Manga or Anime Recommendations

[Arnwyn]

Elfen LiedCompany blurb...

much has been made of the casual nudity and limb-popping violence that are its hallmarks. But discerning otaku appreciate Elfen Lied’s playful inversion of genre conventions, in which a happy “harem” setup is turned on its head and forced to play by ultra-violence rules. Or is it an ultra-violent sci-fi thriller subverted by its harem trappings?

I am in no way a "discerning otaku".

I watched the first 3 or 4 episodes of Elfen Lied and found it among the most offensive garbage I've ever had the misfortune to lay eyes on. (And it's very difficult to offend me...)


Lots of great (if old) suggestions in this thread. Rackhir seems to have the same taste in anime/manga that I do (anyone who still mentions Dirty Pair - especially Adam Warren's manga - gets a huge thumbs up from me).

 

[Mallus]

I can respect it if you prefer NGE's somewhat edgier and violent nature over RahXephon's more serene and relaxed style...

I liked the way RahXephon took what was uncomfortable, paranoid, and neurotic in NGE and made it almost... lyrical. That was a neat trick. I just prefer NGE for what I take to be it's premise and central motif: a) a bunch of dysfunctional people, including kid robot pilots save a self-loathing humanity from a fate that probably would have made them all better and b) bulls*t science is really bullsh*t mysticism at its core. The show seems to poke deliberate fun at act of explaining the fantastic (instead of the common 'magic is really science', we get 'science is really convoluted mysticism... no wait, maybe I'm just really sad').

NGE's last two episodes are terrible beyond redemption, and RahXephon doesn't really suffer from that.

No argument here. Though I did like End of Evangelion...

Also, some recommendations:

Last Exile is wonderful, Miyazaki-esque war story about young airship pilots, with great English dubbing.

Tengan Toppa Guren Laggan is a giant robot show that will have you shouting expletives at the screen, in a good way.

The Melacholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is pure genius.

Macross Frontier is almost finished, and it's a terrifically animated distillation of all things essentially Macross; transforming space fighters, pop idols, and love triangles. Oh, and saving the world -- so to speak -- from aliens.

Code Geass (series 1 & 2) is an unholy amalgam of heavily political giant robot anime (a la Gundamn), V for Vendetta, and Gossip Girl (despite the fact it's a war story starring a masked revolutionary, it's also partly set in a boarding school full of beautiful rich kids). There's also some Evangelion-esque metaphysical hoo-ha thrown in for good measure. I love it.

 

[Oni]

Tengan Toppa Guren Laggan is a giant robot show that will have you shouting expletives at the screen, in a good way.

I normally despise anything with giant robots, but I've really enjoyed this series.

 

[Hopping Vampire]

Basilisk is quite good, as is Code Geass and Mobile Suit Gundam 00

 

[Rackhir]

"Kimagure Orange Road" - Kind of old (mid eighties) and won't be readily available (netflicks might have it). Very funny, classic love triangle, great soundtrack. The movie which concludes the series will rip your heart out.

Urusei Yatsura is a great series, there's a couple dozen OVAs and movies as well as about 250 episodes. Of the movies, I'd stick to the first three of the movies though, the later ones start being kind repetitive. Movie #2 - Beautiful Dreamer will make you go "Huh?", but in a good way. Best Opening sequence/Song is definitely Season 5's "Rock the Planet"

Gundam 0083 - Stardust Memory : My personal favorite of the Gundam series (excluding perhaps Char's Counter Attack - which has my personal favorite [Crowning]Home Page - Television Tropes & Idioms Moment Of Awesome[/url]). Great Mecha, some cool characters, terrific mecha battles.

Gundam 0080 - Despite the name it really isn't very mech oriented. The story is the very definition of a tragedy.

Macross Plus - Is probably the best of the Macross Series. There are two versions a 4 vol OVA series and a movie version. It is actually worth watching both versions since they change some subtle details, between the two.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

For Gundam, I would recommend Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team. It is basically a more realistic depiction of what the Gundam universe be like.

 

[ThirdWizard]

I'm always careful recommending anime. People tend to recommend what they love instead of asking what kind of thing the recomendee enjoys, as if a good show is objective. I've been working on a list for someone to watch, and a lot of this is indeed based on what I like (it would be odd picking things I don't like), but its tailored to her. They're all worth reading a short blurb on Anime News Network, though, to see if you like them.

Akira
Azumanga Daioh
Castle in the Sky
Cowboy Bebop
Elfen Lied
Emma: A Victorian Romance
Excel Saga
FLCL
Golden Boy
Last Exile
Monster
Mushi-Shi
My-HiME
NANA
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
Oh My Goddess!
Ouran High School Host Club
Slayers (et al.)
Spirited Away
The Manancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Samurai X: Trust & Betrayal
Trigun
Vision of Escaflowne
Whisper of the Heart

 

[Arnwyn]

People tend to recommend what they love instead of asking what kind of thing the recomendee enjoys

Well... yeah. That's how it kinda has to work, this being the internet and all with nobody knowing each other.

 

[ThirdWizard]

Well... yeah. That's how it kinda has to work, this being the internet and all with nobody knowing each other.

No, even in person. With most fandoms, people attempt to bring other people into their own, without taking the other person's tastes into consideration. Usually when someone asks "What anime should I watch" I ask "What movies/TV shows/books do you like?" in response. I've found that the typical reaction from fans is not this but "I love this, so you have to watch it!" or "This is really popular, so watch this!" with much furor.

I've just seen people too many times get waaay too excited about what they love and end up turning people away, so I usually give a disclaimer with any advice I give.

 

[Arnwyn]

No, even in person.

Oh. Then yeah, that's definitely not so good.