Shinchiro Watanabe Thread

[LordGoku]

Basically, what this thread is for is to examine anime creator Shinichiro Watanabes, leading anime series. I want people to discuss these shows. What makes them work, their similarities, their differences and ultimately what would make one choose one over the other.

For me, I'll make a comprehensive list later on the above, and ultimately how I like them in their own individual way. As for now my order is such...

• Samurai Champloo
• Cowboy Bebop
• Space Dandy

[LumRanmaYasha]

Then why don't we just call this the Shinchiro Watanabe thread? There's already specific threads for Cowboy Bebop and Space Dandy.

Anyways, my preference for Watanabe's series is as follows:

1. Cowboy Bebop
2. Space Dandy
3. Kids on the Slope
4. Samurai Champloo
5. Terror in Resonance

I like them all, myself, even though only Bebop and Dandy make my personal favorites list. 

[gunswordfist]

• Samurai Champloo
• Cowboy Bebop
• Space Dandy

FINALLY, someone who agrees with me on this order.

I'm not sure where to start about comparing them though. Also, I've finished (as in seen all of their episodes) none of these shows.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I changed the title, if that's okay. I agree it would be better to make this an all purpose Watanabe thread.

As for my rankings:

1. Cowboy Bebop
2. Kids on the Slope
3. Terror in Resonance
4. Space Dandy
5. Samurai Champloo

If we were talking music my rankings would be entirely different.

[LordGoku]

I never saw Terror on Resonance, but isn't Kids on the Slope an adaptation? (Though I never saw that either. )

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Kids on the Slope is an adaptation of a manga, but the anime was directed by Watanabe.

1. Kids on the Slope
2. Cowboy Bebop
3. Terror in Resonance
4. Space Dandy
5. Samurai Champloo

[Spark Of Spirit]

It is an adaption of a pretty long manga series into a short series. Watanabe's direction is excellent and adds a lot of character and atmosphere.

Terror in Resonance is a thriller that starts out okay and gets better as it goes. I really liked it, but felt the soundtrack was lacking.

[Foggle]

Terror in Resonance is a thriller that starts out okay and gets better as it goes.

I really disagree with this. I thought Terror in Resonance started off excellently and went way downhill once Five was introduced. I consider the early episodes to be some of Watanabe's best work and the later ones to be some of his worst. Not that any of it is outright bad, though.

My rankings:

1. Space Dandy
2. Cowboy Bebop
3. Samurai Champloo
4. Terror in Resonance

I need to finish Kids on the Slope and re-watch Macross Plus before I can rank them.

[The Shadow Gentleman]

1. Cowboy Bebop
2. Kids on the Slope
3. Spesu Dendi
4. Terror in Resonance

Haven't seen Champloo and I agree with Foggle in regards to TiR.

[Lord Dalek]

1. Macross Plus
2. Cowboy Bebop
3. Terror in Resonance
4. Samurai Champloo
5. Kids on the Slope
6. Space Dandy (this is getting worse and worse with time)

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

And I disagree with Foggle and Shadow. The first few episodes were rather dull for me, and I found Five to be a genuinely interesting addition to the show.

Also, I completely agree with Dalek on Space Dandy. I've really tried hard to appreciate that show, but it just does nothing for me. Whereas I kind of warmed up to ABP a bit more on a second viewing, trying to give SD a second chance only made it worse for me. Not that I even dislike it. I just can't seem to feel anything for it.

That said, something about Samurai Champloo has always bothered me a bit, and while I don't dislike it either, I just can't ever seem to get into it.

[Spark Of Spirit]

And I disagree with Foggle and Shadow. The first few episodes were rather dull for me, and I found Five to be a genuinely interesting addition to the show.

Also, I completely agree with Dalek on Space Dandy. I've really tried hard to appreciate that show, but it just does nothing for me. Whereas I kind of warmed up to ABP a bit more on a second viewing, trying to give SD a second chance only made it worse for me. Not that I even dislike it. I just can't seem to feel anything for it.

That said, something about Samurai Champloo has always bothered me a bit, and while I don't dislike it either, I just can't ever seem to get into it.

Agreed in full. My major problem with Champloo is that other than the music, art style, and direction, I don't really like anything else about it.

As for Macross Plus, I'd still have to give that a rewatch. I saw it once a long time ago before I knew anything about Macross. I bet I would like it better now.

[LumRanmaYasha]

I found myself increasingly annoyed with TiR after 5 was introduced. I hated the middle portion of it the first time I watched it. The last few episodes and the ending of the series did well to change my opinion of it as a whole, as it made me think about what it was trying to do thematically and it's relevance as social commentary, which helped me to appreciate it more.

I share Foggle's love for Dandy 100%. The show is a perfect marriage of excellent animation, eclectic music, and high concepts and in it's 26-episode run it manages to highlight just about everything animation as a medium is capable of. It's a wonderful combination of different ideas, talents, styles that no other animated series before it has quite managed to capture and few after are ever likely to. It has everything I want to get out of an animated series and is the kind of animated series I had always been waiting to see made; a tour-de-force celebration of everything great about the medium, and while not every episode is perfect, I love how each one tries to do something completely different. It's an animator's dream show. And it managed to represent what I, as an animation fan, personally love about animation. That's what I get out of it, even though it did take me more than one watch to really connect with it that way.

[gunswordfist]

Makes me want to watch all of Space Dandy. Dammit, why have I never 100%ed a Watanabe show?

[Foggle]

Also, I completely agree with Dalek on Space Dandy.

I hope not. Dalek actively hates it and constantly tries to troll me about it.

I share Foggle's love for Dandy 100%. The show is a perfect marriage of excellent animation, eclectic music, and high concepts and in it's 26-episode run it manages to highlight just about everything animation as a medium is capable of. It's a wonderful combination of different ideas, talents, styles that no other animated series before it has quite managed to capture and few after are ever likely to. It has everything I want to get out of an animated series and is the kind of animated series I had always been waiting to see made; a tour-de-force celebration of everything great about the medium, and while not every episode is perfect, I love how each one tries to do something completely different. It's an animator's dream show. And it managed to represent what I, as an animation fan, personally love about animation. That's what I get out of it, even though it did take me more than one watch to really connect with it that way.

This is pretty much exactly how I feel about it. While I did quite enjoy a fair amount of the first 8 episodes on my initial viewing, it took me until the one with the plant planet to truly understand what the series was going for. It's certainly not a show for everyone, but I found it to be perhaps the most fun and unique television-viewing experience I've had, and it holds up very well on re-watches. Also, that soundtrack and dub.