Shamanking.Trigun, DBZ, Kenshin.

[Calim]

I like Trigun for the fact that its main character (Vash) is a very complex person and at the same time simple which catched my attention.

PS- Lol looks like someone got owned.

[Chloe_666]

Series that I would consider among the complex would be things like Evangelion, Serial Experiments Lain, Boogiepop Phantom, etc. Things that actually make you think.

Anything can make you think if you're interested. Now, if you mean anime that leave half the story unexplained, then sure - DBZ and RK don't fit that as well. But a good story doesn't leave the reader (viewer) guessing for the next 5 yrs. A good story explains itself. So those anime might make you think more, but that isn't necessarily a good thing.

But if the story is clear and there is nothing to think about, you also cant make a discussion about it and it would be very sad if we could not discuss the various problems in Evangelion or Lain anymore.

[AMVfreak]

hmmm
the ones i like are shaman king and kenshin
dont really like DBZ, gets tiring watching them fight every episode
havent seen trigun

[Tsunami Jones]

Websters Dictionary defines complex as 1: Having many parts

Any anime with multiple seasons meets this demand, so DBZ and RK are automatically anime with many parts - that's not even breaking 'parts' down to include different genres like romance, action, drama, comedy, etc - and again, both DBZ and RK have all of these mixed together. So they fit the first requirement just fine.

2: intricate

. Entangled; involved; perplexed; complicated; difficult to understand, follow, arrange, or adjust; as, intricate machinery, labyrinths, accounts, plots, etc.

Now if you really want to go by such antiquated definitions, I'm game.

Entangled? Deeply involved especially in something problematic.

Any anime with characters struggling to think is entangled. This would include any of the various fights in DBZ where the main characters plot how they might possibly defeat the villain (the 'problematic' something they're deeply involved in).

Involved? Connected by participation or association or use.

No subject of this definition so take it as either the characters are connected or the viewer is connected. Either way, the characters are certainly connected to everything they do in the anime (since they're the ones doing it), and viewers are connected the the storylines in RK and the strong themes of good versus evil and striving to hold onto ideals - they're also connected to the exact same character types in DBZ or else fanboys would never bother to say how much they feel like Gohan is a representation of themselves.

Perplexed? Entangled, involved, or confused; hence, embarrassd; puzzled; doubtful; anxious.

I've already explained how RK and DBZ are both 'entangled and involved' and the characters are certainly confused at times (as well as the viewers trying to figure out unexplained things like how Shishio has a flaming sword and how Cell seems to have qualities of all the main fighters). Anyone is confused up until the anime explains itself whether you're watching Eva or Pokemon. Only psychics know ahead of time what the explanations are. Embarrassed? Who is embarrased watching Lain? You might question the anime you named as fitting these definitions. Regardless, plenty of people would be embarrased watching DBZ, or some of the more childish episodes of RK - and characters in both anime are often embarrassed. Puzzled? That's another word for confused, no need to say it again. Doubtful? This goes along with how a viewer feels up until the anime explains things, and is especially true in DBZ and RK since a lot of the things shown seem unlikely - characters are also doubtful when facing enemies that look impossible to defeat (Shishio, Buu). Anxious? Ever talked to a Vegeta fan who was watching DBZ on television and was twitching in his seat waiting for the next episode to find out if he really was dead? Definitely anxiety on behalf of the characters - the same for RK fans during the Kenshin/Saitoh fight. As for anxious characters, that's an easy one - Kenshin is anxious every time Kaoru gets in danger (think of the episode where he's trying to protect her on the ship), and DBZ characters epitomize anxiety since they're always being faced with emminent defeat.

Complicated?

Just another word for Complex - so no need to redefine this and start the circle all over again before it completes itself.

Difficult to understand?

Ever watched the Android saga and tried to understand the various altered timelines Trunks caused with his time travel? Nothing if not a headache waiting to happen. Even the hardcore fans have trouble keeping it all straight. As for RK, did you really get the 'secret' skills Shishio used, or how about trying to understand all the history lessons mixed into the storyline without watching the prequels first? Difficult to understand is another word for confusing and anything is confusing until it's explained.

None of these anime are intricate in plot design or story.

Says you, but you don't seem to be using the Webster's dictionary definition of 'intricate' so why did you use their definition for 'complicated'? According to their definitions for these words, at least two of the anime he named do certainly fit just fine. I can't speak for the others since I haven't seen them, but DBZ and RK are complicated anime, at least by Webster's standards.

Series that I would consider among the complex would be things like Evangelion, Serial Experiments Lain, Boogiepop Phantom, etc. Things that actually make you think.

Anything can make you think if you're interested. Now, if you mean anime that leave half the story unexplained, then sure - DBZ and RK don't fit that as well. But a good story doesn't leave the reader (viewer) guessing for the next 5 yrs. A good story explains itself. So those anime might make you think more, but that isn't necessarily a good thing.

/gotta love those definitions when making an argument

Woah . . . know that's a mouthful right there. And the best part of it all, is that we're both right, and both simultaneously wrong. Because what it all comes down to is personal opinion and preferences. To me, these series really aren't complex, and neither are the characters (Trigun we'll exclude, as the characters are very well done and complecated in that show, and when I made my original post, I wasn't paying attention to it. oops).

And I personally don't think that just having a long running show makes it intricate. By the same reasoning, I could say that any long running show is intricate, even our long running american shows. Just like Friends and Everybody Loves Raymond. By that then, does that mean all of these shows are intricate? Perhaps. Or perhaps I'm truly just grasping for straws with this . . . either that or I dug my own grave with that definition. Either way, it doesn't really matter. Because . . .

. . . It all comes back down to personal opinion. And it's my opinion that these series' aren't complicated. It's yours that it is. But that allows for discussion .

And also, kudos to you for looking up definitions from a 91 year old dictionary .

[Arigatomina]

And I personally don't think that just having a long running show makes it intricate.

Neither did I - I said having a long running show made it have 'multiple parts' as per the first half of what you said was necessary for the show to be 'complex.' What I explained for the word 'intricate' had nothing to do with how long or short the shows were. I broke down aspects of the characters and plot - I never said anything about the length. o.O

. . . either that or I dug my own grave with that definition. Either way, it doesn't really matter. Because . . .

Semantics. ^_^;; It's just the word usage. I knew perfectly well that you weren't saying those anime weren't 'complex' - you were saying they weren't complex enough for you. And that's what really matters. They can be complex according to the meaning of the word, but that doesn't mean others will be satisfied with the level of that complexity.

. . . It all comes back down to personal opinion. And it's my opinion that these series' aren't complicated. It's yours that it is. But that allows for discussion .

Definitely ^_^

And also, kudos to you for looking up definitions from a 91 year old dictionary .

Heh, I couldn't resist - those definitions haven't changed in about 100 yrs - you'd have to get one of Webster's new 'slang included' dictionaries to really see different takes on words. ^.~

[Tsunami Jones]

Neither did I - I said having a long running show made it have 'multiple parts' as per the first half of what you said was necessary for the show to be 'complex.' What I explained for the word 'intricate' had nothing to do with how long or short the shows were. I broke down aspects of the characters and plot - I never said anything about the length. o.O

Gah. I totally mis-read that sentence. My apologies.

Quote:
. . . either that or I dug my own grave with that definition. Either way, it doesn't really matter. Because . . .

Semantics. ^_^;; It's just the word usage. I knew perfectly well that you weren't saying those anime weren't 'complex' - you were saying they weren't complex enough for you. And that's what really matters. They can be complex according to the meaning of the word, but that doesn't mean others will be satisfied with the level of that complexity.

Very true. For the record however, I actually still enjoy these series (not DBZ really. I used to like it, but the draw of it eventually wore of as I got into more and more stuff. I still even have about 40+ VHS tapes of it.), I even own the entirety of Trigun and Kenshin.

Quote:
And also, kudos to you for looking up definitions from a 91 year old dictionary .

Heh, I couldn't resist - those definitions haven't changed in about 100 yrs - you'd have to get one of Webster's new 'slang included' dictionaries to really see different takes on words. ^.~

I need to get one of those dictionaries someday. Right now all's I have is a Webster's pocket dictionary from 1989. (not really a good thing, especially since I'm generally doing some rather heavy writing)

[someperson]

Very true. For the record however, I actually still enjoy these series (not DBZ really. I used to like it, but the draw of it eventually wore of as I got into more and more stuff. I still even have about 40+ VHS tapes of it.), I even own the entirety of Trigun and Kenshin.

Wish I had that kind of money. Strangely enough, when my paycheck gets in my hands it disapears and all this new useless junk appears in my room.

[Tsunami Jones]

Wish I had that kind of money.

So do I. But I don't. when I bought the series it was back when I was in that magical world of employment. Not so any more. But when I was buying the series, I started picking it up when the first volume came out, so I got each volume as it came out. I had no idea it was so long.

[android21]

Very true. For the record however, I actually still enjoy these series (not DBZ really. I used to like it, but the draw of it eventually wore of as I got into more and more stuff. I still even have about 40+ VHS tapes of it.), I even own the entirety of Trigun and Kenshin.

Wish I had that kind of money. Strangely enough, when my paycheck gets in my hands it disapears and all this new useless junk appears in my room.

Adult swim on cartoon Network Use to show em' thats where i got my set from at the low price of a blank tape.

[Tsunami Jones]

Adult swim on cartoon Network Use to show em' thats where i got my set from at the low price of a blank tape.

Tapes, even the official VHS ones, are weak. Actual DVD is the way to go, especially since the Kenshin dub was done so poorly . . .