Some good Anime.

[Bretrayer]

Soul Eater is pretty good; interesting setting, plot and characters. It a fighting anime quite different from the like of Bleach and Naruto. Serial Experiments Lain has a similar style to elfen lied except it's A LOT more surrealist (AKA symbolism + screwing with your mind). Takes a few episodes to get going but it is a really memorable series. Toradora! is the best anime rom/com I've every seen. Even if your not into that kind of stuff at least give it a shot. Spice and wolf is a really good serene series, with little (physical) action but an engaging plot and good characters. Back on the fighter side of things Hellsing and Berserk are both liberal in their application of blood (their both are very adult). I would recommend reading the Berserk manga but the anime is still damn good (but again very adult). Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is a good mecha series as is neon genesis evangelion. Oh and if your going to waltch Fullmetal Alchemist be sure to watch the Fullmetal Alchemist:Brotherhood series. It's better than the original anime adaption in that it follows the manga's excellent story right to the end.

 

[w00tage]

fHmm, I'll second Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 1, Trigun, Full Metal Alchemist (both the first and Brotherhood stories) and Cowboy Bebop. Even though they're all of vastly different styles, they all are good anime shows.

I'll also throw in these:

Hajime no Ippo - a show about a young guy who stumbles into the world of Japanese pro boxing and discovers his love for it from the inside. Really well done story and characters, you can easily watch this multiple times. (Warning- it's Shonen (young guy) anime so there are a few scenes here and there that are not suitable for girls - guys locker room n'stuff like that).

Last Exile - in a futuristic world of somewhat steampunk tech, two orphans use their inherited aircraft to make a living as air couriers. Until they almost collide with a dying courier pilot and accept his dying wish to deliver his cargo - a child - to a dangerous destination, and end up as part of the events that change the history of their world. Also very well done and a good story. (Also Shonen though, so there's one scene where it's questionable just what (consensually) happened between one of our young heroes and an adult protagonist.)

 

[370999]

I'm suprised someone hasn''t mentioned it before but Neon genesis Evangleion, that has an awefully depressing movie to tie the series up as well as being totally depressing in general. It also features mechas and giant monsters. That and due to being a classic you really should watch it, if only to understand what people compare mecha shows to. The only problem with it is that it is often nigh incomprehensible and is awefully lazy at telling it's story ie lots of exposition about post modernism rather then demonstrating it in action.

Others hav emade goog general reccomendations. I would advise that you always be willing to step outside the standard genre, but that's me.

 

[maninahat]

Definitely Bacanno.
The best anime I've seen since Cowboy Bebop; it has a brilliant cast of characters, and interweaves about 5 or 6 stories really well, all in the course of just 1 season.

Plus the intro song is amazing

I'm sold! I haven't watched any anime in about a year now. Looking back, I find most anime to be highly immature, especially the ones that think being adult involves increasing the gore and disrupting the serious tone with gratuitous fan service (I'm looking at you, Elfen Lied). It is hard finding a mature one. Monster was the last great one I watched.

 

[Guffe]

I will give you Soul Eater and Full Metal Alchemist.
If the newer FMA (Brotherhood) is as good as the manga (which it is based on fully) then take Brotherhood but otherwise the "first one" with 51 episode but the ending is kinda shit so I'd go with Brotherhood.
So final answer:
Soul Eater, 51 episodes and only the ending was a bit bad (the manga has not ended yet so ending has nothing to do with the "real" story)
Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood, completely based on the manga. The first series with 51 episodes was awesome, the Manga 100 times better which means Brotherhood is most likely a better choice.

Also Full Metal Panic is a great one that just popped into my mind. Different in the way that it only has bout 24 episodes but they are around 35 min each instead.

 

[catfishninja]

hey guys. i was looking at Bacanno. but im really looking for something with a strong teenage relationship theme. all help will be verey help full. thank u and if your like me then i recomed eureaka 7.(not to goodat spelling im so sorry ).death note is good but in my opinion could have a better ending.

till next time kwispy :K

 

[Jonluw]

It's nothing like what you described as your preferences, but you should still definitely watch Clannad and Clannad after story (48 episodes). It will make you cry. No, seriously, it will. You should definitely watch it no matter what your preferences are.

For something that might fit your preferences a bit better, try School days. That's one depressing piece right there.
And if you haven't watched Death note yet, you should of course do that. Code geass is also very good.
FLCL (Fooly Cooly) is also really good, and it's only 6 episodes.
Higurashi no naku koro ni is also pretty decent if you want some thriller.

If you want something funny, try Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt (ongoing). It's about two fallen angels, Panty (Nymphomaniac, can turn her panties into a gun.) and Stocking (Loves sweets, can turn her stockings into swords.) who fight ghosts in Daten city. The series has a very western animation style (Think Powerpuff girls), and a lot of western references. It is also rather perverted. It's almost like the Fairly odd parents, if Timmy was an adult, black, priest, and the fairy god parents were teenage girls who keep making crude jokes about fellatio.

<spoiler=Panty and stocking transformation scene><youtube=nGcriRycYbs&feature=related>

 

[Leg End]

While it certainly does not fit the criteria...

Cardcaptor Sakura
AKA, the series that defines the Magical Girl genre.

Seriously, greatest series ever, period.

Also has a Crowning Music of Awesome soundtrack.

For example:


Best... series...... ever.... *cries a little in love of Sakura*

 

[lvl9000_woot]

Kuroshitsugi/Black Butler [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.250204-SBR-Review-Black-Butler-Season-1] is a very good anime. I gauruntee it!

This.

Also,

-Darker than Black

-Trinity Blood

-Kaze no stigma

 

[lvl9000_woot]

To get it out of the way...

Ranma 1/2. How can you call yourself an anime fan if you've never scene this show? (or read the manga)

I would have said "anything with BOOBS in it" until I saw Divergence EVE... What a crappy series and even crappier sequel series.

***MIND YOU***

If you like anime boobs; then I recommend...

-Seikon no Qwaser
-Sekirei
-Ladies Versus Butlers
-Princess Lover!
-Queen's Blade
-Sora no Otoshimono
-Omamori Himari
-Ikkitousen
-Koihime Musou (and the continuing series Shin Koihime Musou)
and
-Highschool of the Dead

You missed one:

-Girls Bravo

 

[xmbts]

Higurashi was really good, Trigun is awesome, and for the love of god finish Cowboy Bebop.

 

[mParadox]

Can't believe i forgot to add Fullmetal Alchemist. So embarrassing! XD

Can't forget Fruit's Basket either. It's damn funny to watch!!

 

[AcrylicHero]

There's alot of excellent recommendations here already
Hellsing is awesome for the mindless violence etc etc
Cromatie highschool should be a must watch for any fans of anime
Samurai champloo and cowboy bebop is amazing
FMA and fma brotherhood are simply put awesome
I also highly recommend durarara. It's from the guys who made baccano and it's recently forced itself into my list of favourite anime of all time.

 

[TheNewDemoman]

Elven Lied is pretty good.

Except is really gory and has some nudity

 

[Limie]

Here's some random and little known ones. I usually only watch psycological thrillers:

Môryô no Hako

Himitsu the Revelation

More well known:
Ergo Proxy

Something gory:
Tokko- warning the series is unfinished but good for a watch you may want to read the manga for completeness.

Something funny:
Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro

Something really short, 3 episodes (but good):
Strait Jacket

 

[[.redacted]]

Oh dear.

Nobody has even mentioned Claymore...

I am dissapoint.

You, OP, are in luck, I also liked Elfen Lied, and am also looking for pretty much the same stuff you are. I've done a lot of looking around, all the names on this thread are no news to me, and I can safely tell you that none of them are as good as Claymore.

Underground, maybe, but brilliant. The end doesn't follow the manga, sadly, and butchers the storyline a bit, but up untill then the anime does, and consequentially is my favourite anime.

You may have a hard time finding it all on youtube, but it's on so many other sites - I'll link you the first part of the first episode anyway - I hope you like subs, although I hear the dub is good also.

Spoiler: Enjoy!

 

[lvl9000_woot]

~Snip!~
-----------

I CAN'T BELIEVE I FORGOT THAT ONE!!!!!
Thank you!

Don't feel bad, I also forgot to include Ghost Stories. It's the anime version of Ghost Hunters.

 

[Gigano]

hey guys. i was looking at Bacanno. but im really looking for something with a strong teenage relationship theme. all help will be verey help full. thank u and if your like me then i recomed eureaka 7.(not to goodat spelling im so sorry ).death note is good but in my opinion could have a better ending.

till next time kwispy :K

For animé with strong teenage relationships (not all romantic), I'd recommend Toradora (classic high school anime romance drama), Rainbow (teenage youth delinquent group dynamics), Gankutsuou (an anime sci-fi retelling of the Count of Monte Cristo), and Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (When they Cry)[footnote]This would be a fairly biased [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/groups/view/Higurashi-no-Naku-Koro-ni] recommendation on my part, I'm not really the most objective source on that one.[/footnote] (psychological horror mystery centered around an after school group in rural Japan).