Forum - View topicYour Top 10 / Worst 5 things. Why? (w/ index).
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egoist
 Posts: 7762 |
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Not what I expected, Ggultra2764. At all. You have the Joker in your avatar right.
Not right. Then you must the wrong person. |
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Ggultra2764
 Subscriber Posts: 3966 Location: New York state. |
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Right person, just long overdue for an avvy change. I had the Joker one long since I was on ANN. |
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Rahxephon91
 Posts: 1859 Location: Park Forest IL. |
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1. Evangelion-Possibly the most thought provoking anime i've watched. I don't mean in the sense of like "oh this is DEEP". No I'm not concerned if Eva is dealing of what the meaning of life is. I find Eva to be an extremely interesting show filled with realistic and relatable characters. It's somehow an honest look at people with a even more interesting and well just cool giant robot plot in the background.
2. Gurren Lagann- Never has a show made me so much happy. It's quite incredible how good GL is. From the characters to the art. It's just really to fun to take in and look at. Quite possibly the perfect anime. Why? Because quite honestly everything is great. The animation? Movie quality. The art? Man this is how I wish anime looked. The characters? Full of personality and honest to goodness development that actually feels like good storytelling. The plot? Just roaring fun. GL reminds me of why I like anime in the first place. 3.Cowboy Bebop- what can I say about Bebop? It's possibly the most stylish and well done action anime out there. There's a reason it's so popular. Don't think I've seen any anime that comes close. Instantly rewatchable, you can put any episode in and just let it go. 4. Ghost in the shell SAC-More so season 2, but man I can't think of a more well plotted and written anime. Smart and it doesn't treat the audience like an idiot. Just a good drama thats anchored by engaging characters. 5. Macross Plus-Well plotted and filled with charm. The main character is fun and the main drama easy to get into. Macross Plus doesn't do anything new, it really just tells the story of adults in a love triangle, except there's this giant robot stuff going on in the background to make you even more interested. Somehow the show just delivers this plot with style. 6. Escaflowne- Really the only real fantasy anime I've liked. It's just well paced and robot suits of armor are cool. That's it, it's just a well done show that cuts out the stupid bits of other fantasy crap. 7. Nadeisco- hey it's funny and a lot of that humor comes from the characters, not stupid panty or whatever dumb jokes fill the latest boob anime. it's a good spoof of robot anime in general and while it's a comedy, that doesn't mean it goes for broke with the stupid. No the show really delvers an honest to goodness plot all the while pointing out the weirdness of this giant robot anime stuff. 8. Megazone 23-What can I say about Megazone? Well it's possibly the best anime at capturing what teenagers actually act like. It's just awesome. 9. Giant Robo-A mecha anime opera. An epic. Thats what Giant Robo is. Exaggerated and over the top, but yet delivering a plot(while melodramatic) that has things to say about among other things father and son relationships. One of the best anime out there and really shows how awesome anime is. 10. Rahxephon-Haven't watched it in years, so don't know where I would stand. But this was possibly one of the most relateable anime's out there for a teenager like me. The plot can be a bit confusing, but the main story about growing up is easy to get and well largely effecting. Worst anime? Well I really don't know. I've watched a few stinkers, but most of these are recent. 1. Rin-One of the worst show's I've watched. Just absolute trash in every way. it doesn't have anything interesting to say about sex or really anything at all. 2. Summer Wars- No way is this the worst, but well I watched it and really did'nt like it. Family dramas are ok, but not why i watch anime. But a good one would be fine, this wasn't it. Annoying female character and a plot that just went so over the top that it lost me. 3. Gundam Age-Good ideas, but terrible execution. Bad pacing. We have characters that could have interesting development that get sidelined because it's time for the next arc. Oh and some of the worse female characters I've seen lately. 4. Code Geass R2-To be fair I love this show, for the terrible trainwrek that it is. It's still pretty bad though. Character developments that make no sense, a plot that can do whatever the heck it wants for no reason, and well whataver. it's a fun show to watch and laugh at, but man is it bad. 5. Dont know. |
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Ishkabibble
Posts: 7 |
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My Top 10 in no particular order:
Lupin III: Classic fun series. One of the best anime series to come out of the spy-craze of the 1960s, particularly the public's fascination with intricate gadgets and espionage and elaborate heists, and the popularity of Yakuza/criminal protagonists. While the manga had more of a tinge of black humor, the anime incarnation had the character evolve into the much more recognizable loveable rogue who challenged the international police (embodied by classic foil Zenigata) with the help of the equally iconic Goemon, Jigen, and Fujiko. Definitely a product of its time, but definitely among the most entertaining series of its era up to the present day. The episodic nature of this series, rather than being a detriment, makes the series more accessible and offers more opportunities at showcasing clever stories Dragonball (not Z): It's easy to dismiss this series, both as a standard shounen series and whether it deserves its massive global popularity. While the first 13 episodes are extremely lighthearted and silly children's fare, the series is most memorable as being one of the most engaging action/adventures of its kind. It's a kids's show through-and-through, but it has a sense of adventure and imaginative characters and settings that the series still holds up well today. The series has some fairly good pacing, with only the tournament arcs being rough going. The series takes a serious dive in overall pacing once the DBZ series begins. It's still okay with some memorable new characters, but the series becomes more fight-oriented and much of the original cast from Dragonball either drops off entirely or is rarely seen again. Urusei Yatsura/Maison Ikkoku: These two series exemplify two high points in series authored by Rumiko Takahashi and rather than have two series done by the same author on two spots, I find it more fitting to list them both together despite being two rather different series. UY is definitely a very unique series to me, despite more recent anime attempting to ape its successful formula. It succeeds mostly because it truly goes all-out in its comedy yet doesn't entirely betray its romantic comedy roots. The big hurdle is giving this series a chance, as the first season I found to be weaker and a lot more hit-and-miss compared to the later seasons. This is one instance where patience is greatly rewarded. Once the main roster of characters start to be introduced and the series gets a feel for the complete insanity and clever storylines the series has to offer, it becomes unique unto its own, even compared to the manga. Momoru Oshii's influence becomes more apparent as the series progresses, and it's obvious his (along with his writing team's) sensibilities give the series more of an adult sensibility and subversion of the rom-com formula that gives the series a richness and overwhelming sense of fun that is difficult to rival today. This flexibility also allows the series to take itself more seriously when it wishes to, and the results can be surprisingly solid and emotionally engaging. Like Lupin III, the series' strength is in its ability to be almost independent of the source material and rise and fall largely on the abilities of the anime talent involved in the adaptation. Also, I dig the retro cartoonier animation and facefaults along with those catchy calypso-inspired OPs and EPs MI, on the other hand large succeeds because of the manga's strong characters and writing. Like UY, it's a romantic comedy, but with a stronger focus on the main character pursuing the girl of this dreams and the comedy of errors involved in building an actual relationship with her. Unlike UY, where the strange relationship is a setup for crazy hijinks or adventure and can be largely secondary to the series, MI is mostly focused on the romantic pursuits of the main protagonist and the comedy supplements that. Since the series is more grounded in reality, it also lends itself to some very sweet and effective emotional moments in the series. Since the anime team largely migrated from the end of the UY series to MI, this series gains much from that experience and offers a consistently solid television experience. Neon Genesis Evangelion: The definitive "love it or hate it" series that still offers controversies as to its overall merit and quality. I can definitely see where the detractors are coming from in regards to this series (in can be extremely self-indulgent at times) but I found it to be among the ultimate in audience subversion. The series starts out pretty engaging in it's odd sci-fi premise using robotic creatures to fight mysterious alien beings, with some generic lame-brain comedy added to the proceed. Then, midway, the audience suddenly is no longer part of a narrative, but instead a receiver of cryptic and stylized bromides rife with deconstructive character monologues. The series ends up less about the plot or even much of the characters than it is about the author's abstract statement on the human condition. While heavily flawed, the series is nonetheless a maverick series that spawned many imitators. Monster: Masterful series that is half whodunnit half crime drama that doesn't let up either in character drama or suspense. Very well-written and directed series based on an equally outstanding manga. Psychological drama at its peak with both a uniquely memorable protagonist and a believably complex and interesting antagonist. A real masterpiece as far as I'm concerned. Ashita no Joe: The animation is pure 70s, but the characters and themes of personal worth and redemption are bar-none for the genre. Takes some of the best aspects of other boxing dramas (John Garfield's Body and Soul, Rocky) and creates an underdog story unlike any other. Like those other classics, this one keeps much of the drama outside of the ring and isn't afraid of exploring the complex and controversial aspects of the sport. Golden Boy: On the list because it makes a silk purse out a sows ear in adapting what is essentially a largely bad hentai manga. The experience somehow manages to be a unique take on the harem" genre despite all of the gratuitous fanservice trappings. Might help that the dub is completely hilarious. Cromartie High School: A random humor gag series delivered almost completely deadpan, this one is an acquired taste. However, this is probably the best of its ilk. Despite having almost no plot and completely reliant on sketch humor, the series manages to draw a lot on great character based humor mixed with some inspired WTF weirdness. Cowboy Bebop: A late 90s series with the sensibilities of the 70s, Exudes cool and filled with laidback characters and an overall mood. Characters are fun and have an aura of mystique around them. Those expecting deep character analysis or philosophical psychodramas (outside of the 70s style wanderer/haunted past trappings) look elsewhere. Otherwise, a landmark series. Haibane Renmei: Superb fantasy melodrama series. Full of engaging characters, a quality script, and enriched by a rich fantasy setting. A real tear-jerker too. The high production values on this one are just icing on the cake. It's hard to find a series as good as this one. Honorable Mention - Berserk: A quality series that manages the capture the essence of its source material despite its many faults. Definitely low-budget, yet clearly a labor of love, the series tries its best to capture the gorgeous artwork and adapt it to a television budget. A daunting undertaking that richly rewards the viewers in a way that even the recent theatrical features squanders. The controversial ending highlights the series' withering portrayal of human nature and unfulfilled dreams. |
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SwerveCity
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My 10 favourite anime.
1) Planetes I'm a sucker for scifi and this could quite possibly be the best hard scifi story to exist outside of novels. Interesting characters, an amazing plot(seriously the ending was great), enlightening on the issues of space transport/living there and its problems, hilarious and a huge emotional roller coaster. Oh and did I mention the animation? Cause the scenes in space had some of the most realistic and fluid space animation I have ever seen. I can't recommend this enough, if you enjoy your anime a bit more realistic. 2) Paprika Satoshi Kon's masterwork. I honestly can't describe my feelings towards this in words but I must try. Inception meets Ghibli but incomparably better. I wish my vocabulary, verbosity and grammar were better so I can describe the masterpiece. 3) Ghost in the Shell Simultaneously one of the most pretentious piece of works out there and one of the most thought provoking. Yes, there is a difference, one features a story that needs to be said and one is something that is designed to make the people who made it look intelligent. The story is amazingly thought provoking, the characters interesting, the art is fantastic and the music, oh god the music is something else but it does rely on scenery porn far too much and this brings it down. 4) Neon Genesis Evangelion/End of Evangelion Before I saw Eva, I considered anime a guilty pleasure, something like Zombie movies except not as bright. Eva changed that. Eva still has some of the most interesting characters out there. Shinji has so many imitators but no one has got his character right. The complexity of his thought patterns, the way he both hides from the world and reaches out towards it like a baby chick trying to take his first flight, its amazing. Asuka could be the first modern Tsundere but she's a truly fleshed out character and not just a stereotype, unlike almost all modern tsunderes. And Misato, she's probably one of the few 'real' characters in anime, I swear I wouldn't be surprised if I saw her walking down the street. Her difficulties with dealing with modern life as a women about to make the transition to middle age with all of her baggage was and is very refreshing in not only the anime industry but in all entertainment. Oh and did I mention GIANT ROBOTS AND ALIENS AND SHADOWY NGOs, yeah I could go on about Eva all day. 5) Grave of the Fireflies The first Ghibli movie on the list and what a movie it is. The most depressing movie I have ever seen and one of the most necessary. There is no glory in war, its just a sad, brutal waste of life but sometimes we have to do it. When I watched this I had to stop every 15mins the tears wouldn't stop flowing and my mind couldn't hack the brutality. This is something you must see and something I can never watch again. 6) Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wine Well we didn't have to wait long for the next Ghibli movie, did we? Female leads, environmentalism, no real villains, amazing animation/art, we all know what Miyazaki is like. So why did I choose this one over all the others? Well perhaps it might be because its the first, it might be because I felt the characters are done better, it might be because it featured Picard on the dub, I'm not quite sure why but I like it more than any of the others. 7) Monster Phew, I think we might be past the movies and onto series. Urasawa's dark, twisted masterpiece is, well, a dark, twisted masterpiece. Possibly(in my opinion at least) the greatest villain of all time and the main character is no slouch either. This one will keep you on the edge of your seat from the beginning to the very end, the information floods into your ears and you desperately try to retain it while pushing forward through Urasawa's horrifically amazing mind. Watch it, watch it, watch it. 8) Kara no Kyoukai Well this is sort of a series? So my last statement is still, somewhat, correct. I'm a big TM fanboy and this is the best adaption of Nasu's enchanting mind. Some of the best art out there, interesting philosophies and Touko. Oh god, Touko, possibly one of the top 3 greatest female characters in all of anime, smart, sassy and kicks magical ass! A great ride where you can try to work out everything that's going on and make no head way and some way simultaneously! 9) Black Lagoon(including second barrage) This anime kicks your ass so hard that what emerges isn't an ass but Fedor Emelianenko with a bottle of the roughest Scotch you could ever drink. Yes, you will leave this wanting to be a tougher b****** than when you walked in. Adrenaline, action and hot/awesome girls(yes, this is a good thing even if its slightly sexist). I'll take this low intellect, base thrills anime over almost any 'mature' anime. 10) When they Cry Little kids killing each other? Surprisingly enough this is a yes please. And it even has a plot and one of the best OPs out there. Watch it. 10) Humanity has Declined Daria with some great absurdist comedy and the best/most interesting satire of modern life to come from Japan. There is a lot of anime which could've got in the final 3 spots but I choose these for reasons not even I can understand. Top 5 worst...hmm this is troubling. I'm not gonna bold the titles because I'm too lazy to do that for things I don't like. 1) Afro Samurai. Not even Samuel.L.Jackson can save this pile of trash. The actions scenes were awful you could barely understand what was going on, the characters even worse and the plot hackneyed. 2)School Days Oh god, why do you exist? Why? You show what is the worst in humanity with no silver lining. Sometimes I wish I could smash my face against a wall in the hopes I'll never remember you again. 3) F/SN The VN is fantastic, the anime is the opposite. What is an interesting, completely non-cliche story turns into the most cliche anime imaginable. Everything that pissed me off had such an elegant answer in the VN but the problem is that makes it even worse in comparison. Even the things people like, like Archer vs Berserker's fight, completely ruined Archer's combat style and what makes him interesting. Sadly enough, with the budget and time they had, I don't think anyone could've done better than what DEEN did. I think F/SN is something that couldn't be done without at least 70 episodes which is obviously impossible. Its a shame but F/SN just isn't designed for the anime industry(thankfully F/Z had a very good adaption). 4) Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust Boring. Nothing was interesting, everything was cliche. The characters were boring. Boring, boring, boring is the only way to describe this show. 5) 5 centimeters per second I spent the entire time wanting to tell them to get over it. A bitterly painful story and not in the good way. The author needs to learn how to write an interesting plot and to stop being so reliant on tear jerking, the director/producer need to learn that slow pacing and beautiful scenery doesn't make things intellectual. This is pretentiousness the anime and dear god, it sucks. |
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Jamie38459
 Posts: 106 Location: Greensboro, North Carolina |
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My Top 5 Worst:
5. Ai Mai Mi- Interesting concept about four girls Ai, Mai, Mi, and Ponaka all editing Manga while having bizarre adventures. Though I hate how they almost never do any Manga at all though, the characters are all unoriginal and annoying, the designs are messed up, the humor sucks, and the show is really short (3 Minutes) and fast paced. The only good thing about this is the awesome ending theme but that's it. Man-Girl! is a much better anime short about Manga... 4. Teekyu!- Girls playing tennis, what can go wrong? A lot of things actually. Really annoying characters, really annoying voices, and a really fast pace makes this a confusing mess to get through. The music is ok, but it's not as good as Ai Mai Mi's. But at least the designs are good... 3. Girl's High- Ya know, when I first saw this, I thought it would be interesting, some girls trying to experience and get used to their new high school life. But what they did as an execution is dreadful to look at. The characters are weird and not in a good way as well as obnoxious and the stories are stupid and should belong to a romance or something not a freaking slice of life comedy! But the worst part of this has to be the pointless fan service that they show. It's so revolting that I stopped watching this after episode four. It's no wonder not many people talk about this one. Pass it up while you can. 2. Ouran High School Host Club- Stupid story? Check. Ugly designs? Check. Atrocious humor? Check. Obnoxious characters and dialogue? Double Check. I have absolutely no idea why and how this show got popular, cause it friggin sucks. Even the ending was a big letdown. The ONLY thing saving this from being number one was Haruhi, the protagonist. She is awesome as well as hilarious and if I had to watch this drek again, I'd watch her parts. 1. School Days- Where to begin? Unrealistic story and forgettable characters, lackluster romance, annoying voices and music, and one of the worst protagonists I have ever seen in an anime. Not even the ending was good, in fact, it was really disgusting. Don't watch this, at all. You have been warned. Runner ups: Cardcaptor Sakura D. Gray Man Save Me Lollipop! My Top 5 Best: 5. Tamayura- Fantastic story, mostly great characters, nice scenery, and some good morals. Though, some of the characters do take some getting used to and the music was a bit sub-par. But overall, this was a fun show to watch and I wouldn't mind looking at it again if I had the choice. 4. Mermaid Melody- Great songs, good characters and development, pretty designs to look at, and some intense action scenes and plot twists make this (In my opinion) a better Magic anime than Sailor Moon. Although the romance in this show is weak (With the exception of HippoXYuri) and I really hate the main love interest. He gets better as the show progresses but I still don't like him. 3. Lucky Star- Awesome characters, awesome dubbing voices, awesome humor, and Anime references galore! What more could a girl like me ask for? However, I don't like the Lucky Channel segments, Patricia's voice is annoying, and the ending was pretty weak, but it's still an amazing show nonetheless. 2. Acchi Kocchi (Place To Place)- Now this is what I call a romantic comedy  It's about a guy named Io and a girl named Tsumiki, two people who are more than friends but less than lovers as they try and go through high school while their other friends try getting them to be an official couple. This anime is jam packed with comedy, cuteness, and some romantic bits that'll make you squeal and laugh. Even the music is great and everyone in the show is likeable and brings their own type of humor. I hear there is going to be another season of this and there better be since the anime is still not quite finished yet. I really wanna see more of this :3
1. ARIA- (To me) Literally everything in this show is perfect, the story, the comedy, the settings, and even the characters and their developments as the show progresses. Also this anime has one of the greatest endings I have ever seen in an Anime. It is however very slow paced and those who aren't patient might get bored with this real quick, but the payoff is brilliant and I say it is definitely worth a look. Runner Ups: Natsuiro Kiseki (A Summer Colored Miracle) Tamayura YuruYuri Thanks for reading, Jamie :3 |
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Ignatz
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Jamie38459--
I see you're new here. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to the fora!    
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Jamie38459
Posts: 106 Location: Greensboro, North Carolina |
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Thanks for the nice welcome, still learning some ropes on what and how to do stuff and what there is to do here  But I'll do my best trying to not make myself look like a complete idiot Does that make sense? 
Jamie :3 |
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willoworacle14
 Posts: 5 Location: Sydney, NSW |
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Does anyone not like Naruto? I used to force myself to watch it when I was younger with my friends but it got to the point where I just couldn't do it anymore.
Pretty sure theres not many people around who think it is incredibly lame as I do >.> I don't just dislike it, I HATE it. However that's probably a product of putting myself through the torture of watching it lol |
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Aylinn
 Posts: 1684 |
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Yes, there is a general disdain for Naruto on this forum. There aren't many people who like it. |
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willoworacle14
Posts: 5 Location: Sydney, NSW |
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Oh good, everyone I know thinks it's crazy I don't watch it. Tah for confirming my sanity n.n <3 |
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marie-antoinette
 Posts: 4136 Location: Ottawa, Canada |
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Like the introductions thread, posting here is probably a long time coming for me. But I've been working at writing a list of my top 20 favourite anime of all time and figured I could talk about about the top 10 here.
No least favourites because I haven't watched anything that I really thought was terrible from start to finish, except for the X/1999 movie, which I enjoy the heck out of because it is so very bad. Anyway, here's my top ten. I spent the last couple of days rewatching all the first eps of these ones, just to be sure I was happy with the placement. 10. Bunny Drop In general, I'm not really into the whole "moe" thing. I particular don't like cuteness of cuteness' sake. But Bunny Drop is not only cute but it is cute with purpose and that is why it works so well. This story is absolutely heartwarming and Rin is one of the best written child characters I have ever come across in any medium. I'm not really a huge slice-of-life person but this one kept me hooked from beginning to end. It also has one of the most adorable OP and EP ever, with songs that always make me smile when I hear them. 9. Princess Tutu I'm so glad that this series is so well thought of among the forum regulars because I doubt I would ever have seen it otherwise. This show is just an absolute delight to watch because again, I love the characters, plus the use of all the classical ballet music is lovely to hear. Plus, I'm a sucker for all things meta, something the second half of the series has in spades. 8. Gunslinger Girl I'm including both seasons here. While obviously the visual quality of the show goes down in the second season, I actually think Il Teatrino has a stronger overall plot. The two seasons don't go together all that well but they still do tell a (mostly) complete story. Plus it has lots of interesting issues of morality to contemplate as a viewer, without it ever really giving its own stance one way or the other. Finally, I just discovered today that it looks to have a really nice dub, probably one of the most "natural" sounding ones I've ever heard, which is always a plus since I do prefer dubs, when a good one is available. 7. Vampire Knight Again, I'm including both seasons here. This one is definitely a bit of a guilty pleasure but I do think the story is quite well done, as the melodrama is pushed as close to the line of becoming ridiculous as it possible could without crossing it, at least IMO. This series also has my favourite male anime character of all time in it, Zero Kiryu, who fits one of my favourite character types quite well, as I apparently love characters who struggle with self-loathing. Not sure what this says about me :/ Also, he's really hot. 6. Honey and Clover Another two season where I'm counting it as being all the same thing. There isn't anything on this list that isn't that way, actually (though Sailor Moon appears in between 10 and 20 on my larger list and that is based on the S and Stars seasons alone). One thing I found on my re-watch (and also discovered during nominations for the First Episode tournament) was that a lot of my favourite series don't have very strong first episodes. Of all of the ones on my list, I think Honey and Clover probably has the weakest, as the first time I tried to watch it, I did not make it past episode 1. The only reason I gave it a second chance was because the manga ran in Shojo Beat magazine and I found that the early story worked a bit better on print than on the screen. However, once I watched further and ran across Ayumi Yamada, I was pretty much hooked because I very much identified with her and her struggles. Also, trying it again I was getting closer to finishing my time at university, which I'm sure made some of the story points more poignant. It really is a beautiful and heartbreaking story, though it does take a bit more time than I think it needed to in order to get going. Also, I hate the OP. Absolutely hate it. And the one for the second season too. 5. Puella Magi Madoka Magica This is the most recent anime on my list. I watched it when it first aired in Japan and was hooked from the opening scene until the very end. I've always enjoyed a story that was a bit dark and twisted and so I loved this take on the magical girl genre. Also I think it just exists in a really interesting world - I love how it never quite says when or where it's set, beyond being in a slightly into the future Japan (at least I've never noticed anything more definitive). It has great characters, deceptively cute designs, and the animation in the witches domain is just incredible to behold. Oh, and some of the best battle music ever too. It was definitely a quick favourite that I only love more and more as time goes by. 4. Ouran High School Host Club In general, I'm not really that big on comedy because most comedy these days is, quite frankly, pretty damn stupid. However, I do enjoy a smart parody and Ouran is one of the best, especially because it embraces whole-heartedly the very things it is parodying. The anime also features another ensemble cast that I just absolutely adore, as even my least favourite, Honey, did end up with a special place in my heart. Finally, even while it mostly a comedy, it does have good serious moments and some very good character arcs, which I wouldn't necessarily have expected. This is another show that is just a whole lot of fun and that never fails to put a smile on my face. 3. Fushigi Yugi Fushigi Yugi is one of those shows that would definitely not be on a list of what I think the objective best anime are because it is very dated and has a lot of flaws. But regardless, I absolutely love it. Another great ensemble cast is here, though I'll admit that the Seiryu senshi do get the shaft as far as development goes, with the exceptions of Nakago and the twins. It's just one crazy, epic, ride full of shojo-y goodness and I couldn't resist it if I tried (and I don't). 2. Wolf's Rain I've talked a lot about Wolf's Rain recently, both when the Best of the 2000s podcast came out and in the Most Improved tournament. I may have mentioned in the former that it was my 3rd favourite anime overall. Well, upon my recent first episode re-watch, I've changed my mind about that and now it's my second favourite and also the one series I am most itching to re-watch at the moment. This serious is beautiful and complex, with there always being more to notice and think about. And again, a great ensemble cast that I love, especially the wolf pack. I can't really talk about Wolf's Rain without mentioning the ending. I have never seen any show, anime or otherwise, that was able to spoiler[kill an entire cast and make each death hurt quite as much as this one]. I do consider it the best anime ending of all time, hence why I've rated those four episodes as a Masterpiece in My Anime. 1. NANA This show has pretty much every element I love and then some. We've got shojo-y drama goodness (though a touch more on the mature side, which is always nice). Again, there is melodrama but it strays on the side of believability, which is definitely Ai Yazawa's strength these are all characters I know or believe could be real. And here's another rich and varied ensemble cast who I adore without exception. NANA is also my favourite manga but I think in some ways I actually like the anime more, mostly because of the addition of the music. And they did such a great job with the music. I love that they had the two main artists, Anna Tsuchiya and Olivia, write the music as if they were the character singing it. The Trapnest songs in particular are absolutely beautiful and remain constants on my playlist to this day. Hearing any of these songs makes me want to watch the show and since I finally own it on DVD, I plan to get to that re-watch soon (and hopefully give its dub a try, since the reviews for it have been quite good). And that's that, my current top 10 favourite anime. Definitely not what I consider the 10 best (though there are a fair number here that would be that list as well) but definitely the ones I want to watch over and over again the most. Last edited by marie-antoinette on Wed May 01, 2013 7:46 am; edited 1 time in total |
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ScumbagYoshi
 Posts: 140 |
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Uhhh, don't have top worst anime because there are too many garbage anime to count, but a few tops for me.
Mushishi - Serene and beautiful, Mushishi is captivating and is probably the best supernatural anime out there. It's a wondrous world of mystery that offers up questions without ever giving us a clear answer. Mushishi's examination of man and his relationship with forces around him are dealt with both a tranquil and profoundly deep understanding of the never ending struggle between man and nature. Ginko is also cool. Texhnolyze - I don't understand how people watch Serial Experiments Lain and Haibane Renmei without also watching Texhnolyze. Easily the best of the three, Texhnolyze is a deep and provocative work that's slow and punishing for people who want fast paced action and spoon fed messages but immensely gratifying as a work with that doesn't rely on overly used storytelling cliches and tropes to tell a story. The Tatami Galaxy - A story of self discovery that's both amusing and meaningful. The art, while simplistic, is gorgeous in its bright colors and animation. The characters are a blend of wacky personalities ranging from a devilish best friend to a bug hating stern library worker with a beautiful smile. The Tatami Galaxy approaches a subject tackled by the likes of Welcome to the NHK and Genshiken with the same comedic zing but by far surpasses them with its powerful themes and fast paced writing. Katanagatari - By far Nisio Isin's best adapted work. Katanagatari, like many of other Isin works, excels in its witty dialogue and is backed by some great voice acting. Its characters are also memorable, an impressive feat given that there are over thirty names to remember. It can be called a parody of shonen. The main character is completely overpowered, dialogues purposefully drag entire episodes, filled with pointless conversation, while other less notable characters are slain left and right with ease despite having their power levels hyped, sometimes for many episodes. Katanagatari never shies away from the fact that its story is a simple one, but mixed in with a colorful cast and a flurry of intriguing subplots, character histories, and mystery, Katanagatari has one of the best stories I've seen in anime. And it's hard to even keep The Tatami Galaxy and Katanagatari with god tier anime like Texhnolyze and Mushishi but after that there are few anime I could name that could remotely compete with any of those four (though I'll admit that Planetes, AnoHana, and Hourou Musuko probably could make a play on a fifth spot). |
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Matarael
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BEST (in my slighty less than humble opinion)
I'm breaking the "Top 10" rule because shut up. 3. OURAN FRIGGIN' HIGH SCHOOL HOST CLUB I could have picked something better, but I'll go with Ouran since there seems to be a theme thus far of (unjustly) egging it down. Ouran is a funny, well-written, and brilliant satire of youth and anime at large. It's characters are memorable, and either clash or mix well with eachother in again, brilliant ways. The main point to stress here is that it's FUN. Anyone who dislikes Ouran would have to have a heart of solid stone encased in ice. 2. NEON GENESIS EVANGELION It's pretty simple. NGE may as well be the the Davinci or Beethoven masterwork of anime. Is it flawed? You bet. But then again, so is anime in general, so the masterpiece of anime is no exception. People are usually divided into two separate camps when it comes to this series: 1. "Got it" and 2. "Dun get it" So, when 'outsiders' watch a hyped psychological drama expecting Citizen Kane, a shitstorm ensues. "It's so pretentious because anything I can't relate to is trying too hard to be artsy" a great anti-evangelion philosopher once said. Well not really, since anybody who dislikes evangelion could ever really hope to muster an intelligent statement about anything (zing). In any case, odds are, you'll find something to like in it. 1. DEATH NOTE Well, what can be said. Death Note immortalized the human comedy like almost no other anime could hope to. It presented a world and people divided between 'right' and 'wrong' while remaining neutral from beginning to end, allowing the viewer to draw his/her own conclusions and pick a side to stand by. It does this with beautiful imagery and originality, and truly interesting characters always just a breath away from death. I have yet to meet someone who didn't enjoy it. |
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Jose Cruz
 Posts: 1796 Location: South America |
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I am doing a new top 10 after just 7 months. That's because I watched a huge amount of anime - specially many series considered to be classics - and I reviewed my own impressions of anime I had already watched before, revising my own opinion on my top 10. Now I can say I have a true otaku top 10, without dubious stuff like Summer Wars.
1. My Neighbor Totoro 
After I watched it again several times I came to the following conclusions: It is easily the best animated film ever created, My Neighbor Totoro is a monumental work of art, truly astounding. It possesses a classical sense of aesthetic beauty and harmony typical of the great works of art produced by mankind, such as The Illiad and Beethoven's 9th Symphony. Appearing to be a children's film at first impression, it requires a mature adult with certain sensibility and multiple watches before it's true genius can be understood. Once I fully understood it, it affected me to my core It lacks most of what dates a movie, instead possessing a timeless appearance and lacking anything that would place it into a genre label. It is not a children's movie, it is not an adult movie and it is not really a fantasy movie or a slice of life film. It is an ambiguous and subtle film and it is both a minimalist and complex work of art. The lack of any plot helps to propel it to infinite watch value. Plot heavy works of anime tend to lack re-watch value, given that the plot is the way you become interested. Totoro's rides on it's art and sense of dynamism of situation. 2. Puella Magi Madoka Magica 
While My Neighbor Totoro can be regarded as a work of classical art, beautiful, minimalist and elegant, Puella Magi Madoka Magica is the inverse, it is a very complex and aggressive work of modern art. It is not harmonious and flawless like My Neighbor Totoro, but it compensates it's (few) flaws with overwhelming emotional firepower. It was the most powerful anime I ever watched. 3. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind 
I would rate this as the fourth most powerful anime I ever watched (after Madoka, Mononoke and Grave of the Fireflies) and the second most aesthetically impressive (after Totoro). It is very moving, epic, complex and beautiful. A joy to watch and the anime I watched the most times (over a dozen times). It has my favorite opening as the first 5 minutes of Nausicaa are absolutely glorious and the ending is impressive in the way it builds tension to a breaking point and releases it in the ending. It is also the most influential anime film ever made, many of it's elements were copied by many anime titles after. Also, the manga is even superior to the movie. A true masterpiece of literature in general. 4. Princess Mononoke 
Miyazaki's most complex film, the product of three years of heavy work by the legendary master of animation. Epicness factor of the roof. One of the times I watched it the emotional response I got was so powerful that I was unable to sleep and was transfixed for 18 hours.  Only Madoka surpassed it in the strength of emotional response it generated on me, though in terms of visual beauty it is only matched by a couple of other Miyazaki films.
5. Neon Genesis Evangelion 
A very flawed title to figure into a top 10, Evangelion still is a masterpiece in my book and for a very good reason: it offers emotional richess in a way that's very rare for a TV series. Shinji Ikari is one of the most complex and realistic characters ever conceived, I identified with him to an uncanny degree. I watched this series at two points in my life: when I was 12 and when I was 23. When I was 12 I got a strong emotional response but I failed to fully grasp its artistic value. When I was 23 I was a bit turned off by the raw aggressiveness 6. Spirited Away 
I watched this anime film after about a decade without watching any anime (I watched anime from 5 years old to 13 years old, stopped watching for 9 years and returned to anime as a grown up 22 year old), and it was the time when I realized I had to make up for this lack of watching.
Anyway, this is an obvious masterpiece of cinema, I don't need to explain it to anyone given it is also a very accessible film: it is extremely elegant, possesses a nearly unmatched richness both in terms of imagination and in terms of visuals. A movie like this, that combines so many great qualities is one that comes once in a decade or so (it's like The Godfather, Star Wars and Seven Samurai). The animation is also stunning and ranks among the most realistic and impressive animations ever made in technical terms: the way Ghibli handled the physics is awe inspiring, especially if compared to Disney's animators lack of mastery in making their animation obey physical laws. It's a must watch not only for anime fans but for anyone who likes movies. 7. Porco Rosso 
Miyazaki's most sophisticated film, Porco Rosso eluded me the first time I watched it (hence the modest Very Good rating), in reality, after watching it again a few times, I concluded that Porco Rosso is a full blown masterpiece of world cinema. While lacking the overwhelming richness of imagination of Spirited Away or the visceral dramatic power of Princess Mononoke, Porco Rosso possesses deep layers of subtle psychological complexity that are lacking in most anime - and movies and TV series in general - and render it a rather unique movie experience. An underrated monumental work of art. 8. RahXephon 
A very complex TV series, perhaps the most complex and cerebral title in my top 10, RaxXephon is a awe inspiring anime title. The animation is excellent, given it is a TV series, and the characters are subtle and complex - as opposed to most anime titles - while the entire plot also fits very well in the end (something that didn't happen with EVA, for instance). The show possesses a dreamy atmosphere that lends it an unique air of sublimity. I wouldn't rank it even higher because I didn't get a strong emotional response as I got from EVA. 9. Grave of the Fireflies 
Maybe, saddest anime ever, Grave of the Fireflies is beautiful and hits you in your guts. It lacks, however, the aesthetic richness and complexity that is observed in Miyazaki's work - and the anime series above - and so I lowered it's ranking considerably from the last iteration of my top 10. 10. Clannad: After Story 
First rate emotional manipulation. While some may claim that Grave of the Fireflies is manipulative, I might point out to the real manipulation of Clannad. Though, Clannad's expertise in emotional manipulation reaches such heights that it manages to really touch my soul. Specially Clannad: After Story, episodes 9 to 18, when it reaches very high artistic and emotional heights. After episode 18 the series ends with a few not so great episodes, though still worth watching - not bad but not as great as earlier episodes and the ending left me a bit unsatisfied, I though it would be preferable for the series to end spoiler[with Tomoya raising his daughter as a single father]. It's the most flawed title in my top 10 but given that I managed to shed tears at several moments it was a quite powerful experience.
Some honorable mentions: - Only Yesterday - Serial Experiments Lain - Future Boy Conan |
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