Favorites of All Time and Why [read guidelines], Favorites of All Time and Why [read guidelines]

[Wandering A.I.]

>These are just my opinions and observations though. I dont really expect to see many anime made before 1995...

You definitely won't see much older than that from me anyway, older anime is often visually lacking. If I wasn't looking for well done visuals with my story I'd go read a book. ;p

>2.) The Big O
I really love the 1920s-ish feel to the show

I agree, it reminded me of watching Batman or Dick Tracy where you have really well done atmosphere/stylized worlds. Of course Big O manages to integrate mecha and androids as well which makes it all the better. ^^

>Magic Knight Rayearth. To be fair, only the first 20 episodes apply

Gah, first season was cookie cutter monster of the week. Second season actually had something interesting to call its own. I suppose I'll never agree with someone who claims to *like* the Pedro part of Excel anyway. That must be a joke..

>Ah! My Goddess!
Put this down as my favorite. Bell's voice was perfect in both sub and dub (which is rare for me to say, I hate Mahoro and Aoi's dub voices/actresses for example...) and Kei was a more likable character than many male leads. The nice simple sweetness and good looks of this anime led me to show it to many anime first timers, including my current g/f. The shortness was actually an advantage (I can imagine her first comment had I gone with CCS which is also a favorite of mine: "You spent how many hours watching little girls be cute and play dress up!?"). There is the whole manga to get into afterwards to make up for it anyway. Sad about the video quality on the AMG R1 (let's have a thread about video butchery so I can whine about AnimeEigo & Macross/AMG and ADV & Nadesico...).

Erm, I think AMG is '93 and MKR '94...maybe I'm slipping. ^^

[Schrodingers_Kat]

Favorites and why... favorites and why... hrm... so many and so little tiime ^.^

#1 Above and beyond all is Fruits Basket I enjoyed every aspect about this show from the moment I saw it. It is a story that quite honestly had me crying in quite a few episodes and left me with a feeling of completion after 26 . It falls into the slot of perfect shows.

#2 Trigun Vash the Stampede's story is one of the very few the surprised the hell out of me. It was one of the first shows I had seen where it began as a comedy but soon boiled down into a very interesting drama and phylosophical idea. Truly great shows leave you inspired and thoughtful and Trigun definately left me there.

#3 Irresponsible Captain Tylor I cant really say why I like this show so much but it certainly leaves me with a warm fuzzy feeling similar to the one I get when I watch MASH. It's a distant step from an all too serious world.

#4 Inuyasha I just plain like this show. It's a long running obcession of mine stemming back to when there were only 18 released episodes and a friend of mine in Kyoto sent me a disc with a note that read Watch This, You'll like it. 116 episodes later and a full manga collection I'm hooked. I'm excited about the characters and while I wont say it's a "perfect" 10 it certainly is a show with story to die for.

#5 Princess Mononoke It's my favorite of the Ghibli movies and seemed to me to be on levels most enviromental movies could only lick the boots of. It's a difficult topic for any show to dive into and it managed to come out clean without a political taint at the end. It's the movie that made me want to be an animator.

[Great S.G.]

Time to list some movies.

5: The Venus Wars A little gem that I first saw on Sci-fi channel years ago. The setting is in the future where due to a comet colliding into Venus the planet is hospitable and two nations have been established on the sanding and desolate Venus. But all is not well on Venus as the empire of Io is attacked by the militant nation of Ishtar and all of Venus heads into full-scale war and cault in the middle is a young street punk; his friends and a reporter from Earth.
Written and Directed by veteran Yoshikazu Yasuhiko(character designer of MS Gundam; Chrusher Joe; and writer of various mangas) and music by legend Joe Hisaishi(Castle in the Sky; Spirited Away and many more Ghibli films) this movie is a grand war movie from the late old-school days of the 80s. The animation is great for this movie and so is the music! The story may be a bit done before; but the settings and the characters make it a great movie.

4: Patlabor the Movie 2 In the year 2000 war seems inevitable in Japan as a mysterious man launches strange attacks on the unsuspecting Japanese government. But Captian Gotoh and his team are out and on the investigation and what is with Shinobu and her mixed feelings; does she really know whose behind it all?
With great animation; wonderful dialouge and drama and some of the best cinematography ever seen in anime. Patlabor 2 is a very different turn from the typical labor vs. labor scene. Most of the main characters like Izumi and Shinohara take a back seat to Gotoh and Shinobu. But fear not; there's still a nice bit of labor action in this grand movie.

3: Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust In the distant future where minions of the night are falling but still plague mankind; one amongst both sects of life is out to stop the vampires who feed upon the innocent humans. D's mission this time around is to rescue a young woman kidnapped by a Vampire who is on his way to the castle of Carlotta far away. D's not alone in his search; the bounty hunter group of the Markus brothers is also out for the huge reward of rescuing the kidnapped woman; but was she really kidnapped or did she go on her own will? And can D save her before things take turns that neither him nor his prey can forsee?
Let me just begin my response with this; "This movie kicks ass!" a great story and splendid animation and design make this a truly wonderful movie! D or the world he roams have never looked so good! Definitely one of the best anime movies of the last 10 years!

2: Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack Seven years have past since the great Titans/Neo Zeon war that saw the forces of Amuro Ray and Char Aznable fight alongside each other. But now Char has resurfaced again; this time with his own Neo Zeon army ready to force the Earthborns to live in space. It's up to Amuro Ray and Bright Noah and the Londo Bell forces to stop Char before he plunges Earth into a nuclear winter.
This is definitely one of Gundam and Yoshiyuki Tomino's highest achievements. A grand war movie with great drama and plenty of action to keep you on the edge of your seat. Great animation for it's age and a wonderufl msuic score with a strong plot make this a great movie. The last 15 minutes are just amazing.

And my number one film is...
Castle in the Sky In a neo-industrial setting that only Jewels Vern could dream of comes this Hayao Miyazaki classic! One day young Pazu is heading off with dinner to the miners in his small village when a strange light catches his eyes; what he see is a young girl floating softly out of the sky and the strange light eminating from the pendant around her neck. When the young girl Sheeta awakens Pazu is visted by unwelcomed guest looking for Sheeta and her pendant. Dashing off through meaning narrow escapes the two of them learnt hat Sheeta is a discendant from the legendary flaoting city of Laputa; rumored to still be floating high in the skys. Together with each a reason to mind the legendary city the two of them head off on a grand action-filled adventure filled with excitement and danger and mystery.
As much as I love each and every Miyazaki film; this one is truly my favorite and I believe to be one of animated films highest achievements. Castle in the Sky has everything that makes a good film! A wonderful story and setting; great music and most of all; exceptionally great characters. This film has a magical charm to it and I think anyone who doesn't enjoy this movie just doesn't have an imagination or heart.
If there's any Miyazaki or anime movie out there that should be seen by most anyone; it's Castle in the Sky!

[Yagami]

Did some research. Actually, the longest running show is Sazae-san (source). This show has been running ever since 1969 - every Sunday from 6:30 pm. As for Doraemon, it first came out on TV back in 1973 (source) but the show got cancelled because the show wasn't popular (I have to admit that I never knew that). They started showing the series in 1979 and this one took off - and is still around today.

[Lord of All Evil]

> Did some research. Actually, the longest running show is Sazae-san (source). This show has been running ever since 1969 - every Sunday from 6:30 pm. As for Doraemon, it first came out on TV back in 1973 (source) but the shoiw got cancelled because the show wasn't popular (I have to admit that I never knew that). They started showing the series in 1979 and this one took off - and is still around today.

Good job, you are an icon to all fanboys everywhere.
Doesn't really matter whether Sazae-san is longer running than Doraemon or not, they both pwn!

[Initial B]

Jaxelrod, that picture of three doraemon kittens was so sweet I had to brush my teeth. Where did you get that?

[Jaxel]

People that know me, know that I love kittens...

I've got a library or cute kitty pictures, like drunk kitties and stuff.

[revolutio]

Chobits: No show has made me happier than this one. It had such a wonderfully warm feel to it all the way that just hearing a few seconds of the soundtrack will make me relive the whole thing. Chii was ridiculously cute. I just really liked it. It was like a believeable chick-flick.

Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' On Heaven's Door: All the great points from the series crammed into one movie. I loved the series. The feel, the philosophy, the animation, and above all else... the music.

Robotech: Does this even require an explanation? Great story line. Great mecha (the original mecha anime really). The love story in it is one of my favorites of any show ever.

Trigun: The happiest anime ever. The fact that it added in many serious elements without changing the characters made the general feel of the show that much more believable. Once again I liked the love stories in this, they were simple and not overly sappy or dramatic. Oh yeah and Vash kicks ass.

Serial Experiments Lain: Mind bending. So non-traditional that it makes it tough to even talk about. It made me think, alot, and I am one who can usually keep up with plots with ease. Watching this along with the Matrix makes me want to never touch an electronic device again... almost.

Hamtaro: "These nuts are excellent!"

Edit: Well that was really pathetically unoriginal. Oh well I enjoyed them.

[Curi0u5 G30rg3]

Samurai Pizza Cats

This is an excelent anime...not only because it has cat girls and mechs...but its got pizza...and what else is better than cat girls, mechs, and pizzas...plus the story was original...i mean i dont know of any other anime that uses that story line...and if u do please notify me cause i wanna watch it

[crownprincesado]

This is an amazing thread. Thank you.

#5 - Touch

One day, a man named Sherman sent me a file named [BakaMX] - Touch 001.avi. It was all over after that. Touch is a 108 episode. three-arc 1980's drama featuring two twin brothers and their vested love interest.

Out of the 80's series that I loved, Marmalade Boy was my favourite manga as I read that and fell in love instantly with the characters; Maison Ikkoku was an overall wonder-series that brought a real comedy into the mix; yet above all of that stands Touch. Yes, it's a sports anime that focuses on the twin brothers Tatsuya and Kazuya, and the love triangle between them and their next door neighbor Minami. However, what sets it apart from the previous two stories from that decade I mentioned is that it combines everything into one to make a well-rounded anime. The tension is kept on all levels throughout the series in each part; the relationships in school and around the house, but most importantly the on-the-field struggles of Tatsuya to eventually fill his brother's shoes as the ace pitcher when he is "traded" into boxing.

Every kind of emotion is seeped out of you through this series, but not just in the drama between the characters, but also their own personal trials that they are forced to overcome. Tatsuya is by far one of the most complex leading men I've seen, with the pressure of baseball, schoolwork, and forcing himself to become a man "suitable" for Minami all coming down on him at once. While Kazuya is forced to take a backseat to Tatsuya in the two later arcs, his character plays pivotal roles in reinforcing what Tatsuya has to do with his life.

The theme song is a classic, as everything about this anime is.

#4 - Initial D

There's something about cool guys, fast cars, and the fastest music on the world that when they come together with relatively decent animation, it creates something special. Initial D is a possibly still-ongoing series, with Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3 (Movie), Extra Stage, and Battle Stage. The story focuses on Fujiwara Takumi, a young man who has been driving on a mountain pass for years delivering tofu and making his skills into that of a legend.

Initial D is not a deep anime, or a sophistaced one. Barring the amazing exception of Takumi's character development, there is very little of that. Less so of a real "plot" as it is just a series of battles and challenges working towards a non-existant goal. Maybe the fact that there is no "goal" Takumi is shooting for throughout the series is what makes it just so amazing, as his life is not confined by any boundary that he doesn't create.

.. and the battles just kick ass. There was nothing like seeing a car whip around sharp turns like that with real techniques, although a bit exaggerated, real none the less. A chord was struck the first time you hear the pistons of the engines flush down and floor it, braking and downshifting then quickly releasing and stepping on the gas as you shift up out of the turn at a 90 degree angle from which your car was 5 seconds ago. All of this to music that is just as fast as the action going on the screen. There isn't anything more exhilirating in an anime that that; nothing else kept me on the edge of my seat more. Drama is a roller-coaster; action is predictable and quick; but Initial D's battles are like a great round of sex - quick to start, lots of long streches of continuous action, and then finally one bit moment to let it all release.

This is what makes Initial D great - what makes it my #4 favourite anime of all-time is really, Second Stage and the movie - namely, the maturation and desire of Takumi. He progressed from a young kid not knowing anything about cars to developing a love for them, and in the meanwhile, giving his life self-worth and a goal to shoot for. As his skills improved on the mountain passes, so did his outlook on life and the importance of everything in it. Takumi really evolves into one of the most well-developed single characters I've seen.

#3 - RahXephon

Truly an amazing anime that takes the "deep-thought" crown away from Neon Genesis Evangelion and wears it proudly. Focusing on Ayato, RahXephon is a 26-episode series (along with a movie) that explores the meaning of existance in a battle between Murians and humans.

Rah is hard for me to explain in the same way that Evangelion is hard to explain. It's the characters, it's the music, it's the story - but it really is how the entire anime comes together to form a cohesive story that paints a beautiful picture you can't help but stare at. The characters that exist in Rah are seemingly done before, but not in this way - you think you have heard this story before, but Rah presents itself in an entirely new light.

Honestly, I was not enthralled as I was during the series. ... actually, on second thought...

New #3 - Saishuuheikii Kanojyo

I changed my mind because my mind was only allowing Evangelion and Rah to exist in this spot, but re-reading the thread made me realize that neither of these anime fully expresses itself to me as completely as Saikano does.

I can't say it better than anyone else who has already talked about this anime, so I leave it at that.

#2 - Kareshi Kanojyo no Jiyou (Manga)

Maralade Boy was in the running here too, but Kare Kano just extends so much further than it ever could. I love the anime series until the end, but the manga just picks up everything and compiles one of the best stories that continues to impress me with each volume that is released. The series is so enthralling and encompassing that it doesn't matter there is little else but drama now because the drama is just so good.

Kare Kano is focused on the love between Miyazawa Yukino and Arima Soichirou. Yukino is my favourite female character of all time; Seta Soujirou only beats out Soichirou as my favourite male because Arima never really wields a sword, even though he does kendo and is quite good at it.

Kare Kano has a great supporting cast that you wished you knew more about when you see them, but quickly forget as the next development with Yukino and Souchirou comes along. Their relationship throughout the story ranks as one of the greatest "couple" relationships in drama/writing today. Even as teenagers they are truly able to understand and express everything about themselves in such a way that it gets across as transcending age; their story resonates as almost a "guide" to how to deal with situations when they arise in a relationship. The model students have a relationship based on desire and passion that they desperately try to withhold from each other.

Yukino is so fresh and original to me in the world of female drama characters. Her personality is so vibrant, but she isn't naive or play-dumb. She has a strong backbone and a desire to do things her own way, as well as an indominitable will that doesn't relent when it grabs unto something even if she's wrong. Soichirou, on the other hand, is a male character that we rarely get to see. Depressed, regressive, violent, angry, and abusive are all words that can describe him; yet kind, gentle, understanding, caring, and nuturing are all things that equally fit him. His relationship with Asaba becomes the "third wheel" of Kare Kano and a pivotal place where he goes to reform his thoughts and desires.

... it's just so good.

#1 - Rurouni Kenshin

It's.. Kenshin. (x) Everything about it.

Other animes that deserve to be on here but limited space..

The Irresonsible Captain Tylor -> One of the funniest anime I've ever seen. I couldn't stop laughing at Tylor, who shows the same progression as Takumi does in Initial D.. and then loses it all to become himself again

Azumanga Daioh -> Possibly the best comedy I've seen. While it is a bit too estrogen-filled at times, Osaka more than makes up for everything when she comes into the scene. Absolutely brilliant.

Jungle wa Itsumo, Hare Nochi Guu -> Another Sherman favourite that has made its way into my own heart. God, this series is just so amazingly funny and original that it completely turns my head each episode.

Gravitation -> Yes, Gravitation. It just had an unnatural flair to the entire series, a seriousness that prevaded the comedy and looseness that enveloped a lot of Shuichi's character.

Gundam SeeD -> An anime that restores my faith in everything Gundam. I don't think I've seen a better strech of episodes than 30-41 in recently memory, and it's possible that the Soujirou/Shisho v. Kenshin fight might just not be as good depending on how the next few turn out.

[Jaxel]

Going back to the LOAE conversation... I dont really know much about Yoshiki Tanaka or his writing. I dont understand Japanese so I have never read his books. I do however, know that he writes AMAZING epic stories like Legend of the Galactic Heroes and The Heroic Legends of Arislan. Another anime that I should have mentioned was The Heroic Legends of Arislan; yes, I know you cant give him full credit because it is based on a Persian prose called Amir Arslan, but his adaptation of the poem is amazing...

Pharangese rules.

[Lord of All Evil]

> I do however, know that he writes AMAZING epic stories like Legend of the Galactic Heroes and The Heroic Legends of Arislan.

Oh definitely. This epic stories are quite amazing. As many characters as he has, they all have excellent development, even some of the really minor ones, and I have no trouble understanding any of them, and I can SEE how what happens next is inevitable given the situation they're in, but I don't see it happening until it does happen. It's amazing.

[SSmith]

5) Mahoromatic: I found this show to be incredibly entertaining. Have never seen the second season, I'm a bit scared it won't live up to the first. Its GAINAX, I know... but it just has such a fun feel to it. Not to mention I love doing the Mahoro mambo at the end of every episode

4) Martian Successor: Nadesico: Best. Satire. Ever. GAIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

3) Trigun: Just so damn entertaining, its impossible to explain. A healthy dose of action, hilarity, and plot (although the plot doesnt' come until later). I also was particularly fascinated with Wolfwood's journey. His entire character takes on a whole new light once you've seen the end of the show. Plus, Vash is cool.

2) Cowboy Bebop: Enough said.

1) Ruroni Kenshin OAV (the first one)" Moving, violent, passionate, favorite anime of all time, right here.

[harlock_jds]

>Truly an amazing anime that takes the "deep-thought" crown away from Neon Genesis Evangelion and wears it proudly.

I'm really thinking about it in the same way. I havent been this happy woth a show since NGE.

[crownprincesado]

Harlock, I think I only truly became happy with the show at the very end, when everything was concluded and things seemed to be what they wanted to turn out to be. It really was something special, to see an anime like that come together and fit all of the pieces back together, but not in an "over-the-top" way - it just made sense, since the message was clearly more positive than Evangelion.

[K4w411 N3k0]

Alright, I'll put down a top five of my own. It tends to change, but the top two stay for now.

Bubble Gum Crisis: I love the cyperpunk setting, the hardsuits, Priss... Priss, and the actual storyline for the various OAVs are done in a masterful style.

Bubble Gum Crisis Tokyo 2040: These newer tale of the Knight Sabers tends twoards a new concern rising from a different age, but still is a stellar anime. I like how Priss looks in this one alot, but her personality was better in the first. She's still a cool character though.

Ghost in the Shell: Another tale dealing with cyberpunk. This was a great movie, and Motoko was a cool character. The whole atmosphere of the story was great. It became one of my favorties quickly.

Jin-roh: A great story.... don't really wish to say much, but the German influenced setting is strangely cool. The armor the special police unit wear is sweet as hell too. It's a must see for those that liked Ghost in the Shell.

Gunsmith Cats: The manga is most likely better but I haven't read that yet. It was still a cool anime to watch, and I just love Rally. She's so cool.

Others that I enjoyed: Cowboy Bebop, Inu Yasha, 08th MS Team, Gundam 0083, Gundam, Macross II, Ceres, Outlaw Star, Ruroni Kenshin, Princess Mononoke, Tenchi Muyo, Akira, Black Magic M-66, 3x3 Eyes, Shadow Skill, Tokyo Babylon, Venus Wars, Blue Seed, Crest of the Stars, and Card Captor Sakura

That last part is long, and isn't meant to be counted as part of my top 5 anime. Just a run through of others I liked, but are not my favorites.

[VasHtheStampede]

Hmm, I'm surprized no one had mentioned this anime yet, so I guess I'll give this one more go:

Scryed (this would be ranked #8 on my lists)

What they say about this: (from Anime nfo)
"In the near future, an unexplained phenomenon has occured on a distant island called "The Lost Grounds", giving birth to a new species of human. These evolved humans, called Alter Users, can manipulate matter and reform (or alter) it into unique forms. On this remote island, those born inside a walled city are citizens, while everyone born outside live lawless lives in the badlands. In an attempt to keep the peace the police force HOLD along with the elite alter-user squad HOLY capture dangerous native alter users and offer them a choice... join HOLY or be imprisoned. After young native alter user Kazuma's run-in with HOLY, questions arise. Is HOLY really interested in the good of all, or is there some other motive behind their actions?"

What I say:
Possibly at first glace at this series, you might think "Damnit, not another stupid DBZ wannabe!?" Sure, in this series you got some tough-as-nails guys yelling out their massive attacks that cause as much damage as the Hiroshima bomb in some post-appolyptic-like land that we've seen many times in animes of this genre. But wait! There's something much, much better about this series. Now let me think...... Oh yeah! It doesn't suck! Surely, this anime has got to have one of the most addicting, enjoyable, and a bunch of times, on the edge of your seat kind of storyline that make this series too fun to watch. All of the charactors are great and very likeable, espeically with the main charactor, Kazuma, who has some of the best japanese voice acting I've heard (although I pity on how Bandai casted their US voices). This anime is also one of the first to be "all digital" instead of using paint cells and uses some heavy digital effects when it first aired in 2001, but it was definately not made to look cheesy, unlike most other newer anime shows that went this route. And I can't really think of any downsides to this, however the show really gets going by episode 9 and the previous ones are more used to introduce charactors and set the plot.
For my final word, I would highly reccomend this series to well, pretty much anyone really. Ok, maybe just this is more of a guy anime to anyone else, but the show is a blast to watch and it's not made to look too kiddy-ish, although I could really see this series on Toonami or Adult Swim anytime soon. The first DVD with the first 5 episodes is currently released by Bandai now.

[Jaxel]

I personally thought S-Cry-Ed sucked ass. The plot itself is some ludicrous Marvel Council of Heroes wannabe; and the bright colors in an anime that is meant to have "thought" in it made it seem VERY kiddyish. Not to mention the end is one of the worst endings in an anime ever seen (and I know I am not alone on this thought).

DBZ Clone? Hardly. Felt more like a Tokyo Underground of Arc the Lad clone to me.

[omoikane]

As much as I'm gung ho for RahXephon and I think it is ultimately something unique, it's in a lot of aspects no better than Eva. I would say that in the areas where Eva failed, RahXephon succeeded, as a "deep thought" anime. But that's that!

And Scryed...well, are you in its target audience? If you don't enjoy shounen fight anime you won't like it any more you would any other shounen fight anime. I think it's fine for the most part.

[VasHtheStampede]

> Not to mention the end is one of the worst endings in an anime ever seen (and I know I am not alone on this thought)

Yeah, that's another thing about Scryed. The series pretty much ends at episode 24, then the creators decided to make one of the most over-the-top one-on-one anime battles for the finalle that make all of the battles in DBZ look like a sissy bitch-slap fight. Stupid? Yes. Badass? Oh hell yes!

[Saravok]

Well, in no particular order:

Macross Plus: This in all honesty was my all time favorite anime for some time. I loved the music, especially the song ‘Voices’. I thought the characters were all likeable and believable and I loved the mecha designs. The animation was top notch and the plot was pretty good. Of course the aerial combat is still some of the best I’ve ever seen. An all around good OVA that was only improved by its movie edition. It holds a place of honor in my collection.

Cowboy Bebop: Where to begin. It had it all, memorable and lovable characters, great stories amazing action and music that was just to cool for words. The fight in the chapel is one of the all time greatest gun battles in anime in my opinion, and Spike’s assault on the Mafia’s HQ at the end is right up there with it. One of the best things about this series, in my opinion, is the ending. It’s probably the best in anime. It’s not overly sappy, or horribly sad. It’s bittersweet and honest, just the way I like it.

Macross Zero: After watching two episodes of this prequel to the original Macross, I must say I’m impressed. The music is great and the characters are interesting. The dogfights are a blast to watch and seeing my favorite mecha types in glorious full motion CG was a truly moving moment for me. I shall continue watching this series with great interest.

Vampire Hunter D: This one holds a place in my heart as the show that got me into anime. Watching the cool and tortured D dealing death to supernatural horrors put me in awe as a young lad and ignited my interest in this, at the time, odd art form known as anime.

Rahxephon: All in all, I truly enjoyed this series. I really liked the main character and thought he had a personality as well as a good reason for what he was doing. The plot twist and the truths reveled at the end were entertaining and the animation and designs were fascinating. A good thinker series.

Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex: It’s got the music, its got the characters, it’s got opto-cameo and best of all, the coolest AI’s in existents in the Tachikoma’s. They’re like heavily armed and mobile schoolgirls, I love it! I’ve seen up to episode 16 and must admit that done very well with the work so far. Though mostly episodic there does seem to be an overall story that get’s more and more interesting as we learn more. Besides, Major Makoto smiles, you can’t beat that.

Magic Knights Rayearth: The only magic girl show I ever truly liked. The characters were fairly interesting, the transformations thankfully short, and the butt kicking at appropriate levels. Plus it had an unexpected ending that defied my view of the standard magical girl convention.

FLCL: Heh, another series that holds a place of honor in my collection. It’s weird, wacky but darn it, its one of the coolest pieces of anime ever. And I just love Haruka. A girl with a base guitar and she’s not afraid to use it. Watching her turn Nota’s life upside down is an absolute hoot. Almost as much fun as watching Nota come into his own at the end. A great OVA with wonderful characters and “A robot so advanced it doesn’t need to speak” in Canti. One of my all time favs.

Nuku Nuku: Nothing like watching Android cat-girls kick butt and look cute doing it. The original ova had some good animations as well as lovable characters. Emi for all her insanity is still one of my all time favorite characters. And of course after seeing the Nuku Nuku plushie I just knew I had to get one of my own.

Guyver: Power and responsibility. The animation isn’t the best, but it had a good story and remained pretty faithful to the manga. A good translation of one of my favorite works.

[Cichlisuite]

Heres mine so far (out of order because i cant make my mind where to to rank them X_X)
Evangelion One of the first anime series I collected and also one of the first anime series to really make me think.
Even though it has its faults its is truely a classic in my book.
Rahxephon This has to be my favorite series to date.
What Evangelion lacks and fails Rahxephon achieves and innovates. Everything about this series is kick ass, including the ending! (which i actually liked and understood)
Record of Lodoss War one of the very few fantasy animes i really enjoyed (maybe becasue its based on westren fantasy like D&D and Tolkien ). The series was truely a masterpiece in characterization and storytelling.
FLCL this anime is awesome, nuff said. Everything about this anime is l337! The music,characters,the total lunacy, this anime is the epitome of enjoyable insanity.
UC Gundam a classic in its own right. The only reason i enjoy this so much because of the epic battles,mechs and characters and the overall "realistic" mood of the series.
GTO the one thing that makes this series so great is Onizuka and the characters that he molds into "better" people. And the fact that it always suck you in to see how will Onizuka overcome the overwhelming odds that are constantly put against him.
Scrapped Princess a new favorite of mine, this anime totally rocks. It has great animation,characters, setting and also a unique plot in which the main characters are the "enemies" of the series. That and it deals with questioning ones beliefs which makes me like the series even more.

[Kumkvatti]

I have a few.

GTO
I personally think that Eikichi is the coolest anime-character, ever. This show just has everything that I like including humour and action! GTO had me hooked faster than any other show, no wonder, it's damn entertaining and proves that not all anime is for kids, it has some serious things in it too.. Live-action, here I come!

Shoujo Kakumei Utena
I like the plot (that has more twists than average), characters are kicking ass all the time and the drawing style is just beautiful ^^ So everything is just fine in this show.

[L33T_Shenlong]

I hope I do this right

1. Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou (His and Her Circumstances)
I liked how they portrayed the whole popular couple and also because it's really funny. I loved the animation and the voices, whether it be American or Japanese, went very well together. Sometimes the subtitles got a little crazy but it was still okay. Also, I liked how they bounced around in episodes and focused on other characters conflicts and issues. I press much give this one a 5 stars (I have yet to get the last volume )

2. Chobits
Hehehe...I LOVED the animation and character design. Also, for the main role I like how Hideki Motasowa acts in really uncomfortable situations and how he gets himself into really zany situations. He's also really shy but tends to talk to himself a lot outloud and his Chii's very cute. Not to mention I like how she interacts with him. I love how through the series he teachs her various things and such. Actually, this is a series I recommend. It's really perverted and super funny.

3. Seriel Experiments Lain
To me this was just a really screwed up form of the matrix. Animation, like the rest, is really well-made and the character design is super simple but something about them makes it as if they're real. Doesn't really have any comedy at all and the episodes like Chobits jumps around a WHOLE lot. It's sort of a slow anime but I like slow animes so it fits in perfectly. A good mysterious anime. Lain is a character to get really hooked to also.

4. Experimental Anime: Excel Saga
Oh god this is the funniest anime I've seen up to date. The reason I like this the most though is because of the fact that it's a complete Parody. It takes nearly genre of anime that I've seen so far and imitates it while making fun of it. The objective of the main character is simple but how she gets closer to her objective while imitating a genre of anime is very funny.

5. Trigun
What got me the most with this is a sissy guy who can kick anyones ass. He doesn't kill anyone ('cept that ONE person) and seems to escape all situations without a scratch (yeah right). The setting also caught me as the environment is very dry. The first few episodes seem to skip around but it all trickles down to a main objective. I gotta say that this hits the list as one of the first great animes I've ever seen.

Animes I shoulda put but didn't because I suck at expressing myself: Samurai X OVA (Rurouni Kenshin), RahXephon, Armitage III, Mahoromatic, InuYasha, Cowboy Bebop,Tenchi Muyo!, Angel Sanctuary, Kikaider and X/1999

Well, that's it. I'm never gonna be a journalist or a reviewer. My words to explain things are too simplistic but I was just trying to get a point across and hopefully help some out there who's looking for animes to watch...maybe to help them out. I dunno

[Pennpenn]

The Transformers- The original series, not the newer stuff (Robots in Disguise, Beast Wars 2, et al. The cgi Beast wars is ok though). I liked it, I grew up on it. It didn't have great animation, a few episodes pained me to tears because of crap stories, huge animaition/scale/sound errors, etc. But I still loved it, mainly because of some of the main characters. Optimus Prime was great, Megatron was one of the most creative villians I've ever seen, and other things like Starscreams constant treachery made the characters likeable.

erm... I'd have to say my other favourites would be Bebop (yeah, yeah great story, music, voice acting, every one else has said it), Dragonball (I dont know why), .hack//sign (Interesting concept, good characters- especially Sora, not Mimiru), Robotech (Wow I like this old stuff and I don't know why!), and Escaflowne (It reminds me of Final Fantasy IX for some reason though....)