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Errinundra
Moderator


Joined: 14 Jun 2008
Posts: 6516
Location: Melbourne, Oz
PostPosted: Sun Nov 17, 2013 10:02 pm Reply with quote
I did the last update (April 2012; Tony K modified the front page posts). I was pretty thorough & linked to the person's most recent post. Mind you, you can modify posts no matter how old they are. I've done my own new top 10s so I added links to the original post.

(Time flies: it's already more than 1½ years since that update, although not many new lists have been made since then.)
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TsunaReborn!



Joined: 08 Sep 2012
Posts: 4713
Location: Cheltenham UK
PostPosted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 2:08 pm Reply with quote
errinundra wrote:
(Time flies: it's already more than 1½ years since that update, although not many new lists have been made since then.)


I'm currently working on both my anime and manga lists, I'm pretty bad at constructively expressing why I like/enjoy something so its taking some work. I'll hopefully have them completed shortly (and posted in the correct threads Very Happy ).
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Jose Cruz



Joined: 20 Nov 2012
Posts: 1767
Location: South America
PostPosted: Fri Nov 29, 2013 3:54 pm Reply with quote
Ignatz wrote:
TsunaReborn! wrote:
Jose Cruz wrote:
Yes, I can imagine. My favorite anime changed greatly over the past 12 months because that was the period in which I watched the most anime in my life by far, I think I watched nearly 2,000 episodes of anime over the past 12 months which is probably more than half of the anime I watched in my life.

Wow I wish I had that amount of spare time! Wink

It's only about 2 hours of anime each day.


more like 3 hours, given it's about 6 episodes per day, plus time spend in the restroom, picking something to drink, etc.

Anyway, my top series 10 already changed again:

1 - PMMM
2 - Haibane Remnei
3 - Trigun (new)
4 - NGE
5 - Rahxephon
6 - Clannad: Afterstory
7 - Gurren Lagann
8 - Saikano (new)
9 - Lain
10 - Conan: Boy of the Future
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relyat08



Joined: 20 Mar 2013
Posts: 4125
Location: Northern Virginia
PostPosted: Mon Dec 02, 2013 3:11 am Reply with quote
Just to give a summary of my interests, I typically steer toward dark, psychological, philosophical, twisted, psychotic, gory, emotional and otherwise mature anime. I also have a significant soft spot for a good shojo; usually something that has a sad aspect or is very emotional. I have a very specific sense of humor as well, so I usually prefer serious shows.

Top 10:

10. RIN~Daughters of Mnemosyne
This is a very mature story that pretty much satisfies all of my interests in the mature department. Nudity, gore, torture, S&M... simply put, if you like that kind of stuff, you'll like this. And to accompany all of that very welcome content is a well-written and smart story.
9. Ghost in the Shell: SAC
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex was one of the first shows I watched and as a massive fan of psychological, science-fiction and philosophical entertainment, this was perfect for me. A fantastic soundtrack, brilliant writing and characters, and a lot of thought-provoking questions make this something that should be in everyone's collection.
8. Black Lagoon
Did you ask for another badass girl? Well, here is one. Revy. She is awesome. One of my favorite characters from any series because of her simply badass nature. The show itself wouldn't exist without her, but I would be remiss to not mention that the story is also extremely excellent as it follows the adventures of Revy and the Black Lagoon pirate crew in the South China Sea(?).
7. Waiting in the Summer
This is one of two shows by Nagai that are in my top 10. Why? He actually knows how to make a shojo that contains likable and relate-able characters rather than stiff stereotypical shells. I'm not against the ecchi genre at all, and actually enjoy it if it is incorporated properly. That is another thing that this show does well. It may have some fan-service, but it is never overbearing and Nagai never allows it to get in the way of the real relationships between each character. Also helpful is that everyone ends up with the right person in the end.
6. Higurashi No Naku Koroni(and Kai)
This is soo good! I have to admit that after making it through the first season I was a little dissatisfied with it. They lost me after the 3rd arc. It was just really strange writing. However, moving into season 2 proved to completely change my opinion. They explained everything perfectly and created an extremely entertaining and original story that has yet to be beaten in the horror genre. Also home to some intense gore and torture. Its not exactly prevalent, in my opinion, but it definitely has an effect when it happens.
5. Spirited Away
Nothing to dislike about this movie. Its just beautiful. It is my favorite animated film of all time and has been for the last decade. I don't imagine that will change any time soon. Chihiro is a young, but strong girl who gets lost in a theme park. She is transported to another world which turns out to be one of the coolest bathhouses ever. There she meets Haku and together they fight to save her parents.
4. Death Note
Brilliant. Its just simply brilliant. This is miles ahead of almost every psychological thriller I've ever seen. It had my mind swirling with scenarios and possible outcomes between the two incredibly smart leads. It was great brain exercise and that is the best kind of entertainment in my opinion. L and Light are also two of the most entertaining characters I've ever witnessed.
3. Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day
I can hardly describe how it makes me feel. Its humorous, beautiful, dark, depressing, enlightening, uplifting, emotional... its all of those things all wrapped up perfectly in a tight 11 episode package. This is another Nagai masterpiece, so I don't really need to say anything else about it.
2. Attack on Titan
It plays out like a shonen anime with a teenage boy attempting to "kill all the titans", but the story itself(at this point, at least) is much deeper and more intricate than your typical shonen. The animation and the fighting is extremely top-notch, gory, satisfying and flashy. Add very cool tools like maneuver gear and a world that is deciminated to the point of human extinction and you have something awesome. Pretty much exactly what I am looking for in an anime. Excellent writing along with bucket-loads of "badass".
1. Evangelion(movies)
Its hard for me to completely rate this as the last movie isn't out yet, but after seeing the first 3, this is amazing. Neon Genesis is clearly a very controversial show, but after experiencing these movies for myself, they seem to be made just for me. Quirky, messed up characters, a deep psychological story and plenty of intense mecha fighting. This story is awesome!



Top 5 Worst:
5. Golgo 13
The biggest disappointment I have ever seen. Given the subject matter, this sounded like something that I would absolutely love. Somehow they made it repetitive and boring to a painful extent. Combine that with one of the most stiff and lifeless characters ever created and you have this mess.
4. Rosario+Vampire
Uhh... wow. That was just... painful. The sense of humor in this show is just terrible. Repeating each others names over and over again for half an episode is in no way funny to me.
3. Trigun
I'm sorry. I know that this has a lot of fans, but come on! What is up with the morality in this show? Vash is the most naive protagonist I've ever seen. It had too much humor and a plot that relied too heavily on the presumption that killing is always wrong. An absolute like that is always going to get you in trouble.
2. Chobits
I could not relate to the protagonist in this show at all. I honestly found the story itself to be fairly solid, but the characters were terrible. Hideki was, honestly, a pretty gross person.
1. Desert Punk
The. Worst. Comedy. Ever. Combining all kinds of very welcome mature content with the humor of a 13 year old automatically creates something that I will never enjoy. Had I known that going into this, I would never have started. I love mature content, but it is entirely necessary for a well-written story and minimal humor to accompany it. Desert Punk literally targeted vulgar teenage punks with the attention span of a fly as its audience. As much as Hideki was a gross person, Kanta is even worse. He is definitely my least favorite anime character ever.


Last edited by relyat08 on Wed Jan 29, 2014 11:07 pm; edited 4 times in total
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dtm42



Joined: 05 Feb 2008
Posts: 14084
Location: currently stalking my waifu
PostPosted: Mon Dec 02, 2013 3:44 am Reply with quote
relyat08 wrote:
3. Trigun
I'm sorry. I know that this has a lot of fans, but come on! What is up with the morality in this show? Vash is the most naive protagonist I've ever seen. It had too much humor and a plot that relied too heavily on the presumption that killing is always wrong. An absolute like that is always going to get you in trouble.


Vash is not naive. He is not some armchair idealist who knows nothing of the real world. Just look at all the horrific scars that he has all over his body. He knows the cost of not taking lives, how hard it is to spare those who are trying to kill you. Even so, he still chooses not to kill as much as possible. To him, not killing is a personal belief that is more important to him than his own life. He is noble not because of his pacifism - much of it born from his own messed-up past - but rather due to his mind-boggling dedication in following his beliefs.
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relyat08



Joined: 20 Mar 2013
Posts: 4125
Location: Northern Virginia
PostPosted: Mon Dec 02, 2013 4:34 am Reply with quote
dtm42 wrote:
relyat08 wrote:
3. Trigun
I'm sorry. I know that this has a lot of fans, but come on! What is up with the morality in this show? Vash is the most naive protagonist I've ever seen. It had too much humor and a plot that relied too heavily on the presumption that killing is always wrong. An absolute like that is always going to get you in trouble.


Vash is not naive. He is not some armchair idealist who knows nothing of the real world. Just look at all the horrific scars that he has all over his body. He knows the cost of not taking lives, how hard it is to spare those who are trying to kill you. Even so, he still chooses not to kill as much as possible. To him, not killing is a personal belief that is more important to him than his own life. He is noble not because of his pacifism - much of it born from his own messed-up past - but rather due to his mind-boggling dedication in following his beliefs.


Right. I understand and sympathize with the sentiment, but it is still naive and annoying as hell. Think about it this way. You could either drop your idealistic view and kill a man who has taken dozens of lives, or you could stick with your morals and... uhh, knock him out? A few days later he goes and kills another dozen people. If you chose to spare him, you now have the blood of all of those people on your hands. If you had accepted the necessary evil that is death, you could have saved the lives of those people.
It all fell apart for me when they had the flashback with the spoiler[ spider and the butterfly. The antagonist was completely right in that scene. If you refuse to kill the spider, the spider is going to kill the butterfly(plus many more over the course of its life). Kill the spider and you save dozens of butterflies. Pick your poison.] It is idealistic and naive to think you will never have to take a life when you are in his position.
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dtm42



Joined: 05 Feb 2008
Posts: 14084
Location: currently stalking my waifu
PostPosted: Mon Dec 02, 2013 5:14 am Reply with quote
^
You have to understand that Vash believes in people and in giving them a chance. Naive? Perhaps . . . except that in another sense it is also naive to think that you can play god and decide who lives and dies. In real life few situations are clear-cut. For example, many of the townsfolk who tried to kill him in episode five were just scared and desperate; they weren't evil. Heck, even the case of the spider and the butterfly is not clear-cut. To free the butterfly means the spider starves. To kill the spider means upsetting the natural balance of things and you might end up with too many butterflies who subsequently breed a huge number of caterpillars that then kill your crops.

But it's more complicated than merely a fear of playing god. While Vash believes that he is not the one who can judge a person's sins, he also believes that he has no right to kill in the first place. To him, even the small chance that a thug he spares will turn his life around is more valuable than his own safety. This is not born of naivety but rather his own trauma and, possibly, a desire for salvation. A need to find a way to hold onto his humanity even though in terms of raw power he's effectively a god. Remember when I said that he puts other people's lives ahead of his own? That's because he believes his own life to be worthless, and the only thing he has left is a promise to spoiler[Rem].

Anyway, the discussion is moot in a way. spoiler[At the end of the series he does in fact learn that sometimes - just sometimes - it is unambiguously okay for even him to take a life. That there are things and people worth protecting, and that it is not wrong to protect them even if it means having to kill. His killing Legato proves this. He did exactly what they wanted, but for the right reason, and because of that he won and Legato and Knives lost. Legato threw his own life away - not that he really minded, to be fair - and Knives couldn't make Vash suffer anymore.]
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relyat08



Joined: 20 Mar 2013
Posts: 4125
Location: Northern Virginia
PostPosted: Mon Dec 02, 2013 11:09 am Reply with quote
dtm42 wrote:
^
You have to understand that Vash believes in people and in giving them a chance. Naive? Perhaps . . . except that in another sense it is also naive to think that you can play god and decide who lives and dies. In real life few situations are clear-cut. For example, many of the townsfolk who tried to kill him in episode five were just scared and desperate; they weren't evil. Heck, even the case of the spider and the butterfly is not clear-cut. To free the butterfly means the spider starves. To kill the spider means upsetting the natural balance of things and you might end up with too many butterflies who subsequently breed a huge number of caterpillars that then kill your crops.

But it's more complicated than merely a fear of playing god. While Vash believes that he is not the one who can judge a person's sins, he also believes that he has no right to kill in the first place. To him, even the small chance that a thug he spares will turn his life around is more valuable than his own safety. This is not born of naivety but rather his own trauma and, possibly, a desire for salvation. A need to find a way to hold onto his humanity even though in terms of raw power he's effectively a god. Remember when I said that he puts other people's lives ahead of his own? That's because he believes his own life to be worthless, and the only thing he has left is a promise to spoiler[Rem].

Anyway, the discussion is moot in a way. spoiler[At the end of the series he does in fact learn that sometimes - just sometimes - it is unambiguously okay for even him to take a life. That there are things and people worth protecting, and that it is not wrong to protect them even if it means having to kill. His killing Legato proves this. He did exactly what they wanted, but for the right reason, and because of that he won and Legato and Knives lost. Legato threw his own life away - not that he really minded, to be fair - and Knives couldn't make Vash suffer anymore.]


I've been in a situation where someone could have easily taken the life of a human right next to me. It was scary as hell. Thankfully another customer in that grocery store was armed and dispatched the criminal. I can tell you with unequivocal certainty that that man would never have changed if his life was spared. You are right. The discussion is moot. Sometimes killing is necessary. That is simply a fact. And you are also right in saying that most situations in real life are not clear-cut. And that is another reason that creating an absolute like "killing is never acceptable" is naive. spoiler[It took Vash way too long to realize that, and the ending felt largely like a cop-out in that regard as well.] I'm not trying to rain on your parade if you thoroughly enjoy Trigun. One of my good friends is a huge fan and that is just fine. I just personally can't find Vash likable or the plot believable.
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Kelly



Joined: 17 Nov 2003
Posts: 868
Location: New York City
PostPosted: Mon Dec 02, 2013 4:58 pm Reply with quote
Actually, I think that Trigun did a rather good job of laying out the pros and cons of both sides of the pacifism coin and showing the price to be paid for following either path. spoiler[As already discussed, even Vash was eventually forced to kill once in a situation for which no one could reasonably blame him, while Wolfwood was wracked with guilt over Zazie, and was ultimately won over by Vash's point of view only to die for it]. Neither view was presented as completely ideal, the consequences of both were explored, and that seems pretty well balanced to me.
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Jose Cruz



Joined: 20 Nov 2012
Posts: 1767
Location: South America
PostPosted: Sat Dec 07, 2013 11:19 pm Reply with quote
relyat08 wrote:
3. Trigun I'm sorry. I know that this has a lot of fans, but come on! What is up with the morality in this show? Vash is the most naive protagonist I've ever seen. It had too much humor and a plot that relied too heavily on the presumption that killing is always wrong. An absolute like that is always going to get you in trouble.


The point of Vash being naive or not has been already explained by dmt42, I will only add that I rated it as one of the best things I ever watched (either TV or cinema) due to it's amazing writing, impressive character development and the humanism of the characters. Also, the comedy was very good. Vash appeared to me to be one of the most well developed fictional characters I ever experienced, he really felt like a person and not a bland fictional character. Trigun is a genuine classic that fully deserves it's status.

Quote:
2. Chobits
I could not relate to the protagonist in this show at all. I honestly found the story itself to be fairly solid, but the characters were terrible. Hideki was, honestly, a pretty gross person.


I though they were quite realistic. The whole show was pretty good, nothing really exceptional but nothing bad either, just another very solid anime.
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relyat08



Joined: 20 Mar 2013
Posts: 4125
Location: Northern Virginia
PostPosted: Sun Dec 08, 2013 12:51 am Reply with quote
Jose Cruz wrote:
relyat08 wrote:
3. Trigun I'm sorry. I know that this has a lot of fans, but come on! What is up with the morality in this show? Vash is the most naive protagonist I've ever seen. It had too much humor and a plot that relied too heavily on the presumption that killing is always wrong. An absolute like that is always going to get you in trouble.


The point of Vash being naive or not has been already explained by dmt42, I will only add that I rated it as one of the best things I ever watched (either TV or cinema) due to it's amazing writing, impressive character development and the humanism of the characters. Also, the comedy was very good. Vash appeared to me to be one of the most well developed fictional characters I ever experienced, he really felt like a person and not a bland fictional character. Trigun is a genuine classic that fully deserves it's status.

Quote:
2. Chobits
I could not relate to the protagonist in this show at all. I honestly found the story itself to be fairly solid, but the characters were terrible. Hideki was, honestly, a pretty gross person.


I though they were quite realistic. The whole show was pretty good, nothing really exceptional but nothing bad either, just another very solid anime.


I can respect your opinion. I still think that, considering his age, Vash was astoundingly naive for most of the series and I didn't find that entertaining, but I'll leave that as my opinion. I have absolutely no problem with other people enjoying it.
As far as Chobits, my dislike for that show is all on me. Its kind of the same reason that I didn't like Rosario+Vampire. The humor just wasn't for me. So, in other words, it is entirely subjective. Objectively, there is nothing really wrong with either work.
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Chiibi



Joined: 19 Dec 2011
Posts: 4828
PostPosted: Mon Dec 09, 2013 5:27 pm Reply with quote
relyat08 wrote:

As far as Chobits, my dislike for that show is all on me.


Man, I thought I was the only one who hated Chobits. Bless your soul. The characters were blander than bland. I can't even think of Chi as a character. What personality does she have? Even her seiyuu was boring. Blaaaaaaaaaah. "Dull" is the best word to describe the Chobits anime. Don't even get me started on the music and color palette.....
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relyat08



Joined: 20 Mar 2013
Posts: 4125
Location: Northern Virginia
PostPosted: Mon Dec 09, 2013 9:10 pm Reply with quote
Chiibi wrote:
relyat08 wrote:

As far as Chobits, my dislike for that show is all on me.


Man, I thought I was the only one who hated Chobits. Bless your soul. The characters were blander than bland. I can't even think of Chi as a character. What personality does she have? Even her seiyuu was boring. Blaaaaaaaaaah. "Dull" is the best word to describe the Chobits anime. Don't even get me started on the music and color palette.....


Haha, I have to agree with you on the music and the color as well. All in all, there wasn't much I liked about it. Its always nice to know there are others who feel the same way. Very Happy
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J-Dark Side



Joined: 16 Dec 2013
Posts: 25
PostPosted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 9:18 pm Reply with quote
Best

1. Code Geass (including R2)

I love this series and don't care who hears it. The massive cast is really impressive, has just about everyone has some sort of role to play in the plot. It's an amazingly structured tragedy that constantly manages to surprise, but manages to make the incredibly flawed characters still feel human and relatable in some way, even at their worst. In fact, it was when they were at their worst that things become the most interesting. I could rewatch this series forever and be happy.

2. Gatchaman Crowds

This baby just threw me for a loop. It's amazing. Personal feelings aside, I'd consider it one of the single most complete series ever made, and a second season on the way excites me for the first time in years. I love the ideas on how the information age has changed things for the better, and I love how each character has a purpose to build towards the greater themes and ideas at play. Hajime is one of the most likable idealistic heroes I've ever seen, especially with how her real power is not to fix everything with how awesome she is, but bringing out the best qualities in people that are all their own. The single most impressive thing about this show to me was how every single major character stayed who they were, but better, not becoming some sort of uniform idea of perfect. This was the perfect way to update the idea of a superhero for the modern age.

3. Baccano!/Durarara!!

Basically structured the same way, with the second going a bit more traditional, so I pair them together. Love both equally for different reasons. Baccano is just a fun ride the entire way, and has some really intense moments. It's pure entertainment, and is told in a way that just keeps you guessing. Durarara is more like a genre blended modern anime that jumps over a bunch of different storylines really well, and has some really memorable characters in the mix (dat Izaya). I actually like the second part, mainly because of how well developed the main characters are, even if it did have a bit of an anti-climax.

4. Monster

Whenever someone tries to tell me that the manga is superior, I just point towards that scene in the dub where Grimmer is trying to help someone who was just shot, and some gunmen are speaking an entirely different language the whole time. The incredible sense of confusion and building pressure was a first for me, and the entire series is filled with little moments like that, dripping with harsh atmosphere. It's amazing, and it helps that Johan and Tenma are such interesting characters.

5. S-Cry-Ed

It's unapologetic action and drama, and it really works. I love the style, like the jazzy soundtrack and overly expressionate characters (same character artist as the guy who finalized the Code Geass designs, shocker), and I love all the crazy powers being thrown around everywhere. Also, best final episode ever. That entire fight is something to behold.

6. Gurren Lagann

It's Gurren Lagann, I don't really need to say anything. It's big, explosive, and far more clever than it initially appears. It's just wonderful fun, and it respects your intelligence while throwing the silliest plotlines at you. It's also really emotional and never once apologizes to how overblown it is, instead making how loud it is the key to making you care about all these people and what happens to them. I don't think there was a single moment of this show I disliked.

7. Eureka Seven

I rewatched this series recently, and my love for it as only grown. I think I saw it in both ways it was meant to be seen; through the eyes of a teenager and through the eyes of an adult. It's amazing how different this show is after a few years of life experience. Renten and Eureka have the sweetest romance ever, and all the side characters are a lot of fun. The bigger themes and how 60s and 70s era counterculture philosophy are mixed in are all really interesting to me, especially with the incredible amount of respect the show has for that period. It's something completely different from anything I've seen before and after, both times. It's pretty much my favorite coming of age yarn.

8. Paranoia Agent

It's a damn trip. I love this show, I love going through it and seeing what weird little things I mixed. I love the suffocating atmosphere. I love the more realistically drawn characters, while they still keep elements of over expression. I love all the stand along episodes and their bizarre, disturbing stories. It's a mix of dark comedy and psychological thriller, and it just comes together perfectly.

9. Noein

I think I love Noein more for the subject matter and less for the actual execution. Anything that deals with multiverse and alternate timeline theory is something that instantly has my attention. More importantly, I love how it tackles memory towards the middle. It's all very interesting technobabble mixed with strange ideas, along with a great villain. I really love what Noein turns out to be, it was a perfect way to bring everything full circle.

10. Desert Punk

I'm most likely alone in this, but I really like Desert Punk's second half. The conflicting ideals of realism and idealism was an interesting way to take the series, but I think it really worked. spoiler[Kanta ending up being lawful neutral was clever, an angle I would have never thought of originally.] The first half is still great, of course. Seeing such an raging, selfish jerk as the hero was refreshing, especially with how he really was that skilled, but still incredibly pathetic. The second opening remains a favorite to this day.

Worst

1. Walkure Romanze

Episode two. That is all. I may be overreacting a tad, but never has a series made me more pissed off than this one. I'm just amazed this was made, even when stacked up with others of its genre.

2. Ikki Tousen (Season One)

I don't think any anime has made be angry and bored at the exact same time before. I think the only part that didn't bore or anger me was that moment where Ryofu did that one thing. You know what I'm talking about if you've seen the show. That thing. But that doesn't exactly make a show good. That makes the show ...suddenly much creepier.

3. Zatch Bell

Now granted, watching the original English release was a bad idea, but I stand by the belief that this series was unfunny garbage that childishly tried to distract from its rather bad art style with really, really, really stupid "comedy" (and remember, I like Desert Punk, so I really mean stupid here).

4. Dragonball GT

When you make Dragonball Z look good, you know you have fucked up royally somewhere. It is just astounding how bad this show is. Going back to the Dragonball formula of adventure? Good idea. They just should have gotten writers who actually had braincells for it and stuck with that idea. What a disjointed mess.

5. Wild Arms

I forget the exact title, but I doubt there are many Wild Arms anime. It was an original work, and it just felt like it had no reason at all to be a thing that existed. I'm still confused by a running joke where vampires found the main character's blood super delicious. What the actual plot ended up being only confounds more. It's so unnecessarily complicated, which is surprising. I mean overly complex plots is a staple of JRPGs, but not to this extent and not for only really the final parts of the series.
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TsunaReborn!



Joined: 08 Sep 2012
Posts: 4713
Location: Cheltenham UK
PostPosted: Fri Dec 27, 2013 5:38 pm Reply with quote
I have finally managed to complete my top 10; subscribers will more than likely know how much blood sweat and tears I put into this Wink. Right so in reverse order:

10. Claymore – This is the second series to make both lists. Claymore had to be on this list not only because of its glorious story, epic battles, characters and pure amazingness but because it got me into reading manga. If the ending wasn’t such a misfit and so stunted I wouldn’t have wanted to find out more and discovered the manga. Again I will not go into much detail as this will one of my main features in my manga list.

9. Dragonball – My guess is not much needs to be said about the anime itself other than this is just the original series (as I didn’t like Z all that much). Dragonball for me was just a bundle of fun - lots of laughs from Roshi, Bulma and Pilaf as well as cracking fights from the tournaments and the Red Ribbon arc. This is the only epic series (over 100 episodes) that I have watched all the way through more than once (four times to be precise). Plain and simple it’s an enjoyable watch!

8.Steins;Gate
I bought Steins;Gate due to the amount of praise which it received. Steins;Gate is a true masterpiece; it manages to tackle a very difficult and potentially complex storyline with ease. It is surprisingly easy to follow but doesn’t dumb itself down to do so but instead it explains itself in a clear and non-condescending way. The story doesn’t lose its way and get caught up in itself which could have easily have happened. The Characters are funny and believable they were all relevant and were given time for their own development. 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. Steins;Gate had me always wondering what was going to happen next and was very thought provoking – I am now convinced that Déjà vu is caused by the Alpha and Beta lines crossing over for a split second Laughing.

7. Senyu – Even though each episode it around 3 minutes long they are 3 minutes of nonstop laughing and fun! Senyu is not afraid to make a joke out of itself and never takes itself seriously. Each character is an exaggerated version of its stereotypical counterpart or a controversial part of anime fandom i.e. the loli lover. This show when airing is/was always my favourite 3 minutes of the week.

6. You and Me – This series doesn’t have anything within it that stands out as “wow… just wow” but for some reason it I really clicked with it. I loved the story telling and how easy it was to watch. I was constantly in fits of laughter and all the characters were so likeable. For me it was refreshing to watch a show with no drama in it spoiler[expect for Chizuru’s feelings for Masaki and hers for Shun], but it never overwhelmed the story and didn’t become some excessive spoiler[love triangle]; it remained grounded and believable. This series as a whole was very grounded and just a lot of fun with its heart-warming moments.


5. Big Windup – This was my first sports amine I watched which I bought on a whim as I remembered around 3 years previously I had eyed it up but got distracted by Claymore. This show is about teamwork and friendship. I powered through this series in two days as each episode was a pure delight! I loved the slight tease of BL between Mihashi & Abe and how their friendship and reliance on each other generally developed. Hanai’s character development was enjoyable to watch and Tajima’s character was extremely fun and his friendship to Mihashi became almost brotherly. I liked the fact that all the other characters in the team were developed over time and they never became a second thought. I enjoyed this show so much I have since become a fan of baseball (but it’s had to watch in the UK) – for an anime to cause me to become a fan of a sport that I knew nothing about before it has to make the list; and of course it’s also on the list because it’s an extremely fun and at times tense series.

4. Time Of Eve – Time of Eve has an inspirational massage: not judging someone for what they are instead find out who they are. When watching the show for the first time I had a lot of fun constantly trying to work out who was human and who was a robot before it was revealed. Each episode is a master class on showing how well a story and characters can be developed in 15 minutes. Each character has an underlying story which is discovered. Each character’s story has a mixture of sadness and hope. Each individual’s story made me shed a tear or two except for Masaki’s which had me balling. I think I speak for anyone who has watched the show and say; “Enjoying the time of Eve”.

3. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time – This is a beautiful story about love, parting and maturing. I like many others can relate to this show in regards to discovering your feelings for someone but not being able to admit them as well as distancing yourself when someone has confessed to you. For me I love how this film didn’t become melodramatic and the characters didn’t become bipolar or obsessed with their quest for romance; it kept grounded, well as much as a show can with time travel and kept the character believable and loveable. This is another show that had me balling through the last 20 minutes though both sadness and happiness.

2. Eureka Seven - I guess 90% of anime fans have watched E7, its kind of a given like Gurren Lagann, so there is no need for me to go into a quick overview of the show itself. E7 is one of those series that splits most viewers down the middle: those who love it and those who don't due to (mainly) Renton. I obviously am one of the many that loved it. Renton, he causes the many disagreements in the world of anime fandom but he is my favourite character from any series - its a bold statement, I know - 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 but he does have a hell of a lot of guts and determination especially towards Eureka. I love watching their relationship blossom and how they both cause each other to grow. Eureka and Renton's spoiler[time away from each other] is both heart breaking and heart warming. E7 took me through highs and lows, Renton's time with spoiler[Charles and Rey] made me feel much joy as he had found spoiler[a family unit who cared for him] but for that to be spoiler[taken away] had me in tears. I could carry on but I think you get the point Very Happy I will add that I have seen E7 twice now, a year and a bit in-between and the second viewing was more enjoyable, which surprised me, and I don't know why I didn't have this in my top 10 when compiling my first write up.

1. Anohana – This has my number one spot as I have never felt so many emotions from watching a single anime. I laughed, smiled, hated, cried and much more. I have never spent a whole episode of a show crying but the final episode broke that achievement for me. I cried like a baby and carried on for around 20 minutes after the show finished; my pillow was soaked, tissues piled up, my throat was hurting and my eyes were stinging – I would be ashamed to admit this but those of you have watched Anohana have probably suffered a similar fate as I have Laughing. This show has such an impact on me that whenever the opening or ending theme starts to play on my playlist I start to well up and the emotions flood back. This show is such a great healing anime whether you have had a loss, a break up or just need a good cry you can watch Anohana and you can disperse some of those pent up emotions; it works for me every time!

2 to 6 could have been in any order as I love them all for different reasons; its more than likely due to the fact that I watched ToE & Girl Who[…] again recently and finished Y&M as well as Senyu a month or few ago. I will say that I have a huge back log of series that I need to get through once my build up of manga has cleared so this list may change over the next couple of months and depending how Nagi continues there could be a change there.

Extra info: Gungrave was knocked off due to Nagi and Wondering Son by Steins;Gate. Other notable series of mine are Najica Blitz Tactics, Garden of Words, Akira and Princess Mononoke.

Here is the link to my manga list if you’re curious or want to see my thoughts on Claymore and Wandering Son. Very Happy


Last edited by TsunaReborn! on Sat Aug 23, 2014 4:05 pm; edited 4 times in total
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