Board 8 > Robazoid Ranks 275 Anime and Top 100 Anime Characters 2 (Average and beyond)

(+) Yeah! (+)

For me, the main arc of S4 (Overhaul) isn't that good. I think some people like it tho.

S4 is the last good part

77. Scorching Ping Pong Girls
https://myanimelist.net/anime/33031/Shakunetsu_no_Takkyuu_Musume
Fall 2016 (12 episodes)
My Score: 7/10, MAL Score: 7.06/10
Best Character: Tsumujikaze Koyori

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LDe0g0A1Tk

Premise: Kamiya Agari dreams of leading her schools ping pong team to Nationals. Then a new student joins, and Tsumujikaze Koyoris passion and skill threatens Agaris position as team ace.

The Good: Scorching Ping Pong Girls is a cute girls sports anime. My favorite part about it is how it adds almost fantastical powers to a real-world sport. Nothing they do is impossible, but its stylized to the point where one player freezes time to calculate optimal trajectories. Another has their backspin represented as a whirlwind forcing the ball to the side. Its always fun to watch. Even though I know nothing about ping pong, SPPG also does a good job explaining the intricacies and lots of little techniques. Watching them learn how to use forehand smashes vs backhand, or how different rubber on the racket impacts the ball, is always neat. The cute girls have some surprisingly intense matches. Ill talk more about Koyori below, but shes the kind of energetic character I love. Its neat how she manages to bring out the best in her opponents.

The Bad: This tells a fine story with what time it has, but this really needed additional seasons. While anime telling only part of a story and then urging viewers to head to the source material is nothing unique, Scorching Ping Pong Girls handled it in a particularly clumsy way that left it feeling incomplete. The last few episodes continue introducing new rivals with no resolution to them. The final episode even has a montage of unique teams Ill never see. Its disappointing.

Overall: Scorching Ping Pong Girls is a great cute girls sports anime. If it had been given another season or two, I really think itd be seen as one of the standouts in that subgenre. As it stands, I just need to content myself with the one good season we received. Koyori is a wonderful character, and her relentless enthusiasm definitely made my heart race!

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/3/2/AABz_zAADyOE.jpg

CHARACTER: Tsumujikaze Koyori (Scorching Ping Pong Girls)
https://myanimelist.net/character/139364/Koyori_Tsumujikaze
Voiced by: Hanamori Yumiri
TOP 100 RANK: 65th

SPOILERS FOR SCORCHING PING PONG GIRLS

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkbCQz_6bfE

Tsumujikaze Koyori is a new addition to the ping pong team. She gets attention early on when its revealed that she reached prefectural semifinals at her old school. The best the teams current ace ever managed was city quarterfinals. Agari, who until this point lived for the adulation of being the best, is immediately terrified. For her part, though, Koyori isnt trying to steal the limelight or knock anyone down. Her passionate love for the game is all about bringing out the best in whoever she faces, because thats what makes her own heart race.

Koyori is amazingly shy most of the time, usually cowering behind Agari and communicating just as much with her expressive pigtails as she does with her stammering voice. However, once she starts playing ping pong, and especially once she starts feeling the doki doki of an intense match, the real Koyori comes out. She has a broad skillset that lets her counter others no matter their strength. Its fun watching her break down an opponents previously unbeatable strategy, forcing them to find something new and gain a new appreciation for the game in the process.

I like how genuine of a person she is. Theres an arc in the middle of the season where, when questioned by an opponent, Koyori begins to wonder why she plays ping pong at all. She soon realizes there doesnt need to be some grand meaning behind it. Koyoris heart races when shes fighting a strong opponent, and she dedicates herself to making their heart race too. Thats all there needs to be.

Her final match point against that opponent, Kururi, is the video I chose for this. Kururi had just been using the same unbeatable shot over and over. Then Koyori finally managed to beat it, and, after a bit of panicked soul-searching, Kururi finally tries something new. Koyori manages to counter that too, but Kururi still comes out of the match loving ping pong even more than she did when she had one boring, unbeatable shot. I think that perfectly encapsulates the kind of person Koyori is. Win or lose, shell bring out the best in her opponent. That video also showcases the wonderful visuals Scorching Ping Pong Girls used for the matches, which I enjoyed a lot.

COMING UP TOMORROW:
76: This anime feels like a loser because it still plays with dolls.
C51: This character is wearing the clothes of a character from a different anime.
75: This anime is sinking deep underwater.
C75: This character doesnt know how to swim.
C8: This character introduced themselves with a whistle.

Tomorrow is our first day with three characters, oh boy. Also my first top ten character (the previous highest revealed so far is Hanekawa at 13). That's another anime/character ranking matchup at 75, too! I swear I didn't set up any of those on purpose.

I posted the character write-up for Scorching Ping Pong Girls the way I already have been today because that isn't the kind of anime with huge spoilers, but I'm still open to ideas on how to avoid accidentally spoiling people if anyone else has thoughts on it. Some of my favorites have some real awesome spoilers and I'd hate to accidentally ruin that for anyone.

Roba, don't worry about it, I never should have made that post in the first place. Like you said, it's almost certainly that episode 1 thing!

Don't change anything you're doing here, this is literally the best topic on B8 and I look forward to the daily rankdowns (and also encountering all these series I've never heard of before, lol) so please don't do anything differently.

Only thing I could recommend is to bury anything possibly spoilery within a paragraph, if it's not at the start or end of a block of text it's more likely to pass over. But otherwise people should expect to skip over any series they feel the need to, I've been doing that with no issues otherwise (especially the dramatically-low Darling in the Franxx ranking, I still feel compelled to keep it in my queue and watch it... will read the writeup on the log site afterwards, lol)

I will say I glanced at the post again...based on things like placement in the text, etc, I think it's most likely to be a thing from early in the show.

Scorching Ping Pong Girls was a lot of fun. It really surprised because I was just expecting it to be kind of bad honestly. Definitely agree it needed more seasons though.

Scorching Ping Pong Girls rules. I don't think the manga is as good as the anime, personally, and some of the later matches go on too long.

You should've mentioned the music IMO. It has one of the best OSTs of any anime.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BA_ABsM8ZR0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cqh2E3Vnsdc

Thanks for the input, Martin. I'll keep doing it how I've been doing then, but I'll definitely be mindful about spoilers at the start or end of a paragraph.

MacArrowny posted...

You should've mentioned the music IMO. It has one of the best OSTs of any anime.

I'm usually bad at remembering music unless it's super terrible or super amazing. You are right though, the OST in Scorching Ping Pong Girls definitely enhances the experience. I rewatched the video I linked for the character write-up with music in mind and it's neat how it keeps changing with the mood of the scene.

76. My Dress-Up Darling
https://myanimelist.net/anime/48736/Sono_Bisque_Doll_wa_Koi_wo_Suru
Winter 2022 (12 episodes)
My Score: 7/10, MAL Score: 8.31/10
Best Character: Kitagawa Marin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oG4eu4HMtbo

Premise: Gojou Wakana makes hina dolls, but he fears hell be mocked for it. Once popular girl Kitagawa Marin finds out, though, she asks him to use his skills to help her make cosplay outfits!

The Good: My Dress-Up Darling is a slice-of-life romance with a focus on cosplay. Gojou and Marin couldnt be more different. She's attractive, popular, confident, and proud of her interests. Gojou, meanwhile, strives to remain unnoticed because he's afraid people will think he's weird if they find out his dream is to craft hina dolls. Marin soon finds out, of course, but she doesn't think it's weird. She thinks it's cool, and not just because Gojou's talent for making clothes means he can help her fulfill her cosplay dreams. The relationship between these two is the biggest part of the anime, and I thought it was really sweet. They're a perfect example of opposites attract, but they always do their best to support each other. What little drama there is usually gets easily resolved. I like Gojou, he's way better than the typical generic dude a lot of anime have, but he's not as good as Marin, who I'll talk about more in her write-up below. I also thought the cosplay aspect of this was interesting. It was always neat to watch a new outfit come together.

The Bad: In addition to all the usual fanservice one would expect from a girl cosplaying as sexy anime characters, My Dress-Up Darling also had one episode that was the epitome of fanservice. It was the one where Gojou took Marin's measurements while she wore a skimpy swimsuit and seemed unaware of the situation. I didn't mind the sexiness of it, I just thought it was too much too early in their relationship. I also felt there was a bit too much focus on cosplay in this anime. I wanted to see more day-to-day stuff. There's a short subplot at school early on, and then we never see them there again. I wanted to know if they ever have lunch together, or if Gojou is getting to know Marin's friends too, stuff like that.

Overall: My Dress-Up Darling has some funny moments, and the cosplay process was interesting. Still, my favorite thing about this was the sweet, supportive relationship it's building between Gojou and Marin. The lone season doesn't get as far as I'd like, but it's still shaping up to be one of the best romances in all of anime. I'll talk about that a lot more in my write-up for Marin.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/0/7/AAcDcBAADydT.jpg

CHARACTER: Kitagawa Marin (My Dress-Up Darling)
https://myanimelist.net/character/166439/Marin_Kitagawa
Voiced by: Suguta Hina
TOP 100 RANK: 51st

SPOILERS FOR MY DRESS-UP DARLING

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVL1WB27LUI

There were a lot of videos I considered choosing for Marin. Her and Gojou have so many great moments. There's the one where he explains that he's careful about the word beautiful, only using it for things that truly resonate with him. Then, later, Gojou sleepily says Marin looked beautiful in her cosplay outfit, and she absolutely catches the implication. There's the one where she finally realizes she's falling for him, and Marin is cutely freaking out about it in the background. There's even the time Gojou went to try on casual outfits, and Marin was struggling to keep it together because he looked so good in all of them. Their whole relationship is a bunch of great little moments, it was tough to choose one! I'm glad I found that video, though, because it perfectly encapsulates my favorite thing about them.

It was so refreshing to watch an anime romance where I could see exactly why each of them is falling for the other. There are so many where the guy is bland and the girl only likes him because he's the protagonist. So many where the girl is attractive and nothing more. So many where one or both of them is a borderline abusive jerk. My Dress-Up Darling managed to avoid all of the romantic pitfalls that usually bug me (recall, if you will, that graveyard of mediocre romcoms in the 3/10s of my ranking). Marin is attractive, obviously, and Gojou is a good-looking guy too. His main problem is a lack of presence, and that disappears once Marin notices him. Neither one has an infatuation based on looks, though. They each have interests and dreams, things that they're passionate about, and sharing those parts of themselves is what slowly but surely wins the other over.

Let's go back to that video I linked, which if I remember right comes before either one has even begun to realize their feelings. Gojou is sleep-deprived because he worked nonstop to finish Marin's outfit. He has dark bags under his eyes, it isn't a good look. Marin was already touched that he worked so hard for her, though, so to her those signs of tiredness are a plus, not a minus. I mean, she's a literal fashion model, but when she sees the eyelashes he has, she assumes Gojou got them for a girlfriend. It's clear she views Gojou as such an obvious prize that some girl must've gotten there already. The idea seems to bother her. Then Gojou talks a bit about his hina dolls, which again Marin takes an interest in and doesn't judge. She even reassures him that he'll be able to accomplish his dream, and Gojou's tired face lights up in a smile.

It's just so cute watching these two be so naturally supportive of each other. It's a burgeoning romance where, if they ever do get together, each of them would feel like the lucky one. Marin is my favorite of the two because she's an energetic dork most of the time and I really like that, but it's her relationship with Gojou that elevated her into my favorites.

Mobilezoid posted...

I also felt there was a bit too much focus on cosplay in this anime. I wanted to see more day-to-day stuff. There's a short subplot at school early on, and then we never see them there again. I wanted to know if they ever have lunch together, or if Gojou is getting to know Marin's friends too, stuff like that.

well when they get to a season 2 your prayers will be answered

KommunistKoala posted...

well if they get to a season 2 your prayers will be answered

That's good to hear! I really hope this gets another season someday. It really deserves it.

75. Amanchu
https://myanimelist.net/anime/31771/Amanchu
Summer 2016 (12 episodes), Spring 2018 (12 episodes) plus 1 OVA
My Score: 7/10, MAL Score: 7.24/10 S1, 7.12/10 S2
Best Characters: Kohinata Pikari Hikari, Ooki Teko Futaba

My Teko and Pikari figures: https://imgur.com/NZdyyqc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3bRos2VNZ8

Premise: Ooki Futaba has moved to a seaside town, and shes terrified of what awaits her. Then she meets diving enthusiast Kohinata Hikari, and together they begin finding fun things every day.

The Good: Amanchu is a slice-of-life comedy. It focuses on ocean diving, but I hesitate to call this a diving anime because that isnt really the point. The main theme gets elaborated on very early. Theres a whole world out there, far bigger than anyone can imagine, and we can all find fun things if we look for them. Diving into the infinite wonders of the ocean is just the symbolic metaphor used to explore that. Both Teko and Pikari (to use their nicknames) are among my favorite anime characters ever.

Teko is shy and would likely hide away forever if given the chance. Luckily, she meets Pikari, and that energetic oddball is more than happy to drag her new friend on adventures. Its interesting watching them learn about diving. Its also fun watching them goof off doing non-diving activities. When it wants to be, Amanchu is one of the most beautiful anime Ive ever seen. Then, sometimes, characters turn into goofy caricatures with exaggerated facial expressions, which really sells the comedic moments. I swear that Pikari is half-muppet! I posted this before image, but, I mean, just look at it.

https://imgur.com/RPMRBgU

Anyway, the first season of Amanchu was a solid 9/10 and one of my favorites. It had a relaxed atmosphere while still managing to have deep themes.

The Bad: The second season sucks. Not all of it, there are still a handful of episodes with that classic Amanchu charm, but most of it is awful. It introduced Kokoro, an awful little kid who ruined the dynamic between everyone. Way too many episodes focus on that brat. Then some other episodes delve into a weird supernatural plot. That happened a lot in Aria, another work by the same author, but those were always one-episode stories that still had the same tone as the rest of the setting. In Amanchu, the supernatural plot is a harsh departure from the feel of everything else, and its also handled in the worst way possible. I hated all of it.

Overall: I rewatched the first season of Amanchu for this write-up. Two of my top 100 characters are from it, including Pikari in my top ten, so I knew I had to. Still, I put it off for a long time because I was dreading it. I still love the first season for its relentless charm and the friendship it forged between these characters. The second season was just so terrible that I didnt want to put myself through it again. It took me an embarrassingly long time to realize I could just stop after the first season. So thats what I did. That might seem basic to those of you who drop anime at the first sign of trouble, but Im the weirdo who forced myself to finish a bunch of 1/10 and 2/10 anime. The idea that I could just stop watching is one I struggle with! Im glad I rewatched S1, though. It refreshed my memory so I can talk about Teko and Pikari.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/4/5/AAcDcBAADyfd.jpg

CHARACTER: Ooki Teko Futaba (Amanchu)
https://myanimelist.net/character/19561/Futaba_Ooki
Voiced by: Kayano Ai
TOP 100 RANK: 75th

SPOILERS FOR AMANCHU

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Zrjd-KOHM0

That video clip is from when Futaba first meets Pikari and gets her nickname. Despite being slightly touched at the attention, shes mostly just weirded out by the strange girl picking a nickname based on the thickness of her eyebrows of all things. This scene made me grin during my rewatch, though, because its the perfect way to start their friendship. Teko wants to be left alone, but she gets dragged along. Pikari, meanwhile, doesnt like it when things are ordinary. She gives a girl she just met a random nickname, just because. And, while the new girl meekly protests at first, it isnt long before she enjoys the nickname and wears it with pride. Thats their dynamic in a nutshell. Pikari pulls, Teko resists, but in the end Teko is always glad she got dragged along.

Ive mentioned in a few previous character write-ups that I was shy as a kid, so I relate to Teko a lot. Like her, I was often scared of new places. I also spent a lot of time hiding from the world because I was afraid of what was out there. Whenever something goes wrong, Tekos first instinct is to blame herself, shut down, and give up, and man do I ever relate to that. Thankfully, Teko quickly met Pikari, and their friendship pushes her to experience new things.

I could talk a lot about all the little moments between them, but these write-ups are going to be long enough as is. Ill just talk about my favorite arc involving Teko. She takes lots of pictures of beautiful things she wants to remember. Her phone is set up to display a random image every time she opens it, and she loves reliving those memories. Thats why she nearly breaks down when her phone hits its storage capacity. For most people its an easy fix, just transfer old pics and clear some space. For Teko, though, that would mean picking which precious memories to abandon. She never outright says anything to the others, but she doesnt need to. By this point, Pikari can tell when something is wrong with her best friend. And she has the perfect solution.

The diving club bands together and buys Teko a present, a digital picture frame with the same image-shuffling function as her phone. She wont need to forget anything, she just needs to put them in her treasure box, as Pikari calls it. Its a wonderful moment between those two, because it shows how much Pikari understands Teko, and how much everyone cares about the shy girl who was once afraid she wouldn't make any friends.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/4/6/AAcDcBAADyfe.jpg

CHARACTER: Kohinata Pikari Hikari (Amanchu)
https://myanimelist.net/character/18057/Hikari_Kohinata
Voiced by: Suzuki Eri
TOP 100 RANK: 8th

SPOILERS FOR AMANCHU

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0AVUlTBeY0

In my write-up for Teko, I talked about how I relate to her shy timidness. I cant relate to Pikari at all, but shes a character I really admire. Shes strange, often reacting with a cute whoop!, sometimes communicating with a whistle, and always running off on adventures. I like how all these things are acknowledged as strange within the anime, too. Pikari explains that she uses the whistle because she struggles to vocalize her thoughts. She seemingly had no friends before Teko, and its easy to imagine her alienating them. She admits she often drags people along and then it turns out they werent having fun. Its something Pikari is vulnerable about, and its so humanizing. She makes sure to check in with Teko to confirm they arent going too far.

No one embodies the themes of Amanchu better than Pikari. The video I chose for her is just her and her teacher walking from a bus stop to school. Its a basic thing. For Pikari, though, it turns into an adventure. They both decide to make it a race, and that keeps escalating until Pikari is cutting through a forest and leaping off a wall. In another episode, her and Teko decide to follow a cat, and that leads to them discovering a kitten and going on a heartwarming journey where they look after it and eventually find an owner. The message Amanchu imparts to the viewer is that the world is filled with beautiful, fun things. A lot of us are so caught up in our routines that we miss most of them. Pikari is the kind of person to wander new roads for no other reason than because theyre new, so shes always finding something.

In one episode, a suspicious Katori-sensei follows Pikari onto a train, wondering where shes going. It turns out the train passes some gorgeous flowers. They only bloom for a short time, and the train only passes them for a moment. Its the kind of thing a lot of commuters, even ones who take that train every day, would literally never notice. For Pikari, though, theyre worth riding the train back and forth a few times in one day, just to see those flowers.

Finding that level of enjoyment in the little things in life is so alien to me. Even as an adult, Id probably never go outside if I didnt need to. Still, as I mentioned at the start of this write-up, I admire someone like Pikari. She enjoys every moment, and shes always seeking out new ones. Everything in her life turns into an adventure. She isnt perfect, and she has a few things shes vulnerable about. However, she never lets them hold her back. Teko may be the character I relate to, but Pikari is the one I think we should all aspire to be, at least a little bit.

COMING UP TOMORROW:
74: This anime can never escape its embarrassing past.
C55: This character wields demonic magic.
C17: This character has a powerful ability sealed in their right eye.
73: This anime wants to keep its school from closing down.

Amanchu! remains the most disappointing anime I have ever watched

if MAL allowed 0s I would have given it one

th3l3fty posted...

Amanchu! remains the most disappointing anime I have ever watched

if MAL allowed 0s I would have given it one

I can understand hating Amanchu S2 for sure, but I'm guessing you never made it that far. I can only imagine the negative score that would warrant.

I can't understand hating S1 though. It's such a pleasant and inoffensive anime. Unless you think Pikari is annoying, I guess would be fair. She herself admits that a lot of people find her annoying!

Mobilezoid posted...

The idea that I could just stop watching is one I struggle with!

I remember being a "never dropper" in college and watching all the Naruto filler. Never again. Anime is much more enjoyable when you just stop watching stuff you don't like

74 is pretty obviously Chuu2, with the second character being Rikka... Hope the first character isn't S2 girl, who was one of the weakest characters. Guessing 73 is LL, though it's surely not the only anime with that premise.

Amanchu would've benefited from spending more time on the diving sequences imo. Those were by far the most magical parts of the series. I didn't like the overuse of chibi art either. Aria used it too, but more sparingly.

74. Love, Chunibyo, & Other Delusions
https://myanimelist.net/anime/14741/Chuunibyou_demo_Koi_ga_Shitai
Fall 2012 (12 episodes), Winter 2014 (12 episodes) plus 2 OVAs and 1 movie
My Score: 7/10, MAL Score: 7.72/10 S1, 7.55/10 S2
Best Characters: Takanashi Rikka, Shichimiya Satone

My Rikka figure: https://imgur.com/IcNnwj8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7xLVyz9bg4

Premise: Togashi Yuuta hopes he can leave the embarrassment of his chunibyo delusions behind and get a fresh start in high school. Unfortunately, his new upstairs neighbor is Takanashi Rikka, a girl whose Wicked Eye persona is going to turn Yuutas normal life upside down.

The Good: Love, Chunibyo, & Other Delusions is a romantic comedy, though it excels more at comedy than romance. Yuuta wants to leave his delusions behind, but Rikka drags him into a group where theres no avoiding chunibyo shenanigans. Its fun seeing Yuuta writhe in embarrassment. Its fun watching Nibutani and Dekomori feud over Morisummer. And Rikka is almost always funny. Whether its an epic (imagined) battle against the Priestess (her sister), or the little hurt noise she makes at the end when she gets smacked with a powerful weapon (a utensil), Rikka is cute and hilarious. While the humor is my favorite thing about this, I also like how it frequently becomes heartfelt. I have some problems with the romance angle, as Ill cover in the bad section as well as the spoiler character write-ups, but there are still a lot of great moments here. It examines things like what it means to be with someone, and the reasons why a person might embrace chunibyo delusions in the first place.

The Bad: I wasnt a huge fan of the finale movie. Examining why made me realize that the problems had been there all along, and it was just the fact that none of the characters had addressed them by now that became impossible to ignore. Rikka and Yuuta are both seemingly incapable of figuring things out for themselves. That means their friends are almost always present, either tagging along or observing from a distance. Having the cast together works for jokes. It just hampers the growth of their romantic relationship, in my opinion, when theyre almost never left alone. It bothered me a bit in the first and second seasons. Then the finale movie was a confused mess.

Overall: Love, Chunibyo, & Other Delusions is a solid romantic comedy about how an overactive imagination can add spice to everyday life. The characters have several fun dynamics with each other, leading to lots of great jokes. Then sometimes it would become serious and heartfelt, which I enjoyed too. The second season also added Shichimiya Satone, who was another amazing character.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/5/5/AAcDcBAADyqj.jpg

CHARACTER: Shichimiya Satone (Love, Chunibyo, & Other Delusions)
https://myanimelist.net/character/65867/Satone_Shichimiya
Voiced by: Nagatsuma Juri
TOP 100 RANK: 55th

SPOILERS FOR LOVE, CHUNIBYO, & OTHER DELUSIONS

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMoEMbkM-eU

Introduced in the second season, Shichimiya Satone was Yuutas friend in middle school. Like Rikka, she became enamored by his chunibyo persona and wholeheartedly embraced the delusions. Once she began falling in love with him, though, Satone felt the chunibyo slip away. Faced with a choice, and not wanting to risk losing what she already had with Yuuta, Satone suppressed her feelings and pledged to remain a magical devil girl forever.

After reuniting with Yuuta in high school, though, Satone realizes she may not have needed to choose between love and chunibyo. After all, Rikka manages to have both. Satone shows a knack for introspection, but it still takes most of the season for her to accept that she still has feelings for Yuuta. She wonders what mightve happened if she made different decisions back then. I love how she never attempts to sabotage Yuuta and Rikkas relationship. Satone tries to get over these feelings for her own sake. She also remains a staunch ally to Rikka, often offering her advice or mentorship in the form of chunibyo battles. Being so mature is rare for a high schooler, let alone one who believes theyre a magical devil girl.

The video I linked is one of my favorite scenes in Love, Chunibyo, & Other Delusions. Satone talks with Yuuta in order to get over her feelings for him. Her heart breaks more and more the longer they talk, all without him realizing why. Still, Satone makes it through. She gets over him. Then Yuuta brings her an umbrella for the rain and Satone realizes she isnt over him at all. Its heartbreaking yet realistic. For a character type who couldve dragged everything down with an unnecessary love triangle or brought a bunch of melodrama, Satone elevated the second season with her heartfelt arc instead. She was also just a really fun character overall, having a lot of the same chunibyo quirks as Rikka.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/5/6/AAcDcBAADyqk.jpg

CHARACTER: Takanashi Rikka (Love, Chunibyo, & Other Delusions)
https://myanimelist.net/character/65865/Rikka_Takanashi
Voiced by: Uchida Maaya
TOP 100 RANK: 17th

SPOILERS FOR LOVE, CHUNIBYO, & OTHER DELUSIONS

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5LfIJxvJs4

Starting from the moment she needed Yuutas help to climb down a rope, Takanashi Rikka was the star of Love, Chunibyo, & Other Delusions. There are countless gags where her chunibyo carries a scene, like when she uses her power to open train doors (which are automatic) or how she has a calculator taped to her apartment door and pretends to input a code to enter. Rikkas voice acting is excellent too. It works for bombastic declarations as well as for the cute noises she makes whenever she gets smacked for being a crazy person. It also works really well when shes being vulnerable, and Rikka often is because large parts of the story delve into her growth and trauma.

Rikkas character has a lot of heart. The first season examines why she created her persona in the first place. After the death of her father, she needed the make-believe to feel like she could still reach him. Even after Yuuta helps her get over that and they start dating, Rikka holds onto her Wicked Eye just to keep life interesting. The series often asked if she could have both love and chunibyo. It asked it one too many times, in my opinion. The movie was a bad retread of the story from the second season. Still, I appreciated the conclusion it reached. She could fall in love without having to grow up first. What does growing up mean, anyway? Id argue Rikka is more mature than someone like Nibutani who denies a part of herself in order to be normal.

I got annoyed in the movie at how little Rikka and Yuutas relationship progressed. They kissed after years of dating, big whoop. I cant blame Rikka for the writers not knowing how to write a relationship, though. She was always a fun character, even during the subpar movie. I really liked how, in the second season, she dedicates a lot of offscreen time to tracking down where Yuuta had buried a magical coin, in his younger days. It doesnt have any actual powers, and given her character development Rikka almost certainly knows that. Still, she loves Yuuta, and this is just the best way she can think of to show it. This anime wasnt perfect. It examined the same questions too often, the progress in their romance was glacial, and the movie kind of sucked. When I think about Rikka tracking down those coins, though, I remember why I liked this story despite its flaws. Rikka helps spice up Yuuta's life, and its clear how much they care about each other in their own way.

I watched both seasons and I think the movie? But I don't have all that high an opinion of it, especially season 2. One of KyoAni's more forgettable productions.

73. Love Live! School Idol Project
https://myanimelist.net/anime/15051/Love_Live_School_Idol_Project
Winter 2013 (13 episodes), Spring 2014 (13 episodes) plus 1 movie
My Score: 7/10, MAL Score: 7.41/10 S1, 7.77/10 S2
Best Character: Yazawa Nico

My Love Live figures (Rin, Nico, Honoka): https://imgur.com/lZc1ekj

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BvfUU2vJVE

Premise: In order to save her high school, Kousaka Honoka starts a school idol group to bring in students. The student council is resistant to the idea, however, and getting popular is never easy.

The Good: Love Live is an idol anime. Honoka gathered a group of nine girls, and together they overcome obstacles while practicing and singing. For me, at least, Love Live is one of the standouts in the genre. I don't like everyone, but quite a few of the girls are amazing. Nico is my favorite for obvious reasons, her antics never failed amuse. Honoka was really good as their leader too. Rin was also cute and funny, and her focus episodes gave her some depth. Everyone else at least contributes to the excellent group dynamic. My favorite parts in any Love Live are when everyone is together (which is why the Nijigasaki spinoff ranked so much lower). I loved scenes like the one where they were looking for a hook for their group, so everyone tried on costumes, resulting in beautiful moments like this gif.

https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/206/123/161.gif

The Bad: Love Live had a few dramatic arcs. Some I enjoyed, but some of the bigger ones felt too melodramatic. There's an arc with Kotori in the first season I absolutely hated, and then the end of the second season got sad for what I felt was a dumb reason. I vastly preferred the spinoff, Love Live Sunshine, in large part because it handled drama much more deftly than the original did.

Overall: Love Live is a great idol anime, but it isn't my favorite. Idol shows are always fun, and the group dynamic is great whenever it's just them training or goofing off. I just wasn't a fan of some of the more dramatic arcs. They werent terrible or anything, but they held LL back enough that I can't justify ranking it any higher.

COMING UP TOMORROW:
72: This anime will be reborn in a more peaceful era.
C76: This character needed 100,000 likes.
C61: This character is only ranking this low as part of a stratagem.

Only one anime tomorrow and the next day because both 72 and 71 have two characters each and both of them together would just be too much for one day.

Chuunibyou is much fun. I dropped LL after the first episode. Didn't think whatever singing was in it was good, the dance animation was ugly as heck, and the characters didn't do it for me.

Plus idol stuff isn't my shit in general.

todokete

I do wonder if stuff like Lycoris and Kongming will keep as high a ranking on your list going forward, since they are quite recent and all.

Sceptilesolar posted...

I do wonder if stuff like Lycoris and Kongming will keep as high a ranking on your list going forward, since they are quite recent and all.

I'm sure they'll continue shifting around! I've kept an ongoing ranking for the entire time I've been watching anime and I often make small adjustments to it. It helps pass time when I'm bored at work.

Since I try to keep a certain number of anime at each rank (currently 10 10/10s, 20 9/10s, etc) the funnest part is when I find a new favorite. To slot in a new 10/10, another one needs to downgrade to a 9, and then another 9 has to become an 8, and so on. It isn't always the lowest 9 that falls, either. I look through them all and think about it until I find the weakest link. I could see new stuff like Lycoris or Prima Doll being that weak link someday, depending on how my feelings for them settle.

My ranking style might seem crazy to most people, but I enjoy it. At the very least it keeps me thinking about old anime more than just scoring them on MAL and then never looking back.

Mobilezoid posted...

Since I try to keep a certain number of anime at each rank (currently 10 10/10s, 20 9/10s, etc) the funnest part is when I find a new favorite.

Shouldn't those numbers go up as you watch more anime...?

MacArrowny posted...

Shouldn't those numbers go up as you watch more anime...?

Right now I'm still building up to 10/20/30/40/50/50/40/30/20/10 (300 total anime) but after that, yes, the amount in each tier will go up. I'll probably keep the 10s and 1s to ten for a long time, but eventually I'll have 25 or 30 9/10s.

It's fun expanding the tiers too. Then I get to look at the 8s and decide which ones deserve to rise! (Again, don't judge me, this helps pass time at work)

Mobilezoid posted...

My favorite parts in any Love Live are when everyone is together (which is why the Nijigasaki spinoff ranked so much lower).

Well Superstar does bring back the group interactions, but it's super centered on one character.

I'll easily take Niji's way of doing things if it means more distributed focus on the characters.

I'll probably watch Superstar pretty soon after I'm done with rewatches and recommendations for this ranking. I already have the unpopular opinion of ranking Sunshine first. Maybe I'll have the even more unpopular opinion of liking Superstar more than them all!

Also, if you'll allow me to bore everyone with the specifics of my ranking system a bit more, my way of ranking things isn't perfect. If my memory of an anime fades, sometimes I'll bump it down a tier when it doesn't deserve it. That was how Lost Song became a 6/10 before I decided to undo that and rank it properly. Now that I've rewatched it, let me just say we won't be reaching Lost Song for quite a while.

Actually, Ive seen many people put Sunshine on top overall of all 4 groups. Its very well liked.

And I can still understand people liking Superstar the most if it was season 1 because its still good for the most part.

Season 2 was justugh. And they already announced a season 3 of it.

72. Ya Boy Kongming!
https://myanimelist.net/anime/50380/Paripi_Koumei
Spring 2022 (12 episodes)
My Score: 7/10, MAL Score: 8.23/10
Best Character: Zhuge Kongming Liang, Tsukimi Eiko

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyqDOOpJlcA

Premise: As historical figure Zhuge 'Kongming' Liang lays dying, he wishes to be reborn in a more peaceful era. This wish is granted when he awakens in modern day Tokyo and becomes a strategist for talented singer Tsukimi Eiko.

The Good: Ya Boy Kongming is a comedy with a music focus. Zhuge Liang is reborn in Tokyo and meets Eiko, a talented singer who is having trouble making a name for herself. I'm a big Dynasty Warriors fan. I've also read Romance of the Three Kingdoms, so I loved this premise. The manager of the bar where Kongming and Eiko work is a fanboy for that era too, and I found him funny because of that. An employee wore an eyepatch on Halloween, and the manager wanted him to keep wearing it after because it made him look like Xiahou Dun! Kongming is also every bit as intelligent as his historical counterpart. There's a great moment early on where he starts asking Eiko basic questions about the modern world, then within a few hours he's figuring out cryptocurrency blockchains. After learning how to mix drinks, he starts anticipating orders and putting them on the bar an instant after customers come up! It's a lot of fun watching Eiko react to these shenanigans, too. All of that is great, and I enjoyed Kongming adapting his famous stratagems to help Eiko in the music business. YBK also has some great emotional moments too. Kongming is a man with a second chance at life, but everything and everyone he ever knew is gone. I liked the times where the story examined the emotional impact of that.

The Bad: The first few episodes of YBK were amazing and I thought it would be a new 10/10. Sadly, it became a lot more average as it went along. There was a long arc for a rapper, Kabe, which had some nice moments but wasn't as good as Kongming/Eiko. Then the last few episodes made some really odd choices for a music anime. Eiko sang the same song over and over several episodes in a row. It's a good song, and I loved it the first time. I just wanted more variety. None of this was terrible, but it was nowhere near as good as the early episodes.

Overall: I enjoyed Ya Boy Kongming. The premise appealed to me as a fan of the era, and both Kongming and Eiko were great, as I'll cover in their write-ups below. It managed to be hilarious as well as occasionally heartfelt, and the music was good. The later parts aren't remotely as amazing, but this was still a nice anime overall.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/1/2/AAcDcBAADy5g.jpg

CHARACTER: Tsukimi Eiko (Ya Boy Kongming!)
https://myanimelist.net/character/203657/Eiko_Tsukimi
Voiced by: Hondo Kaede
TOP 100 RANK: 76th

SPOILERS FOR YA BOY KONGMING

VIDEO LINK (from the first episode): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNY6hOFBCqM

I like that video a lot for both of these characters. Eiko doesn't believe Kongming is actually the historical figure, but she was still kind enough to bring him in from the cold and answer all of his questions. He's long since crossed the line into being annoying, and she mostly just wants him to leave. Then she notices that he looks dejected. Without hesitation, Eiko plays a song, and it's so moving that it drives Kongming to tears. It's a nice moment for him, as I'll talk about more in his write-up. It's also a great moment for Eiko, especially once more information about her character has been revealed. Eiko almost committed suicide as a teen, and was only saved by the manager of the bar stopping her and bringing her over to hear that night's musical act. She was so moved by the performance that she started singing as well. The song she played for Kongming was the same one that saved Eiko all those years ago. She saw someone sad, and she tried to cheer them up with the thing that had given her life purpose when she was at her lowest. I dunno, I just think that was really sweet.

She goes on to sing this exact same song over and over in the second half, which I thought was lame, but there was one way where it sort of worked out. When Kongming heard her sing it, it moved him so much he became her strategist. Kongming isn't just some dude, either. If he says Eiko has talent we can probably believe it. When Eiko needs to impress a big time music producer, however, she sings that same song and he finds it lacking. In my opinion, this comes down to the emotions involved when she was singing. For Kongming, she wanted to cheer him up with the song that had saved her, and that likely infused a lot of emotion into it. With the producer, Eiko was just trying not to make any mistakes, which could come across as emotionless. I don't have a good enough ear for music to tell myself, but that makes sense to me.

After Eiko goes on a bit of a journey, meeting and deciding she wants to reach another girl trapped with a shady producer, her singing improves. Thanks to that and Kongming's strategies, she manages to win the 100,000 likes competition. I appreciated how that was almost secondary for Eiko at that point. What she wanted most of all was to reach her new friend and rekindle their love of music. Eiko really is a sweetheart. I don't think it's about the fame and fortune for her (though they're certainly nice to have). She just wants to reach people with her music, and with Kongming's support I'm glad she's succeeding.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/1/3/AAcDcBAADy5h.jpg

CHARACTER: Zhuge Kongming Liang (Ya Boy Kongming!)
https://myanimelist.net/character/203656/Kongming_Zhuge
Voiced by: Okiayu Ryoutarou
TOP 100 RANK: 61st

SPOILERS FOR YA BOY KONGMING

VIDEO LINK: (I couldn't find another one I wanted to use, the Eiko video is good for Kongming too)

In the past, as Kongming is dying, he wishes to be reborn in a more peaceful era. Knowing about his history makes this wish even more sympathetic. He's the last remnant of the first generation of Shu. His lord Liu Bei, many of his commanders, and countless soldiers were all gone at that point, leaving Kongming to try and hold it all together alone. Even for a man of his skills, it had to have been draining. Then he dies, gets reborn in a new era, and sees what his life amounted to. Sure, he has a Wikipedia page, and that's neat. But it says that Shu collapsed, conquered by the family of his hated rival, only for that dynasty to collapse in turn. Here, over a thousand years later, what did all that death and destruction amount to? What was the point?

Those are deep questions, and they're enough to get even the great Kongming down. That's when he hears Eiko's song, and he has a vision of Liu Bei urging him towards a world without war. It drives him to tears, but it also reminds him of something important. The wars in the Three Kingdoms period weren't the point, it was the world they hoped to build afterwards that mattered. And now he's there, having taken a road he could've never imagined to reach a world without war (well... no wars in Tokyo, anyway. Someone should get Kongming an airplane ticket to go help Ukraine). It's time for him to decide what to do in this era of peace, and Kongming chooses to help Eiko reach people with her music the same way she reached him.

I found all of that compelling. It helps that Kongming is acutely aware of how precious his second chance is, and he doesn't want to waste it. He does things like having drinks with people, remembering how he always regretted not sharing a drink with a group of soldiers who were slaughtered the next day. It's fun watching Kongming navigate the modern world and dazzle everyone with his stratagems, but it's emotional moments like those which elevated the character for me.

COMING UP TOMORROW:
71: This anime is following a trail of star stickers.
C79: This character is being pulled onstage against their will.
C10: This character is singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

EDIT: Whoops, 71 not 72

i'm learning so much from this thread
https://imgur.com/a/2FdLlGg

kongming good times

i'm like a week behind, have a ton to catch up on

i randomly discovered kongming's OP a few weeks ago looking at best anime OPs. it is mesmerizing

Kongming's OP is definitely amazing. I was happy when they released a full version of the song, it's just so catchy.

(I felt bad for only doing one anime today and tomorrow, so I finally watched another recommendation as a bonus. Sorry that I haven't made better progress on these, everyone. Rewatching stuff before I reach them in the ranking has been taking all of my time!)

BONUS. Rokka: Braves of the Six Flowers
https://myanimelist.net/anime/28497/Rokka_no_Yuusha
Summer 2015 (12 episodes)
My Score: TBA, MAL Score: 7.29/10
Best Character: Adlet Mayer
Recommended by: @CoolCly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBxFQkLWSg0

Premise: Adlet Mayer, self-proclaimed strongest man in the world, is one of six heroes chosen to defeat the demon lord. When seven heroes gather instead of the fated six, however, suspicion takes root as they wonder if one might be an imposter.

The Good: Rokka is a fantasy action mystery. A demon lord revives every few hundred years, and six heroes are chosen to defeat it. Seven is an impossibility, which means that one of the powerful warriors who gathers isn't who they say they are. I really love that premise. It's a locked room mystery, and I've always been a fan of games like Mafia/Werewolf/Among Us, etc. Each of the seven characters is cool in their own way. Adlet was my favorite, I liked his box full of different weapons and how he needed to use them creatively to keep ahead. Everyone had an awesome unique ability, though, and it led to a lot of great battles. Everyone was also suspicious in some way, which is almost more important than them being cool. Rokka's mystery kept me guessing until the very end, and I give it a lot of credit for that. This is the kind of story that could've easily been ruined by bad writing, but I only have a few minor complaints.

The Bad: I had one or two problems with character decisions, but thats to be expected. This kind of story makes it easy to think "here's what I would do if I was them", after all. I also thought some clues were revealed in a bad way, but they didn't ruin the story or the mystery. I guess the actual worst thing about Rokka is that, from what I've read, the anime flopped so hard that there's zero chance of another season. There were still a few loose ends, but, oh well. It was satisfying enough as its own story.

Overall: Rokka was a great action anime, and I really loved the mystery. It wasnt perfect, but none of the issues were ones that seriously impacted my enjoyment. This was just a great story with unique characters, and I liked it a lot. I'm not sure exact where it'll end up falling in my overall ranking, but I'd say an 8/10 is pretty much guaranteed. Thanks for recommending it, CoolCly!

no the actual worst thing about Rokka is that the most recent numbered volume came out over 7 years ago

I looked up the dates and the release of the last Rokka volume coincides with the anime flopping. I wonder if it failing to sell well had something to do with it. That must've been discouraging, either for the author or the publisher.

I liked Rokka a lot. Shame that it basically died though yeah.

Some day I will watch the rest of Kongming. The first 2 episodes were very good though >.>

I doubt it

I think it's more likely the author wrote everything they had pre-planned and had no idea how to progress from there

71. BanG Dream!
https://myanimelist.net/anime/33573/BanG_Dream
Winter 2017 (13 episodes), Winter 2019 (13 episodes), Winter 2020 (13 episodes) plus 5 OVAs
My Score: 7/10, MAL Score: 6.99/10 S1, 7.58/10 S2, 8.03/10 S3
Best Character: Toyama Kasumi, Ichigaya Arisa

My three Kasumi figures (yes, I have three): https://imgur.com/ySSNHMz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srRfQSO-WO0

Premise: Toyama Kasumi isnt sure what to do with her time now that shes started high school. Then she chances upon a star-shaped guitar in an old pawn shop, and she becomes enamored with the idea of starting a band.

The Good: BanG Dream is a music anime. The first season covers Kasumi finding people to create the band PoppinParty, but the franchise exploded from there. At this point I appreciate it most for the mobile game, BanG Dream: Girls Band Party. Ive played it for years and spent thousands of dollars on it (which was worth it because I havent missed a limited 4* Kasumi card yet). There are now 35 girls across seven bands, and hundreds of game stories have fleshed them out over the years. I love GBP. However, this ranking is for the anime alone. It also doesnt include the three seasons of Garupa Pico short episodes, because those are so amazing they would catapult BanG Dream into my top 10. Each Garupa Pico episode is three minutes of hilarious insanity with characters I know and love. One episode has the members of Poppin'Party swapping minds like its Freaky Friday and Kasumi runs wild in Arisa's body. Another has them getting lost in a jungle. Theres even an Ace Attorney parody, perfect for the B8 crowd!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWDB_GeyGYk

Anyway, the BanG Dream anime is good too. PoppinParty is my favorite band and Kasumi and Arisa are my favorite characters, as Ill cover in their write-ups below. The first season brings that band together, and its the perfect mix of cute girls fun, music, and light drama like Rimi overcoming her shyness or Saya's worries for her sickly mother. For most people the second and third seasons are probably a huge improvement. The animation goes from fairly mediocre drawings in the first season to beautiful CGI, and they have all the other bands from the mobile game. I enjoy those seasons too, especially the live shows and the introduction of Rokka, my third favorite character who only just missed the top 100. Still, the first season was my favorite. It had a lot of charm, and the focus on Poppin'Party was the best.

The Bad: The second season introduced a new band, Raise a Suilen, and, while the third season warmed me up to them significantly, I hated them in season two. They were basically a villain squad led by a gremlin girl named Chu2. They tried to undermine the other bands, and they very nearly succeeded. There was an arc with Tae and Layer that almost made me quit the franchise, it was so melodramatic and bad.

Overall: BanG Dream is a sprawling franchise, and the anime is now only one small part of it. I loved the first season for introducing PoppinParty, and the second and third seasons had lots of great performances and fun character moments. I dont like it when BanG Dream gets overly dramatic, however, and those later seasons often did. Its still always a treat when something new releases, like the extra episodes theyve been adding to their Youtube channel. The CIRCLE Thanks Party ones and Morfonica specials were both great. Whatever flaws the anime might have, I think this is an excellent franchise with lots of wonderful characters.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/8/9/AAcDcBAADzL5.jpg

CHARACTER: Ichigaya Arisa (BanG Dream)
https://myanimelist.net/character/142761/Arisa_Ichigaya
Voiced by: Itou Ayasa
TOP 100 RANK: 79th

SPOILERS FOR BANG DREAM

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=virT8Mi7kVs
BONUS (Arisas character song from the mobile game): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6vhxAUW2Yw

In my opinion, Arisa is queen of the tsunderes. If Tsundere' was a country, that song of hers I linked above would be their national anthem. Kasumi is the energetic oddball who drags everyone along, and Arisa tries to be the voice of reason. I love their dynamic a lot, Kasumi is an affectionate goof who always runs up to hug her with a cute Arisa~!. Whenever Kasumi does some dumb, Arisa lets out her signature KASUMI! shout. Its always fun when those two are together. Arisa acts annoyed and angry more often than not, but she also frequently lets it slip just how much she cares about her friends. That video I linked is a good example. Arisa offers Kasumi a place to practice her guitar, BUT (and she says this so angrily and forcefully you think itll be a harsh demand) they can also have lunch together, if Kasumi wants. Arisa switches from angry to bashful to happy so quickly, and I love her for it.

Arisa is largely responsible for PoppinParty existing. First, as a child, she learned piano and often received star stickers for good performance. Placing these stickers all along the route to her house is what leads Kasumi there, years later. Arisa deciding to sell Kasumi the Random Star guitar is another big moment, as is allowing them all to practice in her basement. Arisa often acts annoyed that they invite themselves over whenever they feel like it, but its clear how much she treasures her friends. One bonus comic in the mobile game has her imagining what life would be like without them. She could set up a computer in the basement and then relax, eating snacks while watching movies. She quickly realizes she doesnt want that anymore, and then Arisa is elated when the others finally arrive.

Arisa isnt perfect. Theres a big story in the game where she blew up at Rimi due to stress and nearly broke PoppinParty apart. Still, when it comes down to it, Arisa is a steadfast band member and friend. After the Tae/Layer drama in season two when they were afraid Tae might leave, Arisa is the first one to respond to the song she wrote about wanting to stay. I also like that being tsundere isnt her entire character. Around people she doesnt know very well shes shy and tries to act respectful and proper. The tsundere side only comes out with people she really cares about. Overall, Arisa is a fun character, and I love her dynamic with Kasumi.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/9/0/AAcDcBAADzL6.png

CHARACTER: Toyama Kasumi (BanG Dream)
https://myanimelist.net/character/142757/Kasumi_Toyama
Voiced by: Terakawa Aimi
TOP 100 RANK: 10th

SPOILERS FOR BANG DREAM

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUYcFmuU9UY

Kasumi is my favorite BanG Dream character by a longshot. I hoard stars in the mobile game so I can always guarantee her limited cards. I own three figures of her. I love it whenever a Garupa Pico episode or mobile game story features her. She has such a fun personality. There are only a few occasions when drama is striking where she isnt happy and energetic. One of the game stories went into how Kasumi is terrible at supporting people by pushing them from behind. Shes the type who grabs people by the hand and drags them forward, and thats her role in PoppinParty. She broke through Arisa's shell with relentless positivity. She dragged Rimi out of her shyness. She turned the oddball Tae from doubtful rival into a friend, simply by playing guitar with her. And she convinced Saya that it was okay to do more than just support her sickly mother, especially since her mother also wants Saya to have her own life. Kasumi is the pillar of PoppinParty. In the first season, when she loses her voice due to fearing shes holding the others back, theyre all there to support her too.

I fell in love with Kasumi in the first minute of the first episode of the anime. She was so excited for her first day of high school that she woke up before her alarm clock. Then, when it goes off, she looks at it with a smile and says beat you to it". I love positive, energetic girls like that. Kasumi has a lot more depth than one might initially think, however. As a child, when looking up at the stars, she felt her heart race. Ever since, shes been searching for something that can give her that feeling (which she calls the star beat). She just has no idea what that could be. She tries every club at school and considers getting a part-time job, but nothing grabs her. Shes left wandering aimlessly. Theres a shot in the first episode that says a lot really subtly. Kasumi runs, trying to catch a crosswalk light, but she misses it. Then she just turns and goes another direction. She wasnt going anywhere in particular, at least not until a trail of star stickers lead her to Arisa's family pawn shop and the Random Star guitar. Im a big fan of things like that, the little coincidences that can change life forever.

Another one of my favorite Kasumi moments is one Ive seen a lot of people call cringey. At a live show, the band Rimi's sister is in is running late. To buy time, Kasumi drags a petrified Arisa onstage so they can sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. I wouldve linked to that as the video for Kasumi but the only one I could find was nine minutes long. A bemused crowd watches the performance. The late band still isnt there, though so Kasumi starts singing it again. Theyre saved by Rimi finally overcoming her shyness and joining them onstage to play bass, and the band arrives soon after. Still, I thought this was a wonderful Kasumi moment that encapsulated her entire character. She rushed ahead with no real plan, only good intentions. Then her relentless enthusiasm brought out the best in the people around her, which made it all work out in the end. Kasumi really is a wonderful character.

https://bang-dream-gbp-en.bushiroad.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/comic_046.jpg

COMING UP TOMORROW:
70: Something in this anime is apparently really stinky.
C82: This character doesnt even appear in the main anime.
69: This anime owes its life to bunch of weirdos.

To think that you ended up watch BanG Dream due to being my trade partner in SMFAS one year. Not that you couldn't have found out about it on your own since I think you were looking for cute girls doing cute things anime around that time.

But yeah, I think Season 1 of BanG Dream is super underrated. Yeah people write it off because of its derpy animations, but it has the most focused story out of all the seasons because it centers on 1 band. The other 2 seasons split the focus on 3 bands, and there's like 3 different plotlines going on, and it really assumes that you've played the game.

Mobilezoid posted...

Arisa isnt perfect. Theres a big story in the game where she blew up at Rimi due to stress and nearly broke PoppinParty apart

God, that band story was painful to read. Pretty much the whole time I was reading it I was going, "Dammit, Arisa. All of this is happening because you can't let go of your damn ego!"

Bang Dream game is ok from the story side of things. There's a fair amount of actual good content that unfortunately gets diluted by just nonsense event stories. Don't really think I'd like the anime though. At the end of the day it's still the gameplay holding my interest in the mobile game, and also Poppin Party is one of the weaker bands imo. (From the story side, love their songs though)

Best character is Chisato, though I'm guessing she barely appears in the anime. Arisa is great to though.

Glad you enjoyed Rokka! It's a good example of a short fasted pace anime with good characters and action, and my favourite thing which is fighters with unique abilities having the opportunity to clash. As a mafia player, the mystery as a great premise that took it to the next level.

It was fun watching the characters work through the "logic" of the mystery but honestly - I had solved it long before that not based on the facts of the situation but on the behaviour of everyone. It's really interesting taking the lessons we learned playing board mafia and how town and scum players behave and then applying that on these anime characters trying to find the fake. I don't remember if you were a mafia player but that's what really clicked this anime for me

It is true that the story is a dead end - the anime won't be continuing, and even the light novel was abandoned eventually. If you are interested in seeing where the plot goes, this guy did a few videos on some of the future light novels and he has a fun and creative way of telling the story. I haven'twanted his other series since I never watched those series but I'd probably give it a try if I did.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHhKRdGM7rY

WhiteLens posted...

To think that you ended up watch BanG Dream due to being my trade partner in SMFAS one year.

And I was grateful for it! I don't know if or when I'd have gotten to it otherwise. There are music anime from around the same time (like Wake Up Girls) that I always intended to watch but never did.

pyresword posted...

Best character is Chisato, though I'm guessing she barely appears in the anime.

She gets a focus episode in season two, at least! But yeah, anyone outside of Popipa/Roselia/RAS is mostly reduced to cameos in the anime.

CoolCly posted...

Glad you enjoyed Rokka!

To answer your question, I've never been a B8 Mafia player but I've played various similar games with people in real life over the years and I'm a fan of the concept. Thanks for the Youtube link too.

As for figuring out the mystery in Rokka (major spoilers) I figured it out (in the sense that I had the correct answer) almost instantly, but I was using narrative logic. The traitor is the second-most important character so it makes sense to introduce them as early as possible. There were still times where I doubted myself and wondered if they'd go a different direction. I was also WAY off on how they pulled it all off, so I'm comfortable admitting the mystery beat me. The best I could guess was that her blade powers let her manipulate the sword the instant the door opened. I was impressed that the actual answer made sense, the clues were all scattered throughout, and none of it relied on offscreen BS or anything. It was a satisfying conclusion.

70. Lucky Star
https://myanimelist.net/anime/1887/Lucky%E2%98%86Star
Spring 2007 (24 episodes)
My Score: 7/10, MAL Score: 7.74/10
Best Character: Kogami Akira

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iseNlvH2_s

Premise: This follows the daily lives of four cute girls, including otaku Izumi Konata. They encounter bizarre and mundane situations and often have humorous conversations about them.

The Good: Lucky Star is a really solid cute girls gag anime. They take conversations like which end is the correct one to start eating a chocolate cornet and make them fun to watch. Konata was my favorite of the main girls, but I remember liking all of them, including the large cast of side characters. I also loved the running gag where lots of transitions would enter a scene where the girls are in the middle of talking about how stinky something is. We never learn who or what smells so bad, but this made me laugh every time. It gave the impression that the conversations we saw them have were only a small fraction of the total. Still, the main show was not my favorite thing about this. The Lucky Channel segment every episode were brilliant, but I'll talk more about that in my write-up for the surly idol Kogami Akira.

The Bad: I don't remember Lucky Star doing anything terrible. I enjoyed the gags in the main show well enough, but on their own they werent amazing or anything. They were just consistently fine. The Lucky Channel segments vastly outshone the main anime, which I think might've made the main show seem worse in comparison.

Overall: Lucky Star was a fun cute girls gag anime, though the main anime was merely fine. I spent most episodes eagerly awaiting the Lucky Channel segment featuring surly idol Akira and her long-suffering helper Shiraishi. The main show wasn't bad, but Lucky Channel is the reason this ranks as high as it does!

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/4/8/AAcDcBAADzZU.jpg

CHARACTER: Kogami Akira (Lucky Star)
https://myanimelist.net/character/2309/Akira_Kogami
Voiced by: Konno Hiromi
TOP 100 RANK: 82nd

SPOILERS FOR LUCKY STAR

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=132v8ujH9NQ
(That video is an hour long and features every single Lucky Channel segment, but you only need to watch the first two minutes or so to get a feel for Akira's character)

Lucky Channel was way more enjoyable than the actual Lucky Star anime. Accompanying each episode, it features the famous child idol Akira and some nobody named Shiraishi who's there to help her. Akira often bursts into the scene with a cute voice and an energetic "OHILUCKIES!" (Morning Luckies!). When she's in-character, shes an over-the-top cutesy idol in an oversized school uniform. I would've liked that well enough. The real charm of Lucky Channel, though, is the frequent times when Akira's character slips.

She's only fourteen years old, but she's been in show business since she was three. Akira has long since become jaded and surly. She still desires the spotlight, but her attitude is so entitled and abusive that it's clear her career is already on the decline. It's a running gag that she wants to appear in the main anime, which even Shiraishi manages several times, but Akira never does. The one time she was going to, she wound up getting sick and was easily replaced by a cardboard cutout. As the Lucky Channel segments progress, she wears her idol persona less and less. Akira gets angrier and more abusive, putting Shiraishi down whenever she can, attacking him with things like ashtrays (implying fourteen year-old Akira smokes!), and sending him on a literally pointless fetch quest into the wilderness which nearly drives him mad. Akira is unapologetically a piece of shit, but thats why I loved her so much. She was hilarious.

The Lucky Channel segments get increasingly meanspirited as they go along. They also get more bizarre, ending with a battle that trashes the set and gets them chewed out by real life famous voice actress Gotou Yuuko. Then there's a final Lucky Channel in real life with the voice actors acting out their roles, because why not? I loved Akira, I loved her dynamic with Shiraishi, and I loved the bizarre little story those segments told. The idea of an idol already being surly and burnt out at fourteen is a great idea for a character, and Akira was perfect for it.