Any anime series that you've been enjoying?

[Anarchy965]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maxvla /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you liked Mecha but moved on to those genres a good crossover show imo would be Last Exile. Has no mechs, but the ships and vanships are mechanical and the story is superb. Highly recommend it.

Wow, I watched Last Exile on this recommendation, and I was blown away! Beautiful animation and a somewhat heartwarming story in an almost steampunk setting. I loved all the different ships and vanships as well as the dogfights and I certainly became attached to the crew of the "Kill-Em-All" Silvana as well as the ship itself.

I have no idea how this anime slipped by my radar until now! I had heard the name of it, but for some reason knew nothing about it. I would recommend this series to just about anyone, though. It's hard to think of animes to compare to this series, but I suppose it's somewhat similar in premise to Outlaw Star (except that they're of course not in space in Last Exile) which is another series I'd be quick to recommend to anyone who hasn't seen it.

Another anime I watched recently was Haibane Renmei. I might do a short write-up on it later, but I have work to do so for now I'll just say that this was a particularly moving series with a very original plot. I definitely recommend it.

 

[Maxvla]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anarchy965 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wow, I watched Last Exile on this recommendation, and I was blown away! Beautiful animation and a somewhat heartwarming story in an almost steampunk setting. I loved all the different ships and vanships as well as the dogfights and I certainly became attached to the crew of the "Kill-Em-All" Silvana as well as the ship itself. I have no idea how this anime slipped by my radar until now! I had heard the name of it, but for some reason knew nothing about it. I would recommend this series to just about anyone, though. It's hard to think of animes to compare to this series, but I suppose it's somewhat similar in premise to Outlaw Star (except that they're of course not in space in Last Exile) which is another series I'd be quick to recommend to anyone who hasn't seen it.

Glad you liked it. It's one of my favorite animes. Probably not top 5 but close.

 

[Maxvla]

Quote:

Originally Posted by appophylite /img/forum/go_quote.gif It did move a bit slowly, but personally, I felt the ending was worth it.

Yeah right now SG-1 is winning my viewing time when new anime season releases have all been watched.

4 episodes into 2nd season of SG-1. Pretty decent so far.

I'll get back to Paranoia Agent soon, I hope.

 

[Meta-Fi]

Any fans of Denno Coil in here?
I just started watching it,(up to episode 4 now) and I have to say i find it quite enjoyable.
Besides the futuristic setting i couldn't help but feel a reminiscence of Hayao Miyazaki present in it.

 

[Maxvla]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meta-Fi /img/forum/go_quote.gif Any fans of Denno Coil in here? I just started watching it,(up to episode 4 now) and I have to say i find it quite enjoyable. Besides the futuristic setting i couldn't help but feel a reminiscence of Hayao Miyazaki present in it.

Only watched the first 2 eps. Didn't grab me.

 

[Meta-Fi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maxvla /img/forum/go_quote.gif Glad you liked it. It's one of my favorite animes. Probably not top 5 but close.

Last Exile was great but the ending was pretty lackluster imo.

 

[Maxvla]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meta-Fi /img/forum/go_quote.gif Last Exile was great but the ending was pretty lackluster imo.

Yep, that's why it's not in my top 5.

 

[appophylite]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meta-Fi /img/forum/go_quote.gif Last Exile was great but the ending was pretty lackluster imo.

I concur on that. It started very well and gained momentum along the way, but seemed to fizzle in the last 3 episodes or so. I especially felt let down by the last encounter between Claus and Dio as I was expecting much more.

 

[Maxvla]

When I run dry of anime to watch I usually use this tool to find something decent.

This is just a guide, there are some fairly ugh.. animes on there, but the majority are worth watching. I'm not going to judge the rankings, it's better just to use it for what it is: A sifting tool showing the animes that are ok.

AnimeNfo.Com

Enjoy

 

[appophylite]

Seeing as most of the subbers are moving slowly with the series that I want to get (I don't like to do things piece-meal: I usually pick up a series when subbing is done for all the episodes), I am digging through older series that I have missed, and over the last weekend, I finished 2 more.

First up is Angelic Layer. Clamp surprised me with Card Captor Sakura. I knew that CCS was a popular anime going in, but I wasn't expecting it to resonate with me quite as much as it did. In any case, I enjoyed CCS far more than I enjoyed Chobits which I had watched a year or so before. Since I liked both shows, I was expecting good things from Angelic Layer and I wasn't disappointed. Once I got over the initial premise which was basically girls-playing-with-dolls, the series moved along very well and was downright enjoyable for the entire ride. Any Clamp fans here have probably already watched this, but I'd definitely recommend at least trying it out to anyone who has heard of the anime and has been on the fence about it. 4-4.5/5

Second was Aim For The Top!-Gunbuster. Being something of a Gainax fanboy, I have been slowly but steadily trying to make my way through their entire catalog of works. This one came up on Sunday and was finished by Sunday. Gainax never really fails to surprise/entertain me, but this series downright came out of the blue. I have gotten use to studios putting out exceptional stories with good development and depth in only 13 episodes, but I was amazed by how much Gainax was able to do with half of that-6 episodes! Not to mention the massive scale of time that they work with in the course of those 6 episodes. I had read about this in the reviews and I was expecting that I would be slightly let down by all of this, but never once did I feel let down or rushed. It just worked, and I definitely suggest that others who haven't try it out. Those who are not fans of Mecha will probably not care less about this though. 4.5-5/5

 

[solessthanthree]

Just noticed this thread and haven't really looked through it so I'm sure most of these have already been posted, but I'm a pretty big anime fan and these have all been memorable in my mind in some way:

Last Exile: I just noticed this on the top of the current page. It's a scifi series done very well. There's drama, action, a good story, everything that you'd want in this kind of a series. It's one of those animes that really reach out to you. As a side note, I loved the intro and outro/credits for this series, if you haven't seen them, check them out on youtube :] The soundtracks are very nice too.

Mushishi: Definitely up in my favorites. It probably won't make much sense to you if you read the description off a site, but i guarantee you, you're foregoing something amazing if you decide not to check this out. It really stands out to me because it's so very different than what you're used to seeing in anime. I guess this would be listed under scifi/fantasy but it's sort of hard to place.

BACCANO!: Really clever in my opinion. Check out the intro on youtube, its awesome, trust me :]! It has like thirty something characters or something, something ridiculous, but it's a story about how all their stories culminate on a train. It's got a bit of action, a bit of fantasy, drama-- come to think about it, it's got pretty much everything. Highly recommended for a quick fun watch if nothing else. The first couple episodes are a bit slow, but with such a large cast, you have to start somehow. :]

Byousoku 5 cm: I'm sure this has been posted here somewhere, but overall beautiful story for those that like anime about growing up and letting go. Oh yeah, it's a movie from Shinkai Makoto, the same creator of Hoshi no Koe and Kumo no Muko, Yakusoku no Basho, and She and her Cat, all amazing works with their own merits and all of which are visually stunning. Note: This might not be one for people who're not into drama.

Ergo Proxy: I stayed up from like 2am to like noon watching this straight. I don't know what it is about this but it was... interesting? There was a bit of action and a lot of suspense. Stands out as a Scifi title for me. If I were to describe it, it's sort of like The Matrix meets Faranheit 451 meets Anthem in a post apocalyptic wasteland. Check it out :]

Jungle wa itsumo Hare nochi Guu/Guu Deluxe: I think this is a kid's show but it's hilarious none the less. It's kind of like an Excel Saga with children. One of my favorite comedies.

Azumanga Daioh: An anime made from a comic by Kiyohiko Azuma, it's cute and it's funny. One of my first animes and will always hold a place in my mind as one of my favorites. If you haven't seen it, watch a few episodes and see if you get hooked :]

Kanon 2006: My favorite love/romance anime thus-far. The first arc (I think it was ep1-10) was one of the most well made sequences I've ever seen in a this type of genre. The 2006 version is a remake of the original (definitely not as good imho) series, which was created from a dating sim game. (Set of three animes, check out Air and Clannad if you find yourself enjoying this one)

GTO: Watch it if you're a guy;D A classic.

I'm sure there are countless others I've left out, but I just wanted to post a few from an array of different genres. They aren't really in any specific order, just stuff that came to my head. If you want to discuss, feel free to pm me .'D

Edit: Going to add Black Lagoon to the list. Noticed my list lacked action and this one of the only good action animes that I have seen recently. It's about a delivery company named Lagoon Co. and their new recruit. The story begins in the southeast Asian seas in the town of Roanapur... I don't really want to ruin anything by saying too much, but it's about their business clients, the local mafia, crime syndicates, etc. Really good watch if you've been looking high and low for a good action anime.

 

[bjarnetv]

finished a lot of stuff, so here´s a quick wrapup:

outlaw star:
hated everything about it; design, music, characters, story, humor, all of it was awfull!
0 out of 5

full metal panic:
i did watch this some years ago, and enjoyed it, so i decided to watch it again.
it was quite a shock to realize how bad my brain must have been working back then, because the pacing, timing, acting and overall quality was, to put it mildly, a mess.
saved by the occasional glimpses of storeyboarding and budged.
2,5 out of 5

FMP fumoffu:everything about it is awsome; except for the bonta episodes, but i can forgive those

5 out of 5

galactic drifter vifam 1-36(rest hasnt been subbed yet):
this series took me by surprise; really a hidden gem for any gundam 0079/votoms/macross fans.
actually, i think i like it better than all the above; i almost like it as much as i like LOGH!
really goes to show how a well written story, good characters and first rate storyboarding is more important than slick animation

5 out of 5

heroic age:
typical xebec; nothing exeptional, but quite entertaining if you like space operas (i do!)
4 out of 5

crest of the stars:
a must see if your a space-opera junkie.
the only negative thing i can say is that i´m not to fond of the character design of the two main characters (everyone else looks fine, strangely enough)
includes awsome themepark episode!
5 out of 5

banner of the stars
follow up to crest, and just as good, only moar action!

5 out of 5

banner of the stars 2
not quite as good as the two other "stars"
4 out of 5

banner of the stars 3 (OVA)
no sir, i dont like it.
3 out of 5

Kidou Senkan Nadesico
started out great, but lost its way halfway through, ending in mediocracy.
(the movie sucked)
3,5 out of 5

cowboy beebop
mostly good, but a couple of weak episodes, and some uninteresting characters (faye and jet).
great animation and awsome mechanical design.
4,5 out of 5

i know i am forgetting something, but this should be enough for now.
next up on my watch list is:

FMP-the second raid
Astro Fighter Sunred
macross tv (only seen the robotech mashup)
meine liebe (must... watch... everything that includes noblemen)

 

[Fitz]

Haven't watched too much new stuff lately...

Angelic Layer: I generally hated this one for the first half of it, being a very formulaic thinly veiled sports series. However later in the series it began to figure out where it wanted to go, and the character development and story began to improve greatly. Everything that happened could be seen coming from a mile away, but it was a nice "warm-fuzzy" story in the end.

Coyote Ragtime Show: This show completely fails when it comes to any attempt at a story, but as an action show only it's a great ride. I mean, what isn't awesome about a show with twelve gothic lolita android assassins? The show starts taking itself too seriously in the last few episodes though, and the action you do get at that point is plagued by major continuity issues.

 

[appophylite]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bjarnetv /img/forum/go_quote.gif finished a lot of stuff, so here´s a quick wrapup: outlaw star: hated everything about it; design, music, characters, story, humor, all of it was awfull! 0 out of 5

Ooh, that's a bummer; I rather liked that one. It felt like a solid series IMO.

Crest/Banner Of The Stars are on my list if I can find good sites w/out torrent for them (I prefer to deal with direct download).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fitz /img/forum/go_quote.gif Haven't watched too much new stuff lately... Angelic Layer: I generally hated this one for the first half of it, being a very formulaic thinly veiled sports series. However later in the series it began to figure out where it wanted to go, and the character development and story began to improve greatly. Everything that happened could be seen coming from a mile away, but it was a nice "warm-fuzzy" story in the end.

Exactly how I felt. I just knew it was following the Shonen Jump pattern with the Angel battles, but the story found itself along the way and managed to be something a bit more than just that.

Currently, the anime next in my rotation is Macross Frontier. Only 6 episodes in, so I'm not sure what to think about it just yet, but I love any excuse to see a Valkyrie and Itano Circus, so I can't complain yet. Macross Zero felt a bit weak in the ending, so I'm hoping this one doesn't drop the same way, but, we'll see...

 

[Meta-Fi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by appophylite /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ooh, that's a bummer; I rather liked that one. It felt like a solid series IMO.

I'm a biased fan of the show I guess you could say because I liked it a lot when i was younger.
Haven't seen it recently but I doubt I would rate it anywhere near a ZERO..
Sure it's a bit sophomoric at times but it's definitely better then most of the shows I've watched recently.
I'll also add on that I can't imagine cowboy bebop getting a 4.5 out of 10 and Fumoffu scoring a perfect 5.
It boggles the mind :S
Of course direct comparisons of such drastically varying genre is pretty foolish but If we're strictly speaking of which performed best in its given genre Bebop would definitely be awarded a perfect score in my book, While Fumoffu would probably score highly but not perfect.
It's a funny show and a worthy spin-off in every respect but I found some of the humor repetitious and I agree that I could have done without the bonta-kun Episodes.