Standout Series
Furi Kuri (FLCL) (Fooly Cooly), 2000 – Ultra-hip fast-paced chaotic neo-mod tank-girl mecha puberty tale. Fantastic, style-bending animation. Self-aware. Multi-dimensional characters. Sadly, only six episodes. A rare gem. Clearly intended to amuse bored animators and scriptwriters.
Revolutionary Girl Utena (Shoujo Kakumei Utena), 1997 – Mystic dueling High School gender drama parody – or is it? Silly overwrought High Shoujo style, complete with pseudo-homoerotic-transgender-incest undertones and cosmically metaphorical song lyrics. The English dub is crucial to the weirdness transmitting properly. Audience is probably some very surprised high-school girls… or maybe it all makes sense in Japan. For girl-drink meta-philosophers.
Cowboy Bebop, 1998-1999 – Ambitious, well-made bounty hunter detective space western. Choppy plot reaches at times, but good animation, and unlikely but engaging characters. For high-schoolers, and high-school moods.
His and Her Circumstances (Kareshi Kanonjo no Jijou) (Kare Kano), 1998-1999 – Surprisingly subtle and sophisticated high school dating comedy. Genuine humor, interesting characters, and some innovative manga-style animation. For clever high-school girls and their admirers.
Oh! Super Milk-Chan, 1998 – Equal parts lighthearted whimsy and dada hypnosis, Milk Chan is the Ren & Stimpy of anime. It takes a few episodes for them to get in the groove, but the moments of absurd brilliance are worth the slow spots. The English version is an adaptation, not a dub. For clever underachievers.
Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi (Abenobashi Mahou Shotengai), 2002 – Clever style-hopping farce. Spoofs all the major anime genres, while remaining remarkably coherent. For jaded anime fans, or ambitious neophytes.
Mononoke, 2007 – Stylish and moving series of two- to three-episode horror arcs based on Japanese legends, with a Twilight-Zone feel. For those who can read between lines… of blood.
Yakitate!! Japan, 2004-2006 – Impressively geeky competitive bread-baking dramatic comedy, liberally seasoned with the absurd. Later seasons disappoint. For fast readers, and fans of bread.
Afro Samurai, 2007 – Samuel L. Jackson’s hip-hop samurai techno-western alternates between over-animated bloodbaths and squinty zen stare-downs. For the Wu-Tang Clan.
Excel_Saga, 1997-present – Wacky madcap high-density no-holds-barred self-referential anime satire. Starts out broadly accessible (as far as that goes) but delves further and further into Japano-centric culture references. For the speed-reading anime fan.
Puni Puni Poemy, 2001 – Wacky madcap Excel Saga two-part spinoff OVA, packed with high-density no-holds-barred self-referential anime satire, up to and including tentacle-pr0n. For the mature, jaded, speed-reading anime fan.
Paranoia Agent, 2004 – Slow-moving Lynchian psych-out detective thriller, with postmodern frosting. A passable effort over well-trod ground. For the bored and thoughtful.
Serial Experiments Lain, 1998 – Cute and spooky experimental techno-drama centered on a small girl in a bear suit. Lots of 90′s interface geekiness and mind/body pontification. For the junior philosopher’s computer club.
Noir, 2001 – Stylish, brooding assassin conspiracy. Fairly impenetrable characters, but a passable plot, and some lovely art direction. For pragmatic, disillusioned high school girls.
Neon Genesis Evangelion, 1995-1996 – Super-cosmic giant mecha drama with teen loners forced into shared crises at the center. Lots of tech and power suits, complex plot, and an oddly disturbing kabbalist underpinning. The story gets out of the writers’ hands at times, but it’s weird enough to be engaging. For smart quiet teen loners.
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