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

(+) Yeah! (+)

SpyFam rules. Anya is amazing, and there's tons of creativity.

great show, amazing ED song

keeps getting better

KommunistKoala posted...

great show, amazing ED song

keeps getting better

not sure what to say if you thought the finale was the best ep of the season

I was definitely tempted to post the ED for SxF because it's way better than the OP imo

sorry I meant the manga content. the last episode was some expanded filler

Mobilezoid posted...

Yor being an assassin hasn't been used for much.

Definitely agree w/ this and it's something that kind of bugged me as the season went on. Understanding Loid and Anya are really the focus of the show, but ideally there's more on Yor's double-life when the show comes back.

141. Urara Meirocho
https://myanimelist.net/anime/32924/Urara_Meirochou
Winter 2017 (12 episodes)
My Score: 5/10, MAL Score: 7.12/10
Best Character: Chiya

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW910AAOhCQ

Premise: Chiya, a girl mostly raised by animals in the mountains, arrives in a labyrinthine town that specializes in fortune telling. By learning to divine fate alongside her new friends, Chiya hopes to track down her long-lost mother.

The Good: Urara Meirocho is a cute girls comedy anime with a supernatural aspect focusing on fortune telling. I always enjoy a premise like that. The fantastical element allows for lots of new situations while also making even the most typical CGDCT antics feel fresh. I like all four of the main characters. Chiya was the best because she was so upbeat and energetic, plus I liked all the gags where wild animals followed her around. Kon was a good best friend character too with her knockoff ouija board, and Nono with her haunted doll freaking everyone out was great. Koume was kind of meh but even she got a nice focus episode. Urara Meirocho, in addition to the usual cute girl jokes, also managed some emotional moments between the characters. Chiya is searching for her mother, but she has already found people who are dear to her.

The Bad: While I'm usually neutral to fanservice, this is one where it really bugged me. There's a running gag that is never funny where Chiya thinks people need to display their belly when they apologize because that's how animals do it I guess. Whoever made this must have a belly fetish because the number of times Chiya shows hers or forces others to show theirs quickly gets uncomfortable.

Overall: I love Urara Meirocho for mixing cute girl antics with a supernatural twist. The characters are all good with fun quirks, and the fortune telling allows for lots of unique situations. There are even some heartfelt moments. If not for the belly fanservice putting me off, I'd have ranked this anime a lot higher. Fantastical settings like this are one of my favorite things. There are just too many belly moments for me to look past.

COMING UP TOMORROW:
140: In order to hunt monsters, this anime partially became one.
139: This anime is only losing here because the match is fixed.
C94: This character is the one who fixed the match.

(After six straight days of three anime per day, now it's time for five days of two to finish the tier. There are three more top 100 characters coming up and I tried to put them on days with two anime so it's like there are still three write-ups.)

I liked the manga for that until the main plot came in and got really rushed. The fortunetelling slice of life bits were all quite entertaining.

Chiya rocks. Fanservice didn't bother me there. IIRC, there was something off about the execution? And the story kinda left off in the middle of things? Can't remember all the details.

MacArrowny posted...

IIRC, there was something off about the execution? And the story kinda left off in the middle of things? Can't remember all the details.

The anime ended without resolving much (minor spoilers) they'd just passed their first urara rank test. Nothing concrete about Chiya's mom or anything

I finally finished another recommendation! And the write-up for it is almost 700 words long because I had a lot to say.

BONUS. 86 Eighty-Six
https://myanimelist.net/anime/41457/86
Spring 2021 (11 episodes), Fall 2021 (11 episodes)
My Score: TBA, MAL Score: 8.26/10 S1, 8.71/10 S2
Best Character: Vladilena Milize
Recommended by: @NBIceman

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

Premise: An oppressed population known as Eighty-sixers are forced to fight a machine army called the Legion in defense of a country that doesnt even consider them human. Vladilena Milize, however, hopes to make a difference as the new handler of Spearhead Squadron.

The Good: 86 is a war anime with lots of battles between spider-like mechas. Im a big sci-fi fan, and the setting really appealed to me. The Legion, in particular, was awesome. I love the premise of an AI army going rogue, plus awesome little details like how they had superior numbers but (usually) predictable tactics, and how theyre expected to shut down in a few years, so humanity just needs to hold out. The later revelations about the Legion appealed to me too, they were an excellent enemy. As for the humans, Lena was my favorite (though Frederica from the second season is also great). Ill talk about the whole eighty-sixer/subhuman aspect below, but I still thought Lena had a good arc within it. For all her good intentions, she still had a long way to go towards unlearning her unconscious racism, which I found interesting. Spearhead Squadron was full of good characters too. I liked everyone and it did an excellent job at showing little moments between them, so it hurt whenever someone died. The combat in 86 was also excellent. It did a thing I always like in fiction where it sometimes showed events from different perspectives. The differences between how Spearhead saw things and how Lena saw it were always interesting.

The Bad: I wouldnt say it ruined 86, but I wasnt a fan of the racism. I understood the themes about how a country can so easily declare a whole group of people inhuman, how absurd it is that they can be so wilfully ignorant and evil by inaction, and how it all has roots in real-life genocides. I still didnt like it. Its a near-hopeless war against a horde of robots. By necessity, some people are going to be making the ultimate sacrifice on the front lines and others are going to be safer in the rear. That was the stuff I found most interesting, and I dont think the racism was needed to explore it. All it did was make everyone in the Republic an irredeemable monster (except for Lena). I watch fiction for entertainment, which isnt to say it all needs to be light and fluffy. 86 was plenty bleak and I enjoyed most of it. It just felt too over-the-top when Lena went into the HQ and everyone was laughing at her for caring about the sub-humans. Theyre locked in a desperate war against the Legion and most of them seemed to care more about exterminating undesirables than winning the war. In my opinion, it was an unnecessary distraction from the far more interesting plot of battling the Legion as a cast of characters I loved were whittled down.

Overall: 86 is my ideal mecha anime in a lot of ways. It had the Legion, one of the most interesting enemy forces Ive seen in a long time. It had compelling characters with Lena and the Spearhead Squadron. The battles were flashy and well-animated, and due to the enemy having superior numbers they always needed to be careful and strategic. All of that was great. A lot of time is dedicated to the Republics racism against the eighty-sixers, however, and I didnt like that at all. Im still not sure where my opinion on this anime will ultimately fall, I need to take some time to weigh the good and bad aspects. Still, I definitely know that I enjoyed it a lot. Itll for sure be somewhere in my top 100 anime, and Lena wouldve easily reached my top 100 characters. Thanks a lot for recommending it, NBIceman! Sorry for the super long write-up.

me in 2019: eh, 86 is a bit heavy handed.
me after 2020: eh, 86 sounds about right in how it would go.

140. Claymore
https://myanimelist.net/anime/1818/Claymore
Spring 2007 (26 episodes)
My Score: 5/10, MAL Score: 7.75/10
Best Character: Clare

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrHYEW1Raa4

Premise: Demons known as youma roam the world, and half-human beings known as Claymores hunt them down. Clare has been hunting one monster in particular for a very long time.

The Good: Claymore is an old-school fantasy battle anime. The setup is that Clare rescues a boy named Raki from a youma attack, and then he follows her on their adventures wandering from village to village slaying monsters. I like Clare as a character a lot. The story really delves into her history. I also remember Teresa being great, but really most of the Claymores were cool and had neat skills. The combat in this was often impressive too. Whenever there was a team fight, the characters would combine their abilities in neat ways and I always love seeing that.

The Bad: I really hated Raki. I kept waiting for him to contribute something meaningful to the plot and he never did, he stayed annoying and worthless throughout. Still, he was a relatively minor character all things considered. The story also ended in a rushed and unsatisfying way, but I still enjoyed Claymore up to that point so at least the ending didnt ruin anything.

Overall: Claymore is a solid battle anime. The badass girls use neat skills against monsters, and all of that is great. Raki the useless sidekick holds it back, as does an unsatisfying ending, but Claymore is still full of awesome moments and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

139. Megalo Box
https://myanimelist.net/anime/36563/Megalo_Box
Spring 2018 (13 episodes), Spring 2021 (13 episodes)
My Score: 5/10, MAL Score: 7.89/10 S1, 8.21/10 S2
Best Character: Nanbu Gansaku

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByMrJy5p7q8

Premise: Boxing now uses wearable gears to enhance the strength of fighters. Joe makes a living in underground matches, but a worldwide tournament finally gives him a chance to prove himself.

The Good: Megalo Box is a sports anime about futuristic boxing. I dont know much about boxing, but Ive seen some Rocky/Creed movies. The story in this would be right at home in one of those. Joe is the classic underdog who never had a chance to prove himself because hes stuck throwing matches against weaker opponents to earn money. Then he has a run-in with Yuri, the current champion, and Joe decides its time to join the tournament. Its not revolutionary, but its a solid story, plus there are plenty of subplots including taking in a group of orphans and shady deals with the crime boss he worked with. The fights are a highlight too, theyre all well animated and each of them is full of tension for different reasons.

The Bad: I feel like the futuristic boxing premise was wasted because Joe stops wearing strength-enhancing gear pretty early. It makes his opponents seem weak when Joe can go toe-to-toe with them with such a huge handicap. Still, the second season is what holds Megalo Box back most for me. The story in it is miserable and ruins several characters. The big bad guy was such a caricature that I couldnt take him seriously.

Overall: Megalo Box is a solid boxing anime, and I enjoyed the first seasons tournament. The story beats were standard for the story it was telling, but it was still fun to watch. The second season, sadly, was nowhere near as good. It had some neat moments, but it ruined some characters and introduced others who sucked. Still, the best thing about Megalo Box was Joes shady trainer, Nanbu Gansaku. Ill talk about him in the spoiler-filled write-up below.

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

CHARACTER: Nanbu Gansaku (Megalo Box)
https://myanimelist.net/character/160395/Gansaku_Nanbu
Voiced by: Saitou Shirou
TOP 100 RANK: 94th

SPOILERS FOR MEGALO BOX

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kz-OxGzNEs4

Joe may be the main character of Megalo Box, but I found Nanbu the most compelling. Hes the one who kept losing all his money on dog races, forcing him to set up fixed fights with a shady crime boss. He does this, not because he thinks Joe cant win, but because he thinks theres no point. They arent legal citizens, so theyll never rise above the underground. Why bother when its easy to make money another way? Nanbu often says that guys like them dont have a tomorrow. He's so scummy at the start, but even then he was lots of fun to watch.

Once Joe wins a fight hes supposed to lose, Nanbu desperately makes a deal with the crime boss to win the tournament and give him the prize money. Hed always assured Joe that he was the real deal. Now Nanbu needs to prove it, and for that he needs to become a real trainer again. Theres an arc about one of his former students, a soldier who was injured in a war and came back to find that Nanbu abandoned him. It winds up being a misunderstanding (Nanbu isnt that crummy, hed heard the guy had died) but it was a good arc that expanded on his past. He'd already had one real deal fighter, which explains why Nanbu was so low at the start.

Through harsh training, learning to believe in each other, and a little luck, Joe reaches the semifinals. Then its revealed that Nanbu had, in fact, made a different deal with the crime boss. Hed never intended for Joe to beat Yuri to win the tournament. Hed planned for Joe to take a dive in the semifinals. This obviously causes a rift, but Joe appears ready to fake the loss. The fact that Nanbu never truly believed in him was clearly a blow. Thats what makes the scene I linked at the top of the write-up so powerful. When Joe is down, it isnt the orphan Sachio or the rival Yuri who get him back up. Its Nanbus voice that gets Joe to rise. Nanbu finally stands up for something and says that Joe has a tomorrow worth fighting for.

To make things right with the crime boss, Nanbu cuts out his only remaining eye. The crime boss sees this as a fair trade, since he thinks Nanbu has sacrificed the most precious thing in his life: the ability to see Joe in the finals. By this point in his character arc, however, Nanbu is at peace. He doesnt need to see. Just by putting his hands on the ring and feeling the vibrations, he can sense his students every move as Joe makes history.

Nanbus arc was the best part of the first season of Megalo Box for me. He was also the only character the second season didnt ruin. He dies of a disease between seasons, so hes only in flashbacks. Hes the only one who understands all the complex emotions everyone is feeling. Nanbus death is what rips everyone apart, but he never blamed anyone. In the intervening years, he also managed to stay with them. Sachio often visited Nanbus grave. And Joe, at his lowest, hallucinated his mentor. This Nanbu wasnt portrayed as angry or disappointed or any of the things Joe likely thought he should be. In his usual scummy, caustic style, the hallucinated Nanbu just wanted Joe to make things right. I like to think Nanbus spirit was a big part in helping Joe find his way home.

COMING UP TOMORROW:
138: This anime is getting put into the worst group in the school.
C68: This character scored exactly average on every test.
137: This anime is too busy exterminating monsters to care where it ranks.

(Decided I'd put hints in a separate post so that no one needs to risk spoilers glancing at the end of a character write-up. Also, I hope that not all the characters write-ups wind up being that long! Thanks to anyone who takes the time to read it)

Is Saiki next up?

Personally, I felt S1 of Megalobox was ruined by the 'barehanded boxer beats enhanced boxers' thing. So ridiculous. S2 was quite a bit better, though ironically I think I remember S1 better.

The racism stuff in 86 is definitely lame. Not particularly compelling.

Claymore rules. Raki gets more development in the manga, but he's not a super major character there either.

Next anime is Classroom of the Elite

Sheep007 posted...

Is Saiki next up?

Cromartie High School came to mind but I haven't watched Saiki (or a fraction of what Roba's seen)... then again I also don't know any exterminating monster series other than Goblin Slayer - ideally "monsters" discounts that and there's others out there!

I did not like Megalo Box.

I also have only seen like 1 or 2 episodes of Claymore and I guess it just didn't catch my interest enough.

I got bored of Megalobox halfway through but have long since lost the ability to remember why. I do remember really liking the first episode or two though.

Oh yeah, I suppose I'll choose Rokka

(I havent watched the second season for this yet, but that was by choice. Since Ill be doing a spoiler-filled write-up for a character from it, I didnt want to include anything from a season thats currently airing. Not everyone watches new seasons right away. I didnt want people whod only seen S1 to skip the write-up to avoid getting spoiled.)

138. Classroom of the Elite
https://myanimelist.net/anime/35507/Youkoso_Jitsuryoku_Shijou_Shugi_no_Kyoushitsu_e
Summer 2017 (12 episodes) Summer 2022 (0 episodes, still airing)
My Score: 5/10, MAL Score: 7.86/10 S1,
Best Character: Ayanokouji Kiyotaka

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

Premise: Ayanokouji Kiyotaka is starting at a prestigious high school that ranks classes based on points. Hes put into the lowest, Class D, and now they must struggle to climb the ranks.

The Good: Classroom of the Elite is a school anime where a class of rejects need to work together. It has lots of people with powerful personalities scheming and maneuvering to come out on top in challenges where the rules arent always clear. I absolutely love that premise, it turns high school into a battle of wits. The protagonist, Ayanokouji, is a great perspective into that. Ill talk about him more below, but Im a huge fan of characters where youre never sure how much they know, what theyre planning, or if theyll be able to get out of their latest jam. Horikita is his primary sidekick, and I like her a lot too. Shes abrasive and not as intelligent as she thinks, but thats what makes her work next to Ayanokouji. Lots of other students have over-the-top personalities too. Its fun watching them scheme against each other.

The Bad: Classroom of the Elite comes off as pretentious at times with episodes opening with philosophical quotes and whatnot. I wish the whole story took itself as seriously as it pretends to. Its stupid that a major conflict in an otherwise interesting test involved stolen panties. Its stupid that a whole episode was dedicated to the boys trying to install cameras in the girls locker room. Classroom of the Elite should be smarter than that, and Id like it a lot more if it was.

Overall: I enjoy the battles of wits in Classroom of the Elite. Sometimes the plot has elements that are stupid and bring it down, but for the most part the scheming kept me watching. I also loved Ayanokouji, which Ill cover more in the write-up below (which will have S1 spoilers only)

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/4/3/AAcDcBAADrlP.jpg

CHARACTER: Ayanokouji Kiyotaka (Classroom of the Elite)
https://myanimelist.net/character/128909/Kiyotaka_Ayanokouji
Voiced by: Hanae Natsuki
TOP 100 RANK: 68th

SPOILERS FOR CLASSROOM OF THE ELITE (SEASON ONE ONLY)

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neZjdPl4bHA

Classroom of the Elite introduces Ayanokouji Kiyotaka as just one of many students who refuse to give up their seat for an old lady on the bus. He isnt a hero or a paragon of virtue. However, he is observant. He glances around, noting the faces of his future schoolmates, including Horikita.

Ayanokouji likes to hang around in the background whenever possible and isnt emotive about much. Hes mostly nonplussed, for example, when Class D falls to zero points due to their poor behavior. He starts helping Horikita behind the scenes with things like organizing study sessions to ensure no one fails or proving a classmate's innocence in a fight. Ayanokouji doesnt seem too bothered by any of it, however.

There are hints to his background and character throughout the season. Flashbacks to being raised in a mysterious white room, the fact that he got exactly average on every test (which is extremely unlikely unless it was deliberate), and he reveals his real physical prowess whenever hes forced to. Eventually his teacher, who also wants Class D to rise, tells Ayanokouji that the people who raised him have found him and want him back. Shell expel him unless he starts taking things seriously, which forces Ayanokouji to agree. It appears this is the one thing he actually cares about.

The last arc of season one is their wilderness survival test. Ayanokouji manages some impressive tricks, maneuvering Horikita into a leadership position before orchestrating her downfall to throw off their rivals. Class D, despite a stupid stolen panties subplot, comes out on top against all odds. And Ayanokouji does it while remaining in the background, successfully attributing his contributions to others. The leader of Class C is angry at Horikita and barely knows Ayanokouji exists. I love characters like this, its like even the viewer is struggling to get ahead of his actual schemes.

Still, the best part of Classroom of the Elite comes at the very end of the season (see the video I linked above). Horikita, in her shy tsundere way, is acknowledging Ayanokouji as an ally and we finally get to see his honest thoughts. He doesnt see her as an ally, or anyone else. He sees them all as tools in a sociopathic sense, just things that only matter if they serve his goals.

That one moment put all of his actions throughout the season into a new light, and it solidified Ayanokouji as one of my top 100 characters. Lots of anime have brilliant characters or overpowered characters who always win. It's much rarer to have one who actually delves into the mindset of someone who seemingly doesn't care about anyone. I chose not to watch the second season while it was airing mostly because I wanted to binge it. I want to see Ayanokouji's schemes come together all at once, and I really hope he lives up to the promise the first season ended on.

I hate to do this, but after over a month with a perfect schedule I think I've earned a stumble. SAO was actually the last write-up I had done in advance, and since then I've been doing them right before posting. On weekdays that's meant typing them on my phone at work (which might explain them slowly getting longer, it's harder to word count and edit on my phone). A work thing just came up that will keep me busy the rest of the night, however, so I won't be able to do 137 today. My apologies! I'll try to get ahead again on the weekend so this doesn't happen again.

COMING UP TOMORROW:
137: This anime is too busy exterminating monsters to care where it ranks.
136: This anime can't find anything to read.
135: This anime was struck by lightning.

no biggie if you need to take a couple days to write, theyve been coming at a great pace so far

I'm a bit torn on Classroom of the Elite overall. I don't especially like the scene you mention at the end of season 1, but I think it's probably moreso because I don't see the rest of the show's writing as having enough strength to support the character arc the scene sets up. (A scene that's good in a vacuum which intends to create a tonal shift ends up feeling out of place if the rest of the show doesn't actually support that shift.) I'm led to believe this is an anime adaptation only problem, but who knows.

I more or less agree on the show overall though. Think it would have been somewhat better if either the show took itself more seriously (and had the writing strength to allow that approach) or if it just never took itself seriously and was a silly over-the-top battle royale show like Future Diary or something.

pyresword posted...

I'm a bit torn on Classroom of the Elite overall. I don't especially like the scene you mention at the end of season 1, but I think it's probably moreso because I don't see the rest of the show's writing as having enough strength to support the character arc the scene sets up. (A scene that's good in a vacuum which intends to create a tonal shift ends up feeling out of place if the rest of the show doesn't actually support that shift.) I'm led to believe this is an anime adaptation only problem, but who knows.

That's a fair concern. I have high hopes for the second season, but there's always the chance that it disappoints me. If they can pull off that promised character arc, though, I think it'll be great.

pyresword posted...

or if it just never took itself seriously and was a silly over-the-top battle royale show like Future Diary or something.

I should really watch Future Diary someday. I wanted to but I think it left Crunchyroll for awhile. Looks like it's back now at least.

137. Goblin Slayer
https://myanimelist.net/anime/37349/Goblin_Slayer
Fall 2018 (12 episodes)
My Score: 5/10, MAL Score: 7.42/10
Best Character: Goblin Slayer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0i0z98M2y5U

Premise: A young priestess is on her first quest when her party is overwhelmed by goblins. Thankfully, shes saved by the famous Goblin Slayer who seeks to eradicate the monsters.

The Good: Goblin Slayer is a fantasy anime about the titular characters single-minded devotion to annihilating goblins. I appreciate that Goblin Slayer, while powerful, isnt overpowered. Even against a stereotypically weak enemy, he understands the danger of getting overwhelmed by a horde or caught in an ambush. He relies on planning, cunning, and willpower just as much as his strength. It's fun watching him carve through weaker foes, but its equally fun to see him turn a losing situation around. I also like that there are different types of goblins, and the tactics they use keeps it from getting boring even though theyre pretty much the only enemy ever fought.

The Bad: There are things in Goblin Slayer that Id usually complain about. The first episode had some awful stuff happen to one of the female adventurers, and I remember it causing quite the stir when it first aired. Its given the horror and weight it deserves, however, and the goblins are literally savage monsters, so it didnt bug me as much. In the end, I cant find many flaws in Goblin Slayer. Much like the titular character, the story has a single-minded focus and does it well. I guess the grim tone of the setting and plot just didnt resonate with me enough to rank this any higher.

Overall: Goblin Slayer was an enjoyable anime. Despite his strength, there was always tension when the characters fought because the little green bastards were crafty and numerous. While they werent the best characters ever, I also liked the adventurers who often accompanied him. The overall tone was a bit too dark for me, but I still appreciated the varied battle scenes.

136. Ascendance of a Bookworm
https://myanimelist.net/anime/39468/Honzuki_no_Gekokujou__Shisho_ni_Naru_Tame_ni_wa_Shudan_wo_Erandeiraremasen
Fall 2019 (14 episodes), Spring 2020 (12 episodes), Spring 2022 (10 episodes) plus 2 OVAs
My Score: 5/10, MAL Score: 8.01/10 S1, 8.13/10 S2, 8.09/10 S3
Best Character: Myne

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

Premise: After a young Japanese woman dies, shes reborn in another world as Myne, a sickly child. As a book-lover in a world without easy access to books, she sets out to create her own.

The Good: Ascendance of a Bookworm is a fantasy isekai. It runs into various problems I have with that genre, as Ill cover below. However, it also explores a concept I find inherently interesting. Im sure many people have imagined what they would do if they went back in time. How could modern knowledge change a less advanced world? Myne is focused on books, but she still explores that thought experiment. It was fun watching her try different methods of creating paper, followed by monetizing inventions while navigating various business, religious, and political structures. Myne herself is also a fun character, so all that stuff was great.

The Bad: As interesting as I find the premise, Myne is still an overpowered isekai protagonist in that shes amazing at everything she tries. However, it was the later seasons where this mostly lost me. The setting has elements that make no sense, like the church needs a certain thing and a source of it is easily available and they just dont use it until Myne comes along. A lot of the people who stood against her were over-the-top evil caricatures. Once the religious plot became the focus and making books fell to the wayside, my interest in this anime dropped significantly.

Overall: I enjoyed Ascendance of a Bookworm a lot when the focus was on Myne using her modern knowledge to create things in a fantasy world. It was cute that she was so focused on books, and I was rooting for her. Eventually, though, the story shifts to a more generic fantasy plot involving politics and religion. It wasnt bad, but it wasnt as good as the beginning.

(This anime isn't actually done airing, but close enough. If the last two episodes wildly change my opinion I guess I can shift it around in the ranking like I plan to before finalizing earlier airing anime)

135. Parallel World Pharmacy
https://myanimelist.net/anime/49438/Isekai_Yakkyoku
Summer 2022 (12 episodes)
My Score: 5/10, MAL Score: 7.59/10
Best Character: Eleonore Bonnefoi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1cmT5Lj0gc

Premise: After a genius medical researcher dies from overwork, he awakens in another world in the body of a young boy, Falma de Medicis. Now he hopes to use his knowledge to help people.

The Good: Parallel World Pharmacy is a fantasy isekai. That obviously isnt my favorite genre, and this does fall into some typical pitfalls which Ill cover below. However, I really like the focus on using modern medical knowledge to save people. This also did interesting things with the isekai concept which I dont normally see. People realize that Falma, after getting struck by lightning, isnt the same person he was before. Few realize hes been overwritten by a Japanese guy, but theyre still terrified at the implications. Since so many isekai have the whole world not care at all, it was nice to see a realistic take for at least a bit on how people would react.

The Bad: Like most isekai protagonists, Falma is super overpowered and great at everything. It wasnt enough that he has modern medical knowledge and a genius mind capable of perfectly recalling chemical chains. He also needs infinite magical power to create or destroy anything. And an eye that can magically diagnose and predict the results of treatment. And hes a noble with infinite money and power to do whatever he wants. In terms of being overpowered, this anime might be one of the worst Ive ever seen. I guess its good its all being put towards exploring something I find interesting.

Overall: Parallel World Pharmacy is a typical isekai in a lot of ways, so its lucky I inherently like its central concept. Using modern medical knowledge to help people is interesting, and it has a lot of potential since things like plagues were common in the past. Unlike most isekai, it also explores how people would react to someone they knew being taken over by an outside entity.

COMING UP TOMORROW:
134: This anime got eaten after its walls were breached.
133: This animes club will get disbanded if they lose their latest member.

(Of the last four anime in this tier, I haven't actually finished three of them, including both of the ones tomorrow. However, after those three, the only ones left that I don't intend to finish before reaching them are A Certain Magical Index S3 and the last two seasons of MHA, so these will be close to the last times I haven't finished an anime)

Robazoid posted...

134: This anime got eaten after its walls were breached.

any way this is a bait? lol

Good ol' Pharma Medicine. Weekends were pretty stacked this season, and Pharmacy slipped through the cracks.

Robazoid posted...

133: This animes club will get disbanded if they lose their latest member.

this came up briefly in Mob Psycho, and it has the requisite second season required for it to be unfinished

Is 133 somehow gonna be K-On despite Roba being a CGDCT enjoyer?

I also ranked Globlin Slayer a 5/10

Boy was it wasted potential

Isekai Pharmacy is like worse Bookworm imo. Still a solid show tho.

"In the end, I cant find many flaws in Goblin Slayer" - will take that as a win!

Sure the first season was pretty basic with mostly clichd characters but I definitely dug it. Not sure how I'll feel when the eventual Season 2 comes out, the first season really tells its story and has the great finale that wraps things up. Seriously loved that ending. Can't even remember the movie other than like, the final action scene, so that's probably not the best sign either..

I know it doesn't fit but if 133 was Haruhi I'd be pretty delighted.

changmas posted...

any way this is a bait? lol

I was thinking bait for Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress? One of the many shows I picked up but haven't watched yet and don't even know if it fully applies either... could very well be what we expect though.

I only got a few episodes into the third season for this. It wasn't a fun show to watch weekly so I decided to hold off, then I just never got around to it again.

134. Attack on Titan
https://myanimelist.net/anime/16498/Shingeki_no_Kyojin
Spring 2013 (25 episodes), Spring 2017 (12 episodes), Summer 2018 (3/12 episodes, unfinished), Spring 2019 (0/10 episodes, unfinished), Winter 2021 (0/16 episodes, unfinished)
My Score: 5/10, MAL Score: 8.53/10 S1, 8.50/10 S2, 8.62/10 S3, 9.07/10 S4, 8.83/10 S5
Best Character: Mikasa Ackerman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OkpRK2_gVs

Premise: Humanity has retreated behind high walls to hide from the ravenous titans. Then one day they manage to break through the first gate, and Eren Yeagers life changes forever.

The Good: Attack on Titan is an action anime where they use a kind of grappling hook system to battle gigantic titans. I really love the setting and the premise. It was like a new take on a zombie apocalypse where the zombies are huge. I liked the various characters in the training class (though badass Mikasa was my obvious favorite). This is a world that felt like it had a ton of secrets lurking just over the horizon, and I was excited for the characters to begin exploring it.

The Bad: Attack on Titan killed a lot of my enthusiasm early on. This is a spoiler from a bit into the first season, but its so central to the series that I imagine most people know about it by now. The instant Eren turned into a Titan himself, my hype levels dropped. It went from a giant zombie apocalypse to, I guess a biological mecha show? Suddenly it was about super titan powers and not methodically clearing out titans and reclaiming the land like I hoped it would be.

Overall: This was a hard anime to rank because I definitely enjoyed it for what it was. Given how popular Attack on Titan is, its also probably a good thing it went the way it did rather than how I hoped it would. I was just super into it when it seemed like a fairly grounded setting other than the existence of these gigantic titans, but then it turned into a quasi-mecha show with weird powers and I dunno, it just wasnt my favorite thing. Ill go back and finish it someday but I havent gotten around to it yet.

133. K-On!
https://myanimelist.net/anime/5680/K-On
Spring 2009 (13 episodes) plus 1 OVA, Spring 2010 (0/26, unfinished)
My Score: 5/10, MAL Score: 7.85/10 S1, 8.17/10 S2
Best Character: Hirasawa Yui

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7_-RBl0lfY

Premise: Hirasawa Yui joins the Light Music Club thinking it will be about simple instruments. She almost quits, but the promise of slacking off and a newfound love for guitar keeps her in.

The Good: K-On is a cute girls music anime, but it isnt super focused on the idea of forming a band. They play songs sometimes, but they also slack off or have hilarious misunderstandings or do fun stuff entirely unrelated to music. Im a fan of music anime, so I liked the bits focused on the band the best. Yui was a great character. I vividly remember one bit where she was supposed to be studying but it kept cutting to her sitting on her bed strumming the guitar with a dumb look on her face. The slice-of-life was also decent.

The Bad: Years ago, when I felt myself getting out of anime (after watching junk like Eden of the East and My Little Monster back-to-back), I finally decided to watch K-On as a kind of break glass in case of emergency anime to get me back into it. It sounded like the perfect one for me, cute girls playing music and having fun and everything is light and fluffy. And, yes, thats exactly what K-On is. It just didnt grab me the way Id hoped it would. I got to the end of the first season, thought it was fine, and then didnt watch any anime for a few years. K-On didnt do anything wrong. It was probably just the wrong time in my life for anime and nothing wouldve hooked me back in. I remember it being a bit too unfocused for my tastes, but someday Ill rewatch it from the start with a better frame of mind and see if thats really true.

Overall: Its tough to talk about this because obviously I didnt even get halfway through it. K-On was a fun anime with cute characters and some nice music segments. Eventually I intend to restart it from the beginning and give it a fairer chance than it had the first time through.

COMING UP TOMORROW:
132: The club this anime wanted to join has been disbanded.
C80: This character doesn't like their nickname.
131: This anime considers music to be evil.

(I apologize once more for today having two anime I haven't finished. I haven't finished 131 either but, again, after that one there will only be two more unfinished anime on the list. Also I would gladly finish 131 right now if it were still available anywhere...)

Seems pretty low, K-On's good. I particularly remember enjoying the movie.

"Decent, but nothing special" sounds about right for K-On season 1. Second season is a huge improvement in just about every way, though.

I found K-ON to be similar quality for both seasons (gave them each 6). Liked the movie more tho.

I just wanted to mention something. I have a decently-sized anime figure collection, and I've taken pictures of each of them to include with their character write-ups or the anime they come from. I own a figure of both tomorrow's character and a character from 131! I'm using my phone camera, a lamp, and a makeshift black backdrop, so the photos won't be great. It's just so rare that I get to show these off to anyone who might care, so I'm going to post them anyway!

i remember k-on blowing up right after haruhi suzumiya.

it looks like you dropped attack on titan during its best season. the answers arc begins in S3 and it totally reframes the show. my favorite part of it is that it's a mystery/lore show that unfurls deliberately and clicks into place, rather than its action sequences (which can be very good, though not always)

Xeybozn posted...

"Decent, but nothing special" sounds about right for K-On season 1. Second season is a huge improvement in just about every way, though.

Yeah, Season 1 of K-On is mostly good but commits several of the cardinal sins of slice-of-life anime (weird sexualisation and characters who are bland and one-note mixed with a slow and meandering plot). Season 2 is just straight up the best thing in the genre and fixes both of those big issues from the first season (although it's perhaps even less focused pacing-wise). Plus it's gorgeous, has a great soundtrack, and pretends to not have a plot before bludgeoning you in the face with it. Season 1 is only a 6 cause of its director and soundtrack, but season 2 is an easy 9 throughout.

It seems to be a common thing that I stop watching an anime right before it gets really good! I'll have to make time to finish them all at some point after the ranking is over.

yeah, S4 is a little divisive and it really takes things in a different direction, but S3 took AoT from something i kind of tolerated/found intriguing to one of my favorite shows i've watched since the pandemic began!

I have yet to watch Season 4. For me so far the high points of Attack on Titan have been the back half of season 1 and season 3 part 2.

I don't love it but I think it's a solid show overall. All things considered I don't think I like the decision to make it a surprise Gundam show, but it does lead to it hitting some high notes occasionally.

admittedly i did not particularly like the show at all before eren became a titan - i found the tone and characters both rather grating

132. Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club
https://myanimelist.net/anime/40879/Love_Live_Nijigasaki_Gakuen_School_Idol_Doukoukai
Fall 2020 (13 episodes), Spring 2022 (13 episodes)
My Score: 5/10, MAL Score: 7.52/10 S1, 7.73/10 S2
Best Character: Nakasu Kasumi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mefHQA2fGzg
Bonus, favorite song from the mobile game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzzFg13Xyjk

Premise: Second spinoff series from Love Live. When Takasaki Yuu and Uehara Ayumu see a performance, they fall in love with idols. However, the idol club at their school has disbanded!

The Good: Nijigasaki is easily the worst Love Live anime (I still havent watched Superstar), but it has a lot of good points. Its a solid idol anime with lots of great songs and fun characters. Kasumi is the best girl in the whole franchise, and Ill talk about her in the write-up below. Yuu was an interesting character too. None of the other Love Lives have a manager help everyone out without wanting to be an idol themselves. There's also had a good story with the girls working with everyone to put together a school idol festival all around the city.

The Bad: My favorite thing in both Love Live and the spinoff Sunshine was how all the girls came together and interacted as a group. Nijigasaki had a bit of that, but the twist with these girls is that theyre a bunch of solo idols who occasionally collaborate, not one cohesive unit. In some ways thats a good thing, such as allowing for focused character episodes. Sadly, with so many of them being absent while other characters were in the spotlight, a lot of the girls wound up feeling underdeveloped. The first season also had a dramatic Ayumu arc that I absolutely hated.

Overall: Nijigasaki may be the worst Love Live, but I enjoyed the other two so much that it still lands almost exactly in the middle of my ranking. As much as I disliked some of the drama in the first season, it didnt ruin the anime for me. While Id have preferred it if the girls were all together more often, it was still nice seeing them act solo. Overall, this was a fun idol anime.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/5/2/4/AABz_zAADsNk.png

CHARACTER: Nakasu Kasumi (Love Live: Nijigasaki High School Idol Club)
https://myanimelist.net/character/176603/Kasumi_Nakasu
Voiced by: Sagara Mayu
TOP 100 RANK: 80th

My Kasumi Figure: https://imgur.com/hHli1Z7

VIDEO LINK (no spoilers, just a song): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUv2QSYEdhk

SPOILERS FOR LOVE LIVE NIJIGASAKI

I really enjoy that song that I linked to above. If you look up the lyrics in English, the whole thing is Kasumi quashing her doubts and hyping herself up as the cutest and best girl ever, which I think describes her in a nutshell. Unlike a lot of top 100 characters, Kasumi doesnt have a big dramatic arc. Theres character growth, sure, but mostly I love her because shes so much fun.

In the beginning, shes the only member of the School Idol Club remaining after it disbanded. She refuses to let the drama between everyone destroy her dreams. She steadfastly holds onto the club room and even steals back the clubs sign from the student council room. When Yuu and Ayumu join, theres a brief storyline where Kasumi tries to mold the new idol into her own image of what an idol should be (ultra-cute), rather than letting Ayumu do what works best for her. Thankfully, Kasumi realizes what shes doing quickly and stops. They win back the clubs old members, gain some new ones, and put on a wildly successful School Idol Festival.

Like most of the girls, Kasumi only gets the occasional focus episode. However, as the clubs leader (on paper) shes present for all the big decisions. Even when shes just an extra in a scene, shes always a joy to watch. Kasumi believes that idols must be as cute as possible, and she strives to maintain that image. However, shes also competitive and a sore loser, which gives her a hilariously unearned ego. Its a lot of fun watching Kasumi try to rise above the others, mostly because shes hilariously terrible at it. I mean look at this short video of her trying to win games.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpt1ayj20ks

In conclusion, Kasumi is a fun character because she strives to maintain a cute image, but her huge ego and attempts at being devious always undermine it. As much as she hates the nickname Kasukasu (which apparently translates roughly to not quite), it is fitting. She wants to be the cutest, to be number one, but she cant quite get there. Even in failure, however, she manages to be cute and hilarious, so in a way she achieves her goal, at least for me. She may not be my number one character, but Im sure shes happy to at least be my favorite Love Live character.

Yandere Ayumu best Nijigasaki

Yandere Ayumu isn't even best Ayumu! (That would be her telling Yohane to burn in hell on her birthday, as WhiteLens reminded me of awhile ago)

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/5/3/9/AABz_zAADsNz.jpg