Anime

[Melty Blood]

Naruto is okay, if only to see the cool ass ninja powers, and to watch that idiot Sasuke get what's comin'.

Oh and don't forget about stuff like .hack//sign. I'm watching the series via subs, and it's okay, if not irritatingly deprived of good action sequences.

Wait Excel Saga! Gotta love Excel saga....

ILPALAZZO IS WATCHING YOU!

 

[WW]

Movies that are a MUST-SEE
Castle in the Sky
Pom-Poki
My Neighbor Totoro
Princess Mononoke
Spirited Away
Armitage the Third
Kite
Patlabor 2
MD Geist
Ghost in the Shell
Appleseed (1980's Original)
Metropolis
Akira

Series that are a MUST-SEE
Azu Manga Daioh
Maze: The Mega Burst Space
Slayers, Slayers Next, Slayers Try
Wolf's Rain
Martian Successor Nadesico
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
Those Who Hunt Elves

Everything was alright untile "Martian Successor Nadesico", seriously - didn't you see anything better from the "Space Opera" genre?

"Those Who Hunt Elves" - Did you see the second season?

"Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex" - You mean SAC I, SAC II or Solid State?

Also, anyone remember Outlaw Star? Awsome series, too bad it got dumped after 20-somthing episodes.

That's pretty strange because I watched the whole series=26ep. and by my standards it's "Acceptable".

 

[SpiderLotus]

I don't really have a favorite genre. I chiefly am into character design. I saw a little of Trigun and Hellsing and liked them both. I also so all of Excel Saga and a few episodes of Bobo bo and liked those too. At the moment, I'm considering FLCL.

Also I heard about Jump Ultimate Stars! That looks completely awesome.

 

[ABeck]

First off... manga > anime 90% of the time =)
My top 5 favorite animes:

10. Samurai Champloo
9. Bleach
8. FLCL
7. Berserk
6. Trigun
5. Welcome to the NHK
4. Tengen Toppa Gurren Laggan
3. Minami-ke
2. Black Lagoon
1. School Rumble

I've had mixtures of likes and dislikes. I'm not a big fan of the fighters, but Budokai and the Naruto games aren't half bad. Ghost in the Shell, Cowboy Bebop, Inuyasha, One Piece, Rozen Maiden (GOD! Worst Game I've ever played) and Samurai Champloo were all pretty bad .Full Metal Alchemist was OKAY... nothing special nothing horribly wrong. Berserk was fun on the PS2 (though it needed an American adaptation and I wish they'd still make Trigun... I was kinda hoping that would turn out awesome.

Also... I'm gonna admit something: The first Digimon game that was released on the original Playstation was so much fun. LOL, it may sound lame but it had so many enjoyable traits to it. Addictive RPG elements mostly.

 

[General Ma Chao]

I'm not nearly as much into anime and manga as I used to be at the old age of 25. Bleach is light on story but heavy on the fighting, and that's fine. Naruto is the same. I lost interest in Berserk because late into the story, I was beginning to wonder if the story was really going anywhere. One Piece is just light hearted fun. Shinchan is just genius. I know it's dubbed and the script has been changed, I don't care. Full Metal Alchemist can get a little too idealistic at times, but it's still great to follow.

 

[stompy]

I'll have to recommend Ergo Proxy, but I have to admit, it gets pretty confusing, well, atleast for me.

 

[Anarchemitis]

Ghost in the Shell Exemt and to a lesser extent Full Metal Alchemist, I detest anime beyond a passion.
I
HATE
ANIME.

 

[yonsito]

Oruchuban Ebichu
Slightly inappropriate but incredibly funny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJw1I9TBlKQ

 

[Don Alejandro]

I think most of Japanese animation is derivative and unimaginative trash in general. But there is some good stuff out there. Studio Ghibli is practically Japan's Disney. Akira was memorable, and Golgo 13 was a gritty assassination thriller. Most of the rest is 'fanservice' crap, and to be honest, anyone can pull down a couple buckets of red paint, draw some nubile little girls and then yell, "Deep" at the top of their lungs.

 

[ReepNeep]

In general, I agree with you Don Alejandro. There are a few that I do like however.

Cowboy Bebop is easily the best I've ever seen. EASILY.

Seirei No Moribito is also really good. It actually has characters with genuine depth, which is extremely rare in anime, as well as a wonderfully involving and emotional story.

For anyone considering Bleach: stop at the end of the first story arc (episode 60ish). After that the writing and production values take a nose dive, and character development (outside of the 'NEED MORE POWER' variety) stops entirely. (I watched Bleach 159 yesterday, mostly out of habit at this point. I know what I'm talking about.)

Noir is pretty good too but only if you can stomach the boring first 2/3 of the series. The last eight episodes are VERY good however, and its quite worth waiting for them.

A Vision of Escaflowne is super high quality as well. It has it's warts (mostly revolving around a few very common cliques) but makes up for it in my mind with solid characters and enough subtext and symbolism to be called literature (a rarity in the extreme).

Lastly, Ghost in the Shell. The original movie and it's sequel Innocence are the best pieces , but the two TV series and their follow-up movie are quite good as well. Very much for the person who values that 'makes you think' quality in their fiction(which endears them to me all the more). Plus cyberpunk always rocks

These are rare exceptions for me. I generally think that the vast majority of anime is total crap. But that is true for any form of media, I suppose.

PS
Sammy, Pokemon is only 'awesome' if you are under ten years old.

 

[mshcherbatskaya]

Off the top of my head (and a lot of these are dupes of other people's picks - y'all got good taste, folks!)

Samurai Champloo

Cowboy Bebop

Flag

Evangelion (though I have a problem with the very end, which I did not find "deep" and gave me a severe case of WTF)

FLCL (my anti-drug, since you don't need drugs if Gainax is going to perform weird trips for you)

Gankutsuou (jaw-dropping, eye-popping, superflat style animation)

Peacemaker Kurogane

Wolf's Rain (if you have someone who thinks anime is all mecha and and big-eyed girls in maid outfits, this is a good anime for grown-ups to show them. Same with Flag.)
Paranoia Agent (another trippy-ass anime, and also definitely not for kids)

Eureka 7

Naruto up through, what, episode 85? And then it is nothing but filler of the most soul-withering sort through the end of the series. Naruto Shippuuden, the restarted series, is better than the filler, but then a Windows 95 screensaver is better entertainment than Naruto filler. I watched a large portion of the filler out of morbid fascination with just how bad it could get. Hours of my life heedlessly squandered.

Samurai 7

Bleach up through episode 65 or so, and then it pulls a Naruto, though not as bad as Naruto

Ouran High School Host Club - I less-than-three this show so much, but if shonen-ai makes you uncomfortable, a lot of the jokes in this show may make you squirm.

Gantz is pretty good, but pretty violent, and kind of mean-spirited.

Chevalier D'Eon - The people have regular-sized eyes! and also plot, dialogue, and pretty good animation!

Basilisk - this is the real ninja show. This show kicks Naruto's ass, takes his lunch money, then duct-tapes him to the flagpole in front of the junior high school, and posts video of the whole thing to YouTube.

Deathnote - the anime is good, the manga is better.

Fullmetal Alchemist

Full Metal Panic (not to be confuses with Alchemist - totally unrelated)

Ninja Scrolls is an anime classic, which I recommend more on reputation than personal enjoyment. I have a personal history with Ninja Scrolls, which I watched after unwittingly eating something that had been dosed rather heavily with something else, resulting in a very unpleasant 36 hours for me. Now I just can't watch it.

My-HiME

Welcome to the N.H.K.

Afro Samurai

 

[LordOmnit]

My new favorite thing in the world is the Utawarerumono anime if that says anything (which I'm about to say that it doesn't beyond that I like it a lot (although I wish that some of the post-series stuff was expanded on a little)).
Let me take a quick look at a few very popular series over the years to people who are saying anime is all the same:
Astro Boy- robots beating the hell out of each other and comedic in betweens with philisophical allusions sprinkled throughout
School Rumble- hilarious with a story as connective as real life without all the boring transitions
Naruto (pre second *thing*)- slightly above average ninja wank
Naruto (second *thing*)- slightly below average ninja wank
Bleach- like anything else something that changes from doing one job over and over again to a fighting series about humans who claim they aren't humans anymore and promote racism between themselves who beat each other up or induce circumstances to at almost every chance
Utawarerumono- you have just been given something amazing by someone/thing almighty and your life will be filled with light from now on (I don't care what belifs you do or don't hold)
... okay, quick plot synopsis- semi-fantasty (Edo) period drama in the first major chunk followed by semi-sci-fi-with-the-earlier-mentioned stuff still going on and in the end you get a rather bad slap in the face that was still worth it
Haruhi Suzumiya- girl is God and doesn't know it. Keep girl entertained or not exist. Thumbs up x 10
Spirited Away- Alice in Wonderland eastern-style without the incoherentness and with a better plot
Dragon Ball (anime serieseseses)- over-the-top fighting with aliens and alien wannabe's. Can I fellate a gun now?
Princess Mononoke- what western fantasy films and novels aspire to be
(insert random girly show for good measure)- hey, it's a random girly show (for good measure)
I could go on, but I think that the point I have been attempting to reach is pretty obvious at this point; anime is as varied as anything else could be, regardless of how much *can* fit into any one category or stereotype it touches on every category and creates it own new ones (and is still lumped under the same name regardless).

 

[LordOmnit]

Having had a moment to think over my previous statements:
My close proximity to having seen the Utawarerumono series probably influenced my statements some.
Naruto isn't ninja-anything in anything but name only. It's action wank.

 

[TheThree]

Series:
One Piece (Best long running anime)
Samurai Champloo
Cowboy Bebop
Black Lagoon
FLCL
Detective Conan
Hellsing
Cowboy Bebop
Trigun
Outlaw Star
Evangelion
Dragon Ball/Dragon Ball Z (Not a fan of GT though)
Lupin III
Cowboy Bebop
Kenshin
Excel Saga
Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi
Oh, did I mention Cowboy Bebop?

Movies (Haven't seen that many, cept movies that are from anime series that are listed above):
Anything from Studio Ghibli, they are seriously amazing with everything they do.. 'cept Totoro. Totoro is probably the cutest and the coolest looking character ever but damnit is that movie a boring one.
Akira

Seriously, Bebop is the best anime I've ever seen. It's the only anime where the English dub, in my opinion, is better than the Japanese voices. But, I must be one of the only people in the world who doesn't see the 'awesomeness' of Naruto, Full Metal Alchemist, Gundam, and Death Note.

 

[GloatingSwine]

Elfen Lied? Not everyone can take massive amounts of blood, violence, gore, suggestive themes, nudity, cousins in love, and death by pen.

Still.... that death by pen thing is awsome!

Pff. John Cusack made it awesomer.

 

[GloatingSwine]

I used to be big into Anime before it became "trendy"... Now it's becoming just cheap cartoons, but I do sort through it for good shows.

There have always been just as many trashy and cheap animated shows in Japan as there are in the west, they just didn't tend to get translated.


Anyway, my all time favourite is Macross. Don't much care which bit, though I didn't really like Macross Zero very much, because I wanted all the characters to die horribly*. Macross Frontier looks like it will be back on form though, the characters aren't annoying in the first episode at least, and whilst it does have a long haired prettyboy lead, all the other characters either make fun of him for it or mistake him for a woman, which is eternally amusing.


* I take great comfort from Episode 26 of the original Macross knowing that most of the cast of Zero were probably on Earth.

 

[qbert4ever]

That's pretty strange because I watched the whole series=26ep. and by my standards it's "Acceptable".

Huh, thats weird, I could have sworn I heard a tool whose standerds I could give a damn about. Strange.

Anyway, back on topic, which digimon game are you talking about ABeck? There are like, 90 bajillion, and I'm not sure which was the first one. However, Rumble Arena was my first fighting game, and I have to admit, looking back it still holds up very well.

Also, anybody see that series called Blood? It's about mutant vampires or some weird shit. Not sure 'cause I quit watching after two episodes, it was on too late and I had to get up at the ass-crack of dawn the next morning. Just wondering if it's worth picking up the box set because I liked the two that I saw (for reference, they were the ones where the vampire chick turned red and her head popped off in the guys lap, and the one before that).

 

[GrowlersAtSea]

I've seen Blood: The Last Vampire as well as most of a series called Blood+ that Cartoon Network has been running a dub of, I think that's what you're meaning. They both have big monster things and vampires.

If it is, the movie had some great animation but overall wasn't too remarkable. I've seen most of the series and, like the film, I haven't seen too much of note either way. It has some gore and some decent action sequences, but the story has been pretty boring to me and the animation only a bit above average. I wouldn't pay money for it, it's no Hellsing, but since it's been on TV I've been watching for lack of anything better to do.

Basically all the anime I've liked and my favorites were named by the time I spotted this topic, so I really don't think I have much to add. I'm hoping to watch Monster sometime though, I've heard very good things about it.

 

[Anarchemitis]

I hate anime that is, in regards to animation methodology and facial appearance. Majoritivly.
(An entire scene may be just two characters moving their eyes and mouths, and if we're lucky, move their bodies once.)
But what I like is the imagination involved in the vehicles, weapons, ships, all that junk. Spacy Lasers explosion ammo gunship awesome!

 

[mikeymatrix]

Well, I love Vampire Hunter D, Bleach, Death Note, Azumanga Daioh, Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi, Desert Punk (in English 'cuz it's hilarious), Excel Saga, and a few others..

I mainly want to talk about the Death Note games. If you know a little bit of Japanese, you can get by on the 2nd game (L o tsugumono - the ones to succed L), but the first game (Kira Gemu) is difficult because of all the kanji and it's simply guess who is Kira or kill L based on what people are saying and how they say it. Great concept, but not for non-Japanese readers. L o tsugumono plays like a cat and mouse game. As Kira, set traps and try to avoid detection. As L, try to catch Kira without getting killed, using video cameras to try and pinpoint Kira's position. I recommend it completely. (Available for cheap right now at yesasia.com or try play-asia.com)

Also Bleach 2nd DS (Japanese version since US isn't out yet) is completely awesome. Jump Ultimare Stars is definitely worth getting too. Of the 22 DS games I have, only 8 or 9 are US. The rest are Japanese.