[Anime] Suggest something to a non-watcher

[Poppasan]

Try One Piece. Though it has almost has all the things you listed but give it a try, it gets better and better the longer you watch them. Trust me. It has quite a lot of potential even if you hate these specific points.

[mordale]

hellsing OVA/anime, OVA isn't done yet and the latter episodes aren't dubbed but its one of the few ones that the dub is better(by far imo) that the original.
alucard is down right horrifying at times.

[tankbug]

I cannot believe all the praise Death Note gets here...

Anyways, I think "Last Exile" is a show for you. Fairly realistic drawings/animations, a deep story, and some good pew pew.

[Mezzolith]

There's a friend of mine that doesn't really care for anime, from what you've said you kinda remind me of him. So I'll suggest the things I've recommended to him that he ended up liking: Black Lagoon, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, Darker than BLACK, Deadman Wonderland, and Berserk.

[Ezeekiel]

Code Geass Narutos kinda annoying if u dont like the stuff bleach is fairly good one piece is alright the reality is iffy ruroni kenshin is good dbz was the best for a long time i can post mroe if u r interested But sounds like Code Geass would be the best

[Duskmourne]

Badpaladin. I'm going to address your question as both a huge fan of Battlestar Galactica, and someone who will not blithely list off some of my favorite shows. I'm going to try list things you might truly love based on your criteria.

#1 - Ghost in the shell: Stand Alone Complex. This one confuses casual watchers easily, even if they do not fully realize their confusion. There are layers of depth to be found, but it isn't bogged down by being forced either. Essentially, you can casually watch it and enjoy the story on the surface, or you can really think about the implications on a deeper level. It is dark and realistic (if futuristic); hints at philosophy that instantly made me think of Jean Baudrillard's simulacra; deals with the meeting/merging of AI and Human Intellect; and much more.

If you enjoy this, there is a second season called Ghost in the Shell: 2nd Gig.

#2 - Death Note. Without giving much away, this one manages to have the feel of a great mystery while at the same time letting the viewer in on most of the secrets. It's like chess. It's like holmes and moriarty. All the while asking some pretty serious questions about life, death and morality. It's not the most realistic but it's not bad either, and it is smart and dark.

Now, these are both pretty heavy and rather serious. On a slightly lighter note, I will suggest Cowboy Bebop. This one has a rich atmosphere. It's cool and casual while still having it's own little onions of interconnectivity to peel.

Fullmetal alchemist is also quite powerful.

I will offer one little cautionary warning though. If your tastes are anything like mine, you are bound to be disappointed by the sea of "moe" and "ecchi" titles coming out in contemporary anime. Moe is essentially comprised of very shallow slice of life shows centered around cute girls while Ecchi is centered around sex, boobs, and risqué situations/humor. These shows are totally dominating sales and so it's unfortunately a majority of what is being produced. I fell in love with some of anime's greats and expected this to be the norm; it isn't. Of recent shows, a few that I have appreciated have been: Bakemonogatari, Katanagatari, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (and the rest in the when they cry series), Angel Beats... I'm not recommending these specifically; rather, simply giving a glimpse into the very few more recent shows that have been worthwhile in my opinion.

[Ezeekiel]

Yeah full metal is good

[kolopotho]

just an FYI - if you liked the PLOT and THEMES in watchmen - then you will like code geass

however... for something more serious, with touches of humour, underlying character development, dark pasts and the occasionally twisted (but realistic) present... and all round bad-assery:

[Skizzit]

I think just about any I can think of have already been mentioned. So I will 2nd:

Monster Truely amazing series. Great story and characters.

Planetes very character driven story. Has a little bit of sci-fi, but it much more grounded in reality then most.

Death Note While not my favorite series, it sounds like something you might enjoy.

Berserk Sadly, it is only the first arc of a long running manga but still worth checking out. It can be a bit confusing at first cause the entire story is basicly a flashback with bookends that make little sense to anyone who has not read the manga. Dark, bloody and gruesome medieval war story.

Cowboy Bebop It is very episodic with an overarching story. Amazing animation + music. More light hearted then the others, but loads of fun. It does get more serious once it starts going into the main characters backstory. About bounty hunters in a semi distant future.

And I would like to add the original Macross, sometimes called SDF: Macross. Still, to this day, my all time favorite mecha series. The dated animation might bug you, but stick with it. great series.

[Skorpionss]

Berserk, Gantz, Basilisk, Ninja Scroll, Dragonball, Guyver the Bioboosted Armor, Baki the Grappler, Hajime no Ippo, Overdrive, Orphen, Tower of Druaga Sword of Uruk and Aegis of Uruk, Appleseed, Ghost in the shell, Elfen Lied, Ergo Proxy. Just off the top of my head the bullshit factor is very little in them(well maybe not in dragonball) but others don't have much bullshit... and not rly your stereotype anime either...

[Skizzit]

Oh god, Black Lagoon!! How did I forget that. Revy kicks loads of ass. Nuff said.

[Escariot]

Just watch anything other then Naruto, One Shit and Bleach and you're awesome.

[Havii]

Cowboy Bebop would be a good place to start is also has an animated movie, it's got a solid jazz vibe and chars you will easily get attached to and a solid ending. Also Akira does have to do with some far out stuff at times but has a very interesting story and is about two hours or so it's a instant classic the story runs very deep and I think everyone who watches anime has already seen it before and can back it up as one of the best! ^^

[lizon]

Just watch anything other then Naruto, One Shit and Bleach and you're awesome.

These series are like the Denny's of Anime's. When there's nothing else good to watch you end up watching these 3.

[nixcookies]

Just watch anything other then Naruto, One Shit and Bleach and you're awesome.

There is nothing wrong with any of those animes it's all about preference, people just hate on those because they're the most popular shows.

[Sinuviel]

Are you actually telling me nobody suggested Elfenlied? It's not a long watch and from what I have seen so far (not a lot, but still ) it is by far the most powerful anime around.

I also enjoyed Full Metal Alchemist and Deathnote, and I love Naruto, but that one is a bit of a time investment to catch up

[Dorkins]

Pokemon is the only good anime I ever watched.

[Mechanibull]

I'm not really a fan of anime either, but I really liked Ergo Proxy.

youtube.com/watch?v=oAXrRWLKzko&feature=related

sorry about the nerfed link- the site wont let me post videos or urls yet =P

From Wikipedia-

Ergo Proxy (エルゴプラクシー Erugo Purakushī?) is a science fiction suspense anime television series, produced by Manglobe, which premiered across Japan on 25 February 2006 on the WOWOW satellite network. It is directed by Shukō Murase, with screenplay by Dai Satō et al.. Ergo Proxy has been described as dark science fiction mystery with philosophical underpinnings.[1] It features a combination of 2D digital cel animation, 3D computer modeling, and digital special effects.

and

NewType USA said, "We're even more excited by the premise of the show, which features complex drama surrounding the strikingly beautiful crime investigator Re-l Mayer, and an intricate sci-fi setting, incorporating robots, living in human society and a grotesque array of unique monsters. With its tremendous supporting cast and carefully woven plot..."
Katherine Luther of About.com praised it for its cyberpunk themes and mix of 2D and 3D animation as well as its deep psychological storyline, calling it creepy, intense and "edge-of-your-seat-delightful".[

[Duskmourne]

Are you actually telling me nobody suggested Elfenlied? It's not a long watch and from what I have seen so far (not a lot, but still ) it is by far the most powerful anime around.

I also enjoyed Full Metal Alchemist and Deathnote, and I love Naruto, but that one is a bit of a time investment to catch up

Elfenlied is seriously good. However, I wouldn't suggest it as an introduction to anime either. I think Naruto: Shippuden is really rather decent. I understand that it gets a lot of reactionary flak for such popularity (much like wow is hated on by non-wow players). I think it's real downside is that it's way too drawn out and watered down by filler plots to stretch out the series. At it's core, it's entertaining, and genuinely has some clever combat, it's just too stretched, if that makes any sense.

However, this topic really isn't about anime in general; it's about suggestions specific for our OP, and I do not think Naruto fits his shopping list.

[lizon]

Elfenlied is seriously good. However, I wouldn't suggest it as an introduction to anime either. I think Naruto: Shippuden is really rather decent. I understand that it gets a lot of reactionary flak for such popularity (much like wow is hated on by non-wow players). I think it's real downside is that it's way too drawn out and watered down by filler plots to stretch out the series. At it's core, it's entertaining, and genuinely has some clever combat, it's just too stretched, if that makes any sense.

However, this topic really isn't about anime in general; it's about suggestions specific for our OP, and I do not think Naruto fits his shopping list.

Yeah, I think people here are just posting their favorites and not posting suggestions that meet the OP's criteria. Anything from the first page seems to fit fairly well though.