It’s been way too long since I shouted out one of my fellow bloggers! Well isn’t it great that Railgunfan75 not only came up with this great challenge and was kind enough to tag me, but also happens to be a great blogger I have been following for years and that deserves more attention! You should go visit railgunfan75’s Geek blog when you get the chance. It’s a great time!But on to the challenge. In case you missed my hidden link, you can find the original post here: https://railgunfan75.wordpress.com/2020/06/15/railgunfan75s-anime-favorites-a-z-challenge/
So what is this Anime Favorites A-Z Challenge all about? Actually that title is pretty self explanatory. Good title! Still there are some rules, and here they are:
- Pick a favorite series/movie for each letter of the alphabet. For titles starting with “a” “an” or “the” use the first letter of the next word of the title. (Spoilers, I fail at this a lot)
- Since many titles have multiple names based on the language that you are using please pick one language for the entire list (Use all English titles or all Japanese titles) and let the readers know which language you will be using. If a title has the same name regardless of the language then it can be used in any list. (I will be using the English titles as I always have)
- If you don’t have a title that fits under a particular letter, you can name another favorite from a different letter in it’s place, just indicate which letter spot you are using for that series. This can be done up to three times. If you can’t fill a spot then you can leave it blank. No more than 26 total series are allowed. (Awwww man… this is gonna be impossible…)
- Including a picture for each series is encouraged. (On it)
- Share who tagged you for this challenge and nominate 3 more to try it themselves and include links to their blogs:
I think you guys should try this one out (sorry if you have already been tagged):
- Just have fun with this challenge. I wanted to get everyone to share some favorite series and to spread the word about awesome blogs! (This I can do)
I won’t lie, I had a quick look at my AniList before starting and keeping this at 1 per letter is gonna be next to impossible. So these are today’s favourites…
ACCA-13 seems to come up on my blog a lot lately. Not only is the slow burn and ultimately somewhat unresolved political intrigued right up my alley, the attention to detail in design, artistry and production values made this little gems one of my surprise favourites when I first discovered it.
I went back and forth between this one and Bungo Stray Dogs so many times. I might still change it before publishing. At the end of the day, nostalgia won out. Berserk is a tremendous series, well at least the original is, I have not yet seen the remake. And it also happens to be one of the very first anime I watched knowing what anime was. I still adore this show and it has coloured my appreciation for the medium.
What else was I going to pick for C? I might not talk about Cowboy Bebop as much as other blogs do but it is, and has for a long time been, one of my favourite animes. A Sci Fi action with comedic and criminal elements. It might as well have been written just for me. Heck I might as well have written it myself. It doesn’t stay funny though, and when it’s not, it’s devastating in the best way.
Man I’m skipping so many amazing shows. Durarara is the best. I can’t quite explain why. I mean there are a lot great elements for sure, by I have no idea what grabbed me and fascinated so about the series that after the first episode, I was ready to proclaim it one of my all time faves. The only thing I can really fault Durarara for, is the lack of closure it left me feeling. Still that’s also part of the charm. I should rewatch Durarara.
Good thing I remembered to go check the “The” entries cause there is no way I was leaving the Eccentric Family off the list. Not only an exceptional anime but an awesome OP as well. Two if you count the second season. This is not a show you can resume in a few lines, or maybe at all, so you should just watch it, and see for yourself.
Shin Sekai Yori is the only anime I always refer to by the Japanese title. But for this challenge I am super happy that the English title is From The New World. I have mentioned this series many times in the past and it’s also one of my best reviews, in my opinion.
Given impressed me so much but still, it can’t hold a candle to Gurren Lagann for me. I didn’t think any Trigger title would delodge Kill la Kill but the softer narrative and more wide spread themes of Gurren Lagann combined with the classic Sci Fi sensibilities made me fall deeply in love with Gurren (another review I really enjoyed writing).
I’m a Sports! anime fan that really enjoys sports animes, even when it’s not full of pretty boys (but that doesn’t hurt!). And Haikyuu might be my favourite of all the Sports animes. I should have chosen the latest season cover because it may be the best season yet.
I really enjoyed Interviews with Monster Girls. I watched the entire series with a big smile on her face. I would jump for joy at a second season but I haven’t heard about anything yet. I particularly enjoyed how it mixed “monsters” from so many different cultures and traditions together. Well I particularly enjoyed a lot of things about it….
And now we come to my first missing letter: “J”. There is an actual answer here and it’s Jojo but, I’ve been meaning to rewatch it and review it for ages as I don’t remember it enough to talk about it. So instead I’m going to use the spot for My Hero Academia. Basic I know but hey, basic are great! They go with everything.
K was another tough letter but I ended up going with Kyousougigia. If you haven’t seen it, there’s no way I can explain it here. If you have, then you’re probably thinking, yeah..that makes sense. She would go for Kyousougiga. The more time passes, the more I seem to love this show.
I saw Land of the Lustrous relatively recently but I haven’t been quite able to get it out of my head. It’s loose allegorical themes haunt me. Sometimes sharp, cold and unfeeling like a stone, sometimes glimmering and beautiful like a gem. Sometimes, crack seep in. Land of the Lustrous is my pick for L.
I already used on M pick to highlight a popular shonen that captured my sense of adventure. So now I’m going to use my actual M choice for a popular shonen that captured my sense of community. I was way late to the Mob Psycho party and I feel both glad and sad. Sad that I missed out for so long, glad that I got the fun of discovering it not that long ago!
If there was one given when I started this list, it was what my pick for the letter N would be. Sorry NGNL, Evangelion and Noragami, you are all fine shows, but your titles start by the same letter as Natsume’s Book of Friends. The series has been like a warm embrace for me and it will always be in any anime favourites list I make.
Full disclosure, I only have one O title in my list of completed anime. Luckily it happens to be a series I really enjoyed. There’s a reason Ouran is still popular and generally well known among anime fans. A good reason! It also happened to be the first anime that drove me to get the manga version. I like the anime better. This happens a lot with comedies.
With how often I mention Psycho-Pass, it’s not like I could have chosen something else. Paranoia Agent was tempting though. Later season’s never quite managed to capture the genius of the first one. Not a perfect show but such a detailed study of dystopian science fiction and still one of the best in the genre.
I don’t have an entry for Q, I should work on that. So I’m going to go ahead and throw Steins:Gate on right here. Like Natsume, Steins;Gate is a series that I always knew would make the list (I’m also a huge fan of the sidequel 0). Seeing as S is possibly the letter with the most options, I might as well reserve a spot now. Steins;Gate is awesome, but you probably don’t need me to tell you that!
Revolutionary Girl Utena is a show that grew on me and continues to grow. I did enjoy it as I was watching it, but it was a bit confusing and occasionally grandstanding. It was good, not great. And then I had the time to actually reflect on it and the layers started to reveal treasures unimaginable. The more time passed, the more I thought, the more I truly appreciated the depth of the series. By now I think it’s absolutely great, and getting better.
Hey, two in a row! In case you haven’t picked up on it, I’m a big fan of surreal and allegorical stories. And that is exactly what Sarazanmai is. In many ways, it’s an exploration of loss and grief all packaged in frantic modernization of Japanese folklore and breath taking art. It’s a very odd show that’s difficult to recommend and I try to make everyone watch it.
T was one of the toughest letters as I was torn between Tsuritama and To be a Heroine’s predecessor, To be a Hero. Still Heroine won out by a hair. Partly because I think Tsuritama has a much better chance of being mentioned by someone else and partly because this was such a wild ride of a series that made me feel feelings and I want to share that with everyone.
Now remember, this isn’t about quality, it’s about my personal enjoyment. Uta no Prince Sama isn’t a good show…but I love it. I have watched 4 seasons of it and if any more come out, I will watch those two. My reviews for the show read like a fever dream on a sugar high, and are just as understandable. What I’m saying is that this is my U pick.
Weirdly enough, it seems that Voice of Fox is the only V anime I have on my list. It was an OK show. Better that I thought it would be but nothing to really write home about. Still, ;the title starts with the letter V. So there’s that.
World Conquest Zvezda was an unusual show that I really enjoyed. It set up all these very odd plot elements and supernatural themes that it just never bothered to explain. Fun times. It also lovingly embraced one of my favourite tropes, The Found Family. I’m surprised how little I hear about this series, I wish it would get talked about more often.
We’re in the home stretch. Now I could have use X 1999 for this but it seems I forgot it to the point of not adding it to my AniList so instead I’ll take the opportunity to put KonoSuba here. KonoSuba made me laugh and that is often the way to my heart. Even now, any show that vaguely reminds me of the series gets an extra 10 points!
Speaking of shows that made me laugh! I don’t know how Yuri this series is but it’s both very cute and very funny. One of my favourite shows for a very long time now. I still remember getting my drink up my nose because it made me laugh too much. Good times!
Last but not least, and maybe my only “Z”, Zombie Land Saga is another series that really took me by surprise. I was happy enough with the lighthearted Zombie Idol Cute Girl mashup but when the series started injected more mature and visceral themes of identity and the feeling of uselessness with surprising earnestness, I knew it was something special. I would very much like to see it continue.
Boy this was a long post…. Sorry about that you guys. I hope some of it was fun to read. As always, even if you aren’t tagged, if you want to do this challenge, I would love to read it!
