Need a few recommendations on Anime series to watch

unellmay said:
Funktion said:
unellmay, Gurren Lagann is definitely a name I came across a lot recently, but to be honest the previews and clips I watched didn't really raise much interest in me. I'm not the biggest fan of mecha anime series. :)
Click to expand...


Seriously? this doesn't raise your interest?
it's no normal mecha I can tell you that

<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QVb8nKj6iYo&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QVb8nKj6iYo&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>
Click to expand...

You're right, it's no Normal Mecha. If he wanted good Mecha, he'd watch Gundam or Code Geass or something. Not this **** known as Gurren Lagann.
 
Funktion said:
I usually prefer more "adult" series (I'm not talking hentai here, I'm talking about the overall tone of the series, although the presence of violence and nudity don't upset me in the least), especially "mystery" or horror themed.
Click to expand...
Le Chevalier D'Eon? It has a similar tone to Stand Alone Complex (decent action sequences, strong political diplomatic plot that underlies the series), but with 18th Century France in place of the cyberpunk near-future, zombies instead of robots and err... Cross Dressing instead of prosthetic bodies (ok, there's not much of it. Just don't look at the extras on the western DVD volume 2, for the love of god). If you have a passing acquaintance with the time period, it can play a little strangely and it seems to do a cultural pole-vault, landing hard when dealing with the bible or royalty and court life ("Yeah, Bernis... That word, 'psalms' we found. Turns out it's a book in this thing called 'the Bible'! I mean, I've never looked inside this thing, what with it only being the only book widely available in the western world during this century. I could have gone weeks without knowing what it meant!"), but it's all good fun. Just a little more brainless than it wants to make itself out to be.
 
Spyro201 said:
You're right, it's no Normal Mecha. If he wanted good Mecha, he'd watch Gundam or Code Geass or something. Not this **** known as Gurren Lagann.
Click to expand...





Seriously why do you keep talking to me?
your really annoying

the next time you try talking to me i'm going to ignore you
Your like an annoying fly that keeps coming back
 
unellmay said:
Seriously why do you keep talking to me?
your really annoying

the next time you try talking to me i'm going to ignore you
Your like an annoying fly that keeps coming back
Click to expand...

Why do you keep
going on about Gurren Lagann
being the best thing
ever when it isn't?

Problem is you use
big capitals and red
text so it's just hard to
ignore y'know. You
also type like you're writting a
messy poem.
 
I hope Gurren Lagann actually is good though, the limited edition of volume 1 was expensive because I had to buy it from Amazon as DVD Pacific it was 'on order' which on a limited edition means out of stock forever.


I don't expect a series where to mecha have faces on their torsos like that to be especially serious or clever, but then again if it is Gainax, you can never assume.
 
Funktion said:
---

Just Passing Through said:
You want adult and depressing, try Texhnolyze.
Claymore is turning out well so far, although I heard some negative opinions about the ending. Paranoia Agent is well worth a spin. If you haven't already, invest in Gunslinger Girl!
Click to expand...

Texhnolyze is already on my list. I was considering it as one of my next purchases, but I ended up not ordering it because I've seen some very negative comments on the plot of the series. Is it a worthwhile watch?
As for Claymore and Gunslinger Girl, I must confess while the clips I just watched were visually interesting, they didn't do much for me. Which one do you consider to be better, plot-wise?
Paranoia Agent is another case. I really enjoy Satoshi Kon's work (one of my first Blu-Ray purchases was Paprika), so I really want to watch the series. When the series was released, I always delayed my purchase of the US releases for some reason or another. Recently I wanted to order it, but the R2 UK release is cut, and currently I only have my Blu-Ray player connected (which only plays R2 or region-free DVDs, as opposed to my older DVD player which was unlocked to play all regions). Since I'm currently in the middle of moving to a new house, I'll have to wait until I'm settled, so that I can connect my multi-region DVD player again.

---

Thanks for your suggestions. :)
Click to expand...

Texhnolyze is bleak, dark, depressing, oppressive, unsettling, and one of my favourite series. It's unlike any other show, from the creators of Lain (It makes Lain look bright and fluffy) Texhnolyze is all about mood and atmosphere. The first episode goes 15 minutes without any dialogue, and the protagonist hardly speaks at all during the series. It's a futuristic, cyberpunk, post-apocalyptic show, slow paced, deliberate, violent and brutal at times (The director went on to direct Shigurui), and a lot of that style and pacing you will see in that. But I found, if you're a glass half empty person (which I am), then Texhnolyze is a harsh but accurate reflection of human nature.

Ou of the two, Claymore has the better plot, it's all about the plot. It looks like your basic 'busty babes with big swords beating the crap out of demons' show, but the story makes it worthwhile, the characterisations make it unmissable, and the way the plot is structured and unfolds makes it a must purchase. I have been watching it religiously on DVD and at this time, I think it's Manga's best release of the year, even better than Darker Than Black (which is good in its own way).

Gunslinger Girl is not at all about the plot. It's all about the characterisation. The set up could be your basic girls with guns, but again it's much more than that. An Italian Security Agency finds little girls who are dying, or disabled, 'fixes' them with cybernetic implants, and then mentally conditions and trains them as assassins in a counter-terrorism unit. Terrorists don't expect little girls to pull big guns. But the conditioning shortens their lifespans and affects them emotionally. They become dependent on their handlers (their big brothers), each unit is a 'fratello', and the focus of the series is on what being assassins does to each of the girls and how they react. It's a great character study piece, the action is almost incidental, well animated though it is, and it has one of the most moving finales of any anime. Only Season 1 has been released in the UK, which is the one you should go for. Il Teatrino, the follow up is a comparative travesty. Gunslinger Girl is one of my absolute favourites.


As is Paranoia Agent. It's cut in the UK, which is a bitch, but it's one scene in one episode, and IMO not worth missing out on the show for. That scene is readily available on the Internet if you really need to see it. It's the BBFC getting worried about imitable techniques and falling into the cartoons for kids trap again. But the other twelve episodes are uncut, and even with the cut, it's more than watchable. Rent it first if you're concerned.
 
Funktion said:
Jayme said:
See if Monster tickles your fancy. It's adult, mysterious and dark.
Click to expand...
Wow, after a few quick checks this series looks awesome! I was totally unaware of it. It doesn't seem to be available on DVD at the moment though (are there any releases confirmed?).
Click to expand...

Viz has it in R1 and will be putting it out quite soon. There's a chance Manga UK will subsequently grab it if it does well, I imagine. Otherwise I suggest checking the manga which is already completely released and wonderful.

I second Le Chevalier D'Eon too. It's quite political and stiff but has a decent amount of action too. It's probably a love or hate it kind of show so give the marketing a read and see if it catches your eye.

To add some more suggestions for more adult shows that made it to DVD in the last few years, there's Planetes (sci fi slice of life; can be slow at times but if you like sci fi at all you'll get a real kick out of some of the details and it's reasonably grown up without resorting to violence/sex), Wolfs Rain, Witchblade (despite looking like fanservice dross it actually also contains an engaging storyline and comes highly recommended) and any Shinkai movies you may have missed (5cm/second?). Looking at your comments you may also like Ergo Proxy which I haven't seen myself.

Finally, unellmay, Spyro, please chill out about Gurren Lagann now. The OP already said they had considered it and unellmay posted a relevant video to try to change their mind; it's not worth getting into a big flamewar about it now it's run its course. Drop it, please.

R
 
Le Chavvy Don has a decent first episode and then becomes boring as hell. I've failed to complete, or even get far into it, and I've had two attempts at doing so.


Handset hack your player and order the following:

Berserk

The Berserk manga is one of the most loved in existence. The Berserk anime covers the best part of the manga. You do the math.

It's dark, disturbing and has excellent characterization. It's the sort of thing adults can enjoy, though kids will also get a kick out of it because of all the blood.

Gungrave

Gungrave is perfect for anime fans who like The Godfather. It's about two street punks rising to the top of a crime syndicate, eventually turning against each other.

Its execution is very similar to Berserk - they start in the present of the stories and then jump into the past following the first episode.

Now and Then, Here and There

The best 13 episode series in existence. Not as well known as others because of how depressing it is, it being a tale of child slavery and war, but it blows near enough everything else away.

Wolf's Rain

While I rated the main series 8/10 and only the four episode OVA got a 9/10 from me, it's hard not to like Wolf's Rain. Great visuals, great music, wolves as main characters and none of the usual anime silliness.


There are other titles I could list, but if you go with these four you'll own four of the best series out there for under £18 each, and they'll last you for a lengthy period if you have a life.


Gankutsuou, an adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo, is my favourite series. If you have good taste and aren't an idiot, check it out. Who can't appreciate an in-depth revenge story?

A R2 Death Note box set is coming out soon. Death Note is a story about someone getting a notebook that kills anyone whose name is wrote in it, meaning it's plenty dark enough for adults. It's also mysterious enough for you because as Light, the lead, tries to shape the world to his liking with the notebook, he's forced to enter into a battle of the minds against the greatest detective on the planet, L - they both attempt to discover the identity of the other from a distance.


And, finally, GTO. Read the manga instead of watching the anime. The anime skips and/or changes a lot of content, and the filler is awful. I rate the manga 9.5-10/10 and the anime 8/10. There's a difference.
 
Some that haven't been mentioned that you might like

Blood the last vampire (film)
Blood+ (series)
The vision of Escaflowne (series)

Maybe
Elfen Lied (series)

I watched some episodes of Ergo Proxy, it was really good. I'm going to buy before I watch any more though instead of streaming.

Not sure if all of these are available region 2 yet.
 
Asdrubael said:
Some that haven't been mentioned that you might like

Blood the last vampire (film)
Blood+ (series)
The vision of Escaflowne (series)

Maybe
Elfen Lied (series)

I watched some episodes of Ergo Proxy, it was really good. I'm going to buy before I watch any more though instead of streaming.

Not sure if all of these are available region 2 yet.
Click to expand...

The only one out of that list which has not seen a region 2 release is Blood+ everything else is out over here but i've heard of bugs on the Escaflowne discs in the boxset that Beez brought out.

Edit: I should really proof read my posts from time to time :roll:
Edit the second: Maybe i should also proof read my edits
 
I don't know what the current region1 release it like but I got the box set that they released only 10,000 of, all numbered, & it has no problems.
 
Blood+ did get some sort of R1 release by Sony, IIRC. It was very expensive. I need to watch more if it (only seen episode 1.) It had promise though.
 
Thanks for your suggestions, Aion, SundayMorningCall and Asdrubael. A few of those were already on my list (Elfen Lied, Ergo Proxy, Wolf's Rain), I'll look into the others.

This thread was already very useful, because it made me aware of a few series that look very cool indeed (such as Monster).

By the way, I was wondering: is there any series available on DVD (old or recent) with the "cliché" noirish device of a detective/private investigator solving cases?
 
I agree with Texhnolyze. That is a must-see. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to watch it and just take it in. Such a great series. Up there in my top 5.

Also as others have mentioned, Paranoia agent, Serial experiments lain, Wolf's rain & Gungrave.

You might wanna check out Gilgamesh. It gets stick for being quite a slow series but I personally enjoyed it.
 
Funktion said:
By the way, I was wondering: is there any series available on DVD (old or recent) with the "cliché" noirish device of a detective/private investigator solving cases?
Click to expand...

Episodes 7 & 8 of Darker Than Black have a twist on that. Solty Rei has a noirish feel, but it does take a volume or three to really get out of first gear. You also might want to try Read or Die, the OVA and the series. Ok, the Paper Sisters Detective Agency may not be the epitome of Sam Spade, but I love this show for the sheer fun factor. It's more of a sixties action serial type in my mind. Very Man from U.N.C.L.E. or The Persuaders, with a little bit of the darkness of The Prisoner thrown in.
 
Read through this thread and unless I missed it, I would recommend GANTZ - batshit series full of ridiculously over the top violence
 
Olio8O said:
Read through this thread and unless I missed it, I would recommend GANTZ - batshit series full of ridiculously over the top violence
Click to expand...
I already ordered the series, and it's on it's way to me. :)
I watched the first episode online and it raised my interest enough to order the 7 volumes.
 
Back
Top