Top 10 Original Anime Series With Highest IMDb Ratings

5. Code Geass – IMDb Rating: 8.5

Eagle-eyed readers may notice that there is a manga for this series, but this is one of those rare cases where the anime came first. The anime was created in collaboration between Ichiro Okouchi and Gorou Taniguchi, with character designs from CLAMP.

The result is a critically-acclaimed anime set in an alternate Europe. Politics, mechs, and a touch of the supernatural make a winning formula.

4. Spirited Away – IMDb Rating: 8.6

Many Studio Ghibli films are adaptations of books, but Spirited Away is a Ghibli original. It’s so original, in fact, that it was written without a script.

Instead of a book, the movie was inspired by the 10-year-old daughter of Miyazaki’s friend, as well as some personal experiences.

3. Samurai Champloo – IMDb Rating: 8.6

Coming from the director of Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo is another odd mashup of genres. Whereas Bebop places a Western tale in outer space, Champloo is set in an alternate version of Edo-era Japan, which runs on hip hop beats.

2. Neon Genesis Evangelion – IMDb Rating: 8.6

Airing in 1995, Evangelion was an original work from Anno Hidaeki and studio Gainax. The studio has gone on to back a number of other original anime, perhaps bolstered by their success here.

1. Cowboy Bebop – IMDb Rating: 9.0

This classic space Western is living proof that original anime series can make it big. Cowboy Bebop has reached a wide audience due to its mash-up of genres, a great cast of characters, and a brilliant soundtrack by Yoko Kanno.

The series was developed by Shinichiro Watanabe and his team at the Sunrise studio, fresh from his Macross and Gundam contributions.