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

(+) Yeah! (+)

The other topic might still last a few days. I just don't want to risk having to type up a new one at work on my phone, so I'm making this in advance. I've done my best to streamline the opening post a bit.

Ranking: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1T2EPEpQ4K17ZP_HXtYfm5uGTWG9I8_gI5AixegBRto8/edit?usp=sharing
Write-Ups: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-nFiPImntSMbRTWRe2RcVu1vJ00nJLVrsKXDtBNVIgw/edit?usp=sharing
MyAnimeList Profile: https://myanimelist.net/profile/Westerlyn
(If you have a MAL account, add me as a friend!)
First Topic (until it purges, at which point past write-ups are in the doc linked above): https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/80110659

SPOILER POLICY: The write-ups for anime will be kept as spoiler-free as possible. Part of this depends on your threshold for spoilers, though. If I complain that a one-season anime ends on a cliffhanger or that a romance doesn't progress much, some might consider those spoilers. I'll never spoil late twists or big scenes or anything like that, but I will mention specifics and give my overall feelings, so fair warning on that. Character write-ups, however, will be spoiler-filled. If I like someone well enough to talk about them, I want to be free to talk about their whole story. Character write-ups will have clear spoiler warnings. Obviously a character in a lighthearted comedy anime will have way less to spoil than one from a drama anime, but I'll still post spoiler warnings for all of them just to stay consistent.

TRIGGER WARNING (and not the anime studio Trigger either): Some write-ups mention sexual assault or rape. I tried drafts tastefully talking around those aspects, but it just felt odd. I don't know if anyone needs a warning like this, but I wanted to be respectful.

ANIME RANKING
10/10 Perfect Tier (10 anime)
9/10 Amazing Tier (20 anime)
8/10 Great Tier (30 anime)
7/10 Good Tier (40 anime)
6/10 Above Average Tier (30 anime)
5/10 Below Average Tier (30 anime)
4/10 Mediocre Tier (40 anime)
3/10 Disappointing Tier (30 anime)
2/10 Bad Tier (20 anime)
1/10 Terrible Tier (10 anime)
Dropped Tier (10 anime)
BONUS: Standalone Anime Movies (5 movies)
BONUS: Recommended Anime

The first topic finished my bottom 100, and quite a few beloved anime made a surprise exit in those lower tiers! Now, as we move into the 60 average anime and my top 100 beyond that, I'll do my best to justify why I like these more than the others that have already fallen.

TOP 100 CHARACTERS

Only one of my favorite anime characters appeared in the whole bottom 100, so I don't blame anyone if they've forgotten this is even part of the ranking. They're about to get a whole lot more common, though! As a reminder, I'll post write-ups for characters at the same time as their anime, so that ranking will get filled in haphazardly as shows fall.

RECOMMENDATIONS

I'm still seeking recommendations! I haven't made anywhere near as much progress in these as I'd planned to, real life stuff kept getting in the way. This ranking will last until the end of November, however, so I still have three months to watch as much as I possibly can. At worst, I'll continue watching them after the ranking ends until I've finished everything.

Each user can recommend one anime for me to watch, do a write-up for, and eventually add to the ranking, with the following restrictions:

-The anime must be available on one of the following streaming services (Crunchyroll, HiDIVE, Netflix, Prime Video, or Funimation). I'm not morally against pirating, I just don't really know how to do it and I don't have a VPN and I dunno, this is just easiest.
-The anime must be a complete experience on its own. What I mean by this is, no individual arcs from the Pokemon anime and nothing like Kingsglaive that's meant mostly as a prequel to Final Fantasy XV. I'm going to watch the anime you recommend and nothing else, so I don't want it to be one small part of some way bigger thing.
-All seasons of the anime combined must be a reasonable length, preferably fifty episodes or less. Sorry to anyone who wanted to make me watch all of One Piece. I don't have that kind of time. If you're afraid something might be too long, feel free to ask! 50 episodes is a suggestion, not a hard cap. Just don't feel too bad if I don't want to commit to anything huge.
-Up to four users can pool their recommendations for one longer anime, with a hard cap of 200 episodes max. I honestly don't think enough people are following this for it to matter much, but it came up in the first topic and I thought it'd be fun to at least make it an option.

The spreadsheet (with tabs sorted alphabetically and by season) as well as my MyAnimeList account, linked at the top of the post, should help you find something I haven't seen. You don't need to try and pick the anime I'll enjoy most, just choose something that you truly love! I'm doing this as a fun thing for the ranking, and to find new anime I might've never seen on my own.

-----

The last thing I want to mention might seem obvious, but I still want to get it out there. This ranking is 100% my own personal opinions. I've ranted about several that I know are some people's favorites. I'm sure my favorites are on a few people's most hated lists too! I'm not ranking anime on their intrinsic quality, if such a thing even exists. I'm ranking them based purely on how much I enjoyed them, which can be a nebulous and unfair thing. It's okay if we disagree, and I'd love nothing more than to have discussions about it. I just hope we can do it without dismissing each other's opinions too harshly. Playful mockery is a lot more fun.

lol, I like the addition of the four-user-pool, lol. Now to just find 3 fellow LotGH lovers...

Also continuing to resist the urge to give you a list of series (or checking your MAL profile) to see if you've watched them yet or not. Will remain in suspense!

Taking the new topic to reiterate the fact that I recommended Kaiji in the previous one.

I forgot to update the recommendation tab in the spreadsheet, thanks for the reminder! (I had it in my own notes though so I wouldn't have forgotten it). I've updated the write-ups doc too now, so everything from the old topic is transferred.

@CoolCly I confirmed that Chivalry of a Failed Knight is available on HiDIVE, so let me know which recommendation you prefer between that and Rokka

I hope no one minds that some write-ups might be way longer than the three hundred words I strive to limit them to. I finally wrote one for a top 100 character appearing in the anime I'm ranking 160th, and it's over six hundred words long. I'll probably have a lot to say about some of my favorite anime later in the ranking, too.

As always, thank you to anyone who is following along with this, even if you're only glancing at the titles or skimming through the write-ups! I'm enjoying having a place to ramble about my anime opinions. I'm also glad we've only just gotten through the lower tiers and the best is yet to come.

completely don't mind a longer write-up!

(This was a tough one to write because my main problem with it is so petty)

162. Saga of Tanya the Evil
https://myanimelist.net/anime/32615/Youjo_Senki
Winter 2017 (12 episodes)
My Score: 4/10, MAL Score: 7.97/10
Best Character: Tanya Degurechaff

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

Premise: Tanya Degurechaff is known for her ruthlessness in battle while fighting for the Empire. What no one realizes is that this little girl is a reincarnation of a man from another world.

The Good: Saga of Tanya the Evil is a war anime. It's basically World War I but with magic, which is an interesting era compared to the standard fantasy setting most isekai use. I enjoyed watching Tanya do her thing, even if I wasnt a huge fan of her abilities stemming from being a reincarnated Japanese businessman. She puts everything she learned from the other world into advancing herself and her new nation. Its fun watching a little girl be so calculating and ruthless.

The Bad: My main problem with Saga of Tanya the Evil is one that I acknowledge is silly. This didn't need to be an isekai. It didn't add anything worthwhile that I can remember. It felt like a thing the author shoehorned in because isekai are popular. Tanya shouldve just been a prodigious young girl who came up with all her tactics on her own. Even if nothing else changed, that alone would've improved this for me.

Overall: As I admitted above, my main problem with Saga of Tanya the Evil is petty. Its a fine war anime that probably shouldve ranked a bit higher. Ill also credit it for using her memories from another world to influence Tanyas successes. However, she couldve easily just been a genius young girl who deduced those lessons herself. The fact that such an otherwise fun and original story is made an isekai for little reason is, to me, a symptom of one of my least favorite trends in anime. I know its unfair, but I cant help it if my opinion is soured by it.

(In the interest of full disclosure, when I looked for my old post for this on the archive website, I also found a response from the user Wanglicious defending the isekai aspect as a good thing that added a lot. I'm of the opinion that anything it adds could be worked in somehow without needing to make this an isekai, but he made some good points. I'm not calling this a bad anime. It just hit one of my pet peeves, and I'm sure we all have a few of those!)

I'll be completely forthright in saying that I have no recollection of how far the anime goes so I may be kinda talking past where it ends a bit, and if I do I'm sorry

But a huge part of the appeal of Tanya's character imo is specifically her desire to build up accomplishments and promotions so that she can get to a comfy office job in the rear and stay out of danger experiences and mindset being colored by her past life experience as an HR worker. Past the early parts of the series, that desire colors literally everything she does, and making her into a child, no matter how prodigious, would cut that off.

Then from there it has to be an isekai instead of a time travel story so that she can't just use her history knowledge as-is and has to adapt to the world she's now in with what she knows of her own world.

My problem with Tanya is the author obviously spends too much time on r/atheism and needs to chill a little.

Reg posted...

I'll be completely forthright in saying that I have no recollection of how far the anime goes so I may be kinda talking past where it ends a bit, and if I do I'm sorry

I'll also admit I don't remember Tanya the Evil super well myself. I also still haven't seen the movie. I'm glad it starts justifying the isekai aspect more later, though, because obviously it bugged me.

Also, don't worry isekai fans! After the one I'm ranking next, there are only four more isekai on my list (assuming SAO isn't one and not counting reverse-isekai) and two of them are ones I really like

Edit: Actually there are five, I forgot one

Reg posted...

But a huge part of the appeal of Tanya's character imo is specifically her desire to build up accomplishments and promotions so that she can get to a comfy office job in the rear and stay out of danger

I don't really see what being an isekai has to do with this. It's not like it'd be hard to believe she just wants off the front lines because fighting in a war is not a great life.

161. Overlord
https://myanimelist.net/anime/29803/Overlord
Summer 2015 (13 episodes), Winter 2018 (13 episodes), Summer 2018 (13 episodes), Summer 2022 (0/13, unfinished)
My Score: 4/10, MAL Score: 7.92/10 S1, 7.76/10 S2, 7.93/10 S3, S4 currently airing
Best Character: Monmonga, aka Ainz Ooal Gown

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOWcj7XKnfQ

Premise: Monmonga, the only remaining player of a powerful guild in the VR MMO Yggdrasil, remains logged on as the game is shut down. Then hes transported into another world.

The Good: Overlord is one of the rare isekai stories that used that concept in a way I enjoyed. I liked the first season the most, back when Ainz was still grappling with the impossibility of what had happened. Carefully scouting unfamiliar surroundings with no idea what the nearest threats could be, wondering if there could be other transported players like him out there, getting to know the newly sentient personalities of former NPCs, all of that was great. While most isekai protagonists are hilariously overpowered, it still felt fresh coming from a badass skeleton lich.

The Bad: Each season of Overlord has focused less on what I found most interesting. Theres a fourth season currently airing that I havent watched yet, I dont know if it continues that trend. As Ainz learned more about the world and began putting plans in motion, the story became a more typical power fantasy. At this point, I'm forced to accept that him getting transported to another world was just a narrative convenience, not the overarching mystery I first imagined it to be.

Overall: As someone who usually doesnt like isekai, only a select few have used the concept in a way I enjoyed. Overlord was once up there with them. It endeared itself to me by showing Ainzs questioning what happened, as well as his methodical exploration of the new world. With each season, however, Overlord is focusing less on the aspects that appealed to me. Its still a solid fantasy anime about a badass skeleton lich, but it isnt one of my favorites.

COMING UP TOMORROW:
160: This anime died in the game, which also killed it in real life.
C43: This character needed help to defeat a boss.
159: This anime is being sent away so its mother can elope.

We're done the 4/10 Mediocre Tier! It felt lame to end it (and to begin this new topic) with anime where my problems are basically nitpicks with their genre. Out of everything yet to be ranked, however, these were the two I could most easily justify giving a lower score. Tomorrow, we move into the 5/10 Below Average Tier. We'll finally start seeing some more top 100 anime characters, too.

Sword Art, Asuna, Hanasaku Iroha.

S1 > S2 > S3 for Overlord. S1's the only one that felt like it had some compelling conflicts and wasn't that predictable. It's really disappointing that there hasn't been more focus on who/what transported Ainz into the new world. Focusing on the torture scenes with Demiurge and such sucks too.

this whole isekai genre sounds pretty iffy

SeabassDebeste posted...

this whole isekai genre sounds pretty iffy

There are some gems out there, including a few that even I loved! It's just the current trend in anime, like this airing season has six or seven different isekai. I personally find a lot of them lazy or samey or offputting (Slave Harem, ugh, no thanks) but there's clearly an audience for them.

Oh man, I've heard about the Saga of Tanya the Evil a lot and wondered if it's something I should try..... your writeup reminded me that I actually read the manga when it first started in 2016. I hated it. The setting is awesome, but the premise of this r/athiest guy being that girl with her attitude and demeaner was super flimsy, and the plan to "be a top magical soldier to earn a spot safe from danger" was just dumb as hell.

It's just constantly at odds with its own premise - this is when anime is at its worse imo. It doesn't know how to blend these different premises together when it comes to actually writing interesting dialogue or action scenes.

I haven't watched Tanya but wasn't the isekai premise that the "God" that did the isekaiing/reincarnation condemns him to hell if Tanya dies an unnatural death?

I mean, that gives it a little more "weight" from an isekai perspective and explains the "be safe from harm" motive rather than just being an isekai-less straight rising-through-the-ranks story.

You know Roba, if you like brilliant tacticians rising through the ranks of a military I have an anime for you...!

I actually don't remember much about the whole r/athiesm evil god aspect of Tanya. Which might be good because it sounds like I would've complained about it.

I just wanted a ruthless little girl warlock fighting in WWI. That's a good idea on its own, no need to complicate it!

SeabassDebeste posted...

this whole isekai genre sounds pretty iffy

Oh it's entirely hot trash with like four exceptions across an oversaturated genre.

Granted, two of them were just ranked so yeah...

okay, reading the strict definition it doesn't seem as bad. even the power fantasy stuff didn't seem awful. it's the "average dude with a little girl's body" and "oh, MMORPG world time" stuff that seems particularly offputting

160. Sword Art Online
https://myanimelist.net/anime/11757/Sword_Art_Online
Summer 2012 (25 episodes), Summer 2014 (24 episodes), Fall 2018 (1/24 episodes, unfinished) Fall 2019 (0/12 episodes, unfinished) Summer 2020 (0/11 episodes, unfinished)
My Score: 5/10, MAL Score: 7.20/10 S1, 6.70/10 S2, 7.56/10 S3, 7.58/10 S4, 7.46/10 S5
Best Character: Konno Yuuki

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bqMDB10HNk

Premise: Thousands of players, including Kirigaya Kirito Kazuto, are trapped in Aincrad, a VR MMO. Beating the game is the only way to escape, but dying in it will also kill them in real life.

The Good: Sword Art Online is a polarizing anime. I have my problems with it, but I still like the premise. The players are trapped in a deadly game. They need to balance the risk of proceeding with the very real chance of death. Its interesting to see the society that forms in Aincrad under these conditions. I enjoyed SAOs first arc which isnt something I can say for all of them. GGO was at least fine, and Mothers Rosario was amazing (Ill cover that arc in my spoiler-filled Konno Yuuki write-up below). I still havent watched Alicization, so no idea how it turned out.

The Bad: The Fairy Dance arc is one of the worst things I have ever seen. While the other arcs vary from great to boring, Fairy Dance is terrible. Its filled with uncomfortable moments, ruins several old characters (Asuna in particular), and introduces new characters who suck. Suguha, for example, was a terrible addition. Kirito already has enough of a harem, he doesnt need his sister joining it! I do have one complaint about the original Aincrad arc, too. It had such an interesting setup and methodically progressed through it right up to point where it was like the story got bored with itself. Then it zoomed straight to a disappointing ending. I have no idea what they were in such a hurry to get to, the awful Fairy Dance arc came immediately after.

Overall: I wasnt watching anime when Sword Art Online originally aired, but I dont think Im wrong when I say that it changed the course of the entire medium. Now every season has a handful of video game isekai anime and half the main characters look and act like Kirito. Im generally not a fan of isekai, but I suppose it wouldnt be fair to blame SAO for animes slow descent into creative bankruptcy. SAO at least had a neat original idea, and for the most part it handled it well. The later arcs are hit-or-miss, but Id still say theyre worth watching if only to eventually reach Mothers Rosario and meet Konno Yuuki near the end of the second season.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/7/5/AABz_zAADpu_.jpg

CHARACTER: Konno Yuuki (Sword Art Online)
https://myanimelist.net/character/64523/Yuuki_Konno
Voiced by: Yuuki Aoi
TOP 100 RANK: 43rd

(No video, I couldnt find a good one featuring her that wasnt an English dub or crappy AMV)

SPOILERS FOR SWORD ART ONLINE

Im starting this character write-up with a brief tangent. Im rewatching lots of anime for this ranking. Some are ones I barely remembered, but most are old favorites so I can make sure they hold up. Sword Art Online didnt meet those criteria. I remembered both the good and the bad, and its nowhere near a favorite. Ill rewatch it someday before finally going into Alicization, but Im in no rush. However, I wanted to do a good job on this write-up, so I rewatched the seven episodes of Mothers Rosario. I knew what was coming, not that the story makes much effort to hide the inevitable end. Despite that, Konno Yuuki still made me cry.

Mothers Rosario is mostly Asunas story, and it redeemed her after Fairy Dance. Still, Yuuki is the catalyst for that growth. After two seasons of such high stakes, a character-focused arc was a welcome change of pace. Asuna learns of a powerful player dueling all challengers with their one-of-a-kind eleven-hit sword art, and she heads over to fight them herself. Yuuki, recognizing a kindred spirit during their duel, reveals that shes been looking for someone to help her guild, the Sleeping Knights, beat a floor boss and etch their names into the games history.

They succeed, of course, and Asuna hopes she can remain close with her new friends. Then the heartbreaking truth is revealed. The Sleeping Knights are all players who are hospitalized with terminal illnesses, and Yuukis condition is taking a rapid turn for the worse. Asuna refuses to back down and finds Yuuki in real life. Then, using a camera made by Kirito, she helps the dying girl experience as much as she can before the end. I loved their scenes together. Like everyone in the story, I cursed the uncaring universe for dooming Yuuki to die so young.

All of that is standard tearjerker stuff, however. Ill admit Im a sucker for that, but on its own it wouldnt elevate a character into my top fifty. What really makes Yuuki resonate with me is how her story compliments Asunas family subplot. Her mother is pushing her to quit gaming, catch up on her education, and basically to do something meaningful with her life. Yuukis influence gives Asuna the courage to convince her mother that money and power doesnt need to be what matters most in life. Its a nice little arc, and it beautifully ties right back into Yuukis story.

In the end, as shes dying, held by her dearest friend, Yuuki ponders the meaning of her life. Due to her illness, she always felt like she was born to die, doomed never to create anything or touch anyone in any meaningful way. A cynical person might argue she never did. Her influence never reached far beyond a mere video game. Personally, as someone who is on pace to write a hundred thousand words ranking anime for an audience of maybe two dozen people, something lots of people would call an absolute waste of time, Im a firm believer that anything can have meaning so long as it matters to you.

I think thats the conclusion Yuuki reached in her final moments. The legacy shes leaving in the game world, the experiences she had, and the friends she made, all of that was precious. All of it mattered. And Asuna will carry Yuukis influence with her for the rest of her life. Mothers Rosario was so beautiful, it almost made me forgive SAO for the Fairy Dance arc. Almost.

Mother's Rosario rules and Yuuki is great yeah.

Alicization isn't really worth watching IMO. The first season is alright, but already not one of the better SAO arcs (other than being the only arc that has a solid villain). The second half just gets worse and worse and has arguably SAO's lamest villain (I'd like to call him the lamest period, particularly since he gets the most screentime, but it's hard considering the stinkers he's up against...).

Good 'ol "The Kirito Show". Even in a write-up about a character from an arc that he is barely in...

Robazoid posted...

Then, using a camera made by Kirito

YOU CAN'T KEEP THE MAN DOWN. Seriously is there anything he can't do? Should have asked him to lay hands upon Yuuki; maybe she'd be around for more than 7 episodes.

SockoressKnight posted...

Good 'ol "The Kirito Show".

Yuuki beat Kirito in a duel, at least! Sure, he wasn't "fighting for real", but that was still impressive given how great SAO thinks he is

Mobilezoid posted...

Yuuki beat Kirito in a duel, at least! Sure, he wasn't "fighting for real", but that was still impressive given how great SAO thinks he is

They actually change that a bit in the show. Her victory's more decisive in the books.

I've said this before but SAO is a series of high highs and low lows for me. Mother's Rosario is actually high to top tier anime content imo, and I also quite liked (most of) the Aincrad arc and (most of) the first half of Alicization. The bad parts of the show can get...uh...very bad, however.

I didn't even get through the first half of Alicization so I can't imagine I would ever be able to finish it.

159. Hanasaku Iroha
https://myanimelist.net/anime/9289/Hanasaku_Iroha
Spring 2011 (26 episodes)
My Score: 5/10, MAL Score: 7.92/10
Best Character: Matsumae Ohana

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuNz1We4b7s

Premise: When her mother elopes with a new boyfriend, Matsumae Ohana is sent to her grandmother's rural inn. There she'll need to work to earn her keep and for the respect of her new coworkers.

The Good: I came very close to dropping Hanasaku Iroha after the first three episodes, but I'm glad I stuck with it in the end. Ohana faces a ton of abuse early on, and everyone was so reverent towards this old inn that neither she nor I cared about. This is the sort of story where the characters grow on you, though. The inn is also kind of a character itself, and I'll admit I felt attached to it by the end. Ohana is still the best part about this the whole way through. She's the type of person who's always pushing forward, and she refuses to take shit from anyone.

The Bad: I said above that the characters and setting eventually grew on me, but they were all so awful at the start that they really needed to work at it. Hanasaku Iroha is a PA Works original, and while I haven't looked up if these were all written by the same person, their workplace anime all have one thing in common. Between Shirobako and Aquatope and this, PA Works is great at making a workplace feel absolutely terrible. That's the kind of thing I watch anime to get away from, so the early parts of Hanasaku Iroha were hell to get through. There were still a few characters who never won me over, too. Minko is a terrible person, and Ohana's mother always sucked no matter how the story tried to justify her.

Overall: I really like stories where a character goes someplace new and overcomes obstacles while forming bonds. Despite having all of that, Hanasaku Iroha still nearly lost me early on. Ohana goes to a new place under such crappy circumstance, and all the people there sucked too much for me to want her to bond with them. I'm surprised I wound up caring as much as I did because early on I wanted Ohana to burn that inn down with everyone inside. I suppose it's a testament to the quality of the writing that most of them managed to win me over. Hanasaku Iroha still started way too rough for my tastes, so nothing could completely erase my negative feelings.

COMING UP TOMORROW:
158: This anime learned that fighting witches isn't fun.
157: This anime is fighting to protect the memories of anime.
156: This anime used up all of its wishes.

Ha, that's amusing. I was turned off by this show because of the personalities of its characters but in basically the opposite way as you since I hated Ohana. Been a while since I watched it but my memory is that I hated her unearned sense of entitlement and refusal to compromise about anything.

Oh man, the next three are all Madoka

pyresword posted...

Ha, that's amusing. I was turned off by this show because of the personalities of its characters but in basically the opposite way as you since I hated Ohana. Been a while since I watched it but my memory is that I hated her unearned sense of entitlement and refusal to compromise about anything.

I should also say actually that there was one point around episode 2 or 3 where I did think people were being mean to Ohana with little justification. I don't really remember any specific events that happened in the show and I was mainly upset with Ohana overall, but there were specific points in the show where it went the other way.

Just a show that gave me a lot of negative emotions over specific events despite broadly being a well-put-together anime, if that makes sense. I don't know.

I was on Team Ohana at all times. Her life was upended and she got sent to a place where everyone was mean to her. And she still tried her best! Anything she did was justified imo

Robazoid posted...

Personally, as someone who is on pace to write a hundred thousand words ranking anime for an audience of maybe two dozen people, something lots of people would call an absolute waste of time, Im a firm believer that anything can have meaning so long as it matters to you.

absolutely! i obviously have heard of SAO, haven't seen but that was enjoyable to read!

Hanasaku Iroha is a blast from the past for me. I saw the first 3 episodes years ago, but I never got around to watching the rest, and I couldn't remember what the show was called. Thanks for jogging my memory!

I've seen the first season of Sword Art Online as well. My brother imported the season 1 DVD from Japan when the series was starting to blow up in popularity in the West, but before the dub started. That's another series I will have to go back to at some point.

(I haven't watched this since 2017 so I don't remember it well. It was also before I started making posts with my thoughts after finishing things, so there's nothing to look up on the archive website. I'm not worried it's in the wrong spot, it's always been around here in my ranking, but this might be a bit sparse on details)

158. Puella Magi Madoka Magica
https://myanimelist.net/anime/9756/Mahou_Shoujo_Madoka%E2%98%85Magica
Winter 2011 (12 episodes) plus 1 movie
My Score: 5/10, MAL Score: 8.36/10
Best Character: Akemi Homura

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrgpX-_bFqM

Premise: Kaname Madoka and her friend are approached by a creature called Kyuubey with an offer to become magical girls. Their classmate Akemi Homura already is one, however, and she urges them not to accept.

The Good: Madoka inspired an entirely new magical girl subgenre, and I can see why it was so influential. At the time it subverted everyone's expectations (though I doubt many people start watching without knowing about it these days) and the story it tells has lots of great philosophical themes. The art style is unique. The characters are all good too, though I remember Madoka herself being the weakest of the bunch. Homura was my favorite, largely because of the sequel movie which I liked way more than the series.

The Bad: While I think Madoka is better than most (but not all) of its imitators, it just wasn't my kind of thing. For darker stories, they need to be dark in a certain way to resonate with me. I don't remember the series well enough to give any specific examples, sadly. The few character arcs I do remember were well-written and tied into the themes, but they mostly left me feeling melancholy in a way I didn't enjoy.

Overall: When I was watching Madoka, I had an unshakable feeling of "this is good, but it just isn't quite my thing". I eventually found what I consider the ideal dark magical girl show for me, and I'm thankful for however much Madoka inspired it. I also enjoyed the Madoka movie quite a bit. I know I'm a minority in not loving this series, and I can certainly see why it appeals to most people. It just wasn't my thing.

First half of Madoka was zzzzzzzzzz

second half was much much better but 5-6/10 is about right

now that's a high school girls show i actually have heard a lot about and might be interested in watching

Madoka is god tier from ep 4 on, and has an excellent cast. Kyoko and Homura are both top tier anime characters.

People nowadays probably aren't aware, but it was incredibly hyped before it came out. SHAFT was one of the most beloved studios in the industry at the time, hot off Bakemonogatari, and having Urobuchi + Yuki Kajiura + Kalafina team up with them was a big deal. Got a buttload of advertising. Fun that it managed to live up to said hype.

I have a lot of fondness for Madoka as a series, but the original show didn't actually grab me as much as expected. I felt like a lot of the main plot was a bit predictable. The aesthetics were striking though. Now, Rebellion was a different story, I loved Rebellion.

Yeah Rebellion was great

The hardest part about that Madoka writeup was that the things I remember most vividly *spoilers* Homura's adventures through time is obviously a huge spoiler. I just loved where Rebellion went with it.

Madoka one of of the best shows ever full stop.

I really hate Rebellion though, to the point that it feels like an insult that the writers have the nerve to claim it's part of the same story, but obviously I'm in the minority there.

MacArrowny posted...

People nowadays probably aren't aware, but it was incredibly hyped before it came out. SHAFT was one of the most beloved studios in the industry at the time, hot off Bakemonogatari

In Japan, sure. But I don't remember Shaft really being a big name in the West until Madoka. They had a cult fanbase, but all their shows were fairly niche. Even Monogatari didn't really take off here until later, did it?

Different topic: I have no idea how Rebellion > TV series became such a popular opinion. I get why people who didn't like the series much might prefer Rebellion, but how did Rebellion being the best part of the franchise become the default view?

Is Rebellion > TV the default view? It only has better score on MAL by 0.10 and that could easily be from people like me who didn't love the series ranking the movie higher

I don't think that's the default view. I still think Rebellion's ending is pretty silly, personally.

Xeybozn posted...

In Japan, sure. But I don't remember Shaft really being a big name in the West until Madoka. They had a cult fanbase, but all their shows were fairly niche. Even Monogatari didn't really take off here until later, did it?

Depends on the community, I suppose. Hype was high on, say, the anime board here, where Bakemonogatari was very popular.

Don't expect anyone on forums to have any sense of scale or proportion. Hearing a dissenting opinion is exactly the same as being a persecuted minority.

(This is the closest so far that any of my scores have come to improving a series' MAL score!)

157. Pastel Memories
https://myanimelist.net/anime/37374/Pastel_Memories
Winter 2019 (12 episodes)
My Score: 5/10, MAL Score: 5.12/10
Best Character: Machiya Yuina

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KLjEPffay4

Premise: In a future where anime and manga are fading, there's a cafe in Akibahara where twelve girls still remember. They often go into a magical world and battle a virus that's erasing otaku culture from existence.

The Good: Pastel Memories is an anime that's basically a love letter to anime. There are lots of lawyer-friendly references to other shows when they enter an anime world to protect it from the virus. It's a low budget series, which I imagine is the reason for the low MAL score, but to me that just added to its charm. The battles aren't anything special, and neither are the characters. I still love how some of them are lookalikes to famous anime heroines. One looks exactly like Hanekawa from Monogatari, another like Renge from Non Non Biyori, and the cat-girl in this has the same voice actress as Nya-tan from Etotama, who is THE cat-girl as far as I'm concerned. I couldn't place most of the rest, but having three makes me wonder if they're all references to something.

The Bad: Pastel Memories is mostly held back by its budget and the premise and characters both having little depth. Still, what bugs me most is what happened to the second episode! I guess it was too much of a parody of "Is the Order a Rabbit" for the lawyers to handle, so it quickly got removed from streaming. It's kind of funny that an episode was erased from existence in an anime that's about exactly that, but it still makes me sad. I hope the "Is the Order an Eel" episode is still able to be pirated somewhere and isn't lost forever.

Overall: I'm not the biggest anime watcher around, not when several of my MAL friends from this board alone have seen 2x or 4x the total episodes I have. Still, I've seen enough to appreciate an anime like Pastel Memories despite its low budget and flaws. It's fun noticing all the anime references, and I have a soft spot for shows that have a silly, self-referential premise like this. Pastel Memories wasnt great, but it was a good time.

156. Magimoji Rurumo
https://myanimelist.net/anime/23945/Majimoji_Rurumo
Summer 2014 (12 episodes) plus 2 OVAs
My Score: 5/10, MAL Score: 6.84/10
Best Character: Inoue Sumiko

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ahhTVTFHos

Premise: Perverted teen Shibaki Kouta manages to summon a clumsy witch named Rurumo, who gives him a book of wish-granting tickets. However, Kouta will die if he uses all of them!

The Good: Magimoji Rurumo is a school comedy anime, and most of the jokes come from two places. Kouta's perversions I'll cover in the bad section, but I liked the jokes about Rurumo's clumsiness. It amused me how terrible she was at everything for a centuries old witch, plus she was cute. Still, the two OVA episodes are what I really love about this. For a perverted comedy anime, those episodes actually told a shockingly heartfelt story. Given how many anime just taper off and force me to read about the ending from the source material, this one having a good conclusion was nice.

The Bad: Kouta is a huge pervert. Like, girls at the mixed hot spring know to wear extra towels because he'll try to rip them off. These aren't bad jokes if you're into that kind of comedy, but I'm really not. Mostly I just tried to ignore them to get back to Rurumo being clumsy and cute. My favorite character was the girl who kept beating Kouta up for being creepy.

Overall: Magimoji Rurumo is a comedy about a clumsy witch and a perverted boy. There's some nice moments and good gags, but nothing special in the TV series. The two bonus episodes are what really elevated it for me. They told a story I never expected to see in an anime like this, and the series was worth watching for them alone.

COMING UP TOMORROW:
155: This anime is kissing all of the girls.
154: This anime will become a sexy ghost.
153: This anime is moving into a house full of sexy ladies.

(Not the greatest hints for tomorrow, but I like how they all kinda share a theme)

Of all the anime ever, Majimoji Rurumo was certainly one of them.

I gave Madoka an 8, I thought it was pretty darn enjoyable

Although I generally don't watch, let alone finish, shows I don't enjoy so most of the shows I watch range from a 7-10 for me. I think the lowest score I gave a show I fully finished is a 5 lol