Manga & Anime Recommendations

Some fans of Spice and Wolf end up liking Maoyuu. I was never able to get into that one though.

There is also Log Horizon.

I've never been able to find one with the same atmosphere either.

Tell me 'bout it. I checked out Maoyuu (Thanks Arha!), and while it had some really interesting concepts about war and macroeconomics, it felt lacking in the chemistry between the two protagonists. Or maybe I was a tad bit biased?

Ah, so that's what it was.

edited 11th Aug '16 8:55:11 PM by Jamiester

Yeah, it had some interesting ideas, but never really ran with them. I got almost the same soulless, designed-by-committee feel that I got from Angel Beats or Shakugan No Shana.

That's a failing that crops up a lot in anime, really cool, interesting, or weird story concepts that the writers then do nothing with. A plot hook and nothing more. There's no point because you've already caught the fish, right?

That's interesting; Maoyuu is actually one series that I respect a lot for feeling very unique in how intentionally generic it tried to make its characters. Its biggest problem/strength is that it focused so much more on the ideas of the story and world than on the characters. Shana though...yeah I loved it back when but it is not a particularly original story in any way until the male protagonist actually goes evil and wins at least.

But that never happens. Everyone else went evil.

edited 11th Aug '16 8:46:53 PM by Arha

Now I'm craving a good anime. Now here's my requirements.

1. I would like there to be a girl in it. Shocking, I know.

2. I would like there to be a strong romantic element.

3. I would like it to feature at least one character who uses deadpan and/or snarky humor.

4. I would like to be able to look my friends in the eyes when I say, "The characters speak to my soul!"

Shows I have liked in the past that met these criteria are Spice And Wolf, Crest Of The Stars & sequels, and School Rumble.

Hmmm... the one that goes off the top of my head would be TMOHS, but No Game No Life is also good. It's just a bit lacking in the romance department, though.

I guess Nodame Cantabile fits best, though the characters speaking to you is subjective.

Those are all good suggestions, unfortunately I've already seen those shows.

I've heard good things about Kare Kano, can't vouch for snark though.

Funny enough, I'm actually watching that right now. I'm taking it slow though.

It does have a good amount of snark too.

'Sup thread. I'm finding myself in the mood for something...different. Can someone recommend something psychological (thriller, horror, comedy, mystery, w/e) with a deep plot, good pacing and interesting characters? Something like Serial Experiments Lain, season 1 of Ghost in the Shell, Brain Powerd, Boogiepop Phantom or Paranoia Agent. Preferably something that really stands out and doesn't feel like it adheres to some kind of genre or recipe.

Looking forward to your recommendations~

Well, if you like Paranoia Agent, everything else Satoshi Kon has done is an instant recommendation.

Outside that, Monster is another one I'd suggest, but note that it's pretty long (74 episodes), and some people complain that it's slow (though I'm sure they're in the minority, seeing how highly the series is rated).

Well, no, I didn't really like Paranoia Agent. I liked a lot about it, but I had to stop watching because the episodes past the first...five or so were so loosely connected, I couldn't really get interested.

Ah, and I've already read the manga for Monster. It was really good, but I don't like watching the anime for series I've already read unless a long time has passed.

Well, I'd still suggest Perfect Blue, since you liked at least something in Paranoia Agent. And at worst, you'd only waste 90 minutes of your day if you don't like it <_<

edited 19th Sep '16 12:17:57 AM by Elfhunter

Gotcha. Thank you for the recommendation.

I'm a huge fan of Tokyo Ghoul for its complex characters, symbolism, literary allusions, and ability to make you think. I thought Revolutionary Girl Utena was good and reminded me of it a bit if only for the fact that it contained a lot of symbolism and psychology/philosophical aspects and required more than one watch/read because you always spot something new with each viewing/reading. Anyone know of any other manga/anime along these lines?

For those who don't mind toys commercial short, you may want to take a look at Tomica Hyper Series NEXT STAGE. Bonus point if you were fan of Brave Series, it will invoke nostagia.

There're 4 episodes so far, among them I think third one is the best. But all of them are superior to Takaratomy's previous commercial shorts.

And the theme song is catchy.

I want something unsettling and dark like Fate/Zero... Absolutely no whiny teenagers.

How about Puella Magi Madoka Magica? Granted, the characters are kids, but they're not teenagers per say and they're far from whiny, so maybe that still fits within your parameters.

He said no whiny teens, so Madoka is out. They're all fourteen.

edited 18th Oct '16 3:21:26 PM by Arha

Psycho Pass is a perfect recommendation if you haven't watched it yet.