Macross One of my first, this is what drew me into anime, and 25+ years later, I'm still watching (yes, I'm old).
Record of Lodoss War Another oldie, but one of the best out there, unfortunately, most people into anime have never seen this or it looks to old for them to watch.
Code Geass Obvious reasons, characters were amazing, the setting was great, the story was beautiful to the very end.
Kill la Kill Unique-ish art style and fairly good story, it was an amazing series to watch while it was airing and discussing it with others, most people won't ever know the thrill of the cliffhanger in this series now that you can binge watch it.
Spice & Wolf Some of the best characters in any anime in my opinion, watching their relationship evolve over the course of the series was great and the economics in the story was unique and a breathe of fresh air. This series was enough to make me pick up the light novel volumes to read to find out what happened since we are never getting a season 3.
I really don't have a top 5, but these are just the ones that came to mind, I've seen a lot of anime in the past 25 years and there are a lot of great ones out there, I could probably do a top 100 and still not satisfy myself that the list was really a top 100.
I havent watched a massive amount of anime so I will shorten my list to top 3 for the sake of fairness, otherwise #4 and #5 wouldnt really be my top tier.
3- Stein's Gate
A great cast of characters which mix up comedy, mystery, and tension in each episode.
2- Deathnote
An overly mentioned one, I realise, but undeniably a great concept and, in my opinion, execution. I just loved the battle of geniuses, which had me constantly shifting sides and debating who the good/bad guy was.
1- Ano Hana
A short series, but very heartwarming. Not sure what else to say, other than it being the single most memorable anime story for me.
Also OP, I looked into Code Geass following your recommendation and I will most certainly watch it :)
1. Shinsekai Yori : Perfect Story, everything just fits. This is for me what master pieces are made of.
2. Fate/Zero : Great story, awesome animation and OST. Plus being fan of the F/SN Visual Novel.
3. Bakemonogatari : Talk, puns and great SHAFT animation. Never fail to entertain.
4. Steins;Gate : Time travel done right, compelling story.
5. Suzumiya Haruhi no Shoushitsu : This is the movie (but the serie is required for understanding). Godlike Kyoani animation, the ambiance is second to none.
I'm not great at giving a engaging synopsis, just ask.
1. Stein's;Gate: It has about everything an anime needs to have for me to really enjoy it and it got me hooked.
2. Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!: Pretty much the reason why I picked up many more anime. Might be the first anime I watched. (I'm not counting Pokemon, DBZ, etc. because I watched those as a kid, I'm referring to when I started 'seriously' watching anime)
3. Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso: My 10/10 tearjerker. IDK this anime just pulled out the kid inside of me and just really hit hard.
4. Barakamon: Very very beautiful anime.
5. Gintama: Doesn't really need explaining. Go-to laugh machine.
To be honest, there really isn't a top 5 for me. There's still so much stuff I need to catch up on. Most things I've seen are 2 years old max. There's a couple of anime I'd want to put in this top 5 still but meh, just put this up in a fast reflexion :p
Sword Art Online (spoilerish): I know a lot of people don't like this show but it was perfect to me when I watched it, until after the first story arc. I absolutely loved watching it and it made me want to look for more shows like it and that's when I found BTOOM! and Log Horizon. Before this show I would just watch border-line hentai anime alongside reality television. Pretty glad I picked it up but pretty disappointed in the ending arcs for both seasons. I've watched the first story arc multiple times with friends when introducing the show to them and they have all seemed to like it as well.
Shin Sekai Yori (From The New World): This was one of the anime that drew me over to watching almost exclusively anime shows outside of a few television series when they run. Something about the settings just clicked with me and I enjoyed it till the end. It's a short show but it was able to tug on my feel strings. I've watched it multiple times and I still get those same feelings watching it each time.
Log Horizon: Again with the setting, I was drawn to this one after watching Sword Art Online wanting to watch another Anime with the MMORPG setting since I'm a huge fan of MMORPGs. It fits a different niche than SAO but it was still extremely enjoyable for me. It's not a show I'd watch multiple times due to the pace though.
Parasyte: I loved the music that they put with this anime, it made the action scene seem much more intense to me. I loved the story and kept waiting every week for a new episode to come out. I could definitely watch this show more than once, I loved some of the scene and would recommend it if you like sci-fi action.
Your Lie In April: Watching this show for me was just a roller coaster of feelings, I enjoyed almost every aspect to it and the classical music played in it was a big plus for me, it was a different pace and I'm glad I watched it. I wouldn't watch this one multiple times but I would recommend watching it if you haven't seen it and like slice of life, romance, music anime.
SAO started so well, the first few (2 or 3 I don't remember) were really enjoyable, but it went downhill for the whole season. I did find a few enjoyable episodes near the end of the 2nd season. I prefer LH over SAO, but I feel the S02 of LH was a real let down.
You should watch Overlord this season, same usual setting of being trap in a MMO. Hack//sign is pretty decent too.
Shinsekai Yori is just godly. Now go listen to Dvorak.
Where can I watch OverLord? I've got Crunchyroll and I don't think It's on there, I'll give it a go though! I've watched the first two episodes of Hack//sign but every time I try to watch it I get distracted by another anime or game. Thanks for the link as well!
K-On: I just can't begin to describe the connection I felt to these 5 high school girls who just sit around and eat cakes and occasionally play music. It makes no sense why I feel so strongly about it, but I love it.
Monogatari series: I don't really like to divide it up into the seasons, so I just call the series as a whole one thing. Again, connection to characters, and I absolutely adore the art style and the just out-there nature of the show.
Kill La Kill: This was one of the first anime I watched after really getting into anime about two years ago, and I thought it was amazing. The action was great, again the characters are amazing, and I just loved everything that Trigger did or tried to do.
Sakurasou: I know a lot of people tend to have strong opinions on this one, with a lot of people finding Sorata whiny and obnoxious. I felt, personally, that he was real, and seemed like what a teenage boy in his position would be like. He got jealous of the people closest to him who did nothing wrong, and I felt like that's just really true to what would happen in real life.
One Piece: I'm not even actually done with One Piece yet, I'm just starting the Amazon Lily arc, but I'll be damned if it isn't one of the best things ever. It gets me hype, makes me sad, and just plays with my emotions constantly. It's damn near perfect.
Join the Discussion
Macross One of my first, this is what drew me into anime, and 25+ years later, I'm still watching (yes, I'm old).
Record of Lodoss War Another oldie, but one of the best out there, unfortunately, most people into anime have never seen this or it looks to old for them to watch.
Code Geass Obvious reasons, characters were amazing, the setting was great, the story was beautiful to the very end.
Kill la Kill Unique-ish art style and fairly good story, it was an amazing series to watch while it was airing and discussing it with others, most people won't ever know the thrill of the cliffhanger in this series now that you can binge watch it.
Spice & Wolf Some of the best characters in any anime in my opinion, watching their relationship evolve over the course of the series was great and the economics in the story was unique and a breathe of fresh air. This series was enough to make me pick up the light novel volumes to read to find out what happened since we are never getting a season 3.
I really don't have a top 5, but these are just the ones that came to mind, I've seen a lot of anime in the past 25 years and there are a lot of great ones out there, I could probably do a top 100 and still not satisfy myself that the list was really a top 100.
I havent watched a massive amount of anime so I will shorten my list to top 3 for the sake of fairness, otherwise #4 and #5 wouldnt really be my top tier.
3- Stein's Gate A great cast of characters which mix up comedy, mystery, and tension in each episode.
2- Deathnote An overly mentioned one, I realise, but undeniably a great concept and, in my opinion, execution. I just loved the battle of geniuses, which had me constantly shifting sides and debating who the good/bad guy was.
1- Ano Hana A short series, but very heartwarming. Not sure what else to say, other than it being the single most memorable anime story for me.
Also OP, I looked into Code Geass following your recommendation and I will most certainly watch it :)
1. Shinsekai Yori : Perfect Story, everything just fits. This is for me what master pieces are made of.
2. Fate/Zero : Great story, awesome animation and OST. Plus being fan of the F/SN Visual Novel.
3. Bakemonogatari : Talk, puns and great SHAFT animation. Never fail to entertain.
4. Steins;Gate : Time travel done right, compelling story.
5. Suzumiya Haruhi no Shoushitsu : This is the movie (but the serie is required for understanding). Godlike Kyoani animation, the ambiance is second to none.
I'm not great at giving a engaging synopsis, just ask.
1. Stein's;Gate: It has about everything an anime needs to have for me to really enjoy it and it got me hooked.
2. Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!: Pretty much the reason why I picked up many more anime. Might be the first anime I watched. (I'm not counting Pokemon, DBZ, etc. because I watched those as a kid, I'm referring to when I started 'seriously' watching anime)
3. Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso: My 10/10 tearjerker. IDK this anime just pulled out the kid inside of me and just really hit hard.
4. Barakamon: Very very beautiful anime.
5. Gintama: Doesn't really need explaining. Go-to laugh machine.
To be honest, there really isn't a top 5 for me. There's still so much stuff I need to catch up on. Most things I've seen are 2 years old max. There's a couple of anime I'd want to put in this top 5 still but meh, just put this up in a fast reflexion :p
For reference, my anime list.
Sword Art Online (spoilerish): I know a lot of people don't like this show but it was perfect to me when I watched it, until after the first story arc. I absolutely loved watching it and it made me want to look for more shows like it and that's when I found BTOOM! and Log Horizon. Before this show I would just watch border-line hentai anime alongside reality television. Pretty glad I picked it up but pretty disappointed in the ending arcs for both seasons. I've watched the first story arc multiple times with friends when introducing the show to them and they have all seemed to like it as well.
Shin Sekai Yori (From The New World): This was one of the anime that drew me over to watching almost exclusively anime shows outside of a few television series when they run. Something about the settings just clicked with me and I enjoyed it till the end. It's a short show but it was able to tug on my feel strings. I've watched it multiple times and I still get those same feelings watching it each time.
Log Horizon: Again with the setting, I was drawn to this one after watching Sword Art Online wanting to watch another Anime with the MMORPG setting since I'm a huge fan of MMORPGs. It fits a different niche than SAO but it was still extremely enjoyable for me. It's not a show I'd watch multiple times due to the pace though.
Parasyte: I loved the music that they put with this anime, it made the action scene seem much more intense to me. I loved the story and kept waiting every week for a new episode to come out. I could definitely watch this show more than once, I loved some of the scene and would recommend it if you like sci-fi action.
Your Lie In April: Watching this show for me was just a roller coaster of feelings, I enjoyed almost every aspect to it and the classical music played in it was a big plus for me, it was a different pace and I'm glad I watched it. I wouldn't watch this one multiple times but I would recommend watching it if you haven't seen it and like slice of life, romance, music anime.
SAO started so well, the first few (2 or 3 I don't remember) were really enjoyable, but it went downhill for the whole season. I did find a few enjoyable episodes near the end of the 2nd season. I prefer LH over SAO, but I feel the S02 of LH was a real let down.
You should watch Overlord this season, same usual setting of being trap in a MMO. Hack//sign is pretty decent too.
Shinsekai Yori is just godly. Now go listen to Dvorak.
Where can I watch OverLord? I've got Crunchyroll and I don't think It's on there, I'll give it a go though! I've watched the first two episodes of Hack//sign but every time I try to watch it I get distracted by another anime or game. Thanks for the link as well!
Legally? No clue, sorry :/
Found it on Funimation, thanks for the suggestion, I'll be sure to check it out tonight.
K-On: I just can't begin to describe the connection I felt to these 5 high school girls who just sit around and eat cakes and occasionally play music. It makes no sense why I feel so strongly about it, but I love it.
Monogatari series: I don't really like to divide it up into the seasons, so I just call the series as a whole one thing. Again, connection to characters, and I absolutely adore the art style and the just out-there nature of the show.
Kill La Kill: This was one of the first anime I watched after really getting into anime about two years ago, and I thought it was amazing. The action was great, again the characters are amazing, and I just loved everything that Trigger did or tried to do.
Sakurasou: I know a lot of people tend to have strong opinions on this one, with a lot of people finding Sorata whiny and obnoxious. I felt, personally, that he was real, and seemed like what a teenage boy in his position would be like. He got jealous of the people closest to him who did nothing wrong, and I felt like that's just really true to what would happen in real life.
One Piece: I'm not even actually done with One Piece yet, I'm just starting the Amazon Lily arc, but I'll be damned if it isn't one of the best things ever. It gets me hype, makes me sad, and just plays with my emotions constantly. It's damn near perfect.
Few suggestions :
K-ON was cute and all but I found Hibike is better on the music side and less boring over all.
If you like KLK, you are gonna love Gurren Laggan. Same over the top spirit.
Monogatari is fucking great and I have not found better of the same kind. If you know something please share :)
As for One Piece, I would recommend FMA brotherhood. It a fairly popular choice but it's not overrated.
Gurren Lagann
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood
Serial Experiments Lain
Shiki