This is an archive from Klassic Note Web Reports

Saturday, 28 October 2023
15 Years of Watching Anime: 15 Questions and Answers
[Click here to go straight to the Q&A]

"Don't think I know too much about Anime, but feels like I already knew so much ever since 2008 when I started. I can tell you what is bad though; Don't ask me what is good because almost all of them I picked up are."

I feel like I should put this quote to start this very post. I should have done this post a decade in but you know, it's never too late. As such, I shall do a Q&A post in this 15th anniversary Anime reflection special!!

I swear it was probably a wiser choice to do this stuff every season but then again we are specifically here to celebrate the very first season I was into Anime back in October 2008 watching "Toradora!" (cannot unsee unglam diary blog post) and the FIFTEEN years of me watching Japanese animation so if you want to know more or if you were just here from my MyAnimeList profile lol... welcome!! This is going to be a long ride.




THE FIRST YEARS
This is not going to be an introductory post into the world of Japanese animation, so if you know nothing you are better off not being here haha bye everyone. *laughs* But if you DO know a little about Anime, you can stay and hear about my journey into this mess when I started this a decade and a half ago!

As mentioned in the intro, this marks the very first season I have started watching Anime on a weekly basis as of simulcast (in Japan, but even back then licensing has allowed same week airtimes) which yes, I'm sure many of us have watched Anime without realizing it, because back then "Pokémon" and the likes of "Doraemon" are also counted as Anime, even if it's geared towards a younger audience. Even that has a genre in itself (Seinen), and that sort of explain the many new grounds left untouched and the many times my sister who showed me to many shows I have seen before undertaking the exploration myself, from "Love Hina" to "Cardcaptor Sakura" which were aimed at a younger female audience (Shoujo), and even "Kekkaishi" was a recommendation. My classmates also introduced me to classics and that's how I ended up watching "BLEACH" and "Nagasarete Airantou", which were more geared towards a young male audience (Shounen). 

My first expedition was through back then cable TV where a new channel geared towards a younger audience started adding late night Anime airings to their schedule. (Remember this is not Japan, and there wasn't subscription TV anyways) Back then I even forgot on which nights but I think it's almost a week after it aired in Japan, "Toradora!" was aired right after "Code Geass" and that's how the ending theme song got me by the way, shout out to SunSet Swish. *giggles* And "Kuroshitsuji" aired not long afterwards right after, so yeah, that was quite a packed schedule considering by the time I've watched them all it was midnight and I still had school the next day. *laughs*

Yeah, back then I didn't know much about *piracy* and watching online and stuff (the Internet was in a worse shape than today, trust me), but the idea of tuning in to Anime just like how I would for any TV drama was refreshing, even anticipating and exciting, to look forward too every week. And thus, unlike many who chose to binge them all once they are aired, I sank into the weekly schedule of watching Japanese animation.


THE BLOG IN TRANSITION
As I was humbly blogging on the rise of the Internet back in 2008 (about my daily life in school, if you can believe), I never thought of ever writing about Anime. But as there wasn't an easy avenue to talk about Anime with others (I guess the classmates who introduced me to "BLEACH", but even then we were on different levels) especially with my very niche opinions about you know, liking theme songs to even liking the voices behind Anime characters (haha it had already started) which was hard to relate as many out there were more into the 2D world, and that's what everyone was trying to escape from. Too real to my own opinions and needing a channel to talk about this and my parents didn't fancy me talking to myself lol *cringe*, I eventually transitioned to talk more about not my school life, and I think started with this new naming since 2012 after I graduated high school.

The blog has since then taken a slightly more formal tone(?) on everything in my life, which in this case, also for the Anime I watch every week. It started with short summaries of each week's episodes (yes, plural) but I still ended up regurgitating a lot of my opinions to myself, and over time i got comfortable to talk about them in detail more, and as my knowledge of them increased I also ended up talking about the faucets of what makes Anime what they are today. Learning programming only made this blog more fanciful and meaningful as I add more sections and add in images and GIFs over the years enough for me to want to look back at them from time to time.

The focus in the future of this weekly post which I have aptly named "Entertainment News" for the past decade, will be to then allow easier search, filter and identification of content that has been written all this time, with a redo on most of the paging of the "series" so far, and including sitemaps and image archives if possible just as how I've done so for my GitHub page.


THE NOW YEARS
This will be shorter than above I promise, because despite the many platforms and ways to watch Anime today (I personally have an active Amazon Prime account which you would know, has access to Prime Video which streams Anime, and then there's English licensed sites so Funimation and Crunchyroll), I still ended up wanting to dictate my thoughts somewhere where I can still take screenshots and write comments down where it matters (and that's how you get so many more quotes apart from each section's opening), because I spend time to reflect an think about stuff as I watch as many will do but in this case I just write them down, it's probably better to do the way that it has been so far, and (don't cancel me but) watch fansubs or get raw sources in order to make this so-called hobby of mine sustainable in the long run. Yeah, it's like YouTube reaction videos, but in text, that's how I view my Anime viewing experience now.

In recent years too, I have also learnt enough Japanese to follow official sources (social media, official websites) to know more about the stuff behind Anime, behind-the-scenes stuff, special projects where the voice actors do stuff and honestly saying I like those a lot hehe, and if anything else, it was Anime that taught me Japanese. Well, not 100% I ended up listening to a lot of music and learnt stuff from the lyrics, but I would say this is the motivation to do so since great accompanying theme songs will make of great shows in the first place.


THE ANIME PROFILE
At this point, I feel like I should talk about what my tastes and/or biases are in Anime, just go settle things right here and now so I can save you some time understanding me later down the post.

I was initially very open to all sorts of genres walking into the world of Anime, from the early days feeling the greatness of variety in comedic characters (WORKING!!!), blossoming romance in any situation (Hatsukoi Limited, cute girls in a band (K-ON!), exciting plot twists (at least, back then Kuroshitsuji was), mysteries for stuff that don't even relate (Yojouhan Shinwa Taikei), and much more. From adaptations to originals, I've had my share of seeing them in action, and this is what constituted my first 5 years from 2008-2012. 

It was afterwards picking up on more popular series (Attack on Titan, Nagi no Asukara) that started to make me think otherwise about my tastes in Anime. I did still watch certain genres from time to time though that offer niche genres because damn is it Anime if it's the same damn thing as real life drama series, but obviously, as you can see from the calendar below, I am more towards realistic genres along the lines of comedy and romance.

Why though? Because my focus changed over time. From the days of just seeing anything I liked, today I will consider things like animation, whether I liked the trailer and/or theme songs in it, and the voice cast because if you haven't been finding the people behind your favourite Anime characters you aren't as in this as I am. So you know, many of these factors will come into deciding whether I will like anything today. I can give you examples for days, but if something hits like a movie trailer when I first saw one for an Anime series... then that will be it. I will talk about my reasons for giving any new show a chance in my season previews so I guess those will be a good gauge of my tastes over time.

So I can only say that my profile now and my opinions whatsoever is pretty much surrounding this meme image as adapted from an OVA episode of "Seitokai Yakuindomo":


This also represented the thumbnail of this post in case you didn't notice since this looks like an interview from me too... Just perfect haha *chef's kiss* thanks Aria

Oh, but we aren't just here to talk about the things I've done all those many years ago (I feel so old now), I want to talk about what was good and bad! So let's!


THE Q&A
Once again, this is in no way representative of my opinions forever because I can change and so do you, but as of now, this is what I feel about the stuff around Anime I know of, hopefully covering as many categories I can or I have experienced so far.
(All series linked are to their first season, on MyAnimeList and it's because I don't want to show you their inconsistent social media presence)
  1. Best & Worst Original Series
  2. Best & Worst Adaptations
  3. Best & Worse Movies
  4. Best Soundtrack Pieces
  5. Iconic Opening Theme Songs
  6. Iconic Ending Theme Songs
  7. Desire for Sequels (That Have Not Been Announced Yet)
  8. Shows I Gave Up Watching
  9. Extreme Genres
  10. Manga/Anime to Completion of Anime/Manga
  11. Top Voice Actors
  12. Top Voice Actresses
  13. Outstanding Voice Contrast
  14. Biggest Anime-Voice Actor Inclusion
  15. My Voice Type

[1]
BEST & WORST ORIGINAL SERIES👍 Fractale
👎 Glasslip
"Fractale" is still by far, my favourite dystopian based worldview of the sci-fi future I desire and envision as I stand now. (Okay maybe not for the birth of the keys but *laughs*) This original series, along with "money vs future" economics suspense thriller "C" are the only action series which helped define the human-like futuristic world I desire to see in fiction, and has since shaped what my novel project "A Pack of Life" is based on today.

And boy do I not want to talk about "Glasslip" again. Pretty much the only reason why I picked this one up was from the Anime's theme songs: ChouCho sang a great summer song, and nano.RIPE ended up being one of my beloved Rock music artists. Everything else is not to say at all, because despite the decent animation and great music, the original series failed to write a solid plot or sound logic on the mystery of... whatever is happening, which makes it even more disappointing when the truth is revealed, if you have realized if that happened.


[2]
BEST & WORST ADAPTATIONS👍 ACCA: 13-ku Kansatsu-ka
👎 Red Data Girl
"ACCA" is a simple choice as I like to watch shows with deliberate mystery, as we are brought into the journey of main guy Jean to travel the country for auditing purposes, only to then realize (spoiler alert) there was an ongoing coup d'état and he is fundamentally involved in it. So cool, the story is so well presented including the plot twist, everything else including the worldview is just so perfect, I would love to recommend this adaptation. And it's not because Lotta-chan is cute. *giggles*

"Red Data Girl" was honestly so bad, I keep reminding myself what was good about it or what was the reason for me to watch the Anime. Was it because of Hayami Saori? I don't think so. I think I was expecting some action or cool stuff at some point, but unlike "Koukyuu no Karasu" which despite its ancient dynasty context still had some action at the end with the build-up on plot, this one just has none, and even what was the slice-of-life parts didn't deliver. Also, destroying electronics? You need to stay away from me forever. *laughs*


[3]
BEST & WORST MOVIES👍 Neko no Ongaeshi
👎 Kimi no Suizou wo Tabetai
This one was hard to choose, but if I have to mention a good one.... I still like "The Cat Returns" back when I was a student watching this Studio Ghibli classic in class (by the way) after the exams were over. It's the perfect fantasy adventure you would want to live as a kid similar to "Spirited Away" just without all the creepy stuff I guess, they have a certain magic. Outside of Ghibli though, "NakiNeko" can be that runner-up just being in relation to this masterpiece in terms of storytelling also serving as an ideal romance scenario in animation.

I legit thought "Kimisui" was supposed to be good and I totally enjoyed the story though with a sadder context, but it took a bad turn at the ending to a new level - a level so new, you wished it had ended with a standard crying bed scene because spoiler alert, she was stabbed by an aggressor. *silence* This is probably the reason why I will mention this in a negative light even if at all.


[4]
BEST SOUNDTRACK PIECES👍 In the Garden of Sinners
(Kara no Kyoukai)
👍 Tetsukazu no Kanjou
(Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun)
👍 Yasashisa no Ashioto
(Toradora!)
I was an avid fan of listening to just music back then, so I appreciated more of Anime soundtracks especially in iconic scenes where it matters, or when the tunes appear more than often. I would say impact and me still caring about soundtrack back then is where I will be at, so it's no wonder the list here does not feature newer shows just because.

For selections though, I went for "Kara no Kyoukai" and despite it being a dark movie (will explain later) it does have a strong, depressing view with a soundtrack written by Kajiura Yuki (which you might know better from the "Fate" series, this movie series is effectively its spin-off) and chorus sung by now disbanded Kalafina? Man, this was that perfection to an intro of a movie. This is the music that filters its audience. *giggles* This was also what led me into the series and Kalafina, all music produced by Kajiura-sensei herself.

As for the other two, they symbolize what I distinctively remember for the Anime I watch, whether it's the theme music or just something sad and quaint after a hectic day, these have never disappointed me. Shout out to Hashimoto Yukari (for "Toradora!") and Kousaki Satoru (for "WORKING!!!", "OreImo" or anything Aniplex) specifically for making great soundtracks whichever direction I go and meet them in.

Of course, there are other so many good ones out there that make the show they were in recent years, so I'm just listing these off my head to give you an idea what I liked back then that were so, so impactful.

EXTRA!!

I would like to also give a shout out to a playlist(?) which I distinctively remembered I have burnt into a CD (back then) which is a great summary of the first 5 years of me listening to Anime soundtracks before I fell off, as seen below:
[All links to VGMDB]
  1. High Heel Shoes In Pink (pf ver') (From "C" Original Soundtrack)
  2. avenue (From "A Channel" Original Soundtrack)
  3. MANHATTAN ~Utsukushisa~ (From "Bartender" Original Soundtrack)
  4. going home (From "BLEACH" Original Soundtrack 1)
  5. Suite "Going Home" 2nd Movement: Piano Solo (From "BLEACH: Fade to Black" Original Soundtrack)
  6. feel your heart (From "Hatsukoi Limited" Original Soundtrack)
  7. Narade Arukou (From "Hatsukoi Limited" Original Soundtrack)
  8. pure heart (From "Hatsukoi Limited" Original Soundtrack)
  9. Kimi ga Tw wo Sashinobete Kureta Toki"Kekkaishi" Original Soundtrack
  10. Ii Yumemite ne"K-ON!" Original Soundtrack
  11. Nukumori (From "Love Hina" Original Sound File Disc 1)
  12. Hitotoki"Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai" Original Soundtrack
  13. Tsuji Aeta Kokoro"Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai" Original Soundtrack
  14. Jours passes"Shakugan no Shana II" Original Soundtrack
  15. Yuugure no Yakusoku"Toradora!" Original Soundtrack
  16. Yasashisa no Ashioto"Toradora!" Original Soundtrack
  17. Watashi' no Theme (Piano Ver.)"Yojouhan Shinwa Taikei" Original Soundtrack
  18. Yojouhan to Castella to 'Watashi'"Yojouhan Shinwa Taikei" Original Soundtrack


[5]
ICONIC OPENING THEME SONGS👍  ONE III NOTES
"Shadow and Truth"
(ACCA)
👍 Aqua Timez
"ALONES"
(BLEACH)
👎 Minami
"Kawaki wo Ameku"
(Domestic na Kanojo)
👎 Necry Talkie
"Fuzaketenaize"
(Kanojo mo Kanojo)
Anime opening theme songs make the best of any series: They define what it is about the even set a worldview to anticipate and be excited about. For this, there can be so many produced by the animation (collaborated) music labels because they can have more control on the genre and style of what is, and thus song like those from Anime "K-ON!", "Chio-chan", or even "JoshiMuda" will be a hit. But we don't want to only about those intentional perfections (or flops), we want to talk about what's great and bad about making mainstream artists who are affiliated to these music labels, that come up with memorable songs to shows we remember.

The best ones, I can remember, are those that define the series thanks to the artists themselves, by mistake or by spending time to make their craft go into the world of Anime. Ironically, it's also those long-run series who will have such rep, from ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION to Ikimonogakari back then to today's Anime artists dominating the Anison world... they are what makes of the best, but I still think of the oldies as when they brought me in. And the worst ones we don't talk about, and pray to the gods there are the ending theme songs to carry the impression for the show. Looking at you, Anime "KanoKano" and "DomeKano". *giggles*


[6]
ICONIC ENDING THEME SONGS👍 Horie Yui
"Vanilla Salt"
(Toradora!)
👍 Natural High
"Hajimari no Hito"
(Bartender)
👎 Uesaka Sumire
"Koisuru Zukei"
(KONOBI)
👎 Erabareshi
"Miss Rabbit"
(Time Travel Shoujo)
For Anime's ending theme songs though, as much as it's a sandbox for putting in anything related to the genre I think I have seen too many examples of songs going off the perpendicular; I have seen cover songs of oldies old enough I know of them (thanks "Tada-kun" and "Tenshi-sama") and they are just a lazy effort by production, I've seen ending theme songs done for each episode that the series existed ("OreImo" WTF but thanks to all the indie composers who participated), I've disliked those which aren't as great as their opening theme song coming in from Anime character songs and that's understandable lol I skip them anyways and I promise you it was tough finding them back to list here, but most importantly, the ones that make the most impact are the ones, which link to the end of every episode.

Why though? Because those who link their episode ends to the ending theme song create a plot transition, and those are just the best, making the twist happen not within the show only, but also outside to give one reflection and invoke further emotions to what is due to happen. Trust me, learning that from an emotional drama series like "Toradora!" hurts a lot, and that's how I knew.


[7]
DESIRE FOR SEQUELS (THAT HAVE NOT BEEN ANNOUNCED YET)💕 Kono Bijitsubu ni wa Mondai ga Aru!
💕 Taisho Otome Monogatari
🖤 Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun
🖤 Kyokou Suiri
[*As of October 2023]
We have seen many Anime having sequels to their ADAPTATIONS (by the way) or their original work, and whether they have completed that from the source, for me it has always been a pain to wait for the next one and whether it'll deliver, known by me as "sequel drag". However, there are some series I would love to see them announce another season though many of which have been fulfilled in recent years (shout out to "Kuroshitsuji" still going, "Yojouhan" for giving it a proper ending despite being a light novel adaptation), so I will talk about the remaining ones that have never announced a sequel *prays*, or those in contrary I don't want to see (more) sequels of since, most likely my reason will be because, that they aren't that enjoyable in the first place and I have given it to them for the get-go from the first season. And now I have an obligation to see it through no matter how far they are from the initial boom, but that's just me.

Speaking of which...!


[8]
SHOWS I GAVE UP WATCHING6️⃣ Koi to Uso
3️⃣ Hataraku Saibou
3️⃣ Mieruko-chan
As I've learnt from bloggers from the early days of Random Curiosity, is that to give oneself a three-episode rule, as they will involve plot twists, and an implication of a summary of a series, sometimes the end of a first arc, sort of like a checkpoint, for you to decide whether this will be worth following through all the way. The ones listed I have followed on those rules for reasons that just make me generally not want to watch them through (typically involving horror and/or biological science that is *cringe* or just makes me *pukes*), but one particular one I recall, I watched way more before giving it the thumbs down. Why? Because they showed me an implied sex scene. Between high schoolers. Yup, totally off the rails from what was just like a love betrayal series? Dude, we can do better. Even "Glasslip" was- And that's why we know the greatest mistakes are those we don't put down and have to deal with their presence from here on.

*silence*

ALSO IF SOMETHING SUCKS STOP WATCHING THEM DON'T KEEP BUYING INTO THEM AND THEN COMPLAIN ABOUT HOW BAD IT IS!! ANIME PRODUCTIONS LOOK AT STATS ON VIEWERSHIP AND VIDEO SALES NOT INTERNET COMMENTS AND REACTIONS ok let's move on since this doesn't reflect on me I watch so many sequels just in the previous season anyways lol


[9]
EXTREME GENRES💀 Ranpo Kitan: Game of Laplace
🍌 Babylon
🥩 Kara no Kyoukai -the Garden of Sinners-
You have been seriously warned about watching any of these (okay maybe just the trailer LMAO), and I don't mean these shows show ecchi scenes or dirty jokes or they are absolute tearjerkers or anything, but you might cry because many of these are just straight up core and in themes of life and death and more, enough to make you and I lose your appetites; It's that bad. You may say they were mistakes I have never put down because they still are quality drama despite how disturbing they are (and that kind of says what kind of depressed human being I am) so, uh... let's move on, shall we?

You really have been warned unless you want to witness (respectively, as stated above) a hanging or sexual arousal or saliva porn- *pukes*


[10]
MANGA TO COMPLETION OF ANIMEBLEACH
"BLEACH", which will be ending its final arc Anime adaptation by next year so we are technically celebrating this early, will still be the longest-standing and most beloved action series I have chosen to prefer over whatever others were available at that time. (Looking at you, Naruto and One Piece.) Nothing here will explain how much I wanted action scenes or sword releases to dominate my imaginative mind, and to see it happen in animation from the comics is only a dream come true, no matter how critical I can be of the Anime series those years ago and today. I will only thank for its completeness, if it hasn't made grounds in both media types already.


ANIME TO COMPLETION OF MANGABinbougami ga!
On the contrary, this is likely what the Anime industry expects us to do after watching an Anime adaptation, and this is my only best example so far, so hear me out. Instead of desperately wanting a sequel which considerably has a conclusion for their Anime adaptation, I decided back then when I had a lot more time to do this, to binge or even follow on the latest chapters of the comic it was based on, and boy did it end in the most spectacular fashion ever, true to its style and storytelling, it definitely made me like this series about fortune more than I started. (Spoiler alert: Everyone became a Fortune God haha true chaos has arrived) I think that's enough for me to give them due credit just for introducing me to this story.


[11]
TOP VOICE ACTORS1️⃣ Suwabe Juunichi
2️⃣ Tsuda Kenjirou
3️⃣ Hayami Sho
I picked up these voice actors based on a few factors, including their voice acting and how often they appear in shows I watch, and I think this is an adequate representation of what I know of them to give them credit for. From Hayami Sho's iconic voice as Aizen Sousuke in "BLEACH" and evil principal in "Assassination Classroom", to Tsuda Kenjirou's deep voice that gets the female audience going (and I swear also on the looks too) even if he voices a horny father in "Ao-chan" haha, and I have to put my hat off to Suwabe-san for always delivering on his roles every time I see him, "Senko-san" and "GREAT PRETENDER" to name a few I've seen. 


[12]
TOP VOICE ACTRESSES1️⃣ Horie Yui
2️⃣ Hanazawa Kana
3️⃣ Hondo Kaede
For the female voice actors though, I may give a little exception due to my inclination of bias towards certain roles and/or voice behind, so don't mind me showing appreciation to veterans like Hocchan and Kana-chan and the like just because they are pretty much the bulk of my liking Anime characters throughout and perhaps beyond. Ede-chan here though is just worth a mention purely because of her efforts in voice acting in the Anime I see here in, and I cannot describe how much that transfers to her image and my love for all of this in general.

Of course I can list many more from Tomatsu Haruka to Kitou Akari but what's the point, you will find out who I will follow from here on. *giggles*


[13]
OUTSTANDING VOICE CONTRAST1️⃣ Toyosaki Aki
2️⃣ Uesaka Sumire
3️⃣ Naganawa Maria
Also known as "gap moe", this segment(?) is dedicated to the (typically female) voice actors who have shown outstanding voice acting ability by not just sounding different, but because it's so far away from their usual acting voice, will make me stand on end on how they sound otherwise. In this case though, instead of the end result being cuter than the usual, some of them start from the usual, as seen in Aki-chan who voiced a matured woman in "FRACTALE" and blew my mind even though it was just a minor character, and I know using Naganawa Maria here is kind of cheating, but have you ever heard her matured voice? Yeah, it's just different, and I only have examples in video games so not going to touch on them too much. Sumipe is likely the only one who voices cute roles normally so not as herself, and it's when she voiced characters who sound like herself but behaving otherwise (see "Aho Girl") that makes them excel and/or make me like them more.


[14]
BIGGEST ANIME-VOICE ACTOR INCLUSIONK-ON!
Need I say more? *laughs*

What took the world (or at least Japan) more than a year ago, this cute girl music band slice-of-life series is anything but, and that's just half the story, because pretty much everyone in the main cast is basking on its success: Toyosaki Aki is renowned for her uniquely adorable voice, Hikasa Youko is veteran and a jack of all trades, even Taketatsu Ayana went to become one of the most popular voice actresses to date. Even if Satou Satomi and Kotobuki Minako did not achieve the success of the other members from this series, I still ended up following them just because, until they all become the married women we all expected. For what might not look like them, their impressions on me have never faded since then, and I can only be more than happy I picked this one up to know of them.


[15]
MY VOICE TYPE1️⃣ Komatsu Mikako
2️⃣ Nukamura Manami
3️⃣ Toyosaki Aki
This is just a personal preference, where I will talk about a little how much these voices make my Anime experience infinitely better for no reason. Naturally, they fall into the idolism territory so don't mind me speaking my mind out here. Mikakoshi and Nu-chan typically appear in places I least expect of them and they turned out better than I thought (shout out to Moeka's mom and Pieck-san *umph* respectively), and every time I hear Aki-chan in Anime always brings a joy to my ears whether I can recognize her or not. *giggles* Others would include Horie Yui but damn do I even need to explain how much her voice resonates within fans ourselves I can't even. 


TOP SERIES BY GENRE
This is technically staple for this post so it's excluded out of the Q&A, but I might as well rank some of the shows I watch based on genre... which I'm weak at identifying so with the help of MyAnimeList I've classified them and sorted them out accordingly, as follows:
(*As of 2023)

ACTION1️⃣ BLEACH
2️⃣ Bungou Stray Dogs
3️⃣ Shakugan no Shana
I have real strict requirements with respect to action series, and I'm sorry about that, but the idea that there is human extension of power AND the main weapon of choice is a katana TOTALLY got me when I started reading and watching "BLEACH" all those years ago, and competing franchises do not even come close. (I do not include the drag that is filler arcs for this analysis) But many of those I watch today are also due to this, whether it is through tools or just made up from magic or whatever phenomenon. Other than that, I will appreciate a unique worldview as seen from "Bungou Stray Dogs" and how they use literary authors of the past century as material (so they don't get copyright infringement lol), and to a smaller extent proper plot progression because who cares about never-ending series I can't even stand how long the "Attack on Titan" series took to conclude.

Some of these were even used in my personal light novel project "A Pack of Life"; The duel setting was based on "Shakugan no Shana" portals which stop time all while letting the action carry on within the space, which I thought was really cool. "Kekkaishi" also deserves a worthy mention because of how much physics they can go with just the barriers alone before they had to use OP stuff, to be frank.


COMEDY1️⃣ Chio-chan no Tsuugakuro
2️⃣ Komi-san wa, Komyushou desu.
3️⃣ Asobi Asobase
For this though, as you can see the crazy amount of titles I watched from this genre, you would know that I am more than just a sarcastic individual. *giggles* So I take my jokes very seriously, but then again it's really anything floats, I would expect jokes to land properly to not be disappointing, not to take itself too seriously, and have memorable characters which at this point can be supplemented by the voice behind so don't mind me liking "Komi-san" here just because Koga Aoi is main girl (and also it has great 2000s comedy vibes), or the reverse where I ended up liking the "Asobi Asobase" main trio just because of the voice actresses and I recall watching this live through VPN on Abema TV without subtitles, by the way. Those were great, confusing times. *giggles* "Chio-chan" I would say in summary is the best balance of all of this it was worth watching time and again always making me laugh, also cringe if you have seen the girls dance especially on the livestream special back then with Oozora Naomi and Omigawa Chaki doing it. I will always remember Ede-chan laughing at the background the whole time I can't even. *laughs*

Honourable mentions include "JoshiMuda" which is fine but the main girl is a total idiot which I really don't like along with "Aho Girl" but the rest of the cast did make up for it.


DRAMA1️⃣ Toradora!
2️⃣ Skip to Loafer
3️⃣ Yesterday wo Utatte
I don't think I have ever been a fan of drama series considering I left drama to watch Anime which has pretty much every other genre out there, but those who are good tend to hit, starting from "Toradora!" which started it all. We won't talk about and also I'm not keen on those drama that is just The Great Depression, so at least some form of comedy or romance or something must be involved, is my point. Specifically though, those who excel are also those that make a point on their story, enough to make me cry on of course more true to live themes like family and romance, but other stuff less subtle and relatable do work on me too, but don't quote on me there.

"Skip to Loafer" is probably the latest in the lines of not staying too much for the storytelling but be able to tell stories of all the characters beautifully, similar to "Yesterday wo Utatte" and it's not because this was aired when Hanazawa Kana was still single. *silence* Anyways haha, touching scenes, memorable soundtracks but I think this is to a lesser extent and more on theme songs (see ending theme songs section for details), and strong plot twists are what I will look out for to leave an impression.


SLICE OF LIFE1️⃣ Acchi Kocchi
2️⃣ Senpai ga Uzai Kouhai no Hanashi
3️⃣ Slow Start
I wonder how I should explain my 2nd favourite genre of Anime to watch in recent years, purely because they are easier to digest, but less relatable as I grow up from a high school student to a working adult, so nowadays I just tend to go for more adult working area slice-of-life stories which are kind of present these days in contrast to the overwhelming high school setting everyone seems to be going at which is kind of stale even watching it for a decade and a half. In this genre though, if chill feels and strong character types aren't a thing for you to go by, then this might never be for you. From tsundere cat(?) Tsumiki and Ookubo Rumi is totally not my fuel after this and "Servant x Service" too lol, to Futaba in "Senpai ga Uzai" just representing most kids never growing up nowadays I can't even, to even "Slow Start" which balanced their character developments all around it's actually ironic to ignore the actual stories that were going on with whatever Eiko-chan is doing. *giggles*

I would say "Kawaisou" is also a good runner-up on this, once again if there are memorable characters and a tad bit of comedy infused into it, "Senko-san" if you can picture the main guy as me, "Koufuku Graffiti" if you are super into food p*rn, but I can go on forever. Not all topics will hit though, and I can promise you I have skipped entire seasons of them because their topics are not of interest to me. What was the girls riding on motorbike one? *laughs*


ROMANCE1️⃣ Tsurezure Children
2️⃣ Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun
3️⃣ Kimi ni Houkago Insomnia
Ah, the dream I have never attained in real life. *laughs* Besides being a great mockery of my single life watching couples come together through various means and circumstances, it is definitely hard to make them better because of how unique the circumstances have to be seeing that you know, falling on top of one another or seeing each other naked isn't exactly exciting for anyone anymore. (Notice I did not include an "ecchi" genre in here just because, or else "Love Hina" would be a staple) So for me nowadays at least, the sweeter the main (or secondary) couple(s) can be, the better, and that is hoping it isn't without heavy dramatization to not make this a tearjerker.

Otherwise, you would be glad to see that "Tsurezure Children" has unique stories of many couples up the wall one might as well start with this and I'm still paying (passively) for the licensed manga till date (though it has concluded years ago, but I'm taking my time), and that should give you a good idea of how this genre works in general. "Kaibutsu-kun" takes credit in just life-changing one's circumstances, teaching the studious girl that one's soulmate can appear anywhere around them at any time even if he's weird or just plain handsome (lmao), and I think "KimiSomu" is probably the best in progression in recent memory. I mean, there's "Tada-kun" which was pretty impressive for an Anime original, and "Shikimori-san" for a twist in circumstances each with its own story to tell, and I think this is why I can never get tired of them yet.

I would also argue that most of the (not Studio Ghibli) Anime movies I watch are even more worthy of praise for this genre along haha why do I watch only those movies though? *giggles*


MYSTERY1️⃣ Subete ga F ni Naru
2️⃣ Kuroshitsuji
3️⃣ UN-GO
Now we come to the minority stuff I watch in genre, because honestly speaking? Mystery series are hard to stand on its own and still be good, or else every action series or even "ACCA" will make of a good mystery. Still, I think that having plot twists and stuff is vital for such a genre even if I would expect a more proper resolution even if you don't lead me on anything because I'm not that smart and you can make me confused until halfway through the series, I'm totally fine with that.

I did not get the mystery on "F in Naru" but damn is it intriguing thinking about how that can work back then (spoiler alert there was enough years for the same woman locked in the room to be replaced), and "UN-GO" I would argue is kind of cheating with this genre and that's why I prefer not to talk about this along with the fantasy genre (which we will cover later) since one will never understand enough to be a great detective at any point and the solution can just be magic for all I know which is cringe in my opinion. Point is, the more true to life for the plot the better, which makes London history-based series "Kuroshitsuji" earn a spot even if there are many more I can mention, and despite having a demon on our hands. *giggles*

There are other interesting plots for mystery like "TanMoshi" with the recollection dump and "GREAT PRETENDER" if you like to be in crime yet know of nothing every single moment.

I think I'm just too dumb to understand mystery series lmao


FANTASY1️⃣ Majo no Tabitabi
2️⃣ Houseki no Kuni
3️⃣ Nagi no Asu Kara
For this? I have to say, I don't have much requirements, and it's really due to unique circumstances. The more unique the better, and hopefully not on generic fantasy stuff like magic and magic though I would argue "MajoTabi" taking up this spot is precisely because it is done so well with an interesting worldview and immersive storytelling though I was told that the original work was more depressing, like Elaina would eventually be so poor she has to work on the streets. So yeah, please more sequels hehe, and apart from this exception, I will take no alternative world plots where someone suddenly appears in another world for some reason (though "BLEACH" is technically one so welp), and I chose "Houseki no Kuni" because damn is the idea of the moon people such a intriguing thing the stellar cast pales in contrast to the story (or not hehe emo Mikakoshi is *chef's kiss*), and I think many people agree with "NagiAsu" on their storytelling and worldview of sea people which I appreciate.


In summary, I would like to think that, many of the international audience will think very otherwise form my thoughts, that maybe, just maybe, I'm more aligned with the Japanese audience but haha that's also unlikely since I browse through Japanese forums too and I see polarizing opinions, but yeah, I like to have different opinions, things like soft appeal and impactful minor scenes; I like that I always will have a niche opinion wherever I go but no one to talk to. *silence*

MOVING ON!!


OMAKE!!

THE ANIME GOODS
Though I told myself these aren't real and it's better to support 3D girls then spend money on 2D girls lol that was long ago, but in years going forward and to not fill up my room, I would wish to buy some Anime goods in remembrance of those shows I have watched and liked. That is the ideal, something that every show has sold in common... the only thing I knew about are badges, so maybe I will start from that soon enough of whenever I want to drag myself to Japan to buy them since it's hard to buy them for the vast 15 years of shows online. *giggles*

So far though? You may have known some of them here and there, and it's mostly for "BLEACH" so far. From a large calendar to karuta cards, these are still exceptions to the rule for being the most impactful series I have watched thus far, so they deserve some form of repayment. But I might be extending soon, as said above I am trying to find a common item to buy that does not take up space (it is the digital age after all), so we shall see how that goes moving forward.




This shall be it! May I watch many more years of Anime and love the dynamic of real people voicing behind more ideal characters (lol) and NEVER like the movie industry or Netflix or whatever but we shall see, I'm only starting even though it has been 15 years already. I mean, I can go on forever talking about the stuff I like about all the Anime I watch but why would I? Maybe it's time for you to experience it for yourself. *thumbs up*

P.S. Oh by the way, my Q&A did not include ranking or even rating of Anime characters because not only is it unimportant to me (though when I started I thought Kushieda Minori and Narusegawa Naru were my love hehe but turns out I just like Hocchan more *dabs*), I also judge shows now based on the voices behind them. But yeah, I do like Anime characters within their shows, so you can't exactly ask me to rank them- Urahara Kisuke. *giggles*

P.P.S. ROLEPLAY TIME!! Haha because of my love for the voices behind Japanese animation, here is some (just some) of the role(s) I can imagine they would be involved in my life:
... Not going to describe more because you can catch up on The Fanfiction series in this very blog to find out if most of them were true. *giggles* I'm done!

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