Hey everyone, Necro here. Well it’s that time of year again, my birthday. And to celebrate, I am going to give you guys a redo of one of my earliest top 10 lists ever, even during my days at ODA. That list being my Top 10 Favorite Anime I have seen.
As I have stated in my previous list, we all have those certain anime we have seen and love to death. Now ever since the original list all the way back in Anime April, I have seen way more anime, thanks in part to boredom and to Anime Challenges with The Keeper. And this is the reason I want to share with you my NEW Top 10 Favorite Anime I have seen.
But first, some ground rules:
1.) I must have seen the anime in question for it to make it onto my list.
2.) The anime must have left a good impact on me to make it on the list.
3.) I must have finished the ENTIRE anime series for it to be on the list. So if you do not see any particular anime on my list, then chances are it has failed one of the 3 requirements so far.
4.) I am excluding the Pokemon, Digimon, and Yugioh Anime as well as excluding the Big 4 Anime, those being One Piece, Dragonball Z, Naruto, and Bleach.
With all that said, Let’s Begin!!!
Number 10.) The Familiar of Zero (Zero no Tsukaima)The Familiar of Zero is a fantastic anime series created by the late Noboru Yamaguchi. This 4 season series is an amazing blend of fantasy and modern aspects that are just interesting in general. For those who do not know about this anime, the plot is set in the imaginary land of Halkeginia and is centered on a Japanese boy named Saito and how he was summoned to Halkeginia by a young aristocratic wizard in training named Louise, to be her familiar. Saito then sets his goal to try to get back home to Japan.
This anime is hilarious in so much comedy it holds, mainly from the variety of characters in the show. From Saito showing this magical world about modern technology, Louise's many fails with magic and eventual realization of her true talents, as well as MANY other characters like Siesta the Maid, Tabitha, etc..
Now for how great this anime is, it does get hate from lots of people because of Louise and how she behaves, mostly how she treats Saito like a dog many times. I, however, do not seem to have that much issue with her. She may show off the fact she is from a noble family too much, but Saito acts as her counter balance and helps her realize her place.
One particular scene I love is where Louise is scared she might die in a battle against a thief and their giant golem, but she will not choke down her pride of being from a noble family and risks dying in battle because of pride. In response, Saito walks up and slaps her, making her realize she should not be focusing on her pride and should focus on living.
It is sad that since the creator passed away, this series will never expand with the same charm the original 4 seasons have. Even though this is the case, I recommend watching this series without a doubt. Seasons 1-3 are amazing, though Season 4 is the most iffy season and I have noticed causes the most debate between fans.
Number 9.) Sword Art Online (Sōdo Āto Onrain)Wow 2 for 2 on anime that cause the most debate that I like. How interesting... Yeah, if you cannot tell, I have lots of favorites that are either obscure, cause lots of debates, etc... Do not worry though, there will be some more modern shows on the list. Now going back to SAO. For those who still do not know of this story, the plot takes place in the year 2022, where the launch of a VRMMORPG known as Sword Art Online occurs and many people log in. Suddenly, the creator hacks the game and takes away the log out feature and adds a new feature in where if they die in game, they die irl. The only way out is to beat the 100 floor dungeon of Aincrad.
Now some people I know either praise this series or hate it. One reason people I know who hate it bring up is how it had so much potential, but wasted it for fanservice, romance, etc... Even though they bring up a good point there, there is honestly too much hate on this series. I feel this is a bandwagon effect, but I digress. Now while I will admit the 1st half of season 1 was alright and the 2nd half of season 1 was meh on both ends, it is season 2 that reignited why I love this show.
Season 2 takes place in a new VRMMORPG named Gun Gale Online (GGO) has a character named Death Gun. His gimmick involves him shooting players to death in game, but they somehow end up dying in the real world. As such, the government hires Kazuto Kirgaya, aka Kirito, to enter GGO to find leads to expose who Death Gun is. Meanwhile we are introduced to a new character named Sinon and her tragic backstory.
Now along with Sinon's past haunting her, Kirito is also facing a dark feeling of the Death Gun being a member of the Laughing Coffin PK Guild from when he was trapped in SAO. Now I love those darker storylines in certain anime and SAO delivers. Learning about Sinon's past is amazing and we also get some PTSD symptoms being shown from Kirito, which feels very real.
Now to those complaining about Kirito suddenly having PTSD when it was never established he had this in season 1, I have to say a good comparison would be thinking of SAO as a war zone or a battlefield and Kirito as an everyday soldier. It pretty much seems standard that after seeing your teammates die in front of you in battle, like Kirito saw for 2 years, a soldier would have PTSD recurring after a certain scenario, like thinking of the enemy as someone from your past.
Now with that said, the 2nd season is not just Gun Gale. Much like season 1, the Gun Gale arc takes a majority, then we enter a sub-plot, and then an ending emotional sub-plot known as Mother Rosario. Not only that, but its opening theme, Ignite, is one of the greatest Anime theme songs I have ever heard. I have to say even with the many complaints given, give the entire series a watch and form your own opinions for yourself.
Number 8.) Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero (Hagure Yuusha no Estetika)Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero seems like every other fantasy anime on paper with a hero, a devil lord, etc... But you will learn quickly this is unlike any other show. Namely with our main rogue hero Akatsuki. His story involves him defeating the devil lord and as a reward, he is given his only daughter, Myuu, as a prize. After sneaking Myuu out of the world of Alayzard and getting back to Earth, Akatsuki enrolls himself and Myuu, rolling as his long lost sister, in BABEL High School. From there, the rest of the anime involves the daily lives of these characters and their experiences with the student council, the school, and living with each other.
Now the first thing I want to bring up is Akatsuki. As the titular "Rogue Hero", you'd expect him to be a stoic type of character. Like the typical thieves who have some joking moments, but mainly silent. Akatsuki says screw that, I'm doing things my way. He is one smooth motherfucking criminal. Akatsuki is usually very laid back and displays an almost arrogant (though justified) confidence in his abilities. Although he usually presents a rough and sometimes perverted persona, deep down he is really a noble character (it's just that he marches to the beat of his own drum).
And when I say perverted, Oh boy I mean it. He takes that trope of romantic anime characters who end up is perverted situations that are then punished with no context and he turns it into one of his main comedic aspects. He ends up causing so many perverted moments, it goes from wierd to comedic. One memorable part involves him taking Myuu to Earth and he gets stopped by the maids. He distracts them by going super fast around them all, jumping up into the air, and throwing their underwear everywhere while making a comment about a bouquet.
I could not help but laugh at that. On that note though, I seriously do recommend this series and if anyone can vouch for this anime, look no further than The Keeper. With that said, on to number 7.
Number 7.) Lovely Complex (Rabu★Kon)Talk about judging a book by its cover. This anime is amazing for a romance and I highly recommend it. For those not in the know of this show's plot, this show stars a comedy duo called All-Hanshin Kyojin. In this duo are Risa Koizumi and Atsushi Otani. The main problem and in a way, source of comedy, of the duo is that Risa is taller than an average girl, standing at 172 cm, while Otani is actually shorter than an average guy, standing at 156 cm. This duo goes about their days all fine and good, while still making sly comments about each other, however soon they start this contest to see who can get a girlfriend/boyfriend first and that starts a steady spiral to start up Risa having more and more feelings for Otani.
Now I do not really have much to say about the series because I already said every positive and negative comment in my Anime Review of Lovely Complex. But I guess I could elaborate on a few things. Namly, I never really went over Risa and Otani's relationship in the review.
At first, their relationship was meh at best and annoying at worst. They constantly took pot shots at each other and when one was in distress, the other made a joke that causes a misunderstanding that then leads the plot. But when Risa develops feelings for Otani, they skyrocket in terms of fun for me. Their developing relation from one-sided, to two-sided, to full on is a great journey.
Also the moral Risa learns when they meet their idol, Umibozu, is honestly a great lesson teaching how Umibozu and his wife were polar opposites and even when she rejected his feelings the first time, they eventually got together. This lesson of never give up because eventually they will come back is amazing and I praise a show that can give a great moral as well as be entertaining.
Overall, I say give this show a watch. You will not regret it.
Number 6.) Persona 4: The Animation (Perusona 4)And here we have an anime based off a video game. Now I will say this right now, there are very few video game based anime I like, such as the adaptation of Tale of the Abyss. Here however, we have an adaptation of a video game I love so dearly, Persona 4.
The plot is centered on the protagonist, Yu Narukami, and him staying with his uncle and little cousin in a rural town called Inaba. While there, he makes new friends and discovers a new world rampant with creatures known as Shadows and it links to “The Midnight Channel” which predicts murders of innocent civilians. Using the power of their Personas and social links, Yu and his friends create the Investigation Club and look into the Midnight Channel and try to stop the streak of murders happening in Inaba.
This series has amazing special effects; with the summoning of the Personas, and the actions against their evil Shadow counterparts. Also the humor is spot on, especially at a scene where the Club participates in what is known as The King Game. Something else I would like to bring up is Yu as a character. In the Persona games, typically you play as Yu or Minato in Persona 3 and with this role you have the option to make the choices that affect the story. As such, Yu is portrayed as a balanced character to make a moral choice in the story. Something fun me and a friend did was play P4 like how it plays in the anime.
Even if you have no clue what the Persona franchise is, you would still enjoy this anime, in my opinion.
Number 5.) Death Parade (Desu Parēdo)Ah Death Parade. I had so many thoughts when I first read your description. It was only sort of recently that I sat down and watch this 12 episode series by Studio Madhouse. Needless to say, this anime blew my expectations out of the water.
This anime asks a simple question: "What happens when 2 people die at the same time?"
In this world, they are instead sent to Quindecim, one of many bars. Here are Quindecim, as with all the other spirit bars, they are meet by an arbiter in the form of a bartender. For Quindecim, that arbiter is named Decim. After coming to Quindecim with no memories of what happened to them, the arbiters ask for a game, a Death Game to be specific. These Death Games are made to push these wandering souls to their darkest points to expose all of their secrets which lead them into this situation in the first place. From there, the arbiters judge if the souls are worthy of Reincarnation or are tainted enough to be cast into the Void, a place where the souls are sent to rot away.
Needless to say, I love this anime. It was so good it sky-rocketed all the way to the top 5. I cannot wait until this show eventually gets a 2nd season. Please do it Studio Madhouse.
Number 4.) Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood (Hagane no Renkinjutsushi)This anime needs no introduction. Needless to say this anime was probably the first anime for most people outside of the Big 4. I love this anime with its message of not messing with that which you do not and cannot understand.
I picked FMA: Brotherhood over the original FMA because of 1 main reason, I prefer anime with source manga to follow the manga. A brilliant example of this is with Hellsing and Hellsing Ultimate. I saw the original Hellsing and hated it and how much it did not follow the manga with how it made new characters on the spot. However with Hellsing Ultimate, I love it and how much it followed the grim tone of the manga.
Plus we can all agree the ending of Brotherhood is amazingly funny (No spoilers). Without a doubt, Edward is a riot in Brotherhood, though if I have to give the original somthing, the fight with Father Cornello is actually a ton of fun in there whereas in Brotherhood, it was sub-par. If you have not seen this show, go give it a watch. I do say you will most likely love it.
Number 3.) Kokoro Connect (Kokoro Konekuto)Here we have my vote for one of the best Romance and Psychological anime in history.
This series played with so many of my emotions, I had to take a few cry breaks. The plot is centered on a group of 5 students in a Culture Research Club and how one day 2 members, Aoki and Yui, suddenly find themselves in each other’s body. At first the other 3 members, Taichi, Inaba, and Iori, don’t believe them and think they are playing a joke. However they soon change bodies with each other and then the group realizes something is amiss. At first, they find some amusement amidst the confusion, but this unwarranted connection also exposes the painful scars hidden within their hearts. As their calm lives are shattered, the relationships between the five students also begin to change.
This anime played with my emotions a ton. From how each character reacts to the body swaps, to the emotions they show towards each other, I feel their emotions. However do not think this is just body swaps, because we get much more emotions from them with looking into their past events they do and do not remember, outbursts of emotions, etc...
I would also like to bring up particular moments with characters. Namely Heartseed. Heartseed is this entity that take over their gym teacher's body occasionally. Heartseed is honestly one of the cruelest entities in anime history. He toys with our 5 protagonists SO MUCH throughout this entire series. Such as taking over our main characters occasionally to be his mouthpiece, causing practically every event that occurs to them to occur in the first place, and so many things.
This is one anime I always think of when I hear the topic, “Anime that exhort major emotions” and I recommend you give it a watch
Number 2.) The Devil is a Part-Timer (Hataraku Maō-sama!)Surprised? So am I. I honestly did not expect this fantastic diamond of an anime series to be any lower than number 1. So... what can I say about an anime of this caliber?
How about we start with the concept of taking the lord of everything evil, King Satan, and placing him in Tokyo, with no mystic powers, and as a fast-food worker. That alone gave me so many laughs and the characters are even better.
In terms of characters, first we have Maou, aka King Satan, who is a hard working demon king trying to get his fill and working all the way, but if you threaten his allies or his workplace, your ass is grass.
Then next is Emi Usa, the hero from the mystic realm, and a hilarious sort of love interest in how so many people make sly comments saying she may have feelings for her longtime rival. Ashiya, Chie, Urushihara, etc… All these characters are wonderful!!!!
The action is amazing and the humor is golden and encased in platinum. I have 2 favorite scenes in this show; both from episode 10. The first scene make a hilarious boob joke in comparison to Maou calling up burger orders, and the other is when Emi, Chie, Susano go into a Haunted House.
Finally, some little aspects I noticed that make this show a ton funnier. In some of the original versions of the show, the subbed version would have King Saten and Ashiya speak English while in the dub, they spoke Japanese. That was a nice little touch involving these characters. Also in one episode where Maou, Ahsiya, Emi, and Chie go to Chie's school at night for magic, but end up finding where Urushihara was crashing and a PSP/Vita. Finally I love Monica Riel's role in this show as Emeralda and how in so many scenes, she eats a Pokey Stick treat.
Overall, you need to watch this series and I guarantee you will love it. Now if they could only get to make a season 2 of this amazing show. Now I know what you are thinking. "What the hell could be number 1 if not The Devil is a Part-Timer!" Well, I'll tell you, but first some honorable mentions.
Honorable Mentions: Now for some honorable mentions. When it came down to the wire, I had so many more anime I Ioved and wanted to talk about. I even thought of extending this list to a top 15 or 20. However, I figured I’d do reviews of those anime later on. So anyway, here are some of my honorable mentions:
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- Wolf Children: Ami and Yuki - This was a great anime movie with such great artistic style and concept. I highly recommend this one.
- Clannad/Clannad: After Story - SO MANY EMOTIONS!!!!! I cry, but sad to say the other 10 trounced it in my opinions
- Toradora - A great romantic comedy about two people trying to help each other with attracting their friends.
- Your Lie in April - A fantastic anime about the struggles of a musician with a hearing disability (For more info, read my review of this show.)
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Number 1.) Assassination Classroom (Ansatsu Kyōshitsu)I never thought any single anime could top The Devil is a Part-Timer for the number 1 spot. But here comes along Assassination Classroom, one of the best comedic anime series I have ever laid witness to.
First, the plot. The Earth is threatened by a powerful creature who destroyed 70% of the Moon with its power, rendering into the shape of a crescent moon forever. The creature claims that within a year, Earth will also be destroyed by him, but he offers mankind a chance to avert this fate. In class 3-E at Kunugigaoka Junior High School, he starts working as a homeroom teacher where he teaches his students not only regular subjects, but the ways of assassination. The Japanese government promises a reward of ¥10 billion (i.e. 100 million USD) to whomever among the students succeeds in killing the teacher, whom they have named "Koro-Sensei" (Un-killable Teacher). However, this has proven to be an almost impossible task, as not only does he have several superpowers at his disposal, including the capacity of moving at Mach 20, but he is also the best teacher they've ever had.
Where do I even begin. Firstly Koro-Sensei himself, voiced by Sonny Straight in the English Dub. He is a fucking riot. His face is always a smile and he shows expressions by changing his head's color and eyes. Not only that, but even though his students are also his assassins, he really cares for them. Even saving some of them when some of their intentions are to kill him.
That leads me to how they can even think to try and kill him? Regular weapons will not work. So the government gives the student anti-Koro-Sensei pellets and knifes that are extrmely deadly to him and his kind. Honestly this is a fantastic idea and I love the uses of the pellets in their plans. Nor only that, but it gets watchers like me thinking, "How would I go about killing him with the supplies they are given?" So many plans are used; like a pellet covered baseball, a "Suicide Bomber", as well as laying them on the floor for him to walk on.
Not only that, but the characters are all fantastic. From another amazing Monica Riel performance, to fan favorites Nagisa and Karma (Karuma). Overall this anime is A++ material as well as one of the new "Broadcast Dubs" For those who do not know of Broadcast Dubs, pretty much Funimation lets the sub run for a bit, then record the dubs weekly so as to give a constant stream to fans of dubs.
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And so there are my NEW top 10 anime. What did you guys think? Leave a comment down below and if you have a favorite anime that did not make the list, please tell me about it so I may watch it. I will see you all later Satellian Nubs and Nublets.
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