Ten Anime Everybody Should Have Already Watched By Now

Trigun

I'm an old school anime fan, and to me,. Trigun is a classic. It wildly varies between humor and serious business, has one of the best casts in anime history, and some radical music. Join the cult of Vash now, and enjoy a space sci-fi future western! Starring plants!

Cowboy Bebop

Another classic well-remembered by fans, Cowboy Bebop has brought almost as many fans into the world of anime as Akira. This is an action-packed and, at times, moving depiction of bounty hunters in space, trying to make a living.

Fullmetal Alchemist

The tale of the Brothers Elric is often considered one of the best 'mainstream' anime shows, for its well-handled drama, unique setting, and great action. This show should have you hooked, from the opening shots to the fantastic followup series, Brotherhood.

Black Lagoon

If you like action, this is a good place to start. Black Lagoon is an occasionally frenetic look at a small mercenary group, with a fun and wild ride involved that you'll probably enjoy. With memorable characters, including anime's best gunbunny, you'd be remiss not to catch it.

Log Horizon

This is often compared to Sword Art Online. But where both are shows about players being caught in a game, LH explores that concept more fully, supporting the vivid and realistic goals and personalities of its characters with an amazing foundation of universe exploration and worldbuilding. Worth a watch.

Darker Than Black

Like most on this, it's not actually for everybody. DTB is a violent look at a post-crisis world where the population is haunted by the appearance of huge gates and a change in the night sky, marked most by the appearance of powerful beings, called Contractors, among them. Hei, the star, is one. It's unique, an emotional ride widely regarded as a favorite.

Fooly Cooly (FLCL)

If you're here for crazy Japanese shit, then FLCL is what you want. It's short, clocking in at six episodes, but they are almost guaranteed to be six of the craziest episodes of anything you've ever seen. Robotic head wounds, guitar wielding space pirates, and the giant iron apocalypse plan--you won't get it anywhere else.

IRIA: Zeiram the Animation

A classic miniseries I personally enjoyed, in the vein of Akira from back in the day. Iria is about a young girl and her science fiction struggle to eliminate the alien being wiping out life on the planet. It's got a little of everything, with good animation, for its day, and some incredible character and art design.

No Game No Life

A niche pick that you may or may not like, I added NGNL because I watched it recently and it rocketed up into my top favorites of all time. A pair of young, incredibly skilled gamers are pulled into a world where everything--from the outcome of robberies to the fate of kingdoms--is decided by games and gaming. I won't spoil anything, but it starts off great and only gets better.

Puella Magi madoka Magica

What's that? A magical girl anime on this list?! Well, yes, and Madoka is so much more than that. This show is unnerving, dramatic, and at times heart wrenching. It can be dark, and full of hope, and sometimes both at once. It is a very uncommonly good look at humanity, and I can't say much more without getting into details. Suffice to say it will surprise you. And according to common consensus, if you make it to episode three, you won't be able to stop watching.