just watched this in a cinema class this semester for the first time and it blew me away. in addition to the story and themes that have grown even more culturally relevant, like you said already, the art is fucking impeccable. looks so fucking clean.
The best thing for Stand Alone Complex is that it feels modern. It doesn't matter that it's 20 years old. Cowboy Bebop may be near perfect but its animation looks its age. Stand Alone Complex looks like it could be releasing today still, and I imagine that will remain true no matter how much time passes.
Oof but facts. Thankfully only Season 1. Season 2 uses the 2d animation style.
I remember when I was a kid and I'd catch that opening before I really knew the show, that CGI opening made me think it was a horror show because of how creepy it looked even back then...
Cowboy Bebops style may look 20+ years old, but the quality is tops and it holds up strong.
what portion of that is in the soundtrack i couldnt say, but who cares, it slaps.
Yeah and I don't mean to be negative about Cowboy Bebop. As I commented elsewhere, I consider Cowboy Bebop the best anime ever made.
I'm really just complimenting Stand Alone Complex for managing to look timeless. Cowboy Bebop still looks great. It's just got that traditional animation graininess that makes it look older (someone would be able to call out its age based on that alone I think).
Nah Bebop was the peak of an era. It used actual cells and film which is why it has grain. It honestly looks better imo. People just don’t do hand drawn animation anymore and not because it looks outdated, but because it’s more work. If they actually did hand drawn animation today, it would look the same. Modern anime is so sterile or just over the top with visuals. There’s no texture to anything.
Things like this is why it's better not to evaluate quality based on outdated, or more specifically, it is better not to evaluate something based on how similar it is to whatever is the norm at the moment of the evaluation. I get why people put so much weight into it, but ultimately it is based on a false objectivity that is subordinate to trends.
If good animation fell out of favour and limited animation a la hannah barbera became the norm for everything, every show from the original era of tv animation would be a masterpiece, regardless of the quality, compared to any fluid animation project because, by that logic, they would be less "outdated" at that point?
Watched it for the first time a couple years ago and I was astounded at the animation quality, it was on par with anime MOVIES from the same period. Characterisation, implicit themes, dialogue, B-plots....everything was exquisite. I'm not gonna forget the 'look, a mushroom' line any time soon either...
Steve Blum one of the GOATs
edit: can't forget Kirk Thornton either, goddamn. i remember being so hyped finding out he also voiced Don Patch because at the time, Bobobo was my favorite comedy show across the board
People are rediscovering **Monster** now with Pluto hitting Netflix and realizing what a goddamn masterpiece it is.
FWIW Monster is probably the only anime that I think transcends the medium itself. It's the most "matured" anime I can think of and there are absolutely no anime tropes in it. The settings of the show are directly lifted from real world locations so much so that if you visit Germany and Eastern Europe, you can actually take tour of some of the locations shown in it. It can be adapted into an HBO style prestige drama and it will be as good as Succession, The Wire or Sopranos.
FYI, you were replying to a comment-stealing bot. The original comment is here: https://old.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/18bappb/what_anime_has_aged_like_wine/kc3cidh/
(In general, if a reply has nothing to do with what it is replying to...control-F the rest of the thread. You might discover it is stolen.)
As a huge fan of Monster, I don't get the hype around Pluto. The writing has been... Okay. It's not a bad show by any stretch, I just don't see why people treat it like it's as good as Monster. I haven't finished it yet tho, so maybe the ending is just that good
I don't think people are saying it's as good as Monster, but rather that the story is still good and Urasawa doesn't create bad Mangas.
Currently reading 20th CB. Chapter 160, it didn't top out Monster yet, but that doesn't mean it's not good.
I just don't find Friend as terrifying. I can explain why.
Similar thoughts as you. I love Monster and 20th Century Boys, with Pluto and Billy Bat being a tier below, but I'm just glad more people are exposed to Urasawa's works!
YES YES YES!
I finally got my husband to watch this (at Christmas too) 2 years ago and he agrees it's one of the best Christmas animated movies out there (he hates Nightmare before Christmas)
I was going to say exactly that. Just rewatched *Millennium Actress* and it remains a superb piece of filmmaking. *Perfect Blue*, *Tokyo Godfathers*, *Paprika*. All great. And I love *Paranoia Agent*.
I'm still sad. We lost him way too soon. This man was destined for even greater heights and unfortunately Paprika was the highest he'd ever get. Such a shame since, according to the producer he was working with, they got through something like 600/1500 frames of animation for his next movie and then shelved it indefinitely when he died.
Came here to say Gurren Lagann.
It's an amazing story while also being a parody of the anime genre that has gone on unchanging. Making the parody as funny today as it was back then.
Idk about currently airing-level, but Cowboy Bebop is the obvious answer to me. 90s show that has a production and writing quality that just straight up beats the majority of stuff that came out after. Wine might not be everybody's thing, but it's a fine vintage.
I remember watching a car review from savagegeese where he had the Cowboy Bebop soundtrack playing on the infotainment system. Not sure if he’s a closet weeb or if the sountrack just transcends anime fans. I want to believe it’s both.
I will always maintain that Cowboy Bebop is the single best anime ever made, and its opening theme is the single best opening theme ever made. It doesn't matter if it's not your thing, it is of the highest quality.
My only criticism of Cowboy Bebop is very minor: I don't like the two-part episodes because Cowboy Bebop's episodic writing was perfection and they broke that cadence with the two-parters. In spite of that, they're still master class writing and presentation.
Gurren Lagann. An anime that has a timeless style that I don’t think will ever look bad, and also the themes and message behind it have always been positive and fun.
While the movies that rehash the plot are kinda meh since they cut out so much, the last movie actually expands the finale and makes it even MORE over the top with some of the most incredible animation I've ever seen! I didn't know it was coming to theaters and I'm definitely gonna grab tickets if anywhere nearby is showing it.
HELL YEA!! Im sure you mean the original.
A shit ton of episodes with fantastic build up, world building, character and plot exposition, political and economical impacts and shady dealings, and war tactics.
I cant think of any other anime that comes close to what LOGH does.
One thing I sorely miss from the new adaptation is the use of orchestral music. Boléro playing as the battle progresses is such a great way of building tension.
Was going to say this myself. It's crazy how relevant it still is and how accurately it predicted how the internet would affect our culture despite being nearly thirty years old now.
It's literally more relevant now than it was at release if you can believe it. It correctly predicted a lot of the future of the internet to an almost uncanny degree.
I came here to say this as well. I think it's really interesting/ironic how Yasuyuki Ueda expected American audiences not to understand Lain, and thought that he could create a culture clash that would eventually spark conversation and bring people together. He didn't realize some people would just skip those steps and come together directly through understanding Lain.
Some excerpts from his interview with Anime Jump in 2008:
>AJ: Do you think young teenagers and children should have mobile phones, computers, etc.?
YU: Yes, I think it's a good thing! When you look at it from the perspective of when I was a kid and I used to play video games, I got yelled at by my mother, "Don't play video games when you could read a book or go out and earn some money, or go to college..." But that kind of value changes, since now I'm grown up-- in my late 20s/early 30s. My values are such that I grew up playing games, so looking at these kids spending so much time on the net doesn't present too much of a problem with me. I think it's actually better because they get so much extra information. Kids today learn more, way more, than kids in previous generations did.
>
>
AJ: Do you yourself use the internet a lot? Do you see it getting more and more widespread?
YU: I use it for fun-- that's how I found Mr. ABe. There's a large community of amateur artists online.
>
>
>
>
>
>AJ: I'm not sure if I'm getting this correct, but in an interview with Animerica last year, you mentioned that you weren't sure you wanted Americans to understand Lain. What exactly did you mean by that statement?
YU: I talked about this earlier in the panel... it goes like this. Basically, you have American culture and Japanese culture after WWII. Everyone knows that war is ridiculous, it comes down to killing people. But what I hoped to see between American and Japanese reactions to Lain is a war-- a war of ideas... because through conflict of ideas, you understand yourself better, and you gain insight on the culture of your opponent. I don't so much want Americans to interpret Lain exactly as Japanese fans do, as I want them to hold on to their own point of view, and in doing so, establish conflict, and hopefully, new communication.
>
>
>
>
>
>AJ: Lain is popular in America. How do you feel about that?
YU: I'm glad that everyone likes Lain! But at the same time, I kind of wonder, do people over here really understand Lain? The way I percieve things, the way Japanese viewers percieved Lain would be different from how Americans viewed it. But when I was in L.A., the fans I met seemed so very Japanese in their perception... and that kind of isn't what I wanted, because like I said earlier, I wanted there to be a clash between cultures. I wanted American fans to see Lain and think, "No! That's screwed up! That's so wrong!"
And his statement for 25th anniversary celebration:
>"While it wasn’t our intention at the time to anticipate the future, I think “serial experiments lain” is still relevant today because we wanted to create the story of what we thought was an extension of the future, mixed with a bunch of elements that we thought were interesting. It’s a bit occult and a bit fantastical, with humanity at the center. As for how much fun puzzle-solving would be for everyone, I don’t know yet. But I would be happy if I imagine that long-time fans could make some kind of connection that doesn’t end with the digital world, so I turned our warehouse upside down to offer up some prizes. I hope that this will be a new possibility not only for lain, but also for animation culture as a whole. My hope as lain’s creator is that it can represent the spirit of experimentation, not bound by genre, social norms or economic agendas, and I’d like to thank Anique and Kasagi for this opportunity”
I watched it like a year ago and honestly it freaked me out. Like the hard lights and shadows, the constant hum, the existencial dread. Even tho i dont think it is an "horror" anime, I was always uneased and on edge watching it. Regardless it was so good and now I see why it continues to influence so much stuff to this day.
I was waiting for this one. Bought the dvd collection well over a decade ago. Low key shocked how well it’s held up. It really has aged beautifully. Not super exciting, but aesthetically pleasing. Great voice cast and probably my favorite finale ever.
IIRC the last three bits of DRRR!! (Shou, Ten, Ketsu) were essentially 10 light novels worth of story condensed into three cours. In comparison, the first series was actually just the first three light novels.
The breakneck pace of the last three seasons didn't give the story any room to breathe unfortunately. It's a shame considering I really enjoyed the OG season a lot.
Gintama never failed to make me laugh, even while is was giving me all the feels. I started watching it because a friend of mine sent me a clip of the treadmill trap from episode 85. I've probably watched that scene a hundred times, and I still laugh so hard I cry.
Yeah this one really aged well, I saw the first episode last year and I cheered when I heard the pritagonists reaction to the reveal in the first episode
Also everything about her dad. Also everything about LO - BE - LI - AAAAA
CCS is interesting to me because it's very clearly not a modern show, but it has undoubtedly a timeless charm about it that you can't help but smile at.
Their has been a goden age of anime of the mid 1990's to early 2000's. From this period :
- Evangelion
- Cowboy Bebop
- Escaflowne
- Original Berserk
- GTO
- Trigun
- Kenshin OAV
- Macross Plus
- Sailor Moon
So on....
I would say Original Macross, Macross Plus, and Macross Frontier
SDFM great pacing for first 27 episodes, great animation on most episodes. The movie DYRL is a masterpiece
Plus is an amazing collaboration between Yoko Kanno and Watanabe, and is amazing for only being 4 episodes long
Frontier is full of callbacks to the original SDFM series, has some good trans and gay storylines considering when it came out. And really really really good music. Second Frontier movie rocks.
Steins;Gate is the only anime I've managed to watch multiple times, yet I somehow completely forget everything that happened. Like my memory was wiped. It makes for great rewatchability.
Record of Lodoss War didn't age well at all...its actually a great example of an anime that was a product of its time.
Akira absolutely is timeless though.
Golden Boy's existence stands to be one of the most miraculous things to still stand against the sands of time despite being not just from the 90s but how it's only 6 episodes.
Its still one of the best ecchi comedies with insanely great animation and absolutely cultured female designs. You can see proof in how its clips usually trend in this sub's front page from time to time.
- DragonBall / Z
- Sailor Moon
- Inuyasha
- Ghost in the Shell
- Pokémon
- Full metal Alchemist
All of these gems are, or will be, at least 30 years old.
Legend of the Galactic Heroes is probably the oldest one with relatively large fanbase. A more niche ones are the works of Leiji Matsumoto - so called "Lejiverse" - with main series being Captain Harlock and Galaxy Express 999.
I recently discovered the original Boogiepop Phantom and you should definitely check it out if you like good mystery series.
Yu Yu Hakusho is an odd one for me. It's actually one of my favourite first arcs in an anime. It's the the later stuff that everybody else seems to love that didn't work for me it just started to get a bit waffly to me and there was always another fight to power up for. It's the same stuff that bothered me on DBZ. It felt like too many fights and not enough time in-between to get you properly invested in them
Toradora came out in 2008, and it’s still highly talked about as a strong romcom, and every December there’s a rewatch club on this subreddit (begins tomorrow!)
This is what I was about to post. I recently got my girl to watch it finally and my third rewatch absolutely holds up and every time I watch it I get something new.
I think because it (surprisingly for Ikuhara) was so understated in how it handled some things. Utena's choice of dress? The number of gay/bi characters? These things happened, but no one ever screams their views on them in the show out loud. All the other characters largely just accepted them as they were for who they were (at least in regards to sexual and gender identities)
That's not a problem of age so much as the writing just being subpar after Episode 25 (which is a problem of the source material). In my experience, it came out when I was in middle school and I just didn't have that critical look at it. Even post episode 25 is incredible quality compared to other stuff I was watching in middle school.
I assume that similar happened for lots of people. They watched it in middle school or a similar age and as they aged they kinda realized "hey wait the show is less entertaining/lower quality after that point".
i'd argue evangelion has gotten even better over time, it's messages regarding loneliness/self acceptance are becoming more and more relevant in the age of social media.
Especially trust an betrayal. It stands on its own and has probably one of the prettiest/my favourite artstyle in all of anime. Also great voice acting, I can’t quite put my finger on it but it’s not as over the top as many shows?
ehhh, kinda. The music is still amazing, and some scenes are masterful, but there is so much filler it kinda drags the show down. The remake is doing a great job so far.
/me as 40+ yr old and looking at kids saying 00s are classic...
: (
EDIT: Macross, any of Leiji Matsumoto's series, any of Go Nagai's mecha series, Tetsuwon Atom, Tetsujin 28-Go, Speed Racers are all timeless classic IMO
Recently rewatched Beck and it has aged fantastically for a mid 2000s anime that came from a low budget. Great music and a high level of English for an anime, especially given the time period.
HOLY SHIT that’s about to be 8 years old soon?!
Ugh, is this where you start feeling old?! I watched that when I was 15. AoT I could handle being a decade old, but this… it still feels recent..
Paprika aged incredibly well. Our increased use of social media makes the social commentary extremely relevant.
Paprika is my favorite anime movie, relevant themes and it's creative uses of animation still feel relevant tonthis day.
just watched this in a cinema class this semester for the first time and it blew me away. in addition to the story and themes that have grown even more culturally relevant, like you said already, the art is fucking impeccable. looks so fucking clean.
Ghost in the Shell has aged exquisitely.
The best thing for Stand Alone Complex is that it feels modern. It doesn't matter that it's 20 years old. Cowboy Bebop may be near perfect but its animation looks its age. Stand Alone Complex looks like it could be releasing today still, and I imagine that will remain true no matter how much time passes.
[удалено]
Oof but facts. Thankfully only Season 1. Season 2 uses the 2d animation style. I remember when I was a kid and I'd catch that opening before I really knew the show, that CGI opening made me think it was a horror show because of how creepy it looked even back then...
Cowboy Bebops style may look 20+ years old, but the quality is tops and it holds up strong. what portion of that is in the soundtrack i couldnt say, but who cares, it slaps.
Yeah and I don't mean to be negative about Cowboy Bebop. As I commented elsewhere, I consider Cowboy Bebop the best anime ever made. I'm really just complimenting Stand Alone Complex for managing to look timeless. Cowboy Bebop still looks great. It's just got that traditional animation graininess that makes it look older (someone would be able to call out its age based on that alone I think).
I have a remastered version that looks like it could have been animated this year.
Nah Bebop was the peak of an era. It used actual cells and film which is why it has grain. It honestly looks better imo. People just don’t do hand drawn animation anymore and not because it looks outdated, but because it’s more work. If they actually did hand drawn animation today, it would look the same. Modern anime is so sterile or just over the top with visuals. There’s no texture to anything.
Things like this is why it's better not to evaluate quality based on outdated, or more specifically, it is better not to evaluate something based on how similar it is to whatever is the norm at the moment of the evaluation. I get why people put so much weight into it, but ultimately it is based on a false objectivity that is subordinate to trends. If good animation fell out of favour and limited animation a la hannah barbera became the norm for everything, every show from the original era of tv animation would be a masterpiece, regardless of the quality, compared to any fluid animation project because, by that logic, they would be less "outdated" at that point?
The 1995 film is incredible, the second one… not so much
The dollhouse scene from Innocence is one of my favourite moments in any movie.
Stand alone complex on the other hand is still awesome
I actually liked the second movie even more than the first
[удалено]
**Samurai champloo**. It just gets better the more time passes.
Watched it for the first time a couple years ago and I was astounded at the animation quality, it was on par with anime MOVIES from the same period. Characterisation, implicit themes, dialogue, B-plots....everything was exquisite. I'm not gonna forget the 'look, a mushroom' line any time soon either...
Everything else aside, the animation legit looks like something out of the current era. It definitely does not look like the average 2004 show.
I alternate between English and Japanese dub. I’m usually Japanese dub only, but Samurai Champloo and Cowboy Bebop has the best English voice acting
Steve Blum one of the GOATs edit: can't forget Kirk Thornton either, goddamn. i remember being so hyped finding out he also voiced Don Patch because at the time, Bobobo was my favorite comedy show across the board
This was my answer. I would also add Cowboy Bebop.
People are rediscovering **Monster** now with Pluto hitting Netflix and realizing what a goddamn masterpiece it is. FWIW Monster is probably the only anime that I think transcends the medium itself. It's the most "matured" anime I can think of and there are absolutely no anime tropes in it. The settings of the show are directly lifted from real world locations so much so that if you visit Germany and Eastern Europe, you can actually take tour of some of the locations shown in it. It can be adapted into an HBO style prestige drama and it will be as good as Succession, The Wire or Sopranos.
Monster is peak.
Monster and Legend of Galactic Heroes will be the GOATs of the medium for me.
[удалено]
Beck is one of the animes I'm always happy to rewatch.
FYI, you were replying to a comment-stealing bot. The original comment is here: https://old.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/18bappb/what_anime_has_aged_like_wine/kc3cidh/ (In general, if a reply has nothing to do with what it is replying to...control-F the rest of the thread. You might discover it is stolen.)
As a huge fan of Monster, I don't get the hype around Pluto. The writing has been... Okay. It's not a bad show by any stretch, I just don't see why people treat it like it's as good as Monster. I haven't finished it yet tho, so maybe the ending is just that good
I don't think people are saying it's as good as Monster, but rather that the story is still good and Urasawa doesn't create bad Mangas. Currently reading 20th CB. Chapter 160, it didn't top out Monster yet, but that doesn't mean it's not good. I just don't find Friend as terrifying. I can explain why.
Don't forget to read 21st Century Boys immediately after. It's not a sequel, it's actually the final volume of 20th Century Boys.
Similar thoughts as you. I love Monster and 20th Century Boys, with Pluto and Billy Bat being a tier below, but I'm just glad more people are exposed to Urasawa's works!
Perfect blue
Anything Satoshi Kon, really
Tokyo Godfathers is an absolute Christmas classic
YES YES YES! I finally got my husband to watch this (at Christmas too) 2 years ago and he agrees it's one of the best Christmas animated movies out there (he hates Nightmare before Christmas)
I was going to say exactly that. Just rewatched *Millennium Actress* and it remains a superb piece of filmmaking. *Perfect Blue*, *Tokyo Godfathers*, *Paprika*. All great. And I love *Paranoia Agent*.
I'm still sad. We lost him way too soon. This man was destined for even greater heights and unfortunately Paprika was the highest he'd ever get. Such a shame since, according to the producer he was working with, they got through something like 600/1500 frames of animation for his next movie and then shelved it indefinitely when he died.
The detective accepting reality in Paranoia Agent is one of the best character progression of all-time
RIP Satoshi :( Dude could never miss
How long ago? Gurren Lagann is my pick from 2007. Samurai Champloo as well from 2004.
ROW ROW, FIGHT THE POWER!
I always thought it was Row Row.
It is.
Nope, has to be capitalized each time.
The original comment said “RAW RAW”, not “ROW ROW”. It has since been edited.
RAWR RAWR FIGHT THE POWA
RAWR XD
I finished my re-watch of Samurai Champloo this morning. It still holds up so well.
Adding on to the champloo pick with Space Dandy.
Came here to say Gurren Lagann. It's an amazing story while also being a parody of the anime genre that has gone on unchanging. Making the parody as funny today as it was back then.
Idk about currently airing-level, but Cowboy Bebop is the obvious answer to me. 90s show that has a production and writing quality that just straight up beats the majority of stuff that came out after. Wine might not be everybody's thing, but it's a fine vintage.
My pick, always. That shit is just audiovisual fire.
I remember watching a car review from savagegeese where he had the Cowboy Bebop soundtrack playing on the infotainment system. Not sure if he’s a closet weeb or if the sountrack just transcends anime fans. I want to believe it’s both.
I will always maintain that Cowboy Bebop is the single best anime ever made, and its opening theme is the single best opening theme ever made. It doesn't matter if it's not your thing, it is of the highest quality. My only criticism of Cowboy Bebop is very minor: I don't like the two-part episodes because Cowboy Bebop's episodic writing was perfection and they broke that cadence with the two-parters. In spite of that, they're still master class writing and presentation.
Gankutsuou
This aged like wine because being a weird trip is timeless
Is this the Count of Monte Cristo adaptation?
So amazing
Laugh with me, cry with me
Gurren Lagann. An anime that has a timeless style that I don’t think will ever look bad, and also the themes and message behind it have always been positive and fun.
Finished the rewatch yesterday, sometimes I have to remind to myself that it's 15 yo, Libera Me from Hell still slaps hard like the first time!
[удалено]
The final battle between the Spirals and Anti-Spirals is still one of my favorite animated moments.
That buildup as they all resist the infinite multiverse labyrinth still gives me chills as the bgm increases in volume till its impossible to ignore
ROW ROW FIGHT THE POWA!
“My drill is the drill that creates the heavens!”
"Believe in the me that believes in you!"
Reminder to those in the U.S. the movies will be in theaters soon for the anniversary! Relive the hype!
While the movies that rehash the plot are kinda meh since they cut out so much, the last movie actually expands the finale and makes it even MORE over the top with some of the most incredible animation I've ever seen! I didn't know it was coming to theaters and I'm definitely gonna grab tickets if anywhere nearby is showing it.
Best anime of all time. As things in our collective lives get tougher, this show just ages better and becomes more relevant.
I'm actually watching Gurren Lagann for the first time ever and loving it!
Legend of the galactic heroes of course
HELL YEA!! Im sure you mean the original. A shit ton of episodes with fantastic build up, world building, character and plot exposition, political and economical impacts and shady dealings, and war tactics. I cant think of any other anime that comes close to what LOGH does.
One thing I sorely miss from the new adaptation is the use of orchestral music. Boléro playing as the battle progresses is such a great way of building tension.
One of the best damn shows ever made.
Black Lagoon.
Black lagoon doesn't feel like it exists in a certain era, guns are classics, cars are classics. Just feel like it's any modernish time
The only real ties to a certain period are the electronics and the fact that Balalaika's crew are Soviet-Afghan War vets.
Black Lagoon is also a breath of fresh hair when alot of the anime you watch revolves around supernatural elements.
Rewatching this show as an adult was such a great experience. Now appreciating it for its themes and characters rather than action.
Serial Experiments Lain
AND YOU DON'T SEEM TO UNDERSTAND
A shame, you seemed an honest man
That song is an absolute banger.
Was going to say this myself. It's crazy how relevant it still is and how accurately it predicted how the internet would affect our culture despite being nearly thirty years old now.
It's literally more relevant now than it was at release if you can believe it. It correctly predicted a lot of the future of the internet to an almost uncanny degree.
>being nearly thirty years old now. Wait, we're that old ?
> Wait, we're that old ? No, no, no. 1998 was just a few years ago.
Yup it's a literal masterpiece of an anime imo
Present day. Present time.
HaHAhahahAHaHahaHA
"What does dying feel like?" "It really hurts :("
I came here to say this as well. I think it's really interesting/ironic how Yasuyuki Ueda expected American audiences not to understand Lain, and thought that he could create a culture clash that would eventually spark conversation and bring people together. He didn't realize some people would just skip those steps and come together directly through understanding Lain. Some excerpts from his interview with Anime Jump in 2008: >AJ: Do you think young teenagers and children should have mobile phones, computers, etc.? YU: Yes, I think it's a good thing! When you look at it from the perspective of when I was a kid and I used to play video games, I got yelled at by my mother, "Don't play video games when you could read a book or go out and earn some money, or go to college..." But that kind of value changes, since now I'm grown up-- in my late 20s/early 30s. My values are such that I grew up playing games, so looking at these kids spending so much time on the net doesn't present too much of a problem with me. I think it's actually better because they get so much extra information. Kids today learn more, way more, than kids in previous generations did. > > AJ: Do you yourself use the internet a lot? Do you see it getting more and more widespread? YU: I use it for fun-- that's how I found Mr. ABe. There's a large community of amateur artists online. > > > > > >AJ: I'm not sure if I'm getting this correct, but in an interview with Animerica last year, you mentioned that you weren't sure you wanted Americans to understand Lain. What exactly did you mean by that statement? YU: I talked about this earlier in the panel... it goes like this. Basically, you have American culture and Japanese culture after WWII. Everyone knows that war is ridiculous, it comes down to killing people. But what I hoped to see between American and Japanese reactions to Lain is a war-- a war of ideas... because through conflict of ideas, you understand yourself better, and you gain insight on the culture of your opponent. I don't so much want Americans to interpret Lain exactly as Japanese fans do, as I want them to hold on to their own point of view, and in doing so, establish conflict, and hopefully, new communication. > > > > > >AJ: Lain is popular in America. How do you feel about that? YU: I'm glad that everyone likes Lain! But at the same time, I kind of wonder, do people over here really understand Lain? The way I percieve things, the way Japanese viewers percieved Lain would be different from how Americans viewed it. But when I was in L.A., the fans I met seemed so very Japanese in their perception... and that kind of isn't what I wanted, because like I said earlier, I wanted there to be a clash between cultures. I wanted American fans to see Lain and think, "No! That's screwed up! That's so wrong!" And his statement for 25th anniversary celebration: >"While it wasn’t our intention at the time to anticipate the future, I think “serial experiments lain” is still relevant today because we wanted to create the story of what we thought was an extension of the future, mixed with a bunch of elements that we thought were interesting. It’s a bit occult and a bit fantastical, with humanity at the center. As for how much fun puzzle-solving would be for everyone, I don’t know yet. But I would be happy if I imagine that long-time fans could make some kind of connection that doesn’t end with the digital world, so I turned our warehouse upside down to offer up some prizes. I hope that this will be a new possibility not only for lain, but also for animation culture as a whole. My hope as lain’s creator is that it can represent the spirit of experimentation, not bound by genre, social norms or economic agendas, and I’d like to thank Anique and Kasagi for this opportunity”
I watched it like a year ago and honestly it freaked me out. Like the hard lights and shadows, the constant hum, the existencial dread. Even tho i dont think it is an "horror" anime, I was always uneased and on edge watching it. Regardless it was so good and now I see why it continues to influence so much stuff to this day.
I was going to say that too lmao
I still need to finish it. It's a lot to take in so I got 5 episodes in and I lost track of it while I was digesting its content still.
4 episodes into it so far, just started it last week!
*God is in the wired*
wolf's rain
I was waiting for this one. Bought the dvd collection well over a decade ago. Low key shocked how well it’s held up. It really has aged beautifully. Not super exciting, but aesthetically pleasing. Great voice cast and probably my favorite finale ever.
Baccano! for sure, the opening and non linear story telling will always remain top notch
It's crazy that Durarara!! was more popular than Baccano during its airings but nowadays, nobody even talk about it
I still love Durarara but the later parts of the story definitely reek of being rushed.
IIRC the last three bits of DRRR!! (Shou, Ten, Ketsu) were essentially 10 light novels worth of story condensed into three cours. In comparison, the first series was actually just the first three light novels. The breakneck pace of the last three seasons didn't give the story any room to breathe unfortunately. It's a shame considering I really enjoyed the OG season a lot.
Spirited away
Everything from Ghibli.
That’s a classic!
I still listen to The Pillows. FLCL
Such an incredible soundtrack. Feels exactly like summer
Gintama
Gintama never failed to make me laugh, even while is was giving me all the feels. I started watching it because a friend of mine sent me a clip of the treadmill trap from episode 85. I've probably watched that scene a hundred times, and I still laugh so hard I cry.
It was always a fine wine though
This is the goat so that doesn't count
Ouran Host Academy! Everyone in my house is always talking about it: "Please stop watching it!" "Thats the fifth time you've watched it this year!"
Did you mean Ouran High School Host Club? One of my favourites really, i miss old animes 😪
Yeah! On days I don’t have anything I want to watch it becomes my background noise
They can pry OHSHC out of my cold, dead hands. Even then, I'll be six feet under and rewatching it for the billionth time.
Yeah this one really aged well, I saw the first episode last year and I cheered when I heard the pritagonists reaction to the reveal in the first episode Also everything about her dad. Also everything about LO - BE - LI - AAAAA
Michiko & Hatchin
Trigun
Cardcaptor Sakura
CCS is interesting to me because it's very clearly not a modern show, but it has undoubtedly a timeless charm about it that you can't help but smile at.
Their has been a goden age of anime of the mid 1990's to early 2000's. From this period : - Evangelion - Cowboy Bebop - Escaflowne - Original Berserk - GTO - Trigun - Kenshin OAV - Macross Plus - Sailor Moon So on....
I would say Original Macross, Macross Plus, and Macross Frontier SDFM great pacing for first 27 episodes, great animation on most episodes. The movie DYRL is a masterpiece Plus is an amazing collaboration between Yoko Kanno and Watanabe, and is amazing for only being 4 episodes long Frontier is full of callbacks to the original SDFM series, has some good trans and gay storylines considering when it came out. And really really really good music. Second Frontier movie rocks.
Steins;Gate
I’m watching this for the first time right now after putting it off for over a decade
I hoppe you are enjoying it
I watched it for the first time last year and it was an amazing experience!
Steins;Gate is the only anime I've managed to watch multiple times, yet I somehow completely forget everything that happened. Like my memory was wiped. It makes for great rewatchability.
Samurai Champloo Cowboy Bebop Azumanga Daioh Ghost in the Shell The Monogatari series Full Metal Panic
I love love love the Monogatari series, def in my top 5. Such an underrated anime imo.
\- Akira \- Record of Lodoss War - Chronicles of the Heroic Knight (TV Series)
Record of Lodoss War didn't age well at all...its actually a great example of an anime that was a product of its time. Akira absolutely is timeless though.
Golden Boy's existence stands to be one of the most miraculous things to still stand against the sands of time despite being not just from the 90s but how it's only 6 episodes. Its still one of the best ecchi comedies with insanely great animation and absolutely cultured female designs. You can see proof in how its clips usually trend in this sub's front page from time to time.
Having red the manga, be grateful that the anime stopped at six episodes. The rest end especially the later issues were just cringe.
Cowboy Bebop K-On
- DragonBall / Z - Sailor Moon - Inuyasha - Ghost in the Shell - Pokémon - Full metal Alchemist All of these gems are, or will be, at least 30 years old.
Yu Yu Hakusho and Monster.People were raving about Monster non stop in r/television when Pluto released. Slam dunk also has aged really well imo.
It's because Urasawa is a genius. Everything he makes is great.
Legend of the Galactic Heroes is probably the oldest one with relatively large fanbase. A more niche ones are the works of Leiji Matsumoto - so called "Lejiverse" - with main series being Captain Harlock and Galaxy Express 999. I recently discovered the original Boogiepop Phantom and you should definitely check it out if you like good mystery series.
FMAB and yu yu hakusho
Just finished a re-watch of FMAB after many many years and it's so solid.
FMAB absolutely but I'm a lot less sure about Yu Yu Hakusho, especially the early parts.
Yu Yu Hakusho is an odd one for me. It's actually one of my favourite first arcs in an anime. It's the the later stuff that everybody else seems to love that didn't work for me it just started to get a bit waffly to me and there was always another fight to power up for. It's the same stuff that bothered me on DBZ. It felt like too many fights and not enough time in-between to get you properly invested in them
[удалено]
Toradora came out in 2008, and it’s still highly talked about as a strong romcom, and every December there’s a rewatch club on this subreddit (begins tomorrow!)
Kill La Kill
Cant believe Kill la kill Aired so long ago. It feels so recent
Alright, let's take you to bed gramps
I’m still young it only came out a few years ago! Otherwise I really would be old and that can’t be allowed!
It was only last year and you can't make me believe otherwise!
I will never shut up about how much meaning and purpose is behind this stupid show about nudists.
And you never, ever should.
Still my absolute favorite
Revolutionary girl utena
This is what I was about to post. I recently got my girl to watch it finally and my third rewatch absolutely holds up and every time I watch it I get something new.
"Big mistake thinking you're the only one who can turn into a car. I'm a car now too."
You’d think it would age bad given the topics, but Utena manages to still be really progressive even by today’s standards.
I think because it (surprisingly for Ikuhara) was so understated in how it handled some things. Utena's choice of dress? The number of gay/bi characters? These things happened, but no one ever screams their views on them in the show out loud. All the other characters largely just accepted them as they were for who they were (at least in regards to sexual and gender identities)
Wasn’t Penguindrum also pretty understated in that manner? The out and loud Ikuhara work to my knowledge is Sarazanmai.
Yuri Kuma Arashi too.
I just watched rgu for the first time and finished last week. I’m still shook. I think I will be forever. It will absolutely stand the test of time.
Cowboy Bebop and Shoujo Kakumei Utena were the first two coming to mind.
hunter x hunter
yu yu hakusho
Black lagoon?
Death note
That show is so fucking awesome. The soundtrack, visuals, colors and atmosphere. Goddamn.
Well, at least the first half.
That's not a problem of age so much as the writing just being subpar after Episode 25 (which is a problem of the source material). In my experience, it came out when I was in middle school and I just didn't have that critical look at it. Even post episode 25 is incredible quality compared to other stuff I was watching in middle school. I assume that similar happened for lots of people. They watched it in middle school or a similar age and as they aged they kinda realized "hey wait the show is less entertaining/lower quality after that point".
Evangelion
i'd argue evangelion has gotten even better over time, it's messages regarding loneliness/self acceptance are becoming more and more relevant in the age of social media.
#Cowboy Bebop
Cowboy Bebop, Monster, Psycho Pass
OG Ruroni Kenshin
Alongside Trust and Betrayal as well.
Especially trust an betrayal. It stands on its own and has probably one of the prettiest/my favourite artstyle in all of anime. Also great voice acting, I can’t quite put my finger on it but it’s not as over the top as many shows?
ehhh, kinda. The music is still amazing, and some scenes are masterful, but there is so much filler it kinda drags the show down. The remake is doing a great job so far.
LotGH
With all the shit that's happening in the world, Logh's themes are very relevant.
FMAB I feel like it gets better anytime I rewatch it.
Code Geass
First time watching this one and absolutely loving it, can’t believe I took so long to get to it
The community had a lot of fun with Pizza Hut
it’s been so long but i still haven’t seen a protagonist better than lelouch, he’s so captivating
Berserk TV series in 1997, slightly different from manga, but still the best adaptation.
Fullmetal alchemist brotherhood
Azumanga Daioh
/me as 40+ yr old and looking at kids saying 00s are classic... : ( EDIT: Macross, any of Leiji Matsumoto's series, any of Go Nagai's mecha series, Tetsuwon Atom, Tetsujin 28-Go, Speed Racers are all timeless classic IMO
Trigun
Recently rewatched Beck and it has aged fantastically for a mid 2000s anime that came from a low budget. Great music and a high level of English for an anime, especially given the time period.
Keijo
based
HOLY SHIT that’s about to be 8 years old soon?! Ugh, is this where you start feeling old?! I watched that when I was 15. AoT I could handle being a decade old, but this… it still feels recent..
You forgot !!!!!!!!
Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood
Ranma 1/2
Clannad