Top 30 Anime Series of All Time

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Bobduh

Yep, I’ve finally put together a top shows list. As I hopefully made clear in part one and part two of my critical biases post, this is obviously my list – it represents the things I think are most valuable in stories in the way I think they’ve best been articulated. It’s also just a list of shows I enjoy – there’s no hard criteria here, so I wouldn’t stress the numbers too much. Also, it’s a bit front-loaded – I only started watching anime seasonally about two years ago, so the last couple years are disproportionately represented. Incidentally, I’m not including movies here either – I think direct comparisons between shows and films are a bit of a stretch, but if they were included, this list would certainly be somewhat different. And finally, I’m absolutely (and thankfully) certain this list will change over time – there are still piles of widely beloved shows I’ve never seen, so I’m sure the current rankings will be filled out in the years to come. So with that all said, let’s get to the list – Bobduh’s Top 30 Anime of All Time.

-edit- I have now created a Top Shows Addendum for shows that have either fallen off or just barely missed this list. Please enjoy these additional almost-top shows!

30. Flip Flappers

Flip Flappers marries the blossoming artistic vision of many of anime’s most talented young animators to a story teeming with the rich psychological inquiry that anime does so well. Centered on a girl on the verge of young adulthood who feels too paralyzed by consequences to decide who she wants to be, Flip Flappers takes her on a wild adventure through a series of evocative alternate realities, all of which ultimately reflect back on the human interiority of her own world. Flip Flappers appreciates the inherent beauty of our distinct internal worlds, and pairs a wild tour through the human experience with a core character arc that reflects thoughtfully on the complexity of love, identity, and growing up. Slotting somewhere thematically between FLCL and Evangelion, it is a can’t-miss addition to anime’s coming-of-age pantheon.

Here’s my review of Flip Flappers.

Flip Flappers is available streaming on Crunchyroll.

29. Gatchaman Crowds

Gatchaman’s a goddamn busy show – in the course of a 12-episode run, it covers everything from internet culture to crowdsourcing to the necessity of leadership to social responsibility to human nature to… well, you get the idea. And it explores all these ideas while also staying remarkably light and breezy – you could enjoy the show purely as a fun, visually interesting, musically brilliant adventure without even thinking about how identity is constructed in the digital age, or whatnot. And when you combine these two strengths, you get a show that proves you don’t have to be dry to be smart – you can make awesome points about how the internet will change the world without ever giving up a sense of fun and moment-to-moment excitement. Brain food and comfort food at the same time.

Here’s my review of Gatchaman Crowds.

Gatchaman Crowds is available at Amazon and streams on Crunchyroll.

28. Giant Robo

Giant Robo is Bombast Incarnate. Featuring an epic clash between the Experts of Justice and Big Fire, there’s no room for subtlety in this production – it’s all massive robots and deadly superspies and fights for the fate of the world. It’s also a beautiful thing – a series of seven OVAs released over most of a decade, the show is a gorgeous ode to classic super robot storytelling, brought to life with strong animation and rich colors and epic orchestral scores. And yet for all its larger-than-life size, the show also tells a gripping story, full of fully-articulated characters and reflections on family and human ambition. Giant Robo essentially feels like the final act of the Greatest Robot Story Ever Told – it has absolute confidence, and earns the viewer’s trust through constant dramatic hooks and total polish in execution. Even if you generally like smaller stories, I’d give Giant Robo a chance.

Here’s my essay on Giant Robo.

Giant Robo is vaguely available on Amazon.

27. Bokurano

Bokurano manages the difficult feat of staying tonally downcast and even desolate at all times while simultaneously conveying an unflinching message of optimism, and belief in humanity as a species. Its premise is terribly arbitrary and cruel, and very few members of its young cast survive, but the stories they tell in their leaving reflect the kaleidoscopic spectrum of the human experience. Its compelling scifi narrative ultimately becomes little more than a stage for its young stars to shine, as they each take up an impossible mantel and fight on behalf of their species, their cruel guide mocking them all the while. But Bokurano does not believe in its guide’s cynicism; though the world it posits is harsh, its young heroes shine all the brighter for it.

Here’s my review of Bokurano.

Bokurano is available streaming on Crunchyroll.

26. Sound! Euphonium

Kyoto Animation excel at making quietly excellent little dramas, and Sound! Euphonium counts as one more feather in their distressingly pincushioned cap. The show is as gorgeous as you’d expect, the drama is understated but well-articulated, and the episodes are full of those alternately funny or poignant little moments that KyoAni’s mastery of animated storytelling always provokes. And Kumiko is one of the most fun people you could possibly follow around a story like this, with her snark and clumsy bluntness making her a refreshing and relatable protagonist. You can enjoy this show for its close viewing of the classic band experience, for its funny mess of jokes and characters, or for its well-articulated personal drama and reflections on goals and identity. It succeeds on all levels, making it one of the most impressive and fully realized high school dramas around.

Sound! Euphonium is available streaming on Crunchyroll.

25. Hunter x Hunter 2011

As the only long-running shounen on my list, HxH’s a bit of an outlier. But HxH is not your typical shounen – directed by Madhouse (likely my pick for the best studio of all time) and adapted from a source by the writer of Yu Yu Hakusho, Hunter x Hunter is basically a master class in what makes adventure entertaining. Though it starts off “only” demonstrating it knows how to make challenge-based television entertaining (in lieu of actual fights, it generally sets up compelling puzzles of all shapes and sizes for its heroes), it ends up jumping from genre to genre, dabbling in crime thriller, tournament shounen, and even war drama. And through it all, the show’s fantastic aesthetics elevate it above almost everything out there – in direction, in sound design, in pacing, in animation, in basically every relevant aesthetic metric, Hunter x Hunter triumphs. That it’s been maintaining this level of quality for well over a hundred episodes is nothing short of astonishing – in fact, I’d say Hunter x Hunter has only gotten better over time.

Here’s a critical breakdown of HxH episode 116, and here’s an essay on the recently concluded (and breathtaking) Chimera Ant arc.

Hunter x Hunter 2011 is available streaming on Crunchyroll.

24. Mushishi

Mushishi is one of those strange, special shows that seem to just emerge confident and fully constructed, exude excellence for all of their running time, and then go quietly on their way. Its vignettes are dreamy and ambiguous, full of resonance and compelling ideas but never didactic. Its world is mysterious and enchanting, evoking both a more resigned and possibly more dangerous version of Miyazaki’s mystical forests. Its production is fantastic, with beautiful backgrounds matching a wonderfully understated musical score and a great sense of pacing to conjure its powerful, singular atmosphere. And all this works in service of a show that’s fundamentally just incredibly calming and sedate – a series of long, lazy afternoons spent enjoying the company of a master storyteller.

Here’s my essay on Mushishi.

Mushishi is available at Amazon and its sequel streams on Crunchyroll.

23. Gunbuster! + Diebuster!

Grouped together because they really do feel like two sides of the same coin, both of Gainax’s Buster shows would also make this list independently. Flippant and heartbreaking, cynical and triumphant, personal and universal, each of these OVAs tells a story of humanity’s struggle against all the forces of the universe with style and heart. And each can stand alone, as well – Gunbuster is helmed by a pre-Eva Anno already exhibiting his unnerving style of direction, and Diebuster offers a very appropriate conclusion to the FLCL era of Gainax production. Only six episodes each, too – it’s pretty remarkable how much story each of these manage to tell.

Here are my essays on Gunbuster and Diebuster.

Both Gunbuster and Diebuster are available at Amazon.

22. Shinsekai Yori

Shinsekai Yori is basically tailor-made for fans of fantasy and scifi novels. Heavy on worldbuilding and questions of human nature, its story unfolds on a scale far greater than most anime, exploring a compelling dystopian society by following one generation from childhood through adolescence and well into adulthood. Though I often feel its characters fade into the background of its storytelling pretensions, it all works in service of an incredibly compelling central narrative, and its devastating conclusion justifies everything that came before. It’s a rare and valuable thing – few shows work on the scale of Shinsekai Yori.

Here’s my review of Shinsekai Yori.

Shinsekai Yori is available at Amazon and streams on Crunchyroll.

21. The Idolm@ster

An idol show?!? I could actually go on for a while about what makes various idol shows great (and I have), but as far as Idolm@ster specifically goes, this show is just a solid episodic drama that succeeds in almost everything it attempts. It’s got a rich and well-developed cast of characters, lots of great little character stories, and a bunch of fun adventures like “the team runs a Sunday game show” or “one idol ends up as a runaway bride while another fights yakuza goons.” On top of that, Idolm@ster features one of the best creative teams in recent memory – a bunch of former Gainax staff and other great creators combine to make this one of the most beautifully directed and animated shows I’ve seen. Even if you don’t have any interest in idols, Idolm@ster’s combination of fun stories and gorgeous execution makes it a rare and impressive show.

Here’s my review of The Idolm@ster.

The Idolm@ster is available streaming on Crunchyroll.

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2,750 thoughts on “Top 30 Anime Series of All Time”

SwiftRouge on December 23, 2014 at 7:42 pm said:

What Naruto, bleach and Dragonball not added to this?
- Bobduh on December 23, 2014 at 7:43 pm said:
  
  No justice in this world.
  - hellno on December 25, 2014 at 12:07 am said:
    
    You mean to say those shit ”wait a week to be disappointed, pretty much just filler, neverending garbage animes” deserves a spot in any list? GTFO of here! Oh and the best Dragonball are DB OG and DB GT.
    - SlothKing on December 26, 2014 at 6:13 am said:
      
      You are retarded Dragon ball GT was by far the worst out of all of them. Naruto has a great story and is coming to a closure soon, and bleach is great as well except for how repetitive it becomes.
    - Schmidt on December 26, 2014 at 10:14 am said:
      
      Then skip the fillers? Are you special in the head?
      - Vegeta on January 2, 2015 at 6:54 pm said:
        
        DBZ was epic everybody loves it! But for me is death note a must on every anime list. pure genius!
        
        personal i like one piece the best. its true that you have to wait every week and that sucks a lot. but when you were still able to watch 20 episodes after another it has no comparisons. The humor, the fights, the plots the adventure. Best serie anime cartoon real life doesnt matter one piece owns them all
  - Dan on December 26, 2014 at 2:38 pm said:
    
    Naruto, bleach and Dragonball are not the same type of anime that are on this list and therefore should not be compared on the same list
    - Purpadude on December 26, 2014 at 3:30 pm said:
      
      The list has Hunter x Hunter, which is also a long running shounen adventure series. It’s the outlier, but it evidently has what b0bduh likes in a show.
  - Rezwan Rifat on January 12, 2015 at 4:03 am said:
    
    I was hoping to see Death Note and Code Geass here. But am disappointed not to see either.
    - OtakusurfeR on January 13, 2015 at 12:38 am said:
      
      i love code geass… My fakkin favorite anime series (and i’ve seen a bunch, both many-eps and few-eps)…..
      - nope12345 on January 16, 2015 at 9:13 am said:
        
        lol Bleach,DBZ? no one gives a fuck. Where is Code Geass,Death note? Real masterpieces….
- Khoon on December 30, 2014 at 8:03 pm said:
  
  DBZ is garbage, don’t get me wrong I loved it as a kid but coming back to it as an adult is just painful. It’s a soap opera for kids. I remember enjoying Naruto as well as a kid but after buying the first season I can’t get back into it. Evangelion is a good choice for first, I’ve yet to see a better anime.
  - melee08 on January 5, 2015 at 5:25 pm said:
    
    DBZ was a great anime for what it is and the era it came out in and there are no fillers in DBZ that’s what GT is its all fake why the creator is making these movies and is bring the series back but as for me my favorite series has to be gundam wing and S-cry-ED they should both be on this list and bleach is not a top anime because over half of it is fillers witch makes it lose its place on any list.
    - OtakusurfeR on January 13, 2015 at 12:42 am said:
      
      i would say yes for s-cry-ed but where the fuck is ef?
- Rachel on December 30, 2014 at 11:03 pm said:
  
  Personal opinion is because watching the same fight for multiple episodes in a row with no plot progression is exhausting.
  
  I find them full of distractions and lacking substance. I understand the nostalgia a lot of people have for these kinds of series but I just could never get into them.
- niko on January 5, 2015 at 2:28 am said:
  
  this is best 30,but naruto bleach and dragonball is top legendary
- Pedrophile on January 5, 2015 at 11:06 am said:
  
  Not a 12 yr old top 30 anime list
  - Legirine on January 20, 2015 at 4:35 am said:
    
    HAHAHAHAH
    So true
- Loke on January 6, 2015 at 12:34 am said:
  
  This is obviously a troll guys.Relax.
- vegito on January 12, 2015 at 5:19 am said:
  
  lol dbz has imdb rating of 9.6… who cares what others talk..
  - Kevin on January 19, 2015 at 7:29 am said:
    
    you do realize that saying “who cares what others talk” after talking about imdb rating, which is literally just a numerical average of everyone else’s opinion, is completely contradictory, right?
    - Ahmed on January 19, 2015 at 11:08 am said:
      
      He meant the others who don’t like dbz. Next time think before you talk.
- .......... on January 18, 2015 at 5:22 pm said:
  
  It’s his/her god damn list, everyone has their own opinions so stfu.
- Legirine on January 20, 2015 at 5:04 am said:
  
  Why??
  Naruto- the first season sucks but you need to watch it to understand the next. Naruto goes through problems and traumas that I love, but he is so hard to relate to it hurts. By the way he was treated I would mostly have a deep hatred to god or the world for putting me in suck a cursed situation but it doesn’t seem to effect him at all also the way he controls his fox. WOW, that was easy! and how did the 8 tail figure out how to do this, there are so many plot holes the list would end in 3 years
  Bleach-
  ichigo- ” ich- I- go”
  Definition- an all powerful god that can defeat any problem that ever faces him ever. When it comes to his friends he is invincible, no wait his loved ones, no any one he knows, sorry no I meant he can and WILL save EVERYONE ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH.
  Finally the manga is better than the anime in every way shape and form.
  SPOILER ALERT
  Ichigo is more bad ass, nicer, and cooler. And does infancy meet people he can’t a wil not EVER defeat
  Don’t believe me ichigo is part quinsy in the manga
  
  Dz- cant say anything, never watched it
  
  Well, a fuck a you
  GOOD NIGHT!!
Skreame on December 25, 2014 at 6:09 am said:

There seems to be a pretty big bias to newer animes here. Quite a few examples for each theme or style you suggest that is represented so well by your choices has greater predecessors. I suppose this is all opinion though, as I myself tend to treat Psycho Pass as a more subjective or immature version of Ghost in the Shell even if it may not be true.
bluh on December 25, 2014 at 7:27 am said:

i just made this account just to tell you thank you for your list, i actually agree with you on just about everything. These other comments are really discouraging but i wish there was a way to give you more credit then you are getting. keep up the good work :p
- Bobduh on December 29, 2014 at 12:26 pm said:
  
  Thank you! Don’t worry, I’m pretty used to the “where’s my favorite show” comments by now.
- OtakusurfeR on January 13, 2015 at 12:49 am said:
  
  even getting in the situation of making a list is difficult… yea i don’t know if i agree with your list cause there are many of them that i haven’t seen, but good choices… (and to say your list is the only one that i have not seen even the half of them, hope this means that i’ll see too many good stuff from now on)
Ivan Dario Uribe Parada on December 25, 2014 at 8:52 am said:

Great list!!!
Kal-el on December 26, 2014 at 12:20 pm said:

I think you have a good list, but you mainly rank the newer anime. I would certainly add Death Note and Rurouni Kenshin. With that said, good work!
Dan on December 26, 2014 at 2:32 pm said:

I have to say i enjoyed your list for the most part, some good choices. And to all the people who are saying wheres Naruto and Bleach, just go away, your unwanted here. Though i would just add my own list while i was at it in no order. Please tell me what you think.

Darker than black
black lagoon
elfien lied
lolush of the rebellion
cowboy beebop
stiens gate
Jourmongand
attack on titan
baccano
maid sama
ouran high school
future diaries
full metal panic
welcome to the nhk
full metal alchemist brotherhood
trigun
the devils a part timer
toradora
death note
- Casey on December 27, 2014 at 7:21 am said:
  
  omg your list! totally agree
- Schmidt on December 27, 2014 at 10:15 am said:
  
  Hurr durr Naruto so bad, yeah am I cool now? He he best circlejerk ever hehehe, ouran highschool and maid sama 4lyfe hehe waifu chan
- Gabb on January 1, 2015 at 2:42 pm said:
  
  I add :
  code geass
  SOA
  Berserk
  guilty crown
- OtakusurfeR on January 13, 2015 at 12:54 am said:
  
  i ‘d like to see
  great teacher onizuka
  sword art online
  dead man wonderland
  mirai nikki
- Legirine on January 20, 2015 at 5:22 am said:
  
  (Only the ones I wanted to explain)
  DARKER THAN BLACK- it never explains how his sister transferred her power therefore I refuse to see it as a plot let alone an anime
  ELFIN LIED- holy shit you would love Another
  LOLUSH OF THE REBELLION- it’s called Code Gease bastard the Lolush of the rebellion is describing its relation to the manga also you spelled his name wrong, so therefor I refuse to see you as a person
  ATTACK ON TITAN – fuck the show read the manga
  ORAHN HIGH SCHOOL HOST CLUB- fuck tomiky she’s to good for him karou baby!!
  FUTURE DIARY-yeah, she is a crazy bitch that made yuki look weak.. Soooooo
  THE DEVIL IS A PART TIMER- good choIce, you should watch angel beats
  DEATH NOTE- the only sad part was when Kira lost 🙁
Egalopth on December 26, 2014 at 10:02 pm said:

Seriously, Puella Madoka is here, while Ghost in the shell, Code:geass and Black lagoon are missing??
…
No Comment
- Gabb on January 1, 2015 at 2:54 pm said:
  
  i agree with you “Code:geass” should be on the top.
  Evengilion is good but the end was a littel bit scamped.
  I want to notice: “gundam seed” i really liked the scenario
- hinamifueguchi on January 7, 2015 at 11:43 am said:
  
  madoka magica has all you could want in an anime, the other ones are just…. incomplete
APersonWithAVoice on December 27, 2014 at 12:24 pm said:

Here are some comments for those who disagree with this list:
First off, this is a personal and seemingly educated list. And at the end of the list, the author stated that he would probably end up leaving out people’s favorites.
Furthermore, I don’t think anyone has the right to disagree with anything on this list unless you’ve watched it yourself. If you haven’t watched the series listed, there is no way for you to judge which series is better or worse; your favorite not on the list, or the author’s favorites. And to those who have seen the shows on this list and still think their favorite wasn’t included, I respect that, because everyone has a different opinion on what is enjoyable.

Now to the author:
Thank you for the time you’ve spent to form this list! I greatly appreciate your view of what is important in animated shows; it’s wonderful to discover a list from a person who enjoys human interactio, and series that provoke thoughts. Many of these shows are now on my list of “What to Watch”. 🙂
Dcm1230 on December 27, 2014 at 4:35 pm said:

Im new to anime. Ive never really watch any other then the obvious ones such as DBZ, Avatar, etc. Ive recently finished watching attack on titan and SAO season 1 and 2 and I see why many people love anime the story plot and charcters are usually superb. Anime is by far some of the best content a person can watch. Ive never heard of any of these anime series but thanks for the list, I found a lot more shows to enjoy thanks to you.
Dean p.f. on December 28, 2014 at 7:21 am said:

Impressive list, obviously you cant squeeze everything into a top 30 but I agree on a lot of it.
Not surprised to see Neon Genesis Evangelion or Cowboy Bebop here and Madoka Magica always gets into my top ten too.
No Ghost in the Shell SAC, Ergo Proxy or Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood for instance but it just goes to show how hard it can be to make such a list 🙂
Jyiber on December 28, 2014 at 1:57 pm said:

Very nice list, I can agree with most of it. I find myself drawing analogies with poetry.

I’m personally attracted to long running Shonen despite their drawn out and predictable plots just because I think violence is a art of it’s own. Plus, I hate it when a good story ends.

Of all Shonen I agree that Hunter x Hunter is king, but that was until I met Gintama–which I would strongly like to recommend.

I will now attempt to sell it to you. That is unless someone already has and/or you already turned it away.

The most distinguishable feature of Gintama is how it’s main character is the antithesis for your average Shonen lead role.

What do you expect? A young, energetic, goal driven, friendship-power-boosted, with good morales, and the desire to get stronger?

Gintama laughs and then gives you: Gintoki; middle aged, lazy, generally useless picker-of-nose (who’s secretly a total badass, but that’s not to focal point of the show).

This series is a comedy that often spends it’s time making parodies of common anime troupes. But much of the series is peppered with more serious moments of intensity and tragedy.

The plot is not narrative driven at first glance, seemingly a mess of randomness. It’s actually only half random.

Much of the show is divided up into smaller plot arcs. Each arc has a different theme and genre. It elegantly glides from comedy to drama to action and back to comedy.

I, as a typical immature bloodlusting Shonen fan, had mild trouble getting into it, but at some point I fell in love.
Abhishek on December 28, 2014 at 3:03 pm said:

It is good list as most of the anime mentioned matches with the animes i think are all-time favorites, but you didn’t mention one masterpiece which i consider the best:
CLANNAD AFTER STORY
You have to watch its preceding season : CLANNAD to understand it, but its actually worth it.
CLANNAD AFTER STORY is that kind of anime which anyone should watch it in their lifetime, as it what it covers is about family relationships, responsibilities toward each other, etc which is enough to move anyone to tears.
Please look into this anime and I am sure who will feel the same as everyone who have watched CLANNAD AFTER STORY.
- stanley unseld on December 31, 2014 at 1:03 am said:
  
  Oh how i agree with you.. best anime i think ever… hell thinking about clannad makes me cry.. lol when i listen to dango daikazoku i cry..i love that show more than my ex grilfriend.
Jerry on December 28, 2014 at 9:59 pm said:

you’re not going to have full metal alchemist? the old nor the manga series? in my opinion it’s by far on my top 3 list. it did not have fillers and got to the point right away. only bad thing it was way to short 50 episodes i believe.
pro on December 29, 2014 at 12:47 am said:

How could you not add Naoki Urasawa’s Monster???????????? That’s one of the best anime ever made!!!!!!!!!!!
Shadowwovles on December 29, 2014 at 9:03 pm said:

Wheres sword art online and attack on titan
allen on December 30, 2014 at 12:08 pm said:

Tokyo Ghoul anyone? It’s my favorite anime and season 2’s coming out in Jan 8 2015
stanley unseld on December 31, 2014 at 12:58 am said:

ok i liked this list up till the last two… Puella Magi Madoka Magica an Evangelion.. i mean i like both of the shows but i think wrong place for them on this list.. i at least expected to see clannad at least in the top 5 but it’s not on the list at all,but i am happy you added shinsekai yori it was a beautiful anime to say the least.
ace225 on January 1, 2015 at 5:36 am said:

A girl made this list ! lol …this list sucks
sarah medouni on January 1, 2015 at 1:48 pm said:

dude hunter x hunter is way better than 21 and i’m sure the story that obviously has just began is gonna get even more awesome
- Daydreamer on January 3, 2015 at 10:11 am said:
  
  I haven’t checked out the new one yet (I like my dubs), but you should watch the second opening for the older version if you’ve already seen the Yorknew city arc. Hands down best anime opening of all time.
par167 on January 1, 2015 at 2:12 pm said:

I have been watching Anime since Speed Racer hey I am old LOL. Over the years there are several that stand out Macross started a change of where a anime was more about people than a war or some lost cause. BLUE SUB 6 was a game changer not just because it was written in 1967 and coming true to some extent today but the artwork in the whole industry changed after this to keep up with the standard set by this film. Cowboy Bebop is my number one anime of all time but in a timeline it falls here. Story content structure were incredible and it was so good that it revived anime here in the states I highly doubt that anime would be nearly as popular if not for Bebop. I have always been a big BONES fan. they do things right and I am surprised that Eureka 7 is not on anyone’s list. It is a incredible coming of age story that has crazy plot lines and really strong characters .Now no one here touched on sad rip your heart out stuff but watch air and do not cry at the end and I doubt your human.Elfen Lied is right there too. Anime is about the heart. Black Lagoon is a monster that will not stop. Rock and Revy passion guns Mafia it is a deep crazy mess I follow the manga to this day.RahXephon,Tokyo Magnitude 8.0, Ghost in the Shell all great ! Bakemonogatari is probably my #2 and again a game changer in the industry no one mentioned it either but I loved it start to finish. Samurai Champloo was and always will be great.the mainstream stuff Bleach Started good but faded after it got big Naruto was never me and One Piece was never consistent but has had good moments. Fairy tale has its merit and Inuasha had moments too along with Samurai Deeper Kyo but they are a cash cow for studios not a statement made to puzzle or make you cheer or cry.. Rurouni Kenshin was as good a main stream as any and loved it too. Tenchi Muyo was always a favoritenot that it was perfect but like One Piece now it had and still has its own community that follows it.The Big O , Trigun , and one more by BONES Xam’d: Lost Memories . Going to go watch some of the stuff you guys say was the best as Life is busy and I do not have time to follow as many series as I would like. Thanks and Happy 2015.
Derek Stiles on January 4, 2015 at 1:05 am said:

As someone that has seen a few series here and there, little more – I can’t help but admire the thought that went into this list! Granted I’ve only watched a third of the series here (and Steins;Gate is my personal favorite), your explanations of how some anime portray the human condition make me want to explore some of these series. There’s always some subjectivity in these things: some prefer the masculine grandeur of Gurren Lagann while others want a heart-rending tale that makes people feel, I think you hit on pretty much everything an anime neophyte could look for.

Again, thanks a bunch!
Chance on January 4, 2015 at 1:08 am said:

Seriously? Where’s Kenichi? And anything Shonen jump is purely amazing. I have yet to run into an anime I havent enjoyed. SAO was also very good. But Hajime no ippo is probably one of the best as well. For its age its very good. You should make a list with sub genres such as certain topics like Fighting to get stronger: Kenichi/Hajime no ippo. Cynical and intelligent: Code Geass/ Death Note. Some thing like that. But to tell other people what their favorite shows should be is a matter of your opinion. But trust me. This is coming from a man who’s seen 90% of popular and unpopular anime. Try them all first before you judge them.
Daydreamer on January 4, 2015 at 1:57 am said:

Lol I def got troll blocked, oh well
guja on January 4, 2015 at 9:08 am said:

should be dbz,
naruto
and 3. should be bleach
- guja on January 4, 2015 at 9:10 am said:
  
  sorry, dbz should be first,
  naruto should be seccond,
  and bleach should be third
Anime fan girl lily on January 4, 2015 at 7:12 pm said:

What, no soul eater, death note, attack on Titan, blue exorcist or fairytale?!!!!!!
- Schmidt on January 5, 2015 at 6:44 pm said:
  
  Soul Eater, Fairy Tail and Ao no Exorcist don’t belong on any top 30 anime list. This list is pretty meh, but those anime are not good enough either.
  - Simon on January 9, 2015 at 9:48 pm said:
    
    There are way too many great anime, so you can’t expect all your favorites to be on this lis. I read this list as the author’s 30 favorite greatest anime of all time (like, of all the great anime, these are his 30 faves). Also, the list seems to be evaluating anime in terms of artistic merit. From an artistic perspective, anime like Tatami Galaxy, The Eccentric Family, NGE, Madoka, most of the others on this list, definitely belong here, (so I wouldn’t call it meh by any means, these are all great anime). Very interesting list overall. It’s definitely bent towards newer anime, but that’s alright.
    
    As far as soul eater, death note, attack on Titan, blue exorcist or fairy tail, yeah none of those belong on this list, unless its about top 30 most entertaining anime. But since this list is geared towards more artistic works, then those (with the possible exception of death note) don’t offer a whole lot by way of artistic value. For the record, I am a big fan of Death Note, SNK, and especially Fairy Tail, and liked blue exorcist and soul eater well enough. But I wouldn’t call them great works of art. They are just fun shows.
lexer on January 5, 2015 at 12:40 am said:

Fairy tail anyone? Lol i love fairy tail. Also HOTD. High school of the dead WHICH THEY NEVER CONTINUED!!!!!!!!
snoop.doge on January 5, 2015 at 1:32 am said:

What?!? Why is Cory in the house not on this list?!?
- Crusader777 on January 12, 2015 at 6:24 am said:
  
  Cory in the House is best anime EVAR!!!!!
Blake mann on January 5, 2015 at 9:05 am said:

How come everyone is hating on dbz ^_^ know what im saiyan 😉
Repstyle on January 8, 2015 at 11:11 am said:

Where is Naruto and Dragon Ball (every one) ?!!!!!!!!!!
The best anime? i’ve never heard about these anime at all.
Repstyle on January 8, 2015 at 11:12 am said:

Where is Naruto and Dragon Ball (every one) ?!!!!!!!!!!
The best anime? i’ve never heard about these anime at all.
so make a better list
- Bobduh on January 8, 2015 at 11:14 am said:
  
  I’ve watched them. They’re not making the list.
Sbastian on January 8, 2015 at 4:04 pm said:

i’m not suprised that there’s no naruto, bleach, onepiece, or dragonball. Those are the shows that are started up great, until the producers started milking them ’till the last drop and make them repetitive and boring. I do, however confused about the absence of code geass or hellsing or trigun. those are awesome animes and they deserve a spot on this list.
Anonimous on January 8, 2015 at 5:16 pm said:

Urr wtf like seriouly where are the animes that actually changed something in our lives…i mean the animes that we grew up watching like dbz,naruto,one piece,bleach etc…why all that hatin on ppl that just didnt want to go deeper in these unpopular animes
- McAsphalt on January 10, 2015 at 9:12 pm said:
  
  “Life changer” is not a criteria for evaluating… well, anything… at all. And if you’re not satisfied with the – personal – entries on the list and if you’re not interested in trying new anime (which is why I’ve bookmarked this very page) then why would you waste your time by reading and commenting on it?!
Cat Stackz on January 10, 2015 at 2:17 am said:

I love that u didn’t do all the really obvious animes, (because the reason I look at these lists is to find new animes to watch) and I found many here I’d never heard of and they were amazing! Thanks so much 🙂
Cat Stackz on January 10, 2015 at 2:18 am said:

I love that u didn’t do all the really obvious animes, (because the reason I look at these lists is to find new ones to watch) and I found many here I’d never heard of and they were amazing! Thanks so much 🙂
ryan on January 10, 2015 at 11:30 pm said:

There are many more amazing anime that you didn’t list but it would just take too long to list them all. The only problem I have with this is that Madoka Magica on here and it is second. I don’t know if it is just me having different tastes but I really disliked the series. I only watched it because I was told it became a lot darker but it really didn’t. I was excepting it to be on the level of Darker than Black or Elfen Lied. I guess it is pretty good for people that are not used to really dark stuff but I just didn’t like it.
Heather on January 11, 2015 at 8:21 am said:

Great list! Though I would personally add:
Attack on Titan/ Shingeki no Kyojin
Mirai Nikki/ Future Diary
Angel Beats!
Guilty Crown
Kokoro Connect
AnoHana
To Aru Majutsu No Index

This is just personal, but you should definately check these out!
Crusader777 on January 12, 2015 at 6:38 am said:

What a great list you have there. I hope u included Serial Experiments Lain and Paranoia Agent since they explore the depths of humanity’s psychology also. I have already seen Baccano, Penguindrum, Steins Gate, Cowboy Bebop, Kids on the Slope (well, you got my anime favorites of all time) and they are all great. I will check out the other choices listed above especially Mushishi, The Tatami Galaxy, and Spice and Wolf.
Immortal Sausage on January 12, 2015 at 6:42 pm said:

Thanks for the list. To be honest I have not started watching them yet, but your choices seems really interesting.
And I wanna say that I really appreciate your list because it’s different. other people complain about that their favorite anime’s aren’t here… I, on the other hand am glad that my favorite anime’s aren’t here, because that’s why I’m looking for lists, to find something that I haven’t seen, but still good. So once again thanks for the list c:
Hylia Harkinian on January 12, 2015 at 11:56 pm said:

Great list, I will have to look a few of them up.
As much as I do love DB/Z, naruto and bleach, I think they lost their strength when the creators decided to carry them on regardless of how ridiculous the next storyline was.

My personal favourites are,

Full metal alchemist: brotherhood
Rurouni kenshin
Xxx holic
Chobits
Tsubasa reservoir chronicles
Death note
Bludgeoning angel dukoro Chan
Tengan toppen gurren laagen
Sword art online
Tenchi muyo
Neon genesis evangelion
Fudeco on January 12, 2015 at 11:57 pm said:

Blue exorcist
Sleepy on January 13, 2015 at 5:02 pm said:

Your list is the best I have seen in a long time. These all are truly good anime and I loved that most of them are not old as I am sucker for quality and animation. Keep up the great work!
apt on January 14, 2015 at 5:48 pm said:

I believe Tokyo Ghoul and Attack on Titan (non dubbed) deserve a place in this list.
Bankiaou on January 15, 2015 at 10:54 pm said:

Samurai X should be on the list
Also The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and Welcome to the NHK
George on January 16, 2015 at 4:32 am said:

I started thinking WTF when I didn’t see Death Note in the Top10. Death Note is considered universally as probably the best anime to have existed, or atleast in the Top 5 considered subjectively.

The mystery, suspense, horror, crime, intelligence present in the series, as well as nail biting suspense left at the end of each episode, Death Note is perfectly crafted. I know people who sat for hours into the night to finish it because each episode ended in a cliffhanger, right from the first (the real story starts from end of second episode).

Even people who do hate anime will love this one, as it stands apart from the rest.

Death Note: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0877057/

You are also missing Code Geass and Monster
The Charred Guardian on January 16, 2015 at 10:05 am said:

Fool who gazes into the abyss of this comment list, flee before it consumes you. It is a dark place. It is a dangerous pit. The comments do not think. The comments do not learn. They merely chant the deep song of the Black Earth, spreading their subjectives opinions, with no regard to the poster’s own tastes or personal nature of one’s list.

With that said, I would strongly recommend Ore no Imou– flee, my friend ! flee !
saori on January 16, 2015 at 10:33 am said:

Nice list. It’s good to see one that doesn’t just boil down to all the most popular stuff, and having read some of your essays, I know I’ll definitely have to check some of these out now (especially Uchouten Kazoku, which I didn’t know had the same writer as Tatami Galaxy).

Also, the comments are just priceless, though I can’t imagine how these people found your blog.
Caine on January 16, 2015 at 2:50 pm said:

Samurai Champloo should be on this list.
- Joshua on January 18, 2015 at 7:18 pm said:
  
  yes definitely samurai champloo is one of the best
Isaac Zuckerburg on January 19, 2015 at 12:20 pm said:

None of these will ever be nearly has good as SAO or attack on Titan if they count as anime.
- Schmidt on January 19, 2015 at 5:41 pm said:
  
  Well, I agree with many of these being boring and just not for everyone.
  
  But Steins Gate, HxH 2011, Mushishi, and Oregairu in it’s own way, are all just as good or better than AoT and absolutely better than SaO.
Jason on January 20, 2015 at 1:21 am said:

Dude i advise you to go see a doc…i’ve watched countless amazing animations both long and short! trust me this list is full of junks. Maybe you needa search for more to find out what is the best! Well anyway theez are YOUR best animations.
Legirine on January 20, 2015 at 4:31 am said:

Guys guys guys, Code Geass the best anime of all time no matter how you look at it, wow!
Then we have One Piece
Then rise of the Nura clan
And then dance in the vampire bund,
Your welcome.