Guess I'll throw in a few recommandations myself…. I'll try to make the list not too lengthy. Some of these are among my favorites, others less so but they're all good ones that should cover a variety of taste
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- Action
Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan - Tsuioku Hen
http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=73
A classic, one of my favorite
Seirei No Moribito
http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=4403
Decent amount of action, but there is quite a bit of character development as well. Has a bit of fantasy, but fairly limited. Some of the best fight scenes (spear fights mainly) out there. Has a vibe that reminds me a lot of Ghibli studio's works.
Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood
http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=6107
Follows the story of two brothers who broke the taboo of attempted to resurrect their dead mother through Alchemy as kids without truly knowing the price of such a thing. Lots of magic like powers I guess, and quite a bit of action.
Black Lagoon, Second Barrage, Roberta's blood trail
http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=3395
Little to no fantasy, dark mood and lots of action. Follows the adventures of a bored salary man who ends up with a kind of mercenary company who operate on an island ruled by mafia and such.
Read or Die (tv series & OVA)
http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=105
Spies / Special agents with interesting special powers
Full Metal Panic & Full Metal Panic Fumoffu
http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=17
http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=959
One is an action packed series and the other is a commedy based on the former but both are pretty good. (Well I watched that many years ago tho..but I recall it to be!)
There's a ton of other good action series, old and new I guess…
Here's also a few recommandation for shows that aren't action series but are pretty good each in their own genre.
Stein's Gate
http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=7729
Time travellers, Conspiracy and Microwaves.
Spice and Wolf (1&2)
http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=5406
Follows the adventures of a merchant who ends up with a wolf spirit as a traveling companion.
Nodame Cantabile
http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=4691
Humour and slice of life… centers around music university students. No action at all here, be warned. Just interesting characters, dialogue and what not.
Sakamichi no Apollon: Kids on the Slope
http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=8870
The life of a few kids in Japan of the 1960s.
Again no action there, but really touching.
Welcome to the N.H.K.
http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=4121
a bit strange but worth checking out heh.
Genshiken
http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=1783
Otakus, requires a certain knowledge of that ''culture'' to fully enjoy I guess.
Clannad & Clannad Afterstory
Should make you laugh and will likely make you cry as well heh.
There's a ton of other great series… Hajime no Ippo, Dennou Coil, Tiger & Bunny, Anohana, Fate/Stay Night, Fate/Zero, Cowboy Bebop, Hunter X Hunter, Mushi-shi, Gintama, Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni, Rurouni Kenshin, Attack on Titan, Log Horizon...
But the list would go on for far too long