definitive manga

[Idle Child]

hello. could some one please advise on "the" definitive Manga movie to own on DVD? or at least, great manga titles to own. As a manga virgin, i've not a clue about this.
i've seen Akira, and didn't find it paricularly thrilling.

I was considering going for Ghost in the Shell.... is that a top movie?

I'm looking for amazing animation, and deep emotional story lines and of course, action thrown into the mix.

cheers.

[Sneeka]

Ninja Scroll is a pretty damn fine flick. DD5.1 sound and an anamorphic 1.85:1 picture.. but make sure you get the R1 version, coz the R2 is cut to buggery.

you might find Ghost in the Shell a little slow in the action stakes.. excellent visuals though.

[niz]

you won't get "deep emotional storylines" with manga... need to broaden the range to anime (japanese animation in general)...

manga is generally just robots & explosions....

Ninja Scroll
Akira
Ghost in the Shell

anime OTOH is littered with "deep" classics...

Macross Plus
Grave of the Fireflies
Wings of Honneamise
Patlabor

but i prefer comedy myself...

Tenchi Muyo
Tenchi Universe

for a list of essential DVDs, check out this page:
http://www.animeondvd.com/discdata/essential/index.htm

that site is definitely worth a browse...

[RichB]

Ninja Scroll is a pretty damn fine flick. DD5.1 sound and an anamorphic 1.85:1 picture

Hmm I was under the impression it was fullscreen (4:3)

[Idle Child]

thanks for the pointers everyone, and that link, Niz. ;)

I saw a movie called Blood, a manga title, any idea on how good it is? i've heard it's not that great though.

[Sneeka]

Hmm I was under the impression it was fullscreen (4:3)
ah, yeah.. you're right. i got mixed up with Ghost in the Shell. Blame it on the coffee :D

[mysterytramp]

Manga literally translated means "Irresponsible Pictures" it refers to the comics not the films, Anime however is the blanket term for all animated Japanese films.

[Bedford]

Sadly, thanks to the now defunct Manga, most people in this country call all anime, manga, annoying at times but at least you know what they are on about.

As for what to get,

IMO Ninja Scroll is overrated, its got plenty of blood but thats about it, Ghost in the Shell is better subbed as it makes more sence than the dub.

If you want the ultimate Anime Roller Coaster ride then get Evangelion, you can get it cheap from OZ and the discs are encoded R2 aswell.

If you can get Blood the Last Vampire cheap then thats worth a viewing, not long at 45mins but good none the less.

One Manga release i am fond of though is Appleseed, people hate it cos its so short and cant compare to the Manga (printed) but it is a nice one.

Unless you got a multiregion player its not worth me continuing the list as most decent stuff is R1.

Edit: You can get a certain Princess Mononoke on R2 now, i'd recommend that, as would most who have seen it.

[Kit_Taylor]

Pricess Mononoke is a really good film with lovely character design, image composition and great spectacle, although as with most Japanese animation the frame rate is a fair bit less smooth than modern western toons.

[kanedaa]

Originally posted by Bedford
IMO Ninja Scroll is overrated, its got plenty of blood but thats about it

completely agree with that statement, for something similar (well, its about Samurai/swordsmen) I would Highly recommend (indeed, Bedford recommended it to me) Samurai X Trust & Betrayal (2 separate releases) that are available on R4 (R2 encoded also)....for £10 each this is top quality animation with plenty of blood (handled with style) and a deep and historic storyline....better known as Rourini Kenshin.....if you do get this, do NOT look too closely at Betrayals interior artwork OR the Menu artwork (tough one that) as it is quite a spoiler (something I sadly learned too late) - don't read the rear covers description either :D

Other recommended titles....

Princess Mononoke (other Ghibli titles on r2 Japanese, see my DVDTimes reviews)
Ghost in the Shell (R1 is best all round here for those interested)
and see my signature for a Blood review (also very good but as others have said, short).

dave.

[mr_woo]

i'd also recommend Castle Of Cagliostro, an absolutely classic anime title featuring my favourite anime character of all time Lupin III (though its not exactly a deep film but it is a lot of fun!)

You can get a region 4 disk from www.ezydvd.com.au for just over a tenner (there are other australian retailers which are just as good i just tend to use these guys the most)

[Idle Child]

bought R2 Ghost in the Shell, and i must say i thought the ending was brief, it just suddenly finished, without any major conclusion which was startling.

Also, for some reason the audio seems out of sync for both audio tracks, always a second or two behind... Eg when they'd fire a gun, you'd see the blast, then hear the bang - or the character would open their mouth to speak and then words would come out later! is this a dodgey copy, a dodgey set up on my player, or how this film and other manga titles are?

And about the English audio - the American woman that plays the lead spoils the English dub i find - she doesn't sound appropriate to the role. There a lot more sensuality of the voice in the Japanese track, but the "puppet master" sounds awful in that one... ya just can't win...

[kanedaa]

Originally posted by IdelChild
Also, for some reason the audio seems out of sync for both audio tracks, always a second or two behind

thats a known problem with the R2, while the R4 has a subs problem (they're delayed)....there are about a dozen threads on the forums regarding this problem...

as for the English Audio - don't think i've ever heard the english dub but it doesn't surprise me that the casting is off (its rarely 'on')..

dave.

[Sneeka]

as for the English Audio - don't think i've ever heard the english dub but it doesn't surprise me that the casting is off (its rarely 'on')..
talking of dubs.. who actually preferred the old american dub on Akira to the new one? I suppose it'll grow on me, but i still haven't got used to it.

and yeah, i know the original dub featured the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle bloke doing the voice for Kaneda.. but i reckon it suited it better.

*shrug* :rolleyes:

[Roberto]

I actually really liked the english dub. I really don't konw why but when it come to anime then i'm not too fussed about the orginal language.?!?!?!!

[kanedaa]

Originally posted by Sneeka
talking of dubs.. who actually preferred the old american dub on Akira to the new one? I suppose it'll grow on me, but i still haven't got used to it.

Agreed - in a way. I simply can't listen to the new dub as I am so used to the original English Dub that it just doesn't sound right. Even if the translation is better, or the acting is better, to me it would be like re-dubbing ANY movie - it just doesn't sound right!

Same thing happened with the Manga release of Castle of Cagliostro - just couldn't listen to the (Far superior in translation) new English Dub cos I'd heard/was used to the original.

and of course the inspiration between 2 a's in my username is how Tetsuo used to yell at Kaneda in the original English dub - 'kanedaaaaaaaaaah' :D

dave.

[kaneda]

Originally posted by kanedaa

and of course the inspiration between 2 a's in my username is how Tetsuo used to yell at Kaneda in the original English dub - 'kanedaaaaaaaaaah' :D
dave.

ahh so it wasn't a typo then :D

[kanedaa]

Originally posted by Kaneda
ahh so it wasn't a typo then :D

:) nah, the other reason for my username is I got fed up putting in 'kaneda' only to be told 'username already in use' so I started automatically just typing 'kanedaa' when I joined lists/forums etc....

dave.