Story or Art?

4 years 3 months ago

"

you suposed to make a story line for you comic if your making one

That's a short reply but it's the best response in this thread yet. Manga needs a storyline--that's the reason why a manga is written. If it's art they're trying to emphasize, they should settle for an artbook instead."
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Rukia (Bleach) Wallpaper

4 years 3 months ago

"Thank you for all your compliments, acidflower. ^__^

I tried colored butterflies first, but it didn't really look too great, so they all ended up blue-ish instead. I'm working on a better background, so I'll see if different colored butterflies look better on the new one. Originally, I used a brush to make the butterflies, so that's why they're all the same shape. I might change that in the updated wallpaper, so there will be more variety.

Once again, thanks for all those compliments--they've really motivated me to work on this!"
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Rukia (Bleach) Wallpaper

4 years 3 months ago

"Thank you so much for your help! I'll try everything you guys mentioned and post the revised wallpaper later. If anyone else has something they'd like to add, please don't hesitate to comment.

Highknees, I'll get rid of the noise since I don't like it much either now that I've taken a better look. xD; The only reason I added it was really because the background was too plain. Haha. I'll try the custom shape tool and look into vectors as well. Thanks for your comments, they've really helped!

Likagen, butterflies in front of Rukia would be a good idea. I'll try it out, though I'll have to make sure that it won't be distracting either. And don't worry... I've come up with some ideas for the background. I'll try a few and post all of them so you guys can tell me what works and what doesn't.

Rasengan, I'll try blending Rukia into the background a bit, but part of the reason she stands out so much was because I added an outline. I mentioned before that I had trouble with the extraction and I used an outline to cover up some of my mistakes. I'll try re-exracting the image and if it works out better, I'll try what you suggested. Also, I've decided not to add scenery since many Bleach wallpapers are made that way and I want to try something different. But thank you for the idea! ^__^"
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Rukia (Bleach) Wallpaper

4 years 3 months ago

"Well, here it is. My first attempt at a wallpaper. I tried something different and while I like it, I'm not sure if others will think the same. I realize that I need some more practice on extracting images and I'll try to make more creative backgrounds. Anything else? I appreciate any feedback you could give me, good or bad.

Click HERE to see it.

Don't be too harsh. I know it's not great, but I think its okay for a first try. Spare me your flames. x)"
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Story or Art?

4 years 3 months ago

"

grudgesoul, you made me cry about what you said about OP j/k :) One Piece art did make me relunctant to try the manga... but after reading it, I liked the story and that's why I've stuck to it ever since.

Haha... even I feel bad about not liking the manga since I'm in love with the storyline. I can only image the pain I've caused to a fellow forum member who's apparently obsessed with the manga (and has pirate king written on her avatar). xD;;

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Now I know I'm generalizing, but it seems like Japanese manga readers are less concerned with bad art (and more inclined to like a manga because of its storyline) than American readers. For instance, the One Piece manga isn't doing too well in America, especially if you compare it with its sales in Japan. On the other hand, Naruto is doing very well. Like most people here, I've read both of those series and I don't think there's a contest as to which art is better. Both have storylines however, that are excellent.

Now I know I'm getting slightly off topic here, but do you guys think American readers are generally more inclined to stay away from manga with bad art than Japanese readers?

And yes, I know that almost everyone who agrees with me and responds to this will say that he or she agrees but is not part of that generalization. Just so that I don't put anyone on the spot, I'd like to mention that I'm one of those horrible Americans who ignores most series with bad art. x)"
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Story or Art?

4 years 3 months ago

"Hmm... this is an interesting topic. I'm going to use a lot of anime examples in my post since I think the topic applies to anime just as much as manga.

First of all, I agree with you that mediocre drawings will grow on you if the storyline is good. For instance, Tenshi na Konamaiki has really ugly art (sorry animators & mangaka!), but the storyline and humor is well done. The show is addicting and I simply couldn't stop watching after I started it. After a few episodes, I didn't care about the art at all. A recent anime, Eureka 7, on the other hand, may have great animation (Studio BONES, I believe), but many people are dropping it since it's unbearingly boring. While we're all attracted to pretty images at first, I'm certain that the storyline is what draws us into a series in the end.

At least most of the time. O.o;;

A long time ago, I read the One Piece manga and I put it down since the art made me cringe. Later, I downloaded the fansubs from Kaizoku-Fansubs and found that I really enjoyed the show. When I caught up to their most recently released episode, I wanted to see more and decided to go back and read the manga. But I couldn't. I really don't like the art in One Piece and while I'm hooked on the story, I can't bring myself to read the manga. Under most circumstances, I can overlook bad art as long as I enjoy the story, but in some cases (such as with One Piece) the art can drive me away from the manga.

Shounen series are more popular than shoujo series. We can argue whether or not this is true, but for the sake of my argument, they're simply more popular. I mean, look at the popularity of Naruto, Bleach, Detective Conan and One Piece compared to Aishiteruze Baby, Ultra Maniac, DNAngel and Daa! Daa! Daa! (Card Captor Sakura and Sailormoon never happened, dammit! xb) The art in most shoujo series is more detailed and nicer than art in shounen series. However, shounen manga's popularity is a result of their stories which tend to be more exciting and creative than shoujo manga.

The most popular shows and manga, on the most part, manage to have good storylines coupled with good art. However, more manga series succeed with great storylines rather than good art. I think this is why Sailormoon and Card Captor Sakura were so successful actually. They weren't the prototype shoujo series and romance often took a backseat to action. Something actually happened during both of those series other than breaking up with a boyfriend or getting into a fight with a best friend. ¬_¬

In the end, I believe that the story is the most important part of a series or manga. Pretty art can help, but it won't save a boring show. On the other hand, gorgeous art alone won't keep anyone's attention long enough for a solid fanbase to form. A storyline is what captures our attention and has us eagerly anticipating the next chapter or episode."
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DeathNote

4 years 4 months ago

"I think everyone hates Misa. xD;;

Zephyranthes asked earlier about Pluto and Monster's storylines and I have a very simple answer. They both have the same intrigue and mystery that made Death Note a success, except there's no Misa. And that makes them better. It irritates me when you've got a great series, but then the creators decide to throw in some fanservice and ruin it all.

Another reason why Pluto and Monster are better than Death Note is that they are more realistic. Now, I'm not talking about the shinigami, because I liked how Death Note combined the detective genre with mythology/spirits. I'm referring to some of the plans that L and the police force carry out. For instance, it seems too farfetched to have a whole skyscraper built just for a several member team. Also, I doubt that the United Nations and the Japanese police force would trust an important case (catching Raito) to a boy they hardly know (L). L exerts far too much political influence and the police is strangely unable to find out any information about him. This just doesn't seem too plausible.

Pluto's main character is a police officer/investigator who recieves as much power and influence as you'd expect. No more, no less. Monster's main character is a doctor with neccessary skills but lacks any political know-how. They're both more realistic than either Raito or L. Raito is too young/too inexperienced to be able to fool the entire Japanese police force and FBI agents. And yes, there are geniuses in the world, but I doubt any of them are able to single-handedly influence the United Nations like L can. Both of them would have been much better characters if they had more flaws.

I think that's why I enjoy reading Pluto and Monster more. Don't get me wrong, since fantasy is probably my favorite genre but there's a limit to how much Raito and L can get away with. It's like Star Wars. I love Yoda and his fighting technique. But after a few minutes of his elite lightsaber skills, I begin to think that it's ridiculous.

Since I'm going off on a tangent, I'll stop rambling. I hope someone understands what I'm trying to say. (And just to make it clear, I'm NOT bashing Death Note! I like it a lot, except Pluto and Monster are better in my opinion)."
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Detective Conan (Case Closed)

4 years 4 months ago

"

well from what I heard... they changed the title to CASE CLOSED, for fear of infringing copyrights belonging to 'CONAN the Barbarian'. Metantai Conan/Det Conan is fine in other countries but in the US, the name CONAN is copyrighted. So....

WTF?! The name Conan is copyrighted!? Conan the Barbarian must surely be copyrighted, but I doubt that simply 'Conan' applies to that same copyright. I mean, Conan is the pseudonym (I don't think it's his real name) of the guy who wrote the Sherlock Holmes detective series. If they ever got into trouble concerning copyright infringement, I doubt they would have to pay anything since the origin of the name Conan is clear.

Fuck those retards who do nothing but sue companies for stupid reasons. Those are the guys who probably caused the title to change from Detective Conan to Case Closed. >.<"
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Romantic manga

4 years 4 months ago

"As I mentioned earlier, I've read a lot of KareKano too. I love it, but perhaps not as much as other series since I don't like the male lead character. xD;; Yikes, I'll be bashed for that probably. Anyways, is it true that KareKano is ending soon? Even though I haven't read it in a while, I still love it and don't want it to end. T__T"
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20th Century Boys

4 years 4 months ago

"I couldn't agree with you more! I loved 20th Century Boys as much as Monster and Pluto until around the eighth volume. While it started out with a plot that could send chills down my spine, it quickly died down at around the fifth volume. Now, don't get me wrong, the plot twist was awesome: unexpected and well-executed. It's just that it seems the plot twist was done without any concrete ideas about what would happen later.

Even though it got boring, I kept reading it expecting something really interesting to happen suddenly. I read Monster earlier and whenever the plot slowed down, it shocked you only a few chapters later with a great new development. Unfortunately, my hopes for 20th Century Boys were never fulfilled. I'm going to keep reading it because Urasawa's still a great storyteller and the artwork is gorgeous. Some parts of the story have a great effect on you even when you have no idea where the main story is going. I'll keep reading, but I'm not anticipating each new chapter the same way that I used to. Perhaps it'll get better... I hope."
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DeathNote

4 years 4 months ago

"I really liked the beginning of Death Note (i.e. the first 58 chapters). Recently though, I think it's gotten pretty bad. There'e a huge plot twist later on and most people are not happy about it, including me. Don't worry, I wouldn't spoil the series for anyone that likes it. ^__^ While I recommended it to my friend last year, I regret it now. It's just not the same thing it used to be anymore.

Ah, disappointments abound, but I have the perfect solution for you guys. Go read Monster or Pluto instead. That way you won't be disappointed."
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Romantic manga

4 years 4 months ago

"I love KareKano too! It was the first romantic series that I ever really obsessed over. Well, I did like Card Captor Sakura, Sailormoon, and other shoujo/romantic series but I liked them for other reasons (like the characters & stories). After all, the romance in those series was limited and I didn't really find it too believable. I mean, c'mon Tuxedo Mask/Kamen... you're really gay and Tomoyo, you're a bit too young to be developing feelings for your cousin. O.o;; Anyways, if you're looking for other series with great romance I'd recommend Emma by Kaoru Mori and Hana Yori Dango by Kamio Yoko.

Emma takes place in Victorian-era England and features a wealthy young man named William Jounes and a beautiful maid named Emma. As you may guess, it's essentially about two people falling in love when they live in an era where their love is forbidden. Don't be fooled into thinking this is simply a Romeo & Juliet copycat though! It's got plenty of plot twists and absolutely gorgeous artwork. Once you start reading, you won't be able to stop.

Hana Yori Dango, ironically, has a similar plot except it takes place in the present. The young heroine, Makino Tsukushi, is currently enrolled in Eitoku High, a prestigious school for the rich. Unfortunately, her family is very poor, falling into debt so that they can pay for her tuition. The school is controlled by four young men called the F4 who hold great influence over the faculty and are able to get away with anything. While most students succomb to their tyranny, Makino Tsukushi has another idea. She defies the leader of the F4, Domyouji Tsukasa, and at that moment their hatred begins.. but is it really hate?

While Hana Yori Dango had its flaws, I enjoyed it greatly since it features plot devices that I wouldn't expect to find in other typical shoujo series, such as school hazing and even sex. Furthermore, I was delighted to find that the heroine of the story wasn't helpless and able to support herself (and even her entire family). What's more--she doesn't fall for the stereotypical bishounen. If nothing else, this manga will make you appreciate guys with curly hair. While the series sometimes gets repetitive, it's still really good overall. Give it a try!"
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Why does Every One Seem to like Inu Yasha?

4 years 4 months ago

"

it has a reason for being so long:

thousands of peices of a jewel scattered all to hell and they have to find them

Well, we don't exactly have to watch them find each and every one, do we? ¬_¬"
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Anyone heard of the Legend of Zelda manga?

4 years 4 months ago

"The manga is available for download on #lurk at irc.irchighway.net. It's in English so you'll be able to understand it and you can get an idea of the artwork to help you decide whether or not you should buy it.

Don't get your hopes up though. It sucks."
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Why does Every One Seem to like Inu Yasha?

4 years 4 months ago

"Just to defend Inuyasha, it was a great manga series for the first nine volumes. It actually moved at a relatively fast pace back then and in my opinion, the artwork was much better as well. It was pretty innovative and I always found the characters to be adorable and funny. xD;;

Now, since this is a bashing thread, here's what I need to say. First of all, are you guys dissing the Inuyasha manga/anime or are you criticizing its American fanboys? The Inuyasha manga has a lot of flaws and most people don't keep up with it anymore (including me). It's gotten too repetive and drawn out just to earn some more cash for the mangaka. But I don't think the entire series sucked, since the beginning was pretty well-done.

Now the fanboys annoy me too. But think about it. They're at the beginning of the story, when it was good. We're just getting over it because our scanslations proved to us that the story now sucks/is too repetitive. They'll all get over it too when they realize the same thing. Sure, they've become obsessive compulsive freaks, but I obsess over other series myself. A while back, everyone was making threads about 20th Century's Boys and Monster on manga forums, but no one called them stupid fanboys. I think it simply depends on the popularity of the series. If many people like a certain manga (such as Inuyasha or Naruto), they'll get bashed for making a lot of threads about it. On the other hand, people can make as many threads as they want about less popular series without getting bashed for it.

All in all, I'm simply trying to say that we should give those annoying fanboys a rest. They'll get over it in time. The real problem is how long the manga will run. I've just checked that famous Inuyasha translations website and I read an interview with Rumiko Takahashi that states she will continue the series until its at least 500 chapters long. I doubt anyone will read that long if there aren't any new plot devices. O.o;;"
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Detective Conan (Case Closed)

4 years 4 months ago

"I don't really like the changes either. I still wonder why they changed the title. Do they think Americans don't know who Conan Doyle is? It's a great series and I don't think that it needs to be Americanized to succeed. To be fair though, I can understand why they changed Ran's name since a lot of American readers (provided they're not anime freaks) will pronounce it like the verb "to run" in past tense. Rachel is a good, understandable translation. But... Jimmy?! Vivian?! Those would have been better left alone.

I originally thought that they changed the codenames Gin and Vodka because they didn't want to get into any trouble about encouraging minors to drink. But then I thought about how they leave all the violence intact. It doesn't make sense! If you want to make a series more presentable to a younger demographic, you should edit all of it. Otherwise, they should simply leave it unedited. People are upset about the editing in Tenjou Tenge, but damn, at least they're consistent."
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Petition

4 years 4 months ago

"

I guess I'm one of the few Anti-Remake people on the web right now.

No, you're not! I agree with you completely. I'd rather play new Squaresoft games (and better quality ones than they've been releasing lately). Now, I'll be the first one to say that the graphics in the latest Final Fantasy games are gorgeous, but that's all we've been getting lately with the exception of Kingdom Hearts. I realize that they've also released some other games, but those have all been mediocre. Instead of pumping out another repetitive Final Fantasy or re-releasing a game, they should be more innovative and create a new gaming saga or something..."
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Petition

4 years 4 months ago

"I don't think we need more Final Fantasy games."
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Suikoden IV

4 years 4 months ago

"Are you guys kidding me!?

Suikoden 4 was easily the WORST game in the series. There are only two things that I liked about this game: Ted was in it and the Silverberg (i.e. strategist) was a woman. And even though I had always wanted a good female strategist (come back Odessa!), Elenor Silverberg was a real disappointment. She didn't do anything! Of course, neither did Ted. I expected more of a bonus as he's a fan favorite from the original.

Even more outrageous is that the developers scrapped the unique six-member battle formation (something that was unique to the Suikoden series). And for what? A stupid three-member system that made it horribly painful to level up all 108 characters. Yeah, sure. I realize that you could swap characters into battle like Final Fantasy X, but that doesn't make it any less annoying to level everyone up.

Another major problem was the fact that the game took place 150 years ago. WTF? Why couldn't it have taken place after Suikoden 3... just for continuity's sake? If there was a reason that the game took place earlier, I would have approved of the decision to go back in time. Many people were suggesting a storyline that could have revealed Yuber's origins or involved the sorceress Windy or depicted the fall of the Sindar. But, no. Instead, it was probably placed back in time so that the developers wouldn't have to create extra scenarios for those who loaded saved data from Suikoden 3.

The characters were bland, the story was utterly crap, the game was far too short, traveling around the world map was a bitch (for lack of a better way to put it) and I wasted my money on this. I highly recommend that you DON'T buy this sorry excuse for a game."
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Atelier Iris ~Eternal Mana~

4 years 4 months ago

"I bought the game hearing great things about the story and soundtrack. Uh... I didn't think it was too original or anything. O.o;; Right now, I'm bored with the story, but my sister said that some of the character's pasts are interesting later on. I used to love Nippon-ichi, but after two disappointments (Phantom Brave & Atelier Iris) I don't think I'll be as eager to purchase their future games.

Or wait, I take that back since I heard somewhere that they're making a La Pucelle 2. But I'm certainly staying away from Phantom Kingdom & Atelier Iris ~Eternal Mana~ 2."
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Favorite Kingdom Hearts Character?

4 years 4 months ago

"Riku. I liked making fun of the way his butt jutted out."
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Anime and Manga Genres

4 years 4 months ago

"Hmm... to sum it up, I'd say seinen/josei is basically anything that doesn't fall into another category. They are not specifically aimed at either gender and they are aimed at a higher age group (18-25). It's difficult to understand what seinen/josei is unless you read a few manga in that category. Then you'll understand why it doesn't fit anywhere else.

Okay, I realize that was still confusing. It's difficult to describe--I'd just call it the misfit group or something like that... xD;;"
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-MY- favorite manga series~ *possible mini spoilers*

4 years 4 months ago

"Hmm... Eyeshield 21 has been out for a while now, but it's only gotten popular recently. <sarcasm> I wonder if it has anything to do with the anime coming out. ¬_¬ </sarcasm>

Okay, should I check this manga out? Or is the anime better? Personally I like the Naruto manga, but I don't really like or watch the anime. On the other hand, I love the One Piece anime but absolutely abhor the manga for its art (and yes, I realize that's shallow of me, but I can't help it). I don't know if that info will help anyone figure out which one is better for me, but what the hell. Or let me know which one you prefer."
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Where is fruit basket

4 years 4 months ago

"What exactly are you asking for? You first ask for direct download links and then say direct downloading on your computer doesn't work. O.o;;"
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[IRC] Download Manga

4 years 4 months ago

"Search for some tutorials on google and read through them to get an understanding of how mIRC works. There's a pretty good tutorial at www.aku-tenshi.com and there should also be a faq on the official website of the client you downloaded. Then, I would suggest visiting a friendly channel (most of them are, so you don't need to search for a long time to find one! ^__^). Once you connect, just ask your questions in the channel and most people will be more than happy to help you out.

If you have any more specific questions, just post them here and I'll be happy to help.

Good luck!"
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