WTT: Most Memorable Anime, Pt1

Back, by popular demand, now in color! Its the all time favorite Weekend Top Ten, the most biased short list of whatever out here in this little corner of the interwebs.

A small mention to a few that didn't make the list. Full Metal Alchemist: it isn't here because I abhor hypes and this little gem inspired one of the most despicable and monstrous hype trains I ever did see; Urostukidoji, Legend of the Overfiend: even though it was the anime that introduced tentacle porn not only to myself but to the world, there were just more important things to discuss here; Genshiken: a very good insight on the traumatized existences of otakus in Japan but, again, so many better things to write about; Gokusen: I will reference later when we get to about number... 4?

Without further ado follows a list of what were and are the most memorable animes I ever had the pleasure of being exposed to.

10. Dragon Ball

Just as I remember it

When I was but a wee lass, the tv was filled to the brim with anime I didn't know were so. Captain Tsubasa and his magical kicks that took 3+ episodes to reach the goal and miss, Cinderela with it's 100+ episodes to tell a tale I could blurt out in 3 minutes; there were animals and boys and girls and villains and magical balloon rides that filled my childhood hours of wonder and my under-developed brain with colors and a second foreign language. Times were good indeed. But the one that stuck with me as I climbed the social ladder through all those years of public (and private) education was Dragon Ball.

It had all a young child needed to be exposed to. The underdog hero that got beat down by a clearly superior rival only to, by perseverance and hard work, come back meaner and stronger to ultimately become so powerful that he needed to die so that his awesomeness wouldn't destroy the universe. True story. As it were.

The comical voice over changes that occurred around this neck of the woods only helped to cement this beauty as one of the most defining shows to ever grace Portuguese television.

9. Kimi ni Todoke

Being a girl I sometimes feel the need to bathe my brain in more romantic entertainment. That's where Kimi ni Todoke comes in the picture. It was my soap for a few months, taking the place of Charmed after I devoured those 8 seasons. It's a fair bet that you won't appreciate this anime much if you aren't of the fairer sex. A bit too many negatives in that sentence but it still holds. 

KnT is the story of a scary looking girl's crush over the most popular guy in school. And that's it really, that's all there is to it. But it's good at what it tries to be and I'll just leave it at that and get on with it.

8. Future Boy Conan (Mirai Shounen Conan)

Now, I didn't much like this anime at first but Mike eventually bought the DVD box and I watched the whole thing only to find myself rooting for Conan after a while.

Conan is a little boy who lives in the future. He is forever in pursuit of a little girl called Lana. She was kidnapped by some foul people for their foul biding. Through thick and thin and a variety of different ledges, Conan travels the sea in search of his friend accompanied always by a trusty stick.

Another anime you'll be hearing about tomorrow had a great impact in making me appreciate Conan all the more.

7. FLCL (FuriKuri)

You've heard of this. In hipster circles its right up there with Lain and to the most laid-back anime watcher its as recognizable as, say, the word Gundam. And for good reason: it's good. I'm not gonna put it up there in the top five because, once again, I detest hypes and, although I had a hell of a time watching this when it was first "discovered" my brain always responds to a hype with a snotty "well, it can't be that good".

The most memorable feature was and still is the soundtrack. This anime is solely responsible for introducing me to one of my favorite bands to this day even though, once again, I steer clear of the more popular songs by The Pillows.

And, come on: who didn't want to be Mamimi when they were a stupid kid?

6. Oruchuban Ebichu

Ah, the most lovable rodent to ever grace my laptop screen. Ebichu is the kind of critter you can rely on to co-relate the words nut and squirrel to spell clitoris for a good chuckle.

Although always terribly unsuccessful, Ebichu's only will is to improve the sex life of her Master and make her happy. She succeeds, however, in getting a good laugh from me at the sight of her splattered against a wall after interrupting a more torrid sexual encounter.

Definitely not one to watch with the kids.

That it for today! Hope you'll find it in your heart to give a few of these a try if you haven't already. Always a good alternative to going to the movies when all that's showing is penguin movies or things by Almodóvar.