What should I watch next?

[commandercool]

I want a new anime to watch, but I'm bad at picking them. Here are a few things to keep in mind before you recommend. All preferences are negotiable if the show is so good that I have to watch it anyway, but they probably reduce my odds of sticking with a recommendation.

-Preferably no more than twelve episodes. I tend to strongly prefer shorter shows.

-Nothing too porny if possible. Sex/"adult themes" are not a problem, creepy fanservice is.

-I would prefer something I can watch in ~20 minute chunks over movies and OVAs.

-I've found that my taste in animation doesn't accommodate older anime very well. I tend to not be able to get into anything pre-mid '80s.

-I have no strong preference for genre, but I tend to not understand Japanese comedy, so sitcoms may go over my head.

Here's a link to my myanimelist profile. As you can see I haven't seen a ton of anime, and it tends to be Eva-centric because I'm me. :derp: Hopefully that gives enough of an indication of my taste for you to work with. Until I get enough recommendations or find something that fits, I will watch at least the first episode of every recommendation in full. Thanks in advance for the help.

[Edible]

I think something else you need is a bit more diversification when it comes to genres so you can more accurately determine what you like.  So although some of these don't fit some of your criteria, here's a list of some of the better shows from various genres.  I'll put an asterisk next to stuff that fits all of your preferences.

Shounen - Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood

Romance - Honey & Clover

Fantasy Adventure - Scrapped Princess

Atmospheric Fantasy - Haibane Renmei*, Kino's Journey*, Mushishi

Cute Girls Rowing Boats On Mars, Which Is Now Future Venice - Aria the Animation* (yes it's a genre shut up)

College Student Agricultural Adventures - Moyashimon* (yes it's also a genre shut up)

If none of these suit your fancy after a couple episodes or you want more info before watching, let me know.

[helvetica]

If you've never watched Nadesico DO IT OR I'LL MURDER YOU D:<

Starship Operators is also really good.

[MatsuriSakuragi]

Give Nanoha a try, perhaps? I mean, it's multiple series overall, but the first two are 12-13 episodes each, and the third is 26 if I recall.

Also, watch Gunbuster (6 episodes) and Diebuster (6 episodes). Made by Gainax (who also did Evangelion and Gurren Lagann). The stories are linked, even if the first is from 1988 and the second is from 2004. (

Spoiler:

it's actually intentional and it ties in with the story iirc.

)

I'd honestly suggest more but most of the stuff I've been liking most is 24 episodes and beyond. (And then you have Precure which is currently in its tenth series of approximately 50 episodes each, with each series having a movie and there are 5 other movies....)

[Suikama]

on the topic of Gainax: FLCL (also 6 episodes)

[commandercool]

Also, watch Gunbuster (6 episodes) and Diebuster (6 episodes). Made by Gainax (who also did Evangelion and Gurren Lagann). The stories are linked, even if the first is from 1988 and the second is from 2004. (

Spoiler:

it's actually intentional and it ties in with the story iirc.

)

I've seen those. I liked Gunbuster and I LOVED Diebuster.

[commandercool]

on the topic of Gainax: FLCL (also 6 episodes)

Tried it, gave up half way through the second episode. It did not make any sense to me. I got that there were jokes happening, and that I probably wasn't supposed to understand everything that was happening, but it was basically just gibberish. I should give it another try I guess.

[Kasu]

If you like action and arms dealers then Jormungand could be worth checking into.

[Kaze_Senshi]

Action: Psycho Pass

Drama: Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai.

[commandercool]

Alright, that should be enough for now. That's roughly 15 (if I take only Edible's starred entries-I'll look at the rest later when I have the time). I'll pick one of these at random next time I have some time, watch it, and report back. Feel free to keep recommending things, but I won't promise to get around to watching them.

[commandercool]

I put all of the shows in a space-age randomizer ("dice") and the first one that came up was Kino's Journey. Looked it up and watched the first episode somewhere with no prior knowledge of it in any way. I liked the first episode fine. Will definitely be watching at least the next two.

[commandercool]

Okay, I just finished Kino's Journey. It was excellent. I got very strong Twilight Zone vibes from it in a good way, and The Twilight Zone is one of my favorite things ever.

Thanks for the recommendation Edible, that was exactly the kind of thing I was hoping for. It took me a surprisingly long time to finish, especially given that I watched almost half of it in one sitting last Friday, but I'm ready for the next one now.

The dice say Starship Operators is up next. Again, I have no idea what that is so I'll be going in blind, but I'll give it a go next time I have some free time.

[Cadmas]

Watch Black Lion

[RuneDevros]

I saw that you liked Kino no Tabi. Maybe Mushishi is something that you may enjoy. It's got a similar mysterious atmosphere to it.

[commandercool]

I saw that you liked Kino no Tabi. Maybe Mushishi is something that you may enjoy. It's got a similar mysterious atmosphere to it.

Looks like Edible recommended that, but it's temporarily disqualified based on I assume length. It's on my long-term watch list, but I probably won't have time any time in the near future.

[commandercool]

Watched the first episode of Starship Operators. The premise is great, but the actual goings-on of the first episode were weirdly both very rushed and not that dynamic. I can see going either way on this one, so I'll give it up to the third episode as usual before deciding if I want to finish it.

[helvetica]

Starship Operators is amazing and probably my most favorite space series of all time. The ship-to-ship combat is very realistic and the human drama is very believable and very powerful. The premise seems really zany at first but it works and it makes complete sense when taken in context of a critique of war reporting in the modern day 24hr cable news cycle. Plus Shinon is a complete badass. I got my copy signed by Mamiko Noto at Otakon 2007 (she's adorbs btw).

It's a slow burn but the payoff is worth it. It really gets its legs around episode 8 or 9 (I forget when the big twist comes up). The last few episodes are probably some of the most powerful anti-war/anti-imperialism messages in a long time, and it's not hamfisted at all.

And if you've never seen Planetes I highly highly recommend it. I really need to finish it one of these days D:

e: lol I completely forgot I gave you the Starship Operators recommend in the first place, my memory is terribad xD

[commandercool]

Starship Operators is amazing and probably my most favorite space series of all time. The ship-to-ship combat is very realistic and the human drama is very believable and very powerful. The premise seems really zany at first but it works and it makes complete sense when taken in context of a critique of war reporting in the modern day 24hr cable news cycle. Plus Shinon is a complete badass. I got my copy signed by Mamiko Noto at Otakon 2007 (she's adorbs btw).

It's a slow burn but the payoff is worth it. It really gets its legs around episode 8 or 9 (I forget when the big twist comes up). The last few episodes are probably some of the most powerful anti-war/anti-imperialism messages in a long time, and it's not hamfisted at all.

And if you've never seen Planetes I highly highly recommend it. I really need to finish it one of these days D:

e: lol I completely forgot I gave you the Starship Operators recommend in the first place, my memory is terribad xD

I watched the second episode yesterday morning and was still indifferent to it. "Realistic" certainly describes the action, but maybe not "exciting". If it's a slow burn thing then I'll just finish it up regardless of my impression by episode three. I can appreciate that, probably.

[helvetica]

It's not action at all. It's pretty much all about the human drama and experience in dealing with war. Watching a crew of young cadets flung into a war all on their own and discover what it really means to "fight for your country".

[commandercool]

It's not action at all. It's pretty much all about the human drama and experience in dealing with war. Watching a crew of young cadets flung into a war all on their own and discover what it really means to "fight for your country".

It may not be an "action show", but so far there is certainly "some action", and it's been kind of passive so far in the little bit that I've seen. But I assume that's for reasons, so fair enough.

[commandercool]

Finally just finished Starship Operators. It was okay. The last two or three episodes were pretty tense, although it maybe could have been shorter, or I don't know, different. I didn't love it, but I liked it.

Dice says Aria is next, probably start that tomorrow or the next day.