New to anime and would greatly appreciate suggestions on what to watch.
 

I used to watch anime on and off for the past two years, but I just recently really got into it. I don't really know of any anime out there besides the most mainstream ones (Dragon ball Z, Naruto, Bleach, etc) I would really appreciate it if some of the more experienced anime fans out there could suggest some series to me and show me what I've been missing. Feel free to suggest manga as well if you'd like, I enjoy both.

Why don't you give Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Steins;Gate, Tari Tari, Chuunibyou, and Fate/Zero a chance if you're interested. Or if you haven't seen them... just in case.:eyespin:

code geass
clannad
fullmetal alchemist brotherhood
rahxephon
heroic age

Here are three lists I've posted recently in this forum:

Mostly sci-fi/fantasy/supernatural titles
http://forums.animesuki.com/showthre...53#post4532653

Dramatic titles
http://forums.animesuki.com/showthre...78#post4532678

Anime with satisfying conclusions
http://forums.animesuki.com/showthre...50#post4516450

anime~
Trigun
Juuni Kokuki
Gundam SEED
Kino no Tabi
Haibane Renmei
Hellsing
Noir
Full Moon o Sagashite
Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu
Jungle wa Itsumo Hare nochi Guu

manga~
Angel Densetsu
Emma
Gokusen
Kanata Kara
Kiseijuu
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou
Hyakkiyakou Shou
Noblesse
Tower of God
Yotsubato!

There's 10 great examples of each. Check em out.

Since you are very open minded and you seem be willing for many things, I would also suggest you check out next season's upcoming anime, and this season's anime. You will have a huge backlog of anime to watch before long. :heh:

Why not start by saying what genres you like over all in fiction?

But for now I'll list my fave 10 titles:

1) Mai HiME - watched it at the start of my growing anime interest like you. Right now I can find many faults but back then I loved it a lot and it still has a warm spot in my heart.

2) Ghost Hunt - I love detective kind of setting and ghosts so this is ideal for me. Series are good at building up the mood.

3) Ga-Rei Zero - series that I consider to be a bit unique. It is a more gory kind of action with a mix of comedy and drama.

4) Shiki - done by same creator as Ghost Hunt. People suddenly start to die in a village and epidemic is suspected, but is it really the case?

5) Phantom: Requiem of the Phantom - a young man loses his memory and is forced to become an assassin. He is taught by the best known as Phantom. Series are not afraid to cover some dark themes.

6) Chihayafuru - something more lighthearted. Series focus on a card game known as Karuta. Over all it sounds as a boring kind of sport but anime was able to give it lots of depth and made it look very entertaining.

7) Madoka Magica - series that took a different take on magical girl series. I would say that it is an improved mix of Mai HiME and Nanoha series.

8) Baccano! - a unique kind of story telling. It gradually connects all the dots and makes a simple train robbery look like something awesome. Great action and characters.

9) Great Teacher Onizuka - a classic and a must for anyone. Series are about young man Onizuka who wants to be the best teacher in Japan. What makes him special is a fact that he is a massive perv and ex-gang member so his ways of teaching are very different yet entertaining. Series are a good mix of comedy and drama.
Manga explores more characters and has more arcs.

10) Fullmetal Alchemist - it has 2 seasons. 1st season has anime original story while Brotherhood follows the manga. There are massive differences between the 2 and some different characters as well.
I loved both takes so I would recommend to watch both seasons as well. If you won't like one, there is high chance that you might like the other.


Just a bonus:

Death Note - a must since it is an anime that even anime haters tend to love.

Love Hina - it was my first anime/manga ever and what drew me into this world so I would suggest to give it a try. Anime is good but manga is much better and goes more in depth. It is a nice harem comedy.

Elfen Lied - it was my second anime, very different from Love Hina but instantly shows the variety between shows. This one is very gory and full of nudity and drama.

Rosario + Vampire - manga is great, forget about the anime. Anime ruined whole franchise =/


Hope this will help for now.

Well, I suggest Death Note to anyone who's new to anime.

Since you haven't posted any particular genre I will suggest some from the top of my head.

Berserk - Its a classic in every way possible. You will find it nigh impossible to find characters as engaging, as developed as they are in Berserk. The plot will make you watch it non-stop.


NANA - This one is all about the characters in it.

I think SeijiSensei kind of reflected this in his post but.. while there are some anime tropes that appear in almost all genres, its not enough to tie them together under the category of 'anime'. It would help us a lot if you could let us know what kind of show you're interested in, or at least what genre. Hell, if you're new to anime, give examples of books/movies/t.v shows as a guideline. Another thing that might help, is what you thought of the shows: was bleach a little too childish? Were the standoffs in DBZ too damn long? Did you like the action, the powers, the characters, the story, etc. ?The thing is, while shows like Madoka Magika are pretty damn good, I don't know if you should start by watching that type of thing, it might just put you off totally. Luckily for you, if you just started watching, it probably shouldn't be too tough to find an anime of any genre. So, tell us what you're looking for, and let us help you.

Since you come from the more "mainstream" fandom, I would suggest starting with something that is considered high quality within that more action oriented genre.

I can think of nothing better to start with then Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. While very much action oriented and "special powers" type of show, it is usually considered to have an elevated plot. It also has a very very good English dub, which I asume might be important to you.

Other anime in this genre that you can check out include:

Crest of the Stars
Tiger & Bunny: An ode to Silver Age comic book heroes. Kind of a cross between Lethal Weapon and X-Men.
Full Metal Panic!: An action adventure romantic comedy. Good English dub.
Soul Eater
Read or Die(OVA), short and has a good English Dub.
Ranma 1/2
Chrome Shelled Regios
Chrono Crusade
Katanagatari
Space Battleship Yamato 2199
Mobile Suit Gundam

Two of special note in this genre:

Madoka Magica : A magical girl anime, but certainly not for little girls. It's actually quite worth watching, don't be decieved by the first three episodes. Highly recommended even though I am hardly a magical girl anime fan.
Neon Genesis Evangelion One of the great classics of anime that marks a huge shift in the anime world. Definitely a need to watch.

You should also try some of the other genres that don't often make it to the "mainstream."

Shows such as:

Cross Game One of Adachi's masterpieces, exploring the themes of death and love with the backdrop of baseball. Think "For The Love of the Game" plus "The Wonder Years".

Bunny Drop Just watch the first episode.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya A genre buster. Hard to describe.

K-On Slice of Life. Four girls form a band, and hang around eating cakes and drinking tea instead of practicing.

Shiki Horror

Clannad

Maison Ikkoku

I am very open minded, feel free to suggest anything you'd like. I want people to suggest all kinds of shows to me from varying genres because I want to try out all the different genres of anime out there.I don't want people to just suggest me anime based on what I've seen so far because I've seen very little and I feel that if I am suggested shows that are similar or the same as what I've already seen, i'll be missing out on what all the other genres of anime have to offer.

If anyone reading this feels that I must tell them my favorite genres before giving me an answer then I will. My favorite genres of non anime shows/movies are comedy, drama, and I also enjoy a good romance. The reason I say "non anime" is because I feel that our culture and the Japanese culture are very different and because of this we both take different routes with each of these genres. I feel the comedy in an anime would be a lot different than the comedy in a movie or t.v. show you'd see here in Canada, same goes for the other genres I listed. With this thought in mind it could be very possible that you guys suggest me a ton of comedy anime, for example, and I don't like the style of comedy that anime uses. Now this is just a thought and I could be wrong and if I am feel free to let me know cause like I said, I have very little knowledge when it comes to anime, but that's another reason I would like you guys to just suggest me your favorite anime or anime that you think any fan should see instead of just basing your suggestions of off what I've already seen or the genres I like in Canadian culture, that way I can try everything out and see what I like myself.

With that said, I would like to thank everyone who has answered so far. I am very excited to try out all of the shows I've been recommended :) feel free to keep the suggestions coming as well!

I second the Mai-HiME (or My-HiME, if you go by the anglicized title). It does have comedy, drama and romance, although I don't think its really the best ever at anything. Still, pretty good.

Well most shows I recommended are mysteries and dramas, several comedies so I'll try to add up:

Aria series - first season is called Aria the Animation. It is slice of life series, very calm that is recommended to watch when you want to relax. Not suitable if you are in a jumpy mood.

Very calming with some interesting themes and characters. It has 3 seasons and one OVA. Despite being episodic, I still recommend to watch whole thing since they all explore the characters and lead to a satisfying final.

K-ON - a very famous slice of life/comedy show. Show focuses on 4-5 slackers who want to become a professional music band. Nice music, entertaining characters and good comedy.

Major is another good sport anime that focuses on baseball. Kuroko No Basket is a good sport anime about basketball.

Clannad - the most famous show among Key works. A mix of drama/comedy romance. Romance is mostly explored in season 2.

Berserk - probably the most liked manga out there. It has old anime adaption too. There is a movie remake but I prefer old anime better. A bit gory, based in knight era.

Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai - a unique romance/comedy/harem anime. One of my faves.

Kaichou wa Maid-sama! - a good romance/comedy anime.

Bakemonogatari - a very unique kind of anime, reminds of slide show a bit. Dialog heavy.

Mayo Chiki! - a nice harem/romance/comedy series.

Monster - a realistic anime/detective series.

Seirei no Moribito - forgot to mention this one, my fave too. An interesting adventure series with memorable character cast and good characters/story.

If you want to check some good action series then FMA, Soul Eater and D.Gray Man would be nice choices.
Toaru Majutsu no Index is nice too.

Code Geaas is a good Mecha show as well as Full Metal Panic.

These and my recommendations above should give you a good variety of different shows and genres.

Hopefully it'll help.

Once you see some of them let us know what you think and we will be able to give better and more accurate recommendations.

I mostly mentioned shows that I personally have enjoyed, some more than others.

For comedies, I'll start with School Rumble with one of my favorite male comedic characters of all time, Harima Kenji. This one is just silly but loads of fun.

For a good example of the "cute-high-school-girls-do-cute-things" genre, I'll suggest Hidamari Sketch. You won't laugh out loud all that often watching this show; you'll just smile a lot of the time. No legal streams for this one, though.

Next, I'll suggest Moyashimon about a college freshman who has the ability to see microbes. The sequel did not live up to its predecessor, though, so scroll down the page and watch season one.

To call Nodame Cantabile a comedy is accurate but ignores some of its other fine points. You can watch it with subtitles (my strong preference because the actors really sparkle), but the streamed English dub at Crackle isn't bad as dubs go.

Finally, how about Cross Game? It has lots of funny moments, but a lot of drama as well. Even people like my daughter who is not a baseball fan loved this show. Cross Game won our award for Best Overall Television Series in 2010.

Here are some of my suggestions (in no order):

Spice and Wolf - tells the story of a medieval traveling merchant who encounters - and gradually falls for - the goddess of the harvest. Romance, fantasy, drama, a little action - and economics. You might want to try the light novel (on which the anime is based) and manga versions as well, if you are interested.

Steins;Gate - a college student inadvertently builds a pseudo-time-machine out of a microwave, and discovers the perils of carelessly changing the past. In undoing the mess he creates, he has to decide - save his childhood friend, or the girl he loves? Sci-fi throughout - the first half is more light-hearted and comedic, the latter half is much more serious, with quite a bit of action and romance.

Nodame Cantabile - as suggested previously. A music school student falls in love with a classmate who refuses to return her feelings - at least at first. An excellent romantic comedy - equal parts hilarious and heartfelt. Make sure to watch all three seasons.

Cross Game - as suggested previously. Follows a high school baseball team as they work towards competing in the national baseball tournament - a goal that, for two of the players, has a deeply personal meaning. Drama, tragedy, comedy, romance, and baseball - really something for everyone.

Voices of a Distant Star - a short (25 minute) film about two young people learning what they really mean to each other, as they endure a long-distance relationship measured in light-years. Drama, romance, sci-fi, and space.

Detective Conan
My Little Monster
Darker Than Black
Ef - A Tale of Memories
Angel Beats

Don't worry, they're all appropriate