Lone Lancer

I haven't actually seen this series yet but, I would like to. I've seen "School Rumble" and loved it. I am currently on "Laid-Back Camp."

Has anyone watched a great anime that they think could have been better? What are some of your titles that you think could have had a more appropriate conclusion? Welcome to the NHK "Welcome to the NHK" was great by any standard but, I think it could have actually been even better than it was. Had I been the head writer, I would have made it where the tone gradually shifted more toward a suspense thriller direction, where it turned out that there really was a conspiracy to keep down the guy, and that the secret organization was using next generation technology to project illusions ( similar to "Chaos;Head" ) with the aim to gaslight him into thinking that he was only delusional. In the finale, I would have it where it all culminates in a John Carpenter's "They Live" style showdown. Since firearms aren't readily available for civillian purchase in Japan, something would need to be worked out to give the character a fighting chance against his enemies. Maybe have it where he got his toys from the Yakuza or something?

If it's any consolation, you're still better than I am. I can't even draw a decent stick figure without the use of tracing templates and other tools.

Though I never personally played Phantasy Star myself, this track owns. I don't need to be a fan of the games to be able to appreciate this. I understand that it has quite a fandom ( or at least did have ).

This is actually a few months old now. The reason I posted this here is because only the most dedicated among us would be willing to listen to over two hours of talk about one particular graphic artist. I actually listened to this one twice to make sure I didn't miss anything. Topics Discussed include: *Hand-Drawn Animation *Pre-2000s Cinema *How Gun Culture Influenced Saturday Morning Cartoons During the 80s & 90s *Super Sentai vs. Power Rangers And More... I had never heard of this guy until just recently. He kept extraordinary company though. This guy was personal friends with the best that the synthwave scene has to offer. The guys that were interviewed are right up there with Mitch talentwise. Honestly, I can see a lot of myself in the backstory of this great savant. I highly doubt that I will ever be able to live up to Blood + Chrome but, I will do my part to help carry on his legacy! I will be seeking to make my own AMVs, custom graphics and logos in the future. His loss will not be in vain. Rest in power, great one. Blood + Chrome's Stuff: Official Website youtube channel vimeo Bandcamp

A real blast from my past here. These guys, along with a couple of other bands were like my childhood where contemporary music was concerned, though I also listened to a lot of music made before I was even born. If anyone here is thinking, "hey, that looks like the frontman from Dethklok," then yes, it is very likely that the fictional character's appearance was based on that of Pete Steele's. He had a pretty unique look to him. @Ohayotaku RWBY always had great soundtrack and CG animation which was second to none. Although I think it could have done without the usual Hollywood cliches ( which mark it as a North American creation ), I usually found it entertaining despite that. It was a very creative way to repackage classic fairy tale characters. Weiss corresponds to Snow White, Yang to Goldilocks, Ruby herself to Little Red Riding Hood, and Blake supposedly represents Bell from "Beauty and the Beast." I still wish Coco was more than just an extra in the main story, she had the look of a main heroine - and also a very nice Jesse Ventura style rotary gun.

An anime take on a classic. I wish I could take credit for making this.

To tell you the truth, there were other bands at that time which I followed more closely ( Type-O being one of them ). Occasionally, I would have one of those moments listening to the music channels of my cable television package where I would be taken off guard by some wicked new tune that would have me rushing back into the room right in the middle of getting myself some refreshments. Dream Theater provided me with some of those moments. I could remember the song titles at the time when I just saw them but, I forgot to write them down. Years later, I encountered a guy who ran the counter at a brick & mortar music store before it eventually went under from the pressures of competing with online distributors. In this guy's opinion, Theater's guitarist was one of the best of the best. I think I can agree with him on that. Fun piece of trivia, Bedman's Super in "Guilty Gear Xrd" is apparently a nod to this group. I always love it when the writers of a given franchise include little easter egg homages to great bands and musicians. It adds a whole other layer of coolness to it.

I actually tried editing this post again but, there is apparently a time limit window on that function, so...I'll just make note of some of the factual errors I made regarding some of the information about the bios. I recently learned that Jake the Snake was actually still wrestling in smaller indie promotions after he had left the then "WWF." For all these years, I just assumed that the reason he was never seen on TV anymore was because he had retired from the business. Easy mistake to make at that time. I also learned that Lex Luger ( real name Larry Pfohl ) actually had a previous gig with WCW before he debuted in the WWF as "The Narcissist." Almost nobody who was not an avid wrestling fan way back even remembers these earlier career runs of his in Jim Crockett Promotions and WCW. Likewise, almost nobody still remembers Razor's older personas such as "Big Scott Hall, Starship Coyote" or the "Diamond Studd." It turns out there is a lot more backstory to some of these characters than I ever realized growing up. I couldn't believe that some of these huge stars had such humble beginnings as tag partners to other guys who were permanently relegated to jobber status while they ascended. A key skill to climbing the ranks of stardom in pro-wrestling is being good on the "stick" <-- informal slang for microphone.

I knew Amanda Lee did some of the voices in the English dubs but, I never had any idea she was also a singer. I had to look that up when I saw it. I guess we all learn something new everyday. The instrumental aspect of the song is good, though the vocals follow the trend of modern pop a bit much for my personal liking. Few songs are perfect though. @viruxx Your inclusion of Dream Theater is a mark of good taste. In retrospect, I honestly don't know why I never had any of their music in my CD collection growing up. It's one of my regrets now. They were easily one of the best bands of their time.

This long forgotten gem was never adapted into an anime but, it probably should have been. Myself and maybe one or two other people are probably the only ones here that even remember playing this now obscure 2-D fighter on the 16-Bit Megadrive. According to what I read, there were more sequels planned after "Challenge From the Dark Side" was released for the Mega-CD console, but Sega of Japan in their infinite wisdom decided to force an early end to the project in favor of its "Virtua Fighter" franchise - go and figure that out. Although I have never played the sequel, I have many fond memories of the first one. More than being simply an enjoyable electronic game, it was a work of art in many more ways than just one. The fact that the box art was done by legendary artists Boris Vallejo & Julie Bell certainly did not hurt. The premise of the story was very unconventional. Basically it goes, an omniscient alien being from the future with super cosmic powers known simply as "The Eternal Champion" grants a second chance at life to nine different fighters from different time periods who met an early death before they could change history for the better and save the world by averting the extinction level cataclysm that the Champion himself seeks to prevent. The Eternal Champion has the fighters compete against each other for the right to face him in combat and determine whether they are worthy of being allowed to return to their original time and be allowed to live out a full life to offset the negative changes which culminate in disaster. Unlike most fighting games of that era, nobody in the first title was actually evil; there were no equivalent counterparts to Shao Kahn or M. Bison storywise. The Eternal Champion himself is legitimately my least favorite final boss to fight against in any of the fighters that I have played. Not only must the player defeat the Eternal Champion in his several different forms during the same round but, the player's health points are only partially replenished between each part of the fight. If the player lost two rounds against the Eternal Champion, there would be no continues and it would be game over -- followed by the Eternal Champion lamenting in despair of how his expectations were not met while informing the player that the world is doomed and that it was their own failure to pass his test that caused it. I never became good enough where I could beat the Eternal Champion. The time travel theme is something that few other fighting game franchises used. "Time Killers" and ADK's "World Heroes" ( later acquired by SNK/Neo Geo ) were the only other two from the 16-Bit Era ( that I can name ) that used this motif. To a lesser extent, the development team from "Killer Instinct" experimented with the concept when the sequel "Killer Instinct 2" ( aka "Killer Instinct Gold" ) was released for the Nintendo 64 in the late '90s. ( EDIT: Eternal Champions was actually adapted into a comic in the issues of the official Sega publication, "Sonic the Comic", which was exclusive to the UK. The story loosely followed the lore of the game. Details here. ) I still remember my first time playing this, it would show some random character from the cast appear and smash the Sega logo before the title screen started - I always thought that was so cool. Aside from the story concept and art direction, I also really enjoyed the background music. It was some of the best ever used for a chiptune. I was delighted to learn that someone actually made remixes of them in just the past few months of my writing this. As good as some of these remixes are, I still don't feel that they necessarily replace the originals - they are an addition to them. I never much cared for Larcen's stage theme, so that might be one exception for me. Some of the songs which were great in their original chiptune form did not translate as well in the new style, so I will be omitting those. You can listen to the original chiptunes here. The artist, Hyde209, not only does covers of video game music, he is also an accomplished graphic artist as well. If you enjoy this, be sure and check him out. The first remix video is the theme from the database of the game's character bios. Hyde provides abridged versions of each of the characters' backstories. The second is of the game's main menu theme. This one is a remix of the Battle Room theme. Undoubtedly, I would have to say Jonathan Blade's stage theme was my favorite one in chiptune. This remix actually captures the spirit of the original the best out of all the iterations of it that Hyde has done, though it is still missing that whirring noise that drones in the background for most of the song on the Megadrive. Hyde did a much older metal version of this song that is also really good -- link here. He also did a couple of others that were more ambitious but, didn't strike my fancy as much - one of them a collab with a friend of his. Larcen's stage theme was my least favorite out of all the chiptunes...somehow Hyde turned this otherwise unremarkable ( and unoriginal ) song into something that's awesome. To be honest, every remix Hyde has done of Shadow's theme is great but, I think this one actually sounds the most like the original; thus, it is my favorite remixed version of it. The scantily clad blonde vixen from the cover art! Jetta Maxx is easily my waifu when it comes to anything EC. Her theme song was also one of my favorites from the original game. Out of all of Hyde's remixes of her theme, this one is my personal favorite and the only one I will feature here. Growing up, I was a Xavier main. Xavier Pendragon was my favorite character from the game and the one that I most empathized with -- he realized all too late that he had cast his pearls before swine when they burned him at the stake. Historically, I believe those accused of witchcraft were actually hanged instead of burned; the accused were still just as dead though. Each of Hyde's Eternal Champions Tribute albums has a cover of Xavier's stage theme. Although the version from his latest album "Resynthesized" sounds much more like the original, this older metal version is just so cool that I actually prefer it over the other ones. It's that kind of awesome... I have always loved shows and films where both the prehistoric and futuristic would come together. I honestly wasn't sure whether to feature Slash's stage theme remix. It's really more like music to set the mood than something made for musical enjoyment. In any case, this one is most faithful to the original and largely succeeds in capturing that feeling. The game's final boss had a pretty wicked tune even in its original 16-Bit form. I honestly think that I might like this one better than the original version. I really like the way this one turned out. The different remixes Hyde has done of Trident's theme are all so good that he is the only character whom all different theme song iterations thereof will be included here. All three have uniquely different sound qualities that set them apart as their own thing. Hyde's album "The Second Chance" included radio drama style voice acting bits relating to the deaths of each character. Out of the three, the remix from "Resynthesized" ( the first one down below ) sounds the most like the original version. I decided not to even bother with the themes of R.A.X. or Midknight because neither were as good as they should have been with modern hardware - especially Midknight's; it's a shame because Midknight's stage was one of my favorites in the game. The remix of the bad ending. And finally...the remix of the good ending.

Kenshiro was about as overpowered of a protagonist as they come in, "Fist of the North Star."

Chiefly, I would say the writing and characters. After that, the visuals and music. You can have a poorly written story with beautiful characters and music, but you can never have a good story without good writing. Echoing what Animedragon said, consistency is important in good writing. Even watching anime that I loved, I would sometimes be annoyed at the glaring inconsistencies in the plot. I still think "Fist of the North Star" is one of the best of its genre but, even that one is a case in point of a series that changes the established rules for its own convenience as it goes along. I probably can't say any more than that without revealing spoilers for those who haven't seen it yet. I will refrain. @MarathonGuy1337 I think it's great that you appreciate old school anime, though you appear to like giant robots more than I do. Not that there is anything wrong with that, to each their own. I was never aware that the mecha genre was in decline though. I guess I never was really up on all the latest developments. Peace.

Mitch Murder - ElecMan Theme Cover My boy Mitch also does covers of video game songs. This one is right up there with the official "Complete Works Megaman 25th Anniversary Remix." My only real complaint is that it's too short. I also wouldn't complain if the energy was heavier and more intense when the tune hits its peak of loudness. It would also be nice if a version of this was made that also included that same hook as the more obscure Gameboy rendering of the song had and lasted between 6-8 minutes. Still pretty nice though. Official SkullMan Remix This one was actually released to CD back in the '90s! I love the whole '80s Saturday morning cartoon vibe it has about it. Very cool. In my honest opinion, this earlier version is actually slightly better than the remix for the PS2 that was used in the 25th Anniversary Collection. Mega Man Battle & Chase OST - Cavern Course Theme ( "Escape" ) A track from a racing game that was the MegaMan equivalent of Mario Cart 64 which was never released in North America but included as an unlockable feature in the MegaManX Collection. I still say that Capcom should have made all of these guys playable characters that could be swapped out in the middle of a stage like in Castlevania 3. RockMan ( aka MegaMan ) hogged all of the glory as the hero of the games. The other robot masters were awesome and they weren't even playable characters - they were also the bad guys no less! Oh Capcom...

Mitch Murder feat. Emi - Sniper Rouge Mitch Murder feat. Kristine - Alright

I will begin this by saying that I would hardly describe myself as a "weaboo" or a cosplayer. I'm just a person who goes wherever the good is. Anime just happens to be the best product. As with the case of all entertainment there is always that one question which is paramount in determining something's intrinsic worth: is it good? Although there is some anime that I would describe as being unwatchable, my experiences with anime have been generally positive, though part of this is probably owed heavily to the fact that I always make a point of reading the synopsis of the plot to see if it sounds like something I would be interested in. Indeed, there are anime titles that cater to nearly everyone's tastes. Many of them good, some of them bad. Although I have watched anime episodes or films sporadically for most of my life, I was already out of high school before it became my primary mode of entertainment. So what exactly about it had enticed me? A lot of things. People talk bad about Saturday Morning cartoons from the 80s ( which were often joint ventures with Japanese animation studios by the way ) because they are seen as basically just long toy commercials. I do believe that there is some truth to that but, those same cartoons also had a certain vibe to them that was charming and endearing. Would shows like "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" be more exciting if the titular hero had dramatically battled Skeletor's minions to the death in a bloodbath similar to what was seen in "Hokuto no Ken" - definitely. Still, by no means was it a bad cartoon. I would take these "cheesy" Saturday Morning cartoons over nearly anything that's being produced in the West today ( with few exceptions ). One of the driving forces that eventually culminated with my abandoning support of most American TV shows and movies, is that I became increasingly disturbed by all the different ways in which the creators of the shows and films would keep pushing the envelope and coarsening the culture for no good reason. The focus became where it was always about shocking and desensitizing, not even real entertainment as such. Newer films and movies would portray the main characters engaging in activities which were sick and making it look like those were things that normal people did. All the supposed ribs and barbs that were presented as being "funny" became increasingly vicious and meanspirited to the point where it felt more like the whole point of it all was to bully and make fun of the viewership. If I had kids, I would not let them watch western television in its current form right now. I know that there is a lot to unpack in that statement, and for certain reasons I cannot go into all of the specifics about it. The only other thing I am going to say, is that this is coming from someone who would be considered a pervert by the standards of a Puritanical Ned Flanders type guy. There is nothing "Trad" about me, and even I am disgusted at how dirty and filthy entertainment culture has become in the Western World. It literally makes most hentai look totally innocent and straightlaced by comparison...I am telling you. In any case, not only is anime generally safe to watch with children around in contrast with most modern TV from the West, it also has a very rich gradient of vivid colour dimensions to its defining features ( in more ways than one ). The level of detail in the characters and backgrounds is artisanal in a way that is almost unprecedented in Western cartoons - I think Disney Studios ( going back to the 1930s ) and "Clutch Cargo" ( circa 1959 ) probably came the closest back in the beginning, and even then the animation of the latter was still laughably choppy. Much like in anime, some of the characters in Clutch Cargo were drawn to look like real people while other characters were done in the egregiously crude Hanna-Barbera style that made them look like they were from a different cartoon. It looked very weird seeing the two together in the same show. I have noticed in the dialogue of several anime that I have watched, that the work of Walt Disney himself is greatly admired in Japan. Some of the anime that I have found most interesting to watch were the anime about making anime - shows like "Shirobako" and "Girlish Number." Anime is known for playing up the extremeness of its characters in the more fantastical settings. This is one of the smartest methods that they use to focus the attention of their audience. Most anime have at least one or two characters that are so unique that they could never be mistaken for anybody else, and they'll usually be all decked out in some custom tailored outfit with unconventional accessories. Some of these major characters driving the plots are flashy and elegant while others are just plain bizarre. One of the other things about anime, is that typically the stories ( however fantastic in nature ) deal with hard subjects that hit very close to home on an emotional level. It's very nuanced, there are periods where the mood is happy, and others where it is heartrending and deals with one or more of the characters dying or having a brush with death - it's never a static one-season world. Even the characters that are super powerful often meet a violent end; in this way, they are actually more human than Popeye and Elmer Fudd. This is one of those features that makes the whole experience feel more real to the viewer, as paradoxical as that might sound. In Japan, they have what we would refer to as a tribalistic society. They will clannishly stick together with one another through thick and thin - I actually find this admirable. One of the features of anime that I consider to be the most beautiful, is how selfless the main characters often behave. When one of their friends or neighbors is in trouble, they help them out themselves rather than pointing them to the poorhouse. One of the most important moral lessons it teaches is how important it is to protect those who are closest to you and to prioritize that at the local level. As the saying goes, charity starts at home. In the United States, people will usually just pass you by without even acknowledging your presence unless they want something from you; of course, they'll always be superficially friendly to your face! The Winter Solstice Holiday ( which every culture has ) is treated as that one designated time of the year that people in the United States will treat others with generosity, and then after New Years it's back to being a self-serving jerk again. Hypocrites. When the characters are drawn to look so lifelike as they do in anime, it is natural to feel emotionally attached to them ( at least a little bit ). I have seen anime with characters that are literally the spitting image of people I knew during my formative years in high school - different name, maybe a different personality, but they look just like them in the face with an uncanny resemblance. I realize that they aren't real people, and yet I still feel that visceral connection to them as if they were real somehow. I can think of two anime characters that look nearly identical to some girls I used to know - one of them driven to an early grave from making bad choices ( I'm not gonna say the names of the girls or the characters that resemble them though ). I suppose another reason I have grown to despise American television so much is because something will appear on a show or commercial that triggers painful memories from the time that I was dealing with all of that - this, and the fact that I actually blame that trashy smut television for influencing my friend to do the kind of stupid things that she did. There is no feeling that is worse than being unable to protect the people who mean the world to you. I had some traumatic experiences that changed me as I came of age...experiences that nobody should have. Another thing that drew me to anime, is that I noticed that there was a lot of interest in the mythology and folklore of ancient Europe. It was not an unusual occurrence to see characters from Celtic, Norse or Greek Mythology to either make appearances, or be featured as main characters in the cast. As I started familiarizing myself more with the mythology and folklore of Japan, I did notice some striking parallels in a lot of their myths, such as a certain goddess associated with wild boars, as well as a red thunder god/ogre ( corresponds to Thor? ) associated with lightning storms and the superstition that lying down with an exposed belly button would leave one open to having their entrails pulled out through their belly button by this Raijin deity. The Japanese also show a great deal of interest in the cultures of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia too I've noticed. As many people on this thread have already pointed out, anime uses nice aesthetics often accompanied with pleasant music. This is a natural attention getter. Another thing about it that makes it all the more appealing, is that the main characters are usually very likable, if often naive. In any given title, there always has to be some mandatory babes in the cast of characters. Those manga artists know that having lots of pretty girls pays the bills - kudos to them for understanding this. Nothing wrong with that, though many people on this thread have also pointed out the signs that the writing is being watered down in newer anime to give way to more fan service, which is unfortunate. Is there any reason we can't have anime that has it all? I enjoy the occasional ecchi or hentai anime but, I also like it when there is also a good plot to go along with it. There are some signs that we are actually on the eve of seeing a renaissance brought on by anime as it continues to establish itself on a cosmopolitan scale. The major obstacle I see to Western countries adopting the style fully as their default, is simply the fact that it's extremely difficult to make, it's not something that just anybody can do. The manga artists that do this stuff for a living are like the Leonardo da Vincis of their day.

Guilty Gear - Unidentified Child ( May's theme ) Guilty Gear: May's Theme - Blue Water, Blue Sky Although she was never my favorite Guilty Gear character, her theme songs in GG1 and GGX were totally awesome.

The namesake of Sylvester Stallone's famous film "Cliffhanger" is actually derived from the actor's experiences playing the arcade cabinets of the same name. In a similar vein to "Dragon's Lair", Cliffhanger the game was like an interactive animated movie that used footage from the classic anime franchise, "Lupin the Third."

I used to watch pro-wrestling back in my pre-teens if that counts. I stopped watching a very long time ago.

Let me get this straight...she ( the person with prosthetic shins carrying the particle blasters ) is the antagonist of the story? She smiles too much ( in a non-threatening way ) to be believable in a bad guy role methinks. If that wasn't what you intended to imply then I misunderstood. In any case, that is first class artwork there - as good as the pros.

Robbie Dupree - Girls in Cars