Forum - View topicBuried Treasure - Video Girl Ai
|
Goto page 1, 2, 3 Next Note: this is the discussion thread for this article |
| Author | Message | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
GATSU
Posts: 15309 |
|
||
|
I liked Ai, too. It's a shame everything else from Katsura has been shallow and obnoxious. A shame it's OOP, though.
|
|||
|
|||
Animedude35
 Posts: 98 Location: Dallas, Texas |
|
||
|
Ah Video Girl Ai, one of the first animes I've watched when I started getting into anime. I'm surprised it's out of print now, since I still know people who talk about it and a friend has a copy of it lying around somewhere in his room. Anyways, a well written review as always, and this makes me want to watch it again =)
|
|||
|
|||
ParaParaJMo
 Posts: 333 Location: Gilbert, AZ, USA |
|
||
|
I have the entire manga. The manga is much, much superior than the anime. More room to develop characters and story. Katsura-sensei's best work still has to be DNA. It stinks the anime doesn't do it any justice.
|
|||
|
|||
Proman
 Posts: 947 Location: USA |
|
||
|
Easy on 'Ranma 1/2', man! How can you say the show doesn't have any lasting appeal? Sure, the later parts of it were repetative but it's still a classic and it's very dear to me and many other fans.
'Video Girl Ai" is cool too. |
|||
|
|||
Deltakiral
 Posts: 3338 Location: Glendora, CA (Avatar Hei from Darker than BLACK) |
|
||
|
Just wanted to point this out to people who want to watch this series Anime Takeout does actually have it, and it's has a healthy availability rating. I am looking forward to seeing this later when it comes in the mail, once again a very interesting read. Thanks Justin.
|
|||
|
|||
Tortoiseshell Tabby Girl
 Posts: 153 |
|
||
|
Aw, Tenchi and Oh My Goddess! are two of my absolute favorites! But maybe I don't get tired of them and don't find them to be full of cliches because I was never really interested in watching any other so-called "harem" romantic comedies. Just as Proman feels that Ranma 1/2 is still a classic that is dear to him and many other fans, Tenchi and Oh My Goddess! are two shows considered classics that are treasured by me and other Tenchi and OMG! fans. Now, I've only been a true anime fan for about five years, which isn't really comparable to a length of time like 14 years, but I hope I still love Tenchi and OMG! as much as I love Disney's Beauty and the Beast, which I've loved for about fifteen years!
I've never seen Video Girl Ai, but I've been curious about it since I read about it in a book about anime...I can't remember which book it was, whether it was Levi's Samurai from Outer Space or Napier's Anime from Akira to Princess Mononoke. I remember thinking that it seemed like it had some rather dark moments. Thanks for supplying some more information and thoughts about it! |
|||
|
|||
|
Cloe
Moderator
 Posts: 2728 Location: Los Angeles, CA |
|
||
It was Susan Napier's book. I've read it, too. 
This week's column felt very personal--private, almost. It's easy to see that this title is near and dear to the heart of the reviewer because the column was so lovingly written. Napier's analysis made me curious about the anime, but this makes me feel almost ashamed for not having seen it yet (even though I've read the first two volumes of the manga). |
|||
|
|||
Asako
 Posts: 751 Location: Hawaii |
|
||
 The video only covers about the first 3 books? Something like that, and it's as long as 15 books (well 13 if you want to be technical).
Another story that I enjoy from the same artist is Shadow Lady WOOT!
|
|||
|
|||
Mylene
 Posts: 2792 Location: Indiana |
|
||
|
Video Girl Ai has been sitting on my shelf for probably over a year now, and I still haven't taken off the wrapper. I keep intending to watch it, but it just hasn't happened yet. However, I've noticed very deep views on the anime from several sources that I consider worth paying attention to (Buried Treasure, a poster on AFSM, etc.) I might need to pop it in a bit sooner than originally planned. Perhaps early in summer break.
|
|||
|
|||
|
dahpaper
Posts: 7 |
|
||
|
i've heard of video girl ai but never bothered to try it out. but i've been able to find it easily and it's not over inflated as you said, so i'm going to give it a try. i was able to get a copy of Time Strangers and i couldn't have been happier. I can't help but find anime suffering from good story, characters, and simply artistry when i look around these days. i'm so glad someone has come around to go back in time and grab what we newbies never heard of, THanks MAN!
|
|||
|
|||
|
ParaParaJMo
Posts: 333 Location: Gilbert, AZ, USA |
|
||
|
Both the English and Japanese tracks are excellent. The only character I didn't like in the dub was Takashi. He sounded way too nerdy.
A lot of credible actors in the Japanese version. Takashi Kusao (Trunks from DBZ) plays Moteuchi Youta and the very famous Megumi Hayashibara plays Ai. |
|||
|
|||
Jedi General
 Posts: 2485 Location: Tucson, AZ |
|
||
|
I love Video Girl Ai, both the manga and the OVA. Nice to see and article on the anime. The English dub is one of my absolute favorite English dubs. It was so very well done in my opinion.
|
|||
|
|||
aluria
 Posts: 367 Location: New Westminster, B.C., Canada |
|
||
|
Hey, a buried treasure anime that I know and have seen some of! Makes me feel old now. . . Although I never got a chance to finish it, it was a good show.
|
|||
|
|||
|
Steve Berry
Posts: 522 Location: San Francisco Bay Area, CA |
|
||
|
I watched this show for the first time last year, and fell in love with it-- much as if I were still in highschool, relating to the characters and the romance. If I'd have seen this back in the early 90's, like I did with Gunbuster, I'm sure I would have been head over heels. Much like Gunbuster, I found the first few eps to be the least interesting (their cute, but fluffy-- mostly comedy), and then it shifted gears about half way through and became much more engaging. I was very wrapped up in it by the final ep-- although it was a bit of a guilty pleasure. It's not the kind of show I'd show to someone who wasn't really into anime already-- it's unabashedly romantic and silly, but I just couldn't help myself. It was as if I was being transported back to how I felt when I watched it 15 years ago..... except I never watched it 15 years ago. But it put me in that mind set though. It's a fun watch.
|
|||
|
|||
|
HeeroTX
Posts: 2046 Location: Austin, TX |
|
||
|
I find the review interesting and it made me ponder this title back when I first saw it. Back in my college days I saw this and knew a guy who loved this title in much the same way the reviewer seems to. In fact, when Katsura was at Katsucon and I went he ask us to take his manga to get autographed. I note this because at the time that fellow was a huge fan of Ai and I was (and still am) a huge fan of OMG! For people who are fans of NEITHER, these titles are often quoted as being similar to one another. (basic plot, lonely guy gets "magical" girl companion, story advances from there) Now, true fans would tell you the titles are VERY different, but at a surface level, they are strikingly similar and I then and now acknowledge the similarities.
That said, I find it interesting that OMG! is often lumped with the "harem" animes (even tho none of the other girls in OMG! fit the "harem" designation) but Ai is often given some sort of "pass" on this. Even though Moemi is in love with Takeshi, there are various ways one could look at the girls Youta has to deal with. But what I think separates OMG! and Ai the most, is the "bittersweet" feel of Ai as compared to OMG! Like Evangelion, I think Ai appeals to more people in their teen/college years with it's sense of alienation and loneliness as referenced by the reviewer. I had never really considered that aspect before because it didn't resonate with me personally, but it makes sense that many people in that situation feel a stronger connection with Ai. For my own part, OMG! will always occupy such a place in my heart because it had the same way of speaking to me when I was at a place to receive that message. For that reason, I'm slightly offended that the reviewer dismisses OMG! as still being sick of the theme, but I've heard it so many times before that it's only very slightly. But my point is, I think Ai and OMG! are two sides of the same coin, and appreciation (while not limited to one or the other) and connection to the titles depends on where you are in your life and what your overall outlook is. |
|||
|
|||
 |
All times are GMT - 5 Hours |
|
|
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group