Catharsis

[raedric]

Just so you know, this thread will likely have plenty of spoilers, unless you have already read or seen the manga/anime being discussed. You have been warned.

I started this thread so people could discuss their favorite moments in manga. Not just "OMGWTFBBQ AWESUM" moments, the emotional things, the hilarious things. Manga/anime that has prompted you to tears, that has changed your perception of the world, anything that has effected you in the real world in some way.

My personal favorite moment in manga, up to this point, is book twenty-five of GTO. The way Onizuka was lying on the bed and the way everyone came after him touched me. The many punk-friends of Onizukas trying to get in, plus Saejima. Ryuji's unshakable faith, followed by his emotional breakdown got me. Urumi slashing her wrists to follow him in death pushed me further. Finally, when Noboru broke in to the room and shouted at Onizuka not to sleep this one out, I found that inspirational in many ways. The absolute faith in the teachers character was palpable, and I enjoyed it immensely.

 

[SotF]

The final battle with Chaos in FF:U was a moving one that I keep remembering. Rainbow Gun Gragon Vs. Chaos Sword Dragon was an awesome ending for the series while being quite moving.

 

[raedric]

h43r: Never seen FF:U, now I have to go and watch it.

Another moment I really liked was when Toguro killed Genkai, and then came back to save her after he died. I like a good self-sacrifice.

 

[SotF]

Dark Escaflowne was also a pretty memorable moment in the Escaflowne movie.

But yeah, Final Fantasy: Unlimited is an awesome series that really seems to unfortunately stay under the radar. The prequal and sequals are supposed to be really good, but I can't find an English version of them

 

[Liam-don]

-Scryed episode 24, when Kazuma and Ryuho discover the final form of their Alter.The whole final fight is damn cool too. ^_^

-The final chapter of PlanetES."I finally understand that i can't stop loving people". If you haven't read PlanetES yet , do it as soon as possible.

-The death of Emma Sheen in Z-gundam.

-The death of Nicholas D. Wolfwood in the Trigun manga.

-Wycleff trying to save Cachua in Eden.

-Mushishi. All of Mushishi.Go watch it.

-Soi Fong crying in front of Yoruichi.

-And in first place...The death of Yang Wen-Li in Legends of Galactic Heroes.A silent death and pointless death for an incredible man.Get to me everytime I watch it :blue:

 

[David Alan Abramczyk]

I don't know if this counts, but there are a number of standout moments in Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.

First that comes to mind is in the conservatory, where Lady Tottington realises who the Were-Rabbit truely is.

Secondly, is when the Were-Rabbit dies, and (The individual who was said beast) is brought back to life.

 

[raedric]

-Scryed episode 24, when Kazuma and Ryuho discover the final form of their Alter.The whole final fight is damn cool too. ^_^

-The final chapter of PlanetES."I finally understand that i can't stop loving people". If you haven't read PlanetES yet , do it as soon as possible.

-The death of Emma Sheen in Z-gundam.

-The death of Nicholas D. Wolfwood in the Trigun manga.

-Wycleff trying to save Cachua in Eden.

-Mushishi. All of Mushishi.Go watch it.

-Soi Fong crying in front of Yoruichi.

-And in first place...The death of Yang Wen-Li in Legends of Galactic Heroes.A silent death and pointless death for an incredible man.Get to me everytime I watch it :blue:

Yeah, I loved the S-Cry-Ed anime. In my humble opinion, Kazuma pwn'd Ryuho, especially on the bad-ass scale. Why? Just because I say so!

Speaking of S-Cry-Ed, the very first time he got his arm upgrade, after tearing the native-alters spinal cord out. That, and every single fight with Ryuho he got in.

 

[Mereo Flere]

Kanon.

The old one was good, but the new one is just amazing.

The end of the first two arcs has just been so incredible, and I only expect the rest to be the same. Though, nothing will ever beat out Mai's story.

NOTHING!

 

[drakensis]

Pretty much the entirety of Photon.

If you haven't seen it, it's a six episode OVA from the creators of Tenchi Muyo and it's purest comedy gold from the beginning to the end. There are dark moments, there are sad moments, but there is an overwhelming amount of laughter and possibly the most entertaining bad guy ever!

 

[SoulGriever13]

Bubblegum Crisis '32. Sylvie dying.

The end of the Blame! manga. It's weird, it's dystopian, it's ... mostly just panels telling the story. But I like it. I reallyreally like it.

In the X/1999 TV series, Sorata 'dying for' Arashi. The ending was annoying in its suckage, and felt like CLAMP had just run out of ideas what to do with the whole thing, but that bit was gold. Someone should write an AU where Kamui isn't so damn annoyingly emo.

-Griever

 

[raedric]

Bubblegum Crisis '32. Sylvie dying.

The end of the Blame! manga. It's weird, it's dystopian, it's ... mostly just panels telling the story. But I like it. I reallyreally like it.

In the X/1999 TV series, Sorata 'dying for' Arashi. The ending was annoying in its suckage, and felt like CLAMP had just run out of ideas what to do with the whole thing, but that bit was gold. Someone should write an AU where Kamui isn't so damn annoyingly emo.

-Griever

Seriously, I agree with you there. I loved the SorataxArashi interaction, but if Kamui was so damn powerful why did he keep getting his ass kicked? BECAUSE HE WAS SO DAMN EMO! He even let the fourteen year old (forgot her name) get killed for him, which with his power should never have happened. Come on, he killed Fuuma in one hit. And Fuuma killed all of the other dragons with no effort.

DEM? I would say so. Deus EMO machina.

 

[SotF]

Alucard versus the vampiric priest in the first episode was memorable

 

[SoulGriever13]

Seriously, I agree with you there. I loved the SorataxArashi interaction, but if Kamui was so damn powerful why did he keep getting his ass kicked? BECAUSE HE WAS SO DAMN EMO! He even let the fourteen year old (forgot her name) get killed for him, which with his power should never have happened. Come on, he killed Fuuma in one hit. And Fuuma killed all of the other dragons with no effort.

... you're thinking Movie right now, not the TV series. Yuzuriha-chan, in the TV series and (I think) the manga doesn't die. Arashi defects to the Dragons of Earth in an ill fated attempt to stop Sorata from living out his destiny of dying for the woman he loves, and actually ends up being the one to kill him -talk about a self-fulfilling prophecy- when she goes out to kill Emo-teme. Also, Emo-teme dies at the end, sacrificing himself for the world, whereupon Fuma isn't a homicidal maniac anymore and Destiny has played out.

But yeah, disregarding the increased length and complexity of the whole thing, Kamui's still a little shit. I mean, using the Tarot cards the series seems so freaking fond of, he's supposed to be the bleeming 'Magician', which is epitome for both power and control of his own fate. Something X/1999 repeatedly assrapes. Seriously, I used to like this series at the beginning, before I ended up reading and watching it just for the Yuzuriha as well as the Arashi and Sorata contents. Oh, and Satsuki-chan.

CLAMP makes good characters, yeah. It's a shame most of their plots, which usually pull you in at the beginning, end up being so damn sucky.

-Griever

 

[Alathon]

First episode of Elfen Lied, when the bumbling secretary runs into the combat scene... and gets her head ripped off, and her torso held up as a shield to absorb bullets. That was cathartic as all hell.. what I've always wanted to happen to every clumsy ass idiot cutsey character who always 'just happens' to escape harm just because.

Very end of Scryed, when Kazuma and Ryuho go at it to see who's the best.. and whats-her-name is crying, "is this really what men want?", and guys all over the country have their eyes glued to the fight. The answer, obviously, being 'yes'. That, and Kazuma raising his fist after the fight.

Slayers TRY, when Elrobos murders Hallmaze from behind, for failing to be sufficiently aggressive/ruthless in acquiring the last of the five power weapons. Really caught me off guard. That, and when Xellos answers why the Mazoku are willing to help fight Darkstar: "This is our world to enjoy destroying, and we won't stand by when some upstart comes in and does it for us!"

First episode of the Deathnote anime, when you realize the main character isn't gonna be all whiney and emo over having the ability to kill practically anybody, any time, any way.. and instead is gonna go buck wild with it. Pure satisfaction that the author went a direction that's actually interesting, rather than rehashing the hundreds of other whiney emo schoolkid with a new power stories.

Gundam Wing, second to last episode (51st?), when Wufei duels Treize Khushrenada and kills him. Was.. I dunno.. glad to see that a 'villain' who had some style to him, and who was successful as long as he was a main character, went out with style. Was pure class that Wufei went into the fight expecting to die, but needing the rematch of their sabre fight on the cruise liner anyway.

 

[Light02]

Al that duel was in either ep 47 or 48 the TV series was only 49 eps with a three ep follow up OVA.

Edit to get back on topic:

Memorial moments

-Macross 7: Basara's first use of Sound Energy to drive away a Protodevilin...so hot blooded

-Change Shin Getter Robo The End of the World: the whole freaking series was good everything was memorial.

-Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu: the whole ep where they were playing the computer game aginst the computer club the cuts to the scifi shots were so well used... I mean who else would make a big ass gundam reference

"Send out the Gu****"

"I'm going!"

-Full Metal Panic Fumoffu: the ep with the Ruby Club.

 

[Ryogas_BF]

okay just a few that get me...

- Yusuke's funeral in Yu Yu Hakusho, it was really heart wrenching even though you didn;t know the characters too well yet. when the little boy he saved gives his little monolouge it makes me cry every time

- The first 'answer' arc in Higurashi was eye opening... it was the first chapter to really start explaining things and it was from the pov of Shion (as opposed to all the 'question' arc which were from Mr. Clueless keiichi). You understood her motives and you were almost rooting for her even as she started killing of a large portion of the cast trying to find out what happened to Satoshi. also it has some of the most brutal death and torture scenes so far and as a jaded mindf*** anime fan it's hard to creep me out.

- The Saffron arc in the Ranma 1/2 Manga was a nice wrap up and really sped up the last bit of emotional depth to the Ranma/Akane relationship and had a bad ass fight between Ranma and Saffron. It always pissed me off that the anime never covered the herb arc and the saffron arc... those were the best storylines.

 

[FH_Meta]

From JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, series 3, the fights with the elder D'arby, Iggy and Polnareff versus Vanilla Ice, and all of the Dio fight.

The reasons are the best use of the Bluff skill I've ever seen, beating the Twink, and RODDO RORRA DA!

 

[Shikaze]

Gunslinger Girl, manga version, in general, but especially the end of volume 5. Seeing a physically and near mentally broken Triella going "I've killed him. Won't you praise me ?" was PAINFUL to read. I think I cried reading this the first time.

 

[Grunt]

Bastard!! Manga.

In the fight against Uriel were D.S. tells Uriel that he understands. "There was someone more important to you, than yourself or even god. There's nothing with you."

More emotinal than one might expect from D.S. but all in all, very dramatic.

 

[windfalcon]

Hmmm.... standout moments, huh?

Black Lagoon, First or second episode... not sure which, but when the torpedo boat uses a half sunken ship as a ramp to use a torpedo on a helicopter, with Rock flipping the bird to said helicopter, is absolutely priceless.

Hayate no Gotoku... anytime they make an anime reference or break the fourth wall, especially in Episode 4 when Hayate makes a Solid Snake reference, cardboard box and all.

Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu, the concert.

Home Tutor Hitman Reborn! Pretty much anytime Reborn uses a Dying Will Bullet on the main character ^^

Mai Otome, the end of the series, when Arisa and the other girl are falling through the atmosphere, holding eachother tightly.... the entire time i was thinking 'Ok... between the end of the battle and now, they must have cut out a Yuri scene'

Airmaster, practically every one of Maki's fights. Yes she goes nuts, but it's still awesome!

Legend of Black Heaven, Episode 13... the final concert, since Cautionary Warning is such a great song, and the very last sone they play as well...

Yakitatte Japan, for every single one of Kuroyanagi's Bread Reactions. "MELON!"

 

[aznkendoboy127]

I got a lot of those wow moments when watching black lagoon, such as the time where levi had some issues with rock during the 4th or 5th episode. My all time favorite part was where rock finally came into terms with his inner villain; well more like developed it.

 

[Shikaze]

Speaking of black lagoon : the end of the twins chapters. Goddamn if it wasn't done well, though.

 

[toraneko]

I don't really call it "cathartic", as it didn't relieve any real-life emotional stress for me, but pretty much all of Elfen Lied - and especially the later episodes, even moreso the ending - was extremely moving.

At first, I was shocked at the uncalled-for degree of brutality in the show, especially the first episode's death of the secretary girl. I thought, "What a monster!"

By the end of the show, I was reevaluating my judgement on just who the monster in that show was.

 

[lord geryon]

Yeah, by the end you're cheering for the hot, psychopathic, serial-killer alien mutant with MPD.

 

[lokinishizaki]

Favorite moment?

The entirety of Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu's episode 1, but my favorite part of that episode would have to be the end. Kyon's expression of pure shock and dismay contrasts nicely with Haruhi's enthusiasm.

It's funny because that really was one of the worst movies I've ever seen. I think it can even compare with Glitter, Catwoman, Battlefield Earth or Shaquille O'neal's litter of bad movies such as Steel and Kazaam. Haruhi's reaction paved the way for the rest of the series. The 'It's really well done!' line killed me.

It's an awesome beginning for an awesome series.