I have been working lately on compiling a list of anime that I have seen in the past so that I can get input on what I should review next, but that has been taking a while and so I thought perhaps I should list my favorite anime to tide me over. I can't continue to neglect my blog, but it feels strange to randomly pick and choose anime to review.
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Top 10 Anime:
Code Geass is a masterpiece that takes the standard mecha genre and mixes it together with the unique character-driven drama that makes
Death Note so interesting. The rivalry between best friends Lelouch and Suzaku brings drama to the series, and the contrast of their personalities on the battlefield and at school creates a rather poignant tension. Each character has depth and makes the series worth watching, even if the second series does get rather complicated. The series continues to spark debates between people who have watched it, with theories abounding so that there's always something new to talk about even years after its release.
Blue Exorcist isn't the type of series that I typically enjoy, but there's just something about this series that saves it from being more of the same old same old. The characters are deep and interesting and have multiple layers to each of them. There's no pandering to the audience, and no character's issues are brought up right away. The main characters have gone through several tragedies together and yet both of them continue to live their lives in their own ways. Even the side characters have their own hang-ups and emotional pasts, but they don't force the issue so that the series doesn't feel too cluttered with drama and useless information. Although there is plenty of drama, the series manages to strike a good balance between seriousness and humor, and its easy to feel for each of the characters.
I'll admit here and now that I'm a sucker for pointless comedy, and Minami-ke is one of the best series to deliver on that premise that I've seen in quite a while. Unlike other series Minami-ke doesn't drag on too long and the humor is mixed in with the girls' daily lives. Occasionally the sisters will share a heartwarming moment, or you'll find yourself pitying those characters that just seem to be completely out of luck. The series isn't too terribly long so there's no chance of getting burnt out on the series due to repetition, and the second series continues to be rather humorous as well as upping the amount of touching episodes.
Death Note is a series without a lot of action, but that's not what the series is about in the slightest. Unlike other Shonen Jump titles which focus on humor, action, or sports, Death Note instead focuses on largely unspoken drama. The main action of the series takes place in stealthy movements and mental battles. There's no dramatic fight scenes (excepting one humorous fight between L and Light) until near the very end. The climax of each arc has a fair amount of action each, but there's no real standoff between characters until the finale. And through the story there's no telling just who is going to emerge victorious. L and Light both have their own ideals of justice and both are rather talented and intelligent. Whether you wish for a world in which Light or L wins, you'll have to watch to find out just which outcome will turn out in the end.
Despite having been licensed in the United States by Viz Media Neuro has remained relatively obscure due to the series not releasing any DVDs. The only way to watch the series legally is to find a site where Viz has put it up for streaming. There is not an English dub for the series, either, but that's a completely different story. Neuro is a story about a demon infiltrating to human world, but instead of bringing chaos with him he instead goes about making human lives better. Neuro is a demon who eats mysteries, meaning that it is his goal to solve cases that interest him so that he can feed. Having no way to assert himself in the human world without drawing attention to himself he latches onto a young girl whose father was recently murdered and begins to use her as a shield. Despite this setup, however, the series doesn't spend much time focusing on the mysteries themselves. The series is a comedy rather than a suspense, and the cases are mostly there to give Neuro a place in which to act. His interactions between others (particularly his cover, Yako) are humorous and the scenarios he gets the two of them into are rather interesting if nothing else. I will likely review this more in depth later, as it needs more attention.
There are a great many opinions on this show, but the mix of over-the-top bravado mixed together with the drama of the setting, I believe, makes this one of the better series I have seen in a while.
Gurren Lagann is another of Gainax's masterpieces, and you can see influences from their other works in its being. The humor is rather off-the-wall and absurd, reminding one of some of their comedy series (such as
Panty and Stocking) and the drama-filled mecha battles are heavily reminiscent of
Evangelion. Unlike both series, however,
Gurren Lagann manages to cast a balance between the two extremes. While
Evangelion had its humorous moments they were few and far between, and never in the exaggerated style that
Gurren Lagann prides itself on. And while
Gurren Lagann spends a lot of time making sex-related jokes it is not as exaggerated as in
Panty and Stocking, leaving for a less jarring experience for those who aren't looking for something quite as extreme.
Before the second series of
Haruhi Suzumiya came out with mixed reviews it was almost impossible to find someone who hadn't heard of the series with mostly positive reviews. There was a reason for this hype, and unfortunately there isn't much that can be said about the series without spoiling the general idea of it. However the premise is cute and the characters are varied enough to make up for a rather unique and interesting cast. It is hard to find a fan of the show that doesn't claim one of the girls as their favorite, and each of them has so different a personality that there is no danger of mixing them up in the slightest. The original airing of the show out of chronological order was also a genius move and I suggest the series be watched that way, as it creates an air of mystery and suspense that the straightforward series loses. What it gains in clarity is lost in interest.
Unfortunately there is even less that can be said about
Madoka without ruining pretty much every aspect of what it is and what makes it amazing. All that can be said here is that it is not your typical magical girl anime and you would be hard pressed to compare it to any you've seen before. I spent most of the series in awe and I fell in love with each character for their unspoken charms. Even the quietest of characters manage to show their individuality without hitting the viewer over the head with their personality traits.
So I've already done a review of this series and in it I pointed out the flaws that keep it from being truly great. However I feel that I've done a disservice if I fail to point out the many things it does right, as well. The story itself is rather gripping and that is the reason the ending of the anime is such a disappointment to fans. The series has its fair share of drama and humor, although it does weigh heavily in favor of one of those. What is humorous is quite funny, however, and the drama (while a bit melodramatic at times) is genuinely sad.
Picking a final anime for this sort of list is always hard, as there are so many more anime that I enjoy. However,
Kyo Kara Maoh has always been a favorite for me, even if there is a lull in the middle spent searching for items. The series is humorous and for the fangirls there's quite a bit of boy love mentioned throughout. However the series has something for everyone, moving from humorous situation to humorous situation, often with rather bizarre setups and solutions. From a fight moving straight to romance to Yuri's initial pathway into the demon world, there's always something to make you laugh. Of course the series does get more serious near the end, but it's never enough to make you forget where the series originally came from.
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