It is a bit "old skool".

For me It would depend on the context in which it's said. It's much the same as "Russky" really - not neccesarily racist, but historically often used deragatorily.

i only mentioned it because some people might find it offensive. and we dont want to go down that road. on purpose or by mistake.


i dont like being a stickler for political correctness. but "Jap" in my mind has always been a derogatory expression. My grandfather who faught in the Pacific for 5 years against the Japanese used to say it from time to time and not mean it in a good way.

i wasnt saying anything bad about you Bremer. just saying we should try to do our best to get along with everyne here.

I agree about most of the anime steriotypes in character personification. Not all anime are the same, however they do tend to follow some sort of guideline as to how the storyboard goes along.

However, the anime that is my favorite was one released around 2005ish that I find is one of the best anime to date.

The name of it is Elfen Lied (or Elf's Song in German, pronounced Elfen Leed). I like it because it has quite a few elements in it - science fiction, action, drama, romance, and quite a few others. I find the artforms well for an anime, the characters and other things are drawn very well, and I like how the diclonius' vectors are rendered.

The music is VERY exquisite, I had the OST but I lost it. The opening is sung in the Latin language, it's called Lilium. The other pieces are orchestral in design but are more background types and are mainly playoffs of the main Lilium theme.

The anime centers around a fictious subrace of humans called Diclonius. The main character in the series is named Lucy, however she has an alter ego/persona named Nyuu when the sniperbullet in the first episode ricochets off her prison helmet. She then washes up on the shore where a boy named Kouta (also spelled Kohta as a varient maybe in the manga) finds her, at the time he's with his friend Yuka. Anyway he takes Nyuu back to his home.

There are quite a few discrepancies in the plot, however, which I find to be quite obvious to those who will watch/have watched the series.

Be warned, though. There is quite a lot of graphic violence, along with blood and gore. I happen to think it goes along well with the anime, however some people might find it a bit disturbing.

Lucy is the demonic type, but it's not without reason. All her life she was treated horribly simply because she was different in that she was a Diclonius. She grew up without friends, and was in an orphanage. Without giving away too much of the storyline, she was put in detainment for most of her early teen years, as she agreed to so her only best friend would be saved. She then breaks out (it starts out in Episode 1).

Kouta is the caring guy, and always tries to do the right thing. I can't say too much about him without revealing the storyline.

Yuka is his female friend and she's somewhat protective of him in that she doesn't like Nyuu much at first.

Nana is another Diclonius, but she's pretty much the opposite of Lucy's personality, in that she's very nice and will do anything for her 'father', and doesn't like killing people or using her powers without reason.


Overall, despite it's flaws I find this anime to be one of the closest to perfection an anime can reach. I'd HIGHLY recommend it to any anime fan, especially ones that like the darker scenarios.




Also another anime I really need to watch more of is called Rozen Maiden... I'll post some of that plot/review when I get around to watching more of it.

GTFO with your animes.

Lilium was performed especially for Elfen Lied and therefore is not a piece of music that was taken from an already source. You also forgot to mention the 'nudity' or so to speak and mild sexual undertones that the various characters give off, especially Lucy when she is in her multiple personality of 'Nyuu.' The romance factor however is from relatively weak to almost non-existent beyond an overused jealousy love triangle structure. However as with a lot of anime, the TV series is inconclusive to the plot line while the manga actually continues onwards. Elfen Lied was a cult favourite of mine.

Rozen Maiden or Reiner Ruben (not too sure) is about a hikikomori (social recluse while immersed in 'hobbies') who receives a doll which he buys online. Weird things happen, the doll is alive and Shinku (the doll) binds himself to her. Little does Jun know that the dolls were made by a Godlike figure which is referred to as 'Father' but were put into action to fight so that the victor will become Alice, the perfect daughter. Each doll possess a 'Rosa Mystica' a special force that gives them their powers and their life force. The first season is conclusive but the second season starts to annoy you a bit, especially the ending and the failure to explain some of Jun's traits.
Even though it sounds really bland or just extremely weird, the further you get into it, the more you will enjoy it. Definetely one of the cornerstones of Japanese Animation with a powerful story and great characters even though Shinku is another tsundere.

Right now I'm watching City Hunter, up to season 3 and a few movies. If Rozen Maiden was a cornerstone of anime, City Hunter is a parent to a lot of the overused themes running the show today. Damn this show really has me saving up for a .357 Colt Python. Its excellent for light viewing although there are always those heavy and integral episodes. I don't know what I've got lined up after this, got to wait until my Storyboards of the Girl Who Leapt Through Time to come in to do an analysis. I guess I've got Anne of Green Gables, The Mysterious City of Gold or Nadia: Secret of the Blue Water to watch but I always have trouble when choosing something to watch or a game to play because if I make use of it, I won't be able to do it again! Well, I guess if you watch it once, its pretty much gone and you got one less of the good stuff.

Oh well, edited. I apologize for any inconvenience caused.