Favorite anime meme v.3

LOL, WALLTEXT AHEAD
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I had to re-do it, since the old one was out of date. I also prefer the pictures I chose here. Yeah, the top five have changed only slightly, but the other five are completely different from last time.

1. Princess tutu
Legal stream: [link]
Favorite character: Rue/Krahe
If you don't know this is my favorite, you don't know me all that well. I love everything about this show. From the beautiful classical music, to the graceful and well-paced plot. I went in expecting quite a bit from this show. It's one of only three shows my favorite anime reviewer has given four (our of four) stars. It didn't disappoint me at all. This show made me love ballet, so "I don't like ballet" is no excuse now to watch it. The fans have nicknamed this show Guitar Ninjas, and it lives up to that name and then some.

2. Monster
Legal stream: [link]
Favorite character: Wolfgang Grimmer
Like Tutu, I like pretty much everything about the show. I love the realistic art style, the suspenseful and well-thought out story, the oh-so human characters. Despite the fact that I like Tutu more, I think this is the best anime I've ever seen. The only thing that holds it back for me is that it has little rewatch value. It isn't a bad thing, but I do like to watch shows I like over again, much like how I enjoy reading books more than once. But it's definitely something every anime fan (and even non anime fans) should try. Despite it's daunting length, it's worth the watch, if only just for the awesome villain.

3. Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo (Would be Vinland Saga if it were an anime and not just a manga)
Legal stream: [link] or [link]
Favorite character: The Count
That art style. I can stare at it for days. Anyway, I should warn fans of the book that while the show has many of the book's key plotpoints at its core, it's very much it's own story. I always loved Sci-fi, so I was able to appreciate the twist there, but some may be too upset of how much was changed. The thing is that the original novel is very, very hard to adapt. This did it the best (arguably) while also staying the furthest away from the original story. It's tough to explain, but... uh.. watch it.

4. Cowboy bebop
Legal stream: Should be available on Netflix (though not in Canada) DUBDUBDUB
Favorite character: Spike Spiegel
Oh, come on! It’s Cowboy bebop! I love it for the same reasons everyone else does. The music is masterfully fitted to each scene, it’s incredibly filmic, the characters are likable and it’s all so damn cool. All of the main characters have a special place in my heart. It doesn’t hurt the series at all that the scene in episode five with Spike falling out of the cathedral to “Green bird” is my single favourite moment in animation. I love how much is revealed about Spike and his relationship with Vicious in just that one scene. I really can’t say more about bebop. It’s something every anime fan should see at some point.

5. Mushi-shi
Legal streaming: [link]
Favorite character: Ginko (duh)
Oh, this anime. It’s beautiful, soothing, amazing. I love it. If I were to leap into any fictional world, it would be Mushi-shi. It’s just so gorgeous. I would love to meet Ginko and follow him on his travels, learning about all the different types of Mushi. It’s an amazing anime rich in Japanese culture as it once was and partially is today. I cannot recommend this enough.

6. Welcome to the NHK
Legal streaming: [link] (I think you have to sign up to watch) or [link] (episodes 1-4)
Favorite character: Misaki and Sato
While watching the first few episodes, my thoughts were something along the line of "Oh, this is funny c:" then, as the story progressed, I got more and more attached to the characters, and then came the ending. That ending is one of the best things ever. Probably my favorite ending in anime, which is more than I can say of number seven.. I think anyone can relate to Sato in some way, which makes the series interesting for almost anyone. It dives deep into the problems of the cast of terribly messed up people we're following, also known as the most hilarious group of depressed people ever. It's very intriguing. The gallows humor may be too much for some people, but for everyone else; Welcome to the NHK, prepare to laugh, and some might even want to prepare themselves to cry a little.

7. Berserk
Legal streaming: None
Favorite character: Judeau (I'm odd like that)
FUCK YEAH BERSERK. Now that that's out of the way; worst ending ever. Despite the terrible non-ending, it is a gripping experience. It's bloody as hell, but there is a lot more to it than just gore. I want to say something here, but there's a reason I didn't review this after I watched it; I love it, but I can't figure out what to say about it. It's just something you have to watch, I think. Tip: after you finish the series, watch the bloopers. They'll help you calm down. As well as make you roll on the floor laughing.

8. Kino's Journey
Legal streaming: [link] (episodes 1-2)
Favorite character: Kino (who else? She's awesome)
I did review this one! I love the little morals about humanity scattered all around this series. It's fun to dissect, but that may just be me. More than anything, it's just so, so pretty. Not to the level of Mushi-shi, but very pretty all the same. In addition, Kino is probably my favorite female protagonist of all time. She's a character first, and a girl second, so she's not bound by the more common archetypes for female characters. The countries that she and her bike, Hermes, explore throughout the series are all so fascinating. I love it <3

9. Toradora!
Legal streaming: None
Favorite character: Minori
You know, I don't like romantic comedies, I really don't. Then this came along, and what do you know? Now I like a romantic comedy. Welcome to the NHK technically fits into that category as well, but it's so much of a deconstruction that I almost don't consider it one. The reason I love toradora so much is because, while not a deconstruction, like I consider NHK, it is very different in terms of romcoms. It avoids most tropes in the genre completely, or works with them so they aren't as corny and forced as they would normally be. The characters grow on you when you least expect it, and dear God, I don't like to sound like a fangirl, but it's just so damn cute. The romance feels really genuine, and it's just a really great show all around.

10. Paranoia agent
Legal streaming: None (out of print)
Favorite character: Detective Maniwa
Satoshi Kon was a great storyteller taken well before his times. Before he passed away, he worked on several movies, and one anime series, Paranoia agent. The human mind has always interested me, and although I didn't mention it before, that's one of the reasons why I love Monster. But where Monster interested me for it's focus on a serial killer, this one focuses on the minds of ordinary people, and because of the way the series plays out, this is often just as interesting. The animation here is fantastic, as well.


I like talking about stuff I like