Board 8 > Robazoid Ranks 275 Anime and Top 100 Anime Characters 3 (The Top 60)

(+) Yeah! (+)

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!)

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 second topic brought us all the way to my top 60, the beginning of the 8/10 Great Tier! This topic will most likely last the rest of the ranking.

TOP 100 CHARACTERS

There are still 65 characters from my top 100 left, including the entirety of my top five. Remember that character write-ups contain spoilers.

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 time 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.

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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.

THE RANKING SO FAR

7/10 GOOD TIER
61- Golden Kamuy (88- Sugimoto Saichi)
62- Knights of Sidonia
63- Sunday Without God (97- Dee Ensy Stratmitos)
64- Noragami (37- Iki Hiyori)
65- Katana Maidens (6- Etou Kanami)
66- Parasyte: The Maxim (100- Izumi Shinichi)
67- D-Frag
68- The Demon Girl Next Door (70- Yoshida 'Shamiko' Yuuko)
69- Arakawa Under the Bridge
70- Lucky Star (82- Kogami Akira)
71- BanG Dream (10- Toyama Kasumi) (79- Ichigaya Arisa)
72- Ya Boy Kongming (61- Zhuge 'Kongming' Liang) (76- Tsukimi Eiko)
73- Love Live! School Idol Project
74- Love, Chunibyo, & Other Delusions (17- Takanashi Rikka) (55- Shichimiya Satone)
75- Amanchu (8- Kohinata 'Pikari' Hikari) (75- Ooki 'Teko' Futaba)
76- My Dress-Up Darling (51- Kitagawa Marin)
77- Scorching Ping Pong Girls (65- Tsumujikaze Koyori)
78- My Hero Academia
79- Steins;Gate (59- Makise Kurisu)
80- Death Note (69- Yagami Light)
81- Lycoris Recoil (64- Nishikigi Chisato)
82- Prima Doll
83- Harukana Receive
84- Anima Yell
85- Komi Can't Communicate (73- Komi Shouko)
86- Hitoribocchi no Marumaruseikatsu (86- Hitori Bocchi)
87- Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid
88- Chio's School Road (85- Miyamo Chio)
89- In the Heart of Kunoichi Tsubaki
90- Love Lab
91- Deaimon: Recipe for Happiness
92- Konohana Kitan
93- Aria
94- Monogatari (13- Hanekawa Tsubasa)
95- The Price of Smiles (89- Soleil Yuki)
96- The Magnificent Kotobuki
97- High School Fleet
98- Umamusume: Pretty Derby
99- WATATEN: An Angel Flew Down to Me
100- Uzamaid

6/10 ABOVE AVERAGE TIER
101- Last Period: The Journey to the End of the Despair
102- A Certain Magical Index (22- Index Librorum Prohibitorum)
103- The Aquatope on White Sand (29- Misakino Kukuru)
104- Celestial Method
105- Kokkoku
106- Land of the Lustrous
107- Love After World Domination
108- Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens
109- Killing Bites
110- Vividred Operation
111- Castle Town Dandelion
112- Somali and the Forest Spirit
113- RPG Real Estate
114- Ms. vampire who lives in my neighborhood
115- Gabriel Dropout (47- Kurumizawa McDowell Satania Satanichia)
116- Himouto! Umaru-chan
117- Teppen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Laughing 'til You Cry
118- Asobi Asobase -workshop of fun-
119- This Art Club Has a Problem
120- Nyarko-san: Another Crawling Chaos
121- The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent
122- Actually, I Am
123- Masamune-kun's Revenge (93- Makabe Masamune)
124- My Love Story
125- Tsurezure Children
126- Toradora
127- Non Non Biyori (99- Miyauchi Renge)
128- Healer Girl
129- Carole & Tuesday
130- D4DJ: First Mix

5/10 BELOW AVERAGE TIER
131- AKB0048
132- Love Live: Nijigasaki High School Idol Club (80- Nakasu Kasumi)
133- K-On!
134- Attack on Titan
135- Parallel World Pharmacy
136- Ascendance of a Bookworm
137- Goblin Slayer
138- Classroom of the Elite (68- Ayanokouji Kiyotaka)
139- Megalo Box (94- Nanbu Gansaku)
140- Claymore
141- Urara Meirocho
142- Spy x Family
143- Hina Logic: Luck & Logic
144- Girls und Panzer
145- Mitsuboshi Colors
146- Aharen-san wa Hakarenai
147- Is the Order a Rabbit?
148- Yuru Yuri
149- Hinako Note
150- Kemono Friends
151- Cells at Work
152- We Rent Tsukumogami
153- Miss Caretaker of Sunohara-sou
154- Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs
155- Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches
156- Magimoji Rurumo
157- Pastel Memories
158- Puella Magi Madoka Magica
159- Hanasaku Iroha
160- Sword Art Online (43- Konno Yuuki)

4/10 MEDIOCRE TIER
161- Overlord
162- Saga of Tanya the Evil
163- Bodacious Space Pirates
164- Yona of the Dawn
165- Music Girls
166- Shine Post
167- Luminous Witches
168- Phantom of the Idol
169- Haganai
170- Monster Musume
171- Endro~!
172- Three Leaves, Three Colors
173- Slow Start
174- GJ Club
175- The Ryuo's Work is Never Done
176- Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle
177- Hakumei and Mikochi
178- How to Keep a Mummy
179- Interviews with Monster Girls
180- One Punch Man
181- Daily Lives of High School Boys
182- Sabagebu: Survival Game Club
183- Konosuba: God's Blessing on this Wonderful World
184- Magical Girl Raising Project
185- Magical Girl Site
186- Grimgar: Ashes and Illusions
187- Sankarea
188- Wandering Son
189- A Certain Scientific Railgun
190- Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online
191- Phantom in the Twilight
192- RErideD: Derrida, who leaps through time
193- Marchen Madchen
194- Aokana: Four Rhythm Across the Blue
195- Cinderella Nine
196- Asteroid in Love
197- Teasing Master Takagi-san
198- Comic Girls
199- Girlish Number
200- New Game

3/10 DISAPPOINTING TIER
201- Red Data Girl
202- Nanana's Buried Treasure
203- Re:Creators
204- Death Parade (33- Kurokami no Onna)
205- Devilman Crybaby
206- Dragon Pilot: Hisone and Masotan
207- B: The Beginning
208- After the Rain
209- Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku
210- Recovery of an MMO Junkie
211- Kaguya-sama: Love is War
212- Tada Never Falls in Love
213- Scum's Wish
214- Aggretsuko
215- Servant x Service
216- Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto
217- Assassination Classroom
218- Strike Witches
219- Shirobako
220- Hyouka
221- Sound Euphonium
222- Violet Evergarden
223- The Ancient Magus' Bride
224- The Devil is a Part-Timer
225- Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody
226- How Not to Summon a Demon Lord
227- Island
228- Angolmois: Record of Mongol Invasion
229- Heroines Run the Show
230- Release the Spyce

2/10 BAD TIER
231- A Sister's All You Need
232- Seven Senses of the Re'Union
233- Holmes of Kyoto
234- Karakuri Circus
235- Angels of Death
236- Brave Witches
237- Call of the Night
238- The Master of Ragnarok & Blesser of Einherjar
239- Lord of Vermilion: The Crimson King
240- The Junji Ito Collection
241- The Maid I Hired Recently is Mysterious
242- The Yakuza's Guide to Babysitting
243- School Babysitters
244- Kumamiko: Girl Meets Bear
245- Record of Grancrest War
246- Adachi and Shimamura
247- Golden Time
248- Taisho Otome Fairy Tale
249- Vampire in the Garden
250- Frankenstein Family

1/10 TERRIBLE TIER
251- Symphogear
252- Citrus
253- Hanebado
254- Darling in the FranXX
255- Kinos Journey -the Beautiful World- the Animated Series
256- Muhyo & Roji's Bureau of Supernatural Investigtion
257- Science Fell in Love, So I Tried to Prove It
258- My Little Monster
259- Maria the Virgin Witch
260- ID-0

DROPPED TIER
261- Beatless (DROPPED)
262- Urahara (DROPPED)
263- Conception (DROPPED)
264- Eden of the East (DROPPED)
265- Banana Fish (DROPPED)
266- Restaurant to Another World (DROPPED)
267- Miss Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles (DROPPED)
268- Sword Gai: The Animation (DROPPED)
269- Inuyashiki: Last Hero (DROPPED)
270- Gantz (DROPPED)

COMING UP TOMORROW:
60: A lot of people have been dying in this anime's small town.
C48: This character can't go out in daylight.
59: This anime is full of bitter tastes.
C53: This character is becoming filled with sweet feelings for the first time.

We're finally done the 7/10 Good Tier! Tomorrow we start the 8/10 Great Tier.

Bracing myself for 10/10 Haruhi...

Also still looking for poolies for LotGH, need 2 people to join me in committing Roba to watching the main series + movies, 3 to also get the Gaiden series in there (cuz why not!)

I'm amazed there are only 14 series on the list so far that I have tried, and only 8 that have finished/am up to date on.

so between the last time i commented on an anime i've seen, you've posted a few (mostly in a row)!

- monogatari - absolutely unwatchable for me. i think i might have finished season 1 but it might have been just a few episodes? this visual style was atrocious and the protagonist was awful and i don't remember anything about it but probably couldn't be bothered to try it again

- my hero academia - yeah, this is around right for it - i thought there might be more to it (think i'm somewhere in S4-S5) but it kind of became clear it's "just a kids' show" at some point. that said some of the battles were still very enjoyable, especially all might vs one for all; the overall show itself just isn't super-gripping to me

- death note - don't necessarily agree on the best arc - to me it actually preceded the memory arc, which i found mostly overwrought until the payoff (which admittedly was tremendous). the back half of the show obviously isn't as good but i don't feel like it ruined it at all to me. suffered a little bit from its (necessarily) paper-thin cast.

- steins;gate - to me the first half was a lot more enjoyable than the second half; i really liked the slice-of-life with a twist. also wasn't particularly impressed with the main love interest as a character. i think when you drastically raise the stakes like S;G did at the beginning of its second half, you need more emotional variety, but its tone kind of just stayed there. that said - the final arc and solution was pretty neat and that's always a nice plus.

anyway, looking forward to the top bit of the list! imagining that i'll see at least 5ish anime i recognize in the top, but i suppose i have no real reason to believe that if patterns hold!

Maniac64 posted...

I'm amazed there are only 14 series on the list so far that I have tried, and only 8 that have finished/am up to date on.

Yeah I'm even worse though my anime repetoire is generally lighter. So far I'm at 5 series I've watched and 5 series in the "to watch" queue (6 now that I just picked up Sunday Without God)...and all the "watched" were in the 5/10 tier other than Death Note.

Continuing to not look at Roba's MAL rankings since part of the excitement is seeing which ones I do know or have experience with show up. Like I was waiting to see if Code Geass would pop up and I'm pretty sure 8/10 is too high a ranking for that show considering the standards set so far but I suppose anything's possible! Now TTGL, I can still believe in that still making an appearance...

Also ideally more of an endgame item but most interested in seeing if Monster was watched and if so where it'll end up ranked, my #2 all-time.

I'm also at only five series watched. Probably a different five than you though

Let's try! Death Note, Madoka, Attack on Titan, Spy x Family, Goblin Slayer? (Yeah I have very casual tastes...)

I have over half of them watched, but I've watched a lot more anime than anyone else on b8...

I'm also counting series I read the manga of as that is more than shows I've watched.

I'm at 66 where I've watched at least some of the show, plus Scum's Wish and Bang Dream where I read some of the manga and played the game respectively but never watched the anime.

I'm at 18 for series i've finished / am up to date on, plus 3-4 that i've dropped

It's interesting seeing how many of mine people have seen! I've watched a ton of obscure or mediocre anime and still haven't seen a lot of the more famous ones, so I suppose it makes sense the numbers are relatively low.

I'm glad the ranking has introduced at least one person to an anime theyre interested in, though. Hopefully you don't hate SWG whenever you watch it, Martin!

Only 12 eps at least. Can't be worse than Madoka!

... or Haruhi for me, doing the dub AND the atrocious episode order just ruined it for me so much, I'm sure a sub rewatch in proper order will make me appreciate it more but damn. Someday.

Anyways, very excited to see what known properties and unknown gems pop up from now to the end, I doubt SWG is the only additional pickup I'll make!

8/10: GREAT TIER

60. Shiki
https://myanimelist.net/anime/7724/Shiki
Summer 2010 (22 episodes) plus 2 OVAs
My Score: 8/10, MAL Score: 7.74/10
Best Character: Kirishiki Sunako

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZZ9eJ7KK1g

Premise: Tragedy strikes the small town of Sotoba when a young girl mysteriously dies, and she's only the first of many. The town doctor Ozaki Toshio tries to figure out what is going on, before it's too late.

The Good: Shiki is a supernatural horror anime about a small town where many people start dying under mysterious circumstances. I unfortunately couldn't rewatch this for the ranking because it's no longer on any streaming service I have access to. I also don't remember when certain things are revealed. This write-up will be more vague than usual because going in blind and watching the situation unfold was a big part of what I enjoyed about Shiki, and I don't want to ruin that for anyone. Regardless, I really liked the story this turned out to be. I remember it being a slow burn, but once it got going it really got going. The situation had a surprising amount of nuance, and I liked most of the characters. Sunako was still easily my favorite, as I'll cover in her spoiler character write-up.

The Bad: The characters in Shiki have some of the craziest hairstyles I've ever seen, and that's saying a lot given how crazy anime hair can get! On the one hand, it was a unique visual style and it helped differentiate the large cast of characters. On the other hand, it was distracting until I could get used to it. This is an incredibly petty complaint, and it shouldn't deter anyone from watching Shiki. The things I really want to complain about are all huge spoilers, though, so this was all I could talk about here.

Overall: I feel bad for being so vague about Shiki. I want to rave about the story it sets up, because it's incredibly interesting and has a surprising amount of nuance. This isn't a show with a first episode twist or anything like that, however. It takes its time getting where it's going, and going into that blind really elevated my enjoyment of it. If the idea of a town beset by mysterious deaths sounds even slightly appealing to you, just take my word for it and check Shiki out! It has its flaws, but I still thought it was a neat horror story.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/6/3/AAcDcBAAD043.png

CHARACTER: Kirishiki Sunako (Shiki)
https://myanimelist.net/character/30477/Sunako_Kirishiki
Voiced by: Yuuki Aoi
TOP 100 RANK: 48th

SPOILERS FOR SHIKI

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2OxMgFIMmM

I'm sad I couldn't rewatch Shiki for this, mostly because that means my write-up for Sunako won't be as thorough as she deserves. Once the full plot was revealed, that she's an ancient vampire-type creature trying to create a place where her kind can live openly without fear, I thought the story introduced some intriguing moral dilemmas. That video I linked to for her was one of the reasons why I love her as a character. Sure, she's killed lots of people, but she had to in order to survive. It's a great scene where she wonders if she should've let herself starve instead, and... that's a hard question. I couldn't do it, and I don't think I would believe anyone who claims they'd have the willpower to starve themselves to death, no matter the circumstances. Yes, Sunako is an inhuman monster, but she never asked to become one. Once she became one, I can't begrudge her for doing what she needed to survive, or to create a lasting home for herself in the town. Then again, I also can't begrudge the humans for fighting back. Like I said, it was an interesting moral dilemma.

Beyond that, Sunako was just a really relatable character. Going back to that video I linked, I like how she wonders whether or not the hunters will be able to kill her in one blow. All hope seems lost and she's reduced to grasping for anything she can, even if it's nothing more than the hope that her death won't be agonizing. Damn. While I could see both sides in the conflict, I eventually sided with Team Shiki against humanity. Sunako won me over, and I wanted to see her create a place for herself and her kind. The ending was a bit disappointing because of that, but I was happy Sunako made it out alive at least. She deserves another chance to keep fighting for her right to live, even if the things she has to do to stay alive turn her into a monster. Shiki told a really compelling story, and a lot of that came down to how relatable Sunako was.

Shiki is really great, though I'm a bit surprised you liked it. Don't think it's one I would recommend to you. (At least now I wouldn't...it's entirely possible that I literally did recommend it to you at some point because I think it's a show I've recommended at several points in the anime topic...)

Very interesting show and the presentation is unique and deliberate. I also like how unflinching the show is in terms of showing how its central conflict plays out.

My favorite character is almost definitely the doctor, though Sunako is a pretty respectable second.

pyresword posted...

Shiki is really great, though I'm a bit surprised you liked it. Don't think it's one I would recommend to you.

I know I put a lot of dark/bleak anime low in this ranking, but there are a few I really love! I don't like stories that are dark because someone is being an evil jerk or whatever, but I'm actually a huge fan of stories that are dark because of immutable facts in the setting or character motivations that are impossible to reconcile for whatever reason. Stories that are just, like, here's the situation, and there's no right answer even if everyone has good intentions and tries their best. I love exploring situations like that. There's an anime we won't get to for awhile that I think is the perfect example of that kind of story.

MartinFF7 posted...

Let's try! Death Note, Madoka, Attack on Titan, Spy x Family, Goblin Slayer? (Yeah I have very casual tastes...)

1/5 with Attack on Titan (and the other 4 being Toradora, Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches, Steins;Gate and Love Live School Idol Project)

Shiki rules. Sunako is probably the best, but the doctor is extremely interesting. The show had a bit of an ensemble, where almost everyone is pretty good. Team shiki for life

ffffffffffff that Shiki premise and "Good" write-up sounds so appealing. I can't add to the queue again so soon!!!

Arti: nice, and we'll be 2/5 in a few months probably (in time for next SMFAS??) but yeah... not gonna check off any of those cute-girls-doing-cute-things series, lol

59. Happy Sugar Life
https://myanimelist.net/anime/37517/Happy_Sugar_Life
Summer 2018 (12 episodes)
My Score: 8/10, MAL Score: 6.80/10
Best Character: Matsuzaka Satou

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QvZYI00voE

Premise: Matsuzaka Satou is a beautiful high-schooler with a reputation for sleeping around, but she abruptly stops one day after finally finding someone she loves. However, that person is Koube Shio, a missing little girl who Satou keeps locked up in an apartment so that nothing can threaten their life together.

The Good: Happy Sugar Life is a psychological drama/horror about some seriously messed up characters. I imagine the premise alone will turn off a lot of people, and usually I'd be the first one to decry the blatant, twisted edginess this anime focuses on. However, I found it fascinating to examine the mindsets of all these broken people. Satou, due to childhood trauma, went through life feeling empty. Then she found someone who filled her with sweet feelings for the first time. That someone just so happens to be an equally traumatized little girl, Shio. While she's more than happy to stay with Satou, the situation is never portayed in a positive light. Missing person posters for Shio litter the town, put up by a brother desperately searching for his sister, and he has his own traumas too. Every single character does, really, and I enjoyed getting into their heads to see how they became who they are.

The Bad: As much as I liked examining the twisted minds of these traumatized characters, I felt like HSL went too far with the edginess at times. There's one character who is mostly a well-balanced individual. Everyone else is broken in some way. I think Satou, Shio, and a few important others would've stood out more and been more compelling if there were a few more regular people around. The amount of craziness that gathers in this one story felt a little absurd at times.

Overall: Happy Sugar Life has an intentionally off-putting premise of a high-schooler falling in love with a little girl and doing anything to keep her. It explores that idea unflinchingly, and I found it fascinating to examine Satou's mindset and the things that made her who she was. The other broken characters were good too, though the amount of them became a little absurd. Still, for anyone who can accept the premise, this is a great anime to study some messed up characters.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/5/1/AAcDcBAAD06P.jpg

CHARACTER: Matsuzaka Satou (Happy Sugar Life)
https://myanimelist.net/character/134256/Satou_Matsuzaka
Voiced by: Hanazawa Kana
TOP 100 RANK: 53rd

SPOILERS FOR HAPPY SUGAR LIFE

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNDSTdlk1A8
(This is the last six minutes of the final episode. I wouldve linked to just the first three and a half minutes of it if I could find a video like that)

Satou and her relationship with Shio is the central pillar of Happy Sugar Life. As I mentioned several times in the anime write-up, I found Satou a fascinating character to examine. She was seriously messed up as a child by her aunt (who was another excellent character). Her aunt accepted all the feelings people gave her, either positive or abusively negative, and called it love. The result was Satou growing up with no idea what love really is. She knew her aunt's definition was wrong, but Satou couldn't find any correct one of her own. She was friendly with people, had a part-time job, and slept with countless guys, but Satou never felt anything. Then she met Shio, a little girl abandoned on the street, and for the first time Satou felt something sweet, something she could only interpret as love.

I really like how the story remains somewhat ambiguous about what Satou is really feeling. She doesn't display any explicit sexual interest in Shio, but their relationship is full of romantic overtones regardless. Maybe she only felt a protective instinct towards the lost little girl, or maybe she liked the idea of having someone she could hide away and fully control. It isn't clear. Satou interpets the feeling as love, whatever it is, but she isn't exactly an expert on emotions. In any case, Satou brings Shio to an apartment, and right away she's willing to do anything to keep them together, including murdering the guy who lives there. One part of the story I really liked was when Satou met Shio's brother for the first time and was overtaken by a bitter feeling she didn't fully understand. Once she realized it was jealousy, though, that bitter taste turned sweet. Satou had never felt jealousy before, so the fact that she is now is proof of her love. I just find that really fascinating, that Satou is so desperate to feel something, anything, that she'll even embrace negative emotions just as long as they originate from Shio.

I also really like the various layers of tragedy. Not just obvious ones like how Satou murders her closest friend, who was arguably the only well-balanced person in the story. I'm talking about the tragedy of Satou herself. In the video I linked, there was a part that really got to me. When Satou and Shio are falling off the burning building, there's a montage in the background of the life they almost had. Going to the airport, traveling, doing fun things together, and just being happy. I'm not saying I wanted Satou to get away and live happily ever after with a kidnapped little girl, but that montage made me sad. If not for her childhood trauma, Satou could've grown up and been happy in a less criminally twisted way. At my old age, Satou is basically a child herself. She deserved to live a happy, regular life, one that was a lot like the montage she imagined (just with someone older). That life was stolen from her at a young age. I don't know if I'm explaining this right, but I found it tragic. I also liked how Satou finally realized what love really is at the end. She spins to take the full brunt of the fall so that at least Shio can survive. The whole situation surrounding it is obviously still really messed up, but that was still a selfless act done wholly for the sake of someone else. At the very least, it was closer to my own definition of love than anything else Satou had done in the whole story.

COMING UP TOMORROW:
58: This anime can see dead people.
C27: This character is making sure they don't even flinch.
57: This anime is falling to its death from a skyscraper.
C67: This character refuses to allow a bleak world to corrupt them.

I enjoyed Happy Sugar Life and the slow but inevitable trainwreck it promised. Somehow both less and more problematic than it sounds.

Satou's Aunt #1 character. There's a bunch of great ones though. I love the show quite a lot, though personally I would've liked it even more if it didn't go with the tragic ending. I know lots of people will say that a tragic ending is the only choice in a story like this, but I disagree.

MacArrowny posted...

Satou's Aunt #1 character. There's a bunch of great ones though. I love the show quite a lot, though personally I would've liked it even more if it didn't go with the tragic ending. I know lots of people will say that a tragic ending is the only choice in a story like this, but I disagree.

Happy Sugar Life spoilers I liked the tragic ending, mostly for that final moment where Satou took the fall like I talked about in my write-up for her. I could see other endings working too, though. If she actually made it away with Shio, that certainly would've been interesting and defy viewer expectations! Then there's the perfect world 'everyone gets a therapist and addresses their problems' ending, which would've been funny.

58. Mieruko-chan
https://myanimelist.net/anime/48483/Mieruko-chan
Fall 2021 (12 episodes)
My Score: 8/10, MAL Score: 7.45/10
Best Character: Yotsuya Miko

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stn29mdlKqA

Premise: Yotsuya Miko can see ghosts, which take the form of terrifying apparitions. No matter how frightened she gets, Miko struggles never to react and let the spirits know she can see them.

The Good: Mieruko-chan is a horror anime about the terrifying life of Miko, a girl who gains the ability to see ghosts one day. The spirits all have an awesome horror aesthetic. Many look genuinely frightening. Even if they were harmless, they arent the kind of thing youd want to have popping up around you all day. Miko doesnt know if theyre harmless, though. Miko doesnt know anything, and thats what I found most interesting about this anime. She decides the safest course is to never react to their presence, which is easier said than done. Its as if the ghosts can almost sense that she can see them, so they stalk closer and circle around, probing for a reaction. Miko is essentially living in a horror movie, all day every day, and she isnt allowed to flinch at any of the jump scares. I found that idea compelling and lots of fun to watch.

The Bad: There are a lot of blatant fanservice shots, especially early on. Mikos friend Hana gets plenty of suggestive angles. Im not against fanservice, but in a spooky story like this I feel like the sex appeal is out of place. I also wouldve liked some more concrete info about the setting, but I suppose its scarier that Miko never really learns anything.

Overall: Mieruko-chan never scared me personally, but it had an amazing horror aesthetic. I feel like horror anime are relatively rare compared to other genres, so this was a nice change of pace. More than anything, though, I sympathized with the terrifying life of poor Miko. It was always interesting to watch her navigate the haunted house her life had unwittingly become.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/8/0/AABz_zAAD1HM.png

CHARACTER: Yotsuya Miko (Mieruko-chan)
https://myanimelist.net/character/169393/Miko_Yotsuya
Voiced by: Amamiya Sora
TOP 100 RANK: 27th

SPOILERS FOR MIERUKO-CHAN

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsLQ5-kNPM4
(I dont know why some youtube clips edit out the pause between sentences. It isnt fun to watch, but this was the best video of this scene I could find)

That scene with Miko on the train is one of my favorites in Mieruko-chan. I mean, really, put yourself in her position. Shes sitting on a train when an axe-wielding ghost starts making its way up the car. It takes a swing at each person in line and it passes harmlessly through. Phew. Only how can she be sure itll pass through her too? These people cant see ghosts, after all. Miko can, and maybe whatever spiritual power she has makes her susceptible to damage. Maybe the axe will hurt her. Miko doesnt know anything about any of this. Still, she cant get out of the way, because then the ghost would know she can see it and who knows what would happen then. Miko just needs to sit there. She cant flinch, not even when the axe is coming down on her head. Even if she knew it was harmless, not reacting at all would still be almost impossible. Sadly, this is simply what her life has become. Miko has no choice except to put up with these terrifying apparitions and then go and buy a new pair of underwear afterwards.

It wouldve been nice of the anime went into a bit more detail about the rules of the world. Its never clear how much danger Miko is actually in. Still, Im also torn on that because its way scarier that she doesnt know anything. If Miko knew for sure that the ghosts were harmless, the whole tone of the story would shift. If she knew they could hurt her, one would expect her to barricade herself somewhere and never go outside. For me, a lot of the terror came from never quite knowing the rules. Maybe Miko was never in any danger, or maybe she only just barely escaped death countless times.

I also really liked the final arc of the anime, even if it didnt have much of a conclusion. Miko unwittingly makes a deal with the spirit of a temple to protect her from ghosts three times. One of those times was probably the scariest moment in the show. Miko is at a park when a normal-looking boy waves at her. She unthinkingly waves back. Then the boy stands frozen, smiling, staring at her because Miko just gave away that she can see it. The normal faade falls away in favor of yet another terrifying spirit. Miko is protected by the temple god, but even that deal she made probably has rules and costs she doesnt understand. I just found everything about the vague setting and Mikos constant torment fascinating. Imagine you could no longer even react to strangers because you have no way of knowing if theyre actually a ghost. Thats terrifying!

also think it had some nice emotional moments like with her dad

KommunistKoala posted...

also think it had some nice emotional moments like with her dad

Yeah, I liked the one with the old lady and her ghost husband helping her remember the safe combination too. And the one at the end of the video I linked for Miko where the baby ghost is hanging around with its pregnant-again mother, that one was sweet. It's nice that not all the ghosts are evil and terrifying.

eh it's okay I guess.

57. High-Rise Invasion
https://myanimelist.net/anime/43690/Tenkuu_Shinpan
Winter 2021 (12 episodes)
My Score: 8/10, MAL Score: 6.73/10
Best Character: Honjou Yuri

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

Premise: Honjou Yuri wakes up in a strange city where high-rises are linked by bridges. Masked killers hunt the people trapped in this maze, and Yuri struggles to survive against them.

The Good: High-Rise Invasion is a kind of horror/action anime, and both the setting and premise really appealed to me. A bunch of random people have been transported to a strange city with no idea how they got there or whats going on. The upper floors of skyscrapers are connected by rickety rope bridges, but all the doors to lower floors are locked, turning it into a kind of maze. Masked killers with various fighting styles and weapons (a sniper, a boxer, a baseball player, and so on) wander the maze killing whoever they come across, and there are caches of supplies and weapons scattered around for people to defend themselves. The whole setting evokes the feeling of a nightmare. A familiar place turned into an impossibly infinite maze thats filled with danger describes a few nightmares Ive had, at least. The setting is just so wonderfully weird, and thats only the beginning! The story goes a lot of strange yet interesting places with it.

As for the plot and the characters, theyre both fine. I like Yuri quite a bit, shes strong yet holds onto her morals in a way that I like. Everyone was at least fine, though. A lot of the killers or survivors were edgy or over-the-top, and theres plenty of gore and pointless fanservice. Still, I thought all of that contributed to a fun tone. This is the kind of story where the viewer needs to accept the craziness thats happening and let themselves get swept up for the ride.

The Bad: I hope High-Rise Invasion gets a second season someday (which it wont because its a Netflix anime and Netflix has recently said theyre going to severely cut back on creating anime, but anyway) because this first season wasnt conclusive at all. It told some fun stories about Yuri meeting survivors, learning about the world, and battling zany masked killers. The story was just clearly building to something, and I wanted to see what that something was!

Overall: High-Rise Invasion has an awesome setting that felt like a nightmare. Im a big fan of high-concept ideas like characters being trapped in a rooftop skyscraper maze and fighting for their lives against strange killers. The world was impossible and insane, but it also had a lot of rules and was clearly building towards something. The biggest negative I could think of for this anime was that Im sad itll likely never get another season. I was still happy with what I got, though, and in a way its high praise that my biggest complaint is that I wanted more!

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/9/1/AABz_zAAD1I7.jpg

CHARACTER: Honjou Yuri (High-Rise Invasion)
https://myanimelist.net/character/123861/Yuri_Honjou
Voiced by: Shiraishi Haruka
TOP 100 RANK: 67th

SPOILERS FOR HIGH-RISE INVASION

(I couldnt find a good video for her)

I really like Yuri as a character, especially with how she approaches the strange high-rise bridge maze while refusing to let the madness break her. She reacts with fear and confusion early on, as Im sure most people would. Very quickly, though, she starts outsmarting the masked hunters with tricks like burning things to create a smokescreen against a sniper or dropping a grenade down some stairs to kill pursuers. She also meets a girl named Nise very early on. Nise has been in the maze longer and has no qualms about killing other survivors and looting their stuff. Yuri is fine with killing the masks, but she draws the line at killing other people. This attitude quickly turns Nise into an ally, and their relationship has a lot of fun romantic undertones.

Still, Yuris main goal is to meet up with her beloved brother, who is also trapped in the maze but is currently far across the city. When they finally get a chance to talk over the phone and he tells her to kill Nise, Yuri is shocked and immediately refuses. It turns out her brother was just testing her to make sure the situation hadnt turned her heartless yet. After that, Yuri is careful never to let whats going on break her. Even when shes fighting a crazy human who has control over a couple of masks for some reason, Yuri takes the peaceful way out as soon as its available. In the end, that guy also winds up being an important ally. I liked how her morality had tangible benefits later, because in a lot of anime letting the villain live just leads to damage and heartache.

I dont have a whole lot more to say about Yuri. The plot goes some crazy places towards the end involving different kinds of masks, brainwashing, and magic powers, but I dont want to get into all that. Yuri was just such a fun and badass character, and thats more than enough to deserve a place in my top 100! I liked how she held onto her sanity no matter how insane things became, and her relationships with her brother and Nise gave her a lot of humanity.

COMING UP TOMORROW:
56: This anime is being killed before its true power awakens.
C32: This character will rewind time to prevent their elimination from the ranking.
55: This anime is going to an alternate dimension.
C16: This character is actually several different characters.

It feels appropriate to have a bunch of horror anime showing up right now.

I thought about delaying a few extra days just so one of these horror ones would fall on Halloween, but sadly the anime for tomorrow isn't spooky at all.

56. The Executioner and Her Way of Life
https://myanimelist.net/anime/47162/Shokei_Shoujo_no_Virgin_Road
Spring 2022 (12 episodes)
My Score: 8/10, MAL Score: 6.83/10
Best Character: Tokito Akari

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ixSWvF7L-A

Premise: People from another world are often summoned to a fantasy world for the special powers they possess. Such powers always go out of control eventually, however, and Menou is one of the priestesses charged with hunting them down before that happens. Her latest target, Tokito Akari, has an ability which will make things exceedingly difficult.

The Good: The Executioner and Her Way of Life is a fantasy isekai. In pretty much every other write-up for an isekai during this ranking, I complained about disliking the concept and gave them a low score. Executioner is one of the rare ones that uses the genre well, though! I really like how it isnt just one person being summoned for unexplained reasons and getting overpowered cheat powers and having the whole world revolve around them. This fantasy world has been dealing with people from another world for centuries, to the point where its a well-documented procedure. Its also a banned practice, because people from the other world always have a power of some sort, and they always eventually lose control of it with calamitous results.

I really like the setting. It has a neat code-based magic system that people can tap into. Its also a world that has been dealing with overpowered Japanese people for a long time, and they are sick of it. There are lots of vague hints of past disasters, which is the kind of world-building I love. Menou needs to navigate various political and religious organizations, too, which gives the world some depth. The story is still mostly focused on her trying to find a way to kill Akari, who has a time-rewind power that unconsciously reverses her deaths. Theres also a lot more going on than anyone realizes.

The Bad: There were some budget problems during the later parts of the season. Some episodes looked legitimately impressive, but I remember one episode that was hilariously bad. It had things like an entire minutes-long conversation that cycled between the same three angles and awkwardly reused footage. They were probably just saving budget for the climax, though, so Ill give it a pass.

Overall: The Executioner and Her Way of Life is an isekai. I hate how so many anime in that genre use it as a way to bring a boring Japanese dude into a fantasy world where he has cheat code powers and a harem of babes. Thankfully, Executioner isnt like that. It takes a serious look at what would really happen to a world where people with superpowers are constantly appearing. It would cause chaos, and eventually the people of that world would start fighting back. The story with Menou and Akari was great, as Ill cover more in Akaris write-up below, but I also fell in love with the setting and its background full of great disasters.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/6/3/AABz_zAAD1Tb.png

CHARACTER: Tokito Akari (The Executioner and Her Way of Life)
https://myanimelist.net/character/192059/Akari_Tokitou
Voiced by: Kishimoto Moeka
TOP 100 RANK: 32nd

SPOILERS FOR THE EXECUTIONER AND HER WAY OF LIFE

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KUeY71wOs0

Akari is a fun character, always doing her best to enjoy her time in the fantasy world. She clings to Menou oddly quickly, but I didnt think much of it at first. Her personality isnt the reason why shes one of my favorite anime characters, though. Akari is the target Menou needs to kill, but she has a time rewind power that unconsciously activates whenever she dies. This is the problem Menou is presented with at the beginning of the anime, and I found that interesting enough on its own. As the story unfolds, though, it becomes clear that a lot more is going on than either of them know. The first hint is a strange sense of dj vu after a near-disaster on a train. Then the scene I linked above happens, and that was when the anime became awesome for me.

Menou is off fighting a losing battle, Akari is about to get her personality wiped by a strange blob of white goo and then something in her mind clicks. Akari unlocks a personality thats aware of everything, meaning that this isnt the first time these events have taken place. She easily deals with her enemies and escapes their trap, then she partially wipes her own memory in a way that feels routine. Its unclear how many times Akari has lived these same events, always rewinding to the beginning when things dont go her way, but it mustve happened a lot. All of a sudden, the story isnt a straightforward journey where Menou needs to find a way to kill an unkillable girl. It became a time travel story, and I love time travel!

The dynamic between Menou and Akari, especially with this revelation, is something I find really interesting. Menou needs to kill Akari to prevent a disaster when her powers eventually go haywire, and Akaris inner self understands that. Shes formed such a deep bond during their repeated journeys (plus there are hints that Akaris life in the real world wasnt exactly great) that she wont settle for anything less than Menou being the one to kill her. What I love most about the Executioner anime is that it took an already interesting setting and conflict and kept finding new ways to make it deeper and more layered. Akaris hidden memories and inner self have lived through variations of the timeline so many times, and Menou is starting to realize it. I really hope this gets another season because I want to know where their story goes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY0WxgSXdEE

55. The Girl in Twilight
https://myanimelist.net/anime/37561/Akanesasu_Shoujo
Fall 2018 (12 episodes)
My Score: 8/10, MAL Score: 6.42/10
Best Character: Tsuchimiya Asuka

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTJ4PUhWo1Y

Premise: The carefree Tsuchimiya Asuka and her friends try out an urban legend and end up traveling to an alternate universe. There they learn about a threat thats destroying the multiverse.

The Good: The Girl in Twilight is a sci-fi action anime about alternate universes. Asuka and her friends are mostly normal high school girls, at least until they realize they can travel between universes. The differences between worlds can be relatively minor, like Japan having a law that partners people up for marriage at a certain age, or major, like a Wild West aesthetic somehow taking over Japan and enduring into the modern day. Im a big fan of alternate universes, and it was fun watching the girls go on adventures through interesting worlds. They kept meeting their alternate selves, which were fun to compare to the originals. Each world was like a short story where one girl learned something about herself. There were decent action scenes at times, too.

There was also a compelling overarching plot in the form of the Twilight, a mysterious menace attacking alternate universes one by one. Early on, Asuka meets her alternate self, dubbed Seriouska for having a no-nonsense demeanor. I enjoyed watching those two interact because of how different they were, as well as their similarities. Ill talk more about Asuka in her write-up.

The Bad: The Girl in Twilight doesnt have the most impressive animation, and the story can get goofy at times (again, one of the alternate universes is Wild West Japan). I can see those things being a problem for some people, which would explain its relatively low MAL score. I thought this anime had a lot of charm, however. In my opinion, it doesnt have any major negatives!

Overall: The Girl in Twilight felt like a relatively low budget production and there were times where it didnt take itself seriously. Still, as a big fan of the idea of alternate universes, I enjoyed it a lot. Each of the girls had a little arc in a fun world. Seeing them meet their alternate selves was interesting too, as was the overall plot about Seriouska battling a multidimensional threat. It also wound up telling a really compelling, emotional story, which Ill talk about more below.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/8/8/2/AABz_zAAD1VS.jpg

CHARACTER: Tsuchimiya Asuka (The Girl in Twilight)
https://myanimelist.net/character/163278/Asuka_Tsuchimiya
Voiced by: Kurosawa Tomoyo
TOP 100 RANK: 16th

SPOILERS FOR THE GIRL IN TWILIGHT

(I couldnt find a good video for her)

Asuka is a fun character in all her forms. She was fun as the carefree goof (who is actually hiding her sadness) in the prime universe. She was fun as Seriouska, who has been hardened by her battles with the Twilight but still has similarities to the original. She was even fun as a Wild West bounty hunter or as a brainwashed resident of a dystopian world. And, huge spoiler warning, she was fun as the evil emissary of the Twilight. When they introduced the fact that Asukas younger brother had disappeared years ago, I assumed Kyouhei would be the emissary and the end of the season would explain his disappearance. It turned out The Girl in Twilight was telling a much deeper, far more emotional story.

For as goofy as the anime could get at times, the disappearance of Kyouhei was always treated seriously. It wasnt supernatural, it was terrifyingly realistic in the sense that it could happen to anyone. Asuka and Kyouhei were at the park. He wanted to go home, and she didnt. She was the older sibling and shouldve looked after him, but instead she let him go home alone. And then Kyouhei was never seen again. Years later, Asuka pretends to be happy and carefree. Her family pretends it has moved on. But they still make extra at meals, just in case Kyouhei comes back. His room is still untouched. For an anime that took a detour through Wild West Japan (god I loved that alternate universe), the trauma from Kyouhei disappearing was really haunting.

What happened to him is different depending on the universe, but Kyouhei disappearing at that time is seemingly a universal constant. The young Asuka who became the emissary of the Twilight has searched countless alternate universes and never found Kyouhei or learned what happened to him. On the surface, this anime tells a zany story about alternate universes and multidimensional threats. On a symbolic level, though, I really like what it said about trauma.

Kyouhei is gone. Asuka will never know what happened and never see him again, not even with the power of infinite alternate universes. She simply needs to live with that. However, there is still an infinite range of possibilities for how she chooses to move forward. Shes been taking an unhealthy route so far, pretending everything is fine even though the trauma was tearing her apart inside. By the end of the story, though, Asuka begins moving on. Shell never forget what happened to Kyouhei, but it doesnt need to dominate her life. I really liked how the story took the idea of alternate universes and used it for more than just fun worlds to visit. The concept was used to tell a heartfelt story about trauma and moving forward despite it. I liked it a lot.

COMING UP TOMORROW:
54: This anime doesnt realize that its surrounded by the things its searching for.
C39: This character is only supposed to observe.
C21: This character may very well be a god.

Nyoron! Churuya-san > Haruhi

Executioner was good, but I always felt like it should've been better. Good chance I'll read the books eventually.

Girl in Twilight I remember absolutely nothing about despite only watching it 4 years ago... Gave it a 3/10 tho.

I didn't really like Executioner and her Way of Life, but I think I ranted enough about that in the Discord when it was airing >.>

There was less I disliked as the show got further in admittedly, but even when it wasn't doing things I disliked it still just felt like a mediocre fantasy show that didn't have anything to catch my attention.

I liked Executioner, but it wasn't as good as I wanted it to be. So much of the dialogue was exposition, and I think it hurt the character dynamics. The world was much more interesting than anticipated, though.

I can definitely see Executioner being divisive. I just really loved the premise and worldbuilding.

In other news, the word count on the google doc shows that I've written 100600 words! That's kind of crazy to think about. I'm guessing no one has read anywhere close to all of it, but I appreciate that people are still following along to my anime ramblings.

MacArrowny posted...

Nyoron! Churuya-san > Haruhi

The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan > Haruhi

so considering the broad disdain for isekai, does that mean Executioner's the top-ranked one or are there still some remaining?

MartinFF7 posted...

so considering the broad disdain for isekai, does that mean Executioner's the top-ranked one or are there still some remaining?

I checked the Isekai tag on MAL and there are still three anime in there remaining.

54. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
https://myanimelist.net/anime/849/Suzumiya_Haruhi_no_Yuuutsu
Spring 2006 (14 episodes), Spring 2009 (14 episodes) plus 1 movie
My Score: 8/10, MAL Score: 7.83/10 S1, 7.22/10 S2
Best Characters: Suzumiya Haruhi, Nagato Yuki

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C337shIT9LI

Premise: An eccentric girl named Suzumiya Haruhi creates a club with the goal of searching for things like aliens, time travelers, and espers. What she doesnt know is that she has the power to remake the world with a thought, and not only are the club members the very things shes looking for, all of them are dedicated to keeping Haruhi from realizing it!

The Good: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is a slice-of-life sci-fi comedy about a girl who doesnt know she has godlike powers. The titular Haruhi finds the world boring, and shes searching for exciting supernatural things. This very desire subconsciously created the very things she was looking for, like the time traveler Mikuru or the esper Koizumi. If Haruhi realized she had these abilities, reality would fall to chaos, so the club members work hard to appease her whims and keep her from getting bored or angry. A lot of this responsibility falls on Kyon, the inexplicably normal protagonist who Haruhi drags along. He knows everyone's true identity, and hes the only one who can hold Haruhi back even a little bit.

I really like the show's premise. Its a typical slice-of-life in a lot of ways, but needing to appease Haruhi and the fear of her getting unbalanced is a neat twist. Theres one arc where shes making a movie, and even just letting her imagination run wild on something fictitious has dangerous consequences. Haruhi is a fun character. I can see her being too much for some people because shes very selfish and has no boundaries, but shes so energetic that I love her anyway. I like the alien humanoid interface Yuki too, as Ill talk about more below. I have a few problems with the anime, which Ill talk about more in the bad section. Still, before complaining about all that, I just want to mention that the movie, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, is one if the best movies Ive ever seen. Not just anime movies either, but all movies. Even the lowest points of the series were ultimately worth watching because they led into the movie.

The Bad: The Haruhi anime has a lot of fun episodes and high points, but theres quite a bit of it that I didnt enjoy. First theres the infamous Endless Eight arc. When I rewatched this recently (going by chronological order, which is thankfully how Crunchyroll sorts it now because the random broadcast order is stupid), I only watched one and a half episodes of those eight and it still felt like a waste of time. Ive seen people defend the arc as a way to appreciate what Yuki went through, but I dont think thats a good excuse. Ive sympathized with lots of fictional characters who dealt with things I had zero personal experience with. The final episode of the anime was also incredibly boring. As interesting as the Haruhi premise is, Id say about half of the total episodes are mediocre or worse. Thankfully, the movie is good enough to wash those bad tastes away! I also want to take a moment complain about the terrible Crunchyroll subtitles. If two people were ever talking at once, they got stacked on top of each other and were impossible to follow.

Overall: I really like the Haruhi premise and all of the characters, but the anime itself has high highs and low lows. If it werent for the movie, this would have ranked a whole lot lower. Thankfully, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya is amazing, and it did a lot if things that really appealed to me. Ill talk about it more in the character write-ups for Haruhi and Yuki below.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/7/8/AAcDcBAAD1jS.jpg

CHARACTER: Nagato Yuki (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya)
https://myanimelist.net/character/249/Yuki_Nagato
Voiced by: Chihara Minori
TOP 100 RANK: 39th

SPOILERS FOR THE MELANCHOLY OF HARUHI SUZUMIYA

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfjiizy2dAY

I like the idea of Yuki as a character. Shes a humanoid created by an incomprehensible galactic entity, and her only purpose is to observe Haruhi and maintain the status quo. She doesnt have much personality. Usually Yuki answers with a slight nod or a one word response, and most scenes she's just in the background or reading a book. That muted personality makes the times she does act or react feel all the more special, however. She was cool when she saved Kyon from another interface that went rogue. It was horrifying to imagine her reliving the same two weeks over fifteen thousand times (and I really didnt need to see the same thing eight times in a row in order to sympathize with her). It was also nice watching her slowly change, like when she realized she liked computers.

All of this leads into the movie, which is what really solidified my love for Yuki. Her emotions cause what she describes as an error, and she hijacks Haruhi's powers to remake the world into one where everything is normal. Kyon spends a lot of time with the new alternate Yuki, who is adorably cute and shy. One of my favorite things about their interactions is the library card. Kyon helped Yuki make a library card during the anime. It was literally a throwaway line, a quick gag about what he had to do to get Yuki out of there. It's clear this was an important moment for her, though, because even when she remade everything else in the world, Yuki couldnt bring herself to erase that memory. It was the clue that led Kyon to think about books, and then the bookmark clue which ultimately put everything back to normal. Yuki might have even foreseen that, but she still couldnt erase the library card memory. That really got to me for some reason.

I also liked the end of the movie, which is the video I linked above (mostly because I couldnt find a good video for the library card). Kyon isnt remotely angry with Yuki over what she did. Instead he blames her creator for making her emotionless when they didnt need to. Now that Yuki is changing, Kyon is willing to see who she becomes. He also pledges to protect her, no matter what. And then theres a cute post-credits scene where Yuki sees a kid help another make a library card, and its implied that she smiles at it. That moment really got to me too.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/7/9/AAcDcBAAD1jT.jpg

CHARACTER: Suzumiya Haruhi (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya)
https://myanimelist.net/character/251/Haruhi_Suzumiya
Voiced by: Hirano Aya
TOP 100 RANK: 21st

SPOILERS FOR THE MELANCHOLY OF HARUHI SUZUMIYA

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XE-qmHdZIKU

As much as I like Yuki, she isnt as good as Haruhi. Her fun personality carries the anime in more ways than one. Shes rough at first, and her constant harassment of Mikuru is probably the thing I like least. I still really like how Haruhi is a force of nature even without her powers. She grabs Kyon by the collar and literally drags him on adventures. I sympathize with her mindset, too, which is explained in the video I linked for her. As a child, Haruhi realized she was more or less insignificant in the grand scheme of things, which is a feeling I imagine most people grapple with at one time or another. If she wanted to live an exciting and meaningful life, she needed to make it happen herself.

The origin and extent of her powers are never really explained, but the kinds of things she unconsciously uses them for says a lot about her character. Haruhi may have created aliens, time travelers, and espers, but most of the things she does with her club are relatively ordinary. Going to a caf, going to a beach, playing a sport, even making a movie, those are all normal things. On some level, Haruhi must find fulfillment in them, which might explain why she clearly likes ordinary dude Kyon. In the first arc, a kiss from him in what Haruhi thinks is a dream is what keeps her from remaking the world. Her feelings for him outweigh all the exciting things she could possibly imagine. Thats really cute.

I also like how Haruhi clearly doesnt have any evil thoughts, because if she did there would be some sign of them in the world. She might struggle with boundaries with other people, but when shes caught up in a murder mystery, Kyon knows its fake right away because Haruhi would never actually want to hurt someone. Its also implied that she might have created an unknown entity entirely out of her unconscious refusal to believe anyone she knew could be the killer.

Haruhi was also amazing in the movie. Kyon had always complained about her dragging him along, but theres a great symbolic sequence where he admits to himself that it was all fun. That hed have to be a moron to not think it was fun. Kyon does everything he can to get to the bottom of things and get the world back to normal. Then he found Haruhi, and of course she believed him, mostly because life is more exciting that way. I really like how, even without her powers, Haruhi is still a force of nature. Within a few hours of learning about the problem, she literally drags everyone together and solves it. Back in the real world, we also get one final confirmation about how good of a person she really is. For the few days Kyon was in the hospital, Haruhi never left his side. Haruhi has a forceful personality, she can go too far a lot of the time, and theres a constant danger that a mood swing could end the world. I still love her, though, because in the end shes a good person, and she makes life fun.

COMING UP TOMORROW:
53: This anime cant seem to fly with a broom.
C98: This character is doing their best to help a troubled student.
C36: This character hopes to meet their idol someday.

Good old Haruhi. It's hard to rate one of the first anime I watched and that I've watched the most, but it's hard to discount its huge influence on my preferences.

Haruhi was one of the first anime I watched too, and I liked it a lot more then! I posted this way back in the first topic after Red Data Girl went out, but this was my original top fifteen (literally the first fifteen anime I saw). Haruhi used to be number two! Dragon Maid also used to be a lot higher for some reason.

I italicized the ones that have gone out already (including tomorrow's because I think those clues make it pretty obvious). Only four of those original fifteen remain, and their order has shifted around a bit.

MY ANIME RANKING AS OF 2017
WATAMOTE
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Your Lie in April
Engaged to the Unidentified
Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid
Working!!
Little Witch Academia
Knights of Sidonia
DeathNote
Toradora!
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
New Game!
Sankarea
Red Data Girl
Recovery of an MMO Junkie