Top Five Anime Picks

[WayneLigon]

My top five, leaving out Miyazaki since, well, otherwise all five are his stuff

Record of Lodoss Wars.
Heroic Legend of Arislan.
Vision of Escaflowne.
Last Exile.
The Twelveth Kingdom

 

[Haradim]

As I like a lot of anime, it's hard to pin down my favorites. Still, these are probably my more noteworthy finds (in no particular order):

Vision of Escaflowne (series): First series I actually bought. Mixes two things that appeal to me: fantasy, and mecha. One of few shows where I can't pick out a character I dislike.

X (series): Second series I'm in the progress of buying. Enjoyable music, nice artwork, high-powered action, and a looming crisis. Big inspiration for a game I hope to get off the ground sometime before our own world ends...

Read or Die (OAV and series): Haven't finished the series, but I've enjoyed what I've seen so far.

Cowboy Bebop: For reasons listed.

Trigun: Liked the characters and setting, though the ending was merely 'ok'.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: Tends to be a love it or hate it show. I rather like it, despite some problems towards the end.

Spirited Away: Not quite as good as I was hoping...but I still bought it. As I get fansubs for most shows, I really only purchase things I like a fair bit.

My Neighbor Totoro: A cute show with very little to dislike about it

Grave of the Fireflies: A rather stark contrast to the last two I listed...

There are also a few that I've only seen one or two episodes of, at conventions and such. GetBackers, Risky/Safety, Macross Zero, Gunslinger Girl, Hellsing, Gunparade March, and Boogiepop Phantom have all caught my eye. I'm sure I could dredge up more if I really wanted to.

Now if I could only find the time and money to watch all of this stuff

 

[Pants]

1) Berserk!
2) Cowboy Bebop
3) Trigun
4) Hellsing
5) InuYasha

 

[Sollir Furryfoot]

In no particular order: Record of Lodoss Wars, Slayers, Outlaw Star, Heroic Legend of Arislan, and Cowboy Bebop

 

[Dark Jezter]

I've seen quite a bit of anime in my day, although there's a lot of it I just plain don't like. Still, my favorite anime series...

Cowboy Bebop: This series just plain rocks. There's no other way to put it. It's part space opera, part western, and part 1970s detective story, with great characters and a very interesting universe.

Record of Lodoss War: Disappointed by the D&D movie because it didn't bear as much in common with the game as it could have? This series captures the D&D feel quite well, which makes sense considering that the series is based on the creator's D&D campaign from high school.

Tenchi Muyo: The first 13 episodes of this OAV series are a very enjoyable blend of sci-fi and comedy, which a very memorable cast of characters. After over a decade in hiatus, more episodes of this show are finally being made, but sadly they suck in comparison to the original episodes.

Princess Mononoke: Great music, unique story, and breathtakingly beautiful animation. This was the very first full-length anime movie I purchased on DVD.

Spirited Away: I had a lot of reservations about this movie, thinking that it looked too much like Alice in Wonderland, a story that I've never been a real big fan of. When I finally got around to watching it, though, my reservations went right out the window. Incredibly unique, and the same kind of wonderful animation quality as Princess Mononoke (which was made by the same person).

 

[Uzumaki]

stevelabny, don't give up on Fruits Basket yet. It gets pretty heavy in some places. That's how a lot of anime works. Big funny chunk, then more serious as things progress. Also, you didn't say whether you watched Full Metal Alchemist, but if you haven't, give it a shot or read the manga.

Currently, the stuff I'm going nuts over are Naruto and Full Metal Alchemist. My favorites overall are Ranma (included mostly because it was got me into anime in the first place), Card Captor Sakura, Laputa, Uzumaki, and Shoujo Kakumei Utena, not really in that order.

 

[Synchronicity]

Hmm, favourite anime. That's a difficult choice. In no particular order, my top five are:

Berserk: As many people in this thread have already said, this anime kicks ass. On an unrelated note, I tend to think of it as quite a good anime for showing what D&D characters at around lvls 8-10 can do to generic soldiers.(Who, to my way of thinking are War 1-3s or Ftr 1-2s.)

Hellsing: If you can accept the fact that the animation quality falls in the second half of the series (mainly because they run out of money; the first half's great, with the first episode being gorgeous!), it's a very good anime.

Cowboy Bebop: I consider Episodes 5 (with the cathedral) and 26 (the final episode) to be two of the greatest episodes of anime I've ever seen. The rest of the anime is great too, though I personally don't consider it my absolute favourite.

FLCL: This anime is very short and very odd. I admit to really liking it, though it takes about three viewing before you start to understand it. (The first time, your brain fuses; the second time, you say things like "Well, I get that..but what the hell?!") Very good, though. Maybe a little strange for some people's taste.

Hmm...number 5. I think I'd probably cast my vote for Get Backers, an interesting anime that most people have never heard of. It's about these two guys who go around retrieving things for people..and who happen to have nifty anime powers of doom. Fun series. Other possible contenders for my top five anime include Fruits Basket (slow, somewhat sweet, but very well done.) and Gravitation. (not entirely what most people expect out of anime, but it's a good series.)

EDIT: Can't believe I forgot Read or Die! That's in contention for the top five, too; the whole idea's so good!

 

[Psychotic Dreamer]

Let's see my five favorite anime items:

1) Cowboy Bebop - With out a doubt my favorite anime series, ever. Hell it ranks up there as one of my favorite series ever of anything.

2) Ghost in the Shell - Amazing animation attached to an amazing story.

3) Martian Successor Nadesico - This is just a lot of fun and it kind of mocks the fan obsession with anime, but in a friendly way.

4) Outlaw Star - Fun space opera series. Who wouldn't want a caster gun?

5) Spirited Away - Wonderful story, amazing animation and just a hell of a lot of fun.

Honorable mention goes to Yu Yu Hakusho. I first saw this series when I went to Otakon (A anime convention) in 2000. It's a fun, action/adventure story, with a heart. Kind of. I stumbled upon it because I showed up to watch something early. I caught the tail end of like the fourth episode and something about it just clicked with me. While there I made sure to catch the other episodes. I watch it on Cartoon Network from time to time. Plan to eventually pick up the DVD's when money isn't so tight.

 

[Geoff Watson]

Anime that I like:

Read or Die: The original OAV is great.

Love Hina: Not particularly original, but well done.

Inu-Yasha.

Slayers.

If you like Cowboy Bebop, Outlaw Star is similar (Space Bounty Hunters).

If you like Spirited Away, have a look at the other Studio Ghibli movies; I'd start with Princess Mononoke.

What sort of thing are you looking for? Action, Comedy, Romance?

Geoff.

 

[Shadowdancer]

1. Spirited Away

2. Cowboy Bebop

3. Ghost in the Shell

4. Perfect Blue

5. Graveyard of the Fireflies

Honorable mention: Princess Mononoke, Record of Lodoss War, Millennium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers, Jin-Roh, Metropolis, Akira, Ninja Scroll