"Masterpieces"

That is well put. However, there are still anime that come out today that do create interesting stories and characters within a smaller and more realistic settings. Rainbow (Nisha Rokubo no Sinchinin) is a recent example.



Definitely worth a look for people who like the more gritty and somber stories anime has to offer.

There are tons of great anime’s out there but the only anime that I have seen that I would call masterpieces would be Clannad and Cowboy Bebop

I'm only going to choose one: Zeta Gundam (TV Version). If I have to explain my position then we will not be friends.

Anime:
Cowboy Bebop
Clannad was pretty alright
Code Geass' ending really made it an amazing anime I was like "LolRayruushusocrayz"

Manga:
Eatman
Trigun[WOOOOLFBROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO]
Bloody Monday
One Piece
Akumetsu
Beck
Great Teacher Onizuka
Kyou Kara Ore Wa
Slam Dunk
The Breaker was pretty fuckin' tight
Bokurano was enjoyable
Cage of Eden
Historie
Vinland Saga
Ares
History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi
Kiseijuu
Shin Angyo Onshi

Mangurs that aren't masterpieces but are still pretty enjoyable:
Eden It's an Endless World
Ichigo 100%
Mx0
Eyeshield 21
Hajime no Ippo
Change Guy
Mahou Sensei Negima
Love Roma
Mysterious Girlfriend X


Kgods: The ending was bullshit and that girls voice was annoying as fuck. It was a pretty decent anime though.

I'm a big One Piece fan

except for that:
Ghost in the shell
Akira
Princess Mononoke
Metropolis
Grave of the fireflies
Rurouni Kenshin
Trigun
Heroic Age

neon genesis evangelion.


you know there has to be something right with it when its been going strong for 15 years, the unforgettable characters, the storyline, it all just coems together perfectly.

It's called marketing. There is no doubt that NGE is a very controversial, and acclaimed, anime. But, it's not quite a masterpiece. This user says it pretty well:

eh mabye. but.. well i dont know. i guess im a bit biased. so ill give you that one.

And this is the sad part about Evangelion fans. No matter how many times the series is remade over and over again... god knows how many interpretations there are, they will still be suckered for the same thing and buy/watch/whatever. And just because this has gone on for 15 years and is popular, doesn't mean its a masterpiece. Another example: Gundam SEED Destiny. Garbage show but very popular in Japan.

What I think are masterpieces are:
Clannad
Zeta Gundam
Gunbuster

Looking through my list, the only perfect 10s I have are-

Spice and Wolf
Clannad
And that does include both of their follow-up seasons.

While Princess Mononoke is my favorite movie, this thread is directed at series... so pretend I didn't say anything.

I don't understand the love for Clannad.
It was full of terribly bland characters and the art style was bad for character design.
The characters all had the same faces with just different wigs.
I think I only liked the main character out of the series who felt like the only normal one.
Every other character felt over exaggerated. Humans are not creatures bound by one behavioral trait or habit.
They could of cut most of the first half of the series.
All of what they showed with character development could of been done in one or two episodes. All the other stuff was just filler content.
I hated Fuko's arc the most which felt heavily drawn out and awkward.
The second half was better but still nothing close to what I would deem a masterpiece.
The drama felt a bit forced and overacted as if it was just put there for the sake of making it dramatic and not for plot growth.
I get tired of them panning in on a girl's face as she cries and then the sad music chimes in.
Those girls could really cry a river.

The formula behind Clannad is to not rush or push the plot along. That is how they make it so emotional for people. Bascially, the formula is to make a show that is light hearted and not to heavy on character development. The arcs are drawn out to make you think, "Nothing too bad is going to happen to these characters". Fuko's arc foreshadows that that assumption may be wrong.

After a bunch of episodes that are not too quick to develop the story, the second season then shatters your world. This is the "key" (pun not intended... much) to Key's stories. To make a happy world that has he possibility of tragedy, then hit you with a tragedy that you did not expect and with such force that it knocks you off your feet. If they started the show with the drama from the very beginning, you would become desensitized.

Angel Beats ran a show at a much quicker pace. The plot moved right along, but because there were never any real slow and lighthearted episodes, the connection to the characters did not develop as much as in shows like Clannad or Kanon. Because of this, the tragedy - and it was indeed tragic, perhaps even more so than Clannad - did not affect people as much.

I guess people enjoy fluff like that but I sure don't.
I never developed any connection with the characters because they didn't feel real at all. There was no depth to them except maybe for the main guy.
It was poorly directed too and always "in your face" having to voice things out as if the viewer doesn't have a brain to think.
Like the Fuko arc and how they kept repeatedly pointing out that Fuko was disappearing as if I was too dumb to see that.
Characters feel unrealistic when they have to voice everything they feel as if they know they are just in one big play. It feels too rigid.

All anime that's based on a VN, manga or novel can't be masterpieces in my eyes as they'll always stand in the shadow of the original. Which leaves code geass and... i can't actually come up with anything else atm, Noir comes to mind but i'd label it a classic rather then masterpiece

Hooray GAINAX~ ❤❤❤

I think it's too early to say this but I consider Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt as a masterpiece as well~ :) "We'll do whatever we want" anime from GAINAX! ❤

As you can see, I love that studio very much. XD

I also consider Death Note, Monster, Detective Conan, and Tantei Gakuen Q as masterpieces~ ❤

Anything over two seasons is out.

I'd say Lain, Bebop, Kemonozume and FLCL.

Sword Art Online, the way its written can make such a clichéd story so compelling.

Death Note
Elfen Lied
Darker Than Black
Cuz they all have a amazingly good story.

OK folks I am going to give Clannad three episodes to wow me. I seen this topic and knew that damn near all of FAKKU would say Clannad. Anyway for me:

Elfen Lied - Psychological Horror, Tragedy, and Ecchi? DO WANT.

Gurren Lagann- I can watch this over and over again. At the end of the series I always wonder, "It all started with an outcast digger and a man with an undying dream. They came so far..."

Kodomo no Jikan (Especially the manga)- You would think this is your run of the mill ecchi anime but no.Kaworu Watashiya pulls no punches in this. Its about a taboo relationship, the hills and valleys of coming of age, and if you are watching the anime

Chobits - Adorable, perverted , and damn sad at points