#5: Neon Genesis Evangelion
14 Years after the world suffers a dramatic disaster Shinji finds himself returning to the care of his father in Tokyo 3. Much to his displeasure his father is forcing him to pilot a new mech designed to protect the Earth from a recurrence of the disaster.
This is one of the most pivotal anime. It changed the landscape of TV anime in Japan. It can be argued that such titles as Serial Experiments Lain, Gantz or Elfen Lied may not have been possible on TV without Eva. Initially I was not a fan of the series, falling asleep during the first 2 episodes and lost interest. It wasn't until the first 10 episodes were available that I picked it up again and got into it. When the story drastically shifts half way through I was hooked and foaming at the mouth waiting for ADV to release the next two episodes every month. Unlike a lot of people I liked the way the TV series ended but enjoy the theatrical ending as well. This one, I feel, everyone should watch that is into anime. Thankfully with the redone theatrical movies coming out, it doesn't seem to be leaving the pop landscape anytime soon. It's been a number of years since I have watched this series, I may need to fire up the VHS. We really need a new series to come out and shake up the landscape in Japan to break it out of the rut it has been in for a number of years now.
#4: Denno Coil
Yuko moves to a new city with her family, which is the first in the nation to implement a region wide AR network. Yuko along with her new friends exploit the network for fun and games only to discover some hidden secrets in portions that shouldn't exist.
I always describe this series as what it would look like if Miyazaki made a cyber punk story. Not only does it deal realistically with a world we are soon to be living in, it has compelling characters and an interesting plot. This is one of the few series I have ever watched where I did not experience fatigue half way through its run. It was solid for all 26 episodes and offers a number of things; sci-fi, comedy, action, mystery, slice of life. Its got something for everyone. Unfortunately, it was never licensed in North America but can be legally purchased with English subtitles via iTunes.
#3: Death Note
Top student Yagami Light recieves a suspicious notebook that claims to allow its user to arbitrarily kill anyone they chose. When it proves to be real Yagami decides it is his duty to rid the world of evil. Once the murders he enacts are linked together the worlds best detective, L, is brought in to find out who he is. It is now a race between two of the smartest people on the planet, one trying to clean up the world and the other trying to bring justice to it.
I read the manga before the TV series was made and greatly enjoyed both. While there are some changes in the second half, this anime closely follows the manga which is one of the most riveting stories I have read. You can't put it down, you have to find out what is going to happen next as the plot escalates. Fandom attached to this series aside, it is well written and highly enjoyable. Unfortunately, once you know whats going to happen it does become less watchable a 2nd or 3rd time. Code Geass tried to match Death Notes intrigue and long game planning but wasn't able to come close.
#2: His and Her Circumstance
Yukino was the most loved, most admired, top student of her grade until high school when she is outdone by Souichiro. When her one-sided rivalry turns into affection the top students of their grade start dating. Beyond their prowess in school they also share a sense of alienation and self rejection. Together they strive to be better people internally and externally while sharing themselves with someone else for the first time.
This is the perfect romance anime in my mind. On top of being a well done romance the deep social and psychological threads the story weaves make it a very powerful look at what its like to be a confused teenager, trying to come to terms with what the end of childhood and beginning of adulthood really mean. Being a fan of Hideaki Anno and his interesting directing style made it even better for me. While the manga has greater depth and carries the story beyond the anime, this 26 episode series presents a great package.
#1: Azumanga Daioh
10 year old child prodigy Chiyo enrolls in high school to finish her primary education. She is adopted into a small group of female friends who share their off the wall adventures in adolecense with her.
This is such an enjoyable and fun series. I could watch it over and over again. The anime does great justice to the manga, even though Kiyohiko Azuma didn't feel that way and refuses to allow his current manga, Yotsuba&! to me animated. While I have been more hysterical in part of other anime comedies, this one is solid through out its 26 episode run. The hardest part was saying good bye to all of these lovable characters.
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