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Anime is overwhelming, where to start?
- Thread starter Scuba Steve
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Now and Then, Here and There. While on top of a smoke stack in an industrial park, the main protagonist Shūzo "Shu" Matsutani is transported to another world after attempting to defend an unknown girl, Lala-Ru. Lala-Ru possesses a pendant containing (somehow) a vast reservoir of water and she has the ability to control that water.
In this new world, Shu is beaten and interrogated. He is forced to join an army of children and pillage in search of water. He wishes to return home and also find the mysterious girl whom he tried to protect.
Much of the series deals with serious moral issues relating to war, the consequences of war, rape, democide, human brutality and the exploitation of children.
Hajime No Ippo. Feel-great boxing anime. Seriously, if you're having a down day, watching an episode (or 3) of this is sure to lighten your mood.
Monster. Surgeon is framed for a murder and has to go on the run, trying to solve the mystery and clear his name.
Kino's Journey. In Kino's Journey, the protagonist, Kino, accompanied by a talking motorcycle, a Brough Superior motorcycle named Hermes, travels through a mystical world of many different countries and forests, each unique in its customs and people. A phrase repeated in the anime and novels is "The world is not beautiful, therefore it is." Kino's Journey explores what the anime director Ryutaro Nakamura described as "a radical sense of 'beauty," and brutality, loneliness, nonsense, oppression and tragedy are often juxtaposed against compassion and a fairy-tale atmosphere.
In this new world, Shu is beaten and interrogated. He is forced to join an army of children and pillage in search of water. He wishes to return home and also find the mysterious girl whom he tried to protect.
Much of the series deals with serious moral issues relating to war, the consequences of war, rape, democide, human brutality and the exploitation of children.
Hajime No Ippo. Feel-great boxing anime. Seriously, if you're having a down day, watching an episode (or 3) of this is sure to lighten your mood.
Monster. Surgeon is framed for a murder and has to go on the run, trying to solve the mystery and clear his name.
Kino's Journey. In Kino's Journey, the protagonist, Kino, accompanied by a talking motorcycle, a Brough Superior motorcycle named Hermes, travels through a mystical world of many different countries and forests, each unique in its customs and people. A phrase repeated in the anime and novels is "The world is not beautiful, therefore it is." Kino's Journey explores what the anime director Ryutaro Nakamura described as "a radical sense of 'beauty," and brutality, loneliness, nonsense, oppression and tragedy are often juxtaposed against compassion and a fairy-tale atmosphere.
MilesWebber
Member
Start with short, complete series like Cowboy Bebop, Death Note and Paranoia Agent.
PunjabiPlaya
Member
If you liked Full Metal Alchemist, then you'll love Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood! It's kind of the same thing, only so much better. 
Also, TTGL and Hajime No Ippo are both amazing.
Also, TTGL and Hajime No Ippo are both amazing.
Lumpy Onion
Member
+1 for Monster. This is such an enjoyable mystery/thriller with so many twists and turns its insane. Its part doctor show, part mystery. So many twists and turns and many interesting (tormented and fucked up) characters. I am not sure if I like exactly how it ended, but the journey itself was like no other. Highly recommended!
Trailblaster
Banned
Chojin said:
Oh stop with the "Anime Suck" talk. just like any other medium, there some great anime and some bad. And the ratio of Good to bad isn't any more skewed them Movies, Books, or Music.
Unknown One
Member
Don't start with Neon Genesis Evangelion seriously. Start with something lighthearted like Fooly Cooly.
Rayven_king
Member
start with the maniliest ones
GOLGO 13
HOKUTO NO KEN
watch nothing else
GOLGO 13
HOKUTO NO KEN
watch nothing else
itsinmyveins
Gets to pilot the crappy patrol labors
Ghost in the Shell
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 1 & 2 (series)
Akira
Cowboy Bebop
Great Teacher Onizuka
Patlabor 1 (movie)
Patlabor 2 (movie) this is a must see, it's brilliant.
There you go! After that, you don't really want to watch any more anime. Most of the other stuff is crap.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 1 & 2 (series)
Akira
Cowboy Bebop
Great Teacher Onizuka
Patlabor 1 (movie)
Patlabor 2 (movie) this is a must see, it's brilliant.
There you go! After that, you don't really want to watch any more anime. Most of the other stuff is crap.
RadioHeadAche
Member
Arment said:
End of Evangelion is a bizarre and entertaining movie. I sold my Evangelion boxed set long ago, but I decided to hold onto EoE because it's just so awesome (and it's not worth much).
Lumpy Onion
Member
Gantz is also a pretty awesome show IMO. I know some people hate it, because of the changes from the Manga concerning the ending I am guessing. Anyway its about these 2 guys who die and get transported to a strange room. In this room the two men and some other people who have recently died are given weapons by a strange "man in an orb" called Gantz, to then do battle with whatever targets he wants you to. If the people earn points by fighting, they can live another day. If they are defeated they are dead for good.
It all feels like a videogame too, and is entertaining mostly because the things they have to fight for points are often ridiculously powerful. Really funny, dramatic, and full of tons of action. It runs at like 26 episodes.
It all feels like a videogame too, and is entertaining mostly because the things they have to fight for points are often ridiculously powerful. Really funny, dramatic, and full of tons of action. It runs at like 26 episodes.
I'm gonna say
Great Teacher Onizuka
Death Note
Code Geass
Black Lagoon
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
FLCL/Fooly Cooly
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Baccano!
Akira
Ghost In The Shell (all things related to it)
Darker Than Black Season 1
Hellsing
and Samurai Champloo is like Bebop with hip hop and samurai
Great Teacher Onizuka
Death Note
Code Geass
Black Lagoon
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
FLCL/Fooly Cooly
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Baccano!
Akira
Ghost In The Shell (all things related to it)
Darker Than Black Season 1
Hellsing
and Samurai Champloo is like Bebop with hip hop and samurai
the_gr8mitypoo
Neo Member
It was the first anime I ever watched. That being said you're right, it really isn't a good starting point but do watch it at some point. Its a work of sheer brilliance in my mind.Ballistictiger said:
I never understood the flak the last two episodes got, it's defiantly a complete 180 but the message was great. And anyways End of Evangelion will provide a more than suitable ending to the series if episodes 25 & 26 don't.
Why don't you watch some of the popular anime favorites such as berserk, evangelion, samurai champloo, robotech / macross, FLCL, eureka seven. It's what i moved on to, after i watched the series you listed.
Also anything by studio ghibli with the exception of tales of earthsea and pom poko.
Edit. And if you have the dedication, watch the best anime of all time - Legend of galactic heroes, 110-episodes of pure space opera awesomeness.
Also anything by studio ghibli with the exception of tales of earthsea and pom poko.
Edit. And if you have the dedication, watch the best anime of all time - Legend of galactic heroes, 110-episodes of pure space opera awesomeness.
Robotech and captain tylor aren't the only good animus of that specific genre, you are missing out on a lot of good stuff, because of your ignorance.Chojin said:
Scuba Steve said:
Those were my first three anime too, in the order you listed.
FLCL doesn't have much of a story, but it doesn't nee done. Six episodes long, you honestly shouldn't avoid watching it.
Death Note has a really interesting story for the first half, and the second half is pretty shit but it's worth riding through just for the sake of seeing what happens.
Baccano!! has a pulp fictiony story going on between multiple characters in multiple points in time. The only newish piece of anime I've enjoyed.
I personally didn't care much for Gurren Lagann, but if you're into... what I assume is a parody series, you'll probably enjoy it.
Samurai Champloo is Cowboy Bebop with swords.
I'm not exactly experienced with anime, but those are the series that I've really enjoyed. I've been meaning to head down to JB HiFi to pick up something NEW AND EXCITING, but anime is generally too expensive for me to test the waters with, as I get turned off by a lot of its tropes. BUT WHATEVER, I GUESS?
I've never seen this. While there are similarities, episodes play out in a different fashion and the plot is more constant. Characters and the story telling is also done a little differently.Kritz said:
Liking Cowboy Bebop doesn't mean you'll like Samurai Champloo and vice versa.
itsinmyveins
Gets to pilot the crappy patrol labors
KevinCow said:
It's like with J-RPG:s there are more than five good ones, but you shouldn't really put yourself through more than that
Unless it's Patlabor 2, the movie. That one you need to see.
ItsInMyVeins said:It's like with J-RPG:s there are more than five good ones, but you shouldn't really put yourself through more than that
Unless it's Patlabor 2, the movie. That one you need to see.
I'll take your word for Patlabor 2 and I will watch it today... It's better be great.
itsinmyveins
Gets to pilot the crappy patrol labors
Fuzz Rez said:
Yeah, don't expect something over the top and hysterical though. It's a rather slow paced political thriller. Took me a viewing or two before I really started liking it. So give it time to sink in.
LabouredSubterfuge
Member
Right, once and for all - can somebody please explain the love that FLCL gets??
I watched it and while I consider myself to fairly bright and generally into off-the-wall stuff, FLCL just came off as the result of a slightly reatrded and hyperactive child's mind with zero coherence.
I watched it and while I consider myself to fairly bright and generally into off-the-wall stuff, FLCL just came off as the result of a slightly reatrded and hyperactive child's mind with zero coherence.
itsinmyveins
Gets to pilot the crappy patrol labors
Fuzz Rez said:
There's hardly any action sequences at all in Patlabor 2. It starts with one and there's one near the end, but that's about it really.
Lumpy Onion
Member
ItsInMyVeins said:
Great recommendation. Patlabor 2 is sooooo good. I think I have seen the damn thing like 5 times and still find new things and understanding of what happened. Its probably one of the deepest and moodiest anime's I have ever seen. And you don't even need to see an episode of the show to appreciate it, although it helps.
Unknown One
Member
In defense of GAF, anime today is filled with a bunch of moe crap.Dresden said:
itsinmyveins
Gets to pilot the crappy patrol labors
Fuzz Rez said:
The series is a bit more like typical anime, although it's enjoyable. The first Patlabor movie is definitely good, but not on par with Patlabor 2. Just like the series, it's a bit more "anime" but not quite as much. Then there's Patlabor: WXIII, the latest one. I guess it's alright. It's like a Patlabor take on The Host, a korean monster movie which is pretty good.
EDIT: Just realized that WXIII came out before The Host.
TOM f'N CRUISE
Member
Baki the Grappler
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