Anime That All Fans Should Make an Effort to Watch

As all good ideas come to me, the idea to put a list together of anime that I consider 'essential' to the anime fan's experience came to me as I was drifting off to sleep. Unlike most of my good ideas, I actually remembered this one. Note that most of the anime on my main list are well known anime. Most of them are also Seinen. I don't go out of my way to label Seinen as the best sub-field, because it's not(I personally consider Josei to be superior a higher percentage of the time. Unfortunately most OLs and middle-aged house wives prefer drama, not anime. Damn). I do feel however, that most of the truly original ideas in anime that have deeply moved me have come from the sub-field of Seinen. If you like martial arts shows, Shounen romance dramas, or you get depressed from seeing an anime end tragically, this list may very well not be for you. Those of you for whom the quote: "...you can be sure of one thing, a man's got to fake just to stay alive."* rings true may find this list slightly more relevant.
*Dazai Osamu, through a fictional character

Is that really supposed to be a 'translation'?

-(First couple episodes of) Tsukuyomi Moon Phase
Moon Phase starts out with a boy who has absolutely no spiritual sense. He can't sense spirits, and spirits find themselves unable to affect them. He runs into a vampire with a cat-ear fetish and an Ojousama complex. This show earns my respect just for the sheer absurdity it presents. Without spoiling the series for you, I'll say that despite its absurdity, it handles the serious subject of love between the main character and the vampire princess surprisingly well without delving into actual romance. Take note, Shounen.

At least the punchline wasn't anywhere gross, like his throat or eyeballs.

-Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan
Blood, lots of blood. Death, humor, monkeys. What more is there to say? Fanservice galore, but it doesn't pretend to care about its plot, so I think it's okay.

Suicide? Anything you say, boss. Viva la bushido!

-Code Geass
What is there to even say about Code Geass? It's basically a perfection of everything that other action Shounen could be if they tried harder. You have the basic hero villain rivalry that continues throughout the show, you have mecha, you have slight hints at love, but none actually happening...except it's all done RIGHT. Well then, I'm starting to get depressed now, damn you Shounen, stealin all the sales that should be going to masterpieces like Cowboy Bebop...

Awesome opening, bro. A genre unto itself, indeed.

-Cowboy Bebop
This is one of the first anime I ever watched. At first I was like 'What the fuck?', and then I was like 'What the fuck?', but then I was like 'What the fuck?'. Now that I've actually seen assloads of anime I can appreciate the brilliance of this show. It combines all the elements that make a show epic. There's the fact that the music is completely kickass, there's the fact that Spike just doesn't give a fuck, but still kicks ass (AND is still reasonably realistic as a character). Then there's the fact that most of this show was censored when it was released in Japan, and it didn't have a very large following. You heard me Japanophiles, if you like this show that makes you cooler than a Japanese person. Aren't you glad to have been born in an English-speaking country? I think it's infinitely unfortunate that Japan has still not realized the brilliance of Shinichiro Watanabe. They're always too busy wanking off to videos of Ayumi Hamasaki to understand real music. I've been meaning to check out Watanabe's work before Bebop, but still haven't gotten around to it. If you haven't already, WATCH THIS SHOW.

"Can I take a bite? Really? You're sure?"

-Elfen Lied
Even if you really dislike gore, or fanservice, or cat-girls that can only meow incorrectly, ummm...where was I going with that? Oh right, I love all of those things, so I guess I don't have much to say.

Fanservice? Pfft.

This show moved me emotionally more than just about any other show I've seen, and NO it was not because I succumbed to the 'blatant attempt at shock value', although I was pretty shocked since it was just about the second gory show after Hellsing that I'd seen(And Hellsing isn't even really gory save the opening). The real reason I loved Elfen Lied was Nyuu/Lucy. Both of her personalities I found extremely aesthetically and intellectually attractive. I won't spoil anything, but the ending was also one of my favorites in Anime, aesthetically.

I'd recommend watching an episode of this show in English, just to hear Alucard's 'Police Girl'

-Hellsing
More gore, more action, more KICKASS VAMPIRES! Seriously, even though all of these shows have gore, you really, really need to watch them, I promise. Hellsing is at the height of the 'cool' culture. Alucard is just about the 'coolest' character in anime right now, which is why they made several OVAs that consisted mostly of the scene director pandering to the Alucard fans.

So apparently they care more about sound quality in Thailand. Go figure.

-Higurashi no Naku Koro ni
More gore, ugh. Okay this is the last show with real gore, so here goes. Higurashi is all about the characters. Every single one of them has a personality that draw the viewer into the show without being overbearing at all. Again, Higurashi is one of those shows that extends beyond the genre of which it is a part, so even if you don't like mysteries, horrors, or school-life shows, I'd bet that if you gave Higurashi a fair chance it'd be all over you like puppies over a casserole.

If you can't tell, she's using a potter's wheel.

-Honey and Clover
Ever since FLCL gave up the title a few years ago, I've often thought about Honey and Clover as my favorite show. With the character designs that made Eden of the East a smashing success, and with its very own brand of over the top humour, Honey and Clover is definitely not a show to be missed. The only Josei anime before Nodame Cantabile with some degree of success in the English-speaking community, it's easy to see why. Every subject that other genres ignore, Honey and Clover tackles head on, from the awkwardness of being a college student without a clear idea for life, to one-way romance triangles that actually do end up in heartbreak(Just like real life!). If I had to narrow this list down to three anime, this would be one of the three. Seriously, just watch it.

You can tell it's steampunk because it doesn't have wings.

-Last Exile
Last exile is a unique little gem. From the epic opening song to the season finale that finished it, this show has an air about it of inspired genius. The same kind of air that is impossible to cultivate artificially by throwing money at a producer or series. Tangents aside, Last Exile is set in a steampunk world with just a few futuristic flourishes. The world being brilliant as it is, it still doesn't outclass the brightness of the characters, whose realistic and often easygoing attitude is refreshing to watch.Without saying too much, one of the main defining factors for Last Exile is the ending, which seemed strange at best when I first saw it, but which has grown on me to make me like the series more and more.

Shinji taking on challenges left and right. What a badass.

-Neon Genesis Evangelion
Oh Evangelion, the English-speaker's punching bag. It hardly surprises me that the average American has trouble relating to Shinji, who obviously suffers from a type of depression and social anxiety. It also hardly surprises me that the average American has problems accepting Asuka, who acts as an obvious foil to Shinji's attitude. Regardless, if you are able to simply accept that people outside of your head are different than you, you shouldn't have too much trouble watching Evangelion for the brilliant show it is(That is, unless you have other problems such as with the excessive use of religious imagery or physical manifestation of psychological hyperbole).

Kicks work better than you'd think in a sword-fight!

-Samurai Champloo
The man left us hanging for 6 years, but in 2004 he did it. He successfully followed up Cowboy Bebop. And what a follow up it was. Shifting from the dark moody feel of Jazz, Watanabe turned now to the more upbeat and erratic feel of hip-hop, and did it with a samurai story, to boot. There's not much else to say about this, except that it took everything that made Cowboy Bebop great, and transformed it into such a shape that it began to take on a greatness of its own. Watanabe's style is truly 'great', and I think he deserves more of a place in anime history than Miyazaki ever will.

Be sure to watch other works of Watanabe's, too!

She wears the mask because she can tell the future.

-Texhnolyze
If you've seen it, you're probably wondering why this is on here. The answer is, I don't really know. There is something about this anime that's pretty much summed up in the picture I posted of it. There's a gloom that hangs over the atmosphere of the anime that reversely impresses the viewer(if the viewer is anything like me). Fake limbs, high technology, ancient secrets, human apocalypse..You name it, this show has it in abundance. It's a show that conveys its meaning with the fewest words possible. Most would rank Serial Experiments Lain by the same group of people much higher than Texhnolyze, but I think Texhnolyze created an atmosphere all its own, and that the currency of that atmosphere was beauty.

Yeah, the show is pretty much actually this weird.

-Akira
Akira is the sort of thing that makes me sad. It is obviously an unfinished story, and yet people seem content to just watch the movie and be confused about it. I'd highly recommend reading the Akira manga, as it has a much more conclusive ending, and you actually get to see 'Akira'. As a supplement to the manga however, Akira does just fine. It has very little trouble conveying the stories of drug abuse, government secrets, and..other stuff I'd rather not spoil. Akira was much more influential in the realm of Manga than in the realm of Anime. Remember that.

They made our genes the same, but why do we all look like total dicks?

-Dead Leaves
Oh my god, where do I even start on Dead Leaves? Ah yes, remember to take LSD before watching. You may be sorely disappointed if you don't. That said, Dead Leaves is an extremely unique movie in every way, and I begin to wonder if the creators were going for that and only that when they made it. Regardless, the show is brilliant and should be treated with respect, regardless of what your opinion is on absurdist humour.

I'll free you with the color....GREEN!

-Interstella 5555
I can hear the groans and sighs, please tone them down a bit. Yes Interstella 5555 is the extended music video to that popular album by Daft Punk, thanks for asking. It's probably been done before, but it is still a good idea. I've found that most people I've met like Daft Punk to at least some extent if they can handle electronic at all, so the soundtrack shouldn't be a problem for most of you. Regardless, the quality of animation and of the story being told were both lathered on quite thick, making Interstella 5555 both easily accessible and a pleasure to watch. If you liked Interstella 5555, here's a bit of trivia for you: The character designs were based off of the early space opera anime Space Battleship Yamato.

How many copies of this picture are on the net now, seriously?

-Nausicaa and the valley of wind
This is the only Miyazaki film I would ever explicitly recommend. The Miyazaki films I haven't seen yet are: Cagliostro, Porco Rosso, and Ponyo. The other two Miyazaki films that would contend for my favorite would be Tonari no Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service, but I wouldn't consider either of them to be a 'must watch'. There's really not much to say about Nausicaa. It contains just about all the elements of your standard Miyazaki film, but the imagery is much more original and accessible than any of his other stuff save perhaps Princess Mononoke. This movie also makes a good starting point for Miyazaki's films both chronologically and in terms of adherence to basic Miyazaki patterns.

When you see it you'll shit bricks I guess? meh.

-Paprika
Paprika is a truly beautiful movie about dreams. When I think about it, my memories of Paprika often evoke similar feelings in me to when I wake up and forget a dream I just had, ironically enough, considering the subject of Paprika. Paprika sucked me in with its brilliantly animated opening featuring a song by Susumu Hirasawa. It kept me through the absurd dream sequences, and the amazing cast of characters it introduced. I doubt any other movie from 2006 can so much as measure up to the feet of Paprika.

Runners up:
-(A few episodes of) each of the 'big three'(Bleach, Naruto, and One Piece)
-(A few episodes of) DBZ
-(A few episodes of) Pokemon
-Akagi(This is really more enjoyable if you watch Kaiji first I think, but I might be wrong since I watched Akagi first).
-Armitage Dual Matrix?(Actually I was so depressed when I watched it a couple years ago that I can't remember what it was about, but I seem to remember it being very good).
-Death Note
-Eden of the East
-Ergo Proxy
-FLCL
-Princess Mononoke
-Serial Experiments Lain
-Spice and Wolf
-Welcome To The N.H.K.

Anime that others might tell you are 'must-see's, but whose recommendation you should (definitely) ignore:
-Ah! My Goddess!
-Any gundam
-Any tsundere or moe anime, ever.
-Appleseed
-Azumanga Daioh
-BECK
-//Bible Black
-//Boku no Pico
-Cardcaptor Sakura(Great show though. My childhood would have been much better if I could have watched shows like Cardcaptor Sakura without pretending to be doing something else).
-Dragonball Z
-Eureka Seven
-Excel Saga
-Fantastic Children, probably(I've only seen half the series. God did that half suck)
-Fate/Stay Night
-Fruits Basket
-Fullmetal Alchemist
-Ghost in the Shell, movie. I haven't yet seen more than half an episode of the show.
-Great Teacher Onizuka
-Hikaru no Go
-Howl's moving castle, or anything else by Miyazaki for that matter. If you're not a ravenous Miyazaki fan, you should only watch Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Tonari no Totoro, Princess Mononoke, and maybe Kiki's Delivery Service.
-Initial D
-Inuyasha
-Lucky Star
-Maria-sama ga Miteru
-Pokemon
-Ranma 1/2
-Rurouni Kenshin
-Sailor Moon(umm?)
-Sayounara Zetsubou Sensei
-Shuffle!
-Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu
-The 'big three' in their entireties
-Trigun
-(If anyone ever recommends Tsukihime to you, they mean the game, not the anime.)

On that note, look forward to an update of Fall 2009 anime(And just in time for Winter 2009/10 anime. Damn I'm good).