Oops, I missed you mentioning SAO.

I can't speak for the LN, but the anime adaption and romance seemed rushed and ham fisted to me.

It does get props for subverting the harem trope (picking a clear gf even though all girls want K) and giving them an adorable daughter, made even more adorable as a fairy.

Godamn it, I want a tiny fairy daughter that calls me papa!

 

Goddammit Obama. Why Welfare? Why not goddam tiny adorable fairy daughters?

 

Right?!

Fucking Obama

 

This. This so hard.

Actually watched it recently, but hadn't gotten around to posting a rec on here.

Basically, it's a sports/hobby anime (I do lump the two categories together since they're so similar in style) about this rather stupid card game called Karuta. What makes it different is that it's a shoujo, which gives it a very fresh feel to a shounen dominated genre.

It still has all the elements of a shounen - the energetic, on the edge of your seat, overdramatic matches and the ability to get you pumped up about something you have no interest in - but with stronger characters, character development and subtle romance (read: the tragic story of the ultimate friendzone) that you don't get in shounen sports/hobby anime.

It does take some time to get into, because as mentioned before, the actual game just looks kinda boring and limited as a competitive hobby. I dropped it on first attempt, and only managed to get into it after a friend forced me to watch it until episode 8 (the first tournament).

Definitely up there with Hikaru no Go as a top sports/hobby anime. Highly recommend.




Would also second the recommendations Meerkats made:

Zetsuen no Tempest is awesome because the characters are fantastic. Very three dimensional and quite unique. Most of the conflict is very much a battle of wits, which really draws out the character's personalities. It's kinda let down by the very average setting which gets revealed toward the end.

Kokoro Connect is one of my top romance/drama anime. Despite the supernatural circumstances the characters find themselves in, the way they interact, the drama, etc just feels a tad different to normal anime - more natural in a way. None of this Key style VN shit. Voice acting is really standout too.

Hataraku Mao-sama is fun. Not as good as the others, and I really felt it had potential to be a lot funnier, but still pretty funny.

Ano Natsu is the ultimate in hardcore feels and heavy drama.

Not sure whether I agree with Gargantia, Golden Time though. Felt both were heavily let down in their respective second halves.


I'll also throw in:

Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun as a great shoujo comedy/romance.

Juuni Kokuki if you want some hard fantasy which almost feels like a traditional Western fantasy book in style.

 

Watched D-Frag up to episode 7 now and I'm highly entertained by it.

The protagonist, Kazama Kenji, joins the 'game dev club' at his school and awesomeness ensues as he meets its four members. It's great comedy and had me in stitches every episode so far. Highly recommended.

 

One thing that annoys me in some of the anime I watch is the main character's childhood friend being in love with him and him being completely oblivious, only to return her feelings upon discovering her love for him.

There is nothing wrong with that in itself, but there is usually another girl the main character spends time with that is better developed and more entertaining to watch than Childhood Friend. The character interaction is usually so much better with the other girl. that its so disappointing to see the main character choose the least interesting character to end up with. I get annoyed following a character just to have his story end hooking up with a character that is defined by her shyness, crushing on the MC, and being jealous whenever he is having a good time hanging out with other girls.

Can anyone recommend me any anime where they main guy doesn't choose the most-likely shy and love-struck childhood friend? Where the more interesting and entertaining girl wins his heart for once?

 

Golden Time has that (sort of), though the childhood friend character is hardly 1-dimensional. Nisekoi makes fun of the trope. OreImo is the best fit I can think of off the top of my head in terms of your requirement, but it's kinda fucked up for other reasons. I don't watch much romance though, so I'm not much help here.

 

Oriemo (aka, Brother I Want to Fuck You) is the kind of show you recommend to someone in order to get reported to the FBI.

Good romance shows: Fruits Basket, Macross: Do You Remember Love, Macross Plus, Lovely Complex, Paradise Kiss, Nana, Nodaime Cantabile, Oran high School Host Club (this one is hilarious, go watch it for the humor alone), Escaflowne, and a whole lot more.

 

ef: A Tale of Memories is pretty much exactly what you want if you're into dramas.

True Tears is... less so, but I think is an interesting enough take on it that you may enjoy it.

I'm drawing a blank on non dramas, but that's because usually anime doesn't have a clear winner in the relationship category.

Oriemo is actually a pretty good example of a comedy for this, and the relatively normal way in which the taboo aspects are handled makes Kirino's feelings more tragic than lurid.


Also, I can't remember who recommended it, but Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun is absolutely fantastic. I was immediately sold after episode one's bike scene (the horrified expressions on the pedestrians absolutely killed it) and it only got better from there.

 

Oh, please. This is DLP - the land of The Office, Harry/Lilly fics, Harry/Fem!Harry fics, and all kinds of other fucked up shit. Is OreImo a bit squicky at times? Yes. Is it anywhere near as squicky as some of the stuff on this site? Fuck no.

More importantly, it perfectly meets the "MC doesn't end up with lovestruck childhood friend" requirement that Cyclops gave, which is why I mentioned it. With the appropriate disclaimer that it's a bit fucked up.

You're welcome. Glad you liked it - it was my favorite show of the summer season by far. The bike scene is what hooked me as well.

 

Nozaki is indeed amazing. Looks to be doing well in sales too.

 

Honestly, Ore no Imouto isn't as bad as a lot of people think.

In season 1, it's more a straight up comedy (and it *is* pretty funny) and there's zero incest content at all. The relationship between Kirino and Kyousuke could easily be that of siblings trying to reconnect (and that's what I thought first time I watched it). While I felt the quality started to drop off a bit toward the end of season 1, in general it was actually really enjoyable with some really fun characters and situations.

In season 2, there's more of a focus on drama. But most of that is with other characters. He dates one for a while. There's a lot of focus on interactions with the other girls. It's only really toward the end that you start getting undertones of incestual themes. Overall season 2 felt a bit dull to me.

It's only in the OVA where the incest actually becomes a thing. And to be honest, I thought it was done pretty well. Many, many anime has a imouto in love with her brother, but how many of them really deal with it and the issues directly? It's usually treated as a comical point and ignored. Despite being a comedy, Ore no Imouto actually addressed it pretty well. The OVA felt like a drama and I actually did enjoy it (more than Season 2 anyway).

I'd even go as far as to recommend it. It's not of consistent quality or anything which is why I haven't recommended it before, but it's definitely got its moments.


Now if you want a real intense, serious drama with incest, watch Koi Kaze...

 

Fun fact: I never knew that they released 3 OVA after Oreimo S2.

Ahaha, oh whoa. That ending. I am seriously sad that I missed the shit storm that must have caused. Ass pull of the century that would have pissed off both fans and those bothered by the squick factor.

10/10 troll, would drink tears again.

 

Thanks for the recs, everyone. I decided to start with Golden Time. I'm four episodes in and really enjoying it so far. The characters are nothing spectacular, but the comedy more than makes up for it.

 

Everybody needs to watch Hunter X Hunter (2011). Eventually I want to post detailed thoughts on it, but I've yet to settle on how to put it in words. Just know that this is a stunning, sprawling work - it is the most ambitious shounen manga adaptation I've ever watched, and the execution matches the ambition. What a show. Fucking gold.

 

Give an elevator pitch. Genre? One sentence summary? Tone?

 

It's a shounen, 148 episodes long. No filler. Follows the story of Gon Freecs, a 12 year old boy (and friends) from a remote island who wants to find his father, a famous 'Hunter' who has never been present in Gon's life. He leaves the island to go take the Hunter exam at the same age his father did. After that, well... lots of things happen. I won't spoil.

The beginning is fairly standard shounen material. I actually thought initially they don't really capture the atmosphere of the manga all too well. But it's still good stuff and in a handful of episodes it rapidly improves. And then it keeps getting better, with the penultimate arc being perhaps the best anime arc I've ever watched. The main cast is strong - and so are secondary characters, who can often steal the show. The bonds between them feel real. The battles are intelligent and gripping. The imagination of the original author is immense. Production values are great and so is the art - Madhouse really pours its heart and soul into this anime, and it tells. Characters develop in interesting and realistic ways. The themes the show deals with are mature.

Yeah, it's superb. It's not flawless, but it is amazing. It made me laugh and it made me cry. In my view it is the best long-running shounen anime ever, by a distance. Hell, it might just be my favourite anime period. Just watch it. Everyone should.

 

The only thing that sounds like it could be annoying is 12 year olds combined with mature themes. It never works well.

I'll give it a watch though.

 

I liked the first arc a lot but for me the 3rd and 5th arcs are tiers above (with the 5th arc in particular being incredible).

You've missed a lot if you didn't watch at all in 2013 and 2014. I would advise you go enjoy the remaining 100 episodes or so. The 4th arc, while enjoyable, is in my opinion probably the 'worst', but if you don't even try the 5th you're missing out.