The Gunslinger45's top 10 Favorite Anime Series

Since Guap has let, I am doing my part to fill the Anime gap. I admit I have not sought out any new titles in years and I prefer to pursue other interests. And while I have not seen anime on the levels of others, I have seen my fair share. Be fore warned though, my standards for anime series are more lenient then films. Which some will argue are not that high I am sure. So pull up a chair and enjoy my favorite anime series!

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Fear and Loathing in MoFo... The Gunslinger 45's Top 50 Favorite Films

In the 10 Ring: Gunslinger45's reviews

Gunslinger is taking over the anime fanboy reigns? Am I in the Twillight Zone or something?

Cowboy Bebop, Dragon Ball Z, and Attack on Titan are the only anime series I've watched anything from. I know Bebop is going to make your list. I kinda want to watch some anime now.

I thought I would have to take the anime reigns. Thanks gunslinger for filling the void.

Guap will be back in a week.

10.



This choice for me is less a choice of character and story and is more of an appreciation for the setting and visual aesthetics. While certain characters were fine like Revi, Rock, and Belladonna; others were pretty bland. But the animation was very well done, particularly with the combat scenes. The combat is very lively, very intense and gives a giant middle finger to physics and proper combat tactics. Center of which is Revi “Two Hands” with a pair of Beretta M9’s which seem to have black holes in the magazines and leaps around with the grace of Spider Man, but the blood lust of John Wayne Gacy. But last I checked I watch anime to be entertained. If I want proper combat tactics and drills I’ll go back to the US Army Infantry. Gun play, piracy, explosions, criminal empires, set in a fictional modern day Tortuga, and filled with so much smoking it could have been sponsored by Phillip Morris? Sign me up!

In addition to the fantastic combat, there are plenty of movie references in this movie. From Peckinpah, the Coen Brothers to that one guy I am not a big fan of but everyone else loves. If this peaks your interest have a ball!

9.



Here is a series that has a REALLY unique and very… Japanese premise. And not really in the best way. Okay so we have three people who are for whatever reason transported from what is supposed to be our world into a fantasy setting. There are elves, magic, witches, and runes. And the premise of the show is that the three travelers (Airi, Junpei, and Ritsuko) are trying to get home. The only way to get home is to collect the runes to a spell. And all the runes… are on the skin of Elf Maidens. So they travel the land in a Soviet tank to get elf women naked.

Japan I know you have made way worse, but seriously what the hell? And before Minio gets the wrong idea, this is not very kinky and the premise is played up for laughs.

So yeah we have a Judo expert, an award winning Hollywood actress, and a Japanese School girl / gun nut traveling through Middle Earth in a Soviet Tank trying to get elf chicks naked like a perverted George S Patton! In fact I am not uncertain the Manga the series was based on might have been a fetish passion project. So why do I like it? I thought it was pretty damn funny. I must emphasis that I thought the dub was way better. Even if some of the jokes were pretty dated.

Also, it has my favorite opening theme of any series.

Just like when Guap lists anime stuff, I have not heard of any of this.

8.



Holy crap this is a VIOLENT anime! And I mean violent even by anime standards which should really say something. This is set in a fictional medieval realm with knights, social classes, castles, kingdoms, and demons. Where Those Who Hunt Elves was a light hearted comedy, this series was dark and brutal. The series revolves about a mercenary named Guts. A man in the same vein as Conan the Barbarian (the Arnie movie not the books); big as a mountain, great with a sword, and all he knows is combat. He joins a group of mercs called the Band of the Hawk lead by the very charismatic Griffith and his 2nd in command Casca. They begin their rise to fame and prominence as mercs. All the while fending off the politics of the realm, the kings court, and some themes about purpose, ambition, arrogance, and interpersonal relationships.

The first 21 episodes are FANTASTIC! But the ending SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCKS! Yeah I know this was adapted from an ongoing manga and is only one part of the story, but the note they ended it on was terrible! Now it was not Evangelion bad in that the creator had a nervous breakdown during production and the production values went to Hell bad. More like the ending to The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug bad. The way the story is going it is set up to continue and start another chapter, and then the series just ends. In addition I REALLY did not like the subject matter that was a much stronger theme in the Manga. If I watch this series over again, I actually skip the last few episodes.

Well prepare for some familiar stuff in a second. We are about to have the Toonami run of the list.

7.



Okay now for some titles I am sure people have heard of. I first got into anime thanks to Toonami and to a series that comes later on this list. But this was another big series for me as a teenager. Interstellar politics, war, giant robots, and more than a few awesome characters.

Set in the future where space colonies are formed, the colonies wish to declare their independence from the Earth government run by OZ. While still under OZ’s boot, 5 colonies construct 5 Gundam mobile suits. Far superior in quality to normal mobile suits, and piloted by 5 superiorly trained teenaged soldiers. Sent in a plan called Operation Meteor, they drop to Earth to fight the forces of OZ.

We also have some additional side plots, but the story and mobile suit combat are the forefront of the series, particularly the 5 Gundams as well as two additional Gundams that are introduced later on in the series.

Love giant robots fighting? Watch this show!

Also There was a movie called Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz and it was great. As is the song White Reflection. ENJOY!

6.



If you are at all familiar with the show Firefly, this show is sort of a companion piece to it. Both shows revolve around the crew of a space ship who work as odd jobbers. Some jobs are legal, others not so much. Each crew member has a unique and distinct personality, they are lead by a lovable rogue, both have a certain space western field to it, a heavy Chinese influence, and their stories revolve around a mysterious young girl who is discovered in a preservation chamber. In fact one particular shot that shows up in both shows in the first episode has raised many accusations from the internet that Joss Weadon ripped off Outlaw Star. And while I see the similarities it is far from a clear cut rip off. But that being said Outlaw Star is a very different show. Along with space travel we have elements of magic, pirates, and deals with a lot more existential themes then Firefly. And for the record, I also like Firefly a lot more.

Either way the shows follows Gene Starwind and his crew as they travel the universe in search of fortune and glory, but bite off more then they can chew when "Hot Ice" Hilda and bio Android Melfina join up. Now they have to pay the bills as find out just were Melfina came from and what her purpose is for. It is a lot of fun, got a few laughs, and quite a few fights on the ground as well as in space.

5.



Ah Dragonball. DBZ, only smaller. I actually got into the show not through Toonami, but when I bought the series on DVD. And this series should be noted for one VERY unique reason. With most anime's I listen to the dub. Which is sacrilegious to say to a hardcore otaku (hence why I say I am a casual fan). But for Dragonball I prefer to listen to the original Japanese with the subtitles for one reason: they get away with A LOT more in the original Japanese then the dub. Blame the US censors.

Dragonball is more light hearted and childlike then Dragonball Z. Where DBZ is a lot of fighting, energy blasts, and screaming; Dragonball has more comedic elements to the show. And since Master Roshi has a bigger role in this series that means more of his pervy goodness. There's more asking Shenlong for women's panties, getting Roshi a hot chick companion before he will train Goku, and a lot more toilet humor. Which makes sense since the more childlike setting means more childish humor.

But like it's sequel series there is martial arts. LOTS of martial arts and more then a story lines with tournaments.

4.



Yeah ya knew this would show up eventually. This was the show that was my anime gateway drug. And while I did say the Toonami block of shows started me watching anime, I got into DBZ on the WB network. Right before Kids WB on Saturday mornings began, the WB network played episodes from the Funimation contracted Ocean Studios dub. I got through the first season of DBZ one episode a week before they started playing episodes on Cartoon Network during Toonami. And that is where I got my fix, only now it was one episode a day for 5 days straight. But these episodes were now done by Funimation in house dub, hence why Vegeta no longer had a more high pitched raspy voice, and we got the badassry of Chris Sabat.





It was a great show to watch as a teenager. The seasons seemed to get better and better. Or so it seemed. I admit the series for me peaked with the Cell saga. And while I am probably in the minority who actually liked the continuation of the series with Gohan as the lead, I also did not care that much for the Buu saga. But the series as a whole is great. Big fights, big explosions, and just big fun. And yeah the show has flaws. But we as funs loved it anyways. And it also gave us the brilliance that is the Dragonball Z Abridged web series!

3.



This was a title I actually got introduced to through Comcast on demand of all places.

The show’s premise is in the near future (at least at the time of its release) there is an explosion of technology that 10 years prior, was considered science fiction. But now mobile suits called Arm Slaves are a normal part of the military game. This is due to individuals called the Whispered, who for whatever reason they have the ability to have incredible insight into various scientific fields. And those people are sought after by major power players. A Japanese high school student named Kaname Chidori is one of the Whispered, and she is a target of a terrorist organization and the mercenary group Mithril are charged with ensuring Kaname stays safe. Enter one SGT Sousuke Sagura, a teenaged soldier who has literally been fighting in war since he was 5. He got his start fighting the Soviets when they invaded Afghanistan, and has turned this combat experience into a pretty good career. On the battle field he is exceptionally skilled in both small arms and with an arm slave, and at work his is extremely professional. But now he has to guard Ms Chidori undercover as a high school student. And since he has never set foot inside a Japanese school before, it goes without saying he has zero civilian social skills and no concept of a normal life. For example: he finds that his school shoe locker has been tampered with. Unknown to him, a love letter was put there. His solution? BLOW S*** UP!

So he must now try to blend in at his school (badly), protect his new subject, and occasionally engage terrorists in combat. The series runs the course of three seasons. The first sets up the premise as an action series with comedic elements, the second season is a high school romance drama with a HEAVY emphasis on comedy and gunplay, while the third season returns to the mecha action, but ups the ante with a suspense thriller angle. Overall the series was really good and the second Season Fumoffu I still consider one of the funniest things I have seen period. With more then a few references to war movies. Like when they referenced the Boot Camp stuff from Full Metal Jacket. Except they were training for a Rugby game.

That's pretty good. Do drill sergeants really talk like that in boot camp?

It's too bad Guap isn't alive to see this.

Oh hell yeah. Some of my favorite Drill Sergeant sayings I experienced in Fort Benning:

Good job DICK (which is an acronym for Dedicated Infantry Combat Killer)

Holy f*** Private!

You are wronger then two boys f***ing in the back of a church on Sunday!

Is that all you got?

IT IS JUST A LITTLE RAIN! QUIT CRYING!

YOU BETTER UNF*** YOURSELF PRIVATE!

Where are the broke DICKs? (Injured Privates)




And my favorite from DS Lane:

Okay privates, you p***ed me off. My wife already told me she loved me today. I don't need to go home.

Ah Drill Sergeant Lane. I miss that demented Chilean leprechaun.

2.



Anyone who was paying attention in the MoFo Top 100 TV show Countdown knew this was going to show up. Cowboy Bebop is a series well known even to casual fans and non fans of anime alike. And thanks to Adult Swim, the world got to experience the series. Though I admit I was late to the game with Cowboy Bebop since it come on late at night when I was in college, and I went to bed early. But when I got to watch it on DVD, I was hooked.

The aesthetics of the show are phenomenal, the animation is fluid and in such fantastic detail. And this is a show where the dub is actually deemed okay to like more than the original Japanese audio. Yeah, it is that good. The music is great, the story is great, the characters are fun, and plenty of movie and music references.

The only one I've seen so far is Beserk and a little bit of Dragon Ball. Liked the former; didn't the latter.