KookyKonata

I don't know about specific recommendations associated with price, but instead, I recommend keeping an eye on Sentai Filmworks' website. They often have really good sales on complete series and movies, of which sometimes can go down to $5. Outside of that, if you're lucky, check out your local thrift stores, Goodwill's, and so on. They sometimes have random anime for cheap there too. You just can't be too picky. In fact, it's a good way to find diamonds in the rough!

I just finished Kaya-chan Isn't Scary this morning. Pretty good show, and a bit of a wild twist at the end! I'm currently in the middle of Gals Cant Be Kind to Otaku and Go For It, Nakamura-kun! Both are good shows, and Gals Cant Be Kind to Otaku has a great OP that I can't seem to skip!

I love Acchi Kocchi! It's a completely different vibe than Azumanga Daioh though. Both really good!

I still enjoy the show! I haven't seen it in a few years, but it's still a great watch. I was hoping to show it to my daughter when she grows up a bit more. The show was huge when I was back in high school!

There are a few for me, but I'll pull out 2 that come to mind right away. The first is Cardcaptors (as it was called in the states at the time). I remember being obsessed with it back when it was on every afternoon on Toonami, and would sprint home to watch it once I left the bus. This was well before I knew what "anime" was, and I loved how the main character would have a different outfit every episode unlike most cartoons of the time period. It really blew my mind. Pair that with the amazing character designs and fun "monster of the week" episodic format, it really set the bar high for me for a long time. I am still in love with the show today, some 26 or so years later. The second is the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. The anime came at a pivotal time in my life. I had just graduated boot camp and had moved to my first base and was finally living on my own when I got the first DVD of it. The story grabbed me right away, and I was immediately immersed and wanted more. I watched that first DVD probably 8 or 9 times before finally getting the second one, then third, and so on. It filled a void in my life that I really needed at the time, and to this day it still hits hard for me. I wind up coming back to the series and the amazing movie at least once a year.

I typically won't buy any anime, specifically, until places like Sentai Filmworks have their sales (which are fantastic, by the way), but I buy manga all the time. I recently picked up the first volume of Nyankees, volumes 1 and 2 of Tsumiki's Not So Ordinary Life, 1-4 of Colorless, and Komi Can't Communicate 36 and 37.

For me, if I don't already know the series from an anime or already have prior volumes in a series, I tend to start by reading the title on the spines and looking at the spine art. If any of that catches my eye, then I'll pull it out and look at the cover to judge the art and see the initial cover art to determine if it's too "adult" (basically hentai or way too fanservicey) and if it looks cool. If I like the cover, I'll then read the back and flip through the pages to, again, ensure that it's not too adult. If it's something that I am in to, I'll buy it. Usually, I tend to look for series' that have at least 2 volumes available right then and there so I can grasp a bit more of the story, but I will get just volume 1 if I like it enough. If they don't have the first volume, or it's so close to being something I might have gotten but for some stupid reason I just don't want to buy it, I'll take a photo of it and see if I can get it elsewhere later.

It might be a bit harder to get nowadays, but I recommend Chobits! It is funny, thought provoking, great artwork, and has just enough drama and intrigue to keep you interested. It doesn't have any pervy stuff, per se, but it does have jokes and situations that come up in a natural way, unlike a lot of other stuff you see out there. No adult stuff, though. It was really popular with teenagers (boys and girls alike) when I was a teen, and it's still really good today.

Well I'm the only person I know that read manga, lol, so it's all niche in a way to me, but when it comes to apparent popularity, these are some I wish people would talk about more (if they don't already) Kannagi - it's an awesome book/anime about a god that needs more believers to gain power and be relevant again. It's hilarious and pretty, but didn't release completely in physical form in the states. Pita Ten - I may be bias because this is the first series I really dove head first into, but it's a good story about an angel and a devil barging into the main character's life and hijinks ensue until a large twist happens! Pretty Face - a somewhat short manga about a guy who gets into a horrific accident that disfigures him to the point where his face is unrecognizable, so doctors mistake a photo of a girl in his wallet for him and make his face into that girl. He spends most of the story trying to get back into a man and also getting together with his crush. It's super funny and a decent time!

I don't know what type of genre you're into, but here are some recs I enjoy: Maid to Skate - A comedy set in a world where all maids skateboard and do awesome tricks, while also becoming friends and having fun. Only 1 volume! Ghost Reaper Girl - A beautifully drawn manga about a girl who's forced to hunt ghosts and such as a job. It's from the artist of Rosario Vampire, and only about 4 or 5 volumes long.

Well I WAS keeping up with Komi Can't Communicate, but as of last Saturday I just picked up the final volume so that will be over by the end of the week. I did pick up another one that looked interesting, though, and really enjoy it so far. It's called Tsumiki Ogami's Not So Ordinary Life, which is sort of similar to Komi, but instead of being themed around social anxiety it's more about being yourself and not fretting the small stuff (with mythical animals as people). I highly recommend it! I've read the first 2 volumes so far

Well, I initially started reading manga because I thought the whole "reading right to left" thing was super cool back when I started (2003). This was honestly before I knew that anime was "anime", if that makes sense, and actually got into manga first. Since, I've found lots of great stories, fantastic artwork, and have fallen in and out and in again of great communities because of it. After I found out that there were anime of manga, it just further launched me deeper into the medium!

I use Crunchyroll and Hidive for the majority of new stuff, but I try my best to buy the DVDs of the shows I really like and ones that go on deep discounts on places like Amazon, Sentai Filmworks, and so on. As others have said, I have a bunch of shows on a hard drive as well that I normally just keep off to the side for travelling, deployments, or I can't find a particular show affordably on DVD or Crunchyroll.

Aharen-san wa Hakarenai - A heartwarming and hilarious Romcom slice of life that isn't too wild or too dramatic, and can be watched with anyone. Uncle from Another World - one of the funniest shows I think I've seen in a long time, and the art is gorgeous in it. Definitely a must watch. Acchi Kocchi - Kind of like a comfort food, feel good Romcom slice of life anime to just watch and be happy. Super cute and light. Masamune-kun's Revenge - a decent Romcom with plenty of the good tropes to keep you going, but the protag hates the main girl. Pretty good! Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai - Hilarious show about people who can't make friends that make a club to find out how to make friends. Lots of dumb activities ensue, and you're sure to laugh alongside them!

My first ever manga I read was Real Bout High School volume 2. I happened to be in the right place at the right time, back in 9th grade in '03. My friend was going to lend it to another one of my friends, but he didn't show up that day so she let me borrow it instead and since, I'd been hooked! I then went to Books-A-Million the following weekend and bought the first 2 volumes of Pita-Ten!

For me, the first thing that comes to mind is Ranking of Kings. It's more of the first season was fantastic and the second season didn't even try to come up to the same level. The first season tore so many emotions out of me, making it hard to stop watching as the episodes wizzed by, but the second season felt like a bunch of short stories slapped together, completely changing the dynamic. It truly ruined the show for me. A recent one would have to be Shiboyugi: I Play Death Games to Put Food on the Table. The show starts off with an awesome premise and a great artistic flair, but as the show progresses past the third episode, that artistic flair begins to get annoying and feel like they needed to waste time. There are lots of moments, the further on the show goes, where it just will sit and show rain drops for minutes at a time, or someone silently sitting there, or some other thing, and it literally just kills time and the momentum of the show. Also, the OP of it really isn't even one at all!

One major thing I've noticed is the way that you actually obtain anime. I really began getting into anime (when I found out it was anime and not just cartoons) in 2003, and it was right at the start of the early 2000s anime "boom". I remember back then going to Best Buy, Sam Goody, and Suncoast Video and spending hours looking through the anime DVDs, finding different shows that you might not have heard of from the community at the time and just enjoying "the hunt". Anime DVDs were also pretty different, too. Whole seasons were pretty rare back then, too. Typically, you would see a show sell DVDs with only 3 or 4 episodes on it, but each DVD would have some interesting side content like a commentary with the voice actors, concept art, or some other random stuff. The problem, though, was that each DVD was around $20 to $30, meaning your longer shows, like Fullmetal Alchemist '03, could cost an upward of $300 to $350 for the full series compared to around $50 nowadays. There were pirate sites back then, but I was a dumb teen and didn't really have a computer until about 5 years later, so I didn't partake until much later. Anime took a bit of a nose dive around 2010-2013, and it was reflected in stores's selections around that time. Things got pretty tough to find, and it just wasn't as fun as it used to be. Turn to today, anime got another big boom around 2020, so things are bigger than ever. However, the way that we access it has changed drastically. Nowadays, you can't go to Best Buy to buy anime DVDs or Blurays anymore, they are more of an internet order type thing or a specialty store. You could buy a little bit of the more famous stuff at Walmart or Target, but its not anywhere near the same as it used to be. Now everyone streams their stuff on places like Crunchyroll, Netflix, or Hidive, and don't actually own anything. While it's more convenient, I feel that you aren't likely to pick out or stuck with any new shows. There is no real commitment, and people wind up missing some possible hidden gems. I will say, though, that the manga section in book stores is absolutely fantastic right now, though!

My top favorites are Lucky Star, Acchi Kocchi, and Aharen-San wa Hakarenai.

I typically prefer dubbed over subbed, but I can definitely acknowledge when a dub is really bad, or at least worse than the sub. Here are some that I think the dub is really good and worth the watch: Ranma ½ Remake, Gamers, Re:Zero, You and I are Polar Opposites, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Lucky Star

I'm actually taking on a few shows from the current season for once. I'm currently in the middle of You and I are Polar Opposites, You Can't Be in a Romcom With Your Childhood Friend, Shiboyugi, and Frieren season 2. Frieren is great, as always, You and I are Polar Opposites is really good and light hearted, Shiboyugi is too artsy for my tastes, and Romcom Childhood Friend is your basic harem stuff that isn't gonna win any awards, lol