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

(+) Yeah! (+)

MacArrowny posted...

Karen #1. The song at the end of S1 (that's the right season, right?) was great.

Huh, it had two movies I never watched...

I didn't rewatch it, so I'm not sure which song you mean! When I think of 'Kiniro Mosaic song' all I can think of is this fan-made one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nU-cJ42BqC0

43. Anne-Happy
https://myanimelist.net/anime/31080/Anne_Happy%E2%99%AA
Spring 2016 (12 episodes)
My Score: 8/10, MAL Score: 6.96/10
Best Character: Hanakoizumi Anne

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rd71OAzMLT4

My Hanako figure: https://imgur.com/DyO2EMB

Premise: Hibarigaoka Ruri gets accepted at an elite school which also has one class dedicated to students cursed with terrible luck. In the so-called Happiness Class, Ruri and her new friends navigate a unique curriculum as well as their own misfortunes.

The Good: Anne-Happy is a comedy about five girls who each have terrible luck in some way. Whether its Botans poor health, Hibikis poor sense of direction, or Hanakos constant misfortune in every possible way, the premise leads to a lot of great jokes. Anne-Happy manages to keep finding creative ways to use the character gimmicks, and the result is hilarious. It does a lot of things that other cute girls shows do, like going to the beach or a festival or a hot spring, but the bad luck angle always turns even these standard outings into something refreshing. Ren cant even take a walk in the woods without lovesick birds trying to carry her away. Botan almost dies so many times due to her poor health and I laughed every time. Their school activities are often outlandish as well, which helps keep everything fresh and fun.

The Bad: There are forty students in the Happiness Class, but everyone other than the main five is a faceless extra. It wouldve been great if there were side characters with their own unique bad luck. Everyone may as well be normal for how little we see them. Its such a missed opportunity.

Overall: Anne-Happy takes bad luck and turns it into hilarious situations. The unique premise helps it stand out against other cute girls comedies, and the five characters play off each other well. I also need to give a shoutout to the robot bunny Timothy for his epic rap skills and how funny it is that Hanako never gets to pet him no matter how hard she tries.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/6/1/3/AABz_zAAD2u1.jpg

CHARACTER: Hanakoizumi Anne (Anne-Happy)
https://myanimelist.net/character/137659/An_Hanakoizumi
Voiced by: Hanamori Yumiri
TOP 100 RANK: 72nd

SPOILERS FOR ANNE-HAPPY

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_56ZjCqXbg

As much as I love the running gag of Botans poor health making her fall apart, and as much as Hibari works as the straight man of the group, Hanakoizumi Anne is the real star of the show. While everyone in the Happiness Class has bad luck in one way or another, Hanako is cursed at everything she does. Animals attack her. Forks snap in half when she tries to eat. The roof leaks on a rainy day, but only above her desk. Hanakos bad luck knows no bounds.

It would quickly become too much if she let anything get her down, but Hanako is always happy. Shes so well-adjusted that she doesnt even realize she has bad luck at all. Hanako was born this way, and her mother has equally terrible luck so her parents were prepared to raise her in spite of her curse. Their house has pillows placed strategically to cushion falls, and her mother prepares dozens of outfits in anticipation of Hanako ruining several by falling into rivers or sewers. This is just the way life has always been for Hanako. She doesnt just roll with the punches, she keeps pushing forward without even realizing that bad luck is punching her at all.

The video I linked is a good example. Most people would collapse under the weight of existential dread if they couldnt even order drinks from a vending machine. I mean, imagine if the universe was so hostile towards you specifically that it altered fate to have deliverymen put the wrong items into vending machines, solely to mess with you later when you tried to order something. For Hanako, thats just how vending machines work. She prays for her favorite strawberry drink, presses the button, and then enjoys some random curry milk or whatever with a smile on her face. I enjoyed Anne-Happy so much because the terrible things that happened to Hanako were hilarious because she never let them get her down.

COMING UP TOMORROW
42: This anime thinks that small things are cute.
C25: This character is going to punch you if youre a man.
41: This anime is being sent into the past.
C48: This character succeeds at everything they do.

Anne Happy more like watching this show made me unhappy. Construction sign love girl was the worst (they should've ended that after one episode).

Robazoid posted...

I didn't rewatch it, so I'm not sure which song you mean! When I think of 'Kiniro Mosaic song' all I can think of is this fan-made one

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

Not the full song, but part of it. Was a great sequence overall.

inb4 complete swerve Redo of Healer in 41st place, lol

42. Working!!
https://myanimelist.net/anime/6956/Working
Spring 2010 (13 episodes), Fall 2011 (13 episodes), Summer 2015 (13 episodes)
My Score: 8/10, MAL Score: 7.66/10 S1, 7.83/10 S2, 7.97/10 S3
Best Character: Inami Mahiru

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

My Inami figure: https://imgur.com/hktbM9k

Premise: Takanashi Souta is the newest hire at a restaurant filled with eccentric employees. His coworkers include the cute and tiny Taneshima Popura as well as Inami Mahiru, who has a violent fear of men.

The Good: Working is a workplace comedy about the various zany characters at a family restaurant. It isn't the funniest or deepest anime ever, but in my opinion it excels in one important thing. Working is one of the best examples of weaving an ensemble cast together. There are a lot of major characters, and each one has a number of quirks. Takanashi is often the sane straight man, but he adores cute things (and to him anything small is cute, including insects) and can act weird around them. The chefs are, respectively, a guy who enjoys trolling people and a guy with a crush on one of the waitresses. She in turn is devoted to the violent, lazy manager, and the whole place is run by an ineffectual owner. It would take me a really long time to even begin to write out everybody and the dynamics they have with everyone else. And that doesn't even count the side characters!

Basically, Working has a lot of characters, and three seasons provide a lot of time to develop them. This is a solid comedy, and a lot of the jokes are funny. The way the cast interacted with each other was still my favorite thing about it. My favorite character was easily Inami, a waitress with a fear of men that drove her to punch any who came near her. Takanashi was the usual victim, mostly because with him it came across as slapstick. Randomly assaulting customers wouldn't be funny for very long. She had some excellent development over the series, which I'll talk about more in her write-up below.

The Bad: I'm a big fan of how Working weaves its large cast together. Everyone has a few unique traits, and each of them has a different dynamic with every other character. It's impressive how they all fit together in different combinations and develop over time. However, with a cast this large, it's inevitable some would rub me the wrong way. The lazy manager Kyouko was almost never funny, and she dragged down Yachiyo because most of her screentime was doting on Kyouko. I liked Satou, but his crush on Yachiyo meant he was often sucked into the Kyouko vortex. That whole corner of the ensemble cast was one I could've done without.

Overall: Working was one of the first anime I ever watched. It's no longer available on streaming, sadly, so I couldn't rewatch it for this ranking. Once I started thinking about it, though, I was surprised how much I remembered. The cast is woven together so with such interconnectedness that once I thought about one thing, it inevitably led to another fun character dynamic, and then another. It isn't perfect, and there are things about it I dislike. I still think it's impressive how many fun characters there are, and how they all interact.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/7/0/AAcDcBAAD25G.jpg

CHARACTER: Inami Mahiru (Working)
https://myanimelist.net/character/24419/Mahiru_Inami
Voiced by: Fujita Saki
TOP 100 RANK: 25th

SPOILERS FOR WORKING

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4CzIw-iUn0

Inami is a character type I didn't expect to like initially. Shes so terrified of men that she punches any who come near her, a fact Takanashi experiences over and over. Quite often this is played for laughs, mostly because Takanashi is never seriously injured and the banter between everyone is funny. The underlying problem is taken seriously, though. Inami is a waitress who can only serve women. There are times where keeping her away from male customers is a difficult juggling act. She knows that she has a serious problem and she wants to change. So, over the course of three seasons, Takanashi helps her.

When I first started watching Working, I figured, if there was any romance at all, it would be resolving Satou/Yachiyo. For Takanashi, Popura seemed the most obvious fit given his love of cute things. Inami/Takanashi kind of snuck up on me, but the more they interacted and grew closer, the more I realized how much it worked. Unlike the tiny Popura, Inami is tall. She isn't someone Takanashi would fall for at a glance. When he does, that means he's fallen for who she is as a person. For Inami, too, having affection for any man is a challenge. Takanashi slowly wins her over as well, and it's super cute.

Beyond that, I liked the development Inami had over the series. We learn how she turned out like this after meeting her father. He essentially trained her to have a fear of men, as well as giving her strength by hiding weights in stuff she carried. Inami works hard to overcome it with Takanashi's help, falling for him in the process. Eventually they're able to do things like hold hands... or, at least, Takanashi holding onto a grabber stick with Inami a few steps behind holding onto that. It's still progress! I really enjoyed those two realizing their feelings for each other and slowly overcoming obstacles in order to be together.

Inami is a piece of shit human being and the series suffers greatly from focusing on her. The romance with her was god awful, too. It's sad how the show excuses her abuse as a joke, just because she's a woman and her victims are men.

I like Working but Yamada was easily the funniest character.

MacArrowny posted...

Inami is a piece of shit human being and the series suffers greatly from focusing on her. The romance with her was god awful, too. It's sad how the show excuses her abuse as a joke, just because she's a woman and her victims are men.

We'll just have to agree to disagree! I felt all the effort she put into overcoming her fear meant that they werent excusing it. She's still the type of character I can see others hating for perfectly valid reasons.

Finally another show I've seen. Pretty entertaining comedy. I'd say it was only "fine", which is the realm that most solid comedies end up falling into for me.

41. Hinamatsuri
https://myanimelist.net/anime/36296/Hinamatsuri_TV
Spring 2018 (12 episodes)
My Score: 8/10, MAL Score: 8.15/10
Best Character: Mishima Hitomi

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

Premise: Nitta Yoshifumi is a yakuza member living the good life, at least until a strange girl named Hina teleports into his apartment. Her powerful psychic abilities sometimes make her an asset, but she also causes a lot of trouble.

The Good: Hinamatsuri is a comedy about psychic girls from the future. The first one to appear (in a weird egg-shaped capsule) is Hina. She's a selfish girl more interested in sleeping and eating her favorite food than anything else. It's lucky she lands in Nitta's apartment. Even though she often smashes his priceless vases, her psychic powers are just useful enough in the yakuza business for him to keep her around. Those two have a really fun dynamic. It's heartwarming at times, like they're building a makeshift family together... and other times it swerves hard away from being heartwarming, with hilarious results. The comedy in Hinamatsuri is excellent and elicits a lot of emotions.

I like the other characters too, particularly the second psychic girl, Anzu. She winds up living on the street, and her interactions with other homeless people could be really humanizing and sweet while still having jokes. My favorite character was still easily Hitomi, a friend Hina makes at school. She's a nice girl who somehow manages to be good at everything, but it results in her life slipping increasingly beyond her control.

The Bad: Hinamatsuri is another anime where I can't think of anything it does wrong. It consistently nails whatever mood it's trying to evoke. Usually that's comedy, but there are heartwarming or sad moments too... and other times where those feelings are a fake-out for an even harder-hitting joke. I guess there were times where I wished it went for a different mood in a particular scene, but those all come down to personal preference so I can't hold them against it. This is one of my favorite comedy anime. I just can't justify ranking it any higher.

Overall: Hinamatsuri is really funny when it wants to be. Hina is selfish and lazy in a way that reminds me of Garfield for some reason (when another character imagines what she would say, imaginary Hina just keeps saying "feed me" over and over). Add in powerful psychic powers and living with a yakuza member, and you'd think this couldnt be anything other than a goofy comedy. And it's definitely a goofy comedy. Still, Hinamatsuri also has a lot of surprisingly poignant moments. Anzu living on the streets was great. And Hitomi having her regular life unravel in hilarious ways made her one of my favorite anime characters.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/8/1/AAcDcBAAD261.png

CHARACTER: Mishima Hitomi (Hinamatsuri)
https://myanimelist.net/character/100421/Hitomi_Mishima
Voiced by: Hondo Kaede
TOP 100 RANK: 48th

SPOILERS FOR HINAMATSURI

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0spxkypDAg

Hitomi starts as a normal middle school girl, at least until she befriends Hina. She gets dragged to a bar with Nitta during one of their misadventures. Then, despite being underage, Hitomi shows a knack for mixing drinks and winds up being hired as a bartender. The owner, Utako, is probably the scummiest person on the show. Hitomi likes the money she earns, but the job causes enough problems (working late makes her tired at school, her mother is suspicious, her friends briefly wonder if she's prostituting herself to their teacher...) that she wants to quit. Utako has gotten used to working less and living large on the money Hitomi brings in, though, and they have a funny faceoff with escalating blackmail on each other. It ends with Hitomi continuing to work at the bar, mostly because she has trouble standing up for herself.

Hitomi adds something to every scene she's in. She's a genuine and kind person, easily befriending both Hina and Anzu. Shes also a normal, sane person. Some of the funniest moments in Hinamatsuri are the still images of Hitomi's over-the-top reaction faces whenever things start going nuts. Her personality makes her a natural bartender, and before too long she starts making connections with the businessmen who are her frequent customers. The video I linked shows her working odd jobs for them, and competence coupled with luck helps Hitomi succeed at every one.

She doesn't want this for herself, though. She's forced to move out on her own to an expensive apartment after a fight with her mother, and for Hitomi that's the last straw. She sets up a housewarming party with all her wealthy friends. Then she also invites her mother, hoping that she'll finally realize what's going on and tell everyone that her daughter is still in middle school. Instead, her mother is so impressed at all the powerful connections Hitomi has been making that she gives her blessing to let it continue. She thinks this is what Hitomi wants. And so the nightmare continues. Hitomi is seemingly incapable of failure, even when she really wants to fail, and it was a lot of fun to watch her normal life unravel as she fell steadily upwards in money and status.

COMING UP TOMORROW:
40: This anime cant hear the music anymore.
C74: This character broke a window with a baseball.
C19: This character brought color to a monotone world.

Hinamatsuri's real good. The manga's consistently quality to the end, too.

MacArrowny posted...

Hinamatsuri's real good. The manga's consistently quality to the end, too.

I'm still hopeful it'll get another season, but as that gets increasingly unlikely, it's definitely one of the manga I'd like to check out someday.

40. Your Lie in April
https://myanimelist.net/anime/23273/Shigatsu_wa_Kimi_no_Uso
Fall 2014 (22 episodes)
My Score: 8/10, MAL Score: 8.66/10
Best Characters: Miyazono Kaori, Sawabe Tsubaki

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

My Kaori figure: https://imgur.com/ye6NuxA

Premise: Arima Kousei was trained to be a perfect pianist by his abusive mother, but he hasnt played at all in the years since her death. Then he meets Miyazono Kaori, a free-spirited violinist with a crush on Kousei's best friend.

The Good: Your Lie in April is a music drama about Kousei, a prodigious pianist. He hasnt played in years due to trauma from the death of his abusive mother, and even if he tries hes incapable of hearing the notes. One day he goes on an outing with his friends Tsubaki and Watari, which was set up so that the popular Watari could meet Kaori, a girl who has a crush on him. She catches Kousei's eye too, though. Partly because shes a violinist, partly because of her energetic free-spirited attitude, but mostly because Kaori insists on dragging Kousei back to the piano whether he wants to or not.

Despite ranking it this high, I have mixed feelings about Your Lie in April. The characters go through a lot of introspection and sorrow, and there are times where I think it gets too bleak. Ill talk about that more in the bad section below. Still, I think the good easily outweighs the bad. Kaori is one of my favorite anime characters for a lot of reasons, and the way she influences everyone around her is magical. This might be controversial, but I found Tsubaki really compelling too. Shes known Kousei almost all her life. The arrival of Kaori shakes up their dynamic and leaves Tsubaki struggling to understand her own feelings. Ill talk about them both more in their character write-ups. Otherwise, the anime has some beautiful piano segments full of deeper meaning. The themes also delve into things like passion, love, and life, and it was all interesting to think about.

The Bad: One of my biggest problems with Your Lie in April is Kousei's mother. She was incredibly over-the-top abusive towards him, and it ruined entire portions of the anime for me because I couldnt bring myself to care about her. It stretched my disbelief too much that she could do some of the things she did and no one would intervene. I was also disgusted whenever the story expected me to sympathize with her because she was an irredeemable monster. Its all so pointless, too, because the story wouldve worked just as well and been a lot more relatable if she wasnt evil. A loving mother dying is more than enough to traumatize a kid into quitting the piano. Other than that, this anime often had goofy comedy segments. Usually those would be my favorite thing in a show, but in a story like this most of them just felt out of place.

Overall: Your Lie in April is a beautiful anime for a lot of reasons. I think the abuse from Kouseis mother is way too much, but it isnt bad enough to ruin the overall story. Kaori is a wonderful character who helps Kousei out of the abyss hes trapped in, and there are a lot of nice piano songs along the way.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/6/5/AAcDcBAAD3HF.jpg

CHARACTER: Sawabe Tsubaki (Your Lie in April)
https://myanimelist.net/character/69409/Tsubaki_Sawabe
Voiced by: Sakura Ayane
TOP 100 RANK: 74th

SPOILERS FOR YOUR LIE IN APRIL

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ag2uz1X5opI

I saw mixed feelings on Tsubaki when I looked up discussions for Your Lie in April, so her being one of my favorite characters may be controversial. I dont like everything about her. She has a lot of out of place comedy sections (she smashed a baseball through a window and nearly killed Kousei I dont know why the anime expected me to laugh at that because it isnt funny). Tsubaki also does some selfish or stupid things. Those Im much more willing to forgive, though, because Tsubaki is a dumb kid trying to work out her own feelings. It makes sense that she wouldnt be perfect. And then theres also the fact that the situation everyone is in is so complicated and sad. Im not sure there is a good way to approach any of this, so I can hardly blame Tsubaki for occasionally making a mess of it.

At her core, I think shes a really interesting character. She loves Kousei (a fact everyone except for the two of them can see), but he was always dominated by the piano. It makes sense that Tsubaki would come to resent it but, even then, Im not sure I believe her when she says that. There are scenes after Kousei starts playing again where she listens contentedly from next door. In any case, even after Kousei stopped playing, it was due to trauma rather than his own choice. Tsubaki even admits that she could accept it if he chose to stop playing of his own will, but instead hes trapped by it. This is why she helps Kaori drag Kousei back to the piano. Then, during their joint performance, theres a moment I really like where Tsubaki sees how Kaori and Kousei are looking at each other. Tsubaki's mood immediately drops. She doesnt even understand why yer, but she can feel shes made a huge mistake bringing those two together.

Tsubaki takes most of the rest of the anime to accept her feelings for Kousei. By the time she does, the situation couldnt be worse. Kousei is planning to move away for high school. Kaori is sick and hospitalized. And Tsubaki is a mess of complex emotions. She does a crappy thing. She tells Kousei that Kaori likes Watari, not him. He has no chance so hell have to settle for Tsubaki. Then she runs away, hoping her words will stir something in him just like hes stirred so many feelings in her. She hopes hell finally see her as a girl, not just a sister figure. Then she begins avoiding Kousei, because Tsubaki is afraid of what might come next. Still, despite the schism between them, despite her mixed feelings about piano itself, Tsubaki goes to see Kousei's performance. At the moment where hes about to break, thinking hes about to lose Kaori, about to lose everything its a sneeze from Tsubaki in the audience that pulls Kousei back from the brink. He realizes that he isnt losing everyone. There are still so many people there supporting him, and Tsubaki, if no one else, isnt going anywhere.

I often like to think about how things might go for Tsubaki after the series ends. Kaori wrote in her letter to Kousei to apologize to Tsubaki, because she didnt mean to cause any problems when she was just briefly passing through. I think Kaori vastly underestimated the impact she had on their lives, however, because I think her influence will linger forever. I hope Tsubaki is strong enough to face that. Even if she and Kousei got together someday, would he forever compare her to a ghost? And, even if Kousei doesnt, would Tsubaki be the one forever comparing herself to Kaori? Its a sad situation all around, and it really makes me feel for these kids because its too much for anyone their age to deal with. Out of everyone swept up in the whirlwind of Kaori, both the good parts and the tragedy, I found myself feeling for Tsubaki a lot.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/6/6/AAcDcBAAD3HG.jpg

CHARACTER: Miyazono Kaori (Your Lie in April)
https://myanimelist.net/character/69411/Kaori_Miyazono
Voiced by: Taneda Risa
TOP 100 RANK: 19th

SPOILERS FOR YOUR LIE IN APRIL

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3sfRgJDpU8

One of my favorite things about Kaori is examining her character and trying to figure out who she really is. The letter that she leaves for Kousei puts almost everything she did in the anime into a new perspective, after all. Like almost everyone who heard him play, Kaori idolized him. He was even the reason why she took up the violin. Kaori wanted to play alongside him someday. Sadly, she had a sickness that was only getting worse, and in her last year of middle school she realized just how little time she had left. Kaori wanted to help Kousei, to repay him for the influence he had on her life. She also wanted to fulfill her dream of playing with him, no matter what. So, Kaori remade herself. She pretended to have a crush on Watari, used Tsubaki as a way in, and that let her meet her primary target, Kousei. The video I linked is their first meeting. Its a moment so beautiful that I even bought a relatively expensive figure depicting it. Kaori plays music for some children in a park, and she looks like the most beautiful, free-spirited person ever. It feels purposefully designed to catch Kouseis eye, which makes me wonder if thats actually how Kaori is or if it was all an act.

Regardless, she drags him in to see her performance, and then she asks him to play with her no matter how terribly it might go. This version of Kaori is demanding and forceful, flooding Kouseis life with sheet music and refusing to take no for an answer. When they do finally play together, it goes predictably poorly. Kousei hasnt even begun to overcome his trauma. Despite that, though, Kaori eventually coaxes something out of him. She reminds Kousei that theres more to music than the abyss his mother left him in. Because of that, he agrees to take part in a competition, and Kaori does everything she can to help him prepare. Kousei struggles in that performance too, but the emotion he eventually settles on is a moment he shared with Kaori. Everyone in the audience gets a sense of them in the music room late at night with Kousei practicing and Kaori sleeping nearby. Its a lousy performance, but in the end it has a lot of heart and it finally convinces Kousei to return to music.

They both want to play with each other again, and they have plans to. Sadly, tragedy strikes the day before their show. Kaori is hospitalized, and it slowly becomes clear just how hopeless her condition is. For Kousei, fresh off the trauma from his mother, this is obviously difficult to deal with. I also cant help but wonder if this version of Kaori might be closest to her true personality. Contrary to a lot of the things she said before about wanting to be remembered, she wonders if it wouldve been better if they never met, and if Kousei can forget her. She accomplished her dream of bringing him back to music, and they played together at least once. Kaori doesnt feel like she has anything left to hope for outside of making one or two more memories with him. She becomes depressed and melancholic. Luckily, her influence lingers in Kousei, and he refuses to leave her like this. He sets up a performance and makes sure Kaori hears it. Its a beautiful moment when she rises from her hospital bed and pretends to play the violin alongside it.

In the end, Im not sure how much of Kaori is real and how much is her acting the way she things she needs to in order to drag him back to the piano. Its interesting to speculate, but in the end I dont think its possible to know. One thing is for sure, though. The free-spirited dreamer that she was (or at least pretended to be) faded after her hospitalization, but Kousei brought it back. The next time he visits, Kaori is back out of bed playing music with children on the hospital rooftop. Its a scene reminiscent of their first meeting, but I have no doubts that this one is genuine. Kaori made Kousei a better person, and then he returned the favor. It's really heartwarming that he was able to reawaken her will to live. The ending is obviously tragic, and even on a rewatch Im not ashamed to admit that it made me cry. It was still uplifting, though, because even though Kaori died, she went down fighting, wanting to live. Even if the outcome is the same, I still believe thats a better way to go. And, if nothing else, the lives she touched will carry her influence for the rest of their lives. Your Lie in April really was a beautiful story, and Kaori is the main reason why.

COMING UP TOMORROW:
39: This anime will come back as a ghost.
C41: This character wants to reunite their childhood friends.
38: This animes lifespan was predetermined.
C42: This character is in charge of making tea at work.

Tsubaki being a jerk to Kaori was one of the things that hurt the anime to me. Legit made me mad a couple times, haha.

Kaori was great though. I think the series would've benefited from revealing that she's dying earlier on. That way we would've had more time to adjust to it. I preferred the first half in general since it had more Kaori screentime.

39. Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day
https://myanimelist.net/anime/9989/Ano_Hi_Mita_Hana_no_Namae_wo_Bokutachi_wa_Mada_Shiranai
Spring 2011 (11 episodes)
My Score: 8/10, MAL Score: 8.32/10
Best Character: Honma Menma Meiko

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYAP9wvETUQ

Premise: Yadomi Jinta is visited one day by the ghost of his childhood friend Menma. At first he wonders if she's a hallucination, but he's soon convinced she's real, and he'll need to reunite their old friend group to figure out Menma's unfulfilled wish in order to put her to rest.

The Good: Anohana is a drama about a group of childhood friends who were torn apart by the untimely death of Menma. Years later her ghost returns, and Jinta must try to bring everyone back together. That won't be easy given how everyone has changed, and it'll mean confronting old wounds that never quite healed. I'm a big fan of stories that are about childhood friends reuniting. It's always interesting to compare personalities and group dynamics of the past vs the present. I'm also a sucker for tearjerkers, and Anohana is all about tragic loss.

I like all the characters quite a bit. They can get frustrating at times, sure, but it's hard to hold it against them given what they went through and the fact that they're still just kids. Jinta and Anaru are good, but my favorite character was easily Menma. Partly thats because, as the ghost, she has the most compelling role in the plot. I also liked how cute and friendly she was, always trying to bring her old friends back together. Anohana has a lot of solemn moments, but it also has fun characters and nice themes.

The Bad: Theres a gigantic plot hole in the story. No one believes Jinta about Menma's ghost because he's the only one who can see her... but Menma can move physical objects. Just have her lift something and everyone will see it floating and they'll believe you! It gets so frustrating at times. Still, I feel like this is the kind of thing viewers should be willing to look past. There's a beautiful story about life and death and love and loss being told here. I, for one, refuse to let a plot hole like that ruin it!

Overall: Anohana tells a heartfelt story that examines the impact of loss and the catharsis of closure. The five friends were all broken in some way by her early death, but now her ghost is there to bring them all back together. There are plot holes and some frustrating moments, but they weren't bad enough to ruin anything for me. I think this is a really beautiful story, and it got to me in a lot of ways.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/0/5/AAcDcBAAD3UN.jpg

CHARACTER: Honma Menma Meiko (Anohana)
https://myanimelist.net/character/40592/Meiko_Honma
Voiced by: Kayano Ai
TOP 100 RANK: 41st

SPOILERS FOR ANOHANA

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4X5HR8BLjWk
(This video is a little long, and it has stuff in it I don't recognize which makes me wonder if it's from a special of some sort, but the beginning part is what I wanted to include most)

By the beginning of the story, Menma has been dead for years. It was never clear to me how she died. The best I could tell was that she slipped into a river and drowned. How she died isn't important, though. What matters most was when it happened, because the group just had a dramatic moment that left each of them with regrets and guilt. Menma had called a meeting for what was later revealed to be about how to help Jinta recover from the death of his mother. Instead, it turned into them trying to resolve crushes and romantic pairings. It was just dumb kid stuff, the kind of thing they would've gotten over and forgotten in a day or two under normal circumstances. When Menma died, those fractures widened instead, turning into wounds that festered. The ghost of Menma returns to find the group shattered, and all of them have turned into very different people.

There are a lot of difficult scenes where Menma sees the impact her death still has on the ones she loved. Her mother is still consumed by grief, to the point of ignoring her living child. Menma sees Anaru and Chiriko fighting on the street, and she can't intervene. Jinta is a reclusive wreck, and even the seemingly successful Atsumu is harboring an unhealthy obsession. Everyone Menma loved is broken in some way, and it's heartbreaking that she sees this yet can do nothing to help.

It takes many painful encounters before the group accepts her ghost is real. They've realized that making homemade fireworks might fulfill Menma's wish, too. They all come together to make that happen... but most of them are doing it for the wrong reasons. Atsumu wants Menma to move on because he can't bear the jealousy of Jinta being the only one who can see her. Anaru and Chiriko want her to move on to free up the guy they like. And Jinta doesn't actually want Menma to move on at all. The fireworks fail, and everyone wonders if their selfish motivations are the reason why. This finally forces them to confront their trauma once and for all. Thanks to Menma bringing them all back together, they all get through it.

Of course, it turns out Menma had a different wish. Before she died, Jinta's mother asked Menma to help him process his emotions afterwards. Menma's spirit returned for that purpose, and, now that the group is back together, her wish has been fulfilled. The ending of Anohana never fails to make me cry, because everyone loses her all over again. It's heartbreaking seeing their desperation to find her. It's hard to watch Menma, as she fades, struggling to write them all one final note. The video I linked shows most of that, and it's wonderful. Menma is disappearing again, but this time there's closure and no regrets. Everyone gets to say they love her, and say goodbye. Menma fades with a smile and a hope that she'll see them again, somehow, someday. And then the people she loved have to move on without her, but they'll never forget her.

Mobilezoid posted...

The Bad: Theres a gigantic plot hole in the story. No one believes Jinta about Menma's ghost because he's the only one who can see her... but Menma can move physical objects. Just have her lift something and everyone will see it floating and they'll believe you! It gets so frustrating at times. Still, I feel like this is the kind of thing viewers should be willing to look past. There's a beautiful story about life and death and love and loss being told here. I, for one, refuse to let a plot hole like that ruin it!

It's even more of a plot hole because she actually does move things to prove her existence later in the series lol

Anohana was pretty good but didn't quite do it for me. I never cried. Angel Beats was more my style.

MacArrowny posted...

It's even more of a plot hole because she actually does move things to prove her existence later in the series lol

My personal fix for the plot hole would be changing it so Menma can only move objects she has a connection to, like her diary. It would fix everything and Jinta wouldn't look like an idiot for not just having her pick up a cup.

Theory: Jinta doesn't just ask Menma to move something because he's not entirely sure Menma is real and really doesn't want to accidentally prove to himself that she isn't.

But I didn't like Anohana, so I prefer the explanation that the entire cast is just that stupid.

I still liked Anohana reasonably well overall but it would have been a lot better if Menma wasn't actually real. All the best beats of the story anyways were about the surviving characters coming to terms with loss, and shifting the whole focus of the latter half of the show to be centered on Menma just doesn't work as well.

38. Plastic Memories
https://myanimelist.net/anime/27775/Plastic_Memories
Spring 2015 (13 episodes)
My Score: 8/10, MAL Score: 7.91/10
Best Character: Isla

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xl7WIDaIgXo

Premise: Sentient androids called Giftia can only live for a predetermined length of time, just over nine years, before their minds violently degrade. Mizugaki Tsukasa is the newest employee of a division that collects Giftias when their time is up, and he's partnered with the veteran employee Isla.

The Good: Plastic Memories is a sci-fi drama/romance about people who collect androids who are about to reach the end of their predetermined lifespan. I'm a huge fan of sci-fi concepts like this. Each Giftia knows exactly how much time they have left. How do people live with that knowledge, and what are the different ways of reacting as that time approaches? Plastic Memories explores those questions, and the resulting stories are equal parts heartwarming and heartbreaking. Tsukasa and Isla come into people's lives mere days before their stories end, and usually there are a lot of things left to resolve.

Most of Plastic Memories tells these standalone stories, but theres also an overarching plot between Tsukasa and Isla. Shes closed herself off emotionally after years of thankless work, but Tsukasa is determined to get through her shell and get to know the person underneath. I liked those two a lot. I also liked most of the other workers in their division. Michiru is mostly a typical tsundere, but she was also supportive in a way I really appreciated.

The Bad: There are parts of the setting I felt werent explored as much as they should've been. I would've liked to see more about how Giftia have impacted society, stuff like that. For example, one subplot involves a black market scavenger who tries to steal Giftia, but he seemingly has no plan for how he's supposed to profit from it. The character stories, both big and small, are still excellent. I just think they would've been more compelling if the world-building was a bit more solid.

Overall: Plastic Memories keeps introducing stories that are guaranteed to have, at best, a bittersweet ending. Even though I knew that every single time, it was impressive how much it made me care regardless. Tsukasa and Isla trying to help Giftia and their loved ones resolve lingering issues and come to terms with the inevitable end resulted in some beautiful, heartfelt stories.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/9/1/AAcDcBAAD3Vj.jpg

CHARACTER: Isla (Plastic Memories)
https://myanimelist.net/character/124049/Isla
Voiced by: Amamiya Sora
TOP 100 RANK: 42nd

SPOILERS FOR PLASTIC MEMORIES

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lR-6nZMj31w
(This video is edited badly and doesn't even include the part I most wanted, but oh well)

At the beginning of the story, Isla has been stuck at the office making tea for a long time. She's closed off emotionally, barely reacting even when she's partnered with Tsukasa and sent back to do fieldwork. When he asks if the job has an instruction manual, Isla gives him her old diary as if she has no desire for privacy anymore. When he asks if there's anything important he should know, all she says is that erasing Giftia at the end of their lives is thankless work. Still, even early on, it's clear Isla isn't an emotionless robot. She has a garden to grow different kinds of tea leaves. Since that was her only task for so long, she put a lot of effort into perfecting it because it was the only way she could support people. She also does her best to ease each Giftia's passing, which shows that Isla still cares.

She's strangely clumsy and awkward, in stark contrast to how competent her Giftia peers always are. It's revealed pretty early on that this isn't just a cute character trait. Isla is nearing the end of her own lifespan, and her clumsiness is due to her mind already breaking down. Tsukasa realizes this later than anyone, and he's obviously devastated. However, he refuses to pull away from Isla. He's already fallen in love with her, and the only thing the short time limit does is spur him to act fast. They trip over a few hurdles, grappling with questions like whether its even a good idea to get closer when the end is so near. Ultimately, though, the two begin a relationship. I thought it was really heartwarming and sweet how dedicated Tsukasa was to giving Isla as many good memories as he could before the end. They were cute together.

Like with so many other Giftia they've encountered during the story, the final day arrives all too soon. I liked how they approached it, doing things like cleaning their dorm room to make things easier for whoever comes next and leaving notes for everyone. Then they go to the amusement park, and they have so much fun they don't even realize how much time has passed until the park is about to close. They end with a ride on the ferris wheel. Tsukasa, who has been trying to be strong for Isla's sake, finally breaks down. The video I linked doesn't include this part, sadly, but my favorite moment between them was when they shared the things they love about each other. Tsukasa says things like her clumsiness, which Isla feels insulted by, but he can't help it. Those little things that made her who she was were truly the things he loved about her. That really got to me. The ending did too. Tsukasa erases Isla with the same love and care she showed other Giftia during the story. It's heartbreaking, but at the same time I was glad they found each other and grew closer even though it made the inevitable end so much more painful. Being hurt like that is a part of love and life, after all. Its still better than living without being close to anyone at all.

COMING UP TOMORROW:
37: This anime was stabbed in the heart.
C60: This character wants to understand their enemy.
C20: This character strives to maintain order.
36: This anime's psychic powers have awakened.

The first half of Plastic Memories was okay, but the second half was great.

Angel Beats/Otonashi/Angel/Mob will be my guess.

i liked anohana a decent amount but it started to feel monotonous at some point. definitely a nice combination of heartwarming/heartrending/melancholy/uplifting though!

Angel Beats next would be fitting because it and Anohana are the two shows that first come to mind when I think of "shows that tried too hard to make me cry and didn't really succeed".

I don't think that's inherently a bad thing since there are similar shows that do succeed which I like a lot more, but yeah.

37. Angel Beats
https://myanimelist.net/anime/6547/Angel_Beats
Spring 2010 (13 episodes)
My Score: 8/10, MAL Score: 8.07/10
Best Characters: Tachibana Angel Kanade, Otonashi Yuzuru

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Turf7WDB3iY

Premise: Otonashi Yuzuru awakens in the afterlife, which has the form of a high school. He quickly meets Nakamura Yuri, the leader of a rebellion against the Angel trying to maintain order in this world.

The Good: Angel Beats is a supernatural drama about a bunch of high school kids in a dimension between life and death. Otonashi is the latest arrival, and hes thrown into the middle of a conflict right away. Theres an Angel, student council president Tachibana Kanade, who violently enforces the school's rules using her incredible powers. The staff and most students are effectively NPCs who live basic lives. The other afterlife students all follow Yuri, a girl with a grudge against God who refuses to live the way the world wants her to. The so-called Afterlife Battlefront does everything they can to disrupt order and oppose the Angel. Since no one can die in this strange dimension, the conflict is relatively low-stakes. Some specialists can create weapons, too, leading to lots of fun, flashy battles. Otonashi tentatively joins Yuri's crusade, but he also tries to understand all sides of this world trapping them all in limbo.

There are a lot of things about Angel Beats that appeal to me. I love the bizarre afterlife setting. It was always interesting to learn more about how it worked. The characters were all good too. The main three, Otonashi, Yuri, and Angel were all compelling in different ways. The goofy side characters like TK were a lot of fun too. Still, my favorite thing about this anime is how it absolutely nails whatever emotion it goes for. Lots of it is zany fun. One of my favorite running gags is, whenever a character does a noble sacrifice, a sappy song will play for a few seconds like its a huge moment but no one can die so the weight of it is undercut. It made me laugh every time. The battles were flashy and impressive. And, when it wanted to, the story could also get serious and have some genuinely heartfelt moments. Trying to juggle all these different feelings would ruin a lesser anime, but Angel Beats makes them all work really well.

The Bad: I remember reading somewhere that this was originally supposed to have more episodes. There are a lot of side characters who couldve used more focus, so it's a shame there wasnt time for them. The main story doesnt feel rushed, at least. I also really didnt like Yuri's backstory. It was so over-the-top brutally dark that it became off-putting. It was the one time the anime lost me emotionally.

Overall: Angel Beats has an interesting world, and the characters all have compelling reasons for how they act within it. I enjoyed almost everything about this anime. The comedic moments were hilarious, the battles were fun, and the serious emotional stories always got to me. Otonashi was a great main character, but I also really liked the Angel. Ill talk about them both more in their write-ups below.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/8/1/5/AAcDcBAAD3g3.jpg

CHARACTER: Otonashi Yuzuru (Angel Beats
https://myanimelist.net/character/24502/Yuzuru_Otonashi
Voiced by: Kamiya Hiroshi
TOP 100 RANK: 60th

SPOILERS FOR ANGEL BEATS

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yk9zaP1E_JE

Otonashi awakens in the afterlife and immediately meets Yuri. She has a sniper rifle aimed at a girl she claims is a dangerous angel, but Otonashi isnt the kind of guy to just accept something like that. He heads down to talk to her, asks for some sort of proof that this is the afterlife and then the Angel promptly stabs him in the heart. When he wakes up again later, its easier to accept that this is the afterlife. He also joins Yuris Afterlife Battlefront, having experienced how dangerous the Angel is firsthand. They warn him not to live by the rules of the world because anyone who becomes contented tends to fade away. They also bring him along on their missions to disrupt the world, which the Angel tries to stop.

I really like how Otonashi never stops questioning things. He was stabbed once by the Angel, sure, but once he sees the kinds of things Yuri is up to, he begins to wonder who is right. Stealing Angel's food tickets feels like petty bullying. Messing with her grades just feels cruel. He also realizes that the Angel, while strict and emotionless, can actually hold a nonviolent conversation. Otonashi learns more about the world and eventually accepts the fact that the students shouldnt rebel against it. This is a place for them to come to terms with the unfair circumstances of their deaths, and he partners with the Angel, actually named Kanade, to make that happen.

A whole lot of stuff goes haywire before the end, but ultimately Otonashi succeeds in convincing the others. One by one, they overcome whatever regrets were holding them back and fade away. The video I linked is the final credits sequence, and watching it always gets to me. I knew all of those people, and seeing them fade away is bittersweet. I know its a good thing, though, because all of them were at peace. And its thanks to Otonashi that they were able to get there. His own story ends with one final tearjerker when he realizes his connection to Kanade. He donated his organs when he died, and she received his heart. The two have fallen in love and, despite knowing its wrong, Otonashi wants to remain in the afterlife with her. Kanade refuses to let him stay in limbo, however. Its sad watching her disappear, followed by Otonashis anguish as he desperately grabs at the empty space where she was just a moment ago. Its sad, but its also the right thing, and he surely mustve moved on as well soon after. The after-credits scene where they seemingly find each other again in their next lives was the perfect note to end the show on.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/8/1/6/AAcDcBAAD3g4.jpg

CHARACTER: Tachibana Angel Kanade (Angel Beats)
https://myanimelist.net/character/22369/Kanade_Tachibana
Voiced by: Hanazawa Kana
TOP 100 RANK: 20th

SPOILERS FOR ANGEL BEATS

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKqUdg5MUqk

I really liked Yuri in the early parts of Angel Beats, but Kanade won me over the more I learned about her. She tries to maintain order in the afterlife because she knows its the right thing. This world exists for them to come to terms with things and move on, not to wallow forever in how unfair their lives were. It helps that Kanade's regret is relatively uplifting. She just wants to meet the person who donated her a new heart and gave her a bit more time. There were probably better ways for Kanade to go about maintaining order than the violence she usually chose. Otonashi enters that conflict well after the beginning, however, so maybe she was different early on and things degraded over time.

In any case, she eventually gets to know Otonashi, and the realization that shes just an afterlife student too puts Yuri's disruptions into a new perspective. I felt bad thinking about Kanade just trying to have her favorite food at the cafeteria, only for the Afterlife Battlefront to steal her meal ticket. The way her and Otonashi grow closer is really cute and believable.

The final episode of Angel Beats is bittersweet. Having resolved the problems threatening the afterlife and convinced everyone to move on, only a few students remain. They have a nice little graduation ceremony, and it was tough watching these characters Id come to know and love disappear. Nothing hit harder than the final goodbye between Kanade and Otonashi, though. She probably did want to stay with him, but she knew it would go against all the lessons theyd learned. So Kanade does the hard thing and moves on first. Im glad the post-credits scene implied their souls found each other again. It was the perfect emotion to end the series on.

Hey, you guys called it!

Another interesting premise, writeup makes it sound pretty nifty... not nifty enough to add to my queue though. I am getting Shiki though, so now up to 2 Roba-inspired series!

There's a bajillion psychic anime I've probably never heard of but I'll guess next as being From The New World (just because it's the one I've seen)

I only gave Angel Beats! a 3 because the music is good, but the main characters are shallow and underdeveloped, the side characters all have exactly one gimmick that gets repeated ad nauseum, and the plot has absolutely no direction and stumbles around with constant mood changes until it just abruptly ends

too bad the VN version died after one volume because that at least had a chance to solve all the issues and be good

angel beats was a neat idea and had some fun parts, but to me felt ultimately forgettable

similar to ano hana actually

I cried a lot in Angel Beats. Awesome animation and music, great characters, and some amazing scenes that hit hard. I used to cry every time I listened to Ichiban no Takaramono. Just about every episode has a big impact in a unique way.

I'm just a sucker for anime that go for sad emotions. I also thought Angel Beats had an excellent tone. Even if it changed a lot, it accomplished whatever it was going for at the moment.

36. From the New World
https://myanimelist.net/anime/13125/Shinsekai_yori
Fall 2012 (25 episodes)
My Score: 8/10, MAL Score: 8.30/10
Best Character: Squealer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mz1ypuGJ3VM
(Couldnt find the OP, linked the ED instead)

Premise: In the future, Watanabe Saki and her friends are going to a special school to train their psychic powers. As they grow older, they learn more about the world and the dark truths of their society.

The Good: From the New World is a sci-fi drama about a world where pretty much everyone has psychic powers. I didn't rewatch it for the ranking, mostly because it has no top 100 character and I couldn't rewatch everything. Still, I remember that my favorite thing about this anime was becoming immersed in the world it created. The child characters start out with an innocence that fades as they grow older and learn more about their world. It's an incredibly interesting setting that examines themes like dealing with incredible power and what it means to be human. I'm being vague about all of this because going in blind and learning everything alongside the characters was an amazing experience and I don't want to ruin that for anyone.

Having said that, there is one semi-spoiler thing I want to talk about. It only relates to the premise and setting, not any plot stuff. Still, since this anime doesn't have a spoiler character write-up, I'll just tag this here and anyone who hasn't seen this and wants to go in blind can skip it. From the New World is a really dark anime, but I loved how the darkness all made a lot of sense. No one was being evil just for the sake of it. You could see the logic they used every step of the way, and even kind of sympathize with it despite the actions often being horrific. This is a world where everyone has deadly psychic powers, for instance, so it makes sense that they'd raise their kids a certain way.

The Bad: None of the characters in this came anywhere near my top 100. They werent bad, and they all worked excellently in terms of being viewpoints to explore the setting. Sadly, none of them really resonated with me beyond that. If the setting itself were a character, it'd be in my top ten. The actual characters are all merely fine, in my opinion, and I couldn't justify ranking this any higher because of that.

Overall: From the New World is a dark anime, and usually I'm not a big fan of those. Despite that, the setting this story created really resonated with me. The characters are all fine, but they work best as viewpoints to explore the world. The plot also went a lot of interesting places. I apologize for being vague for most of this write-up, but learning everything alongside the characters was a big reason why I love this anime. I didn't want to spoil that for anyone who hasn't seen it.

COMING UP TOMORROW:
35: This anime is leaving home to find its father.
34: This anime will die as many times as it takes to succeed.
C12: This character looks similar to the world's greatest evil.

I also wanted to mention that 33 will be the one anime in the ranking with three characters! Not many people tried to guess what that was, but there are only 35 anime left after today, so if anyone wants to look at my spreadsheet to see what's left and make a guess just for fun, I'll allow it. The alphabetical tab is best for seeing what still doesn't have a ranking. It's a few days behind but I'll update it when I get home.

I haven't watched a ton of anime, but Hunter X Hunter is my favorite and I'm pretty sure that's number 35.

It's been kind of fun to follow along. Your descriptions have given me a few animes that I had never heard of, but am now interested in.

I'm guessing 33 as Brotherhood (I refuse to look at your spreadsheet/whatever's possibly left!!) because I couldn't even narrow down who the three would be.

Alternatively Monster, same rationale, but 33 would be too low for it, frankly...

FTNW is another "I watched it dubbed and the dub was bad" series, though unlike Haruhi I don't even feel a desire to rewatch it subbed, but maybe someday. Some parts confused me and a rewatch might help there too.

Agree on the characters all being very unmemorable, other than the best character you listed who's indeed the best!

Echidna > Emilia

I loved the first two arcs of FtNW, but wasn't a fan of the third at all. The ending was awesome though. Show had a great atmosphere in general. Squealer is the worst.

Also, didn't mention it before, but Angel Beats has almost certainly saved more lives than any other anime, which makes it objective the best anime of all time :p

ZLS and YYIaH are two I could see having three favorites, especially the latter.

From the New World is one those shows that basically floored me from start to finish. Manages to nail this balance of creating an interesting world, posing interesting questions, and just being a tense and exciting show. The style is great throughout. I do think there's parts of the 3rd arc that feel like they miss a bit but then it makes up for it by having one of the greatest-of-all-time endings. Really outstanding show imo and one of my all-time favorites.

Squealer a top tier anime character imo. I also really liked Saki.

I updated the spreadsheet. I also realized Hitomi from Hinamatsuri is actually 49th in characters, not 48th like I put for her write-up (48 was already Sunako from Shiki).

35. Hunter x Hunter
https://myanimelist.net/anime/11061/Hunter_x_Hunter_2011
Fall 2011 (148 episodes)
My Score: 8/10, MAL Score: 9.04/10
Best Character: Biscuit Krueger

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

My Biscuit figure: https://imgur.com/TaekZTL

Premise: Gon Freecss is leaving home to take the exam for a Hunter license. Hunters are extremely powerful and influential, but Gons main goal is to eventually meet his absent father.

The Good: Hunter x Hunter is an action anime. Gon is the main character, but he befriends various people during his Hunter exam and the anime follows lots of different arcs throughout the strange and dangerous world. This is the longest anime Ive seen, and it was too long for me to rewatch for the ranking. Still, even years later, Im surprised how well I remember it! The arcs all feel very different from each other, which helps them stand out. It starts with the challenges of the Hunter exam, but later arcs include a tournament arc, a training arc, and a few arcs against unique threats. My favorite was Greed Island because the location was so interesting (plus Biscuit became my favorite character), but all of them were good in their own way.

Gon is good as the protagonist, and he gets decent depth along the way while still retaining his view of the world. The former assassin Killua was a good partner for him, and I liked the stuff with his family. Leorio was a fun character because he kept going no matter how badly the situations outclassed him. Kurapika was also good, and the Yorknew Arc featuring him was great. Still, I prefer a lot of the side characters to any of the main ones. One of the things I enjoyed most about HxH was how large and varied the world was. It felt like there was always some big adventure waiting in some distant land, full of neat ideas and fun characters. Biscuit was my favorite, but I also really like Komugi and Palm.

The Bad: There were a few arcs that had some boring low points. The final arc in particular had a stretch of episodes where everything slowed down like crazy to painstakingly detail what was happening. There was a point where a character thought something like I cant believe its only been ten seconds! and I was just, yeah, I cant believe it either because its been going on for ten episodes (I forget how many episodes it was, but it felt like ten). The fight was neat but, come on, speed it up. I also hated everything to do with Shaiapouf.

Overall: Hunter x Hunter was a long anime. It mostly had high points, moments where the unique characters had cool battles against badass antagonists. There were low moments too, though, like during an otherwise amazing arc where the action slowed down way, way too much. Overall, I enjoyed this anime a lot. The arcs were all different from each other, and each was full of adventure and good ideas. It was fun watching the world grow as more of it was explored.

Having tried to read Anne Happy earlier today, wow do I not like it or your ranking. Not only is it not that funny in general, the comedic abuse setting actually made me a bit uncomfortable in parts. Not good.

I disliked so many people's favorites, it's only fair that other people would dislike some of mine! I just really enjoyed watching their bad luck antics. I can't vouch for the manga, either.

The Palace Invasion is my favorite part of the Hunter x Hunter anime and it isn't even close. The insanely detailed storytelling is exactly what I love about it, along with some good emotional beats revolving mostly around Komugi.

Shaiapouf definitely sucks though.

i really enjoyed the actual palace invasion in HXH but yeah the sudden addition of narration was terrible and made it considerably worse to watch

that said the highest point of the anime was easily the meruem/komugi relationship. completely emotionally destroyed me. my parents were ailing at the time and my relationship was falling apart and i think that might have contributed to it

also hxh has two of the GOAT EDs in its first and fifth

34. Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-
https://myanimelist.net/anime/31240/Re_Zero_kara_Hajimeru_Isekai_Seikatsu
Spring 2016 (25 episodes), Summer 2020 (25 episodes), plus two movies.
My Score: 8/10, MAL Score: 8.24/10 S1, 8.36/10 S2
Best Character: Emilia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Vwwr3VGsYg

My Emilia figure: https://imgur.com/TgsvPsx
(I apologize for the crappy photo, this was a hard figure to find a good angle to get a picture from)

Premise: Natsuki Subaru has been pulled into a fantasy world filled with danger. His only power is the ability to reset to a kind of save point when he dies, and hes going to end up dying a lot.

The Good: Re:ZERO is an isekai fantasy. As the rest of the ranking has shown, Im not a huge fan of isekai, but this anime proves that I can still love one as long as it tells a compelling story. Subaru, especially early on, is nothing like the usual boring dude protagonist. He assumes this will be a typical isekai adventure, and hes excited to find out what overpowered abilities hell get and where his sexy love interest is. He does meet a cute half-elf girl early on, but shes far from being a damsel in distress and she isnt really interested in him. Subaru also eventually realizes that he only has one power. When he dies, the entire world resets to an earlier point. All he has is knowledge from previous loops to get through. Dying is also still incredibly traumatic.

Early on, Re:ZERO felt like it was spoofing a lot of things I dislike about the genre. Then, later on, the isekai aspect becomes secondary and an impressive fantasy story takes over. The world has an interesting history with witches and cults and mythical monsters. Theres a royal election going on between five potential rulers. Subaru wants to help Emilia, but he often causes more problems than he solves. He goes through a lot of painful character growth over the two seasons and its a lot of fun to watch. I like pretty much all of the characters, including the popular maid duo Ram and Rem. Still, choosing my favorite character in this was easy. I love Emilia.

The Bad: Subaru has, to put it lightly, some really rough moments where hes being an idiot. I know its justified by the trauma he experiences, his characterization and mindset, and that it leads to some great development. Still, its tough to watch at times, and Id have preferred if they toned that aspect of him down a bit. I also dont like most of the royal selection candidates. I think it wouldve been more compelling if Emilia wasnt obviously the best one among them.

Overall: Re:ZERO may be an isekai, but I love it purely as a fantasy story. What struck me most while rewatching the first season, followed by seeing the second season and two bonus movies for the first time, was how cinematic everything is. The episodes are full of plot events, character development, and amazing animation. Even though the second season had extended half-hour long episodes, they always felt like they ended in an instant. Subaru can get a bit rough at times, and I dont like how selfish a few of the royal candidates are, but those are my only real complaints. The good stuff in Re:ZERO vastly outweighs the bad, and Emilia is amazing.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/9/5/AABz_zAAD3zT.jpg

CHARACTER: Emilia (Re:ZERO)
https://myanimelist.net/character/118737/Emilia
Voiced by: Takahashi Rie
TOP 100 RANK: 12th

SPOILERS FOR RE:ZERO

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW4w1IXhZHk

Much like Subaru did, I fell in love with Emilia almost right away. Shes introduced chasing after a thief who stole her royal selection insignia, and getting that back is incredibly important. However, Emilia still takes time to rescue Subaru from some thugs. She also heals him and waits for him to wake back up. She claims she only did this for selfish reasons, that she knew Subaru saw the thief and Emilia helped him so she could get that information. As we see in later loops, though, Emilia saw the thief too, so helping Subaru didnt benefit her at all. Its clear thats just the kind of person she is. Even when important things are on the line, Emilia cant stop herself from helping people. She also tries to make it so that they dont feel like they owe her anything.

In short, Emilia is a sweet girl. Her good nature contrasts with how people perceive her. While to Subaru, a silver-haired half-elf is cute, in Re:ZERO she bears an uncanny resemblance to the historical witch Satella who nearly destroyed the world. Emilia faces a lot of prejudice, and it clearly hurts her no matter how much she tries to understand their fear and insults. She has self-esteem problems, to the point of doubting Subaru no matter how much he says shes beautiful and that he loves her. Partly thats because his love bloomed during loops she has no knowledge of, but its also partly because how could anyone love a half-elf? I love the dynamic their relationship has.

The roughest part of Re:ZERO was in the third arc where Subaru made an ass of himself at the royal selection meeting. Now, I may be in the minority, but I dont think he did anything too terrible there. I mean, this is the same meeting where multiple people insulted Emilia to her face, Felt promised to destroy all the religious and political institutions if she won, and Rom pulled off a failed rescue. That meeting was a shitshow with or without Subaru. Still, he didnt come out of it looking great, and getting beaten nearly to death by a disgruntled knight after didnt help.

It was all very hard for me to watch. Still, I really liked the Emilia scene we got out of it. She cares about Subaru, but she cant understand most of the things hes saying. He cant tell her about his death reset ability, and he also cant tell her about the things she did for him in other loops. He cant make her understand just how much she owes him, so it all just sounds like crazy talk. Emilia is tired of seeing Subaru get hurt for a version of herself she doesnt even think exists. She decides to leave him behind. Its a powerful scene. Once he pulls off a big hero move at the end of the arc, though, I was glad that Emilia was willing to accept him.

This write-up is getting long, so Ill only talk about the second season a little bit. The video I linked is Emilia supporting Subaru after Rem has gone into a coma. I like that scene a lot because it shows how far their relationship has come. Emilia, despite her memory of Rem having been erased, can see how much Subaru cares about her. She cares about Rem because of that, and she supports Subaru even after he asked her to let him cry alone. Emilia struggled to face her past, present, and future for much of the season. During some loops, she angrily rebuffed Subarus offer to face the Sanctuary challenges instead of her, but she still never managed to get through them. Subaru eventually calls her out on how she keeps saying she can do it when she cant. That was another hard scene to watch, but I liked how Emilia took it. Subaru was acknowledging her flaws, but he saw her as a real person and not just some ideal in his head. He also still loved her. That was the motivation Emilia needed to finally face her past and come out on top. Those two really do bring out the best in each other, and I loved Emilias character development during all of it.

COMING UP TOMORROW:
33: This anime will die unless it can defend a tree.
C92: This character dreams of becoming a singer.
C58: This character is paralyzed from the waist down.
C2: This character loves helping others.

I couldn't figure out what that was at first, considering it has so many characters from your top 100 in it, but then some vague recollections managed to fit themselves together in my brain until I remembered Let's Enjoy Kagawa Life.

Re:Zero...I don't know. I can't say I didn't enjoy it while I was watching it, but hindsight has really soured me on the show hard. The more specific things I want to say are somewhat mean-spirited so I'll just leave it at that.

Honestly there's a decent chance that if I ever sat down and watched season 2 I'd just start enjoying it again, but there's also a decent chance of that never happening.