My Top 20 Anime List
Thoughts of a Canadian Living in Japan
The Non-Definitive List - Part 1(2)
Believe it or not, I’ve been ensconced in the world of anime for most of my life, not counting the 10 or so years that I thought chasing girls was more important. Sigh. I would have rather just watched anime on hindsight.
So, anime has been in Canada for over 50 years! Mind-blowing, right? Who would’ve thought?
My Saturday and Sunday mornings were the highlight of the week when I was young. While my family were all asleep, I could watch cartoons and anime with a bowl of cereal and a smile until at least noon. Those were the happy carefree days of my youth. Actually, there is more detail about anime and my youth written in this earlier article if you want to know more about it. (here)
This post is all about anime, so let's dive right in!
I’ve got a list that I think our friends in Japan will find pretty entertaining. It’s no surprise that people from all over the world love anime. In fact, many teachers end up in Japan because they’re huge anime fans. While anime wasn’t my reason for moving to Japan—you can thank my wife for that amazing journey—it was in the back of my mind at the time.
What’s really fascinating is how a foreigner connects with anime and what their favorite shows are. Remember that manga isn’t a part of their daily routine, so it is akin to the Marvel Cinematic Universe versus Marvel comic books in Japan.
Do a foreigner’s tastes match up with yours? It’s kind of a fun mystery, don’t you think?
I think it's best for the reader to understand a few things first.
- I needed to use a dictionary to define anime and distinguish it from North American cartoons. It’s an interesting subject that I would like to elaborate on in the future.
- If you asked me, how many anime have you watched? I wouldn’t have an answer. Perhaps too many. I’ve forgotten many because they weren’t memorable or they didn’t resonate with me at the time.
- You can call me an entertainment omnivore, which means I enjoy all genres of anime except some love stories and hentai.
- This is a non-definitive list because my tastes in anime evolve over time and change with my experiences and moods. I also tend to prefer the look of modern anime over the old-school 70s style.
- Lastly, this list is not in order of preference. It’s just what I have in mind at the moment. (I never have favorites unless I count my wife.)
Enough of the preamble! Let’s get this show on the road!
My Top 20 Favorite Anime
Number 20
I have always been a TTRPG fanboy for most of my life, since the early days of Dungeons and Dragons. Fantasy and science fiction are my main interests as a result of it. When Record of Lodoss War came to Canada, I was a first year university kid heavily into TRPGs. Luckily, I had the opportunity to watch this series at the downtown campus of the University of Toronto during a lightning and thunderstorm. It was playing on VHS. There weren’t many visual representations of D&D at the time except the actual childish D&D cartoon.
Oh my! Oh my! I was in love! Dwarves, goblins, cute elves, caves, dragons, cute elves, knights, cute elves, etc. I think you get the point.
I remember much of this series even after 30 years! So much nostalgia and inspiration. There is a need to watch it again someday.
Number 19
Fantasy is one of my favorite genres of anime and I have a deep-rooted fascination with spirits and faeries. This animation ticks those boxes well.
The Ancient Magus’s Bride Season 1 is a very beautiful anime with a captivating story behind it. Watching it feels engrossing. Unlike other anime, it doesn’t feature high-paced battles, irritating and noisy side characters, or ridiculous screaming. The show remains quiet and haunting throughout.
Expect a slow burn of a story. Season 1 story arc felt a little incomplete, but it was well worth watching.
I wasn’t enamored with Season 2. The school trope is not my thing (being an adult now, I find the topic rather boring). Let’s hope Season 3 returns to the original form.
Number 18
Let’s step out of the fantasy genre for a bit and talk about some science fiction. Star Wars was a huge hit for me as a child, and even now I watch the movies, both new and old. There is something about exploring space, spaceships, lasers, and cute elves (I meant aliens) that gets me excited. Oops!
So, when I was introduced to Robotech/Macross as a teenager, my mind was blown away! Space robots were not new to me, but this style of anime was; or at least my appreciation and maturity allowed me to understand that it was a serial series as opposed to episodic. It was Star Wars with mechs!
In any case, the story was amazing. The graphics were amazing. Fighting space battles in armored suits was awesome! The girl, Min May, was awful! I hated that character and her ever-persistent song that invaded the series like an overripe pimple that should be squashed. Thankfully now, I can skip those parts. Anyway, I loved Robotech/Macross, and I still do.
I learned about the history of this series through YouTube. It is quite long and interesting. Cross-country marketing seems to be challenging.
If you like Gundam, Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Spaceship Yamato and haven’t watched Macross, you should!
Number 17
“Let’s jump ahead a bit. Becoming a teacher in Japan made me feel the need to understand what school children were interested in. Back then, Bleach, One Piece, and Naruto were incredibly popular. Naruto became my first binge-watching adventure into anime in Japan, and I’m glad it did not disappoint.
I enjoyed the story arc quite a bit. The characters were enjoyable, and I sometimes laughed, especially with Jiraiya (自来也).
Kids really enjoyed this, and I could see why (I am just a big kid with a dad bod after all). I haven’t tried watching Boruto. Is it any good?
Number 16
Bleach was my next conquest.
A little more adult-oriented, Bleach had some great music, fun battles, memorable characters, and good animation for the time.
As the story progressed into the land of Hollows, the plot became convoluted, and the fight scenes became too long. I grew tired of it after a while and had to stop watching it. Still, I enjoyed the first two seasons immensely.
I just wish that power creep doesn’t always equate to longer battles which tends to be an annoying trait.
My favorite character was Mayuri. I like evil kinds of guys. Kon, the hentai teddy bear, was also bearable. Pun intended.
Number 15
My love for spirits and ghosts still persists even today. It shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that Yokai Watch showed up on my radar. It was popular when my daughter was just getting to the age of watching anime, and she watched some of it with me. The cat was cute, and I couldn’t tell if it was helpful or just annoying. I liked how they wove in surprisingly clever fictitious spirits every week, with language puns that made my wife laugh with joy. That is a serious bonus because my wife doesn’t like anime at all.
I am surprised Yokai Watch’s popularity was rather short-lived, given that the characters were all so fun. I did have one problem with it. Everyone screamed at the top of their lungs in every episode. My wife could hear it even when she was in another room. It was a loud anime.
Number 14
I have a love-hate relationship with Akira. The film is grotesque, yet stylish and visually striking. Its twisted tale feels complicated, and the animation falls short of covering the entire manga series, which is quite frustrating. Watching it fully took me several attempts (reading subtitles while following the visuals was nearly impossible), but now I understand it—and I love it.
During my late teenage years in Canada, Akira skyrocketed in popularity. Posters and bikes inspired by the movie became highly sought after. Cyberpunk was the trendy aesthetic of that era, fueled by William Gibson’s remarkable novels that captured the universe beautifully. For me, Akira vividly brought those visions to life.
The movie’s premise captivated me, and I had high hopes it might one day receive a live-action adaptation. However, even with the advancements in CGI, I worry that such an adaptation would undermine the ambiance and unique charm of Akira. There’s also the possibility they’d make significant changes to the characters, which would be disappointing.
Akira firmly holds a place on my re-watch list.
Number 13
Roughly around the same time, another movie came to Canada. This one was also popular, though not as popular as Akira. Its name is Ninja Scroll.
I loved the animation because it was so fluid for its time. The action was perfect. It was severely grotesque, but I loved that for this movie! The story was ok. I remember the bad guys very well. Naruto must have stole some ideas from this movie by the way.
Ninja Scroll came out at the height of 80s one man action hero movies, where one man (Sylvester Stallone – Rambo or Arnold Schwarzenegger) would take on the world and win. Ninja Scroll’s action hero was a single badass ninja taking on a whole clan of ninjas with mysterious magical powers! Yes, he got the girl, too! He didn’t have to pay for his dates either! I am jealous.
This anime was awesome! I think I bought two copies of the movie on VHS at some point.
Number 12
If you had the power to write a name, would you?
Death Note. Wow! Just wow! The writing and the story were perfect. I was mesmerized by the first half of the series. The second half was not quite as good, but still such a great anime series overall. I heard that the manga matched the anime perfectly. Sadly, I can’t read Japanese.
There is a common trope in anime where two opponents of equal strength and abilities fight it out until the end. They respect each other and hate each other because of it. I don’t see this trope as often in any other entertainment medium as I do in Japanese anime. This trope is sadly overused in my opinion; however, I loved it in this.
All of the live-action renditions of this were horrible. Hollywood should just give up and leave this superior anime as is.
Number 11
Anime isn’t always about action, blood, grotesque deaths, or cute elves. It doesn’t have to be fast-paced either. Sometimes, it can be simple, toned down, and soothing—like Natsume’s Book of Friends. This delightful tale overflows with positivity, making it difficult to capture in a few words. While it evokes a similar vibe to The Ancient Magus’s Bride, it stands out as a unique and memorable experience.
I can’t recommend this enough for those interested in the spirit world, light humor, and a gentle approach.
There were many stories and side characters. I can’t remember all of them, but I do remember that I want to watch this again when I start to forget everything, just because I loved it.
If I were to start reading Japanese manga, I would use this to start with. The dialogue seems easy enough without too many difficult words.
An Honorable Mention
I thought I would throw in an honorable mention. This is an additional item to add to the list of 20. I love it dearly as well.
Made in Abyss was a true surprise for me. It has a well-crafted world setting. A hole opened in a world that seems a little steampunk-like. People flocked to this area to seek fame and treasure. The trouble is, it is dangerous. Monsters lurk in its depths, and there are a few deadly secrets.
The female main protagonist is adorable. Her sidekick is a boy who is mechanized and mysterious.
The animation is quite intoxicating. The world is amazing.
I highly recommend the audience look into this one. It isn’t as popular as some mainstream anime, possibly because of marketing? I am not sure. There are currently 2 seasons and Season 1 is still my favorite.
The Conclusion of My Favorite Anime Part 1
That concludes 10 of my top 20 anime. I look forward to sharing the rest with you. Can you guess which ones I’ll choose next?
Just keep in mind, these aren’t in any particular order. I like them all equally.
What about you? Which anime do you like? Feel free to write your favorites down below.
Thank you for reading. Have a great day!
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