• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

DVD Anime Recommendations

Status
Not open for further replies.
T

trilobyte

Member
Not a huge anime buff, so I don't really know what's out there

Here's what I got (or planning to get) with x-mas $$
------------------------------------------------------------
Cowboy Bebop The Movie + Series Sets
Ghost in the Shell Special Edition
Ghost in the Shell 2
Ninja Scroll 10th Anniversary Special Edition
Akira: Special Edition
Perfect Blue

IE basically what most people get when they first discover anime

I'm looking for those odds and ends that are really good that most "n00bs" don't know about that you guys would recommend. FYI I'm just really looking for movies....no $$ for box sets of 100+ Dragon Ball eps.

You know...there was some anime movie I saw....almost 10 years ago....and I remember I really liked it. But I barely remember it...so experts here's a challenge: All I remember is that it centered around a teenage boy and it took place in a futuristic world but it was baren (think Mad Max). I *think* it was loosly based on an old legend. It was pretty long...and I remember some dark skinned old gruf running some large transport thing...and at the end it had some big magical heads........which I guess is pretty much 90% of the anime out there (told you it was a challenge ;) )
 
K

kitchenmotors

Banned
Nah, go with Perfect Blue. It's a nice change of pace from the typical anime that's out there. I just got Paranoia Agent volume 1 on DVD. It's by the same guy who directed Perfect Blue, but it's an actual series as opposed to a movie. I can't wait to watch it, Satoshi Kon has such a twisted mind! XD
 
M

MetatronM

Unconfirmed Member
I second a Berserk recommendation. Thery just released a new cheaper complete series set for about $55-70, depending on where you shop, if you're too cheap for the $100+ Box of War. :D

Perfect Blue rocks. If you like it, definitely pick up Paranoia Agent. The first disc has episodes 1-4 (it's only a 13 episode series, but the other discs aren't out yet).
 
T

trilobyte

Member
Does Paranoia Agent have the same type of character style as Perfect Blue? Not that it matters much, but I really liked the style.

Also, a friend of mine told me to pick up Mezzo Forte but all I see online are "Edited Versions"...and tv-episodes? Is this a tv-show?
 
L

Luscious LeftFoot

Member
I enjoyed Perfect Blue, still don't know what the hell Paranoia Agent was all about...

Your list is pretty good for an intro to anime, you definitely need some comedy though.

Edit* Not sure what mad max type anime you're referring too, but you should check out "Now and Then Here and There" it deals with similar themes. It's really good.
 
T

Tamanon

Banned
I'm going to think outside the box here.

Chrono Crusade. The first 3 DVDs are out and it seems to incorporate several different genres. The most important being BUTT KICKING
 
F

FnordChan

Member
trilobyte said:
I'm looking for those odds and ends that are really good that most "n00bs" don't know about that you guys would recommend. FYI I'm just really looking for movies....no $$ for box sets of 100+ Dragon Ball eps.
Click to expand...

Here's a few recommendations that shouldn't break the bank, ranging from the moderately obscure to the popular, yet crucial:

First off, I'd say stick with Perfect Blue, which is an excellent thriller. PB would work rather well as a live-action film, but the animation (which goes for a very realistic style) gives it a slight aura of the fantastic, which pays off during the parts of the film where what's really happening isn't entirely clear. Alternately, check out Millennium Actress, which is Satoshi Kon's love letter to Japanese cinema circa the late 30s through the late 60s. It's similar to PB in some ways (in particular a sort of shifting reality), but with more humor and heart. If you like either of these, check out the other, then look for Kon's other work: Tokyo Godfathers (a remake of Three Godfathers that combines homeless antics with an honest to goodness Christmas movie) and Paranoia Agent (13 episodes of scathing, bizzare satire), the first volume of which was recently released in the US.

I'm a huge Satoshi Kon fan. Can you tell?

Moving right along:

Here is Greenwood is a delightful shoujo comedy about our hero's misadventures in the freak dorm at his all male high school. It's less about high school than it is dorm life, wacky hijinx (ranging from the perils of filming a fantasy film for the school festival, run-ins with thugs and gangsters, and the occasional ghost), and really great characters. All this and a great romantic ending! All six episodes are on a single DVD for all of twenty bucks. Highly, highly recommended.

Please Save My Earth is also shoujo, six episodes, and available on a single disc, but is otherwise quite a different beast. It's science fiction about alien observers who were reincarnated on Earth and, as teenagers, are beginning to meet up with each other, remember their past lives, and develop a few psychic powers along the way. I should warn you that this series only animates about a quarter of the manga it's based on and doesn't have a really firm ending; however, does come to a decent emotional ending and is a great watch nonetheless; if nothing else the characters are fantastic, and if you like the anime you can pick up Viz's US release of the manga. While I can't give this an unqualified recommendation, it is a personal favorite.

Read Or Die - R.O.D. is about the British Royal Library's superpowered black ops team and their fight to retrieve a book from reincarnated mad scientists and mythical figures, led by the loveable bookworm Yomiko "The Paper" Readman, with a swank soundtrack and even swanker animation. What more do you need to know? Three episodes total, all on a single DVD.

Ushio and Tora - It's a buddy story about the magic spear weilding grandson of a priest and the demon that keeps trying to kill him. The buddy angle is quite fun and there's plenty of badass shounen supernatural fighting. It's also got cute girls and wacky super deformed style back up features. All ten episodes in a single two-disc DVD set, available dirt cheap.

Memories - Three Katsuhiro "Akira" Otomo manga are adapted by different directors (including my boy Kon) in this phenomenal anthology film. "Magnetic Rose" is a lovely, haunting bit of hard SF, "Stink Bomb" is a madcap comedy abut inadvertant biological warfare (with a positively skanking soundtrack), and "Cannon Fodder", a fable about war done up in an almost European style. And you can completely rock out to the end theme, "In Yer Memories".

Finally, absolutely everyone should own a copy of The Castle of Cagliostro, a Lupin the Third film directed by Hayao "The Motherfucking Mack Daddy" Miyazaki. Lupin and his merry band of thieves find themselves in Europe, matching wits against a real scumbag in order to rescue a fair maiden and bust up a counterfeiting scam, while hapless Interpol agent Zenigata tears after them. There's a ton of Lupin out there ranging from competent to absolutely inspired; Cagliostro defiantely falls into the later category, and is one of the finest adventure films, animated or otherwise, ever made. Absolutely essential.

And that's more than enough for right now. Let us know what you end up buying and how you like your selections!

FnordChan
 
T

Tamanon

Banned
Oh definitely agree on Read or Die. Great DVD. They show it occasionally on Adult Swim also, very creative series.

And if you're doing Lupin, also go with Voyage to Danger, one of the best flicks IMO. At least better than the crap that was Secret of Mamo:p
 
C

Chrono

Banned
B000641Z72.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg


Samurai Champloo

^^^ volume one is out in about two weeks... Here's an early review:

http://www.animeondvd.com/reviews2/disc_reviews/3477.php


And yeah you should definitely look into Last Exile also.
 
SuperPac

SuperPac

Member
If you're just starting out and don't know what you'd actually like, why not try something in a variety of genres:

Paranoia Agent - (psychological thrills)
Neon Genesis Evangelion - (giant robots & "deep" thoughts)
Kino's Journey - (Twilight Zoney and thoughtful)
any Ghost in the Shell - (Cybernetic fun)
Azumanga Daioh - (Slice of life humor)
 
F

FnordChan

Member
Tamanon said:
Oh definitely agree on Read or Die. Great DVD. They show it occasionally on Adult Swim also, very creative series.
Click to expand...

I should mention that there's also a Read or Die TV series. It's fun, but not anything I'd recommend rushing out to purchase; make sure you're just picking up the single, three episode OVA release, not the TV show.

And if you're doing Lupin, also go with Voyage to Danger, one of the best flicks IMO. At least better than the crap that was Secret of Mamo:p
Click to expand...

I'm rather fond of Mamo, in that "Boy howdy is this ever 70's" sort of way. It's not good per se, but it is fairly fun. I feel the same way about Gold of Babylon, at least as long as you skip past the interminable motorcycle chase scene at the beginning.

For Lupin beyond Cagliostro, I like to recommend The Fuma Clan Conspiracy, wherein Goemon gets hitched, the bride gets snatched, and the Gang goes spelunking for treasure and kidnap victims. Rolicking adventure hijinx in the glorious Lupin tradition? Yes, please. I'm also looking forward to a US release of First Contact, which was terrific fun.

FnordChan
 
L

Luscious LeftFoot

Member
kumanoki said:
I would recommend Voices of a Distant Star. It's beautiful, and you get a really good feel for life in Japan.
Click to expand...

Typical life in Japan consists of fighting in intergalactic wars whilst talking to your boyfriend via celly??? :p
 
T

trilobyte

Member
woh some good stuff here....

FYI, I really don't know my taste in anime since I haven't seen a whole lot of it. I'm not really offended by anything, so stuff with sex and viloence I don't really mind....but is there any junk I should stay away from?
 
M

MetatronM

Unconfirmed Member
trilobyte said:
Does Paranoia Agent have the same type of character style as Perfect Blue? Not that it matters much, but I really liked the style.
Click to expand...
Well I'm not entirely certain what you mean (I presume you mean visually?), but Paranoia Agent is from the same director, Satoshi Kon, so they are rather similar in style. And personally, I think Paranoia Agent is a better series than Perfect Blue is a movie, if that makes any sense.

Luscious LeftFoot said:
I enjoyed Perfect Blue, still don't know what the hell Paranoia Agent was all about...
Click to expand...
What I took away from it was that it was a social commentary on modern day Tokyo. Perhaps I saw things a little bit differently because I was actually in Tokyo when I watched the second half of the series, but I really identified with much of what the show was saying about modern life in Tokyo and the emotional state of the city, if you will.
The crazy, hyper-capitalist, mass media escapism represented by Maromi contrasted with the soulless, dead-end, daily grind ultimately personified by Shounen Bat and the competition and interplay between the two.
I still don't know exactly what the crazy old man was all about, though. :D
 
S

Silkworm

Member
I'm eagerly awaiting the next vol of Paranoia Agent. The first vol sure left a lot unanswered and it was neat how they switched from one character to the next for each episode. I've enjoyed Satoshi Kon's previous work so I'm not too worried about how this series will end up. Additionally it's doesn't appear that its going to suffer from being too long since it's only 4 DVDs so I doubt there's going to be any "filler" crap :) I haven't seen anyone else mention it yet in this thread but Giant Robo is also a good series that's just started its release in N. America, so that might be worth checking out. And Azumanga Daoih is good for just funny stuff with no over arcing plot to worry about, a nice contrast to some of the other anime I'm watching at the moment and it's far more entertaining than other "light/funny" anime I've seen in the past. I'm still working through watching Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone and Complex which has been good so far but it hasn't really taken off for me just yet. But I havent' watched the 3rd vol. yet so maybe I'll get more excited about the series after watching it. I just need to feel some more attachment to the characters and admittedly they haven't had a whole lot of time yet to grow on me (I've only seen, what, 6-8 episodes so far and I know there are a lot left in the 1st season ot GiTS:SaC).
 
B

Blimblim

The Inside Track
12 Kingdoms is one of the most amazing anime shows I ever saw. It starts a bit slow but once the story gets on track it's an incredibly complex (but easy to follow) and enjoyable anime.
 
A

Apharmd Battler

Member
GIANT ROBO!! One of my favorite series with an excellent soundtrack (just re-released and should be 4 DVDs maybe 5 if the rumors are true and they are relasing the Ginrei specials)!!

Off the top of my head here are some series that I think are pretty good.

Witch Hunter Robin
Last Exile
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
Gungrave
Berserk
Saiyuki
Hellising
X
Kino's Journey
Twelve Kingdoms
Rune Soldiers
Read or Die (series)
Chono Crusade
Get Backers
Noir
PeaceMaker
Kitty Grade
Ninja Scroll (series)


My guilty pleasures include

YuYu Hakusho
Real Bout High School
Fist of the North Star (old and new series)
Mezzo
Crying Freeman
MazinKaiser
Shin Getter Robo

But back to the subject, for stand alone movies to check out:

Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
Vampire Hunter D (orginal movie)
Twlight of the Dark Master
Angel Cop
Metropolis
Cowboy Bebop the Movie
NeoTokyo
Mezzo Forte
Blood: The Last Vampire
Princess Mononoke
Spirited Away
Fatal Fury
 
M

mrkgoo

Member
ANime that I would recommend (keeping in mind, I generally don't do series, and normally can;t stand generic robo anime):

Perfect blue
Tokyo Godfathers (a true sleeper hit for me -funny, heartwarming, and genuinely ..well..genuine).
Voices of a Distant star (and the little short film She and Her Cat) - yes this is fairly generic robo anime, especially the uninspired character art, but the direction and storytelling is superb, and the mode of using the cellphones a neat idea. Also the fact it was pretty much done dsingle handedly is too delicious.
Grave of the Fireflies (good, but depressing. I can't believe the back has a review that quotes: "...one of the most uplifting movies I've reviewed." On closer inspection, I discovered his pants were on fire).
And I genuinely liked most of Animatrix (esp. beyond).

Everyone genrally wants subs over dubs,r ight? so which anime do you guys reckon actually have good dubs?

I prefer the Voices one, and the Akira remake is not so bad. Spirited Away (if it counts) is pretty good. I generally watch most of them with dubs, unless it's truly terrible (even if dialogue is changed.)
 
U

Uncle Dukey

Member
For single disc releases, I recommend Millenium Actress, Memories (Didn't care for "Cannon Fodder" though..), and the Read or Die OVA. I'd like to see Tokyo Godfathers, but I haven't yet.. For TV series, SuperPac's suggestions would be a great place to start.
 
H

Hero

Member
A lot of good recommendations.

Where's the Slayers series love?

The Slayers / Slayers Next / Slayers Try are all excellent.

First season starts off a little slow as it has to give you the characters' personality and build up the world, but Next is just awesome. Try was okay, definitely lower than Next. Slapstick medieval fantasy comedy is awesome. Lina Inverse > * any other main female character (in part because her boobs aren't big)
 
A

Apharmd Battler

Member
Hero said:
A lot of good recommendations.

Where's the Slayers series love?

The Slayers / Slayers Next / Slayers Try are all excellent.

First season starts off a little slow as it has to give you the characters' personality and build up the world, but Next is just awesome. Try was okay, definitely lower than Next. Slapstick medieval fantasy comedy is awesome. Lina Inverse > * any other main female character (in part because her boobs aren't big)
Click to expand...


Hero if you're a Slayer's fan, you should defiantely check out Rune Soliders. I too am a huge Slaywers fan, but I was already getting out of hand with my recommendations above, I had to stop myself from posting anything else above. Huzkee, I would've recommended Evangelion , but I think the Rahxephon just crushes it. :p
 
T

Tunesmith

formerly "chigiri"
Chrono said:
You didn't know!?
Click to expand...

We miss soo much here in Western Land. :D

Recommendations.. hmm..

Movies (in no particular order except the top one)

- Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (original JPN version)

- Princess Mononoke
- Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door
- Castle in the Sky
- Ghost in the Shell
- Innocence (GITS2)
- Ninja Scroll
- Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem (Daft Punk's masterpiece "music-video-movie")
- Blood: The Last Vampire
- Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
- Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro

Mini-series

- Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal (4 episodes, 2 discs)

Series

- Cowboy Bebop

That's what I could think of right now.. there's loads more..

Left links for your leisure instead of my personal thoughts after each one.

Enjoy.
 
S

Silkworm

Member
Blimblim said:
12 Kingdoms is one of the most amazing anime shows I ever saw. It starts a bit slow but once the story gets on track it's an incredibly complex (but easy to follow) and enjoyable anime.
Click to expand...
I'm seriously considering getting this series next. But did they offer a box art with the 1st DVD when it was released way back? If so I wonder how hard it will be to trace that down or simply wait until the final vol. is released in February and then get the whole series with accompaning box art? Oh well it would probably be best to wait until I can buy it as a box set since I'm a little behind on watching some of the anime I currently have and I need to save up a little money :)
 
C

Crazymoogle

Member
Silkworm said:
I'm seriously considering getting this series next. But did they offer a box art with the 1st DVD when it was released way back? If so I wonder how hard it will be to trace that down or simply wait until the final vol. is released in February and then get the whole series with accompaning box art? Oh well it would probably be best to wait until I can buy it as a box set since I'm a little behind on watching some of the anime I currently have and I need to save up a little money :)
Click to expand...

If there was a box (animeondvd.com or rightstuf.com would probably know), I imagine it would be the first of two. 12 Kingdoms is 45 eps, which pretty much guarantees more than 8 DVDs for the series.
 
D

distantmantra

Member
Crazymoogle said:
If there was a box (animeondvd.com or rightstuf.com would probably know), I imagine it would be the first of two. 12 Kingdoms is 45 eps, which pretty much guarantees more than 8 DVDs for the series.
Click to expand...

I don't understand you box people, but that's another thread...

Anyways, Media Blasters has yet to release a box of any sort for Twelve Kingdoms, they did however post some pictures about a year ago as to what a possible box may look like. Looking at their track record with the really nice artwork on the Berserk box and the wooden Samurai Deeper Kyo box, you box freaks will be in for a treat, I'm sure.
 
S

Silkworm

Member
distantmantra said:
I don't understand you box people, but that's another thread...

Anyways, Media Blasters has yet to release a box of any sort for Twelve Kingdoms, they did however post some pictures about a year ago as to what a possible box may look like. Looking at their track record with the really nice artwork on the Berserk box and the wooden Samurai Deeper Kyo box, you box freaks will be in for a treat, I'm sure.
Click to expand...

I can't speak for the other box people, but for me it's just a stupid unhealthy addiction ;-) It's kind of like when I buy SE versions of DVD movies. Am I going to watch all the extras? Probably not. But the collection mentallity in me prods me to get the deluxe version. I've got the super dupper art box for Giant Robo, but did I really need it? It won't stack well with the other DVDs since it has a big giant round shape but what the hell :p It looks cool! :D BTW thanks for the info regarding a potential future Twelve Kingdoms art box :)
 
SuperPac

SuperPac

Member
<PLUG> -- pick up a copy of Newtype USA to get a good sampling of what's out there... bonus DVD lets you take a look at episodes of two different shows most months. </PLUG>
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Art film???? Worst experiences or movies you've ever seen.
2 3
134
5K
Badlucktroll replied
TheWrap: Netflix and Zack Snyder's "Army of the Dead" Sequels and Animated Series "Quietly Cancelled"
19
2K
K' Dash replied
Hey Anime-GAF, what are some good recent anime OSTs (Not OP-ED)
0
673
Fbh replied
Budget PC recommendations
24
1K
Crayon replied
[Bloomberg] Sony’s Pursuit of Anime Publisher Holds More Opportunity Than Risk
Opinion Analysis 2
73
6K
kingfish replied
Top Bottom