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Need to edit my name and add 2 hash tags next lol. It's a bit weird to me that my last post is only on the last page but it was over a year ago since I made it. We need to get some more people posting here.

Last edited by A Mystery on Sun Feb 01, 2015 6:52 pm; edited 1 time in total

I heard people wanted this thread to get some luv. Now behold, as I'm going to dirty this lovely thread with my top 10 Twisted Evil

Wow, picking my top 10 was tough. Giving reasons for my choices even more so. I looked at which shows I rated as 'Masterpiece' or 'Excellent', but quality and enjoyment don't always go 100% together. Therefore, the list below isn't only comprised of flawless shows. Not by far in some cases. But... if you dare to wake me up in the middle of the night for an episode of anime, you can't go wrong with these shows.
This list will probably change in time.

Top 10 Anime

1. Cross Game
I love the more laid-back approach of this show, which revolves around sports (baseball), but is even more a slice-of-life drama at its core. Young Kitamura Kou goes from one hobby to the next, but his girl, Wakaba, dreams of him and some of his friends to play baseball and aim for Koshien - a national baseball tournament. Wakaba's sister Aoba doesn't like Wakaba's attachment to Kou though. Saying more would spoil things, so I'm not going to Wink

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The drama never gets soapy, the series doesn't get over the top with any of its themes. You cannot help but routing for the characters. It's a favorite of mine. The only negative part would be the art style Laughing

2. Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal
Beautiful OAV and a (complete) change of atmosphere from the Rurouni Kenshin TV series, even more serious than the Kyoto arc. This one delves into Kenshin's past (main character of Rurouni Kenshin), without trying to leave out the painful and gory parts of history. There's also some heartfelt drama and romance here.

3. Natsume Yuujinchou
This show, about a guy with the ability to see and interact with youkai, is a really good one. It has many things to like. The repercussions of being able to see supernatural things are shown, both in everyday life and in interacting with the youkai/ayakashi themselves. The first season is quite episodic, each episode revolving about Natsume meeting a youkai or sometimes human who tells his/her story, but the other seasons have more arcs and interwine more with each other, as some characters join the cast and we learn more about the already existing ones. There is more focus on Natsume's own past as well. The show often gives off a melancholic feel, does drama well, but also has many light and cute moments.
Also, who doesn't love Nyanko-sensei? He's in reality a frighteningly big youkai named Madara, but usually dwells in his catlike form and is the main humorous tone in this series. While not wanting to admit it, he's actually a great friend too.

4. Spice and Wolf
First: I'm a sucker for historical settings. Second: the main couple is a blast to watch. Wolf girl Holo and travelling merchant Lawrence play off each other nicely with their banter, in quite a mature manner. Lovely couple with great chemistry (especially playful, proud and wise wolf Holo). So here we have a series full of atmosphere and some adventure. Our leads have to face some trouble due to Lawrence dealing with merchant/economical issues and Holo being a wolf in a world where the Church has a big influence.
This series is not for everyone, but I loved it so much. The music is lovely too.

5. Rage of Bahamut: Genesis
Crazy (in a good way), bombastic, fantasy action series with a Hollywood feel to it. Name a fictional figure and it's there somewhere. Humans, Gods, demons and angels are also all present.
Red afro Favaro, a bounty hunter, has a long standing sparring rival in Kaisar, but one day meets a mysterious woman (Amira), who asks him to bring her to Helheim. Through 'circumstances', he has to go on the journey with her. She is also on the run however for stealing some kind of key - which miiighhht have some link to the opening scenes of this series. They show a distant past where a monster could only be beaten when all main groups existent in this world helped to seal its power.
Now this show has lovely fighting scenes, lovely music, fun characters that develop throughout the series and though the plot isn't too deep or difficult to follow, it's certainly well executed. It's just so much fun.

6. Black Lagoon
An action series, with enough guns, pirates, maffia and other bandits to like. Set in Southeast Asia in a fictional underground city (Roanapur), we follow the adventures of Rokuro, once a business man in a bleak Japanese business city, who through a business trip ends up in this place and meets a pirate group, Black Lagoon, and eventually joins them. This series is full of action, gore, some drama and comedy and doesn't shy away from showing the black pages of some people's pasts. Revy, the female gunman of Black Lagoon, is a blast to watch and Balalaika a formidable female maffia boss you don't want to mess with. The only character that didn't really do much for me was the spoiler[violent] maid.

7. Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit
Set in a fantasy midieval (?) world with a strong female lead, both in mind and body. She (Balsa), a spearwoman, takes on the task of saving lives, in atonement for a past sin. This series starts with her becoming a bodyguard for the son of the emperor. This son (Chagum) has a supernatural thing lurking in his body though, which complicates issues a lot. Balsa has to go on a journey with Chagum to fend off dangers and try to look for a solution for the mysterious hing residing in Chagum. The fights are nicely choreographed and the settings look beautiful. The characters are likable and the main 'pair' becomes closer to each other as the serie progresses.

8. Ouran High School Host Club
Delightful reverse harem comedy with a strong willed, down-to-earth female lead at its core. This is just fun to watch from start to finish. Though the male characters are all based on stereotypes, most of them get enough time to shine and they're all likable. This show is about making fun of these stereotypes as well.

9. Attack on Titan
I know, I know, the pacing (including overused flashbacks) could've been better at times and it can get quite overdramatic... but I don't recall many shows getting me on the edge of my seat as many times as this one does. This dystopian world of big Titans terrorizing the citizens is quite compelling and the show has enough twists, thrills, drama and entertaining characters to enjoy yourself from start to finish. Also, the maneouver gear and Titans are used to their full potential in the beautifully choreographed fights. This show is like a drug.

10. Nodame Cantabile (first season)
Romantic comedy with classical music, yay! Nodame is one of the quirkiest characters around, with her unique way of playing piano (cantabile - like singing). When she and serious, arrogant Chiaki become neighbors, the world changes for both of them. The comedy is good and both characters have to overcome their (personality) issues and think about what they are going to do in their future. The following seasons are good as well, but the side characters and pacing isn't as good as this first season.

Honorable mentions: Barakamon, Another, Bunny Drop, Birdy: The Mighty Decode, From the New World, Nana and Toradora!. I could list even more favorites, but I have to stop somewhere Wink

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For the next list, I went for a different approach. A bad show can be a big disappointment in and of itself, but I think the expectations some shows build and don't live up to can be crushing to the anime loving soul. Some shows that are on people's 'Worst 5 anime' lists are quite enjoyable even (or in the so bad it's good category). Take Pokemon: while people may have been disappointed to see the sequels not having the same enjoyment as the first season, nobody thought they'd be pieces of art. Also, I have rarely seen the worst shows in existence, because I try to avoid those Laughing

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Top 5 Biggest Disappointments

1. Terror in Resonance
Not only did I include this show based on the hype on beforehand. No, the first episodes look quite promising too. The music is fantastic. There are beautifully directed scenes. The terrorist theme. I liked some of the riddles. However, I thought both the characters and the plot didn't live up to what I hoped they would've been. Lisa wasn't just kind of boring or not my type, did she do anything worthwile? Did she display any intelligence? In my opinion, there were not enough interesting elements to her character and the other cast members didn't really leave an impression on me either (except for Shibazaki).
I thought the plot and villains would've been smarter with more twists too. The spoiler[chess game] in the middle of the series didn't impress me at all. You know, this is not a bad show, it's quite decent - but based on the beginning, I sort of expected an excellent show.

2. Fractale
The first episode looked like something out of a Miyazaki movie. I needed to watch more of this world. There was a beautiful Irish looking dystopian world with fantasy elements, a midieval atmosphere (even though it's set in the future), a mysterious woman, a fun 'stupid' villainous trio, nice music - enough to make my mouth water. The rest of the show wasn't sure what to do though. It went in every direction and tried to be many types of shows, but was never really coherent or compelling enough to make up for the promise of the first episode.

3. Natsuyuki Rendezvous
Before watching this, I had only seen good josei shows. Nana, Paradise Kiss, Honey and Clover, Nodame Cantabile - you get the idea. Having to watch two annoying and bland male leads trying to win the cute female (Rokka) over, was a core. The main guy, Hazuki, didn't even get just a little bit exposition about his life, his goals, no, nothing but his bland self and his love for Rokka. spoiler[Dead] husband doesn't rock either. The guys often don't even try to sympathize with one another. Rokka is quite a cute character and there's one other female character that isn't on screen enough (because she was more interesting than the others), but they cannot save this series, that stretches out too much. The fantasy elements didn't mesh well throughout the series either.

4. Future Diary
Loved the first few episodes and the premise. Twelve competitors, including Yukki and Yuno, have to beat each other in a battle royale, with the aid of their future predicting diaries. Each diary has its own unique features. Yukki hesitated to grow a backbone throughout the series, but unfortunately throws any developing bone fragments away the second he gets the chance. While some villains were quite enjoyable (including Nine, she rocks), some were also quite stupid.

5. The World is still Beautiful
Nike remains an awesome female lead throughout the series and the main couple does develop. I thought the series used too many cliches though (that spoiler['fiance'] for example) and the first episode set the bar quite high and had a different tone than all the other episodes. The 'Tender Rain' song is overused, but that's a minor flaw. Really, it's quite a decent show, but I just couldn't enjoy myself without rolling my eyes sometimes.

EDIT: Tiny mistake about (the) Future Diary.

Oh gosh, I'd forgotten about Natsuyuki Rendezvous. I was hoping for a good josei anime, and I got a massive disappointment. You pretty much just summed up how I feel about it as well.

Thanks, A Mystery. I've added your list to the index.

After receiving a PM from a user for a suggestion and discussing it amongst ourselves, we've decided to try a bit of an experiment and expand this thread from Top 10 / Worst 5 anime, to Top 10 / Worst 5 anything.

The same rules apply: for your choices, please put the same amount of effort into your reasons as others have done for their anime lists. The only difference, now, is that you can pick any topic that tickles your fancy. So if you wanna' do characters, directors, composers, etc. (try to keep it anime-related, of course, since that's what this forum is for), then have at it.

With the expansion of the topic range, we'll probably have to tweak the Index a little, so suggestions for that are also welcome.

Have fun, and good luck.

st_owly wrote:

Oh gosh, I'd forgotten about Natsuyuki Rendezvous. I was hoping for a good josei anime, and I got a massive disappointment. You pretty much just summed up how I feel about it as well.

I watched it with Sentire and I thought it was ok. Not great, but ok. Currently been watching Hanasakeru Seishonen with Sentire. It's a bit better I think. Only halfway into it though. I'd suggest you and amystery check it out for a josei title.

Oh and since you, like me, loved Black Lagoon Amystery you might want to check out Jormungang. It's by the same director I believe as Black Lagoon. Looks like same character designs as well.

Thanks for the Jormungand recommendation, Psycho. Its reviews are quite good. Did you watch it?

As for Hanasakeru, 'a bit better' doesn't really convince me to watch it Laughing

(the C grade from Hope doesn't make it better either)

@Tony: that's a good idea. I don't know if I myself will ever do such a list, but I'd love reading other's lists. Especially when it comes to characters and standout titles per genre (like action, romance).
Errinundra's list was nice to read (and to look at).

Hanasakeru Seishounen is... special. It's very much a guilty pleasure, reverse harem, romance show at the beginning with the introduction of the "Husband Game." Kajika goes out and finds her harem of guys who strive to protect and romance her over the course of the show. However, over time the show starts to shift towards more of a political mystery, trying to be more ambitious in its story by throwing in power clashes, political upheavals, cultural issues and the like. And sometimes the show adds the right amount of sensitivity to the matter. But other times the show falls back too much on its idealistic shoujo roots. The execution goes through highs and lows throughout the series.

I gotta give the show credit at looking at things from a global scale and trying to show off a variety of cultural backgrounds (versus just sticking to Japan and everything Japanese). Some cultures/countries are made up, but they carry enough richness to them and they sort of reflect the real countries they are surrounded by. Kajika grew up on the made-up island of Givoli (at least I think it's made-up) and adopted the religious beliefs of the people indigenous to that island. It ends up justifying some of her behavior throughout the show.

A little over half-way through the show the director was changed, and it can definitely be felt - especially in the first episode that the new director helms. The first director was going for more of a dramatic approach, while the second director adds in a lot more comedy and humor (which apparently is closer to source material). I felt that it was a change for the worse. While the drama can be melodramatic to stupid proportions occasionally, the humor often felt inappropriate and took me out of the moment. I'd rather be drawn into the drama (and feel silly about it later for being suckered in) than constantly taken out of the moment. The humor mellows out over time at least.

I give props to Hanasakeru Seishounen for being more ambitious with its plot, but the execution often feels lacking. On a scale of 10 to Miaka, Kajika ends up being a few grades above Miaka in terms of stupidity and annoyance. Also, Kajika ends up with the guy I wanted her to be with.

I just rewatched the first 4 episodes over the weekend in fact. The Mustafa parts are even more cringe-worthy hilarity than I first remember (my dirty mind can't accept the purity of Kajika's love - her constant fawning over her old pet keeps me thinking "bestiality!" throughout the entire arc with Eugene).

TL;DR: Hanasakeru Seishounen's roots are idealistic, romantic, reverse harem shoujo that tries to be more ambitious by mixing in political mystery. If you're in it for the political intrigue (and because you expect it to go beyond its idealistic, romantic roots) you'll probably be disappointed in the end.

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I'm not certain why there's a comparison between Hanasakeru Seishounen and Natsuyuki Rendezvous other than "romance for girls." The demographics are different - HS is shoujo and NR is josei. Being josei, NR approaches topics that are more mature and down-to-earth (well, as down-to-earth as ghosts can be). HS is more idealistic in its final messages and romance. The problem is that NR started off so well, yet quickly fell apart with stupid meandering and contrivances. On the other hand, HS is very apparent as being guilty pleasure fanfare that tries to be a bit more ambitious with its story.

Guilty pleasures can be very good and entertaining. However, this certainly sounds like it would fall somewhere into the disappointments category Wink

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And (luckily) I have a lot of nice anime to watch.

I watched Hanasakeru Seishounen a couple of years ago. It's very much a reverse harem that tries to be a little more ambitious with the political intrigue. I certainly enjoyed it a lot more than Natsuyuki Rendezvous, which just bored me after the first 2 episodes. What's interesting about HS is that the manga began in 1987 and finished in 1991, yet the anime premiered in 2009. So it's best taken as a product of its time I think. It's also by the same author as Jyu-Oh-Sei.

I wouldn't want to rewatch all of HS (too long, I'd rather avoid the episodes immediately after the director change), but I'd rather rewatch select scenes from HS versus NR. With HS, you can keep the bar lowered and be pleasantly surprised when it becomes more ambitious (and really, while it has lows in the plot line, it never entirely falls apart). It can get dangerously stupid, but at least it's entertaining. Also, it has Li Leng. I'd totally rewatch all of the Li Leng and Kajika scenes (which is what I started doing this weekend). NR, unfortunately, got boring quickly and wasted the potential of the first few episodes.

My Top 10 Anime Characters:

(This list is not whom I deem to be the "best" characters but my Favourite characters for one reason or anther.)

10. Kabuto Yakushi - Naruto
Kabuto is one of the most untrustworthy characters in anime. I always felt uneasy around him even after his original turn (which caught me off guard), from that point I feared for anyone around him including Orochimaru; I originally thought spoiler[that he would have been the one to take down Orochimaru and absorb his powers – though the latter did happen]. I loved watching him bide his time, you could tell he had a greater plan but needed to wait for the perfect opportunity to strike. During the lead into the spoiler[Fourth Great Ninja War] he is the one who manipulates spoiler[Tobi (at the point)] into an alliance along with the perfected reanimation jutsu making him one of the most powerful forces in the ninja world. I loved some of his more campy over the top slime ball speeches, I’m not sure if they were intended to come across that way but they had me roaring with laughter. It’s unfortunate that Kabuto’s character was let down by his exit from the story making his previous build and development feel like a waste- if not for that he would have been higher up my list.

9. Lunch/Launch – Dragonball
There isn’t too much to say about Launch as she is a petty minor character but she always had me in stiches. I love her split personality especially Blonde Launch who is always quick to fly off the handle and is very irrational ; this ranges from shooting anyone who says something she doesn’t agree with to having a very obvious and at time full on attraction Tenshinhan. One of my favourite scenes in all of anime was the motorbike chase she had simply over a stolen ice-cream; she hits my sense of humour perfectly.

8. Yuuichirou Tajima – Big Windup
Tajima is the first of two boisterous characters on this list. His personality is infectious which keeps the teams spirits lifted. He is the rock of the team, if he is struggling or down it affects them all but he has an innate ability to quickly turn the whole team around not only with his skills on the field but with his actions and words in the dugout. He is fantastic at self-analysing and although he is the most skilled member of the team he doesn’t let this go to his head as he always wants to improve his craft. Hanai and Tajima’s relationship is a joy to watch, they both compare themselves to each other both jealous of the other’s strengths which is the motivation to improve. Tajima’s relationship with Mihashi is sweet as Tajima sees Ren as a younger brother, one he has to protect especially after the way Ren was treated not only by his first team but by some of his current teammates like Hanai and Abe.

7. Chizuru Tachibana – You and Me
Chizuru reminds me of myself when I was his age, I was boisterous and loud to cover up my insecurities and lack of confidence. I believe Chizuru’s boisterousness is used in a similar way, covering up insecurities he has about being foreign and being the “new student”. It is always hard changing schools especially as you get older and I feel Chizu is load to draw attention to himself so not to fade into the background. We see that he also has a soft and sensitive side behind his sunny disposition especially when it comes to Mary but he struggles to get this across which may of us did at his age. We see him come to terms with the reality of his feelings which he handles very maturely towards the d of the second series. Chizu brings a lot of fun and laughter to this grounded series which certainly makes him stand out.

6. Najica Hiiragi – Najica Blitz Tactics
Najica is one of the strongest Female characters in anime which is saying something when most of the show is filled with pantie shots and anyone who knows me on here will know my distaste for fanservice. Najica battles against the odds, squaring up against almost superhuman villains and cyborgs which she does with such class. She is never rattled; she has a strong mind as well as level headed plus she is always quick to pick herself up when knocked down. She is quite inspirational in the fact she is a figurehead in what is normally deemed to be a “man’s occupation”, on top of that she is also a business woman with her own fragrance line. Najica is wise beyond her years, a great motivational speaker and doesn’t let her sexuality define who she is.

5. Rintaru Okabe – Steins;Gate
For me Okabe is one of the best characters I have seen in a series - he is the perfect balance of crazy and rational and his nicknames for the other members had me in stitches, his care for his fellow members was heart-warming and his interactions with Kurisu aka Christina, The Zombie (my personal favorite) and Celeb Seventeen are beautiful and hilarious. His eccentric personality draws in the viewer. The characters seem to gravitate around him which I believe to be a combination of being slightly crazy but he also often goes above and beyond to try and help those around him. He is the kind of person you want to be around as you will be constantly laughing or having fun but you also know you have a good and reliable friend.

4. Hikari Sakishima – Nagi No Asukara
Hikari’s character development is second only to my number one spot. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Hikari grow and mature; he started off as such a self-absorbed brat, with very little self-control and awareness of others around him. He was unaware of the impact his words and actions were having o his friends. Each episode you could see a small change in her personality until it had done a 180. He softened as a person and was able to listen to others though his passion for the village never faded; he managed to channel is efforts into more effective ways. He wanted to protect the village and his friends so he stood up to adversity in the form of grown men leading to spoiler[the unity of both land and sea]. His caring nature and determination made him such an enjoyable character to follow from start to finish.

3. Sōhei Sasahara – My Little Monster
I think I like Sasahara so much because he is has the kind of personality I’m attracted to. He is level headed and the most mature out of the group. He seems to let life drift on by without too may dramas but when he has caused a problem he has been quick to apologise. He cares for his friends a lot, he doesn’t judge them ad is always accepting of others. There is one exception to this and that is Natsume, this s due to spoiler[his own feelings towards her ]; he can see the mistakes she is making and I believe his harshness, which is few are far between, are only because he cares for her and wants the best for her. I have enjoyed discovering him as a character which has made him the one I pulling for most.

2. Miria aka. “The Phantom Miria - Claymore
In my mind Miria is the strongest female character in anime. She gains respect from those around her by using her skills, strong words and not taking sides or belittling those of lower rank. She is acknowledged as a leader by quickly taking charge and make sound decisions by thinking logically on her feet whilst in a battle, she quickly gained the respect of those above her shown in comments like: “Miria's effectiveness in a team exceed that of No. 1”. She is not one to leave a team mate behind and is willing to sacrifice herself if the time comes, especially if it is to protect a fellow Claymore as she takes the death of a team mate personally; this goes against the organisations aims. Miria is one of the first to oppose the organisation and actively seek to take it down from the inside. Annoyingly she doesn’t truly come into her own until a little after where the anime finished but that doesn’t change that she was all the above from the get go.

1. Renton Thurston – Eureka Seven
Renton causes the many disagreements in the world of anime fandom but he is my favourite character - it’s a bold statement, I know but I love everything about him. His realism is what hooks me the most as he has highs and lows with the cards he's dealt with; he cries and moans a lot but what adolescent doesn't in a high stress environment. What frustrates me about other Mecha pilots is that they seem to be too carefree with the responsibility they hold making them seem very one dimensional. He causes many problems when he first joins the Gekkostate, believe this is because he is just trying to find a place where he belongs, but turns this around to become a strong and active member of the team with hell of a lot of guts and determination. He matures throughout the series becoming a rock for Eureka and a farther figure for the kids.

Honourable mentions not from anime: Guts from Berserk, as I haven’t watched the anime I cannot include him in this list, Mitsuko Souma from Battle Royale would have made the list if the films had been animated rather than live action as she is an outstanding character in both the manga and film adaptations.

I'm sure this list will e updated fairly regularly as I have a fair few series back logging.

A Mystery wrote:

Thanks for the Jormungand recommendation, Psycho. Its reviews are quite good. Did you watch it?

Started to. On episode 4 of season 1. Got both seasons on BluRay cheap (55% off each) during Right Stuf's Holiday sale. So far very gritty, dark, adrenaline and action filled as Black Lagoon. I think Bl is a bit more....raw per se. Jor I think might have more of a lesson (if that's the right word) or goal in mind for the show. Just speculation so far. Either way it's a fun ride so far.

@TsunaReborn!,

I've added your list to the front page, parenthetically flagged as Top 10 characters.

I'll try to do my own next weekend or the one after.

Thanks errinundra - hopefully there will be more activity with a wide range of topics that can be discussed. I need to do a directors list at some point.

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