Japanese Animation - help needed!

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0wn3d4life

New member
I want to get my 12 year old nephew some decent Japanese animation - of the Appleseed variety - for xmas.
Does anyone know a good way into this perplexing world?
 
If it's the giant robot element of Appleseed he likes, can't go far wrong with Neon Genesis Evangelion or if he would prefer a humourous twist, Martian Successor Nadesico.

I've only seen Appleseed once, so if its any other element, then I'll not be much help, but Alphonse was cool!
 
Evangelion is a bit dark for a 12 year old don't you think? It goes pretty deep too. He would be better off with the second suggestion, Nadesico is a good dub, and a fun anime really. Escaflowne (the series) is a good story too, if he likes the mecha side of things.
Amazon have a great selection, and have knocked a huge chunk off the price aswell. You can't go wrong :-)
 
Is he into it for the storylines, or the animation ?

Appleseed is rather disjointed in its delivery when mixed with English dubbing. Likewise many Japanes animation falls flat owing to limited budgets on content, even though the stroyline could have delivered so much more.

I would invest in a HD ready TV, and maybe a HD player/streamer, just in case your nephew is more akin to the technical detail than the story. Or get him a voucher for the Japanese section of your local content provider. At 12 though, he will have a hard time getting the better films of the top shelf
 
I would recommend a Transformers boxset. Season 1 or 2 of the original 80's cartoon, or possibly even both. You also have the animated Transformers Movie. While it isn't true anime, it was animated by Japan's famous Toei Animation studio. I'm sure your nephew wouldn't be too bothered, and they are quite cheap now.

If he is really after true anime, I would recommend:

Howl's Moving Castle
Spirited Away
Princess Mononoke
Castle in the Sky

They are my favourite ones which are suitable for that age group.
 
Pretty much anything from Studio Ghibli is beautiful - but I guess they not quite action/fighty enough for the kid in the OP.

Still, now I'm picturing Mecha-Totoro.

Worrying. :o
 
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