Hi fellow Otaku & Metalheads!
A little over a year ago, I put up a list for my top 10 old-school anime. Those are the older series that I hold close to me heart, and practically nothing has changed since then. That’s the appeal of old anime: the moment you watch even a single episode of a shows from the 90s & before, it will stick with you until the day you die! Today isn’t about old-school anime. This list is devoted to new anime. The anime of now (2000 & onward) so to speak. A period that is far more random & chaotic, with styles & tastes going all over the place. So lets not waste anymore time, and show you all my top 10 favorite new-school anime. Enjoy!
10) Bible Black Franchise (Clip)
If La Blue Girl was a infamous 90s hentai franchise, then the Bible Black franchise dominated the 2000s.
On one hand, it’s got some things that I like. The women look great, the animation is fine (Although I think a couple more years down the road, this might get dethroned by something better. Probably has already, but I haven’t noticed), the sex is intense, the characters can be interesting, and overall has a good story behind it. However, I didn’t like it as much as La Blue Girl, and I don’t think I will ever like it as equally as the previously mention series.
For starters, Bible Black has some of the most horrendously iconic voice acting. If you ever heard even a pinch of it, you’ll know that it is some of the most laughable dubbing for a hentai that’s ever been recorded (Although La Blue Girl is a pretty close second place). Secondly, some of the sexual content is a bit on the graphic side. If you’re not a fan of futanari, you’ll be annoyed by how much of it you’ll see. At some point a girl is inflated with water, and the main villainess (At the time, anyway) proceeds to make out of her while her victim is holding the water in (Don’t worry: you don’t see shit when the water comes out...for the most part). There’s even a point where there’s a virgin sacrifice, and there’s a lot of blood as a result of said sacrifice (If you’re squeamish about that kind of stuff.....walk away!!!).
With that being said, I can’t deny the allure of Bible Black. It doesn’t pull any punches with it’s story, sex, or it’s rather bleak nature. If you want a more serious hentai series to get your jollies off, then you can’t go wrong with Bible Black.
9) Rosario + Vampire (Clip)
In hindsight, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to put this show on here. After reading the manga, I found the show to be incredibly disappointing. Whereas the manga is surprisingly smart & has depth and emotion, the anime is basically a devolution edition, focusing mainly on the love-comedy and fan service, & throwing out a lot of what made the manga great. With that said, there is one reason alone why this is show is on this list.
It was 2007. During the fall semester of my time at college, I was still having trouble making friends, but I managed to get a couple at this point. One day, I was eating lunch in the downstairs hangout area, I noticed a girl sitting in a chair, watching a particularly fan-service anime scene. When me and my buddy Will came up to her and asked her what she was watching, she simply/shyly said “Rosario + Vampire?” I’ve been friends with her ever since.
8) Love Hina (Clip)
The sheer amount of blind, seething, juvenile hatred towards this show is absolutely staggering. My stance on Love Hina is this: it’s flawed. Not massively flawed, but flawed enough that it’s noticeable.
Now, I’ve watched the anime, and I’ve read the manga. The anime is good. It’s really good in fact! I can’t deny, however, that it’s got problems. For one, it doesn’t exactly follow the manga (I don’t have as much beef with this as others might), and the characters aren’t quite as likable as they were in the comic (A complaint I can agree with slightly). Secondly, the voice acting isn’t exactly perfect. Most of the characters sound alright, but there are at least 2 of them (*cough* Kitsune & Su *Cough*) that have garnered some hate because of how they sound. There are also a host of other things that people have nitpicked about this show, real or imagined, but I’m not gonna put them all here.
There are things I do like about this show. The animation still manages to hold up, the characters are likable, the voice acting has withstood time (Apart from the obvious), and it’s honestly just a simple & fun show. Nuff said.
7) Strike Witches (Clip)
If I ever do a “Top 5 Anime I’m Ashamed of Owning” post, this is sure as hell getting on there. For starters, all of the girls aren’t wearing pants. Secondly, most of the girls are a little underage (The youngest is 12, while the oldest two are 20). Third & finally, the fanservice sometimes can be a tiny bit creepy. There’s been some moments in both seasons where something dirty happens, and I’ve honestly squirmed in my seat a little. If there was any one positive thing I could say about this, it would be that it’s imaginary girls getting sexually glorified instead of real girls. Yeah that maybe sounds just as sick as the fanservice I just mentioned, but it’s the lesser of two evils.
Despite this, Strike Witches is an interesting show. The alternate WW2 setting is something that got my interest immediately. Secondly, the mix of real-world technology with magic is an intriguing concept, and lends itself to the story quite heavily. The animation is great, with each of the girls looking different from one another, in terms of both physical appearance & thought (Other shows in the past have had problems in this regard). The voice acting, while a little irritating at times, is good enough that your ears won’t be bleeding. If you don’t mind some questionable moments, then you’ll have a friend in Strike Witches. Still winning the war against pants!
6) Ground Defense Force! Mao-Chan (Clip)
If you hated Love Hina, you will absolutely loathe this series!
Let me just say this: Ground Defense Force! Mao-chan is cute. Undeniably, sickening sweet cute. This show has the kind of cute that would give you diabetes in an instant, and you’ll have to take insulin every single day to fight off said diabetes. Hell, even the “villains” of the show are basically giant cute animals & goofy looking aliens! With that said, I like the cuteness. The way I look at it, you need cute shows to balance out the serious shows, and this definitely belongs in the cute category.
The animation quality is once again typical Ken Akamatsu. It’s bright, colorful, and the characters look nice. The story is sweet & simple but a little emotional, and the voice acting fits the show. Ground Defense Force! Mao-chan is a good example of a fun, fluff series, and one you should watch at least one.
5) Tenchi Muyo GXP (Clip) & Tenchi Muyo Ryo-Ohki (Clip)
The sheer irony of this spot on the list is that I watched the both of these series before I ever laid eyes on the original OVA series. True, I did know a tiny bit about the OVA before I watched these two shows, but for the most part I knew nothing else about it. In the case of Tenchi Muyo Ryo-Ohki, it’s right after the events of the OVA, and there’s enough references to the original show that I wasn’t confused. As for GXP, it’s within it’s own world that I didn’t have to know anything about the OVA, but little bits & pieces show up from time to time to let you know that it’s the Tenchi world. Truth be told I find that it shows off the Tenchi world much more effectively than War on Geminar, but that’s for another day.
Both of these series are honestly good. If you want to see what the original gang is up to after the OVA, then Ryo-Ohki is your deal. If you want something that’s familiar yet different, then try out GXP. You won’t be disappointed either way.
4) Cat Planet Cuties (Clip)
This is by far one of the most recent shows on this list. Airing in Japan back in 2010, and coming to the United States in 2012, Cat Planet Cuties is one of the more interesting shows I’ve seen. Sure, there’s cute & sexy girls (Catgirls & otherwise), and a plethora of fanservice to boot. With that, this actually has things other than just fanservice & women.
There’s actually a bunch of stuff going on. You’ve got government & alien conspiracies, a story that actually has some depth despite the naughty moments, characters that have backgrounds (Not all of them, but enough to make the world interesting), and a fun & action-packed experience. Mixed with some nice voice acting & good animation quality, and you have a fun & quirky series. Bottom line: buy Cat Planet Cuties, watch it, and give it some loving pets!
3) Inuyasha (Clip)
Inuyasha & Love Hina should go on a date together. They should go on a date, and for the entire time, talk to each other about how often they get made fun of. Seriously, these two shows are some of the most targeted anime I’ve ever watched!
I can understand why Love Hina gets picked on, and I can also see why Inuyasha is made fun of. It went on for too long (Though it was finally completed with The Final Act), it wasn’t perfectly loyal to the manga, a fair amount of what was in the show was made exclusively for the TV series, and the characters could grate on people’s nerves. I can understand & agree with these complaints, but at the same time I’m a little more forgiving, and perhaps I’m a little impartial in this regard.
Back in 2005/2006, I was getting into anime more seriously than I did when I was in high school. I finally had the freedom to explore things that interested me, and Japanese cartoons were definitely high on the list. When I was with my girlfriend of the time, we went to the mall that was near where I live, and we were wandering around in the Best Buy that was there. I went to the “Anime” section of the store (BTW, the section now is laughable depending on which Best Buy in question you happen to be at), and spotted the second Inuyasha film. While the movie was a gateway, the series was the vehicle in which I traveled down the anime road I’ve been on.
I like the animation. I like the voice acting. I like the characters (Despite some of them that can grate on my nerves), and I even like the story, in all of it’s flawed glory. If you want something that’s just some nice action-packed fluff, you’ll like Inuyasha.
2) Comic Party Revolution (Clip)
When I was talking about Kekko Kamen in my top 10 old-school anime list, I talked about watching the trailer for the show. Well, there were a couple other trailers I saw, and the one for Comic Party Revolution was the second most memorable trailer. It’s goofy, laid-back nature caught my eye practically immediately. Adding to the irony of seeing the trailer for this
There’s been plenty of anime that explored Otaku culture. Some of them did a good job, but others were either too over the top, or didn’t have enough effort put into them. Comic Party Revolution strikes a perfect balance.
It has simplistic but nice animation, and the voice acting is equally simple & good, but it’s greatest strength is how it looks at Otaku culture. It treats the characters with a surprising amount of respect, it knows how to show the serious & silly sides of being a Otaku, and in the end it never takes itself seriously. There are plenty of Otaku culture focused shows, but if there was a definite series you had to watch, make it this one.
Before we get to my number 1 new-school anime, I wanted to give you some of my Honorable Mentions in this category. Shows that, while very enjoyable, just didn’t make the cut. Maybe it’s because of the story, or it’s voice acting, or whatever other reason comes to mind. With that said, here they are:
HM1) Bleach (Clip)
- I often find myself switching Bleach with Inuyasha, and Inuyasha with Bleach, on a constant basis. I’ve found that the two shows share a lot of issues with one another: fluff composes a fair part of both shows, stories can drag on from time to time, and characters can sometimes be grating at times. At the same time, Bleach & Inuyasha also have good points too: when the action kicks in it’s great, there are good stories once in a while, and characters can have their good moments. Both of this shows are very commercial, but if you can get past their faults, then you’ll find some easy shows to watch.
HM2) Monster Musume: Everyday Life With Monster Girls (Clip)
- I took a look at this series a few months back with my review of the show, and just a couple weeks ago with my 1st “Anime or Manga: Which is Better” article. I still mean it when I say that Monster Musume the anime was treat to watch. Maybe a little more flash in the pan than the manga, but it’s still very entertaining. A simple & lighthearted story, humorous & fan-servicey, and filled with nice characters you won’t forget. If you want your harem anime a little different than most, Monster Musume: Everyday Life With Monster Girls is for you!
HM3) HaNaYaMaTa (Clip)
- Iiiiii didn’t want to put this show in the honorable mentions sections. I really didn’t. If you recall back to the early days of this blog, I flat-out gushed about this series. In fact, I gave it a 9.5 out of 10! Practically everything in the show works. Story was great, characters were cute yet flavorful, and the overall mood was a nice mix between silly & emotional. The only reason HaNaYaMaTa got put here is because of a lack of dubbing. A silly reason, perhaps even childish, but it’s the one thing that holds this series back from getting onto the main list.
1) XXXHolic (Clip) & Chobits (Clip)
If there’s any flaw that can be had with XXXHolic, it’s that I don’t find it to be a very accessible show. It’s very serious, and often dark & morbid nature, can really be a turnoff for some people. With that said, I really like what I saw. I found the animation style to be very artsy, and I normally don’t like artsy things. The voice acting really fits in with the show, as they sound like people you’d meet in the street. The characters were a treat to watch, as they were all pretty likable What I really like about XXXHolic is that it’s in it’s own universe. The original manga crossed over with Tsubasa frequently, and didn’t really feel like it was it’s own thing. In this show, it was pretty much on it’s own, although there were plenty of references to other shows. A nice mix of funny & serious, if I do say so myself.
As for Chobits, all I have to say is that the moment that I watched the first episode, I was immediately hooked. I’m not kidding!
I liked the nice but simplistic animation. I liked the story, and how it mixed serious & silly practically seamlessly. I liked the characters, as there was nobody (Except maybe the bad guys) that I didn’t like. I liked the intro song, and I’m not normally a fan of Japanese music. Hell, I even liked how they used the fan service, as it was never too over-the-top, but never too underwhelming either. To put it simply.....BUY THIS SHOW!!!
So this was my top 10 favorite new-school anime. I hope you liked what you saw, and maybe you’ll find something here you haven’t seen before. See all at the beginning of next month, when we’ll examine a two-headed metal overview. See you soon!
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If you’d like to take a look at my top 10 old-school anime, check out the link below:
My Top 10 Anime: Old-School Edition
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