Out of the Manga/Anime I’ve seen or read I’d rank em
1. Naruto/Naruto Shippuden
2. Dragon Ball, Z, GT, Super
3. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
4. Death Note
5. One Piece
6. Afro Samurai
7. One Punch Man
8. Inuyashiki
9. Attack on Titan
10. Bleach
11. Fairy Tail
I ain’t looking for anything particular, it just gotta keep my attention
assuming you’re already aware of modern cult popular franchises like hunter x hunter, Jojo, mob psycho all of which live up to their reputation. Code Geass compliments Death Note, seven deadly sins compliments fairy tail, boku no hero desperately wants to be Naruto etc
viewers tend to react strongly to Neon Genesis Evangelion as intended by the creator. If anything else it’ll keep your attention as will the sequel film.
Ippo’s fight build up, execution and subsequent character growth after battle is just about unrivaled. Some people skip it because it began in 2000. Their loss.
Golden Boy and Great Teacher Onizuka are great entry points into genres that rely on social humor more so than battle narratives to be entertaining. The latter of which is inspiring if you can relate to having a passion for something that others disagree with and/or think you’ll fail to achieve. Irresponsible Captain Tylor can be the sci-fi, more fantastical version of those two.
School Rumble has the greatest male protagonist in rom coms and a relatively huge cast of likable characters for the genre. Worth watching for Harima and countless parodies of popular tropes found in mainstream anime, may lead you to watch more in the genre
Barakamon is hard to dislike. Looks great. Easy to relate to characters. There’s an out of control adorable little kid who’s the center of most of the comedy, but also sympathy because she’s an orphan and relies on the MC as a parental figure over time.
When Marnie Was There covers the social anxiety of a teenage orphan who is sent to the countryside to find her voice. It’s maybe the best Ghibli film, the best depiction of social anxiety/depression I’ve seen in any anime, and is worth watching