Post by ceredron on Mar 6, 2010 3:22:21 GMT -5
So here it is, a relatively multi-faceted Otaku's opinion of the must-see stuff so you can NICE BOAT an MY DRILL IS THE DRILL THAT WILL PIERCE THE HEAVENS and such. Not only that, but you will be able to NANI DESKAR~ and RYUUUUJJIIIIIIIIIII
*disclaimer* I suppose it's important to note that I'm not rating these purely on quality or how much I like them, but how important they are to your ability to call yourself well-versed. I don't like Captain Shitsugaya or any of Code Gayass Season 2, but that doesn't mean Bleach cosplayers won't all be Shitsugaya or that Gayass R TWOOO won't sell more copies than an indie record label's headliner.
(emphasis will be put on classics > recent)
(in no particular order)
Top Tier Must See
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann - MY DRILL and KAAAMINAAAAA, Simon and the crew save the galaxy from oppression.
Azumangah Diaoh - Osaka. Girls high, Chiyo and the true beginning of the moe universe
Cowboy Bebop - Spike and the bounty hunter crew are set loose on the galaxy, also dat soundtrack
Princess Mononoke/Spirited Away/Miyazaki - Movies cut from the fabric of your imagination. Titles include Laputa (Castle in the Sky), My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Ponyo, Whisper of the Heart, Nausicaa Valley of the Wind, Grave of the Fireflies, Porco Rosso, and Howl's Moving Castle
Akira - Motorcycle Gangs in NeoTokyo, super badass, superbly animated
Aria the Series and OVAs - Lengthy series about female gondoliers in New Venice, most calming shit you've never seen, also ARA ARA~
Clannad + Afterstory - A very popular and tearjerking romance, iconic
Genshiken - Otaku's haven, one of the best slice of life ever about a college otaku club, like Comic Party (series) but newer and better done. Manga is worth reading separately, both anime and manga are fantastic.
Full Metal Alchemist - FMA is FMA, watch it, read it, love it
Rurouni Kenshin - Iconic Samurai, FUTAE NO KIWAME, Kenshin wanders the lands being legendary
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - Dat Divine Tsundere, also HARE HARE YUKAI, Aliens, Time Travelers, and Espers!
Honey and Clover - The whole series is incredible lifestory, but Takemoto's bicycle arc is seriously life-changing
Desu Note - mostly just so you get the parody, this is a mindfuckingly popular series that got ratings off angsty teens
Bleach - Clarification - only the Soul Society arc is necessary, absurd amount of Filler Hell and terrible Kubo trolling will result in the rest being absolute garbage. Soul Society arc is among the best in all of anime, however.
Love Hina - Probably the most iconic harem, possibly tied with Tenchi Muyo
Tenchi Muyo - the OTHER, older absurdly popular harem
Neon Genesis Evangelion - Asuka, Rei, Mindfuck End, the Serious Mecha, the 90's renaissance of anime followed
Full Metal Panic - Defined and introduced many popular stereotypes - Chidori, Tsundere, perfect many gags that would be replicated over and over and over, also MECHA + HUMOR
Great Teacher Onizuka - There is no greater teacher in all of anime
Hidamari Sketch - inexplicably popular series about art school students, from middle to high school. Girls love, :3
K-On! - probably the very height of the moeuniverse, we'll see though
Toradora!/Shakugan no Shana/Zero no Tsukaima - any of these will mean you've seen the others, yes, even though Toradora is a romance and not a powerleveling world-saving anime (Rie Kugimiya fodder). Tsun Tsun Tsun
Beck - Mongolian Chop Squad - a sweet, serious reminder that Anime is truly an art form in itself, also MINAMI MAHO, they were born to hit in America
Read or Die - The OVAs have are a clear step above the TV series in quality, but both series and OVAs are completely worth your time. Raw badassery of the OVAs may make TV series feel disappointing, however cameos
FLCL - Probably the best use of the 6-part OVA system ever animated (you say Mnemosyne, I call you an hero). Guitars and robots and great wallpapers
Gundam - you gotta see one. Turn A, 08th MS Team, Original and Seed are usually well-rated, others can be silly (GGundam)
Code Gayass - Well, Lelouche and CC and Spinzaku and well, another big hit teen angster like Desu Note.
Golden Boy - The story of a guy with an insatiable thirst for knowledge and a heart of gold
There are also quite a few honorable mentions, those that are either extremely popular and create respect that way, or are cult classics, or just fantastic lesser known pieces of Anime lore
Honorable Mentions
Akagi - Watch a genius fucking dominate the underworld of Mah Jong. Absolute psychological brilliance.
Baccano - Quiiirky and Crazy, cult hit
Comic Party - Classic that explored the world of Otaku
Dragon Ball - Absurdly popular series, known for IMMA CHARGIN CHARGIN CHARGIN, also IT'S OVER 9000
Eden of the East - if there was a emmy category for best directed and produced anime, this would win it.
Excel Saga - Older parody requiring the utmost highest powerlevels. If you didn't understand the requirement, you have a long ways to go.
Fruits Basket - Reverse Harem about furries and girls fucking go CRAZY over this series
Hayate No Gotoku - Hinafags and Nagifans (and the best fans, Mariafags), also Rie Kugimiya
Higurashi/Umineko - CRAZY KILLER CHICKS OH DESIRE
Ichigo Mashimaro - the other hallmark of moe, it's got a ton of really, really iconic moeshit you should probably recognize as an otaku ~ dat face
Kannagi - Dat Opening theme
Kannazuki no Miko - Famous as "that yuri mecha anime"
Kemono no Souka Erin - also Beast Player Erin, a mystical journey of wonder and adventure, widely regarded as another under-the-table masterpiece
Kino's Journey - Another reminder of the fact that anime is an art style worth the paper it's drawn on
Lucky Star - playful otaku parody set in super stereotypical high school girls setting... Konata. Konata Konata Konata Konata
Magical Girl Nanoha - Nobody knows why this gets the ratings and sequels, but it does
Minami-Ke - I AM BOSS, three sisters doing home-related things. S1 was high quality, went downhill afterwards.
Monster - Psychological Satanical fucked up craziness
Moyashimon - The hidden gem of delight, everyone who sells anime tries to sell it, it never works cause nobody's willing to give it a chance. Also sudden end
Mushi-shi Widely regarded as the best anime nobody's ever seen
Planetes - Struggles to exist in a capitalist space as junkers
Sailor Moon - The Magical Girl Anime of Magical Girl Anima
Saki - WILDLY popular among otaku, lesbians playing mahjong
Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei - The second best teacher ever to exist in anime, about depressed suicidal teacher and his fucking crazy ass class
Scrapped Princess - Classic tale of adventure
Seto no Hayanome - MERMAIDS AND HAREMS AND SHARKMEN AND EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED... always, I wanna be with you, and make believe with you, harmony harmony
Slayers - is slayers
Sketchbook ~full color's~ - Kate the foreigner
Spice and Wolf - popular series about a trader and his love for a furry, also HORO HORO HORO
Summer Wars - from the same director as The Girl who leapt through time, this is a fantastic summer tale that feels like your childhood is leaping through your imagination
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time - let's think about time travel seriously, and cry a little
Trigun - Vash the Stampede, dat redcoat
Welcome to the NHK - Story of an Otaku and his savior
My personal favorites not listed
I figured since I made the list, I could at least add my favorite series that I don't feel are so necessary to see.
Bartender - An insightful bartend makes drinks to cater to his various clientele to make them stop crying about their shitty lives
REC - Onda Aka is my waifu and everyone should respect her. A cute VA and a salaryman at a marketing company hook up, and find themselves at work together.
Bamboo Blade - Let's final fusion!!!! ... in kendo with a girl's team and a shitty coach
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou - A female robot left behind to take care of the countryside cafe goes about her days. Manga is god-tier.
Revolutionary Girl Utena - It's so seemingly stereotypical at the beginning, although it's a girl doing the battalan, but wow this show goes every which way in fantastic fashion.
Now, add your suggestions and let's see what else belongs on here. Remember, these are all "MUST SEE", the most basic and most important series, ovas, and movies of Anime.
*disclaimer* I suppose it's important to note that I'm not rating these purely on quality or how much I like them, but how important they are to your ability to call yourself well-versed. I don't like Captain Shitsugaya or any of Code Gayass Season 2, but that doesn't mean Bleach cosplayers won't all be Shitsugaya or that Gayass R TWOOO won't sell more copies than an indie record label's headliner.
(emphasis will be put on classics > recent)
(in no particular order)
Top Tier Must See
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann - MY DRILL and KAAAMINAAAAA, Simon and the crew save the galaxy from oppression.
Azumangah Diaoh - Osaka. Girls high, Chiyo and the true beginning of the moe universe
Cowboy Bebop - Spike and the bounty hunter crew are set loose on the galaxy, also dat soundtrack
Princess Mononoke/Spirited Away/Miyazaki - Movies cut from the fabric of your imagination. Titles include Laputa (Castle in the Sky), My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Ponyo, Whisper of the Heart, Nausicaa Valley of the Wind, Grave of the Fireflies, Porco Rosso, and Howl's Moving Castle
Akira - Motorcycle Gangs in NeoTokyo, super badass, superbly animated
Aria the Series and OVAs - Lengthy series about female gondoliers in New Venice, most calming shit you've never seen, also ARA ARA~
Clannad + Afterstory - A very popular and tearjerking romance, iconic
Genshiken - Otaku's haven, one of the best slice of life ever about a college otaku club, like Comic Party (series) but newer and better done. Manga is worth reading separately, both anime and manga are fantastic.
Full Metal Alchemist - FMA is FMA, watch it, read it, love it
Rurouni Kenshin - Iconic Samurai, FUTAE NO KIWAME, Kenshin wanders the lands being legendary
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - Dat Divine Tsundere, also HARE HARE YUKAI, Aliens, Time Travelers, and Espers!
Honey and Clover - The whole series is incredible lifestory, but Takemoto's bicycle arc is seriously life-changing
Desu Note - mostly just so you get the parody, this is a mindfuckingly popular series that got ratings off angsty teens
Bleach - Clarification - only the Soul Society arc is necessary, absurd amount of Filler Hell and terrible Kubo trolling will result in the rest being absolute garbage. Soul Society arc is among the best in all of anime, however.
Love Hina - Probably the most iconic harem, possibly tied with Tenchi Muyo
Tenchi Muyo - the OTHER, older absurdly popular harem
Neon Genesis Evangelion - Asuka, Rei, Mindfuck End, the Serious Mecha, the 90's renaissance of anime followed
Full Metal Panic - Defined and introduced many popular stereotypes - Chidori, Tsundere, perfect many gags that would be replicated over and over and over, also MECHA + HUMOR
Great Teacher Onizuka - There is no greater teacher in all of anime
Hidamari Sketch - inexplicably popular series about art school students, from middle to high school. Girls love, :3
K-On! - probably the very height of the moeuniverse, we'll see though
Toradora!/Shakugan no Shana/Zero no Tsukaima - any of these will mean you've seen the others, yes, even though Toradora is a romance and not a powerleveling world-saving anime (Rie Kugimiya fodder). Tsun Tsun Tsun
Beck - Mongolian Chop Squad - a sweet, serious reminder that Anime is truly an art form in itself, also MINAMI MAHO, they were born to hit in America
Read or Die - The OVAs have are a clear step above the TV series in quality, but both series and OVAs are completely worth your time. Raw badassery of the OVAs may make TV series feel disappointing, however cameos
FLCL - Probably the best use of the 6-part OVA system ever animated (you say Mnemosyne, I call you an hero). Guitars and robots and great wallpapers
Gundam - you gotta see one. Turn A, 08th MS Team, Original and Seed are usually well-rated, others can be silly (GGundam)
Code Gayass - Well, Lelouche and CC and Spinzaku and well, another big hit teen angster like Desu Note.
Golden Boy - The story of a guy with an insatiable thirst for knowledge and a heart of gold
There are also quite a few honorable mentions, those that are either extremely popular and create respect that way, or are cult classics, or just fantastic lesser known pieces of Anime lore
Honorable Mentions
Akagi - Watch a genius fucking dominate the underworld of Mah Jong. Absolute psychological brilliance.
Baccano - Quiiirky and Crazy, cult hit
Comic Party - Classic that explored the world of Otaku
Dragon Ball - Absurdly popular series, known for IMMA CHARGIN CHARGIN CHARGIN, also IT'S OVER 9000
Eden of the East - if there was a emmy category for best directed and produced anime, this would win it.
Excel Saga - Older parody requiring the utmost highest powerlevels. If you didn't understand the requirement, you have a long ways to go.
Fruits Basket - Reverse Harem about furries and girls fucking go CRAZY over this series
Hayate No Gotoku - Hinafags and Nagifans (and the best fans, Mariafags), also Rie Kugimiya
Higurashi/Umineko - CRAZY KILLER CHICKS OH DESIRE
Ichigo Mashimaro - the other hallmark of moe, it's got a ton of really, really iconic moeshit you should probably recognize as an otaku ~ dat face
Kannagi - Dat Opening theme
Kannazuki no Miko - Famous as "that yuri mecha anime"
Kemono no Souka Erin - also Beast Player Erin, a mystical journey of wonder and adventure, widely regarded as another under-the-table masterpiece
Kino's Journey - Another reminder of the fact that anime is an art style worth the paper it's drawn on
Lucky Star - playful otaku parody set in super stereotypical high school girls setting... Konata. Konata Konata Konata Konata
Magical Girl Nanoha - Nobody knows why this gets the ratings and sequels, but it does
Minami-Ke - I AM BOSS, three sisters doing home-related things. S1 was high quality, went downhill afterwards.
Monster - Psychological Satanical fucked up craziness
Moyashimon - The hidden gem of delight, everyone who sells anime tries to sell it, it never works cause nobody's willing to give it a chance. Also sudden end
Mushi-shi Widely regarded as the best anime nobody's ever seen
Planetes - Struggles to exist in a capitalist space as junkers
Sailor Moon - The Magical Girl Anime of Magical Girl Anima
Saki - WILDLY popular among otaku, lesbians playing mahjong
Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei - The second best teacher ever to exist in anime, about depressed suicidal teacher and his fucking crazy ass class
Scrapped Princess - Classic tale of adventure
Seto no Hayanome - MERMAIDS AND HAREMS AND SHARKMEN AND EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED... always, I wanna be with you, and make believe with you, harmony harmony
Slayers - is slayers
Sketchbook ~full color's~ - Kate the foreigner
Spice and Wolf - popular series about a trader and his love for a furry, also HORO HORO HORO
Summer Wars - from the same director as The Girl who leapt through time, this is a fantastic summer tale that feels like your childhood is leaping through your imagination
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time - let's think about time travel seriously, and cry a little
Trigun - Vash the Stampede, dat redcoat
Welcome to the NHK - Story of an Otaku and his savior
My personal favorites not listed
I figured since I made the list, I could at least add my favorite series that I don't feel are so necessary to see.
Bartender - An insightful bartend makes drinks to cater to his various clientele to make them stop crying about their shitty lives
REC - Onda Aka is my waifu and everyone should respect her. A cute VA and a salaryman at a marketing company hook up, and find themselves at work together.
Bamboo Blade - Let's final fusion!!!! ... in kendo with a girl's team and a shitty coach
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou - A female robot left behind to take care of the countryside cafe goes about her days. Manga is god-tier.
Revolutionary Girl Utena - It's so seemingly stereotypical at the beginning, although it's a girl doing the battalan, but wow this show goes every which way in fantastic fashion.
Now, add your suggestions and let's see what else belongs on here. Remember, these are all "MUST SEE", the most basic and most important series, ovas, and movies of Anime.