Is the 'Anime Masterpiece' Extinct?

[greysuit]

I wouldn't quite call myself an anime fan or anime nerd, but I do like some anime and western cartoons and would say that I have an open mind about things. Some of my favorite anime are:

Akira
Ghost in the shell
Neon genesis evangelion
Guyver
SDF Macross [Robotech Dub]

Also, I recently watched Nausicaa of the valley of the wind which was good, though a bit too much of a kids movie.

My question, though, is what happened to the epic Anime movie of yore? Like what is a modern equivalent to something like Akira or GITS? It seems like all there is now are series of lesser production values and lesser artistic value. Forgive me if I'm ignorant, but it seems like there is mostly just character driven, 'tune in next episode to see how the drama unfolds'. At least Neon Genesis was artistic when it comes to a series, where as guyver and macross, though I enjoyed them, were kinda just basic drama, action, characters, etc... Hopefully I'm conveying what it is that I feel is missing in modern anime.

Actually, I just remembered a movie that I saw recently, called 'from up on poppy hill' which I would say approaches the status of masterpiece, but its not really one of the genres that I typically look for when I think anime (eg sci-fi/action/fantasy/thriller etc.)

[Inactive_Account]

Yeah most recent anime is god awful. You can try Kaiba (which is from 2008) which is really artsy, and may seem episodic or character-driven at first but is all actually world building and part of a bigger plan, it's an exceptional show. There's also Shinsekai Yori (2012) which is another artsy, "epic" of a show with large stakes and incredibly subtle, well-done writing. Just need to put up with some slower pacing for that one. Some would say Psycho-Pass is the new GITS but I thought it was rather mediocre and doesn't compare to GiTS in the least.

[Konkulf]

You can try taking a look at these, and see if they are to your liking:

Romance oriented:
Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo (http://myanimelist.net/anime/2236/Toki_wo_Kakeru_Shoujo)
Ookami Kodomo no Ame to Yuki (http://myanimelist.net/anime/12355/Ookami_Kodomo_no_Ame_to_Yuki)
Nodame Cantabile (http://myanimelist.net/anime/1698/Nodame_Cantabile)
Hotarubi no Mori e (http://myanimelist.net/anime/10408/Hotarubi_no_Mori_e)

Action-ish:
Stranger: Mukou Hadan (http://myanimelist.net/anime/2418/Stranger:_Mukou_Hadan)
Baccano! (http://myanimelist.net/anime/2251/Baccano!)
Kara no Kyoukai 1: Fukan Fuukei (http://myanimelist.net/anime/2593/Kara_no_Kyoukai_1:_Fukan_Fuukei) (movie series)
Steins;Gate (http://myanimelist.net/anime/9253/Steins;Gate)
Darker Than Black (http://myanimelist.net/anime/2025/Darker_than_Black:_Kuro_no_Keiyakusha)
Zetsuen no Tempest (http://myanimelist.net/anime/14075/Zetsuen_no_Tempest)
Black Lagoon (http://myanimelist.net/anime/889/Black_Lagoon)


Got a few more you could try out, but start and see if these are to your liking :)

[Anime Forum]

There are plenty great anime out there nowadays, you need need to go search for them. I'm not sure if its your type of anime, but Aria the Origination is a near perfect slice of life anime. FMA Brotherhood is another great piece of work.

---------- Post added at 03:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:46 PM ----------


Yeah most recent anime is god awful. You can try Kaiba (which is from 2008) which is really artsy, and may seem episodic or character-driven at first but is all actually world building and part of a bigger plan, it's an exceptional show. There's also Shinsekai Yori (2012) which is another artsy, "epic" of a show with large stakes and incredibly subtle, well-done writing. Just need to put up with some slower pacing for that one. Some would say Psycho-Pass is the new GITS but I thought it was rather mediocre and doesn't compare to GiTS in the least.

I disagree, though as harsh as a critic you are me taking you seriously is probably bad on my part.

[Inactive_Account]

There are plenty great anime out there nowadays, you need need to go search for them. I'm not sure if its your type of anime, but Aria the Origination is a near perfect slice of life anime. FMA Brotherhood is another great piece of work.

---------- Post added at 03:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:46 PM ----------



I disagree, though as harsh as a critic you are me taking you seriously is probably bad on my part.

It's fine, it's not like I can take anyone on this site seriously either.

[Riverflower]

I have also watched many Anime nowadays that I thought was great, but I have also watched Anime that simply sucked, to be honest. I suppose that is just how it goes. Not everything can be great.

Recently I watched Fate/Zero and it was awesome. Though, you will be disappointed if you watch Fate/Stay Night afterwards. At the moment I'm watching Magi, and it is worth a look, if you ask me. I also agree with the other series/movies the others suggested. Expand your horizon ^^

[greysuit]

Thanks to everyone who responded with suggestions. So I far I have watched two of the anime: 'Stranger: Mukou Hadan', and 'Kara no Kyoukai 1: Fukan Fuuke'. I have been reluctant to watch any of the series because of the time required and due to the trend of series often seeming of lower quality (I think this is true both of eastern or western, animated or live action).

I liked Mukou Hadan, it was very good overall. Though, it did seem aimed at a bit younger audience, and the violence was a little on the unrealistic side for my tastes.

I didn't care much for 'Kyoukai 1: Fukan Fuuke'. This was partly because the genre was kind of like a creepy horror vibe, which is not my thing. Also, I have to admit that I did not get it. It was unclear to me who the protagonist was or what she did for an occupation. I sort of got the sense that this was a continuation of another series or something, because much seemed to be left unexplained. The art was pretty good though.

I think I might check out black lagoon next.

Some suggestions, like 'Aria the Origination' or 'Shinsekai Yori' are easy to veto, since im generally not interested in romance, the lives of teen girls, ongoing relationship drama, etc.

Kaiba looks like it could be a really great one, though perhaps not for me. The artwork looks pretty cutesy. On the other hand, the premise sounds very cool and I read it won an award for animation.

Still, I feel like something on the level of Akira or GiTS is missing. The combination of the cinematic epicness of the art, the gritty noire setting, the mature themes, the dark and depressing yet not emo or overwrought feel, made those two movies so good. From up on Poppy Hill was perhaps even better than Akira and GiTS (Akira is probably still better for the artwork), but it was missing the darkness, the violence, and the noire aesthetic that I crave.

[Inactive_Account]

Thanks to everyone who responded with suggestions. So I far I have watched two of the anime: 'Stranger: Mukou Hadan', and 'Kara no Kyoukai 1: Fukan Fuuke'. I have been reluctant to watch any of the series because of the time required and due to the trend of series often seeming of lower quality (I think this is true both of eastern or western, animated or live action).

I liked Mukou Hadan, it was very good overall. Though, it did seem aimed at a bit younger audience, and the violence was a little on the unrealistic side for my tastes.

I didn't care much for 'Kyoukai 1: Fukan Fuuke'. This was partly because the genre was kind of like a creepy horror vibe, which is not my thing. Also, I have to admit that I did not get it. It was unclear to me who the protagonist was or what she did for an occupation. I sort of got the sense that this was a continuation of another series or something, because much seemed to be left unexplained. The art was pretty good though.

I think I might check out black lagoon next.

Some suggestions, like 'Aria the Origination' or 'Shinsekai Yori' are easy to veto, since im generally not interested in romance, the lives of teen girls, ongoing relationship drama, etc.

Kaiba looks like it could be a really great one, though perhaps not for me. The artwork looks pretty cutesy. On the other hand, the premise sounds very cool and I read it won an award for animation.

Still, I feel like something on the level of Akira or GiTS is missing. The combination of the cinematic epicness of the art, the gritty noire setting, the mature themes, the dark and depressing yet not emo or overwrought feel, made those two movies so good. From up on Poppy Hill was perhaps even better than Akira and GiTS (Akira is probably still better for the artwork), but it was missing the darkness, the violence, and the noire aesthetic that I crave.

Shin Sekai Yori's focus isn't character drama, relationships, or romance. Those details are there but it's more about world-building. It's actually a very dark, bleak, gritty show with the themes to match. Not all is as it seems as it really centers on the breakdown of what is seemingly a utopian setting.

Also Kaiba's artwork is generally to display visual metaphor and contrast the dark, depressing mood or themes of the show. It gives it sort of a surreal vibe.

Both are dark sci-fi, mystery shows with a large sense of scale and risk to them.

Also can't believe I completely forgot about it but Ergo Proxy seems like it may be exactly what you're looking for.

[greysuit]

WOW. I just watched the first episode of Kaiba. That show is amazing. I'm definitely gonna be watching the rest of this. Gonna see if my brother wants to watch it with me too. So far everything is just perfect.

Why can't there be more stuff like this, and less of the mass produced plebeian trash that so many people spend hours a day watching on TV etc (not talking specifically about anime)?

[Inactive_Account]

WOW. I just watched the first episode of Kaiba. That show is amazing. I'm definitely gonna be watching the rest of this. Gonna see if my brother wants to watch it with me too. So far everything is just perfect.

Why can't there be more stuff like this, and less of the mass produced plebeian trash that so many people spend hours a day watching on TV etc (not talking specifically about anime)?

Because the average viewer likes easily digestible garbage instead of smart shows that make them think.