Your Top 5 Anime Recommendations

[Ivanstone]

Cowboy Bebop
Robotech
Appleseed
Uhhh....
I did watch some of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure but after awhile I was just curious about how the episode segues into Yes's Roundabout.

[Alithia]

From the newer ones:

Vinland Saga

Vivy

86

Tokyo Revengers

Rising of the Shield Hero

[segara82]

I recommend some movies/shows not named so far:

Perfect Blue
An idol wants to become a tv star, what could go wrong?

Grave of the Fireflies
Bring tissues, lots of tissues

Jin-Roh
What's more important? Freedom, Duty, love or ambition?

Princess Mononoke

Dominion Tank Police

[Koriani]

Came here to check out people's lists - and only really verifying that I'm either *really* picky with anime I can enjoy, or its just not a genre for me anymore... *lol*

Several of those in people's top 5s are 'meh' for me - but I already knew there were a lot of genre's of animae I just don't enjoy (mechs/robots (really rules out 70% of anime seems like lol), high school/rom focused dramas) and even though I can certainly appreciate some of these other 'best ones' and get why they are so popular (i.e. Cowboy Beebop is on most people's top 5 or 10 list) I still have never enjoyed them enough to watch more than once. *shrugs* But I get why the 'classics' are the classics.

And yea, the soundtrack to Cowboy Beebop makes the show even if you aren't that 'into' animae.

So from someone who rarely finds animae she enjoys - the ones on this list I can most agree with are:

Cowboy Beebop
Trigun
Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood
Death Note

I'd go as far as to say - if someone is at /all/ into this genre and hasn't seen any of the above four series - they really need to do themselves a favor and flush out their knowledge =D. Great stories/writing transcend mediums so when you see a few shows hit everyone's lists for decades (like trigun and Cowboy) then you know something is being done right.

[Jester Joe]

Came here to check out people's lists - and only really verifying that I'm either *really* picky with anime I can enjoy, or its just not a genre for me anymore... *lol*

Several of those in people's top 5s are 'meh' for me - but I already knew there were a lot of genre's of animae I just don't enjoy (mechs/robots (really rules out 70% of anime seems like lol), high school/rom focused dramas) and even though I can certainly appreciate some of these other 'best ones' and get why they are so popular (i.e. Cowboy Beebop is on most people's top 5 or 10 list) I still have never enjoyed them enough to watch more than once. *shrugs* But I get why the 'classics' are the classics.

And yea, the soundtrack to Cowboy Beebop makes the show even if you aren't that 'into' animae.

So from someone who rarely finds animae she enjoys - the ones on this list I can most agree with are:

Cowboy Beebop
Trigun
Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood
Death Note

I'd go as far as to say - if someone is at /all/ into this genre and hasn't seen any of the above four series - they really need to do themselves a favor and flush out their knowledge =D. Great stories/writing transcend mediums so when you see a few shows hit everyone's lists for decades (like trigun and Cowboy) then you know something is being done right.

I'd point out if you're not already, it's worth giving the cream of the crop the chance even if you don't like their genre.

Like Code Geass and Gurren Lagann. I don't enjoy mecha anime either, but those two are just amazing in what they accomplish.

Same for Haikyuu, I dislike sports in general, but it's just fantastic to watch Haikyuu and they do a decent job explaining the rules of volleyball without becoming boring.

[Makabreska]

Defo recommend a newcomer Jujutsu Kaisen. Loads of highlights, but the best one for me was the fact that it breaks so many annoying shounen tropes.

[Belize]

All these shounens being recommended...

Watch Yuru Camp, Non Non Biyori, and Cardcaptor Sakura.

[Kreuger]

Whisper of the Heart (movie)
Spirited Away (movie)
Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal (OAV)
Rurouni Kenshin: Reflection (OAV)
Rumbling Hearts (TV)
(The) Girl Who Leapt Through Time (movie)

Masterpieces all of them

Could have added several more that are just slightly below these but would be a long list (hint: check out Ghiblis catalogue of movies, so much greatness)

[hzjf]

Not possible too many Genres

for example

Sport: Hajime no Ippo ( Boxing ) Major ( Baseball ) Diamond no Ace ( Baseball ) Haikyuu ( Volleyball ) Prince of Tennis (well Tennis )

Shounen: Naruto. One Piece. Dragonball. Hunter x Hunter. The Seven Deadly Sins. Fullmetal Alchemist:Brotherhood

Seinen: Attack on Titan. Hellsing Ultimate. Fate/Zero. Elfen Lied.

Psychological: Monster. Death Note. Welcome To The N.H.K. Steins;Gate

Mecha: Everything Gundam related. Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

My special one: Clannad & Clannad After Story. Kanon 2006. AIR TV. A Silent Voice ( even though i recommend to read the Manga) Fulmetal Panic + Sequels

and so on. ofc you can argue if Series X is realy Genre Y. Just my List

[Kyphael]

1. Saint Seiya



If you love Greek myth, astrology, and astronomy, this is for you. Intelligently written at first before it became formulaic (but still beautifully-written in the latter sagas), Saint Seiya (or known in the states as Knights of the Zodiac; the failed Cartoon Network dubbing notwithstanding) follows the story of Seiya, a young orphan boy who just wants to find his long-lost sister, whom he was torn away from as a kid to be sent away to train in Greece. Seiya is Japanese, and in the beginning, faces prejudice in the Sanctuary where he is forced to train, and he does so to become stronger to find his sister. The first part is a tournament, which is very fun when done right in anime and introduces us to the major platers. Along the way, we're introduced to a rich tapestry of supporting characters and villains, delving into the science of cosmos, constellations, Hinduism, and ties of friendship that bind, sometimes to the death. Start off with the Sanctuary saga, then watch the non-canon movies, and move on to the filler Asgard Saga which goes right into the Poseidon Saga, and the extraordinary Hades Saga. If you love it enough, there's much more to explore in spin offs between Soul of Gold (starring the very popular gold saints), Saintia Sho and the somewhat controversial Saint Seiya Omega, which serves as sort of a non-canon look into the not so distant future.

2. Dragon Ball Z



I feel like this really requires no explanation, Dragon Ball Z has become as mainstream as Superman, Batman, and Spider-man in the west. Ok, maybe stretching, but as far as anime goes, it's probably only being Pokemon in notoriety. It's known for it's fast, over-the-top and sometimes goofy, but endearing action. Often times its anti-hero, Vegeta, gives the whole thing some much needed gravitas and depth. Goku is pretty much a fighting machine with a heart, but not much on brains other than fighting prowess. It has martial arts, an alien warrior race, androids, alien tyrants, and magical demons. What's there to hate? The Frieza and Android Sagas are the best, and if you love it enough, you'll want to go back to the much more modest Dragon Ball beginnings. A lot of movies, canon and non-canon to further explore this beautifully crazy world where you just need seven magical spheres to grant your one wish.

3. Street Fighter II (Anime)



Not to be confused with the very popular and equally good Street Fighter II movie, this is a much more meticulously, and emotional telling of Ryu and Ken's journey from aspiring street fighters to masters of the Hadou. Fostering all your favorites, as well as a seemingly-invincible villain in Bison, the only thing missing was the coolness of Akuma, but the series was probably better off without him in retrospect.

4. Ronin Warriors



Modern day Samurai with a touch of elements and fantasy; it doesn't get better than that, with straight forward story-telling of friendship, and a battle between good and evil. It won't make you think, but if you're just looking for a good anime to branch out to, this is one of the most approachable.

5. Tekken (The Motion Picture)



Because I don't want to refer you to a bunch of series with 300+ episodes, this is a nice 1 hour commitment. If you're familiar with the popular fighting game it's based on, you'll enjoy it because it did more the story than the games have ever. Great art, and gut-wrenching story-telling that'll have you rooting for the protagonist as she tries to find good in the black heart of a man who by all intents and purposes should have none.

Honorable Mentions

Fullmetal Alchemist: Incredible anime and I'm myself still trying to get through the whole thing. I just haven't yet due to timing and laziness.

Naruto: I've seen most of the tournament saga with Rock Lee and Gaara. Beautiful score, great action and a very well-built world of ninjas.

Inuyasha: Another anime with beautiful music, this one about demons, love and betrayal. It plays a lot like a soap opera, but the gripping action will keep the most ardent anime enthusiasts entertained. I've seen most of it and there's a sequel series still being produced.

[TwistedSkull]

Ohh and as for One Piece, the manga just surpassed Batman in number of sales and is only behind Superman now. If that is worth pointing out.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

fate stay night: unlimited blade works is also amazing.

I would recommend watching Fate/Zero before UBW, as the UBW anime was presented as the conclusion to the story begun in Zero (even though in the VNs it was the other way around).

DBZ

One Piece. It's my guilty pleasure anime and it's a mastodon of a series, it will give your months of content. It gets really good after the third saga. And Oda is a master of foreshadowing and world building.

All these shounens being recommended...

Shounen: Naruto. One Piece. Dragonball. Hunter x Hunter. The Seven Deadly Sins. Fullmetal Alchemist:Brotherhood

2. Dragon Ball Z

Ohh and as for One Piece, the manga just surpassed Batman in number of sales and is only behind Superman now. If that is worth pointing out.

The problem with pre 2010s shounen like DBZ, One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, etc, is that they are bloated with waaaaaaayyy too much filler. The animes were running concurrently with the manga, meaning that they had to insert a lot of padding to keep the show from overtaking the manga and having nothing to do but filler episodes (or making up an original storyline like FMA 2003 did). I quite like Naruto and One Piece but they are unwatchable unless you watch a fan edit that cuts out the bloat.

Shounen made around after 2010 (FMA Brotherhood, HxH 2011, My Hero Academia) tend to avoid this problem since they don't continuously run and the manga is generally way ahead of the anime, so no filler has to be inserted.

Inuyasha: Another anime with beautiful music, this one about demons, love and betrayal. It plays a lot like a soap opera, but the gripping action will keep the most ardent anime enthusiasts entertained. I've seen most of it and there's a sequel series still being produced.

It's also aesthetically charming, IMO. Also Kirara is cute!

[pahbi]

More than 5, but all worthwhile.

Hellsing Ultimate
Claymore
Overlord
Beserk
Black Clover
DanMachi
Dororo
Dr. Stone
High School of The Dead
Kaifuku Jutsushi no Yarinaoshi
Kill la Kill
Killing Bites
Mushishi
Noblesse
Pyscho Pass
Speed Grapher
Tears to Tiara
The Devil is a Part Timer
Triage X

[listo95]

Higurashi: When They Cry (you can skip the og 2006 series I guess but it is highly recommended to start there. Order is: Higurashi no Naku Koro ni - Higurashi Kai - Higurashi Rei - Higurashi Gou - Higurashi Sotsu) - This is a very dark series, especially the 2006 DEEN version. Gou and Sotsu were branded as a remake but in actually it is a sequel to the og 3 from back then. Here is the opening scene
Death Parade - A good series that is also short.
The Promised Neverland (ONLY SEASON 1) - Seriously, Season 2 does not exist.
The Misfit of Demon King Academy - its a series with an OP protagonist that does not take itself seriously which makes it so good.
Akudama Drive - From the creator of Danganronpa. Also a pretty fulfilling story imo.

[hzjf]

I would recommend watching Fate/Zero before UBW, as the UBW anime was presented as the conclusion to the story begun in Zero (even though in the VNs it was the other way around).













The problem with pre 2010s shounen like DBZ, One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, etc, is that they are bloated with waaaaaaayyy too much filler. The animes were running concurrently with the manga, meaning that they had to insert a lot of padding to keep the show from overtaking the manga and having nothing to do but filler episodes (or making up an original storyline like FMA 2003 did). I quite like Naruto and One Piece but they are unwatchable unless you watch a fan edit that cuts out the bloat.

that is not an issue with One Piece. The One Piece issue is that 1 Chapter = 1+ Episodes. For Naruto. Just skip all the Filler Episodes and its just fine.

[Mehrunes]

Steins;Gate.
Re:Zero.
Code Geass as mentioned.
Haikyuu is great, it's sports but still great.
Gurren Lagann.

A man of fine taste (same applies to @deenman). Well, I stopped watching Haikyuu after the small season about the preliminaries for the big tournament, but not because I did not like it (it's one of the only two sports anime that I've enjoyed, the other being One Outs).

It's because when the next season came after some gap there was a lot of other stuff to watch and it slipped between the cracks for me. Especially since due to the aforementioned time gap between the two I wanted to rewatch the earlier seasons first, which only compounded the issue. Which is still in the plans, but who knows when I'll get to that. Gurren Lagann is also on my "to watch" list of classics I haven't gotten to yet since forever.

But Re:Zero, Code Geass and Steins;Gate are top anime for me. Also Attack on Titan.

Not sure what to pick as 5th. Let's see... Mushoku Tensei is another great isekai (and I'm isekai trash), Konosuba is my favorite comedy anime (and also isekai), Jujutsu Kaisen is peak of modern shonen for me, Furumetaru Arukemisuto Brazahudo is a classic, Usagi Drop is my comfort food wholesome anime, Your Lie in April is my favorite romance anime and JoJo is JoJo. Throw a dart at one of these and the result would be worthy of my top 5 no problem.

Additional honorable mentions for Vivy, 86, Odd Taxi, One Punch Man, first season of Promised Neverland, Erased, Violet Evergarden and first 25 or so episodes of Death Note.

[Selastan]

1. Gurren Lagann. One of the best all around anime for those looking for a good time. All the characters might be played to the extreme, but they all have reasons and motivations for acting the way that they do, and it is entertaining to watch the clash of ideals that happens. Great pacing, starting with cavemen digging tunnels, moving on to giant robots and eventually...I won't spoil it.

2. Angel Beats. The best anime for those NOT looking to have a good time. At least, by the end. At first it is funny as shit. One of the very few anime to actually get an out-loud laugh from me. By the end though...holy shit. After the end of the story, look at the title of the opening theme, by the way. The twist was staring at you the whole time.

3. FLCL. (pronounced Fooly Cooly) A pure action comedy, the whole thing is apparently a metaphor for puberty. It's one of the most vibrant and fluid anime ever made, and has some epic scenes, but it has a certain...atmosphere, helped in no small part to a soundtrack by the amazing rock group The Pillows, that will stick with you forever.

4. Code Geass. My personal favorite, though I admit it can't be the OBJECTIVE best, is a grand strategy game in anime form. (Not literally, though a Code Geass grand strategy game adaptation would be the literal best thing ever). Part mech battles, part supernatural drama, part political drama, it is a very unique work of art that anyone with a passing interest in anime would find SOMETHING they like in it.

5. Death Note. A supernatural crime thriller told from the perspective of the antagonist, a teenager with lots of brains and even more ego finds a magical superweapon called a Death Note, which will kill anyone who's name is written within it. It is a fantastic show, almost totally character driven, where an insane amount of 'action' can happen in a hotel room watching surveillance cameras. If anything is the 'Breaking Bad' of anime, this certainly is it.

Honorable mentions: Overlord, Re:Zero, Cowboy Bebop, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Samurai Champloo, Berserk (the 90s one).

- - - Updated - - -

Additional honorable mentions for Vivy, 86, Odd Taxi, One Punch Man, first season of Promised Neverland, Erased, Violet Evergarden and first 25 or so episodes of Death Note.

I would say all of Death Note is good. While it certainly isn't as entertaining after that point thanks to the status quo change, the rest of the story is still as dramatic and that particular point is a very poor place to leave the story at. Unless you WANT Light to win, that is.

[DechCJC]

I’m a pretty casual anime viewer, I enjoy the content but I pretty much only watch mainstream shows and don’t go out of my way much.

Attack on Titan, death note, one punch man, cowboy bebop, Hunter x Hunter and full metal alchemist seem like series that most people could enjoy and are pretty top tier. JoJo is fantastic as well but it definitely requires a certain type of viewer to appreciate it and it may not be a great one to start on imo. Still a favourite of mine though.

I do read one manga, and that’s one piece. I believe the anime to have it’s ups and downs (primarily pacing) but the manga is a genuine masterpiece in my eyes, it’s a contender for some of my favourite fiction period and it’s actually staggering how much different I think of the series after reading it vs viewing it. It is a heavy commitment though and there’s definitely shorter shows that you can get a lot more bang for your buck from, so I’d probably start with one of those instead.

[Dead Moose Fandango]

Ugh. You people. Making me remember and try to number the animes I've seen.

1. Elfen Lied. [Prounced Elfen Leed.]

2. Vampire Hunter D/Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust.

3. Nausicaa and the Valley of the Wind. [If by some weird chance you see the first, terribly cut edition known as "Warriors of the Wind" don't watch it. Though I'd swear dub actors were at least good.]

4. M.D. Geist/M.D. Geist 2: Death Force.

5. Outlaw Star.

[Triceron]

One Piece, though I'm more of a Manga guy than Anime.