Anime Recommendations Thread

[Fio]

Thanks for the hint EricTheFred! I'm currently watching Busou Renkin (on the net, thou) and really enjoying it. ^^

[detmi7mile]

Ok hey guys, I'm looking for any of the following types:

slice of life, everyday school situations, romance, samurai action, or drama/action type

Not really looking for any magical girl type stuff or random spaceships coming to earth with girls who fall in love with boys. I just need something sort of normal lol.

Here is what I have seen so far:

Full Metal Panic (All)
School Rumble (Both Seasons)
Samurai Champloo
Eureka 7
KimiKiss Pure Rouge
Suzuka
Rumbling Hearts
Black Lagoon (Both Seasons)
Lovely Complex
Honey and Clover
Aishietrzue..blah blah baby lol
Bleach

Thanks!!

[Radical Dreamer]

Ok hey guys, I'm looking for any of the following types:

slice of life, everyday school situations, romance, samurai action, or drama/action type

Not really looking for any magical girl type stuff or random spaceships coming to earth with girls who fall in love with boys. I just need something sort of normal lol.

Here is what I have seen so far:

Full Metal Panic (All)
School Rumble (Both Seasons)
Samurai Champloo
Eureka 7
KimiKiss Pure Rouge
Suzuka
Rumbling Hearts
Black Lagoon (Both Seasons)
Lovely Complex
Honey and Clover
Aishietrzue..blah blah baby lol
Bleach

Thanks!!

Slice of Life/Supernatural: Air TV -- For the first several episodes, it leans more toward slice of life, however, it does have an underlying plotline with a more supernatural spin.

Samurai Action/Romance/Comedy: Rurouni Kenshin -- Definitely look into this one]Romance/Comedy/Drama:[/B] Full Moon wo Sagashite -- It IS a romance/comedy/drama, but also with a supernatural spin: the 12 year-old, cancer-laden lead character meets two shinigami who allow her to become a healthy 16 year-old so that she can pursue her dream of singing. Based on the list you've posted, though, I'd most definitely suggest it. It's a wonderful series. XD

[Chrysolite]

I'm looking for an anime and/or manga series to buy for my sister as a coming-home gift. Since there's no guarantee she'll like it I'd like to keep it somewhat low-budget. Therefore, I'd like one that is reasonably short (no longer than 26 episodes, a movie, or 5 volumes for manga) and doesn't have too much bad content. I don't mind magic unless it's portrayed in a uncomfortably realistic way. What I'm most concerned about is sexual content, nudity, and cursing-every-sentence language. The genre doesn't matter nearly as much as the quality of the story, but since it's for my sister, she'd prefer something with a happy ending and a decent romance, but also an engaging plot. She likes both Saint Tail and Naruto, so that gives you an idea of how broad her horizons are. Your suggestions are highly appreciated!

[EricTheFred]

I'm looking for an anime and/or manga series to buy for my sister as a coming-home gift. Since there's no guarantee she'll like it I'd like to keep it somewhat low-budget. Therefore, I'd like one that is reasonably short (no longer than 26 episodes, a movie, or 5 volumes for manga) and doesn't have too much bad content. I don't mind magic unless it's portrayed in a uncomfortably realistic way. What I'm most concerned about is sexual content, nudity, and cursing-every-sentence language. The genre doesn't matter nearly as much as the quality of the story, but since it's for my sister, she'd prefer something with a happy ending and a decent romance, but also an engaging plot. She likes both Saint Tail and Naruto, so that gives you an idea of how broad her horizons are. Your suggestions are highly appreciated!

Since cost is a factor, I'm sticking to stuff that is available in complete collections:

I'm torn as to whether to propose "Scrapped Princess" a good one for you. I'll throw it out here and ask others to thumbs up or down.

Escaflowne (the movie) has a lot to recommend it. DNAngel does as well, and a clearer happy ending. You named two titles that are aimed at younger audiences, so DNAngel is probably closest to it of what I've given so far.

If cute is more your sister's speed though, look at Angelic Layer.

[Chrysolite]

Thanks! Complete sets are exactly what I had in mind. She's already seen both Angelic Layer and DNAngel, and she liked them, but not as much as more intense, well written stuff like Buso Renkin and Princess Tutu (see how I pulled another shojo and shonen out of a hat ^-^) Strangely enough, I just read the review for Scrapped Princess, and it looked interesting. I'll have to do some research on Escaflowne.

Oh! Something else just crossed my mind. She's teaching herself Japanese and likes to use anime as a way of improving her vocabulary and grammar, so she wants to find titles where they speak normal, modern Japanese (like school settings), though she also likes the fantasy element. We just saw Kanon, and she loved it, but the box set isn't out yet. T-T

I really want to get good suggestions, so I think I'll post a list of some of her favorite anime, more or less in order of most beloved:

Saint Tail (our first anime and faithul favorite)
Full Moon O Sagashite
Fantastic Children
Princess Tutu (REALLY didn't like Krahe's dress)
Buso Renkin
Cardcaptor Sakura
Naruto
Kanon
Gunslinger Girl
Figure 17
Elemental Gelade
Petite Princess Yucie
Ultramaniac
School Rumble (though she doesn't like the fanservice)

She also loves the Miyazaki movies, and her favorite is Nausicaa.

[Josué Light]

A few of my favorite series:

1. Death Note
2. Trinity Blood
3. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion
4. Bleach
5. Blood+
6. Black Cat

A few others I have:

Tokko (a bit gorey)
Chrono Crusade
Tokyo Majin
Devil May Cry
El Cazador de la Bruja (not in english but with sub)
Black Lagoon

[EricTheFred]

Yay for Yucie and Tutu! Two titles that help convince my children I'm completely insane.

(And if you didn't like Krahe's dress, what about the nutjob butterfly guy in Busou Renkin? Okay, different gender, but still...)

Okay, in light of this list, I'll firm up on Scrapped Princess (although whether it's a happy ending or not is a little bit iffy) and I'm going to add the following:

Azumanga Daioh (comedy, slice-of-life, school)
Noir (action, similiar to Gunslinger Girls)
Fruits Basket (comedy, modern fantasy, school)
Kami-chu (if you can find it. I think this may be a Geneon title.)

And maybe Noein, if heavy sci-fi plots are okay. The characters are wonderful.

[Chrysolite]

Ah, yes. Papillon. Where do we find the patience to put up with him, and yet, where would the plot be without him? My sister and I want to buy the manga so we can go Jigglypuff on that dude's clothes. ^-^

Thanks for the suggestions! I've heard of most of them, but I'll look into it some more. I don't think she's interested in Azumanga Daioh or Fruits basket, since she's well aware of both of them and hasn't pursued them. I don't think we've ever even seen a strictly sci-i anime, which is surprising considering we were practically raised on Star Trek. Does Metropolis count?

[KBMaster]

I want to try to get my sister's boyfriend into anime, simply for the fact that he said he didn't like it and I took that as a challenge. He used dragonball z as a reference as to what he didn't like. I'm trying to think of something a bit more... sophisticated for him(no offense DBZ fans).

He likes animated shows like Spongebob and Family Guy, so something funny would definitely be good, although I don't really think he'd like a slice of life sort of thing.

On the other hand, an anime with awesome fight scenes and lots of explosions would be ideal for him.

As for objectionable content, I wouldn't want to show him anything with too much sexual content or fanservice(mainly fanservice).

I'm going to try and see if he'll like Monster, but it's just so loooong, lol. Thanks!

[jon_jinn]

I'm going to try and see if he'll like Monster, but it's just so loooong, lol. Thanks!

might i suggest that you try Cowboy Bebop. it's a good anime if you're trying to introduce somebody to anime.

[Fish and Chips]

Cowboy Bebop was basically tailor made for this.

[MangArtist]

Tsubasa: Resovior Chronicle

Have they finished that series yet(the show)? I got all the way to Tokyo Revelations 4 and can't find anymore.

[uc pseudonym]

T:RC is still running as a manga, but I believe the anime ended at 52 episodes and 3 OVAs or so.

[mysngoeshere56]

T:RC is still running as a manga, but I believe the anime ended at 52 episodes and 3 OVAs or so.

Yes, the manga's still running but the anime's done.

[MangArtist]

T_T Darn..... I hope some day they finish it in anime.

[eventide]

I want to try to get my sister's boyfriend into anime, simply for the fact that he said he didn't like it and I took that as a challenge. He used dragonball z as a reference as to what he didn't like. I'm trying to think of something a bit more... sophisticated for him(no offense DBZ fans).

He likes animated shows like Spongebob and Family Guy, so something funny would definitely be good, although I don't really think he'd like a slice of life sort of thing.

On the other hand, an anime with awesome fight scenes and lots of explosions would be ideal for him.

As for objectionable content, I wouldn't want to show him anything with too much sexual content or fanservice(mainly fanservice).

I'm going to try and see if he'll like Monster, but it's just so loooong, lol. Thanks!

Full Metal Panic-has a lot of action and comedy. I'm not a fan of it, but everyone else I know is. They say the second season is better than the first though.

Cowboy Bebop-good anime to start with, this is one that got a lot people hooked on anime to begin with.

Trigun-action,comedy,sci-fi,etc.. One of my all time favorites.

Outlaw Star-action,comedy,sci-fi. This one might be a little harder to find, it kind of runs in the same genre as the ones mentioned above.

[KBMaster]

How bad is the content in Tokyo Majin? I'm on the second episode and there has already been some nudity. Does it get much worse?

[animewarrior]

Hey all. I'm looking for some anime-style movies to kill some of my summer time with. I've already seen:

Dubbed:
Howl's Moving Castle (LOVE)
Kiki's Delivery Service (classic)
Laputa: Castle in the Sky (like alot)
Nausicaa: Valley of the Wind (alright)
Princess Mononoke (like)
Spirited Away (honestly I didn't like it much at all)
Whisper of the Heart (LOVE)
The Cat Returns (like)

I also just got "The Promised Place in our Early Days" aka "Beyond the Clouds, The Promised Place" in dub.. but I haven't watched it yet.

-I'm alright with violence as long as it doesn't exceed a PG-13 rating (aka not gory but blood in passing is alright)
-Please note nudity/sexual content (prefer if I can have none of it)
-Spiritual content please note.

I'm considering Paprika but I also heard someone on here say it's best for 18+ so I don't know..
So any recommendations?

[NOTE: I'm ok watching subs (official or fan-made)... just thought I'd make that clear...
and if there is a sub and a dub for a movie then recommend the less annoying
(aka if a dub is badly done recommend the sub) ]

[Radical Dreamer]

Hey all. I'm looking for some anime-style movies to kill some of my summer time with. I've already seen:

Dubbed:
Howl's Moving Castle (LOVE)
Kiki's Delivery Service (classic)
Laputa: Castle in the Sky (like alot)
Nausicaa: Valley of the Wind (alright)
Princess Mononoke (like)
Spirited Away (honestly I didn't like it much at all)
Whisper of the Heart (LOVE)
The Cat Returns (like)

I also just got "The Promised Place in our Early Days" aka "Beyond the Clouds, The Promised Place" in dub.. but I haven't watched it yet.

-I'm alright with violence as long as it doesn't exceed a PG-13 rating (aka not gory but blood in passing is alright)
-Please note nudity/sexual content (prefer if I can have none of it)
-Spiritual content please note.

I'm considering Paprika but I also heard someone on here say it's best for 18+ so I don't know..
So any recommendations?

[NOTE: I'm ok watching subs (official or fan-made)... just thought I'd make that clear...
and if there is a sub and a dub for a movie then recommend the less annoying
(aka if a dub is badly done recommend the sub) ]

I recommend Milennium Actress (it's wonderful, and is by the same director who did Paprika, Satoshi Kon). It's very clean, and almost nothing to worry about, unless a ghost-like woman who appears two or three times over the course of the movie rubs you the wrong way.

I would also recommend 5 Centimeters Per Second, directed by the same man that directed The Place Promised. It's very clean, so there's nothing to worry about there.

On Paprika, I would suggest waiting unless you think you can handle it. It's a very good movie, one of my favorites, but there is a disturbing almost-rape scene (really not even that...it's kind of hard to describe, actually XD) that happens to one of the characters. In addition to that, there are two different scenes with full female nudity. I love the movie and would love to recommend it, but those two factors make that hard to recommend to anyone, so judge for yourself before you make any decisions. I honestly have a hard time recommending it to anyone over the age of 17, really.

[jon_jinn]

Hey all. I'm looking for some anime-style movies to kill some of my summer time with. I've already seen:

Dubbed:
Howl's Moving Castle (LOVE)
Kiki's Delivery Service (classic)
Laputa: Castle in the Sky (like alot)
Nausicaa: Valley of the Wind (alright)
Princess Mononoke (like)
Spirited Away (honestly I didn't like it much at all)
Whisper of the Heart (LOVE)
The Cat Returns (like)

I also just got "The Promised Place in our Early Days" aka "Beyond the Clouds, The Promised Place" in dub.. but I haven't watched it yet.

-I'm alright with violence as long as it doesn't exceed a PG-13 rating (aka not gory but blood in passing is alright)
-Please note nudity/sexual content (prefer if I can have none of it)
-Spiritual content please note.

I'm considering Paprika but I also heard someone on here say it's best for 18+ so I don't know..
So any recommendations?

[NOTE: I'm ok watching subs (official or fan-made)... just thought I'd make that clear...
and if there is a sub and a dub for a movie then recommend the less annoying
(aka if a dub is badly done recommend the sub) ]

you might want to consider Cowboy Bebop. it's a very entertaining series and i'm sure you'll enjoy it. as for objectionable content, you might want to check the review in the Anime Reviews section, though i think you could probably take it.

[Elycien]

Hey all. I'm looking for some anime-style movies to kill some of my summer time with. I've already seen:

Dubbed:
Howl's Moving Castle (LOVE)
Kiki's Delivery Service (classic)
Laputa: Castle in the Sky (like alot)
Nausicaa: Valley of the Wind (alright)
Princess Mononoke (like)
Spirited Away (honestly I didn't like it much at all)
Whisper of the Heart (LOVE)
The Cat Returns (like)

I also just got "The Promised Place in our Early Days" aka "Beyond the Clouds, The Promised Place" in dub.. but I haven't watched it yet.

-I'm alright with violence as long as it doesn't exceed a PG-13 rating (aka not gory but blood in passing is alright)
-Please note nudity/sexual content (prefer if I can have none of it)
-Spiritual content please note.

I'm considering Paprika but I also heard someone on here say it's best for 18+ so I don't know..
So any recommendations?

[NOTE: I'm ok watching subs (official or fan-made)... just thought I'd make that clear...
and if there is a sub and a dub for a movie then recommend the less annoying
(aka if a dub is badly done recommend the sub) ]

It's not a movie - but as you liked so many Ghibli movies, I'd highly recommend Mushishi. It's a 26-episode series done in such a way that each episode is really like a 20-minute short film more than anything else. The art and music is lovely, really high-quality - like something Miyazaki could have done. There's no gore, no nudity or sex, and the only spiritual content is also very "natural" - there are creatures called mushi which cause supernatural phenomena, but they're depicted as real, natural living things and not as spirits or anything like that (although some misinformed characters treat them as spirits or gods in a few episodes).

It's quite slow-paced, and since each episode is separate it doesn't really have an overarching plot. That's not to say it's plotless, though, because each individual episode is really interesting.

I'd recommend sub because that's what I've been watching, but the dub isn't at all bad either - I'm just more used to hearing the Japanese. ^_^

[animewarrior]

Hey guys thanks for the recommendations... XD

I was in an electronics/video store and I ended up buying '5 Centimeters per Second" & 'Howl's Moving Castle". After watching 5 centimeters I realized that even though I LOVE action... I'm also a true romantic... and well that kind of suprised me because romance movies for me make me think "gag...." but blame all the crappy chick flicks created in Hollywood.

I've watched "The Place Promised in Our Early Days" and I absolutely adore that movie... such an unique storyline.. I'm planning on buying it if I can find it..

Millenium Actress doesn't look like my prefered art style but hey I'll give it a go.

I've been planning to get Cowboy Behop for a while now actually... and... *fans will hurt me for this* I saw the entire series on thin disks at the aforementioned store... for like...maybe $50... less than that if I remember correctly... however I'm always the one to watch the entire series (or at least the majority of the episodes) before buying an anime.... X[ ... sorry guys... I'll check it out and I'm sure it'll be as awesome as you say....but... erg.. I'll probably kick myself as soon as I finish the series.... *dies*

*phoenix down*Mushishi looks alright but I'm a shonen/mecha girl when it comes to anime usually... but my favourite genre is things like Wolf's Rain.... I don't even know how to classify it... but I'll check it out if it looks interesting to me on Wikipedia

thanks again all.
God Bless
-animewarrior

[Aleolus]

Can anyone give me a review of the third season of Zero no Tsukaima? I've seen the first two, and very much enjoied them, and I'm hoping the third season lives up to the reputation the first two establish!

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

I highly recommend Miyazaki's 'Future Boy Conan'.
The character designs are simple and not interesting and the art design as a whole isn't all that great (apart from excellent backgrounds and some good animation).
What makes this series though is the characters - they're great, the premise is very good and the story seems simple but becomes more complex as the time goes by. This has Miyazaki's signature all over it.
Another great thing about the series is that it has a lot of heart. Conan and his girl friend have a great lightly romantic relationship and Jimsy, their friend, is a little rough around the edges but also good fun. Those are only a few of the memorable characters.
Great action, great and relevant story and premise, great drama.

8.5/10 (1.5 points removed for simple and unappealing art design + several boring, uninspired episodes)

Has anyone else seen it?

[EricTheFred]

How bad is the content in Tokyo Majin? I'm on the second episode and there has already been some nudity. Does it get much worse?

Nudity is never much in TM. There's a few semi-disturbing moments scattered throughout, but you really have a pretty good overview of how graphic the series can be, in terms of both nudity and gore/violence, from what you have already seen.

I apologize if I am spacing on anything in specific, but if there was more anywhere else, it wasn't enough to burn itself into my brain cells. The series has several really good episodes, and, as bizarre as it may sound from what you have seen so far, it has a generally positive human story at its heart.

[Elycien]

Question for anyone who has seen Spice and Wolf. I watched the opening of that because it was done by a composer I really like, and fell in love not just with the song but with the animation and artwork. There was a bit of non-detailed nudity in that opening, though, so I wondered if it got any worse than that? I'd like to watch it if the content's good, though, because the art's beautiful and the story sounds intriguing.

[steeve]

hey this might be a really dumb question, but is there any christian anime? (for a fan, i really don't know diddly squat) i feel like if there were i would have heard of it by now -- especially here -- but in case im wrong, does ANYONE know of any??

[EricTheFred]

hey this might be a really dumb question, but is there any christian anime? (for a fan, i really don't know diddly squat) i feel like if there were i would have heard of it by now -- especially here -- but in case im wrong, does ANYONE know of any??

Well, since a lot of other people have popped up with this same question in the time I've been here, I have to say it can't be all that dumb..

It has a disappointing answer though. If your definition of anime is animation from Japan, than you shouldn't expect it. Christians only make up 1-2 percent of the populace over there (exact figure seems to vary by source. At any rate, there is certainly less than two million total.)

Having said that, you do find Christian themes sneak into anime here and there, in addition to a delight they seem to take in borrowing Christian (and everyone else's) religious symbols. But only a few creative sources in Japan are Christians, and they are working in a market that isn't making itself available to let them evangelize. So, you are a lot more likely to see bizarre misinterpretations rendered by non-Christians borrowing our religion, than good theology by people who know something about it.

Of course, I'm pretty sure the typical Anime representation of Esoteric Buddhism is pretty seriously off the mark, too, so we shouldn't feel put upon.

Personally, for Christian animation, I'm a big Veggie Tales fan, myself. I watch Japanese stuff mostly in search of good Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror.

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

The only Christian anime I know of is Osamu Tezuka's "In the Beginning: The Bible Stories". It was made in Japan for the Catholic Church (in Europe).