In my mind, my favorites list is a clusterfuck of overblown complexity. That’s why I have The Epic Journey to help me perfect my favorites list. In the meantime, this page is a much more easy to interpret version of my favorites list. These are anime that I love, and won’t suddenly leave the list at my whim. Also with big images and short descriptions.
Rules for an anime to be in the Top X:
- Must have been at least 6 months since I first completed the show (with exceptions)
- Must have seen it at least twice in it’s entirety (with exceptions)
- Must not be on probation (meaning I want to watch it again or post about it before allowing placement)
Eureka Seven
Of all the anime I’ve seen, this is the most well-constructed in every way, and no other show has made me care about everything in it so much. Every character is memorable, and Renton and Eureka are spectacular. Possibly the only show that I can’t say anything negative about. I never wanted it to end, though the ending was beautiful. Studio Bones really pulled through on everything from art and animation to music, writing, and organizing a massive staff of directors, actors, and animators to create a consistent and fully realized masterpiece.
Gintama
What has happened with Gintama is that by making a story set in a cross-section of history and sci-fi with a character whose place in life is totally undefined, literally ANYTHING can happen in the series – and it damn well will. Gintama is a fucking hilarious parody comedy series whose success is precisely in it’s incredible length. It’s not just that every kind of story ever made has been parodied and referenced in Gintama – Gintama has literally BEEN every kind of series. It can be a pure comedy in one episode, a drama in the next, a shounen action series for one, a gag comedy, a sit-com, a character-driven adventure – it can be anything and it WILL. And it handles each and every story to perfection. What’s more, it is without flaw – the production quality is a non-issue as a high or low budget can become the actual plot of the episode. Just about every great voice actor that I can name has a place in the series. Every member of the massive cast of characters is memorable and great and there are more of them than you can count. The soundtrack is superb, the opening and endings are great, the writing is gold, and in spite of being a kids show, it can literally get away with ANYTHING from good portions of the show taking place in the red light district to themes of drug addiction and turbo-violence. What makes Gintama my favorite anime of the decade? It. Is. Everything.
Toradora
Ryuuji is a man who was born with a constant scowl on his face, so in spite of his unilaterally good nature, everyone is afraid of him. Taiga is a girl with a kind heart who is misunderstood as having a bad attitude which only makes her attitude worse. No one understands them, so there’s no one better than them to understand each-other. Meanwhile there’s no shortage of comedy and drama as they and their friends experience fun times, hard falls, and a whirlwind of love and emotion. Toradora in the context of it’s appearance and the time that it was made looks like what you would call ‘just another moe romance’, but as you can see, in reality, it is so much more. It is a deep and thoughtful tale of love between two of – no, THE two greatest characters that I have ever had the pleasure of watching and filled me with boundless emotions as I watched it’s warm and heartfelt story play out.
Infinite Ryvius
Infinite Ryvius is the most ‘perfect’ anime that I’ve ever seen. Airtight production, plot, and a cast of so many characters with so much personality that it’s nearly impossible to believe that the series was only 26 episodes long. And yet it’s true – Infinite Ryvius is a masterpiece, and an emotional roller-coaster ride. A must-watch.
Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight
Manabi is hilarious and heartwarming and full of superb characters, and it has a heart bigger than the sun itself. But more importantly, it is empowering. It is unilaterally positive, while not naive. It is a show that says ‘we aren’t saying you can do it blindly. We really mean that you can do anything, even if it looks all wrong.’ Has my single favorite ending of all time.
Neon Genesis Evangelion The End of Evangelion
An ending. An angel’s head. A gun in a Gendo’s hand. NERV. Another ending. A N2 mine. A sand mound. Orange liquid. A rape. A see of red.
Serial Experiments Lain
Mind-blower and crazy fun, but important for being the first and best Yoshitoshi ABe major work as well as having one of the most awesome and subtly developed main characters in anime history. Lain is mai waifu.
FLCL
“FLCL is an all-time classic if there ever was one. Eternally memorable music, visual style, and themes. A plot that’s so messy and convoluted one wouldn’t think it was possible to make heads or tails of it, but the narrative challenges its viewers to cut though all the WTFery of space pirates and conspiracies and wild animated cues to find at its core a simpler, relatable, down-to-earth story. It’s an anime that can be enjoyed on so many different levels, its no wonder so many love it to this day.” – a great description by Kadian1364 on this crazy classic from the brilliant minds at studio GAINAX and the hard work and guts of director Kazuya Tsurumaki.
ef ~a tale of memories~
The first thing that ef does to grab the viewer is provide a uniquely intense visual experience courtesy of studio SHAFT. Then it pours on a heart-wrenching romance drama full of great characters who are all trying as hard as they can to get their lives on track and experiencing all sorts of drama on the way. The series is brilliantly directed with some of the most memorable scenes you’ll likely ever see in a series and themes that resonate greatly with anyone whose ever wondered about their place in life. The best way I can describe my love for this show – the emotion I get when the story, characters, music, directing, and dialog combine is with the lyrics from the opening theme. “Be alive – take it – promise to find, yes I will – shining wings filled with wishes – Fly high – make it – get to the new world that I seek – someday, so I believe” – Euphoric Field
Lucky Star
This show is good, clean otaku fun, and I appreciate it. I can pick it up any time and watch it with friends and family who are fellow otaku. I can bring it up any time – it’s presence is never unwelcome. And it’s everywhere. It’s got memorable characters who worm their way into my conscience and never go away. It’s a show that may not fill me with emotion or inspiration, but it will always work for me, always be a good time, and it reminds me why I’m an otaku. Besides, it’s a damn gorgeous production by Kyoto Animation, who are almost always a must-watch studio anyway. I can’t say Lucky Star is a must-watch, and it certainly shouldn’t have been seen by as many people as it was because it had no place for many of them, but it is nonetheless a genuinely great show.
Cowboy Bebop
The classic cool, and remains unparalleled in just sheer quality, style, and uniqueness. It is still the grown man’s sci-fi adventure and still the oldest soul of anime. One man’s shout-out to everything he loves, one studio’s amazing work, and one musician’s boundless energy and passion. Probably the widest-appealing anime ever made.
Simoun
Simoun is a brilliant, beautifully imagined, and huge series in spite of it’s relatively low episode count. It’s a show that the creators really put all of their heart and soul into, especially director and creator Junji Nishimura. Dominating on all fronts such as art, music, and writing, Simoun is a forced to be reckoned with, but most importantly it delves into it’s large cast and gets deep into all of their thoughts and actions to create a very personal experience. I can’t even really talk about the plot – Simoun is the must-watch cult hit of the decade, so you’ll just have to check it out yourself. Bonus points for being decidedly yuri.
Baccano!
et in 1930s New York and written as an ensemble film, Baccano! is the literal definition of the phrase ‘non-stop thrill ride.’ It’s a pulp action romp the likes of which would make Quentin Tarantino and Guy Richie proud as it bounces back and forth through it’s own timeline, managing a ton of fun characters and their encounters involving much turbo-violence and many strange situations. It’d be way too much of a pain to summarize the plot – suffice it to say there are immortals, murderers, cannibals, terrorists, hitmen, and many, many mobsters involved to create an always fun, always energetic good time that will knock your socks clean off.
Rurouni Kenshin Tsuiokuhen
Viewed as a movie, it is comparable to any of history’s greatest films – it chronicles the tale of young Kenshin who knows nothing but violence and bloodshed as he works as a manslayer for the rebel army that brought in Japan’s imperial era. Kenshin finds himself thrown accidentally into a relationship with a woman who witnesses him murdering someone and who he doesn’t know is the widow of a man he recently killed. The OVA is rife with subtlety and brilliant artistic nuance even as it is striking and violent and is astoundingly directed to weave animation, music, and art together perfectly. The definition of a ‘masterpiece’ and probably the greatest samurai anime ever made.
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni + Kai
Higurashi is a dark, violent, and frightening show at times, and a cute and funny show at others – it is a show about pure madness and the murderous intent brought about by pure love. It is an incredible mystery and nail-biting thriller that takes it’s time in showing it’s hand, and when it does, it consistently pulls out game-changers that will shock and awe the audience and make rewatches that much more awesome when you realize how everything fits together. What really holds the show together is it’s amazing characters, every one of which will show you their darkest sides even as they win you over with their heart and great personalities. It also has Keiichi, the single greatest harem lead of all time. I would say more, but you can’t be spoiled for Higurashi – just give it a watch and be amazed.
Casshern Sins
Based on the classic transforming super-hero story, Casshern Sins is a dark and wholly beautiful tale of a post-apocalyptic future wherein robots, who were formerly immortal beings, are now rusting and dying, and humans are falling from the simple lack of resources. Casshern is a human-like android who has no memories, but is told that he was the one who destroyed the world and is being hunted by robots who were promised that they could have immortality again if they consume Casshern. Casshern travels the world through episodic adventures and sees it for all it’s beauty as well as it’s ugliness with some of the best art I’ve ever seen in anime and stellar animation by studio Madhouse. That alongside one of my favorite anime soundtracks creates a very thick tone of hopeless despair for Casshern’s dying world, his lonely journey, and the corruption of man and machine that surrounds him.
Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A’s
Nanoha A’s chronicles the lives of two different sects in conflict – one group surrounding a powerful and evil book, and one group surrounding the magical girl Nanoha and the space-time police. These two sides are in conflict, but as we see their personal lives, we realize that every character in the show is a respectable and great person who is only fighting out of their desire to protect their friends. It’s as brilliant as any war story that humanizes both sides of the conflict and pulls on the heartstrings as well as providing some truly amazing characters.
Haibane Renmei
Haibane Renmei is the most personal creation of master artist Yoshitoshi ABe and weaves a story as whimsical as it is mysterious, full of timeless characters who capture the viewer’s heart and at times can really put the pressure on it. I don’t know if it’s in spite of or because of the series’ short length, but the world and mysteries and characters have piqued the interest and interpretations of many, many fans since the show’s airing, myself included.
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
Gurren Lagann is an over-the-top mecha adventure like no other that is made of pure manhood and fuckwin. It is a powerful and inspiring show full of unforgettable characters, insanely epic and spastic visuals courtesy of studio GAINAX and series director Hiroyuki Imaishi, and one of the coolest soundtracks in anime history, which combine to create an adventure like no other that will have all passionate souls brimming with inspiration and vigor.
Hidamari Sketch
While the original story is good with very fun characters and good comedy, the anime adaption’s true strength lies in that of it’s production from the all-star SHAFTxShinbo team. The show has a very distinct visual edge that permeates every moment and seamlessly blends with the comedy and characters to push them all to a higher level of genius. This combined with perfect voice talent and great writing created a slice-of-life tale not quite like any other and so fun that, if you’re like me, you’ll never want it to end.
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
A controversial, rampaging beast of an anime that was almost a force of nature in the fandom. And it was that way because it just worked so well. No matter what you will say about Haruhi, the fact is that there is no other story of it’s like in any medium – not even the novels. The anime is in a place all it’s own.
Welcome to the NHK!
I could write giant papers about what NHK is about, but the bottom line is that it’s a story about hikkikomori. It’s not nearly as poignant as the novel it is based on, but it is definitely a show about what it is to be a hikkikomori, the bad, the worse, and the ugly. NHK is at times hilarious, at times depressing, and if it’s reflective in any way for you, it can be life-affirming or even life-changing. Satou Tatsuhiro is the ultimate figurehead for hikkikomori in that the series will relentlessly pound you with his pitiful nature, and he is fully aware of it. Similarly, Yamazaki is a figurehead for the worst kind of otaku, and as much as otaku love the show, they know they fear it – so does the show. You can enjoy Welcome to the NHK as simple, well written, and unique entertainment, but the social commentary is where the series hits hard as hell.
Kure-nai
A splendidly produced and brilliantly written show full of all the things that make anime great, but truly and utterly rocketed above by episode 6. Incomparably, the greatest episode of anime ever made.
Akira
The truest classic. It’s still the best-looking animated film I’ve ever seen, and it’s just crazy, stylish fun. There’s no real need to read deep into Akira – it is what it is, and it is AWESOME.
The Sky Crawlers
The latest and, in my opinion, greatest from visionary legend Mamoru Oshii. The Sky Crawlers is a bit of a difficult film in that it is very slow and subtle, not showing you much that you will see the significance of on your first viewing. However, it tides you over with stunning visuals and intense aerial dogfights courtesy of the team behind the Ace Combat games. What unfolds is an offbeat psychological fantasy drama about kids who have grown up too fast and thrown away their cares as well as the world that allows them to keep doing it. There’s a lot to love in this movie if you give it the time to show you, and it’s even got one of my favorite characters to have sprung from a stand-alone film.
Le Portrait de Petit Cossette
It’s really not something I can easily describe – the OVA is a visual feast and the plot is an utter mindfuck, so it’s best to see for yourself. Sporting an amazing Yuki Kajiura soundtrack, stunning art and character designs, and probably the thickest application of Shinbo’s style (and perhaps his highest budget), Petit Cossette is truly a visionary masterpiece.
Ranma 1/2
Admittedly, there just isn’t a whole lot to Ranma – it’s not really pretty, it’s not really intelligent, but the fact is that it has a massive cast of memorable and endearing characters who are just worth watching. I’ve seen more Ranma than any other anime, and I think that stands as a testament to it being, if nothing else, wholly entertaining.