I've been watching anime for about twenty years now.


When I was a kid, I started with VHS tapes of Captain Harlock, Captain Future, Saint Seiya, etc.
Then, when I started middle school, I read tons of manga and watched the great classics from the 2000s to 2010s, from Naruto to the sometimes more obscure ones like Mar Heaven (respect to those of you who know them) or D.Gray-man, Deadman Wonderland, and many more.

Then I took a break from series to focus on feature films, starting with the essentials like the works of Katsuhiro Otomo, Tezuka, Studio Ghibli, and Studio 4. Later, through time and patient online research on forums and other sources, I learned to find the rarer gems. So, there's no need to introduce me to films like Promare, Mind Game, Expelled From Paradise, or Redline; I've seen them all.

Then, for the past three years, I've returned to series, giving a chance to shows I wasn't ready to watch at the time, but which I had on a list (which must be around 500 anime now; I've identified a lot of things to watch, and I won't watch everything—I'm very selective these days) for almost ten years.

I recently discovered Steins;Gate, for example, and the same goes for well-known anime such as Gintama/Galaxy Heroes (the old version; I plan to watch the new one soon)/JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (yes, I'd never seen it, and yes, I regret not having seen it sooner) and also Monster.

Now my problem is that my standards have risen. I know that a series will almost never have, across all its episodes, a quality comparable to what I've seen in certain animated films, like Children of the Sea for those who have seen it.
And it will also be quite rare to find the writing quality and the way it touches me emotionally like Mind Game/Millennium Actress or Colorful (that film hurts).
So, to help you, here are the criteria I'm looking for to find a series that meets my expectations:

1) The question of length: the longer the better. Better, but NEVER at the expense of quality.

A concrete example: I really liked Trigun for its dense and rich story, but on the other hand, the Fate series bored me. There you have it, sorry to the fans, but it bored me, too much talking, some series had plots that could have been held together with tape, no, I don't have time for that.

However, for a long-running series that holds up over time, there's Black Lagoon, for example, three seasons, a well-crafted plot, it's easy to watch.


2) The question of animation

I know that Studio Gainax can't be everywhere (even though I wish they could), however, I'm not asking for eye-popping animation either; I'm more interested in the overall aesthetic, particularly the author's unique style. In fact, if the manga author is good, I'll generally like the animation style.

A concrete example: I've watched absolutely all the anime adaptations of Tsutomo Nihei's manga (including Blame!, even though the film doesn't do justice to the manga), despite the fact that the animation isn't breathtaking (although the latest one is still pretty impressive). I'd also add that I've watched all the anime adaptations of Junji Ito's manga.


3) The question of the script
I particularly like science fiction and heroic fantasy, but I'm open to any suggestion as long as the story is well-written and its development isn't slow (in short, no filler or excessive and unnecessary flashbacks, thank you very much).


4) The question of feelings
I couldn't care less about manga that glorify immoral values ​​or indulge in childish behavior like Negi-Ma-style fan service and other manga for closeted perverts.
Sorry Kakegurui fans, this might sting a little, but your manga is a complete disaster. Someone has to say it one day: it's worthless, as empty as Brook's stomach in One Piece.
I can't watch a manga that goes against my values. Instead of watching the garbage I mentioned above, watch Little Witch Academia, the GOAT.

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