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[Rei]

Hi guys,
we all know anime are not all the same, and that their style varies depending on the series. This thread came to my mind reading the "Anime Eye Style" thread.
There's the kawaii, like in those anime for younger kids (Digimon, Ojamajo Doremi, Digi Charat and other series like these ones) or in stuff like Love Hina, Sailor Moon et similia, there's the more realistic style, like in anime as Berserk, there's the style I consider to be similar to the one of Trigun, Cowboy Bebop or Hellsing, which I can't call with a precise name, but you can get my point, since they all have some similarities, then there are some odd exceptions, like in anime as Alexander, which I don't like much, but that's really original, or there are all these anime following a style I consider to be more average and less peculiar, like Slayers, Excel Saga (well the anime in itself is really original, but the style is more average IMO), Master of Mosquiton, all the Rumiko Takahashi inspired series, just to name few of them.

So, which style you consider to be the one you like the most and why? Not talking about manga here, since authors of manga have all a very personal style.

[Azuma_Ninja]

I would have to say the style I prefer is the category that Coboy Bebop falls under. There's not one thing I don't like about the show. This is kind of weird since most of the anime I watch, in some way annoy me. An example would be Kenshin or Trigun with the japanese humor and the goofy faces. Yes I know it's a trait a lot of shows have but it's not something that I prefer. That's why I like Cowoby Bebop so much, it can be realistic but at the same time funny too.

[happy_doughnut]

I think much of it has to do with the story itself. Like it it's a sad type of thing, then an ultra bright style wouldn't really cut it, imo.

But aside from that, I like the style emphasized in anime like Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040. I like this because the main characters were draw to look pretty realistic, but yet, they weren't as realistic as other anime such as Perfect Blue or GotF.

I also like the style going on in Ranma 1/2. This is different because, I think, the characters seen here wouldn't be seen "walking down the street" any given day.
Being a shonen anime, they were all drawn in that "cutsey big-eyed" fashion, but they didn't go overboard, like, for example, other anime of this sort like Aa! Megamisama (Ah! My Goddess).

Basically, I enjoy anime that looks pretty realistic. However, they can't look too real that it makes them look "plain". In BBC, the style sometimes seemed too realistic (unlike the plot), so it seemed too planar for me, unlike Ramma.

I like a style that combines real-ish looking characters with a demi realistic looking background that includes your not-so-average situations to the overly bizarre.
Oh, funy hair style/color with spoofy eyes do it, too.

[Cannibal Clown]

For me, i would have to say i like the cowboy bebop style. I enjoy the fact that anime is considered so different from anericanm cartoons by the way it's revolved around a mature realistic idea, and the story stays constant, with a definate beginning and end. The shows with action that is cool, but not overboard, like the ever so popular DBZ, and a plot that is serious and remains serious, unlike Trigun, where, imo, gets a bit to "silly" to me. For me, my favorite kind of anime are those that you could put into the form of a book, and have some adult read it, one who's never heard of anime, or the idea that a cartoon can be mature, and then have that person believe that it could be made into a really good movie with actual actors. Like the show Akira, the weird plot, but thill very mature, and as far from cartoony as you can get. Also, Ghost in the shell. Jin Roh, and Grave Of The Fire Flies. These to me are animes, that could be mistaken to be, by a typical American, that it's material for a good live action movie or series. But that doesn't mean i don't like the comedy, the moments in CB, and Akira were quite humorus, but it remained a serious story with serious charatcers through and through. This is what makes anime so appealing to me. So i guess i made my catagory as the kind of anime that is realistic and mature, but still keeps an interesting show, with it's bit of comedy or small comedic relief. Record of Lodoss War, Hellsing, Berserk, and Escaflowne are also examples.

I'm pretty sure i got my point of what kind of genre i'm pointing out here.

I still love the shows like X, Tenchi, Golden Boy, Excell Saga. But the series and movie i really enjoy for the art of anime are in the description above.

[merylsilverburg]

To be perfectly honest, I don't mind any type of style as long as it fits the story and is to my liking. But if I had to choose, I would probably choose the category of: Bebop, Trigun, Hellsing, etc. There's something about the art or the way everything is drawn that makes it incredibly appealing. It still has the basic anime features, but there are also certain features which are realistic (proportions, eyes (at times), etc.). The tone of each series is also balanced, like CC said, dramatic and yet comedic at times which also fits each style.
Like I said before, I don't mind realistic styles or full-frontal anime style. I admit, however, there are certain animes that don't appeal to me, like the DB series or Pokemon series...mainly because the style isn't what I prefer. When I was a kid, I've always liked "pretty" animes and what I mean by "pretty" are those typical shoujo animes where the characters, settings are drawn delicate and feminine. Colors are pastel and bright...watercolor, in a way (a perfect example of this is a new anime called Ashita no Nadja or "Tommorow's Nadja"). I still do like these styles, but seeing more animes now introduced me to the gritty, edgy styles as seen in Bebop or Hellsing or the realistic styles as seen in Spirited Away or Millenium Actress. And all these, I am open to and actually do prefer.