Being a new otaku I tend to prioritize the quality of the animation over the story. So, sadly , most of the anime that you will see here have been released  2004+. I am well aware that what I’ve been doing is wrong but for some reason I can’t stand anime older than 2000. Anime is made for pure entertainment and as long as it entertains you nothing else matters. Now, let us start with the list!

10)Gosick

I am not a big fan when it comes to detective stories but I really liked Gosick. I especially liked how Gosick was set into the 20’s and how the clothes,schools and even the means of transportations are different from what we find in most anime. What I liked the most were the characters. There is one thing bothering me though. This anime has got a lot of negative feedback and I don’t understand why. Everything about Gosick makes you love it!

9)Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

I was very skeptical about Gurren Lagann at first, but I’m very pleased to say that I was greatly surprised. At the time I was watching it I disliked mecha but after I finished it my opinion had greatly changed. I thought that mecha was all about childish fights but I was incredibly wrong.  Also, the ending was the best I’ve ever seen. I recommend this to everyone who has not given mecha a chance yet.

8)Welcome to the NHK!

Welcome to the N.H.K is not your typical anime because this one is actually happening in the real world! Everything about this anime is very serious and realistic. The story is focused on Satou who is a hikikomori (anti-social person) and his struggles to get back into society. Welcome to the N.H.K is all about how excessive anime and games can affect your life. It did a very great job at showing the psychology of a NEET . I especially liked the characters, their behaviour is just like a human’s. Gonzo has done a truly great job on this.

7)Angel Beats!

Angel Beats is an anime packed with cute girls,guitars,guns AND more guns! But this is obviously not the reason I like this so much. The reason AG is in my top 7 is because of its story. The concept of life after death is what makes this anime so interesting. The place where all the restless souls of recently dead teens gather is, of course, a highschool! At first glance this may seem like it’s just some highschoolers wielding some weapons and fighting but that’s not it. If it were then I wouldn’t have posted it here in the first place! Angel Beats is actually a tear-jerking drama. The more the story progresses the more emotional it gets. I actually cried at the end. I recommend this to everyone, regardless of your preferences. You will definitely enjoy watching Angel Beats!

6) Spice and Wolf

Spice and Wolf is one of those anime that makes you hug something while watching it (in my case, the pillow). It has a heartwarming feel to it. It’s a typical boy meets girl story but that’s no reason to hate. Unlike others, Spice and Wolf didn’t add excessive fanservice. What’s interesting is the time when the story is taking place. I suspect it was taking place around the medieval times. Another reason that I love this anime is because of the characters. The protagonist’s voice actor is one of my favourites. He was also the voice actor for Lelouch in Code Geass which is one of my favourite characters.  And then comes the female protagonist, Holo. She is dangerously cute, any man can fall prey to her cuteness. Even though she actually is a vicious wolf who has lived for more than a hundred years. Surprisingly, the anime doesn’t have as much fighting scenes as you expected. However the few fight scenes that it had were great, they looked realistic. You should give Spice and Wolf a try. Chances are, you will like it.

5) Clannad

 This anime has it all:  Highschool,romance,drama,comedy and supernatural! The first season was extremely funny. I’ve found myself laughing many times as I went through the anime. The sequel gets serious however.It got so serious that it even managed to make me cry. I never cried as hard as I did watching Clannad.  That was a big surprise because I didn’t expect it to get so emotional and dramatic. I was expecting the sequel to be as funny as the first season but I was wrong. They were completely different. The mood changes and you won’t find too much comedy in it, which is not a bad thing actually. In the end, I liked the 2nd season a lot more than the 1st. If you have not seen Clannad then I strongly advise you to do so. It is an absolute must for every anime loving person out there!

4)Ano Hana

A very cute and yet emotional story about a group of childhood friends which has been apart ever since a tragedy occurred and one of them, Menma died. As I mentioned above I find the concept of life after death fascinating, and this is of course no exception. You could say Menma is a ghost but she doesn’t sound like one at all. In fact, she doesn’t even care she’s dead. Maybe that’s because she remains a child. I was basically smiling and crying at the same time when the anime ended. By the time I finished watching all the episodes I was very sad because it ended.

3)Code Geass

One of my friends recommended this to me after I had a long conversation with him about Death Note. He said they’re both similar and that I will surely like it. I didn’t want to watch it at first because it was mecha but that was a big mistake. He kept asking me everyday whether or not I had watched it. My answer was always no. Until one day when I decided to give it a try because of how annoying my friend was. Thinking of it now makes me realize how dumb I was for not watching it sooner. After marathoning through it im not so proud to say that I’ve finished both seasons in three days! This, my friends , is a perfect example of the proverb “Don’t judge the book by its cover“. What I liked the most in Code Geass was the protagonist, Lelouch. His type of character is called an anti-hero.The anti-hero is the exact opposite of the usual protagonist. Anti-heroes aern’t very common in anime. They are idealistic and want nothing but justice, even if that implies killing another human being. For some reason I have come to love them ( If their character is written correctly ). Another thing that made me love Code Geass so much was the ending. The reason I like the ending so much is probably because it’s the ending I had hoped for all along. Of course, it wasn’t exactly the one I hoped for but it was very similar to it. I would like to talk some more about it but I’m afraid of spoiling you guys. Anyway, if you watched Death Note and liked it then there is no way you won’t like Code Geass as well.

2)Steins;Gate

Out of all the subjects that I’ve encountered in anime, time travel is the one that intrigues me the most. But for something as abstract as time traveling to prevail in making a great anime it needs to be done correctly. Otherwise the viewer will get confused. Steins;Gate is one of the few anime the manages to do that. However, it shows us the other side of time travel: The psychology behind the traveller. Time travelling can drastically change your behaviour to the point where you will become insane. Steins;Gate not only manages to show time travelling accurately but it also succeeded in adding moe elements to brighten up the mood so that the viewer gets cute characters and an interesting story. All the characters are pretty much likeable as well. So no matter what type of anime you prefer you will like surely like Steins;Gate.

1)Death Note

Death Note is actually one of the first anime that I’ve seen and it’s also the anime responsible for my obsession towards anime right now.  The concept of a notebook which grants the person the power to kill anyone by simply writing the person’s name is very interesting and it makes you ask yourself What would I do if I had such a power? Most of us would rather use it for our own benefit but someone like Light Yagami used it to create the world a better place. Death Note is quite unique, It makes you question your beliefs and the meaning of right and wrong. It learns us how power can drastically change human beings. This is an absolute must for every anime fan out there.

After three years of watching anime frequently I have learned a very important lesson, Don’t judge the book by it’s cover. Even if we all do that from time to time you should give it a chance before saying you don’t like it. Because otherwise you might end up missing some really good anime. I misjudged quite a lot of anime without even giving them a try and, ironically most of them ended up on my top 10. Also, I apologize for the long post. Thanks for reading.