Top Five Anime TV Shows
Behold my first entry in awhile and one that took a lot of soul searching on my part. Ok not really, but I did think about it and hopefully I have not left any thing out.
There are a few rules as well for this list and they are as follows:
1) I have to have actually seen the anime in its entirety
2) To make the list the show must have at least 13 episodes
3) No shows currently airing will make the list
Honorable Mention: Neon Genesis Evangelion, Trigun, Berserk, Crest of the Stars, Rurouni Kenshin, Battle Athletes Victory, Blue Seed
Special Honorable Mention: Dragon Ball Z
This gets a Special Honorable Mention because while it did not make my Top 5 List it was however the show that got me into anime and still holds a special place in my heart. Sure there is some poor animation in spots, and the fights may drag on to long, but no one can deny the effect it has had on many just like myself, introducing them to a world of fantastic cartoons from Japan.
Also, don’t take what I just said as a knock on the show, I still love it and watch it from time to time, but it is no longer Top 5 material.
5) Hikaru no Go - 76 Episodes
Who would have thought a show about a board game that ran for 76 episodes would be compelling? Not me, but I was proven wrong with this show about a young boy name Hikaru who discovers an old Go board in his grandfathers shed which just happens to be haunted by a ghost named Sai, a former Go trainer from hundreds of years ago, who is looking to complete the perfect game aptly called “The Hand of God”.
What this show does that not many others do is age the characters as time passes (which I myself did not noticed until the third opening sequence around Episode 60) and not only do the characters age, they also become more mature as their relationships change and grow.
4) The Vision of Escaflowne - 26 Episodes
Hopefully you didn’t read the title of this anime and remember back to the crappy dub job that Fox aired about 8 years ago. This show offers so much more than what Fox allowed it too. From beautiful animation, a stunning score and some of the best characters ever to grace an anime Escaflowne is a must watch for any new anime fan. It’s got swords and sorcery, an evil plot, giant robots, romance, a cat-girl, and an interesting little twist. However, Escaflowne is an amalgamation of many genres and pulls it off perfectly
The story is about a high school girl named Hitomi who is whisked away to the magical world of Gaea where she is dragged into a plot that leaves her new found home’s future in the balance. It is also here that she encounters the aforementioned list of things. I recently re-watched this series and while the show still holds up really well, the ending has made me rethink its place in my Top 5.
3) Princess Nine - 26 Episodes
I’m going to admit something here that some may find embarrassing. I like a show about girl’s baseball. There I said it. Does that make you think less of me? Well if it does, I don’t care, but you may want to check out this show as it is one of the best sports shows ever created.
Scandals from the past, romance, and a hell of a lot of drama are littered through out this little known show which follows Ryo Hayakawa, a 15 year old girl with a hell of a pitching arm, and her quest to fight against adversity in a league dominated by men and take the first ever all girls team all the way to the Koshien (which is like the Japanese High School equivalent of the World Series). Watch it. Love it. Recommend it to your friends.
2) Fullmetal Alchemist - 51 Episodes + 1 Movie
Here is another show that I have recently finished watching and I absolutely fell in love with it. The show questions the morality of playing God if one was given the powers to do so. Edward and Alphonse Elric are two brothers who lost there mother at a young age. With knowledge in the science of alchemy the two attempt to bring their mother back to life, but without anything to offer with equal trade screw up badly and wind up missing limbs, or with their soul placed in a robot’s body.
The show follows the adventures of the two brothers as they go on a quest for the mysterious Philosopher’s Stone, an artifact that might be able to restore themselves to their former bodies without having to follow the laws of alchemy. This show will really make you think by it’s conclusion, and if it doesn’t, well, that’s ok too.
1) Cowboy Bebop - 26 Episodes + 1 Movie
The anime that defies all genres and becomes a genre unto itself. Or so the creator had hoped upon the show’s release (which he also succeeded at in my opinion).
Spike and Jet are Intergalactic Bounty Hunters (or Cowboys) aboard the ship known as the Bebop (see where the got the name from). The show follows their adventures usually in stand alone episodes with an underlying thread tying everything together. Along the way they pick up several new crew members, deal with a variety of things ranging from psychopaths, to guys dressed as teddy bears, to mushrooms (the drug kind). The show culminates in a two part finale that knocked my socks off (yes I just said that) and is the single best ending to an anime TV show ever.
Any anime fan who hasn’t seen this needs to go out right away and do so, and anyone who is looking at getting into anime should start right here. Seriously, go now.
There are several animes which I have not finished watching yet that very well may make the list in the future (Naruto, Bleach, Hajime no Ippo) but that would be a list for another time.
There are a few rules as well for this list and they are as follows:
1) I have to have actually seen the anime in its entirety
2) To make the list the show must have at least 13 episodes
3) No shows currently airing will make the list
Honorable Mention: Neon Genesis Evangelion, Trigun, Berserk, Crest of the Stars, Rurouni Kenshin, Battle Athletes Victory, Blue Seed
Special Honorable Mention: Dragon Ball Z
This gets a Special Honorable Mention because while it did not make my Top 5 List it was however the show that got me into anime and still holds a special place in my heart. Sure there is some poor animation in spots, and the fights may drag on to long, but no one can deny the effect it has had on many just like myself, introducing them to a world of fantastic cartoons from Japan.
Also, don’t take what I just said as a knock on the show, I still love it and watch it from time to time, but it is no longer Top 5 material.
5) Hikaru no Go - 76 Episodes
Who would have thought a show about a board game that ran for 76 episodes would be compelling? Not me, but I was proven wrong with this show about a young boy name Hikaru who discovers an old Go board in his grandfathers shed which just happens to be haunted by a ghost named Sai, a former Go trainer from hundreds of years ago, who is looking to complete the perfect game aptly called “The Hand of God”.
What this show does that not many others do is age the characters as time passes (which I myself did not noticed until the third opening sequence around Episode 60) and not only do the characters age, they also become more mature as their relationships change and grow.
4) The Vision of Escaflowne - 26 Episodes
Hopefully you didn’t read the title of this anime and remember back to the crappy dub job that Fox aired about 8 years ago. This show offers so much more than what Fox allowed it too. From beautiful animation, a stunning score and some of the best characters ever to grace an anime Escaflowne is a must watch for any new anime fan. It’s got swords and sorcery, an evil plot, giant robots, romance, a cat-girl, and an interesting little twist. However, Escaflowne is an amalgamation of many genres and pulls it off perfectly
The story is about a high school girl named Hitomi who is whisked away to the magical world of Gaea where she is dragged into a plot that leaves her new found home’s future in the balance. It is also here that she encounters the aforementioned list of things. I recently re-watched this series and while the show still holds up really well, the ending has made me rethink its place in my Top 5.
3) Princess Nine - 26 Episodes
I’m going to admit something here that some may find embarrassing. I like a show about girl’s baseball. There I said it. Does that make you think less of me? Well if it does, I don’t care, but you may want to check out this show as it is one of the best sports shows ever created.
Scandals from the past, romance, and a hell of a lot of drama are littered through out this little known show which follows Ryo Hayakawa, a 15 year old girl with a hell of a pitching arm, and her quest to fight against adversity in a league dominated by men and take the first ever all girls team all the way to the Koshien (which is like the Japanese High School equivalent of the World Series). Watch it. Love it. Recommend it to your friends.
2) Fullmetal Alchemist - 51 Episodes + 1 Movie
Here is another show that I have recently finished watching and I absolutely fell in love with it. The show questions the morality of playing God if one was given the powers to do so. Edward and Alphonse Elric are two brothers who lost there mother at a young age. With knowledge in the science of alchemy the two attempt to bring their mother back to life, but without anything to offer with equal trade screw up badly and wind up missing limbs, or with their soul placed in a robot’s body.
The show follows the adventures of the two brothers as they go on a quest for the mysterious Philosopher’s Stone, an artifact that might be able to restore themselves to their former bodies without having to follow the laws of alchemy. This show will really make you think by it’s conclusion, and if it doesn’t, well, that’s ok too.
1) Cowboy Bebop - 26 Episodes + 1 Movie
The anime that defies all genres and becomes a genre unto itself. Or so the creator had hoped upon the show’s release (which he also succeeded at in my opinion).
Spike and Jet are Intergalactic Bounty Hunters (or Cowboys) aboard the ship known as the Bebop (see where the got the name from). The show follows their adventures usually in stand alone episodes with an underlying thread tying everything together. Along the way they pick up several new crew members, deal with a variety of things ranging from psychopaths, to guys dressed as teddy bears, to mushrooms (the drug kind). The show culminates in a two part finale that knocked my socks off (yes I just said that) and is the single best ending to an anime TV show ever.
Any anime fan who hasn’t seen this needs to go out right away and do so, and anyone who is looking at getting into anime should start right here. Seriously, go now.
There are several animes which I have not finished watching yet that very well may make the list in the future (Naruto, Bleach, Hajime no Ippo) but that would be a list for another time.