Anime Recommendations

[JediSoth]

I'm looking to expand my anime horizons, and was looking for some recommendations. I recall watching things like Voltron and Robotech as a kid, as well as Battle Beyond the Planets (or whatever that was), and I realize they were total hackjobs for American audiences compared to the Japanese versions.

I've watched a lot of Miyazaki's stuff and really enjoyed it: Mononoke Hime, Spirited Away, Laputa: Castle in the Sky, Kiki's Delivery Service, and Howl's Moving Castle.

I've also seen Ninja Scroll, Vampire Hunter D, something of Cowboy Bebop (not sure if it was an episode or the movie or what), and Legend of Crystania.

Is there anything else you'd recommend? Something my wife my enjoy would be good, too (she liked the Miyazaki stuff, but I think Ninja Scroll and Vampire Hunter D would be too much for her). I'm currently reading the Ghost in the Shell manga, so that's already on my list of DVDs to look for.

JediSoth

edit: Added another to the list of things I've seen.

 

[Sir Brennen]

Akira is a classic. I also picked up the recent Appleseed movie, which has a very interesting visual style - computer generated, but done to look like traditional cell animation.

 

[D.Shaffer]

There is wide variety in anime, so it helps to get an idea of the stuff you'd like to watch.

Modern day? Fantasy? Sci Fi? Space Opera?
Comedy? Drama? Slice of life?
Licensed only? Fansubs?
Harem? Mecha? School Life? Sentai? Moe?

 

[horacethegrey]

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is one of the best new anime series that I can recommend. I also heartily recommend Azumanga Daioh, best anime comedy ever made.

If comedy isn't to your liking and are looking for something more action packed, then you can't go wrong with Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and it's sequel series 2nd Gig. But if you prefer something a bit more fantasy, Berserk is right up your alley (though I recommend you check out the manga as well).

 

[Mallus]

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is one of the best new anime series that I can recommend.

Seconded. Haruhi is fantastic.

If you like Ghost in the Shell, you should give Ergo Proxy a try. And if you like high school comedy-drama, Gundam, Ender's Game, and V for Vendetta, all at the same time, try Code: Geass.

 

[Masquerade]

Neon Genesis Evangelion and Revolutionary Girl Utena are must-sees, IMHO, and I've heard both considered the best and most influential modern series. If you enjoyed what you saw, I'd recommend seeking out the rest of Cowboy Bebop, as it's often considered among the best as well.

For some personal recommendations, Kino's Journey is an amazing series consisting of philosophical tales with a shared pair of protagonists. Madlax is a unique series that tells of the contrasting lives of two seemingly unrelated people which later converge. Outlaw Star is good for action-heavy space opera. Noein is a quantum theory-inspired series about a group of kids who meet their post-apocalyptic future counterparts. For comedy, I recommend Karin as well as Ouran High School Host Club, and, if you haven't seen it, don't pass up the ridiculous series of parodies that is Excel Saga. If you're open to magical girl series, Pretear and Nanoha are quite good. Also, although it's not widely liked, I have a fondness for Final Fantasy Unlimited, but it's definitely not for everyone, and bares only passing resemblance to the games.

Lastly, I can't finish the post without mentioning Death Note, a series which offers a modern, supernatural twist to the classic criminal vs. detective rivalry.

 

[JediSoth]

There is wide variety in anime, so it helps to get an idea of the stuff you'd like to watch.

That's the problem, I'm not sure what I want to watch. Genre doesn't matter much, as long as it's a quality production. Perhaps saying "something my wife would enjoy" wasn't explicit enough, so I'll rephrase: I'd prefer something family-friendly without being overly cutsey and juvenile. Language, some nudity, and violence is OK, but I don't think she'd go for graphic sex, tentacle-rape, and over-the-top gore (though she did like Saw and Saw II); Mononoke Hime would probably be about as violent as she'd enjoy.

I know Japan puts out as many different types of anime as Americans put out live-action motion pictures, so I'm just looking for a guide, of sorts, because there's so much out there, it's difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff. The last time I looked at Robotech DVDs, there were so many I gave up trying to figure out which one was first.

JediSoth

 

[Villano]

Is there anything else you'd recommend? Something my wife my enjoy would be good, too (she liked the Miyazaki stuff, but I think Ninja Scroll and Vampire Hunter D would be too much for her).

Lupin the 3rd: Castle Of Cagliostro, directed by Miyazaki. Supposedly, it's one of Spielberg's favorite movies. It's sweet and harmless, so your wife should enjoy it, but still has a great deal of action and adventure.

If you liked Castle, there are two boxsets of Lupin films. However, as much as I love the Lupin character and his various series and films, the movies can be pretty hit or miss. If you get the sets, don't even bother watching Secret Of The Twilight Gemini, it's terrible.

And if you happen upon Return of the Magician (aka, Return of Pycal) in a store, avoid it at all cost! It's horrible, doesn't make any sense, and is full of really bad computer graphics.

 

[Rackhir]

You might want to avoid Berzerk, while it is a good series. The Manga at least has some explicit rape scenes (not sure if they made it into the anime, which I've not seen).

Ghost in the Shell : Stand Alone Complex and the sequel get hearty recomendations as well. Excellent production values, intelligent plots, great theme music, very cool characters. The original movie by Mamoru Oshi is kind of slow moving and ponderous though.

There's the Dirty Pair Movie : Project Eden. Very funny, terrific villain, top notch soundtrack.

Project A-ko is hysterically funny. It's even funnier if you can get all the references, but it's not necessary to know them. The sequels suck horribly though.

Evangellion is somewhat overrated IMHO. It's not as good as it seems while you're watching it once you get to the end and realize how much it got by on implying things, but never explaining them. The last two episodes are a major WTF? There are two movies (one basically a clip show summary. The second an alternative "ending" of sorts. Though it's still a WTF?) that attempt to "Fix" this.

Gundam is a bit iffy as a first series. You might want to sample some of the OVA series first. Gundam 0080 : War in the Pocket is a heartbreaker of a series, but the animation is pretty old and it isn't a very mecha oriented series (which might actually be a plus to some people). Gundam 0083 : Stardust Memory is probably the most accessible series. Good animation, some interesting characters and doesn't require much series knowlege to enjoy. Gundam Wing has a lot of pretty boy characters that seem to be popular with the ladies. It's plotline basically retreads that of the main Gundam timeline though. Char's Counter Attack is the movie that wraps up the main Gundam Timeline story, but it's meaningless without having watched the original series (or at least the three movies that were made to summarize the original series).

As far as Macross/Robotech goes. I think the best rendition of Macross (the first series in Robotech) was the AnimEigo release, but that's now a collector's item. ADV's release is probably the second choice.

However Macross Plus, is excellent and readily available. It comes in either a movie or a collection of 4 episodes. Both are largely the same. Mostly differing in some events towards the end (especially how one character dies). I have a slight preference for the Movie version, but they're both good.

Super Dimension Century Orgus is a series you might like. It's another Tatsunoko production.

I couldn't get past the wrestling starships in Outlaw Star. If your camp appreciation is higher you might enjoy it though.

Full Metal Alchemist is a very good series (one of my favorites of recent years) and is still showing on the Cartoon Network, though late at night (so you'll probably need a DVR of some sort). But it is available on DVD as well. Don't watch the movie before finishing the series, since it will spoil a number of important plot developments. Great characters and world, an interesting "magic" system, some really shocking plot twists and turns.

Bleach is a pretty decent series and again it is currently running on CN. Inuyasha is fairly entertaining CN fare as well.

 

[Uzumaki]

MUSHISHI. One series I can't pimp highly enough. Sitting in my Top 5 anime ever seen with Revolutionary Girl Utena (okay, so it's just a top 2 right now, but I've seen so many anime, these 2 are really the only ones that I don't think I'd ever get tired of watching). Mushi are supernatural creatures that are somewhat like bugs (mushi is the Japanese word for insect), but are really creatures so primitive and close to the source of all life, most people can't even see them. However, there are some who can, and they are mushishi, who often dedicate their lives to searching for mushi and helping people who may have inadvertantly crossed paths with them. Ginko is one such mushishi, and these are tales of some of his journeys. Very little of anything objectionable. If anything, some of the stories are a little sad, but they're all beautiful and brilliantly executed. If someone you know says they hate anime (which is just baffling to me, because that's just like saying your hate books, because the two are merely media), sit them down and show them this. Excellent anime for quiet fall and winter evenings.

I would third The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi. You might get more enjoyment out of it if you've been an anime fan for awhile (injokes abound), but it is deservedly incredibly popular. Sorta racy, but nothing hardcore and it's all just played for laughs. A second series is in the works.

Last Exile is also one I'd recommend. Miyazaki-esque steam fantasy with a focus on flying machines. Claus Valca and Lavie Head are two orphans whose only possession is the airship their fathers lost their lives piloting. They stumble into a man who is trying to transfer secret cargo, and take up his mission for him. The cargo? A little girl named Alvis, who is the key to something called Exile. Some violence in this one, as there's a 2-3 way war going on, but it's mostly just a little blood.

Honey and Clover. Often overlooked by more exciting anime, H&C is a sweet little slice-of-life anime about some kids going to an art college in Tokyo. Follow them through their trials in life, love, and semester projects.

These are all licensed, though not all of them have been completely translated and released. You should be able to find them at Suncoast, Blockbuster if you're lucky, and Netflix, because Netflix has everything.