Anime: Used to Hate It, Now I'm Curious

[A≠A]

Hi!

I'll be brief.

I used to think it was all about incessant eroticism and wannabe-badass macho crap, like swordfights and gunbattles and screaming and all the stuff that I guess concept artists are supposed to love drawing whoops sorry no offense. :(

But I've loved the artwork so much that I've kept at watching them, and now I'm finding that there are lots that are just about lovely fantastical things, without any of that gratuitous savage junk.

Could those of you who know much about anime please recommend to me some titles that don't have gushing blood and constant boobies? Stuff that's more about imagination and surrealism?

Thanks! Bye!

[velderia]

Serial Experiments Lain.
R.O.D.
Any of the Satoshi Kon films.
Last Exile
Shangri-La (Can be legally viewed for free on Cruchyroll.com)

And my god so much more, but start out with that.

[Arshes Nei]

Ergo Proxy

[Raoul Duke]

Here are some surreal titles.
Paranoia Agent, probably on of the most addictive animes of all times
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Genius Party is another one, I've only seen one story, but I liked it.
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Cromartie High is good for anybody that enjoys laughing
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[furiana]

I absolutely loved the "Soul Society" arc of BLEACH. That's the one that begins around episode 16 in the anime. The episodes that come before it are also enjoyable, and probably contributed a lot to why I cared so much about the main characters. Yes, there are badass swordfights. You know what? The characters' strengths in battle are so closely tied to their beliefs systems that the swordfights start to mean something!

FullMetal Alchemist is another awesome one. The chimera research scientist still makes me shudder. I hate that man.

I also rather liked Hellsing, especially Sir Integra, but that one has a ton of gore.

I got into all of these series without reading the mangas first, so I bet that you'd be able to do the same.

ETA: Ohoho, and Trigun. Oh, Vash. XD

[crossmirage]

Haibane Renmei, Angel's Egg, Dennou Coil, Moyashimon, or anything Studio Ghibli.

Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is nice if you don't mind pseudo-philosophy with your lighthearted stuff.

Edit: Kaiji or Akagi makes gambling SUPER SERIOUS BUSINESS, but it's funny in the sense that everything is so exaggerated you don't know if it expects you to take it seriously.

Edit the second: Five Star Stories. Watch now.

[ArtZealot]

Like all things, the anime art style has that which is good, and that which is bad. Theres so much bad though, it often seems hard to find anything good.

[Enydimon]

Monster. Seriously... I frigging love that series.

[Alex Chow]

some titles that don't have gushing blood and constant boobies?

Well shit, guys. I'm out of ideas...

Anything from Studio Ghibli or Studio 4c (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yMrOcaDZJM). Hajime no Ippo is pretty sweet too.

[rocketcandy]

try tekkon kinkreet, paprika, kaiba, or windy tales if you're looking for something more surreal. I've heard summer wars was pretty good, too, although I haven't watched it yet myself.

[Nakhon]

Ghost In The Shell (All of it...makes you THINK!),
Kino no Tabi (aka: Kino's Journey),
Saiyuki (an adaption of an old Chinese tale about a monk and his companions...but a lot more witty),
FLCL
Trigun (...Yes Vash, gotta love his personality ^^)
Cowboy Bebop
Mushi-shi
Outlaw Star (oldie but a goodie...yes some boobies, fanservice, and screaming...but not a terrible amount of blood)
Anything Hayao Miyazaki
Paranoia Agent
Stuff by Shinkai Makoto (guy knows how to make 'Life' look pretty ^^)

...that's all I can think of (don't know if it's what your looking for but it's all I could come up with. :P)

[A≠A]

I am now in the middle of one called, "Galactic Express," about two kittens that go on a train. And of course I saw "Spirited Away," which is what sort of opened my eyes to this alternate genre of anime.

Neato stuff! Thanks for the suggestions everyone!

[George Abraham]

That's art, one piece of work can change everything.

[JFierce]

Anything by Hayao Miyazaki is beautiful
Everything else I'd suggest has been stated

[Ivory_Oasis]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4FkHpW4DJQ

Best anime ...evah.... <3

[mpdpsy]

mmm this one has lots of blood, and some boobies, but....Berserk! my favorite anime ever, the storyline and characters are just superb, really recommend this one.

[velderia]

Monster. Seriously... I frigging love that series.

YES! I knew I was forgetting something. Monster - Fantastic series! I believe the manga is also being sold too. That's something that should be picked up.

[nofu]

Samurai Champloo?

[Raoul Duke]

what's up with studio 4c? I keep running into that company logo when I'm looking for animu. They seem to have a great body of work. They seem to be building a sub genre of it's own. I like it.

[Ian Barker]

DEATH NOTE... not just one of my favorite animes, but favorite shows period. Good story, and it's very light on the gratuitous stuff that I agree with you is pretty dumb.

[Farvus]

Lately I was mostly into Studio 4c animations. Always some interesting visions and big variety of styles.

[ShroudStar]

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. Great movie and very much a slice-of-life anime.

Haibane Renmei. A quiet but introspective series that tackles spirituality, personal demons and skeletons in one's closet, acceptance, and many other aspects. A beautiful one.

[Bendragon]

I used to think the same until I watched some of the films from Studio Ghibli which left me blown away!

[Ryan K]

Watch One Piece!!

Here's a fight scene, yes the first 30 seconds is talk...hah
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It's about the golden age of pirates and this kids quest to become Pirate King. The fighting style is the most imaginative thing I've ever seen. It can also be really goofy and clever humored. You also never see "clone" characters, even in the background - that's a unique and awesome aspect of One Piece. The animation is weak at the beginning but really picks up around episode 20's, there are like 400 something episodes now. (they must have started out with low funds and became popular pretty quick)

Gomu gomu gomu no!

[Kaileighblue]

Other that what's been said, I actually really enjoyed Witch Hunter Robin. It's kinda dark and there was probably blood but I like the art and the story actually kept my attention. I actually bothered to buy it.

[Jazz]

Oh yeah, totally look at One Piece! Ryan K said it best! If anything about the fighting, it's powerful, awesome! But there isn't all this blood, gore and boobies. ;) It's a huge adventure, love that!!

Lot of people said the ones I watched...like Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo (love nearly all the eps in this one), Death Note, Monster (I didn't watch this, my bro did and he LOVES it), Gungrave (okay, it's got some icky parts in it, but what an engaging story for the main character!), Trigun... Outlaw Star was awesome, though I think there are some boobies in that. LOL! Not as bad as it could be. Yu Yu Hakusho was a good one, too. XD

There were some really...different...but cool 90's animes too, and off ones. Why did I remember the Mowgli anime, Ranma 1/2 and Samurai Pizza Cats? Heh heh heh... Okay, enough outta me. :P Only one of those is serious but yeeeah. :bashful:

[LuckyDevil]

CowboyBebop <---- Probably the best series of anime of all time (imo), great characters and good stories.

FLCL - Funny as hell, good animation, good art.

Berserk - Just Badass super gory though.

Akira - Good anime movie, but the manga is even better.

Edit: oh yeah anything from Studio Ghibli is also very very good.

[Ryan K]

Gurren Lagann

This is only about 28 episodes long but it's intense. The animation is really clean. They story line develops really well in the 28 episodes - I was surprised and didn't want it to end. Mecha wise it's the most innovative I've seen. I don't like mecha anime, but I liked this a lot.

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[gutss]

it's already been mentioned, but Kaiba. I'm absolutely mesmerised by it. the music's beautiful too, and about half the episodes in the series are good as stand alone stories. you could quite easily watch them without having seen anything else of the series

I'm pretty into stuff like that. It's not that I don't like putting the effort in, I just don't tend to watch a lot of television so shows where missing a week means I come back to find that half the cast has been killed off, replaced with twice as many characters (all with similar sounding names and no discernable character traits whatsoever) completely flummox and disinterest me.

.... okay. I'm a lazy television watcher.

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PSSST! Cat Soup is also glorious as well.

[inkR]

Not anime 'ere but some good hardcore manga - Tsutomu Nihei and his works like Blame!, Biomega or Abara. Check them out, shit yer pants.http://www.shinmanga.com/local/cache-vignettes/L390xH614/04ca8-16cf5.jpg

[zappa1one]

Akagi

[UnidColor]

Death Note

You should watch that, the anime is sort of based on real life, several of my friends who dislikes anime have had their mind change after watching it, mainly because its just so different from the typical anime image.

Its a good story,well animated and great music/voice acting.
You wont find sword-fights or girls with big boobies in it as far as I can tell, tho there is a monster in it but u wont be bothered by it, mainly because the story is about normal humans living a normal life until something exiting happens to one guy.

Its just something that makes u wonder, if the same thing would have happened to u right now, what would u do...


Last thing, the anime doesnt take very long to get what it is about, very exiting from the first episode. so u will quickly get if u like it or not.

[Sebestian]

Air, Kanon, and Clannad. They may be moe, but They have a pretty good story.

[Kuroyue]

I'm here to thoroughly second Kino no Tabi, Paranoia Agent, Serial Experiments Lain, and Studio 4c. The first is philosophical, the middle two are pure brainfood, and the latter is well-known for good animation.

Also, maaybe .hack//SIGN. It's somewhat similar to Paranoia Agent and Serial Experiments Lain in plot-style, except in an RPG universe.

[nofu]

Gurren Lagann

This is only about 28 episodes long but it's intense. The animation is really clean. They story line develops really well in the 28 episodes - I was surprised and didn't want it to end. Mecha wise it's the most innovative I've seen. I don't like mecha anime, but I liked this a lot.

Yeah, loved this anime too. It's one of those things where there comes a point (actually several of them) where you think that this shit can't possibly get any more epic and wacky and 30 seconds later it does.

[Dave_]

Gurren Lagann

This is only about 28 episodes long but it's intense. The animation is really clean. They story line develops really well in the 28 episodes - I was surprised and didn't want it to end. Mecha wise it's the most innovative I've seen. I don't like mecha anime, but I liked this a lot.

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I want to see this D;, however i can't seem to find any good stuff on the web.

[Hyskoa]

Gurren Lagann is about as epic as epic gets, it's the anime version of a barrel of cocaine.

[Jovian M]

Anything Bones, Gainex or Madhouse gets involved with is usually watchable. Can't say I've seen anything since TTGL, though.

[paberu]

Higashi no Eden (eden of the east) is a really good show, so is Hachimitsu to Clover (Honey and Clover) and Nodame

and of course..... Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei!!!!!!!!!

8C4hFs7oyQo

[CCorsair]

Well as some who had been working at Anime Fan for over 40 years and worked on Major cons and Anime Fandom for over 30 years and with Companies Like AnimEgo for convention sales Plus have ran 3 Anime Clubs . I think i can answer any question .. YA I come from the days of No subtitles No dubs or any translation but for a bad written guess of what is being said on 3 to 4th get video tape you traded some thing from your collection to get.
the days when you sat in a room with a bunch of other people with at lease 3 to 4 20" TVs in bad shape to watch Queen of 1000 year with some reading a scrip from the back of the room and not dry eye in the house at the end..


Anime is some thing to shear with many but yes some of it is very silly and not worth watching (all of Dragon ball ) and some is over the top action and and some make you laugh and some with make you laugh and cry
(Video Girl Ai I dare you not to cry in the last eps Or Grave Of the Fireflies you will kill 20 box's tissues on that one) Some anime can cover History and some can make it ..

I lost about 70 to 80% of my early anime collection due to some people just stealing thing instead of packing them and moving them to storage for us when we lost our home due to the Dot Com gong under along with tech job. I been trying to rebuild it as a lot of the early anime has not been sent to DVD and that is real same as some of the better Anime titles i lost are just hard to find in any format . I still many titles on Laser disc (yes LASER DISC)
Tons of VHS still and newer titles on DVD or digital formats.(gb of Anime files)

So if you have any question or need to know where to find a titles or the history of any titles let me know If i don't know it i know someone that does.

CC

[Falchion]

Let's see... Black Lagoon: Blood, guts, philosophizing about violence and the human condition. Probably not your type. Evangelion: Giant cyborg robots, extremely detailed philosophical discussions, and Hideki Anno taking a corkscrew to your brain with the last few episodes and the movies. Possibly your type. Azumanga Daioh: Schoolgirl slice of life. The art style's a little more than slightly anti-fanservice. Plain old cute fun. You'd probably like it.

Plenty more to come, just a few that spring to mind.

[Ian Barker]

Anime is some thing to shear with many but yes some of it is very silly and not worth watching (all of Dragon ball )

Okay it may be kinda silly but let's not be bashing it now, DB is all awesome and charm (the original at least, DBZ is alright)

[ImaGEEnation]

Steamboy.

[Icon]

I don't understand why people hate any kind of genre. I can understand a dislike for a style but to completely disregard another wonderful form of storytelling entirely for it, seems kind of whack.

buuut aaaaannyyyywaaay!!!


:D i wanna share with all of you my two favorite animes! From an AMAZING author, Naoki Urasawa.

Monster (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monster_%28manga%29)

and

20th Century Boys (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20th_Century_Boys)


Just strong story telling on both stories! You'll be hooked immediately! :P

[CCorsair]

Okay it may be kinda silly but let's not be bashing it now, DB is all awesome and charm (the original at least, DBZ is alright)

Dragonball Z was the second show .. DB was ok it wasn't the greatest but it was ok ..it was early 70's show that just seem to never die..LOL

And sorry didn't mean to offend just my views of anime and I seen ton bad and tons of good ..and some that would just send you screaming ...some time its good that not all anime gets to the US and the some shows up and you have to say why did they wast air time to that when they could have had better shows?

I grew up withe the anime dubs of the 60's .. some of them make bad dubs now sound like Shakespeare in comparison lol.

I will say if the could get more voice actors to the mix and get them watch the original we have great voice actors for some good anime titles .. Disney need to stop using big name star that just not fit the parts..

Miyazaki Hayao stuff really get hit hard when it dub wrong. Ok i just very critical on that stuff ... lol

CC

[Cherry_Cheesecake100]

The other day I was chatting (well, trying to ignore) a co-worker that also watches anime, and I realized how far out of the mainstream anime I've become, because though he'd probably spent a good 1/3 of his time watching the stuff, he knew nothing about any of the shows I mentioned. So let me see if I can dig up some of the cult anime here...

Monster - This has been mentioned a few times. Probably one of the best animes ever created that nobody's watched. It's made by the same guys as the Death Note anime. (Which greatly overshadows it unfortunately)

Rose of Versailles - Historical fiction about Marie Antoinette. A popular shoujo from the 70s.

Revolutionary Girl Utena - A very... interesting show. Very symbolic.

Princess Tutu - Stupid name, stupid premise (A duck is turned into a girl is turned into a magical ballerina princess that must collect the shards of a storybook prince's heart and fight a giant evil raven) But turns out to be a beautiful, well written show with some great imagery and unexpected twists.

Mind Game - This one's just surreal.

Koi Kaze - This one's not for everyone. It's about a brother and a sister, and yes it's THAT kind of show. Respected for its honest storyline that never panders or insults despite its subject matter, though it can be a bit disturbing.

Please Save My Earth - A story about alien beings reincarnated as people on earth. This manga/oav was so popular in the 90s people started forming a cult around it. Oh, and it's a great story.

Maison Ikkoku - A story about a down on his luck university student that tries to court his recently widowed apartment manager. Made by Rumiko Takahashi when she still cared about her work. Also try the Mermaid Saga.

Legend of the Galactic Heroes - Haven't watched this one yet, but I've only heard good things. People have been fighting for years to get it liscensed to no avail.

There are many more, many of which have been mentioned, Such as the Girl who Leapt Through Time, Hanabi Renmei and all of Satoshi Kon's work. Happy watching!

[JFierce]

Just remembered one I havent seen in awhile but was pretty good
I dont think "Heatguy J" was mentioned

[Ninjerk]

I'm always shocked that I never see anyone mention Macross Plus in favorite anime threads. I think it's technically a miniseries (6 episodes? been so long since I've seen it).

It's mainly, from what I remember, a cyberpunk romance (replete with an AI) with Macross as a mere backdrop. The animation for the action/flight scenes is amazing from what I remember.

[SpaceRogue]

What, no one mentioned Noein ? Great plot (past present futer stuff ) ,wonderful style and not to crappy animated either !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaQIedxf4ZE

[LORD M]

I watched some animes (Neon Genesis ,Elfen Lied and some more) was a while ago, and the only one that made a big impression on me was one named Monster. Just the opening differs from all other animes, and I like the main character who's more human then in any other anime (no silly super powers or such).


Ph8rdUo0B2M

[Richie]

dont think anyones mentioned one of my favorite animes:
Now and Then, Here and There
http://www.amazon.com/Then-There-Complete-Collectors-Boxed/dp/B000063K2C

[tobbA]

I think The Twelve Kingdoms/Juuni Kokki deserves more love...

Great epic fantasy set in a world based on chinese mythology.

http://jayer.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/74270.jpg

[Brashen]

I don't get why every new doo dah must be lectured about anime and whats good and whats bad....there are a billion and one threads that offer the same advice and you can have one brain cell and still tell the difference between crap and not crap...

[Christian223]

Azumanga Daioh is a good recommendation for laughing:

xv6IZHEIQwA
And watch anything with Macross in the name.

[Raoul Duke]

Okay it's not anime but it's what you're looking for. You should check out anything by Ralph Bakshi.
American Pop
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Wizards
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Fire and Ice
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[Gory]

When you get beyond the melodrama that is so pervasive in Anime, Fullmetal Alchemist stands out as having an engaging story and believable, empathetic characters. Not the first one that diverged from the comic's story halfway through, but the current one in production, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. It more or less follows the comic's story verbatim, with some liberties in editing taken. FUNimation is subtitling and putting the episodes up on their website for free. (This is licensed and 100% legal, just fyi) It's a brilliant business strategy, given the amount of piracy that happens in that community. The episodes go up on their website a week after they air in Japan. Not shabby at all.

[Ninjerk]

Don't forget The Record of Lodoss War: The Grey Witch. It's basically European high fantasy--very good if you're looking for an easy transition.

[NickGuy]

Evangelion changed my life. Watch it please

[Jtho]

My recommendation is to avoid what is called "Shonen" type shows, which are generally series about a group of young people who gain extraordinary super powers and battle evil--Dragon Ball Z, Bleach, Naruto, Fullmetal Alchemist, One Piece, etc. These types of shows tend to have the worst of the stereotypical anime garbage and honestly they are generally pretty insipid.

[SCIBOTIC]

Technically this isn't an anime, it's a French production that was produced as a collaboration with a Japanese studio. But it's wonderful kids series that is imaginative, colourful and a joy to watch, Oban Star Racers.

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[Jackwhat]

My recommendation is to avoid what is called "Shonen" type shows, which are generally series about a group of young people who gain extraordinary super powers and battle evil--Dragon Ball Z, Bleach, Naruto, Fullmetal Alchemist, One Piece, etc. These types of shows tend to have the worst of the stereotypical anime garbage and honestly they are generally pretty insipid.

Except One piece and full metal alchemist have some of the best stories/character development around?! Although when theyre done wrong they are rather dull... its just your overlooking an area that can be really good. I would list anime but half the stuff i'd list you probably wont find or has already been name dropped.

Manga worth checking out though is stuff like Akumetsu, Shamo, Bakuman and Gantz.

[LateNiteHype]

Not really an anime fanatic but here is some that I like enough to mention:

Gokusen - Heir to yakuza throne (Boss's Granddaughter) would rather be a teacher so she goes to work at a school teaching a bunch of big-hearted knuckleheads. Funny series.

DeathNote - came across maybe the 2nd or 3rd episode and was like wtf. Watched it until story took a major turn. You probably know about this one already.

Samurai Champloo - My favorite series. Hip-hop spiced samurai story. Some don't like it because it doesn't compare to Cowboy Bebob (SC is too short and episodes are not really serial) but that's how I like it.

Macross Plus - Mentioned before. Seems slightly dated now, but I thought it was cool when I first saw it. Basically a trippy Top Gun with mechs. I watched as episodes but it is also cut as a full length movie.

Akira - kinda too weird for me but was inspiring from an artistic standpoint. Later after watching, I found out this was like the benchmark for anime at the time. If you haven't watched earn your stripes and watch.

[OmenSpirits]

No love for Hajime No Ippo?

No Shin Getter Robo love?

No Mazinkiser love?

(of course they have guys yelling and getting they ass kicked, but...lol)

Freakin' PHILISTINES!

:D

[Pezz]

I just want to say that you damn people had me watching Chi's Sweet Home for hours. AWWW

[Parka81]

Planetes.

That's the latest anime I've watched and I really love it. The character development is just amazing and charming.

It's a comedic drama set in space.

[Randis]

Here are some of the anime and Manga i enjoyed over the years.
Some of it may not be as cool this days but it was dope back then.

Venus Wars, MADOX 01, The legend of Lemnear, Macross plus, Macross 2, Gundam z-zz,turn A,
war in the pocket, (actually all Gundam except than g gundam, sd gundam, gundam wing)
Five star stories, doomed megalopolis, Urotsukudoji, grave of the fireflies, Laputa, Howl, Spirited
away, mononoke hime, Genocyber, genesis survivor gaiart, detonator orgun, Dominion tank
police, Cobra, cybercity oedo, Battle Angel alita, ninja scroll, FLCL, Gunbuster 1-2, Ebitchu,
totoro, roujin Z, Karas,millenium actress, Tokyo Godfathers, Mindgame, Tekkonkinkreet,
GITS 1-2, GITS Solid State Society, GITS standalone complex and second gig. Silent Moebius,
Orguss, eureka 7, memories of Xamd, Ful metal Panic, Gundam 00, macross fortune, Lupin III,
Metropilos, Samurai shamploo, Wolfrain, Ergo Proxi, fist of the north star, Giant Robo, green
legend Ran, winds of amnesia, Shadow Skill, Cyborg 009, Devilman, Getta Robo, Tekkaman,
Voltron, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, the weathering continent, Record of Lodoss war, NGE, Vampire
Hunter D 1-2, Perfect Blue, Akira, Gantz, Last exile, Basilisk, Cowboy Bebop, Welcome to the
N.H.K., Trinity Blood, Blood the last vampire, Blue Submarine No.6, RahXephon, Blood +, Blue
Seed, Dragon Half, Dragon pink, Patlabor1-2 & ova, The Heroic Legend of Arslan, sword of the
stranger, power dolls, Slayers, One piece, moldiver,Galaxy Express 999, Astro Boy, Gatchaman,
Nausicaä, Serial Experiments Lain, Otaku no Video, Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi, 3x3 Eyes,
Goku: Midnight Eye, Porco Rosso, Yu Yu Hakusho, Samurai Pizza Cats, Highlander, Aria, Gankutsuou,
Noir, PlanatES, Pilots, Gunslinger Girls, The Place Promised in Our Early Days, Steamboy, Bounty Dog,
vampire princess, Black Jack, Read or Die, Yoma,

[George Abraham]

Larry Pottar

ROR!!

Image Googling Anime are nut good for the hormones.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mmBw3uzPnJI/SXRHFmH6L1I/AAAAAAAAf78/lrjxsiRcCQM/s400/Anime-Car-01.jpg

To add to the debate, I can't compare the amount of fashion in anime with any other style, Disney and barbie's wardrobe wanes a bit.

[Kagemusha22]

One manga series I haven't seen mentioned is Lone Wolf and Cub. That's pretty good, if extremely repetitive.

Oh and for Anime Cowboy Bebop, of course...

[Man Made God]

Mangas tend to be better than the animes made from them, a lot of the time animes are just a studio milking the popularity of a manga without caring too much about consistency or quality. The best animes imo, are the ones that follow the manga exactly or the ones that aren't based on a manga. Seinen manga is on a level of it's own, the art is usually great, and there's no censorship. If you find a seinen with a good story, it blows everything else away imo.

Manga:
Berserk
Vagabond
Gantz
Fullmetal Alchemist
Death Note
Welcome to the NHK
Naruto
Claymore

Anime:
Ergo Proxy
Death Note
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood
Welcome to the NHK

[kelly x]

Ghost in the Shell and who could not like all the stylized wonder.
Here's some Cowboy Beebop for Icon:

P6Kf545Kg4s

[Randis]

This is very old but very cool!
The original title is Madox 01

xuez06x4DnQ

[Earendil]

Memories: Magnetic Rose is something I recently watched and loved. Gorrrrjus visuals for 1995.

For preview purposes, don't watch all of it or you'll spoil it! :)
OYHAAhmIbMo

Wolf's Rain needs another mention. Cool concepts, great music.

FMA, the first season is overrated imo. There's something about anime series that drives me nuts sometimes. The first half of the series, is incredible. And then it just nosedives after that. FMA is one of them, and Death Note is another, but even Wolf's Rain and few others to a lesser degree.

They take the first half to build up to something, then drop everything, and start over. FMA diverged from the original manga, and the writers came up with crap. DN killed off an important character halfway through, then spent 3 seconds introducing two chars that the viewer doesn't give a crap about, then spends the rest of the series with the DN equivalent of "kame-hame-ha" filler material.

That's just my opinion tho. I think Randis pretty much hit all the good ones, so watch those. :)

[vasherai]

Well, my top three are:
Neon Genesis Evangelion
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Cowboy Bebop

[Koji Bryant]

http://img63.imageshack.us/img63/5570/sakuraskybyyosinori.jpg


http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/3321/clannad12d.jpg

[AlexEh]

-anabfAg06U
79MN_w0VMPE

[Kim_bot]

I feel like the good ones have been hit already, but would definitely second:

Monster
Trigun
Ghost in the Shell SAC
Samurai Champloo
Fullmetal Alchemist
Miyazaki's movies
Satoshi Kon's movies (Tokyo Godfathers, Paprika, Millenium Actress)

and also Makoto Shinkai!
His movies tend to be really poignant, and moving...
The Place Promised in Our Early Days, 5 Centimeters Per Second and Voices of A Distant Star are all really good.

[George Abraham]

Bumped into the bookstore today and peeked at something on the shelf.

Comickers Art, volume 2 and 3 volume one was gone. Awesome eyecandy and it seems the books focus a little on the more advanced aspects of Anime creation. The books have some droolingly awesome art in them.

Googled and found a blog with some peeks.

http://parkablogs.com/content/book-review-comickers-art-2

[ThabisoMhlaba]

Try B.E.C.K.: Mongolian Chop Squad if you like music. Its also a bit more in-touch with reality.

As mentioned already Cowboy Bebop is a cult classic.

Gundam 00
Gundam Wing
Guardian of the Spirit (Seirei no Moribito)
Dragon Ball
Ghost In The Shell.

You might even try the more popular ones at this time. Bleach, Naruto and One Peice are the top three in popularity right now I believe. But it will take you quite sometime to catch. Episodes for are three are number 250-300+

The easiest way to get past pre-conceptions concerning anime, is to get past the issue of the re-occuring themes that you find in a lot of anime shows, because its no different from most movies and tv shows. The only difference is that when translated to english a lot of the subtlety in the presentation of those themes are lost. I.E. Naruto yelling "Dattebayo" while extremely annoying at times it isn't as annoying as when you hear the english version in which he is saying "Believe It" (which is not only used out of context most of the time, but is also badly acted out). If you can, please watch the shows in japanese with english subtitles. Most of the time the english dubs are inferior to the original. There are exceptions to this such as Cowboy Bebop and Ghost in the Shell (at times).

Just enjoy the stories. Start with short anime! 25 episodes or less.

[CCorsair]

Here are some of the anime and Manga i enjoyed over the years.
Some of it may not be as cool this days but it was dope back then.

Venus Wars, MADOX 01, The legend of Lemnear, Macross plus, Macross 2, Gundam z-zz,turn A,
war in the pocket, (actually all Gundam except than g gundam, sd gundam, gundam wing)
Five star stories, doomed megalopolis, Urotsukudoji, grave of the fireflies, Laputa, Howl, Spirited
away, mononoke hime, Genocyber, genesis survivor gaiart, detonator orgun, Dominion tank
police, Cobra, cybercity oedo, Battle Angel alita, ninja scroll, FLCL, Gunbuster 1-2, Ebitchu,
totoro, roujin Z, Karas,millenium actress, Tokyo Godfathers, Mindgame, Tekkonkinkreet,
GITS 1-2, GITS Solid State Society, GITS standalone complex and second gig. Silent Moebius,
Orguss, eureka 7, memories of Xamd, Ful metal Panic, Gundam 00, macross fortune, Lupin III,
Metropilos, Samurai shamploo, Wolfrain, Ergo Proxi, fist of the north star, Giant Robo, green
legend Ran, winds of amnesia, Shadow Skill, Cyborg 009, Devilman, Getta Robo, Tekkaman,
Voltron, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, the weathering continent, Record of Lodoss war, NGE, Vampire
Hunter D 1-2, Perfect Blue, Akira, Gantz, Last exile, Basilisk, Cowboy Bebop, Welcome to the
N.H.K., Trinity Blood, Blood the last vampire, Blue Submarine No.6, RahXephon, Blood +, Blue
Seed, Dragon Half, Dragon pink, Patlabor1-2 & ova, The Heroic Legend of Arslan, sword of the
stranger, power dolls, Slayers, One piece, moldiver,Galaxy Express 999, Astro Boy, Gatchaman,
Nausicaä, Serial Experiments Lain, Otaku no Video, Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi, 3x3 Eyes,
Goku: Midnight Eye, Porco Rosso, Yu Yu Hakusho, Samurai Pizza Cats, Highlander, Aria, Gankutsuou,
Noir, PlanatES, Pilots, Gunslinger Girls, The Place Promised in Our Early Days, Steamboy, Bounty Dog,
vampire princess, Black Jack, Read or Die, Yoma,



That is Outstanding list of anime and Mangas to have viewed ..

CC

[CCorsair]

This is very old but very cool!
The original title is Madox 01

xuez06x4DnQ

I really love that one it was one of the First Anime subbed by AnimEigo and i got to help sell at conventions for them and run allover to comic shop to promote for them and it get anime into stores...So long ago ...Ah the days before Anime went main stream ...when we went to convention to get the hard to find anime and items that were not here in the US now it here the same day nearly...

Any it mostly my fault I was really good at infecting people to like anime and mangas..

I got people so into it they would learn Japanese in 3 weeks (really in my club it was grade base on whether you got you Anime or mangas order discounts)

I could pack a room on a College campus or get anime donated to the liberey with just a phone call ..

Ah those days are gone slowly fading to a main stream market of over load .

too many conventions too much overload.. I still love anime just not the over kill of all of it .

CC

[Marria]

Nice thread! Some of my favorite anime.

Strong female protagonist.
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[GunTrouver]

Not shure if it was already mentioned, but Jin-Roh is one of my favorite animes. It has a awesome style, characterdesign, soundtrack and animation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oui3kAkUqE

[wilkerson]

a BOO
I dont like it for the most part although I'm much more annoyed by the shit-ton of bad fan art that polutes places like DeviantArt.
Here's an idea kiddos: invent something of your own.

[crossmirage]

a BOO
I dont like it for the most part although I'm much more annoyed by the shit-ton of bad fan art that polutes places like DeviantArt.
Here's an idea kiddos: invent something of your own.

I can say pretty much the same thing about western comics/cartoons.

[AbsurdRes]

Dennou coil is really good, Clannad is good too.
I don't really like Anime, but there are some nice shows once and a while.

[Kuroyue]

Seirei no Moribito seconded, having just marathon'd the whole series. (26-ep.)

Also, here to introduce Kaiba - award-winning animation, surprisingly thoughtful, deeply touching. Don't read the wikipedia entry, though--it'll ruin everything. Artwork is somewhat reminiscent of Astroboy, except simpler. Twelve episodes. Also better if marathoned.

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=9178

[nauvice]

i just recently watched tokyo godfathers.... love that movie, check that out if you have the time

[George Abraham]

Love this thread.

Decided to make a mission to fill the gap in my education.

Whatched Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke.

On spirited away.
The stories are hauntingly familliar with old chinese arcade and stuff. Loved it and some awesome creepy imaginitive work, the boiler dude, the spirit town the demons, the twin sisters that's good and othe evil, the concepts of spirits etc. Magical stuff. I loved it.

What are those three heads Shibaba has called, I have seen that concept before somewhere.



Princess Mononoke
I couldn't help but feel that some touches of sensation was taken from this movie for the avatar movie, the purple theme and the markings,.. cant put my finger on it but it's there. The story is yet again awesome and not something I would have expected, that's what I digged about this movies they are not the usual in terms of creative concept even though they both have some resemblance to ancient concepts and ideas about the spirit worlds etc.


The background scenery work are all painterly gorgeous. I can't get enough of that.
Looking forward to seeing more of these.

[gredgie]

Trigun - The anime series flows nicely, starting off quite humorous as bounty hunters attempt to capture Vash and claim the bounty on his head and as it slowly divulges why he has a bounty on his head, takes a more serious and dramatic turn.

Welcome to the N.H.K. - It's really inventive. I absolutely loved it and have the English-translation of the novel in PDF which I intend to read somewhen. It's about Satou and his belief that a conspiracy is forcing him to stay indoors.

Minami-ke - The life of three sisters as they go about their days, it's a relaxing anime, where each episode typically revolves around some specific subject that is blown out of proportion by one of the younger sisters. Watch out for Hosaka, he's hilarious (though I think he's mostly in the second and third seasons).

Naruto Shippuuden - I didn't use to like Naruto. The first series was when Naruto was younger and starting his ninja journey. I found him to be a really annoying lead character. Naruto Shippuuden catches up with the characters of the first series when they're older and more mature.

That said, Naruto still does somewhat annoy me as a character. They've done awesomely with the rest of the cast yet Naruto just... bugs me. That and all he ever does is use Shadow Clones and Rasengan. Fortunately though, there's Akatsuki, the most awesome group of bad-asses ever.

5cm Per Second - Honestly, even if you don't really enjoy the plot of it... watch it for the visuals... it's so nicely done.



And I figure I'd throw my two-cents in for:

Neon Genesis Evangelion - I just did not get this series. I watched it to the last episode, I honestly tried to keep my head above the "what's going on" water level... but by about the 23rd episode, it was pulling me underwater and punching me relentlessly in the stomach until my mind drowned.

Death Note - I've read most of the manga, but in the end decided to just watch the anime to get it out of the way faster.

It's over-rated. It was good at the start... but there's just far too much "AHA! You thought you could out-smart me out-smarting you but it was all a ruse because I knew you'd out-smart me and so I have out-smarted you!" plot mechanics to make it actually believable and so the ending just really did nothing for me... and I more or less felt the money I'd invested in the hard-copy manga to where I had got it to was wasted as well as my time watching the anime. Yeah, the animation was good... but... *shakes head* that's about it.

[George Abraham]

Realised last night that a whole bunch of stuff I whatched as a kid was translated anime.

Who remembers Heidi?

http://makikoitoh.com/images/heidi-title.jpg


Whatched Castle in the sky last night, at first it sucked getting used to subtitles and an almost overly fast chop chop style and old karate movie like sound FX but then I got swept away yet again by the story and the ellements of humor etc. This one makes you want to invent flying machines and draw ancient overgrown cities. Some cool concepts.

[arvinsim]

From the top of my head

Anime:
Basilisk - boobies, lots of blood, romance, superpowers. Your stereotypical anime right? Well...just watch it...you might be in for a surprise

5 cm per second - plot is okay(great for me lol) but what might get you is the environment. Never seen such beautiful scenery in anime

Manga:

Bakuman - a manga about mangakas and the manga industry.

[LuckyDevil]

Since some people mentioned some manga, i'll add my favorite manga's in here also.

• Akira (way better than the anime movie and makes more sense plus kick ass long read to boot)
• Battle Angle Alita (both old and new are really good)
• Berserk
• Blame!
• Trigun (really good if you watched the show, the manga takes you in between the episodes and show's more of the characters that you saw briefly and takes deeper into the storyline.)
• Love Hina (mostly comedy nothing epic)
• Blade of the Immortal

[RinAiello]

for story - Death Note

for gorgeous visuals - TEKKON KINKREET

[sanya]

How come no one has mentioned Stellvia of the Universe? I loved that anime man, which is saying a lot because I've never been into the space/mech combo all that much. Here's the description;

"The year is 2356 A.D. - 189 years after a distant supernova caused a global catastrophe that wiped out 99% of the world population. To keep track on all space activities, mankind has built colossal space stations called "foundations" all over the Solar System. After passing the Space Academy entrance exams, Shima Katase embarks to the Earth-based foundation Stellvia to fulfill her dream of seeing the galaxy..."

Anyway I thought the characters were, despite first impressions, not your typical anime set of one dimensional characters. For instance, the main character, who at first seems to be a soft-hearted and innocent female lead is actually a prodigally intelligent programmer trying to surpass herself. It's kinda neat.

The show deals a lot with reaching your potential.