best anime out there, that you would recommend to someone!

[Qlip]

From that list I see you like to see two complete opposites at work against each other, so you might like Gungrave. This anime offers a pretty good plot. A little tough to get into though.

Also, have you checked out Claymore? It's pretty much in a class of its own.

Same goes for Casshern Sins, also uncomparable to other anime, beautiful anime, no childish crap in it, lots of heavy subjects. But not for everyone and has a bit of a slow pace (which imo makes it that much better, but you might disagree.).

Gantz might be right up your alley if they didn't completely fuck up the anime after episode 15 or 16 or so. But because the anime ending sucks I don't really recommend it.

[MENTION=10714]Qlip[/MENTION] suggested juuni kokuki (12 kingdoms) but I don't think that's much for you. It's very hard to get through the first 5 or so episodes as the protagonist is downright unlikable for the first part of the anime, has some weird shit in it that wasn't neccesary at times and there's this arc in the middle of the anime of like 10 episodes long that's pretty bad, has an open ending and just serves as some background story. Still, the main story I quite liked myself nonetheless, but I'm not as picky as you are probably.

I usually give a warning to give it a few episodes before it gets going.. slipped my mind. It's worth it when it gets going.

 

[Nicodemus]

I thank you for your suggestions, gentlemen.

 

[5231311252]

I don't have a numero uno, but a new one I recently came across called Speed Grapher is pretty fuckin' gnarly.

 

[mavericknm]

A while ago I spent 4 months learning about what this anime stuff what all about. This is what I found.

For TV anime, I'd probably recommend Cowboy bebop with FCLC as a close second. Those are the only two anime's ever that I haven't found a flaw in and that I think show what the medium is capable of.
Evangelion gets a third if I think the person can put up with all the crazy and shitty animation.

There are many more options for film anime.

I'd also like recommendations too. The following personal rules apply to anime(TV) series.
1. Doesn't feel like a cash cow. Usually this means less than 26 episodes but I'm open to longer as well have seen this rule fail.
2. Good characters. This is ultimately what I watch anime for. Any character introduced needs to have a relatively strong plot arc and sufficiently deep development. Characters should not be added all of a sudden to increase the longevity of the show.
3. A plot that doesn't become ridiculous. No introducing a sudden arc or Mac Guffin at the end of a season. Slice of life also fails by default.

Also generally I avoid the Samurai/warrior genre but I'm willing to try.

I have watched the following imperfect animes in no particular order (I'm probably missing a couple). I've included ratings based on my rules above. +1 for example means it didn't feel like a cash cow. -3 would mean the plot started getting dumb.=2 would mean there was really great character development despite a late introduction.

+1+2+3 Evangelion
-1=2+3 Deathnote
+1+2+3 air
+1+2-3 Guren Lagann
+1+2-3 Clannad
-1-2-3 Clannad After Story
-1-2=3 Code Geass I & II
+1+2+3 Cowboy Bebop
+1+2-3 Mushishi
+1+2-3 Honey and Clover I & II
-1-2-3 Gundam Seed
+1+2=3 Kanon
+1+2=3 ef: A tale of memories
-1-2-3 Ouran High School Host Club
+1+2-3 Ergo Proxy
+1+2+3 FCLC
+1=2+3 Elfen Lied
+1+2-3 Haruhi Suzumiya
+1+2=3 Higurashi
+1+2-3 Rumbling Hearts/Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien
+1-2-3 Kino's Journey
+1=2-3 Fruits Basket
+1+2-3 Bakemonogatari

Oh and I watched my fair share or Pokemon, Gundam Wing and dragonball crap as a child. I can't believe I wasted my adult life on gundam seed.

Anyway I'd love to get some recommendations. Someone has mentioned Blood+ but at 50+ episodes I'm a bit weary.

 

[The Outsider]

I'd still love to meet someone who had FLCL as their VERY first anime experience.

Hello.

It was recommended to me on Ventrilo.

 

[kyuuei]

^ :3 and the results? Is it all crazy nonsense, or was it great?!

 

[The Outsider]

Some aspects of it were off-putting to me, but I liked it.

 

[MacGuffin]

Æon Flux

 

[CzeCze]

Basara!!!!! --> All time number one! It is teh awesome. Though you will have to switch to manga after the 27 or so episodes that were made.

GLASS MASK!! --> The newer one, not the old school 80s one though that could be good too

Boys over Flowers (Hana Yori Dango) --> Massive hit in Asia has been turned into 'live action' dramas in at least 3 different countries

Shadow Skill

Escaflowne

XXXholic (watch on Hulu I think)

Monster (Hulu)

Please Save My Earth - but the OVAs are super short, you'll have to switch to the manga

First two titles might not be licensed or available in stores in the US. I used to be a big anime nerd and was a frequenter of fan subs and even got into a sekret fansubbing club for hard to get shoujo copies.

BTW - I realize you are a guy (?) looking more for shonen titles. In which case

http://www.hulu.com/shigurui-death-frenzy?c=Animation-and-Cartoons/Anime

That series is SO violent and adult but I think it fits the bill for what you want. I was surprised I was so hooked and I typically do not like graphic gratuitous violence. However, the *character development* which you state an the drama/storyline and also the animation were topnotch.

You'll also have to switch to manga on this one.

Good luck.

 

[NegativeZero]

For the westerner that is skeptical of the quality of anime, there's no debate: Cowboy Bebop.

 

[Sunny Ghost]

Akira and Memories are by far my two favorites.

 

[Elfboy]

the title is implying that the best anime out there and the one I would recommend to someone are the same
best anime ever: Rurouni Kenshin

what I would recommend to someone? that's circumstantial. for instance, I would not recommend Ouran Host Club to my football friends, I would however recommend it to a high school girl who lusted after pretty boys. the jock on the other hand I would start out with something they could relate to better like Big Windup

 

[Beargryllz]

Death Note
G Gundam

 

[ultimawepun]

The hottest thing right now in the anime world is Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Despite how it looks and sounds (Magical Girl), it has "dark" themes in it. Many even consider it the "Next Evangelion".

It's not a bad starter anime in my opinion, and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone. It's also only 12 episodes long.


My personal favorites on the other hand:

Suzumiya Haruhi Series: A series that tries to be everything, and does it surprisingly well. What I think has the one of the most entertaining use of Time Travel in an anime/manga/light novel, and it's not even its main theme. Endless Eight in the anime is still a disaster though. The original source, its light novels, are very well written and are a great read.

Nodame Cantabile: If you like Orchestral Music; Josei. Very relaxing.

Katanagatari: The better of the two Nisio Isin anime-adapted works IMO, the other being Bakemonogatari. Not really my favorite but still recommended. It is filled with dialogue, as expected from the author, and it may drag a bit if you try to finish it in one go; That said, I advise taking it slow, as it was originally a monthly airing series. Great action and great ending. Expect feeling a bit melancholic after finishing it.

And if you want to try something "new", I recommend Tatami Galaxy. It has somewhat daunting art-direction and is filled with FAST paced dialogue, but has great use of time looping element. Most notably, it has the most satisfying conclusion I've seen in an anime.

I also made a thread at INTJforum for anime recommendations. If you're interested, check it out. http://intjforum.com/showthread.php?t=54798

 

[Riva]

Hello!

I wish that someone give me anime recommendations based on the following rating of series I have already seen (top to bottom = good to bad). It is not necessary to name 'Ergo Proxy' since I am already watching it.

Finished:

- Code Geass
- Death Note
- Shigurui: Death Frenzy
- Darker Than Black
- Neon Genesis Evangelion
- Baccano!
- Eden of the East
- Full Metal Alchemist
- Black Butler

Canceled:

- Samurai Champloo
- Elfen Lied
- Dragon Ball Z
- Wolf's Rain
- Bleach
- Naruto
- Gurren Lagann

Thank you.

I am surprised to find out that you enjoy animes.

I loved code geass (also the music which is worth dying for), death note and samurai champloo from your list.

Sc will grow on you even the theme song. I started watching it because the director is the same director who made cowboy bebop.

The best thing about both those serieses were the lack of overwhelming emotional agony and display shown in most animes. I wonder whether over the top emotional outburts is a japanese cultural aspect or whether it is romantasized because it is evident in almost all animes.

Bebop and champloo have western themes to them (though champloo was based entirely on japan) whichnis probably why it lacks the overwhelming aspects i mentioned above.

Also the main characters of both the serieses are stps (spike an istp and mugen an estp) which is probably why they lacked such EMO emotional displays.

Anyway one reason why animes are so likable is because of their immense character development, so i wwouldn't blame them for the emoness.

I've also noticed that a majority of anime characters are intjs and enfps. However the most popular anime characters in the west are stps (spike, Lupin).

 

[LadyLazarus]

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann and Kill la Kill.
They're both around 27 episodes and both super ridiculous.

 

[Nicodemus]

I stopped watching Cowboy Bebop after a few episodes as well. Nothing in it interested me.

 

[TreeBob]

Last Exile is really good.

 

[animenagai]

I've been absolutely hooked on Attack on Titan. It's a very western-friendly anime, without some of the more cringe-worthy BS that you see in some productions (no, I'm not white lol).

 

[PancakeMix]

If you guys haven't watched any yet, I would highly recommend Studio Ghibli movies. The best movies in my opinion are Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, and Princess Mononoke. There's also Grave of the Fireflies which is darker than the rest of the films, and it focuses on the experiences of 2 children during WWII in Japan.

Other recommendations:

• Kara No Kyoukai
• Psycho-Pass
• Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica (Mind you, it's a deconstruction of the magical girl genre)
• Kill La Kill (If you enjoy over the top action scenes and the lewd sense of humour)
• Wolf Children
• Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
• Soul Eater (I haven't watched it yet but it has very good reviews)
• Ghost Stories (Mainly because the English dub is VERY funny since the voice actors were allowed to do whatever they wanted to say with their characters)
• Shiki