Series? Movie?
I was a little wary of movie format anime for a while, then I came across Perfect Blue …deep, dark and wonderful.
Series…this one changes, Lain? Cowboy Bebop for sheer fun, Arjuna? Hm
So what are yours…I seem to be still formulating mine
I’m rather fond of Cowboy Bebop and Lupin III
Lain is playing on TechTv at night. I’ve been thinking of watching it. I’m glad they started getting anime.
Lain is great, but if you do not watch carefully you will miss a hell of a lot. Most of the stuff we get here we have to buy on DVD. It never really makes TV…and just to show how far behind we are, we only recently got the final Neon Genesis Evangelion (The End of Evangelion).
On another note, has anybody else seen the completely wacky and weird Excel Saga. If not, and if you are a fan, watch it, it spoofs most other anime beautifully (along with a lot of other stuff)
Kaze to Ki no Uta (Song of the Wind and Trees)
::crickets chirp::
Although I haven’t watched it in years, I am very fond of the Ranma 1/2 series.
There’s just something about gender-bending that draws me in everytime. And Genma is just so damn funny!
Sorry, I haven’t seem much anime, but my favorite is Laputa, with Nausicaa a close second.
My latest favorite is Helsing.
SC, would that be Hellsing? If so, I agree. The only anime I’ve seen to date that doesn’t make me want to reach into my TV and beat several characters senseless(er).
My favorite anime TV series is probably either Utena or Irresponsible Captain Tylor. I need to see more Azumanga Daioh though, it looks like a lot of fun.
Don’t really have a favorite anime movie… favorite manga is Houshin Engi though. The anime for that is out in the US now as “Soul Hunter,” but the anime is pretty horrible…
My favorite right now (in my post-anime-fanatic stage) is Cowboy Bebop. Flat-out my absolute favorite series, though I do like Card Captor Sakura too for the sheer cute factor, as well as Yami no Matsuei (an English version was recently released) and Tokyo Babylon.
I also like the Vampire Hunter D movies…the original for the storyline and the 2nd for the fantastic artwork.
Yeah, I forgot the second L.
TV serials:Cowboy Bebop and Crest of the Stars.
Movies:Princess Mononoke, Grave of the Fireflies and Only Yesterday, (all three by Studio Ghibli)
TV: Currently Cowboy Bebop and Inu Yasha
Movie: Ghost in the Shell
Boogiepop Phantom is my favorite series, very dark horror with an intriguing non-linear timeline.
My favorite anime movie ever is still Wings of Honneamise, a beautiful sci-fi story about an alien world’s first exploration of space.
Here are a few of my favorites (some I’ve mentioned before, some I’ve only recently discovered):
I’ve only seen a couple episodes of .hack//SIGN (aka “Dot Hack”) on Cartoon Network, but I like it so far. The art work is very good, makes me think of the El-Hazard serials, which I also recommend. In fact, when trying to describe Dot Hack to Joel, the best description I could come up with was El-Hazard meets Tron (with maybe a little D&D thrown in for good measure). Probably a poor description, but again I’ve only seen two episodes 
Perfect Blue is also very, very good. I’d recommend it to people who aren’t even anime fans, but would enjoy a good mystery/psychological thriller and are willing to get over the “cartoons are for kids” mentality.
Card Captor Sakura is also very good, even if it’s aimed at younger viewers. I’ve never seen the Nelvana version playing on American TV under the name “CardCaptors,” and, after reading the comparative reviews from THEM, I don’t want to. See for yourself: Card Captor Sakura and CardCaptors.
We just rented Vision of Escaflowne recently; unfortunately, I don’t know if all the episodes aren’t available on DVD yet or if Netflix just doesn’t have them all, but we didn’t get to see the whole series. But I really enjoyed what I did see.
We also saw Serial Experiment Lain recently, too. It’s very, very good just so long, I think, as you don’t go in to it expecting to understand what’s going on. Even by the end you may not know. But that’s ok, just think about it awhile, absorb it, mull it over, and draw your own conclusions. And whatever you conclude, assume you’re right (Then spend the next month trying to get the haunting theme song out of your head.)
Finally, Spirited Away is just way, way too wonderful for words. I wish I could get my co-workers, whose only exposure to anime has been through their childrens’ repeated viewings of DragonBallZ, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Pokemon, to believe me when I tell them there’s something better out there. That the Japanese aren’t just out to rot their childrens’ brains. Maybe if it’s on DVD in time for my birthday, I can lend it to them, for their kids, of course!
Actually, TechTV is currently showing Betterman, which I admit I’ve never even heard of. Tonight at 10:00 PM PST/1:00 AM EST is episode 5, so it’s a little late to get into it, too. Oops 
This is my second-favorite, and may edge out Ghost in the Shell eventually to become first. I’m waiting impatiently for a DVD release.
Oh, and as for your coworkers, Kat…better give them a primer on Shinto symbolism and animism first. I’ve heard way too many people complain of severe confusion after seeing it. You know, “It was very pretty…what was it about?” And those were the perceptive ones.