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[genjiZERO]

Actually answering your side question since anything I would have suggested as already been mentioned.

I personally think kai is how one should watch DBZ, the original series is so poorly paced. My wife has read the manga and she liked Kai a lot more cause it was closer to that. I felt that the pacing was almost too fast at times but I think it was better than the original series.

Thanks! I'm a huge fan of the manga as well, and I wanted to watch it because it's supposed to be more like it. How is the VAing since it's years after the original? The actor who did Tenshinhan died (RIP) right?

 

[Typographenia]

Royal Space Force: Wings of the Honnêamise
A film that captures the passion of the creators' love of flight better than anything else I've watched. The film is much more a human story handling issues of relating to others, discovering what is important to oneself, and what is potential of a vision. One of the most visually stunning animated works ever produced, and it still has that under-dog feel that early Gainax works had.

Patlabor Films 1 & 2
The first movie is more a standard, straight forward affair than the second film and I view it as more of an introduction to the world setting and the characters. The second film is an examination of Japanese attitudes and handling of political matters within the country and a potential path they could ultimately travel down. I highly recommend the second film, but both are worth watching.

Skycrawlers
A slower film than anything else I am listing. I did not like this movie upon my first viewing, but it wouldn't leave my mind when it ended. It took me two viewings to really appreciate the tone and pace that it had, and it deals with some pretty heavy topics including the effects of war on individuals, obsessions, repeating mistakes, and much more. More of a light science-fiction, but check it out.

They Were Eleven
This is framed as more of a thriller- ten students attempting to get into a prestigious university must live together on a ship for an entire orbit around a planet unsupervised to be considered for acceptance, but there is a mysterious extra person aboard. Who is the odd one out? A really great cast of characters that focuses on racial tensions, identity, and trust/mistrust.

Cyber City
This is a three episode OVA with a different character taking lead role in each one. The first one is a very simple action hero type of film. However, the second and third are character and philosophically driven. They aren't the greatest stories ever told, but there are some really interesting concepts and ideas wrapped in a later 80s/early 90s presentation.

Macross Plus
A really wonderful four episode OVA that (like Royal Space Force) showcases the creators' love and passion for flight. It is much more about the relationship issues between the three primary characters and their struggle to find/retain their purposes in the world. The visuals and music are worth watching this for on their own, but the story is complimented by them, not overshadowed.

 

[heliosRAzi]

You know I really liked Innocence. People don't seem to like it - I know - but there was something about it I really dug. It made more of a simple "detective story" vibe which I think works better for a movie format. But maybe because it focused on Batou? I don't know. I really like when they focus on characters other than the Major whose identity I think is already pretty complete. In SAC I think Togusa is easily the most interesting character.

I agree.

However I can see why people are put off by it and I personally think that other entries into the franchise were a lot better , especially the series.

 

[Mesoian]

Psychopass is...interesting. Though I don't know how on the rails it'll stay considering it's about a police force that has to employ mentally unstable people to do their job because they don't have the stomach for it.

 

[genjiZERO]

I agree.

However I can see why people are put off by it and I personally think that other entries into the franchise were a lot better , especially the series.

Yeah absolutely. I think it's just entertaining. There's something special about the other things in the series.

 

[El Sloth]

Space Brothers is sort of sci-fi. Watch it.

 

[Dali]

Giant Robo OAV - Cystallized awesome and fits all of your criteria... ok maybe not the "realistic" part so much, but the tone is so somber and its handled so well it feels pretty realistic.

Metropolis

 

[Pro from Dover]

Wings of Honneamise?

I agree with this.

 

[Charoncaori]

Almost all of these have been suggested, but I'll list them anyway:
Legend of the Galactic Heroes (for a realistic depiction of space politics)
Gundam war in the pocket, 08th ms team or 0083. Don't look down on them because they are Gundam, war in the pocket in particular is pretty depressing. Gundam at its best is about how war and technology affect people.
Wings of Honneamise (I honestly couldn't stand it but it kind of fits your criteria, it's fake historical fiction about a company trying to get to space)
Paprika (about a girl who can enter people's dreams)
Akira (if you haven't seen it, this should be first on your list! Even though it is a dystopian future.)

Gunbuster (NOT DIEBUSTER) is also surprisingly good sci-fi at points, but for every good bit of science there are esp dolphins so, yeah.

Summer Wars and Dennou Coil are more for kids, but they have some depth and were very entertaining. They both deal with the virtual space interacting with the real world in a very near-future Japan.

I didn't list Macross plus because I see you've watched it, but to anyone else wanting a recommendation: watch it, it's amazing. Has the director and composer from Cowboy Bebop.

 

[FlashbladeGAF]

Psychopass is...interesting. Though I don't know how on the rails it'll stay considering it's about a police force that has to employ mentally unstable people to do their job because they don't have the stomach for it.

What?

They wouldnt be assigned the job if they didnt have the stomach for it.
They see and do the same exact thing as the emotionally "unstable people" do.

The only difference is the "mentally unstable people" can get inside the mind of a criminal because of their past experiences.

 

[Cosmic Schwung]

Oh, my bad. I remember Hitokage or someone saying otherwise, but hearsay can always be wrong.

Either way worth watching.

You're right, the the first OVA and movies are one continuity and the tv series and second OVA are another. Having never read it I couldn't say if the manga fits in to either of them or is a continuity of its own.

 

[LiK]

Paprika and Serial Experiments Lain

 

[genjiZERO]

So I'm about half way through Ergo Proxy

Spoiler

The impression that I get so far is that it's a re-imagining of Xi You Ji (Journey to the West). Basically a too powerful demon (Vincent/Wukong (aka Goku)) and his "entourage" travel somewhere (Buddhism replaced with something vaguely Islamic "Mosque") to find spiritual answers to their problems, all the while fighting other demons (other Proxy) along the way, and trying to avoid capture by the Gods (the Confucian deities/whatever those statues are). He even seems to have been born out of a rock.

Don't tell me if I'm right or wrong, but that's the distinct impression I get.

 

[BlackGoku03]

Old but good:

I was about to recommend this.