Recommend Anime

[Captain Kong]

Hey OP, I'm kind of in the same boat as you. I hate generalizing so I won't say that all anime completely sucks, but I definitely hate the vast majority of it. So when I say I say Cowbow Bebop is one of my favorite shows ever, it really means something (plus, it has the best soundtrack to anything... ever). Trigun is also pretty good, one of the few anime shows that has made me laugh. If you are looking for anime movies, you can never go wrong with any Miyazaki film.

Anyway, I would really like to check out some of these recommendations that people have been giving. I've been hearing good things about Ghost in the Shell for a while, so I should probably check that out.

P.S. If there are any more anime shows out there with an absence of J-Pop, generic characters, and god-awful opening theme-songs, please inform me of them.

 

[Fightgarr]

I enjoyed Samurai Champloo. Its got a soundtrack by a very good DJ by the name of Nu Jabes and the animation has a really good sense of motion. I also enjoyed Cowboy Bebop as many already have. I don't really watch too much anime as I have limited interest in most of it. I've tried out Death Note and found myself bored, I also tried Trigun and found it annoying.

When it comes to what I want from animation I go to studio Ghibli. Miyazaki's films pepper my top 20 films of all time and even the Ghibli films that aren't his are rather good. I also enjoyed the Astro-Boy-esque incarnation of Metropolis. That's the extent to my watching anime.

One thing I don't understand is anime which is purely drama. I don't understand why it wouldn't just be live action. When I watch an animated show I watch it because animation can do things easily that live action can't, not to listen to people spill their hearts out in a romantic or mysterious fashion.

 

[13lackfriday]

Cowboy Bebop is really good, in my opinion.

Supposedly a fucking classic and the very foundation upon which modern anime is built.

Spoiler

Full Metal Alchemist - Dramatic Action Adventure with some good Comedy. 5 stars!
Trigun - Goofy/Serious Action show. 4 stars!
Black Lagoon - underworld crime show. can be funny or serious. 4 stars!
Code Geass - over the top drama/action/intrugue show. always big suprises waiting... 5 stars!
Darker than Black - goofy/serious action/intrigue show. 3 stars!
Death Note - drama/intrigue show. gets kinda weak towards the end. 4 stars!
Rune Soldier - goofy rpg paradoy show. 3 stars!
Berserk - action/drama/intrigue/war usually very serious. 3 stars! (manga is epic though)
Full Metal Panic season 1/2 - military action/drama/intrigue/mecha show. 4 stars!
Full Metal Panic Fumoffu! - extremely comedic season. hilarious. 5 stars!
Gungrave - mafia/crime/action/drama. usually serious. 4 stars!
FLCL - uhhh... comedy/action/??? epic. 5 stars!
Ghost in the Shell - sci fi(but not tooo futurey) military intrigue/ethics show. 4 stars!
Hellsing Ultimate - vampire action/intrigue... mostly action. 4 stars!
Historys Strongest Disciple Kenichi - goofy martial arts action/drama. 3 stars!
Great Teacher Onizuka - comedy/drama/morals? 4 stars!
Rurouni Kenshin - samurai action/comedy/drama. 3 stars!
Pumpkin Scissors - military/comedy/drama/intrigue. ending is a bit too loose... 3 stars!
Read or Die OVA/Series - action/intrigue. OVA is stronger than TV... but overall 3 stars!
Samurai Champloo - Samurai/comedy/action. epic. 5 stars!
Seto no Hanayome - comedy/romance paradoy/some action. can be awkward, or HILARIOUS. 3 stars!
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann - sci fi/mecha/action/comedy/drama/intrigue/everything. 5 stars!
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - comedy/intrigue/??? 4 stars!
Trinity Blood - vampires/action/intrigue. 3 stars!
Avatar the last Airbender - North American Animation. action/adventure/comedy/drama 5 stars!
Basilisk - Ninjas/Action/Drama/Intrigue 4 stars!
Tower of Druaga Aegis/Sword of Uruk - RPG/parody/comedy/action/drama/intrigue 4 stars!
Outlaw Star - sci fi/spaceships/action/adventure/intrigue 4 stars!
Cowboy Bebop - sci fi/spaceships/bountyhunter/action/drama/??? 4 stars!
Vandread - sci fi/spaceships/mecha/comedy/drama/intrigue. 3 stars!(havent watched it all yet)
Last Exile - Fantasy/Drama/Action/Intrigue/dogfighting. 4 stars!
Claymore - Fantasy/Drama/Action/Intrigue/Swordfighting. 3 stars!
Naruto - Ninjas/action/drama/comedy/intrigue. too many fillers/time waster ploys 3 star. (manga is 5 star though)
Bleach - supernatural/samurai/action/intrigue/drama. first 65ish episode 4 star. after that 2.
One Piece - Pirate/Action/Adventure/Comedy/Drama/Intrigue. can be slooow 3 star.

just to give an idea about how im rating things...
*i didnt bother listing shows i dont like.
0 stars = you wish you never saw it.
1 star = garbage
2 star = dime a dozen. nothing memorable.
3 star = good show. worth watching again sometime.
4 star = excellent show. a must see for fans of the genre
5 star = exceptional. everyone who like anime should at least give it a try.

id be willing to add more animes ive seen onto the list... if anyone asks me what i thought about something ill put it on. im sure ive forgotten some that ive enjoyed... but theres also some i didnt put on there because i dont like them.

Thank you for including Naruto in your very well composed, quintessential list of animes worth watching.

 

[Lord Beautiful]

Gurren Lagann.
Hellsing Ultimate.
Death Note.
Dragon Ball Z.
Yu Yu Hakusho.
The Funimation version of One Piece. Seriously. Not the horrible 4Kids version.

I second every single one of these, especially Yu Yu Hakusho. The only one I can't recommend is the last one, but that is only because I haven't seen it, and as such, cannot form an opinion on it.

 

[Akula]

Well, I'm actually surprised this hasn't been recommended yet so I'll go ahead and do it.

Neon Genesis Evangelion, you'll either love it or hate it. Cool mechs (if you can call them that), awesome aliens (if you can call them that), and a cast of pretty messed up heroes (if you can call them that). And the story is pretty damn good, although definitely requires more then one viewing to understand. My only advice is not to watch the last 2 episodes and watch the movie (End of Evangelion) instead. Although I understand the original ending now, the first time it really bummed me out.

You can also give Rebuild of Evangelion a go. It's basically a remake of the series in the form of 3 or 4 movies, with a way bigger budget then the original show had and some pretty noticeable changes to the plot. So far only the first movie is out.

You can also give these a go: Angels Egg, Akira, The Wings of Honneamise, Vision of Escaflowne, Berserk, Perfect Blue, Hellsing (both the TV series and the OVA), and RahXephon.

 

[cptjack42]

What I Don't Like
Naruto
Bleach
Yu-Gi-Oh
Yu-Yu-Hakusho
Naruto
Rurouni Kenshin
Pokemon
Dragonball
Afro Samurai
Bo*7
Naruto
*more when I think of it

You must really hate Naruto.
Can't say I blame you though.

 

[Mostly Harmless]

I went though the same problem here is a short list of the the few I liked
Avoid Naruto, Bleach, One Piece, Dragon Ball Z, Yu Yu Hakusho, Eureka 7 anything along the lines of school drama if you don't like one you don't like any of them
Code-Geass watch with caustion you might enjoy it but the action is too inconsistent for me to care.
If you don't like Naruto you probably wont like Bleach

Fullmetal Alchemist
Ghost in the Shell
Cowboy Bebop
Mushi-shi
Death Note -only watch the first season every thing after that sucked.
Trigun
FLCL -short and

Animetric has great reviews for anime. Many of my favorites came from this site.
It doesn't like the stuff listed above and is one of the only sites where I actually agree with their reviewers. They think most anime is crap but some is great which is exactly how I feel.

 

[NeutralDrow]

Lucky Star [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LuckyStar](PG) (no violence, no action, no mind screwing. A gentle slice-of-life comedy),

Yeah, I think it's a little too early in his anime watching for Lucky Star. Maybe Azumanga Daioh instead.

Much as I love Lucky Star, I must sadly agree. It's a little too hit-or-miss for a non-conditional recommendation. Azumanga Daioh, on the other hand, probably is (though I like the manga better).


People've mentioned winners so far. Gotta agree on Fullmetal Alchemist, Cowboy Bebop, and Rurouni Kenshin (especially the first OVA, Trust and Betrayal). I might agree on the others, but I read the manga in most cases, instead. Except Yu Yu Hakusho; bizarrely, I think the anime is actually better than the source manga (at least up to the end of the Dark Tournament, which I haven't watched past).

No one's mentioned Slayers so far? I can honestly say that surprises me.

 

[defcon 1]

Death Note -only watch the first season every thing after that sucked.

Seasons? There are only 36 episodes. I liked the ending even though I did root for the other guy.

 

[rottenbutter]

Well, I'm actually surprised this hasn't been recommended yet so I'll go ahead and do it.

Neon Genesis Evangelion, you'll either love it or hate it. Cool mechs (if you can call them that), awesome aliens (if you can call them that), and a cast of pretty messed up heroes (if you can call them that). And the story is pretty damn good, although definitely requires more then one viewing to understand. My only advice is not to watch the last 2 episodes and watch the movie (End of Evangelion) instead. Although I understand the original ending now, the first time it really bummed me out.

I would recommend it, if it weren't for the damn extremely unlikeable characters that made me hate the entire thing.

You can also give Rebuild of Evangelion a go. It's basically a remake of the series in the form of 3 or 4 movies, with a way bigger budget then the original show had and some pretty noticeable changes to the plot. So far only the first movie is out.

I do, however, recommend Rebuild. It's a lot more somber, and the are a lot of subtle touches that make the characters (even Shinji) a lot more like able.

[fanboy]Plus, it's directed by the same guy who directed FLCL, so you know it's good.[/fanboy]

 

[cptjack42]

I liked Higurashi no naku koro ni (sp). I thought it was really original. It goes in arcs of 4 episodes or so, and each time someone goes insane and kills everyone. No one's mentioned it, so I guess it's more obscure than I thought.

 

[MB202]

I highly recommend One Piece. It's full of action, interesting characters, and it's funny!

 

[Siegreich]

If you like anime i recommend you go check out some manga, it's generally better than the anime and there's more variety, just check out onemanga.com
also watch lunar legend it's slow paced but really good

 

[Lios]

If you like "More action, less yappin'" go for Black Lagoon. You won't be disappointed.

 

[rottenbutter]

I liked Higurashi no naku koro ni. I thought it was really original. It goes in arcs of 4 episodes or so, and each time someone goes insane and kills everyone. No one's mentioned it, so I guess it's more obscure than I thought.

*facepalm*
How could I forget Higurashi? I loved that anime!

It's very "mind-screwy" and totaly twisted. There a few scenes so brutal I get choked up just thinking about it (*gulp* fingernails *shudders*).

Definitely worth a recommendation if you are looking something sick and twisted. Not for the faint of heart.

 

[God's Clown]

Eureka 7

/thread(and I don't say that often.)

I am doubting Eureka 7 justifies a /thread. It's decent but it's no where near good enough to be a /thread.

 

[Matey]

i didnt list neon genesis since i hate it for the reason rottenbutter listed. aka an entire cast of unlikable characters. (there were a couple i liked... but they all get so horribly screwed up by the end it just pisses me off even more that i ever did like them to begin with.)

i havent watched the new movies yet. but i have a friend who is a big fan of eva.. and who dislikes full metal alchemist... so we have a tentative agreement... where i watch the new movies and he watches the new full metal series.


Higurashi - im undecided on... i made it through the first season.. but i was pretty dissapointed that they hadnt really made any progress. one character has some idea whats going on.. thats it. i havent bothered with the second season yet. not sure if i will.

Eureka 7 - (oo-wreck-ah) i havent figured out why even in the english dub they pronounce it so horribly... anyways.
the show itself seems alright. i watched the first few episodes seems enjoyable but havent bothered watching any more. probably a 3 star..

and a couple others i remembered... ill add them to my list as well as the ones above...

Speed Grapher - supernatural/suspense/drama/action. 3 stars!
its a pretty cool show. caught my interest enough that i watched it all in like 3 days. it could have been a bit better and the replay value isnt as high as some others. but its still a nice change of pace from all the 15 year olds who look 22 with super powers.


Excel Saga - Comedy/parody/everything. 3 stars.
depends on your mood and the episode. can be great or lame.

 

[Worgen]

the fact that I dont see azumanga diaoh here, proves that no one here would know good anime if it ran up, grabbed your house keys and threw them into the woods on impulse

 

[Mr. Valentine]

Pure Whight Lover Bizzare Jelly

 

[AbsoluteVirtue18]

Gurren Lagann. The Funimation version of One Piece. Seriously. Not the horrible 4Kids version.

If you don't mind me asking, what's the difference?

Oh......I can't describe how bad 4Kids is.

"Stop, or we'll shoot you with our invisable guns."