Anime Flicks

Best Anime not already mentioned:

The Irresponsible Captain Taylor (the series, not the "reunion" series) - The tale of a man so lazy he joins the United Planetary Space Force so that he'll have someone to pay his room and board...ends up becoming the most important starship captain in the galaxy. Funniest anime I've ever watched (and I watch a lot). There's a few risque scenes, but no nudity. Kid-safe.

Ranma 1/2 (both the series and the movies) - A boy who trains martial arts with his father turns to a girl when splashed with hot water, and back to a boy when splashed with cold water...and now he's been betrothed to a man with three daughters. Consistantly funny, has some comical nudity every so often, and with hundreds of episodes, you're not likely to run out any time soon.

Marmelade Boy - A girl's parents get a divorce, a boy's parents get a divorce, the mom from each re-marries the dad from the other, and to simply child-rearing, they all decide to live in the same house. A very nontraditional family, and probably the best anime drama I've ever seen. Has some comedic moments, is totally kid-safe, and quite possibly the most complex love dodecahedron I've ever seen (because "love triangle" just doesn't cut it).

Flame of Recca - A high school boy who dreams of being a ninja, and chooses to protect a girl as his "princess" finds out he really IS a ninja, and his "princess" really is in danger. This is the absolute best action anime series I've ever seen, and I -think- it's kid-safe, I just can't remember for certain.

Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo - This is, without a doubt, the wierdest, most insane parody anime I've ever seen. It pokes an enormous amount of fun at anime itself, Japanese culture, and itself. The main character is a cross-dressing big blond dude with an afro and a moustache capable of martial arts. The more anime you've seen, the funnier this one gets, because it parodies almost every other anime out there at some point. The typical line of dialogue will go something like this:
"You were going to ask me about my cool looking scar."
"Why, you're right, I've been wondering about it ever since episode 2!"
"Liar, he didn't even have that scar before this episode!"

I've never actually watched Ghost in the Shell.

I started my anime hike with Bleach, and then watching Naturo from ep01 to ep3000, or whatever it's on now! Well, I don't really watch it now, but it's easy to watch and enjoyable, and by far the most mainstream anime you will come across. It's like The Simpsons and Family Guy of the Japanese world I presume.

If you haven't done so, I recommend the Studio Ghibli collection. This is by far the best anime I have watched. Howl's Moving Castle is awesome, and higly recommended for it's light-hearted adventure, and Grave of the Fireflies if you feel like crying - which both my girlfriend and I did... :bash: