20 Best Anime TV Series Of All Time

12. Kino's Journey

Kino's Journey, adapted from the light novel series by Keiichi Sigsawa, takes the road trip formula and uses it in a way rarely seen, serving up a series of self-contained stories which function as moral tales or parables.

Kino and his talking motorcycle Hermes have one rule when they enter each city on their travels - they will only remain there for three days. Within each of these stories themes such as the nature of social structures, propaganda, fearmongering and people's inability to communicate are all explored with a level of philosophical depth not often seen in television.

Few anime series manage to condense such a rich and rewarding insight into human nature as Kino's Journey - that this is achieved in just 12 perfectly formed episodes makes it more impressive.