Topic: anime

[beo]

on a bit of an anime kick at the moment and need suggestions for something new. ideally something not too heavy and with an english dub (i'm feeling lazy).

i've watched the following over the last couple of months, and the cross dressing, pervert schoolgirl (with tentacles for genitalia) in me hungers for more. also robots.
Full Metal Panic 2nd Raid
Noein
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Elfen Lied
Kino's Journey
Last Exile.

i really enjoyed all of the above, but both Kino's Journey and Last Exile are utterly top notch. they both emit that final fantasy kind of wonder that only the japanese seem to be able to create. i can't be bothered going into details, but if you want to watch something new (and great), give either of them a go.

i know evangelion is essential viewing, but somehow i never got round to it before. man, the end is fucked up. i even watched the movie with the revised ending - still fucked.

[nickclone]

I recommend Air Gear.

[idolminds]

Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex. One of the few animes where I don't mind the dubs.

[beo]

got both the SAC series on dvd. great stuff though. i'll look into air gear.

[TheOtherBelmont]

Those are all pretty good series you've watched so far, especially Noein. Based on what you've listed I could easily say you should watch:

Cowboy Bebop (you've probably already seen it or heard of it, its a sci-fi action series that has some drama and comedy sprinkled through it)
Hellsing (yes its a vampire anime but it has guns, decapitations, and lots of gore)
Samurai Champloo (done by most of the Cowboy Bebop staff, feudal Japanese period anime, but lighter than most animes that take place during that time)
Noir (assassins, spies, guns, mystery, good stuff, has some very sad parts though and gets a little heavy towards the end)
Ergo Proxy (dystopian sci-fi, really different from most sci-fi anime I've seen)

If you want to watch something a little weirder I would recommend Serial Experiments Lain, Paranoia Agent, and FLCL.  They are all pretty crazy for their own reasons and Serial Experiments Lain is really fucking out there but is awesome.  FLCL is funny because its so fucking crazy.

If you are wanting something a little more on the cute/wacky side you have to watch Azumanga Daioh(though the dub is pretty fucking terrible, try to find a fansub of this since the translator's notes are great).

Haibane Renmei is one of my favorites but I don't know if it would be too mellow/dramatic for you or not, but its a very different series and there is nothing else like it.

[beo]

i've seen both azumanga daioh and FLCL. both wacky and fun, although FLCL was a bit too much for me. it seemed to be written in that language that is only really comprehensible with a mind full of psychotropic drugs.

one of my friends tried to watch ergo proxy recently and said it was far too confusing. i really do need to check out cowboy bebop though. it's been on my list for a while, but for some reason i've never got round to it... can't think why.

edit - also yeah, noien was pretty great. i loved the way they used elements of quantum theory in a scientifically sound way. i do have to say that the constant allegiance swapping grated a little though.

[TheOtherBelmont]

I forgot to mention Darker Than Black, I think you may like it if you liked Noein, a little more heavy and violent than Noein but has some cool sci-fi elements to it.  I can't vouch for the dub of the series though since I have only seen the fansub.

[Quemaqua]

Definitely Cowboy Bebop if you want a dub.  It's probably the only anime dub I can stomach.  I almost even prefer it to the original cast it's so good, and that pretty much never happens.  And it's a fantastic show in its own right, with probably the greatest TV soundtrack ever put together.  I mean that seriously.

Berserk is one of my all-time favorites, but it's not light and easy.  It's heavy, it's dark, it's emotionally crushing, and it's violent as hell.  And the English dub sucks.  It's still amazing, though, and worthy of being watched.  I have 32 volumes of the manga in Japanese waiting for me to get skilled enough to read them with consistency.

I recently watched Spice and Wolf, which was surprising.  I had listened to some of the music and it was so good I wanted to see what the show was like.  Figured I'd watch one episode and be done since it seems like it's going to be a ridiculous catgirl anime (or wolf, in this case), and it sort of flirts with that a little at times... but it's basically really political and all about business, the value and exchange of currency, and human greed, set in some sort of medieval kingdom.  A guy basically hooks up with a wolf-deity that had been watching over a town that no longer appreciates her, and she wants to get back to her true home in the north, so she travels with him and they go through a lot of political and business intrigue as they go.  It sounds ridiculous, and it's a weird concept, but it actually turned out to be quite compelling.  And the art and music are gorgeous, which doesn't hurt.

The opening gives a pretty good idea.  It's a little dark at times, but it isn't super heavy, and there's a lot of humor.  No idea about the dub since I generally don't even bother with them.

I'd recommend Akagi, an anime entirely about mahjong, but there's no English release, so fansub-only, and it's also quite dark.  Effing crazy, though.  I recommend it.