Now and Then, Here and There (Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku)
- Not for the faint of heart. It's basically about child soldiers on a dying, post-apocalyptic earth....and it tries (and succeed) to play that scenario realistically. It was partially inspired by the Rwandan genocide.
Puella Magi Madoka...
Same here, actually, loved the story line and the unusual art style(s), also the music, big time. Best anime I've seen since "Now and Then, Here and There"
However I wasn't much of a fan of the follow-up movies :-/ I'd recommend anybody just to give them a pass, unless they decide to continue...
The three books that probably challenged/impacted me the most are;
The Color Purple by Alice Walker, it pretty much became one of the foundation of my spiritual philosophy. The idea that god is not something you find in a church, but in a purple flower in a field stayed with me ever since...
Lately it has been that "Credens Justitiam" number from Madoka Magica, it just sounds so uplifting and I like the made-up language it is sung in.
Sadly I can't seem to fin an album by the singer locally.