10. Neon Genesis Evangelion

Original Air Date: 1995-1996
Network: Cartoon Network

If you were to ask the anime fanatics here at IGN what our favorite anime series of all time would be, we would answer Neon Genesis Evangelion. Why, you ask? Because no other anime series has been able to capture our attention with an intelligent adult sci-fi story that borrows heavily from religion, psychology and philosophy, while somehow meshing it with the angst-ridden teenage characters which have become a staple of the genre.

The main premise of Evangelion follows young Shinji Ikari as he is forced to deal with the awkwardness of maturity, his daddy issues and alienation, all while being placed in charge of a giant robotic combat machine that is necessary to fight off the evil invading Angels. Staying introspective, the series prefers to analyze the pain of Shinji and the other children like him, rather than creating a spectacle out of the grandiose sci-fi plot. While the show is certainly complicated, and the ending is less than stellar, the bulk of the series has set a benchmark in anime programming which has yet to be surpassed.

Hot TV Series: South Park  |  Lost  |  The Simpsons  |  Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles  |  The Marriage Ref