Recommendations

[Halbarad]

I'm not a huge anime watcher myself, but I do like to watch a good series. My main problem is that I simply don't know what's worth the time to track down and watch. Can any of the more avid anime-philes here give any recommendations for good stuff to grab right now?

[baka]

I don't think I qualify as avid, but one my favourite series is Full Metal Alchemist, which recently finished. It's licenced, so if you're interested you'd either have to wait for the dvds or track down the fansubs. ANBU subbed it before it was licenced, and since then I took to watching Shinsen and Sonchou Fansubs' releases, which were pretty good.

http://www.fullmetal-alchemist.com/synopsis.php

I don't think I could give a decent introduction without giving too much away, but the link there isn't a bad intro. It's quite a mature series, IMO, despite the main characters being quite young, and well worth a watch.

[Ragnar]

Um, I'd reccomend the Irresponsible Captain Tylor TV series. Some here will naturally disagree with me, but I liked it very much. Just make sure you don't get the OAVs by mistake, because the vast majority of them sucked bocce balls.

I'd also reccomend the first Slayers TV season if you don't mind immaturity and repeated jokes.

In the very rare possibility that you haven't already seen Neon Genesis Evangelion, you should.

[Anastasia]

Try a few episodes of Tokyo Mew Mew. You may just like it, or come back with a shotgun and a Anastasia death wish. But, y'know, worth a shot.

[thepanda]

I'll go out on a limb here and recommend two things.

First I'll say track down Dead Leaves, as it was something I enjoyed quite a bit. Ignore the plot; that isn't the reason the movie was made. It isn't even an excuse to get from one scene to the next. What Dead Leaves is all about is the action. Sure, there's a bit of perversity here and there (the guy whose penis is a drill comes to mind. Trust me, that is one of the least strange things going on in that show. ^_-), but the action is the lifeblood of the creature. The box describes it as being like a comic book being pulled fukk firce into anime, or some such. I describe it as being like the FLCL episode with the guns, only streched an hour long and just being plain weird! Good stuff; I highly recommend renting it if you have the chance. It's out stateside.

My second recommendation would be the original three Gall Force movies. THose would be Gall Force- Eternal Story, Destrustion, and Stardust War.

It is old school Artmic at its best. Artmic, if you recall, was responsible for the original Bubblegum Crisis anime, Mospeada, and Genesis Survivor Gaiarth amongst others.

The story as its set up in the first movie is as follows.
Two race, one a race of women and another a race of creatures from a neiboring star system, have ben locked in war across the galaxy for many years. It opens to a huge space battle between the two races, and you get your first look at the crew. The characters are likeable, and you actually empathize with them and the trials they go through as they try to complete a mysterious mission from their higher ups. But all is not as it seems. . .

I won't tell more than that. Go watch it instead. ^_^

[Captain K.]

Legend of Galactic Heroes.  Space opera with beautiful ship battles set to classical music.

The Tenchi Muyo OVA series is great.  Just the first series, mind you.  The alternate universe stuff is crap (Tenchi Universe, Tenchi in Tokyo, etc.)

Devilman.  Young man turns himself into a demon in order to fight other demons.  Very dark and violent.

3x3 Eyes.  A girl from the race of the Triclops and her indestructable bodyguard.

Some other things that aren't a series but you should see anyway:

The Professional (Golgo 13).  This movie is so classic.  Beautiful art and a great story.

They Were 11.  Eleven students trapped on a spaceship.  Another great story.

Dragon Half.  The funniest two episodes of anything you will ever see.

[Dracos]

I beat Golgo 13 the video game.

I still don't know exactly how I did it either.  All I remember was that it was odd.

Dracos

[odin]

I can't believe no-one has mentioned Cowboy Bebop yet.  It's the classiest series ever!

Fighting, dancing, sexy women, unbelievably good music, comedy, and tension all rolled in to one perfectly conceived package.

I must agree on the Tylor TV series too... though I can't say I share the same opinion of the OVA series.  They definitely didn't hold a candle to the TV series, but were still better than three quarters of the anime out there.

Oh, and Azumanga Daioh would be the only cutesy series I've enjoyed yet, but it competes with Bebop for the best series ever to my mind.  It's funny, and witty, and charming.  When I watched it, I went from episode 1 to 25 in a matter of days and then refused to watch the last episode for a good couple of months because I just didn't want it to be over.  It's one to see.

-Dan

[thepanda]

can't believe no-one has mentioned Cowboy Bebop yet. It's the classiest series ever!

Perhaps because its 22 episodes of style and only four of substance?

[Captain K.]

It has a nice theme song... and that's about it.

[odin]

Style is where it's at!

If more series were created with that much style, I'd be a very happy man.

-Dan

[Brian]

The Legend of Black Heaven (AKA, Hard Rock Save the Space).

If you're looking for style, this is the anime that has it.  Witness the trials and travails of Oji, as he suffers through married life (and a child), and remembers the good old days, when he was the lead guitarist for a fairly popular band....

...and then the present, where he fights to SAVE HUMANITY from ATTACKING ALIENS~!

Trust me -- Black Heaven is awesome.  It's all about the Flying V.

[Dracos]

Oji, Oji, Oji, Oji, Oji, Oji....

Let me go...  Let you go...

Dracos
Bought the dvds.

[Edward]

I'll definitely chime in for Cowboy Bebop (both the TV series and the movie).  Ditto the Captain Tylor series.  Ditto the Tenchi OAVs (the TV series and the movies don't match up).

Let me add RahXephon.  It's kind of like Evangelion, only better.

Bubblegum Crisis.  (Not Crash, not 2040, the original)

Escaflowne.  Fantasy with mecha, but it works anyway.  The movie looks better, the TV series has a better story.

Read or Die.  James Bond meets X-men with an anime twist.

Vampire Princess Miyu.  The OAVs are better than the TV series.

Jubei-chan the Ninja Girl.  A fun little series.

[Dracos]

Jubei-chan and Jubei-chan 2 are both a very cute series.   A well done tongue in cheek parody of both samurai drama and magical girl series.

Dracos