Earth Girl Arjuna - Episode 1

This is my favorite first 2 minutes of any anime. I'm still working out how much I like the other 21 minutes, but those first minutes are absolutely fascinating. Sad, and pensive, and lovely.

I don't know where this series is going to go or how much I'm going to get into it, but it wins hands down for the most attention-getting opening. And I'm not talking about the credits-- there were none for the first episode. Just... this.

A girl aims a bow and arrow at a target in an archery range, reciting a mantra to focus her mind. A flash of a motorcycle, a hospital room. The archery range. A deathbed.

And eerie, but lovely music that makes you want to find someone to hug.

Frank Herbert's epic Dune in Japanese?

The science fiction novel Dune would make a great anime series.

It already has all the elements:
space ships,
supernatural powers,
an organization of mysterious psychics,
political intrigue,
an angry youth who is destined to rule but hesitant to make the sacrifices necessary to get there,
a freaky psychic girl-child that creeps everyone else out,
planets at war,
cool technology,
people with strange eyes,
themes of destiny and philosophy and messiahs,
rival families,
giant monsters,
hand to hand fighting,
a love triangle for the hero,
... and lots of blowing shit up.

You could fit the novel into a 26-episode season. It's perfect.

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Anime tastes and preferences

bronwenstx: By the way, what kind of anime do you usually prefer?

Rashaka: Well, theses are my favorite anime series...

.... in a rough order:

Trigun
The Vision of Escaflowne
Cowboy Bebop
Naruto

Gundam Wing
Macross Plus
Fushigi Yuugi
Inu Yasha
Ranma 1/2
Blue Seed
Witch Hunter Robin
Blue Submarine No. 6
Hellsing
Neon Gen. Eva.
Earth Girl Arjuna (down lower cause I'm still in early episodes)

Movies:
Spirited Away
Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro
Princess Mononoke


I've watched others, but those are my favorites so far.

I like dramatic series, would be the most general answer. I love a good romance, but I also like some shows where romance isn't the main draw...Trigun, Cowboy Bebop, etc. I like anime shows to have at least some kind of supernatural or scifi/fantasy genre element. For CB it's the space setting, for Trigun it's the scifi, for Escaflowne it's the fantasy. But it doesn't have to be a big part of the show--- for CB it's just a backdrop, for instance, and non of the characters have supernatural powers. Well, except Cowboy Andy, maybe. ::giggle:: The supernatural power of perfect obliviousness.

I don't like series that have that set up of one geeky boy surrounded by impossible women... Tench Muyo, Chobits, Oh My Goddess, etc.

Ranma sort of falls under that category, but there's so many male characters that it doesn't count, and besides Ranma is primarily a fighting anime.

Fighting anime series are not usually in my top groups. I get bored most of the time and they hold little interest. For that reason most video-game related movies have not impressed me. However, Ranma 1/2 rises above that for it's silliness, and it's always been close to my heart. And Naruto rises above that because it's just so fricking awesome that I don't think of it as a "fighting show"... I just think of it as as a"show I adore and am madly addicted to."

I like shows with strong characters, good dialogue, good music, good art, good plotline. I could sacrifice some of those for others, since not every anime is an Escaflowne and gives you everything you ever wanted in perfect condition. So I like shows like Ranma for the characters, not the animation. And I like stuff like Fushigi Yuugi for the story, but have to forgive them for the sometimes wavery dialogue.

shows with great dialogue: Castle of Cagliostro, Spirited Away, Escaflowne, CB, Naruto

I like an anime that shows restraint... it is fun to watch something like Ranma 1/2 or Inu Yasha or Fushigi Yuugi and enjoy the exuberance and wackiness that is a trademark of anime/manga. But I find that a series where they don't shove everything at you can be just as good, and often seem even better for it, probably because they're so hard to find and thus stand out. CB, Esca, WHR, Evangelion.

Some shows like Trigun and Naruto do both-- in one moment they're very wacked and all-out and zany (Vash's humorous antics, Naruto's Sexy no Jutsuu), but in another moment they're very subtle and layered (Vash's relationship with his brother, Kakashi's under-the-surface ruthless/manipulative streak).

I like drama, and subtlety. I like zaniness when it's smartly done, and when it's balanced with restraint. I like humour and romance. I like in depth plots that don't treat the viewer like they are stupid, and I like romances both extravagant and subtle.

I generally don't like anime shows that are centered around school problems or living-situation antics... they're like sitcoms. I like romances and get all mushy for them, but I get bored if a love triangle is the only thing whatsoever that goes on--- I take my soap opera with outisde plot, please. Escaflowne, for example, is ultimately a story. But there's all that other stuff that the love story is built upon... I prefer it this way.

What kind of anime series do you like?

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Click here for the best Vash / Trigun video ever. Beware of frightful spoilers.