[Rob]

I'm considering getting into Cowboy Bebop, I've heard from people I know that watch a lot of anime that it's really good so...is it? Same question goes for Trigun.

EDIT: I'm going a bit more in depth. If anyone knows any of these shows well could you please tell me a bit about Cowboy Bebop, Trigun or Outlaw Star? I've heard good things about all three, but I'd like to get some more opinions

Cowboy Bebop is about a couple of space bounty-hunters who travel around in their spaceship chasing down criminals for money. As the story goes on they get a few more members of their crew and stuff. The story is rather loose, some of the episodes can probably be considered "stand alone adventures" but there is a main antagonist and they have a few showdowns with him during the story, culminating in a final battle that I won't spoil.

Trigun is about a man called Vash the Stampede who has a huge bounty on his head (100 million dollars I think) for crimes he did not commit. The main antagonist is a man he has known from his childhood named Knives, who sends multiple trained killers after him during the course of the story. The twist is that Vash, even being a famous gunman, will not kill anyone no matter what, even his enemies.

They are both great series, but I prefer Trigun, myself.

[Life long Observer]

The majority of anime cliches that make most people dislike it don't really bother me, mainly because I understand the reason behind most of them. That said, I don't watch anime very much, simply because I don't enjoy animation of any sort. If the story and characters are good enough (Like Elfen Lied.) then I'll watch it regardless, but I barely watch TV as it is, so it really takes some doing to get me to watch an anime.

[Sandeep Khatkar]

I'm considering getting into Cowboy Bebop, I've heard from people I know that watch a lot of anime that it's really good so...is it? Same question goes for Trigun.

EDIT: I'm going a bit more in depth. If anyone knows any of these shows well could you please tell me a bit about Cowboy Bebop, Trigun or Outlaw Star? I've heard good things about all three, but I'd like to get some more opinions

Cowboy Bebop: The most serious out of the three, has some absolutely stunning music, a very strong plot, and a Corgi (which means the show just wins). The action sequences are kept to a relative minimum (though when they do appear, they are rather awesome and fluid) and the show has a fairly realistic backdrop regarding technology and human society. The show roughly maintains its serious bent throughout, though there is one character that is more humorous than the rest. I would recommend the show merely for the awesome music.

Trigun: Much more of a comedy than the other two, Trigun is essentially the story of an amazing gunslinger who in most other aspects is a bit of a klutz. The show is again realistic in scope (though near the end the show becomes increasingly serious and somewhat melodramatic, but in a good way). The main character is the comic where everyone else is trying to be serious (which produces an amusing contrast). The music in this series is also excellent (though much more pop / hard rock than Cowboy Bebop's jazz).

Outlaw Star: It's been a while since I've seen this show, but it is akin to Cowboy Bebop (though mostly due to the space setting). Humans interact with aliens on a daily basis and the ship-design, while overtly practical, sometimes borders on the silly (especially during fights). The main characters are a little more stereotypical anime bad-ass mixed in with a young kid who is the brains behind the whole operation. The series, like Trigun, starts off as a bit of a comedy but quickly moves into serious business territory near the end. Character development (near the end) is rather profound (at least when I watched it several years ago). The music is nothing really to write home about in my mind, except for the opening theme song.

That's mature content, but I don't think it's what makes shows good. Granted Venture Bros. is pretty awesome still, but I think it's awesome for reasons other than the fact that they have blood and swearing. It's humor is what makes it good, and that's generally a sign of good writers.

Oh, I utterly agree. I suppose I kinda drifted off from my main point: Venture Bros. is awesome in every sense of the word. The characters are dynamic and develop over time, the humor makes me laugh on just about every episode and in the 3rd and 4th seasons there is a wonderful over-arching (ha!) plot that gets deeper and deeper and enriches many of the characters. The humor of the show is what drew me in (and it is the main point of the show) but I think the show has also developed into a wonderful platform for an honest-to-goodness storyline.

[Susan Elizabeth]

A lot? I'd say there are less than 15 western cartoons that I actually enjoy... and they're all comedies. Complain about anime being about all the same ol' big sword swinging but I don't see many non-comedy western cartoons.

Three words. Stop motion animation. Tim Burton with films like The Nightmare before Christmans and The Corpses Bride aren't strictly comedy and they are brilliant. Also non Tim Burton stop motion films like Coraline are also great.

[lisa nuttall]

I'm not going to argue there. Family Guy, the Simpsons, to an extent Futurama, and a lot of sitcoms,all play off of "retarded family", which is pretty played out by now. My problem is, that anime has a different kind of common trait, that I find incredibly dull and annoying. I occasionally laugh at stupid American shows; But I've seen way too many panty shots and way too much ADHD fueled Japanese school girl "comedy" that I am utterly sick of it. American culture has a lot of crap in it (reality TV, which I refuse to watch) and so does Japanese culture. The difference is, my culture makes more sense to me than Japan's.

You said that NGE had these traits, but it doesn't. I can't think of a single panty shot or ADHD schoolgirl in the entire anime. There are a few scenes with people getting dressed, but they don't show any nudity and are tastefully done and not meant to arouse you.

[Rex Help]

Three words. Stop motion animation. Tim Burton with films like The Nightmare before Christmans and The Corpses Bride aren't strictly comedy and they are brilliant. Also non Tim Burton stop motion films like Coraline are also great.

But those are movies, not television series. It's easy to make a movie a cartoon and make it mature enough for advlts, but near impossible to do it for a tv show and have it not be canceled after a few seasons.

[Amanda savory]

Three words. Stop motion animation. Tim Burton with films like The Nightmare before Christmans and The Corpses Bride aren't strictly comedy and they are brilliant. Also non Tim Burton stop motion films like Coraline are also great.

Nightmare Before Christmas is awesomely awesome-i watch it atleast 5 times a year now just to look at it..

I'm so mature.

[brian adkins]

You said that NGE had these traits, but it doesn't. I can't think of a single panty shot or ADHD schoolgirl in the entire anime. There are a few scenes with people getting dressed, but they don't show any nudity and are tastefully done and not meant to arouse you.

There was a pantyshot in Neon Genesis Evangelion. :whisper:

But that goes back to what I said about Anime often having themes of "the little daily things in life" in them. One of the reasons school, of all things, has such a large focus in so many shows...but also the reason that various things like getting dressed, or an embarrassing moment, are shown as well.

It's almost there as a counter to the fantastical giant robots or supernatural powers that also take place.

[Tai Scott]

But those are movies, not television series. It's easy to make a movie a cartoon and make it mature enough for advlts, but near impossible to do it for a tv show and have it not be canceled after a few seasons.

Either way it is still western animation.

[Yama Pi]

But those are movies, not television series. It's easy to make a movie a cartoon and make it mature enough for advlts, but near impossible to do it for a tv show and have it not be canceled after a few seasons.

It also seems American animators like to latch on to an idea for as long as possible, producing episode after episode because there is no story, just a main theme and setting. Most anime only last 24 or so episodes and have stories.

[Bitter End]

There was a pantyshot in Neon Genesis Evangelion. :whisper:

If you are talking about the very last episode, that was only implied, they never showed anything. That's all I can remember. :shrug:

[Emzy Baby!]

You said that NGE had these traits, but it doesn't. I can't think of a single panty shot or ADHD schoolgirl in the entire anime. There are a few scenes with people getting dressed, but they don't show any nudity and are tastefully done and not meant to arouse you.

The scene where Shinji goes to Rei's apartment thing somewhere in the early part of the series and she just happened to be naked and he just happens to fall on her and grope her. Or any time Misato is drunk, or all the times Asuka and Ikari live together basically. Let's also not forget PenPen, a perfect example of "Freaky Sidekick (FS)". I could also bring up the new NGE movies, which are even worse in the perversion department. Like when the new girl lands panty first onto Shinji's face on the roof.

I'm not saying NGE, or all anime, is bad, but I've watched maybe a dozen good series (and attempted to watch a half dozen "bad" ones) and the similarities stick out to me. Someone who is a Japanophile, or "otaku" might not notice them (or might even like them). I do notice them though, and I've gotten fairly sick of the Japanese culture than anime presents.

EDIT:

But that goes back to what I said about Anime often having themes of "the little daily things in life" in them. One of the reasons school, of all things, has such a large focus in so many shows...but also the reason that various things like getting dressed, or an embarrassing moment, are shown as well.

It's almost there as a counter to the fantastical giant robots or supernatural powers that also take place.

Now that I can understand, but it doesn't seem right to me. Almost all those "daily occurrences" are almost always over the top (and usually sixually oriented). It might be different in Japan, but I've never had anyone walk in on me changing, shower, what have you. If it really is just an example of different cultural norms, I can understand that, but I still don't relate to it.

[Lizs]

last year i got into it for about three months, not interested anymore. It was a form of entertainment that didn't really do anything to make me popular with girls. Plus it was the most expensive form of entertainment ive ever persued apart from games. $50 for one season of a series.

[Lily]

last year i got into it for about three months, not interested anymore. It was a form of entertainment that didn't really do anything to make me popular with girls. Plus it was the most expensive form of entertainment ive ever persued apart from games. $50 for one season of a series.

Really? I mean, really? That's a valid reason to stop liking something?

[vanuza]

Really? I mean, really? That's a valid reason to stop liking something?

In addition, they only know about it if you show it to them or tell them about it. Keep it on the top shelf and have no more woes.

[Nathan Barker]

After watching Dragon Ball/Z/GT, Gundam and all that when I was little, I thought I'd grown out of it and the mere thought of Dragon Ball Z annoyed me. Buff, shirtless cartoon men shouting at eachother for 100 30-minute episodes that all end up taking place in 3 days time? No thanks.

Then I decided to buy the Evangelion box set along with the movie and I sort of got back into it. The next anime I bought was Akira on Blu-ray, and that movie alone is an excellent excuse to buy a nice home theater system. Other than that I like the Studio Ghibli films, Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, Outlaw Star, FLCL and Yu Yu Hakusho. Mostly because they're the best of what I did watch when I was little. I don't really care for anything newer; Death Note, Bleach, Code Geass, just not my sort of thing.

[Fluffer]

In my view, anime is just another form of medium. I suppose you could call anime cartoons, but that isn't true, because in my mind, anime is kind of like Japan's version of cartoons. Just another drawing style. :shrug:

[Manuela Ribeiro Pereira]

After watching Dragon Ball/Z/GT, Gundam and all that when I was little, I thought I'd grown out of it and the mere thought of Dragon Ball Z annoyed me. Buff, shirtless cartoon men shouting at eachother for 100 30-minute episodes that all end up taking place in 3 days time? No thanks.

I don't watch any anime that last over 50 episodes.... and even that is pushing it for me. 12 or 26 episodes seems to be the best length, but some things like FLCL can be shorter and still be good.

[saxon]

I used to watch some anime, read some manga. Can't stand the stuff anymore.

I hate the art style. It is simplistic and derivative. It sixualizes young girls. The men are androgynous or overly muscled. I hate the faces - the bone structure, the eyes, the hair, the ears, the noses. Usually the bodies are poorly proportioned as well. I dislike most of the subject matter: romances (human x human, human x furry, human x cyborg, human x alien), what is the difference between a human and a machine/cyborg, epic magical adventures by the Chosen Ones (who are stupid school brats), constant competition (racing, fighting, etc). I hate the costumes (ranging from the unrealistic to the truly bizarre). Character emotions, responses, and dialog is unrealistic in a particularly disgusting manner - ranging from "social awkwardness" to "grandiose thuggish boasting." The bleeding nose, the blushing cheeks, the sparkly, teary eyes, the pulsing vain in the forehead.... :yuck: The constant text for sound effects and motion. If you can't convey the motion with the picture, then just stick with an illustrated novel. "bad ass" poses for some unknown reason seam to always consist of a wink (one eye close), the tongue sticking out, and some gesture with the fingers. Go figure. All the men look effeminate, clean shaven narrow chins with boyish (to unrealistic) hair styles, scrawny elongated bodies. All the characters look and behave like socially stunted children, thuggish brutes, egotists/narcissists, or six maniacs.

Bottom line: They don't look human, and they don't act human.

So, yeah, I hate the stuff. No compromises. I refuse to touch JRPGs, or any game with japanese animation art-style and character archetypes. Not in my video games, not in my webcomics, not in my comic books.

Here's a list of crap I lost hours of my life watching/reading:
Trigun (manga and anime)
Hellsing (about five of the manga novels, all of the anime)
Angelic Layer (all of the anime)
Magic Knights Rayearth (manga, volumes 1 and 2, each had 3 novels)
Cowboy Beebop (two manga novels)
Battle Angel Alita (about a half dozen of the manga)
Noir (the anime)
Alien9 (one episode)
Read or Die (movie)
Ghost In The Shell (manga, first volume)
and some other stuff I can't recall anymore

[Shae Munro]

It's annoying to see people thinking anime = shonen. (Yeah I know I have a Bleach avatar but after the first season it's not so childish, plus the manga is way better).

It's already been said but there are so many sub-genres of anime to look at, some of them could even be considered soap operas. But a drawn art style automatically means it's for kids, right?

[ANaIs GRelot]

I watch anime because I find it easier to take it more seriously(or get immersed in) than the crap that is CSI, Stargate, Smallville and whatever shows like that on TV.

[Honey Suckle]

Bottom line: They don't look human, and they don't act human.

Depends on your definition of "human". Do you mean you want them all to have boring lives, work 9-to-5, and do nothing significant all day?

Anime characters can act just as "human" as characters in television or movies.

[Tyrel]

I watch anime because I find it easier to take it more seriously(or get immersed in) than the crap that is CSI, Stargate, Smallville and whatever shows like that on TV.

Woah woah woah, say what you want about anime, but we're hating on Stargate now?

[Deon Knight]

Woah woah woah, say what you want about anime, but we're hating on Stargate now?

I don't hate it. I like Star Trek if that is worth any points?

[Camden Unglesbee]

The one thing I have never understood about Anime is why do all the characters look either American or European? Their audience consists of of Asians and outcast Americans who want to be Asians, so making the characters non-Asian does not make much sense.

Girly looking boy with crazy hair and a ragtag group of wildly different people take on evil organisation/kingdom/dictator/super villain in either a sci-fi/medieval/japanese setting

DeathNote did not follow this format and it ended up being one of the only good Animes.