The Cat Returns is a light piece of fluff that can be enjoyed by animation fans of all ages, but which probably works best for a younger female crowd. There are moral lessons, but it's also got a good story with lots of humor and just enough action scenes to keep your attention from wandering. Otherwise there's not a whole lot of substance -- if you're looking for a more serious and slightly darker Ghibli film where a character gets drawn into another world, I would recommend "Spirited Away". The Cat Returns is a good movie if you want to sit back and relax and watch something for pure entertainment value, and is probably not a bad movie to watch with a group of friends, who can share in the laughter and absurdity together.

The Nodame Cantabile drama is a good show. It's not a great show nor is it a groundbreaking show, or a show that will change your outlook on life. It's just something that's fun to watch. The characters all have wacky quirks that make them interesting and amusing, and their development both musically and emotionally is both accessible and compelling. The plot has a good, rapid pacing that never lags, and doesn't waste time on fillers.
The best part of the presentation is being able to see the characters perform the pieces. It really makes a difference compared to the manga. To hear the piece is to understand what Nodame means by 'imaginging a field of flowers' for Mozart's "Spring" violin sonata, or Chiaki's comments that Rachaminoff's Piano Concerto No.

Mushishi is a relatively simple series artistically, musically, and in the set-up of the plot, but the content of each episode, and the relationship between humans, mushi, and how Ginko deals with them can be very complex. Due to the episodic nature, it's hard to get attached to anyone except Ginko himself, but the degree to which Ginko gets attached to people and places makes you at least want to try. The episodic nature also means that you can go back and watch any episode you feel like if you found any particular village or person or mushi rather interesting. This series is suited for people who want a more thoughtful series at the expense of gorgeous art, action-packed battles, extensive character development and teenaged angst, and is aimed at a slightly more mature audience.

I will heartily admit that the Rose of Versailles, along with Escaflowne and Kino no Tabi, is one of my most favored series of all time. It's got it all: an exciting cast of characters, intrigue, lots of sword fights, love triangles (or worse!) and the unique period setting all blend together into a very attractive package. It's not something you could rewatch frequently, as it is a long series, and rather emotionally draining if you get caught up in each character's triumphs and trevails, but it's a great show to revisit every so often, like an old friend. For me, it never gets old in the retelling, because the story and the characters are so layered.

Rayearth is a wonderful manga for fans of the shoujo and fantasy genres. Yet, unlike many shoujo stories, Rayearth is more about action than romance, so it's a great story when you're tired of hearing "Tamahome... Miaka..." for the 9572nd time. Its short length, especially as the series is split into two distinct story arcs, makes it a quick read without needed a lot of commitment of time and money. The story mostly benefits from this short length as there is no room for long filler that stretches your patience. It is an appealing story with the classic Heros' Quest premise, with the classic CLAMP dark twists, set in the beautiful, lush environment of Cephiro.

The wackiness of Utena and its utterly pretentious shoujo ways will turn off many viewers. This is definately a niche series and for most people it is simply too weird.
The movie suffers from this because it is a niche within a niche - an Utena story only for fans of Utena. I honestly would not recommend this to anyone who had not already seen at least the first story arc (13 eps) of the Utena TV series - and enjoyed it. It's the kind of show you would use to weird out those who simply don't understand why you like anime, and the movie is doubly so. I mean, honestly, the carwash scene is just... I don't know. It's just there.
However, for anyone who HAS enjoyed at least the first story arc of Utena, this is a wonderful addition.

Let's face it, R.O.D. the TV had really big shoes to fill, so it's not surprising to find out there was a lot of room it could have grown into but didn't. I think part of the reason is due to the fact that much of Read or Die's success was based on its odd selection of heroine. Yomiko has a wonderful blend of every-day plainness and extraordinariness that really draws one into anything she's dealing with, and her very acute absence in the first half of R.O.D. the TV makes the series feel like its missing its most vital element. Sure, Michelle, Maggie and Anita are interesting, but only if you take all three of them at once. Individually, none of the three have a fraction of Yomiko's presence.

Stellvia was one of my favorite series from 2002, and I think it was mostly because I, like Katase, liked programming a lot. Katase's propensity towards crying when she can't solve an issue (which happens rather a lot, especially in the beginning of the show) puts off a lot of folks who can't stand a whiny, crybaby type. Indeed, I found that to be quite annoying, but I enjoyed watching her and the others around her grow and have to deal with growing up into adults. Katase and her friends were able to mature past many of their early character faults, in many cases forced to due to extenuating circumstances. I found most of the interactions between people felt real and genuine despite the fact I was watching celluloid (or computer-generated pixels).

Laputa is another Miyazaki classic and its themes of dangerous, lost technologies and the human will to surmount their challenges remain fresh and true no matter the decade. Although it may seem a bit familiar to anyone who has seen other Miyazaki films, it has enough originality in its settings, characters and situations to give it some distinguishment. For newer fans, the focus on adventure, treasure-hunting, running from kidnappers, and discovering a lost land is fun and amusing and needs little else to make it enjoyable (except perhaps a lack of bad electronica) and I would recommend it above Nausicaa or Princess Mononoke (although not as highly as I would recommend Spirited Away) to new animation fans.

Escaflowne is a series I watch every other year. I never plan it that way, but somehow it always happens. At 26 episodes, the series is long enough to really develop its cast of characters as well as a long and intricate plot without taking forever to build up to action. There aren't really any 'filler' episodes -- the story is tightly paced from the get-go, and rarely slows down for a breath once it gets going.