Anime Recommendations Thread

[eternalprincess]

I'm looking for some vampire animes to start up as my next project once I finish S-CRY-ed.

I'm not generally into vampire animes, but I've recently felt a slight interest and have decided to see if you guys have any you'd recommend. I'm a writer so I really prefer things that have an intriguing, complex, or overall "good" plot as well.

I have already seen Vampire Knight and Vampire Knight: Guilty per a friend's request

[MightiMidget]

Hey, Mir! =)

Black Blood Brothers is pretty good fun, it does have some sexual innuendo though. It's not extreme, but at times can be annoying. Overall it's pretty fun! Characters are good. =)

Trinity Blood is another, though I'm only four episodes in. It's a bit gory at times (I suggest reading the review for it here), but so far it has good characters.

[Atria35]

I'm looking for some vampire animes to start up as my next project once I finish S-CRY-ed.

I'm not generally into vampire animes, but I've recently felt a slight interest and have decided to see if you guys have any you'd recommend. I'm a writer so I really prefer things that have an intriguing, complex, or overall "good" plot as well.

Well, Blood: The Last Vampire is a very good, short anime movie about vampires (or at least, a girl who fights them). Blood+, a series, is supposed to be a continuation of the movie. While the movie generally gets good reviews, the series gets a mixed bunch. If you're into romantic comedy, Chibi Vampire is a good bet (but since it was made before the manga was finished and has one character added in that's really annoying, I really recommend tha manga instead). Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust is considered really good, though I haven't seen it, as is the Vampire Princess Miyu OVA.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

Soranowoto:

I just read a review of this show that really intrigues me. I am just wondering about objectionable content of the sexual variety (nudity and sexual situations both implied and explicit). If anyone (I know you watched this show blkmage) could please be specific about this sort of thing, I'd really be grateful. Arigato.

[blkmage]

Soranowoto:

I just read a review of this show that really intrigues me. I am just wondering about objectionable content of the sexual variety (nudity and sexual situations both implied and explicit). If anyone (I know you watched this show blkmage) could please be specific about this sort of thing, I'd really be grateful. Arigato.

I'm not sure where you got the impression that there might be objectionable content considering the context of the show and the absence of any mention of that sort of thing, but no, there isn't anything.

[AngelicTotoro]

Could someone tell me about the content in Hime-chan's Ribbon? Sexual stuff/religion/language/violence, and anything else objectable.
Thanks! 8D

[Atria35]

Could someone tell me about the content in Hime-chan's Ribbon? Sexual stuff/religion/language/violence, and anything else objectable.
Thanks! 8D

Here's a link to a review:
http://www.themanime.org/viewreview.php?id=695

No sexual stuff, it's mahou shoujo so if you don't like that you're not going to like this, no language, and low-level comedic violence. It's been a while since I've watched any of it (I could only make it through a few episodes before I got bored), but that's what I remember.

[Falx]

I'm not sure where you got the impression that there might be objectionable content considering the context of the show and the absence of any mention of that sort of thing, but no, there isn't anything.

Uuh second last episode dude.

There's a brief bit of covered nudity and one character makes some very suggestive comments to another character... but isn't actually serious about them and is only checking something plot-specific.

[AngelicTotoro]

Here's a link to a review:
http://www.themanime.org/viewreview.php?id=695

No sexual stuff, it's mahou shoujo so if you don't like that you're not going to like this, no language, and low-level comedic violence. It's been a while since I've watched any of it (I could only make it through a few episodes before I got bored), but that's what I remember.

Thanks for the review.


I'd like some suggestions for anime. I want some early to mid 90's shows, it can be a show made for any age (but not to adultish), tell me anything objectable in the shows. I really dislike sexual stuff/religion/language/violence/homosexuality.

The type of show I'm aiming for is Sailor Moon, except cut out all the evil villians and homosexuality.

Thank you~

[Atria35]

Thanks for the review.


I'd like some suggestions for anime. I want some early to mid 90's shows, it can be a show made for any age (but not to adultish), tell me anything objectable in the shows. I really dislike sexual stuff/religion/language/violence/homosexuality.

The type of show I'm aiming for is Sailor Moon, except cut out all the evil villians and homosexuality.

Thank you~

Hmm. Tall order, much? Naw, don't worry about it too much. It just sounds like you're looking for a romantic comedy instead of your typical Mahou Shoujo, because Mahou Shoujos like Sailor Moon are gonna have bad guys. That's just what the genre is about- girls with special powers fighting bad guys. There isn't a lot from that era that's popular (read: good) from that era... One that's popular, but not my favorite, is Hana Yori Dango, or Boys Over Flowers. Fairly violent and has some sexual stuff- the guys are bullies and users. There are some good ones that are more recent- I would put out Card Captor Sakura, not to be confused the the American version Cardcaptors, but there is some minor homosexuality in there, even if the rest is pretty clean. Others I would recommend are Lovely Complex (maybe one or two swears, but that's it in terms of bad content), Bamboo Blade (comedy, a little romance, entirely clean), The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (implied "death" of characters and some implied violence, but she... well.... It's very clean and no one dies in the end). Summer Wars (just came out so you can't get it on DVD, but very much family friendly- some fighting of an evil computer program, but that's it in the way of villians). There are others that I'd recommend, but your use of "religion" is too broad for me to be sure about what you mean.

[RobinSena]

Alright, so I'm looking to purchase a new series, and I was hoping I'd be able to get some recommendations similar to my tastes..

Favorite shows would be:
Witch Hunter Robin
Noir
Gunslinger Girl
Serial Experiments Lain
Ergo Proxy
Le Chevalier D'eon
Shikabane Hime
Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~
And movies would be various, but particularly Satoshi Kon's films..

I've been looking at Paranoia Agent, but it's sadly out of print. =/

[Atria35]

@ RobinSena
Nice list! A few that seem to be in a similar vein and you can purchase would be
Baccano! (Dark but fun. A tad on the gorey side, but your others seem to be in a similar vein)
When They Cry (Maybe a bit more violent than the rest, but it's basically a murder mystery involving the entire town. And multiple, bloody deaths. It also has a second season that ties everthing together, but that's not licensed yet)
BoogiePop Phantom (Mysterious disappearances are happening in town, along with some odd murders)
Ghost Hound (phsychological, about a boy who's been through something traumatic and now has out-of-body experiences, and is finding something weird going on in town)
Monster (You can only get the first 15 eps on dvd right now, but it's wonderful. Look it up, sounds like it'd be up you alley)
That's all I can think of. A few murder-mystery things, but it's in a similar vein to your fave selections, and you can read up on them on Amazon or ANN.com to get a better description and a better idea of whether you'd like them.

[Sheol777]

Alright, so I'm looking to purchase a new series, and I was hoping I'd be able to get some recommendations similar to my tastes..

Favorite shows would be:
Witch Hunter Robin
Noir
Gunslinger Girl
Serial Experiments Lain
Ergo Proxy
Le Chevalier D'eon
Shikabane Hime
Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~
And movies would be various, but particularly Satoshi Kon's films..

I've been looking at Paranoia Agent, but it's sadly out of print. =/

BoogiePop Phantom- seems to be the type of thing you are looking for, it is dark and odd, and horror in a twilight zone type of way.

Tekkon Kinkreet- Has dark themes and storyline. Not exactly a mystery, but there is some intrigue. The art style is amazing. Good OAV.

Berserk- Some episodes have adult themes so not recommended if you cannot watch such things. However there are some great character moments and battle strategies, including much gore. A sinister mood is evident in the whole series.

Vampire Hunter D- Also has a sequel, you probably know of this.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

Alright, so I'm looking to purchase a new series, and I was hoping I'd be able to get some recommendations similar to my tastes..

Favorite shows would be:
Witch Hunter Robin
Noir
Gunslinger Girl
Serial Experiments Lain
Ergo Proxy
Le Chevalier D'eon
Shikabane Hime
Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~
And movies would be various, but particularly Satoshi Kon's films..

I've been looking at Paranoia Agent, but it's sadly out of print. =/

I'll throw Darker than BLACK out. Not everyone loves it, but it's pretty awesome in my opinion, and in quite a few others.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

Alright, so I'm looking to purchase a new series, and I was hoping I'd be able to get some recommendations similar to my tastes..

Favorite shows would be:
Witch Hunter Robin
Noir
Gunslinger Girl
Serial Experiments Lain
Ergo Proxy
Le Chevalier D'eon
Shikabane Hime
Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~
And movies would be various, but particularly Satoshi Kon's films..

I've been looking at Paranoia Agent, but it's sadly out of print. =/

Since your tastes seem to be for darker series, I'll suggest three of my favorites:

Fantastic Children: (ANN description) A group of enigmatic white-haired children has been spotted at different times and places in Europe for over 500 years. Always with the appearance of 11-year-olds, they behave far more mature than they should be, never grow old, and seem to have supernatural power. What they have been seeking is a girl, and the only clue they have is a picture with a crescent moon. Now, in the year of 2012, an athletic boy named Tohma is about to be involved in this centuries-long mystery.

Casshern Sins: (ANN description) A revamp of the classic anime series, the world is plagued by a decay of all life both natural and robotic. The light of the world, it's sun called the moon, Luna, was kill by the cyborg Casshern; bringing with him the end of the world called the Ruin. Now Casshern wanders in the wasting lands he created in an immortal body and no memories of his past; searching for clues to who he was, meaning to his life, and redemption. Casshern continues to fight against bandits and those who do wrong, as well as himself and those who desperately cling to life; driven by the legend that one can gain new life by consuming Casshern.
After the murder of Luna, the robot society that rules the planet starts to rust and decay. Death and despair spread through the land like wildfire. The only one unaffected by what becomes known as "The Ruin" is Luna's assassin, Casshern. Unable to remember if he really triggered this capital sin against the entire mechanized civilization, Casshern embarks on a journey to unravel the mystery that connects him, Luna, and the plague.

Gungrave: (ANN description) Brandon Heat, a silent and passive man, is living a laid back life with his friends. He's got his eyes on Maria, but her uncle forbids their relationship. After the brutal murder of his friends and Maria's father, Brandon is on the run together with the only friend he has left; Harry McDowell. When he finds out custody over Maria has been taken by Millennion, the largest mafia syndicate in town, he and Harry decide to join the syndicate. He goes through many hardships after joining the syndicate but he is willing to risk everything as long as he can be close to Maria.

[RobinSena]

Awesome, thanks for the recommendations all. I have Baccano! volumes 1, 2 and 4, but I still need to purchase #3. I also own Tekkon Kinkreet, which I've gotten about halfway through. Definitely good. Boogiepop Phantom sounds quite promising, will have to look for the cheapest place to purchase it.. I've also been interested in Monster for a while, but seeing as only 1/5 of the episodes have been released on dvd, I'll have to wait on buying it. Hulu has 1-25 up, but it's dubbed(sub elitist here ), how is the dub? Will it damage the show? Funimation has all of Darker Than Black subbed on their website, so I'll definitely have to check it out. I'll also look into the other titles some more.. Thanks!

**edit**

Casshern Sins definitely sounds interesting, especially since I just bought the live action movie that the original show as adapted into..
Gungrave is another title that has been looking good for a while, but some negative reviews had made me unsure. Adding that to the list to search for deals on. Fantastic Children sounds quite cool, will check that out was well. ^_^

[Atria35]

The dub of Monster is surprisingly good- and I'm way more into subs! But I was very pleased with how it turned out

[TheSubtleDoctor]

Casshern Sins is available in its entirety on funi's youtube page (subbed, legal and free!). You should be able to snag Gungrave and Fantastic Children box sets for a relatively cheap price. I am curious as to the negative reviews about Gungrave, though. For my money, it is the best mafia story told in an anime (for the record, I don't consider Baccano to be about the mafia, though many characters are mafioso). It is equal parts "rise from nothing to absolute prominence" and revenge story with some sci-fi at the end. Everyone who I know that has scene it has really enjoyed it. Also: Fantastic Children is one of the underrated, hidden gems of anime. If it sounds like something you'd be into, you will not be disappointed with it. And guess what? Both of these series have a true and satisfying ending!

[That Dude]

Awesome, thanks for the recommendations all. I have Baccano! volumes 1, 2 and 4, but I still need to purchase #3. I also own Tekkon Kinkreet, which I've gotten about halfway through. Definitely good. Boogiepop Phantom sounds quite promising, will have to look for the cheapest place to purchase it.. I've also been interested in Monster for a while, but seeing as only 1/5 of the episodes have been released on dvd, I'll have to wait on buying it. Hulu has 1-25 up, but it's dubbed(sub elitist here ), how is the dub? Will it damage the show? Funimation has all of Darker Than Black subbed on their website, so I'll definitely have to check it out. I'll also look into the other titles some more.. Thanks!

**edit**

Casshern Sins definitely sounds interesting, especially since I just bought the live action movie that the original show as adapted into..
Gungrave is another title that has been looking good for a while, but some negative reviews had made me unsure. Adding that to the list to search for deals on. Fantastic Children sounds quite cool, will check that out was well. ^_^

I can pretty much guarantee that you'd really like Gungrave. And Casshern Sins would also fit on your list.

[RobinSena]

Ahh, didn't realize that Funi has shows on their Youtube page that they don't have on their normal video page. Many thanks! ^_^ I ordered Fantastic Children tonight, looking forward to watching it.. Sounds like I'll have to get Gungrave too. Thanks again, all!

[That Dude]

Robin, you should also check out "Noien: To Your Other Self." It's pretty rad.

[AngelicTotoro]

Hmm. Tall order, much? Naw, don't worry about it too much. It just sounds like you're looking for a romantic comedy instead of your typical Mahou Shoujo, because Mahou Shoujos like Sailor Moon are gonna have bad guys. That's just what the genre is about- girls with special powers fighting bad guys. There isn't a lot from that era that's popular (read: good) from that era... One that's popular, but not my favorite, is Hana Yori Dango, or Boys Over Flowers. Fairly violent and has some sexual stuff- the guys are bullies and users. There are some good ones that are more recent- I would put out Card Captor Sakura, not to be confused the the American version Cardcaptors, but there is some minor homosexuality in there, even if the rest is pretty clean. Others I would recommend are Lovely Complex (maybe one or two swears, but that's it in terms of bad content), Bamboo Blade (comedy, a little romance, entirely clean), The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (implied "death" of characters and some implied violence, but she... well.... It's very clean and no one dies in the end). Summer Wars (just came out so you can't get it on DVD, but very much family friendly- some fighting of an evil computer program, but that's it in the way of villians). There are others that I'd recommend, but your use of "religion" is too broad for me to be sure about what you mean.

^^ Thank you for the recommendations, but I'm okay with bad guys, just not evil bad guys. Sorta like Detective Conan, or some of the bad guys from Katekyo Hitman Reborn! (not all because some of them are to evil sometimes, even though I love KHR!).
What I mean by 'religion', is witchcraft, buddhist messages, blasphemy to Jesus and what Christians believe. If it has a tiny little bit thats okay, but not a lot.

Could you go off of that now? It would mean a lot, thanks!

[rocklobster]

Romantic anime, angelic totoro? Have you seen Whisper of the Heart? That one is perfect! ALthough I don't really see much romance in it (no obstacles for the lovers), it is a love story. Here's the link to my review: click here

[Atria35]

^^ Thank you for the recommendations, but I'm okay with bad guys, just not evil bad guys. Sorta like Detective Conan, or some of the bad guys from Katekyo Hitman Reborn! (not all because some of them are to evil sometimes, even though I love KHR!).
What I mean by 'religion', is witchcraft, buddhist messages, blasphemy to Jesus and what Christians believe. If it has a tiny little bit thats okay, but not a lot.

Could you go off of that now? It would mean a lot, thanks!

Gotcha! Soory if it seemed a bit brash, but from having lurked the boards for a while, I've noticed that the 'religion' bit is defined differently from person to person with what they're comfortable with, so it's one of those things that sometimes must be asked

Because of that, I'm gonna have to scrap my recommendation for CardCaptor Sakura, and replace it with Kaleido Star, about a girl who's trying to become a world-class acrobat. Another one that might be a good one is Macross Frontier (about a guy and two girls trying to deal with an alien invasion of their space colony. There is some character death, implied offscreen but you still see some blood, also a swear or two and a slightly sexual situation though it doesn't actually happen. But it's a stand-alone title in the Macross franchise, so you don't have to watch the other series to understand it). Castle in the Sky is pure fantasy, and does have so-called 'magic', but it has to do with a floating city, so... nothing to be taken very seriously, nothing that could be taken very seriously. One that's hard to find, but very fun, is Daa! Daa! Daa! about two kids that have to take care of an alien baby. Slapstick humor abounds. I've seen about 12 of the 78 epsodes, and haven't found anything objectionable except for the idea of two highschoolers living alone while the parents are away. The other one I must put in for being what it is- ARIA. There's a thread about it on here. Check it out and see whether you think you'd like it.

[AngelicTotoro]

Gotcha! Soory if it seemed a bit brash, but from having lurked the boards for a while, I've noticed that the 'religion' bit is defined differently from person to person with what they're comfortable with, so it's one of those things that sometimes must be asked

Because of that, I'm gonna have to scrap my recommendation for CardCaptor Sakura, and replace it with Kaleido Star, about a girl who's trying to become a world-class acrobat. Another one that might be a good one is Macross Frontier (about a guy and two girls trying to deal with an alien invasion of their space colony. There is some character death, implied offscreen but you still see some blood, also a swear or two and a slightly sexual situation though it doesn't actually happen. But it's a stand-alone title in the Macross franchise, so you don't have to watch the other series to understand it). Castle in the Sky is pure fantasy, and does have so-called 'magic', but it has to do with a floating city, so... nothing to be taken very seriously, nothing that could be taken very seriously. One that's hard to find, but very fun, is Daa! Daa! Daa! about two kids that have to take care of an alien baby. Slapstick humor abounds. I've seen about 12 of the 78 epsodes, and haven't found anything objectionable except for the idea of two highschoolers living alone while the parents are away. The other one I must put in for being what it is- ARIA. There's a thread about it on here. Check it out and see whether you think you'd like it.

No problem, you helped me out so much!


I'll try out the shows you told me, especially Daa! Daa! Daa!, that sounds really interesting. I like shows like that.
I already love and own Castle in the Sky, but thanks for the suggestion.

And thanks, rocklobster for the suggestion also.

While I was searching on my own for some good shows, I found a few. But I'd like to know any bad content in them that you can think of.
Hayate No Gotoku! and Baccano!.
Tell me if it has any nudity or anything sexual as well, thank you!

[Adie]

Hey, AngelicTotoro! :)
If you're squeamish about violence at all, I'd steer clear of Baccano!. It's a great series, but it has quite a few moments of graphic blood/gore. I remember there being some bad language, as well, but it might've just been the fansub I watched. Also, [spoiler]alchemy is a major part of the plot.[/spoiler]
Hope this helps!

[AngelicTotoro]

Hey, AngelicTotoro!
If you're squeamish about violence at all, I'd steer clear of Baccano!. It's a great series, but it has quite a few moments of graphic blood/gore. I remember there being some bad language, as well, but it might've just been the fansub I watched. Also, [spoiler]alchemy is a major part of the plot.[/spoiler]
Hope this helps!

Thank you, but could you go into more detail? Like how much gore and swearing?
And what type of alchemy? Like FMA?

[MightiMidget]

Thank you, but could you go into more detail? Like how much gore and swearing?
And what type of alchemy? Like FMA?

Gore listing such as (no names used) [spoiler]people getting turned into swiss cheese by bullets, a person getting his head blown off (more than once), someone's arm bone sticking out, people getting beat up with quite of bit of blood being shown. Someone's eyes are poked out with hot pokers, the act is not shown, but the bloodied eye sockets are. What else...oh yes...a blender effect of moving train + railroad + person. People getting throats slit, shot in the head with back of head blown out. People getting fingers cut/bit off, neck squeezed to pop basically. More people ripped apart, though if I remember the act and results are not clearly shown. Just a really, /really/ bloody room. People burned alive. Knives in foreheads. [/spoiler]

That's at least a large list, think it covers most of the harshest stuff. Although it was not as gory as I was expecting, it's far from tame. A lot of stuff is not shown, but you hear it clearly and see blood/chunk splashes. I watched it on hulu on a small screen with the sound turned pretty far down. (I'm a gore wimp. O:) )

As for language, a pretty broad scope. Minor swears, s-words (though I don't remember that being too, too bad? but present. I might be mixing the language content up with Saiyuki), one f-word usage.

EDIT: As for alchemy? It's FMA-ish at all...I'm still fuzzy on how it's alchemy (I need to rewatch it), it's more occult-ish though not too focused on that...sorry!

[spoiler]They gain immortality through a demon's elixer that is summoned through a pentagram. This is not focused on much at all though, it's one episode.[/spoiler]

There is one itty bitty innuendo of the falling on top/against/stuck awkward position guy/girl kind. But it is quick. Other than that there is zero sexual content that I can think of...

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

To clarify on the alchemy, it's real life alchemy, except that it works. The people are trying(and succeed) in brewing the elixir of immortality.

[Atria35]

While I was searching on my own for some good shows, I found a few. But I'd like to know any bad content in them that you can think of.
Hayate No Gotoku! and Baccano!.
Tell me if it has any nudity or anything sexual as well, thank you!

A) I'm glad I could help with the first couple of series!:dance: I really hope that you like them, and I didn't recommend anything too awkward for you. (And it's awesome you like Castle in the Sky! It was such a relief to find out that you liked that movie- it helps me judge the other series I recommend)

B) I wouldn't really recommend Baccano! for the reasons stated by someone else above, but neither would I particularly recommend Hayate no Gotoku! I've only seen the first episode, so I asked my brother about it. It does lean a bit heavy on the "comedic violence", and the sexual situaltions occur about every 4 episodes. He says on a scale of 1-10, the intensity of the situation is about a 5 each time.

Special A might be more your speed, as well as the first season of Nodame Cantabile (I've heard the second and third seasons aren't half as good).