You know, I must admit that I find myself frustrated every time I watch one of those "Top 10 Anime" videos on youtube, choose an anime, and waste 20 minutes to an hour of my time. Honestly, I don't think anime is quite what it used to be, and I don't 100% think that people understand what real anime IS. Real anime has DRAMA: it leaves you thinking by sucking you in through the television- or computer screen- so that you can find all of the admirable traits of the characters, the very same traits that many Otaku see in male characters that they somehow develop an infatuation with, like Sesshoumaru .
But never fear! I shall not base this list entirely off of "character attraction". If you like psycological, shoujo, gender bender, supernatural or fantasy genre anime, then this is the chunky Stone Ramen Top 10 Anime list for you.
I am trying to avoid spoiling the anime for you, so I have provided a very short and partial summary of each anime.
My standards are simple. In order to make the list, the anime must have the following qualities:
1. It must be complete. I think that Skip Beat could easily compete for the #1 or #2 spot, but the anime was never completed so it isn't on the list.
2. I must have seen the entire series. As much as I love Sailor Moon, I know that I have missed a lot of episodes, thus it is not on the list.
3. The anime must have a unique quality that holds up strongly throughout the entire anime. I like Bleach in the beginning, but I slowly began feeling as though they were starting to make up stuff just for the sake of popularity and meeting a demand. Same, in part, goes for Naruto, Dragonball and Sailor Moon.
No # 10
Ayashi no Ceres
Genre: Supernatural, Fantasy, Mature, Romance, Science Fiction
Ayashi no Ceres is based upon original Japanese folklore in which a celestial being comes down to earth and bathes. She takes off her robe and puts it on a tree to hang. Similarly, in Ayashi no Ceres, the being loses her robe, and she cannot return home without it, and her evil husband is supposedly keeping it hostage. Ceres, the celestial being, vows to kill her husband and family line when she is reincarnated through her female descendants who share her physical characteristics. The family on the evil husband's side, in attempt to save their own wretched lives, ritually kill Ceres at every incarnation. However, they failed to kill Ceres this time and the entire story unfolds as Ceres searches for her robe while Aya, the girl she is incarnated into, learns about womanhood while trying to prevent Ceres from killing Mikagi, who is incarnated into her twin brother Aki. On the romance side, Aya ends up getting pleasantly involved in a relationship with this ever so quiet and soft spoken, and mysterious, guy. It's not entirely evident who this guy is during the first couple of episodes, and I refuse to provide spoilers.
What I love:
This anime has an enchanting charm to it and "cute guys." There is romance, and there is also a quiet triangle present; however, the triangle isn't necessarily the only thing that drives the plot. Actually, the plot itself is very multidimensional with a mixture of legend and science. The characters are complex, some are also mysterious like Touya (my favorite!). Best of all, the anime is complete: all funding was available for its completion, and I am not stuck wishing that the major conflicts in the plot are resolved.
What I hate:
Honestly, if it weren't for Touya and the basis in original folklore, I probably wouldn't have added this to the Top 10 list. My main problem about this anime was that the themes are very dark. I understand that this could very well be because of the anime's focus on some of the more primitive aspects of man (yes M.A.N.) and the passive destructive aspects of women, but the violence and raw expression of the man and woman relationship seemed, to me, to be overpowering.
If you love anime that more so mirror reality and yet has more mature themes to it, this one is for you.
No # 9
Kimi ni Todoke
Genre: Slice of Life, Shoujo, Romance
This is another one that I watch this summer. This anime is much more innocent, and quite frankly, I relate to it more than Ayashi no Ceres.
Honestly, the plot of this anime is pretty simple and predictable: it's about a high school girl who looks like the undead chick in a Japanese horror flick and is a quiet outcast despite her trying to over come her social awkwardness. Slowly and steadily, she starts to fall in love with one of the most popular boys in her class. The high school girl named Sawako Kuronuma- but everyone keeps calling her Sadako- eventually gains friends and enemies who dislike her because of the attention she is receiving from popular and kind Shota Kazehaya. I'm pretty sure you can guess how this anime pans out. No spoilers needed.
What I love:
What is it about this anime that ranks above Ayashi no Ceres? If the plot is so predictable, then why even have it on the list?
Well for starters, the art of Kimi ni Todoke is DIFFERENT. The art is somewhere between Clamp and One Piece (I hate the latter), and it is refreshing. I love how the cutesy bubbly scenes have such a color palate that it makes you feel what the character is feeling. It is completely and utterly gorgeous. I mean, the characters actually have lips!
Once again, I will reiterate this until I am blue, I can actually relate to the main character. No, I'm not Japanese, I am not a Capricorn, and I'm not an only child; however, everyone gets my name wrong all the time, I have friends who pulled me out of my shell, I like learning about herbs and making herbal remedies, a lot of people used to think I was angry all the time because I didn't smile, and for the longest time I didn't have a cell phone. When I did have my first real non-effeminate boyfriend, I started out the gate with a rival with whom I eventually became passive friends with. I'm not joking when I say that the main character is relatable.
Also, the romantic elements are gentle and sincere, and I appreciate that in this anime.
However...
What I Hate:
While I love how this anime is focused on the emotional roller coaster of these young and confusing teenagers, I feel as though it can get a bit melodramatic at times. I'm not entirely sure if you are familiar with the American TV show called Supernatural, but in this show there is a character that constantly huffs and puffs in his acting to illicit a sense of tension to the story plot. However, whenever it is overdone, and our Father who art in heaven knows it is VERY overdone, it just sounds like hyperventilation. Kimi ni Todoke has a similar problem. Sawako is constantly, frequently, relentlessly, in practically every episode talking about friendship. Sometimes, all of the constant emotional responses to the same stimuli just becomes boring.
And finally, I don't like the predictability of the plot.
Now for something a bit more complicated:
No # 8
Card Captor Sakura
Genre: Magical Girl, Supernatural, Shoujo, Romance
I first watched an episode or two of Card Captor back in the day. I want to say that it was on 4Kids, but I can't quite remember. Despite having seen snippets, I've never truly been able to watch the entire series until recently, mostly because of a long held indoctrination that the anime is somehow possessed or is an extension of the Devil because of the use of "tarot cards" in the anime. Now, all I can say is thank heavens for free will, thinking, and common sense that comes with adventure and growing up.
Card Captor Sakura is about a girl named Sakura who unseals a deck of cards, sending them flying and dispersed throughout the city. With the help of her flying lion-bird friend, Cerberus, she gains magical powers to recapture and reseal them. Of course she has a friend sidekick (or two) in addition to her "Cerberus" friend.
What I like:
This anime from the get go pushes social boundaries. Almost everyone on the show, remember I said ALMOST, is either gay or bisexual. Tomoyo, her wealthy sidekick friend, aggressive videographer and volunteer seamstress, is obsessed with Sakura, clearly and debatedly beyond the limits of elementary school friendship. Her brother has a relationship with the guy she has a crush on, named Yukito, and her initial rival and eventual side kick (in this series) also battles with his feelings towards the same guy. You can imagine just how strange this anime is, right?
WRONG! All of this, with possible exception with Tomoyo, feels natural, unforced and almost graceful. It doesn't interfere with the plot, and it is just subtle enough where homophobic individuals everywhere can pretend that the relationships don't exist and they can still get through the plot.
Furthermore, most magic girl anime nowadays stick to one transformation uniform with slight variation as the anime progresses and the character develops. This is especially the case with Sailor Moon, Mermaid Melody, and Tokyo Mew Mew. However, Card Captor Sakura is different in that the focus of the anime is truly her inner power, not an alter ego that she turns into at will which is evident in the aforementioned magic girl shoujo anime. While those anime focus on the masked individual being different from the true self of the character, like Usagi being different from Sailor Moon, Sakura the magician and Sakura the school girl doesn't put on a mask, and her pains and injuries don't just disappear whenever she dismisses her wand. Even better, each and every costume that Tomoyo has her to wear is different, making the anime interesting even if just for the sake of fashion if not for the plot.
Speaking of the plot...
What I hate:
My biggest pet peeve about this anime isn't even the anime itself. I foolishly made the mistake of also watching Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles and reading XXXHolic before watching Card Captor Sakura. As you know, or should know, these Clamp works are overlapped in that what happens in, let's say XXXHolic, affects Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles. While Card Captor Sakura is, for the most part, distinct from the other two anime, I find myself almost measuring Card Captor Sakura to the other two anime. I keep wondering "Hey, where does this coincide with Tsubasa Chronicles?" Thus, the problem is that you can't really critique Card Captor Sakura without taking a look at: Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles and XXXHolic. What completely sucks about this is Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles was never completed as an anime, and if you can't tell, if it's not finished and completed, it doesn't make my lists. Period.
Also, the animation and art at the beginning of the anime was a little rough; however, it gets better as the anime progresses, so I guess that is a plus.
No # 7
Noein: To Your Other Self
Genre: Supernatural, Science Fiction, Romance
For more information about how and where he found this anime, take a look at his entry: Find Your Other Self in the Bargain Bin [Noein]. I'm not sure how many of you watch Fringe, but while Fringe focuses on just random strangeness all around, Noein bases it's plot only in the concept of alternate universes and possible futures. This anime is about these group of people from La'cryma who go to another universe to find the Dragon Torque to save their world, a girl named Haruka, because something happened to their Haruka in their universe. However, eventually Yuu and his La'cryma counterpart Karasu protect Haruka throughout the season. This anime has a lot of theory involved, but at the same time anyone should be able to understand this plot without any problems.
What I love:
Once again, another anime with a unique, non-mainstream, art style. I won't necessarily say that it is emotionally moving, but the art shows it's true colors whenever there are battle scenes and towards the end of the anime.
Also, I feel as though the anime is flexible in its audience in that there is a clear correlation between the problems of the young main characters in one world, and those of their adult selves in La'cryma. Little things, like memory, death, forgetting, even the subtle problem of divorce, are all latent in this anime. It is both magical or scientific, and pragmatic.
And yet, in a way, this anime seems most geared towards the male audience in that it raises questions about manhood, which also introduces the gender neutral problem of making choices despite another's desire.
There isn't too much romance or lovey dovey stuff in this, but there are many situations that allude to such. This leaves some things to the imagination. Which is good...but....
What I hate:
The lack of romance in this anime...I know that this simply is not the direction in which the anime is going but, there are some things that leave me confused and frustrated. First of all, what is middle school aged Haruka doing liking, or acting like she likes, the approximately mid-twenty year old Yuu of La'cryma, Karasu? Meanwhile, she totally avoids the Yuu of her world for Karasu during almost the entire first half of the anime. Maybe it's because I'm a girl that I find this weird, but...it's just odd to me.
And really, that is the only thing that I dislike about the anime save the occasional moments where it feels like the plot is creeping slower than an amputated slug.
No # 6
Ouran High School Host Club
Genre: Gender Bender, Comedy, Romance, Shoujo
My friends actually introduced me to this anime. This is another one of those "special" anime that I don't necessarily want to divulge the plot.
This anime is about a girl Haruhi who has to pay her debt to a group of guys by working at their Host Club. Of course a romantic triangle develops in the anime. I personally would recommend watching the anime first to enjoy it in it's glory, and then read the manga to blow it out of the water.
What I like:
My favorite part of the series is the first episode. Watch it, you will understand why :) I love the style of the comedy in this anime: It's playful, and even at times make jokes about anime in general. Furthermore, I am happy to see an anime in which the lead female character is not forced into being subordinate of the other characters.This applies both to the anime and the manga.
And yet, even with it's outrageous situations and circumstances, there are a few emotionally touching moments that stem from real life situations. And yet, this in and of itself is a double edged sword...
And yet, even with it's outrageous situations and circumstances, there are a few emotionally touching moments that stem from real life situations. And yet, this in and of itself is a double edged sword...
What I dislike:
Ouran High School Host Club doesn't have much content that anchors it to reality. For example, it is the same as having a party with a ton of cake, ice cream, soda and every type of junk food you can dream of, glow sticks, music, and raving...but why is there such a party? What's the celebration for? Similarly, while the amazing aspect of this anime is the calibur of comedy and wit, even some of the basic underlying conflicts are not relatable to its audience. I will never understand what it is like to be smarter than the son of the chairman of a prestigious private high school. I won't understand what it is like to have to fight for business inheritance in the family. I won't understand what it's like to embrace the fact that I like candy despite my family banning it. All of these problems are WAY out of reach of the common folk that are likely watching the anime...And yet at the same time, this could be another dimension of the comedy that this anime presents.
Finally, the anime is no where near as amazing as its manga. Though, I suppose that is usually the case.
Finally, the anime is no where near as amazing as its manga. Though, I suppose that is usually the case.
No # 5
Mononoke
Genre: Mystery, Horror, Supernatural
This is another of my summer experiments, but I can definitely say that it was well worth the time. The anime is only about 12 episodes, and it is a sequel so to speak of the Bakeneko story of the Akayashi anime.
This is an anime in the horror genre and, while it is not entirely frightening, it is more along the lines of a supernatural detective story. A man simply named "Kusuriuri", which means "Medicine Seller", goes about solving mysteries, discovering the truth, the appearance of the mononoke, and the rationale or regret of the situation. Mononoke covers 5 ghost stories in all.
What I like:
The art and the color are absolutely beautiful in this anime! Every episode is like watching an animated Japanese print.
Mononoke also has a blend of supernatural, horror, and magical qualities to it that makes it captivating to watch. This anime alone is so profoundly unique and individual in it's own right. Nothing seen here can be duplicated or mimicked in any other anime. It offers complex plots while also bringing to light social issues and circumstances that can be easily interpreted and applied to today's problems despite the fact that the setting of Mononoke is in some early historical period of Japan.
The ending theme is beautiful. As for the opening theme...That's a horse of a different color.
What I dislike:
Not very much. I passionately loathe the opening theme. Also, there is a case in which I dislike how the story ends abruptly.
Another thing, which to me isn't too bad, is that there is a possibility of sensory overload with the high saturation of the colors in this anime. I ranked this at #5 only because I'm not entirely crazy for mystery stories.
No # 4
Blood+
Genre: Supernatural, Science Fiction, Mature, Romance
Honestly, I don't quite remember how I stumbled across this anime...WAIT. I believe I first saw this anime back before Toonami flickered away- either that or it was on Adult Swim. It's a bit violent, hence the name, but it was good. Also, since the Twilight craze, I've tried to stay far away from anime, tv shows, and cartoons that have anything to do with vampires. So it's definitely saying quite a bit that I actually have it on my top 10 list.
This anime is about a girl named Saya who discovers, after years of dormancy and blood infusions, that she is a Chiroptera (fancy name for "bat", alluding to vampire). She ends up meeting her sidekick, her Chevalier, Haji during her first encounter with a transformed Chiroptera. Together, along with her new family, they go on a quest to stop scientists from using ordinary people as lab rats in their Chiroptera experiments and search for her long lost twin sister. This anime, when it boils down to it, has a central message of "Nature vs Nurture."
What I Love:
My favorite character in this anime is Haji. He's mysterious, dark, and carries around this thing that looks like a coffin but is in all reality a cello. One of the most rewarding things about this anime is it's soundtrack, and I would highly recommend that you at least purchase the sound track if not watch the anime: it is completely and utterly amazing. From Diva's song to the interpretation of Bach's Cello Suite, every note in this anime is savory. I even love the opening themes, the first season's opening is Aozora no Namida by Hitomi Takahashi, and the second season's is Season's Call by Hyde. Colors of the Heart by Uverworld is an interesting song that was used in the opening theme of the third season, but it is not as interesting and expressive as the opening's animation. I feel as though the last season's theme and animation is probably the weakest. Raion by Jinn is a great song alone, in general I consider Jinn to be a great band, but the song lacks the sense of passion in the first three season's openings and the animation itself is boring.
Next, the art in this anime is to die for. The animation within the anime in general is of a different style that you will not find anywhere else. The production of the opening animation is simply beautiful. Take a look:
This is the first season's opening, with my favorite song, Aozora no Namida:
This is the third's season's opening, it has my favorite animation sequence:
What I Hate:
Honestly, there isn't much from this anime that I hate, except maybe some of the ending themes, but even then they are all redeemable to a degree. I don't care too much about the antagonists, but that's how I'm supposed to feel about them to begin with.
Another thing that, though not as serious, does leave me baffled, is that this anime is a sequel to the movie Blood: The Last Vampire, and yet, hardly any of the new characters are even mentioned in the former. Diva? Nope. Haji? Nope...and that is, to me, an irritating problem. Even my beloved musician, Haji, doesn't even appear in Blood C, which totally sucks.
Jackson was nagging that none of these anime are sequels. First off, Blood+ reuses some of the characters present in Blood: The Last Vampire, and while the plot is strayed from it's movie predecessor, I personally consider it a sequel despite the divergence. Blood C, however....is another story entirely. The point is, you bloody violent fearless leader, I wish that Hagi were present in all the variations. That is all. I want my cello man dammit!
So why does this make just #4 Well, I simply like the other anime better: If it weren't for the emotional heart strums played in Air and Clannad, it would probably rank a 3.
No # 3
Clannad and Clannad Afterstory
Genre: Slice of Life, Romance, Fantasy
This is once again a partial result of my trying to find a romantic anime to watch; however, I also chose to watch this after watching Air. I figured that if Air was good, then Clannad must be pretty darned good too. By the way. I am also going to toss in Clannad Afterstory in this miniature review, so you get two for the price of one on rank #3.
Clannad is special in that the entire plot is best signified at the end of the series- as is typical in "in medias res" type of story lines in which the beginning actually occurs in the middle of the plot- and of course you know I don't like giving away the entire story, so I'll give you a general gist of the plot of this anime.
Clannad is an anime that is all about family. The main characters are Nagisa and Tomoya. Nagisa is a lonely high school student who repeats a grade because she was sick, and she ends up befriending Tomoya who encourages her to befriend other peers. Each person that she befriends has a special familial situation that they must reconcile and confront, just like Nagisa and Yomoya. This is a slice of life anime that is appropriate for most ages, I'd say 16 and over.
What I like:
The opening and ending themes are good, sweet and relevant to the plot, even if you don't know it yet.
One thing that I feel is most strong in this anime is how you will respond emotionally to the plot. Everything that you may cry about in this anime is something you may very well experience, maybe with a little added drama, in real life. And believe me. You WILL cry. There's no point in trying to hold back. I haven't tried getting a guy to watch it though, and Jackson tends to brush my sappy stories to the side.
Clannad is also a cutsy anime that adds to the gentle sincerity of the plot.
What I hate:
There honestly isn't much that I dislike about this anime. If I had to be nit picky, I would say that...hmmm...
No, I have nothing. There is absolutely nothing about this anime that I hate.
No # 2
Air
Genre: Slice of Life, Fantasy, Tragedy
Air is about a girl in high school named Kamio Misuzu that meets a guy named Yukity who is looking for "a girl with wings." The girl has a mysterious illness, and between the This is one of those anime where even one sliver of information can totally spoil the entire anime
What I like:
I want to spazz out at the complexity of the plot, and the gut-renching ending. Similar to it's Clannad brother, this anime has themes pertaining to family, motherhood in particular. Of course, there are many cultural themes that drives this plot forward, such as Karma. Once again, I promise you, you will be bawling like a baby by the end of every episode. Keep a box of Keenex nearby.
What I dislike:
There are a few instances in the anime where I am completely lost. While I understand that a lot of what is going on in this anime has to do with Karma and trying to relinquish one from a heavy karmic debt or curse, some "magical" occurences confuse me, and some I passionately want to reject. Any sliver of romance in this anime is thwarted by the end of the series...as it should be.
By the way, the movie variation of this anime is terrible...in every possible way.
No # 1
Shoujo Kakumei Utena
Genre: Shoujo, Magic Girl, Romance, Gender Bender, slightly supernatural
Shoujo Kakumei Utena is about a girl named Utena who dresses like a man having been inspired by a prince who saved her when she was a child. The prince gives her a rose ring that she had kept with her ever since. However, apparently she's not the only one with the ring at the school, and it is more than just a testimony of love and devotion from the prince-if love and devotion were even present at all. All who have the ring participate in duels to gain possession of the Rose Bride, Himemya Anthy, that they may also bring on the end of the world and claim the power of Dios.
What I like:
I don't even know where to start. First of all, this is an anime that should be analyzed in college courses, perhaps gender studies class. This anime addresses practically every relationship facet from man to woman, homosexuality to heterosexuality, and friendship to enemies. The content, the meaning of the anime, is thick like icing on a cake, and you just HAVE to watch the series multiple times in order to get a gist as to what the anime signifies.
Next, I am most impressed by how the setting of the anime is so influenced by the French. The school itself, having some echos of Gothic architecture with French fantasy, is very imaginative. The imagery present in the anime is poetic. This is an interesting anime in which within the anime the "culture" between the characters helps as a vehicle to move the plot forward.
Finally, the conflict(s) presented in this anime are very real and experiential, and yet at the same time, it is usurped by the setting of the story line to the point where it acts as a mirror of our own reality. Sounds confusing, I know, but for a moment let's compare Clannad or Air to Shoujo Kakumei Utena. While Clannad sucks you into every emotional experience, Shoujo Kakumei says "Oh, you like violence and fighting? Well how do you feel about a black woman being hit by men and women alike? What? You don't like that? But you liked seeing...etc." Shoujo Kakumei Utena flirts and challenges your own dark human desires and false believes in a similar way that Ayashi no Ceres does, just no where near as dark and hopeless.
What I dislike:
...
Absolutely Nothing.
Well...
Wait.
....
Nope. Nothing. I like this anime. I don't see many flaws...save weak comedy, but at the same time, the comedy is needed so that the anime is approachable and savory (something that Ayashi no Ceres severely lacked).
Once again, by no means is this an exhaustive list, and I just KNOW someone is going to gripe and groan that I add one of the popular mainstream anime to the list, but quite frankly, they aren't the best. Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball Z are classic, and I will honor them by putting them on "The Shelf of Immortality," never to compare them to anything in an official review because they are great in their own right.
Now, I need your help. I've got to come up with an anime to make Jackson watch. What do you recommend? Please comment below!
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