Why watch cartoons if you're an adult? Because cartoons have the best scores, most interesting plots and/or most humorous dialogue, and the best "cinematography" of any visual media. Well, the good ones do, anyway.... This is a rating guide, not a review book -- hit up Google & Wikipedia, then Amazon and IMDB forums for extended analyses. Its purpose is to quickly alert you to animation you may never have heard of. It is also skewed from the perspective of an adult animation fan -- a lowly-rated show may be immensely enjoyable for small children and even competently-made, but was of little interest to me; a highly-rated show will be competently-made, and may or may not be enjoyable for or even marketed to small children. Lastly, if a show has English-language versions, those are the versions I have likely watched (and I appreciate good dubbing and loathe bad dubbing). This list covers mainly animated television series, although many films are included. I have not seen every episode of some shows rated 7 and lower and many episodes of shows rated 5 or lower; indicated ratings may change if I see new episodes of better or worse quality than those previous, or if many better or worse episodes of other shows alter the landscape. Anything rated at least "5" is in the category of "average show worth watching, provided you have time"; you probably won't watch re-runs, however. A typical "5" cartoon features arch-type characters and villains, with serviceable if unexceptional dialogue, animation and plots. "4"s and lower feature too much bad animation, one-dimensional characters, lousy voice-acting, plot-holes, dumbed-down or just plain stupid writing and spastic slapstick for this adult reviewer to stomach -- although kids will like many of them. "3"s and lower will have the smart adult scrambling for the remote. "6"s and "7"s feature more charismatic characters, more innovative drawing and intelligent scripting than average, and anything rated "8" or better is likely to pull you in to watching a re-run while you're channel-flipping, even if it's well-memorized already. Anything rated "9" is truly exceptional, and perfect in nearly every way. "10"s are reserved only for those shows which, IMO, will become or already are timeless classics. Highly-rated shows generally have unique and memorable musical scores associated with them. Make an effort to see every "9" and up before you croak, and most 7s and 8s. - "series" means plots track across multiple episodes and even seasons (so they are best watched in order); lack of this term doesn't mean, however, that all of a show's episodes are "stand-alones". - "movie" means a single, stand-along show, regardless of whether it played in theaters. - "spoof" indicates a comedy which makes or parodies cultural or other-show references which younger persons are less likely to be aware of; a kid's cartoon which is also a spoof is likely to drag up this reviewer's rating due to intelligent writing. - "comedy" describes humorous shows that are neither toons nor spoofs. - "toon" means real-world physics are expressly NOT observed, animals talk, characters have "three fingers & thumb" hands, etc. - "fantasy" indicates the presence of magic or "chi" and/or spirts, gods, demons, undead, fantastic animals, etc, but the setting is in an otherwise more or less realistic world. - "realistic" indicates real-world physics are observed, nobody has superpowers, and animated characters are essentially like real people and don't take inordinate risks, speak "one-liner dialogue" or "mug for the camera". - "superhero" means some characters have extraordinary abilities or "mutant" powers which permit them to cheat real-world physics which others have to obey in a otherwise more or less real world. Many shows feature characters which trend in this direction, but superhero shows invariably have costumed protagonists who are (in)famous for their abilities. - "shonen" indicates a style of teen-male-oriented anime, often with frequent battles between sometimes enormous casts of protagonists and villains, often in a "match" or tournament format (such are the counterparts to western-style mass-cast superhero shows). While shonen, proper, can include teenage dramas and romance shows, all the ones so indicated on this list are "fighting cartoons" usually of a sci-fi or fantasy theme. - "mecha" indicates giant robots. - "cards" means the show is a marketing vehicle to sell trading cards; most of these involve children with strange monster pets or summoned creatures who fight each other. Shonen-for-kids, essentially. - "Ghibli" indicates the acclaimed Japanese animation studio, or to anything prior involving its founders Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. - "WMT" indicates Japan's "World Masterpiece Theater". - "DCAU" refers to the "DC Animated Universe" created by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini. - "Violent" means there's realistic combat with injuries and blood, and/or on-screen death, and the show is usually inappropriate for small children (the lack of this term, however, doesn't mean that a show lacks fighting). - "Scary" means weird monsters may frighten very small children and give them nightmares, even if it's a comedy otherwise popular with kids. I afix this term only to shows marketed toward family or children's audiences (I take it for granted that teen- and adult-oriented shows are filled with imagery guaranteed to frighten toddlers, especially anything rated "violent"). - "adult" indicates overly lewd sexual references and/or foul language. Some adult-oriented cartoons are superlative witty parodies or taut thrillers; many are rancid, fast-buck trash. - "kids" means the show is appealing to small children (whether or not dialogue is dumbed-down). - "family" indicates a show with very broad appeal; it isn't specifically written for any age group, and is neither "dumbed down" nor "sophisticated humor". - "girl" indicates the presence of important female protagonists. 10 - 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother - series, family, adventure, realistic, WMT 10 - Adventures of Prince Achmed, The - movie, family, fantasy, girl, adventure 10 - Courage the Cowardly Dog - toon, family, spoof, scary 10 - Cowboy Bebop - series, sci-fi, realistic, violent, girl 10 - Future Boy Conan - series, family, adventure, Ghibli, girl 10 - Kiki's Delivery Service - Ghibli, movie, family, girl, fantasy 10 - My Neighbor Totoro - Ghibli, movie, family, kids, girl, fantasy, adventure 10 - Oban Star-Racers - series, adventure, sci-fi, girl 10 - Popeye: Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp - toon, family, fantasy, movie-short 10 - Romeo's Blue Skies - series, family, adventure, realistic, WMT 10 - Samurai Champloo - series, spoof, violent, adventure, adult, girl 10 - Venture Bros., The - adult, spoof, violent 10 - Whisper of the Heart - movie, girl, family, realistic, Ghibli 9 - Avatar, The Last Airbender - series, fantasy, adventure, girl 9 - Beauty and the Beast - movie, Disney, fantasy, girl, family, scary 9 - FLCL (Fooly Cooly) - series, comedy, girl, sci-fi, fantasy 9 - Gauche The Cellist (Sero Hiki no Goshu) - movie, Ghibli, family, fantasy 9 - Grave of the Fireflies - movie, drama, realistic, violent, Ghibli 9 - Laputa (Castle in the Sky) - Ghibli, family, movie, adventure, girl, sci-fi 9 - Lupin III (or the Third, English dub version) - comedy, adventure, girl, spoof, adult 9 - Mysterious Cities of Gold, The - series, kids, adventure, girl, fantasy, educational 9 - Pom Poko (The Raccoon War) - Ghibli, movie, fantasy 9 - Porko Rosso - Ghibli, movie, adventure, girl, fantasy, family 9 - Princess Mononoke - Ghibli, movie, fantasy, adventure, violent, scary, girl 9 - Rocky & Bullwinkle Show, The - kids, spoof, toon 9 - Spirited Away - Ghibli, family, movie, fantasy, girl, adventure, scary 9 - Superman, The Animated Series - superhero, DCAU, girl, family 9 - Teen Titans - spoof, superhero, DCAU, girl, family 8 - Akira - movie, sci-fi, violent 8 - Batman Beyond - superhero, DCAU 8 - Batman, The Animated Series - superhero, DCAU 8 - Cat Returns, The - movie, Ghibli, fantasy, girl, family 8 - Full Metal Alchemist - series, fantasy, violent, shonen, comedy 8 - Futurama - adult, spoof, sci-fi, toon 8 - Ghostbusters, Extreme - fantasy, scary, comedy 8 - Ghostbusters, The Real (seasons 1-3 only) - kids, fantasy, scary, comedy 8 - Heavy Metal - movie, fantasy, sci-fi, comedy, violent, adult, girl 8 - Howl's Moving Castle - Ghibli, movie, girl, fantasy, violent 8 - Iron Giant, The - mecha, comedy, family, movie 8 - Jackie Chan Adventures - family, fantasy, girl, comedy 8 - Justice League, Unlimited - superhero, sci-fi, DCAU 8 - Kappa Mikey - spoof, toon, girl 8 - My Life as a Teenage Robot - kids, toon, sci-fi, spoof, girl, superhero 8 - Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind - Ghibli, movie, girl, fantasy, adventure 8 - Pinky and the Brain - kids, toon, spoof 8 - Popeye - toon, family, spoof, girl 8 - Static Shock - kids, superhero, DCAU 8 - Star Wars: Clone Wars - series, sci-fi, fantasy, adventure, violent 8 - Valhalla - movie, kids, fantasy, girl 8 - Ultimate Avengers - movies, superhero, sci-fi, girl, violent
7 - Big O, The - series, mecha, sci-fi 7 - Bleach - series, sci-fi, fantasy, violent, comedy, scary 7 - Case Closed (Detective Conan) - series, family, mystery, adventure 7 - Daria - girl, comedy, realistic, adult 7 - Dexter's Lab - kids, toon, spoof, sci-fi, girl 7 - Ghost in the Shell, Stand Alone Complex, 2nd Gig - series, sci-fi, violent, girl 7 - Infinite Ryvius - series, sci-fi, drama, girl 7 - Invader Zim - toon, kids, spoof, sci-fi 7 - Digimon - kids, toon, cards, adventure 7 - Korgoth of Barbaria - adult, spoof, fantasy 7 - Lilo & Stitch (animated TV) - kids, sci-fi, comedy, girl, Disney 7 - Martin Mystery - sci-fi, comedy, scary, girl 7 - Megas XLR - kids, mecha, spoof, girl 7 - Naruto - series, shonen, violent, girl, fantasy, comedy 7 - Outlaw Star - series, sci-fi, comedy, girl, adventure 7 - Powerpuff Girls, The - kids, toon, spoof, girl, superhero 7 - Rock & Rule - movie, fantasy, sci-fi 7 - Samurai Jack - kids, sci-fi, superhero, adventure 7 - Scrapped Princess - series, fantasy, sci-fi, girl, adventure, scary 7 - Shuriken School - kids, toon, spoof, girl 7 - The Tick - toon, kids, spoof, superhero 7 - Time Warp Trio - kids, fantasy, educational 7 - Trigun - series, sci-fi, violent, comedy, girl 7 - Tutenstein - kids, toon, adventure, girl 7 - W.I.T.C.H. - girl, fantasy, comedy 7 - Yin Yang Yo! - kids, toon, Disney, spoof 6 - Aladdin - kids, toon, fantasy, Disney 6 - Batman, The - series, superhero 6 - Ben 10 - kids, sci-fi 6 - Blu Gender - series, sci-fi, mecha, violent, drama, girl 6 - Danny Phantom - toon, sci-fi, spoof, girl 6 - Escaflowne - series, fantasy, mecha, violent, shonen 6 - Eureka Seven - series, mecha, violent, sci-fi 6 - Fafner in the Azure (Dead Aggressor) - series, sci-fi, mecha, violent, shonen 6 - Gargoyles - series, fantasy, mecha, violent, girl, Disney 6 - Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, The - kids, toon, spoof, girl 6 - Hercules - kids, fantasy, superhero, comedy, Disney 6 - Hobbit, The - fantasy, adventure, family, movie 6 - InuYasha - series, shonen, violent, fantasy, girl 6 - Johnny Bravo - toon, spoof 6 - Kim Possible - comedy, girl, sci-fi, Disney 6 - Legion of Superheroes - kids, superhero, DCAU(?) 6 - Mar - toon, fantasy, comedy, shonen 6 - My Dad the Rock Star - kids, spoof, girl 6 - Ninja Scroll - movie, adult, violent, fantasy 6 - One Piece - kids, toon, adventure 6 - Recess: School's Out - movie, kids 6 - Rugrats - kids, comedy 6 - S-CRY-ed - sci-fi, mecha, superhero, shonen 6 - Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! - kids, toon, mecha, superhero, scary 6 - Tenchi Muyo! - series, fantasy, girl 6 - Thunderbirds - series, adventure, comedy 6 - Totally Spies - comedy, girl 6 - Witch Hunter Robin - series, fantasy, girl, violent 6 - Wolf's Rain - series, fantasy, violent, sci-fi 6 - Xiaolin Showdown - kids, toon, fantasy, comedy 6 - Zeta Project, The - kids, girl, superhero, sci-fi, DCAU 5 - A.T.O.M - kids, superhero, sci-fi 5 - American Dragon Jake Long - kids, superhero 5 - Beastwars - toon, mecha 5 - Beavis and Butthead - toon, adult, spoof 5 - Berserk - series, adult, violent, fantasy 5 - Beyblade - kids, shonen 5 - Blue Submarine #6 - series, sci-fi, realistic, violent 5 - Buzz Lightyear of Star Command - kids, toon, sci-fi, Disney 5 - Dragonball Z - series, shonen, violent, fantasy, comedy 5 - Duck Dodgers - toon, spoof, sci-fi 5 - Duel Masters - kids, cards, spoof 5 - Gigantor - kids, mecha 5 - Gotham Girls - series, girl, superhero, DCAU 5 - Gundam Wing - series, sci-fi, mecha, violent, shonen 5 - Horus, Prince of the Sun - movie, Ghibli, fantasy, adventure 5 - Johnny Quest, Real Adventures of - adventure 5 - Legend of Tarzan - kids, toon, girl, adventure 5 - Metalocalypse - adult, spoof, violent 5 - Mobile Suit Gundam - series, mecha, shonen 5 - Paranoia Agent - drama, violent, comedy 5 - Proud Family, The - comedy, girl 5 - Pucca - kids, toon, girl 5 - ReBoot - kids, toon 5 - Record of the Lodoss Wars - series, fantasy, violent 5 - Reign: The Conqueror - series, fantasy, violent, adult 5 - Rocko's Modern Life - kids, toon 5 - Sailor Moon - series, kids, shonen, girl, fantasy, comedy 5 - Silverwing - series, kids, scary, adventure 5 - Speed Racer - adventure 5 - Spongebob Squarepants - kids, toon 5 - The Secret Show - kids, spoof, sci-fi, superhero 5 - The X's - toon, sci-fi 5 - Time Squad - toon, spoof, kids, educational 5 - Timon and Pumba - kids, toon, Disney 5 - Trinity Blood - series, vampires, violent 5 - Wizards - fantasy, movie, violent 5 - Xyber 9 - mecha, sci-fi 5 - Yakkity Yak - kids, toon 5 - YuYu Hakusho - series, kids, shonen, girl, fantasy 5 - Zatch Bell! - kids, cards, comedy 4 - Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, The - kids, toon 4 - Animaniacs (without Pinky and the Brain) - kids, spoof, toon 4 - Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo - toon, kids, spoof 4 - Camp Lazlo - kids, toon, girl 4 - Class of 3000 - kids, comedy, sci-fi, girl 4 - Codename: Kids Next Door - kids, toon, girl 4 - Corneil & Bernie - kids, toon 4 - Dragon Booster, kids, fantasy, cards(?) 4 - Dungeons & Dragons - kids, fantasy 4 - Emperor's New School, The - toon, kids, Disney 4 - Family Guy - adult, spoof 4 - Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends - toon, kids, fantasy 4 - Get Ed - toon, kids, sci-fi 4 - Growing up Creepie - girl, fantasy, comedy 4 - Idaten Jump - kids, toon 4 - Johnny Quest (original) - kids, adventure, violent 4 - Kong: The Animated Series - kids, fantasy, 4 - Little Mermaid, The - kids, toon, fantasy, Disney, girl 4 - Lord of the Rings (Fellowship, Return of the King) - fantasy, movies, violent 4 - ¡Mucha Lucha! - kids, toon, superhero 4 - Mummy, The - kids, adventure, scary 4 - Pokemon - toon, kids, cards 4 - Scooby Do - kids, toon 4 - Shinzo - kids, mecha, fantasy, cards 4 - Skyland - sci-fi, adventure, girl 4 - South Park - toon, adult, spoof 4 - Super Milk-chan Show, The - toon, kids, spoof 4 - Thundercats - kids, fantasy, girl 4 - Voltron - mecha, sci-fi, kids 4 - Yugi Oh! - kids, toon, cards 4 - Robot Chicken - toon, spoof, adult 3 - Aqua Teen Hunger Force - toon, adult, spoof 3 - Dora the Explorer - kids, toon, educational, girl 3 - CatDog - kids, toon 3 - Ed, Ed & Eddy - kids, toon 3 - Fantastic Four - superhero 3 - Flintstones, The - kids, toon, girl 3 - Frisky Dingo - adult, spoof, violent 3 - G.I. Joe - kids, action 3 - Grossology - kids, toon 3 - He-Man & Masters of the Universe - kids, fantasy, superhero 3 - Inspector Gadget - kids, toon 3 - Kenny the Shark - toon, kids 3 - Krypto the Superdog - toon, superhero, kids 3 - Legend of the Dragon - toon, superhero, girl 3 - Magic School Bus - kids, fantasy 3 - Mike, Lu & Og - kids, toon, girl 3 - My Gym Partner is a Monkey - kids, toon 3 - Prince of Tennis, The - series, shonen 3 - Proud Family, The - toon, Disney, spoof 3 - N.A.S.C.A.R. Racers - kids, girl, sci-fi 3 - Rugrats - kids, toon, girl 3 - Spider Riders - fantasy, kids 3 - Spiderman - superhero 3 - Superfriends - kids, superhero, girl 3 - Superman: Brainiac Attack - movie, superhero, DCAU 3 - Top Cat - kids, toon 3 - Tracy McBean - kids, toon, girl 3 - Transformers (various) - toon, mecha 3 - Rocket Power - kids, comedy, girl 2 - Amazing Chan Clan - kids, toon 2 - Captain Planet - kids, toon, superhero 2 - Chuck Norris Karate Kommandos - kids 2 - Jabberjaw - kids, toon 2 - Little Bear - kids, toon 2 - MaggieBeast - kids, toon, girl 2 - Sealab 2021 - adult, spoof 1 - Assy McGee - adult, toon, violent 1 - Gary Coleman Show - kids, comedy 1 - Squidbillies - adult, toon, violent
Glad to see everything I've enjoyed is high up there on the rankings. It's a shame Robot Chicken is so high up there. I think it ought to be knocked down to two, or three.
Digimon was only good like the first two seasons. And f yeah, Cowboy Bebop's up at 10, same with Courage the Cowardly Dog and the Venture Bros. Bah Heavy Metal's at 8.
Sealab 2021 is ****ing awesome, what's wrong with you? How do you have enough time to do this and live :O I dont think you'r an adult. I've seen you posting somewhere you'r like 12..
that rating is incorrect because each person have different opinions and tastes, and so each rating is going to be incorrect unless its the average of everyones opinion and even thats incorrect do to the fact that everyones opinions and tastes changes over time.
