Top 25 animated shows

[muon2]

Courage the Cowardly Dog should at least get a mention for it serving as a vehicle for horror to become an acceptable type of children's entertainment. 

From the link, this is supposed to be a list for adults.

[Mopsus]

Whoever wrote this list should have separated the pre-movie SpongeBob SquarePants episodes from the post-movie ones. Tragically, with the latter bloc of episodes included, the show does not deserve to make the list.

Avatar definitely deserves to be on that list. Brilliant blend of humor, fantasy, and action without treading into the full on anime territory.

Yeah, that's what my kids are saying, I had no idea it had humor in it.

Like half the dialogue is jokes. That and the fantastic canon lore are what make the show charming, to me.

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

Avatar definitely deserves to be on that list. Brilliant blend of humor, fantasy, and action without treading into the full on anime territory.

Yeah, that's what my kids are saying, I had no idea it had humor in it.

Like half the dialogue is jokes.

Yeah, this is a show that manages to make blind jokes in a way that isn't offensive. (It helps that the blind character is usually the one making them, and that her other senses are basically those of Daredevil).

Why anime in general is frowned upon makes no sense frankly. I mean, can you seriously say Cowboy Bebop is a horrible show no matter what side of the Pacific Ocean you live on?

I never cared for the "anime."  It took me years to figure out what that meant, by the way, as the word looks like a misspelling of a class of nitrogen-containing compounds.  About 15 years ago I finally figured out that "anime" was that Japanese-style drawing with big creepy eyes and rounded faces and little pointy noses.  Then it clicked.  Speed Racer was anime.  It was the only anime show that was on when I was little (very early 70s).  I remember that I never enjoyed that show, but my brother loved it and it came on between other shows that I liked, so I always caught snippets.  That monkey was far more scary than any of the monkeys on the Wizard of Oz.  The whole thing strikes me as very fascist.  (I had neither the words "fascist" nor "anime" in my vocabulary at the time, but I'm sure that it was how I felt.  Tense and a bit frightening.  Rigid.  Big, scary eyes.  Exceedingly large mouths--the head opens like a huge garbage can when they scream.  Unrealistic body movements.  And it's all so rigidly structured.  Even the surrealistic creatures have a certain pattern that is strictly followed by all the artists.)  I guess I can appreciate most other styles--the digitization style of The Critic, the sketchwork of the "Take on Me" video, stick figures, even Simpsonization--but anime is annoying. 

Ah, to each his own.  I never cared for Jackson Pollack's work either, although I understand that people pay millions of dollars for some of his paintings.  Nowadays, I've learned to stomach a little of the "anime" because many of my son's favorite cartoon movies are the Hayao Miyazaki movies.  They're actually pretty good stories, but the characters still look tense, rigid, stilted, and generally creepy to me.

To be fair, the main character of the show that he's referring to looks like this:

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

The rest pale in comparison to Hong Kong Phooey!

If I didn't already have a girlfriend, I'd ask you to marry me just for saying that.

[afleitch]

At the moment? Bob's Burgers.

[angus]

To be fair, the main character of the show that he's referring to looks like this:

Of course that changes everything.  No pink backpacks and automated dancing machines in Kara'oke bars?  I studiously avoided any specific mention of the show because I haven't seen it, but the mariachi brand gives him a bit of the manliness.  (Jose Cuervo's Japanese brand, I suppose?)  Double bonus points for the ashtray full of Marlboro butts.

Maybe I should be more open-minded about anime.

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

Spike Spiegel (yes, his name is Spike Spiegel) is one of the manly protagonists of late-nineties popular cultures, at least in circles that know of him. I think you'd like Cowboy Bebop. It's got spaceships, gunfights, mobsters, and manly plot and thematic elements like a disgraced ex-cop trying to deal with his dark past on the force and Spike seeking revenge on...spoilers, but rest assured that he's seeking revenge. The animation and art style are generally naturalistic and if anything slightly too fluid, the 'morals' of most episodes are life lessons like 'don't leave stuff in the fridge', and the soundtrack is almost entirely jazz.

[they don't love you like i love you]

I've always been under the impression Cowboy Bebop is considered anime for people who don't like anime. Not that anime fans hate it, but there's ones they'll find far better, and its crossover appeal means it's not really a good measure of the genre. There's certain far more obscure works that one can use as a benchmark to identify an anime fan, but someone saying "I like Cowboy Bebop" doesn't identify one as such flat out. Kind of like someone claiming to be a fan of Hayao Miyazaki, although to be fair the distinction here is more between simply liking Miyazaki's work (which plenty of people not fond of anime otherwise do) and absolutely LOVING it (like the die hard anime fans do.)

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Two things-

1. Futurama and South Park are both terrible IMO, but again, I am in the minority of those who pretty much despise everything Matt Groening's ever made. [/heretic]
2. I've never even got the KOTH love everyone I've met seems to have. (again, [/heretic])

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Courage the Cowardly Dog should at least get a mention for it serving as a vehicle for horror to become an acceptable type of children's entertainment. 

Definitely!

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

I've always been under the impression Cowboy Bebop is considered anime for people who don't like anime. Not that anime fans hate it, but there's ones they'll find far better, and its crossover appeal means it's not really a good measure of the genre. There's certain far more obscure works that one can use as a benchmark to identify an anime fan, but someone saying "I like Cowboy Bebop" doesn't identify one as such flat out. Kind of like someone claiming to be a fan of Hayao Miyazaki, although to be fair the distinction here is more between simply liking Miyazaki's work (which plenty of people not fond of anime otherwise do) and absolutely LOVING it (like the die hard anime fans do.)

That's more or less accurate. People who are Into anime almost invariably do consider it very good indeed but might also say that, from 1999 alone, Great Teacher Onizuka or Now and Then, Here and There is a better series (I wouldn't agree with that but I've heard it said; I've never however heard the same person claim that both are superior to Cowboy Bebop), and they'd probably cite some combination of Sailor Moon, Neon Genesis Evangelion (although that's more polarizing than it used to be and its vast influence is considered pernicious almost as often as it's considered laudable), Shoujo Kakumei Utena, and Serial Experiments Lain for the nineties as a whole. Personally, I think Utena is the best anime and one of the best television series ever made--even what would have been flaws in other shows, like overuse of stock footage and bizarre and sudden shifts in tone and modality, it makes part of its charm--but that's just me.

[Free Bird]

No Bob's Burgers? Joke list.

Well of course you would point that out

[Free Bird]

Am I the only one that thinks Spectacular Spider-Man is overrated? The animation can not be any more childish. I don't care if the writing is great. If you have such 4Kids animation, I can't take you seriously. And don't get me started in Batman TAS. The while DCAU is awful.

Also no KOTH means me no likey

[Хahar 🤔]

Gravity Falls is an excellent program; it's not perfect, but I'm very interested in its forthcoming return.

[Citizen (The) Doctor]

I've always been under the impression Cowboy Bebop is considered anime for people who don't like anime. Not that anime fans hate it, but there's ones they'll find far better, and its crossover appeal means it's not really a good measure of the genre. There's certain far more obscure works that one can use as a benchmark to identify an anime fan, but someone saying "I like Cowboy Bebop" doesn't identify one as such flat out. Kind of like someone claiming to be a fan of Hayao Miyazaki, although to be fair the distinction here is more between simply liking Miyazaki's work (which plenty of people not fond of anime otherwise do) and absolutely LOVING it (like the die hard anime fans do.)

Oh don't get me wrong, there are plenty of anime pieces that I (personally anyway) enjoy more (Evangelion, 5 Centimeters Per Second, Steins;Gate, Eden of the East, The Big O), but whatever the case may be, one cannot deny the influence shows like Cowboy Bebop if only due to its crossover appeal, which if you think about it, is partially why Avatar is on this list in the first place.

[angus]

Spike Spiegel (yes, his name is Spike Spiegel) is one of the manly protagonists of late-nineties popular cultures, at least in circles that know of him. I think you'd like Cowboy Bebop. It's got spaceships, gunfights, mobsters, and manly plot and thematic elements like a disgraced ex-cop trying to deal with his dark past on the force and Spike seeking revenge on...spoilers, but rest assured that he's seeking revenge. The animation and art style are generally naturalistic and if anything slightly too fluid, the 'morals' of most episodes are life lessons like 'don't leave stuff in the fridge', and the soundtrack is almost entirely jazz.

Okay, I watched the first episode.  Very engaging.  The entire episode was packed with action and featured a decent body count.  Spike is a cross between Clint Eastwood and Captain Kirk, equal parts exploitative opportunist and heroic icon, imperfect but with an angel on his shoulder.  The bad guys were no more or less likable than the good guys.  I respect that.  I especially enjoyed the fact that the beautiful brunette died horribly, but only after killing her violent, drug-abusing boyfriend with a gun at very close range.  Wholesome family entertainment.  Two thumbs up. 

[I Will Not Be Wrong]

Uncle Grandpa
Fanboy and Chum Chum
Planet Sheen

[Dr. Cynic]

You know what was a criminally underrated cartoon that was cancelled far sooner than it should've been? Mission Hill.

[7,052,770]

Do people like the Clone Wars animated shows? I've been meaning to check those out on Netflix...

[Negusa Nagast 🚀]

American Dad is better than Family Guy. Venture Bros should be top.

[PPT Spiral]

You know what was a criminally underrated cartoon that was cancelled far sooner than it should've been? Mission Hill.

This and The Oblongs

[they don't love you like i love you]

I still don't get why #2 is there. Seriously that show is garbage. F[INKS]ING GARBAGE. It is some of the most unfunny trash ever put on television and the creators are such terrible human beings and dumb f[inks]ing morons.

And before anyone argues about how it's not right wing: I really don't care. It's a terrible unfunny show regardless of politics.

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

Family Guy is at #9, BRTD, not #2.

[politicallefty]

American Dad is better than Family Guy.

I've always thought so as well, but the height of American Dad for me is in the political satire (which has been lacking in the newer seasons).

For me, I think King of the Hill should be on top.  It's always been very underrated compared to the more popular (ratings-wise) shows on the list. I'm partial to the older episodes (the first season is full of classics, like Westie Side Story and Keeping Up With Our Joneses), but the show really was very strong throughout its entire run. It may have continued on were it not screwed over by Fox's scheduling. They should have taken the opportunity then to end The Simpsons at 20 seasons (even Matt Groening himself thinks the show should have ended years ago).

[dead0man]

You know what was a criminally underrated cartoon that was cancelled far sooner than it should've been? Mission Hill.

Yes.

American Dad is better than Family Guy.

I've always thought so as well, but the height of American Dad for me is in the political satire (which has been lacking in the newer seasons).

For me, I think King of the Hill should be on top.  It's always been very underrated compared to the more popular (ratings-wise) shows on the list. I'm partial to the older episodes (the first season is full of classics, like Westie Side Story and Keeping Up With Our Joneses), but the show really was very strong throughout its entire run. It may have continued on were it not screwed over by Fox's scheduling.

Agree on all (except the part I removed).  I was surprised when no networks offered to keep KotH going.  We probably wouldn't have gotten Silicon Valley if it kept going though, but I think I'd still rather have more of the Hills.