Anime Recommendations Thread

[Agloval]

Tekkaman Blade

Tek Setter!

I'm stalled seven episodes into Tekkaman Blade, but I do intend to go back and finish watching it. One day. I'm also familiar with some details of the rest of the story from playing Super Robot Wars J and reading /m/ too much.

I quite like what I've seen of it. The set-up for the story is good, with humanity teetering on the brink of defeat and a violent, taciturn young man with superpowers showing up to help them. From what I know, the story's about the heroes gradually learning to trust each other, and dealing with some heavy events. While fighting aliens to save Earth.

The show takes its time revealing what's actually going on, and when it is revealed it's pretty grim stuff if you've bought into the story. Which is a point -- this is, I think, an anime which has roots in a more cheerful mid-seventies story, but is trying to be all dark and serious. Sometimes it gets caught midway, and you have to be prepared to believe, for example, that 'Tekkaman Evil' is a credible name for a villain.

Downsides? The budget was tight. Some of the animation is cheap, and they use stock footage pretty often. And the story drags at times, I think.

As for objectionable content, I don't remember anything particularly egregious, though of course I only watched a little more than a tenth of the show! The alien-fighting involves bloodshed and (not especially gory) alien dismemberment. One of the minor characters is a very bluntly caricatured gay who has (IIRC) a crush on the main character, which is played for laughs; I thought this was an annoying and lazy excuse for writing proper jokes, but not nearly a significant enough part of the show to be a dealbreaker (for me).

Hope this helps. And I wish I'd seen more of it so I could give a more reliable report!

[AngelicTotoro]

@Atria: I think I'll risk watching it and then decide for myself, thanks for your help though!

@Agloval: Even though you've only watched a few episodes, from what you've told me I think I've got a good idea of the violence... more info on it would be nice though, as for the gay character.. Well, I guess I'm going to have to wait for someone else here to tell me all the details about it's content. Thanks for replying though!

[TWWK]

(By the way, Atria....Can you help me find ~After Story~?....I have been anticipating it for months!)

If you want to watch it legally, I'm not sure if any of the streaming sites have it right now. Of course, it's been available of DVD for quite a while.

You might also want to check out the other Key productions. Kanon is my favorite (though I think I'm in the minority on this) and is pretty similar in tone to Clannad. Angel Beats and Air are also related, though they're quite different from the other two, especially Angel Beats.

[Maokun]

I was browsing MAL and I found a couple of shows that I'd like to ask about if it's alright.

Senjou no Valkyria
Tekkaman Blade

I know both of them are a bit different then the other, I can be so random with my interests sometimes.

Thanks for the help!

I watched Tekkaman Blade when I was 12 and I loved it! Not sure if you have to be 12 to enjoy it, though.

[AngelicTotoro]

I watched Tekkaman Blade when I was 12 and I loved it! Not sure if you have to be 12 to enjoy it, though.

So basically you're saying it's fine to watch... right?

[Maokun]

Yeah, for all I remember it doesn't have any more objectionable content that watching 5 minutes of the News. And IIRC, the gay character was there for comedic relief, and more likely to offend gay people than sensitive watchers.

[Agloval]

the gay character was there for comedic relief, and more likely to offend gay people than sensitive watchers.

That was my impression from the episodes I saw.

[SIZE="1"](I think gay people, regardless of morality, deserve more respect as people than Tekkaman Blade affords them. But this is a minor side character in a kids' action show from the early nineties, so yeah.)[/SIZE]

[Maokun]

I definitely agree with you in both respects.

[impact777]

Hi caa community!
I have a question concerning the anime Eden of the East.
Is there any bad content in it like "bad religion"?
Doumo arigatou!

[Atria35]

Hi caa community!
I have a question concerning the anime Eden of the East.
Is there any bad content in it like "bad religion"?
Doumo arigatou!

There is some nudity in it (on the guy's part) during the first episode- you see some bare guy bums, but the front genitalia is whited out or hidden by angles/the screen. A woman does appear in lingerie at one point- she kils men by cutting off their... yeah. You never see it happen, though the threat was there.

Very little language, no real bad religion. In fact, TWWK wrote a 3 part series on it about how it was pretty good in that regard. They are full of spoilers, but here's a link to the first article:
http://beneaththetangles.wordpress.com/2010/11/08/finding-the-invisible-god-in-eden-of-the-east-part-1-of-3/

[impact777]

Thank you

[Atria35]

Okay! Today I'm going to finish up Fractale since I've had it on my 'watching' list forever. After this, I want to start either
Neon Genesis Evangelion
The Counte of Monte Cristo
Gunslinger Girl
Serial Experiments Lain
Full Metal Panic! Season 1
Planetes

Yes, I want to watch all of these. Does anyone have an opinion on which order I should see them in?

[Falx]

Neon Genesis Evolution? Don't you mean evangelion?

But anyway I personally would do this order:

Serial Experiments Lain
Planetes
Gunslinger Girl
FMP
Monte Cristo
NGE(?)

If it is Evangelion, I would personally watch the movies instead. The series was ground breaking when it first saw the light of day... but that was a long time ago.

[Atria35]

I figure I should see the series because my brother owns it and I have it with me right now... and I should see is because it was groundbreaking when it came out.

In any case, that looks like a plan- it's broken up nicely so I don't have too many dark series close to eachother! Thanks much!

[MightiMidget]

I've been looking at Tokyo Majin for a while, but haven't been able to get a good reading on what the spiritual elements are. Is it like Kuroshitsuji spiritual? Claymore "spiritual"? Saiyuki spiritual? Whole different shebang? Can someone help me out here please...

[Maokun]

Okay! Today I'm going to finish up Fractale since I've had it on my 'watching' list forever. After this, I want to start either
Neon Genesis Evangelion
The Counte of Monte Cristo
Gunslinger Girl
Serial Experiments Lain
Full Metal Panic! Season 1
Planetes

Yes, I want to watch all of these. Does anyone have an opinion on which order I should see them in?

NGE, just watch NGE. It's bad enough you haven't seen it yet, so no reason to keep postponing! :p

Seriously. I can't guarantee what your opinion will be once you finish it, but it's absolutely seminal and necessary. NGE influenced anime in more or less the same way The Matrix influenced modern filmmaking. Also, if you want my personal opinion, a masterpiece of storytelling.

Follow with FMP and Gankoutsu. The least good (still good) of that list is Gunslinger Girl, in my opinion.

[Atria35]

NGE, just watch NGE. It's bad enough you haven't seen it yet, so no reason to keep postponing! :p

Seriously. I can't guarantee what your opinion will be once you finish it, but it's absolutely seminal and necessary. NGE influenced anime in more or less the same way The Matrix influenced modern filmmaking. Also, if you want my personal opinion, a masterpiece of storytelling.

Follow with FMP and Gankoutsu. The least good (still good) of that list is Gunslinger Girl, in my opinion.

Since I just finished Serial Experiments, I'm working on Planetes- I need to get over my headache from thinking about what was happening! However, you're right, I really should watch NGE, so I think I'll move it up my list. It's borrowed, so I have to return it sometime soon.

[TWWK]

FMP is addicting and a lot of fun. And...I think it has a summery feel to it. If you want to take a break from the mindburn that was Lain or any of the other serious anime, dive into that one.

[Rri X]

Would someone help me find a new series?

What I like:

Sci-Fi
Adventure
Action
Characters with special abilities [Superpowers, neko people, etc.]

What I don't really like:

Magical Girl anime
Romance

My restrictions:

Violence: Violence doesn't really bother me. Blood's fine.

Sexual Content: Minimal/none, please. No nudity whatsoever.

Language: Preferably minimal, though I can stand more. No F-bombs.

Also, I would prefer that the series not have a background theme of Christianity like FMA. I, a Christian myself, am very sensitive about how other things represent it.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

Giant Robo because it is the greatest anime ever. Kannagi is a pretty funny comedy about a guy who unwittingly unleashes a goddess and has to help her stamp out impurities that now plague the land. Any Macross series besides Zero would probably be good, though I think the original series and Do You Remember Love? both have a shower scene. Natsume Yuujincho is a great series about a boy who helps people with their youkai problems and youkai with their people problems. Sword of the Stranger is probably one of the best action movies I've seen. Library War(or Toshokan Sensou) is another favorite of mine. Denpateki na Kanojo and Kure-nai are both pretty good stuff by the same author.

Also, FMA has a background theme of Christianity? Arakawa said that the universe FMA takes place in doesn't have Christianity because it's a completely different universe from our own.

[Rri X]

Giant Robo because it is the greatest anime ever. Kannagi is a pretty funny comedy about a guy who unwittingly unleashes a goddess and has to help her stamp out impurities that now plague the land. Any Macross series besides Zero would probably be good, though I think the original series and Do You Remember Love? both have a shower scene. Natsume Yuujincho is a great series about a boy who helps people with their youkai problems and youkai with their people problems. Sword of the Stranger is probably one of the best action movies I've seen. Library War(or Toshokan Sensou) is another favorite of mine. Denpateki na Kanojo and Kure-nai are both pretty good stuff by the same author.

Also, FMA has a background theme of Christianity? Arakawa said that the universe FMA takes place in doesn't have Christianity because it's a completely different universe from our own.

I'll look into those, thanks, but may I ask a stupid question? What is Macross?

FMA has several strong Christian references hidden throughout the series. It's not really obvious to everyone, but it was overwhelming for me. Christianity itself, to my knowledge, was never directly mentioned, but a lot of symbolism and such was involved.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

Macross is a franchise that began in 1982 with the airing of the original series called Macross. It has since spawned two OVA series, Macross Plus and Macross Zero, and two TV series, Macross Seven and Macross Frontier. It's an interesting blend of a Real Robot science fiction series and music. There are also a few compilation movies, including the spectacular Do You Remember Love?.

[Atria35]

Would someone help me find a new series?

What I like:

Sci-Fi
Adventure
Action
Characters with special abilities [Superpowers, neko people, etc.]

What I don't really like:

Magical Girl anime
Romance

My restrictions:

Violence: Violence doesn't really bother me. Blood's fine.

Sexual Content: Minimal/none, please. No nudity whatsoever.

Language: Preferably minimal, though I can stand more. No F-bombs.

Also, I would prefer that the series not have a background theme of Christianity like FMA. I, a Christian myself, am very sensitive about how other things represent it.

I'm gonna go with Birdy the Mighty: Decode. Birdy does wear a bathingsuit-esque uniform, but it's never used for fanservice. She's not a fanservice girl. And it totally fits with what you're asking for with everything else. Sci-fi/Action/Superpowers!

Dennou Coil- Great anime, seems very slice of life at first but the second half gets darker. Sci-fi/action

Rideback - sci-fi/action

Serial Experiments Lain- sci-fi/superpowers/action-y (though this does become more apparent in the second half of the series.

Real Drive - some action/sci-fi/superpowers. There is a bit of fanservice in this one. but it's very minimal, and I don't remember any nudity at all.

[Rri X]

I'm gonna go with Birdy the Mighty: Decode. Birdy does wear a bathingsuit-esque uniform, but it's never used for fanservice. She's not a fanservice girl. And it totally fits with what you're asking for with everything else. Sci-fi/Action/Superpowers!

Dennou Coil- Great anime, seems very slice of life at first but the second half gets darker. Sci-fi/action

Rideback - sci-fi/action

Serial Experiments Lain- sci-fi/superpowers/action-y (though this does become more apparent in the second half of the series.

Real Drive - some action/sci-fi/superpowers. There is a bit of fanservice in this one. but it's very minimal, and I don't remember any nudity at all.

Oh creepy, my friend was trying to get me to watch Birdy...XD I'll have to give it a try now that two different people have suggested it. Are these available to watch online anywhere? :3 I know Birdy's available on my Netflix account, but the others?

[Atria35]

Oh creepy, my friend was trying to get me to watch Birdy...XD I'll have to give it a try now that two different people have suggested it. Are these available to watch online anywhere? :3 I know Birdy's available on my Netflix account, but the others?

Rideback is on Funi's 'Shows' page - http://www.funimation.com/shows/r
Birdy is on there, too, if you search the 'B's'.

Unfortunately, Dennou Coil has never been licensed, so you'd need watch it on an illegal streaming site (we aren't allowed to link those, but I think you'd adore that show. Nothing bad at all in it!). Same for Real Drive.

And while Serial Experiments Lain was relicensed, it has yet to be re-released, and isn't on any legal streaming sites at the moment.

[samurai10]

Help!

My sister is the hardest person in the WORLD to find an anime that she'd like. Man! The only three animes that she likes are Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Scrapped Princess, and Deadman Wonderland.

She doesn't like Death Note or Code Geass because she doesn't like anti-heroes. She wouldn't like Bleach or Naruto or Shugo Chara because she thinks they're stupid. She's seen me watching them and she laughs at what she thinks is their stupidity, and asks me why I'm watching such dumb shows. T_T D. Gray Man was too long, Ghost Hunt and Soul Eater were too weird, she didn't like Fruits Basket because as she said, "Everybody's crying over everything that happens! Come on people, get a life." She didn't like Trinity Blood because we're Catholics, and uh, some things happened in there that go against our instincts. So....

I'm not too sure if there's another anime that she'd like. But I'm willing to try.

[Mouse2010]

Samurai10: What about Blue Exorcist, which is currently airing on Crunchyroll?

It's got some badass Catholicism that bears little resemblance to the real thing (so that might bother your sister the way Trinity Blood did; dunno because I haven't seen that), but you HAVE to love a show where they fight demons by memorizing and reciting Scripture. Well, okay, you don't have to love it, but I do. Plus, some of the familiars that show up later are adorable, and the ending theme is very catchy. It doesn't necessarily have a lot of depth, but it has characters sufficiently likeable for you care about, and it's got action + comedy + cuteness going for it.

[Atria35]

Help!

My sister is the hardest person in the WORLD to find an anime that she'd like. Man! The only three animes that she likes are Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Scrapped Princess, and Deadman Wonderland.

She doesn't like Death Note or Code Geass because she doesn't like anti-heroes. She wouldn't like Bleach or Naruto or Shugo Chara because she thinks they're stupid. She's seen me watching them and she laughs at what she thinks is their stupidity, and asks me why I'm watching such dumb shows. T_T D. Gray Man was too long, Ghost Hunt and Soul Eater were too weird, she didn't like Fruits Basket because as she said, "Everybody's crying over everything that happens! Come on people, get a life." She didn't like Trinity Blood because we're Catholics, and uh, some things happened in there that go against our instincts. So....

I'm not too sure if there's another anime that she'd like. But I'm willing to try.

I'm thinking Eureka Seven would be a good choice- it's action and romance, and no anti-heroes. Plus it's a reasonable length. Birdy the Mighty: Decode- again, strong action, upbeat heroine, good story. Starts off with a bang, too! Summer Wars is a movie, so it's short enough, and it's also fun (as long as she can make it past the intro). Detective Academy Q might also work. It's a more obscure anime, murder-mystery stuff, but it moves at a quick pace and is a reasonable length, and seems to have the character types she'd like. Hikaru no Go- Not as long as D. Gray-man, has a clear side to root for, has a great cast of characters, and 'action'.

[Kaori]

Sci-Fi
Adventure
Action
Characters with special abilities [Superpowers, neko people, etc.]

I second Serial Experiments Lain. It's dark and fascinatingly mind-bending.

For something more lighthearted, I recommend watching Irresponsible Captain Tylor or Martian Successor Nadesico or both (if both, watch Tylor first, since Nadesico references Tylor in several ways). These are both space operas with quite a bit of comedy thrown in.

she didn't like Fruits Basket because as she said, "Everybody's crying over everything that happens! Come on people, get a life."

Your sister sounds pretty cool. Does she have a preferred genre?

[Maokun]

Help!

My sister is the hardest person in the WORLD to find an anime that she'd like. Man! The only three animes that she likes are Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Scrapped Princess, and Deadman Wonderland.

She doesn't like Death Note or Code Geass because she doesn't like anti-heroes. She wouldn't like Bleach or Naruto or Shugo Chara because she thinks they're stupid. She's seen me watching them and she laughs at what she thinks is their stupidity, and asks me why I'm watching such dumb shows. T_T D. Gray Man was too long, Ghost Hunt and Soul Eater were too weird, she didn't like Fruits Basket because as she said, "Everybody's crying over everything that happens! Come on people, get a life." She didn't like Trinity Blood because we're Catholics, and uh, some things happened in there that go against our instincts. So....

I'm not too sure if there's another anime that she'd like. But I'm willing to try.

I see it falls to me to be the one to recommend Cowboy Bebop? An ultra cool and handsome protagonist, smart sci-fi setting, superb direction, healthy doses of drama, action and comedy, episodic stories that require no long commitment and a soundtrack to die for, why, it seems almost tailor made for all the skeptical sisters out there!

Also, The Girl Who Leapt Thru Time on account of being an awesome movie even if you're not an anime fan.