I'm currently interested in getting into Japanimation more. I don't really have much of an idea as to what's out, or what series mirror those I already have enjoyed, ie Berserk, Macross Plus, Sailor Moon, X, Initial D, Witch Hunter Robin, Samurai Deeper Kyo, Rahxephon. For those of you that know of other Anime you've been enthralled with please list some of those series/movies here, thanks!
The best are: Dragon Ball Z Full Metal Alchemist Samurai Champloo Ghost in the Shell <---I fell in love with this I love the music from Ghost in the Shell... "Angels and Demons circling above me..."
This depends on whether you prefer to watch anime in English or in Japanese, and on whether you plan to download or buy your anime. If you want the licensed anime, definitely check out Fullmetal Alchemist, as mentioned above. Other great titles to try include (in no particular order): Gokusen; Trigun; Kino no Tabi (Kino's Journey); Princess Tutu (which is an amazing series if you give it a few episodes, despite the title); Fruits Basket; Hikaru no Go; and Paranoia Agent. Naruto and Bleach are also worth watching, but I'm not certain how well they've carried over into English. If you're okay with listening in Japanese, or prefer it that way, you may want to try downloading a few series. Some series you might find interesting are: Hunter x Hunter; Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne; Kiba; Rozen Maiden; and Yakitate!! Japan.
Honey and Clover, Cowboy Bebop, Ichigo 100% (suitably perverse, you're bound to like it), Welcome to the NHK!, Nana (bit girly), Please Teacher (perverse). Watch Japanese with subs Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
NANA(like phonetic said, more on the girly side), Saikano(If you like sad stuff), Fullmetal Alchemist, Ghost in the Shell(can be complicated at times), Samurai Champloo, Azumanga Daioh(highly recommened watching this with subs...funny as hell), Full Metal Panic, Gundam Seed, Elfen Lied(gruesome at times), Kenshin(another samurai one). That I'd say is a decent selection of different types. There's more I recommened but I can't think of them right now. Not sure how many of those are actually licenced though....
I hate Anime. Always have. Anime fans have no taste. They seem unable to discern quality cartoons from terrible cartoons. Most anime fans are autistic, anyway. Big eyes, small mouth. Very appealing to the socially inept. Easy to read emotions. Most of the animes named here are shit. Dragon Ball Z, wtf? Fullmetal Alchemist, also retarded. As is Naruto. FLCL and Berserk are the only two animes I can tolerate. You've already seen Berserk, good good. FLCL is crazy. It's about a guitar wielding alien that has an odd friendship with a little kid who has robots crawl out of his head when he gets upset. It's a brilliant surrealist examination of a boy growing up, youthful angst, and giant robots. It's funny, clever, has catchy intro and outro music, and sometimes breaks the 4th wall. I enjoyed it because it was anime that wasn't anime, rather than present anime as anime, it presented something entirely different in the medium of anime. The artistic style only added to it. I dunno. I definitely recommend checking it out. There are only 4 episodes of it or something.
grrrrrrrrrr........Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
You're the perfect example of the unpopular kids that smell funny and watch anime. Why live in the world when you can live in your head? At least you don't get mocked in your head.
geeese Roman what's ur prob.? I enjoy anime and you dont seem to like it. Thats all, lets not make conclusions from this, as I can make a conclusion that kids like you who dont watch anime are little pranksters who cant understand world of fantasy. Anyways this whole thread is for people who enjoy anime, the greatest art there ever was created.
I agree 100% anime is an artists expression of fantasy worlds which comes to life on screen. Roman probably doesn't like it because he doesn’t have an open mind and is probably a person believing that anime is a waste of a persons time. However what ever makes people happy and helps them deal with the hardships of life in my mind can not be a waste of time.
besides Roman being a dick Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!, I have to agree. I love anime, but DBZ, Pokemon, Nuturo, Full Metal Alchemist, Inuyasha, gah! Horrible! there might be more blood and sex in Inuyasha, but it's a Pokemon monster-of-the-week regurg, and the characters have nothing interesting after the first 5 minutes. I do like Samurai Champloo alot, Bleach is not too bad, I enjoyed Witch Hunter Robin for the month it was on Adult Swim. Cowboy Bebop is not horrible, but has never grabbed me. FLCL is crazy, and worth seeing, for the reasons Roman lists. However, it touches on the inane, and thaat would get tiring if there was a full set of episodes. My nefew got me into Avatar; I'm impressed by it's depth and detail; pretty good writing of the frustrations of the three kids. Naruto just doesn't hold a candle to it.
qft. FLCL is my favorite anime. It was made by the same studio that produced Neon Genesis Evangelion, an amazing series of twenty-six episodes and two movies that I am absolutely shocked that no one has mentioned yet. It also has themes of coming of age and giant robots; the focus is superficially on the latter, but the story runs much, much deeper than that. The series, surface plot aside -- which itself, despite being primarily a series of sorties by giant humanoid robots tasked to protect the earth from, oddly enough, messengers of God, is very confusing and full of esoteric symbolism and other opacities -- is an in-depth psychic examination of each of the main characters. The series amidst the blood and gore of its visuals (whose artistic style seems mostly incidental) conveys an atmosphere of delicate beauty as opposed to the breakneck whimsy and manic brilliance of FLCL. The series starts slow and culminates in the last few episodes, so the longer you stick with it, the more likely you are to find it rewarding. When Neon Genesis Evangelion came out, it set the benchmark against which all other giant robot anime would be compared. After you watch it, it is probable that nothing else in the genre will compare, with the possible exception of some of the original Gundam (read: not Gundam Wing, not G Gundam, and not Gundam Seed, all of which suck) saga. Mobile Suit Gundam, the original series, is an early anime with low-quality animation and a long storyline that I found hard to follow or stay interested in. If you want to cut straight to the meat and drink of Gundam, go on teh intarweb and familiarize yourself with the background story, then watch Gundam 0080. It's an excellent war play. Cowboy Bebop is another worthwhile series, and you can tell right from the start if you're going to like it. The show has a small-time premise and a futuristic setting, following the interplanetary (which in 2071 is more like interstate today) travels of a couple bounty hunters as they try to scrape out a living. The animation is beautiful, and the soundtrack is possibly the strongest of any television series. Far from just an action cartoon -- which in itself would be boring or ridiculous (see below comments about DBZ) -- the episodes are consistently well-written. Every few episodes will go back to a continuous storyline, but the majority are only loosely connected in terms of chronology. It's highly stylistic and very sexy, though not erotic at all, if you get my meaning. Japanese and English voice acting are both top-notch. Cowboy Bebop consists of twenty-six episodes and one movie, all of them worth watching. As for the ubiquitous Dragon Ball Z... it's great cannon fodder if you like to make fun of shitty television. So is most of the crap they air on Cartoon Network (which is ironically where I found most of the anime I've seen).
Neon Genesis Evangelion? I watched some of this series and I've gotta tell you it's the most boring, dull, stupid Anime I've ever witnessed, even Dragon Knight is more interesting then it. What the heck is the point of giant robots, stupid kids that have no real understanding they can make their own choices, and love troubles. Like when that girl gets into the robot just to fight after she was wounded and almost dead, the most ridiculious thing I've ever seen, anyone with half a brain that isn't a mindless drone would surely have not gone. And what's with that kid, he sits around pouting about things when his dad is just a gerk with no real love for him? I'd totally leave an not go back, it's so silly it hurts to watch.
Because people really do those things. There are actually mindless servants with no self-esteem. There are actually whiny bitches who go around complaining about everything. The characters are compelling because they are realistic. Despite being about giant robots, it's not escapism.
There are a lot of good ones. I've watched quite a few, so it would be hard to compare. I generally align to the recommendations posted by Saliere, Communist Hamster, Dragon, and Crazyfreespirit.