Anime / Japanese series

[GekkoP]

To avoid a mess in the movies and tv series topics, I decided to create a different topic for Japanese animation.

Usually animation is believed to be targeted at kids and young people in general. Japanese animation is a different beast altogether. For starters, no silly ponies here.

Enough said.

Let's start with my favorite anime films:

01 Dead Leaves
Nothing comes close to this one. My guilty pleasure, an anime usually hated for its sick pace and furious images. I love it beyond reasonable pleasure, especially because everyone I saw it with hated it and insulted me at the end of the screening. Imaishi Hiroyuki is a wild genius.

02 Paprika
This is something Western animation will never be able to grasp. Satoshi Kon never failed, just pick everything he did and be happy.

03 Redline
Crazy science-fiction, racing madness from another animator dear to me: Koike Takeshi.

As for the series:

01 Cowboy Bebop
I don't think there will ever be a Japanese series I can love more.

02 Neon Genesis Evangelion
So much in this one. I'm not into the movies that followed, but this series is powerful in so many levels.

03 Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt
Imaishi Hiroyuki, again.

[rhowaldt]

^ i just know that last one, but that is because i only watch anime for the plot ;)

did see Akira a long time ago, and remembered it as being awesome as fuck. mad mutating dude and shit, wonderful :D

[GekkoP]

Akira is number 4 in the first list. ;)

[kexolino]

Hopefully Slartie-senpai will chime in too, he has quite a list :)

Cowboy Bebop is awesome, loved it, but especially the movie. Here are some screencaps from it: http://imgur.com/a/9fDii#0
Drool worthy.

The studio Ghibli movies are awesome in general. Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke and My Neighbor Totoro are all on the must watch list IMO.

[GekkoP]

^ Oh yes, Studio Ghibli rarely failed. I especially love Porco Rosso.

[simgin]

Big Ghibli fan too, my favourite is a fucking sad one, but its fantastic, not many have seen it.
"Grave of the Fireflies" Info here: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grave_of_the_Fireflies

Serious anti war film, and a must see.

cheers
simon

[slartie]

Absolute Duo - アブソリュート・デュオ
Attack on Titan - 進撃の巨人
Bleach - ブリーチ
Code Geass - コードギアス
Cowboy Bebop - カウボーイビバップ
Deathnote - デスノート
Dragonball, Dragonball GT, Dragonball Z - ドラゴンボール
Fairy Tail - フェアリーテイル
Full Metal Alchemist, Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood - 鋼の錬金術師
Hellsing - ヘルシング
Highschool DxD - ハイスクールD×D
Hunter x Hunter - ハンターハンタ
Naruto, Naruto Shipuden - ナルト
Neon Genesis Evangelion - 新世紀エヴァンゲリオン
One Piece - ワンピース
Sword Art Online - ソードアート・オンライン

That's just what comes to me right off the bat. There's a much bigger list of series and stand-alones I could add, but then I'd be making a ridiculously long post.

If you've seen any amount of anime, you will recognize at least 2 of the ones mentioned above. Dragonball and Naruto often get ridiculed as "kiddie shows", but if you take the time to actually watch them, you will notice they deal with some pretty heavy topics: growing up, growing apart, dealing with others expectations of you, facing your fears, dealing with grief, love, not feeling loved, and a whole bunch more. While I haven't watched any of the Pokemon series, I suspect they've dealt with some of the same topics.

That's what I like about anime. It's not a Disney picture. While Disney does deal with some of these things, it's usually tied up with a pretty bow. In anime you get the cold hard truth served on a platter. Sure some of the shows take the Disney feel-good approach, but that's far from the norm in my experience.

Some of the shows mentioned above straddle the Ecchi fence. Absolute Duo and Highschool DxD are examples of that. You have been warned :)

Edit: It should be noted, that almost all shows aimed towards teenagers will have the whole "do your best/be the best you can be" trope plastered all over the plotline. This can become a bit _much_ for some. It's a part of the japanese culture to always strive for excellence.

[GekkoP]

Great list, slartie.

I'll add another beaufiful series: Canaan.

[gutterslob]

Mushishi - imho, peerless.
Samurai Champloo - Probably not as fondly remembered as Cowboy Bebob, but it had a more diverse palette, soundtrack wise
Kemonozume - Just watch it.

[GekkoP]

Finally found the time to watch Kill La Kill (from Imaishi's Trigger studio). Love it.

[Dr_Chroot]

One of my favorite genres at this time, yet I paradoxically have very little time to spare watching it :/ This thread has been incredibly helpful in honing my "next to watch" list!:D

Usagi Drop was one of my favorites and perhaps the most heart-warming I have watched yet. While at first I wasn't quite captivated, the plotline drew me in and I grew to enjoy it. The soundtrack also has to be one of my favorites so far, although it could perhaps be put in an entirely different genre than, say, Initial D :) YouTube playlist

Log Horizon has the characters that I most empathized with (especially Shiroe) and was perhaps the most "riveting". Due to a bug in a new expansion pack, a group of "Elder Tale" players are locked in the game, left to fend for themselves with their in-game avatars. A socially-awkward gamer (Shiroe) teams up with his friends Naotsugu and Akatsuki-chan to face the world that has become their reality. Also a fantastic soundtrack! (Who am I kidding, anime is like a audiophile paradise.) Main theme

[gutterslob]

02 Paprika
This is something Western animation will never be able to grasp. Satoshi Kon never failed, just pick everything he did and be happy.

R.I.P Satoshi Kon. Personally I think Millennium Actress is still his best work.

Finally found the time to watch Kill La Kill (from Imaishi's Trigger studio). Love it.

I dropped that after about 3 eps or so. Gurren Lagaan (mostly same staff, though different studio at the time) is way better.

[GekkoP]

^ Yep, watched Gurren Lagaan.
Liked it, but not as much as its fans do. ;)

[GekkoP]

Finally watched 009 Re: Cyborg.
I'm not an expert of the original manga, but this has some pretty interesting animation. Concept didn't get me that much. I mean, I couldn't find anything really different from, say, Ghost In The Shell in here. But I like it.

[ChefIronBelly]

I have always had a interest but don't know where to start. I have seen some of the artwork and anime but would really like to follow the mythology.

Which series would you recommend as a introduction ?

[GekkoP]

^ I'm not a real expert here.
Despite what I wrote in the opening post, I would NOT recommend Dead Leaves nor Panty & Stockings as a first approach to Japanese animation. Mainly because they are pretty unique, fast-paced and totally crazy.

I'd go with Neon Genesis Evangelion or Cowboy Bebop, both sci-fi, both awesome. Canaan is a good action-thriller.
If you want a movie, instead, go with some Studio Ghibli work: My Neighbor Totoro, Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away... Plenty of good works to start with.

[Dr_Chroot]

This is probably some sort of egregious sin, but I haven't watched My Neighbor Totoro before. Since I am stranded in Southern Georgia with vehicle problems, I might as well give it a watch :) On a side note, chef, I have found Crunchyroll to be a great place for free streaming. Naruto, Attack on Titan, and Log Horizon in particular are available.

[kexolino]

@chef: I'd choose one from Slartie's list, or a Studio Ghibli movie. As a side note, if you decide to watch Dragon Ball, be sure to go with the original series before watching Dragon Ball Z. I'd also go with Japanese audio with subs over English dub, cause personally I think the dub for DB sucks ass.

[slartie]

@chef - Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood, I'd say. The English dub is great, but if you can deal with subtitling, you can check the series out right on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/user/FMABrotherhood/videos

[ChefIronBelly]

Thanks everybody