Hey everyone, Stripey has put up a poll on his blog! Go and vote for your favorite HiME! I like the mini-descriptions he has of each one :).
On a related note, I recently was considering skewing the results of Matthew’s poll by logging into a different lab computers and voting multiple times 
Unfortunately, I was way too lazy and gave up after envisioning the long login times. Speaking of ending songs, I still think life is not like a boat! It’s more like a skateboard, in that I still haven’t gotten the hang of it yet 
!!
Anyways, I was thinking about how everyone has a top 10 list or whatever of the best anime series OF ALL T1M3!!!!one!!shift1!!! Typically, older classics tend to show up somewhere on most lists, but it’s becoming harder to fairly compare them with modern series. Akira, for instance, was amazing for its time, but upon recently rewatching it, I was totally dumbfounded as to how anyone could still worship it. Such things are glorified in our memories, but the reality of the matter is altogether a different breed of animal. I still like the old Ghibli movies though, as well as certain other semi-oldies (circa mid-1990s) like Kare-Kano. The decidedly old-skool Fantastic Children brought this train of thought to my head, as I was somewhat put off by the somewhat cruddy character design, but intrigued by the complex and gripping plot. It’s been awhile since something this thick has come along for me to bite into, though I strongly suspect Monster might do the trick for me too, if I could just get myself to start watching it.
Random thought #1: Does Nagi’s hair in Mai-HiME strike anyone as being odd? Its shape gives new meaning to the word “annoying”, and reminds me of Zelgadis’s dorky hairdo in Slayers for some odd reason.
Random thought #2: Seems many people are blogging Futakoi! However, looking at all the caps, I feel vaguely creeped out. Maybe it’s the overabundance of cute and very generic-looking little twins, but it really unnerves me, as if I have diplopia or something. At least the forthcoming ufotable designs looks a little less generic.
Last thought: If you could compile a “top ten list” of greatest anime series of recent times (year 2000 and up), what would it consist of? This way, even diehard Kimagure Orange Road fans will have to pick something new And if anyone mentions Ikkitousen, I think I will go on a homicidal rampage ;^^
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Let’s see, a bunch of shows I like from year 2000 and up….
10. Tie between GS and FMA. They’re both very entertaining series, never mind if they’re not exactly creative or inspring.
9. Banner of the Stars I and II – Seems slow, but I grew to enjoy the incredibly long spacebattles – the relationships (which are not really romantic) are *awesome*.
8. Azumanga Daioh – The first show of it’s kind I have ever seen. It’s a classic and it’s very well produced.
7. Princess Tutu – I admit I’m not a fan of ballet dancing and all of that, but the way things developed and the use of music and animation was quite remarkable. The 2nd season is what hooked me… It’s kinda deep for a mahou shoujo show.
6. Noir – The story was weak and so on, but the setting and atmosphere and style more than made up for it.
5. Jungle wa Itsumo Hale Nochi Guu – Absolute crack. I *love* this.
4. PlanetES – While I seriously want to kill Tanabe and the ending was poofy, the rest of it was brilliant and highly realistic. No sound in space!!! And underprivileged coutnries!!! And space debris!! I *love* the character designs too.
3. Juuni Kokki – I cannot say how much I love this series; it is THE BEST “girl in other world” series ever, and the characters are very realistic. Great story too. Lovely music. Pretty animation. (Also has bishies. That is not the point, though!)
2. Fantastic Children – Deceptively, very deceptively simple. It’s actually so well done I love it to pieces. One of the few series that I am genuinely interested in and want to honestly follow more of and can *feel* for.
1. Paranoia Agent – Utter brilliance. Best show on the list. Very very weird but has a gajillion symbols, screws with yoru brain left right and center, excelltn visuals and directing.
You know I love lists, so here is my top 10 for best recent titles:
1) Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien (2003): The ubercheese melodrama of this series totally rocked my world and made me want to blog anime.
2) Uchuu no Stellvia (2003): Incredible cast of likeable characters saving the world through friendship and computer programming. It completely horrifies me that I have a space series this high.
3) Kaleido Star (2003): This has to be one of the most underrated series ever. Great shoujo fun.
4) Azumanga Daioh (2002): So good it will make you say “What the hell?!” Special thanks to Osaka/Ayumu for this site’s name.
5) Full Metal Alchemist (2003): The incredible high standard of plot and production quality that this series set is just mind boggling. It’s so consistently excellent it’s almost boring.
6) Chobits (2002): ~Chii!
7) Naruto (2002): The wood flutes and generally good animation make for an excellent transition from manga to anime.
9) Full Metal Panic Fumoffu (2003): A spinoff that was better than its originator. Ph34R t3h Bonta-kun!
10) Read or Die OVA (2001): Short, but definitely the coolest use of paper that I’ve ever seen.
I didn’t pick any of this year’s series, since I don’t think you can make a judgement until you’ve seen at least 20+ episodes or so. In addition, I would also hand out the following runner-up awards:
Runner Up – Noir (2001): Have you ever seen anyone kill so inventively? Music was good too, but the story and redundancy of flashbacks dropped this one out of the running.
Nostalgia Award – Shaman King (2001): First series the three of us really watched as a group. Big Thumb!
Most Disappointing – Scrapped Princess (2003): I swear, if it weren’t for Fulle, I would hate this series.
Best Series with Crappy Production Values – Dear Boys (2003): There really was a kinda good cheesy story behind all the fugliness. I want a sequel with more CG basketballs and Miura clones.
Oooh oooh! Can we include live-action titles here as well?
I hope you are not planning on suggesting a sentai show or that Sailormoon live-action….
But Kabitzin, without sentai, the world would be destroyed! XD
Here’s my list:
1. Full Metal Panic Fumoffu – Nearly every other episode had me in tears laughing. The infamous ‘rugby-team-training’ episode got me hooked on anime.
2. Hikaru no Go – Best soundtrack ever – the only import CD that I went out and bought, with the exception of Grandia II. Looking back, this title had a fire in its belly from the beginning to the end — nothing was too fast, or too slow. Possibly the best implementation of the ’springtime-of-youth livals’ dynamic XD
3. Great Teacher Onizuka Live Action – the only series I’ve rewatched in its entirity without fast-forwarding *anything*. The very fact that a live-action show is up in the top 10 is a testament to the strength of GTO’s plotline. Best teaching assistant evah!
4. Uchuu no Stellvia – The *only* space series I’ve actually liked — great group dynamic, wicked graphics, and angst. I love how this title glamorizes mathematical models in every other episode
5. One Piece – Incredible voice acting. The plot is pretty angsty, but in a good way. When I have a stack of episodes waiting to be watched, One Piece always takes first priority XD
6. 2×2 Shinobuden – Just scads of hilarious scenes. Onsakumaru is such a riot!
7. Azumanga Daioh – Ditto Kabitzin’s note. Will turn your mind into *ribbons*
8. Naruto – Can be a bit rough to process, but I’m constantly suprised at how many oddball topics one can wrangle out of this title.
9. Jungle wa Itsumo Hale Nochi Guu – Wao is right, this really is pure crack.
10. Run=Dim – *blush* I would have paid blood money for a second series, though
Wow, I’ve never seen anyone put Run=Dim on their top 10 list. I think at the time it came out I figured it was another crappy CG mech show or something…am I missing something big here?
Also, I finally caught the last few eps of 2×2=Shinobuden, and was left with a quasi-WTF feeling. Great spoofery, but where’s the rest of the series? I mean, they totally did not integrate the evil-looking Shinobu(from the intro) into the plot at all…dunno if that’s just how the manga is, or maybe they ran out of money? Crazy stuff for sure though; it’s a bit less hectic than the chaotic Excel Saga, but more random than say, the quirky-but-cute School Rumble. Azumanga, of course, is incredibly tame in comparison to all of them, but its unique brand of offbeat humor is my favorite:)
This is always more difficult than it seems…
1. Full Moon wo Sagashite – I love long shoujo series, and the gut-wrenching story in later episodes makes this a memorable show. Great music, too.
2. Planetes – Slice of life meets serious drama. Great ensemble cast, and good attention to detail.
3. Fruits Basket – Why is it everything Akitaroh Daichi touches turns to gold?
4. Angelic Layer – CLAMP/Bones doing a shounen sports show…with a female lead? Somehow, it works.
5. Maria-sama ga Miteru – Addictive drama, plenty of interesting characters, and high production values. It’s the sort of show that slowly devours you – before you know it, you’re hooked.
6. Uchu no Stellvia – An unusually optimistic take on the end of the world with the perfect ensemble cast.
7. Kimi ga Nozomu Eien – Soap opera anime at its best. You watch it sitting on the edge of your seat, screaming at the TV (or monitor) – while eating ice cream.
8. Figure 17 – Incredible story and beautiful artwork. It’s slice of life without the boredom or “been there, done that.”
9. Piano – Unique show (slice of life WITH the boredom, perhaps). It’s all about the light atmosphere, though.
10. Scrapped Princess – I never would have thought the story would twist and turn as much as it did. A show full of surprises.
Shows that didn’t quite make the cut: Ai Yori Aoshi, Azumanga Daioh, Chobits, Comic Party, GTO, Kanon, Pita Ten, Princess Tutu, Someday’s Dreamers…
Like I said, choosing is difficult.
Here’s my compilation (in no particular order)! Only complete series were mentioned, of course.
1. PlanetES: For once, a space series that contains a great deal of realism in the scientific mechanics and the character dynamics as well. Actions have real and far-reaching consequences in this series, and the themes of economic disparity, terrorism, and technological progress are incredibly relevant in today’s world. I’ll bet the character designs didn’t rub many people the right way though.
2. Haibane Renmei: Incredible on so many different levels, yet so difficult to truly enjoy. A character-driven slice-of-afterlife series that’s perhaps at times too subtle, but enjoys resplendent artwork, an intangibly unique atmosphere, and a stunning instrumental soundtrack (which, strangely enough, was composed by a guy who used to do soundtracks for rubber-monster suit shows). Dreary, moody, and depressing, watch this if you ever feel like committing suicide. It’s an interesting perspective, at the very least.
3. Kaleido Star: It’s got to be one of the most underrated shows. Heck, I wouldn’t have touched it with a 10-ft. pole at first glance, but I randomly decided to give it a chance, and subsequently got totally sucked in. Took me an entire year to convince Kabitzin to watch it too. KS is probably the most “fun” series out of the batch; it’s family-friendly, but it’s actually gewd too!! I think ADV’s marketing for this is horrid, casting it as one for the Sailor Moon crowd:( Definitely a heartwarming crowdpleaser that’ll put a smile on your face.
4. Azumanga Daioh: The friggin’ blog is named from this show; what more can I say? It’s understated, oddball, and totally character driven. It’s also one of the few series I can actually rewatch. Again. And again.
5. Juuni Kokki: Like wao says, it’s the most superb alternate world themed series out there. Nothing even comes close in giving it the serious treatment that 12-K does. Steeped in Asian mythology and drawing heavily on period influences, it’s got love & war, court intrigue, sword-swinging adventure, angst, meticulous character development, parallel worlds, *cough* some bishounen, and an intricately developed political/religious system. It’s almost like animated wuxia, but on a grander scale!
6. Fullmetal Alchemist: The darling of 2003-2004, and destined to become a shounen classic. It’s hard to believe that a 50+ long series can maintain such high quality in every episode; I suppose only the support of behemoth Square-Enix can make it happen.
7. Rahxephon: Out of all the post-Evangelion imitators, I think this series distinguished itself the most, maintaining a suitably dense and confusing plotline(as is required of all Evangelion clones) that actually made some sense without having to read a 500-page explanation. Having Bones do the animation never hurts, either
8. Naruto: The animated series adds so much to the universe of the manga, with its perfectly matched voices and music that redefines “ninja”. The series sucked big time during the fillers and assorted drawn-out arcs (are you dead yet, Sarutobi?), but when the A-team of animators gets put to work, I am reminded of why I liked this series so much in the first place.
9. Crest/Banner/Banner II of the Stars: One of the richest characterizations of an alien humanoid race, this space opera has a potent mixture of quasi-science (yay for Alcubierre space-time bubbles!) and subtle character drama. The romance between Lafiel and Jinto was delicately weaved over the course of 3 series, yet avoids pure KimiNozo cheese through a combination of quirkiness and subtlety. Also, it’s one of the few modern series that deal with massive military campaigns, complete with full blown capital ship wars. No other series projects the sheer vulnerability of the sluggish ships quite so well. No uber-powered Gundams flying around here, no sirreee. The spandex pajama uniforms are kind of iffy, though.
10. Kino no Tabi: I really enjoyed the air of mystery, wonder, and philisophical musing in this series. Heavy on metaphor, light in dialogue, it’s something out of the ordinary. Definitely underrated, but not for everyone.
Special Mention:
Shaman King: Yeah, try to forget its incredibly lame FOX version. The original was actually pretty entertaining and humorous in a very absurd way. I’m a banana!
Boys Be: For those of you who can’t get enough KimiNozo, you might want to check out this older miniseries. It has a very nostalgic, wistful feel to it.
Noir: Probably the only series where style actually compensated for substance. Also served as an excellent Yuki Kajiura vehicle.
And for the record, yes I did like KimiNozo, but Bakayuki totally pissed me off. It joins SaiKano in the “pissed me off so much it’s actually good” category.
Some interesting choices, Jeff! Full Moon and Tutu both have been incessantly praised by many, but I still haven’t gotten around to watching them! I’ve got Tutu sitting in a dusty drawer somewhere, but as for FMoS the gargantuan size of the download basically kills any impetus. I did watch Piano though, and it definitely imparted a feeling of peace and calm. Your description of Marimite is certainly apt – I didn’t except to get sucked into such a pretentious and sappy series. If anything, the series gets mad props for popularizing Gokigenyou and being a model of yuri for future progney.
Oooh, lists… Here’s mine in no particular order, with the exception of Junni Kokki.
1. Juuni Kokki. An instant classic.
2. Monster. One of the best thrillers in recent years.
3. Hagaren. The writers managed to weave intricate plots beyond the manga.
4. Piano. Sweet without being too saccharine. Lovely music pieces.
5. Scrapped Princess. The matrix-y tale provided a balance of action, comedy, and drama.
6. One Piece. Yay for the shounen fighting genre. OP’s VAs are a gold mine.
7. X TV. Despite the depressing second half, it maintained an excellent narrative throughout the series.
8. Rahxephon. It still befuddles me why I love this series.
9. Haibane Renmei. Deceptively simplistic yet full of pathos.
10. Kino no Tabi. I fell in-love with this series on episode one alone.
Bear in mind I have little to no taste whatsoever. In no particular order:
1. Earth Girl Arjuna – yeah, I know, it’s incredibly pretentious and preachy, but for some reason I found it utterly entrancing – gorgeous music, great animation and a fascinating plot with genuinely human characters caught up in events beyond their control. I can’t hope to convince others of its greatness, but I can still love it far, far too much.
2. The Twelve Kingdoms – like everyone else, I find Juuni Kokki to be one of the best executed stories of its genre – while it will never topple Escaflowne thanks to the nostalgia factor, it’s a truly excellent addition to the girl-in-fantasy-world pantheon…and then it turns it all on its head to develop into a political fantasy drama the likes of which we’ll probably not see again.
3. Witch Hunter Robin – it’s slothful, overly broody and has a frustrating ending, but the wonderful style and characters just totally won me over to WHR – I loved the animation, the plot (episode 15 has to be one of the best episodes in any anime ever) and especially Robin (and Doujima!).
4. Planetes – it’s genuinely funny, yet at the same time intensely dramatic and heart-renchingly romantic when it needs to be. Sheer class all round, even with Tanabe’s “all you need is love!” moments.
5. Princess Tutu – it’s basically metatheatre as anime, but since I’m a huge metatheatre fan (sorry, being pretentious again) I just totally fell for Tutu – while I really enjoyed the first half as it unexpectedly morphed into an incredibly dark story of jealousy and lust, the second half’s fascinating investigation of fairy tales cemented Tutu as a classic (despite some annoying filler-y moments).
6. Wolf’s Rain – I have a love-hate relationship with the show, and can never quite work out how I feel about it. When it’s good, it’s very very good indeed, but there are moments when it meanders too much, and it suffers from having a bland, unlikeable lead character (despite the rest of the cast being great!) I loved the ending and the early middle, but the beginning and the recap episodes weaken the show a lot.
7. X TV – I’m a massive CLAMP fan anyway, and X was just the best way to indulge in one of my favourite manga series ever.
8. Fruits Basket – it’s just one of the nicest, fluffiest little series around – while this would normally send me screaming for the hills, it’s just incredibly well put together and virtually devoid of saccharine – Tohru is actually tolerable!
9. Kaleido Star – I think it’s getting the acclaim it deserves now, and while it does nothing new it does the whole shoujo sports thing so endearingly that you can’t help but love it.
10. Last Exile – take Escaflowne, replace the mecha with airships, and voila, Last Exile – the plot needed tightening in a couple of places but otherwise it’s an exhilarating, rip-roaring show that proved Gonzo can be so much more than the boobtastic CG-obsessed studio they make themselves out to be.
POTENTIAL ADDITIONS (based on how they end up) – Fantastic Children, Gankutsuou, Monster
REALLY SHOULD SEE MORE OF – RahXephon, Kino no Tabi
HONOURABLE MENTIONS (series I like enough to own on DVD, but don’t consider to be top notch) – Shingetsutan Tsukihime, Soultaker
whoa… too lazy to look through everyone’s list, but I’m sure there are some excite anime recommendationos there No way I’m putting up a list since my favs always change (and I kinda forget about a lot of anime I watch unless it’s mentioned)….
btw Ender, you just got to get used to seeing double the cuteness in genric designs w/ Futakoi. Pray you somehow can tell the differences between the twins, and things get easier
Hey, I actually enjoyed Arjuna.
I just had too many better series, but still, I actually didn’t mind all the pretentiousness and preaching because for once it’s something I tend to agree with (environmental causes). And the characters were great and the music was *excellent*! I looove the OST… And Kuuki to Hoshi is one of my all-time favourite songs.
Ender, I thought Bones did animation production for RahXephon. (I’ve never watched it though, maybe Sunrise has assisted in animation…) And I cheer you on to watch Princess Tutu! C’mon, it even has the same director as Kaleidostar, iirc. (Junichi Sato)
Reading all of this and seeind “Fruits Basket” everywhere, I feel tempted to try it out (it’s very popular here in Singapore). I’ve always wanted to try out RahXephon and Kino no Tabi… *sigh* I could download it but I’m out of space and it’s tricky to clean up my HDD (stuff I want to burn but can’t…) and I’m completely out of cash even though RahXephon is one of the few series legally available on VCD here. Tough luck, I guess.
wao, you’re missing out if you haven’t watched Fruits Basket and RahXephon. RahXephon is the common man’s answer to an understandable version of “Evangelion”
And Fruits Basket… it’s just so frickin’ good, period.
I need a part-time job like, now.
Well, uh… do all of you not watch licensed anime because I expected to see Paranoia Agent somewhere, but oh well
And I also expected someone to put Ikkitousen on their list.
Whoa wao, you’re right! Hmm, I wonder what I was thinking when I said Sunrise. I must have been thinking of that “other” major studio Evangelion clone, “Brain Power’d”(which coincidentally features an opposition group called ORPHAN). It’s a conspiracy!
OMFG you didn’t just mention Brain Power’d!!!!!! WHAT A WASTE OF MONEY ON MANGA!!!!!!! GRRRRRRR >=(
BTW why do all these shows insist on using CAPS for everything? I feel like I am being shouted at all the time…
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[...] It’s amazing how Natsuki can induce mirth much more than the other Mai Hime characters. Mikoto and her spicy food (ep 2,8) or Midori with her radioactive puke (ep 7) just don’t make me lose it like Natsuki’s gust of wind (ep 4) or her hitch-hiking capers. It possibly stems from her serious personality making her embarrassing moments priceless. If my poll results are reliable (assuming Ender is not logged onto multiple computers to vote for Natsuki :P), Natsuki seems to be the most popular HiME, if not character, for most viewers. Well, I have to admit Midori’s waitress cosplay is no match for skin-tight biker suits.
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