Unstung
Active member
It's been nearly a year since I wrote my thoughts on Planetes, and since then I've seen a considerable number of animes. I guess that makes me an otaku. Anyways, I've been keeping track of these cartoons and writing short reviews, which can lead me to reliably rate what I've seen. I created four categories to organize the shows: Excellent, Good, Poor, and Terrible. So I will summarize my thoughts on each one. However, some people must watch some anime on O-F, and I've run out of particularly interesting things to watch. So I wonder, what else is there? Overall, I think that, for whatever reason, Japan happens to turn out a volume of cartoons with many interesting ones, unlike the US (particularly nowadays). This list can also be used as a suggestion for any other university student that feels like procrastinating or being useless, or for a general discussion on any anime.
(from best to worst)
Excellent
1. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (both seasons) - Its story and vision of the future are simply superb, especially regarding domestic and international relations. Understanding the characters and their complex world makes it much more enjoyable, so Ghost in the Shell shines by the end of the first season.
2. Steins;Gate - Time travel is the centerpiece and used well, with a quasi-realistic explanation. It's ultimately used repeatedly in response to an increasingly dire situation (a result of the butterfly effect) and has clear effects on the main character, Okabe, who always manages a very entertaining performance, but he's serious when it's expected. The cast provides a superb foil for Okabe, although the many female characters remind the viewer that the story came from a visual novel like School Days (scroll down). Nonetheless, the four central characters can stand on their own and the rest have a good amount of development.
3. Fullmetal Alchemist (and Brotherhood) - This show uses the fascinating idea of swapping hard science with alchemy. But what makes it particularly great is the engrossing, epic journey of the main characters (and the supporting cast is also very good).
4. Cowboy Bebop - Unlike the previous two, this series is entirely episodic and made for a western audience. Its structure is a success, with clear goals for the space bounty hunters. For traditional, cel animation, this is its peak with fluid motion and tons of detail. The characters are mysterious (mostly) with interesting personalities and fascinating backgrounds. Their backgrounds can become very compelling, if not touching. The soundtrack deserves a special mention.
5. Planetes - The realism is more than adequate, with a completely plausable 2070s society, and the cast has some great character development. The relationships between the characters and their actions change over time. Although the story involves collecting space debris, the focus is entirely on the characters and the major events they become unintentionally involved with. It's mostly a lighthearted cartoon with a love theme that develops over the episodes, but it is not intrusive. I already posted a longer review.
6. Area 88 (OVA) - Shin Kazama, a commercial pilot, has been unknowingly signed up as a mercenary fighter pilot in the Middle East and longs to return to civilian life. He has many encounters with things from his past life and his grief can be overwhelming. An assassination attempt on Shin and his encounter with a captured defector are extremely riveting. The other mercenaries are a bunch of soulless, likeable bastards. The ending is brutally bittersweet.
Good
7. Death Note - The first two thirds of the series is great, with a brilliant and suspenseful clash between the intelligences of the main characters, but then things get sloppy. As a result, the lack of cleverness present in the later episodes prevent Death Note from being excellent. The renewed investigation into Light, the protagonist, is far less thought-provoking and suspenseful; if anything, it's a disappointment, but the characters have to inevitably make mistakes for the show to reach a conclusion.
8. The 08th MS Team - Overall, the cartoon is sold. The portrayal of Gundams as "Real Robots" is done superbly and the environment where they fight during the One Year War. The similarities between the battlefield and Vietnam is very intriguing. However, the characters from the 08th team are somewhat too immature for a bunch of professional soldiers. The naive love of two enemies, the main character and his counterpart, is the biggest flaw and unfortunately the central idea.
9. Neon Genesis Evangelion - Despite their initially perceived overused roles, the characters are surprisingly very believable in their motivations. This is no doubt what makes the anime shine, and the characters retain realistic qualities in an unrealistic environment with plenty of unusual religious references. Interactions between all characters often subtly reveal their true feelings, and there is additional time spent specifically on the back story of the major protagonists. It takes time for the show to become engrossing, with seemingly overdone personalities and more action in the first half. Finally Evangelion focuses on character development as funds dry up, which is its raison d'etre, but this leads to unreasonable quality in the final episodes and a very weird alternate ending, The End of Evangelion.
10. Trigun - It's a very western space anime. Initially, the main character, Vash the Stampede, appears to be a coward. As the story progresses and Vash's past is revealed, along with the history of the planet, the story becomes compelling and Vash's motivations make sense. Apparently Wolfwood is given a more thorough, and deserved, treatment in the manga.
11. Area 88 (TV) - This cannot match the OVA. Most of the characters may be the same, but the narrative is more superficial and the consequences are less severe. This does not mean the TV series is bad, but it cannot stand out from other cartoons nearly as much.
12. Mobile Suit Gundam 00 - The animation is fantastic, but the unmemorable characters and their silly, desparate motivations are not. However, the story focuses on the Celestial Being and its interesting purpose: to use their ironically superior weapons in terrorist attacks to end all war against the will of the world powers. The first season ends with significant consequences, but the second season is ridiculous.
Poor
13. Outlaw Star - A barely legal kid (Starwind) and an actual kid (Hawking) get caught up with outlaw business and make enemies out of space pirates by stealing their key to the Galactic Leyline. They steal the best ship in the galaxy and obtain its bio-android guidance system, who has the same boring curiosity during the entire show about why she was made. This cartoon is definitely aimed at a younger audience, and has two additional useless supporting characters; one even disappears frequently. The most interesting ally is killed off very early on, and the fan service in episode 23 is intolerable.
14. Gurren Lagann - It's a deliberately stupid, action-filled mecha show. If one appreciates mindless action, the show can be considered good, but there is nothing to it.
Terrible
15. Sailor Moon - No.
16. School Days - Never.
Actually, it's more difficult to rate these in order than I expected. A few rankings could easily change and I may update the list periodically if a conversation about anime can be sustained.
(from best to worst)
Excellent
1. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (both seasons) - Its story and vision of the future are simply superb, especially regarding domestic and international relations. Understanding the characters and their complex world makes it much more enjoyable, so Ghost in the Shell shines by the end of the first season.
2. Steins;Gate - Time travel is the centerpiece and used well, with a quasi-realistic explanation. It's ultimately used repeatedly in response to an increasingly dire situation (a result of the butterfly effect) and has clear effects on the main character, Okabe, who always manages a very entertaining performance, but he's serious when it's expected. The cast provides a superb foil for Okabe, although the many female characters remind the viewer that the story came from a visual novel like School Days (scroll down). Nonetheless, the four central characters can stand on their own and the rest have a good amount of development.
3. Fullmetal Alchemist (and Brotherhood) - This show uses the fascinating idea of swapping hard science with alchemy. But what makes it particularly great is the engrossing, epic journey of the main characters (and the supporting cast is also very good).
4. Cowboy Bebop - Unlike the previous two, this series is entirely episodic and made for a western audience. Its structure is a success, with clear goals for the space bounty hunters. For traditional, cel animation, this is its peak with fluid motion and tons of detail. The characters are mysterious (mostly) with interesting personalities and fascinating backgrounds. Their backgrounds can become very compelling, if not touching. The soundtrack deserves a special mention.
5. Planetes - The realism is more than adequate, with a completely plausable 2070s society, and the cast has some great character development. The relationships between the characters and their actions change over time. Although the story involves collecting space debris, the focus is entirely on the characters and the major events they become unintentionally involved with. It's mostly a lighthearted cartoon with a love theme that develops over the episodes, but it is not intrusive. I already posted a longer review.
6. Area 88 (OVA) - Shin Kazama, a commercial pilot, has been unknowingly signed up as a mercenary fighter pilot in the Middle East and longs to return to civilian life. He has many encounters with things from his past life and his grief can be overwhelming. An assassination attempt on Shin and his encounter with a captured defector are extremely riveting. The other mercenaries are a bunch of soulless, likeable bastards. The ending is brutally bittersweet.
Good
7. Death Note - The first two thirds of the series is great, with a brilliant and suspenseful clash between the intelligences of the main characters, but then things get sloppy. As a result, the lack of cleverness present in the later episodes prevent Death Note from being excellent. The renewed investigation into Light, the protagonist, is far less thought-provoking and suspenseful; if anything, it's a disappointment, but the characters have to inevitably make mistakes for the show to reach a conclusion.
8. The 08th MS Team - Overall, the cartoon is sold. The portrayal of Gundams as "Real Robots" is done superbly and the environment where they fight during the One Year War. The similarities between the battlefield and Vietnam is very intriguing. However, the characters from the 08th team are somewhat too immature for a bunch of professional soldiers. The naive love of two enemies, the main character and his counterpart, is the biggest flaw and unfortunately the central idea.
9. Neon Genesis Evangelion - Despite their initially perceived overused roles, the characters are surprisingly very believable in their motivations. This is no doubt what makes the anime shine, and the characters retain realistic qualities in an unrealistic environment with plenty of unusual religious references. Interactions between all characters often subtly reveal their true feelings, and there is additional time spent specifically on the back story of the major protagonists. It takes time for the show to become engrossing, with seemingly overdone personalities and more action in the first half. Finally Evangelion focuses on character development as funds dry up, which is its raison d'etre, but this leads to unreasonable quality in the final episodes and a very weird alternate ending, The End of Evangelion.
10. Trigun - It's a very western space anime. Initially, the main character, Vash the Stampede, appears to be a coward. As the story progresses and Vash's past is revealed, along with the history of the planet, the story becomes compelling and Vash's motivations make sense. Apparently Wolfwood is given a more thorough, and deserved, treatment in the manga.
11. Area 88 (TV) - This cannot match the OVA. Most of the characters may be the same, but the narrative is more superficial and the consequences are less severe. This does not mean the TV series is bad, but it cannot stand out from other cartoons nearly as much.
12. Mobile Suit Gundam 00 - The animation is fantastic, but the unmemorable characters and their silly, desparate motivations are not. However, the story focuses on the Celestial Being and its interesting purpose: to use their ironically superior weapons in terrorist attacks to end all war against the will of the world powers. The first season ends with significant consequences, but the second season is ridiculous.
Poor
13. Outlaw Star - A barely legal kid (Starwind) and an actual kid (Hawking) get caught up with outlaw business and make enemies out of space pirates by stealing their key to the Galactic Leyline. They steal the best ship in the galaxy and obtain its bio-android guidance system, who has the same boring curiosity during the entire show about why she was made. This cartoon is definitely aimed at a younger audience, and has two additional useless supporting characters; one even disappears frequently. The most interesting ally is killed off very early on, and the fan service in episode 23 is intolerable.
14. Gurren Lagann - It's a deliberately stupid, action-filled mecha show. If one appreciates mindless action, the show can be considered good, but there is nothing to it.
Terrible
15. Sailor Moon - No.
16. School Days - Never.
Actually, it's more difficult to rate these in order than I expected. A few rankings could easily change and I may update the list periodically if a conversation about anime can be sustained.
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