Subscribe to ListverseTop 10 Best Written Anime
- Published May 23, 2008 - 325 Comments
Japanese animation has become a boom industry in the western world in the last 15 years. Starting with Akira in the late 80’s, through to the huge anime conventions of today, it has gone from being solely the domain of young children, to capture the imagination of people of all ages and backgrounds. This list comprises the top ten most well written anime, the literature of anime, if you will.
A lot of anime is about schoolgirls. Schoolgirls with robots, schoolgirls with psychic powers, or just naughty schoolgirls. But Azumanga Daioh is just about schoolgirls, following them as they grow, become friends, and deal with tests, homework, and bizarre teachers. Its potent humour comes not from overblown nonsense, but from how recognizable the situations are. Anyone who has been in highschool will find something to enjoy here.
The impossibly good-natured Tohru Honda meets the mysterious Sohmas, a family with a terrible curse hanging over their heads. They turn into animals of the zodiac when hugged by a member of the opposite sex. The magic of the story is revealed alongside the emotional damage of the Sohmas’, as seen through the eyes of Tohru.
The buddy flick has long been a staple of modern cinema, but combine that with a hiphop soundtrack and some awesome samurai action, and you have a stylish and action packed series that throws historical accuracy out the window. As the waitress Fuu, the samurai Jin, and the vagrant ronin Mugen journey across feudal Japan in search of a samurai who smells of sunflowers, the viewer is treated to everything from riotous lampooning, to touching and emotional tales of love and loss.
If there was an anime that could dethrone Evangelion – a show that’s as brilliant as it is entertaining – then that show is Fullmetal Alchemist. Two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, attempt to resurrect their mother using alchemy, losing Ed’s arm and leg, and Al’s Body in the process. They are now searching for the Philosopher’s Stone to fix their bodies. Although there is plenty of comedy, Fullmetal also shows insight into the brutality of war and genocide.
The catalyst for the anime boom, Akira was a calling card for the possibility of animation as an artform. From the opening nuclear destruction of Tokyo, to the climactic battle between out of control psychic Tetsuo, and the laser wielding Kaneda, Akira is fast paced and relentless. It covers a government conspiracy and secret experiments, and as Tetsuo tries to deal with his mental anguish the possibility of an imminent second disaster. A must watch.
The Best of the Lupin the 3rd films, Castle is directed by Hayao Miyasaki of Studio Ghibli fame, and it shows. Featuring a slightly less playboyesque Lupin getting entangled with a runaway princess, and evil count, and (of course) a massive hidden treasure, Castle has all the best qualities of Miyasaki’s work and the Lupin series itself.
Ever since its 1995 debut, it has been analyzed, criticized, glorified, vilified, overrated, undervalued, and talked about in circles. On one level, it’s a giant robot show, with 14 year old Shinji Ikari being drafted into piloting the most technologically advanced fighting machine in the world, to defend it against the Angels who would destroy Mankind as they know it. Yet right in the middle, director Hidaeki Anno strips away the facade, revealing a brutal psychological drama with red herring Christian references, and at its heart a powerfully human story.
No contest, this is the coolest anime ever created by human beings. By filling it with everything that he loved, director Kazuya Tsurumaki created a universal tale of the trials of growing up, which is spectacularly bizarre and entertaining. Naota is already dealing with his older brother’s absence when he is hit on the head by self-proclaimed alien Haruka Haruhara. And that’s when the robots start bursting out of his head. Then come space pirates, arson, a giant hand, and a guy with seaweed for eyebrows. And thank to the efforts of guitar gods The Pillows, the whole thing rocks very hard indeed.
One of the least known of Hayao Miyasaki’s films, why should this rank above the likes of Spirited Away, Naussica, and Mononoke? Because it is, simply put, perfect. A long time lover of airplanes and flight, Miyasaki truly soars in this movie. The main character is Marco, and eponymous pig and former WW1 fighter pilot that became so disgusted with humanity that he literally turned into a humanoid swine. He deals with rival flying gangs, a woman he loves but can never tell, a suave American and others. Maybe Porco is the best because the gruff, disillusioned Marco is the closest character to Miyasaki that has ever appeared in his films.
There is a good reason that Bebop has made the top of the list. It’s run on the cartoon network for four straight years, despite it only being 26 episodes long. It’s more entertaining to watch eight straight times than it is to watch almost anything else. The show revolves around Spike Spiegel, a Bounty Hunter who used to work for organized crime, and together with former cop Jet Black, gambling addict and swindler Faye Valentine, computer genius Ed, and data dog Ein, he deals with killers, space truckers, mushrooms, spoiled food and his past. Add to that the music, where seemingly every genre is explored through the course of the show, and probably some that didn’t exist previously. Whether you just want to see an episode or you’re planning a marathon, Cowboy Bebop is truly have it all.
Contributor: Nejikun
May 23rd, 2008 at 6:22 am
I’m not much of a fan of anime, but Akira is one that I just must see. It seems like essential viewing in general, not just for the world of anime, doesn’t it?
May 23rd, 2008 at 6:25 am
I’m still pretty new to manga and anime. I’ve got to say, FMA is spot-on! I love the anime. All the other series are actually familiar and I must’ve stumbled upon them. I’ll try to indulge myself.
May 23rd, 2008 at 6:27 am
I like Bleach…
May 23rd, 2008 at 6:27 am
Hey, really interesting list! I must say, I was surprised not to see any of Miyazaki’s more popular works here (ie Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke) but far from criticising your choice, I love that it’s given me new ones to watch rather than fulfilling expectations!
I’ve seen 3, 4, 6 and 7 and I agree with your choices for all of those. Guess I have 6 more to see!
May 23rd, 2008 at 6:27 am
and Legend of the Overfiend
May 23rd, 2008 at 6:28 am
All of these are really good. I’ve seen most of them being an Adult Swim fan.
May 23rd, 2008 at 6:40 am
One of my friends likes these shows, but I don’t think I could ever get into them. Of the anime that I have seen, I really could not stand the sometimes obscenely large eyes and ridiculous facial expressions. The list was informative though.
May 23rd, 2008 at 6:41 am
Woohoo! I was wondering just yesterday if an anime list could appear on LV… and here it is! Great choices, I’ve seen most of them.
For those who liked Akira, I have to say that the movie is great and the animation is incredible. But, the manga it’s based on has quite a different storyline, and I consider the story of the manga (2,000 pages in length!) much better written and more enjoyable.
May 23rd, 2008 at 6:41 am
ok…let´s see..in wich category does robotech stands???
May 23rd, 2008 at 6:42 am
Hmmmm…. nice list… but The Vision of Escaflowne should be in the list…
Trigun was also good
May 23rd, 2008 at 6:43 am
The Gundam franchise has had some pretty good story lines too, especially the most recent one “MS Gundam 00″. Ghost in the Shell is pretty good too, as well as Serial Experiments Lain.
May 23rd, 2008 at 6:53 am
I like anime a little bit but a lot of them get on my nerves and some are hard to watch all the way through. BUT, Ghost in the Shell are so well writen I look forward to new ones and watch old episodes over and over.
May 23rd, 2008 at 6:57 am
It’s important to notice that most of these anime are intended for adults, and definitely not suitable for children. Violence, nudity, sexual innuendo, straight-out sex, and intricate plots with deep character development are the norm with most of these.
So for those who think that this is stuff for kiddies, think again.
May 23rd, 2008 at 6:58 am
“it has gone from being solely the domain of young children”. . .to being soley the domain of adults who act like young children.
I fixed it.
May 23rd, 2008 at 7:04 am
Come on are you kidding me.If you are going to write a list please mention that this is your opinion, cause calling it the ‘Top 10 Best Written Anime’ is utter blasphemy.
You left out huge classics..
Spirited Away
Princess Mononoke
Perfect blue
Ninja Scrolls
Metropolis
Gundam Series
Ghost in a Shell
Elfen Lied Series
…and many more.
The only ones that deserve to be on this list is Akira and Neon Genesis Evangelion. Series like Full Metal,etc are just passing fads like that crap naruto,etc.
Cowboy Bepop…#1 really?!
I’m sorry but this is the lousiest list I have seen on listverse
May 23rd, 2008 at 7:06 am
Great list! Glad to see Cowboy Bebop made the top spot, it’s truly a work of art and the reason I don’t just change the channel when anime comes on. Trigun deserves at least an honorable mention, if not more. Love the site by the way.
May 23rd, 2008 at 7:12 am
I usually just change the channel no matter what anime show comes on.
May 23rd, 2008 at 7:12 am
Isn’t it a general understanding that the majority of top lists are based on the author’s personal opinion?
May 23rd, 2008 at 7:18 am
My knowledge of anime stops in the middle of the 1970s when I grew out of “Prince Planet”! That and “Simba the White Lion” is about as far as I went.
May 23rd, 2008 at 7:20 am
Nice selection Harsha. I do love the vampire moives as well:
Blood
Hellsing
Vamire Hunter D
May 23rd, 2008 at 7:32 am
I’d tack onto Harsha’s list stuff like:
Grave of the Fireflies
Millenium Actress
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
Clannad
Paprika
Read or Die (movie)
May 23rd, 2008 at 7:33 am
Getter robo!
May 23rd, 2008 at 7:35 am
typo in the last segment. “Cowboy Bebop is truly have it all.”
Should actually be “cowboy bebop trull has it all.”
just thought you should know jfrater.
May 23rd, 2008 at 7:36 am
sorry i made a typo also. i meant to say “cowboy bebop truly has it all”.
Sorry.
May 23rd, 2008 at 7:38 am
I’m gonna have to agree with Harsha and The-Dude, especially since you can’t leave out GitS (either the movies or Standalone Complex, First Gig). Maybe a “better” list would be a beginner’s primer on good anime, including what’s on the official list and adding The-Dude and Harsha’s suggestions, as well as: “Jin-Roh – The Wolf Brigade”
Maybe someone should do a list of great examples of anime artistry. Then I’d toss “Doomed Megalopolis”, “Tokyo Godfathers”, and “Demon City Shinjuku” into the mix.
May 23rd, 2008 at 8:00 am
Interesting list. I’ve never seen any anime. Would this type of literature be considered today’s comic books? I think I flipped by something that looked like this on the satellite but I didn’t stop long enough to figure out a plot.
May 23rd, 2008 at 8:05 am
You would think Dragonball Z would be #1
HMM..
May 23rd, 2008 at 8:05 am
love all of these shows, but theres sumthin huge missin here, DEATHNOTE!
May 23rd, 2008 at 8:09 am
I always thought anime was silly and nonsensical until I saw Akira. Awesome, awesome movie! Fullmetal Alchemist, Evangelion and Cowboy are also great movies. Haven’t seen the others…will have to check them out.
May 23rd, 2008 at 8:12 am
i love alot of studio giblet stuff, but Spirited away is simply my fav! i think it is sooooo beautiful and so so creepy and quite terrifying too! i cant believe it didn’t make the list, personally, i prefer it a million times more than porco rosso or whatever its called!
Akira freaks me out, the big teddy bears and cuddly toys, shish! puts the willys up me!
May 23rd, 2008 at 8:18 am
Trojan: Anime is the television/movie format, and Manga is the corresponding comic book style.
Youtaintedmemory: Eh…DBZ was good, but it was all action. Not incredibly well-written. Now if we going with best *drawn*…maybe.
I agree, Full Metal Alchemist probably doesn’t deserve to be up here. I’m ecstatic to see Cowboy Bebop at number 1, that has always been one of my favorites, and Samurai Champloo is the name of the game! If I’d had my way, for my own guilty pleasure I would have had Afro Samurai up here too.
May 23rd, 2008 at 8:20 am
i’m really glad cowboy beebop was on the top, It was one of the first series I really appreciated.
Bleach is an upcoming anime series that has a lot of good story to it.
one i believe should be on this list, is Ruroni Kenshin. Absolutely loved it.
Gundam Wing is another really good storyline. (i still needed to buy that series)
and lastely because i like ninja’s, Naruto is like a DBZ for a newer generation, once you get past the first 20ish episodes (i havent seen any of the shiputen? (spelling) but i hear good things too).
also if you like wandering samurai, Samurai Deeper Kyo was pretty good too.
May 23rd, 2008 at 8:24 am
To the people like Harsha and The-Dude. Chill out guys, anime is such a broad genre. No offense but there really isn’t any reason to get all bent out of shape when the man just wanted to make a list we can enjoy. Trigun and Love Hina are worth looking into gang.
May 23rd, 2008 at 8:37 am
This list looks more like “Good Anime broadcasted in US”. (not from US myself, though, so maybe wrong)
I expected Evangelion to be on the list, but I’d rather put it as influential than extraordinarily good-written.
Agree with Full Metal Alchemist being on the list, as well as Porco.
There is nothing particularily extraordinary in Fruits Basket or Azumanga Daioh, just ur average popular series.
I’d see the problem of that list becoming too one-sided, but nevertheless I miss Miyazaki pieces like Grave of the Fireflies, Omohide Poroporo, Umi ga kikoeru…
May 23rd, 2008 at 8:38 am
I have to disagree with this list. If it’s personal choice, that’s great, but to really review, how many ‘Young kid(s) get super powers (robot suit, special body, blah) then has wacky adventures with quirky sidekick characters while learning the travesty of the adult world’ repeats are you going to prop up?
Why not just include Pokemon?
The real classics and best anime weren’t written for 14 year olds, like most of this list. They were written in the late 70’s and 80’s, when there was no support for the genre, and they were brutal and hard adult works (no, not XXX) that were so good that they paved the way for the modern era to finance the kiddy stories that are out now. They were so good they forced the industry to change to accept them. That isn’t happening with 90% of this list.
Here’s your test: How do you define good anime?
It’s so good that it doesn’t even matter or warrant the fact that it is anime in mentioning what an amazing story it is. The fact that it is animated is only an aside to when you are discussing it’s caliber. Grave of the Fireflies is a perfect example.
Akira is the only movie that even remotely belongs on this list. I’d tell you what to look for on your own but you’ll do much better finding out for yourself.
That is, of course, just my opinion. I think if you review the list and my commentary, it has some validity.
May 23rd, 2008 at 8:42 am
Yes Yes and again I say Yes to Cowboy Bebop. I so got that movie in my dvd collection along with the Lupid the Third movie. Full Metal Alchemist is also a really good one. Another good anime movie is Spirited Away. But that may just be me.
May 23rd, 2008 at 8:47 am
I’m confused. I mean, I like this stuff and all.. but how come you switched to animated anime in the middle? I thought the list was written anime.. kinda of disappointed, to tell the truth.. I was looking for a new WRITTEN anime to read…
May 23rd, 2008 at 8:48 am
Cowboy Bebop is the Greatest. Faye is my Goddess.
Fooly Cooly. Second fav., But I have o say It was Not very well written. Creative, Very. But well written, I’ll need a few more marathons before I believe that. Lord Conti is the greatest minion Ever.
May 23rd, 2008 at 8:53 am
I’m sorry, Mr. Graves but I have to disagree. Cowboy Bebop and Neon Genesis Evangelion are VERY well written, hence they deserve to be on the list. Some of the others can get a bit goofy and/or it’s hard to totally suspend my disbelief but I still enjoy them – for the stories.
May 23rd, 2008 at 9:05 am
@ jksmom119
I think you were mistaken from the start anime IS the animated version. Their literary counterpart is called Manga.
Many of these were derived from Manga Comics and made into anime.
May 23rd, 2008 at 9:07 am
Well i think the original Ghost In the Shell film should definitely be included here.
May 23rd, 2008 at 9:08 am
Harsha-
ah ha.. I just read the title wrong, my bad. Thanks!
May 23rd, 2008 at 9:25 am
How does Akira get on a list of best written anime? I’ve seen Akira three times and the plot barely makes sense. Akira is visually stunning, action packed, and turned a generation of anime fans on their heads in the 80s, but well written it is not. Historically significant? Yes. Cult classic? Definitely. Top ten best written anime of all time? No way.
@Crimanon: I think Fooly Cooly was very well written. There’s lots of little subtle things going on in the dialogue, and nary a second of the show is wasted. I guess it comes down to what kind of writing you like.
Anime that should have definitely made the list for their writing.
Berserk: Ends on a horrid cliffhanger, but tells an engrossing and amazing story regardless.
Baccano!: Intricately weaves several plots together, while taking the viewer on a crazy fun ride. Like Pulp Fiction meets Cowboy Bebop.
Death Note: A psychological thriller like no other that finds itself analyzing some very morally grey areas. Highly recommended.
Gungrave: A tragic and engrossing tale of two friends who join the mafia. Like The Godfather.
Kino’s Journey: Kino travels to different countries each with their own unique cultures and rules. Sort of like Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits.
Now and Then, Here and There: Not for the faint of heart. The plot follows a young boy as he is pulled from the modern world into a hellish future. Tyrannical dictators, violent interrogations, suicides, rape, wholesale slaughter, and torture, not one horrid aspect of war is glossed over. Incredibly powerful, I still get goosebumps when I remember certain scenes years after watching.
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya: It’s just a blast to watch. With it’s own unique narration style, offbeat comedy, and awesome characters, there’s nothing quite like it out there. Sort of like Fooly Cooly with less insanity and more plot.
May 23rd, 2008 at 9:27 am
Actually, the only title I’m surprised isn’t on here is Grave of the Fireflies. It’s still anime, but it provides a completely different tone to most other animes, completely avoiding ninja sword fights and flying dragon monsters/robots etc.
I personally loved Princesss Mononoke and Spirited Away, and they are without doubt my favourite animes, but I don’t think they deserve automatic placing upon their amazing imaginativeness. Perhaps the list title could be a bit clearer, but there’s nothing inherently wrong with it.
Although Harsha, the very fact that you didn’t resort to childish name-calling means you’re one of the nicer criticisers, so you do make valid points
May 23rd, 2008 at 9:37 am
Kuma: Any show where “Look at those Eyebrows” is significant to the episodes story line is bad writing. Hilarious, but bad. That same quote, when used in Seinfeld would’ve had the same effect and would’ve been taken, by me to be, again Bad Writing. FLCL, at least, knew it shouldn’t take its self seriously.
May 23rd, 2008 at 9:47 am
eww… this is a geek list…
May 23rd, 2008 at 10:00 am
I agree with Kuma.
Death Note is a fantastic series.
May 23rd, 2008 at 10:10 am
How does the name Cowboy Bebop relate to the show? Is that a character? Why are the characters from every show drawn the same?
May 23rd, 2008 at 10:15 am
Cowboy Bebop is the greatest series ever. Anyone who doesn’t like it, it nuts!!
Afro Samurai is also amazing, and not on the list. Samuel L Jackson is the voice and he is fantastic. I highly recommend it!!
I am suffering through Samurai Champloo right now. It does not hold my attention like Bebop did.
Akira is weird, and needs to be viewed on drugs to even THINK that you can understand where the writers were going with that story. It was light years ahead of its time though. It deserves to be on the list just because everything was drawn by hand without the help of computer graphics.
May 23rd, 2008 at 10:17 am
“How does the name Cowboy Bebop relate to the show? Is that a character? Why are the characters from every show drawn the same?”
They are bounty hunter and in the future bounty hunter are called “cowboys”
Bebop is the name of their ship
May 23rd, 2008 at 10:17 am
I was actually thinking of writing this list just yesterday XD
I don’t mean to be rude, but if you think those are the best, you’ve not seen much anime. The only thing I agree with on this list is Azumanga Daioh. I haven’t seen Porco Rosso or Cagliostro, so I can’t exactly give an opinion on either of them, but the rest, while most of them are good, don’t even come close to being the best.
May 23rd, 2008 at 10:17 am
I agree with Ghost in the Shell being an honorable mention. Great concept and great writing. As a sci-fi story alone, it stands among the best.
May 23rd, 2008 at 10:19 am
I like the fact you included Samurai Champloo in the list!Its plot looks shallow at first, but yes, it was actually very-well written, and it looks like the writers had fun making it as well. Animation and choreography was good too.
Anyway, I was surprised Spirited Away wasn’t here too. And Princess Mononoke and Grave of the Fireflies, though personally I didn’t like them much either. I loved Fruits Basket, but I can’t really agree that it was well-written. I’m sure there’s better-written ones out there. But I guess it’s all in a matter of opinion.
And, on a side note: this might sound a little dumb, but I’m not familiar with #10, is the cover supposed to be a joke on FF7?
May 23rd, 2008 at 10:24 am
huxley: I’m not saying they are bad in any way, simply that they aren’t genre defining and don’t present anything hasn’t been done better in other places. If you are talking about the structure of the writing within the works, they don’t fail in any way, but you don’t have to fail to not be included among the best. They simply aren’t the best. It’s the difference between a work that is stunning in (randomly) 3 out of 5 categories and a work that is well done in 5 out of 5. The latter is still a good work, but the work that is stunning is the genre defining pieces that set the stage for the well done to build upon later. The truly excellent writing isn’t on this list.
If you are speaking literature, then try comparing the works on this list to what would be taught in a literature class.
And you can’t cop out on the fact that it’s animated: Alan Moore’s works (take Watchman, for example) have been taught as pieces of actual literature in universities for years. It has nothing to do with the animation, unless you are using the animation as an excuse for lowering the bar.
Again, just my opinion. And Akira is very understandable. The movie only happens to be a small section of a story that spans hundreds and hundreds of pages in several books.
May 23rd, 2008 at 10:25 am
P.S. Harsha, you are my goddess. I read through all the comments and you are the only one who mentioned Perfect Blue! It makes me sad how overlooked that one is.
May 23rd, 2008 at 10:27 am
::hissy fit:: WRITTEN! WRITTEN! WRITTEN!!! Just because an anime exists doesn’t mean there was a manga created or that said manga translates well. Frankly, Hiyao Miyazaki’s work doesn’t work well as a manga- his work focuses on little details and his magic doesn’t work as well stationary.
May 23rd, 2008 at 10:33 am
I take that back- I re-read the opening and I don’t think he meant manga at all. My mistake.
May 23rd, 2008 at 10:33 am
How in the HELL can you have this list with OUT Record of Loddoss War or Samurai X?!?! Loddoss is THE anime that got me watching and interested in the fantastic world of Japanimation! It is EPIC! If never have you seen this I suggest you do so soon!! Samurai X is superb. Its the base story for Ruroni Kenshin. His back story. Trust and betrayal always makes me cry. Love, loss, love, loss, death, betrayal longing to belong but not be a cookie cutter. Truelly awesome! Some of the other people mentioned ones I would name as well like Elfin Lied, perfect blue, ninja scrolls but COME ON! ALL HAIL PARN, DEEDLIT and Kenshin!!!! PA PAN GA PARN!!! PA PAN GA DEEDLIT!!! PA PAN GA KENSHIN!!!!
May 23rd, 2008 at 10:56 am
I am shocked I am the only one who mentioned Afro Samurai. Has no one seen that gem?
May 23rd, 2008 at 10:59 am
Robin: See comment #31. You are not alone.
May 23rd, 2008 at 11:13 am
no mecha anime?? im sad…. should include macross series
thank god theres samurai champloo and FMA. They are on top of my list for the best anime ever
May 23rd, 2008 at 11:17 am
My list:
1. Grave of the Fireflies
2. Princess Mononoke
3. Neon Genesis Evangelion
4. Death Note
5. Cowboy Bebop
6. Full Metal Alchemist
7. Berserk
8. Spirited Away
9. Record of Lodoss
10. Fruits Basket
May 23rd, 2008 at 11:27 am
The ones I love that I really love:
1. Bleach (Go Ulquiorra!
)
2. Naruto (lol! Ninja Centrefold)
3. Full Metal Alchemist
4. Death Note (love ya, L!)
5. Negima!
6. Rurouni Kenshin (love the theme song: Freckles)
7. Ichigo 100% (strawberry panties?!)
8. One Piece
9. Fruits Baskets (Furuba)
10. Neon Genesis Evangelion
May 23rd, 2008 at 11:28 am
Robin: Afro Samurai? ….meh
May 23rd, 2008 at 11:49 am
Its hard to agree with these since everyone has their own idea of “best”
I will say that yes Cowboy Bebop should be number one. The show was amazing and I’ve never seen an ending that so completely ripped apart my world.
I would say you should have added Outlaw Star. It was only 24 episodes and was about a man and his crew running around space finding bounties and learning to live. It was one of my favorite. I was sad to see it taken off of Cartoon Network.
May 23rd, 2008 at 12:11 pm
fma is crap. blah. never liked that series for one reason or another (or a hundred)
best ever: One Piece.
May 23rd, 2008 at 12:12 pm
I cannot stand anime, and I have watched every episode of cowboy bebop and the movie too. It is the only anime I have ever watched in my life, and I am really glad even without any knowledge of anime besides it that it topped this list lol. GREAT show, spike is the ultimate cool and calm antihero. And part of the reason I’m about to get a corgi (though I hate small dogs, I can’t get a big one (apartment restrictions)) is because of watching Ein years ago.
May 23rd, 2008 at 5:24 pm
J.D.
I wasn’t freaking out one was just saying there is some great stuff out there. I must say getter robo g /starvengers was my first and favorite. A vote would be better as everyone has tier own favourites.
May 23rd, 2008 at 5:45 pm
Thank goodness there isn’t any yu-gi-oh or naruto or any of that shit!
May 23rd, 2008 at 5:58 pm
Tenchi Muyo is fantastic. As well as Tenchi Muyo: Galaxy Police
May 23rd, 2008 at 6:02 pm
This list is more or less spot on… from 5 on down… I couldn’t get into Fruits basket and fma is good but not really worthy of this list. my list
10 Berserk it is violent and disturbing it also shows that power changes people (it also has an excellent beat’em up game for dreamcast called guts rage)
9. Gundam 0080 war in the pocket this is one of tominos best works it depicts the freailty of man, the futility of war, and what is good and evil
8. revolutionary girl utena … at first when my female friends asked me to watch it with them i was not thrilled not only is it very graphically beautiful but it is a great story incoroperating many aspects of asian theatre
7. Galaxy Express 999 leji matsumotos masterpiece a must see if you like old school anime
6. Space Adventure Cobra i dont know why this is so cool kinda james bond meets star wars
5. Neon Genesis Evangelion the second best anime gainax ever made ever
4.nausica valley of the wind my favorite miyazaki film
3.Excel saga In the first 10 mins the main character is killed 5 times it is off the wall humor and the jokes are so layered as it pokes fun at all forms of media especially anime
2 cowboy bebop music animation and writing is superior to most anime all in one
1 FLCL i just love this show every thing about it is good and it had to be gainax took the budget for a 26 episode anime and put it into 6 episodes doing some experimental things with the anime medium
May 23rd, 2008 at 6:12 pm
wow, Fruits Basket? I personally thought it was pretty terrible.
And while FLCL is amusing as hell, it’s story line makes practically NO sense (the manga is even more off the wall than the anime).
The anime for FMA was good, but so far I’m enjoying the manga much more (being that it pretty much goes in an entirely different direction from the anime. I mean, there’s a whole Chinese country in the manga that wasn’t even mentioned in the anime).
Azumanga Daioh is also pretty bland. Funny, but not much else to it.
I’m SHOCKED that Grave of the Fireflies, Steamboy, Macross Plus and other animes like that aren’t mentioned.
I mean, Grave of the Fireflies is just… so powerful and emotional.
I thought Gilgamesh was an excellent series. Very dark with little to no humour pepped in but ties in the actual tale of Gilgamesh and Enkidu very well into the story. It starts a tad bit slow (the first 3-4 episodes are hard for some to sit through) but once it gets really into it, it’s brilliant.
I also think series like Trigun, or something from Gundam should’ve made the cut. Maybe Gungrave (even if it’s based off a videogame), Serial Experiments Lain… I’m pretty disappointed with this list, anyway.
May 23rd, 2008 at 6:29 pm
Considering how rabid the otaku community can be, this list was pretty brave.
But, I think you pulled it off pretty well. If nothing else you included Neon Genesis Evangelion – if you hadn’t no otaku would have been able to take you seriously ever again. 
Personally, I think the list has too much shounen (boys’ anime), but shounen anime tends to be the most popular, so I guess it’s justified. Azumanga Daioh and Fruits Basket in particular I agree with – they’re two of my personal favourites, after all!
May 23rd, 2008 at 6:31 pm
sapphire: the picture of #10 is indeed a parody of FF7 with the characters from Azumanga Daioh. (I don’t know much else, I haven’t watched the anime or read the manga)
BTW, those who like Azumanga Daioh or comedy in general need to check out the “Yotsuba&” manga, from the same author. It’s hilarious!
May 23rd, 2008 at 6:39 pm
I know that I’m going to catch some flack on this one, but I think that there’s only one other anime that can be placed in competition for the #1 spot of best written (and let’s face it, that is what this list is supposed to be. Not best scored… not best animation… best written.)
Samurai 7
Yes, the original is superb, but the writing and the story-telling in the anime is better than many on this list. It’s perfectly paced between story, back story, and action. The action is like the spice of the story. It’s used as little as necessary and the end product is just that much more flavorful because of it.
To not have it on this list as even an honorable mention is an insult.
May 23rd, 2008 at 6:41 pm
BOOO! Anime sucks. Whats next, a list of top ten turds that look like famous people?
May 23rd, 2008 at 6:55 pm
I hate anime so much. I don’t get why people like it.
May 23rd, 2008 at 6:57 pm
rebel: AMEN!!!
May 23rd, 2008 at 6:59 pm
FMA has to be one of My all time favorites
I’m glad it made the list.
I highly suggest that people read the manga rather than watch the film and the anime. While both are alright (The ending to the anime was a bit of a disapointment, I found…)
The manga is ten times better!
May 23rd, 2008 at 7:02 pm
Lenore, Rebel:
Get over yourselves. Respect other people’s rights to like what they want to like.
You have the right to express the fact that you dislike anime/manga, but don’t bash on the people who like it.
May 23rd, 2008 at 7:19 pm
slipstick, I can’t believe I forgot Samurai 7. In my book, it would definitely be 1 or 2
May 23rd, 2008 at 7:21 pm
they didn’t bash anybody but anime
sounds like they hurt your feelings
who cares if somebody likes or doesn’t like something
get over yourself
May 23rd, 2008 at 8:21 pm
The only anime I have ever seen is Akira, Princess Mononoke, an episode of Ghosts In Shell (?), and 10 minutes of a Pokemon. I’m not really a fan but do love good movies and would be interested in trying a few more anime that are good despite being animated. What one movie (preferably not much over 2 hours) would people most recommend for me to try out?
May 23rd, 2008 at 8:39 pm
I’d like to see your list of top anime/animated movies!
May 23rd, 2008 at 8:46 pm
Clantargh:
check out these:
Macross Plus (There’s both a movie edition and 4 part episode edition. The episode edition has a bit more to it but they’re both good in the end)
It’s more or less considered a mech-movie (and I generally don’t like mech) but it has an AMAZING musical score to back it up and an excellent story between 3 main characters and the AI system Sharron Apple. It’s been my favourite for 10 years.
Steamboy.
considered a steam-punk science fiction film, it follows the story of a young boy Ray following in the footsteps of his inventor father and grandfather. His grandfather gives him what’s called the “steamball”, a power source for an ultimate invention that Ray is left to try to decide if it should be used for the intentions of his father or grandfather that differ greatly from one another.
Ignoring my crappy description, you should definately check it out.
Grave of the Fireflies
This movie follows the lives of two orphaned children during world war II. It’s incredibly powerful and moving. I can never sit through this without crying.
Can’t think of anything else off the top of my head as far as movies go (I read manga WAY more than I watch anime series or movies), but check those ones out. You can find them at most rental shops, I find.
May 23rd, 2008 at 9:30 pm
yourtaintedmemorie666: DBZ may be popular, but there is no way on earth it could be considered well written.
PJM: I also loved Death Note, and if I’d made the list any longer, it would be on there without a doubt. Ditto to Samurai X if you’re talking about Trust and Betrayal, ShibariHime.
Lenore, Rebel and Mike: Why did you bother even clicking on the link? Surely it wasn’t worth your time.
Clantargh: Try Ninja Scroll, or Streetfight Alpha and it’s sequel, Generations.
Also, Beach, One Piece, and Naruto I think are awesome anime, but they aren’t among the best written. The anime only story arcs in particular, I usually skip over them.
I’m also impressed at how civil (most) of the responses have been.
May 23rd, 2008 at 9:55 pm
Weeeh FMA, Neon Genesis and Cowboy Bebop is LOVE!
May 23rd, 2008 at 10:03 pm
people you need to ignore the negative comments
fuck the haters
May 23rd, 2008 at 10:06 pm
I rather surprised. No Death Note or Bleach?
May 23rd, 2008 at 10:06 pm
Darn…I hate spelling errors. meant to say ‘I’m’
May 23rd, 2008 at 11:32 pm
jfrater, very, very long time reader, first time poster, i just want to thank you for the hundreds of lists you have made, in such variety and perfectly arranged, i want to wish you good luck on your move to new zealand(ive heard its a lovely place) and i wish you a multiplude of epiphnaies to continue your, no joke, pulitzer writing. god bless
May 23rd, 2008 at 11:37 pm
No offense but if you’re gonna make a list of anime, try watching more anime…all this is is just fairly mainstream stuff that’s come to the states. There’s much better written anime out there and Ghost In The Shell above all other should’ve been on here. If you havn’t seen more than 150 different anime, don’t make a list about the “Best Written”. Or better yet, Don’t make a list about anime
May 24th, 2008 at 12:48 am
Utterly Crap!!!!
I agree with evangelion and Akira, but the rest. crap! What about Ghost in the Shell, The Macross saga, Ninja scroll, Ruoruni Kenshin, Gundam, etc.
Fail!!!
May 24th, 2008 at 1:31 am
Wow,I didn’t think that many people liked anime/manga.
May 24th, 2008 at 2:20 am
Fail: My count is over 150 anime series watched… next argument?
May 24th, 2008 at 4:19 am
@Fail: Ghost in the Shell is mainstream that came to the States.
Regardless of that, u’re right. I’d also include 90% of the mentioned anime in the comments, though…
May 24th, 2008 at 4:29 am
Kreachure: thanks for the reply! I thought as such, but I needed corfirmation. I really hate it when things get passed off as something else or someone else’s work. Happens a lot, even with the most famous of works.
There’s really no surprise that this list would stir up some controversy/complaints. There’s so much anime out there, and again it’s mostly within the person to decide which ones are the ‘best’, or ‘best written’, though there are general opinions about it. For my part, I don’t agree with many entries either. And I’m wondering why people who don’t like anime/manga are bothering to tell everyone about their hatred of said subject either. Just my take.
May 24th, 2008 at 4:32 am
*many of the entries Sorry about the grammar
May 24th, 2008 at 5:40 am
Neon genesis evangelion= love.
May 24th, 2008 at 6:06 am
Ok this list is great… However one that really should be mentioned and I can’t believe I’m the first to mention it is Howls Moving Castle it is a phenominal peice of work and I know it was a book beforehand that wasn’t Japanese, but still the artwork is Great.
Kuma: Berserk Awsome series… Read the manga its ongoing and up to 2-300 chapters now I think. My understanding is that the Animated series won’t continue until the Manga is finished and i don’t think we are close yet…
Trigun… TOTALLY should be on this list
FMA deserves its spot if not higher, seems though theres a few people who don’t like this anime, All I have to say is that its a classic, 51 episodes long and takes you from being funny to making you dang near cry a couple times to being completely awesome… It just has a bit of a slow start
Full Metal Panic is another good one
Ah! My Goddess (the new one) has some of the best artwork I’ve seen (not beter then Howl though)
Eureka 7
Trigun… a must see
Slayers… Totally should be here
Thanks for the list its great… make more anime lists
May 24th, 2008 at 6:13 am
At least I know where the first part of your name come from, Zel.
May 24th, 2008 at 6:37 am
That girl from number 10 looks ridiculously like Tifa from FF7.
May 24th, 2008 at 6:53 am
That’s because the artwork is fan made, combining the AD characters with FF7 costumes.
May 24th, 2008 at 7:16 am
I can understand why most of this is on here except for Full Metal Alchemist and FLCL. FMA’s biggest flaw is that it does not follow its own logic. At the beginning of practically every episode, it says that to do alchemy it requires you to give up something of equal exchange. However, Ed constantly uses it wothout giving up anything in exchange, and at one point someone made a bridge of cards by sacrificing…cards. It just gets ridiculous, although the actual stories in the show are really interesting, that one huge plothole niggles at me-_-
Also, FLCL is just random and stupid and waay over-rated. I know I’ll get attacked for saying this but I didn’t find it funny and I thought it was a sad attempt at making a comedy.
Hellsing, Trigun, Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi, Witch Hunter Robin, Wolf’s Rain, S-CRY-ed…those ones are awesome, I know you can’t put everything on the list, but if ye haven’t seen them, check them out.
May 24th, 2008 at 7:18 am
Oh, and Akagi, that one is scary well-written too.
May 24th, 2008 at 7:32 am
Full Metal Alchemist explained later on (as a major plot twist) that the Equivalent Exchange law wasn’t true, because it required energy to transform things to other things (like fusing cards to make a ‘card bridge’); it turns out that that energy came from our world, represented by all the deaths of people during World War I. Alphonse Elric said it best:
“The world isn’t perfect, and the law is incomplete. Equivalent Exchange doesn’t encompass everything that goes on here. But I still choose to believe in its principle: that all things do come at a price. That there’s an ebb, and a flow, a cycle. That the pain we went through did have a reward and that anyone who’s determined and perseveres will get something of value in return, even if it’s not what they expected.”
Thus it’s more of a philosophy more than a law, and having an actual philosophy within a story gives you clues as to how well written an anime is.
May 24th, 2008 at 7:37 am
wow! a list right up my alley! i love fruits basket (the manga not the anime) but the next book doesn’t come out until july!
where’s Dragonball?!? Dragonball should be number 1!
May 24th, 2008 at 8:05 am
I think this is anime top ten for the American-European market. Most of these were mass marketed and ENGLISH translated. A whole bunch of shows much better are out there in my opinion.
May 24th, 2008 at 8:47 am
Becca,
I TOTALLY agree with Wolf’s Rain. I can’t believe I forgot to mention it!
I REALLY want to see Howl’s Moving Castle. I’m always told amazing things about it but have never really seen it anywhere for rent locally and I’m not terribly big on the whole downloading-thing (I just do that with Naruto but have stopped since I just read the manga now).
Has anyone seen Texhnolyze? I saw the first episode and wanted to watch more but my friend thought it was terrible and we opted to watch Wolf’s Rain instead but I thought it looked really interesting and wondered if it’s worth it to try to hunt it down.
May 24th, 2008 at 9:58 am
Texhnolyze is terrible, and I love everything else Yoshitoshi ABe has touched. There’s no dialogue, very little plot, very little action, very little anything except staring at the scenery. The last few episodes do tell you what it’s all about, but it’s not worth watching the first 19 episodes to get there. I thought Texhnolyze looked interesting as well, but watching it cured me of those notions. I’m no Wolf’s Rain fan (it’s another one that looked interesting, but turned out not to be) but it’s better than Texhnolyze. Your friend was right.
May 24th, 2008 at 10:11 am
Oh, wow, I had Zucci’s login info posted for my login. Don’t worry, I won’t send spam to you.
I’m going to tell you people rooting for DBZ and Bleach and Pokemon a little tale about myself. My first taste of anime was when I was about 13. I absolutely fell in love with the Ronin Warriors. Loved the characters, the arcs, the animation, everything. They took it off the air and I didn’t see it until again until I was older and had Netflix.
I sat down with a bowl of rice and watched the first disc. It was HORRIBLE! How 10 years effects your judgment on things!
Bad anime will always be made, just like Lane Bryant will always make plus-sized stretch pants. There is an audience for those shows. Maybe I could enlighten you all as to what makes a bad anime:
1. Repetition
2. Predictability
3. Poor animation quality
4. Stupid plot
5. Drawing out the series like a soap opera
6. Too much “Americanization”
7. Bad lines
Nejikun chose animes that may be guilty of one or two of the above, but not a lot. DBZ is repetitious (HOW MANY TIMES CAN I WATCH GOKU THROW THE SAME PUNCH?!?), predictable (wow, he turned into a golden monkey, that’s fucking amazing), has a stupid plot, draws out the series (15 episodes to kill one bad guy!), and I’m sure is guilty of the others.
I’m surprised no one has dredged up Voltron or Sailor Moon. Both, bad animations. I like Voltron for the nastalgia, but here’s the formula for both of the shows: some bad guy appears, stuff is being damaged/destroyed, Voltron/Sailor Moon turns into their mega form, they kill the bad guy, day is saved. *yawn* Same with my previously mentioned Ronin Warriors.
Bleach is much more sophisticated and better written than DBZ, but it still isn’t fantastic. Same with Naruto and Inuyasha. It has a few twists and moved along fast enough to keep my attention, but it lacks the depth displayed in animes like Neon Genesis Evangelion and yes, even Full Metal Alchemist.
May 24th, 2008 at 10:17 am
Personally I would have put Wolf’s Rain, Grave of the Fireflies, Noir, Ginga Nagareboshi Gin, Millennium Actress and Tokyo Godfathers there.
And for all the anime haters out there – I recommend watching some good animes before judging. Anime isn’t all about large eyes and ridicilous faces.
May 24th, 2008 at 11:35 am
I wonder how you got my login/e-mail information o_o;
I used to enjoy DBZ a -lot- until I realized there’s better stuff out there, haha. Yeah, watching them crouch and scream for 5 episodes in a row was just painful and I can’t begin to imagine how I sat through that before.
I have to admit to STILL liking Sailor Moon though. It’s not the best out there by a long shot, but somehow I’m still suckered into it. It might be out of nostalgia since I started watching the show when I was in like, grade 4-5.
The shittiest thing about Naruto thus far was the 70-something episodes of filler before they finally got into Shippuuden. Some of the fights are also really drawn out in the series, (“I’ll use my ultimate attack!” “no, wait! I have even MOAR!” kind shit) but the over all plot is what keeps me hooked. Practically everything you’ve been built upto believe since the main bit of the plot came out around episode 25-30, is being torn to hell and I need to know whyyyy~
I think I’m still curious to see Texhnolyze… I’m just really curious about the whole, arm-lopped-off, cyborg-lady, and the big, bag 4 spoken lines in the first episode. What I remember seeing perked my interest, I suppose…
I enjoy generally dark-ish series with a serious theme (ex: Monster, Gilgamesh, Wolf’s Rain, ect). Anyone have something to suggest?
May 24th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Zucchini: If you haven’t seen it Samurai 7 Was very very good but was kinda dark near the end.
And I’ll admit to the whole DBZ craze… I went about the same way as you. Sailor moon isn’t watchable anymore since they changed voice actors Her voice is just too… well…. Its worse then Nagas Laugh, and for those of you who know Nagas laugh… you know its bad
May 24th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Cool, thank you.
I’ll add Samurai 7 to my list of things to watch
Didn’t Usagi/Serena go through like, 4 or 5 different voice actors?
May 24th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
good list just wish trigun was on there oh well
May 24th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
I have no Idea…. I just remember a while back seeing sailormoon on TV and going… hmmm I’ll see if its still as interesting as before, I think I lasted 5-10 minutes… LOL
May 24th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
I think “death note” should have been on this list too..
May 24th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
to me #1- rurouni kenshin
May 24th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Zucchini: Also look up Berserk Very Dark Very good… Go with the manga or you will be left hanging… even still the manga only releases like once every month or longer
Angel Sanctuary manga as well, however its a little odd at the beginning but if you can get past that its about a battle between Hell and Heaven, and a guy on earth is the renecarnation of a legendary angel…
May 24th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
I’ve read all of Angel Sanctuary already. Waiting for the manga to come out every two months was PAINFUL with it being as long as it is.
I keep intending to re-read it but it’s pretty content heavy so I have yet to get around to it.
I kinda wish they hadn’t screwed up the anime so badly as it would’ve been great if they were able to continue past the third episode.
I’ll check out Berserk though, thanks!
May 24th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
@ Zucchini
I like darkish series with a serious theme too. Don’t say I didn’t warn you about Texhnolyze.
I recommend Bokurano, Now and Then, Here and There, Death Note, Haibane Renmei, Gankutsuou, Barefoot Gen, Grave of the Fireflies, Gantz (warning: graphic content), Ergo Proxy, and FLAG. Off the top of my head.
May 24th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
My friend has Haibane Renmei and said she’d bring it over to watch one day. I’m looking forward to it (from the same creator as Lain, no?)
I watched Barefoot Gen (well, parts of it) at a local anime-party thing in my city last year. Fromw hat I saw it was good!
And I DEFINITLY want to check out Ergo Proxy!
Gankutsuou…? Is that also known as “the count of monste cristo”?
I could be way off, haha. I’ve seen the first episode for that one though. The animation style was so weird, very… it didn’t “hurt” my eyes, but it was a lot to watch? I wanna see more though~ haha.
Despite how closely it followed the manga, don’t care for the Death Note anime, but I love the manga. Grave of the Fireflies is damn painful to sit through. It’s like, just no happiness what so ever, yeah?
I’ll look into the ones I hadn’t heart of before. Thank you! ^_^/
May 24th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
I’ve only seen four anime: Fullmetal Alchemist, DN Angel, Death Note, and Wolf’s Rain.
But, despite that, I really think Death Note should be on there. It was the best one out of all I’ve seen, and I use to be really obsessed with FMA. I strongly recommend watching Death Note if you already haven’t. =)
May 24th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
While i was reading this list i kind of thought Cowboy Bebop, wasn’t going to make it, and i found myself outraged until i got to Number 1. That is probably my favorite Anime in fact i have all the individual DVDs as well as the Complete series Box Set, and The Perfect sessions Box Set… if that isn’t a true fan i don’t know what is
May 24th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
Kuma: I wathced the first 2 episodes of Gantz, and couldn’t take any more. It was just totally creepy.
Slightly: I was like that with Evangelion. I had the entire series taped from TV, then I bought the Individual DVDs, then the platinum for the commentaries.
May 24th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
Good list, but if you enjoy the anime of Fruits Basket, make sure to read the manga, the anime only goes until about vol 6 in the manga, but the series goes on for 23. The story gets much darker, deeper, and interesting and I suggest everyone at least give it a try.
May 25th, 2008 at 4:13 am
crap list! try watching
grave of the fireflies
deathnote
howls moving castle
my neighbor totoro
spirited away
metropolis
princess mononoke
ghost in the shell
vampire hunter D
and many more..
i suggest you try watching more anime bro then comeback and make a real list
May 25th, 2008 at 5:10 am
I wonder why howls moving castle is mentioned by relatively many people (relatively many=nearly everyone who mentioned studio ghibli works). I think it’s one of the worst (being still above 70% of the stuff mentioned around here) ghibli movies. Didn’t read the book, but it felt like it was mightily shortened to make it fit into movie-form.
I dunno if that stuff is easily gettable in the US/Europe, but talking studio ghibli, try watching
Umi ga Kikoeru (The ocean waves) – There is nothing unnatural, superhuman or strange of ANY kind in here. It’s so unusual to see an anime without any stretching of reality for even a bit. And it feels so good^^
Omohide poroporo (Only yesterday) – So calm..
Mimi wo sumaseba (Whisper of the heart)
Nasu – Andalusia no natsu (Nasu – Summer in Andalusia)[not real ghibli, though]
Porco Rosso, Totoro and Grave of the Fireflies were already mentioned.
Someone mentioned Haibane Renmei and Now and then, Here and there. YES! I can only agree. The former striked me with it’s absolute calmness – you barely won’t see anyone even just run excitedly, the latter’s got this kind of pressurizing cruelty of any possibly thinkable kind.
May 25th, 2008 at 5:28 am
I agree with Bebop at #1, although admittedly I’ve not seen/read much more anime than on this list.
I would like to give an honorable mention to Trigun and Vampire though, those two are badass.
Has anyone ever seen Joss Whedon’s Firefly series, or the movie Serenity? They remind me of something similiar to a live-action Bebop. Which is sweet. Sweet.
May 25th, 2008 at 6:08 am
Houkama: I did read the book for howl’s moving castle and it was much better then the anime, and its a short book if you want to pick it up, only 2-300 pages or so. However I still enjoy the anime very much I think that the artwork is great and thats what makes it worth watching
May 25th, 2008 at 6:33 am
Zelgadis: Thanks for the hint^^
Is it just my imagination, or is every ghibli work based directly on western literature much more fast-paced than usual?? Neko no Ongaeshi, Howls moving castle, Gedo senki.. too hectic for me^^
May 25th, 2008 at 7:39 am
Uhh, I’m guessing the author hasn’t seen much anime.
Grave of the Firefly
Princess Mononoke
Macross (The original)
Macross Plus
Touch (the baseball anime)
Yawara
The Vision of Escaflowne
Gundam: War in the Pocket
Gundam: Stardust Memory
All of the above have superb writing and very touching moment
May 25th, 2008 at 8:04 am
FMA would be at the top of my list. Not just for the breathtaking animation but also for the story. I found myself more drawn in than most live-action shows. I’d love to see it continue.
May 25th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
My god Akira is so good, even now i find it one of the most captivating Anime movies to watch, The number 10 still has me pissing with laughter and Engelion just confused the bejesus out of me
May 25th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Zucchini: thought of a couple more darker animes that hadn’t been mentioned. I don’t know their quality, having only seen a little bit of each, but try Helsing, Witch Hunter Robin, and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.
For the recond, I didn’t like Akira and My Neighbor Totoro.
There aren’t a huge amount of comments on this list, so please stop repeating comments. Just proves Douglass Adams right: Humans say the stupidest things.
Nickchuck: Serenity was mentioned on another listverse list. It was actually available on HBO for free, so I watched it and wasn’t disappointed. I agree with your synopsis.
May 25th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
Whoa! No Appleseed??
Katsuhiro Otomo’s original masterpiece!
You wanna see where the brilliance of Ghost in The Shell and such comes from, you gotta watch Appleseed.
And NOT the crappy 2d animated one either! The cell shaded 3d orgasm that is the 2006 movie!
I thought that Neongenesis Evangeleon was overrrated. I hated that they threw these cultural and spiritual concepts at you and just assumed you knew what the hell they were going on about.
I also totally agree with the other poster’s mention of the Robotech saga. I used to get up fanatically on a Saturday morning and stay glued to what happened next. And I was in HIGHSCHOOL!!
May 25th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
RoboTech and Trigun were very good anime, but I don’t think that they would be on a list of the best written.
I just finished watching Golgo 13. That’s a well written one. I’d also have to agree that Wolf’s Rain is very well written. The only problem is that much like Samurai 7, you can’t come in to the middle of Wolf’s Rain and expect to know what’s going on. Cowboy Bebop does have the edge that it’s much like the Batman; The Animated Series. Each episode is pretty much a stand-alone movie.
May 25th, 2008 at 5:50 pm
As soon as I saw the list name I thought BeBop. I don’t watch anime anymore, but I still very much enjoy that show when I stumble upon it. Great list.
May 25th, 2008 at 11:55 pm
Why, oh why don’t people read the comments before posting? Comment 95 – 150 series and counting. I’ve got not problem with people disagreeing with my choices, but don’t make assumptions.
May 26th, 2008 at 1:17 am
Ah! My goddess TV(the new one) should be on the top ten list…
It has on the best drawn animations out there and not to mention the superb and lovely characters… who could not love belldandy… now that’s a goddess!
May 26th, 2008 at 2:26 am
Death note should been on there.
But yes I agree with most of the list except the ones i havent read/seen
May 26th, 2008 at 6:55 am
@138
Could that be because you were watching “Robotech: Macross Saga” and not “Super Dimensional Fortress Macross”.
May 26th, 2008 at 7:05 am
Nejikun, have you watched Touch? Yawara? Why is it there’s no Vision of Escaflowne on that list? What about Musashi no Ken? Ashita no Joe? Tiger Mask? Ginga no Nagareboshi? Wataru? H2?
These must have better stories than most of what’s listed.
May 26th, 2008 at 7:33 am
ok I rented Grave of the Fireflies and watched it and it was excellent. Thanks for the recommendation.
May 26th, 2008 at 9:28 am
We have read the comments and the list and it seems like the list is really very personal. Although, some VERY great animes were really left out which includes GHOST IN THE SHELL (for it’s artistic innovations, storyline and also it’s influence over MANY other creations)that’s why a lot of additional comments were made. When creating a list such as this I suggest you be clearer on the fact that it is mostly your personal choice
Or why not expand it? Also be aware that 90% of anime fans are totally RABID about their favorites ehehe. Also I tend to agree that Naruto, Sailormoon, Dragonball and the stereotypical animes should be on another list, maybe a TOP 10-15 NOSTALGIC ANIMES during the last 30something years.
May 26th, 2008 at 11:32 am
BASILISK!!!
May 26th, 2008 at 11:43 am
Zucchini: Try “Basilisk”, if u don´t like it i´ll refund you!
May 26th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Appleseed was one of my favorite animes. I’ll have check the other ones on this list, thanks!
May 26th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
death note is a notable omission
May 26th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
I think Lupin III, YuYu Hakusho, Naruto and Naruto Shipuuden are among the bests.
May 27th, 2008 at 12:34 am
It wasn’t totally a personal list. I didn’t really enloy Porco Rosso, but i recognise that it has a lot of heart.
Jin: Naruto, sailor Moon, and such would be more at home on a list of the most popular anime. since Naruto is still running, and will be for some time, it doesn’t really fit into the nostalgia theme.
Zucchini: I also recommend Basilisk.
May 27th, 2008 at 12:35 am
*enjoy
May 27th, 2008 at 8:58 am
you missed a million more anime, man!
Wolf’s Rain
Death Note
Blood the Last Vampire
Howl’s Moving Castle
Spirited Away
Sailor Moon
Yu Yu Hakusho
Appleseed
Ghost in the Shell
Ninja Scroll
Basilisk
Naruto and Naruto Shippuden (come on people, the series is good without the fillers!)
Gundam Wing
Vision of Escaflowne
Princess Mononoke
Grave of the Fireflies
Perfect Blue
anything by Kaori Yuki
the list could go on and on!
May 27th, 2008 at 11:33 am
Though I’m familiar with them, apart from Cowboy Bebop, I haven’t seen any of the series listed.
However, I definitely would have included Monster. Hands down, it’s the greatest series I’ve ever watched.
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni was fantastic as well.
May 29th, 2008 at 1:39 am
Gundam Wing will always be my favorite
May 29th, 2008 at 11:04 pm
Pokemon?
May 30th, 2008 at 1:16 am
Where is fist of the north star?
Without a doubt the best one ever made.
May 30th, 2008 at 10:57 am
I saw Akira in HD through Comcast On-Demand last week for free. It might still be there. Look through the free movie HD list to see HD remastered Akira!
May 30th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
This list is… Based on personal experience, I can tell. So here’s a few of mine, again, based on personal experience.
Loveless (of course, you have to get past the homoerotic innuendo, which I do hope you’re grown up enough to do.)
Hellsing
Death Note
Spirited Away
MPD Psycho (Provided, of course, I have any idea whats going on, which I often don’t…)
Godchild
But all of these, save Spirited Away, are manga, not anime. I’ve found a lot of the time the anime falls short of the manga.
And DBZ and Naruto are repetitive, but I understand their fan base. I just don’t get it. But I won’t insult you for liking it, provided you don’t insult me for my appreciation for Loveless.
May 31st, 2008 at 9:12 am
@ Ghostie:
Regarding LOVELESS, it’s a shounen-ai series. There’s no point in trying to hide/deny that. I’m not sure why you’re saying readers should ignore it/be ‘grown up enough’ to pretend it isn’t there.
MPD Psycho is fantastic.
May 31st, 2008 at 5:32 pm
Ghostie: While I thoroughly enjoyed Hellsing, The ending left quite a lot to be desired. This is because they got ahead of the manga and decided to use an anime only ending which is nowhere near the quality of the manga. I was tempted to put Hellsing Ultimate (the OVA) on the list, but it’s not finished yet.
June 1st, 2008 at 10:10 am
Wow, I’m really suprised I didn’t see Macross Plus mentioned once on here. Great movie.
June 5th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
I’m sorry. I really, really try to be nice on this site. But this list is absolutely horrible. HORRIBLE. It’s all mainstream crap that only someone who hasn’t seen real good anime would consider anything close to amazing. I don’t care how much of a loser I sound like by saying so, but I’m an anime buff and I say with complete confidence that just because it’s popular it does NOT mean it’s good. On the contrary; the more dumbed-down the plot, the wider the audience it will appeal to. Maybe just calling this a list of “best anime” wouldn’t be so bad. But it’s insulting to say these anime are the best WRITTEN. POSSIBLY Akira and POSSIBLY Cowboy Bebop could be considered well written. But the rest of it fails. This list absolutely fails.
June 5th, 2008 at 11:55 pm
Macabresoren: If you are going to say a list is crap, at least provide alternatives. Otherwise, you’re just like every poster on the internet that says “this list is teh suxors” or something similar. No respect.
June 6th, 2008 at 6:54 am
^^
June 6th, 2008 at 6:55 am
it’s all up to us what’s best or not
June 6th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Nejikun: You want alternatives? I can think of plenty off the top of my head that are well-written:
Boogiepop Phatom
Speed Grapher
Ayashi no Ceres
Death Note
Samurai X
Spiral: Suiri no Kizuna
x/1999
Loveless
Mononoke-hime
Tsubasa
.hack//SIGN
Angel Sanctuary
Perfect Blue
Yami no Matsuei
Wolf’s Rain
Gankutsuou
Samurai 7
Ergo Proxy
Count Cain/Godchild (if we’re counting manga)
Do you want more? I can keep going.
It doesn’t have to be incredibly popular OR ridiculously complex to be well-written. I’m “bashing” the list because it has absolutely nothing to do whatsoever with how well-written any of it is. It’s just what’s popular.
June 6th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
You have to remember as well that this is an opinion. I wouldn’t include a lot of your examples. For example Gankutsuou might be well written, but that’s because it follows the storyline a a book released earlier. the manga wasn’t the original inspiration, therefore it wasn’t well written in it’s own right.
June 6th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
Also a lot of the ones you mentioned (Death note, Samurai x (the OVA’s not the TV series), Perfect blue) would have gone on the list had it be any longer.
June 6th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
Nejikun: I agree that Gankutsuou is questionable because it’s based off of an existing story. But I think what they did with it was clever and well executed and so I think it falls under the category of well-written.
And I understand it’s a matter of opinion. But it’s a very, VERY narrow selection.
June 7th, 2008 at 3:57 am
every one here seem to have forgotten an excellent anime
CODE GEASS.i liked it better then death note especially the second season.
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=6704
June 8th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
The title of this list does not reflect the content. It is “Best Written,” yet nowhere is the writing or dialogue mentioned. This is actually just a “Favorite Anime” list, which is always subject to personal opinion.
Although I will say that Cowboy Bebop is a very well-written anime series. The Castle of Cagliostro, while dated, also has a very clever script. Glad to see that oft-overlooked gem on the list.
June 9th, 2008 at 11:27 pm
my god i loved samurai champloo, EVA, azumanga daioh, and Cowboy Bebob. i heard about Akira ive gotta read it.
you should’ve put GTO up on there.
go read it if you havent
June 10th, 2008 at 2:13 am
Initial D and Slam Dunk should be on the list…
June 12th, 2008 at 11:40 am
Azumanga Daioh looks like Final Fantasy 7 goes back to school.
June 14th, 2008 at 12:49 am
1 NARUTO
2 GUNDAM 00
3 GUNDAM SEED
4 BLEACH
5 DEATH NOTE
6 NANA
7 SAKURA
8
June 14th, 2008 at 7:51 am
This is probaly one of the worst list Ive ever seen.
June 15th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
you miss out yu yu hakusho
June 18th, 2008 at 12:09 am
Nick: That was fan art.
June 19th, 2008 at 7:40 am
#1 rulz!! great list! u forgot sailor moon…
June 22nd, 2008 at 5:41 pm
Ghostie:
Loveless is damn depressing but the anime is incomplete in comparison to the manga (the anime just ends when Ritsuka’s brother was coming back).
I kinda wish they had waited until the artist completed the series before doing the anime. Would’ve been so much more brilliant.
For the people that’ve made suggestions for me!
I started watching Haibane Renmei with my friend. I’m about half way through and really enjoying it!
I’ve read part of the Basilisk manga and like it. I was told the movie Shinobi (which I have somewhere in my house…) is basically a live-action Basilisk. Would anyone agree at all? So far it does seem to really feel like Romeo&Juliet – crazy ninja version though…
miki:
Sailor Moon is nice for nostalgia sake, but it’s long and excessively repetitive. I’d still watch it, but it’s definitely not all that well written.
June 25th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
GOLDEN BOY IS THE BEST EVER!
July 3rd, 2008 at 8:32 pm
Hello!!!! CHOBITS DN.ANGEL INUYASHA RUROUNI KENSHIN TENCHI MUYO DEATHNOTE PRINCESS TUTU AZUMANGAH DAIOH HOWLS MOVING CASTLE SPIRITED AWAY BLEACH TRINITY BLOOD FRUITS BASKET FULL METAL PANIC TRIGUN GUNSLINGER GIRL LOVELESS THE GIRL WHO LEAPT THRU TIME -i could go on, because I personally love all anime except: yugioh pokemon
July 3rd, 2008 at 8:41 pm
Pokemon n yugioh r trash american anime for little kids.
July 7th, 2008 at 11:57 pm
Where’s Rurouni Kenshin in here? or Great Teacher Onizuka? This list is incomplete!
July 8th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
I thought GTO was good, but pretty repetitive.
July 9th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
Yeah, it is a little repetitive but you can’t argue that it was awesome, how about Slam dunk? that was also well written! I think we should do another list like this yah!
July 16th, 2008 at 4:12 am
PAPRIKA! A mind bending anime for sure – they’re screening it at the Curzon Soho in London on Fri 29th aug in the big screen with full on sound – should be special! http://www.curzoncinemas.com if you are interested.
July 18th, 2008 at 1:51 am
Naruto is a horrible anime and shouldn’t even be mentioned in the best written anime list. The premise is reasonable but the episode construction is horrible. Drawn out fights huge fillers. Stuff like this is made for the masses to laze around and watch. It has no depth or substance.
July 18th, 2008 at 3:32 am
I’m a big fan of the naruto manga but I can’t watch the anime. Its 95% filler with 5% crap
July 18th, 2008 at 7:17 am
Best written? No, I don’t agree with this list. I love Champloo but not because of it being well written. Azumanga is mainly due to comic timing and Akira for its visuals, not best written.
Most people have said the ones that should be in here but I’m going to mention Noein, best written show I’ve ever watched.
From your comments on each of them it simply looks like you chose your favorite shows rather then best written.
July 21st, 2008 at 3:52 am
troll troll troll troll troll troll troll troll
what we choose to like and dislike
is a matter of perspective. we are all brought up
differently. not one in a billion with the same breath
of air nor glimmer of color.
to say one is better is to impede that one knows more..
but what do we really know? that we like something
because a character strikes a chord of similarity to our own?
that we can believe it is right for us that it should be right for everyone?
I liked Cowboy Bebop because to me, spike is a guy i can relate to, lazy at times but a hero. my opinion.
there are a lot of good anime suggestions here, all with their own dues of respect.
sometimes it takes the right approach and frame of mind to enjoy something. this list right down to the comments opened up a lot of more anime for me. thanks Nejikun
July 25th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
Dude. I’m angered. Fruits Basket is #9(when it should be higher). And Naruto and Bleach is not even on here.
July 27th, 2008 at 10:42 am
why are people hating this list so much. I think people are pre judging alot of them that they havent seen. The only real complaint i have is porco rosso instead of princess mononoke. But for people who think they know what “real” anime is like obscure stuff that no one else likes
July 29th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Zucchini: Try Gantz, it’s kinda gory, but it’s good.
July 29th, 2008 at 8:36 pm
I’ll give my top ten in terms of story
Lupin 3rd Castle Of Cagliostro. (I can watch it over and over and never get board of it).
Berserk. (The Anime is a good advert for the Manga’s AWSOME).
Princess Mononoke. (As with Lupin I can just keep watching over and over).
Tenchi OVA (Ok yeah the second half was like WTF but the first half was just great characters and solid story).
El Hazard. (What can I say this series just had everything).
Rouroni Kenshin. (I bought the first 2 volumes at a convention and had the whole series buy the end of the week…….oh yes that good).
One Piece. (I’m not sure where Oda’s going with it but it’s been one hell of a ride so far and were only half way there).
Full Metal Alchemist. (I was watching this series as it was being released on DVD and I would be so looking forward to the next volume every month).
GenoCyber. (This is the only Anime that has made me cry when I was younger….and no it wasn’t out of fear but sadness when the boy died after the main battle).
Guyver.(This was the first Anime I saw that I recognised as Anime and it’s still got my soul to this day).
Ok there you go just off the top of my head without looking at my collection.
July 31st, 2008 at 7:11 am
i disagree with your choices. i am a professional anime and hentai critic from mississauga, ontario, and i say some of the choices you made for best anime are wrong. i believe s-cry-ed should have made number one, for it tells the story of the world from the altar’s point of view
August 5th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
wheres bleach?
i would say naruto should be on this list,but the only good episodes are the old ones.now its horrible
August 7th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Fruits Basket is fun, but I wouldn’t consider it well-written. The plot is full of opportunities for Tohru to bump into the other male characters and create new romance opportunities for fans. I’m glad Porco Rosso and Akira are up there though.
I would have enjoyed something by Satoshi Kon in there as well.
August 9th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
FLCL is the best on that list.
August 10th, 2008 at 11:10 am
personally, i think this list is quite good, however i would change a few things. really, there’s no GREATEST anime ever, as so many have been, well, perfect, so there’s no REAL greatest. you just have to look around, and find which one’s you like. each anime has their own story, and each one gives you a unique feeling after being completed, while the best of the best give you that feeling, but enough to make your heart ache and your eyes well up with tears.
this list is a good start, and most of those i agree with, where the ones that i don’t agree with are the ones i haven’t seen yet (i.e. Porco, Fruits, and Cagliostro). i say thumbs up to you!
August 11th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
How did Paranoia Agent and Monster not show up on this list?
August 11th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
flcl wuz hilarious, but i think u should expand the list with others like rurouni kenshin and g gundam. sorry, but fail…
August 12th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
excellent choices but here are a few more
Inuyasha
Naruto
Bleach
Code Geass
August 14th, 2008 at 9:09 pm
Best written Anime???
Maybe they are some of the most popular, but for really good stories, there are:
Kino’s Journey
Monster
Serial Experiments Lain
Paranoia Agent
Kaiba
Texhnolyze
Haibane Renmei
Mushishi
Boogiepop Phantom
…
August 15th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
awww.. why cant i find Rurouni Kenshin here.. thats the best anime ever
August 18th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
no Death Note ?
although it is popular the story line is very addictive and witty, you should give it a try.
September 5th, 2008 at 7:29 am
Grave of the Fireflies is a visual treat but the plot is unmitigated rubbish – the main character is a pathetic loser who manages to kill his sister through gross ineptitude and laziness.
I second #108 Jin’s opinion – whatever you do, don’t watch the stunted and dubbed US versions. Those are by and large pathetic in comparison to the real deal.
No votes for Doraemon? That series is a cultural point of reference in Japan. A must-see.
Crayon Shin-chan anyone? Granted, the anime is a far cry from the quality of the manga.
Warau Salesman is another classic – sinister – but hard to find.
September 13th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
DEATH NOTE. WHERE THE HECK IS DEATH NOTE???
September 15th, 2008 at 9:06 pm
how could you not mention gundam.
FAIL
September 15th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
Nejikun: Sorry dude but most of these didn’t even have that much influence of the art form. If did watch 90-150 different series like you said you would have known better
September 15th, 2008 at 9:28 pm
sorry for grammar errors
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:15 pm
I could see where there is some validity to this list. Again it goes to personal preference and there is no absolute in regards to who’s numero 1. Neji, you stated that some animes didn’t make the list because the series ran short. Here’s were I see the flaw in you discretion.
Clannad, Basilisk, Trinity Blood, Elfin lied, Koutetsu Sangokushi, Deathnote, Haibane renmei were all written beautifully given their different genres. I would argue because of their limited series relating quality not the quantity of the work; some of the movies/series you listed could have been omitted and/or downgraded.
But what do I know, I was still picking my nose and hiding my bugers under my desk at college. The fun with these blogs is to share your interests with others and expand on this little bullshit we call LIFE.
September 25th, 2008 at 1:40 am
Very nice list. Seen most of these. I was shocked that Ghost in the Shell and Gundam wasn’t added. I have seen plenty of other anime that I would have put up instead of a certain few ;P
September 25th, 2008 at 2:17 am
Where is Dragon Balls? Samurai X/ Rurouni Kenshin? Ranma 1/2?
September 25th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
i need to watch some off the movies to see what there ll about
can you tell me some more good anime movies
October 1st, 2008 at 9:11 pm
i married a strange person! is good
October 2nd, 2008 at 11:48 pm
WHERE IS TRIGUN?!?!!
October 6th, 2008 at 11:33 pm
ight so im going to give my opinions on the best anime/ mangas and the worst and suckish ones, so bear with me. death note?? obviously you dont remember the old school ones and that you have a limited knowledge, because the theme isnt as generation of anime changing as other shows. Eyeshield 21 didnt show in the states i think, but the manga is great, sportsy, funny, inspiring, and it made me join football. gundam is the original though, or the early early early transformers. blackcat is badass, a Sweeper with the most ballerific(running out of adjectives) gun ever. yu yu hakusho is in my top 5, because it was like street fighter, but had that evil demons thing going, plus the reigun aka spirit gun kicks serious ass. naruto sucks now, he was a G before, but now its too much, take it slow. code gease is ok, its pretty new from these mech animes, but a little too complicated which doesnt make it enjoyable, it needs time, but it may just be me. samurai champloo brought the sword action rurouini kenshin had, and the hiphop fighting was sick, it was the best show during its whole season. full metal alchemist had a great story line, because of the boys intention to revive their mom and change themselves back; i have always like the thought of alchemy. cowboy bebop, it was laidback, which made it great but i dont remember if i saw the ending -_- . macabresoren or whatever is right, its all mainstream which sucks. but FLCL was chill and smooth, with some weird but cool action. dragonball series was the base for many ki blast animes, which i think should deserve something for that. evangelion, was too much for me, the artist kept using the same scene or pic for like 3 minutes, and got sick of it, but the robot fight scenes was cool… inyuasha is like a 9/10, the ending made me feel incomplete after following the show for soo long, i mean i was wtf THIS is it!?!?! and days after i felt like i wanted to curl up into a ball. fruit basket is a girl thing lol. trigun, is my favorite western. when i went to the phillipines, all i watched there was Getbackers, and its the shit foreal. and my head hurts now lol, so goodbye. oh and no haters please =D
October 7th, 2008 at 11:23 pm
but the best would be rurouni kenshin, he’s beast
October 11th, 2008 at 10:54 am
paranoia agent belongs in the top 5
October 13th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
how about yakitate japan??
October 17th, 2008 at 11:30 am
I’m by no means a die hard but from the anime’s I’ve seen myself and the ones that are on the list, I can’t say that I’m disapointed.
I’m glad to see that you’ve avoided any incomplete animes (although I must confess I’m a bit of a One Piece fan and kind of wanted that to be the exception to the rule – since it is a fantastically written story imo). All in all this list has offered me new stuff that seems to be worth exploring. Thanks!
October 18th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
I loved Full Metal Alchemist!! Omg, it was awesome!! I also liked Evangelion, I can say it is one of my favpourites!! …and I got traumatized by fruits basket =_=” I hated how bad they treated that poor girl…Anyways, right now I love bleach and Naruto, and I will watch the pones on the list I haven’t watched!! Great list!!
October 22nd, 2008 at 3:45 pm
Although very repetitive, I still really like Saint Seiya. Nostalgia plays a big part in this I guess. And very good music from Seiji Yokoyama.
October 27th, 2008 at 2:57 am
as a certify anime addict…. your list is awesome.. Full Metal was one of the best, but the ending suck though.. anyway, i think that D.Grayman should be included in this list.
Note: Almost all animes are base on mangas.
October 29th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
WHERE IS THE NARUTO?????
November 3rd, 2008 at 10:10 am
This is a fucking great list, I’ve seen almost all of these – I’m so excited to check out Azumanga Daioh!!! Anyway – if serial experiments lain isn’t the best written anime EVER, I’ll eat my fucking hat. Lain has EVERY REASON to show up on this list.
November 3rd, 2008 at 1:41 pm
I’ll never understand why people love FLCL so much. It bored me to tears.
November 4th, 2008 at 1:29 am
Good god anime fans are an opinionated bunch. As I understand it, this list represents the writer’s picks for best written anime. I don’t necessarily agree with him on all points, but I’m not going to lambast the poor guy just because his opinions differ from mine. So all of you chill out.
To all of you yelling about Naruto: Naruto isn’t finished. Neither is Bleach. You can’t evaluate the quality of a story that isn’t complete, nor can you compare it to stories that are complete.
November 4th, 2008 at 10:15 am
I agree with some of the selections. All in All a pretty good list.
You can not compare shows like DBZ to Cowboy Bebop, you might as well go with Pokemon, they are not even in the same league.
Sad to see only one mention of Outlaw star in the comments tho. Outlaw Star is really good.
And I thought Akira was overrated.
November 5th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
This is a nice list and there’s a couple I need to check out… but I completely agree with the other three comments on here regarding Now and Then, Here and There, which is an amazingly well written show that dares to explore brutality & slavery of children which is encased in a amazingly beautiful world, dancing with adventure. Every time I watch it, I become completely immersed and invested in the character’s lives and situations. I recommend it over Akira, but it’s all speculation at this point, eh?
November 5th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
WHAT?!??! no DB??? cmon, obvisiously one of the greatest animes of all time
November 5th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
You should add Trigun, it should be in the Top, believe me its way better than some of the stuff there
November 6th, 2008 at 12:52 am
Two cents begin…
Decent choices on the list. The anime chosen are all pretty good, with a few outstanding standouts. Samurai Champloo is great for its music and choreography, Azumanga Daioh is great for its depiction of japanese student life. Evangelion was great for being a trend-setter. FLCL was just awesome (heh, personal opinion). Full Metal was great to begin with, but the rabid fan-base quickly ruined it for me. Cowboy Bebop is simply beautiful.
That said, there are a few weak links in the list. Fruits Basket was entertaining and enjoyable… But the best written? Perhaps the manga, definitely not the anime. Samurai Champloo had great choreography, but perhaps not the best writing of all animes. And as much as I love FLCL, it probably isn’t one of the best written animes out there as it will easily lose anyone who isn’t paying attention in the first episode. When it comes to story quality and writing, the animes I’m thinking are things like Boogiepop Phantom, Spirited Away, and perhaps Wolf’s Rain. And as much as I hate to admit it, DeathNote is pretty good, too.
Things I would never even consider including: Naruto (retarded, insane fanbase along with ten tons of ridiculous and relatively pointless plot), InuYasha (far too long to be sane, and rapidly becoming the DBZ for girls, and did I mention the stupid fanbase?), and most of the Dragonball/DBZ incarnations.
Erm… Two cents done.
November 6th, 2008 at 2:06 am
Hahaha
238 comments…
This is what you get for trying to have an opinion on an Otaku filled internet…
November 6th, 2008 at 5:18 am
To: 237. Anon. E. Mouse
That was a very thought out, insightful, non-flaming post… What the smeg are you doing on here? lmao
November 6th, 2008 at 5:33 am
239. Slipstick: Hah, sometimes I wonder what I’m doing on the internet at all, being so polite and whatnot… But don’t take my insightfulness as weak… I live with trolls, and can be as horrible as the worst of them. Just choose not to. But seriously, though, what the hell AM I doing here? Lol
November 6th, 2008 at 6:55 pm
If this is a Top10 anime list must see then it’s okay^^’, kinda but Fullmetal Alchemist should switch off with Azumanga Daioh(you people that don’t think Azumanga isn’t good enough… are crazy!) and THANK YOU MPW, if you don’t like anime don’t go near it and near us or you’ll get my fist in your face! Also i’m so very sorry Nejikun but Porco Rosso over Spirited Away?! My bf is not so much into anime but he saw Spirited Away in theaters 6 times!!! It belongs in the top ten. I also agree with you AnnabelleRoxayne^^, Fail, Sear, Cedestra and Zucchini.
I understand all of us Anime Lovers have our different taste but i personally think the list should go a little like this*^^*:
10 Fullmetal Alchemist
9 FLCL
8 Escaflowne
7 Hellsing
6 Utena
5 Azumanga Daioh
4 Trigun
3 Cowboy Bebop
2 Berserk
1 Neon Genesis Evangelion
Now Anime movies:
10 Totoro
9 Kiki’s Delivery Service
8 Tokyo Godfathers
7 Princess Mononoke
6 Escaflowne
5 Vampire Hunter D
4 Neon Genesis Evangelion(both movies)
3 Spriggan
2 Akira
1 Spirited Away
And i just wanted to add that Fullmetal Alchemist had so much potential and could have been a magnificent Anime(it reminded me a lot of Jing: King Of Bandits). The way they described Alchemy was so very interesting and how Edward was unique but he never really used his unique Alchemy skills. He was using Alchemy in different ways in the beginning and it kept you glued to the TV waiting for more but then all of a sudden he only turns his arm into a sword throughout the whole series after that.
Also THANK YOU Cedestra for describing the truth about DBZ, really yourtaintedmemory666 and all you other people, DBZ#1 PLEASE it was interesting when i was a kid(age8) but being 20 now it’s not the kind of anime to put in the TOP10 not even Top50 and whats with people wanting DeathNote and Naruto in the Top10 are you serious or have you just started watching anime??? This is Top10 Best Written Anime.
DeathNote(it would be #15) but Naruto(it could have been a very good interesting Anime but it has nothing but fillers just like DBZ)
If anyone hates me, I’m sorry^^
November 6th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
VERY VERY TRUE Anon. E. Mouse*^^*LOL
November 7th, 2008 at 10:59 am
I’m just glad that you didn’t add naruto or inuyasha. Both of them are completely unoriginal and overrated.
November 7th, 2008 at 11:36 am
Dragonball Z should not be on the list, because regardless of how good and fun it was, it was action fun, not story fun or interesting. I like Death Note, and I think it is very original and should be on the list. Ghost in the Shell is so good and so well written that my not so advanced brain could not understand the complex meaning of the anime. Therefore it should be on the list. lol. I have never seen some of those anime but I am assuming they are good and I will maybe check them out. Full Metal Alchemist was really good as well.
November 7th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
I don’t feel like writing another comment, so I’ll copy-paste what I wrote about this page for StumbleUpon:
“How can a list of well written anime neglect to mention Kino’s Journey or Haibane Renmei? Key the Metal Idol? Millennium Actress? This list just mentions largely mediocre mainstream anime titles, most of which don’t belong on any top 10 list.
If I were writing this list, the only show the author mentioned that’d make it in is Evangelion (which, by the way, the author totally misinterprets in his description of it in this list).”
Not that my opinion means much, other than as a writer on a largely-irrelevant anime review site, but I thought I’d share it here. I hope the blog author starts watching more artistic and literate anime.
November 8th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
You forgot Kino’s Journey!
November 10th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Oh my gosh! Azu Manga Daioh has got to be the BEST anime ever created. It rules out any other anime by 1000!!!It should have been number 1 !
November 12th, 2008 at 12:54 am
Although much of the aforementioned anime was quiet enjoyable, my thoughts reach out to a few other shows and films. In no way are the above shows and movies bad nor to I disagree that they would qualify for a personal list, I feel it may be presumptuous to say they are the top ten.
Some suggestions for you to watch (although certainly not for the list) to perhaps broaden perspective would be Berserk, Ghost in the Shell, Ninja Scroll, Love Hina, Voices of A Distant Star (an extremely powerful film), Escaflowne, Princess Mononoke & Howl’s Moving Castle (For Miyazaki’s work), and Bleach or Naruto: Shippuden (for some mainstream, “light” material).
November 17th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
The only thing that’s good about this list, is Akira. Maybe FMA too (*^_^), the rest, well, they’re ok. Cowboy Bebop is a cool anime, but I can assure you it is not the best anime out of that list( Sorry, its just an opinion :3). The anime world is evolving at a rapid rate, so there’s no way to tell which anime can be considered timeless(Ranma 1/2 lol). Shikabane Hime, go watch that show and you had better enjoy it.
November 18th, 2008 at 2:27 am
I protest that Grave of the Fireflies, which is not only a classic anime, but also a powerfully moving drama, is not added.
Also GTO. Death by butt bump!!
November 23rd, 2008 at 2:31 pm
1. Legend of Galactic Heroes
December 9th, 2008 at 10:06 am
Thx for reminding me that there is still a wonderful anime i miss out : fruit basket
December 10th, 2008 at 5:52 am
ok, i’ve got a list….:
1. Evangelion
2. FLCL (anyone who says they don’t understand the story, should pay attention closely, I figured out both the manga and anime, for i own them)
3. S-Cry-Ed
4. Lupin III as a series
5. G Gundam (shining finger!!!)
6. Samurai Champloo
7. Trinity Blood
8. Grenadier (awesome jokes and a sweet final battle)
9. Shuffle! (it’s just really emotional and funny for me)
10. Paranoia Effect
I have a number 11, but i can’t remember the name of it, if anyone would, i’d like some help. ok, so there was an anime i saw on toonami (cartoon network, same thing about) where they had these different knights, and each knight was for a different element (examples: fire, water, earth). and thing about it was that the fire guy could have the other knights give him their power. He’d then turn white and become the inferno knight. the intro song was a remix of “I Ran” (can’t remember by whom). If you know this anime’s name, please tell me, i’ve wanted to see it again for years. Also, Bo-bobo-bo-bobobo and Shikabane Hime!!
December 10th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
F.P. comment #252 the show your are thinking of is called ronin warriors.
December 11th, 2008 at 5:21 am
really? someone else told later in the day yesterday that it was Knights of the Zodiac. Is Ronin warriors the japanese version of the title?
December 13th, 2008 at 10:41 am
Azumanga Daioh is by far the worst and shouldn’t even be on the list. The fact that you don’t have Berserk shows you don’t know what your talking about.
FMA is entertaining but not well written.
Evangelion was one of the first big animes to hit, so it holds a place in everyones heart because it was probably some ppls first exposure. BUT, not all that good of an anime. Terribly repetitive.
Samurai Champloo is a good action anime, but hardly a fore runner in representing the genera.
To give you some credit, FLCL can stay.
I would like to point out that most of what your posting here has been shown on Adult Swim which shows your field of influence which is poor. I think you should rename the title to “Best Anime to come to the US”
December 16th, 2008 at 1:04 am
waaahh..I love cowboy bebop..
December 26th, 2008 at 11:40 pm
Rurouni Kenshin is a great show, even though later on thay made worse and worse subtitaled remakes. But in its early epesodes it was really great after the Holy War series it went quite down hill. The same can be said with alot of the others even DBZ and its desasterus GT series.
January 2nd, 2009 at 3:02 pm
lol, you people are such losers.
January 2nd, 2009 at 3:30 pm
like your momma.
January 8th, 2009 at 9:12 am
Great list in general.
Although some I must disagree. These are obvious anime that agree with the taste of the western world, but are far, far from being the best 10.
Evangelion, Akira, I can see the reasons behind these alltime world classics. But some of those are a little too…forced? Like FLCL??? Azumanga??? The castle??? Of Miyazaki’s I’m sure there are many which are well made, such as Nausicaa, that are much more deserved in terms of storyline. Really some are, as previously put, fads of today, will be out of “fashion” soon enough.
To be honest, some newer anime are quite disappointing, where the beginning is awesome, but the story is dragged and most people don’t bother watching anymore. And anime hardly ever do the original manga justice. In recent times, One Piece is the “Literature of manga” in my opinion, but it semms there are not many people here that seems to agree.
January 12th, 2009 at 12:39 am
Haha I haven’t really seen a lot of these shows/movies…
some of my favorites are Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (I saw it when I was pretty young…it disturbed me. But I still love it!) Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Soul Eater, Ouran High School, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Castle in the Sky, Naussica, Princess Mononoke, and Bleach.
I’m not saying that these were all amazingly written.
I’m just sayingg that I absolutely love these animes. Haha.
I like the list anywayy (:
January 14th, 2009 at 6:54 am
Whoah!! Death Note should’ve been in there!!
January 14th, 2009 at 11:44 pm
I could say that I agree with those who say Neon Genesis Evangelion to be no. 1.
January 15th, 2009 at 4:40 am
I’m sorry but anime sucks
January 15th, 2009 at 10:12 pm
oh and do you watch, porno??
January 16th, 2009 at 11:47 am
Totally agree with Cowboy Bebop being #1. Shout-out to “Memories” if anyone has seen it and “Ninja Scroll” easily the most bloody and violent anime I have ever seen. Awesome story though. I gotta check out Evangelion.
January 19th, 2009 at 6:42 pm
Qoute
254. F.P. – December 11th, 2008 at 5:21 am
really? someone else told later in the day yesterday that it was Knights of the Zodiac. Is Ronin warriors the japanese version of the title?
Japanese title for ‘Knights Of The Zodiac’ is ‘Saint Seiya.
You’re welcome
January 21st, 2009 at 6:07 am
This is my list for the Best Anime
12. Sailor Moon ( the anime Started All for me )
11. Fushigi Yugi
10. X (The Series) the Movie i didn’t like that much
9. witch Hunter robin
8. Vision of Esclaflowne
7. Kyo Kara Moah
6. Scrapped Princess
5. Wolf Rain
4. Death Notes
3. Blood +
2. Fullmental Alchemist
1. The Twelth Kingdom
Those are my Favorite So far I watch more Anime but for now story wise there are good.
January 23rd, 2009 at 4:36 am
looks more like the best written anime you know SO FAR
i haven’t watched anime much, but i know for a fact that Monster and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex are at least in the top 5 best written animes ever. check them out when you get the chance
January 23rd, 2009 at 7:18 pm
There are many good anime’s out there. I agree on the top 10 listed above. I want to watch AKIRA… hopefully on Monday… FUll metal Alchemist is also a very nice anime.
January 24th, 2009 at 6:19 am
I can’t beleive Death Note did not make it into the list… and Ghost in the Shell too! They both definitely deserve to be in the Top 5!
January 30th, 2009 at 1:56 am
i wont critisize the selected top 10 because that’s just the poster’s opinion. but i think Ghost in the Shell, Rurouni Kenshin definitely deserve to be up there.
February 3rd, 2009 at 3:37 pm
GOD I LOVE THIS SITE!!!!! REASON #515 Cowboy beebop is my fave anime!!!
February 16th, 2009 at 9:33 am
I definately agree with Azumanga Daioh.
It’s my all time favorite!
February 22nd, 2009 at 11:06 am
Best written is the key here alot of things I like but that doesn’t make them written well.
I love Gundam wing but the story goes in circles in places, I love Sailor Moon but the anime is not the best written by any means of the imagination. I also love Fruits Basket but the anime is pale compared to the mange and this is anime we are talking about here.
Comedy is also a factor as good comedy gets forgotten in the place of mind blowing futuristic stories like evangelion. So for me Those who Hunt Elves would have been on there.
Also Robotech (Macross if you want to be technical) is a very well written story. Obviously more recent is Death Note though I am not as familair with the anime as I am with the manga.
This list could be mostly Miyazaki based I think considering his stories are outstanding. Also to this mix are Grave of Fireflies, Haibane-Renmei, Read or Die, Ghost in the Shell, and Sakaino.
Are we over 10 yet? =D
February 23rd, 2009 at 9:59 pm
oh yeh akira is great, its like the “ORIGINAL” anime, that opened doors to tons of others
February 26th, 2009 at 12:22 am
YAY LUPIN!!!
I honestly think lupin is one of those animes that has staying power, despite being a bit old. The Green jacket series was amazing and gritty, and made me fall in love with him. However, like many fans, it was the red jacket series that made me fall even more in love.
-Funny dialogue? Check
-Interesting plots? Check
-Kickass, strong female protagonist? Check (god i’d KILL be like fujiko on her WORST day!)
so yeah. love the guy. Love the series.
February 26th, 2009 at 12:27 am
Oh, and someone should give a shout out to Elfen Lied. Easily one of the most emotional Animes i’ve EVER watched. At one point I kept tearing up and my heart was wrenched like someone had kicked my puppy!! haha.
Also it’s got lots of good stuff. Lots of gore, boobage, cursing, incest, ect.
First seven minutes was the most violent one i’ve ever seen, aside from the beginning of Serial Experiments.
But under all that, it’s a pretty touching story.
Also? Paranoia Agent. That’s one that, to this day, scares the shit out of me if I even hear the beginning music. The only other show that does that is The X-Files.
March 1st, 2009 at 7:10 am
where’s COde Geass, Ouran or Samurai X!?! Why is there a castle thing ang a pig anyways?!?
March 4th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
Two words for you buddy, gun grave. Rest of your list was crap by the way. Samurai champloo & cowboy bebop are a maybe.
March 5th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
obviously you guys never watched baki the grappler,the best anime series i ever saw and informative,wait where’s ninja scroll?
March 15th, 2009 at 11:21 am
i am 13 years old and i say everyone has there own oppions and thats good but all i have to say is were is inuyasha, fashigi ugi and moon phase?
lol
March 16th, 2009 at 2:53 am
um, k-la, i think u mean fushigi yugi
March 26th, 2009 at 5:13 pm
There is no such thing as written Anime.
It’s called Manga.
Manga getting animated = Anime :]
March 28th, 2009 at 11:32 pm
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! u missed Higurashi no Naku Koro ni. well it was based on a game, but that doesn’t change the fact that that anime is seriously gripping, in my opinion.
April 1st, 2009 at 8:09 pm
I found your list to be very good. Some people have said that your list is very main stream, but if the Manga is a good one then it will become main stream also. I prefer GITS for number 1 personal preferance. then I would go with Cowboy Bebop. for number 2. After that Hard to say there are so many good ones out there. After reading all of the responses I will be looking forward to reading or seeing some of the others that I haven’t.
April 9th, 2009 at 6:31 pm
NARUTO!!!!!!!!!!
April 11th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
Fuck yes.
April 14th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
The perfection of this list moves me to tears… let it be pronounced throughout the host! None stands above Bebop!
April 22nd, 2009 at 7:00 am
Missing Higurashi. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni and its sequels are the best animes ever made. Otherwise an ok list, except of those I would have to say FMA belongs at the top.
I’ve seen most, but not all, so I cant really say that though. Also agree with that guy who said Elfen Lied belongs in there somewhere too.
May 14th, 2009 at 9:17 pm
Your list is missing: One Piece, Ashita no Joe, Romeo Ao Sora which I believe is the saddest anime ever, Kaiji, Capeta, Berserk, Ruonin Kenshin, Hajime no Ippo, Touch…to name a few
May 22nd, 2009 at 1:49 pm
I think you are almost spot on with this list!
I was so utterly happy to see Samurai Champloo, Fruits Basket, Akira, Bebop and FMA on here i squealed!
However Instead of putting Porco Rosso I would have put Mononoke or at least Spirited Away.
I don’t agree with most of the people who said that bleach, naruto, and one piece should be here, but I do think Death Note, Hell Girl, and Kuroshitsuji(for the yaoi fans) should have been honorable mentions.
May 23rd, 2009 at 10:29 pm
i am sorry but i am depressed that non of you anime fans put up the original movie Fist Of The North Star which set off a huge anime genre before akira. hated the tv show tho. Also Mu Shi Shi come on now talk about a well written anime. very creative and interesting plots.
May 29th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
i can’t agree or disagree with most of this list, all were fine anime, except for evangelion. they trapped themselves, they wrote quite possibly one of the worst and most convoluted conclusions in literary history, not just anime (which can present some of the most insane story lines known to mankind), but of all written word. that’s not a good thing, it’s not a compliment. evangelion had the opportunity to create a new genre, go away from the warfare that was presented in other giant mecha shows that were more realistic, but not delve into the guts and glory that team up mecha shows presented. the sad thing is, it came so very close, but rah xephon did a much better job of bringing a religious (see mind rape) based giant mecha show to a logical and satisfying conclusion.
May 29th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
oh, and people crying out for one piece to be included in the list…have you been paying any attention at all? forget plot holes, forget continuation, how about we actually progress in the storyline. i do believe there are at least as many separate story lines, none of which are brought to conclusion as of this moment, as there are episodes. believe me, i love one piece, it’s like crack, but i can at least realize that the whole point of the anime, ie finding the one piece, the treasure, you know the main plot, hasn’t been advanced one iota in over 400 episodes…maybe an honorable mention for crack inducing goodness without actually advancing the storyline, but definitely not one of the best written anime.
May 29th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
so i apologize for a third reply, but i’m going through the replies in reverse order, which is just cracking me up. @#280, cowboy bebop a maybe? i understand it’s become quite “mainstream,” but to deny it’s greatness is akin to being faced with a great literary classic that just happens to be on your high school summer reading list, it’s still effing classic my friend. @#279….code geass? did you see the original japanese version? all i have to say is….UNITED STATES OF JAPAN! i do like the shout outs to elfen lied, because of it’s effluence and abundance of violence it was never really given a chance to be given the credit it was due.
@#275 robotech….well i have no idea what the original story was, but what we got was…fun, but one of those things you’re slightly embarrassed to remember you loved. grave of the fireflies is one of the hardest movies to watch, and you can drop the are we over 10 yet sarcasm if you’re gonna mention miyazaki heh.
@#260, i agree nausicaa was by far his best effort in terms of story. the others were fun, but miyazaki put his heart into that one, and it shows.
@#255 walker, is it? azumanga daioh might be geared towards a more sensitive populace than yourself, but that is far from making it the worst. it’s actually a very sweet story, told in an incredible unique way, and almost everyone i know who’s seen it has teared up at the graduation scene (investment in characters lives, good writing in my book). berserk…are you freaking serious, could you be more dichotomous in the anime you select? plus it was horribly written, and was more about the gore than the story (except the lovely and ever on my mind gay bathing scene….hahaha).
i’ll stop there….my brain hurts, heh. oh, as for death note, i really should get around to watching that. it’s like naruto and a few others for me, i’ve been purposefully neglecting it because i’m afraid of how much i’ll like it lol.
June 21st, 2009 at 1:58 am
The scene in Ergo Proxy where a dying Iggy’s split personalities talk to Rea’l. One cursing her for being his reason of existence and how much he hates her the other pleading for forgiveness. All the while the usually cold Rea’l weeps and holds his head telling him its ok…
Cuts away and the viewer hears a gun shot.
Worthwhile anime.
June 28th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
Okay idk if it’s really considered anime but The Maxx is a good one.
July 13th, 2009 at 3:23 am
Where is SLAMDUNK?!
July 16th, 2009 at 6:57 pm
hey heres one for ur list trigun!!! rurouni kenshin dude!!!
July 28th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
I’m a girl and like the girly and ecchi anime, I guess. I am not fond of the robots or war stuff. I like the harem romance comedies or just the funny stuff. And I like Miyazaki and some fantasy and vampire anime.
My favorites:
Love Hina, Midori no Hibi, Spirited Away, Ponyo, The Cat Returns, Hanaukyo Maid Team, Azumanga Daioh, Bleach, Vampire Hunter D, Chobits, Girls Bravo….
long live anime!
July 30th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
i dont really like anime
i just like naruto and dbz because i like modern kid stuff
the only thing i like about anime is that they can make good hentai because anthing can happen unlike normal porn
they can also use tentacles wich is kind of gross
August 1st, 2009 at 2:51 pm
you’ve never seen clannad.
and deathnote
and some other wicked animes too.
August 4th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
Better add Hetalia – Axis Powers to the roster!
August 25th, 2009 at 10:29 am
Note that many of these anime are not based on an existing story, they were created from scratch. Ex, Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, NGE, FLCL etc…
FMA started as a straight adaptation of the manga, but veers into it’s own original ending. Caglionostro is based on the Lupin 3rd characters, but it’s an original story not found in the manga.
Somebody needs to mention this fact to Hollywood….
August 27th, 2009 at 4:47 pm
We need a second list for this.
Add newer anime to the list. Personally I like Code Geass.
August 31st, 2009 at 8:52 pm
If anyone has ever seen the series berserk or read the manga you would have to agree that should definately be on there, or even street fighter was a very good series
September 10th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
ah, i love love love porco rosso. it is by far my favorite of the ghibli films
September 11th, 2009 at 11:58 pm
NARUTO?!?!?! Love that anime.
September 15th, 2009 at 11:53 pm
I’ve seen all of these, i liked them all, I’m bot gonna hate for them being mainstream at all. But I seriously have to object to people lauding Appleseed as being well written. I’ve seen it and the sequel, and the writing is stock quality at best. It IS a technological tour de force, however; it looks gorgeous. My supplementary list would be as follows, in no particular order:
ERGO PROXY
EUREKA SEVEN (the first anime I ever watched, yes, it’s annoying, but the WRITING was topnotch)
GHOST IN THE SHELL (movies and both series)
GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES(SO depressing, though!)
HAIBANE RENMEI
GUNSLINGER GIRL (novel concept, Liked the music, too. The ending, not so much.)
SERIAL EXPERIMENTS L.A.I.N.
KOI KAZE(takes a lot of stomach to get past the premise, but the best writing I’ve ever seen, PERIOD.)
PERFECT BLUE(I hate to add this, I’ve seen this stuff live-action before, but it was a first for anime, so…)
BOOGIEPOP PHANTOM(easy to get lost in the plot, though)
DEATH NOTE(surprisingly complex, this one)
…and I’m cashed.
September 22nd, 2009 at 4:22 pm
well i’v watched mainstream and underground anime (in total 47 anime’s not including runnings such as bleach etc.) and my list goes as (not bloody evangelion, bloody hasbeen)
10.Gungrave, 9. Spirited Away, 8.black lagoon, 7. ninja scroll, 6.death note, 5.Hunter X Hunter, 4. My Neighbour Tottoro, 3.Monster, 2.Full metal Alchemist, and without the best anime and one of the greatest stories ever told Code Geass
Honroubale mentions: Gundam Wing, naruto shippuden (naruto was dissapointing but shippuden has some of the best anime battle scenes ever)shaman king, outlaw star, Kiba, Black Cat, cowboy bebop, love hina
September 27th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
1) pokemon 2) Yugioh
September 27th, 2009 at 10:08 pm
THE TRUE TOP 10 ANIME LIST. EVER. UNDEBATABLE. FO’SHO.
1. yugioh
2. pokemon silver
3. naruto
4. pokemon gold
5. pokemon brown
6. monster ranchers
7. naruto the movie 4
8. pokemon silver
9. seinfeld
10. and… maybe grave of the fireflies. MAYBE. either that or pokemon silver. I’m torn.
September 27th, 2009 at 10:47 pm
Naruto and Bleach would never come anywhere near my top10 list. I like the anime, but hate the concept of a SUPER LONG anime series.
If i had to nominate 1 anime for BEST WRITTEN to add to that list, it would be BERSERK.
Yes, it was only one season long, but the manga is insane as well. The intensity of that series is on a much higher level than about 90% of all animes.
-fuzz
October 1st, 2009 at 8:55 am
ahahahaha where’s sailor moon?
That was the one anime that I really got into.
October 1st, 2009 at 8:55 pm
Nice List.!
But there’s LOTS of good anime out there that is not included here.
October 18th, 2009 at 11:49 am
BERSERK……..The greatest of all anime.Plenty of blood,guts and action.The story line rocks ass aswell….one of the best out there.
October 18th, 2009 at 11:51 am
LOL…pokemon.Are you fucking serious? Are you like 10?LMAO
October 18th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
best written anime? ehhhh… well, if its only writing, here goes nothing~
1.Bokurano
2.Neon Genesis Evangelion
3.Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (and Umineko. Think the games, thats the writing, guys…)
4.Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (Best.Satire.Ever)
5.Lucky Star/Azumanga Daioh/K-ON (whichev, these are the three top slice of life anime, you think its stupid, well then you go write something like that that every single person on the planet can relate to)
6..hack// series
7.AIR and CLANNAD (once again, games…)
8.Toradora, Haruhi, etc. (The LIGHT NOVELS, for here…)
9. Death Note (yes go ahead and kill, me, but really, could you think of that?)
10.Hayate no Gotoku (manga, please dear god, manga)
there are a million more, too, these are just the first that came to mind, like spice and wolf, gurren lagann, and such…
notice the lack of long running things here, please. yes, they may be good, yes they may be interesting, yes they may have hot guys/girls, but in reality, its like reading an epic. Not, in fact, it is an epic. They are, in a sense all the same, with different people and such. So don’t even try to say that Bleach or One peice (dear god) have excellent writing.
Now, also, I have a feeling that the original list is also a list of the ” best” anime. Now, I only say that because I don’t understand how one can possibly think that cowboy bebop has better writing than evengelion, considering evangelion’s backstory…
Okay, sorry for ranting, but… yeah, I’m just a naturally angry person… T__T
October 20th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
Hey! First, I just have to say kudos for giving Lupin his due- it is indeed a wonderful series that is usually swept under the rug.
But, honestly, how is Fruits Baskets even on the list? It’s just really an atrocious story all around. There are many other animes that are more deserving of “top 10″ status, so look through the comments. I think you might be pleasantly surprised. :3
October 22nd, 2009 at 7:47 pm
Sorry. I HAD to add this : Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann.
One of the best mecha-anime ever. Watching that was..EPIC.
It’s FULL of morale-boosting moments, I really recommend it.
Dont expect Gundam-seriousness/realism/down to earth-ness here, though.
October 26th, 2009 at 4:41 am
Very nice list. I also made a similar list like this for the best anime shows for me. I find anime’s with a lot of varying characters and powers very amusing. Well thought of would count as a very nice twist at the end.
You can take a look at my list here:
http://limatik.com/2009/10/limatiks-top-5-picks-for-best-anime-show/
November 14th, 2009 at 8:12 pm
Fullmetal Alchemist rocks!
November 21st, 2009 at 3:25 am
DRAGON BALL Z.
anyone who has a mind knows that EVERYBODY knows and still loves dragon ball z.
goku, the carefree goofy guy who can blow up planet earth with his own spirit bomb.
vegeta, the ill tempered prince from his own named planet that just can’t seem to EVER get strong enough to beat his own rival.
every single bad guy saga was crazy.