Obscure Anime You Should Watch

[Fauna]

I loved Urusei Yatsura anime, though not so much the manga. I watched all 62 discs borrowed from NF. Unfortunately, Ranma discs are not all available therefrom. What I would like to see is Arale-chan anime, that & [##***! I cannot remember the name of the goofy robot cat from the future!!], but I really love that one, too.

Doraemon!

I'm a walking anime and cartoon character encyclopedia. I can't remember a good deal of the math I've learned in high school, but I can tell you things like how many volumes of From Eroica With Love that Agent Z is in.

My life is either trash, or heading up a great path.

[Dr. Jerk]

[##***! I cannot remember the name of the goofy robot cat from the future!!], but I really love that one, too.

You mean Doreamon?

Edit: Cut....

[Astronomical girl]

I loved Urusei Yatsura anime, though not so much the manga. I watched all 62 discs borrowed from NF. Unfortunately, Ranma discs are not all available therefrom. What I would like to see is Arale-chan anime, that & [##***! I cannot remember the name of the goofy robot cat from the future!!], but I really love that one, too.

I read Ranma 1/2 manga online

[jeffbert]

Yes, Doraemon! I am occasionally stuck for names or words, though I might be able to describe the things they represent. Thanks, Fauna & Dr. Jerk.

Astronomical girl: I also read a lot of online manga, though I now am against it (At the time, I, was taken with the idea that because those sites had sponsors, they were legitimate).

I will now exit this browser to use IE to watch Naruto.

[Androids101]

DORAEMON!! I watched that when I was 4 years old!

[Fauna]

I'm noticing a trend in the things I recommend...they're all either about robots or master thieves, and would be kid-friendly if not for somebody getting shot or not wearing a shirt. Since it's almost Christmas, here's something that takes place partly on Christmas eve...



7. All-Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku



Year: 1992
Span: six episodes
Rating: T

Summary: One Christmas eve, Dr. Kyusaku Natsume and his young son Ryunosuke are attempting to flee the city, with a stolen android body from his ex-wife's Akiko industrial company. Ryunosuke finds a kitten in an alley and takes her with him, but when his wife's lackeys' helicopter mows down the car, the kitten is wounded. Kyusaku decides on the spot to built the cat into the android body, and within a short time, she becomes Nuku Nuku "Atsuko" Natsume, Ryunosuke's older sister and bodyguard. But at the same time, Akiko is desparate to get back the stolen android body and "rescue" her son from Kyusaku.

Review: There's actually three different Nuku Nuku series, but I'll refer everyone to this one since it's the most enjoyable of the three, despite casual fanservice. The second one is too bizarre and hard to find, and the third one makes Nuku Nuku a time-travelling android fighter and Ryunosuke a teenager in love with Nuku Nuku.

Now, this OVA...this came along in a time when android girls were all being romantic partners, and this show broke the chain by making Nuku Nuku a goofy older sister who eats fish and likes lying in the sun. And the show is a lot of fun; overall, it's outlandish, and occasionally quite emotional in parts about Akiko, Ryunosuke and Kyusaku. Nuku Nuku just wants to live like a (relatively) normal girl and try to help out her family, even if Akiko sees her as just a walking stolen prototype. What does annoy me about the series, however, is the character who appears in the second act, Eimi. She's an android hoping to steal Nuku Nuku's advanced android body and has a habit of pulling out random guns, and while Kyusaku and Akiko's feud never gets closure, neither do Eimi and Nuku Nuku's one-sided rivalry. Seriously, nothing will get me to like her. Maybe it'll be different with you guys.

Also worth noting is the awesomeness of Dr. Kyusaku. Always, always seen smoking, he builds utterly outlandish things (i.e. a chibi Nuku Nuku doll that fuels a giant laser that only blows up inorganic matter) while trying really hard not to be a crappy dad. ("Listen, it's Christmas! You get all the chicken! See, I'm such a generous dad!") He and Tenma need to go out for beers.

Availability: The DVD set has been out of print for a while, but it's not like I won't totally direct you to the first episode on Youtube. All six are there.

[Astronomical girl]

Also worth noting is the awesomeness of Dr. Kyusaku. Always, always seen smoking, he builds utterly outlandish things (i.e. a chibi Nuku Nuku doll that fuels a giant "inorganic termanating laser) while trying really hard not to be a crappy dad. ("Listen, it's Christmas! You get alllll the chicken! See, I'm such a generous dad!") He and Tenma need to go out for beers.

hahah that is so true it funny

[jeffbert]

I totally love Nukunuku; & there are various similarities to plot elements in MIGHTY ATOM's body of stories.

1st, Nukunuku herself seems modeled upon cyborg #44 from HOT DOG CORPS; yet, after I became more familiar with Tezuka's works, I find an even better match in ATOM CAT. NN's origin is straight out of ATOM CAT.

2nd, NUKUNUKU TV has an episode that parodies the major & tragic series ending in B&W #193.

3rd, Eimi-chan is one of more than a few anime robots created in the likeness of a deceased child. Just as Dr. Tenma used misappropriated $ in the 1980s version, so too, Eimi's Grandpa in NN.

I must disagree with Fauna in that I like both the original 6 episodes & the NNTV series, which also parodies other things. I do agree that the middle one with Runusuke as a teen is not very entertaining. While the others are comedic, this one is too serious for my liking.

[Fauna]

Ah! A column!


7. Magic Users Club



Year: 1996 (OVA), 1999
Span: 6 OVA episodes, 13 TV episodes
Rating: T

Summary: An enormous, cylindrical alien spacecraft nicknamed The Bell lands in Tokyo Bay and sends out robotic alien drones to observe human life. These drones are big, slow-moving floating marbles, and to the human citizens were nothing worse than a mild annoyance. A group of five teenagers at a local high school - including the clumsy trainee Sae, the perverted but dedicated Takeo, tomboyish Nanaka, gorgeous and procrastinating Akane, and the flamboyant and powerful Aburatsubou - decide to use a mysterious old spellbook to get rid of The Bell, but The Bell is less than willing to leave without a fight.

Review: Wow, this is such a weird show. It blends science and magic together somehow, features the character designs of Sailor Moon staff member Ikuko Itou, and bounces between chunks of fanservice, school-based comedy and climatic alien-fighting drama. I want to tell you right away that I recommend the OVA over the TV series. It's got higher production values, doesn't purposely pour on fanservice, has a better storyline and is funnier.

I discovered some VHS copies of this show when I was in 9th grade, and aside from the amounts of fanservice (i.e. the first episode has the kids go to check out the aliens, and the alien probes naiively look up Sae's dress), and I found it fairly enjoyable. The occasional lewd bits of the show may be hard to get around (i.e. the super-busty manga club leader), but the art, English dub and emotional bits are very well done.

Availability: The entire series was put out on DVD by Media Blasters, but is no longer in stores. It's fairly easy to find online, and I think the whole OVA series is on Youtube in English.

[jeffbert]

I remember this one! It seemed that the schools only allowed clubs with a certain minimum # of members, & this club was on the verge of termination for lack of members.