The series in general is ten times funnier if you get the Japanese in-jokes and cultural references (keep in mind, too, that the first season started in 2006).

That said, there's plenty to enjoy even if you don't catch everything once the series gets rolling, and as it goes along it makes some effort to appeal to international viewers as well, while still maintaining the distinctly Japanese characteristics that give it its charm.

Also, while someone further down said that they found its episodic nature to be a drag, in practice it goes through alternating episodic and arcing segments (e.g. 5-10 episode arcs, not just "to be continued"). In this regard, it provides the series with a fair bit of flexibility to choose the kind of narrative that best suits the story they're trying to tell, rather than feeling like they have to either cut things down to 20 minutes or stretch them out for 90.

OK, get ready to go old school for a bit here. Favorite in bold.

Openings:

• Charlotte - Bravely You
• Dragonball Z - Cha-La Head Cha La
• Getter Robo (original series)
• Gurren Lagann - Sorairo Days
• Gundam 0083 - The Winner
• Slayers - Get Along
• Ranma 1/2 - Little Date
• Fullmetal Alchemist - Ready, Steady, Go
• GTO - Driver's High
• Cowboy Bebop - Tank!
• Bleach - Asterisk
• Bleach - Ichirin no Hana
• Nadesico - You Get to Burning
• No Game No Life - This Game

Endings:

• Bleach - Houki Boshi
• K-On! - Don't Say Lazy
• FLCL - Ride On Shooting Star
• Kimagure Orange Road - Fire Love
• Macross 7 - My Friends

Picking a single favorite opening is hard. Ending is a bit easier, since there are far fewer that I find interesting.

Admittedly, a few of the choices (especially with regard to ending tracks) may be biased by the fact that I am a bass player. If any of y'all have been to Otakon in the past 5 years, you've probably heard me jamming on some of the above in the hall.

@DevilFox15 Since we seem to have double posted...

What's up with the Monogatari series, and where should one start with it?

Tale of Princess Kaguya is a faithful retelling of the whole classic Japanese fairytale, animated with a style resembling traditional Japanese illustration with brushes and ink. If you're into cultural pieces, it's an excellent choice.

@Vynis Since I've never actually gotten around to it, what's the deal with Durarara, and is it worth checking out?

Nice list, by the way.

It's orignal title "Working!!" was far more descriptive; they renamed it after the restaurant everyone works at.

Basically, instead of having the characters meet at Denny's for an interaction and then go elsewhere you get to see all the behind-the-scenes antics of the crew working at said Denny's. Kind of like Denkigai, but...at a Denny's.

30-something hikikomori (shut-in) gets amateur therapy from a teen girl who's trying to work through her own problems by helping someone else through theirs.

The Incredibles, set in 1984 Tokyo

ToraDora

Shot in the dark time: Reborn?

That's tantalizingly close to being Fist of the North Star...

Will take a stab at this one and say Evangelion

Love Hina

Dominion Tank Police would also loosely work here

Ideon: Be Invoked!

Seconding Charlotte. Excellent series!