Trigun, Planetes or ...?

[naiera]

So I'm looking for a really good 26 episode show for my easter holidays which aren't too far off, and if you live in Denmark and order your anime from the US, you have to plan ahead [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Trigun and Planetes are both almost 8.5 on ANN and both are between $100 and $125 to aquire. I just can't seem to make up my mind. Is the re-release of Trigun really good and will an "alternative box" hater like me get along with the tin boxes the re-release has? Has the video quality improved significantly or are we just talking about a minor brush-up here and there? I'm not bothered about the slip-cover "thing" with the Planetes release.

I'm also open to "similar" suggestions, as in similar in length, quality and preferably also price [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] I have most of the "conventional" shows, so it's getting a bit hard to find stuff, although I'm probably being too picky. My tastes are quite diverse although I find that I do not enjoy samurai or magical girls too much. I love Samurai Champloo, but as I've already seen 12 episodes on crappy Scandinavian DVD that show is not an option right now.

And no, buying both Trigun and Planetes is not an option either [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Would Midori No Hibiki and Haibane Renmei be good alternatives to a "long" show? I don't know what to think about the latter, from what I've read. I was certainly not crazy about Lain...

[Njr Scrawl]

Planetes & Haibane Renmei are both thought provoking shows. Of the 2, I'd say Planetes is better entertainment - it has an annoying central male character though, who only gets mature in the last 2 episodes.
Planetes is really a shonen rite-of-passage, but it has good settings & good supporting characters.

Haibane Renmei is about girls going through a rite-of-passage.
Its ultimately uplifting, but you could get depressed watching it.

Trigun I have still to watch, but it has Hiromi Tsuru as a main supporting character, so its not too far down my backlog pile. I bought the original DVDs Signature Series for cheap.

Midori Days is the most enjoyable of the titles you mentioned. Its cute, poignant,funny & has some fanservice.

I recommend you get Planetes & Midori.

[naiera]

Planetes AND Midori would be too expensive [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] It's not that I'm poverty stricken but I'd like to limit my anime expenses just a bit. I also have the first Marmalade Dude box on the way.

Thanks a lot for the thoughts on the shows.

[Njr Scrawl]

I was thinking of the Midori premium box set that is being released this week, & will be cheaper than individual volumes.

[citicslmatts]

I'm yet to watch Planetes, however I have seen Trigun, and found it thoroughly enjoyable.

It's got a nice mixture of bizarre comedy (Kuro-neko!) and western style shoot-outs - all done with a futuristic twist... There's not much blood and gore, but some of the ideas for fight scenes were quite imaginitive.

The animation isn't bad, but it's nothing to write home about from what I can remember. Finally, the story over the 26 episodes is pretty cool, and I actually found myself giving a shit about what happens to everyone at the end... Which is always a good sign! [img]/images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif[/img] It's definately on my purchase list.

That's all I can tell you man - hope it's of some use!

[Shsway]

Haibane Renmei would definitely be a good alternative with regards to both content and length, though it is also features a lot of slow, quiet, thoughtful and symbolic storytelling, just so you know.

Trigun starts out a fun romp that turns serious (except for your random dumb-grotesque baddies), but I think it does both of these things well. It's action-y, even thoughtful sometimes, with a handful of interesting supporting characters, including the villains. I will say, though, that your like of the hero or the ending of this show is a YMMV issue. Years later, I still like Vash, but I find a lot of his decisions ultimately aggravating.

I double-dipped for the tins, remastering and extras included with the re-release, which seems to have slightly cleaner video and an amazing sound enhancement. As there is a fair amount of gunplay, explosions and awesome guitar music in this one, buying it for this upgrade alone was totally worth it to me. The original openings have been restored, but not the ending sequence, which seems to be untouched from the original release (God knows why).

Also, the Thinpaked DVDs feature some good-looking cover art by the original manga artist (though I think that the embossed, shiny tins do as well). You are probably already aware, but these two sets come with an engraved bullet necklace, and a metal keychain with "switchable" display pics, respectively. Black bag for the first, red for the second, and these come in separate boxes wrapped back to back with the tins.

As for Planetes...

It starts weak, seems to kick into gear around volume three and keeps going, but I personally am unable to connect with or sympathize with anyone other than two supporting characters; one for which this is unavoidable, since they pretty much represent the crux of the show. I found a lot of the comedy forced and unfunny, and ultimately, I felt that the director pulled a lot of punches with the more emotional content, resulting in a fairly lame end to the series.

The upside to all of this is the realistic depictions of what life in space could be and the technology involved. Also, the first three volumes(?) provide interviews with related NASA personnel, interesting photos and digital representations of orbital debris and its impact on the planet. There are also audio dramas, featuring mostly the supporting cast, and Japanese staff commentaries for 7 episodes (one per the first four volumes, three on the last disc).

To be honest, I lean towards chucking (see selling) the series straight away, I was so annoyed and unsatisfied, but the commentaries with Koyasu Takehito and Orikasa Ai (vol. 2 and 3 respectively) are keepers for me as a fan of their work. I feel that I need distance and a rewatch of the series before I can actually decide what to do from here.

[naiera]

[ QUOTE ]
Wrath of the Njr said:
I was thinking of the Midori premium box set that is being released this week, & will be cheaper than individual volumes.

[/ QUOTE ]

I was too, and it'd still be a bit too much.

[DanielJr]

Damn, I love both Trigun and Planetes. Both are "A" shows in my book. I say go with Planetes though, it's a more memorable experience I think.

[Fencedude]

Planetes is an amazing show, one of hte best ever made.

Trigun is amazingly over rated.

[jaylee]

I say go with Planetes. Its one of my top 5 anime.

Haibane-Renmei is excellent also.