No, Merc, that would be this stupid obsession with Star Wars. And 'reality' TV. They are far larger plagues against humanity.
And as I said in another thread, if anime is crowding out the comics at your retailer, perhaps it is fulfilling a need that the domestic comics don't. Not having read domestic comics for years I couldn't say what that would be, but for me anime & manga provide decent to excellent story lines, develop the characters, have planned ends (I hate stuff that runs on forever), are not afraid to take risks, and have an art style that I just plain like better.
I've been an anime/manga/related fan for about 12 or 13 years. My actual interest began in the 80s while at college, but didn't really take off until around 93.
So I've had time for a collection to build. My anime collection currently stands at about a dozen commercial VHS tapes (used to be more; many have been replaced with LDs & DVDs), somewhere between 300-400 VHS & S-VHS fansubs (used to be 700+ but again most have been replaced by commercial releases), around 150 LDs, and maybe 500-600 DVDs. Nearly 500 volumes of translates manga and a couple hundred untranslated, 80+ art books, 100+ CDs (soundtracks & regular J-pop) and gobs of miscellaneous stuff.
I tried watching FMA but couldn't get in to it. Full Metal Panic, OTOH, (totally unrelated) is a great series. If you like Cowboy Bebop & Outlaw Star, give Trigun a try.
If you like Inuyasha, try other series authored by Rumiko Takahashi: Ranma 1/2, Maison Ikkoku, Urusei Yatsura, etc. Personally, while each of her shows has merit they tend to run way too long and are too repetitive in the middle. Her standalone stuff like Mermaid Scar/Forest is pretty good, though.
If you like Chobits consider other CLAMP works like Magic Knight Rayearth, Cardcaptor Sakura, Angelic Layer, etc.
The creator of Fushigi Yuugi, Yuu Watase, has other series that are worth seeing like Arashi no Ceres (Ceres the Celestial Legend).
FLCL is pretty far out there, but is typical Gainax fare in that it offers a creativeness not often seen in the marketplace. There are lots of good Gainax series and one-offs: Neon Genesis Evangelion, Nadia, His and Her Circumstances (Karekano) to name a few.
Read or Die (ROD) OVAs are excellent. Follow it up with the TV series, which is just about done being released.
I like Scrapped Princess a lot but it's just starting to come out domestically (the first disc is official tomorrow). Other series to recommend: Hellsing (Vampires), Vampire Miyu TV & OVAs (I believe what freeborn mentioned would be the OVAs). Kimagure Orange Road is a classic - my cat is named after the female lead. Bubblegum Crisis is good and has a great 80s soundtrack; after watching it you can check out the similar BGC 2040 TV series. Battle Athletes & BA Victory are both excellent. 3x3 Eyes, Escaflowne, Ghost in the Shell, Memories, Perfect Blue, El Hazard, Irresponsible Captain Tylor, Key the Metal Idol, anything Lupin III, Millenium Actress, Please Teacher, Ruroni Kenshin (start at the beginning of the TV series and watch the 1st 63 episodes), serial experiments lain, Royal Space Force (Wings of Honneamise) and Video Girl Ai are all worth watching. As is anything from Hayao Miyazaki (released by Disney), including Kiki's Delivery Service, Nausicaa, Porco Rosso, Castle in the Sky, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, etc.
Head over to
www.animeondvd.com and check the forums, reviews, and recommended list. The recommended list should be quite comprehensive. Also check the release of the month/year for the reviewer's favorite new disc.
