Oldtaku: Anime for Grownups

I love console RPGs unreasonably. There’s something soothing about a formulaic dialogue heavy old-school RPG like the Tales games that just appeal to me.

Sadly, every single anime based on these is formulaic boring crap. Take the recent Tales of the Abyss or the Star Ocean 2 anime. I liked those games a lot, but I couldn’t even sit through two eps of the anime. And I can’t think of a single counterexample (and don’t even say the Final Fantasy VII movies).

The least bad I can think of so far is Mahoujin Guruguru.

Here’s the list of failure so far, and I’m sure I’m missing quite a few:

• Ar Tonelico (OVA)
  
• Arc the Lad
• Blue Dragon
• Chrono Trigger (OVA)
  
• Final Fantasy Unlimited
• Idolm@ster: Xenoglossia
• Night Wizard
• Persona 3
• Ragnarok Online
• Suikoden: Demon Century (OVA)
  
• Tales of the Abyss
• Tales of Symphonia
• Tower of Druaga
  
• Wild Arms
• Wizardry (OVA)
  
• World Destruction
• Xenosaga

Not included here are anime based on porn adventure games like Tsukihime or Utawarerumono – that’s something else.  Nor do I include real RPGs to anime, like Record of Lodoss War.