Getting back to anime... Suggestions needed!

[bakameh]

OK folks, it's yet another "I'm getting back to anime but don't know what to watch"... I've been on and off for the past few years and wouldn't mind getting hooked on a show or two!

I'm open to most genres, as long as the quality is there.

My all-time favs make up for an interesting mix: classics such as FLCL, Ebichu, Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop and in relatively more recent stuff Gankutsuou, Macross Frontier, Zetsubou Sensei (1st serie mainly, I almost committed suicide watching the latest ones ), as well as Death Note and Code Geass.

I do enjoy lighter shows such as high-school pure comedy and plain silly stuff - Sunred anyone?

I'd like to hear about new/recent shows currently listed on Animesuki, ideally I'd like to get a good comedy show (reasonable amount of fan service tolerated, not too keen on maids/magical girls/vampires though) and something else a bit darker with an elaborate/twisted plot and classy production values - I'm not specific on amount of action / show length after enjoying most of Monster

The following might actually help more to get an idea of what I'm into and what I've seen, liked or dropped, as I was able to retrieve my login on AP (not sure what happened to my animesuki account though

Sorry in advance for the big-ass pic:

[VampirePaladin]

I think you might like Le Chevalier d'Eon which is a historical occult show. The style of it reminds me of Witch Hunter Robin. Also, the fencing is of the more plausible variety. I find some of the backgrounds stunning with how it recreates historic settings.

Red Garden is a series about a group of girls that become undead and does a lot of focus on how that effects their lives and of course the war that they are now stuck in the middle of.

If you like Excel Saga then I recommend Kore wa Zombie desu ka?. It does contain vampires, magical girls and in one episode it has maids. However it is still very funny and the vampire aspect of one character isn't really thrown in your face very much. The magical girl is a male zombie stuck in a pink frilly outfit. I'd say give it at least an episode or two before deciding you don't like it.

[jedinat]

Originally Posted by bakameh

currently listed on Animesuki

Why?

[Sackett]

good comedy show

Hard to answer this one, comedy is so much in the eye of the beholder. And there hasn't been a really good pure comedy in awhile in my opinion.

Some possibilities:

Ben-To Fighters gather to the local supermarket to fight over half-priced bentos. The winners feast, the losers starve.
Ano Natsu de Matteru romantic comedy
Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai An odd comedy
Dororon Enma-kun Meramera Filthy, dirty comedy
Tiger & Bunny Light hearted superhero show.
The World God Only Knows Affectionate parody of dating sims, and the absurdity of them.

darker with an elaborate/twisted plot and classy production values

Madoka Magica by far and away is the show you want for this. Don't be deceived, trust us and watch the show. Give it at least 3 episodes.

Penguindrum might also be a good choice if you want a second show in this category.

[Clarami]

If you like dark anime with a good story why not give Fate/Zero, Guin Saga, and Steins;Gate a shot.

For comedy all I can recommend is Joshiraku, Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru, and Lucky Star.

[SeijiSensei]

Originally Posted by bakameh

I'd like to hear about new/recent shows currently listed on Animesuki

First, if you haven't been watching anime for the past couple of years, you may be unaware of the enormous changes in the availability of subtitled anime via licensed streaming on sites like Crunchyroll and Hulu. If you look at the AS main page for the past 18-24 months, you'll see many fewer listings than were posted prior to that. The reason is streaming, particularly by Crunchyroll. Probably three-quarters of each season's shows are now available via licensed streaming, so those shows no longer appear on the AS main page.

That doesn't mean that shows are not being distributed by fansubbing groups, but there are now many fewer subbing groups, and the shows they release no longer appear here since they have been licensed for streaming by Crunchyroll or Funimation. So i'm going to assume by "available on AnimeSuki" you mean shows you can watch without having to buy licensed DVD/BD releases.

ideally I'd like to get a good comedy show (reasonable amount of fan service tolerated, not too keen on maids/magical girls/vampires though)

None of these shows have any of those features, but they also have no fan service either.

Level E - aliens living among us; this show even has "men in black"

Nodame Cantabile - available as fansubs or a dubbed stream; classical music students in Tokyo begin their professional careers and occasionally find romance

Cross Game - I'm going to put this here since it has a reasonably large amount of comedy, but it's about so much more. Voted the Best TV Series of 2010 here at AnimeSuki. As one of our fellow member's signatures reads, "life, death, love and baseball -- what more could you want?" To see the other award winners from this and other years, click here.

Oh! Edo Rocket - If you missed this when it came out in 2007, you can catch it now on Hulu. A political satire set in the 1840s when the Tenpō Reforms banned, among other things, public entertainment. The hero is a young fireworks maker who can no longer pursue his craft, but does so surreptitiously anyway. One day a mysterious young woman appears who asks him to build her a rocket to the moon.

Tsuritama - Aliens, fishing and friendship. A colorful and often hilarious show from the director of Mononoke (see below).

Usagi Drop - A 30-yo man becomes the caretaker of the five-year-old illegitimate daughter of his deceased grandfather. Sweet and funny with slice-of-life features. Perhaps my favorite show of 2011, but I'm a bit biased being a single father myself. (Madoka is the other contender and is on my list of supernatural shows in response to your request below.)

and something else a bit darker with an elaborate/twisted plot and classy production values - I'm not specific on amount of action / show length after enjoying most of Monster

Bakeneko/Mononoke - Again if you didn't see these when they were first released you should catch up with them now. Elaborate twisted plots and classy production values define these stories.

Mouryou no Hako - Two men meet on a train, one of whom carries a box on his lap with the head of a young woman inside. Suddenly the head begins to sing.... Slow-moving at times but very worthwhile if you're looking for an unusual supernatural show. Since it's a Madhouse production (like Monster), you know it will be well-animated. Fansubbed only, and a bit hard to find. Google is your friend here; the AS listings are incomplete and out-of-date.

Seirei no Moribito - Another show from 2006 that I don't see on your list. A 30-year-old spear-wielding female bodyguard becomes the protector of a young prince who carries within him a supernatural being. His father is trying to assassinate the prince to protect the reputation of the dynastic line. Beautifully illustrated with some remarkable fighting sequences.

Ghost Hound - Production I.G's 25th anniversary show from Shirow Masamune of Ghost in the Shell fame. Three middle-school boys employ astral projection in an effort to identify the kidnapper of one of the boys and his sister who died while imprisoned. An extraordinary soundtrack accompanies this beautifully-animated show.

Bakemonogatari - A stylish supernatural comedy from Shinbo Akiyuki and Studio SHAFT. This qualifies in both categories. Because it was recently licensed, fansubs for Bakemonogatari no longer appear on the AS main page. If Aniplex USA follows the same path it took with Madoka, you might see streams for Bake soon after it is released on DVD/BD. The sequel Nisemonogatari is streamed at Crunchyroll, but I'd hold off on that until you you see Bake.

[Eragon]

I would recommend Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood

[bakameh]

Thanks for all the suggestions, checking a few eps of each should keep me busy for a while...

Also thanks for pointing out the hulu/crunchyroll options - however I'm not US-based and will have to try those through a proxy, so streaming speed can be an issue.

I travel a lot and would fancy bringing full shows with me; I asked about material available on Animesuki to get "free legit subs" (assumed it's part of the forum policy) however I did get a hold of Steins;Gate

My show list is incomplete (missing a lot of dropped shows I forgot about!) but I dropped Red Garden after 4-5 eps and Lucky Star didn't really grabbed me either...
I did watch and enjoy Nodame Cantabile, Oh! Edo Rocket and The World Only God Knows
Full Metal Alchemist is a no-go, I tried to get into a couple of times and just couldn't!

[kaitanuva]

Steins Gate is a must if you like Death Note. It's miles ahead of Death Note imo.
You want comedy?

Great Teacher Onizuka (Check out the live action drama if you like it as well!)

[Gomenasai]

As far as comedy goes.

Colorful
DNA²
(Excel Saga - A must watch)
Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu
(Golden Boy - Another must watch)
Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai!
Mitsudomoe
Toradora!

[Midnight2352]

Try Wallflower. Sorry that's all i can think of for now.