FanFare Fodder: Anime? (Specifically Sailor Moon Crystal)
July 19, 2014 12:46 PM - Subscribe
I know there's anime watchers here on MeFi. I guess my question is if anyone has any objections to including anime here on FanFare.
Would we want to limit it to series that can be watched from official licensed sources?
I'd love to propose we try it out with Sailor Moon Crystal. This is a remake of the original manga instead of being related to the 90's anime.
I'd love to hear people's thoughts on the matter!
Would we want to limit it to series that can be watched from official licensed sources?
I'd love to propose we try it out with Sailor Moon Crystal. This is a remake of the original manga instead of being related to the 90's anime.
I'd love to hear people's thoughts on the matter!
Somebody start doing Shingeki no Kyojin so I can express intense enthusiasm for the first three or four episodes, I-guess-it's-still-okay for the next four, contemptuous boredom with the next four, and then stop watching the show entirely out of a sense of dread at the inevitable waste of time it'll almost certainly turn out to be
posted by DoctorFedora at 5:30 PM on July 19, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by DoctorFedora at 5:30 PM on July 19, 2014 [2 favorites]
Oh, rewatching Trigun would be a blast, as would be Champloo. Or we could go really classic and watch Cowboy Bebop.
Having broad access to streaming, officially licensed sources make it easier for more folks to watch and discuss.
posted by filthy light thief at 6:22 PM on July 19, 2014 [1 favorite]
Having broad access to streaming, officially licensed sources make it easier for more folks to watch and discuss.
posted by filthy light thief at 6:22 PM on July 19, 2014 [1 favorite]
I am so here for this. Yes.
Would comparisons with the original anime be welcome?
posted by supermassive at 7:09 PM on July 19, 2014
Would comparisons with the original anime be welcome?
posted by supermassive at 7:09 PM on July 19, 2014
Seconding the Cowboy Bebop. Going even further back, I also just started watching both Lupin III and Ranma 1/2 (on Hulu) from the very beginning, and I think either one of those could make for some bang-up weekly episode discussions.
posted by Strange Interlude at 7:36 PM on July 19, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by Strange Interlude at 7:36 PM on July 19, 2014 [2 favorites]
A natural time to start with Cowboy Bebop would be next Sunday, when Cartoon Network/Adult Swim's late-night action cartoon block, Toonami, begins re-airing it at 4:30 AM.
posted by Small Dollar at 8:21 PM on July 19, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by Small Dollar at 8:21 PM on July 19, 2014 [2 favorites]
I think this would be great, especially for people like me who might have a passing interest in anime but are overwhelmed by all the titles. I love Bebop but I'm also keen to broaden my horizons. Not that I wouldn't happily watch Cowboy Bebop again. I often hear Trigun recommended as being similar but I haven't been able to connect with it in the same way.
Trigun, Samurai Champloo and Death Note are all available on Netflix in Canada as well, just fyi.
posted by Lorin at 8:28 PM on July 19, 2014 [1 favorite]
Trigun, Samurai Champloo and Death Note are all available on Netflix in Canada as well, just fyi.
posted by Lorin at 8:28 PM on July 19, 2014 [1 favorite]
Trigun is a very different beast than Bebop, although they do have certain space-western trappings in common. Bebop always struck me as Shinichiro Watanabe and Keiko Nobumoto's weekly love letter to late 20th-century Euro-American culture and film, each one designed to be consumed like an episode-length pop single, which could be taken on its own or in the context of a larger 26-track "album."
On the other hand, Trigun was more of a pure meeting of the American pulp western and planetary romance subgenres. There's a heavier emphasis on week-to-week serialization, and the themes feel weightier too, taking on the process of heroic myth, the search for personal identity, and the ways a civilization can adapt to trying circumstances.
I discovered both shows through Adult Swim, and love them more or less equally, and I think there's a lot to recommend them both for FanFare.
posted by Strange Interlude at 9:33 PM on July 19, 2014 [3 favorites]
On the other hand, Trigun was more of a pure meeting of the American pulp western and planetary romance subgenres. There's a heavier emphasis on week-to-week serialization, and the themes feel weightier too, taking on the process of heroic myth, the search for personal identity, and the ways a civilization can adapt to trying circumstances.
I discovered both shows through Adult Swim, and love them more or less equally, and I think there's a lot to recommend them both for FanFare.
posted by Strange Interlude at 9:33 PM on July 19, 2014 [3 favorites]
Toonami's going to air Gurren Lagann in August, so maybe we could do that.
posted by Small Dollar at 9:45 PM on July 19, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Small Dollar at 9:45 PM on July 19, 2014 [1 favorite]
I'm totally in. There is a bunch of good stuff that can be watched on Crunchyroll for free (commercials, but not to long) including Sailor Moon Crystal, which would be awesome.
posted by humans are superior! at 12:55 AM on July 20, 2014
posted by humans are superior! at 12:55 AM on July 20, 2014
I want somewhere to discuss Aldnoah.Zero. It's getting really intense just 3 episodes in.
Also the re-edited Psycho-Pass.
posted by needled at 5:11 PM on July 20, 2014
Also the re-edited Psycho-Pass.
posted by needled at 5:11 PM on July 20, 2014
Yay! I'm so glad there's so much encouragement to cover anime on FanFare. I've never actually seen Cowboy Bebop, so I'd be excited to watch it all with you.
Going to submit the request for Sailor Moon Crystal tonight!
posted by royalsong at 6:20 PM on July 20, 2014
Going to submit the request for Sailor Moon Crystal tonight!
posted by royalsong at 6:20 PM on July 20, 2014
I'd love to do Cowboy Bebop, but one stumbling block is it's not really available to watch anywhere (legally). It's not even for sale on iTunes.
My vote is for the short (12 episode) nearly perfect Madoka Magica, which is available in both sub and dub on Netflix. Not just because it's fantastic but because it's a meaty series with a lot to discuss.
posted by Ian A.T. at 9:24 PM on July 20, 2014 [1 favorite]
My vote is for the short (12 episode) nearly perfect Madoka Magica, which is available in both sub and dub on Netflix. Not just because it's fantastic but because it's a meaty series with a lot to discuss.
posted by Ian A.T. at 9:24 PM on July 20, 2014 [1 favorite]
I think anime has as much a home on Fanfare as any other medium of television. It should definitely be restricted to generally easy to access shows, nothing that requires anything more than perhaps a subscription service such as Netflix or Hulu - i.e., no weird streaming sites or torrenting, and if we're talking VHS fan subs, well, that's just out the window.
posted by Atreides at 6:48 AM on July 21, 2014
posted by Atreides at 6:48 AM on July 21, 2014
Another good candidate is Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.
posted by Pendragon at 6:54 AM on July 21, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by Pendragon at 6:54 AM on July 21, 2014 [3 favorites]
I'm watching the Sailor Moon Crystal episodes as they are released and I have SO MANY FEELINGS AND OPINIONS.
posted by tofu_crouton at 8:15 AM on July 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by tofu_crouton at 8:15 AM on July 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
I watched the first couple episodes last night and ... didn't not like it! I am looking forward to hearing all about it.
My vote is for the short (12 episode) nearly perfect Madoka Magica
This does appeal as something a single person (maybe you? or YOU!) could coordinate without making a commitment beyond 6ish weeks. Not that it, or any single title, should preclude someone covering another classic title. There seems to be more than enough interest.
posted by Lorin at 9:40 AM on July 21, 2014
My vote is for the short (12 episode) nearly perfect Madoka Magica
This does appeal as something a single person (maybe you? or YOU!) could coordinate without making a commitment beyond 6ish weeks. Not that it, or any single title, should preclude someone covering another classic title. There seems to be more than enough interest.
posted by Lorin at 9:40 AM on July 21, 2014
I'd love to do Gurren Lagann. Ghost in the Shell: SAC and Arise are some of my all time favorites and I'd love to discuss those as well, but they're not legally available as far as I am aware. Not to mention Arise isn't complete yet.
posted by Peccable at 1:28 PM on July 21, 2014
posted by Peccable at 1:28 PM on July 21, 2014
Gurren Lagann is on Hulu, and I think even outside the HuluPlus wall. So is Ghost in the Shell, FYI. (Did I just blow your mind?) Cowboy Bebop, incidentally, may be the hardest to track down for viewing.
posted by Atreides at 1:43 PM on July 21, 2014
posted by Atreides at 1:43 PM on July 21, 2014
I'd be down for Bebop and Champloo. Samurai 7 is also available on Hulu.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 5:49 PM on July 21, 2014
posted by the man of twists and turns at 5:49 PM on July 21, 2014
Ghost in the Shell: SAC would be so awesome. I have many opinions.
posted by RainyJay at 7:11 PM on July 21, 2014
posted by RainyJay at 7:11 PM on July 21, 2014
My suggestion for Cowboy Bebop was approved, so I think I'll start with a thread about the first episode on Sunday, then we should do one a week as it airs on Toonami. Is that okay with everyone?
As for access, Cartoon Network is on basic cable and most people have a DVR so the 4:30 AM airtime shouldn't be a problem. More people probably have basic cable and a DVR than have HBO, and Game of Thrones threads are super popular. As for streaming, you can watch it on the adultswim.com site, but in a floating window of five episodes that are up for a month at a time. Currently they're near the end of the series, but hopefully they'll restart it when it starts airing.
posted by Small Dollar at 11:54 PM on July 21, 2014 [2 favorites]
As for access, Cartoon Network is on basic cable and most people have a DVR so the 4:30 AM airtime shouldn't be a problem. More people probably have basic cable and a DVR than have HBO, and Game of Thrones threads are super popular. As for streaming, you can watch it on the adultswim.com site, but in a floating window of five episodes that are up for a month at a time. Currently they're near the end of the series, but hopefully they'll restart it when it starts airing.
posted by Small Dollar at 11:54 PM on July 21, 2014 [2 favorites]
My request for Aldnoah.Zero was approved. As episode 4 will air on Saturday in Japan and Sunday for most people outside of Japan, I will try to have posts for eps 1-3 up by Saturday. Aldnoah.Zero is on both Hulu and Crunchyroll.
The anime has gotten a lot of buzz in Japan (and Korea), being considered the must-see anime of the summer 2014 season for fans of sci-fi/mecha anime, especially after episode 3 aired. Urobuchi Gen of Madoka Magika fame is credited as the original creator of the series, and penned the first 3 episodes. Character design is by Shimura Takako, whose well-known manga include Aoi Hana and Wandering Son.
posted by needled at 2:54 AM on July 22, 2014
The anime has gotten a lot of buzz in Japan (and Korea), being considered the must-see anime of the summer 2014 season for fans of sci-fi/mecha anime, especially after episode 3 aired. Urobuchi Gen of Madoka Magika fame is credited as the original creator of the series, and penned the first 3 episodes. Character design is by Shimura Takako, whose well-known manga include Aoi Hana and Wandering Son.
posted by needled at 2:54 AM on July 22, 2014
Nice, I hadn't heard of this but I just watched the first two episodes and liked them. Talk to you Saturday.
posted by Ian A.T. at 7:17 AM on July 22, 2014
posted by Ian A.T. at 7:17 AM on July 22, 2014
Yay! Ready for Butcher Bingo? (Note: do not click on link if you're a Urobutcher newbie, as there may be spoilers).
posted by needled at 8:23 AM on July 22, 2014
posted by needled at 8:23 AM on July 22, 2014
As I mentioned back in the original FanFare MeTa, I have strong Revolutionary Girl Utena feelings.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 10:58 AM on July 22, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 10:58 AM on July 22, 2014 [3 favorites]
My suggestion for Cowboy Bebop was approved, so I think I'll start with a thread about the first episode on Sunday, then we should do one a week as it airs on Toonami. Is that okay with everyone?
Fine with me at least; that'll give me a good schedule to watch the entire series which I've had waiting to watch for years but never got around to. The Toonami broadcast is the dubbed version I assume?
strong Revolutionary Girl Utena feelings
I've just gotten that, so wouldn't mind watching this.
Thing though is that many anime series are so freaking long that it's hard to keep them going, so might it be better to start off with a short series like FLCL or indeed Puella Magi Madoka Magica?
I mean, if Cowboy Bebop is going to be a weekly post, that would take 1/2 year to get through it all.
posted by MartinWisse at 4:12 AM on July 26, 2014
Fine with me at least; that'll give me a good schedule to watch the entire series which I've had waiting to watch for years but never got around to. The Toonami broadcast is the dubbed version I assume?
strong Revolutionary Girl Utena feelings
I've just gotten that, so wouldn't mind watching this.
Thing though is that many anime series are so freaking long that it's hard to keep them going, so might it be better to start off with a short series like FLCL or indeed Puella Magi Madoka Magica?
I mean, if Cowboy Bebop is going to be a weekly post, that would take 1/2 year to get through it all.
posted by MartinWisse at 4:12 AM on July 26, 2014
Oh man, FLCL would be great. I vote to start with that. It's free on Hulu!
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 6:15 AM on July 26, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 6:15 AM on July 26, 2014 [1 favorite]
Can we get a "Rewatch" flag on Cowboy Bebop? Hopefully this is just a formality but the show's 16 years old and it's difficult to discuss in a spoiler-free way in case there are newcomers to the series who were expecting that.
posted by ardgedee at 4:32 AM on August 1, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by ardgedee at 4:32 AM on August 1, 2014 [1 favorite]
Ghost in the Shell: SAC is available on Youtube, uploaded by Manga Entertainment. English dub only. They used to have the subbed version up, too, but they took it down some time ago.
A couple of these I haven't watched all the way through. Like Cowboy Bebop. I generally don't have opinions, but maybe I could show up in costume as an uninformative block of text...
Floating this idea out there: speaking of Ghibli, is anyone interested in doing a Ghibli movie?
posted by aroweofshale at 5:52 AM on August 4, 2014
A couple of these I haven't watched all the way through. Like Cowboy Bebop. I generally don't have opinions, but maybe I could show up in costume as an uninformative block of text...
Floating this idea out there: speaking of Ghibli, is anyone interested in doing a Ghibli movie?
posted by aroweofshale at 5:52 AM on August 4, 2014
I know it's kind of an outside chance (also this thread is dead) but I've been watching the new TV adaptation of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure on Crunchyroll and, after the first two or three episodes, the reason for the title was made abundantly clear in an extremely entertaining, conpletely insane sort of way. Anyone out there interested?
posted by DoctorFedora at 4:08 PM on August 24, 2014
posted by DoctorFedora at 4:08 PM on August 24, 2014
JoJo is faaaaantastic. Also Gurren Lagann and GitS: Arise just showed up on Netflix.
posted by Peccable at 2:02 PM on September 13, 2014
posted by Peccable at 2:02 PM on September 13, 2014
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DeathNote was just added to Netflix streaming (at least here in the US) and I have such strong opinions. Ditto for Trigun. Not sure about Samurai Champloo (spelling? Posting from my.phone),
posted by RainyJay at 4:06 PM on July 19, 2014 [1 favorite]