# Top Five Anime Picks



## EternalNewbie (May 22, 2004)

Inspired by the 'Perfect 10' thread on movies and my desire to rent some quality Anime this weekend, I'd like to find out what people consider the best anime out there.  I know its been done before but movies or series, what's your favourite anime?  I'll get the ball rolling...

1.  Cowboy Bebop - far and away the best anime I've seen.  Excellent characters, quality animation and stories that range between hilarious and  just down right cool.

2.  Blood: The Last Vampire - combines CGI and traditional animation seemlessly, along with a story featuring secret government agencies, vampires and demons.  Can't ask for more than that.

3.  Ninja Scroll - a classic.  Excellent fight scenes and awesome villians.

4.  Spirited Away - I just love the variety of spirits that show up at the bath house...

5.  Akira - Couldn't really be a top five list without Akira

Honorable mentions to Ghost in the Shell, Vampire Hunter D, Hellsing, Jin-Roh.

So, help me find something to watch this weekend...


----------



## Krug (May 22, 2004)

1. Nausicaa - The world still blows me away. Vividly imagined.

2. Akira - Stunning.

3. Cowboy Bebop - I've only watched the movie, but man this has loads in style.


----------



## Mog Elffoe (May 22, 2004)

Aside from the big ones that everyone that's into anime knows about (Akira, Ghost In The Shell, Miyazaki's stuff, etc,) these are my top picks, in no particular order:

Berserk--Very dark, very violent fantasy with some surprisingly good characterization.  Killer finale.  I kid you not--I watched the last two discs with my mouth hanging open.  

Giant Robo--Fun stuff!  Great characters, great  design, great production value.  Only available on VHS here in the States. I have my fingers crossed for a DVD release.

Lupin the 3rd--Now here's the GOOD stuff!  Imagine the world's greatest cat burglar being portrayed by the love child of James Bond and Jerry Lewis.  Some of these are better than others, but you absolutely must see Castle of Cagliostro  which was directed by Hayao Miyazaki.  It's probably my favorite anime picture ever.  Other Lupin the 3rd movies worth checking out include Secret of Mamo, Pursuit of Harimaos' Treasure, and The Fuma Conspiracy.

Hey, Miyazaki fans have reason to celebrate--This August Disney is releasing 2 disc special editions of My Neighbor Totoro, Porco Rosso, and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.  I'm pretty stoked for all of them, but especially NotVotW.  I remember watching the butchered version (Called _Warriors of the Wind_) on VHS back in the 80s and thinking that it was neat but didn't seem to be quite all 'there'.  Of course, I learned later that was indeed the case.  This August release will be the full, uncut version.  I can't wait!


----------



## Cannibal_Kender (May 22, 2004)

My favs:

Berserk

Princess Mononoke

Spirited Away


----------



## CrusaderX (May 22, 2004)

1) Cowboy Bebop.  The characters, the music, the characters, the style, the characters, the great animation...and the characters.  

2) Inuyasha.  Again, I love these characters.  This show is like a fun and neverending comic book come to life.

3) Ninja Scroll.  This blew me away when I first saw it.  After watching garbage like Fist of the North Star where the "action" scenes involved nothing more than weak fights and exploding heads, the action sequences in Ninja Scroll were just brilliant.

4) Akira.  Another one that blew me away, simply because I had never before seen animation that looked so good.

5) Big O.  As a series, it leaves something to be desired.  But going back to characters, the android Dorothy is one of my all-time favorites.  If she wasn't in it, this show wouldn't have made my list, but I loved watching her scenes every week.


----------



## Wombat (May 22, 2004)

Princess Mononoke

Parts of Project A-Ko

And...

...that's it


----------



## stevelabny (May 22, 2004)

see heres my problem.
the gf is into anime, mostly the "girlier' stuff 

but every different anime i sit down and watch (or the occasional manga i read) is a mess.
but im a guy whos into gaming and sci-fi fantasy and comics, whats my problem? someone point me in the right direction.

akira: hated it. everyting that is wrong with anime if you ask me. strange kid gangs, inexplicable psychic monsters, sloooooow. (and i like slow when its done right,really) 

vampire hunter d: watched it when i was younger, turned it off

ghost in the shell: disliked it.

princess mononoke: pretty to look at, more japanese strangeness. 

spirited away: yikes. what is with the strangeness? its not even good strangeness like most of the Vertigo comic books. is something getting lost in translation?

ninja scroll: ok, but not as good as a bad american action movie

lodoss war: watched some of it, liked it, but its sooo slow and plodding and filled with those strange japanese tendencies of plot-wandering. will eventually sit down and watch it all.

trigun: watched the whole series. ranged from watchable to ok, to slightly good, but it really was all over the place.

lain: really loved the look and mood of this series. unfortunately, it NEVER decided to make any sense. still really nice to watch though

those who hunt elves: watched the first episode on a suggestion from Wizard magazine of all places. thought it wasnt half as funny as it should/could have been. didnt bother continuing

the gf really likes: fushigi yugi, fruits basket, slayers. full metal alchemist, and one or two others im forgetting.

i read the first two translated tpbs of fruits basket and thought that it showed potential for a second, and then quickly devolved into a repetitious cutesy book. 

i've heard nothing but good things about bezerk, but heard the manga is better because they messed up the ending of the anime.  i have the first disk in my netflix queue anyway. 

so heres my question: whats the most american anime? thats the one i need to watch.


----------



## Ankh-Morpork Guard (May 22, 2004)

A condition for me on all of these, for me, would be with subtitles only. I just prefer the original language, and I've found only a couple of shows that I don't get distracted by the English VAs. 

1. Mobile Suit Gundam: I've always loved this one...the original, not the newer stuff, though Zeta and 0080 are also a couple of my favorites.

2. Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam: Mmmmm. Very dark series, but very good. It definitely gets the whole 'War is Hell' message across from the first espisode(



Spoiler



With Camille's mother being killed right in front of him


) to the last(



Spoiler



Camille being left as a vegetable and no real victory


)

3. Macross: The first anime I ever saw. Its the reason I love mecha anime so much, and got me into Gundam. This one always has a place in my heart...and shelf.

4. Akira: A classic. Simple as that.

5. Cowboy Bebop: One of the more recent shows that I really like. Also probably the only anime I don't mind watching the dub of.


----------



## John Q. Mayhem (May 23, 2004)

I haven't watched a whole lot of anime, but I'll try to break down what I liked. I saw the first Berserk DVD, liked it but the local blockbuster happens to have volumes 1 to 5...less volume 2. Sigh. Lupin the 3rd rocks. I've read the first 2 Hellsing books (have you noticed that Alucard is Dracula spelled backwards?) and they are cool. Father Anderson rocks twice. I really liked Princess Mononoke. Spirited Away I liked mostly because it's one of the big classic fairy tale storylines. I've seen snatches of Dragonball Z, Pokemon, and Sailor Moon, they all suck. I've seen about 3 episodes of various Gundam shows, they seemed cool. Aaaand...that's about it.


----------



## WayneLigon (May 23, 2004)

stevelabny said:
			
		

> so heres my question: whats the most american anime? thats the one i need to watch.



I tihnk if you've watched that much anime and still don't like it, it's probably just not something you're going to like. The 'slow' pacing, well.. it's no more slow than some dramatic American productions. One of the things you have to pretty much accept in most Anime is that not every explanation is going to be laid out for you; some of it simply is not explained, period, where as in other cases it's simply assumed you've also seen the other movies or shows (which may or may not have made it over here), read the manga and/or prose novels, etc etc etc. Then sometimes a point will be explained 'eventually', maybe several episodes down the road.

Probably the most 'American' anime I can think of is *Robotech*, which is the name of the series produced when Harmony Gold took three unrelated anime series, spliced them together, took some themes and characters from all three, rewrote a lot of the dialog, and changed a lot of things for an American audience.



> the gf really likes: fushigi yugi, fruits basket, slayers.



_Slayers_: I watched the first disc and was pleasently surprised. Usually I don't find 'funny' anime very funny at all, but I did laugh out loud at some points. 

_Fushigi Yugi_: Oh man, I tried to watch this. People raved about it. But I couldn't stand the main character, period. Couldn't even finish the first disc, and I'm told she never gets any better.


----------



## WayneLigon (May 23, 2004)

My top five, leaving out Miyazaki since, well, otherwise all five are his stuff 

Record of Lodoss Wars.
Heroic Legend of Arislan.
Vision of Escaflowne.
Last Exile.
The Twelveth Kingdom


----------



## Haradim (May 23, 2004)

As I like a lot of anime, it's hard to pin down my favorites. Still, these are probably my more noteworthy finds (in no particular order):

Vision of Escaflowne (series): First series I actually bought. Mixes two things that appeal to me: fantasy, and mecha. One of few shows where I can't pick out a character I dislike.

X (series): Second series I'm in the progress of buying. Enjoyable music, nice artwork, high-powered action, and a looming crisis. Big inspiration for a game I hope to get off the ground sometime before our own world ends...

Read or Die (OAV and series): Haven't finished the series, but I've enjoyed what I've seen so far.

Cowboy Bebop: For reasons listed.

Trigun: Liked the characters and setting, though the ending was merely 'ok'.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: Tends to be a love it or hate it show. I rather like it, despite some problems towards the end.

Spirited Away: Not quite as good as I was hoping...but I still bought it. As I get fansubs for most shows, I really only purchase things I like a fair bit.

My Neighbor Totoro: A cute show with very little to dislike about it

Grave of the Fireflies: A rather stark contrast to the last two I listed...

There are also a few that I've only seen one or two episodes of, at conventions and such. GetBackers, Risky/Safety, Macross Zero, Gunslinger Girl, Hellsing, Gunparade March, and Boogiepop Phantom have all caught my eye. I'm sure I could dredge up more if I really wanted to.

Now if I could only find the time and money to watch all of this stuff


----------



## Pants (May 23, 2004)

1) Berserk!
2) Cowboy Bebop
3) Trigun
4) Hellsing
5) InuYasha


----------



## Sollir Furryfoot (May 23, 2004)

In no particular order: Record of Lodoss Wars, Slayers, Outlaw Star, Heroic Legend of Arislan, and Cowboy Bebop


----------



## Dark Jezter (May 23, 2004)

I've seen quite a bit of anime in my day, although there's a lot of it I just plain don't like.  Still, my favorite anime series...

*Cowboy Bebop:*  This series just plain rocks.  There's no other way to put it.  It's part space opera, part western, and part 1970s detective story, with great characters and a very interesting universe.

*Record of Lodoss War:*  Disappointed by the D&D movie because it didn't bear as much in common with the game as it could have?  This series captures the D&D feel quite well, which makes sense considering that the series is based on the creator's D&D campaign from high school.

*Tenchi Muyo:*  The first 13 episodes of this OAV series are a very enjoyable blend of sci-fi and comedy, which a very memorable cast of characters.  After over a decade in hiatus, more episodes of this show are finally being made, but sadly they suck in comparison to the original episodes. 

*Princess Mononoke:*  Great music, unique story, and breathtakingly beautiful animation.  This was the very first full-length anime movie I purchased on DVD.

*Spirited Away:*  I had a lot of reservations about this movie, thinking that it looked too much like Alice in Wonderland, a story that I've never been a real big fan of.  When I finally got around to watching it, though, my reservations went right out the window.  Incredibly unique, and the same kind of wonderful animation quality as Princess Mononoke (which was made by the same person).


----------



## Uzumaki (May 23, 2004)

*stevelabny*, don't give up on Fruits Basket yet. It gets pretty heavy in some places. That's how a lot of anime works. Big funny chunk, then more serious as things progress. Also, you didn't say whether you watched Full Metal Alchemist, but if you haven't, give it a shot or read the manga.

Currently, the stuff I'm going nuts over are Naruto and Full Metal Alchemist. My favorites overall are Ranma (included mostly because it was got me into anime in the first place), Card Captor Sakura, Laputa, Uzumaki, and Shoujo Kakumei Utena, not really in that order.


----------



## Synchronicity (May 23, 2004)

Hmm, favourite anime. That's a difficult choice. In no particular order, my top five are:

Berserk: As many people in this thread have already said, this anime kicks ass. On an unrelated note, I tend to think of it as quite a good anime for showing what D&D characters at around lvls 8-10 can do to generic soldiers.(Who, to my way of thinking are War 1-3s or Ftr 1-2s.) 

Hellsing: If you can accept the fact that the animation quality falls in the second half of the series (mainly because they run out of money; the first half's great, with the first episode being gorgeous!), it's a very good anime.

Cowboy Bebop: I consider Episodes 5 (with the cathedral) and 26 (the final episode) to be two of the greatest episodes of anime I've ever seen. The rest of the anime is great too, though I personally don't consider it my absolute favourite.

FLCL: This anime is very short and very odd. I admit to really liking it, though it takes about three viewing before you start to understand it. (The first time, your brain fuses; the second time, you say things like "Well, I get that..but what the hell?!") Very good, though. Maybe a little strange for some people's taste.

Hmm...number 5. I think I'd probably cast my vote for Get Backers, an interesting anime that most people have never heard of. It's about these two guys who go around retrieving things for people..and who happen to have nifty anime powers of doom. Fun series. Other possible contenders for my top five anime include Fruits Basket (slow, somewhat sweet, but very well done.) and Gravitation. (not entirely what most people expect out of anime, but it's a good series.)

EDIT: Can't believe I forgot Read or Die! That's in contention for the top five, too; the whole idea's so good!


----------



## Psychotic Dreamer (May 23, 2004)

Let's see my five favorite anime items:

1) Cowboy Bebop - With out a doubt my favorite anime series, ever.  Hell it ranks up there as one of my favorite series ever of anything.

2) Ghost in the Shell - Amazing animation attached to an amazing story.

3) Martian Successor Nadesico - This is just a lot of fun and it kind of mocks the fan obsession with anime, but in a friendly way.

4) Outlaw Star - Fun space opera series.  Who wouldn't want a caster gun? 

5) Spirited Away - Wonderful story, amazing animation and just a hell of a lot of fun.

Honorable mention goes to Yu Yu Hakusho.  I first saw this series when I went to Otakon (A anime convention) in 2000.  It's a fun, action/adventure story, with a heart.  Kind of.  I stumbled upon it because I showed up to watch something early.  I caught the tail end of like the fourth episode and something about it just clicked with me.  While there I made sure to catch the other episodes.  I watch it on Cartoon Network from time to time.  Plan to eventually pick up the DVD's when money isn't so tight.


----------



## Geoff Watson (May 23, 2004)

Anime that I like:

Read or Die: The original OAV is great.

Love Hina: Not particularly original, but well done.

Inu-Yasha.

Slayers. 

If you like Cowboy Bebop, Outlaw Star is similar (Space Bounty Hunters).

If you like Spirited Away, have a look at the other Studio Ghibli movies; I'd start with Princess Mononoke.

What sort of thing are you looking for? Action, Comedy, Romance?

Geoff.


----------



## Shadowdancer (May 23, 2004)

1. Spirited Away

2. Cowboy Bebop

3. Ghost in the Shell

4. Perfect Blue

5. Graveyard of the Fireflies

Honorable mention: Princess Mononoke, Record of Lodoss War, Millennium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers, Jin-Roh, Metropolis, Akira, Ninja Scroll


----------



## EternalNewbie (May 23, 2004)

Geoff Watson said:
			
		

> If you like Spirited Away, have a look at the other Studio Ghibli movies; I'd start with Princess Mononoke.
> 
> What sort of thing are you looking for? Action, Comedy, Romance?
> Geoff.




I've seen Princess Mononoke, and it was good (the little tree spirits were cool) but I thought Spirited Away was much better.

I generally look for action when I'm renting Anime, but I do make exceptions.  Grave of the Fireflies was excellent (was trying to remember the name when I posted the first time).

I'm surprised more people haven't listed Blood: The Last Vampire as a favourite.  That movie absolutely floored me the first time I saw it.  If you haven't seen it, check it out.



			
				stevelabny said:
			
		

> so heres my question: whats the most american anime? thats the one i need to watch.




If you've watched that much, and haven't really found anything you'd like, I'd have to agree with WayneLigon and say that it might not be your thing.  Still, try Cowboy Bebop (Start with the series, not the movie).  If you like Sci-Fi, you should enjoy it, although it's set pretty far into the future.  But there isn't much 'japanese strangeness' in it.

Finally, I have a question about Berserk.  Does the animation get better later into the series?  So many people have listed it as a favourite, but IIRC when I watched it, what turned me off were the fight scenes.  Compared to say, Ninja Scroll or Cowboy Bebop, I found the action sequences to have too many still frames.  Admittedly, it's been a while since I've watched it, and based on the recommendations here, I'll probably go rent it this afternoon...


----------



## Ankh-Morpork Guard (May 23, 2004)

EternalNewbie said:
			
		

> I'm surprised more people haven't listed Blood: The Last Vampire as a favourite.




And I'm surprised how many things people are listing that are really NEWER shows. C'mon people, am I the only person hanging onto the 'past' of Anime here?

...I'm too young to be the Anime Diaglo....


----------



## Album Cover X (May 23, 2004)

Ankh-Morpork Guard said:
			
		

> I'm too young to be the Anime Diaglo....




 please don't become that... 3000 or whatever posts of the same thing gets old  

But I think everyone has something where they long for the "golden days"... For Diaglo is D&D, for you its anime, and for me its baseball... it helps makes each of us unique... unlike Diaglo's posts 

(I'm kidding Diaglo... well maybe a little... honestly I'm OK with it... keep carrying that torch)

EDIT: I realized I didn't add my list and I should stay on topic...

My favorite piece of anime is Princess Mononoke... I guess I'd add:

--Ghost in the Shell
--Big O (I really liked that series)


----------



## Elodan (May 23, 2004)

Ankh-Morpork Guard said:
			
		

> And I'm surprised how many things people are listing that are really NEWER shows. C'mon people, am I the only person hanging onto the 'past' of Anime here?
> 
> ...I'm too young to be the Anime Diaglo....



Two of my favorites are older.  I've only recently discovered Netflix and their decent Anime section so I have some catching up to do.

In no particular order, I've really liked

Star Blazers
Robotech
Coboy Bebop
Ninja Scroll
Trigun


----------



## KainG (May 23, 2004)

My top 5 favs vary from time to time as I watch new anime, or revisit some I haven't watched in ages. Here are my current top 5, in no particular order:

*Record of Lodoss War (both OAV and Chronicles of the Heroic Knight)*: Great D&D feel and I love the artwork.

*Full Metal Alchemist*: Funny and serious, with a lot of fun characters and an ongoing plotline with a good pace.

*X the TV series*: Intense series with a good amount of action and good music.

*Cowboy Bebop*: Very stylish, with great characters and music.

*Inuyasha*: A good mix of fantasy, action, romance, and comedy.

I recently got my hands on _Scrapped Princess_ fansub, and from what little I've seen so far, it looks pretty good, and may end up as one of my favs.


----------



## Mog Elffoe (May 23, 2004)

EternalNewbie said:
			
		

> I'm surprised more people haven't listed Blood: The Last Vampire as a favourite.  That movie absolutely floored me the first time I saw it.




Personally, I was extremely disappointed in _Blood:  The Last Vampire_.  Sure, it looks great, and has oodles of cool potential, but it's just too short and fails to deliver.  I felt like it was just a big tease.  Worth a rental, I suppose, but I was pretty upset that I'd bought it.



			
				EternalNewbie said:
			
		

> Finally, I have a question about Berserk.  Does the animation get better later into the series?  So many people have listed it as a favourite, but IIRC when I watched it, what turned me off were the fight scenes.  Compared to say, Ninja Scroll or Cowboy Bebop, I found the action sequences to have too many still frames.  Admittedly, it's been a while since I've watched it, and based on the recommendations here, I'll probably go rent it this afternoon...




_Berserk_ certainly wasn't made with the budget that either _Cowboy Bebop_ or _Ninja Scroll _ were, but it manages to make its cutting corners look stylish.  Usually when it uses still frames it reverts to sepia colors and a sketchy manga style designed to heighten the emotions of the scene.  I found it to be very effective for the most part.


----------



## Trip Mclean (May 23, 2004)

1. Ninja Scroll

2.Vampire Hunter: D

3. Naruto

4. Full Metal Alchemist

5. G Gundam


----------



## zen_hydra (May 24, 2004)

Sorry if this is off topic, but I am trying to find some peace of mind.  I am hoping a fellow anime fan can convince me that I didn't just waste several hours of my life on what seems to be a completely garbage series, and that I just don't "get it."  I was talked into watching the whole Evangelian series (plus the ending movie) and I can't understand why anyone likes this pretentious drivel. It started as an only marginally poor giant robot anime, but ended up being the story of a bunch of self loathing, suicidal idiots (the worst being Shinji the main character). The end left more questions than answers and was so mind-bendingly discombobulating that I thought that my head would explode. Can someone please explain to me why I am wrong, and put this show in perspective for me?


----------



## Maraxle (May 24, 2004)

My favorite anime is the one with the people with oversized eyes, lots of choppy cuts in the action (almost enough to induce a seizure), and the women who giggle and act like they're 11 years old.  What was the name of that one?


----------



## Dareoon Dalandrove (May 24, 2004)

Maraxle said:
			
		

> My favorite anime is the one with the people with oversized eyes, lots of choppy cuts in the action (almost enough to induce a seizure), and the women who giggle and act like they're 11 years old.  What was the name of that one?




The name of that one would be If you don't got nothing to say don't say anything at all.



My pick for the top 5 would be:

Gits: Sac
Ninja Scroll (the movie)
Macross Plus

Full Metal Panic! and Fumoffu?
12 Kingdoms (Junni Kokki)
Read or Die (the ova better than the TV series)
so there's 6


----------



## Maraxle (May 24, 2004)

Dareoon Dalandrove said:
			
		

> The name of that one would be If you don't got nothing to say don't say anything at all.



Yup, that's the one!  Thanks.


----------



## Velenne (May 24, 2004)

Based on some opinions in this thread, I went out last night and rented Berserk.  I give it a 5/10 having watched the first 5 episodes.  Does it get better?  The animation was average and got very sloppy/simplistic in the fight scenes.  The music is clunky.  The characters are interesting but um... playing with water with a naked man?  Guts you cad, I didn't know!  

I was expecting pulse-pounding action, but instead got another brooding, soul-tortured, dark-haired, anti-hero.

On to my top 5:

Give me *Cowboy Bebop* anyday.  The master of all anime's.

Follow it up with some *Ninja Scroll*...the first one of course.

There's more that I like but I can't remember the names.  Sometimes one gets in the mood for goofier fare and there's always *Full Metal Panic!* and *Spirited Away*.

There's one I've been trying to find where 2 warrior/mage's are protecting a little blonde girl they call "princess" who will supposedly spell the end of the world.  The spells in this were amazing!  I always wanted to see more of this.

Another had a single over-macho warrior in a group of 3 female adventurers.  His father was a powerful wizard but he never developed the knack for it (or much of anything besides being getting into trouble) and it doesn't look like he'll amount to anything until one of the 3 females (the priestess) is told by her god that she'll marry him.  She promptly freaks out.  Wish I could remember the name...


----------



## Ankh-Morpork Guard (May 24, 2004)

zen_hydra said:
			
		

> Sorry if this is off topic, but I am trying to find some peace of mind.  I am hoping a fellow anime fan can convince me that I didn't just waste several hours of my life on what seems to be a completely garbage series, and that I just don't "get it."  I was talked into watching the whole Evangelian series (plus the ending movie) and I can't understand why anyone likes this pretentious drivel. It started as an only marginally poor giant robot anime, but ended up being the story of a bunch of self loathing, suicidal idiots (the worst being Shinji the main character). The end left more questions than answers and was so mind-bendingly discombobulating that I thought that my head would explode. Can someone please explain to me why I am wrong, and put this show in perspective for me?



 As someone else said, with Eva...you either love it or hate it. Even though I'm a huge mecha fan, I just hated it. I managed to watch the whole series to TRY to give it a chance, but it was just...disturbing. You aren't the only one who thinks its garbage.


----------



## WayneLigon (May 24, 2004)

Velenne said:
			
		

> Another had a single over-macho warrior in a group of 3 female adventurers. His father was a powerful wizard but he never developed the knack for it (or much of anything besides being getting into trouble) and it doesn't look like he'll amount to anything until one of the 3 females (the priestess) is told by her god that she'll marry him. She promptly freaks out. Wish I could remember the name...



Rune Soldier, AKA Rune Soldier Louie AKA Mahou Senshi Riui


----------



## Avouz (May 24, 2004)

Ankh-Morpork Guard said:
			
		

> And I'm surprised how many things people are listing that are really NEWER shows. C'mon people, am I the only person hanging onto the 'past' of Anime here?
> 
> ...I'm too young to be the Anime Diaglo....




Don't worry. You're not the only oldtimer around here. I've been an anime fan almost as long as I've been a gamer.

My favs (nearly all old school.)

1) Kimagure Orange Road. I'm a bit of a sucker for the anime teenage comedies and this one is the best. For those who haven't seen it, it's a nice trip down memory lane for high school.

2) Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam. The best of the Gundam series by far. (I believe this is due out on DVD later this year.)

3) Tenchi Muyo. Another sci-fi teenage comedy. Thank God the third OAV series is finally being released after so long.

4) Record of Lodoss Wars. This series introduced me to anime and I've not left since.

5) Giant Robo. 1930s serials meets giant robot anime. More plot twists and cliffhangers than you can shake a stick at. Thankfully, it is coming on DVD soon.


----------



## Villano (May 24, 2004)

As a kid, I'd have to say Star Blazers, Battle of The Planets (aka G-Force), Robotech, and Tranzor Z (aka Mazinger Z).  The Macross Saga of Robotech still holds up well today (possibly Star Blazers, too, but I haven't seen that since it originally aired).   All of the above have been released on vhs or dvd except, afaik, Tranzor Z.  I really wish someone would.  I loved that show as a kid.

Today, you, of course, have Cowboy Bebop.  I think it's one of the best-looking series with some pretty interesting characters.  However, I have to admit that, for having such a definite end, it never felt like there was an overlying story arc.  I didn't really care for that aspect of it since it makes the ending feel as if it just comes out of nowhere.  The individual episodes were all great, though.

Fooly Cooly (FLCL) is another beautiful looking series.  It doesn't make any sense, but it's fun.   

Tenchi Muyo is another classic.  Also, by the same creators is Dual, which is another fun series.  Kind of like Tenchi but with alternate universes and giant robots (although the robots are a background issue...it's not really a giant robot anime).  If you enjoyed Tenchi, you'll probably like Dual.

And, love DBZ or hate it, you have to admit the original Dragonball was pretty good.  

Lastly, I'd be remiss if I didn't add Ninja Scroll.  I've heard the tv series isn't very good, though, which bums me out.

I had to leave Giant Robo off the list.  While I love the designs and the story seems interesting, I watched a badly subtitled version.  It's impossible to understand.  It's like the subs were written by someone who didn't speak English who was just using a Japanese/English dictionary.   Add to that, things were constantly misspelled and they always used "should" for "could" and "would".  It was too confusing to enjoy.   

So, if you happen to be temped by those imported Giant Robo dvd box sets on eBay, don't buy it!  They may be cheap, but they aren't worth it.

Anyway, I'm currently enjoying Those Who Hunt Elves, Outlaw Star, Inuyasha, Ultimate Muscle, and Yu-Yu Hakusho.   Inuyasha came very close to making my top 5, but I had to go with Dragonball since it was such a landmark series.  It's defintely worth checking out on Cartoon Network if you haven't.

Also, I'm only 4 episodes into TWHE, but I found it pretty funny.  www.rightstuf.com is unloading their Elves vhs for $0.99 each.  They're sold out of one volume (#4, I think), but you can't go wrong with getting a series for $6 or so (not counting shipping).


----------



## Kesh (May 24, 2004)

1) *Cowboy Bebop* - 'nuff said. 
2) *X* (TV) - Very stylish, with excellent music and some good characters.
3) *Perfect Blue* - What if Alfred Hitchcock had made an animated film?
4) *Wolf's Rain* - I'm just getting into this one, but it's quickly growing on me.
5) *Princess Mononoke* - Good action, lots of wonderful symbolism and mythology.

Honorable mentions go to *Akira*, *Outlaw Star* and *Gundam W* (aka *Gundam Wing*).

I've been trying to watch FLCL on Cartoon Network... great animation, but it makes no friggin' sense whatsoever. o.o


----------



## Ankh-Morpork Guard (May 24, 2004)

Avouz said:
			
		

> 2) Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam. The best of the Gundam series by far. (I believe this is due out on DVD later this year.)




Ahh, but I already have it all. How...best not to discuss. 


Oh, and Kesh...Gundam W....Honoroable Mention? I feel like crying suddenly...


----------



## Velenne (May 24, 2004)

WayneLigon said:
			
		

> Rune Soldier, AKA Rune Soldier Louie AKA Mahou Senshi Riui




You are my hero!  That's it!  *quickly goes to find it locally*

Anyone know about my other dilemma?



			
				Velenne said:
			
		

> There's one I've been trying to find where 2 warrior/mage's are protecting a little blonde girl they call "princess" who will supposedly spell the end of the world. The spells in this were amazing! I always wanted to see more of this.


----------



## Aaron L (May 24, 2004)

1. Tenchi Muyo!  Ryo-Ohki  (I dunno, it just clicked with me)
2. Cowboy Bebop
3. Dragonball Z (yeah, I know... SO WHAT!?)
4. Hellsing
5. Trigun


----------



## Mog Elffoe (May 25, 2004)

Avouz said:
			
		

> 5) Giant Robo. 1930s serials meets giant robot anime. More plot twists and cliffhangers than you can shake a stick at. Thankfully, it is coming on DVD soon.




Where'd you hear that?  Last time I spoke with the Manga people (I work with a video distributor) the latest word was that they were unable to secure DVD rights for _Giant Robo_.  Has someone else picked it up?


----------



## Avouz (May 25, 2004)

Mog Elffoe said:
			
		

> Where'd you hear that?  Last time I spoke with the Manga people (I work with a video distributor) the latest word was that they were unable to secure DVD rights for _Giant Robo_.  Has someone else picked it up?




The rumor that I had heard was that Media Blasters had picked it up, but I've been unable to confirm it through website (seems to be down.)

My friends and I have worked anime cons for years, so I tend to trust rumors I hear from them. Still, we could be mistaken.


----------



## dreaded_beast (May 25, 2004)

Ankh-Morpork Guard said:
			
		

> And I'm surprised how many things people are listing that are really NEWER shows. C'mon people, am I the only person hanging onto the 'past' of Anime here?
> 
> ...I'm too young to be the Anime Diaglo....




Force Five:

Danguard Ace
Starvengers
Gaiking
Grandizer
Spacekeeters

Note: These are the Americanized names of the anime. At least most of them are.

These are the shows that started me down the road of Anime.


----------



## Mog Elffoe (May 25, 2004)

Avouz said:
			
		

> The rumor that I had heard was that Media Blasters had picked it up, but I've been unable to confirm it through website (seems to be down.)
> 
> My friends and I have worked anime cons for years, so I tend to trust rumors I hear from them. Still, we could be mistaken.




I'll have to shoot my pals at Media Blasters and Manga some e-mails tomorrow it seems.  I wouldn't bother with either Manga's or Media Blasters' websites.  Keeping their sites updated isn't really a priority for either of them.  If they get back to me tomorrow I'll be sure to post my findings.


----------



## Rackhir (May 25, 2004)

Ankh-Morpork Guard said:
			
		

> And I'm surprised how many things people are listing that are really NEWER shows. C'mon people, am I the only person hanging onto the 'past' of Anime here?
> 
> ...I'm too young to be the Anime Diaglo....




I'll step into the breach.

1) 1986 - The Dirty Pair Movie (AKA Project Eden - A name which does NOT appear on the original Japanese LD). That classic DP destruction, one of the best soundtracks EVER, a terrifically over the top villian and some of the best action sequences ever. 

2) 1984 Urusei Yatsura Movie #2 : Beautiful Dreamer - Urusei Yatsura is in my opinion the prototype for the looser boy with magical harem girls shows, only without the treacle. 

Ataru (the main character) is the unluckiest guy in the world and an incorrigable letch, actually quite capable in his own way and certainly one of the toughest characters in anime. He's Cursed/Blessed with constantly encountering the galaxy's most beautiful and powerful women, most of whom seem destined to become involved with him usually unwillingly since they all recognize his unsavory character. Given that his "wife"/Girlfriend Lum is very jealous and capable of megavolt outputs, this tends to be a painful state of affairs. Yet they do actually care for one another as is always proven in a pinch, when the cards are finally down.

This movie best captures (I think) the general wackieness of UY, the crazy cast of characters and the frequently bizarre and surreal situations they encounter. Great closing theme as well.

3) 1988 : My Neighbor Totoro - Possibly the greatest Children's movie ever. Unless you are a complete curmudgeon, this movie will charm you and touch your heart. I'm not a Miyazaki fan, but even I was disarmed by this one. Even though there is absolutely nothing in it that could possibly offend anyone, but the most determined and humorless self appointed guardian of public morality, it will enthrall children, yet still neither bore nor insult the intelligence of a watching adult. Great soundtrack as well.

4) 1995 (the Newby of the group) Macross Plus - While the original series was terrific and possibly should be here instead. This OVA series does capture everthing that was great about the original series and updates it with some jawdroppingly well animated arial combat sequences, a terrific soundtrack and an original, creative and absorbing story.

5) 1988 : Kimagure (Capricious) Orange Road Series + First Movie - Again one of the best soundtracks of any series, extremely well done opening and closing credit sequences. Some really creative and original stories (My favorites are the TOP GUN/Godzilla movie parody episode and the Groundhog day-ish Christmas episode), psychic powers, a love triangle with lots of tension and characters you can genuinely care about set this well above the teeming masses of teen highschool romance series. 

The movie has to be included since it is the true finish to the series and should not be watched without viewing the series first, since it will not mean anything to you if you haven't watched the characters struggle and suffer over the course of the series. Even though I couldn't understand a word of the movie, I was riveted to my seat like I have almost never been. The movie actually drops a lot of the humor and psychic powers of the series and focuses simply on resolving the love Triangle between Kyosuke (the boy), Hikaru-chan (the bubbly, happy popular girl who loves Kyosuke) and her best friend Madoka Ayukawa (the brooding "bad" girl who also loves Kyosuke, but won't do anything about it since she won't hurt her best friend). It really hurts watching the plot unfold, since you know and like all of the characters, but someone has to get hurt to resolve the situation and the end where Kyosuke (who is a REALLY nice guy) has to brutally reject Hikaru-chan, because otherwise things will never be resolved is painful to watch.

Runners up 

Mobile Suit Gundam the Original Saga - MSG to Char's Counter Attack : It's the classic Giant robot series. I really love pieces and the ideas/world of it more than any of the individual series. Though 0083 : Stardust Memories is my fav.

Monster City - While it is, alas horribly misogynistic. It's mindblowingly cool characters and animation style set the stage for pretty much every horror manga/anime to come.

Iczer One - Again a real trend setter, with some cool characters, mecha designs and one of the stupidest villians of all time (Iczer two - When your robots are powered by emotions, the last thing you want to do before finishing off the heroes is to cruelly and pointlessly stomp on the last person left living that one of the heroes cares about).

Area 88 - Tragic hero, betrayed by his best friend and forced to fight in a war to save his own life, so that he can survive to return to the woman he loves. The most terrible part of all for him, is that he is very, very good at the Killing.

Golgo 13 (Aka - The professional) - One of the all time classic assasins, in a highly stylized movie. While not exactly a likable character you have to admire/respect his absolute ruthlessness, determination and unerring skill in carrying out his contracts. Also notable for an early use of computer animation. Note : there is a fairly nasty rape scene about halfway through the movie.

One observation, a number of these probably wouldn't have the same effect if you watched them having seen a lot of the newer stuff. These were the originals that the later stuff was based on. So much of their impact would probably be lost on more recent viewers. What has be come trite and repiditive was original and shocking once upon a time.


----------



## Wehtam (May 25, 2004)

I barely have a top 5. So here it is:

5. Macross. My older brother got the entire thing for Christmas last year and I'll occasionally go over to his place to watch an episode or two. Much better than the Americanized version.

4. Mobile Suit Gundam The 8th MS Team. I got the entire series for Christmas last year after seeing it on Toonami and it's the best Gundam series I've seen in a long time. It's also a vary short series at 12 episodes. 

3. Outlaw Star. I love this series from beginning to end. Too bad one of the main characters that I really liked had to die in the first few episodes. Love the opening theme to this show. 

2. Neon Genesis Evangelion. The series stands fine on its own merits until the last two episodes. Giant robots, kids saving the world, and a story that just keeps you guessing. 

1. Cowboy Bebop. I found this as part of Cartoon Networks Adult Swim block a few years ago. Everyone here listed excellent reasons for liking it so I won't repeat what they said. 

That's it for now.

More later.


----------



## Taren Seeker (May 25, 2004)

Man no one has mentioned one of my fave's, El Hazard. Humor, nice animation, great art design, cool fights and the story *moves*. This is the original I'm talking about, not the movie or the second series. Steve this may be one to try as it is pretty upfront with only a little weirdness.

Cowboy Bebop of course. It renewed my faith in Anime. My #1.

Macross+ - opened my eyes to the modern age of Anime, combining excellent animation with great music. Only exceeded by Bebop in that quality.

Ghost in the Shell

Yes and Loduss. What D&D geek can leave this off the list? Imagine what it could have been if the budget didn't dry up halfway through the series. I think that is where most of the damage is done, too many freeze frames, stock footage and long pauses.

Other ones I have a soft spot for: Ah! My Goddess, some of the Ranma OAV's, I can never keep straight all of the Gundam series but they are usually good (except W and I think the (original?) 79 movie...that was so slow it was waving to the glaciers screaming by in the left hand lane), Golden Boy is one of the funniest I've seen as well.

A shout out to Star Blazers (Yamato), Force 5 and Robotech for introducing me to the genre. And curses to Voltron and the like for setting the genre back in North America.


----------



## WizarDru (May 25, 2004)

Rackhir said:
			
		

> Runners up
> 
> Mobile Suit Gundam the Original Saga - MSG to Char's Counter Attack : It's the classic Giant robot series.



Who are you, and what have you done with the Real Rackhir?  


Man, what a tough call to make. 

In no particular order?

1) Space Cruiser Yamato - Oh, sure, they drove the concept into the ground....but the first two seasons are wonderful.  A little silly, sure, and not amazingly animated by today's standards, but the story was terrific.  I mean, the battle of the Andromeda fleet against the Comet Empire is worth the price of admission alone. 

2) Space Pirate Captain Harlock (original TV Series): Spike Speigel is cool, but Harlock is just plain cooler, to me.  Even though every series since appears to have been dogged by slow, slow, slooooow pacing, the original was the template for many shows that would follow.

3) Totoro.  Really, one of the best animated movies ever.  No, No, Castle Cagliostro. NO, Wait!  Laputa, Castle in the Sky!  WAIT!  Spirited Away!!  HOLD ON!! Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind! ARGG!  Miyazaki, ok?

4) Super Dimensional Fortress Macross /Macross: Do You Remember Love?  - Originally meant to be a parody, it evolved into a landmark show that was a proving ground for half of the anime professionals at work today.  The talent read like a who's who of future anime masters, and it shows in the work.  The big-budget movie still stands as a high watermark of animation.

5) Akira.  A flawed masterpiece that still stands the test of time, and got widespread attention both for anime and a level of crossover respectability that few films have enjoyed before or since.  Visually stunning, it was a ground-breaking flick, even if it didn't make a whole hell of a lot sense at the end, there. 

And there are so many more....

Dru (who thinks it's a shame that so many modern anime fans casually dismiss older shows due to less expensive animation, and miss some wonderful stories...)


----------



## Kesh (May 25, 2004)

Ankh-Morpork Guard said:
			
		

> Oh, and Kesh...Gundam W....Honoroable Mention? I feel like crying suddenly...




I can't help it. I have a weakness for the "pretty boys in armor" genre.


----------



## Rackhir (May 25, 2004)

WizarDru said:
			
		

> Who are you, and what have you done with the Real Rackhir?




I was going to include Gundam initially, but I realized thinking it over that much as I love the mecha and the universe and Haman Khan ("AH! Haman-sama!), none of the actual series were all time favorites of mine. 

I should have included Project A-Ko as a runner up as well. It is probably the funniest single anime movie I've ever seen and has almost enough anime in-jokes to go toe to toe with Airplane!. Great BGM as well. 

You know despite Cowboy Beebop being on nearly everyone's lists. I just never could quite get into the series. It does have a very high cool quotient, terrific characters and a great BGM, but most episodes never really seemed to go anywhere. Also I could never quite get past the fact that they had enough money to operate a spaceship, several high performance craft, use lots of ammunition for their heavy weapons which probably cost $10+/rnd, yet never had money for food?


----------



## Mog Elffoe (May 25, 2004)

Avouz said:
			
		

> The rumor that I had heard was that Media Blasters had picked it up, but I've been unable to confirm it through website (seems to be down.)
> 
> My friends and I have worked anime cons for years, so I tend to trust rumors I hear from them. Still, we could be mistaken.




I just heard back from Mike Pascuzzi with Media Blasters--they do indeed have _Giant Robo_.  No release date has been set for it on DVD though.

Thanks, Avouz!  I'm pretty jazzed about this now.


----------



## Ankh-Morpork Guard (May 26, 2004)

Rackhir said:
			
		

> I was going to include Gundam initially, but I realized thinking it over that much as I love the mecha and the universe and Haman Khan ("AH! Haman-sama!), none of the actual series were all time favorites of mine.




I feel mostly the same way...though I'd rather ignore about half of ZZ. Other than that, though, the main UC stuff is just amazing.

Ahhh, it feels good to have dragged out some older titles. Some I'd forgotten about. And I haven't seen Totoro in a while...got a copy somewhere, need to watch again.


----------



## WizarDru (May 26, 2004)

Rackhir said:
			
		

> I was going to include Gundam initially, but I realized thinking it over that much as I love the mecha and the universe and Haman Khan ("AH! Haman-sama!), none of the actual series were all time favorites of mine.



 Heh. Yeah, I know what you mean. I have a lot of series like that. Hlaf of them are, of course, fighting series...and half of those involving pretty boys in armor. 



			
				Rackhir said:
			
		

> I should have included Project A-Ko as a runner up as well. It is probably the funniest single anime movie I've ever seen and has almost enough anime in-jokes to go toe to toe with Airplane!. Great BGM as well.



 Poor A-ko. Hilarious and ground-breaking, I just can't shake all the negative connotations I associate with its sequels, which I just didn't dig nearly as much.



			
				Rackhir said:
			
		

> You know despite Cowboy Beebop being on nearly everyone's lists. I just never could quite get into the series. It does have a very high cool quotient, terrific characters and a great BGM, but most episodes never really seemed to go anywhere.



 I like Bebop a lot, but it is much more about style than substance. But I don't think that was ever in doubt, really. It also has tremendous crossover appeal, in that it reaches a large non-anime audience, I think. It doesn't deal as heavily in many of the anime tropes that put a lot of fans off, and that's part of it's popularity.

 In truth, Beserk! was much more likely to make the short-list than Bebop, but a short margin. And for those who didn't know, the anime's end is not the end of the story, just the place they stopped when the series was cancelled (and an odd choice of location to stop, I might add). They should put a Surgeon General's warning on the last volume of episodes, really, for the unprepared. Luckily, the manga continues on with the story...and what a great story it is.


----------



## drnuncheon (May 26, 2004)

Velenne said:
			
		

> There's one I've been trying to find where 2 warrior/mage's are protecting a little blonde girl they call "princess" who will supposedly spell the end of the world. The spells in this were amazing! I always wanted to see more of this.



 Sounds liked Scrapped Princess.  You can get fansubs over BitTorrent.

 The one I've been watching recently (via fansub also) is Full Metal Alchemist - I like the more serious main arc episodes better than the comedic side plots.

 Cowboy Bebop, Escaflowne, Lodoss War (the originals) and Mononoke are the ones that I've purchased.

 I also greatly enjoyed Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory when I watched it many years ago, mostly because I felt like I could respect both sides - but the last time I tried to watch it, post 9/11, I found I couldn't do that anymore.

 J


----------



## WizarDru (May 26, 2004)

drnuncheon said:
			
		

> but the last time I tried to watch it, post 9/11, I found I couldn't do that anymore.



 Yeah, that kind of summarizes Gundam Wing, for me.


----------



## Krug (May 26, 2004)

Just wanted to add that *Interstella 5555*, done by Leiji Matsumoto with French band *Daft Punk* was a whole lotta fun.


----------



## Arnwyn (May 26, 2004)

My top 5:

1) Macross (and all it's incarnations)
2) Cowboy Bebop
3) Ghost in the Shell/GITS: SAC
4) Record of Lodoss War (both OAV and series)
5) Vision of Escaflowne

Honorable Mentions:
- Dirty Pair (all OAVs, and especially the movie)
- El Hazard
- Neon Genesis Evangelion
- Patlabor (series, OAVs, & movies)
- Armitage III
- Tenchi Muyo (1st TV series + 1st & 3rd movies only)
- Wolf's Rain
- Gunslinger Girls
- Fullmetal Alchemist


----------



## Rackhir (May 26, 2004)

WizarDru said:
			
		

> Poor A-ko. Hilarious and ground-breaking, I just can't shake all the negative connotations I associate with its sequels, which I just didn't dig nearly as much.




What sequels are you talking about? I have heard blasphemous rumors of such things, but no honorable, morally upright person would admit to having viewed such abominations.



			
				drnuncheon said:
			
		

> I also greatly enjoyed Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory when I watched it many years ago, mostly because I felt like I could respect both sides - but the last time I tried to watch it, post 9/11, I found I couldn't do that anymore.




Is that because of the colony drop? That's the only 9/11-ish thing I could think of off hand. 



> Ankh-Morpork Guard



 I would assume your Zeta copy is one of the illegal subtitled sets from Hong Kong. I actually have both the Zeta and ZZ LD boxed sets, by the way. I would dearly love for them to release them dubbed or subtitled on LD over here. 

BTW. I have heard that they are going to be releasing SD Gundam SEED for the PS2 over here, I think around sept. If it's anything like the earlier games, it should be terrific.


----------



## Velenne (May 26, 2004)

drnuncheon said:
			
		

> Sounds liked Scrapped Princess.  You can get fansubs over BitTorrent.




Thank you thank you thank you!  I've been looking for that one forever!


----------



## Uzumaki (May 27, 2004)

Krug said:
			
		

> Just wanted to add that *Interstella 5555*, done by Leiji Matsumoto with French band *Daft Punk* was a whole lotta fun.




Dood, I love that series of videos. First saw One More Time at night on the top floor of a Paris hotel, with the window open and the sounds of the Parisian nightlife surrounding me. Damn, was that cool. I didn't know they made a movie concluding it. Thanks for the heads up *Krug*.


----------



## jarlaxlecq (May 28, 2004)

1) Ninja Scroll - The Quintessential Action anime, i have yet to see its equal.
2) Princess Mononoke - The only anime my wife will watch from start to finish and comment on what a good movie
3) Cowboy Bebop - My Favorite modern anime series.
4) Macross - No not robotech, the original japanese series. I recently picked up the digitally restored version. You'd be amazed how much better the original dialog is.
5) Trust/Betrayal - Kenshin OVA. Great mini-series, its a shame i like this so much more then the actual series.


Over Hyped Anime of all time?

1)Akira 

I still after all this time dont see what all the hype was all about.


----------



## Elodan (May 28, 2004)

jarlaxlecq said:
			
		

> 1) 4) Macross - No not robotech, the original japanese series. I recently picked up the digitally restored version. You'd be amazed how much better the original dialog is.



Is this title just Macross?  When I search IMDB for Macross I get Macross Plus.  Is it the same or a sequel to the original?

Thanks.


----------



## Rackhir (May 28, 2004)

Elodan said:
			
		

> Is this title just Macross?  When I search IMDB for Macross I get Macross Plus.  Is it the same or a sequel to the original?
> 
> Thanks.




The full title is Super Dimentional Fortress Macross. Macross Plus, is an OVA sequel series that was done in the mid nineties. The TV series is the second one, the first listing after Macross Plus. The one at the top of the search is the movie version of the TV series.

You would be better served by just checking the web for information on Macross though.


----------



## Ankh-Morpork Guard (May 29, 2004)

And while Macross Pluss rocks...the original SDF Macross is still the best. Of course, I'm biased...that's what got me into anime.


----------



## WizarDru (May 29, 2004)

Rackhir said:
			
		

> The full title is Super Dimentional Fortress Macross. Macross Plus, is an OVA sequel series that was done in the mid nineties. The TV series is the second one, the first listing after Macross Plus. The one at the top of the search is the movie version of the TV series.
> 
> You would be better served by just checking the web for information on Macross though.



Cost a lot of money, but I'm very happy with my choice to get the Animeigo DVD box set.  GLEE.


----------



## Krug (May 29, 2004)

Got to add *Tokyo Godfathers* to the list after just watching it.


----------



## Halivar (May 29, 2004)

Here's my top 5:

*#1: Neon Genesis Evangelion* - Positively the most intelligent anime I've ever seen. Some say it was too out there (i.e. you have to have a PhD in Kabbalistic mythology to understand half of it), but I think it was great. It was more than just "monster of the week", it was a journey into the inner-workings of a pre-adolescent boy and girl as they come of age. I think there's a little bit of Shinji and Asuka in all of us. Also, it was über-cool seeing Asuka wipe out half of the Japanese army in the movie.

*#2: Fruits Basket* - The only truly happy ending I've ever seen in anime (other than _Love Hina_, but even that wasn't too happy for me, because I was always thought li'l Shinobu deserved her man more than Narusugawa, but that just me. I digress). I thought it was the perfect mix of meloncholic introspection and goofy comedy. And it has a happy ending.

*#3: Gunslinger Girl* - Another excellently done anime, set in Italy. I think they got the atmoshere just right. It was a great story, too. I cried at the end.

*#4: Shoujo Kakumei Utena* - What list of all-time great anime is complete without _Revolutionary Girl Utena_? Besides, after watching _Jem_ as a young lad I was always quite taken with the idea of a girl with pink hair. Oh, Gwen Stefani, why did you change back?!?

*#5: Chobits* - This one was hard. Who deserves number 5? How about the _other_ happy ending I forgot when I wrote number 2? Chobits is great. I loved it. I also love the techno "rescue" theme they play whenever Chi's in trouble.

 The following titles deserve a place on your shelf. They were so good, I wish we had a top-fifteen list. I thought it would be unfair not to list them _somewhere_.

*Honorable Mentions:* Vision of Escaflowne, Vampire Princess Miyu, Cowboy Bebop, Love Hina, Hellsing, and Hand Maid May (yes, it's a Chobits knock-off. Yes, it's unnecessarily full of "fan service". But it is dang funny. And cute).


----------



## Beretta (May 31, 2004)

Well I'm only a novice in all things anime, but I noticed a couple of series that nobody has mentioned that I recently saw and enjoyed:

*Bubblegum Crisis, Tokyo 2040*: chicks in power armour battling rogue androids. No bubblegum to be seen and I have no idea why it's called that. Was quite enjoyable.

*Steel Angel Kurumi*: android chicks this time. It's not a thing of mine, I swear! Very entertaining - I laughed a lot.

As for Hellsing, I thought it have have more style than substance.

Trigun: reminded me of Kung Fu with David Carradine (sp?). Quite cohesive I thought and with strong themes. Very good.

My all time favourites from yesteryear are Robotech, Starblazers, and Battle of the Planets.


----------



## Halivar (May 31, 2004)

Beretta said:
			
		

> My all time favourites from yesteryear are Robotech...



 *covers ears*
 NNNNOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

 I'm still having nightmares over the Mars flashback sequence where Lisa Hayes' voice actress does the little girl voice. Like fingernails on chalkboard!

 Bad Beretta! No cookie! No cookie for you!


----------



## drnuncheon (Jun 1, 2004)

Rackhir said:
			
		

> Is that because of the colony drop? That's the only 9/11-ish thing I could think of off hand.



 That'd be it.

 Oddly, I'm OK when the Loonies shell the earth in Heinlein's _The Moon is a Harsh Mistress_, but then again they did everything possible to avoid civilian casualties there.

 J


----------



## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Jun 1, 2004)

drnuncheon said:
			
		

> That'd be it.
> 
> Oddly, I'm OK when the Loonies shell the earth in Heinlein's _The Moon is a Harsh Mistress_, but then again they did everything possible to avoid civilian casualties there.
> 
> J



 I guess that's understandable...they DID drop the colony to take out civilians and military. Didn't matter who they took out. Of course, there are worse in the UC Universe...

Well, there were other colony drops early on in the Zeon War, but what I always find the worse(and is shown in almost too much detail in Zeta) is 



Spoiler



the gasing of a complete colony and just leaving the bodies/etc there without any effort to clean it up.


----------



## Rackhir (Jun 1, 2004)

Beretta said:
			
		

> *Bubblegum Crisis, Tokyo 2040*: chicks in power armour battling rogue androids. No bubblegum to be seen and I have no idea why it's called that. Was quite enjoyable.




The basic answer is that there is no real answer to why its called "Bubblegum" Crisis. It was probably mostly that it sounded "cool" the people behind it. You have to remember that for all it shows up on things in anime, English is not a language to the japanese so much as it is a design style element. The most reasonable and somewhat backed up theory is that things in the series are about to "Blow-up" like a bubblegum bubble.



			
				Halivar said:
			
		

> *covers ears*
> NNNNOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
> 
> I'm still having nightmares over the Mars flashback sequence where Lisa Hayes' voice actress does the little girl voice. Like fingernails on chalkboard!
> ...




Oh stop being an anime snob. Did Robotech have flaws, yes. Did it horribly distort and change major plot elements, yes. 

However, it and the efforts of Carl Maceak? are largely responsible for anime getting established and grown into the substantial market segment it is today. It was also a mindblowing revelation to anyone who had been raised on american cartoons. I still strongly remember my reactions when Ben died. I think my jaw dropped open at them actually killing a main character and even showing it (sort of). 

Despite what many anime fans like to think, most anime is aimed squarely at that 10-16yr old boy category it always has been. 



			
				drnuncheon said:
			
		

> That'd be it.
> 
> Oddly, I'm OK when the Loonies shell the earth in Heinlein's The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, but then again they did everything possible to avoid civilian casualties there.




Hmm, I guess I saw that as more of a military action and not really a terrorist attack. IIRC it did hit in the midwest grain production area.


----------



## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Jun 1, 2004)

Rackhir said:
			
		

> Hmm, I guess I saw that as more of a military action and not really a terrorist attack. IIRC it did hit in the midwest grain production area.




Well, with how small the number of Zeon are and the One Year War being over...I always considered them terrorists by 0083.


----------



## Arnwyn (Jun 2, 2004)

Rackhir said:
			
		

> The basic answer is that there is no real answer to why its called "Bubblegum" Crisis.



Actually, that's incorrect. The original creator (Kenichi Sonada) has explained it: it is a metaphor refering to the difficulties created (ie. the "crisis") when blowing a bubblegum bubble and having it pop and get bubblegum stuck to everything (including one's hair). Weird! 

You're definitely right about your statement that "English is not a language to the japanese so much as it is a design style element".


----------



## WizarDru (Jun 2, 2004)

arnwyn said:
			
		

> Actually, that's incorrect. The original creator (Kenichi Sonada) has explained it: it is a metaphor refering to the difficulties created (ie. the "crisis") when blowing a bubblegum bubble and having it pop and get bubblegum stuck to everything (including one's hair). Weird!
> 
> You're definitely right about your statement that "English is not a language to the japanese so much as it is a design style element".



 Kenichi Sonada tends to blow smoke about lot of stuff.  That quote is attributed to Toshomichi Suzuki, who might be a little irritated to find out that the character designer on Bubblegum Crisis is being listed as the creator, instead of him.


----------



## CCamfield (Jun 2, 2004)

My favorites:

1) *Lupin III* - it's just plain fun
2) Cowboy Bebop
3) Trigun
4) Spirited Away

I also liked Akira, Dominion Tank Police(?), Ninja Scroll, Macross Plus, Naruto, and probably some others I've forgotten... but the ones above I like a lot more.


----------



## jarlaxlecq (Jun 3, 2004)

I forgot to mention Macross Plus, its what got me to watch the Original Macross im Japanese


----------



## Beretta (Jun 3, 2004)

Rackhir said:
			
		

> The basic answer is that there is no real answer to why its called "Bubblegum" Crisis. It was probably mostly that it sounded "cool" the people behind it. You have to remember that for all it shows up on things in anime, English is not a language to the japanese so much as it is a design style element. The most reasonable and somewhat backed up theory is that things in the series are about to "Blow-up" like a bubblegum bubble.




Thanks Rakhir! Bizarre...

I haven't seen Macross, but Robotech was where I first encountered mecha and I have loved the concept ever since. I too enjoyed it for what it was, and I couldn't have been very old at the time.


----------



## Halivar (Jun 3, 2004)

Beretta said:
			
		

> I haven't seen Macross, but Robotech was where I first encountered mecha and I have loved the concept ever since. I too enjoyed it for what it was, and I couldn't have been very old at the time.



 I only wish Harmony Gold wouldn't have tried to mesh _Macross_, _Southern Cross_, and _Moespaeda_ (sp?) into one show. I especially hated the end of season two, where verything was just "and the world blew up again, everyone you cared about for the last season died, and now we start over." It was too depressing. Taken individually, the three seasons were fun to watch (again, voice acting aside).

   BTW, someone mentioned Dominion: Tank Police. I completely forgot about that! That's from _way_ back when (at least ten years ago), when all my anime came from Sci-Fi Channel's _Saturday Anime_, where I got to see cool stuff like _Vampire Hunter D_, _Record of Lodoss War_, the cleaned-up version of _Project A-ko_ (don't watch it uncut; it's Japanese kiddie-porn), _Robot Carnival_, _Venus Wars_, _Akira_, and _Lensman_. What fun!

  EDIT: As a pre-adolescent, I thought the cat-girls from Dominion: Tank Police were _too_ fine. My current aversion to "furries" and "furry-like" manga art makes me cringe at this memory somewhat.


----------



## WizarDru (Jun 3, 2004)

Halivar said:
			
		

> I only wish Harmony Gold wouldn't have tried to mesh _Macross_, _Southern Cross_, and _Moespaeda_ (sp?) into one show. I especially hated the end of season two, where verything was just "and the world blew up again, everyone you cared about for the last season died, and now we start over." It was too depressing. Taken individually, the three seasons were fun to watch (again, voice acting aside).



 As Rackhir pointed out, you have to take Robotech in context.  Back in 1984, it blew a lot of folks right out of the water.  Up until the late 90s, anime was still a secret subculture.  Every few years, a show would cross over into the mainstream, and usually end up attracting a new generation of anime enthusiasts.

 Even edited, rewritten and oddly reworked at times, Robotech still stands as a pretty impressive series.  

 As for the combining of the series, that was a necessity born out of U.S. syndication policy.  Originally, Harmony Gold bought the rights to Macross and was planning on distributing it primarily on video.  I still have an issue of Heavy Metal in my collection somewhere with an add for the first 90 minute video (which was episodes 1-3 edited together).  Before Hikaru Ichijo was Rick Hunter, he was Rick Yamada, first, in the pre-Robotech Macross adaption.

 However, Macross proved somewhat popular, and they decided that they'd shoot for a syndicated TV series to resell, since that was Harmony Gold's main business.  Consequently, Macek got two other similar series.  Why?  Because Macross only runs 36 episodes, and U.S. syndication buyers only were interested (at that time) in shows that had at least 65 episodes.  That's the same reason for previous shows like Voltron being comprised of three different shows or the five giant robot shows being combined.

 To an anime fan of the early 80s, we're living in Anime Babylon, as my friend Scorch puts it.  Shows like Yu-YU Hakusho, FLCL and Wolf's Rain on US television?  Well dubbed, and using the character's actual names?  Shows being made available in the US mere months after they are released in Japan, in some cases?  Conventions dedicates purely to anime?

 Pardon me while I gush.   Luckily, Otakon is only a few weeks away.


----------



## Rackhir (Jun 3, 2004)

Halivar said:
			
		

> I only wish Harmony Gold wouldn't have tried to mesh _Macross_, _Southern Cross_, and _Moespaeda_ (sp?) into one show. I especially hated the end of season two, where verything was just "and the world blew up again, everyone you cared about for the last season died, and now we start over." It was too depressing. Taken individually, the three seasons were fun to watch (again, voice acting aside).
> 
> BTW, someone mentioned Dominion: Tank Police. I completely forgot about that! That's from _way_ back when (at least ten years ago), when all my anime came from Sci-Fi Channel's _Saturday Anime_, where I got to see cool stuff like _Vampire Hunter D_, _Record of Lodoss War_, the cleaned-up version of _Project A-ko_ (don't watch it uncut; it's Japanese kiddie-porn), _Robot Carnival_, _Venus Wars_, _Akira_, and _Lensman_. What fun!
> 
> EDIT: As a pre-adolescent, I thought the cat-girls from Dominion: Tank Police were _too_ fine. My current aversion to "furries" and "furry-like" manga art makes me cringe at this memory somewhat.




You've watched anime this long and you find all the characters getting wiped out to be depressing? That consistutes a HAPPY ending for the japanese.

Project A-ko is NOT kiddy porn, though it was originally supposed to be. It was done by the people behind the infamous Cream Lemon ova series (if you aren't familiar with it that's probably a good thing), but during the development process they decided that they had something better than just some porn and changed it into the comedy it became. Some of the leftovers are obvious, like the battle for C-ko's "friendship", the ship full of women and excessively attractive teacher. Granted there are more panty shots in it than any other piece of anime I've ever seen, but that hardly makes it kiddy porn.  

Hey, your revulsion at "furries" stuff is perfectly understandable, but the Puma sisters are created by Masamune Shirow. If you've ever seen some of his Intron Depot books, you know he knows "babes" (in the best Pamela Anderson meaning of the word).


----------



## Halivar (Jun 4, 2004)

Rackhir said:
			
		

> Project A-ko is NOT kiddy porn, though it was originally supposed to be. It was done by the people behind the infamous Cream Lemon ova series (if you aren't familiar with it that's probably a good thing), but during the development process they decided that they had something better than just some porn and changed it into the comedy it became. Some of the leftovers are obvious, like the battle for C-ko's "friendship", the ship full of women and excessively attractive teacher. Granted there are more panty shots in it than any other piece of anime I've ever seen, but that hardly makes it kiddy porn.



 Oh, the first movie was fine... I loved it and thought it was great fun. What _I'm_ talking about are the sequels, which quickly degenerated into Japanese kiddie-porn.


----------



## Rackhir (Jun 4, 2004)

Halivar said:
			
		

> Oh, the first movie was fine... I loved it and thought it was great fun. What _I'm_ talking about are the sequels, which quickly degenerated into Japanese kiddie-porn.






			
				WizarDru said:
			
		

> Originally Posted by WizarDru
> 
> Poor A-ko. Hilarious and ground-breaking, I just can't shake all the negative connotations I associate with its sequels, which I just didn't dig nearly as much.




Again I must refer you to my previous answer.



			
				Rackhir said:
			
		

> What sequels are you talking about? I have heard blasphemous rumors of such things, but no honorable, morally upright person would admit to having viewed such abominations.




If there had been such things they would more likely simply be horrible abominations in the eye of god.


----------



## Impeesa (Jun 4, 2004)

My fave five, off the top of my head (in no particular order):

-Macross Plus
-Cowboy Bebop
-Trigun
-Macross Zero (what exists so far, at least - I'll be damned if if ep. 3 isn't the most beautifully animated fighting I have ever witnessed)
-Umm... Macross Plus again? I dunno.. let's just say that this is my desktop image, and I have one of these standing atop my computer tower. My Robotech character has spent years (in-game and out of game) trying to build himself one, because the Alpha is goofy looking. 

Honorable mention: I do have a soft spot for the over-the-top fighting in DBZ, when they actually get around it. Fun bit of trivia: the show is so horribly drawn out because they were making it while the manga was still being published. Every time they had to wait for a new issue to hit, it was basically "crap, we need to kill a few more episodes."  Then, of course, the North American dub and edit killed it even more, but that's another story.

--Impeesa--


----------



## beta-ray (Jun 6, 2004)

Ankh-Morpork Guard said:
			
		

> And I'm surprised how many things people are listing that are really NEWER shows. C'mon people, am I the only person hanging onto the 'past' of Anime here?
> 
> ...I'm too young to be the Anime Diaglo....




No you are not... but I am OLD.


----------



## beta-ray (Jun 6, 2004)

dreaded_beast said:
			
		

> Force Five:
> 
> Danguard Ace
> Starvengers
> ...




Ah never saw Force Five, though I did see it advertised in the magazines. Though I don't remember getting Gaiking, Danguard Ace, or Grandizer here, we did get Mazinger Z (Transor Z to the rest of ya), Great Mazinger, Getter Robo, Yuusha Raideen, UFO Dai Apollon and sever others here subtitled... Wonderful wonderful memories... That's what started me on on anime...


----------



## beta-ray (Jun 6, 2004)

Rackhir said:
			
		

> I'll step into the breach.
> 
> 1) 1986 - The Dirty Pair Movie (AKA Project Eden - A name which does NOT appear on the original Japanese LD). That classic DP destruction, one of the best soundtracks EVER, a terrifically over the top villian and some of the best action sequences ever.




I didn't care much for Dirty Pair, but I have to say I actually enjoyed this movie.



> 2) 1984 Urusei Yatsura Movie #2 : Beautiful Dreamer - Urusei Yatsura is in my opinion the prototype for the looser boy with magical harem girls shows, only without the treacle.




Never cared for UY. I guess my sense of humor always fell into the really wacky stuff like FLCL and Dr. Slump. Loved that NGN was subtitling the latter series in the 80s...



> 3) 1988 : My Neighbor Totoro - Possibly the greatest Children's movie ever. Unless you are a complete curmudgeon, this movie will charm you and touch your heart. I'm not a Miyazaki fan, but even I was disarmed by this one. Even though there is absolutely nothing in it that could possibly offend anyone, but the most determined and humorless self appointed guardian of public morality, it will enthrall children, yet still neither bore nor insult the intelligence of a watching adult. Great soundtrack as well.




Totoro was cute. Most of Chibili's animation is at least fair to very good. I liked Ponpoko a lot, but I always loved tanuki. Wanted to, but haven't seen Porco Roso, but that will be out on DVD later this year.



> 4) 1995 (the Newby of the group) Macross Plus - While the original series was terrific and possibly should be here instead. This OVA series does capture everthing that was great about the original series and updates it with some jawdroppingly well animated arial combat sequences, a terrific soundtrack and an original, creative and absorbing story.




Loved Macross Plus. Am also enjoying Macross Zero (too bad they don't make the Macintosh puns no more). I also like Yukikaze's approach (no transformables, but really cool airplane designs beautifully animated) to air animation.



> 5) 1988 : Kimagure (Capricious) Orange Road Series + First Movie




Never saw it and not really interested...



> Runners up
> 
> Mobile Suit Gundam the Original Saga - MSG to Char's Counter Attack : It's the classic Giant robot series. I really love pieces and the ideas/world of it more than any of the individual series. Though 0083 : Stardust Memories is my fav.




Funny, but I didn't care much for MSG. I did like Zeta a lot... probably my favorite series of the bunch. I was a bit peeved that 0083 out tech'd Zeta. I liked 0080 and CCA a lot too. Though I didn't care much for F91 (heard they may release that theatrically here in the US), I was surprised to have liked VGundam and am VERY surprised to be liking Seed (watching it on Cartoon Network) so far. I don't much care for non-UC series.



> Iczer One - Again a real trend setter, with some cool characters, mecha designs and one of the stupidest villians of all time (Iczer two - When your robots are powered by emotions, the last thing you want to do before finishing off the heroes is to cruelly and pointlessly stomp on the last person left living that one of the heroes cares about).




I think those who don't want to like "anime" would be scared off by Iczer!



> Area 88 - Tragic hero, betrayed by his best friend and forced to fight in a war to save his own life, so that he can survive to return to the woman he loves. The most terrible part of all for him, is that he is very, very good at the Killing.




I liked this show too... and there is a recent version too (which I have not seen):
http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/a88/ 



> One observation, a number of these probably wouldn't have the same effect if you watched them having seen a lot of the newer stuff. These were the originals that the later stuff was based on. So much of their impact would probably be lost on more recent viewers. What has be come trite and repiditive was original and shocking once upon a time.




Agreed.


----------



## Sir Osis of Liver (Jun 6, 2004)

dreaded_beast said:
			
		

> Force Five:
> 
> Danguard Ace
> Starvengers
> ...





Those shows, along with Robotech were my first taste of anime. I really wish i could find them on dvd/vhs/for download. It's been so long my memeories of those shows are a bit vague, i'd love to see them again


----------



## Flexor the Mighty! (Jun 6, 2004)

1. Akira
2. Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
3. Ghost In The Shell
4. Cowboy Bebop
5. Trigun


----------



## Cyrik Skylark (Jun 6, 2004)

In no particular order:

*Hikaru no Go* - What can I say, I'm a Go nut. When I first saw this show, it was like a breath of fresh air - no impending world destruction, no tragic sacrifices, just a kid and a ghost and a goban. It's funny, as well, and the Go is actually interesting. Well, if you're into Go.

*Azumanga Daioh* - Again, a breath of fresh air, but even more so than Hikaru was. Not only is there no world to save, there isn't even a plot. Just a group of friends, going through high school. It helps that the characters are so quirky and unique on their own, but the chemistry between them is what makes this series great.

* Naruto * - I didn't expect to like this when I first saw it. I mean, ninja kids? Lame. It didn't take long before I was hooked, though - the characters are engaging, the plot is decent, and the action is top-notch. Not a still frame pretending to be action to be had.

* Rurouni Kenshin * - Though I'll qualify, and say that the first 12 eps, and the Kyoto arc, are the only really good parts of this series. The 16 eps between the opening and the beginning of the Kyoto arc were, for the most part, repetitive filler, and the Christian arc at the end shows why you shouldn't diverge from the manga you're based on if you've been following it faithfully from the beginning.

* Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou (Kare Kano/His and Her Circumstances over here) * - It's a romance story without the fluff and the angst! Well, really more of a slice-of-life high school drama. In any case, it gets full marks for getting the boring, angsty, "Will the two characters ever get together?" plot over with in the first four, five episodes (where most series take an entire 26 episodes of waffling and angsting to do), and getting on to the much more interesting question of, "What happens now?"  Granted, there's still angst, but the characters actually do something about it, instead of just wallowing in it. The supporting cast is also great. Only downside: either Gainax got really creative about mid-way through, or they ran out of money and decided that no one would notice if they started doing some episodes with paper cut outs of the characters.


----------



## Rackhir (Jun 7, 2004)

beta-ray said:
			
		

> Never cared for UY. I guess my sense of humor always fell into the really wacky stuff like FLCL and Dr. Slump. Loved that NGN was subtitling the latter series in the 80s...




I always was a sucker for hopeless romances and Ataru and Lum is about as hopeless as it gets. So I got sucked into it through the movies.



			
				beta-ray said:
			
		

> Totoro was cute. Most of Chibili's animation is at least fair to very good. I liked Ponpoko a lot, but I always loved tanuki. Wanted to, but haven't seen Porco Roso, but that will be out on DVD later this year.




I've actually never been much of a Ghibili fan to be perfectly honest. Porco Roso I found to be terribly boring. Ponpoko (not a Miyazaki project iirc) was heartbreaking though.



			
				beta-ray said:
			
		

> Loved Macross Plus. Am also enjoying Macross Zero (too bad they don't make the Macintosh puns no more). I also like Yukikaze's approach (no transformables, but really cool airplane designs beautifully animated) to air animation.




The planes in Yukikaze look really cool, but I'm pretty dubious about the aerodynamics with all the fiddly bits on some of the designs (like the later craft the AI is in). I am eagerly looking forward to see Macross Zero though. I might be getting a copy of the japanese eps soon.



			
				beta-ray said:
			
		

> Funny, but I didn't care much for MSG. I did like Zeta a lot... probably my favorite series of the bunch. I was a bit peeved that 0083 out tech'd Zeta. I liked 0080 and CCA a lot too. Though I didn't care much for F91 (heard they may release that theatrically here in the US), I was surprised to have liked VGundam and am VERY surprised to be liking Seed (watching it on Cartoon Network) so far. I don't much care for non-UC series.




I never liked MSG too much either, I have to avoid it in my chinese food (joke). Bad animation and ugly mech designs for the most part. Still it demands respect simply for its place in history. I actually liked the second half of ZZ best of the series. They pulled out all the stops with cool mecha. The Quinn Mantha, a whole SQUADRON of Quebeley's, the greymalk, the Dorven Wolfs, etc...

The out teching actually started with 0080, most of the mechs in there way outperformed the OYW mechs. 0083 wasn't that bad, until they pulled out the Denobrium/Stamen and the Neuel Zeil. Those monstrosities would eat most of the ZZ mechs for lunch.

I would much rather they released CCA than F91. CCA was flat out better. F91 was just awful with only some pretty animation to recomend it. I am surprised that you liked V-Gundam. I am so sick of little kids saving the world and the mecha in it were the most hideously ugly and dumb mechs I've seen in a long time. I mean giant wheeled ships?

I would like Seed better if it wasn't simply a remake of MSG so far at least. But despite the cgi cheats in the animation, I'm at least willing to give it a shot. Actually remaking MSG has been most of what Bandai has been doing. Wing gundam essentially was a remake of MSG to CCA. 

I am very much looking forward to the Area 88 tv series. I hope it will cover more of the manga stories. Stuff like this can probably be found on the file sharing networks. I'll have to look into that to slake my thirst until they release it in the US.


----------



## babomb (Jun 7, 2004)

In no particular order,

1.) Everything by Miyazaki - The man's a genius. What can I say? The dubs are well done, also.
2.) Lupin the 3rd - Classic. The entertaining misadventures of a gentleman thief, the grandson of Arsene Lupin, the French gentleman thief who outwitted Sherlock Holmes (later changed to Herlock Sholmes to avoid a lawsuit). It's fun.
3.) Naruto - Man, this is great. It's got fast-paced action, but with characters you can actually care about and compelling story-telling, unlike, say, Dragon Ball Z.
4.) Ranma 1/2 - Guy falls into cursed springs. Now, cold water turns him into a girl, and warm water changes him back. Add some bizarre martial arts and a dad who's engaged him to numerous girls (and who changes into a panda), among other things, and you get a light, entertaining romantic comedy. It's fun, but it does get stuck in a sort of rut a few seasons in. One of the few series is a good dub.
5.) Cowboy Bebop - This show has tons of style. Bounty hunters; guns; space; things living in the fridge; a precocious, tomboyish child super hacker; music; crime syndicates; you name it. The dubs darned good, too.

Honorable Mentions: FLCL - the most insane anime I've ever seen
Slayers - really funny for a while, but gets old. Dub sucks.
Berserk - bloody, crazy, awesome


----------



## Eli-kun (Jun 7, 2004)

1. Great Teacher Onizuka: Many start out hating the main character, then they start loving him at the end. It's an amusing show with interesting characters. The tributes to other anime are great.

2. Berserk: The one series that knitnerd(the one who spawned me) wanted me to get more of, though my favorite characters are the ones that only appear in the manga. 

3. Tenjou Tenge: I admit, I like this one mainly for the pointless violence, the panty shots and the guy named Bob. The anime is new so I'm not sure how the plot will progress and how much it will deviate from the manga.

4. Streetfighter 2V: This was my favorite for a while. It's not that it's a great series. It's simply that Streefighter has been my obsession for over a decade. The third episode where Ryu and Ken were swimming together(sans clothing) amused me.

5. Yami no Matsuei: I liked the drama in this.

My top choices change around as I get exposed to more anime. If only there was an anime that featured more orcs.


----------



## beta-ray (Jun 8, 2004)

Rackhir said:
			
		

> I've actually never been much of a Ghibili fan to be perfectly honest. Porco Roso I found to be terribly boring. Ponpoko (not a Miyazaki project iirc) was heartbreaking though.




Yeah that's why I said Ghibli and not not Miyazaki. While I am not a SUPER fan of Ghibli, I do appreciate most of their work as a stamp of quality. Like Disney of old was not always to my taste, their animation was USUALLY marked by quality.



> The planes in Yukikaze look really cool, but I'm pretty dubious about the aerodynamics with all the fiddly bits on some of the designs (like the later craft the AI is in). I am eagerly looking forward to see Macross Zero though. I might be getting a copy of the japanese eps soon.




That's cool... I've got some... *cough cough* Macross Zero episodes and they are pretty nice, though in the first two, I thought the blending of CG and cel was pretty weak (still cool though). I have volume 3, but haven't watched it yet. Yeah some of the aerodynamics of Yukikaze are dubious, but they are visually COOL and I will just let them tell me that the their tech is advanced enough to build such unstable vehicles to be controllable. 



> I never liked MSG too much either, I have to avoid it in my chinese food (joke). Bad animation and ugly mech designs for the most part. Still it demands respect simply for its place in history.




No doubt, no doubt. And without it, Zeta would be a much weaker series (if it would exist at all).



> I actually liked the second half of ZZ best of the series. They pulled out all the stops with cool mecha. The Quinn Mantha, a whole SQUADRON of Quebeley's, the greymalk, the Dorven Wolfs, etc...
> 
> The out teching actually started with 0080, most of the mechs in there way outperformed the OYW mechs.




I guess I saw 0080 as just an upgrade to what was happening in 0079... and kind of imagined that is how things were in 0079 but just wasn't animated as well. The NT-1 was pretty excusable as being Amuro's baby, but yeah, the Kampfer was pretty powerful.



> 0083 wasn't that bad, until they pulled out the Denobrium/Stamen and the Neuel Zeil. Those monstrosities would eat most of the ZZ mechs for lunch.




Well although the GP02 wasn't THAT much of a beast (it was a beast though), yeah I was thinking of the Dendrobrium when i wrote that (besides the fact they had linear seats a lot earlier than originally introduced). 



> I would much rather they released CCA than F91. CCA was flat out better. F91 was just awful with only some pretty animation to recomend it. I am surprised that you liked V-Gundam. I am so sick of little kids saving the world and the mecha in it were the most hideously ugly and dumb mechs I've seen in a long time. I mean giant wheeled ships?




Yeah I agree about CCA. But at least that is on DVD... and at this point I understand why they wouldn't release it just yet. Just too much backstory for a theatre release.

I thought the same about V Gundam when I first heard about it (I was following Gundam a lot closer back then). The kids, the weird mecha... but it was a lot better than I though it would be (maybe my expectations were low), and the VGundams themselves grew on me.



> I would like Seed better if it wasn't simply a remake of MSG so far at least. But despite the cgi cheats in the animation, I'm at least willing to give it a shot. Actually remaking MSG has been most of what Bandai has been doing. Wing gundam essentially was a remake of MSG to CCA.




I see it as a remake of MSG too... but one that is a bit more faithful to the original than the other weird variations they had previous. So it is okay with me.



> I am very much looking forward to the Area 88 tv series. I hope it will cover more of the manga stories. Stuff like this can probably be found on the file sharing networks. I'll have to look into that to slake my thirst until they release it in the US.




Let us know when you end up seeing it... I wouldn't mind knowing more...


----------



## gregweller (Jun 8, 2004)

In no particular order:

Cowboy Beebop
Urotsukidoji: Legend of the Overfiend
La Blue Girl
Hellsing
Serial Experiments Lain


----------

