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I was thinking about a few video game series that I wished were anime. I would own them and probably watch them a million times. Also, potential spoilers. I don't say exactly what happens, but proceed with caution anyway.
Devil Summoner Raidou Kuzunoha
It doesn't really matter which one (versus the Soulless Army or versus King Abaddon). Though DSRK: SA would make more sense, since it's the first one. I'm going to list a few reasons why.
1) Setting. 1920s era Japan. I love the 1920s, but usually all you hear about is the 1920s in America and possibly Britain. It's really fun to look at how it affects a different country. Even better, it's an alternative timeline. This is an important plot point, but it also means that all sorts of fun stuff can happen with history, too. There's a detective agency, there's a group defending Japan, streetcars (and later, a giant golden dragon) are the means of travel. There's also mentions of time travel and alternate dimensions. As soon as you say 'time travel' I get really excited about it. The dialogue matches the setting, as does magic and the use of science. It's the 1920s, the place where it all converges.
2) Characters. The characters are awesome. The main character, Raidou Kuzunoha the Fourteenth, is a Devil Summoner of the Kuzunoha Clan (which works for the group the Yatagarasu). Basically, that means he took a potentially lethal test to become the next in the Kuzunoha devil-summoning legacy. He's given devil-catching 'instruments'-tubes-with which to catch and sort of tame demons, which he can then summon and use in combat or-here's the genius part-investigation. They're invisible, so they can go places where he'd rather not be seen, and they have useful powers like flying, sneaking into spaces, mind-reading... He's also wearing a school uniform with an awesome cape, and the result (hat and all) is rather spiffy. He comes off as fairly emotionless, but then again he's been working to achieve the honor of the name Raidou Kuzunoha for a long time. (His real name is not mentioned in the game, and you can choose your own, though somewhere there's a rumor his real first name is Johei.) He's been referred to as a Japanese Batman. The awesomeness, detective-superhero with a lot of training and mental discipline apply, but he's no head of a corporation, and we hear nothing about his parents being killed. (We hear nothing about his parents, period, but I'd assume it's unimportant at this point.) He tends to come off as emotionless, but if you pay attention he'll show that he really cares. The thing is, he takes his job protecting the city and its people seriously. Very seriously.
More seriously than the man who's currently looking out for him, Shohei Narumi. He owns the Narumi Detective Agency, which solves unusual cases (usually ones involving the weird or supernatural). That is, if he ever feels like moving from his desk. He may come across at first as a lazy bum who mostly sits around smoking, drinking coffee, eating toast, reading the paper, and killing time. He'll often try to turn down cases just because he'd rather not put in the effort, and has a long, unpaid running tab in a lot of different places. He always has to have the latest suits and some other gadgets too. If he can't wriggle out of it (or thinks it's important enough) he sends Raidou, who is working under him as a sort of cover. He really is a compassionate man, though, and won't hesitate to act if he needs to. He's actually pretty intelligent, too, and pretty good at putting together the facts. He has an unusual history-he knows how to use a gun and has some unusual contacts. He doesn't know everything Raidou does, but he's aware of the existence of demons and has resolved to do everything he can to help the kid (despite the fact he doesn't completely agree with the way the Yatagarasu treats Kuzunoha as more of a resource and less of a person). Oddly enough, it's also hinted he can see demons, which isn't possible for most people.
His attitude annoys Raidou's sidekick/mentor, though-Gouto the cat. Gouto's more than he looks...he's a spirit trapped in a cat's body. Now, you may be thinking 'oh, typical, a talking cat', but Gouto's interesting-he talks like a 1920s private eye. He makes a good contrast to Raidou's straightforward (and often very quiet) manner. The interactions between Narumi and Gouto (especially since Narumi isn't quite certain how to deal with the cat, though he's pretty sure Raidou can understand him somehow) are pretty hilarious too.
Then there's Tae, intrepid female reporter. She's often at the detective agency bugging Narumi and stealing coffee, but when she isn't she's running into situations headfirst. She's got a lot of enthusiasm, but usually ends up fainting (or being knocked out) before she can discover anything important. Which is good for keeping a secret identity...but bad for her career.
Rasputin shows up as an evil Devil Summoner, and to help with Raidou's demons, Victor's in the basement of a shop nearby Narumi's Detective Agency. It's strongly hinted that Victor is Victor Frankenstein, to give an idea of how that goes. And that's not even counting all the demons, who have their own personalities that, a lot of the time, you don't expect. Then there's Geirin Kuzunoha, the guy that sort of comes across as a slightly crabby cousin to Juushirou Ukitake, and his apprentice. The Herald of Yatagarasu seems like she's all business, but I get the feeling she has a sneaky sense of humor. Usually under wraps, because she's a professional, but still.
The second game also has one of the most interesting villains I've seen in a long time-the airhead villain. He's doing what he thinks is right, and the thing is, once you learn what his reasoning is, you can't argue much with that...only that he's going about it all wrong. He may not be the brightest-Raidou literally tells him where he's going and he still has to work out the Fourteenth's movements. With all this, he might come across as an idiot, but underestimating him is a terrible idea because he can still rip Raidou to pieces if he's not careful. Too much power in the hands of an goofball who's potentially really not the bad guy but is really dangerous to those who get in his way.
I didn't think it would take this long, but...I love these games. So I guess there was quite a lot to talk about. If you can check out the manga, do so too-it's amazing! Unfortunately, I don't think much has been translated or I'd buy it. One of the only at-times-depressing things about the games is that there's no voice acting-but obviously for an anime that would change. If I've missed anything, say something! And it doesn't matter how long ago this was posted; if you stumble onto this months or years later, feel free to say something.
I was planning on talking about the other two off the top of my head that should be anime-Persona 2 and Phoenix Wright, but it seems that will happen later. Hope everyone's having a great morning/day/night!
Devil Summoner Raidou Kuzunoha
It doesn't really matter which one (versus the Soulless Army or versus King Abaddon). Though DSRK: SA would make more sense, since it's the first one. I'm going to list a few reasons why.
1) Setting. 1920s era Japan. I love the 1920s, but usually all you hear about is the 1920s in America and possibly Britain. It's really fun to look at how it affects a different country. Even better, it's an alternative timeline. This is an important plot point, but it also means that all sorts of fun stuff can happen with history, too. There's a detective agency, there's a group defending Japan, streetcars (and later, a giant golden dragon) are the means of travel. There's also mentions of time travel and alternate dimensions. As soon as you say 'time travel' I get really excited about it. The dialogue matches the setting, as does magic and the use of science. It's the 1920s, the place where it all converges.
2) Characters. The characters are awesome. The main character, Raidou Kuzunoha the Fourteenth, is a Devil Summoner of the Kuzunoha Clan (which works for the group the Yatagarasu). Basically, that means he took a potentially lethal test to become the next in the Kuzunoha devil-summoning legacy. He's given devil-catching 'instruments'-tubes-with which to catch and sort of tame demons, which he can then summon and use in combat or-here's the genius part-investigation. They're invisible, so they can go places where he'd rather not be seen, and they have useful powers like flying, sneaking into spaces, mind-reading... He's also wearing a school uniform with an awesome cape, and the result (hat and all) is rather spiffy. He comes off as fairly emotionless, but then again he's been working to achieve the honor of the name Raidou Kuzunoha for a long time. (His real name is not mentioned in the game, and you can choose your own, though somewhere there's a rumor his real first name is Johei.) He's been referred to as a Japanese Batman. The awesomeness, detective-superhero with a lot of training and mental discipline apply, but he's no head of a corporation, and we hear nothing about his parents being killed. (We hear nothing about his parents, period, but I'd assume it's unimportant at this point.) He tends to come off as emotionless, but if you pay attention he'll show that he really cares. The thing is, he takes his job protecting the city and its people seriously. Very seriously.
More seriously than the man who's currently looking out for him, Shohei Narumi. He owns the Narumi Detective Agency, which solves unusual cases (usually ones involving the weird or supernatural). That is, if he ever feels like moving from his desk. He may come across at first as a lazy bum who mostly sits around smoking, drinking coffee, eating toast, reading the paper, and killing time. He'll often try to turn down cases just because he'd rather not put in the effort, and has a long, unpaid running tab in a lot of different places. He always has to have the latest suits and some other gadgets too. If he can't wriggle out of it (or thinks it's important enough) he sends Raidou, who is working under him as a sort of cover. He really is a compassionate man, though, and won't hesitate to act if he needs to. He's actually pretty intelligent, too, and pretty good at putting together the facts. He has an unusual history-he knows how to use a gun and has some unusual contacts. He doesn't know everything Raidou does, but he's aware of the existence of demons and has resolved to do everything he can to help the kid (despite the fact he doesn't completely agree with the way the Yatagarasu treats Kuzunoha as more of a resource and less of a person). Oddly enough, it's also hinted he can see demons, which isn't possible for most people.
His attitude annoys Raidou's sidekick/mentor, though-Gouto the cat. Gouto's more than he looks...he's a spirit trapped in a cat's body. Now, you may be thinking 'oh, typical, a talking cat', but Gouto's interesting-he talks like a 1920s private eye. He makes a good contrast to Raidou's straightforward (and often very quiet) manner. The interactions between Narumi and Gouto (especially since Narumi isn't quite certain how to deal with the cat, though he's pretty sure Raidou can understand him somehow) are pretty hilarious too.
Then there's Tae, intrepid female reporter. She's often at the detective agency bugging Narumi and stealing coffee, but when she isn't she's running into situations headfirst. She's got a lot of enthusiasm, but usually ends up fainting (or being knocked out) before she can discover anything important. Which is good for keeping a secret identity...but bad for her career.
Rasputin shows up as an evil Devil Summoner, and to help with Raidou's demons, Victor's in the basement of a shop nearby Narumi's Detective Agency. It's strongly hinted that Victor is Victor Frankenstein, to give an idea of how that goes. And that's not even counting all the demons, who have their own personalities that, a lot of the time, you don't expect. Then there's Geirin Kuzunoha, the guy that sort of comes across as a slightly crabby cousin to Juushirou Ukitake, and his apprentice. The Herald of Yatagarasu seems like she's all business, but I get the feeling she has a sneaky sense of humor. Usually under wraps, because she's a professional, but still.
The second game also has one of the most interesting villains I've seen in a long time-the airhead villain. He's doing what he thinks is right, and the thing is, once you learn what his reasoning is, you can't argue much with that...only that he's going about it all wrong. He may not be the brightest-Raidou literally tells him where he's going and he still has to work out the Fourteenth's movements. With all this, he might come across as an idiot, but underestimating him is a terrible idea because he can still rip Raidou to pieces if he's not careful. Too much power in the hands of an goofball who's potentially really not the bad guy but is really dangerous to those who get in his way.
3. Plot. A bunch of small interconnected cases that all have to do with the big plot, and in the end Raidou has to save the world. Even better in the second one there's other cases you can take, one involving a demon family reunion. Which is about as interesting as it sounds. The plot comes across as a bit of detective/superhero pulp, like The Shadow or something, but there are enough unique twists that even as it's something refreshingly familiar, it's also something new and exciting. ...I can't really say that much without getting hugely spoilery, but I really enjoyed both.
4. Music. Not only is the music really pretty (I especially enjoy A Lazy Detective Agency, A Suspicious Shadow, Shock! The Final Battle, Raidou's Theme, Tsukudo Cho, Kuzunoha Detective Agency, and Whole Sadness...but honestly I could list every track and go 'I love all of this music!'), it also really fits the mood and setting. There's a lot of jazz style pieces and instruments. Shoji Meguro, it seems, does a lot of the ATLUS music and he is an amazing composer. It's really impressive when they've mastered a wide range of styles, and the mood really matches the game. Whichever game.I was planning on talking about the other two off the top of my head that should be anime-Persona 2 and Phoenix Wright, but it seems that will happen later. Hope everyone's having a great morning/day/night!
