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Jose Cruz



Joined: 20 Nov 2012
Posts: 1767
Location: South America
PostPosted: Thu Jul 18, 2013 1:08 am Reply with quote
My top 10 anime films from around 10 months ago:

Jose Cruz9 wrote:

1 - Nausicaa
2 - Princess Mononoke
3 - Spirited Away
4 - Grave of the Fireflies
5 - Only Yesterday
6 - My Neighbor Totoro
7 - Whisper of the Heart
8 - Kiki's Delivery Service
9 - Castle in the Sky
10 - Summer Wars


My current top 10 anime films:

1 - My Neighbor Totoro (up 5 places)
2 - Nausicaa
3 - Princess Mononoke
4 - Spirited Away
5 - Porco Rosso
6 - Grave of the Fireflies
7 - Only Yesterday
8 - Whisper of the Heart
9 - Children Who Chase Lost Voices
10 - Millennium Actress

My understanding of Satoshi Kon's films improved after I rewatched his movies. I now rate Millennium Actress as the last one of my top 10, while I would put Paprika into a top 15. Out of the 6 movies Makoto Shinkai made (including shorts) my favorite still is Children Who Chase Lost Voices. I rewatched My Neighbor Totoro and I loved it even more than first time. It has a surprising capacity to not wear out even though I have watched it several times, that's because it doesn't have plot and so doesn't depend on the traditional means used by other films to attract the viewers attention.

I think that there are, however, dozens of other great anime films out there besides these 10 above. I would include other well regarded classics like Ghost in the Shell, Castle of Cagliostro and Akira into a top 25, as Keichii Hara's drama films Colorful and Summer Days With Coo.

I would nominate Redline as the most overrated anime film I ever watched, it is above classic stuff like Only Yesterday and Akira on the top 500 and has a review here with an A+ overall rating. Really? It's a nice homage to Hanna Barbera's Wacky Race, has top of the line animation but everything else is mediocre. Characters, plot, directing, visuals, everything is lacking in substance. It's not a bad movie by any means but anime movies still can do much better than that. This is a C+ movie, maybe B-.

(edit, August 5) My current top 10 anime series:

1 - Puella Magi Madoka Magica
2 - Haibane Renmei (just watched it a few weeks ago, truly amazing)
3 - EVA
4 - RahXephon
5 - Clannad: Afterstory
6 - Gurren Lagann
7 - Serial Experiments Lain
8 - Conan: Boy of the Future (1978)
9 - Kino's Journey
10 - Cowboy Bebop

Notice how conservative this list is. That's probably because I haven't watched enough less popular anime series to crack these, I plan to do so in the near future.


Last edited by Jose Cruz on Mon Aug 05, 2013 9:20 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Tresborn



Joined: 18 Jul 2013
Posts: 1
PostPosted: Thu Jul 18, 2013 9:51 pm Reply with quote
So i guess my first post will be talking about my TOP 10.

10) Dragon quest dai no daiboken.
This was actually the first series i ever watched, it would've been in my top 3 if the series was completed but sadly it stopped at early stages. This series was really enjoyable, it carried lots of surprises and had awesome battles and drama. Loved the action.

9) Sword art online
SAO was an amazing series, but to speak honestly the second part ruined it, however the first part was really enjoyable , i never liked romance series but this one definitely touched me.

8)Ergo Proxy
I loved this anime, it was short but very well done , the story was impressive.

7) Fairy Tail
This series has a lot of plot holes, however its still very amazing, it makes you wish that you live in their world and have such an amazing time with friends and forming bonds.

6) Naruto
The twists in this series and surprising, the drama is very good.

5) Bleach

Amazing action in this series, every episode was enjoyable.

4) DBZ
DBZ has such an incredible amount of nostalgic value and importance in my anime journey, this show was responsible into bringing many people into anime

3) FMA brotherhood
The story was one of the best i ever watched, the characters were awesome, the plot and the ending was very emotional.

2) Detective Conan
This is a very long series, i think i will die and it'll still be on-going.
This series is mind blowing, the mystery,cases and how its being solved by a teenager just keeps me in a shocker , the action is awesome as well.

And for my number 1 spot
1) Hunter X Hunter
This is definitely my favourite series of all time, GREAT series, it had great action sequences, This show may seem childish and very kid oriented at first glance, but the story progressively gets darker and darker, the deeper you get into the story.
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Tris8



Joined: 30 Oct 2009
Posts: 2114
Location: Where the rain is.
PostPosted: Thu Jul 18, 2013 11:26 pm Reply with quote
Tresborn wrote:
10) Dragon quest dai no daiboken.
This was actually the first series i ever watched, it would've been in my top 3 if the series was completed but sadly it stopped at early stages. This series was really enjoyable, it carried lots of surprises and had awesome battles and drama. Loved the action.
Not many people know of this series, let alone really like it! I haven't seen the series, but I've read all of the manga and enjoyed it a lot. I found it a fun adventure. How'd you find out about it?
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Butthurtclown



Joined: 16 Jul 2013
Posts: 13
PostPosted: Sat Jul 20, 2013 4:24 pm Reply with quote
I haven't watched a lot tbh
I'm going to include some visual novels that were based on animes*
I will probably get much hate for my top hated.

I don't know if I can think of 5 now ill just list what I can think of now and update later
Worst

Sao
Boring overrated
Not much else to say here

ikkitousen
Really what I have to say is its a porno and I cannot believe it has 4 seasons, not much else. I suffered through 1 in a half and that was tough for me

School days(visual novel)
Good lord, this was one of the worst vns I ever played, Atrocious herinoes and protagonist.
And the ntr and how the girl was treated pissed me off

And of yes the worst
Ef tale of two
Oh yes a big piece of garbage this one for the biggest reason having the worst ending possible in history
And in the vn it's worst because I found out some things are left out
It's just the ending her life was getting back on track and bam..... Yeah total middle finger for me and the time skip and meeting her when he is like 30 pissed me off bad and meeting the little girl and....... Forgiving her? Yeah I couldn't rate it lower then a 1 Unfortunately



Now best
I do have one based on a anime but its way shorter and I watched it and it was terrible so I won't include it

K-on
I love this show and my favorite character is Azusa
Am very found of all girls animes as well

Steins;gate
I think this can go here
Kind of depressing at time to see maychii die all the time though

Hmm can't think of anything else really
Naruto would have been up there but the manga really plummeted into the dark abyss with obito and such
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louis6578



Joined: 31 Jul 2013
Posts: 1857
PostPosted: Wed Jul 31, 2013 5:40 pm Reply with quote
Hm... okay. Before I start my top 10 favorites, I think I should put some limitations on myself since I have so many damn favorites that I really can't choose just 10.

1. Only one series per franchise (no picking multiple gundams or Dragonball and DBZ, or anything like that).

2. Must be a completed series. (honorable mentions that were kicked off due to this rule include One Piece, Stein's Gate (which has a few more works in progress), Attack on Titan, Hellsing Ultimate (which has yet to complete it's English dub), Madoka Magica (which has movies in progress), and Detective Conan/Case Closed. All of which are personal favorites of mine, but I had to make some limitations.)

3. Must have an English dub of enjoyable quality. (Honorable mentions: Clannad, Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni/Kai, Hajime No Ippo, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Toradora, and a lot of older anime that were simply dubbed inappropriately due to the times.)

4. My personal favorites. Regardless of actual quality, these are the anime that I personally enjoyed the most. Critically acclaimed anime may be placed below some underground ones.

Okay. Now that that's out of the way...

Louis6578's top 10 favorite anime

10. "Rock, if you think about it, other than this, what do we really value in life? God? Love? Don't make me laugh. When I was a brat, crawling around in that shithole city, it seemed God and Love were always sold out when I went looking. Before I knew better, I clung to God and prayed to Him every single night — yeah, I believed in God right up until that night the cops beat the hell out of me for no reason at all. All they saw when they looked at me was another little ghetto rat. With no power and no God, what's left for a poor little Chinese bitch to rely on? It's money, of course, and guns. Fuckin' A. With these two things, the world's a great place."

Black Lagoon - This show wasn't something I expected out of anime at the time. The fact that the f-word was constantly used was one thing that hooked me since it seemed more adult, but then I realized that it just made everything sound silly and over the top (which is good, as you'll see in my eventual #1 choice). The fact that it has a great English dub, amazing pop culture references, witty dialogue, and action comparable to that of an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie without being driven by superpowers or martial arts astounded me. Not only that, but the fact that the main protagonist was voiced by Brad Swaile (who takes potato chips and eats them) while the others were voiced mostly by characters from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic was fun. Not only was this fun to watch, but it was surprisingly thought provoking. Between the witty and funny moments and the over the top ones, the cynicism hits home hard.

9. "They say there's no such place... as Paradise. Even if you search to the ends of the Earth, there's nothing there. No matter how far you walk, it's always the same road. It just goes on and on. But, in spite of that... Why am I so driven to find it? A voice calls to me... It says, "Search for Paradise.""

Wolf's Rain - A show about a pack of wolves searching for a paradise in a dying world. That premise is beautiful enough, but the fact that the characters we follow are so sincere drives it home. First off, this has a dub with Johnny Yong Bosch (Ichigo from Bleach, Lelouch from Code Geass, Vash the Stampeed from Trigun), Steve Blum (Spike from Bebop among MANY others), Crispin Freeman (Alucard from Hellsing), and Mary Elizabeth McGlinn (Matoko Tsugenagi from GITS: SAC) along with music by Yoko Kanno and animation that's stunning and beautiful for its time make this anime a great viewing pleasure for anyone. I only really cared about a few characters, and really only felt attachment to the lead, Kiba. Still, I admit that the ending hit me hard in a conflicted way. It's a real masterpiece that I think everyone should see at least once, even if the ending is hit or miss. The interpretations for the ending though, made me feel much better about it. Plus, this show's opening and ending themes are amazing (As is the entirety of the soundtrack). I never skip them when watching this on DVD, and it's my belief that no one should miss out on hearing these songs.

8."There's nothing special about being born. Not a thing. Most of the universe is just death, nothing more. In this universe of ours, the birth of a new life on some tiny corner of our planet is nothing but a tiny, insignificant flash. Death is a normal thing. So why live?"

Monster - The story of a fugitive doctor who was framed for murder by a patient whose life he chose to save over a city mayor's. This show is like Death Note 2.0. It's darker, more sophisticated, and the characters are better written. Death Note's characters were psychologically complex but emotionally underdeveloped. Monster fixes these issues. Not only is its theme one of idealism vs cynicism pulled off very well, but it has the single greatest anime villain of all time, and possibly the greatest villain in any media. Johan is not only intelligent, but charismatic with no superpowers, money, or fame to speak of aside from his reputation in the criminal underworld. Despite the fact that he's so astounding, he's rarely there until halfway through the series. The show would be higher if it wasn't so long (there's a bit of unneeded filler with Tenma's adventures early on), and if it didn't end with Tenma and Johan's confrontation being interrupted, but no anime is ever perfect.

7. "There's no gender distinction among the bad."

Great Teacher Onizuka - A show about a dumbass who wants to be a teacher so he can pick up girls. This is by far my favorite comedy anime. It has a hilarious setup and not only is it entertaining and laugh out loud hilarious, but it's surprisingly deep. In fact, I could recommend this show to ANYONE and they'd smile at some point while watching it. It's my belief that you have no soul if you don't smile at least once when watching this show. The dialogue is hilarious, the relationships Onizuka has with his students are beautifully done, and the comedy at its worst is still pretty damn funny.

6. "At first, everyone is disgusted. Afraid to bear the sin of killing people. Afraid to receive punishment for replenishing themselves with the life of another. But, once you realize that you won’t be punished for killing people, you get used to the guilt pretty soon. The guilt of using humans for food. Aren’t humans the same?"

Shiki - The story about mysterious deaths occurring in a secluded village that a local clinic doctor chooses to investigate. This show is amazing. I really found a rare gem here. I've always wanted a show with traditional vampires. This is based heavily off Salem's Lot, so the vampires aren't some overpowered badasses (Hellsing) or quiet High School kids who just need love. They're really traditional monsters, but that doesn't mean they're mindless or one-dimensional. The fact that they keep the personalities they had before turning leads to some interesting dilemmas and themes. "Is it okay to kill a murderer?" "Is it okay to kill if it's the only way to survive?" "Is it worth losing your humanity to avoid mortality?" The show isn't without flaws though. If it had a better ending and didn't leave out a few interesting scenes that the manga had, I'd like the anime way more, but as is... it's still extremely fun to watch. It's definitely something I'm saving for rewatch on Halloween.

5. "Depending on who you place in the same situation, the characteristics of said incident change kaleidoscopically. In other words, there is one incident. However, there are as many stories explaining it as there are people involved in it."

Baccano - An anime about 3 different stories taking place at different times in the 1930's. This was just fun. Pure fun. The story is passable and the animation is standard but who cares? The soundtrack is a blast! Not to mention the characters! If you watch this, you'll be hard pressed to find a character with a name who isn't likable in some way. No character is without purpose in this show and my god do they exploit that fact. There's not even a main character. The dub is Funimation at their best! I can go up to any non anime fan and show this to them. They'd enjoy the hell out of it unless they were actively trying to hate it.

4. "Bang."

Cowboy Bebop - This anime is... do I have to say it? It's a classic. If you haven't seen it yet, do so now! The English dub set standards for dubs to follow! The soundtrack is one of the best I've seen in any anime or TV show for that matter! The characters are all unique, but Spike and Jet are my favorites. Especially Spike! But hell, who doesn't love Spike?! He's Steve Blum's most famous and star-making role! Everything the guy says is cool in some way! Not to mention the themes of the past coming back to haunt you. This anime is probably the best on my top 10 list even if it's not my personal favorite. It's mature without being overly sexual, deep without shoving morals down your throat, enjoyable without lacking depth, and at times really fun (I'm looking at you Mushroom Samba and Cowboy Andy). The ending may not have been happy, but I wouldn't have it any other way. See you Space Cowboy!

3. "There's no such thing as a painless lesson. They just don't exist. Sacrifices are necessary; you can't gain anything without losing something first. Although, if you can endure that pain, and walk away from it, you'll find that you now have a heart strong enough to overcome any obstacle. Yeah...a heart made Fullmetal."

Fullmetal Alchemist - Another classic. Two boys attempt to use alchemy to revive their mother and end up losing their bodies instead. They set off on a journey to repair what went wrong, but of course get tangled up in a far greater mess. I LOVE this story! The original anime had great storytelling and drama without losing its sense of humor. I don't think any anime has drawn me in so fast with just its story alone. Brotherhood shouldn't be overlooked either, but the original had a stronger start. I don't know which I liked more, so I'm just counting them both here. It's my list! Let me do what I want! If any old person, Otaku or not, watched a few episodes of the original FMA, I'd love to see someone who couldn't find a character they already loved! Vic Mignogna's greatest role is found here, as well as Travis Willingham's ticket to stardom. All of the homunculi (aside form Sloth and maybe Gluttony depending on your tastes) are great villains (and an anti hero for Greed) to enjoy. Wrath/Bradley in the manga/Brotherhood is one of the best villains and coolest characters ever! Not to mention Roy Mustang! Sure, girls think he's sexy, but who cares!? To me he's just an amazing character. The themes of revenge and war are never overlooked. The emotion is genuinely felt in both the Japanese and English dub, and overall the franchise itself is just a giant hunk of Disney-quality entertainment! If you haven't seen this anime yet, I recommend starting with the original 2003 anime first and then moving on to Brotherhood.

2."What do you do when there is an evil you cannot defeat by just means? Do you stain your hands with evil to destroy evil, or do you remain steadfastly just and righteous even if it means surrendering to evil?[...] In my case, I commit evil in order to destroy the greater evil!"

Code Geass - The story of a disowned Prince who takes it upon himself to start a rebellion against his father's empire to take revenge for his mother's death and his sister's mistreatment. This show was interesting throughout. I have a distinct... problem with the mecha genre. Luckily the mecha fights aren't really the selling point of the show. The characters (the main ones) are all great. My favorites being Suzaku, CC, Lelouch, and Nunnally. A few characters like Kallen and Rolo felt unneeded while minor characters like Lloyd and Jerimiah were just onscreen dreams come true to me. Without spoiling much, the second season's quality isn't terrible, but it's sort of a "so bad it's good" quality. It loses some of its charm, but it's never terrible to the point of being dull, boring, or unwatchable. Plus, it definitely makes up for the sink in quality by having the GREATEST anime ending I've seen. No debates, no questions. This ending is the best ending I've seen in an anime EVER.

1. "Don't believe in yourself! Believe in me! Believe in the Kamina who believes in you!"

Gurren Lagann - Of course, this is my number one! Anyone who knows me knows that this anime is my favorite (aside from perhaps One Piece). Sure, the ending was crap, but it's Studio Gainax so it's expected. The main characters are all a blast! ESPECIALLY Kamina! No one who's watched the show can dislike Kamina. He's kind of like Black Star from Soul Eater, but instead of spouting out crap about how epic he is... he shouts out INSPIRATIONAL crap about how epic he and his bro are. Simon's growth to manliness can't be overlooked as he went from Shinji Ikari to... badass personified in my book. The fanservice never bothered me since it went with the comedy so well, and the ending... hell. I'll probably just stop halfway through the last episode if I rewatch the show. This anime may not be perfect, but it's my number one personal favorite.
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louis6578



Joined: 31 Jul 2013
Posts: 1857
PostPosted: Wed Jul 31, 2013 5:50 pm Reply with quote
Top 5 worst anime

5. School Days. This is a pretty crappy anime. Sure, it's based off a hentai game, but come on! First off, the premise is just a guy going around having sex. That's it. Some people say it's a great satire of the harem genre, but is it REALLY!? The only reason this is #5 and not higher on my list is... the ending. It's satisfying, great, but NOT worth it to watch the whole series. If the series was a 4 episode OVA or something... sure. But not 12 episodes of crap. I won't spoil the ending for you but... go ahead and find it on Youtube. It's hilarious.

4. K-on. I don't mind Moe or Slice of Life, but this one is... eh. It lacks depth and honestly it feels like it's just trying to get by on being cute. Sure, it's Kyoto Animation, but they can pull off great stuff with Moe/Slice of Life. Clannad, Air, Kannon, and Haruhi Suzumiya were great anime. This one just feels like a slap in the face. It tries to be funny... but it's not really that funny to me. It's about a band but there's not much music either.

3. Master of Martial Hearts - ...it's smut. It's just stupid, shallow smut. Unlike most fanservice shows, it doesn't even censor the... naughty parts. Hell, Funimation even sells its DVDs with fanservice as the tagline. The ending was... weirdly okay, so clearly it's not the worst thing ever but trust me... it comes close.

2. Ikkitousen - WHY!? This crap is still going on and it's just fanservice. It advertises itself as a fighting anime... but the fights are just exposition and erotic wrestling moves. The show shouldn't exist in my opinion. Sure with High School of the Dead, you could say "I'm watching it for the story or fights", but this doesn't even try to have a story. It just cuts and pastes the Romance of the Three Kingdoms and doesn't explain THAT much to the audience. It assumes you already know everything about it and doesn't explain what you're even watching. The average American knows nothing about Japanese Folk Lore... so yeah. Plus the dub is horrendous. Not that the Japanese was good, but it was... near passable in terms of acting.

1. Eiken - This... I mean wow. It's terrible. Absolute smut. It doesn't try to have a story. It just tries to have fanservice. This is the worst thing I've heard of. It's one thing to be shallow and be a fanservice comedy, but when you can't even get that right... then go home. Japan, why was this made? I'm disappointed in you! Go to your room and think about your life choices!
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Jose Cruz



Joined: 20 Nov 2012
Posts: 1767
Location: South America
PostPosted: Mon Aug 05, 2013 10:01 pm Reply with quote
louis6578 wrote:
Of course, this is my number one! Anyone who knows me knows that this anime is my favorite (aside from perhaps One Piece). Sure, the ending was crap, but it's Studio Gainax so it's expected.


Why? The ending is what made it a masterpiece for me. It's incredible how this show grew on me during it's duration and the endings of Gainax shows, from EVA to FLCL to Gurren Lagann are all incredible in the way that they sort of break from the genre conventions and tropes outlined in earlier episodes.
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louis6578



Joined: 31 Jul 2013
Posts: 1857
PostPosted: Wed Aug 14, 2013 1:24 pm Reply with quote
Jose Cruz wrote:
louis6578 wrote:
Of course, this is my number one! Anyone who knows me knows that this anime is my favorite (aside from perhaps One Piece). Sure, the ending was crap, but it's Studio Gainax so it's expected.


Why? The ending is what made it a masterpiece for me. It's incredible how this show grew on me during it's duration and the endings of Gainax shows, from EVA to FLCL to Gurren Lagann are all incredible in the way that they sort of break from the genre conventions and tropes outlined in earlier episodes.


Eh... is that sarcasm...?

But anyway, lets not argue about whether or not Gainax loves messing up endings. After all, if Neon Genesis Evangelion was supposed to end like that, they wouldn't have remade the ending into a movie.
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StaticAge



Joined: 12 Aug 2013
Posts: 9
PostPosted: Mon Aug 19, 2013 1:24 pm Reply with quote
Eva's ending made perfect sense, except that almost no one in America cares about philosophy. Since I had read Hegel and Kierkegaard, it was fairly easy to follow, but, no one else I knew got it so easily.
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Sohma_Curse



Joined: 07 Dec 2012
Posts: 512
Location: New York
PostPosted: Mon Aug 19, 2013 7:54 pm Reply with quote
As of right now, my top 10 is something like this (note, I only watch dubs):

1 - Mushi-Shi - A hauntingly whimsical masterpiece. I very much enjoyed its episodic/procedural approach of laying out each story individually as Ginko travels through a marvelously animated world that evokes a feeling of wonder and mystery. The fantastic soundtrack heightens the ambiance and atmosphere of this incredible series.

2 - Clannad/Clannad After Story - An unequivocal masterpiece of animation. Just no other way to put it. Never before has an animated series (or a live-action one, for that matter) taken me through such a gamut of emotion like Clannad has. The show is exquisitely animated, the story is intriguing and multi-faceted, the music is beautiful and appropriately used, the characters are grounded and relatable, and the voice-dubbing is great too. Funny, romantic, sentimental, touching, dramatic, heart-wrenching, and a little bit supernatural, Clannad/After Story executes every one of these elements perfectly.

3 - Lucky Star - Rarely does a show with virtually zero storyline actually manage to feel like it builds towards something. Yet Lucky Star almost masterfully dupes the viewer into thinking it's just a random collective of industry jokes and references; all the while steadily progressing its paper thin plot and endearing the watcher to its adorably zany (yet strangely grounded and relateable) cast of characters. The sheer moe overload may deter some, but the sly, self-aware humor will appease even the most staunch detesters of all things cuteness. Definitely takes a few episodes to get used to the random vignette style of the show, but the payoff is certainly worth sticking with it.

3 - Elfen Lied - I chose this show as the first anime I had ever seen. Personally, I think it set sort of an unrealistic precedent as the gratuitous violence and eroticism made me assume all anime is like this. Not that I mind that sort of thing, but still, having never ventured into anime territory before, Elfen Lied seems like an odd choice in hindsight (though I did thoroughly enjoyed it as my first anime, but it is definitely not for everyone). Having said that, the show is deeply emotional and incredibly dramatic once you get past its frank and explicit nature. There are many different genres that subtly weave their way into and out of this show, and the show does a good job of putting it all together. The characters are expressive (if a bit overemotional) and the story is pretty interesting (if a bit rushed). There are several confusing moments, but reading the manga as a supplemental aid once I finished the series helped to fill in the gaps. Perhaps it's because the show is sort of sentimental to me due to it being the first anime series I ever watched, but compared to the other series I have seen (70 or so as of this time), there is definitely a powerfully haunting and enduring quality to it that few other shows can produce.

4 - Fruits Basket - Possibly the best example of mixing genres in anime that I've seen. Fruits Basket weaves seamlessly through dramatic, comedic, and tender moments. It has a unique story that may seem a little odd at first, but lends itself nicely to some interesting situations. Can get a TAD sappy, but the characters are so endearing and genuine that I just embraced the sap and enjoyed the way things played out.

5 - Ouran High School Host Club - Reminded me a lot of Fruits Basket; except with a little less emphasis on poignancy and a lot more emphasis on comedy. Truly one of the funniest anime I've seen (was definitely laughing out loud many, many times), but not without its share of touching moments. The colorful animation animation adds a nice aesthetic touch to an already pleasurable watch. Voice acting in the English dub is top-notch as well.

6 - Dusk Maiden of Amnesia - Beautifully animated, inventive use of perspective/cinematography, and an engaging, interesting story. This series has almost everything going for it. Only real downside is that it just blows by so quickly; just when it gets you emotionally invested, it's already over (similar to my experience with Angel Beats). Expeditious pacing notwithstanding, this is one of the more enjoyable watches recently. Characters definitely stick with you long after the series is over. A nice, refreshing break from the norm.

7 - School Rumble - Without a doubt, THE funniest anime series I've ever seen. Possibly my favorite dub cast as well; Luci Christian and Brandon Potter put in two of the best performances I've ever heard. Another situation where you feel like you bond with the characters. There are some zany twists and turns throughout the series, as well as some really off-the-wall moments, but overall, it's simply a painfully funny and FUN show.

8 - Death Note - One of the most well-thought-out series I have seen. There's a lot to keep track of, but everything is explained pretty well (though, at some points, not entirely logical). This show excels at character connection and has you feeling every emotion along with them. It's also incredibly thrilling and intense when it wants to be. Animation is predominantly crisp, with darker-tinged scenes being more appealing than lighter ones. Music is another strong point, but can be TOO strong in certain situations. A major drawback, however, is the less subtle and more blatant nature of the final story arc; which ditches the show's earlier brilliant symbolism techniques and instead just kind of plots things out in a very obvious sort of way. Some sub-plot story elements also felt like they were given weak conclusions for the sake of focusing on settling the main plot. Good replay value though, as a re-watch certainly feels worth the time later on down the line.

9 - Last Exile - A visually spectacular series with great depth and an eclectic group of characters. Aerial battle sequences are especially well done and flow smoothly. Characters evolve and develop relationships at the right pace while still maintaining their integrity. Music is very nice and appropriately placed. Only downside would be a lack of backstory on some major plot points - as in why certain people are as important as they are and how certain events in the past led to the way things are in the present. But as long as you don't overthink things, the series is highly enjoyable.

10 - Basilisk - It seems cliched, but to NOT see the similarities between this series and Romeo and Juliet would be to live in extreme denial. Granted it is FAR more violent, bloody, and supernatural, the heart of the story is still a riveting tale of forbidden love between two warring families. Marvelous visuals (both at the forefront and background) accompanied by an elegant soundtrack made this show a pleasure to watch and easy to enjoy. A slow start morphs into a highly suspenseful series that's as dramatic as it is brutal. There's somewhat of an uneven pacing though, and some episodes can feel like not much is going on to move things forward. But the end result is still a masterfully crafted piece of work that doesn't pull any punches (both metaphorically and literally).

Honorable Mentions:

Angel Beats!
Kanon
Steins;Gate
Spirited Away (movie)
Darker Than Black

Top 5 Worst (though, let's just go with top 5 most disappointing)

1 - The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - EXTREMELY disappointing. I was expecting a masterpiece, and instead I got 13 episodes of (annoyingly) generic and flat characters doing random things while all the awesome storylines the show introduces are given ZERO attention after the halfway point and are ultimately just left with all their loose ends untied. The show sets up some really cool sci-fi/fantasy sub-plots, but, in the fashion of its ADHD-stricken protagonist, those storyline elements are abandoned without explanation as the show's tone and pace bizarrely change course with each subsequent episode. People say they love this show for the characters and not the plot (or lack there of), but the characters are so typical and unmemorable that I have a hard time understanding what makes them so endearing to everyone. The show isn't without its charms though, and there a handful of really good episodes in the series, but unfortunately, again, the cool and interesting sub-plots those good episodes set up never get resolved or even slightly moved forward. As for the series as a whole, there are WAY better school life comedy/dramas out there.

2 - FLCL - After watching four episodes, I didn't even care that there were only two left, I just wanted to be done with it. I was skeptical of the hype at first, and now I'm certain this show doesn't live up to it. I just could not find anything to focus on long enough to enjoy because of the show's spastic and vague nature. The characters were annoying, off-putting, and un-relatable, the dialogue was weak (at least in the dub version), and if a show needs an accompanying essay just to understand what the hell is going on (let alone actually enjoy it), it's not for me. A re-watch of FLCL would do nothing to aid in my quest to figure it all out. People will tried to convince me it's some multi-layered, avant-garde masterpiece when really all it feels like is some person's 3-hour inside joke that you're on the outside of.

3 - Baccano! - The jumbled storytelling coupled with the large cast of characters that all have different motives and subplots going on made this a rather difficult watch that I really wanted to enjoy, but my confusion of certain events and unresolved issues is unfortunately the main thing I took away from this show. There's just so much going on to keep track of, so many characters that are seemingly insignificant that apparently mean much more to the story that you originally think, and so many events that seem like major turning points that turn out to be nothing at all. I will attempt a re-watch at some point, which may help clear a few things up, but I don't think it will help this show live up to the hype.

4 - Demon King Daimao - Wow, I can think of no better word to describe this show than 'trainwreck.' Starts off promising but spirals out of control and completely abandons any shred of continuity by throwing in, changing up, and disregarding certain plot elements about 1/4 of the way through. Established characters who are actually mildly interesting begin to entirely shift motives and behaviors, new characters appear as if they have been there all along (and act like their backstories are common knowledge to the viewer), and some characters disappear entirely without explanation. Additionally, the story goes from intriguing and simple to 'what the holy hell is going on and why is it happening?!?' The show apparently WANTS to confuse the hell out of you by making things as nonsensical as possible. A real waste too - the animation and battle scenes are actually quite appealing, though it's not nearly enough to salvage this mess of a show.

5 - Summer Wars (movie) - Based on its synopsis, I was expecting more of a comedic love story, but instead got a mish-mosh of cyber terrorism and family bonding. Character exposition/development takes a back seat to the overbearing central focus of an internet social network gone haywire (and threatening to bring upon nuclear annihilation, if you can believe it). Not a BAD film, by any means, just not at all like what it's described as. Great animation, though.
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louis6578



Joined: 31 Jul 2013
Posts: 1857
PostPosted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 12:00 am Reply with quote
Good sir! I must disagree with your tastes as Baccano, Fooly Cooly, and Haruhi are all on the "Worst/most disappointing" anime list. Some of my favorites. While tastes differ, I find it hard to believe that these are the most overhyped things you could think of. Come on...
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Sohma_Curse



Joined: 07 Dec 2012
Posts: 512
Location: New York
PostPosted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 7:09 am Reply with quote
louis6578 wrote:
While tastes differ, I find it hard to believe that these are the most overhyped things you could think of. Come on...


Seeing as how I've seen only about 70 series in their entirety, those three were especially disappointing due to their immense popularity and nearly universal acclaim. Haruhi is average at BEST, Baccano! could potentially be better/more cohesive upon a rewatch (though I still wouldn't understand why it's rated so highly), and FLCL was just a complete and total waste (I'm all for shows that are off the beaten path, but not for shows that are weird and random just for the sake of being weird and random).
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louis6578



Joined: 31 Jul 2013
Posts: 1857
PostPosted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 7:33 am Reply with quote
Sohma_Curse wrote:
louis6578 wrote:
While tastes differ, I find it hard to believe that these are the most overhyped things you could think of. Come on...


Seeing as how I've seen only about 70 series in their entirety, those three were especially disappointing due to their immense popularity and nearly universal acclaim. Haruhi is average at BEST, Baccano! could potentially be better/more cohesive upon a rewatch (though I still wouldn't understand why it's rated so highly), and FLCL was just a complete and total waste (I'm all for shows that are off the beaten path, but not for shows that are weird and random just for the sake of being weird and random).


Baccano is only confusing up to episode 3. Hell, I wasn't confused by the end of episode 2 anyway. Plus, the way it jumps from story arc/timeline to story arc/timeline is an actual storytelling technique, so I can't fault it for that. I actually prefer that to the original cohesive narrative since the 1932 arc is rather lackluster, so putting a whole few episodes of that at the end would only disinterest me.

Fooly Cooly is... an acquired taste. Good comedy in anime is hard to come by, but I laughed a few times watching it. It wasn't bad by any stretch of the imagination.

As for Haruhi... have you seen the movie? That's where the franchise shines. As for the show, you need to come in expecting a School Life anime. I came in expecting something epic so I was disappointed. Watch The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (The English dub of it due to Crispin Freeman's badass voice), and then you'll see that what Haruhi was leading up to was anything but lame.
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Sohma_Curse



Joined: 07 Dec 2012
Posts: 512
Location: New York
PostPosted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 11:06 am Reply with quote
louis6578 wrote:
As for Haruhi... have you seen the movie? That's where the franchise shines. As for the show, you need to come in expecting a School Life anime. I came in expecting something epic so I was disappointed. Watch The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (The English dub of it due to Crispin Freeman's badass voice), and then you'll see that what Haruhi was leading up to was anything but lame.


I have not seen the movie, though I do have it on blu ray and will get around to it eventually. See the thing is, I DID go into the show expecting a school life anime, but the show began to introduce sci-fi/supernatural elements which piqued my interest greatly. It then, however, fizzled out and once again became a school life anime without so much as fleshing out the other elements it introduced (let alone providing closure on them). To be fair, I did watch it in the DVD order, which people have told me makes the climax occur four or five episodes before the series ends. Nonetheless, watching it in a different order won't suddenly make the show piece together the things it left hanging, so it still be a disappointment in my eyes. As I said in my original post, the show isn't terrible, and there are a handful of really good episodes for sure, it's just nowhere near the masterpiece I thought it would be based on how gaga people are about it.
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marie-antoinette



Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 4136
Location: Ottawa, Canada
PostPosted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 12:13 pm Reply with quote
I don't remember how far I got with Baccano but I'm pretty sure it was beyond episode 3 and I was still a bit confused. This wasn't ultimately why I dropped the series (mainly I just didn't care for the characters, in particular Isaac and Miria whom I despise) but I can definitely see it being an issue for others. I plan to at some point give it another try, especially if I can watch it dubbed since I've heard good things about the English voice work.

I pretty much agree with Sohma_Curse about FLCL and Haruhi, though I'll admit I didn't get far with the latter and most of my issues may have been with the terrible decision about which episode to air first.
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