| | |
| Title |
One-Line Description | Studio |
| Dennou Coil: A Circle of Children | Story of kids with glasses that allow them to see a digital world mapped on to of reality, and trying to discover the truth behind a virus that emerges from corrupted spaces. | Madhouse, Bandai |
| Xam'd: Lost Memories | Like Eureka Seven and Nausicaa put into one! This one comes out on the US Playstation network before it comes out on the one in Japan. Update: releasing again! | Bones |
| Full Metal Alchemist | Two young boys attempt to bring their mother back to life, but pay a heavy price. Now they travel the world to regain the bodies that they have lost. | Bones, Aniplex, Square-Enix |
| The Twelve Kingdoms (Juuni Kokki) | Epic story of a high school girl who receives allegiance from a mysterious man, is chased by large monsters, and is taken away to another world with two of her friends. | Studio Pierrot |
| Rahxephon | Story of a high school boy unaware of the world outside Tokyo and the blue-blooded aliens who live next to him. Similar to the Truman Show and the Matrix, but with mechas and beautiful art. "Evangelion done right." | Bones |
| Scrapped Princess | A princess deemed as the 'poison that will destroy the world' by the followers of God Mauser, struggles to stay alive with the help of her siblings. | Bones, Kadokawa |
| Darker Than Black | With the appearance of an impentrable field came a rise in individuals posessing supernatual powers at the expense of their conscience. | Bones, Aniplex |
| Ghost in the Shell SAC / 2nd Gig | In the future where there is little difference between man and machine, a secret orginazation known as Section 9 is established to deal wth cyber terrorism and international conspiracy. | Production I.G. |
| Seirei no Moribito | Epic story of female bodygard protecting a young prince posessed by a spirit, who is being targeted for assassination by the king. | Production I.G. |
| Kare Kano (His and her Circumstances) | The two top students at high school find their rivalry may be love instead. | Gainax |
| Full Metal Panic! / FMP! TSR / Fumoffu? | A teenage military specialist is assigned to protect a high school girl suspected of becoming the next target of an organization after kids possessing the 'whispered' knowledge. | Kadokawa |
| Vision of Escaflowne | A high school girls gets thrown into a world where the Earth appears as a second moon. She travels with a young king to unite the countries against the Zaibach empire which is trying to obtain them all. | Sunrise |
| Last Exile | Two young pilots take on the mission of protecting a mysterious girl when they pull her from a plane crash. | Gonzo |
| Read or Die / Read or Die TV | A klutzy secret operative for the British Library posessing the ability to control paper seeks to obtain a stolen book which could be used to end the world. / A trio of sisters for hire, all who have the ability to control paper. | Studio Deen, Aniplex, Studio Orphee, JC Staff |
| Cowboy Bebop | Bounty hunters in space! A crew of mismatched characters take down wanted criminals and come to terms with their own pasts. | Bandai , Sunrise |
| Rurouni Kenshin TV / OVA1 / OVA2 | Near the end of the Meiji restoration, the most feared assassin disappeared without a trace. Ten years later he returns as a cheery vagabond who vows not to kill, trying to escape his past. The first OVA of this series is the one of the best anime I've ever seen (Kenshin's past). The second takes place after everything and was a let down. | SME Visual, Fuji TV, Aniplex |
| Bamboo Blade | A high school girls kendo club aims for the nationals, led by an elite freshman who would rather watch anime. | AIC |
| RD Sennou Chousashitsu (Real Dive) | In the future, humans are connected directly to the internet or 'the Metal'. A young man is put into a coma during a diving accident only to wake up 50 years later and find that the world has drastically changed. | Production I.G. |
| Michiko & Hatchin | In Brazil a woman escapes from a high security prision, and further away a foster child deals with the abuse from her foster family. What happens when the two get together? By the people of Cowboy Bebop, Ergo Proxy, and Samurai Champloo, this one looks interesting with a high production value. :D | Manglobe |
| Baccano! | A pulp-fuction style of individual stories congregating into 1920's story of the mafia and immortality. | Brains Base |
| Kurau: Phantom Memory | A scientist researching a new form of energy loses his daughter when an experiment goes awry and a pair of energy life forms take over her body. One of the pair goes dormant, and the other promises to return the girl's body when her pair awakens. | Bones |
| Samurai Champloo | A deliquent, a samurai, and a waitress go in search of a samurai that smells like sunflowers. Random, crazy, and fun! | Manglobe, Fuji TV |
| Toshokan Sensou (Library Wars) | A young woman strives to become a member of an elite library task force in the fight against government supression of free media. | Production I.G. |
| Rideback | After losing her ability to dance, a dance prodigy joins a rideback club (specialized motorcycles) at her college. Little does she know her abilities will be targeted by government and terrorist organizations. A little like Full Metal Panic and Toshokan Sensou. | Madhouse |
| Haibane Renmei | People with charcoal wings born from coccons are forced to live as second class citizens to the normal humans. | Kadokawa, Fuji TV |
| Title |
One-Line Description | Studio |
| Code Geass / Code Geass R2 | The country of Japan is conquered by Brittania, spawning a wave of revolution, where a young man make a contract with a strange woman to gain the power of suggestion. Like Death Note meets Gundam with CLAMP as the character designers. | Mainichi, Sunrise |
| Mai Hime | A group of girls with the ability to see the red star next to the moon are thrown into battles with their 'children' - mechanized weapons that respons to their commands. | Sunrise |
| Soul Eater | Young students at the Shibusen Academy aim to make their weapons into Death Scythes by obtaining 99 Kishin souls and one witch's soul. Could have ended better - but all is well till the last 10 minutes.... | Bones, Dentsu |
| Hunter X Hunter | A boy goes in search of his
father, who is a well-known Hunter. Gon must become a Hunter
himself in order to find him. |
Nippon Animation |
| Claymore | Women fused with the blood of youma are used by an organization for hire to kill youma. | Madhouse |
| Kekkaishi | Two feuding families with the ability to see ayakashi are sworn to protect the land of Karasumori, a land overflowing with power which attracts evil ayakashi. And this sacred / cursed land resides underneath a school. | Sunrise, Yomiuri |
| Kure-nai | A high school boy working as a negotiator is given the task of protecting a young girl of a wealthy family, from her own family. | Brains Base |
| Gundam 00 / Gundam 00 S2 | A group of young pilots aim to end all war with their superior mobile suits. Supposed to be the 'first' Gundam installment. Season 2 occurs 4 years after the first. | Sunrise |
| Neon Genesis Evangelion | "The classic mecha anime." | Gainax |
| Munto / Munto 2 | A girl who can see floating islands in the sky is the only one capable of helping Munto, the king of heaven, from stopping a war that would send heaven crashing into Earth. | Kyoto Animation |
| Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto | A samurai with the fate of the 'eternal assassin' must seek out and destroy an evil energy bent on leading the world to ruin. | Bandai, Sunrise |
| X TV | Two sides with supernational powers fight over the end of the world, story by CLAMP. | Madhouse |
| Witch Hunter Robin | Secret organization who hunts down and prosecutes 'witches', with the help of their own fire witch. | Bandai, Sunrise |
| Eureka Seven | "Evangelion for kids", mechs that ride on trappar currents flowing over the world, and a mercenary ship fights against the military. | Bones, Bandai |
| Gunslinger Girl | Young girls who are at the edge of death are taken in by the Social Welfare Agency, given cybernetic bodies, and trained to be assassins for the government. | Madhouse, Bandai |
| Chevalier d'Eon | During the time of the French Revolution, a young man seeks to find his sister's killers. | Production I.G. |
| One Piece | A young boy named Luffy sets out to become the Pirate King. | Fuji TV, Toei |
| Toward the Terra (Terra e) | Similar to X-men. Humans with supernatural powers known as Mu, are discriminated against and chased to the ends of the universe. But what the Mu are really are looking for is a way to coexist with the humans. | Aniplex, Mainichi |
| Title |
One-Line Description | Studio |
| Nodame Cantible / Nodame Cantible: Paris Hen | College
students attending a music school, and a genius pianist and violionist
aspires to become a world famous conductor though he can't leave Japan. |
J.C. Staff, Genco |
| Fruits Basket | An orphaned high-school girl decides to live on her own in the wilderness (which is actually on someone elses property) and stumbles upon the family secret of the mosrt popular boy in school. | Studio Deen |
| Honey & Clover I / Honey & Clover II | College students attending art school, and their daily issues. | Genco, Dentsu, Fuji TV |
| Ouran High School Host Club | A group of high school girls, one a child prodigy and another in desperate need of Ritalin. Give it a few episodes and it will grow on you. | Genco, J.C. Staff |
| Nana | The story of two roommates in Tokyo whose only thing in common is their name. One is an aspiring rock star, the other is a timid art graduate trying to make it on her own. Slice of life, comedy, punk bands, and dramatic relationships run rampant in this series. This has a little bit more drama. | Madhouse |
| Skip Beat | A girl who followed her childhood love turned pop-star to Tokyo finds out he was only using her. To get revenge, she promises to surpass him in show business. | Hal Film Maker |
| Paradise Kiss | A smart high school girl studying for college entrance exams is taken in by a group of fashsion designer students who want her to be their model. Artsy style and modern themes. Franz Ferdinand does the ending song. | Aniplex, Dentsu, Madhouse, Fuji TV, Shodensha |
| Vampire Knight | Cross University is seperated into two seperate classes, the Day Class and the Night Class. What the Day Class doesn't know is that the Night Class consists only of Vampires. Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryuu are tasked with keeping the peace between the two. | NAS, Studio Deen |
| Title |
One-Line Description | Studio |
| Moyashimon - Tales of Agriculture | A
college entrance student had the ability to see and talk to microbes -
and they are soooo cute (and a little mischievous)! (Pictured
above) |
Shirogumi, Dentsu, Fuji |
| Lucky Star | Similar to Azumanga Daioh, this one follows a group of high school girls, and the main one is a game playing otaku. | Kyoto Animation |
| Azumanga Daioh | A group of high school girls, one a child prodigy and another in desperate need of Ritalin. Give it a few episodes and it will grow on you. | Genco, J.C. Staff |
| Title |
One-Line Description | Studio |
| Shigofumi | A shinigami who delivers the last words from the dead has a unique situation in that she is the only shinigami that ages. She also has mysterious past that comes to light when a high school student recognizes her. | JC Staff, Bandai, Genco |
| Kara no Kyoukai ~ Garden of Sinners | A
string of supernatural suicides baffle police requires an individual
with her own super natural powers. Intriguing cinematrography
and
beautiful art. Music by Yuki Kajiura (Mai Hime, Noir,
Tsubasa,
Aquarian Age). |
ufotable, Aniplex, Kodansha, Notes |
| Ghost Hunt | A supernatural detective agency picks up an unlikely assisstant who is unaware of her own powers. By the same author as Twelve Kingdoms. | JC Staff |
| Shion no Ou | A family is brutally murdered, with the only survivor a young girl who loses the ability to talk. Now in high school, Shion is a rising star in the world of shougi whose past is starting to resurface. | Studio Deen |
| Paranoia Agent | A string of attacks by a boy with a bent golden bat, known as 'shounen bat' proves to be not just a simple open and shut case. Weird and interesting, the opening is particularly ...disturbing! | Madhouse |
| Ergo Proxy | Similar to Aeon Flux and Bubblegum Crisis. In the future, humans are aided by androids, some of which exhibit beserk symptoms and start killing humans. Real Meyer is a detective for the dome city on Romdeau and is attacked by something neither human nor android, which kickstarts an investigation leading her to question her own reality. | Manglobe |
| Title |
One-Line Description | Studio |
| Mushishi | A mushishi travels the world helping people with their seemingly supernatural mushi problems. Mushi are beings that most humans can not see, but are similar to the gods of nature. I completely love this anime - a nice mellow change of pace with an interesting concept and seperate by linked stories to keep you thinking. | Artland |
| Natsume Yuujinchou / Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou | Like Mushishi meets Kekkaishi. Natsume is usually a target for spirits and is troubled by them. After moving to a new home, he finds the 'Book of Friends' amongst items he inherited from his grandmother, which has the power to command the spirits whose names are in the book. Natsume is determined to return all the names to their rightful owners, but not all the spirits are nice ones. Seasons 1 and 2. | Brains Base |
| Top wo Nerae 2 / Aim for the Top 2 / Gunbuster 2 | A
young runaway aims to become a member of 'Topless', and elite group of
pilots who protect their world from space monsters while piloting mech
suits. |
Gainax |
| Noein ~ towards another you | A young girl is caught up in the fight with people from the future who have returned to the past in order to save the world from a terrible fate. Haruka finds out that she has a direct effect on this future, but that there are a multitude of parallel worlds spanning from each decision she may or may not make. | Bandai, Lantis, Satelite |
| Mai Otome / Mai Otome Zwei | Kind of the sequel to Mai Hime, using some of the same characters in a different setting. This time students have 'robes' instead of 'children' and are caught up in a war between nations and insurgent groups. It's funny to see some of the characters in a different light, but this one seems to appeal more to the fan service crowd. | Sunrise |
| Mai Otome ~0S.ifr~ | The prequel to Mai Otome, involving Arika's mother. Doesn't come out very often. | Sunrise, Bandai |
| Revolutionary Girl Utena | Tom boy Utena enters high school unknowing she is about to be pulled into a fight for the Rose Bride, one who will bring about change before the end of the world. Gets into the 'villan of the week' mode, but overall sets itself apart from the rest of them. The movie (retelling) is artsy and interesting too. | JC Staff, TV Tokyo, SoftX |
| FLCL / Furi Kuri | Naota's life is drastically altered when a crazy woman on a Vespa knocks him senseless, and causes a strange bump to sprout from his head. Kind of a coming-of-age story except with crazy space pirates, an shady public organization, and a homeless pyromaniac of a girl friend. | Gainax |
| Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei | An artsy and very strange story about a teacher who is in despair from everything in the world, and is bent on killing himself. | Starchild |
| Title |
One-Line Description | Studio |
| Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo (The Girl who Leapt through time) [adventure/well-rounded] | A high school girl gains the
power to time travel, and rather enjoys it. Only later does
she find out that it comes with consequence. The character
designer is the same for Neon Genesis Evangelion and FLCL. |
Kadokawa Shoten, Madhouse |
| Princess Mononoke [adventure] | Cursed by a demon god trying to destroy his village, Ashitaka leaves his village to find a cure. His journey pulls him into a battle of man versus the forest gods. | Studio Ghibli |
| Nausicaa, Valley of the Wind [adventure] | Archetypical story of a warrior princess from a small kingdom who opposes the armies of would-be conquerors, for the sake of the plants and animals that lie between them. | Studio Ghibli |
| Ghost in the Shell / Ghost in the Shell: Innocence [action/pshycological] |
In the future, humans cast aside their physical bodies for cyborg ones, where their 'ghost' is copied into a cyber brain and they can directly access the net. Brain hacking has become a problem, and a group known as Section 9 are sent to investicate a series of political brain hacks by an individual known as the Puppetmaster. | Production I.G., Bandai Visual |
| My Neighbor Totoro [adventure/kids] | Two girls move with thier father to the country side to be closer to the hospital where their mother is staying. In their back yard is a giant tree, protected by the forest gods known as Totoro. | Studio Ghibli |
| Neko no Ongaeshi (The Cat Returns) [adventure/kids] | Upon saving a seemingly stray cat from traffic, Haru receives the reward of becoming the bride of the Cat Kingdom's prince. She seeks out a mysterious and suave cat known as the Baron to help her cancel her engagement. | Studio Ghibli |
| Sword of the Stranger [action] | A nameless samurai stumbles upon 'a boy and his dog' who are being pursued by the Mings from China. Among them is a strong Western fighter who only wishes to seek out strong opponents. Very very beautiful (bloody) animation from Bones, but I must say that the Chinese dialogue is funny! | Bones |
| Spitited Away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi [adventure/kids] | Upon moving to a new town, Chihiro and her parents stop at what appears to be a deserted theme park but is really a bath house for the gods. Mistakeningly eating the gods food, Chihiro's parents are turned into pigs, and she must find a way to rescue them. | Studio Ghibli |
| Howl's Moving Castle [adventure/kids] | In a time when magician's are used in warfare, a young girl named Sophie meets a young man named Howl by chance. She is targeted by a jealous witch, and turned into an old woman. Now she must find a way to break the spell. | Studio Ghibli |
| Beyond the Clouds, A Place Promised In Our Early Days [romance/adventure] | A beautiful movie by Makoto Shinkai. The scenery in all of his movies is amazing (Voices of a Distant Star, 5cm Per Second). Of his three movie's I've seen, I like this one the best. | CoMix
Wave Inc. |
| Whister of the Heart [romance/kids] | A young girl notices that the same person has been reading all of the library books before she reads them. By meeting this person she learns more about herself and what she plans to do in the future. More of a slice-of-life movie. This is technically the prequel to The Cat Returns, but the Baron character is the only thing in common. | Studio Ghibli |
| Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust [action] | A handsome young vampire hunter is contracted to retreive a kidnapped woman from the hands of Meyer Link, a fearsome vampire with evil connections. | Madhouse |
| Perfect Blue [scary/pshycological] | A pop star trying to break into the actng world meets a lot of resistance from her fans and a crazed stalker. As the people around her are killed, she starts to lose her sanity and can no longer tell what's real and what isn't. This one is along the lines of a pshyco-thriller. Same creators as Paprika and Paranoia Agent. | Madhouse |
| Laputa, Castle in the Sky [adventure/kids] | Pirates and shady people are after a young girl named Sheeta. With Pazu's help the two embark on a journey of adventure, insearch of a castle belonging to an ancient race of people. | Studio Ghibli |
| Kiki's Delivery Service [adventure/kids] | When a young witch turns 13, she must leave her home to hone her craft. Kiki's best skill is broom flying so she established a delivery service in a seaside town. | Studio Ghibli |
| Spriggan [action] | Action packed James Bond type movie about what Noah's Ark REALLY is. Lots of guns and explosions - it's great! | Bandai Visual, Shogakukan, TBS, TOHO |
| Paprika [scary/pshycological] | A new dream therapy device is being developed, but it the prototype is stolen before the government can approve it for use. In the wrong hands the device can be used to destroy a person's mental state, so one of the head research developers uses her online alter ego to retreive it. The first 5 minutes of this movie are awesome (opening and title credits). The rest is ok, but not as good as Perfect Blue. Same creators as Perfect Blue and Paranoia Agent. | Madhouse |
| Title |
One-Line Description | Studio |
| Eden of the East (2/11) [well-rounded] ** | A girl vacationing in the US meets a (naked) terrorist that just had his memory wiped clean and doesn't remember a thing. Looks like it could be pretty interesting - the English in the first episode is pretty fully. Looks like Honey & Clover character designs. | Production I.G. |
| Sengoku Basara (2/13) [action/comedy] ** | Feudal Japan parody! This may become one of my favorites this season - samurai riding horses with handlebars, while sporting the sunglasses and gangster fros. Don't forget about the powering up, god-like techniques, and male bonding made through muscle! To top it all off, it's beautifully animated! (Edit, there are 2 versions going around, one looks good, the other looks like an anime blast from the past... the eyebrow wrinkles! >.<) | Production I.G. |
| Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2/13) [well-rounded] ** | Not really a re-telling or continuation of the first series. | Bones |
| Eve no Jikan (4/6) [sci-fi] ** | People living with androids are commonplace, but what about the android's rights? The main character stumbles upon a cafe were the distinction between humans and androids is left at the door. | Studio Rikka |
| Birdy the Mighty D2 (10/13) [action] ** | Second season of Birdy the Mighty (remake of an older anime). A alien federation officer tries to apprehend the scientists behind the Ryunka experiment who have taken refuge on Earth. Gah - the animation goes bad in some spots! | A-1 Productions |
| Shangri-La (1/12) [adventure] ** | Foliage has taken over Tokyo in a post-disaster world, where people are still trying to survive. Character designs by Renge Murata (Last Exile). | Gonzo |
| Casshern Sins (15/24) [action] | Remake of an old anime. This is about an immortal robot that travels his world and meets people and robots, all of which want to dispose of him as he is the one who started the destruction of ther world. Interesting art style, and moderately remiscant of Kino's Travels. | Madhouse |
| Kuroshitsuji (14/24) [shounen] | A young kid makes a pact with 'one hell of' a butler'. | A-1 Pictures |
| Phantom (2/13) [action] | About a brainwashing, assassin-making agency. | Bee Train |
| Saki (2/13) [lighter] | About a high school mahjong club, and an upcoming prodigy? A little moe in the first episode though, and don't forget the digi-mahjong tiles! | Gonzo |
| K-On! (2/13) [shoujo] | Four girls join together to form a light music club at their high school. Similar to Lucky Star and Ichigo Mashimaru. | Kyoto Animation |
| Shikabane: Kuro (4/13) [action] | Season 2 of Shikabane Hime - deals with the Makina's past. | Gainax |
| Mouryou no Hako (4/13) [scary/mystery] | Weird! A man riding on a train hears a strange sound coming from inside a box that another man is holding. When the box opens, inside is the head of a girl. The story goes into the intertwining lives of two young girls taking place in the mid 1900s. Character designs by CLAMP. | Madhouse |
| Daughter of 20 Faces (17/22) [action] | A young girl is rescued from an aunt trying to kill her by a phantom theif, only to become his sucessor. | Bones, Telecom |
| Sora Kakeru Shoujo (10/26) [action] | Humankind has gone to space, and a girl gets involved with an old mysterous colony, piloted by an abnoxious A.I. The funny thing is the A.I.'s voice is Lelouch from Code Geass. | Sunrise |
| Kemono no Souja Erin (7/50) [adventure] | Kind of a let down in animation quality for Production IG. This is a story about a girl wanting to grow up and become a 'beastanarian' like her mother. They live in a village that raises giant lizards calle Touda for a general's army. As decendants of the mist people, they also face discrimination by some of the other villagers. | Production IG |
| Kurokami (1/13) [action] | In the world there are three identical people - each one third of a complete person with a varying amount of luck. When they meet one another, the less lucky one dies and their luck absorbed into the luckier one. When only one is left they become a Master Root. Interesting concept, but execution is similar to Fate/Stay night To aru majutsu no Index. | Sunrise |
| Valkyria Chronicles (1/13) [adventure] | About a little country village being invaded my a strong army - based off an RPG. May not continue watching this one. | A-1 Pictures |
| Pandora Hearts (2/25) [adventure] | May not continue watching this one - about a rich kid who stumbles upon a mysterious grave and hallucinates a girl is trying to kill him. Don't have much to go on after the first epidose. | Xebec |
| Guin Saga (1/13) [adventure] | Twin heirs to the throne are transported from their palace when an enemy attacks. Then they meew a leopard man (?) in the forest as they try to escape from the army that attacked their kingdom. | Satelight, Aniplex |
| To Aru Majutsu no Index [action] | A young girl being chased by magicians meets a misfortunate boy with supernatural powers. Though, it's starting to seem like this one is based on a dating sim where a guy will throw his life away to help some random female stranger... ~_~ | JC Staff |
| Chii's Sweet Home (67/103) [other] | Hard to believe this is Madhouse... about a cute little cat discovering life in a new home. Episodes are ~3 minutes long. | Madhouse |
| Himitsu (16/26) (similar to death note) [mystery / scary] | A group known as Section 9 solves murder cases by scanning the victim's brain with special machine. Not very good lately.... | Madhouse |
| Hyakko (11/13) /[comedy/other] | School life comedy? Seems like an Azumanga Daioh. | Nippon Animation |
| Tokyo Majin Gakuen Kenpuchou (14/26) [shounen] | "Tokyo Goo"! What happens when you mix high school students, zombies, magic, old priests, superhuman fighing powers, and every other anime genre into one show? This is what you get! It's not so bad, but as the name I gave it suggests, evil things get goo-ed. It's in to the second season now... | BeSTACK |
| Tales of the Abyss (9/26) [adventure] | Based on a RPG, not sure if this one will become cheesy like the rest of them, or actually develop into something interesting... Haven't really watched much since the main character is really really bad. | Bandai Visual, Namco, Sunrise |
