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Top 10▲▼
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Rating▲▼
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Comment▲▼
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| Berserk (TV 1997) |
Excellent |
The biggest thing keeping this from a masterpiece rating is the ending, or lack thereof. Couldn't they just have included the *End of the series SPOILER* Skull Knight, and the part where he saves Guts at the very end? At the very least it would have explained how Guts got out of an impossible situation and tie it in to the first episode. Aside from that it's a very solid story. Lots of action, gore, and some supernatural elements make for some eerie foreshadowing. |
| Black Lagoon (TV) |
Excellent |
I must admit, this is the best action anime I've seen thus far. It blends in fast paced Hollywood-esque action, bad ass babes, superb animation, and reference packed, well written dialog extremely well. Hell, even when things slow down the character interactions are a joy to watch (especially between Rock and Revy). And to top it all off, the quality remains consistent in every respect! This is definitely a must see for any action fan. |
| Boogiepop Phantom (TV) |
Excellent |
This is an anime I like watching in a dark room with surround sound. The eerie music and dull colors set up a nice atmosphere for the show. I find most of the individual stories interesting and how (most) of them tie in with each other. The non linear episodes are a nice touch as well. It makes for something different and forces you to pay attention. Because you definitely need to pay attention. This is a series where I would recommend reading the books first. Especially now that Boogiepop at Dawn has been released stateside. You don't need to, and even I started it without any previous knowledge of the franchise. However, reading the books helped explain some things and increased my overall enjoyment when I re-watched the anime.
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| Cowboy Bebop (TV) |
Excellent |
Not much I can say that already hasn't been said about Bebop. Great animation, action, a superb jazzy soundtrack by the legendary Yoko Kanno, and some well done voice acting especially by the english cast. The only real complaint I have is, in terms of entertainment value, the one shot episodes vary in quality. Overall though it's one of the best shows of its kind. |
| Hellsing Ultimate (OAV) |
Excellent |
The OVA's aren't even close to done, but it's highly unlikely they will stray off course. As of now, well, it's closely following the manga therefore it simply oozes style. Vampires? Check. Nazis? Check. Badass priest? Check. Psychotic anti-hero? Check. Tons of fighting between all of the above, complete with loads of gore and maniacal laughter? Check. Sound cool? Well, IT IS! |
| Last Exile (TV) |
Excellent |
Gonzo's track record is like a roller-coaster, and this series is the highest point on the ride. I'll start by saying the animation is excellent. While some may not like the CG, it blends in well enough as to not to be distracting. The battles are very impressive, which include some of the best dogfights I've seen since Macross Plus. I also like how they added the concept of chivalry and airship battles are conducted similarly to how naval battles were centuries ago. The characters were hit-or-miss for me, some being interesting (Moran, Delfine, Dio), and others being fairly typical fare (Claus, Tatiana, Alex) . I'd like to note that Delfine makes for a rather typical villain, but she plays her part so well she's far from being dull. Overall the story really had an epic feel to it, and Gonzo did a good job of creating a world you can easily become immersed in. Bonus points for actually having a conclusive ending! |
| Mononoke (TV) |
Excellent |
I absolutely love the unique animation style of this show! It was a little jarring at first, but it quickly grew on me. The exorcist fighting evil spirits isn't anything new, but the stories do an excellent job of grabbing your attention and keep you wondering what's going to happen. |
| Monster (TV) |
Excellent |
This is certainly the best mystery anime I've ever seen, 74 episodes of more plot twists and shocking revelations than you can shake a stick at. It's a pretty long series, but there's plenty of characters (several of whom have their own arcs) to keep things interesting. It's hard to find one not to like. I rather enjoy then animation too, as the characters aren't all "sexified" like how they are in so many other anime nowdays. Also, this is one of the few series that proves anime has the potential to surpass its manga counterpart. The story follows the manga almost exactly, however it uses what animation can bring to the story: sound, motion, and color to strengthen it. Kudos to Madhouse for doing such a great adaptation. |
| Mushi-Shi (TV) |
Masterpiece |
Along with Monster, this is another series that (from what I hear) follows the manga and uses the strengths of animation to improve the story. The most notable is the use of color, I've never seen such vibrant greens! The thing that suprised me most about Mushishi, is that it manages telling a complete story in a twenty minute time frame extremely well. It's doesn't feel rushed, and even though everything is laid-back, from the opening song to the pace of the story, it doesn't drag. I can't say enough about the voice acting either, it's simply superb. Definitely recommended for someone who likes a more subdued drama anime with good storytelling. |
| Oruchuban Ebichu (TV) |
Excellent |
As far as crude humor goes, this show takes the cake. Sex jokes abound, and enough hamster pummeling to send PETA into a frenzy. The highlight of the series is the Ebichuman episodes, where the cute little hamster turns into a superhero and solves peoples sexual problems. Need I say more? |
