Anime

[TheThree]

Series:
One Piece (Best long running anime)
Samurai Champloo
Cowboy Bebop
Black Lagoon
FLCL
Detective Conan
Hellsing
Cowboy Bebop
Trigun
Outlaw Star
Evangelion
Dragon Ball/Dragon Ball Z (Not a fan of GT though)
Lupin III
Cowboy Bebop
Kenshin
Excel Saga
Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi
Oh, did I mention Cowboy Bebop?

Movies (Haven't seen that many, cept movies that are from anime series that are listed above):
Anything from Studio Ghibli, they are seriously amazing with everything they do.. 'cept Totoro. Totoro is probably the cutest and the coolest looking character ever but damnit is that movie a boring one.
Akira

Seriously, Bebop is the best anime I've ever seen. It's the only anime where the English dub, in my opinion, is better than the Japanese voices. But, I must be one of the only people in the world who doesn't see the 'awesomeness' of Naruto, Full Metal Alchemist, Gundam, and Death Note.

 

[GloatingSwine]

Elfen Lied? Not everyone can take massive amounts of blood, violence, gore, suggestive themes, nudity, cousins in love, and death by pen.

Still.... that death by pen thing is awsome!

Pff. John Cusack made it awesomer.

 

[GloatingSwine]

I used to be big into Anime before it became "trendy"... Now it's becoming just cheap cartoons, but I do sort through it for good shows.

There have always been just as many trashy and cheap animated shows in Japan as there are in the west, they just didn't tend to get translated.


Anyway, my all time favourite is Macross. Don't much care which bit, though I didn't really like Macross Zero very much, because I wanted all the characters to die horribly*. Macross Frontier looks like it will be back on form though, the characters aren't annoying in the first episode at least, and whilst it does have a long haired prettyboy lead, all the other characters either make fun of him for it or mistake him for a woman, which is eternally amusing.


* I take great comfort from Episode 26 of the original Macross knowing that most of the cast of Zero were probably on Earth.

 

[qbert4ever]

That's pretty strange because I watched the whole series=26ep. and by my standards it's "Acceptable".

Huh, thats weird, I could have sworn I heard a tool whose standerds I could give a damn about. Strange.

Anyway, back on topic, which digimon game are you talking about ABeck? There are like, 90 bajillion, and I'm not sure which was the first one. However, Rumble Arena was my first fighting game, and I have to admit, looking back it still holds up very well.

Also, anybody see that series called Blood? It's about mutant vampires or some weird shit. Not sure 'cause I quit watching after two episodes, it was on too late and I had to get up at the ass-crack of dawn the next morning. Just wondering if it's worth picking up the box set because I liked the two that I saw (for reference, they were the ones where the vampire chick turned red and her head popped off in the guys lap, and the one before that).

 

[GrowlersAtSea]

I've seen Blood: The Last Vampire as well as most of a series called Blood+ that Cartoon Network has been running a dub of, I think that's what you're meaning. They both have big monster things and vampires.

If it is, the movie had some great animation but overall wasn't too remarkable. I've seen most of the series and, like the film, I haven't seen too much of note either way. It has some gore and some decent action sequences, but the story has been pretty boring to me and the animation only a bit above average. I wouldn't pay money for it, it's no Hellsing, but since it's been on TV I've been watching for lack of anything better to do.

Basically all the anime I've liked and my favorites were named by the time I spotted this topic, so I really don't think I have much to add. I'm hoping to watch Monster sometime though, I've heard very good things about it.

 

[Anarchemitis]

I hate anime that is, in regards to animation methodology and facial appearance. Majoritivly.
(An entire scene may be just two characters moving their eyes and mouths, and if we're lucky, move their bodies once.)
But what I like is the imagination involved in the vehicles, weapons, ships, all that junk. Spacy Lasers explosion ammo gunship awesome!

 

[mikeymatrix]

Well, I love Vampire Hunter D, Bleach, Death Note, Azumanga Daioh, Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi, Desert Punk (in English 'cuz it's hilarious), Excel Saga, and a few others..

I mainly want to talk about the Death Note games. If you know a little bit of Japanese, you can get by on the 2nd game (L o tsugumono - the ones to succed L), but the first game (Kira Gemu) is difficult because of all the kanji and it's simply guess who is Kira or kill L based on what people are saying and how they say it. Great concept, but not for non-Japanese readers. L o tsugumono plays like a cat and mouse game. As Kira, set traps and try to avoid detection. As L, try to catch Kira without getting killed, using video cameras to try and pinpoint Kira's position. I recommend it completely. (Available for cheap right now at yesasia.com or try play-asia.com)

Also Bleach 2nd DS (Japanese version since US isn't out yet) is completely awesome. Jump Ultimare Stars is definitely worth getting too. Of the 22 DS games I have, only 8 or 9 are US. The rest are Japanese.

 

[Murian]

Good to see a lot of good stuff has already been listed! Multiple times! Ghost in the Shell (all of it) and Full Metal Panic (all of that too!) are among my personal favourites.

SpiderLotus: If you love Samurai Champloo, definately watch Cowboy Bebop if you haven't already, it has the same director. Would definately be nice to know your preferences to genre as WW asked (obviously you haven't been back yet) as I don't want to reccommend something you'd rather do nasty things to your own genitals than watch (Kanon does that for me, I don't ever want to touch anything like that ever again...). Although if you don't like Tengen Toppa Gurren Laggan (2007) there's something wrong with you.

Anarchemitis: That's...an interesting position to be in...although I do find it noticeable that anime has a much easier time suspending reality as we know it than other genres. If you're more here for just the good sci-fi I'd suggest Gunbuster (1989, aka. Aim for the Top!) since it goes nuts for crazy space stuff on a scale I haven't really seen elsewhere. Galaxy destroying crazy.

 

[Katana314]

I understand that anime is simply an art genre, but I find myself not liking most of what's offered.

Recently someone did listen to the grievances I generally have with anime, and recommended GunGrave. It's not bad so far; the first episode takes place a long way into the future, whereas the next 10-? episodes give backstory as to how things came to be.

 

[GloatingSwine]

As to Macross, the only Macross I liked was the two-part feature "Macross Plus". Never got into Robotech or the rest of the Macross stuff. Macross Plus however is quite awesome, and works well as a stand-alone that doesn't require the viewer to have seen any other shows. Wicked music too.

Robotech is not Macross. Not at all. Please erase it from your memory, and wash your mouth out with soap.

Re: Studio Ghibli. Seen comments to the effect of Ghibli being part of Disney, false false false. Ghibli does release in America with Disney's help, Walt Disney Corporation has been providing the voice talents for the english dubs of all but one show. Ghibli made all the shows, no involvement from Disney. The one exception that Disney didn't touch was Mononoke Hime, which had a full Hollywood lineup for voice talent, including my personal favorites, Keith David and Gillian Anderson.

Actually, Disney did do Mononoke, they just released it under the Miramax name. It was after that that they handed executive control over their translations to John Lasseter at Pixar.

 

[Iron_will]

I love anime, my personal favourite is Shuffle!, well at least until the second season of Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya comes out.

 

[Lungo]

Hey
I just wondering, why havent any of you mention Iriya's Sky, Summer of the UFO or Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya when you are talking about "great" and "the best anime shows"? are people just ignoreing Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya since they are finding it to wierd and dont people know about Iriya's Sky, Summer of the UFO?
Its short 6 ep show, but its so great mayde, so when it reach its end, you will end up sitting with a very strange felling in your stormach.
And a question for those who have talked about My-Hime. Have you seen the follow up for the series? Mai Otome and Mai Otome Zwei? If you havent, seen them. But if its some time since you have seen My-Hime, take you time and resee it, since when your are seeing Mai Otome you will finde many little funny comparisons which put a question mark to alot of things.

 

[ayoama]

Everything by Satoshi Kon is amazing

 

[Iron_will]

Hey
I just wondering, why havent any of you mention Iriya's Sky, Summer of the UFO or Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya when you are talking about "great" and "the best anime shows"? are people just ignoreing Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya since they are finding it to wierd and dont people know about Iriya's Sky, Summer of the UFO?
Its short 6 ep show, but its so great mayde, so when it reach its end, you will end up sitting with a very strange felling in your stormach.
And a question for those who have talked about My-Hime. Have you seen the follow up for the series? Mai Otome and Mai Otome Zwei? If you havent, seen them. But if its some time since you have seen My-Hime, take you time and resee it, since when your are seeing Mai Otome you will finde many little funny comparisons which put a question mark to alot of things.

I wasn't one of them.

 

[LordOmnit]

[A]re people just ignoring Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya since they are finding it to[o] w[ei]d[...]

I specifically did not.

Haruhi Suzumiya- girl is God and doesn't know it. Keep girl entertained or not exist. Thumbs up x 10

 

[mshcherbatskaya]

Everything by Satoshi Kon is amazing

Abso-frakkin'-lutely! He does the best psychological thrillers (for lack of a better term) in anime.