This is a list I am doing just for fun. Anime have always been a big part of my life from Toonami to Adult Swim and now various streaming services. So, I am going to reflect on my 10 favorite anime series. Note, these are not the ones I consider the best, just the ones that mean the most to me.
10. Pokemon
I will be the first to admit that this is actually not a very good anime and it is mostly nostalgia, but I cannot ignore the impact that Pokemon had on younger me, including the anime. With that in mind, I will always have a soft spot for Ash or Satoshi, whatever you want to call him. Call this one a guilty pleasure if you want but there is no denying the importance this anime had with bringing anime to the west.
9. Tenchi
Muyo, Universe, or in Tokyo, I have a lot of fond memories of the sci-fi world of Tenchi. (Take note I saw the censored version on Toonami growing up so do not assume the worst.) This is another nostalgia choice but it stands out to me because it is a harem anime. I am not a fan of harem anime, almost all of them fill like nothing but filler and bad fan-service. However, Tenchi was one of the exceptions because I love the sci-fi world it created.
8. Ouran High School Host Club
The other exception to my dislike of harem anime, this time even a reverse harem. This is an over the top comedy staring Haruhi as she pretends to be a guy in order to work at her high school's host club to pay off a debt. A high school consisting of rich kids who really only go for fun, except Haruhi who got in on a grant due to her excellent grades. She is the person who teach all this rich characters that looks and money are not everything while going through all there crazy adventures.
What I love most about this anime are the likable characters and the creativity. You never really know what to expect, sometimes at a beach and sometimes everyone is dressed up like Alice and Wonderland. Haruhi especially is a really likable character; she is smart confident and has a lot of little things that make her admirable like being able to tell the twins apart because she sees people for more than what they look like.
7. Azumanga Daioh
I have a real soft spot for slice of life comedies. Azumanga Daioh is nothing special, but very solid. It follows the tales of a group High School girls through some basic adventures like exams, sports festivals, a creepy male teacher, a crazy English teacher, a reliable gym teacher, and just seeing the world through everyone's different perspective. Everyone is likable with their own distinguished personalities; Yomi is the voice of reason with anger issues, Osaka is the feeble airhead, Tomo is the hyperactive one, Kagura is athletic, Chiyo is the 10 year old genius, and Sakaki is tall, great strong, admired, and very misunderstood. No forced romance is ridiculous fan-service, (swim suits if you count that) just friends being teens. Sometimes serious, usually silly, all with depth.
6. Yu-Gi-Oh
My nerd is showing hard, but I will always love Yu-Gi-Oh despite its corniness. I loved the card game, the characters are all over the time but memorable, and the whole franchise shaped a large part of my childhood. Not sure what about this show kept me so invested, the over the top drama, the cool looking card designs, or maybe the crazy lore involving Egyptian magic. Whatever it was, I will always have fond memories of the original. Every following incarnation of Yu-Gi-Oh was hit or miss, but I will always have a soft regardless of there flaws.
5. Naruto
Oh boy, now we are getting into hardcore. Naruto took the world by storm and gained a massive fanbase, which I was part of. There are a lot of things to criticize about the anime, pacing is not great with too many flashbacks and the main character can get pretty annoying, but the world of this anime is so interesting. A ninja world with chakra and jutsu as its powers, demons sealed inside kids, iconic abilities, and some of the best animated fight scenes in anime history My interest in this franchise comes and goes, but I still remember every character and never completely lose interest. Do not get me started on Boruto though.
4. One Punch Man
Getting more modern now. One Punch Man is way better than I expected it to be. The idea is the main character, Saitama, is like any shonen protagonist but with the strength of the finale at the start of his journey. Saitama is so strong that no opponent can damage him or even survive a single punch. Quoted as the "strongest anime character ever". His biggest obstacle is his boredom. Nothing can excite him and no challenge requires more than the absolute bare minimum of his effort which left him feeling empty inside. The world around him desperately needs him because of the non-stop monster attacks and world ended threats, but nobody knows who he is except for a select few.
I never knew there could be such a perfect blend of incredible fight scenes and comedy. Truly one of the greatest anime.
3. Attack On Titan
Speaking strictly as a critic, Attack on Titan is hands down the best anime I have ever seen. Not my favorite for personal reasons, but I could not deny just how amazing this is. The writing is almost perfectly paced with non-stop suspense, amazingly written twists, intense drama and action, and no scene being without purpose. Not to mention some of the best character writing I have ever seen with your perspective a impression of someone drastically changing without any of it feeling forced. Some people were quick to dismiss this anime as some kind of shock horror bit, but I highly encourage anyone to give it a real chance because I promise you will not see where it goes nor be disappointed.
2. Dragon Ball Z
Yeah, let the memes and critisizm begin. "Scream porn". the fillers, ridiculous writing with plot holes. Maybe that stuff is true, but none of it can change the fact that this anime is tones of fun to watch. My story with it is like many others, I first saw it on Toonami and eagerly watched new episodes whenever they came on and it may or may not have been my first anime ever. (My memory is not perfect of those days.) This is a franchise I will never get tired of. From the different anime, video games, memorable characters and special moves, nothing gets old. I owe so much of my Otaku life to this anime and nothing can take that away from me. KAMEHAMEHA!
Talk about being simple but solid. People often get confused when I tell them my favorite anime is Lucky Star. A slice of life comedy based on a comic strip. Why do I adore this one so much? Simple, I absolutely love talking with someone about everything and nothing down a rabbit hole and that is the main bit of this anime. They are just high school friends each with distinct personalities and spend most of the episode talking about simple things like how they eat certain foods, pet peeves, and general ways of living. Nothing is mind blowing but nothing is really wrong either. I honestly cannot thing of any major "flaw" with this anime and watching it feels just like hanging out with friends. (I have had people accuse me of having some kind of high school girl fetish, but that is not at all what this anime is. There is no nudity or lude scenes. The anime is kid friendly.) Just give the anime a chance, it's harmless.
I have a real soft spot for slice of life comedies. Azumanga Daioh is nothing special, but very solid. It follows the tales of a group High School girls through some basic adventures like exams, sports festivals, a creepy male teacher, a crazy English teacher, a reliable gym teacher, and just seeing the world through everyone's different perspective. Everyone is likable with their own distinguished personalities; Yomi is the voice of reason with anger issues, Osaka is the feeble airhead, Tomo is the hyperactive one, Kagura is athletic, Chiyo is the 10 year old genius, and Sakaki is tall, great strong, admired, and very misunderstood. No forced romance is ridiculous fan-service, (swim suits if you count that) just friends being teens. Sometimes serious, usually silly, all with depth.
Speaking strictly as a critic, Attack on Titan is hands down the best anime I have ever seen. Not my favorite for personal reasons, but I could not deny just how amazing this is. The writing is almost perfectly paced with non-stop suspense, amazingly written twists, intense drama and action, and no scene being without purpose. Not to mention some of the best character writing I have ever seen with your perspective a impression of someone drastically changing without any of it feeling forced. Some people were quick to dismiss this anime as some kind of shock horror bit, but I highly encourage anyone to give it a real chance because I promise you will not see where it goes nor be disappointed.
Yeah, let the memes and critisizm begin. "Scream porn". the fillers, ridiculous writing with plot holes. Maybe that stuff is true, but none of it can change the fact that this anime is tones of fun to watch. My story with it is like many others, I first saw it on Toonami and eagerly watched new episodes whenever they came on and it may or may not have been my first anime ever. (My memory is not perfect of those days.) This is a franchise I will never get tired of. From the different anime, video games, memorable characters and special moves, nothing gets old. I owe so much of my Otaku life to this anime and nothing can take that away from me. KAMEHAMEHA!
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