Anime Watchers! I Need Your Help!

[Budweiserbob!]

Hey. I need the help of you anime pro's out there.

I'm planning on buying a few anime dvd's online, but I have no idea which ones to buy. That's where you lot come in! 😀

I need people who have watched anime shows to tell me which series they prefer and why. I will then look into it and consider buyng a DVD of theirs and see what it is like.

They don't have to be completely english (they can be english dubbed, I actually kinda like the Japanese voices).

So, what anime series do you recommend and why.

 

[Celtic_Emperor]

It all honestly depends on what genres you like. If you can tell me what type of genres you like, that will help narrow our suggestions down and we can better help you that way.

 

[nessonite1]

I recommend downoading a few episodes of something before you buy it. Anime DVDs are expensive and you dont want to blow all that money on something you'll end up not liking.
Well...download, rent, watch on tv...whatever.

*think think think*

Something I would recommend personally?
Fooly Cooly for something strange
Paranoia Agent for something stranger
Wolfs Rain is very very good....

 

[AphxA1]

fantasy-record of lodoss war/chronicles of the heroic knight(series based off the novels)
sci-fi-ghost in the shell/gits: stand alone complex(series sequel to ghost in the shell movies)
action-berserk/Hellsing/Neon Genesis Evangelion
super happy fun time-excel saga/fooly cooly/magical shopping arcade
martial arts action-flame of recca/dragon ball z sagas/naruto
comedy-Love Hina

theres just to much, its like vlad said, theres different genres to fit your personal likes. Some places and web sites I can recommend to purchase these animes at:

http://www.animecornerstore.com(really low prices on anime and merchandise)credit goes to hds for showing this to me.
http://www.bestbuy.com(they have a nice selection and decent prices)

 

[Sarusuke]

fantasy-record of lodoss war/chronicles of the heroic knight(series based off the novels)
sci-fi-ghost in the shell/gits: stand alone complex(series sequel to ghost in the shell movies)
action-berserk/Hellsing/Neon Genesis Evangelion
super happy fun time-excel saga/fooly cooly/magical shopping arcade
martial arts action-flame of recca/dragon ball z sagas/naruto
comedy-Love Hina

I agree with the Ghost in the Shell recommendation, that one is really good.

I've seen in many places that people that like Excel Saga don't like FLCL (Fooly Cooly) or Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi and vice versa. That hasn't been my experience since I like all three quite a bit. Excel Saga is a sort of a parody of elements of Japanese pop culture and a lot of crazy stuff happens in that one. Excel's voice can grate on a person a little though, I guess. FLCL and Abenobashi are coming of age stories (FLCL is really well disguised though, and manic at times). The Shopping Arcade in Abenobashi is the jumping off point for interdimensional travel, it's not about shopping.

Rurouni Kenshin is good (especially the second section of the series, the Kyoto storyline) and the OVAs of Kenshin (sold as Samurai X) are really good. They're more action oriented with some comedic elements. It's set in the 1880's with Kenshin having been a former assassin in the revolution in Japan. After the revolution, he decided never to kill again. Two of the OVA disks follw him while he was still an assassin.

If you want to see a long series based primarily around fighting, go with Yuyu Hakusho. It's from the early '90s but it doesn't look too out of date. I think it's better written and drawn than Dragonball Z, but I don't know, DBZ has a lot more fans so your mileage may vary.

Movies by Hayao Miyazaki and Satoshi Kon are usually really good. With the exception of Princess Mononoke, Miyazaki movies can all be shown to little kids too (Mononoke might be a little scary for little kids). I liked Satoshi Kon's movie Millenium Actress, it's an intersting story and really shows off Kon's visual style.
Speaking of Satoshi Kon, his series Paranoia Agent is excellent, describing too much of it would give out spoilers though. Not a comedy, more of a psychological storyline.

Fullmetal Alchemist is a good series. Two brothers tried to transmute their mother back to life and one of them loses his arm and legs and the other loses his body in the process. They then search for the Philosopher's stone in order to restore their bodies and have to make other sacrifices in their search. Action series with some comedic elements, and some dramatic elements as well.

Azumanga Daioh is a nice one, follows a bunch of high school girls as they... well, go through high school. It's a rather cute comedy.

I don't recommend the Love Hina anime. The manga is great, but the anime feels thrown together for the sake of having an anime and it just kinda sits there. 2 and 1/2 stars at best.

 

[nessonite1]

Why did I not recommend Fullmetal Alchemist? Duh... consider it recommended.
I second the anti-recommendation for Love Hina. Do yourself a favor and read it, you won't regret it. But only watch the anime if you really really have to.

 

[His Divine Shadow]

Excel Saga, Abenobashi, FLCL, RuroKen, Yu Yu Hakusho, Azumanga, Fullmetal, Hellsing, Lodoss, GITS, and Paranoia Agent (GASP) have already been mentioned, so I'll merely note them as series I enjoyed.

Kino's Journey is one for a bit more of a slower-paced experience. If you like an odyssey story with some deeper themes and more involved stories, this one may be for you.

Dual is worth watching for a slightly different take on the giant robot/mecha theme. A highly overlooked but still quite enjoyable series with a twist on the "boy sees alternate universe and enters it" story.

Tenchi Muyo and its many offspring are a good all-around comedy/love triangle/pentagon/etc. If you like Love Hina and its idea of one boy surrounded by/secretly and not so secretly loved by a bunch of girls, 'tis good.

Seen/liked Voltron/Gatchaman (G-Force and Battle of the Planets)? Try Gravion. Another "Giant robot made from many smaller parts" all around battle. It will remind you of older shows.

A recently released (Not completely released yet) hip-hop infused, modern culture meets ancient times samurai sword swinging fest is Samurai Champloo. A modern twist on such shows as Rurouni Kenshin and Ninja Scroll (Another excellent choice, by the way.).

Classic and modern mecha and giant robots your game? Need an angsty series to complement with Evangelion (Arguably one of the most angsty series of all time.)? Try one of more of various Gundam series. This is the big daddy of the modern giant robot phenomenon (Gigantor started it all back in the '50s). A war of ideals between sides with frequent relationships across sides as well as some of the greatest space mecha battles ever created, Gundam is a superb choice. A similar (But quite different in its own way) series is one of the most classic and famous series, Macross/Robotech.

Want something even more insane than Excel Saga, FLCL, and Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi? Try the child of the guys behind the Excel Saga anime, Puni Puni Poemy. WARNING: Not for one who is just getting in to anime. THis really requires some exposure to the genre before it can fully be appreciated, but when you can, a fest of greater insanity is rarely seen.

Vampire Hunter D is one of the best gothic, dark, vampire stories around. Two movies (The original '80s classic and the more recent Bloodlust) showcase the darker side of anime in an impressive way.

Want to see the whole Anime/Manga culture parodied? Try Comic Party, a story, somewhat simply put, about a bunch of Otaku (Anime fans of the highest caliber.) striving to create doujinshi (Fan comics.). An excellent look at one side of the fandom. The soon to be released Genshiken is another example of this type.

Banner/Crest of the Stars is one of the premier (In my humble opinion.) space/sci-fi sagas of the anime world. Battles are present, but what makes this series so merorable are the characters and how they develop. I've rarely seen so much character development is one series before.

Trigun didn't make it so well in Japan, but America loved it. A take on the spaghetti western (Set on a different planet that is almost all desert.), it has battles, comedy, and sadness. Trigun also has some of the more memorable characters in an action series.

Air battleships, clashes in the clouds, and impressive visuals your game? Check out GONZO's magnificent 10th aniversary series, Last Exile. The story of the search for the mysterious Exile, it features fantastic battles between vanships (Fighters of the skies) and massive air battleships, conflict between the more lowly warring empires of Anatoray and Disith and the technologically advanced Guild, it is a most engaging series.

Finally, what list would be complete without the bebop. That's Cowboy Bebop. Some call it the best anime of all time, and nearly all agree it is one of the finer animes around, as evidenced by the fact that CB remains hugely popular years after its original release in both Japan and the rest of the world. CB is the story of a crew of Bounty Hunters aboard the Bebop, a spacecraft, traveling a futuristic solar system chasing bounties and their own pasts. Crazy fights, twists and little additions, and powerful emotion make this more than the ordinary space opera.

I could go on and on, but I really need to shut up now.

And if you buy from Robert's Anime Corner Store, do 'ol HDS a favor and click HDS's referal link before you purchase. You'll earn HDS money, eh? Clicky!

 

[nessonite1]

wOOt! I didnt recognize all that HDS listed but those I do I also second. Cheif among those being Bebop and Trigun.

I didnt like Ghost in the Shell at first but it grew on me after a while. I'd say now it's one of my favorites.

 

[Sarusuke]

I second the recommendation of Comic Party, I loved that one, but since it's based on the anime/manga culture (especially as it is in Japan) you do have to know some stuff about it going in.
I also strongly second the recommendations of Crest of the Stars and Battle of the Stars.
Cowboy Bebop is almost a must see (and get the movie as well, it fits in between episodes 22 and 23 in the story).

I'd also recommend "Read or Die" the OVA and the series "ROD the TV". They're action oriented ones. Turns out the world is run by the British National Library system because they control the flow of information. In the OVA, Yomiko Readman (Agent Paper) has the ability to manipulate paper and use it as a weapon. She is called in to protect a book that has the information on how to kill off humanity and keep it from falling into the wrong hands. "ROD the TV" takes place years later and follows three girls who also have similar powers as they protect a young author from the British Library and the Chinese organization Dokusensha, both groups having let power go to their heads.

 

[nessonite1]

*sigh* Why is it that I can't think of anything until someone else mentions it? Yes yes yes please see Read or Die...the OVA and the series. I guess in that order though I didn't...it would have helped.

 

[Celtic_Emperor]

http://www.animecornerstore.com(really low prices on anime and merchandise)credit goes to hds for showing this to me.

And I'm the one who showed it to him a long time ago. Funny how we're all linked together in this way.

Oh, and a personal recommendation:

The Irresponsible Captain Tylor

Its a sci-fi comedy, and it won't disaapoint. Its a tv series and theres also an ova which continues and finishes the series off. While it is primarily a comedy, it has a little bit of everything, and the characters are memorable and lend alot to the series.

I also second and/or suggest the following titles:

Neon Genesis Evangelion (action/drama)

Love Hina (Romantic Comedy)

Record of Lodoss War (and its continuation Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight (fantasy/action adventure)

Cowboy Bebop (sci-fi/action)

Golden Boy (adult comedy)

3X3 Eyes (Occult/Horror/Action Adventure)

These are just some of the better ones out there for their respective genres. Each of these I own the dvd boxsets for, so I can assure you they are all worth your time (in my opinion).

 

[Hiryu]

Well, it really depends on what you're in to as others posted above. Say you like sci-fi then you'd want to go with something like say (some are movies) Akira, Armitage, Big-O, Robo-Tech, The Guyver or maybe you want action then try Dragonball Z, Voltron, Bubblegum Crises, Angel Cop Collection... for comedy there's always Dragonball, Tenchi Muyo, Samurai Pizza Cats, Project A-Ko...for suspense/horror you may want to try Vampire Hunter D, Golgo-13...sorry, that's all that come to mind right now.

edit: Just remembered another good sci-fi. 8 Man After.

 

[cyclypse]

While all these recomendations are well founded, the best way is to just go to some store that sells or rents out anime and look at all of their selections until something catches your eye.

Azumanga Daioh
Galaxy Angel
Dirty Pair Original
Dirty Pair Flash
Noir (VERY Good assassins anime)
Orphen
Those Who Hunt Elves (A MUST SEE. HILARIOUS)
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Wedding Peach
Burn up!
Burst Angel
Kiddy Grade(not what it sounds like. Very action packed)
Excel Saga (also hilarious)
Puni Puni Poemy (will melt your brain to mush 😵)
Gatchaman (being redubbed for the THIRD time in american right now. Was originally called Battle of the Planets and G-Force. This time it's totally uncut and with 20 episodes never seen in the US)

If you find these, give um a look over and see if you might be interested XD. Hope that helps Bud!

 

[-Kunoke-]

Not much I can do here but second what everyone else has said 😛 looks like I came a little late. Oh well. Good luck!

 

[Sarusuke]

Anime316's right about browsing the stores. It's a great way of finding new titles. So are preview disks of trailers (I've found a lot of series that way).

To add to the recommendations, I suggest "Outlaw Star". It follows a space outlaw (outlaw meaning not affiliated with any organization) and his business partner as well as two of his would be killers as they seek the secret of the Galactic Leyline.

 

[Budweiserbob!]

Hey people!

I took a look in "Forbidden Planet" Today (Not sure if you have it in the US but its a big store where you can buy collectables like trading cards and action figures).

I decided to buy some DVD's and see whether or not I like them (Money really isn't an issue for me, I'm happy to buy DVD's even if I find out I don't like what's on them).

I decided to buy:

Galaxy Angel
Neon Genesis
Vampire hunter
Excel Saga
The Irresponsible Captain Tylor

I haven't yet watched them but they all look good to me! I shall let you know on my opinions later!

But thank you all for your help! 😀
It was greatly appreciated!

 

[cyclypse]

Rock on Bud XD! Yeah we have stores in the US like that. Look forward to hearing about your experience with these wonderful titles XD!

 

[Budweiserbob!]

Rock on! XD

*head bangs and accidentally hits head on waffle iron*

WAFFLE IRON! HOW COULD YOU BETRAY ME!
*Does one of those really dramatic movie scenes you find in movies where the man kneels down in a thnder storm next to the corpse of his dead grandfather and shouts NOOOOOOOOOOOO up towards the sky*

 

[Kougaiji-sama]

i dont know if someone already recommended these so if they did then i second....third...WHATEVER!

saiyuki is really good. the first series is over and they are moving to saiyuki reload. reload is a lot different. different look and feel. different voice actors. even different company. die hard fans were kinda upset(as was i) but it grew on me. it has a little darker feel and they changed the opening to a rock song(a really good one too). Its based off the tale of the Journey to the west. 4 guys in a jeep kickin ass all the way. really funny though! 1 irrevlant priest(Genjo Sanzo), 1 demon(Cho Hikkai) 1 half demon(Sha Gojyo), and one monkeyish demon(Son Goku).->->name sounds familiar? they are A LITTLE similar but this goku is better!

a manga that i like is Sgt. Frog. its now towards the end but i think its very funny. its about a frog-like alien that comes to try to take over the word...and fails miserably!

and one other cause i could sit here all day naming off good shows......

(anime)Full Metal Panic! and Full Metal Panic? Foumaffou. FMP is originally an action show about large fighting suits called Arm Slaves and i wont give too much more cause it would really ruin it. but a military man, Souske Sagura, is designates to protect a girl, Kaname Chidori, and it is kinda funny cause he's lived almost his entire life in the armed forces.

Foumaffou is a comedy through and through. its also a love story a little as Kaname falls for Sagura in the first series and continues that into the second.

opps....forgot one more...

(manga) bleach is a good one. if you like the paranormal kinda thing. the mc Ichigo Kurasaki( STAWBERRY!) is attacked by a hollow. Hollow's are vengeful spirits that cannot move on to the next plane. when he tries to protect his family he borrows some of the powers of a Soul Reaper. their job is to make sure the hollows go to the next plane(the soul society). he end up taking all her power and now must do her job...agianst his will. pretty good in my opinion

hope this helps and it hasnt gotten too redundant

 

[Big_Dogg85]

Although post was long ago, I have recently become a fan of Samurai Champloo. The opening theme alone is quite good and while the storyline is a tick weak but still full of plots and twists. What I like best is the artistic talent put into drawing the three protagonists, both during the opening theme and the episodes themselves. I find a lot of the newer animes (Eureka Seven is another that comes to mind) have the characters and settings drawn in this way and it's very smooth and magnetic in appeal. (draws you in)

Another one is Basilisk. The dubbed version actors are good but whoever was giving them their prompts must have been on some type of drug because the timing of their voice overs with the lip movement is off. Other than that, the plot and story are solid, plenty of good characters, and Funimation was responsible for it...as well as another popular anime we all know called FullMetal Alchemist.

 

[Omegan1]

ok no one mention akira then!!!

-vampire hunter D
-Patlabour (first one i ever watched)
-Macross Plus
-Trigun (i love it)
-Hellsing
-Detonator Orgun (bloody love it!)
-Hack/sign
-Blackjack
-And who could forget good old lupin the 3rd.

Im just a manga freak really.

 

[Budweiserbob!]

Wow... ain't seen this thread in yonks! 😛

 

[peter puppy]

Gungrave. Or death note which is not on dvd so you would need to download it.

 

[morgandee]

school rumble first season <3 eri

 

[pwner_91]

if there is one anime i can reccomend for you, it is called Elfen Lied. it is about a genetic experiment named lucy. she has a split personality, one is lucy, the psychotic killer, and nyu, the cute and loveable girl that is practically new to the world. anyway, she has these invisible arms that can basically rip or tear through anything. so if you like alot of bloodshed, nudity and violence, then EL is the anime you'll want.