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The Novice's Guide to Anime


Iceheart
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Ep. 15 is a great stopping point, but I'm so tempted to marathon the remaining 12. I have to work tomorrow morning...

 

They're like Lays - you can't watch just one! Or 10. Or 20.

 

I've heard good things from all kinds of places about Gurren Lagann, I really do need to check it out.

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Okay.

 

The long awaited New Classics post.

 

Which will probably be a series of posts over an indeterminate amount of time done with a lot of help.

 

But, to start.

 

A brief vocabulary refresher: shoujo = girl's, shounen = boys.

 

Death Note. We've covered this one. It's immensely, ridiculously popular. A hint. If a Gothic Lolita girl at a con has front pigtails, she's probably Misa Amane. If not, she's probably just a loli girl.

 

The juggernaut that is The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. If people aren't cosplaying Death Note, chances are they're cosplaying Haruhi. This show is hugely popular.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SajFozfabPs

 

It's... kind of shoujo slice-of-life / sci-fi... it's hard to explain. It's also non-linear, so be patient with it. It's supposed to be watched out of order.

 

I think the comparison people make of Mamoru Hosoda to Miyazaki is somewhat appropriate, though I think his films are distinct enough on their own. "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" and "Summer Wars" are sure purchases for any collection.

 

Shoujo, but a very gentle, non-sparkly, not too soap-opera-y shoujo:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xk9SAmD00Iw

 

Shounen, but a comparatively sedate, mecha and ninja free (pretty much, at least) shounen:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogz3UN8f8VE

 

If you like books like Stephenson's Snow Crash and Cline's Ready Player One, you'll like Summer Wars. I'm having a hard time thinking of a known Western story that's comparable to GWLTT. I liked Summer Wars the best of the two, but they're both worthy views.

 

All right. Let's talk shoujo. TV made for teenage girls. The themes are usually about what you'd expect. Boys. Romance. Drama. Drama often revolving around boys and romance. Think stuff like The Vampire Diaries and Gossip Girl. As a matter of fact, I read through Twilight making a point to point out the shoujo tropes. It was shoujo without pictures. And then they published a mahnwa (that's Korean comics) adaption!

 

If you're going to watch shoujo, start with these.

 

Fruits Basket. This is how teen paranormal romance should be done.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKpqU-AxB1o

 

It's comparable to Twilight, but don't let that deter you, it's very well done.

 

Ouran High School Host Club. Shoujo that makes fun of shoujo. It was the second shoujo series I watched, so even if you don't get all the genre-referential jokes, you'll probably still enjoy it.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZM8a3QYtOfA

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  • 2 years later...

Really enjoyed "Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet." Nothing groundbreaking, but it's one where anime mecha conventions are done right. At 13 episodes (and two supplemental episodes that don't fit the main narrative) it's easy to consume, and it does pay off in the end. I watched the last couple episodes more than once. The main series is on Netflix, and the two extra on Hulu.

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