Rec me anime!

[oyceter]

Currently I have no kdramas except Gourmet on my list, and I'm caught up with most of the shows I want to watch. Also, I'm in the mood for short episodes. So, rec me anime (but please read the qualifications first)!

• Available on Netflix
• Not too bloody
• Have cool women. I don't mind if they aren't the protagonists or if they don't physically kick ass

Comments

[lnhammer]

Though be warned: AzuDai is something of an acquired taste. It was originally broadcast in daily five-minute segments, so each half-hour episode feels kinda like a compilation of comedy sketches with continuing characters. Which fits the original material, which was a four-panel manga. It's sometimes described as "Peanuts on LSD" -- which is a little unfair, but I see their point.

Also, when you get to the graduation episode, you will cry.

I like it a lot, but I have to be in the right mood. I prefer the manga for this one.

---L.

[oyceter]

Hrm, ok. I'm reading the AzuDai manga right now; would it be weird and/or repetitive watching and reading it at the same time?

[mystickeeper]

I love Azumanga Daioh! The manga is pretty exact to the anime, but I might almost prefer the anime. They do a nice job with the voices and the sound effects, and I think I find it more funny that way. It might just be personal preference, though.

[fmanalyst]

Have you see Black Lagoon? That has some kickass women. It's about a salaryman who is left high and dry by his corporate bosses, and so he joins the modern-day pirates who kidnapped him. The pirates consist of an African-American Vietnam vet, a Jewish-American tech guy, and a Chinese-American gun-toting woman. The cast also includes a Russian woman who's the head of the local Russian mafia. It's very action-oriented, and the language can be pretty raw.

[oyceter]

No, though I keep hearing about it!

Um, how bloody and/or violent and/or depressing is it? Some parts of Samurai Champloo are on the upper levels of my gore-meter.

[mystickeeper]

OMG I LOVE BLACK LAGOON!!!

I hope it's okay if I help try to answer your question, even though it wasn't directed at me.

There is lots of guns and explosions and blades, and also blood. It's not heavy on the, like, bones-sticking-out-of-flesh type of gore, though. I'm not sure if that helps in your decision process or not. It's been a while since I watched Samurai Champloo, but I think that Black Lagoon doesn't get much worse than the more intense parts of SC.

[fmanalyst]

It's pretty violent, though I can't remember how much actual blood there is. The violence is primarily gun violence instead of sword violence, and there are car chases. Revy has a nihilist world view and an unhappy childhood, which may rank high on your depression meter.

[meganbmoore]

Seeing Gunslinger Girls and Haibane Renmei makes me autorec Kino's Journey/Kino no Tabi. The three are always mentioned together and, while very diferent series, have similar "feels." Of the three, Kino is my favorite.

I wouldn't call Claymore "depressing" but it does have a fair bit of character death. But it...it...it's all about girls with swords who have all those "special skills" shounen uses to sideline girls in other manga and shows just how awesome those things can be when actually put to use. The only problem is that every fan of the manga loves the first 20~ eps, then hates the ending. But we hate it more because it means they can never have the Era Of Badass Leather Awesomeness, not because it's bad. Downside is that only the first few eps will be available on Netflix. Though I think I can still totally hook you up with a torrent.I really want to rec Madlax because it's also Girls With Guns and kinda meta and weird and awesome, but I think you'd label it depressing, though the ending is on the happy side

[oyceter]

Oooo, ok. I think I know what you mean by the feel of Haibane Renmei and Gunslinger Girl and like that.

Hrm. How bloody and/or violent is Claymore? I couldn't get further than two volumes into the manga because the gore was getting to me... is the anime better?

[meganbmoore]

Hmmm...well, it's still there in the anime, but it's anime, so it tends to kind of happen and move on pretty quickly, as opposed to being plastered in front of your eyes like the manga. Unlike most shounen anime, the fights in Claymore tend to move fairly fast. (Screencapping them was a pain when I was watching, because the cool poses weren't on my screen for as long.) I'd say watch it at least through the story that introduces several other Claymores (ok, there are several of those, but I'm referring to the first one, which also has the origin of 2 important characters. If it's still too much for you, then it'll probably stay too much. (I'd have to look, but we're only talking 6, possibly 7 eps.)

I admit, I'm insanely biased in favor of any version of Claymore. I think it's ruined me for all other shounen. And Miria is the most awesome thing to ever happen to shounen manga, though the best reasons for that are after the anime diverges from the manga.

[akycha]

Heavenscalyx and I are watching Kurau Phantom Memory and the first disc had us riveted.

Can't tell you about the ending, since we're not there yet. Looks exciting, though.

[oyceter]

Oh, what is it? What do you like about it?

[akycha]

It's the story of a... well... a scientist is studying some weird energy which turns out to be an alien which takes over the body of his daughter and gives her superpowers.

Only all the aliens come in pairs, and the second one is missing, until the alien-girl is about 20 when someone who looks just like her at (10? whenever the alien shows up) arrives.

The art is stunning and the characters are riveting. The relationship between the two girls is really amazing -- closer than sisters, non-erotic.

Oh, and there are bad guys, too, to make it all shonen and stuff.

[thomasyan]

You've convinced me. I saw the DVD boxes and wrote down this series as possibly something I would be interested in. It appears that would be a yes. :)

Do you know anything about The Third: The Girl with the Blue Eye? It didn't look all the original and possibly had too much fan service, but seemed like it might be fun all the same.

[yeloson]

Have you seen Kino's Journey? It's a little slow and dream like, but that's why I love it.

[oyceter]

You have all convinced me and it is now on the Netflix queue!

[meganbmoore]

OH! Make sure you watch it subbed. In ep 1, the dubs spoil a reveal from I think ep 4.

Did I mention the snarking motorcycle?

[yeloson]

They just translated the book! Kino no Tabi.

I'm about halfway through it, and a little upset that they change the order of the chapters to be chronological rather than the way they set up the episodes.

I'm still trying to decide if I like it or not, as it pretty much follows the anime really closely, and the writing is pretty minimalist. Having seen the anime already, it's kind of hard telling myself the book is worth the read, even though, I've gotten a tiny bit more understanding of Kino's personality from it so far.