Imaginary Bad Bug wrote:

Yoshitoshi ABe of Serial Experiments Lain and Haibane Renmei fame

The hell you say! Much love for ABe. I love those dreamlike half-watercolor, half-sharp backgrounds.

Currently? Kaoru Mori. 'nuff said.

I feel like the odd one out here as my first thought went to Kubo Tite of Bleach fame. Yes, I am a Bleach fan (ohgod!don'thateme!). ;;; But really, the man has a cool style and an awesome sense of perspective. (Visually, I mean.)

Also, stereotypically, I like CLAMP. Lots of people like them, lots of people don't. They're pretty, though I actually think I've grown to like their newer simpler style more than their older stuff.

Kaori Yuki, but really only God Child. I've read most of the other Count Cain stuff, and the first few volumes of Angel Sanctuary but, again, I feel like her art really cleaned up in GodChild.

And Watase Yuu has a special place in my heart as Fushigi Yuugi was one of my first anime/manga.

.....And to be honest, I'm not a Chiho Saitou fan. If it weren't for Utena I probably wouldn't've bothered picking up The World of S&M. (Which I liked well enough.) Though I do like some of the stuff in the Luxury Illustrations Artbook...

BakaElf wrote:

Ah. Also, Range Murata does some interesting stuff. (He did the character designs for Last Exile.)

Hyung-tae Kim, the fella who does the character art for Magna Carta (most famously) is pretty rocking. (If you can get over the MONSTER BREASTS OF DOOM.)

And, hell, Yoshitaka Amano while we're on the topic.

I googled Range and the art reminds me vaguely of Masamune Shirow...not the style, exactly, but I get the impression this artist is a fan.

Also, Amano always win. Go Go Vampire Hunter D.

BakaElf wrote:

Kaori Yuki, but really only God Child. I've read most of the other Count Cain stuff, and the first few volumes of Angel Sanctuary but, again, I feel like her art really cleaned up in GodChild.

I read some Angel Sanctuary myself. I need to finish. Her art style is so pretty! Have you read Ludwig? Apparently it's still going on, but what I've read so far I've loved. (Less confusing than AS to me) It takes a lot of fairytales and screws them up. I love it.

As for others.. Has anyone heard of Princess Tutu? (Please don't let the name scare you!) I watched it before Utena and loved it, and several people said I would like Utena if I liked Tutu. I finally got to check out Utena because of the recommendations and I loved it even more. Probably because Tutu is not as dark, but it's still lovely and full of weird fairytale crack.

Last edited by SleepDebtFairy (10-17-2006 07:47:15 AM)

SleepDebtFairy wrote:

As for others.. Has anyone heard of Princess Tutu? (Please don't let the name scare you!) I watched it before Utena and loved it, and several people said I would like Utena if I liked Tutu. I finally got to check out Utena because of the recommendations and I loved it even more. Probably because Tutu is not as dark, but it's still lovely and full of weird fairytale crack.

I love Princess Tutu! I thought of making a comparison thread for the two because they're so often compared to each other in reviews of Tutu. And having liked Utena before Tutu, I'm always saying "Well . . . they're both really weird, so that's why people say they're alike but they're not . . . except for the whole fairytale and shoujo stuff . . . so maybe they are . . . I dont' know!" But yeah, I think Tutu is a great anime to introduce younger audiences on, as it has all the weird creepiness of Utena but with out the sex sex sex.

azuresquirrel wrote:

I love Princess Tutu! I thought of making a comparison thread for the two because they're so often compared to each other in reviews of Tutu. And having liked Utena before Tutu, I'm always saying "Well . . . they're both really weird, so that's why people say they're alike but they're not . . . except for the whole fairytale and shoujo stuff . . . so maybe they are . . . I dont' know!" But yeah, I think Tutu is a great anime to introduce younger audiences on, as it has all the weird creepiness of Utena but with out the sex sex sex.

Yay, another Tutu fan! Yeah, there are a lot of similarities between Tutu and Utena, but Tutu is definitely for younger audiences. Mytho reminds me of Dios, in a way. A prince who had his "heart" taken out. But unlike Dios, Mytho was just completely unemotional and didn't turn into a big baddie. (Well, he sort of did later on, but that wasn't really because of getting his heart shattered..) Come to think of it, Rue reminds me of Anthy in a way.. Kind of.

Yasha: Awww.. Sorry. ;_;

Seeing CLAMP mentioned, I am a fan of theirs as well.  Both the artsy stuff (like Shirahime-Syo) and I am also fond of Mick Nekoi's (or whatever she's calling herself these days) designs.  Suki is one of my favorite titles for her work in CLAMP.

I've also heard Princess Tutu being favorably compared to Utena, so I plan to check that out someday as well.  That probably won't be for a while though, until a bargain box set or something is released for it.

Host Club? You wouldn't happen to be talking about Ouran High School Host Club by any chance, would ya? 

I watched the entire anime series thanks to the subtitled posts on Youtube and I just loved the characters, from the straight-man crossdressing girl Haruhi to the ‘Low Blood Pressure Shadow King’ Kyoya Ohtori! (I wonder if he and Akio are distant cousins, they both share a number of similar personality traits *hehe*)

SleepDebtFairy wrote:

Have you read Ludwig? Apparently it's still going on, but what I've read so far I've loved. (Less confusing than AS to me) It takes a lot of fairytales and screws them up. I love it.

I haven't, no, but it sounds interesting! >> Where might I find it?

Have you read Bloodhound or Cruel Fairytales? The latter I actually don't remember a thing about, and I heard a rumour that the former was made into a J(?)drama.

I feel the time is now to bring up Meine Liebe. T'was a dating sim, I think, with character designs by Kaori Yuki, and has run as anime in two seasons. (By which I mean, the first season and the second season are related, obviously, and the second comes after the first, but when the first ended we all thought that was the last we'd see of it.... Well, I did.) It's...very silly in it's way. Takes place in a European country called Kuchen (sp?) which I'm told translates to 'cake' from German? Everyone ('cept the Japanese exchange student) has obscenely long names (the main character's full name is Orpherus Furst von Marmelade nahe Gorz....I just wrote that from memory. And I checked it and it was right. O.o; DORK ). And....It's really just a pretty bishounen anime, when you get down to it. ;;;; The first time I watched it, I was just like "Aha. Aha. Ahahahaha -- NOTHX " ... And then I gave it a second chance and I found I actually liked it. ((I also have this urge to figure out how an Utena/ML crossover would work. It seems appropriate.))

SleepDebtFairy wrote:

Has anyone heard of Princess Tutu?

A friend's younger sister is really into it. The many comments I've heard about it being similar to Utena make it sound sort of interesting. ;; I remember half watching an episode and sort of seeing how it could be said.

Tenjou_sailorsaturn wrote:

I also like the authors of NANA and Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne too...

I don't know about KKJ but I am a fan of NANA. (The mangaka for NANA is Ai Yazawa, for reference. Dunno on KKJ) At first I sort of hated Hachikou but she grows on me. Oosaki = win though. I want to make her red dress...

Giovanna wrote:

...I googled. I saw 'London' and many many drawings of men (well okay pretty boys) in Victorian suits. INTERESTED. Please tell me more.

It's actually been a while since I read it, and my manga is in a box somewhere so... As I recall we've got Count Cain, a young noble who collects exotic poisons and solves all manner of mysteries in London. He lives with Riff (his loyal manservant) and Merryweather (his half sister.) And there's a Dr. Disraeli out to get him, oh noes.

I can't actually remember why it's called God Child as it's not (to my recollection) so much related to such things. But then, I've only read the series' that come before, and the first volume, which is published Stateside by Viz. (SHOUJOBEAT IS SO PINK ACK)

Giovanna wrote:

I know it's kinda trite and what what what, but I actually really liked the art style Vision of Escaflowne was animated in. Yes, even the noses. Wanna fight about it?

I like the Escaflowne noses. I also like the Escaflowne music. Though really, I'm not very familiar with it, as I've only seen the first few episodes and the movie a few years back. ;;;


Also, I feel like the only person on the planet who isn't absolutely in love with Ouran High School Host Club. o.o; It seems like everyone is, but I read a few volumes of the manga at a former roommate's behest and I just couldn't get into it. Maybe the anime was better? Or maybe it was my mood at the time?

Suddenly I wonder: Is anyone up for Maria-sama ga Miteru? I know it's a few years old now, but it was nice in a relatively calm, sweet anime sort of way.

Giovanna wrote:

Ai Yawaza = Paradise Kiss? Professor Plum lured me to that series promising me an Akio-like character. It was only partially delivered. (I did enjoy it though, refreshingly grown up shoujo.) Although frankly I found the dress in the end way over the top.

I think I watched an ep or two when it first came out but I didn't give it much of a chance. Of course, that might've been related to the fact that it would've been about the time that I moved back to my parents' house in DIAL UP LAND.

Giovanna wrote:

BakaElf wrote:

I like the Escaflowne noses. I also like the Escaflowne music. Though really, I'm not very familiar with it, as I've only seen the first few episodes and the movie a few years back. ;;;

WATCH IT. Probably my second favorite series period. It manages not to degrade into a bishonen lovelove party, even though it's full of pretty boys. Also the mechs rule. Steam!

FINE I WILL!

Giovanna wrote:

BakaElf wrote:

Also, I feel like the only person on the planet who isn't absolutely in love with Ouran High School Host Club. o.o; It seems like everyone is, but I read a few volumes of the manga at a former roommate's behest and I just couldn't get into it. Maybe the anime was better? Or maybe it was my mood at the time?

I didn't read the manga, but I think I'd have found the style of humor grating outside the medium of animation. The humor demands a colorful weird presentation.

Yeah, I can definitely see that, now that I think back. (I did like the twins. But I'm likely to on the premise that they're TWINS... *degrade into astrobabble now*)

I loooooooooooooooooove everyting CLAMP (team) makes and of course Saito ( i hope i spelled the name right) and that guy who creates Hellsing