In dire need of anime

[1930]

Hi

Lately i've been having some problems finding anime which suits my taste. In the movie department I liked stuff such as:

Mindgame (definitely the single most unique slice of anime in existence)
Jin Roh
Dead leaves
Grave of the fireflies (don't cry, keep repeating: it's just a cartoon, it's just a cartoon...)
Metropolis
Tamala 2010
Cat soup (so very very weird)
Studio Ghibli stuff
Memories
Comedy (arty Berserk, love it love it love it!!)
Diary of Tortov Roddle

Series that left an impression:

Paranoia Agent (confusing as hell though)
Hundred stories (well some episodes I liked)
Berserk (manga is infinitely better though)
Basilisk
Monster
Petite Cosette
Narutaru (pokemon from hell! lol)
Samurai Champloo
Texhnolyze
Blame!

If anyone has any suggestions of a series or movie that's comparable to the ones mentioned, or something different altogether, it would be greatly appreciated Also maybe some older anime recommendations? thanx!

[jedinat]

Seems you like darker stuff.

Try:
Noir
Gungrave
Elfen Lied
Blood+ (ongoing)
Serial Experiments Lain
Shoujo Kakumei Utena

Prolly something there for you...

[saznami]

Yes he's right i'd definately try Blood+, Elfen lied and Noir, but i wouldn't really say noir was dark... which isn't what it's title suggests, still it is one of my favourites. Grave of the fireflies was extremely sad... so you may want to try saikano as a sad series. Gunslinger girl Which is reasonably new, i found to be quite depressing... dunno if it's just me but thats really quite entrancing. As for Movies, I found the cowboy Bebop one surprisingly entertaining.

If you take my advice and find you enjoy any of these then please let me know... i hope i helped.

[physics223]

Yeah, it seems you like dark and quirky stuff.

In the movie department, I'd recommend Cowboy Bebop the Movie. It's not as insightful or as deep as any one of the movies listed above, but I really do believe that when golden butterflies dance around as optical illusions in your head, when there's a lot of layered conversation, and when love conquers all - it's a great movie.

Since you liked Hundred Stories, I think you'd like the final arc of Ayakashi ~ Japanese Classic Horror: Bake Neko (episodes 9-11). Unique animation, a great story, and a great culmination all make it, for me, the best anime of 2006 (so far).

[Seyluun]

Looks like we got close tastes. My first advice would be to stay away from series like Blood+ and Noir which really are choke-full of clichés and not innovative in any ways. I heartily support Serial Experiment Lain, both stylish and thought-provoking, from the same author as Texhnolyze. I also add:
-Kamichu, a Ghibli-style (done right) serie
-The Big O, which have a nice setting with a lot of atmosphere, interesting characters and deep (and somewhat confusing at the end) scenario
-Akira, because it's still a damn good movie
-Shingetsutan Tsukihime, a poetic vampire serie
-The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumuya, just so you can love or hate it
-Ghost in the shell, the movie, its sequel (Innocence) and the 2nd GIG serie (because the beginning of the first season is quite boring), which is more or less the best cyberpunk there is
-Robot carnival, a 1987 OAV full of short films. Two of em are weak, the six others are great
... and quite a lot more, but i'll stop here for now, and try the few items of your list I didn't see
Edit2: I can't believe i forgot Kino no Tabi, a MUST SEE. Enough said.

[physics223]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ~!!!

Someone suggested Shingetsutan Tsukihime before me! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
Yes, I definitely agree - Shingetsutan Tsukihime *IS* the anime to watch. Not only is it poetic, its beautiful, Faulknerian fragmentation and how the characters relate to one another is simply classic, unforgettable anime. It's incidentally my favorite anime of all time.

[Radiosity]

I watched Pale Cocoon a few days ago. It's a single episode OAV, really high quality and altogether nicely made. I'd heartily recommend it

[1930]

whoa seems like I am at the right place thanx for all the input you guys!

I forgot to mention Shingetsutan Tsukihime myself hehe great anime indeed. I'll definitely be checking Ayakashi, Kino no Tabi, Robot Carnival (been lying around forever, can't believe I forgot about it lol) and Gungrave. Never heard of Pale cocoon but it really does look fascinating, thanx. And yup Akira is still a damn good movie, first anime I ever saw and still one of my favs (soundtrack alone is reason enough to keep watching it). Lain is also a very good suggestion but I've seen it (if anyone has seen Texhnolyze, you can be sure they started out with Lain, moved on to Boogiepop phantom before getting close to Texhnolyze lol least that's how I see it).

Anyway thanx for the response, if anyone has other ideas, keep'm coming! later

Edit: Oh and by the way has anyone seen Trava: Fist planet? that's some crazy **** right there! Also watched the Ichi the killer anime yesterday but I didn't like it one bit, not in comparison to the movie at any rate...

[Seyluun]

Here's a few more:
FLCL: This OAV is one of the last quality work from Gainax, but even 6 years later it didn't lose any of its originality.
The place promised in our early days: Not a great movie, but still very decent, and definitely mature.
Crest of the star: Not really original, but by far the best attempt at space opera in modern animation.
Hoshi no Koe/Voice of a distant star: an OAV made by a single individual (except for the VA of the girl!), good visual, great soundtrack, and a touching story tightly packed in 24 min.

[afly]

I love:

Ouran High School host club

Fruits basket

[qtipbrit]

If you liked the Diary of Tortove Roddle, you might like Franz Kafka's A Country Doctor (Japanese - Inaka Isha?) because of its stylistic approach. However, it focuses less on the unique environment and general aura of "unusual" and more on its strange lead character (An existentialist doctor) and his unfortunate encounters. I daresay it's even more trippy than Tortov Roddle.

Since you're a fan of the Memories movies (assuming I'm thinking of the right ones) and Paranoia Agent, you'd probably like Satoshi Kon's (he also worked on Magnetic Rose) other works: Perfect Blue, Millenium Actress, and Paprika; much of the same excellent writing and directiong, though Perfect Blue is probably closest in feel to the two aforementioned. (minus Opera in Space)

Serial Experiments Lain is something I think you'll like. It's a dark series with undertones of identity and recognition, with overtones of memory and perception, often likened to Texhnolyze.

As for older anime/movies, I think Angel's Egg might do it. It's a stylistic 1985 movie that leaves almost all of the story to your interpretation.

[Last Sinner]

Garden of Sinners is a must for you! I also recommend Haibane Renmei since you liked Texnholyze.

I also second Elfen Lied, Shingetsutan Tsukihime and Serial Experiments Lain.

[BetoJR]

If you like interpretative stuff, I more than second Angel's Egg. If not, stay away.
Since you seem to enjoy it, I guess it'll be alright.
Also, you could check out Now and Then, Here and There, since the mood is quite gloomy and the series fits into your apparent taste, somewhat. Although hard to watch, there is a great story there.

[Thyrz]

You have good taste, I second Kino no Tabi and I'll recommend

Mushishi
Iblard Jikan

Don't watch Fruit Basket, Ouran High School host club and I found Elfen Lied to be boring but the rest of the otaku world seems to differ.

[othera]

Blood+, Elfen lied
That is all.

[SeijiSensei]

To whom exactly are you all replying? The last posting in this thread before it was raised from the dead by afly is June of 2006. I doubt the OP is listening, and afly's posting is a reply not a request.

[qtipbrit]

I just figured that it was a request more unique than the majority of the other ones seen in this forum, so it would be helpful to the few who share those tastes (since it's much easier to find a request thread for "romance", "action/adventure", "comedy" and the like.

[BetoJR]

Exactly. Totally different from the normal fare here, so no harm in replying to a thread, even if an older one.

[SaintessHeart]

You are more towards the artsy or intellectual kind from your list. I would suggest :

Suzumiya Haruhi No Yuutsu
Princess Mononoke (I assumed you watched this)
Spirited Away (I assumed you watched this too)
Zeta Gundam
Macross series (but you need to be very appreciative about music across the board)
School Days
Angel's Egg
Gundam 00

You did be a hippie if you didn't put Grave of the Fireflies in your list. That one was epic, and the saddest single series animation I ever watched.

[Silverwyrm]

seeing as "Monster" left an impression on you, I'd suggest trying Death Note