Media Essential Anime List

[Deleted member 17724]

I have decided to create a list of the best works that the anime medium has to offer. I believe the works listed are among the objectively best anime made to date, based either on visuals, atmosphere, rewatchability, characters, storytelling or a combination of those factors. As I have seen hundreds of anime, over a time-span of nearly a decade, dating from the 80s up to the present year, I believe you can consider me a qualified source on this subject.

The list is divided into three categories; TV-shows, OVAs and movies. After each title, I have written down the year of release and its two main genres which may help you decide if it's something you'd enjoy. The titles are ordered on year of release. I have underlined the anime that I consider a must-watch.

TV-shows
Yawara! (1989) [Sports, Slice of Life]
Fushigi no Umi no Nadia (1990) [Adventure, Sci-Fi]
Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995) [Science Fiction, Psychological]
Berserk (1997) [Action, Adventure]
Shoujo Kakumei Utena (1997) [Shoujo, Fantasy]
Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou (1998) [Romance, Slice of Life]
Cowboy Bebop (1998) [Action, Science Fiction]
Cardcaptor Sakura (1998) [Shoujo, Magic]
Serial Experiments Lain (1999) [Science Fiction, Psychological]
Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku (1999) [Military, Psychological]
The Big O (1999) [Mecha, Mystery]

Haibane Renmei (2002) [Slice of Life, Mystery]
Kino no Tabi (2003) [Adventure, Slice of Life]
Paranoia Agent (2004) [Mystery, Psychological]
Welcome to the NHK (2006) [Comedy, Psychological]
Mushishi (2005) [Slice of Life, Supernatural]
Kamichu (2007) [Slice of Life, Supernatural]
Mononoke (2007) [Mystery, Supernatural]
Shigurui (2007) [Action, Historical]
Kaiba (2008) [Sci-Fi, Mystery]
Kannagi (2008) [Comedy, Slice of Life]
Bakemonogatari (2009) [Romance, Supernatural] (The entire Monogatari series is worth watching in my opinion.)
Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt (2010) [Comedy, Action]
The Tatami Galaxy (2010) [Comedy, Romance]
Saraiya Goyou (2010) [Historical, Drama]
So Ra No Wo To (2010) [Slice of Life, Military]
Nichijou (2011) [Comedy, Slice of Life]
Hyouka (2012) [Slice of Life, Mystery]
Uchouten Kazoku (2013) [Slice of Life, Fantasy]
Ping Pong the Animation (2014) [Drama, Sports]
Space Dandy (2014) [Comedy, Sci-Fi]


OVAs
Tenshi no Tamago (1985) [Fantasy, Adventure]
Robot Carnival (1987) [Sci-Fi, Fantasy]
Gunbuster (1988) [Sci-Fi, Military]
Lodoss-tou Senki (1990) [Fantasy, Adventure]
Heroic Legend of Arslan (1991) [Fantasy, Adventure]
Teito Monogatari (1991) [Horror, Historical]
You're Under Arrest (1994) [Police, Comedy]
Golden Boy (1995) [Comedy, Adventure]
Alien 9 (2001) [Sci-Fi, Psychological]
Cat Soup (2001) [Comedy, Surreal]
Fooly Cooly (2004)

Movies
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984) [Adventure, Fantasy]
Night on the Galactic Railroad (1985) [Mystery, Fantasy]
Grave of the Fireflies (1988) [Historical, Drama]
My Neighbour Totoro (1988) [Comedy, Fantasy]
Kiki's Delivery Service (1989) [Slice of Life, Fantasy]
Akira (1989) [Sci-Fi, Action]
Paltlabor: the Movie (1989) and its sequel (1993) [Police, Drama]
Roujin Z (1991) [Sci-Fi, (dark) Comedy]
Porco Rosso (1992) [Historical, Drama]
Chika Gentou Gekiga: Shoujo Tsubaki (1992) [Horror, Historical]
Ninja Scroll (1993) [Historical, Action]
Ghost in the Shell (1995) [Sci-Fi, Psychological]
Memories (1995) [Sci-Fi, Horror]
Ihatov Gensou: Kenji no Haru (1996) [Historical, Drama]
End of Evangelion (1997) [Sci-Fi, Psychological] (Sequel to the TV-show)
Princess Mononoke (1998) [Fantasy, Adventure]
Perfect Blue (1998) [Horror, Psychological]
The Adolescene of Utena (1999) [Shoujo, Fantasy] (Alternative version/sequel to the TV-show)

Vampire Hunter D (2000) [Action, Fantasy]
Jin-Rou (2000) [Military, Psychological]
Escaflowne (2000) [Adventure, Fantasy] (Alternative version of the TV-show)
Metropolis (2001) [Sci-Fi]
Redline (2009) [Racing, Sci-Fi]
The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (2010) [Sequel to the TV-show)
Kizumonogatari part I-III (2016) [Prequel to the TV-series but you don't have to have seen it to understand them]

 

[Deleted member 16624]

High quality thread.
Take my bump.

 

[FinnCel]

Boku no pico

 

[M12Comic]

Have you ever seen Sword Art Online season 2, friend?

 

[RemoveNormalfags]

Thank you!

 

[TheSecondComing]

my friend keeps saying cowboy bebop, cowboy bepop, cowboy bepop. maybe i will have to watch eventually

 

[i_a_m_i]

Based list. Night on the Galactic Railroad is my favorite movie.

 

[zangano1]

What about Doraemon? That was my favorite as a kid

 

[Dionysus]

Boku no pico

 

[needsolution]

Based

 

[startcel]

Welcome to the NHK

Recommended for my fellow neetcels

 

[KFT]

A pretty good list, but I think you've missed quite a lot of ,in my opinion at least, must watch anime. Personally, I'd include:
- Hunter X Hunter(2011)
-Made In Abyss
-Spirited Away
-Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso
-Fate/Zero, Stay Night, Unlimited Blade Works
-FMA Brotherhood.
-Code Geass
-Steins;Gate

Probably could add a bunch more, but can't be bothered. I especially agree with Lain,Ghost in the Shell and Evangelion, those are definitely must watch.

 

[Deleted member 17724]

I just added two horror titles that I had forgotten to put into the list.

Based list. Night on the Galactic Railroad is my favorite movie.

Ihatov Gensou: Kenji no Haru is supposed to be a sort of spiritual sequel to that movie so you might like that.

A pretty good list, but I think you've missed quite a lot of ,in my opinion at least, must watch anime. Personally, I'd include:
- Hunter X Hunter(2011)
-Made In Abyss
-Spirited Away
-Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso
-Fate/Zero, Stay Night, Unlimited Blade Works
-FMA Brotherhood.
-Code Geass
-Steins;Gate

Probably could add a bunch more, but can't be bothered. I especially agree with Lain,Ghost in the Shell and Evangelion, those are definitely must watch.

Those are all shit except for Spirited Away. I already was expecting someone with shit-taste to make these kind of retarded suggestions. I haven't 'missed' anything, if something isn't on the list then I felt like that didn't deserve to be there.
Also, the first FMA was better than Brotherhood.

my friend keeps saying cowboy bebop, cowboy bepop, cowboy bepop. maybe i will have to watch eventually

It's really that good though, which is why I underlined it. One of the best anime made to date. Just watch episode 5 to get an idea of why it's so popular.

 

[bonk123]

didn't read. here's my top 10 anime in no particular order;
code geass (probably the best anime ever made simply because of the ending)
great teacher onizuka (funny and amazing)
golden boy (a tale of the ultimate cuck but funny as fuck)
death note (the second half loses quality but it's still amazing)
dragon ball (mostly the original series, z isn't as good)
k-on (waifus, music, sad ending)
ping pong the animation (coolest visuals I've seen, and god-tier soundtrack. good story)
initial d (the most fun anime to watch, has eurobeat)
clannad/after story (sad. not groundbreaking or anything but does what it does well)
wolf children (a movie, not a show, makes me sob)

 

[Deleted member 17724]

didn't read. here's my top 10 anime in no particular order;
code geass (probably the best anime ever made simply because of the ending)
great teacher onizuka (funny and amazing)
golden boy (a tale of the ultimate cuck but funny as fuck)
death note (the second half loses quality but it's still amazing)
dragon ball (mostly the original series, z isn't as good)
k-on (waifus, music, sad ending)
ping pong the animation (coolest visuals I've seen, and god-tier soundtrack. good story)
initial d (the most fun anime to watch, has eurobeat)
clannad/after story (sad. not groundbreaking or anything but does what it does well)
wolf children (a movie, not a show, makes me sob)

Didn't read.

 

[TheReaper]

no shounen in the list, I'm disappointed.

 

[Deleted member 19971]

I liked the hentai show

 

[Deleted member 17724]

no shounen in the list, I'm disappointed.

Most shounen are trash, that's why. I think FMA was pretty good but not worthy of being called a must-watch or anything.

 

[Romello Gaghan 2]

Perfect Blue was boring as shit. I tried to watch it but couldn't make it past the half hour mark, it was like watching paint dry for real.

 

[Deleted member 17724]

Perfect Blue was boring as shit. I tried to watch it but couldn't make it past the half hour mark, it was like watching paint dry for real.

I thought it was great from beginning to end. What kind of anime do you like then?

 

[Romello Gaghan 2]

I thought it was great from beginning to end. What kind of anime do you like then?

None in particular, I'm not a big anime fan. I'll watch a few famous movies like Spirited Away and stuff like that from time to time though.

 

[Deleted member 17724]

None in particular, I'm not a big anime fan. I'll watch a few famous movies like Spirited Away and stuff like that from time to time though.

Anime films are generally better than TV-series because they have higher budgets and can focus more on animation due to shorter length. But I'd say most of the stuff on the list that I underlined is good enough that people not really into anime can enjoy them. Cowboy Bebop and the Big O specifically would be good picks because they feel much more western than most anime.

 

[Romello Gaghan 2]

Anime films are generally better than TV-series because they have higher budgets and can focus more on animation due to shorter length. But I'd say most of the stuff on the list that I underlined is good enough that people not really into anime can enjoy them. Cowboy Bebop and the Big O specifically would be good picks because they feel much more western than most anime.

Yeah I enjoy some, sure. Akira was badass for example. In general though I'm far more thrilled by live action films and series.

 

[Deleted member 8884]

Avatar: The Last Airbender @CursedCel

 

[Incellectual]

High quality thread.
Take my bump.

 

[OwlGod]

And Death Note and One Punch Man?

 

[TheSecondComing]

And Death Note and One Punch Man?

it's about to be over
4u

 

[Deleted member 19236]

Grave of the Fireflies (1988) [Historical, Drama]

this one is overated as fuck
and should be removed tbh

 

[Deleted member 1042]

Include hentai. I nominate bible black.

I didn't see GitS: SAC. Didn't like?

What did you think about LAIN?

 

[Deleted member 17724]

And Death Note and One Punch Man?

One Punch Man is amusing as something you watch once but again, not really worth a spot on a list like this. Death Note was really enjoyable but I felt that it had some issues in terms of character writing.

Include hentai. I nominate bible black.

I didn't see GitS: SAC. Didn't like?

What did you think about LAIN?

If you like hentai, you should check out Haha Musume Donburi.
No, I didn't like it, it pales in comparison to the original film.
SEL is a true work of art, I legitimately consider it to be one of the best anime ever made.

 

[Deleted member 1042]

One Punch Man is amusing as something you watch once but again, not really worth a spot on a list like this. Death Note was really enjoyable but I felt that it had some issues in terms of character writing.

If you like hentai, you should check out Haha Musume Donburi.
No, I didn't like it, it pales in comparison to the original film.
SEL is a true work of art, I legitimately consider it to be one of the best anime ever made.

Great tastes tbh. Your list is pretty robust I can't think of any suggestions.

Oh have you seen the kenshin movie trust and betrayal? Visual and atmosphere so different from the anime series. I wasnt a fan of the series but the movie i liked.

 

[Deleted member 8353]

Death Note was really enjoyable but I felt that it had some issues in terms of character writing.

Felt too much like a power fantasy tbh, I would've preferred if Light had a bit more motivation behind his actions.

 

[Deleted member 17724]

Oh have you seen the kenshin movie trust and betrayal?

Not yet, actually. I was planning to in the near future.

Felt too much like a power fantasy tbh, I would've preferred if Light had a bit more motivation behind his actions.

Yeah, the whole "I'm going to kill criminals even though I'm an asshole without empathy myself" thing was a bit annoying. Someone with his personality wouldn't waste those kind of powers on killing random criminals, that's more like something some normie NPC would do. It would have been a more interesting story if he killed people he knew for personal revenge or if the victims were high-level politicians.

 

[Deleted member 6470]

You should give a try to both oav of Kenshin. The long feature is not that good and the tv show is very average.
The only good part is the Shihio arc.

this one is overated as fuck
and should be removed tbh

Barefoot Gen is underrated.

 

[Deleted member 17724]

You should give a try to both oav of Kenshin. The long feature is not that good and the tv show is very average.
The only good part is the Shihio arc.

Yeah, I did try out the TV-series for a few episodes and I didn't really like it. It was like an edgy kids show.

 

[Blacktarpill]

Steins gate is my fav anime tbh.

 

[Vorbei]

Rakugo, particularly S1, makes a good case for being in that list.

 

[Carotel]

I have decided to create a list of the best works that the anime medium has to offer. I believe the works listed are among the objectively best anime made to date, based either on visuals, atmosphere, rewatchability, characters, storytelling or a combination of those factors. As I have seen hundreds of anime, over a time-span of nearly a decade, dating from the 80s up to the present year, I believe you can consider me a qualified source on this subject.

The list is divided into three categories; TV-shows, OVAs and movies. After each title, I have written down the year of release and its two main genres which may help you decide if it's something you'd enjoy. The titles are ordered on year of release. I have underlined the anime that I consider a must-watch.

TV-shows
Yawara! (1989) [Sports, Slice of Life]
Fushigi no Umi no Nadia (1990) [Adventure, Sci-Fi]
Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995) [Science Fiction, Psychological]
Berserk (1997) [Action, Adventure]
Shoujo Kakumei Utena (1997) [Shoujo, Fantasy]
Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou (1998) [Romance, Slice of Life]
Cowboy Bebop (1998) [Action, Science Fiction]
Cardcaptor Sakura (1998) [Shoujo, Magic]
Serial Experiments Lain (1999) [Science Fiction, Psychological]
Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku (1999) [Military, Psychological]
The Big O (1999) [Mecha, Mystery]

Haibane Renmei (2002) [Slice of Life, Mystery]
Kino no Tabi (2003) [Adventure, Slice of Life]
Paranoia Agent (2004) [Mystery, Psychological]
Welcome to the NHK (2006) [Comedy, Psychological]
Mushishi (2005) [Slice of Life, Supernatural]
Kamichu (2007) [Slice of Life, Supernatural]
Mononoke (2007) [Mystery, Supernatural]
Shigurui (2007) [Action, Historical]
Kaiba (2008) [Sci-Fi, Mystery]
Kannagi (2008) [Comedy, Slice of Life]
Bakemonogatari (2009) [Romance, Supernatural] (The entire Monogatari series is worth watching in my opinion.)
Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt (2010) [Comedy, Action]
The Tatami Galaxy (2010) [Comedy, Romance]
Saraiya Goyou (2010) [Historical, Drama]
So Ra No Wo To (2010) [Slice of Life, Military]
Nichijou (2011) [Comedy, Slice of Life]
Hyouka (2012) [Slice of Life, Mystery]
Uchouten Kazoku (2013) [Slice of Life, Fantasy]
Ping Pong the Animation (2014) [Drama, Sports]
Space Dandy (2014) [Comedy, Sci-Fi]


OVAs
Tenshi no Tamago (1985) [Fantasy, Adventure]
Robot Carnival (1987) [Sci-Fi, Fantasy]
Gunbuster (1988) [Sci-Fi, Military]
Lodoss-tou Senki (1990) [Fantasy, Adventure]
Heroic Legend of Arslan (1991) [Fantasy, Adventure]
Teito Monogatari (1991) [Horror, Historical]
You're Under Arrest (1994) [Police, Comedy]
Golden Boy (1995) [Comedy, Adventure]
Alien 9 (2001) [Sci-Fi, Psychological]
Cat Soup (2001) [Comedy, Surreal]
Fooly Cooly (2004)

Movies
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984) [Adventure, Fantasy]
Night on the Galactic Railroad (1985) [Mystery, Fantasy]
Grave of the Fireflies (1988) [Historical, Drama]
My Neighbour Totoro (1988) [Comedy, Fantasy]
Kiki's Delivery Service (1989) [Slice of Life, Fantasy]
Akira (1989) [Sci-Fi, Action]
Paltlabor: the Movie (1989) and its sequel (1993) [Police, Drama]
Roujin Z (1991) [Sci-Fi, (dark) Comedy]
Porco Rosso (1992) [Historical, Drama]
Chika Gentou Gekiga: Shoujo Tsubaki (1992) [Horror, Historical]
Ninja Scroll (1993) [Historical, Action]
Ghost in the Shell (1995) [Sci-Fi, Psychological]
Memories (1995) [Sci-Fi, Horror]
Ihatov Gensou: Kenji no Haru (1996) [Historical, Drama]
End of Evangelion (1997) [Sci-Fi, Psychological] (Sequel to the TV-show)
Princess Mononoke (1998) [Fantasy, Adventure]
Perfect Blue (1998) [Horror, Psychological]
The Adolescene of Utena (1999) [Shoujo, Fantasy] (Alternative version/sequel to the TV-show)

Vampire Hunter D (2000) [Action, Fantasy]
Jin-Rou (2000) [Military, Psychological]
Escaflowne (2000) [Adventure, Fantasy] (Alternative version of the TV-show)
Metropolis (2001) [Sci-Fi]
Redline (2009) [Racing, Sci-Fi]
The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (2010) [Sequel to the TV-show)
Kizumonogatari part I-III (2016) [Prequel to the TV-series but you don't have to have seen it to understand them]

Hyouka is awesome tbh

 

[FlamingCel]

Thanks buddy boyo

 

[Deleted member 19079]

bookedmarked thx bro

 

[Bakura806]

dang I actually haven't seen most of these except for cowboy bebop, and a few of the movies.

 

[KING NOTHING]

Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995) [Science Fiction, Psychological]

Serial Experiments Lain (1999) [Science Fiction, Psychological]

Most overrated garbage shows award.

 

[KING NOTHING]

One episode of Stardust Crusaders clears your entire list.