Board 8 > Tazzy Ranks 101 User-Nominated Anime with Write-ups

(+) Yeah! (+)

so many shows I've never watched
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Tsuredure was good stuff. I should probably read the manga

never heard of SnH
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manga is great

so much stuff that didn't make it into the anime
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27. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2006)
Leonhart (3/5)


The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is a comedic slice of life about a wacky girl of the same name, who starts a school club called the SOS Brigade, which specializes in supernatural phenomena. The twist is that everyone except the MC, Kyon, is a supernatural being. The thing is, Haruhi is the one person in the group who is completely unaware of everyone's true natures. This makes for a pretty fun dynamic between everyone, as you have a snarky esper, an emotionless alien, and a moeblob time traveler to add to the "normal" human beings. It turns out Haruhi is a God, capable of shaping the universe to her whims. All of the extraordinary beings are in cahoots to make sure Haruhi doesn't do anything stupid like destroying the planet or something.

I had a lot of trouble describing the premise, since it's a ton of detail for something so seemingly simple. I mean, Haruhi isn't exactly deep or anything, but it is one of the most unique shows out there. Haruhi was responsible for being the first anime I ever noticed to get such a massive following. I'm not really talking about things like Naruto or One Piece that are simply popular. Haruhi was the first thing I saw with such a passionate fanbase that you couldn't really get away from it wherever you went. I watched Haruhi two years after it aired, yet I watched it only after seeing the mass praise it received here and on other online communities. The hype arorund this thing was insane I think I read somewhere that people were getting arrested for performing the ED dance in the streets? It had an actual religion spring up, worshipping the titular character! I've honestly never seen anything like it before.

But things got a little more complicated in 2009, when the second season began airing. It started off fine, but it soon delved into the infamous, almost unanimously despised Endless Eight arc. Eight straight episodes of the same script repeated with slight changes and a few new animations. I ended up binging this, so I can't imagine how it would feel to be stuck on this storyline for two months. Perhaps that was the intention, since it connects the viewer to the characters thematically, but that doesn't make it good. I suppose the staff who made this decision had guts to take a show that was on top of the world, and use it for something experimental and unheard of, but you could achieve the same effect in like, half the time, or use the resources to work on one of the many other plots covered in the novels. And guts are really aall they have, since the arc is barren of any quality or ambition. I don't even know if I'd call it unique, since airing the same episode eight times seems like the least unique thing you could possibly do for an eight-episode stretch. I think this season jaded many of the series' fans.

But my grievances were more or less shot and buried with the film, Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, which I remember thinking was a masterpiece. Unfortunately, I don't really have much to say about it, as I don't remember it a ton, despite being my favorite part of the franchise. I might have to rewatch it soon! It ended up being the final anime realease for the series, and I think it's safe to say the series won't be coming bck for a couple reason. One, the author rarely creates new material, so there's no content that needs advertised. Two, the KyoAni that created the show is pretty much gone at this point. It's a shame it had to end on such a note, but at least it was a positive one!
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I had a much better write-up for Haruhi, but I lost half of it trying to post, so sorry if my attempt to replicate my original thoughts is awkward as hell...
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about 26 spots too low

also I wish the author "rarely" put stuff out

it's been seven years since the last book
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Wasn't there also a 3-year gap between that book and the one before it as well? "Rarely" felt appropriate, but maybe not lol
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It was actually a 4-year gap between Dissociation and Surprise.

he churned out the first four books in a little over a year too

also the Nagato spinoff manga wrapped up last year so there's really nothing left other than Haruhi-chan I guess

hopefully we can get a season 2 of the Nagato anime
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Oh yeah, I tried watching the Nagato anime and it wasn't very good...
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finally an anime I've watched

I don't remember most of it though
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Eh, I liked it just fine. The animation quality is a big step down from the main series, sure, but a universe where Nagato gets to be happy is a good universe in my book.
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I enjoyed Haruhi, particularly the anachronic order and the way they closed out the first series so strong. Don't really get the cult - none of the characters really gripped me and they have to in a slice of life.
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SeabassDebeste posted...

particularly the anachronic order

booooooooo
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Endless Eight was pretty much the worst yeah. Only watched three episodes of it and still ended up giving S2 a 4/10 despite liking the rest of the season...
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the sad thing is that Endless Eight is actually a great story

I didn't actually mind the repetition (one of the benefits of having an addictive personality) and I didn't know it was eight episodes when I was watching it so I was actually kind of nervous wondering if they were going to break the cycle this time or not

also the final episode of it is fantastic either way
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Oh yeah, I forgot to mention in the redone write-up that I watched in chronological order, which made the pacing feel a little odd, since it's so top heavy. I dunno if the broadcast order would fix that problem or just create new ones.
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You don't like the anachronic order? I thought that was one of the best things it had going for it - the chronological last episode kinda sucks but the anachronic last episode is amazingly climactic.
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26. The World God Only Knows (2010)
Granzon (3/5)


This is the greatest harem ever. I know that this isnt exactly a noteworthy title to have, but TWGOK is so damn good. Most harems fail to create a decent main character for the sake of having someone relateable, so that nerds can self-insert themselves into a show about having multiple hot women wanna bang you. TWGOK gives us Keima, a guy who finds real girls to be so boring and meaningless that he spends all of his time on dating sims, where he can build way more meaningful relationships in the 2D realm. His unparalleled skill at capturing the hearts of 2D girls has given him the title of God of Conquest. However, this innate skill leads to his downfall, as he is forced into a contract with demonkind to capture spirits that rest in the hearts of lovelorn girls. The best way to draw these spirits out is, naturally, to make the girls fall in love with a kiss. The concept alone is great, because Keima now has to use skills learned in dating sims to win over the hearts of the real girls he so despises.

The show is, unfortunately, incomplete, which hurts it a lot. The first season is good, but the writing hadnt really hit its stride yet. The second season is much better, but still a bit formulaic. The annoying part is that the stories become pretty damn fantastic after where the second season ends, yet the anime skips a chunk of them in favor of moving straight to the peak of the story. The Goddess arc creates one of the best love triangles Ive ever seen, and its a damn shame people who dont read the manga miss out on a lot of context.

Best thing I can say is that, if you wanna check this out, read the manga. Its actually a full story, and the anime is never gonna finish thanks to nerds who cant self-insert themselves into an awesome protagonist. Instead, lemme just say that Keima definitely picked Best Girl. Period.
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I like watching the arcs together. It makes everything a bit more cohesive. The climax of the series is Disappearance anyway, not Someday in the Rain.
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Broadcast order doesn't really serve its purpose anymore since the series ends with the movie either way. Chronological order also lets you work in the season 2 episodes into season 1.
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tazzyboyishere posted...

Keima definitely picked Best Girl. Period.

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I need to finish the manga to be the judge of that

Keima is my self insert
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seems I haven't read the manga since 2013...

I stopped around the goddess arc too!

179/271
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I've never actually read the manga. I just somehow got spoiled on that one detail somehow and I have never been happier to be spoiled on something before in my life.
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I'll be happy with whoever he ends up with as long as it's not the tomboy or Shiori or Mio

I'll be most happy if he ends up with his game systems
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The aversion to the pairing at the end has always been extremely weird, mainy because it's simply a footnote, but also because it was the only choice that would've made sense given the direction the story took halfway through.
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tazzyboyishere posted...

Keima definitely Best Girl. Period.

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judging by that it's probably not Ohana but rather Kirino's crazy girlfriend
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wait what Tazzy said could also mean he ends with Wideface Yuno, I have no problem with that

no problem with him ending up with Kirino either
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Keima's one of the few characters I've cosplayed over 3-4 times at a con so that says something. Doesn't help I'm one of those nerds who plays 3DS/PSP/Vita/Switch in public and still read harem visual novels
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That 3rd season of TWGOK left me wanting more, so I'm reading the manga as well (currently on the giant sister arc) and I can't believe the anime skipped the body switching arc, which I consider the best "capture" one so far. The translation is awkward though, sometimes I just get lost and have to reread carefully.
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bumpo
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25. The Seven Deadly Sins (2014)
Raka (1/5)


Seven Deadly Sins is about a tyrannical monarchy ruling over the land of Britannia, and it's princess' attempts to save her homeland by seeking out the seven powerful knights, the Seven Deadly Sins, who disappeared years prior. The set-up and writing are standard shounen fare, but SDS does quite a few things I obviously love.

Most notably, SDS takes lace in a medieval setting with high fantasy, but compounds that with a superpower style of fighting like you would see in Dragon Ball. I don't know of any other shows that do this, at least to the level of quality that SDS pushes out. Fairy Tail might, but that was boring as shit from what I'd seen. Anyway, the sheer absurdity of some of the feats these characters churn out is always a blast to watch. It keeps it's main characters pretty grounded, at strengths lower than they are capable of. These are seven of the strongest warriors who've ever lived, so you always have a reasonable excuse for making them seem stronger than initially assumed. Some, most even, would probably say this is bad writing in order to ignore consistency when the plot demands it, and yeah, I might agree. But when I watch a show like SDS, I really just want to see the ludicrous clashes, and it has that in spades.

The high ranking is also likely the result of recency bias, since season two is airing right now, and I'm enjoying it quite a lot. I do think the first season started to lose some luster in it's final arc, but it rebounded quite nicely. The group of villains, the Ten Commandments, is a lot of fun so far, and we're just scratching the surface of what they bring to the table. The plot overall has taken a pretty intriguing direction, with the plot twist of the most recent episode (15) bringing up a ton of potential. The Sins themselves are still in a bit of disarray, thanks to poor trust and some memory meddling from Gowther. Escanor was introduced recently, and he seems pretty incredible. Really, this show is riding pretty high at the moment, so I hope it stays there. If I do have one complaint, it's how they made power levels apparent through numbers. Like, part of the fun with this show is not really knowing the true capacity of one's powers, but they just decided to start quantifying that power in discussion, which kills a bit of the magic. It's aso a lot cooler to see someone with obvious immense power doing there thing, rather than letting someone shout about how high their power level is before they even get a chance to show such power, but ah well.
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SDS lost me on its first two episodes with its art style, the boring action, and the fanservice/titty-fondling. it's like exhibit A of why it's hard for me to find anime that's both fun and not cringe-worthy
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bumpo
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SeabassDebeste posted...

SDS lost me on its first two episodes with its art style, the boring action, and the fanservice/titty-fondling. it's like exhibit A of why it's hard for me to find anime that's both fun and not cringe-worthy

Yeah that was my main problem with it too. Meliodas is just awful. Thankfully it focuses more on the other characters later on, though he never really stops sucking. Should've been the King and Gowther show tbqh.
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24. Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (2007)
WhiteLens (2/5)


TTGL is the story of a young boy, Simon, who is constantly digging in his underground civilization, who dreams of one day reaching the surface. He is able to achieve this dream with his best friend and role model, Kamina. The two set out on an adventure across the surface with their new mech, Lagann, which Simon found during one of his digs. They discover that humanity is barely surviving on the surface, and vow to help fend off the Beastmen that plague the race.

Honestly, that synopsis doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of what TTGL is, exactly. The first half is an absolutely jawdropping spectacle of animation with some of the most incredible action sequences in the medium. The second half diles that up even further, except now with this more sinister narrative that splits the fanbase on whether or not it's actually any good. I think it's easily the better half, to be honest. One of my issues with TTGL is that it had been hyped so hard, but the first half just looks cool, without the substance I had expected to see. The visuals are enough o keep me intrigued, but I couldn't find myself caring for any of the main trio. I think the show really managed to seal itself when it killed off Kamina. Most main characters have plot armor, so to see this happen, and happen so quickly at that, was pretty shocking. Though personally, I didn't really care about him. Simon always intrigued me more because he was much more believable than Kamina, and I love how he grows over the course of the show, due in lalrge part to the very death of his best friend.

The second half is just amazing to me. It skips forward quite a bit in time, and we see Simon leading as a head of the government (I think. It's been a while). All seems peaceful, but an issue from way back from when he thought he'd eliminated a great threat pops in again, and now the entire galaxy is at stake, rather than just the human race. It's loaded with action and drama and gorgeous animations and my god I think I need to rewatch this soon. It's an emotional rollercoaster as you watch these awesome characters staking everything to save the planet, and it has an extraordinary conclusion, topped off with one of my favorite endings in the medium. Really, it's placing is probably hurt a bit due to it being so long ago, because I can't think of too many flaws.
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King and Escanor definitely carry SDS. Other sins are also great and Meliodas is...alright sometimes. Definitely the worst by far though
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fun fact

TTGL is always my first max upgrade in every Super Robot Taisen game that it appears in
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23. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006)
Snake (2/5)


Hosoda quickly became my favorite anime film director over the past few months when I watched his catalogue, and its a shame we only got three things nominated, but Ill take it! This one starts off as a standard slice of life, but things change up when the main character, Makoto, manages to cheat death by inadvertently going back in time. This leads to her experimenting with her school life, redoing her day to avoid all the bad things that happened. Of course, she soon learns that there are problems that come with such power.

The main point of drama comes when Makotos best friend confesses to her out of the blue, and instead of facing such a conundrum openly, she begins messing with time in order to avoid it, to no avail. It gets to the point where she avoids him, complicating the friendship even further. Its not the most well-written melodrama, but its a pretty fun story to show how life should be taken in stride, and how we shouldnt regret the choices we made or look back in frustration at unlucky circumstances.

I do think the ending section where they begin to explain the Makotos ability is a bit out of place. It wasnt like Orange where it just happens, since it was foreshadowed, but it felt kinda weak to me. It all leads up to an ending thats basically perfect, though, and I guess it wouldnt have worked as well without what they did, so its all fine on the whole.
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Have you seen the movie versions of TTGL Tazzy? I'd probably do them instead of the series if you're doing a rewatch. They're not quite as good, and a lot of it uses footage from the series, but the added sequences are insanely awesome.
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The Girl Who Leapt Through Time was good. My first Hosoda film.
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TTGL is my second favorite anime ever. it and clannad are kind of the only anime I can watch and just feel completely lost in.

the girl who leapt through time was really good but I don't remember much about it anymore. I remember it was really popular on board 8 when I first got into anime.
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TTGL is one of my least favorite anime i've watched to completion. the overwhelming fixation on yoko's boobs was gross. it's also one of the only giant robot shows i've watched so i guess i'm probably not a big fan of that subgenre - didn't particularly enjoy a single action sequence of it. the "world of ham" nature of it didn't help matters.

killing kamina did impress me though, and the political part in the second half was kind of interesting. but overall i think the show was an exercise in pandering, and i wasn't part of the pandering target audience. you kinda have to let go of yourself to enjoy pandering, but the show never earned that level of trust from me.
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TTGL is a go-to example of can you willingly suspend your disbelief and just go with it. If you can, its fantastic. If you cant or wont, its abysmal.

I absolutely adore it but I love absurdist stuff, whether its for comedy and just hype.
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I like absurdist stuff but also don't like Gurren Lagann, for whatever that's worth.

Too much of Gurren Lagann feels like self-parody to me. Like it's constantly just trying to one-up itself for no other reason than to say that it can.
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I don't think it's a matter of suspending my disbelief. It was just largely a matter of "this is awesome, we're beating such powerful enemies," but it didn't feel like there was any tension or stakes or enjoyment to be had, due to the way that the good guys would just summarily stomp every battle. The most important thing that the show needed to convince me of was that what I was seeing was awesome, it just never clicked in my lizard brain that way. And I think that that feeling of "THIS IS AWESOME" really needs to hit your lizard brain.
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JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

I can see why people not liking Kamina since hes basically overly perfect and obnoxious in a sense but I think hes super entertaining
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Well yeah, Kamina is like that because its all bravado. Hes actually quite insecure, just like Simon, but his reaction to insecurity is bold recklessness as opposed to panicking, especially around others.

Thats my interpretation anyway. His fighting spirit is real and has real power, but its only for the sake of the people around him, despite the arrogance he uses as a mask.
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that is an aspect that I guessed but I think people who dont like him would just judge him based on how he acts on the outside
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