I want happy and uplifting anime!

[Rainbow_Bright]

any ideas?

[OldRover]

Wicked City. Trust me.

[SignOfZeta]

Does it also have to be stupid? If you want something cute that isn't stupid try The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. It starts out like a stupid high school show with better than average touches, but turns into hard SciFi by the end. Its extremely atypical, despite first appearances. One of the best shows in the last decade, IMO. That isn't saying much though since the last decade of anime has betty pretty crap on the whole...

[Rainbow_Bright]

Hmm, ok I'm about to change the title of this thread. *uplifting* is the key.

Wicked city, don't play tricks on me !

When I was a young teenager I used to really like anime, but I only ever scratched the surface. These days I just feel like some nice, happy, fun stuff..touching would be nice.

[SignOfZeta]

Try My Neighbors the Yamadas, any of the Crayon Shin-chan movies, and Windy Tales.

[OldRover]

Hey, Wicked City was pretty happy and uplifting. They have a baby at the end, what's not happy and uplifting about that?

[guyjin]

Bible Black. 

[Rainbow_Bright]

Try My Neighbors the Yamadas, any of the Crayon Shin-chan movies, and Windy Tales.

THANKS

[esteban]

Yeah, I'm being contrarian today ;)

Definitely check out...

Grave of the Fireflies

...when you want to check out some somber stuff.

[guyjin]

hamtaro is happy, but maybe not uplifting...

[TR0N]

Death Note 

[ParanoiaDragon]

Personally, I love Naruto.  It's very uplifting & encouraging for me.  I tend to identify with alot of the characters, the whole underdog theme.  Alot of the characters, have their quirks, but, in the end, they show their worth, & how strong & important they really are.  It's also really funny & wacky at times. 

Samurai Champloo was pretty uplifting & happy at times, had alot of wacky stuff in it, even though it's partly serious.  The Galaxy Angel's are also pretty good IIRC.

Other's worth checking out:
All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku(any of them)
Tenchi Muyo(any of them, though, I havne't seen the latest series)
Outlaw Star
Chobits(though, I've only watched a few episodes so far)
Cromartie High School(complete randomness)
Trigun(one of my absolute fav. series)
Dragon Half
Full Metal Panic(some of it is dark)
Gate Keepers(I recall being very pleased with this anime)
Happy Lesson
KO Beast(same as the Turbo game)
Last Exile(can be dark at times I suppose)
Love Hina
Martian Successor Nadesico(the series is great, the movie is darker)
Please Teacher
Please Twins
Project A-ko
Rahxephon(can be very upbuilding)
Read or Die(this series is just pure fun, though, there is some seriousness)
Those Who Hunt Elves(lot's of wackiness)
Vandread

So, maybe go on youtube or something, check these out.

[Turbo D]

I can recommend to you Initial D!; its my favorite! Its about drift racing in the mountains of Japan. I first found out about it when I played this new Sega racer at the arcade. The cool art and story in the cut scenes really got me into the game, so I decided to check out the manga and anime. I was then hooked! Also check out My Neighbor Totoro; a true classic!

[OldRover]

I was going to suggest Love Hina but PD already did.

[Rainbow_Bright]

Thanks you super cool kids !

[guyjin]

I can recommend to you Initial D!;

is that where the D in 'Turbo D' comes from? what does it stand for?

[esteban]

You know, kirby, I was watching Pingu with my daughter the other day and I thought it was a pretty neat show.

No, I'm not trying to be smarmy. No, Pingu is not anime. Yes, Pingu is aimed at 3-year olds.

I don't know, you can laugh, but I thought it was "uplifting".

[Turbo D]

I can recommend to you Initial D!;

is that where the D in 'Turbo D' comes from? what does it stand for?

The "D" in 'turbo D" can stand for anything your imagination will come up with! or it can stand for David, the choice is yours! 

[Lochlan]

any of the Crayon Shin-chan movies

The show is far more hilarious than the movies, and IMO the english dub is excellent (despite some questionable cultural references intended to make it more relevant to Western audiences).  The manga is also quite good.  Very funny, but I don't know about "uplifting".

This is a funny topic.  Most anime (and manga) is "uplifting" in some way, but almost all also contain (or are fundamentally made up of) much darker elements -- probably because Japanese culture seems to love self-sacrifice and suffering (massochism?).  Even something like Astro Boy, while fundamentally a feel-good hero story, has some really horrific and tragic moments (in Astro's origin, his creator sells him to the circus after raising him as a loved son, where he is then treated as sub-human).  And the most "uplifting" stories generally tend to end with the protagonist(s) "winning" but dying or giving up the thing they love most or some equally bittersweet ending (Ashita no Joe is a prime example).

For something truly uplifiting, read Dragon Ball if you haven't already (or watch, if you must). (I mean "Dragon Ball", by the way -- pre-DBZ, which isn't that good anyway, and only should matter to fans as a continuation of the original serial.)  If you have doubts, throw away all your preconceptions, it's one of the best narratives ever created.  There are some sad moments, and like most anime there's a lot of dying and self-sacrifice, but the characters' successes overwhelmingly outweigh their tragedies.  If you watch it, make sure it has a JP dub and english subtitles and is the original uncut version -- the neutered English-dubbed one is terrible.

And +1 on Cromartie High School, which is amazingly funny (although, again, not particularly uplifting).

[Rainbow_Bright]

Thanks Lochlan, you always give long detailed answers

Well, When I said uplifting, I probably should have thought of a different word. I just don't want to watch like adult orientated anime..

Hope that makes sense!

[Digi.k]

hehe Shinchan is awesome..

You might also wanna check out Excel Saga which is just wierd and whacky but it does have lots and lots of LOL moments aaaannd my favourite !

AZUMANGA DAIOH!

This is an english clip I uploaded aaages ago I'm surprised i not been pested to take it down.. (its full of high school girls so expect lots of high pitched squeeky voices even in the japanese version)

here's Osaka!

At the pool

You could also try

Tenchi Muyo  (the original OVA's I don't like the spin offs)
Spirited Away
Kiki's Delivery Service
Laputa Castle in the sky
Fushigi Yugi
Cowboy Bebop

[SignOfZeta]

any of the Crayon Shin-chan movies

The show is far more hilarious than the movies, and IMO the english dub is excellent (despite some questionable cultural references intended to make it more relevant to Western audiences).  The manga is also quite good.  Very funny, but I don't know about "uplifting".

Well, I'll just have to politely disagree here. Shin-chan is great regardless of medium, but I like the movies best. I've only ever seen the time travel one (where the dog learns to talk) and the super nostalgia tinged "Parents Strike Back" one which turned out to be one of my favorite feature length anime of all time. I absolutely love that thing for so many reasons.



And yeah, the dub is amazingly good, but at the same time Shin's voice in the JP version is one of the greatest, most iconic voices ever. I just can't do without. I like the original principal as well. Anime like Gundam or Death note being dubbed is one thing, but Shin-chan's voice is just so integral to the show for me. Its like watching Totoro dubbed or something. Unless you are 7 years old, its just a sacrilege of the illiterate. Like watching a Richard Pryor concert dubbed into German...

[ParanoiaDragon]

hehe Shinchan is awesome..

You might also wanna check out Excel Saga which is just wierd and whacky but it does have lots and lots of LOL moments aaaannd my favourite !

AZUMANGA DAIOH!

This is an english clip I uploaded aaages ago I'm surprised i not been pested to take it down.. (its full of high school girls so expect lots of high pitched squeeky voices even in the japanese version)

here's Osaka!

At the pool

You could also try

Tenchi Muyo  (the original OVA's I don't like the spin offs)
Spirited Away
Kiki's Delivery Service
Laputa Castle in the sky
Fushigi Yugi
Cowboy Bebop

Great, thanks alot!  Now I gotta buy AZUMANGA DAIOH after viewing the clips, I didn't want to spend anymore money!   

[Digi.k]

Please please PLEASE consider Excel Saga too!!

I can't even describe ES.. its just weird but funny (sci fi, comedy, love, drama all in one). Ilpalazzo's and his secret organization Across undertake as part of their conquest world domination with the aid of Hyperactive Excel (who strives for Ilpalazzo's affections) and later on a aneamic princess alien Hyatt and Excel's luckless neighbours.. Along the way you'll encounter Menchi the mutt, Nabeshin "Afro-man" agent, Pedro the immigrant worker, The Great Will of the Macrocosm and the Puchuu alien race!  There are some episodes where it kinda strays a bit.. and the last episode is a lil' extreme...

entire 1st episode (Koshi Rikdo Assassination plot!) is here English dub.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=7HQQGW28

entire 2nd episode (The woman from Mars) english dub
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=MQDQVQRJ

entire 3rd (the sacrificial lamb of the venomous great escape of hell) episode english dub
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=LPXX0CV0

entire 4th episode (Love Puny) english dub
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=YF16Z44S

Is that a parody of Tokimeki memorial and a brief cameo of Advance VG in ep 4?

[CrackTiger]

I can recommend to you Initial D!; its my favorite! Its about drift racing in the mountains of Japan. I first found out about it when I played this new Sega racer at the arcade. The cool art and story in the cut scenes really got me into the game, so I decided to check out the manga and anime. I was then hooked! Also check out My Neighbor Totoro; a true classic!

My Neighbor Totoro is a tragic thriller about a couple young girls who begin to lose their grip on sanity due to the emotional burden of their mother being terminally ill. Even after death they carry on the delusions as their spirits haunt their parents.

Even though it doubles as a light fantasy for casual viewers, the darker/realistic side is pretty brutal (such as finding a young child's shoe as they drag the rivers for a corpse).

[SignOfZeta]

(such as finding a young child's shoe as they drag the rivers for a corpse).

Holly shit you are a master of misdirection! You should be in Congress.

[GUTS]

Wow I didn't get any of that out of My Neighbor Totoro.  When did they die?

Watch Great Teacher Onizuka if you want a happy, uplifting anime.  This is totally serious, I'm not trying to be funny by recommending something dark and depressing.  GTO is one of the best anime series I've ever watched, in fact even people who normally don't like anime agree it rules.

[termis]

It's a bit of a necropost, but as I'm going through some stressful times as of right now, I needed something uplifting as well.

So I just checked out the first episode of GTO after GUT's recommendation, and yeah, that was pretty damn good.  I actually recall reading the Korean-translated manga of this character's younger bosozoku years about.... 10 years ago or so...

I wasn't ever huge in to anime (I prefer reading manhwa/Korean-translated manga), but yeah, this one seems really cool.

[Paisa49]

What about Ranma 1/2? I love that series.

[MissaFX]

I would recommend that you watch:

Fruits Basket
Galaxy Fraulein Yuna OVAs 1 and 2
The Cat Returns
Fairy Princess Ren
El Hazard OVAs  (TV series isn't bad either)
(If you hate Sailor Moon) Sailor Moon Eps 45-46

Uplifting, but maybe not always happy:

Fushigi Yuugi TV series

[MissaFX]

What about Ranma 1/2? I love that series.

I wore my Ranma 1/2 "Girl Type" Viz shirt the other day to the LARP game.  I always considered it a tragic story though, rather than an uplifing one.

[RR1980]

hehe with this being the PCE/Turbo forum I am surprised no one have mentioned Wataru (Keith Courage) or Granzort yet! They were my favorite anime growing up and that was one of the major reason why I prefer the PCE over the other consoles. And then if you want something a lil' dirty ala South Park there's always Ping Pong Club! ;-)

[ParanoiaDragon]

I don't think Wataru or Granzort has been release outside of Japan, have they?  At the very least, I've never seen a dub for either.  I hate subtitles with a passion.

[Lochlan]

At the very least, I've never seen a dub for either.  I hate subtitles with a passion.

English dubs are horrible 95% of the time.  Occasionally I am impressed by a dub (Shin Chan) but usually just find myself cringing (Naruto).

Yes, subtitles slightly distract from the (arguably more important) animation, but the superior voice acting by the original Seiyū almost always more than makes up for it.  You also can pick up on parts of the dialog that are more "correct" than the dubbed translation; I don't speak Japanese, but being a huge wasian or whatever I can occasionally pick up on some cultural cues with, for instance, honorifics -- something usually ignored or poorly/inadequately conveyed with dubs.

[termis]

I said this before -- And I'm not saying I prefer English dubs over subtitles (I don't), but trust me on this one -- if you understand the language, Japanese dubbing in anime usually sounds just as stupid as English dubbing.

[MissaFX]

I think the Shin Chan dub is precious.  I actually copied the first series to one MD to appriciate it as a radio show.

[GUTS]

No shit, there's whole culture of nerds out there who swear that anime voice acting is so great, blah blah, but really the only reason they think Japanese voice actors are so awesome is because they can't understand what the fuck they're saying.  I don't get these dumb shits that follow female voice actors around like they can actually tell them apart.

[Lochlan]

No shit, there's whole culture of nerds out there who swear that anime voice acting is so great, blah blah, but really the only reason they think Japanese voice actors are so awesome is because they can't understand what the fuck they're saying.  I don't get these dumb shits that follow female voice actors around like they can actually tell them apart.

Or maybe it's because there's an overwhelmingly large number of bad US voice actors?

Personally, I am primarily interested in hearing a voice that doesn't make me want to jam out my eardrum with an icepick.  Regardless of my language, I know what's pleasing to my ear, and I can think of a dozen times off the top of my head where I've heard a US dub where a voice was so excruciatingly painful it was distracting from the plot.

lol @ feelings of nerd superiority

[GUTS]

I feel the same way, I hate dubs.  What I'm saying is that what Termis said is probably 100% spot on and all these kids who are "fans" of voice actors can't understand the language.

[CrackTiger]

No shit, there's whole culture of nerds out there who swear that anime voice acting is so great, blah blah, but really the only reason they think Japanese voice actors are so awesome is because they can't understand what the fuck they're saying.  I don't get these dumb shits that follow female voice actors around like they can actually tell them apart.

Or maybe it's because there's an overwhelmingly large number of bad US voice actors?

Personally, I am primarily interested in hearing a voice that doesn't make me want to jam out my eardrum with an icepick.  Regardless of my language, I know what's pleasing to my ear, and I can think of a dozen times off the top of my head where I've heard a US dub where a voice was so excruciatingly painful it was distracting from the plot.

lol @ feelings of nerd superiority

I think that there is a lot of great japanese anime voice acting. But its the minority, just like good anime itself. But thankfully there so much anime in general, that after sifting through it all, we're left with a ton of great stuff.

I don't love every japanese performance in PC Engine games either, but a game like Snatcher Sega-CD doesn't even compare to the original. From what I remember, Ys I & II was an improvement overall in english.

I can't get into most newer anime, but one classic that sucks in japanese compared to the dub is Fist of teh North Star the movie.

[RR1980]

yeah most anime aren't available in dubs so usually beggers can't be choosers and I would get them in Japanese with English subtitles anyways like I bought Wataru series 1-3 and Granzort on dvds on ebay (yes those bootleg ones although you honestly wouldn't be able to tell if you look at them cause the packagings look SO GOOD they are probably better than any actual studio releases if there were any). And then for the ones that have dubs they are usually pretty terrible with the recent Saint Seiya dub that was on tv being possibly the worst in history (for changing the characters into surfer dudes :-S) but one that I actually thought was quite good was Inuyasha I actually prefer the dub over the fan sub AND the fan subs for Inuysha are already probably the best ones you will ever see as for as fan subs go! :-D

[ParanoiaDragon]

At the very least, I've never seen a dub for either.  I hate subtitles with a passion.

English dubs are horrible 95% of the time.  Occasionally I am impressed by a dub (Shin Chan) but usually just find myself cringing (Naruto).

Yes, subtitles slightly distract from the (arguably more important) animation, but the superior voice acting by the original Seiyū almost always more than makes up for it.  You also can pick up on parts of the dialog that are more "correct" than the dubbed translation; I don't speak Japanese, but being a huge wasian or whatever I can occasionally pick up on some cultural cues with, for instance, honorifics -- something usually ignored or poorly/inadequately conveyed with dubs.

See, I'm different.  I absolutely LOVE the way all the various actor's portray the characters in Naruto!  When I listen to the Japanese ones, they all sound the same, like there's no diversity voicewise(for the most part).  And honestly, I'm not sure if I've ever seen a dubbed anime, where I hated the voice acting!  There are so many talented voice actors in the US & Canada IMHO!

But, if you want to hear bad voice acting....look up the the Star TV dubs of Transformers Headmasters....now that's just cringe worthy!
Here's a clip

[nectarsis]

ROFLMAO..oh the memories..WORST DUB EVER

[Lochlan]

See, I'm different.  I absolutely LOVE the way all the various actor's portray the characters in Naruto!

I don't mind some of the voices in the Naruto dub; the voice that really drives me crazy is Naruto.  The funny thing is that the dub actually sounds like the JP Naruto -- but only when he's angry/yelling/serious and has that gravely quality to his voice.  In other words, the English dub makes Naruto sound like he's always yelling, and frankly his voice is just annoying.  It doesn't help that he has more lines than anyone else.

(And besides, the dubbed version is censored heavily -- as it's intended for children -- which severely undercuts the intensity of the plot.)

but one that I actually thought was quite good was Inuyasha I actually prefer the dub

The Inuyasha dub is pretty good overall, but the one voice that ruins it for me is Kaede, with her abortion of Old English.  I can only assume that it's an attempt to convey the usage of an old dialect, but it ruins the feel of feudal Japan for me when she, for instance, uses phrases like "ye be" instead of "you are".

[ParanoiaDragon]

I can understand Naruto's voice getting annoying for some, but, I like it, I even liked the "believe it"....though, in moderation

[RR1980]

OH so speaking of anime dubs have you guys ever seen those Studio Ghibli movies dub with big name hollywood actors?

[Digi.k]

English voice acting has come a long way since the days of Carl Macek..

if you want real good quality dubbing stuff u cant beat princess mononoke's or spirited away's

[Lochlan]

if you want real good quality dubbing stuff u cant beat princess mononoke

Claire Danes' voice acting was wooden and uninspired.

[CrackTiger]

I really didn't like the dub of Princess Mononoke. But I did manage to make it through once. Its got some good stereotypes of bad anime dubbing, like the hero's "I CAN ONLY YELL EVERY SINGLE LINE OF DIALOGUE BECAUSE I DON"T KNOW TO DO TEH ACTING!".

Technically, Fist of the North Star's acting isn't good in a dramatic way. Its awesome because its the pinnacle of quality cheeze/character acting and dialogue, like Army of Darkness or The Big Lebowski.

[MissaFX]

if you want real good quality dubbing stuff u cant beat princess mononoke's or spirited away's

Yes you can, Shin Chan!