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ikillchicken
 Posts: 7272 Location: Vancouver |
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Yeah, this is true. I didn't especially care for it the first time I saw it. I've seen it a couple more times since then though and each time I like it more and more. At this point I think it's really quite great. |
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BES Null Core
 Posts: 604 Location: 六十周年的东方裁判 |
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Top 10
10. My-Otome 0 ~S.ifr~ The first episode places great emphasis on action. Before the title screen—with a brief expository section—, the viewer is already treated to a rescue sequence, during which we see some promises of battles to come. We see, but are not introduced to, the principle protagonists, though those who watched My-Otome will likely recognize Lena Sayers (despite the twin ponytails, glasses, and maid costume) and a younger version of John Smith (called Kido here, possibly Japanese approximation of Kid). After the opening sequence, the episode settles down a bit, and we are introduced to the characters. Most are new, though those who look for My-HiME franchise references will find several characters modeled after ones from My-Otome. The OVA suffers from the fundamental flaw of a series in delivered in less than 90 minutes: It has to skimp on the setting in order to focus on the plot and characters. The introduction makes this obvious—despite a few sentences devoted to describing the world, it is unlikely that anyone who has neither seen My-Otome nor read of its fictional background will be able to make sense of it. That is not to say that the series does not make sense. Although it requires knowledge of My-Otome or a willingness to accept certain occurrences (most notably the otomes themselves), the My-Otome 0 gives enough exposition on Sifr and Lena in episode 2—possibly to the detriment of the action—that it is quite easy to understand the OVA's particular plot and sympathize with the characters. Speaking of the action sequences, the end of episode 1 is an excellent example of a good one, and hopefully a sign of things to come in episode 3. The fight between Lena and her opposite number mixes normal and super speed. The normal speed combat is easy to decipher and high on individual frame count. The movements resemble gymnastic movements but without the excessive spinning that typically characterize such approaches. The super speeds are applied with a light touch that emphasizes Lena's position as history's strongest otome rather than detracting from the fight with cheap animation. Those who approach the series looking for excellent action will be pleased (possibly more so when episode 3 is released later this month). I'm a bit surprised that this series wasn't titled My-Otome Zero, with the Zero imposed behind Otome to form the double Z. On one hand, it's been done with Zwei, but it would have been a nice way of conformity. 9. Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team The series is touted as the life of an ordinary soldier during the One Year War. That is true only to a limited extent. Ordinary here refers to the protagonists' biological makeup and assignment. Their experiences are, in fact, not ordinary, and those who approach the series expecting a series about the daily life and boring assignments of the ordinary soldier will be sorely disappointed. The series leaves the details of coping with a military life in a tropical rain forest unanswered, preferring to focus on the battles and how they affect the mostly ordinary soldiers. In this respect, they meet with reasonable success. It's somewhat difficult to judge the effectiveness of their battle strategies when the world is predicated on the use of large, humanoid war machines, which are generally thought to be inefficient for fighting. However, 08th MS Team manages to include many elements of a believable modern battle: that of sneak attacks, division of teams, covering fire, artillery support, and even the use of mines and terrain against the mechas. Rather than the flying, acrobatic death machines of most other Gundam series, the mechas of 08th MS Team are very like humanoid tanks. The removal of the larger than life heroes and the maneuvers associated with them certainly lends credit to the ordinary soldier advertisement. The other major point of the series is what destroys the “life of an ordinary soldier” image. As a view of the first episode hints, the series contains the story of star crossed lovers. While the plot is idealistic, sweet, and quite planned—even if the dialogue leans too far on the saccharine side—, its inclusion greatly detracts from the idea that these are simply normal soldiers on ordinary assignments. “The star crossed love of an ordinary soldier” may be a better way to summarize this nevertheless wonderful series. 8. My-HiME Rarely does one find a series that works so well on so many different levels. The plot involves a group of girls who have the power to summon objects and a familiar. These objects have powers such as being very sharp, enables flight, shoots flames, etc, and likewise, the familiars each has some special power. The girls are gathered at a school to fight otherworldly monsters. By the first episode, however, My-HiME has already established itself as being different from other magical girl series. No sparkling pink stardusts appear with the execution of the attacks, and their battles have lasting consequences on the people and environment around them. We see a degree of realism in the setup that allows for a serious, dramatic work, and the series delivers without losing the moments of comedy that allow for relaxation. My-HiME boasts of a large cast with 12 HiMEs taking the main stage. Even with the numbers, the series manages to flesh out each HiME in her own right. There is neither duplication of personality nor convenient placement into a ranger like team. The HiMEs have strengths and problems of their own, and we see these traits developed and accentuated by the wonderful supporting cast as the series progresses. Particularly wonderful is the main character Mai Tokiha, who is unlike any lead in a magical girl series. She is neither stupid, naïve, or saccharine. She is a determined, loving, brave, and friendly girl who is quite admirable, one for whom it's natural to root. The clash between the summoned weapons, the familiar, and the monsters generate sparks. The HiMEs seldom perform any action that is impressive, and the few occasions where their movements should be awesome are obscured by speed lines. This isn't surprising, since they are ordinary girls with strange powers to materialize objects. However, the series is certainly not low budget, as the general quality of the animation—in daily life and in battle—and the daunting special effects and contortions of the familiars—particularly those of Mai's familiar—are breathtaking where the the HiMEs' actions are not. The result? My-HiME is a visual treat. Oh, and the ending is wonderful, a perfect resolution for the series. 7. Infinite Ryvius At some point, you may have heard the contention that Infinite Ryvius is Lord of the Flies in space. The comparison is fairly descriptive. While not simply dressing the Lord of the Flies characters in a space age setting, Infinite Ryvius explores the same issue of a group of children—in this case teenagers who are most in the high school age range—living apart from larger society. The similarities are present, though not perhaps more than between any two dystopian novels with an invasive totalitarian regime—of the governmental or corporate sort. Infinite Ryvius boasts of a large cast of characters. The number of students on board approach 500, though, of course, substantially fewer than that many get the spotlight. The series manages the characters by dividing them into groups. While this functions as a heuristic to allow the audience to remember the cast more easily, the setup conveniently reflects the class division that had already grouped the students and the cliques that teenagers tend to form. The groups by no means reduce the cast to merely small collections of people. Each character within a group has his own idiosyncrasies that appear when the focus is on the group. When the group is out of focus, the division of characters allows the group to appear rather than drop out of view entirely. With such a large cast and only 26 episodes, Infinite Ryvius nevertheless manages to develop its characters well. It is perhaps unfortunate that the script writer should have followed the direction of Lord of the Flies. The theme of the work demands that not everything is idealistic. Under the duress of being isolated in the Ryvius, its passengers exhibit repressed bad habits that cannot surface in the larger society. Yet each develop is delivered with enough realism that it's difficult to help developing sudden sympathy or antipathy toward the characters. One thing that Infinite Ryvius lacks is great action. The series conducts its action scenes by creating suspense rather than gorgeous battles. While the setting is in space, the Ryvius and many of its battles are like those of submarines. The ships perform an action, and they listen and watch intently on their sensors for their result. Encounters can be predicted based on orbit, and attacks take a long time to reach. This element of realism with regard to space combat is oddly out of place in a series where a plane in the solar system's sphere of space is covered with a pressurized gas of sort. Just like with the ship combat, the hand to hand fights, when they occur, are unimpressive. The fights are short and brutal, with obvious and lasting damage done to those who are hit. While uninteresting to watch, they highlight the savagery of the characters and adds to the series rather than detract from it. They are just like every other aspect of Infinite Ryvius—well crafted, suspenseful, and brutally uncompromising. 6. Mobile Police Patlabor (TV) In the near future, Japan and several nations of the world have developed giant robots. Instead of the sleek, dangerous war machines that are like mechanized knights with guns, however, these robots are machines. They exhibit the same clumsy and powerful behavior of a construction vehicle. Indeed, that is the most prevalent use of the giant robots in the Patlabor series. The characters have to constantly deal with the fact that the robots can hit buildings, cars, or each other when the pilot is not paying particular attention. Many a tree were felled because the mecha needed to get through the forest. The Patlabor mecha are more real than almost any real robot series. It is not only in the depiction of mecha that Patlabor stays nearer to Earth than its real robot compatriots. There is no war, no destruction on a mass scale, and no inhuman feats of heroism. The series centers on a police team whose cases, while certainly far more interesting than the daily events of an officer—or events over the entire career of many officers—, are only a few steps beyond the ordinary. The series is a police procedural more than a real robot series, and the frantic humor does not exaggerate enough to mar this deliberately semi-ordinary approach. Patlabor features a strong cast of core characters. With only seven active members on the police team and only a small group of prominent support characters, Patlabor manages to establish and exploit to the full each of the core character's personality and potential. The series defines the characters' personalities and quirks in the first few episodes, and they are allowed to react to new situations that the series presents, giving the audience a level of predictive ability that works quite well with the episodic approach the series takes. The characters are largely static, but their behaviors exhibit minor nuances as each new situation presents itself—enough for novelty, but not enough to alienate the audience from the characters they know and love. Patlabor is an urban police comedy, and it is episodic in a case-by-case sense. Those who approach the series expecting a coherent and deep plot will be disappointed, and the disappointment would likely cause them to miss the subtle reflections that the captain often offers. They can be interesting to muse upon, but letting them distract attention from the rest of the series is quite a mistake. The series isn't philosophical; it's a fun ride with all the ups and downs of the number 2 special vehicles division. 5. Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny From a narrative point of view, the roles of the Earth Alliance and ZAFT have reversed in this sequal to Gundam Seed. A second war erupted between the Earth and the space dwellers, and this time, the viewer follows ZAFT's newest battleship during the course of the second war. There are many parallels, starting with the paint scheme of the ship—rather distinctive contrast to the blue and green regulars in the ZAFT military—to the appearance of the main mecha. Likewise, it is ZAFT's newest mobile suits that have been stolen by the end of the first episode. Despite the initial similarities, Gundam Seed Destiny is by no means a simple mirror image of Gundam Seed. Whereas the main ship of Seed was crewed in great part by civilian volunteers, its counterpart in Destiny is staffed by fully trained soldiers of ZAFT. While this difference seems to be a superficial one at first, it removes the underdog status associated with the ship of Seed. Indeed, the missions of the Minerva in Destiny reflects this difference: It is not a fugitive ship escaping enemy territory while fending off relentless pursuits; it's an elite unit sent to special missions as part of military maneuvers, and often with other ships for support. It's an excellent setup. The individual battles may be conducted such that the main ship are at a disadvantage in the fight, and this is indeed the approach the battles take for the most part. In the heat of the moment, the audience may forget whatever larger affiliations the ship has and cheer for the underdog. On the other hand, it does not change the fact that the ship is on a particular mission, maneuvering according to the strategic plans of a larger war where its faction is the dominant one. The fact that the Minerva is on the side of the winners from the start allows for a natural development to the eventual fact that the military the audience has been following for the first two-thirds of the series is, in fact, villainous, and the accumulation of questionable actions the ship takes over the course of the series start to make more sense. In its narrative viewpoint, Gundam Seed Destiny takes an equally excellent approach. Although it details many of the feats of the Minerva during the first two thirds of the series, the action is filtered through Athrun Zala's viewpoint. Indeed, the narrative leaves the Minerva on a number of critical points because Athrun was not there. The advantage of such a point of view is that Athrun is in a much more neutral position than the Minerva crew, allowing him to observe the flaws in ZAFT's apparently benign plans, making the eventual change of roles a well designed flip rather than a deus ex machina derailment. The difference between Destiny and Seed is rather similar to the role tanks and airplanes played in the two world wars. While a new development that greatly aided one side in the first war, both sides developed the technology greatly during the last part of the war and the interregnum. Destiny sees early use of mobile suits in much greater numbers. Given the postulated difference in performance between mobile suits and conventional vehicles, Destiny is sure to bring many massive battles filled with explosions, and it delivers. Large numbers of mobile suits fly over all kinds of terrains, with cameras cutting to different portions of the battlefield to highlight the explosions and maneuvers of various mobile suits. While the battles are laced with certain stock footage, they are spaced to denote different and particular actions rather than used as generic indicators of particular events occurring. With so many things occurring, Destiny is an exciting experience for those who look for great mecha battles. 4. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 It's rare that a series has such a strong showing in all areas. Let us start off with the least area—relatively speaking, of course—of the action. Code Geass 2 is a real robot series. Its use of the mechas are quite similar to that of Gundam Seed Destiny: While a new development that greatly aided one side in the first war, both sides developed the technology greatly during the last part of the war and the interregnum. Code Geass 2 sees early use of knightmare frames in much greater numbers. There is a race between the two rival factions to upgrade their super prototypes and mass produced models, with the logical result that the prototypes become nearly weapons of mass destruction, and the mass produced models all but displaced more conventional vehicles—except for command centers. The battles take leave from the wisdom of modern warfare and go into a sci-fi setting, where the use of terrain highlights preparation and ingenuity rather than the more conventional logistics and formation. With the battles fought entirely with mecha, which have newly gained the ability of flight, the battles are much more intense and explosion filled. On the other hand, despite the warlike setting, the large battles are not really the highlight of the action. The excitement lies with the fights between the prototypes, which are amazingly acrobatic either on skates or flying. With a mix of brutal melee exchanges and energy weapons, the battles in Code Geass 2 are thrilling to watch. Next up, the story. Code Geass 2 is an interesting, if at first somewhat odd, mixture of comedy, political intrigue, personal conflicts, and the supernatural. Instead of a miscellaneous collection of strange elements, however, the series integrates each part quite well, resulting in episodes where the relaxing atmosphere of the school yard accentuates the political tension in which the main cast is mired. The political situation in this series is rather simplistic, in spite of—or perhaps because of—the abilities of the principle leaders. The intrigue lies not with the political landscape but rather with the manipulations of the respective leaders on the less aware characters, and a wonderful marionette show they perform for the audience. The supernatural element is, rather unfortunately, generally as expected for a Japanese series—it's incoherent. Fortunately, it only occupies 3 episodes, only two of which is consecutive. It is after the supernatural element is concluded—and a notable difference between Code Geass 2 and many other anime that contain supernatural elements is that the thread gets definite closure—that the series enters one of the most awesome arcs I remember in anime—when two characters who have held back cast off all restraints. If nothing else, the last segment is worth watching. Then we have Code Geass 2's strongest aspect: the characters. The series boasts of a large cast, ranging from master strategists, to great warriors, to cowardly comedy relief. The focus of this series is definitely on the protagonist and his rival, with each pursuit his own path to its end and brings with him those who are close. The actions and reactions of these two characters highlight two lofty yet pragmatic minds attempting to bring to a reluctant world to accepting their ideals, and the emotional train goes through roller coaster maneuvers, bringing the audience along for the ride. The supporting cast, while overshadowed by the protagonist and his rival—I might say, rather, the two protagonists—, each exhibits his own quirks that contributes to the view that the cast is a collection of people rather than foils for the protagonists. The characters form a magnetic collection of persona, even if some of the members are individually despicable. 3. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion Code Geass is an interesting case. Rather than having the common anti-hero traits—greed, rudeness, etc—, the protagonist is quite villainous. He does not hesitate about using his powers and intellect to manipulate others into doing his bidding, and he lies to project a good public image in order to deceive others into following him. In this way, the protagonist escapes from the classic hero without falling into the now quite cliched anti-hero characterization. Unlike its sequel, Code Geass's mecha industry is significantly less pervasive and advanced. The knightmares work alongside conventional weapons and, indeed, are sometimes beaten with rocket infantry that Lelouch has meticulously placed. In this way, the ragtag resistance group gets its spotlight, and the new prototype's acrobatics are even more impressive. Code Geass may not have the best clash of robotic armies, but it makes up for this deficiency with excellent hybrid use of mech and conventional weapons. Because the conflicts in Code Geass is still confined to Japan, the series lacks the political aspect of its sequel. What politics there is outside of Japan and Britannia is given only brief mention, and the overt patriotism of the Japanese resistance is treated with mockery as a result of the point of view of the narrative. Instead, the story focuses on Lelouch's personal grudge and how he carries it out—with brutality, subtlety, pragmatism, and intelligence. What really sets Code Geass above Code Geass 2 are the treatment of the characters. The brief and incomplete glimpse into C.C.'s past during the Mao arc is more touching and humanizes her far more than the more complete disclosure in the second season, which felt flat and unimportant compared to its counterpart in the first season. Then, there are the end of episode 22 and episode 23, an astonishing and excellent interval that sets the stage for season 2. 2. My-Otome The series starts innocuous enough: A orphan girl from the countryside travels to a prestigious school in order to learn the whereabouts of her mother. Said prestigious school trains girls to become otomes, who occupy eminent positions in the social hierarchy as assistants and attendants to the kings and nobles. The school uniform is a dress—red for the first grade and grey for the second—with a large, white frock in the front, made to resemble that of a maid. Yet it becomes quickly obvious that My-Otome is much more. Shortly after the series begins, a giant mecha threatens the town, and one of the otomes transform to fight it. There is a conspiracy that threatens the the city—and more specifically the academy—, and soon our protagonists would be embroiled in it. My-Otome has to balance two aspects: that of the relatively care free life of the all girls school and the ongoing conspiracies that center around the otome. In this respect, the series succeeds admirably. The first portion of the episodes are dedicated mostly to the academy. In this time, the audience see and learn about the personalities and relationships of the main characters, and they come to sympathize with their plight. In this time, however, My-Otome never forgets that there is something greater at stake, and the intrusions of the conspiratorial forces on the happy campers provide stark contrast and urgency, even when the mood is at its happiest. The meticulous but fun set up of the first portion pays off as My-Otome begins its second arc. With the classmates relationships firmly established, the paths they take or are forced to take as the peace over the academy is shattered make a very poignant story. These are not strangers to the audience; they are characters with whom the audience had a chance to bond; and their tragedy and mirth are those of the audience. My-Otome wastes no chance at exploiting this excellent foundation, resulting in a second half that is among the best. The characters are not only excellently used. They are themselves well developed and interesting. At the center of the story and attention are Arika, Nina, and Mashiro, and characters can be grouped in development and attention in order of their relationship with these centerpiece. Each of the three main characters is fleshed out to the full, so much that it's easy to consider those who are closest to them as close friends. The friends are sympathetic, and the villains villainous; nothing could be better. In terms of animation and design, this is not a typical magical girls show—there are no pretty pink sparks or pastel colored backgrounds. Nor is it like a typical shounen fighting series, where many attacks are called out as the characters stand still and exchange hot-blooded or pleasant life lessons. The exchanges are quick, merciless, and to the point, and damage to the surroundings accumulate. Although My-Otome does not have the best animation, it certainly conveys the mood of the series well. My-Otome is a series that takes ideas from its predecessor My-Hime and improves on them many fold. The franchise it spawned includes a miss—Zwei—and a hit—0 Sifr—, but neither matches the greatness of this first sequel. 1. Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Gundam Seed wastes little time in preambles and drops the viewer right in the middle of a war: a space based faction and an Earth based faction have been battling each other for a while, and the Earth, in the face of defeat, is secretly developing giant robots in a space colony. The space based faction, learning of these new weapons, send an elite team to retrieve them. Although home to the laboratories and factories that developed Earth's new giant robots, the space colony is a peaceful and neutral place, and its civilians are soon embroiled in the conflict and forced to seek refuge in Earth's newest battleship, while a civilian teenager who pilots Earth's newest giant robot is their only hope of escape and survival from the elite pursuers of the spacers. While the chase scene provides plenty of excitement, Gundam Seed is by no means satisfied with such a meager backstory. It delves deeply into the war in which the story of the main ship—the Archangel—is merely a part. Although the series began in the middle of the war, the origin and progress of the war is well-explored. Through a combination of flashbacks, expositions, and aftereffects, the series presents the setting of the Cosmic Era to the audience in such a way that series is self-contained. The events themselves are each memorable, whether it is in the form of a chilling narrative, grand reminiscence, or sad visit. Special mention must be made to the music in each of these scenes, which matched the mood of the word and scenes perfectly to produce a reaction in the audience that's often unexpected of scenes which talk of events that are past. Likewise, the current events of the series is treated with equal finesse. The people who participate in the war are not static beings shaped by the events before. Their reactions to the development of the war reflects the complex morality involved in such large scale armed conflict, and they demonstrate brutality, compassion, honor, and bravery. The setting of the war in the Cosmic Era is not merely a set of conditions that allow for an interesting story, it is a deep and well-explored conflict that draws in the viewer. In spite of its excellent treatment of the war, to view Gundam Seed merely as a story about an armed conflict between two sides or a particular aspect of the war is quite mistaken. The end of the first episode introduces us to Athrun, best friend of the protagonist Kira, on the side of the spacers. The story of Gundam Seed is as much about the conflict between Earth and space as it is about these two friends who are torn between the conflict. While their friendship is merely postulated at the beginning, and the audience is never shown its development, the series nevertheless instills in the audience the reality and depth of their friendship. Their actions when facing each other, their facades when pressed by the realities of their alignments, and their hesitation when facing each others' comrades while protecting his own all speak of a friendship whose development need not be shown. It is the friendship of these two characters—even more than the well-crafted story of war—that ultimately carry the story. It is perhaps amazing that a series with such a well crafted story and fleshed out characters does not skimp on the action. In the first part, conflict is on a small scale, as the series follows the escape of the Archangel from its pursuers. The movements of the main giant robot against those of the enemies shows the unfamiliarity of the pilot and its status as a technologically superior machine. One can visibly see the machine gaining agility as Kira familiarizes himself with its new functions and the environment. While the action sequences start to pan further from individual machines later in the series, careful positioning of the camera, change of backgrounds, and change of occasions tastefully disguise the reused movements. The result is impressive battle scenes that in turn highlight the movement of the giant robots and the scale of the war, both of which impressive and appropriate. Gundam Seed is a visual pleasure as well. Mobile Suit Gundam Seed, a masterful series about war, friendship, and prejudices. Bottom 5 I'm the type of person who tends to forget about series I found terrible after watching, so I don't really have a bottom list in mind. The ones I remember are ones that are kept in my memory by some external factor, such as being constantly discussed, but that kind of list would have an unfair systematic bias against well-known titles, so I prefer not to list. |
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DarkGyraen
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Well, I'm new around here, but I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents, so here's my list:
1 – Escaflowne: I think this is one show that can appeal to almost any group. The core story really revolves around the theme of Love, but does so with visually interesting and stunning giant robots. The characters are interesting and likable, and as one of the earlier works of Yoko Kanno the music is simply incredible. The artwork is a bit dated and the noses are a bit silly looking, but those are minor flaws in a show that’s wall to wall good story. 2 - Gunbuster + Gunbuster 2: Gunbuster by itself is a fantastic OVA that highlights that inner fighting spirit. The last episode of the original OVA is simply amazing, and you have to applaud them for using an all black and white episode; with only a few hints of color for truly dramatic effect. Gunbuster 2 picks that up with characters you want to root for as well, interesting robots and a good story. Combined, these two make up one of the best giant robot series of all time in my opinion. 3 - Macross Plus: I’m biased here. This was the OVA that got me into anime so many years ago, and to this day I still love it. It was cutting edge with using CG in anime at the time, and boasts what is likely Yoko Kanno’s best work, as the sound track for this is really second to none. Even all these years later, I can still put these disks in and watch them, and episode 4 is my “go-to” anime, I can stick that one episode in and watch it any time! 4 – RahXephon: You have to compare this to EVA, it’s inevitable. While I like EVA for what it was, I enjoy RahXephon for giving me what I really wanted. The artwork is top notch and the mecha design was incredibly interesting. This is another show that throws you into it in the beginning and goes all out for the duration, leading you along to find out what happens next. I can’t say that it’s “Better” than EVA since the other show did have a lot more depth, but when the dust settles and it’s all said and done, I find this show more “Enjoyable” and that’s why I have it on the list and not EVA. 5 - El Hazard OVA: Another enjoyable OVA, El Hazard had a cast of very likeable characters, and I always felt that I wanted to watch what happened to them. This was one of the few casts overall in anime that I couldn’t find a character not to like, even the enemy Jinai is wonderfully likable as a psychotic brother and leader of a bug army. 6 - Serial Experiments Lain: This show is a true head case, and you’ll probably be left scratching your head after the first viewing. But when you go back, learn everything that’s going on and see all the intricacies of what’s happening, this is a show that rewards at the end. A truly mature anime that shows you don’t need fan-service, giant robots, swords or explosions to be fantastic as long as you have a good story with strong characters. 7 - Perfect Blue: I would argue that this is the best stand-alone anime movie I’ve seen. This is as much a real movie as an anime, and I think it can appeal to anyone who enjoys a good mystery. Perfect Blue is in my opinion Satoshi Kon’s masterpiece, it’s a truly Hitchcockian film that will lead you on a truly crazy journey throughout the entire film. Each twist and turn leaves you wondering which parts of the film are real, and the end all pays off. A truly superb anime film! 8 - Full Metal Alchemist: You have to love the story of two brothers fighting against all odds to help each other. Fantastic visuals and a good score help move FMA along, and this is another show with a truly wonderful cast. Throughout the entire show you find yourself really rooting for the good guys to come out on top, and the bad guys are truly enjoyable as villains. From top to bottom pretty much everything works well in this show. 9 - Tenchi Muyo OVA: The first “Harem” show that I watched, this is still my favorite. I find the genre mildly entertaining, but this one still sticks out as being the best. The characters were all around likeable, and the show simply had a number of hilarious moments. I wish they’d done more with the villain in this series, but his limited role is enjoyable as well. 10 - Black Lagoon: I think this is the best “Style over substance” show I’ve seen. You can compare this to Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo, in the fact that each of the shows has a limited overall storyline and revolves more around an episodic nature, but makes up for that with a truly lavish amount of style. The reason I enjoy Black Lagoon the most is that it’s the most grounded in reality, as the characters here seem better developed. Revy is a truly masterful Anti-Hero, as you find yourself both rooting for her and disgusted by her lack of morals at the same time, and thus root for Rock that much more as he tries to balance her out. Hate: I don’t know that I can say I straight up hate many anime. However, I’m not a big fan of anime that leave you with utter despair at the end. If I invest my time into a show, I’d like there to be SOME payoff other than desolation. Thus things like the X:Movie and Gantz make the list of shows I can’t stand, because after so much death and despair, you just kinda have to wonder what’s the point of watching it. I’m not against tragic characters, I rather enjoy them, but there has to at least be a tiniest ray of hope or good in a show in order for me to enjoy it, and those shows are just depressing all the way through. And Gunbuster Vs. Diebuster: The Movie is absolute garbage. You can’t take a 6 episode OVA and condense it down into 95 minutes of anime. There’s no character development, explanation of anything that’s going on, or understanding of the show in general. This is an absolute waste of a DVD. |
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Kasalari
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Gonna be tough to narrow it down to just 10... but I'll give it my best. Also, I will only list series, since dedicating 4 or more spots to Miyazaki isn't fair to the other great series. In no particular order:
10. Slayers Next My favorite of the Slayers series, so it will be the only one I list in my top 10. One of the earlier series that I saw, and also one of the few early ones I still love just as much. It has a great cast of characters, in fact Lina and Xellos are among my favorite all time characters. 9. Skip Beat I didn't think I would enjoy a series centered around a talent agency, but after watching the first couple of episodes, I was hooked. Most of the characters, from that jerk Sho to the flamboyant president Takarada, are interesting, but it was Kyoko herself that made me keep watching it. 8. Code Geass I love wars and politics, so this series was obviously a big hit with me. Lelouch hovers in between anti-hero and insanity, which makes me love his character. 7. Scrapped Princess Beautiful graphics, strong characters, slightly darker plot. I just really felt for the 3 main characters. 6. Ouran High School Host Club Great characters and wacky hijinks makes this one of the funniest animes I have seen. The comedic contrasts between the high class and the normal societies always amuse me. 5. The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi With such a diverse cast reality defying characters, I find it amusing that my favorite character in this series is one of the only normal humans. Kyon's internal monologues and his interactions with Haruhi are what make this series so great for me. 4. Higurashi One of the only animes I have seen that was actually creepy to the point of being scary *first 4 episodes*. It disturbed me on several occasions, and delighted me on many others. Higurashi was definitely an emotional roller coaster ride for me. 3. Samurai X: Trust & Betrayal Such a sad, yet great, story. 2. Azumanga Daioh Simply hilarious. 1. Aria Aria is an anime that I can just sit back and enjoy. No deep plot or sudden revelations, just a nice and slow ride. It does have a pretty good cast, and some comedic moments, but what I really enjoyed was the feel good aspect of it. Very different from most of the anime I have watched. Honorable mentions: Outlaw Star, Toradora, Last Exile, Zero no Tsukaima, Get Backers, Black Lagoon Least favorites: 5. Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo 4. Brain Powered 3. Dragon Ball GT 2. Tenchi in Tokyo 1. Super Milk-chan |
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uzimakikid
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Well im not the best with names and my memory is pretty selective about things, so im not sure i can come up with 10 but ill give it a shot.
1 - lucky star This is wasnt the first anime I've seen. It wasnt the "oh my god i love anime now" series for me. it was just... different. I hadnt really seen SoL (slice of life) anime series before and this brought a whole new meaning to anime. It took away from the random fighting animes i had watched previously (i watched this when i was 12 or so) and was nice to relax and get my mind off things. I did get sad when it ended because i get stalker like with anime it seems. i get too personal with characters in an anime and i miss them when there arnt more adventures haha. 2- ToraDora! not sure if its totally fair to put this here since i haven't finished it yet... but i really enjoy it up to episode 19, im almost scared to keep going because i have a feeling ill be sad when its over. I've seen "boy wants girl, girl wants somebody else" plotlines before but the concept of "boy and girl both want someone else but end up getting stuck together due to random circumstances" plot is a tad different. the main female character is also adorably tsundere. 3- strawberry panic I originally did watch this because i thought itd be a yuri anime, well it IS but not to the extent i thought it would be hah. but that aside i really enjoyed it. my original intention was swept away within the first episode and i instantly liked it. It has cute funny moments in most episodes, but it turns around with a deeper love story than I've ever seen before in regular "boy wants girl/girl wants boy" type of animes. 4- Shakugan no Shana (season 1) this anime seems to get a lot of crap for being similar to bleach, despite the obvious fact that neither of the base plotlines are totally original and they do share similarities but they were only made a year apart... and a year in bleach is about 10 good episodes and 40+ filler episodes. but anyway SnS really made me think for the first few episodes trying to make sense of the base part of the story, after that it became really clear. I made my cousin sit down and watch the first 3 episodes before id let him say he tried it because you really cant get a good feel from the first 2 episodes. they are merely there to explain the rest of the anime. It really gripped me at times and i was very scared to finish this as i knew i would want more, even knowing there was a second season and a movie out still (with the possibility of a third season?) if i wanted to watch more 5 Chobits - one of my old friends recommended this to me and said he knew id like it from the start. He never explained why he thought this but he had a feeling. That feeling was totally right! i loved this anime. It was perfectly humorous yet tragic when it needed it to be. the idea of a farm boy going to tokyo didn't seem original to me but when it brought in persicoms (basically very life like androids) i was quite suprised and figured Hideki (the main character) would spend most of the series working to get it, and we (the viewers) would watch his work life and various hi-jinks going on there and at the end he would buy and then break a persicom. That would have been a decent humor anime, which what i was expecting but this was much much more than that. I really got afraid at points in fear of the characters. Animes i dislike 1 - DBZ i liked it when i was like 7. Then it just kept getting rehashed and the plotline became "VILLIAN, NEW SSJ, SOMEONE DIES, DRAGON BALL HIM BACK" for every new series... i got tired of fighting animes after a while aswell. 2 - FLCL a lot of people seem to like this, i will admit i never watched the full thing but i saw the first 2-3 episodes and maybe 4 scattered throughout the series on TV and i didn't understand a word. Nothing really made sense to me and it wasnt funny and it was just creepy and random. 3 - Beybladez I actually like this at first hah. When the plot really WAS just spinning battle tops, it was interesting back when i was 10 then the plot tried to be serious near the end and it didn't work well 4 - Digimon series 4 (or the one where the people evolve WITH the digimon for the final one) EDIT - i meant series 3 but the evolving with digimon applys with series 4 too. i liked the first series of digimon, it wasnt really a pokemon clone at that point to me and it seemed like a fun idea. (i was also young here so it was part of my childhood) But then with series 4 (or again whatever one has the children evolve with the digimon) the idea was just too rehashed. nothing really was added and it got old. When they brought in all these evolution cards it was just like using steroids on them to make the show more interesting, plus they wernt even implimented that often! they have full decks of powerups on them at all times and they use them like 6 times in the show, obviously enough that i can point them out but was quite annoying. The children evolving with the digimon just was disturbing to me. 5- Love Hina i could go for some random adult swim anime like bobobobobobobbobobobobobobobobobobo (hard to tell when to end that... ) but i picked this instead. I took the time to watch the first two episodes because i had heard it was funny. IT WAS funny for maybe a minute, it had no lasting humor effect or anything you could really talk about in my opinion. the plot seemed to be totally random (not sure why i like this with lucky star but not with this) and the characters all picked on the guy who oh so accidentially ended up constantly groping women and peeking and all that typical nonsense. 6 - Naruto yeaaah i know my name is UZIMAKIkid, relating to narutos last name... but im just unoriginal and lazy and made that username 4 years ago and it was catchy. (will wait for the naruto fans to calm down that i spelled uzamaki wrong or whatever...) The anime was seemed like a good idea at first... then it just kept going and going and going and going.... and would not stop and die off like it needed too. The zabuza arc was pointless, the attacking the villiage arc took too long, and then the 140+ episode filler was just... ugh do i even have to say it? then shipuuden came along with a great start... then it suffered the same symptom, failure. after about episode 40 of shipuuden i just gave up on it. 7 - Bleach I swear i didn't like it before i even watched shakugan no shana so im not just a SnS fan whos hurt that an anime is similar. I DID watch up to episode 130 or so, but i got so tired of all the filler arcs... it got so bad. i could probably sit and read the manga for it but the anime is just too filler infected and the battle fights are usually pretty typical. Well i managed to get 10/5(+2) as asked, i hope ill eventually be a known name around here (hopefully in a good way!) Last edited by uzimakikid on Mon Apr 20, 2009 10:21 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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zawa113
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by that, you mean this, right? That was Season 3, aka Tamers. Season 4 (aka Frontier) was where the kids became the Digimon, which is this one. (it gets a tad spoilerish at 2:45) |
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uzimakikid
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ohh i got a little mixed up there i suppose i meant both but i had forgotten most of anything about fronteir, tamers is what i was thinking of while i wrote it |
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Jonoridge
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10 Best
1st Beck Mongolian Chop Squad I first found out about this anime when i was watching a top anime openings video or something and i liked the opening and the fact that it was in english. So i gave it a look and WOW that's all i can say. It was just outstanding. I mean when i was a kid and i used to watch shows like Dragonball Z and i used to get like an adrenalin rush watching a really good fight, well i got that but when they perform their songs. this anime is truly brilliant and i think what sets it apart from other animes is it's appealling to people who don't even like Japanese Animation. 2nd Itazura Na Kiss Watched all this on crunchyroll i actually found it really really good mainly because it wasn't a guy after girl it was the other way around. It's also very good for keeping it very funny and entertaining even after the two get together and get married. Where normally the average anime would end when there together or at marriage  I also enjoy watching the characters on this and it's also a shame about the author of the manga who sadly passed away before it could be finished 
3rd Samurai Champloo I don't know what it is, maybe it's the awesome characters or the blend of hip-hop and samurai that i love but i can watch this series again and again and not get bored. I bought the boxset and if i'm ever doing anything work wise i'll have it on in the background lol This anime just has everything it's so gripping ^^ 4th The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya I just thought the storyline was so original on this it's hard not to be intrigued, i actually prefer the english dub because i reckon the voice actors done particulary well on this. I can't wait for the next series although i was dissapointed that the series was so short but in a sense it was short but sweet. The characters are brilliant and Kyon is really funny with his sarcasm. pure class. 5th Full Metal Alchemist My mate borrowed me the first 4 volumes of this and i've been hooked since i haven't finished it yet but it's so gripping i actually think it's similar to Death Note in the sense of twists and turns, i also like how every character has got their own agenda and goals. Also how the show isn't afraid to kill characters off for example Hughes which i was gobsmacked about as i considered my favourite lol. Once i have this show on DVD i will definatly be rewatching again and again. 6th Elfen Lied A weird one actually i've also showed a few of my mates this one and they found it rather amazing. After watching the 10minutes you think it's just a silly violent anime with no storyline but after watching a couple of episodes you see the truth behind Elfen Lied and how it gets you to feel for the characters. Admittingly it does take the horrors they have to withstand to a certain extreme e.g Murder, Rape but it doesn't do it in the sense which Gantz does for example it's justified and therefore done very well. I do feel as though there are some questions left unanswered but other than that this anime was pretty much bretah taking in terms of storyline and the impact it leaves on you. 7th Shugo Chara I'm probably to old for this show but i just find it amusing the whole relation between Amu, Tadase and Ikuto and i find it fun to watch. I think it can get a tad reptitive which repairing peoples eggs and whatever but the characters are rather lovable and it is a very funny and addictive show. 8th Lovely Complex Now their was something about this show that just made me laugh i don't know whether it was because the girl was like 6 foot tall after a 4 foot guy or... oh wait that was it. But regardless i thought this was a brilliant told story where i found myself bouncing from side to side of each character depending on the situation. So happy i watched this and i will have to get round to watching it again. 9th Dragonball A classic, pure class. I prefer this to Dragonball Z mainly because the characters are all a similar powerlevel. I know Goku's the hero but when the same person wins all the time it gets boring. in Dragonball Z Goku, Vegeta and Gohan were the only ones who could fight in the end. Whereas Dragonball you had Goku, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, Master Roshi, Yajirobi i mean even Chaosu was bad then. which was better because it was more evenly balanced. 10th Nabari No Ou A bit of a Naruto rip off in my view but maybe created a bit better and easier to watch because i don't have to watch 400 episodes lol. I'm looking forward to getting this on DVD and i just enjoyed all the characters on this inparticular Yoite who i just thought was plain cool. 5 Worst 1st She the Ultimate Weapon Saikano Never have i watched such a depressing anime i mean even School days has some uplifting and comical moments but this was about war and everyone dieing (which isn't bad if done nicely) but this was done poor i mean even if you wanted to get attached to the characters you couldn't because there dead lol also alot and i mean ALOT of crying which in a sense is realistic i mean if that actually happened you expect crying but sometimes it needs to be toned down a bit. 2nd Dragonball GT Shocking end of. Lost the original quality, the only good thing out of this show is Super Saiyan 4. Storyline was pretty poor i mean the Namek's made the dragonballs bringing other dragonballs into the show is silly because surely they would of been mentioned earlier in the dragonball universe if they existed so basically it's a whole dragonball filler show lol. 3rd Noein I liked it sort of, but there wasn't enough going on and i switched off for at least 5mins during each episode which isn't good, i mean the storyline is ok like but it drags on which is bad considering it's only 26 episodes imagine if it was more. Not enough action aswell really considering theirs a war going on for the rets of existence like. 4th School Days first few episodes were great, funny and had the edginess where you want like someone to get with someone. But man did it go downhill i can only admire the author for at least going for something different but it's so depressing it really is. i watched this and once i started i at least had to see the end i mean i almost found it humourous the whole text message "goodbye" thing and the lieing about the baby. oh well it's one better forgotten but it won't go away!!! 5th Paranoia Agent This is one of the few animes i've started watching and refused to carry on, it just got downright boring i had to stop when the police starting playing this video game or something with the kid they thought was doing all the murders. I mean i udnerstand that it's trying to make it all physical and imaginative but it bored me. I was expecting a bit like a detective story where they find clues and try and find the true killer... maybe it just wasn't what i expect?
Few that took some time
Other animes i liked: Kimikiss Rouge, Death Note, Naruto S, Trigun Other animes i disliked: FLCL |
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tezkatyuu
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[b]Hmm. i have a question?? Why is it most of the youth's favorite anime is more on the old ones?? I mean, there are new anime series being aired but why is it they still love those old time "FAVORITE" animes anyway?? Anyway, as for me, these are my top 5:
1. Prince of Tennis: It's awesome. Although it's more on sports but you'll learn in every episode. 2. La Corda d' Oro: I don't like music that much at first but when I watched this show, it made me changed. BTW, the music being used here is classical and so therefore, classical music is what I love. 3. Slam Dunk: It's also a good show. At first I didn't like it because of the animation but after I watched one episode, I really like it that much to the point that I watch it every night. Thanks to my cousin who let me borrow his DVD. 4. Clannad: it's a heartwarming story and I'm looking forward to it's second season. 5. Vampire Knight: It's good. The bloodlust thingy is quite exciting.:) As of now, these are the best anime shows for me. Hmm. If you have know anime shows that will suite my taste, please share it with me. Thanks:) |
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JacobC
ANN Past Staff
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Really?! WOW. So many people with this same experience. The first time I saw that movie I was A) Disturbed, because I hadn't seen much anime and wasn't used to the whole live-action-level-or-more violence thing. B) Biased toward thinking it was some tree-hugger movie and kinda hated it for that. There are too many environmentally-overboard animated features. ...so I returned it to my friend and told her I didn't think I liked it. She was shocked. One year later, I had the opportunity to see it again, and, not feeling right about how I had chosen to watch it the first time, gave it another chance. I'm now convinced it's Miyazaki's best film and it re-captivates me every time I watch it...and what do you know, it's NOT a shallow tree-hugger movie either! It's much more complex than that, which is fantastic. What was even funnier was that my boyfriend's experience was identical. I showed him the movie, he hated it, I told him I understood, but he was missing some key things. A YEAR later, nearly, he watched it again on a whim and told me next time he saw me that he really enjoyed and understood it that second time. I don't know what that is! 
You know...I never made one of these lists. Off the top of my head I only have four all-time favorite series anyway, and a bunch I loathe that are not "terrible" but just "overrated." It's no fun to say something's terrible when it's obvious that it's terrible, anger only swells when you find out everyone else in the world thinks it's marvelous. -.-' Not to mention that I would probably list "favorites," which, like Key, I think should be distinct from "best" lists. Example: I just said that Princess Mononoke was Miyazaki's "best" film, but because of its themes and sweetness, Howl's Moving Castle is hands-down my favorite of his, even if it's far inferior in other ways. Oh well. I'll still do one soon. |
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ptr01
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My Top 10
10: Samurai7 Nice story, but only for the first half. The second half of the series is a complete waste of time. The action makes you wonder about the makeup of the mechas, whether they are made up of paper or metal. 9: Inuyasha & Ranma 1/2 Both these Anime are like giant filler series, but I like them for the humor and the occasional action. 8: Only Naruto, not its sequel. Highly overrated. I see nothing more than another DBZ type characters, story & fights. But the action in it is superb. Although after a while, like DBZ, you tend to start yawning & get sleepy during the fights, and may even think about dropping the series, which is what I did. I stopped watching shippuuden. 7: Rurouni Kenshin A good story and wonderful characters, but after the main arc gets over, it's nothing but a major waste of time. The actions sequences are extremely lame.. I mean, one guy in one end - another guy in opposite end - charge - flashes of light in a dark background - fight over. Also during the fights are tediously long conversations which drives you to spew random slur at the characters. I only like it for the first half of the series. And both the OVAs are a major disgrace to the series.. having kenshin die in a pathetic way like some dirty street dog is not my idea of entertainment. 6: Bleach Fell in love with the series during the soul society arc. I almost dropped the series during Bounto Arc. Then started liking it again when Vizard appeared for the first time. Then after a while I started displaying signs of the DBZ syndrome(yawning, half sleeping) when the plot dragged on forever. It's getting to the same place where Naruto shippuuden is now. Unless something dramatic happens(like when Aizen turned out to be a God during the soul society arc), I'm thinking of dropping it. 5: 2X2 Shinobuden, Ninja Nonsense No plot, no action, no slice of life, no psychological stuff, no philosophy, no melodrama, no romance, no angst, no love triangles, no slice of life and no kids stuff. So what is it? It's nothing but PURE UNADULTERATED COMEDY. It's a non-stop nonsense style comedy.. just the way I like it. 4: Samurai Champloo A very good series. Both the story and the characters are very entertaining. I was so glad that they didn't kill off the lead characters to create a sympathy wave to sell more dvds, like they did with Cowboy Bebop. One of the reason why CB isn't on my top 10 list. The songs are SO GREAT I don't know how many times I have listened to them. The song when Mugen drowns is so touching. The song at the end of episode 17 is another big hit. The action in it is simply awesome. Compared to this, the action in Rurouni Kenshin feels like a DBZ type action with swords. Truly a great series. 3: Onepiece I can't believe this is the series which I thought was the worst among the shounen titles when I was at the starting episodes. I'm sooooo glad that I struck around till Episode 20. After Episode 20 there was no looking back. And especially after the Nami arc, Arabasta Arc & the Robin/CP9 Arc you know your life is worth living due to Onepiece episodes each week. I may be exaggerating a bit but that's what it is now. This series should be in number 2 spot but it is not due to.. well I'll mention while explaining number 2. The difference between this and the other Shounen Titles like Naruto, Bleach & DBZ is that: a: In Naruto, Bleach & DBZ the fights are totally detached from you. There is no emotional attachment to it at all. Even if there is some emotional attachment, it is very negligible to make an impact. Basically after a while bleach & naruto (never mind the crap that is known as DBZ) crosses a point of no return due to extremely dragged out story.. which if you closely scrutinize it, is pointless for the most part. While on the other hand in Onepiece due to the Adventure aspect of the story, and the emotional aspect of the fights, you don't fell it's dragged out. Infact if anything Onepice for me feels like an 26 episode series, the truth be told. Not to mention onepice as lesser Fillers than Naruto & Bleach, but has episodes almost double that of Naruto & Bleach. b: The fights in the shounen titles like Naruto, Bleach & DBZ are mainly linear. I mean, you can see from miles away the opponent who is gonna fight next, and it's generally a battle between 2 groups.. the protagonist's group and the antagonist's group. But in onepiece the opponents are hard to predict. And the battle usually takes place with MORE THAN 2 groups. So when you add that to the twists & chaos of the climax & the emotional aspect of the battles, what you get is one of the most unforgettable moments from the Anime World. c: The humor... The humor is simply on a whole different level than that of Bleach & Naruto. It's mainly because of the characters & the atmosphere in the series. I mean when Naruto does something stupid, it's just stupid, but when luffy does something stupid, it's hilarious. So.. that's it. A great series without a doubt. Oh and BTW, I was so glad when I heard 4kids was making losses. I hope the company burns to the ground. 2: Area 88 both the series and the OVA. Yup.. this is the Anime which made me ditch Onepiece in the 3rd spot. It's mostly because of my unique tastes that it's on the 2nd spot. Being a fighter plane junkie, this Anime was simply awesome. Although the story and the romance part is superb, that's not the reason why it's on the number 2 spot. It's mainly because of the well executed Dogfights. Even if some of the stuff is inaccurately portrayed.. given the amount of physics & detail the whole show has, it simply dwarfs the inaccuracies. The parts which are not real are ofcourse shooting WVR missiles with cannons, Bending the wings midflight in a matter of seconds, getting the harrier to hover more than 90 seconds, and finally getting a plane & ammunitions for a few thousand dollars. But the sweet thunder of planes taking off and flying is enough to forget those minor details. And the back ground score is wonderful as well. Favorite Dog fight: Mig-23 Flogger vs F-14 Tomcat & F-5 Tiger II This is a great anime if you like jets, simple as that. 1: The all important Anime which even beats Onepiece & my Obsession for Military jets, but sadly I don't have the time right now.. I promise I'll complete it in a few days. Infact I want to add so much explanation to the top 9 above. I've left out so much more. Not to mention the "Worst Anime" list. I have so much venom to spew against those that I need atleast a couple of days to compile the list. For every Anime I like, I found 5 which is mediocre & is the definition of boredom, and 3 which I hate so passionately that I can't type with a level mind when thinking about them. So give me some time. I'd love to give the No:1's name but it's an Anime which is underrated, mostly due to the bad & boring dialogs in the original, but which was corrected(taken from the manga) in the Asian Dubs which I saw(Not the North American dubs. There are 2 dubs for this Anime). So I need to give a reasonable explanation for my number one choice. But if you're really impatient then here's a clue, it's kinda like the movie The Matrix(but much more complex), with a shounen twist. No, it's not GITS. |
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Charlie_Conway
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Edit: Not particularly proud of this post, and so I scrapped the whole thing. I was 15 when I originally wrote it, and my tastes and writing ability have changed a lot since then. I'll rewrite a new list eventually, but for now I just want my cringe worthy teenage ramblings hidden.
Last edited by Charlie_Conway on Sat Jul 18, 2015 5:29 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Miranox
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I won't rank my top 10 favorites, since ranking these amazing series is unjust. They are all rated as masterpieces and I like them for different reasons. Listed in alphabetic order instead.
Baccano This is a series that raises the bar of storytelling higher than any other. Several plots and events occurring simultaneously involving a huge number of characters and pieces of the story shown in non-chronological order, all this is meshed into 13 episodes of action-packed awesomeness. The story is so complex that watching this series once will not be enough to grasp everything that happens. The script is pure genius. Pieces of the story are revealed steadily and by the end everything falls into place. Very diverse and fascinating characters interact in ways that seem absurd yet make perfect sense. This is a masterpiece that must be seen (several times perhaps) in order to fully appreciate and understand. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (both seasons) This series has everything: action, drama, romance, mecha, supernatural powers and comedy. No matter what your tastes are, you will surely find something you like. Lelouch, the main protagonist, is the most admirable character ever made. He is brilliant, highly ambitious, confident, prudent and caring. Similar to Light from Death Note, Lelouch's actions alone can move the story forward. With a great story, tons of surprises and cliff hangers on most episodes, this show had me hooked. My only complaint is that some plot twists were too convenient. Regardless, Code Geass is an epic tale of warfare, politics, deception, sacrifice and much more. Combine all this with one of the most satisfying endings ever made and you have a true masterpiece. Death Note Death Note is probably the most original and intelligent anime series I've seen so far. It starts with an interesting premise: a notebook that kills the one whose name is written in it. Light Yagami, one of Japan's top students, finds it and decides to kill criminals until he has created a world without crime. The moral implications of Light's actions are evaluated many times in 37 episodes. In episode 2, the legendary detective called L appears. He declares war on Light and an exquisite battle of strategy, wits and deception ensues. Whoever has his identity revealed will die. Both fight for their ideals and as the viewer you could cheer for either one. This brilliant and thrilling show will keep you guessing until the end. Full Metal Panic! (all 3 seasons) Full Metal Panic has many similarities to Code Geass but the story is far more consistent and realistic. Sousuke Sagara, a war veteran with no common sense is sent to a high school to secretly guard a girl and hilarity follows. His antics and overreactions to normal situations never fail to make me laugh. He doesn't have superpowers and isn't a genius, but I like him more than Lelouch. In fact, all the characters in Full Metal Panic have their own charm, including the hysterical Chidori. There are no convenient plot twists. The action is good and the war-related moral issues were interesting. Overall, this is an excellent series that anyone would like. Hellsing Ultimate (OAV) The Hellsing OAV is infinitely better than the TV version. It lacks character development, but it makes up for this with a good plot and raw, unrestrained action and insanity. It's not intelligent like Death Note or Code Geass, but it does deserve to be in my Top 10 as much as any other. Hellsing Ultimate is like Higurashi on drugs. Alucard is the most badass anti-hero ever conceived. I am slightly disappointed that Ceres (vampire girl) wasn't given much to do, but I don't have any other complaints. If you want something with tons of action, awesome characters and a good plot, this series will blow you away. Heroic Age A series so gripping that I watched it in a single day, Heroic Age is an epic space saga of galactic proportions. It's a shame that it's not well known because it deserves attention. Based on Greek mythology, Heroic Age is unlike any mecha anime I have seen. It lacks characters development, but more than makes up for it with jaw-dropping action, visual effects and intriguing philosophy. Furthermore, the main character is not the usual insecure teenager who wants to help but needs some guidance in his life. In Heroic Age, the main character is flawless. He makes no mistakes and guides the other characters in the story. The philosophical elements attracted me also. Humanity is faced with extinction and struggles to find a purpose in the universe. They receive a Nodos, a mecha with godlike power and together they begin to fight back against the other races who have their own Nodos. There are no "bad guys" in the story. Each race fights for what it believes in. However, since all the Nodos can do is fight and create chaos, why did the wisest beings in the galaxy give it to humans? By the end, you will know. Heroic Age is not like Code Geass or Gundam Seed. If you want romance or comedy, you will find little. Instead you will see the most original and thought-provoking space saga ever made. Hikaru no Go Who would have thought a show about a board game could be so awesome? Hikaru no Go is an inspiring story about a regular boy with little ambition. He finds a haunted Go board which attaches the spirit of a Go master called Sai to him. At first he just fools around like he usually does, but with Sai's help he discovers a passion for the game and begins on the ambitious path to becoming a master himself. Despite the fact that this series contains little comedy or romance and no action, it has exceptional character development and story. Although I knew nothing about Go before watching, this show alone made me start playing it. It definitely is a must-watch. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni This is a slice-of-life series with a healthy dose of murder and insanity. It's the only horror/suspense series that managed to send chills down my spine; the best show of its kind. I've seen horror movies full of gore here in North America, but Higurashi was by far the most entertaining. I've also seen part of Monster but it bored me. There is blood and gore but it's not exaggerated at all. The story is split into multiple arcs with alternate storylines. Some arcs are the same story shown from different points of view. The show's main selling points are the suspense and the unreliable, paranoid narrators. Just when you think you figured something out, Higurashi manages to surprise you. Watching it a second time is not as interesting since you know what will happen, but this series still earns a masterpiece rating. Hunter x Hunter + the first OAV This is what Naruto should have been! While it doesn't contain as much action as Naruto, Hunter x Hunter has a much better storyline and characters. It is also far more intelligent and creative and there isn't a single filler episode. In fact, Naruto was probably inspired by Hunter x Hunter (released in 1999) given the large number of similarities between the two. Although there are supernatural powers involved, the story remains incredibly realistic and consistent. Ever notice how the main characters in most shounen series are the strongest and the world revolves around them? Hunter x Hunter doesn't follow this cliché. The main characters grow and play an important part in the story, but they know their place and get their butts kicked often. They run away when they can and never pull sudden bursts of power out of their asses. My only complaints are the open ending and the 2nd and 3rd OAVs which suck. Twelve Kingdoms Twelve Kingdoms is an amazing series that combines exceptional character development with imperial politics, action and an epic story. I didn't like the first 2 episodes, but I continued watching because of all the good reviews and it became one of my all-time favorites. Like Hunter x Hunter, this is a series where the world doesn't revolve around the main characters. Instead, the story moves forward because of the enormous contributions of the supporting cast. The storylines of each character are brilliantly executed and linked together. For these reasons, Twelve Kingdoms is masterpiece. Honorable mentions include: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Last Exile, Fullmetal Alchemist, Darker than Black, School Rumble and Welcome to the NHK. As for the 5 worst series I've seen, I guess I'll name Dragon Ball Z, Yugi-oh, the filler packed and overhyped Naruto/Bleach combo, Inuyasha. If you don't know why these suck, look at my "Will Not Finish" anime section or at the comments of other people. If it's really absolutely necessary that I list my reasons here, I will edit this post. [EDIT: Added link to your Will Not Finish List.~Zalis] |
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LordRedhand
 Posts: 1472 Location: Middle of Nowhere, Indiana |
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Yeah I'd say that you were probably looking for the wrong thing (note they wer not playing a video game with the suspect, one of the detectives was pretending that the game was real like the suspect so he'd open up. Pretty scummy when you reflect on it, taking advantage of a psychosis like that.) If you feel the urge to watch this series again, watch it with this phrase in mind- "It's not my fault!" Really it helps as it's more of a story of psychosis and modern Japan society (it's pretty negative on the modern Japanese society there as well.) |
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arachneia
 Posts: 415 Location: On the wings of Bob Lennon |
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You might enjoy this topic: animenewsnetwork.com/bbs/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=116485&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0 |
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