Zachary's 5 Favorite Anime-Introduction
A while back, Jonathan started a trend on Infinite Rainy Day: he listed his favourite anime series and explained why he liked them. The idea was so good it inspired Joe to do the same. And I assure you that a third member of our Infinite Rainy Day crew has a list in the works. Not saying who it is, however…
That got me thinking about what I should do to get in on the action. I love anime, but my palate isn’t as refined as everyone else’s for several reasons: one, I haven’t seen as many shows. Two, I’m new to this, so I’m still finding out what I like and don’t like. Three, I’m cash poor to the extreme, so purchasing subscriptions left-right-and-centre is out of the question. Four, I live at home and am, therefore, subject to family matters. And five, I’m really cautious about what I watch because of my personality. Factor in that simple lists are hard to write, an ironic notion considering how many I’ve written on this site, and I’m at a stalemate.
Believe me, I’ve already tried. It was tedious and boring. I got to my third entry before realizing that I was, quite literally, boxing myself in with my regular format, so I scrapped the idea altogether. However, I’m still interested in writing a list, but not a conventional one. I know my choices quite well, even if there are only five, so why not try again?
Here’s what I’ll do: firstly, I’ll split my choices into separate articles, so as to better focus on each individually. That’ll not only make the task less arduous and restricting, but it’ll also force me to think outside the box and expand beyond my typical 3-5 paragraph structure. And two, I’ll be taking a cue from a series I did on ScrewAttack that, while not popular, gave me immense satisfaction; that’s right, I’m doing mini-reviews! Isn’t that grand?
Some additional guidelines have to be put in place: first, nothing over 100 episodes. Not only do I not have the patience for that, but I don’t believe any storied series needs to be that long anyway (for the record, the longest entry won’t even be close to that.) Second, this is my list, not yours, so if you disagree with my entries…write your own list (feedback is still welcome, however.) And third, I’m using Infinite Rainy Day’s scoring system at the end of each entry. I don’t like it, I much prefer my old “star” system, but site rules are site rules.
Also, while I’ll try to avoid them, there might be the odd spoiler here and there. You’ve been warned.
Anyway, the honourable mentions before I start, so as to make sure we’re not missing them later on:
I’ve already covered in another piece why I’ll never review it. My point remains: until the universe lets me watch the second season in its entirety, Spice & Wolf will remain off any lists of favourites.
I’ll cover this more in one of my entries, but Chiaki J. Konaka is a divisive writer for me. Ghost Hound was enjoyable enough, but, like Serial Experiments Lain (which I’ve yet to finish), it was a chore to sit through at times, preventing it from qualifying.
I love this show. Not enough to place it in my Top 5, but if it were a Top 10 it’d definitely be somewhere on there.
Same deal with Princess Tutu. The only difference is that it’s still growing on me, so I’m not sure where I’d put it.
Unlike the previous two choices, this’d have made my Top 5 without question until two years ago. Still, it’s fantastic in its own right, so please watch it if you ever get the chance!
See my previous honourable mention, except add “there are as many aspects that I don’t like as there are aspects that I do like” to my justification. Besides, I think this list has done more justice to why you should watch Trigun than anything else could ever attempt.
Finally, the second big Shonen from Studio BONES that I’ve had the pleasure of watching. I’ve covered my thoughts on this one in detail for Halloween Week, so there’s no need to reiterate why it won’t make the list.
And that about covers everything. Expect to see the first entry soon!
That got me thinking about what I should do to get in on the action. I love anime, but my palate isn’t as refined as everyone else’s for several reasons: one, I haven’t seen as many shows. Two, I’m new to this, so I’m still finding out what I like and don’t like. Three, I’m cash poor to the extreme, so purchasing subscriptions left-right-and-centre is out of the question. Four, I live at home and am, therefore, subject to family matters. And five, I’m really cautious about what I watch because of my personality. Factor in that simple lists are hard to write, an ironic notion considering how many I’ve written on this site, and I’m at a stalemate.
Believe me, I’ve already tried. It was tedious and boring. I got to my third entry before realizing that I was, quite literally, boxing myself in with my regular format, so I scrapped the idea altogether. However, I’m still interested in writing a list, but not a conventional one. I know my choices quite well, even if there are only five, so why not try again?
Here’s what I’ll do: firstly, I’ll split my choices into separate articles, so as to better focus on each individually. That’ll not only make the task less arduous and restricting, but it’ll also force me to think outside the box and expand beyond my typical 3-5 paragraph structure. And two, I’ll be taking a cue from a series I did on ScrewAttack that, while not popular, gave me immense satisfaction; that’s right, I’m doing mini-reviews! Isn’t that grand?
Some additional guidelines have to be put in place: first, nothing over 100 episodes. Not only do I not have the patience for that, but I don’t believe any storied series needs to be that long anyway (for the record, the longest entry won’t even be close to that.) Second, this is my list, not yours, so if you disagree with my entries…write your own list (feedback is still welcome, however.) And third, I’m using Infinite Rainy Day’s scoring system at the end of each entry. I don’t like it, I much prefer my old “star” system, but site rules are site rules.
Also, while I’ll try to avoid them, there might be the odd spoiler here and there. You’ve been warned.
Anyway, the honourable mentions before I start, so as to make sure we’re not missing them later on:
Spice & Wolf:
I’ve already covered in another piece why I’ll never review it. My point remains: until the universe lets me watch the second season in its entirety, Spice & Wolf will remain off any lists of favourites.
Ghost Hound:
I’ll cover this more in one of my entries, but Chiaki J. Konaka is a divisive writer for me. Ghost Hound was enjoyable enough, but, like Serial Experiments Lain (which I’ve yet to finish), it was a chore to sit through at times, preventing it from qualifying.
Princess Tutu:
I love this show. Not enough to place it in my Top 5, but if it were a Top 10 it’d definitely be somewhere on there.
Ouran High School Host Club:
Same deal with Princess Tutu. The only difference is that it’s still growing on me, so I’m not sure where I’d put it.
Baccano!:
Unlike the previous two choices, this’d have made my Top 5 without question until two years ago. Still, it’s fantastic in its own right, so please watch it if you ever get the chance!
Trigun:
Soul Eater:
Finally, the second big Shonen from Studio BONES that I’ve had the pleasure of watching. I’ve covered my thoughts on this one in detail for Halloween Week, so there’s no need to reiterate why it won’t make the list.
And that about covers everything. Expect to see the first entry soon!
They're not top priority for me right now, but I've put Trigun and Princess Tutu on my "to eventually watch" list. Still on the fence about 'Soul Eater" and "Baccano!" though- good they may very well be, but they don't sound like the sort of thing I'd typically go out of my way to watch.
ReplyDeleteBaccano! was one of the first anime shows I've ever watched. Considering I'm not normally a fan of the "awful people engage in awful things because why not?" type of story, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it.
DeleteIn other words, I'd say give it a try eventually...