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tantumquantum
Guest
I hope you’ll be watching FMA: Brotherhood and not the earlier one.
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ironchapman
Guest
I’ve been watching a lot of new stuff lately. Need to catch up on some of the shows from this season that I’ve haven’t been able to follow due to ****** hotel internet.
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ironchapman
Guest
Also, as far as fantasy stories are concerned, I’m not too good with direct Christian allegories (like how Aslan was the Christ-figure in Narnia), but I try to keep Christian ideas and themes at the heart of my stories. Something like what Tolkien did–although I don’t consider myself anywhere close to his league (or C.S. Lewis’, for that matter).
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patrick457
Guest
Narnia wasn’t so much an allegory than it was a speculative, ‘what-if’ type of work. Aslan isn’t an allegory for Jesus, but is rather meant to be the answer to Lewis’ idea that ‘what if the second Person of the Trinity who became incarnate in our world as the human Jesus also chose to become incarnate in another form in another universe?’
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ironchapman
Guest
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patrick457
Guest
Because Aslan is meant to be the actual Christ Jesus in another form and name. In which case he is no longer strictly just a simple ‘Christ figure’ but is ‘Christ Himself’ (a fictional, speculative ‘fantasy’ version thereof, that is), like Maleldil in the Space Trilogy.
I think if you’re looking for a straight allegory, Pilgrim’s Progress is a better example.
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ironchapman
Guest
Well, true.Because Aslan is meant to be the actual Christ Jesus in another form and name. In which case he is no longer strictly just a simple ‘Christ figure’ but is ‘Christ Himself’ (a fictional, speculative ‘fantasy’ version thereof, that is), like Maleldil in the Space Trilogy.
I think if you’re looking for a straight allegory, Pilgrim’s Progress is a better example.
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Kithrus
Guest
I liked hellsing myself
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MrSylvester
Guest
Oh definitely Brotherhood. I hear the 2003 series is actually good but I want to watch Brotherhood just because I ehar it ahs the better story and that it follows the manga more closely.
Also, I love fantasy but I rpefer reading a Song of Ice and Fire and Wheel of time over Lord of the Rings and Narnia. I love Christian themes and all but, meh, I couldn’t read through 1 chapter of LotR it was so boring and Narnia was written for little kids so its not my cup of tea. I totally respect them but they’re jsut not my cup of tea. I like Harry Potter though and the works of Stephen King. As for SoIF, I love it because the setting is so interesting unique; its like the world is is own character which serves to make the troubles of our ehroes all the more harsh. I honestly consider it right up there with Watchmen, Evangleion, Don Quixote, Lord of the Rings and 20th Century Boys as one of THE greatest works of fiction ever made ever.
So, which fantasy series do you like then? That isn’t explicitly an anime?
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MrSylvester
Guest
Before we continue with the fantasy book stuff, can anyone pelase give me an opinion on Full Metal Alchemist, be it the manga, the 2003 anime or Brotherhood. Is it pro-atheist and anti-religion or something because while I wouldn’t mind ana theist hero who has good values, I wouldn’t be able to stand lecture after lecture on how people can be sos tupid as to accept religion; that would make my ears bleed. I hear that one of the villains called Scar is an ex-monk but that he has sympatethic qualities. Can anyone tell me whether I should be wary of FMAB?
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ironchapman
Guest
I know a lot of Christians who like FMA and FMAB, but I have only since a few episodes scattered through the series.
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MrSylvester
Guest
I’m currently putting off FMAB for a bit. Not because of any atheist themes or anything as I just found out it really doesn’t take sides with religion=bad, atheism=good. In fact, the main villain is an atheist and one of the most sympathetic characters, Scar was an ex-monk.
Anyway, currently am reading Ayashi no Ceres. I WANT to love this manga, I really do as it has some great potential but there are two things wrong with it: A: the editing. Panels and speech balloons are clumsily scattered throughout the pages, therefore making them hard to read. B: the downright idiotic decisions some of the characters make. And I mean it when I say the decisions are idiotic. The main heroine, though she is likable, finds out that her family wants to kill her. OK, that interesting. One day later, after she escapes, she comes back to the same bloody house where they tried killing her just to get her brother. Unarmed. With no one to defend her. She does the same thing a few days later when she visits her mother who was present at the event where her family tried to kill her and THEN, she follows a guy whom she knows is working for her family, sees him enter into an office building and then enters said office building. Surprise, she gets locked in!:banghead:. IMMEDIATELY after that, she meets ehr cousin who wants to use her for his own ends. She tells him that is he doesn’t let ehr go, she’ll call the police. That moment, I said “Then why the HELL did you not freaking do that BEFORE!?”
Another thing wrong with the series is the fact that the main romance can best summed up as a better version of the main romance in Twilight: same byronic hero although here, he is at least interesting, a more interesting and likable heroine but ultimately, the romance falls flat because the characters don’t know each other at all. Hell, I prefer if Aya ended up with Yuuhi instead of Tooyo.
I’m still going to continue reading it but if any more wallbangers occur, I may give it up. Sad, because the concept is very interesting and I want to know what happens to the main heroine and her brother. Also, after reading a summary of the beginning of Fushigi Yuugi, I’m giving up on reading it. Just, read the what an idiot bit on Fushigi Yugi on this page. Just, read it: tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/WhatAnIdiot/Anime If this is what Yuu Watase’s work is like, I’m giving up on it.
Anyway, currently am reading Ayashi no Ceres. I WANT to love this manga, I really do as it has some great potential but there are two things wrong with it: A: the editing. Panels and speech balloons are clumsily scattered throughout the pages, therefore making them hard to read. B: the downright idiotic decisions some of the characters make. And I mean it when I say the decisions are idiotic. The main heroine, though she is likable, finds out that her family wants to kill her. OK, that interesting. One day later, after she escapes, she comes back to the same bloody house where they tried killing her just to get her brother. Unarmed. With no one to defend her. She does the same thing a few days later when she visits her mother who was present at the event where her family tried to kill her and THEN, she follows a guy whom she knows is working for her family, sees him enter into an office building and then enters said office building. Surprise, she gets locked in!:banghead:. IMMEDIATELY after that, she meets ehr cousin who wants to use her for his own ends. She tells him that is he doesn’t let ehr go, she’ll call the police. That moment, I said “Then why the HELL did you not freaking do that BEFORE!?”
Another thing wrong with the series is the fact that the main romance can best summed up as a better version of the main romance in Twilight: same byronic hero although here, he is at least interesting, a more interesting and likable heroine but ultimately, the romance falls flat because the characters don’t know each other at all. Hell, I prefer if Aya ended up with Yuuhi instead of Tooyo.
I’m still going to continue reading it but if any more wallbangers occur, I may give it up. Sad, because the concept is very interesting and I want to know what happens to the main heroine and her brother. Also, after reading a summary of the beginning of Fushigi Yuugi, I’m giving up on reading it. Just, read the what an idiot bit on Fushigi Yugi on this page. Just, read it: tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/WhatAnIdiot/Anime If this is what Yuu Watase’s work is like, I’m giving up on it.
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MrSylvester
Guest
Actually, I just dropped Ayashi no Ceres. It was just, bad. It had a very interesting concept but one that was executed badly with horrible editing and dumb characters who make dumb decisions even if said characters are likable. Maybe I’ll read Fushigi Yugi but not now.
You know, I have never read a good Shojo manga. I need to read Count Cain to see what it is about but can anyone recommend a good shojo manga that I could enjoy? Anything, just as long as it isn’t Yuri or boys love or dirty like Twilight and Ceres (no, Cres isn’t dirty because it has themes like rape. Elfen Lied had such themes, Song of Ice and Fire has such themes, Watchmen, and many anime have themes like rape yet treat them seriously. Ceres is dirty because it shows teen pregnancy in a positive light).
I haven’t read any good shojo manga as of now. I don’t know, maybe its the art style that bothers me, maybe its the fact that many of its male protagonists are byronic heros and that many shojo manga have sexual themes in them that I wouldn’t find appropriate for teens. I’m going to read Count Cain and see what it is about. If I see anyone being a n idiot, I’ll, er, do something bad to the author! Nah, just kidding.
Currently am writing a list for Listverse called ‘Another ten well written anime and manga’. Listverse.com already has a list about the ten most well written anime which I honestly hate. Seriously, how can you have a lsit of ten msot well written anime and manga without including Elfen Lied or Rurouni Kenshin? They even placed FLCL at the number 3 spot, below Porco Rosso and Cowboy Bebop but above Neon Genesis Evangleion. Full Metal Alchemsit? They placed it at number eight. Seriously, it’s one of the worst lists on lsitverse in my opinion as there are so many other anime that are so much more well written than half 3/4 of the stuff on that list. I decided to write one on my own so I’m going to check out some more anime.
I already included and wrote entries for Full Metal Panic!, Elfen Lied, 20th Century Boys, Madoka Magica, Hayate no Gotoku, Clannad, Higurashi and Rurouni Kenshin. I’m going to watch FMAB just to be sure it would deserve being put on my list. If my expectations of it are correct, FMAB would be put in the number two spot or even the number one if it blows my mind even more than 20th Century Boys did. I’m having difficulty finding an anime that would deserve to be put in the number six spot. Looks like I’m going to watch Fate/Stay Night or Fate/Zero or Macross Frontier. Yeah, maybe I’ll watch Macross Frontier.
You know, I have never read a good Shojo manga. I need to read Count Cain to see what it is about but can anyone recommend a good shojo manga that I could enjoy? Anything, just as long as it isn’t Yuri or boys love or dirty like Twilight and Ceres (no, Cres isn’t dirty because it has themes like rape. Elfen Lied had such themes, Song of Ice and Fire has such themes, Watchmen, and many anime have themes like rape yet treat them seriously. Ceres is dirty because it shows teen pregnancy in a positive light).
I haven’t read any good shojo manga as of now. I don’t know, maybe its the art style that bothers me, maybe its the fact that many of its male protagonists are byronic heros and that many shojo manga have sexual themes in them that I wouldn’t find appropriate for teens. I’m going to read Count Cain and see what it is about. If I see anyone being a n idiot, I’ll, er, do something bad to the author! Nah, just kidding.
Currently am writing a list for Listverse called ‘Another ten well written anime and manga’. Listverse.com already has a list about the ten most well written anime which I honestly hate. Seriously, how can you have a lsit of ten msot well written anime and manga without including Elfen Lied or Rurouni Kenshin? They even placed FLCL at the number 3 spot, below Porco Rosso and Cowboy Bebop but above Neon Genesis Evangleion. Full Metal Alchemsit? They placed it at number eight. Seriously, it’s one of the worst lists on lsitverse in my opinion as there are so many other anime that are so much more well written than half 3/4 of the stuff on that list. I decided to write one on my own so I’m going to check out some more anime.
I already included and wrote entries for Full Metal Panic!, Elfen Lied, 20th Century Boys, Madoka Magica, Hayate no Gotoku, Clannad, Higurashi and Rurouni Kenshin. I’m going to watch FMAB just to be sure it would deserve being put on my list. If my expectations of it are correct, FMAB would be put in the number two spot or even the number one if it blows my mind even more than 20th Century Boys did. I’m having difficulty finding an anime that would deserve to be put in the number six spot. Looks like I’m going to watch Fate/Stay Night or Fate/Zero or Macross Frontier. Yeah, maybe I’ll watch Macross Frontier.
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Crescentinus
Guest
I watched Ayashi no Ceres, and it not a good as Fushigi Yuugi.
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MrSylvester
Guest
As a rule, I watch 12 to 13 episodes of any given anime in roder for me to make a valid judgement and call it good. I watch twelve episodes of FMAB and it is AMAZING. If it keeps on going this way, I expect it to top 20th Century Boys and Watchmen as one of the greatest works of fiction ever ebcause it does look like its heading that way. 64 episodes, I can’t wait. I can finish a 50 episode anime in like 5 days so if I watch all of FMAB in the same pace I watched Bleach some two months ago, I may finish it in 3 days. Hell, the longest anime I watched as of now is the Hayate no Gotoku anime with its 70+ episodes and Bleach where I saw more than a hundred of its episodes. I can’t wait to finish it and laos publish my list.
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MrSylvester
Guest
I hate Roy Mustang. Not only did he help commit a genocide but in episode 17, he kills one of my favorite minor characters jsut ebcause he was ordered to. Other than him, I love all the other characters, even the ones who are the most flawed yet aren’t villainous. Seriously, even the homonculi are mor elikeable than Mustang as of now. I seriously wanted Ed and Al to punch him in his arrogant angry face.
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AB_Juney
Guest
I don’t think “dirty” is the right word to use for Ceres. “Dirty” tends to mean sexually graphic. Morrally ambiguous may be better, but even then, one problematic theme does not corrupt a whole book. If you see Ceres as dirty because of that, how will you get through the incestuous rape, homosexual rape, horrific child abuse and disturbing imagery of Godchild? Not that anything is ever displayed graphically, or praised,but it’s there, heavily.
Like I said, I very much like Count Cain, but it does have problematic moments. But see, I love the characters more than I do the story in an of itself. Their backgrounds and circumstances formed the characters, true, but really, I just browse past the plotty bits and over to the really dramatic character driven moments. I think maybe that’s why I have a pretty high tolerance for morally problematic material; because I’m rarely interested in the actual plot so much as the characters. Does that make sense?
As for characters acting dumb…yup. Many do XD luckily, it’s an opportunity for character growth. For example, Jezabel? Is a childish little BRAT for a long while. THis grown man is close to full on temper tantrums at times, and you often just roll your eyes at his immature views on the world. However, this allows him a chance to grow later, as he comes to terms with his insanity, his fathers hatred, his own Stockholm syndrome, and the possibility that he was wrong all this time.
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ironchapman
Guest
Interesting that you should say that.
I recently bought one of my favorite series ever (saw it on Crunchyroll), Otome Youkai Zakuro, when it came out on DVD back in June. It’s about three male soldiers who work with four female half-spirits (part human, part fox spirit–and one of the guys gets to work with twins) to deal with supernatural issues that arise (spirits on a rampage).
The little book that came with the series’ box set said something about how co-existence with spirits was one of the main themes of the series. I thought that was amusing, as I’m pretty sure the mangaka didn’t mean it that way. Japan is one of the most irreligious nations on Earth. Most of the “religion” there people practice is, as I see it, more out of respect for tradition than any real belief in the supernatural (which isn’t to say that there aren’t people who truly believe). I saw the presence of spirits as more of something that made a good story.
All that aside, the series has many positive themes. Tolerance, overcoming racism and prejudice, tradition vs modernity, etc. that make it worth recommending.
And it’s just a nice little drama/action/romance with a good side of comed=y
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MrSylvester
Guest
Yeah, morally ambiguous is a much better word but still, I dropped Ayashi no ceres more for the total idiot plot than any dirtiness because I just couldn’t take it any more. Even if we were to look past Aya sleeping in the same bed as a guy as a way to develop their ‘romance’, their relationship wasn’t developed AT ALL beyond meeting each other two or three times for the span of 5 minutes and I can’t accept a story as good which uses idiot situations just to develop its characters. I feel that when Aya entered that office to follow Tooya just to be attacked sexually by her cousin was very forced. You can develop characters more believably by putting them in more believable situations; making them act like idiots just makes you not care and say “You know, they put themselves through this trouble just because they were idiots. Screw them!” Unlike other anime characters who sometimes do make mistakes and bad decisions because of bad judgment, Aya was just too moronic. Would you casually go to the same house, unarmed and unaccompanied, in which a few hours before you were going to get murdered? NO you wouldn’t thats common sense.
By the way, have you seen Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood? I’ve fallen in love with that anime as it truly, honestly is the most well written and enjoyable one I’ve seen yet. Oh my gosh is it good.
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MrSylvester
Guest
Another thing. I also said one time that I was going to watch Koi Kaze as I heard it was a deconstruction of incestous relationships and what not. Er, no it ain’t. In fact, its just an immoral anime masquerading as a deconstruction when in fact, it seems to advocate incest because in the end, the brother and sister (who by the way are 27 and 15 ears old respectively) ignore everyone else’s opinions and objections on incest and get together as a couple. Goodness. Gracious. Just drop it and avoid seeing this piece of filth, I’d rather watch the ending of Berserk for eternity than sit through an episode of THAT. I jsut don’t want people to think that Koi Kaze is representative of Japanese culture as a whole as the Japanese themselves find incest squicky. They may not have much of a taboo on cousins marrying cousins but you sort aren’t squicked out by it as cousins kissing isn’t as bad as siblings kissing. I don’t advocate of course but I udnerstand why it isn’t so taboo in Japan.
I think I’m going to watch either Darker than Black or Fate/Stay night now. Which one should I choose?
I think I’m going to watch either Darker than Black or Fate/Stay night now. Which one should I choose?
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