Anime Recommendations Thread

[KazeShiki]

Nodame Cantabile and Lovely Complex probably my top 2 romcoms. Aishiteruze Baby has less comedy but still a pretty good romance. I'll also throw out ef~A tale of memories/melodies but that has basically no comedy and is pure romance drama; it's my favorite romance anime ever though.

[skreyola]

Cross Game is part romance, part sports anime, though it doesn't really feel like either one. Has the best of both, I think.
Hachimitsu to Clover (Honey & Clover) is a romp through a college romance.
School Rumble is funny, and even has a pretty good dub.

[mysngoeshere56]

Thanks for the recommendations! I'll have to add these to my radar. I've heard of a few, but never watched any. I actually did read a few volumes of the Cross Game manga, but never did my homework to know there was an anime. I've been thinking I need to start the manga up again, so watching the anime will give me more motivation to! I remember I looked up Lovely Complex to see what it was about a few years ago but never got around to watching it. It sounds super cute. And if anyone else has more recommendations, feel free to send them too! ^^

[Rusty Claymore]

I'll put in a word here for the Working!!/Wagnaria!! series, as Season 3 is just around the corner. It's a slice-of-life rom-com about the employees of a family restaurant. Doesn't sound like much, but it's on my all-time top 10.

[Cianter]

Hello all! ^^ Sooo a convention I'm going to is coming up soon and honestly I'm just looking for some characters to cosplay from great anime. I really don't care what genre (though for cosplay I really like magical girl and idol anime) I like really modest outfits and the cuter the better ^^ I prefer dresses and sweeping outfits. I've only ever cosplayed Sono Chieri from AKB0048 so I'm still new to cosplaying and excited about who I'm going to pick next, but I have no idea from the anime I've seen. Anyways, pretty much any anime is good as long as it's clean (as little fanservice as possible and no yaoi, yuri, incest, or anything of the like please). I like pretty much every genre so whatever you can think of would be great . Sorry this is kind of broad and odd (hey I rhymed hehe ), but I've been away from anime for a while and figure this is as good a way to get back into it as any. Thanks in advance!

[skreyola]

You might check out Plastic Memories (a little fanservice, but not terrible), Log Horizon (I don't recall anything objectionable), or Hanayamata... and just for the sake of silliness, Shinryaku! Ika Musume! (very clean, if you ignore the one yuri character; if that's a deal-breaker, I can give you a list of episodes in which she doesn't appear).

[mysngoeshere56]

I'll put in a word here for the Working!!/Wagnaria!! series, as Season 3 is just around the corner. It's a slice-of-life rom-com about the employees of a family restaurant. Doesn't sound like much, but it's on my all-time top 10.

I've actually never heard of that, so thanks for the recommendation!

As for skreyola, have you seen Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch? It's actually a magical girl *and* idol anime based on "The Little Mermaid". Basically imagine Sailor Moon as a teenage mermaid instead of a teenage girl, and instead of having superhero-esque powers, she "fights" by singing songs that're painful to the villains ears. It's one that you'll either love or hate for that very reason, though. I thought the music was catchy, but I admit that I did lose interest after awhile, because it just didn't have enough action that a sentai magical girl anime would need for me to really get into. The adorable artwork and characters were enough to keep me going through the first season and half the second. I thought it was just OK at best, but since it's definitely magical girl and definitely idol, you might like to see if there are cosplaying possibilities. Not much going for it as far as fanservice/yaoi/yuri/incest. The manga does have fanservice moments if you decide to go that route (though it's out of print in the US), and two of the female villains who're sisters do seem to casually "flirt" at times (the Black Beauty sisters), but nothing is plainly stated so it's all up for interpretation.

I only saw a few episodes of Full Moon wo Sagashite, but it also features elements of both genres. I want to start it up again soon because I really loved what I saw.

[Cianter]

You might check out Plastic Memories (a little fanservice, but not terrible), Log Horizon (I don't recall anything objectionable), or Hanayamata... and just for the sake of silliness, Shinryaku! Ika Musume! (very clean, if you ignore the one yuri character; if that's a deal-breaker, I can give you a list of episodes in which she doesn't appear).

Thanks for the recommendations I really appreciate it ^^ I think Plastic Memory sounds interesting and may have to check it out

[Sammy Boy]

Can someone recommend me anime titles similar to 'Laputa: Castle in the Sky', and 'Children who chase lost voices from deep below' ?

I like those kinds of stories.

Thanks!

[Zeldafan2]

There's "Anohana: The Flower we Saw that Day". It may not be in the same genre as the two you mentioned, but there are certainly similarities in genre and style. Here's the synopsis from MAL:

"Jinta Yadomi and his group of childhood friends have become estranged after a tragic accident split them apart. Now in their high school years, a sudden surprise forces each of them to confront their guilt over what happened that day and come to terms with the ghosts of their past."

[skreyola]

I haven't seen both of those, so I'm basing my recommendations only on Laputa.

Howl's Moving Castle (Mov) has some similarities, though it is quite a bit darker and edgier.
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Winds (Mov) same notes as HMC.
Fractale (TV) is very similar, in plot structure, but it gets pretty creepy near the end.
Last Exile (TV) same notes as Fractale.
I'll second AnoHana (TV), though it is also rather heavier fare than Laputa (and a bit more mature).
Porco Rosso (Mov) is probably the closest of this list. This movie also treats serious subjects with light-hearted action and family-friendly ending.
Kiki's Delivery Service (Mov) is another Ghibli film you may enjoy.

[skreyola]

So, I recently finished and dropped a couple of titles, so I'm looking for something new to watch. I didn't pick up many of this season's titles, but if I've missed something good, I'd like to know that. But recommendations can be old shows.
Main things are little or no fanservice, and no taking of the Lord's name in vain (other profanity doesn't bother me, but that just pulls me right out of the story). You can see a list of things I've watched and liked here. Although I watch a fair amount of SoL, recommendations shouldn't favor them. I like lots of other types of shows.
Thanks for reading my request.

[TheCynicalIdealist]

I'm a noob and not a huge anime fan, but I am Christian and I do enjoy anime a lot over American television. Anyway I just finished Trigun and the Movie Trigun: Badlands Rumble. I'm looking for another series where the protagonist has the same struggles with themselves that Vash the Stampede has, that is: having a lot of inner demons and guilt, having a lot of potential for both good and bad. I also like some of the Christian symbolism in the show. I watched Outlaw Star and that was a fun show but there was a lot less character development than what drew me.

[Thunderscream872]

I'm a noob and not a huge anime fan, but I am Christian and I do enjoy anime a lot over American television. Anyway I just finished Trigun and the Movie Trigun: Badlands Rumble. I'm looking for another series where the protagonist has the same struggles with themselves that Vash the Stampede has, that is: having a lot of inner demons and guilt, having a lot of potential for both good and bad. I also like some of the Christian symbolism in the show. I watched Outlaw Star and that was a fun show but there was a lot less character development than what drew me.

Hi, and welcome to CAA. Feel free to make an introduction thread for yourself here if you're into that

I haven't seen Trigun yet myself, but I think I can still make some recommendations for you.

Cowboy Bebop - I hear it compared to Trigun quite a bit. If you're into deep and conflicted characters, you definitely need to check it out.
Samurai Champloo - I feel like this one is pretty similar to Cowboy Bebop (both were created by the same guy). Again, it has a great cast, though I'd say the characters are more entertaining than conflicted.
Black Lagoon
Darker Than Black
Psycho-Pass
Gungrave - I'm pretty sure the creator of Trigun also created this one.
Code Geass

All of these anime have the morally gray anti-hero type characters that I think you're looking for. Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, and Black Lagoon have the comical elements that are present in Trigun, while the others don't really focus much on that. They're all worth watching. Psycho Pass is my personal favorite out of these, but I'd recommend Cowboy Bebop the most. Code Geass is probably the most different from Trigun on of this list, but I figured I'd throw it out there. The characters are very interesting and I think satisfy what you're looking for.

I don't really know if there's any Christian symbolism in any of these. There very well could be, I just didn't pick up on it, or don't remember.

If you have issues with mature content, let me know, and I'll try to summarize what you can expect from each of these if you want.

[TheCynicalIdealist]

^Thankyou, for the recommendations I have already seen Cowboy Bebop, and Black Lagoon. Both are great of cource, and I'm not all action, I did watch both seasons of Spice & Wolf. :-)

[skreyola]

Samurai Champloo definitely focuses more on wackiness than internal conflict. Christian imagery, but I'm not sure it'll be the kind that pleases you, CynicalIdealist.
Darker Than Black, from what I remember, is probably a lot closer to what you're looking for.
I'll also recommend:
El Cazador de la Bruja - lots of internal conflict in these characters, and lots of twists, turns, and moral blurriness. Christian imagery is prominent, here, too, if memory serves.
Canaan - It's been a long, long time since I saw this last, so I don't remember specifics, but I recall its having a similar feel to CdlB and DTB.
Xam'd/Bounen no Xamdou - lots of internal conflict and soul searching in this one, and a lot less objectionable content than any of the other titles mentioned.

[TheCynicalIdealist]

I looked into most of those, i dont think anything can capture the same personality that Vash had. Psycho Pass looks good though, from what ive read they made it with Mamoru Oshii's work in mind.

[MangaRocks!]

A tad surprised that Haibane Renmei has not been mentioned yet-- it's one of the most Christian-like-themed Japanese works I've seen. (Not entirely Biblical, though, of course, but the symbolism and certain themes are definitely there.) Plus, there's no real content issues, either! (Now, granted, there's no action in it whatsoever, and most of it is quite moderately-paced-- not sure if action elements were important to your request-- but I figured it should at least be given a recommendation when talking about these themes. )

[skreyola]

Well, I didn't mention HR because I found some of the theological messages very troubling and the ambiguity of the plot and concepts (it was difficult to tell what anything was supposed to mean) unsatisfying, but I know a lot of people here love that show. That aside, it didn't seem to me to fit what was requested.

[Mullet Death]

So, I have a craving for great romantic comedy. Romcoms with: closure; genuine, heart-warming romance between lovable, adorable, funny, memorable characters; comedy that isn't just "Oh look, boobs and such;" and great animation. I know I'm setting the bar high, but hey! I'm just talking about the ideal here, anything flawed that's still good will work too. Great animation and lack of fan service are of secondary importance; it's the rom and the com I'm worried about. It doesn't matter in the slightest if the demographic is shoujo, shounen, or seinen.

Toradora, Wagnaria, Oremonogatari and Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun (despite its lack of closure in the anime, admittedly) are the golden standard to judge by. My Little Monster and Servant x Service are also solid, but iirc, they need more closure. Nisekoi had potential but it's ultimately just another pointless fan service harem with no resolution of romantic conflict, character growth, or genuine story progression in sight.

Thoughts or suggestions?

[skreyola]

It's looking like Ore Monogatari is going to be what you're looking for.
I'd also recommend Cross Game and AnoHana, though neither one is a romcom, per se. Both have a great romance subplot that has good closure, and both have some funny moments.
I was going to recommend Toradora, but you've seen it.
I had one or two other shows with good romance plots, but they either weren't romcoms, or they weren't very good. I hope you get some good recommendations, because I might like to see another good one.

[Mullet Death]

It's looking like Ore Monogatari is going to be what you're looking for.
I'd also recommend Cross Game and AnoHana, though neither one is a romcom, per se. Both have a great romance subplot that has good closure, and both have some funny moments.
I was going to recommend Toradora, but you've seen it.
I had one or two other shows with good romance plots, but they either weren't romcoms, or they weren't very good. I hope you get some good recommendations, because I might like to see another good one.

Oh my gosh, how could I forget to mention Ore Monogatari? No joke, that's definitely a candidate for my favorite anime of the year, with only Non Non beating it so far. It's the perfect show.

I've also seen Anohana :'(, but I'll give Cross Game a shot if I can find it somewhere.

[Fantasia]

I've heard a lot of good things about Ore Monogatari, and I'm interested in watching it. Does it have much objectionable content I should be aware of?

[Mullet Death]

I've heard a lot of good things about Ore Monogatari, and I'm interested in watching it. Does it have much objectionable content I should be aware of?

I genuinely and honestly can't think of anything. It's pretty pure at heart. Maybe like "mildly suggestive themes" or "they pray on New Year's." One would definitely have to dig really deep to consider any of it objectionable in any way whatsoever.

[Fantasia]

I genuinely and honestly can't think of anything. It's pretty pure at heart. Maybe like "mildly suggestive themes" or "they pray on New Year's." One would definitely have to dig really deep to consider any of it objectionable in any way whatsoever.

Thanks, Mullet Death. I'll definitely check out this anime later when I have the time.

[skreyola]

Hulu used to have Cross Game, but they don't seem to now. I sads.

Well, the other two are worth rewatching.

[skreyola]

I'm still looking for something new to watch.
Main things are little or no fanservice, and no taking of the Lord's name in vain (other profanity doesn't bother me, but that just pulls me right out of the story). You can see a list of things I've watched and liked here. Although I watch a fair amount of SoL, recommendations don't need to favor them. I like lots of other types of shows.
Thanks.

[TheCynicalIdealist]

Well, I've gotten hooked on Psycho Pass. Its really messed up, like GiTS: Stand Alone Complex with the tone of Full Metal Alchemist. I gave Gungrave a try, but it was just too weird.

[Thunderscream872]

Well, I've gotten hooked on Psycho Pass. Its really messed up, like GiTS: Stand Alone Complex with the tone of Full Metal Alchemist. I gave Gungrave a try, but it was just too weird.

Psycho Pass is incredibly good. There is also a movie and then a second season. I haven't seen either of them yet, but I definitely plan on checking those out.

With Gungrave, I would recommend at least going up to episode four or five before making a judgement about the series as a whole, but that's totally up to you.

[skreyola]

Thank you. I'll take a look at that.
What's the content like in GitS:SAC?