I finally feel that I have watched enough anime series (35, including Speed Racer) to fairly come up with a top 10.
1. Paranoia agent
The surrealist, most intelligent of anime series, this is an equal in tone and psychological mystery to Perfect Blue and Paprika by the Great Kon.
2. The Ancient Magus' Bride
This is an edit, because for some reason I failed to put this one one because it wasn't on my larger list. I only watched this is the last month, but it is phenomenal. First, the art is stunning, it melts my core-- while the fantasy world is pretty common, the presentation of it is continuously gorgeous and eye-popping. The original manga's line drawings are even more detailed and beautiful, so I have been collecting those. The characters, however, is what makes this series. Each person is broken in some way and we get enough backdrop to understand why. Their interactions with each other, however, is generally gracious, even generous, even when some characters seem always upset. Elias Ainsworth-- the Ancient Mage of the title-- is my favorite. He is at least 300 years old, and full of ancient wisdom and power, but he is still naive, especially socially, ignorant of some of the most important matters of how the world works. He is an oldkid, and I identify with him. The story as a whole is a gentle bloom, gradually opening more and more and the only conclusion is how they all continue living and continue growing in love. I am certainly taken by this series and hope they add another season, but I will be reading the manga whether they do or not.
3. That Time I was Reincarnated as a Slime season 1
A hilarious time, and the entire season is part world-exploring and world building. The Minecraft of anime series.
4. Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood
The king of anime popularity, it deserves the acclaim, despite a terribly weak ending that they couldn't fix with a follow up film. Still, the characters are great and the highs are very high.
5.My Hero Academia, seasons 1-3
I am a fan of the superhero genre, and what this series has above most superhero worlds is character building and a fully human Superman clone.
6. I don’t Understand what my husband is saying
This will be a personal favorite. it is a great description of a newly married couple and how they don't understand each other at all. The unique aspect of this series is that each episode is only about five minutes long, so it gets right to the point.
7. Eden of the East
A great adventure begins with a man suddenly appearing in front of the White House, naked. A fun adventure story.
8. Fruits Basket, 2019 season 1 and 2
The first season is too light and frothy, but it turns out to all be a foundation for the deeper emotional work done in the second season.
9, Food Wars
So many questions-- how do the competitions work so well? Why do drawn replicas of food make a person so hungry? And who would have thought that food-orgasms could be so entertaining?
10. Promised Neverland, season 1
Put children in danger and make it last for a season, and you have a fine horror premise. Each episode is it's own kind of intense. (I hear season 2 is awful, but it doesn't matter because season one is a complete story)
Honorable mentions:
Tonikawa: Over the Moon for You-- A very strange premise provides a backdrop for a newlywed couple who never knew each other before the ceremony.
Yuri on Ice-- A truly romantic gay romance between ice skaters. I cried.
Toradora -- A funny slow-burn romantic comedy between unlikely highschoolers. I really warmed up to the characters.
The Way of the Househusband-- A former gangster becomes a househusband to his profesional wife. It doesn't deserve to be as funny as it is.