The best anime series ever according to IMDb

As with live-action films and television, the question of the best single anime, or the most popular anime, is a complex one. For many people, the anime that made them fans of the medium will always have a special place in their hearts. This goes double for series with a large number of episodes, because that kind of commitment means the series is good, right? There’s also the unfortunate fact that older titles aren’t easily accessible and are therefore not widely known unless you track down or pirate an expensive physical copy. For example, “Neon Genesis Evangelion” is widely considered one of the best anime of all time, but it wasn’t actually watchable until a few years ago when Netflix licensed it, meaning you’re unlikely to find it on many best-of lists. Anime.

All of this means that it is surprisingly and predictably the best anime series of all time according to IMDb It is “Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood”. The show is ranked 16th on the site’s top 250 TV shows of all time The only animated series that comes before it is “Bluey.” And “Avatar: The Last Airbender.”

“Brotherhood” is actually the second adaptation of the “Fullmetal Alchemist” manga. After the TV show “Fullmetal Alchemist” in the 2000s. “Brotherhood” is set in a fictional 20th century European country and follows two brothers skilled in chemistry. The boys lost their mother when they were young, so they decide to break the biggest taboo in alchemy and try to bring her back via human transmutation. It is not surprising that the experiment failed; One boy lost an arm and a leg, while the other’s body disintegrated and his soul ended up trapped in a suit of armor. The show then follows their adventures as they try to find the legendary Philosopher’s Stone that can make their bodies whole again.

As previously mentioned, Hiromu Arakawa’s “Fullmetal Alchemist” manga was popular enough to merit several anime adaptations, first in 2003 and then again with “Brotherhood” in 2009. Both adaptations were also highly acclaimed and are considered to be huge hits despite that. Their vastly different approaches to the “Fullmetal Alchemist” manga.with “Brotherhood” taking a more faithful route and delivering a poignant and action-packed shonen story, allowing it to claim the title of best anime of all time – at least on one website.

Oddly enough, “Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood” is also ranked as the best anime of all time in the popular anime database. MyAnimeList for about a decade, but that only changed last year when it was dethroned by an entirely new show with only a handful of episodes. This series is ‘Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End’, which is one of the biggest releases of 2023 and The anime that every Lord of the Rings fan should watch. It’s also a stunningly poignant, thoughtful, and moving show about the passage of time, regret, and friendships, as well as an epic fantasy adventure in the world of demons and dragons.

The premise of “Frieren” is simple. It begins with the evil Demon King being killed by a group of heroes, and their decade-long journey has finally come to an end. But while most of the party members are forever bound by friendship and love, the group’s wizard, an immortal dwarf named Frerin, barely registers their adventure as anything more than a stroll around the block—that is, until one of the other heroes dies of his age. Decades later, Frerin realizes that she never got to know her friends properly, prompting her to go on a new adventure to reconnect with memories of her old party.

“Frieren” began airing in September 2023, and MyAnimeList users now rank it as the best anime series of all time, followed by “Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.” Interestingly, third place also went to a very recent title – not even a show, but a standalone special episode in the form of “One Piece Fan Letter”. It’s a well-deserved rating, too, because it’s the best thing “One Piece” has produced outside of the original manga (as well as a great ode to the long-running property and the fans who have followed it for decades).

The top five anime of all time on MyAnimeList are then rounded off by the sci-fi thriller “Steins;Gate” and the second part of the third season of the cultural phenomenon “Attack on Titan.”

Do these classifications mean anything? Not necessarily, but it reflects the enduring appeal of shows like “Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.” 15 years after its debut, it means the show continues to resonate with audiences and be highly regarded.