Nikkei has compiled a ranking of the top classic anime dating from the sixties to the nineties based on a survey of Japanese of all generation, resulting in a fairly definitive indication of just which anime really have stood the test of time – though Japan’s demographics being what they are, the results may be too classic for some…
1. Gundam (1979)
2. Dragon Ball (1986)
3. Tonari no Totoro (1988)
4. Space Battleship Yamato (1974)
5. Laputa (1986)
6. Doraemon (1979)
7. Lupin III Series 2 (1977)
8. Sazae-san (1969)
9. Ginga Tetsudou 999 (1978)
10. City Hunter (1987)
11. Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995)
12. One Piece (1999)
13. Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979)
14. Slam Dunk (1993)
15. Alps no Shoujo Heidi (1974)
16. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
17. Manga Nihon Mukashibanashi (1975)
18. Touch (1985)
19. Fist of the North Star (1984)
20. Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)
21. Yu Yu Hakusho (1992)
22. Case Closed (1996)
23. Mahoutsukai Sally (1966)
24. Candy Candy (1976)
25. Ghost in the Shell (1995)
26. Cowboy Bebop (1998)
27. Mirai Shounen Conan (1978)
28. Chibiko Maruko-chan (1990)
29. Rose of Versailles (1979)
30. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon (1992)
31. Kyojin no Hanashi (1968)
32. Cyborg 009 (1968)
33. Ashita no Joe (1970)
34. Yattaman (1977)
35. Dr. Slump (1981)
36. Urusei Yatsura (1981)
37. Haikara-san ga Tooru (1978)
38. Cat’s Eye (1983)
39. Tetsuwan Atom (1963)
40. Flanders no Inu (1975)
41. Crayon Shin-chan (1992)
42. Gegege ni Kitarou (1968)
43. Youkai Ningen Bemu (1968)
44. Rurouni Kenshin (1996)
45. Tiger Mask (1969)
46. Hakushon Daimaou (1969)
47. Maison Ikkoku (1986)
48. Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu (1988)
49. Obake no Qtarou (1965)
50. Initial D (1998)
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Gunbuster is not in the list, what a shame
You have Evangelion. That's enough GAINAX for a whole list.
Nadia >>> Evangelion
Lost Island Filler destroyed Nadia.
Even though technically speaking Gainax never had the rights to Evangelion. And now with all their capable staff gone.. well.. Gainax is pretty much dead.
What in the world are you talking about? Hideaki Anno 'wrote' the script from start to end and Anno is one of the Founders of Gainax.
I don't know how you got the impression Gainax 'requires' rights to Evangelion.
Please go back into the hole whence you came from chenchen.
Newsflash: Anno left Gainax nearly 10 years ago.
Anno 'resigned' in 2007, which is actually 6 years and a few months ago. Not exactly a 'decade'.
Anno 'resigned' from his position, unless he claimed all rights to the Evangelion franchise, Gainax owns the rights.
I just wanted to point out the ridiculous accusations chenchen was making.
@23:06
As was already pointed out: Gainax never had the rights to Evangelion. What the fuck do you think why he even could found a new studio and make more Evangelion? Because he owns the rights. Not Gainax.
That's why Gainax isn't mentioned anywhere on the new movies. They're from khara. Anno's new studio.
Officially he resigned later, but what do you think how long he worked on the first rebuild movie released in 2007? And what was the last anime he was involved with while working for Gainax? Top o Nerae! 2 from 2004.
actually i'm opted for Secret Of Blue Water or FLCL but the latter is more like a cult classic.
What about Ranma1/2?
Maybe if there was a top 100 list? Then we'd see stuff like Gunbuster, Escaflowne, Cardcaptor Sakura, Akira, Dirty Pair, Tenchi Muyo, Trigun, Cutey Honey, Mazinger Z, Harenchi Gakuen, Macross, Ranma, Gatchaman, Tekkaman, Casshern, Time Bokan, Jojo, Machiko Sensei, GTO, Hajimme no Ippo, Sakigake Otokojuku, Devilman, Oh My Goddess, Kinnikuman, Captain Taylor, Excel Saga, Nadesico, Slayers, Warau Salesman, Saint Saiya, etc...
Very good choices!!!
Where the heck is Sailor Moon?
Never mind that comment
30. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon (1992)
You need to have your eyes check by optometrist immiediately please
he just needs to learn how to use ctrl+f
Puta Laputa!
Y puta la manta que las cobij... No, wait.
I hoped Escaflowne would be on the list... bummer
Japanese audiences were under too much of a post-Evangelion mecha burnout/funk phase to fall in love with Escaflowne as much as Western audiences did.
Slam dunk and YYH should be much higher
Also i'm not sure how one piece is classic... its still freaking on-going.
But it STARTED in 1999, so it fit the criteria it seems.
But i agree with you, i wouldn't call it a classic.
One Piece... if anything could invalidate this list, it's that. It shows that if years past 1999 were allowed the list would be flooded with recent so-called "classics", lol.
it's only there to make happy 1 piece fans.
@Octopi: Yeah, keep deluding yourself!
i agree with him.
I'm sure that even you can think of some "popular and successful" things that should never be considered classics. Or would you like that honor to go to something like "Twilight" as well?
One Piece isn't classic because it's still ongoing? So are Detective Conan, Doraemon, Sazae-san, Crayon Shin-chan, and Chibi Maruko-chan, yet I don't see you complaining about *them*.
Several other titles have recent or upcoming franchise entries as well, such as Ghost in the Shell, Initial D, Sailor Moon, Space Battleship Yamato, and Lupin III.
I don't think that what makes an anime a classic is whether is on going or not, is more a time factor, the way something stays on the mind of people, and is not forgotten, despite time.
But then it is no problem at all, since One Piece will be remembered until the end of time with ease. It is one of the most successful and popular things in Japan ever after all.
more like thanks to the internet.
Well you have to realize at least that the difference between those and One Piece is that the majority of One Piece was made after 1999 (considered "recent times"), even if it did start right at the end of the time frame this poll is allowing.
Probably because i don't watch any of them so i didn't know they were on going.
No Macross. That's not right.
Yeah, together with Gundam it was the Anime that revolutionized the mecha genre...
It should have at least been on the list.
No Macross, or Saint Seiya,Ranma 1/2 but Initial D is there? I understand a lot of the titles are there because of time, but Initial D?
Initial D is probably the biggest thing that spawned out of the whole drifting phenomenon in Japan, so making it to the very bottom shouldn't be impossible, but yeah there are many others missing... I'd like to see a top 100, but still the ordering is confusing. Something like One Piece just made it so high because it's got so many fans today. It's still a popularity contest after all, only made more refined by restricting the nominations to better show what could have stood the test of time.
Original Gundam didn't stood the test of time, though. It just has lots of fans that remember how they liked it way back than.
Fact of the matter, all anime get gradually worse by virtue of new anime having better animation. So that leaves you mostly with story but hey.. old stories tend to be boring and outdated.
Really? I've seen most Gundam fans refer to the older ones to be the best... they always refer to stuff like Wing and SEED as crap or overrated.
Better animation? WAT
SEED is genuinely shit, though.
A lot of fans refer to the older stuff as better, and things like SEED being crap not because it's new, but because SEED took Mobile Suit Gundam, tried to make its series an updated VERSION of the original gundam. And failed miserably. The original MSG was good--and the result of SEED was devastating. A lot of japs love it, though. Wing wasn't so much crap, as it was shitty. IT was alright for what it was, but the problems that Wing suffered from wasn't nearly as bad as what Seed suffered from. Leos (basic Zaku/grunt suits in Wing) were destroyed easily. Always. Everything would blow them up from rocks, to stray shells, to empty shells to dud bullets. Leos were absolutely weak, however, you throw a Gboy in there--and all of a sudden the Leos is now 100x stronger, can destroy any Leo, can handle a gundam, and can also never be blown up.
Wing suffered from the plot armor that Kira had, in Seed. In all honesty--had there been no Kira, Seed would have been 900x better, considering the plot armor on Kira is thicker than any mobile suit armor could ever hope to be.
As for Initial D being the last--I'm actually glad it came on the top 50, considering I love Initial D, but I am surprised it's not higher on the list. That being said, Cowboy Bebop being 26 seemed very low for my standards, but, out of the top fifty, who knows.
I'm wondering how Gundam Build Fighters is. I'm interested in it for the milf.
>>Fact of the matter, all anime get gradually worse by virtue of new anime having better animation. So that leaves you mostly with story but hey.. old stories tend to be boring and outdated.
Because what's always been most important about animus is how shiny and pretty they are. Fuck off.
Gundam 0079 sucked ass. As a historic title that created a watered down successful franchise it holds significance, but Gundam 0079 was never good.
Being Amuro is SUFFERING.
When you look at it from Amuro's PoV yes, Gundam was lackluster. But How many people can get a headshot with a bazooka and still keep the body intact. I can name them on one hand.
Char.
End of list...
Macross was revolutionary, yes; but it is by far the one of the most underrated classics of anime. Even then, Do You Remember Love is what made it relevant
That's why there's a giant gundam monument in Japan today?
Yeah SDF Macross is my top anime.
Macross Frontier ftw
true
i can't see why even DYRL isn't on the list
and One Piece doesnt belong in there.... pffft lol
it actually belongs on the top spot
keep telling yourself that edgekun
One Piece is like the most popular manga series in Japan at the moment and has been for a long time.
I didn`t like OP when it began, but in around 2007 i suddenly became a big fan of Mugiwara`s gang.
Mari Yaguchi`s fault?
COBRA
It really makes no sense. I wonder why it's not on there... there must be some weird reason, it must have been exempt from voting...? Both Super Dimension Macross and Do You Remember Love are definitely considered classics in Japan, right?
Nah. What is Macross? You mean NARUTO?! NARUTO and BLEACH NUMBER 1!
fantard
obvious sarcasm?
wouldnt be surprised if serious
Definitely.
Without Macross, this whole list is discredited.
You can always get good laughs from these ridiculous lists.
I don`t believe there is any meaning with these lists where very different anime compete, as little as there is no any reason to make creation of music to competition.
To add to my faves from old times, i love Haruhi and K-on too! So there, you haters, wasting away your lives!
You don`t win anything being cynical.
There's a difference between what you personally like and what should be considered a classic. Some people like Ed Wood, I guess his movies should be classics too? Micheal Bay? Lots of classics there. Lets not forget Twilight, instant classic.
I don`t mind if i am watching classics or not, i watch everything strictly for my personal entertainment.
Sorry, i have seen very little American TV & Movies over 25 last years, only some Seinfeld and such.
I have no opinion of newer USA production. But i love classic movies from 20`s to 50`s!
Well this list is about classics. Also, from the 20s to 50s there were some successful and even popular films that are not regarded as classics today. They just didn't stand the test of time. Time for a lot of critical retrospect is needed to determine what can reconsidered classic.
If you ask X people about old anime and none of them ever watched Macross, but all those other anime on the list... what does that say about Macross?
Japanese people have forgotten love.
no macross, not right