10. Wolf's Rain
A flawed but lovely sci-fi/fantasy post-apocalyptic romp that actually *feels* post-apocalyptic. Come for the gorgeous art and music, stay for the wonderful characters and the bittersweet heartache.
9. FLCL
Is this a beautiful and generous allegory about the pain and elation of first love, or is it about a kid who begins birthing giant battle-bots from phalli that sprout out of his head after an alien disguised as a manic pixie dream girl runs him over with her Gundam-powered space-flight-capable Vespa and then whacks him upside the head with her lefty Rickenbacker? Can it be both?
8. The Tatami Galaxy
A literary, surreal, kinetic comedy about second chances. (And third. And fourth. And fifth...) Dear lord, when is this going to get a U.S. release?
6. Fullmetal Alchemist
A fantasy drama that takes on powerful themes of family and sacrifice, then throws in enough sub-plots to fuel half a dozen other well-rounded anime series. And somehow it all works, without ever losing its focus on the emotional core of the series. If Paranoia Agent is the Twin Peaks of anime, then I'd be tempted to call this the Star Wars.
5. Neon Genesis Evangelion
A depressive mecha masterpiece that's half best monster-of-the-week anime ever and half bullshitted, but nonetheless evocative and revealing, Freudian nightmare. It always leaves me worn out and nauseous, but its naked emotional honesty and fuck-it-all risk taking that continues to inspire passionate debate to this day make it a rich, unforgettable (for better or worse) experience.
4. Princess Tutu
A gift for those who love fairy tales and classical music, or who just really have a thing for ballet. Work past its ridiculous premise and cutesy art-style and you'll come out on the other side of this a legitimately enriched person. If only all anime were this creative and written this well.
3. Gankutsuou
A visually stunning and magnificently bizarre, over-the-top adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo. It's not without its faults, but the power and conviction of its artistry and the imagination of the team behind it go a long way towards propelling it into the upper echelons of anime television programming.
2. Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Subverts the magical girl genre so brutally that it makes what Eva does to mecha anime look like a gentle pat on the head. Totally fearless, brave storytelling that'll rip your heart clean out and leave you grovelling, begging for more.
1. Cowboy Bebop
An effortlessly cool marriage of animation and music supported by one of the best casts in anime history. I really hope that I don't need to say any more.
Top 10 Favorite Ghibli Films
10. Whisper of the Heart
9. The Secret World of Arrietty
8. Ponyo
7. My Neighbor Totoro
6. Castle in the Sky
5. Kiki's Delivery Service
4. Princess Mononoke
3. Porco Rosso
2. Grave of the Fireflies
1. Spirited Away
Your reviews are a terrifically entertaining read, even - no, especially - the *shorter* ones. Your to-the-point take on Kemonozume in particular was hilariously spot-on.
Fantastic review of Kara no Kyoukai, I agree completely with you and It perfectly describes my thoughts on the movies.
I'm going to check out other of your reviews :D
I like your FMA and Trigun reviews and it seems that ppl on CR and other anime sites don't seem to be aware or understand that they are the real legendary anime shows.
I just looked it up. Thanks for enlightening me! I really like the concept, but honestly, those female character designs... Although I'm not much of a tabletop player, I'll definitely be keeping an eye on it.
Yep, the plastic is even better than the resin from what I've been able to compare. Would be great if they eventually go over to all plastic.
The thing that impressed me most in that video was probably how damned big it is. And I'm even getting two of them, so the second one would be a great stand in for one of those exalted Tzeentch daemons in 40k. Now if only KD would make something that could work as a great unclean one...
Yea, if the plastic quality from the pinup box keeps up it's going to be a blast. What's that GW, you're the Ferrari of plastic miniatures? Not anymore. And there I was contemplating getting some of the resin monsters, good thing I didn't.
Wave shipping would have been nice, yes. But seeing how the stuff they're working on now seems to be the armour sets I'm not sure they could have shipped the base game out anyway.
I've got a big enough miniature backlog already though, so I suppose I should be happy to put it off for a while more.
Haha, that profile picture. I assume you pledged for the Kickstarter? I'm really looking forward to the dragon and the phoenix. Sure hope there won't be more delays though.
I've been thinking of starting Gankutsuou because my favorite genre is psychological thriller. Would you say Gankutsuou would be a good watch for me?
I love mindfucks and plot twists as well.
I've been thinking of starting Gankutsuou because my favorite genre is psychological thriller. Would you say Gankutsuou would be a good watch for me?
I love mindfucks and plot twists as well.
All Comments (46) Comments
I'm going to check out other of your reviews :D
The thing that impressed me most in that video was probably how damned big it is. And I'm even getting two of them, so the second one would be a great stand in for one of those exalted Tzeentch daemons in 40k. Now if only KD would make something that could work as a great unclean one...
Wave shipping would have been nice, yes. But seeing how the stuff they're working on now seems to be the armour sets I'm not sure they could have shipped the base game out anyway.
I've got a big enough miniature backlog already though, so I suppose I should be happy to put it off for a while more.
I love mindfucks and plot twists as well.
I love mindfucks and plot twists as well.