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The Top 50 Must-See Anime List

Topic started by No_name_here on April 29, 2010. Last post by Kuma_From_Argentina 3 years ago.
Post by No_name_here (830 posts) See mini bio Level 11
Staff

Sky Movies recently released a list of 50 anime features that you simply MUST watch. Seeing as how I’m Anime Vice’s resident noob, I wondered how my viewership ranks here. I’ve watched 12 out of the 50 seminal works - - not totally lacking, but it just reminds me how much deeper I’d like to delve into the world of features. Why don’t I recount the list and then offer my observations?

In no particular order…

38 of the Big 50

And the ones that I (me, myself) have seen are…

The Titanic Twelve

So, more or less, everything Miyazaki or Studio Ghibli have produced make  the list. I wasn’t that enamored with SPIRITED AWAY, but I was absolutely enchanted by MONONOKE and CAGLIOSTRO. I think want to see TOTORO the most, although I’m pretty shocked that Sky Movies says that it was released on a double bill with GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES. Animated or live-action, that movie is one of the most sobering, intense things I’ve ever seen - - so talk about a serious switch in tones! I acknowledge that VAMPIRE HUNTER D certainly has a place of influence, but the movie hasn’t aged well, in my eyes, and I agree that BLOODLUST was a much better follow-up. I'm really glad to see INTERSTELLA 5555 and JIN-ROH there, but I have to say I never got in to GHOST IN THE SHELL. I've tried to watch it several times and it keeps losing my interest.

Since I’ve been going through EVANGELION for the first time, I have to say it’s a pretty impressive testament to the enduring popularity of the show that its spin-offs show up twice on the list. It’s even more impressive considering that those features aren’t new stories, but remakes of the beginning and ending of the show (or so I understand).

This list is surely going to ruffle some feathers, so let’s get the wings a'flapping. What titles are you flabbergasted weren’t included in the list? What tiles are you seizuring with consternation over somebody daring to include in any list of must-see anime? And which five titles out of the remaining 38 should I, the Anime Noob, watch first?

 
 
 
 -- Tom Pinchuk is the writer of UNIMAGINABLE for Arcana Comics and HYBRID BASTARDS! for Archaia. Pre-order the HYBRID BASTARDS! hardcover now on Amazon.com.

Posted 3 years ago
Post by AgentJ (1,543 posts) See mini bio Level 13
I've seen 21. I'm shocked at how many of those I haven't even heard of. I'm dissapointed that Paprika, The Place Promised in our Early Days, and Kiki's Delivery Service aren't in the top 10.
Edited 3 years ago
Post by ShadowKnight508 (5,315 posts) See mini bio Level 19
Moderator
Nice to see Studio Ghibli's masterpieces from the mind of Miyazaki (Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Laputa-Castle in the Sky, and Ponyo) on the list.
Posted 3 years ago
Post by FLStyle (423 posts) See mini bio Level 12
Maybe you should do a 'WTF Did I just watch?!' of the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex anime series before checking out the films. That's what I did, I appreciated the film a lot more with all the anime knowledge I had accumulated backing me up.
 
Of course if you're not into philosophical futuristic robotic worlds then there's nothing that can be done about that.
Posted 3 years ago
Post by humjkij8u8uk (2 posts) See mini bio Level 4
wot no bokurano 
Posted 3 years ago
Post by YotaruVegeta (360 posts) See mini bio Level 9
(Spell check)
Posted 3 years ago
Post by Karkarov (147 posts) See mini bio Level 7
You lost me big time on Legend of the Overfiend, Blood the Last Vampire, and the Animatrix.  Mostly I agree, those three.... shouldn't even be on the list a few others are highly suspect but tolerable.  Also you missed the W in Wings.  Whoever made this list needs .... uh needs something.
Edited 3 years ago
Post by Kelleth (7,728 posts) See mini bio Level 20
Moderator
Sprited Away? don`t you mean Spirited Away?
@YotaruVegeta said:
" (Spell check) "
This
Posted 3 years ago
Post by wwfunderaker (485 posts) See mini bio Level 15
Quite a few i need to check out.
Posted 3 years ago
Post by shels (216 posts) See mini bio Level 19
I've already seen 30 of that list and some of them don't seem so must-see to me like the ghibli films, they could have put 4 or 5 movies on the list not almost all of them, Vexille, Animatrix and also  Kai doh Maru (which in my humnle opinion is a piece of  "****" )
 
5 I would recommend: 
5 cms per second: Makoto Shinkai in his best!
Read or Die a very-well animated piece of anime
Perfect Blue: My first Satoshi Kon 
Wings of Honneamise : 1st Gainax
and of course Evangelion
Posted 3 years ago
Post by Frostalicious (44 posts) See mini bio Level 13
Sky's list has a Pokemon movie on it and refers to MewTwo as MeeToo. The whole list is compromised now.  
 
Also, I'm kinda disappointed Whisper of the Heart didn't make it onto the list. Probably one of the most underrated Ghibli flicks, not to mention the only feature Yoshifumi Kondo (who was poised to succeed Miyazaki before his death in '98) directed. 
Edited 3 years ago
Post by lizcat (39 posts) See mini bio Level 12
It's actually kind of funny... It looks like someone just added the entire Wikipedia list of Ghibli movies, in order of their production, but Ocean Waves, My Neighbors the Yamadas, and The Cat Returns got left out. These three have the lowest IMDB ratings listed (except Tales from Earthsea, which hasn't been released in America), so maybe whoever compiled the list was being a little lazy. I mean, the list is already really Ghibli-heavy, and I suppose those three are the most logical to cut out, but I really love both Ocean Waves and The Cat Returns (haven't seen the Yamadas).   
 
@Tom_Pinchuk - Yeah, you should really see Totoro (although Nausicaa, Laputa, and Howl's Moving Castle are as good if not better)... and just wait till you get to the Eva movies (after finishing the series, of course)! Also, Millennium Actress is crazy good.  
Posted 3 years ago
Post by AHR (115 posts) See mini bio Level 8
Staff
I've seen 19!  Can't really thing of anything I really like that's not on there, though I think I get a lot more excited about anime series than movies.  
 
I really really love that Pokemon: The First Movie is on there.  It's really pretty good!  It has that insanely intense part where Pikachu wears down Clone Pikachu via the power....of goodness.
Posted 3 years ago
Post by Chengy (1,711 posts) See mini bio Level 17
that list is crap : /
Posted 3 years ago
Post by Whiskeyjack (111 posts) See mini bio Level 19
I have to admit, I'm surprised that they were able to make the list 50 movies long. Not that there weren't enough options, but enough good options that would be available to an English speaking audience.
...
Then again.. as I look at this list more maybe it just IS every licensed anime film with a few stragglers cut.
Some I wonder how much they qualify as movies also.. Kai Do Maru is maybe 45 minutes long, hardly theatrical.
Wasn't the Macross Plus Movie just the OVA cut down into a single entity? Did it actually have a release in theatres? 
Read or Die was an OVA series not a movie (unless I've been misled all these years)
Others yep.. looks like a wikipedia list of Studio Ghibli, Satoshi Kon pieces, and Makoto Shinkai's (yay!)  works along with some others.  Surprised they didn't shoe-horn a Bleach, DBZ or Naruto movie onto the list.
The Pokemon movie and Utena movie feel like odd fits. Thought it's been ages since I saw either.
 And Urotsukidoji ?!
Edited 3 years ago
Post by GodLen (877 posts) See mini bio Level 10
Staff
Ugh, you know a list is going to be bad when it  begins with " JAPANIMATION"
Posted 3 years ago
Post by Cogito (478 posts) See mini bio Level 14
@GodLen:  
Agreed.
Posted 3 years ago
Post by constanzadellarosa (234 posts) See mini bio Level 15
Watch Totoro and its infinite tenderness.
Posted 3 years ago
Post by Kuma_From_Argentina (5,106 posts) See mini bio Level 13
I Watched all except 2 
Windaria  and Vexille
Posted 3 years ago
Post by ReVolutionOfEvangelion (102 posts) See mini bio Level 3
sir, say what you will of Rebuild of Evangelion (remake? sequel?)....End of Evangelion is not "a spinoff"; its the real, intended ending.  Consider it the "Serenity" movie finale to the "Firefly" TV series.
Posted 3 years ago
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