Post by hijojo on Dec 26, 2009 19:43:21 GMT -5
So... I've been thinking about it lately, and wondering what everyone's top 10 anime are. I thought a lot about my list, mainly about the difference between "good" and series that I like - I like a lot of series I know aren't objectively good, and dislike some series that are generally considered good. So I tried to find a good balance between the two of them. Anyways, here's my list!
Narrowly Missing the List - Kino's Journey - I mixed the order of 9 and 10 a lot between this series and the two that appear there, but in the end, I thought this was the weakest of them and cut it.
10) Revolutionary Girl Utena -
Awesome series. Some parts don't make a lot of sense, but it's just that kind of series. "What Eva does to mecha, this does to Magical Girls," is that I've heard it described as. I can certainly see that, although I much prefer this series. A cast full of interesting characters, plot twists extraordinaire, and the ability to make even "duel of the week" episodes fascinating makes it so good.
9) Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya -
Ah, Haruhi. Often incredibly overrated, but a very good series nonetheless. Sheer wackiness sometimes, the fate of the world at others, and both down very well. The first season was fantastic, while the second a bit of a let down. Endless Eight is, of course, famous now (though I found all the reactions to it hilarious), but the Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya plot wasn't as interesting as the first season. Anyways, rather strong cast and sheer amusingness gives it this spot.
8) Code Geass -
...You know how I talked earlier about a quality of a show vs. how much I like it? I think this is more of a latter case, mostly in R2, which I still liked. Anyways, loved this show. It took, oh 3 or so episodes to get going, about after that, I started marathoning it. I found about all of the cast genuinely interesting and while it wasn't always objectively great, I still loved watching it and all the plot twists unfold. It was a very over the top the series in every way, from cast to plot, but I thought it pulled it all of quite well.
7) DNAngel -
I'm cheating here, I admit it. I haven't actually seen the anime, but I'm up to date on the manga (volume 15 now, I believe), which I adore. Great art and characters. The plot always seems interesting to me, particularly once we into the more arc-based chapters. Some parts occasionally drag with the romance plot, but it all gets tied up very nicely in the end.
6) Ouran High School Host Club -
Ouran, I think, is the best of both worlds - traditional shoujo elements done very well and a parody of those same elements also done incredibly well. It's decidedly stronger when it's being more comedic, I think, but it almost always makes sure to not get too serious on itself.
5) Princess Tutu -
Similar enough to Utena, in that both series take the standard Magical Girl formula and twist it around as much as possible. In this case, we end up a lovely, unique story with many twists and turns as it heads towards the end, complimented by strong characters. All this from a magical duck turned ballerina.
4) Read or Die The TV -
The sequel to the magnificent OVA, this series continues its awesomeness. It's a large change from the original series, but at the same time, keeps its charm. The main cast is amazing (I say that a lot, but it's especially true here) and all are kickass in some way or another. It has a few issues, like early filler-ish eps, but it's high points are far and away enough to cancel any of these out.
3) Fruits Basket -
Another series that I'll admit to cheating with - only seen about half of the anime, but I've read most of the manga, which extends far beyond what the anime does anyways. It's a slower series than just about everything else on my list, but it has an incredible amount of charm and heart in it, enough to make it one of my favorites.
2) Slayers Next -
Slayers is one of my favorite long-running series. And of all the 4/5 seasons now, Slayers Next is the best. It has the tightest story, but spreads them out with the usual fun filler, all while having the Slayers charm. It also has the advantage of having introduced most of the characters before and the strongest "tagalongs" - Martina and Xellos.
1) Read or Die, OVA -
Could it be cheating to include both the OVA and the TV series? Possibly. But do both deserve to be on the list? Without a doubt, yes. The short length actually helps it, to make sure the plot keeps tightly focused. Yomiko is a great lead, and all the other British Library members are great, the fight scenes are fantastic, and the overall plot is amazing.
So, here's my list. Anyone else have one?
Narrowly Missing the List - Kino's Journey - I mixed the order of 9 and 10 a lot between this series and the two that appear there, but in the end, I thought this was the weakest of them and cut it.
10) Revolutionary Girl Utena -
Awesome series. Some parts don't make a lot of sense, but it's just that kind of series. "What Eva does to mecha, this does to Magical Girls," is that I've heard it described as. I can certainly see that, although I much prefer this series. A cast full of interesting characters, plot twists extraordinaire, and the ability to make even "duel of the week" episodes fascinating makes it so good.
9) Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya -
Ah, Haruhi. Often incredibly overrated, but a very good series nonetheless. Sheer wackiness sometimes, the fate of the world at others, and both down very well. The first season was fantastic, while the second a bit of a let down. Endless Eight is, of course, famous now (though I found all the reactions to it hilarious), but the Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya plot wasn't as interesting as the first season. Anyways, rather strong cast and sheer amusingness gives it this spot.
8) Code Geass -
...You know how I talked earlier about a quality of a show vs. how much I like it? I think this is more of a latter case, mostly in R2, which I still liked. Anyways, loved this show. It took, oh 3 or so episodes to get going, about after that, I started marathoning it. I found about all of the cast genuinely interesting and while it wasn't always objectively great, I still loved watching it and all the plot twists unfold. It was a very over the top the series in every way, from cast to plot, but I thought it pulled it all of quite well.
7) DNAngel -
I'm cheating here, I admit it. I haven't actually seen the anime, but I'm up to date on the manga (volume 15 now, I believe), which I adore. Great art and characters. The plot always seems interesting to me, particularly once we into the more arc-based chapters. Some parts occasionally drag with the romance plot, but it all gets tied up very nicely in the end.
6) Ouran High School Host Club -
Ouran, I think, is the best of both worlds - traditional shoujo elements done very well and a parody of those same elements also done incredibly well. It's decidedly stronger when it's being more comedic, I think, but it almost always makes sure to not get too serious on itself.
5) Princess Tutu -
Similar enough to Utena, in that both series take the standard Magical Girl formula and twist it around as much as possible. In this case, we end up a lovely, unique story with many twists and turns as it heads towards the end, complimented by strong characters. All this from a magical duck turned ballerina.
4) Read or Die The TV -
The sequel to the magnificent OVA, this series continues its awesomeness. It's a large change from the original series, but at the same time, keeps its charm. The main cast is amazing (I say that a lot, but it's especially true here) and all are kickass in some way or another. It has a few issues, like early filler-ish eps, but it's high points are far and away enough to cancel any of these out.
3) Fruits Basket -
Another series that I'll admit to cheating with - only seen about half of the anime, but I've read most of the manga, which extends far beyond what the anime does anyways. It's a slower series than just about everything else on my list, but it has an incredible amount of charm and heart in it, enough to make it one of my favorites.
2) Slayers Next -
Slayers is one of my favorite long-running series. And of all the 4/5 seasons now, Slayers Next is the best. It has the tightest story, but spreads them out with the usual fun filler, all while having the Slayers charm. It also has the advantage of having introduced most of the characters before and the strongest "tagalongs" - Martina and Xellos.
1) Read or Die, OVA -
Could it be cheating to include both the OVA and the TV series? Possibly. But do both deserve to be on the list? Without a doubt, yes. The short length actually helps it, to make sure the plot keeps tightly focused. Yomiko is a great lead, and all the other British Library members are great, the fight scenes are fantastic, and the overall plot is amazing.
So, here's my list. Anyone else have one?
but as a shojo series as well as a reverse harem it's a romp of a good time when it's being funny and Haruhi's density is the icing on the cake.
