/me raises his hand
Naoki Urasawa pretty much rocks period.
Not Actually Indie
I never saw the anime, but I loved the manga.
I consider Urasawa Naoki to be Japan's answer to Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman.
...eventually, we will reach a maximum entropy state where nobody has their own socks or underwear, or knows who to ask to get them back.
The Good Troper
It took me minutes to realize that you two are talking about the same person.
Mathematics Is A Language.
I enjoyed the manga. You should check out 20th Century Boys and Pluto too (no anime adaption for either, yet), they're by the same person.
Loved the manga too. Haven't read it all, but i'm working on it...
Taller than Zim
I enjoyed it... Somewhat.
The problem I think it that it was so good in a lot of ways that it felt like it didn't *quite* fit together sometimes. Moments that would be taken for granted in any show that was slightly more fantastic kept disrupting my suspension of disbelief.
There are some scenes which are just flat-out awesome though.
"No, the Singularity will not happen. Computation is hard." -Happy Ent
I read the manga and then watched the anime :) I heard so much about the series prior to doing both that I expected to be disappointed, but I was pleasantly surprised.
Granted it took a little patience, as the story starts out a bit slow and sometimes goes off on (seemingly) unrelated tangents, but when it starts coming together - wow. Smart, brilliantly written, and very disturbing.
Johan is probably one of the creepiest, most complex villains I've ever read about. And he does this not by killing everyone in a rampage or showing outright malice, he just is there. And I love the dynamic between him and Tenma.
The anime is lifted straight out of the manga. No fillers, no added arcs, they even copied a lot of scenes panel by panel :)
edited 5th May '09 2:55:03 AM by guineveredawn
Please, Urasawa runs circles around Neil Gaiman (though I am very fond of his work, and I absolutely adore American Gods and Stardust).
My words fly up, my thoughts remain below.
The Good Troper
I'm going to buy the third edition of Pluto soon.
Mathematics Is A Language.
Not Actually Indie
I haven't read that many of Neil Gaiman's graphic novels, but of those that I've read, I'll admit that I prefer Urasawa Naoki's work (for the most part; I'm not too impressed with what I've read of Billy Bat.) On the other hand, I think Neil Gaiman's forte is really his short stories and novels, so I suppose it's not really the most apt comparison.
...eventually, we will reach a maximum entropy state where nobody has their own socks or underwear, or knows who to ask to get them back.I dislike Gaiman's short stories. My favorites by him are American Gods and Stardust, but I think Sandman is his best work.
But, yeah, where did that comparison come from? Urasawa's works are mostly character-driven stories whose plots come together for the sake of a higher, philanthropic message, whereas Gaiman just enjoys presenting unusual universes with cool twists and turns but rarely any real substance.
My words fly up, my thoughts remain below.
Jesus as in Revelations
I liked Monster, but the pace was too slow for my taste, and I wasn't scared by all the stuff that was depicted: just desperately trying to understand Johan's methods and motives.
'''YOU SEE THIS DOG I'M PETTING? THAT WAS COURAGE WOLF.Cute, isn't he?I've seen the pace complaint a lot, and I don't get it to this day. It's a character-driven series, and so a lot of the time must be dedicated to fleshing out the people involved - but even so, it never felt slow or bogged down with unnecessary information. There was a good amount of action, enough to counterpoint the plot's development, and the characterization itself is so superb that you want to learn more about everyone.
My words fly up, my thoughts remain below.
The Cool
I'm at the point where it just stopped being boring, so I can't share your opinion yet. Though on the topic of Neil Gaiman, he's awesome.
It started in mud, as many things do.
I just started reading the manga, even though I have the anime set to record. Don't think I've ever connected with a character that fast before... (Tenma)
You can't even write racist abuse in excrement on somebody's car without the politically correct brigade jumping down your throat!
Taller than Zim
It's a bit like comparing apples and oranges. (Someone who mainly writes character-driven thrillers and someone who writes bugfuck crazy adventures in mythology?)
I think, from what I've seen, that Sandman is the slightly better *comic-artist* as in he makes better use of the unique aspects of the comic-book (which might in part be credited to whatever artist he uses of course) Monster was easily adapted into TV-series relatively faithfully. I just can't see that happening to Sandman (which is a story that could pretty much only have been told as a comic-book)
"No, the Singularity will not happen. Computation is hard." -Happy Ent
resident moonatic
Monster is the first manga I've ever read, and I have to say I'm really impressed. I haven't seen the anime, though.
You're looking for this person.
Jesus as in Revelations
Like I said, the characterization is too slow, with too few defining moments, too far apart. For the opposite example, look at Code Geass: we know who Lelouch is from the very first episode, and Zero's first appearance establishes Zero perfectly ("I killed Schneizel").
'''YOU SEE THIS DOG I'M PETTING? THAT WAS COURAGE WOLF.Cute, isn't he?
Urasawa's a lot more meticulous about these things than Sunrise. Monster also isn't an action series like Code Geass.
Like I said, the characterization is too slow, with too few defining moments, too far apart.
(weaving)
and Zero's first appearance establishes Zero perfectly ("I killed Schneizel"). 
"Like I said, the characterization is too slow, with too few defining moments, too far apart."
How is this a problem? It just makes the characters and the setting more realistic. I don't think citing the cookie-cutter, one-dimensional characters of Geass really works in favor of your argument either.
edited 28th Oct '09 2:17:36 PM by LizardBite
Not really. I like old Bleach, Black Lagoon, Darker than Black, and other shit-for-brains shows. I'm not saying quality is necessary for enjoyment. Rather, I'm saying that quality should not be disparaged.
edited 28th Oct '09 8:02:14 PM by insofar
My words fly up, my thoughts remain below.
resident moonatic
Can't we all just agree that
1. Monster is good. 2. Monster's characters are subtly well-developed.
without turning it into a fan war?
You're looking for this person.
I've been watching through the anime series for the first time - and I think it's pretty much the best anime I've ever seen. Brilliant characters, epic plot, emotional and psychological depth without being a complete Mind Screw... Who else would join me in declaring their love for this series?
Listen to Music with Tropers at The Troper Turntable!