Anime Suggestions Thread

[Mr Bekkler]

Anyone who knows me pretty well knows I'm generally not a fan of anime. As such, I am quite ignorant of what's out there. However, I am familiar with DBZ, Sailor Moon, and some others that came on cartoon network years ago, and I don't like them very much. I remember enjoying Robotech, but tried to watch it again in sequence on Netflix and had to stop.

It's just that I don't like stuff taking place in a seemingly entirely fantastic fictional world,  then suddenly including a lot of overtly japanese cultural references for the sake of the japanese audience. This is because I'm not japanese, and just don't get it. I don't think it's stupid, I will recognize it as simple cultural differences.

What I'm looking for is anime in the vein of Full Metal Alchemist/FMA:B, Gurren Lagann, and Cowboy Bebop. Something made for American and Japanese audiences equally, with engrossing storytelling. To specify, each of these series features a minimal (or specific to the series) amount of japanese weirdness. For example, Robotech, Gundam, Voltron, etc are all just giant robots. Gurren Lagann is giant robots that look like faces, which makes it different from "typical" anime.

So I'm creating this thread in hopes you Compendiumites can give me good suggestions for what to tackle next. The more like Full Metal Alchemist or Chrono Trigger the better, but make sure you include reasons the series you're suggesting isn't just typical schoolgirls, giant robots, and nosebleed fare (don't just write a list). No, forget hope. I'm CHALLENGING you to think of anime someone like me may enjoy.

PS. Films are ok too, I've seen Akira already. Watching Appleseed as I type. Also feel free to use this thread to discuss what you like or don't like about anime in general or specific franchises.

[tushantin]

Hah, Appleseed?  Ex Machina was rad too!

With the sheer number of anime out there, I only prefer those that are grand. The best of the apples, and no, I don't consider Bleach as a masterpiece. It's more of a fun-to-watch experience. If you're looking for anime that work well with American audience AND are masterpieces with amazing storyline, here's follows:

1) Baccano! - Like Godfather/Pulp Fiction/Mafia? Like Fullmetal Alchemist? Intense comedy? Paired with demons? How about all of those in one scoop? Takes place in Manhatten, America, Prohibition Era. This anime is quite breathtaking and will leave you wondering "What happens next" all day. The story is fascinating, the characters are memorable, and nobody knows who the main character/villain is, so nobody knows who's gonna die next.  So many to kill, and so little time! There's a lot this anime has to offer. (English Dub recommended)

2) Deathnote -If you guys have watched every anime in the world and not this, shame on you all! Deathnote is a God-sent thriller, introducing two of the best, memorable characters the world has ever seen. The story is about a High School kid who finds a notebook of death. The person, who's name is written in the note, shall die. Armed with this weapon the protagonist chooses to dream, to change the world and become God. But someone seems to be on his track: an elusive detective who is only known as L. This anime is a must watch for any thriller/suspense fan, whether or not they like anime. This plot is a rollercoaster of a lifetime!

Can't think of more right now, but I'll let ya know if I remember.

[tripehound]

Last Exile is a story about a pair of young courier pilots that become involved in a drawn-out, chivalric war between two nations. Set in a Victorian-esque world where the technological focus is set on aerial machinery, the series tends to focus more on the characters more so than the world itself, as there isn't a great deal of back story describing how the world came to be in the predicament that it's in. It's not a particularly long series, spanning 26 episodes, but I felt the plot worked well given the spectrum: it didn't feel too drug out or ended too early.

There's a number of fun battle scenes, ranging from WWI-style dogfights to battalions of riflemen engaging on another from massive, airborne troop ships. Scenes like these are not everyone's cup of tea, but aerial enthusiasts or gear heads will get a kick out of it. 

There weren't a lot of Japanese cultural references that I can recall, but I tend to be rather oblivious to such things if I'm not somewhat familiar with them.

[Mr Bekkler]

Those sound right up my alley! I knew this was a good place to ask!

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

I agree with tripehound - Last Exile is HIGHLY worth it.

If you loved Cowboy Bebop, I must also recommend Wolf's Rain and Samurai Champloo. If you come down for Lance's wedding we can watch some episodes of Samurai Champloo!

Also, think about Trigun. It's a great western sci-fi - if not the very best. Great story, fun music, and the lead character (Vash the Stampede) is a real hoot - especially when you start seeing his personality against his personal history. It's really quite awesomesauce!

[FaustWolf]

Yeah, gotta third Last Exile. The opening of the first episode, especially, is freaking brilliant.

If you're up for some dystopian weirdness that starts out very thought provokingly and then completely loses it about a third of the way through the series, the first five or six episodes of Ergo Proxy are a great time.

I'm gonna have to check out Baccano now. Dayum, that does look interesting.

[Syna]

What kind of tolerance for weirdness do you have? That is, you mentioned plenty of cliches, but is surreality okay?

[tushantin]

What kind of tolerance for weirdness do you have?

Two words: Haruhi Suzumiya! 

[Mr Bekkler]

Boo, I've seen Wolf's Rain. It moves really slowly but the music is brilliant (some of it is in Chrono Shift). And I'm definitely coming so we'll get down on some Champloo.

Syna, surrealism is touchy for me. I love Dali, I hate MSPaint disasters. Really depends on context and quality, I guess. If it adds to the overall experience or story, I think any style could be fair game.

Tushantin, I watched the first episode of Baccano and Death Note. Baccano in particular has a really interesting feel to it. The accents are hilarious, but not distractingly so. I'm liking it. Gonna check out the other ones as soon as I get a chance.

[Kodokami]

Mobile Suit Gundam 00. Yes, I said Gundam. But this series, 50 episodes long, is very ... political. The "giant robots" are only a means to an end, and definitely not the focus of the show. Then again, this is the only Gundam series I have seen, so I can't compare. However, the story is superb. Watch the intro, see if it catches your interest. I recommend the music as well.

Also, S-CRY-ed was my first anime. Might not be up your ally though.


EDIT: It seems the first episode I linked to does not have the opening summary of the series I was hoping to show you. I'll fix that after school.

[tushantin]

Ah, Gundam! I've never really seen all the episodes. I once watched Mobile Suit Gundam (the first anime in the series) and it was... pretty amusing and classic. Then two after that (Zeta, I suppose) and I kinda liked Schar's character. Then, though I didn't watch Gundam Wing, I did watch "Endless Waltz". Hah, I guess I missed the anime after that. It was too much goodness to bear.

I'll really have to take a look at Gundam 00! Heard they were powered on renewable energy.

EDIT: This reminds me. I've got some pretty interesting anime suggestion, but I'll let you guys know once I get home.

[Shee]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0385586/

Cat Soup.  Loved it.

[tushantin]

A KITTEH version of Orpheus legend. Now I've seen everything.  One of these days I'm gonna watch all of these works! *shakes fist*

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion: What do you get when you squeeze in masterpieces like Mobile Suit Gundam with Deathnote, with a slice of Pizza Hut? You get Clamp's next masterpiece (if Tsubasa Chronicles didn't get so fucked up). Takes place at Japan, which is now called Area 11 after its defeat by Britannia. The story starts the same way as Deathnote, but takes a new leap almost instantly: A high school kid sees how rotten the world is, and is given supernatural powers to change the world and become God. If Kira was a criminal mastermind, Lelouch is FUCKING NAPOLEON. With the help of unmatched intelligence, a handful of rebels, some Mobile Suits called Knightmares, a power to make anybody obey his commands, and a cool Secret Identity, Lelouch takes on the world powers in war, with a pledge to destroy every Empire, and become the sole Emperor of the New World.

Oh, and also...

What do we learned from Code Geass?? That Pizza Hut is the shit and we shoud eat it, Zero commands all of us to eat it ! ! ! !

All Hail Lelouch, All Hail Pizza Hut

[Syna]

In that case, I would look into Satoshi Kon. I'm honestly not that well-versed in anime, and I feel that the surrealism in his works helps underscore greater insights that he has. I'd recommend him to anyone, sympathies for anime's style or no. He wrote the series Paranoia Agent, and the films Paprika, Tokyo Godfathers, Millennium Actress and Perfect Blue.

[Manly Man]

Yeah, I realize that there's a lot of fantasy-grade stuff in it, but if you have an open sense of humor, FLCL (Fooly Cooly, Furi Kuri, or whatever other name it happens to have) is a must. It's not so much the world itself that's amazingly fantastic as it is the stuff that the characters do. I mean, when was the last time you saw a girl hide a spring-loaded boxing glove in her vagina because she knew that her host was a complete and total pervert?