Greatest Animated TV Series EVER! (Voting)

[LumRanmaYasha]

Friends, associates, buddies, and pals, the time has come for the a truly ultimate competition.

Yes, for the first time since AR's Top 65 cartoon list, members of the Animation Revelation forum will vote on which animated series, out of 100 worthy competitors, shall earn the crown and title of the Greatest Animated Series EVER created (give or take the 64 anime who were ineligible for this particular competition, of course ).

There will be one thing that's a bit different from previous contests, though. For each series represented in a match, I will try to provide an episode for people unfamiliar or inexperienced with it to watch and get better acquainted with it, in order to help them make a more constructive and fair vote. This won't work all the time, I know, because some shows are hard to find good-quality episodes for, and in those circumstances clips will be used for the comparisons instead. The purpose of doing this is to not let a series be left in the dust simply because some people haven't watched it, and to get some of us to try out some shows we haven't seen paid much attention to before as well.   

The rules are the same as always. Rank your votes from best to least, entries ranked first will receive 4 points, second will receive three points, etc.  As always, it is encouraged for everyone to write-up why you have ranked a series the way you have. The most important thing, of course, is to have a blast seeing how far our favorite animated series will go matched up against other great cartoons, and to see which cartoon among these 100 is the most popular between all the members of the Animation Revelation forums. So, without further ado, let us begin this competition with....

Round 1, The 100 Toon Kumite: Match 1


Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist

VS.


Gargoyles

VS.


The Boondocks

VS.


Daria

My Picks:
The Boondocks - [adult swim]'s greatest satirical comedy, and easily one of the best currently-running animated series in general. There is not a single bad episode in it's current 45 episode run; in fact, the show seems to get better and better every season! I eagerly await season 4, and see what Aaron McGruder and his team have got in store for Huey, Riley, Robert, and of course, everyone's self-hating racist black man, Uncle Ruckus.   

Gargoyles - Easily one of the greatest action-cartoons ever created. This series met the quality and standards set before by Batman: The Animated Series and raised the bar to a new level in excellent storytelling and character developments. Maybe that's an exaggeration, but few series are as well-written and constructed as Gargoyles throughout it's entire run, and if Batman: The Animated Series was the first western action-animated series to tell mature, intelligent story lines, then it certainly was Gargoyles that kept the momentum going and set the standard of quality from our action cartoons that we expect today.

Daria - One of the most relatable cartoons in existence. I didn't go to High School in the 90's, but that doesn't hurt Daria's portrayal of High School life and the daily struggles of the average american teenager in any way, and it speaks to the near-timelessness of the series. I'm sure everyone has met people like Brittany, Kevin, the Fashion Club, and so many of the other character types featured in this series in their real-life high school experiences, and moreover, I'm sure we've all wanted to be like Daria and Jane during that time; smart, witty, and making fun of all the madness. It's a shame I have to rank it third, but it's up against too great competition for me I'm afraid. 

Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist - I've loved, LOVED, what I've watched of this show - which is about a season's worth of episodes here and there. It's the proto-Home Movies in it's style of humor and squiggle vision animation, and every episode I've seen of it is just what you'd expect from the guys behind that series. It's sad that I have to put this last, because it's a great show, but it's the luck of the draw I'm afraid. However, I definately recommend Home Movies fans from checking this series out whenever you can. You'll enjoy it. 

Alright guys, let's start the voting! If you have suggestions of episodes for some of the contenders in the competition you would recommend for other people to check out, please feel free to PM-me, and I'll make sure to link to them in future match-ups and rounds.   

[The Shadow Gentleman]

Gargoyles - Arguably the best American action cartoon ever made
The Boondocks - Adult  animated satire done right
Daria - Admittedly, I have only seen bits and pieces of this, but it looks like it mostly deserves the praise
Dr. Katz - I remember watching reruns of this a while back.

[Foggle]

Good stuff including episodes for each one. Rock on.

Same as Cartoon X for this round.

[Avaitor]

I'm probably not going to vote every match, but this one I wanna do.

Daria- Still one of the shining examples of how to do an animated series for older viewers. The show's varied cast and consistently sharp sense of humor made it a cult favorite almost from the get go, and I can't help but feel like it has even began to surpass its sister show in terms of appreciation in the years since. Just like it should.
Gargoyles- Personal tastes had me rank this second, but it really is one of the best of its kind. Proof that kids were able to watch a series with a flair for continuity, which is something that executives are becoming afraid of today, even with advances in ways to watch their shows. Not to mention the fact that it's bloody brilliant.
The Boondocks- Hilariously subversive, but not without its weak points, like most of season 2, as well as the long-ass time it takes for a season to be made. I'm not as in love with the show as I used to be, but I still admire it greatly.
Dr. Katz- Honestly, I LOVE what I've seen of the show. Special credit goes to its introduction of H. Jon Benjamin to the world. Sadly, I'm just not as familiar with it as I am the others on here, while I also have to say that I prefer later shows in its style, like Home Movies and Archer. In another ranking, this would likely be higher, however.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Same as ShadowGentleman, but I'll still explain my choices.

Gargoyles- I have never seen another cartoon with such a rich lore and such a complex and well-balanced cast of characters. One of my favorite aspects of this series is that, despite the whole theme of the barrier that keeps Gargoyles and humans from completely trusting each other (with the exception of Goliath and his clan), the Gargoyles are the perfect characters to really represent the various different aspects of humanity. One of the great ironies about Demona's character is that, despite her hatred of humans, she is in and of herself a very human character in nature.

The Boondocks- Admittedly I haven't watched enough of this show past season 1, but I absolutely love what I've seen of it. You could argue that it does a better job of highlighting modern day issues and peoples' general stupidity on certain matters than South Park, and you probably wouldn't be wrong (though, for the record, I still find South Park to be a much funnier show, personally). As it stands, this is easily the best thing that I've ever seen come out of Adult Swim.

Daria- I've really only seen 2 episodes of this show before, but I did like them both.

Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist- Unfortunately, I haven't seen this one yet.

Oh yeah, BTW, why the hell was everyone holding out on explaining their choices in the greatest video game thread, where I actually stressed for people to explain their reasoning? Over here everyone is open to sharing their thoughts, but I guess you were all too lazy to write anything in the other thread. Either that, or you all knew that I was factually right about everything, and didn't bother offering up any explanations as they could conflict with my own and you were all scared of looking stupid by disagreeing with my awesome opinions. Yeah, that sounds like a more reasonable explanation for it!

[VLordGTZ]

The Boondocks - Easily one of my favorite shows.
Daria- I've watched about half of the episodes, and I've found it to be really funny.
Gargoyles- I like it but I haven't seen that many episodes of the show.
Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist- I haven't seen that much of it

[LumRanmaYasha]

Great turnout for the first match, guys! 

Before we get on with the results and the next round, I want to elaborate more on the purpose of having the suggested episodes. I feel oftentimes in these tournaments there are matches where people can't really vote on because they are unfamiliar with two-three of the choices. While you can only get so much of an impression of a show from a single episode, the episodes I'm highlighting for each series in this competition serve to showcase some of the best those series have to offer. With that in mind, I would encourage you guys, when there comes a match where you are unfamiliar with two-three of the entries, that you watch the highlight episodes, make a judgement based on those impressions, and then vote. I think it's better than ranking more than one show you don't know that well in an arbitrary order, and besides, these are all good shows here anyway, so you should check them out if you haven't seen them yet regardless. I mean, if they weren't good shows, nobody would have nominated them, would they now? 

With that said, let us see the results of the first match of this competition, shall we?...

Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist - 6
Gargoyles - 19
The Boondocks - 20
Daria - 15

The Boondocks and Gargoyles both proceed to the next round. I have to say, that was a damn tough match to vote on, and it's a crying shame to lose Daria so early on in this competition. This next match will be a lot easier for most people here in comparison, but for me, it's another mean one...

Round 1, The 100 Toon Kumite: Match 2


Invader Zim

VS.


Ranma 1/2

VS.


Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes

VS.


Batman: The Animated Series

I love all these series dearly, and it saddens me that two (and I can already guess which two   ) will have to be eliminated. But that's how the die rolled, so here are my picks for the round:

Ranma 1/2 - Like most people when they start getting into anime, I heard about and saw images of this series well-before I ever watched an episode. I sorta dismissed it as a junk show for a couple years because of the basic premise, and it wasn't until I started watching Toonami Aftermath that I decided to check out Ranma 1/2 once and for all, if only because TA streamed it between a double dose of Red Jacket Lupin and classic Thundercats. And that was probably one of the best decisions I ever made when it comes to anime, because from the very first episode I saw I was already hooked. And there were several reasons for that. Funny, likable, yet oft despicable characters, wacky martial arts parodies, an excellent dub script (this is easily Viz's second best dub after Maison Ikkoku), character expressions, the overall relaxed, but still addictive mood...I could go on. I found Ranma 1/2 to be an anime comedy that could be absolutely ridiculous, but never tirelessly or obnoxiously so, a feat very few other anime comedies, even ones I really like, can so easily accomplish. What's more, it's one of the few long-running anime comedies where I could honestly say stays consistently entertaining beginning to end, and it says a lot that some of my favorites in the series come after the 100 episode mark. Heck, the suggested episode I've highlighted for it is episode 111, and it's not only my favorite episode in the show, but easily one of my top favorite individual anime episodes of all time as well! It's thanks to the Ranma 1/2 anime that I was able to discover the other works of  Rumiko Takahashi. Maison Ikkoku and Urusei Yatsura are two of my favorite anime/manga franchises, as you all know, and InuYasha is actually a pretty great manga, even if it was made into an obnoxious chore of an anime that has sullied it's, and unfortunately, Rumiko Takahashi's, reputation forever. Ranma 1/2 is not really better than the other shows in this match, but it's the show that I have the most attachment to and love most, and it will always be one of my favorite animes. It's too bad it's probably going to be eliminated, but then again, it is up against...

Batman: The Animated Series - It took me over ten years for me to finally say, with conviction, that I love this series. Oh, I watched it as a kid and liked it, but it didn't endear me. It's only been recently, within the last year and a half, that I've come to really appreciate and see the greatness of this series. It tells brilliant character-driven story lines, with villains who really truly feel like people rather than purely villainous antagonists. It's tone is mature, it's art style and use of colors to portray the dark, bleak world of Gotham city is and it has an ambiance and style to it that, frankly, hasn't been rivaled in any other series in it's vain, even the other DCAU shows. It's not my favorite Batman show, but...it's amazing, and so damn good at it's best that it's easy to see why most people consider it one of the top three best animated series of all time.

Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes - Let me level with you guys - before I watched this show, I didn't really care for anything Marvel besides X-men. I don't really like mainstream Superhero Comics, and as kid I didn't even really like the concept and idea of superheroes in general, so I never got acquainted with these characters in a good interpretation of them before I watched EMH. To say that I was blown away by how good the series was is very much an understatement, as I found myself caring for all these characters very early on, and the storylines throughout this series intrigued and hooked me so tightly that I marathoned the entire thing in only a week. It's definitely one of my favorite superhero shows, and I might go so far as to say I like it better than Justice League, crazy as that may sound. Overall, it's an awesome show, and I only hope that Marvel Animation comes to their senses soon and starts produces more series like it and Spectacular Spiderman not too far in the future, as doubtful that may seem...

Invader Zim - Fuck this match for making me put Invader Zim last. It is, in my opinion, the only Nicktoon that has a flawless run of episodes. Yes, at their best I like Rocko and Spongebob more, but I can't think of a single meh episode of Invader Zim. In tone, it sort of feels like what the average [adult swim] show should be, and it's execution of weird, horror and gross-out based humor is always a blast. It's one of the smartest written Nicktoons, in my opinion, and the one I would call the least "kiddy" in it's mood and execution. In a way, this series was 10 years before it's time. If it had come out now, no doubt it would have been a better hit in ratings and enjoyed great success. But being before it's time, and having a perfect run of episodes, and a loyal cult fanbase to this day, ain't that bad either. 

No matter how this match goes down - the way I expect it will or the way of a surprise upset - it's a guarantee that two of my favorite cartoons are going to be cut from this competition. Surely, there won't be can't be any tougher matches than these first two later this round, right? 

[gunswordfist]

Did Samurai Champloo or Case Closed make it in?

[LumRanmaYasha]

Yes, GSF. Samurai Champloo and Case Closed are both participants in this competition. 

[gunswordfist]

Batman - Currently still my favorite Batman and superhero show.
Invader Zim - In the top 5 for Best Nick show.
Ranma 1/2 - Seen none.
Avengers

[Foggle]

Batman
Ranma
Avengers
Zim

[Grave]

Batman
Avengers
Zim
Ranma

Never seen Zim nor Ranma

[Pharass]

Same as Grave.
I've read the entirety of the Ranma 1/2 manga, but I've never seen the anime and I've only watched a few episodes of Zim.

[The Shadow Gentleman]

Same as Pharass

Batman - If I had to pick one animated series to be my favorite tied with Trigun it would have to be this. The design, acting, and writing all hold up amazingly well today, even in the more mediocre episodes. While Gargoyles may surpass it overall, something about this shows really sticks with me. And, you know, Batman.
Avengers - Now this is what really got me interested in the Avengers. Sure, the movies is great, but there's only so much you can do in 2 hours. EMH was able to introduce a ton of different characters and plots I've never even heard of, and some of them my personal favorites.
Invader Zim - I vaguely remember catching some of this back when it aired. A good show, though sometimes it feels like it's going out of its way to tell you it's not like the other Nicktoons.
Ranma 1/2 - Doesn't really interest me. Sorry. 

[Avaitor]

Batman- Yeah, I can't put this any lower, for obvious reason.
Zim- The further we get away from the Hot Topic culture which overrated the hell out of this show, the more its qualities tend to chime. Incredibly dark wit, (often) good random humor, and a unique art design which made it seem like the ugly duckling on Nick, when they really needed one in between the Klasky-Csupo and other lame alternatives. GIR isn't that funny, but I still think it's one of the best Nicktoons of all.
Avengers- Sadly, this never got to become the perfect Avengers show. A so-so start and a toned-down ending, thanks to fucking Man of Action, almost ruined the legacy of an incredible middle run. But compared to the shows we've had before and after, this is a freaking masterpiece.
Ranma- I used to watch some tapes an older friend had of the show when I was in middle school, Honestly, all I can really remember from it are boobs. I do remember reading some of the manga though, and from what I can tell, it's at least better than Inuyasha. Maybe I'll give it more of a chance.