can you recommend me anime to watch?

Mothra@mander.xyz to Asklemmy@lemmy.ml – 101 points –

edit: feel free to reply no matter how old this thread gets!

I'm not particularly into anime, I like it just as much as live action shows or other types of animation. Having said that, I feel like watching some and I'm not sure what to pick.

Here's a list of other anime shows I've watched/manga and novels I've read, so you can better judge what to recommend. ( would greatly appreciate the story to be completed, I hate waiting years for closure) :

Full Metal Alchemist, Naruto : both great stories, I've read the mangas and loved them. They wouldn't be a priority to watch because I already read them.

Attack on Titan: started with the anime, it was great, switched to the manga, got extremely disappointed with the story development and its ending. It felt a bit like nonsense for me.

Dragon Ball/Z : probably my favourite, I've rewatched it recently. I don't like GT and Super.

Overlord: I've read good part of the novel and manga. I'm liking it so far

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: please No thanks. Not for me.

Death Note: loved the first arc, not a fan of the ending but no hate for it unlike with AOT.

I also recall Escaflowne and Inuyasha, they were alright but not something I've loved or hated. Cowboy Bebop also in this category, excellent visually and great OST but the story wasn't as gripping.

Other than that... Feel free to suggest any other titles! Extra thanks if you are specific about any versions and why is the show so great.

TIA

150

My recs, roughly in order of what I'm predicting that you'll like the best, based on what you said.

  • Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann - mechas, action, epicness, plot twists? Yeah, you got all of them, while you follow the story of a bunch of people raised underground, fighting their way up.
  • Chainsaw Man - fast-paced action in a world full of demons. The protagonist merges with one, after living in shit since childhood, and that changes his life. Expect lots of humour, and the intro becoming an earworm.
  • Kimetsu no Yaiba - historical-ish setting. The protagonist is a demon killer, who's sided by his demonised sister (yup). Sword fighting, great visuals, interesting and atypical story.
  • Dr. Stone - humanity has been petrified for thousands of years, and a single genius boy is trying to discover why, how, and how to revert it. The science there is 90% accurate, 10% fantasy.
  • Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009) - you watched the "original" FMA (2003), right? This one has slightly better worldbuilding and plot, and it's better grounded in the manga, although the homunculi are more relatable in the original.
  • Noragami - the story of a stray god, a girl who can see spirits and gods, and the spirit of a dead boy.
  • Mairimashita! Iruma-kun - protag gets sold to a demon by his parents. And the demon actually treats him better than they did. So he goes to school, alongside demons, while pretending to be one.
  • Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka - a boy who wants to be a hero, fighting in a dungeon full of monsters, in a world where the gods descended and granted their blessing to mortals of their liking. Which gods? Yes. Romantic comedy with epic vibes.
  • Kill la Kill - watch this one if you watched TTGL and liked it. Heavy nudity, but the same "vibe" as TTGL. Hard to explain without giving you spoilers.

A few classics that I feel like they should be mentioned, but don't relate well to what you said that you liked:

  • Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi - movie, not a series. About a girl who's spirited away to a world full of yokai, trying to save her piggyfied parents.
  • Tonari no Totoro - also a movie, not a series, about children who move to a suburban neighbourhood full of magical creatures.
  • Neon Genesis Evangelion - psychological drama pretending to be a mecha anime.

Some old style isekais, since you mentioned that you liked Overlord:

  • Log Horizon - also "transported into a game", except that it happens with a fuckload of people at once. Most focus is how those people organise themselves in their former MMORPG, now real life, as well as how they handle the NPCs around them.
  • Isekai Maou to Shoukan Shoujo no Dorei Majutsu - two girls in a fantasy world decide to summon someone, hoping to enslave him to help them out... only to get their magic deflected and end enslaved. The world is the same as the game world that the protagonist (the summoned guy) played.
  • Re:Zero - protag gets transported to a fantasy world. He doesn't know how or why. His main ability is to go back in time, when he dies; so he experiences death over and over and over.
  • Mushoku Tensei - the protag starts as completely scum, but he gets slightly less worse over time. Great worldbuilding and characterisation.
  • Benriya Saitou-San, Isekai ni Iku - a handyman gets transported into a swords-and-magic world. Big focus on character relationship.

I don't recommend the anime, but check the manga if possible:

  • Elfen Lied - a discussion on what makes a human "human", morals, and the likes. The anime adaptation is rather poor to be honest, but the manga is decent. Content warning: gore, sexual violence, a girl pissing herself right off the bat.
  • Hoshi no Samidare - a great story, but poorly animated, about a bunch of people trying to save the world from a giant biscuit hammer that you only see if you know about it, that's going to hit Earth and destroy it. While subordinated to a girl who actually wants to destroy the world.

EDIT: GreenZanbato mentioned Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken, or "That Time that I Reincarnated as a Slime". It's also an isekai, roughly with the same vibe as Overlord; but the protagonist reincarnates as a slime, and he's far more self-aware than dummy Ainz. The novels are also great to read.

Wow you went above and beyond with the recs menu, thank you. TTGL sounds interesting when you put it like that! Appreciate the other recommendations too. As for the movies- I was looking for series, and yes I've seen most of studio Ghibli ones, Chihiro and Totoro being the two I liked the most.

This is a great write up, but I’d put Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken (TenSura) at the top of the isekai list for any Overlord fan. Unlike Overlord, the main character starts off as the weakest monster, a slime, but the power growth is absurd and you quickly get into the same satisfying power fantasies as Overlord.

As a sort of non-spoiler comparison for those that have seen Overlord, two of my favorite (similar) scenes in the later seasons of each show are the iä Shub-Niggurath scene (Overlord) and the Megiddo scene (TenSura). Feel free to look them up if you don’t care about spoilers and want to see some amazing ultimate attacks out of context.

TenSura

You're right - I'll add it to the list, thanks!

::: spoiler Discussion about the Megiddo scene

Rimuru did nothing wrong! Shion alone is worth more than 10k invading soldiers!

Serious now. This comparison is really cool because it highlights how both Ainz and Rimuru are slowly losing their humanity, but only Rimuru is aware of that. For Ainz, using the spell is basically a "I need people to respect me, right? I'll show that I'm ultra strong"; while for Rimuru, Megiddo is a conscious moral event horizon, where he actually chose between the life of the monsters vs. the life of the invading army.

And alongside those lines, even Rimuru absorbing Shizu was a way to distance himself to his former human past. For a modern Japanese that would be cannibalism, but he already committed himself to live as a slime.

:::

That's an awesome way to compare the scenes!

::: spoiler spoiler You made me realize that, while Ainz has some character development, he doesn't go through nearly as much as Rimuru does. Same with most of the companions. There's plenty of character development in Overlord, especially with like Sebas and Brain, but a lot of Rimuru's companions go through multiple complete transformations of their bodies and their personalities adapt to that, just like Rimuru himself. Full transparency: I've only watched the anime for each series, but I plan to read the novels when I get around to it lol.

Also forget Shion, Megiddo gave us my boy Diablo! :P :::

For me it's the characters in Overlord, their morals, goals, the atrocities they commit, their intentions and how they feel/think that makes it interesting- much more that the power itself. But I also like the power fantasy element in it, thanks for the recommendation!

The characters in TenSura are definitely less “evil” than in Overlord, but you have a great variety of side characters, subordinates, etc. growing alongside the mc.

Wow maybe I should read Elfen Lied because I remember the anime fondly, but maybe it was just the shock factor of discovering the story for the first time that made me gloss over any flaws. Was a long time ago too.

I heavily recommend reading the manga. It contextualises Lucy's actions better, makes Kohta look less like your typical "powerless boy" throwing random tantrums and more like a genuinely traumatised and conflicted one, and it delivers the message of the story better. The anime was fun back then, partially due to its violent nature, but I think that it aged poorly. (Notable exception: Lilium, the opening song, is still as beautiful as it was back then. Also the lyrics make more sense in the context of the manga than in the anime.)

Yesss, that reminded me I sampled a toy box version of this in an old track of mine.

I'll put that manga on my to-read in tachiyomi, thanks!

If you like DBZ you would probably like Hunter X Hunter and Yuyu Hakusho. These two are both written by the same person and have similar vibes but the story and setting are very different. HxH especially is very widely acclaimed for good reason. In this vein you may also like Black Clover.

Anime that I'd recommend in general would be Akame Ga Kill, Mahou Shouju Madoka Magicka (watch 3-4 episodes, trust the process), Parasyte, Gurren Laggann, One Punch Man, Angel Beats, Katanagatari, Made In Abyss, and Berserk (1997),

If you want to get in your feelings: Erased, Kotaro Lives Alone, and The Promised Neverland (season 1 only). Spy X Family (cute and silly but very good)

Some current very popular DBZ-esque anime is My Hero Academia, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Demon Slayer Kimetso no Yaiba.

Oh boy. I'm not the kind of person that rewatches shows, but I've seen Yu Yu Hakusho 3 times and HxH twice. Both of them are just so excellent. I had no idea they were by the same guy. That's awesome

I watched Yu Yu Hakusho only once, and several episodes when it aired on Cartoon Network many years ago.

As I just finished recently I can say that I loved it, although I'm not sure if I would re watch it again, I feel like it peaked at the Dark Tournament arc, which is not a bad thing, but I struggled a bit to finish it after that.

About HxH is on my backlog!

Some say it is better than Yu Yu Hakusho, some say the latter is the best, so well, only one way to find out.

Okay, points for Hunter X noted... Thank you for all the recommendations!

I’m not particularly into anime either, but I thought that “The Devil Is A Part-Timer” and “One Punch Man” were really funny and clever.

I’m also not much of an anime fan but The Devil Is A Part-Timer was indeed entertaining

I'd recommend the movie Akira (1988). It's pretty much a classic from the era of early anime, extremely detailed animation and official English dub.

Yes, that's an excellent one. I've watched the movie and the manga is epic. 100% with you on that one. I didn't list as I was thinking mostly series, not movies.

Serial Experiments of Lain!

Cult classic! Duvet is such a great song

Ooof, watched that yeeeeaaaaars ago. I remember it being pretty psycho and disturbing. Not sure if this still holds up today but it's definitely not everyones cup of tea.

Cowboy Bebop: Space noire, get to Jupiter Jazz part 1&2 before forming an opinion

Berserk (The 1997 version): A long burn, twist for the last two episodes

One-punch man: Comedy, overpowered main character but it's handled very well. Kinda a criticism of other animes.

Evangelion

Two guilty pleasures: Code Geass (mechs), and Future Diary (Battle Royal/Hunger Games)

I think I've watched most Bebop episodes a while ago. I was never hooked but I really enjoyed the finale and how Spike's arc was handled. I consider the series a work of art really, it's on another level. But in spite of that it doesn't excite me as much as other shows. The two cars meme comes to mind... Thanks for the recommendations!

Haikyu is great. It’s about volleyball and follows the same sort of theme of DBZ about constantly pushing to improve.

If you liked the environment and feel of Cowboy Bebop you might enjoy Samurai Champloo. Same director but replace jazz with hip hop and space with feudal Japan. I think it’s a masterpiece.

Completely agreed on Samurai Champloo, I'm yet to watch something else that floored me as much as that show did. I watched it several times over the years. It helps that I'm a massive trip-hop head and the soundtrack is made by legendary producer Nujabes (RIP).

I have heard so much about Haikyu, I could not care less about volleyball, but I have read it, somehow does not matter to enjoy it.

That's interesting, I usually eschew when a sport is the main theme in a show. But you're saying it's enjoyable regardless of the volley?

That is what I have been told, I couldn't say for sure because I haven't watched it, but it is sitting in my backlog though.

Ghost in the Shell(1995) and the Stand Alone Complex series(2 seasons and a movie) are great.

It sounds like you tend to like shows with good story lines, and don't seem to mind older shows/animation as much. Simply based on their story telling, these are probably my 3 favorites.

  • Monster (2004): The story revolves around Kenzo Tenma, a Japanese surgeon living in Düsseldorf, Germany whose life enters turmoil after getting himself involved with Johan Liebert, one of his former patients, who is revealed to be a dangerous serial killer.
  • Ergo Proxy (2006): Set in a post-apocalyptic future where humans and AutoReiv androids coexist peacefully until a virus gives the androids self-awareness, causing them to commit a series of murders. Inspector Re-L Mayer is assigned to investigate, discovering a more complicated plot behind it that involves a humanoid species known as "Proxy" who are the subject of secret government experiments.
  • Fruits Basket (1998, but the 2019 remake is miles better and more complete): This is a beautiful story about trauma, love, guilt, and belonging. Don't be put off by the typical highschool slice of life trope. This is probably the most wholesome, heartwarming show I have ever watched. I've seen it 3 times, and on the most recent rewatch I cried the most. Probably every 1 of 4 episodes. I kept realizing subtle plot details I had never noticed before. It has great rewatch value.

Thank you! I never heard about the first two, they sound good.

As for Fruit Basket- haven't heard about it in ages! Back in the day, it was precisely the highschool slice of life that put me off. No idea it got a remake. Typically I don't like when a show makes me cry. I already have a real life for that. I seek excitement, mystery, action, escapism. But it's good to know it has a good plot, I'll keep it in mind.

Watch anime for monster instead of reading manga, the op and ed are one of the best that perfectly blends with the theme of the anime. Monster also has a great set of characters whom you will like.

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These two show might not be like the other shows that your have watched yet these two or definitely my favourite.

Odd Taxi - Generally anime cast has this typical behaviour where their talking or behaviour would not be realistic like irl (for example, Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood). You might not notice it now or might have noticed it but odd taxi is totally different from all the other anime that I have watched in regards to this. The plot is simple yet the way it moves is totally interesting. The characters are written well for a 12 episode anime. You will definitely like it.

Ranking of Kings - I have not completed it yet but this anime is so wholesome and kinda moving ngl.

Since you have watched death note, watch Code Geass too. When I started watching anime, Assassination Classroom and Violet Evergarden were one of the anime that totally bought me in. You may like these too.

Samurai Champloo

Psycho-Pass

Koe No Katachi

Made In Abyss

Sonny Boy (fucked up/weird, looks nice tho)

Jujutsu Kaisen

Chainsaw Man

The fact you put Samurai Champloo on top made me check the whole rest of your list. About half made it to my watchlist thanks!

Glad I could help;)

Personally, Chainsaw Man and Jujutsu Kaisen are there simply because it is good on it's own but still part of the current popular category, shonen - it's the same thing again, thought both do it really well, with it's own twists.

The other ones are what I really enjoyed because I love anime that explores deeper themes and meanings.

Here's a couple of fairly comprehensive recommendation flow charts I grabbed off Reddit a while back (well before all the recent shit):

https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/d7ogclnrbwy.png

https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/pyq9cznb394.png

Purists may hate the suggestion of an American studio but... Avatar, legend of aang and korra are both great

Nick just opened a whole studio devoted to making more series in the universe so maybe a good time to check them out. The first series is perfection and Korra has some amazing highs (and lows that aren’t really the series’ fault but the exec’s fault)

Oh interesting thanks I'll definitely look that up! loved the world building, progression and growth from aang to korra

Totally agree on the highs and lows, Amon was such a good introductory antagonist and the suspense at the end of season 1 was something else, some things just seemed resolve themselves a bit too quickly!

Fun fact: People in the industry say that Avatar has such great animation and choreography that they are heavily ripped off, I mean, referenced, in the making of other western animated action shows. I should definitely check it out

Yes, I heard good things about Avatar! Cheers

Feel you with Attack on Titan - goes into some weird places and I lost interest.

Have you tried Initial D? Old school 90's early 2000's teen comedy drama about street racing. It's really funny and touching at the right moments.

You're the second to mention Initial D and I had no idea it existed before making this post. I'll keep in mind!

I'll give you two suggestions at opposite ends of the spectrum:

  • Neon Genesis Evangelion is a wonderful show. It starts out as a giant robot series, but then moves in on examining how the characters are broken mentally (as in, they're already broken, not let's break stable people). Does have a tendency to depress people, but they generally feel it was a good experience.
  • Just about any Studio Ghibli movie. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Princess Mononoke, Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Howl's Moving Castle. Some of these are more kids movies, but adults love them. Others have more adult themes. Stick to the ones directed by Hayao Miazaki. Warning: Grave of the Fireflys will make you cry and leave you devastated.

Thanks for the suggestions. NGE has been mentioned a lot so I guess I'll watch it eventually.

I was asking for series rather than movies, I've seen most of Ghibli... But the fireflies one. You are the first one to say it's one of thos devastating movies though, now I don't know if I want to watch it. Thanks for the warning!

The latest anime that wowed me was to your Eternity, especially if your into Eastern philosophy and stuff.

Hells paradise also wowed me as a straight battle Shonen that is quite beautiful, with lots of spiritual themes.

One Piece holds a special place in my heart. Watch up until time skip, then read manga.

Vinland Saga is amazing. Straight up. Great study of politics and humans search for power and inner peace.

For the record I consider HxH and FMA:b to be Shonen high water marks.

I recommend Mob Psycho 100. The anime fully adapted the source material and its made by the same guy as One Punch Man. Don't let the strange art style stop you. The animation team goes full budget in action scenes. It's a character driven story with a cast of charming characters.

Assassination Classroom - Just finished watching this series and it’s one of the most heartwarming meditations on teaching and education wrapped in a batshit crazy premise of junior high kids being forced to kill their teacher before he destroys the world at the end of their school year. Made me cry a few times.

I see a lot of recommendations here, but here's a couple that are off the track.

Sound! Euphonium

Silver Spoon

Terror in Resonance

Planetes

Texhnolyze

Kinos Journey - both series are great the 2nd is more like the original source

Mushishi

I'm not big into Anime, but FMA and Initial D have become my favorites to watch time and time again.

Initial D has this weird underlying pedo sub plot in it. I tried watching it again and it's just off putting.

Ohh yeah that rich guy with the school girl? Huh, I forgot about that. Yikes, I wonder why that was even a part that needed put in the anime. Her story/character is the worst part of Initial D IMO, even without the pedo sub plot.

I feel like your anime history is pretty similar to mine and I love Code Geass.

That's a compelling argument. Okay then, note taken!

Code Geass is very death notey. Main protagonist is super smart and very good at planning and anticipating every detail. Ending was pretty clever too.

If you liked death note you should watch code geass. It starts like yet another mecha anime but get just crazy on the way, one of the best surprise I had.

If you like mecha both Gundam and Macross are worth watching. In general I prefer Macross (Frontier 😍😍) , but there is pretty good Gundam series (SEED would be my favourite). Moreover, both are a set of relatively in dependant series so you don't have like 200 episodes to watch but get away with like 2 times a 24 episode serie

Legend of the Galactic Heroes is a series with many episodes in which "...two interstellar states...are embroiled in a never-ending war...focuses on the exploits of rivals Reinhard von Lohengramm and Yang Wen-li, as they rise to power and fame in the Galactic Empire and the Free Planets Alliance..."

The original Bubblegum Crisis of course.

Never heard of this show before. Quick search tells me the original is the 1987 version? In few words, what makes it so good?

Renegade industrial robots, cute kickass heroines, an evil megacorp ... you know, stuff.

Bubblegum Crisis is also where a lot of inspiration for a lot of cyberpunk films around that time came from. That, and Ghost in the Shell heavily influenced the cyberpunk genre. I've not seen Bubblegum Crisis, but the original GitS (as well as Stand Alone Complex) are also fantastic.

Ohh I see. One of those shows that fly under the radar of the masses but every other show rips off of, like Akira? I liked GiTS, I'll keep the other recs in mind

I wouldn't exactly call it under the radar, they made 3 series, a reboot (2042) and a spinoff (AD Police). But it was very popular because of the high quality animation, good plot and great soundtrack.

3-gatsu no lion or in English: March comes in like a lion. One of the best anime series I've ever watched.

I hate cliche anime bs so I usually can't stand regular slice of life or shonen but this slice of life feels a lot more real with minimal anime bs.

If you don't like anime bs, I'd highly recommend it. By anime bs I mean like high school kids, power of friendship, fan service, etc.

That's an interesting way of recommending. I'll keep in mind

Can't stand anime bs. What's some anime that I can specifically avoid for fan service?

If you are not joking and are looking for anime with can service, there is a great youtube series that is really entertaining called "Good Anime You Can't Watch In Public". You can check that series out as there are some spicy anime on that list. Here's the first video in the series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEhZRXA3zNE

Fairy Tail has kinda a DBZ vibe, but the fights are over with in one or two episodes, not 45. (Funimation)

If you like suspense and psychological thriller, and don't mind subtitles, Kaiji is an excellent watch. It's about a man who cosigned a loan with a friend, from a bunch of loan sharks, and has to play increasingly deadly games to try to regain his life. It will take you for a ride. (Crunchyroll)

I really enjoyed Dr Stone. An apocalypse occurs, petrifying the entire world. Humanity starts to slowly awaken, and they try to rebuild the world while fighting against an opposing group trying to start a new world order. At least for season one. I haven't cought up recently cuz my depression has been kicking my ass. (Funimation)

That's all I got off the top of my head, and I hope it helps.

Edit: If you like Kaiji, it has two separate side stories.

Akagi is set in the 70s, I think, and is about a man who is apparently a savant at Mahjong, and ends up playing against a mob boss. wagering his blood against the bosses fortune. The show is really good at trying to explain the rules to the uninitiated without being condescending, and still keeping it suspenseful and engaging.

The other is Mr. Tonegawa's Middle Management Blues, more of a slice of life workplace comedy, centering around one of the antagonists of Kaiji, and trying to manage his employees while pleasing his boss. I didn't finish this one, cuz I got the point about halfway through, but I had fun while it lasted.

And I just remembered Cells At Work, also subbed, but an excellent romp which I would call "edutainment," but don't let that dissuade you! It anthropomorphizes different cells of the human body, describing their functions in kinda a slice-of-life meets monster of the week format. The white blood cells are the knife-weilding defence force of the human body, cutting down Power Ranger monsters that never were. Again, don't get put off by the edutainment label, cuz the edu and the tainment both hit hard.

Thanks for the thorough recommendations! Will keep in mind. Cells at Work makes me think of Ozzy and Drix, which I liked ha. Cheers!

I will warn you, just in case you are sensitive, there is literally comical amounts of blood when a WBC cuts down a virus. Like, ten foot tall blood spurts, with them drenched in blood. No gore or viscera though.

Thanks, I see it has a Tarantino touch to it. No problem

Inuyashiki: The Last Hero is a great short story, 11 episodes with a cool premise.

Parasyte: The Maxim has great action and premise as well, also finishes relatively quick.

Seems to be a confluence of One Piece popularity right now. If you start watching the anime you be caught up around the time the final airs - which is in 3-4 years, which goes to show how much you have to watch through.

Yeah I heard lots of praise but couldn't get myself to watch it, it's visually not something that catches my eye and there is nothing about the plot premise that lures me (at least from what I've read- spoiler free). Perhaps I would love it if I give it a chance, after all that's how DBZ went for me. But I've never heard anyone tell me what makes the show so good. It's just "watch it, it's good"

First of all, I probably won't watch it because of just how long it is (and the art-style). But the plot is one of the best ever written, asking some surprisingly deep questions about freedom, power and corruption, while still being fun and enjoyable by young boys and teenagers.

So... You know this because you read the manga or...?

I've only read parts of the manga, as I find the artstyle rather jarring. I know the story because half my friends won't stop talking about it. I then read blogs and articles about aspects / characters who interest me.

I'm gonna take some leaps If you like the mind games parts of death note (since you seem to like the first part) I recommend trying Kaiji. My personal fav and one that got me changing my expectation of anime. If you like DBZ I assume it's the fighting. And even though the first assumption is people who like Anime probably will hate sports , sports anime are usually just tournaments for battling. If you want superpowers, I might recommend Kuruko No Basuke. I you want Mind Games, maybe One Outs. If you want something more modern, Haikyuu is a good shout. Classic sports anime would be Hajime no Ippo

A general shounen? Fate/Zero is pretty safe to try.

When it comes to recommendations, realistically there are lots of great anime movies to give yourself more context for what to watch

  • Ghost in the Shell
  • Akira
  • Castle of Cagliostro
  • Kara no Kyoukai
  • Nausicaa Valley of the Wind

These are all just based on what you've mentioned but they're still a lot of spectrum for anime you could enjoy but haven't tried

Thanks. You are spot on with Death Note, let me add I like the supernatural elements too. From DBZ, I also like the characters, the worldbuilding and how the plot progresses. I'll keep in mind the recommendations, I haven't heard much about Kaiji before asking here. Movies : yes, I've watched and liked all those listed except for Kara no Kyoukai which I had no idea it existed. I just asked about series because I felt like engaging with long format storytelling.

The less you know about it going in the better. I'll say it's not supernatural and has a very strange artstyle but it's definitely worth the watch.

I’ve only seen a couple anime over the years, but I really enjoyed the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners on Netflix

The sickest anime I've ever seen is Gant-Z. The plot: it's a game and everyone dies.

On the complete opposite end of the spectrum would be Mushishi, where people engage with the calming world of... fungi?

Gantz was a trip back in the day. A bit like Squid Game (or rather, Squid Game is a bit like it), except more extreme.

It's been a few decades since I watched it... I wonder if it holds up?

Campfire cooking in another world

The iyashikei genre needs more love. It's the perfect type of show for after a long day at work.

Cowboy Bebop, the series and movie. I'm not particularly into anime either but the story, characters, music and animation are all top tier.

Yup I've listed it last, it a good show and I agree on all scores with you except the story, which for some reason feels a bit too relaxed for me. But it is good, no doubt

Haven't seen these mentioned yet:

  1. Terror In Resonance

This is one of the newer shows made by Shinichiro Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo). Follows the crew of a small terrorist organization as they implement their various plots - lots of intrigue that makes you want to keep watching.

  1. Megalobox

Follows a boxer's journey in a semi-dystopian future. Very mature and themes of adulthood, especially season 2. And I mean real life mature, not gore and titties. I've never watched an anime that I found so relatable as an adult human being. Music is also extremely top tier and I'm personally a huge fan of it's animation style.

You are right, I think you are the first one suggesting these two. Thank you!

Now I'm a sucker for space westerns, so I gotta hype Trigun. If you liked Fullmetal Alchemist it has a lot to offer you.

Trigun was a gateway anime for me. And Orphen. But Trigun remains one of my favourites. It's not too long, has amazing subtle world building, and such fun characters

All the series I recommends below are complete. (tells story from start to end)

  • Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (There are TV series and movies that both tell similar story but not the same, TV series have darker story)

  • Kill la Kill

  • Blast of Tempest

  • Assassination Classroom

  • Back Arrow (first half of series is meh but it becomes better and better)

  • Mob psycho 100

  • Summer Time Render

  • Ghost in the Shell Season 1 and 2
  • Macross Plus mini series
  • Macross Frontier
  • Evangelion

If you mentioned Ghost in the Shell then I must mention the two movies (original and Innocence). They're very important because they're both one-off's made by iconic directors and graphical artists, with their own style, distinct from the manga and the series. They're both amazing works of art, the soundtrack, the art, the plot, the cultural references, everything is top notch.

I actually love both movies and the manga goes very deep, but I read somewhere in the thread that he was looking for series and not so much movies.

If you love GitS, I recommend Patlabor movies (though the 3rd isn't very good), if you haven't already seen them.

One of my favorites is Black Rock Shooter. It's a bit wierd around the edges and it's presented as this girly slice of life but it's actually deeper and very cool

My favorites are Steins;Gate, Steins;Gate 0, From the New World and Higurashi no Naku Koro ni. Both have excellent stories.

For what they are:

  • Steins;Gate: Watch humans losting in time travels.
  • Steins;Gate: AI with time travels...
  • From the New World: A world of supermans and weak creatures.
  • Higurashi no Naku Koro ni: Horror of Japan culture from old times.

I'm a little disappointed that Hajime No Ippo wasn't mentioned. It's from the early 2000s, plays in the late 80s and it's about boxing. The writing and how fleshed out the characters are is unexpectedly good for that kind of setup and it's one of my absolute favorites.

Two great comical animes are golden boy and great teacher onizuka but they have a lot of cliche anime perverted jokes I can see putting off a lot of people especially when they're not deep into anime.

Then there's goblin slayer but you might want to look up the controversy about the first episode before you go blindly into it.

I'll piggyback here to mention Yawara! for another great cross between sports (women's judo) and teenage drama/comedy. They did a great job on the anime but IIRC it only covers part of the manga. It's a great feminine counterpart to Hajime no Ippo.

I heard about it but I think I heard how incomplete the anime is story wise and I didn't want to get upset about that.

  • Code Geas is similar to death note, i think it's a more satisfying ending than death note.
  • My hero academia is great super hero/fighting anime.
  • One punch man is a masterful parody of the super hero genre
  • seven deadly sins is good, with lots of interesting characters.
  • Hetalia axis powers is an amusing take on European history as told by Japan with a comedy style.

Hmm something tells me code geass is looking like a good choice. Thanks for the detailed suggestions!

REcord of ragnarok jjk one piece zom 100 erased made in abyss

code geass fire force hells paradise horimiya FMB

No one mentioning Neon Genesis Evangelion, it’s only the greatest anime of all time.

Can you be a bit more specific please? I heard a lot of contradictory opinions on it, although to be fair perhaps I'm mixing them up with other Evangelion releases. Basically I get "this is the best thing ever, just because so", or " yeah it seems promising first but then gets weird and meh". Judging from who's saying what ( irl ) I think I'd be inclined to be on the "meh" band, but if you want to clarify I'm all ears/eyes

Sure. For me, really cool mecha vs kaiju fights almost every episode, everyday but interesting people as the characters, and I think the overarching story behind the angels is interesting, even if it’s a bit convoluted.

It’s short and sweet at only 26 episodes and if you’re not hooked within the first 2-3 episodes I would not watch anymore.

I do not really spend time watching anime unless it really appeals to me.

It's hard to define NGE because it's a one of a kind series that hits everyone differently. You don't often see a series whose director said "if you don't understand it it's your problem". It's chock-full of triple-layered details you will miss on first watch, but at the same time you should definitely watch with zero spoilers the first time, for the experience.

It's very, very well made so I guarantee it will not be a waste of time, and lends itself very well to the occasional rewatch. What you take away each time and your level of enjoyment for each watch will, interestingly, be mostly unrelated to the theatrical value, which tends to remain constant. I would recommend reading up on lore and plot hints for secondary watch-throughs though.

I watched it early on when I got into anime and I missed the point of it because of it as it's kind of playing off anime (especially Gundam) tropes you might want to get more familiar with to get the message.

Japan had a tradition of both animated and live-action shows about giant piloted robots called mechas. Neon Genesis Evangelion is considered the peak of this tradition, containing both excellent action scenes and asking the viewer what sort of world would build giant robots and let unstable teens drive them. It is just 26 episodes, each 20 minutes long. I would suggest watching it first and then reading more about it or watching the hundreds of videos trying to explain what it means. Many consider it to be the greatest anime ever made. Be warned that it is sometimes gory and confusing, although much less than people often claim.

An intellectual challenge, I see. Okay. I'll consider it

Consider watching the original Gundam anime first. It's time consuming and not the greatest (although decent) anime and it can feel a little dated but I would've liked to watch NGE after I watched that. Knowing the author of NGE watched it in his youth gives you a really good idea of the intentions he had when he created NGE.

Interesting, I tried watching some old Gundam (can't recall which ones) and I found them incredibly boring. I forced myself to finish watching one and just couldn't be bothered with the next. These were movies though, I might search for the series if you say they're decent.

08th MS Team, Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, Ghost in the Shell, and Princess Mononoke.

Bungou stray dogs. I suck at sales pitches, but I consider it one of the best anime out there.

I'm also not a huge anime fan, so my interests in the genre are pretty selective. The anime shows that I tend to enjoy are ones that usually aren't ongoing stories, and wrap up their narrative lines within a season or two. That said, I absolutely loved Hellsing and Hellsing: Ultimate (which is a sort of "reimagining" of the original series, if I recall correctly). They've got some of the most entertaining action scenes I've seen. The CastleVania series on Netflix is also pretty fun, though it starts to get pretty weird in the later seasons (though I'm feeling hopeful for the new CastleVania series that they just teased). I've also recently enjoyed Chainsaw Man, and am pretty excited for the next season to come out.

I also highly recommend Redline. It's not a series, but a standalone film, and it's one of my favorite movies ever. If you're at all familiar with the F-ZERO games, think of that, but as an anime.

Thanks for the suggestions, haven't heard of redline or Hellsing much . I'll see what these are about