This blog post is very different from the types I've done before. I'm aware that pretty much no-one is reading my blog posts/is taking them seriously, but I thought I'd put this out there anyway, as it's worth thinking about.
Personal circumstances have made me consider what attributes I like in people I know. Attributes such as an interesting and a fun-loving personality are the first things that many people think of, as these are qualities that might stand out. But I've found that many "likeable" attributes that we find easy to pick out in people can actually be misleading. For example, say you meet a person who is interested in the same things as you and who seems to be generally happy and cheerful. Your first impression would be that you will probably get on with this person, and that their happiness and cheerfulness might translate into other good attributes, such as generosity and kindness. However, first impressions can be very deceiving, and it is only when you see people acting in certain ways in certain situations that you can get an idea of how "nice" and "likeable" they really are. This same person could, at the same time, be manipulative, greedy and selfish. They also might be uncaring. I now realize that the act of being "caring" is probably the most important attribute a "likeable" person could have. A person who might share your interest in cartoons and anime might not care about his or her furniture, or house, or the cleanliness of his/her kitchen. A person who doesn't necessarily share your interests could still be likeable if he/she cares about his/her possessions and other peoples' possessions.
You may be reading this and thinking, "So what if I can't be bothered to clean all the time?" or "My furniture's crappy anyway, who cares if I damage it?" Well, if you can relate to these two statements, then hopefully you care about other things that are worth caring about, otherwise you could be placed in the category of "unlikeable", or even "horrible", or even "evil." How did I suddenly jump from a dirty kitchen to being evil? Well, the less people care about things, the more evil they become (and "care" about world domination doesn't count as legitimate caring in this blog post).
One of the first dictionary definitions for the word "care", quoted directly, is:"the provision of what is necessary for the health, welfare, maintenance, and protection of someone or something."
Just reading this sentence makes me realize what "unlikeable" people, and what many of my generation, don't do. They don't care.
You hope that at least people will care about other people, but being uncaring in other parts of life is just a slippery slope to not caring about "important" things, such as the environment, animals and people. Just as hitting a dog is one step away from hitting a baby, damaging your possessions is, arguably, one step away from damaging people. And damaging doesn't necessarily mean physical damage, it could mean neglect, or mental damage as well. These are all "uncaring."
I hear statements like, "back in the day, we used to look after things properly," and I like to think that I am more conscious of this statement, and more caring of possessions, for example, than most people of my age. I not only care about my possessions, but I also care about the environment, I care about my body (health-wise) and I care about people who I respect.
It is "cool" now, not to care for these things, or to pretend that you don't. Why? Because it makes you seem more easy-going, more "wild"? Because that kind of "uncaring" attitude just just puts me off.
What I have come to realize, is that the more you care, the more you are improving yourself. This includes cleaning the kitchen regularly, or making sure not to damage the floor when moving your chair around. You're saving yourself the pain of a disease-infested, dirty, off-putting kitchen, and you're saving your floor for many weeks, and months, and years to come (and depending on the type of chair you have, you're saving your chair for a little longer as well).
The type of person that I actively dislike is one who is responsible for things, but does not care for them. He/she doesn't have to be uncaring in every aspect of his/her life, a great deal of it depends on context, situation, age and other factors. But a person's total lack or disregard for something worthwhile, or beautiful, puts me off entirely.
The only problem is - is that the type of people who don't care, are often the ones who lure you into liking them. Annoying, horrible or evil people in general can be well respected, simply because of the certain social skills that they possess. I have learnt not to trust people too much, as it is all too easy to fall under the spell of an uncaring person.
Sorry to possibly rant, I just felt the need to post something a bit more "meaningful".
Wednesday 17 December 2014
Sunday 2 November 2014
My 40 Favourite Credits Sequences from Anime
I've seen a few Youtube videos and the like about top anime intros, but I've seen very few if any similar videos/posts for anime credits sequences. So, I will honour the anime credits by writing about some of my favourite ones here!
Please be aware of these things before reading the list:
1. I did my best to include credits sequences of series which I have watched/which I have watched past when that particular credit segment was used (e.g in long/long-ish anime where they change intro and credits partway through), but I had to make a few exceptions to this rule.
2. I did my best to be unbiased in my credit picks and not necessarily put credits to my favourite anime further up in the rankings. This list is based purely on songs and visuals (and their relevance to the feeling of the anime).
3. I will try and post the name of the actual track and artist/s where I can, along with the title of the anime in which they appear.
With that said, here is my list!...
40. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure - Roundabout by Yes.
OK, OK, I give credit (no pun intended) to the creators of this divine series for including a song by a British band. :-) That's very cool in my British book. But... Meh... To be perfectly honest, I'm not a really big fan of this part of the song, it gets better later on (and listening to the whole thing made me realize they used other parts of the song in the actual anime itself and not just the credits, which is pretty clever). Also, I feel that the song doesn't fit particularly well with this anime, one reason being that the era that this song was written in doesn't match with the era(s) of the show. The passionate songs they had for the intros I felt went much better, hell, the Mexican aspects of both of the songs worked really well and fit in a lot with the series. I guess you could argue that this credits song is English and Dio and Jojo are both English.... Nrghgh.
Oh well, enough rambling. The visuals are relevant, and the blood effect is quite clever, but for me they were just boring.
39. Golden Time - Love Me Semipermanently by Yui Hore.
This credits song, along with the visuals, is a lot more lively than the first credits sequence in the series, in my opinion, and probably more related to the show itself in most respects. It's especially lively compared to the second intro, which is almost depressing in some ways. It's a nice enough, if slightly generic song, I believe, which is why it's featuring so low on the list.
38. Elfen Lied - Be Your Girl by Cheiko Kawabe.
Right... OK. This one irritates me, because I like the song a great deal. It's catchy, it's nice, but.... IT DOESN'T REALLY FIT IN WITH THE ANIME in my humble (if loud) opinion. Also, there is only one still shown in the credits and nothing else to engage the viewer. Some might argue that the still shown provides sufficient entertainment to make the credits unskippable but... It still could have been more interesting. (Especially compared to most of the credits higher up this list). The reason that this is so high up in the list is because of the song, but that doesn't make it a good credits sequence for Elfen Lied.
37. Cowboy Bebop - Real Folk Blues by Seatbelts.
While this credits song and visuals are not as electric and memorable as the opening, they still fit the series' tone, or at least the side of the series that is unexplored in the opening song. It also helps to lower blood pressure if you've watched a particularly intense episode, he he. I'm not so keen on the visuals for this one, although they do reveal a side of Spike's character which we don't often see, which is nice. The song itself is a little slow, but pleasant to listen to. I guess I'm going to be biased against this song because of the outstanding opening, but I'm trying not to be...
36. Sakamichi no Apollon - Altair by Motohiro Hata.
I have a few problems with this anime, many of which are reflected in this credits song. There are so many good points about this show, particularly the fantastic jazz music, yet this is not at all reflected in the credits. Instead, it concentrates on all of my least favourite parts of the show, where the miserable main character reflects on how miserable he is and how miserable his life is. Grr. He irritates me, in case you hadn't got that. Luckily the opening is a lot more positive, highlighting the show's good points, but even then it isn't as jazzy as it could have been. It's a shame, because in its own right the song in this credits sequence is actually very nice, which is why this song is as high as it is on this list.
35. Nurarihyon no Mago - Sparky Start by Katate Size.
Despite the fact that this is is a slow ending, on closer inspection it has its values. For example, the different parts of the song are sung by the different characters, represented by chibis doing their own wee dance routines. Cool! :-) Secondly, the song itself is good, if verging on generic. It's not an outstanding anime, and this credits sequence doesn't capture the serious side of the anime (which really needs to be emphasized, I think), but it's not awful by any means.
34. Ao No Exorcist - Wired Life by Meisa Kuroki.
I wasn't particularly blown away by this ending when I first watched it, but on rewatching it, I can see its values. I'm picking it over the first credits sequence in the series because... Well. I slightly preferred this song to that one, also I felt the visuals and interesting, "boxy" design of this one suited the show more than driving really fast along a road... Seriously, what has that got to do with the show? There is a slight feeling almost of disconnection in this song, which suits the second season of the show quite well. So, that's why I picked it. Not my favourite credits song/visuals ever, but I like it.
33. Sword Art Online - Yume Sekai by Haruka Tomatsu.
This song is pretty good in my opinion and the visuals are pretty, but are a bit boring for me, it's just a profile of the two main characters down... A sword... OK, that sounds wrong, but it's actually OK and not inappropriate. I felt they could have included a heavier song in the credits (i.e rock/metal), especially as the one in the intro is of a similar vein to this one, but it's not appalling, in fact it's good. So there.
32. Shugo Chara - Love Rider by Buono.
The credits for Shugo Chara kind of blended into one for me by the end of the series, but in terms of the song itself, this one stood out the most for me, and its visuals are probably the least boring and are pretty cute to boot. The visuals and song fit in well with the tone of the series, better, in my opinion, than the other credits. While other people may disagree with my choice, I stand by it.
31. Last Exile - Over the Sky by Hitomi Kurioshi.
This song is nice to listen to and is... Kind of relevant to the anime... I guess.... Well, the visuals are more so, and the visuals in the credits and the song do go pretty well together. The visuals shown are a combination of stills and animation, which is nice, showing two characters in particular, one of whom happens to be my favourite character in the series, which is fortunate. :-) It's a little slow as an ending, but peaceful, especially compared to the more action-packed episodes.
30. Kuroshitsuji II - Bird by Yuya Matsushita
While you could say that these credits are a little slow, I liked the butterflies. He he, OK, that's not the only thing I liked about it. I felt it was pretty relevant to the show and the song itself is lovely to listen to, if also a little slow. A pretty beautiful set of credits, which leaves a more lasting impression on you than you'd think from first watching them. The only thing that slightly irritates me about this credits sequence is the emphasis on Ciel asleep, which is pretty predictable, but I guess it's what you'd expect.
29. Tokyo Ghoul - Seijatachi by People in the Box.
There's a really nice song in this credits, and despite the fact that the visuals are stills, they are all a lovely art style and are really nice to look at (although, in my opinion, not necessarily capturing the feel of the show, at least not yet, I haven't got far with it). The song sort of fits in with the show, but I like it too much to get too fussed about it, I guess. I feel that a more hardcore credits would have been more suitable, but at the same time, they did a pretty good job with what they had.
28. Higurashi no Naku No Koro ni - Why, or Why Not by Hiroyuki Oshima ft. Rekka Katakiri.
To my surprise, this credits sequence was pretty engaging, despite its slow pace and its slow song. The visuals are creepy enough and beautiful enough to be interesting and the song, (despite its slightly distracting Engrish) overall seems to fit the tone of the series well so far (although I've barely scratched the surface of it as I write this). It's nothing to rave about, but the song and visuals together are pretty mesmerizing, which I think is a good quality for certain anime credits.
27. Gintama - Bubble Gum by Captain Straydum.
I haven't watched much of this series, and my viewings have been very much on and off, but the credits song, in particular, has left a favourable impression on me. It fits in with the series and is a pretty good song in its own right. However, I find the visuals a little boring, but they do fit in with the tone of the series, showing all of the main characters and a nice view of earth from space. Overall, a pretty good credits sequence, but I particularly like the song.
26. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Lithium Meth by Scott Flower.
Even though I like this song, I found it quite skippable while watching the anime. I guess the fact that only stills are shown is a little boring, plus the song does not really capture the essence of the series, in my mind, or at least not compared to the mindblowing opening song. However, I like it enough for it to have a place on this list, and some of the stills are interesting and relevant.
25. Blood Lad - Bloody Holic by Yuuka Nanri.
While this credits isn't nearly as memorable or action-packed as the intro, it is noteworthy, and looks at the calmer side of the anime, concentrating on the relationship between two of the main characters, which is nice to see, as this is not the anime's main focus much of the time. The song is ballad-y, which suits what is being shown quite well. The colours and the animation are just as good as they are in the actual show, with clips rather than stills being shown, which is always a bonus. Satisfying credits for a pretty good anime!
24. Fairy Tail - Kanpeki gu~no ne by Watirirouka Hashiritai.
This credits sequence is more what I'd expect from a intro sequence, bright, colourful, catchy and comedic, but I guess they wanted to save the more serious elements for the intro to show that this show isn't all cutesy. I like the song, it's catchy and gives a positive ring to the show, which certainly matches the earlier part of the series. I dunno, the visuals are quite sweet and engaging, but I felt that they could have perhaps been a little more serious at times, but hey, I shouldn't complain too much. I don't know why, but I never really got into the visuals, but they're actually pretty OK.
23. Death Note - Alumina by Nightmare.
I felt that in this series they overdid it on the heavy metal aspects of both the opening and credits, so I'm a lot keener on the opening and credits of the first half of the series, even though they don't necessarily fit the series as well as the later ones. Oh well, I guess it's about personal preference here. I like this song, particularly with the visuals, which are unsettling, as is the show itself. However, at the same time, it's not too much in your face, it's more subtle and less flashy. Occasionally I need that in my anime credits. Good song, good visuals.
22. Fate/Zero - MEMORIA by Eir Aoi.
I really like this song, even if it doesn't necessarily fit into the anime... Actually, it kind of does. Although I felt they could have had a more hardcore intro/ending to this (at times) pretty hardcore series (which I still have yet to complete), but at the same time, there is a feeling of drama to this song that matches the show and the good range of visuals in the credits which, despite the fact that they are pretty much all stills, are surprisingly engaging. A good credits sequence, that's all I have left to say.
21. Tiger and Bunny - Hoshi no Sumika by Aobozu.
For some reason, I never really got into this credits sequence when I first watched the anime. Maybe it's because the visuals are a little predictable and, arguably, a little slow, but on rewatching it, I realize just how much I like the song. It not only fits the show well, but is engaging and enjoyable to listen to in its own right. The visuals give a good idea of the series, being atmospheric with the emphasis on electric lighting, which, now that I have finished the series and have fond memories of it, I really like. Tsk, you never know what you've got until you've finished it...
20. Kyousou Giga - Shissou Ginga by TEPPAN.
This ending is pretty different from many of the credits I've mentioned here, particularly because of its abstract visuals which, funnily enough, are pretty relevant to the anime. It's interesting having that little touch at the end with one of the characters seeming to look out at us. The song is electric and exciting as well, being engaging and fitting with the tone of the series pretty well. It's not necessarily as memorable a song as some of the others on this list, but it's certainly packs a punch without being too heavy or in-your-face.
19. Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann - Underground by High Voltage.
The main thing about this credits sequence for me is the song, I liked it when I first heard it and I still like it now. I feel it also fits in with the series, although perhaps not as well as the one in the intro. Overall, the credits sequence pales in comparison to the phenomenal intro of this series, but the soundtrack throughout is good, so in the musical sense it's still good. The visuals, however, are just the main character and his... Erm... Pet.... Walking, with basically one still shown in the background. It's not totally boring, but it's not the most engaging credit sequence ever. It's saved by the song.
18. Kuroshitsuji: Book of Circus - Aoiki Tsuki Michite by Akira
Despite the fact that the visuals emphasize the more... Erm... Yaoi aspect of this show, I still really like these credits. I like it mainly because of the song, but the calm, beautiful atmosphere of both the song and the visuals gives a really good impression, and helps to end the often very exciting episodes with a much more sedate feel. I think I would like these credits even more without the yaoi emphasis, but ignoring it as much as I can, I like this.
17. Persona 4: The Animation - Beauty of Destiny by Shihoko Hirata ft. Lotus Juice
Despite the fact that the song here is not really my type, it grew on me, as the series did, and along with the (BLUE,) pretty visuals it was pretty electric and helped emphasize the more action-packed, serious side of the anime, without being over-the-top about it. Of course, there was going to be emphasis on Yuu Narukami,but hey, can't complain too much. Overall I prefer the song to the visuals, but both go well together and relate well to the first part of the series.
16. Bleach - Life is Like a Boat by Rie Fu.
I was immediately struck by the American accent of this singer of this song when I first heard it. I originally thought it was by an American artist, until the song progresses to the Japanese language (which I assumed wasn't with an American accent, although to be perfectly honest I wouldn't be able to tell). I've since discovered that the singer grew up in America for a time and, because she is bilingual, sings well in both languages and many of her songs are translated entirely. It's a lovely song that fits in with the solemn feel of this credits sequence, which reflects in particular how one character, Rukia, feels throughout much of the show. The visuals are beautiful as well, if a little slow, but the song more than makes up for it.
15. Space Dandy Welcome to the X Dimension by Etsuko Yakushimaru
Despite the fact that this ending, especially the child-like animation, does not necessarily fit into the overall tone of the show, I really like it, and the fact that it has colourful animation and shows the characters in a bizarre, sci-fi setting makes it similar enough to the show for it to be relevant. Also, other people probably wouldn't have got this, but the animation, and even the song, to a certain extent, remind me of Sesame Street. Yeah, like I said, it's probably just me, but it helped me to really enhance my personal opinion of the credits sequence, and, unlike the actual show itself, it makes the credits sequence nostalgic, friendly and familiar for me. Arguably, this isn't required for a credits sequence, but, I dunno, I like it anyway.
14. Romeo x Juliet - Cyclone by 12012.
I wasn't sure what to think of this credits sequence when I first saw it, but I have to say it's really grown on me and I'm not even a quarter way through the series yet. Even though the song doesn't necessarily fit in the series (oh wait, IT DOESN'T, except the lyrics themselves do basically fit in with the tone of the series), it's a fab song in its own right, and the visuals fit in with the show. Even though the visuals aren't overly interesting, they are quite pretty and the animation of the different patterns and artistic stills of some of the characters is pretty well done and somehow fits with both the song and the series.
13. Black Rock Shooter - Bokura no Ashiato by Supercell, sung by Koeda.
Considering the heaviness of the anime in terms of animation and plot, you'd expect at least the theme song to have pretty heavy elements, e.g heavy metal. But no, both of the songs are very ballad-y, particularly the credits song, which actually, when you think about it, works quite well with the tone the series is trying to convey. The visuals of the bird in the storybook in the credits sequence are a good way to soften the tone of many episodes, but they also make you wish for the characters' personal freedoms more. The soft, but very sad tone of the song works well, while helping to lower your blood pressure a little. I like it. :-)
12. Nichijou - Zzz by Sayaka Sasaki.
This is a series for which I have only watched a handful of episodes, but keep meaning to restart it because - well, it's Nichijou. I think I'd enjoy it more now than I did when I first watched it. Anyway, its credits... Aww. Lovely. Great match with the series, with a lovely, sweet song and fantastic visuals. The parts with the curtains and the puppets are very nostalgic for me, actually, as they remind me a lot of a puppet set that I saw a lot when I was child. But that's my personal opinion, anyhow. Arguably this credits sequence could reflect better the craziness of the show, but I feel that the intro does that already, it's pretty full-on.
11. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion - Yukyo Seishunka by Ali Project.
It was a hard choice picking between this and the series' second opening credits sequence, but my final decision was based on the fact that this suits the feeling of the anime better, plus the visuals that go along with the song here are more relevant, I think (although both sets of visuals are good). It's an engaging song, certainly better than the show's openings in my opinion. It's got a blend of modern and almost classical which is quite interesting, conveying the blend of Brittania, and Area 11, in a way. Check it out if you haven't already. :-)
10. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders - Walk Like an Egyptian by the Bangles.
I have not got very far through this series yet, but I'm already REALLY enjoying the credits, the visuals are a huge improvement on the last credits sequence and, for me anyway, the song fits in much better with the anime than the last one did (aka the one in the 2012 Jojo series). I'm probably biased because I already knew the song well before I heard it used in the credits, but come on, they're going to Egypt! It works (or at least it does for the episodes I've watched so far)! I personally feel that, in terms of both song and visuals, this fits in much better with the epic intros in both of the Jojo series than the previous credit song. It's colourful, it's catchy, it leaves you wanting more, what else would you expect from an anime credits sequence? ;-)
9. Usagi Drop - High High High by Kasarinchu.
I really like both the show and its lovely ending. The song is fab in its own right and fits in perfectly with the series and the beautiful, child book illustration-style visuals fit in well with the series and reflect what we saw in the intro. It emphasizes the warm, fuzzy feeling that you usually have with the ending of each episode. What more do I need to say, it has everything I would hope for in an anime credits sequence!
8. Higashi no Eden - Futuristic Imagination by School Food Punishment.
This ending is pretty electric, especially in terms of the inventive, stunning visuals. The song is very good as well, although the visuals made more of an impression on me when first watching the credits. You're probably thinking, if you haven't seen it already, "inventive, stunning visuals? Ooh, I wonder what she means?" Well, watch it, I won't reveal. ;-)
7. Bakemonogatari - The Story You Don't Know by Supercell.
I was quite interested to find out that this was done by the same band as the one who did the Black Rock Shooter song formerly mentioned, and I have to say, for several reasons, I prefer this song. Firstly, I find it more engaging, but it also has the rock elements that I like that the former song didn't have. The visuals that go with this are better than the BRS credits, as well, in my opinion, with the creepy animation that matches with the show's creepiness. Granted, I haven't got far through the series of Bakemonogatari, but credits like these certainly help me stay more engaged and I'm interested to see whether these credits continue to fit so well with Bakemonogatari itself.
6. Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood - Uso by SID.
I LOVE this song. I've become almost obsessed with it. I was really wanting to put this higher up the list, but I can't because... Well, because everything above it is just that little bit better, but not by much, I have to add. If there was one thing I could nitpick about this intro it's the child-like style of the visuals, but even then, that grew on me as the show progressed, as it emphasized Edward and Alphonse as children, which is something I really like. I have no major complaints about this credits sequence whatsoever, which is the same for the other anime in the rest of the list.
5. Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica - Magia by Kalafina.
Wow. The impact of this series in general is just... Shocking. It's really not what you think it's going to be. This song along with its visuals in the credits capture the eerie-ness, desperation and sadness of the show perfectly. It sends chills down me spine, it does... It's interesting how much more fitting this song is compared to the opening song, which contrasts greatly with the show itself. I don't think I need to say any more.
4. Gosick - Resuscitated Hope by Lisa Komine.
While the second credits song for this series was nice, fitted the series well and was pleasant to listen to, this fitted the same criteria I preferred this one overall. I found it engaging, along with the beautiful, well designed visuals. It gives a sad, slightly eerie feeling, without being too over-the-top (yeah, the visuals for the second one are labouring the point a bit, unlike this one). Listen to the song if you want, it's fab out of context of the anime, although, admittedly, is even better when watched with this gem of a series.
3. Chuunibyou demo Koi go Shitai - Inside Identity by Black Raison d'etre
I REALLY like this credits song. Especially compared to the opening, which in my opinion is pretty dull. The visuals are pretty good too, darker than much of the anime (until towards the end). I picked this over the credits sequence of CdKgS Ren, which is also a good credits sequence, but is a little more generic in my opinion. This one is just a good song in general, the kind I'd listen to regularly alongside other music (which is not the case with most of the credits songs in this list). If you haven't listened to it already, check it out (it's one of those openings for which you don't need to be an anime fan to enjoy it).
2. Kuroshitsuji - I'm Alive - by Becca.
Yeah, I know it's typical to like this ending, but frankly, it's the best from Kuroshitsuji so far. :-) It's nice to have an English-speaking singer again, and it's surprising how well her song actually goes with the series (although I didn't think that when I first watched it, I now see how well the lyrics fit, and the music as well, to a degree). The visuals are cute, detailing the more comedic elements of the series, which I like (although they don't necessarily go along with the song). It's a good song in its own right, I find myself listening to it often.
And my favourite credits sequence in anime is......
1. One Piece - RUN! RUN! RUN! by Maki Otsuki.
I have recently finished the last arc which features this fantastic, lively credit song and images, and even though (as I have discovered) the previous credits song was performed by the same artist, I think this one is far superior, especially in terms of visuals (although the song is REALLY catchy). I like how the visuals show the characters as children, when they were happier and more carefree (apart from Luffy, who so far, still seems pretty childish, but there you go). I'm hoping that the credits are going to stay as good or get even better from here! :D
_________________________________
I realized, as I made this list that, in general, anime credits sequences are worse than intros. Why? Because first impressions, people. That's what it boils down to. For some anime I've watched, there's a fantastic opening sequence, and then it has a shitty credits sequence that you don't even want to consider putting on a Top list. Originally this list was going to be a Top 50 list, but, I realized, that even considering I've spent a year watching anime, there are only a few that have at least one decent closing sequence.
OK, there are exceptions, like Chuunibyou and Bakemonogatari, but the above paragraph was just an overall observation. I think it will be MUCH easier for me to make an "openings" list, as there are a lot more good ones out there.
Do you agree with this list? If there are credits I haven't included that you think I should have, that's probably because I haven't watched the anime, but mention them to me anyway! I haven't been watching anime for that long, so, as I'm well aware, I have a lot to catch up on. But from now on, I'll be looking out for good credits in anime, because I'm just picky that way.
Please be aware of these things before reading the list:
1. I did my best to include credits sequences of series which I have watched/which I have watched past when that particular credit segment was used (e.g in long/long-ish anime where they change intro and credits partway through), but I had to make a few exceptions to this rule.
2. I did my best to be unbiased in my credit picks and not necessarily put credits to my favourite anime further up in the rankings. This list is based purely on songs and visuals (and their relevance to the feeling of the anime).
3. I will try and post the name of the actual track and artist/s where I can, along with the title of the anime in which they appear.
With that said, here is my list!...
40. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure - Roundabout by Yes.
OK, OK, I give credit (no pun intended) to the creators of this divine series for including a song by a British band. :-) That's very cool in my British book. But... Meh... To be perfectly honest, I'm not a really big fan of this part of the song, it gets better later on (and listening to the whole thing made me realize they used other parts of the song in the actual anime itself and not just the credits, which is pretty clever). Also, I feel that the song doesn't fit particularly well with this anime, one reason being that the era that this song was written in doesn't match with the era(s) of the show. The passionate songs they had for the intros I felt went much better, hell, the Mexican aspects of both of the songs worked really well and fit in a lot with the series. I guess you could argue that this credits song is English and Dio and Jojo are both English.... Nrghgh.
Oh well, enough rambling. The visuals are relevant, and the blood effect is quite clever, but for me they were just boring.
This credits song, along with the visuals, is a lot more lively than the first credits sequence in the series, in my opinion, and probably more related to the show itself in most respects. It's especially lively compared to the second intro, which is almost depressing in some ways. It's a nice enough, if slightly generic song, I believe, which is why it's featuring so low on the list.
38. Elfen Lied - Be Your Girl by Cheiko Kawabe.
Right... OK. This one irritates me, because I like the song a great deal. It's catchy, it's nice, but.... IT DOESN'T REALLY FIT IN WITH THE ANIME in my humble (if loud) opinion. Also, there is only one still shown in the credits and nothing else to engage the viewer. Some might argue that the still shown provides sufficient entertainment to make the credits unskippable but... It still could have been more interesting. (Especially compared to most of the credits higher up this list). The reason that this is so high up in the list is because of the song, but that doesn't make it a good credits sequence for Elfen Lied.
37. Cowboy Bebop - Real Folk Blues by Seatbelts.
While this credits song and visuals are not as electric and memorable as the opening, they still fit the series' tone, or at least the side of the series that is unexplored in the opening song. It also helps to lower blood pressure if you've watched a particularly intense episode, he he. I'm not so keen on the visuals for this one, although they do reveal a side of Spike's character which we don't often see, which is nice. The song itself is a little slow, but pleasant to listen to. I guess I'm going to be biased against this song because of the outstanding opening, but I'm trying not to be...
36. Sakamichi no Apollon - Altair by Motohiro Hata.
I have a few problems with this anime, many of which are reflected in this credits song. There are so many good points about this show, particularly the fantastic jazz music, yet this is not at all reflected in the credits. Instead, it concentrates on all of my least favourite parts of the show, where the miserable main character reflects on how miserable he is and how miserable his life is. Grr. He irritates me, in case you hadn't got that. Luckily the opening is a lot more positive, highlighting the show's good points, but even then it isn't as jazzy as it could have been. It's a shame, because in its own right the song in this credits sequence is actually very nice, which is why this song is as high as it is on this list.
35. Nurarihyon no Mago - Sparky Start by Katate Size.
Despite the fact that this is is a slow ending, on closer inspection it has its values. For example, the different parts of the song are sung by the different characters, represented by chibis doing their own wee dance routines. Cool! :-) Secondly, the song itself is good, if verging on generic. It's not an outstanding anime, and this credits sequence doesn't capture the serious side of the anime (which really needs to be emphasized, I think), but it's not awful by any means.
34. Ao No Exorcist - Wired Life by Meisa Kuroki.
I wasn't particularly blown away by this ending when I first watched it, but on rewatching it, I can see its values. I'm picking it over the first credits sequence in the series because... Well. I slightly preferred this song to that one, also I felt the visuals and interesting, "boxy" design of this one suited the show more than driving really fast along a road... Seriously, what has that got to do with the show? There is a slight feeling almost of disconnection in this song, which suits the second season of the show quite well. So, that's why I picked it. Not my favourite credits song/visuals ever, but I like it.
33. Sword Art Online - Yume Sekai by Haruka Tomatsu.
This song is pretty good in my opinion and the visuals are pretty, but are a bit boring for me, it's just a profile of the two main characters down... A sword... OK, that sounds wrong, but it's actually OK and not inappropriate. I felt they could have included a heavier song in the credits (i.e rock/metal), especially as the one in the intro is of a similar vein to this one, but it's not appalling, in fact it's good. So there.
32. Shugo Chara - Love Rider by Buono.
The credits for Shugo Chara kind of blended into one for me by the end of the series, but in terms of the song itself, this one stood out the most for me, and its visuals are probably the least boring and are pretty cute to boot. The visuals and song fit in well with the tone of the series, better, in my opinion, than the other credits. While other people may disagree with my choice, I stand by it.
31. Last Exile - Over the Sky by Hitomi Kurioshi.
This song is nice to listen to and is... Kind of relevant to the anime... I guess.... Well, the visuals are more so, and the visuals in the credits and the song do go pretty well together. The visuals shown are a combination of stills and animation, which is nice, showing two characters in particular, one of whom happens to be my favourite character in the series, which is fortunate. :-) It's a little slow as an ending, but peaceful, especially compared to the more action-packed episodes.
30. Kuroshitsuji II - Bird by Yuya Matsushita
While you could say that these credits are a little slow, I liked the butterflies. He he, OK, that's not the only thing I liked about it. I felt it was pretty relevant to the show and the song itself is lovely to listen to, if also a little slow. A pretty beautiful set of credits, which leaves a more lasting impression on you than you'd think from first watching them. The only thing that slightly irritates me about this credits sequence is the emphasis on Ciel asleep, which is pretty predictable, but I guess it's what you'd expect.
29. Tokyo Ghoul - Seijatachi by People in the Box.
There's a really nice song in this credits, and despite the fact that the visuals are stills, they are all a lovely art style and are really nice to look at (although, in my opinion, not necessarily capturing the feel of the show, at least not yet, I haven't got far with it). The song sort of fits in with the show, but I like it too much to get too fussed about it, I guess. I feel that a more hardcore credits would have been more suitable, but at the same time, they did a pretty good job with what they had.
28. Higurashi no Naku No Koro ni - Why, or Why Not by Hiroyuki Oshima ft. Rekka Katakiri.
To my surprise, this credits sequence was pretty engaging, despite its slow pace and its slow song. The visuals are creepy enough and beautiful enough to be interesting and the song, (despite its slightly distracting Engrish) overall seems to fit the tone of the series well so far (although I've barely scratched the surface of it as I write this). It's nothing to rave about, but the song and visuals together are pretty mesmerizing, which I think is a good quality for certain anime credits.
27. Gintama - Bubble Gum by Captain Straydum.
I haven't watched much of this series, and my viewings have been very much on and off, but the credits song, in particular, has left a favourable impression on me. It fits in with the series and is a pretty good song in its own right. However, I find the visuals a little boring, but they do fit in with the tone of the series, showing all of the main characters and a nice view of earth from space. Overall, a pretty good credits sequence, but I particularly like the song.
26. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Lithium Meth by Scott Flower.
Even though I like this song, I found it quite skippable while watching the anime. I guess the fact that only stills are shown is a little boring, plus the song does not really capture the essence of the series, in my mind, or at least not compared to the mindblowing opening song. However, I like it enough for it to have a place on this list, and some of the stills are interesting and relevant.
25. Blood Lad - Bloody Holic by Yuuka Nanri.
While this credits isn't nearly as memorable or action-packed as the intro, it is noteworthy, and looks at the calmer side of the anime, concentrating on the relationship between two of the main characters, which is nice to see, as this is not the anime's main focus much of the time. The song is ballad-y, which suits what is being shown quite well. The colours and the animation are just as good as they are in the actual show, with clips rather than stills being shown, which is always a bonus. Satisfying credits for a pretty good anime!
24. Fairy Tail - Kanpeki gu~no ne by Watirirouka Hashiritai.
This credits sequence is more what I'd expect from a intro sequence, bright, colourful, catchy and comedic, but I guess they wanted to save the more serious elements for the intro to show that this show isn't all cutesy. I like the song, it's catchy and gives a positive ring to the show, which certainly matches the earlier part of the series. I dunno, the visuals are quite sweet and engaging, but I felt that they could have perhaps been a little more serious at times, but hey, I shouldn't complain too much. I don't know why, but I never really got into the visuals, but they're actually pretty OK.
23. Death Note - Alumina by Nightmare.
I felt that in this series they overdid it on the heavy metal aspects of both the opening and credits, so I'm a lot keener on the opening and credits of the first half of the series, even though they don't necessarily fit the series as well as the later ones. Oh well, I guess it's about personal preference here. I like this song, particularly with the visuals, which are unsettling, as is the show itself. However, at the same time, it's not too much in your face, it's more subtle and less flashy. Occasionally I need that in my anime credits. Good song, good visuals.
22. Fate/Zero - MEMORIA by Eir Aoi.
I really like this song, even if it doesn't necessarily fit into the anime... Actually, it kind of does. Although I felt they could have had a more hardcore intro/ending to this (at times) pretty hardcore series (which I still have yet to complete), but at the same time, there is a feeling of drama to this song that matches the show and the good range of visuals in the credits which, despite the fact that they are pretty much all stills, are surprisingly engaging. A good credits sequence, that's all I have left to say.
21. Tiger and Bunny - Hoshi no Sumika by Aobozu.
For some reason, I never really got into this credits sequence when I first watched the anime. Maybe it's because the visuals are a little predictable and, arguably, a little slow, but on rewatching it, I realize just how much I like the song. It not only fits the show well, but is engaging and enjoyable to listen to in its own right. The visuals give a good idea of the series, being atmospheric with the emphasis on electric lighting, which, now that I have finished the series and have fond memories of it, I really like. Tsk, you never know what you've got until you've finished it...
20. Kyousou Giga - Shissou Ginga by TEPPAN.
This ending is pretty different from many of the credits I've mentioned here, particularly because of its abstract visuals which, funnily enough, are pretty relevant to the anime. It's interesting having that little touch at the end with one of the characters seeming to look out at us. The song is electric and exciting as well, being engaging and fitting with the tone of the series pretty well. It's not necessarily as memorable a song as some of the others on this list, but it's certainly packs a punch without being too heavy or in-your-face.
19. Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann - Underground by High Voltage.
The main thing about this credits sequence for me is the song, I liked it when I first heard it and I still like it now. I feel it also fits in with the series, although perhaps not as well as the one in the intro. Overall, the credits sequence pales in comparison to the phenomenal intro of this series, but the soundtrack throughout is good, so in the musical sense it's still good. The visuals, however, are just the main character and his... Erm... Pet.... Walking, with basically one still shown in the background. It's not totally boring, but it's not the most engaging credit sequence ever. It's saved by the song.
18. Kuroshitsuji: Book of Circus - Aoiki Tsuki Michite by Akira
Despite the fact that the visuals emphasize the more... Erm... Yaoi aspect of this show, I still really like these credits. I like it mainly because of the song, but the calm, beautiful atmosphere of both the song and the visuals gives a really good impression, and helps to end the often very exciting episodes with a much more sedate feel. I think I would like these credits even more without the yaoi emphasis, but ignoring it as much as I can, I like this.
17. Persona 4: The Animation - Beauty of Destiny by Shihoko Hirata ft. Lotus Juice
Despite the fact that the song here is not really my type, it grew on me, as the series did, and along with the (BLUE,) pretty visuals it was pretty electric and helped emphasize the more action-packed, serious side of the anime, without being over-the-top about it. Of course, there was going to be emphasis on Yuu Narukami,but hey, can't complain too much. Overall I prefer the song to the visuals, but both go well together and relate well to the first part of the series.
16. Bleach - Life is Like a Boat by Rie Fu.
I was immediately struck by the American accent of this singer of this song when I first heard it. I originally thought it was by an American artist, until the song progresses to the Japanese language (which I assumed wasn't with an American accent, although to be perfectly honest I wouldn't be able to tell). I've since discovered that the singer grew up in America for a time and, because she is bilingual, sings well in both languages and many of her songs are translated entirely. It's a lovely song that fits in with the solemn feel of this credits sequence, which reflects in particular how one character, Rukia, feels throughout much of the show. The visuals are beautiful as well, if a little slow, but the song more than makes up for it.
15. Space Dandy Welcome to the X Dimension by Etsuko Yakushimaru
Despite the fact that this ending, especially the child-like animation, does not necessarily fit into the overall tone of the show, I really like it, and the fact that it has colourful animation and shows the characters in a bizarre, sci-fi setting makes it similar enough to the show for it to be relevant. Also, other people probably wouldn't have got this, but the animation, and even the song, to a certain extent, remind me of Sesame Street. Yeah, like I said, it's probably just me, but it helped me to really enhance my personal opinion of the credits sequence, and, unlike the actual show itself, it makes the credits sequence nostalgic, friendly and familiar for me. Arguably, this isn't required for a credits sequence, but, I dunno, I like it anyway.
14. Romeo x Juliet - Cyclone by 12012.
I wasn't sure what to think of this credits sequence when I first saw it, but I have to say it's really grown on me and I'm not even a quarter way through the series yet. Even though the song doesn't necessarily fit in the series (oh wait, IT DOESN'T, except the lyrics themselves do basically fit in with the tone of the series), it's a fab song in its own right, and the visuals fit in with the show. Even though the visuals aren't overly interesting, they are quite pretty and the animation of the different patterns and artistic stills of some of the characters is pretty well done and somehow fits with both the song and the series.
13. Black Rock Shooter - Bokura no Ashiato by Supercell, sung by Koeda.
Considering the heaviness of the anime in terms of animation and plot, you'd expect at least the theme song to have pretty heavy elements, e.g heavy metal. But no, both of the songs are very ballad-y, particularly the credits song, which actually, when you think about it, works quite well with the tone the series is trying to convey. The visuals of the bird in the storybook in the credits sequence are a good way to soften the tone of many episodes, but they also make you wish for the characters' personal freedoms more. The soft, but very sad tone of the song works well, while helping to lower your blood pressure a little. I like it. :-)
12. Nichijou - Zzz by Sayaka Sasaki.
This is a series for which I have only watched a handful of episodes, but keep meaning to restart it because - well, it's Nichijou. I think I'd enjoy it more now than I did when I first watched it. Anyway, its credits... Aww. Lovely. Great match with the series, with a lovely, sweet song and fantastic visuals. The parts with the curtains and the puppets are very nostalgic for me, actually, as they remind me a lot of a puppet set that I saw a lot when I was child. But that's my personal opinion, anyhow. Arguably this credits sequence could reflect better the craziness of the show, but I feel that the intro does that already, it's pretty full-on.
11. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion - Yukyo Seishunka by Ali Project.
It was a hard choice picking between this and the series' second opening credits sequence, but my final decision was based on the fact that this suits the feeling of the anime better, plus the visuals that go along with the song here are more relevant, I think (although both sets of visuals are good). It's an engaging song, certainly better than the show's openings in my opinion. It's got a blend of modern and almost classical which is quite interesting, conveying the blend of Brittania, and Area 11, in a way. Check it out if you haven't already. :-)
10. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders - Walk Like an Egyptian by the Bangles.
I have not got very far through this series yet, but I'm already REALLY enjoying the credits, the visuals are a huge improvement on the last credits sequence and, for me anyway, the song fits in much better with the anime than the last one did (aka the one in the 2012 Jojo series). I'm probably biased because I already knew the song well before I heard it used in the credits, but come on, they're going to Egypt! It works (or at least it does for the episodes I've watched so far)! I personally feel that, in terms of both song and visuals, this fits in much better with the epic intros in both of the Jojo series than the previous credit song. It's colourful, it's catchy, it leaves you wanting more, what else would you expect from an anime credits sequence? ;-)
9. Usagi Drop - High High High by Kasarinchu.
I really like both the show and its lovely ending. The song is fab in its own right and fits in perfectly with the series and the beautiful, child book illustration-style visuals fit in well with the series and reflect what we saw in the intro. It emphasizes the warm, fuzzy feeling that you usually have with the ending of each episode. What more do I need to say, it has everything I would hope for in an anime credits sequence!
8. Higashi no Eden - Futuristic Imagination by School Food Punishment.
This ending is pretty electric, especially in terms of the inventive, stunning visuals. The song is very good as well, although the visuals made more of an impression on me when first watching the credits. You're probably thinking, if you haven't seen it already, "inventive, stunning visuals? Ooh, I wonder what she means?" Well, watch it, I won't reveal. ;-)
7. Bakemonogatari - The Story You Don't Know by Supercell.
I was quite interested to find out that this was done by the same band as the one who did the Black Rock Shooter song formerly mentioned, and I have to say, for several reasons, I prefer this song. Firstly, I find it more engaging, but it also has the rock elements that I like that the former song didn't have. The visuals that go with this are better than the BRS credits, as well, in my opinion, with the creepy animation that matches with the show's creepiness. Granted, I haven't got far through the series of Bakemonogatari, but credits like these certainly help me stay more engaged and I'm interested to see whether these credits continue to fit so well with Bakemonogatari itself.
6. Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood - Uso by SID.
I LOVE this song. I've become almost obsessed with it. I was really wanting to put this higher up the list, but I can't because... Well, because everything above it is just that little bit better, but not by much, I have to add. If there was one thing I could nitpick about this intro it's the child-like style of the visuals, but even then, that grew on me as the show progressed, as it emphasized Edward and Alphonse as children, which is something I really like. I have no major complaints about this credits sequence whatsoever, which is the same for the other anime in the rest of the list.
5. Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica - Magia by Kalafina.
Wow. The impact of this series in general is just... Shocking. It's really not what you think it's going to be. This song along with its visuals in the credits capture the eerie-ness, desperation and sadness of the show perfectly. It sends chills down me spine, it does... It's interesting how much more fitting this song is compared to the opening song, which contrasts greatly with the show itself. I don't think I need to say any more.
4. Gosick - Resuscitated Hope by Lisa Komine.
While the second credits song for this series was nice, fitted the series well and was pleasant to listen to, this fitted the same criteria I preferred this one overall. I found it engaging, along with the beautiful, well designed visuals. It gives a sad, slightly eerie feeling, without being too over-the-top (yeah, the visuals for the second one are labouring the point a bit, unlike this one). Listen to the song if you want, it's fab out of context of the anime, although, admittedly, is even better when watched with this gem of a series.
3. Chuunibyou demo Koi go Shitai - Inside Identity by Black Raison d'etre
I REALLY like this credits song. Especially compared to the opening, which in my opinion is pretty dull. The visuals are pretty good too, darker than much of the anime (until towards the end). I picked this over the credits sequence of CdKgS Ren, which is also a good credits sequence, but is a little more generic in my opinion. This one is just a good song in general, the kind I'd listen to regularly alongside other music (which is not the case with most of the credits songs in this list). If you haven't listened to it already, check it out (it's one of those openings for which you don't need to be an anime fan to enjoy it).
2. Kuroshitsuji - I'm Alive - by Becca.
Yeah, I know it's typical to like this ending, but frankly, it's the best from Kuroshitsuji so far. :-) It's nice to have an English-speaking singer again, and it's surprising how well her song actually goes with the series (although I didn't think that when I first watched it, I now see how well the lyrics fit, and the music as well, to a degree). The visuals are cute, detailing the more comedic elements of the series, which I like (although they don't necessarily go along with the song). It's a good song in its own right, I find myself listening to it often.
And my favourite credits sequence in anime is......
1. One Piece - RUN! RUN! RUN! by Maki Otsuki.
I have recently finished the last arc which features this fantastic, lively credit song and images, and even though (as I have discovered) the previous credits song was performed by the same artist, I think this one is far superior, especially in terms of visuals (although the song is REALLY catchy). I like how the visuals show the characters as children, when they were happier and more carefree (apart from Luffy, who so far, still seems pretty childish, but there you go). I'm hoping that the credits are going to stay as good or get even better from here! :D
_________________________________
I realized, as I made this list that, in general, anime credits sequences are worse than intros. Why? Because first impressions, people. That's what it boils down to. For some anime I've watched, there's a fantastic opening sequence, and then it has a shitty credits sequence that you don't even want to consider putting on a Top list. Originally this list was going to be a Top 50 list, but, I realized, that even considering I've spent a year watching anime, there are only a few that have at least one decent closing sequence.
OK, there are exceptions, like Chuunibyou and Bakemonogatari, but the above paragraph was just an overall observation. I think it will be MUCH easier for me to make an "openings" list, as there are a lot more good ones out there.
Do you agree with this list? If there are credits I haven't included that you think I should have, that's probably because I haven't watched the anime, but mention them to me anyway! I haven't been watching anime for that long, so, as I'm well aware, I have a lot to catch up on. But from now on, I'll be looking out for good credits in anime, because I'm just picky that way.
Tuesday 1 July 2014
Some Top 11 (and Top other number) Lists for Anime
Why top 11?
JUST BECAUSE (AND IT'S NOT AT ALL INSPIRED BY NOSTALGIACRITIC LISTS...)
Some of these lists are inspired by those that I saw on AnimeAmericaPodcast's Youtube channel, so thank you very much for those inspirations..! I hope to make these lists as different from yours as I can.
In this first list, I'll provide short descriptions for some of the more obscure characters if you've forgotten who they are/what their names were.
(My) Top 11 Most Irritating Characters in Anime
11. Masako Yoshii from Usagi Drop (the mother...).
10. Light Yagami from Death Note.
9. Albert Maverick from Tiger and Bunny (watch the last few episodes...).
8. Drosselmeyer from Princess Tutu.
7. Inari from Kyousou Giga (the daddy....).
6. Ernest Frederick Egin from Ao No Exorcist (the guy who effed everything up.).
5. Precia Testarossa (another mother... Luckily there are nice mothers in anime as well.... More than in Disney, probably.).
4. Delphine from Last Exile (in the Guild...).
3. Kagari Izuriha from Black Rock Shooter (the one who made Yomi's life a misery... And made macaroons creepy...).
2. Alois Trancy from Kuroshitsuji II.
1. Kyubey from Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica.
Yeah, a whole range of different characters, a few which other people might not agree with, but I'd love to hear your opinions. One of my favourite characters from Code Geass was included on AnimeAmericaPodcast's version of this list, which IRRITATED ME, so this list is almost like a sort of comeback. Considering I haven't watched a tenth as much of anime as the average otaku, this list, same with the next ones, doesn't include a great deal of potential characters. These are just some of the ones in anime that really grind my gears.
(My) Top 11 Best English Dubs in Anime
11.Pretty much any Studio Ghibli film (although I preferred the sub of Spirited Away to the dub...).
10. Bleach.
9. Black Cat.
8. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (although to be honest, I don't know this dub well, so I might judge it higher/lower if I got to know it better.)
7. Kuroshitsuji.
6. Panty and Stocking.
5. Steins;Gate.
4. Persona 4 The Animation.
3.Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.
2. Gurren Lagann.
1. Cowboy Bebop.
(My) Top 7 Worst English Dubs in Anime
7. Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood
6. D.Gray-Man
5. Yu-Gi-Oh GX
4. Yu-Gi-Oh!
3. Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha
2. One Piece
1. Pokemon Origins
The reason I limited this last list to 8 is that I haven't bothered to sit through any more dubs that I would consider "bad" or "poor" enough to include on this list. I could do some extra research but... Frankly, I can't be bothered. Sorry.
(My) Top 11 Favourite Anime Intros (in terms of music)
11. Usagi Drop's.
10. Blood Lad's.
9. Death Note's
8. Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood's.
7. Ao No Exorcist's.
6. Steins;Gate's.
5. One Piece's (1st opening, I haven't seen the others yet).
4. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure (2012)
3. Gurren Lagann's.
2. Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex's.
1. Cowboy Bebop's.
That was probably the hardest of these lists for me to do, there are SO many other intros I want to include... Darn it... I might do a top 20 list of that topic or something at some point.
And now...
6. Blood Lad.
5 .Kuroshitsuji II.
4. Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica.
3. Gurren Lagann.
2. Princess Tutu.
1. Cowboy Bebop.
Yeah... This list is embarrassingly short due to the relatively small amount of animes I've watched. (And the fact that most of those that I've watched have satisfying endings. XD.)
Do you disagree with any of these lists? I'd love to hear your versions of these and/or have discussions with these ones and the anime and/or characters included in them. :D
JUST BECAUSE (AND IT'S NOT AT ALL INSPIRED BY NOSTALGIACRITIC LISTS...)
Some of these lists are inspired by those that I saw on AnimeAmericaPodcast's Youtube channel, so thank you very much for those inspirations..! I hope to make these lists as different from yours as I can.
In this first list, I'll provide short descriptions for some of the more obscure characters if you've forgotten who they are/what their names were.
(My) Top 11 Most Irritating Characters in Anime
11. Masako Yoshii from Usagi Drop (the mother...).
10. Light Yagami from Death Note.
9. Albert Maverick from Tiger and Bunny (watch the last few episodes...).
8. Drosselmeyer from Princess Tutu.
7. Inari from Kyousou Giga (the daddy....).
6. Ernest Frederick Egin from Ao No Exorcist (the guy who effed everything up.).
5. Precia Testarossa (another mother... Luckily there are nice mothers in anime as well.... More than in Disney, probably.).
4. Delphine from Last Exile (in the Guild...).
3. Kagari Izuriha from Black Rock Shooter (the one who made Yomi's life a misery... And made macaroons creepy...).
2. Alois Trancy from Kuroshitsuji II.
1. Kyubey from Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica.
Yeah, a whole range of different characters, a few which other people might not agree with, but I'd love to hear your opinions. One of my favourite characters from Code Geass was included on AnimeAmericaPodcast's version of this list, which IRRITATED ME, so this list is almost like a sort of comeback. Considering I haven't watched a tenth as much of anime as the average otaku, this list, same with the next ones, doesn't include a great deal of potential characters. These are just some of the ones in anime that really grind my gears.
(My) Top 11 Best English Dubs in Anime
11.Pretty much any Studio Ghibli film (although I preferred the sub of Spirited Away to the dub...).
10. Bleach.
9. Black Cat.
8. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (although to be honest, I don't know this dub well, so I might judge it higher/lower if I got to know it better.)
7. Kuroshitsuji.
6. Panty and Stocking.
5. Steins;Gate.
4. Persona 4 The Animation.
3.Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.
2. Gurren Lagann.
1. Cowboy Bebop.
(My) Top 7 Worst English Dubs in Anime
7. Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood
6. D.Gray-Man
5. Yu-Gi-Oh GX
4. Yu-Gi-Oh!
3. Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha
2. One Piece
1. Pokemon Origins
The reason I limited this last list to 8 is that I haven't bothered to sit through any more dubs that I would consider "bad" or "poor" enough to include on this list. I could do some extra research but... Frankly, I can't be bothered. Sorry.
(My) Top 11 Favourite Anime Intros (in terms of music)
11. Usagi Drop's.
10. Blood Lad's.
9. Death Note's
8. Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood's.
7. Ao No Exorcist's.
6. Steins;Gate's.
5. One Piece's (1st opening, I haven't seen the others yet).
4. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure (2012)
3. Gurren Lagann's.
2. Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex's.
1. Cowboy Bebop's.
That was probably the hardest of these lists for me to do, there are SO many other intros I want to include... Darn it... I might do a top 20 list of that topic or something at some point.
And now...
SPOILERS TIME!!! :D
(My) Top 6 Most Disappointing Endings in Anime6. Blood Lad.
5 .Kuroshitsuji II.
4. Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica.
3. Gurren Lagann.
2. Princess Tutu.
1. Cowboy Bebop.
Yeah... This list is embarrassingly short due to the relatively small amount of animes I've watched. (And the fact that most of those that I've watched have satisfying endings. XD.)
Do you disagree with any of these lists? I'd love to hear your versions of these and/or have discussions with these ones and the anime and/or characters included in them. :D
Monday 16 December 2013
Time for Anime!
YES,
I have recently got into anime, and out of respect for some of my new
favourite cartoon shows, I decided to make the following list...
Top
11 Hottest Anime Guys:
11. Suzaku
Kururugi (Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion.)
(Relatively high level of hotness. Personally I think the
animation in the show makes the girls look more attractive and the
boys less so, but that's just me, I guess.).
10. Allen
Walker (D-Gray Man.). (Yeah, he's a wee bit...
Erm.... Maybe it's just because I haven't watched much of
the show yet, but he doesn't seem to have much personality. Which
is why I've put him so on the list, because he sure is cute!)
9. Yu
Narukami (Persona 4: The Animation) (Yeah, he's in an
animation. I haven't played the game, so I can't comment on
what he's like in that. He seems pretty well sorted mentally,
and he's handsome. :-))
8. Light (Death
Note.) (He may be pretty hot... But darn is he creepy...
:-/ . Otherwise I may have put him higher up in the
list.)
7. Yukio
Okumura (The Blue Exorcist.) (He's adorable, but there
isn't that spark that a certain other character in the show has....).
6. Yu
Kanda (D-Gray Man) (Personally, I think he's hotter than
Allen. THERE, I said it. I mean, the HAIR. And his
dark expression... SWOON.).
5. Sebastian (Black
Butler.) (Come on. Seriously. Who DOESN'T fancy
Sebastian to some extent? He's not exactly human, but that just
ADDS to the attraction.... :-) ).
(To
be honest, 6 and 5 are kind of a tie for me... I probably put
Black Butler up higher just because I know his character slightly
better at the moment. Things may change in the future...)
4. Kaiba (the
Yugioh series, it's not something I really watch but he looks
absolutely amazing.)
3. Spike
Spiegel (Cowboy Bebop). (He may be a lot different
from all of these other characters, but there's.... Er....
Ooooh.... Just something that I like about him. XD.).
2. Finnian (Black
Butler.) (And yes, he's not an obvious guy to pick, because
he's not a main character and all, but he's SO CUTE!! :D :D
Also, he's against animal cruelty, which puts him WAY up at the
top of my list.).
1. Rin
Okumura (The Blue Exorcist.) (May this be cliche? If
it is, I don't care. HE'S AWESOME. In just about EVERY
SINGLE WAY. OMG.).
OK,
OK, I haven't finished watching any of the above series yet, so my
opinion of the characters and their' hotness may change any time
soon. I just felt like making this list now.
Isn't
it mind-blowing just how many hot guys there are in animes, and there
are SO FEW in Western animations???? WHYYYYY?
Ahem,
never mind.
Do
you agree with this list? Do you think there are any hot anime
guys I should have added? Please bear in mind that I am pretty
new to anime, and I have a certain taste for certain "men"
in cartoons. Which is reflected above. I think.
Bye
for now!
Monday 4 November 2013
A random set of Top 11 Lists
I'm not going to spend time elaborating on each choice/character, hopefully these lists may spark discussion with other people. Anyhow, here are a few Top 11 lists, relating to animated characters (all Disney, today):
Favourite Disney Princesses (YES, everyone has done this, but hey, here I go...):
11. Eilonwy (The Black Cauldron, not my favourite film, but Eilonwy's awesome).
10. Nala.
9. Aurora.
8. Giselle (Enchanted).
7. Rapunzel (Tangled).
6. Jasmine.
5. Kida (Atlantis: The Lost Empire. A TOTALLY underrated Disney princess).
4. Merida (Brave).
3. Belle.
2. Mulan.
1. Pocahontas.
Favourite Disney female heroines/important female characters (who AREN'T princesses, for certain reasons). I decided not to include mothers, who ARE heroines, don't get me wrong, but it would put a certain focus on the list that would ignore other awesome Disney characters:
11. Alice (she doesn't really actually do anything... Well... "heroine-y...")
10. Vixey (Found and the Hound).
9. Abigail and Amelia (The Aristocats).
8. Maggie, Mrs Calloway, and Grace (Home on the Range, sorry, but I had to put these three together, they're a TEAM!).
7. Maid Marian (ALMOST a princess, but not quite...).
6. Flora, Fauna and Merryweather (sorry, I HAD to group them together, again).
5. Megara (Hercules).
4. Big Mama (Fox and the Hound).
3. Bianca (The Rescuers).
2. Lady.
1. Esmerelda.
Favourite Disney Villains (in terms of HOW MUCH I LIKE THEM):
11. The Queen of Hearts (Alice in Wonderland).
10. Alameda Slim (Home on the Range).
9. John Silver (Treasure Planet).
8. Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty).
7. Madam Mim (The Sword in the Stone).
6. Hades (Hercules).
5. Yzma (Emperor's New Groove).
4. Professor Ratigan (The Great Mouse Detective).
3. Edgar (the butler from The Aristocats).
2. Prince John (Robin Hood).
1. "Goob" (Meet the Robinsons).
Disney Villains that (I personally belieeeeeve) have the most impact:
11. Ratcliffe (Pocahontas).
10. Scar (The Lion King).
9. The Queen (Snow White).
8. Cruella DeVil (One Hundred and One Dalmatians).
7. Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty).
6. Stromboli (Pinocchio).
5. Shan Yu (Mulan).
4. The Horned King (The Black Cauldron).
3. Chernabog (Fantasia, although some people reckon he doesn't really count as a villain. He's still scary though...).
2. Headless Horseman (The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr Toad).
1. Frollo (The Hunchback of Notre Dame).
Who would you have picked for these lists? Let me know in the comments... And I haven't posted in a while, because I do have a life outside of this, but tonight I was in the mood.
Favourite Disney Princesses (YES, everyone has done this, but hey, here I go...):
11. Eilonwy (The Black Cauldron, not my favourite film, but Eilonwy's awesome).
10. Nala.
9. Aurora.
8. Giselle (Enchanted).
7. Rapunzel (Tangled).
6. Jasmine.
5. Kida (Atlantis: The Lost Empire. A TOTALLY underrated Disney princess).
4. Merida (Brave).
3. Belle.
2. Mulan.
1. Pocahontas.
Favourite Disney female heroines/important female characters (who AREN'T princesses, for certain reasons). I decided not to include mothers, who ARE heroines, don't get me wrong, but it would put a certain focus on the list that would ignore other awesome Disney characters:
11. Alice (she doesn't really actually do anything... Well... "heroine-y...")
10. Vixey (Found and the Hound).
9. Abigail and Amelia (The Aristocats).
8. Maggie, Mrs Calloway, and Grace (Home on the Range, sorry, but I had to put these three together, they're a TEAM!).
7. Maid Marian (ALMOST a princess, but not quite...).
6. Flora, Fauna and Merryweather (sorry, I HAD to group them together, again).
5. Megara (Hercules).
4. Big Mama (Fox and the Hound).
3. Bianca (The Rescuers).
2. Lady.
1. Esmerelda.
Favourite Disney Villains (in terms of HOW MUCH I LIKE THEM):
11. The Queen of Hearts (Alice in Wonderland).
10. Alameda Slim (Home on the Range).
9. John Silver (Treasure Planet).
8. Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty).
7. Madam Mim (The Sword in the Stone).
6. Hades (Hercules).
5. Yzma (Emperor's New Groove).
4. Professor Ratigan (The Great Mouse Detective).
3. Edgar (the butler from The Aristocats).
2. Prince John (Robin Hood).
1. "Goob" (Meet the Robinsons).
Disney Villains that (I personally belieeeeeve) have the most impact:
11. Ratcliffe (Pocahontas).
10. Scar (The Lion King).
9. The Queen (Snow White).
8. Cruella DeVil (One Hundred and One Dalmatians).
7. Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty).
6. Stromboli (Pinocchio).
5. Shan Yu (Mulan).
4. The Horned King (The Black Cauldron).
3. Chernabog (Fantasia, although some people reckon he doesn't really count as a villain. He's still scary though...).
2. Headless Horseman (The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr Toad).
1. Frollo (The Hunchback of Notre Dame).
Who would you have picked for these lists? Let me know in the comments... And I haven't posted in a while, because I do have a life outside of this, but tonight I was in the mood.
Sunday 7 July 2013
Top 11 Favourite Animated Villains from non-Disney Animated Films
Hello random people (who happen to be reading this),
It's been a long time since I've typed up a post for this blog, and I decided to give it a wholly different meaning with a new series of posts. I've been inspired by the lists of NostalgiaCritic and NostalgiaChick (reviewers of TV and Movies on http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/), to make some similar (or exact same "types" of) lists of my own. :-) Just because it's a bit of fun, and I'd like to hear what other people think of the lists, and whether or not they disagree with them.
Before you read - I will almost undoubtedly give away spoilers in this list, but I'll put the major ones in red so you can look away if you really want to spend your precious time watching the films instead of finding out the plots on here. Ha ha. ;-)
My first list...
Top 11 Animated Villains from non-Disney Animated Films
Number 11...
Rothbart - The Swan Princess
This bearded baddie's aim is to become King - specifically, King of King William's Kingdom (WOW, that's a lot of Kings...). To do this, he kills King William near the beginning of the film, using his MAGIC DARK POWERS (he turns into a dragon and also steals the King's daughter, the Princess Odette, in the process). THEN, he thinks the BEST way to become King... Is to marry the Princess. Yeah. Good going. Even though this villain is pretty scary and cunning at the beginning of the film, and is a relatively comedic, funny, badass character later on (particularly during his pretty good song "No More Mr Nice Guy"), he doesn't really use his skill to its full worth. I mean, I would have killed the Princess if I were him, seeing as she didn't want to marry him and all, but I guess he just wanted a sexy Queen during his time as King... I still like him as a character, but I tend to prefer villains who are actually slightly better at their job. Nonetheless, at the end, he manages to scare the weak at heart and young children by turning into the "Great Animal," an even larger dragon-like, bear-like creature (the animation of which is reminiscent of Don Bluth's, hmm...). Oh yeah, before that, he also disguises his maidservant as Princess Odette, to fool Prince Derek into proclaiming his love for her.
So, that's Prince Rothbart. A villain I have liked since I first saw him, but who pales in comparison to many other villains in cartoon films.
Number 10...
Ruber - The Quest for Camelot (Alternative title - The Magic Sword)
Now, a little bit like Carface, this villain is pretty darn subtle, but even more subtle than Carface, and never particularly scary in himself. When you first see him, in fact, with his pretty funny cockroach "sidekick," you could almost think of him merely as a scheming miser, like Fagin in "Oliver Twist," perhaps, except a bit more serious. But once Fievel falls into his house, after some well-meaning pigeons accidentally deposit the mouse on top of it, we really start to realize that this villain is very evil indeed...
First, he brings Fievel to a work-house, which is run by a seriously scary, evil-looking boss, forcing little kids to work (although we don't see much in this place, because Fievel, and his new friend Tony, manage to escape). We don't see Warren. t "Rat" again until Fievel stumbles upon his "clubhouse," when we see him hanging out with - . What? Wait a second... Cats? But he's a rat, surely rats would never hang out with cats? Well, we see the Baddie take off his ears and his rather fake looking nose and... Oooh. He's not a rat, he's a cat. And the boss of the cats, in fact. Warren. t Rat has Fievel imprisoned by his "henchmen" (this group inclues Tiger, voiced by the brilliant Dom DeLuise, who is actually a Goodie), instead of just... Erm... Eating him. Which I would have done if I were that cat. Of course Fievel needed to survive, but yeah... As I have pointed out earlier in this post, the realism has to be bent for some occasions in these films for the Goodies to survive.
This villain is never killed outright, which is satisfying, making the end of the film far more original overall. Basically, the mice in the film have built a large model of a mouse, the Giant Mouse of Minsk (which is one of the scariest things in the film), to scare away the cats, so they won't bother the mice anymore (fair play). The cats are forced into the sea, and they are forced onto a boat that is going to Hong Kong (far FAR AWAY). What a way to get rid of cats. They hate water, and the only way they would quickly get out of it was not by going on land, but by going on a boat.
One big thing I like about this film in general is that it does not have villains leading the plot, as happens in most of the other films here. The whole villain thing is kind of a side-plot, with the main focus being Fievel looking for his family. Warren. t Rat merely hinders (or helps, unknowingly) along the way. So, there's Warren. t Rat, a pretty scary, fearsome, subtle villain, with no real aim as such, except to eat mice and make their lives hell.
OK, this is it... Who is my Number 1, favourite villain on this list...?
It's been a long time since I've typed up a post for this blog, and I decided to give it a wholly different meaning with a new series of posts. I've been inspired by the lists of NostalgiaCritic and NostalgiaChick (reviewers of TV and Movies on http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/), to make some similar (or exact same "types" of) lists of my own. :-) Just because it's a bit of fun, and I'd like to hear what other people think of the lists, and whether or not they disagree with them.
Before you read - I will almost undoubtedly give away spoilers in this list, but I'll put the major ones in red so you can look away if you really want to spend your precious time watching the films instead of finding out the plots on here. Ha ha. ;-)
My first list...
Top 11 Animated Villains from non-Disney Animated Films
Number 11...
Rothbart - The Swan Princess
This bearded baddie's aim is to become King - specifically, King of King William's Kingdom (WOW, that's a lot of Kings...). To do this, he kills King William near the beginning of the film, using his MAGIC DARK POWERS (he turns into a dragon and also steals the King's daughter, the Princess Odette, in the process). THEN, he thinks the BEST way to become King... Is to marry the Princess. Yeah. Good going. Even though this villain is pretty scary and cunning at the beginning of the film, and is a relatively comedic, funny, badass character later on (particularly during his pretty good song "No More Mr Nice Guy"), he doesn't really use his skill to its full worth. I mean, I would have killed the Princess if I were him, seeing as she didn't want to marry him and all, but I guess he just wanted a sexy Queen during his time as King... I still like him as a character, but I tend to prefer villains who are actually slightly better at their job. Nonetheless, at the end, he manages to scare the weak at heart and young children by turning into the "Great Animal," an even larger dragon-like, bear-like creature (the animation of which is reminiscent of Don Bluth's, hmm...). Oh yeah, before that, he also disguises his maidservant as Princess Odette, to fool Prince Derek into proclaiming his love for her.
So, that's Prince Rothbart. A villain I have liked since I first saw him, but who pales in comparison to many other villains in cartoon films.
Number 10...
Ruber - The Quest for Camelot (Alternative title - The Magic Sword)
As you can probably tell by this picture, this villain is a seriously weird-looking, muscly, over-confident, psychopathic guy, not the kind that you'd mess with if you bumped into him on the street. As you can also see on this picture, he has a succession of robotic/metal henchmen (who are powered by magic seeing as electricity and computers didn't exist during King Arthur's time, when the film is set), plus a large, rather comedic gryphon who does useful stuff for him. His mission... To take over Camelot. And though he does it in a pretty roundabout way (which I'll explain presently), he's a pretty scary villain, you can't ever really tell what he's planning, unless he's carrying out physical violence, and he's rather repulsive to look at as well (voiced brilliantly by a guy called Gary Oldman).
So, years ago, this person (SOMEHOW) was a Knight at King Arthur's Round Table. The madman became something of a megalomaniac, and decided that he should be King of Camelot instead of Arthur (the KING thing again... Men...). He kills a Knight called Sir Lionel, and, years later after he's been.. . Possibly... Practicing magic and sulking about not being in control of anything, he kidnaps Sir Lionel's widow. He knows that King Arthur will let Lady Juliana (the widow) into the Castle, but not him, so he just basically forces this woman to have a holiday to Camelot. Ruber tries to kidnap Juliana's daughter Kayley, but she escapes, becoming the heroine of the film. Well, he comes pretty close to killing King Arthur, having sneaked into the room of the Round Table and attacking the guy with a sword, but Kayley and her blind boyfriend Garrett come to save the day.
I like this villain because he's quite scary, freaky, and a little insane, and even though his plan is a little weird, it actually (almost) works perfectly, as he manages it (and his henchmen) pretty well. I don't think he tops the list because he's not my favourite out of the following villains - and still not quite the best.
Number 9...
Drake - The Pebble and the Penguin
This villain is automatically different from the last two for the following reasons:
1. He's a penguin, not a human being.
2. His goal is not to be King, bah, not even "Leader Penguin" so to speak, his goal is to get the hottest penguin chick - er I mean - female penguin, to have penguin chicks with. I hope the "interchangeable" human and animal terms there didn't confuse you too much.
3. While the last two villains didn't specifically ruin anyone's life, they just ruined peoples' lives to get to the top, this villain wants to destroy (yeah, literally destroy, have killed, basically) the life of a penguin called Hubie, who also fancies Merina, the really hot female penguin.
So yeah, this villain is automatically evil, selfish, and clearly does not care for the welfare and happiness of his "future mate". He is also voiced by Tim Curry, which automatically makes him more awesome, and he sings as well, one of my favourite cartoon villain songs, "Don't Make Me Laugh." Seriously, if you haven't seen this clip, check it out. It's great (and has awesome cartoon lighting effects for no apparent reason). Like Ruber, he has sidekicks, but they're actually really annoying and completely pointless. Also, he does have other mates, but they are, of course, not nearly as beautiful, kind and gorgeous as Merina (if she were a human... Boy would she be up there with the Disney Princesses...)
It's only at the end when we see Drake's only weakness... His home. He lives in a really weird, scary-looking cave with a skull-face for an entrance (you have to see it to believe it), and, because it's made of ice (Adelie penguins live in cold places after all), it crumbles with the slightest crash, knock or bang, which, in the case of the film, is a large boulder which he throws towards Hubie and Rocko, Hubie's "sidekick." He is crushed to death by shattering, falling ice, making nature, rather than a hero or heroine, his demise. Otherwise he would have almost definitely won, killed Hubie and Rocko, and got the mate he wanted. Which automatically makes him more badass and formidable.
This is a villain that used to scare me quite a bit, although he's not pyschotic or magic like the last two, he is actually a more physically powerful, intelligent, devious, evil villain all round. I only wish I could give him a better position on this list, but I can't.
Number 8...
The Red Bull - The Last Unicorn
Now, I know some of you who have seen the film may class The Red Bull as a Henchman rather than a real Villain as such, but, come on... He might as well be a Villain for all the frightening power and influence he has. Basically, this unintelligent, large, possibly magical bull, who seems to be permanently on fire, serves one main function... To drive all unicorns into the sea. Yep. I know. Offhand that sounds really weird... But I will explain why later. For now, let's just talk about this ****ing scary animal.
OK, not only does this bull actually do his job, and do it well, but he is seriously scary. I didn't watch this film as a young kid, but I can seriously imagine having got nightmares if I had watched him at a young age. He roars in a scary way and chases you. If you fight back, you get SERIOUSLY burned. So you have to run.
Now, as you may have guessed, this Bull, though seemingly unstoppable and all-powerful over those whom he ferociously chases, he does have one main weakness. At the end of the film, we don't see him die, as such, but we see him defeated and humiliated, as the Last Unicorn on land, who is probably also the bravest ever born, actually drives the Bull into the sea himself. Of course, his fire sizzles out, and he probably also drowns to death. GOOD RIDDANCE.
So, yeah, that's The Red Bull. Seriously scary, with a clear function, a 99% successful performance record, and a bone-chilling, loud roar such as you'd never hear from a bull in real life.
So, now, to some of you, this may seem like an obvious Number 7...
King Haggard - The Last Unicorn
Now, you guessed it, this seriously ugly, old, oddly dressed guy, is the one who made The Red Bull drive almost every unicorn into the sea. And why? Because he loves unicorns. Aw. And he likes to watch them almost drowning as they swim at the edge of the waves (you heard that the froth of waves looks like white horses? Well, the theory here is that they're unicorns...). He's like the ultimate collector. And even with hundreds, if not thousands of beautiful one-horned horse-like animals struggling for survival every day for his delight, he's STILL NOT HAPPY. Urgh. Maybe because there's still one left? ARGH, NO!! One unicorn won't make one lousy difference! What, does he look into the ocean and think, "Hmm, there aren't quite enough unicorns there, I just need one more to satisfy all my endless evil greed"? NO!! He's just a greedy, selfish, unloving bastard, who doesn't even care for his adopted son (who's the Prince).
Similarly to Drake, he's destroyed by his own home, for some bizzare reason, as the unicorns escape from the sea to go back to their homes, his castle crumbles around him, and he falls into the sea, presumably drowning, as he rightly deserves, the ungrateful bastard. Also, before the film, we see him being really creepy and weird towards the Last Unicorn, disguised as the human Amalthea. He obviously wants her for a sexy female companion, but at the same time, if she is a unicorn, which he can't quite be sure of, he wants her gasping for breath in the sea for the rest of her life... So he kind of shouts at her in his weird, slow, creepy voice which is, guess what, done by ANOTHER brilliant, famous actor, Christopher Lee! It's surprising how similar Saruman and King Haggard are... But I'll let you draw your own comparisons.
So, King Haggard, obsessed with a particular type of animal, nothing else will satisfy him, and though some might think he has no intentions to hurt anyone... Come on. He wants those unicorns to suffer. If he didn't, he'd keep them in a nice pen and see to that they're looked after every day, and he certainly wouldn't get the terrifying Red Bull to fetch them for him.
Number 6...
Professor Screweyes
Now, a few of you might wonder why I've put this villain so far at the top of the list. Well, personally, I really like him as a villain. Again, he's a little crazy, but he has no huge ambitions to take over the world or trap endangered animals... He's a little more mysterious and harder to figure out. Plus, he's slightly less scary at times than some of the other villains on this list, so, when I was younger, I preferred him for that reason to other, more "popular" villains. He just wants his business to run smoothly, and doesn't care if he hurts people (or dinosaurs, as in the case of this film) in the process. He also contrasts greatly with his brother, who we also meet, the main difference in their appreance is that this villain has a screw for an eye. Which makes him a little creepy, especially for kids.
This villain owns a circus, specifically, a circus designed to scare people, which automatically makes this guy dodgy. He doesn't find his happy, slapstick clown funny, but the children who see him, the Goodies, do. These children have both run away to join the Circus... Wise idea. So Screweyes persuades them to sign a contract, with THEIR OWN BLOOD (sick and frightening, huh?), which means they have to work for the Circus for life.
Eventually this villain dies in a rather freaky way, almost as if the writers thought, "Great, this villain needs to die, let's creep out kids AND kill off this guy at the same time, even though he's already been defeated..." So, throughout the film, we have seen crows around him, possibly his treasured pets. For some bizzare, unknown reason, once "his" dinosaurs have been saved and the children have been rescued, the crows all land on him, presumably consuming him, and then fly away, at which point we see that only a screw (his "eye") is left, where he once was.
So, even though some people may not estimate this villain very highly, he was and is effective for kids, and he's a bit more original and less "predictable," than some of the other villains on this list. So I had to include him somewhere. Plus he's cruel to kids and dinosaurs, and wants to make people scared. You have to admit that is pretty psychotic.
This villain owns a circus, specifically, a circus designed to scare people, which automatically makes this guy dodgy. He doesn't find his happy, slapstick clown funny, but the children who see him, the Goodies, do. These children have both run away to join the Circus... Wise idea. So Screweyes persuades them to sign a contract, with THEIR OWN BLOOD (sick and frightening, huh?), which means they have to work for the Circus for life.
Eventually this villain dies in a rather freaky way, almost as if the writers thought, "Great, this villain needs to die, let's creep out kids AND kill off this guy at the same time, even though he's already been defeated..." So, throughout the film, we have seen crows around him, possibly his treasured pets. For some bizzare, unknown reason, once "his" dinosaurs have been saved and the children have been rescued, the crows all land on him, presumably consuming him, and then fly away, at which point we see that only a screw (his "eye") is left, where he once was.
So, even though some people may not estimate this villain very highly, he was and is effective for kids, and he's a bit more original and less "predictable," than some of the other villains on this list. So I had to include him somewhere. Plus he's cruel to kids and dinosaurs, and wants to make people scared. You have to admit that is pretty psychotic.
Number 5...
Rasputin - Anastasia
Now, most of these villains are ordered in terms of how much I like or used to like them... But... I think this list also has to judge villains in terms of how much of an impact they have, how frightening they are, how successful they are or have been. And this villain was certainly successful in the past, killing most of the Russian Royal Family (YES- it didn't happen like that in real life, I'm ONLY talking about this mainly fictional film here, folks!). He's also repulsive, literally falling apart, yet he carries on, with the help of magic and a few random, apparently useless followers (apart from Bartok WHO'S AWESOME), to fulfill the goal that, for some bizzare, evil, psychotic reason that we can't quite figure out, he wants to fulfill. I suppose it's because he's finishing off the family, in a way. Once Anastasia's gone, nothing is left of the Russian Monarchy. It's like collecting all of the comic books in a series, or cleaning all the rooms in your house, it gives a sense of completion, and provides an overwhelming sense of fulfillment. Shame it has to involve killing a beautiful, awesome, badass young woman.
So, this villain is defeated when his magic is destroyed, as it was originally contained in a strange glowing glass thing, which Anastasia destroys by repeatedly stamping on it. Come on, how many animated Princesses kill off the villain? VERY FEW. Deep respect for her. So, in terms of how he dies, Rasputin's pretty weak if you ask me. But, because he used his magic so well, he did very nearly succeed in killing Anastasia, again, in rather a roundabout way, I would have just sent a laser through her chest or something if I were him, but there you go. I'm really glad she survived.
So, Rasputin, a scary villain with an awesome, memorable song ("In the Dark of the Night,") pretty awesome powers, and admirable perseverance, but he was never a favourite of mine, and his weakness is very clear by the end.
So, this villain is defeated when his magic is destroyed, as it was originally contained in a strange glowing glass thing, which Anastasia destroys by repeatedly stamping on it. Come on, how many animated Princesses kill off the villain? VERY FEW. Deep respect for her. So, in terms of how he dies, Rasputin's pretty weak if you ask me. But, because he used his magic so well, he did very nearly succeed in killing Anastasia, again, in rather a roundabout way, I would have just sent a laser through her chest or something if I were him, but there you go. I'm really glad she survived.
So, Rasputin, a scary villain with an awesome, memorable song ("In the Dark of the Night,") pretty awesome powers, and admirable perseverance, but he was never a favourite of mine, and his weakness is very clear by the end.
Number 4...
Carface - All Dogs Go to Heaven
Now, not only is this villain successful once, but he's successful twice. OK, he meets a grisly end, but not without first killing Charlie, his, erm, rival, two times, or at least leading him to his death the second time round. He'll stop at nothing to get his way, and he's generally a menace, with a few henchmen, who are, not surprisingly, far too incompetent for Carface. He's not particularly scary as such, but you can tell from the word go that he's not the kind of dog you want to be messing with, especially with his insults, shouts, and threats, and the way he keeps and treats an orphaned, innocent young girl, Anne-marie, for many years in a basement... The fact that he's more like a "normal" character at first, makes him a better villain... Less obvious, more subtle.
OK, the dogs in the film are basically human beings... Except that they live in a world with humans. It's pretty confusing. Carface is the owner of a large casino, which he shares - or shared - with Charlie, a nicer, if also criminal dog. Charlie doesn't quite seem to realize that Carface wants all of the profit for himself, so the former dog gets completely drunk and unaware of the world, with a watch that represents his life (important later), Carface puts a car into gear, so it runs over Charlie, and the drunk dog and the car fall into the sea, where Charlie's watch is stopped, meaning Charlie himself dies. Yeah, so the watch, which shows the time, also represents the life of the character who owns it. Not quite how it works in real life, but Charlie would have died anyway... He escapes out of Heaven, tries to evade Carface by kidnapping the evil dog's "little girl," (who can talk to all animals and provides extra cash for Carface) but Charlie is eventually forced into a trap when Carface captures Anne-marie again. He and his henchmen cause Charlie to drop his watch into deep water, and, hey presto, he dies again.
However, Carface also falls into the water, and guess who comes along? The BIG-LIPPED ALLIGATOR (and here is one of his moments). This Alligator is, of course, hungry for dog. So Carface gets killed as well, and we see him right at the end escaping out of Heaven too, paving the way for a sequel... Which I haven't seen. So I can't comment on that, I'm afraid.
So, Carface is a formidable, practically unstoppable villain, who also happens to be a rich, no-nonsense criminal with (mostly) incompetent henchmen. But he definitely deserves a place on this list, even if you didn't like the film, but I loved it, which helps.
OK, the dogs in the film are basically human beings... Except that they live in a world with humans. It's pretty confusing. Carface is the owner of a large casino, which he shares - or shared - with Charlie, a nicer, if also criminal dog. Charlie doesn't quite seem to realize that Carface wants all of the profit for himself, so the former dog gets completely drunk and unaware of the world, with a watch that represents his life (important later), Carface puts a car into gear, so it runs over Charlie, and the drunk dog and the car fall into the sea, where Charlie's watch is stopped, meaning Charlie himself dies. Yeah, so the watch, which shows the time, also represents the life of the character who owns it. Not quite how it works in real life, but Charlie would have died anyway... He escapes out of Heaven, tries to evade Carface by kidnapping the evil dog's "little girl," (who can talk to all animals and provides extra cash for Carface) but Charlie is eventually forced into a trap when Carface captures Anne-marie again. He and his henchmen cause Charlie to drop his watch into deep water, and, hey presto, he dies again.
However, Carface also falls into the water, and guess who comes along? The BIG-LIPPED ALLIGATOR (and here is one of his moments). This Alligator is, of course, hungry for dog. So Carface gets killed as well, and we see him right at the end escaping out of Heaven too, paving the way for a sequel... Which I haven't seen. So I can't comment on that, I'm afraid.
So, Carface is a formidable, practically unstoppable villain, who also happens to be a rich, no-nonsense criminal with (mostly) incompetent henchmen. But he definitely deserves a place on this list, even if you didn't like the film, but I loved it, which helps.
Number 3...
Warran. t Rat - An American Tail
Now, a little bit like Carface, this villain is pretty darn subtle, but even more subtle than Carface, and never particularly scary in himself. When you first see him, in fact, with his pretty funny cockroach "sidekick," you could almost think of him merely as a scheming miser, like Fagin in "Oliver Twist," perhaps, except a bit more serious. But once Fievel falls into his house, after some well-meaning pigeons accidentally deposit the mouse on top of it, we really start to realize that this villain is very evil indeed...
First, he brings Fievel to a work-house, which is run by a seriously scary, evil-looking boss, forcing little kids to work (although we don't see much in this place, because Fievel, and his new friend Tony, manage to escape). We don't see Warren. t "Rat" again until Fievel stumbles upon his "clubhouse," when we see him hanging out with - . What? Wait a second... Cats? But he's a rat, surely rats would never hang out with cats? Well, we see the Baddie take off his ears and his rather fake looking nose and... Oooh. He's not a rat, he's a cat. And the boss of the cats, in fact. Warren. t Rat has Fievel imprisoned by his "henchmen" (this group inclues Tiger, voiced by the brilliant Dom DeLuise, who is actually a Goodie), instead of just... Erm... Eating him. Which I would have done if I were that cat. Of course Fievel needed to survive, but yeah... As I have pointed out earlier in this post, the realism has to be bent for some occasions in these films for the Goodies to survive.
This villain is never killed outright, which is satisfying, making the end of the film far more original overall. Basically, the mice in the film have built a large model of a mouse, the Giant Mouse of Minsk (which is one of the scariest things in the film), to scare away the cats, so they won't bother the mice anymore (fair play). The cats are forced into the sea, and they are forced onto a boat that is going to Hong Kong (far FAR AWAY). What a way to get rid of cats. They hate water, and the only way they would quickly get out of it was not by going on land, but by going on a boat.
One big thing I like about this film in general is that it does not have villains leading the plot, as happens in most of the other films here. The whole villain thing is kind of a side-plot, with the main focus being Fievel looking for his family. Warren. t Rat merely hinders (or helps, unknowingly) along the way. So, there's Warren. t Rat, a pretty scary, fearsome, subtle villain, with no real aim as such, except to eat mice and make their lives hell.
Number 2...
Hexxus - Fern Gully - The Last Rainforest
Now, I don't know about you, but when I first saw this villain - BOY was he frightening! Not in a kind of "AGH SCREAM!" way, but just in a "Oh my God... Oh my God. Ohmygod. OHMYGOD. OHMYGOD! OHMYGOD!!" way. Not only is he just a living, moving ball of muck and slime when we first see him, but he turns into a pretty scary snake-like creature, with an evil voice, then he turns, OMG, into a HUMAN SKELETON, then, into something... Well... It's actually less scary. But it has a better singing voice, (specifically, surprise surprise, done the brilliant Tim Curry. What animated villain has he NOT DONE? Yeah, exaggeration, but take a look at his Imdb credits...). It's just noxious gas with a human-like body and a face. But compared with most of the other villains' looks on this list, this guy's final form is still darn scary. Plus, he's totally against the environment, wanting to destroy everything natural and beautiful, which immediately goes against my principles (being an eco-geek and all). So, Hexxus makes out to be an original, unusual villain, who very nearly succeeds in destroying the rainforest. Yeah, in theory, his goal, to destroy Fern Gully, isn't that big. But think about it. Once he's destroyed Fern Gully, he could potentially destroy EVERY OTHER NATURAL HABITAT IN THE WORLD. To me, that is PURE INCARNATE EVIL. I do not want to be within 1 MILE of this guy, let alone see him in real life (which would, luckily, obviously, never happen...).
And it's only with the fairy's magic - and being trapped inside a tree - that he's defeated... Again. Like he was at the beginning. When that tree dies or is cut down... He's just going to get out again! FAIRIES WHAT ARE YOU PLAYING AT? It just makes him far more scary, to think that someday he's going to come back and try to destroy wildlife and the environment yet again. Fun.
So, that's Hexxus, a slimy, polluting, disgusting, evil, dark-hearted villain, who deserves to be feared as one of the scariest, most original cartoon villains of all time. In my humble opinion.
And it's only with the fairy's magic - and being trapped inside a tree - that he's defeated... Again. Like he was at the beginning. When that tree dies or is cut down... He's just going to get out again! FAIRIES WHAT ARE YOU PLAYING AT? It just makes him far more scary, to think that someday he's going to come back and try to destroy wildlife and the environment yet again. Fun.
So, that's Hexxus, a slimy, polluting, disgusting, evil, dark-hearted villain, who deserves to be feared as one of the scariest, most original cartoon villains of all time. In my humble opinion.
OK, this is it... Who is my Number 1, favourite villain on this list...?
Number 1...
Darla Dimple - Cats Don't Dance
Now, let's say you haven't seen the film. I know what you're thinking. How could a cute, anatomically-inaccurate, blonde little girl, be a top, noteworthy villain? Well, she can. Because she is the bitch from Hell. And, similarly to Hexxus, she doesn't care one bit for animals, even though she's actually a film star who acts in pictures WITH animals. Plus, she has one of the scariest animated sidekicks - Max, a giant butler, who barges into places and just does EXACTLY what Darla wants. Because, of course... As we know from history, the best, most evil villains don't actually do the dirty work themselves... Darla herself does very little actual evil in the film, but her whole character is evil, and plus, she's original. Can you think of any other film where such a little girl has so much evil, power, and influence? No, I don't think you can (unless it's one I haven't seen yet). Fortunately, she's defeated by the end of the film, but only, pretty much, by a cat's whisker. She doesn't have any plan as such like all the other villains, the storyline is mostly led by the Goodies, with Darla interfering at every turn. I prefer it that way. In most animated films the Goodies are trying to stop the Baddies, here it's the other way round, and it makes the film far more tense, exciting, and nerve-wracking all round. Plus, it puts the goodies to their limits, and it also allows us to see just how far Darla will go to get what she wants... And it's pretty far indeed, in some cases, nearly physically injuring herself when Max isn't available, towards the end.
So, it may be a surprise, but Darla is, by far, my favourite villain from an animated film NOT made by Disney. I mean... Just look at her. She's a million miles more evil and cold-hearted (and spoilt) than any real little girl I can think of. She doesn't exactly lead the studio in the film, but she might as well do. And SO MANY PEOPLE LOVE HER. Can they not SEE HER FOR WHO SHE IS? I think not. Oh yeah, and other people in the film, who work with her, are ACTUALLY AFRAID OF HER, never mind the animals themselves, they must be TERRIFIED! If you haven't watched this film, I recommend it, even if you only watch it for Darla Dimple. Granted, some of the side characters, even the main character, aren't great, but it's an entertaining, noteworthy film overall.
So, that's my first Top 11 list blog post, because like the Nostalgia Critic, it's good to go one step beyond the normal "Top 10" list. Plus it allowed me to include Rothbart, who's really not a bad villain at all. Just not the best.
Please tell me what you think of this list, could I have added anyone else? What could I have said about the villains that I haven't already said? If you can come up with a list of the same title, who would you include? I'd be interested to hear your opinions, and I'll come up with another one sometime soon. Ta ta for now!
So, that's my first Top 11 list blog post, because like the Nostalgia Critic, it's good to go one step beyond the normal "Top 10" list. Plus it allowed me to include Rothbart, who's really not a bad villain at all. Just not the best.
Please tell me what you think of this list, could I have added anyone else? What could I have said about the villains that I haven't already said? If you can come up with a list of the same title, who would you include? I'd be interested to hear your opinions, and I'll come up with another one sometime soon. Ta ta for now!
Thursday 6 September 2012
HIM from "The Powerpuff Girls."
Earlier this year, I wrote a post about how much I liked the Lobe, from the Warner Brothers animated series "Freakazoid." I still ADORE the Lobe, but I have discovered a villain whom I actually (very slightly) prefer, from the cartoon series "The Powerpuff Girls." (Although "Powerpuff Girls" is a cartoon that I would not enjoy nearly as much if it did not have said villain). For me, this villain makes the series, although I don't dislike (most of) the other characters in "The Powerpuff Girls." This villain is the embodiment of pure evil. One can hardly bear to say his name. We can only refer to this villain as... HIM.
Arguably, I saved the best picture until last, but these are just a few of my favourite images of Him.
He appears in a few Powerpuff Girls episodes and so far I have watched hardly any that don't include Him/HIM.
A few reasons why he is so awesome and amazingly evil:
1.He has an echoing voice, which can go very high or low, both forms of which are equally hypnotizing and strangely beautiful. The voice actor of this amazing character is Tom Kane.
2.His schemes to destroy the Powerpuff Girls concentrate mainly on psychological manipulation, separation and or humiliation. Eventually they will also usually involve monsters controlled by HIM.
3.He can grow to many sizes and he has many forms, but the photographs above show his most common form.
4. When not bathing, he usually wears a pink neck frill, a pink tutu, long black boots, a purple shirt and a large black belt. A totally awesome (and marvellously camp) outfit, if I say so myself.
If I continue to talk about how awesome Him is, I will never leave my computer and I will probably die of thirst unless someone else brings me a drink. As I had to stop with the Lobe, I must stop here before I write anything else about the wonderful villain, Him.
He appears in a few Powerpuff Girls episodes and so far I have watched hardly any that don't include Him/HIM.
A few reasons why he is so awesome and amazingly evil:
1.He has an echoing voice, which can go very high or low, both forms of which are equally hypnotizing and strangely beautiful. The voice actor of this amazing character is Tom Kane.
2.His schemes to destroy the Powerpuff Girls concentrate mainly on psychological manipulation, separation and or humiliation. Eventually they will also usually involve monsters controlled by HIM.
3.He can grow to many sizes and he has many forms, but the photographs above show his most common form.
4. When not bathing, he usually wears a pink neck frill, a pink tutu, long black boots, a purple shirt and a large black belt. A totally awesome (and marvellously camp) outfit, if I say so myself.
If I continue to talk about how awesome Him is, I will never leave my computer and I will probably die of thirst unless someone else brings me a drink. As I had to stop with the Lobe, I must stop here before I write anything else about the wonderful villain, Him.
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