The Top 130 Anime: Looking Ahead

It's taken a bit, but by studiously watching some more episodes of various anime series, and by waiting for at least the first three episodes of all the winter anime series to come out, I've finally managed to reach the magic number of 390 anime series qualified as 'watched.'  'Watched' in this case means the whole movie if a movie, the whole series if shorter than or equal to three episodes, or at least three episodes of a series if it is longer than three episodes.  Series that were too bad to even watch three episodes of don't qualify on my 'watched' list.

My top anime list is derived from this 'watched' list.  For instance, I watched three episodes of Natsume Yuujinchou and decided the series wasn't good enough to watch any further, but it did qualify as a series on my list and thus helps enable other series to get into my top rankings list.  On the other hand, I watched only the first episode of Black Lagoon and hated it, deleting the rest of the series I had downloaded, so it doesn't appear on my 'watched' list and thus it can't increase my top anime list either.  Before a series can appear on my top anime list, it has to be the best out of three series I already watched and liked, so A) if there are series I haven't seen or don't know about, no matter how good they are, they won't appear on my rankings  and B)  There are no bad series in my top 130 anime list nor is it possible for bad series to ever qualify for entry into this list, no matter how big it grows, because the top 1/3 from which it has been filtered has already been filtered to be at least mediocre in the first place.  I expand these rankings by 10 new series each time, because top 10 lists are always more fun and more natural than rounding to any other number.

My original top 120 anime list was revealed April 22nd, 2012.  Ten months and four days later, I've managed to add 30 more series, oavs, or movies to my anime 'watched' list, and thus have finally qualified a new group of ten to be added to my top 1/3 of the series I've watched.  Keep in mind, if a series is from the same franchise as a previous series, it just adds to the value of the original series, rather than getting a new slot for itself.  As a result, scrounging up 30 entirely new intellectual properties is more difficult than just watching sequels or spinoffs from older works. This is why it took nearly a year just to acquire ten more slots in my top anime list.

Since I want this top 130 anime list to be a little future proof, I'm not only ranking these anime series based on what's been released as of today, but also with what future episodes are going to be released over the course of the year.  If I feel confident a series will grow in value by the time the series is over, I'll go ahead and reward it that value now, rather than having to endlessly revise my top anime list every week as each new episode of a good series comes out.  I've tried to underestimate this projected rise in value so that no series is ranked higher than it will eventually be, which seems to me to be a bigger mistake than projecting a series to be ranked lower than it eventually becomes.  So it's possible that currently evolving series will rise even higher than I've currently estimated, but it's unlikely that they will go much lower.  I've also given a bonus to anime series with actual endings over series of comparable worth per episode, but just trail off in the middle of nowhere with no resolution to the story whatsoever.  This is why I decided to demote Haruhi Suzumiya a good deal.  I totally disagree with Japan's strange obstinance in not continuing this story, which is not over in the least, and I felt my anger should be displayed somehow or other for this outrage.  On the other hand, Saki gets an upgrade because they've promised us a resolution to the tournament in the far future, even though it hasn't happened yet.  The mere promise of an ending is good enough for me.  Likewise, even though Yes Pretty Cure GoGo! isn't subbed into English yet, I assume it will be eventually so the series will become #1 in truth soon enough, so there's no point delaying the inevitable any longer.

With all this in mind, here is the first official Top 130 Anime List, the best anime ever made:

1. Pretty Cure (2004-2013+)
2. Clannad (2007-2009)
3. One Piece (1999-2013+)
4. Code Geass (2006-2013+)
5. Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha/Triangle Hearts (2000-2012)
6. Fairy Tail (2009-2013+)
7. Naruto (2002-2013+)
8. K-On! (2009-2011)

9. Seikai no Monshou/Senki/Danshou (1999-2005)
10. Dragonball (1986-2013+)
11. Higurashi/Umineko no Naku Koro Ni (2006-2013+)
12. Kanon (2002-2007)
13. Da Capo (2003-2013+)
14. To Aru Majutsu no Index/Kagaku no Railgun (2008-2013+)

15. Katanagatari (2010)
16. Bakuman (2010-2013+)
17. Puella Magi Madoka Magica (2011-2013+)

18. Angel Beats (2010)
19. The Idolm@ster (2007-2013+)

20. Kobato (2009-2012)
21. Record of Lodoss War (1990-1998)

22. Haruhi Suzumiya (2006-2010)

23. Full Metal Panic! (2002-2006)

24. Working! (2010-2012)
25. The World God Only Knows (2010-2013+)
26. Hayate no Gotoku (2007-2013+)
27. Saki (2009-2013+)
28. Shin Sekai Yori (2012-2013+)
29. Toradora! (2008-2011)
30. Sora no Woto (2010)

31. Galaxy Angel (2001-2006)
32. Major (2004-2012)

33. Basilisk (2005)
34. Inuyasha (2000-2010)
35. Ranma 1/2 (1989-2008)
36. Sailor Moon (1992-2013+)
37. Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (2007-2009)

38. Hanasaku Iroha (2011-2013+)

39. Air (2005)
40. Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu (2010-2012)

41. Ore no Immouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai (2010-2013+)

42. Papa no Iukoto wo Kikinasai (2012)

43. Little Busters (2012-2013+)

44. Bake-(etc)-monogatari (2009-2013+)

45. Prince of Tennis (2001-2012)
46. Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)
47. Vandread (2000-2001)

48. AKB0048 (2012-2013+)

49. Boku ha Tomodachi ga Sukunai (2011-2013+) 

50. Ef (2007-2008)
51. Uuchuu no Stellvia (2003)
52. Utawarerumono (2006-2010)
53. Love Live (2010-2013+)
54. Rurouni Kenshin (1996-2013+)

55. Hunter x Hunter (1999-2013+)
56. Fate/Stay/Etc (2006-2013+)

57. Cowboy Bebop (1998-2001)
58. Angelic Layer (2001)

59. Bleach (2004-2012)
60. Strike Witches (2007-2012)
61. 12 Kingdoms (2002-2003)
62. Summer Wars (2009)

63. Nichijou (2011-2012)
64. Girls und Panzer (2012-2013+)

65. Sword Art Online (2012)

66. Evangelion (1995-2013+)

67. Claymore (2007)

68. Macross (1982-2012)

69. Sora no Otoshimono (2009-2012+)
70. Card Captor Sakura/Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle (1998-2009)
71. Mononoke Hime (1997)

72. Berserk (1997-2013+)

73. Usagi Drop (2011-2012)

74. Shakugan no Shana (2005-2012)

75. Amagami SS (2010-2012)

76. Valkyria Chronicles (2009-2011)

77. Samurai Champloo (2004-2005)

78. Battle Athletes (1997-1998)

79. Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai (2011-2013+)
80. Martian Successor Nadesico (1996-1998)
81. Natsuiro Kiseki (2012)

82. Hyouka (2012-2013)

83. To Heart (1999-2012)

84. Shinryaku! Ika Musume (2010-2013+)

85. Vividred Operation (2013+)

86. Break Blade (2010-2011)
87. Kimi ni Todoke (2009-2011)
88. Spice and Wolf (2008-2009)
89. Akaneiro ni Somaru Saka (2008-2009)  
90. Azumanga Daioh (2002)
91. Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
92. Scrapped Princess (2003)
93. Steins;Gate (2011-2013+)
94. Hikaru no Go (2001-2004)

95. Seitokai no Ichizon (2009-2012)
96. Tamayura (2010-2013+)

97. Baccano (2007-2008)
98. High School of the Dead (2010-2011)
99. Tari Tari (2012)

100. Yuru Yuri (2011-2012)

101. Spirited Away (2001)

102. Lucky Star (2007-2008)

103. Ginga E Kickoff (2012-2013+)

104. Ghost in the Shell (1995-2011+)

105. Zero no Tsukaima (2006-2012)

106. Flame of Recca (1997-1998)

107. Chihayafuru (2011-2013+)

108. Bastard! (1992)

109. Gunbuster (1988-2012)
110. Shamanic Princess (1996-1998)

111. Soul Eater (2008-2009)
112. Moshidora (2011)

113. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984)

114. Gosick (2011)
115. Akira (1988)

116. Guyver (1986-2006)

117. Fatal Fury (1992-1994)

118. School Days (2007-2008)

119. Death Note (2006-2008)

120. Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 (2009)

121. Alien Nine (2001-2002)

122. History’s Strongest Disciple Kenichi (2006-2012)

123. Ore no Kanojo to Osananajimi ga Shuraba Sugiru!  (2013+)

124. Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)

125. RG Veda (1991-1992)

126. Tears to Tiara (2009)

127. Saint Tail (1995-1996)

128. Gundam (1979-2013+)

129. Trigun (1998-2010)

130. Yu Yu Hakusho (1992-1995)

A top anime list just wouldn't feel right without the most popular, oldest, highest selling anime of all time, so Gundam is making use of these extra slots to sneak back into the rankings.  The only new series to mention that I didn't cover with my 'provisional' list earlier is Yu Yu Hakusho.  Yu Yu Hakusho is the earlier work of the famous author of Hunter x Hunter.  It, too, is a shonen action fighting series.  It, too, is extremely long, with 112 tv episodes, two movies and some OAV's to boot.  The story has an interesting twist wherein the main character dies in the very first episode, and fights as a spiritual entity for the rest of the series.  He goes about fighting evil demons or rogue spirit realm agents and basically keeps the world safe from the dangers of the supernatural/afterlife.  Together with his band of eccentric allies, ranging from demons to humans to gods, and with his faithful high school sweetheart to cheer him on, Yuusuke fights for truth, justice, and the Japanese way.

The story is very simplistic and very generic.  But the author is extremely good at these kinds of stories, and the shonen action genre is one of the best genres for storytelling in the first place.  The only two better genres are visual novels and magical girls, which is why my top 10 includes the shonen action series One Piece, Fairy Tail, Naruto and Dragonball.  It's not surprising that even a weaker contribution to the shonen action genre is still one of the strongest contributions to anime in general.  Humorously enough, there are still people out there who would claim that Yu Yu Hakusho is their favorite anime ever, and the best story ever made.  Even my very last entry has a huge following with millions of fans and is touted as one of the best anime series ever by other official polls.  This just goes to show the enormous depth to the quality of anime, and that my standards aren't slacking in the least.  I have full faith and confidence in all 130 of my top anime series, and believe everyone in the world, anyone in their right minds, should watch all 130 of them in full.  ((Except Gundam.  Gundam's just too long.))

P.S.:   In other good news, the makers of Pretty Cure said they would like for the series to last another thirty years, so Pretty Cure seems to be a series that will continue to grow and become better for a long time.  It's doubtful whether any series will ever be able to surpass Pretty Cure, when it has such a solid lock on first place and plans on continuing indefinitely as well.  A story that could surpass Pretty Cure would have to be out of this world good at this point.

Also, a new book of the Seikai no Senki series is being published.  It has taken the author a long time, but apparently Morioka wasn't quite willing to give up on his series which in his last book was left at a cliffhanger with no resolution in sight.  Perhaps if the Seikai no Senki series is finished in book form, the rest of it will also be adapted into an anime, which would be of great assistance to my currently ranked #9 series of all time.  With a proper ending, how far could it rise?  #5?  Who knows?  But at least now there's a ray of hope.