I've been watching anime for a long long time, and have only recently started a MAL to keep track of what I've seen, find what I might like to see, and what thoughts I've had or how I've felt about certain anime. This last objective has been the least well met; my ratings are a blend of personal tastes and quality - I try more every time I update my scores to make them reflect the base content more than my feelings, so hopefully one day my scores will become entirely objective. Until then, I want to follow the example of a friend, Sayak97, with his "mini-review" top-10 list, explaining why I like certain anime so much, so that, if I lower their score sometime in the future, I won't feel that I'm betraying them. (Then again, this list will have some animes which I truly believe are 10/10).
Without further adeiu (in no particular order):
Kyoukaisenjou no Horizon/Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere
For a long time I rated this and its sequel 10, and I now realize that there is no way I can truly support that any longer. The show is a shameless ecchi, the animation is never spectacular, and neither is the writing. Yet, the reason why it remains one of my favorites is that I've found it blends so much into one. There were laugh out loud moments, stupid ecchi boobs, touches of sadness and romance, mindfuck storylines, ornate powers with shounen-levels of complex descriptions, a colorful setting, the list goes on. For me, the characters and their abilities, however simple on their own, created a symphony on the grand scale, which I believe fits with the theme of everyone being on the team of their "country." I also had a soft spot for the historical references. Overall, I've never felt so "hype" before when watching an anime, which earns it a spot in my top 10.
Ga Rei Zero:
This is a show that I've not seen in a while, but I have really fond memories of it. Now, the show had a really compelling universe, and the star-studded character duo of Yomi and Kagura, and beautiful, beautiful animation. The story, as well, had me guessing for a long while, yet didn't go into the "2 deep 4 you territory" which, though I love, wouldn't have been in place here. However, the most provocative thing about this anime, and the real reason it is in my top 10, is that it has, in my opinion, the best first episode of any anime I have ever seen.I have a unfortunate penchant for dropping anime; I can easily loose interest in an anime if it doesn't show promise or fails to keep momentum (my friends joke that my "On-Hold" list is really my "Dropped" list, which has some truth to it :P). However, that first episode; the questions it poses, the drama and tension it creates; it was enough to propel me through at least 2 animes, no matter how boring. I won't dare say a thing about it, in case reading this tidbit convinces you to watch Ga Rei Zero, but, even if we don't have identical tastes, that first episode is still something to see, if just to compare it with your favorite.
Shoujou Kakumei Utena/Revolutionary Girl Utena:
I started watching anime as an alternative to my Nickelodeon and Disney cartoons, back when Funimation still had an active television channel, on Verizon. Because it was a TV channel, and the programming was somewhat disorganized, I saw a lot of out of order eps - a taste - of certain anime. Utena was one of those anime, and frankly one of those anime which I thought was really silly. When I came back to it, to finish it up, I was blown away. I've seen this one quite recently, so I'm still processing exactly what was so fantastic about this show. The animation is so old, I don't really know if I can judge it, as I've seen little from that time period I could compare it to. There are indeed weaknesses in the first two "arcs," (if you can call them that) etc etc. However, I think that the entirety of Utena is a scene upon which the many characters are projected, and that, in turn, these characters are just a stage upon which Utena herself performs. This isn't to shortchange the other characters, which were all so fantastically human, and unbelievable at the same time (Esp. Jury, my favorite side char). Yet, the title, Revolutionary Girl Utena, speaks to this interpretation; in which Utena is the be-all and end-all. Usually this kinda stuff detracts from an anime, but the story and setting played simply so well into it. At the end of the day, Utena was as subtle as can be on top of the most garish foundation, and managed to not have the whole thing topple over. Utena still has a long way to go for me, there's so many details and symbols to think about, but that's for another day.
Mawaru Penguindrum:
When I finished Utena, I wanted to jump straight into this one, as they share a director/writer, but, at the advice of a friend, I held off for a while, and boy am I grateful. Although the two are very similar in retrospect, comparing this to Utena would have made it far less enjoyable, as they are both tens, but in very different ways. Penguindrum is not just more Utena, with different themes, as I expected it to be. I wouldn't call Penguindrum less subtle, but it's subtlety lies in a different fashion. Where in Utena I wanted to analyse the lyrics of each battle-song, and re-read every line, in Penguindrum I want to look at some of the screenshots for hours. The gold of Penguindrum, in my opinion, lies in the beautiful visual symbols, the visualized cutaways, ect. Add on to this the strong character development typical to the two, and themes that actually made me contemplate my life and the way I live it, and you have an experience that is unmissable. AS with Utena, I'm still thinking about this one, so some more comments may come.
Sakurasou Na Pet No Kanojo/The Pet Girl of Sakurasou
This is my favorite rom-com yet, and probably will remain so, because of what extra it has. If I was going for the most realistic, or the most impactful, I might go for something like White Album 2. But Sakurasou explored so much else; it introduced me to a world of artists, which was exceptionally entertaining for someone like me, whose studies and friends focus mainly on harder sciences. It dealt with feeling normal in a world built for special people, a feeling I would argue is nearly universal, and used it for motivation towards a better future, not an inhibition. There were many positive feelings that Sakurasou created in me, but the community of Sakurasou. Consisting of love triangles, missed connections, family problems, arguments, ambitions, and so, so much more, these characters make up the most realistic family I've ever seen portrayed in media. They themselves may not be realistic or logical, but the way that they interact not only showed their caring for eachother, but made me fall in love with them such that I felt like a part of Sakurasou too. My emotional connection to this was so strong that the ending, though happy, essentially, made me bawl harder than Anohana. A wonderful piece with wonderful messages, and one that makes me feel at home in Sakurasou.
Sekai Seifuku: Bouryaku no Zvezda
This is one of those anime which are maybe really quirky, and in few people's top 10's, but I love it. The main reason why I love this one is put in one word: Charm. As I understand it it is an anime targeted to younger audiences, this is understandable, but it made me feel like a child again.(Mirai Nikki tiny spoiler)
When Jimon is on the run with White Robin, it was so similar to when Yukki and Yuno are on the run in Mirai Nikki
; yet where the latter is exceptionally dark and frightening, the former is light and hopeful. The entire tone plays into just a world of fun, and the anti-smoking theme I found to be both hilarious and wonderful and cute. That's right. Both of three things I was just so surprised to find this gem, and hope with all my heart it has a second season sometime, that I can enjoy without maturity, criticism, or shame at the lack of those two.
Aquarion Evol
Not a ton to say here, but if you want to watch a show about magical robots, I think this is the one. It's not serious, but it's a bit less formulaic than the first Aquarion, on top of way way way way better animation. It makes sappy romance tolerable for someone who can't keep interested for all of the drama normally, like myself. It's just a solid display of the power of love, and as it's the best of its kind, it's reached my top 10
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
Comments Pending
This is a growing list, so I apologize for any incompleteness that might be displayed.
About Me:
My favorite genres are action or comedy based, but I try to appreciate all genres.
I play Osu! with the same username, I'm in a bit of a hiatus right now due to school, but if you'd like to play or chat, feel free to send me a private message/friend me or whatever!
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