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[MetatronM]

Several good recommendations in this thread, but I'm sad to see Escaflowne left out of so many lists. I never watched this classic show, and I just finished the series for the first time. I wrote a silly little thing for it too over in the Anime thread, so check it out of you want to know my feelings about it.

For beginners I also recommend:

Cowboy Bebop
Code Geass
Gurren Lagann
Baccano!
Samurai Champloo
Gunbuster
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure 2012 (currently airing)

Those are all easy entry points, and should prove to be highly enjoyable and very accessible. After that I'd recommend Dennou Coil and Spice & Wolf.

I can agree with pretty much everything here, assuming you approach Code Geass as a (mostly) inadvertent comedy. (This goes for Death Note on any lists that recommend it, too.)

All these are quite good, I especially love the first two.

Monster
Legend of Galactic Heroes
Death Note
Serei no Moribito
Gungrave
Berserk
Planetes
Samurai Champloo
Escaflowne
Paranoia Agent
FMA Brotherhood
Trigun

This list is even better, aside from its lack of Bebop. Pretty much everything here is top shelf. When Gungrave and Death Note are probably the worst shows on the list, it's a pretty solid list.

 

[ultron87]

I think I'm going to watch Steins; Gate as my first anime in awhile. It seems my options are either the really expensive and not readily available Blu Ray or Funimation's streaming subscription. So I'll probably go with the subscription thing, unless there is some other option I am not aware of. With their subscription thing is there anyway to watch the subscription only episodes through the iPad app they have? I am a little confused since they have a subscription, a free app and then a ten dollar paid app.

 

[Boss Doggie]

OP just look at the lists in the Anime of the 70's/80's thread.

 

[Pancakes]

I think I'm going to watch Steins; Gate as my first anime in awhile. It seems my options are either the really expensive and not readily available Blu Ray or Funimation's streaming subscription. So I'll probably go with the subscription thing, unless there is some other option I am not aware of. With their subscription thing is there anyway to watch the subscription only episodes through the iPad app they have? I am a little confused since they have a subscription, a free app and then a ten dollar paid app.

Unless I'm missing something, Funimation has all the episodes posted on their Youtube channel.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=EL3n57TtnN3tY

Can't you just use the Youtube app?

 

[Extollere]

I can agree with pretty much everything here, assuming you approach Code Geass as a (mostly) inadvertent comedy.

I approached Geass as a shut off my brain and enjoy some of the most entertaining (but nonsensical) shit ever anime. I thought it worked very well with this approach. I was entertained, highly entertained.

 

[ultron87]

Unless I'm missing something, Funimation has all the episodes posted on their Youtube channel.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=EL3n57TtnN3tY

Can't you just use the Youtube app?

Oh, I see. So they have all the subbed episodes for free but the dub is subscription only.

 

[Extollere]

I think I'm going to watch Steins; Gate as my first anime in awhile.

You could do a lot worse than Steins;Gate. Pretty good show overall!

 

[MetatronM]

I approached Geass as a shut off my brain and enjoy some of the most entertaining (but nonsensical) shit ever anime. I thought it worked very well with this approach. I was entertained, highly entertained.

Yeah, Geass is very entertaining, no doubt. It's not at all in any way something that should ever be described as "good" in any sense, but it IS highly entertaining.

 

[Boss Doggie]

But them teens want teh yaoi

 

[AgentChris]

Death Note, it's nice and slow.

 

[zlatko]

As others have suggested I'd go with:

Full Metal Alchemist (Original not brotherhood)

Cowboy BeBop

Death Note

One Piece

Samurai Champloo

Outlaw Star

Trigun

---

That list should get you into a few months of bliss!

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

-Baccano
-FMA: Brotherhood
-Samurai Champloo

3 great and very accessible shows.

 

[Riposte]

Don't watch One Piece. Read One Piece.

 

[Necrovex]

You could do a lot worse than Steins;Gate. Pretty good show overall!

Steins;Gate is a wonderful anime! It was the show that brought me back to the medium.

 

[Femmeworth]

For someone who may be a fictional sport, you sure are real salty from what he said.

Your salt sensor needs recalibration.

 

[meltingparappa]

Steins;Gate also started as a visual novel, which was cool to see all the mind-bending permutations that led to "bad endings" as opposed to the anime which naturally bee lines for the "true" ending.

 

[Spieler Eins]

As others have suggested I'd go with:

Full Metal Alchemist (Original not brotherhood)

Cowboy BeBop

Death Note

One Piece

Samurai Champloo

Outlaw Star

Trigun

---

That list should get you into a few months of bliss!

Manga for One Piece. The anime is ridiculously terrible in comparison, as usual with all this weekly stuff.

 

[Chet Rippo]

Girls und Panzer is a new one that's really good. Like, really good.

 

[Verelios]

Cowboy Bebop
Samurai Champloo
Full Metal Alchemist
YuYu Hakusho
...Maybe Anohana...but I'm not sure if that's your speed OP
Definitely hit up Monster if you like slow-burning stories
I'd say Eureka Seven was okay
One Piece if you haven't watched it yet
Darker than Black is also fine as a late night watch

 

[BassForever]

Cowboy Bebop, Death Note, Code Geass, Evangelion, Outlaw Star, One Piece, Dragon Ball/Z. Any of those is a safe bet

 

[Mr Nash]

I'll toss in another recommendation for Seirei no Moribito. I just finished watching it and loved the show. Balsa is probably one of my favorite female main characters ever in an anime. I'm just disappointed that only the first two books in the Guardian series have ever received an English translation =(

 

[TrutaS]

My recommendation is also Death Note, after that you can die an accomplished man.

 

[destrudo]

Several good recommendations in this thread, but I'm sad to see Escaflowne left out of so many lists. I never watched this classic show, and I just finished the series for the first time. I wrote a silly little thing for it too over in the Anime thread, so check it out of you want to know my feelings about it.

For beginners I also recommend:

Cowboy Bebop
Code Geass
Gurren Lagann
Baccano!
Samura Champloo
Gunbuster
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure 2012 (currently airing)

Those are all easy entry points, and should prove to be highly enjoyable and very accessible. After that I'd recommend Dennou Coil and Spice & Wolf.

I just read what your wrote about the show, and it sums up my thoughts pretty much perfectly. I just re-watched it recently not having seen it since I was a teenager and I was amazed how well it holds up today. I would even say that I enjoyed it more now that I'm older and that it still remains one of my favorite series. I find most anime today does pretty much nothing for me on an emotional level, so I find it strange that it often goes overlooked but I guess it just doesn't resonate will many people the same way it did with me.

Anyways back on topic, I'm not sure if it was mentioned (probably) but there's not enough people recommending The Twelve Kingdoms in here.

At the very least, the soundtrack is worth getting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHcrkxQ0Cks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iPaj4XqAW0

 

[Rei_Toei]

This might be as good a place as any to ask: is the anime series adaptation of No.6 worth the time?

 

[Typographenia]

Don't watch One Piece. Read One Piece.

I certainly don't always see eye to eye with you on gaming side, but you are a good man.

 

[V_Arnold]

Yeah, Geass is very entertaining, no doubt. It's not at all in any way something that should ever be described as "good" in any sense, but it IS highly entertaining.

Bullshit. Code Geass is good. Great, even. Suspension of disbelief required for it? Yep. But that is it.

 

[ultron87]

You could do a lot worse than Steins;Gate. Pretty good show overall!

Steins;Gate is a wonderful anime! It was the show that brought me back to the medium.

I'm now 5 episodes in. Seems pretty cool. And definitely a very different style from most of the anime I've watched, 90% of which is mecha stuff.

 

[Aguirre]

although at this point op has had more than enough great suggestions to keep him going all through 2013, but i'd just like to suggest one more ^^

yokohama kaidashi kikou

and its continuation yokohama kaidashi kikou: quiet country cafe

they total in 5 episodes but its really beautiful and i highly recommend the manga.

 

[TheExodu5]

Death Note. It should really grip you by the second or third episode. The soundtrack is also one of the all time greats.

 

[Kusagari]

Bullshit. Code Geass is good. Great, even. Suspension of disbelief required for it? Yep. But that is it.

Code Geass is the definition of a train wreck.

That doesn't change the fact it's one of the most entertaining anime you'll ever watch, though.

 

[Blue Submarine No. 6]

Looks like others have cinched the must see movies and series pretty well, but I wanted to reiterate some of my fave OVAs:

Gunsmith Cats - girls, guns, muscle cars, russian assassines, it's all way cool...

Armitage The Third - Ever watch Blade Runner? Ever wonder what was happening on Mars?

Read or Die - literate and funny!

El-Hazard - the first OVA... only the first OVA... please, just pretend the rest doesn't exist, but watch the first OVA...

Macross Plus - really worthy of its rep...

Serial Experiment Lain - serious, intense, thoughtful...

and of course Blue Submarine No. 6 - one of the most beautiful OVAs ever produced...

 

[Necrovex]

Death Note. It should really grip you by the second or third episode. The soundtrack is also one of the all time greats.

I remember being addicted to Death Note back in high school.

I am a little surprised that there isn't a Blu-Ray release of it yet. I would snatch that up in a manner of minutes (if it was out in the States).

 

[Combichristoffersen]

Kiki's Delivery Service and Porco Rosso are must-sees.
Hellsing, both the Ultimate OVAs and the TV series, is good, although the manga is better.
FLCL is weird as all fuck, but still sogood.jpg
Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt is lewd, crude and absolutely hilarious.
Vampire Hunter D, the 1985 movie, is pretty good. Haven't seen Bloodlust, but it's supposed to be good too.

 

[Daft_Cat]

I can only really comment on how I went about it...

Check out Ghibli for some of the finest films. Also check out Ghost in the Shell 1 and 2, plus Stand Alone Complex.

Some of my favourites are also the most popular. I guess I'm not much of a hipster.

Death Note
Bebop
Samurai Champloo
Kids on the Slope
Eureka Seven
NGE
FLCL

 

[JCG]

I can agree with pretty much everything here, assuming you approach Code Geass as a (mostly) inadvertent comedy. (This goes for Death Note on any lists that recommend it, too.)

Yeah, Geass is very entertaining, no doubt. It's not at all in any way something that should ever be described as "good" in any sense, but it IS highly entertaining.

Can't quite agree about that myself, in both cases, since I thought the two shows had plenty of fairly good parts as well, even while they were certainly being over-the-top and ridiculous a lot of the time. I don't think I'd call them great, in the grand scheme of things, yet they both maintained my genuine interest in addition to merely entertaining me. "Good" is a valid, if incomplete, description.

The "trainwreck" appeal was present, no doubt, but IMO it wasn't really the one and only motivation to watch. I'd say that approach is too narrow-minded (and doesn't always work with series that are far worse). It was really more of a combination of factors in my case. I can definitely agree you shouldn't take them too seriously, however, which usually applies to the majority of anime anyway.

Likewise, I strongly doubt that their respective sets of staff were somehow unaware of how unrealistic, impossible or just plain funny many of their more obviously crazy events came across. I'd argue they often emphasized that on purpose, not inadvertently.

 

[Enron]

Be wary of recommendations from anyone who posts in this thread.

Oh, Femmeworth. You so....Femmeworth!

 

[AlimNassor]

Q: Getting into anime, what should I watch?
A: Nothing made in the last 10 years.



:lulz

Have you ever actually seen anything made in the last 10 years? I doubt it.

 

[Femmeworth]

and of course Blue Submarine No. 6 - one of the most beautiful OVAs ever produced...

I hope you aren't talking about the visuals. Watched the first episode a few months ago for the first time in years, made my eyes want to bleed.

 

[Amakusa]

Dragonball Z Abridge lol
Hellsing Abridge lol again

ok now real Anime
Soul Eater was good
Working!
Working!!
To Love Ru (all of them)
Goldenboy
Tenchi Muyo
Love Hina
Elfen lied
Full Metal brotherhood
Sword Online
Outlaw Star

and many many many more

 

[Omikaru]

I haven't watched a ton of anime, but out of what I have watched...

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (both seasons) - Must watch; it's dense, but an amazing show with lots of ideas.

Baccano! - Must watch; probably my favourite anime, with an amazing cast of characters, great music, and an interesting way of telling the story.

Welcome to the NHK - Go for it; I really enjoyed this show, and had a good time with its sense of humour.

Eden of the East - Eh, why not?; It's an interesting idea, and the actual series was pretty damn good. It's a shame the movies nosedived in quality, with the first one not actually achieving anything, and the ending of movie #2 being the biggest bullshit cop-out ever.

Persona 4 - Play the game and you'll get something out of it...; A not bad anime of an amazing game. Really, just play the game.

FLCL - Very good; I know a lot of people fucking love this show. I enjoyed it, but I'm not fanatical about it like some of FLCL's fans are. At any rate, it's pretty short and worth a watch. If it weirds you out or confuses you, just power on and it begins to make a bit of sense. And if it doesn't, or you dislike it, it's so short that you won't have lost more than a few hours watching it.

I really do have a lot to watch myself. I'm currently watching several shows at once:

- Gurren Lagann
- Un-go
- Cowboy Bebop
- Humanity Has Declined

I like all four of them, but I haven't watched enough to give you a definitive yes or no on any of them yet. I think once I'm done with these, I'll check out Neon Genesis Evangelion, Monster, Fullmetal Alchemist and Serial Experiments Lain. Plus this thread has given me some ideas about what to check out after that!

 

[isamu]

I can't believe no one mentioned either Macross TV series, Macross Plus, Dragon Ball + DBZ, or Gungrave. Unbelievable.

 

[Extollere]

I'm now 5 episodes in. Seems pretty cool. And definitely a very different style from most of the anime I've watched, 90% of which is mecha stuff.

Awesome, it's cool that you're watching it. FWIW, Steins;Gate does become incredibly compelling about half way through, it's a slow start, but it does actually build up toward something.

Code Geass is the definition of a train wreck.

That doesn't change the fact it's one of the most entertaining anime you'll ever watch, though.

I don't really care what Code Geass is

It's balls to the wall fun. I loved the mecha designs, and I thought the animation was pretty solid when it was at its best. Don't post the spin gif, lol...

 

[sammyCYBORG]

Everyone has pretty much covered the regular bases so I'm going to post one that I've only seen mentioned once more in this thread:
Ouran High School Host Club

It is one of my favourites and never see it get mentioned much in these threads.

 

[Subitai]

Given the under listing of a certain seminal title, I feel we are already dead.

 

[Riposte]

Death Note. It should really grip you by the second or third episode. The soundtrack is also one of the all time greats.

I thought the Death Note anime added a few unwelcomed elements (though some of which is so stupid it is hilarious). However the ost is one of my all time favorites from an anime.

 

[Meelow]

Inuyasha
Ranma 1/2
Zatch Bell
Dragon Ball
One Piece

 

[Interferon]

If you like Daft Punk, Interstella 5555 is a must-watch

 

[Dedication Through Light]

Welcome to the NHK - Go for it; I really enjoyed this show, and had a good time with its sense of humour.

- Un-go

I dont know about NHK. It had humor but was way depressing and a bit too realistic at times to make it something I would even consider rewatching or suggesting to anyone. A friend irl suggested it and loved but I just couldnt get turned on by it or anything. Kaoru was a good character, good friend, but the girl in this was just so awful. Really terrible, frightening so, and annoying. If the anime had been happier...Down there with Panty & Stocking, Sengoku Collection, Working!!, Cowboy Bebop, and Nichijou as least enjoy anime Ive ever encountered fully.

Yeah definitely check out Un-Go, its one of the better mystery series out there and has a really unique style. Its pretty underrated unfortunately, but one of my favorite dubs and anime of the year.

 

[Ghost_Protocol]

If you're interested in anime, I have to recommend you check out Avatar: The Last Airbender. It's kind of a masterpiece.

 

[Redford]

If someone offers you FLCL, Just Say No.

If you're interested in anime, I have to recommend you check out Avatar: The Last Airbender. It's kind of a masterpiece.

.

Speaking of which that is an awesome avatar.

Spoiler

lolz!