Anime Rec list: DOs and DON'Ts

[timepiececlock]

For psychodragon82, whom I have recently gotten addicted to the evil evil world of anime. Welcome, dearie.

This is a list of ones that I am familiar with, but not all that's out there by far. There's others that I know of and can offer a less-accurate opinion on, but haven't watched much of.

Most (read: nearly all) anime series are based on manga, or japanese comics.

* = indicates that series is available in translated versions that I know of. I'm hardly the expert on this, and haven't been manga-shopping in a long time.

(CN) = indicates currently playing on the Cartoon Network

OAV = original anime video (straight to video release)


The Excellent
(These are shows you should absolutely watch)
1. Full Metal Alchemist (2 seasons)
2. The Vision of Escaflowne (or just Escaflowne, 1 season)
3. Fruits Basket
4. Trigun (CN, 1 season)
5. Cowboy Bebop (CN, 1 season) + movie (in theaters here now)
6. Neon Genesis Evangelion* (weird. Good, and sometimes dramatic to a shocking degree that leaves me huddled on the floor going "No, No, NO!", but weird. 1 season)
7. Macross Plus (4 episode short series, also available in an edited movie form. Excellent on all levels)
8.Blue Submarine No. 6 (4 episode short series, also available in an edited movie form. Slightly strange, but intriguing and well-made)
9. Naruto (many seasons)
10. Monster (70 episodes)

The Good
(These are shows that you'll probably enjoy, and are worth watching though not quite as good as the ones above)
1. Gundam Wing* (used to play on CN; has some manga out but most of it except the follow-ups is bad. I love this show and don't even notice its flaws. 2 seasons)
2. Ranma 1/2* (funny and absurd and cute and clever and way too complicated to explain. The manga's great and the anime is good; they are very closely made. 5 seasons)
3. Inu Yasha* (CN, manga version is better but anime is best the further it goes; they are very closely made. Same creator as Ranma 1/2, but a much different story. 3 seasons + more new still running in japan)
4. Fushigi Yuugi/ "The Mysterious Play"* (Has one of my favorite anime characters ever in this show. 2 seasons, several extra episodes post-series)
5. Blue Seed (1 season, good start, mediocre early-middle, really picks up in the second half, killer conclusion. I'd read the mang of this if I could find it.)
6. Big O (strange, and rather Batman-like, but entertaining. used to play on CN. less than a full season)
7. Digimon (3 seasons, only watched some of it when I couldn't find anythign else. Not bad for kids show, better than Pokemon, likely uninteresting to adults)
8. Gundam: 8th MS Team (13 episodes, very well written characters, Alternate Universe to Gundam Wing.)
9. Outlaw Star (1 season, used to play on CN. The cheap knock-off of Cowboy Bebop, but nonetheless entertaining enough that I tuned in to see the whole show.)

The Mediocre
(These are shows that are not that great on the whole, but have some redeeming features and I went through phases of kind of liking them for whatever reason)
1. Sailor Moon* (used to play on CN, 5 seasons but only 4 available in English. This started me on anime, was more interesting when I was 14 than it is now)
2. Dragon Ball Z* (I went through a phase. I still find it mildly entertaining, mostly for only 2 characters I love, but I have to admit as overall quality goes, it has problems like 6 seasons or something, not sure, several movies most of which are bad)
3. Ruroni Kenshin (CN, some people will place this very high. I saw one episode and wasn't thrilled at all. Multiple seasons+ prequel OAV)
4. Yu Yu Hakashu* (CN, the art is terrible and the storyline uninteresting and sometimes outright stupid, but some people really like it. ?seasons?)
5. Ayashi No Ceres* (same creator as Fushigi Yuugi. Too convoluted for me, but some good spots. 1 season, I think)
6. Revolutionary Princess Utena (convoluted and many times stupid, but then some people do like it, 2 seasons, I think)

The BAD
(These are shows that suck. In my opinion.)
1. Tenshi Muyo.
2. Pokemon.
3. Yu-Gi-Oh




Anime Movies/ Films
1. Escaflowne movie- SUCKED. Horrible. Run, run far far away.
2. X - SUCKED worse. Very pretty, but otherwise I can't believe I wasted an hour of my life on it.
3. Metropolis - kind of slow, and weird character designs, but the most beautiful cityscapes and environment desings I've ever seen in animation.
4. Spirited Away - The best animated movie ever made. Disney wishes it could make movies like this.
5. Princess Mononoke - Almost as good as above. Beautifully animated, very mature storyline, set about 1000+ years ago.
6. Millenium Actress
7. Jin Roh: The Wolf Brigade
8. My Neighbor Totoro - Cute. Most interesting if you're young, but cute.
9. Perfect Blue - dark and creepy. I didn't like watching it, and it was reaching in some parts, but it was good.
10. Ranma 1/2 movies 1 & 2 - funny as hell, but only make sense if you've watched/read some of the series.
11. Cowboy Bebop movie - really cool. Great script, well acted. Makes more sense if you've seen at least 2/3 of the tv series. in theaters now.
12. Sailor Moon movies 1,2,3 - Pretty good. If you like the show. If you don't, you won't care



This list is subject to change. If anyone has any factual information they want to correct me on (like manga), go for it. Otherwise, it's all my opinion.

Yes, I hate Tenshi with the flames of a thousand burning suns. It's the most moronic thing I've ever seen.

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/skylar_/]

Great list. How funny, I started on Sailor Moon, too :o).

2. X - SUCKED worse. Very pretty, but otherwise I can't believe I wasted an hour of my life on it.

Really? That's too bad, I loved the manga and I was looking forward to see the movie.

Have you seen Angel Sanctuary? It's my favourite Manga, but I haven't seen the OVA yet.

Re:

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

I read one volume of the manga, and being that I do like CLAMP I'm not opposed to reading more of it,plus it was intriguing, but the movie was just terrible. The worst I'd ever seen. I've heard the tv series is good, so I might try that sometime.

[loves-bitch.livejournal.com]

Yes the X movie does suck total ass. But the Manga rocks (a lil slow paced in the beginning but it picks up later in the series) and they have just started releasing the TV series here on DVD. It is so so much better than the movie. Plus Crossover goodness with Tokyo Babylon. *Yuuummm lotsa pretty boys*

And for your Worst's list I want to claim the shame of actually liking Yu-gi-oh. It's great to watch on Sunday mornings when I'm attempting to become awake enough to go to Work. Plus I adore Yami, Kaiba, Joey, and Bakura. I have this thing for Bishies ya see. Especially Bishie boys who love each other *sigh*
*facepalms* I am such a dork.

[crossouttheeyes.livejournal.com]

Thank you, thank you,thank you! I love you. You totally rock.

I attempted to watch Tenshi Muyo and got really really really confused. So I stopped attempting to watch it.

Princess Mononoke- Woo hoo! Go me! I saw that and lurved it.

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

I attempted to watch Tenshi Muyo and got really really really confused. So I stopped attempting to watch it.

Same here. Only, with a great deal more disgust & irritation on my part.

Princess Mononoke- Woo hoo! Go me! I saw that and lurved it.

Go you! Go us! Go everyone who loves that! Have you seen Spirited Away? THAT is the movie to see.

[d-irge.livejournal.com]

Have you checked out Hellsing yet? I'm really liking this series so far. Only 13 eps were released, but hopefully they'll produce more. In fact, I'd like to see a Buffy/Hellsing crossover fic.

There's a bunch of junk I left on open download in my newsbin that I'll probably never get around to seeing but have heard good things about - Love Hina, Inuyasha, Slayers Try (seen the original Slayers and Next). Have you checked those out? What do you think of them?

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Have you checked out Hellsing yet? I'm really liking this series so far. Only 13 eps were released, but hopefully they'll produce more. In fact, I'd like to see a Buffy/Hellsing crossover fic.

OMG. See, you read my mind. Months ago I read this huge article about Hellsing in Animerica mag, and decided that I would have to see it just because it sounded like a great crossover idea. I haven't seen it yet, but it's FIRST on my to-do list. When I have money or DSL again.

I heard good stuff about Slayers, never seen it. I've only seen two music videos of Love Hina, but I can tells it's a genre I don't normally like. (though weirdly I just read about Fruits Basket and suddenly want to watch that, which is the same middle-school-stupid-love comedy genre that I don't like)

Inuyasha's on my medium list (see above.) I like it, a LOT sometimes, especially the later episodes, but the manga's more amusing. It isn't dubbed that well. But the first 50-episode cycle just started over on Cartoon Network about a week ago, so you can watch it tonight at midnight close to the beginning.

[octopedingenue]

I saw one episode of "Cowboy Bebop" by accident on CN last night. It was cuuuuuute. If I remember, I'll try to catch more episodes this summer.

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

What was the episode? That show is cute, and dramatic, and more often than that very clever. And quite suggestive to be playing on CN, even on Adult Swim. You should watch more of it. I don't obssess over that series, because in some ways it didn't click with me as an audience, but I totally admit that it's very very good.

[http://users.livejournal.com/automatedalice_/]

i confess. i'm not an X hater. like the series, like the film. but then again, i'm a clamp fan. ;)

favorites that you didn't mention: chobits, witch hunter robin (amon--yum!), wolf's rain, abenobashi shotengai (i LOVE this so much), dual (which, admittedly, is tenchi!), rahXephon (::heart::)

favorite film that no one has ever heard of: the angel's egg. without this there would be rahXephon

other favorites: GHIBLI!!! my neighbor totoro! nausicaa, which is arguably better than mononoke hime.

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen any of those, whihc is why they're not on my list. Except Totoro, which I liked. See above.

[saava.livejournal.com]

Not that I like Kenshin, but it's a hell of a lot longer than 1 season. I think there are close to 100 episodes of the TV series and then there's the prequel OAV and the sequel OAV. (My sister used to love that show.)

I seem to like several series a lot more than you did (I loved how Ceres was much darker than FY and I liked how Aya was much more mature than Miaka. I also loved Utena, though towards the end it just got more and more head explodey.) I do heart Bebop and Esca, though. Have you seen Magic Knight Rayearth? What about Kare Kano? Both are excellent. MRK is your standard Magical Girl/girls transported to another world but it's got a great twist and pretty boys. Kare Kano is standard shoujo but manages to be both hysterical and meaningful.

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Fixed the Kenshin thing, thank you very much for the info.

MKR is on my to-do list, right after Hellsing. I don't know about Kare Kano. what's the general story?

[hang-nga-79.livejournal.com]

was poking through your anime memories... have you still not seen kare kano? cause that's a crime :)

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

I have 1-3 and 7-9 on my computer. I've watched episode 1.

[flickums.livejournal.com]

*sigh*

So much anime, so little time.

Tokyo Babylon IS reccomended though, if you haven't seen it. The Mangas are a lot darker in content (and the slash is a lot more obvious) but I still reccomend either anime or manga.

And as far as movies go, you HAVE to watch Vampire Hunter D - Bloodlust. I nagged Hils into watching it, and I shall do the same to you ;-)

Re:

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Hmm... suggestions! Very cool. What is the plot/ basic story of Tokyo Babylon?

[flickums.livejournal.com]

Tokyo Babylon has no BASIC plot ;-)

It's mostly about demons/ghosts/curses/mediums in modern day Tokyo.

Subaru is the head of a clan of psychics despite his young age and in the first part of the OAV, he's asked to dispel a curse on a building in the process of being constructed. Several key employees have died during it's construction and Subaru is called in to find out what's going on. Ending is a little on the bizarre action style but the build up is very good.

Part 2 was the first anime I saw from beginning to end (dozed off during part 1, but it IS good though)

Story starts with Subaru on a train late at night, he glance up and sees a woman being stabbed to death. He's too late to save her but meets another medium called in who has visions of the past. Subaru starts to grow obsessed with her, concerned about all the pain she has to go through because of her abilities and sets out to try and help her. Great story and the ending is excellent.

Can't say too much about the manga as I've not read it myself, but from what I've read about it, it's very heavily slash oriented with some psychic stuff and a rather shocking incident that I shan't spoil for you.