PixlBit

Well I've been thinking about this a lot after one of my anime reviewers decided to up sticks and go on to something bigger and better so I figured "New Year, why not?"

 

For a little while or if I can finally do it all, i'm going compile a list of my Top Ten favorite Anime related things. Characters, movies, weapons etc. This list will contain personal Favs but mostly things that have actually enough merit to be mentioned in the first place so you wil see some obvious entries.

Only the top 3 are officially ranked as the rest have no value higher or lower of each other

Honorable mentions

Best to get this out of the way.

Afro Samurai: I think this series thrusted me back into anime when I was a miserable Teen in College, my friends where still into anime and they had kept up with that world where I had waned. A story of Samuel L Jackson road to revenge in a Wild West/Feudel Japan Meshed world where head bands bestow the power of god to men. Here are the rest...

Gantz, Darker Than Black, Mezzo DSA, Rave Master, Moribito, GunGrave, Bleach and Berserk, Eureka Seven, Claymore, 

 

10. The Big O

Neo-Noir with Giant Super Robot's, it sound like BladeRunner on steroids.But it's a smooth action packed and thoughtful show which unfortunately stumbles at the end in a "WTF?!" kind of way. Still, it's something I'd love to see a live-action movie or a new series.

It takes place in a dystopian city recovering from global amnesia after a great war involving the robots called Megadues (Great gods, technically "Huge" but great can mean the same thing). No one knows what happened but clues and recurring memories plague the city as they try to live their lives. 

The protagonist is Roger Smith, a negotiator, he does a much needed job in the city of amnesia, he's also a vigilante as he uses the semi sentient Mech known as The Big O, a reference to Roy Orbison, the title theme tune is an homage to Fash Gordan.

This anime ticks all the Blade Runner Troupes robot people, enigma, souls of machines, the love between men and machines, purpose, class system, genetics/bio-engineering , It packs in a lot of stuff.

Unlike other anime's where you see fast paced robots doing near imposible feats, this anime uses the realistic approach and has them move relatively slow focusing more on deliberated strong movements and poses like a 90s comic yet it still holds your attention. Also the design of Big O look quite familiar but it could just be me.

Anyway had it not been for a few missteps this would be among the greatest but sadly it's just realy good. Nice music too, it has a very somber Jazz tune that plays during the series and is one of my all time favs.

9. Samurai Champloo

A story about the secret Christians of Japan it has 2 Ronin are forced into protecting a girl to find a man who smells like sunflowers. The style is as offbeat as they come combining modern sensibilities to a time where Japan was still an Isolationist country. The fight scenes are memorable, the characters interesting, the setting cool and the overall story is engaging. As goofy as it is it has a lot of heart.

8. Black Lagoon

What would happen if all those criminals that got thrown on Australia where allowed to organize? Well this is pretty much the answer. A Japanese man gets kidnapped by pirates and is forced into living there life in order to survive. What's nice to see in this series is that it has women as the most violent (or at least, efficient) characters, and oddly are more vulgar than the men (there's something to say about that but we'll let the other side of the internet tackle it), hugely violent, excellent satire and juggles maturity like a man in the later stages of Parkinson's. 

The intro song is terrible Engrish and the music vid... well I haven't seen it since 

It's the A Team on Steroids and sprained morality

7. Trigun

What do you do when the world keeps telling you that the good you do isn't worth it? Keep trying.

That's the lesson Trigun tries to tell, "Love and peace". If you like westerns and sci-fi this is a perfect fusion, the comedy is very Japanese but the action is so Spaghetti it's Italian. Human's inhabit a desert planet and the Main Character "Vash" travels the world trying his best to help people with his six shooter.

The Intro music is classic Hype it just rocks sooo damn much that i wish it was longer.

The best part of the series is the final Battle, it's tense clever and has so many layers of context, it was actually created before the Manga even finished and was helped by the creator. It stands as one of the best fights scenes in Anime and it's worth of that

Plus a giant crucifix gun!.

6. Vision of Escaflowne

This is the kind of Anime you rushed home after school to see (at least I did), when it originally aired in the UK I never ot to finish watching the series but age can be a good thing, as I was able to view it several times during College, and I missed out on soo much.

This is a story about Young Love that spans  2 generations, Hitomi a Japanese School girl able to predict the future (a gift from her grandmother) is suddenly transported to a fantasy world of Knights, cat people and other creatures torn apart by war with Mech suits.

The Action is tense as fights have dramatic weight and characters identifiable with a typical yet well done love triangle, you have the brash Young prince learning how to be a man, and an older suitor who's more refined Ladies man that any woman might want and the fate of the world rests on the whims of a girls uncertain heart.

The musical score is gorgeous Georgian classical music and a few other mixed in makes the atmosphere feel very grand composed by Anime music master Yoko Kanno and some other dude (), i'm not sure about the states but I remember a very different opening theme than the original Japanese one, but on reflection it is soft. Lovely Melody thought. But if I had to pick a song out of it it would be the Credits song on the final episode, almost made me tear up I thought it was so lovely.

Heavy on Mystersism I'd love to see a live action movie series on this and I'm a little surprised there aren't more games of this (or at least a really good one), hell you could play an MMO of it wear you can customize you robot Armour and train you character individually set before the anime. That would be sweet.

This is very much a girls anime for boys 

 

5. Ghost in the Shell: Stan Alone Complex

Though it turned the existential movie into a Cop action thriller, it did keep some of the heavier thought provoking stuff like individuality and other politics though, which is nice though a couple of times the information dumps are heavy handed but we get to see many of the Major's traits and personality quirks that wasn't that present in the Movie, not only that but most of the characters pasts.

It has some of the best animation for it's time as well as slick action scenes and a fully realized future world. I'll include the first and second series as they are a nice compliment to each other

The Music again produced by Yoko Kano as it fuses some EDM with Orchestral adding to the drama and is an appropriate sound for a show that is set in a more synthetic future.

4. Outlaw Star

A bombastic Space adventue of Outlaws, Pirates and Sorcerers on a race to get their one wish granted.

It has one of the more unique mechanical designs taking something very useful to an extreme as space ships have mechanical arms they can uses for combat, these Ships are known as Grapplers.

Gene Starwind (Luke Skywalker) is board of his planet bound life and wants to return into space, after a job gone wrong he stumbles on to a treasure that holds the power to make any dream come true. On the way with his young companion who just so happens to be his keeper and point of maturity, making sure things get done. Along the way we meat a Samurai Assassin Woman with a wooden sword and a Bumbling Cat woman officer.

It's a little funny the series has Chinese magic users as the enemy, I know a little about Chinese and Japans relationship so it kind of gets a giggle out of me that they'd be the antagonists.

Well learn about the migration of Earth, the role of Magic and Galactic politics which either get explained in prologues or during all the Zanniness. The series also created one of the best weapons and gun ever dedicated an Anime, "Casters" are one shot guns that Fire different levels of Magic, used buy Ancient Sorcerers and are both rare and powerful.

The intro music, like Trigun, gets you mad pumped! I don't even care that I can't understand Japanese but I read the subtitles to the song but you can feel the epicness without knowing. Sounds like an 80s track.

You could imagine this as Treasure Island in space... Oh wait Disney did that

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3. Lupin the 3rd

Based on the legendary fictional french Master Thief the decedent of Arsene Lupin, Lupin III a perverted  marksmen thief a Ninja and a Trecherous Ho (I wrote that sentence 8 times and this is the best I could do) Travel the world stealing the worlds treasures and foiling the plans of criminals while being chased by Interpol Inspector.

There have been a few series out there but I'll only count the Dubs Which are Lupin III Part 2 and The Woman Called Fujiko Mine. Part to is the longest running (79 episodes) and defining segment of the series as it ended up being pretty much the axis to all the series since. It's hard to describe the plot as it really is Just the group going from one crazy scheme after another so it's the characters that make this show and atmosphere. The Enemies they encounter bridge to the stereotypical to the down right bazaar, I mean Jackie O is a bad guy in this It's extremely fun and feels like the original Manga.

The woman Called Fujiko Mine is kind of like an homage to the series as a whole as t spans Lupin's encounter to all his changes through the years (changes meaning different covered blazers). Fujiko Mine stars as a secret organisation follows her around, we see her treacherous Ho ways but also her virtues as well displaying a cunning and confident woman. In a way it might be the best depiction of Lupin III's world as it is one of the darker animated series thus far yet still retains some of that original goofiness from time to time and the ever suffering Zenigata is far more competent which makes a change. It's a smooth sometimes tense show but has a lot to offer New comers and old.

Did I mention there's a live-action movie of this series?

 

2. Cowboy Bebop

Oh what hasn't been said about this series? It's essential to view this as it's important to the genre as well as the nerd Zeitgeist  (you know that exists). A Sci-fi Noir (probably isn't the best way to describe it as) set in a future where the Earth is bombarded by asteroids and man is forced to live on other planets in the solar system with atmosphere generators, the main characters are a ragtag band of Bounty hunters all with complex pasts and a corgi.

I'll get the music out of the way since the first thing you notice, Yoko Kanno and her group The Seatbelts blast a tense energetic and charismatic Jazz music from the get go, mixing, so folk, rock and other stuff in the mix. Her entire soundtrack is diverse. great on there own.

The title and the show match up quite well as episodes tend to veer off the main plot, very much like Bebop seeming random but is meant to explore the world they live as well as stopping things feel samey

Some of the best Voice acting is in this Steve Blum doing his Blumist as the main protagonist Spike, I'll reveal the plot a little just to give you the set up. Spike is a Gangster that fell in love with a woman who was also sleeping around with his best friend, Vicious who wanted him dead for trying to leave not just the syndicate but with her as well. So Vicious gave her a choice, die with Spike or live with him, She choose neither  and Spike went to his seemingly death taking out his assassins and any trace he survived. The final battle this leads to though short is one of the greatest final Battle in anime, not due to the fight it self but rather what it represented however it was beautifully paced and animated.

There's also a movie which feels more like a long episode (not that that's a bad thing) Of which I have signed by the series Director, it talks a little about the hinted at war that went on before the first episode, the Only bad thing is the eldest member Jet Black (yeah, yeah) doesn't do much.

There are loads more I can talk about but then i'd be ruining the fun. You can't miss it, watch it with friends, you're squeeze or on your own. Do it.

 

1. Wolfs Rain

A little confession here I put this at the top partly because of preference otherwise it would be a tie. though Bebop is more well known and well received this Anime is so overlooked and underrated it's criminal.

What am I talking about? Well did you ever wonder how a wolf can disguise itself as an old lady and some white dude finds it and kills it? Well that is... a little like this Show 

Okay see this, in this world wolves are said to be extinct and legend has it they will bring about the end of the world and a noble family have been hunting them  for decades. So in order for the Wolves to protect themselves Wolves disguised themselves to look like humans, however these wolves have a instinct to find what they call paradise.and so a group of wolves travel the increasingly destitute world with an artificially created girl to find it.

Apart from the main antagonist there are 2 other characters who are reporting the events, we see their history together and the rekindling of that spark.

Once again Yoko Kanno scores this tale (geez, she's everywhere on this list), and is more subtle than some of her other work however there's quite a few standout tracks, Like the Opening "Stray" which is cleverly linked the the last episode and it's catch as hell!

The story as a whole is one of the most unique I've ever watched, it's a wonderfully realized modern fairytale. the final episode is one of the most gorgeous things ever and it's very clever as it is linked to the Intro. It combines many known folklore on wolves and creates a dramatic mystical tale. Especially the last 2 episodes, it's so sad 

 

 

Well that's it for My Top Ten Anime Series. I'll go for Movies next time. without the excuse of work I've taken so long to get this out because I had so much to say, I had to start trimming as I put in too much. Though this has allowed me to remissness of all the hours I've wasted enjoying something my older brother introduced me to.

 

This is V saying "And just like the movies, we play out our last scene"