I have just finished watching Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann and I ABSOLUTELY love the series! However, I am not into any mainstream shounen animes such as Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece, as I find them rather boring. I appreciate philosophical animes like Ghost in the Shell, and Eden of the East (the series has very interesting themes about idealism and justice, and it even doubles as a Biblical allusion to the 12 apostles). I generally gravitate towards niche animes, although I found Last Exile incredibly tedious.
For some reason though, I watched Panty and Stocking, and it was absolutely hilarious despite the fact that it is like an R-rated version of Powerpuff Girls.
What animes would be recommended for someone such as myself who has a plethora of tastes, some of which are seemingly contradictory?
(As an aside, I have also watched the entire “Avatar: The Last Airbender” series, and its sequel. I know this doesn’t count as anime, but I just wanted to make sure I don’t get any recommendations for shows I have already watched)
I don’t mind taking manga or comic series suggestions as well. I have finished reading the latest issue of Deadman’s Wonderland, and I also like it very much.
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Any Anime Recommendations?
Posted on February 18, 2013.
Rosario Vampire
Code:breaker
Hidan no Arai
First off, Yahoo Answers is the worst place to ask for anime recommendations. I would recommend joining a Anime Site like Myanimelist or Animeplanet.
If you enjoyed Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann and Panty and Stocking you will like REDLINE. It’s a rather nice anime movie about racing. I would also recommend this movie called Dead Leaves. (Slick, fast-paced animation and a vivid, imaginative art style makes “Dead Leaves” a must-see for fans of experimental animation or animation geeks in general! Those who are looking for something familiar and safe need not apply!)
I would also *highly* recommend that you watch Fooly Cooly. It was made by the same guys who made Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann.
As for philosophical anime, I would recommend looking into the following:
Puella Magi Madoka Magica (Don’t be fooled by the looks, This isn’t a kid’s anime, even though the artwork is primitive compared to most series for ‘older’ fans. There are layers upon layers to ponder.)
Now and Then, Here and There (A bit old, raw, brutal series which reflects humanity at it’s cruelest)
Serial Experiments Lain (This one will make you think… think about a lot of things, society, technology, religion, government, everything than defines us as human)
Haibane Renmei (My all-time favorite anime. On the surface it is a slice-of-life story with a twist (angels!), but below the surface there are darker currents which touches upon subjects that some of us might find unnerving (suicide).
Haibane Renmei is loaded with symbolism that might be difficult to grasp for the average viewer.)
Neon Genesis Evangelion (One of the most controversial anime of all time, and it shows. But is that bad? Hell no, because Evangelion is also one of the best anime of all time. Great cast of characters, complex plot )
Monster
( Although it’s 74 episodes long, the story remains fresh all the way through due to its deep character developments and shocking plot twists. The level of char dev. in this series can only be matched by very few anime to date (mostly classics)! You’ll start to care for all of the major players in this series as the story progresses, even the minor characters you’ll encounter along the way. But what I love about this series the most is that it artistically weaves in up-lifting, Good Samaritan examples into a noir plot that sustains its dark shadow over every episode, creating a feeling of conflict between an ever-present, overwhelming evil and the little seeds of good that perseveres to overcome such an unstoppable evil. )
I would also recommend some manga for you:
Berserk
Eden: It’s an Endless World!
Battle Angel Alita
Code:Breaker
Durarara!!
Darker than Black
Black Cat
…
all of them have anime. Durarara!! is really a good one.
Oh my goodness.. I loved Gurren Lagann as well.. it’s probably my all time favorite.
I have the same sorts of tastes as you when it comes to this stuff..
One I can suggest is Soul Eater. I think the animation is fabulous.. the story is so wonderful and creative. Don’t be fooled at first.. it’s not a kids show! Some people turn away because of the way it starts out at first. It’s really really wonderful and absolutely a must see. It’s kind of halloween themed? It’s so creative and just all around wonderful!
Another one that I ADORED was Guilty Crown. Oh my goodness. I was blown away.. now, I see how this may not be for everyone but it was really really well done in my opinion. The animation is gorgeous. I’ve seen animes where they skimp on animating it well to spend more time making the characters look good (ehem Black Butler) and I’ve seen animes where they skimp on making the characters look good to make the animation amazing (ehem the end of Birdy the Mighty and somewhat in Soul Eater). This one has it all. It’s all consistent too.. because some animes will skip on the beauty in one scene so they can make the animation good.. this one doesn’t do it. They manage to keep everything fabulous all the time! The story is great too. It’s set in the future in post apocalyptic japan. It’s after a viral cancer ravaged the country and they have places sectioned off to keep it under control.. but the government is corrupt and there’s a group of rebels who are against them.. and I can’t really tell you much more! The whole time you don’t really know for sure who’s good or evil or right or wrong.. well I mean it’s not really solid. It’s really good.. I was very impressed!
Birdy the Mighty. Seriously loved this to be honest.. it’s about an alien cop.. officer.. whatever.. who comes to earth to stop some other aliens from doing something bad.. but I can’t tell you much more! I also suggest not looking up the description or reading the episode lists or descriptions until you’ve watched the first two episodes. There’s a good surprise that happens in the beginning that will certainly give away something important! I liked the second half of the show better because it’s a little darker.. but all of it is really great and the characters are totally lovable.
Okay. Madoka Magica. You have no freaking idea. I finished this in one day because of how hooked I got. It is NOT what it looks like. It looks totally pink and fluffy and happy.. oh no.. it’s nowhere close to that. Do not judge a book by its cover! I suggest giving this a shot. It starts out fairly slow at first but it is so worth getting through those couple boring episodes. It’s one of those where you really have to get to the end to have the whole effect of it you know? I was not expecting it to be anything like it was and I was completely hesitant to watch it in the beginning because I thought it would be something lame! It’s about these girls.. who become magical girls to fight witches.. but there’s a price to pay… I can’t tell you anything else or it will ruin it for you!! Seriously though.. amazing!
Honestly.. none of these go to such epic scales as Gurren Lagann does. That one is probably the only of its kind.. I mean DAMN. It was completely mindblowing!! Out of the ones I listed, the only one that even comes close to the epic proportions of Gurren Lagann at the end would probably be Madoka Magica.. but Guilty Crown also unfolds in the same sort of way as well… and Soul Eater kind of does but not quite.
Those are all my favorites and I promise I don’t have bad taste! You should really give them all a shot!
I hope this helped!
EDIT:
OH MY GOD I COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT DEATH NOTE!! THIS ANIME IS
I N C R E D I B L E
Probably one of the best of all time. Holy crap. You don’t even know. Just watch it. Trust me. I suggest watching the subbed version because I think the voice acting in the english dub is bad.. but that’s just me lol.