Anime TV series

JazzBlack

I blasted through the Death Note series after it being breifly shown in a lecture on Japanese animation at Uni.

Im familier with alot of Anime movies but not so many TV series and i need somthing to fill the void Death Note has left.

Any recommendations?

SkyGheNe

Darker than Black. Good series, rushed ending, but one of the more serious anime that don't do lame chibi jokes in the middle of their episodes.

MoSiAc

If you actually watched the whole series of Death Note, I think you'll be surprised to see some good series. I'm not saying Death Note was bad, but it falls flat about halfway through IMHO.

I'd check out old Full Metal Alchemist it has some comedic bits, but overall a great story.

Cowboy Bebop always comes to mind.
If you watch Bebop and like it you can check out Samurai Champloo. A little different but I still enjoyed the story.


Naruto (with proper warnrings) it's long, and there is a lot of episodes you can do without. The main story though I think is still really good if they do a "Kai" version of this show just to cut out all the unimportant stuff I think it would be really good.

I've heard great things about Darker than Black.

Then there is Gonzo anime. This stuff gets insane. Most people know him because of the latest series about some girls that don't wear pants and have rocket feet or some such. He has way better shows. One being Speed Grapher. It takes a bit to get into but the story is wild. Also there is a version of an old Japanese movie called Samurai Seven, or Seven Samurai. One is the movie title, the other is the anime. I really can't recommend that one enough. Watch it!

(I use he for Gonzo because I can't remember if its just a guy's pen name they use for the studio or if it's just a studio name).

msuitepyon

Cannot recommend Cowboy Bebop enough.

Barrakketh

Check out Baccano, and don't let the first episode or two put you off. The story is told in the style of Pulp Fiction and it features immortal mobsters. I believe the dub is still on Hulu, and the dub itself is really good.

For something with giant fucking robots and tons of awesome look no further than Gurren Lagann.

Black Lagoon (the dub) kind of reminds me of those bad action movies I hate but way over the top and a sociopath for the main female protagonist. I'd pretty good.

You should also take a look at the Kara no Kyoukai movies. The first one is kinda heavy on the :words: (I liked it). They aren't in chronological order, so feel free to watch the third or fifth movies first if you feel the need. I can't think of a good way to adequately describe the series, but it is very well produced. The anime is based on the novels by Type-Moon.

Kyougu

Full Metal Alchemist is so good. There's a series that ended a couple of years ago, and then a new ongoing series that is based directly on the manga. They're both worth watching.

People love the crap out of One Piece, but I could never get into it. Like Naruto, there's tons of episodes, so catching up won't be easy.

Baccanno! is a really fun series too.

Oh, and School Days.

No. Don't watch School Days.

MushroomStick

Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex, Berserk, FLCL, Gurren Lagann, Samurai 7, etc...

Enc

There are dozens of kick-ass shows on Crunchy Roll, where you can stream them for free (as they air, in fact). I'd recommend Gintama, not as badass as Death Note, but it is pretty hilarious and entertaining.

Website: http://www.crunchyroll.com/

Tofystedeth

Paranoia Agent, is really weird, but pretty good. It's by the guy who did Millenium Actress, Perfect Blue, Tokyo Godfathers, and a few other movies if you're familiar with those.

FLCL is short, and bizarre, and you really need to be aware of anime tropes to get all the humor, but it's a lot of fun. There is a lot happening on the screen and in the dialogue, so it can take multiple viewings to get everything, especially since stuff that happens near the end can make earlier stuff more clear. Fortunately, at 6 episodes it's easy to get through, and well worth the time spent. It also has, in my opinion, the best music in any anime show other than Cowboy Bebop.


Watch Cowboby Bebop.

edit:Also, I'll reaffirm the recomendations for Full Metal Alchemist. Quite good.

Fantasma

Maybe old, but still good is Neon Genesis Evangelion http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neon_Genesis_Evangelion_(anime).

Also, if you can find the movies, try Alita Battle Angel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_Angel_OVA

saint2e

Full Metal Panic and it's sequels are really good and quite accessible to pretty much everyone.
Ghost in the Shell: SAC is another good series for that.

The LandoStander

There have been threads about this before but I'll re-iterate my recommendations with the understanding that you want ONLY series.

Cowboy Bebop -

This can ruin all other anime for some people because it is really amazing. Ironically Keanu Reeves and Fox entertainment will be ruining Cowboy Bebop in the future as a live action movie.

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (1st and 2nd Gig) -

You don't need to have watched the original Ghost in the Shell movie or Ghost in the Shell: Innocence (Indeed the series is essentially canonically separate from the movies and manga) but the Solid State Society movie is related to this series and takes place after the series has closed. This is another anime that like Cowboy Bebop features the musical work of Yoko Kanno, who's involvement in a an anime is a surprisingly good indicator of quality (with an exception for Wolf's Rain).

Trigun -

Something of an old stand by with decent animation quality an good English voice actors, though some of the translations on Vash's nickname annoy devoted fans of the Humanoid Typhoon. This one features a main character who goes between utterly idiotic and deadly serious bad ass. Towards the end it gets a little strange/spiritual in my opinion but it's really for the best.

FLCL -

Requires a certain tolerance for things that don't make sense. If you can't stand stories that don't explain things or give you a nice set of rules by which everything behaves then you may not enjoy this. That being said I really love this series, and the English voice cast is great.

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann -

This anime is extreme, over the top mecha action. The animation is nice and the characters somewhat larger than life. I will warn, as I always do with this series that it ends with what I view as a giant WTF moment. If you're not a fan of those you can stop the anime on the last episode at the line "Let's go home" and pretend that that's how it ended.

Martian Successor Nadesico -

This is what I would consider a classic mecha. Around the time that I bought the VHS tapes (yeah it's been around awhile) it purported itself to be Japan's #1 Anime, a claim I'm not sure it can really make but still it's a very good and somewhat comical series. The English voice cast does a great job as well.

Those Who Hunt Elves -

This anime is bad but in a way that makes it really enjoyable to watch, especially in groups. I often liken it to a Bruce Campbell movie. You go in knowing this isn't going to be high end stuff and the reward is a very amusing if a bit outrageous adventure through a fantasy land invaded by a group of people from our world with a tank.

Bubble Gum Crisis Tokyo 2040 -

This is the third take on the Bubble Gum Crisis series and the only one to be successfully completed. The animation quality is really nice and the story is rather compelling, strong female characters in super suits trying to put a stop to raging robots marketed by an unscrupulous and shady corporation. The English dubs for this series are pretty good.

Outlaw Star -

If you enjoy the sort of Old Western feel of Cowboy Bebop then you might also enjoy this series a bit. There's a little more sci-fi to it with alien races, mecha styled ships as well as a bit of Eastern mysticism. It can be lighthearted and serious with some truly touching episodes.

Big O -

Batman + James Bond + Mecha + Film Noir style = Big O. The theme song leaves a bit to be desired but this is really an interesting series. A city in which nobody remembers what happend beyond 20 years ago, a man who negotiates anything and who happens to have a giant mecha from a time that people have forgotten. Towards the end things get a little abstract and weird but all in all very good stuff and a unique style to the animation.

Sorcerer Hunters -

I really liked this anime despite it's animation quality being kind of mid-range. It was one of the first series I got into and really liked the English voice actors for. A somewhat rag-tag group of 'warriors' who hunt down magic users at the behest of a goddess like "Big Mama". It tends to be mostly comedic with increasing seriousness towards the series' end.

Gundam: 8th MS Team -

Eventually in anime you'll encounter some entry into the Gundam series. In my opinion this is really the best incarnation of the series as it deals with normal mecha pilots engaged in guerilla warfare. Other entries in the series tend towards focusing on exceptional pilots who seem never to lose and spend their time talking about philosophy while fighting in space or some such. This installment however feels a bit more real to me, that being a relative term given the content of all mecha anime.

The Last Exile -

This is really a great anime. Taking place in a world that blends the ethics/chivalry of Napoleonic Warfare with the age of battleships and fledgling aviation. Following a pair of friends who fly their way through the culmination of the war between the world's two super powers.

Genshiken -

Unlike most other anime that might be recommended in this thread Genshiken is a sort of "slice of life" anime. Nobody dies, there aren't any massive battles or explosions. It's follows the members of a small and often looked down upon club known as "The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture." Essentially a group of Otaku and one reluctant non-Otaku girlfriend. This is an anime you might even be able to watch with a girlfriend of your own!

SilverCat

I must be missing something, how has nobody recommended Code Geass yet? It's like Deathnote except it doesn't get a lot worse 3/4 of the way through..(also cant go wrong with fullmetal alchemist which has already been mentioned a few times)

shadydentist

SilverCat wrote: »

I must be missing something, how has nobody recommended Code Geass yet? It's like Deathnote except it doesn't get a lot worse 3/4 of the way through..(also cant go wrong with fullmetal alchemist which has already been mentioned a few times)

Its comparable to Death Note, but somehow I preferred Death Note.

Adding another vote for Fullmetal Alchemist (the new one is available on Hulu and the Funimation site, which is a plus).

Also, while I'm not sure I'd call Gankutsuou good, its certainly an experience.

Barrakketh

SilverCat wrote: »

I must be missing something, how has nobody recommended Code Geass yet? It's like Deathnote except it doesn't get a lot worse 3/4 of the way through..(also cant go wrong with fullmetal alchemist which has already been mentioned a few times)

I've never watched Death Note but can say that Lelouch is truly a magnificent bastard. I watched the first season after it aired on a recommendation and enjoyed it enough that I followed the second season as it aired.

The second season ended up being...unique in that they ended up getting moved to a new audience (different time slot) and had to scrap the original plans for the new season. It is still fabulous and ends on a cliffhanger almost every fucking episode. The post-episode discussion in the anime thread was also awesome.

Heartlash

Code Geass is solid, though definitely plays off more stereotypical anime conventions (Giant robots, high school, etc).

I have to second those who've recommended Berserk. It's very low budget, but has excellent character development and deals with some pretty intense, shakespearian themes.

Psychotic One

One Piece - Rubber Man, a legendary bounty hunter who wields three swords at the same time, a theif who steals from pirates, a cook with a wicked roundhouse kick, a talking Reigndeer man, and a sniper who spins tall tales. There is more to the cast but if you need more than that check your heart you maybe dead.

MindLib

Seconded(ord fithted or whatever):

Last Exile
FLCL
Cowboy Bebop
Samurai Champloo

And...

Rah Xephon (amazing)
Shura no Toki

Nappuccino

Heartlash wrote: »

Code Geass is solid, though definitely plays off more stereotypical anime conventions (Giant robots, high school, etc).

I have to second those who've recommended Berserk. It's very low budget, but has excellent character development and deals with some pretty intense, shakespearian themes.

For Beserk, I'd recommened reading the manga, it goes much farther than that anime does (the anime covers volumes 3-12 (or so) and the manga is in the mid 30's now. Not to mention it's just brilliantly well done on almost all angles. I haven't seen the anime, but from what I've heard it removes some of the subtleties of the characters and some of the poetic visual metaphors and icons.

DragonPup

There's also a good supply of anime to watch online both free and legal.

Hulu (Gurren Lagann is here, but its not under the anime heading for some reason...)

Funimation

YouTube

MKR

shadydentist wrote: »

SilverCat wrote: »

I must be missing something, how has nobody recommended Code Geass yet? It's like Deathnote except it doesn't get a lot worse 3/4 of the way through..(also cant go wrong with fullmetal alchemist which has already been mentioned a few times)

Its comparable to Death Note, but somehow I preferred Death Note.

Adding another vote for Fullmetal Alchemist (the new one is available on Hulu and the Funimation site, which is a plus).

Also, while I'm not sure I'd call Gankutsuou good, its certainly an experience.

Also, the Funimation version of FMA is two weeks ahead of Hulu.

Tofystedeth

Gah, I can't believe I forgot to recommend Stand Alone Complex and Trigun.

I fricken love Trigun.

I have a soft spot for badass pacifists.

I called them badassifists.

The LandoStander

DragonPup wrote: »

There's also a good supply of anime to watch online both free and legal.

Hulu (Gurren Lagann is here, but its not under the anime heading for some reason...)

I didn't notice Gurren Lagann like you said on the Anime tab but I would also add that the Subtitled version of Gurren Lagann is much more recommended than the dubbed version, and I'm a guy who'll usually support the Dubbed version of most recent anime series. The main character in Gurren Lagann is named Simon which to the subtitled version comes out as "Shi-Mo-N" but the dubbed version, in the way that sometimes happens instead of calling him just Simon they call him something much more like Semen. I tried watching a dubbed episode and after a few minutes had to switch back.

Also, I forgot to suggest Air Gear it's like some kind of mix between a highschool battle anime and maybe a dash of sports anime since the fights take place on turbo charged rollerblade looking deals. Though if you stream it from Netflix's instant watch there's a smattering of nudity. Also, if you're the type who likes music from anime it may be worth noting that Air Gear won an award for its music if I recall.

Chen

The LandoStander wrote: »

The main character in Gurren Lagann is named Simon which to the subtitled version comes out as "Shi-Mo-N" but the dubbed version, in the way that sometimes happens instead of calling him just Simon they call him something much more like Semen. I tried watching a dubbed episode and after a few minutes had to switch back.

Hahahahahaha hi5

Great minds think alike. Isn't that right, Barrakketh? ;-)

GrimReaper

I always loved the Robotech (Macross in Japan) series, but then.. it was on tv when I was a kid.. so I tend to have a soft spot for it.

Heartlash

Nappuccino wrote: »

Heartlash wrote: »

Code Geass is solid, though definitely plays off more stereotypical anime conventions (Giant robots, high school, etc).

I have to second those who've recommended Berserk. It's very low budget, but has excellent character development and deals with some pretty intense, shakespearian themes.

For Beserk, I'd recommened reading the manga, it goes much farther than that anime does (the anime covers volumes 3-12 (or so) and the manga is in the mid 30's now. Not to mention it's just brilliantly well done on almost all angles. I haven't seen the anime, but from what I've heard it removes some of the subtleties of the characters and some of the poetic visual metaphors and icons.

The anime makes a few glaring edits, but given the scope of what the it covers they don't damage the overall experience. Many of them involve removal of nudity, etc. The most glaring, though, is the omission of Skull Knight, but he doesn't play too large a role in that portion of the story anyway.

The manga is fantastic, though lately I've gotten the sense that it's slipping into "overly long franchise with no cohesive ending in mind" mode. Still definitely worth a read, though.

E.Coyote

I'll add Mushishi and Bleach to the list.

Sir Red of the Manti

E.Coyote wrote: »

I'll add Mushishi and Bleach to the list.

Word of caution when recommending Bleach, the series has a good start to it for about 20 episodes before the whole thing turns Jump. Then it snowballs and becomes a several hundred episode/chapter quest where eventually the main character will end up fighting God at some point. If you've got a thing for such stories then by all means feel free to watch it, but don't expect a lot of depth.
Edit: Oh, and beware the non-canon arcs.

ED!

I don't really know the OP's tastes or interests, but I enjoyed Monster, Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi, Welcome To The NHK! and 12 Kingdoms. Of course there are more than that, but those are series that had me hooked from start to finish. NHK and 12 Kingdoms are especially good for their genre (although 12 Kingdoms left me wanting a LOT more).

The LandoStander

Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi is a good anime, especially if you enjoyed FLCL or other anime that doesn't strive to make a great deal of sense all the time.

The Excel Saga takes this sort of idea to the extreme and in the end doesn't come out quite a polished and cool as FLCL or as endearing as Abenobashi. Still if this is the type of anime you like then Excel Saga would be something to investigate.

Bleach - Skip the non-manga arcs, or just read the manga.

Naruto - Similar to Bleach you do run into quite a bit of filler episodes but it at least avoids as much non-manga story arc action.

Slicer

If you enjoyed the psychological stuff in Death Note, Kaiji is a bit like that only with games of life or death instead of a notebook that kills people.

Alternatively, a whole bunch of folks in the D&D anime thread have just started watching Gakutsuou, which is based on the Count of Monte Cristo and has trippy art so that might be worth checking out if you like either of those.

Psychotic One

I liked Excel Saga a whole bunch. Having the DVDs with the VH1 style pop ups explaining some fo the cultural jokes makes it really entertaining. The series brings me great joy on each viewing. My tears are like waterfalls of joy!

Zombiemambo

Two short but sweet recommendations:

- Fooly Cooly (only 6 episodes but man, what a ride)

- Gurren Lagann (clocks in at 27 rock-your-fucking-socks-off episodes, each one topping the last in absurdity)

Dr Snofeld

Psychotic One wrote: »

I liked Excel Saga a whole bunch. Having the DVDs with the VH1 style pop ups explaining some fo the cultural jokes makes it really entertaining. The series brings me great joy on each viewing. My tears are like waterfalls of joy!

I will point out that Excel Saga is not for everyone. You need to have the right mindset for it. Of course those of us who do are generally superior to the rest of humanity. :P

I haven't actually seen Death Note, but I will reccomend Stand Alone Complex and Fullmetal Alchemist anyway. So awesome.

JazzBlack

cheers for all the recomends ill start checking some o these out. started watching through Cowboy bebop the other day and enjoying it so far

MoSiAc

Heartlash wrote: »

Nappuccino wrote: »

Heartlash wrote: »

Code Geass is solid, though definitely plays off more stereotypical anime conventions (Giant robots, high school, etc).

I have to second those who've recommended Berserk. It's very low budget, but has excellent character development and deals with some pretty intense, shakespearian themes.

For Beserk, I'd recommened reading the manga, it goes much farther than that anime does (the anime covers volumes 3-12 (or so) and the manga is in the mid 30's now. Not to mention it's just brilliantly well done on almost all angles. I haven't seen the anime, but from what I've heard it removes some of the subtleties of the characters and some of the poetic visual metaphors and icons.

The anime makes a few glaring edits, but given the scope of what the it covers they don't damage the overall experience. Many of them involve removal of nudity, etc. The most glaring, though, is the omission of Skull Knight, but he doesn't play too large a role in that portion of the story anyway.

The manga is fantastic, though lately I've gotten the sense that it's slipping into "overly long franchise with no cohesive ending in mind" mode. Still definitely worth a read, though.

This is only happening because the author of Berserk is on hiatus until he gets his IDOLM@STER obsession taken care of. Yeah I'm not kidding. He doesn't want to work because he likes to play games where you dress girls up and make them sing......

darkmayo

Denno Coil - highly recommend this one.
Last Exile - fantastic series watch it.
D Grey Man (as usual the non canon story arcs are to be avoided.)

Tofystedeth

The LandoStander wrote: »

Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi is a good anime, especially if you enjoyed FLCL or other anime that doesn't strive to make a great deal of sense all the time.

The Excel Saga takes this sort of idea to the extreme and in the end doesn't come out quite a polished and cool as FLCL or as endearing as Abenobashi. Still if this is the type of anime you like then Excel Saga would be something to investigate.

Bleach - Skip the non-manga arcs, or just read the manga.

Naruto - Similar to Bleach you do run into quite a bit of filler episodes but it at least avoids as much non-manga story arc action.

Having sat through both filler seasons, I'd be hard pressed to say which had more and which was worse. On the one hand, Bleach's filler was all a contiguous arc, which was overall higher quality than Naruto's, but it was interminable.

Narutos was a bunch of one-off episodes and mini-arcs, some of which were downright awful, but at least they changed frequently, and you got to learn more about the side characters. Still felt like it lasted forever.

Psychotic One

One Piece has some pretty good filler. Usually just a few episodes long to fill in gaps of space then back to the main story. And they actually fit in rather well with the main story.

Scalfin

Has anybody recommended the Baccano! dub?

Barrakketh

Scalfin wrote: »

Has anybody recommended the Baccano! dub?

Fifth post ITT.