#5-Digimon (1999-Present)
Even though many confused it for a more wild or extreme
version of Pokemon, Digimon: Digital Monsters has continued to prosper for over
20 years. Across several different sagas
the premise is mostly the same: A batch of kids get snatched to the Digital
World where they’re paired with their own Digimon, who are capable of
Digivolving into more powerful forms to fight dangerous threats. While the action sometimes spills into the
Real World, most of Digimons fun stems from the chosen Digidestined running
around the mythical Digital World, growing themselves as human beings as much
as their Digimon find ways to grow into more bad ass forms.
#4-.hack//sign (2002)
The Sword Art Online before Sword Art Online was a
thing. .hack//sign was part of a major
multimedia push to kick off the .hack franchise. Acting as a prequel to the video game
.hack//infection, Sign sees young Tsukasa logging into the new MMORPG The World
and subsequently becoming trapped within it.
Now Tsukasa, along with other players who can log out just fine (so it’s
not a complete SAO rip off), must find a way to break Tsukasa out while discovering
some dark secrets behind this mythical fantasy game. .hack//sign focuses more on character than
action, which can lead to an issue of very slow pacing. But it is a very thought provoking series
complete with one of the first memorable scores from composer Yuki Kaijura
(Fate/Zero). The game series might not
have succeeded as intended but this Anime still holds a fond place in Toonami
fans from days of old.
#3-Fushigi Yugi (1995-2002)
When Miaka Yuki finds a strange book in the library, she doesn’t
expect to literally be transported inside of it. Now Miaka finds herself at the center of a
quest to save Ancient China with a band of handsome warriors, all the while,
her best friend Yui Hongo, follows along as she reads the book. With a premise like that, does The Neverending
Story NOT come to mind? I’ve only seen a
little of this one but Fushigi Yugi continues to be fondly remembered for the
energetic chemistry of the cast and amazing romance between Miaka and
Tamahome. The series expanded into OVAs
and even a sequel series and is definitely worth a look if you wanna know why
people still cry over certain plot points even today.
#2-The Vision of Escaflowne (1996)
While trying to impress her high school crush, Hitomi Kanzaki
is whisked away to the world of Gaia. Here
she meets the Prince of a fallen kingdom and becomes the center of a epic quest
to save Gaia from destruction.
Escaflowne takes the typical Isekai Fantasy tropes and adds something
you wouldn’t expect: giant robots…nuff said.
Ok, there’s more than that. There’s
action, romance, political intrigue, family drama and a sweeping musical score
from the legendary Yoko Kanno herself (Cowboy Bebop). The Vision of Escaflowne continues to be one
of the greatest fantasy Anime of all time and surprisingly still holds up today. Tackle the Escaflowne movie at your own risk
(personally it’s a guilty pleasure flick for me).
#1-Inuyasha (2000-2010)
Kagome Higurashi discovers a portal to the past via a
well at her families shrine. Now she’s
on a mission to recover the shards of the shattered Shikon Jewel alongside the
wild, white haired half human/half demonic Inuyasha. This show is still great and a lot of
fun. The banter between Inuyasha and
Kagome still makes them one of the best couples in all of Anime. The action and music are amazing and always
epic. The supporting cast is timeless
and the adventure never runs out of steam.
Inuyasha’s popularity is so great that it’s finally getting a sequel series
later this year: Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon, focusing on Kagome and Inuyasha’s
daughter and her twin cousins. And let me
tell you…it might be one of the most anticipated titles of the year. Gonna be good to get back to the Feudal Era
again.
No comments:
Post a Comment