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50 Must-See Anime

Written by ACR Staff. Last updated August 16, 2017.

What makes an anime great? Is it the storyline? The characters? Worlds? Music? According to Simon Richmond, author of The Rough Guide to Anime: Japan's Finest from Ghibli to Gankutsuo, a great anime is one that will stand the test of time. In his top 50 must-see anime, Richmond lists just that. Among them are Katsuhiro Otomo’s groundbreaking 1988 cult classic Akira, Osamu Tezuka’s Astro Boy—the first ever anime TV series with a sequential plot, and Mamoru Oshii’s still amazing Ghost in the Shell (1995), among others. 

During the time period between The Rough Guide’s publish date and today, however, a number of other productions have reached must-see status. So here’s what we’ll do: the first list will contain Richmond’s 50 must-see anime (release or run dates included). The second will consist of 50 top-rated anime from multiple online sources. Some of the series and films on the list were released after 2005/2006. Keep in mind that the number of awesome anime, from yesterday and today, is endless. If we didn’t include one of your favorites, it’s only because we can’t list them all here! Here you go. 

Simon Richmond’s 50 Must-See Anime 

  1. Akira (1988)
  2. Astro Boy (1963-1966) (1980-1981) (2003-2004)
  3. Barefoot Gen (1983)
  4. Castle in the Sky (1986)
  5. Cowboy Bebop (1998-1999)
  6. 5 Centimeters Per Second (2007)
  7. Fullmetal Alchemist (2003-2004)
  8. Gankutsuo (2004-2005)
  9. Ghost in the Shell (1995)
  10. Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004)
  11. Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
  12. Gunbuster (1988)
  13. Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)
  14. Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (1999)
  15. Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)
  16. Kimba the White Lion (1965)
  17. Little Horse Prince (1968)
  18. Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostra (1979)
  19. Macross (1982-1983)
  20. Metropolis (2001)
  21. Millennium Actress (2001)
  22. Mind Game (2004)
  23. Mobile Suit Gundam (1979-1980)
  24. My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
  25. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
  26. Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995-1996)
  27. Night on the Galactic Road (1985)
  28. Ninja Scroll (1993)
  29. Only Yesterday (1991)
  30. Panda and the Magic Serpent (1958)
  31. Paprika (2006)
  32. Paranoia Agent (2004)
  33. Patlabor (1988-1989)
  34. Perfect Blue (1997)
  35. Porco Rosso (1992)
  36. Princess Mononoke (1997)
  37. Puss n’ Boots (1969)
  38. Revolutionary Girl Utena (1997)
  39. Samurai Champloo (2004-2005)
  40. Samurai X: Trust and Betrayal (1999)
  41. Serial Experiments Lain (1998)
  42. Space Battleship Yamata (1974-1975)
  43. Steamboy (2004)
  44. Spirited Away (2001)
  45. Taro the Dragon (1979)
  46. Tekkon Kinkreet (2006)
  47. Tokyo Godfathers (2003)
  48. Urisei Yatsura (1981-1986)
  49. Whisper of the Heart (1995)
  50. Wings of Honneamise (1987)

50 Top-rated Anime on the Web 

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  1. Fullmetal Alchemist
  2. Death Note
  3. Cowboy Bebop           
  4. Spirited Away
  5. (The) Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
  6. Princess Mononoke    
  7. Elfen Lied       
  8. Neon Genesis Evangelion      
  9. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion
  10. Bleach                        
  11. FLCL    
  12. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2      
  13. Naruto            
  14. Samurai Champloo    
  15. Trigun
  16. Gurren Lagann           
  17. Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal
  18. Full Metal Panic!        
  19. Howl's Moving Castle
  20. Ouran High School Host Club
  21. Clannad          
  22. Fruits Basket  
  23. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood    
  24. Chobits           
  25. Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu
  26. Cowboy Bebop: The Movie    
  27. Akira   
  28. Rurouni Kenshin         
  29. 5 Centimeters Per Second     
  30. (The) Girl Who Leapt Through Time
  31. Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children     
  32. Ghost in the Shell       
  33. Hellsing          
  34. Azumanga Daioh        
  35. Clannad After Story   
  36. Fullmetal Alchemist: The Movie - Conqueror of Shamballa 
  37. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex      
  38. Mushi-Shi       
  39. Darker than Black      
  40. Fate/stay night           
  41. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind   
  42. Claymore       
  43. Inuyasha         
  44. Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid    
  45. Blood+            
  46. Toradora!       
  47. Black Lagoon  
  48. Castle in the Sky         
  49. Steins Gate    
  50. Angel Beats!

Sources 

AnimeNewsNetwork.com. Anime News Network, 1998-2017. Web. 30 May 2017. 

Egan, Toussaint, and Jason DeMarco. "The 100 Best Anime Movies of All Time." Pastemagazine.com. Paste Media Group, 03 Jan. 2017. Web. 30 May 2017. 

HQ, SBS PopAsia. "The 100 Best Anime of All Time (according to NHK)." SBS.com.au. SBS, 04 May 2017. Web. 30 May 2017. 

Karuhi. "Top 100 Anime You Should Watch Before You Die." IGN.com. IGN Entertainment Games, 31 Dec. 2012. Web. 30 May 2017. 

Richmond, Simon. The Rough Guide to Anime: Japan's Finest from Ghibli to Gankutsuo. 1st ed. London: Rough Guides, 2009. Print. 

"The Best Anime Series of All Time." Ranker. Ranker, 2017. Web. 30 May 2017.

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