Top 50 Anime of the 2000s, Final Part: #5 - #1

Post Links:

• Prologue
  
• Part 1
  
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
• Part 5
• Part 6
• Part 7
• Part 8
• Part 9

We've made it. The tenth and final chapter of ArizUtaku's "Top 50 Anime of the 2000s" is finally here. Before I begin with the final 5, however, let's recap titles 50 through 6 of this illustrious list.

50 - Natsume Yūjin-Chō & Zoku Natsume Yūjin-Chō
49 - Ninja Nonsense
48 - Ouran High School Host Club
47 - Aoi Hana
46 - Ef - a tale of memories & Ef - a tale of melodies
45 - Black Lagoon & Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage
44 - Hellsing Ultimate
43 - SaiKano
42 - Hajime no Ippo (First Season)
41 - Franz Kafka's A Country Doctor
40 - Ponyo on a Cliff by the Sea
39 - Last Exile
38 - Baby Blue
37 - Le Chevalier D'Eon
36 - Kino's Travels - the Beautiful World: Byouki no Kuni -For You-
35 - Paprika
34 - Princess Tutu
33 - One Piece: Omatsuri Danshaku to Himitsu no Shima
32 - The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (First Season)
31 - Honey and Clover & Honey and Clover II
30 - Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu
29 - Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo
28 - The Twelve Kingdoms
27 - Den-noh Coil
26 - Gurren Lagann
25 - Eve no Jikan
24 - Planetes
23 - Monster
22 - Kino's Journey
21 - Fullmetal Alchemist (2003)
20 - Moribito - Guardian of the Spirit
19 - Paranoia Agent
18 - Ghost Hound
17 - RahXephon
16 - Tokyo Godfathers
15 - Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex & Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG
14 - Shigurui: Death Frenzy
13 - Wolf's Rain
12 - Toradora!
11 - Spirited Away
10 - Mushi-Shi
9 - Baccano!
8 - Haibane Renmei
7 - Millennium Actress
6 - Mind Game

Seeing all of these titles together just blows my mind. There really have been a lot of terrific anime this decade, haven't there?

Now, without further ado, let's count down the top 5 anime of the 2000s!

#5 - Pale Cocoon

At #5 is the melancholy but powerful Pale Cocoon, which is the finest work to date from writer/director Yasuhiro Yoshiura.

Plot Summary (from ANN): A future where the continuity of history has broken off, a world of enormous ruins that continues endlessly. Oceans and continents have vanished, existing only within the archives brought up from the remains. Ura works in the Archive Excavation Department, which restores and analyzes the data left behind. One day, he finds a disturbing visual record...

It's amazing what one can accomplish in a mere half hour of film and Yoshiura really achieved something very special with Pale Cocoon. He's since proven that he is definitely a master of the short story with Eve no Jikan, but Pale Cocoon was the anime that put him on the map for me.

This very melancholy short film had a profound effect on me when I first watched it, and I am sure anyone else who watches it and "gets it" will also have their eyes opened to the genius that is Yasuhiro Yoshiura. Everything he's done has been great, but Pale Cocoon is by far the best with its piercing and poignant message. That said, I doubt any short anime film will top this tremendous piece or intelligent cinema. Well, maybe Yoshiura can top his own work, though it will be very difficult.

#4b - The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

Leaping into position at #4b -- Wait, what? 4b? What the heck? -- is the wonderful The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. (I'll explain the 4b/4a thing momentarily.)

Plot Summary (from ANN): When 17-year-old Makoto Konno gains the ability to, quite literally, "leap" backwards through time, she immediately sets about improving her grades and preventing personal mishaps. However, she soon realizes that changing the past isn't as simple as it seems, and eventually, will have to rely on her new powers to shape the future of herself and her friends.

This is another one of those movies that will always hold a special place in my heart, being the first Mamoru Hosoda film I ever watched. It is such a charming, heartwarming movie that was expertly directed by one of the best anime directors of this generation. Its simple message of accepting the regrets of your past in order to move forward and become a better person becomes quite powerful in Hosoda's hands, especially given the whimsical nature of the first half of the film before the darker, more hard-hitting later stages of the movie take over. Makoto struggles with the consequences of her time-traveling actions (she'd been cleaning up certain aspects of her past and had lost focus on the bigger picture) and eventually realizes that very thing -- that you can't dwell on the past, all you can do is move forward. This is something we all should do, no matter how hard it may be.

#4a - Summer Wars

Taking up the other half of the #4 position is Mamoru Hosoda's most recent (and arguably his best) film, Summer Wars.

Plot Summary (from ANN): When timid eleventh-grader and math genius Kenji Koiso is asked by older student and secret crush Natsuki to come with her to her family’s Nagano home for a summer job, he agrees without hesitation. Natsuki’s family, the Jinnouchi clan, dates back to the Muromachi era, and they’ve all come together to celebrate the 90th birthday of the spunky matriarch of the family, Sakae. That’s when Kenji discovers his “summer job” is to pretend to be Natsuki’s fiancé and dance with her at the birthday celebration. As Kenji attempts to keep up with Natsuki’s act around her family, he receives a strange math problem on his cell phone which, being a math genius, he can’t resist solving. As it turns out, the solution to the mysterious equation causes a bizarre parallel world to collide with Earth, and it’s up to Kenji and his new fake family to put reality back in order.

I watched this superb film after I had already began on this project, and so I was forced to turn this into a "Top 50 + 1" list because there was no way I was going to leave out Summer Wars. How could I leave out what overtook The Girl Who Leapt Through Time as my #1 favorite anime film of all time? Problem was, I'd published a few posts already, meaning I couldn't really go back and change them. Because of this, I decided to split the #4 slot into "4a" and "4b." Seeing as how the two films are somewhat related, and how I also love them almost equally, putting them in the same slot works well enough.

For my thoughts on Summer Wars, look no further than my recent write-up of the film.

#3 - FLCL

Guitar-bashing its way to the #3 spot is FLCL.

Plot Summary (from ANN): Naota is a normal Japanese 6th grade boy (although a little cynical), but when his older brother leaves for America to play baseball, his brother leaves his homeless 17 year old girlfriend Mamimi behind. Mamimi is sending mixed signals and advances to Naota, and he doesn't know what to do about her. But to make matters worse, Naota's world is totally turned upside down when he is run over by a woman on a Vespa. During their first encounter, she hits him over the head with her guitar, which then causes a horn to grow out of his forehead. She calls herself "Haruko" and her presence changes Naota's life to even further insanity.

The word "wacky" doesn't even begin to describe this 6-episode OVA series. More like "insane" when it comes to how offbeat and rambunctious it is. Still, in the middle of all of the craziness and sometimes even annoying over-the-top silliness is quite the expertly-told (yet still odd) coming-of-age story. If one focuses on Naota and what he's going through internally with a level-headed perspective (don't get too caught up in all of the mayhem), it is easy to see all of the metaphors and other things that drive the storytelling. Once one digs deep enough, it's really quite amazing just how well thought-out the entire series is.

While this is a commonly told story, FLCL goes about telling it in a most unique fashion. The characters, while many of them are certifiably insane, they are still are quite fascinating to watch all the same. Especially during the low-key moments pigeonholed in-between all of the mania. This show, while haphazard and even seemingly directionless at first glance, has a beating heart tightly wrapped up inside that once found, is one that resonates with most anyone.

#2 - Texhnolyze

The series that just barely falls short of the tippy top is Texhnoylze at #2.

Plot Summary (from ANN): In a man-made underground society, descendants of a banished generation vie for control of the crumbling city of Lux. Ichise, an orphan turned prize fighter, loses a leg and an arm to satisfy an enraged fight promoter. On the brink of death he is taken in by a young woman doctor and used as a guinea pig for the next evolution of Texhnolyze. With his new limbs, Ichise is taken under the wing of Oonishi, a powerful leader of Organ, an organization with some hold on Lux. As Ichise is drawn deeper into a war for territorial control of the city, he learns of his possible future from the young girl prophet Ran, who guides him from the shadows in his darkest times. With the explosion of the warfare, Ichise must uncover the truth about Lux and fight for his survival as he realizes his destiny.

The best Yoshitoshi ABe series by far and screenwriter Chiaki J. Konaka's crowning achievement, I doubt there will ever be a series so intelligently written and directed in anime ever again. Konaka's insight into the workings of human nature is very impressive, and the series isn't that hard to follow either. Sure, it's dark and melancholy and not very optimistic either, but the story it does tell is fascinating and surprisingly relatable. When Konaka is on his game, his storytelling is really something to behold, as is the case here.

It really is a shame though that Konaka is underpopulated as a writer. Just look at the ratings for his best works like Serial Experiments Lain, Ghost Hound, and also Texhnolyze. All of them aren't rating particularly highly, which is something that will always sadden me. Sure, Konaka's writing can be very perplexing, but that's precisely what makes his great. Cinema that challenges the audience is always the best kind. Being spoon-fed is nice, but many people (like myself) prefer to have to use my brain. Konaka understands this and is a man after my own heart as a result. Keep of the good work, my good man. I look forward to Despera.

Someone really needs to rescue Texhnloyze from Geneon's dead grasp, along with all the other Yoshitoshi ABe series. If the day comes when all of them are out of print, it will be a sad day indeed.

And last, but certainly not least is ...

#1 - Mononoke

Folks that know me well enough are probably not surprised one bit by Mononoke being second to none this decade. It is my most-desired license. If any anime company were to pick this series up, I'd be indebted to them for life. It is my #1 favorite anime series of all time after all.

Plot Summary (from ANN): "Mononoke" continues the story of the medicine seller from the "Bakeneko" arc of "Ayakashi [- Samurai Horror Tales]," as he continues to face various dangerous spirits.

This series is absolutely incredible. While I watched Mononoke for the first time, I kept telling myself: "Now, THIS is why I love anime." This is one of those rare anime in which I was completely enamored during each and every millisecond of the experience. Though it may not be quite as ambitious or even as complex as series beneath it on this list, Mononoke has something that the others don't: The Medicine Seller.

Man alive, he is the coolest, most badass anime character period. I'm not ashamed to admit I have a man crush on him. He dresses sharply, he has ice-water running through his veins, he has bizarre (but also very cool) speaking tics, he's a bit of a pimp; heck, he's got it all. He's even voiced by Takahiro Sakurai! Director Kenji Nakamura is a freaking genius for creating such an awesome character.

My endearment with the Medicine Seller aside, each story arc of this series is quite compelling. Not only do each of them challenge the audience to keep up with everything, the presentation is second to none. The stories are fascinating enough, but the art direction and design are both stunning. If you thought Gankutsuou was stellar, well I'll tell you that it has nothing on Mononoke.

Though Mononoke itself is disappointingly still unlicensed, thankfully Geneon did license Ayakashi - Samurai Horror Tales before they went under.  Bakeneko (Goblin Cat), the third and final arc of that otherwise unremarkable series was actually the original inception of the Medicine Seller and his "adventures." It is the only portion of that series worth owning, and you can still purchase the Goblin Cat DVD from The Right Stuf International for dirt cheap. Grab it while you still can.

Honorable Mentions:

Akagi, Claymore, Cross Game, Kaiji, Kekkaishi, Major, Ramen Fighter Miki

Wow, I can't believe it. At long last, this project has come to an end. What's next? Well, I have had so much fun doing this that I am considering doing a 90s-themed version (and possibly an all-time version as well). What do you readers say to that? Would you be interested? Even so, I'll definitely have to come up with more comprehensive, multi-post projects like this one. Thank you everyone all for reading and an ever bigger thanks to those who helped spread the word about this project.

This is Jay Gee, signing off for now.