thefourthvine: Two people fucking, rearview: sex is the universal fandom. (Default)
Keep Hoping Machine Running ([personal profile] thefourthvine) wrote2010-07-16 12:20 am

Recommending Canon: The Animated Edition

Okay. I have been threatening to do this for, oh, about three years, but the time is now. Largely because I keep seeing people squeeing about Avatar: The Last Airbender, and being simultaneously thrilled (someone loves my shiny!) and woestruck (they are not loving my shiny the way I love my shiny). The latter is a sign of internet insanity, and the cure is doing it my way, out in public, where everyone can see me and point and mock. (And in this case, the mockery is worth doing, because - yeah, totally unbalanced on this subject.) So, without further ado: three animated canons you should really watch. Right now.

Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Here is the thing. Everyone who squees about this talks about, like, the plot, and Aang and Zuko and Katara and Sokka and Uncle Iroh, and the world and the worldbuilding, and while they are right to do so - all those things are so awesome I basically cannot stand it, especially Uncle Iroh, who can be my uncle any time, I tell you what - they are also wrong, because they fail to mention the single most awesome thing about Avatar: The Last Airbender, which is:

Appa.

Appa is a six-legged flying bison, and he is wonderful, one of my favorite characters of all time anywhere. (This is, uh, not surprising. When BB had watched the first season of A:TLA, she decided it was time to try to get me to watch it. Normally this is an uphill battle, to say the least - I hate trying new TV shows. It's hard! It's scary! There could be - stuff! I suspect she sets aside six months for the persuasive conversations alone. But not with Avatar. It took one conversation:

BB: You will like it.
Me: Um. I don't know.
BB: There is a FLYING BISON. He is best friends with Aang. He is loyal and wonderful and true. Also huge and furry. His name is Appa, and you will love him.
Me: Can we watch it right now?)

I love Appa so much I forced [livejournal.com profile] cherryice to make a vid about him. I love Cherry, and I was really excited to win her in a Sweet Charity round, but I also knew we were about to have a painful conversation. See, I have been the winner more often than the person won, but I do know what that initial "Here's what I want!" email feels like from the other side. You're all tense, thinking, Oh god what if she wants something I can't do? What if she wants me to rec only Pride and Prejudice crossover AUs? What if she bid on me and thought she was bidding on calf's-foot jelly? Oh god I cannot possibly make calf's-foot jelly. Both of my winners were awesome, with awesome ideas, but the fear was still there until I actually knew what they wanted. And when I won Cherry I knew I was about to make all her fears come true. No one wants to do a vid about a bison. And normally I give people choices, because I do not want to make them wretched, but with Cherry, I just, you know, got carried away.

It went like this:

Me: APPA. APPA PLEASE. A VID ABOUT APPA.
Cherry: ...But I'm not sure there's enough footage.
Me: APPA.
Cherry: Well, you know, um. Maybe, maybe with the right song choice -
Me: PLEASE USE TAMACUN, WHICH HAS NO LYRICS OR ANYTHING TO HELP YOU OUT. I AM REALLY WEDDED TO THIS.
Cherry: It's a wonderful song! But. See. Um.
Me: PLEASE. APPA NEEDS YOU.
Cherry, bravely: I'll try.

And she did it, and it is fucking brilliant. So I can confidently say that Cherry, if you win her, will try just about anything, and succeed at it beyond your wildest dreams, and also she does not give up. She is worth your top charity donation currency unit of choice, people. Assuming I haven't scarred her for life and driven her out of the charity auction world forever.)

So, yeah, the world is fabulous, the plot is great, the characters are awesome, and all of that is true. But the real reason to watch this is that it has the best damn flying bison in the multiverse. And if you need more reason than that, I don't understand you at all.

Hikaru no Go

I remember the first time I heard of this Hikaru no Go thing. It was before I had heard of animemusicvideos.org, and I was new to vids, and really really really new to AMVs (as in, I don't think I had seen any before), and I somehow came upon [livejournal.com profile] obsessive24's Rivals. (Scroll down; it's under Hikaru no Go. And please note that because I was seriously vid-impaired when I first watched it, and I've now seen the canon and memorized basically every detail of it, I can't really say if this works as an intro vid.) Now, this was before I got vids at all, but Best Beloved was already the Vid Ninja, so our post-viewing conversation went like this:

Me: There's anime about Go? And, um. Who dressed the dark-haired guy? Because those clothes...
BB: I think I'd like to see that show.

(For the record, everyone who sees Hikaru no Go has at least a moment or two of wondering about Akira's clothes. They are worth pondering, let me just say.)

So I still had no clue, but then I got my hands on the scanlated volumes of the manga, and I remembered that BB had been interested, and we started reading them. The two of us spent the next few weeks mostly huddled around my laptop, not so much reading as breathing each page, squeaking or shrieking or crying as necessary. It was amazing. And then we got the anime. And it was also amazing.

It's also one of the slashiest canons I've ever read or seen. I can't even tell you how slashy it is. The whole thing, as BB has pointed out, borrows the structure of a classic romance novel, except instead of sex, there's Go. And, in all honesty, most of the later Hikaru/Akira Go sequences are more slashy than an actual sex scene would be. (If you're skeeved out because in the beginning the characters are all wee and cute, don't be: one of the great things about this series is that they grow up, visibly and noticeably, and by the end it does not seem at all inappropriate to be planning their eternal wedded happiness. During which they will probably break at least one Go set a week, but that's fine. That's just how they show their love.)

But here's the single biggest reason why you should read or watch Hikaru no Go: there are long sequences in which two people play Go, and that is all that happens, and it is amazing. You watch all tense and on the edge of your seat. You care deeply about each play (and this is even if you know nothing about the game at all). I'm quite serious.

I mean, sure, there are other reasons - Sai, Touya Meijin, the epic romance, the incredible plot that never misses a step, the secondary characters, Akira's wardrobe - but really you should just watch it so you can become profoundly invested in imaginary Go games.

Princess Tutu

I believe there are some people reading this who are interested in writing or storytelling or meta about stories. Could I get a show of hands? Okay, who out there is interested in fairytales? Or ballet? Mmm-hmmm. And ducks? Does anyone like ducks?

People, Princess Tutu is for you. Seriously: this thing could have been written for fan-fiction-writing fandom.

Princess Tutu is another canon I first learned about through a vid (on AMV.org and on YouTube), the justly famous Hold Me Now. (Seriously. It was a canon I didn't know set to a song with lyrics I couldn't understand, and I still watched the thing a million times. It's that good.) I didn't know entirely what was going on - there were ballet dancers? And there was a duck? And there were crows? And also sword fights and writing? But I knew this thing had to be awesome. And I was right.

Princess Tutu is anime that has faith in your intelligence. It doesn't just hand you all the answers, and you have to keep watching for a few episodes to get into it, and then suddenly you're so fucking into it and OMG on the edge of your seat and simultaneously thinking Deep Thoughts about Stories and really really concerned about a duck. (For everyone out there like me: the duck is fine. Repeat: the duck is fine.)

It also defies your expectations. In the commentary, one of the English voice actors talks about how shocked she was when she found out the entire plot. (I totally appreciated the expectation-defying, since the expectations it defied for me were largely ones I was happy not to see go through, but be warned that some people may have issues here. I am thinking specifically of the Amazon reviewer I saw, many years ago - sadly, her review is no longer with us - complaining about a character getting "the rear end treatment." For the record, there is no actual buttsex in this. Nor do I think anyone got metaphorically fucked in the ass. But, well. Obviously someone thought so, and Best Beloved and I have been referring to the rear end treatment ever since.)

And - look, you want a strong heroine? She's here. You want a male damsel in distress? He's here, and he's also, uh, passively kickass, which I think you will admit is a neat trick. You want a slash pairing? Indeed you can have one, my friend, and you can choose your flavor: boyslash or girlslash! You want character development and secrets revealed and characters you think one thing about and then you learn more and change your mind? It's all here! You want random talking animal characters? You've got them! You want to learn about ballet? YOU CAN HAS. This series is just so, so incredible. I can't tell you how much. Every time I meet a media fan who hasn't seen it, I cry a little.
twistedchick: watercolor painting of coffee cup on wood table (Default)

[personal profile] twistedchick 2010-07-16 02:42 pm (UTC)(link)
I am all about the shiny furry flying critters -- but now I want to see an Appa and Catbus crossover. Would they get along? What would the big Totoro think? Would Appa's friends get along with a cat that has mice for blinker lights?
azremodehar: Photo of me fiddling with the innards of my pocket watch. NO I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'M DOING. 8D (Default)

[personal profile] azremodehar 2010-07-17 03:43 am (UTC)(link)
...Catbus has balls.

<____<;;
petra: Barbara Gordon smiling knowingly (Default)

[personal profile] petra 2010-07-16 02:44 pm (UTC)(link)
My inner six year old girl is staring at the Princess Tutu vid, appalled that I have to do other things today instead of finding the whole run right now. What's being a grown up for if it's not watching lovely shows about ballerinas who kick ass, she wants to know, and I do not know what to tell her.
petra: Barbara Gordon smiling knowingly (Sam & Gene - Dominance Games)

[personal profile] petra 2010-07-16 05:01 pm (UTC)(link)
My brain has been pretty thoroughly stuck on Life on Mars for the last several weeks. Putting Princess Tutu in it is a serious case of "And now for something *completely* different." But--oh dear--SO CUTE.
petra: Barbara Gordon smiling knowingly (Annie Cartwright - Disappear/Reappear)

[personal profile] petra 2010-07-16 06:37 pm (UTC)(link)
I liked the second season just about as much as the first. Among other charms, it gives Annie more agency.

But hell, I love Ashes to Ashes, and I know any number of people who rejected that outright.

On a meta level, mixing LoM and Princess Tutu is giving me the obvious answer to Sam's ontological mystery: he is secretly a tiny duckling in love. That explains everything.
eisen: Lal'c (no handlebars). (i can do anything with no assistance.)

[personal profile] eisen 2010-07-19 04:03 am (UTC)(link)
If we are ever in the same state ever again, I will be rectifying your sad, sad lack of exposure to the powerful awesomeness that is PRINCESS TUTU.

BELIEVE IT.
ybbravo: (Default)

[personal profile] ybbravo 2010-07-16 03:09 pm (UTC)(link)
I always adore reading your recs, and now I feel sad because I haven't seen any of these series, but I doubt I have time to watch them all.

On a side note, I once went out drinking with some of the Japanese cast and crew of Princess Tutu. We went to a themed restaurant where one of the directors was ordered every single penis-themed drink on the menu. Also, the creator's husband is a big cosplayer who thrilled us by dressing up as V and then Captain Jack Sparrow. (Yes, he brought two outfits with him to go drinking.) I realize this story is completely off topic, but now I feel super guilty for never actually watching their series.
ybbravo: (Default)

[personal profile] ybbravo 2010-07-17 12:56 am (UTC)(link)
Creative uses of banana, mostly. Although one did come with a vibrating dildo "stirrer." (One of my friends has a picture of him where he appears to be fishing a dildo out of his tropical drink). We also ordered the only penis-themed snack. It was a giant, carefully shaped sausage, cut into pieces. It was called: "The Circumcision."
thingswithwings: sokka and katara forced to hold hands (atla - sokka and katara will hold hands )

[personal profile] thingswithwings 2010-07-16 03:13 pm (UTC)(link)
yay for recs! I am ttly going to have to watch Princess Tutu now, you've convinced me. Your recs are sneaky that way. >:/

and APPAAAAAAAA! It is true, I for one have not been giving him as much love as he deserves. Because when I watch the show, I often cry out APPA! at the screen, whenever he makes my heart break or makes me laugh, which is often. When Aang sort of throws himself at Appa and sticks to his head in a giant boy-and-bison hug at the end of Lake Laogai? TEARS from me. Siiiiigh. I am glad you have rectified the lack of Appa squee.
thingswithwings: dear teevee: I want to crawl inside you (a dude crawls inside a tv) (atla - gaang group hug!)

[personal profile] thingswithwings 2010-07-16 05:32 pm (UTC)(link)
Awww! I did mention Appa in that post, honest I did! And said that I ship Appa/Momo, which is also true, because I love when they have adventures together. I am generally a fan of "one of them is really big and one of them is really small," so when Momo tricks the alligator in the swamp into running into Appa's mouth? SCORE. But, I didn't go on at length, so I understand how you could feel cheated out of your Appa love. But I mention this just in case you end up deciding that the pistols thing is a good idea anyway, because while I am a morning person, I am not a gun person.

Your story about loving inanimate, animal, and alien characters is extremely endearing.

And yeah - when that second season arc about Appa begins and Aang freaks out, I ttly had his back the whole way. Because he reacts just like he would if it were Katara or Sokka - perhaps even more than he would for them - and that is just as it should be.
cofax7: Appa in the water (ATLA - Appa)

[personal profile] cofax7 2010-07-16 05:45 pm (UTC)(link)
Because he reacts just like he would if it were Katara or Sokka - perhaps even more than he would for them

Even more so, I think, because Appa is an innocent that Aang is responsible for, whereas Sokka and Katara kind of look after him, and have shown they can mostly get by by themselves. Also, he's been with Appa for much longer.
Edited 2010-07-16 17:45 (UTC)
thingswithwings: dear teevee: I want to crawl inside you (a dude crawls inside a tv) (atla - gaang group hug!)

[personal profile] thingswithwings 2010-07-16 05:46 pm (UTC)(link)
Yes, agree - and also because he's the last tie Aang has left to the Air Nomads, the one friend he has left from his previous life.

*sniffle*
grlnamedlucifer: Princess Tutu's Uzura, peeking over the table ([tutu] o hai-zura)

[personal profile] grlnamedlucifer 2010-07-16 03:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Princess Tutu! Oh man, I just recently watched it for the first time and just tore through it, it was just so amazingly good. (Fairytale by [livejournal.com profile] arefadedaway, a Utena/Tutu vid about the subversive fairytaleness of both series, that introduced Tutu to me and I'd highly recommend it as well.)
northern: Toushiro (Bleach) in turquoise. three quarters turned-away profile. (toushirou)

[personal profile] northern 2010-07-16 03:31 pm (UTC)(link)
Okay! I'll try Princess Tutu out!
abyssinia: Sam Carter's first view of Earth from space and the words "all my dreams" (Default)

[personal profile] abyssinia 2010-07-16 03:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, man, I've been meaning to watch Avatar: The Last Airbender for a while now. And I've heard that there's a flying bison, but I had no idea how really awesome he was. I think that vid maybe pushed me over into "MUST WATCH NOW" or, rather, when I'm back in a place where I have access to media again.
abyssinia: Sam Carter's first view of Earth from space and the words "all my dreams" (Default)

[personal profile] abyssinia 2010-11-02 01:49 am (UTC)(link)
I have finally gotten around to watching Avatar. After this post sent me to "REALLY NEED TO WATCH" in my mind.

I have now finished season two. And.

1) OMG AWESOME
2) YOU ARE TOTALLY RIGHT. Because, yes, everyone is awesome but...APPA IS THE BEST.
effex: Gratuitous Hikaru/Akira icon (Gratuitous Hikaru/Akira icon)

[personal profile] effex 2010-07-16 03:55 pm (UTC)(link)
Princess Tutu has been on my to-watch list forever - thanks for the reminder to get on that asap. Ducks! Storytelling! Subverted fairytales! I don't understand why I've put this off.

Seconding the Hikaru no Go rec x1,000,000 - it is exactly that impossibly good (and slashy). And, uh. I anyone's interested, we're holding a Hikaru no Go manga (re)read over thisaway. Just finished volume 10, but catching up wouldn't be difficult and I know folks would be happy to go back and discuss earlier volumes. /enabling
effex: default (Default)

[personal profile] effex 2010-07-16 09:25 pm (UTC)(link)
OneManga has the whole series online (and with ad/script blockers you're not giving 'em ad revenue), mostly from Toriyama World. The early chapters are pretty terrible but once you get a couple volumes in they're fine.
shayheyred: (Duck)

Spoilery comment

[personal profile] shayheyred 2010-07-16 04:02 pm (UTC)(link)
Both Hikaru no Go and Princess Tutu are deeply-adored loves of mine, for many of the reasons you mention above. I don't think I have sobbed quite so much during any show as I did during parts of Hikaru no Go. For me the character of Sai is so very important, and I want stories about him being happy in the afterlife, perhaps with his first student! As for Princess Tutu, I don't think I could love Ahiru (or Fakir) more than I do. They, and the others, are surprising and delightful, and the whole meta-story knocks me out every time I think about it. It's one of those I need to own.
Edited 2010-07-16 16:03 (UTC)
shayheyred: (Default)

Re: Spoilery comment

[personal profile] shayheyred 2010-07-16 11:25 pm (UTC)(link)
I hated Fakir, too, and had almost the same word-for-word exchange with [personal profile] lynnmonster, who said "Just wait. I promise you'll enjoy what happens." So BB and she were apparently in cahoots. I've never seen ATLA, except in brief passing on one of the cartoon channels, and only found out recently that it's an American production! I have no idea who or what Appa is, actually. Is it the centipede/yak fusion that flies?
shayheyred: (Default)

Re: Spoilery comment

[personal profile] shayheyred 2010-07-17 01:01 am (UTC)(link)
Heehee. I only ever saw Appa in a vid, and didn't even have the sound on. It looked like a yak-centipede, but I'm willing to accept a flying bison!
flamebyrd: (Default)

[personal profile] flamebyrd 2010-07-16 05:25 pm (UTC)(link)
/signed to all of this
Three of my favourite canons.

I just watched the second season of Tutu for the first time recently, having watched the first season sometime back around 2003. It made it even better.

The whole thing, as BB has pointed out, borrows the structure of a classic romance novel, except instead of sex, there's Go.
I have a HikaGo fic planned on this exact concept. XD Instead of slash cliches, there's Go!
flamebyrd: (Default)

[personal profile] flamebyrd 2010-07-16 09:47 pm (UTC)(link)
You are being a FICTEASE. NOT FAIR. *frowny face*

I am, aren't I? My first attempt came out way too serious so I need to try again. Possibly not from Akira's POV.
sam_gardener: The catbus from My Neighbor Totoro. (Default)

[personal profile] sam_gardener 2010-07-16 05:46 pm (UTC)(link)
FLYING BISON?
anime about Go?
DUCKS! OMG I LOVE DUCKS! (I had pet ducks as a kid in the suburbs - true story)

Your work is done here, you have convinced me. Clearly I need to watch all of these ASAP.
chagrined: Marvel comics: zombie!Spider-Man, holding playing cards, saying "Brains?" (brains?)

[personal profile] chagrined 2010-07-16 05:59 pm (UTC)(link)
i have been feeling like getting back into animated sources after recently watching all of avatar, as years ago i was hugely into anime but not for a long time. these recs r great, thx
chagrined: A skull on the winter ground and the text *ded* (from The Walking Dead) (ded)

[personal profile] chagrined 2010-07-20 05:57 pm (UTC)(link)
SO TO LET YOU KNOW! I watched all of the HikaGo anime & read all of the manga. In three days. *twitch twitch* NOW I AM OBSESSED. EVERYTHING YOU SAID WAS SO TRUE AND MORE. AHHHHHHHHHH

Now I am almost afraid to watch that duck one b/c your canon recs always seem to suck me in so much. XD
greyeyes: (Default)

[personal profile] greyeyes 2010-07-16 07:17 pm (UTC)(link)
LOVE for A:tLA & APPA! Appa is so awesome:) Watching that vid made me tear up at the scenes when Appa is captured and separated from Aang:( SO SAD. And the HUGS, SO HAPPY!

Hikaru no Go, I still need to finish. But it's on Hulu! So yay! And yes, it makes me want to learn to play Go SO BAD. Um, but even watching the little lessons at the end of the episodes, I was completely confused.

Princess Tutu is GOING ON THE LIST. I WILL SEE IT. SOMEHOW.
greyeyes: (Default)

[personal profile] greyeyes 2010-07-17 01:30 am (UTC)(link)
BB is awesome:)

Note to self: find Go board. And instruction book.

Yay!
ladysorka: (Hikaru no Go)

[personal profile] ladysorka 2010-07-16 08:36 pm (UTC)(link)
Avatar and Hikaru no Go are two of my favorite tv shows of any sort, ever. Avatar has the wonderful worldbuilding and epic plot and kick-ass women and Appa and Momo and Uncle Iroh and it is the most amazing thing ever. There was a couple of weeks last year where I literally just rewatched the entire series three times. In a row.

And Hikaru no Go has these two people whose entire lives from the point they meet revolve around each other and a board game and you can't stop watching and is epic and touching and and and and. I actually just rewatched a bunch of Hikago episodes the other day, and no matter how many times I've seen these episodes and these games, I still end up sitting on the edge of my seat. The amount these people care about Go, is just. And Sai! And Hikaru/Akira, which is the most OTP of all OTPs in the history of the universe. God, I adore that show. But it is so incredibly hard to get people to watch. "Well, it's about these two boys who play the game of Go. No, wait, come back!"

Clearly what this means is that I need to watch Princess Tutu.
hannah: (Default)

[personal profile] hannah 2010-07-17 01:43 am (UTC)(link)
For a pitch, how about something like, "It's a fantastic coming-of-age story! With character development and plot growth and realistic maturation and it's so well-written you care JUST AS MUCH about the stuff as the characters do!" And then you shrug dismissively because a board game is just as valid an idea for an anime as, say, high school football is for a TV show.
ultranos: kino standing, staring ahead (Default)

[personal profile] ultranos 2010-07-16 09:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Caught this off my Network page.

Can I just say THANK YOU for that Princess Tutu vid? I saw that when it won Best in Show at Anime Boston 2006 and have been looking around for YEARS for it. (Still haven't managed to see the series, but I remember watching that on the big screen in the Hynes with a dropped jaw)

Also, Appa is, in fact, made of awesome.
soc_puppet: Words "Mad Fangirl" in blue (Mad Fangirl)

[personal profile] soc_puppet 2010-07-16 10:08 pm (UTC)(link)
You recced animated things! My heart, it is all aflutter!

You are also seriously tempting me to make an Appa amigurumi. If I did not already have way too much stuff to do by the end of the month, I would so be starting right now.

(ALSO, one more reason not to see the live action movie! Not only is the script, acting, and casting incredibly bad, they did not even have the decency to get the Jim Henson Company to make Appa. (Or Momo, who doesn't even get to show up in the theater version IIRC, but was still poorly adapted.) They - the adapters gave him forward-facing eyes. Appa is a plant eater! Giving him predator eyes is Just Plain Wrong.)

...In regards to Hikaru no Go, I can no longer remember why I stopped reading the former part way through, except perhaps it hit my embarrassment squick, or maybe my bad decisions squick. Clearly this was a bad decision on my part, which I will have to rectify when my schedule is no longer filled with things.

Also, I really, really wish they would have made that third season for Princess Tutu.
readsalot: (ahiru disco not dead [Princess Tutu])

[personal profile] readsalot 2010-08-07 09:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Coming in late to say that there are stuffed Appas out there--see Chad Orzel's blog for an example.
jibrailis: (Default)

[personal profile] jibrailis 2010-07-16 11:15 pm (UTC)(link)
AVATAR AVATAR AVATAR AVATAR.

I clearly have nothing meaningful to contribute to this discussion. But I've recently rewatched the whole series and ahhh. *melts into happy puddle* Sometimes when I see a fluffy cloud float by, I wish it was Appa.

I will have to check out Hikaru no Go and Princess Tutu as well.
amalthia: (Default)

[personal profile] amalthia 2010-07-17 04:35 am (UTC)(link)
I learned how to play Go after watching Hikaru No Go. :)
gnomad: Top of Hugh Laurie's head (Hugh-Top of head)

[personal profile] gnomad 2010-07-17 07:19 am (UTC)(link)
APPA! I thought I was the only one who got all squeeful when he came on screen. It made Appa's Lost Days one of the most difficult pieces of television for me to watch in years.
qem_chibati: Fullmetal alchemist - sarchasms, we can has them. (Bunny is so happy!)

[personal profile] qem_chibati 2010-07-17 11:54 am (UTC)(link)
I love all three things you've mentioned, but especially princess tutu. It was such a touching series, and made such an impact - with the beginning i wasn't expecting much and had already decided that I hated Rue and Fakir - but the way the series developed them was amazing and Fakir even managed to become a favourite.

It's a beautiful, beautiful series I can't speak highly enough of.
rushthatspeaks: (Default)

[personal profile] rushthatspeaks 2010-07-18 05:56 am (UTC)(link)
Hikaru no Go is so awesome! The only problem I have is that I am estranged from the entirety of the fandom because I cannot imagine anyone in the entire series actually taking time to, you know, have sex, because then they would not be devoting as much energy to Go. Nothing, but nothing, is more interesting to these people than Go, so I cannot actually read fic in which there are romances, or anything, because I just cannot make myself believe it. I mean, I can kind of cope with fic in which Akira and Hikaru wake up and suddenly notice that they have been living together for the last twenty years because they can play Go more conveniently, but everyone seems to think that they would then proceed to do something other than play Go, which is clearly impossible.

Princess Tutu: also amazingly awesome! One of my favorite shows of all time. Two things I recommend: a) on the inside of one of the DVD covers, because they're all double-sided and flippy, there is a summary-thus-far in alliterative verse a la Beowulf, which is one of my favorite easter eggs ever; b) one of my dear friends was one of the translators, and they gave her an episode of the DVD commentary, which is highly worthwhile if you want to hear about the crippling angst that comes of trying to deal with the fact that in English we have the words 'crow' and 'raven' and in Japanese they have 'karasu' which means, if I was decoding her rant correctly, both.

Avatar: I am only halfway through season two! I need a plushie of Appa! Like right away! Eeee!

rymenhild: gears from anime series Princess Tutu (The gears of the story)

[personal profile] rymenhild 2010-09-04 07:34 am (UTC)(link)
Hello. I don't know you, [personal profile] rushthatspeaks, nor do I know [personal profile] thefourthvine, and I'm writing a reply months after your original comment. But I own Princess Tutu in the single-box set, which does not provide the alliterative verse summary, and I need this thing very badly. Where can I find it?

Sincerely, a Princess Tutu-obsessed medievalist
runawayskellum: Toph, Sokka and Aang on a crime spree (Default)

[personal profile] runawayskellum 2010-07-18 09:14 pm (UTC)(link)
APPA!

One of the things I love about A:TLA is that Appa has, you know, a whole storyline and personality and whatnot. And the show acknowledges that without him, the team really is pretty majorly screwed.

I also love Dreams and Nightmares!Appa, lecturing Aang on not getting enough sleep. :D
ceares: cookie all grown up (Default)

[personal profile] ceares 2010-07-20 11:01 pm (UTC)(link)
Uh, yeah. I've fallen into the Hikaru no Go hole and have no interest in digging my way out. IDEK. *rushes back to read*
merrily: Mac (Default)

Just dropping in to post...

[personal profile] merrily 2010-08-11 03:37 am (UTC)(link)
this pic:



I'm on an Appa.

(Found via the lolbender tumblr feed.)

[identity profile] hannahrorlove.livejournal.com 2010-07-16 02:38 pm (UTC)(link)
Appa was based on the Catbus from My Neighbor Totoro, which just makes him even more awesome.

[identity profile] thefourthvine.livejournal.com 2010-07-16 04:21 pm (UTC)(link)
I admit it, I have not seen My Neighbor Totoro, but I've seen vids, and I can see the inspiration there. Although of course Appa is far more awesome, but that is only because Appa is more awesome than ANYONE.

[identity profile] hannahrorlove.livejournal.com 2010-07-16 04:43 pm (UTC)(link)
My Neighbor Totoro is a VERY Earthling-friendly movie -no guns, no violence, lots of little forest creatures for little kids to chase - as is a lot of Miyazaki's stuff. Something to keep in mind.

[identity profile] artyartie.livejournal.com 2010-07-16 04:53 pm (UTC)(link)
Totoro is still my feel-good movie of choice, and I second the rec for the kidlets and grownups. That movie got my monster truck and football loving three-year-old nephew into Miyazaki, though he calls the totoros 'bunnies,' just to make me laugh. I just watched all of A:TLA for the first time in these last two weeks (thank you, Netflix!), and I may have squeed "catbus!" when I saw Appa. If the Catbus and the big Totoro had a lovechild who could airbend, you'd get our big squishy sky bison.

[identity profile] hannahrorlove.livejournal.com 2010-07-16 04:58 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm now imagining A:TLA crossing over with other Miyazaki movies - Aang chasting the Catbus, Zuko hanging out in the bathhouse - and it's working pretty well for most of them.

I powered through Avatar last summer, and when Memorial Day came and the discs would be one day late I couldn't take it and downloaded the rest of the season. One day! Too long!

[identity profile] artyartie.livejournal.com 2010-07-16 05:15 pm (UTC)(link)
Momo and the dustbunnies - Iroh and Granny chatting over tea - there could be some serious awesomeness there. Besides all the spirit world crossoverness with Spirited Away or all the steampunk tech with Howl's.

I love my roomie dearly but she watched Avatar for a few minutes with me and said she just couldn't watch it because of the animation style - she can watch the horrible new Scooby Doo movies but Miyazaki-inspired wonderfulness is too much? I just don't understand it.

But I would have done the same thing, in your place - I just couldn't stop watching, even though I was sad as I got closer to the end! I didn't want it to end.

[identity profile] hannahrorlove.livejournal.com 2010-07-16 05:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Aang's got the spirit world connection, so the bridge is right there. It'd be so perfect to put it with Spirited Away.

My guess is that you need to show her that vid, and through the power of Appa compel her.

[identity profile] thefourthvine.livejournal.com 2010-07-16 05:19 pm (UTC)(link)
You have persuaded me! Any thoughts on version? Is the Disney re-release okay, or do I need to hunt down the original?

[identity profile] hannahrorlove.livejournal.com 2010-07-16 05:24 pm (UTC)(link)
The original dub, if possible. The newer version went the fast-and-cheap route using popular actors, as opposed to professional voice artists. I'm sure you can find a download somewhere.

[identity profile] paceus.livejournal.com 2010-07-16 05:05 pm (UTC)(link)
I recommend Totoro to the earthling as well! I've been watching Miyazaki's movies with my nephews and I think the earthling (being much younger than my nephews) would like Totoro.

[identity profile] telepresence.livejournal.com 2010-07-16 08:39 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh god, you've got to see Totoro. And then you will write Appa/Catbus fic. Or something.

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