Sulphur on 5/4/2012 at 05:18

---

Hayao Miyazaki. But if there was a grand master of animation award, Miyazaki would probably get it. There's a magical quality to his work that only those few Disney classics come close to attaining, not just in terms of the sheer beauty and attention to detail of the art, but in the weave and flow of the narrative, and the charm of its characters.

See whatever you can find - Totoro, Mononoke, Laputa, Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away. Ponyo, his latest, is pretty damn underwhelming all things considered, but the animation's always a thing to behold.

Just to be clear, I'm probably biased: Spirited Away is somewhere in the first 5 of my top 10 movies of all time list. If you're starting with Miyazaki, that's the one I'd go for first.

Others: Satoshi Kun's movies are always interesting to watch, even if they're not quite your thing. Paprika, Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress, and a brilliant short series called Paranoia Agent. Black Swan seems to have been inspired quite a bit by Perfect Blue, so if you've seen Black Swan you'll have an idea of what to expect with his stuff.

There's also Metropolis, which has animation that's comparable to Akira, but stylised a la Astro Boy (which is because Osamu Tezuka was part of both, of course). The story's undercooked and underdeveloped, which is a shame because it nearly pulled off making me care for the principle duo, but it's still worth a watch.

Muzman on 5/4/2012 at 05:42

---

Ponyo is cute. It's obviously aimed at younger kids than a lot of the others though. It's still got that same trippy vibe of total originality.
It's probably better viewed with subs rather than dubbed. I know everyone says that about everything, but I do think Spirited Away is actually just as good in the dubbed version. They did a really good job of that one.

kora on 5/4/2012 at 06:57

---

Judging by the animes you like you'll probably not like what i'm fond of instead. I guess cuz your taste is in that 'other' category. maybe we'll see a little eye to eye on an anime or two, but less likely not.. Van Hellsing is the only slapstick-ish thing i can think of mainly.

Animes. I can mention of the top of my head.. Berserk (watch beginning to end with no spoilers, and watch it again, they're remaking these into cg/2d movie sagas, could've watched in Japan), Baki the Grappler (i don't know anyone who likes this, beginning to end, it's unforgettably cool to see them fight, season 2 preferably), Guin saga (episode 1-10 pretty epic, more borderlining of your 'casual' anime audience, bearable for me), Speed Grapher (worth it imo, as gritty as they come), Gantz (crazy violence but awesome, alternate ending unlike the ongoing manga, in the same boat as Claymore, also good)..

what else.. Basilisk was O.K, i actually liked the villain. i don't know much samurai stuff.. Ninja Scroll was too trippy, the aesthetics were immensely cool but something completely missing, still worth it.. Someone mentioned the film Paprika, it's quite a wild ride, watch the trailer, also Summer Wars is worth a watch in the eye candy department.

First couple episodes Cowboy Bebop seemed childish to me, then i saw blood, that gave me the insensitive to finish it someday. Ghost in a shell, sorry I could not handle that haha, I couldn't tell if it was truly philosophical or convoluted in made up irrationalisms. I guess robots expressing themselves really are 'within the moment' & aren't positive/negative overrated thinkers like humans.

Briareos H on 5/4/2012 at 08:08

---

Here are a few that I really liked, during the few years where I actually watched that stuff (around 2004-2009 I guess):

Dead Leaves (film, Production I.G): Vulgar yet funny UFO with impressive animation and visual style, reminds of a FLCL set in a orbital penitentiary colony;
Eden of the East (series, Production I.G): Tries to convey a realistic and mature world of young adults - fails by the end of the series. The story itself is silly, basically 12 people are given 8 billion yen each and can do whatever they want with it to influence the japanese economy.
Windy Tales (series, Production I.G): Breathtaking visuals, standard fare teen story written for adults. Teenagers learn to control wind. Very atmospheric (eh eh).
GITS: SAC 2nd Gig (series, Production I.G): Much better than the first season, not only because the political and sociological aspects have more depth, but also because the slower, darker style and more interesting characterization erase most of the sanitized aspects of the original series. Doesn't delve as much as Oshii's film into openly philosophical debates, but by then you should have realized that those were better when you were 14.
Now and Then, Here and There (series, AIC): Anime series about war. There's a young hero, an alternate universe with magic etc. etc. You can be fooled at first, but the core of the series is telling about brutal, shocking war. Moving.
Kara no Kyoukai (film + OAV series, ufotable): Magical girl, monster killer and so on, for young adults. Very pretty, very well directed.
Beyond the Clouds (self produced, Makoto Shinkai): Interesting and touching mix of psuedo-hard science (quantum field theory and parallel universes meets dreams and human psyche) with a simple love story. Beautiful music, impressive direction for a guy who almost did all of it alone.
Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (series, Shaft): Self-conscious, all-out satire on society. Very japanese, a lot of inside jokes and references, but they're manageable. Often very funny.
Mind Game (film, Studio 4°C): A Studio 4°C film. Awesome.
Tekkonkinkreet (film, Studio 4°C): A Studio 4°C film. Awesome.

Neb on 5/4/2012 at 09:35

---

The soundtrack is excellent, but I haven't seen the film and know practically nothing about anime in general. I might have to watch it, considering I've listened to the album a gazillion times already.