Empty_One

Serial Experiments: Lain just blew me away, it's incredible

Ganguro

I read shonen jump because my friend got a 2 year subscription and i go to his place and read it. I used to read Raijin comics, and Smile and TokyoPop when they had a magazine (woo im dating myself a bit now) The fansubbers rereleased Naruto1-5 as one torrent.. so now is a great time to get into the series if you have been riding the fence about it. Though the manga in Jump is possibly much furthur ahead than the anime.

daigou

Wow, it's cool to see people that like good shows gathered in one place.. and thanks to the guy who brought up animesuki..

A few favorites of mine (that's haven't already been covered)...
Martian Successor Nadesico
Saber Marionette J (avoid the dub at all costs)
Excel Saga
Jubei-Chan the Ninja Girl (this one's a weird twist on typical samurai stuff, it's pretty wacky as well)
Ai Yori Aoshi.. good love story, good romantic comedy, if you like that type of thing.

Bob Biter

I'm a huge fan of "Hakkenden: The Legend of the Dog Warriors." It's a multi-volume series containing 14 episodes (2 episodes per tape). The animation is beautiful, although the artwork is passed along to other animators on a few occasions, which makes for an interesting (if sometimes odd, viewing). Character development is done expertly and the plot has many twists and turns. It's set in feudal Japan and deals with the birth and eventual meeting of 7 bastard children conceived by a human female and a canine male. Interesting stuff.

I also heartily second "Jin-Roh: Wolf Brigade" and "Wings of Honneamise." Both have excellent animation and deal with a broad range of human emotion/thinking.

On the lighter side, I recommend "Gunsmith Cats" and "New Dominion Tank Police" (both cop related), for good ol' fashioned, uncomplicated fun.

On the heavier side, check out "Twilight of the Dark Master" (evil, evil shit) or "Biohunter" (less bloody, but still pretty raw). "Wicked City" is also very good, as is "Doomed Megalopolis" (multi-volume series).

Well, that's it for now...

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RubberSouls

The english version of Jump is much behind actually

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Ganguro

that's what i thought too.. but then he showed me some other manga that was waaay ahead of the anime so far. Maybe it's fansubbed as well.

Radiospank

no one like the GUYVER i thought was awesome though im not a huge anime BUFF, ive seen vampire hunter D, nija scroll, Tank police LOL, and Doomed MEgalopilis, Anyway GuyverAND nija scroll are good for me anyway!

d4in

No hate...it was a good series if you watched them all....never got to watch the last couple of episodes
Do they have them on DVD? I'd probably buy the whole set.

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hawkeye

for my money Noir, trigun, and FLCL and Please Teacher, are all good.

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Eiresol

I didn't read the whole thread so this is probably all repetition. But anyway

Patlabor (even though lots of people don't like it)
Akira
Perfect Blue
Blood the Last Vampire (rent it, I felt robbed, it's so short)
Princess Mononoke
Spirited Away (although I havent seen it, everyone seems to be creaming themselves over it. )
Ninja Scroll is pretty good.

For series'

Hellsing
Cowboy Bebop
At least one of the Gundams (most people dislike Gundam Wing but I like it)
NGE

Pyrate

I'm kinda new to Anime (well let's just say I'm a longtime fan who doesn't spend cash) but I really, REALLY love Tenchi Muyo! It's funny, romantic, hilarious, funny, and it has a plot. The character characters are spot on Argh! I can't explain it! Also Gundam Wing is high on my list. I like war based Anime, and I like deep plots and storylines.

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asaris

Alot of which anime you're going to like depends on your own personal preferences. But some of my comments (and as far as genres go, I'm a pretty broad-minded guy):

Akira and Neon Genesis Evangelion. Are they the best anime ever? Not in my opinion. In both the plot is extraordinarily convoluted, to be kind. NGE also throws in quite a bit of religious imagery (mostly Christian and Kabbalistic), in what seems to me to be a failed attempt to appear 'deep'. But my opinions seem not to be all that common, they're not all that bad, either, and they're classics. Dickens isn't that good either, but you should probably read him anyway.

Martian Successor Nadesico and Shinesmen. These are both very, very funny parodies of other well known shows, and IMHO, Nadesico is quite a bit more than this. FWIW, Nadesico is my favorite anime. Hilarious, and with an intricately woven plot that, while never loosing its comedic edge, manages to grow more serious as the serious goes on. As a watched it, it got better with every episode.

Rurouni Kenshin. Very good classic swordfighting anime. Many historical touches, which add to the depth of an already great show. I'm only a few episodes into the second season, but I've heard it goes downhill after that.

Cowboy Bebop. What's not to love?

KareKano (In english, "His and Hers Circumstances"). An anime from the director of Evangelion that couldn't be more different, KareKano centers around the love life of two high school students. More than any other anime I've seen, Anno uses the medium to amazing effect in showing the moods of the characters. If the quality keeps up until the end, it might replace Nadesico as my favorite. But if you don't like watching things that focus on relationships, you might find it a bit boring.

Bubblecrisis 2040. I haven't seen the original series, which appears to be a bit of a cult favorite, but this is a fun series, especially for the first half. In the second half, the attempt at a more overarching plot (over and against a 'monster of the week') falls short, and it ends up being really cheesy. Still, quite a fun series.

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"The Germans believe that power must reveal itself in hardness and cruelty and then submit themselves gladly and with admiration[...]. They do not believe readily that there is power in meekness and calm."

-- Friedrich Nietzsche

Ganguro

*sniff* im soo proud to be an Otaku right now

Mr_Q

I'm kind of an anime amateur as well, but here's my thoughts:

Movies:

Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust: Awesome movie. 10 times better than Vampire Hunter D. It blew me away.

Akira: People say it's a classic, I hated it. Good animation, sure, but I hated the movie.

Princess Mononoke: Not a great movie. Not bad either. It's at least easy to find, since it had a major American release, unlike most anime.


Series:

Gundam Wing: Giant Robots rock. The characters are interesting, and the fighting is cool.

Dragonball Z: Make sure you can fast forward if you watch this. The storyline is awful (at least to me) but the combat is awesome.

gwr_gwir

mm. I'll add Memories (something of a hard to find movie) and Full Metal Panic to the growing list or repetitiveness in this thread, as well as Gundam 0083, Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz (movie), Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door (movie), and Love Hina... also, I highly recommend the movie Perfect Blue (if you have the guts to sit through it.)

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Stiltzkin

I knew someone was going to say this. Please, if you're still an anime newbie, don't watch Evangelion just yet. If you're a true-blue hardcore fan of anime that can honestly say you watch anime for everything that it's worth, and not just because 99.99% of all the anime girls are drop-dead gorgeous, then wait. I mean, you really gotta love anime for what it's really worth. I've met only... zero people who actually enjoy all the philosophy and such that has a strong connection with the good animes, other than myself. YES, I know you people do exist, but most people I know just want to watch anime for the babes and for the action. If you're the kind who wants babes and action, then go ahead and watch Evangelion and ruin everything for yourself. If you're the type like me who likes everything about anime, save Evangelion for later, because you'll be left gasping for something better than Evangelion but won't find it.

Oh, yeah, recommendations:

-Battle Angel Alita (or Gunnm, whatever its called in the video release)
Really great anime. Honestly I think it comes close to being as good as Evangelion. The graphic novel version produces what may easily be called "the best god damned fucking badass non-Evangelion story ever told, god fucking damn it!" Buy the graphic novel series and love it, god damn it!

-Cowboy Bebop (yeah I know you already watched it. Good job )
Spike Spiegel is a good role model for kids. No, really, he is. I convinced myself that I was Spike before riding my very first roller coaster. I convinced myself that I was so relaxed and cool that I actually wanted the damn ride to start going faster and higher as I rode it. Spike rules!

-Dragon Ball & Dragon Ball Z
Yes, story depth in anime is good, but c'mon, we need at least one anime thats straight up. Good vs. bad. Baddies getting pounded, period. Its the most straight-up good vs. evil story ever. Simplicity is sometimes a good thing. Dragon Ball GT was ok. Don't let people force their opinions onto you. I decided that GT was ok by watching it, before I ever read the masses of reviews bashing it for its poor quality. Decide for yourself, please.

Watch the stuff on Cartoon Network. Granted its cencored so badly you can hardly tell it's the same anime as the original, but it still gives you an idea of what anime (artwork) is like... Just watch stuff dude, but keep Evangelion for the last, or much later. Much much later.

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Pyrate

I'm like you Stiltzkin. This is why I am so picky with my Anime. Ok, so I've only seen a handful, but I watch Anime deeply.

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twister002

So I'll lay in with some more mainstream "crap" hehe

I enjoyed 3x3 Eyes, maybe because it's the first Anime I ever watched. Nostalgia and what not.

Bastard - If you find the one with the 80's Heavy Metal band names dubbed in, it's worth it hehehe

Tenchi Muyo - light hearted, entertaining Animae. Has all the usual comidic anime elements. Weird looking guy, hot babes all fall for him, giant sci-fi space ships and magic, oh and a small furry animal that's not what it seems to be.

Serial Experiment Lain - this is on my "want to see" list, I've never gotten to see the whole series, or even a complete episode. just snatches here and there.

kod

Ebichu is a must see if you have any sense of humor. There's no way this could have been done in the u.s., and no way it will ever be licensed. Gainax's best work alongside FLCL, way better than that overrated Evangelion crap.

boink

if you can find it, rent:
"Fist of the North Star" (the first movie)
"Violence Jack"
"Lili Cat"
I liked some of the "Patlabor" series too.

rent first to see if you like it, but the Fist of the North Star is my fave anime !
have fun !

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rodimus

DB, DBZ, DBGT, Gundam, Ruroni Kenshin, Yu Yu Hakisho, and Guyver

0001

Bubblegum crisis is fun. Evangelion is THE series.

giblfiz

What you should watch when your new to anime is really a question of how your tastes run. Heres the lowdown of my favorites and what there about:

Movies:
My neighbor Totoro ... cute, uplifting, and not stomach turning at all. I normally hate cute but this is good stuff. (kids in rural japan)
Princess Monnonoke ... Man vs Nature vs Balance. Good action, Great animation ( heroes in mythical ancient japan)
Akira ... Creepy metaphysics, cool lasers, great psychic powers and good animation. (punk kids in urban japan)
Ninja Scroll ... Kick-ass over the top combat. ok plot great action. (heroes/ninjas in mythical ancient japan)
Ghost in the Shell ... Good action, great animation, cool world (Gov agents in near future cyberpunk japan)
Spirited away ... a modern western fairy tale, executed flawlessly in Japanese culture. good stuff. (little girl from modern japan in fairy land)

As for animated series:

Neon Genisis Evongelion ... Great, Incredible story, great giant "robots" (normally I hate giant robots but these are cool) and some nifty religion and philosophy. Also very depressing. (kids, near future)
Visions of the Escaflown ... great steam-punk Mechas , a cool fantasy flavor, all quite well done. I'm surprised no one else mentioned it. (young adults in a high fantasy steam-punk world)
Cowboy Bebop ... far future space cowboy action. Great music, great animation style and really cool characters. Probably my personal favorite (poor bounty hunters in space)
Trigun ... future cowboys trapped on a hostel desert world (sort of like Texas) Good morality, fun characters. fun action. (wanted criminal dedicated to love and peace running around in a future like the old west)

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Stiltzkin

Ignorance always deeply saddens me *removes hat and places it over chest to observe moment of silence*

Gainax doesn't produce crap-- you must be confusing them with some other American company. You simply have a strong inclination to go with the "underdog". I bet you also think "underground" music is the best thing in the world, right? Well it isn't. I have a whole slew of friends who think "underground" music rocks, and I've listened for many hours, and I agree a lot of it is ok, some of it good, but the majority of it sucks major ass. Being open-minded is a good thing. Just because Evangelion is Gainax's most "mainstream" anime doesn't mean it is crap-- they actually put a lot of thought into the creation of that anime, like all their animes, so back off. If you fail to like Neon Genesis, it is only your fault for not wanting to understand the plot simply because it isn't "underground". Oh, and please read some Heinlein; it'll do you good

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fugue_life

So why does everyone dislike DBZ so much? Come on, its got like 500 episodes if you include DB and DBGT 20-something movies, dozens of video games and a fan base that rivals that of trekkies.
How can you not like Goku, Vegeta and Trunks(american spelling)? They represent the three most common forms of the "hero-istic" idealism in literature. Plus just about everyone in the show could kick the SH#T out of other characters like superman or the Gundam-ers. Sure its got bad points, probably more then most actually but what it does right, it does better then anyone else out there, period. O and I can't forget to mention the DBZ reference in the southpark movie. All im saying is give it a chance. Almost everyone is a closet DBZ fan. Everyone is just to ashamed to talk about it publicly

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Eiresol

Ghost In The Shell - Stand Alone Complex is looking like quite a nice series.
Well I've only seen two episodes, but they were good.

As for DBZ, from the little bits I've seen it just hasnt held my attention at all.

Kadath

Do not watch "Crying Freeman." It is old school and goes from good to terrible in the space of three episodes. Sitting on our table to watch are the movies "Spriggan" and the Cowboy Bebop movie, when we get time. Stupid responsibilities...
And fugue_life, I resent being called a closet DBZ fan. DBZ is not for everyone. It is a mindless "action" cartoon with little story or character development, and I feel as though people watch it as more of a rite of passage (regarding there being 500 episodes) than out of any love for the show. There's plenty of good anime out there, and I have precious little time as it is.

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Ganguro

i disagree.. Dragonball, DBZ, heck even GT all in all are good series. The story is loosly based on Journey to the East, and it's a pivotal anime. Just as important as watching Akira, Ghost in the Shell, or Evangaleon. Also.. just because crying Freeman is old school doesnt mean it should be discarded.

Kadath

Let us agree to disagree on the merits of DBZ. As for "Crying Freeman," if you read carefully, by which I mean in entirety, you will see that I discarded not due to the fact that it was old school, but that the series tanks harder than a drunken sumo wrestler. The first two episodes (all these "episodes" seem to be double original eps) are strong. The third episode is painfully bad. The fourth is nothing more than laughable, and we watched it on fast forward. The animation and, more importantly, the entire ethos or ænima of the show changes in that short a span. It goes from mildly clever and tragic to mindless and sex-driven. Watch it yourself. See if it's discardable. It's only three hours you'll never get back.

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striderkevin

Some good ones are Cowboy Bebop, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and Ninja Scroll. Hiyao Miyazaki movies are good, and I thought Escaflowne had a good story.

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Ganguro

Kadath.. i've watched the series before. I see what you are talking about regarding the series getting progressivly worse as time goes on. I was referring to the first two eps that were released in the late 80's because that's when i saw them. I'll agree with you that it gets worse as it goes along, but notice that there are almost 10 years time difference between eps 1/2 and 3/4. I think someone was just trying to cash in on the popularity of the manga (which incidently is much better than the anime anyway).

agentsmith

try Escaflowne