Your Top 5 Animes

[nickcreech]

This isn't a poll or anything. I just want to know what some of your top 5 anime series of all time are (at least for the current moment). Suggest the ones you feel very stongly about by telling other people why you like it and what will attract them to it. And please, no arguing.

Here are my top 5:

1. Gunbuster
2. Gunbuster 2
3. My-HiME
4. Ah! My Goddess TV
5. Rozen Maiden (for the moment)

Gunbuster 1 and 2 are clean cut tearjerkers. It is a very concentrated anime, meaning that there aren't very many fillers that waste time. The stories are compeling and between both you can think about it later and connect the dots to how they are related to each other.

[something]

The yearly Top 10 All-Time Favorites thread is going to start up in the coming months, so you can get much more detailed responses with that. In the meantime, this is my top 5:

01) The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi - Aired: 04/06-07/06 - Animation Production: Kyoto Animation
02) Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha (all) - Aired: 10/04-12/04; 10/05-12/05; 04/07-09/07 - Animation production: Seven Arcs
03) Scrapped Princess - Aired: 04/03-10/03 - Animation Production: Bones
04) Azumanga Daioh - Aired: 04/02-09/02 - Animation Production: J.C. Staff
05) My~Otome - Aired: 10/05-03/06 - Animation production: Sunrise
06) My~HiME - Aired: 09/04-03/05 - Animation production: Sunrise

I rank Otome just above HiME, but for the purposes of the AOD top 10 threads they're ranked as one choice, so I included both here as they'd both be #5 by those rules.

There's a good chance Scrapped will drop out of the top 5 next time I really think it through and do an overhaul. There's just too many other good shows. And I've been toying with the idea of a straight swap of Azu for Lucky Star.

[nickcreech]

Ah, that's cool. It's hard to find a My- fan these days because of all the hype from other top selling animes. I liked My-HiMe because it keeps you in suspense. I didn't know it Mai would win or not. Plus too, Shizuru is a packed bonus. There is nothing better than a psycho stalker lesbian going on a killing spree.

[StudioZEL]

1) Detective Conan
2) The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
3) Marmalade Boy
4) Rurouni Kenshin (1-62, not beyond)
5) Maison Ikkoku

A wide range of shows, I guess. ^^

[Villain1]

1. Monster
2. Neon Genesis Evangelion
3. Now and Then, Here and There
4. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
5. Infinite Ryvius

-Villain

[Splitter]

1. Kaleido Star (2003-04-03 to 2004-03-27) - Animation: GONZO
2. Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight! (2007-01-07 to 2007-03-25) - Animation: ufotable
3. Elfen Lied (2004-07-25 to 2004-10-17) - Animation: ARMS
4. Air (2005-01-06 to 2005-03-31) - Animation: Kyoto Animation
5. Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha (2004-10-01 to 2004-12-25, 2005-10-01 to 2005-12-24, 2007-04-01 to 2007-09-23) - Animation: Seven Arcs

As variant and ecclectic my tastes are, nothing wows me in more than a solid story that's greatly emphasized by character relationships. These five do just that in spades. And the fact that they're all full of moe elements is the icing on the cake ^^

[KomoriKiri]

Mine, below the top couple slots, tend to fluctuate a lot depending on the mood I'm in, but here goes:

1) Haibane Renmei
2) Revolutionary Girl Utena
3) Serial Experiments Lain
4) Berserk
5) Twelve Kingdoms

Haibane Renmei is the kind of thing that rarely happens. (I still want to know what kind of favors Ueda was owed to get the series made.) Great characters in an interesting setting with a solid, low-key story that blossoms into greatness. Great art and music to boot. I like it so much I put up a website about it.

Utena is another rarity. I tend to like these off-beat titles that either defy genre classification or exemplify them. Utena is in the latter category. It's definitely not for everyone; I know one guy at work who hates classical music because of the repetition (don't ask what he thinks about techno). Utena is the classical music of shoujo, with each episode a variation on the theme of the story arc.

Lain is rated higher than it probably should be, but it was my true anime gateway. I'd seen other anime before that, but this one the one that got me hooked. Awesome soundtrack, tons of computer references (I'm a computer geek), an interesting, convoluted story. And to top it all off, an extremely introverted main character. I'm extremely introverted myself, so this really struck me. Introverted characters as leads are almost as rare as hen's teeth.

Berserk needs another hundred or so episodes ^_^ Complex characters in an imaginative, detailed setting. Horrendous opening and ending songs, but the rest of the soundtrack is great, including quite possibly the best combat music since Conan.

Twelve Kingdoms is much like Berserk, only with good openings and ending. Like Berserk, it draws great depth from the work that was done on the source material, something extremely lacking in most anime.

Wraith
"You've got pretty wings. Neither white nor black. A pretty gray."
-- Reki ("Haibane Renmei")

[mike.motaku]

Right now:

Cowboy Bebop (just a solid release)
Genshiken (one of the funniest series ever)
Mazinkaiser (wacky giant robot goodness)
Planetes (outstanding science fiction)
Peacemaker (except for some unfortunate Southern accents in the dub, very good)

Of course, this list will self-destruct in 5 seconds and become five completely different titles to be named later. At this point in my life, if it's in my collection I love it unreservedly. So Cardcaptor Sakura, The Wings of Honneamise, Patlabor, Irresponsible Captain Tylor, Beck, Black Lagoon... etc., etc., ad infinitem could all be on the list.

[Collectonian]

Hmm...don't remember the last time my top 5 changed :sd: These are the series I can (and often do) watch at least once a year, still have emotional responses to, love the story & characters & animation, and just all around love.

1. Cardcaptor Sakura - I can easily sit and watch every last episode of this series without skipping any "fillers" and enjoy it all. Although I love the manga more, this one will always be a top pick

2. Sailor Moon - first anime I can really remember watching, though I may have seen some before. I started with the TV eps, found a whole new depth in the manga, and then discovered the joy of the uncut versions. While I will often skip some filler episodes here and I strongly prefer the manga, I still love the anime on its own right and am so glad I managed to snag it before the license(s) expired.

3. Vision of Escaflowne - Another favorite that I've watched more times than I can remember; it took me a few viewings to gain an appreciation for the movie, but now I can enjoy it as well, though it is the series that will also be the top pick.

4. Pretear - I just love Himiko! I can so identify with her and I love that she isn't the usual "nearly perfect" heroine and actually has to do some training. Sure, the ending isn't a surprise anymore, but I still boo hoo like a kid for the last few episodes!

5. Tie between Full Moon o Sagashite and Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne - I love both of these series so much, I can't really pick between them. Full Moon's story is so awesome, especially the second part, and I love the music and Mitsuki. A few skippable fillers, but on the whole, it is all good. KKJ's Maron is another character I can readily identify with and its another one that makes me cry for a good part of the series. I love the story, and it doesn't have much skippable filler.

Princess Tutu is like right there behind them in #6, and probably closer to a tie for 5. Depending on my mood, the order of those changes a little, but that's the basic set.

[something]

Lain is rated higher than it probably should be, but it was my true anime gateway. I'd seen other anime before that, but this one the one that got me hooked.
Very much how it went for me. Hell, exactly how it went for me. Even down to having it rated more highly that it should have been for the longest time. That doesn't mean it wasn't my favorite at one time. It was, for years. And it's still a masterpiece.

But my tastes shifted. They're very different (much broader) than they were in ~2000 when I saw Lain, and made it my first anime purchase. They've shifted away from Lain and onto other shows, in particular shows that are more heavily character-driven. I like large casts. Lain is nearly an exercise in isolation, relentlessly focused as it is on Lain herself. It's done beautifully, but it's not what *really* gets me going nowadays.

So Lain dropped from holding the #1 spot for about three or four years to being the #2, then gradually falling each time I updated. With some of the most brilliant shows ever being in recent years (My~*, Nanoha, Haruhi), it's fallen even further. At the moment, it resides in that precarious #10/#11 spot. #11 by my ranking (separating HiME and Otome), #10 by AOD ranking (HiME and Otome lumped) When I do my list in the yearly thread, it might finally have fallen off. So it's slipped a bit more for me than you, but I definitely think I know where you're coming from, even if your reasons differ slightly. The same thing happened for me with Evangelion.

[LelouchLamperouge]

1. Le Chevalier D'Eon
(August 19, 2006 – February 24, 2007)
Studio: Production I.G.
24 Episodes

2. Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo
(October 5, 2004 – March 29, 2005)
Studio: GONZO
24 Episodes

3. Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team
(1-13: January 25, 1996 - April 25, 1999)
(Miller's Report: July 25, 1999)
Studio: Sunrise
14 OVA Episodes (Includes Miller's Report)

4. Elfen Lied
(Series: July 25, 2004 – October 17, 2004)
(OVA: April 21, 2005)
Studio: ARMS
13 Episodes + 1 OVA

5. Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex
(Season 1: October 1, 2002 – March 25, 2003)
(Season 2: January 1, 2004 – January 8, 2005)
Studio: Production I.G.
52 Episodes

Gankutsuou and Chevalier are permanent residents. The other 3 shift around practically. The bottom 3 flip-flop around.

Or look at it as a house...
Gankutsuou and Chevalier are living in a house, they have 3 free rooms to rent because they've had to kick out previous series because they didn't pay rent and such. Until more permanent series become clear, they will continue to boot out a series or two. :)

[Andrew Cunningham]

Lain's one of the few anime I bought in college that I actually held onto. Never did rewatch, but have never been moved to sell.

[roastedpekingduck]

I used to be able to come up with a list quite easily, but now it's getting really hard. My top 5 isn't really even cemented because I have seen so many things I have loved that my top now really depends on my mood. Any one of the following shows could end up in my top 5 on a given day:
Noein
Now and Then, Here and There
Hajime no Ippo
Crest of the Stars
Monster
Ghost in the Shell: SAC
Twelve Kingdoms
Texhnolyze
Haibane Renmei
Gungrave

A load of other shows, such as Planetes, Paranoia Agent, Kino's Journey, Fantastic Children, Scrapped Princess, Berserk, X TV, and Wolf's Rain are also damn close enough that they also can sometimes make their way into my absolute favorites.

Not to mention, I might get confused even further after this most recent fantastic spring season of shows has come to a close, as I could easily see quite a few series from spring making it into my favorites. Hopefully, I'll be a bit more organized when it comes time for the top 10 thread.

[Lumberjack]

My top five has stayed the same for a while now. I'm waiting for something new to crack the list:

1) Fighting Spirit (Hajime no Ippo)
2) Cowboy Bebop
3) FLCL
4) Kino's Journey
5) GTO

Honorable Mentions: Azumanga Daioh, Last Exile

[Dagger]

Hm. I'm going to cheat and say six:

1. Revolutionary Girl Utena
2. Mushishi
3. Gankutsuou
4. AIR TV & movie
5. Kaleido Star
6. Aria the Animation & Natural

Everything below Utena is ranked pretty arbitrarily, though. It's almost like they're all #2 for me.

Also, if Sayonara Zetsubo-Sensei continues the way it's been going, it'll come in at very close to the top.

[Takato]

My top five favorites:
1)Fullmetal Alchemist
2)Serial Experiments Lain
3)Neon Genesis Evangelion
4)Azumanga Daioh
5)Cardcaptor Sakura

Utena comes in a close 6 and if I can ever finish it, it might even top CCS as number 5.

[mk2000]

I know it's suppose to be Top 5 but I must mention some other titles as well for the TV section.

TV

1. Neon Genesis Evangelion
2. Revolutionary Girl Utena
3. Ghost in the Shell - Stand Alone Complex
4. Nobody's Boy Remi
5. Battle Athletes Victory
6. CardCaptor Sakura
7. Trigun
8. Air TV
9. His and Her Circumstances
10. Initial D

OVA

1. Gunbuster OVA
2. FLCL
3. Diebuster OVA (Gunbuster 2)
4. Read Or Die OVA
5. Sakura Diaries OVA

Film

1. Ninja Scroll
2. Revolutionary Girl Utena: Adolescence Apocalypse
3. Evangelion Movies
4. Perfect Blue
5. Ghost in the Shell

Revolutionary Girl Utena: "Listen, can't you hear it? If your soul has not truly given up...then you should be able to hear the sound...that runs...through the Ends of the World!" - Touga

Nobody's Boy Remi: No children's anime will ever leave an imprint as permanent as this masterpiece produced during Japan's Golden Age of Anime. An international hit and a pioneer of multi-plane animation.

Battle Athletes Victory: Head and Shoulders above the OVA and probably one of the most underrated anime out there. Its enduring trait was the consistency of quality for each and every episode. As well, one of the best executed and exhilarating endings of all time.

Ghost in the Shell SAC - I was never a huge fan of the movies but the TV series was a completely different beast. Essentially, take every anime cliche out there and throw it out the window. This was the essential formula for GitS SAC...originality. This series re-established my faith in the medium of Japanese animation.

[ADC]

Top 5? Hmm.

1. Maison Ikkoku. There's never been a better animé, and I won't be surprised if there never will be.

Now I have to think about it. I'll say it again: Hmm.

Azumanga Daioh
The Legend of Black Heaven
Chrono Crusade
Divergence Eve
The Magnificent World El-Hazard (OVA, Wanderers, not 2, not Alt)
Fruits Basket
Genshiken: Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture
Handmaid May
Ichigo Mashimaro
Jubei-chan (season 1 only)
Kamichu!
Love Hina
Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV series only)
Onegai Teacher (not Twins)
Paniponi Dash
R•O•D
Seikai Trilogy – Crest of the Stars (Banner's all right, Banner II's better)
Trigun
Urusei Yatsura
Vandread
World of Narue

Pffth. Top 5. Best of alphabet's the way to go.

[Lumberjack]

Pffth. Top 5. Best of alphabet's the way to go.
I see your alphabet is shorter than mine. :P

[touma]

Number one has not changed for several years, since I first saw the show, but the others do move around a bit. This is the current list, actually more current than the list on my web site (I must get around to updating that :sd: ):

1. Cardcaptor Sakura
2. Petite Princess Yucie
3. Angelic Layer
4. Fruits Basket
5. Sailor Moon

I don't do reviews. :P

[Chloe]

Something, do you often get to rewatch the titles you've seen before? The way you worded your post reminded me of how I use to be able to rewatch everything in my collection each year, until it just got too damn big... :sd: I'm wondering if the newer shows are just morerecent in your memory; it seems to work that way for me. Though I find it easy to agree with you about how Lain is so single-minded in it's focus. Easy to see it slip when compared to more character rich shows.

Wraith: Damn, you and I are closer then I realized. I like Utena but don't put in it my top 5 or maybe even 10. I REALLY need to get off my butt and get that 12 Kingdoms already, I've been meaning to get it for months, at the very least. :blush:

[Serial Experiments Nobue]

Ah, a warmup for the forthcoming AoD Top 10. I'm intentionally not including movies; that would be another list.

1 - Revolutionary Girl Utena
2 - Figure 17
3 - Serial Experiments Lain
4 - Haibane Renmei
5 - Vision of Escaflowne


Compiling five was hard enough (though the top two haven't changed at all since I starting keeping notes on what my favorites are), and compiling a Top 10 will be that much harder. :sweatdrop:

[something]

Something, do you often get to rewatch the titles you've seen before? The way you worded your post reminded me of how I use to be able to rewatch everything in my collection each year, until it just got too damn big... :sd: I'm wondering if the newer shows are just morerecent in your memory; it seems to work that way for me.
Obviously there's only so much I can go on in terms of memory (650+ discs, ~200-250 in backlog), but considering I've rewatched Haruhi and Nanoha more than any of the shows I've owned for years and years, I think it's more than just them being fresher. They're just... better. And when I say my tastes have shifted, that doesn't have anything to do with focusing on more recent shows or anything, it's about taking a much broader look at anime as a whole and seeing way more shows.

[CGord]

1. FLCL
2. Neon Genesis Evangelion
3. Haruhi Suzumiya
4. Ergo Proxy
5. Azumanga Daioh


5 is very, very difficult. So many good ones left out!

[banksie]

My top five?

1) Boogiepop Phantom - multi-layered symbolism, using the supernatural as metaphor made literal as well as tightly plotted story that wove around itself and actually had something to say. It helps it got a stirling English dub to go with all that. I really must update my website to feature this series.

2) Haibane Renmei - slow moving but heartfelt story that had a beautiful bittersweet tang to it. Few anime emotionally move me but this one had me well and truely invested in it. Just a quiet masterpiece.

3) RahXephon - mecha done right with less angst and more character interplay as well as a solidly thought out backstory to it all. It helps it didn't need movies to finish the story properly (yes Evangelion, I am looking at you) as well as playing fair with the viewer so that it presented all the clues you needed in story to understand it.

4) Ghost in the Shell - Mamoru Oshii and I obviously share a similar wavelength of thought as I usually get what he is trying to do with his films. This mix of philosophical musing grounded heavily in realistic detail is still one of the high water marks for what anime can do when done right. I always squee with joy when I get the chance to see a new Oshii work and this film kept me squeeing for days... (or is that counting as more detail than people wanted to know?)

5) Paranoia Agent - no one does subjective reality like Satoshi Kon and similarly no one else seems to have quite as much sympathy for their often quite broken characters as Kon. In Paranoia Agent even as you are seeing people commit quite disturbing acts you somehow can't help but feel sympathy for them. The policeman who is both corrupt, a pedophile and inept in many ways yet is still a likeable tragic figure is a solid piece of work. In this series you laugh more with the characters and get a good observation about the ways we inter-relate.

To be honest I feel a little tied with five. I'd love to list Cowboy Bebop (action, comedy and drama all in the one series), Serial Experiments Lain (Zen storytelling), Texhnolyze (Buddhist theology writ large), R.O.D. and a few others...

[Puppet Master]

In no specific order and beyond the top 3 I don't know.

Bleach
Cromartie High School
Yu Yu Hakusho

[dunno001]

The yearly Top 10 All-Time Favorites thread is going to start up in the coming months, so you can get much more detailed responses with that.

Good point, I should probably get that started officially. This way, I'll actually have some data for when I get the software stupid me left in NY. (I'm going up next weekend to get it and other things.) Lemme go do that... I'll lock this up in the meanwhile. (After all, I like to have the root post for the listing and rules...)