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What are your favourite anime and/or manga?
Pretty basic question I know, figure since people come and go the answers could change
Mine are Made in Abyss, Blame, Girl's Last Tour
Edit: almost forgot: Yotsuba to! Most wholesome and hilarious thing I've read!
Mob Psycho 100 is the best across the board for me. Music, art direction, story and character arcs, its just really well done in every aspect.
Oh dang I forgot about Mob Psycho for my list! The manga was fantastic, and I really appreciated the entire arc beginning to end. Also, people who say ONE's art is bad really don't know what they're talking about; he may not be as highly-detailed as some more famous artists, but his ability to show motion, mood, and expressions is great
I like how crude the art sometimes is in the anime because it makes the mundane world contrast more with the flashy graphics they use to show psychic powers.
I loved Mob Psycho! It was the right amount of crazy and real stuff. The characters are all awesome.
fight on!
Only manga here, although I do pick which to read based a lot on hearing about the anime lol.
Chainsaw Man - Violent and humorous, with high stakes and loveably awful characters. It is a massive tragedy, basically a story of Denjis life going bad constantly, but the themes of a young guy trying to make his way in the world really resonate. Also, he's got big chainsaws for hands
Kaguya-Sama: Love is War - Romantic comedy that starts as a Death-Note-esque style battle of wits, but quickly abandons that premise to instead be a coming-of-age romance story with many characters, interweaving plotlines, and absurd, almost shit-post style comedy I really enjoyed. I really appreciated the characterizations, the high-school students all feel believable as actual teens, rather than adults in young bodies. Related, I really appreciated how the series handled topics like sex that were both realistic to how teens actually discuss (and sometimes do have) sex, without crossing the line into lewdness or fan-service.
Witch Hat Atelier - Very cute almost Ghibli-style story about a young girl becoming a witch, and her journeys of both self-discovery and the discovery of the world of magic. It's very cute and lighthearted, and optimistic: there are bad things that happen and bad forces trying to make those happen, but the characters find ways to solve their problems, usually by overcoming their own fears or insecurities. There's a good amount of drama and intrigue, and a heavy dose of shades-of-gray thinking about the world and how it's structured. I'm currently almost caught up with the currently available in English volumes.
Delicious in Dungeon - Fun story about delving into a dungeon, and how to best cook and eat the monsters within. Cool "realistic" cooking angle, with detailed recipes on how to best prepare and enjoy many magical creatures. But besides this plot hook, there's also a good narrative of desire, intrigue, and love. And, something I've come to appreciate: all wrapped up nicely in a completed 12 volumes!
Oh boy, Chainsaw Man was thoroughly enjoyable when it was ongoing, but I'm a bit bummed because I felt the ending was fumbled,
When Pochita just decided to peace out unilaterally, it felt out out of left field and the move robbed everyone's the chance for character development.
// Fan theory time! //
I thoight erasing history as a hail mary could still work as an ending, but it might have been satisfying if the decision was reached together with Asa/Yoru somehow, as a culmination of the trust and comradery that they developed between each other.
The story has established they were able to have mental conversation pair-wise (Pochita-Denji, Denji-Asa, Asa-Yoru) so it's only one step further to put them together.
This also allow them a chance to say farewell to each other, while making peace with the end of their desires/ambitions (Asa and Denji each wanting a normal relationship only to see the whole world turned to chaos because of it, Yoru wants to kill Chainsaw man only to see it possible via him erasing himself and not by her hand).
I will return in a few months to this! I don't read fan translations, so I still have a vol or 2 until I get to the end
Oh no, avert your eyes!
Ha I appreciated the spoiler tagging! (Which I did not open). I do already know from the general hubbub that the ending was controversial, and even know one more out-of-context detail, so I'm not quite pure. But still looking forward to figuring out myself
According to my Anilist rankings, these are my top 10 (multi-season shows are judged on their highest-ranked seasons):
Honorable Mentions to all the shows/movies that received a 9
As an aside, I don't usually participate as much in the weekly anime thread, but shoutout @moocow1452 for putting me on all those years ago. I've watched quite a bit of anime since, though haven't discussed it much on Tildes
Do you have other outlets for your anime thoughts or is it just not a normal thing you do?
Honestly, outside of discussing with my friends in person not really, no. I’m not opposed to discussing it on Tildes though, just never really did after that early post I linked
I've only started getting into anime somewhat recently, but here are a couple of the my favourites:
Frieren Beyond Journeys End. (Ongoing; 2 seasons / 38 episodes)
An elf reliving the memories of her old adventuring party, long after they've died, by going on a new journey. A monster of the week show in a D&D-like sword-and-sorcery setting, styled after medieval Europe.
Witch Hat Atelier (Ongoing; 1 season / 13 episodes)
A young girl learns about the world of magic (after turning her mother to stone); it's mostly light-hearted, but gets dark at times. The anime is new, but I've also heard recommendations for the manga, though I haven't read it yet. If you like Frieren, you might like this?
Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf (2024) (Ongoing; 1 season / 25 episodes)
A third anime themed after medieval Europe (I guess I have a theme?); this one is basically a slice of life show of a travelling merchant in a place akin to medieval Italy. It has much less action than the previous two.
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury (Completed; 2 seasons / 24 episodes total; also officially available on youtube, though only with subs.)
It's a Gundam show, but it's a self contained story in its own universe. Premise: It's a school for mech suit pilots in space, where the main sport is dueling people with said mech suits.
This one probably needs a warning that Gundam shows are about war; it starts lighthearted but it gets much darker in the second season.
If you've seen any of these, you can probably see that I have a theme... does anyone have recommendations for other shows like these? I've seen Dungeon Meshi / Delicious in Dungeon being recommended?
You might want to look at iyashikei anime. 3/4 of your listed series are likely considered iyashikei or adjacent.
MyAnimeList description of iyashikei
The Japanese word "iyashi" (癒し) means healing, and the term "iyashikei" refers to anime and manga that "heal" the audience by instilling a calming feeling or evoking emotional catharsis. Almost always, Iyashikei stories have peaceful, somewhat mundane, and nostalgic atmospheres. The settings are idyllic with little or no conflict, and the narratives focus on personal reflection, heartwarming moments, a vague sense of melancholy, and/or an appreciation for the small things in life.ARIA, Mushishi, and Natsume's Book of Friends would be my personal recommendations. They will be most similar to Frieren's vibe. Calm, uplifting, melancholic. All 3 are truly fantastic series, and have enough content to last you a while.
Thank you for the genre name, and the recommendations! I'll add them to my list to check out.
I see it's been mentioned elsewhere but I've gotta tack on my personal favorite manga here again to that list, Yokohama Shopping Log / Yokohama Shopping Trip. There's barely anything to its chapter-to-chapter narrative, but in these little impressionist strokes of a plot it feels like it tells this grand epic about the nature of death and our inevitable end in a way that's serene and hopeful.
Probably forgetting a few, but ones that come to mind:
Anime
Manga
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou and Kuutei Dragons look interesting, I'll check them out. Also you know a lot of stuff that goes way back!
Vinland Saga - Historical fiction epic set in the viking age. I personally prefer the manga, especially since season 2 has notably worse animation and direction since they gave it to another studio. But it's still an amazing watch regardless.
If we're counting movies, some of my favorites are:
Honorable Mentions:
Ugh. This has been on my backlog for ages, under the assumption it would be at least similar quality. And I really just wanted more. That's a shame to hear.
I'll be the one to disagree: I think 0 is good. It's different, as it basically is an expanded world line where he gave up before getting things back together, but it's still more Steins; Gate. It has a really good "he's back" payoff moment, with the same level of shift in energy as the turning point of the original.
Steins;Gate is one of my favorite anime, was glad to see it!
I felt this way on my first time through it too. I’d binged the original, then the ova and movie, then 0. It felt disjointed by comparison and I enjoyed the original so much that 0 fell flat.
When I introduced my wife to it, we watched to episode 23 (I think?) and saw an alternate cut they released that leads into 0. Then at the end of 0 we returned to the last couple episodes and the movie. 0 fit so much better into the story and I enjoyed it much more than the first time.
Good choices! I liked Monster too but I would not recommend it because it really is slow.
Also, yeah, SteinsGate 0 is just bad.
Wolf Children is a gentle and hopeful allegory for raising neurodivergent children in a society that doesn't make accomodations / has heavy discrimination. Prepare to cry but it ends beautifully.
Spy x Family
Short gist if you've never heard of it: Main character is a super spy in a fictional East Germany set in the Cold War days. His latest mission is to get close to some big political chief, but in order to do that he has to basically create a loving family out of thin air and keep up appearances so as to not arouse suspicion. Hi-jinks ensue.
Mild spoilers for first two or three episodes.
The wife he recruits is secretly a top-level assassin. And the orphaned girl he adopts as a daughter is a telepath who can read peoples minds. Oh and even the dog they get can see the future, lol. But the best part is that none of them know about the others' secret identities (well except the daughter who can read everyone's minds). So not only are they trying to blend in as a regular family, they're also each trying to accomplish their own goals without letting the rest of the family catch on to them. So they end up getting into lots of silly situations in order to cover up their secret identities.It's just the perfect blend of slice-of-life wholesomeness, wacky comedy, and spy-thriller action. There's romance, but it's not overly done like many other shows. The characters are pretty interesting too, with a good mix of cliches that makes it so that none of them feel too over-the-top. The setting is fantastic, not too many shows set in post-war Berlin, yet they somehow manage to not make it too dark or depressing despite the constant fear of government surveillance. It's just a great show all around and has something for pretty much everyone regardless of what you're into with manga/anime.
Surprised to not see more examples like Blood on the Tracks by Shūzō Oshimi, but there is no adaptation in anime.
Still it's older manga Flowers of Evil does have one, and a good one at that.
Would love to have some recommendations of very emotionally charged manga without much fantasy elements (not mandatory).
Blood on the tracks sounds intriguing, I'll need to check it out. It's a shame that once a series ended, they don't tend to get talked about much anymore.
As for emotionally charged manga, what do you think about Punpun?
I think I heard of it before, it seems to be right what I search for, thank you !
Some recommendations:
I thought the initial school arc of Aku no Hana was excellent but it really fell off a cliff after that.
All of my 10/10 anime show ratings with short blurbs I've written for recommendations, no particular order beyond that:
Journal with Witch — A disorganized novelist takes in her teenage niece after her estranged sister's death.
Odd Taxi — A taxi driver gets involved in a series of interweaving events.
Spice and Wolf — A traveling merchant in a medieval land is joined by an ancient wolf spirit and they roam together.
Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu — A drama about performers preserving and advancing a fading art of comedic storytelling.
Ping Pong the Animation — The struggles to reach the peaks of a sport, with a unique visual presentation.
Hibike! Euphonium — High school wind ensemble aims for the national stage.
Legend of the Galactic Heroes — A space opera epic with opposing political ideologies between the two main characters on opposite sides of a galaxy-spanning war.
Cross Game — A slice-of-sports journey through love and life, pursuing a dream of the biggest stage in high school baseball.
Princess Tutu — A story about fairy tales and a duck who turns into a girl.
Honey and Clover — A group of students at an art college try to figure out their lives going forward.
Chihayafuru — Aiming for the top ranks of karuta, an unusual sport based on Japanese poetry.
Fruits Basket (2019) — A caring girl finds companionship in a family with a secret and troubled history.
OddTaxi, Spice and Wolf, Rakugo Shinju, and Ping Pong all on the same list that isn't mine? You have exceptionally good taste. If you haven't already seen them, I can recommend these to you:
And if you enjoy a calming, slow-paced iyashikei show here or there, try these:
Nice list of recommendations there. Can see my full history on MyAnimeList/AniList but to do a quick rundown on those in particular:
All over the map from "literal must see" to "best in class/forgivable failures". Sure I'm forgetting many but off the top of my head:
Edit-
Ahhh yeah. Made in Abyss as you mentioned. That's it's own discussion of course.
Of Studio Trigger, personally I have a soft spot for Kill la Kill over Gurren Lagann. I absolutely love the humor. But both are great.
The way they have no allegiance to keeping things like size and perspective consistent makes for some amazing visuals.
I don't watch anime very much but Evangelion has given me a lot to think about.
Interesting, what made you want to check it out in the first place?
I first started it like seven years ago when I saw it advertised on Netflix but I think it was bad timing for me and I only watched one episode.
Then in 2023 I started seeing a lot of Eva meme videos on YouTube and I decided to check it out again. It was weird and confusing but after I finished the show and movie, I started looking into what the hell was going on, then I learned what was really going on, and then I encountered the deeper analyses.
The show has a lot of stupid, disgusting fans, but if you read a good analysis and start connecting the dots of what the creator was actually trying to say and explore, it really is deep.
My now-ex having the same mental health issues as a lot of the characters probably made it hit a bit harder, but the show is sad in ways a lot of viewers miss and happy in ways a lot of viewers miss.
I don't know if it's the "best anime" but the way it explores the themes it does really elevates it above other media.
Of course the gratuitous fan service doesn't help, and the fans who are drawn to that stuff are often truly disgusting so that's not fun.
Thanks for giving the series a watch and deeper thoughts. I'm one of those "lifers" for NGE and have a somewhat unhealthy obsession with Rei Ayanami -- looking back on the series as an older adult now, yeah I could have done without the fan service as well.
Much of it can be "explained away" in-universe:
Misato using her sexuality as both escape and belated teenage rebellion against her dad; Kaji being flirtatious as cover for being super spy; Asuka being a deeply traumatised young lady wanting attention in every way she can get; Rei learning human emotions starting from background of having been groomed as a perfect doll without self will; and Shinji seeking comfort/release of any kind to deal with his soul-train load of trauma...I do feel like the movies' decision to keep Asuka and Rei teenaged is a critique on the fans: the curse of EVA they suffer from is the fact that the 1990s series wouldn't have been made or sold so well without raw sexual desires for teenaged bodies. Nobody wants to sit on that folding chair of depression for 26 episodes talking about psychological health and abandonment issues without some boobs.
That's why I'm super looking forward to Yoko Taro's take coming next. He's also a deep thinking super pervert I think, but the 2030 audience is a different generation from even his Nier days. We'll see.
Gainax gonna Gainax. They're pretty much ground zero for the entire concept of fan service.
At this point I consider anime ages to be nothing more than a method to drive engagement by stage setting. Depictions of age in anime is so incredibly random I consider every one an adult unless the character specifically acts and/or is drawn like a child. A character can be drawn like a full fledged adult, act like an adult, only for the story to reveal they're 15 three episodes in because the setting demands it. It doesn't mesh and I think it's often futile to conflate the two.
So yeah I understand and can even find myself agreeing most of the time with what you and @updawg are saying. Even so, very often the ages they say they are, are rarely the same as the age depicted they are. Sex sells, but high school settings in shounen manga do too. I think a lot of the times (though most assuredly not all) the two have little in common.
To that end, I think NGE as a show is adult enough for us to consider the characters to be of age, despite what the setting demands they say they are. By creating these types of characters they're able to comfortably connect with 15 year old shounen as well as 35 year olds.
None of this means Japanese anime doesn't have an age problem. It does. It very much very too frequently does. But I also think this is sometimes just a marketing ploy to reach a larger audience.
Regardless of the age thing, the gratuitousness of fan service can be grating. It's fine if it serves a purpose, similar to real shows and movies, but it's too often used as cheap engagement bait. I like my purposefully trashy slop bringing the heat, I don't like my deep thinking philosophizing accentuated with a thought provoking panty shot.
Why do you think the show covering adult themes mean we can consider the children to be adults? I would say it's one of the more accurate depictions of children and their behavior (and lack of control over it) is exactly why we shun the sexualization of children
Because I can say I'm 15 too. Doesn't make it true. Much like calling it a 2000 year old dragon doesn't change the fact they're a child and shouldn't be sexualized.
Unfortunately the boundaries aren't firmly established and Japan finds ways to sexualize minors a little too often.
I'll concede the NGE argument, after your comment I realize I simply do not remember well enough how their sexuality was explored to make this argument about them specifically.
That doesn't address the fact that they are written and drawn to be very realistic 14-year-olds, so wanting to see them naked and creating r34 of them is decidedly not awesome.
NGE characters look decidedly ambiguously aged to me. Gainax did that purposefully to capture broad spanning age groups. I'm willing to bet that the people creating those R34 drawings do not think about the age of the character. Some do, most won't. Most people see sexualized skin tight suits and leave it at that.
Look, this is a difficult topic. It's easy to fall into the trap of defending the sexualization of minors, something I absolutely do not condone. I'm trying to argue the point that the stated age is often secondary to the character design. We also all know when it isn't: the "ancient" witch loli is purpose built to age bait.
I wish this wasn't necessary whatsoever. It would've been better to make them older and the entire problem is solved. Ruri Rocks did that. The sexualized character is in their twenties. But sex sells so sex is sold.
Yes, much of it can be "explained away," particularly because it's the stuff that Shinji is distracted by...but then there's the rest of it. And that's only the stuff in the show. There's also all the disgusting stuff that the fans create, share, and praise. Absolutely repugnant given the ages of the children.
Oh I absolutely have no intention of defending fandom grossness, it's extremely upsetting. Then again American shows have that kind of problem with popstars too :P or even gross fans of Disney princesses or Harry Potter / Percy Jackson kids or whatever. Gross people are gonna be gross
That's really more of what I was talking about throughout most of the conversation ;)
Went through the answers in this thread, as happy I am to gas up Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, Friren, JJK, and My Hero Academia, I want to post a couple I didn't see in the thread yet.
Delicious in Dungeon - On Netflix, and it's fun adventure. Easy watching and generally wholesome.
YuYu Hakusho and OLD anime/manga. I probably have a specific attachment as it was one of my first animes I watched, but I have rewatched it, and it does still hold up. Highly recommend the manga as the anime cut the last arc a bit short.
Funny enough I've never watched the anime for Yuu Yuu Hakusho but when I was young I thought theanga ending was rushed. It probably was, knowing how Togashi-sensei struggles with um, output. But as I keep getting older and thinking back, the series ended pretty much the only way it can without the characters becoming a shadow of its former self. In my opinion none of the Bleach Naruto Titans whatever come close to it as a shounen, both in story telling and in satisfying entire run.
I was actually thinking about this question yesterday.
My favourite anime is by far Sangatsu No Lion, but it's because I relate so much to the themes that it's able to go beyond a "very good anime" to the best. The journey Rei goes through is much similar to mine and he's really one of the few protagonists I can deeply relate to.
Frieren is also up there but I'm careful of recency bias.
As for shounens, HxH for sure. The Nen system is simply awesome and the story is great.
Has Sangatau finished? Oh, almost!! Great I'll enjoy a re-read from the beginning next year.
I followed it for YEARS because it followed right after Honey And Clover, which was formative for me. The way the author describes all the facets of human love romantic, platonic and for a dedicated craft --- hmmm!
Frieren does have a similar vibe, now that you mention it, but much more mellow like a well tuned cello playing a single perfect pitch in vibrato.
Lot of all time classics mentioned here (will always love Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, and Trigun), but wanted to add three that I haven't seen mentioned in case anyone is using this for recommendations:
I just saw Your Name last week in theatres for the first time. 10th anniversary screening. Very good movie!
I did see 5cm long time ago.
Nichijoi and City are masterpieces in the "not much happens but your life has changed after viewing" category. I'm so glad KyoAni did a fantastic job with animating City
Ahh I keep forgetting about City! I need to go rewatch it. I was initially sad that it wasn't in the same vein of absurdist humor as Nichijou, but it's got a ton of heart on its own.
I've watched Anime for most of my life at this point. So, in no particular order, so I'll list some of the ones throughout the years that have had a major impact on me in some way. I'd love to go into more detail, but there's only so much time in the day and not enough time to fully gush about any of these.
Currently airing, incomplete anime stories that I adore:
...and I really do feel like I left a bunch out. I watch a lot of anime, and there's still so much I haven't gotten around to! I'll definitely not feel like I'm missing wanting for content anytime soon.
EDIT: Accidentally left out a few words.
Serial Experiments Lain and Crest of the Stars were formative for me back in the day, showing me that animation could tell good stories succinctly without being mostly monster of the week or have drawn-out battles like Sailor Moon and DBZ.
I can't say this is my favorite, but it's pretty high up there and, most importantly, it hasn't been mentioned yet.
Takopi's Original Sin is not an easy watch, emotionally speaking, but if you're a sucker for things you should dive into completely blind, this will definitely scratch that itch. It was an amazing ride start to finish, though any sane human will probably have a few moments where they question why they're putting themself through this. I was sobbing basically every episode, yet never hesitated to start the next one. If you can make it all the way through, I'm confident you'll be glad you did.
Mild spoiler about general vibe.
Doki Doki Literature Club
oh my god this one fucked me up when i first watched it. i have a lot of personal experiences with the, uh, content matter. like you, i was sobbing the entire time
OP, your list of favorites matches mine very closely! In fact, I just reread Blame! on a whim recently. I would love to know if there's anything else out there like it. Nihei has some of the most interesting SciFi world-building that I've seen, including novels and movies.
Made in Abyss and Girl's Last Tour are also great. Anyone who likes the latter should also check out Tsukumizu's other work, Shimeji Simulation.
Some other favorites that might be less often mentioned:
Other than Girls Last Tour, there is also Usuzumi no Hate for all your 'wandering around post-apocalypse megastructures' needs.
Nothing is quite like BLAME! though.
A while ago I read Otoyomegatari (or A Bride's Tail) and it was insanely good. I think that would be my favorite. It follows a few couples in 19th century central Asia. The author spent and spends a lot of time researching and traveling for research to portray things accurately and it ends up being so beautiful. The story itself is also really good and fun.
I have also been reading (and now watching!) A Witch's Life in Mongol which completely coincidentally also takes place on and around the steppe (I swear i arrived at both in separate ways!) which follows a learned servant moving around the Mongol empire and trying to return home. It is really good and I think the art style is so unique and pretty. The animation just came out recently and is also beautiful.
Lastly I couldn't wait for the anime (and Netflix killed the fun of watching it imo) so I read parts six and seven (heh) of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure and I am not reading part 8 Jojolion, they're all quite good. I like them a lot more than previous parts, though I am thinking maybe now I should read them as well.
Would love any suggestions anyone has, I hither too now didn't do a whole lot of manga reading. When I was younger I enjoyed Yotsuba, and Nichijou!
I've been curious about Otoyomegatari for a while since I enjoyed the anime adapting another work by Kaoru Mori, Eikoku Koi Monogatari Emma. That was an entertaining period drama set in Victorian England, I know it's relatively common in western TV but was neat to see as an anime.
The first two episodes for Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia were also really good and I'm looking forward to getting caught up, I had confidence in any anime project lead by Naoko Yamada and it's delivered so far. Heike Monogatari directed by her was well-received a few years ago though I haven't gotten around to it myself.
To follow up on Nichijou there's City from the same author and City The Animation last year that was frequently Kyoto Animation showing off in ways that other studios can't afford to do.
Oh yes I want to read her other works I haven't yet. I think if you liked it or jaadugar you'd definitely like otoyomegatari!! I will gladly check out Heike monogatari!! I read a little of city but I think I just got busy, I should pick it back up. I didn't know there was an animation, will definitely be checking that out!!
Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Combination of light and heavy, a lot of jokes but when it's real it's real. It's my favorite blend of "lol" and 'oh God, fuck, oh no"
GiTS first seasons and first two movies.
Uchouten Kazoku
and, of course, Spirited Away
There's already a half dozen mentions of FMAB which might be the more faithful anime but quite frankly Fullmetal Alchemist (2003) is the better show. I can't even watch FMAB. The additional characters are just obnoxious.
So yeah, my favorite is the original run of FMA + the movie.
Oooh hot take. I'll partially agree that the earlier arcs of 2003 is the superior anime. When they finally ran out of material the story suffered quite heavily. The ending of the manga FMAB is superb and it's a shame the original 2003 team couldn't have been the ones to finish. I think the correct watch order is 2003 up until a certain funeral, and then switch over to FMAB all the way to the end.
A lot of my favorites have already been mentioned here, including Frieren and Dungeon Meshi, so I'll recommend one of my weirder favorites: Sword Art Online Abridged. Not the actual SAO, it's terrible, but the fan made SAO Abridged series is absolutely hilarious.
It lampoons the original series, reworks the plot to have actual arcs and complex characters (e.x. every female character doesn't want to sleep with Kirito anymore), incorporates actual MMORPG mechanics/logic, and even gave the main villain a plausible motivation.
The downside of being fanmade means it's very slow to release, we get 1-2 episodes a year, so while the first SAOA episode was released between SAO seasons 1 and 2 in 2013, we're only just now finishing SAOA season 1 in 2026.
I don't really read manga, so the following are all anime:
Ghost in the Shell, specifically SAC, 2nd Gig, and Arise, is probably favorite series. I watch those three series/seasons at least twice a year.
Psycho Pass is another I really like. Kinda got a similar feel to GitS and kinda asks the same philosophical questions.
Code Geass, Cowboy Bebop, and Last Exile probably round out my top 5.
in no particular order, here are my favourite animes:
my manga corpus is far smaller, but:
Oh it didn't occur to me to check the original manga for Akira, sometimes I forgot that classic anime were also adaptations.
I generally try to keep only complete animes in my top 5, but Apothecary Diaries doesn't have a central plot like the others. It's more mystery of the week with teases of romance and Dr. Stone aspects. Plus I immediately really liked the show and got hooked. I'm in this one for the whole ride
Food Wars had a weak final season because the manga was cancelled apparently and the chef advisor was unavailable. But the other 4 seasons are so strong and I really enjoyed it. The fan service was fun and wasn't just one gender. I liked the journey the characters went through and has a great standout moment in season 3.
The other three don't really need justifications lol
Plenty of mentioned series here I would consider some of my favorites, so here's a few that haven't been mentioned and might be a bit more obscure:
Kaleido Star - A girl travels from Japan to California to join the circus
Katanagatari - An isolated man becomes a sword for an ambitious woman
Symphogear - Idols bash aliens while singing
Samurai Flamenco - A hero never gives up
I haven't watched my old favourites in a while, except Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, which is still excellent.
Did you see the new TGitS? Does it compare?
I have a soft spot for Madoka, the original 12 episode series. The story, the art and the soundtrack (best thing Yuki Kajiura has done) all were superb.
The followups were entirely unnecessary.
Three spring to mind, an old fave, a clear winner and a new craze.
Code Geas was probably the first anime I watched after binging Bleach as a kid, and what really convinced me that anime was for me. Mind games, trickery, mech fights, lore - I just think it's neat. My inner rat fic lover was birthed with this show. I can also say from personal experience that watching the second part of the show without even knowing the first part exists is both possible AND results in a surprisingly coherent narrative (although I'm certain watching them in order is probably the intended experience :p).
Frierin, beyond journys end is da best. Beautiful art, beautiful storytelling, beautiful characters, beautiful morals. An amazing story, 11/10, won't stop recommending.
Needy Girl Overdose is a disgusting mess, an absurd piece of art, one of the most alienating things I've ever seen, and I found it fascinating. And charming behind the very real horror of the show. I never really got into watching streamers of any kind, and I'm very perplexed with VTubing and related subcultures, and those are the main subjects of the show. Its steeped in their aesthetic, which is conpletely foreign to me, which alone makes it intruiging. It is not for the faint of heart though; it's unpleasently real and very very dark.
Lots of good choices, but my favorite of all time is One Piece. It's a lot of episodes, bit it's so worth it. The world is so well developed. I definitely think it made me a better person. It gets better and better and then the previous stuff also gets better in hindsight. To me, it's the modern Odyssey. And the main character is perfect for exploring that world.