They're all mass-produced, stereotypical crap, but there are a couple of good directors. I don't think there has been anyone new worth mentioning for about a decade, and there will be still fewer in future.
Is there any good anime left?
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Damn ninjas... I was really hoping I would be first when I decided to recommend this... However Welcome To The NHK is far from the stereotypical anime. It contains a lot of dark humour and great drama. It's one of the best ones out there and I would recommend it to everyone even those who aren't interested in anime.cerealnmuffin said:
I bought Paranoia Agent, Love Hina, Welcome to the N.H.K. and Strike Witches the other day. I'm still going through Paranoia Agent and N.H.K. which I'm really enjoying. Love Hina is a good series if a bit wacky in places, Strike Witches is also good even if it is a bit fan service heavy at times.
There are a reasonable number of series around, but my taste probably differs from yours.
EDIT: I forgot to add my favourite series here, like Azumanga Daioh and Lucky Star, basically any slice of life/comdey series.
There are a reasonable number of series around, but my taste probably differs from yours.
EDIT: I forgot to add my favourite series here, like Azumanga Daioh and Lucky Star, basically any slice of life/comdey series.
This confirms a notion I've been having: Being a fan of a specific medium should be avoided. Anime seems to have a lot of tropes associated with it that will eventually bug the hell out of you if you over do it.
As such, I don't actively seek out anime to watch. I've only watched two series in their entirety: Evangelion and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagaan (I'm sure I spelled half that wrong). I've also watched the Ghost in the Shell movie, Akira, Metropolis, and a few others. But, what attracts me to these shows/movies isn't the fact that they're anime... it's just that the story sounds interesting.
This is something I've also applied to graphic novels. I've read a few series, but I refuse to actively make an effort to find more. In general, I'll try to focus more on the story and characters regardless of the medium, than try to seek out things I like exclusively within that medium.
To the guy who recommended it: Your description of "Welcome to the NHK" has piqued my interest. I'll be looking at watching that very shortly.
As such, I don't actively seek out anime to watch. I've only watched two series in their entirety: Evangelion and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagaan (I'm sure I spelled half that wrong). I've also watched the Ghost in the Shell movie, Akira, Metropolis, and a few others. But, what attracts me to these shows/movies isn't the fact that they're anime... it's just that the story sounds interesting.
This is something I've also applied to graphic novels. I've read a few series, but I refuse to actively make an effort to find more. In general, I'll try to focus more on the story and characters regardless of the medium, than try to seek out things I like exclusively within that medium.
To the guy who recommended it: Your description of "Welcome to the NHK" has piqued my interest. I'll be looking at watching that very shortly.
Hell Girl. Definitely watch Hell Girl. It starts off with individual cases of people summoning her to carry out their personal revenge, but after a while it introduces some main characters who tale her while meanwhile debating the morality of what she does. It gets very intricate and interesting.
Also, Gunslinger Girl, and then Gunslinger Girl: il Teatrino. Yes, the series does seem kinda anime-ish with their use of lolis as assassins. But trust me, it's way better than it sounds. It's all about story and character development and moral issues. And I really learned something important from the second series.
Desert Punk is another good one. It has a few anime stereotypes, like the "girl with big bajoongas". But it's got quite an original story that takes place in a post-apocalyptic desert. And it's about a selfish, rude, crude mercenary who you can't help but love, for all of his flaws. (And later, his apprentice too.) I personally fell in love with the show after just the first episode, so make of that what you will.
Black Lagoon. There are a few anime stereotypes in the series, but none of them belong to the main cast. It's about a crew of mercenaries/pirates, or rather, a self-described "delivery company... who sometimes break the rules to put food on the table." And they all have believable personalities for the most part. It's full of shooty action but it gets more intricate than that. And it's kinda grim.
There's also Halo Legends. Not necessarily a traditional anime, but an anime nonetheless. It's a compilation of different mini-animes done by different artists, about Halo. The episodes vary in quality, but I enjoyed them all and some even moved me to tears.
Suzuka's another good one. It's a love story about a boy who likes a girl but the girl has some personal tragedy that makes it hard for her to love. The series has surprisingly very little ecchi in it and there's not much in the way of anime stereotypes either. I mean, you won't see anybody waltzing around in giant robots or maid costumes. They're just high school students in a track team.
If you want more information on any of these, feel free to message me. One thing they have in common is that they all made me cry like a little girl at some point, for various reasons. Dunno if that lends to their credibility or not. But in my opinion, anything that can move a grown man to tears has got to be doing something right in the story department.
Edit: Also, Kpt._Rob doesn't know what he's talking about. Soul Eater was freakin' awesome. But that being said, it is anime-stereotypey. So probably not what you're looking for, OP.
Also, Gunslinger Girl, and then Gunslinger Girl: il Teatrino. Yes, the series does seem kinda anime-ish with their use of lolis as assassins. But trust me, it's way better than it sounds. It's all about story and character development and moral issues. And I really learned something important from the second series.
Desert Punk is another good one. It has a few anime stereotypes, like the "girl with big bajoongas". But it's got quite an original story that takes place in a post-apocalyptic desert. And it's about a selfish, rude, crude mercenary who you can't help but love, for all of his flaws. (And later, his apprentice too.) I personally fell in love with the show after just the first episode, so make of that what you will.
Black Lagoon. There are a few anime stereotypes in the series, but none of them belong to the main cast. It's about a crew of mercenaries/pirates, or rather, a self-described "delivery company... who sometimes break the rules to put food on the table." And they all have believable personalities for the most part. It's full of shooty action but it gets more intricate than that. And it's kinda grim.
There's also Halo Legends. Not necessarily a traditional anime, but an anime nonetheless. It's a compilation of different mini-animes done by different artists, about Halo. The episodes vary in quality, but I enjoyed them all and some even moved me to tears.
Suzuka's another good one. It's a love story about a boy who likes a girl but the girl has some personal tragedy that makes it hard for her to love. The series has surprisingly very little ecchi in it and there's not much in the way of anime stereotypes either. I mean, you won't see anybody waltzing around in giant robots or maid costumes. They're just high school students in a track team.
If you want more information on any of these, feel free to message me. One thing they have in common is that they all made me cry like a little girl at some point, for various reasons. Dunno if that lends to their credibility or not. But in my opinion, anything that can move a grown man to tears has got to be doing something right in the story department.
Edit: Also, Kpt._Rob doesn't know what he's talking about. Soul Eater was freakin' awesome. But that being said, it is anime-stereotypey. So probably not what you're looking for, OP.
Chihiyafuru. You can watch it on Crunchroll for free right now.
Look here's a link [http://www.crunchyroll.com/chihayafuru]. What are you waiting for man, go watch it!
Look here's a link [http://www.crunchyroll.com/chihayafuru]. What are you waiting for man, go watch it!
-Spice and wolf
-Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya & Disapperance of Haruhi Suzumiya
-Angel Beats
-To Aru Majutsu no Index
-K-on!
-Toradora
These top of my list of favorite animu- there are a few others but I would probably killed for recommending anything with objectionable content like ecchi and other stuff :3
-Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya & Disapperance of Haruhi Suzumiya
-Angel Beats
-To Aru Majutsu no Index
-K-on!
-Toradora
These top of my list of favorite animu- there are a few others but I would probably killed for recommending anything with objectionable content like ecchi and other stuff :3
I just finished watching "C the money of soul and possibility" its basically about money and economics, with laser battles instead of business dealings. If you know anything about actual economics then it sort of gets stupid at points, but it's still a good show, and I for one will never get tired of seeing fights using laser swords made of money.
F' Yeah to this one, not so much to the other one you mentioned.oddball250 said:
As for suggestions for the OP, Rurouni Kenshin if you haven't seen it already.
Surely you must have seen Cowboy Bebop and Ghost in the Shell (the series is actually pretty good if you like cyberpunk)? If not, there's two great series. Outlaw Star was pretty decent.
Oh, and I highly suggest you go to teamfourstar.com and watch their parody of DBZ. There's 27 episodes of it up right now, and here's a little taste of what you can expect to see:
Like movies, you have to leaf through all the crap to find something good! Research and reviews are key, followed by sampling them for yourself to see what you think.
Series I can recommend (though others most likely have already) would be:
Death Note - it's the equivalent to a good psychological thriller movie with loads of twists and interesting characters
Naoki Urasawa's Monster - same as Death Note, but probably more complex
Baccano! - mixes crime drama, action, adventure, comedy, violence, horror and the supernatural. The story is non-linear and the events all tie-up to a violent train journey some of the characters are on - The Flying Pussyfoot.
Durarara!! - from the same creator(s) as Baccano!! but set in modern day Japan; the story is linear compared to Baccano! and it isn't as violent, but there's loads of interesting characters!
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - a sci-fi high school comedy, which is funny, intelligent and has likeable characters
Cowboy Bebop - a true anime classic, which takes inspiration from Western movies and turns it into such an entertaining sci-fi action/adventure. The characters are cool, likeable and funny too!
Black Lagoon - (just got into this myself) it's about a band of modern day pirates/mercenaries as they take on missions and commit crimes around Southeast Asia, and how a Japanese business man - Rock - decides to join them after he's been taken hostage. His relationship with the crew, especially with Revy, who is my new favorite character and is like a more badass version of Lara Croft, is quite interesting I think. Rock and Revy seriously don't see eye-to-eye, but they begin to warm up to each other as the series progresses. This series is the equivalent to a Hollywood action movie.
Welcome to the NHK - a black comedy, which pokes fun at modern day Japanese society and even otaku culture, while following a hikikomori (recluse/shut-in) called Sato Tatsuhiro as he struggles with his social problems. He gets into all kinds of awkward and funny situations as he tries to battle his problems that he believes are all part of a conspiracy created by the NHK. This series will appeal even more if you suffer from similar social problems. Like me.
Gungrave - the equivalent to a Western Hollywood Mafia/gangster movie, but with a dose of the supernatural. This one is more character driven as it focuses on two friends, their rise to the top, how they become enemies, and how one of them comes back as an unstoppable killing machine. Currently watching this myself.
That's just some of them anyway...
Series I can recommend (though others most likely have already) would be:
Death Note - it's the equivalent to a good psychological thriller movie with loads of twists and interesting characters
Naoki Urasawa's Monster - same as Death Note, but probably more complex
Baccano! - mixes crime drama, action, adventure, comedy, violence, horror and the supernatural. The story is non-linear and the events all tie-up to a violent train journey some of the characters are on - The Flying Pussyfoot.
Durarara!! - from the same creator(s) as Baccano!! but set in modern day Japan; the story is linear compared to Baccano! and it isn't as violent, but there's loads of interesting characters!
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - a sci-fi high school comedy, which is funny, intelligent and has likeable characters
Cowboy Bebop - a true anime classic, which takes inspiration from Western movies and turns it into such an entertaining sci-fi action/adventure. The characters are cool, likeable and funny too!
Black Lagoon - (just got into this myself) it's about a band of modern day pirates/mercenaries as they take on missions and commit crimes around Southeast Asia, and how a Japanese business man - Rock - decides to join them after he's been taken hostage. His relationship with the crew, especially with Revy, who is my new favorite character and is like a more badass version of Lara Croft, is quite interesting I think. Rock and Revy seriously don't see eye-to-eye, but they begin to warm up to each other as the series progresses. This series is the equivalent to a Hollywood action movie.
Welcome to the NHK - a black comedy, which pokes fun at modern day Japanese society and even otaku culture, while following a hikikomori (recluse/shut-in) called Sato Tatsuhiro as he struggles with his social problems. He gets into all kinds of awkward and funny situations as he tries to battle his problems that he believes are all part of a conspiracy created by the NHK. This series will appeal even more if you suffer from similar social problems. Like me.
Gungrave - the equivalent to a Western Hollywood Mafia/gangster movie, but with a dose of the supernatural. This one is more character driven as it focuses on two friends, their rise to the top, how they become enemies, and how one of them comes back as an unstoppable killing machine. Currently watching this myself.
That's just some of them anyway...
If you're looking for older stuff, not too sure I can help there, since my taste is kind of all over the place. Thought Samurai Champloo was amazing, Paranoia Agent like someone mentioned earlier, Elfen Lied, a few other shows here and there? If anything, try getting into Manga if you're not already. You have a bigger library of material all good and ready to go, and it seems like lately, a lot of the better Mangas have been getting anime adaptations, though not all of them are as faithful to the source material, and end up taking the stories on different paths, such as Shikibane Hime, and Dance in the Vampire Bund.
As far as anime goes, here are my personal recommendations: (easier to write them out, than describe them)
Samurai Champloo - Action/Comedy/Drama (This show forever changed my taste in music, in a good way)
Madoka Magicka - Action/Drama
Panty & Stocking - Action/Comedy
Basilisk: Kouga Ninpou Chou - Action/Drama
Welcome to the NHK - Slice of Life/Comedy
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - Comedy/Romance/Psychological/Drama
Bakemonotagari - Drama/Romance
Hale + Guu (Series + OVAs) - Comedy
Paranoia Agent - Drama/Psychological Thriller
Detroit Metal City - Comedy/Music
Level E - Comedy/Suspense
Michiko E Hatchin - Comedy/Action/Drama
School Rumble - Comedy/Slice of Life/Romance
And the most important list: Shows your girlfriend who claims to not like anime will even watch:
Hell Girl - Drama/Horror (DO NOT WATCH SEASON 3)
Elfen Lied - Drama/Horror
Working!/Wagnaria - Comedy/Romance/Slice of Life
Azumanga Daioh - Comedy/Slice of Life
Nichijou - Comedy
--Also--
Another anime that should be released soon: Gyo, is from japanese horror writer Junji Ito, who's famous for Uzumaki and Tomie (Movies adapted from the Mangas). The Manga was amazing, so I recommend checking out the anime when it airs, if horror anime is even your thing.
As far as anime goes, here are my personal recommendations: (easier to write them out, than describe them)
Samurai Champloo - Action/Comedy/Drama (This show forever changed my taste in music, in a good way)
Madoka Magicka - Action/Drama
Panty & Stocking - Action/Comedy
Basilisk: Kouga Ninpou Chou - Action/Drama
Welcome to the NHK - Slice of Life/Comedy
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - Comedy/Romance/Psychological/Drama
Bakemonotagari - Drama/Romance
Hale + Guu (Series + OVAs) - Comedy
Paranoia Agent - Drama/Psychological Thriller
Detroit Metal City - Comedy/Music
Level E - Comedy/Suspense
Michiko E Hatchin - Comedy/Action/Drama
School Rumble - Comedy/Slice of Life/Romance
And the most important list: Shows your girlfriend who claims to not like anime will even watch:
Hell Girl - Drama/Horror (DO NOT WATCH SEASON 3
)Elfen Lied - Drama/Horror
Working!/Wagnaria - Comedy/Romance/Slice of Life
Azumanga Daioh - Comedy/Slice of Life
Nichijou - Comedy
--Also--
Another anime that should be released soon: Gyo, is from japanese horror writer Junji Ito, who's famous for Uzumaki and Tomie (Movies adapted from the Mangas). The Manga was amazing, so I recommend checking out the anime when it airs, if horror anime is even your thing.
A throw back to some of the oldies, there is always "Black Cat", "Gurren Laugn","Black Lagoon", "HighSchool of the Dead". There is a of anime but i will admit it's hard to get into sometimes.
I highly recommend anything done by shaft studios, it usually orginal and out of the box when it comes to anime. Of thier catalog I would recommend Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei and Magical Girl Madoka (espically the Magical girl one, it like...is complete different then what the title makes you think)
umm Baccano is good for exceptional story telling and characters. Beck is great if you like slice of life and music, other then that. Grave of the Fireflies if you want to fuck up your day.
umm Baccano is good for exceptional story telling and characters. Beck is great if you like slice of life and music, other then that. Grave of the Fireflies if you want to fuck up your day.
Yes, this one! It is a really good anime. Though I kinda dislike how they ended it. It felt unfinished and according to the Manga theres a whole lot more. I hope they continue it.Verzin said:
Now what was it I watched over summer? Oh yea, Soul Eater! I rather liked it and it's got a good easy to follow story. And I even heard they might be making more episodes.
Also FLCL and P&S with G are good animes but are rather short.
Off-Topic: Does anyone know any sites that have got episodes of King of Bandit Jing? It's not a relatively recent anime but I have the first three episodes on disc and have always wanted to see the rest.
-Steins Gate
-Anything Done by Gainax
-Anything Done by Studio Bones
-New Eureka 7 Coming out in a Month
-Nisemonogatari/Bakamonogatari(Currently Airing)
-Papa no Ikuto(Currently Airing)
-Madoka Magica
-Gosick
-Another Anime(Currently Airing)
-Inu x Boku
-Sekai no Sekieshi Monogatari
-Kamisama Dolls
-Kamisama no Memichou
Future Airings:
-Kore wa Zombie des ka
-Medaka Box
-Accel Sekai
-Zetman
-C3
There is still alot of stuff you prob havent watched and there are still some future programs there are gonna be good if they follow the manga plots, just gotta be patient and wait and watch.
-Anything Done by Gainax
-Anything Done by Studio Bones
-New Eureka 7 Coming out in a Month
-Nisemonogatari/Bakamonogatari(Currently Airing)
-Papa no Ikuto(Currently Airing)
-Madoka Magica
-Gosick
-Another Anime(Currently Airing)
-Inu x Boku
-Sekai no Sekieshi Monogatari
-Kamisama Dolls
-Kamisama no Memichou
Future Airings:
-Kore wa Zombie des ka
-Medaka Box
-Accel Sekai
-Zetman
-C3
There is still alot of stuff you prob havent watched and there are still some future programs there are gonna be good if they follow the manga plots, just gotta be patient and wait and watch.
I personally loved the Manga, but thought they really overplayed his "I need to be stronger to protect my friends" mentality in the anime, which pretty much killed it for me. Seeing someone cry and whine for so long in an anime is not quality entertainment as far as I'm concerned, which makes me profoundly sad, as I really wanted to like this show. And as far as the Manga goes, it's wrapping up it looks like, but it's still taking awhile. Good stuff so far, though still a little confusing...Nile McMorrow said:
