Anime That Rule? Is that a catchy enough title? I guess I could say something like “Best Anime Ever Made” or “My Favorite Anime”. But after some thinking, I think the title stays. After all, all lists are inherently subjective and this one in particular is bound under my own biased opinions. Everything on this list, I love with pure 100% non-irony. When I say an anime is greater than your favorite anime of all time, I mean it from the bottom of my heart. There is no guilt. There is no arrogance. There is just pure “what I consider awesome”.
Oh, I also plan to expand my list into a top 100 someday. Because 100 is an awesome number. With that said, here’s a list of possible anime candidates that might make it into the top 100, or even in the top 50 once I give this list another once-over.
So with that said, these are the anime that rule over all of your anime. If you want to question my tastes, feel free to comment below.
50: And Yet the Town Moves
Yes guys, my favorite Shaft show is the maid one that nobody seems to remember. Why? Because it’s one of the best comedies on the goddamn planet, that’s why. It plays out like your standard local channel sitcom (except given the Shaft treatment) in that it introduces a quirky cast of characters in a specific setting and lets them play off each other with witty dialogue and heartwarming moments. But then things get weird when it turns out the world they’re inhabiting is home to the paranormal and this culminates in one of the best finales I’ve ever seen. And it does it all whilst keeping an upbeat tone throughout the entire thing. Also, it has one of the best opening and ending themes and animation I’ve ever seen. I’m not kidding on that.
49: Ultimate Teacher
Ultimate Teacher comes in three different languages for your pleasure, and personally, I prefer the UK one. And…that’s pretty much all I have to say on this OVA. Seriously, no description other than “you better have a bucket of popcorn ready” does justice to this thing. Just know that it’s really insane, finds a way to ramp up the insanity just when you think it can’t top itself, and that’s all you need going in.
48: Durarara!!
Okay, I know the finale kind of sucked and the anime ended up going nowhere in the end. But I don’t care, because Durarara is so goddamn cool. Its interweaving of multiple characters and twisted forms of love is second to none. It has a slick urban city style like no other. It has Shizuo and Izaya, one of the best duos to ever come out of anime. It’s an anime that’s solid to the core, even when it screws up, and it might go up the list once that inevitable second season gets animated.
47: Psycho-Pass
What’s funny about Psycho-Pass is that it’s full of things that usually annoy me when it comes watching anime, but it manages to avoid pissing me off by spinning those annoyances in all the right ways. It has the usual Urobuchi dialogue, but thankfully it feels more procedural rather than obtuse. It has ultra violence that is thankfully kept under control and not abused like mad. Its forced social commentary can get to Hell Girl levels at times, but it manages to avoid the problems that series had by keeping its focus on the characters and situations I actually care for. The characters and plot themselves are nothing too special, except for Akane, who is the perfect main character for this kind of story. If you want an anime that can turn my usual criticisms around, Psycho-Pass is that anime.
46: Golden Boy
Golden Boy is the greatest “pervert” anime to ever exist, and when combined with its awesome English dub, its genius is brought out even further. What makes it stand above all the others is the main protagonist, Kintarou. Although he’s a massive pervert, the show does the impossible and manages to also make him one of the most charming characters to ever grace the screen. You can see why all these women like him and the final payoff at the end where every separate story comes together is one of the best endings I’ve ever seen. Yeah, I’m not a fan of harem endings, but in Golden Boy’s case, I’ll make an exception.
What about Death Note?
Didn’t make it far into Death Note. Reading the manga killed my enthusiasm for it.
I’m sorry but you’re not a real anime fan.
and lastly Fractale is and will always be a solid piece of entertainment just because you cringe at the sight of a well told story isn’t our fault. Its your taste that is the problem. Why the fuck are you even blogging your horrid at it?
Are you the same guy who’s been praising Fractale on my blog for god knows how long? Look, I didn’t like the anime, okay? And barely anyone else did either. It tanked in Japan for a reason!
I have read a LOT of anime top lists, probably thousands, visited forums and review sites for years, this is by far the best one. Congratulations man, you really know your anime in a perfect world we would be best friends lol.
Comments like this make me happy.
p.s. Fractale is alright, but it really went downhill, that’s like common knowledge.
What about steins; gate? It should definitely have made it in the top 10.
I like it, but the first half is kind of boring and the need to appeal to VN fans with those other girls left me cold.
Pingback: Expansion of the Top Anime List | Standing On My Neck
How the gay fuck is FMA number 20 on this list? Are you ass fucking kidding me?
Fma beats a majority of these titles with ease! Eva is great but I would never put it as my number one tho.
Maybe on your list, but on my list, FMA only gets number 20 and Eva triumphs all. Mwahahaha!
Fool watch this so you know what a true top ten show is!
I saw five episodes of Princess Tutu. They bored me. Sorry.
Did anyone ever tell you that you’re hard to please.
No, it’s just that my tastes are a mix between super conformist and extraordinarily hipster to the point that it can be unpredictable.
Being a Hipster isn’t a good thing.
I said my tastes have been described as that. I’m not hipster or conformist.
Shut up and watch Air Gear fool!
I followed your blog for 2 reasons:
1) You put Digimon on there (It’s pretty underrated, and I just finished season 3)
2) I haven’t watched many of the anime (so I can’t judge yet), but the fact that you didn’t put the melodrama on top is quite pleasing and refreshing for a change.
Look forward to more critiques.
No melodrama at the top? You obviously have not seen Gankutsuou. Most beautiful melodrama I’ve ever seen in my life.
I have seen Gankutsuou but I didn’t see it so much as melodrama as drama…maybe it’s because Albert was so naive that I didn’t pay much attention to that aspect.
Did you ever get around to watching Un-Go dubbed?
Not yet. I’m pretty busy with real life at the moment.
Pingback: What I Like About Anime Based On My List: Movies and OVAs | Standing On My Neck
So how does Macross: Do You Remember Love? compare to your other favorites like Akira, Perfect Blue and Porco Rosso?
Secondly how do feel about Le Chevalier d’Eon, Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040,Gilgamesh & Paniponi Dash?
My rankings should be proof enough of how I think it is compared to those. Currently, it’s better than Porco Rosso and worse than Akira and Perfect Blue, though that might change with time (although Perfect Blue is way better).
As for those anime you mentioned, I never saw a single one of them.
Although I disagree with several choices and haven’t seen ~15-20 of these (I am still somewhat new to anime), this is a very solid list. I prefer it to the majority of lists I’ve seen and will be adding a handful of entries to my Plan to Watch.
The list is completely void of any shonen anime. I tend to find myself liking almost all the anime I watch obviously some are better then others but I can honestly say I haven’t seen a series that I loathe and I watch a few titles a week at least.
I guess I’m an oddity when it comes to my taste in anime. How do you feel about Sailor moon and its english dub? Are you interested in the reboot series of Sailor moon that is coming out this Summer?
Fullmetal Alchemist, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, Air Master…you obviously have a different definition of “void” than I do.
Never got into the Sailor Moon stuff. I am interested in the reboot a lot though.
Grave of the fireflies isn’t on the list? I’m assuming you haven’t seen it yet.
I only included my top 5 Ghibli movies because otherwise the list would be loaded with them. Grave of the Fireflies though…I love it and all, but it got a bit too idiotic for me at times.
You put Utena here sooner than I thought (not having finished it)
I do agree with you, the Black Rose arc stalled the plot, but it used it’s episodic plot to make it’s side characters more interesting (Princess Tutu is compared to his one often, but it’s episodic nature plays out in a more boring way. and the side characters aren’t anything special, still liked it for it’s second half though). You should try Adolescence of Utena, it amps up the weirdness.
Actually, I just finished Utena and ranked it even higher. I got the point of the Black Rose arc and all, but the lack of Utena didn’t do that one much favors. I dug the concept and the thematic elements, but it got repetitive and the villain was forgettable. Final showdown and one or two of the stories in it were awesome though.
I’ll do Adolescence once it arrives in the mail.
And yeah, other similar shows like Tutu and Simoun don’t click with me the way Utena does.
Well, to be fair to Tutu, it does prove it has some great narrative chops once it stops with the collecting the heart shards silliness, whether it’s worth in the long run is debatable since I’m not sure how much your enjoyment of the later episodes would be impacted by your lack of enthusiasm foe the earlier ones. Simoun sounds interesting, I’ll have to give it a look once I’m done with Birdy the Mighty Decode and Infinite Ryvius (which turned out to be up on this list coincidentally, yay for hype).
I might give Tutu another chance, but I don’t expect to really enjoy it. That kind of “intelligent” show rarely impresses me.
Simoun is definitely an “interesting” series that I’d recommend to other people because I’m one of the very few who can’t stand it, but others adore it to death. And I mean “very”.
I think I’ll offer up a couple final thoughts on a couple of the shows here
First off, Utena. The thing that I know credit Madoka Magica the most for now is opening me up to see this gem, I haven’t seen a show so heavy on themes on this one without the feeling of being force-fed philosophical rhetoric (like I did with Ergo Proxy and Ghost in the Shell). Symbolism reigns supreme there, some of it to hintt at something, some of it probably just to fuck with you. The soundtrack was awesome too (ZETTAI UNMEI MOKUSHIROKU). The only gripes I had about this series is the Black Rose arc for the reasons you mentioned (Mikage was barely memorable as a villain) and the repeated animation footage.
As for Neon Genesis Evangelion, it’s one of the few uber-popular titles that I don’t enjoy that much that I wouldn’t call overrated. Reason why is that some folks appreciate it for it’s faults (like you) and like things that I hated about the series (such as the last 2 episodes, the point at which the series stuck it’s head so far up it’s ass that nothing could save it). It’s a shame since it’s something that I want to love so much, I’ve never tried so hard to love a series since .hack//SIGN (which had so much going for it, deep characters, a potentially intriguing setting, and a soundtrack that gives Hellsing a run for it’s money, but it’s presented in way that’s ridiculously slow and BORING)
anyway that’s enough rambling
This may not be the right place to post this question, but what did you think of the One More Final: I need you scene from EoE?
Also, nice list. Our #1 and #2 are the same. Yay!