# Really good Anime?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-anime/26629
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [July 24, 2000, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-anime/26629 "2000-07-24T09:28:15Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@silent\_rob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silent_rob)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2000, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-anime/26629/1 "2000-07-24T09:28:15Z")
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.
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### Author:  [@PowerpuffKue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PowerpuffKue)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2000, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-anime/26629/2 "2000-07-24T09:33:30Z")
I know I’m gonna get something for this, but see if there is any “Sailor Moon”.
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### Author:  [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2000, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-anime/26629/3 "2000-07-24T09:39:43Z")
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!
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### Author:  [@silent\_rob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silent_rob)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2000, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-anime/26629/4 "2000-07-24T09:50:21Z")
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.
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### Author:  [@Osakadave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Osakadave)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2000, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-anime/26629/5 "2000-07-24T10:42:42Z")
Anything by Hayao Miyazaki is highly reccomended. However, be careful of the English release of Nausicaa, “Valley of the Wind”. It was a butchery.
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### Author:  [@Osakadave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Osakadave)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2000, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-anime/26629/6 "2000-07-24T10:46:29Z")
Oh, if you’re in the US, be on the look out for Crayon Shinchan. It’s supposedly headed to US TV this year.
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### Author:  [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2000, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-anime/26629/7 "2000-07-24T11:03:14Z")
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.
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### Author:  [@Myrr21](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myrr21)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2000, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-anime/26629/8 "2000-07-24T13:54:52Z")
- 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.
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### Author:  [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2000, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-anime/26629/9 "2000-07-24T16:26:23Z")
I’ll pipe in with the Vision of Escaflowne. Excellent series.
MR
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### Author:  [@Mojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mojo)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2000, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-anime/26629/10 "2000-07-24T17:29:24Z")
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.
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### Author:  [@PowerpuffKue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PowerpuffKue)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2000, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-anime/26629/11 "2000-07-24T17:40:11Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by silent\_rob \*
> \*\*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. \*\*
LoL, I was thinking more of an insult, not really a tangable object.
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### Author:  [@SisterCoyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SisterCoyote)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2000, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-anime/26629/12 "2000-07-24T19:03:40Z")
_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.
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### Author:  [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2000, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-anime/26629/13 "2000-07-24T19:14:57Z")
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.
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### Author:  [@psiekier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psiekier)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2000, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-anime/26629/14 "2000-07-24T19:24:50Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Osakadave \*
> \*\*Anything by Hayao Miyazaki is highly reccomended. However, be careful of the English release of Nausicaa, “Valley of the Wind”. It was a butchery. \*\*
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
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### Author:  [@Hunsecker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunsecker)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2000, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-anime/26629/15 "2000-07-24T20:13:31Z")
_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.
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### Author:  [@sliv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sliv)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2000, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-anime/26629/16 "2000-07-24T20:18:12Z")
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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### Author:  [@PublicBlast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PublicBlast)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2000, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-anime/26629/17 "2000-07-25T08:03:39Z")
1. _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.
2. _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!
3. 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
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### Author:  [@Osakadave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Osakadave)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2000, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-anime/26629/18 "2000-07-25T11:55:47Z")
> [@](#):
>
> The New World Pictures release of Nausicaa, however was titled Warriors of the Wind.
Thanks, Psiekier. I saw it years ago and had forgotten.
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### Author:  [@esswedl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/esswedl)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2000, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-anime/26629/19 "2000-07-25T15:28:41Z")
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.
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### Author:  [@esswedl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/esswedl)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2000, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-good-anime/26629/20 "2000-07-25T15:38:34Z")
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.
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