Monday, August 18, 2014

FEATURE: Anime-Planet Recommends… Colossal Edition


FEATURE: Anime-Planet Recommends… Colossal Edition



After a week off, we’re back with tons of anime that would love to make a contract with you <3




This week, we’ll cover anime you recommended people watch on Anime-Planet over the past two weeks. And with two weeks to choose from, this will be a special, colossal-sized edition! There are a lot of new faces making recommendations these past few weeks, which is always great to see. Remember that you, too, can add recommendations and help thousands of others figure out what to watch next!



K



Let’s begin!



Planetes is one of my all time favorite manga, and the anime is fantastic as well. User v16 suggests checking out Yomigaeru Sora: Rescue Wings if you’re in the same boat, and vice versa.



Planetes


Rescue Wings



He explains:



“How does it feel to fall short? In Rescue Wings and Planetes, the lead characters want to become a fighter pilot and an austronaut. One proves to only be helicopter material; the other gets into space all right, but only as a garbage hauler.



It’s not just the premise. Rescue Wings’s real-life 2012 is rivaled by Planetes’ 2050 setting in its thoroughly realistic, down-to-earth depiction of slow and limited space development. Both shows also feature a healthy mix of light and darkness – an idealistic outlook set against a complex, far-from-ideal world of shades and compromises.



There are no particular villains here and no action heroes. The story, in both cases, is about people doing their job, and where that job takes them. That said, Planetes is a lot longer, more relaxed and colorful, and offers a lot more to see; Rescue Wings is a more compact, serious and personal story. But I can’t shake the feeling that Planetes is almost like a 2050 version of it.



Both are clearly targeted at the same audience – grown-ups who have seen enough big-screen explosions and are looking for shows that address grown-up problems and approaches to them. Last, both these shows are very easy to watch; lighter or darker in tone, they never drag on or get overly psychological.”



On a personal note, seeing that recommendation made me add Rescue Wings to my want to watch list fairly quickly. ^_^



Moving along from serious to silly, if you enjoyed Nyanpire The Animation, you might enjoy Dark Side Cat.



Nyanpire


Dark Side Cat



espie666 says:



“Both of these anime revolve around unique cat protagonists, and are both more edgy than the average cat series. The protagonists both have special powers or different abilities. These anime both have a bit of a darker tone to them, for example a cat wearing a skull or a cat that is a vampire. They are also both short episodic comedies, and you should enjoy them both if you liked the other.”




In the high stakes games arena, there seems to be no doubt that Akagi and Kaiji are a good pairing.



Akagi


Kaiji



espie666 is back with this reasoning:



“Kaiji basically is just a new version of Akagi. Same artstyle, same overall theme, same audience. These shows are so similar that they often even get mixed up with each other. The only real difference is the characters and games they play. Akagi is strictly Mahjong, while Kaiji is a variety of games. They both revolve around the idea of gambling and shows the real dangers and complexity of it. They both have you sitting on the edge of your seat, leaving you with cliffhangers, making you want more and more. They are both psychological masterpieces and if you loved one, you will most likely have the same reaction to the other.”




She also thinks Kaiji fans would enjoy Death Billiards:



Death Billiards



“Both shows have a theme revolved around games or gambling, with high stakes. In both shows, the characters lives are at stake, and the characters in both shows react dramatically and think of unique ways to conquer their opponent, giving the shows a very psychological feel to it. They both get your heart beating faster, and have you sitting on the edge of your seat. “






And speaking of strong consensues, fellow high stakes games anime No Game No Life and Problem Children are arguably a perfect pairing. For a less frequently recommended pair, how about No Game No Life and The World Only God Knows?




No Game No Life


World Only God Knows




stardf29 explains:



“There’s quite a lot in common about both of these shows. Both shows feature protagonists that are gamers and who otherwise shun social interactions in favor of those games. And in both series, fantastical elements force the protagonists to use their gaming skills to accomplish certain tasks. In TWGOK, Keima is an avid dating sim player who must capture the hearts of real girls possessed by rogue spirits to force out those spirits; in NGNL, Sora and Shiro end up in a fantasy world where they must win games of all sorts to help the human race reclaim their territory.



What really makes these two shows similar, though, is how these games are played out. Both Keima and the Sora/Shiro team make elaborate plans to achieve their objectives, and they are shown executing these plans and sometimes changing them up on the fly when unexpected complications come up. The execution of Keima’s conquests and Sora and Shiro’s games both come out very entertaining as their plans come to fruition.



Both shows also feature nods to various aspects of gaming and have plenty of gaming humor to go with them.”



If you’re enjoying this season’s Akame ga Kill, you might be interested in Black Lagoon.



Akame ga Kill


Black Lagoon



paganfire says:



“Both Black Lagoon and Akame ga Kill! follow a group of assassins and each has a character that is really not the norm. They stumble on to something (or in to!) situations that pull them into the world of hired guns/swords for kill. There are great moments of levity and humor that work very well to offset the darker aspects of the assassinations. Both series are serious in the handling of death, as it is not a game but a very ‘real’ event and your own death can be found around the next corner. “




In the mood for a good laugh? Try out Sabagebu! or Love Lab.




Sabagebu


Love Lab




8MangaMan thinks you’d like these because:



“Both series are comedies revolving around a group of 5 girls who do random things. Sabagebu! have all the girls in a survival games club, A.K.A. air soft. The girls from Love Lab are in the student council of their school. Many of the jokes take place in their enviroment, with Love Lab occasionaly abusing the power of student council and Sabagebu! usually involving guns in its humor.



While Sabagebu! has a lot of crude humor and tends to reuse some jokes, Love Lab doesn’t dulge too deep into that path. There’s more humor that relies on the relationships between the characters which makes it fell like a stronger comedy. Both shows however do make each episode fun to watch and usually gives you a stupid looking smile on your face while watching. If you enjoy one, the other will have you laughing as well.”




For some good old shounen battles, look no further than Yu Yu Hakusho or Onmyou Taisenki.




Yu Yu Hakusho


Onmyou Taisenki




Ymarsakar describes:



“Hakusho is more battle focused than Taisenki, but with a similar focus on Japanese spiritual powers as the foundation for the tools used in conflicts. Both are in the shounen market area, with Taisenki being one or two years younger on the spectrum. Unlike the longer shounen series, Onmyou Taisenki has a definite conclusion after 52 epsiodes, which I liked.”



Speaking of shounen, in case there’s anyone out there who somehow hasn’t seen Dragon Ball or Hunter x Hunter, a few people agreed this past week that they’re a good match.



Dragon Ball


Hunter x Hunter




Porphyreus suggests the two because:



“Dragon Ball and HunterXHunter are some of the best shounen ever created about talented powerful young boys with good willing spirits fighting their way to the top and making friends along the way until themselves become the very best. There’s an incredible resemblance between the relationship of Goku/Krilin and Gon/Killua.”




And now for something different, how about anime with magical familiars? A few people think you’d like Bladedance of Elementalers and Zero no Tsukaima.




Bladedance of Elementalers


Zero no Tsukaima




Melicans says:



“In a school for magic, students bond with familiars to exhibit their powers. A tsundere girl, picked on by many of the other students, contracts with a boy who is in turn contracted to a powerful sword. As the boy defends the girl from her peers and outside dangers he unwittingly gains a harem around himself, causing the girl to punish him in her jealousy. This description fits both Bladedance of Elementalers and Zero no Tsukaima, and there are more similarities between the two shows than there are differences. The manner in which contracts/bonds are formed is certainly different, as is the reason for the main girl being bullied and the way the sword’s spirit manifests itself… but if you enjoyed one, you will certainly enjoy the other.”




Fujoshi, assemble! If you enjoyed either Ikoku Irokoi Romantan or Junjou Romantica, you might appreciate the other.



Ikoku Irokoi Romantan


Junjou Romantica



xCherryBlossomSakura thinks you’d like these because:



“Both are very romantic. The couples in both of them are shown in the period they all in love. Of course, in both of them, it’s not without a struggle. If you’re into the romantic aspect of one of them, you will surely like the other one. The amount of mature scenes are about the same too.”




For more sexytime fun, Jdogtoocool thinks you might like Girls Bravo and Cat Planet Cuties.



Girls Bravo


CPC



He says:



“Both Girls Bravo and Cat Planet Cuties share a lot of similarities. Both main male characters come into contact with sexy extraterrestrials and have a spectacular suggestive time. Also the Earth newcomers are very innocent and don’t know a thing about our world of course, so the fun begins. CPC has more of a plot to it but they both have a decent enough story to keep you entertained. If you liked one I’m sure you’ll the other.”




Finally, for your military fix, check out Argevollen and Gundam 08th MS Team.




Argevollen


Gundam 08th MS Team




Elof says:



“Both of these anime follow the actions of a small military unit caught up in a large war. With the focus on a very personal level, they are primarily character-driven, and show the struggles of regular soldiers. Both feature squads consisting of a few mecha pilots supported by mechanic, communications, and other support personnel. The plots are different enough to avoid seeming repetitive, but the series definitely give off a very similar feel.”




That’s it for this week! As always, add your recommendations on Anime-Planet each week for a chance to be featured in this column. Enjoy your weekend and see you next time!




Haruhi




——-


Kim Cameron is the CEO and founder of Anime-Planet, a Crunchyroll partner and the world’s oldest anime and manga recommendation database site. Follow her on Twitter at @AnimePlanet or on Facebook.




Read more here: Crunchy Roll

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