What I do with anime before I usually watch it:
- Wikipedia it, mostly for plot
- MyAnimeList it and read the reviews, mostly for the genres and ratings
- If I find it's good, see the recommendations and also check Animeplanet for recommendations.
A list of anime(alphabetical order):
Bold = Recommended, Italic = I've seen it part of it , * = ongoing
07-Ghost - full of action, good music and the theme of friendship and trust. A bit open-ended but worth it.
*Akagami no Shirayuki-hime - drama, fantasy, romance. A friendship between a prince and his court pharmacist which will grow into something more.
Akatsuki no Yona - action, comedy, fantasy, romance. Good coming of age anime (spoiled princess learns to fight). Good music, plot, art and characters. Need I say more?
Arcana Famiglia - fantasy, romance but not really worth your time to watch.
Allison to Lillia - This adventure, romance anime is just refreshing to watch.
Avatar: The Last Airbender - This is arguably one of the best Nickelodeon cartoon series.
Avatar: The Legend of Korra - The sequel to the series above. While this series initially started off a bit slow and paled in comparison to its prequel, it gradually improved. The ending was a surprise to many fans including myself especially since it felt like there was a lack of build up for it but after watching the makers talk about it on YouTube, they convinced me by looking at this show from a different perspective, you would be able to see how the ending was supported. This show was a break through for many cartoons.
Baccano! - a perfect mixture of action and comedy. It also portrays criminals realistically, you see the other side to them.
Bleach - While I have only watched selected episodes from this anime, I fell in love with its opening theme songs and characters and of course, the action.
Broken/Break Blade - sci-fic, act, rom. Open ending, a bit graphic but nice theme song, a bit nostalgic and realistic.
Campione! - I liked the background of the gods and heroes from various mythologies. Good plot and art. I found it hard to understand how Erika(the female lead) could really love the male lead in such a short amount of time but shrugs, it's just a story.
Crescent Love - This is one of those cute, innocent romance anime between a girl from another planet and a guy from Earth.
Dantalian no Shoka - fan, mystery. I thought this had a lot of unresolved issues in it.
Death Note - This anime had me scared at the first episode (perhaps I started it a bit young) but it was relatively normal from thereon. It really does question your sense of what is justice.
D.N. Angel - A cute rom-com anime with some supernatural elements.
Final Fantasy Unlimited - I actually liked this show but it was too short and may be boring to some and is definitely not on the same level as other Final Fantasy shows.
Fruits Basket - a anime about an interaction between a cute, innocent girl and humans representing the zodiac signs.
Full Metal Panic! - I think this anime was okay but if you're looking for some romance in it, it has almost nil although I only managed to finish the first season and have heard, it escalates in the second.
Full moon wo sagashite - This was the first anime I ever watched and has a special place in my heart. The songs are nice and if you want a heart warming shoujo anime, check this out.
Gakuen Alice - may be more interesting for a pre-teen or early teen but still enjoyable to watch.
Gekkan Shouji Nozaki-kun - this is a very light-hearted romance that didn't really progress anywhere but a good shoujo and shounen mix.
Hakuouki - A nice historical, samurai anime but may be a bit slow-paced and the ending was a bit disappointing. Nice art.
Hakushaku to Yousei - Want a Victorian themed anime with action and fairies and clean romance? This is it. Lydia is such a caring character, Lord Edgar is manipulative and his servant Raven is just wicked cool.
Hana Yori Dango - this drama, romance anime was a bit violent at times which had me repulsed but I did like the character development. Has a lot of bullying.
Hanasakeru Seishounen - drama, comedy, rom, arranged marriage. Slow but gradually builds up. Nice character designs.
Hataraku Maou-sama - good humour, clichéd romance but makes you think about the gray area between good and evil (unless that was just me).
Hatenkou Yuugi - an action, fantasy anime that is good enough to pass time watching.
Hidan no Aria - action, romance anime. Nice enough to watch.
Hiiro no Kakera - action, fantasy, romance. Nice music, art. Reminded me of Fruits Basket.
Inu Boku SS - This anime has the best tsundere ever (sorry have not watched Toradora!). It has a supernatural element with one of the sweetest storylines ever and a master/servant relationship. You may wonder what is wrong with the male lead but give it a chance...I think you'll just bubble up inside halfway through.
InuYasha - I started this anime and did like it but it got so repetitive after all and it took too long for the main plot to escalate. Do not read the manga, it will depress you, just stick to the anime's ending.
Itazura na Kiss - This is a rom-drama anime. I personally found the male lead Naoki too cold, too harsh and forceful but I guess you have to admire the girl's commitment to loving him no matter what. Maybe it reflects on how some love stories are in real life?
Kage Kara Mamoru - rom-com with a ninja. Female lead is a huge klutz.
Kaichou wa Maid-Sama - This is my second favourite rom-com anime. Usui Takumi is an extremely talented guy and the girl Misaki is so independent, hardworking and determined (naturally the Class President). She has a part-time job as a maid in a café and Usui discovers her secret.
Kamichama Karin - rom, fan. This was drawn out but the characters were cute and the storyline was interesting.
Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne - school girl turns into a thief and the detective's son is in her class, trying to find out her identity. It was an okay way to pass time.
Kamisama Haijimemashita - a good mix of action, comedy, fantasy, romance but I think we don't get enough of the male lead's past. More is in the making.
Kare kano - A rom-com in school involving initial blackmail but then escalates into a normal love story. I love the female main character.
Karneval - I liked the art and the concept of a circus being a defense team but I would really like to see the future of some of the characters.
Kaze no Stigma - again, when you're looking to satisfy your action, fantasy, romance craving, this is will temporarily hold you up.
Kimi ni Todoke - This is the cleanest, most innocent and cutest romance drama anime I have ever watched. Nothing comes close. The female lead is just so misunderstood by those around her and is so gullible yet lovable.
Kuroshitsuji - Victorian styled with supernatural elements like demons. Contains a master(Ciel, a young boy)/servant (male demon, Sebastian) relationship. Soundtrack is great, art is good, Sebastian is one hell of a butler. Second season was not that good but the third season picked things back up.
Kyo, koi wa Hajimemasu - cute but meh.
La Corda d'Oro - the classical pieces of music are epic but the storyline is just okay. A lot of people just watch this for the bishounen not that I blame them.
Legend of Basara - drama, historical, act, rom. A girl disguises herself as her brother to lead her people and the enemy sees her in her female form and they fall in love. Anime ending is unsatisfying, just go read the manga's ending.
Magic Knight Rayearth - fantasy, adv, magical girl. It was a bit slow-paced but had good character development.
Mahou Sensou - act, fan, rom. A bit clichéd and ending was confusing :l.
Maoyu Mao Yushu - A mix of fan, act, rom.
Mars - I actually read the manga and saw the Taiwanese drama for this series.
Mars Daybreak - my first shot of space opera and I loved it. It is catchy!
Mermaid Melody - If you like the magical girl theme, lots of singing and some clichéd romance, this is for you. It is a bit drawn out but I liked the second season better.
Nabari no Ou - action, supernatural. The male lead transforms from being indifferent to actually learning to care about someone.
Naruto - I've been some episodes from this. It's good and supposedly makes more sense than Bleach in some areas but anyways by now, you probably realize I usually don't watch any anime series longer than like 100 episodes especially if it's ongoing.
Neo Angelique Abyss - a nice fantasy, reverse harem anime
Noragami - deals with gods and humans. I liked how they portrayed that gods could be affected by the actions of humans. It was a bit open-ended but enjoyable.
Otome Youkai Zakuro - A nice fantasy, adventure, romance mix.
Ouran High School Host Club - This has to be one of the funniest anime ever! A girl repaying her debt to a bunch of spoiled rich kids but she disguises herself as a boy when she works for them.
*Owari no Seraph - The vampire vs humans theme isn't original but there is an intriguing plot twist.
Pandora Hearts - adv, fan, com, mystery. Good soundtrack (Lacie's Melody is the most beautiful tune you can ever listen to from a music box), good plot but still had some unresolved issues.
Pretear - one of those fantasy, adv, romance anime that you just watch to pass time.
Red Data Girl - has a cute interaction between the protagonists but the ending left me unsatisfied.
Ristorante Paradiso - slice of life, romance. My first josei I've watched. Quite a bit of Italian words, nice narration, music but the age gap between the couple may make some faces cringe.
Ruroni Kenshin - This is perhaps the best samurai I've ever watched. It was slow at times but Kenshin is the ultimate swordfighter and this anime really left an impact on me near the end (I think it was a lesson about the will to die is easy but the will to survive is harder). I didn't watch the four OVAs because I became too sad when I read what happened on Wikipedia:(.
Sakamiki no Apollon - coming of age, slice of life, rom. This was realistic and sweet, made me like jazz.
Shounen Onmoji - action, adv, fantasy, rom, supernatural. Slow-paced but cute.
Shugo Chara! - This is a magical girl, shoujo anime and I loved the first two seasons but after that, it sort of went downhill and they stopped airing it :/. The villians are very likeable, outfits are nice.
Skip Beat - A girl is out to get revenge in showbiz. It is one of the funniest anime I've ever seen.
Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushi - This was refreshing to watch.
Special A - This is my favourite rom-com anime. Childhood rivals, a dense girl, a guy who is too superhuman but just watch it.
Stellvia - action, space.This anime is just relatable. Katase Shima is the female lead who is a genius but feels inadequate. The storyline is very intectually stimulating. Nice soundtrack.
Sukitte Ii na yo - Similar to Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun. The female lead is really shy. Love story is cute.
Tales of Eternia - adv, fan, dragons. A bit open-ended.
Tears to Tiara - adv, fan, rom. Not a bad storyline but slow paced. Good perspective on perfection.
Tokyo Mew Mew - Another shoujo, magical girl anime with some character growth.
Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun - a cute romance about a girl who had no friends
Toshokan Sensou - dramatized the importance of books a bit but freedom of speech is indeed an essential right.
Trinity Blood - action, fantasy, mystery, vampires. Nice plot and theme song but had some unresolved issues.
Tytania - My second shot of space opera. Good character development but very open ended :(.
Ultramaniac - fantasy, romance. Somehow a bit disappointing to me.
Valkyria Chronicles - act, adv, rom. The romance took some time to progress but it was worthwhile. I like the female lead.
Vampire Knight - The first vampire anime I ever watched. Nice soundtrack, art, mystery and romance (although a bit controversial). It will have you hooked. I haven't been able to quite find anything else like it.
Witchcraft Works - act, fan, rom. It was ok.
Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge - This name has something to do with the Japanese ideology of a perfect woman and I think ever their football team has this name. Anyways, this anime is just full of comedy. You are guaranteed to laugh.
Zetman - action, adv, sci-fic. This has very graphic scenes and an open ending.