It's bound to happen sooner or later: I'll forget something. Ask any of my friends how often I've locked myself out of my house (or dorm room), and you'll get a snicker. So it's pretty often. So often, in fact, that I was surprised that I wrote all the stuff in the Top 10 Favorite TV shows from...well... memory. But (of course) I forgot a few anime. They're in no particular order, so don't think of this as a definitive list. These are just a few awesome anime that, for whatever reason, didn't make it to the top.
Angel Beats
Jun Maeda, up until this point, has made one truly awesome show: Clannad. To those of you who point to Kanon or Air I sort of laugh derisively at, mostly because Kanon's first twelve episodes are painful and Air is so slow I fall asleep. Let's get real: Clannad was the only thing he wrote that actually worked,
as a whole. Granted, Clannad works so well as a whole that it can be intimidating. But that doesn't change the fact that Clannad was the only one of the three that I consider to be good as a complete work.
Up until Angel Beats, that is. Not gonna lie, I really didn't like the show up until episode 3. The whole show was everything all of Maeda's previous work was not. It was fast paced and goofy, without the slightest hint of tragedy. I even looked the show up on the net to make sure that it was actually Maeda's work! Then episode 3 happened, and we heard "My Song", and watched as the girl smiled and vanished.
That's when I knew it was Maeda. He hadn't gone away at all, he'd just changed it up a bit! What proceeded was essential the anime version of
The Great Divorce (by C.S. Lewis for those of you who don't know). Seriously, go read that book and come back to me and tell me the works aren't similar. Granted, their tone and characters are completely different, and the theology is from definitively different sources. But the idea, the kernel, is the same. Heaven will not admit even one iota of evil and regret to stay around.
Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood
Ah, the
good entry drug of anime (as opposed to just a drug). If you don't care about your friends and want to make a horrible impression of what anime can do, show them all the other shlock, like Dragonball Z, Bleach, Narutard
, and One Piece. I could (and would) go on and on. But if you want to show them something really really well done that fits just closely enough into their Western ideas without throwing them for a loop? The Fullmetal Alchemists are yours, baby! Both shows are incredibly well done, in pretty much all ways that are possible. While I prefer Brotherhood for its more satisfying ending and plot, the original Fullmetal Alchemist was a fantastic point of entry to the world of anime. I'm glad that was the first anime I ever watched. While it's said you can't forget your first, I supposed I did with FMA. Oh well. Hopefully this'll make up for it. Although I'm not gonna hold my breath, given how easily Ed forgives those who snub him. Miserable little half-pint. I hope he eventually grows up to reach the frickin' phone.
Code Geass
Oh. My. Bloody... what the hell? I saw this show about three years back, and I remember it was good, but I forgot just how
intense this show can really be! We're currently watching this at my house, showing Maria for the first time, and I gotta say: if any American show can pull off
half the amount of twists that are here, please direct me (Lost doesn't count, I have that on my top ten already)! I mean, what the hell is this? How do you even do this? I'm dead serious, I'm a bit lost as to how the writers managed to put their heads through so many grinders
willingly to chuck out a plot as awesome as this one. Disagree? Your mid has obviously been destroyed by watching too much Dragonball Z. You want a real "awesome" anime?
This is bloody it.
So there you have it. Four really fantastic shows that should have been put on the top ten, but weren't. Oh well. I'll be doing a new top ten in July, so they'll just have to wait til then. Somehow I think they can wait.
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