They might not be the latest, but the Anime group below represents my favorites and usually make top rankings at many of the online review sites and club lists. Considering starting to watch good Animes? The shows below would be an excellent place to jump into! I encourage everyone to at least take a chance at this unique entertainment medium. Pick a good series and you will not be disappointed!

Cowboy Bebop 

A western, a sci-fi adventure, and a unique dramedy - Spike and Jet pull the audience into an exciting post apocalyptic universe. The mix of music (Jazz mostly), martial arts, and fast pace constantly entertain. Each Cowboy episode serves as a mini exploit and the show can be mostly watched out of sequence and still make sense. However, most people will appreciate the loose linear narrative and the underlying love story. Though barely in the show, Cowboy also probably hosts one of Anime's best villains on top of one of its best heroes. One of the few series that I can just kick back and watch a random episode over and over again.

Great Teacher Onizuka 

What happens when an ex-biker gang leader, martial arts expert, and raging hormonal 22 year old decides to become a middle school teacher? Like House M.D., Onizuka does not care about breaking the rules and sacrificing himself to save his students on multiple levels. And in the end, he teaches each one of them more about life than any homeroom instructor ever could. The series usually provokes many laughs, but like all good Anime, also shines in its serious moments when Onizuka, and the audience, really feel for the characters. This show definitely follows a linear storyline and remains intriguing until the end.

Kino's Journey

Follow the teen traveler Kino and the talking motorrad on a journey around the world where each new kingdom proves to be more bizarre than the last. Along Kino's adventures, Kino and the audience, gain insight on many aspects of the human condition, as each place visited represents a different trait, good or bad, of humanity. Another series that can mostly be watched out of order, over time Kino also embarks on much self-discovery, and so do the viewers. This unique self-reflective Anime definitely serves as a diamond in the rough and use to be considered a cult show in Japan.

GunGrave 

Maybe you heard of Trigun and Hellsing? Well, the creators of those shows also worked on another project -imagine mixing a mafia epic with a sci-fi theme and then throwing in lots of zombies. It might sound off the wall (but, then again, its Anime), but GunGrave actually takes a pretty serious approach with its storytelling and does not fail to disappoint. The two driving characters behind the show, Brandon and Harry, also establish a long lasting conflict which drives emotional responses until the bitter end. You want a dramatic Anime that falls in line with the likes of The Godfather, you will be very pleased.

Wolf's Rain

Dude, forget all those other apocalyptic type Anime - X, Escaflowne, Neon Genesis Evangelion (definitely forget this one). Wolf's Rain serves a mature story that takes time with developing each of its characters and it continues to pull the audience into its final hours. My friends and I argue about the overall feel of this show, I guess some people disagree about the climatic end of the world under the Wolf's Rain lens, but I think it still beats anything else out there, and depending on your spiritual beliefs, probably makes more sense. If you're looking for something a little sad, a little depressing, then pick this series up.

If you decide to buy the volumes separately ever, then skip Volume 4: Recollections. It's just a recap of the first half of the show.

My Other Favorites

• Chobits
• Death Note
• Fullmetal Alchemist
• Hellsing
• Initial D
• Mai HiME
• Princess Mononoke
• Trigun

I recommend always watching Anime in the original Japanese as English, or any dubbing, can add an undesirable comical air and really take away from the original and intended aesthetics of the characters. After all, the creators casted the Japanese actors for those roles, they wanted the characters to sound and act a certain way to establish the intended affect.

Please cast your vote for your favorite Anime! I apologize if you cannot find yours in the list, but I encourage everyone to talk about the shows they love the most to help newcomers to the medium become fans :)

More by Warren Samu

aka thegecko