Recommend me some anime

[Logic]

All right, let me get this out of the way. As a rule, I really don't like Anime. But I think it is time for me to broaden my horizons and try to understand it a little better, so I am willing to give some stuff a try.

Anime I have had to watch and hated include:
Dragonball Z (and any iteration thereof)
X/1999
Pokemon (works as a game, not so much as a show)
Digimon
Elfin Lied (nudity works for some art, but for this, it seemed very out of place)
Bleach (based on one episode, somewhere in the middle)
Naruto (based on one episode, somewhere in the middle)
Avatar (based on one episode, somewhere in the middle, and some have said I should give this another shot as it isn't "true" anime)
Sailor Moon
Vampire Hunter D
Van Helsing

Anime I have enjoyed:
Cowboy Bebop (the feature film only, no experience with the series)
Escaflowne (I think both the series and the film, though I'm not sure)
Akira
Robotech (which version I do not know, probably Macross or Macross Plus)

These are not all encompassing lists, just the ones I can remember off the top of my head. I am sure there are MANY more on the "Dislike" list I am forgetting, though I would be surprised if I missed any that belong on my "like" list.

EDIT: Also, if the Anime in question is on Netflix, that is a huge plus (so I can quickly sample it without an investment besides some of my time.)

[CarpeGuitarrem]

Well, let's see...you're already giving me a good idea of some stuff you might like. So here's the pitchin'. Feel free to toss in with more input on your preferred genres.

Baccano!: Three disparate storylines that share characters, all told out-of-order. 1920s mobsters, some supernatural elements, high amounts of violence and psychoses, and a massive cast of remarkably memorable characters. It's rare that I find a show where I appreciate every character--this was one. It's a mad dash to the end (16 episodes long), and a wildly awesome pandemonium.

Cowboy Bebop: This is basically a must. Not only is it one of the seminal works of anime, but it's very accessible to people who don't generally like anime. Plus, you've already liked it (and have a basic idea of the characters). The movie is like an extended episode of the show. Plus, the show's narrative arc is strongly compelling, and the ending is one of those things that sticks with you.

Gankutsuou: the Count of Monte Cristo: A visually-trippy adaptation of the classic Dumas novel. In space. It's...awesome. Way more awesome than it sounds.

Monster: As if Alfred Hitchcock made an anime. 'nuff said. It's a modern-day thriller that's very grounded, especially in its art style.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica: And here we come to the seeming oddball of my suggestions. It's going to start off seeming like your standard "magical girl" show (i.e., the Sailor Moon mold). Except that there's tiny little hints, cracks in the facade. And they keep getting pounded open, until you realize that this is something profoundly, subversively different from mahou shoujo.

[Drakeburn]

Medabots

Mobile Suit Gundam

Tenchi Universe

(oh gosh, the last one brings back childhood memories)

[Hiro Protagonest]

First off: Avatar: The Last Airbender isn't anime. It's western. It's also really good if you ignore the main love story (luckily, they don't spend much time on it). Season one feels like it's going real slow, and season three is full of filler (they had a goddamn Halloween episode), but otherwise it's good. It doesn't even follow the same formula most anime does, the only real "power creep" beyond Aang and Katara learning stuff is the plot device used in the finale to boost all firebending.

Also, Iroh is awesome.

One Piece is better than its two competitors, Naruto and Bleach. All of them started off strong, or at least had potential, but One Piece laid the baseline power level down in the first big plot arc (I like to refer to the space between the start and the recruitment of Nami as "the recruitment arc", because that's when Luffy was actively recruiting members before heading to the Grand Line), which pretty much fixes the power creep. It also has a good setting and premise, and the main characters are still sailing in the general direction of the New World and the one piece, so it's not like it's gone off rails. Still, it's reeeeaally looooong, and not finished, like the other two.

...I need to catch up on my reading of that. Which reminds me, try to find the manga (there are like a dozen different manga torrent sites. Even if you want to support them and pay money, the sites put up the most recent chapter, which you can't find in a bookstore or in Shonen Jump). It's hard to find a good English dub which isn't censored in some way that makes it bad.

Shaman King, Fullmetal Alchemist, and Fist of the North Star are all good, although my info about the latter two is entirely secondhand, and I only got through about half of the first (I just can't read manga online anymore. I just stopped for some reason).

[Armaius]

I'd personally suggest Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Its one of my personal favorites (discovered it last year and marthoned the whole thing. xD).

I liked it a lot more than the original FMA (though that was good too, don't get me wrong.).

[Dr.Epic]

Dragonball Z (and any iteration thereof)

Okay, that cannot apply to Dragon Ball Z Abridged, aka, one of the best things on the internet. It has Ghost Nappa! And Super Kami Guru!


Bleach (based on one episode, somewhere in the middle)

Wow! You're smarter than me. It took me like 10 episodes before I realized how much I hate Bleach.:smalltongue:


Avatar (based on one episode, somewhere in the middle, and some have said I should give this another shot as it isn't "true" anime)

Okay, you need to go back again and watch the first four episodes, because episode 4 has Bumi, and he's the best thing in the series. Well, after Wang Fire, but that's season 3 stuff.

Also, a great anime I recently discovered: Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. It's awesome! It has Speedwagon! Speedwagon! SPEEDWAGON!

[Ramza00]

Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex

When: The setting is set in the near future where the boundaries of human, robot, and the internet are blending.
Where: Japan (in the tv series)
Who: Public Security Section 9 is a small group of elite military specialists, tasked with keeping the greater public safe. Their organization is kept secret from the public. All the members of the organization are completely dedicated to their mission.
What: Section 9 main task is counter terrorism, but they also engage in cyberwarfare, anti-crime, and investigations.
Why: The characters of Section 9 kick all kinds of ass. Half the episodes (the ones labeled "complex") does a real good job creating a suspenseful story which you want to see the conclusion of, the other half of the episodes (labeled "stand alone") are self contained short stories which cause you to emotionally invest in the characters.

Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex is a 26 episode anime. It had a sequel 26 episode anime series as well (called 2nd Gig). Finally there is a OVA/DVD movie that wraps up the tv series continuity.

It based off a manga series called Ghost in the Shell. Note this manga is set in a separate universe even though the stories are similar.

There is also two Ghost in the Shell movies (Ghost in the Shell, and Ghost in the Shell Innocence). Note the movies are set in a separate universe even though the stories are similar.

-----------------------

Ghost in the shell used to be avaliable for streaming on netflix but they lost the rights to distribute it via streaming. It is still avaliable by dvd.

It is on free on hulu though

http://www.hulu.com/ghost-in-the-shell-stand-alone-complex

The 1st episode does a real job of giving you an idea of what Gits is like even though that is a self contained episode.

[Grinner]

Seconding anything Ghost in the Shell, and I'll also add Le Chevalier d'Eon.

Le Chevalier d'Eon is about an occult conspiracy and 18th century European politics. A few French knights are sent to retrieve a holy book for their king, but they come into opposition against magicians, spies, and several militaries. Everything goes downhill from there.

Edit: It occurs to me that if you're trying to broaden your horizons, then by that token, you will need to watch something you don't like. You don't have a fully informed opinion of it if you haven't experienced it in its entirety.

[Douglas]

For Bleach, Naruto, and Avatar, each of which you say you've based your hate on a single random episode in the middle, I would advise you to go find the very first episode of each show and start watching in order. If you still don't like them, fine, but they all have fairly lengthy plot lines that are very much designed to be taken as a whole, not as random fragments.

Bleach and Naruto I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if you still hate them even after that due to their liking for DBZ-style ridiculously drawn out fights between absurdly overpowered people, though Naruto at least varies the combat techniques more than "and this energy blast is even bigger!!!!" In fact, if that sentence itself sounds bad to you, don't even bother with those two shows. There is story, and it's much better and more understandable if you get it all in order, but disliking that style of combat emphasis will overwhelm it.

Avatar devotes much more time to story and less to fighting, and especially does not draw out fights longer than they deserve, so I think that one stands a decent chance of changing your mind if you start the story from the beginning the way it was intended. Oh, and keep in mind the first few episodes are not a good representative sample of how often the Avatar State shows up.


I'd personally suggest Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Its one of my personal favorites (discovered it last year and marthoned the whole thing. xD).

I liked it a lot more than the original FMA (though that was good too, don't get me wrong.).
I would suggest that any person new to that series completely should start by watching the original, actually, at least up to the split point. Brotherhood compressed that portion excessively in order to avoid losing too many viewers who had already seen the original show.

My recommendation for FMA:
1) Watch the original anime (plain old Full Metal Alchemist, no Brotherhood) in order, starting with episode 1, up to the point where the main characters meet their teacher. If you get to a character named Dante, you're past it.
2) Watch Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood in order, starting with episode 2, all the way through the end.
3) Watch the FMA: Brotherhood pilot episode.

The first/pilot episode of Brotherhood is basically a jam packed action sequence with little relevance to the rest of the plot, designed to show off everyone's favorite characters to people who already know them all from the first anime. It is eminently skippable, does not give a very accurate impression of what the rest of the show is like, doesn't bother to explain who anyone is much, is chronologically way out of order, and can be quite confusing to people who haven't already seen most of either series. Once you have seen the whole series and know all the characters and certain background plot elements, it can be a fun little extra.

[Brewdude]

If you aren't afraid of subtitles, hulu has some good stuff.
Try some shojo.

I like Steins;Gate (just sit through the first two episodes before dropping it).

The Pet Girl of Sakara Hall
Waiting in the Summer
From Me to You
Say "I love you"

Is This a Zombie
is only amusing if you've already watched a lot of shojo, supernatural, and, of course, Naruto, as it shamelessly makes fun of all of them.

These were the shows I watched to the end on www.hulu.com , so...they were at least worth one season of viewing.

As for stuff closer to what you said you like?
Try

Black Lagoon (i own both seasons on DVD. Good stuff)

Other stuff I've enjoyed are

Baccaano
Tower of Druaga (sic, gah, I can't remember how it was spelled)
Spice and Wolf
Eureka 7 (this was only so.so for me...catch it for free if you can)

and of course, there's always Death Note, which is somewhat made of pure awesome, or pure boredom...people don't not have opinions about it.

Oh dear lord, you only saw the movie of Cowboy bebop? Watch the series. Now. Do not pass go. Episode 5 has The greatest 8 minutes of anime ever produced (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huLkQikmSrA)

[LaZodiac]

Obligatory recomendation to watch Neon Genesis Evangelion (everything associated with it), G Gundam, the three Mobile Suit Gundam movie compilations (titles I forget) as well as the three Turn A Gundam movie compilations. Seeing as how you liked Robotech in some form or another, a REAL mech anime might do you some good :smallamused:

I'd also recomend Jing The Bandit King, and giving the Hellsing franchise another try with Hellsing Ultimate (which is true to the manga and thus MUCH less stupid).

Also, watch anything dubbed by funimation, and if you don't like a series, be SURE to try it in it's original language with subs. That may make it better.

Oh, one final recomendation. Fate/Stay Night.

[Brother Oni]

Anime is more a medium than an actual style of story, and as you haven't stated what genre or themes you like, it's harder to give reccommendations other than 'this is good'.

That said, I recommend almost anything by Studio Ghibili. Judging from what you like, Mononoke Hime (Princess Mononoke) would be a good start.

I'm going to advise against Tenchi Universe and opt for the Tenchi Muyo OAV instead as I feel the story has considerably less filler, making the pace feel better (yes, I know I'm giving up Kiyone).

Macross and Macross Plus is separate from Robotech. I can't honestly recommend the main Macross series for someone who's had a mixed experience of anime, but Macross Plus is fairly self contained and well worth watching. I suggest the movie over the OAV simply because it has more time to dedicated to the climatic final scenes, which edges out the longer character development of the OAV.

Paranoia Agent is a more serious anime with some quite sharp criticism of Japanese society and culture hidden behind the adventure/thriller facade.

Again on the more serious front, the Rurouni Kenshin OAVs, specifically the Trust and Betrayal series. Set during the 1853 Japanese civil war (Bakamatsu), it follows a young boy and his experiences as an assassin fighting for the anti-government forces.
It also serves as a prequel for the (mostly) more lighthearted Ruoruni Kenshin TV series, which is fun but at 90-odd episodes, I feel it's too big of an investment for someone trying to like anime in general.
I don't recommend the Reflection OAV as it serves to end Kenshin's story ~20 years after the TV series and will make little sense to someone who hasn't watched the TV series (among other issues).



There is story, and it's much better and more understandable if you get it all in order, but disliking that style of combat emphasis will overwhelm it.

I personally found all the filler story arcs just killed Bleach for me (the entire Bount arc for example).
Naruto I jusy got bored with - it just took so long to resolve the battles as they had to spend a good couple minutes explaining what technique/tactical trick they had just pulled off, rather than just getting on with it.

About the only Shonen anime I can stand these days is Gintama and that's only because you have no idea what type of episode the next one is going to be (parody, serious, heartwarming, zero budget complaining about the anime industry and culture).

[Tebryn]

Obligatory recomendation to watch Neon Genesis Evangelion (everything associated with it)

And I'll say don't do this unless you want to waste your time. NGE is, at best, mediocre. At worst it's just...boring. High school level philosophy and psychology wrapped around aging animation. The movies are a bit better but all in all the series is something of a "Mark of Passage" in so far as you're not a "real" anime fan unless you've seen it. It's the hipster mark of Anime and you're better served avoiding it.

[tensai_oni]

So OP, shows you've watched and hated are pretty much neverending fighting Shonen series or bad. Exceptions being Sailor Moon (which is a neverending Shojo series instead) and Avatar (which really isn't an anime at all - despite the art, it has a distinctly Western type of storytelling).

In other words, you don't like bad shows. Good. What are you looking for in a show though? Action? Mystery? Comedy? Great characters? A great setting? What is your tolerance for violence or fanservice? Tell us more so we can give good suggestions!


And I'll say don't do this unless you want to waste your time. NGE is, at best, mediocre. At worst it's just...boring. High school level philosophy and psychology wrapped around aging animation. The movies are a bit better but all in all the series is something of a "Mark of Passage" in so far as you're not a "real" anime fan unless you've seen it. It's the hipster mark of Anime and you're better served avoiding it.

Opinion. Each time I (re)watched Evangelion, I liked it more than the other time. This show is built on small things you are bound to miss the first time but notice on reviewing. I'm not talking symbolism, it's confirmed to be pretentious and pointless and there only to look cool. I'm talking tiny elements of the setting, post-it notes, radio broadcasts, etc. All of these are important and have meaning.

[Tebryn]

Opinion. Each time I (re)watched Evangelion, I liked it more than the other time. This show is built on small things you are bound to miss the first time but notice on reviewing. I'm not talking symbolism, it's confirmed to be pretentious and pointless and there only to look cool. I'm talking tiny elements of the setting, post-it notes, radio broadcasts, etc. All of these are important and have meaning.

Well yes, I never said it was an objective review of NGE now did I? :smalltongue: Your statement is an opinion as well. What's your point? :smallconfused:

[Dumbledore lives]

I'm surprised no one has recommended Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. Out of all the people I've talked to who have seen it no one has actively disliked it. It is basically a mecha anime that is so ridiculously over the top that it breaks the scales of awesome. It also has some genuinely touching moments and has some pretty decent animation as well as characterization.

[Brother Oni]

I'm surprised no one has recommended Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann.

For someone who's seen several examples of shonen anime and has pretty much disliked them all, suggesting that they see the effective epitome of red hot blooded male action anime, may not be the best choice. :smalltongue:

[Radar]

A lot of really great series and movies were already mentioned, but I'll reiterate some of them to stress their quality:
1. Cowboy Bebop - very well written, mixes funny and serious moments and has an enchanting jazz soundtrack.
2. Ghost in The Shell - it's more or less THE anime movie to see. I didn't see teh second one or the series, but they are supposed to be good as well.
3. Fullmetal Alchemist - there is a lot of fighting going on, but it's more about, how far people will go in pursuit of power or knowledge and costs thereof.
4. Hellsing (and Hellsing Unlimited) - this one is a solid action series with an interesting plot to boot. I do have to warn you, it's seriously brutal - especially Hellsing Unlimited. Both series start from the same point, but diverge quickly.
5. Almost anything by Ghibli studio - especially My Neighbour Totoro (an amazing movie for kids, but adults won't be bored).
6. Death Note - a little bit different, since most of the tension comes from mind games played by the main characters. Last episodes are somewhat weaker and feel hastily written as an add-on to a completed series.

[Kitten Champion]

So essentially, you like seinen anime with darker elements in the SF/Fantasy genera... and some action?

Black Lagoon
Darker Than Black
Gundam 00
Samurai Champloo
Basilisk
Seirei no Moribito
Durarara!!
Baccano!
Death Note
Code Geass
Dance in the Vampire Bund
Claymore
Tiger & Bunny
Fate/Zero
Mnemosyne
Berserk
Canaan
Ergo Proxy
Kara no Kyoukai
SDF Macross
Macross Frontier
Phantom: Requiem of the Phantom
Noir
Gurren Lagann
Shikabane Hime
Death Note
Full Metal Panic
Future Diary
Bakemonogatari
Blood+
Monster
Witch Hunter Robin
Golgo 13
Planetes
The Big O

Also check out You're Under Arrest!, Hunter X Hunter, and Twelve Kingdoms.

[Kato]

Mobile Suit Gundam

Which one? You're not talking about the original show, right? ... Right?


@OP First off... don't judge a show on one episode. Unless it's the art you can't stand or anything.
Then again, it's pretty legitimate to hate Naruto and/or Bleach, and if you think it's the same after more episodes other (better) Shounen like One Piece or Fairy Tail won't be your piece of cake either. (You could give them a try but I guess they're just not your stuff)

Avatar... I met really few people who disliked Avatar (yadda, yadda, it's no anime) and I don't think a single episode can do the story justice but if it's the art or tone, well, skip it.


Based on your few shows you liked maybe it requires a more... serious(?) style of art... Death Note, or Steins;Gate or Code Geass could be fitting, at least DN and CG are probably on Netflix. Oh, and of course WATCH THE COWBOY BEBOP SERIES!
Otherwise... maybe look into some SciFi stuff? Gundam could be possible but then I would have a hard time to nail down which show from your interests so far. Probably not G Gundam.

[Brother Oni]

Based on your few shows you liked maybe it requires a more... serious(?) style of art...

I don't think it's a more serious art style but more serious tone, since razor-nosed Escaflowne is up there. :smalltongue:

[HandofShadows]

FLCL if you want to have your mind blown. :smallbiggrin:

[Kato]

I don't think it's a more serious art style but more serious tone, since razor-nosed Escaflowne is up there. :smalltongue:
Well, but the noses (and ears) aside it looks more realistic than, others... Though, I really have a hard time nailing down the OP's interests from what shows on the list I do know. I guess not too fantastic/unrealistic... maybe.

[Man on Fire]

For someone who's seen several examples of shonen anime and has pretty much disliked them all, suggesting that they see the effective epitome of red hot blooded male action anime, may not be the best choice. :smalltongue:

All of shonen series he watched are long-running ones, ovr 100+ episodes each. TTGL is self-contained 26 episodes + one recap episode.

Also, OP, specify your prefferences - what genres you like? What you dislike? What you want from entertainment? What forms of entertainment you enjoy?

[soir8]

All of shonen series he watched are long-running ones, ovr 100+ episodes each. TTGL is self-contained 26 episodes + one recap episode.

Also, OP, specify your prefferences - what genres you like? What you dislike? What you want from entertainment? What forms of entertainment you enjoy?

Not to mention it's frickin Tengen Toppa Guren Lagan, if you don't like it, Anime just isn't for you. It may be the epitome of red-blooded maleness in Anime, but it also keeps it's tongue firmly in it's cheek. If someone hates Bleach and Naruto, chances are they'll appreciate the irreverence of TTGL.

Honestly, it's just too good to not watch, even if one doesn't think they'll enjoy it.

[JoshL]

Ghibli works are of course astounding (Spirited Away or Nausicaa are my favorites, depending on my mood). Also seconding Baccano! (which is on Netflix instant), but give that one a couple episodes. Paranoia Agent is absolutely amazing, and Paprika is pretty good too.

Last Exile is on instant, and is fantastic if you like sort of steampunky airplane adventures (also Ghibli's Castle In The Sky and Porco Rosso). I think Slayers is still on instant, and that's a long-time favorite of mine, if you are in the mood for a funny fantasy story (it does tend to get serious about half way through each season, so it's not all fluff).

Not on instant, Record of Lodoss War is one of my absolute favorite cartoons ever. If possible, watch that one subbed. In the TV series, there's a little chibi comedy thing at the end of each episode, which is adorable and chock full of puns in Japanese, and just annoying as hell in English. I'm not a stickler about that sort of thing, but it's insanely annoying. The original OVA is fantastic though (even though they rush to cram in story near the end).

Also I'm a huge fan of Revolutionary Girl Utena, but the first season is kind of hard to get through. If you can sit through it, it really pays off.

[Terraoblivion]

Not to mention it's frickin Tengen Toppa Guren Lagan, if you don't like it, Anime just isn't for you.

So if you don't like TTGL you're incapable of enjoying MariMite (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/LightNovel/MariaSamaGaMiteru?from=Main.Maria-samaGaMiteru) or Spice and Wolf (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/LightNovel/SpiceAndWolf?from=Main.SpiceAndWolf)? I'm not entirely sure I see the logic here.

Anyway, I'd recommend Read or Die as one of the best action anime out there. It's essentially a two part superhero/spy film series about an alternate world where the UK is still the dominant force in the world, with books taking inordinate significance. The first part is a three-episode ova of pure, pulpy action with a rather thin plot that mostly serves as an excuse to provide some of the best fight scenes in the medium. The second part, a twenty six episode series, takes a slower approach, with character development taking center stage, making the action rarer, but only slightly worse when it does show up. Of the two I prefer the series due to the greater character focus and the quality of the characters, but that doesn't mean that I can't see the merits of the ova.

Also, while ROD looks a bit dated, the ova is from 2001 and the tv series from 2003, it looked amazing for its time and is still very well-designed and choreographed, making it still look fairly good in the more quiet scenes and quite a bit more than good during the actual action.

[Drakeburn]

Which one? You're not talking about the original show, right? ... Right?

If by original, you mean the first, then yes.

And I just remembered about Slayers.
That, and the other series were good.
If you enjoy anime, and fantasy adventures, this is the show for you.
It has fun characters, plot twists, and some a lot of humorous moments.

[Somewhere]

Plenty of great suggestions here; I particularly second Rurouni Kenshin's Trust and Betrayal OVA, Steins;Gate, Turn A Gundam, Record of Lodoss War, Madoka, Read or Die, and Macross Plus.

My additions would be...

Kidou Senkan Nadesico/Mobile Battleship Nadesico - a mecha/sci-fi that's a mix of comedy/drama with a hint of romance from the late 90's. It's also a parody/subversion of the genre at the time. It's a 26 episode TV series. Googling 'netflix nadesico' returns me the movie. The movie takes place after the series and is a base breaker, due to the change in tone and the fact that it leaves a lot of questions unanswered (due to a combination of the originally planned sequels never materializing and depending on supplementary information from a Japan-only Saturn game, I believe).

Black Jack - on the basis of 'experimenting to broaden your horizons', I suggest this, the stories of the titular underground doctor by Tezuka Osamu. There are a couple of recent TV series for this, as well as a movie and a set of OVAs. The movie and OVAs are drawn with a serious art style, while the TV series use Tezuka's style. For the movie and OVAs, I have to note that if you're squeamish about looking at a doctor perform surgery, avoid them. But I do think that they do a great job mixing drama with medicine, and it is rather a rare subject. It helps that Tezuka graduated from med school, IIRC.

Great Teacher Onizuka - It seems like you're not interested in battle shounen much, but how about a different sort of shounen? GTO is a shounen demographic series in the genre of eccentric teacher looking after a troubled class. Great mixture of comedy/drama, leaning in favour of comedy. Onizuka himself can be best described as.... absurd. He's a badass. He's a pervert. He's an idiot in the academic sense. He's unconventional. He's extreme. He earnestly wants to help his students in an educational system that's largely composed of *****. The anime is 43 episodes long
Aside: This series also has a couple of live-action dramas made for it; in 1998 as well as 2012. I haven't seen the 2012 one yet, but I did watch the 1998 drama twice so far. It is an excellent stand alone series.

Chihayafuru - Here's a recent one; the first season aired last year and the second season is airing.... this season. It has the josei tag on it, but to be honest, it doesn't really do much that strikes me as josei. It is first and foremost a sports series. The sport in question? Karuta (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karuta). Considering that I've never played Karuta before and the series sucked me in, I'd say that it's doing a pretty good job as a sports series.

Akagi - 26 ep series from 2005. It is a series that runs on two things: Mahjong and the protagonist being an absurd genius at mind games.

[tensai_oni]

Martian Successor Nadesico and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann are both great shows. But to be really appreciated, they require at least some prior knowledge of mecha anime. Gurren Lagann in general has an annoying tendency to spawn fanboys who believe it's the Greatest Thing EVARRR and other mecha shows are just inferior schlock for kiddies - despite having seen no such series other than TTGL itself.

[Hiro Protagonest]

Okay, you need to go back again and watch the first four episodes, because episode 4 has Bumi, and he's the best thing in the series. Well, after Wang Fire, but that's season 3 stuff.

For once, I partially agree with the mad doctor. Bumi is either the best or the second best character (after Iroh).

[Kato]

If by original, you mean the first, then yes.

... No. Just no. I mean, it's okay-ish... but no.


For once, I partially agree with the mad doctor. Bumi is either the best or the second best character (after Iroh).
Nothing beats Iroh. Ever. Okay, maybe someday. But nothing in Avatar is better than Iroh :smallbiggrin:

[Radar]

There were mentions of Slayers. As much as I like this series this is a bit risky considering the list of dislikes in the first post. It can be enjoyable, if you keep a few things in mind:
1. First and foremost think of this series as a retelling of a typical beer & pretzel fantasy RPG campaign (pen and paper games were the inspiration).
1a. Characters are often clueless, clumsy and or greedy.
1b. Colateral damage is to be expected in spades (the main character gained a nickname "Enemy of All Living Things" and "Dragon Spooker" because of this combined with a fiery temper).
1c. Plot is quite simplistic, but it means there is no room for holes.
1c1. This does not hold for plans conceived by the characters. See this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2fctn3r_QA) for example.
2. It's mostly a lighthearted comedy, so bring popcorn and turn your brain off.

At any rate, you should know, what to expect after few first episodes.

[tensai_oni]

... No. Just no. I mean, it's okay-ish... but no.

And why is that? The first Gundam is made in 1979, so of course its animation is dated. But if you can stomach that, then the series is actually pretty good, and definitely a classic that you may or may not like, but should probably know anyway.

[Kitten Champion]

You can always watch the three Mobile Suit Gundam movies, if the original television series is too artistically antiquated or long for you.

It's a brilliant series, I think the fact that it wasn't impressed by itself makes it more deep and imaginative than most of its predecessors. While Zeta is still the best to my mind, followed by 08th MS Squad, they're still very much sequels.

[soir8]

So if you don't like TTGL you're incapable of enjoying MariMite (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/LightNovel/MariaSamaGaMiteru?from=Main.Maria-samaGaMiteru) or Spice and Wolf (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/LightNovel/SpiceAndWolf?from=Main.SpiceAndWolf)? I'm not entirely sure I see the logic here.



I'm talking about Tengen Toppa Guren Lagan. Why would logic be involved?

[Negativethac0]

There were mentions of Slayers. As much as I like this series this is a bit risky considering the list of dislikes in the first post. It can be enjoyable, if you keep a few things in mind:
1. First and foremost think of this series as a retelling of a typical beer & pretzel fantasy RPG campaign (pen and paper games were the inspiration).
1a. Characters are often clueless, clumsy and or greedy.
1b. Colateral damage is to be expected in spades (the main character gained a nickname "Enemy of All Living Things" and "Dragon Spooker" because of this combined with a fiery temper).
1c. Plot is quite simplistic, but it means there is no room for holes.
1c1. This does not hold for plans conceived by the characters. See this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2fctn3r_QA) for example.
2. It's mostly a lighthearted comedy, so bring popcorn and turn your brain off.

At any rate, you should know, what to expect after few first episodes.

This pretty much sums up my feelings about Slayers. Also, I felt there could be some distance between the quality of some of the episodes and the movies never really made that much of an impression on me.

That being said, in regard to the original poster, I actually liked some of the plots and ideas of the first 'Slayers'. I'd say it's worth checking out at least the first couple of episodes, but what you see early on is pretty much what will keep coming.

[Dr.Epic]

For once, I partially agree with the mad doctor. Bumi is either the best or the second best character (after Iroh).

The best things about Avatar are the crazy old men and the crazy little girls.

[Drakeburn]

The plot and the story is pretty much what I enjoy about Slayers.

Now that I think about it, the series does try too hard to be funny (even though there were some really funny moments I loved).

[Terraoblivion]

I'm talking about Tengen Toppa Guren Lagan. Why would logic be involved?

Regardless of the presence or absence of logic in the show, and I'd certainly say it's far more rational and logical than the more chest beating fans claim, talking about it as a work of fiction requires just as much logic as anything else. Going by that standard, I found your argument to be frankly stupid and potentially giving newcomers an inaccurate view of what anime is, which might turn them away from shows they would otherwise have liked.

[Logic]

Edit: It occurs to me that if you're trying to broaden your horizons, then by that token, you will need to watch something you don't like. You don't have a fully informed opinion of it if you haven't experienced it in its entirety.

I am trying to broaden my horizons, and I have watched very little Anime that I can put a name to that I have liked. I am also trying to avoid starting with a few shows that I have already seen and formed a negative opinion of (for those of you recommending Hellsing, I think you did not catch that it was in my DISLIKE list.) If I start with something that has many traits I have come to associate with BAD anime I will not be likely to change my opinion. (DBZ is the stereotypical anime to me, and with only one exception, I have found absolutely nothing redeeming about it.)

I did forget that I have seen Slayers, and I did enjoy that, because it was goofy as all get-out. (And it reminded me of my very first D&D campaign.)

And art style is not usually a big turn-off for me, though I am less forgiving of other mistakes BESM styled anime make because the art is something I find irritating. (Irritating? Annoying? Perhaps a different word that is not quite as strong?)


I'm talking about Tengen Toppa Guren Lagan. Why would logic be involved?
Perhaps you did not see my username.

[Tengu_temp]

You can always watch the three Mobile Suit Gundam movies, if the original television series is too artistically antiquated or long for you.

It's a brilliant series, I think the fact that it wasn't impressed by itself makes it more deep and imaginative than most of its predecessors. While Zeta is still the best to my mind, followed by 08th MS Squad, they're still very much sequels.

The original Gundam is pretty much a mandatory watch if you want to watch anything else from UC Gundam yeah. Either the TV show or the movies.

For those who are new to Gundam: different Gundams are in different continuities. All this stuff is UC (http://gundam.wikia.com/wiki/Universal_Century), all this stuff is CE (http://gundam.wikia.com/wiki/Cosmic_Era), other Gundams tend to be one-shots, apart from clearly marked manga spinoffs and movies.

My favorite Gundam, by the way? Crossbone Gundam. Great balance between drama and comedy, likable protagonists that win thanks to wits and skills rather than Newtype hax or plot shield (coughKiraYamatocough) and pull off the "thou shall not kill" thing without being self-righteous pricks about it (coughKiraagaincough), and the whole thing has lots of awesome and over the top moments while still staying firmly in the real robot territory. And amazing designs - well, for the robots at least, the characters are silly Megaman-like almost chibis. Somehow, it fits anyway.

08th MS Team is a close second.

[Felyndiira]

If you're looking to broaden your horizons, can I recommend that you try a few series from the Josei genre? The genre is very different from the series that you have watched so far, mostly involving slice of life, drama, and character depth in place of action and style. It's certainly not for everyone, but I think definitely worth a try.

My personal recommendation if you're interested in trying the Josei genre would be to start with Honey and Clover and seeing if you like the show. The style of Josei that it popularized (character exploration) is probably one of the more plentiful and popular, with a number of titles branching off in several different directions. It has also spawned some series that are considered to be excellent, including Nodame Cantabile, Natsume's Book of Friends, Anohana, Hanasaku Iroha, and some with a completely different mood (like Space Brothers).

I can list a number of anime that I liked, but the list is huge and depends quite a bit on your own tastes. Thus, I'll just leave the Josei recommendation here for now, and make further recommendations based on whether you liked some of the series listed by other posters.

[Tengu_temp]

Would Eden of the East count as josei? Because I found that show to be pretty excellent.

[Hiro Protagonest]

The best things about Avatar are the crazy old men and the crazy little girls.

Adolescent girls. And they're prodigies. All of them. Toph, Suki, Ty Lee, all of them.

And nobody in the show is actually crazy. Well, okay, Azula snaps in the finale, but Bumi is just extremely wise and doesn't bother to explain his outside-the-box thinking.

[Valwyn]

I did forget that I have seen Slayers, and I did enjoy that, because it was goofy as all get-out. (And it reminded me of my very first D&D campaign.)

If you liked Slayers, you might like Orphen, which is mostly described as a more serious version of Slayers. A word of warning, one of the characters (Cleo) is very annoying, but the plot makes up for it.

I would also recommend Ao no Exorcist. Unfortunately, the anime deviated a lot from the manga because the latter came out very slowly. On the plus side, the finale was awesome. As you might guess from the name, it deals a lot with demons. Here's a fan-made trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1NaG9e1MzE) (with subs in... French? not sure).

[Gnoman]

Elfin Lied (nudity works for some art, but for this, it seemed very out of place)


Might I ask how much of this series you watched? With this particular series, the issue you mentioned doesn't even guarantee that you saw an entire episode, let alone the feel of the series, which was one of the deepest and darkest series I've ever seen. If you watched a few episodes and still didn't like it, that's a matter of taste, but I always hate to see someone turned off of something from a bad initial impression.



On a divergent (yet oddly parallel) line, Strike Witches is an excellent series, if you can ignore the annoying pantslessness.

Less controversial suggestions would be Area 88 (a pilot is trapped into service as a mercenary during a civil war in a fictional Middle Eastern country: renowned for the extreme realism it gives to aerial combat), and Trigun, which is sort of a Space Western that's actually quite deep and philosophical.

[Man on Fire]

I'm talking about Tengen Toppa Guren Lagan. Why would logic be involved?

Dude, stop. Listen, I love Tengen toppa Gurren Lagann, it's my favorite anime. But people who just go around saying how "it's the best thing ever" and how "you MUST watch it if you are an anime fan" are annoying and only turn people away from the show. Please, stop that.

[PeglegJim]

Hey alright bro, you're tastes seem not so different from my own, so I'll recommend just two instead of being like 'hey here's my list of like 250 animes. enjoy!' .

Samurai Champloo: Made by the same guy who made Cowboy Bebop. About two very different men at the end of the samurai era looking for a samurai who smells like sunflowers at the request of a teenage girl.

Black Lagoon: A Japanese office drone becomes a modern day pirate and moves to a city in Thailand which is basically like every exploitation/action movie put together

[oblivion6]

This One Piece that has been mentioned...Is it that one anime that premeired on CN several years ago? Main character is just a boy and takes place mostly on the seven seas? I remember loving that show but then it stopped coming on and I never heard another word about it.

On to my contributions to the thread then. It has been a while since I watched it but I think The Sacred Blacksmith was pretty decent. Can't remember much of it though.

[Hiro Protagonest]

This One Piece that has been mentioned...Is it that one anime that premeired on CN several years ago? Main character is just a boy and takes place mostly on the seven seas? I remember loving that show but then it stopped coming on and I never heard another word about it.

Maybe, but if so, you're misremembering it. Luffy's not old, but he's in his twenties, and the world is not our own.

Also, I'd just read the manga. Finding a good English version of the anime is hard or impossible.

[Gnoman]

This One Piece that has been mentioned...Is it that one anime that premeired on CN several years ago? Main character is just a boy and takes place mostly on the seven seas? I remember loving that show but then it stopped coming on and I never heard another word about it.


It's possible that you're remembering an older show called Pirates of Dark Water, which was aired on Cartoon Network in the early 90s, and I think was reaired at some point.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_5F1zYQF5M

[oblivion6]

Maybe, but if so, you're misremembering it. Luffy's not old, but he's in his twenties, and the world is not our own.

Also, I'd just read the manga. Finding a good English version of the anime is hard or impossible.

Okay, twenties is probably closer, I just remember a sort of childish attitude.

I know its not our world but I seem to recall much of it taking place on either a ship or in port.

[Kitten Champion]

Maybe, but if so, you're misremembering it. Luffy's not old, but he's in his twenties, and the world is not our own.

Also, I'd just read the manga. Finding a good English version of the anime is hard or impossible.


Luffy is 16/17 pre-time jump, 19 after.

He does seem like a boy, the actual designs certainly have a relaxed attitude towards age depictions and his character is pretty Peter Pan-like.

[oblivion6]

It's possible that you're remembering an older show called Pirates of Dark Water, which was aired on Cartoon Network in the early 90s, and I think was reaired at some point.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_5F1zYQF5M

Just saw this.

I don't think its the same as what i'm remembering but a quick wikipedia search makes it sound like something I would watch.

[Gnoman]

Be warned that it was never finished.

[thubby]

All right, let me get this out of the way. As a rule, I really don't like Anime. But I think it is time for me to broaden my horizons and try to understand it a little better, so I am willing to give some stuff a try.

Anime I have had to watch and hated include:
Dragonball Z (and any iteration thereof)
X/1999
Pokemon (works as a game, not so much as a show)
Digimon
Elfin Lied (nudity works for some art, but for this, it seemed very out of place)
Bleach (based on one episode, somewhere in the middle)
Naruto (based on one episode, somewhere in the middle)
Avatar (based on one episode, somewhere in the middle, and some have said I should give this another shot as it isn't "true" anime)
Sailor Moon
Vampire Hunter D
Van Helsing

Anime I have enjoyed:
Cowboy Bebop (the feature film only, no experience with the series)
Escaflowne (I think both the series and the film, though I'm not sure)
Akira
Robotech (which version I do not know, probably Macross or Macross Plus)

These are not all encompassing lists, just the ones I can remember off the top of my head. I am sure there are MANY more on the "Dislike" list I am forgetting, though I would be surprised if I missed any that belong on my "like" list.

EDIT: Also, if the Anime in question is on Netflix, that is a huge plus (so I can quickly sample it without an investment besides some of my time.)

all of these are shonen, the rest are rather dark seinen. if you dont like superheroes and the like, its unsurprising you wouldnt like these

the real question is, what do you normally watch on TV? anime comes in basically every flavor imaginable.

until that question gets answered, a few anime that appeal to western audiences are outlaw star, samurai champloo, gundam wing, and deathnote.

[Tvtyrant]

I really like an anime called Shiki. It's a horror series centered around a doctor attempting to rid an extremely isolated town from an infestation of vampires.

I came across it as an AMV.

[Terraoblivion]

which was one of the deepest and darkest series I've ever seen.

There's not really any inherent relationship between darkness and depth. MD Geist (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Anime/MDGeist?from=Main.MDGeist) is extremely dark and is also considered an incoherent, poorly written and frankly stupid mess, to the point where it's the fifth worst anime of all time in ANN's rankings (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=791). On the other hand, while grand works of philosophy the books by Terry Pratchett, Discworld and otherwise, show some real thought about the nature of human interactions and social structures and tend to be both optimistic and lighthearted.

[Gnoman]

Never claimed there was any connection. I simply stated that Elfen Lied had both qualities, which I maintain is still true. Don't EVER put words in my mouth.

[tensai_oni]

But Elfen Lied is a terrible show.

Based on a manga that's supposed to be slightly better, but I didn't read it so I wouldn't know.

[thubby]

But Elfen Lied is a terrible show.

Based on a manga that's supposed to be slightly better, but I didn't read it so I wouldn't know.

the manga is a good deal more coherent. the series is moslty just a giant pile of gorn, but the manga at least gives some better perspective on why everything is so horrifyingly violent and evil.

[JoshL]

Elfen Lied it a constant barrage of making the viewer feel uncomfortable and a little sick. There's nothing redeeming about it, manga or anime. I absolutely loved it, but on that level. Definitely recommended only for those who felt that Death Note was too cheery and hopeful....

[Eldan]

Hm. That sounds like the best argument I've heard so far for watching Elfen Lied :smalltongue:

I might give it a chance. I've been out of series to watch for months now.

[Tengu_temp]

I didn't find the ridiculous violence in Elfen Lied that uncomfortable, at least until I found out what "guro fetishism" means. What bugged me more was the out of place fanservice, the plot that meanders and goes nowhere, the fact that all major characters except the two little girls are completele unlikable due to being total idiots and/or jerks, and how horribly the serious parts clashed with the cliche harem shenanigans (and I mean the worst kind of harem). And it wasn't deep at all - I watched Evangelion for the first time something like a year later, and it was a much more introspective and cerebreal show. And it was already said here that most of Eva's depth is actually faux symbolism that doesn't mean anything.

I have no desire to read the manga. It might be more coherent, but from what I heard about it, it panders even harder to guro fetishists, and the message it tries to get across is dumb, dumb, dumb.
From what I heard, it's supposed to ask the "who are the real monsters?" question, and make you feel sad that the Diclonius race becomes extinct in the end.

Except that it's confirmed that all Diclonii except Nana (or whatever her name was), who survives, are sadistic sociopaths. So yeah. Performing inhuman experiments on them is still wrong, but their demise is not a tragedy, it's a blessing. They are the real monsters.

[Anderlith]

Fullmetal Alchemist.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

You don't need any other anime

[Tengu_temp]

You don't need any other anime

This is never true, no matter what show we're talking about.

[Kitten Champion]

If you haven't watched either, watch Brotherhood and forget the '03 version.

[Douglas]

If you haven't watched either, watch Brotherhood and forget the '03 version.
The part before the split is rushed to an excessive degree in Brotherhood. I recommend watching the original up to that point first, then starting Brotherhood. The pacing feels better that way, and you don't miss the origin of a recurring minor character (and possibly some other things I can't think of).

[Yora]

I loved the Elfen Lied manga but hated the anime. The anime completely misses the point of the manga by making up an alternate ending right at the point where the manga story is done with setting up the stage and introducing the characters to get into the actual deeper levels of the story.
Sure, there are probably lots of people who read it and went all "cool... boobies", but I think the actual story has a lot more to it. There isn't really anything erotic about the nudity, it's much more to emphasise that
(minor spoiler of what is revealed after the first quarter or so)
these people are barely anthing more than sickly, atropied bodies inhabited by absolutely insane minds, because they've been kept in dark basements all their life with their only human interaction consisting of torture.
They don't bother with clothes because their keepers don't give them any. They are objects, not people, so they have no need to cover themselves up.
And having a mentally retarded girl with the mind of a 3 year old and the sex drive of a teenager isn't fanservice either. The other characters are appropriately freaked out by this as well.
That everyone is a bad person or otherwise seriously messed up is not bad writing but entirely intentional, and I think even a vital part of the story.
The manga is not just a gore-fest is gratitous fanservice. The violence and nudity serves a greater purpose and I think there's an actually quite good story in the layer below that.
But it is a pretty bleak one.

Funny thing is, the thing about the manga that me and a friend hated the most about it:
(actual real spoiler)
The ending is far too tame and tries to make a kind of happy ending in the very last moment. All the time it is made very clear, that this story will end in tears. Even if Lucy does come around in the the very last moment, there will be no salvation for her. She has a few moments where some goodness shows and yes, she was treated horribly without her fault, but she still is utterly and unrepentendly evil. She may spare others, but for someone like her, there could only be hell.
And then she does actually die, accepting her fate, and the story is over. But then there is a completely unneccessary epilog, showing her soul to be reincarnated in two children, getting a new chance at a good life.
Boo! You completely destroyed that nice dreadful ending! :smallamused:


I have no desire to read the manga. It might be more coherent, but from what I heard about it, it panders even harder to guro fetishists, and the message it tries to get across is dumb, dumb, dumb.
From what I heard, it's supposed to ask the "who are the real monsters?" question, and make you feel sad that the Diclonius race becomes extinct in the end.

Except that it's confirmed that all Diclonii except Nana (or whatever her name was), who survives, are sadistic sociopaths. So yeah. Performing inhuman experiments on them is still wrong, but their demise is not a tragedy, it's a blessing. They are the real monsters.
Yeah, that sounds like the apologists who also swoon over Draco and think that Sephiroth is such a sweet and completely misunderstood character who only wants to be loved. Or Walter Sullivan from Silent Hill 4. No clue what goes through the mind of these people, but every good horrible evil villain seems to have those.
Though I agree that one part of the resolution is "humans are horrible", the very same thing is true for the diclonii as well. That's the real point I think. Everyone is horrible and when they feel pushed into a corner, they all will turn into monsters. Supernatural powers or scientific dedication, that doesn't make a difference.
That's what I like about the story. Both sides are fighting for their survival so you can understand why they do it. But that does in no way excuse what they are doing.
When the diclonii are eliminated it is kind of sad. But the humans really had no choice. There simply was no chance for a peaceful solution and it was either the humans or the diclonii. But one side had to die. That's the sad part of the story. You have two villains fighting each other and no matter who wins the fight, everyone loses.

Speaking of which, I can also recommend "Monster". That one has barely any supernatural elements, except for one guy with seemingly superhuman charisma. He can't do any magic, but he can convince people of almost everything. And he is a really horrible person.
When I first heard of Monster, the guy who told me about it warned me "If you start this manga, you will read all of it in one sitting!". Which I did. Read 12 hours or so until it was 4 in the morning, took a nap, and continued the next morning until I had it finished at noon. :smallbiggrin:
And apparently I was not the only guy who had this happen. ^^

It's a story about surgeon who for just one moment manages to stand on his own legs and does what he think is right and choses to save one irrelevant child instead of a powerful politican. But it turns out that he picked exactly the wrong moment to grow a spine and his descision is destroying his life and leaving lots of people dead. So he goes on the hunt for a serial killer to fix his mistake.
One interesting thing about the manga is that even though it's by a Japanese writer, it's set in Germany shortly after the fall of communism in Europe and the German reunification. And I think it is one of the best depictions of actual Germany in the 90s in any non-German fiction, picking up many of the quite subtle social issues of the time.

[Anderlith]

If you haven't watched either, watch Brotherhood and forget the '03 version.

There is some really good plot to be had in the first part of the first series. Though I would recommend stopping after the breaking point between the two

[Kato]

If you haven't watched either, watch Brotherhood and forget the '03 version.
Hm... Having seen both... I guess you could make the argument against Bortherhood being rushed but then it felt like the pacing of the whole story could have been tuned up a little bit so I don't mind the first episodes. (Obviously, what they came up with in the '03 version for the ending was pretty bad but I'm not entirely satisfied with Brotherhood either.)


So I started Elfenlied (the anime) and three episodes in... I can't say I'm impressed yet. Well, it is only 13 episodes so I guess I'll somehow sit through it.

[Radar]

One thing that came to my mind: Planetes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DakRYsUIiIE). I haven't seen the anime, but I read a solid part of the manga and it's really interesting. It's very, very hard SF set in near future revolving around lives of space debris collectors. Writing is solid and it is vastly differs from usual anime expectations. If you have any appreciation of physics, then you'll like the show even more.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

One thing that came to my mind: Planetes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DakRYsUIiIE). I haven't seen the anime, but I read a solid part of the manga and it's really interesting. It's very, very hard SF set in near future revolving around lives of space debris collectors. Writing is solid and it is vastly differs from usual anime expectations. If you have any appreciation of physics, then you'll like the show even more.
Ooooooooooooooooooooh yes. I came into Planetes halfway through in an anime club, and it hooked me right off the bat. So much so that buying the series is now on my list, and I haven't even seen the first half yet. It's a great sci-fi drama, and I really do mean sci-fi. Also, the ending darn near made me tear up.

[Lord Raziere]

Dude, stop. Listen, I love Tengen toppa Gurren Lagann, it's my favorite anime. But people who just go around saying how "it's the best thing ever" and how "you MUST watch it if you are an anime fan" are annoying and only turn people away from the show. Please, stop that.

ya, there is such a thing as hype backlash mon. and there ARE people who dislike it and think its a bad show, unfortunately. :smallfrown:

[Terraoblivion]

ya, there is such a thing as hype backlash mon. and there ARE people who dislike it and think its a bad show, unfortunately. :smallfrown:

As well as people who have no strong feelings either way. That's where I'm at and I could name at least a couple of dozens of shows I'm more likely to gush about.

[Logic]

Might I ask how much of this series you watched? With this particular series, the issue you mentioned doesn't even guarantee that you saw an entire episode, let alone the feel of the series, which was one of the deepest and darkest series I've ever seen. If you watched a few episodes and still didn't like it, that's a matter of taste, but I always hate to see someone turned off of something from a bad initial impression.

On a divergent (yet oddly parallel) line, Strike Witches is an excellent series, if you can ignore the annoying pantslessness.

Less controversial suggestions would be Area 88 (a pilot is trapped into service as a mercenary during a civil war in a fictional Middle Eastern country: renowned for the extreme realism it gives to aerial combat), and Trigun, which is sort of a Space Western that's actually quite deep and philosophical.

the manga is a good deal more coherent. the series is moslty just a giant pile of gorn, but the manga at least gives some better perspective on why everything is so horrifyingly violent and evil.

I watched part of the first episode of Elfin Lied, and was disgusted at the the gore + nudity combo. A friend thought I didn't give the show a fair shake, so he made me watch a later episode that he said "would redeem any negative first impressions of the series."

Except whatever episode he had me watch was even more gore-porn than the pilot.

If I were still 13, I think I might have liked this show (for the same reasons I liked Ninja Scroll* at 13) but from what I saw, and based on the comments of the majority here, I doubt I will be able to get past the uncomfortable gore fetishism, and the out-of-place nudity.

*Another one I forgot from earlier, though I have not seen it in ages. The reason I liked it at age 13 was because of HEY BOOBIES!

[tensai_oni]

If I were still 13, I think I might have liked this show (for the same reasons I liked Ninja Scroll* at 13) but from what I saw, and based on the comments of the majority here, I doubt I will be able to get past the uncomfortable gore fetishism, and the out-of-place nudity.

*Another one I forgot from earlier, though I have not seen it in ages. The reason I liked it at age 13 was because of HEY BOOBIES!

How fitting, I have exactly the same opinion of Ninja Scroll. Its creators went with the rules of: Violence + BOOBS == we don't need anything else, right? (Spoilers: we do)

[soir8]

Regardless of the presence or absence of logic in the show, and I'd certainly say it's far more rational and logical than the more chest beating fans claim, talking about it as a work of fiction requires just as much logic as anything else. Going by that standard, I found your argument to be frankly stupid and potentially giving newcomers an inaccurate view of what anime is, which might turn them away from shows they would otherwise have liked.

Well, that attitude seems somewhat uncalled for. I'm surprised people are taking a couple of off-hand posts by me so seriously. I forgot how anal some people can be about anime. No fun allowed etc.

I think I'll stay away from this thread, it's this kind of snotty elitism that's more likely to put someone off anime than me recommending one of the best series in the medium and being perhaps slightly overenthusiastic about it.

[Logic]

Well, that attitude seems somewhat uncalled for. I'm surprised people are taking a couple of off-hand posts by me so seriously. I forgot how anal some people can be about anime. No fun allowed etc.

I think I'll stay away from this thread, it's this kind of snotty elitism that's more likely to put someone off anime than me recommending one of the best series in the medium and being perhaps slightly overenthusiastic about it.
I don't see this "snotty elitism" you are seeing. As I interpreted it, your original claim basically stated that if you don't like one show, you will never like anime* and someone else countered your claim. I suggest you not deal with such absolute statements about anime to someone that is currently wary of anime. Because if such a person were to watch only the anime you recommend, hated it, and thought your original statement of:

Not to mention it's frickin Tengen Toppa Guren Lagan, if you don't like it, Anime just isn't for you.
was true, then such a person that already has a negative opinion of anime in general is going to potentially miss out on some very good shows.

*Hyperbole, yes, because I can.

[Sutremaine]

Trigun's a pretty good anime. The art can be a little wobbly sometimes and probably wasn't all that good-looking in 1998 even before the terrible DVD encoding. But based on your dislikes, and mostly your likes, I believe you'd really like it. It's pretty slow-burning, and rarely answers outright any questions you might have, though for the most part I think there are enough bits of information scattered around to figure stuff out.

The first few episodes are quite light and comedic, with occasional hints of seriousness, and it gets more serious later on. Of the earlier, more episodic episodes, #6 is a pretty good example of Trigun's brand of seriousness. It's not really talked about much, which is a shame in some ways but does at least avoid memetic transmission of spoilers. The less you know about it going in, the more you'll probably appreciate it. The English dub is also really good, which is always a bonus.

There's also a movie that came out in 2010 or something called Badlands Rumble, but I haven't seen it and what I know of it doesn't excite me.

[Hiro Protagonest]

Well, that attitude seems somewhat uncalled for. I'm surprised people are taking a couple of off-hand posts by me so seriously. I forgot how anal some people can be about anime. No fun allowed etc.

I think I'll stay away from this thread, it's this kind of snotty elitism that's more likely to put someone off anime than me recommending one of the best series in the medium and being perhaps slightly overenthusiastic about it.

You were being more than slightly overenthusiastic. It's the attitude that you've shown that puts me off it. It's like saying CoD 4 MW is for every FPS player ever and you will like it even if you don't like comparable triple-AAA shooters like Halo or Medal of Honor or the other CoD games.

CoD 4 is a very good and widely liked game. But it's also a twitch shooter with health/energy bars, health packs, ammo packs, and some other stuff that turns off fans of shooters like Ghost Recon or Arma.

[Kitten Champion]

I think it's more like saying "If you don't like Annie Hall, you don't like movies." It's obviously not intended to be a literal statement, but argues that if you failed to enjoy this critically acclaimed film with such universal appeal, you lack an appreciation for the medium on some fundamental level. People say this in one way or another about a number of commonly understood canon works in any medium or genera.

... Incidentally, if you didn't enjoy Azumanga Daioh then you don't have a soul.

[oblivion6]

If you didn't like Suikoden then you don't like RPGs(worse yet, if you've never played it). :smallwink:

[Tvtyrant]

If you don't like the smell of pine trees, then you don't like breathing!

[nyarlathotep]

these people are barely anything more than sickly, atropied bodies inhabited by absolutely insane minds, because they've been kept in dark basements all their life with their only human interaction consisting of torture.
They don't bother with clothes because their keepers don't give them any. They are objects, not people, so they have no need to cover themselves up.
And having a mentally retarded girl with the mind of a 3 year old and the sex drive of a teenager isn't fanservice either. The other characters are appropriately freaked out by this as well.

I think my problem with the idea that the supposed reaction is disgust to this rather than arousal by the audience is that at least in the anime none of the diclonii are drawn as anything other than adorable girls with oversized heads or barbie dolls. When you're barely allowed to move and half starved you don't look like that, you look skeletal. If the answer is in the special mutant DNA, then why did the author make the monster's genetics such that their torture would come off as fanservice. Most of the their tortures leave them looking less abused than the makeup in light bondage pornos.


Though I agree that one part of the resolution is "humans are horrible", the very same thing is true for the diclonii as well. That's the real point I think. Everyone is horrible and when they feel pushed into a corner, they all will turn into monsters. Supernatural powers or scientific dedication, that doesn't make a difference.
That's what I like about the story. Both sides are fighting for their survival so you can understand why they do it. But that does in no way excuse what they are doing.
When the diclonii are eliminated it is kind of sad. But the humans really had no choice. There simply was no chance for a peaceful solution and it was either the humans or the diclonii. But one side had to die. That's the sad part of the story. You have two villains fighting each other and no matter who wins the fight, everyone loses.


Big problem with that thing that makes the diclonii make no sense. They need to do their little psychic rape thing to humans to reproduce unless I am mistaken. Why on earth would that lead to a desire to kill all humans on a species wide scale. It would be like digger wasps hunting down and killing host organisms when not producing eggs.

[Prime32]

How fitting, I have exactly the same opinion of Ninja Scroll. Its creators went with the rules of: Violence + BOOBS == we don't need anything else, right? (Spoilers: we do)It had some weird/creative stuff, like the guy who stored bees in his body. But otherwise yeah.

[soir8]

I think it's more like saying "If you don't like Annie Hall, you don't like movies." It's obviously not intended to be a literal statement, but argues that if you failed to enjoy this critically acclaimed film with such universal appeal, you lack an appreciation for the medium on some fundamental level. People say this in one way or another about a number of commonly understood canon works in any medium or genera.

... Incidentally, if you didn't enjoy Azumanga Daioh then you don't have a soul.

This is exactly what I meant. Perhaps I should've been more clear; TTGL is highly acclaimed and embodies the best elements of a sub-genre that makes up a large chunk of the anime that exists. If you can't enjoy something as fun as TTGL (I never meant to put it across as THE BEST EVER or anything like that) then it seems unlikey to me that there's much you will enjoy.

I like these forums because they're so civil and intelligent, but the trade-off unfortunately is a marked tendency for people to be super-serious and completely literal about everything. I was genuinely offended to come back to this thread and find that apparently making generalised statements about the capacity of a hypothetical stranger to enjoy anime is tantamount to child abuse, and that I am a stupid horrible person who is damaging the lives of others by not putting enough thought into how I phrase anime recommendations.

Sorry to return to a thread I said I'd abandon, but it's like picking at a scab. I'm just glad someone understood my intent and didn't think I was some kind of monster.

[Terraoblivion]

Mecha is a relatively limited part of all anim, weepy melodramas, neverending shounen fighting shows and slice of life shows about high school girls are all more common, and trying to present it as being what anime is, is hugely problematic. TTGL, while good, is in no way representative of anime as a whole. Not just that, but people come from many different backgrounds and have many different views and interests. Putting any one work as a litmus test for an entire medium is ignoring this diversity or telling people with different tastes that their preferences are invalid.

Also, I'd like to ask where any comparisons to child abuse happened. I tried looking and couldn't find anything remotely suggesting that until your last post.

[Closet_Skeleton]

I loved the Elfen Lied manga but hated the anime. The anime completely misses the point of the manga by making up an alternate ending right at the point where the manga story is done with setting up the stage and introducing the characters to get into the actual deeper levels of the story.

I like the anime but haven't read the manga. I just can't really argue with you since if you cut out 'Elfen Lief' and replaced it with 'Gantz' I'd agree completely.

[soir8]

Mecha is a relatively limited part of all anim, weepy melodramas, neverending shounen fighting shows and slice of life shows about high school girls are all more common, and trying to present it as being what anime is, is hugely problematic. TTGL, while good, is in no way representative of anime as a whole. Not just that, but people come from many different backgrounds and have many different views and interests. Putting any one work as a litmus test for an entire medium is ignoring this diversity or telling people with different tastes that their preferences are invalid.

Also, I'd like to ask where any comparisons to child abuse happened. I tried looking and couldn't find anything remotely suggesting that until your last post.

I was talking about red-blooded shounen in general, not Mecha.

I've also bolded the part of your post that illustrates just the kind of super-serious literal-mindedness I was criticizing. Thank you for being a humourless cyborg.

Done here now. I promise.

[Kitten Champion]

Mecha is a relatively limited part of all anim, weepy melodramas, neverending shounen fighting shows and slice of life shows about high school girls are all more common, and trying to present it as being what anime is, is hugely problematic. TTGL, while good, is in no way representative of anime as a whole. Not just that, but people come from many different backgrounds and have many different views and interests. Putting any one work as a litmus test for an entire medium is ignoring this diversity or telling people with different tastes that their preferences are invalid.

Also, I'd like to ask where any comparisons to child abuse happened. I tried looking and couldn't find anything remotely suggesting that until your last post.

Yeah, because there's no weepy melodrama in mecha.

[Tectonic Robot]

Yo yo yo yo yo

I just, like, totes finished marathoning some mad One Piece animes.

You can find pretty much every episode with english subtitles on the website One Piece official.

It's an interesting story about a young man who wants to be the king of the pirates with his quirky crew as they sail across the ocean, battling vicious pirates, corrupt governments, and their own impulsiveness in a rip-roaring adventure across the high seas!

It also is very long and not done yet. @_@

[Closet_Skeleton]

Yeah, because there's no weepy melodrama in mecha.

There are also mecha series with slice of life sequences with high school girls and long running fighting series aimed at boys.

[Terraoblivion]

Yeah, because there's no weepy melodrama in mecha.

That's besides the point. The point is that mecha is a relatively small niche of anime, with the really hot blooded shows being a subset of that. That most mecha shows have other aspects too is a rather secondary concern.

[Kitten Champion]

Mecha is mostly an aesthetic used to tell SF and fantasy stories within numerous established genera. Its definition as a genera itself is ambiguous at best.

It's used to tell stories ranging from coming of age, military SF, musicals, slice of life dramas, super hero fantasy, sports dramas, light hearted harem comedies, and so much more. The actual mechanical aspects of these stories are as important to mecha anime as star ships are to Star Wars, Star Trek, or Battlestar Galactica. Which is to say, they provide a backdrop but aren't what the story is about. Unless it's terribly, terribly written. No mecha is just a mecha, that's impossible.

Truly though, that someone doesn't like any singular artistic work within a particular art style does not necessarily mean they will dislike that style as a whole, is so painfully obvious that it just annoys me to even type this. Pointing out hyperbole is just dull.

Yes, I may be hungry now, but alas no, I don't actually intend to eat a horse.

[Eldan]

Hm. Interestingly, there's only two shows with mecha that I ever thought were good. TTGL and Code Geass. Everything else I started watching was either boring or just outright bad.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

Trigun's a pretty good anime. The art can be a little wobbly sometimes and probably wasn't all that good-looking in 1998 even before the terrible DVD encoding. But based on your dislikes, and mostly your likes, I believe you'd really like it. It's pretty slow-burning, and rarely answers outright any questions you might have, though for the most part I think there are enough bits of information scattered around to figure stuff out.

The first few episodes are quite light and comedic, with occasional hints of seriousness, and it gets more serious later on. Of the earlier, more episodic episodes, #6 is a pretty good example of Trigun's brand of seriousness. It's not really talked about much, which is a shame in some ways but does at least avoid memetic transmission of spoilers. The less you know about it going in, the more you'll probably appreciate it. The English dub is also really good, which is always a bonus.

There's also a movie that came out in 2010 or something called Badlands Rumble, but I haven't seen it and what I know of it doesn't excite me.
This is true, although I tend to be wary of recommending Trigun to people who are hesitant about anime due to some of its native tropes. It gets a bit anime-wacky at the start. But, of course, once you realize the tack it's taking (and honestly, I think it's the third episode, "Peacemaker", that starts introducing its serious side), it becomes a much better show.

And a thoroughly awesome one.

(now when are they going to animate Maximum? :smallwink: )

[Eldan]

Trigun... Trigun is difficult. Mentally, I classify anime as "The good, the bad and the could be better". Trigun is in the third pile. I sort of feel that if they had told the story in maybe half hte number of episodes, took it a bit more seriously and cut out the utterly trite "humour" and slapstick, it could have been amazing.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

Trigun... Trigun is difficult. Mentally, I classify anime as "The good, the bad and the could be better". Trigun is in the third pile. I sort of feel that if they had told the story in maybe half hte number of episodes, took it a bit more seriously and cut out the utterly trite "humour" and slapstick, it could have been amazing.
Nah, I think the slapstick has a very specific purpose in the story, but I don't want to pull us into a tangent here.

(Side note--it's a bit longer, with more of the "super epic deep space fight action!", but the Trigun Maximum fork of the story, the manga which splits after the Fifth Moon, goes a lot more serious, and a lot more dark, and a lot better, IMO.)

[Somewhere]

Oh, yes, I definitely second Area 88. The aerial combat was beautiful, and it's got some solid story telling to go with it.

Since you mentioned that you enjoyed Slayers...

Rune Soldier Louie - another goofy fantasy series; the protagonist is a mage who thinks more like a fighter.

Gokudo - yet another goofy fantasy series; this one's far heavier on the comedy side. The protagonist is a villainous character, but the way things turn out make him the hero. It helps that he goes through a lot of suffering along the way and doesn't actually accomplish much harm, IIRC.

El Hazard - more lighthearted fantasy from the 90's, but not the medieval sense of fantasy. It follows a few people from present-day Japan who get transported to another world, where humans are at conflict with a race of sapient insectoids (although for the most part, the two are unable to communicate with each other). The OVAs (Magnificent World, Magnificent World 2, and Alternative World) and the TV series (The Wanderers) follow different continuities. The OVA timeline (specifically, Magnificent World) also has drow there, plotting. The people coming in from Earth also get special abilities, usually different from person to person, and occasionally differs between the OVA and TV continuities.

Agatha Christie's Great Detectives Poirot and Marple - ok, veering away from goofy fantasy series... this is a 39 ep series that is a bunch of adaptations of Agatha Christie's detective stories. There's a new character created to serve as the perspective character to swing back and forth between Poirot and Marple's stories.

Kami-sama no Memo-chou/Heaven's Memo Pad - a 2011 series that is 12 eps long; pretty solid for detective anime. The notable aspect is that the group of detectives are a bunch of NEET (not in education, employment, or training). Particularly, the main detective who does most of the thinking is this little young lady who spends almost all of her time in her room on the internet. She's rather effective at using the internet for detective work.

Tegami Bachi/Letter Bee - it's an shounen demographic adventure series about people who deliver letters.
...
Ok, so the setting is a cold, desolate world with no natural sunlight; there is only the artificial sun. Populated areas closer to said sun are better off; society is essentially divided into 3 stratum, roughly based on distance from said sun. The bottom stratum is essentially made up of poor villages scattered about. Also, there are large mechanical insectoid monsters in the wild, so traveling can be rather dangerous. Communication in this world is still at the stage of physical written letters, so Letter Bees (mailmen) are very important. And so the story follows the travels of a Letter Bee, with a lot of emphasis on the emotions and heart (so much emphasis on the word HEART in this series) invested in the mail he delivers.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

Agatha Christie's Great Detectives Poirot and Marple - ok, veering away from goofy fantasy series... this is a 39 ep series that is a bunch of adaptations of Agatha Christie's detective stories. There's a new character created to serve as the perspective character to swing back and forth between Poirot and Marple's stories.
Great Scott! That sounds marvelous.

[Kitten Champion]

Great Scott! That sounds marvelous.

It would be if not for the annoying girl and her goddamn duck.

*Sigh*

In the minds of the producers, they were making a show for a young-ish demographic. Clearly an annoying OC had to be thrown in to be relatable with all these stuffy adults around, that's just common sense. It's almost like a fanfic where the author decides to shoehorn in an adorable preteen onto the bridge of the USS Enterprise. Well, another adorable preteen onto the Enterprise...

Damn you Wesley.

The thing is, Japanese concepts of the mystery drama differs from the West on a number of substantive issues. One being, young detectives in Japan deal with murder, psychopaths, and serious **** every day. They don't tackle smuggling rings and missing people, they're hardcore, unlike the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew. So they have no issue throwing in Sunshine girl and Quackers McGee into what is an adult and heavy milieu. Her presence and light-hearted character are at odds with the tone and slightly drab nature of the Christie novels, they simply were never designed to allow for her like fictional Japanese young detectives and their assorted friends.

Still, her role - and that of her duck - do not interfere with the majority of the narrative. She's not a Mary Sue who suddenly starts solving things before Poirot and sending the duck to sniff out clues. Although, due to the nature of the medium the stories are very abridged. You also have some odd cultural idiosyncrasies where English characters act entirely like properly raised Japanese people, but that's a minor concern.

[nyarlathotep]

Still, her role - and that of her duck - do not interfere with the majority of the narrative. She's not a Mary Sue who suddenly starts solving things before Poirot and sending the duck to sniff out clues.

She's not really Wesley so much as she is snark or orko.

[Kitten Champion]

She's not really Wesley so much as she is snark or orko.

That's a valid point, but even the 80's were not so cruel as to make Snarf and Orko the protagonists or to put them into, say, The Color Purple. Even if Snarf and Orko weren't crimes against humanity, some work simply doesn't benefit by broadening itself to children. Christie is not like Doyle, she writes thoughtful mysteries with slow plot progression and realistic detectives, at least for the most part. Her works aren't suited for anime which very much goes towards clever super-detectives, melodrama, and rapid pacing in the manner of old pulp.

Remember that Christie novels are, well, classics. While I wouldn't go so far as to say the anime is irredeemably terrible - because it's not - it just doesn't do her justice and probably couldn't have unless they were willing to be more circumspect than usual.

Really, just watch David Suchet and Geraldine McEwan and be glad Britain has such amazing character actors.

[Gnoman]

Trigun... Trigun is difficult. Mentally, I classify anime as "The good, the bad and the could be better". Trigun is in the third pile. I sort of feel that if they had told the story in maybe half hte number of episodes, took it a bit more seriously and cut out the utterly trite "humour" and slapstick, it could have been amazing.

The humor and slapstick elements are necessary to the overall story. Besides providing the necessary contrast for Vash's turn toward the serious, and establishing aspects of the universe more comfortably, nearly the entire emotional impact of the second half of the anime would be meaningless if you hadn't gotten used to Vash as a comedic goofball. If he'd been stone-cold from the beginning, there's really be little difference between Vash and Knives other than their self-appointed roles toward humanity.

[nyarlathotep]

That's a valid point, but even the 80's were not so cruel as to make Snarf and Orko the protagonists or to put them into, say, The Color Purple. Even if Snarf and Orko weren't crimes against humanity, some work simply doesn't benefit by broadening itself to children. Christie is not like Doyle, she writes thoughtful mysteries with slow plot progression and realistic detectives, at least for the most part. Her works aren't suited for anime which very much goes towards clever super-detectives, melodrama, and rapid pacing in the manner of old pulp.

Remember that Christie novels are, well, classics. While I wouldn't go so far as to say the anime is irredeemably terrible - because it's not - it just doesn't do her justice and probably couldn't have unless they were willing to be more circumspect than usual.

Really, just watch David Suchet and Geraldine McEwan and be glad Britain has such amazing character actors.

I didn't terribly care for the show either, just thought of something that might be a better metaphor.

[Deepbluediver]

Anime I have had to watch and hated include:
*snip*

The only one that jumps out at me from this list is Avatar, because most people loved it. It's technically not anime, and sort of enjoys a bit of middle ground between western animation and anime style. But you really need to watch it from the beggining, and stick through at least the first half-season to get a feel for the show. There are a handful of episodes dotted here and there that are pretty much universally agreed to be several steps lower in quality than the rest of the show and come out of nowhere, so depending on what you saw you might have a biased opinion.

Also, some of the mainstream anime you mentioned (Bleach, Naruto) I prefer as manga, which cuts out a lot of the filler. Just stop reading them when the plotlines start to repeat more than twice.

Most of your favorites list seems to be composed of more serious, less cartoony, anime. And they all seem to be sci-fi (Escaflowne is a mecha anime, no matter how they try to dress it up).

If that's the kind of thing you like, I would recommend 12 Kingdoms. It's not quite fantasy, more like a fictional-history if Japan had magical unicorns and monsters. And it's done without any chibi-style or sight gags, and the characters are more realistic looking (still anime obviously, though). In fact, it gets downright depressing at times (but with a mostly-happy ending). The main characters are highschool students who get sucked into this other world, but it is definitly NOT the same magic-girl/shonen anime you'd expect with a plot hook like that.

It's medium-length, about 40 episodes total, though there is one aborted arc you can skip and a few at the end they aren't important, once they resolve the main storyline. Its loosely based on a series of novels by the same name.

[Tengu_temp]

Oh boy, Twelve Kingdoms. The anime that starts like a cliche "girl stuck in another world" show, but in reality is a thoughtful and slow-paced series about society, politics, and the responsibilities of a ruler. I recommend it.

A similar show is Spice and Wolf, about a merchant and a wolf goddess travelling through a very realistic Medieval world and talking about economics. Better than it sounds, and the character chemistry is amazing. Don't let the occassional Barbie Doll nudity discourage you, that show really is NOT about fanservice.

[Poison_Fish]

Speaking of Twelve Kingdoms I just finished the first four books. While there are some differences between it and the anime (especially in level of detail), both are very excellent!

[Felyndiira]

I think we've just recommended a total of 4-6 months of shows and OVAs, if the OP decides to marathon them all :smalltongue:.

[Tengu_temp]

Double that number, someone suggested One Piece.

[Logic]

I think we've just recommended a total of 4-6 months of shows and OVAs, if the OP decides to marathon them all :smalltongue:.

Double that number, someone suggested One Piece.

I won't be starting in earnest until I have finished Borderlands 2 and Mass Effect 3: The Citadel. :smalltongue:

[Sith_Happens]

Wait, four pages and no...

Samurai Champloo: Like Cowboy Bebop, but with samurai and hip-hop in pseudo-Japan instead of bounty hunters and jazz in space.

[Eldan]

Reasonably sure it's been mentioned.

Twelve Kingdoms sounds like something I might enjoy. I'll add it to my list, it's pretty empty right now and I wasn't sure what to watch after Serei no Moribito anyway.

[Tengu_temp]

Oh yeah, more about Twelve Kingdoms: if the first arc leaves you on the fence, keep on watching. I found the first arc to be okay but not spectacular, the second one to be slightly better (and it's very short), and the third one to be amazing. The fourth arc is tacked-on, but it's alright.

[PallElendro]

It's probably best if you did not watch Rosario + Vampire. Everyone has become filler for panty shots and fanservice. If you want, you're free to read the manga.

One on my list could Sword Art Online. Nothing beats a good story like the near future and evil corporate secrets, especially when game jumping.