The Top 5 Anime Thread + Discussion

[AnonUnlimited]

I did a search of old threads on here and couldn't find a "top 5 anime" type thing so I'll make one here. Follow my format.

List your top five, and explain why they are placed in each position you put. Here is my top 5.

1. Gurren Lagann - This is my number 1. There is a lot of genius story telling in this, and tonal shifts that make this greater than the sum of it's parts. This one is now almost 20 years old... and I have to say when I first saw it, it blew my mind how hard a series can go. Everything from the first premise of wondering what's happening, all the beginning momentum coming to a stop, the way Kamina had layers beyond his bravado and then the theme of choosing to stagnate out of fear or push forward with everything you have to advance. This anime is in my mind a master piece, even if the writers probably lucked into it since I feel a lot of it wasn't intentional.

Also, that very last fight against the final boss goes really hard (my favorite ever). The final sequence was amazing and I can't state enough how unintentionally creative it all was. The series has very high highs, and very low lows. Character Depth that is very subtle, and themes that inspire. It's too bad many people watch the first few episodes and think it's a stupid series, I actually enjoyed the first few episodes and the tonal shift made me appreciate the whole even more.

2. Darker than Black - I find that this series is criminally underrated. The reason being that it basically explores a lot of human nature, logical behaviors when presented with threats and the understanding that simply because one doesn't talk doesn't mean that they have no feelings (dolls). The premise is very interesting in the beginning because it takes our known world and puts it into a situation where the physics of that world completely changes. This might have actually been #1 for me if it weren't for the second season that was... kind of bad. The first season though was so good that this is definitely #2 on my list of top Anime.

Also, if you break this down, this series really does bridge the gap between people who do not operate normally on the inside. A lot of the 'contractors' were actually psychopaths forced into service by the various agencies and did their job because it was the most logical thing to survive. Although that does happen, it shows that there is a depth to humans and relationships despite that type of operation as a lot of contractors actually develop kinship as the series goes on.

Plus, Hei is a great complicated character. He beats women, and yet you don't hate him for that. He eats a lot, and there is a great mystery to his background. The plot never resolves what happened, or why the stars are fake, and I really wish they could have fleshed everything out to give me the answers I wanted.

3. One Punch Man - I'm sure a lot of people love this and it's completely subversive take on super heroism and the way the story develops. The existentialist themes of not having anything to strive for, or being alone are fun, as is the gradual opening of Saitama to new friends despite his power. I feel this has the second best fight scene in all of anime towards the end of the first season.

4. Demon Slayer - This is a bandwagon pick lol. Don't even ask.

5. His Eminence in Shadow - The fight scenes in this are amazing, and the main character is hilarious in his own way. Although the misunderstanding is overplayed to an extent, I really love this one and hope it goes to it's conclusion.

 

[RepresentingPride]

1- Bleach - It's the first anime I really watched in japanese with sub. The fight are awesome, the chara design is god tier and the ost... What are upside god tier? You can put the ost one tier higher than this.

2- Great Teacher Onizuka - Should I really explain? If one said yes, you need to reflect on your life.

3- Kaze No Stigma - Liked the mc and the power system. Sadly the author died.

4- Full Metal Alchemist - Poor Nina

5- Kekkaishi - Exorcist, supernatural power, kekkai, Jujutsu Kaisen 20 year early. Sadly, the anime didn't follow the manga entirely and end at the first arc of the story, would love to see a remake of this.

Now, if the list was about manga or novel and not just anime, it would have been different. Berserk in the top if not 1st, but since these pieces of shit can't make a real anime of it, fuck it!

 

[AnonUnlimited]

1- Bleach - It's the first anime I really watched in japanese with sub. The fight are awesome, the chara design is god tier and the ost... What are upside god tier? You can put the ost one tier higher than this.

2- Great Teacher Onizuka - Should I really explain? If one said yes, you need to reflect on your life.

3- Kaze No Stigma - Liked the mc and the power system. Sadly the author died.

4- Full Metal Alchemist - Poor Nina

5- Kekkaishi - Exorcist, supernatural power, kekkai, Jujutsu Kaisen 20 year early. Sadly, the anime didn't follow the manga entirely and end at the first arc of the story, would love to see a remake of this.

Now, if the list was about manga or novel and not just anime, it would have been different. Berserk in the top if not 1st, but since these pieces of shit can't make a real anime of it, fuck it!

Lol, Kaze No Stigma was fun, though it has been awhile. I like most of your anime up there, for me with Bleach, it was Soul Society that was the best. After that it kind of fell off for me.

I like Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood more (since it also followed the manga more), it had it's moments, especially when the two strong men met up lol.

 

[Indicterra]

1) Tensura (That time I reincarnated as a slime) : it saved me from suicide

2) Aot: good story for the most part

3) Akame ga kill: simple but good story

4) lBX : I saw this when I was child, it's series with small mechs; it was cool as fuck

5) highschool dxd: good stuff

 

[AnonUnlimited]

1) Tensura (That time I reincarnated as a slime) : it saved me from suicide

2) Aot: good story for the most part

3) Akame ga kill: simple but good story

4) lBX : I saw this when I was child, it's series with small mechs; it was cool as fuck

5) highschool dxd: good stuff

Good picks, the only one I'm not familiar with is IBX, and the only one I would actually hate is Akame Ga Kill. Lol. But that's just a difference in taste.

 

[Indicterra]

Good picks, the only one I'm not familiar with is IBX, and the only one I would actually hate is Akame Ga Kill. Lol. But that's just a difference in taste.

Well I can understand, nobody likes it when every character you love die in my horrible way including main character.

I am there for esdeath

 

[AnonUnlimited]

Well I can understand, nobody likes it when every character you love die in my horrible way including main character.

I am there for esdeath

No, I just hate Akame Ga Kill because the story telling is ridiculous and Esdeath is a Mary Sue that somehow falls in love with the main character. The characters dying don't bother me (see Gurenn Lagann), it's how they die and the try hard edgy tone (at least that's how I perceived it).

Esdeath is hot though, if she won in the end I would probably have liked it. Too bad she lost.

Tensura was good, and I like AoT although the ending sucked lol. Highschool DXD is both fun and frustrating at the same time for me.

 

[RepresentingPride]

Lol, Kaze No Stigma was fun, though it has been awhile. I like most of your anime up there, for me with Bleach, it was Soul Society that was the best. After that it kind of fell off for me.

I like Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood more (since it also followed the manga more), it had it's moments, especially when the two strong men met up lol.

When I write Full Metal Alchemist I include the both of them in. While brotherhood follow the manga more, the first FMA have done the beginning better on some scenes and like for exemple Nina part. It was incredible sad in the first version, but in the second, the beginning was more rushed. I didn't feel the same amount of emotion in brotherhood on that scene that I got on FMA

 

[AnonUnlimited]

When I write Full Metal Alchemist I include the both of them in. While brotherhood follow the manga more, the first FMA have done the beginning better on some scenes and like for exemple Nina part. It was incredible sad in the first version, but in the second, the beginning was more rushed. I didn't feel the same amount of emotion in brotherhood on that scene that I got on FMA

The Nina thing disturbed me when I first saw it. After that I don't think I was ever disturbed by anime again. It didn't have the same impact in Brotherhood because I knew it was coming.

The main reason I liked Brotherhood more was because Greed in the end was one of my favorite characters. Being greedy for friendship lol, that was a really nice twist. Same with the king from across the desert becoming greed. Plus for me, the ending was more satisfying rather than being sent to another world.

 

[ArchlordZero]

1. School Days
2. The Promised Neverland Season 2
3. Sword Art Online
4. Gundam Seed Destiny
5. Charlotte

These five are the best animes out there once I'm drunk.

 

[RepresentingPride]

1) Tensura (That time I reincarnated as a slime) : it saved me from suicide

2) Aot: good story for the most part

3) Akame ga kill: simple but good story

4) lBX : I saw this when I was child, it's series with small mechs; it was cool as fuck

5) highschool dxd: good stuff

Tensura was fine, but I can't accept how they changed the chara design from the Novel, don't know if it's the little line on the drawing, but the character was more badass on the novel images than it was in the anime adaptation. But I loved the weeb dragon part. (Also in my country they fucking trad his name to limule....)

Akame ga kill was something when I first saw it. When I recommended it for my friends after I bassicaly said, it's GoT but in anime.

 

[Corty]

1. Saga of Tanya the Evil - Because of Tanya’s character. I like how it deals with alternate history, and I especially like how the events play out, always throwing a curveball at Tanya when she feels she is finally done.
2. Code Geass - IMO, this is how you do an intelligent / anti-hero character well. I loved all of it (except the Mao arc, which was weaker than the rest but still not bad). It made me really like and really hate certain characters—all-around, great show.
3. Chrono Crusade - it is just an epic show in all regards, from start to finish. Even though it has been so long ago when I watched it, the ending is still vividly in my head any time I think about it, making my hair stand on its edge.
4. Kanon - one of the best VN adaptations. Grea story with a great mystery that you don't even know about when you start. Many emotional scenes and a satisfying ending.
5. Heroic Age - One of the best space opera animes out there. Better than any Gundam ones. Fight me. It has everything, an epic story, unique in its own way. Great characters and spectacular fight scenes. Not to mention, once again, a great ending. Another perfect package.

 

[BernKatstel]

1) Angel beats. I thought it was a good combination of funny, beautiful and meaningful. It was one of my first shows and I remember it fondly.

2) Frieren. I did not think I’d like it, but it genuinely became one of my favorite shows of all time just based on the mood and message it tries to convey. It genuinely made me a better person in many ways.

3) Code Geass. Good story. Love eye powers, and it’s the best anime to learn how to play chess, trust.

4) Re:Zero. I love how desperately hopeful it is. A devastatingly slow, painful climb to protect what the MC wants. Not to mention the world building is pretty cool

5) Death note. A classic. One of the first everyone watches because of its unshaken reputation. Very interesting battle of wits and wills. It is also funny and a pretty good story with a villain protagonist, something that is somewhat rare still.

 

[Indicterra]

Tensura was fine, but I can't accept how they changed the chara design from the Novel, don't know if it's the little line on the drawing, but the character was more badass on the novel images than it was in the anime adaptation. But I loved the weeb dragon part. (Also in my country they fucking trad his name to limule....)

Akame ga kill was something when I first saw it. When I recommended it for my friends after I bassicaly said, it's GoT but in anime.

Tsundare dragon is life lol,

 

[AnonUnlimited]

1. Saga of Tanya the Evil - Because of Tanya’s character. I like how it deals with alternate history, and I especially like how the events play out, always throwing a curveball at Tanya when she feels she is finally done.
2. Code Geass - IMO, this is how you do an intelligent / anti-hero character well. I loved all of it (except the Mao arc, which was weaker than the rest but still not bad). It made me really like and really hate certain characters—all-around, great show.
3. Chrono Crusade - it is just an epic show in all regards, from start to finish. Even though it has been so long ago when I watched it, the ending is still vividly in my head any time I think about it, making my hair stand on its edge.
4. Kanon - one of the best VN adaptations. Grea story with a great mystery that you don't even know about when you start. Many emotional scenes and a satisfying ending.
5. Heroic Age - One of the best space opera animes out there. Better than any Gundam ones. Fight me. It has everything, an epic story, unique in its own way. Great characters and spectacular fight scenes. Not to mention, once again, a great ending. Another perfect package.

For some reason, I feel like Tanya the evil is who you will be if you had a choice in reincarnation.

 

[Corty]

I did a search of old threads on here and couldn't find a "top 5 anime" type thing so I'll make one here. Follow my format.

List your top five, and explain why they are placed in each position you put. Here is my top 5.

1. Gurren Lagann - This is my number 1. There is a lot of genius story telling in this, and tonal shifts that make this greater than the sum of it's parts. This one is now almost 20 years old... and I have to say when I first saw it, it blew my mind how hard a series can go. Everything from the first premise of wondering what's happening, all the beginning momentum coming to a stop, the way Kamina had layers beyond his bravado and then the theme of choosing to stagnate out of fear or push forward with everything you have to advance. This anime is in my mind a master piece, even if the writers probably lucked into it since I feel a lot of it wasn't intentional.

Also, that very last fight against the final boss goes really hard (my favorite ever). The final sequence was amazing and I can't state enough how unintentionally creative it all was. The series has very high highs, and very low lows. Character Depth that is very subtle, and themes that inspire. It's too bad many people watch the first few episodes and think it's a stupid series, I actually enjoyed the first few episodes and the tonal shift made me appreciate the whole even more.

2. Darker than Black - I find that this series is criminally underrated. The reason being that it basically explores a lot of human nature, logical behaviors when presented with threats and the understanding that simply because one doesn't talk doesn't mean that they have no feelings (dolls). The premise is very interesting in the beginning because it takes our known world and puts it into a situation where the physics of that world completely changes. This might have actually been #1 for me if it weren't for the second season that was... kind of bad. The first season though was so good that this is definitely #2 on my list of top Anime.

Also, if you break this down, this series really does bridge the gap between people who do not operate normally on the inside. A lot of the 'contractors' were actually psychopaths forced into service by the various agencies and did their job because it was the most logical thing to survive. Although that does happen, it shows that there is a depth to humans and relationships despite that type of operation as a lot of contractors actually develop kinship as the series goes on.

Plus, Hei is a great complicated character. He beats women, and yet you don't hate him for that. He eats a lot, and there is a great mystery to his background. The plot never resolves what happened, or why the stars are fake, and I really wish they could have fleshed everything out to give me the answers I wanted.

3. One Punch Man - I'm sure a lot of people love this and it's completely subversive take on super heroism and the way the story develops. The existentialist themes of not having anything to strive for, or being alone are fun, as is the gradual opening of Saitama to new friends despite his power. I feel this has the second best fight scene in all of anime towards the end of the first season.

4. Demon Slayer - This is a bandwagon pick lol. Don't even ask.

5. His Eminence in Shadow - The fight scenes in this are amazing, and the main character is hilarious in his own way. Although the misunderstanding is overplayed to an extent, I really love this one and hope it goes to it's conclusion.

I am honestly surprised. Besides the last two (for me) the other three is truly great classics. Especially darker than black. Too bad it got a 2nd season.

1- Bleach - It's the first anime I really watched in japanese with sub. The fight are awesome, the chara design is god tier and the ost... What are upside god tier? You can put the ost one tier higher than this.

2- Great Teacher Onizuka - Should I really explain? If one said yes, you need to reflect on your life.

3- Kaze No Stigma - Liked the mc and the power system. Sadly the author died.

4- Full Metal Alchemist - Poor Nina

5- Kekkaishi - Exorcist, supernatural power, kekkai, Jujutsu Kaisen 20 year early. Sadly, the anime didn't follow the manga entirely and end at the first arc of the story, would love to see a remake of this.

Now, if the list was about manga or novel and not just anime, it would have been different. Berserk in the top if not 1st, but since these pieces of shit can't make a real anime of it, fuck it!

We lost kaze no stigma too soon. But… Bleach? Well, I get the nostalgia, but poor show fell apart at the end.

 

[Corty]

For some reason, I feel like Tanya the evil is who you will be if you had a choice in reincarnation.

YES

 

[AnonUnlimited]

1) Angel beats. I thought it was a good combination of funny, beautiful and meaningful. It was one of my first shows and I remember it fondly.

2) Frieren. I did not think I’d like it, but it genuinely became one of my favorite shows of all time just based on the mood and message it tries to convey. It genuinely made me a better person in many ways.

3) Code Geass. Good story. Love eye powers, and it’s the best anime to learn how to play chess, trust.

4) Re:Zero. I love how desperately hopeful it is. A devastatingly slow, painful climb to protect what the MC wants. Not to mention the world building is pretty cool

5) Death note. A classic. One of the first everyone watches because of its unshaken reputation. Very interesting battle of wits and wills. It is also funny and a pretty good story with a villain protagonist, something that is somewhat rare still.

Re: Zero and Death NOte are great. Code Geass has its moments, but I find almost all the characters annoying including Lelouch. It's plot is great though.

I don't think I have seen Angel Beats or Frieren.

 

[BernKatstel]

Re: Zero and Death NOte are great. Code Geass has its moments, but I find almost all the characters annoying including Lelouch. It's plot is great though.

I don't think I have seen Angel Beats or Frieren.

Well, Frieren just finished airing so it isn’t unusual. It’s a great throwback to a classic fantasy world and will teach you to enjoy your time to the fullest, if you don’t already. Angel beats is another experience altogether, I don’t tend to watch these kinds of shows but I am glad I made the exception for these two!

 

[AnonUnlimited]

I am honestly surprised. Besides the last two (for me) the other three is truly great classics. Especially darker than black. Too bad it got a 2nd season.

What's surprising? Gurren Lagann is basically the perfect anime series in my opinion. It pretty much has everything that makes ANime great, a fast pace, and it hits hard. Animation is also perfect for it's era. The stylistic action is what I feel One Punch Man borrowed a lot from.

Darker than Black is like the perfect adult anime, not adult as in sexy, but adult as in drama/action/suspense.

I don't think there is any anime that tops these two that I've ever seen.