John’s Top 10 Anime Series

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So far I’ve written about my Top 10 Strange Japanese Movies, Horror Films, and Dramas. I’ve been writing quarterly anime roundups for a while now, but no top 10 anime list. Until now. And I realize that many of these titles will probably be familiar to all of you, but they each hold a special place in my heart and played a big part in my love and interest in all things anime. It’s a very personal list, so I’m sure not all of you will agree with these picks. These aren’t the top 10 picks for everyone, they are the top 10 picks for me.

10. Dragon Ball Z

DBZEveryone knows DBZ. This show was responsible for bringing so many people into the anime fold and I was no exception. I still have a collection of DBZ VHS tapes back at my parents house from when I would go to the video store and buy a new tape with my allowance.

Going back and watching DBZ today, I am sure that I would not enjoy it so much if it were my first viewing of the show. However, DBZ has such an incredible amount of nostalgic value and importance in my anime journey, so there is no way that I could not include it on this list.

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Who should watch this show: People who have never seen anime before or are below the age of 18 probably. Or you just wanna feel like a kid again.

9. Love Hina

Love-HinaLove Hina might not have as wide a recognition as DBZ, but I’m fairly certain a lot of people have at least heard of it. It’s a goofy harem type anime with tons of ridiculous situations. The main character finds himself living with a bunch of girls all under one roof while he studies hard to get into Tokyo University and meet the girl of his childhood dreams.

As with DBZ, I’m pretty sure that this is another one I wouldn’t enjoy quite as much if I were watching it for the first time around today. This was the first anime I bought all the DVDs for, and also purchased all the manga for as well. As my tastes have greatly matured (for the most part) since watching Love Hina, it’s kind of embarrassing, but this show is important to me.

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Who should watch this show: People who like traditionally well done harem type anime with goofy humor and ridiculous situations.

8. Sword Art Online

Sword-Art-OnlineSAO is about people who get trapped inside a MMO and have to beat the game to escape. If they die in the game, they die in real life too. This was a really interesting premise and everything was very strong from the storytelling to the animation to the sound and music.

SAO was great. Really great. For the first half. The second half was kind of a big disappointment for me. SAO was one of the few shows these past years that I’ve actually been excited about and watched all the way through. I wasn’t expecting the transition halfway through the show but it was almost like a whole new show the second half. I didn’t like it, but I had to see it through to the end. The first half was great – the second half was not.

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Who should watch this show: People who can stomach a disappointing second half in exchange for an awesome first half. Also those that enjoy great action and interesting characters in a really cool digital world.

7. Wolf’s Rain

Wolfs-RainThis show is about four lone wolves (who can also take on human form) and their search for Paradise. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this show and I only watched it through once, but I remember liking it a lot. I just remembered them getting into really cool situations and always being excited to start the next episode.

After I “graduated” from shows I could purchase in American stores such as DBZ and Love Hina, I hungered for what else was out there. I wanted stuff I couldn’t find in America. I started buying very poorly translated DVDs online. This was one of them. The subs seemed like they were ran through an online translator from Japanese to Chinese, and then Chinese to English. They took some work to decipher. Wolf’s Rain reminds me of those days, and I love the show for it.

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Who should watch this show: People who like wolves.

6. Berserk

berserkBerserk is an action oriented dark fantasy noted for its extreme violence. The main character Guts is an orphaned mercenary and a total badass. The show focuses on themes of isolation, camaraderie, and the whether or not humanity is fundamentally good or evil. The show is a good balance of all things.

When I first watched this show it was after renting it from Blockbuster with my best friend from high school. This was before I decided I couldn’t stand watching dubbed anime, so we watched it with English dubs. These dubs are hilarious. They even have dub outtakes at the end of each episode. It was fantastic. Berserk as a show is actually really good though. They recently released some movies retelling the story in a more updated and streamlined way and I’m really looking forward to getting around to watching those.

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Who should watch this show: People who like blood and action and humor and intrigue. This show is gritty.

5. Ergo Proxy

ergo_proxyThis show is dark scifi with some psychological undertones. It takes place in a future where androids live alongside humans. Machines start to become self aware and start causing trouble and then there is also the emergence of humanoid beings known as Proxies. These Proxies are god-like and are said to hold the key to the survival of mankind.

The first time I tried to watch this show, I didn’t like it. I only watched the first episode or two I think, but when I came back to it a second time, I ended up really really enjoying the show. I think I might have been too young to appreciate it the first time I tried to watch it or maybe I was in a bad mood or something. Either way, this show was really enjoyable. I feel like I definitely need to give this series a second full viewing sometime soon.

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Who should watch this show: People who like awesome female leads, scifi, and mystery.

4. Xam’d: Lost Memories

xamdThe show starts off normal enough until the main character is caught in an explosion on a bus and a strange foreign entity enters his body causing him to gain the ability to transform into a Xam’d. His old friends are now afraid of him but he gets an offer to travel on an airship with some new friends and go on lots of adventures and get into lots of battles.

This show features music from Boom Boom Satellites (one of my favorite Japanese bands), so that’s pretty awesome. The show itself is really good too and I was really surprised at how much I ended up liking it. The animation and the colors are all really pretty and impressive. I don’t feel like this show is particularly deep in meaning, it’s just a whole lot of fun.

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Who should watch this show: People who like pretty colors and great action in an intriguing setting.

3. Neon Genesis Evangelion

Neon-Genesis-EvangelionI feel like these last three here most people will know about, but Evangelion is about kids who have to pilot Evas to defeat alien beings known as angels who are trying to end the world more or less. It’s much more complicated and layered though, with lots of character development and interaction. Many themes are addressed and I get something new from it every time I watch.

Evangelion. Man, this show was a turning point for me. This show showed me how mature anime could really get and how much it could affect me. I absolutely loved the ending of this series. My best friend hated it. I didn’t understand how he couldn’t have enjoyed it as much as I did. All the cerebral nonsense and crazy thinking happening was just too awesome for words.

Actually, the top three for this list are more or less tied for first. I really like all of them and all three are really deep and layered and crazy. It’s really hard for me to rank one over the other here.

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Who should watch this show: People who like having their brains exploded.

2. Death Note

death-noteThis show should be familiar, but it’s about a high school kid named Light who finds the notebook of a Death God and it grants him the power to kill anyone as long as he knows their name and face. He takes full advantage of this power and starts shaping the world as he sees fit by killing off criminals. His father is a police officer investigating the murders Light is causing, so things get pretty crazy.

I love these kinds of shows. So many times Light gets himself into impossible situations and always manages to find a way out and the reveal on what he does is always brilliant. It’s so cool. This is one of the shows I make my non-anime watching friends watch and not one of them has disliked it. This show is awesome. I actually had really low expectations before watching this show and Death Note just blew me away with how good it was.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkXw1iBgzoY']

Who should watch this show: People who enjoy amazingly intricate situations circumvented by an ingenious high school kid in the most entertaining of ways.

1. Code Geass

code-geassThis show takes place in an alternate future where the main character Lelouch makes a contract with a strange being giving him the power to command anyone to do anything, though only with direct eye contact. And, this power only works once on each person. Lelouch takes on an alter ego and fights a rebellion against the Holy Britannian Army occupying the colony of Japan.

This show has some very strong parallels to Death Note. They both star a highschooler with crazy powers who hides their identity and tries to change the world. I never felt like Code Geass was ripping off Death Note though. Even though the premise is similar, it is still very much its own show. And it is fantastic for the same reasons Death Note is and more.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZ7zQbMxm28']

Who should watch this show: People who enjoy amazingly intricate situations circumvented by an ingenious high school kid in the most entertaining of ways.

Nostalgia Overload

NostalgiaOldDaysAfter writing this post and watching the trailers for each show, I am just bursting with nostalgia right now. Maybe some of the above shows were your favorites back in the day so maybe you felt some nostalgia too. Some of the openings for these shows included above are so hilariously bad (see Berserk) but they’re special in their own way.

Writing this post made me want to watch a lot of these shows over again, especially the ones I haven’t seen for a really long time. They all mean a lot to me in their own way and for different reasons. If you’re into anime, I’m sure you understand what I mean. If you aren’t into anime, give Death Note or Code Geass a try because they’re great shows to start off with.

So tell me, how many of my top 10 have you seen? What anime shows hold a special place in your heart? Which show got you interested in anime in the first place? Share your shows and thoughts in the comments!

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  • John

    I think I watched the first episode but I don’t remember it all that well.

  • DeTo-13

    No rurouni kenshin? how can you look at yourself in the mirror John?, shame on you. Even though i admit after the makoto Shishi showdown (around episode 60′ish) it went rapidly down hill, but still an amazing anime overall. I’ll have to check out that Death note soon, seems like something i would enjoy so thanks for sharing.

  • Ushio

    Clannad (and After Story) is best anime. I cried more than I ever thought I could (mostly because of After Story, the most beautiful life-changing ending in the whole world).

  • Transfixer

    Anyone remembers “Captain Future”? My first ever anime, year was then maybe 1992 or 93. Thanks for German satellite channels ^^.

  • Nictwist

    Its freaking bomb, gotta watch a few episodes and you will be HOOKED

  • nonononono

    Ah, Love Hina! Thanks, forgot about that one! Good old days of still enjoying Japanese cartoons.

  • Rin

    Samurai Champloo is one of my favorite anime serise out there. Very unique.
    Also, Shin Sekai Yori (From the New Wrold) has an amazing premiss.

  • google

    I personally felt Sword Art Online was great for the first few episodes, until it became generic as Kirito built his harem and beat every other person in the game because he’s super special.

  • http://giannii.com/ ジョヴァンニ

    Where would Bakuman sit on your list if you extended it?

  • Jusilla

    I am so glad you mentioned Ergo Proxy. Just finished it a month ago or so, and it blew my mind. I’m about ready to watch it for a second time, even.
    (Just finished Trigun yesterday too… so what, I’m a little behind… XD)
    BLACK BUTLER ANYONE!?

  • Cassie

    I’ve seen Death Note and am watching Code Geass! I read manga before watching anime so I guess I’ve always been into it! The first anime I’ve ever watched on a PC is HOTD someone on YouTube recommended it to me!!

  • Guest

    you no have toppa tengen gurren lagann in your list @koichi:disqus

  • ricardo248

    you no have toppa tengen gurren lagann in your list

  • GP

    I’m surprised anyone over the age of 8 could get past more than an ep or two. The voice “acting” consists of shouting their lines.

  • Henro

    Hit up the Trigun manga. It’s more mature, the art is amazing, and the plot is more complicated while also being less cheesy. But, oh man, at least look up the art.

  • Henro

    FMA is actually an absolutely great anime; the original was written by a woman, which is in itself a great detail about it – but something about that shows through in the material. It’s ultra-violent, but without being cheesily gory. It’s emotional without being overwrought, and the characters are deep without being too hackneyed. On top of all that, she researched real alchemy and integrated a lot of historical designs and ideas into her work.

    It’s also a much, much, much, much, much, much better, more thought-out, and believable alternate history than Shingeki no Kyojin. Just. If you like Shingeki, then you have absolutely no excuse not to watch FMA, because Shingeki is kind of a poor man’s FMA: similar to FMA, but inferior in every possible way.

  • Henro

    Cowboy Bebop and Trigun are completely unknown in Japan. Just…no one knows what they are. Not that I’m going to be an anime snob. Just think it’s worth pointing out that two of the biggest anime among otakus in the States are just unheard of here in Japan. Keep that in mind, you know?

    That said: Natsume Yuujincho is an EXCELENT anime and it is reasonably popular in Japan now. I just finished watching Katanagatari, which is a little underground, but is hands down the best thing I’ve watched in a while.

    If you haven’t seen Gintama, then you don’t know anything. I mean, seriously. When my wife first showed me Gintama it just kind of blew my mind – it is kind of like the Japanese equivalent of the Simpsons. You will NOT get all the jokes, because many of them are specific parodies of specific elements of Japanese culture (the Renho bit, for example, meant nothing to me) – but a lot of it is general enough (the emperor of Japan refuses to wear clothes, for example) that it’s accessible to ANYONE.

    Detroit Metal City is also absolutely a must.

    And Shirokuma Cafe. If you want to talk about a “starter” anime (which is a stupid concept, but whatever), Shirokuma Cafe is it. Watch it with your mom. Watch it with your girlfriend. Explain how Japanese culture revels in both the cute and the surreal, and how a lot of anime is both. Whatever you do: WATCH SHIROKUMA CAFE.

  • henro

    Seriously, anyone talking about anime that hasn’t seen FMA is kind of…damn it, I said I wouldn’t be an anime snob, but seriously. FMA is popular among MANY demographics in Japan – it’s WILDLY popular around the world – it’s an absolute must-see for someone who wants to take anime seriously.

  • Henro

    ARGH! I forgot Katanagatari! I just finished watching that (at my wife’s recommendation) – it is…fucking fantastic. Watch it. Thank me later.

  • Henro

    Despite what otaku might want to tell you, SOME anime IS for children. One Piece is one of those. You might be like, “Oh, yeah, but look at those big titties! That can’t be for children!” Yeah…this is Japan. That doesn’t bother anyone. At all. So…yeah. It’s still for children. It is a children’s manga adapted into a children’s anime for children.

  • Henro

    “Yeah I wouldn’t let any child of mine watch One Piece.”

    You’re not Japanese, though. It’s a children’s anime here. It’s not one of those examples of, “But anime is art, and it isn’t just for children!” One Piece is and has been from the beginning a series for children. It’s not “art” in the same sense Ghibli is. It’s actually one of the manga/anime that is absolutely what regular Americans think anime is: cartoons for kids.

    Acting like One Piece is some kind of epic piece of art is like taking a juice box full of grape juice to a wine tasting event.

  • Genkakuzai

    Nopes, I’m not, I have lived there for years though. Never claimed it was art, what I said was that it’s a great anime, and among the most popular out there. If you don’t think so that’s your opinion, and you’re obviously free to have one; however, don’t pretend as if you’ve got some sort of monopoly on truth. It all boils down to taste, and if yours doesn’t match up with mine that is quite alright :) Your last analogy however, sucked, I don’t agree with a word of it, but I think you knew that when you wrote it.

  • Henro

    No, it was exactly what I meant. Calling One Piece on of the best anime ever on a thread where actual great anime has been mentioned is exactly like having a tiny little children’s box of grapey-grape at a wine tasting event. You’re bringing up an anime explicitly for children with the production values of Anpanman and calling it “one of the best?” Yeah, nice grapey-grape ya got there. I’m gonna go watch some Ghibli.

    (Lol at me saying earlier I wasn’t going to be an anime snob. Lol.)

  • henro

    Lol, I didn’t forget Katanagatari, and lol again, I’m totally an anime snob.

  • Genkakuzai

    OK, it’s quite adorable that you seem to think you’re some sort of authority on deciding which anime is good and which isn’t, let me enlighten you though, you’re not. All you’re saying are your opinions, which obviously aren’t universally shared by the rest of the world, hate to break it to ya.

    And to elaborate things a little, let’s say One Piece actually was originally for “children” as you love to put it, the manga has been produced since 1997, the anime has been produced since 1999. One would imagine that the people who started watching it at that time in a lot of cases kept on watching it, which would make them 14-16 years older than they were when they started out.

    Also, wtf makes you think I don’t enjoy Ghibli? Is it your glorious mind at work once more, reading my mind? I love Ghibli and I have since I first saw Totoro in the early 90s. One does not exclude the other. In addition to that, One Piece remains the best selling manga of all time, guess there’s a lot of kids out there huh! Let me repeat what I said earlier, you are in no shape, way or form an authority on what constitutes a good anime. You’re just another dude on the internet with strong opinions, leading me to think you’re not that old to begin with. Further, those opinions do not equate everyones truth, just yours.

    I don’t see you as an anime snob at all, I see you as a person incapable of accepting that not everyone agrees with your point of view. Lol.

  • Anonymous

    Terrible list. Only shows John watched total of 20 anime, mostly recommended by people who themselves never watched many. 3/4th of the list are not even “top” worthy. And rest should never be in top 50.

  • Shinta Otsuki

    i agree with DBZ but cannot agree with Love Hina, the manga was MUCH better than the seemingly half finished anime

    also SAO is amazing but i hated Code Geass

    Where the hell is Rurouni Kenshin?? Possibly the GREATEST samurai anime of ALL TIME There are seriously some classics that should be here and aren’t (Cowboy Bebop, Mobile Suit GUNDAM, Martian Successor Nadesico, Ghost in The Shell, the list goes on)

    so while i agree with a few, overall i gotta say this list is crap

  • AnadyLi

    NA-RU-TO-SHI-PPU-DEN!

  • BigBro

    You really owe it to yourself to watch gurren lagann i loved code geass and death note and especially EVA but my god Gurren Lagann is too much crazy awesome to be believied

  • DJ

    If you can, really try watching Cowboy Bepop it’s my all time fave! Really fantastic artwork and the concept is really cool. I like how it is supposed to just be set in the future and more realistic as opposed to animes with sorcery and superpowers (not that there is anything wrong with that, it’s just a refreshing alternative). Also the music selection for the show is amazing. They wanted the show to have a jazzy-alternative vibe when picking the tunes I believe.

  • Nathan Hoyt

    I’d have to disagree with you on that part about Titan being inferior in every possible way. Its hard to judge since Titan is still going, but the devices in Titan actually make mechanical sense, unlike the automail and alchemy in FMA which were just magic with a facade of pseudoscience. I’d agree that the alternate history is more believable in FMA and FMA might end up being better in my opinion but I can’t judge anime accurately while they’re ongoing.

  • Nathan Hoyt

    Sword Art Online is the only thing that can compete with Code Geass in my mind and only because it has a happy ending. Accel World is ok too, at least better than SAO’s second half. I’m hoping it will pick up when it gets to the Gun Gale Online arc.

  • azlknife

    I don’t think this dude has ever seen K-ON, or Gurren Lagaan

  • OutruntheWind

    20 minutes a week is nice, but if people want to pick the show up now, they have to watch 1 ep per day for the better part of 2 years to catch up… I think that’s what he meant by “people having lives”.

  • OutruntheWind

    You should give Trigun a couple more episodes to grow on you. Also, the second half of the series starts to get more heavy on the plot, and you start to learn a lot more about the world that they live in.

  • OutruntheWind

    I’m not really good at making “top” lists, so I’ll just throw out a few anime that I thought were very good that may not have been mentioned yet: Bokura no, Twelve Kingdoms, Nichijou, Kemono no Souja Erin, School Rumble, and Tentai Senshi Sunred. I’ve seen a LOT, so it’s hard to name just a few…

  • Clayton Bruce Lyon

    One Piece!!!

  • Dr Phil

    No Cowboy Bebop=Irrelevant list pal.

  • Nomand

    I guess I’m all alone on liking Samurai Jack. :c

  • Andrew

    Well said. I’m 25 years old and did not even begin to watch One Piece until sometime last year. I was always deterred by it’s humor, which at first glance does seem aimed at children. Anyone who would actually take the time to sit down and watch it though will quickly realize it has it’s place in the adult world, and it has also evolved as it has aged. I completely agree that it is a great anime and only someone who can not handle a little childish humor here and there would call it a children’s show. Pokemon… digimon.. yugioh… those were definitely children’s shows. I am not saying I never watched any of them back in the day but definitely a lot more childish than one piece. I honestly think it is ridiculous how the world is now… “A lot of people like it so…eh… I shouldn’t watch it cause then I’d just be jumping on the bandwagon.”… well maybe a lot of people like it cause it is good? The only issue I do have with long animes and the such like that are just the fillers. I understand that when the story is as long as it is (and one piece seems to be only a season or so ahead of it’s halfway point) they have to fluff it so the manga can keep up. All in all, we all have our own opinions and no one here or anywhere can tell you that your anime of choice doesn’t belong on this page. That said I’d have to agree with a lot of the ones I’ve seen, Trigun, Rurouni Kenshin, Outlaw Star(dunno if I’ve seen it up here), Yu Yu hakusho, Full Metal Alchemist(both, though brotherhood is better), SAO(first half), Attack on Titan has been great so far, Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, DBZ was definitely my first(IF ANYONE WANTS A REFRESH WITHOUT A COMPLETE REWATCH… watch the abridged series by team four star… not the same of course but definitely a hilarious retake on it), Death Note, So so so many… but with all that and more One Piece, Bleach, and Naruto also have a place.

  • Genkakuzai

    Agree completely on fillers. They’re mostly very very annoying, though I’d have to say the G-8 filler arc in One Piece is well worth watching. Samurai Champloo o/ Among my absolute favorite animes. Excellent style and epic soundtrack, despite being nowhere near 600 episodes O_O Full Metal alchemist is another good mention by others in the thread.

  • james

    no xxxHolic or Mushishi?

  • Sargonarhes

    Code Geass?Evangelion.
    Boy does this list suck.

  • Jeric

    How about Hunter X Hunter?

  • Corcor

    Tenchi Muyo!!

  • Dan

    I just can’t believe cowboy bebop isn’t listed here. **lies down and dies**

  • Bradley Hanstad

    If you want to take Attack on Titan to a real world perspective you are going to have all sorts of issues… Sure, it is possible to do something close to what Titan has, but the entire society should be way more advanced for being capable of using air pressures in high enough psi to power such a suit/ maneuver gear.

    They have to get refills, but how on earth are they compressing that? Do they have some massive rotary mill powered by horses somehow compressing that? And they have fittings and such to fill and refill tanks? It shouldnt really be too visible if it is just air compressed as well, do they magically have CO2? Why aren’t they using air power for all sorts of other things? Why not use gunpowder style shots for the piercing hooks and then air to retract them? The engineering side of me starts going nuts if I start thinking about real world possibilities, but I do like the attempt on realism… The ability the main character gets kinda falls into the alchemy realm anyway…

    Still good so far, but can’t be called awesome until we have an ending.
    I agree to push up Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Cowboy Bepop, Ghost in the shell, Trigun, etc. Making a list is impossible for me. My manly side goes right out the window upon mention of Clannad after story…

  • Bradley Hanstad

    How do you not get into Ghost in the Shell… yet you like Death Note?
    I wonder if you like Spice and Wolf and to that note, Maoyu.

    Then of course Bakemonogatari and the one before that/ after that etc.

  • Isaac

    No naruto,Fullmetal alchemist = awful list

  • John

    Seeing your list got me thinking back on what my top 10 would be. I have watched a lot of anime and here is my current list.

    My Top 10 Anime List

    1.Usagi Drop! Yes I went there, no anime has touched me in a non perv way like this one did. Even manly men can shed a tear or two. Definitely worth the watch.
    2.Code Geass
    3.Attack on Titan (not over will change)
    4.Cowboy Bepop
    5.Kuroko’s Basketball
    6.Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
    7.Mobile Suit Gundam 00
    8.Hunter x Hunter (redo)
    9.ef ~ A Tale of Memories
    10.Sword Art Online (If only season 2 was better)

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