Okay, I know it’s been done (many, many times from my search) but I’m looking for anime recently released on DVD/VHS. As in the past year or so. I’ve found myself at my parent’s house for a month before I go back to work and I decided to watch a lot of TV/movies and in general be lazy and disgusting. I watched InuYasha through fansubs up to episode… hmm… 110, 111 or so? before I finally burned out and thought, “That Naraku isn’t such a bad guy really. Just misunderstood.” Plus I started tiring of the endless fight monster, find new Tetsuaiga technique formula. I even watched two of the movies. But I digress. Here’s a quick run down of what I’ve seen:
I’m currently watching Cowboy Bebop which is pretty sweet. Good action scenes, great character development, interesting story lines that go from pretty dark to very whimsical. Oh yeah, and Faye’s hot.
I’m not so into the giant robot thing - the only one ‘mecha’ anime I got into was FLCL. Another outstanding series.
I watched Ah! My Goddess! and it was a little too saccharine, but since it was so short it was entertaining.
I’m also in the middle of Chobits, which started off sort of Ah! My Goddess!-ey, but has really grown on me.
Also started watching Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien but this one is almost too soap operaish. Pretty to look at though.
Oh, yeah, and Hack/.sign I’m definitely going to start.
Any others I should definitely check out? Note: I do like big action anime’s too, as long as they aren’t too formulaic and drawn out. Big plus if the series has been completed.
Rurouni Kenshin?
I’m slowly getting into anime via Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim programming block. I’ve watched a couple episodes of Cowboy Bebop, and I agree that it’s pretty good. I’m also watching InuYasha, but I’m up to episode 35 or so.
What I’m really enjoying is The Big O. I like it for the noir style, and the premise of the series. The characters are pretty good, and a couple of the regular voice actors (the ones for Roger Smith and Angel) also provided voices in the dubs for Cowboy Bebop (Spike and Wanda, I believe). It’s about a city of amnesia and big fighting robots. Season two has a really good story arc going on.
There’s also Zoids, which comes on very early in the morning on Cartoon Network. There’s three of them: Chaotic Century, New Century/0, and Fuzors. Currently, they’re running through Chaotic Century, which was extremely excellent. New Century/0 is pretty good, but I recommend staying away from Fuzors (which is in first run on early Saturday evenings). It’s not very good, I think. The series is based on the Tomy/Hasbro toy line of the same name.
And, one of these days, I am going to watch FLCL. I missed it on the first run-through on Adult Swim.
Hey, yeah, about Rurouni Kenshin. I’ve heard things about the first season and the last few seasons being bad. Is it still on? What’s the story like?
Pick up some of Hiyao Miyazaki’s stuff, like Princess Mononoke or Spirited Away. Awesome movies, well worth the effort.
For more cyberpunk-esque entertainment, I recommend Ghost in the Shell or even the old classic, Akira.
You like Bebop, try Outlaw Star. I find Bebop fans either love it or loathe it.
Try Trigun. Maybe X, too.
.hack//sign is the best I’ve ever watched, but Yu Yu Hakusho was also somewhat entertaining, if not as um…deep. It seems more just for kids than for kids and adults, like half of Miyazaki’s movies do.
I’d add Grave Of The Fireflies to Nichol Storm’s movie suggestions. It’s not “the saddest movie I’ve ever seen” like many people report, but it’s definitely worth watching.
Regarding .hack//sign, is that series over? And how exactly does it fit in with all the other .hacks I’ve seen? Liminality, dusk, some games I think… are they all as good? I really should start watching more of these.
Also, a slight aside: are fansubs legal if the show hasn’t been licensed in my country (USA)?
My favorite Hayao Miyazaki film is definately Porco Rosso. It’s awesome. Do watch it sometime.
Trigun is an absolutely classic series. I love it.
I’ve seen the entire second season and half of the first so I can only speak on them. The first season is definately has a lighter tone than the second and the structure is different (single stories instead of a long arc), but I wouldn’t call it bad. In fact it is great. Not as good as the second though.
If you have any interest in comedy anime, try Excel Saga. It parodies almost everything under the sun, and frequently is simply totally insane and wild. (“Insane” also happens to describe the main character!)
Escaflowne.Definately Escaflowne. Designed—successfully—to appeal equally to male and female viewers, it’s got romance, steampunk mecha, a fantasy mileau, and a plot that’s coherant and accessible, even in the 'dub.
Escaflowne can be seen both as a (completed) series, or in a movie version. As I recall, the series is considered the better of the two.
After that, I’d say…Read or Die. A very fun little movie about superpowered secret agents working for the British Royal Library (!). Great characters. Great story. Great music. Four skulls!
I’d give Rune Soldier a try. It’s by the same guy who did The Record of Lodoss War, except it’s a rather silly comedy series. Lots of fluff. Brightly colored. And usually on sale. Of all the new series out on DVD last year, it’s probably my favorite, over even X or FLCL. It’s about an all-female team of adventurers who need a mage to round out their crew…things go downhill from there. Hysterical show.
It sounds like you have access to fansubs. Have you tried One Piece? Besides that, of the shows currently airing, I’d try Planetes. The artwork is very low-key but still high quality–it reminds me somewhat of Patlabor in style in many ways. The show’s about a group of trash collectors in outer space. The atmosphere aims for a more realistic, character-driven feel. Like Rune Soldier, it’s entirely episodic, with only a touch of continuity to drive things along. It’s mostly comedy, in the way that Mash was mostly comedy–dramatic/melancholy moments at appropriate segments.
So, uh, those are my two recommendations.
.hack//sign is out on DVDs now. i just purchased 5 at Best Buy the other day. there’s about 5 episodes per DVD. there apparently are “Special” versions as well as the regular collections. the difference (besides price) seems to be the inclusion of a CD with music from the soundtrack.
i’ve caught some scattered episodes on late-night cable. but since i’d seen so little of the entire story, i found it a bit hard to follow–which is why i sprang for the DVDs. at least this way i’ll be able to start from the beginning. the artwork and characters are quite good, and they don’t resort to the “super anime” gimmicks (bugging-out eyeballs, gigantic sweatdrops, suchlike ilk) that Rurouni Kenshin throws in (most jarringly, to my tastes). Kenshin plots can also be a bit too predictable to suit me.
i don’t know if Samuri Jack counts as anime or just good animation, but the main character is cool, even when the artwork can get a bit over-the-top.
Hmmm, last year or so…
I’ll second any recommendations for Big O, then, as they’ve just come out with the English-dubbed versions of those over the past year.
I guess I don’t know too many recent ones. Why the qualifier, though? Anything in particular against older titles, or just looking for something you definitely haven’t seen…?
In either case…I think Kare Kano (a.k.a. His and Her Circumstances) is relatively recent (the English version, anyway), and it was done by Gainax, the same studio responsible for FLCL. In fact, you’d do well to just do a search on anything they’ve animated; they’ve never disappointed me.
You also might try RahXephon… I’ve not seen any full episodes yet, but the artwork is beautiful and it’s got a pretty sizeable American fanbase.
I’d also recommend Kenshin. Specifically, watch the OVA first. It’s a serious story and gives the background of Kenshin, so you can understand why he’s such a fucking bad-ass, and why he makes that big huge decision that effects him all throughout the other series. The Rurouni Kenshin series is very lighthearted and funny, but the OVA is a serious drama, and the artwork in it is utterly breathtaking.
Bio-Booster Armor Guyver has been one of my favorites from the beginning. Just call it The Guyver and most people will know what you’re talking about. It is a bit of a standard concept (teenage kid finds ultimate weapon; evil corporation sends monsters after he and family and friends in order to attain it), but it’s really quite good and violent as hell. Unfortunately, the second volume isn’t nearly as good, and the artwork goes from awesome to utter suck during single episodes. You can tell sometimes that they had up to four different artist styles in one episode at times, and the mojority of them are shit. But the first volume is great, so I’d check that out.
Also, Berzerk is one of the best I’ve seen. A medieval story about this young boy raised by mercenaries that grows up to be this huge sword swinging badass, who then teams up with another incredibly famous troup of mercenaries. Lots of character developement, long story, and here and there, some elements of the supernatural, all culminating into the most horrific and shocking ending to an anime series I have ever seen. Incredible series, you should definitely check this one out.
And, for humor sake, there’s The Irresponsible Cpt. Tylor. A future space story about a lazy coward and idiot who, through mishaps and misunderstandings, becomes the captain of a starship for runamucks and crazies and becomes a big hero in a war between earth and some alien race. Really good lighthearted fun, and you can never tell if this guy is just a complete idiot, or an insane genius. Good fun for all.
El Hazard…
I dunno about that. Most people who are aware of the Guyver anime probably will, but a lot of people if they have any response other than ‘huh?’ will probably think of the delightfully bad LA american movie with Mark Hamill based on it.
Hey, I enjoyed the live-action Mark Hamil movie. I thought it was a huge piece of crap, but I still enjoyed it 