Your Favorite Anime

[altmuse]

Ok. So I thought in order for people in the guild to get to know each other you could list your favorite anime and why that anime is your favorite. What it means to you, what in particular you liked about it etc. My favorite is yu-gi-oh. Because it is the first anime I ever watched, it is what defines my childhood, and I really like the moments where you're just like "oh there's no way he's getting out of this jam" but he pulls it off last minute. 3nodding So! what about you?  

[Forgettable_Hero]

Yu yu hakusho smile  

[The Millenium Walken]

I'll go with the original Fullmetal Alchemist. This is my favorite anime of all time because of… Well, just how perfect it is. It succeeds with flying colors at everything it attempts, which I can’t say for it’s more recent ‘brother.’ Whether it’s expressing humor, drama, action, or all three at the same time, it never fails to impress me, no matter how many times I watch it. It even takes place in a vast, epic, intricately-defined world.

I love how the true villain of the series isn't any of the villain characters, but the harshness of life itself. Every character, regardless of what side they're on, has their own mutually exclusive goal, most of which are surprisingly complex. And more often than not, they're fighting not for anything cliched like world domination, but against the cards that they've been dealt, either through fate or their own folly.

The main character doesn't persevere against all odds to an ideal conclusion, like certain other shounen series. Edward Elric has to grow as a character, accepting life for the heartless b***h that it is just to accomplish his one true goal, sacrificing all other goals. Lots of people like to see perfect happy endings, but give me a bittersweet tragedy where the hero can enjoy his happiness for what it is despite the heavy consequences, and I'll be one happy Narcy.  

[K-poplover44]

my favorite anime is Black Cat because it was my first anime i saw and my other favorite anime is Kaikan Phrase smile  

[Peridooot]

*checks date*
Damn... I'm a couple months late answering this.... rofl Whatever.

My favorite? I have 2.

Yu Yu Hausho: A juvenile delinquent, a man-child lovebird, a pink-haired foxy boy, and a murderous sociopath form a gang and what happens? Pure, embelished, shining epicness is born. Seriously, what more could you ask for from a shonen anime? The thing's like Dragon Ball Z -- only nearly 20x's better in all area's: action (fights only last about one episode, and if it's any more, there's a damn good reason for it), character development (that murderous sociopath? Turns out he's got the biggest weak-spot for his twin sissy), story (fruk yes... this needs no explaining), pacing (see action above) , and dubbing (who could say they didn't love Kurama's oh-so smarticle voice?). And MAN, that Chapter Black arc. *shudders* I watch that arc every year in the 48th week of the year -- it's for my animeligion. Needless to say, it's one of the best anime of the 90's... 00's and now these past 4 years.
~~~~~~
And my second? That's a little thing I like to call OH FRUK YASSSSSSSS -- but you probably know it as Fullmetal Alchemist. Actually, Fullmetal Alchemist is both my 2nd and 3rd favorite anime if you wanna get all technical on me. Because I'm not a crazy fanboy/girl who is currently engaged in the bloody war of '2003 vs 2009'. I believe both series are great in their own ways. Brotherhood succeeds in places where '03 fails, and 03's soars in parts Brotherhood doesn't do that great in. Not saiyan they fail or anything!!!! '''''''''''^___^ I'm just saiyan that they're both equally awesome and therefore tie for 2nd place. Brotherhood is the only anime where I literally love every freaking character. There's always that one character in an anime who's stupid, annoying, you don't really notice/care for, but not Brotherhood. Each character gets his or her own backstory and development and screen-time. ('Cept Shou. That b*****d.) That's what I like about '09's version so much. You get to see each and every character. And I just adore '03's version because... MINY SKIRTS!!! I love watching the Elric brother's journey through each anime. The story really touched me and left me with a lasting impression and actually has fitted the lens in which I see the world. And I loved the follow-up movie Conquorer of Shamballa.
Alfons Heiderich = <3. heart heart

So yeah. Those are my fave animes. Sorry not sorry for the long post. whee  

[Vivian Anthony]

Tales of Symphonia! It's so adorable! Everything about it makes me want to just fangirl! The characters learn so much about themselves as they go on a journey to save the world. If any of you have seen it tell me so we can talk about it!  

[WeebooWobble]

Wolf's Rain is my all time favorite. Gosh just...I love everything about it.

The story is so good. It's filled with details and metaphors and all kinds of things, but it's so well written that you don't have to understand any of that to enjoy it. And that's great! Because you won't notice a bunch of things anyway until you watch it again. And again. And again. ...What I'm saying is that you have plenty of time to immerse yourself in the world and it's meanings if you'd like. I've watched it so many times now, and I always notice something that I didn't notice before every time I do.

And that's just the story. A good story is one thing, but it's not the end all be all for me. I'll watch even the most cliched, lame-a** show in the world if I like the characters enough. Luckily, Wolf's Rain boasts a cast of complex and likable characters as well as a solidly written tale. It always surprises me when I hear people say what a cold series Wolf's Rain is. I never felt that way at all. The way the characters interact with each other is subtle, but the bonds that form between them are definitely there, and it's very sweet.

Then there's the ending, which is sort of notorious for being...somber, let's say. Many consider it a downer ending, but again, I never saw it that way. Oh, it's sad, absolutely. The last four episodes are a very emotional sit. But then, near the end of the last episode, beautiful music starts to play. Images of flowers blooming are shown, and there's just this subtle undertone of hope and maybe even triumph. A small victory that came at a great cost, but a victory all the same.

I don't want to spoil anything, but the very last scene of the very last episode just cements the perfectly bittersweet ending for me. It's an excellent ending to an incredible show.  

[Ms Rias Gremory]

Highschool DxD
Serial Experimental Lain
Silent Mobius
Junjou Romantica

I love the story about Lain, it was a great idea and I think they did a pretty good job of telling it, I love Silent Mobius because I'm in love with science fiction, I am a huge dork for romantic manga and anime like Junjou and I love Highschool DxD because I am in love with who Rias is, she's so sure of herself and such a bad a**.  

[Questina]

I've been watching anime since the 80's. Choosing only one would be impossible.


Also, another favorite anime (that may eventually replace one of the items on my top-ten list) is "Yona of the Dawn", which is currently running in Japan.

Why do I love these shows? Well, Azumanga Daioh makes me laugh without going over the top the way many school comedies do nowadays. I can picture myself in many of their situations, and I find myself coming back to the series year after year.

I also like anime that gives one a sense of wonder and adventure (The Mysterious Cities of Gold, Princess Mononoke) while watching it. Others like Kodomo no Omocha, Fushigi Yugi, Sailor Moon Crystal and Yona of the Dawn have multiple qualities like interesting characters, a great story and lots of emotion that draws me into it.

Some of the anime on my list is simple and child-friendly (The Littl' Bits, Poyopoyo) but remain favorites because they give me a warm, happy feeling to watch them.

I think the thing that connects these is that they are mostly positive and watching them makes me feel more positive about my life.  

[Fucc Da Ops]

my favorite Anime is Sailor Moon (original series) i think its mainly cuz i grew up watching it but also it had a good story 2 it, & the voice actress 4 Serena made it kinda funny when she wined or cried.  

[FUWA FUWA STAR]

First off, I never used to like anime at all or really be all that into it... until I discovered K-ON!

It's such a great mix of friendship,comedy and of course the music! The music is so awesome in it! I'm pretty much obsessed with K-ON! and I love it to death, I even cosplay Mio at pretty much any convention I go to!!

 

[Swibbs]

ugh i have like a top 5 because they're so good xD

1) inuyasha- just fell in love with it in highschool.
2) naruto- just cause been watching it forever
3)le portrait de petite cossette - i love the gothic horror theme a lot!
4)elfen lied- its just a powerful show with powerful messages
5)kill la kill- Wonderful series that has amazing characters and character development.  

[NinjaSai]

altmuse

I really like the moments where you're just like "oh there's no way he's getting out of this jam" but he pulls it off last minute. 3nodding

I know it's an old post, but Mx0 is a really good manga for this. It's about a guy with no powers who goes to a magic school and defeats magicians.

I like lists too!
1. Mononoke - This is a really artsy show about a medicine man that exorcises monsters. The characters and world may look strange, but that's because curses distort everything around them.

2. Minami-ke - Just a show about three sisters living their daily lives. "Don't expect much."

3. Break Blade - A continent ravaged by war between two major countries. Human beings on this planet have a magic control over quartz, allowing them to manipulate their strange technology. The main character has no powers though, and he is forced to pilot an ancient robot from the past to save the woman he loves from being executed. It's a set of mecha war OVAs.

4. Kara no Kyoukai - A serial killer is on the loose, and Shiki is an enigma. Is she the killer? There's a lot of magic and wonder to be expected from Type-Moon's first novel, now a movie series.  

[Gallant Halliviere]

1) Yu-Gi-Oh! - This is the anime that got me into ancient civilizations and gave me my love of history, especially Ancient Egypt. It's also the anime that brings out my inner child. I remember waking up very early in the morning as a little kid just to watch this anime. I remember it came on just as the sun was rising and literally turned our entire living room golden with sunlight. This anime holds the fondest memories for me.

2) Digimon Adventure 1 - I used to dream about going to the Digital World with my own digimon partner all the time. The original digimon series is what gave me my love of exploration and seeing new places. I still have dreams of traveling the world and seeing all there is to see, just like the 8 Digidestined did.

3) Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou - This anime takes the 'daily life' genre and throws it back into the audience's face. It's basically what happens when the normal 'day-to-day' gets boring and you are forced to liven it up yourself. There isn't a single moment that doesn't make me almost die laughing. In a way, it really is a genuine 'daily life' anime because despite the fact that this insanity is out there, anyone could have these kind of adventures. Not to mention it has Hidenori, possibly the greatest anime character of all time (in my opinion). He's cool and aloof on the outside, but totally a nervous wreck/creeper/crybaby/socially awkward/idiot on the inside. What's not to love about him?

4) Baka & Test - I rarely even giggle when watching anime of any kind so any anime that can make me laugh as hard as this one does is a good one in my opinion. The main characters of this anime are idiots, plain and simple, and proud of it. Each one of them is endearing and brings a smile to my face. Plus, their avatars are just too adorable.

5) Noragami - This anime...I have seen much character bonding in anime, but this... The bond between Yato and Yukine alone could hook me even if the rest of the anime was garbage. The bond between these two is what other anime bonds should aspire to be. Never have I seen such a genuine relationship between two characters and I shed a tear for every one of their moments. But it isn't just them. Each character is so well developed and has a story to tell that's worth hearing. Even the 'background' characters are beautifully crafted. The storyline isn't just some thrown-together plot that fumbles forward without a clear focus or jumps around leaving plot holes all over the place. Everything has a place and a reason, and what isn't explained doesn't leave you frustrated but in anticipation, and the 'big reveal' doesn't disappoint.

I am known to change my favorites every so often, but these 5 anime have earned a permanent place in my heart.