9 Top Anime Series for Your Consideration

Following up on a recent article on top anime films I want to offer a few series to you for your enjoyment.  Anime series are bit of a different beast than films, as long-term viability is important for me.  The show can’t start off good then flub (LOST and Heroes are two of the recent television shows that did that for me).  Long-term quality is important because if you’re familiar with anime series some can go for hundreds of episodes (Dragon ball, Bleach, etc) unlike American cartoons, which do well making it past fifty or more episodes.  So without further ado, I give you my top 9 anime series!

As usual, in no particular order…

Photo: Wikia.net

The first thing you have to know about Beserk is that while the anime is amazing, the manga may well blow your mind.  A long running series that writer Kintara Minura started back in 1990 with his epic debut of his character Guts.  An often-disturbing series focused on the gritty and dark battle between human and demon and the betrayal between friends that can occur when one looks for power.  Be forewarned the anime and especially the manga are not for the squeamish as it deals heavily with violence, rape, and the dark side of people.  Keep a heads up for an animated film this year.

Photo: Tomuchofmeh.com

Death Note is a fantastic detective series blended with a level of the supernatural.  The constant back and forth and subterfuge that goes on between the main characters provides a steady diet of nail biting intrigue and excitement.  Light Yagami finds a notebook previously held by a death god (Shinigami) that allows the user to kill anyone by any means should they know the individuals name.  Light implements a plan to rid the world of evil, while the eccentric young detective L hunts him down.

Photo: OVAmovies.com

Along similar lines as Death Note, the long running Bleach tells the story of rebellious teenager Ichigo Kurosaki that has the ability to see the souls of the dead.  One day he is granted the powers of a Shinigami to release tormented souls known as Hollows, by another death god called Rukia Kuchiki who was severely wounded after defending Ichigo.  The anime tells of his development as a Shinigami, the contest of powers in Soul Society (the world for the afterlife), and the strange characters that surround him.

Photo: movie.masjo.com

For the D&D player in all of us, the Record of the Lodoss Wars is essentially any ones given D&D campaign retold in anime form.  An enjoyable short series, the Record of the Lodoss Wars follows Parn, the son of a dishonored night and his host of companions that make up your typical gaming party, as they battle the powers of evil interested in world domination.  Sound familiar?  If you, like most of us, enjoy role-playing games, then you should give this a watch.

Last Exile is an anime series I recently reviewed in greater depth here and I’ll refrain from rehashing the same opinion.  I will say that this series is super fun and at times heart wrenching.  I highly recommend it.

Photo: My Anime List

One of my wife’s favorite series, as well as mine, is Soul Eater.  Soul Eater is about a number of Weapons Meisters that are in school (think a supped up high school) to train their transmutable weapons to become Death Scythes (a weapon used by the Shinigami in collecting souls), the ultimate status for any weapon and pride for any Meister.  Now the important thing to know is that the weapons are “people” too and have to gather 99 souls and 1 witch’s soul to become a Death Scythe.  After the first couple of episodes this anime takes a slightly more tongue-in-cheek flavor and is tremendous fun even from the start.  There is the typical Japanese T&A jokes here and there but beyond that it can be down right hysterical at times.

Photo: MainProductionig.com

Ghost in the Shell S.A.C.\2^nd GIG are two great short series based on Masamune Shirow’s popular Ghost in the Shell film.  The story takes place in 2030 following the same characters and Tachikoma A.I.’s from the original full-length film.  This time however they are following the crimes of the cyber criminal The Laughing Man.  The two series delve more deeply into the social and personal minds of the characters as well as expands the colorful world originally created by Shirow.

Photo: adultswim.com

Full Metal Alchemist and its follow up series, Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood, is about two brothers that are skilled in the transmutation art of Alchemy.  Alphonse and Edward, after losing their parents did the unthinkable and broke the greatest rule of Alchemy, never attempt to bring the dead back to life.  Because Alchemy demands equal exchange, Edward lost his arm and leg while Alphonse lost his entire body.  Alphonse now is attached to an ancient suit of armor and Edward has a mechanical arm and leg thanks to his friend Winry.  The two of them become State Alchemists, working for the government in an attempt to find the fabled Philosophers stone so they can become fully human again.  An epic series with many ups and downs and followed by a full length film.

Photo: demoncraiganimecom.webs

Let’s be honest if you aren’t familiar with Dragonball and Dragonball Z then you have to be hiding under a rock, or just completely unexposed to the world of anime.  The classic series’ were released in the ‘80’s and early ‘90’s in the US and started an entire generation on Japanese anime.  Perhaps the other most significant offering was Voltron in the ‘80’s that may have influenced that generation.  Dragonball follows the growth of our hero Goku from childhood into adulthood as he develops his abilities in the martial arts to help defend the world.  Dragonball Z continues the story as even more powerful enemies threaten the world and Goku’s child enters the battle along with a host of friends.  Dragonball and Dragonball Z are classic and timeless, long-running series of epic proportions.

What are your experiences with great anime series that you love?