Good Stuff

[Infidel]

Ok, we all know how cliche Anime and Manga can get. Well, at least, those that have read enough to sometimes trash anything we see. Especially, all of the slapstick humor which gets annoying eventually. It feels like a cop-out for an uninspired writer.

These are some titles that break the mold on one way or another.

Adult reading.
Anne Freaks - Rated 16+. Not for kids. No fan service or slapstick here, very little humor at all. Pretty dark series. Page 1 has the main character killing his mother. It's pretty graphic and gets progressively dark from there. Generally, books that start with the main character doing evil acts ends up being a "redemption" theme and since I like the theme of redemption this series gets high marks.

Gunslinger Girl - Also 16+ This title turned me off for a while. It sounded like another cutsey girls and guns thing, but I was bored and gave it a try. It was so different from my expectations. This is a character driven story, so it's great for people that like to think. There is a lot of violence and some of the art gets graphic but again, no fan service and and humor is very subtle and usually bittersweet. The violence is provided more as a backdrop for the characters than as the force to move the plot, which in a way, there isn't a plot. Instead, it explores the lives of these girls that were rescued from horrible situations--one girls was rescued from a snuff film--given a new body, then chemically lobotomized and retrained as assassins. Haven't seen the Anime yet, I'll be getting it soon though the manga is so very good.

Lucky Star - This is comedy but without any slapstick or other comedic elements that annoy me with so many other shows. It's based on a 4 panel comic, so in a way, it doesn't really have a plot either. Instead, it focuses on 3 girls ribbing on each other and asking really important questions about life--like which end of a chocolate danish is the top or the bottom. Actually, there are 4 girls, but 3 are present in nearly every scene where the 4th steps in and out. This is a godsend for those, like me, that truly appreciate ironic, non-sequitor, or sarcastic humor. Many of the jokes make fun of otaku or MMO gamers or itself. Heck, character is an MMO nut, that often parties with one of the Sensei. It's also funny that the ending theme is always different. The ending theme to ep 8 made me fall off my chair.

[SevereSoldier]

Thanks. I might give these a try.

[hamsterfreak4evr]

yes, thank you! i often get bored with anime/manga, but ill give these a try! (and ive never heard of any of them, either..)

[Infidel]

Ohh, this is great.
Skip past the intro to the first scene. One of the main characters is using a computer translator to translate Japanese to English. So this is actually on topic.

[Yudan Taiteki]

Mushishi. By far the best anime I have ever seen. Every episode is an absolute masterpiece.

[NocturnalOcean]

Yeah I agree Mushishi is a masterpiece. I also recommend Honey and Clover, and Aria. Those are my top 3 animes.

[Orcrist]

I loved Lucky Star, defenitly one of my favorites so far. Those conversations got me rolling over the floor every single time.

I'd like to add my favorite anime of all time: Black Lagoon. You'll either love it and think its genius, or write it off as a crappy superficial action anime. The first couple of epi's are soso, but after a while it gets really good in my opinion.

Also I'd like to add Heroic Age. One of the most beautifull anime I've seen so far. The story is good (not outstanding), characters are solid (again not outstanding), but the imagery is just beautifull.

[hungryhotei]

Infidel wrote:
Ohh, this is great.
Skip past the intro to the first scene. One of the main characters is using a computer translator to translate Japanese to English. So this is actually on topic.

I think that English was actually put there by the subtitlers, the issue here was a henkan one - and I think specifically the way the other girl had set up her computer. For example, if you look at the Japanese text what should henkan to 間に合いそうなので goes to マニア移送なので.

[Infidel]

ahh, I couldn't read the text on the screen, it was too fuzzy for me.

[Gundaetiapo]

Mushishi. By far the best anime I have ever seen. Every episode is an absolute masterpiece.

I checked out episode 1. Excellent recommendation, thanks Yudan.

[SirFirestorm]

I think I should add Monster to this list, a great suspense thriller. I haven't seen anything close to this.

Gunparade March is also a character driven storyline like gunslinger girl with mecha.

Noein is also very good anime with some unconventional themes.

I did enjoy lucky star, except for the episodes that were not funny. at all.

[Cherry13]

wow anne freaks sounds a bit drastic. i would give it a chance though if i were to watch it (: . omg and gunslinger girl. ive only seen about 4 eps of it, but i absolutely love it! and i cant wait to see more^^. ive heard of lucky star from one of my friends saying she watches it so i will probly give it a try.

[Yudan Taiteki]

Monster is awesome as well, I highly recommend that.

As for Mushishi, episode 1 is OK but it just gets better and better from there. One word of caution -- Mushishi is a completely episodic series; don't expect any sort of overall storyline. Each episode is a self-contained story.

[katafei]

I'm not usually into anime that much, but this Mushishi looked really impressive on YouTube, so just now I did some impulse buying on ebay ^_^
Something to look forward to, nice...

[enji]

From the ones mentioned above, I love Mushishi, Honey and Clover, Lucky Star and Gunslinger Girl. The rest I have yet to watch them, may look them up after my finals.