Lone Lancer

I figured that you probably weren't being serious about a non-human character, as such creatures are not as easy to relate to.

Favorite non-anime shows? That would be easy for me since I actually dislike a lot of the more recently made shows and movies. ( in no particular order ) * Dan Vs. * The Goode Family * Detentionaire * Simpsons ( including the newer ones ) * Beavis & Butthead * Super Sentai Zyuranger ( aka "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers" internationally, with some differences ) * The Real Ghostbusters * King of the Hill * Mr. Bean * Black Books * The A-Team ( original 80s version ) * Land of the Lost ( 90s version ) * Twilight Zone ( classic & 80s versions) * The Outer Limits ( the classic and new ) * Dennis the Menace * Bewitched * I Dream of Jeannie * 3rd Rock From the Sun * Tales From the Darkside ( later rebranded as "Monsters!" ) * Heels * Tom & Jerry * Daria * Futurama * God, The Devil, and Bob * V ( 80s version ) * All of the Star Treks up to "Enterprise" * Big Bang Theory * Hercules: The Legendary Journeys * The Tick * Jem and the Holograms ( a collab with a Japanese studio I do believe ) * Super Dave * Video Power * Inspector Gadget * 90s X-Men * 90s Spiderman ( animated series ) * Jim Henson's Dinosaurs ( very Simpsonesque ) * The Addams Family * Stargate SG-1 ( before the big writers strike leading to the show's eventual cancellation ) I'm sure there are a few others I'm forgetting...almost everything else is in the form of some educational documentary nowadays. I'm very selective. And yeah, quite a few of these shows are old. Growing up, I've always thought of myself as a Generation Xer trapped inside the body of a Millenial. The things my generation liked were not the things that interested me. This is one of the reasons which led to me watching a disproportionate amount of anime compared to everything else.

@Ohayotaku I actually liked "Clannad" personally. "Angel Beats" is one of those titles that I noticed a lot of people were talking up but, I never really got it. I didn't feel any special connection to the plot or the characters. Yuri ( was that her name? ) at least explained her backstory of how she got there. I was bored enough at the time that I decided to watch it all the way through to see how it ended. When all was done, the whole thing felt kinda pointless to me. Some people seem to be claiming that the Angel Beats manga had more substance to it than the anime did, with each character having their own dedicated vignettes that explain their motivations and backstories.

For me personally, I think I would have to go with the lovely jungle girl Weda from the anime series "Hare+Guu." I'm mostly rating the character on her sex appeal, not because she's good parent material. She was shown to be lazy, selfish, often drunk, and sometimes quite abusive to her little boy, particularly in the first season. Since it's a comedy, Hare never gets any bruises or black eyes. In spite of her rough parenting, she is shown later to have a more gentle and nurturing side to her when she attempts to make her son's favorite dish for a special occasion where she ends up cutting her fingers and needs to wear band-aids. I found her to be a very flawed but likable character. Definitely a wild child though. @MediaConsumesMe & @Ohayotaku Iris is definitely a better fit for the good mother archetype, and also quite beautiful herself - of course, so are all the others mentioned.

Since I first started following anime as a regular, I was surprised by all the different themes they came in. There are anime about casual outdoor camping ( "Laid Back Camp" ), anime where much of the dialogue is about trade ( "Spice & Wolf" ), others that are dedicated to common snack food items of the Orient ( like "Dagashi Kashi" ), and even shows about cooking specific types of dishes or baking. There is even anime erotica ( called "hentai" ); unfortunately this category seems to be heavily stigmatized as something depraved and awful...I guess a lot of people must assume that it only caters to the freaks wearing BDSM gear or something? Ranging from the fantastic to the very most mundane aspects of life, you can usually bank that there is probably an anime about it...or is there always? Though I have seen anime with nearly every type of plot imaginable, there are yet still a few themes I am surprised and disappointed that we don't see more of. For example, I know from reading that Japan has entire theme parks dedicated to Dinosaurs and assorted Mesozoica, yet I can't name a single manga or anime that is specifically about Dinosaurs or the ABCs of fossil digs and preparation...titles like "Fancy Lala", "You Are Umasou" and "Fossil Fighters/Digimon" don't really count. I am talking about mature content where this is the primary motif of the story. It's pretty clear that dinosaurs are popular over there. Japan even has its own collection of dinosaur fossils which were excavated on the island - Fukuiraptor immediately comes to mind as an example that is obscure to the rest of the world but is likely well known locally. No animes about botany or conservation either ( that I am aware of ).

Yeah, when I'm asked what my favorite animes are, I only list my all-time faves. There are many others that I happen to like that I feel fall a little short of being called the best of the best. I will be adding more titles since there are a few that I forgot. I see that you have Sabre as your waifu there.

It is always a joy to encounter someone else who has shared the experiences. lol Yeah, "Ramen Fighter Miki" was great stuff. I wish we had more like it. In spite of how over-the-top and silly it was, I liked that it still retained its sharp wittiness in a way that doesn't feel overly repetitive. I noticed that it used the old hand-drawn art style during the period when it was on its way out, which I think is awesome - I personally prefer the look of the hand-drawn over the newer digital. I also thought it was a really neat touch how the end credits theme sounds like Hall & Oates singing in Japanese ( for lack of a better analogy ). Truly a classic gem there.

I'm new here. On other forums there is usually a single dedicated thread for all of the introductions. I guess each new member gets their own thread here? Is the idea to make the experience more personalized? In any case, I wouldn't say that I am a newcomer to anime - although I haven't mingled much with other lovers of the genre. I had watched a few episodes here-and-there of well known anime series sporadically growing up; however, I only got hooked on it during my early adult years. As with anything, some themes appeal to me more than others do. So what exactly drew me toward anime? I would say it was a combination of different things. Even before the days that I recognized anime as a high art form, I always noticed the beautiful aesthetics and crisp detail that went into every frame. At the point where I began watching anime regularly, I was also beginning to appreciate the complexity of the story lines ( depending on which one ). It also helped that quite often the intros had catchy theme songs, although I would often get annoyed when they would change it every so often as a series progressed. Another thing that appealed to me with many of the titles, is that the characters aren't always acting like complete sociopaths ( generally ). The best part....I'll admit it...it's gotta be the waifus; and they're usually written to be decent and honest people. The people that create these characters have very epicurean tastes, they appreciate the finer things in life. I really respect that. Regarding my username, it comes from the English transliteration of the common Japanese name for Japan's most unique tree - which we know simply as the "Japanese Umbrella Pine." Despite its name, it is not really a pine at all, but rather the sole surviving member of a much more ancient lineage which goes back 230-220 million years ago! It is as much a pine tree as the Norfolk Island Pine is ( also not a pine ). I know that most people immediately associate Japan with the famous Cherry Blossom ( or "Sakura Tree" ), but I associate it with this other species instead. Not that I have anything against the snow-like effect of the Sakura Tree's pink blossoms ( pretty cool effect actually ).