30 BEST ANIME SERIES (for adults . . . mostly)

Shinji Ikari is a shell of a boy. Mysterious, terrifying goliaths called Angels attack a Neo Tokyo that is desperate to defend itself. Shinji's father is the creator and commander behind humanities combined efforts and blasphemous science that has birthed the Evangelion. Shinji is told to pilot it and kill to save humanity. If he does not, he has no use and will be discarded to a life of solitude. This is just the tip of the ice berg and the entrance of the labyrinth.

A true classic of the genre. The technical tenacity of the world created and the intricacy of the storyline are matched only by the earth shattering battles and gloriously violent choreography that set the standard for Mecha anime today.

An action packed tragedy of Shakespearean proportions, laced with knights, demons, castle politics, very truthful characters, and topped off with an ending that makes the Rapture look like a high school prom.

The original "Full Metal Alchemist" excelled in all the categories of quality. Then its older brother "Brotherhood" came along and mastered those areas. This is something you can watch with your kids and not feel insulted. If you doubt the series in the beginning, be patient, you'll be rewarded with a "Game of Thrones" level saga that has no drawback or weakness in its armor. A unique boast and achievement indeed.

Unique art style, and character design, intense Mecha battles, and a game of chess that spans the whole series. If you're turned off by fads of anime, this show has a counterpoint to all of them. Give this series a wide birth and let it do its work. You'll be proud to fathom the experience.

One of the most intellectually stimulating and technically relevant shows ever created. Beautiful animation quality, realistic characters, driving music, and concepts that would make Steven Hawking clear his schedule for pondering time.

Taking the time to understand the technology being presented, the moral and political implications that come with it, and asking us what's left of individuality and humanity once the majority of your existence is synthetic, is so very, very worth it.

Baccono is a rarity in anime to be sure. It's a smartly crafted nonlinear story that's driven by some of the best original characters. There are charming mobsters, sinister alchemists, morbid assassins and a motley crew of refreshingly comedic and oddly deep disenfranchised riff raff from the streets of 1920's America. Impressive animation, impeccable storytelling and fresh characters make this a series not to overlook.

The anime adventures of Han Solo and the Millennium Falcon. Cowboy Bebop has extremely likable characters, sharp animation, highly stylized music that every other show has tried to copy since, and a perfect blend of drama and downright coolness. This is the original. Except no substitutes.

A bored Tokyo business grunt gives up his life of monotony to join a group of pirates lead by one of the most honestly sexy, tough, female characters in anime . . . scratch that, IN FILM! It's Pulp Fiction wearing cutoff shorts, and an eye patch, driving a torpedo boat, and that's before the story goes anywhere. This anime is accessible to any crowd and is pure fun.

People live behind mountain high walls, because on the outside there are hulking; lumbering giants that look like skinless humans called Titans. They breach the wall, and a splatter fest of violence erupts. The only defenses are crews of swordsman that use Bat Grapples and zip line to high altitude to conduct sky scraper murder battles. The animation is frightening and the action is beyond intense. It is unfinished at the moment, but since one of the series writers is from "Berserk", you know the story will just get deeper and darker.

At first glance Soul Eater might seem like it belongs in the Naruto/Bleach pile, but stand fast and give it time. What looks kiddy is actually a masterful art style that resembles Tim Burton's earlier works.

The youth of the series are being trained at an academy to reap souls and eat them. Some of the characters are meisters and wield weapons and the other characters . . . are the weapons. The head of the school is none other than Death himself. It's unique, action packed and truly disturbing at times. The big identifier for this show is art, art, art. It looks fantastic, and you can watch it with the kids without fear of hemorrhaging brain cells.

An extremely bored student with an impressive IQ spies a book falling from the sky one day. It's called Death Note and reads with instructions like, "When the holder of this book writes a person’s name in here they will die from a heart attack unless method of death is otherwise specified."

He begins a quest of murder justified by his own ego until an investigator who would make Sherlock Holmes nervous starts tracking him. A game of cat and mouse ensues that boasts the most rewarding and complicated game of chess I've seen. You should see it too.

Great animation, twisted characters, and story evolution that proceeds with the finesse of a bullet train. Death Note is a thrill ride for the mind.

The world created in the show goes from the sterile emotionless society preserved in a dome, to the deserts of the free willed disenfranchised and the grief-scape beyond. If you like a dark mood and a world that is handed to you in pieces, then enjoy the ride.

The characters are a mystery. All of them. Each with motivations both pure and twisted. They do not unravel to the promise they are capable of in my opinion, but still hold genuine revelations that are rewarding and wholesomely desolate to behold.

The music is some of the best I've heard in anime. Ghostly, uplifting with consequence and melodically tense.

I recommend this to anyone who's ready to break from the norm and take a trip. Whether or not you like what is at the end for the characters is irrelevant in this show. Somewhere along the line I believe this show has a way making you ask question about yourself, and that's always worth the time.

A story about people who die in Tokyo and are then transported to a room where a black sphere provides them weapons, tech suits, and a violent mission. It feels like "Lord of the Flies" running around with sawed off shotgun in a strip club.

It's a psychological experiment, and a cruel peepshow of the human mind, covered in porn obsessed, violent fan service. It's an odd example of a show that works in a bold, intrusive way (if you let it). It's easy to hate, punishing to love, and impossible to ignore.

This show is hard swallow, but undeniably original, worth the risk, and offensive in all the right ways. The characters are hard to love, but if you do, it feels earned. If your easily offended, require concrete storylines, and are not interested in the worst human psychology has to offer, than keep moving. This show has faults, but most are intentional.

Gantz, the enigma.