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My DVD collection is seriously lacking in one area.

I have ZERO . . . yes, ZERO . . . anime DVDs!

I have not ventured into this sacred world, and I know almost nothing about it.

Someone help me.

Which titles should I start with to "break me in?" I wouldn't know one from another, and I don't want to start off buying crap.

Everything by Miyazaki, that would be:
Princess Mononoke
Spirited Away
Nausicaa (not out on Region 1 DVD yet)
Castle in the Sky
The Castle of Cagliostro
Kiki's Delivery Service
My Neighbor Totoro

Grave of the Fireflies
Akira
Fist of the North Star
The original Macross movie (usually called "Clash of the Bionoids")
Metropolis
Black Magic M-66
Baoh

Also cool and worth seeing:

Perfect Blue
Appleseed
Battle Angel
Lupin the 3rd - series, "Castle of Cagliostro" was pretty much the movie version
Gunbuster, episode #6
Ninja Scroll
Neon Genesis Evangelion - a big series
Bubblegum Crisis - always liked the orginal series, especially #5

--singles--
Perfect Blue
Ghost In The Shell
Akira
Vampire Hunter D
Battle Angel
Iria: Zeiram the Animation
Ninja Scroll

--series--
Bubblegum Crisis
Ranma 1/2

Among the excellent choices already mentioned, I recommend:

the series Urusei Yatsura - Funny as hell.  About the world's biggest lech, his electrifing alien fiancee, and the weird things that happen around him.  This sucker is a MAJOR influence on a lot of other anime, such as Tenchi Muyoand Saber marrionette J[/u] (both of which I also recommend.).   Urusei Yatsura is also a LONG series.  And an old one; the animation is quite dated

the series Cowboy Bebop - An excellent sci fi series about space bounty hunters.  Funny, exciting, and a whole lot more.  Some episodes are more style over substance, but it's definately worth watching.

the series Escaflowne - The story of a girl who journies to a magical world where sword duels sometimes takes place using giant robots.  This one's really entertaining
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For me my favorite was always Crying Freemen.
I believe Star Blazers is also out on DVD now. I have season 2 on video would love to have it on DVD

The best ones I can think of are
Vampire hunter d:Blood lust.the year 2000 version
princess mononokee
spirited away
escaflwone(not sure how its spelled)
Robot carnival
Ghost in the shell
Metropolis
Perfect blue

Trigun is the only one I have.  It's pretty much the only anime (well, partial exception for Vampire Hunter D) I've had a strong urge to rewatch.  Movies/TV shows I know I'll watch again are what I buy.

Trigun is fantastic, but its occasionally very Japanese sensibilities might be confusing.  I suggest getting the Chinese set, which is 4 discs in a case as thick as two DVD boxes.  The box set has the advantage of awful dubbing and better subtitles, and the subtitles are indeed sometimes weak, but the Chinese release is $120 cheapear.

Blue Seed.  Definitely Blue Seed.

I'm pretty sure that "Kodocha no Omocha" aka "Child's Toy" is only available through fan-subtitled internet bootlegs, but it's so worth it.  It's little kid anime, but it's absolutely hilarious.  I'm pretty sure that this was the show that got the rep for giving kids seizures a while back.

Seriously man, do NOT get Princess Mononoke, while well drawn, the plot drags and the movie is so ridiculous.

I would say Vampire Hunter D is pretty fun. A

As for series, I reccomend Tenchi Muyo, Dragon Ball Z (the Cell saga and/or the Vegeta saga, there is not so much posing in these) and the best anime ever....

Inuyasha

Evan3 wrote:

> Seriously man, do NOT get Princess Mononoke, while well drawn,
> the plot drags and the movie is so ridiculous.
>
> I would say Vampire Hunter D is pretty fun. A
>
> As for series, I reccomend Tenchi Muyo, Dragon Ball Z (the Cell
> saga and/or the Vegeta saga, there is not so much posing in
> these) and the best anime ever....
>
> Inuyasha

Princess Mononoke's plot drags and is ridiculous... and yet you recommend Dragon Ball Z, even though one of the character's battles (though supposedly only three minutes or so long) covers the better part of four episodes...

A-huh.

This isn't to say I think Dragon Ball Z is a bad choice; I like it.  I just can't accept it as being better than Mononkoe.

(But then again, who's asking me too, right?)

Back on topic - Another couple of good picks would be:

Project A-ko - The story of three high school girls.  The first has super powers, the second is frightening to the extreme (in an allegedly cute sort of way), and the third is a demented super genius with far too much money and time on her hands.  Add a rivalry between the first and third over the second, mix with alien invaders, and you have one of the best Animes.  Ever.

Record of Lodoss War - What the movie Dungeons and Dragons should have been.  I can only speak for the original series here, but this fantasy adventure is one of the best.  It's the story of a young warrior trying to find his place in a war against various Evil powers.
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I'll the my two cents in here, lurker though I am I'm a big anime geek.  I'm going to add another movie to the Miyazaki list, one called Porco Russo.  It's about a man during WWI italy who just happens to be an anthropomorphic pig.  Trust me, it's not as dumb as it sounds, and it's actually probably one of the better movies that I've seen.  It's probably number three in the list of Miyazaki movies.  Also, little known, Miyazaki and his longtime collaborator Isao Takahata (Grave of the Fireflies, whisper of the heart, co-founder of Studio Ghibli) had their hands ALL OVER the Lupin III series, and made the Castle of Cagliostro movie with essentially the staff that would become Studio Ghibli.   In terms of other movies...

I'm going to suggest..Metropolis, for one.  Imagine what would happen if you took a Max Fleischer cartoon and set it in a universe verysimilar to Lang's movie of the same name.  Then anime-ize it.

Secondly, a four-episode miniseries, Macross Plus. Probably one of the best anime miniseries ever, breathtaking animation, simple but gripping plot, and even a decent dub!  Whoo!

Finally, a request: If anyone can find a few things from my childhood, I'm willing to pay top dollar.  1- A movie called Phoenix 2772.  2- Movie called 'Unico: To the Magic Island'.  3- Dance for me.  Not a movie, just do it, please. 4-Finally, a collection of anime shorts entitled 'Memories'.  Whew.

--NiGHTS

Forgot to add "Galaxy Express 999", as well as "Arcadia In My Youth" and any related title you can find.

The thing I find with anime is, if it's good it's really really good.  If it's even a little bit not good, it sucks mercilessly.  Dragon Ball Z is one of the worst things I have ever watched.  The stories are retarded, the animation is awful, no redeeming qualities at all.
I'm glad to see someone mentioned Iria.  While the live-action Zeram movies are cool, that is one of my all-time favorite animes.
But I am ASHAMED of all of you because no one mentioned Evangelion.  This is probably the coolest anime I have ever seen, some of the stuff in the later episodes is truly jolting and disturbing, and the animation is excellent.  You need to pick up the Perfect Collection box set (because if you don't watch all the eps in order from start to finish it makes NO sense at all), and then pick up the End of Eva movie.  Ignore Death and Rebirth, as it's just a rehash of the last few episodes of the series with most of the action cut out and rearranged.
The battle between Unit 2 and the defense force in End of Eva just makes me itch for some good Godzilla anime.  Imagine all the cool s**t they could have the monsters do (without blue spiky hair) that isn't possible with practical effects.

Brother R

you need

VIOLENCE JACK
TOKYO REVELATION
LEGEND OF THE OVERFIEND
LEGEND OF THE DEMON WOMB
VAMPIRE WARS
BLACKJACK
MACROSS PLUS
PERFECT BLUE
SWORD FOR TRUTH
AKIRA
GHOST IN THE SHELL (dare you try and understand it?)
GOLGO 13
MAD BULL 34
BLOOD THE LAST VAMPIRE
STREET FIGHTER 2
STREET FIGHTER ALPHA
FRITZ THE CAT (dosent count but worth having anyway)
REI REI
VAMPIRE HUNTER D
FIST OF THE NORTH STAR
NINJA SCROLL
THE CYBERPUNK COLLEC TION
NEON GENESIS EVANGELION , DEATH AND REBIRTH

cant think of any more right now you know how it is when youre put on the

But I am ASHAMED of all of you because no one mentioned Evangelion.

Andrew did in the very first reply.

I've heard great things about it but haven't had a chance to see it

Anyone mention Patlabor?Oh, i just did.

There is an animated film ,not japaneese though, called heavy metal (nothing to do with music) it's well worth watching!

Flangepart mentioned Patlabor and I just wanted to second that.

Also, on Evangelion - I have a feeling that's an aquired taste.  I haven't seen the movies yet, so I can't say anything on them, but I can say that the last two episodes of the series was some of the strangest episodes I have ever seen.  It ruined the series for my brother - I'm still not sure what I think of it.
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Evangelion is very addictive. I very much enjoyed the various mysteries and conspiracies, and all of the work that went into creating the whole prophecy with real religious references. The best thing is that it gives very little information to start, then gives you a little at a time, until things start making sense. I will, however, agree that the two final episodes were a disappointment. On the other hand, End of Evangelion pulls out all the stops to wrap the series up in a more satisfying way. Pretty disturbing in spots.

I also agree with Patlabor. I haven't seen the series, but I enjoyed the two movies. Giant robots as police cars - gotta like it.

Metropolis is great for it's scope alone. The huge and complex world, and the stunning imagery.

I agree that Akira is also a classic.

Dragonball Z would be fun if it were much tighter. Way too much padding in that show. I like it, but it can be frustrating at times.

One of my all-time favourites is Star Blazers. Watched it as a kid, and still enjoy it, particularly the Quest for Iscandar. The Comet Empire series is good too, but the Bolar Wars are disappointing in some ways. The Yamato movies make a nice addition to Star Blazers, as long as you understand where they fit in, relative to everything else.

I missed a few:  

I'm going to throw in Serial Experiments Lain--Slow paced, but creepy and thought provoking, as well as an OK dub.  Also, Gasaraki.  Gasaraki is similar to Evangelion as it has both giant robots, odd religious imagery, and such, though there is a stronger protagonist and the emphasis is on tactics and politics rather than plot.  Eva is better, but if you're thirsty for more..

Finally, ignore most of what Tuck posted.  About half of those are either hentai (i.e.. porn) anime and should be avoided (Well..maybe not Legend of the Overfiend.  That has a little bit of artistic merit), or mindless bloodfests that should never have seen the light of day, for example, Violence Jack.  Don't even bother.

NiGHTS

I've gotta go with Andrew, here - he's given you the best of the best to choose from.  I'm down with everything on his list except Fist of the North Star.  I have never understood the facination with that movie.

You're gonna hear a lot of stuff, but Anime is like anything else - your taste will be different that anyone else's.

I've looked over the posts here, and I have some general advice for you.

1.)  Unless you're into porn, avoid Legend of the Overfiend.  There's really no other point to it.  Wait, let me rephrase.  Unless you're into graphic depictions of women being raped by tenticled demons, avoid it.  I hate this film, and I hate it more for it's senseless popularity.  People talk about it like it's high art, and it's just not.  There's about 5 minutes of plot in the 90 minute mess, so if you're into that...

2.)  Castle Cagliostro is Stephen Spielburg's favorite movie, animated or otherwise.  There's a reason.  It's a lot of fun, and the final ten minutes of the film are like nothing else.  It is just plain awesome.

3.)  Graveyard of the Fireflies is the saddest movie I've ever seen.  It's also one of the best.

4.)  If you're looking for a series to collect, try Vision of Escaflowne.  Don't let the movie ruin it for you - the unedited television series is incredible.  Beautiful animation, thrilling story, and giant robots.  What more could you want.

5.)  If you want to see some old school stuff that will a.)teach you a lot about Japanese culture, and b.) make you laugh until you throw up, try Urusei Yatsura.  The series is LONG, but it's not like you have to get it all right away.  The series is funny as hell, and it is used today in the teaching of the Japanese language.  Every DVD comes with liner notes, so it's a good collector's thingy -item - whatever.

6.)  Anyone with an Anime collection who doesn't have Akira isn't trying.  Akira is very cool.

Anime is a passion of mine, in case you couldn't tell.
There's a lot more, if you're interested.  Everyting from Ranma 1/2 to F3 to My Neighbor Totoro.  Try whatever you can get your hands one - variety is the spice of life.

Maybe I should start an Anime website...

It really just depends on what you're looking for in an anime movie Burgo, what type of genre you prefer, etc.  Everyone's had awesome suggestions, so I won't even bother replicating them.  I do, however, suggest that you research Fist of the North Star if you decide to get it.  A TON of people hate the movie, although I love it, since is was the first movie I watched, and practically got me into anime.  It's a great mindless action-fest, but nothing more.  It's nothing on the same level as Grave of the Fireflies or Akira or anything like that as far as prestigious titles go.  It's the equivalent of a Van Damme/Seagal/Dolph action movie, only with tons of gore.  It's essentially a love-it-or-hate-it movie.

I have to agree with Guy, be on the lookout for movies that deal with graphic sexual situations, unless you're into those type of movies, of course.  There's nothing wrong with them, I'm just giving you a general warning.

Everyone else pretty much hit the nail on the head with their suggestions, especially Andrew and Freep.

Nick

NiGHTS wrote:


> Finally, ignore most of what Tuck posted.  About half of those
> are either hentai (i.e.. porn) anime and should be avoided
> (Well..maybe not Legend of the Overfiend.  That has a little
> bit of artistic merit), or mindless bloodfests that should
> never have seen the light of day, for example, Violence Jack.
> Don't even bother.
>
> NiGHTS

I love this post.  Gotta agree with everything except the artistic value of Legend of the Overdone.

Well, hey, c'mon, at least there was an (admittedly halfassed) attempt at inserting plot into it.  Its still porn, but it's disturbing and..heh.  Think of watching Overfiend as sortof like reading a children's book written by H.R. Geiger.

As Robert Z'Dar once said via Crow T Robot,  oops.

Brother R

So excellent suggestions in here, and a few of questionable seriousness. But I'd just like to add:

"The Wings Of Honneamise" - a great film about the birth of space flight on an Earth-like planet during a time of political tension. It draws comparisons to "2001" and "The Right Stuff". Definitely a must.

"WXIII:Patlabor" - the third Patlabor movie. Although the main characters from the TV series and earlier films are really supporting players in the story. It's a good bio-techno-thriller and worth a look.

"El-Hazard" - the first OVA series more than the others. A fun fantasy/action/comedy series about a group of humans transported to a mystical world wher they gain fantastic powers. Probably a little too sexist for some, but nowhere near the level of hentai or even an episode of "The man Show". Besides, Mr. Fujisawa is one of the funniest characters in anime  that I've ever seen.

If those films i suggested were not animie and were live movies they would no doubt be on this site and most of you clowns would love them.

You act as if you have standards or something, remember where you are!

There's nothing wrong with hentai, i bet most of you watch real porn-i know i do.

God can't create a perfect woman but the people at manga can draw one.

They're good to have in a collection because they have 's**t value'

If you want to watch something entertainning but don't want to commit your brain Violence Jack is perfect!

Probably would have been good to give a little heads up on the hentai though. Tentacle sex would be a bit of a surprise for most people.

I checked out a couple of these, out of curiosity. My local independent video store has an extensive selection of anime (a whole room), with a big rack (no pun intended) of hentai. Can't say I got too much out of the Overfiend movies, although that Nazi contraption in Demon Womb was fascinating, in a perverse sort of way. Things I learned from this movie: In 1944, Nazi scientists attempted to summon a demon by constructing the ultimate sex toy.

Look, the artistic value may or may not be present, but if it is, it isn't worth sitting through the rest of it.

Like I said in an earlier post - 90 minutes of women being raped by tentecles and mutant dicks, 5 minutes of plot.

I do have standards, actually.  I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't bring me down to your level.

See, I have very specific issues with your list.  Demons forcefully and violently raping women offends me.  I don't like rape in general, but this demon rape as entertainment disturbs me.  Overfiend has a special place in filth hell with it's "become a super-powerful rape monster by eating demon spooge" themes.

I watch bad movies.  True.  I watch a little porn every now and again.  Also true.  Do I derive enjoyment from graphic rape?

No.  I'm not that sick.  More power to you if you are.

I DO have standards.  Even in bad movies.  There's a fine line between cheese, and trash, Mr. Tuck, and a good portion of the movies you listed are trash.  Watching every movie on that list would be like watching 'I Spit On Your Grave' in super slo-mo for three days.  Not my idea of fun.

Tuck, we're not attacking the fact that you enjoy those sort of movies.  A majority of us have seen at least parts of them, but that doesn't mean that we all necessarily enjoy them.  If you like them, then watch them.  No one should be able to convince you otherwise.  But, like Andy said, a little warning probably should've been given to the hentai titles.  Some people are introduced to anime through these titles and are scared off because they think that it's what anime's all about.  It's not, obviously, but newcomers might not know that.

Nick

No, I was actually attacking Tuck's tastes.

That crap is what gives Anime a bad name.  Pulling those as examples of what to watch in Anime is like calling Brown Bunny and Dirty Debutantes the pinnacle of American film making.

Spring for the complete collection of Studio Ghibli stuff.  If not that, make sure you at least get the music video Miyazaki did for "On Your Mark".
It's a sweet video, and it could stand on it's own as a feature length film.

----ooo-'U'-ooo------

The first few Animes I'm planning on buying are
Agent Aika, La Blue Girl, and something called Strange Love.  For what that's worth.

My favorite anime is "Barefoot Gen"....It's a anime about the atomic bomb being dropped on Japan through the eyes of a young boy.  It's an interesting look at life in Japan at that time, and also very gripping for it's pull no punches realism.  Very depressing at times, but very much worth watching.  I highly recommend it.

Wolf Brigade is the only one I'd recommend that hasn't already been mentioned

I liked Wicked City, which is about the human world clashing with the world of demons.

> Goon wrote:

> Spring for the complete collection of Studio Ghibli stuff. If not that, make sure you at least get the music video Miyazaki did for "On Your Mark".
It's a sweet video, and it could stand on it's own as a feature length film.

  There is no official collection, actually.  This is a bootleg Korean set, and, while incredibly swet, Ghibli doesn't see one red cent from it.  If that falls into your moral worldview for buying bootleg stuff, more power toyou.  If not, just wait for things to come out stateside, or find fansubs and buy the movie after it comes out.

"Sailor Moon", of course! "Miyuki Chan In Wonderland" and "Stepmother's Sin" are good.

Wow! Thanks for all the suggestions. It will probably cost me hundreds of dollars to buy all these DVDs, so you must all share in the blame when my wife gives me a beating.

n/t

Read or Die: 3 episodes, 1 DVD. One of the best anime OVAs I've seen in awhile. Yumiko, the main character, is very cute in a geeky sort of way. Lots of action, lots of humor, and it's not terribly gross.

The Big O: 13 episodes (Season 1), 4 dvds :(. The animation reminds me of Batman: The Animated Series. And it's got giant robots. So that's cool.

http://www.animecritic.com/_metareview/list-rating.php

Just in case you wanted to see some reviews for the things we've recommended