Lately (in the last year) I've made a hobby of reading/watching random mangas/anime on impulse. The nature of the impulse can range from seeing it on tvtropes and thinking it sounds interesting to hitting the 'random manga' button on OneManga.com. In this way, I've read/watched quite a few series since the last time I listed the series I know. A few highlights (just series I haven't seen mentioned here yet):
School Mermaid: A very short 3-chapter manga which can be read in one hour. It's about romance, cute girls in school swimsuits, and High Octane Nightmare Fuel.
Ima, Soko Ni Iru Boku (aka Now And Then, Here And There): Anime only, AFAIK. It looks like a typical Shonen Trapped In Another World plot. It sounds like a typical Shonen Trapped In Another World plot. It smells like... you get the idea. Even the drawing style matches the westerner's usual expectations of a Shonen anime. The first episode
is a typical Shonen Trapped In Another World plot, for all intents and purposes. The next twelve... are a merciless Deconstruction of the whole genre. Definitely watch with your kids.
Saishuu Heiki Kanojo (aka SaiKano, released in the UK as She, the Ultimate Weapon): It's pretty much impossible to sum the premise up without either spoilering the show or making it sound ass-retarded. I have, however seen many people who had heard of the basic premise (Girl is turned into a living weapon), watched it, and were disappointed because it's not what they thought it would be. Thus, let me get any misunderstandings out of the way: SaiKano is
not an Action series. In fact, if you're looking for a light-hearted Action series with dashing heroics, watch anything
but SaiKano. So what is it? It's an anti-war story, and it's about as subtle about it as a rampaging elephant. But it works. The motives and background behind the war are never really explained, the plot limits itself to what really matters to those involved in a war - the effects it has on day-to-day life. Exists as a manga, 13-episode anime, and live action film.
Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni: A must-see if you like drama, lots of High Octane Nightmare and Paranoia Fuel, and excessive Mind Screw (with a good dash of comedic fanservice thrown in). Also very difficult to sum up in a coherent fashion without spoiling the entire thing, but not quite as bad as SaiKano. The series is broken up into multiple chapters which all narrate the month of July 1983 from different perspectives. Between the chapters, the framework happenings stay the same, but the actions of the five (or six, starting with chapter 3) main characters vary each time. The second season,
Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni Kai, finally makes sense of the plot and deals heavily with the themes of fate and fighting destiny.
Series/movies I want to watch/read or am currently watching/reading, based on comments and recommendations:
- Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
- Grave of the Fireflies
- Bobobo-Bo Bo-bobo
- K-On!
- Mirai Nikki
- Tons of others that I had in mind when I started writing this, but have forgotten by now.