Do you watch Anime?

[Knightshade Dragon]

Well?  DO YA?!

[dbt1949]

I don't mind a cgi film but I don't think that's anime is it?

[Andrew Mallon]

I honestly can't stand anime and don't see the appeal at all.  Strangely, I have no problem with Japanese RPGs with big-eyed character designs and extended cut scenes.

[Dreamshadow]

MUAHAHAHA!!!

I am an anime nut...mostly because I like animation, and Japanese animation doesn't assume you're a kid.  All hail Miyazaki!

[warning]

Some I like and many I don't.  Miyazaki's stuff is uniformly great.  Trigun, Cowboy Bebop and some others are also very good.  I'm less and less tolerant of the spiky haired teenager saving the world schtick than I used to be.  Bleach bored me to tears.  Gankutsuou on the other hand was about the best I've seen.  I also recently watched Millenium Actress and it was fantastic.

[godhugh]

Absolutely not. Can't stand it.

[WinoMcCougarstein]

Absolutely not. Can't stand it.

Echo that!  Not my thing.

[whiteboyskim]

Some of it is very good, some it is very not. Like any art form I suppose, it depends on what you like. It seems that a lot of anime is, and has been, stuck on getting really metaphysical and surreal towards the ending. So what has been a fairly entertaining story turns psycho at the 3/4 mark and dovetails from there. Examples: Akira, Outlaw Star, the Matrix films (first one = cool idea, remaining ones = style over substance).

Overall, I like anime, but I'm increasingly picky on what I watch because if it's simply an exercise in style over substance or just a meandering of psychological babble, I can watch a Michael Bay film and get one while actively refusing to get the other.

[pr0ner]

Pretty often for me.

[CrayolaSmoker]

Haven't watched much lately, but I enjoy the art form.  The main thing I give it props for is its ability to be anything.  In Japan, animation is a means of telling a story.  Any story.  It runs from kiddie movie to adult film and from awe-inspiring to god-awful.  I wish the American movie-going audience was open-minded enough to have animation be that viable a medium.  Alas, it's not to be so.

[Kevin Grey]

I'm with Crayola Smoker- I enjoy anime because animation frees the creator from most of the constraints of television and movie budgets no matter what the genre.  

It can't be emphasized enought that not all (or even most) anime is teen saves the world in giant mech with a healthy does of psychedelia.  Though that certainly does have its place...

[depward]

Gotta go with CrayolaSmoker with this one.  I do watch from time to time, though, not THAT often.  I appreciate the art-form and how they're able to do, seriously, everything with it.  But I can only really stand several shows.

I tried a series called Texhnolyze, but I found it a little too slow.  I mean, like some anime, I enjoy the artistic style and story and so forth.  But it was just so SLOW!

Serial Experiments: Lain is a pretty neat anime series.  I own the box-set, but honestly, haven't wanted to really watch a whole lot of it.  I like it, I like the direction it's going . . . but I don't know.

So yeah.  I enjoy the genre even though I don't really watch it a whole lot.  Though, if it's on TV or something, I'll tune in for a little bit.  But the majority of it (I would say 90-95%) I dislike.

[Jancelot]

Absolutely not. Can't stand it.

Echo that!  Not my thing.

Same and I don't like the games either.  It's all the same story and too much melodrama.  I don't even care for the animation because it's usually very choppy.  However, I wish more films with better stories and art techniques would come out because I do like animation quite a bit.  For now the Pixar movies and Iron Giant will have to do.

[Kevin Grey]

Same and I don't like the games either.  It's all the same story and too much melodrama.  I don't even care for the animation because it's usually very choppy.  However, I wish more films with better stories and art techniques would come out because I do like animation quite a bit.  For now the Pixar movies and Iron Giant will have to do.

Which makes me question what anime you've seen.  It most certainly is not all the same story.  Anime encomposses every genre from drama to comedy and may have science fiction and fantasy elements but often does not.  

If you enjoy animation as an art form then there is no doubt in my mind there are lots of anime you would likely enjoy but aren't even aware of.

[stiffler]

I used to.  I like the comedy stuff way more than a lot of the angst-ridden and overwrought stories that seems to pervade much of what I've seen.  Fact is, I don't know anybody that likes it, so I'm on my own with most of it.

I enjoyed the standard favorites like Cowboy Bebop and Trigun.  Didn't care for Akira, Ninja Scroll or any kind of hentai.

My favorite would have to be Excel Saga.

[happydog]

Absolutely not. Can't stand it.

Echo that!  Not my thing.

Echo that!  Not my thing.

[Randomayhem]

I used to.  I like the comedy stuff way more than a lot of the angst-ridden and overwrought stories that seems to pervade much of what I've seen.  Fact is, I don't know anybody that likes it, so I'm on my own with most of it.

I'm in it for the comedy too, with MAGIC USERS CLUB being my favorite.

Over half my DVD collection is anime, some 800 discs.  That being said...there's not really been anything made in the past couple of years that's truly grabbed me.

[mytocles]

The only two animated type things I've ever been hooked on in the past, don't qualify as anime - I think.  One was "Belle and Sebastian" and the other was "Reboot" - now those I really liked.  So, what exactly makes anime... anime?  :?

[RamPanther]

I absolutely love anime. I was going broke buying the damned things until Netflix came along. The most recent one I've watched is Gunslinger Girl, which was endearing and surprisingly different than what I expected after watching the first episode.

My favorites include:

Cowboy Bebop
Hellsing
Berserk
Heat Guy J
Samurai Champloo
Last Exile
Boogiepop Phantom

[Darren8r]

Once in a blue moon, I couldnt even name off any anime shows.

[Qbe]

I like to watch anime once in a while, on-again off-again.  A certain CG staff member gave me a copy of "Moldiver" several years ago and I liked it quite a bit.  I watched a few series through Netflix and decided that I lean toward the comedy genre rather than the dark and serious.  

Trigun was great at the beginning, but I didn't care too much for the serious turn it took.  

On the other hand, I really liked the artwork and (American) voice acting in Sorcerer Hunters.  I even bought the series.

Anyone who likes comic anime should watch Dragon Half.  

I got Dai-Guard and Gunparade March mucho cheapo at Best Buy.  Dai-Guard is pretty fluffy and fun.  I haven't watched the other.

In recent days I've been watching anime and Japanese drama to get more of an ear for spoken Japanese.  I liked the first episode of Bleach and look forward to seeing more.  Hmmm.  Can't remember the others I've sampled.

[Thin_J]

My favorites include:

Cowboy Bebop
Berserk

I'm with you on Cowboy Bebop. I think that's an excellent show. The movie is great too.

Berserk was great all the up until the last two episodes. Then the whole thing just went batshit fucking loco. I wish I could pretend those two episodes just didn't exist and the show just flat stopped right there.

Not big on the rest of those though. I do like Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. That's a great series.

[Victoria Raverna]

Absolutely not. Can't stand it.

Echo that!  Not my thing.

Same and I don't like the games either.  It's all the same story and too much melodrama.  I don't even care for the animation because it's usually very choppy.  However, I wish more films with better stories and art techniques would come out because I do like animation quite a bit.  For now the Pixar movies and Iron Giant will have to do.

Agree with Kevin, there are many kind of anime from childish to porn. Many genres, sci-fi, fantasy, action, romance, horror, drama, etc. So they can't all have the same story.

But there are some general type of stories for some sub-genre anime.

Some examples:

harem type anime where one lame boy have several girlfriends. If you watch one then the other will be about 80% the same. Example: Love Hina, Ichigo 100%, most dating games based anime.

fighting anime where in each episode the main character have to meet and fight increasingly challenging opponents. Most famous example: Dragonball.

sport based anime, where the story is about a new guy/girl join a school and then involve in sport competition. Can be about soccer, basketball, some japanese martial arts, tennis, etc.

giant robot anime, there are tons of them with some general storyline.

romance where the main character is a girl/boy that love a popular boy but then there are a childhood friend/best friend character that secretly love the girl. most of them in high school setting.

fantasy anime where a team of people fight supernatural enemies(can be vampires, witches, monsters, ghosts,  etc.).

If you don't like anime because of the story, then you probably can like other genre.

I started watching anime from giant robot but eventually I am bored of them since they're almost the same. Then I moved to other type of story like the fantasy ghost hunter type, action anime, etc. Now it seems like I have the mood for watching romance anime.

[Victoria Raverna]

I can't get into Cowboy Bebop. It is just not the type of anime that I enjoy, but I love Samurai Champloo that was by the same team that made Cowboy Bebop and have the same general episode storyline like Cowboy Bebop but only in samurai era japanese setting.

[gameoverman]

I've seen some.  I don't make it a point to watch it because it seems so repetitive to me.

For all the talk (even in this thread) about how varied it is, how many genres it encompasses, I see the same names pop up as favorites over and over again.(example- Cowboy Bebop)  That leads me to believe that QUALITY anime really is rather narrow in scope.

I'm into horror films, stories, novels, etc.   If someone could point me to a good example of horror anime(film or tv series) I'd appreciate it.  I have Vampire Hunter D, sadly that's not horror imo.

[Victoria Raverna]

I've seen some.  I don't make it a point to watch it because it seems so repetitive to me.

For all the talk (even in this thread) about how varied it is, how many genres it encompasses, I see the same names pop up as favorites over and over again.(example- Cowboy Bebop)  That leads me to believe that QUALITY anime really is rather narrow in scope.

I'm into horror films, stories, novels, etc.   If someone could point me to a good example of horror anime(film or tv series) I'd appreciate it.  I have Vampire Hunter D, sadly that's not horror imo.

You keep hearing of a few same names as favorite because until recently there were only a small percentages of anime  titles that was licensed by US publishers.

Cowboy Bebop is a 1999 released anime. Even 2004-2005 alone, there are tons of anime released in japan.

Top 20 list of anime released in 2004-2005 based on animenfo.com's ranking:

1. Elfen Lied
2. Air TV Series
3. Monster
4. BECK
5. Samurai Champloo
6. Bleach
7. Mai HIME
8. Midori no Hibi
9. Koi Kaze
10. Paranoia Agent
11. School Rumble
12. Ashiteruze Baby
13. Gundam SEED Destiny
14. Maria-sama ga Miteru
15. Genshiken
16. Gankutsou
17. Kannazuki no Miko
18. Samurai 7
19. MADLAX
20. Yakitate!! Japan

As for horror anime, you can check www.animenfo.com or anidb.info to look for anime titles of specific genres.

[JLu]

I saw Akira in the theater because some friend wanted to go when I was a teen.  It blew me away.  I'm a fan of animation overall, but since then I don't know that I've seen any anime except for changing channels past Pokemon and Dragonball (do those count as anime?  I generally consider any cartoon from over there as such...)

[Kevin Grey]

I've seen some.  I don't make it a point to watch it because it seems so repetitive to me.

For all the talk (even in this thread) about how varied it is, how many genres it encompasses, I see the same names pop up as favorites over and over again.(example- Cowboy Bebop)  That leads me to believe that QUALITY anime really is rather narrow in scope.

 I think thats because most of us likely have a very high interest in sci-fi/fantasy so those are the ones that many people will naturally gravitate to.  And of course, as Victoria points out, the popluarity of genre anime in the US market means that is what companies focus on translating.  But with the US anime/manga market exploding its also making it profitable to bring over other series that don't necessarilly fit the genre label.

For example, throw out a general recommendation for a "good TV series" on a messageboard like this and most of the responses will likely be Firefly, Buffy, Angel, Babylon 5, Farscape, Lost, Battlestar Galactica and other sci-fi shows with a few non-genre shows thrown in (Arrested Development, The Shield).  Yet non-genre shows completely dominate network and cable programming and the ratings.  

And, IIRC, the decidedly non-genre Love Hina was actually one of the top selling animes in the US last year.

[Laner]

Only if it's Transformers, Voltron, or Star Blazers

[unbreakable]

I can only watch anime which involves tentacle rape  

Just kidding!

[Qbe]

Oh yeah, and in the "circle of life" category is Speed Racer.  My brother and I watched it and lived it in the late 70s.  Now my boys watch it and love it.  Back then we didn't even realize that it was Japanese anime.

I used to watch "Battle of the Planets" back then too.

[tiny ogre]

The only Anime I've really enjoyed watching since Robotech in the 80s when I was still a teenager was Cowboy Bebop.  I've tried here and there, but it's just not for me.  CB was pretty entertaining though.  I think I've seen about half the series (including the ending).  Still haven't watched the movie (which I actually bought the DVD of a long damn time ago, how dumb am I? )

[Turtle]

I'm very much into animation, but I'm not an anime fan.

There are some animes I like, such as Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, anything from Ghibli, etc... these tend to be high quality works that transcend the style they were made in, whereas a lot of it tends to be stuff pushed out the door to fill a gap.

[Thin_J]

The only Anime I've really enjoyed watching since Robotech in the 80s when I was still a teenager was Cowboy Bebop.  I've tried here and there, but it's just not for me.  CB was pretty entertaining though.  I think I've seen about half the series (including the ending).  Still haven't watched the movie (which I actually bought the DVD of a long damn time ago, how dumb am I? )

You have got to watch that movie.

It's easily my top pick for an anime movie.

[unbreakable]

I enjoyed the entire Robotech series (Macross was different, and IMO the story was limp).  Even the second generation was decent, but the first and third were fantastic.

Another great one is Record of Lodos War, especially if you are into D&D or fantasy.

Another favorite is Gundam Wing.  Of all the Gundam variations, this seems to be the only one worth a damn.  Great story, great action.

Then, of course, there is Dragonball, which is good when you get past the 'we are successful, so we'll whore it out and advance the plot one iota per week' period near the end of DBZ (I think that was the entire Cell Games part, and shortly afterward).  It seems to have picked up speed in it's next iteration, Dragonball GT, but I don't watch it much anymore.

[Calvin]

Very rarely. I don't really like most of it.

[Victoria Raverna]

I can only watch anime which involves tentacle rape  

Just kidding!

Then you must watch this Jiburiru. You get tentacle rape with that plus some bonus like oral, anal, s&m, exhibitionist, etc. Too bad it doesn't include scat. Oh, just kidding too. Honest, I'm not a pervert.

[Jimmy the Fish]

The Cowboy Bebop movie was good. Then I saw the recently released Appleseed movie on DVD.

Holy schnike. The animation was breathtaking.

[Gratch]

I enjoy anime, but don't watch nearly as much as I used to.  I own most of the 'big name' anime movies (Spirited Away, Mononoke, Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Ninja Scroll, Vampire Hunter D, etc.) and a few series (Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, Lodoss War), but I don't really go out of my way to track down new series.  I found that it's simply too expensive to collect anime, and no place around here has a decent selection to rent.  Maybe I'll try Netflix or something...

[whiteboyskim]

The Cowboy Bebop movie was good. Then I saw the recently released Appleseed movie on DVD.

Holy schnike. The animation was breathtaking.

Another case of the story collapsing under its own weight, but me not minding because I'm so focused on how hugely kick-ass the animation and action sequences are. The detail when the one guy blasts into a building and flies through the lobby while the windows explode around him was insane. Then there was the fight with the chick assassin robots. Uber fun.