j1m0ne's blog

So I’ve only been watching anime regularly for a short while (5+ years) and there’s lots more old classics that are yet to be discovered, but for the meantime these are the 10 anime shows that left the biggest impression on me. And yeah, they’re listed in order of preference.

01. Cardcaptor Sakura

-My numero uno. I love it to bits, I could watch a random episode from anywhere in the show over and over again without getting bored. I’m not normally a fan of mahou shoujo, things like Sailor Moon & Precure leave me cold but there’s just something bout CCS that fills me with absolute joy. It’s a mix of Tomoyo’s angelic vocals, Kero-chan’s adorable Kansai-ben and Sakura’s ridiculously cute Hoe~~~. Your life cannot possibly be complete until you’ve watched all 70 TV episodes and 2 movies of Cardcaptor Sakura. And bought all those replica Clow cards.

02. Kino no Tabi

-There’s not enough superlatives to describe how good Kino no Tabi is, but to put it simply – it’s a masterpiece. In a nutshell – Kino journeys with her motorrad Hermes around strange lands meeting strange people doing strange things for often strange reasons. Each story is open for interpretation – the tale at the root of each one is simple, but the lessons to be learnt lie deeper within. My personal favourite is the one about the train tracks, it was a real WTF moment when Kino travels down the tracks only to see each man undoing the work of the one before. I don’t believe that a single episode of Kino no Tabi is dispensable – there’s always something to make you think. The only bad point about it is that it’s only 13 miserable episodes long. At least further movies have somewhat satisfied my Kino cravings.

03. Fruits Basket

-Everyone I introduced Furuba to loved the show to bits; even those that knew no Japanese and could barely understand the English subtitles. Granted, most of them were girls but that’s not a reason to not watch one of the best shojo anime around. Yeah, so there’s not much of an ending but a cute, colourful cast of characters & non-stop humour make up for that. My favourite character – Shigure. My favourite scene – the Valentine’s chocolate bit always puts a smile on my face ^_^ I’ve watched Furuba four times now and my enjoyment of it has not diminished a single bit.

04. Cowboy Bebop

-Style and substance are traits few shows possess but Bebop is one of those that does – spades of it in fact. Swashbuckling action, great music and the characters; the super sexy Faye Valentine, uber-cool Spike Siegel and Ed, possibly the weirdest thingamajig ever to grace an anime. Cowboy Bebop is just an incredibly fun ride and it had one of the best endings I’ve ever seen to boot.

05. Juuni Kokuki

-Epic fantasies with as little comedy as possible; that’s one of my favourite settings for an anime but I rarely find such shows – which is why I rejoice when things like Seirei no Moribito come along. The world of 12 Kingdoms is rich with history and tradition, and features a large cast of complex characters, each with their own story to tell. And there’s absolutely no hint of romance in Juuni Kokuki, which is a bit of a relief and break from all those harem anime these days. That both the anime and novels remain unfinished to this day is a huge shame, the series has plenty of fans but author Ono Fuyumi has shifted her attentions to other works and there seems to be little hope of revival.

06. Serial Experiments Lain

-Lain was one of the first few anime I watched upon my re-venturing into the scene (I did use to watch things like Kimba & Saber Rider when I was a kid). And boy, did it change my perception of anime ^^; Like most other ignorant fools I’d always thought anime was for kids, but Lain was just a complete mindfuck – freaky, morbid and just plain weird shit; stuff that anyone under the age of 12 shouldn’t watch. I absolutely loved it – watching it was like trying to line up dominos whilst high on crack. Lain led me on to seeking out other similar shows like Boogiepop Phantom and Paranoia Agent but none of them lived up to Lain IMHO. My eternal memory of the show will be Kawasumi Ayako’s character walking around listlessly repeating ‘Beep. Beep.’

07. Mushishi

-The most recently aired anime on my list. I went into Mushishi not really knowing what to expect, but I was immediately blown away by the art (not the character designs though), the music and the intriguing stand-alone stories. The only common denominators in each episode are Ginko and the Mushi, but all of them were equally as enjoyable. Mushishi is proof that a storyline isn’t the most essential element in making a good anime – once you’re sucked into its world you’ll never be able to get out.

08. Haibane Renmei

-So I’m a sucker for heartwarming, slice-of-life stories where nothing much ever happens but Haibane Renmei took the format and turned it upon its head. Beneath the cheery exterior lies despairing darkness, with the themes of death, existence and rebirth permeating the dusty air around Old Home. Many people associate the Haibane world with purgatory, suicide and other depressing concepts, and I just like to think of it as falling into a deep, dark well or tunnel; you come to terms with yourself, accept things for what they are and you’ll see the light above/in front of you.

09. Hikaru no Go

-Probably the most unconventional choice on the list. I didn’t actually start watching HnG until the middle of its run and I ended up ripping through the first 30-40 episodes at break-neck speed. Never had much interest in Go, and still don’t fully understand the game but I was engrossed in every one of Hikaru’s matches – oh, the tension, the tears, the angst. I loved the interaction between the characters as well, especially the rivalry between Hikaru and Toya. I’ve given up hope on Studio Pierrot ever animating the rest of the manga (the remainder of the Hokuto Cup arc), they’re probably too busy with Bleach and Naruto and that depresses me no end.

10. Seikai no Senki

-Just edges Gasaraki. If I had to pick one of the four installments as my favourite, this (Banner of the Stars) would be it. I daresay most people would find the series utterly boring as it’s stuffed to the brim with political dialogue and space battles. So why Seikai no Senki I & not II, or even Seikai no Monshou (Crest of the Stars)? It’s the characters – the first series had Baron Febdash who I disliked intensely, and the third had those annoying prisoners who I felt like punching in the face. SnS had more Abhs, less humans and more attitude. Lafiel and Jinto’s relationship continues to plod along at a tortoise-like pace (Will they? Won’t they?), but the real star of the show is the charismatic & ultra-cool Admiral Spoor. You can never tell whether she’s serious or joking with her put-downs & bizarre war tactics – I often felt sorry for her commanding officer Kufadis who had to put up with all her quirks. There’s also the madcap Bebaus brothers, the witty Dusanyu & the likeable Atosurya. Fans of the series cannot extol its qualities enough, but sadly not enough people feel that way.

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I just realised that almost half the shows in the list are unfinished – they were either made from ongoing source material & thus had inconclusive endings (Furuba, SnS); or some higher ups just pulled the plug and decided not to make anymore episodes (12 Kokuki, HnG). And also found out that I love episodic anime – the likes of Mushishi, Kino & Bebop plus things that nearly made the list like Kamichu!, ARIA and FMP? Fumoffu.