The Anime I got started on was Robotech and Voltron. Both were heavily altered for the American version. They still had enough of an effect on my entertainment preferences that in gaming groups, when listing tasks, I'm no longer allowed to say, "And I'll form the head!" Killjoys.

In college I discovered Usurei Yatsura and Tenchi Muyo. Both are "High School Boy has wacky hijinx with aliens" sagas, but the protagonists of both shows were polar opposites of each other.

Escaflowne was one of my favorites in the nineties. That was one where up until about halfway through, it makes sense, then it does but doesn't ... Great music, too.

This is about as pathetic as those classes in college where students would spend one day pretending to be homeless, then return the next day to their warm classrooms feeling great about themselves because now they are full of empathy (and themselves -- though they probably didn't realize that part).

Wise words, Fred Cole. In all honesty I think the 2014 elections and the following presidential election will tell me a lot about where I want to be.

Also, if I run for office it'll tell me which party I'd want to run under.

... Sanity? Are you sure you read my posts? ;)

Wow ... they analyzed my writing? I hope they were kind.

What is this? Do people actually talk about me behind my back?

Whatever I said while I was drinking, seriously that's not me!

Texas is not entirely immune to the problems in other states. Public employee pensions are ticking time bombs to most states. The question becomes how will each state deal with it.

California and Oregon have chosen the, "Let's ignore it and maybe it'll go away on its own" solution. States who chose to deal with it have faced serious backlash from public employees.

The question is, how will Texas deal with it? I don't know if the answer is all that obvious, either.

And I tend to be a bit more lenient (watching Batman animated series with my 6-year old nephew). Still, Deathnote can and should spark conversation about what the protagonists do.

Y'know, that's a good summation. And again, the second half just doesn't match the quality of the first.

I'm in agreement. IT's a good series, and it's dark but not horrifying.

I did find that it falters a bit in the midpoint and fails to be as strong as the first half thanks to something I can't even mention without spoiling.

One reason I think people say Anime is weird is because they'll take two or more genres that we regard as entirely different in Western entertainment, and then mash them together - sometimes seamlessly sometimes otherwise. The result appears weird to us because we wouldn't do that, but I find fans enjoy that aspect a lot precisely because we wouldn't think of that at all.

I've found something like this as well. Frequently we start the story in the middle. We meet the characters with little build-up as to who they are really are. Over time, the story fleshes out in both directions. Our perceptions of characters change as we begin to learn more of where they are going and where they came from. It's quite different than the linear progression we love in Western storytelling.

It's a better term than "Japanimation" which I remember from the early days. Yikes!

Cowboy Bebop is a classic, imo. One of those shows that basically invents its own genre.

I enjoyed anime because in the 80's and 90's, it was different, unique, and something better than the crud we were getting on tv/Video at the time. Nowadays I like the themes: Pursuit of excellence, self-sacrifice, overcoming the self, loyalty ...

Nyet Comrade -- er, I meant, No, friend. I am just as gung-ho American man as next tovarish.

We've passed "rule of men" as well. Any more we are governed by the Rule of Whim.