Anime Recommendation Thread

The Core The Anime Forum
21

Monster:

While I haven’t seen it, other people HAVE recommended it and from what I’ve heard, it definetly sounds interesting so people should probably consider watching it.

Cowboy Bebop: one of my favorite anime.

Cowboy bebop isn’t linear, but some episodes are linked and they form a pretty good story, albeit a short one. The people that don’t like the show dislike it because of the non-linearity of the story, as they feel the show doesn’t have point.

The setting is post-apocalyptic Earth, with humans living mostly in space. The show revolves around a ship with 2 bounty hunters and you get a few additions as the series progresses. The individual shows elaborate on their character’s past lives, personality or a given theme. The characters are interesting, endearing and well developed. If there’s one thing to say about CB, its that it has style. The setting and music are a bit strange, but they add to CB’s unique flaire.

22

Yeah, CB is good. And anything by Miyazaki.

Princess Mononoke
Spirited Away
Naussicaa

23

Good job following directions, Hades.

[quote=“Pierson”]
[li]No lists. Tell us what the series is about at the minimum. If I see you making a list of names I will edit your post into amusing insults directed at your matriarchial figure. Hell, copy a synopsis from another website if you’re so desperate to not have to type it out yourself, but no lists.[/li][/quote]

Maybe you could do a little more than say “plug ‘Miyazaki’ into a search engine for good anime”.

Spirited Away
A young girl is reluctlently moving. When her dad takes a shortcut on the way to their new home, the family finds an unusual village empty of people. As night falls, spirits begin to arrive, and when the girl tries to find her parents to leave, she discovers they’ve been turned into pigs. In order to turn them back, she must sneak into a bathhouse for the spirits run by a witch and get a job there. In her adventure, she encounters many bizarre creatures and events, as well as discovering inner-strength, friendship, and love.

See, not that hard.

24

I also recommend Love Hina.

25

Stop that or I’ll have you shot. >:( — Added comment by Sin: follow the rule of the thread, Hades.-----

Fate/Stay Night (supernatural drama, ongoing)

Fate/stay night is about events in the life of a high-school boy, Emiya Shirō, who lives in Fuyuki City. At a young age his parents died in a fire and he was adopted by Emiya Kiritsugu, an enigmatic man who called himself a sorcerer. Eventually, Kiritsugu passed away as well.

Unknown to him and the rest of Fuyuki City, their city is the battleground for a secret war. When the time is right, sorcerers from near and far gather with their Servants - the summoned spirits of heroes so mighty they exist outside of time - and fight a war for possession of the Holy Grail, a relic said to grant its owner a wish. The true names of the Servants reveal their weaknesses, and so they are usually referred to by a classification of type instead; Saber, Archer, Rider, Berserker, Lancer, Caster, and Assassin.

It’s a pretty fun series based on an old H-game, so it’s extremely wordy, but fun if you like that kind of thing. It’s by the guys who made Tsukihime so they have a good pedigree. Check it out.

26

Eat-Man (Sci-Fi/Adventure. Complete)

Set in a futuristic but decadent wasteland of a land, Eat-Man revolves around the life of the world’s greatest mercenary, a man named Bolt Crank. Calm, unambitious, at times slightly goofy, always wiser than one would think and ever expressionless, Bolt stands out because of one peculiar characteristic: He eats metal, and is able to make reappear whatever he ingests in his hand. Not to mention his right hand is always ready to transform into some manner of gigantic cannon-like weapon.

The story is shown in a series of auto-conclusive chapters that usually revolve around the jobs Bolt is hired to do, or other situations in which he gets involved, either intentionally or not. Every “mission” is set in a different location narrating events that range from a haunted mansion, demolishing a stray airship, taking out a mafia chief, investigating a ruined military base and so on, but the chapters develop in such ways that it’s neither the action nor the plot that take the spotlight, but the characters’ own stories, often dramatic but always completely different from each other. In a way, it’s like watching a new show each time. As the chapters progress one begins to see a minuscule phantom of continuity relating to Bolt’s identity, but even by the end of the show nothing becomes clearer than mere guesses. The general pace of the anime is slow, but in a way that it becomes almost hypnotic.

If you are expecting some action-packed series, you’ll be disappointed. There’s action, and good one at that (Bolt knows how to kick ass when needed), but it’s short and far in between. If you are expecting a plot-heavy series, you’ll also be disappointed, as there is nearly no continuity. Even then, it’s a very interesting show with a bizarre but not insane narrative. It’s not for everyone, but definitely worth a watch.

Eat-Man 98 (Ditto)

The sequel, released to put a cork in the mouths of the enraged fans who complained about the anime being too different from the manga. In reality, this is the same as before only with better animation. Same format, same main character, new stories.

27

I second Fate/Stay Night. I also finished watching Full Moon wo Sagashite and near the end there was an awesome plot twist and last arc was really good.

Rozen Maiden and Rozen Maiden Traumend (second season) - 12 episodes each

This is quite an interesting and original story, there are seven dolls who need to fight each other in order to become Alice, the perfect maiden whoss birth is their creator’s dream. The anime has some really nice comedy, loveble characters and amazingly done strong dramatic moments made even better by the fantastic OST.

28

Trigun
The story of Vash the Stampede, the clown, the demon, and the saint, or something like that. A nice anime with a good blend of comedy, action and drama in a bit of a western yet also futuristic setting. Great fun.

Yeah, I suck at this description bit.

29

R.O.D. the T.V.

This is my favorite anime and will probably always be. Funny, great action, and an interesting storyline.

Avatar the Last Airbender
I stopped watching this for some reason and have started watching it again. It managed to stay as awesome as it was when I stopped watching it.

Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi
Strange anime series that is very funny and has great parodies.

30

then why did you post

RahXephon (sci-fi robot anime, complete)

On the surface it looks like another carbon-copy of Eva, i.e. teen finds robot, gets in robot, mysterious things happen and religious imagery pops up everywhere. This time however the gimmick is music, and it’s pretty damn cool. The mech designs are good and the characters while not exactly the most original thing you’ll ever see are interesting. It’s definately not a straight ‘good vs evil grrr’ series like GaoGaiGar or Mazinger Z, but if you like some actual plot with your robots, check it out.

31

<B> Macross Plus </B> (sci-fi mecha, complete)

This is an OVA set after Macross, the original series, but it’s not necessary to have watched it.

Isamu Dyson, a hot-shot Valkyrie (planes that transform into mechs) pilot, finally got the job of his dreams – being the test pilot for a highly experimental aircraft to compete against another company’s design. The first day of his job on planet Eden, though, he finds out that the test pilot working for the opposition is none other than cool-as-ice Guld Bowman, Isamu’s once-friend-now-bitter-rival. Isamu and Guld had always tried to one-up each other in everything, whether it be in flying skills, bravery … or for the heart of Myung Fan Lone, their old classmate. Coincidentally enough, Myung is also on Eden as the manager for Sharon Apple – the galaxy’s most popular virtual pop-singer.

The best part about this 4 episode OVA is the plot. The plot centers on the relationship between the three characters and it is really well done. The characters are flawed and very realistic and each episode adds more to the tension that’s building up, and then it goes out on a bang at the end.

The action scenes are fantastic as well. It also has Yoko Kanno music…so how can you go wrong? I suggest watching the OVA version first, and then the movie. It’s short and sweet, so check it out.

32

Last Exile ( airships, war, drama)

Set in a world at war, Claus and Lavi live out their lives as Vanship pilots, couriering messages between battleships. Their dream is to fly the vanship they inherited from their fathers across the Grand Stream, a turbulent area of wind that divides the world - Anatore on one side and Deusis (Disith) on the other.

During a race they come across a vanship being attacked by a strange star-shaped ship. They come to the pilot’s assistance who asks them to take on his mission; deliver the message tube and the cargo, a girl named Alvis, to the legendary battleship Silvanna.

What starts out as another courier run leads them into battle with the mysterious Guild and a search for Exile.

What drew me to this series was the technology and the war tactics shown. Imagine what people in the 1900’s thought airships would look like based on their current state of technology and you’d get the battleships and vanships in Last Exile. The battleships are huge crafts made of metal; something akin to taking a modern seafaring battleship, placing strategic cannons al over it and making it fly.
Vanships, on the other hand look like a 1920’s roadster with no wheels flying at the same speed as a fighter jet.

War is fought like in the Civil War times. Battleships line up, face each other and shoot. The time, place and opposing forces in a battle must be registered with the Guild beforehand. The Guild is a faction who took it upon themselves to mediate the battles.

The series has some redeeming things about it. The animation is consistant and high quality. Some time is taken to develop some of the characters so not all are one-dimensional role-fillers. If you’re a fan of planes, aerial battles and battle tactics, this anime is for you.

Some things I didn’t like were the length of the series, and consequentially, the storyline. Last Exile seemed to have been cut of it’s funding midway through the intended plot so the writers were scrambling to tie up loose ends as best as possible. A major, major failing is that it doesn’t fully explain what Exile is. While I wholly enjoyed watching this series, it’s Final Fantasy-esque ending felt like a rip-off.

(Whew, that was long)

33

Because Trigun hadn’t been mentioned yet and a very vague description is better than none at all.

34

anything from Studio Ghibli

35

I finished watching Giant Robo a while ago, and I suggest everyone here watch it too. It’s awesome.

<B> Gungrave </B> (action - drama, complete, 26 eps)

Brandon Heat, a silent and passive man, is living a laid back life with his friends. Hes got his eyes on Maria, but her father forbids their relationship. After the brutal murder of his friends and Marias father, Brandon is on the run together with the only friend he has left; Harry McDowell. When he finds out custody over Maria has been taken by Millennion, the largest mafia syndicate in town, he and Harry decide to join the syndicate. He goes through many hardships after joining the syndicate but he is willing to risk everything as long as he can be close to Maria.

If you haven’t played the game, start watching at ep 2. Ep 1 is actually ep 16 or 17.

The show is amazing. The game was a mediocre action game, while the series is a compelling drama. The characters are really well developed. The plot is centered on the meaning of friendship and family. There are some action scenes, but they aren’t the high point of the series.

If you wanna see a good drama with a decent plot mixed in with some stylish action scenes, check this one out.

36

I just finished watching Monster.

Absolutely awesome show. Great plot and characters. Very suspensful and full of mystery. Anyone seeking a good mystery/thriller anime should check it out.

The plot:

Dr. Kenzo Tenma is a very talented Japanese doctor and hes praised by all doctors in Germany. But after he saw how a woman cried for her man who died because someone else got more priority, he changed. He decides he wouldnt let anyone pass; everyone is equal.

But one day, Tenma has to work on a little boy who was shot during the murder of his parents. He decides he will save the life of the boy, because he was first in line.

But then, the children disappear … and the murders begin. Tenma, feeling both guilt and worry, goes off to investigate the case since he feels that it somehow relates to him … and the horror begins, for both Tenma and everyone he meets in search for the children…

37

Can you not read? God.

Legend of Galactic Heroes (sci-fi/drama, complete but ongoing subs)

LoGH is basically WW2 taken into outer space. The galaxy is divided into two camps, the Planetary Alliance and the Galactic Empire. Where it comes into it’s own is the massive amount of characterisation given to all the leaders, and instead of using the typical good vs evil setup takes a much more pragmatic view of what real war is like, with the Alliance sometimes being as bad as the empire as both sides fight for what they think is right.

It’s an extremely old series and with the amount of words definately not for everyone, but if you liked Banner of the Stars you should check this out.

38

Berserk ( medieval, drama, fighting)

Berserk is about Guts, who was born from a corpse and has known only fighting his entire life. He meets a group of mercenaries called the Band of the Hawk. Led by the charismatic Griffin, this ragtag group of warriors live to fight for him.

I haven’t finished this series yet but I’m liking what I’ve seen so far. The anime revolves around three main characters - Griffin, Guts and Casca. Griffin is the leader of the mercenaries and dreams to rise above the caste system of the world and have his own kingdom. Casca is his right hand woman. She lives to fight by his side and would do anything for him. Guts is a man who fights for no reason other than the fight itself.

So far I can see two main story arcs. One involves Griffin’s dream and another that has yet to play out yet. It’s forshadowed early in the series and I expect both to involve one another somehow.

It’s an old series, and it shows through the old cell style of animation. Some scenes are even still pictures with voice over narration, but this still doesn’t diminish the intensity they invoke.

Despite being an anime about war and fighting, there aren’t any filler episodes. Every one works to move the story and character development forward. Speaking of which, the characters are specific to their role. Each of them has a niche and they fill it perfectly. Their stock characteristics actually enhance each other rather than beat the audience over the head with “I am big strong silent warrior guy, hear me roar!” The only exception is the comedy relief guy. But even his antics are woven into the story so well that it works.

There is plenty of bloody violence and some nudity but it’s not gratuitous.

Edit: Scartch that. There’s plenty of it at the end.

Edit Addendum: The story flows well until the end, where it’s all WTF? The end is really open ended. I don’t want to give anything away, but I will say if you have all the episodes it will make it easier to go back and review to get the full storyline. I myself hope there will be a continuation to this series.

39

By the way, to comment on whoever recommended “This Beautiful and Ugly World”… GAK. I’m embarrassed I even watched it. It’s little more than a twelve-episode excuse to see unrealistically-proportioned cartoon women in various stages of nudity. I found it to be cliched, unoriginal, inauthentic, and quite boring.

On the plus side, I just started watching Noir, and so far I’m being blown away. :sunglasses:

40

I know whatyou mean, Cid. My friend introduced it to me years ago. Unfortunately he only have a few sporadic episodes downloaded so I only got to watch the first one. Luckily, youtube has it.