Cool! A anime and manga area? This is awesome!

1. I don't really have a favorite manga right now (it's hard for me to find any that are good and not full of bad stuff, any suggestions?), but my favorite anime, although I've seen very few, is "Fruits Basket." I love the characters and the plot, and I like how they incorperated the Chinese Zodiac in there.

2. I haven't read enough animes or seen enough mangas to tell what style I like, but I prefer the softer, not so sharp styles. In other words, I don't like "Dragon Ball Z" style, but I enjoy "Fruits Basket" style.

3. I have unfortuanetly not found any mangas to read, but I intend to do some research and find some that I might like. As for animes, I've seen a few on TV ("Magical DoReMi," "Hamtaro," and others), a couple movies ("The Cat Returns" and "Ponyo"), and so on.

4. I've always been interested in the style of manga. I started liking it a lot after watching Saturday cartoons when I was younger. I'm still pretty new to the world of manga and anime, but I do think it's pretty cool!

5. Sorry, I have no idea of any quotes I like right now.

By the way, do any of you have any great suggestions of great but not too full of bad stuff anime and mangas? I want to try to read and watch some more if I can find any like that.

1. Favorite manga and/or anime?
Manga:
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind - Hayao Miyazaki
Monster - Naoki Urasawa
The New Kindaichi Case Files - Yazaburo Kanari (crime/mystery)
Fullmetal Alchemist - Hiromu Arakawa (although I've only read the first 9)

Anime:
Anything by Studio Ghibli (excluding Pom Poko)
Rahxephon (sci-fi/drama)
Last Exile (steampunk)
Noir (noir/action)
Ergo Proxy (sci-fi/thriller)
Azumanga Daioh (shoujo comedy/drama)

2. Favorite style?
Anything well-drawn and well-proportioned. I'm not the biggest fan of overly huge eyes and changes in drawing style to achieve comedic purposes (in otherwise serious series). I probably love the styles used in Rahxephon and Last Exile the best.

3. Anime/manga that you have seen/read before
Ah. Many, but not as many as I would like. I've seen some terrible anime, some good and great anime (same goes for manga). I will say this though - Digimon is far better than Pokemon.

4. Who got you interested, or did you start watching/reading anime/manga by yourself?
I discovered anime on my own. Saw some episodes of Sailor Moon at a neighbours. Didn't like the show but I thought the different take on animation was interesting. Later I saw some episodes of the classic Astro Boy (which I enjoyed) and Speed Racer (but I couldn't get past how silly that one was). Then Pokemon came along, I watched some of that. Digimon followed that one, watched some of that (enjoyed it much more). Several years later I borrowed some anime from my library and it scared me off the genre for awhile - the culprits? Devil Man and 3x3 Eyes (I knew nothing about them). Yeah.
Anyway, I think it was in the early 2000's where I saw Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away and loved it. Not long after I was looking on the Thief forums (a stealth PC game series) for some steampunk recommendations. Last Exile was brought up, so I watched it and loved the series (despite it's lack of a proper story and conclusion). Since then I've watched many series.

I got into manga when the Japanese exchange teacher (who stayed with our family for several weeks) sent me some manga - The New Kindaichi Case Files, a mystery/crime series. I loved them and have read more since then.

I need some more recommendations. I've heard 20th Century Boys and Pluto are very good but I don't know if they're available in English yet.

5. Favorite quotes?
I don't remember any.

Shastafan, I'm not sure what genres of anime/manga you enjoy or what your parameters are for content but here are some reviews of manga from a Christian perspective. Just be warned that some of the reviews are fairly conservative in what is deemed okay/not okay in terms of content.

http://www.christiananime.net/reviews_anime.php
http://www.christiananime.net/manga_reviews.php

(it's also a great community for anime and manga fans)

1. Favorite manga and/or anime?
Favorite manga is Fruits Basket; early volumes provide great comedy while later volumes ramp up the storytelling (while still providing some comedy).

Favorite anime is Clannad (including its After Story sequel). It combines great comedy as well as a series of very emotional stories that deal with the theme of family, both actual families and the "families" the characters create out of their circle of friends. Very much worth a watch.

I have several other series I really like, that listing them all is going to be difficult.

2. Favorite style?
While I enjoy anime and manga of various styles, I find that low-key slice-of-life stories are consistently among my favorites. Comedies are also great, particularly the more absurdist ones.

3. Anime/manga that you have seen/read before
...Way too many.

4. Who got you interested, or did you start watching/reading anime/manga by yourself?
It's pretty much mostly by myself.

5. Favorite quotes?
Clannad: Fuuko, talking to the blond-haired Sunohara: "Your hair is an unnatural color!" (The irony is delicious.)

More quotes if I can think of them.

In the meantime, I shall have to give various recommendations for shows, particularly those that can be watched for free on Crunchyroll or Hulu.

First off, one of my favorite shows from the Fall 2010 season: Squid Girl, a.k.a. "Shinryaku! Ika-Musume". Pretty much a straight-up comedy involving a squid girl trying to invade the Earth and instead ending up working at a beach house. Good stuff, some slapstick violence, bikinis and strange one-way crushes, but nothing inappropriate otherwise.

Next, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. This one became pretty famous among the more hardcore fans. It's about a guy who ends up encountering a girl who unconsciously warps reality around her to her whims, as well as various other strange high-schoolers. Has a good mix of comedic elements, off-beat storytelling, and unexpected action scenes, as well as great animation. Nothing really inappropriate; expect some philosophizing, and also, some of the characters refer to the title character as a "god" because of her power.

Fruits Basket: While it's not as good as the manga (mainly because the show finished airing before the manga itself finished), this is still one of my absolute favorite shows, blending comedy and storytelling together nicely. Inappropriate elements are very mild and if you aren't offended by anime itself, you should be fine with this.

Finally, for those looking for something more action-packed, there's Gurren Lagann. This one is pretty much all high-energy mecha action, and it's done with extraordinary flair. Expect violence (though not bloody) and some instances of revealing clothing, but otherwise it's not much worth noting.

1. Favorite manga and/or anime? I'm rather fond of FMA: Brotherhood, and I liked DragonVoice and Legend of Chun Hnang. I'm not sure where I'd put Emma. It has lovely drawings, but overall I'm more 'eh' on the story.

2. Favorite style? I'm not sure what the name for it is, but it tends to be a little more realistic... though I suppose that term should be used loosely.

3. Anime/manga that you have seen/read before:

Anime: Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Manga: Shaolin Sisters Vol. 1 by Narumi Kakinouchi
Real/Fake Princess by I-Haun
Legend of Chun Hnang by CLAMP
Forbidden Dance Vol. 1 by ?
DragonVoice by Yuriko Nishiyama
Crimson Hero: 2, 3 by Mitsuba Takanashi
King of Bandit: Jing Vol. 3 by ?
Emma by Kaoru Mori[/list229v3arp]

4. Who got you interested, or did you start watching/reading anime/manga by yourself? I started reading by myself, just picking up the ones that looked interesting on the library shelf.

5. Favorite quotes? I can't say I've noticed any that are particularly quoteable.

We have hands that fashion and heads that know,
But our hearts we lost - how long ago! -- G. K. Chesterton

My exposure to anime and manga is rather limited, though I've enjoyed watching the anime version of Fruits Basket thanks to stardf's recommendation. It's the one I'm most familiar with and would echo his comments on it above.

(I have watched some anime-influenced Western animation, notably Avatar: The Last Airbender, and while that's a little off-topic I couldn't help noticing that your avatar, Mel, looks vaguely like Katara ).

To the questions:

1. Favorites?
Probably Fruits Basket since I've seen it the most, though I have seen snippets of some others, like Naruto and Full Metal Alchemist on TV.

2. Favorite style?
More realistic for me too, with richly-colored and detailed backgrounds. I'm not really fond of those big heads and eyes of some shows - but good storytelling can overcome that.

3. Ones I've seen/read:
Other than those already listed? An incomplete list would include Pokemon (small doses only, please; sorry) and Digimon; along with some Sailor Moon.

I've seen Spirited Away and quite liked it.

4. Getting started:
Various methods: Some I've found just channel-surfing; some viewing was inspired by the anime-influenced Western shows already referred to, and also stardf's recommendations.

5. Quotes?
I'm drawing a blank at present.

I haven't watched any anime in quite a long time, but my formative years were filled with episodes of Battle of the Planets (Gatchaman in Japan) and Star Blazers (Space Battleship Yamato in Japan). Speed Racer had been out the previous decade, so my sisters watched that. I didn't really sink my teeth into anime until the mid-80's when Robotech came on the air. Great, epic stuff! And addictive too...it came on around 4:30 - 5:30pm (roundabouts) everyday and it was required watching, sort of like a soap opera for teenaged boys. Love those Veritech Fighters!

Aaand I'm pretty sure no one else remembers it.

What I have been really wanting to know is what the difference is between manga and anime? I've been wondering for a while now, and this thread seems to be a perfect place to ask.
The closest I've come to anime is Avatar:The Last Airbender. I really loved the animation in that, so I'm thinking I might like real anime. Any suggestions of what to start out on?

'Manga' refers to Japanese comics and graphic novels
'Anime' refers to Japanese animation

Both cover any and every genre you can think of, from educational ones, to sport, fantasy and extreme adult entertainment (yeah, not all of it is safe).

1. Favorite manga and/or anime?

Magic Knight Rayearth and Rose of Versailles

2. Favorite style?

CLAMP's intricate style, like in MKR and X/1999

3. Anime/manga that you have seen/read before

WAAAAAAY too many to count...

4. Who got you interested, or did you start watching/reading anime/manga by yourself?

I watched anime as a child. Then my friend got me into it again when I was in college.

5. Favorite quotes?

"Commandant! Un drapeau blanc sur la Bastille!"

First off, I have to say I am so excited to have found this thread! I was actually thinking of starting one, when I found this! *squeals*

1. Favorite Manga and/or Anime?
I haven't read that much manga. I've been trying to read Fruits Basket for some time now, but our library never has the first few volumes. Since I've seen the anime, I finally gave in and got volumes 7 and 8 last friday. I'm also currently reading Two Flowers for the Dragon, which is pretty interesting.

As for anime, I have several favorites:
Detective Conan (I've seen all 610 episodes and am rewatching them)
Avatar: The Last Airbender (seen it at least three times)
Death Note This is magnificently written, but does get a bit bloody at times...
Seirei no Moribito (aka Guardian of the Sacred Spirit) Good story, very clean, love it
Kemeno no Souja Erin Similar to above, a little slow, but very good
Jyu Oh Sei Really good story, a little bloody, though
Fruits Basket Absolutely hilarious. Love it.
Ouran High School Host Club Likewise. Does have some sensitive issues like cross-dressing.
Any movie by Hayao Miyazaki. My favorite of his is Howl's Moving Castle. Am anticipating his latest, The Borrower Arrietty.

2. Favorite Style?
My favorite styles have to be the more realistic-looking ones that are closer to realistic proportions and such. I do enjoy an occasional extreme comedy style like Fruits Basket.

3. Anime/manga that you have seen/read before
Ooh, way too many to list here. The number of favorites I have tells you how much I've seen.

4. Who got you interested, or did you start watching/reading anime/manga by yourself?
Funny thing is, in Jr. High my best friend was crazy about it, but I didn't have any interest in it. It wasn't until high school when I started reading manga out of curiosity. My love of Hayao Miyazaki and anime started when my art teacher in my senior year of high school showed us Howl's Moving Castle at the end of the year. I checked out his other movies and got myself hooked. Another funny thing is, I really got into anime when I saw someone's sig here on NarniaWeb that was from Detective Conan. I asked them about it, tried it out, and have loved it ever since!

5. Favorite quotes?
Most of my fav quotes are from AtlA, and they are numerous.
Right now my avatar is a quote from Detective Conan, and my sig is a quote from AtlA.

Very cool. I haven't seen or read Detective Conan but it looks good. What genre (other than detective/mystery) would you say it falls under?
Avatar: The Last Airbender isn't anime. I enjoyed Death Note but I thought the writers didn't take the themes as far as they could have.

"I'll take a potato chip, and eat it!"

I watched Death Note with a friend in college and I was blown away. It was gory and dark. But it went deep and was wrestling with moral issues in a way I had not been expecting (I was an anime noob before watching). Good stuff.

Gory? Were we watching the same series? Death Note was not gory. The horror factor came from the psychological nature of the show.

You watch people die. I guess they are bloodless deaths. That may have been a poor choice of words on my part.