ANIME

As you're about to be able to tell, anime is a big interest of mine.

It's astounding how sucked in to this world you can get and the enormous amount of content there is; there's pretty much something for everyone - all that's required is a bit of an open mind. Many people have a lot of preconceived notions of anime - some cruder than others - but really it's just another form of entertainment just like film, music or TV.

I got into anime mainly as a result of running out of western shows I wanted to watch. I've always been a very avid consumer of TV and film - I mean, who hasn't? Eventually it becomes harder and harder to to find shows to watch despite the endless scrolling through Netflix etc. A lot of western shows are too grim, dark or violent for my tastes so when looking for something more wholesome I found cartoons like Steven Universe and Hilda - and loved them. 

​

Sadly the list of decent western cartoons runs out pretty quick so I found myself thinking about giving anime a try - which is easier said than done. Let's face it, the world of anime is overwhelming at first - it's hard to know where to start. I eventually found the holy grail of anime recommendations, followed it through and ended up at Twelve Kingdoms (loved it) but then below it there was a little message "See Also: Inuyasha" - gave it a try and I've been hooked ever since. 

​

You can find a list of all the anime I've seen on my MAL profile, where I also rate them and write mini-reviews for each one.

​

CLICK HERE FOR MY ANIME RECOMMENDATIONS QUIZ

 FAVOURITE ANIME

Anime for me is mainly about four things that I love: Shoujo, Supernatural, Shounen-ai and Slice of Life.

But I also really enjoy Mystery, Psychological, Fantasy, Historical and Adventure. I like old anime and new. You’ll see that my favourites list ranges from 1979 - 2019. I’ll admit, I have a preference for hand-drawn cel animation. There’s something about it that just looks richer to me. Digital animation can look really sharp and clean but it can lack charm and be a bit ‘flat’ sometimes.

In general I tend to avoid: Shounen, Horror, Military, Police, Mecha, Sci-fi and Yuri. 

My anime dislikes can be summed up pretty easily in three letters: GAR. But by this I mean to include its usual themes: guns, violence, blood, guts, mindless fighting, shooting, machismo, military, warfare...you know exactly the type of thing I mean - it’s just not for me. However I’m a firm believer that there is an exception to every rule so I'm open to giving something a try if I think it looks good.

Despite the above, I feel like I have pretty varied taste.

Inuyasha | Monogatari | Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust | Cardcaptor Sakura | Howl's Moving Castle | Natsume Yuujinchou

Sarazanmai | Neon Genesis Evangelion | Revolutionary Girl Utena | My Neighbour Totoro

Mononoke | Rose of Versailles | Patalliro

 FAVOURITE CHARACTERS

As I've watched more anime, I've noticed that my favourite characters list has become quite the sausage fest. I started off with more of a gender mix but the females have slowly been swapped out but I've noticed a lot of other people seem to have one gender much more prominently than another. The type of characters I tend to like usually fit certain archetypes:

The Blushing Tsundere
A grumpy male lead that often can't confess his love and blushes a lot
Inuyasha, Syaoran Li, Kyou Souma

The Chivalrous Jock
An athletic, hot guy who saves the day
Lancer (Fate/Zero), Archer, Inuyasha, Lancer (Fate/Stay Night), Shichika Yasuri, Count Fersen, Bancoran

The Cinnamon Bun
An adorable guy that is so damn cute you just want to protect from the world.
Takashi Natsume, Nishikata, Okuto Nakamura, Shinji Ikari, Syaoran Li

The Cheeky Chap
A laidback joker or mischievous guy who's fun and maybe a bit naughty
Koyomi Ararararargi, Wei Wuxian, Hanako-kun, Houtarou Oreki

The Feisty Female
A confident, strong-willed female who's sometimes a bit bitchy or psycho
Nanami Kiryuu, Senjougahara Hitagi, Countess du Barry, Kagura, Jeanne Valois de la Motte
 

My bias towards male characters probably comes from the fact that I find them attractive. Lol. The only females to make the cut for my favourites list is Nanami & Hachikuji, which is odd to me because when it comes to live-action 99 times out of 100 - I prefer a female lead/female driven show. In fact, now I think about it, most of my favourite western TV characters are female?

So, I have no idea why it's reversed for anime. Weird.
 

Inuyasha | Koyomi Araragi | Syaoran Li | Takashi Natsume | Nanami Kiryuu | Bancoran | Hanako-kun 

Diarmuid Ua Duibhne | Cú Chulainn | Houtarou Oreki | Kyon | Mayoi Hachikuji

Kusuriuri | Shichika Yusuri | Myne

 ANIME REVIEWS

 ANIME OF THE YEAR

Just to be clear, when picking an anime of the season, note that it must have begun airing that season therefore it cannot be a sequel, a continuing TV series or a movie but it can be an OVA, an ONA or a Special. In order to be selected for Anime of the Season, a show must score a minimum of 6/10 otherwise the space will be left blank. Sequels, however, are allowed for Best Movie and Anime of the Year.

The Golden Raspberry is awarded to the worst anime I saw that year. All types of anime are eligible. Nothing that scores above a 4/10 can be awarded the Golden Raspberry. Blank spaces are where there is nothing that suitably fits the category or season.

This is just for fun. If you don't like my choices, try not to be too butthurt about - it's just my opinion after all.