Ask John: What are Some of the Greatest Anime Ever?

Question:
You said that Evangelion should not be blindly considered the greatest anime of all time [in the Ask John article from Monday, July 20, 2001]. In your opinion, what are some of the greatest anime ever produced? What do you feel best represents each genre of anime?

Answer:
It’s virtually impossible for any single person to determine a list of what qualifies as the “greatest” anime ever produced, as any singular opinion will be at least partially subjective. It’s also difficult to compile such a list because of the difficulty in separating “best” from “most influential” or “most historically significant,” and separating a qualified “best” from a “best” that needs no handicaps or simply has no flaws. Distinguishing the best examples of particular genres becomes tremendously difficult because so many anime series and features are a mixture of genres, and even within genres there are so many subtle distinctions. So rather than try to break down a list by genre, I’ll try to offer my subjective choices as determined only by my own selective reviews of technical achievement. These are the films and series that both represent the ability of anime to present a totally compelling cinematic story with few technical flaws, and at the same time succeed in representing the elements characteristic of anime- involving, emotionally and intellectually stimulating fantasy with convincing characterizations, settings and situations.

The work of Hayao Miyazaki certainly seems worthy of consideration as a whole, as does much of the Studio Ghibli cannon including especially Cagliostro’s Castle, Nausicaa, Laputa, Totoro, Kiki, Pom Poko and Graveyard of Fireflies. But a singular choice would have to be Mononoke Hime, which encapsulates everything representative of Studio Ghibli: the relation of man to nature, an emotionally touching story that’s neither childish nor condescending, and the utmost attention to technical detail and perfection.

Perfect Blue and Jin-Roh likewise represent masterpieces of cinema that resonate beyond the boundaries of their animation. Masterful direction, multi-layered writing that urges deeper consideration, and uncompromising loyalty to principals of cinematic storytelling elevate these films to the level of pure art on the scale of world cinema.

Akira and Evangelion both deserve recognition for their undeniable strengths, in spite of their weaknesses. Even a decade later, Akira remains a technical marvel both in animation quality and originality for its convincing, fully realized dystopian future, in spite of its weak characterizations and unfulfilled story elements. Evangelion masterfully combines empathetic characterizations with exhilarating action and a dramatic story subtly but precisely attuned to Japanese mentality and the traditional Japanese group psychology effectively enough to outweigh its sometimes incoherent and convoluted story branches.

Exceptional creative direction and representation of Japanese cinema likewise suggest the consideration of Wings of Honneamise and the Rurouni Kenshin OVA series. The boldness of Royal Space Force to present an uncompromising story of political and personal, mental and spiritual growth and conflict in the midst of a totally realized, fully developed fictional world presented in intricately detailed, stunning art makes it one of the greatest animated films ever produced. The combination of aesthetically beautiful art design, emotive use of music in relation to visuals, depth of character development, and masterful cinematic style elevate the Rurouni Kenshin OAV series to the level of classic Japanese cinema in animated form.

Berserk and Fushigi Yuugi prominently feature some of the best writing, scripting and story development that anime has to offer. Totally fantastic yet always totally convincing and affecting, these shows succeed entirely because their characters are given life and psychological depth the belies their status as mere paint on plastic.

Angel’s Egg, in spite of its technical shortcomings, is a reminder of the power of cinema and visuals in relaying emotion and meaning. Regardless of language or culture, animation or live-action, Angel’s Egg presents an experience that can equally affect a viewer of any age and background. The strength of Angel’s Egg is its uncompromising devotion and honesty to the presentation of art for only the sake of art. Angel’s Egg transcends anime to move into the realm of pure visual stimulation that crosses all language and cultural barriers.

Daicon IV, while little known, remains one of the greatest pieces of anime ever created because no other anime production created before or since better represents the spirit of adventure, freedom, and distinct “Japanese-ness” of Japanese animation. This four minute long music video created by the founders of Gainax Studios as a fan produced anime for the opening to the Daicon IV anime convention in 1983 features giant robots, explosions, aliens, a super powered bunny girl, cherry blossoms, and cameo appearances by virtually every major figure in the history of science fiction, from the robot woman Maria of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis to Godzilla to the Starship Enterprise. The Daicon IV music video proves that anime isn’t about production values or collecting or commercialism or trends; it’s about the spirit of wonder and fantasy that extends beyond studios and cultural boundaries and languages. Nothing better illustrates the obsessive love and devotion to fantasy, science-fiction and anime cherished by Japanese fans better than the fan produced Daicon IV short.

Many fan favorites, including Cowboy Bebop, St. Seiya, Gundam Wing, Sailormoon, Dragonball Z, Macross and Trigun may be good examples of anime and thoroughly entertaining programs, but for one reason or another simply don’t engage both the mind and the heart, or simply don’t elevate themselves to the standards of universal cinematic superiority that the aforementioned selections do. Likewise, programs including Tetsuwan Atom and Kido Senshi Gundam deserve recognition for their tremendous impact and influence on the history and development of anime, but succeeding in one aspect doesn’t necessarily equate succeeding in all aspects. While fan favorite shows like Dragonball, Evangelion and Sailormoon may deservedly generate legions of devoted fans, it is the films I’ve listed above that I consider essential viewing for all serious anime connoisseurs because, while these films may not be the most exciting or most novel anime available, they are the films that most effectively combine and master all of the components of any example of quality cinema. These are the films that create an indelible impact on any and everyone that watches them, and urge a greater appreciation of not only the series themselves, but of the entire anime art form they represent.

But as I’ve stated, no singularly compiled list can hope to be complete or authoritative. If you’d like to suggest additions or exclusions to this list, share your opinions on the AnimeNation Forum.