Anime

[Ragnarok]

I think another part of it could be that unlike the "supernatural" anime, where there are The Chosen One/s who get powers, anyone can pilot a giant robot, as no matter how overwhelming they are, they're piloted by normal (or in some cases a little more than normal, but still not superhuman) people. People look at fantasy and think "if I had those powers" but look at a robot and think "hey, I can do that."
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To win against an opponent stronger than yourself, you must not be weaker than that opponent. - Takamachi Nanoha

[Rayadragon]

[Raven]

And on one's mentioned Eva yet? Is it just too old for you or can you not handle an anime having its way with your mind and then leaving it in a ditch by the side of the road?

That said, I have really high standards for anime. There are animes I enjoy watching for some reason or another (love triangles are interesting) but to get on my "good" list it has to actually have thematic elements and make you think about things.

In the "OMGZ my brain is *****-uped" category:
-Evangelion: I'm sorry, but Eva is just wonderful. The romance is underplayed, Rei is adorable, people die, more people die, and everyone turns into goo. How can you not love this show? And I found this the other day: http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o173/KatayokunoTenshi_01/eva_ripoff.jpg

-Paranoia Agent: Watch this show. Seriously. Your brain will go "Huh buh wuh?" and then you will fall over twitching. Also: no magical girls or miniskirts. Not that I'm really complaining about the miniskirts, but it's just not realistic to fight ginourmous monsters in a skirt that barely grazes your thighs.

In the "This is just plain weird" category:
-FLCL: Oh my god. So hilarious . So very hilarious and, at six episodes, you can watch it all in one sitting.

-xxx-Holic: I just recently re-discovered this. Good, believable story without miniskirts or overdone romance issues. There is a love triangle (most anime do tend to have them) but it isn't anywhere near the main plot. Come to think of it, the main "plot" isn't much of a plot.

In the "Simply Awesome" category:
-Ergo Proxy: Awesome story and setting. Nice little "I love her but she hates me" thing going on. Supernatural thingamcbobs. It keeps the watcher in the dark about what's actually going on until the very last episode. Wonderfully done, a little Gothic, but incredible.

-Elfen Lied: The two main characters are collage students, not in high school. That in itself is wonderful. Romance=OMG you killed my sister=awesome. People die. It's always good when people die, how good an anime is is directly proportional to how many people die bloody deaths. The first episode has a lot of bloody deaths. Also, watching characters have their minds completely blown is always good.

In the "A little stereotypical but has its redeeming features" category:
-Darker than Black: Amazing premise. It is very difficult to have a character who can control time not be insanely overpowered. This show manages and for that alone it would have my respect, but it also has plenty of themes. And there's not a single stand-alone episode, they all come in pairs. (Except for the last three.)

-Fate/Stay Night: I realized halfway through this anime that it is, in fact, a love story. I was kind of upset. However, it ends with the proper amount of tragedy and not all of the characters are precisely what they seem. (Hint, hint.)

That's my list of good anime. I'm sure there's more I haven't found yet. This is my mission, I must wade through mires of **** anime and find the gems scatted throughout. Generally I find them on luck. For every series I save to my computer there's three more I erase or never finish watching.
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The Lichen grows slowly, atop of a rock.
It doesn't think, it scarcely feels,
But mightn't it be somehow greater than we?

[Samariyu]

I don't know how much anime I watch anymore (the dubs and plot changes jack up my mental imagery), but I read TONS of manga.

My favorite mangas are:

Bleach - I love the plot and character developement, not to mention the sweet action scenes. It manages to balance a light and dark reading atmosphere in a single story. Later on in the story, the politics of the Soul Society becomes fairly involved, giving it a realistic feeling. Overall, it's a smart and well written series. I'm glad I discovered it (waaaaay before the anime came out).

Naruto - The beginning of the series is great; character developement rocks. Rivalries are formed, relationships spark, and people grow physically and emotionaly stronger. But from the end of the chunin exams and on the series gets a bit overated in my opinion. I think the author could have done it better.

Fullmetal Alchemist - All I can say is SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE ANIME! Oh Lord, the anime doesn't even compare! If you like the show, read the books. They're exactly the same at first, but from around book 6 and on the stories branch into completely different directions, and the books are better. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

D-Grayman - a bit too melodramatic at times, but overall a very good series. It's darker than most but still has humor. Fairly good action sequences.

Tsubasa - one of my favorite works by CLAMP (along with xxx Holic, Rayearth, CCS, and Chun Hyung). I was a sucker for CCS, so Tsubasa was a dream for me. BEAUTIFUL ART! (CLAMP has some of the best manga art there is). Very original story.

That's all I can think of at the moment, but I have more favorites that my ADHD and Ipod won't let me remember.

As for animes I like:

Fullmetal Alchemist
Ergo Proxy
Ghost in the Shell
Elfen Lied (bloody! )
Whitch Hunter Robin
Wolf's Rain
Noir
Anything by Studio Ghibli


EDIT: I just remembered that Fruits Basket is one of my favorite mangas too.
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Live simply, so that others may simply live.

http://samariyu.deviantart.com/

[Ragnarok]

[RamenDemon]

i watched dearS, tonagura, and he's my master during half the spring break. still counting though.
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Really, you should know better than steal a bowl of ramen from a Dragon.. *slu-u-u-rp*

[Rayadragon]

[ShadowBeyondtheGrave]

I HATE bleach, I don't know why, I just can't stand it. I really can't.

I like Funimation and Tokyopop, generally.
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The evidence so far outways the reasoning prooving beyond a reasonable doubt that everything you've been told and seen is true and real. Oh yeah, I'M A GIRL!