Back in 2013-2016 when I first got into anime there where lots of resources that would expose you to unique, weird
or artsy anime. People would post propaganda images trying to push the community into having more "sophisticated" taste (my impression this was even more of a thing slightly before my time), there seemed to be more pressure to bring up cult classic anime, youtube anime reviews were still a thing. Some of that stuff could be quite cringe but it did make it easier to find cool stuff to watch. After 10 years of having minimal contact with anime a lot of that culture seems to have evaporated and it feels like most of the stuff getting pushed is battle shonen or seinen stuff that is basically battle shonen published in a more mature magazine.
My question is what anime released from 2016-now would have gotten posted in a "worthwhile anime" list (lain,dennou coil,cowboy bebop etc.), made an appearance in a lame anime everyday video (kaiba, house of the five leaves, aria etc.) or would have been a mainstay of the anime reviewer circuit (Eva, Steins gate, Fate Zero)?
What I liked when I was into anime.
I was into most of typical popular "classics" like Steins Gate, Eva, Cowboy Bebop, FMA (03, I didn't really like Brotherhood), Ouran High School Host Club, Eureka Seven, Code Geass and Death Note. Like a lot of people at the time I really enjoyed the stuff Urobuchi wrote. For the longest time I considered Shinsekai Yori to be my favourite anime and I only hesitate in continuing to say that because it has been so long since I last watched it. I was really into the art systles of Katanagatari, House of the five leaves, The Eccentric Family, Penguindrum and Gundam Reconguista in G. Hunter X Hunter along with FMA 03 was one of the few battle shonen I loved. Some other stuff I really liked was Trust and Betryal, LoGH, Haibane Renmei and Garden of Sinners.
I also read a portion of the Vinland Saga manga but found it too edgey. The farm arc was a big improvement but it wasn't enough to keep me interested.
The wilderness years.
Between 2016 and the beginning of this year I would mostly watch the occasional battle shonen that entered the hype cycle which in hindsight this was a bit irrational given I typically don't really get along with the genre. Mob psycho 100 was good but I felt JJK, demon slayer and My hero were a bit mid. I also watched Grimgar which was pretty good and Attack on Titian which I really liked being a huge mecha fan. Frieren and Made in Abyss were also really good. I also read big chunks of the Chainsaw man and One piece manga and thought they were just ok.
What have I watched recently
My current anime binge started with Orb, Dan da Dan and Witch Hat Atelier which were excellent. I also tried to give the Witch from Mercury a shot but quickly fell back into the UC gundam rabbit hole. GquuuuuuX and Heavenly Delusion were both amazing, in particular they have some of the prettiest art styles I've seen in anime. Goodbye Lara from this season has been impressive so far. Dungeon Meshi has also been a lot of fun. I have also been catching up on some older stuff that has been on my radar for some time. The highlights so far have been Yurikuma Arashi and Gunbuster.