I know we have a lot of anime fans on these boards. I've always thought anime seemed a bit silly, but I figure that if so many people like it, there must be something good about it. So, could someone possibly direct me to some quality anime that isn't terribly difficult to find? I might check it out.

Thanks!

Most shonen anime's out then.

I'd say Trigun and Full Metal Alchemist, but if you believe anime is silly, these two (especially the first episodes, especially Trigun) won't dispell it. Even though both are very deep and cool.

So, I suggest getting Ghost in the Shell. Movie, second movie or the series. Doesn't matter.

Fullmetal Alchemist doesn't seem that silly...Trigun though, eh.

Scrapped Princess is also easy to get into, I think.

Cowboy Bebop, the movie. Completely awesome.

Evangelion.

Cowboy Bebop also is a good series...must watch the end half of that. I never watched Evangelion but didn't people say it was really confusing? Or was that something else?

Evangellion was very good, though I only saw the first 12 or so episodes.

Yeah, the series is good, but the movie is an excellent example of good Anime, so its a good way to hook people.

The problem with Evangelion is that there are 2 endings. The first one is sorta 'meh' because they were running out of money, then when they got more, they went back and redid it and it has some of the most awesome giant robot battles in existence

The story is a bit heavy though, since the idea revolves around the Dead Sea Scrolls and the "Second Coming". It majorly plays with Christian mythology.

Hmm, I wonder if I should see that then, now that I've finished scrapped princess and am waiting for Noein to update.

EDIT: I wouldn't call Noein a good anime for beginners by the way.

As for easy to get, YouTube has lots of pirated episodes. I watched all 51 episodes of Full Metal Alchemist there. Be sure to watch the English version, not the Japanese. Japanese Ed sounds like a girl and makes funny noises when he's hurt. (Although there are a few episodes that I couldn't find the English for.)


TIP: Don't watch all 51 episodes in one day.

I am still an anime noob, but it was Hayao Miyazake's films that made me realize this stuff wasn't just violent cartoons for adolescent boys. Princess Mononoke is my favourite (hence the avatar), but Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle are just as beautiful.

They should be very easy to find.

Wikipedia entry on the Studio Ghibli collection

No, no, watch the Japanese, the English voices just don't do it justice! Same for 99% of anime actually.

And Mononoke Hime (Princess Mononoke) is also great, as Elryn says. Howl's Moving Castle just didn't have the same effect, I don't think.

Haven't seen it, but the book's wonderful. Even though I still prefer the old cover art the copy in my high school library had as to the art on the cover of my copy.

I didn't read the book, but I've heard that the movie butchered it so much that it hurts. It's not a bad movie, but I can believe in that.

Anyway, let's not derail. FMA has too anime-ish feel to be liked by someone who doesn't like anime but wants to change their opinion. Hence I proposed Ghost in the Shell. I didn't see Bebop, but I think it can work as well.

Eva's endings are kind of like WTF? ^^, and can be hellishly confusing if you do not watch the whole freakin' thing! Oh and...Shinji is a panzy. *mutter*

Wolf's Rain is a good series, but can be confusing as well. Its story, in my opinion, is rather deep and very interesting. Some people might think its boring but..meh.

Tri-Gun is good too, even though Vash can be a total ditz at times. Knives is cool!

Cowboy Bebop is a very funny and very good series. Ed's the best. the Movie was good too.

G.I.T.S, all of it, is unique and interesting. I would suggest that you watch the Movie, which was made in the 80's, and is good for its time.

Akira is good too, and was also made in the 80's, I believe.

Elfen Lied, if you don't mind A LOT of blood, is pretty good but only 13 episodes long.

Oh and anything by Miyazake tends to be beautiful and nicely done.

I'm surprised no one mentioned Naruto yet. One of the best anime I've ever seen, except for the fillers, I absolutely detest them, good thing for the manga.

Some other ones people have already mentioned- Evangelion (complex story line, good graphic, ending is very confusion), Trigun (fun to watch), Record of Lodoss War (old RPG-based anime), and Escaflowne (decent story line, awesome giant robot fights).

@Richter: you're not missing a whole lot...

Evangelion's ending is still WTF even if you watch the whole series 3 times... and yes I'd know.

but yeah, GIS: Standalone Complex is awesome, I just finished the first gig, liked all the aforementioned movies, and naruto was good for the first couple of seasons (i.e. before the whole Sasuke turning evil thing, which made me not happy).

Mmmm, Anime....

Let's see:

Akira: great anime, from the 80's/early 90's. Not too confusing, all in all as animes go.

Trigun/Cowboy Bebop: Both are very popular and trendy as far as anime goes, but nevertheless, they are top quality. Very nice because each is simply a series of seemingly unconnected events that tie into a major, well thought out storyline by season's end.

Evangelion: One of my first anime loves. By the end it feels like your mind was just raped. I call it a psychothriller with giant robots and disturbing underlying religious themes.

Berserk: Pretty bloody, but good storyline. They only did the first season and didnt finish what the manga continues.

Ghost in the Shell: First movie was spectacular. Second movie, storyline suffered a bit, but the animation was out of this world. The series is decent, though for my money, cowboy bebop and trigun are better.

Escaflowne: I actually liked this, though it's not one of the most popular. I liked the action in the movie better than the series, but the series' storyline is nice.

Vampire Hunter D: Short lil thing, pretty decent.

Naruto: Recent favorite, even though it takes forever for anything to happen, part of the reason why I hate long long anime series. Tons of flashbacks, fillers, etc, but the main content is well worth it.

Record of Lodoss war: Old anime, action and animation are sub-par compared to today's standards, however the story is decent. RPG-esque.

FF7 Advent Children: Not sure if this qualifies as 'anime', though I'm certain it deserves mention. Quite possibly the most visually stunning movie I have seen...ever.

Appleseed: New animation style, looks beautiful and has great action scenes. Next to FF7, best animation I've seen.

Anything Hiyao Miyazake has done is good...a good way to taste his work is princess mononoke. He's like the walt disney of Japan.

Oh, and anything you watch, watch it with subtitles. The only decent dubbing I've ever seen has been with trigun and bebop. Otherwise it sounds horrible.

I found Akira pretty awful when I was getting into anime...

I'd forgotten about Record of Lodoss War though. Have to get that again. Only thing is it's aimed at younger audiences than some of the others (like, say, Paranoia Agent) I'd have to say.

Saiyuki: One of my favorites.

Bad things first, the animation is stiff, and for the first few episodes the special effects look kinda cheesy. Plus it's not nearly as gory as the manga.

Good News: Very colourful, very humorous.

As for story, they're traveling to India to stop the ressurection of some evil demon but it's more about their personal journies and growth. And no, It's nothing like DBZ. Even though they both share a charater named Goku.

That's about the only one, that's easy to find, that hasn't already been mentioned. If you end up liking anime, I definatly recommend looking up El-Hazard: The magnificent world. (Screw the 'Wanders') and Tenchi Muyo, if you're into comedy.

If blood and gore is your thing, go for Ninja Scroll, a story of a ninja named Jubei, who ends up being a body guard to this 'Light Maiden' as she tries to find herself and wants nothing to with the entire ordeal.

I think of all the animes I've watched, Eva needs to be watched multiple times. Unless...you're weird and can get it on the 1st-2nd time watching it. I've watched Eva 3-4 times, and I'm still like WTF? Shinji Ikari, you suck arse.

Oh!!!! Outlaw Star was a kick ass anime!

How could I forget Hellsing? I'm stupid. Anyway, Hellsing is good, but it isn't great. The manga, however, rocks! i <3 Alucard. 13 episodes long, and the managa is up to volume 8 right now I think so they didn't follow the manga, but still a good anime.

Last Exile is good, but I haven't seen all of it.

I will highly recommened this anime: FLCL, or Fully Cooly.(pronouced Furi Curi) 6 episodes long. I won't tell you anything about it. I'll leave you to find out on your own, if you haven't already.

dot.Hack//Sign is awesome! Lovely anime. (Tsukasa's a panzy though) Awesome characters, nice graphics, storyline rocks! Kind of confusing though.

Witch Hunter Robin is nice too, but I haven't finished it because Cartoon Network! Darn you, Cartoon Network!!!!

ROD: Read or Die is funny, yet serious kind of anime. Haven't finished this one either. There's actually 2 different ones, ROD the TV and ROD the movie. I would highly recommened watching the movie first, and then the TV series.

Hmm..well that's more or less all the anime I've watched, excluding a few.