If a person you have never seen before walked up to you and asked you for a recommendation for a single manga and anime series, which two would you pick? Please, be as objective as possible although I do realize that the this whole idea is based on opinions, just don't go and say,"lol G gundam cause it has giant racist robots fighting each other". We're trying to be as elitist as possible for this thread.
I'll start us off:
For manga, I would have to choose Great Teacher Onizuka or GTO. The reason for this is because it has a powerful message behind its story and it can be quite humorous at times. Plus, the art style is definitly something unique.
For anime, I would have to choose Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagan. Artistically, it felt similar to GTO as they both use highly exagerrated art styles for their animation. Although, it's not the art style that got me, but how it takes the genre of the anime and multiplies it to the nth degree.
Manga: Hotel, the one shot by Boichi about the giant DNA-storing facility after the extinction of mankind
Anime: Haibane Renmei, probably. The best argument for "anime is a serious artistic medium guys!!!!!!" I've ever seen. Great music too.
Manga: Akira
Anime: I'd probably say Haibane Renmei as well.
Manga: Boogiepop wa Warawanai has remarkable art to excellent pace
(Also happens to be the one manga Ogata has done with his artwork)
Anime: Angel's Egg being taken as another serious artistic example
(Also happens to be switched around Haibane Renmei as my favorite)
Manga: Translucent by Kazuhiro Okamoto
It's a touching shoujo manga. It's one of those stories about people who are different because of a special medical condition and how society, families, and friends treat them.
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For the anime part, I've got several... It pretty much depends on what genre the person's looking for.
Anime: Lucky Star for comedy, Cowboy Bebop/Samurai Champloo for action, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni for horror, and Kara no Kyoukai/Neon Genesis Evangelion (You are (NOT) alone) for drama
For lucky star, I only have one argument: It's Lucky Star. Who wouldn't like it? [/flamebait] In all seriousness, it has characters and situations that many different people can relate to, added to those weird conversations which can be amusing. When a person has been more exposed to anime in the whole, they could rewatch Lucky Star and get all those obscure jokes and eggs placed throughout. Insist on them watching subs.
Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo were a difficult choice. Good animation, good story that isn't difficult to follow, and some topics that could be related to. Bread and butter stuff. Cowboy Bebop had a movie, which wasn't bad, which was why it topped the list. Also, in guns versus swords, I think more people would be attracted to the guns first, swords later (there are different sets of expectations, Cowboy Bebop is more "realistic", whereas Samurai Champloo is more "stylistic").
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni first and second seaon. Higurashi would be for those who want some nice psychological horror. As with Lucky Star, subs. Don't complain about obviousness the manga series being better, I haven't read the manga but the anime was solid enough to warrant recommendation.
Kara no Kyoukai movie series is pretty good. I've only seen Thanatos, but it's a promising. A little artsy and mystifying, but not inaccessable to those willing to watch through it. I thought about the new Neon Genesis Evengelion movies (You are (NOT) alone), it's better and more accessable than the original (with less angst), but it's still much more angst-ridden than Kara no Kyoukai (which would be a turn-off, as Evangelion's main theme was angst). Between the two, it depends if the person's more soley intrested in mystical contemporary fantasy or action-packed and angst-ridden scifi mech action. Added bonus that made me pick Kara no Kyoukai over Neon Genesis: Ice cream scene in Kara no Kyoukai.
>>Lucky Star for comedy
What? No. Hell no. Azumanga is vastly superior to Lucky Star, within just the general "annoying high school girl slice of life comedy" genre. For comedy, watch something like Golden Boy.
School Rumble leaves a nice twist to our high school girl criteria
Manga: Bleach, because Ichigo never loses and never gives up!
Anime: Naruto, because it shows anything in life is possible, aim for the top!
You know Gunbuster kinda beat Naruto to that Aim For The Top motto
Has not the Naruto manga been around longer than Idolmaster games?
>>13
is a narutard!
>>14
is a tripfag!
But does he know why kids love the taste of Cinnamon Toast Crunch?
You consider meaner than being given a box of raisins in Halloween
ho~ho~ho~
This topic should have done a third category to light novels ideas