I have been interested in anime for a few years now. Enough that I began learning Japanese a year or so ago anyway! Unfortunately I haven't followed it up beyond the beginners course I did in University but I plan to pick it up again sometime soon.

For anyone wondering what on earth this whole section is about, or who has heard the terms anime and manga before but doesn't know much else you should probably read the basics first.

I enjoy a lot of different kinds of anime and manga. One or my personal favourites is 'The Vision of Escaflowne', the story of a girl taken from Earth to the world of Gaia where she must try to use the visions that beset her to protect her friends and discover the connection between Gaia and Earth.

Also extremely amusing was the shoujo (aimed at young girls) anime 'Marmalade Boy'. Almost a soap opera in length (at a mere 72 episodes) and topic (the romances of a high school girl) it is, however, far more amusing than any soap opera could be.

The other piece of anime that immediately springs to mind when I think back is 'Shamanic Princess'. At only 6 episodes this anime has an edge to it the others sometimes lack. It also requires some actual thought to discover what is going on (which is always a good thing as far as I am concerned). The artwork and animation is also beautiful to watch.

The two series I am most interested in at the moment are 'Serial Experiments Lain' and 'Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou' (otherwise known as KareKano).

As for manga series a lot of what I have read and enjoyed come from the artist group called CLAMP (for reasons known only to themselves). Note that my Japanese is far from sufficient to allow me to read manga myself but scripts have been put on the internet for many manga series.

My other main manga interest would have to be 'Angel's Sanctuary' by Yuki Kaori. I really have no idea how to explain this series in a couple of lines. Suffice to say it's story is somewhat wide reaching in theological terms...

A two or three line explanation is less than any of these deserve but all I can supply for the moment. An internet search on any of these titles should turn up far more informative sites. Beware spoilers however!