Anime for Beginners

[Tanager]

Okay, I don't claim to know much about Anime. But judging by those you've already seen I have to recomend Jin-Rô, in my limited experienc of Anime this one ranks right up at the top with the classics such asAkira and Ghost in the Shell.

 

[DarkSoldier]

Macross Plus: the Motion Picture - Excellent character piece wrapped inside a mecha-action flick. Three friends have drifted apart, but a fighter project brings them together to confront their demons.

Mobile Suit Gundam (Universal Century series) - Political drama wrapped inside a mecha-action flick. You never know who the good guys are, because both the Earth Federation and Zeon commit terrible acts against each other.

Neon Genesis Evangelion - Extremely cerebral character-based drama wrapped inside a mecha-action flick.

Sensing a trend here?

Record of Lodoss War - Classic fantasy anime with one of the best bad guys of all time and one of the weeniest heroes of all time.

Slayers - Slapstick comedy in a fantasy world.

Project A-Ko - Even more slapstick comedy in a sci-fi world.

Prefectural Earth Defense Force - Rapid-fire barrage of humour. It does not let up. Some semblance of plot, but you'll miss it while trying to breathe.

Dragon Half - Fantasy equivalent of Prefectural EDF.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure - Based on Hirohiko Araki's manga of the same name; pretty good, but based entirely on Series 3 Volume 20 until the end of Series 3, skipping a few parts on the way.

 

[Nuclear Platypus]

Lessee. I'll have to add another for Cowboy Bebop (love the music especially), Record of Lodoss Wars and Ghost in the Shell. Tenchi Muyo is another fave especially little Washuuuuuuu! *ahem*

Got in late on Wolf's Rain but still liked it, especially since its by the same guy(s) that did Bebop.

Another on Adult Swim for some reason is Case Closed for those who like to solve mysteries. Not quite as cheesy as a Scooby Doo mystery. If the Mystery Machine breaks down that often, get a new one! Basically a teenager gets 'youthenized' to a 6 yr kid (side effect of an assassination attempt) who still solves mysteries while trying to figure out who his assassins were.

Wish Cartoon Network would bring back their 'Saturday Samurai Hour' with Samurai Jack (play those last 4 episodes!) and Ruroni Kenshin. Sure Jack isn't anime but Kenshin was.

Too bad its only like 6 episodes because I was especially fond of Ushio and Tora tho the original voices, especially Tora's, sound better than the dubbed.

Bubblegum Crisis was pretty good tho haven't seen the 'sequel'.

Miyazaki is a must! My Neighbor Totoro reminded me of Allice in Wonderland while the Castle of Cagliostro could probably beat the stuffings out of most of Hollywood's attempts and it was made back in the late 70's.

 

[Stormfalcon]

What channel is it on or is it DVD? I think I saw something in the DVD section of Best Buy about it but I may be confused.

Sorry for not getting back to this sooner. The first volume is out on DVD, and it is slated to be shown on Cartoon Network in the near future. If you are planning on getting it on DVD, I'd think twice (if not thrice) if you ever consider getting the LE version (2nd disc with DTS soundtracks, plus a Soundtrack CD), since there are reports of the bonus items being defective. The regular edition is just fine, however.

 

[JediSoth]

Castle in the Sky is another good one by Miyazaki. It has kind of a pulp, sky-pirates feel about it, plus the bad guy in the English dub is done by Mark Hamill! I also enjoyed Kiki's Delivery Service, though it tends to be a little more kid-oriented than the rest. But it was good enough to get a reference in Fiery Dragon's AU adventure Plague of Dreams.

JediSoth

 

[Arnwyn]

If you are planning on getting it on DVD, I'd think twice (if not thrice) if you ever consider getting the LE version (2nd disc with DTS soundtracks, plus a Soundtrack CD), since there are reports of the bonus items being defective.

Well, there's only a minor problem with the soundtrack, actually. It combines two tracks into one, and splits one track into two. Not much of a big deal.

If you like GITS, I'd recommend the LE, by far. The DTS disc is fantastic.

 

[Stormfalcon]

If you like GITS, I'd recommend the LE, by far. The DTS disc is fantastic.

If you prefer dubs, the DTS disc would be servicable, yes. If you prefer the original Japanese track, then the DTS is defective and not worth the extra money. Essentially, the left-rear channel is hosed on the Japanese track, barely outputing at all. If I'm buying a DTS disc, I want all 5.1 (or more if spec'ed) channels. This thread at www.animeondvd.com details the problems involved. No replacements have been announced as of yet, though Bandai is saying that one is forthcoming once they nail down the problem with the Japanese track. How much longer that'll be is anyone's guess.

 

[Derren]

No vote for .hack//sign yet? Awwwww.

 

[Brandigan]

Last Exile is one of my personal favorites, I think it was only mentioned once so far.

 

[Nightfall]

Alright well I'm going to be different here and suggest something a tad more recent. Two new animes that have become my favorites:

Elfen Lied (it's actually German folks in terms of the title and the opening uses Latin. Which is always cool for me). If you like to see a soft hearted girl with horns cut loose with psionic abilities that would make the STNJ of WHR fame piss in their boots. Yeah it's got some nudity but it's got a god for real plot, some interesting characters AND the backgrounds/sounds are sweet.

Samurai Champloo. If you love Cowboy Bebop, this is SO for you. Sure it's in Edo Era Japan but it's got some funny stuff, some great lines, great characters, etc. Oh yeah and the rapping is nice too. Trust me, watch the first ep. If you're not hooked by then, then you have no taste.

I do know that both are licensed but not sure when they are to be released here in the US. Elfen Lied is based of the manga (comic) by the same name. However no idea which is better as I've only see fan subs of anime.

But these are for me great anime. (Not that Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away or Princess Mononoke aren't either but just saying.)