What is your favourite anime?

[Rohan Matthews]

So I have again fallen in love with anime and I'm wanting to know what other people are watching/enjoying so I can catch up on lost time!

I personally have watched all of; Death note, Full metal alchemist (both original and brotherhood) black lagoon and a few more that escape my mind at this time.
and I have thoroughly enjoyed them all!

 

[[Kira Must Die]]

Well, my all-time favorite is FLCL, followed by Madoka Magica, K-ON!, Evangelion, and also Death Note.
As for currently, I'm not really watching anything. I'm simply waiting for a few animes to watch this season.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Eh, too much.

My Neighbor Totoro, Akira, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and Azumanga Daioh would narrow it down just a bit.

 

[Keoul]

I'm conflicted between either Toradora! or Tengenn Toppa Gurren Lagann.
Extreme amounts of emotion in a "slice of life" anime or extreme, over the top awesomeness. I just can't choose!

 

[ShinyCharizard]

Well I've only watched a few series so far but I would say my favourite is Steins;gate.

 

[The Wykydtron]

It has to be a toss up between Gurren Lagann or Higurashi. They're both drastically different so it's hard to think... I adore good mystery stories and Higurashi delivers that quite well. That and it's got some super happy fun times where people get violently killed for seemingly no reason. Basically it's a highschool comedy anime where someone goes on a murderous rampage halfway through. Then the world resets and a different person goes on a murderous rampage! Fun!

TTGL is just epic in every sense of the word. So awesome

God how could I forget Code Geass actually? That is one of my all time favourites for sure. Lelouch is pretty much the best character ever created. True fact. The whole anime in general is probably the most melodramatic thing ever created by man... So fun to watch

 

[R4ptur3]

I've only been watching anime for about a year but I guess my top 5 would be:

Bleach: The first Proper anime I ever saw, and Bleach is the reason I Keep watching anime now.
Naruto
Darker than black (Hei is my man crush)
Full metal alchemist: brotherhood
Gurren Lagann because kaminaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

 

[Ultress]

Time of Eve,to me the perfect show. A quite subtle look at our relationship with robots when they are advanced enough to almost be our equal.

Usagi Drop,a lovely and heartwarming exploration at fatherhood and growing up,Rin is adorable,Daikichi has a definite character arc, and nothing ever feels like Oscar bait the way Anohana did.

Haibane Renmei: A deep look on death and life and probably nine hundrered other things. The symbolism leaves quite a bit open to interpretation. All the characters are well defined,Reki gets a really good arc,and again ti's a nice quiet/subtle show.

Princess Tutu: To me the Ur-example of how to do a deconstruction right,a nice take on the Magical girl/Fairy tale genres that manged to be dark and foreboding with out resorting to cheap deaths and darkness for the sake of darkness.It also has a marvelous soundtrack and a villain who is legitimately terrifying.You are truly not a man till you watch this show.

Baccano!:This is really an outlier for me as I tend to prefer quiet and introspective shows but dammit Baccano! is great. Plot lines and characters are colliding,the setting is great,the three storyline are interwoven perfectly and it's a joy to watch.The show has flair and it's only real flaw is having to end.

There are some other favorites: Utena,Chrno Crusade,Baka and Test,but those are my top five in order from 1-5

 

[Owlslayer]

My top three consists of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann ( as iw rite that name i get the weird feeling i should write it in caps and with a ton of exclamation marks), Clannad: After Story and Great Teacher Onizuka. All three are so awesome, but pretty damn different.
There`s a ton of other ones that are awesome, but these three are, in my eyes, the very best of the best.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Let see-
Gurren Lagann
Cowboy Bebop
One Piece
Tenchi Muyo
Ghost In The Shell Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig
FL CL

Etc and etc.

 

[MammothBlade]

I'm big on cyberpunk - Ghost in the Shell, Ergo Proxy, Serial Experiments Lain, etc.

Mystery-horror such as Higurashi, Monster, etc.

Black Lagoon, in a class of its own

A few shonen - One Piece & Fairy Tail.

 

[Fappy]

My all-time favorite is FLCL with Cowboy Bebop and Darker than Black tied for second place. I have a lot of favorites other than those three though.

 

[sh1v3rs]

http://myanimelist.net/animelist/Haezejongk

With my all-time favourites being Bleach, Ao no Exorcist and Toradora!. The only anime from that list I've rewatched so far.

 

[Chromatic Aberration]

Current list reads as follows:

1) Legend Of The Galactic Heroes

In essence a huge philosophical discussion about political systems, the morale of the soldier and the sliding scale of cynicism and idealism - in space. It's a huge story, riddled with massive battles, hundreds of different characters, plot twists and a world that thrives on it's own sprawling history. Simply put: it's scope and depth is second to none in anime. I'd lie if I said it wasn't slow to the point of boredom sometimes, but it always stays true to what it is: a true epic.

2) Code Geass

Code Geass did what Death Note could not: it coupled interesting character dynamics and depth with an enticing and fast paced storyline that manages to chain one in front of the TV until the series is over. It's sometimes a bit too in love with itself and bombards one with far too much than one can be comfortably with. Still, it's a brilliantly crafted piece that never ceases to amaze.

3) Samurai X - Trust & Betrayal

Four episode prequel OVA to the Rurouni Kenshin aka Samurai X series. All in all one of the most haunting and emotionally binding tragedies that exist in anime. It's polished to such a degree that every single scene in this OVA is designed to enhance the soul-crushing effect of a good tragedy. Too pretentious at times, but, hell, I wouldn't want to have it any other way.

4) Higurashi - When They Cry

Psychological horror needs to be learned and one of the most frightening things is when horror appears out of the most common or harmless things. Steven King knows that. And so does Higurashi: it's almost mesmerizing with how much glee this series suddenly changes it's tone and turns your average slice of life anime in a vivid image of paranoidal horror. Much like Lost, the story draws it's appeal from the underlying questions and the frantic theorizing the viewer is left with after each arc. Unfortunately, the actual solution is, while genuinely well crafted, a long-shot. Still, it's an experience one doesn't soon forget.

5) Monster

Monster is the exploration of a single theme: what is true evil? The characters follow the footsteps of a serial killer, whose reason as to why he kills and how he came to be what he is is the focus of the story. And so is the psychological strain and the marks that are left behind on the characters from what they uncover - as well as on the viewer: if Higurashi is Psychological horror, Monster is a brooding lucid nightmare, whose scenes follow one around well after the TV is turned off. Despite it's rather formulaic story structure that sometimes borders the stereotypical, Monster is a stand-alone whose depth and frightening intricacy is among the best anime has to offer.

 

[Flamezdudes]

Neon Genesis Evangelion and associated works like Rebuild of Evangelion. It's hard to explain why but there are so many elements of the series that just make me love it.

Some of my other favourites however include Clannad, Serial Experiments Lain, 5 Centimeters Per Second and Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Oh. oh, Nichijou is also fucking hilarious.

 

[roushutsu]

Here are my top 5:

1) Revolutionary Girl Utena - A modern fairy tale that touches on childhood dreams and the challenges and dark aspects of adulthood. Great story, fleshed out characters, beautiful animation, rocking soundtrack, and so many symbolic images and motifs used that actually contribute to the overall narrative. I always catch something new whenever I watch it. The movie is a re-telling of the show and it's very odd and confusing. Wouldn't recommend watching it without watching the show first.

2) Gankutsuo - It's a sci-fi retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo, told in the perspective Albert instead of the Count himself. It stays very true to the novel despite the changes, but the thing that everyone notes is the art style. Most of the characters, objects, and backgrounds are not filled with solid colors but with patterns. Sometimes it doesn't work well and looks bad, but most of the time it does and there are some scenes that simply look gorgeous. It's understandable if people don't like the artwork, but try to look past it and watch the show for the story it offers and it's quite the thrill ride.

3) Baccano! - Three stories told at once, with the series beginning with the ending of them and going backwards. It's a really odd setup, but it works well. It's not confusing to follow, the stories are all different, but the best part--the characters. Some of the funniest and most fucked up characters I've seen in an anime are here and it's a blast to watch them all interact with each other. Oh, and one of the best English dubs out there.

4) King of Braves GaoGaiGar - This is an older one, but dammit I love it. It has cyborgs, fairy kids, mechas with personality, unique ideas for enemies that reflect on negative aspects of people, and bad guys named after Italian food. Awesome! Before we had Gurren Laggan, we had this as our lavish love letter to the super robot genre, so if you liked that show give this one a shot. Admittedly it's very slow to start, but once you get past the first 12 episodes (out of 80+ if you count in the later installments, so not too bad in the long run) it immediately picks up and it's a blast to watch.

5) Death Note - you already mentioned this one, so nothing to say here.

 

[Headdrivehardscrew]

Ninja Scroll

Fist of the North Star

Vampire Hunter D

Hellsing

Urotsukidoji: Legend of the Overfiend - good luck finding a proper uncut version.