Ever wondered which anime could steal your heart and command a spot on your all-time favorites list? Prepare to be transported to worlds of adventure, nostalgia, and gripping narratives as I unveil my top 10 animated loves, from the underrated battles of 'World Trigger' to the iconic shards of 'Inuyasha'. We're not just reminiscing about first loves here; we're revisiting the thrill of the hunt for the Shikon jewel shards and championing the virtual reality combats that make 'World Trigger' an unsung hero in the anime realm. And for those of you who shared childhood moments with Kagome and Inuyasha, get ready to stir up some warm, fuzzy feelings.
But hold onto your hats, because the anime train doesn't stop there. Join me as I tackle the 'three-episode rule' with the mesmerizing narratives of "Soul Eater" and the emotional rollercoaster of "Diamond no Ace". Let's not forget the magical bonds of "Fairy Tail", where friendship and power reign supreme. And for the long-haul fans, I'll be making a case for the epic journey of 'One Piece' and the sci-fi genius of 'Steins;Gate'. Remember the digital monsters that taught us about courage? Yes, 'Digimon' makes an appearance, proving that some friendships—just like our favorite anime—stand the test of time.
Ever wondered which anime could steal your heart and command a spot on your all-time favorites list? Prepare to be transported to worlds of adventure, nostalgia, and gripping narratives as I unveil my top 10 animated loves, from the underrated battles of 'World Trigger' to the iconic shards of 'Inuyasha'. We're not just reminiscing about first loves here; we're revisiting the thrill of the hunt for the Shikon jewel shards and championing the virtual reality combats that make 'World Trigger' an unsung hero in the anime realm. And for those of you who shared childhood moments with Kagome and Inuyasha, get ready to stir up some warm, fuzzy feelings.
But hold onto your hats, because the anime train doesn't stop there. Join me as I tackle the 'three-episode rule' with the mesmerizing narratives of "Soul Eater" and the emotional rollercoaster of "Diamond no Ace". Let's not forget the magical bonds of "Fairy Tail", where friendship and power reign supreme. And for the long-haul fans, I'll be making a case for the epic journey of 'One Piece' and the sci-fi genius of 'Steins;Gate'. Remember the digital monsters that taught us about courage? Yes, 'Digimon' makes an appearance, proving that some friendships—just like our favorite anime—stand the test of time.
Hey there and welcome back to rival reviews. Um, so this week I thought that I would just go nice and simple. I realized that a while back well, not a while back, but like the first few Episodes I did like favorites in certain genres and different Like categories of anime and stuff like that, but I never like actually focused on Doing like my favorites of all time. So I thought that this week what I would do for fun is that I would just go through my top 10 I've made myself a top 10 list here and basically give like a little kind of Background as to what the show is about and what it means to me and why it's on my top 10. I thought that just be something cool to do. So, without further ado, I think what I'll do is that I'll go from 10 to 1 you know kind of like a watch mojo stylist desk kind of List and go from there. So, number 10 I Decide to go with world trigger.
Speaker 1:Now I find that this anime is actually kind of underrated. I do know that obviously, like it is like a Shonen, so a lot of people do know about it, but I don't hear about it a lot Now. Granted, now I know that it hasn't had a new season of anime, I think in the past two Years, something like that, but I actually started watching this one just because I came across it and I read what it was about and I was like, huh, I've never watched this, I'm gonna watch this. So, essentially for those who don't know what earth trigger is, basically earth is under a constant threat from mysterious interdimensional beings called neighbors, an organ organization known as border recruits individual. Sorry, an organization known as border recruits individuals with triggers to defend humanity. The story follows protagonist yuma kuga and his friends as they join border to protect the world from otherworldly invaders. That's like a very, very like broad, I guess, description of it. What I like about this the most especially is kind of the idea that so basically what these people do is that they join border and Then when they go to face these like alien things called neighbors, essentially they kind of boot themselves into like a virtual reality kind of room and a copy of themselves gets sent into the fight and so if the copy gets destroyed or whatever they're I guess consciousness is probably the best way that I can put it gets sent back to like the border HQ. So I thought that that kind of thing was kind of cool, especially because I believe I want to say season Well, season 2 and 3 kind of focus on like, kind of like, almost like a tournament style of like trying to like, like, so they can battle each other to rank up in border and then, you know, they get more missions or they get more importance in the in the HQ and the whole hierarchy of things the better that the rank is.
Speaker 1:So, like season 2 and 3 is kind of almost like a tournament where, like, they're all trying to basically get a spot on this expedition team, because this is the other part of it too. Is that like not only do the neighbors come to them, but they can then Go to where the neighbors are to kind of like I guess, kind of scout, so to speak. So obviously you have to be strong and so it's interesting that Like, like I said it's, I don't want to give too much away, but it's fun in a way, especially if you're a fan like I don't know about you, but a lot of the times if I'm watching it, anime and stuff like that, I Love tournament arcs. They're like one of my favorite aspects of any kind of show in anime and I just I find it like this one, especially because, like the the season 2 and 3, it's very well done. I I think it's and I, like I said, I don't think it gets the credit that it deserves. So if you're kind of into what I'm selling, I would give it a shot. I believe it does have a dub and a sub, so I believe that anybody who watches dubbed can also watch it.
Speaker 1:So number nine goes to in you Yasha. This is kind of an oldie, I well, I say oldie. I would say oldie to the new generation for sure, and especially those that might not know that there is like a, a spin-off, actually, like We've gone to the point where there's like a Boruto version of a new yasha as well, which is interesting to me. But for those who don't know what yasha is all about, gekome Higurashi is transported to the Sengoku period where she meets the half demon in you Yasha. Together they embark on a quest to collect shards of the Shikon jewel, while facing demons, making allies and exploring themes of love and destiny. Again, very blanket statement.
Speaker 1:This kind of made it onto my top 10 list, more so out of, I guess, nostalgia more than anything else. Like I can remember, way back in the day, you know, my sister and I would like Camp out in the living room because you know the time, the times that they were, you had to have access to the, the coaxial cable, to plug into the cable, to watch it on On what? I guess it would be on bionics at that point, on why TV? At like 9 pm. So we would camp out in living room because that's where the coaxial cable was, to then be able to plug it into the TV so we could watch our, our anime on Friday nights. It just it brings back in a very nostalgic feel and it makes it reminds me of good times, and it was also one of the first animes that I feel that, like I, actually like you, it completed the story from beginning to end and grew up with the show and all the movies and spin-offs and everything else. So that's why I give it so much importance and I had to put it on this list.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, like I said on this, this I did watch dubbed the entire way. So there is a dub, there is a sub, whichever way you want to watch it, and I believe it's pretty easy to find. I know, at least the first major half is on like things like Netflix and stuff like that, so it shouldn't really be that hard to find. And yeah, if you're into kind of like the older kind of stuff like this, this, this came out in the same kind of Timeline as well, at least when I was watching it. Like you know, it was back when you know Dragon Ball Z and all that was also playing on YTV. Yeah, I would give it a shot.
Speaker 1:So Number eight I gave to soul eater. Again, if you haven't watched it, this one's a fun one and I would say this is actually one of the first ones Further from, like, obviously, the original times, where it was very easy to find, because I believe I watched the whole thing on Netflix, so pretty easy to find, especially if you are, you know, not so much into watching subs but you want a night, a really good story to watch, dubbed. So, basically, this one in a nutshell students at the deep in my weapon Meister Academy, trained to create powerful weapons and Meisters capable of defeating evil souls. The series follows Maka Albron and her what her weapon soldiers soul, her weapon, her weapon partner soul, as they battle witches, collect souls and face dark forces threatening the world Again, very blanket statement, but it's colorful, it's fun, probably a bit more fan service than I'm Necessarily used to. So full disclosure there.
Speaker 1:But what I especially liked about this one is the first three. I find that this one follows really well with the Watch the first three rule that I always follow with anime, where if I don't like it after the first three episodes, I'm not gonna be invested. What I like about the first three episodes here is that, though Maka and soul are definitely v main characters, it's almost like there's like three kind of Subplots that all create a main story arc. So you have Maka and soul, and then you have Black stars and you also have death the kid and they, though they all kind of Do have their separate story lines. It is also nice to watch them kind of all encompass into the same story and kind of like Especially like towards the end of it they all intertwine very well Into one like solid story. So it's almost kind of like in this anime you're getting three anime stories instead of just one, which I found a really cool concept, which is why I wanted to put this on the list Again.
Speaker 1:Really cool fights, and I find a really cool kind of thought on. You know the idea that, like normally, you know, death is sinister and scary and everything else, but in this, like death is like this silly, like Principal character, and it's just it's. It's. It's very like I said, it's, it's fun. I would definitely give it a shot if you're looking for something new. If you haven't watched it, I would definitely recommend it. So what number are we at now? We are at number seven. So number seven I put diamond now ace or ace of diamond. So this one is actually probably one of the one of the first sports ones that I watched and realized how cool of an idea is to Almost take the inside thought process of what's happening inside an athlete's mind and Make it so epic that it becomes Cool in an anime style. Um, so In in in life, I'm a huge Baseball fan, especially of the Toronto Blue Jays, and baseball has always been a really important part of my life.
Speaker 1:So obviously, when I found out that there was a baseball anime, I had to give it a shot. And I thought to myself, especially before I started watching this, like how exactly is this going to translate? And is it going to translate? Well, and I was thoroughly surprised about how, because a lot of people especially Talk about and it's always bothered me too, obviously about, like, how boring baseball is to watch, and Especially if you don't understand the game. I can definitely understand that and I don't try to take that off the people because it's not for everybody.
Speaker 1:But what I found interesting about this anime is that I think it does a really good idea, really good like. It shows, like the importance to these characters about why they're struggling, why they're working so hard and everything else like that. So, but yeah, so, basically, just to give you the lowdown, sawamara, a passionate pitcher, joins the prestigious, you know, high school baseball team and the series chronicles his journey as he strives, becomes the team's ace pitcher, facing fierce competition and building camaraderie with his teammates, and and like, just like you see, like the passion and like how hard they're practicing and like I think that's the other part too like obviously the games are kind of like the most epic part and like they they do a really good job of like creating like the tension that people feel in the dugouts and and like the stress that you can feel when, like you're you know, your team is down by one in the bottom of the ninth and and it just it does a really good job in doing that. But what I also like with this one is that it also throws the importance of these players lives outside of the game as well and how the outside things can also like create Not only distractions but strengths as well inside the game, and I think it's really cool. And, like I said, if you're not really a sports fan or if you're not even a baseball fan, I think what I like about this anime is is that you don't have to necessarily have a very like thorough understanding of the game to just enjoy it and be able to see, like the, when they win, you feel like you win as well at the end of the day, and I think that that's a really Big thing that they do well.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, so number six I have fairy tale now a lot of people. Um, I've probably watched this, but just in case you don't know, this anime follows the adventures of Nazi drag kneeling, his friends in the fairy tale Guild. Together they take on a various missions, battle powerful foes and explore themes of friendship, loyalty and self-discovery in a magical world filled with wizards and mystical creatures. Now, this one Is Like very, you're very traditional shonen trope where, like you know, friendship is power, it makes you more powerful and, like your friends, as long as you're having friends with you, you can do anything you want, anything you can dream, and I think what this one does really well too is that it, it, it also has like a fun Array of characters.
Speaker 1:So, like, obviously, like, the main character is nazu and the main and the characters that you follow are obviously like his group that surround him. But you also get to learn a lot about all of the other secondary characters as well and you know, like, for instance, like for me, like, not like normally, like you know, the lead character ends up being like your, your favorite character, like some one-off side character or everything else, where Gray, who's actually part of, I guess, the, the, the main group of people, ends up being my favorite and the fights in this are phenomenal, the, the idea of the whole Magic guild, and then there's like different branches of study of magic and Everybody kind of has their specialty and everything else like that. It's, it's just fun, um, and it's it's a little silly, but it also has the seriousness when it comes down to it, like when it's important and even towards the end, I found that it actually got quite dark, especially in terms of, like you know, the bad guy and how he deals with things. And, like I said, I don't want to spoil anything, but it's it's a strong one and, again, this is one that I actually almost refused to watch subbed. It has a very strong dub. So, obviously, like I would, I would give it A shot if you haven't watched it and especially, I find that if you're a fan of very typical Shonen, this, this is an anime for you for sure. All right, guys. So I believe that that puts us to our top five.
Speaker 1:So number five for me I I had to put one piece, though I had to put one piece, though I've talked about it and I know that people are maybe gonna think that I should have this higher on the list, but If this is just where it landed for me, but I knew that it had to be in the top five, um, so I know I've already talked kind of everybody's ear off already in previous episodes about this, but just in case you don't know what one piece is Um, it follows our main character, monkey D Luffy and his diverse crew set sail in a search of the ultimate treasure, the one piece, luffy, who wants to become the pyrrhicang. The series is known for its epic adventures, unique characters and the pursuit of dreams in a vast fantastical world. I would say and that that was one thing that I definitely want to to nail on Is the world building when it comes to one piece is Outrageous. Like it is one of those ones, like we, as we all know that you know it's at over a thousand episodes now and everything else, and it it does a really good job of like something that you have completely forgotten about. Like 600 episodes All of a sudden comes back and it's the most important piece of information that everybody is has just long forgotten about, because it's been years Since it's been talked about. But then they bring it back in such a natural way that you go oh, my god, how did I not think of that? Like, how, like, how did that go over my head when it did? Um, something also has to be said to the fact that it has been running this long successfully. You can't argue with that. Um, so I do try to plead and I'll plead the case again.
Speaker 1:I understand that when you look at the episode count. It can be a lot and it can maybe put a lot of people off, and I think that that's the main reason why A lot of people do put it off is because they think it's it's it's too much for commitment and it is a big commitment, but it is a commitment that is worth it. So I, I Plead with you that if you have not watched one piece and you and you call yourself a shonen fan, you need to watch it. It is, it is worth it and it's it's amazing. Um, so this is where I start getting in trouble, because of ones that I'm going to put above one piece and I already know I'm going to get slacked for it, but there is an explanation.
Speaker 1:So, number four I gave it to sword art online. I Can already hear the uh and everything else, but hear me out. So, for those that maybe don't know what sword online is about, players find themselves trapped in a virtual reality mmorpg when death in the game means death in real life. The protagonist curio must navigate through various virtual worlds, facing challenges, forming bonds and uncovering the mysteries behind the game's creator. Now here's the thing. When I say that sword art online Is in the top five of my anime. What I truly mean Is that season one of sword online Is in my top five.
Speaker 1:I understand that people are going to talk about, yeah, but the thing with the sister and or cousin or I don't even know at this point, and that everybody thinks that the it's. I understand that it went off the rails a little bit. I completely understand. However, strictly speaking, about the first season and especially what it did for iskai, enemies out there and everything else like that, and the, the first thought process of the whole stuck in a video game world, everything else since doc hack sign in the past, I think it did such a phenomenal job in the job and the stakes and the relationships between Kirito and Asuna and it's just, oh, it was. It's so good and you know what I'll even go a step further that, yes, it kind of went off the rails there in the second season, but then I felt that after that like once we get to gun game online and and alitization and everything else like that, those seasons are really good too. It's just a questionable second season and you know what? I even enjoyed alfheim online. It was just the there was a little problematic stuff that happened in the middle that I try to ignore, but the first season especially.
Speaker 1:And again, I find that this one is also really important on my list because of a nostalgic feature, so to speak. You know I remember late nights being at my buddy's place that, like you know and there I've done this with a couple buddies were, like you know, three o'clock in the morning. I'm watching this anime and that's why I find it so important to me and it'll always hold a special place in my heart. So I understand that I has hate and I understand I might get hate for it, but it is number four on my list. Number three I put Steins gate.
Speaker 1:Now, I'm not really huge into the whole sci-fi aspect thing and I really did not think that I was going to like this one as much as I did, especially when I first started. It's not until the climax happens in this anime when I truly became almost addicted to needing to know what happened next. So for those of you that need a little were either a refresher or don't know what I'm talking about. So this is a gripping science fiction centered around a group of friends who actually discover a way to send text messages back to the past as they experiment with time travel, they become entangled in a complex web of conspiracies leading to intense consequences and emotional dilemmas. There is so much that I can say about this anime, but the hard part is is that I I do not want to spoil the verb, the the, the voyage. All I will say is the beginning.
Speaker 1:If you, if you are gonna watch this and you are, and you do want to give it a shot, you do have to get through the beginning. I find that the beginning is a little slow-paced in in retrospect to the rest of the show. But if you can get past, like the first little bit, I promise you the payoff is so much, it's so worth it. I do agree that the pacing at the beginning was a little much, but at the same time, once you get to after the climax, all of the setup is necessary and, like you'll agree with that, once you get to that point, like you'll, you'll understand why it need to be a slow burn at the beginning to get the payoff at the end. So, yeah, that's why it's number three, number two. Now again, people maybe say some things, but the number two, I put Digimon and I just I put in an encompassing Digimon. Obviously the original will always be number one in my heart, but the reason why I had to put this so high up on my list is because not only was it a huge part of my childhood, I think it's part of a huge part of the person who I am today.
Speaker 1:Now for those who don't know, just to kind of give a quick, I guess, a group of kids, along with the digital monster companions, are transported to the digital world. Together, they must overcome various challenges, fight evil forces and save both worlds in adventure series with the themes of friendship, teamwork and courage. And I think that that's the big thing that I always took away from this show. You know, you can just take it from the crests and everything else of all of the different traits that I think make a good person. You know you got courage, friendship, love, knowledge, sincerity, reliability, hope and love, and I don't know. I've always given the idea that as long as you have those things in you and you put importance in those things, you can be a good person. So I think it's kind of like a mixture of that and a mixture of the nostalgia and the fact that, honestly, I go back every couple years and rewatch it and I still enjoy it.
Speaker 1:I find that it's one of those I guess shows you can say were more targeted toward the kids that didn't like stuff. The whole Life lessons in your face, like. I find that like, especially like, for instance, like when you're watching one of the first little bit, especially the first season of the original Pokemon series, I find that I can't watch it anymore because it like is it's definitely more geared towards children and and it's it makes it Obvious. Where I find that Digimon doesn't do that as much and I find that what I've, what Digimon has done really well too, is that it's grown up with us as well. Obviously, I know that there are new seasons and everything else that maybe don't do that, but I think, especially like the peak time when we were watching it, the subject matter and everything else and kind of the themes grew up with us and I think it did that really well.
Speaker 1:Now, before I get to number one, because I had such a hard time creating this list, I wanted to give out three honorable mentions. This these weren't necessarily honorable mentions for number one, but just the wrong dimensions that I felt I could have put in this list, but I didn't. So number three I want to give it to Romeo X Juliet. What I found really fun about this one was that it's it's exactly what it is. It is the story of Romeo and Juliet. Now, for those who don't know me, I'm actually a theater major and Shakespeare was always one of my favorite parts of study. And then to kind of take like my real world Interest and what I took in school and what I studied and everything else, and then bring it to my world of anime watching and everything else, I found very fun and and very interesting in how they changed things in the anime from the classic, classic, classic, classic story of Romeo and Juliet. So if you know Romeo and Juliet as well as maybe I do and you remember, you know personally, I know I think every kid had to read it like great 10 English or whatever else, and you want to see what it could maybe look like animated. Honestly, I really enjoyed it and I did almost put this on the list.
Speaker 1:Number two I wanted to give to my hero, academia. Like I've kind of said in the past, I'm a huge Marvel fan and I find that this whole aspect of putting superheroes into An anime world with the quirks, or you know how I always kind of view them. I always kind of view quirks or kind of very similar to what mutant powers are for X-Men, and I love X-Men and the, my hero. Academia is already always given me that really big like X-Men, vibe Plus. The fights are crazy, the, the story is really good and everything else like that. But it's just it got beat out by so many other shonens but I needed to shout it out. And then the last one that I wanted to shout out before I bring up the number one is Car captors, or car captors occur if you want to talk with the Japanese.
Speaker 1:The reason I didn't put this on the list is due to the fact that I actually was more of a fan of the bastardized American version and I know people are gonna give me heck for that, but it was it. I grew up with it. It was like my childhood. It's a huge nostalgia piece. I love it. I still remember the old Americanized theme song by heart, even without music. It always puts a smile on my face. I've went back and watched it a few times and I didn't mind it either. I have also watched the, the, the Japanese version. Car Jeff car is here just to make sure that you know I actually got the story correct and yeah. So, like I said, I didn't put on the list, but I did have to shout it out.
Speaker 1:Now back to number one, even though this isn't gonna be a, you know, a surprise to anyone, my number one, all-time favorite anime, full metal alchemist brotherhood. I'm not sure what else I can say about this anime that I haven't already said in previous episodes, but I Find that this, what for one reason that this is my favorite, is definitely the rewatch ability aspect. I've lost count of how many times I've rewatched this show and Every time I enjoy it just as much. So I think that speaks wonders. But also, like I love the world, I love the, the, the idea of the show, the importance of. You know Self-sacrifice and the morality of everything, and you know the consequences of tampering with natural laws and you know trying to make up for that and the characters, the struggles that they go through, and Just everything is just to me just hit so powerfully that I enjoy it, no matter how many times I've watched it.
Speaker 1:And I think If you're gonna have a favorite anime, it should do all of those things for you, and if it doesn't, then it shouldn't be your favorite anime. And I guess, yeah, to just give a full thing for those who live under rock and don't know what it's about. It's anime fall but follows the Elric brothers, edward. Now fonts use alchemy in their quest to find philosopher stone to restore their bodies after a failed alchemical experiment. And yeah, just, I cannot speak any more positively about this show. You need to watch it. If you haven't already watched it and you're an anime fan, you should absolutely watch it. And that's all I could really say about it.
Speaker 1:I guess, just to wrap things up, what I am Currently reading is Adelaide. So essentially, this is, it's another kind of Shojo, is a guy kind of you know, second life, falls in love. It's, it's nothing new. It's a nice story, though I'm not really too far into it, so I don't want to give like a full opinion on it, but so far I'm, a couple chapters in them, enjoying it.
Speaker 1:And the last question and the last little bit, the question that I have from Last time, I'm trying to find it Right how much anime do you think that you've watched altogether? So, funny enough, I've actually gone ahead and made sure that my my anime list was Updated, so I know exactly, actually, how many I've watched. I'm sure I've missed some, but according to my anime list, I have watched a total of 396 different enemies, which translates to 10,244 episodes. So, needless to say, I've watched a lot. But yeah, let me know what you think about this episode. What do you think of my list? What's your list? Is there anything that you think that I have definitely missed? Or maybe your and your favorite may isn't on here, but maybe I've watched it and you want to know my opinion on it. Let me know all socials rival X reviews. You also email me me at rival X reviews at emailcom, and I guess I'll see you guys next week. Bye, bye, I.