Yet another "Recommend me something similar" thread...

[RichD]

Not sure if resurrecting my original thread is the 'done thing', or whether I should have started another, but oh well, I've done it now.

I've done some more watching and purchasing/borrowing/whatever in the meantime, and have had a mixed experience...

Ai Yori Aoshi - 8/10, including Enishi. Have to admit I really liked it.
Mahoromatic - 7/10, I'm halfway through the first season so my mark may change, but it's very good so far.
Starship Operators - 7/10, very entertaining, really enjoyed the story.
Shakugan no Shana II - 7.5/10, almost as good as the first. First anime I've watched 'live' (had to wait a week for each episode).
Seto no Hanayome, 5/10, have given up for now after 5 eps as its style is really getting on my nerves.
Death Note, have got hold of it but not watched any yet.

Still trying to get hold of Code Geass, Shuffle!, Samurai X, and am contemplating Onegai Teacher and Onegai Twins - I'm told they're a bit 'young', though.

Thanks to everyone who's made suggestions - if there are any new anime series that you think may fit the bill, please feel free to suggest them. I'm not up to date on what's being made/shown now.

[KholdStare]

Seeing how you might not mind magical girl, why not give Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha (and maybe its sequels) a shot?

When I made my suggestions I didn't watch Code Geass, but now I will have to second it earnestly, since it was good.

You also seem to like Elfen Lied, NGE, and This Ugly Yet Beautiful World, so you might also like SaiKano, which is somewhat similar to all three.

[SeijiSensei]

If you're concerned about material being too immature for your tastes, I'd note that most of the shows you've listed so far generally tend to be designed for adolescents.

To the list of shows I gave you above, I'd add Baccano! (already mentioned), Shion no Ou, and Ghost Hound. I also noticed no one (myself included) mentioned Seirei no Moribito or Dennou Coil, so I'll toss them into the mix now. (Both of these are shows designed for general audiences of all ages, but there's lots of material to hold an adult's interest.)

Chi's Sweet Home is one of the most adorable and funny shows I've seen in some time (though it may have more impact on me as a relatively new cat owner). At three minutes per daily episode, watching Chi doesn't impose a very substantial time commitment.

[RichD]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

If you're concerned about material being too immature for your tastes, I'd note that most of the shows you've listed so far generally tend to be designed for adolescents.

Well, I like to make my mind up on an individual basis, and it's obvious I do like things which are aimed at teens or thereabouts - so the person who told me that Onegai Teacher/Twins are too young might be wrong.

To be honest I've always preferred shows which are simple, fun and not too deep. I like to sit back and be entertained rather than have to engage my analytical mind too much. I can cope with deep & meaningful as well, but it's not usually my first choice. I get tired from using my brain at work all day and tend to just want to relax and unwind at night.

[Z3120]

Lucky Star, Ouran High School Host Club, Ultra Maniac and Yakitate Japan! was where I had most of my laughs (well, enjoyment) come from. Never was a big School Rumble fan (the 2nd season really didn't do anything to raise my impression of it for me). The series I've enjoyed I find were easy to get into and they're highly enjoyable although Yakitate Japan! is a bit peculiar (it is about bread) but the quirks and hysteria reminds me of how I ended up loving Hikaru no Go except HnG had Sai and Hikaru.

[SeijiSensei]

Originally Posted by RichD

Well, I like to make my mind up on an individual basis, and it's obvious I do like things which are aimed at teens or thereabouts - so the person who told me that Onegai Teacher/Twins are too young might be wrong.

To be honest I've always preferred shows which are simple, fun and not too deep. I like to sit back and be entertained rather than have to engage my analytical mind too much. I can cope with deep & meaningful as well, but it's not usually my first choice. I get tired from using my brain at work all day and tend to just want to relax and unwind at night.

Then I'd suggest Moyashimon, Nodame Cantabile, or Baccano! Moyashimon is what I might term a "mature ecchi" comedy about life on an agricultural university campus. The amorous young ladies regarding each other in my signature come from that show. Nodame Cantabile is another campus comedy, this time in a music academy. It has a somewhat serious theme about self-realization, but it's always amusing with lovely music. Baccano! is darker, and bloodier, than either of these, but it's also fundamentally a comedy with thriller elements that mixes 30's American gangsters and alchemists. It's also more mentally demanding than the other two because the story is told in a non-linear fashion.

And for three minutes of amusement four times a week, I'm finding nothing beats Chi's Sweet Home.

Edit: I just want to add that I've seen lots of shows with adolescent protagonists (how could I not) and have enjoyed a number of those shows. For some infathomable reason, no one has suggested School Rumble yet. It's one of the funniest shows I've watched. You might also want to give Jungle wa Itsumo Hare nochi Guu a try, too.

[RichD]

Reawakening my own thread again, I'd first of all like to reiterate my thanks to everyone who gave me their recommendations. I've watched a few series over the last year, but regrettably have not yet got hold of all the ones I wanted. I'm having serious trouble locating Moyashimon and SaiKano, for example. Any suggestions on locating those (for non-extortionate prices) would be appreciated.

Some new scores:

Negima!? - 5/10 - It took a great deal of willpower to watch this through to the end. It didn't get much better.
Seto no Hanayome - 3/10 - After several months I tried watching a bit more, and I just can't stand it.
Onegai Teacher - 7/10 - Pretty enjoyable, once I decided to go against my friend's advice and actually watch it.
Onegai Twins - 6.5/10 - Not as good as Teacher, but still fun.
Shuffle! - 9/10 - This may be my new favourite high school comedy - but it certainly has its dark moments.
Death Note - ?/10 - Still undecided. Watched the first 20 eps and liked it but now it's gone from weird to WTF.
Girls Bravo - 5/10 - Watched this with my OH, quite fun on the whole but let's face it - it's just an excuse for some T&A.
Lucky Star - ?/10 - I feel I could enjoy this, but my OH isn't keen so it'll be some time before I watch any more.
Chi's Sweet Home is on its way. Looking forward to giving it a try.

Sitting waiting to be watched are School Rumble, Haibane Renmei and Zeorymer. Still on the wishlist are SaiKano, Moyashimon, Code Geass and Samurai X.

Now, the big question is... what else have I been missing? I haven't watched any 'new' anime since Shakugan no Shana II. Or at least I don't think I have...

[wOoOzZy]

For Saikano, you might be able to stream it from megavideo.

And don't put off Samurai X or Code Geass too long. They're both really good.

[Nochgo]

For new animes, you might consider Toradora and Soul Eather. Also To Aru Majutsu no Index, the same people who made Shakugan no Shana. These three series just finished airing couple weeks ago. Toradora is a romance comedy, while Soul Eather is a shounen anime.

As for not so new series, if you don't mind romance animes, you definitely should give Clannd a try. If I had to describe it, its a emotion roller coaster ride that can make you laugh till your stomachache hurts, and at times it can make you cry floods. It's second season just ended few weeks ago as well. Might as well pick up other KyoAni series such as Kanon, Clannad's spiritual predecessor, and The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi, both excellent series.

Another personal recommendation is Kino no Tabi. Its an episodic series that follows Kino's travels into different countries, and there Kino encounters various cultures that sometimes appeals to person's moral senses.

Finally, you might want to look into Kara no Kyoukai. It has some amazing animation, and the storytelling is quite compelling.

[SeijiSensei]

Moyashimon

Get the BSS subs.

[Oofgeg]

Originally Posted by tripperazn

Technically, "Britannia" doesn't refer to England/UK, since the Japanese refer to England/UK as "Igirisu". The focus is never on that country anyway, so it doesn't matter. I really highly recommend Code Geass.

Yeah, Britannia is actually North America if you look at the map in the beginning of each episode.

[DeX-kun]

It seems that nobody has mentioned this one but I highly recommend "Macross Frontier" (mind you that I'm not a fan of mecha but there is much more to it than that, the plot is pretty good,) also try to get a hold of "Code Geass" as soon as you can considering that's one of the best animes out there because of the plot twists and such.

"Toradora" also seems to be a popular choice although I have yet to watch it, but I'll also get around to it. "Samurai X" is also a must watch so don't take too long on that one.

"Kanon 2006" (the remade version of Kanon 2002 which is shorter and not as good in my opinion) is another good series you should take a look at.

I also have to second the recommendation of "Clannad" and it's second season, "Clannad: After Story" because of the range of emotions that it can put you through and it is my favorite anime series thus far, so I can't recommend this series enough.

[vdbglenn]

rurouni kenshin ! a must see

[Jan-Poo]

Hmmm... being British, I may not like seeing my nation being portrayed as evil... there are, after all, three sides to every story. Might give it a look though.

Actually... it's called "Britannia Empire" but it's basically the whole American continent plus a few other nations. The United Kingdom itself is part of the "Euro Universe".
In other word your country is not portrayed as evil... it's portrayed as irrelevant XD. I think it isn't even mentioned. ^^;

Anyway i have a single important suggestion:

Cowboy Bebop You just can't miss this! One of the greatest anime ever. I can't believe it hasn't been mentioned before.

[Cynor]

I think it is in S2 some... but ya the "Britannia Empire" is actually more like an alternative US... or maybe the UK declared war on the US instead of the other way around lol.

As for recommendations, I would highly suggest Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi also, especially if you've liked what you've seen so far in Lucky Star as LS really plays of Haruhi.

If you like Shuffle you could like Da Capo. It's a lot like Shuffle, but at the same time very different (and more serious I think) too. Still has it's dark moments and comedy too though. The closure is a little better then Shuffle though, but even so they pulled out a "Da Capo II" which continues on the Da Capo story.