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.
With Gundam is it a "You can jump in anywhere" show or do I need context from other shows?
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.
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.
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).