off-reality in an attempt to be interesting or too pointless in an attempt to get more money. I do like the ones that are really well done and have something special to tell, or when I have an ultraviolent itch going on.

But anime is still pretty non-mainstream, I can't find anyone IRL who's ever heard of Hellsing or Berserk. But it's getting to be bigger.

[Radd]

Evangelion started well and gradually got worse and more depressing as it went along, till I stopped watching (I recently saw the ending and the films, which were even MORE depressing.)

I'm kinda the opposite here. While I liked it from the start, it was how it evolved into pretty much the anime equivalent of Watchmen that really made it a hit with me. I'm one of the few people that loved the end of the tv series, and absolutely hate the movies which took the ending, and turned it into a more conventional action-fest.

[danth]

Oh yeah, I forgot to show my solidarity with people who think Akira is overrated. It really is. And whenever you read anime review websites, nobody has the balls to say it. It gets an automatic perfect score every time.

I notice the same problem with Ghibli movies. I'm sorry, but they're not all perfect. I adore Kiki's Delivery service, and I loved Nausicaa as a kid, but I wanted Spirited Away to be over long before it was, and I thought Princess Mononoke was just okay. I think I actively disliked Porco Rosso -- I was so bored by it that I didn't bother watching it all. Yet through some sort of Ghibli fiat, all of these movies get five stars or A's everywhere you look.

[Warmaker]

80's and 90's anime I really liked. There's a ton of good shows that I spent alot of money on, especially trying to find a tape of it in the good 'ol "Pre-Internet" days of searching.

Some of my favorites from back then.

Record of Lodoss War OAV - I absolutely loved the series. I bought the 1st tape just as a curiousity. When I got to my barracks room and watched it, both of my roommates stopped and did the same. I was so impressed with it that I went back to the store (Tower Records) and bought whatever other volumes of Lodoss I could get my hands on. I still love this show, especially with the DVD collection that came out maybe 2-3 years ago. Bought that too! There are only 2 things I disliked about the show: Reused Battle Animation (very embarassing when my friends saw it) and the rushed, abrupt ending. Other than that, the OAV's were still d**n great.

Macross - This is a no brainer. Robotech introduced me and I didn't get the full picture of it until I went with my friend to Japantown in San Francisco. Of course, Japantown had the cool imported Japanese toys. I recall on one of my birthdays, my Dad got me a 1/55 Takatoku VF-1S Hikaru Strike Valkyrie. That was bad*** back in the day, and put the Jetfires and pathetic Robotech toys to shame. In those days, nothing says "Back the f*** up" like a fully equipped Strike Valkyrie in jet mode. My friend told me a little about DYRL in the late 80's when he visited Japantown again. The only part I remember him describing to me was the DYRL Max & Millia fight. I was always a huge fan of Max's character, and my imagination ran wild. I didn't get to see DYRL until past 2000 when I came across Macross World and stuff about the DYRL DVDs (bootleggies).

Silent Mobius (movie) - I was a huge fan of Kia Asamiya's manga of Silent Mobius when my friend introduced me to Viz's translations in the very early 90's. I then snatched up the compiled volumes whenever I could. I absolutely loved the manga. I had tremendous trouble getting the North American release (dubbed, Streamline Pictures) of the movie. Anyways, I know the movie wasn't the best but I still liked it as a fan of the manga... but the English VA for Katsumi did annoy me to no end. AFAIK, there was a second movie but I can't find that thing to save my life, either dubbed or subbed.

Wicked City - Bought this too, Streamline Pictures release here in the USA, IIRC. This is one of those titles that alot of anime fans were 50/50 about. Personally, I loved the atmosphere and feel of this show. I remember me popping in the tape of it with my roommates watching also. The opening scene was *entertaining* with the spider chick. Then there's Makie's "problems" later on that I couldn't explain away to my friends... "Dude, what kind of flick is this again?" "Umm... umm..." Still, I enjoyed the feel of the movie and the characters.

Patlabor (TV series & OAVs) - Back in the 90's, my friend told me about this show when he showed me the Bandai AV-98 Ingram and Helldiver model kits. It really piqued my interest. Unfortunately, getting a hold of Patlabor in the USA back in the early 90's was next to impossible. Only in the mid-late 90's when the OAV tapes were being released in the USA did I finally get to enjoy the show. Even then, the TV series I didn't know about until later. The OAV and TV series were so great, that when I saw the movies (1, 2, and WXIII) I was deeply disappointed in them. Oh well.

Robot Carnival - I saw it on Sci-Fi channel in the early 90's. Some parts I didn't care for but there were some great moments. I didn't buy the release, but I watched it on TV whenever I could. Some great atmosphere in there.

Goldenboy - I was in a comic / anime / manga store in Southern California when the clerk was running the English Dub on the TV. The show was hilarious and I simply had to get it. The main character, Keitaro, was an idiot, but a likeable idiot. He'd have a better time if he wasn't so oblivious towards the end of each episode.

Vampire Princess Miyu - Fortress Maximus reminded me of this great show when he listed it in his reply. Definitely a great show that had a great feel and atmosphere to it. I bought the VHS North American releases also.

A few that I got from back in the day and was not too fond of after viewing my purchase.

Akira - The animation and details was simply top notch. The background, tank fire, and especially the motorcycles were quite memorable. Hard to beat back in those days. But that was it. I was left with a "WTF-mate?" moment when it ended. "That's it?!?"

Big Wars - Yeah, I bought the tape in the mid 90's. I thought it would be some sort of "World War II in Space" type of flick. But it didn't quite fit the bill, to put it nicely.

[Graham]

Some of my favorites, in no particular order: -

1) Macross (all series)...duh!

2) Wicked City.

3) AD Police OVA.

4) Bubble Gum Crisis OVA (not the crappy 2040 TV).

5) Record of Lodoss War.

6) Legend of Galactic Heros.

7) Blue Gender.

Escaflowne.

9) Combattler V.

10) Mospeada.

11) Char's Counter Attack.

12) Perfect Blue.

13) Patlabor Movies, OVAs & TV.

14) Gall Force.

15) MD Geist.

16) 08th Mobile Suit Team.

17) 0080 War In The Pocket.

18) Victory Gundam.

19) Sonic Soldier Borgman.

20) Laputa.

21) Nausica.

22) Beserk.

23) Otaku No Video.

24) GITS 1 & 2.

25) Cowboy Bepop.

My tastes are firmly rooted in he 80-90s'. I mostly like real-robot mecha shows, although there are exceptions. I tend to stay away from comedy anime, sports anime, romantic anime, super robot anime and anything involving Ninjas, with the exception of Ninja Scroll.

Can't stand Evangelion or that GGG show. Akira is overated IMO. The animation is excellent, but the story leaves something to be desired. Never felt any connection with the characters either. I'd rather watch Memories instead.

If I had to narrow it down to my top 3 favorite non-Macross anime, they would be: Wicked City, Blue Gender and Bubble Gum Crisis.

Graham

[Warmaker]

I totally forgot about Vision of Escaflowne and Cowboy Bebop! I guess the reason being was that I didn't see them until 1999 or later.

I saw VoE during a US Marine Corps excercise called "WTI" in wonderful Yuma, Arizona. I had a roommate who overpacked like a mother f****r. He had a VCR, TV, and a foot locker full of s**t. We were a KC-130 unit, so we were our own transport and some guys overpack because of it. Anyways, he had a whole slew of movies and anime. * The Escaflowne tapes I couldn't get enough of.

Cowboy Bebop? I didn't get the show until its DVD format at the turn of the century. Naturally, it was a great ride of a show. My Sister and I still love the "Mushroom Samba" episode

* I still remember him coming back drunk from out in town and back in the barracks. He was crawling on the floor like a lizard / gecko, even licking around the air with his tongue I watched him for a minute or two doing this when he came back into the room. He stopped halfway through the door and just stopped, passed out We left him there, but he woke up in an hour or two to throw up in the head (bathroom for you landlubbers) down the hall.

Edited March 19, 2007 by Warmaker

[CoryHolmes]

Anyone here watch or like Detonator Orgun?

[Graham]

Watched it years ago on VHS, but don't remember being too impressed.

Graham