So what anime should I start with?

[Mahou Otaku]

I've seen Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle, great anime movies I really enjoyed. I've seen the random episode of Pokemon. I can't stand Dragonball/Dragonball the manga, so I never tried the anime.

I have another thread devoted to manga I love, please check it out if you need an idea of what I enjoy. But to summaries, anime like Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle would be great. Other tags I enjoy are romance, harem, sci-fi and fantasy, and tragedy. I tend toward Shounen/Seinen adventure type manga, and really well-written Josei/Shoujo slice-of-life stories.

[vehement]

How about the movie Summer Wars? Then after that you can watch Digimon Adventures (the first one), I guess, because they have the same director or Dennou Coil which is somehow similar to Summer Wars

Summer Wars: http://myanimelist.net/anime/5681/Summer_Wars
Digimon Adventures: http://myanimelist.net/anime/552/Digimon_Adventure
Dennou Coil: http://myanimelist.net/anime/2164/Dennou_Coil

[Kamina]

Oh, and by the way, I don't think you were quoting from my thread, don't remember posting that.

This is my thread. :)

Wow, my bad.

Though, your preferences make it a lot easier for me to recommend stuff. From the ones I've seen:

*Battle Royale - Every year, one class is selected at random to be thrown on an island to fight to the death. Many will be forced to enter the island...but only one can leave. Who will it be? Is there any way to escape this one way ticket to death?

Black Lagoon. Hellsing (the original). Berserk. All dark and bloody. If you want more of a psychological thriller, go for Monster. If you want bloodshed, go for Hellsing Ultimate or Another, or Elfen Laid. If you want more mystery, look for Umineko no naku Koro ni.

Beelzebub - I didn't like this at first, but it grew on me. A delinquent is tasked with taking care of Satan's child until he's old enough to destroy the earth.

Beelzebub was made by Toriyama I think. I'd be surprised if you didn't at least like the original Dragonball anime, before all of the cliches from DBZ existed. I assume Beezlebub has some off-the-wall comedy in it, so you might be into Excel Saga and Ninja Nonsense.

*Deadman Wonderland - there's no way to describe this book in one paragraph, but suffice it to say, it's a very tragic tale. A boy is attacked in a classroom by a mysterious Red Man; all his classmates are killed, but he's left alive. He's charged with their murder, and sent to live out the rest of his life in Deadman Wonderland, a combination amusement park/detention facility.

This has an anime. Though, if you want an anime about the underdog rising to the occasion, there's Gurren Lagann (most definitely) and Evangelion (sort of). There's also Zoids. Look for the series that has a blue tiger-like robot, called a Liger.

Death Note - A small booklet that gives its holder to kill the person whose name they write inside it falls into the hands of Light, a very intelligent young man. This is a very psychological story, a battle of wits that will keep you entertained until the end.

You definitely want to look into the Death Note anime and the Code Geass anime. Also, there's a manga called Onani Master Kurosawa that parodies both.

Love Hina - the absolute classic romance harem manga, this should be a must for anyone.

Judging from their reception, I'd postulate that Tenchi Muyo and Ranma 1/2 are the absolute-must animes for harem fans. On a sillier scale, there's Tenjho Tenge (which has a kick-ass opening song and like... two good fight scenes tops).

[Mahou Otaku]

How about the movie Summer Wars? Then after that you can watch Digimon Adventures (the first one), I guess, because they have the same director or Dennou Coil which is somehow similar to Summer Wars

Summer Wars: http://myanimelist.net/anime/5681/Summer_Wars
Digimon Adventures: http://myanimelist.net/anime/552/Digimon_Adventure
Dennou Coil: http://myanimelist.net/anime/2164/Dennou_Coil

Not too sure about the Digimon, but the other two look great. Thanks!

EDIT: Hold on, checking the other thread.

Death Note, Monster, and Higurashi or Umineko. Case Closed of course.

Not quite sure what you want by pulpy action, but Black Lagoon's kind of like what a Quentin Tarantino movie would be like if it were animated, or if Cowboy Bebop took place in the modern day. Bebop itself has plenty of snazzy action sequences itself, especially the film.

As for cyberpunk, I think the most obvious is Ghost in the Shell. But there's stuff like Serial Experiments Lain and... dotHack... sort of.

Ghost in the Shell then, if you're looking for the Matrix. I can't verify it exactly, but Outlaw Star had some Taoist/Buddhist principles in it I think. If you end up liking Outlaw Star, go directly to either Cowboy Bebop or Samurai Champloo.

I don't know if there is actually. The closest pastiche to the Matrix you'll get, that I know of, is Ghost in the Shell. The anime supposedly has a different story from the manga/films so you might be in for a different experience.

Definitely out of luck there.

Nice. It's hard to believe how many of my favorite manga are anime. Didn't realize Death Note and Yu Yu Hakusho were animated. Will have to track them down somehow.

Oh, and by the way, I don't think you were quoting from my thread, don't remember posting that.

This is my thread. :)

http://forums.comicbookresources.com...nhwa-Look-here!

[Mahou Otaku]

Gah, double post. I hate when the net does that.

[Kamina]

It's hard to believe how many of my favorite manga are anime. Didn't realize Death Note and Yu Yu Hakusho were animated. Will have to track them down somehow.

I never read the Yu Yu Hakusho manga, funnily enough. I was a Toonami and Adult Swim kid, which was how I saw both animes (parts of them at least, they didn't air the latter half of Yu Yu and I wasn't able to stay up late enough to watch Death Note, though I did catch the last episode and some of Paranoia Agent).

I'd also recommend Haruhi Suzumiya for harems - whatever you do, make sure you watch the first four episodes before looking up anything else about it (no spoilers). Or if you did, look for the "Kyon order" or the non-chronological episode order. It makes the anime far more entertaining. Also, despite how it may look, WATCH THE FIRST EPISODE. I made the mistake of skipping it and not getting a feel for the characters because I thought was watching the wrong anime (my anime-searching skills weren't as honed back then and the site I used wasn't very organized).

[Mahou Otaku]

I never read the Yu Yu Hakusho manga, funnily enough. I was a Toonami and Adult Swim kid, which was how I saw both animes (parts of them at least, they didn't air the latter half of Yu Yu and I wasn't able to stay up late enough to watch Death Note, though I did catch the last episode and some of Paranoia Agent).

I'd also recommend Haruhi Suzumiya for harems - whatever you do, make sure you watch the first four episodes before looking up anything else about it (no spoilers). Or if you did, look for the "Kyon order" or the non-chronological episode order. It makes the anime far more entertaining. Also, despite how it may look, WATCH THE FIRST EPISODE. I made the mistake of skipping it and not getting a feel for the characters because I thought was watching the wrong anime (my anime-searching skills weren't as honed back then and the site I used wasn't very organized).

Nice, will add all this to my list and give it a try. Doesn't hurt to taste test a variety of things, and these look pretty good.

So what's your personal favorite anime and/or manga?

[Kamina]

Nice, will add all this to my list and give it a try. Doesn't hurt to taste test a variety of things, and these look pretty good.

So what's your personal favorite anime and/or manga?

It's hard to pick one.

Gurren Lagann actually had an impact on my life at the time I finished it. I took inspiration from it, so if a work of fiction can do something like that, it should be my favorite. It's one of the most phenomenal tales about personal triumph I know of.

Cowboy Bebop might be my favorite because of its captivating, diverse soundtrack and music references.

Then there's Serial Experiments Lain; it's far less eccentric than most other anime, the atmosphere/setting is very subdued, and it's a nice change of pace.

Fullmetal Alchemist and One Piece share a GIGANTIC ROSTER of characters, but still manage to connect them and give them their own personalities. One Piece is delightfully bizarre. There's a lot of different character designs and a setting that's often colorful and vivid.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya was special to me because I was actually looking for a reason to dislike it - I wanted to watch a stereotypical "high school" anime just to get a feel for them - but I got something else, something that didn't seem generic at all.

Excel Saga and Ninja Nonsense are also kind of my favorites due to how absurd they are.

So it's an eight-way tie for my favorite anime, excluding Monster which I'm still watching.

I don't read too many mangas because I usually see the anime first. I like Empowered, which is drawn in the manga style, but Empowered technically isn't an actual manga.

[Basara]

I have another thread devoted to manga I love, please check it out if you need an idea of what I enjoy. But to summaries, anime like Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle would be great. Other tags I enjoy are romance, harem, sci-fi and fantasy, and tragedy. I tend toward Shounen/Seinen adventure type manga, and really well-written Josei/Shoujo slice-of-life stories.

For slice of life anime, try Maison Ikkoku, Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad, and Cross Game. Miason Ikkoku is Rumiko Takahashi's masterpiece. It's a romantic comedy about a ronin whom falls in fall with the manager of his boarding house. He'll have to overcome his own failings, the meddlings of his oh too nosy neighbors, and one hell of a rival to win her affection. Beck: Mongolian Chop squad is about a young man whom befriends a talented guitarist that is starting his own band. The anime follows the growth of the band and the young man simulataneously as he first learns to play guitar and then becomes one of the main singers of the group. Finally, Cross Game is a great slice of life story that features baseball. The thing I like about the series is that it approaches baseball realistically, with the characters having to train for years to become a quality team. There is no "All I need is fighting spirit to win" aspect. It's all about the training and even then, the heroes are facing teams that have trained just as hard. I'm a big fan of baseball, so this series was great for me. There is another aspect of the series, but I don't want to spoil it for you. All I can say is watch the first episode. You'll know by the end of the first episode if you'll want to continue.

I also second vehement's suggestion of Summer Wars. I watched it 8 times and caught something I hadn't noticed before each time. Great movie.

Finally, if you want a great slice of life romantic comedy with a touch of superhuman esp powers, try Kimagure Orange Road. The main hero meets the girl of his dreams. The problems come from the fact that he and his sisters have special esp powers that they must keep hidden or else they will have to move away, and the girl's best friend whom has fallen in love with him (and is cute enough to distract him).

[Beni]

If you like Sci Fi type I recommend Evangelion (also known as Neon Genesis Evangelion)! Probably the most popular anime in Japan for a few years, we even have Eva World theme park for it in Fujikyu.

If you want romance/drama and like Japan music I would recommend to you Nana. Very heartfelt story and the music is very nice.

[Mahou Otaku]

If you like Sci Fi type I recommend Evangelion (also known as Neon Genesis Evangelion)! Probably the most popular anime in Japan for a few years, we even have Eva World theme park for it in Fujikyu.

If you want romance/drama and like Japan music I would recommend to you Nana. Very heartfelt story and the music is very nice.

Sounds good, I'll give it a try. Can't go wrong with hardcore mecha destruction.

And I suppose I would like Japanese music, the songs I've heard are cool. I'm studying Japanese now, but kanji are a headache. Different readings, different meanings when mashed together with different kanji...it's crazy.

I'm using Rosetta Stone plus Genki textbook, and a few sites. I have a plan to visit Japan. No idea where, but I really want to visit.

[Ghost]

Hm. You've got a bit of a varied taste, so I guess it depends on what you are in the mood for. But...

Right off the bat I'm going to say Black Rock Shooter. Just a gut feeling. It's hard to describe but it's basically slice of life drama intersected with lots and lots of heavily stylized and symbolic violence.

Other than that, you liked Ao no Excorcist (which has a pretty good anime as well, by the way) so I'm going to go ahead and recommend the JC Staff collecton: To Aru Majutsu no Index, To Aru Kagaku no Railgun, and Shakugan no Shana, also Toradora since you said you liked romance.

[Beni]

Sounds good, I'll give it a try. Can't go wrong with hardcore mecha destruction.

And I suppose I would like Japanese music, the songs I've heard are cool. I'm studying Japanese now, but kanji are a headache. Different readings, different meanings when mashed together with different kanji...it's crazy.

I'm using Rosetta Stone plus Genki textbook, and a few sites. I have a plan to visit Japan. No idea where, but I really want to visit.

Well Evangelion has a lot of mecha type action for sure!

About visiting Japan I think for you visiting any part would be great, except maybe Okinawa just because it is small island and separated from most of Japan. Especially for your interest in anime I would recommend Tokyo! Much to see even aside from the anime and manga district Akihabara.

Good luck in learning Nihongo!

[Ghost]

Sounds good, I'll give it a try. Can't go wrong with hardcore mecha destruction.

Speaking of which, I really want to recommend Gundam Unicorn, because it's absolutely amazing... but it's also kinda hard to follow if you haven't been a fan the UC Gundam animes since like the early 1980s. I mean, I knew the basics going in but I still have to guess what they are talking about half the time.

If one can stand that, though, it's one of the highest quality animes I've ever seen. Hour-long episodes, feature film-level animation, a fantastic soundtrack, an epic story, gorgeous mecha fights, eighties hairdos, etc.

[Mahou Otaku]

Well Evangelion has a lot of mecha type action for sure!

About visiting Japan I think for you visiting any part would be great, except maybe Okinawa just because it is small island and separated from most of Japan. Especially for your interest in anime I would recommend Tokyo! Much to see even aside from the anime and manga district Akihabara.

Good luck in learning Nihongo!

There is this one place I heard of called something like The Cat Cafe that sounded really nice.

Speaking of which, I really want to recommend Gundam Unicorn, because it's absolutely amazing... but it's also kinda hard to follow if you haven't been a fan the UC Gundam animes since like the early 1980s. I mean, I knew the basics going in but I still have to guess what they are talking about half the time.

If one can stand that, though, it's one of the highest quality animes I've ever seen. Hour-long episodes, feature film-level animation, a fantastic soundtrack, an epic story, gorgeous mecha fights, eighties hairdos, etc.

Sounds very old school. I may try it when I get time to go through it.