My Top 10 Anime

Well everybody, here’s my second list, and off the heels of Genericon 2013 no less. The list below is my top 10 anime of all time, and this list is/was one of the more challenging lists to form. The main reason is that I’ve seen a lot of anime over the years, some of which were not all that popular. Some of them weren’t even released in the US, and thus making them even more obscure to American audiences. I’ll get my first post Genericon review either next week or the week after, but lets not waste anymore time, and take a look at my top 10 favorite anime!

10) Mad Bull 34

If you remember my review of this show, you’ll recall that I gave this show a brutal slap to the face. I basically said that it was the ugliest, racist, most sterotypical, and most sexist anime I’ve ever seen. Here’s the thing.....I like this show!!!

To me, this show is so batshit, apeshit, friggen insane, it’s actually hard to not like. Yes, the show is sexist, yes there’s some racism & stereotypes, and yes, the show looks god-awful and has some equally god-awful voice acting. For some odd reason, it’s these exact same flaws that endear me to the show. Every negative aspect associated with cops shows can be found within Mad Bull 34, and I let out small chuckles & smirks every time I watch an episode.

9) XXXHolic

XXXHolic is one of those series that Otaku either love or hate. The people that hate the show will probably state that it’s a little too artsy, doesn’t follow the manga, and all in all is just too weird to comprehend. At the same time, it’s these qualities that make XXXHolic a good show to watch.

For starters, XXXHolic is one of the most beautiful series that the all-female group CLAMP has ever created, standing along side series such as Cardcaptor Sakura, X (Nobody talks about X), and Tsubasa. It is indeed an artsy show, mixing the mysterious & unique with an interesting usage of color, creating some very vivid imagery. As for not following the manga, I’m actually okay with that. I find that by not connecting with Tsubasa (Anybody who’s read the XXXHolic manga, you’ll know what I’m talking about) you have a stronger main story instead of a weaker one. As for the weirdness...well, I can understand why anime fans who don’t like this show because of this factor. There are plenty of moments where you’ll go “huh!?”, but there’s also moments where you’ll go “what!?”, and there’s usually something that will make you understand what happened right around the corner.

8) Chobits

The best way I can describe Chobits is through the following phrase (That I just made up): The Thinking Man’s Cute.

Make no mistake, Chobits is cute. Ungodly cute. It’s the kind of cute that will more than likely cause you to have spasms if you aren’t prepared. It’s the kind of cute that’ll cause you to bash your head against a brick wall if you don’t like cute things (In which case, why are you watching Chobits in the first place?). At the same time however, Chobits has depth to it. It explores man’s fascinations with technology, and it also questions man’s increasing obsession with machinery, as well as our desire to become closer with technology. Although the manga does this a little better than the anime, the anime still holds onto this theme enough that it’s still fascinating & entertaining.

It also doesn’t help the fact that the main character, Chi, is adorable as all hell.....CHI!!!

7) Otaku No Video

When I reviewed this back in April last year, I said that my only complaint was that it only had subs, and said subs distracted the viewer from what was happening. Having said that, Otaku No Video was one of the highest rated shows that I watched last year. Not only was it entertaining, but offered some surprising, yet heavily altered insights into the history of one of the most iconic studios in anime history, it also had interviews with former & current Otaku (At the time anyway), and it also showed off events in history that pertained to anime & the world. If you can get past the fact that there isn’t a dub, Otaku No Video is a great find.

6) Medaka Box

Tragically, this series isn’t dubbed in the states yet. Luckily, seasons 1 & 2 are over on Crunchyroll with subs, so I’m not complaining.

Medaka Box is an example of a show that pleasantly surprised. There’s some rather heavy moments of fan service (At least on two occasions, the main lead stripes down to her bra & panties), but there’s a good story, the cast is some of the most energetic I’ve ever seen, and the animation quality is top notch. These elements continue into the second season, but I will say that things get very serious at times, and the humor & fan service aren’t as much in the spotlight.

I really hope that this series gets dubbed, because I think it would sell quite well.

5) Pokemon

First off, I’m not talking about the newer seasons. I despise the newer seasons, simply because the magic that made the original seasons is almost gone. It also doesn’t help the fact that the voice acting in the newer seasons is downright awful, but I will give it credit in one regard, and that’s the animation quality. The quality in the newer seasons look & move smoother, but I digress.

When I watched Pokemon back in the day, I had never seen anything like it. It was the cooliest thing I ever saw: a kid around my age (I think I was a year or two off from Ash’s age, but I’m not sure), wandering the world with friends, capturing a menagerie of creatures to fight other people who possibly had the same creatures. This was something my young mind thought about from time to time. I loved the original series so much, I worked my ass off to earn enough money to buy a game boy color & Pokemon: Red Edition. I still have the red edition, along with the blue, yellow, gold, and silver editions, not to mention a big collection of the trading cards & plushies, and I’ll never get rid of any of them!

4) My Neighbor Totoro

Now, I’ve seen a lot of Studio Ghibli films. From Grave of the Fireflies, to Porco Rosco, I’ve seen most of what they have to offer. Then, I came across My Neighbor Totoro, and I was pleasantly surprised.

What makes me put this film on the list is that it is considerably less serious than the other films. True, most of Studio Ghibli’s films have a happy vibe & ending (With the notable exception of Grave of the Fireflies and a few others), but My Neighbor Totoro has the distinction of having little in the way of serious elements. I won’t say what they are, so just wait until the impending review. What I will say is that is that this film is a happy-go-lucky, heart warming film that’ll leave you (And your family if they’re watching) with a big smile on your face.

3) Plastic Little

Back when I reviewed this in late 2011 (December 2011, to be specific), the first good thing I said about Plastic Little was that Satoshi Urushihara was behind the animation. He sincerely knows how to draw the female figure in such a way that the word beauty cannot describe them. They are so gorgeous, it hard to believe that this film was released back in 1994. Even the men (Well, some of the men) have a unearthly look & feel to them. The world itself is also unique, as it takes place on a island floating among the clouds, with ships flying all over the place.

Even if the show didn’t look great, Plastic Little is a fun sci-fi OVA. You got sci-fi (Obviously), comedy, action, drama, and elements of fantasy. They all come together in a 50-minute package that’s well worth your time...even if you’re just borrowing it from somebody.

2) Comic Party Revolution

Long before I began assembling my collection, I discovered the joys of the ADV Films website, long before it closed. Coincidentally, this was during the first few months I was in college (I went in the fall of 2005), but that’s somewhat not the point. One of the first trailers I saw on the website was for Comic Party Revolution, and as strange as this may sound, it was something I haven’t seen before. It was bright, colorful, and had what looked liked a good cast of characters. It was also goofy, silly, funny, and it was even a little bit dirty at times. Sadly, I didn’t buy any of the DVDs until January or February of 2008, when I bought the first volume. Immediately, I was hooked to the show, and I got the complete series on Christmas of that year. If I had a time capsule, and it could only hold five Anime DVDs, then the complete series would be immediately put in.

1) Kekko Kamen

Much like the number 2 spot, I first saw the trailer for this show when the ADV Films website was still up, What puts Kekko Kamen at this spot can be explained in two reasons:

1) I saw the trailer first (Click “***” to watch it)
2) What I saw in the trailer stuck in my mind more that Comic Party Revolution’s trailer

Even if I didn’t see the trailer, the DVD cover of the show would have drawn me in immediately. Much like Mad Bull 34, Kekko Kamen is politically incorrect. What separates this show from that one is the fact that Kekko Kamen is nowhere near as dark as Mad Bull, and the main bad guys get what coming to them sooner rather than later. It also doesn’t help the fact that Kekko Kamen is all kinds of weird & goofy, and for some reason it always brings a smile to my face.

See you all next week. Until then, stay Otaku!