Rob Kelk
1st October 2004, 01:50 PM
Archive-name: <http://robkelk.ottawa-anime.org/primer/a-primer.html>
Posting-frequency: monthly, on the 1st
Last-modified: Thu 30 Sep 2004
The Anime Primer
or
WHAT ANIME SHOULD I WATCH NOW?
Usenet edition
Edited by Rob Kelk
Based on the work of Bruce Carlson & Steve Pearl
30 September 2004
************************************************** **************
This document is always undergoing revision.
New entries are needed and should be sent to Rob Kelk.
************************************************** **************
This is intended for English-speaking fans who are new to anime, and
looking for some suggestions of what to watch next. While this list
concentrates on North American releases of anime, there is some
information about the availability of translated anime in other parts
of the world mentioned as well.
New Writeups This Month:
ANGELIC LAYER (Bill Martin)
OMISHI MAGICAL THEATER: RISKY SAFETY (Rob Kelk)
PRINCESS MONONOKE (Rob Kelk)
RUNE SOLDIER (Bill Martin)
SPIRITED AWAY (Rob Kelk)
Heavily Revised Writeups This Month:
AKIRA (Chika)
BUBBLEGUM CRISIS (Chika)
GUNBUSTER (Chika)
NAUSICAA OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND (Rob Kelk)
SAILOR MOON (David Damerell, Scott
Delahunt, and Rob Kelk)
SLAYERS (Rob Kelk)
TENCHI MUYO: MIHOSHI SPECIAL (Rob Kelk)
Other Changes This Month:
* Another website added to "Other Recommendations".
* Entry for BOTTLE FAIRY renamed to BOTTLE FAIRIES, an error of fact
in that entry corrected, and weblinks to official sites added to that
entry.
* Some availability information updated in various other entries.
* Additional alternate titles added and cross-referenced to the
appropriate writeups.
* "The List Maintainer's Current Favourites" has been updated.
* The entire Primer has been run through a spelling checker.
------------------------------
Subject: 1. Table of Contents
1. Table of Contents
2. Credits and Legal Notes
3. How to Find Anime
4. Why would an anime not be on this list?
5. Other Recommendations
6. The List Maintainer's Current Favourites
7. Capsule Descriptions of Anime
------------------------------
Subject: 2. Credits and Legal Notes
This is a monthly posting intended for those who are new to anime, and
looking for some suggestions of what to watch next. This article can
be freely distributed for non-commercial use, as long as all credits
and notices remain intact. If this is used in any publication,
including APAs & CD-Rom Collections, copies must be sent to:
Steve Pearl
PO Box 11044
New Brunswick, NJ 08906-1044
USA
and
Rob Kelk
(contact FAQ maintainer for address)
Please send all additions/corrections/comments to Rob Kelk.
Contributors to this FAQ:
Past Maintainers:
Bruce Carlson Steve Pearl
Current Maintainer:
Rob Kelk <robkelk -at- jksrv -dot- com>
Writers:
Anthony D. Baranyi Rob Maxwell
Gerardo Campos Chris Meadows
Ben Cantrick Chris "Blade" McNeil
Robin Casady Dave Menard
Anand Chelian Karl Merris
David Damerell Hanno Mueller
Scott Delahunt Mark L. Neidengard
Scott Fujimoto Kyle Thomas Pope
Shawn Granger David Simmons
Bruce Grubb Charlie Smith
Arthur Hansen Robert "Nojay" Sneddon
Jeanne Hedge Andrew V. Tupkalo
Andrew Hollingbury Terrence Walker
Matt "Kosher Pickle" Huber David Watson
Brad Jackson D.Eric Wilson
Derek Janssen "Akodo Bob"
Chris "Chika" Johnson "Antaeus Feldspar"
Rob Kelk "Hana no Kaitou"
Cathy Krusberg "KireiSarah"
Paul Lepant "MimiE"
Ray Li "Royal Orange"
Michael Lo "Shez"
D B Malmquist "Slithy Tove"
Bill Martin "Sultan Of Swing"
Christopher Mattiuz
Nicholas A. "QuestionMark" Jalowick
Catherine "Fish Eye no Miko" Johnson
If there is no credit given for an entry, then it was inherited from
the original "Anime Primer" maintained by Bruce Carlson & Steve Pearl.
Most (if not all) of the company names mentioned in this document are
trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective companies. No
challenge to their trademark status is intended by their mention in this
document.
------------------------------
Subject: 3. How to Find Anime
Anime programs come in three flavors: TV shows, Movies, and Original
Animation Video (OAV or OVA - what North American studios call "direct
to video"). In general, movies have the best animation quality, while
TV shows use less motion, and OAVs vary widely between those. Also,
newer shows tend to have better animation than older shows do, since
the state of the art has advanced. But animation quality is rarely an
indicator of how good an anime is.
The vast majority of Japanese animation is only available in Japanese,
of course. Sturgeon's Law ("90% of *everything* is crap") also
applies to anime, so the professionals and fans translating anime into
English tend to work with the 10% that isn't.
Professionally-translated anime can often be found at large video
stores and comic book shops (brick-and-mortar or online). Sometimes,
they are also available for individual purchase directly from the
translation company. Secondhand copies of anime can also be found for
sale on the <news:rec.arts.anime.marketplace> newsgroup.
Fan-subtitled items were historically available as tape-to-tape copies
from clubs (see below), individuals, and other volunteer distributors.
Nowadays they are usually found online via the various file-sharing
peer-to-peer systems in formats designed either for viewing directly
on computer screens or for transfer to CD for playing in VCD players.
Since fansubs are "derivative works", they are technically illegal in
most countries (so don't get fansubs if you don't want to break the
law), but this is largely ignored by the copyright holders as long as
nobody makes a profit and anime that have been professionally
translated aren't also fan-subtitled. It is beyond the scope of this
document to describe how to obtain fansubs - please ask on the
<news:rec.arts.anime.fandom> newsgroup for assistance.
(There are still some fansub distributors who advertise tapes or VCDs
on the World-Wide Web. Be warned, though, that many of these people
are taking advantage of other fans' goodwill by selling tapes or CDs
at a profit. Worse yet, there are now many people who are selling
fansubs for a profit on eBay and other online auction services. You
shouldn't pay more for a fansub than you would pay for the blank tape
or blank CD, plus postage. Also, some less-scrupulous fansub
distributors sell fan-subtitled copies of anime that have also been
translated professionally. The best defence against being caught by
one of these distributors is to know what shows have been
professionally translated. Read the Grand High License List at
<http://www.animeondvd.com/licenselist/>, then ask on
<news:rec.arts.anime.misc> if you still aren't sure.)
Most cities of even moderate size have an anime club somewhere. They
probably meet periodically and view the latest stuff, and many have a
decent video library. A good way to find your local club is to ask at
the local stores that sell anime, or to post a question in the
rec.arts.anime.fandom newsgroup if your town doesn't have an anime
store.
Many science fiction conventions have an anime program in a room
someplace these days. An anime convention is probably the best way to
sample *large* amounts of anime at once (if you can tear yourself
away from the Guests, panels, and other activities to actually watch
the stuff).
------------------------------
Subject: 4. Why would an anime not be on this list?
You may have seen an anime that you liked, but isn't on this list.
That doesn't mean your taste in anime is bad!
First, this is not a comprehensive list of anime titles, or even a
list of all good anime. It it simply a list of shows that people on
the anime newsgroups like enough to review and recommend to others.
Please keep in mind that tastes vary, and not everyone will think that
every anime on this list is good. (You could ask twenty different
anime fans what the best anime are, and you'll get twenty different
replies.) But we hope that this list will help you find something
*you* think is good.
Also, if the anime you saw and liked has erotic or pornographic
content, it shouldn't be listed here. Listings for this type of anime
can be found in "The Anime Hentai Primer", a companion to this
posting. The list maintainer chose to split the list so that this
list could be given to people who should not, or do not wish to, watch
erotic or pornographic animation.
If the anime you saw and liked isn't included in either Primer, it's
quite possible that we simply haven't seen it yet. If you think we
should add a capsule description of a title not on this list, please
write the description and send it to Rob Kelk.
<robkelk -at- jksrv -dot- com>
Should you decide to write a capsule description of a good anime
title, please also mention who translated the anime. This is
especially important when the show is only available fansubbed!
(Commercially-translated anime can be purchased in specialty shops,
but fansubs are only available from people within the anime fan
community. Knowing who translated a show often helps other anime fans
find the translations.)
The list maintainer makes a habit of acknowledging all Primer entries
received, either through e-mail or by posting to the newsgroup
<news:rec.arts.anime.fandom>. If you do not receive a reply to your
submission after a week, then it probably was not received and you
should re-submit your entry.
------------------------------
Subject: 5. Other Recommendations
Most of these descriptions are sparse, but we can't really offer more
in Usenet posts! However, there are places on the World-Wide Web that
offer more in-depth reviews, including reviews of shows that aren't as
good as these are.
Gilles Poitras, author of "The Anime Companion" and "Anime
Essentials", has a page of recommendations on his website. He also
has pages of recommendations for manga and books about anime.
<http://www.koyagi.com/recommended.html>
Andrew Shelton is building the "Anime Meta-Review" site, which lists
roughly three times as many titles as this FAQ does. He also reviews
shows that he *doesn't* recommend, which may be of interest to some
people.
<http://amr.nextstudio.net/>
The Anime News Network maintains an online encyclopedia listing almost
every anime title in existance, with user-submitted ratings of most of
the shows.
<http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php>
------------------------------
Subject: 6. The List Maintainer's Current Favourites
It's come to my attention that the Anime Primer, while useful, is
simply too large to act as an introduction to all anime available now.
Also, there are some people on <news:rec.arts.anime.misc> who have
expressed an interest in knowing what other fans are watching.
This is a list of my top twenty favourite anime titles as of the last
time I updated this list. (That would be 30 August 2004.) The list
is subject to change on my whim - it's a list of my favourites, after
all, not a list of what's acknowledged as "good". In fact, some titles
here don't yet have entries in the Anime Primer. The North American
translation companies that have released these shows are listed so
that you can more easily find the anime.
Taking a riff from David Letterman ... From the home office in
Ottawa, here's Rob Kelk's Top Twenty Favourite Anime:
20: KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE (Disney)
19: SUPER GALS! (ADV)
18: OUTLAW STAR (Bandai)
17: AZUMANGA DAIOH (ADV)
16: BUBBLEGUM CRISIS (AnimEigo)
15: NAUSICAA OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND (licenced by Disney)
14: EL HAZARD (Geneon)
13: REVOLUTIONARY GIRL UTENA (CPM)
12: MAGIC USERS CLUB (Anime Works)
11: ANGELIC LAYER (ADV)
10: READ OR DIE (Manga)
9: MARTIAN SUCCESSOR NADESICO (ADV)
8: SABER MARIONETTE J (Bandai)
7: PRINCESS NINE (ADV)
6: KALEIDO STAR (ADV)
5: PRINCESS TUTU (licenced by ADV)
4: NADIA (ADV)
3: FIGURE 17 (Anime Works)
2: CARD CAPTOR SAKURA (Geneon)
1: YOU'RE UNDER ARREST (AnimEigo, ADV)
------------------------------
(continued in Part 2)
--
Rob Kelk My e-mail address is at <http://robkelk.ottawa-anime.org/>
If you're reading this through Google Groups, you're not getting the
complete picture. See <news:news.admin.net-abuse.policy> for more.
(My regular sigfile will return later.)
Posting-frequency: monthly, on the 1st
Last-modified: Thu 30 Sep 2004
The Anime Primer
or
WHAT ANIME SHOULD I WATCH NOW?
Usenet edition
Edited by Rob Kelk
Based on the work of Bruce Carlson & Steve Pearl
30 September 2004
************************************************** **************
This document is always undergoing revision.
New entries are needed and should be sent to Rob Kelk.
************************************************** **************
This is intended for English-speaking fans who are new to anime, and
looking for some suggestions of what to watch next. While this list
concentrates on North American releases of anime, there is some
information about the availability of translated anime in other parts
of the world mentioned as well.
New Writeups This Month:
ANGELIC LAYER (Bill Martin)
OMISHI MAGICAL THEATER: RISKY SAFETY (Rob Kelk)
PRINCESS MONONOKE (Rob Kelk)
RUNE SOLDIER (Bill Martin)
SPIRITED AWAY (Rob Kelk)
Heavily Revised Writeups This Month:
AKIRA (Chika)
BUBBLEGUM CRISIS (Chika)
GUNBUSTER (Chika)
NAUSICAA OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND (Rob Kelk)
SAILOR MOON (David Damerell, Scott
Delahunt, and Rob Kelk)
SLAYERS (Rob Kelk)
TENCHI MUYO: MIHOSHI SPECIAL (Rob Kelk)
Other Changes This Month:
* Another website added to "Other Recommendations".
* Entry for BOTTLE FAIRY renamed to BOTTLE FAIRIES, an error of fact
in that entry corrected, and weblinks to official sites added to that
entry.
* Some availability information updated in various other entries.
* Additional alternate titles added and cross-referenced to the
appropriate writeups.
* "The List Maintainer's Current Favourites" has been updated.
* The entire Primer has been run through a spelling checker.
------------------------------
Subject: 1. Table of Contents
1. Table of Contents
2. Credits and Legal Notes
3. How to Find Anime
4. Why would an anime not be on this list?
5. Other Recommendations
6. The List Maintainer's Current Favourites
7. Capsule Descriptions of Anime
------------------------------
Subject: 2. Credits and Legal Notes
This is a monthly posting intended for those who are new to anime, and
looking for some suggestions of what to watch next. This article can
be freely distributed for non-commercial use, as long as all credits
and notices remain intact. If this is used in any publication,
including APAs & CD-Rom Collections, copies must be sent to:
Steve Pearl
PO Box 11044
New Brunswick, NJ 08906-1044
USA
and
Rob Kelk
(contact FAQ maintainer for address)
Please send all additions/corrections/comments to Rob Kelk.
Contributors to this FAQ:
Past Maintainers:
Bruce Carlson Steve Pearl
Current Maintainer:
Rob Kelk <robkelk -at- jksrv -dot- com>
Writers:
Anthony D. Baranyi Rob Maxwell
Gerardo Campos Chris Meadows
Ben Cantrick Chris "Blade" McNeil
Robin Casady Dave Menard
Anand Chelian Karl Merris
David Damerell Hanno Mueller
Scott Delahunt Mark L. Neidengard
Scott Fujimoto Kyle Thomas Pope
Shawn Granger David Simmons
Bruce Grubb Charlie Smith
Arthur Hansen Robert "Nojay" Sneddon
Jeanne Hedge Andrew V. Tupkalo
Andrew Hollingbury Terrence Walker
Matt "Kosher Pickle" Huber David Watson
Brad Jackson D.Eric Wilson
Derek Janssen "Akodo Bob"
Chris "Chika" Johnson "Antaeus Feldspar"
Rob Kelk "Hana no Kaitou"
Cathy Krusberg "KireiSarah"
Paul Lepant "MimiE"
Ray Li "Royal Orange"
Michael Lo "Shez"
D B Malmquist "Slithy Tove"
Bill Martin "Sultan Of Swing"
Christopher Mattiuz
Nicholas A. "QuestionMark" Jalowick
Catherine "Fish Eye no Miko" Johnson
If there is no credit given for an entry, then it was inherited from
the original "Anime Primer" maintained by Bruce Carlson & Steve Pearl.
Most (if not all) of the company names mentioned in this document are
trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective companies. No
challenge to their trademark status is intended by their mention in this
document.
------------------------------
Subject: 3. How to Find Anime
Anime programs come in three flavors: TV shows, Movies, and Original
Animation Video (OAV or OVA - what North American studios call "direct
to video"). In general, movies have the best animation quality, while
TV shows use less motion, and OAVs vary widely between those. Also,
newer shows tend to have better animation than older shows do, since
the state of the art has advanced. But animation quality is rarely an
indicator of how good an anime is.
The vast majority of Japanese animation is only available in Japanese,
of course. Sturgeon's Law ("90% of *everything* is crap") also
applies to anime, so the professionals and fans translating anime into
English tend to work with the 10% that isn't.
Professionally-translated anime can often be found at large video
stores and comic book shops (brick-and-mortar or online). Sometimes,
they are also available for individual purchase directly from the
translation company. Secondhand copies of anime can also be found for
sale on the <news:rec.arts.anime.marketplace> newsgroup.
Fan-subtitled items were historically available as tape-to-tape copies
from clubs (see below), individuals, and other volunteer distributors.
Nowadays they are usually found online via the various file-sharing
peer-to-peer systems in formats designed either for viewing directly
on computer screens or for transfer to CD for playing in VCD players.
Since fansubs are "derivative works", they are technically illegal in
most countries (so don't get fansubs if you don't want to break the
law), but this is largely ignored by the copyright holders as long as
nobody makes a profit and anime that have been professionally
translated aren't also fan-subtitled. It is beyond the scope of this
document to describe how to obtain fansubs - please ask on the
<news:rec.arts.anime.fandom> newsgroup for assistance.
(There are still some fansub distributors who advertise tapes or VCDs
on the World-Wide Web. Be warned, though, that many of these people
are taking advantage of other fans' goodwill by selling tapes or CDs
at a profit. Worse yet, there are now many people who are selling
fansubs for a profit on eBay and other online auction services. You
shouldn't pay more for a fansub than you would pay for the blank tape
or blank CD, plus postage. Also, some less-scrupulous fansub
distributors sell fan-subtitled copies of anime that have also been
translated professionally. The best defence against being caught by
one of these distributors is to know what shows have been
professionally translated. Read the Grand High License List at
<http://www.animeondvd.com/licenselist/>, then ask on
<news:rec.arts.anime.misc> if you still aren't sure.)
Most cities of even moderate size have an anime club somewhere. They
probably meet periodically and view the latest stuff, and many have a
decent video library. A good way to find your local club is to ask at
the local stores that sell anime, or to post a question in the
rec.arts.anime.fandom newsgroup if your town doesn't have an anime
store.
Many science fiction conventions have an anime program in a room
someplace these days. An anime convention is probably the best way to
sample *large* amounts of anime at once (if you can tear yourself
away from the Guests, panels, and other activities to actually watch
the stuff).
------------------------------
Subject: 4. Why would an anime not be on this list?
You may have seen an anime that you liked, but isn't on this list.
That doesn't mean your taste in anime is bad!
First, this is not a comprehensive list of anime titles, or even a
list of all good anime. It it simply a list of shows that people on
the anime newsgroups like enough to review and recommend to others.
Please keep in mind that tastes vary, and not everyone will think that
every anime on this list is good. (You could ask twenty different
anime fans what the best anime are, and you'll get twenty different
replies.) But we hope that this list will help you find something
*you* think is good.
Also, if the anime you saw and liked has erotic or pornographic
content, it shouldn't be listed here. Listings for this type of anime
can be found in "The Anime Hentai Primer", a companion to this
posting. The list maintainer chose to split the list so that this
list could be given to people who should not, or do not wish to, watch
erotic or pornographic animation.
If the anime you saw and liked isn't included in either Primer, it's
quite possible that we simply haven't seen it yet. If you think we
should add a capsule description of a title not on this list, please
write the description and send it to Rob Kelk.
<robkelk -at- jksrv -dot- com>
Should you decide to write a capsule description of a good anime
title, please also mention who translated the anime. This is
especially important when the show is only available fansubbed!
(Commercially-translated anime can be purchased in specialty shops,
but fansubs are only available from people within the anime fan
community. Knowing who translated a show often helps other anime fans
find the translations.)
The list maintainer makes a habit of acknowledging all Primer entries
received, either through e-mail or by posting to the newsgroup
<news:rec.arts.anime.fandom>. If you do not receive a reply to your
submission after a week, then it probably was not received and you
should re-submit your entry.
------------------------------
Subject: 5. Other Recommendations
Most of these descriptions are sparse, but we can't really offer more
in Usenet posts! However, there are places on the World-Wide Web that
offer more in-depth reviews, including reviews of shows that aren't as
good as these are.
Gilles Poitras, author of "The Anime Companion" and "Anime
Essentials", has a page of recommendations on his website. He also
has pages of recommendations for manga and books about anime.
<http://www.koyagi.com/recommended.html>
Andrew Shelton is building the "Anime Meta-Review" site, which lists
roughly three times as many titles as this FAQ does. He also reviews
shows that he *doesn't* recommend, which may be of interest to some
people.
<http://amr.nextstudio.net/>
The Anime News Network maintains an online encyclopedia listing almost
every anime title in existance, with user-submitted ratings of most of
the shows.
<http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php>
------------------------------
Subject: 6. The List Maintainer's Current Favourites
It's come to my attention that the Anime Primer, while useful, is
simply too large to act as an introduction to all anime available now.
Also, there are some people on <news:rec.arts.anime.misc> who have
expressed an interest in knowing what other fans are watching.
This is a list of my top twenty favourite anime titles as of the last
time I updated this list. (That would be 30 August 2004.) The list
is subject to change on my whim - it's a list of my favourites, after
all, not a list of what's acknowledged as "good". In fact, some titles
here don't yet have entries in the Anime Primer. The North American
translation companies that have released these shows are listed so
that you can more easily find the anime.
Taking a riff from David Letterman ... From the home office in
Ottawa, here's Rob Kelk's Top Twenty Favourite Anime:
20: KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE (Disney)
19: SUPER GALS! (ADV)
18: OUTLAW STAR (Bandai)
17: AZUMANGA DAIOH (ADV)
16: BUBBLEGUM CRISIS (AnimEigo)
15: NAUSICAA OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND (licenced by Disney)
14: EL HAZARD (Geneon)
13: REVOLUTIONARY GIRL UTENA (CPM)
12: MAGIC USERS CLUB (Anime Works)
11: ANGELIC LAYER (ADV)
10: READ OR DIE (Manga)
9: MARTIAN SUCCESSOR NADESICO (ADV)
8: SABER MARIONETTE J (Bandai)
7: PRINCESS NINE (ADV)
6: KALEIDO STAR (ADV)
5: PRINCESS TUTU (licenced by ADV)
4: NADIA (ADV)
3: FIGURE 17 (Anime Works)
2: CARD CAPTOR SAKURA (Geneon)
1: YOU'RE UNDER ARREST (AnimEigo, ADV)
------------------------------
(continued in Part 2)
--
Rob Kelk My e-mail address is at <http://robkelk.ottawa-anime.org/>
If you're reading this through Google Groups, you're not getting the
complete picture. See <news:news.admin.net-abuse.policy> for more.
(My regular sigfile will return later.)