Posted by Time for the July rankings – the new summer shows have been given a couple episodes to prove themselves, and for now, here’s how they stand. Needless to say, the new season isn’t looking too strong, but there are several shows that could surprise – although I doubt they are going to displace any of the top 5. How about combining some shows, like having Kotonoha finally pop a vein, and chopping down Pink Supervisor with a string of baka baka baka USODA!
Ranking notes at the bottom!
| July 2007 | Rank (LM) | Title | Comment |
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1 (1) | Gurren Lagann | No surprises here – even after an incredible “final battle” with Lord Genome, the peaceful, time jump episode turns out to be adrenaline filled, except this time a little more of my adrenaline went to a different place after seeing grown up Darry. The new character dynamics are intriguing and seem more real and developed; the characters look great and the new impending conflict seems oddly believable – something even Death Note couldn’t really pull off. Will GEASS be here next time? |
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2 (9) | Seirei no Moribito | Get used to seeing this here, as it’s coming out of the filler episodes and back into the story. Balsa’s continued struggle to uphold her values against her warrior’s heart is not only fascinating but also inspiring. Seirei also excels in providing a constant viewpoint from a “wise” authority, whether it be the shaman, the blacksmith, or the traveling teacher – one who can really bring the depths of the characters to the surface. |
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3 (2) | Lucky Star | You can nitpick at the Haruhi exploitation all you want, but in the end, Lucky Star continues to deliver week after week with its own unique brand of humor. One could even make the argument that the clever execution of the more elaborate references is what pushed the show to the next level. Not to mention Shiraishi’s performances, and now Akira’s “live performance” are gems in themselves. |
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4 (5) | Darker than BLACK | An original story that continues to use the dual episode mini-arc format – and leaves us drooling for more, more, more. The thread of plot running through the two arcs is really starting to come together… not to mention we’re getting a lot more of Amber. Or…less, as it seems that she gets younger with every use of her ability – a few more times and we could have a new loli on our hands -_- |
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5 (3) | Claymore | So Clare continues to suck, but at least she’s sucking less these days. Still, she’s nowhere in the same stratosphere as the other girls she’s constantly hanging out with – but that doesn’t really matter, does it? There really isn’t much of a coherent story going on, and the whole idea of Claymores and their individual skills probably will never make much sense, but the fact is, this show remains damn fun to watch. |
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6 (4) | Dennou Coil | The two sisters are getting kind of annoying in that they’re in way over their heads, but the show would probably be way too serious without them. Isako’s plans to nab herself an illegal once again showed off what a cool character she was, and episode 7 gave us some more in the way of a developing relationship between the girls. It’s cute, it’s cool, and it’s full of imagination – a color palette change away from a Ghibli production! |
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7 (6) | Romeo x Juliet | So why exactly did Juliet throw herself into the clutches of the evil regime? So we could have a rescue episode, of course. The show took an odd turn into semi-filler territory with Romeo’s relocation to the mines, and without a constant back and forth between R and J, it feels a bit odd. It’s hard to strike a balance with the source material and original adaptation, and I’m not sure if RxJ has found it yet. |
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8 (NEW) | Zero no Tsukaima ~Futatsuki no Kishi~ | Ah, good ol’ Louise returns with the first summer show on this list. It’s going as well as anyone could hope – the first episode reintroduced us to the textbook tsundere for the ages, and the second episode wasted no time and got straight back into the story. I do hope season 2 can retain the balance of comedy, drama, and adventure that was so well done previously, and maybe even add something extra to the mix. |
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9 (NEW) | Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei | Real unique show which I probably wouldn’t enjoy as much if it wasn’t for a.f.k.’s amazing subs. I’m still not convinced if this quirky style works that well for something like Zetsubou Sensei as it did for Negima, but with that said, it’s been a consistently solid show with flashes of brilliance more often than not. The character dynamics are a riot – they are so far away from the norm and contrast so much with each other, it’s hard not to laugh! |
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10 (14) | Terra e… | Similar to Darker than Black, Terra e has more than enough plot to go around so there’s no need to waste time or employ cheap tricks to fill any gaps – it’s maintained a strong continuous beat that keeps the story moving. It’s stayed away from being generic all this time, and later episodes really look like they’ll have some major impact. |
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11 (18) | Heroic Age | I’m not usually a fan of big robot looking monster creatures fighting each other, but these recent eps do a strangely good job of it. The douchebag brothers finally got replaced and DNA-ra finally stepped up, so without anything more slackers to hold this show back, it really took off. Too bad all that seemed to end so soon, with the war now won (?) and earth left for the taking. How much longer can this show last? |
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12 (NEW) | School Days | The true colors of this show likely won’t show up until much later, where it’ll either jump way up (well, not that up), or completely tank. Up to now, the intentional frustration and sexual tension (some MAJOR TENSION) has been enough to keep this show here, but if the acclaimed “most pathetic male lead of all time” doesn’t start manning up, not even those frivolous fanservice scenes will be enough to hold this spot. |
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13 (NEW) | Moetan | It’s way too loli, but that just plays into the whole parody aspect of this “fake” mahou shoujo show. And well, the parody makes all the difference, and catapults what would otherwise be a bottom-5 show all the way up here. The jokes are hilarious, the English phrases a blast, and that freakin’ duck just never lets up. Pretty sure it’s gonna get old real fast, though, especially with that Kuroi loli as competition. Still, I’m open to surprises. |
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14 (NEW) | Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai | Yes, it’s ranked under Moetan (!), but do not fear, it’s likely to only be temporary once Higurashi enters its element and starts butchering people again. Having Rika remain the central character in this arc seems to make more sense, and it’s a real bummer (in a good way) to have to watch her suffer through her endless cycle of death. Can Horie Yui’s character take this show to new heights? Stay tuned… |
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15 (NEW) | Potemayo | It’s hard to rank this show, as that really goes against the point of it. It’s impossible to rationalize something that is inherently irrational, but for the sake of discussion, I’ll just say that it’s one of those things that needs to be experienced – sort of like how Teletubbies is like visual crack to babies, Potemayo has got to be something similar for the 16+ crowd, or whoever has the time to waste on twenty minutes of honya honya. |
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16 (10) | Hayate no Gotoku! | Getting some more Hinagiku was nice, and the introduction of the new butlers was interesting. But (uh oh), the freshness factor seems to have worn off, which means that the jokes either need some serious revitalization, or the loose, loose plot needs some tightening up. No matter what happens, though, it’s still a fun watch, as long as you’re not expecting too much. |
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17 (12) | Seto no Hanayome | Its place is pretty much cemented now, as the same jokes are being used continuously; thing is, they’re still funny. It seemed to lose a bit of control during the climax of the Runa v San arc (wtf singing competition?), but then again, has this show ever had a hold on things? Maybe its success is just because of the fact that everything has been allowed to just go crazy. |
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18 (13) | Lovely Complex | If it could be more consistent and give us some more of those great moments that pop up oh so seldom, this would be ranked much higher. 16 episodes in, and the chase still continues, and frankly, I’m exhausted from just watching. Is this a comedy? A romance? Drama? It’s got elements of all three, but it really seems to lack focus and an understanding of what it’s trying to accomplish. |
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19 (16) | Kaze no Stigma | The Tsuwabuki arc was much more interesting than the earlier one, but the show still suffers greatly from just not being thought out well enough. A giant turtle, sealed by a sacred ritual hundreds of years old, who gets defeated by an outcast, a schoolgirl, a bishi, and a useless doll? It’s an entertaining show, but its glaring errors give it a huge smell of “cheapness.” |
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20 (17) | Nagasarete Airantou | I’m rather surprised that it’s managed to survive this far while still providing the weekly harem load – it’s amazing how far some nice colors and animation can go these days. The introduction of Meimei breathed some life back into the stagnating characters, or at least made it seem more watchable compared to the summer offering. |
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21 (NEW) | Sky Girls | It’s either going to stay here if things don’t start blowing up, or could make a move up the rankings if the action really turns out to be worthwhile. So far, it really hasn’t given anyone anything to be excited about (other than those epic plug suits), but here’s to hoping that the lackadaisical mood and shallow themes take a more legitimate turn. |
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22 (NEW) | Doujin Work | As enjoyable as it is, the 15 minute block is just too short and too simple to really make any sort of impact in the rankings. It does a good job with using the scraps for material it has, and captures a relatively innocent yet “risky” side of a subject matter that could otherwise be considered taboo. Quick to watch, and quick to forget. The live action seiyuu bit during the 2nd half is pretty stupid. |
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23 (20) | Ookiku Furikabutte | A total of one (1) subbed episode was released since the last rankings, and it pretty much stayed the course of what could be considered an intriguing and unconventional approach to a sports anime. The prognosis for the lead character to experience any sort of radical personality change to the point of being considered an “acceptable” character is pretty bleak… but that’s not what this show is about, only what I wish it could have been. |
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24 (NEW) | Kenko Zenrakei Suieibu Umisho | The first episode really had some potential to be a wholesome (busty too) romantic comedy with a lot of fanservice on the side, but it seems to have taken the low road and just gone with the fanservice. Well, nobody’s complaining, but then again, nobody’s gonna take this show seriously at the same time. Sounds like a girl I know… |
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25 (NEW) | Shigurui | The animation quality is sky high (nearing Seirei territory), and for now, it reminds me of the legendary 4-part Kenshin OVA. Still, the first episode was pretty much all introduction and historical acquaintance, so it’s hard to give it any definitive rank. If the story is worthy of the introduction, and the animation really gets put to work, look for Shigurui to make a huge jump the next time… |
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26 (28) | Devil May Cry | The episodes have pretty much been standalone eps involving Dante picking up some job and kicking some demon ass, but doesn’t that seem like the easy way out? The animation quality remains good, but the show is lacking continuity, a real story, some true action sequences, and it tossed all credibility out the window with the addition of the loli. There’s still a lot of potential for this show to move up, if only it would stop wasting time and get on with it. |
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27 (NEW) | Mushi-uta | Starts out like a slow, Mushishi type intrigue show, but then introduces giant insects that fight, kind of like a glorified Yu-gi-oh battle, or maybe just Pokemon on steroids. That’s all this is, right? Just a more acceptable, more “mature” version? I’m hoping it will prove me wrong – it just might, as long as it doesn’t try to do too much. |
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28 (NEW) | Nanatsuiro Drops | I’ve half an eyeball left and my mouth is gushing blood after watching this, but personal biases aside, this is your run-of-the-mill magical girl show with all the trimmings. It’s got the cute chick, a rather different looking mascot character, and some dorky guy, not to mention a very unique magical wand/staff thing – all the necessary ingredients in an age-old formula that always seems to have its faithful viewers. |
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29 (NEW) | Code-E | Didn’t get much out of the first episode, other than its distinctive slice-of-life feel. The concept is interesting, with the lead girl’s ability to affect electronics, but she really isn’t all that likeable, which would be a much bigger problem if it didn’t work contextually. Well, it seems to work, and there seems to be some bigger things at work here, so it’s possible this show is headed north. |
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30 (NEW) | Tetsuko no Tabi | Really no value of any sort if you’re not a train otaku, but it’s worth a watch if you’re curious about their world. It’s a lighthearted show and remains focused on its purpose… train porn. While I’m left completely clueless, I can definitely feel the spirit and enthusiasm of the show in bringing as much train material to the audience. |
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31 (NEW) | Zombie Loan | This show isn’t all that bad, but there’s too much attention whoring and not enough actual quality to be taken seriously. The yaoi twins raise an interesting question – who exactly is the intended audience? Girls who like zombies and dead things? Guys looking for “something new?” Guys who like girls who like zombies and need a conversation starter? Confusing. |
Notes:
July Rankings
Originally, I was supposed to help contribute to Jaalin’s column. However, it was later agree upon to come up with our own thoughts of the rankings. Therefore, I am going to post my thoughts on this month’s rankings in the comment section instead. The ranking will be based on the last 4 episodes of the animes. As usual, I will rank my top 10 and honorable mentions as I did before I joined Random Curiosity.
1. Moetan – You know what’s the problem with some people? They only focus on how loli this series is. Without a shadow of a doubt, that is an ignorant attitude. I am sick and tired of people criticizing a show because of how it looks. Stop judging a series by its look or cover. You can end up missing some wonderful gems that people have overlooked. The strongest point of this series is not the story, but the characters themselves. Strong animation, great cast, and some sensible humor make it an enjoyable watch. In episode 2, there is a funny ass reference made regarding Ah-kun. You see, Ah-kun is seiyuued by Onosaka Masaya. When Ah-kun was thinking about the children and the people in the shopping district in episode 2, the first thing that came to my mind was Onosaka’s role as Sendo in Hajime no Ippo. Why? It’s because Sendo fed off the town’s energy for him to be the best and trying to beat Ippo retain his Championship belt. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen. Instead, as a consolation prize, he got his revenge by beating up Ka-kun seiyuued by Hiyama Nobuyuki (Ikkaku in Bleach). I’m a huge fan of Hiyama’s work so I knew I couldn’t pass this up when I watched it. As usual, Tamura Yukari does her thing flawlessly.
2. Terra e – Forget Gundam if you want Space Drama because this is the series to watch for it. In the last 4 episodes, this series changed my opinion drastically. It turned from good to outstanding in about a month. I feel sorry for Jomy when he has to deal with the fact that the younger generation of Nazca refuse to participate in the war between the humans. It is hard to bridge the gap between the younger and older generation since the young ones have absolutely no idea what the elders went through. It is something that affects us today with race among the Asian countries. The main themes to focus on for this series are acceptance and change. Without those, progress can never be made.
3. Lovely Complex – Despite how this show is 26 episodes, it is not a typical comedy romance. I notice the one thing that strikes me about this series is that it always keeps moving forward in the storyline whether it is by introducing a new character or dropping a huge bomb between the two main characters, Ootani and Koizumi. It literally does not take a break with a filler ep or an episode that is irrelevant to the main plot. I give the production company a lot of credit for making the plot flow smoothly. My favorite character in Love-Con is not the main characters. It is Ishihara Nobuko. She is what you would call a ‘glue’ girl, meaning she keeps everything together. I felt sorry for her because I know how it feels like when you have to keep things together in order to prevent losing everything. The new openings and endings are okay, but I prefer the previous ones.
4. Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann – Once again, episode 14-16 was nothing new. The recap episode was well done but in the end, it’s still a recap episode. I would have ranked this lower if it wasn’t for the latest episode. Everyone is focusing on how there is a dark Nia and stuff. I mean come on, anyone could have spotted that. I know I did since she is not human to begin with. The most important thing that caught my attention was the relationship between Rossiu and Simon. Notice how much has changed in 7 years. The same ideal they once shared is now starting to dissipate. I am also curious to think why Viral is helping the humans. He is rebelling yet there are humans who share his view. The plot will finally unfold and questions will be answered as Lagann will start showing me something new.
5. Oh! Edo Rocket – Episode 15 had the funniest intro to an opening out of all the animes I have watched this month. Mizushima did an innovative thing by starting off the episode with a WEB radio performed by the characters themselves. It was very funny because WEB radio is extremely popular in Japan. The new ending was very catchy and with lots of colors exploding in the video. This series continues to be solid and it is a shame that many people are passing on this.
6. Kekkaishi – The last 4 episodes was a mix of taking a break and setting up for the next big arc. Episode 25 was my personal favorite because it shows how Yoshimori can be very jealous and edgy when another guy is seen with Tokine walking together from school. His reactions are just something that should be watched than described.
7. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei – Will this be the anime that can be a worthy successor to my all-time favorite parody anime, Pani Poni Dash? It has the potential to do so. Ironically, the animation production company for Zetsubou is SHAFT, the same company who worked on PPD. This series has some surprisingly dark humor. It literally tackles on any type of despair whether a high school girl is a hikikomori, a psychopath stalker who loves her boyfriend to death. The ED is my favorite song out of all the new season’s OP/ED. I found out why I liked it so much. It was from the same person who composed the opening of Otoboku OP.
8. Ookiku Furikabutte – I mention in my last post that I promise myself I would watch this show when MAJOR was finished. I did and it was the right decision. What I like about this show is that it focuses on the mechanics of baseball in detail. From the strike zone to signals, it keeps it simple and interesting. It looks like this series is in for a long run due to its comfortable slow pace. I do have an issue with the main character but that will be mentioned at the end…
9. Claymore – What happens when you become something you hate? In this anime, you end up getting euthanized by Claire. That was the story of number 4, Ophelia. Ever since that arc, the anime has been floating in purgatory. It is starting to lose the spark it had when I watching the Teresa arc which is still by far the best arc of the whole series. No, I have not read the manga because it ruins the surprise. Let’s just hope I’m wrong about this one.
10. Doujin Work – Pantsu Revolution!! It is funny to see a girl’s point of view in the doujinshi world until Genshiken Season 2 starts at Fall 2007. Nevertheless, it is short and sweet. Poor Najimi. To think she had the worst luck in episode 2 by bumping into her friend with an H-game in the bag, playing an H-game while her mom is still in the house, and to be embarrassed by Tsuyuri in the train. It was nice but it needs to go beyond that. Ganbare, Najimi!!
Honorable Mentions: Mushi-Uta, Darker than Black, Hayate the Combat Butler, Seirei no Moribito, Dennou Coil.
This has been bugging me for the longest time…
I want to talk about the two WORST male leads I have seen in my life. I am talking about Ito Makoto from School Days and Mihashi Ren from Ookiku Furikabutte.
I’ll start off with Makoto. His attitude disgusted me so much in episode 2 that I dubbed that episode the ‘WORST EPISODE OF ALL TIME’. I refuse to watch any more School Days until I see some blood or hatred (Let’s face it. That’s why we are all watching it). That guy is tied for the worst male lead in an anime. The series is currently on hiatus for me until violence kicks in. I hardly doubt I will change my opinion about Makoto after talking over with numerous fans that have played the pc game. They also agree that he is pathetic.
As for Mihashi, I swear to god, if Ookiku didn’t have good story and great minor characters, I would have drop this series long time ago. This male lead is so terrible that he literally cries in every other episode. This isn’t one of those cries that you see when someone gets hurt by stubbing their toe on something. Mihashi literally cries about the smallest things. From what people thinks about him to thinking of screwing up, he cries on everything every time. This sickens me. What kind of male lead is that? For God’s sake, he is in High school. Man up. Grow some damn balls. I have absolutely no idea why this manga is one of the best sellers in Japan. It almost makes me believe that there are bunch of crybabies out there that can relate to Mihashi. I’ll say this much. Mihashi needs a damn slap in the head so he can stop crying. Makoto needs a punch in the face and should realize what in god’s name he is doing. One is a crybaby while the other is a dumbass. I wonder what’s worse between these two.
As usual, feel free to comment about my picks and opinions. Remember, if you believe I’m wrong, then state your case with evidence.
Ja ne 😛
Gurren Lagann, Darker than Black and Toward the Terra are constantly delivering greatness, with Gurren Lagann being the best of the bunch. Toward the Terra is keeping it’s great quality, and Darker than Black is really starting to get darn good.
StrikerS just got AMAZINGLY AWESOME! Episode 16 and 17 were SUPERB! You would not have expected any of the stuff to happen. I really think you should keep watching and possibly re-consider. Sure it wasn’t as good as A’s up to episode 8 and 9 and then from 10-15 same thing, but these past two episodes just take the cake. No episode in A’s will EVER match this pair.
Lucky Star #3 🙁 well ep 14 kinda used up the same jokes but ep 15 was surely amazing ^^
I personally like Zombie-Loan. I think this is for the girls who like Code Geass and Terra e. By the looks of it, it’s kind lonely in this kind of community. A lot of girls don’t like action [from what I’ve seen and heard]. But maybe I’m looking in the wrong places.
I agree with the top 5 but I would shuffle them and take out seirei no moribito.I found that show boring after the first few episodes. Even the past few claymore episodes have been better than any of the seirei episodes I have watched.
“Too bad all that seemed to end so soon, with the war now won (?) and earth left for the taking. How much longer can this show last?”
Why all these unnecessary quips, especially when it’s so dumb like this?
The Earth isn’t all there is to it. Maybe some people are forgetting that most Nodos are still alive and ready to fight. Not to forget the Silver Tribe.
my top 20
1.)Gurren Lagann
2.)Darker than BLACK
3.)Bleach
4.)Claymore
5.)Heroic Age
6.)Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei
7.)Seto no Hanayome
8.)Seirei no Moribito
9.)Nagasarete Airantou
10.)Lovely Complex
11.)OverDrive
12.)Hayate no Gotoku!
13.)Ookiku Furikabutte
14.)History’s Strongest Disciple Kenichi
15.)Umisho
16.)Kaze no Stigma
17.)Zombie Loan
18.)Moonlight Mile
19.)Skullman
20.)Doujin Work
Not a bad list. Mine goes something like this though taking into account only what I’ve seen:
Gurren Lagann 1 (2)
Darker Than Black 2(1)
Higurashi 3 (new)
Moetan 4 (new)
Skygirls 5(new)
Doujin Work 6 (New)
Hayate No Gotoku 7(3)
Heroic Age 8(6)
Potemayo 9 (New)
Lucky Star 10 (4)
Seto No Hanayome 11(7)
Nanatsuiro Drops 12 (New)
Kaze No Stigma 13 (5)
Nagasarete Airantou 13 (8)
@Kit-Tsukasa
I agree that StrikerS had some standout episodes as well. And OverDrive is consistently fun to watch IMO.
I’m getting a bit weary of these power ratings as it’s just open grounds for people to create putdowns (yeah, big thanks there Jaalin), most of which I’ve heard dozens of times and often has to do with personal biases and ‘can’t be bothered’ attitude about it.
You took what I was gonna say, GStrike. 😛
I don’t have any problems with the rankings as such, although personally I’ve gotten rather fond of Potemayo — no matter what anyone else says. Still, jaalin is right — it’s not something that can easily be assigned a number or rank.
Maybe it’s just me, but it seems that the criticism with the top shows mainly stems from the fact that it’s much easier to appreciate those shows when you’ve been following them. Still, if you have been following them, then you know what’s so great about them. For the rest of us… *shrugs* (I think Lucky Star and Code GEASS are good examples — I’ve heard great amounts of criticism for these shows, but having followed them, I have reasons for liking them. I wouldn’t be surprised if fans of other shows, say, Gurren Lagann, found themselves in similar positions at one point or another.)
What I find more surprising is that, if you think about it, watching four “episodes” (I use the word loosely here, since each show has it’s own definition of this) of each would yield over 120 “episodes” of anime in all — that is definitely a lot of time spent watching anime for the sake of Power Rankings.
Thanks for doing all that work, jaalin!
I need to start watching Darker than black and I expect Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei to climb higher in ranks in the future.
Yay! Moetan! WHAT!?!? It scored a 13 on the power rankings. I didn’t think it would score that high, but I really love that show. Hope it gets better and better.
shippo: you’re right, but it comes with the territory – i figure its better to have some kind of ranking than nothing at all, as it gives a very rudimentary means for people to see which gems people may have missed out on. i’ve tried to keep as much personal bias away (of course its impossible to rank anything without bias) by sticking to the objective points – as for the “cant be bothered,” well, there’s a certain limit to how much time i can spend watching anime every week. understanding that the number of shows is the major bottleneck of any sort of anime ranking, i think around 30 shows is a good enough number to work with… and yes, with the exception of one show, i am watching all of them.
For Claymore:
“Still, she’s nowhere in the same stratosphere as the other girls she’s constantly hanging out with – but that doesn’t really matter, does it? There really isn’t much of a coherent story going on”
That should change soon. I’ve read the manga, and it is currently, in my opinion, one of the best series I’ve ever read. Hopefully the anime will be taking the same direction.
Seto no hanayome is still one of my favorite shows.
I started enjoying sayonara zetsubou sensei and zero no tsukaima.
School days was very disappointing to me, after 3 episodes it didn’t got any better, however i going to check episode 4 to see what will happen.
-sigh-
Darker than BLACK isn’t that good at all. Some of the episodes i had to force myself to watch it. Even the action isn’t that good. It hits a Climax and fails to capitalize on it. Claymore on the other hand has always kept me on the edge of my seat. It’s like a drug that you can’t get enough.
I can’t believe. . . 🙁
-sigh-
The problem with Claymore is that all the momentum really belongs to the manga, and if you’ve read the manga, then the anime just doesn’t hold the same entertainment value. I think Darker than BLACK is getting good about now, but this next arc will show if it can keep the momentum.
As for the rankings themselves, I like reading about how series compare to each other, even if it’s got a little bias (or whatever you want to call it) towards however Jaalin feels. I’m not watching all those shows, so it’s good to hear from someone who is.
It’s funny how no one bother to read what I wrote in the first comment…lol.
beast: nice – i’ve never read the manga so i can’t offer that perspective – good insight!
Darker Than Black really god much better during the last few arcs, making it my person favorite currently running show.
Dennou Coil would probably take second place, but my interest in it has been going down, possibly because it’s been some time since the last subbed episode was released.
Gurren Lagann and I still continue our love/hate relationship, but I guess as long as they Simon doesn’t become a Kamina clone I am going to more or less enjoy it, at least the fight scenes are flashy, so it gets third spot.
yeah, too lazy to organize all the rest of the shows I am watching.
“It’s funny how no one bother to read what I wrote in the first comment…lol.”
Tried to, but I got cross-eyed after the third paragraph 😛 No offense, but visual aides would kinda help the mountain of text you wrote (although I know that’s not possible when using the comments section to show your version of the power rankings)
Anyway, for the most part, I liked (some of) what you wrote. But like anyone else, I only concentrated on reading about the series I also watch… the other ones ended up being blind spots in that mount of text 🙂
– T
wow claymore dropped??
sucks =\
I guess I’ll use this post as a debut for myself. Shit I’m following (along with reviews… shameless self-promotion!) can be found here: http://www.animenfo.com/userdetail.php?id=94080
1. Lucky*Star
-As much as it is a Haruhi infomercial, I like and want more of the source material humor and Lucky Channel. I look forward to a.f.k.’s release every Thursday/Friday.
2. Seto no Hanayome
-No contest comedy of the season.
3. Hayate the Combat Butler
-I looked through the manga (up to volume 5) after last week’s episode and I anticipate more stuff. This gets #3 if only because the harem is so hot.
4. Zero no Tsukaima 2
-Very potent. Hopefully it won’t end up as watered-down trash like last season (which I enjoyed).
5. Magical Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS
-A 4-episode sitting of 11-14 along with a sneak preview of 17 raises this up from the crap it was when they were “training”. Shit is going to hit the fan soon…
6. School Days
-I want a bad end and some rape. Go go go!
7. Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni Kai
-Hanyuu’s not doing it for me. I love the voice, but it’s too cute in this… horror show……..
8. Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
-As orgasmic as it is, I just don’t feel it.
9. Sayanora Zetsubou Sensei
-Awesome first episodes. Expecting more.
10. Darker Than BLACK
-One big “I don’t get it”.
11. iDOLM@STER Xenoglossia
-I like my helpings of Sunrise trainwrecks.
12. Nagasarete Airantou
-I should have not followed this. It’s getting boring.
13. RomeoXJuliet
-I’m only following this to see the “GONZOfication”.
While I agree that Seto no Hanayome uses the same humor over again, you cannot beat the fact that up to episode 16 they were still introducing characters. This keeps the show upbeat while still focusing on the relationships between San and Erosumi. It’s still atleast on my top 5.
My list barely changed…
1. Gurren Lagann
2. Gintama
3. Darker than BLACK
4. Lovely Complex
5. Mushi-Uta
6. Kaze no Stigma
7. Umisho
8. Claymore
9. One Piece
10. Seto no Hanayome
jaalin, this column made me lol again, as with most of your posts xD (esp. the potemayo/zombie loan section).
the problem with zombie-loan is directing…the scenes make such awkward and atrocious transitions and pacing is all over the place, and the style is way too crazy for me in animated form. oh well.
anime i find that is “worth it” list (out of what i am watching):
-lucky star
-gurren lagan
-dennou coil
-darker than black
-romeo x juliet (aka romijuli)
-sayonara zetsubou sensei
-higurashi
-im watching potemayo out of entertainment value (lol). guchuko is gold. a tsundere fluffball with a schythe and two living horns that spit out beams ftw!
-sky girls has not moved forward. still in training mode. oh dear… and eika shed off a bit of her toughness to otoha already
-lovely complex is funny during the comedic moments but the “drama” parts lag oh so painfully…altho kansai-ben is still a really good dialect to use in comedy…or i just watch too much variety shows and manzai x.x
-im still quite satisfied with dennou. even after watching the latest RAW (the subs are behind, i can see…), isako is still depicted as determined and still hell-bent to reach her goal, which it looks like is to
Show Spoiler ▼
im excited for the geass finale 🙂
Nanoha StrikerS owns for this scene.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7OLJ5kfruw
“Kaise! Gin-nee wo….. KAISEEEEEEEEEEEEE!! *goes OMFG psychoberserk*”
re Moetan,
Apparently ‘way too loli’ is just loli enough, ;p
Omg… lol, I don’t watch over 3/4 of the anime in the power rankings.
I’m not sure of which anime I should start watching so can someone suggest me an anime which they like. I currently watch: Lucky Star, Darker than Black, Bleach, One Piece, School Days and Romeo X Juliet. I particularly Liked Code Geass and Deathnote, Ouran High School Host Club and all those typically loved anime. I don’t feel like watching the first episode of every one of the listed anime and the extremely scary (something that would haunt me for the next few weeks) or anything fanservice, harem type (although I do think it’s weird that I watch School Days, but I’ll probably quit it soon. Does anyone have any recommendations for a girl like me? I’ve heard Gurren Lagann is pretty good, but I’m not sure.
Thanks
I had high hopes for Zombie Loan but I agree somehow its style turned out very awkward, hope the future episodes will get better.
I still have no idea what is so nice about Gurren Lagann…
Anyway here’s my top 10 and claymore still remain strong!~
1st (1): CLAYMORE ~ For those who watch the manga, sad man cause you will not have the feeling i get when i watch claymore! Each eps just make u hunger for more!
2nd (2): Seirei no Moribito ~ Balsa is back in action! EPS 13 is the best EPS so far!
3th (3): Seto no Hanayome ~ Still as lame as ever and it’s just got lamer with Terminator.
4th (?): Dennou Coil ~ Very fresh!~ Exciting part too. Somehow remind me of death-note
5th (7): Nagasarete Airantou ~ Somehow the story seems to be on path
6th (?): Terra E ~ Good!
7th (9): Darker than Black ~ It’s getting interesting Lols
8th (6): Naruto: Shippuuden ~ Good!
9th (4): Kiss Dum: Engage Planet ~ When is Mendoi going to release EPS 8 Onwards?
10th(8): Romeo x Juliet ~ When is Shinsen going to release faster?
I have so far watch only Zombie Loan, School Days, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai. Not appealing actually =X
Hotshot: Moetan,Sayonara Zetsubou Sense, Code E, Nanatsuiro Drops
My Top 20 Anime List ^_^(Except the one I’ve not view)
1.)Lucky Star
2.)Gurren Lagann
3.)Seto no Hanayome
4.)Claymore
5.)Heroic Age
6.)Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei
7.)Zero no Tsukaima ~Futatsuki no Kishi~
8.)Seirei no Moribito
9.)Nagasarete Airantou
10.)Hayate no Gotoku!
11.)Kaze no Stigma
12.)Nanoha StrikerS
13.)Dennou Coil
14.)Doujin Work
15.)Umisho
16.)Code-E
17.)Zombie Loan
18.)Moetan
19.)Skygirls
20.)School Days
i’m just happy that school days and ZnT 2nd season is in the top 20.
Still wondering why the hell is tetsuko no tabi higher than zombie loan,are trains cooler than zombies?
Girls who like zombies and dead things?
Why yes. Duh. 😉 A good chunk of the content in major shoujo magazines like Nakayoshi and Asuka is horror, anyway. What, is it so hard to believe that girls like zombies?
I agree that the Claymore manga is better than the anime, the characters look so much better and the fights are lacking in the anime – I first watched the anime and was like “mmh, yea, kinda nice, fun to watch” and then I switched to the manga and Claymore changed to “the best fighting shonen series I know” and couldn’t stop reading. While before I didn’t mind at all waiting for the next episode each week, I do mind waiting for the next manga chapter now >_
(Comment got cut)
I would have LOVED Claymore with fighting animation as in Seirei XD
Good to see that you ranked that one where it belongs: part of the very best animes airing right now and even before. Series as Seirei no Moribito make me watch anime, they are the reason I haven’t given up on anime yet.
@Nana: I also hate fanservice XD So, definitely check out Seirei no Moribito, it’s awesome and matches your “search criteria” ^-^ You might like Claymore amd Terra e as well (since you watch other fighting shonen and DtB) or Lovely Complex, a romance comedy, not as great as Ouran, but fun to watch. =)
Ok, I just saw the spoiler for ep 17 StrikerS posted in the comments and……dam…….if I had to put a song to express what will will happen, that would be Boom by POD, cuz dam explosions are gonna happen…
@typer – Whoa. I thought I was the only person who’s not into Darker than Black.
Gurren Laggan’s still number 1 for me. And then Zetsubou Sensei. XD
Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei is perhaps one of the best for this round…
Well my top list now its like this:
LOVE List:
1. Mononoke (i cant help but LOVE this show. it has a great quality and the feel from ayakashi’s BakeNeko arc is still there. Main character is greatly enjoyable and storylines – always made up from small details are really entertaining. The art quality is really good(unlike some computer generated shit, created during these 5 years) )
2. Gurren Lagann (This show got me in :E I feel addicted, the show is coo. The onluy problem is cliched characters and irregular pacing…still – its damn good mecha)
3. Claymore (still in love with this. Storyline seems to be going somewhere. Cant wait for some revelations later ;])
4. DarkerThanBlack (story is still somewhat lacking and unadicting. The appearance of C.C(cant help but to call her like that lol)…livened up the show abit)
5. Shigurui (again, im sucker for historical stuff. Animation quality is top notch and story seems to be promising.)
6. Serei (well. quality is good, but the show is “typical” and goodie characters are annoying for me…)
not much – there nearly nothing else what i would like to watch >.>
HATRED List:
1. Moetan (uhhhh…. >.> someone should kill the authors of this….)
2. Nanatsuiro drops (cliched lame magical girl show with boy whose turned into stuffed animal….and phallic staves of course….cardcaptors anyone?)
3. School Days (classic School Life stuff. Everytime Main character appears, i want to throw my pc through window >.>)
4. ZnT (milking money, milking money, milking money~)
5. Nanoha StrikerS (yet again…lolies without storyline bashing something with “magic”…)
I’d think Claymore’s way too gory for Nana, but hey.
I’ve only been watching Gurren Lagann and Claymore, so I’m in no way qualified to make power rankings of any kind.
I’m thinking of picking up Darker Than Black and Seirei no Moribito though.
If I was doing this, then my top 3 in order would be:
1. Towards The Terra (omg I can’t describe how awesome this show is, the plot, the characters, the animation, the music, its one of the best anime shows to grace us in 2007)
2. Seirei no Moribito (even I wanted to say is similar to jaalin’s)
3. Claymore (would have been higher if I didn’t read the manga)
did an awesome job with the rankings!! glad that gurren-lagann is at number one. :3 and i wish darker than black was at least a rank higher, but i guess its fine where it is. :DD!!
Lucky star is not so good anymore.. i mean, they just give us like four medium episodes, and in episode 16 the Haruhi element was every were, they need to stop it. So, i dont think that Lucky Star deserves a higher rank that Darker than Black (my favorite).
I’m glad that in Claymore, Claire hasn’t become ridiculously overpowered (“over 9,000” if you will). I’ve always disliked how in other series the main character becomes so overpowered that all the supporting characters might as well be cardboard cut outs (and are about as useful as one during the battles), while in Claymore it about teaming up with the other characters to take down powerful enemies.
Arigatou’s Top 10 for this month (base from my interest, and other’s opinion)
01. Gurren Lagann – grand ending, superb recap, one of a kind opening of the 7years timejump
02. Lucky Star – Banzai! Haruhi Banzai! Shirashi.. I hope they stop 2much Haruhi parody..
03. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei – promising comedy anime this season, new fav ED song.
04. Seto Hanayome – well it still delivers the daily comedy I needed after episode 13.
05. Claymore – no further comments still love this show
06. Darker than Black – I believe this one still has lot to offer.
07. Seirei No Moribito – the boredom is gone, it got me interested ….
08. ZnT – Louise is back to spank Saito.Henrietta’s Melodrama and Julio’s entry
09. Dennou Coil – my head on air. commencing..
10. School Days – waiting for it for almost 2 years and it’s finally animated.
good to see, NO! great to find out that those were fillers on “morbito” but fu@k! even those fillers were interesting.”great story telling. BUT WTHF!! HEROIC AGE!?!?! that pile of horsecrap shouldlnt be above ANYONE!!
“HEROIC AGE!?!?! that pile of horsecrap shouldlnt be above ANYONE!!”
Calm down. I actually look forward to watching Heroic Age each week. Keep it to yourself if you think it’s crap without giving any logical reason as to why.
I enjoy reading someone else’s opinions on these power rankings. These charts are focusing on the right thing: overall appeal. Not just based on technical merits, star power, popularity, or plot development, but a nice melding of all these elements.
That said, I still believe the ranking system can be further refined. Multiple persons working on the list doesn’t seem excessively prohibtive (one new list per month) and should soften the impact of individual biases. Or perhaps I am mistaken that Jaalin is the only one publishing this?
There also should be some spoiler warnings or something. Either that or less spoiler filled descriptions. For a major feature that doesn’t explicitly record episode summaries and portray itself as such, I feel justified that I either can read the profiles relatively safely or be warned. It’s only for a few shows (Gurren Lagaan, Romeo X Juliet), but high profile ones none-the-less that tainted yet unseen episodes for some.
Overall, I hold Jaalin in high regard, not just in ably compiling this list, including the Herculean effort of watching many episodes of both enjoyable series and real rubbish, but also of being in the unenviable position of a prominent figure in a mercurial community. It is easy for us to criticize this incredibly difficult undertaking. I say bravo to Jaalin and Omni and Patrik for being in the front line and guiding us with the great quantity of detailed summaries, comical reviews, and sometimes inspired insights. Bravo!
1 Gurren Lagann
2 claymore
3 Seirei no Moribito
4 naruto
kadian: those are terrific suggestions, i’ll definitely take them into account in future rankings.
Just wondering, but does anyone have access to the Newtype magazine to post the rankings because i’m curious to see what’s Japan’s opinion on these shows.
What’s with all this Gurren Lagann love? Doesn’t seem like a very good show to me.
Devil May Cry would be around the top of my own personal list, following Lovely Complex, Heroic Age, and Seto no Hanayome. True, DMC doesn’t have much of a plot right now, but I find that makes the show all the more enjoyable. I usually don’t like gory animes (reason #1 why I won’t go anywhere near Claymore), however, with it’s (very) light humour and new characters (I actually DO like the loli) DMC is something I’d watch as a once-a-week-anime-treat.
I agree with you there kadian1364, kudos to jaalin, Omni, Patrik, and Kyouya for inputting their time and effort into something like this. I myself watch about 30 something series and I’m still lagging behind schedule in watching all of them. That’s about 50 episodes worth that I missed. For fun, let’s just multiply 30 series by 15 episodes which give 450 episodes, then multiply 450 episodes by 20 minutes which yields 9000 minutes or 150 hours of watching pure anime. It’s like watching an animarathon for an entire week nonstop with those convenient Japanese caffeine drinks or Red Bull without the added hyperness. (Or else one would never be able to sit still to watch anime, ne?) That’s the “herculean effort” that our fellow admins put out for the sake of anime, though I’ve got a bone to pick with one of your comments.
~ “There also should be some spoiler warnings or something. Either that or less spoiler filled descriptions. For a major feature that doesn’t explicitly record episode summaries and portray itself as such, I feel justified that I either can read the profiles relatively safely or be warned.” ~
For your information, this entire webblog is about anime and what goes on in the shows. I don’t know why you think you can get away from reading a webentry without reading 147258 spoilers along the way. It’s inevitable. You come to this website at your own peril. Yeah, sure some things can less spoilerish, but that’s the point of this site in the first place, deshou?
Someone up above mentioned this, (I forgot who, but I’m too lazy to read through the mountain of comments again) but yeah, I do agree that anime should not be given the cursory glance and should be watched for at least a couple of episodes before deciding to drop it. But as my calculations above indicated, who the hell is going to have that much time on their hands to peruse and watch through every anime that gets subbed? I sure as hells don’t (my record in watching anime doesn’t beat Jaalin’s or Omni’s, that’s for sure) and not everyone is going to have that kind of time on their hands. That’s why I say that sometimes anime is all face and no depth because it’s true. As an ardent watcher of anime, sometimes it becomes necessary to look at some pictures, trailers, comments, music samples, or summaries of anime before deciding that it’s not worth watching without having to watch a single episode, plus your own bias. (E.g., Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei – I absolutely hate the animation style that’s reminiscent of paper cutouts, but hey, if I miss such a great show like some people are saying it is, then guess what? Oh well, my loss, and I can care less.) I for one know that well because there’s a mountain of old anime that’s still out there that’s subbed and are WORTH IT compared to some of the cheesy crap that’s being put out on the airwaves now, such as Nanatsuiro Drops: it has a rehashed storyline with all the stereotypes that makes anime “anime” in the eyes of the general (I say general, not everyone, so don’t flame me on this) western audience. When I mean old, I don’t mean old-school anime, but like the late 1990s and early 2000s. I started watching anime since my sophomore summer and now I’m about to go to college as a freshman, and I know I haven’t watched all those past anime that have a far better reputation than some of the newer ones. So yeah, it’s really up to oneself to decide which anime is worth watching cuz I know I’ve got my own preferences like everyone else here.
Back to topic, I really can’t agree with most the rankings up above and other peoples’ comments due to the fact that I don’t watch some shows posted above, but hey, one man’s or woman’s opinion to him or herself and I respect that. That and the fact that I haven’t watched some of those anime puts me in my own bias, so yeah. I hate lolis as well, so many shows go down the drain for me, but hey, that’s me. A good example would be Higurashi no naka koro ni… a bad combo of lolis, bad animation quality, and a runaway plot that makes me believe that the studio producing it has been Oyashiro-ed themselves.
One last thing; it was good that Kyouya mentioned Kekkaishi, kudos to him. (Yes, I read through that huge post of yours, and while I don’t agree with some of it, most of it I concur.) Kekkaishi is one of those animes that due to the subbers slowness has been pushed into the shadows (Like Major in that regard – the 3rd season’s done in Japan and the subbers are only at episode 16.) and people forget about it. It’s also similar to Seirei no Moribito when the seeding was slow for each episode until recently when it’s popularity somehow picked up. Kekkaishi has two main characters, Sumimura Toshimori and Yukimura Tokine, that are neither stagnant and have great personalities and they also mature in the process, and not in one go either like most animes where the main character has this “self-concious moment of whether to do it or not to do it/stepping over the boundary of the known to the unknown” kind of thing. Kekkaishi also supports itself with a great OST, masterminded by none other Iwasaki Taku, mentioned in earlier in a BGM Allstars part one webentry, great openings and endings, awesome seiyuu talent and minor character support, great plot that doesn’t seem like it’s been rehashed and remashed from an eons-old anime formula, and well-done animation quality. It’s one of Sunrise’s best productions in my opinion and one of the best animes of the season as well.
@Kyouya: Don’t take Mihashi’s crying too seriously. Oofuri’s mangaka has the habit of drawing chars in tears for comical purpose (or exaggeration purpose). At some point of the story, you’ll realize that you have seen almost one third of the huge casts drawn in tears at least once. My advice is to take cryings during serious scenes as real and the other cryings as stylistic choice (That said, I admit that the first few episodes have many real cryings, after the time skip, there will be mostly comical cryings). Also, Oofuri has a secondary main char, Abe, for Japanese readers to relate to (who I believe won the character popularity poll).
Lucky Star is too far high. Humourless “jokes” that only appeal to otaku who will lap up their incessant references, usually to other Kyoani anime, clearly in a (hopefully failed) attempt to whip up sales and cardboard cut out, moeblob characters that serve only to attract lolicon.
Wouldn’t put Gurren Lagann at #1 either.
Almost glad we aren’t doing this every week (less time spent doing counter-arguments).
I’d ask how far can KnS fall and the answer would probably be, how many more episodes are left? Dropping a customary 3 per time guess we’ll see how things go. So yeah an ancient creature that had relied on a clan sacrificing family members. Gets defeated by a contractor, 2 of the highest ranked fire users in the clan, and a clone using said sacrificing technique that was able to seal away the creature to win. But hey the generalizations work quite well ;). If your smelling cheapness that might be the scent of the animation funding, and trying to cover all the novels in 26 or so episodes.
I’d have to hope Nanoha could beat out Zombie loan. With 16 and 17 it should at least be able to jump back into the 20s since those were some damn good episodes.
Seto no Hanayome really should be higher up. Definitely funnier than Hayate and one of the better shows this year. They just go all out with the hilarity. I mean come on if a tiny kitten scaring a Mermaid gang boss doesn’t deserve a higher rank nothing does.
Gurren Lagann most certainly deserves to be number one. It consistently delivers nothing but pure enjoyment and is a showing a bit depth with this new arc. Add the awesome animation quality, cool characters and blazing action and you have something darn amazing.
My head can’t raking up anything right now… so I’m with your rakning for a while…
CLAYMORE is superior, ’nuff said
By the way, jaalin, I think you should stick to a top30 format (yeah, cliche’d I know). It helps elimate noise so you don’t have to rank anything below 30, in addition to it being an even number and looks nice.
Oh, boy,where to begin!
Gurren Lagann remains number 1 for me. It is the only show this season that I keep rewatching my favorite moments of. The last few episodes were just brilliant – constant action and tension all the way through finishing up with episode 15 which was one of the best anime episodes I’ve seen. Even the recap episode made me tremble with excitement, since it was superbly executed. Also, the direction in which the story is going hints that there will be yet more shocking twists yet to come. Just when you thought this show could not get any better, it yet finds ways to improve. Did I mention the incredible soundtrack by none other than Iwasaki Taku, one of the best composers of our time. This show will go down in history as one of the best mecha shows along Gundam SEED and Code GEASS.
Speaking of GEASS, the time for the final two episodes has almost arrived. I cannot describe the anticipation with which I have been waiting for the conclusion of the first part of this story. I hope after those two episodes air, the show will find its place in those rankings(among the top 5 of course), even if only for one time.
Darker than Black has really stepped up recently story-wise. With the introduction of some new and at the same time long-awaited characters, the show has managed to introduce a central storyline into this 2-episode-arc format. Combined with the superb animation and background music and one of the best leading characters of the new season, this show is on the path to greatness.
Terra e has also improved a lot. After a slow couple of episodes after the last big time-skip, the story has picked up considerably in the last few episodes, delivering some unexpected twists and events. One thing that is pretty impressive about the show is its pacing. It does not waste time solely on character development, it develops its characters through their actions, intertwined with the complex story.
Claymore has remained consistently solid and entertaining, though having read the manga already, I am starting to lose interest in following the anime. Maybe I will wait until it finishes and watch all episodes in one go.
Kekkaishi is a show I have been following for a while. I can see why it is not included in this rankings, since the episode release rate is pretty slow, but in my opinion, this show really deserves a top spot. It is a perfect example of how a shounen show should be – really concentrated on quality, not only in the story, but also of the animation and of the characters. There have been no useless episodes so far. Even the fillers contribute something to the story. The superb sountrack also contributes greatly to the atmosphere that this show conveys.
Kaze no Stigma really deserves more love. It seems to me that jaalin (and everyone else working on this ranking) is consistently pushing it down for purely subjective reasons. I can understand if you guys do not like the show. I can also find some deficiencies in it, like the storyline getting very cheesy at times(especially during the end of the Tsuwabuki arc), the battles being pretty straightforward(no surprises there), and the cheap animation(mostly due to GONZO’s low budget). However, you do not mention any of those specific reasons in your review and instead opt for comments like :”A giant turtle, sealed by a sacred ritual hundreds of years old, who gets defeated by an outcast, a schoolgirl, a bishi, and a useless doll?” Come on, I can come up with a comment like that for ANY show out there and make it look stupid. Also, you cannot ignore the fact that the show is pretty popular. It has the highest post count of all the new shows on the animesuki forum that do not have their own subforum(yeah, I know this is just one example). However, putting it below utter crap like “School Days”, almost all of whose comments are one-liners saying “Makoto should die” or some variation of it is unacceptable for me.
Anyways, I got a little carried away, so back on KnS, the last few episodes, even though they had almost no plot value, were very entertaining, since they advanced Kazuma and Ayano’s relationship a lot and were very enjoyable to watch.
Out of the new shows, the only one I watch so far is Higurashi. If it is even half as good as its first season, it will be a worthwhile show to watch(yes, the first season was THAT good). I get very annoyed when people discard it for its crappy animation or when they say it is only about killer lolis and gore. This show has a really deep story and one of the most original premises I have seen so far. People should just give it a try(starting with the first season) and not be affected by the opinions of others and maybe they will see what I am talking about.
That is enough from me for now(yeah, I realize it is a lot) and I will be looking forward to next month’s rankings. Great job guys, and keep up the good work!
seirei no moribito is not blogged here…..
@Darklord:
Thumbs up for you for mentioning Kekkaishi because it IS good. I also totally agree with your assessment on Kaze no Stigma. Most of your other opinions I agree with, however, I must digress on two series.
1. Claymore – I’ve never read the manga but flipped through volume 10, so that suspense thing isn’t there to hold me back from enjoying the show. This isn’t just to you but to everyone else who’ve commented on Claymore and said that it’s no different than the manga. Sometimes sticking to the manga closely doesn’t hurt. (Rurouni Kenshin… after the Shishio arc, gawd knows wtf happened to the rest of the series.)
2. Higurashi 1st & 2nd season – I know I’ve bashed it, but trust me, I have my reasons. I tried watching the first season up till episode 16 and to be honest it couldn’t stick. I couldn’t string the connection from one set of episodes to the other nor really understand the undercurrents of each episode. That and the fact that I had to read Memento’s anime weblog to understand the series told me that Higurashi wasn’t for me. (That guy really spelt the series out, some people should take a look at his musings.) Yeah, you’ve got to admit that having killer lolis and crappy animation doesn’t give Higurashi a great impression, but the plot I agree is something else. It’s just that having to rely on something else to understand the plot tells me that it’s not your everyday anime that viewers can easily accept and understand. I just happen not to be one of them. It’s confusion kind of reminds me of Evangelion without all the psychology/sociology impression.
Speaking of Evangelion, Gurren Lagann is done by Gainax, the same studio that produced Evangelion and This Beautiful and Ugly World. Thinking about it, it’s no wonder that this anime will probably go down in history as one of the best animes ever produced along with Code Geass, as the rankings and comments clearly attest to.
@Afro:
Yo Afro, I might not watch Lucky Star and I don’t agree it belongs at #3, but saying that the references to other Kyoani animes downright sucks and boring is like saying Hayate no Gotoku sucks with all its outside references and breaking the fourth wall, which clearly doesn’t. Also your “Wouldn’t put Gurren Lagann at #1 either,” is biased and completely unsupported. Try not to provoke an argument here.
Well BROOKLYN otaku is at again; being retard that does not move out his parents basement.
reideen? skull man?
Kekkaishi is a show I have been following for a while. I can see why it is not included in this rankings, since the episode release rate is pretty slow, but in my opinion, this show really deserves a top spot. It is a perfect example of how a shounen show should be – really concentrated on quality, not only in the story, but also of the animation and of the characters. There have been no useless episodes so far. Even the fillers contribute something to the story. The superb sountrack also contributes greatly to the atmosphere that this show conveys.
Why do you think it’s in my top 10? lol. Wow, people really can’t stand to read text without any pictures because many really did overlook my first comment post. 😛
@ kyouya: i did! x.x altho its more of a habit that i look at the first 40 comments or so then give up hehe.
we have slightly different tastes, but in terms of lovely complex…
-nobuko is solid. lol
-the new OP’s and ED’s are abit…eh…gotta love johnny’s entertainment boy bands -.-; *shudders*
Have you guys forgot that Code Geass 24/25 will be #1?
You can’t make thoughtless assumptions by claiming 2 episodes will beat the rest of the animes that is currently airing especially before it even airs. It just shows bias and prejudice with no credibility. Please wait until the episode airs before stating whether it should be #1 or not.
@Kyouya:
If you’re saying that I haven’t read your post(s), then think again. You know, Darklord isn’t exactly talking to you in reference but the webentry itself written by jaalin and as his own opinion poll-type. I suppose some people think that if it isn’t in the entry, it’s not considered official. (Then we can laugh at the idiots who think that way.) After all, your rankings are different and separate from jaalin’s, so let’s take a breather. Oh yeah, in my first post, I was talking to you about “don’t judge an anime by its cover,” sorry for not mentioning you. (I skimmed through the posts again.)
You’re also right that two episodes cannot determine if an anime is #1, but from other posts, polls, and comments, Code Geass seems to be an overall sweeper in all categories that makes an awesome anime with the beginnings of a timeless anime.
@Kyouua: You think anybody reads every single post or most of the posts? Yeah right. Darklord literally just repeated what I said in my second post on this webentry, and I probably know that he isn’t going to respond to my reply to his post.
Also to comment on Lovely Complex – the plot and animation shunned me away from this anime unfortunately, but yeah. The story didn’t appeal to me like, say School Days where I know something big is going to happen. To quote pakxenon – “I want a bad end and some rape. Go go go!” – I totally agree. (haha)
@Kyouya: I read your post. It was hard to miss, since it was the first comment and it was long. I actually enjoy reading long posts, since I know people took the time to write it up and they usually say smart things, i.e. give good reasons why they like or hate a certain series. I do not read all the comments, but I usually read the long ones. Having said that, I don’t know why you assumed I had not read it. If it is because I said it was not included in the rankings, then indeed, I meant the “official” rankings. As I recall, jaalin said he would not include any shows that have been ongoing for a long time. I also try to follow that rule, otherwise I would have included One Piece, which is probably my favorite anime (though it is headed into filler land again). I chose to include Kekkaishi, since it is less known than OP and is indeed a superbly done series and I think more people need to be aware of its existence(even though you did advertise it very well). The more people talk about it, the more popular it gets.
@g-money: I also read your posts and as you can see, I am responding:). Indeed, some of the stuff we said about Kekkaishi overlaps, but this is simply because our opinions match. Besides, the stuff I said was pretty general, whereas you gave more specific examples, so I do not think the posts should be compared. When I was talking about Higurashi and the killer lolis, I was not referring to you in particular, since I know many other people who think the same way. However, you set yourself apart because you at least gave some valid reasons why you do not like the show. I’ve also read Memento’s entries on it, but I tried not to get influenced by his theories too much(even though most of them turned out to be right). Also, looks like our views of Higurashi and School Days seem to be completely reversed. The problem I have with School Days is not with the show itself(even though indeed I hate wimpy male characters and as a result — harem shows in general), but more with the attitude of most of its viewers, who only watch it because they expect to see blood. Well, there are many other shows that can fulfill that desire(heh…Higurashi comes to mind), where the desire to kill is more well-founded at least. I find the idea of a school girl committing suicide or killing a guy just because he cheated on her very disturbing at least.
g-money,
Dude…relax, lol. I’m not calling out on certain people for not reading. I guess it does annoy me a bit when people miss out on things that I already mentioned. Anyways, as for School days, I prefer to watch it all at once just in case the bad end never occurs. I don’t want to waste my time with that pathetic male lead. I mean, episode 2 was just….(insert swear word(s) here).
I’m interested to see if the hype for Geass will pay off. We’ll see how that goes. I may even talk about it in my column.
No need to apologize about the ‘don’t just an anime by its cover’. It is not necessary for you to quote me in your post. As I said, repetition is what annoys me a bit.
Darklord,
lol. As I told g-money, repetition does annoy me a bit.
This ‘official’ ranking you are talking about…that’s Jaalin’s standards, not RC. If you notice in the beginning of this segment, Omni did not agree with Jaalin’s picks either. He made his own picks on the very first post under the comment section. Jaalin’s rankings does not represent RC under no circumstances. It is his thoughts, not Omni’s, Patrik, or myself. Therefore, you can set it to anyway you want. If you want to put One Piece there, then do it. No one is stopping you from doing so. In the previous ranking, I put Eyeshield 21 in my top 10 and that anime has been running 100+ episodes.
As for promoting Kekkaishi, I will most likely write a segment dedicate to it (pending schedule). I do have a enormous topic that will blow readers away after my BGM series.
Lol, Kyouya, I think you are the one who should relax a little.
Repetition is unavoidable in such forums. I cannot remember what everyone said about every show. Also, I do not think that just because I share someone else’s opinion, I should not say what I think as well. Besides, our posts about Kekkaishi are not that similar.
Also, when I was referring to the “official” rankings I was by no means suggesting that those were the rankings of everyone in RC. Those are just the rankings to which this blog rubric is dedicated and they happen to be jaalin’s rankings.
Also, I chose not to include One Piece, not because I felt forbidden to do so. I simply felt that it would be a little out of place compared to the rest of the shows this post is about(i.e. it was my own decision). Besides, One Piece does not need promoting. Almost all of the anime-watching community either likes it, or hates it, or perhaps does not care about it, but they have all heard about it. Unfortunately Kekkaishi is not so well-known.
Having said that, I think you are doing a great job trying to promote it and I will be looking forward to reading your exclusive article about it.
@Kyouya:
Chillaxing commencing… it’s good that we’re back on good grounds. About School Days, I keep hearing about this pathetic male lead, and you’re right, I’m not watching the episodes now until I get the entire season under my belt (my harddrive) and then I’ll watch it. Kinda like chugging watered down wine in one go with a hint of a kick. (If the bad end does exist or not.)
You know, Darklord does have a valid point about the repetition, except that people have to take it upon themselves whether or not the person IS really repeating stuff or stating something different. At least we three all agree that Kekkaishi is a kick-ass anime. I’m waiting to see that entry. Memento has completely stopped blogging it, but whether or not it’ll stay unblogged is uncertain.
@Darklord:
Sorry for assuming that you are one of those guys who gives his two-cents worth and leaves. That was really naive on my part. You’re right, the Kekkaishi posts shouldn’t be compared, I’ll give you that.
Well, seeing how I was the only person who commented on Higurashi, I thought you were referring to me, so yeah. I do agree that if I wanted to see blood, I should watch Higurashi, but School Days has got a very interesting premise that in the end after love-volleying between the girls we can actually see some blood out of a “supposed” regular harem anime. (For those who’ve heard of the game and played it… well they know what CAN happen, but doesn’t mean that the anime will head down those paths.) That and the fact the animation is beautifully well executed and Katsura is hot compels me to watch School Days… with a grain of salt. I never really liked harem animes because they’re done too often and are usually shitty beyond the scope of shittiness. E.g., Love Hina – people might exalt this anime, but I’ve read the manga and in comparison, the anime fell flat. No sense of closure, no “gradual” maturing, no real intimate scenes, nothing. Another better example of a shitty (and in my opinion the shittiest thing I’ve ever laid my eyes upon and I somewhat regret watching it) harem anime is Mahou Sensei Negi, the first remake, not the newer second one. Then again, there comes a harem anime now and then that transcends its degrating name. (Ah! My Goddess series can be considered a harem anime since Keiichi does spend more of his time surrounded by hot goddesses and girls, but it’s never really given the “harem” name because it’s good.) School Days might just be one of them.
er.. did everyone just forget d.gray man? it definately can’t compete with the top 10, but starting to pick up!
oh, and shounen onmyouji is not bad too, although the subs are coming out a whole lot slower than kekkaishi.
DARKER THAN BLACK FTW!
I like kissdum engage planet despite it being ignore by every single english anime blog and very few people discuss it in anime forums. Below average arts but an above average story with likeable characters. The first 4 episodes are pathetic, but after episode 5, there is a major improvement in storytelling.
Bokurano and Kishin Taisen Gigantic Formula deserves to be on the list. ^_^
Zetsubou Sensei is fantastic.
HOLY SMOKES! I seemed to have ran into screencaps and a list of what happens and I can guarantee you, Guarantee you, that 24/25 will be EPIC! A lot of events will surprise CG followers. Now how will the other shows especially GL will respond.
*sigh*….
Making stupid assumptions based on trailers and screen caps without watching the actual episode.
Even if you did know what was going to happen, it wouldn’t matter if the delivery sucks.
It never ends….
@Kyouya: I guess you can call me a fanatic for CG ;). Its my personality, when I like a show I usually forget the rest. Its like me and 24. Everyone says Heroes on NBC was da bomb, but I always praise Jack and his USP. So yeah I can get into arguments with my frends. :\
Sorry forgot to mention it was not screencaps from trailers or the commercial it was actually from a leaked steam from Biglobe or the premier even last week and someone was able to get it. I dont want to put anything in the tag because the information I got was not concrete. Here is some info I have Show Spoiler ▼
I have more but like I said not concrete.
School Days desires a higher spot….
Dead to me.
Nanoha should have cracked even top15 on your list even if you hated it with its most recent batch of episodes.
So, so ridiculously awesome.