Top 15 Favorite Anime (Films and Series)
by malnarwen | created - 27 Nov 2010 | updated - 27 Nov 2010 | PublicI actually tried to put these in order for once. I am aware that there are technically "better" animes out there, but I don't care; these are my favorites. I cut myself off at Top 15.
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1. Sailor Moon (1992–1997)
TV-PG | 30 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
A group of schoolgirls discover they are incarnations of super-powered alien princesses, and use their abilities to defend the earth.
Stars: Stephanie Sheh, Kotono Mitsuishi, Kate Higgins, Aya Hisakawa
Votes: 7,563
I am not going to list each season separately, but consider this representative of the series as a whole. The original, S, and Stars were my favorites, though.
2. Magic Knight Rayearth (1994–1995)
TV-PG | 20 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
Lucy, Anias and Marina, three girls from different schools are transported to the world of Zephyr as well as their mission to become Magical Warriors to rescue the captured Princess Esmeralda.
Stars: Julie Maddalena, Wendee Lee, Bridget Hoffman, Mona Marshall
Votes: 1,024
"What a twist!" - M. Night Shyamalan
3. Serial Experiments Lain (1998)
TV-14 | 316 min | Animation, Drama, Horror
Strange things start happening when a withdrawn girl named Lain becomes obsessed with an interconnected virtual realm known as "The Wired".
Stars: Kaori Shimizu, Bridget Hoffman, Dan Lorge, Randy McPherson
Votes: 17,217
4. Chobits (2002–2003)
TV-14 | Animation, Comedy, Drama
Hideki finds the discarded and malfunctioning Persocom Chi, a personal computer that looks like a girl. While trying to fix and care for Chi, Hideki discovers that she might be a Chobits, a robot of urban legend that has free will.
Stars: Sarah Hauser, Rie Tanaka, Crispin Freeman, Tomokazu Sugita
Votes: 4,711
5. Vampire Princess Miyu (1997–1998)
Not Rated | 25 min | Animation, Action, Drama
Miyu, a vampire girl, acts as a guardian, sending stray demons known as Shinma back to the darkness while publically posing as a high school student.
Stars: Miki Nagasawa, Shin'ichirô Miki, Megumi Ogata, Asako Shirakura
Votes: 425
6. Chage & Aska: On Your Mark (1995 Music Video)
7 min | Animation, Short, Music
Set in the future: Two men learn that a mysterious winged girl has been taken prisoner, and then decide that they must free her at any cost.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Votes: 4,352
Thank god for old-school VHS fansub distros. This amazing short was included on the end of a tape that some random person sent me when I was thirteen.
7. Dragon Ball Z (1989–1996)
TV-PG | 24 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
The adventures of Earth's martial arts defender, Son Goku, continue with a new family and the revelation of his alien origins. Now Goku and his allies must defend the planet from an onslaught of new extraterrestrial enemies.
Stars: Jôji Yanami, Kyle Hebert, Masako Nozawa, Sean Schemmel
Votes: 87,864
Particularly the Androids Saga.
8. Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (1995–1996)
TV-PG | 30 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
A squadron of giant robot pilots of a beleaguered Earth colony bring the war to their oppressive home planet.
Stars: Hikaru Midorikawa, Toshihiko Seki, Ryûzô Ishino, Akio Ôtsuka
Votes: 4,888
9. Princess Mononoke (1997)
PG-13 | 134 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
On a journey to find the cure for a Tatarigami's curse, Ashitaka finds himself in the middle of a war between the forest gods and Tatara, a mining colony. In this quest he also meets San, the Mononoke Hime.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Yôji Matsuda, Yuriko Ishida, Yûko Tanaka, Billy Crudup
Votes: 433,900 | Gross: $2.38M
10. Cardcaptor Sakura (1998–2000)
TV-Y7-FV | 30 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
Sakura stumbled upon the book of Clow Cards in a library. Accidentally setting the magical cards loose, it's now up to Sakura to catch them all with her best friend Tomoyo, and Kerberos, the guardian of the cards.
Stars: Sakura Tange, Matt Hill, Sam Vincent, Brian Drummond
Votes: 5,608
11. Princess Rouge: The Legend of the Last Labyrinth (1997– )
60 min | Animation, Drama, Fantasy
Yusuke, an orphan, literally has Rouge, the amnesiac oldest daughter of the Underworld's deposed royal family, fall out of the sky into his lap. She is soon followed by her two younger ... See full summary »
Stars: Shiho Kikuchi, Sho Takaghi, Yuri Shiratori, Hekiru Shiina
Votes: 37
The delusional fangirl in me still hopes that one day this will be dug up and completed.
12. Marmalade Boy (1994–2005)
Not Rated | 30 min | Animation, Comedy, Drama
Two sets of parents divorce and marry each other, while their children Miki and Yuu are caught in the middle and start falling for each other.
Stars: Wendee Lee, Michelle Ruff, John DeMita, Michael Lindsay
Votes: 523
How sad is it that my teenage self could completely identify with this extreme example of soap-opera melodrama?
13. Martian Successor Nadesico (1996–1997)
TV-PG | Animation, Action, Comedy
Some unknown presence is attacking Earth with dangerous robots and the only thing that can save the day is the crew of the Nadesico: a powerful spaceship.
Stars: Kira Vincent-Davis, Cynthia Martinez, Spike Spencer, Mark Laskowski
Votes: 533
for the lulz
14. Reservoir Chronicle: Tsubasa (2005–2010)
TV-PG | 25 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
Syaoran, a boy who wants to become an archeologist, and Sakura, a princess from the Clow Kingdom, are childhood friends with a close relationship. On a fateful night, Sakura lost all her ... See full summary »
Stars: Miyu Irino, Yui Makino, Daisuke Namikawa, Tetsu Inada
Votes: 1,361
aka CLAMP All-Stars
15. Pokémon (1997–2023)
TV-Y7 | 24 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
Covering the continuing adventures of series protagonist Ash Ketchum and Pikachu, and his best friend Brock, the two meet a new coordinator named Dawn, who travels with them through Sinnoh and enters Pokemon Contests.
Stars: Veronica Taylor, Rachael Lillis, Eric Stuart, Ikue Ôtani
Votes: 47,891
I'm not going to even pretend that I didn't collect an asston of Pokeballs and cards. To leave this off of the list would only be lying to myself.
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