Searching for a Thread: In which Blake makes a Top Ten List

So I recently finished watching FLCL, and when talking to people about how much I liked it. At one point I made the claim "It's not in my top 10--er, well at least not in the top 5" or something very similar to that. This caused me to start considering where my opinions on things actually stood in relation to one another. I mean naturally I prefer things more than others, but I had never really sat down and though what things were absolutely my favorites. It would be hard with things like books and movies, since the sheer amount of things I've read and watched at this point means just compiling a list in the first place would be a lot of effort.

However, I realized if I restrict myself purely to Japanese media, my job gets a lot easier. I thought it might be fun to make a top 10 list of manga, movies, and anime that I've enjoyed over the last few years, partially because I can and partially to see if I can discern any underlying threads why I like certain things.

A couple disclaimers. The first is I left out videogames on purpose. For one, I approach them a lot differently than I do other forms of entertainment, and in addition adding in videogames would add a looooot of titles to the list; for instance, on my desk I have 16 DS games, of which 14 are Japanese in origin.
The second disclaimer is that the following list only comprises series that I've completely finished. There are quite a number of works that I either gave up, couldn't finish since I didn't have access, or the series themselves have yet to come to a conclusion (such as Broken Blade, Hellsing, Hani-kimi, Wallflower, Bleach, etc).

Anyway, without further ado!

The List

10.) FLCL

Speaking of FLCL... I'll admit that upon watching the first episode, I felt very mixed about continuing. I felt pretty bewildered, and the English dub I was listening to kind of grated on my nerves. Nonetheless, given the show is a short 6 episodes, I figured I'd continue on all the way through.

I'm actually really glad I did. It's one of those shows where I've ended up enjoying it more in hindsight, and suspect I'd appreciate it a lot more on a second viewing. One of its biggest strengths is the soundtrack. If nothing else, I like FLCL for introducing me to the Pillows, whose music perfectly aided and supported the anime, giving it a much stronger feel that it would be on its own. The OST is quickly becoming one of my favorite, which says a lot. 

Overall the show has an interesting message that reached out to me emotionally, something that I couldn't quite put to words but I enjoyed. It's pretty frantic at times, but interrupted by some really nice, serene moments, and actually reminded me a lot of Scott Pilgrim, a series I also really loved (expect a post on that sometime). It definitely got better as it went on, and expectation of enjoying in the future means FLCL manages to grab the #10 spot.

9.) The Demon Ororon

This one is kind of interesting, and partially gets a spot for sentimental reasons. It was one of the first, perhaps even the first manga series I read to completion (not that impressive as it spans only 4 volumes) but I completely fell in love with it at that time. Probably at least partially due to me starting to be immersed in high school school relationships, given I read this in the first few months of freshman year, but the tragic love story really spoke to me at the time for some reason. In addition, I absolutely loved the art style (probably a major reason the "noodle people" in Code Geass don't phase me at all) and the characters were varied and interesting.

I actually went back and re-read it a few months back, and unfortunately it didn't stand up quite as well in time, probably in large part due to me having more experience and maturity than I did at the time. Nonetheless, there was a decent amount of time I spent wishing I was as cool as Ororon, and it definitely influenced me for a quite a while. If nothing else, it's somewhat telling that this is the only series I've actually ended up buying instead of borrowing from friends with larger libraries.

8.) Spirited Away

This entry probably doesn't need much explanation, since it's the rare person who dislikes Spirited Away (or Studio Ghibli/Miyazaki in general), or at least that's the case in my experience. The movie tells a compelling tale, sets up a fantastic world, and just in general is a lot more compelling, exciting, interesting (with just the right amount of the bizarre) than most "children's" movies, and probably is why people of almost any age can enjoy it. I've re-watched it a couple times since my initial viewing, and it has yet to lose any of its charm or entertainment value. It's usually my first recommendation for someone who has no experience with Japanese animation. Beyond that, I don't have much to say that hasn't been said already.

7.) Code Geass

Code Geass is a bit weird, and technically speaking is exception to the second disclaimer I made above. To begin, I was pretty floored by the show when I first started watching it. Within the first few episodes I got pretty hooked: it was a super interesting scenario presented at an exciting, break-neck pace; the anime equivalent of a roller-coaster ride, never giving you a pause for breath, but in a good way. The characters were relatively complex and interesting, the art style was great, the soundtrack was perfect. It had a great plot line set up, a great direction, and even didn't let fan service get in the way of plot.

Which leads me to my major complaint, and the reason why Code Geass isn't a bit higher: a complete lack of a conclusion. Now I know one can make the argument "it's the journey, not the destination," but for whatever reason it's incredibly frustrating that there's not any kind of closure. It's been, for me, pretty much the definitive example of a cliff-hanger ending. 

Now I know a second season technically exists, but from all accounts that I trust it sucks and I'm never going to subject myself to it. In a way this almost makes it worse, since a) there's no chance for a good sequel and b) that such a great set-up was run into the ground. 

Regardless, I still did like the show a lot, despite it being the prime example of unfilled potential on this list.

6.) Pluto

It's thanks to Pomona's Manga class that I ended up reading this, and I didn't even take the class. Instead Max recommended I try it out, and like him, I was quickly engrossed in the series. This 8-part manga is a modern retelling of one of the classic Astro Boy stories, and is perhaps the best re-imaging of a series I've ever encountered. Although I was never seriously into Astro Boy (surprisingly that was more my dad) I was still passingly familiar with it, and especially enough to enjoy this series. The authors do a fantastic job of casting the children's story into an adult light, creating a compelling plot, fantastic characters, and bringing to light serious philosophical questions (as many good sci-fi works do). 

It has plenty of action, lots of interesting reflective moments, an intriguing world that you get brought into effortlessly. I was also able to obtain a copy of the original manga story that Pluto is based off of, and seeing what Pluto kept and changed provided a very interesting take on the story. The only potential downfall of the series is some very obvious modern social commentary, but that can be forgiven on the basis of the great strengths the work exhibits in all other areas. If any series is likely to be the second set of manga I own, it'll be this one.

5.) Great Teacher Onizuka (GTO)

Probably the longest manga series I've read to completion, all 25 volumes are GTO were a blast. Onizuka is a fantastic character, an ex-biker ruffian who ends up teaching high school (originally to get high school girls) and learning a lot along the way. Alongside the action and the fan-service lies a surprisingly touching and philosophical take on high school and adult life. My biggest complaint with this series is it seems to be currently out-of-print, so despite my desire to obtain and re-read it, it can only be obtained used or at unusually high prices that I'm not willing to pay.

The show also apparently spawned a couple spin-off mangas as well as an anime and live-action series, although I have yet to have the chance to experience any of them, so GTO wins this spot purely from the original series. I like to think that over the course of the series it has a bit of something for everyone, which is supported in part that the person I borrowed it from was actually a girl-- so despite the description, not purely a shonen series. If I ever get a chance to return to it, I definitely will.

4.) Kara no Kyoukai: The Garden of Sinners

This series is a bit hard to classify. It's technically an OVA, with several of the "episodes" falling in around the half hour mark, but a couple of them go one for over 1.5 hours. Regardless of what it actually is, it's fantastic. While it's the story of a girl with psychotic tendencies and some odd powers as well the people around her, in execution it ends up being much more.

For starters, the show is by far and away one of the most beautiful things I've ever watched. The animation is gorgeous, and I would almost consider re-watching everything with the audio and subtitles off, just enjoying the high quality of the show. But beyond that, it features a deep, interesting story that is only understandable with close watching (in addition to being out of order chronologically) and the characters are super fleshed-out, leading to a very introspective anime with occasional bouts of stunning violence. It's another show that almost requires a re-watching, and that's something I most definitely intend to do at some point.

[Note: The last three were difficult to decide on an order upon, so while they are ordered, it is only by the narrowest of margins and likely to change.]

3.) Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann

To sum up this show as easily as possible, it's pure, unadulterated awesome. It's ridiculous, but ridiculous to the point where it's throughly enjoyable. The series gets more and more wild, but it's still a focused, meaningful experience to a certain extent. The characters are over-the-top, but again in a good way. I feel like in general the show can be summed as doing more 'x' where x is anything: more action, more giant robots, more antics, more fan-service, etc. 

For whatever reason, I just really enjoyed this. The series managed to get me super engaged, and the occasional serious portions hit home; the ending somehow managed to be one of the more touching ones out of all shows I've ever watched, which genuinely surprised me. I feel like I almost shouldn't like this kind of show, but it's just tongue-in-cheek enough it gets away with a lot, and almost has the metaphorical coming-out-the-other-side type of effect. If nothing else, Kamina and Simon are two characters whose names I'll have a hard time ever forgetting (something that happens quite often, truth to be told).  

All in all, it's just one of those series that, personally speaking, just works. Everything comes together, and I came away with an intense feeling of enjoyment, earning Gurren-Lagann a spot at the top of this list.

2.) Macross Frontier

Again, like Gurren-Lagann, this show just does everything completely right. It takes a great universe and just puts a ton of money and energy into it, resulting in an incredibly high quality, well-done show. This is another set of incredibly memorable characters: Ranka, Sheryl, and Alto are all great, different, and relatively deep characters. Their arcs are quite interesting and well-done, and instead of having the girls compete with Alto for screen-time in the combat sequences, instead their goals are completely seperate, with everyone doing their own thing and thus avoiding the "under-powered female character" anime trope. A great selection of supporting characters round out the rest of the show, from the badass Ozma to Zentradii warrior Klan Klan, all of them thoroughly differentiated with surprisingly deep backgrounds.

The story is also great. It takes quite a while to really get going, which if anything would be one my complaint with the series, but once it takes off, it keeps going without stopping. The action has great CGI and the VF fighters look spectacular to the point I wish combat was a bit slower so I could appreciate it more. The rest of the animation is similarly great, with some cool concert sequences thrown in as well.

Speaking of which, that is probably my favorite part: the music. It's a soundtrack I'm still listening to almost a year and a half after my first viewing, with no sign of stopping. It's a great set, and the show manages to showcase it super well.

Regardless, I've written a couple other posts about the show, so if you need more detail check that out, but regardless it's a fantastic series that ranks incredibly high for me. 

1.) Azumanga Daioh

This is the show I literally have no complaints about. Although I've read both the manga and the anime, this is a case where the anime, for me, far outshines the written work. Again, it has a great cast of memorable, realistic characters. I suspect that everyone sees a bit of themselves in at least a couple member of the cast, whether it's something like Kagura's competetiveness, Osaka's occasional spaciness, Tomo's ridiculousness, or whatever. I know on rewatching it with Matt that, for instance, we often see a bit too much resemblance between Yukari and Minamo's relationship and our own. 

It's a show that showcases the average life of a group of high-school girls, and while I'm obviously not a female high-schooler in Japan, the stories are still very relatable; we've all had moments like those in the show. The humor is genuine, character-driven, and oftentimes far more hilarious than it has any right to  be. The occasional idyllic scenes of normal day again often hit home, especially now that I'm in college looking back on high school. 

Overall it's just fun to watch, for whatever reason. It never seems to drag, always realistic to a certain degree (besides the occasionally bizarre dreams and thought processes, but again I'm sure we've all occasionally had weird thoughts), and constantly doing something new. Although it's probably good they didn't drag it out past a point where they started running out of material, part of me still wishes that the show had gone on longer. It probably is my favorite thing out of Japan, and that seems unlikely to change.

Honorable Mentions

Grave of the Fireflies: An incredibly touching and tragic movie that showcases a side of the World War 2 often overlooked by Western audiences, it's still incredibly powerful after multiple viewings.

Howl's Moving Castle: Another great Studio Ghibli film, it shares many of the same qualities as Spirited Away, but for whatever reason wasn't quite as strong for me. Still a fantastic movie, though

Love Hina: The manga is a fun little series, and I have nothing bad to say about it, since I throughly enjoyed it. However, perhaps it's a good example of something that's a fun without being deep; despite being super enjoyable, nothing very memorable came out of it. Still worth reading though, if only for fun.









The End
Anyway, there's my current top ten. There's a good chance it might be fluctuating soon, since my to-watch list for the summer includes some series I expect to very much enjoy, but that's part of the reason why I decided to make the list. As always I'm more than happy to see comments or questions, and hopefully this was at least a somewhat interesting read.

-HTMC