Warning: any kind of answer you get from me is going to be skewed towards mecha, and I’ve not watched a lot of stuff I should have, but I’ll at least give you the stuff I really like.
Shin Mazinger Z-Hen: A REALLY great take on Mazinger Z with a bit of a Greek-style storytelling angle to it. A lot of other Go Nagai stuff pops up in it, too, which makes it fun.
King of Braves GaoGaiGar: It starts slow but it’s everything good about super robot shows, and while it’s pretty monster-of-the-week for a while there’s always something being added. Great themes of courage and the resilience of the human spirit. After watching it, watch the OVA GaoGaiGar FINAL.
Aim for the Top! Gunbuster: Gainax’s first TV anime. Has a good ramp up and a GREAT story and characters. The ending still gets me. Noriko is love.
Aim for the Top 2! Diebuster: The sequel to Gunbuster with a wholly different style reflective of Gainax’s FLCL era when it was made. Might take a bit to get over the 16-year style whiplash, but it’s still good. Some would say not as good as the first, though. The ending still gets me. Nono is love.
Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann: Might as well round out the Gainax train here. Pretty much a love letter to everything super robot. It got super popular when it was airing and thus got a lot of backlash. I watched it at a very particular time in my life and it ended up affecting me a lot so it’s impossible to not recommend. The classic anime theme of believing in yourself is taken to the extreme here, and it becomes pretty emotional. The animation is great (Aside from episode 4) and guys that worked on this would go on to form studio Trigger.
Mobile Suit Gundam 0079: Guess I can’t have one of these without some Gundam on it, so why not the original? Dated animation and drags at times, but you can see the founding of so many cliches and plots that are still used today. There’s a reason that Gundam is a household name. Tomino is a fucking crazy person, but sometimes he’s crazy in the right direction.
Mobile Fighter G Gundam: Classic super robot shows filtered through a Gundam lens. Super fucking nutso but god damn if it isn’t a fun ride. Probably the only one of these where I’d say that the English dub is just as fun simply because of the hokey delivery fitting the tone so very well. In a pinch, I’d still go with the original voices, though.
Macross Plus: I’m probably going to get some flak for this, but this is the only Macross I can actually stand. Basically just Top Gun in anime form but I love it so, so much.
My Hero Academia: Yeah, I have to. It’s excellent. Everything about it is just really really good and heartwarming. The characters are great.
God’s Blessing on this Wonderful World! (Konosuba): Probably the absolute funniest anime I’ve ever watched ever and the only isekai I can stand. Everyone is an asshole, but they’re all still lovable. Darkness is best girl come at me.
I know there’s more I should recommend, but I can’t think of them right now. I’m currently watching Symphogear all the way through and I’m loving it so far, so go with that.
