New Anime
This spring I've been downloading new episodes of various Anime shows as they've been fan-subbed. As it turns out, a lot of fan-subbing groups are pretty quick these days and are getting their subs done less than a week after the show first airs in Japan. What started me on this? Well, I've been a fan of Anime since before college, but after college I lost touch with what was new and good. I realized that this was simply because there was no one geekier than me looking for what was new. So I found a torrent site that released fan-subbed Anime regularly, and just started downloading everything I saw. So now I'll be the geeky one recommending the Anime to you!
K-On!
This translates roughly to Light-Music Club. What is "light music?" Best I can figure it's pop music. It is a bit ambiguous in Japanese as well, since the main character initially mistakes it for meaning "easy music." K-On is currently finishing it's 2nd season, and seems to be fairly popular. (I see a lot of fan art and wallpapers for it.) The story follows a group of high school girls (Yui, Ritsu, Mio, Mugi, and later Azusa) who are new members of the Light Music Club (K-On). The story follows these girls as they learn to play together and attend high school. Those of you who can't stand moe might want to avoid this one, but I would recommend everyone give it a shot. The story is a bit lacking, but it's got great characters and well-timed comedy. The characters interact really well with each other in a way that's completely believable. Nothing about this show is over the top. The characters can be eccentric at times, but in way that you wouldn't be surprised to see in real life. It's also got some really catchy music, as the group does a few live performances.
Kaichou wa Maid-sama
This tranlates to "The Class President is a Maid" and is often called simply "Maid-sama." Misaki has recently become the council president of Seika High School, a once all boys school that has recently become co-ed. The boys there have a habit of terrorizing most of the girls and Misaki is going to personally see to it that this stops. At school she is ruthless, strict, and determined to bring order to a school filled with rough boys. However, her family is very poor, and as result she must work part-time in a maid cafe. A maid cafe is a cafe that features waitresses dressed in frilly (but not usually revealing) maid outfits and act as maids to all customers, which are typically otaku. The best thing I can compare it to in the US is Hooters. This is Misaki's secret shame and if anyone at school were to find out, she's sure to lose all the respect she's carefully gained there. So of course someone from her school finds out in the first episode. The show is a fun romantic-comedy, but has a tendency to be a bit sexist at times. The show has actually already been licensed so it should be coming to DVD soon.
Angel Beats
Okay, everyone needs to watch this one. This has got a little bit of everything. Action, comedy, philosophy, and a story filled with mystery and revelations. The story follows a group of eccentric characters in the after-life, and the after-life is a high school for some reason (and there is a reason for that). Yuzuru has just awoken in this world with no recollection of his previous life. He is immediately greeted by a student with a sniper rifle named Yuri, the leader of a resistance group fighting against a young girl known only as Angel, who seems to be the only representative for God in this after-life. The group, who's name frequently changes, is composed entirely of members who are angry at God for the quality of their life. This show was gripping and entertaining from start to finish. On top of that the art work and animation is gorgeous and it has a fantastic soundtrack. Unfortunately I fear this may have some trouble getting licensed in the US. This is because while the backdrop is a typical high school, the constant fight with Angel means that the resistance group, whose characters appear to be typical high school students, often carry guns and use guerrilla warfare tactics. Most licensing companies may not want to touch an Anime that features a bunch of kids running around a high school carrying guns. Then again, it may not be a big deal.
There are still a bunch of Anime shows that I've downloaded but haven't gotten around to watching, but I'll post again if any others are worth looking into. In the meantime you can download most of the Anime I've mentioned at Anime Suki (http://www.animesuki.com/). They just stopped carrying Maid Sama since it has been licensed, so you'll have to find that on your own.
K-On!
This translates roughly to Light-Music Club. What is "light music?" Best I can figure it's pop music. It is a bit ambiguous in Japanese as well, since the main character initially mistakes it for meaning "easy music." K-On is currently finishing it's 2nd season, and seems to be fairly popular. (I see a lot of fan art and wallpapers for it.) The story follows a group of high school girls (Yui, Ritsu, Mio, Mugi, and later Azusa) who are new members of the Light Music Club (K-On). The story follows these girls as they learn to play together and attend high school. Those of you who can't stand moe might want to avoid this one, but I would recommend everyone give it a shot. The story is a bit lacking, but it's got great characters and well-timed comedy. The characters interact really well with each other in a way that's completely believable. Nothing about this show is over the top. The characters can be eccentric at times, but in way that you wouldn't be surprised to see in real life. It's also got some really catchy music, as the group does a few live performances.
Kaichou wa Maid-sama
This tranlates to "The Class President is a Maid" and is often called simply "Maid-sama." Misaki has recently become the council president of Seika High School, a once all boys school that has recently become co-ed. The boys there have a habit of terrorizing most of the girls and Misaki is going to personally see to it that this stops. At school she is ruthless, strict, and determined to bring order to a school filled with rough boys. However, her family is very poor, and as result she must work part-time in a maid cafe. A maid cafe is a cafe that features waitresses dressed in frilly (but not usually revealing) maid outfits and act as maids to all customers, which are typically otaku. The best thing I can compare it to in the US is Hooters. This is Misaki's secret shame and if anyone at school were to find out, she's sure to lose all the respect she's carefully gained there. So of course someone from her school finds out in the first episode. The show is a fun romantic-comedy, but has a tendency to be a bit sexist at times. The show has actually already been licensed so it should be coming to DVD soon.
Angel Beats
Okay, everyone needs to watch this one. This has got a little bit of everything. Action, comedy, philosophy, and a story filled with mystery and revelations. The story follows a group of eccentric characters in the after-life, and the after-life is a high school for some reason (and there is a reason for that). Yuzuru has just awoken in this world with no recollection of his previous life. He is immediately greeted by a student with a sniper rifle named Yuri, the leader of a resistance group fighting against a young girl known only as Angel, who seems to be the only representative for God in this after-life. The group, who's name frequently changes, is composed entirely of members who are angry at God for the quality of their life. This show was gripping and entertaining from start to finish. On top of that the art work and animation is gorgeous and it has a fantastic soundtrack. Unfortunately I fear this may have some trouble getting licensed in the US. This is because while the backdrop is a typical high school, the constant fight with Angel means that the resistance group, whose characters appear to be typical high school students, often carry guns and use guerrilla warfare tactics. Most licensing companies may not want to touch an Anime that features a bunch of kids running around a high school carrying guns. Then again, it may not be a big deal.
There are still a bunch of Anime shows that I've downloaded but haven't gotten around to watching, but I'll post again if any others are worth looking into. In the meantime you can download most of the Anime I've mentioned at Anime Suki (http://www.animesuki.com/). They just stopped carrying Maid Sama since it has been licensed, so you'll have to find that on your own.