Debate topic 3: What is the [i]best[/i] anime you have ever seen?

This is a difficult one, because a lot of anime has such dramatically different genera that comparing them becomes incredibly difficult.

Still, if I had to choose, I would say Fate Zero. It's one of the few shows I've seen that, at least in and of itself, nothing I would suggest to improve. Its characters were diverse and entertaining, the plot took a lot of shocking twists and turns, and the ending was innovative and interesting. It was everything Fate Stay Night should have been, a phenomenal series with amazing action, thoughtful dialogue, and beautiful animation.

This is an unfair question, because I want to sing praises for To aru Majutsu no Index and Type-Moon. But the anime for TMnI doesn't express all the sheer epicness of the story that the light novel contains properly. As for Type-Moon...that's not an anime.

Fate/Zero is near the top of my list. Love it, best animates series Type-Moon has offered us, its only competitor being the Kara no Kyoukai short movies. But still not my favorite, as much as I love it.

Mirai Nikki was fantastically done, honestly, but it could have been better. The ending was disappointing and out of character for the anime's concept. Deadman Wonderland was good at first, but it went down a road that failed to retain the good plot that I was hoping for.

Shingeki no Kyojin...well, it is undoubtedly a fantastic and somewhat faultless anime, but the style doesn't suit me. 'Shallow' is far from the proper word, but it's the best way to expression what it lacks for me.

Which leaves the Monogatari Series and Hataraku Maou-sama. Both are the pinnacle of expert animation. While their plot doesn't have the depth of the Raildex-verse or Nasuverse, the storyline is still good and the characters are hilarious. I literally looked forward to every episode and loved each one. The animation is the best of the season it was released it and when combined with great soundtracks and excellent voice acting, naturally I have to put them at the top.

Ironically, both of their light novels aren't as engaging, showing that the perfect animation is where all the draw comes from. Nevertheless, I can't choose one over the other.

Calling any one anime "the best" seems weird to me. But I'll have to go with Death Note. It's not my favorite anime, but it did leave me at the edge of my seat more than any other, and I think that says something.

If I had to choose it would be between Death Note and Monster.

Death Note: Light is one of the most cold hearted characters I have ever seen. He wont hesitate to kill anyone at all. An evil character and yet they make him the protagonist. I love that! I love whenever we get to hear the story from the bad guy's perspective. It makes the story so much more interesting and exciting as apposed to if from L's view. We get to see the way Light thinks, the way he manipulates, and of course the way he kills. The Death Note is such a creative interesting concept with so much potential. It proves that you don't need action or blood for a series to be exciting. The characters are fascinating. I love both L and Light, (though I admit I love L a lot more). The way their minds work are so intriguing. I do not care if a character is good or evil, if they're smart they're interesting. As they think they also make you think. It's one of those anime that you really put a lot of thought into while watching. It makes you think about morality and the value of a life. And that is what makes it one of my most favorites. It also really captures how much a person changes when they posses power. In the beginning Light was actually a pretty good hearted guy. But then when he picked up the Death Note we watched helplessly as he was slowly twisted into a monster. In the end he became the very thing he wished to destroy. Just beautiful~ The anime is great, manga is slightly better, wasn't as good after L's death, but still awesome! And I love that despite how serious it can be it can also be funny at times too. XD Not to mention the art style, dubbing, and soundtrack, are all well done.

Monster: So incredibly underrated~ I admit, it can be dull at times. But just when it is, BAM! Something amazing and suspenseful happens that lures you right back in. The character development is one of the best I've ever seen. Every single character, event, quote, contribute to the making of such an incredible plot. It's so thought provoking. Even in the scenes that seem pointless there's always something there that will greatly contribute to the story later on. The thing I love about it the most is that it has so much symbolism! There's so many hints throughout the series. So detailed. It's similar to Death Note in many ways. One of the main characters, Johan Liebert, is probably at the same level of evil as Light...or more. But you tend to sympathize with him more considering how he was raised. One of the most complex characters I've ever seen. This is a series that tends to really screw with your mind. The dub is great. The ending could be better. But I wish more people would watch it. If you're into thriller, psychological, mystery, I highly recommend it ^ ^

Neither of these happen to be my #1 favorite. But I definitely would call both a masterpiece~

in my opinion the anime that inspires me most is Bleach
this anime is equally important in action , comedy, drama.........
its an amazing world.......the soul society......kubo really did his best..........to be honest i dnt like fillers.......but soul reapers arc and arrancar arc...really rocked.......kubo really made amazinf characters with amazing characteristics.....amazing talents and powers..............this is one of the best animes......this anime is full of mysteries.......mysteries about great characters..........it have an amazing storyline..........
i wish it wont end soon...........

The best anime I've ever seen would be Gintama!!!! I have never seen an anime like this before, its not your typical Shonen anime that drag out battle arcs after battle arcs. Under all the comedy and domestic violence there is actually an underlying plot, if you haven't watched it properly yet you would probably think its just a random anime but NO! its there! you just have to look deeper XD This anime is pure epicness

And the characters, so well made, so deep I want to cry X3 The mystery behind Gin-chan's past is one of the reason that keeps the anime interesting. This anime has every bit of every genre mixed in to it. with its episodic nature their genre is expandable from laugh your ass off comedy, epic action scenes and cry your eyes out sentimental episodes.

Like what Sorachi said: "while other shonen anime need goals for the characters like Naruto who wants to be Hokage or Luffy who wants to be the Pirate king to keep it going, Gintama is different. Though it is necessary to have anime with goals but what about the people who don't know what to do, who don't have goals? That's Gintama, they can see the characters living their lazy lives, it shows you can still keep going through life even without a goal or a dream, you just have to keep living until you find your dream" X3... butchered his words a little but thats pretty much it

You know. It could go many ways but I'm gonna stick with Nurarihyon No Mago as the best anime I've seen. It has an interesting story that seems cliche but really manages to stand out. It deals alot in mythical creatures such as Yuki-Onna and such....ack. I suck at explaining it. Great animation, epic character development. Beastly fights, all in all an amazing anime.

In my opinion of course. XD

For now the best answer I can give is 'Monster' by Naoki Urasawa. To do this anime justice I'd have to sit down for quite a while, therefore I won't attempt to do so. Anyone interested can start reading here... link