Anime recommendations

[schild]

is it? Or is it?!

Of course it's possible.

[stray]

Hmm well I never doubted that this wasn't a bad place to talk anime at least. Y'all are the experts. I still have a lot to see and much I end up enjoying when I see them. Same goes for games. That the new stuff is sub-par doesn't bother me.

[Bzalthek]

I'd "estimate" that you can find at least 5-6 TB of decent anime out there.  Maybe not spectacular, but somewhat entertaining.

[stray]

lol, measured in terabytes is it?   

[rk47]

The mileage really depends on how much 'have you seen'. Because I'm beginning to see repeated patterns on the character and plot build ups, it's hardly entertaining when most of the cliches and twists are too used up. Which is why Code Geass was such a great anime, you're not sure what to expect with the multi-genre thing they had.

But most of the current anime flicks fall on the 'harem' category or straightforward 'battle' category. What they need is a strong writing since the character archetypes gets repetitive and ultimately too bland to bear which is why oddball animes like Welcome to NHK!, School Rumble (Season1) and Sayonara Zetsubou-Sensei! was a blast. And the rest are just 'filler / fap anime'. I've given up on following Naruto or Bleach that much. Suffice to say they're dragging shit too much and the fighting gets less and less interesting since the writing ran out of new ideas. Fuck, one episode had the Naruto kid just yelling at the top of his voice for 10 mins to bring out his inner power. I went to grab a can of coke in the fridge and the little bastard is still at it with his AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA *POWER UP* emote.

[Hoax]

Well none of you have to watch this season, right? It can't be possible to have seen every good anime series in the past 10 years, is it? Or is it?! I think I've seen a fair deal, but I know I've barely skimmed the surface.

Since I find myself in a similar place but I haven't followed the past 3 years of anime at all.  Here's my list of everything great I've ever seen.
Cowboy Bebop (+ movie)
Welcome to the NHK   
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya   
Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen   
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann   
FLCL   
Full Metal Panic? (S1 + Fumoffu)   
Yukikaze   
RahXephon   
Macross Zero   
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex   
Black Lagoon (both seasons)   
Great Teacher Onizuka   
Akira   
Berserk

That list is good, I mean skip mecha if you hate it and skip FMP if you hate juvenile fun.  I really need to figure out what to watch though.  I tried Hell Girl but didn't see the point, too episodic, annoying mysterious tiny girl was annoying and really couldn't figure out why I should care to see more.  I've gone through my old to-watch lists but its mostly junk that I only watched because I was watching everything.

[stray]

I've seen most of those too, except RahXephon - which I think is a favorite of yours, right? I think I rented it once or something, but never got around to it. Those are all good though, I agree. Mmm except FLCL, but that's just me. I usually like comedies, but it was just all over the place.

I'm still moving slowly through Macross Frontier. Not really my thing, but it's pretty.

[Yoru]

As far as I can tell, there'll be one or two great things produced a year, maybe, and it will of course be hedged by personal taste. If you're into harem or standard shonen fighter stuff, you've been in heaven the last couple years. If you've tastes any more refined than that, the air gets rarefied. I've also been watching this shit for nearly 15 years now, so there's a lot of repetition amongst the air-filler that might otherwise prove interesting.

I'll try to write up a list of suggestions later.

[Simond]

Hey, has anyone posted the pic of the new pilot/Child from the Evangelion remake films yet?


Her name is Makinami Mari Illustrious and, yes, she has an expression other than blank, unhappy, scared, or angry on her face. As an Eva pilot.

Oh, and her 'mech':

[schild]

Anyone who skips Jungle Wa Itsume Hale Nochi Guu (Hare Guu in America) other than Haemish (because he's a pussy when it comes to japanese stuff), is really missing out on one of the best pieces of surrealist comedy to ever come out of Japan. Easily up there with parts of FLCL and the bulk of Abenobashi Magical Shopping District (also a highly underrated anime, and notably missing from Hoax's list).

[Rendakor]

Simond: Holy shit, so much awesome. Sauce on those wonderful pics? The only one I had seen of her was from a lowres movie poster. I love the 4-legs type Eva too. Wow, I want You Can (Not) Advance so much more now.

</froth>

Edit: They're changing Asuka's last name to match some ship bullshit?  (According to wikipedia, anyway)

[Lantyssa]

They're remaking Eva?  Is it going to be coherant?

Jungle Wa is very well done.  It's not a style I normally like, but I love all of it.

[Hoax]

Anyone who skips Jungle Wa Itsume Hale Nochi Guu (Hare Guu in America) other than Haemish (because he's a pussy when it comes to japanese stuff), is really missing out on one of the best pieces of surrealist comedy to ever come out of Japan. Easily up there with parts of FLCL and the bulk of Abenobashi Magical Shopping District (also a highly underrated anime, and notably missing from Hoax's list).

I have seen magical shopping arcade but never in full.  Will fix that.  Never heard of Hare Guu, really hate lil kids, but I'll think about it.

My real problem lately has been I enjoy stupid explosion filled crap at times (hello Geass S1, e7, et all) but I can't even find anything that isn't so braindead I want to kill myself for watching it.  Hello second season of Geass, Gundam00, Naruto, Bleach, a fuckton of other stuff.  I'm sick of power levels and I'm sick of hearing attacks explained.

[schild]

Never heard of Hare Guu, really hate lil kids, but I'll think about it.

It's not a show for (even remotely) for children. Not even a little.

Edit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHOJ4YRJdmc This may help explain the insanity. Not really though. But it IS nuts.
Edit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03tI40A6Y8M The ending is just as awesome.

[tazelbain]

seme is passive, uke is active. It'd be like broughden and abragado.

[Bzalthek]

Anyone who skips Jungle Wa Itsume Hale Nochi Guu (Hare Guu in America) other than Haemish (because he's a pussy when it comes to japanese stuff), is really missing out on one of the best pieces of surrealist comedy to ever come out of Japan. Easily up there with parts of FLCL and the bulk of Abenobashi Magical Shopping District (also a highly underrated anime, and notably missing from Hoax's list).

Never heard of that, so thanks for the heads up.

[Simond]

Simond: Holy shit, so much awesome. Sauce on those wonderful pics? The only one I had seen of her was from a lowres movie poster. I love the 4-legs type Eva too. Wow, I want You Can (Not) Advance so much more now.

</froth>

I got it from the Eva thread in ADTRW on SA - no idea where they got it from.

Edit: They're changing Asuka's last name to match some ship bullshit?  (According to wikipedia, anyway)

Quite a few of the characters are partially named after something from WW2, though (Ayanami-class destroyer, the Katsuragi aircraft carrier, etc etc).

They're remaking Eva?  Is it going to be coherant?

Possibly. It's four films - one released Sept 07, one to be released in June this year and two more to be simultaneously released at some future date. It's been billed as a remake...

...although there is also the slight possibility* that the films are actually a sequel to the TV series and it's basically Shinji turning around after Third Impact and saying "Okay, let's try that again without everyone dying this time"

*There's some odd things going on in the minor details of the first film which could, maybe, hint at this. Perhaps.

[AutomaticZen]

Well none of you have to watch this season, right? It can't be possible to have seen every good anime series in the past 10 years, is it? Or is it?! I think I've seen a fair deal, but I know I've barely skimmed the surface.

Depends.  For the past 10 years, I've pretty much watched every season as they've been released.  So what's out now is what I got.  It's why I branched out in manga, tokusatsu (Kamen Rider) and j-drama.  I have a decent amount of catch in those, but anime I'm pretty much up to date.  Note, there's seasons that have good stuff that doesn't resonate with me, like Tytania - it seemed well put together, but I have no interest in space opera.

I've given up on following Naruto or Bleach that much. Suffice to say they're dragging shit too much and the fighting gets less and less interesting since the writing ran out of new ideas. Fuck, one episode had the Naruto kid just yelling at the top of his voice for 10 mins to bring out his inner power. I went to grab a can of coke in the fridge and the little bastard is still at it with his AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA *POWER UP* emote.

I'm down to just reading the manga for both.

Anyone who skips Jungle Wa Itsume Hale Nochi Guu (Hare Guu in America) other than Haemish (because he's a pussy when it comes to japanese stuff), is really missing out on one of the best pieces of surrealist comedy to ever come out of Japan. Easily up there with parts of FLCL and the bulk of Abenobashi Magical Shopping District (also a highly underrated anime, and notably missing from Hoax's list).

Great series.  Deluxe is even better.  Final was okay.

My real problem lately has been I enjoy stupid explosion filled crap at times (hello Geass S1, e7, et all) but I can't even find anything that isn't so braindead I want to kill myself for watching it.  Hello second season of Geass, Gundam00, Naruto, Bleach, a fuckton of other stuff.  I'm sick of power levels and I'm sick of hearing attacks explained

Off the top of my head for the last couple of seasons I'd recommend:  Astro Fighter Sunred, Sayonara Zestubou Sensei, Hetalia Axis Powers, Toshokan Sensou. (oddly enough, most of those are comedies) Tower of Druaga and it's sequel were vaguely mindless.  Eden of the East is shaping up to be rather interesting this season.

[Simond]

Rebuild of Evangelion 2.0 - You Can (Not) Advance: Streaming trailer
Oh hey, it's Evangelion with an actual budget.

[Rendakor]

Your link did strange thing to my browser. But I managed to make it work.

 

Wow. It looked so pretty and yet, still so much like Eva. DO WANT.

[Strazos]

Sure, why not?

[Chenghiz]

Where are you crazy people finding j-dramas?

On a more rleevant note, I have been watching and enjoying Eden of the East recently. It is a bit wierd but has the potential to be good, I think.

[Simond]

Speaking of Eva: The only fanfic you'll ever need to read.
To quote TVTropes:

As its name suggests, "Shinji and Warhammer40k" is a Neon Genesis Evangelion fanfic that incorporates elements of everyone's favorite Grim Dark sci-fi setting into everyone's favorite brutal Humongous Mecha Deconstruction. Shinji Ikari, the resident Butt Monkey of the Eva series, discovers a case full of Warhammer 40000 miniatures and rulebooks at a very young age, with a profound affect on his personality, character, and relationship with his guardians. He takes a full 20 levels in badass as a result, becoming a Badass Bookworm Magnificent Bastard who knows no fear, charges headlong into combat without hesitation, exhibits nearly prescient planning abilities, and earns the respect and adoration of his people for his heroism.

In the second chapter, he actually arrives in Tokyo-3 and meets his Evangelion.

[stray]

I like Toradora. And on that note, who is this stuff originally intended for? Why do I like highschool comedies so much?

[AutomaticZen]

I like Toradora. And on that note, who is this stuff originally intended for? Why do I like highschool comedies so much?

It was published in a shonen magazine.  So the audience for it is technically young males.

[stray]

Well, going down the list.. GTO, Haruhi, umm.. such and such.. that other school anime, etc.. I tend to like a lot of them. Not all seem teen material though. Especially not GTO with the older protagonist and all. But even Toradora has some sophisticated points. And f-bombs (could be translators too, of course).

Errm, not sure what my point was. Toradora isn't bad though.

[rk47]

Toradora? teeeheee 

[Bzalthek]

Toradora was  for you?

Kodomo no Jikan wishes to ruin your day.

Have fun.

[rk47]

Seen both. Yes. Toradora is cute & funny in a way, but Kodomo was fucked up. I think I stopped watching after one of the lil' ones did a very naughty thing in the first ep.

[AutomaticZen]

Toradora is victim of the otaku creed "Oh she looks 12, but she's really 16!  It's all good!".  But my girlfriend loved it, so I finished the whole thing with her.

I have no seen Kodomo no Jikan.  I tend to avoid those types of series.   

I have trouble telling if K-On is safe or not, but until then, I've kept my girlfriend ignorant of its existence.

[tazelbain]

I found the stuff on Hulu.  Is there other places with free, legal anime in english online?

[Simond]

http://www4.funimation.com/video/

[Yoru]

The first Gurren Lagann movie came out about a month ago; I just got done watching it. Despite being a 2-hour recap of the first half of G-L it's still pretty rockin'. The intro goes into more detail than the original series' intro did. I feel they missed out on a lot of the key character development, particularly for the auxiliary cast. They basically cut from one major plot point to another in the rush to recap.

It's fun and worth watching for G-L fans but doesn't stand up to the originals in terms of awesome-factor. If you didn't like G-L the first time around, you won't like this. If you haven't seen it at all, just watch the series instead.

obligatory: WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM?!?! 

[Hoax]

Macross Frontier was ok enough that I watched the whole thing but boy did it force me to pretend I wasn't really watching at times.  So much stupid shit in that show.  The best mecha designs ever most likely but they can't write a halfway decent plot for them it seems.  Yeah I loved the Zero and Plus OVA's but still, god Ranka was a bad bad bad character.

I'm watching Soul Eater this is fun, its really hurting me that none of the male characters are worth a damn but I'm surprised this was mentioned in such a negative light.

Also, my googlefu failed me, I can't find a well written guide on what episodes are worth watching of Bleach, I don't mind it persay, there are a handful of characters I can root for as long as I skip the awful storyarcs.  Basically I enjoyed from ep3X to ep6X minus all training of any kind I don't do training episodes they'll kindly recap whatever stupid lesson was learned when he finally uses the new technique anyways.  Watching those eps meant skipping all the real world bs and getting their powers tripe now I know I need to skip the Bount because that's anime only filler.  But where should I start it back up?  I mean like when does it stop being side quests and useless bs and get back to, setting up a bunch of actually interesting fights?

[stray]

Bleach started boring me after the Soul Society arc. Maybe not every battle is worth watching within it, especially with the side characters' battles, but Ichigo's fights are pretty cool. Especially Kenpachi and bankai stuff with the main captain that comes afterwards.