|
Seen all▲▼
|
Rating▲▼
|
Comment▲▼
|
| 5 Centimeters Per Second (movie) |
Very good |
Heartwarming, and then heartbreaking. The first segment is the best. |
| Aggretsuko (ONA) |
|
|
| Aggretsuko (ONA 2) |
|
|
| Akira (movie) |
Very good |
Another show that everything that can be said about it has been said. It's technically perfect, if the writing is lacking. |
| Alien Nine (special) |
Decent |
Very Kafka-esque, with a more realistic protagonist. Also very disturbing, and often playing more for shock value than truely interesting ideas. Still worth watching, but not anywhere as good as it could be.
Also: The show abrubtly stops after adapting 1 and 1/2 volumes of the manga. |
| (The) Ancient Magus' Bride (TV) |
Very good |
I enjoy the manga more, but this is an excellent adaptation, getting both the details and the spirit of the story right. |
| (The) Ancient Magus' Bride: Those Awaiting a Star (OAV) |
Very good |
|
| Angel Beats! (TV) |
Decent |
Has trouble balancing pathos and humor. |
| Animation Runner Kuromi (OAV) |
Excellent |
|
| Animation Runner Kuromi 2 (OAV) |
Very good |
|
| (The) Animatrix (OAV) |
Very good |
The only part of the Matrix saga (outside of the original movie) that's worth a darn. Yes, it's uneven, but the high points are great, and outnumber the low points.
High Points: The Second Renaissance Parts 1 and 2, Kid's Story, Detective Story, Beyond
Low Points: World Record, Matriculated |
| anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day (TV) |
Excellent |
Slightly over the top, yes, but also powerful and cathartic in a way that few other shows or movies are. Absolutely worth seeing. |
| (The) Anthem of the Heart (movie) |
Decent |
Lacking compared to the director and writer's previous works (Toradora and Anohana). Cheap, low-end TV animation, and uninteresting, flat characters only weaken it. |
| (The) aquatope on white sand (TV) |
|
|
| Azumanga Daioh (TV) |
Good |
Funny, but If the people behind this removed all the awkward pauses, and fixed the comic timing, it would have at the same level as the manga. |
| Baccano! (TV) |
Masterpiece |
Look past the hyper violence, and this show is pure fun. It's exciting and funny, the characters are great (Special mention goes out to Issac and Miria, two of the craziest and most entertaining characters in any entertainment format) The animation is wonderful, the setting and score captures the gangster movie/Chandler novel feeling perfectly. This is how anime should be made. |
| Banner of the Stars (TV) |
Very good |
The strongest of the three Seikai series. The character design has improved to the point where it's no longer a distraction, the plot is much more grand, and the balance between epic space naval war and character development is good. It's a little slow, and the ending feels partially anti-climatic (in the overall/ grand sense - the down to earth impact of the ending is much better.) |
| Banner of the Stars II (TV) |
Good |
The least of the Seikai shows. The animation and character design are by far the best of the three, but the plot is almost completely inconsequential, and rather ridiculous if though about too hard. |
| Battle Angel (OAV) |
Very good |
|
| (The) Big O (TV) |
Excellent |
The first half is pure episodic fun - and there is little else that can match it's level of joyfulness. The second half is a serialized and confused, but still well-done, dive into meta fiction. If you stop after the first half, nobody will blame you, but the whole thing is still great. |
| Blood Blockade Battlefront (TV) |
Excellent |
|
| Blood Blockade Battlefront & Beyond (TV) |
Excellent |
|
| Blue Submarine No.6 (OAV) |
Very good (dub & sub) |
The show's main draw - the heavy use of state of the art for 1998 CGI - makes the show look incredibly dated. Fortunately, the show is fun enough - the characters are interesting, the action fun and the setting is well done and at times fascinating. Worth a watch. The extras on the complete editions include the trailers that they ran for this show during it's Toonami run, and that should provide some nice nostalgia for a some viewers |
| BNA: Brand New Animal (TV) |
Decent |
Trigger playing their hits. The ideas they crib from Little Witch Academia and Kill La Kill are obvious, and the 12 episode run time doesn't give us enough time to really get the world that they've created.
There are some cool ideas and great animation, but it's nothing that hasn't been done better elsewhere. |
| Boogiepop Phantom (TV) |
Good |
Really confusing. I needed the guide (http://www.rreactor.com/illusion/) to understand what was going on, and I was disappointed that the nature of the show is just meant to be confusing, rather than having deeper meaning through it's odd structure (Lain, for example). |
| (The) Boy and The Beast (movie) |
Good |
|
| Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040 (TV) |
Decent |
If this where a live-action movie, it would be a grindhouse film, but with a higher budget. The show is explotative, violent, and occasionally nonsensical. There's fun to be had, but you need to shut off your brain to get there. |
| Carole & Tuesday (TV) |
Excellent |
|
| Castle in the Sky (movie) |
Excellent (dub), Masterpiece (sub) |
A extremely solid adventure film. Lacks many of the nuances that Miyazaki's other films have, but very, very fun to watch |
| (The) Cat Returns (movie) |
Good |
This film is a fine little fantasy, especially for young audiences. By bringing in the Baron, however, it automatically draws comparisons to Whisper of the Heart - which is a better film in every way imaginable. The best way to approach this movie is as if it where Shizuku's juvenalia. |
| Coicent (OAV) |
Decent |
|
| Colorful (movie) |
Excellent |
|
| Cowboy Bebop (TV) |
Masterpiece |
It's imossible to overstate Bebop's importance to Anime - both in it's technical achievements, and in it's popularity, especially in the US. However, beneath the millions of people turned on to Anime via this show's [adult swim] run, it's amazingly high quality animation, and the perfect Jazz soundtrack by Yoko Kanno lies a brilliantly paced action show with great characters, cool settings, and excellent writing. It's an amazing show with a well deserved reputation. |
| Cowboy Bebop: The Movie |
Masterpiece |
Basically a 2-hour Episode of the show - but still of the same amazingly high quality, and slightly better animation. |
| Crest of the Stars (TV) |
Bad (dub), Very good (sub) |
The first part of the Seikei series is very good for setting up the epic space opera that follows, and is an exciting series on it's own. The character designs, especially the odd facial features, are distracting, and the dub is stab your eardrums with an ice pick awful, but it's still very much worth watching. |
| Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (ONA) |
|
|
| Death Parade (TV) |
Very good |
|
| Deca-Dence (TV) |
Very good |
|
| Den-noh Coil (TV) |
|
|
| Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju (TV) |
Excellent |
|
| (The) Eccentric Family (TV) |
Excellent |
|
| (The) Eccentric Family 2 (TV) |
Excellent |
|
| Eden of the East (TV) |
Very good (dub & sub) |
|
| Eden of the East: Paradise Lost (movie) |
Decent |
|
| Eden of the East: The King of Eden (movie) |
Decent |
|
| ERASED (TV) |
Very good |
|
| Eureka Seven (TV) |
Excellent |
|
| Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone (movie) |
Very good |
It's the first chunk of the Eva TV show, streamlined and with better animation. Everything you remember - the Toothpicks, Shinji getting Rei out of the plug, and the brutal 1st angel fight - are all here. Much like these episodes in the show, a good start to something more complex and brilliant. |
| Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance (movie) |
Excellent |
|
| Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo (movie) |
Very good |
|
| Expelled from Paradise (movie) |
Very good |
A great director and screenwriter team up to prove that Japan can make a good all CGI anime. And they mostly succeed. The human characters can look a little robotic, and there are some small glitches here and there, but otherwise it's an amazing looking film. The writing is really great, and the whole film is extremely enjoyable.
Also, did they forget how to make sports bras in the far future? The fanservice was distracting. |
| Five Numbers! (OAV) |
Decent |
|
| Flag (ONA) |
Very good |
This show looks incredibly cheap - about the same level as a early 2000s direct-to-video Scooby-Doo movie. That being said, it's a great, unique take on a war drama, framing it a documentary. There are some hiccups with storytelling, and the very end takes a lot of wind out of the show's sails. It's still a great watch. |
| FLCL (OAV) |
Masterpiece (dub & sub) |
Determining what exactly FLCL is supposed to be is difficult - It's a monster of the week/absurdest comedy/Satire/Music video for The Pillows. The thing is, it works wonderfully as all of the above. |
| FLCL Alternative (TV) |
So-so |
A step up from Progressive, but it's still a cash grab sequel. Watch the original again instead. |
| FLCL Progressive (TV) |
So-so |
A cynical cash grab sequel to one of the greatest anime series ever. It doesn't do anything interesting with the characters and setting, and can be safely skipped |
| Flip Flappers (TV) |
Very good |
|
| Fractale (TV) |
Bad |
Starts off as a strong Nausicaa/Castle in the Sky homage with some mild cyberpunk-ish themes, and then quickly and irreversibly disintegrates into a nonsensical, impossible to follow mess. |
| From the New World (TV) |
Masterpiece |
A gorgeous, amazingly written fantasy dystopia. |
| From Up On Poppy Hill (movie) |
Excellent |
|
| Fullmetal Alchemist (TV) |
Excellent |
Everything about this series has already been said. It's brilliant, which is all I can add to the conversation. |
| Fullmetal Alchemist: The Movie - Conqueror of Shamballa |
Excellent |
A good ending to a great show. |
| Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo (TV) |
Excellent |
Beautiful, stunning animation. Seriously, even without the cool adaptation of the novel as it's story, this show would be worth watching just for how amazing it looks. The fact that it has an epic, well-written plot behind it is almost just icing on the proverbial cake, but the two together make this show a must-watch. The dub could be a little better, but it works so well, I can't really complain. |
| (The) Garden of Words (movie) |
|
|
| Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet (TV) |
Very good |
I'm on the fence about the rating - the conceit of the show is good, the plot moves along nicely, with some great twists, and some really interesting characters. However, the fanservice is distracting, and it doesn't always balance its cast well. I want to re-watch it to evaluate it, which may mean that it deserves a bump in the raiting. |
| Gasaraki (TV) |
Weak |
I don't know what to think of Gasaraki. The animation is a mixed bag - the mecha fights are really well done, while the rest of the animation is sadly average - including boring/slightly ugly character designs. The story is interesting. It drops several mysteries and conspiracies at the viewers from the get-go, and keeps us occupied as it gradually reveals it's answers. However, the pacing is odd - there are very interesting episodes, and there are several that just DRAG. It doesn't help that the characters are very bland - it's hard to like a protagonist who has no personality, and even worse when most of the rest of the cast doesn't have much more personality than he does
The show has been compared to Neon Genesis Evangelion because of it's use of religious symbolism (in Gasaraki's case, it's Shinto/Buddhist ideas instead of judeo-christian ones) however, Gasaraki doesn't have anywhere near the quality to out Eva-Eva |
| Ghost Hound (TV) |
Very good |
|
| Ghost in the Shell (movie) |
Good |
I do like cyberpunk, but I felt that the film de-railed near the end, when exposition of philosophical ideals took over the plot. I also disliked the gratuitous nudity featured throughout. I read an article that defends it, showing how the Major's nudity contrasts the otherwise harsh environment, but I felt it was more explotative than anything. |
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (TV) |
Excellent |
|
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG (TV) |
Excellent |
|
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: Solid State Society (movie) |
Excellent |
|
| Giant Robo (OAV) |
|
|
| (The) Girl Who Leapt Through Time (movie) |
Excellent (dub & sub) |
Has a good story that does unravel during the final act. Can be draining, but also a well done film. |
| Goodbye, Don Glees! (movie) |
|
|
| Grave of the Fireflies (movie) |
Excellent |
|
| Great Pretender (TV) |
Very good |
Great Pretender is roughly an anime version of the movie The Sting. It's visually unique, has great music, and is constantly entertaining, but it also has problems with tonal consistency and making us like the characters. |
| Grrl Power (OAV) |
Very good |
|
| Gurren Lagann (TV) |
Very good |
|
| Haibane Renmei (TV) |
Masterpiece |
Probably one of the best things - animated or not - put on TV in any country. Go out and see it NOW. |
| Hinamatsuri (TV) |
Excellent |
|
| Howl's Moving Castle (movie) |
Good |
This is probably Miyazaki's weakest movie - yet, it's still highly entertaining. |
| HYOUKA (TV) |
|
|
| I Can't Understand What My Husband Is Saying (TV) |
Good |
Fun, but inconsequential. Can be watched in one quick sitting. |
| Jin-Roh - The Wolf Brigade (movie) |
Excellent |
|
| Josee, The Tiger and the Fish (movie) |
|
|
| Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress (TV) |
Very good |
Gorgeous animation and music all in service to a story which is basically Attack on Titan with the serial numbers filed off. It's still a fun watch, though. |
| Kaiba (TV) |
Excellent |
|
| Kamichu! (TV) |
Excellent |
In the hands of a lesser studio, Kamichu would have been another moe show that wouldn't be worth anyone's time or effort. However, it was put into the right hands, and it shows. The animation is spectacular, the score is perfect for setting the mood of the show, and the stories range from very funny to moving - sometimes pulling off both in the same episode. |
| Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! (TV) |
Masterpiece |
|
| Kick-Heart (movie) |
|
|
| Kids on the Slope (TV) |
Good (dub), Masterpiece (sub) |
When this was announced, I was extremely excited. Jazz and a a YA-ish Norwegian Wood? Directed by Watanabe? Sign me up! It can be a little melodramatic, but it's also incredible. The jazz numbers are amazing. |
| Kiki's Delivery Service (movie) |
Excellent |
A reflection on making your own life after moving out from your parents' place. It's quite heartwarming, and one of Miyazaki's better films |
| Kill la Kill (TV) |
Excellent |
This show takes it's premise (tough punk fights against the establishment of the high school) and takes it to a previously unreached level. It's lives up to it's awesome and absurd reputation. |
| Kino's Journey (TV) |
Masterpiece (dub & sub) |
This show is not perfect, therefor it (almost) is. The only complaint I have is that I could have easily used another 13 episodes, but the 13 that we got where so good, It's hard to gripe about that. |
| Kino's Journey - the Beautiful World- (TV) |
Decent |
Blunt where the original was subtle. Even when given the same source stories, the new production can't hold a candle, which tells me that the original's successes where created in the adaptation, rather than in the source material. Sigh. |
| Komi Can't Communicate (TV) |
Very good |
A solid adaptation of a manga that I thought couldn't work well animated. The books are still way better, but it's a good watch. |
| Kyousougiga (TV) |
Excellent |
It's stunningly beautiful, innovative, fun to watch, and a interesting reflection on family relationships. It came out of nowhere, and is one of the better shows on Crunchyroll. |
| Last Exile (TV) |
Excellent |
Steampunk story with lots of cool flight scenes, great characters, and a facinating world. It has a few episodes that drag near the middle, but otherwise, it's a fantastic show. |
| Last Exile: Fam, The Silver Wing (TV) |
Decent |
The CGI has improved substantially, but almost everything else in this show is lesser than the original. The characters are much less interesting, the world isn't as novel as it was in the original, and the sense of fun that drove the original is completely absent. Finally, the prescience of two recap episodes is both aggravating and pointless. Stick with the original. |
| A Letter to Momo (movie) |
Decent |
|
| Little Witch Academia (movie) |
Excellent |
Trigger was clearly having fun making this. It shows in the finished product, which is just as much fun to watch as it was to make. Also, the animation is frequently stunning. |
| Little Witch Academia (TV) |
Masterpiece |
Beautifully animated, frequently hilarious, always engaging. The characters, setting, writing, music, and voice acting are all second to none. This is one of the best series of the streaming era, and Netflix's best original to date. |
| Little Witch Academia: The Enchanted Parade (OAV) |
Excellent |
|
| Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (movie) |
Very good |
As an adventure movie, It's really fun. But when you consider the director (Hayao Miyazaki)'s other work, Cagliostro pales in comparison. The story is pretty weak, and it's more of a standard film, compared to his usual works. The dub is also pretty bad. Not because it's poorly acted, (which it is, in comparison to Disney's exquisit Miyazaki-film Dubs) but because of the unnecessary swearing that the ADR people felt compelled to put in. It really seems out of place in this otherwise more kid-friendly film. |
| Macross Plus (OAV) |
Excellent |
|
| Magic User's Club! (OAV) |
Very good |
|
| Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi (TV) |
Good |
|
| Martian Successor Nadesico (TV) |
Excellent |
Who would have thought that what starts off as space opera/ mecha parody would also be one of the most interesting portrayals of PTSD on television? Or that this show would contain a smart skewering of both religion and fanboy (or girl) obsession? And on top of all of that, it's also a great space opera and comedy. |
| Mary and The Witch's Flower (movie) |
Good |
|
| Megazone 23 (OAV) |
Very good |
|
| Megazone 23 Part II (OAV) |
Excellent |
|
| Megazone 23 Part III (OAV) |
Good |
|
| Metropolis (movie) |
So-so |
The Animation is gorgeous, paying tribute to Tezuka's style while mixing in a modern touch. The music, weather it be the amazing big band score, or the use of Ray Charles' classic "I Can't Stop Loving You' near the end, is also briliant. However, the plot is too thin to make this film truly great. Most of it is a glorified chase sequence. |
| Michiko & Hatchin (TV) |
Very good |
|
| Millennium Actress (movie) |
Masterpiece |
Brilliant post-modern examination of mythbuilding and how life and art interact with each other. Kon's best work. |
| Mind Game (movie) |
Very good |
|
| Miss Hokusai (movie) |
Excellent |
|
| Moribito - Guardian of the Spirit (TV) |
Very good |
One of the few adaptations that surpasses it's source material. It's a beautiful show (look at those fight scenes!) and well-written, but the dub is a little hammy for my tastes. Still, a good show. |
| Mt. Head (movie) |
|
5 Minutes long, on Youtube, and gives some context for Shōwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjū. A unique watch, worth a look. |
| Mushi-Shi (TV) |
Excellent |
Sedate, supernatural, episodic Twilight Zone-esque show. One or two weaker episodes, but everything here is brilliant. |
| Mushishi Tokubetsu-hen: Hihamukage (special) |
Excellent |
|
| Mushishi: The Next Chapter (TV) |
Excellent |
|
| My Neighbor Totoro (movie) |
Masterpiece |
|
| My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU (TV) |
Very good |
|
| Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (movie) |
Masterpiece (dub & sub) |
Can't compare to the Manga, which is longer, has better art and covers everything more in-depth. It's still an amazing film, though. |
| Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV) |
Excellent |
Wired magazine's description of Eva - "Evangelion did for anime what Nirvana did for Punk Rock" is spot on. Aside from it's importance, Eva is a well thought out action drama with loads of symbolism. The series needs to be seen with "End of Evangelion" for the full effect. Together with End of Evangelion, this would rank as a masterpiece, but the ranking is based on the show itself |
| Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion (movie) |
Excellent |
Brutal, dark, and incredibly hard to watch. However, It does a great job of both presenting the philosophical ideas that the series started, and wrapping up the show itself. Impossible to understand without watching the series, and would rank as "masterpiece" when combined with the series, but the ranking is based on the movie itself. |
| NieA_7 (TV) |
Decent (dub & sub) |
Odd little dramady that is entertaining, but doesn't pull off anything spectacular. Niea (the character) is annoying, the music is poorly done (with the exception of the old blues songs occasionally played in the background), and there are too many uncomfortable racist stereotypes. |
| Noein - to your other self (TV) |
|
|
| Non Non Biyori (TV) |
Excellent |
Easily the best hang-out show since Kamichu. Great characters, great writing, and constantly funny and/or charming. |
| Non Non Biyori Nonstop (TV 3) |
|
Still excellent, still wonderfully funny and warm. There's a melancholy that runs underneath the surface of the series, most likely because it's the last Non Non Biyori that we'll see animated. It's hard to leave these characters and setting behind. |
| Non Non Biyori Repeat (TV 2) |
Excellent |
12 more charming, funny episodes. What more could you want? |
| Non Non Biyori Vacation (movie) |
|
It's a very solid addition to the Non Non Biyori storyline - featuring all the humor and warmth of the main show. However, it source (two chapters in the original manga) would have lent itself better to a two-part episode rather than a full feature film. |
| Now and Then, Here and There (TV) |
Very good |
Disturbing, terrifying, and incredibly hard to watch. It's also an incredibly powerful statement about the military, human rights abuses, and the abuse of natural resources during war. Too difficult to watch more than once, but essential watching. |
| Oban Star-Racers (TV) |
|
|
| Ocean Waves (movie) |
Very good |
|
| One Punch Man (TV) |
Excellent |
|
| Only Yesterday (movie) |
Very good |
|
| Otaku no Video (OAV) |
Good |
Anime #200! Half fictionalized (and punched up) history of Studio Gainax's rise, half historical document, showing the otaku scene in the late 80s and early 90s. It's not a perfect watch, but it's fascinating from a historical prospective. |
| Outlaw Star (TV) |
Decent |
Nowhere nearly as good as my 12-year old self remembers. The plot would have been better for a 13-episode series, and we wouldn't have to deal with the painful filler (cactus bastards and all). The animation is inconsistent - the characters are frequently off-model, and the budget is obviously saved for the fanservice episode. And then there's the prevalent misogyny and homophobia that further drive it into the ground. There are quite a few exciting moments, and at least one good episode, but the show isn't really worth it. |
| Paprika (movie) |
Masterpiece |
|
| Paranoia Agent (TV) |
Masterpiece |
|
| Patema Inverted (movie) |
Decent |
|
| Patlabor 2: The Movie (movie 2) |
Excellent |
The dour, darker tone of the movie feels at odds with the lighter dramedy of the previous Patlabor series and movie. That being said, it stands as an incredible action/thriller, and is both an excellent stand alone movie and a capstone to the Patlabor series. |
| Patlabor the Mobile Police (TV) |
Excellent |
|
| Patlabor The Mobile Police (OAV 1/1988) |
Excellent |
|
| Patlabor the Mobile Police: The New Files (OAV 2/1990) |
Excellent |
|
| Patlabor: The Movie (movie 1) |
Excellent |
|
| Perfect Blue (movie) |
Excellent |
|
| A Place Further Than the Universe (TV) |
Masterpiece |
|
| (The) Place Promised in Our Early Days (movie) |
Good |
|
| Planet With (TV) |
Masterpiece |
|
| Planetes (TV) |
Good (dub & sub) |
A fine series on it's own, but it's a complete failure of adapting Yukimura's nearly perfect manga. The voice acting is much better (as is the sound mixing) in the Japanese, but the problems with the story are still prominent. |
| Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (movie) |
Very good |
Visually second to none. The story is more Totoro-like (aka aimed at the VERY young). It's enjoyable, but don't expect the next Spirited Away. |
| Porco Rosso (movie) |
Excellent |
Porco Rosso is an interesting film. Considering that it was aimed at adults, it still has Miyazaki's great sense of wonder and fantastic visuals. It's a really great film, although the ending's ambiguity hurts it a little. |
| (The) Princess and the Pilot (movie) |
Excellent |
The plot is very close to the movie Stagecoach, except set in a fantasy take on World War II Europe. Great fun, if very unoriginal. |
| Princess Mononoke (movie) |
Masterpiece (dub & sub) |
|
| Psycho-Pass (TV) |
Excellent |
Dark cyberpunk thriller. The writing is stellar. |
| Puella Magi Madoka Magica (TV) |
Masterpiece |
What else can be said? One of those "perfect storms" that come around once in a blue moon. |
| R.O.D -The TV- |
Very good |
|
| RahXephon (TV) |
Excellent |
The most successful of the philosophical mecha shows to come in the wake of Evangelion. |
| Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- (TV) |
Very good |
|
| Redline (movie) |
Very good |
One of the most stunning pieces of animation I've seen. It's unfortunate that the plot can't keep up with the visuals. |
| Revolutionary Girl Utena (TV) |
|
I recognize the artistic merits of this work, but I really didn't get it. |
| Sakura Quest (TV) |
Very good |
|
| Samurai Champloo (TV) |
Excellent |
|
| (The) Secret World of Arrietty (movie) |
Excellent (dub & sub) |
|
| Serial Experiments Lain (TV) |
Excellent (dub & sub) |
Lain is both a brilliant/confusing philosophical sci-fi anime (which I haven't quite figured out yet...) and a reflection of the then-emerging internet culture. It's amazing, and the opening theme (Duvet) is worth the price of admission alone. |
| She and Her Cat (OAV) |
Decent |
A five-minute short film that sets up many of the themes that Shinkai would expand upon in his later films. However, that's all it does. Good only for showing his artisitic evolution |
| She and Her Cat -Everything Flows- (TV) |
Excellent |
A short series (all 4 episodes add up to less than 30 minutes), but an warm and effective expansion on the main theme of Shinkai's original short film - the relationship between pets and humans. |
| Shirobako (TV) |
Masterpiece |
Shows the blood, sweat,and tears that goes into anime production. The characters and writing are extraordinary. One of the best series of the decade. |
| Shirobako (movie) |
Good |
A lesser retread of the original series. Everything the movie does, the show does better and with more insight and depth.
Also, the musical number (and yes, there is a musical number), while well animated, is painful to watch. |
| Short Peace (movie) |
Good |
Possessions is amazing, and the best part of the anthology. Gambo is thrilling, but gross. Hi-yo-youjin didn't leave much of an impact, and Buki you Saraba is too long for it's plot. Uneven, but check it out for Possessions. |
| Shōwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjū (TV) |
Excellent |
|
| A Silent Voice (movie) |
Masterpiece |
|
| (The) Sky Crawlers (movie) |
Very good |
|
| (The) Slayers (TV) |
Good |
I can see why this was such a huge success in the 90s. It's combination of high fantasy and slapstick silliness mostly works in it's favor. It's not great - the characters are somewhat flat, and the 2nd half of the show doesn't have the same impact or weigh of the first - but it's perfectly watchable.
Also: Koala. |
| (The) Slayers Next (TV) |
Good |
The best of the Slayers TV series. The story arcs work better in this series, and there are some of the humor works better. Aside from that, it's very close in quality to the first series. |
| (The) Slayers Try (TV) |
Weak |
Episodes 17 and 18 are quite possibly the worst episodes of a TV show I have ever seen. The show is OK without them - this season is the weakest of the first three Slayers seasons - the writing isn't anywhere near as sharp as it was in previous seasons, and the new characters aren't great - but those episodes drag this too far down. |
| Sorcery in the Big City (ONA) |
|
|
| Space Dandy (TV) |
Excellent |
Watanabe leads a murderer's row of directors, playing along with genre and expectations for a series. It's an absolute blast. |
| Space Dandy Season 2 (TV) |
Excellent |
More of what season one has to offer, and an appropriately crazy ending. |
| Spirited Away (movie) |
Masterpiece (dub & sub) |
This is, in my opinion, the absolute peak of theatrical animation. No more needs to be said. |
| SSSS.Gridman (TV) |
Very good |
Fun animated take on the tokusatsu genre. The animation strips away some of the cheesiness inherent in the genre, leaving cool, stylized fights and an interesting story. |
| Steamboy (movie) |
Good |
A high-budget popcorn film. Very visually good, but the writing suffers because of the focus on the visuals. A fun film, but not something that I'd recommend for repeat viewings. |
| Steins;Gate (TV) |
Excellent (dub & sub) |
|
| Steins;Gate: The Movie - Load Region of Déjà Vu |
Not really good |
|
| Stellvia (TV) |
Decent |
How did this not receive a Toonami run? |
| Summer Wars (movie) |
Masterpiece (dub & sub) |
|
| Suzume (movie) |
|
|
| Sword of the Stranger (movie) |
Good (dub & sub) |
A well animated, but generic samurai movie. Worth a watch to see the cool fights, but not something that will stick with you. |
| Tachikomatic Days (OAV) |
Good |
The silly little flash animated shorts at the end of each episode of Stand Alone Complex. Not worth seeking out on their own, but funny enough to watch with the main show, and a good mood lightener. |
| (The) Tale of the Princess Kaguya (movie) |
Very good |
The animation is truly beautiful, successfully pulling off looking like a picture book come to life. The story is pretty good, but it's really slow moving, and ends on a very down note. It' worth seeing, but it didn't touch me the way Miyazaki's movies do. |
| (The) Tatami Galaxy (TV) |
Excellent |
|
| Terror in Resonance (TV) |
Decent |
Watanabe's weakest work by far. Excellent theme and ideas, but poor writing, characterization, and plotting. Watch it to get what Watanabe wants to say about conservatism in Japan, but not for anything else. |
| Texhnolyze (TV) |
Decent |
A 22 episode exercise in Nihilism. The series is occasionally beautiful (the almost completely dialogue free first episode is one of the best series starts that I have seen), but it's also completely relentlessly depressing, disgusting, and without hope. It's an interesting watch, but don't expect to take much out of it beyond "humanity stinks". Also, way too hard to watch more than once. |
| Time of Eve (ONA) |
Very good |
|
| Tokyo Godfathers (movie) |
Very good |
Kon's most down to earth work, and coincidentally, his weakest, although it's still something I wouldn't hesitate to recommend. The characters are fascinating and likeable, and the plot works very well. The main problem I had with this film is this: Kon worked hard to show the plight of the homeless of Japan in this film - which are usually ignored in Japanese media. However, due to the arcs of each character, they all basically end up being told"you can always come home". I work with the homeless (at my local Public Library) daily, and this is far from the truth for most homeless people. This fact ends up trivializing the characters slightly.
Given, this film is still great. That one part bothered me, however. |
| Toradora! (TV) |
Excellent |
|
| Trigun (TV) |
Good (dub & sub) |
|
| Trigun: Badlands Rumble (movie) |
Very good |
|
| Tsukigakirei (TV) |
Decent |
There's plenty of good ways to do a light, fluffy romance. This isn't it. The characters and their story aren't compelling. |
| (The) Vision of Escaflowne (TV) |
Good |
|
| Voices of a Distant Star (OAV) |
Very good |
|
| Weathering With You (movie) |
Very good |
|
| Welcome to THE SPACE SHOW (movie) |
Very good |
It felt like the creators wanted to do a high budget, kid-friendly anime TV series. Since those really aren't made anymore, they settled on this. It's a really fun, beautiful movie, but it's way too long and episodic. One can fantasize about the amazing TV series that this should have been. |
| When Marnie Was There (movie) |
Excellent |
Better than the book. A solid Ghibli effort. Incredibly touching. |
| Whisper of the Heart (movie) |
Masterpiece |
If you have ever strove to create art - or are close to somebody who has - this movie is an absolute must see. It's also charming, incredibly well-written, beautifully animated, and has the single best use of "Take Me Home Country Roads" in history |
| (The) Wind Rises (movie) |
Masterpiece |
|
| Wolf Children (movie) |
Excellent |
Anime #100! A great movie that, once you remove all the fantasy stuff, is a heart-wrenching story about the challenges of single motherhood. Not as good as Summer Wars, but a more thematically deep, mature film. A must see. |
| Wolf's Rain (TV) |
Excellent |
|
| Wolf's Rain (OAV) |
Excellent |
|
| your name. (movie) |
Masterpiece |
|
