I stand by what I say and mean it.

I didn't know where else to post this, so I just stuck it here. If it's in the wrong place, then please move it. Anyway.

I started watching anime around the 1990s when Akira first got a TV premiere in the UK, followed by Channel 4's series of anime series/OVAs showing late at night around 1am. Most of it was old and coming from Manga Entertainment's label: Appleseed, Battle Angel Alita, Devilman, 3x3 Eyes, Monster City, Legend Of The Four Kings, the Overfiend series, Wicked City. I may have missed a few here or there but those are the ones that stick in my head.

After the above stopped showing on TV, I kinda lost interest in it up until I was 14 and saw the decals on one of the cars in Destruction Derby, namely The Goddess and was reminded of those late night Channel 4 days. Curiosity got me and I decided to check Cardiff's Virgin Megastore for some titles. I got as many of the ones I listed above, plus a few others - Ghost In The Shell, Armitage III, Tenchi Muyo, Oh My Goddess, Bubblegum Crash, Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie, Project A-Ko, Moldiver, Tekken and the daddy of them all at the time, Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Then the internet makes it easy as pie to get anime thanks to P2P programs and I'm watching Slayers, from all 3 TV series to the OVAs and movies. Upon recommendations of people, I started to get into more and more stuff like Naruto and Bleach, Fullmetal Alchemist, Chrno Crusade, Burst Angel, Hellsing, but as time goes on, I notice some series are just lacking something.

This brings me up to today where my hard drive consists of 2x2 Shinobuden, Basilisk, Cowboy Bebop, Death Note, Ghost Talker's Daydream, Howl's Moving Castle, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, King Of Fighters: Another Day, Naruto, Outlaw Star, Slayers and Zoids.

You'd expect to see Bleach in there, maybe, or FMA, Lucky Star, Azumanga Daioh, Gurren Lagann, but no. I'm growing tired of the lack of originality and/or effort of anime these days. I've already seen Lucky Star, it was just Azumanga Daioh without appealing to the loli crowd. D-Gray Man is FMA for people who shop at Hot Topic. I'm already dug deep into Naruto so I don't need Bleach. I don't care much for harem anime where the plot revolves around the average member of this board defying all laws of physics by being surrounded by miniskirted, underage, F-cup girls with voices like that little duck that floats in your bathtub, because I've seen that before too.

I'm not saying all anime is shit. But the last couple of years have relied far too heavily on formulaic plots that seem to come from templates that someone can just fill in the blanks to make their own anime. Here, watch this. Oh, the series is called Adjective Noun Adjective Noun.

______ is an average japanese schoolboy. He's good friends with _____, the sports fanatic, _____, his female friend who has her head grounded in reality and _______, the aloof and wise teacher. Suddenly, he finds himself under attack one day by a ________. Just before he thinks he's about to die, he gets his own _______ which saves his life. It's then revealed the ________ that attacked him belongs who ________, who will most certainly be back at multiple points in the series. His friends then also receive a _______ of their own. More and more people attack them with their _____, revealing that they are all associated with the main bad guy, ______, who holds a dark secret. As the heroes get closer to the truth, the rival battles the hero and in shame at his loss, joins their cause. This angers the main bad guy enough to make him attack the heroes personally, with his ________ that is more powerful than anything they've ever seen. Only through teamwork, friendship, love, trust and a sudden deus ex machina attack will the heroes triumph.

I got maybe 6 episodes into Fate/Stay Night before I felt it was going to fit the above and gave up because I'd seen it before, with the names and powers changed. That's not to say I've given up on all anime and manga; I still love some series enough to own them on DVD as well as keeping them on my PC, but when I find Avatar to be superior to some of the stuff I've seen last year and it comes from a company that's responsible for cartoons which rarely deal out more than fart jokes and art that looks like the character designer was a part of the 6-14 audience it's aimed at, my faith has been considerably shaken.

The final straw came today when I was channel hopping and came across a show about 3 kids, who power up dinosaurs by swiping cards through a device (get your parents to get you one, kids, only 29.99 with booster packs sold separately!), antagonised by an older, similar team led by a psychotic slightly older teenager/early 20s girl who goes nuts when called ugly/old. And to top it all off, the main kid was voiced by the same woman who did Ash Ketchum while the main enemy was voiced by whoever did Jessie.

I know the above was a series aimed at an incredibly young audience but Japan has always aimed animation at audiences that include older teens as well as young adults. Cowboy Bebop wasn't for kids. Outlaw Star wasn't for kids. Yet last year, the only shows I was recommended to watch were either packed with wankservice to cover up the painfully patronising plot or formulaic merchandise shows that only get by thanks to the relaxed Japanese laws on plagiarism.

tl;dr version:

I'm mostly avoying newwer animes... T__T My only question is, What happend to Maho shojo? After Bishoujo senshi sailor moon every one started coping plots and changing the themes... T__T I hate Animes that are less than 50 episodes... that's just a wast of anime...

I kind of agree with you there. I'm seeing a lot of the same themes lately. I mean there are a few gems here and there (Haruhi Suzumiya and Code Geass). I have to agree with the Bleach thing though and the harem. I really have given up on it. Nice banner by the way XD. The worst thing is when I flip the channels because lately all that's been running through my head is "Yu-gi-oh rip off!! Or ______ rip off."

Thanks for your entire post, Colin. It's why I fell away from anime after my freshman year in high school. =(

I was never "into" anime like most other people I know, at least on the internet. Even though I am Asian XD

The only anime I like is the kind I grew up with - Studio Ghibli films and stuff like Doremon and Detective Konan.

I still have faith in Ghibli, although the younger Miyazaki is still finding his way, I think he will continue the fine Ghibli tradition of excellent films.

in b4 the wankfest that is likely to develop in this thread?

It all comes down to preference and I like to subscribe to the idea that there is ALWAYS an anime out there for you, regardless of what your tastes are. If you think it's all the same, you aren't looking hard enough.

I don't have much debate against you at the moment, but would like to point out that Japan does not always aim animation at audiences that include Teens or Young Adults. There are plenty of anime series, and other Japanese cartoons that are for smaller children alone.

4Kids TV brought that show over to the US, and I believe the UK picked it up afterwards. It was brought to the US for a small childrens Saturday Morning cartoon block.

All of the series you have listed are liscened. There are plenty of anime series that are pulling on original ideas, and films attempting new animation styles, etc. Many of them are UNliscensed, so you wouldn't find them on your general TV channel, others you just have to wander upon or be in the loop when it comes out, or be willing to do a lot of digging. I recommend keeping up on Who-is-Liscensing-What by reading up on anime news (ANN, perhaps?); you will most likely find something that is to your liking again. And if you prefer, try watching foreign Live Action TV series or movies. Maybe they will fill the "anime void."

And as a last comment, Naruto isn't exactly original. There are craploads of Samurai/Ninja/Martial Arts anime out there. - Theres more I want to say, but I've tried to type it out several times. Can't get my wording right. Oh well.

Besides liking Evangelion I pretty much agree with what you're saying but not all anime is shit and we still have the big anime power houses with some originality left. Seen Paprika lately? That's trippy and compelling enough to make anyone happy. Miyazaki is currently working on another movie and apparently a relative of his is making one as well. If you're into girly type things Ouran High School Host club is pretty good since the plot is only similar as in a girl cross dresses as a boy but for completely different reasons.
But I notice a lot of the poser and overdone anime schemes as well so it usually puts me off. The thing that pulled me out of the rut was Fullmetal Alchemist because Inuyasha had made me into a zombie with no plot twists or tying of loose ends. ><; Before that came to the U.S I barely watched anime and just read manga since nothing mind boggling was on and I couldn't afford to waste money on crap anime. So one Saturday when I was watching Adult Swim suddenly FMA came on and I had no idea what it was or the ride that was in store. >w< Since I hadn't been watching tv much I hadn't seen advertisements for commercials for the show so I was caught off guard.
That's the type of anime I'm waiting to hit the U.S. It doesn't need to be mainstream to be good.
Oh...and 4Kids should be bombed.

First of its not just anime. Its everything in general thats starting to become uncreative. Music, movies, and television in general. All uncreative these days.

Game shows are being based off of foreign game shows, more and more horror movies are just poorly done versions of Asian horror movies and tv shows in general are more generic than all the pills I use.

Anime is no exception. But as for the Dinosaur King type anime of the world I only say this. What do you expect? Making tv series based off of toy lines is nothing new to Japan or America....or any place for that fact.

Also I suggest you watch a movie called Metropolis. It was on Adult Swim a few years back and it was really a good movie. :) Nothing to hate about it.

You should look into alternative, less mainstream anime. :3

Import companies will always import tried-and-tested formulaic anime - there's a market for Bleach because Naruto is so popular, there's a market for AI Love You because Tenchi Muyo is so popular. Etc.

Much like the modern TV industry, a lot of what is out there is pure dross, you really have to look for things that break the mould. A good place to start would be to have a quick look at your local manga supplier - manga tends to be a safer bet than anime, so there's more variety there, and most of what reaches here has an accompanying anime. :3

You should look into Samurai Champloo, if you haven't already. :D

Originally Posted by Neshaka

A good place to start would be to have a quick look at your local manga supplier - manga tends to be a safer bet than anime, so there's more variety there, and most of what reaches here has an accompanying anime. :3

I agree I like manga a bit more simply because There is more variety... Anime just goes through phases...

i dont think anime is getting shitty O.o
i think its getting better :]

Go watch Wolf's Rain, Princess Tutu, and Spiral: Suiri no Kizuna and then tell me all anime is crap. You just aren't watching the right stuff. :/

And I hope I am not the only person taking offense at this statement:

D-Gray Man is FMA for people who shop at Hot Topic.

Hop Topic has lots of wannabe emo crap, and D.Gray-Man is not. If the main character was a teenage vampire that wears eyeliner and angsts about it all the time I would agree, but he is not. Bad comparison right there. -_-

I don't watch a lot of anime, so I can't compare on a timeline what's modern and what you might consider to be good. I like things that aren't terribly old, such as "Strawberry Panic," "Escaflowne," "Full Metal Alchemist," "Elemental Gelade," and "Angelic Layer."

When I was a kid, I hated anime, but most of what I saw were shoddy cartoons with bad dubbing. So if this is the comparison, I'd have to say I prefer NEW anime to old.

EDIT: Oh, yeah! I also love "Princess Tutu," though I haven't seen all of it yet, and that statement is pretty rude and offensive... People have different tastes, that's all. That doesn't mean that what other people like is bad.

I really don't think that anime is like that! I love watching anime more than i love watching movies. :3nod: yup.
because I personally think that anime is much better....

i think many people will agree with me.

Going by the title of this thread, I have to agree with the author. Not a lot of the new anime from this part of the decade has appealed to me, only a handful (Ouran, Eureka Seven, Pokemon DP).

At Anime Expo 2004, ohmigod...there were SOOOO many Naruto cosplayers for ONE gathering, and then I knew I'd stay away from it. It's probably because most people (and I say most because a lot of people gripe about it) are being all otakufan-like and that just totally scares me. I've steered clear of a LOT of anime for the past few years, but the ones from the '90s will always have a special place in me. Now when I go to conventions, I TRY to buy the oldschool anime on VHS and DVD if it's available. If not, hey, it's not the end of the world. I'm just not into anime that's made this current.

Anime is the same as always. I think because more is coming out, we are seeing what Japan has been producing for years. You got remember a lot of it is crap because it was the only way to tell stories in media art form. In fact much of it we do not even see or have heard of. Trust me there is alot more crap then you think from the past.

Today it is a little more mass marketed, so we are seeing popular shows from Japan. Inu Yasha, Naruto and all that is not really that new.

*shrugs* I never really had a problem with it and been watching good anime for awhile. Always can catch good ones if I look for them.

Oh for the love of, not here too.
You know what? Screw 80's anime. 60/70's anime all the way!

80's anime is shit compared to that I tell you, shit!

see what I did there?

RMarques: I SEE WAT YOU DID THAR.

xD this whole discussion amuses and repels me at the same time.

@Rmarques

So let me get this straight. Your sarcasm meant that as time goes on people will find the newer stuff to not be as good as the older stuff was. Am I right?

Because that logic can be applied to anything. Not just anime. :)

You can't just divide things into camps due to when they were created. Sure last year was sort of a let-down as far as good series go (though Ghost Hound, Terra e, and Oofuri made the A list), but you have to keep in mind that the older anime you're referring to is not all of what was produced then.

Aside from that.... everyone has pretty much said anything else I would have to add.

I laughed out loud at the generic anime storyline. I've been watching Persona Trinity Soul... and that's exactly what it's been like. That said, I'll keep watching just because I want to find out what happens to the littlest kid.

Originally Posted by AzureWolf

@Rmarques

So let me get this straight. Your sarcasm meant that as time goes on people will find the newer stuff to not be as good as the older stuff was. Am I right?

Yep.

Originally Posted by AzureWolf

Because that logic can be applied to anything. Not just anime. :)

I'm quite aware of that, thank you very much.

Originally Posted by Morien

I've been watching Persona Trinity Soul... and that's exactly what it's been like. That said, I'll keep watching just because I want to find out what happens to the littlest kid.

xD As Persona 3 Trinity Soul is based off the Persona 3 video game, and the video game in general has some pretty archtypical characters in it, it would be hard to keep that from translating over into the anime.

I honestly don't see anything wrong with using archtypical characters. It's not so much what you use, it's how you use it, and all.

Originally Posted by MasterChiefrei

Besides liking Evangelion I pretty much agree with what you're saying but not all anime is shit and we still have the big anime power houses with some originality left. Seen Paprika lately? That's trippy and compelling enough to make anyone happy. Miyazaki is currently working on another movie and apparently a relative of his is making one as well. If you're into girly type things Ouran High School Host club is pretty good since the plot is only similar as in a girl cross dresses as a boy but for completely different reasons.
But I notice a lot of the poser and overdone anime schemes as well so it usually puts me off. The thing that pulled me out of the rut was Fullmetal Alchemist because Inuyasha had made me into a zombie with no plot twists or tying of loose ends. ><; Before that came to the U.S I barely watched anime and just read manga since nothing mind boggling was on and I couldn't afford to waste money on crap anime. So one Saturday when I was watching Adult Swim suddenly FMA came on and I had no idea what it was or the ride that was in store. >w< Since I hadn't been watching tv much I hadn't seen advertisements for commercials for the show so I was caught off guard.
That's the type of anime I'm waiting to hit the U.S. It doesn't need to be mainstream to be good.
Oh...and 4Kids should be bombed.

i recent the inuyasha comment.
not becaus i'm a fan. *but i did hate the way it end.
but the righter is know for this.
just look at ranma1/2 and mermaid saga.
the manga's are no difrent.

she made more series. but it al ends the same annoing open way

Originally Posted by Rmarques

I honestly don't see anything wrong with using archtypical characters. It's not so much what you use, it's how you use it, and all.

lol i even mis it when that typical carachter is not there :D


and as for this topics
o no's fairy tails are al the same to
prins/rich guy. saves princes/girl. princes/girl rides of with princ/rich guy and lives happely ever afther.
this is the genrel just look at sleeping beuty, snow wiht, beuty and the beast, the little mermaid, swan princes, anastahia, cinderella excetera excetera.

my point is. it looks the same in many way like fairy tales. but dos not have to be the case.
simpel way to say it. even if snow with and sleeping beuty have so much in comen.
princess, cursed bye an evil old hag, tricked by evel old hag to fal a sleep. princ comes along and wakes her up. they live happely ever after.
the have difrensis.
like why they bin cursed. what iems was used, family make up. one stayed at home *depening if you read a story book are watch disney. and the other was send of with a hunter. met seven dwarfs, had fairy godmothers from the start.

anime has the same. the storie it self is dut some things tifrent. bend to never change..

oke and some are just what the same
cheap ripofs