I wouldn't really call myself a big anime fan (I've enjoyed some of the more known hits), but recently I've found myself really enjoying a few series so I figured I'd open it up here for more recommendations. I'm going to structure this for things I've enjoyed recently as well as things from ~13ish years ago (about the only two times I've really explored the medium).
Recent things I enjoyed a lot:
- Frieren
- Little Witch Academia (Movies and Television show)
- Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
- Promare
Recent things I thought were decent:
- Kill La Kill
Past things I really enjoyed:
- Gurren Lagann
- Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
- Code Geass
- Black Lagoon
- Cowboy Bebop
- Neon Genesis Evangelion
Past things I thought were decent:
- Soul Eater
- Claymore
- Monster
To try to help people hone in more I'm a big fan of fantasy settings (no isekai stuff please unless you have a really, really compelling reason for it) and I'm open to most genres. I've found that I like Studio Trigger stuff a good bit so if there are movies/series there that people also feel strongly about I'm especially open to those recommendations but I'm really open to most suggestions from people on this site as I imagine it'll filter out most of the chud-appealing/serviced content.
Samurai Champloo, Gintama, Assassination Classroom, Yu Yu Hakusho, Space Dandy, Chainsaw Man, Mushi-shi, Girl's Last Tour, One Punch Man, Black Lagoon, Code Geass, Trigun, Beastars
Space Dandy is oozing with style and is jumping pretty high on my tentative "what to watch next list". Noted all the others I haven't seen yet.
Mushishi
This was going to be my recommendation. Can't think of a better anime that's entirely devoid of booba fanservice
I really like Dungeon Meshi, its fantasy and its currently running on netflix and its from studio trigger, if you want to get into more action anime there is Jujutsu Kaisen which is pretty solid
This is currently on top of my radar and is probably the next thing I plan to watch. I was just waiting for one person here to mention it as my final check.
I'll just recommend some more of the classics:
- Mob Psycho 100 (a boy with incredible psychic powers tries to learn to control his skills while growing as a person. 3 Seasons, complete.)
- One Punch Man (a man became a superhero "for fun" only for him to grow so powerful that nothing is a threat anymore. 2 Seasons, with a third on the way; S1 ends on a satisfying note, S2 is just setting up for a long-running arc)
- Madoka Magicka (the "dark" magical girl show. 1 Season, which is complete on its own, but there's also a movie (technically there are three but the first two are recaps) with a sequel on the way eventually.)
- Redline (a group of wacky racers participate in the most extreme race in the galaxy on a planet ruled by a police state that does not want them illegally racing on it. 1 Movie.)
- Kaguya-sama: Love is War (two high schoolers with crushes on each other refuse to admit their feelings, instead coming up with elaborate ploys to trick the other into confessing their love; it's definitely not because they're just shy teenagers, no, it's because all relationships are zero sum and the first person to say they care is the loser. 3 Seasons + a movie which takes place after the end of S3, incomplete)
- Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun (through various means, a zany group of classmates all end up working as assistants for their classmate, ace king and secret professional shoujo mangaka Nozaki-kun. Features some Gender Stuff, including a couple I've seen described as "straight in the gayest way possible". 1 Season, incomplete, came out in 2014 so the odds of it continuing are very low.)
Also, though I haven't seen it, given you seem to enjoy most things by Studio Trigger I'll throw out Dungeon Meshi (aka Delicious in Dungeon) as well.
Adding all to the list. Thanks for the write ups and descriptions. Redline is probably going to happen soon in my "movies to watch" and after Delicious in Dungeon and BNA I'll likely pick something from here
If you liked Cowboy Bebop, the same director made Space Dandy and it's great, the dub is incredibly well done too
Space Dandy
Outlaw Star
Gundam Wing - Iron Blooded Orphans
Assassination Classroom
Chainsaw Man
With Gundam is it a "You can jump in anywhere" show or do I need context from other shows?
There are several different timelines. Some Gundam shows exist in their own timelines and can be watched independently, like Iron Blooded Orphans or Turn A, while others are part of a multi-series timeline, like the original Gundam 0079, Zeta Gundam, and Gundam ZZ.
IBO is the only Gundam stuff I've seen TBH. My understanding, of Gundam as a whole, is that its all just different stories and settings with the only commonality being "hey there's these big mechs called Gundams."
So yeah, Iron Blood is only like 50 episodes and you can just go in order without having seen anything else before.
The 80s stuff / the shows made by Tomino: no - there's a continuity.
After that, yes. With a couple of sequel exceptions and remakes of the old stuff (but those tend to be obscure).
I really enjoyed Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex and Sac 2nd Gig for something "older"
For some contemporary shows I've not seen mentioned yet, I'm currently loving "Delicious in Dungeon." It's a more casual show premises on an adventuring party that has run out of food/funds in a DnD like world, but desperately needs to go back into the dungeon to rescue a party member. In order to survive they cook and eat monsters along the way, learning about the symbiosis and ecosystems that exist in the dungeon along the way. For some things that are more recent and of heavier tone I liked "Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku" and "Vinland Saga" as well.
Delicious in dungeon is getting a lot of coverage here so it's probably up first. I've added your other recommendations to the list too. If you have to pull one (that isn't Delicious) which would you pick to elevate? I only say this because I got a lot of recommendations (thanks everyone)
Glad you've got a deep list lol. I think Hell's Paradise is a nice bite size series. Just one season so far so maybe give that a try when you want a break between the longer ones on your list.
Damn, nobody say Megalobox yet?
The first season is a perfect rendition of the classic sports underdog story. It's wonderfully animated with this gritty style that evokes the best 90's hand drawn animation and a banger soundtrack. It's not going to surprise you or challenge you, but it's a great time cheering for the scrappy poor kid taking on the champ as always.
The second season, aka Megalobox: Nomad, is a uniquely thoughtful look into the fall from grace. Grief, loss, death, drug use, coming to terms with being past your prime. Season 1 being such a great rendition of the classic underdog story sets this up so well. For <reasons I wont disclose> Nomad was aimed perfectly at me when I saw it, but I don't think you need <redacted> to love it. Also, the soundtrack is somehow even better.
Oh, also got to throw a movie recommendation in: Redline. The best racing movie ever made. Just watch the first race oh my god: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oL10Gt2uags
I'm usually allergic to goofy bullshit in anime but this fucking slaps holy shit
Redline is high up on the "to watch soon list" because I vaguely remember a friend saying that it's awesome and I had forgotten about it. Thanks for the other recommendations as well.
I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy:
Alright judging by this list you're a Trigger fan.
You will like SSSS Gridman - it's gurren lagann x power rangers x trigger insanity
You will like BNA - it's a bit different to the usual Trigger protagonist. This character doesn't start as the revolutionary "I WILL CHANGE THE WORLD". This character starts as the obnoxious liberal and their arc is more like a story of what creates a radical who wants to change the world.
You will like Cyberpunk Edgerunners. It's really really fucking good and has every Trigger element.
Someone else mentioned Dungeon Meshi below, this is also Trigger but is quite different to the above shows and the formula of the shows you've watched. Good though, just feels more like Bones (studio A) work.
I don't wanna suggest all Trigger shows so I'll throw out Hisone & Masotan as something a bit different that I think you'll also enjoy for totally different reasons. I know the premise sounds weird but trust me.
Judging by your tastes I'd say do BNA and Edgerunners first.
I didn't know Dungeon Meshi was Trigger. I might give it a try because of that.
It's great but it's a huge departure from Trigger's usual stuff. It's not revolution. It's a DnD show with heavy worldbuilding elements and should be viewed with that expectation.
Don't just think of it as a food show, I think that's intended to later subvert expectations as it gets quite serious. I really like the food elements too, the need for the party to eat and regularly have meals gives a strong sense of time passing, stronger than I've had with most stories because you can really feel what amount of time has passed based on your own personal experience with the routine of mealtimes.
I see what you mean, i'm excited about it! Then again, I think and talk about food all the time, so i'm not as turned off by that as other people would be. It's nice to know that it's not exclusively a food show, though
I'm sure anyone here would like it tbh, it's at such a high level of writing and execution it stands above the usual level of worrying about personal tastes. Do follow up and let me know what you think I like hearing people's thoughts!
I'm not very keen on late Gainax/Trigger stuff, and I loved SSSS Gridman. Felt like genre reskin of The Big O in a way.
Delicious in Dungeon is where I'm headed next due to the overwhelming number of recommendations here. BNA will likely follow that because of your description.
I've already seen Edgerunners and was a massive fan (watching it after not watching anime for a long time kinda kick-started this whole thing).
I'm trying to think a little out of the box in terms of personality and vibes here to try and give you some diversification away from the Trigger anime style... Megalo Box might be a good one to look at. If I were going to compare it to anything in your list I would say Megalo Box is the closest thing to the vibes and groundedness of Cowboy Bebop. It's gorgeous and uses music very similarly.
I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy:
If you want to watch something really out there, give Angel's Egg a shot. It probably won't be the best thing you've ever seen, but you'll never forget it.
I don't have tons of experience in the sports anime genre but Slam Dunk seems like a good entry point. Thanks for both recommendations
revolutionary girl utena
you NEED to watch this. it's both incredibly queer and incredibly based in its analysis of systems and abuse. you liked evangelion, you'll like this, i promise. i cannot recommend it enough
more recs:
- serial experiments lain: about being a girl on the computer and how alienating that can be
- gundam: i like gundam a lot, you should watch iron blooded orphans if something kinda gritty and grounded and extremely cool sounds good, you should watch 0079 if 70s animation doesn't bug you, you should watch turn a gundam if you like good things
- monthly girls nozaki-kun: lighthearted comedy that makes fun of romcom tropes. very good, would recommend!
- madoka magica: it's a little bit a "what if sailor moon was dark" but it's also doing it's own thing and i love it to pieces. absolutely would recommend
- keep your hands off eizouken: incredibly creative show about a crew of autistic teenagers who want to make anime. deeply charming and in love with the creative process
- death note: kinda edgy incredibly dumb homoerotic mind games, just a lot of deeply ridiculous fun
- fullmetal alchemist: brotherhood: saw this get recommended elsewhere. it's a very lib show that doesn't always handle its topics as well as it should (the way it handles the disability stuff is especially egregious) but if you can get past that it's a very well done epic fantasy
- revue starlight: the weirdest audition for a high school theater program i've ever seen. a few girls are competing for the lead, but this manifests as them having beautifully animated sword fights under the supervision of a giraffe. fascinating show with a lot of stuff to say about the nature of art and passion. the movie is a 10/10, but the show isn't quite as good
- nichijou: maybe the funniest show i've seen. absolutely wild stuff
- showa genroku rakugo shinju: quiet drama about a gay rakugo performer growing up in the 40s and 50s (as well as his apprentice in the 70s and 80s during season 2). just really incredible, made me gasp out loud many times when watching the last few episodes of season 1 because of how good it was
- armored trooper votoms: what if every 80s action movie plotline imaginable happened to one guy for 50 straight episodes and everyone around him went "hey what the fuck man? how are you still alive?" as he fought the terminator in his shitty little mech
here are some movies also, for things that have less of a commitment
- liz and the blue bird: absolutely devastating quiet drama about the relationship between two members of a high school band. gorgeous, just absolutely beautiful
- vampire hunter d: bloodlust: just the coolest shit imaginable, vampires fighting werewolves and wizards and shit in a postapocalyptic wonderland. incredible looking film, nothing else like it
- millennium actress: satoshi kon's masterpiece. the story of a famous actress, melding her movies and her life together seamlessly as we're just along for the ride
- inu-oh: medieval japanese rock opera about a blind monk who invents playing like jimi hendrix teaming up with a monster who wants to regain his stolen humanity through the power of song and interpretive dance
- ghost in the shell: introspective, moody cyberpunk piece about personhood and being subsumed by the state. easily the single biggest influence on the matrix's visual style. has a lot of gender going on
- perfect blue: tight psychological thriller about the ways the entertainment industry exploits young women and tries to break them
- night is short, walk on girl: romcom about all the wacky things that happen to a couple college students in one night as the girl tries to drink her way through every bar in the city and the guy tries to find her so he can finally ask her out
- urusei yatsura: beautiful dreamer: what if the cast of a kinda horny formulaic (but good and funny) sitcom were thrown into a david lynch movie and just had to deal?
you should read every time i say it in the op voice, that's always the authorial intent
I'm not super into anime, and we have some of the same tastes. One I was surprised to like was Ranking of Kings (season 1). It's about a cute little guy. It was a real surprise for me because the setup is simple, but it's just paced nicely, has charming characters, and the message is sweet.
Just don't bother with anything past s1. It's mostly filler they made after s1 was successful.
Thanks for the heads up about Ranking of Kings. I've added it to my list with the S1 caveat.
I watched a bit (10ish episodes or so) of it in the distant past and wasn't a huge fan. No idea if my current tastes would spark interest in it or not but it's going to be fairly low down on my list because of past experience. Thank you for contributing a recommendation regardless though.
Space Dandy
Katanagatari
Yamato 2199 (it originates from a nationalist original afaik but the remake has minimized those elements)
Kaiji
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Azumanga Daioh
Kaguya-sama
