Anime Top Ten
10. Rurouni Kenshin OVA (ADV: Trust and Betrayal) - Truly, who has seen this and not liked it? This OVA shows Kenshin during his most brutal time, when he was 'the' Hitokiri Battousai. The animation is crisp and fluid, the story was excellent. And of course, Tomoe. "Every sword needs a sheath." Hate TV series, love the OVA.
9. Lupin the 3rd (Any season, Any movie) - My first Lupin encounter was Castle of Cagliostro. Then it was The Fuma Conspiracy. Then it popped up on Adult Swim. Lupin is old, corny and cheesy, but it's so fun! Lupin's a show you can pick up from anywhere and just enjoy it. When you want something to just sit back and relax to, Lupin's a top choice.
8. Otaku No Video (OVA) - The mockumentary by GAINAX. Every otaku must watch this, be you an anime, manga, model builder, hentai sim, AV idol worshipping otaku. Otaku No Video is divided by interviews with 'real' otakus and an animated story of Kubo, a man who lived a normal life... until he found anime.
7. Princess Nine - A true sleeper hit. ADV first released each DVD volume at 10 bucks, but rose it as soon as they realized what a hit it became. Princess Nine fits in the sweet genre of love, comedy and drama. The story of a girl and a baseball (not softball team) and the struggles they face. Trust me, it's a lot metter than my description. Watch it.
6. Aishiteruze Baby! - Cute! Kippei, a playboy high school student is forced to look after Yuzuyu, his 5-year-old cousin after her mother disappears. This includes making her lunch, taking her to school, picking her up from school... everything. Emotional character development between the two. I was moved by this series, by both the happy and sad moments.
5. Naruto - There is nothing special about Naruto. It is your run-of-the-mill action/adventure anime. Don't believe me? Look at all the 'tournaments' Naruto have. Remind you of some anime? DBZ? Yu Yu Hakusho? Flame of Recca? There's a TON more.
But here's the catch, it took the formula and mastered it. Naruto's fight scenes are well-thought out. If you thought Flame of Recca's fights were clever, you need to watch Naruto. On top of that, the animation is clean. It's not as smooth as I want it to be (Rock Lee vs. Gaara fight is an exception), but it beats the pants off other action/adventure anime's use of freeze frame fighting. And with nine genins, their jounin instructors and a huge amount of other characters, you will find yourself attached to one of them.Shikamaru and Rock Lee for life : p
4. Ah!/Oh My Goddess! - This is the OG of love/comedy. Every love/comedy that floods 80% of the anime market ought to pay tribute to Kosuke Fujishima's plotline and character designs. (Fun fact: He drew the characters in Tales of Symphonia) And besides, AMG/OMG is a story we all love to hear: Short, low-self esteemed Asian guy gets with tall, beautiful white chick.
3. Now and Then, Here and There - A real shocker. This series is not candy-coated, it is realistic and brutal. I don't really know what to say without leakign a spoiler, just watch it.
2. Irresponsible Captain Tylor/Tailor - Another sleeper hit. This series deserves more scrutiny. The series is a true space comedy. Lazy Captain Tylor gets command of his own ship, the Soyokaze (translated: Gentle Breeze). Needless to say, the ship's a rustbucket; the worst in the fleet. But mix it up with Tylor's Luck, his First Mate's quick temper, the Navigator's serious attitude and every quirky person in the ship's behaviour... and you'll see how a miracle can go a long way in space. If you like Nadesico, you will like ICT more.
1. Escaflowne - This series got a lot of hype. And it deserved all of it. Escaflowne is very much like a fantasy storybook, with each episode as a chapter with a hook at the end. There are no filler episodes in Escaflowne. Every episode, even every scene contributes to the series. 26 episodes spent wisely, none if them a waste of my time.
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Honorable Mentions:
Berserk - Great series! Horrible ending. Berserk is brutal. It's probably the most violent series I can think of right now. Instead of watching the anime, I recommend reading the manga. The anime is basically volumes 4-12. If the manga's reached volume 29 (chapter 248... yes, MORE than Naruto.), then you understand why the ending for the anime feels so incomplete. Check out www.thehawks.org and www.digitalpanic.net to download the manga. Or contact me.
Neon Genesis Evangelion OR RahXephon - More great anime. Unfortunately, these are not series I can sit through twice. Second sittings clear up confusions in these two series, but it doesn't feel like a mystery's being solved. It just feels.. boring.
One Piece - One Piece is AWESOME. It's hillarious, it's dramatic. Mostly hillarious. But here's the biggest problem, it's 200+ episodes. I'm nowhere close to caught up, and frankly, I appreciate anime that can amaze me in using as little episodes as possible. Less is more, you know. A top reason to why I placed Escaflowne as number one.
Wolf's Rain and Fullmetal Alchemist - Great anime, but I haven't completed them.
Excel Saga - I laughed until I cried watching this series. But it's just too absurd to take seriously and place on a top ten. For a silly and disturbing anime, Excel Saga is... second. Ping Pong Club takes the cake by a mile.
Martian Successor Nadesico - I may have been too harsh on Nadesico. It's not bad. But the whole series is a parody on space anime. You can't take it too seriously.