Hey there all. I just got a membership at a place that rents only anime and japanese imported playstation games. It’s a pretty cool store besides this, with all kinds of other stuff. Anyway, I am not too familiar with a lot of the anime they have.
I have seen some, like Akira, Ninja Scroll, and Fist of the North Star. I also watch Dragon Ball Z all the time. I rented Peacock King and Neon Genesis Evangelion and found them to be great. I was wondering if anyone could suggest other great Animes. I tend to like the ones with great action and a great story but I’ll take a look at anything.
I know I’m gonna get something for this, but see if there is any “Sailor Moon”.
Try Ranma 1/2. I haven’t seen much anime myself, but I liked the episodes of Ranma that I did see. I’ve got some friends who are into anime, and if you want, I can ask them their recommendations for you. As a kid, I liked Voltron, but I’m not sure if that’s stuff’s still around. Powerpuff Kue, Sailor Moon is great!
Thanks Audrey, I’ll check out Ranma. And, if you could check with your friends that would be great.
Powerpuff, um, I’m not going to give you anything, but I have seen Sailor Moon on TV, and it’s not really my cup of tea. Thank anyway, though.
Anything by Hayao Miyazaki is highly reccomended. However, be careful of the English release of Nausicaa, “Valley of the Wind”. It was a butchery.
Oh, if you’re in the US, be on the look out for Crayon Shinchan. It’s supposedly headed to US TV this year.
Osakadave, thanks. I was going to suggest Crayon Shinchan but I wasn’t sure if you on the mainland have it. We have two Japanese-programming stations here (KIKU and NGN if you’re familiar with Hawaii TV) and one shows CS. I’ve never seen it, but I’ve heard it’s great stuff.
- Lain * is very good–the story is kinda confusing (but what anime isn’t), but it uses light in an unbelievable manner for animation. It’s also got a cool theme song.
I’ll pipe in with the Vision of Escaflowne. Excellent series.
MR
I like the Macross Plus series as well as Robotech. Both involve mech suits and really good animation. I’ve heard lots of good things about Princess Mononoke but have not seen it yet.
LoL, I was thinking more of an insult, not really a tangable object.
Demon City Shinjuku and Vampire Hunter Miyu are both good (pls pardon my spelling); DCS is a “full-length” anime film, and Miyu a series.
And, of course, there’s always Dirty Pair. Or…Iczer however many there were.
I second the Ranma recommendation. Very very funny stuff.
I’m a big fan of the Bubblegum Crisis series, but that may be because the gal who does the voice of Priss has the sexiest Japanese voice I’ve ever heard. BGC is a “girls-and-guns” series; if you liked Robotech and the like, you should dig it.
Yes, Miyazaki is a master. The New World Pictures release of Nausicaa, however was titled Warriors of the Wind. I find it a little more suitable than the original if the audience is young, and hey, the animation is still breath-taking.
As far as the OP, might I suggest that you skip Sailor Moon and Ranma 1/2 and go for something a little less overhyped.
Audrey and Max: sorry if I’m stepping on toes here, but both of those shows are derivative in probably the worst way - Sailor Moon is the unholy love child of Power Rangers and Mamono Hunter Yohko, and Ranma 1/2 is identical to every other series (Maisson Ikkoku? Urusei Yatsura?) Takahashi has ever penned - and bring little creativity to the table as far as I’m concerned.
… not to mention a pitiful absence of women in powered armour 
What’s good? Well, if we’re talking movies:
IMHO, Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro is the best animated movie ever made. Good choices for runner-ups include Patlabor: the Mobile Police and the aforementioned Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind.
Other movies in my collection that I can watch more than once without turning it off halfway through include Project A-ko (just the first one, really), Riding Bean, Sol Bianca (again, is not an endorsement of the sequel), Crusher Joe, and Ghost in the Shell. I don’t own a copy of Princess Mononoke, but it would probably be on this list if I did.
If you’re looking for a good series to follow, Neon Genesis Evangelion is good, as is the original Bubblegum Crisis (the series set in 2032-2033, not the new one). Giant Robo is fun - almost a parody of itself - and Gunbuster makes one feel patriotic about being a member of the human race.
I tried to get into DNA^2, Saber Marionette J, and Martian Successor Nadesco, but with the exception of some goofball humour, I didn’t see a whole lot about them that were really special.
Pete
Long time RGMWer and ardent AOLer
Grave of the Fireflies was far and away the best anime film I’ve seen (and one of the best animated films). Be careful though, it doesn’t have any giant robots, tentacles, or skimpy school uniforms. Its a story about an orphaned brother and sister who try to survive during the U.S. raids on Japan in WW2. Its really a beautiful (and depressing) film.
I’d like to chime in and whole-heartedly recommend Princess Mononoke. Great stuff, delightfully morally ambiguous. The dubbed American version ain’t bad a-tall; the celebrity voices aren’t nearly as intrusive as you’d think.
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Kodomo no Omocha is an excellent series that simply defies explanation. It was an after-school animated series geared at (I’d guess) junior high schoolers, but its schizophrenic plotlines swing from dirty humor, to adolescent angst, to moving tragedy, back to slapstick within each 30-min episode–hardly what would pass for American after-school entertainment! The tapes are a bit hard to rent in America, but you can buy a CD-ROM with the first 20 episodes on ebay for pretty cheap.
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Aa Megami-Sama! (English: Oh! My Goddess!) is a funny and lovely 5-volume miniseries. It’s about a lonely college kid who, while trying to call for delivery food, accidentally dials a “goddess hotline” and finds himself with a beautiful goddess who won’t leave his side. Things get racy when the goddess’ sisters show up, and turn tragic when it seems that the relationship between the kid and the goddess may be putting them in danger. A fine rental: great music and art!
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I just saw an anime called Sanctuary this weekend. it’s about the Japanese mob, and kind of like an anime “Good Fellas.” Lots of violence, sex, a really cool plot, and a kickin’ soundtrack. Highly recommended.
hope this helps… : )
Akash
Thanks, Psiekier. I saw it years ago and had forgotten.
Two of Miyazaki’s that I don’t think were mentioned yet are My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki’s Delivery Service. Both are very sweet.
Probably my favorite tv series is Cowboy Bebop. The series is just now being released here in the states, about 18 of the 26 are out now, iirc. Great stuff: action, humor, characters. Basic outline: desperately poor space bounty hunters. Sort of a jazzy feel (hence Bebop)–like the bastard space progeny of Lupin.
Oh, and let me chime in with my votes for
Mononoke Hime (Princess Mononoke)
Grave of the Fireflies
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro
Vision of Escaflowne
Ranma 1/2 (it’s a lark)
Ursei Yatsura (ditto)
Ghost in the Shell
Bubblegum Crisis
Patlabor
Demon City Shinjuku (was so-so)
Also, another series I liked was Iria: Zeiram the Animation. Girl boutny hunter vs. unstoppable alien creature. The series is pretty cool; there’s also a live-action film called Zeram (different spelling, same characters) that is kinda kooky.