h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Coming in waaaay late, as usual...

I've only just recently developed an interest in anime and manga, and I'm hoping for some recommendations. I've shied away from series simply to avoid spending too much time on them, but I'm willing to invest the time in shorter series or something *really* good.

My favorite feature films so far have been Akira, Metropolis, and Perfect Blue. I haven't seen many series besides Fruits Basket and The Melancholy of Huruhi Suzimiya (which I really enjoyed, in spite of them being all high-school girly ).

So far, the ones that sound most interesting are Fullmetal Alchemist, Mobile Suit Gundam and The Twelve Kingdoms. Does anyone have any input regarding these, or something else you'd recommend as well/ instead?

I'd recommend Ghost in The Shell, GiTS. There are three movies and a two season TV series along with a feature length Episodes edit together from the parts of the first TV series which tell the story of the main story arc of that series.

Two of the three films are GiTS and GiTS 2: Innocence form one continuity and tend towards high brow philosophical story telling as well as action scenes. The TV series, GiTS: Stand Alone Complex, GiTS:SAC, the feature length special and the third movie GiTS:SAC Solid State Society form a separate continuity and are slightly less overly cognitive.

If you want to avoid the series, 7 DVDs per season, then you could get the basics of GiTS:SAC from GiTS:SAC The Laughing Man and GiTS:SAC Solid State Society.

7 DVDs per season seems do-able, especially if there are just the two seasons. I guess I'm just trying to avoid adding another six dozen DVDs to my rental queue.

I've heard of the Stand Alone Complex. I'll at the very least check out those two you mention at the end of your post.

Thanks much!

I would have to say that TB is right about Ghost in the Shell

I've added the fourteen series discs and those two feature-length films to my Netflix queue.

Good for you. Also I didn't think of it earlier for some reason but Read Or Die might be worth a shot. It's not a popular as Ghost in the Shell but I think its good and its really short atleast if your talking about the original manga and not the spinoffs

Read Or Die- I've got a feature-length film of that in my queue already. So I should check the series out as well?

Thanks for inviting me here, Beowulf.

Yes, in fact I suggest reading the manga first because they are set in the same universe and the manga comes first though it is admitaly about a completely different story arc.

Ok, I'll try finding the manga, too. I'll admit to not having read a whole lot of manga, either. I've got all of the Fruits Basket to date, and a few odd volumes. Keen on suggestions for more of those, too.

Thank you!

well I suppose the one everyone should read is Dragonball, it's a classic and it's hilarious. Anything my Masamune Shirow should be good.

That ones good to though we don't want to overwelm psyco

with to many suggestions

Oh, overwhelm me, by all means! I might not be able to get to everything, but at least I'll have lots of options.

The one thing I will say about DB is that it's fairly immature, there are a lot of boob jokes in it as the one character's name is a pun on the japanese word for breast.

Its completely immure infact the single sence I rember best from the manga at least is the one were Bulma forges shes not wearing undwear and....(TB probaly rembers were this is going and psy will just have to read the manga)

Well, "fairly immature" or "completely immature" are about all the recommendation this girl needs!

Then I would suggest DB straight to the top of your list even above ROD Ghost and, fullmetal(which is probably my favorite over all)

Another good one is Naruto it isn't as good as some of the other ones mentioned but it is up there and is very pretty imature espesaly at the begining. However don't watch the anime unless you speack Japanese or just can't get the manga cause the transaltion sucks. That said its on cartoon network most saturdays at 8pm. Got to go Inuyashas coming on.

You can also watch Bleach and Deathnote on the Adult Swim programing slot on Saturdays.

Oh, I wish I still had Adult Swim, but I haven't had cable TV for a few years now. (They want at least $60 a month and I just don't have time to watch enough to make it worthwhile... maybe if I find a better deal sometime...)

But I've heard of Bleach.

This is a pretty good list of things for me to start with- thank you both!