| ergo proxy episode 16 busy doing nothing shinsekai yori the episode where monster-episode 49 the cruelest thing |
| I have quite a few, but most of the topmost favorites are close to the end of their respective series, being the culmination of many many episodes of prior development. Once you strip away most of the context to make the episodes mostly standalone, there are only a couple left-- Cowboy Bebop's fifth episode and Kimi ni Todoke's final episode come to mind. I'll suffice for a semi-unranked attempt for now since explicit ranking would take a lot of thinking. I'll list them roughly in the order I watched each series. Any "best in the medium" comments should obviously be understood as the best I've seen in the medium. I'll try to conceal some major spoilers via whitetexting if they aren't too context-important but I will include spoilers necessary for context. Also! If anybody reads these and as a result thinks there are certain other series I'd like that I haven't watched, please do share. • Clannad: After Story -- The episode where Ushio cries in Tomoya's arms. My views of Clannad are more tempered these days, but as an individual episode it contains one of the best dramatic scenes I've seen in the medium. To make it even sweeter, it crystallized at the apex of Tomoya's development in regards to his father. He realized he had become exactly like the father he hated and he needed to change. The scene in question marked the first point where that process of change was clearly evident. (I'd rank it just below my upper favs.) • Naruto: Shippuuden -- Select episodes of the Pain arc. His generally higher threat level, the high mortality rate, and one of the first times Naruto really felt important on a larger scale on top of the best action in the series up to that point really made it stand out. (I'd rank it/them on the lower end of my favs.) • One Piece -- The episode where the Straw Hats fought and partly disbanded in Water 7, and the episode where the Straw Hats were completely and utterly defeated on Sabaody Archipelago. As the two lowest points for the whole crew in the entire series, they also contained the best drama and served as the culmination of some lengthy ongoing developments with Usopp/Robin and Luffy respectively. They were very moving emotionally and very significant thematically. (I'd rank it somewhere in the middle of my favs.) • Tengen Toppa Gurren Laggan -- The final confrontation with the Anti-Spiral. This is probably what I'd consider the most "shallow" of my favorites and the one I'm slightly reluctant to list since it consisted of pure adrenaline-driven hype, but it was quite exciting. Heroic sacrifices, colossal scale, lots of GAR, and a killer OST all contributed to its memorableness. (I'd rank it on the lower end of my favs.) • Hunter x Hunter (2011) -- The episode where Gon becomes a monster. The culmination of his stubborn lack of character development throughout the series, this spins the typical self-centered morality of battle shounen heroes on its head and exposes Gon's extremely dangerous childishness. He literally destroys himself and casts aside all of the relationships he had built up over the series in order to gain vengence for the death of an innocent with his own hands. I'm hard pressed to think of another "victory" in the medium that was more tragic. (I'd rank it somewhere in the middle of my favs.) • Kimi ni Todoke -- The final episode was an atmospheric wonder, and it wasn't even because of the (surprisingly light) romance elements. The two mains got set up for a meetup by their friends, being dressed up for the first time that the viewers have seen. Their walking to the new year celebrations as snow lightly falls and they talk nonchalantly, and their further light fun at the new year celebration was simple perfection. Exquisite. (I'd rank it in my upper favs.) • Banner of the Stars -- Both the finale episode and the final epilogue episode. The Banner of the Stars franchise is one where the journey is perhaps just as important or more important than the conclusion, but the conclusion delivered very well. This is evident both in the two mains' full realization of their bond in the finale and Jinto's final decision regarding how to handle the divide between his homeland and the Abh Empire in the epilogue. Jinto finally decides what his place in the world is and comes to terms with his identity. (I'd rank it somewhere in the middle of my favs.) • Cowboy Bebop -- Both the fifth episode and the final episode, although I'll intentionally neglect to talk about the latter. The fifth episode brilliantly juxtaposed Spike's freedom and lighthearted lifestyle with the reality that he is chained to and completely constrained by his past. Not only does the culmination of that juxtaposition set up the thematic narrative for the whole story, but it is also accompanied by some truly incredible cinematography and a perfect accompanying OST. All of that put together made it become what must be one of the most impressive episodes in the entire medium. Truly masterful. (I'd rank it in my upper favs.) • Sailor Moon: Sailor Stars -- The final episode of the first arc, although the arc is so cohesive that the whole thing (six episodes) qualifies to an extent. It captures the culmination of Usagi's development over the course of the preceding 166 episodes perfectly. All of the tragedy, the hardship, the bittersweet victories, and the increasingly mature outlook on the world culminates in one of the most impressive and convincing displays of "the power of love" in any piece of fiction I have consumed. It is with that arc that Usagi's character is "perfected" and complete, and said arc captures Usagi as a person even better than said season's finale, which I thought was the best ending of the various Sailor Moon seasons. Sailor Moon's writing quality was admittedly inconsistent throughout the various seasons of its run, but I am overwhelmingly convinced that that arc even made the weaker parts fully worth watching. (I'd rank it in my upper favs.) • Heartcatch Precure! -- The penultimate episode is easily one of the greatest finales in the medium. I have never seen an episode pack so much into such a small timeframe so effectively. The episode opens with Fullmetal-Alchemist-esque tragedy and moral bankruptcy, develops into a steamroller of violence, vengence, and death (yes, death), hits the floor with yet more tragedy as a result (giving the eventual ending a more sober, haunting note), and yet still manages to slowly climb its way back out into a rebound that felt absolutely incredible. And all of that on top of containing my personal favorite fight that is definitely the all around best I've seen in the medium-- lengthy, incredibly well choreographed and animated (minor character spoilers in the sample link), and with a near-unmatched intensity. Just incredible. (I'd rank it among my top favs.) So... now that I've explained it all, here's a quick attempt at an explicit top ten: Cool topic, OP. Now I know my most favorite anime episodes. :3 |
TripleSRankApr 18, 2017 7:20 PM
| Bakemonogatari Episode 12. It Was Senjougahara Showing that she is Truly the Apex of Writing In Anime. |
| Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters Episodes 129-134. Specific episode would be 134. |
| If you see that my post is exactly 1 month old (or more) from when it was posted... Don't waste your time, especially when you want to reply with something petty & insignificant. Assume that I've moved on (because I have). |
Interdiction said: I felt like Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun was pretty average as a whole, however I found the first half (maybe up to around ep 6?) which focused heavily around loneliness to be so profound and so touching. Even though the anime went a bit downhill from there Imo, I still feel like it's very special to me because of those few episodes. Thinking of a singular episode though, episode 36 of Hunter x Hunter (2011) has always stuck with me - probably the most memorable & my favourite fight in anime for me. tonari kaibutsu-kun is somewhat average-ish in my book, but somehow it quite stuck to me, even until now. so yeah, thats a fair point |
"there's a difference between reaching your dreams and finding happiness"-Nana |
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