Luna6ix wrote:first off let me say i absolutely despise anime--so much that when i say the word "anime" i say it phonetically ( "an" from annex, and "ime" from mime.)
theficionado wrote:All of Satoshi Kon's films (save one, perhaps) are thematically rich works that use animation to explore identity in a way that most closely approximates a fever dream. Since you like Paprika, my personal favorite, I'd try Perfect Blue and Millennium Actress -- interesting works that are totally different tonally.
Uh, you can't go too wrong with Miyazaki. My favorite is Princess Mononoke. Its characters are quite complex, and I love its unflagging Romanticism.
If you like Blade Runner, you might like Ghost in the Shell and its sequel. They deal with similar subject matters and are quite accomplished action movies to boot.
Oh, and Memories doesn't quite work as a cohesive piece, but I'm a big fan of its first two segments.
this. except i like 'perfect blue' and 'millennium actress' both more than 'paprika' (which is still excellent).
and 'grave of the fireflies' is absolutely amazing.
If I had a nickel for every time I read "I despise anime but..." on a message board I'd be making money in a very weird way. You're letting some ill advised and prejudiced grudge take over your enjoyment of a sometimes great visual art form.
e_e wrote:If I had a nickel for every time I read "I despise anime but..." on a message board I'd be making money in a very weird way. You're letting some ill advised and prejudiced grudge take over your enjoyment of a sometimes great visual art form.
actually the simple fact the "but" is in that sentence proves that we (at least myself) are not clouded by prejudices, since i also freely admit that i do like some anime. the former part of the statment is just my saying that as a general rule i hate anime--and this is not tested, i have given anime a chance, but it has let me down consistantly. as for my actual complaints about anime shows or movies they generally have bad translation (especially in music i.e. naruto--hell the music sucks, period) they also make the human body look ugly and facial expression is both unrealistic, and unsightly. the plots are impossibly stupid (see fullmetal alchemist--the title of that alone gives weight to my point). also, just for arguement, just because japanese people use animation to show their desires of how a person should look (very pale skin, legs three times as long as torsos, and bust sizes greater than that of watermelons--well that's an exaggeration) doesn't mean it's a great visual art form. anyway, i'd like to repeat myself, these are generalizations and i do admit that not all anime fits into this (see my scores for "blood", "howl's moving castle", and "paprika" for proof)
What that says to me is that you don't hate anime so much as you hate the tropes that are used in certain genres of anime - especially, from your examples, the "shonen" genre, meant for teenage boys. The anime that's shown on TV in the US is a fraction of the full scope of what's available.
I'll definitely echo the recommendations of Hayao Miyazaki and Satoshi Kon. Cowboy Bebop: The Movie is good in and of itself, and also a good introduction to the 26-episode series. Looking at your rankings... although it's older, you might enjoy Galaxy Express 999, a fantastic piece of science fiction. Ghost in the Shell is one of the defining works of modern cyberpunk. And you might want to try the recent Evangelion movies. Yes, they have giant robots, but they're window dressing to deep, psychological character pieces.
TV-series-wise, I'm going to go for something that nobody's mentioned so far, but that I think you might appreciate: Azumanga Daioh. The day-to-day life of a bunch of high school girls sounds really boring and vapid, but the level of wit and humor brought to such a simple subject is amazing.