Top 50 Anime of the 2000s, Part 1: #50 - #46

Post Links:

• Prologue
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
• Part 5
• Part 6
• Part 7
• Part 8
• Part 9
• Final Part

What do you think of the logo? Pretty snazzy, no?

List compiled? Check. List trimmed? Check. List ranked? Check. Logo created? Check. ArizUtaku's "Top 50 Anime of the 2000s"? Underway!


And here we go! Let's get this party started.

#50 - Natsume Yūjin-Chō

Based upon Yuki Midorikawa's manga of the same name, Natsume Yūjin-Chō is about a high school boy named Takashi Natsume who can see spirits. He inherits a book that once belonged to his grandmother Reiko that contains the names of many spirits. The spirits whose names are in the book are in a binding contract with the book's owner; and upon discovering this, Natsume decides to free the spirits by returning their names.

As you can probably guess, this is an episodic series. It is kind of "monster-of-the-week," though that isn't really the best way to describe it. I like to compare it to Mushi-Shi myself. Like Mushi-Shi, what makes Natsume Yūjin-Chō so great is its very laid-back feel. Natsume is a very laid-back kind of guy and his "sensei" Nyanko is the same way. Even the direction is very laid-back, to the point of perhaps being a turn-off to people who don't enjoy slower-paced series. However, nearly every episode of this series tells a good story. We get to know about each of the spirits and their human-like qualities and how they ended up in the contract in the first place. Also, the production values are very good. The artistry is very pretty, and the also laid-back background music and sounds add a lot to the atmosphere. The series is at its best when all of these elements are perfectly in sync during the many great emotional moments. Especially when one has become attached to the featured spirit of the episode. Not to mention Nyanko-sensei often provides some nice comic relief. All of this makes for a fantastical, very involving series with some laughs on the side.

You know you are getting a "Top 50" list off to a good start when a series like this one is ranked at #50. Natsume Yūjin-Chō is such a wonderful series indeed.

BroEl's thoughts:  A very impressive way to top off a top 50 indeed.  Natsume Yujin-Cho ended up being one of my top favorite series of 2008 and is still currently up there as one of my more favorite recent series overall.  Though I personally have to admit there was actually a lot that turned me off about it, what I ended up loving about it in the end more than made up for what turned me off.  In fact interestingly enough a lot of what I didn't like about it at certain points actually eventually turned out to evolve into be a major part of what I ended up absolutely loving about the series.  That more laid back feel about it that made it's direction style and overall atmosphere kind of dull I really felt made things kind of uninteresting and boring at some points in the series.  But in the more emotionally involving and engaging moments, and really just some of the more light-hearted moments where it couldn't have flowed more perfectly was actually where that very feel that grabbed right onto my heart and never let go.  Essentially I would say that probably what did it for me for the most part is exactly how much I feel I can identify with Natsume and how much he reminds me of myself in a lot of ways.  In some ways he actually even looks like me, strangely enough..... But a good portion of it ended up being just it's sheer ability to tell a very beautifully touching story overall.  In the end, definitely a very highly recommended series if you can handle that more laid back feel.

#49 - Ninja Nonsense

I'll say it straight-out: Ninja Nonsense is an absolute riot at #49!

Shinobu is a ninja-in-training. There's just one problem: She is an extremely naïve and is the student of a perverted master! While on a mission to steal the panties (yes, panties) of high school girls, Shinobu is caught in the act by Kaede. The two quickly become friends and soon become caught up in many a misadventure.

The entire series is nonstop, raucous, parody fun. Onsokumaru (the yellow guy at the bottom of the image) is the "perverted master," and his shameless perverseness is what drives the series. He and the other male ninja in the dojo (who all look identical, by the way) never quit when it comes to taking advantage of Shinbou's naïveté. Thankfully Kaede is there to stop them, but even so the antics of the male characters in the series never cease to be hilarious. Though many of the jokes do fall flat and even get repetitive towards the end of the series, the jokes that do work will often leave you literally rolling on the floor laughing. This happened to me so many times while watching this series that I had to either have the wherewithal to pause the DVD while laughing, or simply rewind it when I was finished laughing. This series has to be commended for its confident writing when it comes to the humor. Many of the jokes are just so bold that you may literally hear yourself say: "I can't believe they put that in there!" It's a really great, woefully underrated series for viewers who can stand very perverse humor.

#48 - Ouran High School Host Club 

Moving from one parody to another, Ouran High School Host Club is #48 on the list.

Haruhi Fujioka is a poor, tomboyish girl attending a school that is inhabited majorly by the hyper-wealthy. One day, she stumbles across the Host Club, but shatters an expensive vase while trying to leave. In order to pay for her debt, she initally is forced to do odd jobs for the Club. However, the boys in the Club don't realize at first that she is a girl, and decide that she could be an asset. Haruhi becomes an instant sensation and the Club members even decide to keep her own after discovering the truth regarding her gender.

This is a series an anime fan of any gender can enjoy. How it plays up common shojo tropes and pokes fun at them makes for a truly amusing show. Each of the male characters is a parody of the usual character archetypes found in shojo manga and even certain female characters fall into this category. Also, how the series makes usage of the heroine Haruhi's androgynous character design adds yet another layer onto the humor, amongst other things. This is a perfect example of an anime that must be seen to be believed. While the rushed ending leaves a bit to be desired, overall this is a fine example of parody done right.

#47 - Aoi Hana

At #47, Aoi Hana is the most recently produced anime on this list, and the only 2009 anime to make the cut.

Fumi is a shy, bookish, lesbian girl who had her heart broken just prior to her freshman year of high school. Around the same time she encounters Akira, a close friend from 10 years ago who is attending a different high school. Fumi soon after enters into another relationship with an upperclassman from her school.

This is a series that badly needs a sequel, however I am very happy with what was animated. For one, the production values are stunning. The animation is terrific, and the watercolor backgrounds are outstanding. The low-key music adds the perfect extra element to each scene it is used in, and Kenichi Kasai's (Honey and Clover, Nodame Catabile) skilled, yet sensitive directorial hand elevate this series into the top tier. Not only is it the best yuri anime I have never watched, it is one of the best romance anime I have ever seen period. It is such a heartfelt portrayal of the importance of relationships with such endearing characters that I just had to include it on this Top 50 list. Sure, the relationship of Fumi and Akira is never really developed and plenty of things are left unresolved in the end; but I don't care all that much. This series hit such a chord with me emotionally (this is coming from a straight guy, mind you) that I couldn't help but love each and every nanosecond of it.

#46 - The "Ef" Series

For #46, I am going to cheat a little bit and talk about two closely related series: Ef - a tale of memories and Ef - a tale of melodies. When it all came down to it, I couldn't chose one over the other and I didn't want to waste an extra slot on the list, so I'll use one slot for both. This won't be the only time I do this either.

Ef - a tale of memories plot summary (from ANN): The anime revolves around two protagonists, Hirono Hiro and Asou Renji. On Christmas Eve, Hirono Hiro meets a girl named Miyamura Miyako who was chasing a purse snatcher. Hiro later finds out that Miyako also goes to the same school as he does and they start hanging out together. This made Hiro's childhood friend, Shindou Kei, feel left out. Kei then tries to compete with Miyako for Hiro's affection and a love triangle ensues. The anime also tells the story of Asou Renji. Renji meets a girl named Shindou Chihiro at an abandoned train station. He soon learns that Chihiro suffers from a type of amnesia where her memory span only lasts for 13 hours. He also discovers Chihiro's dream of writing a novel, but she has never been able to fulfill that dream due to her condition. Renji then decides to help her fulfill that dream.

Ef - a tale of melodies plot summary (from ANN): The anime once again tells two stories. The first story takes place in the past. Himura Yuu meets a girl, Amamiya Yuuko who seems to know him, but he doesn't know her. However, he soon remembers that she was a girl whom he knew from long ago. Yuuko then tells him something which he never knew. He was her first love since then, and her first love has not ended yet. The second story takes place in the present, just after the events of ef - A Tale of Memories. Shuuichi Kuze meets the cousin of Aso Renji, Hayama Mizuki and spends a lot of time with her. Unknown to Mizuki, Kuze had contracted a fatal illness and has little time left to live. Kuze had decided to break all romantic ties, but things go bad when Mizuki tells him that she loves him.

Kind of a lot to take in, no? That's why I opted to copy and paste the summaries over typing out my own version of each. These posts are already taking up enough of my time as it is!

Anyway, these two melodramas are some of the most emotionally and mentally draining anime you will ever watch. Each story contained within these two series do a superb job of getting you attached to each of these characters. You may feel to urge to cry when something heart-wrenching happens, and you'll be overjoyed when something uplifting happens. Both series are intense roller coaster rides from start to finish with numerous emotional and mental twists, turns, drops and rises along the way. Couple this with highly stylized animation, tons of onscreen text, and gorgeous artistry and you have an anime that screams for an requires your undivided attention. Some problems with this series are the fact that it is very moé, over-stylized at times, and all the onscreen text is a bit of an annoyance to read; but I still love both series to death nonetheless. They were able to suck me in to their little world and get me to fall in love with them in spite of my misgivings, and for that they are to be commended. If these series were ever to be licensed, I would almost die of happiness. Almost.

Whew! That does it for Part 1 of ArizUtaku's "Top 50 Anime of the 2000s" series. Look forward to Part 2 next Thursday!