Long-time fan looking for hidden/not-so-hidden gems

[doctorwu]

Mr. Hawq -- I found Fafner, Blue Gender, & Macross Zero to fall into a category of SF genre that was just too ... overdone to be interesting to me. Shuro no toki falls into the "fight anime" category I discussed at the start of the thread, as well.
Le Petite Cossette; the name sounds familiar, but I've never seen it. Mildly intrigued. Will investigate.

MamoruUsagi -- while your help is much appreciated, I have seen or read parts of everything on your list of suggestions, and I'm sorry to say our tastes diverge quite sharply While I understand the draw of the shows listed, none of them appeal to me on any real intellectual level. Even Mars was unrealistic, and in some ways overly dramatic (although overdramatic is the wont of the shoujo love story, it seems). I think I might just be getting too old and jaded for old-school shoujo ...

Update ... I am a busy little student bee at the moment, but have stolen a few moments to pursue Galileo's suggestions, Planetes and Legend of the Galactic Heroes. Firstly -- Planetes ... yes, yes a thousand times yes. Shows that bend genres and challenge their viewers = yummy. Secondly -- knowing that Legend was an OAV series, I was shocked (shocked!) to find that it is 110 episodes long. This intimidated me. However, I have bitten the bullet and procured the first several episodes. Galileo, I have faith in you, but I also have a phobia of dialated plot lines and filler episodes. When time allows for further investigation, I will screen and render an impression.

ayyo, Wao, Somename, I haven't had time to sample your suggestions, but they are still very much on the list.

So ... I will soon reach the end of the series Gakuen Senki Muryou, and this shall make me sad. Very sad. I am still on the market for anime that blends intelligence, fun and artistic risk. Any takers?

[doctorwu]

Edit - Accidental double post

[doctorwu]

Okay, update on Legend of the Galactic Heroes ... I have only seen the opening ep so far. It has that old-timey feel, complete with the uber-European dress and hair I have come to expect from the 80s drama-genre of anime. Maybe it's sadism, or maybe it's because I'm an opera singer, but also I'm kind of *into* the uber-European super-dramatic aria-style overly florid speech dialogue. In Legend, I see the birth of shows like Gundam, Crest of the Stars, and Starship Operators -- but I also see remnants of Dumas and Tolstoy. A noble sentiment, certainly, but when your themes are over 200 years old, your version had better be memorable. I'm not sure yet.

So, in short, Galileo -- I'm going to keep watching. And if I waste 55 hours of my life only to discover you have lied to me -- Well, I'll be wanting it back.

Oh, who'm'I kidding, I'd just waste it watching Project Runway away.

So ... who wants to help me find more shows to waste my life with?!

[Mr.Hawq]

Lunar Legend
Hakkeden legendary- dog warriors(not sure of spelling) old show 1992, animation can get a little crusty at times, but I enjoyed it enough.
Macross plus
Vampire hunter D bloodlust
Galaxy railways
Legend of Basara

info at www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia

hope you can enjoy these suggestions.

[Mirai]

Well I see you have watched alot of things. I dont see Chrno Crusade anywhere so I will mention that. You might want to give it a few episodes before you throw it off as a stupid shonen.

I am sure that you have seen FMP:Fumoffu, but if you haven't there you go. Its good for everyone.

You might enjoy Record of Lodoss wars, that being somewhat like Sutepri and Juuni Kokuki, though with less awsome.

Theres always Genshiken, that i'd recommend to any long time anime fan...

Uchuu no Stellvia, along the lines of PlanetES though with more drama and more young characters. I had to come back to this after watching the first episode and thought it was trash.. glad I saw it through.

Rurouni Kenshin - Reminiscence : possibly the best ova ever. Yea, it might be Kenshin, but its not bad... The TV series is laughable compared to this. It is more of a love story than anything. Theres is alot of violence, but this is one of my favorites nonetheless.

Some gambles...
Kodocha : Great show, but dont know if you will go for it
Haibane Renmei : Slow and boring, or is it thought provoking? I dont know really.
Neia Under 7 : Same thing, but with more funnies.
Densha Otoko : Live action, but good stuff.
Hana Yori Dango : Same as above

Hopefully theres something in there you havent seen.

[doctorwu]

Hawq & Mirai -- Thank you, truly, for all of your generous suggestions. I hate to say it, but I have actually seen/screened all of the above shows, and none of them fit my elusive parameters ... I feel this is a sign that I'm still being too vague.

What I'm looking for is not a cheap thrill. I'm looking for shows that have the plot, the depth of character, and the versility to stand not only watching but re-watching. I feel Kenshin was one such, as was Haibane in its quiet way, but some of the others mentioned aren't meant to be watched repeatedly. That's perfectly OK, but I can find that on my own. I came to you guys to dig out the ones that might not be the most marketable or action-packed, but stand the test of time. Unsung classics. That said ... *all* suggestions are welcome, of course. I'm not picky. Just trying not to waste anyone's time.

[Mr.Hawq]

go to www.animesource.com

Then on the search bar type in an anime that I have seen, such as Lunar legend, click the review link for it, then scroll down on the page and look for the name "ariq" or just press ctrl+f on your keyboard and search for that name on the page. When you find that name, click it, and then it should take you to a page of most of the animes I have seen and reviewd, there are still more but most of them are there. Pick any of them.

I recently watched an anime called Infinite Ryvius, not sure if you have watched it yet, but I thought it was a great show. Similar to the novel Lord of the Flies, but characters are a little more mature, the anime itself was very enjoyable, with awsome characters. Not sure maybe you have watched it.

[ultrataro]

Genshiken should be required viewing for anyone who thinks of themselves as a rabid anime fan. And for an old school show along the same lines, Otaku No Video. There's more than a grain of truth in them. It's funny how Genshiken is almost presented as a documentary with the long elaborate technical titles, and yes, there are people like that.
On my personal recent great anime list someone mentioned Twin Spica, also Kamichu, Windy Tales, Mushishi. But not sure if they will appeal to your tastes. They lean more toward the artsy and quieter. Noein is up there too. It can be inconsistent & confusing, but also well done. If you want cute dose, i really loved Ichigo Mashimaro and Petopetosan. BTW, Ichigo & Kamichu were just recently annouced so you'll need to wait a few months.

[SomeName]

I've been keeping an eye on this thread in the hopes of finding more suggestions.

As you've found... Planetes is quite good, I had forgotten all about it. The manga takes the story a little further - if you get your hands on it, you'll want to read it from scratch since the story develops in a slightly different way.

Though by no means a hidden gem, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex has some great action and some challenging ideas. Both the first and second seasons are top notch.

I also enjoyed Air. Some people didn't like the style in which the story was told since it leaves some questions with answers that are open for interpretation, but I thought that it worked, and found the characters fun.

If you're into drama, you've probably already seen it... but there's Kimi ga Nozomu Eien. It's very soap opera-esque. Not my normal cup of tea, but the characters and the plot were very emotionally absorbing.

After that, I think I'm all out. I'll continue to keep an eye on the thread, I hope you have some luck digging up some more good ones.

[Mirai]

have you seen banner of the stars I and II - sequal to crest of the stars

[doctorwu]

Mirai -- to answer your question, yes, I've seen all of the seasons of Crest of the Stars and they were hot with extra t's.

I've been downloading a couple episodes from a bunch of the recommended series this week and sneaking in an ep or two when I can, and I think I've got a little more suggestion-fodder for you.

"Yes!/Yay!" Shows ...
-- Gankutsuou: I was originally put off by the fact that this whole series is based on Dumas' Counte of Monte Cristo, a book I've read and seen a gagillion adaptions of. But its new setting renews the atmosphere, and it's seen from a different perspective than that of Dumas' narrator. The show also uses a new animation technique that is super-cool.
-- Haruka Naru Toki no Naka is a blend of Escaflowne, Fushigi Yuugi, Juuni Kokki -- it incorporates good elements from each while avoiding most of the things that I normally hate about magical-girl shows. This one doesn't take itself too seriously, its dialogue is natural and moves along at a acceptable clip, and it's characters, while obviously stolen, are often superior to (read: less annoying than) the originals. It's escapist and it owns it.
-- Maria-sama ga Miteru: How, how can I not love a show entitled "The Virgin Mary is Watching You"? Catholic school yuuri shoujo ... so over the top in its Badness that it loops back around to Awesome.
-- Gunparade March: This is an interesting blend of genre ... I see some Full Metal Panic-esque potential for high-stakes action + funny situation comedy. Not far in .. but I intend to continue watching.

The Jury is out ...
Narutaru: This show is light-hearted and simple. But has the potential to be so, so creepy. I am talking the kind of creepy that makes you sleep with the light on. And its intro sequence is done in pseudo-crayon. Therein, compatriots, lies the genius that is Narutaru. However! I have been warned that the plot becomes disjointed and that the ending is very unsatisfying -- I am worried that it may lack the philosophical redemption of "Now and Then Here and There" or "Fantastic Children". Watch @ my own risk, I guess.
-- Kiddy Grade: although I'm still befuddled at episode 7 by ayyo's description, "It's about a girl who never dies dealing her tainted past", I still am going to stick it out a little longer to see how the characters develop. So far I wouldn't put this in the 'gem' category, but hey, I'll watch it.

"Maybe not" ...
-- Mushishi: A lot of people like Mushishi a lot, but I felt no plot continuity from the first few episodes. In a show like Kiddy Grade, that relies on its gimicky attitude & fan-service to carry the show, this can be overlooked, but Mushishi doesn't have enough else going for it to ignore overarching plot.
-- Air: after an hour and a half or so in Air-land, I am unimpressed with the characters. I have seen the 'love-interest' prototypes so often at this point that I can literally predict what hair color, size, shape and seiyuu any given female character will have. The story might be intriguing later on, but I found myself bogged down in repititious cliches.

So! I am still picking up some of the other recommended series that I have not yet seen, and still looking for shows that try to say something that hasn't already been said by every other show in its genre ... Thanks again for all the help so far.