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.
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.