The Twelve Kingdoms Forum

nightchaser wrote:I also recently watched Last Exile. I really hoped that Deo would have had a better ending though.

heck, I was really hoping everything would have a better ending.. I think the ending really left a lot of things unexplained and was easily the weakest point of the series.

thesmokingman wrote:I'll give an update as well.

I tried to get into RahXephon based on recommendations, but after watching the first 2 discs I just don't think I'm interested. Does it get dramatically better? Maybe, it's because I've never really liked mecha...

The problems with RahXephon is that it tried to overreach. It downright had too many characters, and really couldn't develop any of them. Either that, or I couldn't actually identify with any of them. And the series tries to do this for emotional impact later on, but it just falls flat to me. The main plot it does present is deceptively simple, and many reviewers think that it loses poeple in the first 8 episodes, but it hits its strengths at the halfway point. The ending seems to be a splitting point; half of the viewers dislike it saying it's a cop-out and the other half loves it since it's better than NGE's ending... I'm right in the middle with it. Not bad and interesting, but not memorable enough for me. If you can stand mysterious events and a few plot holes, or possibly if you know enough about the Mu mythology (I don't), then you might enjoy the storyline well enough. Or you might enjoy the story despite those. It's no Twelve Kingdoms in its story setup, but it is still pretty good, IMO.

It does spend alot of time on Ayato and Hakura, two characters you probably show really pay attention to if you decide to watch the rest of it. I'll also say that you should also pay attention to the mysterious Reika girl that pops up once in a while and on Quon. Just about everyone else is a side character, despite the attempts by the series to force them into a "center character" role.

Also, when watching it, do watch the scene after the ending credits in the last episode. It's a "Oh! That's what happened about that! What the hell is up with everything else?" moment.

Zitch you should check out Arjuna, I have a feeling you might like it.

I'll put that in the to-watch list. My anime viewing recently has drastically slowed down, though...

Peacemaker...its up in my current list of favourites.
Follows a young Tetsu thru as a page to vice-commander Hijikata of the Shinsengumi (sp). Quite a bit of blood flow here...as well as gorgeious shots of blades...

Okay, so I'm pretty depraved when it comes to anime shown locally, most of it right now its either kiddies stuff, saccarrine, or boobie feista...

^^ those are all great animes but I recommend and ask if anyone has watched: Like the Clouds, Like the Wind http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/k_kondo/kumokaze/

For some reason it reminds me of 12K though I don't know why but even though it was a short movie it's my favourite because of the characters espically the main, she's strong but at the same time humourous and innocent.

Oh it's not currently translated into English >_< or licensed but if you don't mind that kinda thing you can download a translated copy from Animesuki.

........recently...... nothing much......

>shaman king
>air
>full moon wo sagashite
>peacemaker kurogane
>gundam seed destiny
>gundam wing
>soukyuu no fafner (same mangaka as gundam seed.... very emotional this anime)
>yakitate!!japan ( very funny and nice..... but makes me kinda hungry..... itz a bakery type of anime )

New Favorites:

-Maison Ikkoku
-PlanetES
-Phantom Memory KURAU
-Genshiken

obviosotyoracle wrote:New Favorites:

-Maison Ikkoku

I like too ^^ though a little long winded and the ending songs done by Picasso very much C=

I just finished watching Wolf's Rain. It was pretty amazing... The ending is very odd though. And poor Toboe! I hear it has the same animators as Cowboy Bebop. Anyway - the animation is excellent. The concept is an alternate reality where humans are descended from wolfs, but don't remember that fact. Meaning, they can no longer transform into wolves. The earth has been decimated and people live in domed cities ruled by nobles. But life in the cities looks, for all intents and purposes, like today's cities (same cars, fashions, etc...) The main characters are wolves who slowly, over the course of the series, discover that they have a destiny to find Paradise and restore the earth. Unlike the humans, the wolves retained their animal form and can trick humans into seeing them as human. The villain is a noble who wishes paradise for himself, and will stop at nothing to beat the wolves to it.

This thread contains useful tips on which animes/mangas to watch, I learnt about Escaflowne from this thread and chanced upon the movie in a DVD store. I watched the movie, liked it and ordered the whole series. I'm eagerly awaiting for it to arrive.

"Wolf's Rain"?? I might watch that because I like wolves, magnificent animals, not many left in the wild here.

Animes/manga I've watched and liked ranked in order of preference

12 Kingdoms
Candy Candy (My first anime series)
Inuyasha
Castle in the Sky
Mobile suit Gundam

Animes I've watched and don't like:

Evangelion ( Can't understand)
Sailor Moon ( weird)
Spirited Away

Candy Candy has never aired in the US. A big loss because the 115 episode series is able to positively shape the characters of children, especially girls in their growing up years.

Can somebody explain the difference between anime and manga? I don't see any difference.

Anime is only tv animation, while mangas are only graphic novels. I hope that clears things up!

To be more percise anime a style of animation: Japanese animation. It doesn't just pertain to TV series from over there but movies aswell-if it's animated from Japan it's anime. Manga simply translates to comics. In english rather than saying Japanese comics we just say manga.

Just finished watching Escaflowne. I like both the series and movie.

For once, the heroin Hitomi is my favorite character although I like the hero Van as well. Escaflowne the guymelef is adorable. Clever simple storylines with loopholes but overall, it is simply good. The artwork is good but I don't like the music.

Like Allen Schezar, knight of Gailie, I'm at peace with the ending although Hitomi returned to earth instead of marrying Van. There is at least some form of closure. Hitomi is professional and charming. One day, she will make a good queen next to Van Fanel.

I would recommend this anime to others.

Allen Schezar? Eh, I'm afraid I don't share your tastes. I'm an avid Faulken fan.

What did you not like about the music?

I like Faulken a lot. I feel sorry for him, he is a very nice person, in some way, he is better and more mature than Van. His voice is just excellent. In fact, I don't dislike anyone in Escaflowne, even Dilandau is interesting and I think Newton lost his mind to his experiments. I think Dryden and the princess belongs together, both are academics and love to study.

Allen Schezar...heh...you can't blame any lady for liking him. He's handsome, excellent fighter, easy going, he flirts and has a kind heart. He reminds me of Shouryuu. But, give me some credit here, he is not my favourite character in Escaflowne. I respect Hitomi's personality, weaknesses and strengths. She coped well and is an equal partner with Van.

I've watched other animes with better music. The music must suit the anime. The music in the movie is better than the series. I think its the choice of instruments, music arrangment and tempo.

Whacha talking about? Who wouldn't love the chorus chanting "ES-CA! FLO-NE!" behind every battle scene?



Though truthfully, Vision of Escaflowne probably has my most favorite music in all of anime. Then again, I'm a sucker for rich, full orchestral music, and Escaflowne has it in spades. Hell, listen carefully to the battle music, then listen to "Duel of the Fates" from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and notice just how similar they are...

Granted, the ending theme to the series didn't excite me, though it is a rather catchy J-pop song.

It's strange that you say the music was better in the movie, when they are largely the same as in the series. Granted, the movie was grittier than the series, so the powerful epic scores may have fit better.

As for me, I've been getting heavily into the works of Makoto Shinkai (Voices of a Distant Star, The Place Promised in Our Early Days) and Satoshi Kon (Perfect Blue, Millenium Actress). Shinkai more so than Kon, but these two are seriously threatening to topple Miyazaki as my most favorite anime movie director.

The chanting of Escaflowne is just what I hate the most because of my religious background. I can't say much because I'm not a musician anymore. My mistake to criticise the music, i'm sure it is very well done! BRAVO.

Which is why I pointed out the chanting. That is the part that most people don't like, and, even if I liked it, I do agree it was over-done. I poke fun at the chants all the time.

Just because the music is very well made doesn't mean you have to like it and can't critic it.

In my case, I love orchestral music. It's a big reason Juuni Kokki got my attention right off the bat.

Yes, come to think of it, it is the opening theme song arranged in tripple beat like a fast waltz but not in that tradition. I can see why the composer did that but its not to my taste. I'm very classical when it comes to music. Anyway, I'm feeling ill today, taking the day off. fever

I hope you feel better soon, being sick sucks
Speaking of other animes, have any of you watched Samurai Champloo? It's laugh out funny and has a nice solid plot, wheee!

Thanks, I wish i'm getting better, it is -34 deg C today, a sudden drop in temp. caused me to catch cold. With the windchill, it is below -40. The fluffy thing around Sesshomaru keeps him warm in extreme cold. I was never sure if Tai is such a cold place because Gyousou, Taiki and Risai's outfit do not indicate extreme cold.

I have not watched Samurai Champloo. I'd check that out.

Inuyasha is now my favourite anime. It deserves a music award. In my mind, I associate each character with an instrument:

Inuyasha : Japanese Drums.
Kagome : Piano
Sesshomaru : Flute, preferably Japanese.
Kikyo : Harp or zither
Sango and Miroku : Wind and Strings

Drumming + Flute can be exotic.

Inuyasha was the first anime I watched, so it has a special place in my heart. I'm kinda obsessive about it, I have all the episodes on DVD, import of course, I could never afford the domestic ones. If you like the music, go to this website, it has most of the songs, though I think they're taking a break right now.
www.keiichianimeforever.com

I definitly had a time where I was obessed with Inuyasha (ended up tling 2 movies), I still like it but ever since the anime ended and the manga is just dragging on.. my passion for it has dwindled.

I hope Rumiko sensei gives it a good ending.


Other animes that are good and still running are:
Eureka 7
Glassmask
Mushishi

I just finished watching Crest of Stars and Banner of Stars (I and II). They just released Banner of Stars III in Japan and I am hoping it comes to the US soon. It was hard to get into because I started with BS I. I didn't know that Crest of Stars came before that so I missed a lot of info - but now that I've seen the whole thing I like it. Although I must admit I have a lot of trouble with the Abh culture - I'm not sure I like them much but I think the anime is leaving a lot out that the books probably explain better.

scorchpop wrote:Inuyasha was the first anime I watched, so it has a special place in my heart. I'm kinda obsessive about it, I have all the episodes on DVD, import of course, I could never afford the domestic ones. If you like the music, go to this website, it has most of the songs, though I think they're taking a break right now.
www.keiichianimeforever.com

I visited the link but cannot find IY music. I finally found and bought the orchestral soundtrack with opening/closing theme variations.

I’m looking for piano scores to “toki_o_koeru_omoi” such a lovely piece of Japanese music. I can literally see timeless Japan in autumn when leaves and blossoms fall in a slow sad dance.

I like the series, it is able to capture the hearts of people in a magical way without reason. I get a special feeling to see Candy Candy rank 19th by Asahi TV last year because it was my first anime in the late 70s when I was little. I hope that Scorchpop will experience the same with Inuyasha 25 years from now.

sorry about that, they've changed the website a lot, here's a link that should work

http://www.keiichianimeforever.com/ost/inuyasha.html

though at the moment they don't have enough money to let people download