CAA: Christian Anime Alliance

Hi guys.

A close friend of mine created a monthly, men's, sci-fi get together within our church. These have taken off with a number of Christian guys getting together for fellowship and sci-fi entertainment once a month.

I was wondering, with only me and two other guys having watched any anime, what might be some good recommendations for a sci-fi anime to bring to the group some time? Preferably it should be a movie, or else something episodic that would allow occaisional good episodes to be watched without having to go through the whole thing. For example, whilst we watch movies, we also have watched episodes from popular sci-fi series like Star Trek, Farscape etc. We have been know to sit through two movies in one night.

So, what would be your recommendations for really good sci-fi anime that I could bring to a newbie group?

Thanks,

God bless.

Well, the one that comes immediately to mind is Cowboy Bebop. More -fi than Sci-, if you know what I mean, but it fits the description.

I thought the premise of Stellvia was fairly good (what would the World do if it knew cosmic catastrophe was a century away?), although it generally turns out to be yet another Japanese high school drama. And it is not very episodic. Same with Starship Operators.

Movies? How about Jin-Roh? I thought Appleseed was kind of "meh". Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is sci-fi, only you don't really know it. (Might be good for Halloween...)

EDIT: Oh, and Voices of a Distant Star and The Place Promised in Our Early Days, if there are any romantics in the crowd. For Manga, try the scantillations of Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou, which is also another sci-fi that kind of sneaks up on you.

BTW, have been reading Hyperion, which I was turned on to by, of all things, Haruhi Suzumiya. Fine sci-fi, would make a shocking anime series if it ever came to the medium.

Good luck... too bad this group is in AZ, might be fun to join!

The first thing that springs to mind is Roujin-Z, although its ending has a something of a Buddhist bent to it that leaves a slight 'Meh' feel to it for a Christian audience (not too bad, just a little off-color the first time you hit it.) There is also the Ghost in the Shell movies (which are a little fan-servicey here and there). Whenever 'Paprika' hits DVD, it will be a must-see.

I second the motion on both Shinkai works (Voices of a Distant Star and Place Promised). Also, the great Miyazaki classic Castle in the Sky. Check out the rest of the Miyazaki portfolio while you're at it.

Galaxy Express 999 is of course an old classic. Metropolis is not as old as it looks (it is based on a very old Manga, but is actually relatively modern). Steam Boy is just plain fun, (imagine if Walt Disney did Steam Punk). A few classic OVAs, (slightly fanservicy in spots) Bubblegum Crises and (also fanservicy but very fun) Tetsuwan Birdy, or Birdy the Mighty.

Finally, although it has a just weird premise that manages to run contrary to both Creationism and Evolution, the Gall Force series is classic Sci-Fi anime done the right way.

Cowboy Bebop I've considered but have seen it myself and hesitate to recommend something I haven't seen. Its a possibility though. Can anyone give me some specifics as to the 'R' rating? I know ratings tend to be high for anime, maybe because they're scared of people thinking they're 'just cartoons', but a friend of mine is very reticent to watch anything with an 'R' rating.

I think fare like 'The Place Promised', and 'Voices' would be a bit too quirky or obscure for this group right now.

I've never seen Macross Plus but have heard good things....anyone?

I haven't seen it, but Banner of the Stars is quite highly reviewed. You might want to give it a try.

Well, there are a few on the Sci-Fi channel that are okay. Theres Noein and Tokko. And if you have a few people who like fighting anime than Street Fighter 2 comes on after those two. You could try The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya(Very fan-servicey, but its good.) and Paranoia Agent(Which is a really weird anime, but they may like it.) I don't know any others, so good luck finding some you guys will like!

Most of the science fiction anime I would recommend are long stories that don't stand excerpting. Crest/Banner of the Stars is excellent, for instance, but you need to start at the beginning and watch the whole thing. Ditto Serial Experiments Lain and Shingu (which deserves to be much better known). Some possibilities:

Kino's Journey — Except for one two-parter, each episode is self-contained, and they can be watched in any order (but save the last one for last). It will provide your group plenty to talk about.

Nausicaä — Early Miyazaki and not quite of the first rank, but still better than almost any other SF movie.

Original Dirty Pair — Technically SF, though the main attractions are Kei and Yuri in their battle bikinis. The fanservice is constant but quite mild and the stories are often pretty good. I'd recommend the OVAs.

Galaxy Angel A and Z — Pure silly fluff. I'd suggest showing one or two of the brief episodes before the main feature of your events, the way there used to be short features before the main attraction at movie theatres.

Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo, aka The Girl Who Leapt Through Time — The best anime movie since Spirited Away. It's not yet licensed (grrr), so you'll need to find a fansub.

Interstella 5555 — Essentially an hour-long AMV, combining Leiji Matsumoto with Daft Punk.

EricTheFred wrote:The first thing that springs to mind is Roujin-Z, although its ending has a something of a Buddhist bent to it that leaves a slight 'Meh' feel to it for a Christian audience (not too bad, just a little off-color the first time you hit it.) There is also the Ghost in the Shell movies (which are a little fan-servicey here and there).

A few classic OVAs, (slightly fanservicy in spots) Bubblegum Crises and (also fanservicy but very fun) Tetsuwan Birdy, or Birdy the Mighty.

Finally, although it has a just weird premise that manages to run contrary to both Creationism and Evolution, the Gall Force series is classic Sci-Fi anime done the right way.

Roujin Z is a pretty good Sci Fi movie.

Ghost in the Shell is a pure classic to sci fi/cyberpunk world. As for the nudity in the movie, ive always looked at the beginning as her shell being created, and to me its very artistic in a way, so if you say the movie isnt "some chick naked and thats the only entertainment", then im sure your mature audiance would get the whole aspect of the film.

Im a huge Bubblegum Crisis fan, so the OVA is a must see. Yea i do agree with the fanservice, but its mild the whole entire series, just in the beginning and towards the end.

I need to finish the Gall Force series, if i can find the DVD's/ VHS out there...

Galant wrote:Cowboy Bebop I've considered but have seen it myself and hesitate to recommend something I haven't seen. Its a possibility though. Can anyone give me some specifics as to the 'R' rating? I know ratings tend to be high for anime, maybe because they're scared of people thinking they're 'just cartoons', but a friend of mine is very reticent to watch anything with an 'R' rating.

there's violence in the movie. nothing much worse than the TV series. most of it involves gun shots and fist fights. it's not extremely bloody or gory though. as for nudity/sexual content, there's not much. one forced kiss (it's part of the plot so it's not pointless), faye's clothes could be a bit less revealing, a silhouette of a woman taking a shower, a silhouette of a woman shirtless, from behind (she's bandaging a wound on herself and the camera's from quite a distance away), and one implied rape (if i can remember right, the attacker doesn't get further than cutting open the shirt of the victim; during this scene, however, no nudity is shown during this sequence). all in all, if you've scene the series the movie won't be anything new.

anyways, i would recommend Cowboy Bebop the movie, myself. Ghost in the Shell and Akira are also both good movies that suit your criteria, but they both contain mature content.

NOTE: Might i add that it would be wiser if you could simply post your request in the Anime Recommendations Thread (http://www.christiananime.net/showthread.php?t=40642) instead of starting a new thread.

Galant wrote:Cowboy Bebop I've considered but have seen it myself and hesitate to recommend something I haven't seen. Its a possibility though. Can anyone give me some specifics as to the 'R' rating? I know ratings tend to be high for anime, maybe because they're scared of people thinking they're 'just cartoons', but a friend of mine is very reticent to watch anything with an 'R' rating.

I don't recall anything in the series justifying an "R" rating (except for some of the violence, maybe). I have not seen "Cowboy Bebop: The Movie", but do recall seeing some clips that might be objectionable.

Comments on some other suggestions:

Paranoia Agent is good, but it is definitely in "R" territory.

How could I forget Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo? Outstanding, for the most part squeaky clean, but agreed, this is fansub territory for now.

It does depend though on the make up of the group and what is the general preference.That said some of the ones I would personally recommend:
1.Silent Mobius,takes place in a near future where Tokyo is under attack from extra dimensional creatures called Lucifer Hawks.The main characters are part of an all-female special police force called
Attacked Mystification Police department or AMP.
2.Dual!Parallel Trouble Adventure,from the makers of Tenchi this is
really a light hearted spoof of Evangelion.For example Mitsuki Sanada
is in place of Asuka and Kazuki is in place of Shinji while D is in place of
Rei.
3.Crest/Banner of the Stars,Crest comes first and Banner is it's
sequel then there is also a Banner II.The series follows the (mis)adventures of Jinto a Lander turned Abh noble and Lafiel an Abh
Princess(note watch Crest first as it explains everything)
4.Cowboy Bebop
5.Geneshaft,takes place in the 22nd century when mysterious artifacts are attacking the Earth.Two interesting facts:1)similiar to Logan's Run the life expectancy of most humans as been limited,in this case to about
40 years.2)The female to male ration has been fixed to something like
20-1.
6.RahXephon
7.Neon Genesis Evangelion,one of the most famous animes of all time,
no matter what you might think of it everyone should really see it for themselves at least once and then make up their mind.
8.Tenchi Muyo,better viewed subbed as the dub voices for Ayeka and
Ryoko are somewhat wanting.
9.Melty Lancer,basically a spoof of shows like Silent Mobius and Bubblegum Crisis,a mysterious organization is poaching rare animals throughout the Galaxy and some of the members of the Melty Lancer
crew might be their next targets.
10.Bubblegum Crisis,Tokyo 2040,inspired by Bladerunner.
11.Ghost In the Shell:Stand Alone Complex,one of the best cyberpunk series ever.
12.Serial Experiments Lain,speaking of Cyberpunk this series defies
a proper description.
13.Original Dirty Pair OVA and Original Dirty Pair:Flight 005 Conspiracy.

Well, I would spit out a bunch of great Sci-Fi TV series too, guys, but he was asking for Movies and short OVA series!

Anyway, I agree with most of the season-length series mentioned, but I'm surprised at one omission. If my fellow Sci-Fi fans haven't watched "Now and Then, Here and There" yet, you need too! It's brilliant stuff!

But, it is a full season. Hence, I didn't include it in my list.

If I can vote twice, though, definitely Roujin-Z and Paprika. So many people are talking about The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, though, I will have to go check it out.

Interstella 5555 — Essentially an hour-long AMV, combining Leiji Matsumoto with Daft Punk.

Awsome Movie!!!!

If by chance you come across this on the net, Galaxy Express 999 is very sci fi, made by the same guy of course.

And speaking of Leijiverse, if you come across Captain Harlock, give that a try.

7.Neon Genesis Evangelion,one of the most famous animes of all time,

Ha, even though its the most overrated anime to me, its still a sci fi series/movie, even though your gonna be going "uhh, what?" But, dont look at the series expecting lots of mecha action, because thats not what its about.

Going down the OVA list is Black Magic M-66, which i need to finish. And oh man how could i forget, the Sol Bianca OVA (wither its the old school or recent OVA, there still pretty awsome!!). Oh yea, I heard Ergo Proxy was cyberpunk, but i dont know more than that.

10.Bubblegum Crisis,Tokyo 2040,inspired by Bladerunner.

Tokyo 2040 was inspired by the original OVA, and the original OVA was inspired by Blade Runner.

Ah yea, speaking of the BGC universe, if your looking for a darker tone to the series, try the AD Police OVA. Its a much darker tone to the BGC ova as it revolves around Officer Leon McNichol before we knew and loved him in BGC timeline, but like i said its more darker but very worth it.

Oh yea, would Gundam count on this thread, its still sci fi darn it!!

Well, im done...

Thanks guys.

I'm thinking of checking out Macross Plus and seeing what Steamboy was like.

I'm also curious about 8th MS Team.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time sounds very interesting but I'll have to see where I could pick it up.

Akira I didn't much like and stuff like Ghost in the Shell is going to be a bit heavy I think, at least for now.