This thread shows up every once in a while, and I usually chime in, like I did here, where we talked about non-humourous anime aimed at mature audiences, and here, where Airk and I argued about how good Attack on Titan was.
If you like Attack on Titan (have you been reading ahead?)
Historia becomes the queen!… you should check out Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress. It’s Attack on Titan (some of the same guys involved) crossed with The Walking Dead set in Japan during the industrial revolution. My son and I have come to refer to it as “Zombie Trains”. There are steam guns, there are swords, and yes, there are some bitchin’ trains! If you are an Amazon Prime member, they are streaming this show free of charge.
If I am at home for lunch break, I may watch an episode or two of Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet on Netflix. It centers on teenage mecha pilot Ledo, who hails from a distant traveling colony of human survivors whose entire existence is dedicated to a war of extermination (and survival!) against the alien [del]Tyranids[/del] Hideauze. When he and his advanced mecha fall through a wormhole after the discharge of an experimental weapon, he finds himself stranded on a watery planet that may in fact be Earth! The Gargantia of the title is an ocean-going city-state composed of a flotilla of salvaged naval vessels, and Ledo’s new home - where not everything has to do with constant warfare.
Additionally, Netflix and Dreamworks have teamed up to release a Legend of Korra-sh pseudo-anime remake of Voltron that is really good. It just started on June 10th.
So, upthread we covered The Big O (Showtime!), Cowboy Bebop, FLCL, Wings of Honneamise, and Castle in the Sky. Let me regurgitate some of what I covered before:
[ul][]BTOOOM! - Like The Hunger Games or Battle Royale, imagine waking up on a jungle island with a rack of unusual grenades strapped to your body. How did I get here? Is this some kind of sick game? Must I kill the other participants? Will they try to kill me? I just want to go home![]Terra Formars - Scientists sent roaches and algae to Mars in an terraforming attempt. When the first humans arrive centuries later to examine the results, they are met by legions of 8-foot-tall roach people who hate humans as much as we hate roaches![]Arpeggio of Blue Steel (free on Netflix) - A mysterious armada of self-aware naval vessels, “The Fleet of Fog”, destroys the world’s navies and blockades all the oceans. When a Fog submarine defects and entrusts herself to Humanity under the command of an unconventional young cadet from Japan’s National Marine Academy, we may have an opportunity to defeat the Fog once and for all.[]Legends of the Dark King (free on Amazon) - If you’re familiar with Fist of the North Star, you’ll understand the background to this short series and recognize some of the characters. It takes place at the same time, telling the story of Kenshiro’s older brother Raoh and his rise to power.[] Lupin III and the Castle of Cagliostro - Miyazaki’s take on Monkey Punch’s classic anime about the great-grandson of the famous French cat burglar, and the basis for the Cliff Hanger video game (remember that?). This is the finest animated movie ever made, and it’s over 30 years old![] Patlabor: The Mobile Police - If you use 30-foot tall robots (“Labors”) for construction and military purposes, somebody’s going to use them to commit crimes; that’s why you need “Patlabor” (“Patrol” + “Labor”) to police them. The first movie is fantastic. The TV shows and OVA’s can be hit or miss (the upcoming live-action adaption looks horrid!), but are generally good if you stick with them.[] Gunbuster: Aim for the Top! *** - No, Gainax doesn’t suck! They gave us Gunbuster! We’ll train young people to pilot giant robots in school, because we’re going to need every hand we can get to defeat the alien menace that is approaching or solar system from across the galaxy. Despite not having the time or budget to completely animate the final episode, the ending was still better than Neon Genesis Evangelion, Gainax’s mega-masterpiece.[] Neon Genesis Evangelion - Are you enjoying the Rebuild movies? Good. Are you confused? Yeah, me too, but… Mari Illustrious! The Angels are here to wipe out Mankind in a series of deadly “Impact” events. The clevva ladz at NERV, however, have developed a way to turn the Angels’ own flesh against them, and stave off wave after wave of their increasingly bizarre attacks with the giant bio-mechanical “Eva” in an effort to prevent a Third Impact that will destroy what’s left.[]Bubblegum Crisis - In 2032, a plucky band of four vigilantes (a lingerie shop owner, a rock singer, an aerobics instructor, and a police dispatcher) don armoured battlesuits to combat the machinations of the evil Genom Corporation and all their horrific minions. The original cyberpunk classic, BGC mixes fantastic 80’s rock ‘n’ roll with exciting hand-drawn animated action. Do not try to stomach the English adaption available on iTunes. Watching this without Kinuko Oomori’s slammin’ vocals blasting through the background is like trying to groove on William Shatner’s cover of “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” without ever having heard the Beatles’ version.[] Bubblegum Crash - I can’t honestly say this three-episode OVA is good (hint: it isn’t), but if you were left hanging after episode 8 of the original Bubblegum Crisis, at least you get your resolution by the time it’s over.[] Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket - This short four-episode Gundam OVA features plenty of classic Gundam action. The Zeon send their “Cyclops” commando team to Earth to destroy a prototype Gundam, the RX78-NT1 “Alex”. They fail, and a senior member of the team is killed during the raid. A fresh recruit, Barney, takes his place, and while the Cyclops Team gets a another chance to destroy the Alex as it waits for deployment at a nearby orbiting colony still loyal to Earth, Barney tries to complete their mission while questioning the detrimental effects of the Earth/Zeon war on everyone… including himself![/ul]
