caricature19

Okay, I know absolutely nothing about Anime....but it's a friend's birthday and he likes anime stuff. He's always watching the dvds and on the comp. Suggestions for a good dvd?

Much appreciated!

Dilbert1234567

well, I don’t have much knowledge of anime, when you get a sec, sneak a peak at his collection and get some names, and some genres of anime, that will help the more knowledgeable of us to lead you to something he'll enjoy.

PS welcome to the forum.

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Willravel

If he has anime stuff, he might have what we reccomend (anything from AKIRA to Appleseed). Sneak a peak.

caricature19

thanks much..

Ever hear of Hellsing? He was told once that he would like it, but he hasnt had a chance to watch it.

Is it any good?

Ch'i

The best animes I've ever watched (in this order) were Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, Ghost in the Shell. Do you have any idea if he's into the fantasy kind, or the realistic kind?

rofgilead

The best anime that I ever saw was called "Gunslinger Girls". It is a cartoon series based on a manga series. The show is very slow paced, but the music is haunting and so is the drama. The first ghost in the shell was good, every thing else was lame. Also, if you haven't seen My Neighbor Totoro, Howl's Moving Castle, and such you should see those.

djflish

I've been trying to get Devil Man on DVD but can't find it anywhere.
Well, I can find the series, but not the movie, anybody seen it on their travels?

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Willravel

Is this the movie or the series?

kurty[B]

Depending on what he has/likes already. If he likes stuff like Ninja Scroll he'll definitely like Hellsing. I'm not the biggest anime buff, but Hellsing was definitely a worthwhile watch.

Lady Sage

Wicked City was great and both Vampire Hunter D's were great

Siege

I can give a recommendation, but it would help to have more information. What does your friend look for in terms of anime? (Character development, an epic like story, art work etc.) What genre(s) do they like? And things like that.

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GoldenOuroboros

There's so many different sorts of anime out there at the moment it's not funny. You've really got to find out what he's into. If you can't decide, look into maybe getting him a copy of the Manga Essential if he doesn't have it
http://www.bclub.co.uk/info/FR/Manga...39499/01080102

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RogueHunter65

I would say that Cowboy Bebop is probably the best anime going. Outlaw Star, TriGun, Hellsing, and Samurai Champloo are all good too.

The best site I have ever found to buy anime is :

http://stores.channeladvisor.com/animetoys

They have good prices, better than most on ebay.

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longbough

You have to know what genres he likes ... They're as varied as live action films. There's a good chance that he probably would have seen the most popular animes out there.

That being said here are my picks (in no particular order - also I repeated some notable titles):

Action: Appleseed, Akira, Dominion Tank Police, Lupin III series (especially the film Castle of Cagliostro), Ninja Scroll, Ghost in the Shell, Riding Bean, Black Magic m-66
Horror: Blood, Ninja Scroll
Comedy: Project A-KO, Lupin III, Orange Road (series and the finale)
Drama: Grave of the Fireflies (one of the most moving stories you'll ever see ... period)
Sci-Fi/Fantasy: Wings of Honneamise, Galaxy Express 999, All of Miyazaki's films (IMO the grandest of all storytellers with an endless imagination and tremendously moving - Spirited Away, A Castle in the Sky (Laputa), Kiki's Delivery Service, Howl's Moving Castle, Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke, Nausicaa, Grave of the Fireflies ....)

Gilda

The best anime I've seen are:

Grave of the Fireflies
Perfect Blue
Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade
Memories
GOLGO 13
Millenium Actress
The Place Promised in Our Early Days
Metropolis

I have a special affection for the original Read or Die, but it isn't really among the best in terms of technical merit. It is a fun superhero romp, if you like that kind of thing.

And of course, anything with Miyazaki on it. He's the Kurosawa of animation.

Gilda

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longbough

Gilda, kick me. How could I forget to mention Jin-Roh?

I haven't heard of The Place Promised in Our Early Days but the title sounds fascinating.

Miyazaki ... I'll never waste an opportunity to praise this storyteller. His stories cover a lot of uncharted emotional territory ... sometimes it takes more than one viewing to appreciate, but they resonate with the strength of childhood memories. Oh, I forgot to mention "My Neighbor Totoro."

Gilda

It's relatively new, 2004. It takes place in an alternate timeline where Japan was split up after WW2 like Germany, with the US controlling the southern half and The Union the northern half, with a cold war raging around the divide, as in Germany and Korea. The Union has built a tower on its side of the strait dividing the northern and souther Islands and a group of teenagers are determined to build a plane and fly there.

It's a gorgeous movie. That word gets overused, but it isn't here. The backgrounds often look like a detailed oil painting. The plot is straightforward sf. It has big eyed children, but no robots or superheroes. Really good stuff.

Miyazaki is one name that is on my must see list.

Gilda

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spectre

I'm a huge fan of Hellsing. The only disappointing thing is that it was cancelled, so there are only a handful of episodes.

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Mantus

Anime's I absolutely loved that are less known...

Last Exile (series)
Ghost in the Shell - Stand Alone Complex (series)
Macross Zero (short series)

I would recomend those to anyone.

No one mentioned FLCL yet. It's a clasic and very good but also very odd.

Telluride

Cowboy Bebop (both the movie and the TV series)

Ghost In The Shell (both the movie and the TV series)

Robotech (the TV series; also known as Macross)

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Baldrick

Bah, wish I saw this thread earlier! Hellsing is very good, and there the new series comes out on DVD in December. Also, keep an eye out for Ergo Proxy that starts in November - very cool Blade Runner'ish type anime story.

I'm not a huge fan of anime, so I'm really picky. Appleseed, Jin-Roh, the whole Gundam series, and Gantz are all quite good.

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Siege

Ergo Proxy has actually finished running. I haven't finished it yet, but so far it is quite interesting.

I have to disagree with the "whole Gundam series"

BTW guys, if you like Hellsing, there are some OVAs available entitled Hellsing Ultimate. So far 2 episodes have aired.

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zed wolf

All of the above posts offer god advice, on trying to gather more info on what type of anime your friend likes and also good recommendations. I don't have much new to add except Wolf's Rain. very likely my favourite series. I Prefer the Japaneses dialog version with subtitles better then the translated American version. Enough that I have never sat through an entire American epp. Witch hunter robin was a good series also.
for movies, the original ghost in the shell is good as is Akira. And one of my favourite films would be Princess Mononoke.