Need some more anime suggestions

[Jeikobu]

Wolf's Rain-Wolves are awesome, but this series just looks very bizarre, and on the dark side of things. Is this really ok for Christians?
Chrono Crusade-Looks good except I heard that a demon is a protagonist. :-/
Naruto-Looks cool except there's this bit about fox demons in people, or whatever. >_<
Full Metal Alchemist-I want to try but I thought I'd double check.
Serial Experiments Lain-Another weird looking one.
Perfect Blue-Don't know enough about it but I heard it was graphic.
Paranoia Agent-A VERY weird looking one. What's the plot? A guy goes around killing people with a baseball bat? o_O
Dragon Ball Z-A little new age looking from what I've heard. What's with this eternal dragon bit? And what about the series in general?
Cardcaptor Sakura-On the edge of skipping. I don't like what I've seen in commercials and such. Looks to have too much magic.

Sorry for listing so many but I'd really appreicate good, detailed responses on as many of these as possible. Thanks!

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

Last Exile - low level violence, very small amount of cursing (only around 6 times words like d*amn and h*ll are sprinkled throughout the 25/26 episode series), several split second clevage shots and a woman taking a bath, that has lots of bubbles, nothing to see (luckily).
Its very interesting and probably one of the better 'clean' anime. The art is awesome, the story was interesting, the dubbing was very well done. Its like a war movie but focuses a lot on friendships and other 'drama' genre essentials.
Its rated PG here in Australia, but I think its PG13 in America.

[Jeikobu]

I didn't ask about that one but thanks for the suggestion anyway, I really do want to see that one. ^^

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

Oh, sorry I misunderstood you. I just wanted you to recommend it to you.
I know Dragon Ball Z has Eastern philosophy and medium violence, some cursing and some adult themes, but I've only seen several episodes of the censored versions and they didn't do anything for me. The main character was ready to fight Freezer (or something) and they grunted at each other for like 4 episodes and then finally fought. Boring! And I've read there are hundreds of episodes, so I probably wouldn't bother.
Sorry I can't help you with any of the others.

--edited-- sorry Ashley! Please forgive me!

[Ashley]

Remember Evangelion is on the do-not-discuss list. Also, I expect everyone to be mature here and list factual information and NOT get offended if someone mentions a show you like in a less-than-favorable light. Otherwise this will get locked.

Check out Angelic Layer, Jeikobu. I can't think of anything objectionable in it in the least--they call dolls "Angels" and the managers "deuses" but I didn't find it offensive in the least.

[Joshua Christopher]

Giant Robo- A drama (not an action series, or a robot series). It's hard to really explain the plot, but it's really about friendship, sacrifice, and our parents. This totally brilliant series is ranked near the top of anyone's list who's seen it. Content wise, the dub contains a good ammount of PG-13 language (no F-bombs or G-ds), while the sub has almost none. The sub is really what you'll want to watch, since the dub contorts the plot a bit. The animation is retro-styled, but also very good. I cannot give this series enough praise. It's absolutely amazing. Back to the content, though the main female protagonist wears the shortest skirt ever, there are no panty shots, fanservice, nudity, or any sex at all. The violence can get intense, but nothing, say, that couldn't be shown on [adult swim]. There is no real offensive religious material, other than one character being a taoist sorcerer, but the series does not push any beliefs. One thing that may shy you away is how it eventually blurs the line between good and evil, but trust me when I say that the way in which it is done is not negative.
The anime was started in 1992, with Yasuhiro Imagawa at the helm. It took until the summer of 1998 to finish only seven episodes, making up the entire anime. Luckily, the seven episodes are are longer than your usual 22-minute episode. In fact, episode 7 is one hour.
The soundtrack is brilliant as well, composed by the National Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, giving it an epic movie-like feel.
Episode one serves only to set up the plot, leaving even myself a bit underwhelmed. The episode is in no way bad, but it really picks up in episode 2.
Media Blasters just released the first DVD, but I suggest going after the all-region Korean boxed set on eBay (which you can get for a very cheap price).
No matter how much praise is given to Giant Robo, it deserves more. This is my personal favourite series of all time. The drama is just awesome. The anime climaxes about four times on your journey to the end...
Don't take this as a crazy overrated fanboy rant, Giant Robo really is that good.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=617&item=6357612272&rd=1
If you decide to buy Giant Robo, this is the boxed set that I own. The quality is fantastic, the subtitles are fine, and the presentation is wonderful. If you'd like to know more about it, you may contact me via AIM. Also, I can send you a few clips if you'd like to see some.

[MasterDias]

Wolf's Rain: I've seen several episodes and didn't see much that could be considered offensive, aside from possibly some violence.
Unless, you just don't care for a dark post-apocolyptic setting in general or whatever...

Chrono Crusade: I'm following the manga. Yes, one of the two main characters is a "demon" although not really in the Christian sense. And the series uses quite a bit of strange religious imagery.
I'm enjoying Chrono Crusade but somehow, I do not think that you would be particularly thrilled with this one...

Naruto: I feel inclined to point out that what is possessing Naruto is not a "demon" in the Christian sense but a creature that comes from Japanese mythology. That said, there is a fair amount of violence and a few slight instances of mild perverted humor. There isn't much that could really be considered that offensive, in my opinion...

FMA: Violence and the series does get a bit dark at times. That's about it. Early on, the main character claims to be an atheist when confronted by a phony religion that was decieving a town. I don't think it ever comes up again , however, so I wouldn't think much of it.

Lain: Haven't seen.

Perfect Blue: Haven't seen, but from what I've understood, it does have graphic violence and sexual scenes.

Paranoia Agent: Haven't seen.

DBZ: I don't think Toriyama had anything "new age" in mind when he wrote the series. But, anyway...
The series is overrated and rediculously drawn out, especially in the anime. I do read the manga in Shonen Jump, and enjoy it at times, but it is by no means anywhere on my favorites list. There are better shonen titles out there.

CCS: Well, if you don't like magic, you won't like CCS. If you want a CLAMP title without the magic, check out Angelic Layer like Ashley recommended.

[Kaori]

Considering what your standards have been in the past (I recall that in an earlier thread you stated you had decided not to watch Princess Monanoke because of its content) I would strongly recommend staying away from both Perfect Blue and Lain. Both are violent and could be considered highly disturbing. Perfect Blue also does contain sexual content. In Lain, God appears as a character and is portrayed in a way that, to say the least, is completely inconsistent with Christianity.

About Naruto, I can only echo what MasterDias has already said: there are demons within two of the characters (the main character and one minor character), but the idea of demons in Japanese mythology is not the same as the demons of Christian theology. However, one could say the same things about the gods in Princess Monanoke.

One of the premises of Wolf's Rain is that humans evolved from wolves. The main characters are wolves who can take on a human appearance and who are serching for Paradise. I don't know if that is something that will bother you or not. There also is a moderate level of violence, and many people find the series highly depressing--which, depending on your taste, could also be a turn-off.

[CDLviking]

I can not recommend Now and Then, Here and There enough. If you don't go out and watch it right now then you're wasting your life.

Sorry, I can get a little worked up sometimes, but it is seriously good.

[FadedOne]

ooh...two series I know something about ^_^ Although I'm sure others can explain better. *tries anyway*

Wolf's Rain--- easily one of my favourites so far. It's somewhat violent but I wouldn't say this is a big issue....that's just me though. There is some language...moreso in the later episodes I think. The whole wolves to people thing doesn't bother me in the slightest...it's just like reading a faerie tale or something personally. I dont suspect anyone will buy the concept seriously b/c they watched the show. LoL. that would be funny actually...

True, it is emotional with the little bit of comedy relief mainly in the character quirks. Not for everyone I suppose, but personally the way the story is told and the music(it's sooo good) makes this well worth watching.

Full Metal Alchemist--- haha ok, this show is just ODD. I've only seen about um...7? (I should go check) episodes so far. However many cartoon net has run so far. Quite frankly it's more disturbing to me than some of the other stuff I've watched, merely b/c it's more unusual lol. human transmutation, creepy half human things, etc. But it's not evil..just really weird at moments. alchemy is seen more as a science than a religion...definitely a plus in my eyes. Anyways...I really like that show, but I like moody/unique stuff.

So yeah...my thoughts/input. Sorry those are the only two I can speak on and for the fact this is so blasted fragmented. lol. God bless

Lara

[Sesshoumaru]

Wolf's Rain: An amazing series about four wolves Kiba,Tsume,Toboe and Hige who can mimic human appearance so that they may look for Paradise. Some violence but generally ok for Christians


DBZ: Oh man I am a DBZ nut. One of my all time favorites. Great action and some violence. As for the Dragons they are just spirits who grant wishes. The fight scenes are incredible and really keep you on the edge of your seat. Great anime

[Jeikobu]

I thought of two others I need suggestions on:
RahXephon-I saw the first couple eps dubbed on AnimeNetwork and am not liking the general feel of it so far, and I read the review on this site that said something about the things that the people pilot are supposed to be "gods". I want to make sure on this series though.
Witch Hunter Robin-I've heard some good things about it, but it also looks quite dark I must say.

And thanks for your suggestions thus far. ^^

[FadedOne]

ooh...WHR. I just finished watching the series. ^_^ really loved it

Granted, it's dark...sometimes i'd watch and have so much empathy for the main character i'd be all depressed. haha. but if you get past the initial episodes which are sort of slow, the story picks up greatly and man....really really good.

From a Chrisitan perspective..I dont' believe there's any language. (feel free to correct me) some violence, but nothing greatly disturbing. About mid-way through the whole witch element started to bug me a bit, but i'm thoroughly glad I stuck it out. Quite the emotional show. so yeah...lol, for what little it's worth....my input.

[CDLviking]

RahXephon-I saw the first couple eps dubbed on AnimeNetwork and am not liking the general feel of it so far, and I read the review on this site that said something about the things that the people pilot are supposed to be "gods". I want to make sure on this series though.

[spoiler]The RahXephon does become a god by the end of the series. It's only lously based on ancient long dead religions like those of the Egyptians and Mayans. I was able to view it as simply a modern work of mythology, but if it bothers you that's what it is. [/spoiler]

[Bobtheduck]

I will comment on Lain... It is a great show, but

1. It has a limited audience... Not many will enjoy it. For those that can, it is great, but it is hard to judge when people are going to like it.
2. It is rather disturbing. It's not very violent, but the themes are rather disturbing... This is some mature stuff, so i'd say no one under 18 should watch it.
3. There is some iffy spiritual stuff... It is open ended, the intention being that discussions will be held, and so they are... People draw so many conclusions out of it, but it is left up to the viewer. Because of that, depending on how you interpret some key scenes and lines toward the end of the show, you could see it as a "christian alegory" (which it is definately not) or blasphemous (which I don't think it is either) Personally, I think it is just usefull for stimulation of intelectual discussion and thought on the internet and on perception, as well as a few other things. If it weren't for the fact that Lain draws a much less mainstream crowd than, say, evangelion, i could imagine it going on the do not discuss list... Since it bores the crap out of most of the people who would be bothered to that extent by these things, it keeps itself out of that category.

Perfect Blue - It's a Psychological Thriller... Very rare in animated form (this genre of movie, that is) so it got a lot of attention from critics and such. I have not seen much of it, but I know that the content is pretty graphic. Besides the thematic elements of the paranoia and delusions, there is graphic sexual material as well... A rape, I heard, as well as scenes out of an adult movie (the main character becomes or once was an AV star.)

Dragonball Z... New Age, huh? New age is an American invention, taking elements of a lot of eastern religions. Buddhism, shintoism, taoism, as well as a few others... So "a little new age" wouldn't really describe very much coming out of Japan, but elements of Japanese MYTHOLOGY and maybe religions show up in the show... I wouldn't recommend it, anyhow... It's just incredibly repetitive. Very boring. It's sorta like a soap, in that you know what goes on after watching a few episodes, but everything takes months to happen... It's just way too long, way too boring, way too repetitive...

CCS: Yeah... Magic. If you're bothered by magic, avoid CCS. Plain and simple. In fact, avoid most anime... A safe, well known anime that you may consider that doesnt have any supernatural occurences, to my knowledge anyhow, is Detective Conan, known as "Case Closed" in the US. That's a good show, though it lasts forever.

Other shows and movies with no magic:
Grave of the Fireflies
Cowboy Bebop (decent amount of objectionable language in the dub and a bit of "faye"service)
Martian Successor Nadesico

I would like to warn you, on an entirely different note, that though you're bothered by magic in anime, not everyone is. People have different views on this and you would be good not to force yours on others. People, even, who are well aware of what the Bible says about Magic. People who have thought these things through, and didn't just decide this on a whim. People can enjoy mythology and fantasy as fiction without giving a nod to real life sin. If you are convicted by those things, then don't watch them, but don't think that conviction is universal. Don't think it is biblical absolute truth. God speaks to people differently. He deals with us based on our personal needs, and to enjoy those things is not sin in and of themselves.

[termyt]

There's a pretty good discussion of Lain in the "Christian Views on Anime thread" here http://www.christiananime.net/showthread.php?t=16153

My two cents on the series I've seen:

RahXephon. I don't understand the hype on this one. It's confusing and near impossible to follow and it's basically the same story as Evangelion, except the characters are even less likeable. There was only one character that interested me in the least - the secondary character Megumi, and she didn't get anywhere near enough screen time to justify watching the series. Although ADV's translation of Ramune as Ramen Soda was worth a laugh or two.

Dragon Ball Z really needs to be condensed. It ran as a daily show with about as much content as a weekly. In other words, there was as much action and story in five episodes of DBZ as there was in one episode of Trigun or Cowboy Bebop. If you can take sitting there and watching the breeze blow across the plains and twenty minutes of monologue and power ups before each fight, then you can handle this. The pace was just way too slow for me. In the Freeza – Goku fight, it takes three weeks of episodes to show the last five minutes of the fight. Literally. We are told there are five minutes left three weeks before the season ends. There are no religious implications, though, beyond what are common cultural references for Japan.

Considering your leanings in anime, I doubt you’d like Full Metal Alchemist. The show is very dark and violent and contains a lot of magic. The story opens with the two brothers trying to resurrect their dead mother through necromancy. I’m told the series makes a recovery from those dark beginnings, but I’ve only seen the first four episodes.

I watched Cardcaptor for the stunning animation and the thousand costumes of Sakura. It was a really attractive anime. I’m told it’s better in the original, uncut Japanese and I believe that.

I’ve only seen a few episodes and read a little of the manga for Chrono Crusade, but I’m betting the weird religion in it will be a big turn off to you. There’s a very strange blending of Christian words and phrases (most likely because they are trend and cool in Japan right now) with very Japanese definitions of priest and demon. The mixing is so strange, I barely give it a second thought, but it drives some folks I know crazy.

Hope that helps.

[Jeikobu]

Thought of another one: Fushigi Yuugi. Doesn't sound good with the false god bit.

[Kaori]

I don't know much about Fushigi Yuugi, not having seen it. Apparently the manga is considered a shoujo "classic," but I believe that it has some nudity in it.

[Jeikobu]

It depends on the level. Personally I'm more concerned about the false religion.
When I want to see an anime, the most important thing to me is the level of false religion, witchcraft and other things like that. After that comes the nudity, then fanservice, then probably violence, but I have more of a tolerance for that (I love Samurai X, but I must say that's about my limit).
And if there's magic and such, it depends on how it's used. If there's alot of it and it's really witchcraft, I don't like it, but if it's more like a power and the details aren't really gotten into, it doesn't bother me as much.

Any other opinions on the anime I've listed?

[mitsuki lover]

It should be pointed out that both Wolf's Rain and Witch Hunter Robin are by the creators of Cowboy Bebop.
Of the three WHR is the only one that really has much discussion of
Christianity in it.Robin was raised in a Catholic monastary in Italy and
her foster-father is a priest.
As I remember it there was only one mention of Christianity in CB and
that was a bit of a jokey reference to the YMCA in the ep.featuring the
obnoxious bounty hunter.The dialog went something on these lines:
Ed:"He's staying at the YMCA."
Spike:"You mean he's a Christian?"
Ed:"No..Not THAT 'Y'...The Young Man's Cowboy Association."

As far as Full Metal Alchemist goes I have just started watching the series
on Adult Swim.It's up to epside 10 or 9 now,so can't comment too much
on it.

Serial Experiments:Lain is a cyberpunk series and has to do a lot with
questions about Reality,God and who we are.It probably will disturb some
people more because of the young age of the heroine.

[Jeikobu]

I guess I won't be seeing Lain.

Man, I wish that one of these times I would end up being able to see some of these. So many series look so great, but I have to skip them due to their material. Inu Yasha looked awesome, but it sounds like it's full of false religion and stuff a Christian shouldn't be into. RahXephon looked very appealing and has excellent animation, but I didn't like the feeling I got after seeing a couple eps and there's the whole Egyptian mythology/false gods thing. And there are plenty others. Takes alot of fun out of being a fan. Sorry about the rant. I will always try to put Christianity first, but that doesn't change the fact that it's very frustrating to have to drop so many anime that so many say are so good. >_<

[Joshua Christopher]

I guess I won't be seeing Lain.

Man, I wish that one of these times I would end up being able to see some of these. So many series look so great, but I have to skip them due to their material. Inu Yasha looked awesome, but it sounds like it's full of false religion and stuff a Christian shouldn't be into. RahXephon looked very appealing and has excellent animation, but I didn't like the feeling I got after seeing a couple eps and there's the whole Egyptian mythology/false gods thing. And there are plenty others. Takes alot of fun out of being a fan. Sorry about the rant. I will always try to put Christianity first, but that doesn't change the fact that it's very frustrating to have to drop so many anime that so many say are so good. >_<

I mention it far too much, but PLEASE check out Giant Robo: The Animation.
It's my absolute favourote anime of all time, and really isn't very bad.
There's almost zero religious content(And of the small bit, one is actually pro-Christian).
The themes of the series are just great. The animation is retro-styled, but very good (especially since it came out between '92 and '98).
There is some violence, but nothing that couldn't be shown on TV.
The dub contains a good(bad) ammount of swearing, but watch it in Japanese...the story makes more sense and such(plus very little swearing).
Other than Gin Rei's skirt, there is zero fanservice and zero sexual content.
If you aren't into giant robot animations, this isn't one. It's more set to the backdrop of robots and such, but Giant Robo is a drama. DOn't buy the new American DVDs, check eBay for the all-region Korean boxed set. You must watch all 7 eps through.
I *LOVE* Giant Robo. You should as well.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=617&item=6359155492&rd=1

[Jeikobu]

Does the Korean set have a Japanese language track? Anyway, I would rather rent it first. Netflix has disc 1 of what I assume is the American version and it has disc 2 on Save (meaning they will have it in the future).

[CDLviking]

I mention it far too much, but PLEASE check out Giant Robo: The Animation.
It's my absolute favourote anime of all time, and really isn't very bad.
There's almost zero religious content(And of the small bit, one is actually pro-Christian).
The themes of the series are just great. The animation is retro-styled, but very good (especially since it came out between '92 and '98).
There is some violence, but nothing that couldn't be shown on TV.
The dub contains a good(bad) ammount of swearing, but watch it in Japanese...the story makes more sense and such(plus very little swearing).
Other than Gin Rei's skirt, there is zero fanservice and zero sexual content.
If you aren't into giant robot animations, this isn't one. It's more set to the backdrop of robots and such, but Giant Robo is a drama. DOn't buy the new American DVDs, check eBay for the all-region Korean boxed set. You must watch all 7 eps through.
I *LOVE* Giant Robo. You should as well.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=617&item=6359155492&rd=1

I'm curious why you keep recommending the Korean boxed set. What makes it better than the American version?

[Joshua Christopher]

The Korean boxed set contains English, Japanese, and Korean language tracks.
It has Korean and English subtitles.
The third disc, while not in English, contains some nifty special features.
Only the first two episodes are available on DVD so far. Giant Robo should be watched all the way through.


Yeah, I'd say rent it. It's only the first two episodes, but...
Episode one is a bit underwhelming, only setting up the plot. After that it gets good. Just make sure you watch it in Japanese. The English version really messed up some plot points...
So if you want to rent them, I say go for it. Aside from the Korean boxed set being really good, it'll be quite a long wait in between episodes if you wait for the American release of each DVD. Plus, you'd be saving a lot of money. $25 per DVD (Which will probably be four) as opposed to $20-30 for the entire boxed set.

[Jeikobu]

Well, maybe at some point I'll try what Netflix has of it and if I like it enough I may buy the Korean box set.

[Joshua Christopher]

Just remember, with Giant Robo you really have to watch all seven episodes to get it. That's not to say you won't enjoy it, but it's really the best all the way through.

I just watched episode 7 again last night. So great! ^_^

[Jeikobu]

Wow, only 7 eps? I haven't seen too many that short (I know FLCL and Nurse Witch Komugi are are that, and there are OVAs of course).

[Joshua Christopher]

Wow, only 7 eps? I haven't seen too many that short (I know FLCL and Nurse Witch Komugi are are that, and there are OVAs of course).

Yes, there are only 7 episodes of Giant Robo, but you must realize that they are all pretty long.

Episode 1 is about 50 minutes.
Episodes 2-6 are roughlt 40 minutes.
And episode 7 is one hour long.

[Jeikobu]

Wow, I didn't know that. I guess that's why there's only 2 eps per disc on the American release.