I'm Back- Need recommendations!

[Curse_7781]

After being a little behind on the anime game (though I was never out completely), I need some help on what titles to buy. The only series that is a lock for me to buy is Baccano blu-ray and I am considering these 2 additional titles because they seem like fun to check out:

Ga-Rei-Zero: How's the series? Action packed? Fanservice *nosebleed*? And what are folks impressions on the ending without spoilers? Does it have nice closure?

Baka & Test: Sounds like a funny series to check out. Any good?

Heroic Age: I know this is a serious anime but I never finished it beyond the first 2 episodes...any impressions?

Eden of the East: I am considering getting the series and maybe the movie (depending if it isn't a recap, can anyone let me know on this one)? I heard its good series to check out.

Soul-Eater: checked out the first 4 episodes and I loved this series...though I heard there is a unsatisfying ending. Recommended?

The only problem for this situation is that my budget is limited to maybe 2-3 series, I got a budget of $110-$120.

Thanks in advance!

[MelancholicMariya]

Eden of the East: I am considering getting the series and maybe the movie (depending if it isn't a recap, can anyone let me know on this one)? I heard its good series to check out.


Eden of the East is an amazing series and I recommend you check it out.

The movies are King of Eden and Paradise Lost. Funimation's DVD/BD comes with King of Eden and Air Communication. Air Communication is a recap of the entire series edited by the director (iirc), where as King of Eden and Paradise Lost are new original content which continues where Eden of the East left off. Paradise Lost is set for a "later 2011" R1 release.

Originally Eden of the East was intended as a two season thing, but instead they decided they'll just make two movies to finish off the series aside from another season.

If you're into intense action I do not think you'll get that much actual action, there is a point in the series where shit gets serious but it's short and sweet.

In my opinion, it's my favorite anime series so far. It's not action packed, though it is a whole lot of crazy and awesome.

If that makes sense. Seriously if you're wanting to get back into anime, Eden of the East is the one to start with.

[davesimmons]

Eden of the East is on Netflix streaming (dubbed) if you have Netflix. I've only watched the first episode so I can't say yet whether it's worth buying.

Netflix has added a lot of Funimation content lately, though sadly it's dub-only.

[Curse_7781]

Eden of the East is on Netflix streaming (dubbed) if you have Netflix. I've only watched the first episode so I can't say yet whether it's worth buying.

Netflix has added a lot of Funimation content lately, though sadly it's dub-only.

Hmm...thanks for the recommendation, I do have a Netflix account and that's how I got into Soul-Eater as well. I will check out Eden of the East this way...

[Curse_7781]

Just for an update, I decided to pick up Baka & Test and Ga-Rei-Zero after viewing the first episodes on Funimation's Youtube channel. Loved them both!

[General Hentai]

Gai-Rei Zero is fricking awesome. It starts off with a deliberate misdirection, introducing you to an elite team, who turn out not to be the heroes of this story.

We get introduced to a different elite team in episode 2, watch them react to a stone-cold killing machine, and then zip back in time again to when that stone-cold killing machine was a kind sweet loving young girl and the star of that second elite team. And then we learn the terrible things which caused this great young woman to become a psycho-possessed killer...and watch as the younger girl the psycho-killer has raised as a younger sister has to face down and either be killed by the girl who she loves as a sister, or be killed by her.

As for the ending, excellent, with one consideration:

Gai-Rei Zero is based on the manga Gai-Rei, with that entire manga starting its action roughly 2 years after the events of GRZ. That said, this isn't a cliffhanger ending, but there's certainly an open-endedness to it. However, since nothing further of Gai-Rei has been made into anime, it stands well by itself.

[Sly05]

Ga-Rei-Zero: Great action series with some solid drama. I really enjoyed it. I thought the ending wrapped up the main conflict of the anime well and not having read the manga that it is a prequel too, I felt it stood pretty well on its own.

Baka & Test: I thought the first episode was hilarious, but it unfortunately went downhill quickly after that. Spends too much time on uninteresting plotlines and at best wound up being largely forgettable.

Heroic Age: Probably one of the better space opera anime I've seen in a while. It establishes an interesting setting and does a pretty good job of developing its competing races, their ideologies, and their heroes. It perhaps relies too much on Age being overpowered, but its still a series I would recommend over all.

Eden of the East: I still haven't seen the two movies that are the conclusion but the tv series is really good. Comparison to the Bourne Identity movies are pretty just with its main character having amnesia and trying to figure out who he is and what he is caught up in. That is not to say it doesn't do its own thing. Its plot point of the main character having a phone where he can contact a concierge who can do anything puts a unique twist on the series. It's action is a lot more subdued, instead focusing on questions of morality, responsibility, and human relationships.

Soul-Eater: Shonnen adventure series with a cool graffiti visual flair to it. The ending does wrap things up a little too nicely and easily, but its not disappointing enough to ruin what came before it. Still a lot to like about it, but don't go into it expecting something with the emotional depth of the best shonnen adventure series like fullmetal alchemist.

[Move]

eden of the east is one of the greatest mass appeal shows i have ever seen, regardless of whether it was live action or anime.

heroic age is simply put Hercules in space (insert echo here). I got bored of it, as Age has no achilles heel and this drove the action flat for me. The poli sci aspect was nice, and it was broken up by flashy fights.