Alright, I’ve seen a few people making top 10 lists on here, so I figured I would hop onto the bandwagon. I’ve always found that when I try to describe things, I end up leaving it lacking a bit…well here goes something.
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10: Initial D
“High school student Takumi Fujiwara works as a gas station attendant during the day and a delivery boy for his father's tofu shop during late nights. Little does he know that his precise driving skills and his father's modified Toyota Sprinter AE86 Trueno make him the best amateur road racer on Mt. Akina's highway. Because of this, racing groups from all over the Gunma prefecture issue challenges to Takumi to see if he really has what it takes to be a road legend.”
I used to stay up each night watching Initial D with my brothers. I didn’t necessarily understand any of the car stuff in the show, but I knew enough to know how badass it was. I found myself on the edge of my seat, or rather the edge of my bed, with each and every race. The art style was a bit hard to adapt to, but once you get used to it, you actually start appreciating the style and how elegantly the races were performed. I still don’t necessarily like the art, but I can’t imagine Initial D looking any other way anymore. I haven’t seen this show in awhile, but that’s not because I didn’t want to. I’m always getting the urge to watch it again. It is just that there are other shows I wanna watch more.
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9:Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood
Two brothers lose their mother to a un-curable disease. With the power of "alchemy", they use taboo knowledge to resurrect her. The process fails, and as a toll for using this type of alchemy, the older brother, Edward Elric loses his left leg while the younger brother, Alphonse Elric loses his entire body. To save his brother, Edward sacrifices his right arm and is able to affix his brother's soul to a suit of armor. With the help of a family-friend, Edward receives metal limbs - "Automail" - to replace his lost ones. With that, Edward vows to search for the Philosopher's Stone to return him and his brother to their original bodies, even if it means becoming a "State Alchemist", one who uses his/her alchemy for the military.
*looks left*
*looks right*
God, this show seems have been a target over the last couple weeks. Some nonsense about its 2003 counterpart. Eh. Nevertheless, I stand by this being my #9 anime and I am proud(heh….pride.) to say I loved it. It was the first introduction to FMA that I saw and I was hooked from start to finish. Ya, I know it is mainstream and I know it is on EVERYBODY’s list, but who cares? Maes Hughes death, Roy Mustang sadistically killing every humunculous he passes, Greed being….greedy. Ack! I almost wanna watch it now….well maybe not so much. It’s 64 episodes so that would take a few days. Either way, go listen to it’s 4th opening and tell me I’m wrong. The 2003 version might have been in this spot if I had listened to my brother when he recommended it, but I instead elected to watch Brotherhood…I don’t regret a thing. Cept maybe watching it so fast.
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8: Kamisama no Memochou
The story centers around Narumi Fujishima, the main protagonist. He is a high school student who is not very involved in his school whatsoever to the point where he does not know most of his classmate's names. However, in a chain of events, he is pulled into participating in his school's "Gardening Committee" whose members consist of himself and Ayaka Shinozaki, Narumi's classmate. He also gets dragged in as a member of NEET, an amateur detective agency filled with unemployed slack-offs who take on and solve cases on their own whims. The NEET agency is led by "Alice", who is a childish, anti-social, extreme shut-in. This is to the point where she never leaves her room filled with computer monitors and stuffed animals. Alice has proven herself a resourceful hacker and an astounding detective, which she normally uses to a decent extent on all their cases. Throughout the course of the story, Narumi, accompanied by the other members of NEET, solve crimes and murders using their limited resources and Alice's genius intellect.
It is about here on my list that the true fangirling begins. This show. Was. AMAZING! I loved everything about this show. The story! The characters! The musi-OH THE MUSIC! Will you just listen to that opening? And the video sequence that goes with it?! Simply beautiful. There are so many good quotes, a fantastic mystery, a reason to drop out of school and live solely off noodles and Dr Pepper! This show has it all. It did have a FEW areas where the show took some turns that made me a bit depressed, but I know a few people who love that kind of thing so even then it isn’t a real weakness. I love great characters and that was simply another area where this show excelled.
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7: Nurarihyon no Mago
Rikuo Nura is 3/4 human and 1/4 yōkai. He has a human form in the day but transforms into his yōkai form at night. He lives in a house full of yōkai along with his yōkai grandfather. Trying to escape his fate, he does good deeds in order to avoid becoming a yōkai, despite his grandfather's wish that Rikuo succeed him as the Third Head of the Nura Clan. Rikuo is different because he helps humans. He eventually comes to terms with his yōkai blood and decides to take up the position of the Third Head of the Nura Clan. Multiple factions aim to stop him or usurp his position, and he must gather friends and allies, a new Hyakki Yakō under his banner of "Fear".
I just have one word for you to describe this anime. Sunshine. Those of you who’ve seen it should understand. For those that don’t, this anime is fantastic. There’s no other way to describe it. Hilarious comedy, thrilling action, characters who just draw you in straight away. This show has some of everything, and since it is on my top 10, I obviously think it has a lot of everything. There are times when the show could be a bit dull and admittedly it took me two tries to watch more than the first episode, but when I did finally watch the show from start to finish, I couldn’t imagine myself not finishing…until season 2 came out and it took me another two tries to finish it XD. Hey what can I say? I get distracted easily. It’s got Yokai, Onmyouji, transformations, a kappa, and an awesome soundtrack to boot. Honestly I could go on for hours about how much I love each little thing in this, but I’ll just let you watch it for yourself….or not.
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6: Detective Conan/Case Closed
Kudo Shinichi is a seventeen year-old high school detective whom people call the "Modern Sherlock Holmes." However, one night after a date with his childhood sweetheart, Ran, Shinichi witnessed an illegal trade and, caught off his guard, was knocked unconscious and fed a drug that was supposed to kill him... but he woke up and found himself shrunken to a seven year-old. In order to track down the men who did this to him, Shinichi hid his identity and lived with Ran, whose father happened to be a hopeless detective, and with that came a series of murders and mysteries that he must solve.
For those that know me, it is no small secret. I. LOVE. MYSTERIES! I live for them. I’d even become a detective myself if I didn’t already know that murder mysteries didn’t happen like that every week. Kinda sucks, but hey, at least I have author to fall back on, and frycook to fall back on when that fails. Detective Conan is exactly what I love in copious amounts. Murder mystery after murder mystery. Closed rooms, clues at every turn, motives, gadgets, deduction shows, !!!!!! I love it! It even has some great music to go along with it. Detective Conan really just does one thing, but it does that one thing so well that it has about 22 seasons so far and over 800 episodes. Detective Conan even has a plot! Admittedly 50 episodes can go by before the plot progresses a bit, but it’s still good. They say too much of a good thing can be bad, and if that is the case then I must not have had too much Detective Conan yet because I feel GOOOOOD.
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5: Ghost Hunt
Telling ghost stories is a favorite past time of Mai Taniyama and her friends--that is, until she meets 17 year-old Kazuya Shibuya, the man sent by Shibuya Psychic Research Center to investigate paranormal activity at a supposedly haunted school. When Mai gets caught in a dangerous situation, she is rescued by Kazuya's assistant. Saving her lands the assistant incapacitated, and Kazuya demands that Mai become his assistant, instead...
The way I see it, if you watch a 25 episode anime over 100 times and have never once gotten bored of it, that anime deserves to go in the top 10, and if you are currently watching it at that time, then it probably should go in the top 5. Ghost Hunt has earned its place in this list out of sheer determination and perseverance. When I first started watching it, I wasn’t exactly excited or interested. I just wanted to watch something that night and thought I’d try for something scary. Well it scared. It scared and I slept with the light on for a few nights…I spook easily. The thing that really shocked me though, was that I loved it. I enjoyed every second of the anime from the points that made me laugh to the points that made me cry. From the ones that made me smile to the ones that made me scared out of my gourd. Ghost Hunt was a great watch for me that actually started one of the few times I’d actively support a shipping. Mai x Naru for the win, anyone?
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4: Ōkami-san to Shichinin no Nakamatachi
A romance comedy parodying fairy tales such as Little Red Riding Hood, The Ant and the Grasshopper etc. Ryōko Ōkami (the eponymous Ōkami-san) is a tomboyish high school girl. She is a member of a "trading" club known as the Otogi High School Bank. She and the other members of the club (such as her partner, Akai Ringo, aka Little Red Riding Hood) fix the problems presented by students (or "clients"), of any sort, by any means, in exchange for the students' helping them out later when others may need help.
Ghost Hunt was good and all, but Okami-san is on a whole other level. I loved this anime to the point of insanity. The characters, the comedy, the action, the laughs, the cries, the feels, the soundtrack. I loved it all SO much. The thing is though, I shouldn’t. I know I shouldn’t. The anime is good. The anime might be great, but the anime is not fantastic. It isn’t amazing, yet I fell in love with the anime the second I started watching. It is literally just like any other sappy romantic anime out there, yet for some indescribable reason, it was different for me. Perhaps it is this high on the list because I loved it so much or maybe it is this high on the list simply because I DON’T KNOW why I loved it so much, but either way, Okami-san has had one of the most drastic increases in popularity for me and has risen the fastest in my list of favorites. If anyone out there can tell me why this anime struck me so hard, feel free to say so because I am clueless.
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3: Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro
Yako's father was murdered in a locked room. She then meets a man named Neuro Nougami who is a demon from Hell who eats "riddles." He forces Yako to act as a detective so he can solve mysteries. Neuro longs to eat the ultimate mystery.
Oh look. Another mystery show. Of them all, Neuro has to be my favorite. With Nougami Neuro, the demon that has devoured all of Hell’s mysteries. And Yako Katsuragi, gluttony incarnate, this anime delivers with each episode. However, despite it being a mystery anime, the mysteries themselves are solved a little too fast for comfort and are not the highlight of the anime. They did kill a dog though, and I deduct points from any anime that kills a dog.
Where the anime truly shines, is character development. Nougami Neuro, or NN as Rikuzan and I like to call it, excels at making sure that each character is full of life and energy, especially the relationship between Yako and Neuro. This anime perfectly portrays their personalities and quirks in a way I haven’t seen repeated. I found myself loving the various interactions between the characters and even drawn into a few. NN has quite the interesting style, where each culprit takes on qualities of the crime they committed. I don’t quite know how to describe it, but all I really know is that I loved this anime from start to finish and it is a fantastic show.
Oh, and because I know Riku won’t forgive me without mentioning it…Sai.
---------------------------------------
2: Yu Yu Hakusho
One day, 14 year old Yusuke Urameshi suddenly finds himself dead, having died pushing a child out of the way of oncoming traffic. Since he has such a bad personality, even the Spirit World was caught by surprise that he would sacrifice himself. Yusuke soon finds out he wasn't supposed to die and has a chance for resurrection and bringing his body back to life. After being resurrected, Yusuke becomes a Spirit Detective, along with his comrades, and one adventure after another happens, whether it be an investigation or a fighting tournament.
I loved this show and to this day, I profess my undying love to my dear sweet Botan. First anime crush and totally not childish. Aside from being a fantastic action anime, it has great characters, an interesting story, and is hilarious to boot. It’s like a better Bleach. It’s a relatively long anime with well over 150 episodes that I have burned through multiple times. Since we’re in the home stretch here, let’s try and break this down.
First off is the obvious. The action. This show is just FULL of fighting. Fist fighting, sword fighting, plant fighting, you name it. It does it all incredibly well and each fight no matter how small is enough to keep you on the edge of your seat with anticipation or relaxed and chuckling. Some people might claim that its age works against it, but I don’t think so. Fight scene’s back then were done differently, and honestly? I like the old. I especially love tournaments, and this show has possibly one of the best tournaments in all of anime. The powers are also fantastic and quite varied.
Next is the characters, and oh where to start. Well we’ve already established that I’m in love with Botan, right? Marry her character one day? Well aside from her, you have greatness across the board. There are a few characters that can be found annoying, especially in the dub which has a couple voices that are particularly irritating, but with the exception of those small few, each character brings something new to the table. You basically have all of the various archtypes. You’ve got protagonists, antagonists, antiheroes, antivillains, hyperactive, emotionless, old, young, happy, sad, and Jin. Each one of them plays their role to perfection.
The music in this show was phenomenal. I never used to listen to the opening songs, but with this show, I always did. I loved the OST’s and how they set the stage for everything that was going on. Admittedly it was not the greatest aspect of this show, but they certainly aren’t lacking in it either.
I’m not really a fan of tragedy so everything in this show generally works out for the better. However, that isn’t to say they can’t bring tears. When this show wants you to feel sad, you are GOING to feel sad.
Honestly without going into massive super detail, that just about sums it u-THE COMEDY! How could I not mention the comedy?! This show is HILARIOUS! It makes me laugh to the point of having tears in my eyes. Maybe I’m just a sucker for old fashioned, but I can always count on this show to bring a smile. Anyway, to wrap this up, this show exceeded any and all expectations I had for it and if I had to choose any anime in the world to watch, it would be this…well…there might be ONE other. XD
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1: Dragon Ball Z
Dragon Ball Z follows the adventures of the adult Goku who, along with his companions, defends the earth against an assortment of villains ranging from intergalactic space fighters and conquerors, unnaturally powerful androids and near indestructible magical creatures. While the original Dragon Ball anime followed Goku through childhood into adulthood, Dragon Ball Z is a continuation of his adulthood life, but at the same time parallels the maturation of his son, Gohan, as well as characters from Dragon Ball and more. The separation between the series is also significant as the latter series takes on a more dramatic and serious tone. The anime also features characters, situations and back-stories not present in the original manga.
Did anyone not see this coming? Anyone at all? Well screw you then. It’s got plot holes, it’s excessive in every regard, the villains are transparent, and no death is permanent…but heck…it works. Dragon Ball Z in my opinion is, and always will be, the king of anime. There have been SO many anime that have been inspired by DBZ in their creation. It’s an anime that is still going strong today, with a new series coming out in July. It’s funny, it’s lighthearted, it’s epic when **** gets serious, and really there is nothing I can say about this anime that hasn’t been said already over and over and over and over again. I accept DBZ’s flaws. I really do, but I don’t necessarily consider those flaws to be bad things. I have NEVER been so entertained and there is no other show that is so deeply engrained into my childhood. I know it is cliché, but I would not be the Wantadog I am today if I had never seen this show. It’s a part of me and I can’t imagine it not being there, and isn’t that what any #1 anime should be?
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Honorable Mentions:
-Kuroko no Basuke
-Nabari No Ou
-Trigun: Badlands Rumble
-Hataraku Maou Sama
-Shinryaku Ika Musume
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10: Initial D
“High school student Takumi Fujiwara works as a gas station attendant during the day and a delivery boy for his father's tofu shop during late nights. Little does he know that his precise driving skills and his father's modified Toyota Sprinter AE86 Trueno make him the best amateur road racer on Mt. Akina's highway. Because of this, racing groups from all over the Gunma prefecture issue challenges to Takumi to see if he really has what it takes to be a road legend.”
I used to stay up each night watching Initial D with my brothers. I didn’t necessarily understand any of the car stuff in the show, but I knew enough to know how badass it was. I found myself on the edge of my seat, or rather the edge of my bed, with each and every race. The art style was a bit hard to adapt to, but once you get used to it, you actually start appreciating the style and how elegantly the races were performed. I still don’t necessarily like the art, but I can’t imagine Initial D looking any other way anymore. I haven’t seen this show in awhile, but that’s not because I didn’t want to. I’m always getting the urge to watch it again. It is just that there are other shows I wanna watch more.
Initial D
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9:Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood
Two brothers lose their mother to a un-curable disease. With the power of "alchemy", they use taboo knowledge to resurrect her. The process fails, and as a toll for using this type of alchemy, the older brother, Edward Elric loses his left leg while the younger brother, Alphonse Elric loses his entire body. To save his brother, Edward sacrifices his right arm and is able to affix his brother's soul to a suit of armor. With the help of a family-friend, Edward receives metal limbs - "Automail" - to replace his lost ones. With that, Edward vows to search for the Philosopher's Stone to return him and his brother to their original bodies, even if it means becoming a "State Alchemist", one who uses his/her alchemy for the military.
*looks left*
*looks right*
God, this show seems have been a target over the last couple weeks. Some nonsense about its 2003 counterpart. Eh. Nevertheless, I stand by this being my #9 anime and I am proud(heh….pride.) to say I loved it. It was the first introduction to FMA that I saw and I was hooked from start to finish. Ya, I know it is mainstream and I know it is on EVERYBODY’s list, but who cares? Maes Hughes death, Roy Mustang sadistically killing every humunculous he passes, Greed being….greedy. Ack! I almost wanna watch it now….well maybe not so much. It’s 64 episodes so that would take a few days. Either way, go listen to it’s 4th opening and tell me I’m wrong. The 2003 version might have been in this spot if I had listened to my brother when he recommended it, but I instead elected to watch Brotherhood…I don’t regret a thing. Cept maybe watching it so fast.
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood
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8: Kamisama no Memochou
The story centers around Narumi Fujishima, the main protagonist. He is a high school student who is not very involved in his school whatsoever to the point where he does not know most of his classmate's names. However, in a chain of events, he is pulled into participating in his school's "Gardening Committee" whose members consist of himself and Ayaka Shinozaki, Narumi's classmate. He also gets dragged in as a member of NEET, an amateur detective agency filled with unemployed slack-offs who take on and solve cases on their own whims. The NEET agency is led by "Alice", who is a childish, anti-social, extreme shut-in. This is to the point where she never leaves her room filled with computer monitors and stuffed animals. Alice has proven herself a resourceful hacker and an astounding detective, which she normally uses to a decent extent on all their cases. Throughout the course of the story, Narumi, accompanied by the other members of NEET, solve crimes and murders using their limited resources and Alice's genius intellect.
It is about here on my list that the true fangirling begins. This show. Was. AMAZING! I loved everything about this show. The story! The characters! The musi-OH THE MUSIC! Will you just listen to that opening? And the video sequence that goes with it?! Simply beautiful. There are so many good quotes, a fantastic mystery, a reason to drop out of school and live solely off noodles and Dr Pepper! This show has it all. It did have a FEW areas where the show took some turns that made me a bit depressed, but I know a few people who love that kind of thing so even then it isn’t a real weakness. I love great characters and that was simply another area where this show excelled.
Kamisama
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7: Nurarihyon no Mago
Rikuo Nura is 3/4 human and 1/4 yōkai. He has a human form in the day but transforms into his yōkai form at night. He lives in a house full of yōkai along with his yōkai grandfather. Trying to escape his fate, he does good deeds in order to avoid becoming a yōkai, despite his grandfather's wish that Rikuo succeed him as the Third Head of the Nura Clan. Rikuo is different because he helps humans. He eventually comes to terms with his yōkai blood and decides to take up the position of the Third Head of the Nura Clan. Multiple factions aim to stop him or usurp his position, and he must gather friends and allies, a new Hyakki Yakō under his banner of "Fear".
I just have one word for you to describe this anime. Sunshine. Those of you who’ve seen it should understand. For those that don’t, this anime is fantastic. There’s no other way to describe it. Hilarious comedy, thrilling action, characters who just draw you in straight away. This show has some of everything, and since it is on my top 10, I obviously think it has a lot of everything. There are times when the show could be a bit dull and admittedly it took me two tries to watch more than the first episode, but when I did finally watch the show from start to finish, I couldn’t imagine myself not finishing…until season 2 came out and it took me another two tries to finish it XD. Hey what can I say? I get distracted easily. It’s got Yokai, Onmyouji, transformations, a kappa, and an awesome soundtrack to boot. Honestly I could go on for hours about how much I love each little thing in this, but I’ll just let you watch it for yourself….or not.
Nurarihyon
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6: Detective Conan/Case Closed
Kudo Shinichi is a seventeen year-old high school detective whom people call the "Modern Sherlock Holmes." However, one night after a date with his childhood sweetheart, Ran, Shinichi witnessed an illegal trade and, caught off his guard, was knocked unconscious and fed a drug that was supposed to kill him... but he woke up and found himself shrunken to a seven year-old. In order to track down the men who did this to him, Shinichi hid his identity and lived with Ran, whose father happened to be a hopeless detective, and with that came a series of murders and mysteries that he must solve.
For those that know me, it is no small secret. I. LOVE. MYSTERIES! I live for them. I’d even become a detective myself if I didn’t already know that murder mysteries didn’t happen like that every week. Kinda sucks, but hey, at least I have author to fall back on, and frycook to fall back on when that fails. Detective Conan is exactly what I love in copious amounts. Murder mystery after murder mystery. Closed rooms, clues at every turn, motives, gadgets, deduction shows, !!!!!! I love it! It even has some great music to go along with it. Detective Conan really just does one thing, but it does that one thing so well that it has about 22 seasons so far and over 800 episodes. Detective Conan even has a plot! Admittedly 50 episodes can go by before the plot progresses a bit, but it’s still good. They say too much of a good thing can be bad, and if that is the case then I must not have had too much Detective Conan yet because I feel GOOOOOD.
Detective Conan
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5: Ghost Hunt
Telling ghost stories is a favorite past time of Mai Taniyama and her friends--that is, until she meets 17 year-old Kazuya Shibuya, the man sent by Shibuya Psychic Research Center to investigate paranormal activity at a supposedly haunted school. When Mai gets caught in a dangerous situation, she is rescued by Kazuya's assistant. Saving her lands the assistant incapacitated, and Kazuya demands that Mai become his assistant, instead...
The way I see it, if you watch a 25 episode anime over 100 times and have never once gotten bored of it, that anime deserves to go in the top 10, and if you are currently watching it at that time, then it probably should go in the top 5. Ghost Hunt has earned its place in this list out of sheer determination and perseverance. When I first started watching it, I wasn’t exactly excited or interested. I just wanted to watch something that night and thought I’d try for something scary. Well it scared. It scared and I slept with the light on for a few nights…I spook easily. The thing that really shocked me though, was that I loved it. I enjoyed every second of the anime from the points that made me laugh to the points that made me cry. From the ones that made me smile to the ones that made me scared out of my gourd. Ghost Hunt was a great watch for me that actually started one of the few times I’d actively support a shipping. Mai x Naru for the win, anyone?
Ghost Hunt
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4: Ōkami-san to Shichinin no Nakamatachi
A romance comedy parodying fairy tales such as Little Red Riding Hood, The Ant and the Grasshopper etc. Ryōko Ōkami (the eponymous Ōkami-san) is a tomboyish high school girl. She is a member of a "trading" club known as the Otogi High School Bank. She and the other members of the club (such as her partner, Akai Ringo, aka Little Red Riding Hood) fix the problems presented by students (or "clients"), of any sort, by any means, in exchange for the students' helping them out later when others may need help.
Ghost Hunt was good and all, but Okami-san is on a whole other level. I loved this anime to the point of insanity. The characters, the comedy, the action, the laughs, the cries, the feels, the soundtrack. I loved it all SO much. The thing is though, I shouldn’t. I know I shouldn’t. The anime is good. The anime might be great, but the anime is not fantastic. It isn’t amazing, yet I fell in love with the anime the second I started watching. It is literally just like any other sappy romantic anime out there, yet for some indescribable reason, it was different for me. Perhaps it is this high on the list because I loved it so much or maybe it is this high on the list simply because I DON’T KNOW why I loved it so much, but either way, Okami-san has had one of the most drastic increases in popularity for me and has risen the fastest in my list of favorites. If anyone out there can tell me why this anime struck me so hard, feel free to say so because I am clueless.
Okami San
---------------------------------------
3: Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro
Yako's father was murdered in a locked room. She then meets a man named Neuro Nougami who is a demon from Hell who eats "riddles." He forces Yako to act as a detective so he can solve mysteries. Neuro longs to eat the ultimate mystery.
Oh look. Another mystery show. Of them all, Neuro has to be my favorite. With Nougami Neuro, the demon that has devoured all of Hell’s mysteries. And Yako Katsuragi, gluttony incarnate, this anime delivers with each episode. However, despite it being a mystery anime, the mysteries themselves are solved a little too fast for comfort and are not the highlight of the anime. They did kill a dog though, and I deduct points from any anime that kills a dog.
Where the anime truly shines, is character development. Nougami Neuro, or NN as Rikuzan and I like to call it, excels at making sure that each character is full of life and energy, especially the relationship between Yako and Neuro. This anime perfectly portrays their personalities and quirks in a way I haven’t seen repeated. I found myself loving the various interactions between the characters and even drawn into a few. NN has quite the interesting style, where each culprit takes on qualities of the crime they committed. I don’t quite know how to describe it, but all I really know is that I loved this anime from start to finish and it is a fantastic show.
Oh, and because I know Riku won’t forgive me without mentioning it…Sai.
Nougami Neuro
---------------------------------------
2: Yu Yu Hakusho
One day, 14 year old Yusuke Urameshi suddenly finds himself dead, having died pushing a child out of the way of oncoming traffic. Since he has such a bad personality, even the Spirit World was caught by surprise that he would sacrifice himself. Yusuke soon finds out he wasn't supposed to die and has a chance for resurrection and bringing his body back to life. After being resurrected, Yusuke becomes a Spirit Detective, along with his comrades, and one adventure after another happens, whether it be an investigation or a fighting tournament.
I loved this show and to this day, I profess my undying love to my dear sweet Botan. First anime crush and totally not childish. Aside from being a fantastic action anime, it has great characters, an interesting story, and is hilarious to boot. It’s like a better Bleach. It’s a relatively long anime with well over 150 episodes that I have burned through multiple times. Since we’re in the home stretch here, let’s try and break this down.
First off is the obvious. The action. This show is just FULL of fighting. Fist fighting, sword fighting, plant fighting, you name it. It does it all incredibly well and each fight no matter how small is enough to keep you on the edge of your seat with anticipation or relaxed and chuckling. Some people might claim that its age works against it, but I don’t think so. Fight scene’s back then were done differently, and honestly? I like the old. I especially love tournaments, and this show has possibly one of the best tournaments in all of anime. The powers are also fantastic and quite varied.
Next is the characters, and oh where to start. Well we’ve already established that I’m in love with Botan, right? Marry her character one day? Well aside from her, you have greatness across the board. There are a few characters that can be found annoying, especially in the dub which has a couple voices that are particularly irritating, but with the exception of those small few, each character brings something new to the table. You basically have all of the various archtypes. You’ve got protagonists, antagonists, antiheroes, antivillains, hyperactive, emotionless, old, young, happy, sad, and Jin. Each one of them plays their role to perfection.
The music in this show was phenomenal. I never used to listen to the opening songs, but with this show, I always did. I loved the OST’s and how they set the stage for everything that was going on. Admittedly it was not the greatest aspect of this show, but they certainly aren’t lacking in it either.
I’m not really a fan of tragedy so everything in this show generally works out for the better. However, that isn’t to say they can’t bring tears. When this show wants you to feel sad, you are GOING to feel sad.
Honestly without going into massive super detail, that just about sums it u-THE COMEDY! How could I not mention the comedy?! This show is HILARIOUS! It makes me laugh to the point of having tears in my eyes. Maybe I’m just a sucker for old fashioned, but I can always count on this show to bring a smile. Anyway, to wrap this up, this show exceeded any and all expectations I had for it and if I had to choose any anime in the world to watch, it would be this…well…there might be ONE other. XD
Bota-Yu Yu Hakusho...
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1: Dragon Ball Z
Dragon Ball Z follows the adventures of the adult Goku who, along with his companions, defends the earth against an assortment of villains ranging from intergalactic space fighters and conquerors, unnaturally powerful androids and near indestructible magical creatures. While the original Dragon Ball anime followed Goku through childhood into adulthood, Dragon Ball Z is a continuation of his adulthood life, but at the same time parallels the maturation of his son, Gohan, as well as characters from Dragon Ball and more. The separation between the series is also significant as the latter series takes on a more dramatic and serious tone. The anime also features characters, situations and back-stories not present in the original manga.
Did anyone not see this coming? Anyone at all? Well screw you then. It’s got plot holes, it’s excessive in every regard, the villains are transparent, and no death is permanent…but heck…it works. Dragon Ball Z in my opinion is, and always will be, the king of anime. There have been SO many anime that have been inspired by DBZ in their creation. It’s an anime that is still going strong today, with a new series coming out in July. It’s funny, it’s lighthearted, it’s epic when **** gets serious, and really there is nothing I can say about this anime that hasn’t been said already over and over and over and over again. I accept DBZ’s flaws. I really do, but I don’t necessarily consider those flaws to be bad things. I have NEVER been so entertained and there is no other show that is so deeply engrained into my childhood. I know it is cliché, but I would not be the Wantadog I am today if I had never seen this show. It’s a part of me and I can’t imagine it not being there, and isn’t that what any #1 anime should be?
DBZ
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Honorable Mentions:
-Kuroko no Basuke
-Nabari No Ou
-Trigun: Badlands Rumble
-Hataraku Maou Sama
-Shinryaku Ika Musume
