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JustOscar said:
What are the best anime, objectively speaking?

JustOscar said:
I have noticed how hard it is (at least for me) to determine the quality of a work if you remove your subjectivity from the picture. This difficulty may lead to the opinion that there is no objective quality at all, and that's why it cannot be determined. I disagree with that opinion, but in any case, this thread presupposes the existence of objective quality (which doesn't mean it denies the existence of subjective quality). The purpose of this thread, then, is this:

What, you think, are the best anime, if you forget your own subjectivity? That is, if you forget your tastes, your personal experience, ideals, wishes... and everything you think is purely subjective (if you think your ideals have an objective basis, for example, you need not exclude them).

In asking this question I think we should refrain from choosing our favourites or works we are subjectively attached to, so as to avoid being deceived by our own subjectivity. Perhaps a mistake, because maybe our personal favourites are also the best, but without this rule most of us would probably choose our favourites.

I am hard-pressed to answer my own question. I feel that if I forget my subjectivity, there is no point of reference whatsoever. With my limited experience, I would say the best anime is Dororo. I felt it was strongly rooted in the Buddhist tradition, which granted it both universality and depth (even if it was a loaned depth). My other candidate is Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku.

logopolis said:
My leading candidates would be Evangelion, Utena, Princess Tutu and FMAB, if I had to pick one, I think I would go for Utena.

Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku is an interesting idea, but to put something which has no interest in entertaining at the summit of an entertainment medium I would find slightly odd, no matter how bloody brilliant it is.

Brunilde said:
There can't be an objectively best one, but neon genesis Evangelion is pretty close

Nirinbo said:
The best anime objectively speaking is Legend of the Galactic Heroes. The reason why it's not one of my favorites (despite still being a 10/10) is that it doesn't do anything that ONLY anime can do. I mean that a live action adaptation would offer the same experience, possibly even better. You can't same the same about, for example, Bocchi the Rock!.

TheMechaManiac said:
Literally the only sort of edge Gineiyuuden has over other anime is that it's a Western-style space opera. Good stuff, but nowhere near worth the hype.

Nirinbo said:

I'll gladly accept recommendations from someone who has more experience than me regarding old anime, if you can list some anime that did the same things as LoGH but better. The point is that the enemy of the week format of OG Gundam bored me to death and it's not like I'm biased against mecha since I loved The Origin. Gundam compilation movies, Macross, Captain Herlock and Uchuu Senkan Yamato were a bit better but nowhere near as enjoyable as LoGH to me. I know that in the end it's all about subjectivity, or course.

epidemia78 said:
I'm gonna give it to Code Geass, Steins Gate and Clannad. Code Geass because it's iconic... like the most extremely "anime" thing ever and is immensely entertaining. Steins Gate and Clannad because they're hands down the best VN adaptations ever and I personally love how VNs tell stories. All 3 have really high production values and unforgettable endings rather than leaving you hanging for a conclusion.

JaniSIr said:

You probably will not see the similarities just by reading the synopsis, but Grancrest Senki.

shjnegai said:
Anyone that says Madoka Magica isn't informed about magical girl anime and manga enough. Sailor Moon manga did everything Madoka tries to do with cheap tricks nowadays years ago. At best Madoka has good music but it is common in anime.

Suryaaps said:
It's gotta be School days no? Anyone who's watched it can agree

Suryaaps said:
It's gotta be School days no? Anyone who's watched it can agree

JustOscar said:

"X already did what Y did but better" and similar ways of speaking have always looked odd to me, as if an extreme abstraction had reduced the concrete work to a handful of "themes", those "themes" becoming "everything". But those "themes" are only what the viewer thinks the work is, not what the work actually is. A work is not a bunch of "themes". For me, those "cheap tricks" of Madoka are an inherent part of it. They are not bad means to an end, but ends in themselves.

RedInfinity said:
Objectively speaking, the answer is Legend of the Galactic heroes (1988). Although I don't personally agree, I created a list from 1000 critics on this site and legend ranked #1, followed by ashita no joe 2 and then ojamajo doremi dokkaan! The top 50 is on my profile as an interest stack, if anyone is interested