Don't listen to this person, I'm pretty sure Bible black is porn.
Some personal recommendations:
I agree with cowboy bebop, basically western in space
Steins Gate: Time travel based drama. A bit slow to get going, but everything builds on itself. It has a slight Donnie dark vibe, but without as much teen angst.
Fullmetal Alchemist (I would say either series but most prefer Brotherhood): This is an action heavy one, but has a pretty good story too.
One thing to note if you haven't watched a lot of anime is that there is usually a bit of camp to any anime. I've recommended these ones as I think they are easier to get into if you aren't familiar, but anime isn't tied to one genre and there are great comedys, slice of life, mystery, etc anime.
Personally I liked '03 better than Brotherhood. It took itself more seriously than Brotherhood, which makes it feel more like a seinen than a shounen; it took longer to introduce Pride and so the reveal was much more impactful; the homunculi had a more interesting origin story. The only thing I think Brotherhood did better was the end, and that's only because it's a lot less bleak than '03
I don't know if it's nostalgia or not, but I agree with you. I think the build up and character development was better (including the homuncli as you mentioned) in the '03 version. Not to mention I thought the source of alchemical power in the original series was a more interesting concept.
Not to mention I thought the source of alchemical power in the original series was a more interesting concept.
Yeah, the Brotherhood explanation is weak. Like a tea bag that you let steep for ten seconds. There's something there, but it doesn't really have a flavor. You're left asking "that's it? But how does that power alchemy?" I won't pretend the explanation in '03 was objectively good, but it was definitely strong. Like five tea bags steeping in a single cup for ten minutes. I like my tea strong, but I know not everyone does
Absolutely, it may have raised a lot more questions than it answered, but it kept in line with the concept of equivelant exchange (and made the philosophers stone concept tie directly into the enrgy source more). Overall I think it just fit the cruelty of the world of alchemy they created.
It really depends on how much you're willing to put up with. I think Spy Family is a good point to start out with; it doesn't have any of the annoying anime tropes that a lot of shows have. If you enjoy that, then I'd say try Steins;Gate, Mushishi, and Gurren Lagann. I haven't really thought these through, but I feel like these four shows are all different enough that you could get a good idea of what you're looking for based on what you like and dislike in them.
Steins;Gate has a much more complex story that you have to pay attention to–if you like Steins;Gate, add From The New World to your list. Mushishi is the most mature show on this list, not because of violence or anything, but because it's a slow-paced, serious story, the kind of anime that your grandparents might watch if they were weebs. If you like it, add Monster to your list. Gurren Lagann is my favorite out of these, but it has a lot of those annoying anime tropes I was talking about. If the childish story and oversexualization of female characters doesn't bother you, that opens up basically every other anime for you to potentially enjoy