The cream of the crop, the best of the best, the most memorable anime series…ever (to me anyways.)
15 July 2007
There are about a dozen anime series that almost everyone has seen, wants to see, will see and needs to see. Although not always the case, the general consensus regarding these dozen or so series is that, in no particular order, they are the best shows around. Of course, they’re not everyone’s cup of tea (yes, there are people who hated Neon Genesis Evangelion. Shocking, I know, but true.) But what makes these dozen or so series truly worthy of being crowned the best series (…ever) is the fact that they are ubiquitous. They are everywhere, they’ve infiltrated our lives, canvasing every aspect of everything. They simply just are. They are there, unavoidable almost.
Even the English dubs of these shows were good! The English dubs! Good! The biggest contradictory sentence ever written in a blog: good English dubs! When the American companies dubbing these shows even acknowledge how amazing these series were, it’s time, even if you hated them to pieces, to recognize that they were indeed, if not the best, the definitive anime series (as of 2007 and not including the shows airing right now. And also, excluding movies, which would just turn into a Miyazki fest.)
Evidently, the series vary from people to people, but at least one of that dozen appears in everyone’s list. Anyways, that’s not to say that the series listed below are the best-est things ever. I just thought that they were the best-est things ever to hit the planet.
So, to the totally subjective list, in no particular order, of the most memorable anime series…ever (to me anyways)
Hagane no Renkinjutsushi (Fullmetal Alchemist)
Hagaren is somewhere between great and extraordinary. Hagaren is the “it” action and adventure anime. The Hagaren universe, a strange blend of turn of the century Europe with fantasy serving as a metaphor for the problems of the world as a whole, was one of the most distinguishing factor of the show. The show not only has a great sense of humor and comedic timing, but at the same time an emotional and dark edge that captivated me. However, the most memorable part, the reason that it’s on this list, are the characters. From heroes to the villains and all of the characters in between, there is not one character that failed to serve a purpose. My favorite characters had to be from the military, Roy, Havoc, Riza, Maes just to name a few. Another testament to the brilliance of Hagaren is the fact that Ed is missing and arm and a leg and his brother, Al, is missing a body entirely, yet they managed to kick ass anyways. That’s an accomplishment. Also, it spawned one of the greatest anime romances ever to happen, Roy and Riza.
Gundam Wing
Gundam Wing is the best gundam series, ever…Gundam Wing is the best gundam series, ever! I’ve never expected much from the gundam shows, really. The recent Gundam Seed killed a lot of things I enjoyed about gundam and had it not been for my memories of Wing, I probably would’ve lost faith entirely in the franchise. Wing was the perfect mecha show. I swear, there’s a generation of people who watched it on Cartoon Network that would understand my sentimental feelings. Wing had everything: cute guys, kick ass mecha designs, enough action to keep me sated for thirty nine episodes and three OVAs turned movie, enough philosophical babble to alienate itself from other less ‘complex’ shows of the same genre and last but not least, silly, almost irrational love. Relena and Heero, as couple, can be crowned the most dysfunctional pairing from anything. He swore to kill her the first time they met and ended up almost sacrificing his life to protect her. And the most decisive factor behind my rationale for choosing Wing: it had one helluva a good ending, one of the most satisfying endings, one that did not butcher everything the show set up. After seeing the ending to the series, I sat there grinning like an idiot for the longest time. It was a happily ever after ending, I like happily every endings, it just felt right. Everything about Wing was just…right.
Saikano
If you actually read my blog, I have a post on Saikano that consisted of about two lines. Saikano killed me, in such a wonderful, painful way. Basically, I spent the last three episodes crying, weeping, incessantly. It felt like my heart was bleeding, like I was dying and I didn’t know why. I couldn’t even bring myself to watch the OVA, it was traumatic. I can’t even bear to hear the opening theme. It was so emotionally turbulent, it’s off the scale. It’s the best love story I’ve ever seen. It’s the best love story I’ve ever seen. The relationship between Chise and Shuji redefined the term ‘love’ for me. Every character, every character, they all died and when they died, it was like being stabbed, it was like being stabbed over and over again. Tetsu, Akemi, it was as if I knew them, and that my childhood friend, my husband died. It was so real and so depressing and so heartbreaking, it was like the world truly ended and all I had left were the memories in my heart. It was like feeling despair and hope at the same time, bittersweet doesn’t even come close. This is an instance where the animation and character designs didn’t really appeal to me, but the story was so overwhelming that I stopped caring. I think, I think this was the first time I cried so much over anything.
FLCL
Wtf? That was the only reaction I had to FLCL the first time I watched it. After re-watching it several times, it was still a “wtf?” show. It was crazy, it was so damn random. You start to question your own sanity after watching it. Am I still sane? Am I still capable of producing coherent thought? Am I okay? And at a certain point into the series the answers become, “No, I am not.” It was a total trip. The animation was beautiful, the story line was non existent but there, like sugar in water, you can’t see it but you can taste it. Haruko made the show, she brought the craziness, the randomness, everything. You can’t have FLCL without Haruko, she is the essence of the show. Regardless, each character in the show had their 15 minutes of fame and some of them really shined. The amazing thing is, under all of the randomness, it was one of the most mind blowing-ly twisted sci-fi anime, ever. It’s everywhere, it’s honestly a must see in the sense that you haven’t experienced anime until you force yourself to sit through FLCL.
Neon Genesis Evangelion
There is no good way to talk about Evangelion, it doesn’t exist. Infamous for it’s complexity and incomprehensibility and also the totally unexplainable ending, Evangelion is very close to being the definitive sci-fi anime. It’s a love it or hate it thing. There is little room for a middle ground, a no man’s land for people like me who, while acknowledging Eva as a classic, never truly cared for it. I will praise Evangelion for the impact it had on the anime world. The thing was extraordinary, it’s Gainax’s masterpiece. All the deep, thought provoking banter, coupled with mecha and violence, enough skin to satisfy the minds of viewers, Evangelion, in my mind, was the biggest, most successful mind fuck, ever. My first and foremost reaction to Eva was, “What?” It’s different from a “wtf?” reaction because you understand what had happened, you’re just lost as to exactly why it did. The ending was just a big, “What?!” Personally I preferred the original anime ending. It happened entirely in the mind and it explained and settled a lot of things. At the end of the whole roller coaster ride of a last episode, you understand Shinji, you understand everything. The movie, The End of Evangelion, made me loose what little understanding I had of anything related to Eva. Shinji Ikari goes down in history as one of the most hated and love protagonists in existence. Sometimes, I wanted very badly to just slap him, hard. His actions are so painfully pathetic sometimes, I really just wanted to hit him. In the end, all I could do was agree Asuka, “how disgusting.” Neon Genesis Evangelion was the anime atom bomb. It hit with such force, such destruction and such a prolonged side affect that’s worse than the radiation that plagued generations of those who survived the actual atom bombs. Be it good or bad, Evangelion belongs on this list, it sure as hell was memorable.
And my personal favorite of all time…
Cowboy Bebop
Cowboy Bebop is the best thing to hit the planet. That’s the end of it. I loved it. Every single episode, the movie included, but somewhat to a lesser degree. Bebop was just so damn cool. It screamed cool, everything was just so freaking cool. Spike Spiegel is the epitome, the paragon of coolness. He redefines everything. The music, the characters, the plot, the mecha, everything, everything was just so bloody cool. The atmosphere the show had to it was just incredible. It was dark, omnious, eerie with a deep, overwhelming melancholy that embodied the show. The animation was exceptional, it was beautiful. The fight scenes were so fluid, it was, as Spike himself said, like water. There was a certain charm about the series, that despite it’s murky undertones, made it shine. Undeniably cool, unparalleled its brilliance, Bebop, in my mind, is the definitive anime.
Honorable Mentions
Samurai Champloo The music was nice, it was nice, soundtrack music I actually enjoyed listening to. The characters were so quirky and the interactions between them were so fun. The show had such a good feel to it, even when it ended. Deeply satisfiying, very cool show.
Cardcaptor Sakura The “it” of the maho shoujo genre. Cutest, most adorable show, ever. Sakura is the sweetest heroine, with a new outfit in every episode. Touya and Yuki, the only shonen-ai couple I liked. Sakura and Sayoaran, the cutest couple in existence, my heart goes out to them. The best part was the feeling that nothing could go wrong, when you watch it, you just know that everything will be alright.
Death Note I just finished this recently, and I was impressed to pieces. The plot was so intricate, so amazingly detailed and planned. Yagami Light was one hell of a character. It was just so damn interesting watching the thing play out. It was less about what happened and more about how. Cured me of boredom, just as it did Ryuk.
Ergo Proxy Most confusing show ever made, I loved it though. Re-l and Vincent were possible more dysfunctional than Relena and Heero. Right up there with Evangelion on incomprehensiblity. It draws from so many different things, so many bits of information that it was pretty hard to follow. The ending was nice as well, a happy ending to a dark, overwhelmingly dark and lurid anime. It had this ethereal feel to it, almost like being high, it was good.
Black Lagoon I liked Black Lagoon, I liked Black Lagoon. It was a bit crude compared to Cowboy Bebop but it was right up there with the action. Revy, the killer babe with her custom Berettas and that psychotic smile of hers, not to mention she’s Chinese AND from New York, was a great character. Rock, her polar opposite, was an immensely interesting character. The interactions between these two were as fun to watch as the action.
RahXephon Reminded a lot of Evangelion, but there were certain things I really liked about RahXephon. The animation and art were amazing. It was such a killer series to watch, pure eye candy. For one thing, Ayato Kamina was just cute. The love story between Ayato and Haruka was nicely done. The arc with Asahina broke my heart. In response to the series ending, “blah!” In response to movie ending, “eh, alright, you can get away with it.” The movie explained a lot of things, tied up loose ends. However, Saikano is definitely a level about RahXephon when it comes to sci-fi with a timeless love story. (Also, ‘nirai kanai’ came from RahXephon.)
The 08th MS Team My second favorite, all time, gundam anime. It incorporates nicely the human element into a mecha series. It’s been called the most realistic of the gundam series and I have to agree. It does nicely to display the emotions of actual soldiers and really hits home with the ending. It sidesteps awing the audience with flashy mecha and concentrates more on the people, which is ultimately what I liked about this show. Gundam Wing just had both. Shiro and Aina were a nice couple, too.
Shows that I haven’t seen, but heard were good
Kenshin OVAs I haven’t seen the entirety of the anime series, but have been wanting to see the OVAs for a while. I have to get around to it. I really wanted to see them.
Wolf’s Rain Some say it was just dumb, some say it was good. I personally enjoy the art, so I’m going to check into it anyways.
Berserk It does not look like my cup of tea at all. I don’t even like tea, but that aside. So many people have told me it was good, curiosity killed the cat. If I have time, I’ll look into this as well.
Shows that I think were overrated
Ghost in the Shell I’ve seen the majority of Stand Alone Complex and I liked it, the animation was smooth, the storyline was interesting, but it didn’t really leave that big of impression. I don’t know why people rave about this so much, maybe because I didn’t see the original series, but I thought it was quite plain, the standard sci-fi, investigative crime, realistic gun action show. There was one episode that left a particular mark whose name I cannot recall…
Eureka 7 In all honesty, after the first two episodes, I was so excited about Eureka 7. The animation was stunning, the plot line was interesting, the colors and the atmosphere was jubilant and it was just so nice. It made me feel like I can fly. And then it kinda went downhill from there. I don’t know, it bored me after a while, it lost that edge, got too caught up with superfluous things? Too many questions? Too slow, even? Any case, I can understand the hype, it started out so good, but it didn’t finish with half the energy it started with.
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzuyami At one point, I was interested. I wanted to see what the hell it was all about, this cult classic, as they called it. And then I lost interest. When I actually looked into it, it struck me as being very silly. Haruhi’s eccentricity, the SOS dan, that….dance? Something just made me avoid seeing this like the plague.
Inu Yasha, Bleach, Naruto Inu Yasha was okay, Bleach was somewhat okay, and Naruto made me want to kill myself after it hit the 100s. Bleach and Naruto, the mangas, were really nice. I enjoyed the art a lot and the stories were good. Too many characters and a plot that resembled a labyrinth, but it was nice to just marvel at their artistic talents. The anime, however, killed a lot of things. Inu Yasha, on the other hand, I actually tried to watch. I saw all of the movies, the majority of the series and it occurred to me at one point, it simply was not going to end, even if the last episode rolled around. None of these were ever going to end. The length of these shows just drove me away. How do I keep up with a billion episodes, a million characters with names I can’t pronounce and even more filler episodes? I can’t! And I don’t!
Currently Airing
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann when it finishes airing, deserves a spot on that list. It’s amazing. End of story. Gainax has a knack for making epics.
Darker Than Black depending on how the ending turns out, may be considered for a spot on that list or at least being honorably mentioned. It’s not as cool as Bebop but it’s radiating the same aura.
Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei is just funny, it really depends on how it turns out, but it’s brilliant thus far (one episode) and has potential, I think, to be a good one.
Baccano! hasn’t even aired yet, but from what I see, read and hear, I’m expecting this to be my next favorite show. 1930s New York? I’m a sucker for historical anime series, I’m a sucker for history in general, especially in the turn of the century and early twentieth century history, regarding Europe and America. Baccano! better be good.
This is a pretty extensive list. Coincidentally, Cowboy Bebop is my favorite anime of all time. It is an amazing series, the one that got me interested in anime. I have all the soundtracks, artbooks, DVDs, and even some cels! Fullmetal was also an incredible show. I thought the ending of the movie was a bit of a letdown, but nevertheless this series was a masterpiece. Evangelion has been a long time favorite of mine, as well. People that don’t like Shinji seem to have missed the point that he is supposed to be a real 14 year old person, and not the unrealistic, cliche 14 year old anime badass. FLCL was also great. Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex was great, as well, but I hated the original movie. RahXephon was a weak Evangleion rip-off. Berserk is another fantastic show, another series that lands in my top ten. Unfortunately, it doesn’t really pick up steam until around episode 10. After that, it is non-stop awesomeness. I know that’s a lot of slack to give a series, but if you can make it that far you’ll be hooked right up until the riveting ending.
i just checked out ur blog from bateszi simply because u said u didnt like eureka 7. But then i looked at this article and funny thing is u love champloo, bebop, lagoon and rahxephon as much as i did. lol. u should check out planet es. its great to see folks that have not forgotten the immense greatness of cowboy bebop. Like the guy above me i also own mad cowboy bebop shit, and its the only anime stuff i own. unfortunatel brikhaus did not love rahxephon. to me rahxephon is still prolly the greatest love story i have come across in anime. their love was so powerful that it transcended time. that fact alone is why the anime will never, ever, ever leave my top 10. however i do think FMA is somewhat overrated. so it looks like u didnt like eureka 7, brokhaus didnt like rahxephon, i didnt like FMA, but we all share the same favorite anime. The masterpiece Cowboy Bebop!!!
I wonder if you guys read my comments in response to yours, O_o, anyways:
BrikHaus – I sat for a while working and reworking the list, it started out as a dozen and worked it way down to six and a bunch of honorable mentions. Bebop was the first thing that popped into my mind when trying to come up with a list of any sort regarding anime. I bought the whole thing on DVD, I need to get the movie. I want cels, >.
I feel so very, very, very dumb, curse the “<" that cut off the rest of my comment. Anyways, it was just me agreeing with you, BrikHaus, and saying how RahXephon was good because of the love story, even if it were a rip off. How Berserk is going on high priority list of shows I need to watch. And regardless, I'm still not satisfied with Shinji Ikari being the iconic anime hero. -_-;
after reading ur passionate praise of Gundam wing, it conviced me to dl to first ep, and i literally just finished it. And whoa… that scene where she gives him the invitation and he rips it, wipes her tears and says i will kill u, fucking blew me the hell away. wow. ok. i am a fan. i am going to watch this. i thought gundam seed was the only gundam anime i will ever watch (didnt watch destiny because i heard it sucked ass and i didnt want it ti ruin seed for me) i will definitely be watching wing. i wonder why it doesnt have good reviews on anidb or animenfo.
heres my top 10 check it out.
(1). Cowboy Bebop (2). Wolf’s Rain (3). Planet ES (4). Berserk (5). RahXephon (6). Eureka SEVEN (7). Vision of Escaflowne (8). Gankutsuou (9). Samurai Champloo (10). Black Lagoon I/II
its always so great to meet people that share tastes with u. first bateszi, martin and now u. awesome.
Since we’re listing our favorite shows ever, here’s my top ten. I may post my top 20 in a few days on my own blog. (10.) Diebuster: Aim for the Top 2 (09.) Cardcaptor Sakura (08.) Mahoromatic: Automatic Maiden (07.) Trigun (06.) The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (05.) Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (04.) Berserk (03.) Neon Genesis Evangelion (02.) Fullmetal Alchemist (01.) Cowboy Bebop
Kauldron26 – Yay! I’m glad you liked Wing. That first episode was just like…O____O Jesus Christ! I know exactly what you’re talking about. Heero’s little scene there cemented Wing as one of the must watch series in my life. I’m not really sure why it’s not rated so high on either of those sites. I guess people have deferring opinions, that’s to be expected. I really have to see Berserk now, since it’s on both of your lists. I’ve looked into Gankutuou and it’s one of those, if opportunity presents itself, I will watch it. I know what you mean, I started blogging to meet people. No one I know is really into anime and it’s great to meet people on the internet that actually understands what you’re rambling out. XD
BrikHaus – I’m looking forward to reading your top 20, possibly grabbing a few new titles. Gah! I forgot about Trigun! It’s like Kenshin, one of the great shows that I enjoyed but never finished. I’ve also heard of Mahoromatic, but I’m a little iffy about that one, it’s not really my thing, but then again, I’ve been proven wrong.
I really love the fact that our lists intersect at some point, but what we rank first is always Bebop. XD Still can’t get over it.
Reading through these comments, you still have SO much great anime to catch up with. I envy your position – I would love to see it all for the first time again.
Because it’s my favorite anime, here’s some quick advice about Berserk. Don’t judge it based on the first episode alone (which is fairly random and violent) – give it four episodes. That said, it’s a brilliant series with fantastic characters. I’ll be looking forward to your potential blogs about it, and no pressure, I won’t rant if you aren’t diggin’ it.
Also, you absolutely need to see the Kenshin OVAs. They are wonderful episodes, though don’t be expecting the rather light tone of the TV series — it’s all about how Kenshin got his famous cross-shaped scar. Very violent, mature and emotional.
Anyway ~ good luck on discovering some new favorites!
Bateszi – Thanks for giving me advice on Berserk! The fairly random and violent action was the reason why I initially didn’t see Berserk, aside from the fact that it’s called Berserk. But since everyone is say it’s so good, I’m more interested in watching it. I probably will like it, or I’m hoping I will. Torrenting right now, because Last Exile finished really fast. O_o
And Kenshin I’ve been looking forward to seeing for so long, it makes me giddy just watching it download. Curse my slow internet connection! Go faster!! Argh!
Yeah, I haven’t seen a lot, I’m missing out. =P Gotta catch up on the good stuff.
If you don’t know why people rave about Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, it’s because you basically need to watch every episode twice, at least. GitS:SAC has so much dialogue (that isn’t usually covered again) that you can’t miss, or else it will degrade your viewing experience.
And if you can’t remember the title of that episode you liked, I can most likely tell you which one it was. :3
@Suz – XD It sounds like you’re a real expert when it comes to Ghost in the Shell. I’m sure your right about rewatching it, the whole thing was complicated. I missed a couple of episodes in the middle and had try to piece together the plot of Stand Alone Complex…^^;