Note: Notice the title says I've Finished Reading/Watching. That being hinted,there will be a lot of things like "Naruto" - things still being published - that will not be included. This is a list solely for series that have already been completed. While I will try to avoid including anything that has already been on a list, I apologize now if I end up doing so anyways. Sometimes it just kinda happens with these things.
I realize that some of these listed are both an anime and manga but I'm only listing which version I've finished of each. So no, I didn't forget.
Final warning ... some of these may have spoilers. And I can't add an actual Spoiler tag in so ... read at your own discretion.
#15: Bible Black (Anime)
Yes, I'm very serious. Considering it's a hentai, it's one of the few that actually has a story. That in itself is honestly impressive. Usually it's far too much sex and smut for almost no reason than to include it. But there was a point to it in "Bible Black". The downside? I'd have to say most of the characters, really. Almost none of them I overly liked or could somehow relate to in any form or fashion. So since that plays a major role in a lot of my decisions, it's this high. But it was overall a good series and thus it gets included regardless.
#14: Lilim Kiss (Manga)
I don't recall what drew me to this off the top of my head. Probably the title ... it made my head tilt and piqued my curiosity. So I wound up reading it. And honestly, it turned out better than I'd expected. But I wouldn't say enough to want to re-read it a lot. Recommend to others? Probably but I can't admit it's one of those books/mangas you get so drawn into that you want to read it repeatedly.
#13: Dragonballz (Anime)
This was one of the very first fandoms I found. And likely, it's the same source most others in America used; Cartoon Network. The characters were awesome, some of the best cast for the most part in fact. But what really kinda irked me ... was the battles. The scenes were great, don't get me wrong. But oh dear gods, when an arc started, it took forever and a year to finish up. Like just to actually finally kill Cell or any of the villains ... oh my gods. So unnecessarily long; and most of the antagonists had cheap tricks that just weren't needed. At times the plot just got really weird or overly silly ... but all in all, DBZ was by far one of the best animes I've seen.
#12: Death Note (Anime/Manga)
This would definitely be much higher up if it weren't for the fact of where it lost my attention the most. And that was when they killed L. L and Light made the best antagonist team by far. To say I was infuriated that they actually killed L off is an understatement. More than that, none of the others really had as much charisma or a sense of influence like L did. Near ... meh. He was smart like L but ... I personally found him slightly difficult to take seriously as a character. Mellow .... sometimes I don't even understand why he was included. It felt like just to fill in empty space and given his character had potential, that seems kinda unfair.
Personally, if someone had to die, I kinda wish it'd been Misa. Yes, she was the second Kira but .... she was horrid at it! She got caught like moments after meeting L! The hell? You don't deserve that title if you fuck up that badly. And I'm sorry, but I have a thing where people are made as fangirls that really bother me because let's not bullshit ourselves; that's what she mainly was. A big fangirl of Kira. And ... true, she had good reason compared to others but just ... ugh. Still not enough to redeem her.
But the overall concept and plot - having the power to kill anyone whose name enters a book - and seeing how they deal with it ... it's honestly a good one. And especially with me being an advocate for justice, this fit really well.
#11: Sailor Moon (Anime)
This was either the first or second series I began watching on Cartoon Network. It had a more unique take on 'the superhero approach' for me, as that's one of the harder things for me to get into. I think also the fact that the casts were like Batman - being mere humans when not transformed and thus not overly insanely powerful kinda added a bit of a touch. Superheroes tend to be given far too many abilities and ... that kinda ruins it. A few things here and there is fine but when you can be almost immortal ... no.
But these were five girls [in the beginning, I know more show up] who were just normal high school girls. And true, some didn't immediately take up their role .. which honestly was kinda a bonus. As a realist, I like seeing that some were more hesitant because of the realization of what kind of life it would lead to. Most others don't even think on that, they just kinda accept what they're given. And even if you have the capability to endure almost anything, that's still kinda stupid in my mind.
I won't lie ... as a feminist, the all-girl team was kinda a bonus. But I would have liked it if they had more males in the protagonist side ... which leads me to one of my major cons. I kinda wish they had more than just Tuxedo Mask on/allied with Sailor Scouts. And I mean in the beginning. Actually .... more allies overall, regardless of gender.
But when all is said than done, there were far more good things about "Sailor Moon" than bad ones.
#10: Absolute Boyfriend/Zettai Kareshi (Manga)
It's like the reverse of "Video Girl AI" -- something I need to reread one of these days. I definitely could relate to the main character, feeling so unaccepted by others. And yes, it's kinda selfish that she gets her wish in the form of a gift - essentially 'the perfect boyfriend' - but hey. Sometimes, good people shouldn't finish last despite the saying. Admittedly, it's hard to further elborate on this given it has been a while since I last read it but from what I do remember, the plot was really well done. It had it's share of heart-warming and heart-breaking moments and kept the characters true to their personalities.
#9: Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (Manga)
It had a "Gundam Wing"-like feel to it which was one thing that got my attention. The other? A mix of CC and the power she gives Lelouch. Yeah, 'unique eyes' have been direly overdone, not gonna lie but this was done somewhat differently. Or at least from what I saw, this hasn't been copied too much. The ability to make eye contact with someone and order them to do anything is both intriguing - to me - and equally terrifying.
But much like Light from "Death Note", Lelouch got too carried away with this power. And it honestly bothered the hell out of me. I know it's common for people to get obsessed with power, especially when it's new to them, but I wish there was a sense of self control in more fandoms. That's something that is definitely repeated far too much and after a while, it gets too predictable and annoying.
#8: Elfen Lied (Manga)
One of the most saddest things I've ever read! It puts Shakespeare to shame in some aspects, dear gods. Lucy .. that poor girl. I don't like that they made her a 'forced villain'. In fact, that kinda bothered me slightly. They could have kept her as a protagonist with Kouta and if anything, the main person against others like Nana and Papa. But .... I wasn't the author so not my call.
This is also one of the bloodiest and heaviest content of nudity in any manga I've read. And given the characters look like even preteens could read this ... eek. Not recommended. In fact, it'll likely drive one into a depression or terrify them.
This is definitely one of the few fandoms I'd recommend being over sixteen to read and that's minimum age. Just because for it what is, it's incredibly extreme.
The only other thing that I didn't like? Kouta's cousin, hands down. If anything, her and Lucy should have switched with their alliances and how much she tried to ruin Lucy's life. She was just far too much of a bitch ... wish she'd died rather than Lucy. Definitely deserved it more.
#7: Waltz Wa Shiroi Dress de/Waltz in a White Dress (Manga)
Yeah, I know. This was in my underrated fandoms but hey, I apologized for repeats. Besides, this is the first time --- okay second --- I've done so. Not like it's been overdone [yet].
But this really was not only underrated - a major shame - but one of the best love stories. In fact, it's disappointing with how few people know of it. And given I finally made a list on myanmelist.net, I do know it's ... literally not as much as it could be. According to it's page, it has 665 people who have added it, myself included.
So ... not even 1000. Damn, that's low. I'm pretty sure most of the other items on my list have at least 1000.
The setting was by far interesting, one of the best aspects. It was also ironic slightly. Despite being set in the future, it almost sounded like they brought old traditions with them. The main girl knows that once she gets wed, pursuing her dream of being a tailor will be useless; something that really isn't heavily enforced nowadays but was about 400-600 years ago, depending on where you're talking about.
I don't know .. all of these may just be my views. I am, as my list may hint, a sucker for romance so .... it may just be me.
#6: Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro (Anime)
Demons are usually stereotyped to do anything but help out humans. And the fact that Neuro did - in his own ways and yes for his own reasons - helped break that tradition. Demons aren't definitely seen being nearly analytical or thorough in thinking as most tend to just jump to instincts.
That plus the mystery genre caught my attention with this series. I loved being able to watch and try to figure it out. It actually reminded me of the old "Clue" books I bought years ago, read along, and saw about solving the mystery. This, though, was ten times harder ... added a nice challenge factor because of that.
The characters themselves - main and/or side - are really likeable. I like that further along, they did actually include a major plot and not just keeping it to mysteries. They were nice and all to solve but it would have been more difficult to keep my attention without any storyline.
My biggest con? Not enough episodes. I kinda wish they'd added a few more. But for the ones that were included, they were very well done and memorable.
#5: Yu-gi-oh!, Yu-gi-oh GX, and Yu-gi-oh 5Ds (Anime):
It wouldn't have seemed fair to put all three in separate spots so they're all together. I purposely left Zexal out. I saw enough of a couple episodes that I just felt ... ugh. The characters actually drove me away from Zexal and usually that's what grabs my attention first. So when it created opposite effect .. yeah. Not a good sign for me.
Among other things, I was always a huge Ancient Egyptian fan. So ... you can guess what appealed to me when I saw the first Yu-gi-oh! the most. This was definitely one of my first other fandoms I saw on TV, like "Sailor Moon" and "DBZ".
The characters got better as the series went on; at least I think. The cards ... I sometimes wish they didn't make them overly insane in power, especially some of the fusions and synchros. But again, I'm not the author/creator, not my call.
If you had to ask me to pick one ... I honestly couldn't. They all have their good points about them; setting, characters, both. I do like that GX focused more on the Academy setting compared to the other two. 5Ds .. I like that it took to a modern-ish setting and really matured. I mean hell, you got duels on motorcycles, the possibility of cops coming after you .... yeah. 5Ds was actually pretty mature in those aspects. Also, people actually died in 5Ds ... like permanently.
In the other two, it was more like 'vanish' or comatose at worst. No no, with 5Ds .. it was actual death.
#4: [Mobile Suit] Gundam Wing (Anime)
I put the "Mobile Suit" part as it was because it was more commonly known in America as "Gundam Wing". But since that is it's official name, it seems fair to include the whole thing.
This was another of my early fandoms but it was definitely the first sci-fi like genre that really got my attention. And given nothing since "Star Wars" had done so in like 7 years ... that's a hell of a feat to do.
Just like with "Sailor Moon" and the lack of men there, this had the same with women. It would have been awesome to have more female pilots especially though characters overall. But aside from that, the combat scenes were some of the best - in or out of space. But there were more in. Also, the battles were balanced, never too drawn out or shifting around too much from person to person like it tends to in other series.
My personal favorite Gundams were by far Epyon and Wing Zero; and no just because of the pilot for them. In fact, my favorite pilot was probably Chang Wufei with Heero as a very close second.
#3: Chocotto Sister (Anime)
This is one of the few non-romance heavy things I've listed here, actually. But to make up for that was Choco herself. I admit the plot was slightly rocky as it was more of a day-to-day following of her and Haruma's new life together. But there was still something about it that really appealed ... probably how the characters were done. This was another short series ... although in this case, it did end at a more appropriate time. This is also the only one without combat [I don't count verbal fights] or an actual villain .... which kinda adds onto it.
It's probably able to be found on other sites to watch but me and my husband watched it together when it was on NEBS TV last year.
#2: Angelic Layer (Anime)
I really wish the actual game would somehow be made. I'd gladly play it ... yes, I don't how childish that sounds. It honestly is one of the better thought-out concepts, especially because of the technology it needs to make it work.
While the combat was between only the Angels, it was still pretty intense at times and executed really well.
Even better than the plot and characters, in all honesty, was how the game was designed. It was literally made so anyone - children, teenagers, adults - could play it. And frankly, something that could be universally created for pretty much any type of person ... it's not an overly common theme that's seen much, in fandoms or real life. And that's a good reason I wish they'd actually make the game, aside from it looking very fun.
#1: Katekyo Hitman Reborn! (Manga)
Much like "Sailor Moon", Tsunayoshi Sawada is incredibly hesitant on taking up the role of the Judaime [Tenth Leader]. And it isn't just because of his age - though that may have been one factor they didn't mention - but his insecurities. Yet, they show him throughout the entire manga growing up, steadily maturing and adapting to the idea of becoming boss of the Vongola family. It's one of the best character developments on this list.
Again, the men to women ratio is ... so-so. It's not the worst by far, but I do wish more women would have been included directly in the Vongola family/mafia, rather than most being civilians and side characters.
This is also one of the few fandoms that has very balanced and well-timed combat scenes. They don't go on for too long or switch around too much, as I mentioned under "Gundam Wing". Or if it is altered on whom it focuses upon, it's at least not overly confusing to keep up with.
KHR! also has it's very fair and good share of diverse characters. From the unsure of himself and known as 'No-good' Tsuna to the carefree Takeshi Yamamoto to the devoted right-hand Hayato Gokudera ... there's a good amount of the cast that I honestly enjoy. There are few people I can say I even really dislike.
In fact, the only one I can immediately say is Haru. She's too fucking clingy with Tsuna; and he clearly gives hints that he does want space from her, let alone that he's not interested in her. But she's probably the only person I can admit to disliking.
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