non-cutsy anime

[JEL]

I actually have to differ with you there. I prefer the Escaflowne movie to the series. The series had some of the most painfully stilted dialog and descended into the worst of anime "fated romance" cliches in nearly every episode. That's too many hours for me. Some are okay with that, but it felt beaten down with it after too long. Plus the cat girl in the Escaflowne series brings a bit of anime cutsiness that, IMO, the OP wished to avoid.

But Escaflowne's qualities are probably a matter of different tastes. Likewise, I admit Royal Space Force: Wings of Honneamise is slow through a significant portion of it. I'm okay with slow building anime dramas.

Which version did you watch? I've heard bad things about the Escaflowne dub. I've never had problems with the Japanese dialog. Also, I think you may have missed the point of the story, as "fated romance" is exactly the opposite of what happens. As to Merle (the cat girl), she's a minor character that shouldn't be a deal breaker, but people's tastes vary. I like the movie a lot myself, but you're the first person I've met who liked it better than the TV series (I've met plenty who are just the opposite).

 

[sniffles]

I recommend www.animeondvd.com for reviews.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Berserk: One of the most intense endings I've seen in an anime that made me immediately go get the manga it's based on.

Record of the Lodoss War: It's D&D but anime.

Outlaw Star: The wrestling starships are an interesting design I thought. Little bit of humor in there but not too much so.

Cowboy Bebop: One of my favorite series. Wish the sound track wasn't so expensive. Crazy bastiches.

Spriggan: Pretty good and a done in one so it's got that going for it.

Jin-Roh the Wolf Brigade is a slow moving but well written military piece. More interesting to me know with all the stuff going on overseas than before.

Samurai 7: It has the bones of a great series but the muslces are weak. Way too much time 'wasted' in the fluffing of this series. Some like the visual elements, some like the expanded storyline but I thought that more focus would've make it shorter and more enjoyable.

Princess Monokia is another pretty solid one. Demonic possessed giant animal spirit-gods walking around and killing people is always entertaining.

Howl's Moving Castle and Castle in the Sky were both pretty entertaining.

 

[Kesh]

X (the series, not the movie), aka X/1999 - Very good series about a young boy in the middle of a fight between superpowered humans trying to save and/or destroy the world. Very moody, bloody at times, with lots of characterization. In fact, I'd say the first half of the series is mostly building back-story & motivation for the characters, with fights sprinkled in to give you a sense of how bad things are getting.

Bleach - A blend of comedy, spiritualism and "save the world from evil." The series centers around a young man given the powers of a Death god. It's now his responsibility to usher souls to the afterlife, and combat those spirits who try to force their way back. Kinda like Trigun in style, only modern-day Japan with the spirits of the dead.

 

[Chaldfont]

I am not an anime freak, but there are a couple that I really enjoyed. Mostly because I think they are probably the most Westernized (i.e. they have a plot, heads don't get huge with red pluses when people get mad, there are no unspeakable acts with tentacled horrors or sailor suits, and they hold the giant robots down to a minimum).

I can whole-heartedly recommend, even to those who do not generally like animation:

Cowboy Bebop
Any Miyazake movie (especially Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke)
Ghost in the Shell
Avatar: The Last Airbender

Ok the last one's not strictly anime, but its heavily inspired by it. I love that show because it's got great visuals and plots AND I can watch it with my 3-year-old.

 

[noretoc]

wow. Thanks guys, this is awesome. I had the chance to watch some coyboy beebop it was much better than I was told. Very cool. I was looking for more serious, but it fits perfectly. Not dissapointed at all. It was the easiest to find also (it was already in my queue. I am putting this thread in my favorites, that way I can get to all of them eventually.

 

[Elemental]

Can anyone recommend some good non cutsey anime for my netflix list. Somone told me trigun was good. I ordered if and it was way too over the top for me. To give you an example I loved Wicked City, ghost in the shell, ninja scroll (The popular ones), vampire hunter D. I am wanting to check out some of the others, but don't want to get put off by the too over the top comic relief. I don't mind a little jaw dropping and eye poping, as long as it is kept to the very minimum. Thanks for any suggestions.

Trigun is a strange fish. It starts off very goofy and comedic. Then roundabout episode 4 or 5 (the ones on the land train), there are some unexpectedly serious moments. It gets steadily darker from that point on, with some seriously warped villains, shocks and characters going through the emotional wringer. I really enjoyed the shift.

I'd also suggest Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (the original can be safely skipped--it's nowhere near as good).

I prefer the Escaflowne movie to the series. The series had some of the most painfully stilted dialog and descended into the worst of anime "fated romance" cliches in nearly every episode. That's too many hours for me. Some are okay with that, but it felt beaten down with it after too long. Plus the cat girl in the Escaflowne series brings a bit of anime cutsiness that, IMO, the OP wished to avoid.

I'd disagree with that. There are certainly several parts that appear to be going into a romance cliche and several characters who I immediately pegged as designated love interests when they appeared, but then something unexpected happened.

(spoiler)

Spoiler

I liked that it didn't end up with everyone pairing off just because it was the end of the series.

Also, the dubbed dialogue is awful--the original dialogue was much better in this case.

 

[RainOfSteel]

• Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: The animation is fantastic, the storylines (both the episodic and the arcs) gripping, and the designs stellar. I've been buying the DVDs the instant they come out. Quite simply a masterpiece of the craft.
• Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: 2nd Gig A continuation of the previous season. The production value is off a notch as it shifts to a slightly different style, producing different color tones and sharpness. However, one notch off for this series is still three notches ahead of just about everything else. A darker, grittier storyline awaits for this season.
• Rah Xephon: A complicated weaving of interpersonal stories set amidst the background of an Earth timeline gone awry with the appearance of a new race, the Mu, who appear human but whose veins and arteries are filled with a blue to almost purplish substance that separates them from the rest of mankind forever. The people of the story struggle to come to grips with their past, present, and future, while trying to win their side human/Mu war (and there are more than just two sides to this war). And inside the human/Mu conflict, and the conflict of the souls of the characters, is the conflict over Rah Xephon, and who will be the next to tune the world. I was impressed by the ending, for the series actually did end, though I must say I wasn't really happy with that ending.
• Gunslinger Girl: A powerful tale of the ability of government to exploit anything, even its children, to an unlimited degree, in the most monstrous of ways, in order to accomplish its dirtiest work. The relationships between the girls and their handlers, and between the girls, is touching; the dissociation between their touching relationships and the stark reality of the violence and bloodiness of their work is riveting; the action and choreography is excellent; the animation is stunning; and the soundtrack is beautiful. Get it. Watch it.
• Last Exile: An entire, fully realized world. It seems a grand tribute to the masters of the past, especially Miyazaki, in a way that salutes, rather than robs. The animation quality is the best I've ever seen, and the soundtrack is staggering in its complex triumph.
• Outlaw Star: It possesses the appearance of a complete and developed background, history, and milieu in which everything fits together with clarity and purpose. Not all of it was explained, but enough to make it all understandable. The story of Jean Starwind and the quest for the Galactic Ley Line was of great interest to me, with many memorable characters and moments along the way. Especially Hot-Ice Hilda and her fate. Good animation, excellent battle choreography, a reasonably structured, communicated, and consistent Science Fiction setting, and a soundtrack that I liked a lot (especially the title and credits songs). It even found itself an excellent ending and politely showed us some snippets of the characters lives for a short span of time after the end of the story (a major plus with me). The only thing I don't like is that there has been nothing since then.
• Macross Plus OAV: This story has it all. A love triangle. Old school rivalry. Misunderstanding and misidentification aplenty. Transformational journey (although with a sad touch). A Can't-lose contest/competition. Conspiracy. Suspense. Action. Adventure. Actual, genuine, real Science Fiction. Great characters and characterization. And, as if all that weren't enough, the animation is stunning, the score is unearthly in its beauty, and the mecha and character designs are a wonder to gaze upon.
• Super Dimension Century: Orguss II OAV: A lot is packed into this six volume OAV, but it is well worth it. An almost traditional mixture of action, romance, mecha, and just a dash of tragedy. The stellar quality pre-CG animation is beautiful, and I wish more series could look this good.
• Ghost in the Shell: The Movie: Many have credited this movie with the modern scale of anime popularity in the US. The story is the journey of Major Kusinagi Motoko, from her never changing role as the premiere operative of Japan's elite counter-terrorism unit, Section 9, to a transformation into . . . I'll leave that to those who have seen the movie. This movie deals with what it means to be human, and what it takes to be human, and we discover that flesh and bone alone are not enough to allow anyone to make the cut.
• Patlabor II: A number of my friends have told me they found this to be boring and ponderous. I found it to be an almost entirely suspense based conspiracy thriller soaring in a higher plane of socio-political engineering and terrorism absent an obvious responsibility claimant. Slowly, ever so slowly, our Patlabor unit leaders are drawn into the story, but are never quite fooled by the story being fed to them, until they turn the tables and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. It is not a character driven story, to be sure, but then that is not what the movie is about. And, of course, the animation quality is a mind-blower.

 

[Nightfall]

Nor,

Trust me, you like CB, you'll love Samurai Champloo.

 

[Hijinks]

I liked "Hellsing" although there weren't a lot of episodes.

I second "Noir" - there's a cutesy character but the storyline is darker.