Anime advice

+
Anime advice

I just finished watching Steins;Gate and I loved it. It had a great story, likeable characters and a great ending. (I am a sucker for happy endings, don't judge me.)

I am not a big anime fan you see, I only watch a show if I like the setting, the story and the characters. I previously watched shows like Cowboy Bebop, One Piece (I watched many episodes, but got bored out of my mind with it, story is pointless, episodes are too short, characters doesn't develop much), Future Diary, Ghost in the Shell and a few others.

What I ask you guys is, can you tell me an anime like that? With a great story, likeable characters and so on? (Preferably one that doesn't revolve around high schoolers, little kids and mecha's)
 
You should give Fate/Zero, Psycho-Pass, Kara no Kyoukai (movie series), and maybe also Parasyte a try.

Oh, and Zankyou no Terror.
 
You should give Fate/Zero, Psycho-Pass, Kara no Kyoukai (movie series), and maybe also Parasyte a try.

Oh, and Zankyou no Terror.

Some of them looks quite interesting. I will give them a shot. Thanks.

Knights of Sidonia is our current most-enjoyed one.

Without even checking it out, it is a mecha related show isn't it?...

You bastard.. :D

I want to watch something thats not related to mecha's and school kids. Is that too much to ask?

EDIT: Just checked it it is a mecha related show... Why? Why? Why?
 
Last edited:
Without even checking it out, it is a mecha related show isn't it?...

You bastard.. :D

I want to watch something thats not related to mecha's and school kids. Is that too much to ask?

YES.

It's ANIME.

Knights of Sidonia is done by Tsutomo Nihei, of the VERY Cyberpunk manga BLAME.

They kill a lot of characters in KoS..you'd like that. And they aren't in high school.

Psycho Pass is pretty good, though.

Have you seen Appleseed yet?
 
YES.

It's ANIME.

Knights of Sidonia is done by Tsutomo Nihei, of the VERY Cyberpunk manga BLAME.

They kill a lot of characters in KoS..you'd like that. And they aren't in high school.

Psycho Pass is pretty good, though.

Have you seen Appleseed yet?

The moment I said I don't want to watch mecha related shows, you suggest one. I know it is anime, but thats just... I don't know.

I might check it out though.. Thanks for suggesting it.

I haven't watched Appleseed yet, as far as I know, it is a mecha related show as well. Why not, I will check that out as well.
 
Yeah, people might actually go ahead and suggest stuff even if it's not what you asked for. The horror. You also said "preferably", which I immediately ignored in favour of "quality".

Appleseed has powered armour and cyborgs. Mecha? That usually means giant robots to most people.

If you're going to exclude all powered armour and anything vaguely mecha, that also leaves out Ghost in the Shell.

Knights has mecha - they are basically fighter pilots in space, using mecha instead of jets. No idea why you don't want mecha at all of any kind, but hey, your loss.
 
Yeah, people might actually go ahead and suggest stuff even if it's not what you asked for. The horror. You also said "preferably", which I immediately ignored in favour of "quality".

Appleseed has powered armour and cyborgs. Mecha? That usually means giant robots to most people.

If you're going to exclude all powered armour and anything vaguely mecha, that also leaves out Ghost in the Shell.

Knights has mecha - they are basically fighter pilots in space, using mecha instead of jets. No idea why you don't want mecha at all of any kind, but hey, your loss.

Hey, its not like I hate mecha, powered armours, cyborgs and all that, I really liked Ghost in the Shell. (I love Cyberpunk, it is obvious I like them) But thats not what I am looking for right now. I am just looking for a show that grabs my interest right now. A great story.

Thats why I specifically asked for a show similar to Steins;Gate.
 
Last edited:
Planetes has been talked about in the forums before, it's usually described as Gravity if it was an anime... but it's much more than that. In my opinion it strikes a happy balance between being as realistic as life in space can be portrayed in an anime and a certain degree of anime levity and naivety. I found it quite emotional, as it has rather endearing characters and a nice adult spin on all the "follow your dreams" trope.

I also watched Mushishi for the first time quite recently. If you want an anime that does fantasy in a way that is not cliched "epic" but feels more folkloric, traditional... it's about this mushishi, a kind of shaman if you like that goes around Japan solving problems related to Mushi, which are somewhat similar to nature spirits (as much as the series would deny it)... it's kinda like Hellblazer or Hellboy if it was an anime, but with an artstyle that emphasizes lush environments over dark ones.

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood I don't know if you've watched. If you need your shonen fix... I think this is the best shonen there is. Some of the early episodes that are common with the earlier (less faithful) anime adaptation of the manga are weaker and rushed... but from then on it gets really, really good.
 
NO. Anime is not only about giant robots and high school kids.

The cyberpunk:
AKIRA ---< MUST WATCH . I am surprised that no one mentionned it yet. It has high school kids but its not about high school.
Battle angel Alita
Cyber city ODEO-88
Neo Tokyo

The REALLY all around good anime
Jinh-roh, the Wolf Brigade
Metropolis
The studio ghibli films are very very good in terms of animation. I liked "Spirited Away" a lot.
Misayaki may be a hippie but he deserves the title of Japanese Disney.
Hajime no Ippo

I'm sure there are more that I forget.
 
Again, thanks a lot guys.

I don't go out much lately, so I have too much time and too little to do, so I watched quite a few animes. And I ended up watching many of them.. Surprisingly my watched list now includes the things I didn't originally liked. (Yes Sard, it includes mecha shows as well)

For this post, I am only going to talk about the shows not recommended by anyone else on this topic. (You know, to help other people who are looking for a nice anime to watch)

So.. this is my list:

Kyoukai no Kanata (Watched the whole thing, waiting for the next season, if it ever happens) - recommended

Sword Art Online (Watched the whole thing, things got boring and annoying near the end, but it wasn't bad) - recommended

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (Watched the whole thing. It was a great show but "Endless Eight" almost killed me, it is a story arc that could be told in 3 episodes max, they could have just made a few filler episodes like other shows and it would be better than endless eight. Pretty much anything would be better than endless eight. It almost made me quit the show, but I am glad that I didn't, because the movie was really great.) - recommended

Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! (Watched the whole thing. Awesome show, really. It has both funny and serious moments. Though serious moments are rare. Waiting for a third season) - recommended

Bakemonogatari (Watched the first season, wasn't terrible and it had a nice start. Tried to watch the second season season... but suddenly they turned it into a harem-comedy-fanservice thing with a really flimsy plot. Couldn't keep watching after that. It was terrible. I am not against animes having a little fan service and all that, but they ruined the show with it. The whole thing about character development and story was gone. Everything becomes shallow, perverted and they forgot about the whole plot thing until the very last moment after the first season. I will never be able to look at toothbrushes the same way.. Avoid this show like a plague or just watch the first season and then forget about it.) - NOT RECOMMENDED!

Clannad (Watched the whole thing after a friend of mine nagged me until I watched it. Main reason why I didn't watch it was I thought it would be depressing and I really don't need that. So, I really really really didn't think I would like it at all. But it wasn't all that bad. Really didn't hate it. As I thought, it was a little depressing, but it had a nice enough ending, so it makes up for it) - recommended (if you like that sort of thing)

Noragami (Watched the whole thing. It had its moments, but couldn't say it was great and it is awfully short.) - kinda recommended, if you are bored enough.
 
For now I will give just one suggestion, will give more at a later date... maybe on Sunday, but probably on Monday... or later... when ever I get to it I guess. I actually intended to post this around the same day as you posted this thread, but I was writing so much at the time that I felt I had to step away from it, and just save the part you see below. XD Anyway... to the series...


Sadamitsu the Destroyer


This was technicly my first anime (I had seen various stuff befor, during the 90's, but mostly the kids stuff, and I never really followed anything of it). I found this one though when I was at a roleplaying/rpg/gaming convention back in 2001 or 2002. It changed things for me since I became a huge fan of Anime, and have watched a fair bit of Anime since then. At that convention a guy was showing anime series in one of the classrooms (most Swedish rpg conventions tends to take place in school buildings during various holidays). The first one I saw was this one, Sadamitsu the Destroyer, and I was instantly hooked! I also remember seeing "Oh My Goddess!", which I am sure is not what you are looking for... I personally think it was a pretty funny series though... XD

Anyway... Sadamitsu the Destroyer is basicly about a young delinquent named Sadamitsu that takes up the mantle of fighting and capturing intergalactic criminals that are crash-landing on earth. The series is 10 episodes long, so even if this is not what you are looking for, you will be done in a few hours. They do class this anime as "mecha" amongst other things (action and sci-fi), but I don't really see it as a mecha series, at most I would say it's Mecha-lite. Also... the intro song should be enough to warrent the series atleast a glance... 8) Here below is the first episode on youtube, there are subtitles available for it so make sure you have that on if you do not understand japanese (which I do not... but I would never be caught dead watching dubbed anime *shivers in disgust*... well... unless it was an Anime made in an English speaking country, that would be different then... or if there was no way at all for me to get a hold of subbed versions... so yeah... slight exaggeration there, but you get my drift). There is supposed to exist a English dubbed version though, if that is what you prefer.

 
Last edited:
Here below is the first episode on youtube, there are subtitles available for it so make sure you have that on if you do not understand japanese (which I do not... but I would never be caught dead watching dubbed anime *shivers in disgust*... well... unless it was an Anime made in an English speaking country, that would be different then... or if there was no way at all for me to get a hold of subbed versions... so yeah... slight exaggeration there, but you get my drift). There is supposed to exist a English dubbed version though, if that is what you prefer.

While I don't completely disagree with your opinion, if the dub is nearly as good as the Japanese version (or in some rare cases even better) I prefer to watch it in English. Mostly because I hate subtitles.. I really hate them.. You miss on great details while your eyes are fixed on the bottom of the screen and sometimes when the characters talk really fast, you can have a hard time reading it fast enough and miss some dialogue. (then it becomes a tedious job of pausing, reading and unpausing over and over again, I find that very annoying) Dubs that are made by funimation is the best in my opinion.. For example, I have watched Steins;Gate both subbed and dubbed and while both of them was great, I just liked dubbed version a lot better. I felt the voiced were well picked and they fit the characters more than well enough.

Some dubs are plain terrible though, they either don't sound and feel right or they are simply nightmarishly sound ridiculous. One of the worst examples are the original dubs of One Piece.. (what a piece of crap, they ruined it completely). But for example, funimation dub of One Piece is quite good compared to the original dub.. I could almost say it was as nearly as good as the original Japanese version.

Long story short, if I could understand Japanese at all, I would always go with the original, but since thats not the case, I always go with the comparison route first. If both versions exists, I watch the first episode twice, once Japanese version, then the English version, and then I decide which one works and sounds better for me.. (In some cases, Japanese voice acting may not be great, it could sound way off or just plain wrong, in that case I would always go with the one with better voice acting and then again it is me who decides which one is better.)
 
I'd recommend "Expelled From Paradise" (2014, 1hr 43 min)
It's got 5 stars on Netflix.
So, don't take my word for it . . .

Very cyberpunk themes, even if not your typical crowded-urban-sprawl-ish cyberpunk setting.
Good story with some nice twists.

SPOILER ALERT
The male lead sells the female lead's mecha to a junker not long after they meet.
. . . . just thought you might appreciate that :)

What I appreciate about "Expelled From Paradise" is that the lead characters are well aware of the world they live in, and discuss it, in a way that's not merely 2-Dimensional exposition : it gets moderately philosophical, as the lead characters convey their passions and prejudices and how they see their roles in the greater scheme of things.
 
@thewarsend

I do understand that not everybody likes subtitles. And also if your not really used to it it can be a pain for people to watch something subbed. Do not know where you are from, so I do not know how used to subtitles you are or not.

But since I am from Sweden subtitles comes very natural for me... I, like close to all Swedes, have grown up with it... since in Sweden the only thing that will be dubbed are movies, tv-series, or other such tv-programs, or videogames, that are ment for children... children as in roughtly 10 years or younger. Where as most things that would get an age-rating of 11+ will most likely not be dubbed, but will instead be subtitled (the LotR and Hobbit movies, Most Marvel movies, Harry Potter, and even all the Hunger Games movies, have an age-rating of 11 in Sweden).

Now, of course, with anime, I do sometimes have to jump back and re-read the subtitles. Though this mostly only happens when a huge amount of stuff is said in a pretty short time, combined with that who ever subbed the episodes did not let each line stay up long enough for the viewer to read. But I much rather have to do that, then watch things dubbed. Since most anime I have seen dubbed where aweful, or just not as good as the original language ones. As of rignt now I have prefered the original language versions of every single Anime I have seen dubbed up till this point.

One of the many reasons as to why that has been, is because I feel that the original language conveys the emotions and "intent" of the lines so much better then the dubbed ones do. Where it sounds "authentic" and "real" in Japanese... it sounds fake, cheap, and "made up" in English (or in other languages).

And it does not stop at Anime here for me... it's the same with everything else... be it old Hong Kong action and martial arts movies (which is a genre I do love) that where dubbed, or seeing Knight Rider dubbed into German, or heck even seeing some Indian tv-show (as I was waiting for my pizza some weeks ago) dubbed over with Arabic... it just does not work for me. It looks... and sounds... wrong. Something is off for me with those things.

The only places where I have seen/heard dubbing "work" for me, is in many of the big childrens movies that have been dubbed to Swedish over the decades. Things like the big Disney movies, Pixar, etc. Because in them they basicly dump a load of money into it... by finding the best and most suited Swedish actors/voice-actors we have to voice each of the roles. Close to everything else outside of that sounds and looks cheap and bad to me. But even here I do prefer to watch these things in their original language.
 
Last edited:
@Calistarius

As my friends would know, I am from a country where nothing other than movies are dubbed. Other than movies, any subtitles for games, animes or tv shows for my original language would be either fan made (or you could call it community made) or non-existent. Over the internet, I don't use my countries language over the internet all that much. I am at a point where even my thoughts are in English.. It is creepy. I do not know how did I learned English to begin with, but it served me well over the years.. (Though I wouldn't call my accent "great". It has been a long time since I had the opportunity to speak with anyone) So I am accustomed with subtitles, before I learned English, I used them a lot.. Unless it is dubbed properly, I usually hate dubbed movies, I really do, but I hate subbed ones just as much.


Sard, I started watching Darker than black a while ago and.... I don't know.... It is not bad but... I feel something is missing... I can't tell...
 
Yeah, it's...hm. It's good, but you have to be in the right mood. Some of it is dumb.

Gantz is..interesting.

http://myanimelist.net/anime/384/Gantz

The soap opera high-school shit bores hell out of me, so that lets me out of a LOT of anime and manga.

Akira, as Poet says, is pretty great.
 
Top Bottom