Greatest Animated TV Series EVER! (Voting)

[Pharass]

Same as ShadowGentleman.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

So, after all of the times that you've pestered me to wrap up around, I get to do the same to you for a change.

Pretty much everyone on this board who would ever vote in a competition of this sort, aside from yourself, has already voted, so all you need to do is list your rankings and we can finally decide a winner.

[gunswordfist]

At least you didn't insult him this time you rude trolling jackass.

[LumRanmaYasha]

So, after all of the times that you've pestered me to wrap up around, I get to do the same to you for a change.

Pretty much everyone on this board who would ever vote in a competition of this sort, aside from yourself, has already voted, so all you need to do is list your rankings and we can finally decide a winner.

I was waiting for Pharass to finally finish the Greatest Manga Tournament. 

...But yeah, sorry guys. We should probably wrap this up now, huh? Welp, it's true I'm the only one left that has to vote (the only other regular participant in this competition, at least). I wanted to do lengthy explanations for my choices, but I was busy the last few days, and wasn't in the mood , and still am not in the mood right now. I'll have to keep it short. Of course, voting last means I have the benefit of being I'm also in the position where I'm able to break ties and actually influence which series gets which place, and since I think ties are cop-outs you'll have to forgive me for slightly altering my rankings for effect to prevent any. 

So how do I feel about these series you may ask?....

Gargoyles - My first time watching Gargoyles was in the summer of 2005, when I was in India for two months and spent most of my time watching Toon Disney. Still resistant to watching action cartoons, I initially avoided the series, and I ended up watching it all by total accident. The right episode came on at the right time for me. That episode was "A Lighthouse in the Sea of Time," which I liked for a variety of reasons. I enjoyed seeing a blind character who didn't let his disability stop him from doing what he loved, even helping a main character (Hudson) learn to read (also as a kid I always wanted to see more inclusivity, be it people of different ethnicities, disabled, more female characters, what have you), I enjoyed the Shakespeare references, I enjoyed a non-purely malicious and competent villain in Macbeth, and I especially appreciated that the episode was trying to interest kids in reading without being obnoxious of talking down to it's audience. That impressed me, so I watched more of the series, eventually watching "City of Stone," which captivated me especially because it was 1) the Macbeth-Demona stuff was a tragic, well-crafted story and 2) all the "villains" involved were shown having layers to their characters and not just being "evil," which I enjoyed because as a kid I thought the idea of good and evil was stupid and I believed in people and choices. That's when I really though of Gargoyles as a great show. Then the next episodes I watched after that were from The Goliath Chronicles. Yeah. Needless to say, I didn't care for 'em. Now, if I had seen the rest of the canon series before, then I probably still would have been into the show enough for me to pursue watching it. But my vacation in India didn't last forever, and I didn't have Toon Disney at home, and with other shows on my mind (aka the Dragonball franchise), I forgot about it for a loooooooooonggggg time.

That is, until, earlier this year, when I realized that Disney has the entire series legally available on Youtube. I spent two weeks marathoning the entire 65 episode run of the series, watching up to 15 episodes one night. I couldn't help it, I was amazed. The series was better than even my memories of led me to believe. It more than just held up, it was phenomenally written, acted, animated, and the stories were all quite brilliant from the get-go. I was shocked that they could make an episode like "Deadly Force," not just because of what they got away with, but because it's still relevant and teaches a great message about responsibility that makes me wish all kid should be forced to watch this episode. But of course, I'm a character guy, so what really captivated me were how well-characterized everyone was. They felt like actual people, and there was more to them besides being "heroes" or "villains." But I can't say the story doesn't wow either. I mean, obviously "City of Stone" was amazing because of how it balanced two plots, one taking place 1000 years in the past and one taking place in the present, wove them together into a coherent narrative, developed two characters, had enemies Goliath and Xanatos work together and find newfound respect for each other (and avoided having Xanatos betray Golaith like lesser shows would do), introduced a new set of important antagonists...really a lot of great stuff that went down in only 4 episodes when some shows can't manage to be as good in their whole run. And "City of Stone" was far from the peak of the show's greatness, because the mind-blowing "Avalon" arc came after it which was equally brilliant. I really admire how well-crafted the shows world and mythology is, managing to create scale and open up all sorts of possibilities irresistible for the viewer to ponder. The World Tour may have had some weak episodes in the bunch, but it was great world-building all the same.

Gargoyles really is an adventure and action series unlike any other I've seen, and I was kicking myself for not have re-visited the show any sooner. It's easily my favorite non-anime action-cartoon, though I have to wonder if I'd have loved it even more if I watched it fully was a kid. Nonetheless, it's an action cartoon that hasn't been rivaled by anything else I've seen (and I've seen every major action series at this point), and it really is in a league of it's own, though admittedly not my actual favorite of this match...

Yu Yu Hakusho - I didn't watch Yu Yu Hakusho on Toonami. I didn't watch Toonami regularly until January 2005. I ignored it as the show between Megas and GT, and watched something else during it. Well, I did get interested in checking it out after watching the 4th episode when the block re-started the series in February, but not too long after they took it off completely for Zatch Bell!, and although I was a bit disappointed in not getting to check out more of the show, I got into Zatch pretty quickly and I forgot about it.

Fast forward to September 2006, when, in a mood to watch more anime than what Toonami was offering, I discovered that Colors TV had a FUNimation Channel block, airing two shows I had heard of before: Case Closed and, you guessed it, Yu Yu Hakusho. The first episode I watched was the 15th, "Genbu, the Stone Beast." Though the Saint Beasts arc is the weakest part of YYH, for me as a kid that was a pretty great episode. Starting off it's intense with Yusuke trusting Hiei to save them from being crushed, and then Hiei's moment of badass when he cuts the eye demon in half and proceeds to tell him and Saint Beasts to fuck off. I though that was pretty badass. But the really interesting stuff, for me, was Kurama's fight with Genbu. First off I just though Genbu's stone ability was pretty cool and inventive, and I thought Kurama using a "rose whip" was awesome. I was into untraditional stuff like that as a kid. But mainly I just liked Kurama's smarts as he outwitted Genbu and stole his heart, humiliated him, then mercilessly killed him. That got me sold on the show, and obviously there was better stuff in store after that. Though, it didn't hurt that the entire FUNimation Channel block was three hours of awesome. You guys who  didn't watch it missed out big time.

What appeals to me about Yu Yu Hakusho, first off, is it's characters. Yusuke was my kind of protagonist. He's kinda a jerk and a bit arrogant, but he's got a slick sense of humor and wit, is willing to help, and has a good heart. Kuwabara has an even better one, and although he's kinda goofy, he is really capable of some of the best serious moments in the entire show. "Kuwabara: A Promise Between Men" is one of my favorite episodes in the entire show because of how genuine Kuwabara is in trying to help save his friend's job, and how dedicated he was. Kurama, though, is hands down the best character in the show. Smart, capable of being as cruel and he is kind, devoted to his human mother but struggling to reconcile his past self, he's easily the most consistently interesting character in the entire series and obviously made a big impression on me considering the first episode of the show I watched. As for Hiei, he's just kinda badass, but his development from generic villain to likable hero is fascinating, and his backstory was incredible and a highlight of the Three Kings arc. And of course, the villains, most of them anyways, were all interesting and, best of all, had understandable motivations and history backing up their actions, especially in the case of Toguro and Sensui.

The fights in Yu Yu Hakusho were all pretty clever and enjoyable to boot. Action scenes were never really interesting to me, but Yu Yu Hakusho's were. Mostly because it used all sorts of variations (the battles in the dark and then the swamplands in the Genkai Tournament), interesting gimmicks (Riku's yo-yo powers), and subverted some expectations (Dragon of the Darkness flame's first usage). The fights never felt the same, or generic punches or energy blasts, but very diverse, very smart, often strategic, and capable of tension beyond "oh shit this guy is so strong oh noes" that most action cartoons feature. To be honest my favorite fight in the entire series isn't a fight at all. Kurama and Kaito's taboo word battle is my favorite "fight," moment, and episode in the entire series because I have seen nothing like it in any other action cartoon ever. Here we have a character who is just a normal human, nowhere nearly as strong physically as even the earliest villains in the series. Yet, he quickly holds Hiei, Botan, and Kuwabara's life in the palm of his hands, and there is no way to beat him into submission. Kurama has to outsmart him and beat him at his own word game, and the tension comes from their equally matched wit and looming countdown of the time-limit. And Kurama only narrowly manages to get Kaito to screw up a the end of it. And he does it hilariously. That episode floored me when I first watched it and is still one of my all time favorite anime episode to date.

Of course, the whole beginning section of the Chapter Black was conceptually brilliant. No fists to cross or skulls to break. The villains were humans, not demons, and they weren't stronger than Gouki much less Toguro. Battle of wits are my kind of battles, so obviously, I loved the whole of Chapter Black (admittedly the beginning of the fight with Sensui disappointed me in how straight-forward it was, but still).  The whole story of Yu Yu Hakusho is just exceptional. Characters grow and fully develop, everything happens sensibly and logically, the villains are well-written, things don't drag needlessly long, and it all comes together in the end. And I mean the end. I know the Three Kings arc isn't perfect, but I can't imagine the anime without it. It feels essential to Yusuke, Kurama, and Hiei's character arcs and resolves them perfectly. The last three episodes comprise one of the most emotionally satisfying and well-done anime ending I've ever seen. Overall the anime made the story of it's manga even better than it was, so much so that I consider YYH an anime first and manga second. It's easily the best adaption of a shonen manga ever made.

Normally, I would put this first in a match like this. Yu Yu Hakusho is my 5th favorite anime, and my 10th favorite cartoon in general, which is above where I have Gargoyles. Basically, I just put it second here for tie-breaking purposes.  Still, I do love this series, though obviously not as much as Vlord or E-K. I'm actually surprised it made the top 4, but you know what? It totally deserves it.   8)

Batman: The Brave and the Bold - I have never been more excited for a super hero cartoon than I was for this show. The premise sounded great. A more light-hearted Batman series with minor heroes and villains as co-stars. Not yet a fan of Batman: The Animated Series, and thoroughly dissapointed in The Batman, yet interested in Batman-things in general after The Dark Knight, I was anxious to see this series, and hoped it was good. And boy was it ever. The show hit the ground running. It was exhilarating. No episode was even remotely the same. There were new characters, all well-developed, in each episode. And as a whole the show was, frankly, fun. Yet, it was perfectly capable of serious moments. The Tornado Tyrant episode was the first example I saw of the show's range in this regard, and it had me stunned. And it just never let up. Bat-mite, The Music Meister, the Equinox arc, all golden. And over the years, the show just didn't disappoint. Admittedly, when Blue Beetle and Aquaman became recurring characters I was worried that team ups with other obscure characters would lessen, but that turned out to be a mute issue, and Blue Beetle and Aquaman are awesome characters so I that worry was forgotten. The show felt so big in scale, and had the perfect balance of comedy and seriousness, not to mention a variety of plots and situations. That kept the show fresh, and fun, for it's entire 65 episode run, and I can't think of a single weak episode in the bunch. And that's what sets it apart from any other superhero cartoon for me. No other superhero cartoon, heck even most action cartoons, can be as diverse as Brave and the Bold but still be the same show start to finish. And few shows in general are good for their entire runs. No other superhero cartoon comes close for satisfying me as consistently and entertainingly as this series. Admittedly, I'm now 8/13ths of the way done with The Spectacular Spider-Man, and I feel that I may very well soon have to eat those words. But for three years The Brave and the Bold provided me with an action cartoon to look forward to every friday. And when the final episode aired, I was a little sad. At least it went out with a great run.

Batman: The Animated Series - How many years did I spend trying to get into this series? I tried when it was on Toonami, soon lost interest. I tried when it was on Toon Disney, really loved the HARDAC two-parter, but soon go distracted from it. And then on and off I tried watching episodes here and there, liking it more and more, but never wining me over. Then it went on the HUB, and I finally saw the Two-Face two parter. And that's when I started to love the show. Through the Hub I have now managed to see every episode. By god was this an astonishing series. This aired on saturday morning? Afternoons? Rubbish, it should've aired prime-time. It's too good for kids, but that's what's admirable about it. The first action cartoon to push boundaries in it's story telling for children's programming. Serious stories taking it's audience seriously. Superbly written villains who are people first, a tortured Batman, and an excellent cast of characters in general. Plus it's got an awesome noir-vibe and style going on, which is cool. At it's best the series is amazing and has some of the finest episodes I've ever seen. But...there lies some of the problem. It's very inconsistent. For as many great episodes there are there are as many mediocre ones, and a lot of episodes I find just "good." I basically watched this entire series last year, as an adult, and I enjoyed it a ton, but I can't say I like it as much as the other shows here. The quality issue is the biggest thing, but I can't deny my emotional connection to the other three shows is stronger as well. It's the most important show in this match, in terms of impact and influence, and without it Gargoyles and even Batman: The Brave and the Bold may never have been made. But being last in the final round, out of 100 other animated series, isn't exactly an affront, and it is a top-twentier for me anyways. I just like the other shows here more.

Now that I've finally voted, I will be able to put up the final results very shortly. Like, within the hour. Stay tooned.  8)

[gunswordfist]

You have horrible taste in cartoons.

[LumRanmaYasha]

You have horrible taste in cartoons.

Why? Because I put BTAS last? 

[Avaitor]

You have horrible taste in cartoons.

You've never even seen an episode of SSM or Archer.

[Spark Of Spirit]

You have horrible taste in cartoons.

You've never even seen an episode of SSM or Archer.

And he never will. 

[LumRanmaYasha]

100 were chosen

50 survived

25 lived

10 prospered

4 thrived

But only one can stand as the peak

Only one can be the best that no one ever was

A Toon among Toons

A television series of indisputable animated mastery

yes...yes...

only one can be....the Greatest

AND SO IT'S COME TO THIS! WITHOUT FURTHER DELAY...
THE FINAL RANKINGS!!!!!

4th place

Spoiler

Total Points: 18

[close]

3rd place

Spoiler

Total Points: 26

[close]

2nd place

Spoiler

Total Points: 27

[close]

AND OUR GREATEST ANIMATED SERIES EVER IS....

Spoiler

Total Points: 29

[close]

And that's that. The final rankings based on the collective opinion's of everyone who voted. Thanks for your participation, guys! 

I have to admit I was not expecting these results, but such surprises are what makes these competitions interesting in my opinion. I can certainly say the top four are very well deserved and a unique assortment of shows that would probably never be the final four in a Greatest Animated Series competition on any other board.   8)

But wait! I have a little something fun to share. ShadowGentleman once pm'd people asking them what they thought AR's top cartoon list would look like if it was revised. I remembered that as this competition went along, and I got an idea. I decided to see how a Top 65 cartoon list would look like combining the results of this competition and the Greatest Anime Series. The results are interesting, to say the least...

Spoiler

65 The Angry Beavers - Round 2, 8 pts
64 Sgt. Frog - Round 2, 9 pts
63 Ugly Americans - Round 2, 9 pts
62 The Secret Saturdays - Round 2, 11 pts
61 The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy - Round 2, 11 pts
60 The Powerpuff Girls - Round 2, 11 pts
59 One Piece - Round 2, 12 pts
58 The Weekenders - Round 2, 12 pts
57 Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo - Round 2, 13 pts
56 The Slayers NEXT - Round 2, 13 pts
55 School Rumble - Round 2, 14 pts
54 Johnny Bravo - Round 2, 14 pts
53 Dan VS. - Round 2, 14 pts
52 Avatar: The Last Airbender - Round 2, 14 pts
51 Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated - Round 2, 15 pts
50 Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes - Round 2, 15 pts
49 Puella Magi Madoka Magica - GAS Round 3, 17 pts
48 Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine - Round 2, 17 pts
47 Hyouge Mono -  GAS Round 3, 18 pts
46 Fate/Zero - GAS Round 3, 18 pts
45 JoJo's Bizarre Adventure - Round 2, 18 pts
44 The Flintstones - Round 2, 18 pts
43 The Big O - GAS Round 3, 19 pts
42 Death Note - GAS Round 3, 21 pts
41 Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting! - Round 2, 21 pts
40 The Boondocks - Round 2, 21 pts
39 DuckTales - Round 2, 21 pts
38 Super Dimension Fortress Macross - GAS Round 3, 22 pts
37 Samurai Champloo - Round 2, 22 pts
36 Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket - GAS Round 3, 22 pts
35 Great Teacher Onizuka - GAS Round 3, 23 pts
34 Space Ghost: Coast to Coast - Round 2, 23 pts
33 Paranoia Agent - GAS Round 4, 10 pts
32 Baccano! - GAS Round 4, 12 pts
31 Black Lagoon - GAS Round 4,13 pts
30 Tom and Jerry - Round 3, 16 pts
29 The Tex Avery Show - Round 3, 17 pts
28 Neon Genesis Evangelion - GAS Round 4, 17 pts
27 Batman Beyond - Round 3, 19 pts
26 Case Closed - Round 3, 20 pts
25 The Venture Bros. - Round 3, 20 pts
24 Rocko's Modern Life - Round 3, 20 pts
23 Megas XLR - Round 3, 21 pts
22 Freakazoid! - Round 3, 21 pts
21 Home Movies - Round 3, 21 pts
20 Justice League/Unlimited - Round 3, 21 pts
19 Courage, the Cowardly Dog - Round 3, 22 pts
18 The Simpsons - Round 3, 22 pts
17 Superman: The Animated Series - Round 3, 24 pts
16 Harvey Birdman: Attorney At Law - Round 3, 24 pts
15 Looney Tunes - Round 3, 24 pts
14 South Park - Round 4, 18 pts
13 The Legend of the Galactic Heroes - GAS Round 5, 19 pts
12 The Spectacular Spider-Man - Round 4, 19 pts
11 Archer - Round 4, 21 pts
10 Trigun - GAS Round 5, 22 pts
9 Futurama - Round 4, 23 pts
8 Ed, Edd, n' Eddy - Round 4, 23 pts
7 Monster - GAS Round 5, 23 pts
6 King of the Hill - Round 4, 25 pts
5 Cowboy Bebop - GAS Round 5, 26 pts
4 Batman: The Brave and the Bold - Round 5, 18 pts
3 Batman: The Animated Series - Round 5, 26 pts
2 Gargoyles - Round 5, 27 pts
1 Yu Yu Hakusho - Round 5, 29 pts


Obviously this doesn't work as an objective list or anything, especially since there are a whole slew a reasons some shows didn't move on and others didn't. I also don't think it's quite accurate as a gauge of how members generally like certain shows either (JB over PPG? Right...). Still, I find the results interesting nonetheless and it definitely makes for a unique little list. And, personally, I really dig that top 10. 

[close]

And with that, this competition is officially over! Thanks again to everyone who participated, and I hope to see you again in another competition very, very soon.   

[Spark Of Spirit]

Interesting list to say the least!

My biggest surprise is that TB&TB made it so far. Even on here, I thought old favorites would overtake it, but making it to the final round is well deserved. That was good one. Great job on the list, Cartoon X!

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Ha! Yu Yu Hakusho triumphs again. That makes it a two-time champion in my book. You see, that's why it was excluded from the greatest anime series competition in the first place, because it would just be redundant  for it to win what we all know it was going to inevitably win in the first place. You see. My favorite series are always the best ones!

No, but in all seriousness, I love this board. It's the only place where we'd ever come down to a top 4 in which all of the finalists are among my top 10 favorite animated shows ever made.

[gunswordfist]

You have horrible taste in cartoons.

You've never even seen an episode of SSM or Archer.

I have. EK can vouch for me seeing an episode of Spectacular Spider-Man.

[gunswordfist]

You have horrible taste in cartoons.

You've never even seen an episode of SSM or Archer.

And he never will. 

And you look stupid now as well.

[The Shadow Gentleman]

That was probably the most intense tournament I've witnessed on this board. For me anyway. Great job! 

The only thing that would be more fun would be a tournament that contained all the competitors from both the cartoon and anime tournaments...

No, but in all seriousness, I love this board. It's the only place where we'd ever come down to a top 4 in which all of the finalists are among my top 10 favorite animated shows ever made.

Indeed. In some rounds I could see the voting going the complete opposite way on other boards.

[Spark Of Spirit]

My only letdown was learning that apparently Ensatsu-ken doesn't see what's so great about KOTH. 

Seriously man, watch more of it!

You have horrible taste in cartoons.

You've never even seen an episode of SSM or Archer.

And he never will. 

And you look stupid now as well.

That doesn't take much.