Recommend some feature length anime

johnny_ultimate · 11-07-2011 11:46am #1

Howdy,

I'm on a post Evangelion 2.22 buzz (a year later and it still knocks my socks off!) and looking for some more anime films to watch. I'm a big fan of if not 'arthouse' than slightly more offbeat or thematically original anime.

Problem is, I've largely exhausted my supply of big name directors :pac: I love all Satoshi Kon's stuff, have watched and very much enjoyed Makoto Shinkai's films, rewatched Girl Who Leapt Through Time / Summer Wars, adored everything Evangelion has to offer and watched every Ghibli film and most of 'em twice! Akira and Ghost in the Shell have of course been viewed too. If that gives you a bit of an idea of my taste, wondering if there's anything in particular I'm missing out?

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated

o1s1n · 11-07-2011 11:57am

I was going to suggest Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade, but then you've probably seen it, haven't you?

eoin5 · 11-07-2011 12:10pm

The Wings of Honneamise is very good, underrated I'd say.

johnny_ultimate · 11-07-2011 12:21pm

o1s1n wrote: »

I was going to suggest Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade, but then you've probably seen it, haven't you?

I've totally never heard of it. Will check it out!

eoin5 wrote: »

The Wings of Honneamise is very good, underrated I'd say.

Have heard good things all right! Will investigate in depth

o1s1n · 11-07-2011 12:28pm

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

I've totally never heard of it. Will check it out!

Serious? Visually it'll really remind you of Akira. It's some of the best cel animation I've ever seen. In fact I think it was one of the last ever purely cel animated feature films in Japan.

And if the Panzer Cops in it remind you of the Helghast, you're not alone :P

cherryghost · 11-07-2011 2:09pm

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is good, as is Appleseed.

ztoical · 11-07-2011 3:09pm

I enjoyed First Squad but that may be down to my current interest in Russian animation [an area well worth checking out if you've an interest in animation] It's a Japanese/Russian co-production.

King Of Thorn, Sword of the Stranger and 5 Centimeters per second also worth checking out.

I assume if your a fan of Ghost in the Shell you've seen Sky Crawlers?

Origin:Spirits of the Past you might like if you liked the girl who lept through time. The soundtrack I really love and I like some of the other stuff Gonzo has put out.

Colorful won the audience award at Annecy [major animation festival] this year but no word on DVD release yet but worth keeping an eye out for. Redline is also worth keeping an eye out for, it came out last year in Japan but always hard to figure out when you'll see it show up here.

e_e · 11-07-2011 5:27pm

If you're into the more surreal end of things then seek out Cat Soup and Angel's Egg.

For something more humorous and action packed the Cowboy Bebop movie is great too.

Cy_Revenant · 11-07-2011 6:27pm

Summer Wars is pretty great.

Numina · 11-07-2011 6:29pm

Check out Dead Leaves, it's pretty crazy in terms of animation and story.

Japanese Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCuieF9Uzgc

Links234 · 11-07-2011 6:29pm

+1 on Jin Roh, it's amazing!

also try Tekkonkinkreet

Azure_sky · 11-07-2011 10:48pm

Ninja Scroll and Street fighter II.

gearoidof · 12-07-2011 3:22am

I recommended time of eve

It basically explores what happens when robots become humanoid, and the distinctions between humans and robots.

and La Maison en Petits Cubes which is only 12 minutes, buuut

Butterscotch · 12-07-2011 12:44pm

I really like this thread so thanks for the recemmendations. Jin-Roh is defiantly something I want to check out as the story really appeals to me and I like the Little Red Riding Hood element to it.

I would highly suggest Vampire Hunter D. Stunning animation, one of the best anime movies I seen. I have been meaning to read the books.

Kinski · 12-07-2011 7:41pm

Sounds like you'll already have seen most of the best ones. As mentioned, Jin-Roh is decent (even if it does start with a ridiculously convoluted backstory). Macross: Do You Remember Love? is supposed to be good, but I've yet to watch it. Don't think there's a Region 2 DVD though, if that's a problem.

johnny_ultimate · 12-07-2011 8:00pm

Thanks for all the recommendations, plenty to investigate

mybearcudler · 13-07-2011 7:18am

Naruto Shippuden is the only i watch right now because of my busy scheds. I want to watch OnePiece and Blade.

ILoveSesshomaru · 13-07-2011 8:25am

Yea ninja scroll is wonderful:) have u seen paprika? I really love it and love the soundtrack too, u seem really smart and artsy and all so u should love it haha

Supplice · 20-07-2011 8:48pm

"Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' On Heaven's Door" is really great, you don't have to watch the series to get it. Though the series ****ing rocks too

e_e · 20-07-2011 9:31pm

Ugh Ninja Scroll is one of the few anime movies that I genuinely loathe, for reasons I won't go into for risk of derailing the thread. :mad:

Let's just say that it makes the Transformers trilogy look like a feminist parable.

Cy_Revenant · 21-07-2011 11:58am

I always thought that recommending Ninja Scroll was some kind of an in joke here on boards.

Every time someone asks for recommendations, they get a bunch of good suggestions. But someone always pops up and recommends Ninja Scroll. It's a laughably bad movie.

o1s1n · 21-07-2011 12:32pm

Like a lot of Manga Entertainment releases, Ninja Scroll is something you need to have watched in the mid 90s when all that exploitation anime was being released here on VHS and nobody knew what the hell anime was.

A lot of that stuff really relied on graphic sex and violence. That was one of the selling points of this 'weird animation from the east'.

Looking back now, most of it is horribly dated. (anyone watch things like Angel Cop or Wicked City lately?! :eek:) but being a young lad back then it was magical! Ninja Scroll will always hold a special place in my heart for that reason alone.

johnny_ultimate · 21-07-2011 12:34pm

Well, at least Legend of the Overfiend isn't being recommended :pac:

(although I've heard tell that the non-Manga releases are pretty good).

o1s1n · 21-07-2011 12:37pm

Ah, poor Urotsukidoji. Always getting way too much flack.

The original, uncensored OVA releases are very good and worth a watch. The animation is really nice and far better than people let on.

Manga video got their hands on it and butchered it up into a movie. Then the BBFC got their hands on it and well, you know the rest yourself.

e_e · 21-07-2011 2:37pm

Cy_Revenant wrote: »

I always thought that recommending Ninja Scroll was some kind of an in joke here on boards.

Every time someone asks for recommendations, they get a bunch of good suggestions. But someone always pops up and recommends Ninja Scroll. It's a laughably bad movie.

The only ever defense I've heard from fans of the movie is "but it's badass!". Not only do I think it's a really bad film, but it's also negatively affected anime's reputation in the west. OK fair enough if you saw it in the 90s at a young age but there's no reason for any adult to hail it as a classic of anime. Don't pay any attention to the 18 rating there are more mature and subtle Pixar movies.

I couldn't trade that one into GameStop quick enough, it was the black sheep of my anime movie collection. :pac:

psicic · 24-07-2011 5:50pm

o1s1n wrote: »

Like a lot of Manga Entertainment releases, Ninja Scroll is something you need to have watched in the mid 90s when all that exploitation anime was being released here on VHS and nobody knew what the hell anime was.

Very much so. Back in the day it was a wild stab in the dark whether a particular anime was a Ninja Scroll, a Legend of Galactic Heroes or an (ugh) Urotsukidoji (something I came all too close to watching with my parents during one of those 'pretending to show an interest'-type of moods that afflicts parents from time-to-time and that can lead to no good for any teenager who is into anime! :eek:). Remember there was no IMDB or AniDB back then!

If Op is looking for some classic mid-nineties anime, then Memories. It's a collection of three movies, with 'Magnetic Rose' being a classic, 'Stink Bomb' being a great example of the absurd situation anime and 'Cannon Fodder' is one of those multilayered, big-brother type animes.

p.s. the best thing about Angel Cop was its Ending Theme:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxfpxkErJ3Y

.

Kinski · 24-07-2011 9:26pm

Is Legend of the Overfiend uncut banned in this part of the world?

Thomas-G · 03-08-2011 5:46am

Man I'm happy to see I'm not the only one who gets pissed off by all the Ninja Scroll recommendations when it's barely even average.

5 Centimeters per Second is fantastic, as is Metropolis

K.O.Kiki · 06-08-2011 4:27pm

I gosh-darned loved Metropolis.

In fact, I may just watch it again since you've reminded me of its greatness.

Varik · 08-08-2011 5:05pm

I'll ask this in here rather than start a new thread.

Will have money soon again after being broke for a good long time so i'm planning on getting Ponyo and when it comes out The borrower arrietty on Blu ray.

But i may also re-buy some of the older films, is the Blu ray worth it even when i own it on DVD.

Usually i'm not a fan of Blu rays of films that were not made with it in mind but how do these compare to the DVD.

Nausicaa , Laputa, Ponyo, and Yamadas are currently the only ones out now on Blu-ray, are Nausicaa and Laputa worth getting again.

Kinski · 08-08-2011 10:37pm

Varik wrote: »

Usually i'm not a fan of Blu rays of films that were not made with it in mind but how do these compare to the DVD.

That makes no sense. Converting a film to Blu-ray is not like retrospectively applying 3D to one which was not shot in it; films are made for screens much larger than any TV set, so they do not have to have been made 'with Blu-Ray in mind.'

As for whether or not you should purchase films you already own on DVD on Blu-Ray, that's really up to you. But the quality is much better.

Recommend some feature length anime

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