I wish to cry...

[Tomislav]

...as I did when Chidori showed up in Hong Kong, I wish to learn new spells like the ones Hayate used to read in her book, I wish to meet masters from another Ryōzanpaku-like dojo, and practice kendo on the behalf of your next-door Tama-chan...

What I am looking for is one or more series portraying characters with a notable aura... moving characters, I would say. In the last years I enjoyed a lot Claymore, Full Metal Panic, Nanoha, Bamboo Blade, Death Note, Initial D, Gurren Lagann, Lucky Star, Overdrive, Nana, and Shigurui.

In the less recent past I really liked Nana and Blood+... my tastes look quite heterogenous but if I try to connect the dots I'm looking for:

- a gripping soundtrack
- some grue
- an happy ending (or, at least, an ending...)
- some magic or at least some serious martial arts
- a "gothic" contest would be a plus
- it should be an anime that you wouldn't mind to watch again (or have actually watched twice).

Thank you very much in advance for taking your time to read me

M.

[Guardian Enzo]

Well, at the risk of being predictable, I'm going to suggest Seirei no Moribito. It's not as action-packed as some of the series you mention, but it has a lot of what you ask for. Definite notable aura, moving characters (incredibly so), tremendous soundtrack, some magic and great fight scenes.

[NervZero]

Crest of the Stars
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/ency...nime.php?id=14

you will have to watch them all to have the full impact of the show..

Dance in the Vampire Bund
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/ency...e.php?id=10948

This show can be sad at times and silly at times.. I would recommend reading some reviews about DVB before watching it.

Basilisk is a classic or well I think its a classic..
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/ency...me.php?id=4318

Berserk if you liked blood+ and any other sword fighting show you might like this one.. Again I would read some reviews about this show before watching it.
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/ency...ime.php?id=328

Air is another show that you might like if you are looking for something sad.. Granted to tell the truth I was confused at times by this show.. LOL..
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/ency...me.php?id=2480

Rumbling Hearts is another show that you might like
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/ency...me.php?id=2570

[JRendell]

Eureka Seven

[Sackett]

Crest of the Stars (re-watched several times)

Starblazers (would rewatch if I could find the whole dub...)

Chrome Shelled Regios (missing a really strong ending, but Felli makes it worth it)

Soul Eater might fit well with you.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Something that is a bit different from your request but I think you would actually like:

Cross Game (Try the first episode at least).

[wingdarkness]

Saikano - If this $hit doesn't make you cry, go eat some raw onions...I don't even wanna spoil most of it, but prepare for emotional misery to the backdrop of some damn cool military-war action sequences...But again that's not really what the show is about...It's about some hardcore true love...

[Kelis]

I second Seirei no Moribito. The characters and music are definitely memorable.

[White Manju Bun]

The last 4-5 epis of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood are so sad, I cried alot during them Also recommend Chrno Crusade, has a sad yet great ending.

[xrobertx635]

sounds like you want something like Shuffle! or Kimikiss Pure Rouge those 2 come to mind right off the bat ill look throguh my collection and hit up antoher reply if i come across anymore. which i know there are =D

oh just remembered. Toradora, amazing series watch it or your missing out =p

i know posting multiple times is annoying but series just keep hitting me as i think lol Suzuka, another amazing love story. i have a shit load of these btw hit up my anime-planet and youll see Romance is a VERY large chunk of what i watch lol. oh all 4 seasons of Da Capo(Da Capo,Da Capo season 2, Da capo 2, Da Capo 2 season 2), 5 centimeters a second(movie), Clannad and Clannad afterstory(made me cry like a baby, evan thinking of it makes me wanna cry XD), Elfen Lied, Kimi ga Nozomu Eien, Myself; Yourself, School Days, True Tears(another favorite and very very beautiful) this is all i can think of right now but i know im missing some but i hope this hopes for now. =3

oh and to some up why i recommended theses series to you is because your interests seem very close to mine so I'm recommending these based on that theory. so i hope you do enjoy and i hope my posts were of help =D

[Tomislav]

Wow, a lot of good ideas, thank you all

In details - please, don't mind me much, I'm writing my own comments as a post-it:

Seirei no Moribito

The plot looks like it's pretty interesting but as a very first impression the drawing has not much appeal to my tastes... I'll give a try, anyway.

Crest of the Stars

It looks in between Heroic Age and Uchū Senshi Baldios, with a serious hint of Eighties' flavour BUT seyuu Kawasumi Ayako is in the crew so I will watch it

Dance in the Vampire Bund

Hey, I'm only 32 so I don't know if I'm ready to see my anime characters making out...

Berserk

Great show based on a greatest manga... Seriously, is there still someone around here who didn't watch it?

Air

A little moeish explosions won't hurt at all... I will try it for sure!

Rumbling Heart

Judging by reading a plot synopsis... is it another School Days?

Starblazers

What a bittersweet memory this brought, I used to watch it back in the Eighties, while at Elementary Schools

Chrome Shelled Regios

This is another one I eager to watch!

Soul Eater

The drawing style looks like it doesn't suit me, I might give this a try later.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

I watched the first run of the franchise, but I didn't like it very much... Should I give a try anyway?

Cross Game

I can't stand baseball

SaiKano

Again... How could I miss this?

Eureka Seven

Going with the synopsis again, I should like it very much!

Shuffle!

Having just been "shuffled", I'd rather save this for a later moment:P

Kimikiss Pure Rouge

Full romance... No magic, no mecha, no gore... Next please

Suzuka

This one might (fan)serve me well... I'll watch it

5 centimeters a second

This one looks good and being a oneshot, I'll be watching it for sure!

Toradora and True tears

"Love rectangle" (ANN cit.) is a bit too much...

Da Capo, Clannad, School Days, Elfen Lied, Myself Yourself

I've already watched and enjoyed them, so you right XrobertX, we have truly similar tastes

And finally, my first choice, thank you NervZero

Basilisk

I wonder how come I missed this one... My bad, my bad
Here we have Ninja (and Ninjutsu, hopefully), a nice couple, a badass plot, and hey hey hey Mizuki Nana singing opening and ending and seyuuing as well

[Seiryuu]

Angel Beats works pretty well for moving characters imho. The only complaint I had was that the series was too short to do all of them and their stories justice; there were some for whom I wish I'd gotten to see how they overcame their pasts, but most of them were great characters to me. Plus, the soundtrack is great. And it doesn't end with a mind-breakingly depressing scenario so full of despair that you can't even cry (like School Days and, more to the point, SaiKano).
I'm not saying Saikano and School Days' characters are bad, but it's hard to feel moved to feel anything when things go that far beyond just "hitting the fan". I'm into a lot (at least half) of what you've listed. I just prefer an ending that gives me some sense of hope, some "sweet" to help with the "bitter". If you're going to give me awesome characters that I start to get interested in, don't break them over and over until there's nothing left.
That said, what of Escaflowne or CLAMP's stuff (any of it)?

[wingdarkness]

The only thing about Basilisk IMO is it starts off incredibly strong, and visually it's really expansive (In the beginning) but the second half of the series never quite gets back to that expansive nature, and it gets downright muggy and murky losing that visual palette from early on...By the end I was thinking "Where's the cool series I started watching, when did it dry up?"...


Also C'mon Seiryuu you're kinda spoiling Saikano...Dude said he wanted to cry, let him cry^^...By episode 9 you'll have gone through every phase of tear dropping you could fill a salt-water aquarium with...

[TyG3R]

Code Geass - You'll definitely cry. I don't want to spoil.

[Seiryuu]

Originally Posted by wingdarkness

The only thing about Basilisk IMO is it starts off incredibly strong, and visually it's really expansive (In the beginning) but the second half of the series never quite gets back to that expansive nature, and it gets downright muggy and murky losing that visual palette from early on...By the end I was thinking "Where's the cool series I started watching, when did it dry up?"...


Also C'mon Seiryuu you're kinda spoiling Saikano...Dude said he wanted to cry, let him cry^^...By episode 9 you'll have gone through every phase of tear dropping you could fill a salt-water aquarium with...

True. I forgot it's a great show up until ep 9 or 10. I just never forget that the fansubbers on the version I saw put in a warning there saying stop here if you want a happy ending, because all that follows is sorrow and pain, or something like that.

[SeijiSensei]

I'd add Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 and perhaps Kure-nai to the list. I'll also recommend Bartender, which has some very touching episodes, especially the second one.

[Sackett]

Glad my suggestions were useful. Too bad you don't like baseball.

Also... have you seen Neon Genesis Evangelion? (the series, not the movies)

Not sure how you'd feel about the ending. I thought it was a bit of a downer with a small bit of hope, but I've known a few who thought it was a happy ending.

Chrono Crusade was also very moving with a bittersweet ending. (in my opinion, lots of people seem to think it was a downer.)

I thought Brotherhood was better than the first Fullmetal Alchemist. I guess it depends on what you didn't like about the first anime. If you were dissatisfied with the ending then Brotherhood is definitely for you. If you didn't even care for the premise, then maybe not.

[Guardian Enzo]

Since no one has mentioned it and I just saw it again last night, I'll add 5 Centimeters Per Second. It's only an hour-long movie, but if you have a romantic corpuscle in your body you might shed a few tears over it. I think the art alone is beautiful enough to almost move one to tears.

[luniz]

I liked Rideback, Dennou Coil, Kekkaishi, and Aishiteru ze Baby, which had pretty good characterization and a good story line although some are more serious than others.

[Sackett]

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

Since no one has mentioned it and I just saw it again last night, I'll add 5 Centimeters Per Second. It's only an hour-long movie, but if you have a romantic corpuscle in your body you might shed a few tears over it. I think the art alone is beautiful enough to almost move one to tears.

Didn't someone mention it? He listed it as something he was going to watch...

[Guardian Enzo]

My bad - it was buried deep inside Xrobertx365's post. Well - consider my recommendation a 2nd, then...