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I feel like I haven't seen an anime in years that's been in the same league as Akira or the great Miyazakis (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Totoro). Yes i'd

by nanna 2y ago

I feel like I haven't seen an anime in years that's been in the same league as Akira or the great Miyazakis (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Totoro). Yes i'd be brutal and include Miyazakis following works in that list, from Howls Moving Castle to The Boy and the Heron. Ive seen lots of incredible animation, sure, but nothing like the cinematic depth. What am I missing? What should an old fart who's becoming convinced things were better in the old days put myself infront of?

austin-cheney 2y ago
My favorite is Patlabor 2. Here is the Japanese cultural explainer (spoiler): https://youtu.be/ybLKmO5Kq5A?si=bzIEK436EeWF_o5s https://youtu.be/ybLKmO5Kq5A?si=bzIEK436EeWF_o5s
- flobosg 2y ago
  I haven’t watched it yet, but reading this article a while ago got me interested: 'Patlabor 2: The Movie' has stunningly realistic aerial combat – https://taskandpurpose.com/culture/realistic-aerial-combat-movie-patlabor-2/ https://taskandpurpose.com/culture/realistic-aerial-combat-m...
- pjc50 2y ago
  I didn't understand why people kept recommending this until I spotted that the director is Mamoru Oshii, director of GitS. It's perfectly reasonable as a standalone film without having seen 1. And it's good in the same ways as GitS; mix of action, political thriller, and lingering artistic set piece.
  - yrro 2y ago
    You'll probably enjoy Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade as well.
cjk2 2y ago
There is good stuff out there. I watched Pantheon and Scavengers Reign recently, both excellent, but not old stable anime. Scavengers Reign: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWQH8cMpWTU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWQH8cMpWTU Pantheon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_HJ3TSlo5c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_HJ3TSlo5c
- giuseppe_petri 2y ago
  I've not seen Pantheon, but from the trailer it seems very close to Neal Stephenson's "Fall, or Dodge in Hell".
- mos_basik 2y ago
  Because a sibling comment said Pantheon trailer looked like Stephenson, I watched it. To me it looks like Greg Egan's Permutation City, which I found via HN and which made me inhale about seven more of his books in quick succession. To anyone who's consumed both - is it actually like Permutation City? Or is that too much to hope for? I'll check it out!
- duggan 2y ago
  I’m slowly working my way through Scavengers Reign, it’s absolutely brilliant — somewhere between Alien and Stanislaw Lem’s The Invincible.
  - chpatrick 2y ago
    It reminded me of Lem's Eden as well.
    - persnickety 2y ago
      Having just watched Scavenger's Reign, it differs from both Lem novels in an important way. Lem uses characters as an excuse to tell something about the portrayed worlds. Scavenger's Reign uses the world as a backdrop to tell the story of the characters. (Same goes for Solaris, although Tarkovsky's adaptation reverses that.)
- 2y ago
gbuk2013 2y ago
This is heavily biased by my preferred genre of anime but here are some my favourite more recent anime series off the top of my head: Full metal Alchemist: Brotherhood https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fullmetal_Alchemist:_Brotherhood https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fullmetal_Alchemist:_Brother... Attack on Titan https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Titan https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Titan Mushishi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mushishi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mushishi Frieren: Beyond Journey's End https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frieren https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frieren
- Tor3 2y ago
  Strangely (maybe), but Attack on Titan I can't stand, and I didn't care much for any of the Full metal Alchemist ones, but Frieren is one of the absolutely best shows I've ever watched.
- justinclift 2y ago
  > Attack on Titan Ugh. Such an incredibly padded, dragged out story. :( :( :( Maybe the first season was decent, but after the 3rd season it was mostly just boring to the point where skipping episodes didn't miss anything. Never bothered to watch anything after about the 3rd season. It became far too tedious. --- Yeah, Frieren was good. It closely matches the manga version of the story, though the manga goes on quite lot further story wise. Should be plenty more seasons of material ready for adaptation there. :)
  - gbuk2013 2y ago
    Still working my way through season 3 so may change my mind. :) Any recommendations?
    - justinclift 2y ago
      Yeah, I wrote a whole list a few comments up (or down). You can't miss it. :) As a quick thought, have you seen Cyberpunk Edgerunners, and Made in Abyss? For stupid fun (mood dependent), then probably One-Punch Man: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-Punch_Man https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-Punch_Man It's super famous these days, so you've probably already seen it. ;) Personally, I also really liked "Hai to Gensou no Grimgar" due to its focus on character growth rather than action: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grimgar_of_Fantasy_and_Ash https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grimgar_of_Fantasy_and_Ash But, not everyone's a fan.
justinclift 2y ago
That's definitely a "depends on your taste" thing. :) [The below are mostly series rather than movies] For something that's really interesting, and also family friendly, Den-noh Coil is really good: • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Den-noh_Coil https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Den-noh_Coil --- A similar "feel" kind of thing (family friendly) to the above is The Orbital Children: • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Orbital_Children https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Orbital_Children --- For stand out story, probably Made in Abyss: • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Made_in_Abyss https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Made_in_Abyss Due to the animation style, it looks like a kid/teen focused show at first. Don't be fooled, it's really not. It has some incredibly complex (dark) themes. DON'T let young people watch that one (emotional trauma likely!). --- If something "a bit different" is on the cards, then Cyberpunk Edgerunners is extremely good (I reckon): • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberpunk:_Edgerunners https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberpunk:_Edgerunners That's more of a Eastern+Western collaboration styling wise rather than pure Japanese anime. It's still a really good watch though. :) --- Another western style one that's really good is Scavengers Reign: • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scavengers_Reign https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scavengers_Reign --- Movies wise, probably Redline (2009) and Belle are the first to mind for me: • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redline_(2009_film) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redline_(2009_film) Very unique animation style, not everyone's cup of tea. ;) • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belle_(2021_film) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belle_(2021_film) Also family friendly. :)
- Filligree 2y ago
  Orbital Children is a literal sequel to Dennou Coil. But I’m sure you’re aware of this. :)
  - justinclift 2y ago
    Ahhh cool. Didn't actually remember that, though I had a faint feeling they were related. :)
    - Filligree 2y ago
      It isn't exactly obvious. They're set two decades apart, and the only character from Dennou Coil who shows up is Michiko, inside Second Seven somehow. Which does at least make me suspect that the Yuukos have been busy. Though once I noticed the space station was getting entirely covered in Isako's scribblings, that was... a moment.
wodenokoto 2y ago
It's hard to understand if you are including Boy and Heron or not. If you are, then obviously there are recent master pieces. But I'd say you are in for a treat: Satoshi Kon. Perfect Blue, Paprika, Tokyo Godfather are all cinematic master pieces! I also mostly agree with the hype that surrounded "Your Name", although I don't think Makoto's other works are nearly as impressive.
lhl 2y ago
Your Name (2016, Makoto Shinkai) and Ping Pong the Animation (2014, Masaaki Yuasa) are both IMO top notch (and the creators are active and have extensive oeuvres). The Shape of Voice (2016, Kyoto Animation (RIP)) was also much acclaimed. Of these, I recommend Ping Pong the most (and Yuasa's other works as well). I suppose for more sci-fi/fantasy, Rebuild of Evangelion (2007-2021) might be interesting, although to me, its popularity in Japan and why the retelling was made is actually more interesting to me than the works themselves. It didn't win any particular awards or acclaim, but I was a fan of the incredibly stylish manga series, and I personally enjoyed the Blame! (2017, Hiroyuki Shesita) CGI anime film for those into the Japanese post-cyber-apocalypse sci-fi aesthetic. I think these days, the economics of anime has driven more interesting work into series rather than features. Recently some memorable ones I've enjoyed are Steins;Gate (2011-2015, White Fox), Devilman: Crybaby (2018, Studio SARU), Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (2022, Trigger), Pluto (2023, M2), and Frieren (2023, Madhouse).
mauvia 2y ago
Have you tried any of Satoshi Kon's movies? Tokyo Godfathers is an amazing and deeply human christmas comedy about homeless people in the Tokyo streets, filled with magical moments of cinematography. Paprika is a less lighthearted story about inner lives, dreams and ambitions set across a sci fi backdrop where people are learning to enter each other's dreams and link them together. It has gorgeous dreamscapes and an amazing soundtrack as well as a fascinating plot and interesting characters. Thre's also Makoto Shinkai's movies, which have good cinematography and interesting themes and soundtrack, as well as somewhat interesting characters (though a bit samey). Your Name is excellent, with Weathering with You and Suzume being good but not great. 5 Centimeters per second is nice as well. Children who chase lost voices underground is his most Ghibli movie and I'd say it definitely gets the tone and aesthetics right for the Nausica/Mononoke era of Ghibli. On the Ghibli side, I quite enjoyed Studio Ponoc's Modest Heroes, which was a collection of shorts by Studio Ponoc (which has some Ghibli Veterans in it as well as younger talent I believe). Kanini and Kanino has the adventure elements and aesthetics, Life ain't gonna lose has the small child PoV element, Invisible has the social elements.
- spacechild1 2y ago
  I was just about to recommend Satoshi Kon! Unfortunately, he only directed four movies before he died of cancer at the age of 47. What a tragic loss! I also enjoyed "Your Name".
  - ekianjo 2y ago
    Your Name makes no sense at all in hindsight after the first watch but it was amusing.
    - spacechild1 2y ago
      I guess I need to rewatch it :-D
- livueta 2y ago
  On Kon, Paranoia Agent is also excellent. And if we're taking 2000s shows into account, I also have to mention Kuuchuu Buranko in that category of Paranoia Agent-reminiscent sociologically interesting shows.
windowshopping 2y ago
"A Silent Voice" is the best anime film of the 2010s in my opinion and comes closer to matching Miyazaki than anything else I've seen, in terms of the power of storytelling. Miyazaki is still better, but it's extremely good. I also enjoyed "Wolf Children" a lot. As others have said, "Your Name" is stellar too, and "5cm/sec" is pretty damn excellent.
0xDEADFED5 2y ago
Texhnolyze
Madmallard 2y ago
Cowboy Bebop: The Movie Your Name Violet Evergarden Perfect Blue Paprika Metropolis There's a bunch of great animated movies. If you're referring to series then among the best Seinen classics are shows like: Berzerk (1997) Monster (2004) [My personal favorite] Cowboy Bebop Steins:Gate Vinland Saga (newer) Frieren (newer) There's a lot of Shounen classics as well, my favorite probably being Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood granted there's several tropes in it that aren't going to be as enjoyable to watch on repeat for older folks. But the storytelling and plot is practically like Breaking Bad but in anime form.
- bostik 2y ago
  Paprika is good, but I wouldn't elevate it to greatness. Whereas, for me, Perfect Blue makes the cut. The odd thing is, they both essentially explore aspects of the same theme: subjective reality and what happens when those of different individuals' collide. But they do that in very different ways... And thank you for bringing up Metropolis, that film tends to be underrated.
- boppo1 2y ago
  EVA should not be missed, regardless of how weird and gross it can be for some. I watched it for the first time a year ago after hearing so much about it. The first five or six episodes are an awful slog, and then there's an exponential curve up through 'quite good' into 'great' then 'I understand why this will print money forever'. If you're sold but confused how to watch: start with the original release and then watch End of Evangelion; both on netflix.
YurgenJurgensen 2y ago
All these people giving recs are doing it wrong. You can determine if an anime is worth your time by merely looking at the title and what the source material is and the following simple system: Candidates start with 5 points. If they have a positive score after applying the system, they're at least worth checking out (although they will not necessarily be good). If not, you are likely wasting your time. 1) Every word in the title past the third is worth -1 point. This includes particles and abbreviations. 2) Each word in the subtitle is worth -0.5 points. 3) Any of the following words or close synonyms are worth -2 points on top of any other penalties: Academy, Ability, Cheat, Dungeon, Elf, Game, Goblin, Harem, Hero, Idol, Isekai, Level, Loop, Maou, MMO, Mob, Online, Overlord, Party, Player, Re(used as a prefix), Reincarnation, "The Animation"(verbatim only), Vampire, Villainess, Virtual, VR, VTuber, Wizard 4) Subtract an additional point for every word that implies this is a remake, spinoff, adaptation or sequel, such as "Kai", "Gaiden", "2nd" (3rd, etc.), "New", et cetera. 5) Even though you already subtracted a point for "Isekai" in step 3. If the title contains the word "Isekai", subtract an additional 5 points. 6) Apply the following adjustment based on the source material: History: +3 (Applying only to direct adaptations of historical events, not merely using historical theming) Literary Fiction: +2 Original Work: +1 Other: +1 OVA: +0.5 Live Action: +0 Web Animation/Motion Comic/Music Video: +0 Comic: +0 Video Game: -1 Light Novel: -1 Writeup of someone's D&D session: -1 CCG: -2 Web Novel: -5 Mobile Game: -10 "Multimedia Project" (This is just a mobile game that doesn't exist yet): -10 Social Media Post: -100
- ojhughes 2y ago
  I really enjoyed "Re:ZERO - Starting Life in Another World" despite it scoring -11.5 using your system (Isekai translates to another world)
  - YurgenJurgensen 2y ago
    If you hadn't seen Now and Then, Here and There, or Twelve Kingdoms, or read Red River, then maybe it'd seem fresh and interesting, but I dropped Re:Zero pretty early. Good genre fiction still has something to say about the real world, and Re:Zero felt like it was trying so hard to subvert genre expectations set by other fiction that it forgot that.
justinclift 2y ago
From the other angle, what's the absolute crappiest anime you've seen and would steer everyone away from? The stand out crappiest anime I'm aware of is the "Blade Runner: Black Lotus" series: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blade_Runner:_Black_Lotus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blade_Runner:_Black_Lotus Truly terrible in every aspect. Story, animation, dialog, etc. Outstandingly bad. :(
ogurechny 2y ago
> What am I missing? Everything that is not in “Studio Ghibli” wide angle fairy tale style? A number of external films have imitated it, some of them better than the other. As a side note, “Studio Ghibli” is also not at all equal to “Hayao Miyazaki”. Say, “Madoka Magica” is certainly large scale, but in totally different style. “Denno Coil” and “Eizouken” has that sense of adventure you can't really describe. And “Drifting Home” is magical, nostalgic, and colourful in its own manner. I you need some “respected opinion”, here's a list: https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/lists/50-key-anime-films https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/lists/50-key-anime-fi... It's… okay. Everyone — for a certain definition of attentive viewers — knows most of those. It is not wise to limit yourself to movies. As mentioned, animated movie is a big investment that can flop at once, while series can be steered somehow in a different production/financing direction, or can become a good merchandise source. Therefore, a lot of movies are more or less straightforward derivatives of existing hit works which rely on the fan crowd. Those make money for more experimental original works.
bpiche 2y ago
Browse some ranked lists (series and OVAs) over at MyAnimeList.net. Tons of good stuff out there. Though, things were better in the old days. No arguing that.
livueta 2y ago
If we're specifically talking stuff from the last few years, and if shows count, I gotta put in a word for ODDTAXI. Feels like a mashup of the best parts of Yuasa Masaaki and Kon Satoshi works.
blarg1 2y ago
The Sky Crawlers,
hwbunny 2y ago
Watch Redline, Demon City Shinjuku, Ergo Proxy, Psycho Pass, GITS series (not the netflix animated crap), Berserk, Ninja Scroll, Jormungandr, Black Lagoon.
- BLKNSLVR 2y ago
  I watched Redline recently. The animation is worth seeing but the "story" is paper-thin. Ergo Proxy I just didn't get. Psycho Pass I really enjoyed; good depth of story and exploration of the pros and cons. GitS series is probably my favourite anime, and very high up in my favourite anything. Berserk is good, and descends into Evangelion-level insanity as it progresses. Ninja Scroll is forever a classic. Worth a re-watch every 5-10 years. I'm due.
  - hwbunny 2y ago
    Redline animation is WORTH SEEING? :DDDD Man, that's the absolute top ever created. People really are ungrateful and deserve the borderline idiotic Attack of the Titans rather than these classics.
  - parrellel 2y ago
    Ergo Proxy - So your biological terraforming engine has become sentient and decided to circumvent its kill code via flash cloning.
autarch 2y ago
I highly recommend "Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!" It's an anime that's a love letter to anime about making anime where the anime-making becomes part of the anime. It's quite a trip, and it's got great energy and love for the medium.
boppo1 2y ago
Patlabor 2
FL33TW00D 2y ago
Shinsekai yori
tauwauwau 2y ago
Here's a list of some old and new ones, that an old fart might enjoy Monster (Chasing a serial killer) Ergo Proxy (Can't describe it) Samurai 7 (Sci-fi variant off 7 samurai) Last Exile (Post appocapltic world with lots of flying machines) Kino's Journey Mushishi Time of Eve Gargantia Baccano Durarara Psycho Pass Arslan Senki Sunaboju (Desert Punk) Witch Hunter Robin Hunter x Hunter (old not new) Texnolyze Darker than Black Black Lagoon Great Teach Onizuka (One of the old and best) Gintama (Comedy, It's at the level One Piece and Naruto disgusing as Comedy, you have to get past 30 episodes) Kabaneri of Iron Fortress (Just for animation quality) Beck (Music career) Golden Kamui Terror in Resonance Ping Pong Animation (Don't let the animation fool you, it's one of the best stories) Area 88 (Story ends abruptly, watch at your own risk) Ashita no Joe (Old anime, boxing genre) Valkyria Chronicles (War story) Scissor Seven (Comedy, Chinese, assassin, in a strange world) Shura no Toki (Martial arts, 3 generations) A Record of Mortal's Journey to Immortality (Chinese cultivation genre, 3D good animation, faithful adaptation of one of the good novels in this genre) Swallowed Star (Chinese cultivation genre Sci-fi variant, great 3D animation)
- nurettin 2y ago
  Is there any reason FOTN isn't in there?
  - tauwauwau 2y ago
    I'm not sure I'm familiar with that one.
    - nurettin 2y ago
      fist of the north star, a classic imo.
- latentsea 2y ago
  Started watching GTO and so far 3 episodes in it's about him lusting after 16 year olds?
  - 2y ago
metalspoon 2y ago
Patema Inverted is in the league there, graphics wise. It's crazy how nobody had ever tried the idea of the character pov of falling towards the sky. The immersive feeling is real and genius.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
mitthrowaway2 2y ago
I strongly recommend Wolf Children. It's on par with Miyazaki's best. A really moving and heartwarming film. On the flipside of the spectrum, Grave of the Fireflies and In This Corner of the World are excellent but tragic WW2 films told from the Japanese civilian perspective. Grave of the Fireflies in particular is a difficult watch, but worth seeing once.
NalNezumi 2y ago
>What am I missing? What should an old fart who's becoming convinced things were better in the old days put myself infront of? I think no reply are really getting at this question. If you consider the two latter Miyazaki movies not being included, I think "greats" to you must be something that is "very unique and distinct from the western (animated) movie but also distinct enough from its own (anime) peers". If you see it that is way, Howl's was not distinct at all (based on a UK book & doing what worked in spirited away) and boy and the heron (essentially reusing expressions from all the works of Miyazaki). I think you're just looking for that "wow" factor again. Something that put your mind at edge because your brain couldn't predict what will happen next, because they don't follow usual (selling) clichés in story telling or cinematography. I don't think many anime of today really have that. The only one I can think of is the original Evangelion but that's quite old now too. Maybe Attack of Titan, Pluto, but that's a bit subjective. I can think of multiple Mangas that would fall in to that. Mangas allow more artistic freedom because it's made by a smaller team, and requires smaller fan base so can be bold in trying new expressions. But might lose its charm when (if) adapted to animation. Ghost in the shell mentioned in the original post too, is Very different from the Manga. (source material) and to people that really got intrigued by the deeper theme about consciousness they might prefer the Manga more. I haven't watched it myself but maybe the recent adaptation of Junji Itos horror might fall under that "wow" category. His style (in writing) is very unique.
underlipton 2y ago
I'll give two series and a movie, since everyone has mentioned Kon. I think these are also going to appeal more to someone who hasn't been intimately involved in anime fandom. -Cyberpunk: Edgerunners It single-handedly revived interest in the game for a reason; it's excellent, particularly as a foil to GITS and a spiritual successor to FLCL (which I'm sure you've heard of). The animation style is VERY different from GITS, but no less technically impressive, and while the story is not quite as philosophical, it's still no less complete and satisfying. -Sonny Boy Tinges of Nolan, Kurosawa, Carroll, Cheever's The Swimmer. May seem like a slog at some points, but hang on for the sequence during the last episode. You'll know it when you see it. I don't want to give too much away. -Mind Game Again, don't want to spoil. I recommend watching late at night, Adult Swim-style. A prime example of anime that can't exist in any other medium.
creamyhorror 2y ago
You need to see Samurai Champloo if you haven't. It's twenty years old but absolutely timeless. Reposting my comment from elsewhere here: For something more fantastical, To Your Eternity, an adventure that makes you feel and hurt. Frieren: Beyond Journey's End for an adventure that's both young and grown-up - it only came out recently, but has instantly been acclaimed as a modern classic. For something more childlike yet endlessly creative, Delicious in Dungeon or even Ranking of Kings. For proper literary sci-fi (despite featuring young protagonists), From the New World (Shinsekai Yori). For true artistic cinema despite a Japanese high-school setting, Ping Pong The Animation. Other gems mentioned that I second: ODDTAXI (a tightly written mystery-drama despite its art) and Pluto (serious thinking sci-fi with gravitas). There are always a few upper-tier shows coming out each year that retain an artistic, mature bent. Not very many but at least they're there.
- DrPhish 2y ago
  On the ODDTAXI front, I can recommend the currently running "Roots of Odd Taxi (RoOT)" series. Its a nice side-story that adds a lot of texture without making the original worse. Also, the "ODDTAXI in the Woods" movie version definitely added a lot and tied things up in a way that the series didn't.
ChoGGi 2y ago
Oh, well obviously you have yet to enjoy the greatness and depth of humanity spilling from Detroit Metal City. (s)

by nanna 2y ago

austin-cheney 2y ago

My favorite is Patlabor 2. Here is the Japanese cultural explainer (spoiler): https://youtu.be/ybLKmO5Kq5A?si=bzIEK436EeWF_o5s https://youtu.be/ybLKmO5Kq5A?si=bzIEK436EeWF_o5s

flobosg 2y ago
I haven’t watched it yet, but reading this article a while ago got me interested: 'Patlabor 2: The Movie' has stunningly realistic aerial combat – https://taskandpurpose.com/culture/realistic-aerial-combat-movie-patlabor-2/ https://taskandpurpose.com/culture/realistic-aerial-combat-m...
pjc50 2y ago
I didn't understand why people kept recommending this until I spotted that the director is Mamoru Oshii, director of GitS. It's perfectly reasonable as a standalone film without having seen 1. And it's good in the same ways as GitS; mix of action, political thriller, and lingering artistic set piece.
- yrro 2y ago
  You'll probably enjoy Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade as well.

cjk2 2y ago

There is good stuff out there. I watched Pantheon and Scavengers Reign recently, both excellent, but not old stable anime. Scavengers Reign: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWQH8cMpWTU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWQH8cMpWTU Pantheon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_HJ3TSlo5c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_HJ3TSlo5c

giuseppe_petri 2y ago
I've not seen Pantheon, but from the trailer it seems very close to Neal Stephenson's "Fall, or Dodge in Hell".
mos_basik 2y ago
Because a sibling comment said Pantheon trailer looked like Stephenson, I watched it. To me it looks like Greg Egan's Permutation City, which I found via HN and which made me inhale about seven more of his books in quick succession. To anyone who's consumed both - is it actually like Permutation City? Or is that too much to hope for? I'll check it out!
duggan 2y ago
I’m slowly working my way through Scavengers Reign, it’s absolutely brilliant — somewhere between Alien and Stanislaw Lem’s The Invincible.
- chpatrick 2y ago
  It reminded me of Lem's Eden as well.
  - persnickety 2y ago
    Having just watched Scavenger's Reign, it differs from both Lem novels in an important way. Lem uses characters as an excuse to tell something about the portrayed worlds. Scavenger's Reign uses the world as a backdrop to tell the story of the characters. (Same goes for Solaris, although Tarkovsky's adaptation reverses that.)
2y ago

gbuk2013 2y ago

This is heavily biased by my preferred genre of anime but here are some my favourite more recent anime series off the top of my head: Full metal Alchemist: Brotherhood https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fullmetal_Alchemist:_Brotherhood https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fullmetal_Alchemist:_Brother... Attack on Titan https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Titan https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Titan Mushishi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mushishi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mushishi Frieren: Beyond Journey's End https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frieren https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frieren

Tor3 2y ago
Strangely (maybe), but Attack on Titan I can't stand, and I didn't care much for any of the Full metal Alchemist ones, but Frieren is one of the absolutely best shows I've ever watched.
justinclift 2y ago
> Attack on Titan Ugh. Such an incredibly padded, dragged out story. :( :( :( Maybe the first season was decent, but after the 3rd season it was mostly just boring to the point where skipping episodes didn't miss anything. Never bothered to watch anything after about the 3rd season. It became far too tedious. --- Yeah, Frieren was good. It closely matches the manga version of the story, though the manga goes on quite lot further story wise. Should be plenty more seasons of material ready for adaptation there. :)
- gbuk2013 2y ago
  Still working my way through season 3 so may change my mind. :) Any recommendations?
  - justinclift 2y ago
    Yeah, I wrote a whole list a few comments up (or down). You can't miss it. :) As a quick thought, have you seen Cyberpunk Edgerunners, and Made in Abyss? For stupid fun (mood dependent), then probably One-Punch Man: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-Punch_Man https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-Punch_Man It's super famous these days, so you've probably already seen it. ;) Personally, I also really liked "Hai to Gensou no Grimgar" due to its focus on character growth rather than action: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grimgar_of_Fantasy_and_Ash https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grimgar_of_Fantasy_and_Ash But, not everyone's a fan.

justinclift 2y ago

That's definitely a "depends on your taste" thing. :) [The below are mostly series rather than movies] For something that's really interesting, and also family friendly, Den-noh Coil is really good: • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Den-noh_Coil https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Den-noh_Coil --- A similar "feel" kind of thing (family friendly) to the above is The Orbital Children: • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Orbital_Children https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Orbital_Children --- For stand out story, probably Made in Abyss: • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Made_in_Abyss https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Made_in_Abyss Due to the animation style, it looks like a kid/teen focused show at first. Don't be fooled, it's really not. It has some incredibly complex (dark) themes. DON'T let young people watch that one (emotional trauma likely!). --- If something "a bit different" is on the cards, then Cyberpunk Edgerunners is extremely good (I reckon): • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberpunk:_Edgerunners https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberpunk:_Edgerunners That's more of a Eastern+Western collaboration styling wise rather than pure Japanese anime. It's still a really good watch though. :) --- Another western style one that's really good is Scavengers Reign: • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scavengers_Reign https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scavengers_Reign --- Movies wise, probably Redline (2009) and Belle are the first to mind for me: • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redline_(2009_film) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redline_(2009_film) Very unique animation style, not everyone's cup of tea. ;) • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belle_(2021_film) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belle_(2021_film) Also family friendly. :)

Filligree 2y ago
Orbital Children is a literal sequel to Dennou Coil. But I’m sure you’re aware of this. :)
- justinclift 2y ago
  Ahhh cool. Didn't actually remember that, though I had a faint feeling they were related. :)
  - Filligree 2y ago
    It isn't exactly obvious. They're set two decades apart, and the only character from Dennou Coil who shows up is Michiko, inside Second Seven somehow. Which does at least make me suspect that the Yuukos have been busy. Though once I noticed the space station was getting entirely covered in Isako's scribblings, that was... a moment.

wodenokoto 2y ago

It's hard to understand if you are including Boy and Heron or not. If you are, then obviously there are recent master pieces. But I'd say you are in for a treat: Satoshi Kon. Perfect Blue, Paprika, Tokyo Godfather are all cinematic master pieces! I also mostly agree with the hype that surrounded "Your Name", although I don't think Makoto's other works are nearly as impressive.

lhl 2y ago

Your Name (2016, Makoto Shinkai) and Ping Pong the Animation (2014, Masaaki Yuasa) are both IMO top notch (and the creators are active and have extensive oeuvres). The Shape of Voice (2016, Kyoto Animation (RIP)) was also much acclaimed. Of these, I recommend Ping Pong the most (and Yuasa's other works as well). I suppose for more sci-fi/fantasy, Rebuild of Evangelion (2007-2021) might be interesting, although to me, its popularity in Japan and why the retelling was made is actually more interesting to me than the works themselves. It didn't win any particular awards or acclaim, but I was a fan of the incredibly stylish manga series, and I personally enjoyed the Blame! (2017, Hiroyuki Shesita) CGI anime film for those into the Japanese post-cyber-apocalypse sci-fi aesthetic. I think these days, the economics of anime has driven more interesting work into series rather than features. Recently some memorable ones I've enjoyed are Steins;Gate (2011-2015, White Fox), Devilman: Crybaby (2018, Studio SARU), Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (2022, Trigger), Pluto (2023, M2), and Frieren (2023, Madhouse).

mauvia 2y ago

Have you tried any of Satoshi Kon's movies? Tokyo Godfathers is an amazing and deeply human christmas comedy about homeless people in the Tokyo streets, filled with magical moments of cinematography. Paprika is a less lighthearted story about inner lives, dreams and ambitions set across a sci fi backdrop where people are learning to enter each other's dreams and link them together. It has gorgeous dreamscapes and an amazing soundtrack as well as a fascinating plot and interesting characters. Thre's also Makoto Shinkai's movies, which have good cinematography and interesting themes and soundtrack, as well as somewhat interesting characters (though a bit samey). Your Name is excellent, with Weathering with You and Suzume being good but not great. 5 Centimeters per second is nice as well. Children who chase lost voices underground is his most Ghibli movie and I'd say it definitely gets the tone and aesthetics right for the Nausica/Mononoke era of Ghibli. On the Ghibli side, I quite enjoyed Studio Ponoc's Modest Heroes, which was a collection of shorts by Studio Ponoc (which has some Ghibli Veterans in it as well as younger talent I believe). Kanini and Kanino has the adventure elements and aesthetics, Life ain't gonna lose has the small child PoV element, Invisible has the social elements.

spacechild1 2y ago
I was just about to recommend Satoshi Kon! Unfortunately, he only directed four movies before he died of cancer at the age of 47. What a tragic loss! I also enjoyed "Your Name".
- ekianjo 2y ago
  Your Name makes no sense at all in hindsight after the first watch but it was amusing.
  - spacechild1 2y ago
    I guess I need to rewatch it :-D
livueta 2y ago
On Kon, Paranoia Agent is also excellent. And if we're taking 2000s shows into account, I also have to mention Kuuchuu Buranko in that category of Paranoia Agent-reminiscent sociologically interesting shows.

windowshopping 2y ago

"A Silent Voice" is the best anime film of the 2010s in my opinion and comes closer to matching Miyazaki than anything else I've seen, in terms of the power of storytelling. Miyazaki is still better, but it's extremely good. I also enjoyed "Wolf Children" a lot. As others have said, "Your Name" is stellar too, and "5cm/sec" is pretty damn excellent.

0xDEADFED5 2y ago

Texhnolyze

Madmallard 2y ago

Cowboy Bebop: The Movie Your Name Violet Evergarden Perfect Blue Paprika Metropolis There's a bunch of great animated movies. If you're referring to series then among the best Seinen classics are shows like: Berzerk (1997) Monster (2004) [My personal favorite] Cowboy Bebop Steins:Gate Vinland Saga (newer) Frieren (newer) There's a lot of Shounen classics as well, my favorite probably being Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood granted there's several tropes in it that aren't going to be as enjoyable to watch on repeat for older folks. But the storytelling and plot is practically like Breaking Bad but in anime form.

bostik 2y ago
Paprika is good, but I wouldn't elevate it to greatness. Whereas, for me, Perfect Blue makes the cut. The odd thing is, they both essentially explore aspects of the same theme: subjective reality and what happens when those of different individuals' collide. But they do that in very different ways... And thank you for bringing up Metropolis, that film tends to be underrated.
boppo1 2y ago
EVA should not be missed, regardless of how weird and gross it can be for some. I watched it for the first time a year ago after hearing so much about it. The first five or six episodes are an awful slog, and then there's an exponential curve up through 'quite good' into 'great' then 'I understand why this will print money forever'. If you're sold but confused how to watch: start with the original release and then watch End of Evangelion; both on netflix.

YurgenJurgensen 2y ago

All these people giving recs are doing it wrong. You can determine if an anime is worth your time by merely looking at the title and what the source material is and the following simple system: Candidates start with 5 points. If they have a positive score after applying the system, they're at least worth checking out (although they will not necessarily be good). If not, you are likely wasting your time. 1) Every word in the title past the third is worth -1 point. This includes particles and abbreviations. 2) Each word in the subtitle is worth -0.5 points. 3) Any of the following words or close synonyms are worth -2 points on top of any other penalties: Academy, Ability, Cheat, Dungeon, Elf, Game, Goblin, Harem, Hero, Idol, Isekai, Level, Loop, Maou, MMO, Mob, Online, Overlord, Party, Player, Re(used as a prefix), Reincarnation, "The Animation"(verbatim only), Vampire, Villainess, Virtual, VR, VTuber, Wizard 4) Subtract an additional point for every word that implies this is a remake, spinoff, adaptation or sequel, such as "Kai", "Gaiden", "2nd" (3rd, etc.), "New", et cetera. 5) Even though you already subtracted a point for "Isekai" in step 3. If the title contains the word "Isekai", subtract an additional 5 points. 6) Apply the following adjustment based on the source material: History: +3 (Applying only to direct adaptations of historical events, not merely using historical theming) Literary Fiction: +2 Original Work: +1 Other: +1 OVA: +0.5 Live Action: +0 Web Animation/Motion Comic/Music Video: +0 Comic: +0 Video Game: -1 Light Novel: -1 Writeup of someone's D&D session: -1 CCG: -2 Web Novel: -5 Mobile Game: -10 "Multimedia Project" (This is just a mobile game that doesn't exist yet): -10 Social Media Post: -100

ojhughes 2y ago
I really enjoyed "Re:ZERO - Starting Life in Another World" despite it scoring -11.5 using your system (Isekai translates to another world)
- YurgenJurgensen 2y ago
  If you hadn't seen Now and Then, Here and There, or Twelve Kingdoms, or read Red River, then maybe it'd seem fresh and interesting, but I dropped Re:Zero pretty early. Good genre fiction still has something to say about the real world, and Re:Zero felt like it was trying so hard to subvert genre expectations set by other fiction that it forgot that.

justinclift 2y ago

From the other angle, what's the absolute crappiest anime you've seen and would steer everyone away from? The stand out crappiest anime I'm aware of is the "Blade Runner: Black Lotus" series: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blade_Runner:_Black_Lotus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blade_Runner:_Black_Lotus Truly terrible in every aspect. Story, animation, dialog, etc. Outstandingly bad. :(

ogurechny 2y ago

> What am I missing? Everything that is not in “Studio Ghibli” wide angle fairy tale style? A number of external films have imitated it, some of them better than the other. As a side note, “Studio Ghibli” is also not at all equal to “Hayao Miyazaki”. Say, “Madoka Magica” is certainly large scale, but in totally different style. “Denno Coil” and “Eizouken” has that sense of adventure you can't really describe. And “Drifting Home” is magical, nostalgic, and colourful in its own manner. I you need some “respected opinion”, here's a list: https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/lists/50-key-anime-films https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/lists/50-key-anime-fi... It's… okay. Everyone — for a certain definition of attentive viewers — knows most of those. It is not wise to limit yourself to movies. As mentioned, animated movie is a big investment that can flop at once, while series can be steered somehow in a different production/financing direction, or can become a good merchandise source. Therefore, a lot of movies are more or less straightforward derivatives of existing hit works which rely on the fan crowd. Those make money for more experimental original works.

bpiche 2y ago

Browse some ranked lists (series and OVAs) over at MyAnimeList.net. Tons of good stuff out there. Though, things were better in the old days. No arguing that.

livueta 2y ago

If we're specifically talking stuff from the last few years, and if shows count, I gotta put in a word for ODDTAXI. Feels like a mashup of the best parts of Yuasa Masaaki and Kon Satoshi works.

blarg1 2y ago

The Sky Crawlers,

hwbunny 2y ago

Watch Redline, Demon City Shinjuku, Ergo Proxy, Psycho Pass, GITS series (not the netflix animated crap), Berserk, Ninja Scroll, Jormungandr, Black Lagoon.

BLKNSLVR 2y ago
I watched Redline recently. The animation is worth seeing but the "story" is paper-thin. Ergo Proxy I just didn't get. Psycho Pass I really enjoyed; good depth of story and exploration of the pros and cons. GitS series is probably my favourite anime, and very high up in my favourite anything. Berserk is good, and descends into Evangelion-level insanity as it progresses. Ninja Scroll is forever a classic. Worth a re-watch every 5-10 years. I'm due.
- hwbunny 2y ago
  Redline animation is WORTH SEEING? :DDDD Man, that's the absolute top ever created. People really are ungrateful and deserve the borderline idiotic Attack of the Titans rather than these classics.
- parrellel 2y ago
  Ergo Proxy - So your biological terraforming engine has become sentient and decided to circumvent its kill code via flash cloning.

autarch 2y ago

I highly recommend "Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!" It's an anime that's a love letter to anime about making anime where the anime-making becomes part of the anime. It's quite a trip, and it's got great energy and love for the medium.

boppo1 2y ago

Patlabor 2

FL33TW00D 2y ago

Shinsekai yori

tauwauwau 2y ago

Here's a list of some old and new ones, that an old fart might enjoy Monster (Chasing a serial killer) Ergo Proxy (Can't describe it) Samurai 7 (Sci-fi variant off 7 samurai) Last Exile (Post appocapltic world with lots of flying machines) Kino's Journey Mushishi Time of Eve Gargantia Baccano Durarara Psycho Pass Arslan Senki Sunaboju (Desert Punk) Witch Hunter Robin Hunter x Hunter (old not new) Texnolyze Darker than Black Black Lagoon Great Teach Onizuka (One of the old and best) Gintama (Comedy, It's at the level One Piece and Naruto disgusing as Comedy, you have to get past 30 episodes) Kabaneri of Iron Fortress (Just for animation quality) Beck (Music career) Golden Kamui Terror in Resonance Ping Pong Animation (Don't let the animation fool you, it's one of the best stories) Area 88 (Story ends abruptly, watch at your own risk) Ashita no Joe (Old anime, boxing genre) Valkyria Chronicles (War story) Scissor Seven (Comedy, Chinese, assassin, in a strange world) Shura no Toki (Martial arts, 3 generations) A Record of Mortal's Journey to Immortality (Chinese cultivation genre, 3D good animation, faithful adaptation of one of the good novels in this genre) Swallowed Star (Chinese cultivation genre Sci-fi variant, great 3D animation)

nurettin 2y ago
Is there any reason FOTN isn't in there?
- tauwauwau 2y ago
  I'm not sure I'm familiar with that one.
  - nurettin 2y ago
    fist of the north star, a classic imo.
latentsea 2y ago
Started watching GTO and so far 3 episodes in it's about him lusting after 16 year olds?
- 2y ago

metalspoon 2y ago

Patema Inverted is in the league there, graphics wise. It's crazy how nobody had ever tried the idea of the character pov of falling towards the sky. The immersive feeling is real and genius.

deleted 2y ago

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mitthrowaway2 2y ago

I strongly recommend Wolf Children. It's on par with Miyazaki's best. A really moving and heartwarming film. On the flipside of the spectrum, Grave of the Fireflies and In This Corner of the World are excellent but tragic WW2 films told from the Japanese civilian perspective. Grave of the Fireflies in particular is a difficult watch, but worth seeing once.

NalNezumi 2y ago

>What am I missing? What should an old fart who's becoming convinced things were better in the old days put myself infront of? I think no reply are really getting at this question. If you consider the two latter Miyazaki movies not being included, I think "greats" to you must be something that is "very unique and distinct from the western (animated) movie but also distinct enough from its own (anime) peers". If you see it that is way, Howl's was not distinct at all (based on a UK book & doing what worked in spirited away) and boy and the heron (essentially reusing expressions from all the works of Miyazaki). I think you're just looking for that "wow" factor again. Something that put your mind at edge because your brain couldn't predict what will happen next, because they don't follow usual (selling) clichés in story telling or cinematography. I don't think many anime of today really have that. The only one I can think of is the original Evangelion but that's quite old now too. Maybe Attack of Titan, Pluto, but that's a bit subjective. I can think of multiple Mangas that would fall in to that. Mangas allow more artistic freedom because it's made by a smaller team, and requires smaller fan base so can be bold in trying new expressions. But might lose its charm when (if) adapted to animation. Ghost in the shell mentioned in the original post too, is Very different from the Manga. (source material) and to people that really got intrigued by the deeper theme about consciousness they might prefer the Manga more. I haven't watched it myself but maybe the recent adaptation of Junji Itos horror might fall under that "wow" category. His style (in writing) is very unique.

underlipton 2y ago

I'll give two series and a movie, since everyone has mentioned Kon. I think these are also going to appeal more to someone who hasn't been intimately involved in anime fandom. -Cyberpunk: Edgerunners It single-handedly revived interest in the game for a reason; it's excellent, particularly as a foil to GITS and a spiritual successor to FLCL (which I'm sure you've heard of). The animation style is VERY different from GITS, but no less technically impressive, and while the story is not quite as philosophical, it's still no less complete and satisfying. -Sonny Boy Tinges of Nolan, Kurosawa, Carroll, Cheever's The Swimmer. May seem like a slog at some points, but hang on for the sequence during the last episode. You'll know it when you see it. I don't want to give too much away. -Mind Game Again, don't want to spoil. I recommend watching late at night, Adult Swim-style. A prime example of anime that can't exist in any other medium.

creamyhorror 2y ago

You need to see Samurai Champloo if you haven't. It's twenty years old but absolutely timeless. Reposting my comment from elsewhere here: For something more fantastical, To Your Eternity, an adventure that makes you feel and hurt. Frieren: Beyond Journey's End for an adventure that's both young and grown-up - it only came out recently, but has instantly been acclaimed as a modern classic. For something more childlike yet endlessly creative, Delicious in Dungeon or even Ranking of Kings. For proper literary sci-fi (despite featuring young protagonists), From the New World (Shinsekai Yori). For true artistic cinema despite a Japanese high-school setting, Ping Pong The Animation. Other gems mentioned that I second: ODDTAXI (a tightly written mystery-drama despite its art) and Pluto (serious thinking sci-fi with gravitas). There are always a few upper-tier shows coming out each year that retain an artistic, mature bent. Not very many but at least they're there.

DrPhish 2y ago
On the ODDTAXI front, I can recommend the currently running "Roots of Odd Taxi (RoOT)" series. Its a nice side-story that adds a lot of texture without making the original worse. Also, the "ODDTAXI in the Woods" movie version definitely added a lot and tied things up in a way that the series didn't.

ChoGGi 2y ago

Oh, well obviously you have yet to enjoy the greatness and depth of humanity spilling from Detroit Metal City. (s)