My Top 10 Favorite Anime

Originally posted to r/anime [21.03.19]

So here I am, just browsing MAL. And would you look at that, I've finally watched over one hundred anime! So, what better time to make a top 10 than now! I just want to preface this by saying that this list might change drastically very soon. With how much I enjoyed a certain Yoshitoshi ABe show, I woudn't be suprised if I ended up absolutely loving some of his other work as well. But I want this to be from when I had watched around a hundred anime. I'll probably make another one like this once I've watched 200, 300, etc. But, here it is. My first top 10 list of my current favorite anime. I’ve never written a countdown list like this before, but there’s gotta be a first time for everything. So without further ado, let’s begin.

10: Momokuri

This show is one underrated gem. It's got a great premise which it definetly delivers on, and adorable character designs. The comedy is hilarious, and the characterization and development is great as well. Honestly, it's really a shame that this has such a low score on MAL, it definitely deserves better.

9: Toradora

Oh come on, you've read tons about why this show is great, does it even need explaining at this point? It's got loveable characters, a couple you genuinely want to end up together, and a great ending. The only people who didn't like the ending are people who didn't watch the after-credits scene.

8: Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun

Honestly, it's pretty hard for me to decide wether I prefer Toradora or Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun. Both mean a lot to me, both have some great character writing, and both make me cry each time I rewatch them. But ultimately, I prefer Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun, mostly bevause I just really like shojo series. In a way, this show is almost like a reverse Toradora, but not really. The show has some great character designs, lots of emotional moments and the fact there isn't a second season hurts to no end. Guess i'll just have to read the manga one day. One day I will. Most likely. Hopefully. I'm never going to read it, am I.

7: Lucky Star

In my opinion, this is probably the quintessential four girls slice of life 4-koma adaptation. The main thing that makes this show great for me is the refrences, and how it handles them. In a lot of comedy shows where most of the jokes consist of refrences to other works, the viewer is often never going to understand the joke if they haven't already watched the thing that was refrenced. What makes Lucky Star so good is kind of similar to what makes JoJo great. With JoJo, you can start from any part and still enjoy it while understanding everything thats going on, but watching the previous parts first enhance the experience. If you understand what the joke is refrencing in Lucky Star, it's definetely going to be more funny, but if you don't get it it's often still going to be funny. Take the famous Initial D sequence. If you know about Initial D or have watched it before, the joke is going to be way funnier, but the sheer intensity of the scene and sudden change in animation style make it funny even if you don't have any idea what Intial D even is.

6: Omoide Poroporo

Let me preface this by saying that this movie is extremely japanese. And no, I don't mean that in a "wtf japan" way, I mean that in a cultural sense. There are a lot of cultural refrences that most western viewers most likely won't get, myself included. But why do I like it so much? Well, it comes down the genius directing and amazingly detailed facial expressions. For an example, during one scene in the movie, two characters are out driving, and while their conversation is going on in the car, the scenery is moving with it. It might seem like a small thing, but it's amazingly done, and it really reminded me of everytime i've been in a long car ride with my parents and they tell me to "look out the window" instead of just sleeping or doing something to pass the time. The scenery in this movie is amazingly detailed, and the cell painted look just enhances it even more. As I stated previously, the facial expressions are highly detailed, and the movie often chooses to focus solely on the face of a character to strengthen it. It's great.

5: Neon Genesis Evangelion

You want cool robots? You want deep characters and amazing animation? You want great world building? Well, NGE is everything you’re looking for. The shows animation in deserving of an 8/10 in itself, but what really makes this show great in it’s character study of Shinji and all the others. The way it manages to make these characters feel so darn real is nothing short of pure genius. Not to mention, Asuka in hella cute. Though we all know that the true meaning of Evangelion is that no matter how depressed you might get, I’ll never look nearly as cool as Shinji Ikari when he looks up at the ceiling, laying in bed listening to his Walkman.

4: Kill la Kill

The layered narrative and underlying (and not so underlying) themes of Kill la Kill are some of the best in the medium. It’s got a message, and it knows you’re smart enough to understand in message, but it doesn’t hide it away to seem smart. It’s criticism of the way we perceive nudity in media in really unique and not really something I’ve seen in other shows before. The animation in gorgeous, it’s some of the best you'll find in TV anime. The cool historical parallels are also a nice touch.

3: Cardcaptor Sakura

If you want a show where you can just relax for twenty minutes, look at some nice artwork and listen to the great voice work, and get invested in the characters, then this is the show for you. CCS is one of the most calming shows there is. Not to mention, the way it handles character relationships in supreme, you really feel like everyone has a place in the town. The characters are all lovable, and the way they interact with each other in amazing. The show has gotten a bit of criticism over the years for its inclusion of some… unconventional relationships, but I don’t really see the big deal. Besides, the whole point of Tomoyo’s mom’s development (as well as her father) was to learn to accept Fujitaka as a person.

Just don’t watch the Cardcaptors dub. Please, don’t. It’s literally just the original show but worse because they cut out a ton of necessary content.

2: Love Live School Idol Project

Love Live has been my favorite franchise and was my favorite series for a long time. The combination of adorable character designs, great songs and voice acting and a well told story made it my favorite anime for three whole years. Love Live still has a special place in my heart, and I still love the franchise to death, but there in one anime which I feel in better and more deserving of my number 1 spot.

1: Haibane Renmei

This anime, it’s amazing. It’s the best anime ever made. The beautiful art direction by Yoshitoshi ABe along with the fact that a thirteen episode show like this manages to cover such an immensely wide array of topics from death, existentialism, recycling, human relationships and much more, is frankly insane. The worldbuilding is supreme, never letting you know too much, but just enough so that you can at least piece together what type of world this is. The density of the narrative in this show in staggering, and it does it so darn well too. The character designs by ABe are gorgeous as always, and I genuinely don’t think you'll find a more deep or thoughtful show in this medium. I'd definitely go gay for Yoshitoshe ABe.

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Well, those were my picks for my top 10 favorite anime. Also, feel free to follow me on Twitter (@tes_star).

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This post has been partially edited.

Edit 1: Date at the top of the post was incorrect