Looking for some good...

[Skyfall]

Mecha animes

its been a while since iv seen a good mecha anime, so i would like to get my hands on some I generally enjoy a good storry and plot, and if thats not there the animation better be twice as good Im ok with lack of action if that time is spent on something else important ( and i dont consider stuff like christamas episodes and the like important ). Would be extra nice if it would be about war or something like that, and without some totaly overpowered mechs compared to everything else in the anime.

Im ok if the main casts mechs are stronger than most ( GS prior Freedom/justice is a good example of this ), but it gets old fast if the main casts mechs >>>>>> everything else the enemy can come up with ( GSD Strike Freedom and .//hackatsuki anyone ? ). And for the love of god - no transformers and stuff like that

Any help would be appreciated (Gundam series and Neon Genesis Evangelion aside )

[Night_inn]

hmm.. mecha animes.
some recommendations i can give u are :

Eureka seven ( they have robots riding on surf boards )

RahXephon

Fafner in the Azure

Full Metal Panic!

Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid

Gun X Sword

Samurai 7 ( not so much of mecha but this show is pretty cool, you should check it out too)

Vision of Escaflowne


these are wat i can think of so far hope u will enjoy these shows as much as i do

[physics223]

I definitely recommend Tomino's masterwork, Turn A Gundam.

[wingdarkness]

Well this is sort of my area of expertise so some of this should help...Also if you don't know any mecha you ain't been looking...I look for a new one almost every month...

Eureka SeveN (The kid pilot makes you wanna punch your screen because of his over the top emo-ness at times, but the anime focuses more on interpersonal relationships between people than mecha battling, but when there is fighting it is almost always superb, sometimes I wish it was just a superficial type of show since the action is so good...It also has a sense of style to it in terms of character outfits, pop culture, and vibrant color schemes [kinda like a BLEACH]...I'm currently on ep 46 outta 50)

GunxSword (Really starts off terrific in the first batch of eps, but gradually becomes a pretty predictable story that kinda doesn't meet the expectations of how the series started...I'm kinda torn on this series because it was so impressive early on, but the mecha-action which is quite unique and creative kept me watching...The characters are OK, but I found the main villains to be pretentious at best...It's your basic obnoxious tuff-guy travels with loli girl on new adventure..It has some great moments despite it's so-so ending, you should try it out)...

Overman King Gainer (Imagine a gundam that looks like a white jamaican robot XD...made by the creator of Gundam [Tomino] this series shows some visual similarities to Turn-A Gundam in-terms of it's strange MS designs and action sequences [the DOMINATOR is such an odd yet awesome suit], however unlike most Tomino shows that are heavily character based and unapolagetic in killing characters, Gainer is the first show I've seen from him that actually examines the mecha more than the characters....It is a bit more action-packed than his other series aswell...It's just a fun series IMO that won't make you think too hard and has loads of action)

The Mars Daybreak (I'm only on ep 14, but this show is a must-see...Visually it is just a treat to watch with it's vibrant colors and clean-looking designs...So far the level of animation is so superb every episode [the DVD eps just look amazing IMO]...In this series the mecha are all water-based as habitation on Mars yeilds almost no land...the story follows a petty theif turned Pirate named Ghram who Gundamjacks an awesome suit and teams up with a submarine full of rouge Pirates and from that action ensues...Very creative action sequences that just look real and visually pleasing...So far no Kira-like Pwnage in this series)

GODANNAR (Imagine ol'skool looking giant Robo battles drawn new skool style with great action and unlimited fanservice toward the female characters...Don't think too hard while watching, just enjoy the "BOING-BOING" fanservice and obtuse action...)

GunParade March (Very disturbing mecha anime in the mold of a NGE in-terms of bloody-action sequences and pathos...Some of it is sickening if not brilliant...Keeps you with that $hitty "end of the world" type feeling in your stomach all series)

Fafner (This would be GSD in a whole nother universe with all the same characters only done well with better animation, use of CG, and almost no stock-footage...Not particularily superior in this genre, but action-packed and once again it is what GSD characters would look like if production wasn't rushed because the characters are drawn by the same artist as SEED and GSD making them better-looking, more consistent clones of almost every CE character....Golden monsters who look like egyptain spirits or something IMO fight kids who use mobile suits called Fafners)


Some other mecha anime I found good that you are probably familiar with but I am too lazy to write summaries for:


Vision of Escaflowne (mecha meets King Arthur in a medieval type of world)
Full Metal Panic and FMP TSR
Vandred
Big-O (If Batman the animated series was a mecha story this would be it)
Martian Successor Nadesico
Rahxephon
IGPX (mecha-racing)
Samurai 7 (Human Samurai's fight giant mecha)
Zone of Enders
Wings of Rean (Ova series by Tomino that so far is awesome with crazy mecha designs)

All these series I've mentioned are fairly new using CG animation in-addition, no ol'skool animation like Getter Robo (which was good BTW)...In addition(fortunatley) almost none of them suffer from anything close to GSD god-moding...

Well I just wrote alot of $hit so I expect some rep^^...and I don't think anyone else will need to respond to this thread now ...

[Nightengale]

Here's my 2 cents. Most good ones were already mentioned by wd and night_inn, so I'll point out the more obscure ones.

Old School :

VOTOMS : - Superb, gritty and realistic real robot series. The entire anime feels like a genuine war anime, only extended towards space with old-school dome-ish robot designs. It's hard science, baby.

King of Braves : GaoGaiGar : 2nd BEST SUPER ROBOT SERIES EVAR. ( In my opinion )

King of Braves : GaoGaiGar FINAL : THE BEST SUPER ROBOT SERIES EVAR. ( in my opinion )

G.E.A.R Fighter Dendoh : Simple, likable, straight to point and a likable balance of super robot action, character development and a simple good vs evil with some plot twist. This is Fukuda's 3rd best work, just behind SEED and the Cyber Formula OVAs.

The Macross Trilogy : It's Super freakin Macross. Title says it all.

And everything wd said. I don't always agree with what he thinks, but when it comes to taste, he sure has a good one.

[Skyfall]

wow, nice list and explanations WD ( gives cookies ) thx all for your help...i did a bit of search myself ofc, but i wanted to find out what others think are the best shows, because i really dont like to waste my time and money on something i could dump after a couple of eps

Zone of Enders ? i played the game, but never knew that there was an anime about it will have to check that one out

[wingdarkness]

Yeah ZoE is actually pretty good there are two different series IIRC...I never finished one of them as Blockbuster (which usually is the case) didn't have all the volumes, but this was like 4 years ago...

Hmm never got that cookie, you sure you clicked on this?---> ...

Yeah I'm blunt about stuff like this since I'm a couple points short of a second square X)...

[Skyfall]

Seems there has been some error with the first try :P should be fine with that cookie now

[wingdarkness]

Lmao..You don't have enuff posts on the forum to rep me, so eventhough I got your comment I get no points ...It's all good though, I hope you enjoy some of those suggestions...Have you not seen most of them?

[Skyfall]

too bad well, im kinda new to this forum so its no surprise i dont have much posts ( yet, its about to change )

About suggestions - i have seen Gunparade March , all Fullmetal panic and GunxSword .... not rest of them since i have been neglecting mecha animes for some time one thing is for sure - you sure know how to write informative posts im truly thankfull for them, il be sure to check them out since im on vacation now and i have LOADS of free time on my hands

[C.A.]

Zegapain is the latest, it fits what you're looking for perfectly, its a good show, but not the very best.

The very best have all been mentioned in this thread, I'll highlight them again:

Yuusha Oh Gaogaigar and Gaogaigar Final, yes the ultimate super robot anime, unrivaled display of courage. Its from a series of anime called the Yuusha robo anime, its Sunrise's attempt to counter transformers. It has transformers-like mechs, but even if you're not looking for such, you have to watch this show.

I'll not provide a description for these, I'm lazy lol:

Nadesico
Turn A Gundam
Vandread
Full Metal Panic series
Eureka 7

And here's a must watch but unmentioned in this thread:

Top Wo Nerae!, 1989 anime and Top Wo Nerae!2, 2003 and still going. GAINAX's gems.

Both are 6 episodes OVAs, very beautifully animated. Great storylines and characters. Top1 held the title of largest humanoid mech, Gunbuster at 200 metres. Top2 holds the most smallest(and incredibly powerful) humanoid mech, Buster Machine no.7 at around 1.8 metres tall. In August when the last episode of Top2 is released, it will break the record again and reveal the new largest humanoid mech ever, estimated to be anywhere from 4km - 5000km tall.