New to Anime - looking for some good stuff

MitchyD

Well, I'm not NEW NEW to Anime - I'm just new to REAL anime. I was a Dragon Ball fan as a kid, and I watched a couple episodes of Bleach, and I'm wondering what kind of Anime I should check out. I know the podcasts have this yeah, but what's some really good stuff to start with? I keep pretending Anime is not for me, but this Geeknights non-stop talk of anime has me really jonesing for more.

Any decent suggestions?

Apreche

/sigh

Cowboy Bebop

Symmetry

Let me second that Cowboy Bebop and add

for giant mechs, psychodrama, and imanitizing the eschaton:
RahXephon

for over the top comedy and fantasy adventure:
Slayers

for worldbuilding, characters, and dogfights:
Last Exile

For slice of life comedy:
Azumanga Daioh

Cramit

Trigun and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex are two of my favorites.

Kiey

Yeah, Bebop definitely.

Movie wise i'd say:
Castle of Castaligro
Princess Monoke
Porco Rosso

What else....
FLCL (but maybe after you watched some other stuff first)
Tenchi Muyo!
Samurai Champloo (once you finish Bebop)

Mamath

I actually really disliked Last Exile. Especially character-wise. That's the one with the...pale people and the...flying things, yes?

Cowboy Bebop, Evangelion, and most of Miyazaki's older films are pretty much requisite viewing if you ever hope to be in "the loop". Throw in Trigun, Escaflowne and Utena as well since you'll want to be seeing them before Rym and Scott get around to doing spoiler-ful shows on 'em. You've got a fair while to do that by the sounds of it. All the new anime they're reviewing should keep them occupied for a while...

I enjoyed Scrapped Princess and R.O.D (the movie/OVA. Can't pass judgement on the TV episodes, I'm afraid) and they're pretty high quality. Le Chevalier d'Eon (have I even spelt that correctly?) is very recent (still being subbed, I think?) and very good, what little I've seen of it. Samurai Champloo's been mentioned already - I didn't like it so much as some of the others mentioned but it, too, is a quality production.

Although...if you've ONLY seen Dragonball and a bit of Bleach. Fullmetal Alchemist? The anime is finished (and totally inferior to the manga <_<). Also pretty high quality but not a classic. It's popular at the moment and I'd say a step above most shounen-action stuff. Good place to start?

Fruits Basket and Ouran High School Host Club are among the better shoujo, if you're willing to try something girlier. ;D

...What kind of fiction do you like outside of anime? Seriously, there's a whooole lot of backlog to choose from! Are you after something silly and light or heavy and thoughtful?

(PS. Read manga. 99% of the time it's better than the anime spin off. ALSO faster. If you're a quick reader, anyway.)

ProfPangloss

I haven't seen much anime either, but I would have to say Trigun and Cowboy Bebop.

whatever

Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo are the obvious ones.

I also suggest Azumanga Daioh, Death Note, Fullmetal Alchemist and GITS: SAC.

Fruits Basket and Ouran High School Host Club are among the better shoujo, if you're willing to try something girlier. ;D

If he hasn't seen any BL or lame shoujo, he will not get anything out of Ouran. That show revolves around referencing shoujo anime stereotypes, so, if he hasn't seen much other anime, he won't get it.

Also, watch Akira, anything by Miyazaki, and End of Evangelion.

Erwin

If you wanna be to cool for school try to avoid all the anime flavores of the month no matter who good people tell you They are.

Since most people are afraid to expend 20 to 30 dollars per dvd (with ony 2-3 episodes)I would recomend Netfilx. However, there are some Anime that should be watched and own because they can be too damn cheap to rent. My recommendations are: Akira, Macross Plus, Mononoke Hime (A.K.A. Princess Mononoke), Lupin III Castle of Cagliostro, Project A-ko, Macross, Macross Do You Remember Love, Megazone 23 Part I.

I would recomend this web site , if you wanna get good cheap dvds with free shipping.

There are also good anime that would never be release in america such as Miss Critical Moment, If you wanna know what is good anime just listen to AWO period!

I might sound like and asshole but is true people.

One Sin

My recommendations are mostly action and comedy.
- Azumanga Daioh
- Excel Saga
- Fullmetal Alchemist
- Galaxy Angel Z
- Gundam 08th MS Team
- Gundam SEED
- Gundam Wing
- Oruchuban Ebichu
- Samurai X: Trust & Samurai X: Betrayal
- Tenchi Muyo! (Just the original OVA)
- The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

Erwin

Yeah, but my best recommendation would be to buy good stuff that deserve support such as Genshiken (it is 29.99 now people), also if the series has being license here in America I would recomend not to download it.

One Sin

Unless of course the US release sucks due to dubtitling, ridiculous prices, and whatnot. (Sorry for the sentence fragment, but it made my response more fluid. >_<)

Now84

I'm going to have to say some Outlaw Star, it's pretty good.

GreatTeacherMacRoss

I can't believe nobody mentioned Trigun yet.

Anything by Hayao Miazaki is always good (Princess Mononoke, Nausicaa, Howel's Moving Castle).

Fullmetal Alchimist is a good reccomendation.

Escaflowne is a classic.

One Sin: I'm not sure all those titles are advisable for someone like Mitchy.:

Samurai X is ACTUALLY Called Rurouni Kenshin, which is a very long and entertaining show, but may be a bit DBZ-ish for some. The Samurai X's are the movies and OVAs based on the series and are excellent.

Azumanga Diaoh is great, but Excel Saga? For someone new to anime I would definitely not recommend that one. It's awfully hyper and there are many anime 'in-jokes' that some may not get if they're newer to the genre. I'd avoid Gundam and Galaxy Angel as a new viewer, as well mostly because they were a total turn-off for me. Tenchi is also a pretty terrible anime all around/ Sure it was one of the first 'harem' shows, but god, it really isn't very good. Haruhi is INSANE and I would never show it to someone who is new to 'real' anime. Again, it's just too overwhelming.

Outlaw Star was good...but not amazing.

WallyBman

Forget Akira, unless you want to be confused. It's crap, pure and simple. The original source material might possibly be an amazing literary journey, but the movie is ass. Ooh, look, kids on bikes. Ooh, some are dressed like clowns, and they are swingin objects at the non-clown kids. Ooh, look, some chick is having her shirt ripped off in what looks to be a high-school. OOOOOOOOH, tanks. Sweet. Wait, generic buzzcut army guy is talking about something mysterious. Oh no, giant headed creepy baby thing. Weird teddy bear. Oh crap, I think that maybe that growth might be cancerous; he might want to get that looked at. "KANAEDA!!!" Animated concentric black and white cirlces. AND FIN.

Final verdict?

You: WTF?

Me: WTF?

Anyone else who hasn't read all 30-something volumes of the super sized manga: WTF?

Holy-than-thou stuck up pretentious "otaku": That was so deep. It was amazing. I don't see how anyone couldn't understand that.

Me: Again, WTF?

The original Guyver, the original Appleseed, and Black Magic M-66. Tank Police. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. Macross. Macross Plus. BIG MUTHA-FUCKIN O. Project A-ko, but only the first one. The first five Eva dvd's, before it became a story about people turning into goo, which was just ass. First couple of episodes of Ranma. I can't recommend Gasaraki. AWO billed it as a super realistic mecha show. I'm on disc 5, and it got stupid 2 discs ago.

Why can't there be a serious near-future anime that is realistic, and doesn't involve either aliens or demons or some shit?

How about some Speed Racer?

Or some Lupin III?

Maybe some Sailor Moon?

Just some suggestions...

Erwin

People, people the manga of Fulmetal Alchemist makes the anime looks like a person without feelings, that is what happens when you do not follow the original creators vision

Ametto

I would say that Dragon Ball Z and Bleach are "REAL anime". Not that I'm a fan of either of these shows, just irked when things are disparaged because they are shown on the cartoon network/adult swim.

Eyeshield 21 is another really good anime that I think you'd like. It's a sports anime about football. Even if you don't know anything about football, don't worry, they'll explain everything. A lot of shows of these type will do that for you. You can get it off of animesuki. It's also really funny.

Erwin

Yeah, but I would not recomend DBZ or Bleach, because they are really long series.

GreatTeacherMacRoss

I have to disagree with you on the Eyeshield 21 selection. It's hardly considered a classic, and the manga (which I flipped through) was pretty dissappointing.

One Sin

Samurai X is ACTUALLY Called Rurouni Kenshin, which is a very long and entertaining show, but may be a bit DBZ-ish for some. The Samurai X's are the movies and OVAs based on the series and are excellent.

Azumanga Diaoh is great, but Excel Saga? For someone new to anime I would definitely not recommend that one. It's awfully hyper and there are many anime 'in-jokes' that some may not get if they're newer to the genre. I'd avoid Gundam and Galaxy Angel as a new viewer, as well mostly because they were a total turn-off for me. Tenchi is also a pretty terrible anime all around/ Sure it was one of the first 'harem' shows, but god, it really isn't very good. Haruhi is INSANE and I would never show it to someone who is new to 'real' anime. Again, it's just too overwhelming.

I was refering to the U.S. release in which they were given different names. Besides, you don't need to see RuroKen to enjoy Trust or Betrayal.
As for Excel Saga, while the many cultural jokes may fly by a newbie's head, there's still entertainment to be found in the completely bizzare happenings.
On the subject of Gundam, SEED and Wing hold up fairly well. In fact, Wing was my first anime and I turned out just fine. >_<
As for Tenchi, the original OVA is the only harem anime I consider to be well-done, having less sex and more hilarity. It's the only harem anime I know that's not just some attempt to market to horny teenagers. It's a sitcom at heart and manages to keep itself fresh throughout the show. Too bad I can't say the same about the other Tenchi anime . . .
I'll give you Haruhi, though.

Corbin

Not repeating other reccomendations, I would suggest Record of Lodoss War, and Slayers. Also Dragon Half is a must for any true anime fan ^_^

Josh Bytes

El Hazard OAV is good intro into anime I feel. It's got a little bit of everything.

Mamath

If he hasn't seen any BL orlameshoujo, he will not get anything out of Ouran. That show revolves around referencing shoujo anime stereotypes, so, if he hasn't seen much other anime, he won't get it.

Yeah, that's pretty true. Maybe next year - Mitchy'll definitely have been inexorably drawn into the dark world of anime by then. ;p

I can't believe nobody mentioned Trigun yet.

Like, three people did before you? >_>

People, people the manga of Fulmetal Alchemist makes the anime looks like a person without feelings, that is what happens when you do not follow the original creators vision

The manga trumps the anime...but the anime is still very good in comparison to a LOT of anime out there. Plus the FMA anime just strikes me as a good "gateway" anime.

Ultimately...just look up summaries on Wikipedia/animenewsnetwork, take a look at the art and pick something that looks good. Maybe join an anime club? Watching with friends is seriously a much better experience. Even BAD anime is fun with friends!

Josh Bytes

Read or Die OAV is another cool anime for newbies to watch.

Ametto

Artboy, I think he wants anime recs that he should "check out" as opposed to classics. I know that the Eyeshield21anime is really fun. Don't know about the manga though...

WallyBman

As sad as it is, I liked the series more than I did the OAV when it comes to R.O.D. I think it was the cast of characters, and the lack of stupid, wacky, odd-ball villains that made the series for me. The idea of multiple paper users was like "WOW!"

GreatTeacherMacRoss

I'll agree with Read Or Die's OVA. I found it very entertaining!

Mamath

I think it was the cast of characters, and the lack of stupid, wacky, odd-ball villains that made the series for me.

That was, like, the best part.

MitchyD

Thanks guys. : )

I watched the first 5 or so episodes of Cowboy Bebop a while ago, then work caught up with me and I stopped. Why I didn't go back I have no idea, that show was really rad.

I've seen Akira, and I loved that as well. Confusing as hell, but I dug it. I've heard of Slayers before, maybe I'll check it out as well.

I LOVED Princess Mononoke.

Wow, I've seen more than I thought.


Thanks again guys.

N15PCA

Heres my top 20 list.

#1. Tenchi Universe.
#2. Tenchi Muyo. The new Muyo Esp. that came in 2003 I think, are only OK so far. I would recommend that you want the old DVD to Muyo. The one's from 1992. To get some the best of Tenchi.
#3. His and Her Circumstances. The manga name is Kare Kano.
#4. Maison Ikkoku. The best love story in anime.
#5. Blue Seed.
#6. Ah! My Goddess.
#7. Outlaw Star.
#8. Cowboy Bebop.
#9. Hana Yori Dango. Boys over flowers here stateside.
#10. Hellsing.
#11. Tenchi in Tokyo.
#12. Please Teacher. Onegai Teacher in Japan.
#13. Revolutionary Girl Utena.
#14. Ai Yori Aoshi.
#15. Princess Nine.
#16. Lupin the 3rd TV or what lupin fans like to say is the Red Jacket series.
#17. Strawberry Eggs.
#18. Martian Successor: Nadesico. Thank to Giant robot week on CN or may have miss watching this one.
#19. Kimagure Orange Road. This one would have been in my top five if they would dub it in eng and not just have eng subtitles.
#20. Diamond Daydreams.

One Sin

One more thing: get Voices of a Distant Star. It's only 30 minutes so if ya hate it, it won't be much of a waste.

Things to Avoid:
- Titles based on video games (namely .hack// and Final Fantasy Unlimited)
- Non-original shows in a series (Tenchi in Tokyo. Gundam SEED Destiny, Tenchi Muyo GXP, Tenchi Muyo: Ryo-Ohki, Nuku Nuku TV). While some are good, use extreme caution with these kinds of anime.