New to Anime & Manga? Just looking for some recommendations? Search no further!

CDH · 25-11-2010 1:51am

Hotaru wrote: »

If I had to watch one of these, which would people advise?

1. Umineko no Naku Koro ni

OR

2. Code Geass

Choices, choices, choices!

I haven't seen the other one, but I would recommend Code Geass. Its pretty over the top but it also gets quite intense at times.

Cy_Revenant · 25-11-2010 12:54pm

Hotaru wrote: »

If I had to watch one of these, which would people advise?

1. Umineko no Naku Koro ni

OR

2. Code Geass

Choices, choices, choices!

First season of Code Geass is fantastic. Highly recommended. Second season is a bit rubbish but people liked it.

I've no idea what the other show you're asking about is. Does it have an English name?

Konata · 25-11-2010 4:57pm

Umineko no Naku Koro ni BOOM!

cherryghost · 25-11-2010 5:08pm

Ach. Code Geass is better.

Cy_Revenant · 27-11-2010 8:04pm

Hotaru wrote: »

Umineko no Naku Koro ni BOOM!

Art looks good, but it's based on a visual novel. Usually a black mark.

Burkie.EXE · 28-11-2010 4:50pm

Umineko is without a doubt the best thing I've ever read. It's like the Higurashi VN, all mystery, no eroge. Much prefer it to Higurashi though. The anime adaptation really doesn't do it justice, leaves out some crucial parts of the plot and there's next to no characterization for a lot of the characters (which is understandable, you can't develop 30-something characters fully in a 20-something episode anime). Manga seems pretty faithful from what I've read though.

If you haven't seen Higurashi, I'd watch that. If you have, the full first arc of Umineko is free to download as a kind of demo for the series. Download's at the translation team's site- Here

Numina · 06-12-2010 4:40am

I'd like to see what people come up with for this.

So I'm at a crossroads between series', I want something comedic and easy going, whether it's an overall dark series doesn't bother me. Series that I'd like to see something along the lines of are Niea_7, Lucky Star, Haruhi, Eve no Jikan. Y'know stuff like that. Not concerned about what time period it's set in or anything like that. No harem or and mostly no romance unless you think you can provide an exceptional exception. Sort of leaning toward something set in modern times, but it's no bother if it's not.

Shoot.

Edit: Oh, no K-On! or Angel Beat please, I don't like highschool girl band stuff. Yeah, I said it.

Funky · 06-12-2010 5:02am

Hmmm I'm gonna recommend Tatami Galaxy. One of the best recent series I've seen in a while. It's pretty funny for the most part if a little hard to follow just from the speed of the talking/subtitles in it. I dunno if it'd be the same for you but I found it got a little drawn out toward the middle of the series but watching it to the end is definitely worth it.

Duffy the Vampire Slayer · 07-01-2011 2:59am

I watched Akira and Grave of the Fireflies recently both of which I quite liked.... Any recommendations based on these?

melekalikimaka · 17-01-2011 1:52am

watched the guts of ghibli, 5dm per sec, girl who leapt,voices of a distant,vexille,tried getting into highschool of the dead...was a bit too rack attack for me just finishing nge and death note is lined up with ef a tale of memories. i had only ever seen spirited away before xmas... too much free time. i'd recommend all bar, highschool of the dead

Nisk · 13-02-2011 8:59pm

So I've been running thin on things to watch, I've watched a ton of anime and read just as much manga - enough to be highly critical and equally skeptical and cynic about checking out new series, there are so few which are good/non-repetitive. It must have good animation by default, but with me it's also all about the story and the ending.

Here's a small list of the ones I've seen and somewhat liked:
NGE (anime started the obsession, manga keeps it alive)
Death Note (it was good)
Code Geass (this had the best ending so far - made up for all the parts I hated)
bleach (epic themes and moments....but man it just drags on and on, no ending in sight, again.)
naruto (again, the ending could be good - if it's dark and bloody, hopefully I will get to witness it in my lifetime...yeah that's a form of criticism)
Requiem For A Phantom (that was just really good)
5cm Per Second (a really fine anime, perfect even)
Black Lagoon (I loved how it slipped in some really heavy themes)
Tsukihime (this one was a bit too mild, but decent enough)
Claymore (anime only - it had a decent enough ending, manga got lame quickly)
The Sky Crawlers (really, really good)*EDIT*

This should give you an idea of my tastes - so help you "whatever deity you worship" if you suggest me some cartoon like Yu-gi-oh. I'm not big on comedy in anime either. A lot of the times when anime deal with conflicts or heroics - it really ends up looking lame, which can be overlooked, provided there's something like themes or the main storyline to compensate for that.

I'm hoping someone will be able to suggest me something good to watch, likewise, I hope you found something on this list you haven't seen before! :-)

gearoidof · 14-02-2011 12:55am

So, it seems like you like Shonen stuff!

You'll probably love:
Hellsing Ultimate
Cowboy bebop
Samurai Champloo
Berserk

Numina · 16-02-2011 3:07am

I don't really like recommending this, because it's a common recommendation, but Elfen Lied seems like it's right up your alleyway. It's gorey, dark and they had to cut out the background story of one of the characters when it was shown on TV over here because tbh, it's kind of f*cked up.

joefizzz · 16-02-2011 1:18pm

i like to thank ye,all for all the recomondations
suprised no one mentioned the brilliant Ninja Scroll
a must see
great thread

Anxiety · 27-02-2011 12:47am

Ty to the people who posted ./hack and eureka 7 i really liked those

niemad · 01-03-2011 4:06am

Just a few i recommend
Ergo Proxy is my fav by far, the story and artwork is amazing

Shigurui is good, very violent so be warned

Kurozuka has some amazing art work, bit violent as well
Mushishi, haven't watched all of this amazing story yet... but i know its gonna please
Ga-Rei: Zero, this is pretty desent too

Robby91 · 07-03-2011 8:36pm

I don't suppose anyone could recommend anything fight-y/magic-y/supernatural-y (:P) along the lines of Bleach, Full Metal Alchemist or Hellsing? I've gotten quite bored since finishing those two and have no idea of what similar animes exist

niemad · 20-03-2011 11:21pm

Robby91 wrote: »

I don't suppose anyone could recommend anything fight-y/magic-y/supernatural-y (:P) along the lines of Bleach, Full Metal Alchemist or Hellsing? I've gotten quite bored since finishing those two and have no idea of what similar animes exist

Yea ya probably like Toaru Majutsu no Index and Ga-Rei: Zero if ya like action, naruto maybe as well

Madjackjr · 21-03-2011 9:03pm

anything fight-y/magic-y/supernatural-y

hmmm....... Claymore springs to mind, nothing like a chick with a big sword

Funky · 21-03-2011 10:11pm

Berserk would be another good one, or Basilisk.

Kataro28 · 23-03-2011 8:12pm

Loving all the recommendations, recently started watching Bleach and I'm impressed thus far, though I'm only on episode 60 or so. The pace of the show seems a little slow for my tastes. Is there any anime you could recommend thats slightly faster paced?
As I'm pretty new to anime in general I'm finding it hard to put different kinds of anime into genres. I mean what category would Deathnote fall into? I'm pretty sure I've heard somewhere (probably from lurking here :P) that Code Geass is similar to it.
Also I haven't read any manga, but I'm open to suggestions

Arigato!

tman · 23-03-2011 8:19pm

Kataro28 wrote: »

I mean what category would Deathnote fall into? I'm pretty sure I've heard somewhere (probably from lurking here :P) that Code Geass is similar to it.

They're similar in so much as there's usually some sort of cat and mouse game going on in both of them, but I wouldn't really group them together... They're both worth watching, but are both fairly different shows...
If you want a show that moves along at a sensible pace, steer clear of anything that doesn't have an ending episode in sight like Naruto or Bleach! They have entire series of filler ffs!

Coeurdepirate · 27-03-2011 12:50am

Death Note is by far the best anime of all time. Absolutely fantastic from all aspects.
One Piece is a close second.

nesf · 02-05-2011 5:11am

Anyone got any recommendations for a follow on from NGE? Ideally focused on the character development with Mecha as a nice added bonus but not necessary.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar · 02-05-2011 5:20am

rahxephon
rahxephon
rahxephon

gearoidof · 02-05-2011 5:52pm

No a fan of Rahxephon, but it IS very similar to NGE.

Character development, possibly including mecha...
I'm gonna go and suggest an oldie:
Crest of the Stars -> Banner of the stars

Fergus_ · 03-05-2011 5:30pm

I have very strange tastes in anime

I like a school setting, someone adapting to a new situation, tragic events , something along those lines :pac:

gearoidof · 03-05-2011 8:18pm

Clannad!

Kvothe · 03-05-2011 11:37pm

well i watch animes now about 10 years and i really love all of them. there are really good recommandations here. i watched all of them and i also can say there are some more to watch. Gantz for example is for the more mature ones. also if you are more into comedy dont miss out school rumble or excel saga. also very nice is law of ueki and since mentioned ghibli movies are good too. especially nausicaea, howls moving castle, princess mononoke and tales of earthsea... recently i am watching beelzebub. its a new anime series from japan and i just love it. hope that animes will help you out more

Thomas-G · 05-05-2011 3:53am

I really think Great Teacher Onizuka should be on this list, I am disgusted nobody has recommended it! Absolutely hilarious, very light-hearted while being an emotional roller-coaster at the same time, dealing with many social problems. And Onizuka is probably one of the most ridiculous anime characters ever created. I mean just look!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbe-lxxXg1c

Kvothe · 05-05-2011 11:12am

oh yes true i dont know how i could miss to mention great teacher onizuka. i have the whole anime and manga in my shelf. it is a really good one and a few years ago onizuka was kind of a role model for me.

jazzme · 07-05-2011 10:29am

GTO is one of the best

my all-time favorites

Chobits
Gundam Wing
Black Heaven (Oji the Section Chief)
Fame of Recca
Rourounin Kenshin
Magic Knight Reyearth
Ranma (cant stop laughing on this one)

OniKen · 04-06-2011 9:12pm

.Death note is amazing, its a detective/ Supernatural thriller.
Monster is great too, same style but alot more real, no supernaturalness.
.If your looking for fun/ action the Soul Eater is great (Animation is exelant too)
Avatar isn't really anime but its so much fun to watch.
.Giant robots? Gundam Wing... Fantesy Giant robots, Escaflowne... Fun Giant robots then Full metal panic or Dai guard.
.Martial ast, Definatly the street fighter 2 animated movie, Baki the grappler... Hajime no ippo if your a boxing fan Oh and Tengen Tenjo (Best intro ever).
Other than those, dot.Hack//Sign, Nana, GTO, Generator Gawl, Ghost in the shell, Naruto (Takes a bit to get into but good if you stick with it).... ill think of more later

StephenP023 · 10-06-2011 12:16am

Got into AIR GEAR a little while ago. It's awesome also if you watch it check out the OVA after you watch it.

<snip>

Duffy the Vampire Slayer · 12-06-2011 12:31am

I watched 5 Centimetres Per Secondrecently... Anyone have any recommndations of anything similar (I've watched Voices from a Distant Star and The Place Promised already)

Craguls · 01-09-2011 2:11pm

If one was to watch a Gundam Series, which one should they start with?

achynes · 02-01-2012 8:08pm

Any recommendations on manga where the storyline was set from the start? I know that's a pretty specific criterion but all I know is FMA and Death Note blew Bleach and Naruto out of the water for me.

marko93 · 04-01-2012 10:35pm

Craguls wrote: »

If one was to watch a Gundam Series, which one should they start with?

I'd go for Gundam Wing. It's probably my favourite series of all of them. Seed and Seed Destiny arent too bad etheir.

K.O.Kiki · 06-01-2012 7:29pm

marko93 wrote: »

I'd go for Gundam Wing. It's probably my favourite series of all of them. Seed and Seed Destiny arent too bad etheir.

I'm sorry, but you've just listed all of the TERRIBLE Gundam series.
Seed Destiny? REALLY?

*sigh*

Turn A Gundam, 08th MS Team, Zeta/ZZ, Char's Counterattack for oldies.
Gundam 00 or Unicorn for newbies.

Art_Wolf · 06-01-2012 8:08pm

Just to head off any heated Gundam debates - recommendations made, you can argue the points in a separate thread

bluugirl · 20-02-2012 10:42pm

I'm only just begining to get into anime, well I watched a TON of pokemon,yu gi oh and digimon as a kid if that counts lol I first watched death note and I liked it but then I watched cowboy bebop...it blew me away from the begining I loved spike

so at the end I was very sad

so yeah I'd like something very similar to cowboy bebop, recommendations anyone?

Funky · 22-02-2012 12:43pm

bluugirl wrote: »

I'm only just begining to get into anime, well I watched a TON of pokemon,yu gi oh and digimon as a kid if that counts lol I first watched death note and I liked it but then I watched cowboy bebop...it blew me away from the begining I loved spike
so at the end I was very sad
so yeah I'd like something very similar to cowboy bebop, recommendations anyone?

Samurai Champloo is pretty similar to Cowboy Bebop, didn't think it was quite as good myself since I mainly prefer sci-fi but it's worth checking out.

Crooked Jack · 02-03-2012 2:49pm

Hello! Just recently discovered High School of the Dead and absolutely loved it. Watched the whole first series in one go. I wanted to know are there any other HOT series though. I cant seem to find anything beyond series one

CorkonianRebel · 24-03-2012 5:14pm

Hi! I am new to Anime, I have only watched a couple like the Ghost in the Shell movies and will probably now look at Akira and Deathnote from all the recommendations here. Just wondering should I look at the subbed versions or dubbed versions or does it really matter?

Anyone have any other suggestions like Sci Fi or action ones? Thanks!

Thomas-G · 24-03-2012 5:19pm

CorkonianRebel wrote: »

Hi! I am new to Anime, I have only watched a couple like the Ghost in the Shell movies and will probably now look at Akira and Deathnote from all the recommendations here. Just wondering should I look at the subbed versions or dubbed versions or does it really matter?

Anyone have any other suggestions like Sci Fi or action ones? Thanks!

Both of those have good dubs so it's up to yourself, but honestly you can't go wrong with a sub if you don't mind them. I'd recommend Steins;Gate and Black Lagoon for both of those genres, though with anime mecha and space operas are usually considered their own genre since there's so many. For those try Code Geuss and Planetes.

Sephiroth_dude · 24-03-2012 6:21pm

Orphen is good and baccano,although I didn't expect baccano to be so violent

Jaafa · 15-04-2012 7:02pm

Hey, I was wondering if someone could help me find an anime (at least I'm pretty sure it was an anime) that I used to watch years ago on what I believe was cartoon network but it may have been another channel, boomerang maybe? As you can already tell my memory of it isn't so great.

Anyway, what little I can remember of it is this, there was a guy in it who vaguely resembled link from Zelda and he always used to play the flute. The rest of the characters were weird anthropomorphic elephant or hippo looking creatures and it was set in an idyllic landscape, green fields, rivers, forests, you get the idea. Also it ran around the time or perhaps before the anime Tenchi Muyo first started.

This just popped into my head the other day and it's just one of those things that'll bother you until you remember what it was. :P

ancuncha · 03-05-2012 3:55pm

Konata wrote: »

Threads for Anime/Manga recommendations for newbies and fans alike are always popping up on this forum, so I thought I'd make one handy thread that contains all this information.

First off, for the newbies:

What is Anime?

Anime is, quite simply, animation that originates in Japan. Anime is generally considered to be a medium that is made up of many genres. Anime is very easily distinguished from other types of animation due to it's visual characteristics.
The most common misconception of anime is that it is "just for kids". This is simply not true. Yes, there are plenty of series aimed solely at kids but the great thing about anime is there is something for everyone. Many series contain much darker, adult themes.

What is the difference between a "dub" and a "sub"?

Anime series are either dubbed or subbed for English speaking viewers. Dubbed means that the original Japanese dialogue has been replaced with English dialogue by English speaking voice actors. Subbed refers to anime that retains it's original Japanese dialogue and is subtitled in English.

What is Manga?

Manga are the Japanese version of comics. Like anime, there are many genres of manga and all age groups and interests are catered for. Manga are often adopted into anime series and less often, anime is adopted into a manga series.

Recommendations

A common question that arises in this forum is: "I'm new to anime, what would you recommend me to watch as an introduction to the medium?"

Well this all depends on what you're into of course. However, there are some series/films that many people recommend to newbies. Have a look at the articles I've linked to (they contain a synopsis and reviews of the series) and pick one your interested in.

Series:
- Dragonball Z/ Dragonball Kai
- Bleach
- Naruto
- Death Note
- Neon Genesis Evangelion
- Cowboy Bebop

Films:
- Any of the Studio Ghibli films
- Akira
- The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
- Rebuild of Evangelion films

So you've found an anime you love and are interested in watching something similiar or in the same genre. Well, make sure you check out this site as it lists anime by genre and is very useful (NOTE: After clicking on the genre you are interested in make sure you click on the ANIME tab to see the list - there is also a manga tab).
Another incredibly useful site is MyAnimeList. Here you can keep track of anime that you have watched/ are watching, read reviews, check out personalized recommendations and view high scoring animes.

Finally, here's a quick run down of anime/manga that are commonly recommended by users of this forum:

- Clannad
- Ghost in the Shell: SAC
- Elfen Lied
- Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood
- Gundam
- Tenchi Muyo
- Ouran High School Host Club
- Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
- Baccano
- Sailor Moon
- Code Geass
- FLCL
- Haruhi Suziyama

Remember, there are many, many different anime series and films out there so if you don't like one - try another!

Also, if anyone would like to add to this or has any other information to share please feel free to do so!

Another excellent resource site is the Anime & Manga Portal on Wikipedia. Very concise!

i'd like to add xxxholic and clamore to this list, i enjoyed the thoroughly

david_dsouza · 10-05-2012 1:26pm

Wow.. is it easy to develop one for me or can I learn creation of this type of Anime??

Sweded · 18-06-2012 6:47pm

CorkonianRebel wrote: »

Hi! I am new to Anime, I have only watched a couple like the Ghost in the Shell movies and will probably now look at Akira and Deathnote from all the recommendations here. Just wondering should I look at the subbed versions or dubbed versions or does it really matter?

Anyone have any other suggestions like Sci Fi or action ones? Thanks!

Try "Another", is one awesome anime with 16 episodes overall. For me, Subbed or dubbed version doesn't really matter but if you have issue about reading the sub while watching then you probably need to find a dubbed version of the anime, but I won't suggest it as new anime's can't have a dubbed version yet.

New to Anime & Manga? Just looking for some recommendations? Search no further!

Comments