I'm afraid to rewatch Ergo Proxy now because it falls into some of the traps I hate in new anime I watch. But I think it will still hold up for the most part because of its great atmosphere and imagery.
I'm actually a very big fan of School Days. Though I would never recommend someone who doesn't expect it that kind of brutal psychological horror.
Speaking of being surprised by psychological horror. Grisaia no Kajitsu. While absolutely trope heavy and stereotypically harem, the very last arc of the series which spans about 3 episodes is extremely graphical and gruesome. Been a long time since I was that put off by an anime actively avoiding to watch the rest because I couldn't take it anymore. Barring the irrational characters and glaring plot holes this was pretty well made and very effective. And to put that kind of stuff in a cookie cutter harem was pretty bold.
If you demand respect or gratitude for your volunteer work, you're doing volunteering wrong.
