Best Anime' for a Beginner?

Well, the first one I ever saw was Vampire Hunter D. It just plain kicked ass! So, that would be my recommendation.

Most animes are adult. Not neccessarily R-Rated, just adult in its approach. Even Thundercats utilizes anime style animation especially in the intros. Anime in comicbooks have lots of thin lines that convey movement sometimes called speed lines.

Frank Miller uses anime style art in alot of his books probably beginning with Ronin. It'll be a good introduction to this style, which can be quite stark, sombre and yet kinetic and lively. Its a good start off point before exploring the real deal.

Just check out the Manga section in the video store for good anime cartoons. Almost anything can be a great distraction. You'll find many movies have ripped off chunks of ideas from a lot of anime movies. One of them being, Men in Black which took the concept from a anime movie that I think is called The Wicked City. I'm not too sure...but it does have City in its title.Sorry.


Noteworthy titles to check out, which are mostly series:

Akira
The Crying Freeman
The City Hunter
Wicked City (unsure title)
Vampire Hunter D (look for 2000 version - kicks ass)
Geobreeders
Ninja Scroll
Ghost in the Shell
Demon City (unsure title - not as good as the others listed above)

I can't think of anymore at the moment but there are heaps more. If you are willing to keep an open mind, you'll find it to be quite a liberating venture as they are more inclined to explore themes and take risks with the art, style and content.

It can be cheesy sometimes, and the dubbing usually snicker inducing but its imaginatively realised, more times than it should. Having an adult theme also allows them the liberty to broaden the scope and stretch the barriers so wacky things, sometimes surreal, sometimes weird, sometimes unnecassary just happen. You just may like it....its too unpredicatable not to.

Ah! My Goddess
Akira
Ninja Scroll
Riding Bean
You're Under Arrest

There's no way anyone new to the world of Anime should start with Akira, Ghost in the Shell, or Princess Mononoke cause they're widely regarded as the fineist examples of their kind.

Better to start with either classic stuff you've probably seen but not realized it like Robotech/Macross or with the lighter fluff like Project A-Ko or Tenchi Muyo.

But my faves are the Golgo 13 and Urotsukidoji movies...

My favorite series is Tenchi Muyo, it's best described as teen comedy sci fi. It's a "cute" anime, but the animation is great and one of the best things about it besides (IMHO) it's wacky humor are the English voice actors. They're all really good and capture the character's perfectly.
Then I would recommend:
-Vampire Hunter D (they released a new one too, haven't seen it anywhere though)
-Wicked City
-Urotsukidoji(classic penis tentacle monster action)
-Ninja Scroll
-Princess Mononoke
-Vampire Princess Miyu
-Neon Genesis Evangelion
-Ghost in the Shell
The only problem I have with anime is it's expensive, and some of the series are looong. Tenchi is a pretty long run series and it's still going. Evangelion is another and then there's the hugely popular Ranma which has got to have a million tapes out, as well as El Hazard and Record of Lodoss War(which is about 7 tapes but I didn't like too much since it's very LOTR-ish). Definitely rent if you can rather than buy in order to guage how much you like them.
There are alot of hentai anime series too like Pet Shop of Horrors and, crap can't member, something Darkness, you'd know it if you saw it. They are the really adult ones as they are all nudity and rape by giant eveil penis monsters and other nasties. Another thing to keep in mind is if you'd like them subtitled or dubbed. Dubbed videos are usually more expensive than subtitled ones.

[This message has been edited by girlcreeture (edited 09-03-2000).]

You know, there's nothing like a little tentacle monster penis and automated virgin cherry popping action to start ones day...

Just for the record here guys, anime is the japanese style of artwork when it is "ANIMATED", manga is the the same or very similar style when it is drawn, like in comics.

The two words are not technically interchangeable.

to repeat, movies are animes, comics are mangas.

And for the love of dog, don't call it Japanamation, that equates to us calling any foreign animation by it's country of origin plus amation.

Africamation, anyone? Englandamation?

silly.

oh yeah, for something on topic.

Rent these

Vampire Hunter D (classic)
Ninja Scroll (nudity and blood galore)
Ghost in the Shell (technically beautiful)
Fatal Fury 2 (for the animation)
Wings of Honneamise (great story)
Akira (the pinnacle)

It is indeed offensive to use the term "Japanamation". Henceforth, to be PC, all animated films are to be refered to as "Anationamation".

Tee Hee Blofeld, heh heh.

I used to work at Suncoast and they have big red signs over each section to identify the category and I remember the day they sent the new Anime sign to replace Japanimation. Our DM even called and was very adamant that we use the word Anime and NEVER use Japanimation when speaking with customers anymore. I alsways thought Japanimation sounded kinda goofy anyhow.

Ok. Despite being an assistant director to a big animation convention, I'm really behind in what's NEW (hey, my job is to make sure the director is taken care of), so here's a classic list, many of which were previously mentioned:
*Wicked City: Definately for mature audiences. The english dub is pretty decent. Unlike Wandering Kid (Legend of Overfiend), the sex scenes actually HAVE a reason in the plot.

*Vampire Princess Miyu: Forget VampHunter D, this limited series is damn creepy and well told...and beautiful artwork.

*Riding Bean/Gunsmith Cats: Fun little films that are set in modern times. Guns & car chases and fun characters.

*Bubble Gum Crisis: I haven't scene Crash, but the original 6 eps of the series are fun. Gencom is a corp that makes androids for military & tough tasks (Buma. Not Boomer, as the dub mistranslated. Buma.). One of the creators discovered a conspiracy going on with these things, and created the Hardsuit...slim armour from hell...to stand up to him. When he's killed, his daughter forms a vigilante team called the Knight Sabers, using the suits, to fight these things. Red Eye (forgot his real name) is one kickass villan, late in the series.

*Lupin III: One of the longest running comics in history, Lupin III is the comical, charsmatic theif who will steal anything. He's had his own TVseries and several movies, and that old animated arcade game CLIFF HANGER is comprised of footage from CASTLE CAGLISTRO and ALBATROSS.

*Dirty Pair (not Flash): Two futuristic Jane Bonds who seem to wreak more havok than they solve. If you can find a fan who has a copy of Dirty Pair Does Dishes (redubbed paraody eps by Pinesalad Prod).....

*Ghost In The Shell: Beautiful cyberpunk movie from the aritist who brought us Appleseed (unfortunately, the manga [comic] is much better than the Appleseed movie)

*Battle Angel: Another cyberpunk anime that has been kicked around Hollywood for a live action version

*Robot Carnival: Animated shorts centering around robots. While half of this is tripe, the other half is phenomenal.

*Etrange: This shouldn't be good. It's based off a Voltron-like superhero team for decades ago, tailored to the same audience...who had grown up. The members of the team gather for a reuniuon (with some of the bad guys turned "good" and are now friend), only Remy, the female member, gets into a car accident. 8/10ths of the movie is in her coma-dream as she fights to survive. It's one of the few films that has flash-backs within a flash-sideways, but it's still relatively easy to follow. Very well done.

*Perfectual High School Earth Defense Course: a series about a high school where they train people with powers, who fight a madman obsessed with tea (who has minions that wear masks that say, in japanese, "Faceless Minions" on them), and who's filmed by the Ninja Camera Team (how else do you explain some of the bizarre camera angles in anime?) Obviously, this is a spoof.

*Project A-ko: It's a spoof on a ton of anime series, but people who don't get the injokes still seem to love the original.

*Film Festivals: These showcase some of the best of the best, such as the sledracer who's ghosts catch up with him (he had survived more races than any other racer...it's very dangerous) that was seen on Liquid Television.


[This message has been edited by Coyote (edited 09-13-2000).]

Wait until the DVD of Akira. It promises to rock the Earth.

Ghost in the Shell is good but pales in comparison to the comic.

Perfect Blue is overrated.

Urotsukidoji is a mixture of Lovecraft, The Accused, and your worst nightmares.

Princess Mononoke is a true friend.

The problem with Urotsukidoji (aka Wandering Kid or Legend of Overfiend) is that it's better untranslated...it's easier to make up a storyline that means something.
Personally, I much prefer Wicked City ;}

The usual top 3 animes always get mentioned so quick (Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Princess Mononoke), and rightly so, but one anime that I can't believe doesn't get more mention when speaking of true classics is Graveyard of the Fireflies. That movie truly transcended the genre, and is a genuine film classic (regardless of medium.) I can't think of many more moving stories in cinema.
It might be a little out of place in this discussion on introductory examples of anime, but it SHOULD be mentioned with the greats of the genre.

[This message has been edited by ccubed (edited 09-14-2000).]

He's right. Also, Lum (Yuresai Yatsura) & Mermaid's Scar (I haven't seen the other Mermaid Films) & Ranma1/2.