Anime Lover Needs The Next Step Up...UPDATED!

[DeeWiz]

Ok loving the love that Outlaw Star is getting.

No one has mentioned Full Metal Panic, it goes right with what he has listed.
Seriously Get Full Metal Panic (also The Second Raid and Fumoffu). The Best Action and the Best Comedy, whats not to love.

Another Must Watch:
History's Stongest Disciple Kenichi!! show of pure awesome, basically training from hell by 5 masters where their disciple occassional dies from the training. Also the manga-ka (the mange is even more awesome, more killing their disciple, and has boobage complete with nipples) actually researches the martial arts he talks about.

Pure insanity:
Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, basically does everything it can to invert every trope ever to much hilarity. Do not eat or drink anything while watching, potential lethal choking hazards or expelling hazard.

Must Watch for its sheer screw with you head:
Now and Then Here and There. This is film class worthy, human struggle, the extremes a person goes through to survive, the depravity of the human race and the resilience. I'm not a film critic so my description sucks but watch on a raining day because it will destroy your happy mood. Still is a MUST Watch.

I could keep going, Aim for the Top! Gunbuster (actually takes realtivity into account, mecha anime that becomes amazingly profound as the characters watch their classmates growing old around them (relativity at near lightspeed) everytime they save them). Ok I'll stop but go check out KAA's list for a pretty watch this list, their forum has screen caps and descriptions.

 

[Ampersand]

Check out trigun. It's alittle different and very good.

Also full metal alchemist is brilliant but you're going to get a hundred people telling you that.

 

[Lullabye]

Bokurano.

That anime is truly brilliant in my opinion.. albeit pretty dark. But wonderful music and a really clever, subversive spin on the giant mecha genre.

And, well, that intro... wow.

I would go so far as to call it beautiful. I mean, very few anime series manage to make me feel anything strong emotionally, mostly due to anime not taking itself seriously and ruining everything with "fan service" and needless violence and crap that only gets in the way of the story. But Bokurano really touched me deeply. and yeah, the opening:
Very memorable. At least the song is anyway.

ALso, I'd reccomend Heroic AGe. Another anime not ashamed of being anime and presenting itself rather seriously. Also kinda dark. It reminded me of the Dune book series in a way.

Now I'm going to be shameless and list anime I like just cause.

Kemonozume
Witch Hunter Robin
Paranoia Agent
DURARARA!
Speed Grapher
Ergo Proxy
Ghost in the Shell: Stand alone complex
Summer Wars(it's a movie)
Noein
OnePiece

 

[Arella18]

I'm nearly done on Higurashi no Naku Koro ni and all I can say is....wow. Very good anime, not sure why I always held off on getting it.

I've see all of this anime literally

Higurashi No naku koro ni
Higurashi No naku koro ni Kai
Higurashi No naku koro ni Rei

and I have to say it was one of the best I've seen...so I second this nomination...you would like it if you've ever seen Elfen Lied and could handle it

 

[Nostalgia Ripoff]

Well, since you watched Bleach, I can assume that you wouldn't mind an incredibly long-running series, so I'm just gonna go ahead and say Katekyo Hitman REBORN! [http://www.crunchyroll.com/reborn#s=/reborn/episodes] It's only in Japanese, but it has subs.

 

[Fensfield]

Thank you for finding that!

Oh, how could I forget to suggest Figure17? That anime is.. well, special.

Admittedly though I'm sure it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea. Gentle pacing across 14, 45 minute episodes with beautiful, OVA quality art in each and massive emphasis on characterisation.. and in my opinion a wonderful story, but in some ways it can be a little hard on people - for one thing it doesn't really fit into a particular genre, and that is not a good thing in this case, even if in my opinion it's not a bad thing either.

But yeah... Figure17 is ruddy beautiful, as far as I'm concerned.

Oh, oh, and Haibane Renmei!

 

[avenged undead]

I don't usually like anime, mainly because I was introduced with Naruto and One Piece, but I have found that the ones that got me into it were Fooly Cooly, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, and, the best of them all, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

 

[Naheal]

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha. Give it about 5 episodes before making a judgement.

 

[ajb924]

Baccano is amazing. It's 16 episodes, and one of the best show's I've seen.

Black Heaven is another good one, it's pretty old, so the art isn't high end, but it's still good.

Needless and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann are pretty good random ass funny things. And ANYTHING by Gainax is worth watching most the time...

Darker than Black was AMAZING, the second season was alright, but the first was soooo good.

MindGame isn't really an anime, it's an animated movie made in Japan, it's amazing though.

Paranoia Agent is damn good, it makes sense at the end.

Lovely Complex is the best romance I've ever seen, and it isn't forced drama like Clannad and Kannon.

Nodame Cantible is another good non forced romance, it's slow in the beginning, but pretty well put together.

I mentioned Gainax already, but Gunbuster and Diebuster are fucking AMAZING. 6 episodes each, and a really good story.

Genshiken is a good one if you really like anime/hentai. It's a slice of life about a club that... Likes anime and hentai....

Higurashi's been mentioned a few times, but it's worth a watch. ESPECIALLY THE OVA.

Trigun and Cowboy Bebop are both good comedy/action/shooters.

If you don't mind reading manga, read Franken Fran. It's amazing. Just... Amazing.

Also if you don't mind reading manga, Soul Eater. Watch the anime if you want, but the ending is.... Ugh.... Just read it, it's MUCH better and still ongoing.

And that's all I can recommend I think... But, PLEASE watch Baccano. It was FLAWLESS.

EDIT:
All of these are subbed only. I think. Well, watch the sub, it's ALWAYS better.
Also, if you somehow enjoyed Bleach, try reading One Piece. It's long, but it's getting good recently.
Also, if your not afraid of 4chan, try going to /a/. They talk about the moe stuff TOO MUCH, but there is a lost of quality stuff posted on there... So, if you understand 4chan=/= /b/ then I suggest heading over to /a/

 

[masher]

Gurren Lagann
Soul Eater
To Aru Majustu no Index (THAT ONE!!!)
Rozen Maiden (As well as this one)

 

[Teh Ty]

Everybody already posted what I could ever post, but I personally like bleach and Death Note.
Though, It's better to read Bleach instead of watching the anime.
The anime is pretty shitty compared to the manga.

 

[Lyri]

I read this as Animal lover: needs the next step up.

I came in this thread for some mad drama.
Did not deliver.

 

[Blue Musician]

Neon Genesis Evangelion, Serial Experiments Lain, RahXephon, Hellsing Ultimate and Darker than Black. Oh, and Elfen Lied.

 

[Gordon_4_v1legacy]

Neon Genesis Evangelion:

Its best to watch this either in one go, or a whole DVD's worth a night. Honestly I think you should watch it not because its the second coming of Optimus Prime, but because holy shit it did things differently in 1994. Love it or hate it, this show has had a huge impact on anime and fiction in general.


Bubblegum Crisis:

Not to be confused with its remake series, Tokyo 2040 (also worth a look though) but I'd see this one first because honestly....its great fun. The music is cool, the characters are interesting (without loads of angst, required or otherwise), the story ends short but in such hilarious fashion as to be forgiven.


Again these are personal choices, I've seen a few dozen anime like fan service filled whimsy like Onegai Sensei, Hand Maid May, Ikki Tousen, or violent gothic horrors like Hellsing or sci fi action with a minor in philosophy like Ghost in the Shell, and even balls to the wall insanity that is DragonBall Z (probably best watched in re-release 'Kai' format)

But universally, Studio Ghibli, watch all their movies and be glad you did

 

[SalamanderJoe]

UPDATE: I cannot express how awesome you guys are. I never expected 3 pages worth of suggestions and advice. It truly shows how awesome the Escapist community is. Thank you!

 

[Blue Musician]

Your suggesting School Days REALLY
DO U HATE THIS PERSON
I ussually love anime i've never really found one i really disliked just those that were less memorable or kinda felt like a waste of my time the exception to this is school day i frickin loathe this anime I literally came out of episodes wanting to punch the first thing that talked to me the only good point about watching this anime is u can have a nice good rant if those who were also unfortunate enough to sit through it aviod it at all costs

Use unctuation my friend. And though I disliked all of the characters, it's ending stands out as the most memorable one I've seen up until now.

 

[Hosker]

I'm nearly done on Higurashi no Naku Koro ni and all I can say is....wow. Very good anime, not sure why I always held off on getting it.

That is very good, but I wouldn't recommend the second series at all though.

Really? I'm halfway through it now, and very happy to be getting some answers at last as to whats going on. Nipah!

It is nice to finally get some answers but i liked the mystery. But i think the fact that there is almost no horror/creepy parts in it that i really disliked the most.

 

[xainoforgv]

]

I highly recommend School Days.

A few

K-on
Bakemonogatari
Strike Witches Keep that one a secret. >.>

Your suggesting School Days REALLY
DO U HATE THIS PERSON
I ussually love anime i've never really found one i really disliked just those that were less memorable or kinda felt like a waste of my time the exception to this is school day i frickin loathe this anime I literally came out of episodes wanting to punch the first thing that talked to me the only good point about watching this anime is u can have a nice good rant if those who were also unfortunate enough to sit through it aviod it at all costs

That's what makes it brilliant ^.^
I also enjoyed School Days, and also suggest it.
Yes, it's aggravating, but I found it interesting as well, rarely has an anime made me that emotional.

Okay if u enjoyed in on that basis i can respect your decisions. in a sense i think school days is genius cause no anime has gotten that large of an emotional reaction out of me. But its hard for me not to associate these loathing with the series itself.