My Top 10 Anime (Revised)

Hey everyone!

As time moves on, our tastes change. Whether it’s food, movie, or beverages, our favorites shift with the changing winds. The same thing can be applied to anime: when we’re younger, fans tend to like more childish shows, but as they get older, more mature shows get thrown into the mix. Since I posted my original Top 10 Anime list last year (Click on “***”), I’ve had some new anime come my way, and some of my favorites have changed since then. With tomorrow being the start of the second leg of my music review tour, I thought that it was time for another anime post. With that said, here is my revised post on my top 10 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!!!

The reason why I have such a bad show on this list is because of a simple belief: there always needs to be a couple bad anime in someone’s library. 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 racism & stereotypes, and yes, the show sometimes 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 chuckle 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. 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: The Thinking Man’s Cute.

Make no mistake, Chobits is cute. Insanely 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 (Not by much), 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) Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion, Princess Knight

I couldn’t put each of these shows in their own spots, as they’re all very legendary series. Drawn & edited by the iconic Osamu Tezuka, these three shows delighted and entertained kids of the previous generation, and their magic continues to delight the anime generation of today. Perhaps the factor that ties these shows together is that they aren’t like the kids shows of today. Created at a time when we didn’t try to hide things from our children & didn’t talk down at them, they all are a great mix between sweet, truthful, lesson-learning, and even some of the darker aspects of life. If shows now were like this, I guarantee that our kids will become badass once again!

6) Tenchi Muyo OVA & Outlaw Star

When these show aired on Toonami back in the day, I could hardly watch them. My workload at school at the time was something of a back-breaker, so I didn’t have much free time. It really wasn’t until recent memory that I finally had the chance to sit down both shows, and I’m punching myself in the face for having waited for so long to get to these series.

I really don’t have much to say about Tenchi Muyo & Outlaw Star, since what I have to say pretty much covers both shows. They both have great stories, interesting characters, and overall are just fun to watch. There are aspects that separate the shows & put them in their respective niches, but Tenchi Muyo & Outlaw Star have a lot more in common than you think.

BTW, I’ll get my Outlaw Star review up in a couple months. Hope you don’t mind the wait. 

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 gone (At least for me). It also doesn’t help the fact that the voice acting in the newer seasons is downright awful, and it seems less smart & clever (Enough to the point where it kinda treats it’s audience like idiots), but I will give it credit in one regard, and that’s the animation quality. The quality in the newer seasons look & move smoother, and has a fresher feel, 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, 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 (Yeah, I was a little weird back then. I’m still a little weird). 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 even some ecchi in one scene. 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/February of 2008 (I can’t remember which), 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.

As for the show itself, it’s one of the few slice-of-life series that I enjoy. True, there are plenty of moments where things get really silly, and certain episodes are goofier than others (They got at least two sports-themed episodes), but Comic Party Revolution is rather grounded in reality. The various characters all feel like individuals that you’d meet in real life, and the world feels like something from everyday life. If you’d like a show that celebrates the Otaku lifestyle in a more positive circumstance, then watch Comic Party Revolution.

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 got stuck in my mind more that CPR’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 considerably more lighthearted, and the main bad guys get what coming to them in ways that would make normal people shudder. 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, when it’s time to go back on tour. Until then, stay Otaku!




***
Just got the collector’s edition of Reaper of Souls yesterday. The crusader is stupid fun!!!!!