Good anime from 2008 - present

[sadisticlust]

Hello everyone
I would like to know in your opinion what is the best anime from 2008 up to today. Please include any genre or themes present in the anime for example whether its a supernatural anime or mecha etc.... Please also include the quality of the animation.

Thank you

[ArrowSmith]

Code Geass
Phantom: Requiem for a Phantom
Mnemosyne
Eden of the East
Hell Girl: Three Vessels

[foxnaught]

Spice and Wolf:
An adventure into medieval economics set in a fictional world with heavy medieval European influences. Animation was pretty decent.

Higurashi When They Cry:
Horror, mystery and a psychological mind-screw, but often had dodgy animation and plot points that made me think "Why the hell is he so stupid?" I'm including this here as even it's first run was in 2006, there was an OVA series released in 2009 and another one to be released later this year

The Sky Crawlers:
Scifi, drama, alternate history. It's a movie so the animation shows that it had a good budget. A bit slow for some people, I found it to be a really good film

[Sackett]

Top 3 Anime for 2008-present:

Cross Game
Themes/Genre: Coming of Age. Romance, Sports (Baseball)
Animation Quality: Good, but it's drawn in an older style (rounder faces) then most modern anime.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Themes/Genre: Epic Fantasy/Sci-Fi, Coming of Age
Animation Quality: Generally High. Some action scenes are movie quality (particularly during the climax at the end)

Madoka Magica
Themes/Genre: Epic Heroic Tragedy, Religious, Dark Magical Girl, Faustian Horror
Animation Quality: Erratic. Action scenes and important moments are gorgeously animated, often using a bizarre esoteric style that perfectly fits the story and sets the mood. Less important exposition and transitional scenes clearly cut corners and suffer for it. However, because of the excellent voice actresses, you usually only notice it if you are looking for it.

Special Mention for an animated Movie:

The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya
Theme/Genre: Sci-Fi, Mystery
Animation Quality: Best

[AbZeroNow]

Toradora!

A romantic comedy in high school featuring likable, and believable characters. Male lead looks tough but is slightly OCD about cleaning stuff. Female lead is short, hotheaded and very clumsy. The other characters are also interesting too.
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Animation: Good

The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (movie)

Follows up on the Haruhi anime. It's sort like It's A Wonderful Life where the protagonist realizes that he really likes the way his life had been going. You also see another character in a completely new light.

Genre: Sci-Fi, Supernatural, Action
Animation: Masterpiece

Summer Wars (movie)

Girl wants part-time computer programmer(and math whiz) guy to pretend he's her fiance. At the same time, a mysterious AI starts to cause problems on what is basically a super-version of Facebook and every other social media site. There is also a great Hanafuda scene near the climax and that was very cool. Movie should have gotten an Oscar nomination.

Genre: Sci-fi, Family
Animation: Great. Has a "super flat" style.

[Akito Kinomoto]

Time of Eve
Simplistically beautiful. It's thought-provoking, but only if you want it to be. There's something to like whether you're in this for the characters or the various moral dilemmas this show raises.

Clannad and Clannad: After Story
Perhaps one of the most beloved anime of all time, and for good reason. It goes beyond the confession and their scholarly activities. It doesn't hesitate to show us the heartbreak life brings. It isn't afraid to go beyond the point where most romances stop.

[kitten320]

Fairy Tail (2009), not the best of the best but an enjoyable shounen series.

**Rainbow: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin (2010) if you want something more emotionaly intence.

07-Ghost (2009), I liked it.

*Angel Beats (2010) great art and soundtracks.

*Clannad (2007-2008), second season obviously aired later. Really good and emotional series.

**Ga-Rei Zero (2008) good drama about friendship. Involves action and some gore.

K-ON (2009) if you like slice of life with comedy and some Moe.

Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai (2010) good romance comedy.

**Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica (2011) magical girl turned into a thriller.

**Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom (2009) great series about assasins.

**Shiki (2010) good vampire thriller

Working!! (2010) a nice slice of life comedy about restaurant, comedy.

FMA: Brotherhood (2009) in comparison to season 1, follows the manga

AnoHana is an ongoing series which are good so far.

* = a must see in my opinion
** = personal faves

[Guardian Enzo]

TV:

Cross Game - Sports, but really slice-of-life and romance. Simple perfection from the genius, Adachi.
AnoHana - check with me again in three weeks, but as of now one of the best and most moving dramas you'll see.
House of Five Leaves - Seinen (I guess). A period drama about a kidnapping ring and a hapless but kind samurai. Slow-paced but gorgeous, and an exquisite character study.
FMA: Brotherhood - As fine a shounen adaptation start to finish as I've seen.
True Tears - Arguably the best romance anime of the last half-decade.
Natsume Yuujinchou - Two seasons (third on the way) of youkai and emotionally moving stories about loneliness.

Movies:

5 Cm Per Second - The most visually beautiful anime ever IMO, and the first part is one of the most simple and beautiful love stories.
Colorful - A magical realism tale about a soul given a second chance at life, via the body of a 14 year-old suicide victim. Gritty, honest and ultimately uplifting.
Summer Wars - Spectacularly imaginative story about family dynamics and social networking gone haywire.

[Kotohono]

To just keep it at 5 I'd second Madoka Magica, Clannad, and Spice and Wolf and suggest add Bakemonogatari[has a shaft's unique animations, but it really fits the show and is great in it's own way] and Katanagatari[A little different style than normal, but the Animation is excellent].

[sadisticlust]

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. I have seen some of these and I will look into those that I have not.

[MeoTwister5]

I'll add most of everything said here and add Tatami Galaxy, Shinryaku! Ika Musume and Eve no Jikan.