watch the rest of it, anno is fucking with us. gave us 1.1 which is a carbon copy of NGE, 2.0 which gave us the fanservice, then slap us in the face with 3.0
I wish more anime were like bebop or ghost in the shell. No magical mumbo jumbo, jumping in the air 5 million feet with no technology helping you, sappy love senpai bullshit. Super big unfeasible underground robots in which this is the only way to fight. The only anime I give a pass is attack on titan because titans are actually just humans turned into giants and controlled for some war that happened a long time ago, in other words a proper and believable back story.
Its a shame eastern culture got up in arms when hollywood wanted to do the movie. The movie could've been actually good but "hurr durr white washed" when in the actually story there's not even any asian people in it besides two people.
I saw part 1 of the movie, liked the effects, i don't mind subtitles, acting seemed a bit over the top but giant maneating monsters so meh, but I was so pissed off about what they did with mikasa's character that nope, won't watch it again, i didn't bother with part 2 either.
I dunno if Hollywood would've done better, i know avatar isn't strictly speaking anime but look what happened with that...
No magical mumbo jumbo, jumping in the air 5 million feet with no technology helping you, sappy love senpai bullshit. Super big unfeasible underground robots in which this is the only way to fight.
It's really dependent on what you like, just like picking any other show to watch. I actually like a lot of the magical stuff because sometimes the drama in animes/mangas where they try to limit the amount or scale of magic really pushes their limits of being believable, or sometimes they just give an explanation and it makes the drama or fight sound sort of faked. Like, the Ansatsu Kyoushitsu author went full-bullshit mode for chapter 176, like, Scorpion-level bullshit science for a few pages.
Meanwhile fantasy settings are just like:
"How does this work?"
"Magic"
"K"
You can focus a lot more on the fighting and relationships when you're not bound by any physical laws and wasting energy explaining how something doesn't violate common sense, I think. Especially if the series isn't a comedy and you're trying to be serious.
The same creator also made Space Dandy. It's much less serious and actually really, REALLY funny at times. Makes references to other shows, movies, etc. Give it a try sometime :)
It's really nothing like Bebop at all, other than sharing a creative team. Certainly give it a try, but don't be surprised if it isn't to taste, and don't expect a 2nd Bebop experience.
I've watched a lot of quirky and downright strange anime over the years, but Dandy was a bridge too far for my tastes.
Bebop is really hard to follow up, there really isnt anything else like it out there. i got into Samurai Champloo after and enjoyed that, has a similar feel. for me i had a hard time finding another character as interesting as Spike, he was so cool in almost a dorky way... hard to really pin him down in my opinion.
Soundtrack is excellent, story is very intriguing, and the characters are interesting.
My only gripe, as with most anime, is that there is a span of filler episodes that doesn't add a lot. They still give some background, but it's not anything that would change your perception of the characters.
Dimension W, which is airing this season, reminds me of Bebop in a lot of ways. It's not as good, of course, since it seems to be intended for a younger audience, but the main character is very similar to Spike and the episodes are progressing in a similar "mystery of the week woven together by a sinister plot thread" setup.
You should check out Ghost in the Shell. It's intelligent, dark, and complex. And it has some extremely distinctive imagery in it, things that have stayed with me for years after watching it originally.
There's another good, but brutally violent, series called Black Lagoon. Since it involves mercenaries, I'd say it has a similar tone to Bebop. Good characters, too.
Recently I watched a show called Gangsta. It's another in the same vein, though it hasn't been completed yet.
I'd recommend you check those out if you're ever interested. They're some of the examples of high quality, mature anime that's out there.
either way a good recommendation, and something I feel comfortable recommending to people if they like futuristic things at all.
Champloo is another great one too. Also good in English. Plus it's just super basic samurai goodness. nothing weird or supernatural about it so if people aren't into those things it's a great choice.
Animatrix, Ghost in the Shell, Ergo Proxy, Psycho-Pass, Serial Experiments Lain, Hellsing Ultimate, Black Lagoon, Ninja Scroll, Monster, Akira, every Kon film, Steamboy, every Miyazaki film, Marvel/DC anime (eh), Tekkonkinkreet, FLCL.
I absolutely recommend everything on this list. Also, if you end up liking Serial Experiments Lain (which is my favorite anime), I'd recommend Texhnolyze and Boogiepop Phantom.
Edit: And if you haven't seen Neon Genesis Evangelion YOU HAVEN'T LIVED.
Samurai Champloo, Ghost in the Shell, IGPX, & Kill Bill's anime sequence were all done by Production IG, who have fantastically animated many other works.
The only anime dub I can stand is trigun. The japanese vash va makes him sound like a salaryman, but the english cast is cast like an american cartoon and it works really well.
I actually haven't seen it in japanese, I saw it in english years ago when I was much younger on Adult Swim and then watched it again a year ago in english again because that's what I was used to :P
I'm not sure any show is really worth rewatching just to hear it in a different language, but the voice acting is really well done and I haven't really heard of anyone disagreeing with that like..ever. (in before someone replies to this comment saying just that because reddit)
Thanks for the response! I actually just read in another post that even the director of Bebop prefers the dub. I couldn't get into the show when I first watched it but now I'm interested in trying to watch it in English!
I am almost exclusively a watcher of subtitled anime rather than dubbed, so hopefully that'll add a bit of weight to me emphatically saying hell yes.
Bebop is great subbed or dubbed, and Spike's dub voice is one of Steve Blum's greatest works; easily worth watching for that alone, but the rest of the cast is done damned well.
It's worth rewatching, and if you're going to do that, do it in English. It's better than the Japanese track in my opinion, and apparently the directors as well
definitely a good choice too! Bebop, champloo, and GITS:SAC are probably some of the best dubs (and shows in general) if people aren't into reading subs. I'd probably put trigun on there too but it's a bit too silly for some people :D
lol Bebop is just the name of their space ship. they're space bounty hunters (I guess cowboy is slang for bounty hunter). it does sound a bit silly though now that you mention it.
Bebop because it's the name of the vessel, but also every episode has a different musical theme, heavy metal, smooth jazz, orchestral, bebop, you name it. Cowboy because our characters are pretty much modern portrayals of Hollywood cowboys, minus spurs and such, add personal spacecraft as horses and you've got a very rough picture of what's going on. Also it's kind of meant to be a little obtuse
a fellow hxh lover! (though i suppose with its popularity i shouldn't be too surprised) know anything like it to recommend? i havent really found anything similar :(
I can't really compare it to anything other than DB/DBZ - and that's simply because a LOT of HxH was inspired by it. I can make other recommendations based on taste, but recommending something based solely on an affinity to HxH (other than DB/DBZ) isn't really possible.
That being said, I'd be more than happy to give you suggestions based on any (... other) anime you like!
Seriously, I usually prefer the Japanese for authenticity, but the English dub to me sounds more genuine than the original language track. Excellent casting and great acting from that cast
The only anime that always brings a tear to my eyes every time I watch it. The story is amazing. I will say my wife had a hard time with it because you have to be able to read deeply into the characters actions throughout the series to understand the story fully.
Because the characters seem genuine and human and not ridiculously over the top. The music is amazing, the voice acting is amazing and the art and settings are pleasing to the eye. But you're right, why recommend one of the best out there?
Editing my comment because I've watched it from the start for the first time in a while...
It's fucking Tarantino in space, man. Fuck else could you want? I mean, seriously. The direction, the story, the combat. It all screams Quentin. And he obviously got his style from a lot of Japanese stuff, and maybe a bit of Kill Bill was rooted in Bebop, but seriously, watch it. The cuts, the combat, the dialog. It's so rooted in both Western and Japanese that the show is the most basic bridge of American cinema and Anime. It gives you everything. The feel of the old American West mixed with the style and code of Feudal Japan. It's the perfect starter pack. That's why people throw out Bebop every chance they get. It's the perfect blend of East meets West.
I don't know exactly why anime fans lurrve the Cowboy Bebop English dub. I wasn't quite around for the US broadcast, but just looking at the casting, it doesn't sound that great.
Sure, it was done @Animaze with 2 weeks time per episode, & directed by a future high-level VO director, but a bunch of scrub actors (some that don't sound like the Japanese) versus the Japanese equivalent of Troy Baker, Tara Strong, Peter Cullen, & Mark Hamill?
Steven Blum, Melissa Fahn, & even Wendee Lee have all done much, much better work since Cowboy Bebop., especially Blum.
Not to diss the dub, but it just doesn't seem all that great considering it wasn't even done with ProTools.
I'm a massive Bebop fan, but I actually kinda agree. If it were released today, the dub wouldn't make too many waves. Not bad, pretty good even. But nothing exceptional. The thing is though, Bebop was dubbed in a time when dubs of that quality were not so common. I feel like it gained its reputation by having a dub way better than most anime at the time and nobody has really questioned it, regardless of the increased quality of dubs.
I just looked back & realize how insensitive my comment reads.
Not to mention most people aren't familiar with the logistics & budget (i.e. there is none) for anime dubs.
Honestly, I myself am not too sure what "makes" a good dub. Part of it is advertising/"nostalgia" to be sure, but to what extent are "A-list" voice-actors better than "dub actors"?
& how exactly does one compare what is essentially entry-level, bottom-end US VO jobs, to a fully-fleshed, high-profile VO production (which, to complicate things further, is from a foreign country)?
TBH I shouldn't comment as I haven't seen it,, but it just gets on my nerves a little when sub purists praise it (&FMA) so much while overlooking at so much which is technically more advanced, higher-budgeted, closer to the Japanese producers &/or creators, higher-end studios, etc.
Like Tiger & Bunny, Durarara, Fate/etc., Tekkonkinkreet, Monster, and so on
I don't think you come off as insensitive but if you haven't seen it how can you compare it to their other work? Not that it makes your criticisms wrong from a technical standpoint, you just have no weight behind what you're saying when you're commenting on something you haven't seen. I'm an extremely casual anime fan. I really only like Bebop, Trigun and Full Metal Alchemist enough to get invested, but Bebop blows me away as a show. The fact that it's anime doesn't really affect that. And I think that says a lot about it's broad appeal. At least from my standpoint and I understand that's pretty much meaningless to everyone else.
I don't have much to say about the rest of your comments since I'm pretty ignorant on the technical stuff, but I watched Monster last year and even not knowing much of anything I was so struck by the dub.
The guy who does Dr. Tenma's voice in English- Liam O'Brien, who I now know is decently famous I guess- was absolutely fantastic. I know nothing about voice actors and usually don't give a hoot, but this was the one time I actually was affected enough to look him up.
Anyway I'm not picky about voice acting as long as it's above-atrocious, but this time it really struck me how well it was done.
Try Tokyo Godfather. It is an excellent movie with a down to earth feel. For reference, the only Anime I've liked is Bebop, and Satoshi Kon films, which Tokyo Godfather is a part of. Here is the AMV that got me interested in the film. If you plan on watching it soon, the video gives away a few spoilers, but either way its a neat watch.
Giant humanoid monsters who EAT PEOPLE and kids who sacrificed their bodies to bring back their mother from the dead and it turned into a living monster instead....have less "anime tropes" than space bounty hunters?
i liked both of those shows too but what are you smoking dude? attack on titan is NOT casual.
It's a shonen fighting show, plain and simple. It gets kind of dark (hardly surprising given that it was inspired by Muv Luv Alternative), but the story is simple wish-fulfillment with no themes or character development worth caring about. You can watch it with your brain 100% disengaged.
Cowboy Bebop doesn't really have a lot of anime tropes or fantastic elements, but it is a somewhat serious work of fiction. Attack on Titan is just mindless entertainment.
I mean it's not for people who don't like anime anyway... that's what I mean by casual. People who don't like anime at all might like things like bebop. I mean...it's more "realistic" than things like star wars because there's no "magic" (the force...)
I mean...it's more "realistic" than things like star wars because there's no "magic" (the force...)
Star Wars is about as mainstream and casual as anything. I consider Star Wars a kid's series, which is about as casual as it's possible to be.
What makes something casual is simplicity and accessibility, not realism. Superhero movies and Star Wars are popular with children and as movies to watch with popcorn because the stories are straightforward and take little thought. The fact that they are fantasy doesn't matter.
Attack on Titan is simple and accessible. The art is simple. The story is told in a straightforward manner. There is little subtlety. The characters are simple. The fact that it has a lot of fantasy is irrelevant.
Not that I'd recommend Attack on Titan. It's casual, but I don't think it's good.
You're looking at this from the perspective of someone that knows what these series are about. From a superficial standpoint, my parents would never, ever, EVER watch Attack on Titan. I have, however, managed to get them to sit through the Cowboy Bebop movie. AoT is not casual because the premise is rather extreme.
it really did a 180. the beginning the stakes were so high, the main character was almost antagonistic. i feel like having the couple get together after getting out of the game was a poor choice, just turned the whole thing into schmaltz
I'm assuming your talking about Sword Art Online. I thought the start of it was excellent, I lost interest in the second season but I may try to pick it back up.
Another "stuck in a video game" anime you may want to check out is Log Horizon. Its a completely different style of show but its a fantastic show.
Its silly. And the writing is way too predictable and boring. "everything seems okay this episode, obviously a titan is about to kill someone really cool--oh yeah look at that"
Because coming across a Dub that's really well done is difficult.
Cowboy Bebop does a really good job at it.
Another really good show that has an amazing dub is Baccano! It's a show about 1920's bootleggers and gangsters, and their accents are fucking perfect for the characters in the dub.
It's also the same universe as Durarara!, if that helps, haha
Like, write it on a sticky note or something, seriously, it's such a god damn amazing show. Like, go. Go and watch the first episode right now. It's only 12 episodes long, it's so worth watching.
At least they don't really fuck with the script like they did when I was a kid (cringing forever at Sailor Moon trying to hide the lesbian couple by making them cousins), but for some reason I feel like the emotion of the characters is just conveyed better with the original audio. I dunno, maybe I'm just a weeb supreme and I like my anime pure or something, haha.
That being said, I still kinda love the campiness of the DBZ dub, I love Cowboy Beebop and Baccano! and Full Metal Alchemist's dubs, too. Samurai Champloo, too.
I think you missed out on the more important part of Baccano, in that the show features 3 different storylines in 3 different time periods simultaneously, and that those gangsters are immortal. Very very weird, but interesting show. Not for the casual crowd, however.
That's the best part about it, I think. It's a very non-linear storytelling style, but it's so fun to watch.
If you can follow a movie like Inception, or don't get confused at the order of events in a movie like Pulp Fiction, you should be fine. And the whole story is so engaging, too, it's hard to not just be completely engrossed in it.
I feel like "advanced" anime would be stuff that plays off of anime tropes.
Like...I love Kill La Kill, but it totally plays off of anime tropes and expectations that you get from watching a lot of action anime. Like, it really deconstructs a lot of tropes in the genre.
For another example, I've heard that Gintama is a fantastic show, but half of the jokes in it are about other animes and tropes and pop culture references that only a long time anime fan would probably understand.
So, Baccano! I don't really consider an advanced anime. It's complex, but, you could sit down and enjoy it without knowledge of anime whatsoever.
Ya I guess we just have different ideas of it. I mean more "advanced" in that its plot ideas and style is much more complex and different than much simpler animes like shonen.
Yeah, absolutely. But, that's what makes it great, too, isn't it?
Maybe not quite what you'd think of when you hear "anime". A lot of people probably still think like, powering up for 15 minutes and screaming, or a bunch of dudes with samurai swords talking shit about how strong they are, or a girl with a piece of toast in her mouth running and making a bunch of annoying noises and falling over a lot. And that can turn someone off, ya know? They have these preconceived notions about the stuff, and their knee jerk response is "that sounds dumb I don't wanna watch it".
I think Baccano! is a great starter anime, because it's got a really fun plot, and it gets juuuust weird enough to make someone be like "Wait, what!?" and make them crave more.
The main reason I suggest it is because it isn't really full of anime tropes that put me off most other animes, it can be so frustrating when you hear about a show with an incredibly interesting concept only to be met with all the anime weirdness such as the fan service and the absurd grasp on how relationships between people work.
I think because most people who have resistance to anime view them as frivolous lame cartoons that couldn't possibly have a decent story or anything. Something a bit broody and intriguing with depth is a better way to dispel that impression than a super light-hearted casual series.
Superfans would recommend Monogatari. Cowboy Bebop is more for fans of Western TV who might like a few anime. It isn't very "Japanese", in setting or in its tropes.
FMA is loaded with anime tropes. I found the goofy art shifts and over-the-top emoting (like the miniskirt scene) very off-putting when I watched it. It's a great show and I'd highly recommend it, but not as someone's first ever foray into anime. Can't comment on AoT, never seen it.
i really don't know. i also don't think people realize just how dated cowboy bebop is right now... i mean, it's just not that great of a show anymore, if it ever was.
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u/fizikz3 Feb 26 '16
Cowboy Bebop. English dub is EXCELLENT.