Favourites!

To preface this, I have been quite involved in the online anime communities for a stupidly long time. I got into anime mostly around 2007ish mainly through my first series: "the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" and the power of unsupervised internet usage (lol). I was there during the peak of Haruhi-ism and it was epic. Times have changed and I am glad that anime is rather mainstream now among the youths of today. That being said, I do not really watch stuff nowadays - mostly only read.

Favourite Anime

This section is dedicated to my favourite Anime series! I have done it in the form of a 3x3 which is what all the cool kids do nowadays. This will be followed by MAL and AniList links and maybe something about them.

From left to right...

Hajime no Ippo

Hajime no Ippo is probably the single greatest sports series I have ever had the joy of watching (and then reading). I just think it is really damn cool. I don't really care about boxing irl but this shit is peak.

Beck

Beck is a show about a kid who meets a guitarist and then ends up joining his band, Beck - then he has to deal with some degree of success. I rewatched this recently (2024) and I will admit it starts off much slower than I remembered - but once it gets into it it is really fun. I feel like it encapsulates what a starting a band feels like pretty well (though I have never done that so who knows lol). The bands music is pretty good and I am not ashamed to admit I sometimes listen to it for the fun of it. Its pretty close to the band "Smorgas" from Japan (Smorgas is really cool btw!). Another thing to add is that the dub is actually genuinely good - they made a lot of effort with the songs which you don't see done as well in modern dubs. It also has a really nice 2000s vibe which is cool.

Suzumiya Haruhi no Shoushitsu

The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya is not only my favourite Christmas movie, but it is probably my most favourite movie potentially ever (even though I didn't include it on my Movies page hehe). It follows the light novel of the same name and is the third and final piece of mainline Haruhi anime media we got :(. I think you would be able to watch this without seeing the rest of the series - but it is best enjoyed after watching the series (which is my favourite series of all time - its not on my 3x3 as its sharing this spot lol). Please just watch it - its so damn good!! The dub for the Haruhi series is also really good, but I enjoy Aya Hirano's singing fr !!. Newer anime fans will never grasp how popular this series was in the late 2000s, this was the peak of western otaku culture for a good few years (declining around 2012-ish with the release of shows like SAO and AOT) - it is a shame we may never get more Haruhi anime media (pls Kyoani, give me S3!!!).

Gurren Lagann

Giant robots are so damn cool. Yet, Gurren Lagann somehow makes giant robots even cooler. In essance it is a series about mankind reclaiming the Earth and is arguably the poster child of the indomitable human spirit. The action sequences go so hard, the humour that is present is really good and the giant robots are cool. The OST is also really cool - filled with great jazz pieces and other pieces that are just cool as hell. I think it is a must watch for dudes and robot enjoyers.

JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken: Diamond wa Kudakenai

This is part 4 of the overall series - but it is a fresh chapter and change of pace entirely from the first 3 parts. The first 3 parts are an overarching multi part saga whereas this is more of a slice of life random fuckery show. The cast is really enjoyable to watch as they go around Morioh solving shit and punching people. Its just fun and thats why I like it.

Mobile Fighter G Gundam

This is a spin off completely detached from the gritty UC timeline of realistic future warfare with giant robots. Instead this is about nations sending big ass robots to fight eachother in a big tournament every few years to settle their differences. It is very camp but it is very epic. Its what the "shining finger" reference comes from which shows up in quite a few random series over the years. I don't know what to say really - it is just my favourite Gundam series because I just like stupid fun series.

Cross Game

This is one of my most favourite series I ever watched. It is partially about baseball and partially about romance. I don't really know how to talk about it without major spoilers - but it is mostly just about the camaraderie of a group of boys as they try to fufil a dream of someone close to them. My only complaint is one character who brings a incestuous vibe (cousins) to the mix that doesn't really need to be there as there are other characters who are much stronger love rivals.

GTO

It is about a former biker gang leader who decides he is going to become a teacher (for some not so noble ideas). He gets put in charge of a bunch of feral children and wins them over. Some of it hasn't aged well but overally it is pretty damn good - the Manga is also really good.

Steins;Gate

Steins;Gate is something that I took a while to get into. I attempted to watch it a few times and found it way too slow for my likings. One day I tried it again and then I got to the good stuff. It has a slow burn start (slice of life-esque) which then picks up quite dramatically. I think its just a really good series and there is a reason why it is so loved by many. I think it is a pretty fun take on time travel and is possibly one of the best pieces of science fiction ever. The visual novel is also really good !!

Honourable mentions

Favourite Manga

This section is dedicated to my favourite manga series! This is also in the same format. As mentioned already, I mostly only read manga nowadays as I rarely find the time to watch a 24 minute episode.

From left to right...

Chi no Wadachi

Chi no Wadachi, or Blood on the Tracks is a truly horifying piece of fiction. It follows a boy and his experience of having an overly protective mother who becomes more and more unhinged. This was my first work by Shuuzou Oshimi and I was very impressed with his art and writing that I went to read his other works (which are also really good btw - I think this is is best one however). If you are looking for some good psychological horror - this is it!

Vinland Saga

I think Vinland Saga is definately the best currently running series - and maybe one of the best ever made. It follows a kid who seeks out vengence and commits a bunch of atrocities in this pursuit. Then its second part follows the kid, now a man trying to atone for his sins. Its pretty damn good!

Ao no Hako

Blue Box is currently my favourite romance manga (it may change as it is still ongoing). It follows two people working really hard at their respective sports and being motivated by each other. Its a pretty cute premise with a well executed pay off. I just like it alot!

Vagabond

I think Vagabond is quite possibly the best manga of all time, even in its abandoned state. It has been on hiatus since May of 2015 with a poor chance of continuing. I believe that this is due to Takehiko Inoue getting burnt out with it. I truly think this is his mangum opus - and he feels that he might not be able to perform to peoples expectations. That being said however, it is a really good manga following the life of Musashi Miyamoto - the renowned swordsman. The art is phenomenal and the story is supurb. To me, it is a masterpiece.

Kimi wa Houkago Insomnia

This series was my comfort series when it was ongoing. It follows two teens who struggle to sleep due some disorders. They find eachother, enjoy the night sky and pick up the hobby of astrophotography. I really loved the atmosphere of it, and when I read it I had a big grin on my face the whole time. It ended quite abruptly (I feel that the author was running out of ideas maybe?) and at first I really hated the ending - but having reread this since, I just find the joy it gave me is unmatched.

Under Ninja

I started reading Under Ninja after finishing the anime - which to me was the most underrated show of the Fall 2023 season. Under Ninja is a take on ninjas in modern society. It is an unconventionally told story with quite a lot of abursdity and over the top craziness - but I am very deeply invested in it at this point lmao. It is too good (it is also by the same author as 'I Am a Hero" - which is a really damn good zombie manga).

One Piece

What is there to say really. One of the most beloved series of all time, it has legendary status. I really like it - I think a lot of the western mega fans are annoying however.

ReLIFE

It follows a dude who gets a chance to go back to highschool and try again after falling on hard times and struggling to stay in jobs due to the consequences of being a good guy in a shitty work culture. It is a slice of life romcom-esque series, and I love all the characters. This series unironically encouraged me to leave my job and start a degree haha. I just really enjoyed it.

Beck

I feel like this might be cheating as it is already on my Anime 3x3, however the unadapted parts of this series are genuinely the best parts. I think its really good - there were times when it kinda drags a little due to the "misunderstanding trope" that occurs a lot in media - which can get a bit annoying but it resolves itself eventually. I just really enjoyed it, and I love the characters and art work. I truly think that this deserves to be adapted in full one day.

Honourable mentions