As my journey into weebdom continues (maybe I could do a Youtube miniseries on that) I have another recommendation request. I remember someone once telling me that I would like My Hero Academia since I am a fan of old school super-hero comics and I've heard My Hero Academia be described as a love letter to comic books. I plan on getting that omnibus soon but I would also like to know what are some good Sci-Fi/Fantasy anime or mangas? Probably the very first anime I ever saw was Robotech because my older brother was really into it when I was a kid. I read his Robotech book over and over. As for fantasy, I guess Howl's Moving Castle would count? I actually learned recently that was based on a manga so I want to check that out.
So is there any good sci-fi anime/manga y'all could recommend?
The space opera of Legend of Galactic Heroes should be mentioned. It is long but very filling. Nothing like it. OP.
GiTS S.A.C is very good. A spin off series that focuses more on police action and criminal drama with a dash of philosophy. OP
Recently went through Bebop with some friends and it's really an amalgamation of different genres. Cowboy/crime noir set in space with the soundtrack inspired by blues and jazz but it comes together really well through the personal journey of Spike. It's a good time. OP
Darker than Black has that 2000s edge to it. A protag who drinks, his helper who doesn't emote set in a city that's always raining. It's not bad if you can get through a few of the arcs. OP
Oh boy, Code PANTS. I haven't watched Geass in about a decade due to loving it so much as a teen. It's a tightly focused mech drama with Lelouch carrying the show on his back. It straddles that line of the show being awesome with the tactics Lelouch comes up with vs cringe in the teen drama. I'd say give it a watch though, it doesn't waste a single episode and events and characters actually matter to the story, like orange for instance. OP.
Honestly can't go wrong with FMA: Brotherhood. I think it's overlooked by just how competent it is. OP
Few more I'd throw in myself
Girl's Last Tour. Two girls and their Kettenkrad travel through an empty city at the end of civilization. There is a depressing cloud hanging over everything but it's a real nice series that that's only 13 eps long. OP
Houseki no Kuni.The gem series that Steven Universe ripped of. This.. oh this series is good. Phos walks the path of the Buddha and to say any more of the plot would be massive spoilers. Suffice to say, the themes in this are to do with "what is a human?" It is 3DCG but the company that did it worked on game cut-scenes. and as a result it's really smooth, especially the 60fps blurays on Nyaa. OP.
Humanity has declined is almost the same as Girl's Last Tour, except this one has an upbeat and cheery nature to everything. It's also quite comedic in tone. The episodes are intentially told out of order but they should be listed there on anidb. OP.
Yamato (2013). A remake of the classic story from the 80s, it's really faithful to the source material. Plus it's Yamato, you've gotta see Yamato at some point. Leiji should get more recognition in turning an icon of Imperial Japan into a cultural icon in modern Japan, to the point that the Self Defense Navy still play the OP to this day.
Did you know there's a Zone of the Enders anime? Did you also know that it's pretty good. Story is James Link is on earth and gets a message from his dead with through the bot Dolores. Half of the series is him trying to get to Mars with his kids and evading authorities. OP
I've got a soft spot for Last Exile. It's kind of a weird one but the designs of the ships are second to none. Give it a shot, maybe you'll like it. OP
The early 2000s was a weird time for anime because each series had different takes on what the internet would be. Lain and Digimon for example. Dennou Coil is what would happen if you could see the internet and interact with it in the real world with taoist cards and symbols. Follows a group of kids in a pocket of the internet that might leak into the real world. OP.
One I just remembered. The Third. Samurai girl/mechanic that fixes up a homemade tank to travel around the desert. Can't remember if it's good or not. OP.
One series I've been meaning to check out is Aura Battler Dunbine. I used the characters extensively in Super Robot Wars X and it just has a good feel about it. A hollow earth with a fey kingdom that fights with insect mechs. OP
Another 80s Mech to check out is VOTOMS. It's a little on the long side but there's an entire arc that's like the Vietnam War with mechs, complete with napalm and mechs on boats. Watch it. OP.
I'm a fan of traveling anime and there's a few there.
Spice and Wolf is at the top of my list. A merchant and his wolf and the various economics of the day. First arc for instance deals with an ongoing war and the kingdom gathering up silver coins to devalue. Another one in S2 involves a speculative market around the inflated price of pumice, just like tulips. It's just a comfy series the entire way through. OP.
Kino is probably THE travel anime. A new destination and city every episode. There's 2 series, one from 2003 and one from 2017. They're not really the same apart from the Coliseum arc which differs slightly. OP
Should be noted that Kino is a girl, she just dresses like a tomboy because traveling in this world is dangerous, hence why she carries 2 guns. If she looks like a boy, then people don't trouble her as much. This is just a reverse trap, not tranny propaganda. Just want that noted.
Can't talk about fantasy without Mushishi. This is what got me into anime. The mushi are a part of the world, visible to only a few yet influence people everyday. Ginko is a traveling Mushi-shi, a monk/doctor type role where he tries and cures people affected by Mushi through non-violent methods. The series does have alot of taoist influenced and is pushed along mostly by it's character drama. An example here. The music is also really good. 2005 and 2014 series.
Moribito: A.K.A, Balsa and her Shota. I kid. Plot is the prince is special, so Balsa has to protect him up to a religious ceremony he can perform. It's a nice grounded fantasy anime with a likeable heroine. OP
Twelve Kingdoms was Isekai about 15 years before it became popular. The thing is though is that it's really good, Youko gets sucked through a magic portal and becomes queen of a country. Thing is, she wasn't the only one sucked through, she can't understand the language if she doesn't hold her sword and her country is occupied by a rival country. There are two main arcs and was going to be 50 episodes instead of 45, except the director died before the last 5 were done and they were never completed. OP.
One more: Thunderbolt Fantasy. 3 seasons, 2 movies and written by Urobuchi who's known for Madoka, Psycho-pass and a few others. Why you should watch Puppet Ball Z? Well I'm gonna spoil to get you to watch. The series focuses on Sho Fu Kan, a wandering warrior who gets caught up in a heist Lin Setsu A is planning and is forced to go along with it. He's clearly hiding something but won't say what. Events unfold and to protect someone he has to throw away his weapon. The villains taunt him for throwing away his weapon.
Then he picks up the stick
That Lv5 warrior that was the butt of the joke through out the series is a LV20 monk hiding his power level the entire time. The reveal at the end even has consequences for S2 and 3 as it becomes a major plot point for Sho's character.
Give it a watch, you won't regret it.
Full title: Kino's Journey (english) or Kino no Tabi (japanese)
Both versions are worth watching because the new one is more like a second season than a remake.
Holy cow this man has good tastes. You had me at remembering that Girls Last Tour exists. I was the only one at a convention that bought art for it and the vendor was so relieved someone finally knew what it was. (And this was the year it came out!)
Oh great, you just spoiled the best scene in the show. Well, I suppose I haven't finished S3 yet, and there are plenty of amazing moments.
I did like the April Fools joke of an FGO crossover (Shang/Sho is voiced by Archer).
Thank you!