Show me a good anime please

[V8 Ninja]

Baccano.

Baccano Baccano Baccano Baccano Baccano BACCANO BACCANO BACCANO!!!

Spoiler: (Pssst: It has one of the best openings of any anime EVER!)

Seriously, though; the story has to deal with three crime families in 1930s America. Not only that, but it is one of best anime series I have ever seen. While it may break a tiny bit of those rules, the series is such a thrill ride that I can't NOT recommend the show. Please, watch it.

 

[SecondPrize]

Hey there anime lovers!

Me, I`ve always hated all kinds of anime series BUT I`ve watched Avatar the Last Airbender and Legend of Korra lately and I have to say they are really good.

So maybe someone can point me to another series that has the same strengths:
- no overly effeminate male characters. (I mean it)
- no big eyed female characters that sound like a squealing mouse and are either helpless tits or exaggerated bad-ass tits on-a-stick.
- reasonably believable world.
- no super exaggerated overpowered characters, all the special powers they have are reasonable.
- good amount of action.
- serious world changing story while also being funny.
- "not too Japanese" visual style

Thanks, and looking forward to finding another series as good as Avatar.

It isn't at all what you asked for... Azumanga Daioh is pretty sweet. It is character driven and fairly episodic like sitcoms, every episode has its own discrete story. It's pretty much the Seinfeld of Anime. It follows the friendship of six schoolgirls and some of their teachers through three years of high school, but it appeals to everyone. There's no sick stuff going on and it's all just jokes, but it's really good.

 

[Seagoon]

Hey there anime lovers!

Me, I`ve always hated all kinds of anime series BUT I`ve watched Avatar the Last Airbender and Legend of Korra lately and I have to say they are really good.

So maybe someone can point me to another series that has the same strengths:
- no overly effeminate male characters. (I mean it)
- no big eyed female characters that sound like a squealing mouse and are either helpless tits or exaggerated bad-ass tits on-a-stick.
- reasonably believable world.
- no super exaggerated overpowered characters, all the special powers they have are reasonable.
- good amount of action.
- serious world changing story while also being funny.
- "not too Japanese" visual style

Thanks, and looking forward to finding another series as good as Avatar.

I never got into anime that much. i couldn't take it seriously. One day I saw the Hellsing TV series (It's on youtube in parts if you want to see it). I like how the characters are three dimensional and believable whilst still being cool and interesting. You sound like the kind of person who would like it.

 

[The Wykydtron]

*Snipping the earlier part of the convo for size*

Really? I rather liked that arc. Though i've always liked the Closed Room stuff anyway.

For some reason the fact that the mysteries are of no consequence and are quite petty makes it more enjoyable to me... It must be more about the characters rather than the actual mysteries, or the characters solving the mystery makes the mystery more interesting.

I still can't tell you why I like it so much because any synopsis is going to make it sound so boring if you break it down.

I don't think i've watched anything from this studio before, is this Kyoani in the same vein? I might look it up

Well, I'm glad you like it! As much as I rag on Hyouka I still feel the desire to watch it every week

"KyoAni" is a sort of fan pet name for "Kyoto Animation" (like people calling Square Enix 'squeeny'), the studio that produced Hyouka.

Some other stuff they've done:
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, K-on!, Clannad, Kanon, Air, Nichijou. A lot of their series (with the exception of full metal panic) is slice of life stuff with people just sort of living their day to day. They're pretty good at it. A lot like Hyouka, much of the plot is mundane, every day life kind of stuff.

K-On and Nichijou in particular have more of a comedy bent (Nichijou going into the realm of absurdist/surrealist comedy). Clannad, Air and Kanon are a little more serious and lean more towards the drama/romance side of things (thought they have their comedy moments). They are known for being quite emotional (ie, you'll probably cry).

K-On! is one of my personal favourites. It's about a group of girls in high school who form a band in the "light music club" in school. I think I like it so much because I really relate to it. I had a "band" in high school and I lugged the damn thing around school every day.

overwhelming recommendations for Fullmetal Alchemist so I`ll go try that out right now, brb

I'd recommend full metal alchemist: brotherhood. It's my personal opinion that the original FMA is the most overrated anime of all time. It's like the Final Fantasy 7 of anime, in my eyes. People hype it up to the hills, and when you finally go to play it, it's just... mediocre.

Oh wow I must be stupid, i've watched half of the anime on the list and at least heard of the rest... Can't believe I never took in the studio name when I watched so much of their stuff DX

Yeah Clannad is evil, Haruhi is awesome (until the second season then AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH WHY?!)

Thanks for reminding me Nichijou exists, I remember i'm on episode 3 of that then it fell of the map for whatever reason.

Oh and allow me to throw my favourite manga of all time at you. The World God Only Knows, go read it if you haven't already. Dat shit is so hype yo'

Gamer wants to game, Hell wants said gamer to win the hearts of random girls using his gaming skillz due to a horrible misunderstanding, gamer reluctantly goes through about 10+ of them (as of right now) kicking and screaming the whole way because it's interfering with his game time.

The anime version was... Good? They ruined Keima as a character completely in the second season but the rest of it was ok!

Seriously there's character development (like what's being done in the actual manga with class, direction, subtlety and awesomeness) and then there's bastardising the character completely in trying to fit that much development over about 2 episodes at best or 10 minutes at worst XP

Oh and you would probably like Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu since that anime is a slice of life high school... Thing that is consistantly hilarious and entertaining.

 

[evilneko]

...
- no big eyed female characters that sound like a squealing mouse and are either helpless tits or exaggerated bad-ass tits on-a-stick.
...
- no super exaggerated overpowered characters, all the special powers they have are reasonable.
...

One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach.

Seriously ?
Orihime (bleach) is the exact manifestation of "squealing mouse helpless tits", and Nami (one piece) is "exaggerated bad-ass tits" (Nami not at first, but her cup size grew over time, which I strangely really detest).
And about super exaggerated overpowered characters, uhm, they all have totally overpowered characters, I mean, not as bad as Dragon Ball z, but still. Bleach was the worst IMO, the first 10 episodes where good, notting to extreme, but then came 10 boring episodes (more or less), and after that the dragon ball z -like fight-episodes started, and it was terrible and took forever, and the guy just kept on getting stronger. pft, I stopped watching when they freed the girl (forgot her name).

Anyway, dude, stick with avater, and maybe try some one piece and naruto if you want (not bleach), but personally I would suggest Samurai Jack (that's not anime at all, but it was a great show)

You must be new here.

People only read the OP in R&P.

(Hey, if OT gets to call R&P the dungeon, I can complain about people not reading OPs elsewhere )

 

[Azurian]

Really shocked no one mentioned the classic Cromartie High School

Or you could go with

Hetalia: Axis Powers

I know they look pretty girly but don't let that throw you off it's a really good anime and this is coming from a guy who doesn't like anime anymore. Plus you'll learn more than your teachers taught you about world history how many animes do that!?!?

 

[Ishigami]

Since everyone points to the usual suspects I go with an older (1999) "underdog":

Crest of the Stars

I would say it fits your requirements perfectly.
Okay it utilizes a big-eyed art style however the females are anything but helpless nor exaggerated tit monsters.
The show is a more on the story side than on the action but features one of the most interesting and enjoyable character set I've seen in Animes.

There are two sequel series: Banner of the Stars and Banner of the Stars 2
As well as an OVA: Banner of the Stars 3

However I still enjoy Crest of the Stars the most.

Ramaj is awesome!

 

[Monsterfurby]

The only anime that is still watchable to me is Legend of the Galactic Heroes - and that's only because it actually pits both main characters against each other, gives both of them equal amounts of plot shield, and makes them ACTUALLY BEHAVE LIKE HUMANS. Also, it has a very George R.R. Martin - esque approach to the survivability of characters...

I actually like it for being not as predictable and clichéd as most Animes.

 

[Bealzibob]

Good god this forum sucks at anime. Anyway for your request i think the ultimate recommendation would be baccano! which is about as brilliant and incredibly none anime as it gets (a short story adaption I believe it is [ps: watch the english version as the dubs are glorious]) but runner ups would be Darker than Black, soul eater(very similar to avatar in many ways actually) and Fullmetal Alchemist.

 

[Dire Sloth]

Your list of no no's knocks out a hefty chunk of anime.
Try Baccano (assuming no one has suggested it yet.)

 

[Dire Sloth]

Good god this forum sucks at anime. Anyway for your request i think the ultimate recommendation would be baccano! which is about as brilliant and incredibly none anime as it gets (a short story adaption I believe it is [ps: watch the english version as the dubs are glorious]) but runner ups would be Darker than Black, soul eater(very similar to avatar in many ways actually) and Fullmetal Alchemist.

Well I'll be.

 

[deidara]

Fate/Zero. It is fucking amazing.

 

[Cenzton]

Steins;Gate.

That is all.

 

[Black Reaper]

Cowboy Bebop
Darker Than Black
Black Lagoon
Hellsing / Hellsing Ultimate
Desert Punk (maybe)
Boku No Pico
Soul Eater
Baccano!

There, that should be enough to keep ya busy!

Since you're coming off of Avatar, I would recommend FLCL, which was apparently very influential for them (probably more in terms of animation than story). Supposedly every member of the team working on Avatar was required to watch FLCL.

Already mentioned above but definitely check out Fate/Zero, highly recommended. Alternate history crossover fanfiction, but professionally written, and good. Second season opens with King Arthur, Alexander the Great, and Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, fighting against Cthulhu, who was summoned by Gilles de Rais. How does that not sound awesome!? But I have to disagree with some of the above posts - watch it FIRST, even if it is a prequel that came out after. For one thing you're not missing out on any story because, you know, prequel, but also the Stay Night anime just isn't good. The story is all over the place because it tried to incorporate elements from all possible endings of the game, and the animation is just subpar, especially when compared to Zero which is practically movie quality.

How about IGPX?


And anime is cartoons.

Holy crap, someone else who watched it!!

I'd also recommend watching the English dub. It's not something you'll hear often from more "hardcore" anime fans, and if you're just getting into anime you'll probably watch the English dub anyway, but man is the voice talent in this show amazing. Haley Joel Osment, Mark Hamill, and Lance Henriksen, I repeat, Lance Henriksen!

Since no one has said it yet, I'll recomend Steins;Gate.

Spoiler: OP

It's a serious animé based around time travel. And a rather good one at that.
I don't want to spoil it too much, so I'll just leave it at that.

^That,seriously,listen to those guys
That said,i recommend you Kara no Kyoukai,it was made by the same guys that made Fate/Zero,however,the main character is somewhat overpowered and is also a girl,it is quite japanese,and while there is action there is very little of it but it is

Spoiler: awesome

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBrWcKIteAo

Also,if you are the little bit interested in the Fate/series, stay away from the Fate/Stay night anime,the VN was awesome personified,however the anime is utter crap
EDIT:can someone tell me how to properly link videos?

 

[00slash00]

Hey there anime lovers!

Me, I`ve always hated all kinds of anime series BUT I`ve watched Avatar the Last Airbender and Legend of Korra lately and I have to say they are really good.

So maybe someone can point me to another series that has the same strengths:
- no overly effeminate male characters. (I mean it)
- no big eyed female characters that sound like a squealing mouse and are either helpless tits or exaggerated bad-ass tits on-a-stick.
- reasonably believable world.
- no super exaggerated overpowered characters, all the special powers they have are reasonable.
- good amount of action.
- serious world changing story while also being funny.
- "not too Japanese" visual style

Thanks, and looking forward to finding another series as good as Avatar.

"now and then, here and there." amazing story that gets really dark, really fast. theres only one character who has any powers and that character rarely ever uses it and everyone else is basically just trying to survive. the main character is a kid so hes obviously not exactly super masculine, but hes certainly not at all effeminate either. the females are about as far from giggling schoolgirls as you can get. they arent absurdly badass but they can take care of themselves. they have all had extremely shitty lives and have had to endure extreme physical, emotional, and mental trauma. it is certainly not funny though. it deals with shit like rape, torture, murder, child soldiers, and the psychological impact of war

 

[cerealnmuffin]

I highly recommend Naoki Urasawa's Monster. It has no super powers, anime tropes or zaniness. The characters and the world is drawn realistic. It takes place in post Berlin Wall, East Germany and is this amazing thriller (perfect if you like drama thrillers like Breaking Bad or Dexter). It is about a surgeon who saves this kid who grows up to be a charismatic serial killer. Soon the murders are being blamed on him so he has to try and avoid the police and stop the killer. It has a plot that feels realistic and some of the best plotting and characterization I have seen in an anime. I was so burned out by anime until I have found this series. It also has an amazing crescendo are a finale that won't disappoint.

Another series I recommend is Hell Girl, Jigoku no shoujo. It is about this website where entering someone's name sends them to hell, but the caveat is that you will go to hell when you die. The hell girl and her small group from hell aren't really evil, they actually pity people and just offer the choice. Each episode is about whether or not the person will ferry their tormentor to hell. It is a dark series with actually some really gripping personal stories. Fans of Deathnote should enjoy this one too.

 

[InsipidMadness]

Snip

Visually, try Samurai Jack
Haha and maybe I.G.P.X.

Otherwise in order I'd recommend:
Samurai Champloo
Cowboy Bebop
oh and maybe Trigun

Don't let the names deceive ya' at least google each and read a bit or watch a pilot from each of them. Won't tame more than an hour or two of your time and it spreads your taste a bit.

 

[Palademon]

haha

kinda true but if I can dig up ONE I can watch it`s worth it

also, there are plenty of games where u don`t have to press buttons fyi

Ok...yeah.

I guess it's more akin to going into an Itlaian restaraunt and ordering a burger.

 

[Navarone9942]

Excell Saga, seriously watch it. Cat Shit One (really) is good but I dont think its ever gettin any more episodes, ever I've been watchin Death Note and its likely youd like that, maybe Soul Eater. IMHO stay away from Neon Genesis unless you love really crap endings...

 

[xplosive59]

Darker Than Black and Cowboy Bebop are basically what you are looking for as they fit all the categories you mentioned.