Top 10 Original Anime

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Demand for original anime seems to be at an all time high – and considering the quality of recent originals, it is not hard to see why.

The ranking – with “original” in this case referring to those not adapted from manga, light novels and games, but where the anime is also the original:

1. Ano Hi Mita Hana

2. Code Geass

3. Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica

4. Tiger & Bunny

5. Mawaru Penguindrum

6. s-CRY-ed

7. Macross F

8. Angel Beats!

9. Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha

10. Dog Days

Needless to say, Fractale does not feature on the list…


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    Avatar of fre1gn
    Comment by fre1gn
    15:09 04/10/2011 # ! Good (+0.7)

    Macross was always one of the best original anime, but Macross F should be on the top of the list. Forever. Until we finally get the next one, at least.

    Comment by Anonymous
    15:26 04/10/2011 # ! Drivel (-0.9)

    Just because you like it doesn't mean it's original. I think the problem is that there are too many anime with original concepts, if not execution.

    Avatar of fre1gn
    Comment by fre1gn
    15:46 04/10/2011 # ! Quality (+0.9)

    You do know what original means, right?

    Comment by Anonymous

    There are enough Macross spinoffs that every concept in Macross F has appeared numerous times before.

    It's a good series, as are all Macross franchise, but not original by dictionary definition. By the meaningless anime industry definition, as long as there's a one letter difference in the title from the numerous novels, manga and anime already in existance, it's original.

    This list is an insult to true original animes like Madoka and Mawaru Penguindrum.

    Avatar of NakkiNyan
    Comment by NakkiNyan
    16:37 04/10/2011 # ! Quality (+0.8)

    Anon you are a moron, original means it was not taken from a game/LN/manga/whatever, not what you think.

    Reading comprehension would help you greatly.

    Comment by Anonymous
    16:47 04/10/2011 # ! Drivel (-0.9)

    i see everyone here thinks their mighty and everyone else is stupid 8D

    inb4 negatives

    Comment by Anonymous
    17:32 04/10/2011 # ! Good (+0.7)

    I do wonder what Nanoha is doing on the list. She's technically a spin-off of Triangle Heart...

    Comment by Anonymous

    I'm pretty sure it's cause they are counted as separate series,despite having similar settings.In this case Nanoha was not adapted from Triangle Heart,but they just so happen to have similarities.Like Macross F and the other Macross stuff.

    Avatar of VVayfarer's Yuri Alter Ego
    21:11 04/10/2011 # ! Neutral (0)

    Tiger & Bunny?! Are you serious?! That lame anime shouldn't be on this list!

    Comment by Anonymous
    22:38 04/10/2011 # ! Neutral (0)

    "Original" has multiple meanings. And yes, the title could be misleading if you didn't already know what's it all about.

    Comment by Anonymous
    22:59 04/10/2011 # ! Neutral (+0.2)

    "I do wonder what Nanoha is doing on the list. She's technically a spin-off of Triangle Heart..."

    Technically every Mahou Shoujo is a spin-off of an another Mahou Shoujo.

    Comment by Anonymous
    23:32 04/10/2011 # ! Neutral (0)

    Isn't angel beats from light novel so technically not a original anime?

    Comment by Anonymous
    00:26 05/10/2011 # ! Neutral (0)

    No. Angel Beats is an original anime that Key made to start off a media franchise. In other words they wanted manga, games, toys and etc. to follow the success of the anime.

    Comment by Anonymous
    00:50 05/10/2011 # ! Neutral (0)

    Nanoha uses the characters from Triangle Hearts but you can appreciate that it's pretty much original aside from the character.

    You can make an anime out of Ishihara and as long as it doesn't follow an already marketed form of script, it's essentially original for the means of this poll.

    Avatar of shiroki
    Comment by shiroki
    18:59 05/10/2011 # ! Neutral (0)

    Wasn't Nanoha from that Triangle Heart fandisk, Lyrical Toy Box or something.

    Avatar of Roy
    Comment by Roy
    09:26 08/10/2011 # ! Neutral (0)

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    WHAT THE FUCK DOES TRIANGLE HEART HAVE TO DO WITH ANY MAHOU SHOUJO?

    NOTHING, EXCEPT THERE WAS A SMALL GIRL WITH ORANGE HAIR & LARGE PIGTAILS CALLED NANOHA~!

    grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

    Comment by Anonymous
    22:42 04/10/2011 # ! Neutral (+0.4)

    I totally agree with you, although I might be down rank really soon.

    Macross F is the worst in the Macross series I've ever seen. The plot is poorly written.

    I hate to see Valkyrie fighting stupid insects, especially when they're controlled by some queen and deception.

    And the justification for the heroines to affect those insects are ill-planned. After watching whole series. I couldn't find out the main theme besides traditional "fighters", "love triangle."

    The original Macross give me the strong impact of the cruel of war than original Gundam. Hikaru is not the best and he won't win Min-mei back from her ambition of being a singer. It also remind me everything couldn't be perfect and how does a war change everyone.

    Macross 7 bring a hero who appears to be reckless and irrational. But it suggest a rare value in the modern age: "faith," which makes Basara finally became a most important factor to end a war like Min-mei did.

    Macross F? Sorry, maybe I'm just too retarded to get it.

    Comment by Anonymous
    01:28 05/10/2011 # ! Neutral (+0.4)

    If you honestly think Macross 7 is better than F you are... my GOD I can´t even put it into words...

    Comment by Anonymous
    01:39 05/10/2011 # ! Neutral (0)

    It really depends on what kind of standard you put on them. If you're talking about graphic, then certainly, Macross F is the winner here.

    But it comes to music. It might be hard for someone like me who love Fukuyama Yoshiki's music to choose between.

    I'm willing to listen your comment about both works and why do you prefer Macross F if you can put them into words. Thank you.

    Comment by Anonymous

    I think "awesome" is the word you were unable to find.

    Comment by Anonymous

    You are too retarded to get it.

    Comment by Anonymous
    16:01 05/10/2011 # ! Neutral (+0.2)

    Macross 7 was absolute crap. It's ONLY redeeming feature is the music of Fire Bomber. The story is crap (why did they spend 20 something episodes on his love for the vamp girl then she just leaves?), there is no ending (not really necessary as there isn't 2 lead girls, something essential to Macross) and the animation is garbage. Shit, SDF's animation blows it away and it's a dozen years earlier.
    If I want to "watch" M7, I just grab my ipod and listen to Fire Bomber....that's the whole anime for me now.

    BTW, you completely misunderstood SDF....Hikaru did not fail to win Minmei back...he had won her back at the end but he chose Misa...one of the few smart love choices ever made by an anime male lead character. The whole point of SDF (hammered home hard in 2012 flashback) is that Minmei fucked up....she had Hikaru at the beginning but then her ambition and her hanging around the (very creepy) Kaifun pushed him right into Misa's arms.

    Comment by Anonymous

    Then it's another turn of someone who did not get Macross 7. If you know about how did they produce in order to "fill up" the schedule in Japanese TV program, you would realize the repetitive part is a non-voidable trade off in order to satisfy toy maker and request of TV station.

    Try to look something from the top instead always from the bottom please.

    About whether it is Minmei's ambition/hanging-around or Hikaru's choice to make Minmei herself leave Hikaru is a open question,I think.
    My point of view is:
    Minmei can choose to stick around with Hikaru and try to win him back if she wanted.(Keep going like a love comedy that later provided by Macross F.)But she choose to focus on being a better singer.

    You may have your own point of view, so as well for the others.

    Comment by Anonymous
    16:04 04/10/2011 # ! Quality (+1.0)

    Macross series always had great soundtracks.

    Avatar of Shippoyasha
    Comment by Shippoyasha
    16:53 04/10/2011 # ! Good (+0.4)

    Also, a totally shameless and utter love and reverence for bubbly, girly J-pop. You have no idea how many people even in Japan are cynics for bubbly pop until a Macross anime comes out.

    That said, original anime kind of annoys me since the TV networks and magazines always used 'original' and 'master work' as huge buzzwords for something. And of course, the lesser known directors and projects just gets shoved aside, not because they're bad, but because they don't get publicity.

    Comment by Anonymous
    17:25 04/10/2011 # ! Good (+0.6)

    I think you should check the composer for Macross F series, before insulting the quality.

    Avatar of Shippoyasha
    Comment by Shippoyasha
    19:01 04/10/2011 # ! Neutral (+0.2)

    Oh no. I love Macross F and all Macross soundtracks.

    I LOVE bubbly J-pop. It's one of my favorite kinds. It's just that people are quick to dismiss the genre or make fun of it and then with a huge Macross series, people are suddenly believers in bubbly, girlish J-pop again.

    Avatar of MK 7 DUDE
    Comment by MK 7 DUDE
    20:32 04/10/2011 # ! Neutral (0)

    "Also, a totally shameless and utter love and reverence for bubbly, girly J-pop. You have no idea how many people even in Japan are cynics for bubbly pop until a Macross anime comes out."

    Shippoyasha, gimme a high-five!
    Now someone knows some LOGICAL POINT!

    Comment by Anonymous
    07:08 06/10/2011 # ! Neutral (0)

    Really??? FUcking dog days gets on the list and usagi drop doesnt??? WOW who did they poll? Just MOE lovers?

    Avatar of Carrot_Glace
    Comment by Carrot_Glace
    10:22 06/10/2011 # ! Neutral (+0.2)

    Usagi Drop isn't original anime, it's based on a manga.

    Avatar of Momoyo
    Comment by Momoyo
    15:11 04/10/2011 # ! Good (+0.3)

    Ano Hana and Code Geass <3 <3 Manly tears were shed watching them <3

    Avatar of Yoshii-kun
    Comment by Yoshii-kun

    Have yet to see another show at the level of Code Geass.
    Perhaps the new one will...

    Avatar of Gitami
    Comment by Gitami

    Hope it's not a gundam. They need to spend some time planning their second season. I hope T&B can escape the 2nd season curse.

    Comment by Anonymous
    21:47 04/10/2011 # ! Neutral (0)

    I prefer shedding semen

    Avatar of Megidola
    Comment by Megidola
    23:20 04/10/2011 # ! Neutral (0)

    Oh, plenty of that was shed too, when Anaru appeared...

    Avatar of koga88
    Comment by koga88
    15:12 04/10/2011 # ! Neutral (0)

    Pleasantly surprised to see Dog Days show up on the list, even if it is ranked #10

    Comment by Anonymous
    17:18 04/10/2011 # ! Neutral (0)

    Well although the plot was pretty cliche like 99% of anime out there. The concept itself was pretty original in it's implementation.

    Avatar of snorjax
    Comment by snorjax
    15:13 04/10/2011 # ! Quality (+0.8)

    Where the fuck is my Neon Genesis Evangelion?

    Avatar of Garyuu
    Comment by Garyuu

    It's not here because it's a "top 10" list, not a "bottom 10" list.

    Comment by Anonymous
    15:25 04/10/2011 # ! Good (+0.6)

    shoulda been on there, just glad s-cry-ed made it in

    Avatar of Satonaka
    Comment by Satonaka
    18:43 04/10/2011 # ! Neutral (+0.2)

    Yeah S-cry-ed was pretty bad ass. The deviation from the manga completely made it one great story. Looking forward to the "movie" coming out, hope its not just a retelling of the entire season ><

    Comment by Anonymous
    02:40 05/10/2011 # ! Neutral (0)

    Actually, the manga was an adaptation of the anime.

    Avatar of Konjou
    Comment by Konjou

    it was based on a manga, so it was ruled out of the list

    Comment by Anonymous
    15:50 04/10/2011 # ! Neutral (+0.2)

    No it wasn't. While the manga may have hit the public first, that was simply an issue of it taking longer to make an anime.

    Matter of fact, that manga was only made to drum up interest for the anime.

    Avatar of Imyou
    Comment by Imyou

    The manga for Evangelion was serialized in Kadokawa's Shounen Ace since the 90s. I used to read it when the anime was still coming out, so it's disqualified from this list.

    Comment by Anonymous
    16:01 04/10/2011 # ! Good (+0.6)

    The criteria is anime not based on manga, light novels and games.

    NGE the anime wasn't based on the manga.

    Said series was already in production when the manga was first published.

    This isn't a case like Ga-Rei -> Ga-Rei Zero

    Avatar of Bayonette
    Comment by Bayonette
    15:51 04/10/2011 # ! Good (+0.6)

    Evangelion is from the 90s, so this ranking is only for anime that aired from 2000 to the present!

    Comment by Anonymous
    16:15 04/10/2011 # ! Neutral (+0.4)

    Well, the Eva manga began publication several months before the TV series aired, but given that it was an adaptation of the forthcoming TV series, and not the other way around, I doubt that's the reason.

    However, this list is typical of what we've seen with such polls in the past: it consists almost entirely of shows which aired with the last two years (some even currently airing), with a couple of scattered shows from the past decade thrown in, but completely lacking in shows older than ten years. The Japanese fanbase (with the exception of the more hardcore otaku) has a notoriously short memory.

    It's not only Eva that's conspicuously absent; other notable omissions include (but are not limited to):

    -Science Ninja Team Gatchaman
    -Space Battleship Yamato
    -Mobile Suit Gundam (the original series)
    -Space Runaway Ideon
    -Utena (as with Eva, that the Utena manga was actually published before the simultaneously created - and separately developed - TV series was aired is a mere accident of history)
    -Nadesico
    -Cowboy Bebop (though not held in nearly as high regard with the Japanese as with foreign - especially English-speaking - fans)
    -Lain
    -Now and Then, Here and There
    -Noir
    -PreCure
    -TTGL

    Not to mention that Macross F is up there, but not the original Macross.

    And that's only the TV series. I'm assuming OAVs were ineligible. Otherwise, where (among others) is Gunbuster?

    Comment by Anonymous
    17:48 04/10/2011 # ! Neutral (+0.2)

    looking at the ranking through the link (with google translate, lol), and the list is quite a bit longer...

    14th: Nadesico
    15th: TTGL
    22nd: Noir
    24th: Issho ni Training Ofuro: Bathtime with Hinako & Hiyoko (lol)

    Comment by Anonymous
    02:23 05/10/2011 # ! Neutral (0)

    So it's a combination of short memory and shit taste, then?

    Comment by Anonymous
    22:11 04/10/2011 # ! Neutral (0)

    can't believe, you forgot samurai champloo

    Comment by Anonymous
    02:21 05/10/2011 # ! Neutral (+0.2)

    Not so much "forgot," as purposefully limited my list of possible omissions to a dozen entries, so as to avoid typing all night (hence why I said, "not limited to"). Believe me, I had quite a few others in mind that I didn't mention. For instance, I'd have thrown RahXephon out there, too, except it would have seemed like I was mostly just pushing mecha series.

    As it was, my list was longer than the poll list. Obviously all of these shows can't be top-ten all time. Some of them might deserve that honor ahead of some of those on the poll list, though. I have to believe that, if nothing else, Utena and Gundam deserve to be on there more than, say Angel Beats and Dog Days.

    Comment by Anonymous
    12:33 05/10/2011 # ! Neutral (0)

    You missed:

    Megazone 23

    Harlock

    Macross

    Maybe Bubble Gum Crisis

    and...

    DIRTY PAIR!!

    Comment by Anonymous
    20:53 05/10/2011 # ! Neutral (0)

    Harlock is based on a Manga, which started its run in January 1977. First anime didn't come out till March 1978.

    No sign that the manga was used to drum up interest for the anime.

    Dirty Pair was based on a Light Novel series.

    Megazone 23, The Super Dimension Fortress Macross and Bubble Gum Crisis are indeed originals.







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