Online is your best bet.
Your best targets would be
HLJ:
http://www.hlj.com/
Amiami:
http://www.amiami.jp/shop?set=english
But keep in mind that they'll be shipped from Japan, and you're on your own for shipping and customs.
If you have a very large order, you might be able offset the slightly higher prices with the flat-rate shipping from Vancouver
Hobbywave:
http://www.hobbywave.com/
As for the TV series, I can't help you there; there's plenty of series to go around, and they touch on some different themes with different styles. I'm personally not a big fan of the earlier Universal Century stuff, but there are some people who swear by it.
I also need some of those lining markers and an airbrush and once again i'm lost as to what specifically i should be looking for brand wise and price wise. Lastly i'd like to get into the tv series but there are so many variations of the series i don't know which is first to watch 
