If you know me well, you'll probably know that I'm not a huge fan of anime. "What!? What are you doing in Japan then?!", I hear you cry. Haha. I was into the classic cartoons and Western anime-esque programs like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Transformers as a kid, but as I grew older, I came to much prefer real life acting to animation. The few animes I was exposed to were pretty bad (mostly mushy romance ones - "Aren't they all", I hear you say :D). So it became one of the few things about Japan I didn't embrace with open arms.

Luckily though, I had the great fortune of being introduced to Ghost in the Shell at my friend Chris' house. I loved that anime. The animation itself was very bearable (for someone who doesn't particularly like it) and the story and characters were fantastic. It's an anime with a serious, mature theme and it makes you think.

Recently (and what this entry is all about, rather than my history in relation to anime :D) Chris introduced me to another anime called Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (Goodbye, Despair Teacher). It's about a guy who becomes a high school teacher by accident, and is always in despair/pretending to kill himself. It's a bit of a take-the-piss look at other animes, apparently, and it's absolutely hilarious. I can relate to a lot of the high school and general Japanese life, so it's especially revelant to me. I highly recommend checking it out (and of course, Ghost in the Shell too). If you're looking for good quality anime that's not ridiculously over the top with romance and other immature crap, look no further than these two!