Code Geass
The Empire of Britannia has invaded Japan using giant robot weapons called Knightmare Frames. Japan is now referred to as Area 11, and its people the 11's. A Britannian who was living in Japan at the time, Lelouch, vowed to his Japanese friend Suzaku that he'd destroy Britannia. Years later, Lelouch is in high school, but regularly skips out of school to go play chess and gamble on himself. One day, he stumbles on terrorists 11's who've stolen a military secret and is caught by a member of the Britannian task force sent after them, who is Suzaku. As the rest of the squad arrives, Suzaku is shot for disobeying orders, while the military secret, a young girl, gives Lelouch the power of Geass, which makes anyone obey any order. While Suzaku is secretly made the pilot of Britannia's brand new prototype Knightmare, Lancelot, Lelouch becomes the masked Zero to lead the rebellion to destroy Britannia once and for all.
Clannad
Tomoya Okazaki is a third year high school student resentful of his life. His mother passed away from a car accident when he was younger, causing his father to resort to alcohol and gambling. This results in fights between the two until Tomoya's shoulder is injured in a fight. Since then, Tomoya has had distant relationships with his father, causing him to become a delinquent over time. While on a walk to school, he meets a strange girl named Nagisa Furukawa who is a year older, but is repeating due to illness. Due to this, she is often alone as most of her friends have moved on. The two begin hanging out and slowly, as time goes by, Tomoya finds his life shifting in a new direction.
Blood+
Throughout the passage of time and the shifts in backgrounds, a particular war continues to leave its mark on history, extending its influence into the modern world. There are two major groups involved in the ensuring war. The first group consists of monsters known as Chiropterans who can change their appearances into that of human beings. They are actually immortals who feed on the blood of the living. The second group is an organisation known as the "Red Shield", formed to track down these monsters and exterminate them. Otonashi Saya is a high-school girl who lives a peaceful life with her family. The only problem is, she has no recollections of her life beyond that of the past year. However, her happy life will be destroyed by an event that will lead her to her destined fate.
Last Exile
In a world that looks like the 19th century with anti-gravity devices, Claus and Lavie are pilot and co-pilot of a Vanship and act as couriers. They become involved with a mysterious mission after rescuing a little girl from a strange star-shaped killing machine. Not willing to let the girl die, they complete the mission by delivering her to the legendary mercenary ship Sylvana, only to become part of the crew as fighter pilots.
Elfen Lied
In the not-too-distant future, a crop of humans emerge with extremely powerful mutations, lending them telekinetic abilities. Fearing the power that these new people possess, the government institutionalizes them at early ages or even birth, calling them dicloniuses. In these facilities, dicloniuses are cruelly experimented on until the day that they are executed. One diclonius, however, escapes. A young woman named Lucy, mired in hatred and rage from years of abuse, breaks free from the numerous forms of restraint placed on the facility and, killing some guards in the process, flees into the night. Lucy experiences some kind of psychological break during her escape, however, and when she is found, unconscious by Kouta and his cousin Yuka, her personality has split. Lucy's wrath is sectioned off into her existing personality, but another persona emerges in her that is innocent, gentle and so childlike that she even lacks the ability to speak. Kouta and Yuka call this sweet girl Nyu and decide to take her in. Eventually, other dicloniuses also find their way to the haven of their house, seeking refuge from the government. Elfen Lied deals with the issue of human evolution but more strongly focuses on matters of trauma, identity, and compassion, begging the question of what kind of happiness Lucy/Nyu and all those with painful pasts can hope for. ~ Cammila Albertson, Rovi