Top 15 Anime Series

So, a couple of friends on facebook decided to post a list of their favorite anime series on facebook a couple of days ago. I did the same, but now I'm feeling compelled to expand on my choices a bit, and explain why these made my list over numerous others that could have been on it. If you're interested, keep reading! (Also, after the top 3, these are in no certain order.)


1. Rurouni Kenshin
Yes! My favorite anime of all time, hands down, despite the fact that the second half of it derails a bit. OK, it derails a lot, but even then it's a solid anime with an (overall) good voice cast for the main characters. Minus the voices of Kaoru and Yahiko, I like all of the main cast, especially Richard Cansino (also sometimes credited as Richard Hayworth) as Kenshin. He's the definitive voice of the character to me, and nails every emotion Kenshin goes through perfectly.

Why does Rurouni Kenshin top the list? Because it was the first anime that really got me invested in characters versus archetypes like the anime I'd watched before it. I still remember when Toonami aired the first episode, and I was watching the block because I wanted to see the latest episodes of G Gundam and DBZ. I'd seen the commercials for it, and didn't even care to watch it. I mean, how could it possibly compare to the over-the-top insaneness (yup, I'm coining insaneness as a word) of DBZ and G Gundam? Well, I had nothing else to watch anyway, so I just sat there and waited ... then the end of the episode came and I wanted more. Here was this hero (and he was a ginger like me!) who was the nicest, most soft-spoken and well-meaning guy you could meet who was only a pacifist because of his past life as a murdering assassin. And yes, he was nice to a fault ... until you threatened the people he cared about, and that really resonated with me.

Kenshin's struggle throughout the series to get away from violence while having to use violence to save his friends (usually because of his own past coming back to bite him) kept me coming back again and again. He was a character with a past and a heart, with a personality unique to him. He wasn't the same dumb, fumbling strong guy that wins through sheer luck; he wins because of his drive, skill and his training as a cold-blooded killer. His is a story that says: Just because your past is dark and you've made bad mistakes, that doesn't mean you can't turn it around and use it for good.

Anyone who knows me has probably heard me say a million times over, "I'm a sucker for a good redemption story." Well, what most of them don't know is that it all started with Kenshin.


2. Yu Yu Hakusho

As much as I loved DBZ as a kid, Yu Yu Hakusho replaced it as my go to high-octane Fighting Anime. I still like DBZ well enough, but I feel like Yu Yu Hakusho told a fuller, more complete story in about half the time it took DBZ, and I liked the characters a little bit better. Yuske, Kuwubara, Hiei and Kurama all go through significant changes as the series goes on, and it isn't just relegated to them getting stronger (I'm still looking at you, DBZ.) Every arc of the show challenged the group in new ways and forced them to become a better team. There was no Saiyan equivalent that made every other character useless by the end of the series; Hiei, Kurama and Kuwubara are all relevant right until the fourth season, where Kuwubara backs out because he wants to pursue his education, which made perfect sense for his character.

This is also the series I watched before writing Electus. It influenced it a good bit, I think, at least as far as pacing and characterization goes. I've always been a huge fan of how fast Yu Yu Hakusho moved through an arc compared to most big anime and it never felt like anything was sacrificed. More shows could learn from that.


3. Trigun

Just as I was coming off my Rurouni Kenshin high, I found a new hero on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block to fill my pacifist-hero-that-still-has-to-solve-problems-with-violence-because-he's-haunted-by-his-past fix. Man, that was a mouthful....

Anyway, Trigun was always fun for me because, unlike Kenshin, Vash was a bit of a perv and got himself into a lot of trouble he could've avoided because of that. Along the way you find out that the massive destruction caused by Vash years prior wasn't even his fault, but he's still forced to suffer the consequenses. The final episode, where we see Vash finally forced to fight his own brother to the death served as the perfect ending to a magnificent series.

4. Gankutsuo

I had friends who hated this series because of the art style, and I never understood why. To me, it's one of the prettiest series I've ever watched, and that's handy, because it's about all the flashiness you'll get out of this one. Gankutsuo is a re-imagining of The Count of Monte Cristo, so it's more political intrigue than slugfest. Unlike the film from years back, the anime is much more true to the Count's dark, selfish character; he's a monster consumed with the thought of vengeance and there's no room in his heart for anything else.

This one's probably the biggest oddball on my list, but it's one of those shows that just sticks out in my mind, and now I really want to find it on DVD and watch it again....


5. Saint Seiya

Saint Seiya (or Knights of the Zodiac as it was called in the States) is an interesting beast that starts out as a pretty standard fair team anime. You have this group of kids with clashing personalities who are chosen by fate to bear their respective symbols and they have to learn to work together to overcome the big cosmic baddie of the week. What set Saint Seiya apart for me was the fact that over time, they allowed their characters to suffer permanent damage. By the end, Swan loses an eye, while Shiryu is permanently blinded by Perseus, and despite the fact that they live in a world where miracles are possible, these are things they just have to deal with. (That doesn't really make sense, but I digress.)

Other than that, I always enjoyed its blend of Greek mythology and standard anime fare. The biggest twists come in the last season (which was delayed for several years) when we find out that the good guys weren't really the good guys, and ... wait, you mean they were? Oh, awesome, and then Athena has to be rescued and ... wait, they failed? No, it was her plan? So. Many. Twists. Just give it a watch and you'll see what I mean.


6. Ronin Warriors

Ronin Warriors is just plain fun. Picture a better, deeper version of Power Rangers and you're not too far off from describing the show. If you can manage to find it without paying through the nose, pick this one up. I can't really do it justice with a description, so you'll just have to see it for yourself.


7. Speed Racer

This is the one that usually has people scratching their heads, wondering where in the unholy hell this belongs on a list with all my other favorites. And really ... I don't have a good answer for that. I can tell you it was the very first anime I ever saw, and I still enjoy watching it today, even though it's the cheesiest thing you'll ever watch outside of an episode of The Brady Bunch. The characters are all archetypes and exhibit only the most extreme personalities and emotions and the animation is a bit dated. But it still looks alright, and I love it.


8. Cyborg 009

I didn't appreciate this show when I was a kid. I thought the art style looked dumb (and I still kinda do) and I didn't understand the story. But, when I got older and went back to watch it again, it struck a chord with me. When you get down to the meat of it, Cyborg 009 and the rest of his group are all pretty depressing. Maybe that's why I didn't like the show as a kid; this show is really sad. How the heck did it make it to Cartoon Network anyway?


9. Cowboy Bebop

...
...
Yeah, it's really good and no one really argues that, so, moving on....


10. Gungrave

Oy, saddle up for what is quite possibly the saddest anime of all time. What starts out as a story about two best friends fighting their way up from nothing ends with one of them becoming a big underworld leader and the other having to come back from the grave to kill his former best friend. This whole anime tugs on the heartstrings and the animation is beautiful. It's a wonderful anime, but I warn everyone to stay away from it if they don't want something that's going to stomp all over their emotions with as much remorse as my wife has for spiders.


11. Wolf's Rain

Remember earlier when I said Gungrave was super depressing? Well, Wolf's Rain gives it a hard run for its money. Between the two, I honestly can't tell you which one tugged at my heartstrings the most, and I also can't tell you which is the most beautifully told. But if I had to pick a favorite between the two, I'd give the nod to Wolf's Rain just because I really like wolves. But, again, if you don't like stories that were built from the ground up to stomp on your heart like your high school sweetheart the day before prom, steer clear.


12. RIN: Daughters of Mnemosyne

This one was fairly mainstream, and because of that it floored me with its level of ... Dark. Yeah, this show is so Dark that the d should always be capitalized. I've tried to get people into this anime in the past and only two of them were able to make it past the first episode. It's weird, it's Dark, it pulls no punches, it ... has one of the most interesting backstories of anything I've ever watched. Not for the feint of heart with all the violence (a good bit of it sexual in nature) and mutilation, but if you can get past that, the story is very rich. There are so many neat little details I catch when I rewatch it that I missed the second and third time I sat through it.

If you've ever watched something on the level of Gantz, then RIN probably won't bother you. Only, unlike Gantz, RIN is good. But there's your measuring stick.


13. Outlaw Star

Ah, my old friend. I remember this one from Toonami, and then again when they aired it on Adult Swim at launch. Then I owned it on DVD and watched again ... then my dumb ass decided to sell it. I made a lot of mistakes in my childhood, but that one still haunts me just because of the sheer stupidity? I mean, if I was that mind-numbingly idiotic, how did I remember to breathe?

Anyway, this anime is great! You want giant spaceship battles? You got it! Want a gun with bullets literally made of magic? Boom, all yours! Want an awesome Ronin chick that could probably kill you with a stare if she wanted? Yeah, she's here too! Want that kind of annoying sidekick character that pops up in most anime? Well, me neither, but we take the good with the bad.

I believe you can find this show now for pretty cheap, so give it a watch!


14. Mobile Fighter G Gundam

They say there's at least one Gundam show for everyone, and they're right! All Bandai had to do was make a show unlike any other Gundam show and I was hooked! Unfortunately, most Gundam fans HATE this show, and I never really understood why. It had fun characters and stylish action, and it didn't take itself too seriously, like most Gundam shows are guilty of.

The whole premise of the rich people floating above earth on space-continents (and no, I'm not joking) and using the planet as their own personal battleground for an annual tournament made so much sense to me. They don't care for the people actually living down there on the planet, they just want to have their tournament and float around on their space-continents (God, that's fun to say) and lord it over everyone else. So, if you've never seen, I recommend at least checking it out. And if you've suffered through Gundam Seed, then this will be like having a nice, juicy steak after 6 months of nothing but McNuggets.

Space-Continent!


15. Eden of the East

I didn't expect to fall in love with this show like I did. It was on Netflix at the time, and I watched it on a whim after hearing about it from a friend in passing. I made it through the whole main series in one day, and moved onto the two following films afterwards. The characters are likeable, the voice acting, animation and music are all top-notch. I really can't say enough good things about this show; it's serious when it needs to be, then it'll make you laugh and feel all fuzzy inside.

You know, I don't want to spoil a single thing about this one. Just go watch it. If you don't like it, I'll ... well, I'll probably just feel sorry for you, but yeah, check it out!