Is there any good anime left?

[DarthFennec]

I've spent a good chunk of my free time these past years watching the animes that caught my attention. At first it was refreshing to see new ideas, settings, and plots explored. As time went on though, I started actively searching for new things to watch. I stumbled upon a few hidden gems, but things progressed, the pickins got slimmer. I'm sick of the cliches. I'm sick of the stereotypical characters. I'm sick of the wasted storytelling opportunities that Japanese animation revels in.

I've seen too many to list here, but I want to ask if the internet has any other recommendations before I swear off the medium entirely. Is there anything left for a jaded anime fan?

Hmm ... I don't know, it would probably help if you said what kind of anime you liked. I'm personally more into the slice-of-life sort, so my favorites are Azumanga Daioh, Lucky Star, K-On, etc. Besides that genre, I think some of my favorites are Death Note and Elfen Lied. Everything by Miyazaki is absolutely phenomenal but honestly you've probably already seen those, and they're movies (I assume you're looking for shows).

 

[gigastrike]

"Left"? Where did the good anime go?

 

[Josias8]

I am going to assume that you have seen a lot of the old stuff that most of these people are mentioning. But a more recent anime that I saw and really liked was "Angel Beats!" The first episode I thought was a little meh, and there are a few things that don't quite make sense or was just lost in translation, but it picks up about three episodes in and I thought it was great.

 

[NiPah]

Your implying anime was good to begin with.

I've never understood why kids tv being in a different language or from a different culture makes it any more acceptable for grown men and women to watch.

Right, now bring on the hate.

You make a logical fallacy in your comment, anime is the one true absolute good with which we measure from. To imply anime is not good is to state there is more then infinity, or that something is deeper then bottomless, it simply cannot be done in our reality. One day you too may find anime in your life, if you believe in anime it will come and fill you with never ending joy, even though you do not understand the meaningless of your life as you are now without anime I can truly state as one who has found anime that you are lost without it.

I pray that you too may find anime and obtain meaning to your life brother.

 

[galaktar]

I've spent a good chunk of my free time these past years watching the animes that caught my attention. At first it was refreshing to see new ideas, settings, and plots explored. As time went on though, I started actively searching for new things to watch. I stumbled upon a few hidden gems, but things progressed, the pickins got slimmer. I'm sick of the cliches. I'm sick of the stereotypical characters. I'm sick of the wasted storytelling opportunities that Japanese animation revels in.

I've seen too many to list here, but I want to ask if the internet has any other recommendations before I swear off the medium entirely. Is there anything left for a jaded anime fan?

Old Stuff. That's what you need to see, older stuff. It's what I revel in when the pickings are slim. Start finding directors you like and watch their works. Everyone knows Sotoshi Kon and Miyazaki, but what about Mamoru Hosoda, Kazuki Akane, Tatsuo Satō and Shinichirō Watanabe? Studios are important too, look up anything by Bones, most of their stuff is fantastic.

let's do a run down of some of the artist's work:

Hosoda: Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars, Digimon movie (first one where they save the interent) Fantastic director, whose films really don't get all the aclaim they probably deserve.

Akane: Escaflowne and Birdy the Mighty: Decode. Escaflowne is one of the seminal works of anime that really should be seen by everyone. Akane is a pro when it comes to pacing, something that most anime directors fail hard at. I think the best way I can describe his work is that he doesn't feel limited by the genre. meaning; that his works aren't defined as anime fantasy or anime sci-fi, they feel like actual sci-fi and fantasy, it's just they're anime.

Sato: Is the least well known of the ones I mentioned. he is largely responsible for Martain Successor Nadesico and the new show: Bodacious Space Pirates. I Havn't seen Pirates yet, but I hear good things. Nadesico is a great show though, a funny sci-fi dramedy with some neat ideas and fun characters. It's of similar fair to Macross, but it holds it's own fairly well.

Watanabe: Is the most well known director. His works are Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo. But he is directing a TV series this year called Sakamichi no Apollon which is about a pair of Jazz musicians in the 1960's. Music by Yoko Kanno again, so it's something to look forward to.

I'll have to see the upcoming Watanabe thing. Everything you mentioned was a good anime though.

 

[galaktar]

Look at 'Studio Ghibli'...great stuff.

Indeed. I agree.

 

[galaktar]

Have you seen Spice and Wolf, eden of the east, xam'd?

Not xam'd...looking up now.

 

[galaktar]

Hell Girl. Definitely watch Hell Girl. It starts off with individual cases of people summoning her to carry out their personal revenge, but after a while it introduces some main characters who tale her while meanwhile debating the morality of what she does. It gets very intricate and interesting.

Also, Gunslinger Girl, and then Gunslinger Girl: il Teatrino. Yes, the series does seem kinda anime-ish with their use of lolis as assassins. But trust me, it's way better than it sounds. It's all about story and character development and moral issues. And I really learned something important from the second series.

Desert Punk is another good one. It has a few anime stereotypes, like the "girl with big bajoongas". But it's got quite an original story that takes place in a post-apocalyptic desert. And it's about a selfish, rude, crude mercenary who you can't help but love, for all of his flaws. (And later, his apprentice too.) I personally fell in love with the show after just the first episode, so make of that what you will.

Black Lagoon. There are a few anime stereotypes in the series, but none of them belong to the main cast. It's about a crew of mercenaries/pirates, or rather, a self-described "delivery company... who sometimes break the rules to put food on the table." And they all have believable personalities for the most part. It's full of shooty action but it gets more intricate than that. And it's kinda grim.

There's also Halo Legends. Not necessarily a traditional anime, but an anime nonetheless. It's a compilation of different mini-animes done by different artists, about Halo. The episodes vary in quality, but I enjoyed them all and some even moved me to tears.

Suzuka's another good one. It's a love story about a boy who likes a girl but the girl has some personal tragedy that makes it hard for her to love. The series has surprisingly very little ecchi in it and there's not much in the way of anime stereotypes either. I mean, you won't see anybody waltzing around in giant robots or maid costumes. They're just high school students in a track team.

If you want more information on any of these, feel free to message me. One thing they have in common is that they all made me cry like a little girl at some point, for various reasons. Dunno if that lends to their credibility or not. But in my opinion, anything that can move a grown man to tears has got to be doing something right in the story department.

Edit: Also, Kpt._Rob doesn't know what he's talking about. Soul Eater was freakin' awesome. But that being said, it is anime-stereotypey. So probably not what you're looking for, OP.

Arg. Yes they are all excellent, but I have seen them. I really am scraping the bottom of the barrel here.

 

[dancinginfernal]

The only anime I've really been keeping tabs on is Persona 4: The Animation.

Speaking of which, I need to go watch Episode 16.

 

[galaktar]

I used to be a big anime fan, but like you I eventually got to the point where most anime was so repugnantly repetitive that I couldn't even force myself through it. Stuff like Soul Eater, D Grey Man, Bleach... I can't take it. It's all so horribly done it's like the sound of screeching chalk, only on my eyes instead of a chalkboard.

That said, I do every now and again run across something genuinely interesting and original. The kind of series where you can tell that a mature writer sat down with a team of people who knew what they were doing, and in the end it shows.

My favorite of these to suggest is Ghost Hound (not Ghost Hunt). Considering the BIG names that are behind this one, and how good it is, I'm actually really surprised about how infrequently I hear anyone talking about it. But perhaps it's just a little too complex for the same crowd that made Naruto popular (and thusly have I delivered my cynical jab for the day). It was written by Masamune Shirow (the author of Ghost in the Shell [the manga from which the rest of the incarnations have been derived]), and directed by the same guy who directed Serial Experiments Lain and Kino's Journey (two other series I would definitely suggest to the jaded anime fan). Ghost Hound has this crazy interesting plot which blends fringe elements from the worlds of psychology and quantum physics with some more traditional folklore for the sort of unique story that is so rare these days. I'd definitely suggest watching it, because you're not going to find anything else quite like it out there.

I will also re-suggest Serial Experiments Lain and Kino's Journey, as well as Mushishi (for those quieter and more contemplative among us).

Exactly! When I start a show and can predict exactly what is going to happen, I just turn it off. Same obnoxious inexplicably teenage characters. Same personalities. Same unexplained hairdoos. Same all consuming evil trying to take over the world for no reason. Ugh. Looking up Ghost Hound though...initial research looks promising. Thanks for mentioning.

 

[galaktar]

I highly recommend anything done by shaft studios, it usually orginal and out of the box when it comes to anime. Of thier catalog I would recommend Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei and Magical Girl Madoka (espically the Magical girl one, it like...is complete different then what the title makes you think)

umm Baccano is good for exceptional story telling and characters. Beck is great if you like slice of life and music, other then that. Grave of the Fireflies if you want to fuck up your day.

Baccano was amazing! I don't think anime has ever stepped farther outside it's comfort zone and looked so good doing it. Beck was good, but I never finished it because I wanted to punch the main character in the face every single episode.

Also, you are right. Grave of the fireflies ruined my weekend.

 

[galaktar]

Your implying anime was good to begin with.

I've never understood why kids tv being in a different language or from a different culture makes it any more acceptable for grown men and women to watch.

Right, now bring on the hate.

Right...kids tv...please watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKwaPSkjXp0

 

[galaktar]

I've spent a good chunk of my free time these past years watching the animes that caught my attention. At first it was refreshing to see new ideas, settings, and plots explored. As time went on though, I started actively searching for new things to watch. I stumbled upon a few hidden gems, but things progressed, the pickins got slimmer. I'm sick of the cliches. I'm sick of the stereotypical characters. I'm sick of the wasted storytelling opportunities that Japanese animation revels in.

I've seen too many to list here, but I want to ask if the internet has any other recommendations before I swear off the medium entirely. Is there anything left for a jaded anime fan?

Hmm ... I don't know, it would probably help if you said what kind of anime you liked. I'm personally more into the slice-of-life sort, so my favorites are Azumanga Daioh, Lucky Star, K-On, etc. Besides that genre, I think some of my favorites are Death Note and Elfen Lied. Everything by Miyazaki is absolutely phenomenal but honestly you've probably already seen those, and they're movies (I assume you're looking for shows).

...I don't think Elfen Leid and Azumanga Daioh should be in the same paragraph with each other.

 

[AbsoluteVirtue18]

Well, since everyone has suggested every anime I could think to recommend, I'm going to say that you should try Outlaw Star. But that's just me.

 

[madkill]

Its funny when people see animation and think 'kids show' yet when you compare animé to any other program animé has a large amount of adult themes. And before anyone makes an idiot of themselves, nothing on TV is real. (With the exception of 'reality' TV)

Back On Topic:
Have you seen Detroit Metal City? Its an okay animé to watch, has its cliché moments and its funny moments, its repulsively alluring in some way though. Its short and worth watching.

On a side-note someone earlier suggested FLCL, when I watched it I failed to see what was so immense about it I mean if anything, it was waaaay to short to be properly enjoyed. :>

 

[Smertnik]

Just find an anime database to your liking and search for stuff similar to your preferences. anime-planet.com is pretty handy in that regard, for instance. But I'm sure there're quite a few others.

 

[sergnb]

if you ask in 4chan's /a/ you'll receive a good list of recommendations.

Also; boku no pico

 

[Worgen]

Have you seen Spice and Wolf, eden of the east, xam'd?

I would highly recommend Spice and Wolf, but EotE (Higashi no Eden) and Xam'd?

If it weren't for the horrid ending of them both, I would say go for it.

Xamd's first "season" was pretty damn good, but the ending was just all kinds of bananas. I mean, it's good to leave things open for the viewers to enjoy, that's what made Evangelion so popular, but like I said, Xam'd just didn't have a very succesful 2nd season.

Maybe except for Midori (Haru's sister), she creeped the hell out of me.

I really liked eden of the east, although the ending does leave it somewhat mid story, I heard the movies finished it up but I haven't seen them yet, I also really liked the first season of xam'd but I havent seen the 2nd one yet.

 

[The_Blue_Rider]

Well everyone else is pointing out all the anime like Elfin Lied, and Azumanga Daioh, so im gonna suggest 2 that dont really pop up much in these threads

Berserk - The Anime is good, the Manga is even better, if you have no problem with excessive gore then give it a shot, it has incredibly deep philosophical themes behind it and very likeable and complex characters. To top it all off it also has an amazing story.

One Piece - Yes I know this is one of the big 3 and a lot of people dislike it for being a shonen anime, but its easily one of my favourite manga/animes of all time. It has a sense of adventure that no other show has, and it places a heavy importance on dreams (The goal type not the sleep type). To top it off its also incredibly funny

EDIT: Completely forgot Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. Watch it if you have any passing interest in mecha