Anime Recommendations Thread

[AngelicTotoro]

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).

Thanks, but I tried out the first episode of Hayate no Gotoku! and really liked it. D: Are you sure it's that bad? Could you ask your brother for more details on the sexual situations, I thought the bad stuff was only in the ova?

Alright, I'll try out Special A and Nodame Cantabile.

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...

Ah, thank you. It's probably out of the question for me then. But my older brother would probably like it. I'll tell him about it right away.

[blkmage]

Hayate the Combat Butler is a romantic comedy that dives into parody and self-awareness. What this means is that it'll include humour based on the tropes associated with romantic comedies and harems, which include the running into someone coming out of the shower situations or making snide comments about fanservice while showing some fanservice and the like. If you think the OVA is bad, then I'd suggest you not watch it since the OVA is indicative of the sort of thing that's spread throughout the series, although not as heavily concentrated as in the OVA.

The problem with Nodame Cantabile is in its second season, which isn't bad. It has some problems with pacing and editing. Otherwise, the writing and everything remains the same as the first season. The problem with the third season is the ending. Otherwise, the third season is actually a fairly good adaptation (unlike the second season) of the last portion of the manga. If you're going to watch the first season, there's no reason to not watch the subsequent seasons, unless you enjoy an unfinished story.

[Atria35]

Thanks, but I tried out the first episode of Hayate no Gotoku! and really liked it. D: Are you sure it's that bad? Could you ask your brother for more details on the sexual situations, I thought the bad stuff was only in the ova?

No, it's not terrible that you liked it. Blkmage seems to have given some more info on what exactly goes on, so you can decide whether to watch on based off of that. He's pretty good at giving info on that stuff, so whatever he says on it is really what goes on.

Alright, I'll try out Special A and Nodame Cantabile.

I really hope you like them. TBH, I haven't watched more than the first ep of Special A, but I did watch most of Nodame, and while I didn't care for them (just weren't my style, but they did seem like sweet series), a lot of other people really do, so that's why I figured they'd probably be good reccs. I hope you don't mind

The problem with Nodame Cantabile is in its second season, which isn't bad. It has some problems with pacing and editing. Otherwise, the writing and everything remains the same as the first season. The problem with the third season is the ending. Otherwise, the third season is actually a fairly good adaptation (unlike the second season) of the last portion of the manga. If you're going to watch the first season, there's no reason to not watch the subsequent seasons, unless you enjoy an unfinished story.

But it's because of the ending to the third season that I'm wary of recommending it. The first season ended on a fairly good note- why be disappointed by a subpar second and third season, especially when the finale has that bit in it? A lot of fans were disappointed, and she probably would be, too. Especially since you have to start buying the manga to find out how it continues.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

Alright people, since I'm not exactly sure what to watch now, and have come at a dead end, I could use some ideas. I'll post some stuff similar to what I'm in the mood for. Also, preferably streaming, since I'm too poor to buy DVDs at the moment.

[blkmage]

But it's because of the ending to the third season that I'm wary of recommending it. The first season ended on a fairly good note- why be disappointed by a subpar second and third season, especially when the finale has that bit in it? A lot of fans were disappointed, and she probably would be, too. Especially since you have to start buying the manga to find out how it continues.

Except that the manga ends in the same terrible way. I was reading it in October when it ended, and the way the anime handles the ending is far more satisfactory than the way the manga does it, even if it is not very good. And the second and third seasons are still worth watching, especially if you don't read the manga. They aren't terrible and a waste of time, they just aren't as good as the first season. And since this is a music anime, watching it brings something to the experience that reading it can't: the music.

[Hohenheim]

Well, hey guys. Listen, I started watching the anime Monster recently and I find myself completely hooked. Does anyone know of good anime that might make a good companion to it?

[Atria35]

Except that the manga ends in the same terrible way. I was reading it in October when it ended, and the way the anime handles the ending is far more satisfactory than the way the manga does it, even if it is not very good. And the second and third seasons are still worth watching, especially if you don't read the manga. They aren't terrible and a waste of time, they just aren't as good as the first season. And since this is a music anime, watching it brings something to the experience that reading it can't: the music.

Ah, I was unaware of the manga ending. That does change things a bit. I'll also concede the point about the music- that was truly a wonderful thing. Do you think the live-action is worth mentioning/watching?

Well, hey guys. Listen, I started watching the anime Monster recently and I find myself completely hooked. Does anyone know of good anime that might make a good companion to it?

20th Century Boys, if they ever make it But there's one called Mononoke that always sems to get recommended when this one comes up- it's about a Medicine Seller (really, excorcist) that encounters various supernatural entities and must find out why they're there and what their purpose is to exterminate them. It's a sequel series to the Bakeneko arc of Ayakashi: Japanese Classic Horror. I don't know whether you'd be into it because of the supernatural aspect, but I feel that I should throw it out here.

[mysngoeshere56]

Hey there everybody... So, my inner goth is searching for something to watch.

As such, I'm looking for something dark, slightly melancholy, and gothic.

Here's what I've seen that I feel fits the melancholy and dark-ish categories, and feels slightly gothic to me...


D.N.Angel - Not quite goth, but still feels a bit dark and melancholy. One of my absolute favorite series of all time. Love the more complex characters. I can only watch it subbed, though. I don't like the dub.

Fullmetal Alchemist - Not quite "goth" I'd say, but still dark and melancholy. I really enjoy the story. There are a couple complaints I could make but other than that, it's grand.

Vampire Knight - One of my favorites of all time. Currently my favorite romantic shojo. ZeroXYuuki is one of my favorite pairings.

Wolf's Rain - A bit hard to follow, but getting good. Before I really started watching it, it was just "meh..." I'm not halfway through, but still well in. If it keeps interesting me like it is now, it'll get a good review from me.

xxxHOLiC - I'll be totally honest here... At times, the references to the occult are a tad bit much for me, so I don't enjoy it *quite* as much. When I can look past them, I really enjoy the series. Tsubasa is one of my favorites, and I enjoy xxxHOLiC almost as much. Just slightly less so because of what was mentioned before.

I'm perfectly fine with violence as long as it's not over the top. If there's questionable religious content, just let me know and I can see if it's forgivable or not by my standards... For example, I won't watch Hellsing because of the immense violence and large amounts of questionable religious aspects, but that's where I personally feel convicted.

[Atria35]

@ mysngoeshere- I'm asuming you're referring to the traditional definition of "relating to a literary style characterized by gloom, the grotesque, and the supernatural", right? The first thing that comes to mind is Kakurenbo: Hide and Seek- I think there might be questionable religious aspects in that [spoiler]there are demons 'hunting' kids in this one, so it depends on how you feel about that[/spoiler] Though it's also supposed to be an out-and-out horror story, so this might negate it. It's also only about 30 minutes long.

Bokurano might count, too. That one is reather hard to explain, I think you'd be better off searching for a synopsis.
Ghost Hound is another that would fit into the 'dark and melancholy' category, but again, it's hard to describe, and you're better off with a synopsis.

Kuroshitsuji (aka Black Butler) is also considered to be of this genre, though [spoiler]the main character makes a deal with a demon- it has to do with getting revenge for his murdered family, and he was very young at the time he made the contract. I'm not aware of the contract being broken at this point in time, but the manga is still ongoing, and they're about to air the second season.[/spoiler]

Does anyone think 'Monster' might fall into this category?

[mysngoeshere56]

Kakurenbo - [spoiler]Demons are OKAY with me depending on how they're portrayed. If they're portrayed wickedly, then I'm fine, since that's what Biblical demons are like... And depending on whether or not it glorifies their wickedness.[/spoiler]

Is this the right Bokurano? If so, it seems interesting... I might just have to watch and see. http://myanimelist.net/anime/1690/Bokurano

Kuroshitsuji might be interesting too, depending on how it turns out (I try to be careful when angels and demons and all come into play so it depends on how they're portrayed and how it all ends up)... Upon looking at it on MAL, I'm very much reminded of The Count of Monte Cristo.

If it helps with recommendations, I'm into the works of Edgar Allan Poe, Mary Shelley, Ted Dekker, and Frank Peretti... None of those are anime, obviously, but they are the kind of things I'm into.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

Hey there everybody... So, my inner goth is searching for something to watch.

As such, I'm looking for something dark, slightly melancholy, and gothic.

Here's what I've seen that I feel fits the melancholy and dark-ish categories, and feels slightly gothic to me...


D.N.Angel - Not quite goth, but still feels a bit dark and melancholy. One of my absolute favorite series of all time. Love the more complex characters. I can only watch it subbed, though. I don't like the dub.

Fullmetal Alchemist - Not quite "goth" I'd say, but still dark and melancholy. I really enjoy the story. There are a couple complaints I could make but other than that, it's grand.

Vampire Knight - One of my favorites of all time. Currently my favorite romantic shojo. ZeroXYuuki is one of my favorite pairings.

Wolf's Rain - A bit hard to follow, but getting good. Before I really started watching it, it was just "meh..." I'm not halfway through, but still well in. If it keeps interesting me like it is now, it'll get a good review from me.

xxxHOLiC - I'll be totally honest here... At times, the references to the occult are a tad bit much for me, so I don't enjoy it *quite* as much. When I can look past them, I really enjoy the series. Tsubasa is one of my favorites, and I enjoy xxxHOLiC almost as much. Just slightly less so because of what was mentioned before.

I'm perfectly fine with violence as long as it's not over the top. If there's questionable religious content, just let me know and I can see if it's forgivable or not by my standards... For example, I won't watch Hellsing because of the immense violence and large amounts of questionable religious aspects, but that's where I personally feel convicted.

Brotherhood. Brotherhood Brotherhood Brotherhood. Brotherhood. Do it. Do it now.

Otherwise...

Soul Eater is an excellent anime with kind of a punkish feel to it, if you like that. I'll link the opening and that should give you a good feel for what the series is like at first http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8t9RFwlLhk

Darker than Black is a good superhero anime that has a dark, melancholy feel to it. I believe I once actually recommended it to you before.

I've only seen the first episode of the anime, but I've read the manga, and you might like Tegami Bachi:Letter Bee, which is about mail carriers in a somewhat apocalyptic world. The feeling is also melancholy often, but it's highly idealistic as well.

[MightiMidget]

Kakurenbo - [spoiler]Demons are OKAY with me depending on how they're portrayed. If they're portrayed wickedly, then I'm fine, since that's what Biblical demons are like... And depending on whether or not it glorifies their wickedness.[/spoiler]

Is this the right Bokurano? If so, it seems interesting... I might just have to watch and see. http://myanimelist.net/anime/1690/Bokurano

Kuroshitsuji might be interesting too, depending on how it turns out (I try to be careful when angels and demons and all come into play so it depends on how they're portrayed and how it all ends up)... Upon looking at it on MAL, I'm very much reminded of The Count of Monte Cristo.

If it helps with recommendations, I'm into the works of Edgar Allan Poe, Mary Shelley, Ted Dekker, and Frank Peretti... None of those are anime, obviously, but they are the kind of things I'm into.

I have a Kuroshitsuji review written and submitted but not accepted/up. If you'd like to see it anyways, I have it in a word doc and can PM it to you. =) Kuroshitsuji bugged me because it was blatant the demon was evil, but he was glorified in a "downright cool" way. It's almost impossible not to like him.

And huzzuh inner goth. Lessee here...Pandora Hearts is a good one. It's basically gothed out Alice-in-Wonderland with humor. I am half-way through Trinity Blood and find it mind-numbingly boring? But it might be able to fall under gothic. =) At least steampunk. Ergo Proxy has a gothic color scheme, but otherwise I'm not sure. Not really gothic....once again only halfway through.

EDIT: Letter Bee anime, I'm on episode 8 and LOVING it. It has a sort of whimsical melancholiness to it. =) It has a slight lull at the beginning for like 4 episodes but I think that just ended... =)

[Atria35]

Kakurenbo - [spoiler]Demons are OKAY with me depending on how they're portrayed. If they're portrayed wickedly, then I'm fine, since that's what Biblical demons are like... And depending on whether or not it glorifies their wickedness.[/spoiler]

Oh, trust me, [spoiler]these are NOT good demons, and in no way glorifies their wickedness.[/spoiler]

Is this the right Bokurano? If so, it seems interesting... I might just have to watch and see. http://myanimelist.net/anime/1690/Bokurano

Yep that's it!

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

All right, since I powered through Kure-nai faster than I normally do, I need a new anime to watch. Again, preferably streaming for free, since I have little monies at the moment. Here is my anime list so you get an idea of what I like and don't like.

http://myanimelist.net/animelist/HatandClogs

Thank you very much!

[TheSubtleDoctor]

All right, since I powered through Kure-nai faster than I normally do, I need a new anime to watch. Again, preferably streaming for free, since I have little monies at the moment. Here is my anime list so you get an idea of what I like and don't like.

http://myanimelist.net/animelist/HatandClogs

Thank you very much!

Samurai Champloo. You will not be disappoint.

Also: maybe finish Ergo Proxy or try Now and Then Here and There. All three are on hulu.

[MightiMidget]

What is the content levels (language, sex, nudity, gore) in Samurai Champloo? It looks fun.

[Falx]

Language isn't too bad, quite violent, lots of bits getting chopped off and while there is no outright nudity there are quite a few skimpy outfits on display.

Also two characters are openly homosexual.

[Tsukuyomi]

I need girly romantic comedies, and or spice of like (or a mixture of all three).. GO GO GO GO GO ^o^

I prefer dubs over subs.. I know, I'm weird O_O;

[MightiMidget]

Thanks, Falx. =)

@Tsukuyomi - I'm only three episodes in, but School Rumble is a fun, kind of girly, school romantic comedy. =) It's fun.

[Atria35]

@ Tsukiyomi- Lovely Complex is also a really girly romantic comedy- and clean except for a few moments where they almost/sorta kiss.

[Tsukuyomi]

Thanks 8D I still have yet to finish School Rumble. I kinda forgot I started it XD;

[MightiMidget]

Can anyone give me a gore/language/nudity/sexual content blurp on Hell Girl? 'Twould be greatly appreciated, thanks. =)

[Atria35]

Can anyone give me a gore/language/nudity/sexual content blurp on Hell Girl? 'Twould be greatly appreciated, thanks. =)

Okay, Jigoku Shoujo.... Been a while (even though it's sitting on my shelf), but I believe it went:
Little to no gore- this was more of a psychological horror (though someone does get threatened with an ax by a murderer at one point), and I think that you do see some blood occasionally when someone gets cut/hurt, but it's far from Baccano! levels.
Language- Not very much. Does happen occasionally, perhaps about once an episode or less, but that was the frequency in the fansubs I watched. I haven't yet seen the official DVD version I own, but I imagine it wouldn't happen that often in there either. Of course, since her name is "Hell Girl", that's count one right there, and her name is often said more than once per episode, so if you have a problem with that, well....
Nudity-Not a whole lot. There's an occasional scene with Enma Ai in the river bathing, but you really only see a bit of back of leg if she's swimming. Other than that, I don't remember much nudity at all- and it's never used as straight-up fanservice either.Oh! And one of Enma Ai's friends/servants is a woman with a consistantly loose kimono, that always seems to be falling off of one shoulder.
Sexual situations- Well, one girl is threatened with rape by a stalker, one woman is known to commit adultery, and there is an attempt on-screen (though you don't see anything- both characters stay fully clothed as it really was an attempt that isn't followed through) I believe one girl is sexually harrassed..... And.... I can't remember much more, but I believe this is the extent of it.

Hope this helps!

[TheSubtleDoctor]

What is the content levels (language, sex, nudity, gore) in Samurai Champloo? It looks fun.

BTW, CAA has a review of this show. According to it, SamCham gets a 5 or above on every content scale.

[MightiMidget]

@Atria, thank you very much, helps quite a bit! =)

@Doc. Oh. ops: Thank you, I'll go read it now. =)

[VerityDemortem]

I'm a fan of almost anything - it really doesn't matter what the genre is, just as long as the characters and themes are both deep and interesting. That said, however, I must also add that I'm partial to fantasy and adventure. I also like slice of life quite a bit. I really enjoy stuff that is sort of dark, like the second half of the Tsubasa manga.
Some of my favorite series are Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle (especially the manga), Wolf's Rain, Air [TV], Rurouni Kenshin, InuYasha, Kanon, Kobato (the little of it I've seen . . . I guess you could say that I like animes that originate from CLAMP manga a lot too), Death Note, and A Little Snow Fairy Sugar.
Ideally, I'm looking for something with deep, complex characters, heart-wrenching themes (not necessarily sad, but strong and with good morals), a somewhat dark feel, nifty use of magic (like the way the Inuyasha's sword only worked when he was protecting humans), and a fantasy background (if the fantasy world is well-developed). Oh yes! And we can't forget the strong feelings of fellowship among the main characters.
I know I'm sort of picky, but help would be appreciated!

[Tsukuyomi]

Kanon 2006 ^__^ Same producer (?) as Air TV and will have you teary eyed through most of the series ;____;

As for fantasy.. Have you seen Fushigi Yuugi ^^?

[MasterDias]

@VerityDemortem -

The Twelve Kingdoms. That should fit a majority of your criteria quite well, particularly if you like complex characters and a well-developed world. Also, you should be interested in Scrapped Princess too.

[steenajack]

Could someone please give me some more info on the content of Kodocha? This includes sexual content/violence/language/religion/anything like that. I've seen the first four episodes, and the content is a bit iffy. I'm just wondering if it get's any worse than what happened so far. Any help would be great. :3!

[Atria35]

@ VerityDemortem- Princes Tutu might fit pretty well. Please do not get turned off by the premise of 'fighting ballerinas', it's really quite good, and I really hope you give it a chance. (I thought it was a stupid premise, too, but here I am recommending it bcs I thought it was so good!). Fullmetal Alchemist if you haven't seen it already- I recommend both the original and Brotherhood. Haibane Renmei- it starts out as failry slice-of-life, but does get rather dark during the second half of the series. Romeo x Juliet might also fit the bill to a lesser extent, but.... it's an AU/Fantasy remake of the original, so it's not what you might have read in school. Magic isn't quite as prominent, though it is there in the form of Escalus, a... oh, darn, I can't say any more without spoiling it! But the one you see most often are the flying horses.

@ Steenajack- It sounds like one of the people on my other forum is watching- If I'm right, and there was a lot of fanservice the first four eps, I think they said it toned down for the fifth and beyond. If I'm wrong, then I apologize. I haven't seen this anime.