Well I don't town much, and I have a couple that will very soon be added to my collection of dvd's, so here is
my top 5 (and the bottom one or two I can't really put into order).
1. xtv
2. Evangelion
3. Gravitation
4. Cowboy Bebop
5. toss-up between Orphen and Chrno Crusade
Looking at these, my pridominant type of anime would be Fantasy.
And, out of these, I would recommend Evangelion and Cowboy Bebop for any relative general audience, and possibly both
Orphen and Chrno Crusade. Definitely not Gravitation - its a fav. for me, absolutely, but a lot of people would probably
not agree with or find likable the shounen-ai theme. And, XTV is my top anime out of everything I've ever seen, but
anyone who dislikes fantasy or darker themes would probably not find it the most enjoyable either.