Your Top Five Animé

We have all seen these top fives or top tens and I think that it's a great way to access good animé. As such this is a pretty obvious post. Which animés do you love above all others.

1: Eureka Seven
2: Hellsing Ultimate OVA
3: Trigun
4: Fairy Tail
5: One Piece

Now it's very easy to just put your top five (although it's harder in some lists than others) so what I would like is for you to place a statement clarifying why you personally think your top five animé are the top five animé for you. This thread is so that we can spread the love and the animé to all corners of the guild (not too far in retrospect but it is at least a start!)
Your list should look something like this

1: Eureka Seven - This anime is without a doubt the most beautiful anime I have ever seen. Even though there are some action scenes in it it is a character driven story and the characters are each as enjoyable as the other. There are conflicts throughout the story for various reasons but the most striking and the most confusing part is Eureka herself and her relationship with Renton. Beautiful animation. Beautiful story. Beautiful Characters. It was so good that I was depressed after it was over because there was no more to watch. I love the crap out of this... completely... ('')


2: Hellsing Ultimate OVA - Perhaps the best representation of vampirism I've ever seen. This animé is beautiful in how hideous it is. It's animation is better (without a doubt) than anything I've ever seen, even than Eureka. The characters are compelling and they are all evil and good in their own respects. The only person who is not evil and could be considered innocent is Seras Victoria and as her vampiric affliction drives her deeper and deeper into insanity the truths of the world just make more and more sense. Alucard is perhaps animé's biggest badass and that is saying something. This animé pulls no punches and shows you all the gory, bloody and psychologically traumatising imagery that the manga did. It is also one of the only Anime's in history where the dub and the sub are on par (or near abouts).
Fuck Edward Cullen... This is where the true undead roam! ('')

3: Trigun - One of the oldest animé I've watched and also one of the best. There is quite a lot of action in this animé but it is truly the characters that leave the largest impression. Without a doubt one of the funniest Anime's I've ever seen and one of the most badass too. The goofy moments really work to offset the quite nasty ones and believe me... around the teens in the episode chain you'll watch as the animé descends from a cheery if mildly violent story about someone who is a lot more complicated than he appears to a dark and edgy story where you're not quite sure who's going to survive. It's a must watch and an all time classic.

4: Fairy Tail - I'll admit it... this animé is pretty bad at times... but my god does it shine when it wants to. This animé really needs to be watched with an open mind. There are some big plot-holes and some poor writing nearer the beginning but it makes up for that with some of the most hilariously memorable characters I've ever seen. I can't say that it has never irritated me but I can say that I will forgive it for anything it does because oh how well it is animated, how compelling the story can get and how much fun it is to watch. The fight scenes also turn into some of the best I've ever seen. They are animated perfectly and smoothly and imaginatively choreographed.

5: One Piece - Originally supposed to run for about 1-2 hundred episodes one piece is rapidly nearing the 500 mark. The manga is well into the six hundreds to boot. This is just a brilliant animé. The story is so basic and yet so compelling. It is a classic shoen about a man destined to be the king of the pirates and his journey to the top. Throughout the journey we meet with hilarious characters and solid friends and gradually his crew grows larger, each person bringing something new to the equation. This animé is a lot of fun... really spectacularly fun and at times it rivals Ouran Host Club just for how fun it is. But most people forget that the story is also tragic to a degree not seen in animé of it's kind which brings One Piece to a level of it's own. Brilliant fight scenes and a barrel o' rum it's an animé not to be missed. ('')

I know I write a lot there but it's because of how much I love the animé. That was me holding back too. I am dying to see your top fives and your mini-critiques about them... now if you don't mind I have suddenly grown very hungry for some Hellsing!

Ah, I may as well...might show me up as a complete nerd but hey, I be one and I'm proud to be xD

Anyhoo, here they are:

1. Bleach



The story of Ichigo Kurosaki, a 15 year old high school student who has the ability to see ghosts. He becomes a substitute shinigami when he meets Rukia Kuchiki and takes her powers (accidentally) in order to save his family from a hollow (a spirit of the dead who has not passed through to the soul society).

Why?

Mainly for the comedy. I love the fact that they can be in life threatening situations and battling to the death and out of nowhere, a random moment will occur that either makes you go *blink* or *sweatdrop* xD. I love the characters too, pretty much all of them are amazing but Byakuya Kuchiki and Renji Abarai are still my favourites <3. I love the banter between the characters too, it makes them much more personable.


2. Inuyasha



Kagome, a 15 year old schoolgirl, falls into a well on her family's home ground and travels 500 years back to the feudal era of Japan. There she meets Inuyasha a Hanyou, half demon, pinned to a tree by an arrow shot by his one time lover. Kagome releases the arrow and releases Inuyasha and they both set off to find the shikon jewel and destroy it.

Why?

Amazing story, one of the first anime's I ever watched and I LOVE Sesshomaru. Not to mention, I don't think I've ever hated a character as much as I hate Kikyo and for anyone who has seen it, you might know why I hate her xD. Also, the banter between Inuyasha and Kagome...it is quite clear that they are madly in love with each other but they won't admit it...especially after Inuyasha broke her heart

3. Naruto



The story about the Jinchuuriki, Naruto Uzumaki, born with the nine tailed fox sealed into his body. The story follows his journey through shinobi life and it transpires that he is the son of the infamous fourth Hokage, the most celebrated of all the leaf village hokages. He has to constantly avoid the Akatsuki, who, led by Madara Uchiha, are in search of the tailed beasts for a greater, much darker purpose.

Why?

It's funny, it brought the world of the shinobi to life and whilst it might be a little far fetched, it is still enjoyable. You have characters like Naruto, who are loveable, and then you have Orochimaru, who are the bad guys you love to hate. But most of all, it has my fave anime character ever in, Itachi Uchiha. Unfortunately, he died and I have lost interest in it ever since.

4. Wolf's Rain




Beautifully animated, gorgeous soundtrack and a wonderful storyline. The last wolves on Earth, a race wiped out by humans, all in search of 'Paradise' (heaven).

Why?

Possibly the most traumatic anime I've watched, one where the children and women die first (Toboe and Blue) and a villian that you end up feeling incredibly sorry for (Darcia). Made me cry so much...I watch it now when I'm in need of a good cry.

5. Elfen Lied



Why?

This is NOT for the faint hearted. It's gory, it's bloody and it can make you feel sick to the stomach (it did me D=). But it's also incredibly moving. A story about Draconians and their exclusion from human society due to the horns on their head and the powers that they have. One of the last on Earth, Lucy, escapes the medical facility where they are experimenting on her and suffers amnesia, taking on the soft, caring persona of Nyuu. A terrible truth is eventually revealled, one that certainly shocked me...

It's nice to see that 'm not the 'only' person who likes Elfen Lied and Wolf's Rain. Problem is that I like other things better xD

I notinced that Bleach and Naruto were pretty hight up there and you claimed it was for the comedy and the action so I offer you this. Go down the threads to the favorite AMV thread and take a good looksee at the stuff in there. Who knows, you mightl like it. There's stuff on Bleach, Naruto, Hellsing, One Piece, Trigun and lots more and the Idea of both that thread and this is to expand the viewing of of Animé and AMVs.

I love watching AMV's, I usually find ones for all the different love stories etc and I remember a few that are awesome that I will post and hold they haven't been posted already. I love Bleach and Naruto, simply because I've been watching/reading them for the last 5 years. I do like other Anime, Clannad, Saint Seiya, Gantz etc but those were my top five

Robotech and Cyborg 009. 'Cause I'm -that- old.

Oh, and Full Metal Panic was good, too. Oh, and the one with that book worm who could control paper. Think it was...paper planes or something it was called? Ergh. Can't recall.

I love the soundtracks to these animes too, especially Bleach and Wolf's rain. I have most of them on my computer but I'm currently searching for vol 3 of Bleach to induldge in the Espada music =D

I also love the Hellsing OVA's...it took me about 3 years to work out that Alucard is Dracula backwards >.<