Welcome one and all to my little blog about the things I love the most. Today I will be looking at my favorite animes of all time because I will do as I damn well please! Just kidding I was asked to do this list by a friend of mine who has just began their first steps into watching anime so I thought I would give them a list of my favorite animes while briefly discussing what makes them so special. So let us waste no more time and discuss these animes.
Some Honourable Mentions
Golden Boy
Don't let the picture fool you, this anime is truly one of a kind, you have to see it to believe how awesome this anime is. Only a six episode anime, Golden Boy kicks all sorts of ass with its hilarious story and the main protagonist Kintaro Oe being completely ridiculous and stupid all at the same time. The story follows our hero through a series of random encounters as he has finished college and mastered everything(The narrator's words, not mine!) so he has nothing left to do but go and see the world. I recommend this anime on the basis that it is the funniest anime I have ever seen and if you don't believe me, just watch the first episode.
Samurai Champloo
A great 25 episode anime with an interesting story fused with hip hop inspired music in the soundtrack, Samurai Champloo delivers in the action department. The story which focuses on Fuu's journey to find her father while being accompanied by the disciplined Samurai Jin and the wild and reckless Samurai Mugen. The story is strong as our heroes battle through the various enemy encountered on their journey. Without giving away too much information, I must say this would have ranked higher on my list of all time animes but it lost me towards the end of the series, specifically the filler episode before the conclusion of the story and the actual conclusion to the series. Despite these issues, this is still a great anime and I recommend watching Samurai Champloo.
Death Note
Death Note was the first anime I had watched since the days of watching Dragon Ball Z on Cartoon Network before it switched to Toonami. The main animes I watched before Death Note were Dragon Ball Z and Fist of The North Star(Kentaro Rules!!!) so my opinion of anime was magical characters who would have kick ass battles. Death Note rates so highly for me because of how the story and action played out on screen, it was so different from what I knew. The story begins with Light Yagami finding a book which could be used to kill anyone once you know their name and their face. Light becomes infatuated with the book, proclaiming to be a God and killing in the name of justice. While Light believes himself to be the Ultimate good guy, there are others who believe Light is doing wrong and should be brought to justice for his crimes. In a battle of wits between a detective named L and Light, the two collide at various twists and turns in a very interesting plot. Another 25 episode anime, it is definitely worth your time as it shows you that not all animes had to be the same.
3: Cowboy Bebop
One of the greatest animes of all time Cowboy Bebop comes in at number 3 on my countdown of my favorite animes. I cannot praise the music in this series enough, from the opening theme to the end credits, every song featured in this anime compliments the series. The story revolves around a bounty hunter named Spike capturing various bandits for rewards while searching to end his rivalry with his former partner turned enemy Vicious. Along the way, Spike meets characters like Faye Valentine and Edward who join his crew on his ship named the Bebop. The overall theme which runs through the anime is one of loneliness, every main character has some sort of link to it and it effects their personality and views on life and the future. Cowboy Bebop makes you care about every character and there is never a dull moment in the series as Spike seems to question his very existence, showing his disregard for his well being. The ending in the series is perfect in so many ways and I have watched it back so many times. Overall, Cowboy Bebop is a great series and you should watch it!!!
2: Berserk
Just look at that picture, is it not one of the most awesome things you have ever seen? Berserk is awesome, it should be number one on my list but I gave it the number two spot and you will see why I did so when I reveal my number one choice. Berserk is the greatest anime I have ever seen in my humble opinion. The level of gore is mixed beautifully with a story that is quite simple but works so freaking well. The themes in which this anime addresses are dark in nature, topics such as mortality and ambition are crucial to the story of Berserk. The plot revolves around a mercenary named Guts who initially is on his own in life after the murder of his father Gambino who finds a home within the ranks of the mercenary group The Band of The Hawks led by Griffith. As Guts and his companions fight through various battles, Guts comes to respect and admire the charismatic leader Griffith while also developing feelings for the female warrior of the group, Casca, As previously mentioned, ambition is a central theme to the anime as the more powerful and victorious The Band of The Hawk becomes, Griffith's ambitions grow to even higher and greater levels. The slow build of the story leads to a satisfying climax to the story as we watch Guts grow and learn from his mistakes and ultimately find himself and a purpose in life. As I am writing this, I feel my words do not do enough justice for this anime as it is just that good, it is an amazing anime that I would regard as a must-see so do yourself a favor and watch the most manly and awesome anime of all time( and the best part of this anime is the manga is still going strong today!!!)
1: Dragon Ball Franchise(All Forms)
You guessed it right? I know it is a cliche choice but let me explain: Growing up as a child there were only two things that mattered to me, wrestling and watching Dragon Ball Z. With regards to both, I had every game and every t-shirt, I was a super fan of both. The reason Dragon Ball is number one for my list of animes is purely based on nostalgic and personal reasons. To this day, I am watching Super eagerly awaiting the next episode just like I was when I was smaller(It is quite shocking actually). Dragon Ball remained constant in my life through the various video games put out over the years and I never lost interest in the series. One of my first purchases on Ebay was to purchase the complete remastered box sets and you can bet I spent hours watching every episode. From the beginning I fell in love with the story of Goku and his journey to gather the dragonballs. I preferred the story of Dragon Ball as opposed to the more well known Dragon Ball Z story but both plots are quite similar. Dragon Ball follows Goku's journey as a child and a teenager while Dragon Ball Z focuses on the adult life of our hero. I have so many memories of the series such as my obsession with Goku's Kaioken and the first time he transforms into A Super Saiyan, the list is endless. What made Dragon Ball so good was the concept, a simple hero who wanted to fight the strongest people in the galaxy, the ultimate good guy who no matter what the odds were, he would always prevail. Just like any young fan of the series, Goku struck a cord with us all, we wanted to be him, we believed in him and we wanted him to succeed. It may not have the greatest of stories or the best character development but this was the first anime I had seen and the first one I cried to when it ended. It is funny I feel I will always have a connection to the series as it will always have a special place in my heart. Regardless of the incarnation, whether it be Super, Kai, Z, GT, it will always be number one for me. So if you see that another game is being released or another movie will be produced, you can count on me getting my hands on it!
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