キノの旅
Kino and her talking motorcycle journey to different worlds.

プラネテス (Planetes)
Hard sci-fi about collecting space debris. Its a lot better than it sounds

I'd also suggest Monster, great anime.. I'd suggest 20th Century Boys too (by the same creator), but it's only a manga.

I don't know much for anime other than that, as I prefer manga much more.

Edit: Also, maybe Bokurano, but I haven't watched the anime, only read the manga.

Last edited by emily00 (2008 December 31, 12:08 am)

What you call "typical anime" sound like (1) mecha anime and (2) harem anime.

Sure, there are many anime outside these categories.

灰羽連盟 Rakka awakens into an unfamiliar world with only a strange dream of falling from the sky as her only memory. Philosophical in an entertaining way.

N・H・Kにようこそ! Satou Tatsuhiro, a 22 year old young man, is a NEET (Not in Employment, Education, or Training) and a hikikomori. Explores many social problems.

alyks wrote:

(Gilgamesh) I doubt anybody here has heard of this, but it's a very serious anime. (Not a robot anime or that type of thing, fyi)

I was actually in the mind of renting that.

Lain is definitely different, and I liked Paranoia Agent (or most things by Satoshi Kon).

I don't agree that anything listed here is 'non-typical anime'...  They all fit into subgenres.  I think what you're looking for are series that bring something new to the party, even if not totally original.

Baccano!, Paranoia Agent, Kino no Tabi, Scryed, Read or Die, NHK ni Yousoko, Monster, MyHime, .hack, Akira, Alien 9, Interlude, Melody of Oblivion, Irresponsible Captain Tylor, Sexy Commando, Excel Saga...  All of these have things to offer that's 'new'.  There are more, of course...  I've just listed the first ones that came to mind.

Well, I know exactly what you mean, kfmfe04. But anyway, the list is probably already overwhelming, but I would like to add:

Samurai 7: a retelling of, well, you guessed it, in a semi-feudal, semi-futuristic setting. Nicely animated involved story with many characters.

The Freedom Project: a sci-fi about a technologically advanced colony on the moon (while Earth has lapsed into a "post-holocaust" state). Design consultant is the guy who did Akira, and it shows. Uses enhanced CGI techniques in the animation.

Mononoke: based on Japanese folklore and ghost stories in a period setting. Highly stylized animation gives this a very different "arty" look.

Detroit Metal City: a "boy next door" type goes to the city to be pop star (he likes "Swedish pop", and if you know what that means, you'll know what a wimp he is). He ends up fronting a death metal band. I've never laughed at anime so much in my life. Very bad language and sexual themes.

Tekkonkinkreet: a movie (directed by an American, but it is Japanese) about punk kids in a kind of retro-future setting. There's plenty of action, and the animation is amazing, but it has many thoughtful moments. One of my favourite animated movies.

Last edited by Pangolin (2008 December 31, 1:38 pm)

Like Tobberoth said:
蟲師　Mushishi - Ginko, a specialist in creatures called Mushi wanders around helping people to deal with them. Mushi, a kind of life that most people can't percieve, are part of the primeval lifestream. People who can manipulate them can do all sorts of strange things, but they can also give bizarre sicknesses. Ginko is sort of a cross between Mulder & Scully and a wandering village doctor.

It has beautiful, watercolor type art and a very low-key and mysterious atmosphere.

(I just saw Tekkon Kinkreet, it was very cool)

Last edited by l0rdjagged (2008 December 31, 3:05 pm)

Now, I don't watch anime anymore. Even when I did, I think Hikaru no Go was the only one I watched completely (due to being a Go fan, and not anime).

Death Note - serious dialogue, follows the manga from what I heard.

5cm a Second - 60 minute anime movie, but looks gorgeous. Sparse on dialogue.

Hikaru no Go, Prince of Tennis, H2,  etc. - Yeah, they're aimed at young boys, but each of these that look at aspects of hobby/interests in Japan is useful for expanding your knowledge on subjects. I do wonder if Japanese approach these hobbies with the intensity these characters tend to do.

One Piece - ha ha ha, just kidding.

I've been having trouble getting into anime too.

These days it's easier for me to enjoy something like Initial D or Hajime no Ippo than something more .. well I've been so out of the anime loop recently that I can't even name an example.


But I've been finding more enjoyment out of realistic settings, even if it is over the top.  But the thing is, I've always loved scifi and thoughtful stories too..  Then again, I think a lot of anime is garbage, so it's difficult to find something good, and I don't care to look.


I love Miyazaki's films though..  Anything with lots of effort put into it, I will probably enjoy.

Evil_Dragon wrote:

What?! Nobody mentions FLCL? How can you get more non-typical?

There.  Finally a true 'non-typical' anime has been mentioned.  That thing is...  Well, I don't think it has a classification at all...  Not even compared to books or tv or movies.  It's just...  crazy.  Good crazy, but crazy.

there's not much I can add to the stuff listed here... Nobody mentioned 涼宮ハルヒの憂鬱, but I think it's fairly atypical.

well, there's a big difference between calling something "random" and "not knowing what to do with it in a logical sense". Just because something does not appear to be logical does not mean that it is random. Human beings are NOT logical creatures. We are emotional creatures that invent so-called "logical" reasons to mask up the "un-logical", emotional decisions that we make. FLCL is of the same vein as movies like Mulholland Drive, or Lost Highway. Why does everything have to be "explainable" in a logical sense? The wonderfulness of FLCL and others of the sort is that it forces you to get involved with it in a very different way than other animes (which basically spoonfeed us with a "logical" plot).  It forces us to think for ourselves, to create the meaning of things. In life, things just "happen". It is each of us that decides (creates) what the "happenings" mean to us, if they are good or bad, or if there is any symbolism in it. It is human beings that atribute symbolism and meaning to "happenings". In FLCL, you have to "go with the flow", forget judgefulness, forget common sense or logic, or maniqueism. A lot of music does not make sense, yet it inspires us and touches us in a way that a lot of "logical" works don't. When a musician is expressing his feelings on an instrument, sometimes there are passages which are not logical, or even stupid, and yet they touch us somehow.