Monday, July 11, 2011

The must-see anime that you haven't seen

Anime content definitely comes in tiers of quality.  It's just like any other entertainment medium out there.  When people talk about movies, video games, TV shows and music, there are certain bits of content that people deem as 'must see'.  These are the projects that any respectable fan of whatever it may be must expose themselves to. If you don't, you're simply missing out on the best of what that form of entertainment has to offer.

Anime is no exception to this rule.  There are certainly anime TV series' and films that a majority of fans would consider to be must-see.  These are the high watermarks for anime in general that help to showcase what the medium brings to the table.  They transcend the norm to become something that is appreciated by circles that don't usually appreciate anime.

I know I'm going to miss a few anime features, but I'm going to do my best to put together a short list of anime that is considered to be must-see.  I'm not talking about anime that anime fans consider to be required viewing, but instead, anime features that even traditional film/TV buffs consider important.

Ghost in the Shell
Akira
Cowboy Bebop
Neon Genesis Evangelion
At least one Miyazaki film
Grave of the Fireflies

Now out of that collection, what features have you not seen?  I'm ashamed to admit that I've never seen Grave of the Fireflies, but I plan on changing that soon.  Hopefully I won't get too harassed for not having seen it yet!

6 comments:

  1. None of them. I have seen none of those. I'm not into titles that are futuristic and Sci-fi heavy. Though I may catch Ghost in the Shell and Evangelion, I really have no current interest in any of the others you have mentioned. Maybe my tastes will change some day, but for now I'll pass.

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  2. Clannad
    Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei
    Rainbow
    Hajime No Ippo
    Toradora!

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  3. The only one I've seen is Ghost in the Shell. I plan to watch Akira sometimes. I'm waiting for Cowboy Bebop to be on BD. And with Neon Genesis, idk, I'll watch it eventually too I just don't know when.

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  4. i have seen Akira and Cowboy Bebop and two of Miyazaki film . i have not seen all of Ghost in the shell. i have not seen Neon Genesis Evangelion or Grave of the Fireflies

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  5. I watched Evangelion... TBH it was just ok. Great animation and some interesting character development but I didn't see a reason for fuss. And it all falls apart...

    Only ones I haven't seen are Cowboy Bebop and Ghost in the Shell. I plan to watch Ghost in the Shell soon.

    I'd say the list is missing some of the quintessential/founding fathers of anime: Tezuka's work, Yoshida's work, Matsumoto's stuff... I also remember Karas being a big deal when it came out. That was a great movie but I'm not sure if it fits in a list like this or not.

    I find people often forget about/ don't pay attention to the great anime produced before the 80s. :(

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  6. urusei yatsura is also something many people havent seen, though it was rumiko takahashi's first major work( and some people would argue her best), it seems silly at first (made to be silly, in fact the closing theme song is 'put weird and weird together and make it weirder') it really begins to develop a plot in the double digit episodes, and you wont really care, because by the first 5 minutes of the second episode, and all episodes afterwards you'll be laughing your ass off because of all the chaos

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