Anime Series Recommendations

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Well, it seems like recently there aren't many good Animes to catch. KIBA ended it's run, as did Sokou no Strain. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion ended its seasonal run recently and will be some time before we find out what happens next. It appears we are now devoid of our routine Anime fix... Or so we thought.

I checked through some more recent series that might be worth watching, and came across a few that seemed to draw my attention. I should start with Hataraki Man, which tells of a workaholic female editor and the problems she faces as a stressed out, working professional in a society like Japan. While it may not be extremely entertaining IMHO, it does have a lot of insightful views on the working class and even some tips as to how to handle yourself when you work in a stressed out environment. It's very real, and although lacks entertainment, contains a lot of depth. Check it out if you want a less silly, more 'content' type of Anime.

Next up, we have Hayate no Gotoku! It's the opposite of Hataraki Man, with it's playful, un-serious, crazy antics. It really reminds me of Suzumiya Haruhi, Excel Saga and FLCL, although the level of 'craziness' isn't that extreme. It DOES have a story unlike Excel Saga, and it is extremely entertaining. It's funny with a lot of absurd ideas, but still with enough story to keep things interesting. The narrative style of the series is pretty cool, and although I've only seen two episodes, I'm already loving it so much! Do check it out if you enjoy watching something that doesn't require a lot of brain power.

So what's replacing KIBA? Probably Busou Renkin which is kind of like a mix between FMA and *insert any battle type Anime here*. It's interesting enough the first few episodes I've seen. It tells about a guy who supposedly died, but somehow keeps living with an alchemical artifact as a replacement for his heart. This gives him the ability to use an alchemical weapon which he uses to battle homonculuses. These aren't the same type of homonculus as in FMA, though, but they can get pretty mean. It's entertaining to watch, and although I haven't gotten all that much into the story, it's still a pretty OK fighting Anime. Check it out if you're tired of the same old same old Naruto / Bleach neverending episode runs.

For a darker Anime, I'd recommend Darker than Black, a brand new Anime that features humans (well, at least they look human) who have extraordinary abilities. No, it's not mutation or genetics, and we don't know for sure what it is, although we do know it's somehow related to the stars. I've only seen the first episode, and although it left me hanging (there are a lot of unanswered questions), there's something tantalizing about this series that somehow makes me want to watch more of it. It starts off by throwing you into the middle of a chase and leaves you with more questions than answers. (Reminds me of how the original Men In Black movie started). Still, I'm keeping my eye on this one, and hopefully it'll grow into a very VERY interesting series. Check it out!

The description of Nagasarete Airantou is enough to make me think his series is worth checking out. I haven't even watched it yet, (it's in the pipeline ^^) but it seems to be yet another 'harem' type Anime; it's your typical one male many females type of show. It seems interesting enough so I'm giving it a mention, but since I haven't seen it, don't take my word for it. Still, it doesn't hurt to at least try watching an episode or two.

Well that's the list of ongoing Anime that I think will be interesting. Fortunately, they release only periodically, and not all at once, so I won't be caught in a crazy marathon chasing one episode after another... At least not until after my exams.

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Posted by Gerald at 4/11/2007 09:13:00 PM