Classic Anime

[SamuraiMegas]

I think Soul Eater will be considered a classic in the future. I'm also watch GITS SAC and it's great, and you guys should know by know I love Cowboy Bebop and Trigun a good bit too.
Gurren Lagaan will def. be considered a classic though!

[marurun]

Just to clarify, I meant the term "classic" in the manor that lots of people enjoyed and still do enjoy the series. Not a time based classic.

It kinda sounds like you don't mean classic at all, then. What you mean is popular. Classic indeed refers to something that has held up over time. It implies quality as being just as important, if not more important, that popularity.

Now, when you hear about "modern classics" or "destined to become a classic", a lot of times it is hyperbole, but sometimes it may be true. In those cases, people are suggesting that it has the kind of quality and popularity, as well as, possibly, quirkiness, that it will likely survive the test of time.

In fact a lot of things are now classics that weren't particularly popular at release at all. The Rocky Horror Picture Show and the Princess Bride come to mind. They rise above merely being cult classics because they have taken on broader appeal as they have aged. When they were released they were generally panned by critics AND by the public, but in later home video releases and such they've picked up a lot of steam and made their mark.

This suggests we should NOT necessarily be looking at popularity to determine classic status, but rather at less easily defined qualities, like the quality of the story telling and characters, the wittiness of the dialogue, the quirky sense of style or well-defined look of the art, the smooth animation, and the fantastic or bizarre soundtrack.