Anime that Doesn't Suck

[Sheik Yerbouti]

My argument is that at any forseeable technology level (i.e. up until everything being made out of some sort of nanite soup, or war being conducted by people flying around shooting lasers out of their hands and eyes) a tank will be a far more efficient platform due to very basic things like shape and stability. Whatever technological change can make that obsolete has to be such a paradigm shift that machines of almost any currently recognizable form would be silly. Although if psychics can only do things with machines shaped like them...maybe they should be wearing powered armor instead.

Essentially, anything a mech can do, a tank can do better. Except fly; airplanes should do that. If mechs have forcefields, tanks can have force fields. If mechs can be stealth, tanks can be stealth. None of this changes the essential points about visibility and stability. Once you get to the point where weapons are so lethal armor is pointless, a tank's shape still makes it able to have a bigger gun, hide behind more stuff, and be more mobile than a mech.

[Viking-Sensei]

Yet, alas, a tank will never be cooler than a giant robot, and thus loses.

[Boss Out of Town]

Yet, alas, a tank will never be cooler than a giant robot, and thus loses.

Yep. Humphrey Bogart and James Garner both had the star power to carry a story about a tank, but Lori Petty and various skinny, whiny Japanese kids? I don't think so.

[zanntos]

And of course we all know the real reason scientists will create the giant robot, because chicks dig giant robots, thank you Megas XLR.

[Lazoth]

With all this talk about mechas Im suprised no one has mentioned Gasaraki. Yes the physics of it may seem to be a bit out there but their attempt at a workable mecha were a bit more belivible then others. Considering the suits only mesured between 8-12 meters standing they worked well in the combat zones they were mostly seen to be used in (forests, urban and a small skirmish in the desert but the sand dunes were used to cover a bulk of the height). Other then that Gasarki didnt have that much in the way of story line.

IMHO if you want a effective mecha then an 8-legged walker would be one of the better chassis. The weight would be spread over the leg span so terrain would prove a lesser hinderance then to a bi-pedal chassis. That being said the body would be able to carry armaments equal to or exceeding many tanks. One advantage that a 'spider walker' would have over a tank would be menuverblity. Not much tanks can just to shift to the side without going back or forwards.

Of course current technology makes thing like this pure concepts rather then a feasible model. Just my two yen.

Back to topic: Trinity blood. Vampire arstiocrats, cool weaponry and beautiful animations, enough said.

[Boss Out of Town]

Hmmm . . . just finished power-watching Shana Shugakan II, one of those faux-kiddy animes which comes off much better than it should. It does okay despite having a heroine too skinny and whiny to even be lolicon and one of the most powerful defenders of the universe inexplicably running around in a maid costume and a metal mask. The magic is magic and the fights are fast, clever, and spectacular. The "slice of life" sub-plots are run as though the characters were smarter than turnips. The human characters make human decisions rather than cartoon decisions, and one of them even gives up the heroic life because he can't stomach the violence anymore. It happens.

Yuji, the high school guy central character, is someone I can root for. From the beginning of the first series, he seems to understand the sheer horror of watching a human being vanish from existance and memory. Like the hero in Fate-Stay-Night (who is kinda stupid in other respects) he refuses to play the heroic-destiny-adventure game as it is plotted, and eventually persuades other characters to see his point.

We are left, of course, with one of the most powerful swordswoman-magicians in existance, trained for years to do battle with demons and gods of epic proportions, only no one ever took a minute of that training to explain to her how vertebrate animals reproduce. Wonder what she thinks is happening when she sees two dogs humping in an alley?

Addenda: you gotta like a review line like this:

The fights this season were more entertaining, although much of this was because of Wilhelmina’s MVP performance this season with some really creative toilet papering of the city.

[zanntos]

Ahhhhh, someone found the Shakugan no Shana, good call. I'm hoping for a third season so we get the predictable "I AM your father" moment from that ninja/Yuuji's dad, you know it to be true.

[Boss Out of Town]

Ahhhhh, someone found the Shakugan no Shana, good call. I'm hoping for a third season so we get the predictable "I AM your father" moment from that ninja/Yuuji's dad, you know it to be true.

Hmmm . . . that would explain that strange relationship he has with Yuuji's mom.

The fight scenes in both series are better in later episodes, although Shana pwnning the twin perverts in the early first season was a real rouser.

One of my biggest beefs with anime series is that so many fight scenes consist of posture-swing-posture-bellow-bleed-posture, scream, frontal attack-bleed some more. That jump, scream, and swing down attack is the one Poe makes fun of in Errant Story several times.

When the Flame Hazes really cut loose, though, those chicks are moving fast and slicing hard and smart. Never mind that they are dressed in, respestively, a school girl's uniform with a mis-matched coat, a maid's uniform with a boring kabuki mask, and an office slut's business dress worn while squatting on a book.

[Imp-Chan]

Yet, alas, a tank will never be cooler than a giant robot, and thus loses.

MY tank was cooler than a giant robot.

^-^'

[zanntos]

I don't recall mentioning it but i've been watching Toradora! this fall/spring season. Though my liking it may well be due to a general drought of decent things to watch. I may see if i can watch Magical Index at some point, can is the operating word since so many series feel either painfully generic of insanely over-fanserviced. (I'm blaming YOU Rosario+Vampire BLAME, why destory an amusing manga with fanservice WHY!!!!)