reccomendations for the anime noob

[ryandude713]

allrgiht, ive liked anime since way back when, but im still not feeling like i know anough about it
therefore, i must ask you, the viewer, this question...
what animes should i be watching?
my anime experience comes from the shows on adult swim; such as full metal alchemist, outlaw star, flcl, cowboy beebop, gundam, dbz, etc.
Ive also seen that really strange 2 episode show from the excel saga guy
I'd like to know some obscure ones that are really popular, or ones that dont get lot of attention that are still really good.

[Last Exile]

1. The animenfo Top 100 has some good suggestions (www.animenfo.com)
2. Watch some subs
3. Check what's selling highly in stores
4. Hire some from friends

I don't wanna recommend specific stuff because I don't know your specific tastes and I don't like being too biased. Then again, my top 10 seems fair. ;)

[Dark-San]

Basically the first thing I would ask is how would you get your anime from? Off from the net or from the DVD stores? If you are getting it fresh off from the net, I would recommend titles like Bleach and My Hime to you. If not, get your information from the links given by Last Exile.

[Roarkiller]

If you're referring to titles that you think you should've watched:

1) Evangelion
2) .hack//sign
3) Azumanga Daioh
4) Gundam (any)

That's from the top of my head, the titles that most otakus would definitely watch. Evangelion cuz its a legend, .hack for its controversy (between very good to very bad), AD for being the best comedy anime ever, and gundam for being, well, another legend (basically, a world-famous franchise).

Other titles recommended:

Serial Experiments Lain
Last Exile
Wolf's Rain
Spirited Away
Mononoke Hime
Inuyasha
Blue Submarine #6
Akira
Onegai Teacher/Twins

[Mewtwo-D2]

My list is going to be color-coded by genre. Even if it's something you saw on Adult Swim, rest assured that the Uncut is different and better. All the ones listed are ones that I've seen at least part of and know are at least decent, and though my knowledge of new anime is a little limited, most of the ones listed are classics. Some of these bleed into other catgories, but I filed it under primary genre.

Sci-fi:
Subset 1:
Comedy:
Tenchi Muyo/Tenchi Universe
El Hazard (There are several of these- two T.V. series and at least two OAV's)
Urusei Yatsura
Outlaw Star
Saber Marionette J (Followed by J Again, J to X, and R)
Irresponsible Captain Tylor
Trigun
Dual!
Martian Sucessor Nadesico
Chobits
FLCL (Furi Kuri)



Subset 2:
Drama:
Cowboy Bebop
Bubblegum Crisis
Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040
Gundam (any)
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Akira
Ghost in the Shell
Arc the Lad
Crest of the Stars
Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind
X
Macross (all, there are quite a few)
Melody of Oblivion
Memories
Metropolis
serial experiments lain



Comedy:


Subset 1:
Slice-of-life:

Ah! My Goddess
Here is Greenwood
Kiki's Delivery Service
Maisson Ikkoku
My Neighbor Totoro
Rumic World
Fruits Basket
Love Hina

Subset 2:
Weird/Wacky:
Excel Saga
Kodomo no Omacha
DiGi Charat
Violinist of Hameln (movie and manga only)
Panda Z


Subset 3:
Action:
Dragonball
Ranma 1/2
Lupin III
One Piece
Naruto
Real Bout High School


Fantasy:


Subset 1:
Comedy:
Tales of Eternia
Bastard!!
Slayers
Louie the Rune Soldier
Chrno Crusade
Gokudo
Inu-yasha
Dragon Half
Sorceror Hunters



Subset 2:
Drama:
Violinist of Hameln (series, not movie or manga)
Vision of Escaflowne
Escaflowne: A Girl in Gaea
Revolutionary Girl Utena
Spirited Away
Laputa: Castle in the Sky
Princess Mononoke
Fushigi Yuugi
Saiyuki
Dragon Knights (manga ONLY)
Record of Lodoss War
Sorcerous Stabber Orphen
Sakura Wars
RG Veda

Subset 3:
Magical Girl:
Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne
Sailor Moon
Card Captor Sakura
Magic Knights Rayearth
Rayearth
Kaitou Saint Tail
Magical Girl Pretty Sammy


Historical:
Rurouni Kenshin
Rose of Versailles
Grave of the Fireflies
Tsukikage Ran


Supernatural/Occult/Horror:
Hellsing
Vampire Hunter D
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
Wolf's Rain
Vampire Princess Miyu
Moon Phase
Perfect Blue
Laughing Target
Mermaid Forest
Mermaid's Scar
Yotoden
Ayashi no Ceres


Action:
Dragonball Z
Blue Sub #6

Subset 1:
Drama:
Noir
Weiss Kruez


Note: these are only ones I've seen or seen enough of to potentially recommend. Some are vastly superior to others, but most have a pretty set fan following. I'm probably leaving plenty out, but my memory fails me further. I'll complete this once I have some more in mind.

[The Muffin Man]

As a warning, however - Don't turn down DBZ unless it's the Cell saga. Everything else is pretty good, as it was, as Jamey and I discussed, not meant to be taken seriously but sadly it was during that one saga when they decided to get ultra "deep". Otherwise it was really more of a plot driven parody of fighting anime(the "powering up for 10 minutes" is more of a play on bragging mid-match. Hence why it happens so often and so hilariously stretched out)


And the undubbed version isn't neccasarily better, and most of the Adult Swim stuff is very sparsely cut. Cowboy Bebop and FLCL, if I recall, are uncut except for language and few scenes.

[Mewtwo-D2]

I never said subbed was better, I said Uncut was. I watch dubs myself, and in some cases prefer the dub. Other dubs are good reasons to run screaming into the night.

But I still prefer Uncut, unless it's some explicit nudity or sex that did nothing to advance the plot, but was just stuck in at random.

[ryandude713]

what are the best dubs in your guys opinions?
id watch subs but i dont have the attention span to read little words while stuff is happening

[Razola]

FLCL, Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, and Inuyasha are among the better dubs out there. Last Exile is pretty good as well. Adult Swim actually gets a hold of some good dubs.

[Roarkiller]

MD2's list looks a little off. Kiki's Delivery Service is a drama, DEFINITELY not comedy (ok, what the hell did disney do to this movie?!) Grave of the Fireflies, and Rurouni Kenshin for that matter, should be under drama and action respectively. Or you could put it under the samurai genre (meh, its unofficially considered a separate genre). Ghost in the Shell is no drama, its pure sci-fi, no other genre.

Actually, listing using genre aint very accurate, since most anime have two or more genre (Love Hina: comedy/romance). Which reminds me, i didnt see romance.

Some additions to the list:

Shingetsutan Tsukihime
Kimi ga Nozomu Eien

[Mewtwo-D2]

Sorry, I was trying to do it while remembering every single anime I've ever watched. If a few things are misfiled, I'll try to fix it, but I also used comedy to describe something with a happy ending that's happy a good portion of the way through. I thought of Kiki as a classic children's comedy- in the same sense that My Neighbor Totoro is. Sad things happen, but the movie is still mostly happy and has a happy ending.

Note again that this list is only animes that I've seen enough of to recommend. I don't really like romance, so none are listed primarily as such. Things listed as Historical don't have to be even pretend to be accurate- they simply have to take place in a past time period that is necessary to the plot. Kenshin taking place during the Meiji era is very important to the plot- it couldn't work half as well in another time setting. For Ghost in the Shell, I've only seen the original movie. I consider it Sci-fi Drama. I try to classify by genre because it's very hard to tell what kind of show you'll like otherwise. For example, I like sci-fi but I don't like shoujo. If I just see a long list of titles in Japanese, how am I going to know which one is shoujo and which is sci-fi? Since my free time has been reduced quite drastically recently I don't have time to research every single title I hear about. I look for things in genre's I know I like rather than research 100-odd titles of shows that may or may not interest me. This list is a work in progress, considering it's going to change each time I see something new.

Also, I wrote this list instead of doing homework, so it's obviously going to be a bit brief.

[Adz44]

Haven't watched much anime myself, but I really like the style of it. I'd watch more if I had a broadband connection to download episodes (UK Sattelite is pretty crap for anime). I've watched the likes of Cowboy Bebop, Outlaw Star and Dragonball Z. Very enjoyable.

I've also watched Burn Up Excess, which I found hilarious. That episode where Maya goes back to her hometown cracks me up (and those transvestite criminals lol). I'd recommend that if you want a laugh.

[Razola]

MD2's list looks a little off. Kiki's Delivery Service is a drama, DEFINITELY not comedy (ok, what the hell did disney do to this movie?!)
Added Phil Hartman, giving it a million cool points.

[Last Exile]

Since people are doing genres and big lists now, I will.

Comedy:

FLCL
Azumanga Daioh
Full Metal Panic?(Fumoffu)
Please Twins
Love Hina
Fruits Basket
Ai Yori Aoshi

Action:

Macross Zero
Samurai Champloo
Kiddy Grade
Trigun
Full Metal Panic
Witch Hunter Robin
Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex
Evangelion


Drama:

Saikano/She The Ultimate Weapon
Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien
Haibane Renmei


Fantasy:

Last Exile
Chrono Crusade
Fullmetal Alchemist
Scrapped Princess


Thrillers:

Elfen Lied
Paranoia Agent
GANTZ

[Roarkiller]

I'd prefer to juz list with genre is brackets. Well, movies r my specialty and not series (or movies from series for that matter).

Ghibli / pre-ghibli

Lupin: Castle of Cagliostro (Action, Comedy)
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (Sci-fi, fantasy)
Laputa: Castle in the Sky (Action, fantasy)
My Neighbour Totoro (Comedy, drama)
Grave of the Fireflies (Drama)
Only Yesterday (Drama)
Pom Poko (Historical, Comedy)
Porco Rosso (Action)
My Neighbour the Yamadas (Comedy)
Whisper of the Heart (Romance, Drama)
Princess Mononoke (Historical, Fantasy)
Spirited Away (Fantasy)
The Cat Returns (Fantasy, Comedy)

Others:

JinRoh (Drama, Action)
Akira (Cult, Action, Fantasy)
Spriggan (Action, Fantasy)
Blue Submarine #6 (Fantasy, Action)
Yu Yu Hakusho (Action)
Millennium Actress (Drama)
Perfect Blue (Thriller)

OVAs:

Read or Die (Action)

[Dark Scizor]

Haven't watched much anime myself, but I really like the style of it. I'd watch more if I had a broadband connection to download episodes (UK Sattelite is pretty crap for anime). I've watched the likes of Cowboy Bebop, Outlaw Star and Dragonball Z. Very enjoyable.


Sci-Fi channel, 5:00am. Good if you have Sky+/TiVo/an insomnia, bad if you don't. Usually some anime on at that time, though I haven't seen it in a while so I wouldn't knwo whwat is airing nowadays.

[The Muffin Man]

Ah, before I forget, don't watch Subs of anything unless it's known for having a bad dub. Stuff like Cowboy Bebop subbed rather than dubbed just means reading and catching the one or two context changes over the dub that made no real difference and will just make you a bitter elitist about how "Subs are SO much better".

Also, I'd stay away from .Hack//Sign. Not because of personal reason but because it's really something you have to really like to even find it the least bit enjoyable. I, personally, did not as it felt like they were pouring the drama on, and their facial expressions rarely seemed to change.

[ryandude713]

ive seen .hack//sign
and i still to this day dont get the ending of it

ps: you guys forgot the best anime movie ever - my neighbor totoro

[Adz44]

Sci-Fi channel, 5:00am. Good if you have Sky+/TiVo/an insomniac, bad if you don't. Usually some anime on at that time, though I haven't seen it in a while so I wouldn't knwo whwat is airing nowadays.

Yeah, I seem to remember Arc the Lad being on at that time. They used to show anime at about 1 am, too (one of the shows being Burn Up Excess). For some reason, they stopped. With CNX gone and Toonami repeating itself, I haven't got anywhere to turn anime-wise.

My house will be getting Sky+ soon, so hopefully some Anime will show up. Infact, I may be able to watch DBZ properly now. I've never had a real chance because someone is always watching another channel.

[Mewtwo-D2]

Ah, before I forget, don't watch Subs of anything unless it's known for having a bad dub. Stuff like Cowboy Bebop subbed rather than dubbed just means reading and catching the one or two context changes over the dub that made no real difference and will just make you a bitter elitist about how "Subs are SO much better".

As opposed to a bitter elitist that says all dubs are better? Just leave it as a personal preference thing- I generally like the Japanese voices better. Does that make me an elitist subby snob? Even with movies in English, I generally turn on the subtitles. I find it easier to concentrate a lot of the time if I don't have to struggle with accents. I don't miss any of the action- a lot of movies I've watched both ways and I usually enjoy the movie with subtitles more. That doesn't make me a snob, it makes me weird. And we all know there's nothing wrong with that.

I just like the sound of spoken Japanese- I like listening to it, and I like trying to learn a bit of it by immersion. Also, many Japanese voice acting jobs seem to be done with more enthusiasm for the character and the story. I'm not knocking dubs, there are plenty of dubs I like. But you should never avoid dubs OR subs simply to make a point. Avoid bad dubs like the plague, but try out the dubs to comparison shop. Now that DVD is the standard format, that's a lot easier than it used to be. You can try both. When I first became an anime fan this wasn't easy. People usually bought dubs because they were cheaper, which gave rise to the elitist subby snob. After all, they paid at least $5 more for their anime, usually much higher. Now that most anime is on DVD, it's a moot point, unless you're at a club meeting or a convention.

My advice summed up- Try both. Don't go in predjudiced one way or the other, but give both an equal shot and decide for yourself. That way you'll get a better appreciation for both sides.

And Mike, Cowboy Bebop is indeed a stellar dub, but the sub is great too. Both are wonderful and both bring new dimensions to the characters. I have both and I routinely switch back and forth. Then again, even a dub as bad as Excel Saga's couldn't ruin that series.

[The Muffin Man]

As opposed to a bitter elitist that says all dubs are better?

Who exactly says this? I'd love to know, so I could show them my way which is to watch an anime in their native language before assuming it sucks because it's not japanese(if that is not their native language).

Besides, I know YOU wouldn't be making unfair assumptions about people because you don't seem to like them or get along with them. I know you're better than that. Right?


Anyway, back on topic, I watch Knockin on Heavens Door(Cowboy Bebop movie) and I saw a bit of the subbed version, and it really didn't sound like the English VAs were any less enthusiastic, just more natural. Not bashing the original, but it felt more like the japanese VAs were trying to force emotion to sound more than it was. Steven Blum(Spikes VA. No I don't have it memorized, I've got IMDB open :P) does an amazing job of giving off that "Smug, cocky bastard" sound to his voice without sounding like he's really forcing it. Either Steves a smug SOB naturally, or he is damn good at sounding like it.

Sidenote - Further proof - anyone who watches Megas XLR(amazing homebrewed "Mech" show on Cartoon Network) knows how much of a smug bastard Jamie is. And apparently, much like John DiMaggio(Bender from Futurama, Spike*The mechanic* from Teen Titans) plays the gruff-but-loveable New Yorker-style characters, apparently Steven Blum just plays the smug characters.
Another sidenote - Heh. Speaking of Megas XLR, Wendy Lee, Fayes VA, also works on the show.

As for a bad dub being unable to ruin Cowboy Bebop - They'd need to have nothing but people making obscene noises and childish giggles to make this anime bad. This is, in my opinion, the greatest anime of all time.

[Last Exile]

Who exactly says this? I'd love to know, so I could show them my way which is to watch an anime in their native language before assuming it sucks because it's not japanese(if that is not their native language).

Mike, 9 out of 10 anime fans prefer subs. It's been proven. The 2nd GITS movie was released in subtitles only and the company responsible for US and other distribution said no dub would ever be made because there was no point as people greatly prefer subs.

No one is saying all subs are bud but Mike, you really need to do your homework. It's only in the last year or two dubs have gotten a bit better. Before then only the odd one was good. Dubs like for Love Hina, Excel Saga Azumanga Daioh, Sonic X, Evangelion - these were awful. There are plenty more. Whereas Cowboy Bebop, Last Exile, Haibane Renmei, Trigun, FLCL - the dubs are decent because the voice actors fit the character.

That is my main beef. Effort and how voices fit characters. I don't want a 40 year-old woman voice for Naru. I don't want the most annoying person in the world for Shinji. I don't want a sugary one for Yukari. It weakens the product. That is why the majority prefer dubs, Mike. No one is slamming you for liking or even prefering dubs. But anime fans are greatly in favour of the subs. Fact of life. Live with it. End of story.

[EVme15]

I'll have to admit that I prefer subs, but don't think I completely hate dubs.

One point I'll bring up is Excel Saga. Everyone says they hate the dub, and Excel's too yelly-screechy-blah-blah-blah. I say, that's how Excel should sound. Not hyper. Obsessive.

There are some animes that have crap dubs. There are some animes that have crap subs (be it translation, voices, or both). It's a case-by-case basis. You can't go around saying all of one side is bad, one way or the other. It doesn't work like that.
Yes, subs may be more popular. Of course, we can't automatically assume the majory is right (Newtype's Top 25 and the US president, as prime examples). I'm not saying I don't agree with them, I do, but the only elitists are people who go for only subs or dubs, and never ever EVER watch the other.

Bebop's dub was wonderful, but I like Ed's Japanese voice better (all the rest I either forget by now or I more or less don't care).

...
And I'm being kicked off right now. Stupid hw, peh.

[Mewtwo-D2]

Excel's dub voice made my throat hurt just listening to it. My sister, who's a complete dub fan, told me to switch it to sub because we couldn't understand one word she was saying. Yes, Excel should sound obsessive, but she shouldn't sound like she's been eating gravel every day for the past 10 years.

And Mike, I was making a point. I wasn't saying you. Did you even read my post? My point was to try both, even if you generally prefer one over the other. I love the dubs for Gundam Wing, Ranma 1/2, and Cowboy Bebop. I despise the dubs for Excel Saga, Magic Knights Rayearth, and Escaflowne. I gave each a fair chance both ways. With most anime being on DVD, it's not that hard to give them both a shot, so I do. Normally, I do try to the sub first, but then I try the dub.

[EngiMatikul]

When an anime is popular, it is usually so just because it is more readily available than other anime. Popular anime does NOT mean you're going to like it. Any anime that anyone suggests might not be something that you would like. Or maybe you will like it. But whatever the case, popular anime isn't always the best anime for you.
Saying "I like anime" is a lot like saying "I like TV" or "I like the movies". It's way too broad, and many people don't know what exactly do you like about anime. In fact, anime isn't anything different from regular movies or TV shows other than it's animated, so if you really want suggestions for anime you'd like, start thinking about movies or TV series that you liked. What kind of movies did you like? Did you like Lord of the Rings a lot? Or Jurassic Park and other sci-fi movies? Or did you like TV sitcoms? Or maybe you like to watch kid's shows (there is nothing wrong with that, btw). Knowing what types of non-anime shows you watch can help determine what kind of anime you would like.
But of course, anime is special in that it's animated, and it has drawings, some more preferable than others. If you're truly just getting into anime, I don't think animation really matters to you at this point. However, maybe I'm wrong, therefore if I am, it would be informative if you told us what types of animation and drawings of anime do you like. I, for example, dislike coarse sketchlike animation such as those seen in Naruto, DBZ, and many sports anime. I also dislike many of the styles of older anime, and I'm not particularly in favor of the animation of that person who draws Ranma and Inu-Yasha (I'm bad with names, but I'm sure you wouldn't know who that person is either :P). On the other hand, I'm a fan of the artwork seen in Love Hina Manga (Ken Atsumatsu? see I can't spell names either) and a lot of more "cute" looking anime.
So what? you may ask. Well, that's just saying that I have preferences that others might not like, and so do you. So before anyone can properly suggest anything to you, you should answer these questions first:

1. What type of movie/TV show do you like? (1st priority)

2. Do you care about animation? If you do, what kind? (2nd priority)

3. Do you really give a damn if it's subbed or dubbed? (3rd and LAST priority)


I see in your sig that you're a fan of Monty Phython. That's something around comedy and fantasy (well, sort of). I'm pretty sure there's some anime that has the two together (Slayers, maybe?) but I haven't watched it to confirm it for you. However, since Monty Python had a rather quaint sense of humor, something like Azumanga Daioh may be suitable for your tastes. Azumanga does not rely heavily on cuteness but more on comedy aspects, nor does it have a romantic plotline like most other anime comedies have. I've also heard of something called the "PingPong Club" that seems to have pointless humor in it without the cuteness. You might want to check that out. However, I have heard very little about that one.

Conclusion, from observing your sig: Slayers seems like a good one to start with, seeing how it has both fantasy and comedy aspects. THough, it can get serious at times, I believe. Azumanga is for pure comedy reasons, and a bit of cuteness, though no adventuring for a holy grail... I think... I never did finish that series...and maybe PingPong club.

Again, I admit I could be completely wrong and have just given you the worst anime you'd ever seen in your opinion. >.>

EDIT: Last Exile mentioned FLCL, which is also pure nonsensical comedy. That may be a better suggestion than the ones I put over here.

EDIT2: nevermind you already watched it :P

[The Muffin Man]

Mike, 9 out of 10 anime fans prefer subs. It's been proven. The 2nd GITS movie was released in subtitles only and the company responsible for US and other distribution said no dub would ever be made because there was no point as people greatly prefer subs.
Link, please.
Besides, 9 out of 10 Anime fans prefer subs. 4 out of 10 think dubs are "Evil american corporations cashing in on anime". There's rarely a good time to dart my eyes to the bottom of the screen. If it's a plot-thick anime, I'm gonna find it hard to keep reading and miss 90% of the onscreen action. If it's action-filled, I'm gonna miss alot of onscreen action to see the one or two taunts thrown around mid-fight.



No one is saying all subs are bud but Mike, you really need to do your homework. It's only in the last year or two dubs have gotten a bit better.
No, now that anime is a bigger seller companies are risking using better VAs than giving someone crap pay to do a big role because it's not worth the money


Before then only the odd one was good. Dubs like for Love Hina, Excel Saga Azumanga Daioh, Sonic X, Evangelion - these were awful.

I've heard from everyone I know NGE is actually a rather decent dub. Although Sonic X suffers from the same thing as DB, DBZ, DBGT, and Yugioh. It's been cut to pieces to fit an audience never meant to view it. Here's a tip for YGO anime fans - Imagine every "Shadow Realm" reference is really "death". I.e That "dark energy blade"? Sawing the losers legs off. The "Vortext in the freaking mall"? Falling and breaking your neck.



There are plenty more. Whereas Cowboy Bebop, Last Exile, Haibane Renmei, Trigun, FLCL - the dubs are decent because the voice actors fit the character.
The characters in Cowboy Bebop, FLCL, and Trigun seemed to be very well-developed as human beings rather than anime characters.


That is my main beef. Effort and how voices fit characters. I don't want a 40 year-old woman voice for Naru. I don't want the most annoying person in the world for Shinji.
Shinji came off, to me anyway, as more of a young, afraid child. Which is what he was. He's not even 15 if I remember. He's a kid, not even really a teenager, and he was being thrown into all this crap so fast. The voice fit in my opinion.


I don't want a sugary one for Yukari. It weakens the product. That is why the majority prefer dubs, Mike. No one is slamming you for liking or even prefering dubs. But anime fans are greatly in favour of the subs. Fact of life. Live with it. End of story.
No it's not a fact of life. Alot of anime fans(not all) like subs over dubs because it's somehow more correct. But think about this. I've heard some of the voices of undubbed DBZ. Gokus voice just struck me as wrong(a huge dude who gets thrown into mountains has a high-pitched voice?). The voice in the dub, however, was spot on. He sounded like a superhero. The strength and ability of Superman/Clark Kent mixed with the innocence of Peter Parker.

[Heald]

To UK anime fans - Sci-Fi is pretty much the only channel that has decent anime. The 'main anime' channels only have kiddy crap:

Sky One

Pokémon - absolute cack. Avoid.
Yu-Gi-Oh - rubbish cartoon to fuel card buying frenzy. No storyline, only used to promote the cards.

Nickelodeon

Yu-Gi-Oh - Ugh.
Cardcaptors - I think they've stopped this, but this was rubbish as well.

Fox Kids

Sonic X - Take one of the best loved computer game characters, put him in a stupid scenario on Earth and has all his stupid sidekicks who sit around cheering him on (even Knuckles...sniff). Please die.
Medabots - Crap.
Sailor Moon - I think they've stopped this, but this was crap too.
Digimon - Series 1 was watchable, Series 2 was crap and Series 3 was terrible. Don't know about the other Series.

Cartoon Network

DragonballZ - I actually liked this but they only show it sporadically and if you liked anime at all, you would have seen every episode anyway.
Ultimate Muscle - I kind of liked this only for its bizarreness but it was absolute crap.
Beyblade - Follows the path of YGO for promoting shitty merchandise. Avoid.
Teen Titans - Wait, this isn't even anime...
Outlaw Star - Definately the best anime I've seen on UK television bar Cowboy Bebop. But that was deemed 'too adult' and so CN stopped it. Sniff.

Oh yeah, avoid Dragonball and Dragonball GT. Dragonball is watchable but is nowhere near as good as Z, and GT is horrible rubbish made for fanboys.

I think that's it. Looks like CN is the only channel is watchable anime...

[Apathy]

My list is going to be color-coded by genre. Even if it's something you saw on Adult Swim, rest assured that the Uncut is different and better. All the ones listed are ones that I've seen at least part of and know are at least decent, and though my knowledge of new anime is a little limited, most of the ones listed are classics. Some of these bleed into other catgories, but I filed it under primary genre.

Sci-fi:
Subset 1:
Comedy:
Tenchi Muyo/Tenchi Universe
El Hazard (There are several of these- two T.V. series and at least two OAV's)
Urusei Yatsura
Outlaw Star
Saber Marionette J (Followed by J Again, J to X, and R)
Irresponsible Captain Tylor
Trigun
Dual!
Martian Sucessor Nadesico
Chobits
FLCL (Furi Kuri)



Subset 2:
Drama:
Cowboy Bebop
Bubblegum Crisis
Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040
Gundam (any)
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Akira
Ghost in the Shell
Arc the Lad
Crest of the Stars
Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind
X
Macross (all, there are quite a few)
Melody of Oblivion
Memories
Metropolis
serial experiments lain



Comedy:


Subset 1:
Slice-of-life:

Ah! My Goddess
Here is Greenwood
Kiki's Delivery Service
Maisson Ikkoku
My Neighbor Totoro
Rumic World
Fruits Basket
Love Hina

Subset 2:
Weird/Wacky:
Excel Saga
Kodomo no Omacha
DiGi Charat
Violinist of Hameln (movie and manga only)
Panda Z


Subset 3:
Action:
Dragonball
Ranma 1/2
Lupin III
One Piece
Naruto
Real Bout High School


Fantasy:


Subset 1:
Comedy:
Tales of Eternia
Bastard!!
Slayers
Louie the Rune Soldier
Chrno Crusade
Gokudo
Inu-yasha
Dragon Half
Sorceror Hunters



Subset 2:
Drama:
Violinist of Hameln (series, not movie or manga)
Vision of Escaflowne
Escaflowne: A Girl in Gaea
Revolutionary Girl Utena
Spirited Away
Laputa: Castle in the Sky
Princess Mononoke
Fushigi Yuugi
Saiyuki
Dragon Knights (manga ONLY)
Record of Lodoss War
Sorcerous Stabber Orphen
Sakura Wars
RG Veda

Subset 3:
Magical Girl:
Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne
Sailor Moon
Card Captor Sakura
Magic Knights Rayearth
Rayearth
Kaitou Saint Tail
Magical Girl Pretty Sammy


Historical:
Rurouni Kenshin
Rose of Versailles
Grave of the Fireflies
Tsukikage Ran


Supernatural/Occult/Horror:
Hellsing
Vampire Hunter D
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
Wolf's Rain
Vampire Princess Miyu
Moon Phase
Perfect Blue
Laughing Target
Mermaid Forest
Mermaid's Scar
Yotoden
Ayashi no Ceres


Action:
Dragonball Z
Blue Sub #6

Subset 1:
Drama:
Noir
Weiss Kruez


Note: these are only ones I've seen or seen enough of to potentially recommend. Some are vastly superior to others, but most have a pretty set fan following. I'm probably leaving plenty out, but my memory fails me further. I'll complete this once I have some more in mind.

All hail, Anima Kami!

[AntiAsh Superstar]

GYAHHHH???? Heald, plz tell me it isn't true that they cancelled Outlaw star before I made full use of my current availability of Sky+. Dammit, file that under 'things to torrent' as well... :(

Uhh... things to watch... if you like deep, futuristic, Matrix-y things do watch Akira and Ghost In The Shell, they are classics. Gundam Wing is good for characters and generally not having an obvious good guy, which I always like in a story. As long as you don't mind violence and bad language do give Cyber City Oedo a try, some of it is shock value but there are some amazingly good characters and plotlines in there, in fact the thrid installment (I can't really call it an episode since it's a three part OAV) is one of the best things I've seen on a screen period.

Uhh... what else? Slapstick comedy... Ranma 1/2 is always a winner, as is Slayers and the subsequent Slayers Next and Slayers Try series. :) Furhter mind-****s... Evangelion is a safe bet, very deep mind-candy.

Also as dumb as this may sound you may want to check out the Streetfighter II anime movie, it's actually a remarkably good martial arts flick with some really good character development in there. Plus the dubbed version has the best soundtrack ever... I mean, Korn, Alice In Chains, KMFDM and Silverchair, how can you go wrong? :D

[Dark Scizor]

GYAHHHH???? Heald, plz tell me it isn't true that they cancelled Outlaw star before I made full use of my current availability of Sky+. Dammit, file that under 'things to torrent' as well... :(


Yeah, OS disappeared :(. In my opinion there is nothing good on British TV anymore (animé-wise), but I haven't seen Sky Digital for several weeks now.