(no subject)

[timepiececlock]

I found an anime review website that I love. Why? BEcause with the exception of Tenchi Muyo (they say ok, I say embarassingly sucky), Spirited Away (they say pretty good, I say fantastic), and Gundam Wing (they hated it, I adored it), the reviews almost exactly fit my own ratings for many series.... Witch Hunter Robin, Trigun, Ranman 1/2, Sailor Moon, Macross Plus, Dragon Ball Z, Blue Seed, and especially Cowboy Bebop and Escaflowne. How can I not love an anime review site that rates The Vision of Escaflowne as tied for third place for best anime ever and says it "should very well be considered the best anime of the entire decade" ? And then goes on to describe exactly why the Escaflowne movie is such a wrecking ball of a disappointment. On another page basically rates DBZ as crap, while giving it its due consideration for being entertaining enough to suck you in against your better judgement, and keep you in for longer than it deserves? Or another page that perfectly, perfectly captures why I love Trigun so much. ... Or another review that explains exactly why I am justified in completley and utterly hating the movie X/1999. Which I did. Oh, did I hate that movie. I still consider that to be one of the most tragic and unfair losses of an hour of my lifespan that I would really, really like back please. I've read about 30+ of their reviews so far, and except for the 3 mentioned above I almost completely agree with their ratings.

While I don't agree with all their ratings, most of the reviews feel like they pulled my viewer opinion words right out of my brain, so it's leading me to take their reviews for that I I haven't seen yet at some value, or at least consideration. Anyway, the site is here:

http://www.animeacademy.com/library/esca/esca.html

((conveniently linke dot their Esca review. For the other anime reviews, look to the left under the "Library" header))

....

::takes a moment to reread entry, and reflect back on the number 30+::

Huh. You know, I've seen or been exposed to a lot of anime. I mean, there's so many more reviews I want to read for series I've seen, double that number above.

And yet, I always feel like every other otaku in the room has seen 5 times as much as me and I am seriously lagging behind.

Weird.

----

EDIT WARNING: Comments below include evil bad murderous spoilers for Trigun.

Comments

[blackholedebris.livejournal.com]

I'm a big fan of anime. That said I looove Trigun and looooathe Dragon Ball Z. I can't understand why DBZ is such a popular show. Even among kids. It's so awful and boring and the drawing is so ugly. Sorry, mini-rant. Just had to say it someone cause I always felt so alone in that opinion. And again, Trigun blows my mind. They need to continue that series.

Re:

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

DBZ is bad. And yet, I was a honest fan. For a time. I like to point people to this when they give an opinion about DBZ.

And again, Trigun blows my mind.

Let us bask in the Trigun love! Though I consider Esca to be the best tv anime I've ever seen, Trigun is my personal favorite, to date. Oh lordy do I love, love love, that show. You like Buffy, right? Any true Jossfan would love Trigun, because Trigun is a show that wants you to think it's a comedy when in the end it's All.About.The.Pain. Pain of a pretty, pretty blond man. And sometimes pain of his pretty and angsty companions. ::nuzzles Wolfwood figurine::

They need to continue that series.

You see, I don't know. On the one hand, I love Trigun so much that the idea of more of it can send me into smiling fits. When it finished I wanted more of it just because I loved it so much.

On the other, and more pressing hand, I felt that the conclusion resolved the conflict of the series so well that anything more would be extraneous, and end up wasting our time and not accomplishing anything of value. Sure, you could have another "Vash saves such and such town from themselves" OAV or something... but it would be empty. It would be lacking in any overall storyline... since the overall conflict was The Battle For Vash's Soul And Mental Health, all thoseincidents with saving people or being unable to save people had a specific affect on Vash that led to where he was at the end of the anime. That overall conflict was resolved with Vash's decision to be in charge of his own life instead of living by Rem's rules or Knives's rules... Anything new would kind of rob me of the overall sense of "a new beginning" that I got from the series. Because honestly I have no idea what Vash's way of life would be, since all we saw was him living Rem's way and then losing that. ((It could be very similar to his life before, and or it could be more heavily influenced by Wolfwood, whose words were both the ones to convince him to kill for the first time and the final ones to spark Vash to defeat Knives without killing him. That's just a theory)) But I don't want to be told about what Vash does now, either...

I'd rather be left in the happy bubble of "Vash is okay now, because he's finally grown up. From now, his life won't be a mission or a cause, it will just be Vash's life, for better or for worse, however that turns out. It's his life now."

Yeah, it would be cool to see exactly what he does with Knives, and to see the implied consumation of Vash/Meryl, and to see if Milly is really pregnant from that one night like every romance fan hopes she could be, and to see what Vash is like now, to see how much he's been changed by everything now that the dramatic rush is over and life is back to "normal." But I feel like those are things best left to our imaginations and to fanfic, and actually seeig it play out would never meet the expectations I'd have.

I dunno... I think if they did what Cowboy Bebop did, and went for a self-contained movie or OAV that took place within a specific place the series and properly reflected the character/relationships as they were at that point in canon... Yeah, I could dig that. I could really dig that.

Re:

[blackholedebris.livejournal.com]

I had almost finished this lengthy reply and I think I just accidentally deleted it while in the middle of typing it. I'll repost my thoughts after I get some sleep since it's now dawn and I haven't yet gone to bed. ::smacks forehead::

Re:

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

I'll look forward to your comments! I never get to talk about Trigun enough in an analyzing way. Which is a shame because the show just begs to be broken down and analyzed like literature.

Re:

[jaina.livejournal.com]

I would be so, so disappointed if he didn't get home, throw Knives down, and shag Meryl blind. Since they likely wouldn't do that (PG-13 rating!) I'd rather they not have more.

Really, it's for all the reasons you said. They completed the thematic arc while leaving us wanting more. I don't see what else they could've done better.

Re:

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

so disappointed if he didn't get home, throw Knives down, and shag Meryl blind.

Now there's a fic idea that I actually haven't read yet!

Re:

[blackholedebris.livejournal.com]

The 7 Steps of DBZ Fandom had me rolling. The reason it was so funny to me is because it's very similar to what one goes through when watching Yu-Yu Hakusho.

It's interesting that you compare Trigun to Buffy. I'm still smarting from the loss of Buffy. Yes, it is a show all about the pain in the guise of a comedy! I remember the first time I saw Trigun. It was the second or third episode. Vash was running around dodging bullets and acting absurd. I remember thinking, What the hell is this? What's with this guy? What the hell is going on? How many episodes did I miss? And then, one of the character's said something funny, and I laughed and hung around a little longer. A little bit later, I was like, seriously, what is going on here? This is show is weird. But funny. I think I like it. I became hooked. And then all of a sudden, the show hit me with the angst and I was totally unprepared.

Vash as Buffy: now that I think about it, this comparison kinda works, too. Both born with superhuman strengths. Both blonde and pretty. Both would prefer to be normal and live very average lives, which is not an option. Vash pretends that he is a shallow ditz whose interests don't go any deeper than food and having a good time, similar to Buffy's persona before she got her calling. Although Vash was always aware of what he was. Not a perfect analogy, but it still works. You could even make a comparison between Wolfwood and Faith. Both brunettes, both more eager to kill than their respective "partners" are, both see their respective opposites as being somewhat naive.

Heres why I think the series needs to be continued: Vash has got a lot of business left to take care of. The biggest and most obvious area: Knives. The Knives Problem is nowhere near being solved. At the end, Knives was slung unconscious over Vash's shoulder as Vash walked away. Knives is only temporarily neutralized at this point. We know Vash isn't going to kill Knives, so that means he has to deal with the consequences. Vash hadn't managed to convince him of the error of his ways, he'd only managed to temporarily prevent him from causing any more harm. Temporarily. It's important enough to repeat it. Vash can't rehabilitate Knives. Knives isn't someone who suddenly went bitter after a series of unfortunate events. Knives was irredeemably sociopathic from the beginning as we saw from the flashbacks. If Knives can't be rehabilitated, and Vash won't get rid of him, then he must be rebuilt. How Vash would attempt to do so is what needs to be explored.

I don't really think Vash has himself completely figured out yet. When he realized that everyone makes mistakes and can start again, he was still pretty on the edge there. I think he's still shaky. I don't think he's completely certain of what he's going to do.

Another reason I want to see the show continued is one you'll probably think is silly, but I can't help myself. I want Wolfwood back, dammit. This is the Spike of CB pain all over again. It's not fair. WW was my other favorite character. I think Vash needs Wolfwood. Both could be brought back. It'd just take a little creativity, which, fortunately, was never a problem with either show.

Re:

[blackholedebris.livejournal.com]

Here's something that might help my case a little: Not too long ago I read in an anime mag of the possibility of both shows being continued. The guys who are in charge of deciding what shows go on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim mentioned in an interview that they had been steadily wearing down the creators of Cowboy Bebop for a while now. They said each time they went to a meeting with the creators they managed to get a little closer to getting them to agree to making more episodes. (I'm pretty sure this was after the movie had been out, so wouldn't count as the creators continuing the series.) The same guys from Adult Swim had been working on the creators of Trigun. According to them, the creators of Trigun had given the impression that they had planned on continuing Vash's story, they just hadn't gotten around to it yet. Again, the same guys in charge of Adult Swim's programming had been successful in harrassing the creators of The Big O to make another season that Cartoon Network could air. If the AS guys hadn't convinced the creators that there were a lot of fans who wanted to see another season, the result would have been one single cliffhanger season.

I'm completely convinced that Meryl's love for Vash is unrequited. Vash so obviously only thinks of her as a friend. And not even that close of one. I just can't see Meryl/Vash as even slightly convincing.

I'd rather be left in the happy bubble...This kind of brings us back to Buffy. There was a feeling of what you described at the end of Season 7. And yet, despite the fact that Buffy now has a lot more help in the form of other Slayers, you cold still tell many more stories, in my opinion, without it being an anti-climax. Because, even though Buffy has a chance at a real life, for once, that doesn't mean it gets any less complicated. There's so much work left to be done, and so many ways it could be done.

Re:

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

I had no idea that they were the reason for the new season of Big O. Wow... I didn't know that the CN had so much clout with the studios in Japan.

More eps of CB? As long as they don't wreck the ending, I'd love that. I'd seriously love it. But the ending was so... conclusive that I think anything further would mar a work of art in the annals of anime history. Of course I want Spike back, but that ending was so woven into the fabric of the show as a whole that if they brought him back to life... they'd have to make the series almost completely different in style, the way Angel is so different from BtVS, in order to make it stand on its own. And then a lot of people might reject that. But more eps in the middle? Hoh yeaaaaaaahh.

I'm completely convinced that Meryl's love for Vash is unrequited. Vash so obviously only thinks of her as a friend. And not even that close of one. I just can't see Meryl/Vash as even slightly convincing.

Well, you can't really think about Meryl without thinking about Rem. I think that Meryl essentially is meant to represent Vash's ideal woman: There is the gradual and then outright comparison to Rem, the woman whom Vash worshipped above all other humans. Meryl is everything that Rem was, but she appears in his life at a time where she is suddenly accessable to him in a romantic way... instead of his mother figure, she's a partner and travelling companion. And instead of being older, they are both adults. Vash adored Rem but could never have been a man with her... he can be a man with Meryl. And the fact that the whole Legato thing happened before he made a comparison between the two women means that he got to know and care for Meryl for herself long before thinking about Rem, so he's not projecting that history onto her.

I wasn't really thinking about romance between the two until the very end of the series... actually I was more aware of the progression of Wolfwood/Milly. But I really became convinced on Meryl's behalf when Milly dragged her away from the incident where Vash blew a hole in the fifth moon. And I felt that the implications were laid for Vash's side in the final few episodes after Wolfwood's death. It really seemed present in the scene in the last episode where he steps outside to leave, and she's waiting beside the door. That was when I really thought that I was meant to see that relationship as something that would happen in the future... not while Knives was still a threat, but when Vash returned, he and Meryl would have a long, long talk about things that have gone unsaid. I didn't get that "they're going to live happily ever after" vibe... just that sooner or later they were going to have to face the issue of figuring out their relationship, because it had definitely changed.

Re:

[blackholedebris.livejournal.com]

I didn't know that the CN had so much clout with the studios in Japan. I was surprised, too, when I read that interview. I think it's a good thing, though.

the way Angel is so different from BtVS

Can you articulate for me what is so different between the two? Because I can't. I know everyone always says it's so different, and that it was supposed to be--but I watch(ed) both and I can't really see it. I know they have different plot lines and such, but to me they're still...hand-in-hand? It's not that I don't think AtS is nothing w/o BtVS. I know it's got it's own stories and characters. Angel's supposed to be darker, but I always thought BtVS was just as dark, if not moreso. In some ways I find Buffy at times, bleaker. Angel questions himself, but Buffy has the tendency to just be so lost. Buffy, at times, seemed to personify complete hopelessness. Buffy's force return from Heaven, her violent Spike-sexcapades, the almost-rape, etc...I admit I'm not completely caught up on all of AtS eps. I missed a couple from last season, and I still haven't seen a few from earlier, and I also am behind on this season bc it conflicted with other shows. I keep hearing peopl say Angel is a more "adult" show and Buffy is more teen-oriented...but I guess I don't see it that way. I love both shows, though. I'm just sort of puzzled as to why the tone of BtVS is considered so different than AtS.

I see what you're saying about the ending to CB possibly/probably being less dramatic if Spike was "resurrected". I guess I'm just still kind of ticked that he was killed off, and I want to see that remedied in some way. I just hate endings like that. I hate how writers, directors, etc. seem to always think that the only legitimate way to have an impactful, "true" ending is by making it a miserable (imo) one. Like happy endings have no clout and can't be justified. I think it's a depressing and peeimistic outlook, and to me the whole point of books, movies, tv shows, etc. is escapism.

Of course, I'd like to see more eps even if they took place in the middle, but in a way it'd depress me more. The CB movie was excellent, of course, but at the same time it was depressing-as-hell for me because you know how it's gonna turn out.

I'm really confused as to your comparison between Rem and Meryl. I feel like I missed something. I can't see any similarities between the two. How is Meryl everything that Rem was? I know they both fought hard for their causes and had good hearts, but they were completely different. Rem was almost painted as saintlike. Whereas Meryl was much more believable as a person. She had a temper. She took out her frustration on Vash. Both were strong-willed individuals, Meryl was a lot more, for lack of a better word, spunkier? Fiesty than Rem? Rem gave Vash his trademark hair, which is trivial, but it's the kind of interaction with people Meryl doesn't possess. Meryl, while she had a good heart, wasn't "nice" or "agreeable" in the way Rem was. I'm not saying Meryl wasn't nice, just that she covered up that side of herself with irritable gruffness. She acted out the role of "Tough Girl" more than Rem.

Re:

[blackholedebris.livejournal.com]

Meryl was a lot less sure of herself when she wasn't fighting for what she believed in. She had trouble just relaxing and hanging out. This is made even more obvious by the direct contrast with Milly's nature. Milly cold just be herself and hang out and help fight the good fight. I didn't see Meryl as a partner to Vash. She helped but not anywhere close to equally. Wolfwood was very much Vash's partner. He was much closer to being an equal as far as abilities...such as the fighting and his perspective on things. Wolfwood's perspective was a much clearer, stronger counterpoint to Vash. Vash was closer to Wolfwood, period. If Meryl had died instead of Wolfwood, it wouldn't have had as great an impact on Vash. I'm certain of it. Vash and Wolfwood learned something from each other. I really don't think you could say Vash learned anything from Meryl. I don't say that negatively, I just don't see Vash and Meryl as being on the same level--I don't refer to their worth as people, but to the extent of the effect they would have on the situation. I know Meryl was always present, but I don't think Vash was always aware of her presence. Not to the same degree that she was of him. She more in the background while Wolfwood was usually right there.
As far as Legato, where does he fit in in this context? Maybe I just need my memory refreshed. If so, please do.

Wolfwood/Milly: I do think there was something there, but I think Milly was really starting to fall in love with Wolfwood towards the end, but I don't think WW felt the same. He had a fondness for her, and admired her never-failing spirit and idealistic nature and innocence, but I don't think he would've ever seen her as a partner. Not just fighting-wise, but everthing-else-wise. WW noticed Milly more than Vash noticed Meryl, but not enough to warrant a relationship. I'm kinda foggy on the episode you're mentioning--been a while since I've seen the show--but from what I remember: when Meryl was waiting by the door, she was really, painfully in love with Vash at that point. I think he was just realizing how much he meant to her, and he was sorry that he couldn't return the feeling. When Vash left with Knives slung over his shoulder, I didn't get the sense that he would actively try and seek out Meryl again. I think she was just one of many friends he'd met along the way. I don't think he looked back once.

trigun talk

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

WW/Milly: If you're going by strict canon, than this was the only fully fledged, fully developed romantic relationship in Trigun. Whether or not the characters seemed suited to be partners, when you get down to it they did flirt multiple times in multiple episodes; right after killing Zazie the Beast he was equally if not more affected by Millie's reaction to the kill than by Vash's; Wolfwood did confide in and seek comfort from Milly after killing Zazie; and they did sleep together the night before Wolfwood died. This is all canon.

Wolfwood's perspective was a much clearer, stronger counterpoint to Vash. Vash was closer to Wolfwood, period.

I do agree there; of all the people after Rem, Wolfwood had the most pronounced affect on Vash's character and outlook-- when he killed Legato, Wolfwood's voice of pragmatism and cynicism drowned out Rem's words of hope and forgiveness. But it's interesting that you chose the word partner... I don't think I would have picked that word. I looked at their relationship as more like that of brothers, because of the sense of rivalry that was always just under the surface, and because from a technical/analytical perspective Wolfwood's role in the story was to be Vash's character foil. He was the Faith to Vash's Buffy, Vash through a window darkly. They were both well-meaning people, but Wolfwood was raised in a different environment, and had a totally different view of the world. Vash could so easily have turned out like Wolfwood if he hadn't had Rem's presence in his life and memory, as well as the battle against Knives to drive him forward.

I think it's incorrect to say that Meryl was not close to Vash, though. There were several times when they had intimate conversations or moments, most of which occured in the last episodes, but some of which occured in the beginning too, like when Meryl questioned Vash about taking the job of assassinating the two kids from that circus town or whatever. I don't remember exactly what episode it was in, there was also that scene where Vash told Meryl everything about what he was, and what Knives was, and his childhood. We know he didn't tell Wolfwood that, because Vash says "I never told you about Knives," right before Wolfwood dies. If I remember correctly Vash was telling that to Meryl to make her her understand why he was pushing her away, but nevertheless he did tell her what he hadn't told anyone else of his recent aquaintances, and probably told very few people in his whole life. There were other scenes too, but the most prominent scenes where they did get closer (though I agree she did not know him as well as Wolfwood did) were in Live Through, the episode after Vash killed Legato. There was the talking on the cliff, among other things.

Live Through was the episode where Meryl was compared to Rem in Vash's perspective... blatantly, openly compared, through dialogue and image overlay. It was when Vash, who was feeling overwrought with guilt of killing Legato, was going to let himself be executed by the village mob. Meryl talked the villagers down using the same words and body stance with which Rem had tried to talk down one of the crew members that Knives had driven crazy. Seeing Rem in Meryl is what brings Vash out of his funk, allowing him to forgive himself and finally confront Knives. Considering how Vash remembers Rem as a mother-figure with Oedipedal overtones, you could say that Vash thinks of Meryl as motherly and that she will only ever represent Rem to him. But then if you add in the rest of the series, he hardly sees Meryl as a mother and he definitely views Meryl as herself, not as Rem. She is Rem, but she's not Rem, ya know? Anyway, she also sang to him the same song that Rem sang, and she and Rem were the only two characters to be associated with that song that lasted in Vash's memory of his childhood.

AtS talk

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Why is Angel different?

You know, this is like the worst time to ask me that. I watched a lot of season 4, though not all of it, and at that time it felt like it had a different tone to me than Buffy did. It was not darker, or more adult, but it was more...sultry. More glitzy. More noir-ish and expensive, and the people were more "cool" than the characters of Buffy, whose flaws were more open, and who were more expressive in general. Angel has the feeling of a family formed by lonely outcasts, who care for each other deeply too, but who also are more likely to betray each other (memory wiping is only the beginning...) Whereas Buffy has the feeling to me of a family brought together by shared experiences, and shared loves, and shared losses. They are more firecely devoted to keeping their family together, to holding tightly to that family and never letting go, than the Angel crew are, who desire that family feeling but who keep letting it slip away despite their best intentions.

I think people who say Angel is the adult show to the teen Buffy show are being snobbish. I forgive them because some of them are on my friends list and I like them, but it's still a snobbish outlook, and unfounded in my perspective. By the time AtS had started BtVS had left high school, and had started on the adult half of the show, so the two were on a level.

But, I haven't seen any new episodes since Harm's Way, and I missed most of the big finish of season 4 except for the very final episode 4.22, I'm hardly the person to ask about what AtS is like these days. Also, my viewings of the first two seasons are few and numbered low. So... probably not the person with the most all-encomapassing view of AtS that you could ask.

Re: AtS talk

[blackholedebris.livejournal.com]

Yes! Thank you. This really helped. These are things I knew all along, but not consciously. The flaws of the characters on Buffy are more open. You reminded me of how Wesley didn't let on for the longest time about his father issues. And how Gun is very much an Angel character as opposed to a Buffy one. Also, everyone on Buffy never really bothers trying to hide their issues, while it's always a bigger revelation in regards to each other on Angel.

Whereas Buffy has the feeling to me of a family brought together by shared experiences, and shared loves, and shared losses. They are more firecely devoted to keeping their family together, to holding tightly to that family and never letting go, than the Angel crew are, who desire that family feeling but who keep letting it slip away despite their best intentions.

This really spoke to me as the truth, and helped ease some of the frustration I'd been feeling. It's now clearer to me why Faith seems to slide more easily into cannon on Angel than Buffy, despite the fact that she was on Buffy at the end of the show. Taking into account what you said, Andrew's being allowed to stay with the Scoobies makes more sense to me now. He'd gone through the experiences with the rest and he became part of the group. And the way he sortof bonded with Xander at the end over respect for Anya's sacrifice.

I guess in a way, the characters on Angel are more neurotic. Possibly more jaded.

I think people who say Angel is the adult show to the teen Buffy show are being snobbish. I forgive them because some of them are on my friends list and I like them, but it's still a snobbish outlook, and unfounded in my perspective. By the time AtS had started BtVS had left high school, and had started on the adult half of the show, so the two were on a level.

I'm glad you think so, too, because I had always felt the same but I thought I was alone.

Re: AtS talk

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you think so, too, because I had always felt the same but I thought I was alone.

You're not alone-- there are other people who also don't agree that Buffy is the kiddy version.

It's now clearer to me why Faith seems to slide more easily into cannon on Angel than Buffy, despite the fact that she was on Buffy at the end of the show.

I agree, and I'm glad you pointed that out. Faith is never going to be part of Buffy's family, even though she's like an honory stepcousin who reluctantly gets invited to the reunions because she's a relative. But she does blend very well with the Angel group, because they're all as jaded as she is, and they all have just as many secrets to hide.

Re: AtS talk

[blackholedebris.livejournal.com]

Faith is never going to be part of Buffy's family, even though she's like an honory stepcousin who reluctantly gets invited to the reunions because she's a relative. But she does blend very well with the Angel group, because they're all as jaded as she is, and they all have just as many secrets to hide.

This is so true. It was uncomfortable for me to watch when Faith returned to Buffy in S7, but it was thrilling to watch her during Angel's previous season, before she crossed over into Buffy territory. Especially her interactions with Connor and Wesley. It was like Connor had finally found someone he could connect with on a primal level, and it disappointing that their time got cut so short. Likewise with Wesley. It was great how Faith immediately picked up on the New Wesley when he met her at the jail. How much darker and bitter and tougher he'd become. And "hotter", too, as she said. :) Faith relates to those who have fallen.

There's no way she would've ever truly felt at home with the Buffy crew. I doubt she'd have stayed for long. But I'm sure she'd like to visit from time to time, just to rattle everyone a little, and check things out.

Re: AtS talk

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

It was great how Faith immediately picked up on the New Wesley when he met her at the jail. How much darker and bitter and tougher he'd become. And "hotter", too, as she said. :) Faith relates to those who have fallen.

I am both a Faith/Conner shipper and a Faith/Wesley shipper. The first is impossible but so cute with his little crush, and the latter is unlikely given that she tortured him and all, but has heightened sexiness because of said torturous history.

Robin's a nice guy, and probably better for Faith than anyone else on either show... but I can't help but feel she'd get bored with him. I can't imagine her getting bored with Wesley. ... which is odd, because old Wesley was definitley a person you _could_ get bored with.

Re: AtS talk

[blackholedebris.livejournal.com]

Another Faith/Connor shipper! Me, too. It's so hard to find anyone who even likes Connor. I know he had a lot of problems (understatement), but I always felt for him. All the characters on the show always treated him like the most unrelatable thing ever. Although Gun's attempts to be friends with the kid were cute; it was disappointing yet understandable that Connor never let his guard down. The moment where I especially felt for Connor was when he revealed that he'd known what Jasmine was the whole time, but that he'd thought for once the world wouldn't be full of hate and ugliness. Not that I thought Jasmine should've been kept around, but Connor's dejectedness and hopelessness moved me.

Yeah, Faith/Connor's not exactly a long-term thing, but I think sexually there was definitely a certain vibe on both sides. Not necessarily a healthy one...Heh.

Faith/Wesley is definitely something I wanted to see happen. Very heavy on the sexiness. Not only that, I think they would've actually had a chance at working on other levels. I missed the ep where she tortured him, and also where he apparently knocked her around, but that doesn't change my view. The reason why I like the idea of them together is because they don't have anything really to prove to each other. They both know they can be useful in a given situation, neither of them is a saint, but they both keep trying to make up for their past mistakes...I think they have potential for great back-and-forth dialogue (and other things)in fics. I know there's a few F/W fics out there, but I haven't yet gotten around to reading any. There's certain aspects of F/W that are similar to why I liked Wes/Lilah. I know a lot of people hated those two together but I loved it. They dragged out aspects in each other that they would've otherwise kept buried. I like the whole kinetic energy between those kind of relationships. It's why Angel/Buffy and Willow/Oz is so terribly boring to me, and why I enjoyed Spike/Buffy (excluding the attempted rape scene) and Xander/Cordelia. Oh, and Wes/Fred makes me shudder.

Robin: I think he's got some very unhealthy Oedipal complex and it shows in his thing with slayers. I know you could say Spike has a thing for slayers, but I think the only reason Robin showed any interest in Buffy (how wrong would those two have been together?) and Faith was because they were slayers, and he never got over his issues with his mother. I found Robin/Faith very, very anti-sexy. I found it creepy. Hell, I found Robin creepy. The only time I enjoyed watching Robin onscreen was during his confrontation with Spike. I found Spike's putting Robin in his place sexy. Far as I know you're not a slash fan, but...::shrugs::

Faith would definitely have gotten bored with Robin. It is funny that the old Wes would've been an entirely different story, and thus, a completely different discussion. I think Wes's bout with Lilah prepped him for anything Faith could throw at him.

By the way, I haven't been ignoring your other Trigun replies, it's just that my own replies involve having so much to say back, that I have to take a break in between to respond, not to mention I'm always behind my other emails. I just didn't want you to think I was rude; I do intend to reply. I'm sorry if this comment has gotten too long. I might be getting carried away.

Re: AtS talk

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Don't worry about taking too long in a reply! I always make long replies to things. I encourage other people to do the same. And take your time, I'm in no rush, and I'm not going to get annoyed if you decide you don't want to say anything to something I said.

Re: AtS talk

[blackholedebris.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I like discussing the Jossverse and anime with you. Today I caught a couple episodes of an anime I'd never seen before on MTV2: Heat Guy J. It seemed kinda interesting. Nice cinematic feel. I recognized the voice of the guy who does Jet's voice. The odd thing is I could've sworn the voice-actor was doing two characters' voices, with one slightly modified.

Re:

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Vash can't rehabilitate Knives. Knives isn't someone who suddenly went bitter after a series of unfortunate events. Knives was irredeemably sociopathic from the beginning as we saw from the flashbacks.

I took the flashbacks different than you did...and the end of the show. Vash's last words are... "I'm going to save Knives." I think that means that he is able to be rehabilitated, though it will undoubtedly take centuries more. Also, I haven't watched the flashback episode in a while, but we know that both boys were physically abused and rejected by some members of the crew. Some people suffer abuse and survive to be mentally well-adjusted, like Vash is. Others suffer abuse and don't come out well at all. In this instance I think we had the potential for a psyhotic, but the abuse of his childhood and his very protective/obsessive twin relationship to Vash took what might have been and made it a certainty.

I want Wolfwood back, dammit. This is the Spike of CB pain all over again. It's not fair. WW was my other favorite character. I think Vash needs Wolfwood.

I adored Wolfwood, and he was my man!crush of Trigun. I adored Vash for his character, but it was Wolfwood that I crushed on. I want him back so, so badly. And I would take his revival as believable sooner than I'd take Spike's revival...but neither resurrections are very realistic within the confines of the show, at least as we've seen so far. Actually, Spike's wounds were not as severe as Wolfwood's (you can live longer with a stomach wound, though it's an awful way to die), so he'd probably have had a better chance to make it to a hospital. On the other hand, he clearly didn't and CBverse doesn't have the supernatural element that Trigunverse does.

Vash as Buffy comparison? I hadn't really considered it. Hmm... your points are good, but I think that it's not a comparison that holds a lot of weight, simply because the context of their situations is so different. But if you're counting amounts of pain and hours of angst, then the comparison definitely is there. Both are unhappy people who keep others at a distance and try to be strong for the people around them.

A little bit later, I was like, seriously, what is going on here?

::Laugh:: I know. Trigun took some getting used to for me as well... it's very strange and humorous in concept... and then the sci-fi elements begin to appear, and they are pretty original... whereas the cowboy future desert planet thing was very familiar to televison/film etc, the whole Plant/Seeds/Vash/Knives storyline and execution was unlike any story I've read/watched before. I was captivated. And then the angst hit, and it was a wild ride. Especially when it began to sink in that the angst wasn't there just as a fly-by thing that would give you Vahs insight, but that the angst was actually the whole point and that it would only get more angsty... by then I was totally hooked.

When I watched the first episode of Naruto, in my review on LJ I said that it "went from fun to tragic faster than a Trigun episode."

[helga-b.livejournal.com]

Hey, that site looks really interesting. I only read the Escaflowne review so far, and agreed completely on it except I like the movie too. Looking at the list of ratings, though, it seems I agree on most of them, with only a few exceptions (crap like 'Revolutionary Girl Utena' and 'Chobits' got way too good ratings - I never could force myself through those)

*toddles off to read more*

Re:

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Ack, I forgot to look at those! Gah, I hated Utena. I actually sat through about four tapes of that show, god knows why. I couldn't stand their eyes... everyone looked like they were stoned.

93% ?!! Ok, that's just silly. That anime was incomprehensible and boring and often just stupid. And I've been spoiled very thoroughly for the whole thing beyond what I watched... and it still strikes me as stupid.

Chobits I don't really have an opinion about. I watched the first four or so eps, I think, and was very bored. So I didn't watch anymore. I have a friend who raves about it though.

Still... the same reviewer who liked Utena likes Naruto, so that kinda redeems him/her.

Re:

[helga-b.livejournal.com]

Both Utena and Chobits were incredibly boring, imo. What I've seen of them at least. But somehow, I doubt they suddenly approved because I stopped watching.

I've never seen Naruto, so I wouldn't know about that. It's on my list of 'things to watch someday when I have time', though.

Re:

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

It's on my list of 'things to watch someday when I have time', though.

As it should be! I normally hate fightin anime but I love that show to pieces. You can download it from the torrent link on the link list on my LJ (it's to the left).

Re:

[helga-b.livejournal.com]

I'm definitely going to have to try that. Thanks!^^

Re:

[jaina.livejournal.com]

I second that. I am SO MUCH farther behind in Naruto, but I've loved every episode we've shown in anime club.

Re:

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

How far along are you? Gaaaaaah... I just love it even more the more I watch.

Re:

[jaina.livejournal.com]

Um...the ninja guy who was attacking them on their first job got killed tonight.

See, way behind. I haven't gotten around to getting Joe to burn some CDs for me. I downloaded some on BT, though. Perhaps I should watch them.

Re:

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Ahh... Haku and Zabuza! That storyline. Very good... and you haven't even got to the coolest parts of it yet. Such good fun to come.

BTW, isn't Kakashi cool? He gets cooler with every episode; you'll see.

[bronwenstx.livejournal.com]

Huh. You know, I've seen or been exposed to a lot of anime. I mean, there's so many more reviews I want to read for series I've seen, double that number above.

And yet, I always feel like every other otaku in the room has seen 5 times as much as me and I am seriously lagging behind.

I know the feeling, I mean, here I am squealing like a fangirl when I find a new wicked anime and just start digging on it when next thing I know *bam* something else appears.

Bah, oh well. I just recently bought my own laptop (download episodes), started subscribing to a bunch of anime magazines, buying lots of subtitles and dubbed dvds and heh, I buy manga books every two weeks just to catch up. Although I highly doubt I'm going to soon.

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Wow. If only I was able to throw that much into it. I'm forced to get almost everything from online downloading, from friends/club, or from television, because I don't have the income to purchase anime any more. I'm fiendishly jealous of you. But at least manga prices have gone down considerably in the last year... it used to be $14.95 US dollars for something like a Ranma 1/2 volume. Which was criminal. Now I can get Naruto volumes for $7.95.