It may be time to start and sticky a "Anime Recommendations" thread. I think this is the third one now.
Oh well.
I acquire nearly all my new anime through BitTorrent + fansub group trackers, so I don't stay current on what's available in retail outlets. Waiting six months for
horrible English voice acting and the "opportunity" to pay $30 for 4 episodes is absurd, especially considering most fansub groups sub and release episodes less than 7 days after the episode airs in Japan.
I recently finished Dennou Coil (aye, I'm a bit behind) and it was
excellent. It has yet to be licensed, so you might consider firing up your favorite BT client and running a search on
AnimeSuki.
I know
Mai HiME and
Noein are available in the US.
Mai HiME is one of my top 3 favorite series ever, so I wholeheartedly recommend it. The entire series is solid, but it really shines starting in episode 13 and moving forward.
My wife and I are waiting for Bandai to release a box set of the full Mai HiME series. When they do, and if the price is reasonable, we have every intention of buying the series. As it stands now, with 7 DVDs priced at $22 each ($168 total after Tulsa sales tax), there's no way we would spend that amount on any series--even our favorite.
Mai Otome, on the other hand, was a major disappointment after
Mai HiME. Episode 4 features a PG-13 "tentacle monster in the school pool" scene. 'nuff said.
Noein is one of the better "parallel universe" stories and one of my top 10 favorites.
I can't stand gore and violence (not in live action, not in anime), so I didn't make it past the first four episodes of
Hellsing.
Ninja Scroll is in no way, shape, or form appropriate for any age group of any sentient being in any corporeal form. It may be the only animated film more violent than
Akira (though I haven't watched
Kite or
Jin Roh,
because they're described as hyper-violent).
Read or Die TV is another of my favorites, along with
Karin and
Samurai Champloo (which, terrific as it is, is
not appropriate for the youngin's).
Outlaw Star is a decent series, but pales in comparison to
Cowboy Bebop and
Samurai Champloo.
Trigun is a solid choice, too.
Trigun and
Cowboy Bebop are like the "required reading" of 1990s anime.
I don't know if
Shakugan no Shana is licensed yet, but that was another excellent series. Episode 24 of
Shakugan no Shana Second airs April 3 in Japan and I'm hoping Static Subs & Eclipse subs it quickly. Great first series, great second series.
EDIT: You might be better off copying and pasting the anime series Netflix offers and asking for reviews or opinions on each one.