Chobits was one of the best things I ever watched, but then I heart robots.
Madrugada: Try Hourou Musuko, it's sweet. For non-humiliation based humor, try... uh... I'll get back to you.
My non-knowledge of Anime says Evangelion, but yeah, for all intents and purposes I'm in Maddy's situation as well.
It's not exactly naive. And it can happen. But it's tough. And definetly worthwhile.
@Madrugada: By humiliation-based comedy, you mean Sadist Show, not just anything involving pranks and the like, right?
@Charlatan: Chobits was one of theirs that I couldn't get in to. Cardcaptor Sakura and Magic Knight Rayearth were pretty good, though.
@Funnyguts: Hourou Musuko has a bad case of Only Six Faces, which is one of the things she said she was trying to avoid...
edited 14th Mar '11 9:38:54 PM by EnglishIvy
Madrugada: Try FLAG.
I can tell everyone on Hourou Musuko apart...
@Charlatan: Ughhhhh yes Ghibli. Spirited Away is what got me into anime in the first place. In fact, their films seem to be a pretty good gateway drug in general.
Tropers...I ask for forgiveness, for I have sinned. You see, I haven't watched a Miyazaki film...
It's not exactly naive. And it can happen. But it's tough. And definetly worthwhile.
Lo, the Lord forgiveth.
Just watch one before you die and you won't have to go to hell. 
Watch Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and Castle In The Sky. Those are the essentials. The other ones are great, but these are far and away the best of the bunch.
Maddy: Mushi-shi and xxxHolic are interesting although the voice actor that plays Watanuki in the dub version of the latter has some horrible vocal habits.
Night Clerk of the Apacalypse.
FLAG is another really good one. I was actually surprised by it.
Who watches the watchmen?
-Looks over at bookshelf-
-Is still missing the last volume of Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind-
Maddy: Oishinbo is a wonderful manga about Japanese food culture.
I think that aspect of a weak-willed, obedient, vulnerable and huggable girl tends to cater a lot to many an otaku out there.
In other news, any mangaka who makes an Ogniem i Mieczem manga will be regarded as god among men by your faithfully.
edited 14th Mar '11 9:47:30 PM by ArgeusthePaladin
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@Madrugada: If you're going to watch xxxHolic, beware of frequent and bizarre art glitches.
◊
Studio Ghibli's output is strongly recommended, especially Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro. Princess Mononoke gets pretty violent, so... maybe not that one.
edited 14th Mar '11 9:48:06 PM by EnglishIvy
@Funnyguts: ...I still need to see Princess Mononoke sometime...
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
OH GOD WHAT
...yeah. Uh, Totoro. That's a good one too. Right.
edited 14th Mar '11 9:48:34 PM by Zudak
When I recommended Princess Mononoke that was for Juan, who I'm sure has no issue with blood.
Satoshi Kon is another person who's works are worth looking in to. Millennium Actress and Tokyo Godfathers are both very good, as is Perfect Blue, but that gets violent, so no. Paprika is a huge Mind Screw.
Zzzzzzzzzz
Teuf: Hmm, specific science fiction genres? Most of them, frankly. I like my military sf fairly hard — David Drake-level. Comedy sf is good, too — Retief, Stainless Steel Rat, Hoka-style. I prefer Heinlein's juveniles to most of his later 'adult' stuff, truthfully. Alan Dean Foster — his goofy shit like Cat-alyst and Codgerspace, and the Thranx Commonwealth stories (I prefer the non-Flinx books to the Flinx ones, though). Larry Nivewn's Known Space stuff. Cyberpunk in general. Good old-fashioned Space Opera. Emil Petaja, who probably only the Finnish tropers have ever heard of — dude writes weird stuff.
EI: by 'humiliation-based comedy I mean the standard plot of most 70's and later sitcoms — I never saw what was supposed to be funny about someone being a Butt-Monkey.
edited 14th Mar '11 9:55:10 PM by Madrugada
...if you don’t love you’re dead, and if you do, they’ll kill you for it.
Ponyo! I knew I was forgetting something. Also, Kikis Delivery Service and Castle In The Sky.
Hehehe, I love Paprika, but as an introduction to anime... HA HA HA—No
edited 14th Mar '11 9:51:48 PM by Zudak
@Funny: I'm not a fan of blood per se. In fact, I don't like it. But if the story is good, then I can overlook it.
It's not exactly naive. And it can happen. But it's tough. And definetly worthwhile.
DUMB
I know Noimporta likes Legend Of The Galactic Heroes, on the space opera front. I haven't seen it, though, and it's long.
[1] This facsimile operated in part by synAC.
tall order maddy. Any specific fiction genres you like?
Who watches the watchmen?