Official Anime Recommendation Thread
By
Aether_Crash,
Posted on: 2009-10-04 18:33 in Comic and Hero-Villain Culture
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It's for everyone, but recognizing that this is a Teen/Family rated forum, as such I don't believe that titles that are essentially porn, which Urot is, belong on it. It would be no different than telling people which RL-porn titles they should watch in a thread about movie/tv series recommendations.|
Originally Posted by ketch
No offense intended, but is this list intended for the masses or for yourself? All these rules that you're instating don't make it feel very open to everyone. While Urotsukidoji doesn't float my boat, I might suggest something somewhat questionable such as Elfen Lied or Kodomo no Jikan. Both of those titles are sure to offend some sensibilities, but have their own merit.
If it can be accessed in a legitimate means, we're all given fair warning about the content, and our discussion doesn't violate any forum policies, I don't see why we should limit our suggestions. |
Offending sensibilities is fine. Since some titles, such as Code Geass and Ranma 1/2, contain nudity, or titles such as Vampire Hunter D and Basilisk contain graphic violence.
Outright porn is not.
And no offense to you, but if rules for such bother you, feel free to not participate. And I fail to see how asking people to refrain from porn, to limit themselves to legally licensed and released material w/ the names that people could buy it as, and keeping the genres in their broad categories, is such an unbearable onus.
Edit - The name thing comes from something like His & Her Circumstances. The Japanese title is, iirc, Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou, which is fine...if you know Japanese and are in Japan. Here, however, that title would get you a blank stare should you try to buy it. Or calling Ah My Goddess, Ah Megami-sama.
Urotsukidoji (also known as Legend of the Overfiend) has a significant place in discussion of anime just as Deep Throat does in discussion of American cinema and pop culture. If that film doesn't satisfy the criteria to discuss it, consider a few films originally threatened with an NC-17 rating? Requiem for a Dream and The Last Tango in Paris.
The fact that Urotsukidoji modernized one of the most enduring conventions in anime, the tentacle assault, merits at least a mention. Discussing it shouldn't be out of the question. Anyone who has seen To-Love-ru or Queen's Blade, which currently is broadcasting uncensored on AT-X (Tokyo's premiere anime channel), can easily see the impact that it still carries on the genre, for better or worse. Heck, even a generally tame series like Tower of Druaga (available for legal viewing on Crunchyroll in region 1) has one scene filled with tentacles and blushing. It's just that pervasive.
The real problem to me is that it was suggested without caveat lector.
Anyway, for folks not willing to throw down some cash for something the haven't watched, there are legal venues for watching anime on line. Crunchyroll as mentioned. Youtube also has an arrangement with Funimation to stream some series including School Rumble and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Generally, these series are only available for a limited time though.
Vandread +1
Neon Genesis Evangelion +1
Martian Sucessor Nadesico +1
Fullmetal Panic +1
Trigun +1
Kiddy Grade +1
Ghost in the Shell +1
Stellvia of the Universe +1
Urusei Yatsura +1
Slayers +1
Galaxy Angel +1
Ghost Sweeper Mikami +1
Maho Tsukai Tai +1
Ranma 1/2 +1
Tenchi Muyo +1
Love Hina +1
Card Captor Sakura +1
Sailor Moon +1
Magic Knight Rayearth +1
Ah My Goddess +1
Nausicaa of the Vally of the Winds +1
Kiki's Delivery Service +1
Claymore +1
X +1
Big O +1
Nadia +1
Fruits Basket +1
Banner of the Stars+1
Crest of the Stars +1
Fate/Stay Night +1
Outlaw Star +1
Lost Universe +1
Angel Links +1
Solty Rei +1
Birdy the Mighty +1
Original Dirty Pair +1
Bubblegum Crisis (first series) +1
Project A-ko +1
Read or Die +1
Chobits +1
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My apologies to have dredged the subject into the thread. it was not my intent to offend anyone's sensibilities. Honestly, I have no love for mindless animated lewdness, I only mentioned the title because I found that the story itself was intense and thought-provoking. I have never seen explicit acts on film as inappropriate per-say if applied in context and not simply thrown in for the sake of throwing it in. But truth be told, I agree wholeheartedly, That it should not be welcome in a public discussion. Sometimes I get so caught up in art being a form of expression, I forget that censorship exists for a reason. |
Originally Posted by Dark_One_NA
*twitch*
I had just spent a half hour updating this...and the thing lost it. And I was on the last damn post too. *twitch* Another thing I thought of...no porn. Wicked City/Urotsukidoji, that's porn in my book. Non-negotiable on this point. |
But I still hold onto my wonder as to why Akira or Fist of the North Star were not included initially. Just boggles my mind that the two Anime titles that were well known in the U.S. Before the Anime invasion were overlooked. Maybe I am just getting old?
MY FAREWELL GIFT
It is never truly gone, as long as there is someone left to remember.
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It's partly because of the nature of this forum. Again, I ask, if people were asking for tv/movie recommendations here, would you include the latest RL porn offering as a consideration, despite how "artistic" or "thought provoking" it may be?|
Originally Posted by Harry_Canyon
My apologies to have dredged the subject into the thread. it was not my intent to offend anyone's sensibilities. Honestly, I have no love for mindless animated lewdness, I only mentioned the title because I found that the story itself was intense and thought-provoking. I have never seen explicit acts on film as inappropriate per-say if applied in context and not simply thrown in for the sake of throwing it in. But truth be told, I agree wholeheartedly, That it should not be welcome in a public discussion. Sometimes I get so caught up in art being a form of expression, I forget that censorship exists for a reason.
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This isn't a public discussion about the merits of violent tentacle **** as it applies to the history and ongoing development of anime.
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But I still hold onto my wonder as to why Akira or Fist of the North Star were not included initially. Just boggles my mind that the two Anime titles that were well known in the U.S. Before the Anime invasion were overlooked. Maybe I am just getting old?
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I also found the story to be the attraction for me with this anime despite the tentacle sex, which, for me, detracted from the series. The story was intense, thought provoking and surprising, so for what its worth, I am happy that you did mention it.
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Originally Posted by Harry_Canyon
My apologies to have dredged the subject into the thread. it was not my intent to offend anyone's sensibilities. Honestly, I have no love for mindless animated lewdness, I only mentioned the title because I found that the story itself was intense and thought-provoking. I have never seen explicit acts on film as inappropriate per-say if applied in context and not simply thrown in for the sake of throwing it in. But truth be told, I agree wholeheartedly, That it should not be welcome in a public discussion. Sometimes I get so caught up in art being a form of expression, I forget that censorship exists for a reason.
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"I used to make diddly squat, but I've been with the company for 16 years and have had plenty of great raises. Now I just make squat" -- Me
Pediatric brain tumors are the #1 cause of cancer related deaths in children.
Not sure if this has been said, but Linebarrels of Iron - awesome mecha series with a dash of harem thrown in. Watching it on Crunchyroll right now.. .
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Linebarrels of Iron is a pretty good series. Check out Blassreiter, if you haven't already, on Crunchyroll. I'm not sure what to classify it as...it's kinda mecha in a round-about way.|
Originally Posted by ShoNuff
Not sure if this has been said, but Linebarrels of Iron - awesome mecha series with a dash of harem thrown in. Watching it on Crunchyroll right now.. .
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Funimation will start releasing both of these series between now and the end of the year.
I haven't seen a lot of anime, but I'm happy to +1 the ones that I've seen, enjoyed, and in many cases own:
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 1stGiG/2ndGiG/SSS (+1,000,000)
Ghost in the Shell 1 & 2:Innocence (+1)
Trinity Blood (+1)
Full Metal Alchemist (+1)
Street Fighter: The Animated Movie (+1)
Crying Freeman (+1)
Battle Angel Alita (+1)
Fist of the North Star (+1)
Akira (+1)
I have a few other old-school anime movies from the late 80s and early 90s (like the latter half of my list) on VHS somewhere, but I can't recall the titles - if I can dig them out and find time to watch them again then I may +1 some of them as well.
I know, I need to update the numbers/titles. I've been a bit busy as of late. I'll try to get it done tonight.
I seem to be stumbling upon lots of yuri themed shows lately.
Aoi Hana (Blue Flowers) - This was a very nice romance. The art is very nicely done with soft tones and a watercolor feel. The characters are also developed nicely though some of the main characters traits are overblown. (Fumi, for example, cries quite a bit.) The characters are full, however, and you'll find yourself empathizing with some and disliking others. If you like slower paced, romantic stories and don't mind girl-girl relationships give it a go. Also, it's a chance to hear Yui Horie in a more serious role.
Sasameki Koto (Whispered Things) - Well, only one episode has been released so far, but it seemed pretty good. While similar in theme to Aoi Hana (more ladies loving ladies), it seems as though it will be bit more light hearted. The art isn't quite up to par with Aoi, and it doesn't pack any powerhouse seiyuu like Yui Horie. The voice talent seems to be relatively new and promising.
So many shows... I'll just do a few at a time.
Naruto +1
Bleach +1
Baccano! +1
Cowboy Bebop +1
Akira +1
Karas +1 (if it's not on the list action/drama)
edit: Replaced +2s with +1.
Just finished watching an anime called Kazemakase Tsukikage Ran which was pretty keen.
Was about two women, a laid back samuraij and a chatterbox martial artist.
Just chiming in to say that this season is about the suck-suck-suckiest anime season in the history of me remembering anime seasons.
It seems anime is suffering the same creative slowdown that Japan's gaming industry is apparently suffering. That is to say that there is still the odd memorable show (Bakemonogatari [Ghostory] from last season, which honestly, ran too short) but the country's hit a slump when it comes to producing creative work. At least, creative work that I'm interested in.
Hmmm... so, first the easy stuff everyone should see:
Classics
Shows that really define the genre for me. Sort of required viewing for most fans.
FLCL - One of the most watchable shows ever. The dub is funny in completely different ways from the sub and at 6 episodes you can make it a movie night and splurge on the whole thing.
Ah! My Goddess: The Movie - The problem with the series is that its essentially a single story beat repeated endlessly. Every version is good, but the movie is really the great one.
Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, Evangelion - A trio of classics you should watch just to have something to say in any anime discussion. Of the three, Bebop holds up the best.
Anything Miyazaki - Of these, Spirited Away and Castle of Cagliostro are my favorites.
Voices of a Distant Star - This thing is just incredible in pulling detail out of scale. What's really mind blowing is that it was all done by one guy on his Mac. Of his later projects, 5 Centimeters Per Second is interesting, but not for everyone.
Full Metal Alchemist - This stands out as the only show to go over 26 episodes that I thought was really great.
Gundam - For me, 0083: Stardust Memories is the definitive experience, balancing out the more grounded reality of the original series with some of the more fantastic fun of the later stuff. Char's Counterattack is a great movie, but its gibberish if you're not a fan.
Jump
Big dumb shows that mostly feature exceptionally cool characters beating the tar out of each other. They're way fun but usually dragged down by excessive filler that stretches the thin plot to absurdity. Don't let that stop you from cherry picking stretches of greatness though.
Bleach - Mostly for the Rescue Rukia arc. Ichigo's fight with Byakuya is still 2 of my favorite episodes of anime out there.
Dragonball Z - Blah blah blah Goku shows up and fights the big bad over 20+ episodes of steroid fueled screaming. It's not classy, but its still awesome. Just try to stick to the final fights of each section to keep from going mad.
Naruto - Truth be told, I hated Naruto before the timeskip. This one's hard for me because there's enough plot to make it difficult to cherry pick awesome episodes (though Naruto vs Sasuke on the waterfall is a classic). I much prefer the manga to cut the filler and keep the plot moving.
Gundam Wing - This isn't really jump, and there's not even much filler in it, but its generally a more action friendly, shiny popular take on the Gundam franchise. It's actually a pretty solid, self contained story with excellent robot designs; it just gets dragged down by angst and melodrama, particularly around the main character. It's sort of the Final Fantasy VII of the Gundam Universe.
Personal Favorites
Kino's Journey - There's a really fun aimlessness to this series I enjoy. It doesn't actually go anywhere, but that's in many ways, the entire point.
Excel Saga - This is about the weirdest thing ever made that my mind can still wrap itself around. I assure you, weirder exists, but this is a nice big warning sign before the cliff of insanity.
Genshiken - Basically a show about nerds for nerds. The cast really makes this show shine.
The Vision of Escaflowne - Not to be confused with the bizarrely violent and dreary movie, the TV series is a whimsical flight through one of my favorite fantasy settings ever created.
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumia - Weird show with a great mix of fun and heart. I'd recommend watching it in the original broadcast order, simply because due to the story structure, the big finale happens about half way through the series, leaving the last half to be mostly filler.
Samurai Champloo - Basically Cowboy Bebop retooled for feudal Japan. An excellent soundtrack and wonderful cast make this one of those shows you really have no desire to see end.
Paranoia Agent - Ok, so the last third loses its flair and devolves into... well, I'm not really sure. Be sure to watch the first 6 episodes or so though. They're definitely something special.
RahXephon - Basically, Evangelion retooled with a more likable main character and more consistent and stable plot. It's really good; it just takes a lot from Eva.
That's probably enough for now.
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Rescue Rukia arc? I think you mean the Kenpachi Introduction arc.
| Bleach - Mostly for the Rescue Rukia arc. Ichigo's fight with Byakuya is still 2 of my favorite episodes of anime out there. |
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If you're not aware (you probably are), there are three more episodes that will be aired via the net to finish off the Tsubasa Cat arc. I think they begin on the 25th though.|
Originally Posted by Failsight
Just chiming in to say that this season is about the suck-suck-suckiest anime season in the history of me remembering anime seasons.
It seems anime is suffering the same creative slowdown that Japan's gaming industry is apparently suffering. That is to say that there is still the odd memorable show (Bakemonogatari [Ghostory] from last season, which honestly, ran too short) but the country's hit a slump when it comes to producing creative work. At least, creative work that I'm interested in. |
Anyway, I agree this past season was a bit lame. Bakemonotagari was the highlight, and there were a few decent shows dabbled about (Aoi Hana, Sora no Manimani, Spice and Wolf II). There were also some shows I heard good things about but haven't been able to check out yet (Canaan, Eden of the East). The shows that I expected the most from, FMA: Brotherhood and Melancholy, both fell flat. Also, there was inordinate attention paid to the utter trash that was Saki and Queen's Blade.
Fall looks a bit grim, but I just saw the good news that the Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya has been announced for Spring 2010.
Action and/or Drama
Cowboy Bebop (+1)
Basilisk (+1)
Tenjho Tenge (+1)
Ghost in the Shell (+1)
Bleach (+1)
Rurouni Kenshin (+1)
Slayers (+1)
Slayers: Try (+1)
Slayers: OVA (+1)
Slayers: movies (+1)
Comedy
Excel Saga (+1)
Jubei-chan (+1)
need to add
Azumanga Daioh (+1)
Harem (catch all for the 1 guy + multiple women)
Tenchi Muyo (+1)
Tenchi Universe (+1)
Love Hina (+1)
Horror
Hellsing OVA (+1)
Hayao Miyazaki
The Castle of Cagliostro (Lupin III) (+1)
Doom/Batman in 2012
The Resistance has boobs too, and better hair!
The Resistance has boobs too, and better hair!
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Kenny's having fun!
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Originally Posted by ryu_planeswalker
Rescue Rukia arc? I think you mean the Kenpachi Introduction arc.
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I recommend :
Scrapped Princess, if you haven't seen it, it's about a girl who's destined to destroy the world when she reaches a certain age. She's protected by her Brother who's an awesome fighter (and he gets a mega upgrade as the series progresses) and her Sister who's a powerful Magic-User.
As others have said, RahXephon is really good as well and has the best WTF moment when you figure out what the real deal is between Haruka and Ayato. It's a Giant Robot anime.
Kimagure Orange Road a love triangle between a guy with psychic powers and the 2 girls who are in love with him. Really a fun series if you can find it. Although the Manga ending is way better than the "I Want To Return To That Day" movie.
other stuff that's been already mentioned:
Ghost in the Shell : Stand Alone Complex and Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd Gig
Ah! My Goddess
Star Blazers (Space Battleship Yamato)
Oh, can't believe I forgot this one:
Read or Die/Read or Dream (R.O.D.): Sort of like a Bond movie, except in this case the British super spy is a bookish girl with the ability to make paper do anything she wants. The original OVA is full of action and bizarre literary references sort of like a Japanese version of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. The TV series is fairly different in a lot of ways, but still an excellent show.
Saw the When They Cry collection at the local Best Buy and was thinking of picking it up. However before I do, wanted to know what the people here who've seen think about it?
Paragon Unleashed Forums
Twitter: @Alpha_Ryvius
Noein (+1)
FLCL (+1)
School Rumble (+1)
Slayers (+1)
Ouran High School Host Club (+1)
I have a question, if a series has multiple seasons but those seasons have "different titles" do we list those separately? Like some one just posted Slayers and Slayers Try.
If yes
School Rumble 2nd Semester (+1)
Naruto Shippuden (+1)
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I've only seen the first 4 episodes, and I enjoyed them. I bought it and the set is sitting next to me. Going to be watching it pretty soon.
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Originally Posted by Unknown_User
Saw the When They Cry collection at the local Best Buy and was thinking of picking it up. However before I do, wanted to know what the people here who've seen think about it?
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Yes. A nice mix of magic and science fiction.|
Originally Posted by Dr_Illuminatis
Scrapped Princess, if you haven't seen it, it's about a girl who's destined to destroy the world when she reaches a certain age. She's protected by her Brother who's an awesome fighter (and he gets a mega upgrade as the series progresses) and her Sister who's a powerful Magic-User.
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Scrapped Princess +1
No offense intended, but is this list intended for the masses or for yourself? All these rules that you're instating don't make it feel very open to everyone. While Urotsukidoji doesn't float my boat, I might suggest something somewhat questionable such as Elfen Lied or Kodomo no Jikan. Both of those titles are sure to offend some sensibilities, but have their own merit.
If it can be accessed in a legitimate means, we're all given fair warning about the content, and our discussion doesn't violate any forum policies, I don't see why we should limit our suggestions.