Houseki no Kuni (tentative depending on continuation)
Ouran High School Host Club
Ore Monogatari!!
HONORABLE MENTION: The Monogatari series gets an overall score of "9", with Owari pt. 2 getting a "10".
CURRENT 10/10 RANKING (movies/other short things only):
Mononoke Hime
Kaguya-hime no Monogatari
Koe no Katachi
Perfect Blue
Tenshi no Tamago
Omoide no Marnie
Kono Sekai no Katasumi ni
Le Portrait de Petit Cossette
End of Evangelion
Eva 1.0
Yoru wa Mijikashi Arukeyo Otome
Kotonoha no Niwa
Girls und Panzer der Film
Kara no Kyoukai 5: Mujen Rasen
I'm a sucker for experimental visuals and weird music. If you add philosophy/art/history to this you've probably got a guaranteed 10 for me. Themes including, but not limited to: dealing with mental illness, "cyberpunk", LGBTQA/etc issues, musicianship, sexuality in a mature context, and the consequences of advancing technology are huge bonuses for me as well.
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Note that the vast majority of shows on my "dropped" list are tagged with "Plan to Not Watch"; I add them to my list so that recommendation sites stop suggesting them to me.
---- Notes for my top five shows:
Shinsekai Yori
This show is somewhat of a problem for me because from all "objective" angles it's really not that great of a show. The characters are almost non-existant, the quality of the directing is inconsistent (especially in the guest-director episodes), there's nothing special about the artsyle or animation, the atmosphere almost sets it up like a mystery but the plot turns out to be very straight-forward, there are zero (yes I really mean that, fight me) plot twists, much of the plot relies on long infodumps, the story's themes aren't very new or interesting, and honestly, A-1 Pictures is just trash in general.
So how the hell is this my #1 show of all time? It's simple: none of the above flaws actually affected my enjoyment of the show at all. Somehow, the atmosphere of the show was so thick that I was constantly engulfed by it, to the point that I couldn't even pick out the good from the bad. It was completely immersive to a level that I've rarely experienced outside of the rest of my top 5. The soundtrack is used masterfully to this end as well - especially Dvorak's "Going Home" and the show's original piece "Traditional". The plot's slow burn building towards the final arc filled the air with a massive amount of tension and suspense. By the time each piece of information clicked together in my head, the show was far past the point of no return. It was like suddenly waking up, tied to a railroad track with a train bearing down on me - a train that lead to the most satisfying ending of any anime I've ever seen. I could see exactly what was going to happen and could do nothing to stop it - all I had to do was sit back and enjoy it. In other words, the moment the show became my favorite was when it changed from a mystery to a tragedy.
Serial Experiments Lain
Lain is weird in all the best possible ways. It's extremely experimental and relies heavily on sound design and "show, don't tell" storytelling. The show is a mish-mash of concepts and themes, full of red herrings and abstract symbolism. The entire show is essentially a low-budget student art project gone horribly right. If you, like me, are a fan of noise music or sound collages, you're likely to enjoy SEL. This show is by far the most "open to interpretation" that I've ever seen, and that gives it extremely high rewatch value. I always notice new things on each viewing, and I'm always forming new theories. It might be the most discussable anime ever produced because of its polarizing nature. In other words, it's extremely interesting. Yoshitoshi Abe's incredible character designs elevate this work to a whole new level.
Mushishi
This show is entirely atmosphere - very, very good atmosphere. It is by far the best show for nature lovers and hippies ever produced. Slow-paced and almost entirely episodic, its charisma keeps it afloat amidst a sea of plot-focused shows. The slice-of-life feeling of Mushishi is the best there is, perhaps excluding Aria which I have not yet watched. Couple that with scores of individual stories discussing philosophy, love and loss, death and (re)birth, and every other serious topic you can imagine, and you get a show which is both incredibly relaxing and thought-provoking at the same time.
Haibane Renmei
Another show with Yoshitoshi Abe's fantastic touch, this time filling two major slots as both writer/original creator and character designer. This show gets my award for "best representation of mental illness in anime". It is incredibly emotional and character-driven, and has just enough worldbuilding to give the show a palpable atmosphere of mystery. It covers themes including depression and suicide, redemption/healing/forgiveness, finding your place in the world (the meaning of life?), learning to be open about your feelings, and learning to accept help from others. This show will probably make you cry - though not exactly from sadness, and not exactly from happiness either. It's just so emotionally overwhelming and humanthat you won't be able to do anything else. This show's soundtrack is also fantastic.
Legend of the Galactic Heroes
I have but three (3) complaints about LoGH: 1) The name is super cheesy and generic-sounding, 2) the animation is dated, 3) and the Earth Cult is just a little bit too evil. Everything else is perfect to the point of being ridiculous. Every character is incredibly charismatic, especially the two main characters. The plot is complex and intelligent without being incomprehensible, and the battles between the characters' different philosophies are not too abstract. The show "tells it how it is", with no reservations about detailing the horrors of war. The political repercussions of each character's actions are represented in a believable and logical way, and each character has real strong points, quirks, motivations, and flaws that make them stand out. Nobody (besides the Earth Cult) is generic. Legend of the Galactic Heroes is funny, serious, dramatic, charming, and bittersweet - a true "jack-of-all-trades" without being a "master of none". If my ranking wasn't based on enjoyment, this show would be firmly at #1 due to having the best writing of any anime ever (this is pretty much undisputed afaik, but feel free to disagree).
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