So... Anime

Ive wanted to start watching more anime for a while, but Im always at school or busy working through a pile of games. Ive been to one convention so far and picked up the Hell Girl series there. I've seen all of Eureka 7 and K-on! and I wanted some help deciding between a few series to start with. Here's what I'm thinking...

(Not in order)

Lucky star
Fist of the North Star
Gurren Lagann (Dont know anything about it yet)
Haruhi Suzumiya (...maybe)

A little less interested in these :\

Neon Genesis Evangelion
Bleach (It seems too long to be starting now T_T)

Some opinions please :)

Cowboy Bebop is an awesome show.

P.S. What's up with all the anime posts lately?

" Cowboy Bebop is an awesome show.P.S. What's up with all the anime posts lately? "

Don't watch anime!

The Eureka Seven movie...it has the same characters and setting but the story is completely different. Its like an alternate universe.

clannad, shakugan no shana, geass, school rumble (got me into anime), toradora, Hayate no Gotoku (my fav. comedy anime), minami-ke, seto no hanayome, soul eater, kannagi... to name a few

"Cowboy Bebop is an awesome show.P.S. What's up with all the anime posts lately?"

I think that if you're getting started with anime, Gurren Lagann or Cowboy Bebop are light-hearted and fun enough to be easy to get into.

Everything on your list there is great. Definitely finish Cowboy Bebop and Gurren Lagann is awesome, I also recommend Full Metal Alchemist and FMA:Brotherhood. With Bleach, just watch to the end of the Soul Society arc (about ep 60) the rest of the show is no where near as good. Regarding Lucky Star, the show is filled with reletivly obscure references to anime and japanese culture in general. If your not at least moderetly well versed in both, most of the humour will go over your head. Though thats not to say you won't get anything out of it.

Death Note, Ghost in the Shell, Cowboy Beebop, Monster

Yea, I'd reccmmend Death Note to anyone. Quite a short series, so not quite as daunting as shows like Bleach.
I also love a show called Rurouni Kenshin. Should check that out. :)

 Watch Devil May Cry only about 12 episodes.

Trigun is pretty good.

Death note is short and sweet at 37 episodes. It's the only anime I've really gotten into and you can find every episode really easily.

" @NoDeath: I saw a good amount of FMA and generally enjoyed it though I saw it on [ADULT SWIM] and missed some. But whats FMA: Brotherhood? I've heard they were going to make another FMA series that followed the manga more closely, is that it? And thanks for such a well thought out post :) "

Don't start with Neon Genesis Evangelion.  You're going to have to watch it at some point because it's like what The Godfather is to films in anime.  If you kick off your renewed interest in anime by watching NGE, you'll get to the end and go "what the fuck?!"  Watch it after you've had a few good series under your belt.

If you need a giant robot show, I suggest Martian Successor Nadesico.  It's got a good plot, some very memorable characters and is often funny.  The series is almost a parody of the giant robot genre, but not an absurdist or blantant satire. 

Another good choice is Outlaw Star.  This is a high adventure in space series complete with a samurai babe and cat-girl, however it works.  Pursued by pirates, an assassins guild and the space navy, the crew of the Outlaw Star try and figure out what the purpose of the mysterious ship they've inherited is.  Lots of action in this one.

And while everyone is suggesting Cowboy Bebop, I'm going to cast my vote for Samurai Champloo.   This is the tale of two ronin who escort a waitress to find a guy who smells like sunflowers.  Most of the series' episodes are stand-alone tales since this is, at its heart, a "road trip" story, but they weave into a larger tale often and culminate in a very satifying way.

Finally, there is Last Exile.  This is a moving, beautiful drama set in a steampunk-styles world full of airships, dogfights and various other actions above the clouds.  Similar to Champloo, the story is an escort tale but it is much deeper with many underlying themes peppered throughout its running. 

Just one more thing, though.  If you are afraid of the 200+ episodes of Bleach that are in circulation, then you'd probably think to pass on the 400+ episodes of One Piece that are still arriving weekly.  I can't speak to Bleach since I am still in the process of gathering those episodes, but I will say that One Piece (Kaizoku-Fansubs, and others) is a real treat.  It's often light hearted but full of interesting characters.  Its an action-comedy where several of its story arcs run on for 50 to 80 episodes.  If you commit to it, it can be a very entertaining show.

Anyway, everyone has different tastes, so everything I've recommended may not appeal to you.  Check out Youtube and other sites which offer online viewing to see if something you are curious about might be worth further pursuit.  Try a little of everything and have fun with it.

If we're talking series DeathNote, Trigun, Cowboy Bebop, Neon Genisis Evangelion (but you'll have to watch all the different endings as they try to explain what in god's name is going on), Samurai Deeper Kyo, Samurai Champloo, and about a dozen more titles.

Hrm, i haven't seen K-On, but i know its about a school band, so maybe you would like Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad. Its my absolute favorite

I'm not really into Anime but I do know that Cowboy Beebop is a kickass show.

Eden of the East ended recently and that was awesome. I definitely recommend that.

Watch Naruto!!! 

If you're going to watch Evangelion, it'll be better to watch the Rebuild films then the original TV series, since they are designed to be more approachable. Not to mention they look a hell of a lot better. Also Lucky Star and Haruhi Suzumiya are terrible choices if you're just getting into anime as those series, Lucky Star in particular, require a significant understanding of anime culture to properly comprehend. Bleach and Naruto are actually pretty good choices, as long you know which episodes are fillers and which ones are actually based on the manga storyline. There are way too many titles to recommend but generally speaking the highly rated series on AnimeNewsNetwork.com are a pretty good place to start (just stay away from the niche titles for now).

God damn, how many anime topics do we have already?

" @spazmaster666: I started Haruhi Suzumiya while I was waiting for replies to this, I'm about halfway through season 1 and I like it quite a bit. I'm just a little confused whats up with the episode order. I'll check out that site as well, thanks. "

You could watch Haruhi 09. Disappearance should be starting soon, since they're 2 episodes away from finishing Endless eight I hope.

" @Centimani: I would say *Without knowing anything about you* That Code Geass or Death Note are really great animes, simply because they are insanely addicting and not full of super weird asian jokes that you won't understand at all. They both have a dark tone to them, with anti-heroes as the protagonists. So they are both badasses =P Code Geass is probably the best anime I have ever seen, Its got that whole "Whats going to happen next!" and "Theres No way he can get out of this! OH SHIT HE DID" Vibes going on in it. It also has badass mech fighting, lots of funny parts, and a greatttt cast.I would recommend watching all anime in japanese. English voice acting in anime is amazingly bad save for a choice few. The Gundam animes are among a few that are good in english and japanese.Oh also, Code Geass is made by Sunrise Studios, the same people that made Gurren Laggan. But in my, and the anime fans of the internets oppinion Code Geass is way better.Also I recommend downloading anime instead of watching online. Much better quality and its way less annoying. It sucks when your watching online anime and suddenly the next episode is subbed by different people, so suddenly the names are all different or wrong and. its just bad =PLove Hina is also a great anime, its an insanely funny anime about a nerdy boy who gets stuck being the manager of an all girl dorm/hotsprings. Hilarity ensues.If you want something good in english, Check out Black Lagoon *warning: fair amount of swearing, Its awesome though*, Also Soul Eater was really cool, along the same lines as bleach and naruto somewhat. I prefered it though. "

" @Centimani said:

" @spazmaster666: I started Haruhi Suzumiya while I was waiting for replies to this, I'm about halfway through season 1 and I like it quite a bit. I'm just a little confused whats up with the episode order. I'll check out that site as well, thanks. "

You probably should just start watching the "new" season of haruhi. (Haruhi 2009) Since what they are basically doing is showing episodes from the first run IN ORDER with new episodes thrown in here and there "

I haven't seen much anime, mostly random episodes on adult swim, couldn't even tell you what they were.

Urgh what is with all the anime posts. Don't watch it.

In less than 24 hours I've found 3 topics on anime. Seriously, take it to Anime Vice.com.

You've seen K-on. All hope is lost.

More douchey replies than normal :/

Since you've watched (or are thinking of watching) Lucky Star, Haruhi, and K-On, why not try some more from Kyoto Animation like AIr, Kanon, or Clannad? They're more drama-oriented than the former titles, so that may not be you're thing.

Can you recommend me any good Cyberpunk style Animes, have already watched most of the well known stuff like GITS, Armitage etc.?

GREAT TEACHER ONIZUKA

NOW

" @Jeremy_x:  Bubblegum Crisisoriginal, BGC Crash, BGC 2040 & AD Police are very cyberpunkish.  Also, in addition to Masamune Shirow's Ghost in the Shell stuff, there is Dominion Tank Police (2 series) and Black Magic M-66.  Also, I haven't see it, but there is a series called Ergo Proxy which looks a lot like Deus Ex, so that might suit your needs too.  Finally, if you are just looking for a movie, check out Metropolis.  "

" @PenguinDust said:

" @Jeremy_x:  Bubblegum Crisisoriginal, BGC Crash, BGC 2040 & AD Police are very cyberpunkish.  Also, in addition to Masamune Shirow's Ghost in the Shell stuff, there is Dominion Tank Police (2 series) and Black Magic M-66.  Also, I haven't see it, but there is a series called Ergo Proxy which looks a lot like Deus Ex, so that might suit your needs too.  Finally, if you are just looking for a movie, check out Metropolis.  "

I'm going to have to second the Ergo Proxy recommendation; that show is spectacular. "

Thanks a lot guys, even though I already know Ergo Proxy, it's great.
Please keep em coming, I am looking especially for films instead of series.