Short series:
Now and Then Here and There (13 episodes)
Baccano! (16 episodes)
Black Lagoon + Black Lagoon Second Barrage (12 episodes each)
FLCL (6 episodes)
Haibane Renmei (13 episodes)
Midori Days (13 episodes)
Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt (13 episodes)
Bunny Drop (11 episodes)
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (14 episodes + 1st episode of Season 2 + the amazing movie)
Astro Fighter Sunred (52 episodes, each episode is 12-13 minutes long)
Paranoia Agent (13 episodes)

Movies:
The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (as mentioned earlier)
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
Rebuild of Evangelion 1.11: You are (Not) Alone
Rebuild of Evangelion 2.22: You Can (Not) Advance
Millennium Actress
Junkers Come Here
Voices of a Distant Star
Tokyo Godfathers
Miyazaki flicks (Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Castle in the Sky, Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro, Porco Rosso, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service)
Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade
Otaku no Video
Samurai X: Trust and Betrayal a.k.a. Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen

EDIT: You're counting 26-episode series as short? Oh shit, here we go, son!

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (27 episodes)
Cowboy Bebop (26 episodes)
Slayers, Slayers NEXT, Slayers TRY, Slayers Revolution-R (26 episodes each)
Fantastic Children (26 episodes)
Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo (24 episodes)
Princess Nine (26 episodes)
Requiem for the Phantom (26 episodes)
Steins;Gate (24 episodes)
Tiger & Bunny (25 episodes)
Vision of Escaflowne (26 episodes)
Gungrave (26 episodes)
Neon Genesis Evangelion (26 episodes) *Do it for the series' impact and influence, because it's merely okay
RahXephon (26 episodes)
Azumanga Daioh (26 episodes)
Berserk (25 episodes)
BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad (26 episodes)
Outlaw Star (26 episodes)

And I suppose that'll do for now.

I watched Shigurui awhile back, couldn't really get into it but that had a lot to do with the fact that it ended right where it should have really started picking up. It was hella brutal though, that teeth scene was a " " moment for me.

Was going to watch the new Code Geass OVA last night but it didn't really work out, I might try again tonight.

I can't say I tried the Shigurui anime, but the manga is pretty damn nasty, I couldn't make it past the seppuku scene at the beginning...it probably only gets worse too.

Zelkiiro's list is pretty good, but I think I've got a few others worth looking at

Movies/OVAs
Place Promised in Our Early Days
5cm per Second
Darkside Blues
Dead Leaves
Spriggan
Steamboy (by the same guy who made Akira)
Metropolis
Blue Submarine No. 6
Strait Jacket

TV Shows
Brigadoon (WEIRD stuff)
Mezzo DSA
Kino's Journey
Full Metal Panic! (You can decide from the first series if you want to continue with the rest)
Level E
Phoenix
Guin Saga
Scrapped Princess
Soul Hunter
Spice & Wolf
Tactics
Big O & Big O II
Star Driver
Spiral
Shangri-La

At the very least, you shouldn't run out of stuff to watch.

I'd just add the movie Sword of the Stranger.

My favorite movies are Galaxy Express 999 and Queen Millennia. Insane Leiji trips.

Red Line is worth seeing too, some of the finest modern animation this past decade bar none... took like 8 years to make or something. Similar to Dead Leaves in style/staff wise, but I liked Red Line a lot more myself.

Nice! Thanks guys! Lots to watch; I'm looking forward to it.

After finishing Ergo Proxy, I can only think this is an anime that had so much potential that was never reached. This is a series that should've been 5 seasons long with some good writing to fully flesh out the story. It's like there was some rush to get to the outside world when we needed more exposure to Romdeau so we can see what it's like in more detail. And what goes on outside Romdeau could've involved so much more exploration so we can see what the rest of the world was like.

A good anime lets you savor the good parts and there was very little savoring going on with Ergo Proxy. I wanted to slowly enjoy some of the parts that seemed really cool and interesting but then that episode ends and the show moves on.

definitely check out boku no piku. Essential classic. I watch it over and over again.

I like it all around, but yes... the rush to get outside was disappointing (I mean all the pictures depict a more cyberpunk like atmosphere that you never really get), and the ending was very underwhelming.

Just finished Black Cat yesterday (eng dub). They rushed the ending, but I enjoyed the show a lot. Now to hit the other +20 I've got lined up.

I've got like a gig and a half to watch, fuuuuuuck. lol

What was Black Cat like? I've been meaning to watch that one for awhile since one of my friends couldn't stop talking about it. Only took his word on it as a grain of salt though, he's barely seen anything.

BC was entertaining. Like I said, they rushed the ending (last 4 episodes), and at that point the plot already descended into weirdness. Until then, it actually reminded me a lot of FF8 in terms of the main character going from edgy to... breaking character and being a typical teenager. It certainly was more high budget than I gave it credit for, with good score and characters. A lot funnier than I imagined the show to be, too. The dub was definitely the right choice to make on a show like this. Lots of characters and lots of recognizable voices. Pretty upbeat despite lots of dark tones from the plot.

I just watched the first episode and yeah, wow. Wasn't expecting something like this.

I think it's another case of just not covering much of the manga at all though, pretty sure the manga is really long. Guess I might have to check it out sometime.

Probably gonna finish Dragon Ball today, it's been a good journey.

Finish the Piccolo Jr. arc, and then skip all the way to the ending of the final episode. That last filler arc is worthless.

Started watching Wolf's Rain. Bit too early to judge, but seems promising so far.

You mean the "Find the magic fan that hasn't been mentioned since season 1" arc? Already mostly through it. Gonna start DBZ right after I finish.

Whoops, well, if you want to get through Z at a bearable rate, then watch it as Kai. More preferable, I say, even if it is inconsistent and uneven. No way I can ever watch Z as it originally was ever again.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, Kai is awful. Looks like a 4 year old slapped Photoshop filters on things, the video is stretched and cropped to widescreen, the Japanese cast redubbed it and half of them were replaced because they're dead or too old, everyone else sounds rusty and too old, the pacing is awful, the new music/composer was awful, and it doesn't even cover the Majin/Buu stuff which is awesome in Japanese. The whole thing comes full circle with the Buu arc falling back on more comedy just like DB.

Can't recommend Kai at all, completely hated it. DBZ is so easy to blast through I don't get the pacing complaints at all. There is certainly stuff I'll skip when I rewatch it someday, but when I was buying the new Dragon Boxes I'd get through one per week easily and casually (~40 episodes). Kai on the other hand, the pacing is SO fast it's too fast and doesn't even make sense.

Fuck, I say do what my friend did. Watch the first episode of Kai and the original back to back to decide. The answer will be clear as to which one to go with.

I wasn't gonna watch Kai anyway. I have the whole of DBZ uncut and remastered sitting here, and I usually am able to get in 5-10 episodes a day so the length doesn't really faze me.

I really have enjoyed DB, and the progression from screwing around with Pilaf and the RRA to Ki-bombing the hell out of each other was pretty cool to watch, as was seeing the origins and progression of the main cast and the Piccolo/Goku rivalry.

Yup. Half the story really, it makes the journey through DBZ all the better. It'll be interesting to see what you think of the Buu stuff since it's conflicting... but talk to anyone who's seen the series in Japanese, and chances are they have good things to say about it unlike those who have just seen it with a dub experience. Vegeta's development stands out a lot towards the end there... one thing DBZ does so well, the gradual and subtle character development is just crazy. Chichi was hilarious and cool again in the Buu stuff, Videl was actually really cool and I wish we got more of her, the art is at its peak there (although I love the darker look during the Namek/Freeza stuff), the entire arc is loaded with tons of new songs, and it easily has some of the series best fights, Goku vs Vegeta round 2, Vegitto's stuff, Goku vs Kid Buu, etc...

Overall I definitely think the progression from little kid in a random forest, to becoming the legendary SSJ and defeating the most ruthless alien in the universe (Freeza) is the greatest evolution of a series ever. But as one of my friend puts it, I'm glad it doesn't end there, as both the Android/Cell and Majin/Buu arcs bring a lot of greatness and fun to the table too.

Might have already mentioned this, but GT I cannot recommend a damn bit though. I really tried, curiosity got to me... but it seriously is freaking awful. I really can't believe that any staff that had anything to do with DB/Z had anything to do with GT. It's just mindblowing how much it failed at everything. Not one damn good thing I'll give it. It's just hilarious to say DB/Z is legitimately one of my favorite anime's ever after seeing it in Japanese, and GT is hands down one of the worst at the same time. Luckily, it's so bad and so detached, it's really easy to forget about completely.

Anyways yeah, glad to see another fan of DB. Heh, just gotta keep spreading the word and let it be known that Z fans shouldn't forget about it!

Yeah. I remember seeing a youtube of Roger Ebert talking about the difference between western animation and anime and one thing he pointed out was that anime will often focus on trivial scenes and how it's fascinating that resources are used for such a scene. Like we've all seen what he's talking about. Someone sitting down with a hot drink, the steam rising, they stir it slowly, and have a sip. And what it does it it adds character and immerses you more into the story and environment.

I'd say this is one of those things Ergo Proxy missed. It was just a rushed bare skeleton of the story. And yeah the ending was disappointing. That was perhaps the most rushed part cause from the time the mystery was revealed to how it's concluded is hardly any time at all.

And on that note.........




Yes! Kai is garbage. One problem with DBZ is how much time was wasted just showing the characters grit their teeth. How many minutes of angry or confident faces do we need to see? One problem with DBZ is it just had too much filler. But Kai is the other extreme to the point it ruins the series. Just some rushed garbage almost as if Japan developed the West's low attention span and had to hype everything and speed it up.

One day I noticed way too much of Kai was on youtube and had to upload some scenes of the original in all its glory.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5b_7yNWpFw

This is the dramatic effect that makes anime great.

Yeah I've heard Goku's transformation in Kai was awful. New bad dub, new bad music, rushed scenes... eh.

I definitely don't get Kai and why it exists. It's hands down the most half-assed worthless excuse of a "remaster/remake" in the history of anime, haha. A real full blown remake would've been ideal, but I'm gonna figure they didn't want to go against the One Piece train. So yeah instead they let toddlers slice up the episodes and slap some filters on everything.

And fuck yeah, you cannot replace those insert song moments... like Gohan going SSJ2. Perfection right there. It's the only big complaint I have for the Buu arc, no insert songs like the three in the Android/Cell stuff... but on the other hand like I mentioned above, the Buu arc brought in like 90% new music so that's awesome.

Kai has a host of problems but I feel like the original sucks as it is. Overly long with tons of needless padding. Would I vouch for Kai as the be-all-end-all viewing experience of Z, no, but are you guys saying things like the fake Namek episodes, Fat Boo and Babidi attacking a bakery, and scenes of the villains in Hell (makes no sense using in-universe logic), and a multitude of plot holes and animation errors are better than a half-assed cut?

I also hated most of Kikuchi (if I wrote that properly, I don't know) original score. The DB stuff wasn't that bad, but the boings and unnecessary noises made the already out of place music feel even more out of place.

no there are almost 26 episodes of normal..

Despite not really watching a whole lot of anime (I loved FLCL when I was younger though, so it isn't beyond my grasp or anything), I have recently gotten into the habit of reading manga pretty frequently. I've only read a few of the obvious ones and a couple randoms I picked with absolutely no idea if they were good or not (I've read Blue Heaven, Death Note, and Ichi the Killer front to back. I've read all the currently completed volumes of Vinland Saga as well). My friend who's always been into manga and anime has told me some of the entry level things she really likes that I should (have) start(ed) with like Evangelion and Rurouni Kenshin that I haven't gotten to yet. Based on a cursory glance at the first and last pages of this thread, I have Uzumaki waiting to be read and I finished Shigurui today after starting yesterday afternoon. A few chapters into Shigurui I found myself wondering why I found myself attracted to these ridiculously over the top, hyperviolent manga like this and Ichi the Killer, and I think the appeal to me is that they remind me of shlocky B-movies, but without the constraints of microbudgets and shit actors. This is pen and paper, your imagination can completely flourish with absolutely no monetary constraints. You want to show somebody being cut in half? By all means, go for it, you don't need to buy gallons of fake blood and fake limbs and whatnot, just draw it and you're all good. I'm sure if I read more surreal or supernatural type stuff, the medium would be perfect as well.

Now with that said, I feel like Shigurui was a mixed bag. The storytelling was just... frustrating. The second half was just goddamn annoying, introducing new characters every forty pages or so and then spending a full chapter explaining their backstory, purely so they can just be killed ten frames later. I want to say this happened about five or six times, and it was just needless padding. I didn't give a fuck about these people and their backstory didn't make me care at all, it got to the point where I rolled my eyes whenever somebody was namedropped because I knew I was about to go on a lengthy detour. Also wasn't there nearly a full volume dedicated to the backstory of that toad guy and the girl who grew a dick whenever she was having sex? There was zero resolution to that arc, it wasted about 200 pages for absolutely no payoff. Also, there's a little bonus thing on the last page where the translator tells about when he met the original author of the manga and told him he was a little worried he wouldn't be happy with him "making the first battle the whole of the story", so part of me feels like maybe I only got the first half of what the original author intended. Then again, I honestly wouldn't want the story to keep going, despite the startlingly abrupt ending because Buuuuut with all the bitching about the story out of the way, I can't deny it was at least entertaining. I mean, I read the whole thing in three sittings, separated only by me going to work and then going to sleep. If you want to shut out and just see oodles of gratuitous violence and nudity, it surely gets the job done.

So basically I'm a total noob to this stuff but I'm still a snob about it, haha. Be prepared to see me post about obvious shit because I'm new to it all.

As far as anime goes, my post at the top of the page still stands. Also, my reviews in my signature could help.

I've not read nearly as much manga as I've seen anime. I really enjoyed Azumanga Daioh, Yotsuba&!, Berserk, and that's about it.

Anybody who likes ultraviolent manga needs to read Gantz.

@BastardHead: I think if you really want that B-grade violent 80's action hero vibe, maybe check out the Guyver manga? I really dug the OVA and 2005 series... but they only cover so little ground, I hear things get really cool later on in the manga. I think I hear it's slow as heck though because the creator actually doesn't have any editors, something like that.

Blame is a weird one I've dabbed into. Awesome art, megastructures, barely any dialogue sometimes... so you definitely need an imagination there.

Berserk is ... frustrating. As it evolves you might wish it would've gone in other directions, but oh well. The art, every single fucking panel, is just jaw dropping. And overall it's definitely amazing, I need to pick up where I left off again sometime.

Think I'm getting back into Groove Adventure Rave (Fairy Tail creator). Straight up shounen jump stuff, but it's freaking hilarious and wacky too. I'd say it has one of the strongest JRPG vibes I've ever felt from a manga/anime. His art is off the hook too, starts off really rough in Rave (he was 21 or something), but it's awesome seeing it evolve... and Fairy Tail just looks damn amazing. Anime wise I like One Piece more than Fairy Tail, but I definitely think the art is way cooler than Oda's weird junk. Not a huge fan of the One Piece manga style.

I wanna read Hokuto no Ken someday too and basically everything Buronson's touched, seems like a quality creator.

Alita/Gunnm is definitely amazing with some insane art, highly recommended.

You should read Vagabond and tell me how it is. Looks insane. The creator did Slam Dunk which was amazing.

That is all completely random but maybe you'll get something out of it. lol

Except that Gantz sucks.


I've been reading Blame, the art is fucking awesome. Tsutomu Nihei has a boner for those humongous, sci-fi looking corridors and whatnot, and I approve of it. It's a bit hard to follow because of the lack of dialogue, but it's pretty good nonetheless.

I've never finished Vagabond but what I've read was amazing. Some of best art I've ever saw in manga too.
I need to pick up this shit again, by the way.

Gantz started off pretty promising, but it soon became apparent that it was never going to be as good as you thought it once would be. And the vampire shit with his little brother. Ugh. Hell, the latest chapters are trying to make you sympathetic to the aliens that were torturing them for pleasure and eating them alive... the writer is just a fucking moron.

When I started reading Vinland Saga, I heard a lot about how it was like a more historic/realistic version of Berserk (the two have some connection I want to say as well), but the site I'm *ahem* obtaining my stuff from doesn't upload Berserk, so I'll have to look elsewhere for that one. From what I sampled though it did look really impressive.

I haven't read Gantz since at the end of last year since I'm waiting for it to end first.. There are some weird things about it but overall it's very exciting and fun, how the characters have to fight insanely powerful enemies that almost slaughter all of them during every mission. I guess the insanity of it is also appealing to me whereas for some it's a turn-off.

That's definitely my favorite thing about it (although the character art is very cool, reminds me of weird stuff like Another World, Flashback, etc games... haha). But yeah just a huge fan of sci-fi architecture at its finest. Wonder if there's other stuff out there quite like this or with that element.

Vegabond is really good, highly recommended, the beginning is a bit weak though, took me several tries to get through it. Along with Takemitsu Zamuria is one of the better samurai manga I have read, those two are quite different in art, style, and content though.

As mentioned before, Vagabond is good, it just takes a while for it to get there. But if you really liked Slam Dunk, you should check out "Real" (that's really the title). It's the same artist/writer, but it's about wheelchair basketball. You wouldn't think it would be interesting, but it totally is. He's doing it at the same time as Vagabond (a credit to his work ethic), and the art is just as good.

I'm trying to watch Great Teacher Onizuka. Wow, this hasn't aged well. Dragon Ball from 1986 had better animation than this.

It's still funny as hell, though. And both opening themes are awesome.

Oh yeah it is really funny, and Steve Blum is perfect in this role. I just don't remember animes from 1999 being this bad animation-wise. It's really bad. Choppy as hell, tear marks every episode, and other issues that could only happen because of a low budget. Something like this needs to be reanimated badly.