2012-02-07, 09:03 | Link #22 |
Autistic NEET bath lover
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: France
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If you like Naruto and Bleach, you should also watch Rurouni Kenshin : the 1996 95-episode historical action romance TV anime (accompanied by a 1997 movie spinoff, a 1999 4-episode OVA prequel and the 2001 2-episode OVA sequel, not to mention with the 2011 Kyoto arc HD retelling 2-episode OVA) sets in Meiji Era. It follows Kenshin Himura, a samurai recognized for his cross-shapped scar shattered on his left chick. He wanders from city to city until one day he meets a young female kendo teacher named Kaoru Kamiya. Kenshin possess a reversed sword, however for some reasons, he cannot kill people. He must face many ennemies, including the ones who know him in the past. It's pretty well-known and really stoods out the more generic shounen action series. Its fillers were really enjoyable despite being really present at the end of the series. The OVA are really considered as "masterpieces" due to awesome animation (despite the story is more rushed than the TV series, especially the second one). The Kyoto arc was the best arc in the TV series as well.
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2012-02-07, 09:30 | Link #23 | ||||||
Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: The Netherlands
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Yea you did, and I have actually written down all of your suggestions, even added two of them directly to my anime-planet list. The point is that up to now I really didn't have enough time to reply to every single post. You should however notice that one of the stickies clearly states, Give Reasons, Not Lists!. I guess it was a bit rude to ask for more while not thanking you, so hereby, Thank You Quote:
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As for all the other posts, thanks a lot for helping me out here. The fact that everyone is able to post this many animes means that I really won't have to worry for a while .
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2012-02-07, 09:34 | Link #24 | |
Autistic NEET bath lover
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: France
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You should start with the TV series in order to learn many events that will happen (once you finished the TV series, watch the 1999 OVA prequel which is all about Kenshin's past).
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2012-02-07, 10:36 | Link #26 | |
Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: The Netherlands
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Yea it does quite capture the whole discussion in a few sentences
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Last edited by xMythycle; 2012-02-07 at 10:45. Reason: typing fail |
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2012-02-07, 11:02 | Link #27 | |
Knight Errant
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Age: 35
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Good example from my life: One of the first anime I watched was Ouran High School Host Club. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I didn't get all the humour in it. This is because Ouran has a lot of Shoujo and Romance anime parodies. Because I wasn't aware of the romance and shojo clichés at the time, I didn't fully appreciate it. When I came back to it 2 or 3 years later, I found there was a whole other layer to the show I wasn't getting. Which is why you should avoid shows that are overtly based on humour based on Otaku knowledge. Good examples of this would be many of the shows SHAFT make (particularly something like Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei), but other famous titles like the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya or Higurashi are much more effective shows when you have some prior knowledge of Anime and Otaku clichés, as much of those shows premise is based on subverting those. In the case of Zetsubou Sensei and Haruhi it's comedy, for Higurashi it's horror. So it's best to go for Anime that are not very meta when you're starting out. Once you've watched a wide range of shows, and maybe have 10 or 20 series under your belt (that or you watch a lot of first episodes), and have sufficiently "absorbed" Otaku culture, then you'll be in a position to fully appreciate them. However, many of these shows have appeal to the uninitiated. For instance, Higurashi is just a plain good horror show, but it's even better when you've watched a few VN adaptations, Moé shows or harem romances. It exploits Moé for horror. (and if you don't already know what Moé is, you have a lot left to experience!) Don't let any of the above intimidate you though, discovering all this stuff is very fun and interesting, and the vast majority of anime is very accessible. If you want an action show, I'd go for Fullmetal Alchemist:Brotherhood. Probably the best action show I've ever seen. You may want to see the original Fullmetal Alchemist first, however, as the first 10 episodes of Brotherhood are an abbreviated version of the first 26 episodes of the original (other then that, they don't share any plot in common). You can also try classics like Cowboy Bebop, Macross, or any of the Ghibli movies. It's a long time before you'll run out. |
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2012-02-08, 13:04 | Link #29 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
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All Key works such as Clannad, Air, Kanon2006 and Angel Beats are very popular and in my opinion they deserved it. There are flows and some of them are better than others but every series includes a lot of feelings. All of them are more drama based but have good comedy too. Angel Beats are the least dramatic and Air is the most dramatic of all. Aria series are great slice of life watch. However, never watch them if you are in excited mood and want action. You'll get bored to death. Series are mean to be watched in order to relax after hard day. Series follow 3 friends who want to become Undines. We basically are watching their every day life with some small things happening. Every episode has some kind of message behind. Series have 3 seasons and an OVA. Last season is the best of all, I'm in the middle of watching it now and I also think so. However, just because it is a slice of life show, you still should watch all seasons because otherwise you won't enjoy Origination that much since you won't understand the characters and their connection with each other and that will leave you unsatisfied. The order is: Aria the Animation Aria the Natural Aria The Arietta (OVA) Ari the Origination Baccano! Berserk is a cool action based in knight era. A lot of people compare it Claymore. Series follow a small gang whose leader aims to be at the top, series also are about friendship. However, they are not fully finished and requiere manag to be read later. Right now they are remaking series through the movies, one of the movies was released not so long ago but it wasn't subbed yet. Death Note is probably the most famous anime, even a lot of anime haters love it. And it does deserve biggest part of the fame. It is a bout a guy who found a notebook where you right the name of a person and he/she dies. FMA Ga-Rei Zero are a bit more bloody action series about 2 friends. Series are mix of comedy and drama and main theme is "Would you kill the person you love because of love?". One of my all time faves. Ghost Hunt are great mix mystery, suspense and detective kind of story with some ghosts involvement. Series are separated in small cases, some better than others. Still love the series. GTO (Great Teacher Onizuka) is a classic that needs to be seen. Series are about ex-gangster who aims to become the best teacher in Japan. A lot of his students have some issues and he deals with them in a very unique way. Good comedy series with some thought provoking themes. Onizuka is a great main character despite being a perv Manga is better though. Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai is a unique harem anime with some good comedy. Series are about a guy who loves playing dating games and is real pro at them but one day he accidentally signs a contract with cute demon and now he has to date girls for real so he could keep his head. The dating is needed to make girls filled with positive emotions so the bad spirits would leave them. Once that's done, girls forget about what happened. Series made me laugh a lot. Manga goes deeper than that and has other things happening later on. Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica Major - I only watched 1st season and a movie so far but I really liked what I saw. Its sport series about baseball. Am not a baseball fan but series got me interested now. It has an interesting story as well as some entertaing characters. Most importantly it has actual good games. Worth a watch if you want to try out sport series. I heard Cross Game is great baseball anime but I didn't watch it yet. Monster are interesting detective series about a surgeon who in the past saved young boys life. The boy has become a killer and doctor Tenma is determined to stop him. Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom are dramatic series about people who were forced to become assassins and work for yakuza. Series follow a young guy who wakes up in god forsaken place with no memories and now has to train under famous assassin Phantom to become a new assassin. Series are basically about people who lost everything, but what if one day they could get it back? What would they do then? I think this series are quiet deep, really loved it. It also has 2 time skips and with time skip series take a bit different approach and mood. I personally loved series the most in 1st arc but majority prefers it in arc 2 and 3. Rainbow: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin are another dramatic and deep series which follow the lives of group of friends who met in prison. Series follow their lives while imprisoned and when they are out. Every character has their own goal and dream. One of them wishes to become a boxer while other wants to become a singer so he could meet with his sister with whom he was separated. Series have quiet a lot of abuse and some raping at the beginning. Shiki are series about a small village where people suddenly start to die. Epidemics is suspected but is it really the case? As a viewer you'll realize the problem right away, especially if you read an official description. But you still will be engaged in what is happening and towards the end will ask one question "Just who is a real monster here?". Steins;Gate are a recent star among anime. Series are about time traveling. The main character Okabe discovered how to send messages into the past and change it. However, he will have a lot of consequences to deal with later. It has really slow beginning but it picks up somewhere after episode 12. Sword of the Stranger is a great movie about samurais. It has great soundtracks and awesome fight scenes. These are the series that I would encourage to watch the most. Some are better than others but all are good in their own way especially if you like the genre. Since I have a lot of serious titles out there here are 2 comedies that also could be checked out: K-ON is a very famous slice of life comedy series which follow group of girls who want to become professional musicians. However, they slack far more than actually doing useful stuff. I found most of the episodes to be enjoyable but series do have a lot of haters too Mayo Chiki became one of my favorite comedies. Of course series have flows too but I found it hillariouse. I also am not big fan of ecchi stuff but I didn't mind it here. Besides Kanade is a great manipulator Extra bonus: Mawaru Penguindrum has a very unique style of telling the story, very abstract and truthully I would suggest to watch it after you have watched a bit more shows.
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2012-02-08, 14:07 | Link #32 |
Autistic NEET bath lover
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: France
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It's very sad, GC has heavy problems towards pacing, like I said in one of my previous posts. You aren't the only one who drops that anime, there's plenty of other people too. Haters gonna hate !
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2012-02-08, 17:07 | Link #33 |
Lost in my dreams...
Join Date: Jun 2006
Age: 37
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Ah, a new soul to corrupt. Good, good ...
I agree with the general census of watching whatever tickles your fancy at the moment - being new to the scene probably means being less picky about specific elements of a show, thus it's probably harder to "miss" with a choice - everything seems new and fresh after all. I'd probably advise against the mainstream shounen titles like Bleach though ... while having a reasonably good start, a few hundred hours later I could only wish for all the wasted time back. Ah well, one way how to learn not to play with fire is getting burned Generic musings aside though, let's conjure up some actual suggestions along the fantasy/romance/action lines. I'll try tossing in a few older shows (as in, not from the most recent two-three years) that otherwise might take a while to stumble upon. (I'll keep the summaries brief, as longer ones can be found on the other end of the links ) Shakugan no Shana - a fairly popular title, third (and last) season is currently airing. The main character finds himself assaulted by a monster and "killed", only to find out some disturbing truths about himself and the world as a whole. Obviously fantasy and action, relationships play a fairly significant part as well. Elemental Gelade - mostly adventure/fantasy, though with a surprisingly well developed and conclusive (<Important! A conclusive romance is one of the things you will learn to appreciate as you watch more and more anime ) romance between the two leads. Generally more light-hearted than most titles on your list, though well worth a look. Chrono Crusade - a story about an unlikely pair consisting of a Sister and her demon partner, on their mission to hunt stray supernatural oddities that develops in scale as the show goes on, with a very heartfelt conclusion. Fantasy and action is a given, as well as the developing feelings between the two leads. Utawarerumono (Yes, that can be a mouthful!) - A man finds himself waking up in a village with no memories of who he is, and a half-mask stuck to his face that wouldn't come off. Despite lacking memories he finds himself talented in many things that help out said village, eventually involving himself in military struggle as well. There is no lack of fantasy and action in the setting, and something on the romance side to chew on as well. Scrapped Princess (Among my favorite animes overall to this day) - a story about princess who was prophesized to bring about the ruin of humanity on her 16th birthday, and thus to be disposed of as baby. She survived the attempt though, and the story follows her and her protectors as they flee the ever increasing pursuit as her 16th birthday approaches, all the while the truth behind her curse slowly begins to unravel. Fantasy and adventure indeed, kinda light on the romance though. Shounen Onmyouji - If you can survive the lack of focus on action, I found this to be a quite good and entertaining story about exorcism set in ancient japan, focusing around one of the emperor's best exorcists, or more precisely the grandson of said exorcist, obviously spirits of all kind, and the court princess he eventually develops a relationship with. Blood+ - reasonably lengthy show about a battle against form-shifting humanoid creatures in the shadows of society. Get your dose of secret agencies, vampire-esque (or not) monsters and sword-fighting (not only) here, wrapped up in a fairly grim atmosphere. I guess I'll stop here before the list grows too long, but not before throwing in a suggestion of something slightly different - Shinigami no Ballad. Features 6 short stories featuring a death-god called Momo, on 6 separate ventures that (obviously) deal with death and the impact Momo leaves on those she appears to. Some of the stories feature romance as theme as well. A quite melancholic title overall - certainly not something to sate one's action needs with (as there is none), but quite interesting all the same - can't hurt to have something different from the mold, to feel out what other themes you might appreciate in shows. On another note, I'll second Higurashi - a fantastic mystery/horror show, one which will keep you guessing and intrigued from start to end while you try to piece together the pieces and figure out what happened, why it happened, and what triggered things happening differently this time around. Don't let the cutesy art throw you off, this title is well worth the time spent watching it. As for other things on your list ... Since you watched Clannad and plan to watch Air, I would suggest adding Kanon 2006 to said list - all three written by the same person, produced by the same anime studio. Tsubasa Chronicles is a fairly good show, but is sadly incomplete. Chances are you will enjoy the various episodic adventures (most spanning 2-3 episodes) and various worlds the cast visit during their journey, and the music is simply great, but the lack of a conclusion might be a negative. Still worth giving it a try though. Mushishi is an impressive piece of work, but it's unlike most other things on said list. Don't expect any action or fantasy (in the flashy sense of the word) here. It's about a traveling Mushishi (a person who can see the supernatural, often bug-like organisms (Mushi = bug) who interact with reality behind the scenes and often leave unexplainable effects in their passing), Ginko, and the various mushi related cases he encounters during his travels, and helps solving with his expertise in these phenomenon. Do give it a try, but you will have to appreciate the silent beauty and slow pace of the show to derive enjoyment from it - the issues here get solved by analyzing the situations and applying some form of intellectual/spiritual/medical countermeasure to them, not by swinging swords and tossing fireballs around. A very worthwhile show non the less.
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2012-02-09, 07:54 | Link #34 | ||||
Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: The Netherlands
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I was just wondering what you thought about baccano, my cousin told me it's great but I'm not too sure. Also I'd like to know your opinion on animes about sports, although its probably best for me to just see for myself. You Scare me... Quote:
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As for the rest of your suggestions, they (once again) all seem to look very nice. Which is really starting to get troublesome because I like owning things, which basically means I have to buy all of these, which is problematic because I don't have a job or anything...
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2012-02-09, 09:19 | Link #35 | ||
Lost in my dreams...
Join Date: Jun 2006
Age: 37
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That is not to say that a very long show can't be a good one, but there is a difference between a long show and a neverending show. If you are anything like me and like your stories to have a sense of finality ... well, these multiple hundred episode monsters will overstay their welcome, at which point you will be left with countless hours spent on something that you feel didn't accomplish anything, because there was no closure to be had, or in sight. (/Weeps at 270-something episodes wasted on Bleach). Similarly, if lack of overarching closure is a significant issue for you, choosing to steer clear of shows based on ongoing mangas (such as Blue Exorcist, for a recent example) - while these tend to offer local closures to the immediate final arc of the show, globally things won't be resolved - because they are leaving the anime open for potential sequels if the show sells good enough, as there is always more manga to animate. Though I suppose one can never be too sure about this before trying and experiencing first-hand how big of an issue it feels like. Quote:
If you aren't against gangster-centric settings (though it is more than that, due to the supernatural element involved, which plays a very central role in the overall developments) and thompson-trotting firefights, and manage to keep track of the confusing storytelling, you will be rewarded by a very entertaining and surprisingly touching (at times) story, that manages to be more than what it appears to be at first glance. Some bits of romance in there as well.
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2012-02-09, 10:12 | Link #36 | ||
Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: The Netherlands
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I actually had something similar while watching Pandora Hearts which I really liked, but the end was just not satisfactory enough which I really disliked. Quote:
Actually sounds like a really nice and fun anime to watch. On a side note, would you agree with DonQuigleone on not watching Higurashi until I've got some more "experience", because it sounds like a really cool anime.
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2012-02-09, 10:27 | Link #37 | |
Lost in my dreams...
Join Date: Jun 2006
Age: 37
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There certainly are shows that rely on poking fun at the anime subculture (Mostly comedies though, such as Genshiken and Lucky Star, to name a few) and thus one likely has to be accustomed to all the local tropes to "get" said shows, but Higurashi certainly isn't one of them. It's a stright-up (or messed up, as the case might be - yeah, I like that OP ) murder mystery.
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2012-02-09, 13:19 | Link #38 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
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Though I keep everything on myanimelist Talking about Baccano, I didn't like episode 1. It was a real bore for me but the show really picked up from episode 2. It can look very random and confusing because a lot of things that are shown sometimes make no sens. Miria and Isac sometimes seems to be there for no reason but that's not the case. Even this silly duo plays a huge part in over all story and are important. Series were written in a way that you see small bits of story from different points of view. From the view of person A, everything looks messy but from person B view things become cleared when from person C view everything is clear as a day especially when you as viewer put all the pieces together. Whatever questions you might have at first, will be answered later and almost every scene no matter how random it seems will have its purpose later. Besides series have nice cast of characters and action. About sport anime, I myself am a sportist and from a young age so I like shows about sport over all. It is easy for me to relate to the characters since most of them aim for high heights just like me. Of course there are some weaker shows than others but over all, for me, I think they are worth a try especially if sport is something that interests you.
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2012-02-09, 13:32 | Link #39 | |
Autistic NEET bath lover
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: France
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2012-02-10, 20:57 | Link #40 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: New York
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It depends on how far back you are willing to go with your anime viewing, 5 years, 10 years, 20 years? There are literally tons of shows out there that you have not seen. I would recommend adding some "classic" anime into your watching, like Urusei Yatsura, Dirty Pair, Ranma1/2, Macross etc.
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bleach, choosing, dilemma, naruto |
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