Greatest anime of all time?

[danzibr]

I'm using anime in the plural here.

Also, I notice there's a thread kind of similar, but asking for anime with blood and gore.

I've seen a good few anime in my day, but I feel I'm not that well-rounded. If I were to throw out one single candidate for a great anime, it'd be Fushigi Yuugi. Love it. It's about 2 teenage girls that get thrown into historical/fictional China, has a diverse and likable cast with sufficient but not absurd powers, handles relationships well, methinks.

Other than that... well, I liked DBZ but I'm not sure objectively how good it is. I remember a lot of the battles being super drawn out, reusing footage. Maybe Kai is better. Or whatever the new one is.

I've also been Bleach, both FMAs, Cowboy Bebop, TTGL, Berserk, both Hellsings, couple of the .hacks, Death Note, Inuyasha, Trigun, Naruto (stopped in Shippuuden though), Yu Yu Hakusho, few others. Of those I liked Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho the most.

Anyway, I digress. If you were to make a list of anime a person must see in their life, what would it include?

[Brother Oni]

I'd recommend most of Studio Ghibili's catalogue, but Mononoke Hime for the older people and either Spirited Away or My Neighbour Totoro for the young ones.

Ghost in the Shell, either the first movie or the first Standalone Complex series for showcasing the more intellectual end of anime, plus a robot armed with a .50 cal cannon and the mannerisms of a pre-schooler is always entertaining.

Rurouni Kenshin Trust and Betrayal OAVs because I'm a sucker for historical fiction, although some people find it too slow.

Jungle wa Itsumo Hare nochi Guu, primarily the DELUXE OAV, but you'll need the first TV series to introduce the characters. This one I recommend because DELUXE was the first time I had to pause a show before because I was laughing so hard and didn't want to miss anything.

The problem I had with Fushigi Yuugi is that due to its TV series format, it dragged out the story arcs massively.

[ErebusVonMori]

Got to be Code Geass or Berserk.

[2D8HP]

My son has enjoyed the Bleach, Naruto, and Ranma 1/2 series, none of which seemed that impressive to me, back in the 1980's I saw

Akira
(which takes place in the far future year of 2019!),


Galaxy Express 999,

and

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

in the theatre and they are the only anime films that I remember well enough to name, of the three Nauticaä seemed most impressive.

[Eldan]

Hm.
Out of Ghibli's catalogue, I actually liked Nausicäa more than either Mononoke or Spirited Away. I'm a heretic, I know.

Other than those three, in no particular order, anime I like a lot:

Ghost in the Shell
Cowboy Bebop
TTGL
Seirei no Moribito
Serial Experiment Lain
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Akira
Mushishi

Probably a few more if I think on it more.

But then, I don't actually like most anime and choosing something like "best shonen" is a bit like "favourite root canal" to me. But I suppose TTGL counts as one and even that has parts I can't stand.

I should probably add something by Satoshi Kon, even if I can't decide if I actually like Satoshi Kon. LEt's say Paprika.

[Celestia]

... either Spirited Away or My Neighbour Totoro for the young ones.

Metaphorical child prostitution and metaphorical suicide? Perfect for children!

But seriously, Ghibli is probably, traditionally speaking, the best anime coming out of Japan. Of course, that is also a rather unfair contest. It's like asking for the best western animation and then allowing "Disney" as an answer. At best, it's painfully obvious.

Speaking of Ghibli, though, I'm disappointed that no one has mentioned The Tale of the Princess Kaguya. That is definitely one of their better films, and that's saying a lot.


Beyond Ghibli, it's difficult to say. Anime is a medium, not a genre. Asking for the best anime is like asking for the best book: everyone will have a different answer. I certainly have my choices for favorite animes (Code Geass, RWBY, the first 25 episodes of Death Note, and Strawberry Panic [for...reasons]), but I'm not so presumptuous as to claim they are the "best," by whatever vague definition we're using.


I would like to make special mention of Cowboy Bebop, however, if this is a veiled attempt to create a list of anime to show an outsider. Most anime is heavily influenced by both Japanese culture and its own past traditions. This can make it difficult for a Westerner to breach, especially if they aren't approaching it with the most open of minds. Some animes, like Ghibli movies, do a decent job of possessing mass appeal, but none do it better than Bebop.

That show was specifically made using a western style, and this pervades even the core of the show. The plot, the pacing, the filmography. It was designed to look and feel like something made by Hollywood, so there in an unquantifiable sense of familiarity about it. This serves to help put people at ease, so that they can better appreciate it without it being too "different." The mature story also help alevieate the "for children" beliefs. Thus, it is, perhaps, the best introductory anime. I mean, there's a reason why so many people hold the position of "hate all anime except Cowboy Bebop."

[Mx.Silver]

People do know we have a thread specifically for general anime and manga talk, right? Granted, it's getting near the 50 page length cap now, but still




Anyway, on topic. I'm not sure about 'greatest of all time', since it hasn't been 'all time' yet and, while I've seen a fair few* anime films and series over the years, I'm pretty sure it's far less than 'all of it'.
This though

If you were to make a list of anime a person must see in their life, what would it include?

I can probably do. At least, based on the series I will generally push towards people who find themselves in my circle of friends who take an interest in animation.
In no particular order:

Series

From The New World
The Vision of Escaflowne (incidentally, if I was recommending stuff to you specifically, Danziber, based on your first post this would be what I'd suggest first)
Paranoia Agent
Mushi-shi (all of it)
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (all of it. Particularly 2nd gig, but all of it)
Texhnolyze
Ergo Proxy
The Tatami Galaxy
Blast of Tempest
Now and Then, Here and There
Probably Evangelion if I'm being honest, although it feels weird having to suggest that given its ubiquity.

Fullmetal Alchemist (the 2003 series) and Trigun would probably be on there as well, but you already mentioned those in your first post.
There's also about a dozen other series I could add to this, although most of them are currently on my 'need to rewatch' stack.

Films
Ghost in the Shell
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence
Porco Rosso
The Tale of Princess Kaguya
Princess Monoke
Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade
Spirited Away
Perfect Blue
Tokyo Godfathers

Other than that... well, I liked DBZ but I'm not sure objectively how good it is. I remember a lot of the battles being super drawn out, reusing footage. Maybe Kai is better. Or whatever the new one is.

"Objectively good" isn't really a thing, to be fair. On a technical level, yeah, it's kind of ropey in parts but if it speaks to you above that then I'm not going to tell you you're wrong.
(Personally, I wouldn't rate DBZ very highly at all, but I'm not going to demand its fans stop unironically liking it on my account )



*I think it's somewhere around the 280-to-300 mark, if we're counting both series and film formats? I will confess I've never kept that close a count of it.

[Yora]

Ghost in the Shell, either the first movie or the first Standalone Complex series for showcasing the more intellectual end of anime, plus a robot armed with a .50 cal cannon and the mannerisms of a pre-schooler is always entertaining.

Ghost in the Shell. All of it! (Except Solid State Society.)

My other favorite shows are Mushishi and Seirei no Moribito which are both amazing (mostly) non-action fantasy series, and Rune Soldier, which is simply a straightforward D&D parody.

Princess Mononoke is of course also great.

Ghost in the Shell (x)
Cowboy Bebop (_)
TTGL (_)
Seirei no Moribito (x)
Serial Experiment Lain (_)
Neon Genesis Evangelion (x)
Akira (_)
Mushishi (x)

Check, check, check, check. I am somewhat embarassed to still not having watched Lain. (Did read Akira, though,)

[Bastian Weaver]

Shaman King! And probably Burst Angel.

[Brother Oni]

Hm.
Out of Ghibli's catalogue, I actually liked Nausicäa more than either Mononoke or Spirited Away. I'm a heretic, I know.

Even when I rewatched Nausicaa rather than the truncated Warriors of the Wind, I always got the sense that the story was incomplete. I then got hold of the manga and found everything that I was missing.

I think the issue is that Nausicaa is an attempt to condense an incomplete story into an even shorter movie format and suffers for it.

[The Extinguisher]

Theres way too much shonen in these recommendations


Its missing real important anime like
K-On!
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya
Your Lie in April
Gintama
Cardcaptor Sakura
Nichijou
Ranma 1/2

As well as some newer stuff that will be considered essential in the future
Hibike! Euphonium
Mob Psycho 100
A Place Further Than the Universe (okay okay, this isnt done airing yet but I have high hopes)

This is by no means exhaustive, im just tired of all of these "best of anime" lists being Ghibli and shonen series

[Tvtyrant]

As stand alone movies or as part of a meta? Because Gurren Lagann is amazing but if you aren't into the genre already will seem really weird.

As a stand alone series I think Kenshin is probably the best one, all of the characters are likable and the story doesn't get too weird (besides a giant and a bomb throwing bat guy).

[Lethologica]

A few more:

Haibane Renmei
Kino no Tabi
Baccano!
Ping Pong the Animation
Princess Kaguya
FLCL
Dennou Coil
Spice & Wolf
Wolf Children
Kids on the Slope
Samurai Champloo

[danzibr]

Thanks for the responses, all!

Anime is a medium, not a genre. Asking for the best anime is like asking for the best book: everyone will have a different answer.

Yup, exactly!

I see lists of books you need to read before you die, and wanted a glimpse of something similar for anime.

[Calemyr]

I'd have to go Cowboy Bebop. It may be on the older end of things, now, but I have never seen such a perfect fusion of drama, comedy, action, characterization, beautiful artwork, exceptional animation, and musical influence. Some may do one aspect or another better, but I have never seen a more complete package.

[Yora]

Nichijou

As unbelievably as it sounds, Nichijou is even better than Azumanga Daioh. Which is already fantastic.

Nichijou is the funniest thing I've ever seen.

[Drascin]

As unbelievably as it sounds, Nichijou is even better than Azumanga Daioh. Which is already fantastic.

Nichijou is the funniest thing I've ever seen.

Nichijou is surrealistic as hell and the kind of thing that would only work as an anime. And it's great. Definitely deserving of being in an "animes to check out list".

Though perhaps not as the first one, because it makes fun of enough anime conventions that having seen them a couple times elsewwhere will probably enhance the experience!

[Ninja_Prawn]

Its missing real important anime like
K-On!

I actually couldn't get into the K-On! anime, but I really enjoyed the manga, so...

On a more serious note, the only anime I've seen that I would rate as 'must watch' even for people who aren't into animated films or Japanese culture are Akira and Mononoke Hime. To be fair, there are a lot of classics I haven't seen yet (most notably Ghost in the Shell), but I think this is the sort of list where you're better off keeping to a smaller number of titles.

[Hunter Noventa]

Cowboy Bebop is a pretty great all-around anime, action, drama, comedy, it has a good balance of all of it.
Evangelion is a classic for a reason, despite how insane the show is...and the fact hat it's impossible to legally acquire it in the west outside the Rebuild movies.
Martian Sucessor Nadesico doesn't show up on these lists enough. It's a half-parody on action/mecha anime, but still tells a serious story alongside all the comedy. Just don't watch the sequel movie, you'll regret it.
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann can't be left out because, just because.
Yuusha-oh Tanjou GaoGaiGar also needs more love. Sure it's a anime primarily about robots punching the crap out of monster robots, but it follows a good arc and has likable characters.
Gundam Build Fighters is definitely the best 'fighting toy'/tournament anime I've ever encountered. Fun characters, good action, minimal overwrought drama. The second season, Gundam Build Fighters Try is good, but falls into the 'clueless shounen protagonist' trope a bit hard.
Mobile Suit Gundam : Iron Blooded Orphans is the opposite of GBF, dramatic, dark, but fulfilling in the end.
Mobile Fighter G Gundam Take this! my love! My hate! And all of my Anime!

Yes I like mecha anime. Can you tell?

[Drascin]

Evangelion is a classic for a reason, despite how insane the show is...and the fact hat it's impossible to legally acquire it in the west outside the Rebuild movies.

...since when? Is this a new development? I got a large chunk of the manga (which is a slightly differen story than the anime) right across me in my room and the complete series discs of my country's dub have always been fairly easily acquired, I was not aware of any shortage.

[Tvtyrant]

For horror I really enjoyed Shiki, it dralt really strongly in the feelings of entrapment involved in small town life.

[Lord of the Helms]

Baccano!

This times a lot. Don't think I ever found an Anime close to as good as this one.

Other than that, I'd say Outlaw Star (weird, goofy, way-out-there Scifi) and Monster (realistic, serious psycho-thriller) definitely deserve a mention. I also really enjoyed Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, unlike the 2003 anime, which didn't really do much for me (mostly because I found it really slow-paced).

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, to borrow a phrase from Honest Trailers, is either the most awesome dumb anime ever made or the dumbest awesome anime ever made.

[The Extinguisher]

As unbelievably as it sounds, Nichijou is even better than Azumanga Daioh. Which is already fantastic.

Nichijou is the funniest thing I've ever seen.

Nichijou is surrealistic as hell and the kind of thing that would only work as an anime. And it's great. Definitely deserving of being in an "animes to check out list".

Though perhaps not as the first one, because it makes fun of enough anime conventions that having seen them a couple times elsewwhere will probably enhance the experience!

yes good the more people that praise Nichijou the more powerful it gets

for real its my all time favourite comedy work and if you have a passing interest in anime or humor you need to check it out

I actually couldn't get into the K-On! anime, but I really enjoyed the manga, so...

I think the second season is significantly stronger than the first, and even the first season gets better in the second half, so i would recommend giving it another shot if you liked the manga. Its Naoko Yamada's first work so it takes a little bit for her brilliance to shine through.

...since when? Is this a new development? I got a large chunk of the manga (which is a slightly differen story than the anime) right across me in my room and the complete series discs of my country's dub have always been fairly easily acquired, I was not aware of any shortage.

Yeah its stuck in licensing limbo. I dont know the exact details, but basically no one is allowed to release it in any format.

[Mx.Silver]

Theres way too much shonen in these recommendations

We talking shonen as a genre or the demographic? Because if it's the latter then yeah there's a lot of it, but that's probably because that demographic is very wide. For example, most of your list - Haruhi, Gintama, Nichijou, Your Lie in April, Ranma 1/2, and Mob Psycho 100 - is in the shonen demographic. The seinen demographic (which, incidentally, both K-On and A Place Further Than the Universe fall under) is also kind of heavily represented too.
Which, if nothing else, goes to show that what demographic something falls into doesn't imply much about what any given work is like

In terms of genre, kind of? Depends on where you draw the boundaries of it. It's fairly high relative to the number of people who've replied certainly (although, with the possible exception of Hunter Noventa, most of the longer lists have been lighter on it).

But yeah, I'd agree there's a fair bit of overlap/redundancy*, particularly in films where Ghibli's currently accounting for what, half of all suggestions. I should probably have pushed the boundaries a bit more there myself, although I was a little reluctant to suggest too many things I haven't seen more than once and the list was getting a bit long to start with.


*which isn't to say people are wrong for putting stuff on there - better someone's honest with what they rate highly than not - just that it can lead to a somewhat stagnant read when looking at the total list.

Yup, exactly!

I see lists of books you need to read before you die, and wanted a glimpse of something similar for anime.

I mean, I wouldn't even go as far as saying "need", honestly. It's an interest/hobby rather than an obligation


Since Existnguisher's raised a fair point, I'm going to throw a couple more non-ghibli film titles out in the form of Mind Game and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.

I could also mention a few more series that haven't been mentioned by anyone yet, if you want some slightly less well-known things on the list.

[The Extinguisher]

We talking shonen as a genre or the demographic? Because if it's the latter then yeah there's a lot of it, but that's probably because that demographic is very wide. For example, most of your list - Haruhi, Gintama, Nichijou, Your Lie in April, Ranma 1/2, and Mob Psycho 100 - is in the shonen demographic. The seinen demographic (which, incidentally, both K-On and A Place Further Than the Universe fall under) is also kind of heavily represented too.
Which, if nothing else, goes to show that what demographic something falls into doesn't imply much about what any given work is like

In terms of genre, kind of? Depends on where you draw the boundaries of it. It's fairly high relative to the number of people who've replied certainly (although, with the possible exception of Hunter Noventa, most of the longer lists have been lighter on it).

But yeah, I'd agree there's a fair bit of overlap/redundancy*, particularly in films where Ghibli's currently accounting for what, half of all suggestions. I should probably have pushed the boundaries a bit more there myself, although I was a little reluctant to suggest too many things I haven't seen more than once and the list was getting a bit long to start with.


*which isn't to say people are wrong for putting stuff on there - better someone's honest with what they rate highly than not - just that it can lead to a somewhat stagnant read when looking at the total list.



I mean, I wouldn't even go as far as saying "need", honestly. It's an interest/hobby rather than an obligation


Since Existnguisher's raised a fair point, I'm going to throw a couple more non-ghibli film titles out in the form of Mind Game and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.

I could also mention a few more series that haven't been mentioned by anyone yet, if you want some slightly less well-known things on the list.

I was mostly talking about genre, but that is fair. I do think that big, action filled experiences do tend to dominate these lists, even if i was drawing the lines a little more broadly then most. Not to say that they dont deserve to be on there, I mean Evangelion and Cowboy Bebop are definitely some of the best anime to be made, but I was trying to throw some love towards other stuff (and seriously Ranma 1/2 and Gintama get left of of these lists far to much for influential they are to modern anime)

I feel real dumb for missing The Girl Who Leapt Through Time though. That one is fantastic.

[Mx.Silver]

I was mostly talking about genre, but that is fair. I do think that big, action filled experiences do tend to dominate these lists, even if i was drawing the lines a little more broadly then most. Not to say that they dont deserve to be on there, I mean Evangelion and Cowboy Bebop are definitely some of the best anime to be made, but I was trying to throw some love towards other stuff (and seriously Ranma 1/2 and Gintama get left off of these lists far too much for influential they are to modern anime)

I wouldn't think we're really going by influential, as if we were nobody's been doing a good job of representing it so far
Not that I'd honestly have expected us to, given how many of the relevant titles date back to before anime was much of a 'thing' outside of Japan, and haven't actually been seen by that many people these days.

[Lethologica]

In the influence bin, obligatory Legend of the Galactic Heroes mention.

Also, where are we on particularly new stuff like Your Name and A Silent Voice?

[S@tanicoaldo]

Metaphorical child prostitution and metaphorical suicide? Perfect for children!

Too bad that bull**** internet crap. Don't put your bull**** internet crap. Close to perfect, deep and awesome looking art plz.

Anyway evangelion is probrably the most influencial anime ever.

I'm personaly a fan of:
-Fma.
-HxH.
-Yu yu hakushu.
-Sailor moon.
-Sakura card captor.

[Mechalich]

Anyway evangelion is probrably the most influencial anime ever.

Evangelion is without a doubt the most influential anime of the modern era. Arguably it launched a whole new direction for anime production - especially on TV - when it came out in 1995. In terms of most influential of all time there's always going to be an argument for truly old-school stuff like Astro Boy that was foundational to the medium, but Eva's place among modern shows is secure.

'Best' is kind of a pointless argument for anime as a whole, especially when it comes to comparing TV to OVAs to Feature Films, but even across genre ends up leaving you in a bizarre place. I don't even know how you could conceivably compare something shounen action like FMA to the surrealist philosophical vignettes of Kino's Journey to the sketch comedy of Azumanga Diaoh to romance of your name.

However, just for reference, I'll link to ANN Top Ten page since it should be informative to this discussion.

[Celestia]

I feel like I may just be the only person in the world who doesn't like Evangelion.