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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A suggestion: Ranma 1/2.
http://www.imdb.com/list/ls057577566/
is more realistic minus the fact they didn’t have record of lodoss war and battleship nadesico
http://www.imdb.com/list/ls057577566/
is more realistic minus the fact they didn’t have record of lodoss war or battleship nadesico in there list but meh it’s all personal choices
I think Vampire Knight is a good anime and black butler
Then you have poor taste or you’re 10-14yrs old..
I wouldn’t say poor taste. Everyone has a different opinion. I don’t even know what that is but i’m shure it’s not that bad
i told black butler was boring
I adored Black Butler ^^
I’d say you should watch Natsume Yuujinchou. It’s made it into one of my top favorites and I’m pretty picky. Thanks for making this list!
cowboy bebop at 12 is blasfemous
Cowboy bebop is THE worst anime I’ve ever seen. And I’ve seen an anime of a boy that talks to his bike
I totally Agree it is the worst anime of anime’s
Ummm if you’re referring to Kino’s Journey, the main character is actually a girl and her bike is a motorcycle named Hermes and it’s a really good anime.
I REALLY wouldn’t say it’s the worst, even if you really don’t like it…the worst I can think of is this OVA series, Violence Jack…just because it’s not even functional. XD.
Seems we have the same taste in Anime, agree with Evangelion 100%.
Have a look at Last Exile. Appeals to empathy and struggles in human nature. Id place this 2nd on your list.
I don’t see Naruto, bleach, code gease, attack on titan, black Butler, black cat, dbz, etc. But lots of new anime. All these anime are the most popular. Someone suggest a good bloody anime. Like when they cry. Another. Blood+. I really like horror and mystery anime.
Berserk…pretty bloody
you are so right naruto bleach etc are probably the most amazing of all time so please include them
They’re nowhere near the best anime. They’re mainstream and mainstream causes popularity for 10 year olds that love action in their cartoons lol. Anime isn’t about childish favors like immature comedy with random action. There’s way more genres of anime that make anime the best. This list of top 30 anime is a taste for human nature and human interaction. Obviously bobduh has his own taste in anime (and I love his taste) that some people might not like. For example, I’m a sucker for romance anime and animes filled with clichés. So yeah, everytime I see someone putting a childish mainstream anime on their top list, I feel like shooting myself for knowing they probably don’t watch a lot of animes yet they make a top list and add shit like naruto. Naruto, bleach, and whatever aren’t bad anime, quite the contrary I think they’re good and fun to watch but as much anime as I’ve watched, I wouldn’t put them on my top 30 anime list. However I may put sao and attack on titan on a top 40 list 🙂
You sir. Don’t know what you’re talking about
Nah, he seems pretty coherent to me. Way too many people on the bandwagon of shows that have 100+ filler episodes (Which suck, by the way) and stories that take more than 20 episodes to get interesting. The super shounen shows are fun to watch, when you get into them, but in no way could they be considered the best.
that’s just because naruto, bleach, and black butler all SUCK!!! especially naruto
Excuse me I love naruto
Popular does not equal good. Try something like Tatami Galaxy, Monster or Legend of the Galactic Heroes for a really good show in addition to all the great choices on this list!
SAO
Yup, SAO buff said
SAO IS THE BOMB
SAO is the most overrated piece of shit ever created in the anime world.
LOL NGE is the most overrated piece of shit I’ve ever seen.
Well I’m officially jealous of the fact you haven’t seen SAO.
where is One Piece !?
One Piece (of Sh!!t is a stupid overly popyularized crap of a show, with the dumbest artwork possible. Only reason its “popular” is because it has the simplest plot line, dialogue, and characters that would appease a five your child. It just some happens, sadly, most anime fans have the attention spaned of a five year old. If the didn’t then Steins Gate, Attack on Titan, Deadman Wonder, or Future Diary, or Monster would be number one.
Death Note, nuff said…
you are a piece of shit, attack on the titan? steins gate? deadman wonderland ? to be number one? i’d rather kill myself right now if one of them became, even the one i prefer the most there, which is Future diary ending wasn’t that, good actually it sucked. Monster just goes on and on, yeah it is good but it gets boring. The rest aren’t even worth mentioning, steins gate is good but not really for no.1 spot. Dbz,one piece and such mainstream anime series are popular because they deserve that spot they have. Yeah they have been prolonged because of it, but still deserve to keep it, i watch one piece to laugh, and i watched one piece since i was a kid. Anime series that would get first few spots if there were no one piece,dbz,bleach would be : Mahouka if they keep up the good work, mondaiji tachi ga isekai kara kuru sou desu yo, no game no life, world god only knows, death note, code geass, and a few others, its in random order.
or Fairy Tail. but One Piece is OKAY. Not the best but also not the worst.
doesn’t that make one piece a good anime… it appeals to the innocent childishness inside all of us and brings back memories of our younger selves
This list is kind of horrible given the title is 30 best animes of all time. Maybe you should have went for something more of My 30 favorite.. because you lack a heap of staple shows that are considered among the best. You have no yu yu, no death note,clannad etc and for for crying out loud no series at all concerning dragon ball.Dragon Ball franchise was/still is a pinnacle of animation.
I agree with you wholeheartedly yuu yuu hakusho is one of my favorite older anime. Death note, one of my fav horror. Dragon ball, my fav shounen. I think we could be good friends.
you seem to have good taste.
“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.”
Why the hell does nobody actually read anything anymore? You don’t have to make assumptions because it’s all explained in text that takes no less than 2 minutes to read.
As he said, he can only ‘watch and like so much’ – any relatable list, such as this one, would also be based on one’s opinion.
Hmm.. I understand this was more of a ‘Top 30 For Me’ but considering you like darker animes revolving around people (Much like myself) I was shocked not to find mention of Death Note.
Which in my opinion is one of the best writing’s on human nature in anime ever made, but alas you can have your Evangelion..
Why cant i see top 30 ?
It’s three pages – click “2” or “3” at the bottom to see the rest.
A lot of the ones you list as available are streaming on crunchyroll or hulu.
Hi there,
I thoroughly enjoyed reading your list although I did not agree with many of your choices, they are YOUR choices. I rather enjoyed how you decided to actually put a detailed description of why you ranked each anime as high as you did, instead of just listing them only.
Based on your list I will have to watch Neon Genesis Evangelion, however I will not be watching Puella Magi Madoka Magica as from what I gathered based on what you said ” leaves room for rich interpretation” to me this means an incomplete story one where you have to make up your own ending. Animes like that I do not like as I think of it as poor writing, that being said, if there is room for interpretation on other things such as missing characters, missing items, etc, things that do not determine the ending of the anime, then that is ABSOLUTELY fine ^_^.
Now please accept my recommendations for anime for you to watch:
1.) Legend Of The Galactic Heroes (Quite simply the best anime to ever exist even though is cam out in the 80’s and is over 20 years old)
2.) Monster( very thought provoking and dark)
3.) Ghost in the Shell
4.) Planetes
5.) Code Geass
6.) Baccano
7.) Durarara
8.) Death Note
9.) Hellsing OVA
10.) Full Metal Alchemist
11.) Samurai X
12.) Hunter X Hunter
13.) Darker Than Black
14.) Jojos Bizzare Adventure
15.) Avatar The Last Air Bender ( Its an anime in the sense that its animated, although not by the Japanese)
16.) Berserk
17.) High School of The Dead
18.) Twelve Kingdoms
19.) D. Grey Man
20.) Gintama
These are just the few that I could remember off the top of my head that was not stated in your list.
The first two are perhaps the greatest animes of all time but LOGH is the BEST anime I’ve ever seen.
I am going to go watch Neon Genesis Evangelion and see if it can top my favourites 😀
Watch Madoka, it’s very much complete.
He already has some of those anime on this list, and has watched/is watching some others. Check out his MAL for a better idea: http://myanimelist.net/animelist/Bobduh
List approved good sir, and noted.
I’m Watching Death note in my opinion its really good
number 1 should be Fairy Tail.
you seem so calm and peaceful…. but people should watch Fairy Tail
I just want to point out you hate when an anime ‘leaves room for interpretation’ yet you put Monster on your list
I’m just saying..I liked Monster (except for the last few episodes) but that ending was exactly what you described you hate
Wheres soul eater????
In your own personalised list. Does reading hurt your brain?
“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.”
Feel stupid now? Read the description next time. It’s there so that people don’t make misguided comments like these.
I honestly thought that Evangelion and The End Of Evangelion are horrible.
you people realize that asking where naruto, dragon ball z, or attack on titan is on this list is tantamount to asking where twilight or divergent is on a list of the greatest literature of all time? inb4 BUT ITS MUH OPINION if you seriously think that attack on titan or sword art online is the best that anime has to offer, your opinion doesn’t deserve to be respected here. you are either 1) around thirteen years old and found the rape scene at the end of sao extremely edgy, 2) you’ve only seen about three anime series, or 3) you are very easily satisfied and thus cannot distinguish art from crap. the critic that put together this list has seen dozens upon dozens of anime series and has written extensively about the medium. many other bloggers around here have done the same. so before you complain that this list is utterly invalid because its missing your favorite beat em up shounen, consider how obnoxious and ignorant you sound to people who actually know anime.
Agree 100%
That’s like saying that just because I’m not a food critic and know the ins and outs of textures, flavors, ect, that I can’t enjoy my food. You like what you like, you don’t need to be a dick about people not understanding shit. Granted if there is a list that’s not based upon personal opinion of one person, I wouldn’t mind a group of people like you to create a “greatest hits” list but don’t act entitled. It’s rude. Thanks and if you want to educate me in some true art then type it out below.
well, i agree with bleach, naruto, dragon ball z, one piece and all those being pretty crappy stuff in terms of the scope of anime. they are classic shounen. i hate shounen.
However, i find SAO to be fantastic, think about the mental strife and struggle that the characters are forced to go through. the PTSD, the brutality of the world that they are forced to live in. There is a huge scope of realization and character development in what they consider valuable, and the meaning of life for those people. SAO is much more deserving of the role than the others. id put it probably in one of the top tiers, but most definitely not the best.
Attack on titan…. ehhhhh…. its a gorefest. thats about it. its shockingly violent and bloody. Although misaka’s coming into erin’s family is a colorful character addendum.
If anyone wants to see something with meaning and powerful messages, look into the anime Magnitude 8.0. Asura Cryin. Bokurano. Now and then, here and there (Ima, soko ni iru boku) All fantastic, wonderful forays into what it means to be human and coming to terms with what the world thrusts forward at you.
Bad list. No Cromartie High, Samurai X, Trigun, Inuyasha, or even Lucky Star? Pffft. FLCL is overrated.
You’re joking about inuyasha right?
that guy with the white hair in Inuyasha… he looks JUST like Kurama from Yu Yu Hakushow when he turns into his true form.
and moonphase
It’s almost as if you’re trying to say that a list based on someone’s opinion is bad. That’s what it looks like, anyway.
Let me contrast your comment with a fairly similar example:
“I don’t like chicken!”
“Your opinion is bad.”
I don’t blame you for ignorance, it’s more so the stupidity accompanying it.
Also, I’ll contrast another part of your comment with another fairly similar example:
“I like chicken!”
“Chicken is overrated.”
You see how it’s like you’re having two different conversations here? That’s because you are. That is, the list is subjective (you are ignorant of this) and you decide to comment on the fact that the clearly objective list (sarcasm) is wrong in terms of what anime should be included (stupidity).
It’s stupidity because you didn’t bother to read one short paragraph explaining the list so that people wouldn’t get confused about the list:
“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.”
hmmm Anohana definetely is a masterpiece alongsode with Deathnote ..
And Code Geass gives so much plot twist story , which is unique …
But overall I am on the same page with your animelist, because you know which anime is really good and which anime is overrated
WHAT ABOUT SAILOR MOON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!???????????? That is one of the best anime ever!!!!!!!!!
that’s my tenth favorite. =)
I really love Kodomo No Jikan even though its kinda EXTREMELY wrong
I recently started getting into anime and have been looking for an article like this forEVER. So thanks for that.
And I haven’t seen Evangelion yet because it looks like a Typical Mecha – lets-do-cool-stuff-with-robots. But your review of it gave me chills. So I’m going go watch that.
fullmetal alchemist
Thanks to you I was convinced to watch katanagari!! And I absolutely love it!
Wow Evangelion comes in at my 21st place lol.
just finished watching Log Horizon. if anyone likes MMORP its a must see. much better than SAO. better storyline, if u like MMORPG, you’ll love this anime. cant wait for Season 2!
my favorite is Fairy Tail, 2. Clannad, 3. School Rumble.
no matter what, Fairy Tail will always be my number one. Forever and ever
Fairy Tail is garbage you must be 12
Noo it’s the most amazing anime ever the fourth anime series I ever watched and I’m still watching it also sword art online is awesome too
well sir,it seems you have terrible taste in anime, or you’d have to be over 35 years of age
at least august “11” likes the good stuff
Just missing Gintama around 12th for me.
I would suggest Maison Ikkoku (Mezon Ikkoku on IMDB)
Some people are turned off because it has 96 episodes and a movie, but this spans several years and makes for some interesting character development. It’s what a true romance/drama/comedy anime should be. It’s definitely worth a look.
Very happy that Katanagatari is so high on the list. Cheerio!
I saw on your MAL that you have Chihayafuru on-hold – I suggest that you pick it up right away! Since you like character-driven stories, I would dare say that Chihayafuru is one of the best in the [anime] medium.
Haha, really? Damn player, for a number 2 show you play a card like Madoka? I don’t even find that funny. Can’t even place a Code Geass or Great Teacher Onizuka in this list? One Piece? Mira Nikki?
Madoka is the most critically acclaimed late night anime of all times and the best selling franchise of this decade. Don’t put your other crap anime in comparison.
have you forgot about NARUTO and DRAGON BALL Z??
lol no they’re terrible 😛
Kodomo no omocha is a pretty good coming-of-age, rom-com , nice character development anime and Fushigi Yuugi is also pretty good
The one make this list IS A RETARDED! I AM SURE THAT HE JUST WATCH ANIME FOR SOME MONTHS! WHERE IS DRAGONBALL? FULLMETAL ALCHEMSIST AND FMA BROTHERHOOD?ONE PIECE? LUPIN III?POKEMON? DORAEMON? BATTLESHIP YAMATO?FUTURE BOY CONAN? AND MANY OTHERS SERIES THAT ARE BETTER than Hyouka, Gargantia, Yahari Ore,…Those are good anime, but to get near the to level of the best of all time? Shame for them and the author of this topic too.
“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.”
Did you just call a subjective list retarded?…That’s err…retarded. You’re shaming the author for his opinion? For fuck’s sake. He said himself that he started watching anime seasonally 2 years ago and specifies the kind of anime that will be popping up in HIS list. Don’t make assumptions, actually read the first few paragraphs that explain the list. Don’t just look at the numbers and go “Oh, why is this anime not there?”
Pokemon? Good? Not really. It’s redundant. FMA and FMA Brotherhood? Sure, they are pretty good anime. Hyouka’s a pretty good anime too. Dragonball never interested me, even as a kid. It was just as redundant as pokemon, forever introducing more powerful characters and nothing really exciting ever happening. Even if these series are good, that doesn’t stop them from being boring as hell to me.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is missing.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is missing. The composer is Yoko Canno like in Cowboy Bebop. Give it a try. It has character building, action, suspense, and stuff I won’t tell you about. This series I watched when I was 11 and it aired on [adult swim]. I wouldn’t be who I am, a biomedical engineering senior, without encountering this series. If you want to cover all genres, this anime should do for the cyber punk category.
I absolutely love Ghost in the Shell too. I think the first movie is probably my fav anime movie ever. The soundtrack to that is brilliant too. He gave the movie an 8 and he has SAC in his “to watch list”. I just learned today about Arise, its a new OVA coming out right now! Three out of 4 episodes are out already, can’t wait to watch it!! And the soundtrack to that is by Cornelius who I’ve been a big fan of for years, even seen him three times in concert! 🙂 super excited.
I really liked Gankutsuou, I’m not too sure if you’ll like it but it’s worth a viewing. Not too long but. it’s long enough to keep you into it.
Well, I chosen “Madoka” to be the first one to watch out of your list, and now I’m done watching and fathoming and figuring out all the heavy parts of the story.
(spoilers coming!)
It has it’s new and original aspects, and overall it’s not bad OK. but the story is not so flawless and perfect as you praised it. The main ideas (apart from the new kind of magical girls and so) are rather used and worn out. u see, a set of sci-fi rules that lead to emptiness, and a powerful and lovely main character who makes an exception and redefines things and makes hope, and then somehow eliminating that person at the end to have a stronger impact upon the audience. was it necessary for Madoka to get eliminated? What rules implied that? I guess she was supernatural enough to stay.
I don’t wanna get philosophical, but u can’t be a part of a system with consistent rules, and yet challenge it’s basis with it’s own rules and turn it upside down, without further explanation. If u do that in your story, you are cheating! If that’s allowed, why didn’t she wished for a simpler change of pattern that wouldn’t require so much trouble? I can come up with ten wishes right now, but don’t wanna bother anymore. already too many words about too ordinary a story.
Thanx anyways 🙂
The series explain perfectly everything about the implications of the ultimate wish. Also I would like to hear every wish you hace come up with that are so much better than the once made 🙂
The rules, her wish, and the characters’ reasoning all made sense to me. The plot’s not airtight, you’re right, but it’s lightyears ahead of anything else I’ve seen in the anime world. Clearly a modern masterpiece.
Rebellion, on the other hand…
Its VERY under the radar, but ill mention two anime here: Cross Game, and Nana. Both have wonderfully designed characters, and great direction.
Cross Game is actually my favorite manga!
I want new best anime please
I just finished two rather amazing series that I chose on a whim. ‘Another’ for those of you who like dark, suspenseful thriller type shows. And ‘Yourself;Myself’ for those who like shows that wrap around more real life type issues. Another is a horror, and you shouldn’t watch if you cannot handle death, or gore. But its plot is twisted and leaves you guessing until the last episode, which was amazing. ‘Yourself;Myself’ was more ‘normal’ but not mainstream. A little romance, misunderstandings, and trust.
Your top 30 is a fuking joke half of them suck
some of you guys here need to stop playing the smart cart here.
DBZ, one piece, Naruto, and Bleach are the most popular anime series not by dumb luck.
they are not perfect, but they are easly better then most of the stuff on this list. sometimes in just a simple entertaining way by combining comedy, plots and even overpowered characters. if all the stuff on this list were better they woulda been more popular.
now, i am not saying that this list sucks, but it needs to include at least a few of these animes!
People are taking the Shonen hate a little too far, but it is clear that those types of shows are aimed more towards substance-less action. I personally like Naruto just because of said substance-less action, but I don’t pretend for it to mean anything more.
I have no problem with people liking Shonen, but to state that it is mandatory to put on a list is stupid. There is nothing universally “good” about any of those shows. There is nothing to respect in those shows if you dislike them because they aren’t very deep or unique. Whether or not you liked shows like Neon Genesis though, you have to respect it’s presence and influence.
Something that appeals to the masses is not necessarily the best. In fact, many things that have broad appeal are dumbed down. Typical shounen anime like Bleach and Naruto are certainly fun to watch, but they have severe flaws. The most glaring of which is 100+ filler episodes (which almost always are terrible) They also start off very slowly (Bleach takes about 20 episodes before it gets to anything resembling a plot) and Naruto doesn’t get truly fun to watch until halfway through the chuunin exams.
DBZ is way too dragged out. From the beginning to the cell saga is 180 episodes. DBZ Kai (A new refresh of the series) did it in 90 episodes. With no loss of story. One piece…. well Im not familiar with it so i cant really mention anything about it personally.
The point is, atleast in anime, POPULAR does not mean great, or even good. A ‘Best of’ list is entirely subjective. Everyone will put something different from everyone else on such a list. If you make your own list, with Bleach, Naruto, DBZ, and One piece on it, more power to you. But saying those shows definitely deserve to be in a ‘best’ list simply because they are more popular is just not true.
P.S. Evangelion #1??? My only problem with this list. (personally couldnt stand that show, only one character that even resembled a good person, and a plot that was more than baffling. And that ending….. yeah.) Anyone able to tell me whats so great about it? Am i just missing something?
That’s a very nice list. I will give you three that i think you will like.
1) visions of escaflowne. Under rated and in my opinion one of the best animes of the 90s. It has many favorites of anime. If you watch it you will understand.
2) last exile. A very clean looking, but very human series.
3) golden boy. This is only 6 episodes, but it’s one of the most hilarious anime so have seen.
Witch Hunter Robin, Vandread, Full Metal Panic and Gungrave for the good old times!
I watched and commented on Madoka, and now I just finished Evangelion and End of Evangelion…
Boring periodic predictable chain of events forms almost one half of it. Wrong shitty theories about humanity forms half of what remains, and set the basis for the whole story, and, at the end, are imposed upon the audience in the most obvious and blatant and unartistic way. Maybe the only things that i liked about it was some of the jokes, and the character Misato.
Seems that U and I barely share same interests in anything. So I’m out of here.
Just by reading the first few on your list, I knew you held a certain bias towards certain anime, so imagine my surprise when I see Hunter x Hunter make your list. Personally Yu Yu Hakusho is my favorite ,but since Togashi created both of them, I’ll take it haha!
Very much respect Evangelion at #1, but for someone who claims to like stories about people so much, Cowboy Bebop is surprisingly low. I can’t say I like much of this list at all, but I do respect it being different than a typical list filled with Bleach, One Piece, and the rest of that genre.
You should really watch Ghost in the Shell S.A.C. It’s not as much about individual people, but the philosophies in the show are really interesting. The rampant nationalism irks me, but that’s Japan for you.
Mushishi sounds interesting and I’ll give it a shot. We seem to share only a small amount of anime in common, but if this turns out to be good, thanks for the recommendation!
By the way, is there any particular reason anime movies aren’t included? My reason for ranking them separately is just because the top 10 would be entirely composed of Studio Ghibli (and Redline, ha).
GunGrave is pretty neat.
GunGrave is pretty neat
it sure is
definitely neat enough to warrant a double comment
No joking DXD is my first to see/read anime/LN/manga because Ilike to forget about RL problems when I’m reading/seeing such kind of art. I agree that bleach/OP/DB and so on are more enjoyable but…only in a sense.Of course if you think at how better are they made Naruto will top ALL . I don’t read Naruto , I was never a fan of such thing but Naruto is very well written for its purpose.Pokemon and Digimon too. They are anime intended for a specific target and they are excellent. If you can’t put them in top xx because of that you can’t put also only nice and serious animes You can’t laugh when seeing any of them and I don’t think that’ll be a lot of kids agreeing with your Top. Not even most of the boys.
I’d say these comments are a testament to the fact that not many kids agree with my list, not even most of the boys.
If you wrote that to ridicule me ::kids are boys and girls at max 10-12 years .and boys are all males .:P About your 30 anime : I’ve seen completely half of them and , from the other half 5 minutes to 3-4 episodes.
My proposal: make a non ranking top with best anime of all kinds.
Man!! I see your point, but Gurren Lagan?? I dropped it at chapter 2… I’m just trying to convince myself into it but just don’t feel like it. Those who say Death Note… it’s a pretty light story, I missed one episode when Yagami talks with a japanese FBI woman, but continued without watching that chapter, everything was ok I finshed both seasons and I liked it tho, it was fine buuuuuuuut… then I returned to see the missing chapter and then I really wished not to see what happened… really… it sucked… such a lucky bastard… no more mainstream to me sir…