What are your favourite animes? Which one would you recommend and why? Let me start with a few (in no particular order):
Ghost in the Shell (both movies, and the Stand Alone Complex series): Quite consistent and intriguing cyborg future anime. People have cyberbrains and often weaponized cyborg bodies. Brain hacking becomes a real problem. Artificial intelligence gets serious. Philosophical questions get raised. Conspiracies exist. Action is breathtaking.
Akira: It’s a classic. Quite psychedelic.
Neon Genesis Evangelion: Huge and almost invincible monsters called “angels” attack humanity. The only rescue are humans who interface their brains with huge alien robots. No, it’s really crazier than it sounds. A real classic, too.
Inuyasha: A time vortex connects the present with feudal era Japan which is plagued by monsters and (half)demons who want to use a magical artefact to increase their powers tremendously. It’s an overall very balanced anime with lots of great action, but also a lot of humour, and some romance. It’s not very deep, but it is nevertheless satisfying entertainment.
Deathnote: Writing a name into the mystical “deathnote” brings certain death to the person who has that name. The world is clueless about the person who uses this powerful item to spread death. But the greatest detectives of the world challenge the killer in a deeply logical and psychological battle.
Attack on Titan: Almost all of humanity has been eradicated by human-like titans with unnatural powers. The scary titans terrify what is left of humanity deeply, and eat humans like snacks. Now the remaining humans hide behind colossal walls and fight the titans with some quite unconventional techniques. In this anime a lot well-developed characters die. That can be quite brutal. Attack on Titan is from the same author as Deathnote.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood: This anime is about a parallel world with technology from around 1920, but some people can master the magical science/art of “alchemy” which can be used to transform matter. Human transmutation is forbidden. But when it happens, things get seriously interesting and messy. The main protagonist are on the task to unveil and stop a conspiracy surrounding the creation of chimeras and artificial humans – and to get their original bodies back.
Dragonball Z: If you want some ridiculously overpowered characters fight super-epic battles, and getting stronger and stronger, then you must watch this. It also has some humour to balance out crazy action. Also quite heavy on the trope of turning enemies into friends and allies.
Serial Experiments Lain: Weird pseudo-virtual reality future stuff. Reality gets hacked, or something. Trying to make sense out of this artistic madness is hard, but interesting.
Last Exile: Levitating battleships. Aloof techno-overlords. War, heroics, resistance, action. This anime got it!
But who cares about age anyway? It’s the crazy Japanese culture and ideas that emerge out of their animes in the most powerful and inspiring ways. 