Yo. I had a little chat over the phone with a friend who was curious about the anime "Love Hina." At first, I was surprised. Seeing as this anime is geared towards males, I found it odd that she was so curious about it. Anyway, I filled her in on the details, then gave her the url to the biggest anime database on the web today: www.animenfo.com. After scoping out the site, our talk turned to a discussion of the top 200 anime listed on the site. I found this feature interesting, as I hadn't seriously looked at it until now. Anyway, I decided to write a post looking into how many of these anime had I actually watched--plus my honest opinion of them. Let's see:
1 Rurouni Kenshin - Reminiscence (1999)
- Ah yes, the bloody, usanitized OVA detailing Kenshin Himura's life before he quit killing people. This is a classic.
3 Fullmetal Alchemist (2003)
-One of Kathy's all-time favorites. It tells the story of brothers who are looking for a way to reverse a cursed existence they put upon themselves through alchemy. Haven;t seen all of it myself, but hey, it's very popular.
6 Berserk (1997)
-Very violent. Haven't seen it myself. More blood and gore thasn Mortal Kombat. Only Fist of The North Star is bloodier.
7 Cowboy Bebop (1998)
-Great artistic direction, nice cyberpunk/sci-fi leanings. Not too shabby.
9 Hajime no Ippo (2000)
-Aired in GMA7 as "Knockout." Guy show, kinda like "The Contender" only without the real boxers. I personally liked it.
10 Fruits Basket (2001)
-People keep telling me to watch this, but I'm always too busy with GTO or Azumanga Daioh. Must be good, but I've never seen it.
11 Rahxephon (2002)
-Evangelion, only with Egyptian images instead of biblical ones. Watch Eva instead, or better yet, watch none of them.
12 Great Teacher Onizuka (2000)
-How can anyone not know of this classic anime? Fun, fun, fun. Onizuka is my model teacher :P
13 Gundam SEED (2002)
-Trash. Watch the original Kidou Senshi Gundam and its sequels, Kidou Senshi Gundam Z and Kidou Senhi Gundam ZZ instead. Those Backstreet boy rejects have no right piloting a Gundam.
14 Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu! (2003)
-HAHAHA! The funniest Anime of 2003. You owe it to yourself to watch this.
18 Naruto (2002)
-Dragonball with ninjas instead of aliens and monkeymen. Amusing, but nothing deep.
19 Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995)
-Trash.
20 One Piece (1999)
-This is popular and has had as run in GMA, but honestly I can't stand the art direction. The caracters look like retards.
21 Azumanga Daioh (2002)
-This must e the funniest anime in existence. Not even the random post-modern laughtrip offerd by Excel Saga can match the school humor here. Think of Beerkada, only in an all-girls school.
23 Wolf's Rain (2003)
-Popular, but inexplicably so.
24 Love Hina (2000)
-Naughty humor, loser guy as a main character. Funny as hell, but it has its emotional moments.
25 Rurouni Kenshin (1996)
-Arguably the most popular samurai anime of the past decade. I liked it myself.
26 Onegai Teacher (2002)
-Never seen. Literally means "Please Teacher."
27 Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
-Classic art film. Watch it, along with Nausicaa and Spirited Away.
31 Trigun (1998)
-Sci-fi westerns turn me off.
32 Shingetsutan Tsukihime (2003)
-Lunar Legend Tsukihime. Never bothered with it.
34 Furi Kuri (2000)
-Fooly Cooly. Very funny, but I've never seen it.
35 Spirited Away (2001)
-Classic.
36 Midori no Hibi (2004)
-Midori Days in Animax. Naughty humor. Never liked it.
37 My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
-Fly Totoro fly! Hehehehe.
38 Vision of Escaflowne (1996)
-Angsty warrior prince meets stick woman from another world and falls in love with him. Stick woman falls in love with a prince from another kingdom instead. Oh, and they got big robots to slap each other silly with. Migs L loves this.
41 X TV (2001)
-CLAMP methinks. Might be good.
42 Full Metal Panic! (2002)
-Nice mecha show. Not to be mistaken for its cousing Full Metal Panic! Fumoffu, this one isn't as focused on comedy.
43 Rurouni Kenshin - Seisouhen (2001)
-More about Kenshin's bloody past. Nice.
44 Cowboy Bebop - Knockin' on heaven's door (2001)
-Not too bad supposedly. Not my cup of tea.
45 Hunter X Hunter (1999)
-I wonder how many suckers have watched this thinking it was porn. Same creator as YuYuHakusho/Ghostfighter/Poltergeist Report.
47 Gunslinger Girl (2003)
-Girls with guns. Girl enters room then shoots everyone in sight. Nice eh?
48 Witch Hunter Robin (2002)
-Seen in Animax, by everyone else but me.
49 Noir (2001)
-Two girls decide to shoot everyone who deals in the black market/underground/criminal world. I'm not sure, 'cause I've only seen trailers. For sure, there are girls and guns here.
50 Vandread 2 (2001)
-This I liked. That Hibiki is one lucky bastard. He should pick Meia over Dita, damn it.
51 Card Captor Sakura (1998)
-CLAMP goodness. Not too shabby, but not my kind of show.
53 Chrono Crusade (2003)
-Chrono Crusade. Has action, adventure, and time travel. In short, cliche.
54 Bleach (2004)
-Man with ability to see ghosts and spirits gets assigned with the task to banish them from the face of the earth in a modern setting.
56 Inuyasha (2000)
-Fox demon and modern schoolgirl go out to have adventurtes in feudal Japan. Popular, but I never liked it.
57 GetBackers (2002)
-Hot Yayoi action between two specialized retrieval experts. Bleh.
59 Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex 1st GIG (2002)
-Not too bad. Scifi+cyberpunk+detective fiction.
60 Chobits (2002)
-Man meets sexy yet childish android. He then falls madly in love with her. While it sounds dirty, it isn;t as bad as it frst seems. PG-13 though for complex themes.
61 Ai Yori Aoshi (2002)
-A boy suddenly meets his long-forgotten shildhood friend who has become quite a bombshell beauty since they last met. Oh, and she tells him explicitly that she's come to become his wife, plus she's a typical meek, differential Japanese woman. Yup, definitely this one caters to male fantasies. Never liked it.
65 AA! Megami Sama (1993)
-Ah! My Goddess. Loser boy meets stunningly gorgeous Godess who would fulfill his every wish unconditionally. Nope, It ain't porn you sickos, and it's safe for the young ones.
66 Saikano (2002)
-My favorite anime of all time. Definitely R-18, but not for sexual content, but for the deep emotional and psycholigical content.
67 Martian Successor Nadesico (1996)
-Mecha. That's all I know about it.
71 Vandread (2000)
-Three guys find themselves in a starship full of women. Heavenly ain't it?
73 Kanon (2002)
-Good lovestory anime. Too unrealistic, but its viewable enough.
74 Kiddy Grade (2002)
-If you like GONZO anime, you'll like this.
75 AA! Megami Sama: The Movie (2000)
-Ah My Goddess without the comedy. Yup, it sucks.
76 Mahoromatic TV 2 (2002)
-Ecchi. How'd I know? Uhm... post-basted therapy... (I no longer watch these things)
77 Ranma 1/2 (1989)
-Kinky, naughty humor about a boy who turns into a girl when exposed to cold water. PG-13.
78 Ghost in the Shell (1995)
-Classic.
79 Maburaho (2003)
-Think of Harry Potter, only the "boy wizard" is a lousy magician and all the prettiest babes in school want his genes. In short, they want to mother his child because he comes from a line of legendary magicians, though by some twist of fate he has an odd recssive trait of sorts that makes him incapable of using his magic too much. Yup, it's naughty. PG-13.
80 Serial Experiments Lain (1998)
-Not for kids.
82 Tenchi Muyo! OVA (1992)
-Guy meets girls who like his company too much. No, it's not porn.
83 Evangelion: End of Evangelion (1997)
-The good thing about this is that it ended the series.
86 Princess Mononoke (1997)
-Supposedly good. I haven't seen it.
89 Hellsing (2001)
-Vampire story. Bloody, violent, gothic.
90 School Rumble (2004)
-Funny.
94 Excel Saga (1999)
-Funny post-modern anime that parodies everything in reality. The earlier episodes are the best (it gest dull after the latter half of the show).
96 Macross Zero (2002)
-Mecha is good. So is this.
97 Slayers, The (1995)
-Funny adventure story. One of the best ones.
100 Seikai no Senki (2000)
-same
101 Akira (1988)
-Great animation, overrated everywhere else.
102 Kimagure Orange Road TV (1987)
-If you've ever read Culture Crash's "One Day Isang Diwa," this is the anime it ripped its concept from.
105 Pita Ten (2002)
-Unadulterated cuteness.
106 Princess Tutu (2002)
-Yech.
107 Outlaw Star (1998)
-Yech as well.
108 Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
-Should be number 1.
109 .hack//SIGN (2002)
-overrated
111 Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)
-Classic
115 Macross Plus (1994)
-Watch this if you like mecha.
116 Kidou Tenshi Angelic Layer (2001)
-A tale about a girl who has the coolest doll on Earth: her doll is a supercharged instrument of destruction. Nah, it's a lot less violent than you think.
117 Gunparade March - Arata Naru Ko Gunka (2003)
-Good show to watch if you've just been dumped.
118 Mahoromatic (2001)
-Ecchi. Funny, but still perverted.
119 Golden Boy (1995)
-Likwise.
120 Samurai 7 (2004)
-Famous, but I can't stad it.
122 Slayers Next (1996)
-You MUST watch this.
123 Gundam SEED Destiny (2004)
-Repeat after me: The new Gundam shows suck. Stick to the oldies.
124 Yami no Matsuei (2000)
-Darker Descendant. Showed once in AXN, heavily edited. Has strong gay and gothic undertones.
126 Nanaka 6/17 (2003)
-Supposedly funny.
127 Fushigi Yuugi (1995)
-Everyone here has Freudian issues.
129 Hana Yori Dango (1996)
- Even more Freudian issues.
135 Ayashi no Ceres (2000)
-Ever had fantasies about a brother wanting to rape his twin sister? Watch this. This is Fushigi Yugi's even dirtier kid brother.
136 Flame of Recca (1992)
-Recca is a big Kyo Kusanagi rip-off, only he ain;t anywhere near as cool.
138 Boys Be (2000)
-Perfect basting therapy. See? Even the good looking, sensitive ones get dumped while their perverted friends get all the fun. (sarcasm)
139 Ninja Scroll (1993)
-Wanna see heads roll? Wanna see them fly?
140 TEXHNOLYZE (2003)
-Mecha. 'Nuff said.
141 Ai Mai Mi ! Strawberry Egg (2001)
-about a man who wanted to become a PE Teacher. Unfortunately, he applied to an all-girls school that did not admit male faculty. So, he disguised himself as a girl (complete with voice switcher). The freaky thing about this is that he was dead sexy when he became a girl.
142 Revolutionary Girl Utena (1997)
-Haven't seen this.
143 Slam Dunk (1993)
-An anime which tries to tell the world that Japan is the next big country in terms of basketball. Yeah right. Dream on.
147 Peace Maker Kurogane (2003)
-Generic samurai anime. Don't bother.
149 Ultra Maniac TV (2003)
-Feels almost like a spiritual successor to Akazukin ChaCha. No, really. Speak of which, why the hell is ChaCha not on the list!?!
150 Gatekeepers 21 (2002)
-The perfect gateway anime for introducing new fans to serious, angsty and deeper anime. Don't watch this after Saikano, it will pale in comparison. Watch this first, then Saikano. I honestly think that this should be at the top 50.
152 Saber Marionette J (1996)
-If Chii was a hyperactive doll... you get the picture
153 Shaman King (2001)
-Famous, but I couldn't care less. Ok, I view it every now and then, but not actively.
154 Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz (1997)
-Watchable. Watch the 80s incarnations of Gundam instead.
156 Love Hina Christmas Special (2001)
-Watch the regular show instead.
160 Narue no Sekai (2003)
- "My girlfriend is an alien!" Yup, cliche, but cute.
162 Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004)
-Haven;t seen this.
163 Matantei Loki - Ragnarok (2003)
-Not related to Ragnarok Online.
164 Metropolis (2001)
-A tear-jerker.
165 Tsubasa Chronicle (2005)
-CLAMP's great crossover anime. If you've ever wanted to see cameos by Chii, Sakura, and the whole CLAMP world all in one show, watch this.
167 Jubei-chan the Ninja Girl (1999)
-I loved this. One probelm-Jubei was a swordsman, not a ninja.
169 Yu Yu Hakusho (1992)
-Shallow, but violent. Watch it to kill some brain cells.
170 Escaflowne - The Movie (2000)
-The series is better, though hitomi has more meat in this one. Yup, she's no longer anorexic. Yay.
172 Ai Yori Aoshi ~Enishi~ (2003)
-Love story.
175 .hack//Legend of Twilight Bracelet (2003)
-.hack stinks
176 Rurouni Kenshin - Requiem for the Restoration Royalists (1997)
-The Kenshin movie. Nice.
177 Hunter X Hunter Greed Island OVA (2003)
-I hated the original. Same here.
178 Groove Adventure Rave (2001)
-Action-adventure with a dash of comedy. I liked it.
182 Love Hina OVA (2002)
-More zany "lone-man-in-girl's-world" action. Not for the kids, it's a bit more risque than its predecessor.
188 Love Hina Spring Special (2001)
-Yay! More loser-meets-pretty-girl action.
194 To Heart (1999)
---Sentimental stuff
198 Bottle Fairy (2003)
-Unbelievably cutesy.