10 Best Uniquely Japanese Things About Anime

Japan—it’s the reason anime even exists, and undoubtedly there are things so inexorably linked to the Land of the Rising Sun that they can’t help but feature prominently in their abundant animated media. This is a list of the 10 Best Uniquely Japanese Things About Anime (in my opinion). These aren’t specifically anime clichés more that these are things intrinsically linked to Japan as a country, as a culture and its people that have seeped into anime. Also true about this list is that these things might not be 100% ‘Japanese-Only’ things, it’s just these are the kinds of things that feel unique to both Japan the place and the anime the art form, so don’t be surprised if you see some picks that might be applicable to your country too! With that out of the way let’s begin the countdown!

~Number 10~
Sakura

Seems like nearly every school based anime has the protagonist starting school as the pink blossoms of the Sakura tree fall around them. It might seem like an overworn cliche but there’s a reason for it—in Japan the new school year starts in late March/early April, exactly when the cherry blossom season starts. Still, there’s nothing quite like the flittering of discarded Sakura petals over a scene to make it feel ~distinctly~ Japanese.

~Number 9~
Catholicism/Christianity is either quaint or badass/evil

I wondered whether or not to include this lest I step on any toes, but it’s something I’ve seen far too many times not to at least mention it. Japan, a mostly Buddhist country has had an ~interesting~ relationship with the Western Christian faith. Excluding my personal opinions about Christianity and organised religion on the whole I’ve always found it funny when a character is either ~vaguely~ Christian, you know, wearing crosses and celebrating Christmas, or alternately when the main hero/villain of the piece is affiliated with some ass-kicking branch of the church that has seemingly little to do with anything actually religious and just wants to use the iconography for the fun of it. And why not I say!

~Number 8~
Rudeness, delinquency, littering, etc. is a BIG deal

Something that also falls into the “quaint” category is seeing things such as someone speaking back to an elder, or someone heedlessly discarding some trash to the sidewalk, or someone just being a general rebellious sort being treated as a big deal. By which I mean, “watch out, this guy/girl doesn’t care about the rules!” Sure this kind of thing happens in the West, but no one is going to mistake a loitering, litter-bug with a potty-mouth for the leader of a motorcycle gang like they might in Japan!

~Number 7~
“It’s Dangerous To Go Out At Night” except it’s not because Japan has the world’s lowest crime rate…

I can’t speak for what it’s like traversing the streets at night in Japan as a woman but there is a certain over-reliance on the trope that ‘women and children shouldn’t go out past dark because it’s dangerous’ despite the fact that Japan has the world’s lowest crime rate. Maybe this is my male privilege speaking but seems like it’s more dangerous to try and run from the shower to the bedroom in the nude without anyone seeing you than it is to roam the streets of Japan after dark. Somehow I think this is more about the Japanese paranoia that everyone has a dark-side just waiting to come out than based on any statistical crime-rate based fact. And these comments always seem to appear in slice of life anime where nothing bad ever happens which makes the comments especially out of place.

~Number 6~
Obsession With Food

Every country has a rich food culture but for some reason anime and food seem to go together like Rem and Ram. The sheer quality of the food in Japan is something to behold and its availability in the cities especially is unlike any other. There’s a reason Japan has more Michelin stars than any other country on Earth and Tokyo more than any other city, it’s because they care about food as if it were their children. If you don’t believe me (or haven’t experienced Japan’s passion for food) just listen to the difference between the Japanese original and the English dub of Food Wars to see how passionate they are about something we all probably take for granted! Also falling under this category is school and work bento’s being things of amazingly high quality—especially compared to what amounts to a school lunch in the West.

~Number 5~
All Men Are Perverts!

I’m sure there’s some angry sort who’s sitting at home with their hands above the keyboard ready to type “NOT ALL MEN” into my comments page in relation to this pick and sure while I can’t pretend to speak for “all men” I think it’s a pretty safe assumption that a lot of men have a one-track mind when it comes to sex, the pursuit of it and the procure of it. And nowhere is that fact more apparent and more frequently highlighted than Japan and anime, where seemingly every male has his eyes on the prize and that prize being anything feminine with a pulse. And not just the intent and the obsession but the way they go about attaining as much as a glimpse of anything arousing certainly speaks to some ~interesting~ notions about pornography and reality in Japan that I have no intention of getting into right now…

~Number 4~
References to Otaku culture

It wouldn’t be an episode of a slice of life anime without some mention of anime or Akihabara or video games or anything vaguely related to Otaku culture in Japan! While this particular type of reference is perhaps not as prevalent as others on the list it makes up for it in sheer… obnoxiousness, yes I love it when an anime I watch starts referencing other anime or pays a visit to the otaku Mecca known as Akiba but it’s always a ~little~ bit obvious who they’re pandering to… and I don’t care because it gets me every time! Notice me sempai!

~Number 3~
Hard to Translate Puns/Wordplay

Nothing quite says an adaptation of a super-smart cloyingly pretentious anime like the subtitles attempting to translate a pun that’s derived from the composition of characters and how they ‘look’ like other characters hastily explained by a bracketed sentence midst a fast-flowing conversation. And what’s even worse is when there’s multiple of these so you’re either left to pause the show and read every explanation or just let it wash over you and home to gleam a semblance of sense from it all. Truth be told I don’t know why I ranked this so high, maybe because the Japanese language is so unique (and difficult) plus I guess I’m just a sucker for that pretentious wordplay, no matter the language!

~Number 2~
Incest

I mean incest isn’t anything exclusive to Japan, as long as there’s been sister’s there’s been brother’s wanting to f**k them and vice versa (not to mention love between same-sex siblings too). But it seems like Japan’s always been ahead of the curve at least in the sibling seduction department which… I don’t know… is this a good thing or a bad thing…? I feel like I’m opening a can of worms inside a hornet’s nest and it’s probably best I shut my mouth lest I get stung somewhere sensitive… All I know is, when Game of Thrones was breaking mainstream taboos with Jamie and Cersei Lannister doing the deed in 2011, shocking the “normies” to their very core. Those deep into niche anime were sitting with copies of OreImo and Kiss x Sis wondering what the fuss was about. Does this pick make me an Incest Hipster? Is “Incest Hipster” the worst thing you’ve read all day?!

And before anyone asks, this choice isn’t me advocating real life incest. Nor is it at all meant to say that anime’s depiction of incest is without faults (like anything) it’s more something that I think is unique to anime.

~Number 1~
School Clubs are the Best!

Ah… something wholesome to wrap this list up with, what after all that talk of perverts and incestuous couplings! The school clubs as seen in anime have always been something of an enigma to me, as high-schooler growing up in Australia not only was I unaware of any extracurricular clubs that sated my interests but likewise I didn’t think they existed at all. But in anime (and presumably, by extension in Japan) after school clubs are practically half the reason to go to school more even if you have a disdain for classes! The idea of spending more time at school while simultaneously interacting with likeminded individuals seems like a strange dream and yet nearly every school-based anime has mention of an after-school club. I don’t believe in reincarnation, but if I did I’d want to reincarnate as a Japanese kid just so I could experience this world of after-school clubs for myself!

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And with that we’ve reached the end of the list, think I missed anything ~particularly~ Japanese about anime that should have been on the list? Leave me a comment below! Until next time, watch out for men… they’re all perverts remember!

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Other Random Anime Related Lists:

10 Anime I Will Never Watch
10 Favourite Manga Cover Art
10 Biggest Boobs In Anime

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10 Top Western Songs Used as ED’s in Anime – Listing Compulsive

Last time we counted down the 10 Best OP’s that came from the West, namely popular Western songs that had found themselves attached to an anime. This time it’s the same except we’re looking at ED’s (Ending Songs) and boy are there some interesting songs on this list! Just a reminder, as with most of my music related lists, OP songs shorter than 1 minute are ineligible, also suffice to say Japanese artists who sing in English are not included—that’s a list for another day! However unlike previous music lists I’ve taken into consideration how well the visuals match the song, because otherwise I’d just be reviewing Western music… and that doesn’t really make much sense now does it? With all that out of the way here is My 10 Top Western Songs Used as ED’s in Anime!

~Number 10~
“Shine” by Mr. Big from Hellsing

Remember Mr. Big? Well if you do it’s probably not because of this song (unless you’re fan of this anime—I’m not), this song’s pretty good but it’s also kind of generic you know? Like lyrically it was taken from the ‘Idiot’s Guide To Song Writing’. That’s probably pretty harsh, but we have to start somewhere! Trust me it’s much better from here on out!

~Number 9~
“Lithium Flower” by Scott Matthew from Ghost in the Shell: SAC

It’s a bit funky, a bit cool with some gorgeously drawn still images, nothing remarkable but still a good combination.

~Number 8~
“Fly Me To The Moon” by Claire Littley from Neon Genesis Evangelion

A cute cover, something very laid back and loungey about it. I like it!

~Number 7~
“You Won’t See Me Coming” Jean-Jacques Burnel from Gankutsuou

Talk about an unexpected banger! Especially unexpected since its from the same artist as this show’s OP and it doesn’t really sound all that similar!

~Number 6~
“Drowning” by Backstreet Boys from Hanada Shounen-shi

I hadn’t heard this Backstreet Boys song before (not that surprising) but it’s kind of adorable! Though it’s still weird hearing music like this attached to an anime that ‘looks’ like this… Oh well, still doesn’t change the fact it’s pretty damn great!

~Number 5~
“Walk Like An Egyptian” by Bangles from Jojo’s Bizzare Adventure

Probably the coolest visuals of any of these endings, and they tie well into the song which while inherently goofy totally fits with the show (from what little I’ve seen of it). Jojo has a habit of having top-teir classic hits for their ED’s so expect to see a few more in this list…

~Number 4~
“My World Down” by Meister from Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad

Very cool, kinda grungy with low-key but nonetheless on theme visuals. What’s not to like?!

~Number 3~
“Roundabout” by Yes from Jojo’s Bizzare Adventure

Well that was quick… Here we are with another Jojo ending song, they’re just so damn fitting while simultaneously being completely anachronistic, like they shouldn’t work so well but they just do!

~Number 2~
“Paranoid Android” by Radiohead from Ergo Proxy

Radiohead are one of my top 3 favourite bands, so much like in the OP list I did this choice is very biased, because I absolutely adore this song. The visuals kinda suck though, which is a shame but if anything it makes you pay more attention to the song which is a smart choice in my opinion. A little bit of trivia, lead singer Thom Yorke was hesitant to let the show use his song as he (used to be) protective about what shows and movies used his media, that was until he watched the first episode and deemed it worthy.

~Honourable Mention~
“Do You Want To” by Franz Ferdinand from Paradise Kiss

I really like this song—always have, Franz Ferdinand are a great band, and even though this is an anime movie (and kind of breaking rules) I’m totally including It as an honourable mention because that dancing in the visuals is just adorable!

~Number 1~
“I Want You” by Savage Garden from Jojo’s Bizzare Adventure

Even though I’m Australian (and so is Savage Garden—this band) I never truly appreciated how great of a band they were ‘til I saw this ED come up on Youtube one day. Maybe my tastes had changed since Savage Garden were in the Aussie charts but I love everything about this ending, the way the visuals float forward so perfectly with the music the hypnotic vocals the music. *sigh* I wish this ending would last the entire length of the song because it’s a sublime experience and it’s over way too quickly!

And there they are! The 10 Best Western Anime ED’s! I hope you enjoyed reading (and listening) to this list, stay tuned for more music-related anime lists soon!

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10 Top Western Songs Used as OP’s in Anime – Listing Compulsive

99% of the time an anime’s opening song (OP) is in Japanese, 99.9% of the time it’s a song by a Japanese artist. But every so often, in that rare 0.1% of times, there comes a song by a Western artist—usually an already popular song—that gets used as an anime OP. This list celebrates the best anime OP’s by Western artists, songs that are very distinctly not Japanese. As with most of my music related lists, OP songs shorter than 1 minute 30 seconds are ineligible, also suffice to say Japanese artists who sing in English are not included—that’s a list for another day. However unlike previous music lists I’ve taken into consideration how well the visuals match the song, because otherwise I’d just be reviewing Western music… and that doesn’t really make much sense does it? With that squared away let’s countdown the 10 Top Western Songs used as OP’s in Anime!

~Number 10~
“The Light Before We Land” by Delgados from Gunslinger Girl

Like some weird amalgam of a James Bond opening credits sequence and an early Beatles song. It’s kind of quiet, kind of cute but wholly unique. I like it!

~Number 9~
“Sore Feet Song” by Ally Kerr from Mushishi

This song is so effortlessly beautiful, but it’s also a bit annoying? Like put at least a bit of effort into your opening visuals?! That’s kind of harsh isn’t it?

~Number 8~
“Alone Again” by Gilbert O’Sullivan from Maison Ikkoku

This ranks amongst the most unexpected anime openings of all time, and yet… it totally works. There’s something immediately endearing about the whole product—song and visuals—even though it’s probably the least interesting song on the list… if we’re viewing things from my tastes of course.

~Number 7~
“We Were Lovers” by Jean-Jacques Burnel from Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo

Is this song sung by British pop-band Pulp? No? Could have fooled me because it sounds exactly like lead singer Jarvis Cocker…

~Number 6~
“The One” by Backstreet Boys from Hanada Shonen-shi

At first I wasn’t sure what to think, the visuals didn’t really match with the slick image of the Backstreet Boys music, but by the time the chorus kicked in I was sold. I don’t know anything about this show but I kind of want to now, even though visually I can tell it’s not my kind of show.

~Number 5~
“Falling Down” by Oasis from Eden of the East

Love or hate ‘em, Oasis’ moody vocal warbling are at least well suited to the visuals of this opening. It’s hauntingly memorable and very evocative.

~Number 4~
“In This Life” by Delta Goodrem from Deltora Quest

As an Australian, I have heard this song way too many times and my opinions about the singer are best left unsaid but I don’t know… something about hearing this song attached to anime visuals just really really worked for me. Also, I’ll admit it… it’s a pretty song. Leave it to anime to make me say something positive about Delta Goodrem…

~Number 3~
“Shiver” by Lucy Rose from Mushishi 2

Gosh darn this is gorgeous song but the minimalistic visuals are a bit of negative. Still, it’s hard to fault something that just sounds this damn good!

~Number 2~
“Duvet” by Boa from Serial Experiments Lain

This is the most 90’s thing I’ve seen in my life. Just… just watch the video, if you didn’t grow up in the 90’s here’s your crash course!

~Honourable Mention~
“One Reason” by Fade from Deadman Wonderland

Anyone else getting flashbacks to their emo phase? The reason this song is an honourable mention rather than featuring in the Top 10 is that despite the fact they are a band that formed in New York City and have an American vocalist they are technically a Japanese/American band who were signed to a Japanese record label. So half eligible, half not, still a great opening though.

~Number 1~
“Girls On Film” by Duran Duran from Speed Grapher

Here’s the problem… we’re dealing with one of my favourite bands here, so obviously my opinion on this song is going to be positively skewed toward it. But even looking at it objectively, any anime that had the balls to put this gaudy, tawdry 80’s banger at the start of every episode is to be respected. Also it’s worth noting that it’s only the theme song in Japan, they couldn’t get the rights for the song internationally so instead it’s some mediocre, lyric-free sound-alike.

And there it is the 10 best Western OP’s for Anime. Recognise some of the songs, or think you know better ones? Let me know in the comments below and thanks for reading (and listening) all the way to the end! Coming up next is the 10 best Western ED’s for Anime and trust me when I say that’s a much more ~interesting~ list!

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10 Biggest Boobs In Anime

Anime and boobs, can’t have one without the other! At least if you’re watching the kind of anime I like to watch… On this list we’re counting down the 10 ~biggest~ boobs, breasts, titties, knockers, melons, oppai—whatever you like to call them—in the world of anime! This is as close to a definitive list as I could manage with my… ahem… “research” on the topic so apologies if I missed a particularly busty gal on my list. Also worth mentioning is that only main or side characters are eligible for this list, not one off-characters, imaginary characters or joke characters, nor characters who are giants or can make their breasts larger with magic. Also it should go without saying but this only in anime series’ and not hentai—we’re strictly talking about the big booby beauties who’ve made an impact on anime. Anyone else feeling embarrassed right now? If you said no, then let’s get on with my list of the 10 Biggest Boobs In Anime!

First some honourable mentions, previously these three girls occupied spaces 10, 9 and 7 respectively on the top 10 list however as I never had ~official~ measurements for them their sizes were always just guesses. So after finding 3 other girls with exceptionally large breasts that did have official measurements I decided to move these girls into an ‘Honourable Mention’ section and include the other girls into the list where they belong.

~Honourable Mentions~
Meiko Shiraki from ‘Prison School’

This big busted lady makes school seem like a positively enlarging enlightening experience! Who said education is for squares, all I see here is rounds…

Ryoka Narusawa from ‘Occultic;Nine’

According to her ‘official stats’ this high-school girl weighs 45kg… huh… that’s her boob weight, right? Right?! Ryoka moves around freely like her breasts are filled with helium and maybe they are? Otherwise there’s no doubting her spine would snap under the weight of these momentous melons… I guess this is just another unsolved mystery of the occult!

Quetzalcoatl from ‘Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid’

She may be—in reality—a thousand year-old dragon from another world, but in this world she’s a big breasted matronly figure with a thing for ‘little boys’. I think the author has some issues he needs to work out… And I think I’ve suddenly developed some ~issues~ of my own… world class indeed.

And now on with the Top 10!

~Number 10~
Nene Fujinoki from ‘My First Girlfriend Is A Gal’
(Bust: 98cm)

Some people’s childhood friends are vaguely annoying ugly ducklings who end up growing into beautiful swans, and some people’s childhood friends have giant breasts each the size of a football. Protip, always pick the childhood friend.

~Number 9~
Chacha Akaza from ‘Maken-Ki!’
(Bust: 99cm)

This eternally enthusiastic girl has plenty to cheer about when it comes to her bodacious boobs!

~Number 8~
Kirika Misono from Eiken
(Bust: 99cm)

This is an old ecchi series with a woman who seems to defy logic with the size and ’roundness’ of her breasts, evidently her rack exists in a vacuum, because gravity seems to be the least of her problems!

~Number 7~
Minori Rokujou from ‘Maken-Ki!’
(Bust: 101cm)

This tracksuit wearing slacker is actually the principal of Tenbi academy and never before have I been so glad for a tracksuit with a zip in the front!

~Number 6~
Aki Nijou from ‘Maken-Ki!’
(Bust: 103cm)

There must be something in the water at Tenbi Academy with this being the third girl from that school on the list, this time it’s the quietly spoken and buxom nurse who’s mammoth mammaries make the blood rush to my head, I think I’ll need a doctor!

~Number 5~
Shizuka Marikawa from ‘High School of the Dead’
(Bust: 108cm)

Hello, nurse! This high school nurse doesn’t let a little thing like a zombie apocalypse stop her from being her usual flirty self, which generally involves showing off her magnificent melons at any available moment.

~Number 4~
Boa Hancock from One Piece
(Bust: 111cm)

The only reason this One Piece lady made it so high up this list is because of ‘official’ chest measurements that came from the mangaka and other official sources. When it comes to breast size I think she’s got less going on then pretty much every other person on the list, but the numbers don’t lie!

~Number 3~
Lady J from Valkyrie Drive
(Bust: 116cm)

Forgetting for a minute how ludicrous her size is, can we at least marvel at what sorcery manages to keep her clothes from adhering to her breasts? It’s all underboob and I’m sure the short people of the world appreciate the view.

~Number 2~
Tionishia from Monster Musume: Everyday Life With Monster Girls
(Bust: 119cm)

There’s a lot of solid contenders in Monster Musume, even ones that exceed Tionisha’s monstrous breast size, but they only exist in the manga (so far) so it’s this kind-hearted ogre gets the number two spot on this list. Also she’s like 7 feet tall, so um… I’m kind of afraid…

~Number 1~
Cattleya from Queen’s Blade
(Bust 120cm)

And here we are, the largest (as far as I’m aware) breasts in anime! I’ve never seen Queen’s Blade but Cattleya is very matronly for someone with such large breasts—her son is never too far away—but I’m guessing that’s just catering to someone’s Oedipal fetish (not that there’s anything wrong with that???) Depending on the image her breasts appear different sizes but if we’re strictly going by the numbers Cattleya does in fact have the largest chest size of any anime lady!

Ahem… and so that’s the list! Hopefully this wasn’t too awkward for everyone, if you feel like I missed someone please let me know in the comments, otherwise I hope you “enjoyed” reading this!

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10 Favourite Manga Cover Art (Series) – Listing Compulsive

They say never to judge a book by its covers but these Manga covers are among my favourite of all time. Please note, for this list it’s only the art itself that is being judged, not the contents of the story, in-fact for some of these manga I’ve never even read. Also it is important to mention that what denotes art can vary wildly from person-to-person so keep this in mind if you’re wanting to disagree with my picks. With that out of the way here is my 10 Favourite Manga Cover Art from a series.

~Number 10~
One Punch Man

The stylised, comic-book style covers are pretty damn cool, very pulpy and kinetic looking. Plus there’s the fun little details that you might miss at first glance, like Saitama holding his bag of groceries, or all the background details on the right-side one.

~Number 9~
Land of the Lustrous

There’s a really cool and stylish quality to these covers that I can’t quite put my finger on. They’re not the most detailed of covers but they’re still eye-catching and well composed.

~Number 8~
Shomin Sample: I Was Abducted by an Elite All-Girls School as a Sample Commoner

Sometimes you just want to look at some panties…

But seriously I love how immediately eye-catching this series’ artwork is—at least for the first 6 volumes—which follow this similar style. Also of note, the English versions of the manga almost completely ruin these covers through their placement of the titles… maybe I should do a seperate list of English manga covers that are worse than the Japanese.

~Number 7~
Yotsuba&I

The light-hearted and adorable covers convey such endearing warmth while also being genuinely nice art.

~Number 6~
The Girl From The Other Side: Siúil A Rún

Sometimes manga artwork can be so evocative that it makes you want to buy it even if it’s a series that you’ve got zero interest in otherwise. That’s what happened with this series, I bought the first book (still haven’t read it though) but I still enjoy having it in my collection if only because of the art-style.

~Number 5~
xxxholic

The traditional style of this artwork is very appealing and eye-catching, even if it’s not something I normally go for.

~Number 4~
Murcielago

It’s a small thing but I love that the vertical text changes font and colour each volume and is relevant to the characters featured on the covers. Also I appreciate art-style that adhere closely to the art contained within, these aren’t overly stylised, they’re just fun and quirky.

~Number 3~
Amanchu!

I love the consistent colour-scheme across these covers, it’s utterly beautiful.

~Number 2~
Keijo!!!!!!!

Who would have thought a manga about this “sport” would have such beautiful cover art. Makes me wish these were available in English so I could have copies of these on my bookshelf.

~Number 1~
Yokai Girls

This is more of a personal pick than any of the other choices, while the character art is good—if nothing remarkable—I absolutely adore the use of real life Akihabara locations in the backgrounds, it makes me wistfully nostalgic for that otaku paradise every time I see these covers! I can appreciate that most people will disagree with this pick but the covers for Yokai Girls are my favourite manga covers.

So that was fun! I love sharing my favourite manga covers and I’d love to know which manga cover’s you’re all particularly fond of!

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10 Anime I Will Never Watch – Listing Compulsive

‘Never’ is such a powerful and definitive word, but there are some anime out there that—for whatever reason—I will never watch. This is a list of the 10 anime that I am so strongly uninterested in that no matter how much positive praise is heaped on them by their fanst watch them. No nothing short of someone paying me $5 a month on Patreon would have me watching these shows #shamelessplug. Yes there is the expression don’t knock it ’til you try it, but sometimes you just know… you know? And so here are the 10 Anime I Will Never Watch! (P.S. If your favourite anime features on this list, sorry? Just know it’s nothing personal!)

~Number 10~
Sword Art Online

I know, I know! Predictable, perhaps! But here’s the thing… while this show has its large amount of haters, I don’t hate this show at all. I’ve only seen like 5 minutes of the first episode and it was precisely dull and generic enough for me to know it’s not for me! I’m sure for those of you who love it, it’s great and I’d never take that away from you, but at this point in time I know I ~probably~ wouldn’t enjoy the experience.

~Number 9~
Love Live! Sunshine

This one’s kinda tough, because you know, cute girls and all that shit. Except… am I the only one who thinks these girls kinda look f**king terrifying?! Also, while I kinda liked the original Love Live this feels like it would be more of the same just with different characters, so I envision watching this would be a bit of a chore. The only thing that makes me curious about this show is people talking about how “gay” it is, but I don’t know if that’s text, subtext or just projection. For now though, it’s a pass.

~Number 8~
Rurouni Kenshin

There’s 3 genre of anime that are among my least favourite, ‘historical’ anime being among those three. Specifically Japanese history, I don’t know why… because I love nearly ~everything~ about modern Japan but all the Ronin and Edo and what not is just utterly boring to me…

~Number 7~
Brave Witches

I sat through 2 seasons of Strike Witches (for some reason) and while it wasn’t a ~terrible~ experience, it was a complete and utterly pointless one at least from a satisfying narrative and character development perspective. I can’t imagine this spin-off series is going to offer anything other than more of the same—and that’s not really something worth spending my time on.

~Number 6~
Golden Time

Imagine my disappointment discovering this show isn’t about golden showers! But seriously it’s a romance from the author of Toradora! A.k.a the most overrated romance anime I’ve ever seen! #controversialopinion

~Number 5~
Literally any and all ‘Gundam’ shows…

Remember how I mentioned I had 3 genre’s of anime that rank among my least favourite? Well another of them is ‘Mecha’… as soon as there’s giant robots on screen my eyes glaze over in complete and utter boredom. And there’s how many of this series?! Where’s that ejector seat when you need it?!

~Number 4~
RWBY

Is this even technically an anime? I don’t even know, this is one of those rare shows where I’ve avoided knowing anything about the actual plot of the show whatsoever so who knows maybe it’s actually entertaining? All I know is I screw my face whenever I see those four letters. Does this make me an anime hipster or an elitist, or just a jack-off? Let’s just settle with all three and call it a day.

~Number 3~
Detective Conan

So, this show is really ridiculously popular in Japan. It’s also got like a million episodes and looks like it’s directed towards children? Hardly any anibloggers I know so much as mention this show, let alone watch it (as far as I know) so I don’t even know if it’s good or not? And so I’m just left to assume this isn’t a show worth watching…

~Number 2~
One Piece

Oh boy… oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy… So, yeah—this show. Uh, um… I dislike nearly everything about this show and I’ve never watched a single second of it? Is that fair? No… probably not. But I mean the art-style/character designs are just so unappealing to me and the story seems so dull and longwinded. Abandon ship!

~Number 1~
Dragon Ball/Dragon Ball Z, Et al.

My overwhelming disinterest for this show is “OVER 9000!” Also that’s like one of only five memes I know for this show… So here’s the thing, growing up—Dragon Ball was always the competitor to Pokemon, it was watched by the more mature of my classmates and upper class-men while the rest of us scrubs watched Ash and co’s adventures. Even in these early years there were memes (we called ’em “jokes” back in my day) about Dragon Ball characters spending multiple episodes just shouting and powering up, and while I’m sure this was unparalleled fun for its fans I can’t help but be aggressively underwhelmed by the very idea of it. Add to the fact that this show just looks like a testosterone party = one very uninterested me—then and now.

Ahem…so that was the 10 Anime I’ll Never Watch list, thanks for reading this narrow-minded post and sorry if I got worked up about a show you like but that’s just how it is I suppose! I’m not sure what exactly the point of this post was but hopefully it was… interesting? Let me know in the comments what anime you’ll never watch and feel free to trash my trash opinions!

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10 Best Anime ED’s of Spring 2018 – Listing Compulsive

If you missed my previous lists for the 10 Best and 10 Worst Anime OP’s of Spring 2018 you can click the links to view them.

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The Ending (ED) songs for Spring 2018 were especially strong this season, even more so than the OP’s, which made the task of selecting just ten even more difficult. As with the previous lists, song’s shorter than a minute and thirty seconds are ineligible, as are anime that have more than 3 different endings songs. Also a reminder that only the song itself is being judged, not the visuals/animation of the ending nor how well it fits to the tone or theme of the show. With that out of the way, here’s my 10 Best Anime ED’s of Spring 2018!

Number 10: “Karasu no Ginga” by STAR☆PRINCE from Magical Girl Ore.

They may be a fake boyband but they make real good music, it’s upbeat and catchy and just plain fun to listen to!

Number 9: “Atria” by Fo’xTails from Food Wars! The Third Plate.

There’s just something cool and hip and fresh about this track. And man do I sound old when I’m trying to describe music…

Number 8: “Kimi no Tonari” by halca from It’s Difficult To Love An Otaku.

Musically this is a very interesting track, it’s got a very eclectic mix of musical stylings throughout in fact it kind of reminds me of some of Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s singles, plus the lead vocalist is just pure joy.

Number 7: “Motenai Kuse ni (`;ω;´)” by Tapimiru from High School DxD Hero.

Some songs just manage to evoke a season through sound alone, and in this case this song just screams Summer fun! Also I absolutely love this type of chorus in a song!

Number 6: “HiDE the BLUE” by BiSH from 3D Kanajo: Real Girl.

The weirdest thing about this song is that sounds way more like an OP than an ED, I guess that’s a compliment. But at the end of the day it’s just a really great track!

Number 5: “Update” by miwa from My Hero Academia 3^rd Season.

This song is just sweetness and wholesomeness incarnate! It also somehow makes me really nostalgic too, and I’m not even sure why…

Number 4: “HALF” by Ziyoou-vachi from Tokyo Ghoul:re.

Normally a vocalist(s) like this would annoy me too much to alloy me to fully enjoy the song. But it just really fits with the music, it’s quirky and original but without being too alienating, this song is the perfect example of the sum being greater than the parts. Also the beginning where they go “H-A-L-F” is just too silly not to appreciate.

Number 3: “BJ” by Pile from Doreiku.

This song just rocks, not much else to say about it!

Number 2: “LAST GAME” by Zwei from Steins;Gate 0.

I’m getting serious James Bond vibes from this ED, if you’ve ever heard ‘The World Is Not Enough’ by Garbage it reminds me of this, and that’s absolutely a compliment. I love how the song starts quiet and contemplative before building and building than reaches this glorious crescendo before falling off again, a very powerful song.

Honourable Mention: “Le temps de la rentrée” by D Pai.

Sometimes you listen to a song for the first time and are so confused that you have to listen to it another 3 or 4 times to try and understand what you just listened to. I did so and still have no idea, hence why it falls into the ‘Honourable Mention’ section, I couldn’t really rate it along side the other one’s because of how different and unexpected of a thing it was. It’s cute, it’s kind of catchy, it’s got a quirky 60’s vibe about it and it’s sung all in French. Sure why not!

Number 1: “Wiseman Theme” by Wiseman from Last Period – the journey to the end of the despair.

This will probably be a controversial number 1 pick… usually I try my hardest to not let personal bias or my feelings for a show get in the way of the scoring of songs for these lists. But frequent readers of these lists will know that I can’t resist songs sung by the voice actors, and here is a song sung by the ‘Team Rocket-esque’ “villains” of the show, who are also the best thing about this silly little show. That said, I genuinely do think this is the best ED of Spring 2018, it’s 100% undiluted anime fun and everything I look for when I’m recreationally listening to anime music!

And there you have it, my 10 Best Anime ED’s of Spring 2018, let me know which songs you think were the best this season and stay tuned for the 10 Worst Anime ED’s coming soon!

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10 Worst Anime OP’s of Spring 2018 – Listing Compulsive

If you missed it, I previously counted down the 10 Best Anime OP’s of the Spring 2018 season, now that the good is over with we can focus on the bad, or rather the less good. As per all my lists regarding anime songs this is strictly focused on the quality of the song and has nothing to do with the visuals of the opening or how well it fits the show. Now let’s get on with counting down my 10 Worst Anime OP’s of Spring 2018!

Number 10: “ODD FUTURE” by UVERworld from My Hero Academia 3^rd Season.

It’s not a bad song, per se and at the risk of breaking one of my own rules I can’t help but compare this to the much better My Hero Academia openings that are 100% more catchy. Namely all the other ones. It’s not all bad though, the opening minute of the song is kind of dull but the last 20 seconds or so actually sound good! Too little too late, unfortunately.

Number 9: “Crosswalk” by Minori Suzuki from Amanchu! Advance.

A perfect example of a song that fits the mood of the show perfectly but that separated from the show doesn’t make for a particularly interesting listening experience. Again, not a bad song just kind of boring.

Number 8: “Daiji na Koto” by Quruli from 3D Kanajo: Real Girl.

Musically the song’s pretty good, but seriously, could they have found a less interesting vocalist to sing this? I doubt it, this sounds like a first take recorded by someone who’s just woken up and is in a hurry to do something anything other than sing this song.

Number 7: “Teppen e Dash!” by pugcat’s from Inazuma Eleven: Ares No Tenbin.

Argh! Stop shouting please! Oh you’ve stopped shouting? Please return to shouting, you evidently can’t sing. Next!

Number 6: “Koete ike” by Kyuso Nekomaki from Major 2nd.

This song left like no impact on me whatsoever. It’s just white noise, but not in the relaxing way.

Number 5: “Arigato⇄Daijoubu” by Aine, Mio from BEST FRIENDS! from Aikatsu Friends.

Ordinarily this is the kind of song I love, but the first vocalist sounds like it’s her first time singing. Which wouldn’t be too much of a problem if the song was interesting or fun in any way instead it’s just like ‘generic cute anime song number 426’.

Number 4: “Zettai Saikou *Happy Kiss*” by Chikyuu Bouei-bu HK from Cute Earth High Defense Club: Happy Kiss!

It’s like the anime equivalent of gin, I get that people like it, but for me it just leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

Number 3: “Eclipse” by Shouta Aoi from Devil’s Line.

I hate to use the phrase ‘try hard’ but sometimes things just come off as “oh look at me! I’m so dark and edgy and moody” while coming off as the exact opposite. I don’t know maybe there’s people who like this song and more power to you but to me it was just embarassing to listen to.

Number 2: “Soujo wa Ano Sora wa Wataru” by Riko Fukumoto from Hisone to Maso-tan.

I’m sure it seemed like a good idea at the time. This is just awkward and sounds bad.

Dishonourable Mention: “Haikei, Jigoku yori” by Jigoku no Sata All Stars from Hozuki’s Coolheadedness 2^nd Season Part 2.

This is a difficult one, because while I appreciate how adorable this song is, especially for fans of this show. It’s not a good song if you just strictly judge it ‘as a song’. It’s gimmicky and fun, which is why it doesn’t need to be judged along side the other songs hence the ‘dishonourable mention’.

Number 1: “Souten no Hate ni” by AK-69 from Fist of the Blue Sky: Re:Genesis.

I love The Lonely Island, they’re such a great parody rap group. Why do I bring this up? Well probably because this band, AK-69 (hur hur) sounds almost exactly like them, except without that one key ingredient, namely this isn’t the least bit funny! You know what it is? Just. Plain. Bad. Maybe just maybe this would have worked for some self aware comedy series, but we all know they’re just trying to be cool and failing miserably in the process. Someone needs to enact some gun control so we can ban the use of AK-69’s.

And that’s my 10 Worst Anime OP’s of the Spring 2018 season! Let me know what songs you didn’t like in the comments and stay tuned for the Best and Worst ED (Ending) songs coming soon!

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10 Best Anime OP’s of Spring 2018 – Listing Compulsive

Well now that all(?) of the Anime for Spring 2018 have at least aired an episode likewise all the Opening Songs have been released and I have listened to ALL of them in preparation for these lists. The first list is for my 10 best Anime OP’s of Spring 2018! Like with the group of lists I did previously regarding the Winter 2018 OP‘s and ED’s there’s a few stipulations about song eligibility. First of all only OP songs that are 1 minute 30 seconds long are eligible, so no songs from short anime (unless of course they have full length openings). Also these choices are based solely on the quality of the song, not the anime or the animation during or any other factors. So with that in mind, let’s count down my 10 Best Anime OP’s of Spring 2018!

Number 10: “Diver’s High” by SKY-HI from Gundam Build Divers.

It’s cool and fresh and hip and all those other kinds of words kids don’t use anymore. The fact it can go through so many different musical moments in such a short span of time and not feel disjointed is a testament to the song’s quality!

Number 9: “Make Debut!” by Special Week (Azumi Waki), Silence Suzuka (Marika Kouno), Toukai Teio (Machico), Vodka (Ayaka Ohashi), Daiwa Scarlet (Chise Kimura), Sold Ship (Hitomi Ueda) and Mejiro McQueen (Saori Oonishi) from Uma Musume: Pretty Derby!

If you’ve read my other lists you already know I’m a sucker for songs sung by the voice actors, and this is certainly no exception. It’s just fun from beginning to end!

Number 8: “Winding Road” by MAN WITH A MISSION from Golden Kamuy.

There’s something nostalgic about this song, even though I don’t know what for exactly! It’s just a great damn song!

Number 7: “Touka no Manimani” by Nao Toyama from Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits.

Musically this song is just gorgeous and the fact that the main voice actress is singing it and singing it so beautifully is just great too. It’s got such energy and emotion and I can’t get enough of it!

Number 6: “Paradigm Box” by Ritsu Shikishima (Chiharu Sawashiro), Shougo Satake (Shunsuke Takeuchi) from Caligula.

Another song sung by the anime’s voice actors, except this time it’s the two main guys. And I’m not usually one to say this about male singing voices but the second guy’s voice is sexy! Oh and it’s a great song too…

Number 5: “BREAK IN TO BREAK OUT” by Lyn from PERSONA 5 the Animation.

Having listened to all of the Persona 5 soundtrack from having played the video game there’s a lot of great songs on it by Lyn, and while I don’t think this is the best out of all the songs she’s sung for this series, (it starts a bit slow) it’s got a damn addictive chorus with an infectious beat!

Number 4: “Bite” by LEO Imai from Megalo Box.

The best OP’s can make you want to watch a show without even seeing a second of the show, or at least I’ve always thought so. As is the case with this track, it’s so damn 80’s and I love it! It also sounds so unique amidst all the other OP’s this season. Also, more cowbell.

Number 3: “Binary Star” by SawanoHiroyuki[nZk]:Uru from The Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These.

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so the band Starship ought to be blushing bright red if they ever heard this OP, either that or calling their lawyers. The chorus sounds so much like the 1987 song ‘Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now’ by Starship that I have to believe it was a loving homage. Regardless of the possible copyright infringement it’s also a beautiful song.

Number 2: “Merigo” by Cypress Ueno to Robert Yoshino ft. SKY-HI from Gurazeni.

It’s just so funky if the Number 4 pick was pure 80’s then this is the 70’s! But not in a dorky or uncool way, it’s just plain fun and I love every minute of it!

Number 1: “Growth Arrow” by OLDCODEX from Butlers x Battlers.

As I mentioned in my review for the first episode, I was struck by how much the vocalist for this sounds like the lead singer of one of my favourite bands ‘Poets of the Fall’ (despite them being Finland). And that’s something I just can’t help but love, maybe it influenced my decision to place this song at number one, but I stand by the fact that this is a rocking track and I happily proclaim it to be the best anime OP of Spring 2018!

I hope you enjoyed this list, let me know in the comments what you’re favourite opening song of the Spring anime line-up is! Coming up next week will be the Worst OP’s of Spring 2018!