There seem to be as much diversity within "anime" as there is among live-action film, so it's very hard to direct you to that which you'd like without more info on your tastes.

That said, the first one I'd recommend is "FLCL" aka "Fooly-Cooly". There are three vols, each containing two 30 minute episodes, and there's a limited edition collector's box version (that will hold all three DVDs) for Vol. 3, if you can still find it. The early releases of Vols. I-III had extensive booklets, but the later ones apparently have only a single-page insert (though I believe the production studio will exchange these for a full booklet). The a/v quality is top-notch, and the extras are extensive.

To give you an idea of my tastes, I'm not an avid anime collector (though I adore Japanese pop culture). "FLCL" seems to be a rather uniquely postmodern pastiche/homage/catalog of tropes common to anime, while somehow utterly transcending the form. However, there are certain very serious anime-fanboys who despise it. As for myself, it's the most mindblowing example of anime I've ever seen.

I'm a big anime fan and like almost all the genre's. You can check my Profiler to see what's out there. If you're looking for the more intelligent anime I'd suggest.

Anything by Satoshi Kon which includes Millennium Actress, Memories, Perfect Blue, Tokyo Godfathers, and the upcoming series Paranoia Agent the first volume is coming out in October.


There's also the fan favorites that many enjoy Hellsing, Cowboy Bebop, Outlaw Star, FLCL, and Escaflowne.

As mentioned there's so much anime titles to start out with and could set you back a ton of money. Also try checking out reviews here and animeondvd.com.

i looked at your profiler and your anime collection is huge! nearly all your dvds [800+] are anime, wow!

In the works my friend.. in the works.

Anyone know if there will be a R1 release of the Adventures of Tintin?

I'd suggest trying to figure out what sub genres you're into. As others have said, it's a big form - comedy, drama, action, romance, etc. For example, some stuff can be silly - do you like that? Or is it anything that, as you mentioned, is "intelligent"? If so, then yeah, what others have said. Akira was one of the first I ever saw and I like it very much to this day. Bebop is about my favorite series ever, so keep that in mind when I say that I'd pay ridiculous amounts of money for the box set. Miyazaki/Ghibli.. FLCL.. Kon.. oh, and if you do get into anime and familiarize yourself, check out Excel Saga. There’s a nice box of that. There are some nice non-R1 sets too, and more than you’d think have subs. I love Lupin III too, though some of the many incarnations can falter a bit. A great starting point would be The Castle of Cagliostro. In addition to being one of the best Lupin III features, Miyazaki directed.

Also, *points to sig*

I'm going to suggest Azumanga simply because I love it so much. followed the entire series on fan subs when it was being released and been buying the disc the moment I see the new one on the shelf. one of the funniest anime series around.

One big warning: If you look at Amazon Marketplace, Half.com, E-bay, etc., or anywhere you are buying from individuals or small businesses instead of the site itself, you will find countless bootlegs. If you find a 3 or 4 disc set of a 26-episode series and they are selling for 29.95-39.95, they are most likely bootlegs (and poor quality, as well.) Many of these will read "import" in the descriptions, be region free, and will often have Chinese subtitles.

Cowboy Bebop, for instance, has six discs in the official release, which can be found for ~$20 each. This series had a limited edition boxset which retailed for ~$200, but has been out of print for a couple of years, and is very hard to find. There are 93 listings on Amazon Marketplace, and all but one are bootlegs. The official release is listed at $399.

Amazon.com won't have these bootlegs themselves, but they seem to make no effort to weed out the individual sellers that have bootlegs in the used section of Amazon (Amazon Marketplace.)

THE VENUS WARS.

I'm a big fan of Escaflowne. it's just the be-all-end-all for me...But I love a bunch of other stuff too...

Serial Experiments Lain
X


And everything else has been mentioned in this thread. I'll second Jin-Roh...what an awesome work that is...