To try describing my tastes in anime without using examples is a tedious and often misleading task. A far simpler and more efficient way would be to list my favourites, which, rather unsurprisingly, is exactly what this page is for. These are all anime I would recommend without a seconds hesitation. My all-time favourites, the best Japan has to offer.
If you want more, there’s my 31–60 favourite anime too.
30: Black Lagoon: Second Barrage
Not that the first season wasn’t awesome or anything. It’s just it was totally swept away by the second. Everything the first did the second did better. A better focus of the true horrors of Roanapur, a greater cast of the true wildcards that inhabit that devil city. OK, the first season managed the Rock/Revy relationship better, but Roanapur is the real reason to watch this anime. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.
29: Full Metal Panic (first season)
Full Metal Panic is a great to use to introduce a friend to the world of anime. Not only is it hugely entertaining, very accessible, well-written and all-round fun, it’s the most fundamentally ‘anime’ title out there. The mecha, the aquamarine hair, the tsundere, the wacky comedy. All of these stereotypical anime tropes are done better in Full Metal Panic than you’ll find pretty much anywhere else. If your friend doesn’t like Full Metal Panic, chances are anime is not for them.
28: Neon Genesis Evangelion
Evangelion is an odd one. It wasn’t until the end that I realised how little I understood about the plot. Yet, as you can see from its inclusion in here, I still loved the show. It had a true sense of epic cinematography with the way it frames the monsters, heightening the awe inspiring fear they gave off. Combine this with that ever-growing sense of fear and mindfuckery endured by the main characters, and you have this brilliantly engaging show that draws you in and scares you away. Which is why that damn ending is such a fucking anti-climactic way to end the series argh!
Related Posts: Comparing Evangelion to Infinite Ryvius
27: Millenium Actress
Satoshi Kon is a master at storytelling, and this isn’t the only time you’ll see one of his works in this top 30. Millenium Actress is his best constructed of the lot. Each story fold in on the others, creating this fantastic single story that’s basically the same one told each time around, but also incorporates a linear narrative as well. It’s such a fantastically told story.
26: Arakawa Under the Bridge
Arakawa is a comedy anime, but the true genius isn’t in the comedy. Oh sure, it’s funny. Endlessly so. It has Sister; a trigger happy, war veteran dressed as a nun. But what really makes this show is the intelligence behind its construction. The story is so perfectly done. The way it wraps in on itself, collapsing Recruit’s world in on himself, followed by building up an entirely new world founded upon a different form of logic. It destroys his perception of common sense and builds up a world that tells him hey, what’s common sense anyway?
Related Posts: I wrote about every episode in the first season, there’s plenty of fanboying in them
25: Tokyo Godfathers

Satoshi Kon again, Tokyo Godfathers is the ultimate feel-good anime. It cracked my usually stone cold heart as I watched stories surrounding these three homeless idiots. It made me tear up like a big baby. Not through the typical exploitative sad methods that the usual tear-jerkers employ that have almost no effect on me, but through making me happy. For that feat alone, it deserves all the praise it can get.
24: Ghost in the Shell:
Stand Alone Complex
Production IG, you sure are capable of some amazing work when you put your mind to it, which is unfortunately not nearly as much as your reputation claims you might. What I loved about Ghost in the Shell is how intricate the plotting was. Each plot level was so complex. I’d frequently pause an episode halfway through to wrap my head around the latest developments. It’s so deliberate and brilliantly constructed. Also, the Major is hot. Like, really really hot.
23: Hare + Guu
Guu is the queen of comedy. You must all bow down now towards her majestic use of everything a comedian has in their arsenal. From parodying to coaxing to chillin’ to afros to kissing to sometimes simply goofing around in the background. She can twist any situation to her liking. Sometimes it takes nothing more than a well timed evil grin to warp the mind of poor Hare.
22: Akira
You know, they don’t make anime like they used to. Where is that level of violence and depth and dissectable features that was prevalent in anime back in the good old days. When is the last time we’ve seen a truly adult anime take the western world by storm. When was…what am I saying, I wasn’t even alive when that happened. So shut up you oldfags, stop scaring away the newer anime fans and let them enjoy Akira for what it is.
21: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
If there’s a wall in our way, we’ll destroy it! If there’s no road, we’ll pave it with our own hands! Your drill is the drill that will pierce the heavens! Don’t believe in the me who believes in you. Don’t believe in the you who believes in me, believe in yourself! Go beyond the impossible and kick reason to the curb! WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK WE ARE!!!
Related Posts: More about Lagann-hen, but still relevant
20: Last Exile
This is why I miss Gonzo. They were capable of glorious creations like Last Exile. This was one of those perfect adventure anime in which everything seemed to be tailored to my tastes. Never stayed too long on a certain plot point, fantastic imagination to create that world of Anatoray and Disith, a fantastic opening song and CGI incorporated properly. This is why I watch anime. Because it can produce a series like Last Exile.
19: Puella Magi Madoka Magica
One of the best told stories anime has ever produced. You know that because of how obvious each plot twist and revelation felt in retrospect. Everything about it was so deliberately set out to play with your expectations, dropping in plot twists just before you started expecting such a thing was going to happen. It was visually inventive too, with the Shaft visuals actually adding something to the story for a change, and included one of the greatest anime antagonists of all time. Kyubey you magnificent bastard, I will never forget you.
Related Posts: Before the ending and after the ending
18: Eden of the East
Marginally superior to his efforts on Ghost in the Shell, Kamiyama really knows how to set my mind in motion. No other anime made me concoct such wild theories for possible directions in the plot only to later shove it in my face that I’d picked up a red herring. Shame the movies aren’t as good, by the TV series is still fantastic as a stand-alone piece. Noblesse Oblige. Please get me one of those messiah phones with Juiz’s voice.
17: Full Metal Alchemist
+Brotherhood
After some deliberation, I’ve decided to lump both the original and Brotherhood together. Brotherhood reminded me, both through its strengths and through its faults, why the original Full Metal Alchemist was such a good story. This is shounen at its finest. Well, it would be if you could combine the pacing of the first series with the sense of epic timing (like comedic timing, except with *phwoar* instead of laughs) in Brotherhood. Then you’d have the perfect shounen. But until someone makes that anime, we’ll have to do with FMA.
16: Infinite Ryvius
Ryvius is painful to sit through. As the situation aboard the spaceship gets progressively worse with each episode, the viewing experience becomes even more gruelling and difficult to watch. You want these characters to get over their problems. To redeem and succeed in their lives. Why can’t they all just get along? It’s a magnificent character study, probably the best out there. Plus, the ending makes it worth sitting through those previous gut-wrenching episodes.
Related Posts: Comparing Ryvius to Neon Genesis Evangelion
15: Cowboy Bebop
For what is considered in many quarters to be the greatest anime ever created, it sure does start of very slow. The first episodes, while still good, were nowhere near as good as I anticipated it would be. It started to turn around episode 8, improving significantly when Ed arrived, but it wasn’t until episode 13 when it finally hit me. As the credits rolled down the screen with the song ‘Space Lion’ playing, it finally dawned on me why. This truly is one of the greatest anime of all time.
14: Kaiba
Quite often when it comes to these artsy anime, I just find myself rolling my eyes at the desperate attempts to prove that they are different from the norm. In fact, I did that in Kaiba sometimes too. But what I was treated to beyond the Dr.Seass style artwork was a masterclass in storytelling and imagination. Powerful and beautiful, this turned me into an instant Yuasa fan.
Related Posts: Bit of an old post when my writing was still rusty, but the points it brings up remain as true as they were the day I wrote them
13: Cromartie High School
The absolute funniest fucking thing in existence. When writing about Cromartie High School, even the memory of the show sets me into a fit of giggles. Arguably the single greatest first episode (and final episode, by association) in anime history, I knew I would love this show as soon as that random thug placed that pencil inside his mouth. He.…ate.…my.…pencil.…HE ATE MY PENCIL!
12: Love Hina
I’ll admit, there is more than just a touch of nostalgia for my gateway drug to anime. But there’s more than that. When the mountains of harems that came after tried copying his loser archetype, they forgot to take the real aspect that makes him easy to relate to: honesty. Often to my detriment, I believe in the goodwill in humankind, and Keitaro is that personified. Chivalry is alive and well.
11: Samurai Champloo
It’s not often that you can pin down the exact moment you were sold on a particular anime. Often it’s just a gradual feeling as the awesomeness takes over. But when it does come down to a specific scene, it’s usually several episode in. For example, in Bebop, Champloo’s sister series, it took until episode 13 before I was sold. For Samurai Champloo, it was about 4 minutes into the first episode with that timeskip scene. This was a show trying to be the coolest thing ever and succeeding spectacularly.
10: School Rumble
Greatest cast of characters ever. If I was ever to make a true my dream harem post, it would consist of about half the cast of this series. It must have been such an easy thing to write this series once the characters were formed. All you needed was for something to happen and then think ‘ok, who would be the funniest out of our extensive cast of fantastic characters to place in this scene?’. And so you get Harima being hit in the face with a mop.
9: Legend of the Galactic Heroes

One day, your mind will start to stray. The latest moecrap that fans are going gaga over starts eroding your will to live. The moster-of-the-week old mecha show that was hyped up by oldfags insults your intelligence. Eventually you’re mind will turn to that quietly yet relentlessly praised anime. If, after reading the reviews and the descriptions, you still want to check out this anime, then you have nothing to fear and everything to look forward to. For those who are the type of person to search out all 110 episodes of Legend of the Galactic Heroes will adore it. For that reason, I’ll never recommend this anime. For only you will know when you’re ready for it.
8: Mushishi
Mushishi is a rare beast. It’s one of those very few times where practically everyone in anime fandom has stood back in collective admiration for a single creation. It’s one of those times where, while watching it, you realise that you are watching a masterpiece. It’s a hard feeling to convey but there’s so many scenes, such as standing under the rainbow, the goopy-eye scene, the entirety of one-eyed fish, that it really hits you. Mushishi is a true masterpiece.
7: Gankutsuou
Want to show somebody what anime is truly capable of that no other medium of entertainment can properly convey? Shove a copy of Gankutsuou in their faces and let them watch and be amazed. Like the rest of my top 10, this is one of those shows in which everything clicks. Topped off by our favourite homoerotic Count, this paragraph is yet another letter mourning the loss of Gonzo in the anime world.
6: Chobits
For ages after watching Love Hina I searched for a series that was able to mirror that experience of my first anime but all those compared to it were shitty fanservice harem knock-offs. I might have even stopped watching anime until Chobits came along. Chobits ignited what before was a near non-existent romantic side to me. It made me believe. It made me believe that, even in the most extraordinary of circumstances, love overcomes all boundaries.
Related Posts: Comparing Chobits to Time of Eve
5: Berserk
Berserk is flawless. There’s not one misstep throughout the entire series. No scene is shown without it having meaning. No twist is introduced without prior foreshadowing. Never once did the pacing drop or get too fast. Not once did a someone act out of character and their development all worked naturally. It all wraps in on itself to create one brilliant story. Berserk is perfect.
Related Posts: Probably the most gushing fanboying post I ever wrote
4: Code Geass
Are you not entertained? Is this not why you are here? This is Code Geass, the series with the honour of giving the name to this very website you are reading. Yet even this blog is but a small shrine to a single second character in the almighty encompassing creation of the Code Geass universe. Do not be fooled, this anime will not be forgotten in the coming years. A modern classic in every sense of the word, I’ll make sure of that myself.
Related Posts: This is probably cheating…
3: Baccano
Baccano is distilled entertainment. This was 16 episodes of pure, unadulterated and mightily violent entertainment. Psychos bouncing off other psychos while the lesser nutters get out-nutted by the wilder folks as the crazed kids fight the sudden heroes and mass destruction on a small scale. There is no good and evil. Only nutters, and that’s how I like it.
2: Legend of Black Heaven
The strangest thing about my love for Black Heaven is that I’m not the target audience for it. I was only 20 years old when I watched it, probably a bit young to be experiencing a midlife crisis don’t you agree? But the feelings and intentions got through to me. One giant metaphor through the medium of space opera and heavy metal just to convey the feelings of our ordinary salaryman going through an identity crisis. Imagine if the first time I watched this was when I was 40.
Related Posts: Why Black Heaven didn’t make #1
1: Death Note
Yeah, this is a really boring choice as number one isn’t it. It’s the most popular series on MAL and the most common one to rank inside peoples top 5. So why is it my number 1? Because it gave me the rush. It gave me a feeling of sheer energy and enthusiasm, as though there was nothing in my life that could possibly be more exhilarating than watching what was on my screen.




























90 Comments
I’m not going to lie, if it wasnt for Cowboy Bebop, I probably wouldnt be here typing away on this blog~
Spike you sexy beast, I fangirled so hard over you.. I also met Steve Blum, god what a day that was XD
BACCANO WAS SO AMAZING, I WATCHED IT TWICE IN THE SAME MONTH. Evangelion was.. ehh~ Death Note I find pretentious sorta, Geass was spoiled for me, still need to finish Kino’s Journey and Gankutstou, and MUSHISHI WAS FANTASTIC. NUFF SAID.
going through the list i was like “yes this list is awesome” then i came to the #1 XD
still an awesome list despite my personal dislike for DN
I just realized I have yet to make on these list myself on my blog. Huh.
Such a great list though. So many good things.
I swear, these posts are like the best thing for gathering info on the blogger’s tastes…
The first thing that popped in my head was that your tastes are rather mainstream. My other thoughts are somewhere along the lines of you valuing entertainment above all else within a series, isn’t picky on where that entertainment derives from (but mostly action/wacko-comedy), loves eye candy, and require at least a moderately fast pacing.
@luffyluffy
It’s hard not to be spoiled for Geass. Heck, even this website by its very existance could be a spoiler, except I desperately try to keep any Geass spoilers when talking about the name
@chii
Huh, DN is popular amongst annoying emo kids (who make up a huge proportion of anime fandom) and weirdos like me.
@Janette
If K-ON is on that list of yours.….
@Aorii
The mainstream thing is something I wish I didn’t have. I really do try to watch obscure anime as well and have a list as crazy and diverse as psgels from Star Crossed but I always end up preffering the popular stuff. They’re popular for a reason I guess.
Otherwise you’re pretty much right. Fast pacing isn’t a pre-requisite but definately preffered
@Scamp i am aware at how “popular” DN is. that doesn’t mean *I* have to like it
Awesome, it’s nice to see some love for Kaiba. Yet another series with a lot of good going for it that got lost in the shuffle.
Looking at your list, I realize exactly how much anime I need to get watched at some point. I’ve heard of everything on the list, but I haven’t even seen half of it. Time to get to work I guess…
Guu is one of anime’s greatest assholes. I like in comedy when writers are unafraid to make a character an enormous prick and be completely unapologetic about it without feeling the need to soften up that character and make ‘em sympathetic or whatever. I don’t want to sympathize with Guu; I want to laugh at her making poor Hare’s life a living hell! (Tomo from Azumanga Daioh is like this for me, too, but even she is nowhere as huge an asshole as Guu.)
The Roberta storyline from the first season is my favorite from Black Lagoon, but overall I’d agree the second season is superior to the first. Balalaika is the scariest woman ever.
Maybe I’ll start cobbling together one of these posts pretty soon, too.
No, like Scamp, Geass was spoiled so hard for me, that there was no point in watching it because I already knew what was going to happen.
That didnt stop me for crying for a good half an hour during the final episode, and hitting my friend for laughing at it XD
No FLCL makes me a little sad. Other than that, cool list bro. There are about six or so I haven’t seen yet that I have to get around to.
you spelled Dr. Seuss wrong TAT wow do I live in a different era of anime or what.
Back when all the bloggers were posting their top 5 lists, I rarely saw Death Note. Maybe it’s because bloggers have seen more anime than your typical fan. Maybe it’s a subconscious aversion to praising anything mainstream. I’m guessing a little of both.
Well, considering the anime helped me get a boyfriend, I HAVE to include it.
@Rakuen
I’m happy with the level of praise Kaiba got. It was far too bizarre to ever get that much but it certainly got enough praise to convince a fair few non-mainstream fans to watch it. Hoping that something like Kaiba will ever be a big hit is stupid and all you can hope is that it becomes a cult hit. Which it pretty much did
@Shinmaru
Guu is joint top as my favourite character of all time alongside L. I think I inherantly like characters with short names or something. My third favourite is Horo. But yeah, Guu is amazing.
@luffyluffy
The final episode of Geass is the greatest anime ending of all time by a country mile. Heck, I named this blog after the ending. If that doesn’t show my love for it then I don’t know what does
@vucubcaquix
I like FLCL a lot but it doesn’t make the list. I’ve seen a LOT of great anime. Although I’ve also seen a lot of terrible anime, such is the glorious diversity of this medium of entertainment we are all so enamoured by
@Poro
Different era? Are you talking timeframe? These are all pretty evenly spread out over the last decade. Are you an oldfag?
@Baka-Raptor
I’d assumed at the time that it was because the people doing those lists were all moefags but even when people with similar taste to me starting making those ‘best of the decade’ lists there was a painful lack of DN. They didn’t seem to have a problem with putting in any other mainstream hit like Geass, Gurren Lagann, Haruhi etc. so I don’t think they’re against mainstream. Also unlike other shounen hits like Bleach it’s generally very highly praised and well-rated. It seems to be restricted to anime bloggers.
I guess they just have no taste
Well, the general fan opinion of Death Note is that it is really good through the first two-thirds, and the final third takes a dip in quality — the size of that dip is debated (I probably like it more than a fair number of people), but it is a dip nonetheless. I like Death Note’s ending, and all, but it’s a good end to a story that isn’t quite as good near the end as in the middle. So maybe that’s one reason why people don’t include it in their favorites.
(Then again, that doesn’t really explain Code Geass being on favorites lists since Geass season one vs. R2 caused a WAY bigger shitstorm than did any decline in Death Note’s story. Maybe people just responded to Geass more since it is more melodramatic than Death Note — and that’s saying something!)
For me personally Death Note is a good series, but I wouldn’t put it on my favorites list because it didn’t quite connect with me on the level I expect a favorite to do. It’s similar to Baccano! in that way — very entertaining, and I’m a definite fan, but it never formed that connection with me.
Different people look for different things, though. I certainly won’t fault anyone for having Death Note on a favorites list.
@Scamp
I wasn’t implying that Kaiba would ever go mainstream. That’d be about as crazy as saying everyone should go watch Banner of the Stars ASAP. I’d rather wish that more people give it a chance. Perhaps that’s foolish as well, but I think we all secretly hope that someone will find our personal cult classics and enjoy them.
I’m somewhat irritated by how few of these I’ve seen. Especially as many of them are shows that everyone knows. And I have heard of most of them…=.=
Death Note is a good show, but I don’t think I’d put it as number one…I just didn’t feel that exhilarated by L’s rambling and Kira’s overly dramatic moments of thought.
Goddammit. I told myself I’d avoid doing a “all-time favorite” list so soon after doing my “best of the decade” stuff, but I wanna do one now. *shakes fist angrily*
I’m ashamed to say I’ve never seen Kaiba or Mushishi. I need to get around to those two sometime soon. I’m also surprised to see Hare + Guu in someone’s top ten. It’s a pretty awesome series (although I’ve only seen about half of it, need to remedy THAT too), but hardly anyone talks about it. Guu is insane and evil in all the right ways.
The only series on your list that’d make me cry out “NO WAY NOT THAT!” is Love Hina, but I won’t argue against nostalgia. I’m sure I’ll have a couple of nostalgic choices on my own list.
This list is good and valid. I’ve seen most of these shows, but I will make an effort to see the ones I don’t like, because I don’t think that there’s a single show on this list that I’ve seen that I don’t like (except for Bakemonogatari, which I am struggling with, although I think I’m starting to like it more…I think).
I thought that the second season of FMP was 10000 times better than the first. But they were still both good.
Wow, I… wasn’t actually expecting to have seen so many of your favorites! I agree with nearly all of them, but I just have to say–
Haibane Renmei. I can’t believe you’ve actually seen it, for one. It’s probably my all-time favorite anime, but nobody has actually seen it, yet. You have! Incredible. After hearing all of your talk about how yuri anime are all just girls being nice to each other and how boring that sort of thing is (…not that Haibane Renmei is yuri, obviously), I never would’ve thought that you’d be able to sit through Haibane Renmei, since nearly all of it at the beginning is just that… on the surface, anyway.
Would you mind telling me what you liked about Haibane Renmei? Or disliked. ‘Cause I’m just amazed, really, and I’d love to hear what you have to say about it.
@Shinmaru
I will admit that the last third is nowhere near as good as the first two. From a more objective point of view Baccano is probably better. However Death Note is my ‘favourite’ and there’s an important difference there.
@mefloraine
It’s because I have mainstream tastes. Therefore, everyones heard of the anime I love
@Landon
Mushishi has become a ‘must-watch’ in anime fandom by this stage, such is the level of praise it gets. I went into it thinking ‘huh. stupid elitists’ and left thinking ‘…wow’. It’s definately far removed from the usual ‘PHWOAR’ that most of my top 30 is made up of but that only adds to the power of my reccomendation because it’s not something I’d normally love. So yeah, watch Mushishi
@Glo
This list has been Glo validated (trademark)
@Monsturr
True, Haibane Remnei isn’t the type of thing I usually watch and I don’t like either of the other ABe works (Lain and Texyloyze) but Haibane is different. It was one of those rare occasions where an anime has absolutely no flaws in its story-telling. It felt so well-constructed and there was so much lying under the surface. My favourite memory of Haibane was that I used to watch an episdoe or two before I went to bed and, asides from sending my straight to sleep, I had the most unusual dreams.
Coincidentally, I also recently realized that I never made a post about my favorite anime, so I went ahead and did that a few weeks ago (my top 50 though).
Lots of great shows here. It’s nice to see Chobits so high on your list. It doesn’t get the love it deserves among CLAMP’s other titles. And although it’s not my absolute favorite, Death Note is always a winner in my book (I think it was 11th on my list).
I’m most impressed by how high Last Exile is ranked. For ages I always hear people said how mediocre it was especially the ending but I never got that cause every time I watched it, it was perfect
(I’m late in commenting, again)
You like thrilling and high-octane, I like thoughtful and sentimental. Not that we’re exclusive about our preferences in anime or otherwise, but that’s the trend I see between your top favorites and mine. And sometimes there’s a show that combines the best of both worlds, and everybody’s happy.
@Yumeka
I’ve yet to really love any of the other Clamp titles (Geass doesn’t count) but I’ve only tried Kobato and XXXHolic. And hurrah for some more Death Note love. This post has shown me how it seems to have remarkably little love amongst the aniblogsphere
@Canne
I can see why someone who isn’t into that genre might not like Last Exile but it was basically everything I love about anime packed into one title. It never amazed me entirely in any particular area but was excellent in every area I cared about
@kadian1364
Yup, my anime mentallity is very much ‘entertain me’, hence I’m not one for human drama. Thougtful however I do appriciate although maybe not as much as you
Is Gankutsuou an Bishonen-Anime, like Hetalia? The picture made me curious. And the guy on the left looks like France. And he’s dressed like France. THERE ARE EVEN ROSES.
And I’m watching Hare+Guu now, thanks to you. It’s weird, yet awesome. Poor Hare. The opening freaked me out. Dancing… palms… and the cats…
Yay, more people watching Hare Guu! That can only be a good thing.
Gankutsuou characters…well, I suppose they are very fabulous and stuff. It’s very artsy animation so I never really noticed the bishie-ness of the character designs, although there is a hell of a lot of homo-erotic vibes from the whole thing
Thats even better.
After Hare+Guu, I’m so gonna watch this. There will never be enough fabulous homoerotic France-Guys with roses for me.
Oh, and Guu is now on my “Scary”-List on number one, she topped Russia. She’s also now my favourite anime girl, even before Osaka. And thats something to top. Damn, one can never tell whats shes thinking. And her bored expression is awesome. Thats the kind of… (what exactly is she?) I never want to meet, but enjoy to watch making everyones life miserable.
Oh, and want I also find quite good is that Hare sounds actually like a boy and not like a girl with a little lower voice, even though he’s just 10 (But, I’m on to episode 7 now and he’s 11)
Why don’t you have Bleach on here?!? I swear I will hunt you down and kill you. Oh well, though, I think out of the animes on this list you were right to pick death note as number 1. It’s suspense and watching Kira and L, then Kira and Near duke it out was incredibly exhilerating. If you havn’t watched it, or will not watch it in the next 30 minutes, shame on you
Bleach sux
http://thecartdriver.com/no-anime-is-dropped-forever-6–10/
Nyeh, Bleach doesn’t suck. At least not the first season. This season was really great. The Soul Society arc was good, yet confusing, but not as good as the first, but after that it’s just bad anymore. In the latest chapters, Aizen transforms into a giant condom with high heels and a mullet. Don’t believe me?
Here.
http://www.onemanga.com/Bleach/404/01/
http://www.onemanga.com/Bleach/404/08/
http://www.onemanga.com/Bleach/406/16/
I spy with my little eye, and theres something beginng with gay condom.
Oh, and you converted me to a Hare+Guu Fan. Guu is the most awesome person in the universe.
Pale Cocoon is amazing, especially the very end. It’s on my Top 50 List.
2 weeks ago i looked at the list when seto no hanayome and kinos journey were on the list, and i watched them both only to find they are off the list. Its all good tho cuz i saw durarara as well, and good choice for #1 and 3. Lelouche and Light are the best characters but i dont really like their endings-let the bad guy win for once.
Tastes change over time. There’s always more anime to watch, waiting to get into this list.
Aint anime fabulous~!
I feel like that when you swap an anime out, it deserves an honorable mention spot or something…it’s sad to see something you spent thought on typing gone.
Fair point. I might make a seperate post when I next update this list that holds the things I said about those that dropped out of the top 30.
Wow!Mind blowing list.
As I was reading and arriving at 1,I was wondering why there wasn’t Death Note,and there you go! #1 !!
And I like your perspective about animes!
There are many animes which I haven’t yet seen.So I have a long way to go!
I heard so much about Baccano from all blogs.I tried episode 1 but didn’t continue later.I guess I’ll have to reconsider my decision,if everyone says it’s good,then it has to be definitely!!
Well you could have included Clannad & After Story in your list.Wasn’t that impressive to you?I guess many people don’t prefer it,I don’t know why!
Nice list, though only a few of them would be in my top 30. Guess we have different tastes
Nothing wrong with Death Note being your favorite (I have a “generic” #1 favorite too, Haruhi). Just ’cause it’s really popular doesn’t necessarily mean it’s overrated =)
Err, you do realise you’ve commented before on this post back when I originally posted it?
Hey man, why won’t you include Kara no Kyoukai into this list? Or you haven’t watched it yet?
Great list. especially #1 and 3. I think it was sometime after i finished code geass that I couldnt really satisfy my taste for a good show. The Main character has to really grab me in. I was able to get into Berserk and suprisingly School Rumble because of the characters. Bacanno and Durarara were great shows, but the thing that got me with those 2 was their characters. Bacanno never stayed on 1 character for too long, but it was just epic in general. Durarara although weirdly great, the “leader” of the dollars didn’t impress me as a person.…
I could go on an on, but i need to find another Light or Lelouche, and sometimes even a Luffy to get that rush during a show.
Ummm… nice list.
I can understand the love for most of them (especially Gankutsuou, LOTGH and Mushishi), but I have to say Love Hina, School Rumble, DN and Geass are big NO´s for me.
Especially, Geass to me was the biggest unintentional anime comedy I have ever seen and I couldn´t stop laughing every episode.
is it just me or do i not see Monster on this list?
I picked up Mushishi because of this, I am a very pleased customer c:
Is Black Heaven really that good?
I saw that you posted on twitter a lot about this one…
Yes, it really is that good. I’ll have a post up on it soon enough
What was number 2 before Black Heaven?
Baccano. When I put in a new anime, it doesn’t replace the old one. It just moves in ahead of it
Did you every watch an anime called Nodame Cantabile?
Look at the ‘those that just missed out’ linked at the beginning of this post
K I saw it. Let me post when I also finish watching the second season.
For me, Code Geass is my all-time favorite. I was reluctant to have a popular show as my favorite, but eh. Maybe I like it even more than most people. I feel like I’m going to be comparing it a lot to Galactic Heroes…
The girl from that Infinite Ryvius pic is really, really pretty o///o
I will watch it when I finished Bakemonogatari…
…and Shiki.
Damn it I got too many anime to watch.
Some great choices =D
First of all I agree on your opinion on the ending to Code Geass season two, it is without a doubt the best ending to a series ever and it probably always will. I saw it with my best friend and as my tears ran down my cheek I looked over and saw tearfilled eyes met mine. Thats what makes a friend, sharing this stuff.
Secondly…your comment on Chobits made my heart warm up =D Love Hina was the fourth anime I watched, the first three were Pokemon, Dragonball and Sailormoon…(because they were on televsion at the time) then as the yeras went by I bought Manga mania (kinda like Shounen Jump) and it had Love Hina as the opening manga…the third one was Chobits… And not only was the first feeling of real love for anime there while I read and later watched it but it ignited a new love for CLAMP and so many of their series (which brings us back to Code Geass). I’m kinda surprised you didn’t include either xxxHolic or Tsubasa Chronicles but then i remembered there not even close to the manga original with their intertwined storyline.
Finaly.…Death Note. It is one of the best Anime series of all time PERIOD. Just seing Light do the pen move gives me chills all over. The best moment in ther whole thing must be…no wait…mayor spioler…oh well…another time, another note…
…Another Note, Death Note, The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases is a must read for all DN fans. It’s a Light Novel by NISIOISIN.
Death Note? It was always so meh for me. Like Code Geass. I guess that evil protagonist arent my cup of tea.
And no Clannad (or Kanon 2006)? No Higurashi? No Hokuto no Ken?
And cheers for including Millenium Actress… manly tears… Hotaru no Haka is worthy to be in any top 30 too.
PD: Hare+guu… awesome. That show need more love… and a sequel.
I’m not a fan of melodrama nor moe, so obviously no Clannad/Kanon type stuff. Haven’t seen Higurashi nor Exploding Horses Ken yet
All the shows that are on this list that I am yet to watch…
I sure as hell am going to now…
Hunter x Hunter, Rurouni Kenshin, Yu Yu Hakusho!! hello! Other than that the list is good xD
long running shounens that aren’t called Full Metal Alchemist = yawn
B-But Yu Yu Hakusho is good… (<– one of my first anime, so I’m biased, of course.)
Another good shounen is Psyren, but it’s still a manga, so I suppose you won’t take a look at it… *sigh* (it’s one of those rare shounen series that actually manage to finish, if you want to take a look at it. It also gets better after a few chapter rawr rawr rawr. Actually, better wait for it to get a anime. That’s one of thoe that would make an awesome anime series.) It’s a horror shounen taht later turns more into action. It’s awesome.
Doubt there’ll be an anime of it. Those idiots don’t know which manga should get animated. Always creating fag harem, ecchi anime. Ugh.…
Amazing top 30 list. I still need to watch most of those, but the ones I agree totally with the ones that I’ve seen on your list. Especially Legend of the Galactic Heroes. I did not choose it; it chose me. I’m not a couple of episodes in, and I’m glad that I am finally watching it.
scamp,
what would you recommend for me to watch if I really enjoyed Code Geass and Death Note? I heard Monster is a pretty similar type and a good one, but I would like your opinion on what anime you think is also just as amazing or probably just similar to Death note/Code Geass. Thanks
One Outs, Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Gankutsuou, Gundam 00…err, actually this is harder than I thought it would be
Why isn’t Monster on this list? The only reason I can imagine is that you haven’t watched it.
He wrote everything I can say.
http://www.baka-raptor.com/Monster/index.php
Seen it. It’s a cool show, but Temna was a boring lead and I didn’t like how the show meandered away from its main story so much
Thanks for your answer. I understand your opinion, they overdid depicting Johan’s evilness with side stories&extra characters. And voice actors should have amazed every viewer — they are all seasoned veterans.
Just found your blog today, linked to those awesome charts you make. Great videos reviews too, very funny.
Good picks on this list. It’s always great to find more people who understand that Mushishi is a masterpiece.
I’m surprised you like Baccano so much more than Durarara though. I thought the latter had the much better cast, especially in Celty and Shizuo whereas in Baccano the train sequence with Ladd, Claire, and Chane was the only part I really cared for.
I realize ordering your favorite animes is tough since there are so many to like but I have to wonder if you’ve watched Katanagatari for it to not be on this list. Didn’t see any mention of it in a search.
Anyway, congrats on your 3 years. Keep up the good work.
On closer inspection, you didn’t make the charts, but good link nonetheless.
im going to watch all of these aventually
skyclan.net
A little surprised that i didn’t saw crest of the stars series but oh well, at least someone i can relate a little
you forgot about “hellsing”?
do t=you kie fights
Well, this has been very enlightening to read, and I think I’ve found some new series to watch. By luck or by chance, I happened upon some of these series very early on in my anime-watching years, which most certainly contributed to my love of anime. These awesome shows are as follows, in no particular order:
1. Cowboy Beebop, Fullmetal Alchemist
Probably about the only time that I’ll forgive myself for watching these shows with English dubs, simply because they helped me get started.
2. Samurai Champloo, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
I’m glad that I watched those shows at night after my parents told me to go to sleep. They proved to be worth every minute of my time.
3. Death Note, Fullmetal Alchemist (again)
That Japanese culture class in 7th grade was worth it, even though we did nothing but watch anime most of the time.
4. Love Hina, Last Exile, Chobits, Bakemonogatari, Code Geass, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Durarara, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Seto no Hanayome, Black Lagoon (both first and second seasons)
Probably where I am now, when I finally started looking around on the internet for shows to watch a couple years ago. It’s a crying shame though, that there are so many moeblob and throwaway shows now, and so very few shows of such supreme quality that I’ve come to look for over and over again. I’m a sucker for good animation, and very few storylines are up to par, but nothing beats these jewels that swim in the sea.
Who knows what the future holds though? One can only hope that there is more yet to come…
Your taste is shit. I’m sorry.
ur tatse suks scamp w
I am waiting for Steins Gate to knock out Millenium Actress at the very least.
Nope, not a chance. Steins;Gate is good, but nowhere near that good
ha we have very different tastes but your lists all have anime that i did enjoy. When i hear about a good show in a season I usually wait til its 90% finished til i start watching so i remember more of the things that happend & they become much more enjoyable to watch. I was never able to get into Ghost in the Shell no matter how much i tried to like it so i would of put Steins;Gate around there, along with Casshern Sins o_0 lol
Sir, are you still going to update you list?
Or maybe try to make another top list by genre(?).
This maybe irrelevant: I subscribe to in this blog.
Waiting for you next updates.
I update it whenever something new makes the list, which hasn’t happened since Madoka entered
Man Gonzo was pretty awesome when it tried. Watching Welcome to the NHK and Last Exile for the first time and learning that anime isn’t a never ending cavalcade of monster of the week shows. Good times.
Well NHK is good but it’s a shame Last Exile is nothing more than a terrible harem. Was it really necessary for every female character to be falling over his dick?
Normally I would go on about how much better Fam is, but given its latest episode it’s a bit difficult for me to claim it’s not going that route as well. So instead I’ll just say lesbian harems > straight ones and leave it at that.
M-my ~nostalgia~
The only good harem is a self-aware harem because it stops being a harem show
Until now, the only ones that wouldn’t show up on my list are: Gurren Lagan, Samurai Champloo, Cromartie and Arakawa. I slept while watching Lagan, until episode 8, when I finally woke up. I didn’t count how much times I yawned while watching Champloo (the baseball episode was the last straw, so I just skipped it). And japanese comedy seldom makes me laugh. I guess only Gintama and High school boys for me.
WHERE IS BLEACH !!!! OMG !!!!!
Bleach is good for maybe 20 episodes until Rukia gets captured
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