My Top 10

"The past makes you wanna die out of regret and future makes you depressed out of anxiety. So by elimination, the present is likely the happiest time." - Hikigaya Hachiman (Oregairu)

     Everybody has different tastes and likes when it comes down to anime. We've probably all seen at least one or a few videos on Youtube about the Top 10 Anime shows you must watch whether it be Shougo or Action, it's all in matter of the viewer. Of course we may not agree with their choices and it's fine because I myself have thought that way as well. 

     Anyways, these are my top 10 anime shows that I've seen and a description for each one just to give you some insight about what they're like:

1. Naruto- Naruto Uzumaki, a hyperactive and knuckle headed ninja, lives in Konohagakure, the Hidden Leaf Village. Moments prior to his birth, a huge demon known as the Kyuubi, the Nine-tailed fox, attacked the village and wreaked havoc. In order to put an end to the rampage, the leader of the village, the 4th Hokage, sacrificed his life and sealed the beast inside the newborn Naruto. Shunned because of the presence of the Nine-tails inside him, Naruto struggles to find his place in the village. He strives to become the next Hokage of the village and meets to friends and foes along the way. (Action, Comedy, Martial Arts, Shounen, Super Power)     
2. Bleach- 15 year old Kurosaki Ichigo is not your everyday high school student. He has the ability to see ghosts and spirits. A fateful day arrives as Ichigo encounters the shinigami Kuchiki Rukia, who saves him and his family from a Hallow at the cost of injuring herself. During this encounter, with Rukia unable to defeat the Hollow she transfers her powers to Ichigo. In the aftermath, Ichigo takes on the role as Soul Reaper in her place as they together defeat the Hollows plaguing the town, meeting friends and foes in along the way. (Action, Comedy, Shounen, Super Power, Supernatural)
3. Fairy Tail- Set in an imaginary world, the Earth Land, there exists a Mage Guild called "Fairy Tail" which is stationed in the town Magnolia and is currently governed by Makarov, the guild master. Lucy Heartfilia, a 17 year old girl, wishes to become a full fledged mage and join one of the most prestigious Mage Guilds in the world, Fairy Tail. One day, out of the blue, she meets Natsu Dragneel, a boy who is transportation sick, but very cheerful in nature. However, the thing she does not know is that he is the closest connection to Fairy Tail as he is a mage in that guild. (Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Magic, Shounen)
4. Dragon Ball Super- Reuniting the franchise's iconic characters, Dragon Ball Super will follow the aftermath of Goku's fierce battle with Majin Buu as he attempts to maintain Earth's fragile peace while meeting new friends and foes along the way. (Action, Adventure, Comedy, Martial Arts, Shounen, Super Power)
5. Hunter x Hunter (2011)- Is set in a world where hunters exist to preform all manner of dangerous tasks like capturing criminal and bravely searching for lost treasures in uncharted territories. Twelve year old Gon Freecss is determined to become the best hunter possible in hopes of finding his father, who was also a hunter and had long ago left abandoned his young son. Along the way to becoming an official hunter, Gons befriends the lively doctor in training Leorio, vengeful Kurapika, and rebellious ex-assassin Killua. Throughout their journey, Gon and his friends embark on an adventure that puts them through many hardships and struggles. They will meet a plethora of monsters, creatures, and characters--all while learning what being a hunter truly means. (Action, Adventure, Shounen, Super Power)
6. Attack on Titan- Several hundred years ago, humans were nearly exterminated by giants. These giants are called "Titans" and are several stories tall, seem to have no intellegence, and devour human flesh. A small % of humanity of humanity survived by walling themselves in a city protected by extremely high walls. Flash forward to the present and the city has not seen a titan in over 100 years. Teenage boy Eren and his foster sister Mikasa witness something horrific as the city walls are destroyed by a super titan that appears out of thin air. As the smaller titans flood the city, the two kids watch in horror as their mother is eaten alive. Eren vows that he will murder every single titan and take revenge for all mankind. (Action, Drama, Fantasy, Shounen, Super Power, Thriller)
7. Assassination Classroom- A humorous and action packed story about a class of misfits who are trying to kill their new teacher--an alien octopus with bizarre powers and super strength. The teacher had just destroyed the moon and is threatening to destroy Earth unless his students can destroy him first. What makes things more complicated is that he's the best teacher they've had. (Action, Comedy, School, Shounen, Supernatural) 
8. Blue Exorcist- This world consists of two dimensions joined as one. The first is the world in which the humans live, Assiah. The other is the world of the demons, Gehenna. Travel between the two worlds and contact is impossible. However, the demons can pass over into this world by possessing anything that exists within it. Satan the god of demons, has everything but a substance in the human world that is powerful enough to contain him. For that purpose he created Rin, his son from a human woman, but he becomes something else, an exorcist. (Action, Comedy, Demons, Fantasy, Shounen, Supernatural) 
9. Haikyuu- A chance event triggered Shouyou Hinata's love for volleyball. His club had no members, but somehow persevered and finally made it into its very first and final regular match of middle school, where it was steamrolled by Tobio Kageyama, a superstar player known as "King of the Court". Vowing revenge, Hinata applied to the Karasuno High School volleybal club...only to come face to face with his hated rival, Kageyama. A tale of hot blooded youth and volleyball. (Comedy, Drama, School, Shounen, Sports)
10. Fate/Zero- Takes place 10 years prior to the events of Fate/Stay night, detailing the events of the 4th Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City. The War of the Holy Grail is a contest in which seven magi summon seven Heroic Spirits to compete to obtain the power of the "Holy Grail" which grants a miracle. After three inconclusive wars for the elusive Holy Grail, the 4th war commences. (Action, Fantasy, Supernatural) 

     So I chose these 10 as my favorite anime shows because I thought that they were all interesting and I found them quite intriguing to watch. Each and every single one of them has different story to tell and I would always find myself somewhat attached to them in one way or another. 

     Here are some honorable mentions as to some other anime shows that I also liked but didn't make my list:

• Ao Haru Ride, Dance with Devils, Death Parade, Free!, Full-Metal Alchemist, Kaichou wa Maid-sama,Kamisama Hajimemashita, Kimi ni Todoke, Kuroko no Basket, Magic Kyun! Renaissance, Noragami, Special A, The Seven Deadly Sins, Trigun, Watashi ga Motete Dousunda, Yumeiro Patissiere, Yuri!!! on Ice

My views on Anime...

"We are all like fireworks, rising, shining, scattering, and finally fading." -Toshiro Hitsugaya (Bleach)

     Everybody has different views about anime. There are some people who like it and those who don't or they just don't know that it exists. Setting that aside, when it comes down to my own personal views, they can differ in many ways possible. Well... I may be exaggerating that a bit. But that's not the point. I'm actually a difficult person who is hard to understand and at times, I don't even understand myself. However, there is one thing that I do get, and that is anime. I would consider myself an otaku which I slightly mentioned in my previous post and if you don't know what that is because I forgot to mention it, then it is basically a Japanese term referring to a person who is pretty much obsessed with some interests that are commonly in the anime or manga fandom. I am pretty much that person and I am proud enough to say that I'm an otaku for life! (dramatic music playing in the background).....

     Getting back on topic, when I feel like telling people about my thoughts on anime, it gets really weird or in some cases "awkward' especially if that person has no idea what you're talking about or they just don't really care at all. Then there will be a time where they just completely ignore you and change the topic!!! I'm just there sitting and staring at them internally screaming inside my head, not saying a word, just staring with this glare and the tension that you just want to get up and smack them in the head and then just walk away pretending that nothing ever happened. I've had those cases happen to me before. No lie. I've had it happen with my own friends that I consider very dear to me, and I was utterly dead inside at that point. There is one exception though, I have this 'one' friend (who I shall not mention) that I can relate to a lot. We have so many things in common....or at least I think we do. I'm not sure anymore. Anyways, I feel like I can talk to her about anything (my friend is a girl if you didn't catch that...just saying). Whenever I feel so strongly motivated or hyped to get out and share this new anime that came out or whenever there's this really good-looking guy in the series you're watching that you start to develop a fictional crush, she's the first person I tell.

     All things considered, anime is somewhat a part of my life and who I am in general. I find it quite pleasing to watch and by all means, I believe that anime is way better than cartoons. Without it, life would be extremely boring for me because I find excitement whenever I watch a new series or a new episode. Anime is technically my escape from the real world. I absolutely would not be able to live if it didn't exist. Furthermore, I can always find something worth watching and interesting to take up my time. I just love the feeling I get whenever I see something like an intense battle that sends chills up my spine, or a sad-scene that makes me tear up, or even romantic part that makes me question "I wish I had that". This emotion I get is like no other. Honestly, what I find so fascinating is that I feel so invested into the entertainment value and the quality of the story that I end up getting attached to it along with the characters that are also well thought. And that's it.

What is Anime?

"I'm curious, I can't stop thinking about it!" -Chitanda Eru (Hyouka)

     Just to start this all off, for those out there who don't know what anime is, it's basically a style of film and television animation. For those who already know what it is, good for you! But if you want a better explanation or a much better description then  "anime is used to refer specifically to animation from Japan or as a Japanese-disseminated animation style often characterized by colorful graphics, vibrant characters and fantastical themes" or just go to this link Anime in which I got this little piece of information from. 

     Besides that, if you're an otaku like me then...actually, I have nothing to say. Oh wait, just kidding. Any-who or so I say, anime is basically timeless. If you love watching anime then you would understand. It's like you're stuck in an endless vortex of never ending anime shows or series that you must watch or you'll just go mad. In my opinion, anime is pretty addicting. I spend everyday watching at least 5 or 7 hours of anime because I just can't get enough of it to the point where that is all I watch. The reason behind that is that there is so much variety when it comes to anime that you just can't get enough.

      First of all, you've got the amazing storytelling, the breaking point or climax, the remarkable character depth and development, the out of this world soundtracks, those weird yet extraordinary scenes,  and the stunning artwork. That is just something I really like when it comes to anime. Then you've got the the different types of genres that you can choose from which consists of the following: action, adventure, comedy, fantasy, harem, horror, mecha,  mystery, romance, school, sci-fi, slice of life, sports, supernatural, thriller, drama, tragedy, psychological, magic and so much more. Just to name a few of some of the really popular anime are:

Naruto                                    Dragon Ball Super

Fairy Tail                               Bleach

Sword Art Online                      Hunter x Hunter

Attack on Titan                      Assassination Classroom

     But of course there are plenty more out there. These were just the tip of the iceberg. And as you can see, anime can be pretty diverse.  Something that makes anime so great is that anyone can watch it and age doesn't matter at all. I can probably be in my 40's and I'll still be watching anime because I just love it. There's just so much to choose from that you'll just never have the time to watch them all. 

     At the same time, there's some anime that might not be so good or people who don't really understand what's so great about anime and that's okay. Everyone is different and we all have our preferences. Mine just happens to be that I'm just a huge fan when it comes down to anime. For those who are like me, high-five! Well that's it for today.