Best/Favorite Anime?? (Spoilers for Everything)

[Sandslash7]

I must say, this forum has been pretty stagnant lately. I've come here to remedy that. This thread is for discussion of anime, more precisely, anime that you would consider to be the cream of the crop. The point of this thread is to not get bogged down in choosing an overall favorite, but a place to air which series' particularly impacted you, and especially WHY. Of course we may all have different favorites, but that is what makes discussion enjoyable.

Preferrably, we can have intelligent discussion rather than

Gundam Seed Roflcopter

Without anything else to add.

In fact, the reasons behind why you enjoy a series or think it is worthwhile are appreciated, and the more you can articulate, the better for all of us. Perhaps someone might find a new favorite themselves, after reading how good/etc a series is.

Unfortunately, true discussion cannot be shared unless the whole anime is used, so Spoilers for EVERY ANIME IN EXISTENCE might be here, read at your own risk. I have my own picks, but I won't share them till later to avoid spoiling in the first post.

 

[dark_pokemon]

rave master is beast its just a great story line and cool characters. prince of tennis is really good and actualy realistic about tennis.. an doriginal pokemon manga is really good to because the pokemon get like sliced in half and it looks really well

 

[Chromecatz]

1. I'll love Samurai Champloo until the day i die lol. The music and feel to the entire series was just so cool. Oh and the fight scenes were pretty epic as well.
2. Another anime i was all over was Yu-Yu-Hakusho. The different characters and their different abilities made this a really interesting show for me.
3. G- Gundam was also another great for me because the series went really into detail about the gundams and their different techniques /styles.
4. Last but definitely not least is Gantz. The story starts off so surreal then just gets really extreme and shows how people act in crazy situations.

 

[The_Lurb]

Fruits basket is far and beyond my favourite anime/manga. The story was amazing and it had like fifteen characters that all got their own in-depth story. Actually, Deathnote is a pretty close second. Who doesn't like Deathnote though?

 

[emodicer]

Here are some of the anime that I like:

Code Geass (seasons 1 and 2)- I find the power to control other people is awesome and I like how the story revolved on issues like betrayal, deceit, and all that stuff, although the episodes that provide comic-relief are also a good plus for it. The story is a bit complex and the goals of Lelouch (the main character) from finding the person who killed his mother to freeing Japan have been pivotal events in the story. I also like how almost every episode ends with the twist. I was more awed by season 1 than season 2 because the story seemed to go in a very fast pace towards the latter half of season 2 and some of the plots (like the aforementioned mystery of Lelouch's mother's death) seemed to have been just run over.

Gundam 00 (seasons 1 and 2)- I like how the show has portrayed the Gundam pilots' (Meisters) vulnerability. Even though they have Gundams and such, not every battle is an easy win (contrary to what I observed in the last episodes of Gundam Seed Destiny). The feeling of despair brought about by being too overpowered by the opposition and the consequent demise of some of the characters in the end of season 1 is something noteworthy to mention. I really thought that season 2 would end in the same way as 1 did (based on the images from the ending theme) but I was glad that they had the happy ending they deserved.

Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya- I like how the anime is told using the point of view of Kyon (and not of Haruhi)... His side comments are funny and the SOS Brigade having composed of different lifeforms (aliens, espers, etc), makes the story more interesting. However, I did find the episodes being not in chronological order a bit of a pain. Nevertheless, it's an anime that gives me a good laugh.

Death Note- A notebook that can make anyone snuff it? How sinister. Anyways, between Light's determination to continue purging the World of evil while concealing his identity as Kira, and L's determination to find the identity of Kira, the story progresses into a battle of wits. Although somehow, I didn't enjoy the latter part of the series after L's death.

Monster- At first I thought this was sort of a medical drama anime but it is actually a mystery anime. I also liked the twist and turns and although it is 74 episodes long, the watcher would want to find out to very end how the conflict between Tenma and Johan would resolve, as well as determining who is the real Monster.

 

[bullados]

Code Geass S1 -- Brilliant in every sense of the word. Some of the most ingenious tactical decisions I've ever seen in any form, amazing mecha fights, some fantastic philosophical points, all wrapped into a 26 episode extravaganza. I just wish that R2 was half as good.

Bleach -- The first round of filler was quite as good as the rest of the series. Amazing fight scenes, amusing dialogue, a wide range of characters that actually have character. At times, top notch animation.

Yakitate Japan is VERY funny if you know something about anime, are willing to turn your brain off for extended periods, and have a LARGE group of friends to watch it with. It's rather dull by itself.

Haruhi. There isn't enough that can be said about this series.

 

[ashinto]

i really don't like anime, but i'd say the best would be deathnote. i also love the pokemon manga special, i was just reading it through for the 10th time (all 30 volumes that have been translated)

 

[Articjedi]

My favorite anime changes by the season. I can't ever pick just one. But I guess if I had to pick a few shows that I'd never get tired of. I'd probably say the melancholy of haruhi suzumiya, just because it was just such a weird show. I hate this whole endless 8 arc we're going through atm though.

 

[G landers]

my favorite anime is and always will be dragon ball z i love that show:biggrin:it had so many characters and i enjoyed everyone of em it had an amazing plot that saw the z-fighters beat everything in their path

 

[Professor_Chris]

my favorite anime is and always will be dragon ball z i love that show:biggrin:it had so many characters and i enjoyed everyone of em it had an amazing plot that saw the z-fighters beat everything in their path

Dragon Ball Kai > Dragon Ball Z

Dragon Ball Kai fixes the biggest problems with DBZ. I wouldn't say either has an amazing plot though.

 

[G landers]

what is dragonball kai? and thats your opinion imo DBZ has a great plot

 

[Professor_Chris]

Dragon Ball Kai is DBZ without all the filler and multi-episode powering up. DBZ doesn't even really have an overarching plot. Bad guy shows up and they beat them. All of the arcs have very little connection and if it truly had an amazing plot, that wouldn't be the case.

 

[G landers]

oh ive watched the entire series so i didnt know i still think it has an amazing plot and also its not all they just show up and we beat them its alot of good preparations

 

[Professor_Chris]

No, I didn't say anything subjective in my last post, so it really wasn't my opinion.
Saiyan-Freeza had a continuous plot.
Freeza saga was barely connected to Android-Cell just because they wanted Trunks to show up and make short work of the most ridiculous enemy they had thus far fought.
Buu saga has basically no connection to the previous arcs.
No true overarching plot exists in the entirety of Dragon Ball Z. They just beat the current bad guy and move on to the next after some time. There was never any overall end goal for DBZ.

 

[G landers]

the freeza/android sagas still had a connection just because you didnt like it dosnt mean you can discount it entirely and cell linked to the world tournament saga which linked up with the buu saga because babidis goons were in the world tournament

 

[Professor_Chris]

I didn't say Freeza and Android sagas didn't have any connection. I said they had a weak connection. A connection that really wasn't important to the following arc. Mentioning that Mister Satan beat Cell at the beginning of that arc is not really a link unless you had something else in mind.

 

[G landers]

when he hosted his on tournament the cell games i thought was a link but if you didnt NBD also android 18 participated in the world tournament

 

[Professor_Chris]

I think we have different ideas of what a link between arcs is. My argument can be summed up as so:
Time passes and something new happens that has nothing to do with the previous arc(s).

The Android/Cell arcs weren't caused by the Saiyan/Freeza arcs and the World Tournament/Buu arcs were not caused by the Android/Cell arcs. You see that I group those arcs together because they do hold that relation. One was a direct result of the other.

 

[G landers]

ya we do i was linking up the sagas and you were linking up the arcs. I was using the link as if it had a connection with another arc or saga.

 

[Sandslash7]

Alright, I think its time for me to share some of my favorites.

Code Geass (and R2) ~ This show just exudes awesomeness. The mecha fights were unique, and the sheer tactical decisions were on par with the greatest minds in our world. I'm always a fan of strategy, and seeing it used so well greatly enhances my appreciation for the series. Another point I found that grounds this series in reality was the constant evolution of the mechas. Every few episodes, a new improvement was created, and used to the fullest by the characters, just like the normal evolution of weapons and skills.
Another attribute that Geass has can be the simple fact that it is not an American cartoon. You may think, what does that have to do with anything? Well, everything. Because its not American, they are not held to the same standards of entertainment American shows are. My point-in-case: Character deaths. How many American cartoons show main characters dying? Not any that come to mind. This doesn't mean that killing all of your favorites is a good path to take, but having some form of consequence in a series greatly enhances its depth and closeness to reality. Every time I rewatch Geass, I'm hit with the same emotions when one of the characters dies. The build up is genuine, and brings the same emotional response, no matter that I've seen in coming for miles now after 4 times watching it.
Those two are just some of the reasons I love Code Geass and R2. (and I was able to say all that without revealing WHO dies! ) But, to keep this from becoming a Geass thread:

Naruto (not Shippuden, pretty much up to episode 120-130) ~ Yes, that seems pretty typical to be a favorite of an American Anime lover, but I do have a soft spot for the Anime that re-introduced me to the genre. Naruto was truly my 'gateway drug' for anime. The show had great plot, and a gradually expanding cast that became more comfortable with each other in realistic time without losing its primary focus on the titular character. The political intrigue and backdrop to the series allowed one to simply slip into place as a viewer, learning about the Ninja world along with Naruto. Indeed, a great coming-of-age story ripe with emotional bonds that the characters build over 100 great episodes. Again, its probably a great introduction to Anime as a genre: the style and feel of Anime, without straying too far from traditional american archetypes.