Got a couple o questions:

Is it true there will be more than one edition of the Cowboy Bebop movie?

Also, has anyone heard anything about new Monster Rancher DVD releases?

no, there are some in other regions and the american cover art sucks, but thats it (I have a custom cover)

just one version of the film. many bootlegs, american crappy cover.

/thread

Here's another anime question - last time I asked & looked around (about a year or two ago), there were really not that many anime series that were as good as Cowboy Bebop (IMO). Any other new series come out recently that people say is as good as Cowboy Bebop? Keep in mind that I usually hate anime that involves little 12 year old kids that save the universe with a talking cat.

It all depends on your taste really. Anime is not just one sort of story or art form, it's a whole field in itself. this would be like asking "There's no good movie out there since the godfather huh?"

Mainly you have to know what you like and we can go from there on suggestions. Wolf's Rain was pretty good if you liked Bebop. Trigun might be up your alley. it all depends on what you like and what you have seen and didn't like.

Thanks Jackskeleton...one problem I have is that for some reason I find it hard to watch anime when it isn't dubbed(I know this is horrible! - but strangely I don't have this problem for foreign films).

I've seen a few episodes of Trigun - it was OK, but not worth buying on DVD for me. I'm trying to look for a good & long series with around 18 or more episodes, not a single movie. I'll read up about Wolf's Rain.

Get Berserk

Yeah, well, this can vary your tastes a lot. For example, I find the dubbed Cowboy Bebop not worth anyone's time, and rather annoying, but I love the original version...

Anime on DVD Recommends is a good resource for this kind of thing. Of the series on the list, Crest of the Stars, Neon Genesis Evangelion (review), and Serial Experiments Lain are all very good and very non-cutesy. Boogiepop Phantom is another good one, which may be more up your alley if you like Cowboy Bebop's episodic style, since most other series strictly follow a story arc. (Be warned that it's extremely convoluted: the plot jumps back-and-forth in time without warning, and according to the English voice director there's around 40 major speaking roles.)

Vision of Escaflowne is another great series with a decent chunk of the Cowboy Bebop staff behind it (including the musical director and one of the writers). It's definitely a cutesy series and hits almost every anime stereotype (giant robots, fortune-telling teenage heroine, and an anthromorphic cat sidekick) but the storyline's execution is so well-done that it's good anyway. The movie (reviewed here) is IMHO better and much darker in tone, but it probably won't make much sense to someone who hasn't seen the series.

Hey... the characters in Sailor Moon are 14! :P

Anyway, most of the recommendations given so far are pretty good... A series I'd recommend is X (the TV series, not the movie). It's a sort of modern-day apocalyptic fantasy series - the plot is a bit convoluted and moves at a fast pace, but it's very gripping and character-oriented. Also the animation is gorgeous. It's very different to Cowboy Bebop, but it's extremely good.

I can't recommend Crest of the Stars/Banner of the Stars enough. Certainly not for everyone because of its lack of action, but it's a character-driven story. It's my favorite series out of everything I have in my collection. If you do decide to try it, PLEASE watch it subbed..

It's the reason I bought my DVD player in 2000 in anticipation of its release (which didn't come for another two years, as it turned out).

I recommend X TV and.....Big O, of course. two great anime series

What about Outlaw Star? It's a pretty good, old-fashioned space opera that while not quite as dark as Beebop, is still a pretty decent action show.

I liked Cosmic Warrior Zero-another space opera comparable to Outlaw Star and Cowboy Beebop.

Trigun is really good.

Outlaw Star is alot of fun too.

Hey Whats wrong with Sailor Moon, I just finished watching 42 uncut subed episodes, I am dreaming in Japanese. :-)

i know they're not series dvds but anything by miyazaki are worth your time. spirited away, castle in the sky, castle of cagliostro, princess mononoke, studio ghibli's grave of the fireflies...to name but a few.

As much as I love Sailor Moon, I can see plenty of reasons for people not to like it. It's definitely not for everyone.

Ha. I just noticed that now. Outlaw Star involves a smart 10yr old and a catwoman with really (no, I mean REALLY) big breasts. Is that OK?

Cat woman without big breasts = no sale!

Macross and Robotech all the way

Escaflowne TV series, Evangelion, Macross TV, Macross Plus, Big O, Argentosoma, FLCL and Berserk.