A list of Animes I have seen so far, short description, and my quick verdict.
Updated 11/10/2011
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Madlax So far, my personal #1 of all time. Madlax, a skilled assassin for hire does her job second to none. She does her job in Gazth-Sonika which is ridden by an ongoing civil war. Meanwhile Margaret Burton, a clumsy mind-absent schoolgirl who lives in Nafrece, lives a tranquil life. However those two seemingly very different people share a very intimate and life-altering connection. It’s a journey you will most likely not soon forget, and will keep your mind boggled for a long while to come. Verdict: 10 / 10 |
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Appleseed The World lies in ruins after World War III, to which there has been no clear winner. When there was no haven anymore to go to, humanity made one: Olympus. A new mega-city where we should live in peace and flourish once again. To maintain stability in society, a new kind of human is bred in tanks, the Bioroids. They are unable to experience emotions and this is believed to be the best option to bring order into chaos. Deunan Knute, a survivor of WW III is brought in to Olympus to join the protective force of the city. It is just then when terrorists blow up a primary breeding tank and Deunan is tasked with her most daunting challenge yet. Verdict: 8 / 10 |
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Appleseed: Ex Machina Set two years after the Appleseed Incident, Olympus is yet again the target of a terrorist attack that happens to take place during a political summit of global precautions. The summit’s goal is debate whether or not Olympus should be the center stage in a new landscape at which all countries unite into one entity. Knowing that Bioroids would be a part of that much more so than anything else, the terrorists want the Bioroids gone for good. Too bad they didn’t know that Deunan was still in town and is asked yet once again to put an end to all of that. Verdict: 8 / 10 |
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Black Lagoon It is a normal day, and normal life for Okajima, when he is suddenly asked to deliver a disk with sensitive information to China. Everything goes horribly wrong, the disk is taken from him, he is being held ransom. When he is able to make a deal, he is told that he is dead for everyone, and gets to know the secrets his company was involved in. Stuck in the situation, Okajima becomes Rock, and decides to join the crew of the Black Lagoon – a move that changes his life forever. Verdict: 8 / 10 |
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Chrono Crusade
We are in the roaring 20′s. Jazz is king, bootleg liquor flows freely, and the mob rules the streets. It is a time of prosperity, luxury and decadence, and the division between rich and poor grows even wider in the wake of the World War I. It is at such times of great change and upheaval that the dark things that lurk below the world of man can come to the surface. In the world of Chrono Crusade, a fictional organization known as the Order of Magdalene (or more specifically, the characters of Sister Rosette Christopher and her soul-bound demon partner, Chrono) exists to fight the demonic threats that appear with increasing regularity across America. The lives of Rosette and Chrono change forever when Rosette sets out to find her older brother, Joshua. A ride that is second to none, with a fantastic score, story, visual storytelling, and emotions. This came straight from above – so take a leap of faith, and pray that you don’t miss out on this one. Verdict: 9 / 10 |
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Code Geass: Lelouch Of The Rebellion Lelouch’s father happens to be the emporor of the strongest world power in existence, The Britannian Empire. He also disowned his son, and to make things worse, Britannia stripped Japan of all its freedoms and liberties when they marched in to complete the military campaign to take the country. Japan was renamed Area 11, and all former Japanese are now named Elevens. The stronghold of the Britannians is pretty strong, and Lelouch can’t really take it – so he decides to free the “Elevens” from this situation. However he can’t do this alone and one day fate decides to help him by introducing a Shinigami into his life, known as C.C., who grants him a power – the Geass. It enforces absolute obedience to anyone subjected to it. Using this tool he forms an army, the “Order of the Black Knights”, to end the tyranny the Britannians have brought into the lives of millions, and to create a world in which is sister, Nunnally, can live in happily. The road to redemption is long and rough – but Lelouch is determined to finish what he started. Verdict: 9 / 10 |
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Cowboy Bebop It’s one of the most popular and loved Animes out there, probably because of its originality, genius, wit and storytelling. The Bebop is a ship which becomes the safe haven to Faye Valentine, Edward, and the dog Ein, and already providing a home to Spike and Jet. They are a group of bounty hunters and, as you can imagine, get into a colorful variety of trouble. The story arc primarily focuses on how Spike lost the woman he loved, and the feelings Faye eventually develops for him. With this being one of the most unique shows to ever have been aired to any TV set, it’s a ride that is second to none. Verdict: 10 / 10 |
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Cowboy Bebop: Knocking On Heaven’s Door Set between the last episodes of the original show, the crew of the Bebop is witness to a terrorist attack in a city, at which a truck explodes and unleashes a viral agent, airborne. Uncertain how to resolve the case the government issues a bounty on who ever is responsible – the highest reward the Bebop crew ever had a chance to get their hands on. Time is running out for all of them as they find out that the suspect has another attack in mind, and this time it seriously threatens all people in the city. Verdict: 9 / 10 |
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Death Note Light Yagami is a pretty bright student, gets good grades. Lives in a family that isn’t super-rich, but they don’t have it too bad either. Probably because Light’s father is the director of the Tokyo Police. It was a normal day for Light, when he finds a black notebook lying around in front of a supermarket, entitled “Death Note”. Inside the notebook are rules that say that whose name is written down in this notebook, shall die. Writing it off as a joke at first, he is curious if it is really true, if the notebook can kill. To his astonishment, he finds out that it is very real… and soon Light starts to kill criminals en-masse. Puzzled by these deaths the Police brings in a secretive detective who only calls himself “L”. Soon those two minds collide, but Light is determined to create the New World he has in mind. Verdict: 9 / 10 |
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El Cazador de la Bruja Ellis in Wonderland: When Nadie, a skilled bounty hunter, is asked by a somewhat mysterious person to find and protect a little girl only known as Ellis, she is a bit confused but certain to get the job done. Once they meet, Ellis expresses a strange urge to travel south as she believes the answers to her questions of her past lie there. Nadie also becomes witness to Ellis’ supernatural powers, which Ellis does not understand entirely herself. This seems to be the primary reason why she is sought after by so many people. As Nadie grows attached to the lost blonde, she swears to protect her at all costs and reach the place somewhere in the south in Mexico. It is a journey that will alter the lives of everyone involved forever, and will inspire, touch and move you, in more ways than one. Verdict: 9 / 10 |
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Ergo Proxy Set in a world in the future in which we have successfully managed to plunge Earth’s atmosphere into darkness, pockets of civilization live in massive domed cities. In Romdo, one of the domed cities, agent RE-L Mayer is assigned to solve a mysterious case involving a series of murders. At the same type, androids that serve people are infected with a virus that renders them self-aware. When RE-L encounters a strange being in her apartment, she is sought after by the government, probably to prevent the truth from coming out. However RE-L is determined to find the truth of the so-called Proxies and embarks on a mission to solve the biggest case of them all. Verdict: 9 / 10 |
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Fate/Stay Night The legend of the Holy Grail has many shapes. Some say it is a cup and if you drink of its substance, you gain eternal life, or eternal youth. In other versions it grants you certain powers, or abilities. Most often it is depicted with Jesus using it at the last supper. In more extreme versions the Grail grants you any wish you ever want. A truly incredible but equally as dangerous power. Needless to say that over the centuries there have always been people looking for it, fighting for it, over and over… literally. And for some reason, a rather clumsy and insecure student named Shirou Emiya gets caught up in all of this. An anime not to miss out on, under no circumstances. Perfect score, voice acting and story telling, make this a ride you won’t soon forget. It’s Good To Be King Verdict: 9 / 10 |
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Fullmetal Alchemist It has been sought after by many. Allegedly, it gives you near unlimited power, can heal you of all sickness, can bring people back from the dead, it can provide you with what you desire the most. Once acquired, you’re able to live pretty much care-free. The Philosopher’s Stone is still considered the Holy Grail of alchemy – some argue it basically IS the Holy Grail. When the mother of the two young Elric brothers, Edward and Alphonse (or Al for short) dies in an accident, they study Human Transmutation – something generally being considered as forbidden, in an attempt to bring her back to life through their alchemy skills. However, the experiment goes horribly wrong, with Edward losing an arm and a leg, Alphonse loses his entire body – however Ed manages to bond his soul to an hollow armor suit. They learn of the Philosopher’s Stone and its powers – and embark on a journey to find it, hoping it could restore both of their bodies. Verdict: 9.5 / 10 |
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Full Metal Panic! It’s a normal day, and normal life for Chidori Kaname, who happens to live in Tokyo. She is 16 and a pretty bright student. It has been that way since, well, she can remember. However, she is conscious about strange dreams she has from time to time. She seems to dismiss those as just that, strange dreams. Everyone has them right? Somewhere else in the world there’s Sousuke Sagara. A young sergeant in the service of Mithril – an independent military organization that doesn’t belong to a country or nation. Everything changes the day he is ordered to be a bodyguard to Chidori and protect her from all harm. Love, Peace, and Technology Verdict: 9 / 10 |
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The Galaxy Railways Some time in the future, probably some hundred years. We figured out interstellar travel. We built a vast network in the galaxy on which trains travel – these trains are capable of interstellar travel but can also travel as normal, like on tracks on a planet. Which is precisely what they do when they ‘stop’ at planets on their route – the stations in the network, when on a planet, look mostly like normal stations. However, when the father of Yuki Manabu sacrifices his life for him and his younger son, things are about to change for Yuki and the Galaxy Railways. Verdict: 9.5 / 10 |
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Ghost Hound What at first started as a strange and odd experience for Taro, turns out to be quite an interesting and powerful tool in finding the truth as to what happened to him eleven years ago. He’s a 14 year old schoolboy who was kidnapped – but something happened during that kidnapping that isn’t quite clear to him. Using his ability to asrtally project at will (Out-Of-Body Experience), he finds new allies who share a similar past, and to once and for all uncover what really happened in Suiten Town. Written and created by Shirow Masamune, it’s an anime that no one should miss out on. Original Review Verdict: 9 / 10 |
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Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex It is a world where the “internetting” of, well, everything, is one of the most basic and core components of everyone’s life. There’s virtually nothing that is not linked to a server or some network – except for those people that are still entirely human with no implants or augmentations. The classified anti-crime unit Section 9 is the best of the best, a group that is most certainly capable of getting the job done where most others would fail. A super hacker who only calls himself The Laughing Man appears on the scene, orchestrating what seem to be terrorist attacks. The Major and her crew are tasked with resolving this case, and while doing so they uncover a conspiracy that is about to change the perspectives of some people. In the second season Section 9 has to deal with a extremist group who call themselves The Individual Eleven. How that turns out… you should see yourself. Undoubtedly one of the most impressive and deep shows I have ever seen, get those two seasons right now.
Verdict: 10 / 10 |
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Gunslinger Girl Modern day Italy, Rome to be precise. An agency, commonly known to the people as Social Welfare Agency, is in reality a anti-terrorist organization that combats certain type of cartels and groups. Split into two sections, Section 2 is mostly tasked with the “handling” of their fertillos, siblings if you will. These siblings are basically orphaned children, which the Social Welfare agency decided to take in. They have been subjected to a range of surgeries, making them stronger, faster, and better than normal kids – and they are now brought along to bring down terrorists. The show primarily focuses on how the kids experience what is happening to them, and how to deal with it. It will leave you in awe and nothing less than inspired.
Verdict: 9 / 10 |
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.hack//SIGN When the CC Corp released their MMORPG “The World” to the public, they did not expect it to become the most popular online game ever written. 30 million people play it worldwide. Set from within the game world, we witness how a character named Tsukasa is suddenly unable to log out of the game. This quickly becomes the headline news for almost every player in The World, and becomes even more interesting when it is learned that Tsukasa is playing the game but no longer in front of a computer. Tsukasa learns of an item named The Key Of The Twilight which might help him to log out. Thus he makes it his ultimate goal to find it – with or without his new friends. Verdict: 9 / 10 |
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.hack//ROOTS After a devastating fire that destroyed most of CC Corp and their original code, the company decides to re-create The World, the world’s most popular online game ever made, only better. The World R:2 is released to the general populous, and it is then when Haseo (known as Sora in .hack//SIGN) logs in for the first time, and interestingly enough is directly approached by a somewhat mysterious character named Ovan. He urges him to join a guild named The Twilight Brigade, and the search is on yet again for The Key Of The Twilight. However while searching for the ultimate item, Haseo witnesses how Shino, a girl he grew attached to seemingly dies. Determined to find whoever is responsible, his personality undergoes some radical changes. Verdict: 9 / 10 |
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Last Exile We’re on a world named Prester. It all begins when Claus, a fairly skilled Vanship pilot, and Lavie, a mechanic and navigator, our two main heroes, are asked to deliver a girl that, apparently, holds the key to unite the two factions and to end the endless war that is going on. You see Vanships always require two people to fly and operate the machinery. The mission to deliver the girl is rated 7 out of 10 stars. Little did they know on what ride they just embarked upon. A ride that is filled with thrills and action, a deep storyline, and something that is as of yet in the anime world. Recommending take off for this one. Verdict: 9 / 10 |
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K-ON!! It’s the present day. Yui is a clumsy, a little bit chaotic, but cheerful school girl who is about to start her college years. Mugi, a quiet and very good-hearted girl is about to start too. Mio, a very shy and introverted girl is on her way to that college, as well as Ritsu. She’s a very extroverted and impulsive personality. They all make friends with each other since they ended up in the Sakuragaoka Girl’s High School together. It all starts when they join the school’s light music club, in the hopes it would not get disbanded. Verdict: 9.5 / 10 |
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Love Hina Sometimes when we are kids, we promise something to the other kid, just because it’s a good idea at the time. However we seem to forget promises we made over the course of time, as adult life is increasing the pressure on us. But not in the case of Keitaro and a girl, that he promised to go to the Tokyo U(niversity), once he is old enough to do so – with that girl. Years later, when he has a chance to get in, things are set in motion that would change his life forever. A show with deep moments, filled with hysterical humor that will make lough out loud, and some crazy but funny voice acting. “Love Hina” is definitely not to miss out on and has been one of the funniest animes I have seen to date. Verdict: 9 / 10 |
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Macross Frontier After the war against the Zentradi was won around 2000, mankind decided to set out to space and find a new home and place to live on. To achieve that, we have built massive ships, capable of house millions of people. The “Frontier” fleet has set a course to the center of the galaxy to find such a planet. While travelling there, the fleet is attacked by an alien race known as the Vajra. They seem to be determined to stop the fleet at any cost from proceeding any further. The show centers around the events of the fleet as well the lives of Ranka Lee, Alto Saotome and Sheryl Nome – all three very different personalities. However they become a vital part of the fleet’s crew and may be the only ones who can help to achieve the goal that the “Frontier” fleet set out for. Verdict: 9 / 10 |
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The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya Haruhi seems to be a normal student at first. A bit private maybe, but normal. Couldn’t be further from the truth. Normal people are of no interest to her, and she strongly believes in the existence of aliens, espers and time travellers. To make things more interesting, Haruhi is able to shape-shift the universe at will – but subconsciously. All the people around her happen to be time travelers, espers and aliens… who all serve a different purpose – but ultimately want to find out one thing: What happened to or with Haruhi three years ago? A comedy unparalleled in wit and humor, and with philosophical moments. It’ll leave you nothing less than inspired – and it’s something under no circumstances to be missed. Verdict: 9 / 10 |
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Noir Set in a very real world with real names and places, Mirielle Bouquet lives in Paris and is an assassin for hire. She does it all by herself and isn’t so bad in what she does. One day she receives a somewhat intriguing email from a girl named Kirika Yuumura. The mail reads “Let’s make a Pilgrimage to the past”. They both team up but only under the condition that when Kirika’s questions concerning her past are answered, Mirielle is to kill Kirika. Mirielle accepts, which steers both of them into a life-altering journey which uncovers who they both really are, and their connection. Most definitely one of the deepest, strongest and influential shows ever made. Verdict: 10 / 10 |
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Rozen Maiden Jun is a somewhat troubled boy who has abandoned school alltogether. He spends most of the time in his room, playing games or browsing the web on his computer. He lives together with his sister, Nori, who has a more normal life – but Jun seems to want to go on distance, wants to be left alone. Both of their lives are quickly about to change when he opens a strange box inside which he finds a talking doll, seemingly completely sentient… it doesn’t take much time for other dolls like Shinku to arrive – the Rozen Maidens. Named after the creator, a doll maker known as Rozen. When Jun and Nori learn about the “Alice Game”, things are about to get pretty wild. Filled with laughing out loud humor as well as deep moments, this show is not to be missed! Most definitely one of the funniest ones to date. Ah yes, desu desu desu desu!! Verdict: 9 / 10 |
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Shangri-La In a future not too far from now, the global warming and the climate change have become far more serious than they are right now in the real world. As such, the international committee decided to forcefully reduce CO^2 emission levels in order to combat the crisis effectively and decisively. For the market, this meant world-trade primarily shifted to carbon. Most of Japan got destroyed after a great Earthquake – but the carbon tax on the country is not lifted – turning Tokyo into something that could be called a “Jungle-tropolis” that absorbs carbon dioxide. Project Atlas is commenced to plan the rebuilding of Tokyo and oversee the government organization, which the Metal Age group opposes due to its oppressive nature. Verdict: 8 / 10 |
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The Girl Who Leapt Through Time It is a fairly normal day for Makoto. After school she plays some catch with her friends, later her mother asks her to deliver some items. As she is on a downhill streak on her bike, the brakes break and thus she has no way to slow down. To make it worse, the barriers up ahead at the train crossing have just been lowered. Realizing that this is the end for Makoto, she hits the barriers, thrown in the air, and the train seems to have killed her. However, Makoto wakes up lying on the street, with her bike on the ground. Checking the clock she realizes that it is now 10 minutes before the event. Puzzled she seeks some answers, and is in for quite some surprises. Time travelling has seldomly been that much fun! Verdict: 8 / 10 |
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The Mysterious Cities Of Gold When Esteban, a young child from Spain, is entrusted with an important and quite possibly world-altering secret, he is determined to solve the riddle behind the mysterious cities of gold. Enourmous constructions left behind by ancient civilizations, or so the legend goes. Mendoza, a navigator aboard a ship, hears of Esteban’s plans to solve the riddle and finds a way to bring him aboard – and so begins one of the most everlasting and timeless animation classics ever made. TV from a time now past – but still keeping up well in today’s standards. Truly mesmerizing. Verdict: 10 / 10 |
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The Vision Of Escaflowne The series focuses on the heroine, Hitomi Kanzaki, and her adventures after she is transported to the world of Gaea, a mysterious planet where she can see Earth and its moon in the sky. On Gaea, Earth is known as the Mystic Moon. Hitomi’s latent psychic powers are enhanced on Gaea and she quickly becomes embroiled in the conflicts between the Zaibach Empire and the several peaceful countries that surround it. The conflicts are brought about by the Zaibach Empire’s quest to revive the legendary power from the ancient city of Atlantis. As the series progresses, many of the characters’ pasts and motivations, as well as the history of Atlantis and the true nature of the planet Gaea, are revealed. Verdict: 9 / 10 |
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Ulysses 31 It is the 31st century. It is just then when Ulysses, commander of the all-new Odyssey, defies the Gods in a daring mission to rescue his son and another child. He is assisted by the small but pretty strong robot Nono, and they succeed. However, this has gotten the Gods quite angry and so they send the ship and the crew into an unknown part of space, and Ulysses must find a way out. A real anime-classic and nearing its 30th birthday, it is a nostalgic ride second to none. The tale of Ulysses updated into a brilliant sci-fi show, taking place 1,000 years ahead. A show that you should show to your kids, so you see what we watched when we were young. A timeless classic, a TV event that made history. Not to be missed. Verdict: 9 / 10 |
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Witch Hunter Robin Robin Sena, a 15 year old and technically a witch, arrives in Japan to assist a secret government branch – the STN-J – in operations to hunt down other witches and bring them to a mysterious place only referred to as The Factory. Robin has been trained to hunt witches ever since she was a young girl, and uses her craft of fire to do so. However as time progresses and the relationships are established with the people in the STN-J, the rabbit hole becomes a lot deeper for everyone involved – and promises to be ride that is yet to find its match. If you like mystery shows like MillenniuM and/or X-Files, this is the anime for you. Verdict: 9 / 10 |
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Wolf’s Rain We are in a world, some centuries from now it seems. Our own stupidity made the planet what it is – a rather ugly and unattractive place, we poisoned it, air is not as healthy, it’s getting pretty bad outside. For this reason we built cities in rather huge domes, each dome can be gotten to by train, car, or other relatively normal means of transportation. Some species out there are extinct – or so most would like to believe. Particularly wolves. Hunted down throughout the ages, only a very small handful of them has survived. And this story focuses on four of them. Verdict: 9.5 / 10 |
2 comments
Ranka Mei says:
May 14, 2010 at 8:44 am (UTC 0)
You’ve got some major classics there!
Good reviews, too.
I’m missing “Serial Experiments Lain,” though: THE Anime of all time.
SystemError51 says:
May 14, 2010 at 4:25 pm (UTC 0)
Getting my hands on that now, I’ll add it here when I have seen it =)