Lunar Legend Tsukihime

Tsukihime is one of a growing number of anime based on an erotic computer game that remove the dirty bits and actually turn out to be pretty good. You wouldn't guess its origin from the content anyway. It's a slow paced, thoughtful story about a teenage boy who's blocked out his childhood and has memory lapses. He has the ability when not wearing glasses to see lines on everything, including people, and if he traces them, they break or die. He meets a vampire, and after accidentally killing her, he ends up helping her fight a powerful enemy. It's all a little strange and slightly off-putting. There's a noticeable romantic component to the show, and it's really way more about developing characters than bloody action scenes, so if that's what you're looking for, I'd recommend Hellsing or something.

When I say it's slow, know I really mean it, because the plot develops at a snail's pace. It's a little too easy to watch a whole episode and then just kind of realize you weren't paying attention the entire time. This happened once or twice, and I scanned back through looking for major events, and they really weren't to be found. They revealed a few details, but that was about it. That doesn't mean the whole thing's boring, when something's actually happening, you notice. Action's a little low-key but still well-executed and exciting. The two main characters make an interesting pair and the rest of the cast is serviceable filling their niches. The story has some interesting twists nestled into its stretched out running time and the conclusion is fittingly tragic and true to the spirit of the show. It's another anime that's good for people familiar with the medium.