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

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21. A Place Further Than the Universe
https://myanimelist.net/anime/35839/Sora_yori_mo_Tooi_Basho
Winter 2018 (13 episodes)
My Score: 9/10, MAL Score: 8.53/10
Best Character: Kobuchizawa Shirase, Takahashi Megumi

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

Premise: Tamaki Mari always had big dreams, but she was too scared to chase them until she met Kobuchizawa Shirase. She has been working hard on her dream of going to Antarctica, and she asks Mari to come with her.

The Good: A Place Further Than the Universe is an uplifting drama about four girls and their journey to Antarctica. It has some great comedy moments, and the details at every step of the journey feel a little slice-of-life. Im not sure Id classify it as either of those genres, though. The characters each have something in their life they need to address, and the focus is on how undertaking this grand adventure changes them. The first main character is Mari, who is a bit of an airhead. She struggles to do anything out of the ordinary, unable even to skip school for a day no matter how much she plans. Then she meets Shirase, a girl who is single-mindedly chasing her dream no matter how hard it is, how unlikely it seems, or what anyone else thinks of her. Her mother went missing on a previous Antarctic expedition, and Shirase has been struggling to go and see the frozen continent for herself ever since. Her determination spurs Mari into action too, and they decide to go together. Theyre also joined by Hinata, who wants to travel before college, and Yuzuki, a young idol/actress who will help promote the expedition.

Theres a lot of focus on the specifics of going to Antarctica. Obviously they cant just buy an airplane ticket, they need to convince people to take them and train for it and take time off school and so on. Its interesting seeing how every step of the journey works. Still, my favorite thing about this anime is the themes and character arcs. It almost doesnt matter exactly where theyre going. Whats important is how theyre struggling towards a goal and making the most of their life, and the way that impacts who they are as people. I like all four of the main characters, though Shirase is obviously my favorite because her story hits the hardest emotionally. This might be controversial, but my second-favorite isnt even one of the main four! I really liked Mari's friend Megumi, and Ill talk more about her in her write-up. I also want to mention just how well this anime is put together. It has beautiful animation and the writing carries everything perfectly. It also has an amazing soundtrack. There are a few insert songs that play at key moments, and the sequences whenever one of those songs came on were always magical.

The Bad: The only bad things I can think of for A Place Further Than the Universe are all nitpicks. Its stuff like how one part of Hinata's story felt a bit out of place, little things like that. There are no glaring problems, so I dont even want to mention the few small ones.

Overall: A Place Further Than the Universe is a wonderful story about the importance of chasing ones dreams and making the most of life. I loved it mostly because of those themes, and theyre so universal they couldve been applied to any number of adventures. This anime chose Antarctica, and it handles the journey there with a lot of care and passion too. This is one of the rare anime that I would recommend to pretty much anyone. The characters are all wonderful too, and Ill talk about two of them below.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/4/6/2/AAcDcBAAD5YW.png

CHARACTER: Takahashi Megumi (A Place Further than the Universe)
https://myanimelist.net/character/157190/Megumi_Takahashi
Voiced by: Kanemoto Hisako
TOP 100 RANK: 95th

SPOILERS FOR A PLACE FURTHER THAN THE UNIVERSE

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

In an anime with so many strong characters, I imagine the choice of putting Megumi in second place might seem a little odd. She definitely isnt the most important person in the plot. Shes just Mari's childhood friend, and Megumi fades into the background once the Antarctica journey begins. Shes only heavily involved in one little arc early on, but her arc really resonated with me. A Place Further Than the Universe tells a beautiful story about making the most of life. It left me with a melancholic feeling when I watched it, though, because I saw it as at almost thirty years old and I never did a whole lot in my youth. It felt like Mari and the others were leaving me behind and thats exactly how Megumi feels too.

She does some shitty things in the story. She spreads rumors about the girls, insults Shirase by calling her by the mocking nickname Antarctica, and she even tells some bullies that Shirase has money, hoping theyll take it from her. For the most part, no one notices or cares about Megumi's attempts at sabotage. Theyre all too focused on the upcoming expedition, and that determination hurts Megumi even more. She often complained about having to look after Mari, even doing little things like fixing her pencil when she clicked the lead out too far. Megumi is surprised at her own feelings when Mari finally starts moving forward on her own. In the blink of an eye, the once-aimless Mari has three new friends and is gearing up to go on the adventure of a lifetime. Megumi had never realized just how much of her own identity was wrapped up in helping Mari. And now Mari is leaving her behind.

The video I linked is their big confrontation. Megumi admits what she did and asks to break up their friendship. She chooses probably the worst time to do it, right before Mari leaves. That might even be one last shitty thing, an attempt at getting to Mari emotionally, to make her back down at the last moment. Thankfully, Mari is too strong for that. Shes also too much of a sweetheart to hate Megumi for what she did, and too mature to let this end their friendship. Mari refuses the breakup, and then she goes to Antarctica. Megumi is only mentioned offhandedly for the rest of the anime, at least until the end. When Mari finally gets home and messages her, Megumi reveals that shes off on her own adventure in the Arctic. She finally took the right lesson from Mari's newfound boldness and used it to better herself. I really liked that final thematic touch. Even if it feels like youre being left behind, its never too late to start moving forward.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/4/6/3/AAcDcBAAD5YX.jpg

CHARACTER: Kobuchizawa Shirase (A Place Further than the Universe)
https://myanimelist.net/character/157148/Shirase_Kobuchizawa
Voiced by: Hanazawa Kana
TOP 100 RANK: 28th

SPOILERS FOR A PLACE FURTHER THAN THE UNIVERSE

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

Mari is the first person the anime focuses on, but I think Shirase is easily the most important character. Her determination is what spurs everyone else into undertaking the journey to Antarctica. The fact that her mother died there is also the big emotional crux of the story. For years, Shirase has worked multiple jobs and saved up money. Shes endured everyones doubts and put up with insulting nicknames like Antarctica. Shes even refused to accept the well-meaning warnings from her mothers former colleagues that she shouldnt do this. Shirase loved her mother dearly, as evidenced by how she often sends her emails as if theyre still communicating. She wants to go to Antarctica to see what her mother saw, to see why its so important, and to hopefully find closure. She wants to shove it in everyone elses faces that she did it when they all said she couldnt, too, but thats just an added bonus.

In any case, her infectious determination rubs off on the other girls and carries them to Antarctica. Its a nice scene when she first sets foot on the ice and triumphantly yelled in your face" to everyone who ever doubted her. I also liked a bit later on when she admitted that she actually wasnt sure how to feel at that moment. She just settled on that emotion because it was the simplest out of all the feelings swirling around inside of her. Antarctica is beautiful and going to it with her new friends has been a wonderful adventure. This is also the frozen wasteland that killed her mother. Shirase and the group finally get to go to the place where it happened, and she still isnt sure how to feel or react. Even here, at the place where she thought shed find all the answers, Shirase is just numb. Its her friends who desperately search for something, anything, to give Shirase closure. They eventually find her mothers laptop.

Even before seeing the video I chose for Shirase, I bet everyone couldve guessed what it would be. To me, at least, its the most iconic scene in the whole show. Shirase turns the laptop on, opens her mothers email, and then she sees the flood of messages come in. By how high the number gets, Shirase has been sending more than one email every single day for years. A whole bunch of emotions hit her all at once. The laptop password is hinted to be Shirase's birthday, a sign of how much her mother loved her. The sheer amount of emails is proof of how much Shirase loved her. All those little moments from her life over the years, all the times she thought, I want to share this with my mother, theyre all here and theyre unread. Her mother is gone. The feeling finally becomes real. She finds closure, but no one ever said that closure would be happy. Still, once she has it, Shirase can lean on her friends and finally start to move on. The other main characters all had fine stories, but none of them come anywhere close to carrying the emotional impact of Shirase.

COMING UP TOMORROW:
20: This anime wants to go back to hell.
C45: This character is constantly trying to kill someone.
19: This anime was tricked by a rat.
C40: This character is fighting to claim their rightful place.

I watched that fairly recently and enjoyed it, even if Shirase's plot didn't grab me as much as it did you. I liked Yuzuki quite a bit, she was very funny.

MartinFF7 posted...

ok very excited for tomorrow's write-ups!!!

22 and 21 being the two finalists in the last iteration of SMFAS, what are the chances!

I first watched Odd Taxi because of how far it got in that save-my, and even I was surprised how close these two wound by being in my ranking! It was tough picking which one to support, but I think I made the right choice backing Universe in the end.

easy top 10 show

edit: I don't think anything in anime has hit me harder than that moment. maybe the parent episode in re:zero season 2

Best SMFAS winner by far

Xeybozn posted...

Best SMFAS winner by far

I don't know all the winners offhand, but I'm guessing none of my remaining twenty have come anywhere close to doing well, so this is probably true!

Aw yeah A Place Further Than the Universe. Probably my favorite anime, and if not then definitely my #2. It might be a bit too melodramatic at times but oh well I don't care. Watching this every week in the morning before work is definitely one of the best anime experiences I've had.

Most iconic scene in the show is Shirase smiling after getting her hair cut don't @ me.

Mobilezoid posted...

I don't know all the winners offhand, but I'm guessing none of my remaining twenty have come anywhere close to doing well, so this is probably true!

Yeah, the way your preferences have lined up so far I'd be surprised... of the 8 winners besides Antarctica, 2 are my #2 and #3 all-time and haven't appeared yet, my #1 all-time you haven't watched, and Death Note, Haruhi and Hunter x Hunter already ranked. And the last unnamed two which won SMFAS 2 and 3, I think there's a better chance of those two appearing than my #2 and #3... though I still wait with bated breath!

(I still need people to nominate LotGH with me to get the true #1 on the list, dammit!)

Great writeups, obvious video is obvious for Shirase but really is the best moment in the show, from them racing to find the laptop right through the end, just hit me like a ton of bricks. And the cut to her friends also crying in the hallway, I was feeling that. Don't know how much I rewatched that scene but I put off watching the last episode until the next day as a result.

Edit: just dawning on me that Antarctica is the last series I watched (besides weekly Spy x Family), and it was in mid-August, and it feels like a lifetime ago.... probably a sign I need to get back to working on the anime queue!

Hmm.... so I knew 22 and 21 from the hints but I'm back to being clueless for tomorrow's series.

Mobilezoid posted...

I don't know all the winners offhand, but I'm guessing none of my remaining twenty have come anywhere close to doing well, so this is probably true!

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Cowboy Bebop
Baccano!
Hunter x Hunter (2011)
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Monster
Death Note
Legend of the Galactic Heroes
A Place Further than the Universe

Spoilers!!!

Antarctica was very good, yeah. Had some great scenes in there. Shirase the best for sure.

20. Dropkick on my Devil
https://myanimelist.net/anime/36906/Jashin-chan_Dropkick
Summer 2018 (11 episodes), Spring 2020 (11 episodes), Summer 2022 (12 episodes), plus 2 OVAs
My Score: 9/10, MAL Score: 7.00/10 S1, 7.46/10 S2, 7.39/10 S3
Best Character: Jashin-chan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXGQK6ZmcNw

Premise: Jashin-chan is a demon who was summoned by Hanazono Yurine. Now Jashin cant return to Hell until Yurine dies, and she often attacks her master and try to speed up the process.

The Good: Dropkick on my Devil is an over-the-top comedy about demons and angels and their wacky misadventures on Earth. The main duo is the snake demon Jashin-chan and her summoner Yurine, an occult nerd. Jashin-chan is unapologetically a huge piece of shit. She belittles people, begs for money from her friends and then blows it all on pachinko, and is incredibly selfish and lazy. Jashin-chan cant go back to Hell until Yurine dies, so she often tries to kill her summoner using her trademark dropkicks. Unfortunately for her, Yurine isnt your average human. She has almost supernatural strength and reflexes, as well as an endless supply of weapons to violently kill Jashin-chan with. Luckily the snake demon is immortal and always quickly regenerates. The style of humor feels like an old cartoon at times, one of those fun rivalries where the winner is never in any doubt. Tom vs Jerry, Wile E Coyote vs the Road Runner, and Jashin-chan vs Yurine. Dropkick also brings a hilariously meanspirited style of humor, rapid-fire jokes, and comedic gore.

Theres a large cast of side characters, and each season introduced a few new ones. Medusa is Jashin-chans kind-hearted best friend who often gives her money, and theres also her athletic minotaur friend Minos. There are various angels too, starting with down-on-her-luck Pekola who has lost her halo and lives on the streets. My favorites were some of the later season characters, including another angel Pino who is terrified of heavens wrath and friendly jiangshi twins from Hell China. I honestly didnt fall in love with Dropkick during its first season. It only really started to shine as the cast grew. Everyone has such a fun dynamic with everyone else, and that always kept the jokes flowing. Jashin-chans voice actress (who also voices Mari from Love Live Sunshine) sounds like shes having the time of her life playing this awful scumbag. I also love how many jokes break the fourth wall. I laughed a lot when someone told Jashin-chan to use a skill she learned in the manga, but she countered that the anime skipped that chapter, so she doesnt know it.

The Bad: My biggest complaint with Dropkick on my Devil is that sometimes the jokes come too close together. Quite often there were two conversations overlapping, like a main one and someone making funny quips in the background, and I had to pause to read all the subtitles. Still, I suppose its better to have more jokes rather than not enough. The third season was also funded by tourism boards from various Japanese regions. I enjoyed all the places they visited, but some of infomercial stuff ran a bit long. Those episodes were still hilarious overall, though.

Overall: Dropkick on my Devil is a comedy that wont appeal to everyone, but I fell in love with it. Jashin-chan is a lot of fun with her comedic awfulness, and I enjoyed her constant, gory failures while trying to kill Yurine. The huge cast of side characters had a lot of fun dynamics with each other too, and since each season introduced a few more people it never became stale. Overall, this became one of my favorite anime comedies.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/8/6/AABz_zAAD5my.jpg

CHARACTER: Jashin-chan (Dropkick on my Devil)
https://myanimelist.net/character/128937/Jashin-chan
Voiced by: Suzuki Aina
TOP 100 RANK: 45th

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWzXPBSw4iM
(This is from the second season, but its Jashins summoning so chronologically it happens very early and doesnt spoil anything. Its a good sample of the kind of humor the anime uses.)

Jashin-chan is the best. Shes selfish, lazy, has zero empathy, and she has a high opinion of herself that isnt remotely justified. She takes money from her friends and gambles it all away. She bullies and belittles anyone she sees as being below her, which is almost everyone. She also constantly tries to murder Yurine so she can return to Hell. Jashin-chan is a colossal, unapologetic scumbag and thats what makes her the best! Her voice actress is amazing in the role. She perfectly sells the over-the-top egotistical declarations of impending victory during an attack, and then the panicked apologies and begging for mercy when the attack inevitably fails.

Her relationship with Yurine is obviously the crux of the show. They live together in a small apartment, and Jashin-chan is supposed to help out by doing chores. Usually, she gambles away the grocery money and spends all her time setting up some elaborate scheme to kill Yurine. Then the scheme goes awry and Yurine bludgeons her to death. Then Jashin-chan regenerates and it all goes back to normal. Its a fun dynamic that somehow never got old. Jashin-chan is great with all of her friends, too. Medusa and Minos are both really nice and friendly even though theyre also demons. They help out when they can, especially Medusa who Jashin-chan considers her personal ATM, but they disapprove of her attempts to kill Yurine and try to keep the peace.

I dont have much else to say about her. Jashin-chan isnt a character who has a whole lot of depth. She also doesnt develop much. Any time it looks like shes become a better person or begun to appreciate the people around her, its either part of some scheme or shes only doing it because she wants something from them. Like I said, Jashin-chan is a scumbag, and I love her for it.

Robazoid posted...

The third season was also funded by tourism boards from various Japanese regions.

Apparently some of them didn't know they were funding an irreverent bloody slapstick comedy, since one ended up voting to pull funding post production. One wonders what they thought they were funding.

Haha, that's amazing. I can definitely see a bunch of elderly tourism board members getting a proposal like that and thinking it'd be a hit with the kids. Then they'd freak out once they realized what the anime was actually like.

I watched one or two episodes of Jashin and dropped it due to being annoyed by the Yurine killing Jashin thing. Felt like it instantly got old and wasn't funny at all. Would've kept with it if not for that.

The anime eventually has a lot more going on than just Jashin vs Yurine, but there are still lots of gags related to it so if you didn't enjoy that, dropping it is probably a good thing.

19. Etotama
https://myanimelist.net/anime/28221/Etotama
Spring 2015 (12 episodes)
My Score: 9/10, MAL Score: 6.81/10
Best Character: Nya-tan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLi2rKMgFxY

Premise: The legend says that when the Chinese zodiac was decided thousands of years ago, the Rat tricked the Cat into not participating. Now, in the modern day, Nya-tan is ready to fight her way through the other twelve and finally claim a spot in the zodiac.

The Good: Etotama is a comedy anime that also has action scenes during the zodiac battles. A regular guy, Amato Takeru, moves into a cheap house which turns out to have a tear in the floor leading to a celestial dimension. Nya-tan pops out and uses the house as a base of operations to challenge the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac. The biggest hurdle is the Rat. Chu-tan has already killed Nya-tan once many years ago and is still murderously aggressive towards the Cat.

This is an anime that sounds like it has a serious plot. Theres a big bad Rat, a Cat who needs to make her way through whats essentially a tournament, and so on. Theres nothing wrong with the main story, but its mostly used as a framework to tell amazing jokes. Usually, I wouldnt like a normal dude being in the middle of a plot like this, but Takeru is great as the straight man. The zodiac animal girls all have fun gimmicks that lead to a lot of insane gags. My favorites were Mo-tan the Ox, who had a perverse affection for Nya-tan, and Piyo-tan the Rooster, who would forget everything after taking three steps.

The real star of the show is still Nya-tan. She may be a cat-girl, but she isnt the sexy kind (though she occasionally tries to be and fails horribly). She really does act like a cat. One of the first things she does is a trademark cat stretch and then start scratching the wall. She always had a funny quip at the ready which, combined with excellent nya-style voice acting, led to a lot of hilarious moments. The battles in this have the characters take chibi form and are all 3D CGI, which might bother some people. For me, I thought they were all flashy and cool. They were also super creative. Not all of them are battles. Some are intense games of tag, or an intense game of shogi, or an intense game of Mario Kart. It was a lot of fun seeing where Etotama would go next.

The Bad: This is a twelve-episode anime and one of them is a recap episode. I guess they must have had budget problems, which isnt great. However, its one of the best damn recap episodes ever. A lot of the humor in Etotama breaks the fourth wall, and part of me suspects the only reason they did a recap episode was because it led to a lot of amazing jokes. Its impressive that the most negative thing I can think of for this anime is still pretty good.

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

Overall: Etotama is an insane and creative comedy, but the battle scenes are impressive too. There are even a few plot points taken seriously, and it nails those as well. Nya-tan was hilarious and easily became one of my favorite anime characters. As long as you dont find her annoying, dont mind the 3D CGI chibi-form battles, and appreciate the style of humor, Etotama is great. Admittedly thats a lot of hurdles for people to clear in order to enjoy it, but I loved it a lot.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/6/4/1/AABz_zAAD5qx.jpg

CHARACTER: Nya-tan (Etotama)
https://myanimelist.net/character/118495/Nyaa-tan
Voiced by: Murakawa Rie
TOP 100 RANK: 40th

SPOILERS FOR ETOTAMA

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6FP20nXrYQ

I already talked a lot about Nya-tan in the anime write-up. Shes the star of the show, after all, and every scene that shes in is amazing. On the surface her personality is insane and annoying, and I imagine that would turn a lot of people off. I, on the other hand, fell in love with her instantly. Its important to remember that shes freshly reincarnated after getting killed by Chu-tan, and she has no memories of her previous life. Nya-tan is trying out lots of different silly personalities trying to figure out who she is. This is a plot point that would be serious and poignant in a normal anime. In Etotama, Nya-tan is just an off-the-wall crazy person. I love her.

Once the story started delving into her past, though, theres a lot more to Nya-tan than meets the eye. It turns out the Rat didnt trick the Cat when the Chinese zodiac was decided. They were actually friends, and they made a deal where Chu-tan would look after things from an official position. Nya-tan, meanwhile, would be a wanderer taking care of problems as she finds them. They kept peace for over a thousand years, but Chu-tans soul was slowly tainted. She missed having her friend around, and she resented the burdens of responsibility. Nya-tan sought out a way to cleanse Chu-tans soul, but it could also be used to kill them forever, and the insane Chu-tan took it the wrong way. She used the method to kill Nya-tan, though thankfully not forever.

The revived Nya-tan fights her way through the other eleven animals of the zodiac, and then she finally faces off with her old nemesis/former best friend. The battle goes back and forth for a bit, as shown in the video I linked. In the end, though, Nya-tan is able to cleanse her friends soul and bring the old Chu-tan back. Its a happy ending! Well, for everyone except Nya-tans ambitions. They decide not to let her into the zodiac despite her one cour of effort. Poor Nya-tan. Shell have to settle for another prize, that is, being one of my favorite anime characters.

ANOTHER VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDtbQXMK4gw
(Its just a fun song, not really spoilers)

COMING UP TOMORROW:
18: This anime died before achieving its dreams.
C83: I dont even need to say how this character is legendary.
17: This anime is trying to live up to the example set by its predecessor.
C81: This character is a fallen angel.

When it comes to the zodiac mythology stuff I think I will be content with Fruits Basket instead of that nonsense.

Yamada Tae as the best character in the series huh

that's legit but I see it as more of a stain on the quality of the cast in general...

I think I ignored Etotama because it has a male protagonist.

Sceptilesolar posted...

When it comes to the zodiac mythology stuff I think I will be content with Fruits Basket instead of that nonsense.

I admit I haven't watched Fruit Baskets, but from the description and character list it looks like a lot of these zodiac people are dudes. Etotama is 100% zodiac girls and is therefore better. (I'll probably watch Fruit Baskets someday too)

MacArrowny posted...

I think I ignored Etotama because it has a male protagonist.

Takeru isn't that bad. A lot of the humor wouldn't work without a normal person for it to bounce off of, and he fills that role well. He isn't actually all that important on his own.

18. Zombie Land Saga
https://myanimelist.net/anime/37976/Zombieland_Saga
Fall 2018 (12 episodes), Spring 2021 (12 episodes)
My Score: 9/10, MAL Score: 7.51/10 S1, 8.02/10 S2
Best Character: Yamada Tae

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9VOud8y3tg

Premise: Minamoto Sakuras dreams of becoming an idol are cut tragically short when shes hit by a truck. Then she awakens years later as a zombie to become part of an undead idol unit!

The Good: Zombie Land Saga is a comedic idol anime. It parodies and subverts a lot of things typical in the genre, especially early on. Sakura is the usual energetic idol anime protagonist, and then a truck annihilates her in the first two minutes as if to say this wont be that kind of show. She wakes up years later in a creepy house filled with other zombies of legendary girls who died before their time. This was all put together by Tatsumi, an exceedingly strange man who often comedically abuses the girls while trying to make them a success. Their first concert is at a heavy metal venue, and it only works out because their zombie broken necks make it easy to headbang.

In short, Zombie Land Saga is an insane idol anime that does a lot of things Ive never seen before in the genre. However, its still an idol anime. While being zombies leads to lots of fun shenanigans like limbs ripping off or worrying about their makeup washing away, the girls still need to practice and learn the routines. They still need to overcome personal obstacles, usually related to lingering regrets from life or their cause of death. They still need to come together as a team, which means finding ways to unite their unique personalities. And they still put on shows with great songs and dance choreography. Franchouchou is an amazing idol unit.

I like all of the characters, which is rare for an idol anime. Even the one ranked directly ahead of this has a few girls I dont care about at all. Everyone in ZLS has fun quirks, and the background related to their dreams and tragic deaths gives a reason to care about them. Sakura is great as the protagonist who is barely holding it all together. Still, my favorite character was easily Tae. Shes the only one who remains a mindless zombie, and it was always fun seeing what crazy nonsense she was up to in the background of each scene.

The Bad: Sometimes the humor gets a bit too meanspirited for my tastes. Poor Sakura lives a cursed life even as a zombie. Still, I suppose that makes the heartwarming moments seem even sweeter because theyre usually earned rather than just being the default.

Overall: Zombie Land Saga is one of my favorite idol anime. It does a lot of unexpected things with the genre that create a fun and zany atmosphere. What other idol unit can get struck by lightning during a performance and turn the electrical charge into CGI effects? What other idol unit can perform while the audience is literally rioting? What other idol unit can do all of those crazy things while still putting on a legitimately great performance? Franchouchou is amazing. I love most of the humor in this anime, and I loved all of the characters as well.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/5/1/7/AABz_zAAD54d.png

CHARACTER: Yamada Tae (Zombie Land Saga)
https://myanimelist.net/character/164582/Tae_Yamada
Voiced by: Mitsuishi Kotono
TOP 100 RANK: 83rd

SPOILERS FOR ZOMBIE LAND SAGA

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=648ZWMQEQeY
AND ANOTHER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-1ki9F3Y4A

While the other girls in Franchouchou all quickly regain their normal personalities, Tae is the only one who remains a zombie. Everyone else remembers their past life, comes to terms with their regrets, forms new bonds, and so on. Meanwhile, Tae is a moaning zombie chewing on peoples heads or stumbling around in the background. We never learn who she was or how she died. We never even learn why, exactly, shes considered legendary. Tae doesnt have a whole lot of depth or character development. Thats okay, though, because Tae is still amazing.

For one thing, I love how funny she is. No matter what was going on in a scene, I was always searching for Tae in the background to see what hilarious nonsense she was up to. I love how, in those Youtube videos people make for songs where the character portraits light up when that character is singing, they always include Tae even though her portrait never lights up. I also love how, even though shes a mindless zombie, its still obvious how much she loves everyone and cares about Franchouchou. Sakura put a lot of effort into getting her to follow some semblance of the choreography early on. It isnt clear how much this meant to Tae until later. When Sakura is feeling down, Tae breaks into the barricaded room like a mad dog and drags her out of it. The second video I linked is Taes, uh stirring speech at their big concert in season two. What she says is nonsense, but the crowd loves her for it. Even as a mindless zombie, Tae looks so happy.

Tatsumi never does tell us what makes Tae so legendary. However, based on some of the things she accomplished, its clear that she is indeed a legend. Tae went out to buy groceries one day, and, through a series of events each more unlikely than the last, she came back with enough money to clear their debts. The first video I linked is Tae wandering into a dance contest and wiping the floor with a chicken man. Then she heads to a speedboat racetrack, places a bet by literally sneezing ink onto the ticket, and wins a huge amount of money. Tae is legendary. When Crunchyroll randomly added account avatars, along with a bunch of default ones to choose from, I chose Tae the instant I saw her. I see her portrait in a lot of comment sections now, too, so its clear Im not the only one who adores this mindless zombie idol girl.

I felt like the track Zombieland Saga took was that it started out as a decently funny satire but then just ended up as a bad example played straight of the type of show it was originally trying to parody.

I really don't like idol anime much to begin with though so *shrug*

Exactly what pyre said. The concerts in particular are pretty bad. Ugly art, bad songs, terrible fans.

Zombieland Saga too good. I have Saki as my Crunchyroll avatar, and Lily's background episode still makes me tear up thinking about it. And Yugiri's background reveal lives up to how long it takes to get hers compared to the other girls.

....why did I think Zomebieland Saga was like a Walking Dead, High School of the Dead-type series right up until this write-up. I am judging way too many books by their covers!!!

After reading the write-up and watching the embedded videos, the line

Robazoid posted...

Zombie Land Saga is an insane idol anime

really rings true, lol

Bane_Of_Despair posted...

Lily's background episode still makes me tear up thinking about it. And Yugiri's background reveal lives up to how long it takes to get hers compared to the other girls.

Yeah, Lily is great. I liked Yugiri's episodes too, it was worth waiting for in the second season. All the girls have some great development.

17. Love Live: Sunshine!!
https://myanimelist.net/anime/32526/Love_Live_Sunshine
Summer 2016 (13 episodes), Fall 2017 (13 episodes)
My Score: 9/10, MAL Score: 7.38/10 S1, 7.57/10 S2
Best Character: Tsushima Yohane Yoshiko

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRs45anUTr4
Favorite performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Km1u6bq__rA

My Aqours figures:
1- Ruby, Yohane, Hanamaru: https://imgur.com/Gi48Tz5
2- Riko, Chika, You: https://imgur.com/fH0yxTc
3- Mari, Dia, Kanan: https://imgur.com/xLsox5Q
(Yes, I own figures of the whole group! The third-years didnt get Fallen Angel figures, so I bought a set where they would at least match each other even if not everyone else)

Premise: Takami Chika, inspired by the popular school idols 's (from the original Love Live), decides to create her own group. Shell need to overcome many obstacles and try to find other girls willing to join.

The Good: Love Live: Sunshine is the best idol anime Ive seen so far. I enjoyed the original Love Live quite a bit too. It set the standard for the genre. Then Sunshine took all those good things and made them better. That might not be the most popular opinion. When I read reactions to Sunshine after first watching it, most people thought it was a shallow imitation of the original. While Ill certainly agree that Sunshine lives in the shadow of its predecessor, I dont think thats a bad thing! In fact, I thought it gave Sunshine a lot of heart.

The girls forming Aqours were all inspired by 's. Even before the real-life viewers had a chance to, these girls were already comparing themselves to their idols. Sometimes that leads to lighthearted fun. I remember laughing when, after realizing their school might shut down, Chika got hyped because that was exactly what happened to 's! Other times the comparison is serious, and the girls in Aqours wonder if theyre good enough to follow that same path. Over time, they begin to accept that the need to find their own way forward. I really liked how they set out to be like their idols but became something else, something better, instead.

Setting comparisons to the original Love Live aside, Sunshine is just a solid idol anime. I linked my favorite performance above, but all of them were great. I also liked pretty much all the characters. Yoshiko, who prefers to go by her chuuni fallen angel persona Yohane, is easily my favorite, but I also really like Dia, Ruby, Chika, and Mari. While I think Kanan and You are both kind of meh, I wouldnt call them bad. Everyone adds something to the group dynamic.

The Bad: The worst thing about this anime is that the sequel movie still isnt streaming anywhere I can see it. Otherwise, I have zero major complaints.

Overall: Sunshine was in my top ten for a long time, but eventually I needed to push a show out and this was the clear weak link. I still love it, though, and I hope to rewatch it someday soon after also rewatching the original Love Live. I really enjoyed the dynamic it had with its beloved predecessor. Love Live: Nijigasaki may as well have been in its own continuity since it never referenced either of the prior shows, and I thought that was a missed opportunity. Sunshine was brave enough to face the legacy of 's. In my opinion, Aqours also eventually surpassed them.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/6/8/1/AABz_zAAD57B.jpg

CHARACTER: Tsushima Yohane Yoshiko (Love Live: Sunshine)
https://myanimelist.net/character/135408/Yoshiko_Tsushima
Voiced by: Kobayashi Aika
TOP 100 RANK: 81st

SPOILERS FOR LOVE LIVE: SUNSHINE

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ouau-Y7FMg
(From very early on, no real spoilers)

Kasumi from Nijigasaki is just barely my favorite Love Live character, but Yohane is a close second! Shes so much fun. I love her fallen angel persona. Her chuuni tendencies are always hilarious, full of egotistical declarations and dark fantasies. Things usually dont go well for Yohane, either. Its fun watching her get injured or ignored. The video I linked is her intro where she falls out of a tree and is trying desperately to act like it didnt hurt her legs. Then Hanamaru completely undercuts her fallen angel persona, and all Yohane can do is flee in tears. Shes great.

Like everyone else, Yohane adds a lot to the group dynamic. She loans them fallen angel costumes early on, and I was so glad they eventually released figures of those because everyone looked amazing in them. Yohane forms a great bond with Riko over the seasons, too. I also like how she, and the rest of Aqours, face some of the later plot stuff. Unlike 's, Aqours isnt able to keep its school from closing. These girls have so much to be sad about, but they dont let it break them. They all keep pushing forward doing the best they can, no matter what. I enjoyed that a lot.

Ill just say one more thing as proof that Yohane is amazing. They recently announced a spinoff in a fantasy setting, and shes going to be the star! I am ridiculously hyped for Yohane of the Parhelion, whether itll be a movie or a special or a new series or what, I dont care. Im excited. I appreciate this tacit admission that Yohane is the best. After all, I dont see any other Love Live girl getting their own spinoff!

COMING UP TOMORROW:
16: Most people dont even realize this anime exists.
C4: This character can barely talk to anyone.
15: This anime is turning down the cutest girl in school.

Minor ranking spoilers: Yes that's my old #1 favorite. After lots of consideration, it wound up falling all the way out of my top ten

Man, I love how in that performance, the third years' uniforms change from those of their old group to Aqours

16. Watamote: No Matter How I Look At It, It's You Guys' Fault I'm Not Popular!
https://myanimelist.net/anime/16742/Watashi_ga_Motenai_no_wa_Dou_Kangaetemo_Omaera_ga_Warui
Summer 2013 (12 episodes)
My Score: 9/10, MAL Score: 7.00/10
Best Character: Kuroki Tomoko

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZYq7rat9d4

My Tomoko figure: https://imgur.com/CqGpzhF

Premise: After playing countless visual novels and dating sims, Kuroki Tomoko thought she was ready for her inevitable popularity in high school. Instead, to her surprise, no one has interacted with her at all.

The Good: Watamote is a cringe comedy about Tomoko, a girl who is a crazy otaku on the inside but has paralyzing social anxiety on the outside. Most of the jokes are about just how bonkers her thoughts can get, or how awkward her actions are. Early on, Tomoko finally psyches herself up to go to a fast food restaurant alone. Then, uh oh, some of her classmates come in too and sit near the door. Tomoko can't leave now, because if they see her eating here alone her reputation will be ruined! Tomoko has to sneak into the washroom and alter her appearance into an elaborate disguise before she can escape. It's hilarious seeing just how far off the deep end she can go during normal everyday situations that don't matter to anyone except for her.

However, the cringe comedy isn't why I love Watamote. My favorite thing is just how much I related to Tomoko's social anxiety. Her internal self is obviously taken to hilarious extremes. She regularly wishes death on people with friends, thinks girls who talk to boys are bitchy sluts, and so on. Tomoko also dreams of having friends and being popular with boys, so it's clear this is just her lashing out due to jealousy. I love how all of her mean-spirited insanity is confined to her thoughts. From the outside, Tomoko is the perfect representation of social anxiety. There are lots of anime with a shy main character, but none of them struck me as realistic. Komi from Komi Can't Communicate is incapable of speaking, yet everyone loves and worships her. Bocchi from Hitoribocchi is awkward, but she quickly makes three best friends who accept her strangeness. I also grew up with social anxiety, and Tomoko is the closest to my experience with it. Even though she's constantly terrified that everyone is judging her, most people don't even realize she exists.

The Bad: Some of the cringe comedy can get a little too cringe for my tastes. This was my number one favorite anime for a lot of years, but most of that love was due to how relatable Tomoko was. When I rewatched Watamote, I was sad to see that some of the situations just made me uncomfortable. I still loved a lot of the humor, just not enough to justify a top ten, never mind the coveted number one spot.

Overall: Watamote, in my mind, has two halves. My favorite thing was examining Tomoko's character. It was interesting to see how she viewed the world, as well as how other people viewed her (or, more commonly, how they never even noticed her at all). The other half is a cringe comedy. I loved a lot of those jokes, but some went too far for my tastes. Watamote used to be my favorite anime of all time, and it slipped down a bit after a rewatch. I still love Tomoko, though, because she really does embody my experience with social anxiety. It isn't cute like in Hitoribocchi or mysterious like in Komi Can't Communicate. It's just sad, awkward, and lonely, and Tomoko knows all of those feelings well.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/5/6/2/AAcDcBAAD6Iy.jpg

CHARACTER: Kuroki Tomoko (Watamote)
https://myanimelist.net/character/50057/Tomoko_Kuroki
Voiced by: Kitta Izumi
TOP 100 RANK: 4th

SPOILERS FOR WATAMOTE

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4srPBTz1XQ

I absolutely love that video of Tomoko ordering food at a WcDonalds. It's the perfect example of how she appears to the rest of the world. We, as the viewers, get to see into Tomoko's insane thoughts. We get to see her during her private time where she's fantasizing about sadistic boys or coming up with zany schemes to become popular. All of that is invisible to everyone else. To that fast food worker, Tomoko is just quiet and awkward, and she'll be forgotten about entirely in a few minutes. As someone else who grew up with social anxiety, I relate to that side of Tomoko a lot. The best way I can describe social anxiety is the constant, crippling fear that everyone is judging you at all times. It's impossible to have a conversation because 90% of your focus is devoted to trying to imagine how they're seeing you. Of course, the truth is, no one cares about other people that much, and especially not about the quiet kid who never calls attention to themself.

It's amazing just how many little things Tomoko did that I could personally relate to. One subplot was about her finding a quiet corner of the school to eat her lunch. I did that too! For all of high school, I sat in a corner of the second floor western hallway. Even when I finally did make a few friends, I was never brave enough to eat with them. Tomoko had an awkward friend from middle school who turned hot and popular in high school. Even though Yuu is still friendly and genuine, it hurts Tomoko to see her success. I related with that feeling of being left behind. I also empathized with how Tomoko could latch onto the tiniest interactions and become obsessed with them. She meets one guy a few times, he's just nice and normal, but she starts fantasizing about how he likes her. For a lot of people, all of this is part of the cringe comedy. For me, it was like my teen years were being faithfully reenacted by a cute anime girl.

Towards the end of the anime, Tomoko begins to wonder what her classmates are saying about her when she's not in the room. She sets up a recording device in order to find out. She's hoping for praise after her recent heroism when she killed a cockroach. The viewer is probably expecting disgust, because a lot of people were really grossed out when she killed that cockroach. The sad reality is that no one is talking about Tomoko at all. It took a lot of growth and maturity before I realized the truth. No one cared as much as I always thought they did. Poor Tomoko will probably realize that someday too, but for now she gave me a lot of laughs and discomfort by being so realistically awkward.

The cringe parts of Watamote were a bit too far for me, so the anime didn't work for me. However I did enjoy the manga quite a bit.

I've heard that the Watamote manga eventually becomes more or less a yuri harem, which definitely makes me interested in checking it out someday!

15. Gamers!
https://myanimelist.net/anime/34280/Gamers
Summer 2017 (12 episodes)
My Score: 9/10, MAL Score: 6.78/10
Best Character: Aguri

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KE2ncZsxz50

Premise: Amano Keita, a normal gamer guy, is approached one day by Tendou Karen, the cutest girl in school. She wants him to join the new video game club, but he surprises everyone by turning her down.

The Good: Gamers is a comedy that uses the framework of an awkward romantic comedy to tell jokes. Fair warning, I had a lot of trouble explaining why I love this anime in this write-up. When I describe the plot in a second, it's going to sound like a standard romantic comedy. It isn't, though. I didn't really like this when I first watched it years ago. It was originally in the 4/10s, and I only rewatched it because I didn't remember it very well. I'm not sure what my past self was thinking, because Gamers is amazing. My best guess is that I kept waiting for it to turn into a normal romantic comedy, and that I got frustrated when it didn't go that way. When I rewatched it knowing the kind of show it was, I finally noticed the brilliance.

The plot is essentially that there are two guys and three girls and they all get caught up in a complex web of crushes, misunderstandings, and awkwardness. Lots of romantic comedies have those things, but usually they're played for drama or are focused on building towards relationships. Gamers, by comparison, wallows in the confusion and uses it for hilarious jokes. It isn't about the characters getting together or drama or anything like that. It's about using romantic comedy plot beats for jokes, and it's amazing just how tangled everything becomes.

Each character believes different things about the relationships between every other character. Almost all of it is misunderstandings, but you can always see why they think that because they misheard a conversation or made the wrong assumption. This kind of stuff always infuriated me in actual romantic comedies. I'm the type who wants the characters to get past the drama and get together. I hate misunderstandings that could be solved by a simple conversation. In Gamers, the confusion is so wonderfully woven together that, even when they do finally sit down to talk and resolve a misunderstanding, they also step on a landmine and two completely different misunderstandings take its place. It was beautifully written and always funny.

The Bad: The final episode isn't great. It's basically one long joke about how DLC in gaming sucks. The episode itself is essentially crappy DLC. I mean, I get it, but its still meh. I was here for the awkward relationship jokes, not the gaming discussions. The first eleven episodes were still magical, at least.

Overall: I don't think I did a good job explaining why I love Gamers. Romantic comedies always have that thing where a character walks in at exactly the wrong moment and hears something out of context and it creates a huge misunderstanding. In those shows, it's played for drama, and the point is about seeing the characters overcome it and grow closer. In Gamers, the focus is on chaining those misunderstandings together into a beautifully convoluted web of awkwardness. The humor comes from seeing just how deep the confusion can get. I had a lot of fun keeping track of what each of five characters thought about everyone else at any given time, and the jokes always made me laugh.

COMING UP TOMORROW:
14: This anime tried to climb higher in the ranking, but then it began bleeding from every orifice.
C35: This character wants to find their mother.
13: This anime is being sent back in time.
C18: This character sees everything in black and white.

Oh wow I thought everyone hated Gamers. The last 2 episodes or so weren't great but outside of that I had a lot of fun with the show. Really entertaining comedy for me.

Watamote fun times. Pretty interesting to see how the manga evolves. Haven't caught up on it in a few years though. Emoji girl the best.

pyresword posted...

Oh wow I thought everyone hated Gamers.

hi, I'm everyone. I didn't find it that funny and the character interactions weren't great either. The most enjoyable parts were when they were actually gaming, which was less than 10% of the show.

14. Made in Abyss
https://myanimelist.net/anime/34599/Made_in_Abyss
Summer 2017 (12 episodes), Summer 2022 (12 episodes) plus 1 movie
My Score: 9/10, MAL Score: 8.67/10 S1, 8.71/10 S2
Best Character: Riko

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e91G8m9uM_0

Premise: The Abyss is an impossibly deep chasm filled with monsters and curses that become more severe the further down one goes. Riko, a young girl training as a cave diver, decides to go all the way to the bottom in the hopes of finding her mother.

The Good: Made in Abyss is a dark adventure anime about descending the titular chasm. The art style is kind of cute, I mean look at that image of Riko below, but don't be fooled. This isn't about a little girl going on a happy adventure. The society that's sprung up around the edge of the Abyss is dedicated to exploring it, including training orphans and sending them down when theyre still kids. Riko finds an amnesiac robot named Reg during one of her trips, and soon after she recieves a note from her missing mother apparently asking to meet at the bottom of the Abyss. She teams up with Reg, who has abilities like a powerful beam and extendable arms, and the two head in on an adventure that will surely end in their deaths one way or another.

My favorite part about this anime is the setting. The Abyss is full of freaky monsters, terrifying curses, and tons of little details that are so much fun to speculate about. They often find skeletons of people who died in a praying position, for example. I just think stuff like that is neat, it makes the Abyss feel so incomprehensibly ancient and unknowable. I also love the various rules it has, like the different stages of the curse that impact anyone who ascends in the Abyss. It starts with powerful nausea, but lower levels can cause bleeding from every orifice or even death. The only reason all of this doesn't become too dark to watch is that Riko is such a strong person. She wants to get to the bottom of the Abyss to find her mother, and she refuses to let anything get her down or stop her. It's so interesting watching her descent into the insanity of the Abyss.

The Bad: I really loved the first season and the movie. The second season was really good too, but I still thought it was a bit of a step back. It got bogged down in one place that honestly wasn't as interesting as the rest of the Abyss. Having said that, the animation was still really high quality, and I enjoyed watching it a lot. It just wasn't my favorite part of the show.

Overall: Made in Abyss is an anime that often gets exceedingly dark. It isn't a place for the faint-hearted, which makes it kind of terrifying that the main character is a little girl like Riko. She always greets each new encounter with enthusiasm and optimism, however. She also refuses to let anything stop her. I love the strange setting of the Abyss, and Reg is good too, but Riko was easily my favorite character. This is an excellent anime full of neat little details, beautiful animation, and encounters full of tension and dread.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/4/6/3/AAcDcBAAD6W3.jpg

CHARACTER: Riko (Made in Abyss)
https://myanimelist.net/character/137239/Riko
Voiced by: Tomita Miyu
TOP 100 RANK: 35th

SPOILERS FOR MADE IN ABYSS

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFNFbDeIycs
(Video doesnt have subtitles, but the dialogue isnt as important)

Riko is the kind of person whose relentless enthusiasm rubs off on everyone around them. Reg has lost his memories, but he wants to learn more about what he is. He's easily swept up in Riko's mission to go to the bottom of the Abyss. The two set off together and overcome early obstacles like freaky corpse eating birds. Then they reach a base in a lower level, and this is where we learn a bit more about Riko. It turns out that she was dead when she was born in the Abyss and an artifact revived her. Ozen says that, once Riko could crawl, she always went towards the Abyss. It hasn't come up much since, but I thought that was a scary detail. Riko thinks she's on this journey to find her mother, but theres an implication that something much more sinister might be what's beckoning her deeper.

One of my favorite things about Riko is just how strong she is. She treats the dangers of the Abyss with well-deserved caution and respect. However, Riko never lets anything break her. This is best seen in the events surrounding the video I linked. While retreating from a monster, Reg is forced to ascend and expose Riko to the curse where she bleeds from every orifice. Her arm is also poisoned, and she asks Reg to amputate it below the elbow. We're treated to a horrific scene of him breaking the bone and beginning to cut before, thankfully, Nanachi arrives to take over medical duties. It isn't until a bit later that we learn just how strong Riko was at that moment. Asking Reg to cut above the elbow would've allowed her to attach something to the stump and continue their journey. Even when bleeding, poisoned, and overtaken by incredible pain, Riko still wasn't giving up.

I thought the second season was a bit of a step down. The village simply wasn't a very interesting location and a lot of things about it didn't make sense to me. The three main characters were also split up for most of it. Nanachi was taking a nap, and Reg just kind of wandered back and forth. At least Riko's plotline was good. She was out there meeting everyone, forging relationships, and getting to the bottom of ancient mysteries. I liked her cute friendship with Maaa quite a bit. I also enjoyed moments like when she used critical thinking to kill a weird flying purple slime creature. Riko may not have the abilities Reg does, but her knowledge and mental fortitude are both second to none. Made in Abyss would be too bleak to watch if Riko weren't as strong as she is, so I'm glad she's the main character.

13. Iroduku: The World in Colors
https://myanimelist.net/anime/37497/Irozuku_Sekai_no_Ashita_kara
Fall 2018 (13 episodes)
My Score: 9/10, MAL Score: 7.52/10
Best Character: Tsukishiro Hitomi

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

Premise: Tsukishiro Hitomi, a girl who can't see colors and is withdrawn from the world, gets sent sixty years into the past by her witch grandmother. Now in 2018, she meets aspiring artist Aoi Yuito, and his drawings are the only thing Hitomi can see in color.

The Good: Iroduku is a drama/romance anime. It's another original story from PA Works, who also made Aquatope and Hanasaku Iroha. All three of these shows have similarities, like they were built using different combinations of the same ideas. They're all about girls going into the world and finding themselves, which I loved. Aquatope and Iroduku both have magical realism which allows for striking visuals and creates a beautiful world. What held back Aquatope and Iroha for me was another element they shared, the nightmarish workplace. Iroduku doesn't have that, so I guess it makes sense why it appealed to me so much. It was the perfect combination of the things I love from a PA Works original without any of the things I hated.

It's set in a world nearly identical to reality, only some people have magic powers. Witches can imbue sand with properties that create pretty images or help calm people down, for example, but there are flashier spells too. In the year 2078, Hitomi is a teenager descended from a long line of witches. She hates magic, however, because her mother was born without any powers and it eventually drove her away. Hitomi is deeply depressed and withdrawn, a state of mind thematically shown by how she sees the world in monochrome. On the night of a big festival, Hitomi's grandmother sends her back in time to 2018. Her only explanation is that Hitomi will figure out what to do once she gets there.

She meets lots of people in 2018, including Kohaku, her grandmother's younger self. Hitomi joins a joint art/photography club while attending the local high school, and there she grows closer with aspiring artist Yuito. He's another lost soul trying to find his place in the world. For some reason, his drawings are the only thing Hitomi can see in color, and sometimes they even come alive in stunning visual sequences. Iroduku is about all these people interacting and learning things about the world and about themselves. I thought it was a beautiful story.

The Bad: I can't think of any problems with Iroduku. It would've been nice if it were even longer so I could've spent more time with the characters, I suppose.

Overall: Iroduku isn't action-packed or full of twists and turns. It's a slow-paced heartwarming story about various teenagers getting to know each other and growing as a result. I loved pretty much everything about Hitomi's journey into the past. She formed some truly special relationships with everyone. I also loved the magical realism, and it led to a lot of moments with beautiful visuals.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/5/5/2/AAcDcBAAD6YQ.png

CHARACTER: Tsukishiro Hitomi (Iroduku: The World in Colors)
https://myanimelist.net/character/160190/Hitomi_Tsukishiro
Voiced by: Ishihara Kaori
TOP 100 RANK: 18th

SPOILERS FOR IRODUKU: THE WORLD IN COLORS

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLRZDQNjWtw
(Subtitles arent in English but there isn't much dialogue and it's the least important part of the scene)

I think Hitomi is a wonderful character. She begins the story at such a low point. Her mother always hated being born without any magical powers. Once Hitomi's powers manifested, her mother abandoned her. Ever since, Hitomi has hated magic, and in her depression she can only see the world in black and white. Then her grandmother sends her sixty years into the past, seemingly at random, and Hitomi is thrust into a strange new world. The early parts of the story detail her meeting her family in 2018, including her future grandmother Kohaku. She also starts going to high school and joins the art/photography club. The people she meets there all turn out to be very special.

One thing I loved about Iroduku was how, even though they're all still immature teens, they're also good people who are always trying their best. Hitomi unwittingly becomes part of a love triangle with Shou and Asagi. She's shocked and not sure what to do when Shou asks her out, and Asagi is hurt and begins avoiding her. When Hitomi finally turns him down, though, Shou accepts the rejection with no hard feelings. Her and Asagi also quickly make up because they all recognize that no one did anything wrong. It was all just the sad result of messy emotions colliding, and that's simply part of life. After seeing the wonderful friendships Hitomi found in 2018, it made sense that she matured and began coming out of her shell.

Still, her most important relationship by far is the one with Yuito. I loved how they both supported each others passions and helped each other grow. For Yuito it was drawing and for Hitomi it was magic, but they were both consumed by doubts. Hitomi loved Yuito's art because they let her see colors, and he was inspired by her magic. After her mother ran away, Hitomi thought magic could only make people miserable. Realizing it made Yuito happy was a big turning point for her, and I loved how they even combined their passions by using magic to enter his drawings. They really were great for each other, which is what makes the ending so bittersweet.

Hitomi is from sixty years in the future, after all, and pretty soon she'll need to return there. Despite their attraction, both her and Yuito are afraid to start anything. The video I linked is one of the most amazing sequences I've ever seen in an anime. Without any dialogue until the very end, her and Yuito finally reached out to each other and embraced. Even though Hitomi went back to the future soon after, the influence they had on each other remained. Hitomi accepted magic and she could see colors again. Even if it didn't last very long, I thought their relationship was meaningful and sweet. People don't need to be together for very long to change each other forever.

COMING UP TOMORROW:
12: This anime is surrounded by countless ghosts.
C78: This character is terrified of the supernatural.
C23: This character enjoys helping spirits with whatever problems they might have.

We have two days of one anime/two characters and then we'll be into the top ten!

Greatly disliked Irozuku, though it's another one I barely remember. I was primed to be down out it right from the premise, though - why go back to modern day rather than spending time in the much more interesting future? So disappointing.

MiA S2 does lack some of the spirit of adventure that S1 had, though there is still some of that. What it gave me instead was incredible emotion. I cried a lot, particularly in the second half. Plus, the production values are just bananas in every respect. The direction is the best I've seen in any anime this year, or probably a few years previous. Sad we'll be waiting many years for more, but I'm quite happy with what we have.

Made in Abyss is great. It's a show where I have a lot of trouble putting into words why I like it; probably because to me it's just so unlike anything else out there. Obviously the production values are incredibly good, but something about the writing an artistic direction is just enrapturing. I really liked season 2 a lot.

I'm officially done rewatching anime! I made quite a few schedules over the last few months to make sure I rewatched everything I wanted to before I reached it in the ranking, but I never met my optimistic goals and I kept falling behind. By the top 100, I was never more than a few days ahead. In any case, I'd like to thank everyone again for being patient while I did that. Now it's finally time to turn my attention towards recommendations.

We'll reach #1 in the ranking on November 30th, but that won't be the end of things! I'll work through the recommendations for as long as it takes into December. Once I've completed all of them, I'll sort them into my ranking and post a big final list. There are still a few people who sometimes post in the topic who haven't recommended anything, and maybe there are even a few lurkers I don't know about (I can dream), but don't worry! I'm still accepting recommendations, and I'll give at least a few days warning before I stop. If you'd rather wait until after my top ten, that's fine. I hope I get a few more recommendations, though! Watching anime is fun, and I'll be sad when this big project finally ends.

REMAINING RECOMMENDATIONS
Beastars (Bane_of_Despair)
Cromartie High School (cyko)
Kaguya-sama S2 and S3 (handsomeboy2012)
Kaiji (Reg)
March Comes in Like a Lion (changmas)
Mob Psycho 100 (Sheep007)
Record of Ragnarok (GavEvans123)
Vinland Saga (NFUN)

FUNIMATION ANIME (I'll do these at the very end, either with a free trial or just paying for one month. I'm saving them for last just in case someone else recs a Funimation anime)
Sakura Quest (pyresword)
The Tatami Galaxy (Sceptilesolar)

COMPLETED
86 (NBIceman)
Kiki's Delivery Service (Xeybozn)
Rokka: Braves of the Six Flowers (CoolCly)
Sasami-san@Ganbarenai (MacArrowny)
Talentless Nana (Cody11533)
Tsukigakirei (KommunistKoala)

pyresword posted...

Oh wow I thought everyone hated Gamers.

hey, once you look past the misogyny and homophobia and racism, they're not that bad! Aside from the body odor and condescension and

NFUN posted...

hey, once you look past the misogyny and homophobia and racism, they're not that bad! Aside from the body odor and condescension and

I added it to my watch list after the writeup. Seems like I might need to rethink

The nature of gamers is a question that Gamers occasionally explores! (When it isn't busy being full of epic misunderstandings)

https://imgur.com/ECmveNV

12. Re-Kan!
https://myanimelist.net/anime/25859/Re-Kan
Spring 2015 (13 episodes)
My Score: 9/10, MAL Score: 6.75/10
Best Characters: Amami Hibiki, Inoue Narumi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bO3MnzaL8ko

Premise: The new transfer student is nice and friendly, but for Inoue Narumi theres one big problem with her. Amami Hibiki can interact with ghosts, which is a constant source of terror for Narumi.

The Good: Re-Kan is a supernatural comedy. Hibiki can see ghosts, but, unlike Miko in Mieruko-chan, she isnt afraid of them and they cant do any harm. Hibiki befriends the spirits who cross her path, doing everything she can to help them and make their afterlife pleasant. When she transfers to a new school, supernatural occurrences become commonplace. Most students take it in stride. For Narumi, however, being Hibiki's friend is terrifying! I wont claim that Re-Kan is an amazing anime that will appeal to everyone, but it really appealed to me specifically. I enjoyed the comedic parts. Hibiki has a lot of zany ghostly friends, including a samurai, a bound spirit, and so on. Most of her human friends never get a lot of focus, but theyre fine as people to react to the supernatural shenanigans.

Still, the thing I found funniest was Narumi. She is afraid of ghosts and is constantly freaking out in the most hilarious ways. The video I linked for her character write-up is a six second one where Hibiki is being dragged off by friendly child ghosts who want to play. The way Narumi panics and screams is amazing. Her unbridled terror was endlessly amusing to me. Another comedic character in this is a cat, and Hibiki's powers let her hear its thoughts. The cat is the archetypal pervert character always trying to look up skirts, which frightens Hibiki as much as ghosts do Narumi. Normally I hate pervert characters, but for some reason turning it into a cat made it amusing. It helps that Hibiki is always surrounded by an army of spirits who are looking out for her, so the cat is usually taken down in slapstick ways without ever getting close to her.

Re-Kan also has a serious heartwarming side. Quite a few plots deal with helping ghosts move on, or helping them pass something on to still-living loved ones. Hibiki is willing to do everything she can for her ghostly friends. Im a sucker for stories like that, and Re-Kan made me tear up more than once. The plots were the perfect balance of sad yet happy, and it never became melodramatic.

The Bad: The human side characters in Re-Kan arent bad, but theyre easily the weakest part of the anime. They all only have one trait to set them apart, and none of them are as amazing as Narumi's terror. While I didnt mind the perverted cat, another character has a policeman brother who likes to hit on high-school girls. He was the absolute worst. I just refuse to let a side character's support character ruin the rest of the anime for me.

Overall: Re-Kan probably isnt for everyone, but I absolutely loved it. Hibiki is such a genuinely friendly girl, and I enjoyed watching her interact with everyone whether they were human or spirit. Narumi was also always terrified in really amusing ways. Most of the side characters werent great, but the main two more than made up for them. I loved the heartfelt stories some of the ghosts had as well.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/6/0/AAcDcBAAD6k4.jpg

CHARACTER: Inoue Narumi (Re-Kan)
https://myanimelist.net/character/119717/Narumi_Inoue
Voiced by: Itou Miku
TOP 100 RANK: 78th

SPOILERS FOR RE-KAN

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpREGB1WFn8
(No subtitles in this video but its five seconds long and the dialogue isnt important)

I already talked in the anime write-up about how hilarious Narumis terror always was. That video is six seconds of her screaming because Hibiki is being dragged off by ghosts, but the voice acting is perfect and it really made me laugh. Re-Kan is full of wonderful moments where Narumi is panicking or screaming or cowering, and I loved all of it.

I also loved her relationship with Hibiki, even beyond the hilarious terror. They get along with each other really well. Narumi is a tsundere, and its only exacerbated by Hibiki being a lightning rod for ghostly shenanigans, but it still makes sense why they grow so close so fast. There was also some wonderful yuri teasing between them. It never goes anywhere real, sadly, but I loved one joke when they met Hibikis father. Hes almost exactly like Narumi. Hes so terrified of ghosts that his hair has long since turned grey. When the friends consider that girls sometimes go for a romantic partner who is similar to their father, and Narumi is just like her father, Hibiki is left blushing and fidgeting. Notably, she doesnt deny it. Even the perverted cat calls out the obvious chemistry between the two of them!

Narumi is also often a part of the heartfelt ghostly stories, usually against her will. She plays with children without realizing theyre spirits until after. Hibiki often communicates with the ghost of Narumi's beloved grandmother, too, which leaves her torn between being glad shes there and terrified at the ghostly presence. I also really liked the one subplot with Narumi's cousin who lost his father. They help him come to terms with the death just in time for him to be a good big brother to his newborn sibling. Narumi's terror was hilarious, but I also loved it when she overcame that and helped Hibiki out with her ghostly adventures.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/6/1/AAcDcBAAD6k5.jpg

CHARACTER: Amami Hibiki (Re-Kan)
https://myanimelist.net/character/119715/Hibiki_Amami
Voiced by: Kido Ibuki
TOP 100 RANK: 23rd

SPOILERS FOR RE-KAN

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xloHK2B57MY
(This is just the ED. Re-Kan clips are surprisingly rare on Youtube! I like the bit where friendly Hibiki is smiling and running up to Narumi, who is of course shrieking because of the wall of spirits right behind her)

Hibiki is just such a sweetheart. Even knowing that the ghosts are harmless, a lot of people would eventually start getting annoyed at the sheer amount she deals with on a daily basis. Hibiki embraces her abilities, however, and she loves doing everything she can to help anyone she comes across. Hibiki leaves candy as an offering for child ghosts, cleans the samurai ghost's grave, goes out of her way to visit the bound spirit, and so on. The only thing that frightens her is the perverted cat, so thankfully her ghost friends normally take him out before he can reach her.

For a long time, Hibiki struggled to make human friends. Thats why its so nice to see her be accepted at her new school. There are a few hurdles. Narumi's terror is an ongoing problem, though Hibiki's persistent kindness quickly wins her over. When they all move to second year, the new students need some time to get used to it. Hibiki values her friends, even beyond the point a normal person would. One plot was about how shes running herself ragged trying to keep up with all her ghostly upkeep, so Narumi insists she wear glasses that block her powers for a few days just to get some rest. Hibiki misses the spirits, but she sticks to the promise. Even when a little girl goes missing and she wants to get her ghost friends to help look, Hibiki still calls Narumi to get permission to take off the glasses. This shows how awkward Hibiki still is with friendships, but Narumi is patient and understanding while explaining that she obviously wouldnt hate her for breaking a small promise in that scenario.

There were quite a few heartfelt stories too. I liked the one where Hibiki made a grumpy old man some Valentines Day chocolates at the request if his dead wife who was worried because this would be his first year without her. The final plot was great too. Hibiki always wanted to meet the ghost of her mother, but it turns out that spirit was residing inside of her and powering her ghost-seeing abilities. For at least one night, all the other spirits Hibiki had befriended took over that duty so that her mother could come out. There were some complications after where Hibiki temporarily lost her powers, and the way she reacted showed just how much she treasured her sixth sense. I was glad when she got her powers back at the end. Hibiki is such a sweet girl, and I enjoyed her friendship with Narumi and the way she helped everyone, both living and dead.

COMING UP TOMORROW:
11: This anime is having problems with adolescence.
C54: This character strives to be the best younger sibling possible.
C14: Not many people are noticing this character anymore.

I know no one but me has seen or cares about Re-Kan, but I still gave it the best write-up I could!