Good
Arcadia of My Youth
While this is a must see for Harlock fans, the way the story is constructed is a bit shaky. Good from both a sci-fi perspective and as a classic title. Harlock is a pirate with road rage like no other, and has no problem with ramming his ship into whoever gets in his way.
Aria The Animation
Aria is the story of a girl and her friends, as they pass the days training to become tour guides on Gondolas. It's cute, it's slow moving and absolutely charming. That's also the reason it's not for everyone.
Battle Angel Alita
A classic title that nearly everyone agrees is pretty darn good. The main problem is that it's too short, and only gets two episodes in to the Gunm story. Sad ending, but very good.
Black Lagoon
If you took a bunch of hot girls from a cosplay event, then stuck them in the middle of an NRA convention, got them drunk and really pissed off, this is about what it would be like. Black Lagoon is the ultimate girls with guns show, but has a decent premise and story to accompany it.
Combustible Campus Guardress
No summary
Darker Than Black
No summary
Death Note
Mixing a guy who wants to play god, a child genius weirdo, a lingerie catalog model, and a killer notebook, wouldn't seem to be the formula for a suspense thriller, but then again this is anime. While not perfect, it's a surprisingly intelligent piece that starts out amazing, but tapers off as things go on. By the end it's still very good though.
Excel Saga
Excel Saga is the reigning champion among crazy anime comedies. In each episode a new topic of parody is selected for the Excel Saga cast. Good for a laugh, but how much mileage you get from it may depend on how familiar you are with the parody source material. How could you not like a show with such quotable gems like "You've betrayed us, Space Butler!"
Full Metal Panic: Fumoffu
This takes Full Metal Panic and ignores the mecha action part to focus on the comedy. The formula is unusual in that it's based around transplanting an over the top military nutcase into the middle of a high school comedy. It works quite well, but isn't for everyone.
Ga Rei Zero
If you research your titles, beware of spoilers because there's some cool surprises in the first two episodes. Ga Rei Zero should have been another lack luster school girls with swords fighting monsters, but turned into a pretty good tragedy if you can relate to the characters. Did I mention this had school girls with swords?
Girl Who Leapt Through Time
A good movie with lots of charm and some insightful messages. Features a heroine which is absolutely adorable.
Gunslinger Girl
While this title features girls with guns, it's not a fluff title at all and instead is more of a drama. What sets this title apart is the unusual character relationships and interactions. While the first season does conclude with an ending, it's a bit abstract in how that is done - some people weren't hip on that.
Gunsmith Cats
No summary
Hana Yori Dango
If you're into shoujo, then this is a title to be reckoned with as it's pretty much the defacto shoujo series. Seems like the ideal environment for a girl to be surrounded by outrageously rich hot guys... until they make her life hell and jealous girls tie her to a car and drag her around campus. I wish my school had lunchtime entertainment of that caliber.
His and Her Circumstances
A series that started out strong, but then had a budget disaster throw the animation into a hilariously bad tailspin. On top of that the story wanders off base as the series progresses. Still worth watching the first few episodes in my opinion.
Initial D: Stage 4
Finally the animation and designs are up to par, Initial D is now everything fans could ask for. Kesuke decides he's too cool to have a girlfriend and verifies my theory that he's a punk with his head up his ass. Who could turn down a cute girl with a car THAT awesome? Takumi finally gets smoked on the Akina downhill, and the biggest threat this time comes from two old guys who are unusually likable adversaries compared to the rest of the series.
Kiddy Grade
Ok I admit the title for this one is dumb, but it's good sci-fi that's a blast to watch with tons of crazy fun plot twists and good action. Science has advanced with space travel, but not to the point of bending physics as to not get an occasional panty shot from Eclair's ridiculously short skirt. (Seriously tame amount of fan service in the context today's anime, but this was a complaint by many when it came out).
Kimi ni Todoke
A back to basics shoujo romance, this one is sure to please shoujo fans. Since it doesn't do anything that makes it stand out, it may not be of interest to those who've seen many shoujo shows before this one. Not bad all things considered.
Last Exile
No summary
Macross Plus
The whole Macross thing is a fairly cheesy concept, but Macross Plus manages to take the core Macross values (music / fighters & mecha) and packages them in a way that is outstanding. It's also fused with a Top Gun type of scenario, along with the two pilots fighting over the "manager" of a virtual pop idol. Fantastic music in this one.
Magical Witch Punie-chan
Punie is a cute princess from the magical kingdom who is to spend a year on the Earth. Evil minions abound in their attempts to best Punie, but she's got all the submission holds needed to brutally assault anyone standing in her way. Beg for mercy and maybe she'll make you pancakes after you get out of the emergency room.
Martian Successor Nadesico
If you follow my site at all, you've probably caught on that THIS is my series. From outward apperences it's another sci-fi giant robot show, and taken from that angle it's pretty good. It's also very sly with its subtle wit in making fun of cliche anime elments and having a lot of fun with it. What I consider an anime fan's anime: highly recommended.
Mermaid Forest - OVA
No summary
Mermaid's Scar
No summary
Mnemosyne
As a throwback to the days when anime had intense sex and violence, I had my doubts about this title, but found it a good anime in the horror vein with a very intelligent story. One of the more freaky titles I could name. Immortal dog, a nympho sidekick, and a tower of naked women in a huge stack... that's only the tip of the iceberg for Rin's story.
Mushi Shi
No summary
Ninja Scroll
Top of it's class as far as martial arts anime goes, Ninja Scroll set the bar for which all other titles are judged. Features lots of violence, sex, and more violence.
Nuku Nuku - OVA
Nuku Nuku merges robot girl and cat girl genres. What's scary is that its far better constructed then you'd expect from such a silly concept. The OVAs were produced over years, and are a lot of fun.
Oh My Goddess - OVA
No summary
Outlaw Star
Outlaw Star is a space adventure series that isn't particularly original, but it is a fun ride along the way. With likable characters, and a decent story it manages to do very well with this formula. Takes the "hotsprings episode" to new heights by featuring an entire planet.
Read or Die - OVA
Good morning. Read or Die is a high quality anime action / spy thriller featuring a cool setup, animation, and music. Also very stylish. Your mission if you decide to accept, is to figure out why special agent Yomiko needs a side job as a schoolteacher. Doesn't she get paid enough to save the world? This review will self destruct in 10 seconds. Good luck.
Robot Carnival
No summary
Roujin Z
One of those hidden gems in anime, Roujin Z is a cool sci-fi title that is well worth watching. If you think old people driving cars are a hazard, wait until they get giant robots.
Shamanic Princess
As one of my favorite titles, Shamanic Princess is a bit hard to follow due to the way the story is constructed, but it's also really abstract and surreal at the same time. Good animation, interesting music and fantastic character designs.
Shikabane Hime
Monks of the Kougon Sect have the right idea. Why fight the undead yourself? Instead ressurect a hot school girl to become your undead minion, give her some machine guns and let her do the work for you. Shikabane Hime: Bringing necrophilia back!
Tenchi Muyo - OVA 1 & 2
No summary
Tenchi Universe - TV
No summary
