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[Jex]

Fixed all those broken photos.

Bakemonogatari deserves some love.

A.k.a the best selling anime DVD of the year in Japan, or something? No, I believe people are already aware of it's greatness.
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That's kind of the thing though, I've either watched a lot of that stuff and didn't like it or have absolutely no desire to watch the stuff I haven't watched because the concepts don't interest me. I almost forgot to add Black Lagoon and Lain to the awesome list. Kind of wary of Gundam Unicorn though. Gundam Seed and 00 were awful.

Every show on that list is excellent (well, those one's I've seen. If it's quoted by someone else, they can only vouch for themselves!). It's not like FLCL had an inherently excellent concept, it was in the execution of said concept. That's true for quite a few shows.
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I don't know why we are calling this thread Lesser Anime of the 2000s, all of the above is well known I think lol.

Well known to current anime fans perhaps, but this list is for a wider audience then that.
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I have been meaning to watch the whole thing...but it is long.

One step at a time.
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I would say 04-07, although that's just going off the top of my head, without bothering to check what actually aired in those years.

Considering it was the peak in production it's not too surprising that it's also the peak in quality,

 

[HappyBivouac]

Just watched episode 12 of Dennou Coil. (The

Spoiler

beard

episode)

Wow. Mind. Fucking. Blown.

Ranks up there with some of the great episodes of anime history for me, just on its concept alone. Absolutely brilliant!

 

[leroy hacker]

Are we allowed to mention anime we may or may have not watched on sites that uploaded it for streaming?

What do you think are the chances that all of the unlicensed anime in the OP being recommended and discussed here were watched only through legitimate means? The practical rule on GAF seems to be that you can talk about fansubs or otherwise pirated anime you're watching all you want as long as you don't make the piracy explicit. I'm not trying to be a backseat mod here though so someone can tell me if I'm wrong.

 

[TheKaeptain]

Just watch one a day or something. Once you start it becomes easy.

I'll watch all of it over winter break.

 

[leroy hacker]

By the way, more Hulu links to series you can watch for free, this time for items on the secondary list of more well known anime series:

Baccano
Death Note
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood
Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu
Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid
Honey and Clover
Samurai Champloo
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

 

[Blablurn]

just watched the first 3 episodes of casshern sins thanks to this thread. it's crazy but i like it.

 

[K.Jack]

The practical rule on GAF seems to be that you can talk about fansubs or otherwise pirated anime you're watching all you want as long as you don't make the piracy explicit.

GAF leadership only seems to care if you pirate video games.

 

[akachan ningen]

Who or what is "the still" and how did they make so much cool anime?

 

[leroy hacker]

GAF leadership only seems to care if you pirate video games.

I've seen at least one person banned for talking about anime piracy. On the other hand there seem to be absolutely no rules regarding manga scanlations.

 

[BearChair]

Thank you so much for this thread. You are doing a great job of filling up my Netflix queue. Any plans to do a similar list of 90s or 80s anime?

 

[Jerk]

There's a distinct lack of battle shounen in this thread

I thought this thread was for good anime?

With some exceptions, 'battle shounen' are poor by definition.

 

[flawfuls]

Thank you so much for this thread. You are doing a great job of filling up my Netflix queue. Any plans to do a similar list of 90s or 80s anime?

He did link to The retro, classic, nostalgic, unmissable anime list thread in the OP.

 

[cosmicblizzard]

I thought this thread was for good anime?

With some exceptions, 'battle shounen' are poor by definition.

Just for that, you get 2 more. Hope you're happy, jerk ;P

Buso Renkin

So there are these alchemic warriors unknown to the public with weapons known as "Buso Renkin". Their mission is to destroy evil homunculi that blend in with human society. One day, an ordinary high school student (how original) tries to save a girl being attacked by a homunculus, but he ends up getting impaled instead. Turns out the girl was an alchemic warrior and didn't need any help. She uses an item that calls the buso renkin to replace his heart. He now has a buso renkin of his own in the shape of a lance and must fight the homunculi alongside the girl.

This is from the dude that did Kenshin. Again, it isn't very original in concept but there's some good action. The real stars of the show are the villains. Papillion (that dude with the mask in the back) is one of the craziest characters in anything, especially in the context of this universe. The ending feels kind of rushed, but that's mainly because the manga got cancelled. The final battle is still pretty awesome.

Length: 26 episodes

The Law of Ueki

God is getting tired of his position. So how does he decide on a successor? By setting up a crazy fighting tournament for junior high school students of course. Each one is given the power to turn something into something else. The protagonist, Ueki Kousuke can turn trash into trees. Does he have what it takes to make his representative God?

This is an EXTREMELY underrated show. Despite the powers being wacky, the battles themselves actually do have a sense of tension even though the earlier ones are more fun than dramatic. For me, the later phases were amazing, but I might be a bit biased since I love tournament arcs. It does get a bit crazy later with giant swords 50 times the size of the user and broken time-related abilities, but that's why it's great. And what's really awesome is it actually finished its run since the anime started after the manga ended.

Length: 51 episodes

 

[Jex]

*****Updating!*****

I've ran out of room at the start of the thread, so I've updated my post here http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=414748&page=5 with people's suggestions and descriptions. The list just keeps growing. Thanks for writing those out!

I've linked that post to the original OP as well.
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Thank you so much for this thread. You are doing a great job of filling up my Netflix queue. Any plans to do a similar list of 90s or 80s anime?

Never ever again! It's always spirals out of control.

The real answer is : my forte lies in the 2000's, I'd never try and make a thread for an earlier decade.

Especially when skilled people have already made the Retro anime thread, which is in the second half of my OP and goes from the 70's to the mid 90's!
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=347831, as flawfuls pointed out.
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By the way, more Hulu links to series you can watch for free, this time for items on the secondary list of more well known anime series:

Cool, I've put those in the OP as well.
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[Dennou Coil]

Ranks up there with some of the great episodes of anime history for me, just on its concept alone. Absolutely brilliant!

Glad to hear you're enjoying it.
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Who or what is "the still" and how did they make so much cool anime?

I don't know what you're talking about.

 

[SaintZ]

Cool thread. As I get older, I lose interest in anime (I was an anime freak during the 90's) but I have watched a couple of series that I really enjoyed this past decade. Haruhi is very smart and I'm glad I got to watch it. The Full Metal Panic series is amazing. The first season starts off good but I lost interest in the middle so I stopped watching. Luckily, Fumoffu! came along and I was greatly surprised. The episodes are so hilarious and I'm glad we get to see the characters in more candid situations. They made Sagara lose all the common sense though but that's the funny part :lol . I thought The Second Raid had a weak start but jeez, things get insane. Definitely worth checking.

 

[I should be doing hw]

Great list, there are a few here I've missed out on.
Has there been any mention of a Monte Cristo Bluray release at all? That show belongs in HD, the DVD doesn't upscale terribly well I've found.

 

[lordfroakie]

Wow@Capeta. This anime awesome and sad at the same time.

 

[duckroll]

I thought this was about lesser known anime. But I've heard of every single one of these series, and I've watched and own many of the series listed. What gives? I want a refund!

 

[Salazar]

I want a refund!

On life ?

 

[InfiniteNine]

I thought this was about lesser known anime. But I've heard of every single one of these series, and I've watched and own many of the series listed. What gives? I want a refund!

Not everyone follows anime actively! They aren't nerds like us.

 

[duckroll]

On life ?

On your face!

 

[duckroll]

Not everyone follows anime actively! They aren't nerds like us.

Have you added me to your friend list on Steam yet?

 

[Lafiel]

I thought this was about lesser known anime. But I've heard of every single one of these series, and I've watched and own many of the series listed. What gives? I want a refund!

Yeah it's unlike the http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=395497 where i barely heard of any of the series listed.

 

[Jex]

I thought this was about lesser known anime. But I've heard of every single one of these series, and I've watched and own many of the series listed. What gives? I want a refund!

What can I say? This thread wasn't for those with the breadth of knowledge you posses.

 

[Takao]

Buso Renkin

So there are these alchemic warriors unknown to the public with weapons known as "Buso Renkin". Their mission is to destroy evil homunculi that blend in with human society. One day, an ordinary high school student (how original) tries to save a girl being attacked by a homunculus, but he ends up getting impaled instead. Turns out the girl was an alchemic warrior and didn't need any help. She uses an item that calls the buso renkin to replace his heart. He now has a buso renkin of his own in the shape of a lance and must fight the homunculi alongside the girl.

This is from the dude that did Kenshin. Again, it isn't very original in concept but there's some good action. The real stars of the show are the villains. Papillion (that dude with the mask in the back) is one of the craziest characters in anything, especially in the context of this universe. The ending feels kind of rushed, but that's mainly because the manga got cancelled. The final battle is still pretty awesome.

Length: 26 episodes

Did we watch the same show? Renkin felt incredibly dull to me, which makes sense, since so is Kenshin.

 

[InfiniteNine]

Have you added me to your friend list on Steam yet?

Yeah, I approved it a couple of hours ago after I realized it was pending.

 

[cosmicblizzard]

Did we watch the same show? Renkin felt incredibly dull to me, which makes sense, since so is Kenshin.

Well there you go

But yeah, I only recommend it because of Papillion.

 

[Nonoriri]

A.k.a the best selling anime DVD of the year in Japan, or something? No, I believe people are already aware of it's greatness.

:lol

 

[Lafiel]

:lol

Your SHAFT hate wasn't enough for one thread?

 

[Veidt]

Hey anime GAF.

Are there any martial arts centred anime left? The last one I recall watching was Tenjou Tenge. It's just so hard for me to find them nowadays.

 

[Erigu]

Has there been any mention of a Monte Cristo Bluray release at all? That show belongs in HD, the DVD doesn't upscale terribly well I've found.

Gankutsuô? I don't think the show was made in HD in the first place, actually..

 

[Jex]

Hey anime GAF.

Are there any martial arts centred anime left? The last one I recall watching was Tenjou Tenge. It's just so hard for me to find them nowadays.

I really wouldn't know anything about that, except that five martial-arts anime were made in 2006. Whether they were good or not is a different manner.

This is the only resource I have at short notice, and it's hardly comprehensive: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Martial_arts_anime_and_manga

 

[I should be doing hw]

Gankutsuô? I don't think the show was made in HD in the first place, actually..

Yeah, I can never spell it correctly so I just call it Monte Cristo. And that's a shame, it deserves to be in a higher resolution it's a beautiful show.
Just curious though, how come things like Ghibli movies look stunning on Bluray, even the older titles, whilst most anime TV Blurays are just upscaled? Is it laziness or a Ghibli titles done on cells or something like that?

Also just want to commend Jexhius in this thread for recommending anime that actually contains quality storytelling. Unlike all these titles that are so popular and are just so superficial when it comes to plot, story and characters. Tripe like Naruto and Bleach is why it's barely worth mentioning anime in conversation even to this day. It's not worth the immediate process of having to defend yourself or worse, having to hear the demented ramblings of a Naruto/Bleach fan.

 

[K.Jack]

Hey anime GAF.

Are there any martial arts centred anime left? The last one I recall watching was Tenjou Tenge. It's just so hard for me to find them nowadays.

Buy Shigurui: Death Frenzy.

 

[flawfuls]

Hey anime GAF.

Are there any martial arts centred anime left? The last one I recall watching was Tenjou Tenge. It's just so hard for me to find them nowadays.

Well there is History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi, which personally I'm not a fan of, but it's pretty popular. There was also Bamboo Blade, which I throughly enjoyed.

 

[Takao]

Here's a more or less full Streaming List of the shows I could find in the thread, rather than using Hulu (lol international viewers am I right, or am I right?), I tried sites that are a lot less US centric. Note, some links may not be to the entire series. As some (looking at you Nozomi!) are new to this, and haven't uploaded everything. A second note, some of the Crunchy Roll and The Anime Network streams may require membership.

Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad
Funimation.com Youtube AnimeNewsNetwork.com

Big Windup
Funimation.com
Youtube
AnimeNewsNetwork.com

Boogiepop Phantom
Youtube

Casshern Sins
Funimation.com
Youtube
AnimeNewsNetwork.com

Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo
Funimation.com
AnimeNewsNetwork.com

Hidamari Sketch
The Anime Network

Marimite: Maria Watches Over Us
Youtube

Monster
Youtube

Mushi-Shi
Funimation.com
Youtube

Natsume's Book of Friends
CrunchyRoll.com

Nodame Cantabile
Youtube
Crackle.com

Oh! Edo Rocket!
Funimation.com
Youtube
AnimeNewsNetwork.com

Princess Tutu
The Anime Network

Shigurui: Death Frenzy
Funimation.com
Youtube
AnimeNewsNetwork.com

Sketchbook
CrunchyRoll.com

Spice and Wolf
Funimation.com
Youtube
AnimeNewsNetwork.com

The Tatami Galaxy
Funimation.com
Youtube

Time of Eve
CrunchyRoll.com

Metropolis (US only )
Crackle.com

5 Centimeters Per Second
CrunchyRoll.com

The Place Promised in Our Early Days
The Anime Network

Air Master
Funimation.com
CrunchyRoll.com

Baccano!
Funimation.com
Youtube
AnimeNewsNetwork.com

Fullmetal Alchemist
Funimation.com
Youtube

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Funimation.com
Youtube

Full Metal Panic!
Funimation.com
Youtube

Full Metal Panic?: Fumoffu
Funimation.com
Youtube

Full Metal Panic!: The Second Raid
Funimation.com
Youtube

Kino's Journey
The Anime Network

RahXephon
The Anime Network

Samurai Champloo
Funimation.com
Youtube

Gurren Lagann
Youtube

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
CrunchyRoll.com

Cross Game (US only)
VizAnime.com/Hulu.com

Getbackers
The Anime Network

Kaleido Star
CrunchyRoll.com

NANA (US only)
VizAnime.com/Hulu.com

Welcome to the NHK
Funimation.com

Also, a bunch of the anime in the later post were picked up by US companies. I'd usually point them out, but I'm going to take a nap, and then work on that Sony Localization thread I made a while back...

Hey anime GAF.

Are there any martial arts centred anime left? The last one I recall watching was Tenjou Tenge. It's just so hard for me to find them nowadays.

You might find Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple to your liking. Unfortunately, Funimation doesn't appear to be streaming it.

 

[Dresden]

Hey anime GAF.

Are there any martial arts centred anime left? The last one I recall watching was Tenjou Tenge. It's just so hard for me to find them nowadays.

Only one I've enjoyed the past few years is Bamboo Blade, although it's more slice-of-life than anything else.

 

[Blablurn]

i watched the whole season of casshern sins thanks to the thread! it was good, i liked the beginning more than the end though.

 

[robox]

still no mention of pretty cure in around these parts?

in the genre of mahou shoujou battle animes and quasi-tokusatsu (think power rangers), it's running in its 5th, soon to be 6th, incarnation already. sure, no self-respecting male would/should be looking into a show aimed at young girls to begin with, but then again i feel some of the shows being watched in the anime threads from the past few years are a lot worse. the pretty cure shows have a good mix of characters, fighting and writing.

there are several, largely unrelated series:
pretty cure / max heart
splash star
yes! pretty cure 5 / gogo
fresh pretty cure
heartcatch pretty cure

overall though, i'll call them good, but may be hard pressed to recommend as great. i'd recommend if you're into the genre, or looking for something fun.

 

[Hazaro]

Currently watching:

Fukomoto inspired baseball gambling.

It's a fun watch. So many 'Just as planned' moments. Nice to see a main character be completely in charge for once.

I have been meaning to watch the whole thing...but it is long.

I'll watch all of it over winter break.

That's what I did... 1 year ago. I ended up watching it in like 9 days.
It's just a never ending story and it is completely amazing.

 

[Veidt]

Thanks to everyone for the recommendations of martial arts series.
I look forward to watching Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple, today.

 

[gatotsu911]

OP list suffers from an egregious lack of Gunslinger Girl.

Ghost in the Shell 2, The Animatrix, Welcome to the NHK, Steamboy, Summer Wars and The Sky Crawlers are all conspicuously absent as well.

 

[Geneijin]

OP list suffers from an egregious lack of Gunslinger Girl.

Ghost in the Shell 2, The Animatrix, Welcome to the NHK, Steamboy, Summer Wars and The Sky Crawlers are all conspicuously absent as well.

Lesser known Anime from the 2000's

 

[gatotsu911]

Pretty sure at least Gunslinger Girl qualifies as "lesser known". Arguably Welcome to the NHK and Steamboy as well. I mean, seeing as the list doesn't seem to be too discriminating in just how obscure shows need to be to warrant inclusion.

 

[Branduil]

I can agree with including Gunslinger Girl, but this list kind of needs updating anyway since it's several years old. We'll have to see if Jexhius or someone else wants to make a new one.

 

[Instro]

Summer Wars is actually on there, oddly. I think the OP kind of started at "lesser known" and grew to include just good anime in general.

 

[gatotsu911]

I can write a blurb for Gunslinger Girl if it is desired. (PM me.) It's my favorite series of the decade.

 

[Beez]

Oh wow great thread! Bookmarked! So many things to read up on here I love it!

 

[squall23]

Where's GEAR Fighter Dendoh? Where's Vandread?

Missing quite a few non-localized gems from early 2000s. Not a bad list but, just sayin'.

 

[ThisWreckage]

I might be wrong, but I don't think Bartender has been listed once in this thread. I thought it was a very mature anime and if you enjoy drinking or the bar experience then you owe it to yourself to watch it!