Absolute anime classics

[666MasterOfPuppets]

I don't know if this has been done before. However, I'm intrigued about this: I know everyone has a few anime series/movies/OVAs that are kept close to their memories, that are regarded as classics. The "absolute" adjective in the title refers to those that are the best to *you*.

So, I'm pulling my little list of my classic japanese animation, in no particular order, except for the first two.

1. Mazinger Z.
2. Mazinkaiser.
3. Kotetsu Jeeg.
4. Gaiking.
5. Grendizer.
6. Ga-Keen.
7. Starzinger.
8. Space Adventure Cobra.
9. Robotech/ Macross.
10. Cowboy Bebop.
11. Captain Future.
12. Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust.
13. Akira.
14. Ghost In The Shell.
15. The Original Dirty Pair.
16. Ghost In The Shell 2: Innocence.
17. City Hunter.
18. Saint Seiya (if only Seiya was killed once and for all :rolleyes:).
19. Hellsing.
20. Lupin III.
21. Lupin III: The Castle Og Cagliostro.
22. Rurouni Kenshin.
23. The Five Star Stories.

That's all I can remember right now. I'll update if/ when anything else comes to my mind. Discussion/comments about any anime in particular is always welcome.

How about you guys?

EDIT: Added 19-22.
2nd EDIT: Added 23.

[Yun Lao]

All right, I suppose I'll throw in mine.

Note: List is not in any particular order

1. Ninja Scroll (OVA)
2. Berserk
3. Trigun
4. Rurouni Kenshin
5. Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
6. Cowboy Bebop
7. Princess Mononoke
8. Appleseed
9. Karas

[LordEd1976]

Here's my 2 cents (Also in no particular order other than how they popped into my head.)

tv series
1. Cowboy Bebop
2. Robotech/Macross
3. Starblazers/Space Battleship Yamato
4. Mobile Suit Gundam
5. Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
6. Ruroni Kenshin
7. Lupin III

Movies
1. Princess Mononoke
2. Spirited Away
3. Vampire Hunter D
4. Kiki's Delivery Service
5. Grave of the Fireflies
6. Galaxy Express 999
7. My Youth in Arcadia
8. Dirty Pair: Project Eden

OAVs
1. Tenchi Muyo
2. Dragon Half
3. New Dominion Tank Police
4. Macross Plus
5. Gundam 0083

[Domo Goddess]

1. Bubblegum Crisis OAV
2. Saint Seiya
3. Galaxy Express 999

[SuperSaiyaMan12]

Anime/Manga Series:

Naruto and Naruto: Hurricane Chronicles
Rurouni Kenshin
Dragon Ball(not GT, and Dragon Ball encompasing Z)
Bleach
Yu Yu Hakusho
Trinity Blood
Gundam 0080
G Gundam
Samurai Champloo
Cowboy Bebop
Fist of the North Star

OVAs:
Tenchi Muyo
Princess Mononoke
Submarine 707
Shadow Skill
New Fist of the North Star
Dragon Ball(Z) Movie 13: Wrath of Dragon(Dragon Fist Explosion! If Goku can't do it, No One Can!)

Amercian 'Animes':
Avatar: The Last Airbender

[Kamen Rider Luffy]

Anime:

Bleach
Cardcaptor Sakura
Magical Lyrical Nanoha (Both seasons)
Genshiken
Full Metal Panic (All three seasons)
Hellsing
Lupin the 3rd
Midori no Hibi
Comic Party
Elfen Lied
Excel Saga
Gantz
Golden Boy

Now as for movies
Puni Puni Poemi
Castle of Calligostro
Cardcaptor Sakura the Sealed Card
My Neighbor Totoro

OAVs

Elfen Lied
Negima
Bleach the sealed sword Frenzy

[666MasterOfPuppets]

Thanx for the replies people. I can't believe I forgot about such essential stuff as Lupin III, Hellsing and Rurouni Kenshin.

Hopefully, new classics are being brewed as we speak. Anime is something that we can always enjoy. Every year Japan produces more than a 100 different animes, so that covers pretty much everyone's needs.

BTW, updating my first post to include the anime I had forgotten about.

What's Excel Saga all about?

[666MasterOfPuppets]

There's a series called Blue Noah. Is that the original name?

BTW, I loved Dirty Pair: Project Eden. Those old animes always put me in a nostalgic mood.

Updated my first post AGAIN :D. Included The Five Star Stories.

[Melchior]

Well, what I consider classics in the strictest sense:

* Something from Tezuka ("Metropolis" or "Astro Boy", for me)
* Something from Miyazaki ("Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind", "Spirited Away", "Porco Russo")
* "Grave of the Fireflies"
* Something from Satoshi Kon ("Tokyo Godfathers", "Perfect Blue")

Most people should watch some Tomino ("Gundam 0080"), Lupin ("Castle of Cagliostro" if you like Miyazaki), Matsumoto ("Arcadia of My Youth", "Galaxy Express 999"), and Go Nagai ("Devilman", "Cutey Honey") if they want to recognize the other greats.

I think that most people that want to be a hardcore fan should see something in all the major genres: fantasy, humor, space opera, drama, shojo drama, shonen fighting (usually tournaments), giant robots, magical girls, shorts, slice-of-life, parodies, cops, school-life, weird stuff, and animated crack. Obviously, a show can overlap multiple genres.

Oh, and everyone needs to watch "DragonHalf" at least once, possibly after watching "Grave of the Fireflies".

[666MasterOfPuppets]

Well, what I consider classics in the strictest sense:

* Something from Tezuka ("Metropolis" or "Astro Boy", for me)
* Something from Miyazaki ("Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind", "Spirited Away", "Porco Russo")
* "Grave of the Fireflies"
* Something from Satoshi Kon ("Tokyo Godfathers", "Perfect Blue")

Most people should watch some Tomino ("Gundam 0080"), Lupin ("Castle of Cagliostro" if you like Miyazaki), Matsumoto ("Arcadia of My Youth", "Galaxy Express 999"), and Go Nagai ("Devilman", "Cutey Honey") if they want to recognize the other greats.

I think that most people that want to be a hardcore fan should see something in all the major genres: fantasy, humor, space opera, drama, shojo drama, shonen fighting (usually tournaments), giant robots, magical girls, shorts, slice-of-life, parodies, cops, school-life, weird stuff, and animated crack. Obviously, a show can overlap multiple genres.

Oh, and everyone needs to watch "DragonHalf" at least once, possibly after watching "Grave of the Fireflies".

I will have to watch Metropolis and Grave Of The Fireflies one of these days. And what's DragonHalf all about?

Talking about cops, I remember a series called You're Under Arrest. It was a nice series.

[OverMaster]

What's Excel Saga all about?

Madcap frantic comedy to the extreme.

Hyperkinetic, motormouth young woman joins secret organization with herself as the only recruit (at first) sworn to conquer the world. Each episode spotlights a different plan to take over the planet (one city at a time), parodying a different fiction genre each time (from terror to sci-fi to sports). It's all demented, loud and quick-paced.

[AllisterH]

Well, what I consider classics in the strictest sense:

* Something from Tezuka ("Metropolis" or "Astro Boy", for me)
* Something from Miyazaki ("Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind", "Spirited Away", "Porco Russo")
* "Grave of the Fireflies"
* Something from Satoshi Kon ("Tokyo Godfathers", "Perfect Blue")

Most people should watch some Tomino ("Gundam 0080"), Lupin ("Castle of Cagliostro" if you like Miyazaki), Matsumoto ("Arcadia of My Youth", "Galaxy Express 999"), and Go Nagai ("Devilman", "Cutey Honey") if they want to recognize the other greats.

I think that most people that want to be a hardcore fan should see something in all the major genres: fantasy, humor, space opera, drama, shojo drama, shonen fighting (usually tournaments), giant robots, magical girls, shorts, slice-of-life, parodies, cops, school-life, weird stuff, and animated crack. Obviously, a show can overlap multiple genres.

Oh, and everyone needs to watch "DragonHalf" at least once, possibly after watching "Grave of the Fireflies".

I agree with this. You need to have seen the masters, namely Tomino, Miyazaki, Matsumoto and Go Nagai and I would throw in Takahashi as she's unquestionably the most successful mangaka and pretty much everything she's wrote has been turned into an anime.

The only problem is that many anime fall under more than 1 category
Fantasy: Can't go wrong with Record of Lodoss Wars AND Slayers.
Magical Girls: No doubt about it, Sailor Moon.
Cops: You're Under Arrest
Drama: Barefoot Gen or Grave of the Fireflies
Shojo Drama: Either Kimagure Orange Road or Maison Ikkoku
Space Opera: anything by Matsumoto would do.
Shonen Fighting: Dragonball (Z) {no GT please}

[DarkBlade]

I'm not certain about Sailor Moon being one of the top magical girl anime, though it's near it.. the manga certainly is though.

[666MasterOfPuppets]

Madcap frantic comedy to the extreme.

Hyperkinetic, motormouth young woman joins secret organization with herself as the only recruit (at first) sworn to conquer the world. Each episode spotlights a different plan to take over the planet (one city at a time), parodying a different fiction genre each time (from terror to sci-fi to sports). It's all demented, loud and quick-paced.

Sounds like real fun. Thanx for the info.

[666MasterOfPuppets]

I agree with this. You need to have seen the masters, namely Tomino, Miyazaki, Matsumoto and Go Nagai and I would throw in Takahashi as she's unquestionably the most successful mangaka and pretty much everything she's wrote has been turned into an anime.

The only problem is that many anime fall under more than 1 category
Fantasy: Can't go wrong with Record of Lodoss Wars AND Slayers.
Magical Girls: No doubt about it, Sailor Moon.
Cops: You're Under Arrest
Drama: Barefoot Gen or Grave of the Fireflies
Shojo Drama: Either Kimagure Orange Road or Maison Ikkoku
Space Opera: anything by Matsumoto would do.
Shonen Fighting: Dragonball (Z) {no GT please}

DBGT sucked.

I agree about Slayers, although I haven't seen the movie (or movies) yet.

[OverMaster]

If you like harmless good natured fun, you should check Azumanga Daioh. Nothing earth-shattering at all, but there it is the whole beauty of it.

[666MasterOfPuppets]

If you like harmless good natured fun, you should check Azumanga Daioh. Nothing earth-shattering at all, but there it is the whole beauty of it.

I have read that name more than once. You're right, I should check it out. Thanx for the recommendation.

[AllisterH]

I'm not certain about Sailor Moon being one of the top magical girl anime, though it's near it.. the manga certainly is though.

What would displace Sailor Moon though? Card Captor Sakura? Really, the term magical girl as known to N.American audiences was coined by Sailor Moon.

[Melchior]

I will have to watch Metropolis and Grave Of The Fireflies one of these days. And what's DragonHalf all about?

Talking about cops, I remember a series called You're Under Arrest. It was a nice series.

For cop shows, "You're Under Arrest" and "Gunsmith Cats" were the two I had in mind.

DragonHalf falls under fantasy and animated crack. The main character is Mink. Her father, the Great Red Lightning, was sent years ago to slay a mighty red dragon. They met in the field of battle and.... fell in love at first sight. Mink is the result of that union. It also includes a slime half, an evil King who wants to marry the dragon too, a dragon-slaying idol singer, and an interesting use of Mozart. I have yet to find people unwilling to watch it a second time.


I agree with this. You need to have seen the masters, namely Tomino, Miyazaki, Matsumoto and Go Nagai and I would throw in Takahashi as she's unquestionably the most successful mangaka and pretty much everything she's wrote has been turned into an anime.

The only problem is that many anime fall under more than 1 category
Fantasy: Can't go wrong with Record of Lodoss Wars AND Slayers.
Magical Girls: No doubt about it, Sailor Moon.
Cops: You're Under Arrest
Drama: Barefoot Gen or Grave of the Fireflies
Shojo Drama: Either Kimagure Orange Road or Maison Ikkoku
Space Opera: anything by Matsumoto would do.
Shonen Fighting: Dragonball (Z) {no GT please}

Yeah, most anime falls under multiple categories. Just some breadth of knowledge is nice. I would list a "much watch" list, but I keep listing everything that comes to mind. Not quite the same.

[Mikado]

And what's DragonHalf all about?.

Dragon half is a crazy little comedy about a 1/2 human // 1/2 dragon girl who has fallen in love with the local teen idol/ dragon slayer ( weirdly named Dick Saucer ) who , unknown to her has pledged to slay her, not realising shes really a sweet starstruck girl with a big crush on him.....much of the comedy has to do with her efforts to win his heart, that always seem to backfire! The voice of Mink ( the title character ) is the marvelous Kotono Mitsuishi ( the voice of Sailor Moon and Misato ) who sings the absolute nuttiest ending theme, ( about a huge hunger for eggs, but not tomatoes ), that you ever heard!!! ( to a Beethoven tune )

[666MasterOfPuppets]

For cop shows, "You're Under Arrest" and "Gunsmith Cats" were the two I had in mind.

Ah, yes. Gunsmith Cats. I think I watched a movie a long time ago. Good stuff.


DragonHalf falls under fantasy and animated crack. The main character is Mink. Her father, the Great Red Lightning, was sent years ago to slay a mighty red dragon. They met in the field of battle and.... fell in love at first sight. Mink is the result of that union. It also includes a slime half, an evil King who wants to marry the dragon too, a dragon-slaying idol singer, and an interesting use of Mozart. I have yet to find people unwilling to watch it a second time.


Dragon half is a crazy little comedy about a 1/2 human // 1/2 dragon girl who has fallen in love with the local teen idol/ dragon slayer ( weirdly named Dick Saucer ) who , unknown to her has pledged to slay her, not realising shes really a sweet starstruck girl with a big crush on him.....much of the comedy has to do with her efforts to win his heart, that always seem to backfire! The voice of Mink ( the title character ) is the marvelous Kotono Mitsuishi ( the voice of Sailor Moon and Misato ) who sings the absolute nuttiest ending theme, ( about a huge hunger for eggs, but not tomatoes ), that you ever heard!!! ( to a Beethoven tune )

Hehe, looks interesting and really funny. Thanx for the descriptions, people. I'll see if I can find it around here.

EDIT: Misato, as in Misato Katsuragi?

[Mikado]

Ah, yes. Gunsmith Cats. I think I watched a movie a long time ago. Good stuf..



EDIT: Misato, as in Misato Katsuragi?

Yes, THAT Misato :) ( Kotono Mitsuishi is a very talented seiyuu...I rate her second after Megumi Hayashibara on my "best seiyuu" list )

[Melchior]

Dragon half is a crazy little comedy about a 1/2 human // 1/2 dragon girl who has fallen in love with the local teen idol/ dragon slayer ( weirdly named Dick Saucer ) who , unknown to her has pledged to slay her, not realising shes really a sweet starstruck girl with a big crush on him.....much of the comedy has to do with her efforts to win his heart, that always seem to backfire! The voice of Mink ( the title character ) is the marvelous Kotono Mitsuishi ( the voice of Sailor Moon and Misato ) who sings the absolute nuttiest ending theme, ( about a huge hunger for eggs, but not tomatoes ), that you ever heard!!! ( to a Beethoven tune )

You know you've seen a lot of anime when your reaction to the above statement is to nod your head and say "Okay", rather than to wonder at the bizarreness of it all. :)

[Zelgadis]

1. Ghost in the Shell (1 & 2)
2. Neon Genesis Evangelion (Can't believe nobody has mentioned this one)
3. Cowboy Bebop
4. Ghost in the shell SAC
5. Bubblegum Crisis 2040
6. Samurai Champloo
7. Vampire Hunter D
8. Samurai X
9. Slayers

[666MasterOfPuppets]

Yes, THAT Misato :) ( Kotono Mitsuishi is a very talented seiyuu...I rate her second after Megumi Hayashibara on my "best seiyuu" list )

Yeah. And Megumi Hayashibara has done voice acting for...

[666MasterOfPuppets]

You know you've seen a lot of anime when your reaction to the above statement is to nod your head and say "Okay", rather than to wonder at the bizarreness of it all. :)

Agreed. Since one has seen that much anime, one already knows what to expect from them (which is, simply put, anything). Sometimes they're so crazy that the only choice you have is to laugh.


1. Ghost in the Shell (1 & 2)
2. Neon Genesis Evangelion (Can't believe nobody has mentioned this one)
3. Cowboy Bebop
4. Ghost in the shell SAC
5. Bubblegum Crisis 2040
6. Samurai Champloo
7. Vampire Hunter D
8. Samurai X
9. Slayers

Agreed about Evangelion. My mistake.

Ah, Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040 was a GREAT series.

[Mikado]

Yeah. And Megumi Hayashibara has done voice acting for...
It would take me an hour to type in all her roles as she was the hottest seiyuu throughout the 90s ( Shes semi-retired now with a husband and child ), however, some of her best-known roles were ~~
Ranma ( girl side )-Ranma1/2
Lina Inverse-Slayers
Ayanami Rei-Evangelion
Lime-Sabre Marionette ( All series )
Himeko-Sailor Moon S movie
Faye Valentine-Cowboy Bebop
Pai-3X3 Eyes
Cat girl Nuku Nuku-All purpose Cultural Catgirl Nuku Nuku
Video Girl Ai-Video Girl Ai
And several Pokemon characters

[AllisterH]

Ah, Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040 was a GREAT series.

Wouldn't call it an anime classic though.

The original Bubblegum Crisis however, might be considered a classic to the North American anime fandom.

Back on rec.arts.anime.misc newsgroup, I think we were able to show that Bubblegum crisis original was better received in N.America than in Japan and this was when only when a select few anime ever made it to America. (no subbing groups). Mainly based on sales when compared to audience. Rumour has it that BGC:2040 is the first anime series released based on the assumption that the largest part of its revenue stream would be on N.America consumption.

Probably due to the fact that in 87, we were at the height of the cyberpunk era which always was a bigger scene in N.America than in Japan.

[Mikado]

Quote:
Originally Posted by 666MasterOfPuppets
Ah, Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040 was a GREAT series.


Wouldn't call it an anime classic though.

The original Bubblegum Crisis however, might be considered a classic to the North American anime fandom.

.

I agree, 2040 probably wasnt a bad series but, having been in love with the original series since '93, i couldnt warm up to the remake ( I loved the orig too much, besides, everything from character designs to their back stories were completely different!! ) Had i NEVER seen the orig, I probably would have liked 2040

[adamthered]

Giant Robo. If you've never seen it, run to Best Buy and spend the $20 for the Economy Boxset (4 discs). Best $20 you'll ever spend :D

[666MasterOfPuppets]

It would take me an hour to type in all her roles as she was the hottest seiyuu throughout the 90s ( Shes semi-retired now with a husband and child ), however, some of her best-known roles were ~~
Ranma ( girl side )-Ranma1/2
Lina Inverse-Slayers
Ayanami Rei-Evangelion
Lime-Sabre Marionette ( All series )
Himeko-Sailor Moon S movie
Faye Valentine-Cowboy Bebop
Mai-3X3 Eyes
Cat girl Nuku Nuku-All purpose Cultural Catgirl Nuku Nuku
Video Girl Ai-Video Girl Ai
And several Pokemon characters

Great to know this. I loved many of those characters, and as for the others, I'll have to get to work on watching that Anime.

Thanx a lot for the info.

[666MasterOfPuppets]

Wouldn't call it an anime classic though.

The original Bubblegum Crisis however, might be considered a classic to the North American anime fandom.

Back on rec.arts.anime.misc newsgroup, I think we were able to show that Bubblegum crisis original was better received in N.America than in Japan and this was when only when a select few anime ever made it to America. (no subbing groups). Mainly based on sales when compared to audience. Rumour has it that BGC:2040 is the first anime series released based on the assumption that the largest part of its revenue stream would be on N.America consumption.

Probably due to the fact that in 87, we were at the height of the cyberpunk era which always was a bigger scene in N.America than in Japan.


Quote:
Originally Posted by 666MasterOfPuppets
Ah, Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040 was a GREAT series.



I agree, 2040 probably wasnt a bad series but, having been in love with the original series since '93, i couldnt warm up to the remake ( I loved the orig too much, besides, everything from character designs to their back stories were completely different!! ) Had i NEVER seen the orig, I probably would have liked 2040

I see your point, people. I guess sometimes remakes aren't as cool as the original. Perhaps I'd think the same about the New Dirty Pair if I ever saw it. I love the original too much. Didn't know about that rumor regarding BGC:T2040.

Thanx for the tidbits.


Giant Robo. If you've never seen it, run to Best Buy and spend the $20 for the Economy Boxset (4 discs). Best $20 you'll ever spend :D

Giant Robo, huh? Thanx a lot for the recommendation.

Sooooooo much anime, so little time (and darn money...)