Lately, an anime/manga wave hit me. Of course, I don't have the right to call myself an otaku yet, since I've watched only a few animes.
And I'm pretty much sure that my love for Vocaloid, Vipperloid and UTAUloid, which has been increasing for the last few months doesn't give me almost any right to call myself an otaku either. Spoiler
*Tries to kidnap UTAU Ritsu Namine, but failes because of his 20tones weight*
That kind of thread had been probably done already, but I'd like to know people's opinions of anime.
Also what are your favorite genres? Would you prefer a confusing anime, or a simple one, that literally spits everything out? Favorite character? Favorite all-time anime?
I just finished watching Elfen Lied and since I was aware of the nudity and the graphic violence, it didn't bother me that much. But it sure had some tear-jerked parts, including the ending Spoiler
(in my opinion Lucy didn't die, though, I think the silhouette in the end was her)
The animes I was mostly impressed by so far are Loveless (shounen-ai :dribble:) and BRS. I can count Elfen Lied and Higurashi no naku koro ni in that group too, but like I said, Loveless takes the cake.
It was pretty hard to understand everything in Loveless, there were some questions left without answers, but the adorable ending made up for the confusion.
Enough about my opinion, now tell yours!
Oh gosh. I love anime, but choosing a favourite?!
Honourable Mention - Clannad Afterstory: Nobody else seems to have mentioned this amazing show - you do need to watch the somewhat more mediocre Clannad first, but my god Afterstory is amazing.
Favourite Anime: Anything by Makoto Shinkai.
That guy's films are stunning (far more beautiful than anything by Ghibli) and so emotionally provocative. My favourite film by him is easily the stunning 5 Centimetres Per Second, but honourable mention to his amazing, home-brewed initial offering, Voices Of A Distant Star. A magnificent piece of animation by global standards.
Yes, Clannad Afterstory is amazing! The ending episodes move you to tears. So beautiful. And Makoto Shinkai's works are pretty amazing. I've only seen The Place Promised In Our Early Days and Children Who Follow Lost Voices so far, but they are beautiful.
Yeah, like most of us, I love Studio Ghibli movies. I have them all, except for Grave of the Fireflies (I still have not worked up the courage to watch that one). I'm so excited to see The Wind Rises this February! I hope it isn't a limited release. My favorite is probably Princess Mononoke, with Spirited Away and Only Yesterday tying second.
I also love The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (from director Mamoru Hosoda). Probably my favorite anime movie ever. Perfect in almost every way (except for the bittersweet ending!).
As far as anime, I like (here comes the list):
1. Cardcaptor Sakura (wonderfully funny! cute romance and well-developed characters [but never watch the horrible English re-version; just the Japanese original with subs)
2. Full Metal Panic (I loved the relationship between Sousuke and Kaname)
3. Sword Art Online (the plot is a bit scattered in the first few episodes, but the characters are likeable and the premise -- getting stuck in a virtual world -- is pretty interesting)
4. Toradora (although sometimes I get really mad at Taiga for being so evil to poor Ryuji; haven't finished watching this one yet)
5. Gundam Seed and Gundam Seed Destiny (love Cagalli and Athrun!)
6. Princess Tutu (this one surprised me -- thought it was a weird premise at first, a duck who has been turned into a magical-ballerina human, but the plot twists and turns and love-hate relationship with Fakir drew me in)
7. Kimi ni Todoke (the manga is better-paced, since the pacing in this is kind of slow, but still a sweet story!)
8. Detective Conan/Case Closed (I'm not so much into the gory murder mysteries this kid detective solves, but the relationship between him and Ran is sweet and Ai Haibara is cool; I like the movies the most)
9. Skip-Beat! (the anime is hilarious. The jokes in the manga come out so much better when they're animated)
10. Honey and Clover (I'd recommend seeing this anime, but the ending was a real downer for me because the characters didn't end up with who I thought they'd end up with)
11. Pokémon (this is one anime that I actually prefer the English re-version of [not like the Japanese one is available anyway]. I find the clever lines or head-smacking puns so hilarious, and so nostalgic, since I watched it when I was younger. "Pikachu's Goodbye" always makes me and my sister cry. :) )
Also watching Hanasaku Iroha when I have time. So far it's pretty interesting. Hulu is my friend. :)
There are more . . . my family has watched so much anime over the years, I feel like I've seen a little bit of everything. A side note: sometimes you have to be careful with anime, since some has rather more blood/gore/sexual content than you should see. So I usually stick with the cleaner ones. :)
Manga I like (if you can't tell, I'm into shoujo manga):
1. High School Debut (favorite series ever!!! hence my username :) )
2. Kimi ni Todoke (noticed there are some other KnT fans here! yay!)
Spoiler
Love how Miura has just gotten with Ayane. Much better match than Ayane and Pin! And so cute.
4. Otomen (light and fluffy and always fun to read)
5. Mixed Vegetables (awful shock at the end of the first volume, but I got over it)
6. I Am Here (little-known series about a shy blogger who has two followers who actually know her in real life)
7. La Corda D'Oro (the premise -- a fairy giving a magic violin to the main character -- seemed bizarre, but I'm finding I like it! It's funny)