Octopus Overlords

I just got a free Netflix subscription and there are not many movies out I care to see so I’m looking for some new anime to watch. Firstly I’ll say I have different taste then most and don’t care for a lot of anime. I like most of the stuff that Miyazaki has done and already have most of it but very few series. I prefer a degree of realism and a serious tone, also elongated emotions and exaggeration is probably the fastest way to get me to stop watching. Bonus points if it’s based somewhere other than Japan.

Shows I really like:
Le Chevalier D’Eon
Gunslinger Girl

Shows that are OK:
Witch Hunter Robin
Planetes

Shows that I hated:
Ghost in the Shell
Dragon Ball whatever
Claymore

edit

Everytime this topic comes up I continue to recommend Cowboy Bebop, which is basically Firefly but made 5 years before Firefly was.

As a plus, it fits your criteria perfectly.

LOL at the title.

Tittle.

Oh, and:

Le Chevalier D’Eon - Haven't seen.
Gunslinger Girl - Haven't seen.
Witch Hunter Robin - Haven't seen.
Planetes - Haven't seen.
Ghost in the Shell - Really disliked it as well.
Dragon Ball whatever - Does anybody actually watch this? I figured it was some sort of joke that the Japanese were trying to play on America.
Claymore - Haven't seen.

SpaceLord wrote:LOL at the title.

Tittle.

Yeah, I don't really care for anime. I like tittles though.

Yeah, go with Cowboy Bebop, definitely. Watch the series before the movie.

ChrisGrenard wrote:Planetes - Haven't seen.

Planetes is great, IMO. It's a "sci-fi" anime, but I gaurantee not in the way anyone thought when I said that

It's near-future, with a greater near-space presence than we currently have. There's a moon base, a lot of orbital space stations, etc. The main character is, essentially, an orbital trash collector. It sounds a lot worse than it is - I almost didn't watch it when I read the synopsis, but it was well worth my time. It is more on the "drama" side of anime than the "action" side (by quite a bit), though, so YMMV.

I must be the only one who read "animal titties" in the thread title and wondered what kind of sick fuck invaded the forum now.

Then I saw who it was and thought, "oh, THAT sick fuck. Carry on."

In addition to Cowboy Bebop, also check out Trigun, which is a bit more western.

No idea if you can find it, but Monster seems to fit your bill. It's set in current day (read: 1990's) Europe. Mainly around Germany and the Czech republic. It involves a Japanese neurosurgeon and the almost decade long run from the police in an attempt to track down a serial killer and clear his name. At least that's a super-simplified version. Definitely one of my favorite anime's and there's no sci-fi, robots, or disgustingly huge eyes.

Oh, and netflix also has a lot of anime in their "watch now" section so that would be an easy way to check some stuff out. I think it was Perfect Blue or something like that, that was set in fairly modern Japan and focused on pop stars, stalkers, and other disorders. No robots, samurai, or time travel either so once again, a nod to semi-reality.

Oh yeah, if you want a serious tone, how about the incredible Grave of the Fireflies?

Just as fyi the Cartoon Network is showing Bebop at 1 am est m-f. I think I recorded up to episode 15. I watched the first for disks of the show and then got sidetracked so it will be nice to finish off the series. The movie is kickass btw.

wonderpug wrote:Oh yeah, if you want a serious tone, how about the incredible Grave of the Fireflies?

Great movie. Just make sure to stay away from any sharp instruments after watching it.

I never watched Firefly is it really like CB? If so maybe I should actually watch it. I'm not a gigantic science fiction fan so it never came up on my radar.

Octavious230 wrote:I never watched Firefly is it really like CB? If so maybe I should actually watch it. I'm not a gigantic science fiction fan so it never came up on my radar.

Yeah they definitely have a lot in common. Western in space, episodic stories with a meta-story going on the background, rag-tag bunch of mismatched people together on the ship, wish there was more when you finish the last episode...

wonderpug wrote:

Octavious230 wrote:I never watched Firefly is it really like CB? If so maybe I should actually watch it. I'm not a gigantic science fiction fan so it never came up on my radar.

Yeah they definitely have a lot in common. Western in space, episodic stories with a meta-story going on the background, rag-tag bunch of mismatched people together on the ship, wish there was more when you finish the last episode...

Western in space is exactly my cup of tea. Looks like I"ll have to track that sucker down now. Sucks that my brother lives so damn far away I'd just steal his boxset.

I'm just confused about how you could have a Netflix subscription and have nothing you want to watch. I have trouble keeping my list within the 500 title limit.

If you're curious, I just go around and find lots of "top films" lists of various sorts and add all of them. You can search Roger Ebert's site for his 4 star ratings. You can also watch old and newer tv shows and mini-series. You could also just go through a lot of the international films that weren't publicized much in the US. Or documentaries. Or whatever.

Monster was awesome. The story and character development was excellent.

I have started watching some of Mushishi. I have watched about 8 episodes and I like it. It is more surreal. The pace is slower, but more reflective.

I have also been watching Legend of the Galactic Heroes. This is about 110 episodes. I am on episode 97. It has been a great series. The anime style is dated, but the story and character development is very good.

I've just started watching "Witchblade" and it's pretty good.

Cyber City Oedo 808 FTW.

I’ll check into a couple of those, although add Witchblade to the list of Don’t Like.

ChrisGrenard wrote:Oh, and:

Le Chevalier D’Eon - Haven't seen.
Gunslinger Girl - Haven't seen.

I highly recommend checking out Le Chevalier D’Eon, it’s probably the most beautifully drawn anime I’ve ever seen. It takes place during revolutionary France and features a lot of characters who were real. The amount of detail and the way they tie real events into the fantasy aspects of the show is really amazing.

Gunslinger Girl is good as well but definitely not for everyone, very violent, heartbreaking, and features fatally ill children being trained as assassins by the Italian government.

paulbaxter wrote:I'm just confused about how you could have a Netflix subscription and have nothing you want to watch. I have trouble keeping my list within the 500 title limit.

Quite simple actually, many members of my family collect movies and within my close family I have access to over 500 movies easily. I can’t afford cable or satellite so I watch a lot movies when I get opportunities to see them free.

You could try:

Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade. It does take place in Japan, but it's about an elite police brigade.

Lain. I can't begin to summarize Lain - I'm not sure I understood it, but I thought it was really good. If you find you like Lain, you could also try
Boogie-Pop Phantom.

Another odd one, but easier to follow Haibane Renmei. Are they in Purgatory? Are they waiting to be reincarnated? I don't know. I don't recall that being explained.

Now and Then, Here and There. I'm pretty sure I haven't seen all of this. Serious and kind of depressing.

Noir[/]. I think if you liked Gunslinger Girls, you might like Noir. Young female assassins.

Tokyo Godfathers
Millenium Actress
These are both by Satoshi Kon who also did Perfect Blue. I thought Perfect Blue was very good but didn't like it all that much. I liked these other two much more.

I'm not very good at describing shows (or books for that matter, in case you read the "Books Read in 2007" thread). I wouldn't be surprised if somebody else here could give you a good description of any/all of the above.

wonderpug wrote:

Octavious230 wrote:I never watched Firefly is it really like CB? If so maybe I should actually watch it. I'm not a gigantic science fiction fan so it never came up on my radar.

Yeah they definitely have a lot in common. Western in space, episodic stories with a meta-story going on the background, rag-tag bunch of mismatched people together on the ship, wish there was more when you finish the last episode...

Outlaw Star came out a year before Cowboy Bebop, AND it opened with an experimental girl in a cryogenic suitcase... (But only recommended if you like comedy.)

I prefer a degree of realism and a serious tone, also elongated emotions and exaggeration is probably the fastest way to get me to stop watching.

Quoted as a reminder to others. Outlaw Star and Trigun do NOT fit these requirements.

ChrisGrenard wrote: Quoted as a reminder to others. Outlaw Star and Trigun do NOT fit these requirements.

Which is why I said Outlaw Star wasn't recommended. But I think Firefly lifted rather more from it than from Bebop.

Came in here to to say Cowboy Bebop, but I'm glad to see that's already been taken care of.

And since it was mentioned earlier... only watch Grave of the Fireflies if you've decided your life is just too darn happy. It'll fix that for ya in a snap.

And I'll second Noir. Another anime set in modern day Europe that deals with secret societies and mythology. Oh, and it's not that long of a series either. Somewhere around 25 or 30 episodes I think?

Can any of you recommend some anime review or informational websites? I have found a couple over the years but they have been fairly small projects (and not kept up to date).

I normally just go to comic stores or the manga section of the bookstore and look for people who look stranger than me. They've always given me good advice on anime. But I'd be interested in online forums too. The few I've peeked into tend to be populated with anime elitists that like to look down on those of us that prefer coherent stories.

fyedaddy wrote:Can any of you recommend some anime review or informational websites? I have found a couple over the years but they have been fairly small projects (and not kept up to date).

http://www.animeondvd.com

i recommend the Hellsing series,not the four disc anime set that was released a while back,but the Ultimate Series that has been coming out...i have the first 2 discs,and they are great.I also just picked up the first two volumes of the manga...the Ultimate Series follows the manga alot closer than the previously mentioned 4-disc set.i have the 4-disc box set,and there are some faithful adaptions of the manga,but the end just totally pulls a rabbit out of the hat.i most def recommend Hellsing:Ultimate Series.

driver wrote:I've just started watching "Witchblade" and it's pretty good.

Hell yeah,its pretty good,i went out and bought it.im waiting on volume 2...

are any of these worthwhile? i have been more or less a Japanese animation fan for the past four decades, but i'm _really_ over a lot of the usual tropes, so i haven't been into series for a long time - have limited myself to one-off movies.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-Chan
Rosario + Vampire
Saga of Tanya the Evil
The Testament of Sister New Devil