While I didn't like the fanservice (and almost dropped the show because of it), the theme songs and soundtrack kept me going and led me to discover this fun romp in a battle school setting, with an entertaining cast of characters, where things can always be a little sassier or more outlandish than you'd expect.  Despite its harem elements, it even manages to form one stable, convincing pairing.

Takes place in a fantasy version of Europe between the world wars.  Geopolitical tensions are sometimes high, and the protagonists' adventures fly straight into these aspects -- sometimes literally.

A curious story about teens left in purgatory, and a touching story about how they find their way out.  Story and music by the one and only Jun Maeda.

Some early episodes of this series can be a bit rough, but the (approximately) latter half has a top-notch mixture of adventure, drama, character development, and even bits of comedy.  Follow the protagonists' journey to Antarctica, and you'll get to experience feels as strong as theirs.

Dark sci-fi setting, intense drama supported by a rich soundtrack, and philosophical undertones.

A story about the rocky road to redemption.

A pleasant story, pleasant characters, and a pleasant soundtrack -- especially the beautiful ending theme.

A philosophical treatment of artificial intelligence and its future relationship to human society.  Several different perspectives are introduced, and the story assesses each of them.  Wonderfully atmospheric, too.

These episode recaps of the main series (forming episodes 5.5, 9.5, 14.5, and 16.5) are surprisingly solid with regards to keeping an observational, philosophical tone.

The last four episodes of Beatless.  They were released separately due to production issues I think.  But now you can enjoy them all together.

When I started watching this, I didn't like either of the lead characters.

By the end, I cried for them.

The soundtrack is also beautiful. It makes good use of leitmotifs.

The cynicism of the setting contrasts effectively with the humanity of the characters -- especially Enju Aihara's optimism.

Shirou Sagisu's soundtrack is also beautiful.

I expected this to be just a flashy music video inspired series, but it turned out to be surprisingly emotional.

Creatively-written dark fantasy setting, with somewhat of a 'villain protagonist' role that provides an amoral perspective on fantasy tropes, and contrasts that amoral practicality with an idealistic innocence.

The second half of Chaika's story.  I only wish the ending had more time to flow through its whole course.

A defiant story that pulls no punches and has a very strong will of its own.  I found it very emotionally gratifying.  It's sort of infamous for a few shocking episodes early on, but if you're fine with those, you're in for quite a ride.

One of the few romance stories where I specifically enjoyed the romantic development.  At four cours, it can be long, but the payoff is worth it, and the characterization and use of foils is noteworthy.

A character study: what if it's your destiny (decided by people and circumstances around you) to move forward with something, but you really don't want to (and for good reason)?

Okay, this series really needs no introduction, but yeah, it's an intense character study, with many emotional moments, and an great sense for invoking and ramping up that feeling of desperation, time and time again, as the challenges the characters face become increasingly bizarre and straining on them.  All this is presented with a soundtrack by Shiro Sagisu, with both epic and contemplatively jazzy moments.

I don't know why this movie shows up on anime sites, because I don't think of it as anime. But anyway, I really enjoyed this movie. In fact, I enjoyed it, then found out that many people dislike it, then rewatched it again years later and then enjoyed it again. It just gets its feels right, in my opinion.

I want to play flying circus too now.  It looks so much fun!

(And since we're dreaming, let's also add in some beautiful background music and theme songs!)

The idea of casting angels who aren't angelic and demons who aren't demonic seems like a one-off joke, and the humor at first seemed to be meh variations on this.  But as the characters grew beyond these initial concepts and started interacting, and especially when their backstories were revealed, they became more humanized and also meaningfully relatable.  Particularly after the second extra episode, the show ended up leaving me pondering how we think of ethics and how we judge others.

A couple extra episodes for the series. The first is comedic, while the second is more dramatic.

A good movie, with a convincing story and believable characters.

A story about the entertainment business.  Surprisingly excellent adaptation of a raising sim game built with what seem like pandery elements.  Handles its large cast very skillfully, portraying meaningful interactions between the characters as well as fleshing out most of them.

Adorable and wholesome, yet also intriguing and exciting.  This is a beautiful story.

A story that feels both 'legendary' and personal, with a surprising emotional depth, and also touching on political and philosophical elements.  Features a memorable, iconic cast of characters, and is set to an excellent soundtrack by Shiro Hamaguchi.

[filed under 'Half-Broken Music Box, The']

This is a tear-jerker.  Short but emotional.

[filed under 'La Maison en Petits Cubes']

Short but touching story.

Your friend is a brat, and also (unbeknownst to her) a reality warper.  And you have to do everything you can to prevent her from making the world more crazy than it already is.  A surprisingly convincing comedy, incorporating elements from other genres.

There are multiple possible episode orders (airing order, storyline canon order, etc.) but I don't have a recommendation with regards to this.

NOTE: The story is two cours long, and the episodes may be mixed between the two subseries (depending on how they are ordered in the source you have).

The other half of the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya episodes.  See above entry for comments.

Three girls are taken to another world where they're the chosen ones to go on a save-the-princess fantasy adventure!  Well, sorta.

People usually remember Nanoha Takamachi's reputation for befriending others with heavy-duty magical firepower, and this is where it all began -- though watching this will inform you it's not just about firepower. It's about developing a personal connection.

Nanoha and her crew are now military professionals, with trainees under their wings.  While the setting is different, and the cast is greatly expanded, the core element of developing personal connections by getting to know and understand the characters is retained brilliantly.  Meanwhile, it adds elements of teamwork that weren't present in the original -- from both the protagonists and the antagonists!

A somewhat abridged retelling of the first Nanoha series.  Still effective, though.

A retelling of the second season of Nanoha, Nanoha A's.  It seems to have cleaned up the storytelling of the TV series and results in a better narrative IMO (though there are a few plot points I prefer about the TV series).

(Then again I'm one of those people who weren't enamored with A's in the first place.)

[filed under 'Nanoha']

This Nanoha franchise spinoff retains the core story theme of the mainline series -- the theme of personal relationships developed and changed through meeting in conflict.

Let's attend school with a dragon-girl and a princess!  The environments and backgrounds are so gorgeously detailed in this short series.  Also, the dragon-girl plays the piano.

Effective at its humor, and even humanizes the strange-looking characters.

Sophie Twilight is, like, the perfect chill companion to hang out with.  It's for when you want peace and quiet but you also wanna have a friend around.  I vibe with her so much I even vibe with those times she gets weirded out by the other characters.

This is the first series I've watched that I've connected to because I understand the feel of sleeping in an office cubicle.

I can basically imagine what the carpet feels like in that office.

What happened to lead up to the setting as it is?  And what drives the junker protagonist to do what he does?

The original Kanto League journey.  Sure, it had its oddities and inconsistencies with the games and so on and so forth.  But it's got many great wondrous moments, touching moments, triumphant moments, anxious moments, and so on.  (Dub recommended of course; at the very least it has a better theme song.)

This is a story about war, and as the name implies, this is a pretty heavy drama, as various people try to make the most of tragic situations that they are caught in.

One of its distinctive features is that it describes the war from both sides of the conflict.

[filed under its romaji name, 'Rinne no Lagrange']

A sleepy beach town is visited by aliens and becomes the center of an interplanetary conflict, and one happy-go-lucky high school girl is at the center of it all. This is her story. (The music is also quite brilliant, both the soundtrack and Rasmus Faber's OP.)

Sorta exactly what it says in the title, high school girls going to space in rockets.  This is a comedy, with an 'only sane man' element, among other things.  Surprisingly rigorous in its treatment of technical topics, partly due to consultation with JAXA (and a real astronaut even cameos in the series!).

Highly dramatic space sci-fi story.  Try to go into this series without much information, as the story pulls no punches with spoilery details.

Contemplative slice-of-life in a military outpost.  Music plays a notable role in this series; two characters are trumpeters/buglers (and at least one of them even has absolute pitch!).

High school in space, with fun, with character development, and eventually even with drama.

This is the first season of a well-balanced story, with some slice-of-life, some comedy, and some drama.  It's about the characters' desire to go to space, and to rise in the ranks of their profession.  At first, Mikaze struggles to find meaning in her work, but gradually she and her friends find themselves in the story of a lifetime.

The music adds a lot to the experience.  It's a soundtrack by Masamichi Amano, and it makes good use of this one leitmotif, whose origin only becomes clear at the end of the series.  And, oh yes, the theme songs are by Melocure, my favorite pop group.

The entire series basically consists of the first season ('Stratos 4'), two optional episodes, then the second season which is split into two parts for some reason ('Stratos 4 Advance' and 'Kanketsu-hen').  Together they make up one entire story.

Two extra episodes that belong somewhere in the first season, I think.