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Reviews~
First impressions~
Anime-related thoughts~
Favorite anime:
1. Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler)
2. Mushishi
3. Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo
4. Yuri!!! on Ice
5. Space Brothers
- Created By KyraChan
Top 20 Anime
Last year I did my Top 10 Anime, so this year, with a wider selection to choose from, I'm doing my top 20 anime! Keep in mind these rules I've placed: ...Top 10 Worst Backstories
Rules:
- One per series
- Must take place before the start of the first episode
- Not only judged by initial suckiness, but on how it's portrayed.
Obviously spoilers abound in this list, so here are the anime in which the characters come from in random order:
Naruto
Psycho-Pass
Another
Soul Eater
Kuroshitsuji
Deadman Wonderland
Fullmetal Alchemist/FMA:B
.hack//SIGN
Angel Beats
Elfen Lied
Hellsing Ultimate
Jigoku Shoujo
Honerable Mentions
Seras Victoria (Hellsing Ultimate)
I- She- ..I don't even want to talk about it. If you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about. Or at least you should >.>
Nobuchika Ginoza (Psycho-Pass)
Watching first your father and then your best friend become "criminals" and ruin their lives because of things out of their control has gotta suck.
10. Minatsuki Takami (Deadman Wonderland)
Usually in life-threataning situations your mom protects you as best she can. But she got to watch in horror as her mom chose to try and save a potted plant over saving her. This one's particularly devastating, because it's her mother.
9. Enma Ai (Jigoku Shoujo)
There's a reason why I chose her for the "Beautiful Tragedy" challenge. Her backstory is beautifully tragic. Just not enough to make it higher on the list.
8. Yuri Nakamura (Angel Beats!)
That's... a really disturbing way to have your brothers die, that's all I gotta say.
7. Mei Misaki (Another)
It's sad when a character isn't loved by your mother, but when a mother treats a doll like its their child and their child like its their doll, then it's tragic. Add in the death of your twin sister and, well.... voila.
6. Crona (Soul Eater)
Back on the subject of your mother not loving you, but this time, she also makes you kill people. And manipulates you.
As most of you know, I freakin' love Crona, and as none of you know, I freakin' hate Medusa. Crona's backstory is a major contributing factor to both these things.
5. Tsukasa (.hack//SIGN)
It's one thing for a parent to simply not love you, but to abuse you to the point of very nearly killing you? Geez. You know, I still love Tsukasa even though I haven't talked about him for quite a while.
4. Alois Trancy (Kuroshitsuji II)
*shudders* Eesh... You know, if I had my way Alois's would be number one, because his is the backstory I'm most sensitive about. Most people consider Alois to be a sadistic brat, but his backstory more than justifies it. Besides, I find his sadisticness... endearing.
3. Gaara (Naruto)
A while ago, a friend and I got into an argument about whether Naruto or Sasuke had a worse backstory, but, in my opinion, Gaara had a worst backstory than either of them. He has both the aspects in Naruto's and Sasuke's backstory; perpetual lonliness (Naruto) and (supposed) absolute betrayal of the one you trust the most (Sasuke).
2. Lucy (Elfen Lied)
Some might think Lucy deserves to be first, and she might very well deservenit. After all, her backstory is horrific, brutal, and absolutely tragic, and it might've made me cry for about an hour straight. Still, there is one, (well, two) backstory that is worse than all the others.
1. Elric Brothers (Fullmetal Alchemist/Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
Okay, it could be considered cheating putting two in one spot, but because one brother's experience cannot be examined individually without including the other brother, they're together.
Now if there's a character who has experienced hell, it'd be these two. There's no doubt that what they experienced is disturbing, devastating, and life-changing. Every day is a reminder of what they did and what they've experienced, and why they must stay together. I freakin' love these two, and you probably do, too.
Top 10 Background OSTs
After discovering that July is "Top 10 Month" for BlackCriticGuy, I decided to have my own "Top 10 Month", starting with this list.
Rules:
- Only 1 OST per series
- That being said, each OST may have "mini-honorable-mentions" of other OSTs from the same anime, mentioned in passing
- Cannot be an OP/ED in any form (Sorry, Lilium)
- If you don't like it, make your own list.
Honorable mentions:
Little Busters (FLCL)
When I think of an iconic song from the climax of an anime, I think of this. This rock song carries the same awesome craziness that the anime has. This, along with "Ride on Shooting Star", are my favorite songs by The Pillows.
Despair (Naruto Shippuden)
You know, if I could, I probably would have put something more along the lines of "Naruto's Entire Freakin' Soundtrack", but, only one song per series, so.
I could have picked plenty of other songs from Naruto to fill this spot (Man of the World, Sadness and Sorrow, Hinata/Neji Theme, Orochimaru's Theme, Akatsuki's Theme), but I picked this one. Why? Because this song has close ties with one of my favorite arcs and two of my favorite characters. Not to mention the sadness and beauty in the song itself. In the end, it works as a great representation of the music in Naruto.
The World (.hack//SIGN)
From the first few melodic lines of this song, I knew .hack//SIGN was going to have a great soundtrack, and I was right. Great enough, in fact, that I had a bit of a struggle choosing this song over others (Fake Wings, Aura), but one thing kept me coming back to it: the lyrics. All the lyrics in the .hack//SIGN songs are beautiful and have deep meaning, and this is the prime example of that.
10. Standing in the Sunset Glow (Now and Then, Here and There)
You know, I hated putting this song so low. This greatly represents the beauty of the anime it's from, there are just other OSTs that are... better. Still, it's a powerful and emotional piece, and deserves its spot on this list.
9. Deja View (xxxHolic)
You know, I almost chose "Lost Memory" over this one, but while "Lost Memory" has an emotional feel, this song just carries the gentle atmosphere that xxxHolic has. It's not trying to be dramatic, it's just letting its simple beauty shine through. It's a beautiful, sentimental piece, and that's what makes it great.
8. The Story of Yomiyama (Another)
Ah, horror anime. This song is a definite gem in the Another soundtrack. It's intense, has a great climax, and a creepy beginning to boot.
7. Soundtrack 8 (Detective Conan)
You know, I originally meant for this to be an honorable mention. Then I realized- this song is really good. The Detective Conan's soundtrack is a great one, and this song is no exception. It has a dark, suave, almost noir feeling to it that perfectly reflects the anime. And as a fan of slow jazz, I simply had to include it on this list.
6. Madder Sky (Code Geass)
I had originally planned "Stories" from Code Geass in here, but then I realized just how epic this OST is. With an intense ostinato and a soaring fanfare, it shows how great a compisition can be. Not to mention it features the two main instruments I play :B (Trombone and French Horn). In the end, Madder Sky definitely deserves its spot on the list.
5. Brothers (Fullmetal Alchemist)
Probably the most iconic song from either FMA or FMA:B, this OST is simply beautiful. With the lyrics being a heartfelt dialogue between Ed and Al, this makes it emotional in both music and meaning. Although I prefer Vivc Magnogna's version, the original version still has the emotional punch that any other version has.
4. Light's Theme (Death Note)
Death Note has a great soundtrack, no doubt about that. Plently other soundtracks could have made the list (Death Note Theme, L Theme A, Mello Theme B), but I choose this one. It perfectly represents the calculating motions in L's head, and includes such aspects as a hard edge and a beautiful side. Its mixture of themes make it an amazing OST.
3. Jigoku Nagashi (Jigoku Shoujo)
Picking a song from this anime was near impossible. It was a three-way tie between this song, "Kouma to Rouba to Shouko" and "Aki ni Somaru". I decided to go for the most influential song, and ended up with this one, as it is the song that plays at the climax of each episode. It's no surprise, considering the intense beauty of this song.
2. Youkuso! Hitori Bocchi (Welcome to the NHK)
There are plenty of songs from this anime that represent its simple melancholy (Gusui ni Tarasu Tsui Ito, Hitori no Tame no Lullaby, Kyou wa Yuuhi Yarou), but this one takes the cake. Both the melody and the lyrics bring about a sense of depression with an odd sense of hope. It's an emotional OST for an emotional anime.
1. The Slightly Chipped Full Moon (Kuroshitsuji)
I had always considered Si Deus Me Relinquit my favorite song from Kuroshitsuji, but when I discovered this, it blew me away. One of the biggest things that I look for in an OST is beauty, and if there's an OST that deserves to be called beautiful, it's this. The lyrics, the melody - everything about it has beauty to it. Add it on to the fact that it's the theme to one of the most tragic characters in anime, and it makes it the top OST in anime.
End
