Hardcore anime fans

[Pxtl]

Yup. That's actually the reason I can't stand 90% of anime - not the art, or the big-eyes, or the recycled animation frames, or the bad dubbing.

It's the pacing. 90% of Anime TV series are so painfully slow that I find them utterly unwatchable. This didn't used to be the case - watch some older stuff and they are much faster paced. I think DBZ and the more aggressive tie-ins to manga encouraged them to slow the heck down and put less actual plot development per-episode and it's really made it just unpalateable for this impatient Canadian.

[KDR_11k]

Watch VOTOMS then.

[Erom]

Cowboy Bebop is the best thing ever projected onto a tv screen. Ghost in the Shell is of average watchability. Neo Genesis and .Hack are terribad and I want those hours back. That's pretty much my entire familiarity with anime. I will poke my nose into VOTOMS on you-all's recommendation.

[Neddie]

Well, I'm sorry NGE didn't work for you. It is entirely unlike .Hack so I can't really validate your opinion.

I'm not going to address most of the posts in this thread, I don't consume great volumes of visual media and I probably disagree with everybody here anyway, but I might as well toss out some targeted recommendations. I read a small number of manga, few of which have anime versions, but anime I can confidently recommend for "hardcore" people who don't take themselves too seriously...

Gundam 08th MS Team - Don't let the Gundam element fool you. This is not any of those terrible shows you've seen like Gundam Wing, Gundam Seed, et al. Military drama laced with a classic romantic theme, somewhat gritty and planet-bound. If you enjoy military themed fiction but are open to "romantic elements" i.e. relationships both intimate and friendly forming as they tend to do, this will do.

FLCL - Psychocomedy, coming of age, possible queer reading. Six packed episodes of disjointed thought and theme. If you've ever been considered mentally ill, or if you like rambling madness, this is for you.

Irresponsible Captain Tylor - If Venture Brothers is an American celebration of failure, Irresponsible Captain Tylor is a Japanese celebration of incompetence, satirizing military order and a mixture of political science fiction with high fantasy. This is for the science fiction fans who don't take themselves too seriously.

Le Portrait de Petite Cossette - Romance/Murder Drama. Three short OVA about a man who discovers the image of a woman in a glass and falls in love with her. This is for the art-minded among you.

[Pxtl]

Cowboy Bebop is the best thing ever projected onto a tv screen. Ghost in the Shell is of average watchability. Neo Genesis and .Hack are terribad and I want those hours back. That's pretty much my entire familiarity with anime. I will poke my nose into VOTOMS on you-all's recommendation.

NGE seems pretty polarizing. If you sympathize with Shinji, it's fantastic and sad and poignant. If you don't sympathize with Shinji, then he's the whiniest little douche in the history of TV.

So obviously, cold-hearted dicks hate it.
/I'm kidding, please don't kickban me.

[Gota]

I used this apparently controversial word just cause i wanted the opinions of people who have watched a lot of anime and can weed out the better Movies/series out of the gigantic amounts of anime out there.

[zwzsg]

See Cowboy Bebop - it was made as a love-letter to American pop-culture. It's about jazz music and space bounty-hunters. No teenaged boys with spiky hair.

Oh. You mean Edward was a girl? I always wondered.

[Neddie]

See Cowboy Bebop - it was made as a love-letter to American pop-culture. It's about jazz music and space bounty-hunters. No teenaged boys with spiky hair.

Oh. You mean Edward was a girl? I always wondered.

Yes, Ed is a girl.

[Erom]

If you don't sympathize with Shinji, then he's the whiniest little douche in the history of TV.

Yeah that.

It wasn't Shinji being sad constantly that bothered me, it was that Shinji kept being sad WHILE BLOCKING OUT THE INTERESTING THINGS I WANTED TO SEE. Like he was moping in from of a TV I was trying to watch...

Plus the rest of the characters were also highly dysfunctional and only looked sort-of-normal when compared to the completely helpless grubworm kids.

Whoof. Sorry about the rant. I have a sibling reading over my shoulder who would very much like to second the recommendations of FLCL and Samurai Shamploo, just so that I actually contribute to the thread.

[KaiserJ]

for me, i love asian cinema; anime stuff is hit & miss with me... but then again, when i'm watching imported films and cartoons, it's generally something that's found some critical acclaim... i assume there is a slew of half-assed stuff out there, and i probably wouldn't even know it if i say it because i just haven't seen enough

easy enough to sift thru the crap...

1) remember something you have seen and enjoyed
2) find something to cross reference it with (award it won, director etc)
3) find something in said list that you haven't seen

check out some reviews, and blam. insta-tainment. for instance i've watched every single winner and runner up of the "golden horse award : best action choreography" and enjoyed every single one, after watching "kung fu hustle" and seeing the golden horse thinger logo. the hardest part is actually getting your hands on the films

[Pxtl]

cold-hearted dick.

Yeah, I've heard Shamploo is fantastic for Bebop fans, since it's made by some of the same people and is basically "Cowboy Bebop in medieval Japan". obv. haven't seen it yet.

[rattle]

Armored Trooper VOTOMS is fun.

that and perhaps power puff girls

[Gertkane]

Since i am one of those who only like a few animes here and there and for some reason cannot stand the most of them, the following i have enjoyed watching:

Ghost in the Shell - Classic.
Ghost in the Shell 2 - Much more puzzling than the first one and for me, even better.
Ninja Scroll movie - First anime. Crazy fights, crazy gore.
Bebop - Straight out best anime i have watched (and i cannot stand the likes of trigun etc.)
Rurouni Kenshin OVA-s - As someone mentioned, the regular series etc. are crap compared to this.
Princess Mononoke - As childish as the name might be, it is really good. If you like it then you should check out some other works by Miyazaki.
Champloo - Watched it, was ok, nothing else to say.

For the last couple of years it has been difficult for me to watch a new anime due to the fact that i end up waling away scarred as some series have really good episodes but then crash faster than the economy. However, just recently there was a change so i would like to add another one to this list:

Vexille - Similar to the original GITS in a way. Very cool action with nice music to keep it going. Some few things were over the top but it did remind me that anime has always been good at depicting cyberpunk and thus, restored part of my faith.

[oksnoop2]

that and perhaps power puff girls

I enjoyed this show when it was on Cartoon Cartoon Fridays.

[Panda]

I thought I should write something about the animes that I mentioned. I don't think that everyone her is familiar with all of them.

The Twelve Kingdoms - Is about a Japanese girl, Yoko, who was transported to another kingdom and finds out that she is actually the queen of the kingdom of Kei. There are several other countries in the alternate world and she makes friends with many of the people already there while overcoming the difficulties that she is faced with when it comes to ruling a kingdom.

There's plenty of magic, mystical, shape-shifting creatures, and adventure in The Twelve Kingdoms. It contains some great plot twists and, overall, this is a great anime. I especially like the soundtrack too.

I don't know if a lot of children would really pay attention to this anime, unless they like fantasy stories and curious about things like how to rule a kingdom, and it deals with some complex issues so I wouldn't recommend this anime for children.

The Count of Monte Cristo Gankutsuou - This story is set in the 51st century. The characters Albert and Franz meet on Luna (Rome). Albert meets the Counto of Monte Cristo and the Count promises to visit him in Paris. As the anime progresses, the Count's back-story is pieced together and many side-plots unfold.

There are a lot of supernatural elements, plenty of mystery and some complex issues addressed in this anime. If you don't mind the art style (which is very colorful and I like it), this anime will definitely keep you attention, because you're always wondering what will happen next. I thought that the actions of the characters and what the count said during the execution scene to be interesting. This is a great anime, but is definitely not for children.

Iria - Iria's other brother and his partner are bounty hunters who go on a rescue mission on a hijacked spaceship. They find that the hijacker is a seemingly indestructible alien called Zeiram that broke out of the cargo hold and started to massacre the crew. Bob is critically wounded while evacuating survivors and Gren is lost while attempting to kill Zeiram by destroying the Karma (something on the alien's head that keeps it alive). When Iria returns the planet Myce, she is targeted by assassins working for a corporation owned by Karma. She discovers a covered-up plot to control and use Zeiram as a weapon and escapes with the help Fujikuro. She is, then, reunited with Bob who has had is mind downloaded into a computer program because he never recovered from his injuries. Next, they continue to investigate rumors of Zeiram appearing on Myce, and try to find out what happened to Gren.

Iria is action-packed that has a great story. The relationships between the characters are well-developed and presented. As the anime approaches the end, the story becomes more fantastic. This is not likely to be an anime that children would like, but teenagers, older people, especially sci-fi fans, would probably really enjoy it.

Metropolis - Metropolis is pretty popular and it was aired on Adult Swim, so I wouldn't be surprised if plenty of anime fans have heard of it. It's rated PG-13 for violence, so it's not for small kids, but teens can watch it.

It's set in an industrial tri-level world where Duke Red is a powerful leader who plans to unveil a highly advanced robot named Tima. However, his violent son Rock doesn't trust robots, and tries to find and destroy Tima. In this world there is a lot of tension between humans and robots. Tima is lost in a labyrinth beneath Metropolis, and has made friends with the nephew of a Japanese detective, but when the two of them are separated by the Duke, Tima's life is in danger along with the fate of the universe.

This is a sweet and dynamic story that deals with issues of poverty, trust, power struggles, insanity, friendship, love, and war. It's enjoyable to watch, but I doubt that children would understand it even though the main characters are a child and a robot. I'm not sure about whether or not it's real popular among teens either, unless they're sci-fi fans.

Macross Plus - This anime has already been recommended in this thread by other people. Most people have heard of Macross Plus, so I'm not going to add a description. I would just like to add that it has an awesome soundtrack and that Yoko Kanno is one of my favorite singers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thdb0hDj ... Jfy-Giw-hQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFGBFq2v ... TJaLINjtWM

Hellsing - A secret war in which humanity is the pawn, is going on. The Hellsing organization is a secret organization that protects the mortal world from vampirs. Artificial vampires start to appear so the organization is forced to call on a rogue vampire named Alacard to help. He changes the dying Seras Victoria into a vampire and the fight against an undead army while she learns to control her hunger. Next, the organization is faced with a traitor leaking classified information to a reporter and the Valentine Brothers leading their undead army on a raid against the Hellsing headquarters. Next the helsing organizations war agains the undead intensifies and they suffer major losses. Alucard hs to confron a deadly Paladin and then the original undead, Incognito, as Integra fights for her life against her sister (?). Alacard is faced with confronting the traitor and Incognito while at the same time protecting the Queen and Intergra's life. Seras has to make a choice about what she has become and Integra's connection with Alacard is revealed.

this was a fun series to watch, a great vampire story. Children shouldn't watch this series because of all of the violence, but, unfortunately, I don't think that a lot of people really monitor that kind of thing, especially with how popular the vampire story fad is these days. There aren't any sparkling, emo, vampires in this series, so maybe that's why it hasn't caught on so well, but it is still fun to watch even if you aren't a complete vampire fanatic. It's reminiscent of the classic Dracula story.

Vision of Escaflowne - Hitomi Kanzaki is transported to the world of Gaea, a planet where she can see Earth and the moon in the sky. Hitomi's latent psychic powers are enhanced on Gaea and she plays a big role in a conflict between the Zaibach Empire and many peaceful surrounding countries. The conflicts occur because the Zaibach empire is trying to revive the legendary power of the ancient city of Atlantis. As the story progresses, the characters' pasts, motivations, and the history of Atlantis and the true nature of Gaea are revealed.

The series and the movie are both great. The animation in the movie is better than the series, but I think that the plot and character development is much better in the series. I don't think that kids would like this series, but I'm sure that a lot of teens would because it has a lot of dramatic scenes.

Moribito - Balsa is a spear wielding warrior woman, who saves peoples lives in atonement for a past sin. She happens to save a prince and ends up with the task of becoming his bodyguard. It gets to where she is required to protect the prince because, his father, the emperor wants him dead even though he's only a boy.

Balsa is my hero. The animation is great and the story has many memorable characters and plenty of great fight scenes. This anime was clearly not written for kids, but I think that a lot of young women who are into anime would really enjoy watching it.

Shura No Toki - This series is about a brave warrior, Yakumo Mitsu, from the mysterious Mutsu clan whose deadly art made them able to defeat any samurai. At the beginning of the series Musashi Miyamoto, the great samurai, meets a young nobleman who he saves, but does not wish to become a body guard. Instead he recommends that a passerby whom he senses has great potential. That passerby is is Yakumo! The adventures continue in this exciting martial arts anime from there.

If you like martial arts animes with some light-hearted best friends moments in it, this is the series for you. The fight scenes are exciting, but this isn't what I would call a real intense anime. It's mainly just fun to watch. Teens and adults who are into martial arts animes that aren't goofy like Ranma would like this series, kids wouldn't.

[KDR_11k]

In Germany Metropolis is known as Steel Angel IIRC because the Fritz Lang movie (which the anime is inspired by but doesn't copy 100%, it feels like they mixed some Bladerunner in there) is still trademarked.

[Panda]

Wikipedia says that it's a mixture between the manga and the Fritz Lang movie. The Fritz Lang movie is quite famous looks like it has an interesting plot, but I'm not sure why they decided to combine the two.

[enetheru]

** Code Geass **
best anime I have ever seen.

except for possibly ** The Irresponsible Captain Tylor ** which is a space comedy full of so much win.

also for just good story, ** The Girl Who Leapt Through Time **

Other enjoyable ones are:
** Claymore ** - demon slaying blond chicks
** Damekko Dobutsu ** - although its fairly weird
** The Mysterious Cities of Gold ** - reliving childhood memories
** Azumanga Daioh ** - one for the girls, but boys beware it will melt your brain.(srsly)

Appleseed (movie 2004)
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind...

/me also likes these

Someone recommended to me a series called "deathnote"...is that any good?worth watching?

I enjoyed it. although probably wont watch it twice

Full Metal Alchemist

also like

Jin Roh
Record of Lodoss War

Ive watched jin roh, didnt raelly think alot about it so cant remember. but the Lodoss war serieses are alright, even if they are a bit RPG'ish

I call on the spirits of fire to vanquish my enemies

bleh.(lodoss war quote)

Metropolis

same art style as astroboy, cute movie that tugs heart strings.(I bought this one)

[Panda]

also for just good story, ** The Girl Who Leapt Through Time **

Neat, time travel. What else can you tel me about this anime? Is kind of like "Returner"? "Returner" is a Japanese science fiction about a female soldier from the year 2084 who oges back in time to save the human race from extinction at the hands of an alien race, the "Daggra".

Kaiser, have you seen the "Returner"? If you haven't, you might like it. It's good asian cinema.

** Azumanga Daioh ** - one for the girls, but boys beware it will melt your brain.(srsly)

You're right it's funny, but should not be taken seriously.

Someone recommended to me a series called "deathnote"...is that any good?worth watching?

I enjoyed it. although probably wont watch it twice

The movie was pretty good.

Full Metal Alchemist

also like

Good series, but I wouldn't watch it twice.

Record of Lodoss War

Ive watched jin roh, didnt raelly think alot about it so cant remember. but the Lodoss war serieses are alright, even if they are a bit RPG'ish

I agree with you about the Lodoss War serieses, they're good, but a bit RPGish.

Metropolis

same art style as astroboy, cute movie that tugs heart strings.(I bought this one)

I haven't heard of Astroboy and am not sure if I would like. What's it about anyway?

[enetheru]

also for just good story, ** The Girl Who Leapt Through Time **

Neat, time travel. What else can you tel me about this anime? Is kind of like "Returner"? "Returner" is a Japanese science fiction about a female soldier from the year 2084 who oges back in time to save the human race from extinction at the hands of an alien race, the "Daggra".Kaiser, have you seen the "Returner"? If you haven't, you might like it. It's good asian cinema.

actually its a bit of a teen coming of age flic. where a girl discovers that she has power to travel through time.

I haven't heard of Astroboy and am not sure if I would like. What's it about anyway?

my mouth is hanging wide open..... srsly..

its the future and robots with sentience are common. but they are treated like slaves etc. astroboy is a boy robot built by an evil genious, amazingly strong and powerful, but he's super nice.

the episodes from the 80's all go along the lines of nefarious people treating robots badly and creating them for evil purposes, which then astroboy has to destroy the evil robots.

the real kicker is that astroboy laments at the killing, constantly saying "it doesnt have to be this way" and is all sad every time he destroys other robots.

the newer series created recently doesn't have the emotional overtones that defined the earlier series, and the even newer movie looks devoid of any good qualities.

/me picks jaw up off the floor