Forum - View topicEpic animes?
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pingo
 Posts: 47 |
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I have been looking like a mad man for anime that can be considered epic...
You know stuff like Berserk, Mononoke-Hime and Kenshin OVAs! I have tried to find other animes that would give the same sense of feeling.. Yet I have not found anything. I have found other good stuff, but not like these above. Any suggestions? I thought about trying some of the hayao movies like vally of the wind, but they look more like children movies. I really like action and think that brutality and violence can help a great deal to make it emotional and moving. often when the subject is about the depressing end of all things. Like berserk.. I really want some of does anime that really makes you cry and feel bad for days:-D stuff like Ninja scroll and gungrave was awesome, but more for the action. When i saw Mononoke I was just in awe because everything was so cool, and it was actually a movie that really touched me and felt strange with its animals god. It sounds like some stupid childrens story but it really works. It was the same with kenshin. I had watched some of the episodes of the comedy like TV series and was not into that at all, but when I saw the OVAs(I loved 1 to 4 the most) I was just blown away. It was fedual japan presented so well that it was worthy of Akira Kurosawas best. Very tragic.... To me Cowboy bebop was like that well. For some reason I got attached to the characters which was strange because the plot in the series was mostly about the faye <-> Spike trashtalking and about the crew getting food or trying to get wolong sfor ship repairs. But it just moved me. I thought Samurai champloo was just as entertaining and funny but it was not as sad(to me at least). I barely remember the plot now, except for a few one-liners. The end to bebop still crings very clear in my mindO_O Otogi Zoshi I thought was cool. Cool animation and very dark fedual japanish feel. Gungrave I liked a lot too. It had that epic feel, but maybe it went to overboard at some point with the crazy mutant stuff. Another anime... or actually its a Korean animation called wonderful days(or sky blue some places) I thought was amazing. Visually more beautiful than FF7: AC(which I liked) and appleseed, but had a weak story. Though it was one of does animations that was worth seeing simply because of the images and incredible larger than life score. Having looked back on it now, it's really the emotional animes that still are in my mind. Does soulless ones that was just mere filler or fast entertainment I have almost forgotten. So I have really been trying to find does epic. And I have tried so many I simply couldnt get into and appreciate. Its not that they are bad, im simply afraid I am beginning to dismiss anything that does not remotely touches me. Examples of animes I have tried to get into but couldnt; Flame of recca Fullmetal alchemist hellsing GITS: Stand alone complex steamboy wolfs rain jin-roh trigun bleach elfen lied gantz tenjou tenge neon genesis Evangelion appleseed and more... I know many of them are very much loved, and im sure they are. I have simply just not been able to enjoy them. sigh... I love epics. Stuff like lord of the rings, gladiator, akira kurosawa films, hero, crouching tiger, hidden dragon and house of flying daggers are some of my favorite films. Based on this do you think you could recommend me anything along the same lines as Berserk, Mononoke-Hime and Kenshin OVAs? I have been looking a little on twelve kingdoms but I heard it was very slow and hard to get into. Japanese and chinese mythology and history seems so under rated IMO. I really dig it a lot. I wish they would make animes with that theme like in Kenshin. Or does old tales and legends like in mononoke. |
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menshi
Posts: 17 |
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~Not sure if you've seen it but I'd say G.T.O *Great Teacher Onizuka* is a must see not quite an epic sort of different but get really attached to the characters and emotional in some points.
I would stay away from Twelve Kingdoms I never really got into it but guess you can try just found the main character always whining and feeling sorry for herself annoying think I made it to episode 25ish before dropping it. |
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Zalis116
Moderator
 Posts: 6921 Location: Kazune City |
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This was a better post than I was expecting, no offense. So you want dark, violent, feudal-era depressing anime. . .boy, these standards are pretty stringent, if famed violent shows like Elfen Lied and Gantz didn't make the cut.
I don't know if I can find too many set in the days of yore, though one might be Mermaid's Forest -- it's a horror-esque anime about death and immortality by the creator of Inuyasha. I haven't seen it yet, so check the reviews on ANN. Fushigi Yuugi is also stepped in more or less Chinese history/magic/tradition, but you seem to go for the "male" side of the action genre, and FY is definitely on the "female" side of things, seeing as how the manga was written by one of the top shoujo mangaka. Still, it has a fair amount of violence/killing (wait for the very end of the 1st season & the middle of the second season), and it is "epic," 52 episodes + 13 OVAs. Quite sad, if you can get into it. Neon Genesis Evangelion and RahXephon do both deal with "the end of everything," though you'll have to stick it out to the end of the series, or in the case of Eva, the movie. I prefer Eva. Probably, the clearest example of action/violence/death/end of everything anime that I have seen all of is Texhnolyze. It's not feudal Japan at all (rather, a futuristic/dystopic underground city), but lots of violence, lots of very creative killing, big philosophical plot like Berserk, and an ending that is "teh end" and not cheerful at all. (I'd put that in spoilers, but come on, anyone who watches/hears about Texhnolyze knows that it's not going to turn out well. It is inevitable.) It is kind of slow-paced, but at 22 episodes, there's not as much extra material to deal with as longer anime. Wish I could be more help, but most of my top tearjerker anime are girly/drama/romance shows like Air/KgNE/Fruits Basket/Kanon/Angelic Layer*--though one entry in this category, SaiKano, does have some violence and an apocalyptic war scenario--you'll just have to grin and bear it through the romance 
*Note, this short list serves as a contrastive example between my preferences and those of the OP -- I gave decent explanations for my actual recommendations, right? |
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PantsGoblin
 SubscriberEncyclopedia Editor  Posts: 2969 Location: L.A. |
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NO, YOU SHALL BE BANNED FROM ANN FOREVER!!!  ... j/k
Damn, this one's a bit difficult, all of the best epic action series I know of you've already seen and rejected. Well, I'll just have to second FY. Ya, a story about a typical Japanese girl who accidently goes into a book whose story is set in ancient China, and falls in love with a guy and a bunch of other stuff happens like with those mystical birds and people with magical powers and junk. I've only seen the first half of the series but it seems to be more along the lines of what you're looking for. Mythology, action, epic adventure type stuff, romance, sadness... except it was aimed at girls. Well, I still enjoyed what I saw despite that, so maybe you'll like it. |
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pingo
Posts: 47 |
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I feel like a retard...
All In all I just want a tearjacker:P but one that has violance. Im sorry mates but stuff like tentacle high and girls with big eyes and cat ears is simply not something I can cry over. And Mechs...... Im simply not sure guys. I tried to like samurai7 and it was alright, but it was limited on the emotional side. Im not just a big fan of mechs I think. I have been suggested to try Air, but again it does not look like it would be something for me. Its not that does I listed were bad. Jin-Roh was really mean.. that was just down right depressing and IMO the hole definition of what "betrayel" is. Still im looking.. I keep going back to mononoke and looking at it. It just feels so larger than life. so awesome story, cool characters, a little bit of non clichee romance, downright amazing soundtrack and good animations. Its just one of does movies that has something for everyone. There has to be more like that out there... it does not have to be fedual japan I guess. Cowboy bebop also did it for me. But I really think that was more of a strange exception. I really liked Akira too, but then again it was not anything emotional. I think grave of the firelies was. But I didn't cried or anything. I felt bad for the kid, but was mostly impressed with the animation. And the beginning. It was really a cool sense of fear the animators created when the bombs dropped in the opening scene. You could hear it but it didn't hit... you just waited and waited and builded this cinematic genius. _________ Dont get me wrong guys - violence and gore for the sake of it is not cool. But in berserk I felt it had a place. The way Gatsu was just teared up while crying.. that was truly heartbreaking IMO. |
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PantsGoblin
Subscriber Encyclopedia Editor Posts: 2969 Location: L.A. |
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Well if you just want one that's violent and is a tearjerker you can try Now and Then, Here and There. I don't know if it's exactly what you're looking for though. I mean it's very violent, but the violence itself is what makes the story so sad. It really shows what heartless monsters people can become because of war. So it's not really showing violence in a cool way, it shows how horrible it could be. It's definately a tearjerker though. |
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pingo
Posts: 47 |
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looks cool! Ill check it out:) what about fighting spirit? that boxing anime... boxing is not my thing but I heard it was kind of good and sad:D? I recently watched million dollar baby and I thought it was very sad:'( |
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darkhunter
 Posts: 2992 Location: Los Angelas |
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Well there are a lot of dorky anime fans out there that isn't into sports, but love sport anime because the sport's action are usually exaggerated and unrealistic.  What I mean is if you really like a sport, you might hate the anime even more it portray the sports poorly.
Just check out Fighting Spirit, it's a pretty decent shonen boxing manga. What it has going for it is the dramatic action sequence and underdog story that people love. Rocky is a good example, America loves Rocky for its character and exciting fighting, but not everyone like real life boxing. It's very hard to dislike Fighting Spirit even if you hate boxing, the story, character and pacing are done so well. There really isn't a lot of anime I would call epic. Judging by ANN and Animenfo's list, "most" people would consider the Kenshin OVA the apex of anime. While there arn't many title that rivals Kenshin in anime form, I know 2 manga that are definitely equal or better than the Kenshin OVA. Two epic: Blade of the Immortal & Vagabond But manga isn't for everyone though, it require a lot more imagination, discipline and patience. If have an open mind, they're well worth it. But if you're anti-manga, Fighting Spirit is your next best bet. You like Otogi Zoshi, you might as well check out Samurai 7 too. Last edited by darkhunter on Wed Dec 07, 2005 6:26 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Guilhem
 Posts: 181 |
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Though I'm not an expert about medieval stories, I could recommend you Record of Lodoss War: even if a bit archetypal for an heroic-fantasy setting, it's often considered as a classic and a rather interesting one IMO
Otherwise, in a more Science-Fiction trend, I'd recommend Now and Then, Here and There whose violence is never gratuitous but the emotional content is definitely here Still in the Science-fiction genre, Blue Gender definitely has this 'end of the world' feeling you look for. Be aware there's some mechas in this story, though not as much 'present' than in Evangelion or Raxhephon at least not in the same 'way' In a similar vein, almost all Gundam shows are very 'epic' especially Gundam X because it's a post-apocalyptic setting or the 'classic' Zeta Gundam though it requires that you see First Gundam before (either the TV series or the Movie Trilogy...), on the other hand Victory Gundam works as a stand-alone and I really prefer this one to Zeta personnally. From the same director, Brain Powerd can be recommended: some rumors say that it's the answer of Yoshiyuki Tomino to Evangelion and personnally I really think he did a far better job both in terms of plot and characters, animation being not as much interesting though The movie A Wind named Amnesia depicts an unusual 'end of the world' where all humans suddenly lost all their memories. Original and rather good but not exactly emotional... Rhea Gall Force or Gall Force: The Earth Chapter is rather similar to Terminator as far as setting is concerned: mankind fights against mad machines which want to dominate the remnants of the world destroyed by a nuclear war. You may want to see Gall Force: Eternal Story and its two sequels before though, but these ones are not really epic despite the heavy interstellar war theme Grey: Digital Target is interesting even if not really original strictly speaking. Dominated by a mad computer, people participates to some sort of war game to reach a highest level of citizenship: lots of action but rather simple plot and character relationships. The manga version is more developped and longer Last Exile is definitively epic with its giant battles between huge airships. The overall setting is rather original and very interesting visuals-wise: think about some cross between Dune and the average steampunk because of the late XIXth century technology looks. Plot looks simple at first sight but its narration isn't, chess playing a great role into this story. The realtionships between characters are rather interesting aswell... Legend of the Galactic Heroes could be considered as THE epic Science-Fiction anime with its grand-scale space battles inspired from real wars. Plot mix politics, schemes and coup d'etats with some great action scenes and an interesting 'democracy versus monarchy' debate. The only weak point of this show is the animation quality IMO, and the fact that it's 110 episodes long... for the first season
Super Dimensional Fortres Macross is somewhat epic but focus more onto the love story between the 3 main characters. The threat onto mankind, and particularly the main characters, risking to be anihilated at every moment is omnipresent though. Be aware there's mechas in there. Oh, and it's a classic of animes aswell... From your post, I assume you saw Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind: I stronly recommend you to check out the manga. It's far much more developped and interesting than the movie Finally, I'd recommend Vision of Escaflowne. I've seen it recently and I enjoyed it as one of the best animes I ever saw. There's mechas in there aswell but they're more 'magical' beings than pure war machines. Overall setting is very reminiscent of the traditional faery tales, and particularly Lord Dunsanny's stories, but modernized in a very interesting way, as much in terms of plot and characters as in terms of visuals and sounds (music is by Yoko Kanno by the way, the same compositor than for Cow-Boy Be-Boop IIRC) 'Hope you'll find something which suits you into this post 
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Amun-Ra
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You should definately check out King of Bandit, Jing. Phenomenal series. Only 13 episodes + 3 OVAs but its outstanding. Hopefully we will have a new season soon. ;D
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Van_Helsing
Posts: 16 Location: Paris, France |
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You are wrong, Kaze no Tani no Nausicaä is a very good movie, and I view it as the best Miyazaki movie. But Miyazaki movies are not for children only, they can be watched of all all age. And if you like the epic, I advise you the manga 3x3 Eyes...
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SilverChisai
 Posts: 7 Location: Crown Point Indiana |
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I not sure of an epic anime series but in movie wise Akira is by far an epic. It's one of those movies that very complex and really for some is quiet hard to follow but once explained it makes you think. I remember when I first watched it all I could say was " Wow." just wow...it's just so startling, but so- just plain awesome.
<3 Lynn-San |
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remember love
 Posts: 764 Location: Germany |
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And not a very long storyline. The story is rather basic and to my opinion doesn't draw you in. I like it because of the animation and the originality to it. But storyline wise very easy to comprehend but to my opinion too short and leaves the ending to open. |
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Iemander
 Posts: 443 |
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Well I don't really get the complaints about 12 Kingdoms in this thread.
12 kingdoms is no more slower paced or less action filled than the Lord of the Rings movie adaptions are. Just like LOTR, battles are far from each other and most of the story concentrates on mood, turbulences within Kingdoms, dissaproval between races, the uprising of new heroes and history/information about the land. And though the scope and circumstances of the battles are less "epic" than those found in LOTR (Though still very epic by Anime standards, Anime in general seems to favor duels between hero/villain which does not happen here), they are excellently animated, and the sweetest looking of all. Another thing that 12 kingdoms has in common with LOTR and which pretty much summerizes what both are about is the scope, 12 kingdoms is great at giving you the impression that there's more out there than just "this village" or "this handfull of lead characters", you get to see how other Kingdoms work and how they rival or compare to each other. There are three things that set LOTR and 12 Kingdoms apart however. For one it's how 12 kingdoms still has a foot in reality, Youko and his friends came from Japan although it becomes much less important by the end of the series. Second, the setting is completely different. Although a little unfair to say this about Tolkien in this day and age, but 12 Kingdoms is just much more original. Everything is different there, from how the land is divided, to how people interact with rulers (and the mysterious Kirin of course), to how people are born and what creatures roam the land. The setting is a welcome breeze to a genre filled with high fantasy. Third, there's no apparent great "evil" in 12 kingdoms, it's more about hunger for power, deceit, etc. That kind of thing, although by no means less "epic" in scope. To be truly honest, there's only one anime that would fit the bill of being "epic" and that is 12 Kingdoms. If you enjoyed LOTR for its pure fantasy and scope, 12 kingdoms just is the way to go. PS: Yes I know what you're thinking and yes, I am a 100% certified 12 Kingdoms fanboy. Last edited by Iemander on Wed Dec 07, 2005 7:36 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Alchemist449
 Posts: 341 Location: LED ZEPPELIN! nuf said |
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Monster (the best anime of 2004 and maybe 2005)
Stop reading here if it not having an American company to release it will be problem- It's the story of a doctor who saves a young boys life. Saving the kids life ,however, ruins his medical career. Fast foward a few years the doc (Kenzo Tenma) finds out the kid is a murderer. Tenma is framed for these murders and realizes that the boy he saved is really a Monster. This is a short summary of the first few episodes. If fansubs are an issue for you then wait until it's released here or buy the manga. |
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