[gold stinger]

Code Geass
Steins;Gate
The original first 2 seasons of Digimon in subs (4kids ruined the dub immensely to the point where sub is actually PG13 but the dub is for everyone)
No Game No Life
The original 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' first season.

Originally Posted by MarioNintendo

I am not an anime fan myself, but I'll keep an eye on this thread if I ever need recommendations. It would be cool if people would explain in 1-2 sentences why a specific anime ranks high on their list of favorites, since I have no idea what any of these series are.

All of the anime on my list, with the exception of No Game No Life, are complete stories. From beginning to end. They don't have any of that "Well, that arc is finished, onwards towards new stories!" and then they end airing for the anime and let you come to conclusion on what adventures happen next. The above shows END. They don't really continue afterwards, and I really enjoy a story that comes fully around and has closure. Wraps it up nice and neat and complete.

Along with the above, I believe that the above shows are exceptionally great at storytelling. Doesn't matter what genre it is. Code Geass is a mecha anime, Madoka Magica is a 'girly magic girls' anime, Steins;Gate is more-so 'detective & drama' anime, but they all exceed exceptionally well at storytelling, plot, advancement and moving the story forward. In comparison, Fullmetal Alchemist tells a fantastic story and would be on my list, but there's roughly 15 episodes of non-story movement half-way through the series that plays very little to the overarching plot imo. These 5 do not really have that issue.