Top 3. 0 Anime Series of All Time. Flippant and heartbreaking, cynical and triumphant, personal and universal, each of these OVAs tells a story of humanitys struggle against all the forces of the universe with style and heart. And each can stand alone, as well Gunbuster is helmed by a pre Eva Anno already exhibiting his unnerving style of direction, and Diebuster offers a very appropriate conclusion to the FLCL era of Gainax production. Only six episodes each, too its pretty remarkable how much story each of these manage to tell. Here are my essays on Gunbuster and Diebuster. Both Gunbuster and Diebuster are available at Amazon. Watch Toradora Episode 1 Online. Watch Sometimes A Great Notion Streaming. Watch Toradora Episode 1 both Dubbed and Subbed in HD. Euphonium 2 Anime Reveals 2nd Promo, More of Cast, 1Hour Debut Special Sep 10, 2016. Shinsekai Yori. Shinsekai Yori is basically tailor made for fans of fantasy and scifi novels. Heavy on worldbuilding and questions of human nature, its story unfolds on a scale far greater than most anime, exploring a compelling dystopian society by following one generation from childhood through adolescence and well into adulthood. QbTMWhs4/hqdefault.jpg' alt='Toradora Dub Episode 24' title='Toradora Dub Episode 24' />Though I often feel its characters fade into the background of its storytelling pretensions, it all works in service of an incredibly compelling central narrative, and its devastating conclusion justifies everything that came before. Its a rare and valuable thing few shows work on the scale of Shinsekai Yori. Heres my review of Shinsekai Yori. Shinsekai Yori is available at Amazon. The Idolmster. An idol show I could actually go on for a while about what makes various idol shows great and I have, but as far as Idolmster specifically goes, this show is just a solid episodic drama that succeeds in almost everything it attempts. Its got a rich and well developed cast of characters, lots of great little character stories, and a bunch of fun adventures like the team runs a Sunday game show or one idol ends up as a runaway bride while another fights yakuza goons. On top of that, Idolmster features one of the best creative teams in recent memory a bunch of former Gainax staff and other great creators combine to make this one of the most beautifully directed and animated shows Ive seen. Even if you dont have any interest in idols, Idolmsters combination of fun stories and gorgeous execution makes it a rare and impressive show. Heres my review of The Idolmster. The Idolmster is sadly not available in the west. Hyouka. Unless Kyo. Ani performs some tremendous about face in priorities, it seems like Hyouka will stand as their masterpiece for a long time to come. Not that thats a mark against it Hyouka is a fantastic show, and easily makes best use of Kyo. Anis mastery of small character moments and subtle, human animation. Its a mark to how impressive I find this shows character work that I enjoyed it in spite of not really caring about any of the mysteries of course, the fact that the shows ridiculously gorgeous and filled with lush animation doesnt hurt, either. If youre in the mood for a more meditative character story, Hyoukas as good as it gets. Hyouka has sadly never received a western release. Toradora Considering I havent seen Toradora since it actually aired, its position on this list may be something of an open question. But if memory serves, Toradora certainly deserves it its basically the high school romcomdrama all other such shows wish they were, populated by multifaceted characters, driven by relatable, human drama, and crescendoing in a long line of iconic moments. Its conflicts emerge naturally from the base nature of its well drawn protagonists, and perhaps most importantly, its writing actually understands the fundamentals of banter and chemistry. Anime could use a lot more shows like Toradora. Toradora is available at Amazon. Shiki. Anime doesnt really have the best track record with horror theres just something inherently difficult about portraying visceral dread in animation, and few shows manage to pull it off. Fortunately, Shiki neatly avoids falling into any this isnt scary traps by being more about creating an oppressive atmosphere, and focusing less on visceral horror than on the horror of human nature. Watch Testament Of Youth Online (2017). Its slow burning story depicts the breakdown of an entire community from basically every possible position within that community, making for a remarkably well realized cast of dozens of characters. And its runtime is peppered with stark moral questions, thrilling twists, and moments of pure adrenal shock. Its themes of community and the meaning of a monster are classic ones, but Shiki infuses them with vitality and modern relevance, along with a sense of campy fun that almost tricks you into embarking on one of the darkest rides the medium has to offer. Shiki is a vivid, tense, and deeply angry show. Heres my essay on Shiki. Shiki is available at Amazon. Kyousogiga. Theres a whole lot to love in Kyousogiga. Its a family story, populated by a diverse set of characters and full of personal reflections on sibling and parental relations. Its a world unto itself, a beautiful fairy tale city filled with evocative details. Its an exercise in aesthetics, with top notch direction, visual design, and music. And it is all of these things at once its central conflict of a family that has fallen apart and must come back together makes brilliant use of all its aesthetic strengths, and the world they inhabit fills every frame with personality and color. It also has the best brother sister relationship Ive seen in any show, and as the brother of two sisters, I can really appreciate how well this show understands people. Heres my review of Kyousogiga. Kyousogiga has been licensed but is not yet available in the west. Cowboy Bebop. Shinichiro Watanabes first and arguably best original production, Cowboy Bebop has a venerable and well deserved reputation as a classic. Its stylistic mix of noir, western, scifi, and jazz feels so natural that its hard to believe it was basically invented by this show. Its direction is fluid and assured, its stories are incredibly varied and regularly poignant, and its characters are as iconic as they are relatable. Its cool and funny and confident, diverse enough to have an episode for everyone, and ambitious enough to aptly demonstrate animes strengths as a medium. Its as remarkable today as it was fifteen years ago. Cowboy Bebop is available at Amazon. Ping Pong The Animation. Best Episodes Of Friends Quora Questions'>Best Episodes Of Friends Quora Questions. If youve gotten this far in my list, you probably wont find it surprising to learn that Ping Pong is not exactly a sports show. It contains sports and has a variety of thrilling and aesthetically stunning matches, in fact but in truth it is a story about people, and about what brings them to ping pong and to each other. Its characters bounce off each other and grow continuously, their sharp edges and loves and ambitions all reflecting in how they change those they compete with. Its scale stretches beyond the court, with ping pong serving as either gateway to or guardian from engagement with the real world. And all of its poignant turns are framed by Masaaki Yuasas tremendous direction, full of beautiful interpretive flourishes and scored by a careful soundtrack that constantly elevates the proceedings. Ping Pong demonstrates that any conflict can be made gigantic through empathy for the characters involved, and goes above and beyond with its tremendous aesthetic merits. Even if you dont consider yourself a sports show fan, Ping Pong is something special. Heres my essay on Ping Pong. Ping Pong is available on Amazon. Kinos Journey. Kinos Journey is, unsurprisingly, about the journey. Not just the overt journey, though it is a travel show every episode, Kino and her bike Hermes visit a new nation, staying just three days before moving on. Through Kinos adventures in these strange, mystical lands, Kinos Journey eventually reveals itself to be about the journey towards greater understanding of how people work, of why we do the things we do, of what purpose we can possibly seek in this world.