Another top 5 here, now with one of my other favorite topics: Anime and Manga.
Again, these are my opinions and not those of the whole industry or anything.


5.) "Tokyo Babylon" / "X/1999"

Number 5 is a tie breaker for numerous reasons. TB and X take place in the same world as each other and both were developed by CLAMP. Detailing spiritualism and apocalyptic prophecies, these two works are what really got the ball rolling for my interest in anime.
Tokyo Babylon takes place first, detailing the adventures of Subaru Sumeragi, an exorcist who goes around Tokyo excorcising spirits. The manga, made back in 1991, still holds up well to this day and age. Some people might pick at the dated art, but it's pretty interesting to see how well CLAMP has managed to improve their art over the years with their latest works like Tsubasa and xxxHolic. And although the story seems to follow a "monster of the week" approach at first, by the third volume, the main storyline picks up. So it may be better for anyone interested in getting into TB immedietly might want to watch the anime, which takes place during the third volume of the manga with just a brushing up of the character backgrounds.
X/1999 is CLAMP's most recent entry, and still unfinished unfortunetly, despite its anime and anime film counterparts having an end. The manga has more focus on the story and the characters, detailing Kamui Shiro (who looks just like Subaru from Tokyo Babylon) as he is relocated back home to Tokyo, which leads him to his destiny as the main decider in the epic battle of the end of the world. The style is drawn in a shojo style, meant to appeal to girls, but the violence and motiff can appeal even to men. The drawings are vast and detailed (in the manga, some panels took up the whole page which was a fabulous treat for my eyes.) Running into many controversies in Japan, the manga has been pulled almost three times and is still unfinished while standing on 18 volumes. The anime and movie are both great ways to get into the series, but doesn't focus on the plot entirely.

4.) D.Gray-Man

In what some may call Full Metal Alchemist with a dosage of gothic lore, D.Gray-Man is a refreshing mixture of originality, action, and wonder. When the world faces the threat of demons known as Akuma, it's up to the Exorcist Order to elminate the threat with the help of their weapons made from a material known as Innocence and take down the one creating the Akuma, the Millenium Earl. The art style, while clearly of manga and anime origins, has some gothic elements that blend extremely well in a majority of the situations. Although there's some silly humour to be had, D.Gray-Man has heavy themes of friendship and reliance. Main character Allen Walker (whose arm is pretty much an Innocence weapon) comes to rely heavily on his friends at the Order and in his Innocence. The Akuma monster designs were both interesting and very funny, some drawn according to their personalities. Which, on the subject of personalities, a lot of the main characters are oozing with it. Perhaps one of the few works that has ever really done that. Currently, the manga is the only media release that has made it over from Japan, with an anime still floating in liscensing limbo. If you want to start with the manga, you'll most likely have to order it. For one reason or another, bookstores don't like stocking the first volume for one reason or another.

3.) Boogiepop/Lain

Another tie breaker. While Lain and Boogiepop aren't like one another, one thing is common in the two of them: the narration. The narrative shows you obscure and very random scenes, forcing you to pay attention to everything. People at a distance will be either perplexed or amused, while those watching scenes a second or third time, will have a better image of the painting being drawn.
Boogiepop deals with the self titled entity, Boogiepop. For one reason or another, he likes to surface into girls, and acts like split personality. He surfaces whenever evil is around and sees to it that it is vanquished. Boogiepop has one several awards when it first started off as a light novel series, and was then adapted into a manga and a sequel anime was made. The anime follows the narrative mentioned above and chronicles kids experiencing new "talents" and experimenting with them and how it affects those around them.
Lain, on the other hand, is more cyberpunk and philisophical as it deals with Lain, who already lives a funky life, getting an e-mail from a classmate writes in real time she is still alive after she has commited suicide. This leads Lain to embark on a "quest" that goes deep into her mind and life. Lain is probably my more favorite of the two due to its very obscure narration, and with almost little or no sexual and violent content. The word 'weird' can be found in almost every review you hear about it.

2.) Deathnote

This summary totally does not give this work credit.
Deathnote follows Light Yagami, a very smart teenager who lives day to day going to school and studying. In his repetition of days, you'd think he's just an average kid with a life. Between those hours and his free time, he's in his room, watching the news about a hinneous crime, writing off the names of criminals in a notebook known as the Deathnote. As the name implies, the book kills people when their name is written down on it. It isn't long before the world realizes these criminals are being axed (which is what Light wants) and the police call upon the great, enigmatic detective L to track down the killer known as Kira.
As I've said in the beginning, bad summary. Deathnote is one of the most smartest and most brilliant works I have ever had the privelage of reading. The way Light works in his killings and how L tracks down Light is the best edge of your seat action without using over the top action scenes or violence. The art department is so spectacular, the characters are made so realistically, while maintaning the anime feel. Even the characters bleed with so much personality (L is one of my favorite characters of all time). It's a flawless work, paying attention to everything. I found myself being dumbfounded while trying to find plot holes, only to turn up empty handed. It's a genious work, and you will be hooked after reading or watching the first few episodes. The one thing that draws me to this work is it's many themes and questions it asks. Questions like "Would I be tempted to write names in a Deathnote?" or "Is killing criminals a good or bad thing?" are generally brought up throughout the plot and it's interesting to see how the characters display such morals and interests. This is an anime that will stand the test of time.

But then there's number 1....

1.) Neon Genesis Evangelion

Let's be honest, Evangelion is a mech anime from a distance. Don't try and argue with it. Is it a bad thing? No, of course not. But is it solely a mech anime? It can be generally classified as action/adventure, but if I'm on the same page as other anime fans out there, I believe Eva is a little bit of everything. Eva is a landmark anime, there is no doubt about that. This is one of the few animes I have ever watched over and over again, and have learned something new about the plot.
The anime is about the industry's possible first emo character ever created, Shinji Ikari. Summoned by his cold hearted father, he is tasked to ride in a large mech to battle the threat of Angels, large monstrous beings, who wish to cause the next world disaster, Third Impact. The plot at first seems very action like, and the story is very light hearted in the beginning. There are several allusions to what is to come, however. Half way through the series, everything becomes serious and emotionally charged. By the end, you'll undoubtfully want more, but that's where the feature film "End of Evangelion" comes in, tying loose ends and answering questions and fucking with your mind even more.
Oh yeah, this anime is a total mindfuck. It asks questions, practically aimed at you sometimes, and gives answers that are so surreal, so bizzare, I think the baby Jesus would cry if told this instead of a lullabye. The anime at times has hints of an obscure narration much like that in Lain and Boogiepop, but I think more people will understand what's going on with just a rub against the leg on it. The art style as well set itself apart from it's sister animes at the time of its debut around 1994-1995.
Not to mention, it covers many many themes. From psychology, religion, pop culture references, and romance, Eva has you covered.
I have yet to find an anime (next to Deathnote) that is so epic, full of depth, full of personality and so original. Evangelion is that one anime that truly stands itself apart and makes itself a landmark title. It makes me happy to know such a large anime exists and can only pray we see liscencing of the Rebuild movies, which revists the whole series and draws everything from scratch. Eva is my number one anime, 'nuff said.