20) Welcome to the NHK!
All of my problems and the plagues of society -- they are caused by the NHK! Welcome to the NHK is about a hikikomori (a shut-in for those illiterate in terms of moonspeak) and his perception of the world. He gets selected for a project that aims to slowly integrate him back into society. In the meantime, lots of hijinks occur involving the otaku lifestyle and the disturbed psyche of the main character. The absurdity of the main character in his thought process highlights a thoroughly engaging show that manages to balance both the hilarious and serious aspects of the situations he encounters. The cast itself is likeable, but they obviously take a backseat to the protagonist's development and clearly serve as tools to provide a commentary on one of the modern issues that affects the Japanese youth to this day. While other shows often treat serious topics with disrespect or melodrama, NHK provides a thought-provoking analysis in a ride that's sure to be unforgettable to anyone who takes the journey as a challenge and rides with the absurdity of it all.
Why I Chose It: Anime is often underestimated. The medium CAN tackle these types of issues with respect and dignity. NHK does not pull back on the punches -- it clearly illustrates how pathetic the lifestyle of a NEET/hikikomori is. However, at the same time, it never belittles the humanity of those who engage in the lifestyle. NHK is one-of-a-kind in that respect, which makes it quite the memorable show for me. Also, while it is tackling a very serious issue, that doesn't mean it can't provide all sorts of comedic opportunities. I mean seriously, how is a conspiracy organization involved in all of the world's problems not an opportunity for comedic gold when it's clearly only a product of the protagonist's delusional state of mind? In addition, it also provides a somewhat smaller commentary on the nature of otaku and how the mindset feeds into the shut-in lifestyle. NHK is just the type of show all fans of the medium need to see -- it's very applicable and practical and an extremely fun ride to boot.
19) 5 Centimeters Per Second
Perhaps the most critically acclaimed of the movies produced by the brilliant mind of Makoto Shinkai, 5 Centimeters Per Second is about the separation of two very close friends from one another, Takaki Tohno and Akari Shinohara. Before Akari moves, Takaki meets with her one last time to discover that both of them hold a deep love for one another... Alas, the two must part, but they continue to keep communication with one another as both the physical and emotional distances between one another grows as the years go by. The movie itself is separated into three distinct arcs that chronicle the different parts of their lives and how they cope with the distance. These arcs are done in a different type of perspective each time, so the style of the movie is unique and sets itself apart from all other romances. Besides the breathtaking animation that still astounds and amazes to this day, 5 cm/s masterfully conveys a story with brilliant characterization and depicts the realistic consequences of distance and its profound effect on the characters involved. While the pacing is extremely fast-paced to the point of rushing, the movie otherwise excels in all categories; it possesses a (ironically) real magic that helps set itself apart as a staple of romance in the entire medium.
Why I Chose It: 5 cm/s is a real enigma to me. The first time I watched it, I was deeply moved by its accurate portrayal of the effects of distance on relationships. The movie hits home for me because I've been in a numerous amount of relationships where I could not physically interact with the person I loved. However, upon re-watching it, I don't really feel much of anything. It's definitely a masterpiece in romance anime and storytelling, but for some reason I just feel nothing with each rewatch. It really began to hit me why after my last viewing though -- the outcome of my ventures was the same as one of the characters in the movie, something I didn't quite desire to register. I actually wanted to watch it with the first person I ever loved, but our time was up before I could ever ask her to watch it with me. There's a lot of personal and sentimental value in this one for me. I suppose regret is a big part of why I feel so defeated whenever I decide to watch it again. The reason why I keep coming back to 5 cm/s is simple -- I want to hope again like the characters do.
18) Hotarubi no Mori e
Hotarubi is a short movie about a young girl that visits an enchanted forest on her summer vacation only to find a spirit in the form of a young man in a mask. However, she cannot touch him; he will instantly vanish and disappear for good upon physical contact with anyone else. As the years pass, the girl continues to visit him and spend her summer vacations conversing with the young lad. Hotarubi is an excellent title involving a myriad of supernatural elements that serve as a backdrop to the engaging and heartwarming relationship between the two main characters. Despite the short length of the film, Hotarubi conveys the warmth of their sparse but meaningful times together with excellent pacing and superb characterization. The movie itself plays out very much akin to a fairy tale or a story passed down through generations, giving Hotarubi a nostalgic feel as the relationship between the two is examined. A small yet infinitely satisfying package, Hotarubi left me pondering and craving for more.
Why I Chose It: Hotarubi is a film I only recently had the chance of watching thanks to the recommendation of a close friend. The combination of her recommendation and the original author of the story propelled me to finally checking it out, and I was most assuredly satisfied. The relationship of the two main characters and their seemingly trivial yet meaningful conversations filled me with a fuzzy feeling of happiness and nostalgia; I found myself desiring a connection as deep as theirs with someone else. I was also astounded that even though the movie is really short (around 45ish minutes, give or take a few), it had amazing pacing and covered a lot of ground without sacrificing storytelling or optimal characterization. Overall, Hotarubi's charming characters and touching tale is something I'll never forget; the movie gave me hope in the midst of hard times, and for that I thank such a wonderful story.
17) Baccano!
I could never hope to summarize even a tenth of the plot of Baccano in even a short paragraph, so I'll try to keep this to relevant information: Trains. Mafias. Immortality. Survival. Mother'uckin' Ladd Russo! Baccano involves the tale of a transcontinental train and its passengers as they all fight either for their own agendas or merely just to survive. Baccano has incredibly satisfying action with elaborate gunfights and badassery all around. The show's method of storytelling involves multiple stories that span across years (even centuries), yet they're conveyed in separate chunks alongside one another in each episode. The atmosphere of the time periods is expertly shown in the music and interactions between the characters. Baccano excels purely in an incredibly diverse and effective cast with dozens of separate and unique identities. All in all, the show is an incredibly fun tale of debauchery and mayhem with characters that exude the show's awesomeness in general. I can't really sum it up in anything other than these words: Watch now!
Why I Chose It: All of the characters in Baccano are the definition of badass, pure and simple. Some of my favorite characters in anime period are in this show. I always have this goofy grin on when I get to see the one and only Ladd Russo wrecking the shit out of some goons merely for his own amusement. I also really dig the parallel stories going on within the overall show; it's not a new method by any means, but it works extremely well for the show. The immortality bit may be a bit tough for some people to chew, but anyone can overlook it after seeing the amounts of kickass action that rivals the upbeat flow of jazz in the show's musical score. It's the type of show one can turn their brain off to and simply enjoy for the fun it provides -- something that's often neglected in the medium. You don't need to be deep by any means to provide quality entertainment; I get the message loud and clear, Baccano!
16) Kanon (2006)
Once upon a time, there was an upstart company that decided to make its first visual novel and pretty much revolutionize the entire genre from that point on. The company's name is the infamous Key and their first work is known as Kanon. A few years later in the year of 2002, the visual novel garnered enough recognition for an anime adaptation. Too bad it sucked the big one; from what I gather, the 2002 adaptation has too few episodes and focused on all the wrong bits. Fast forward to the year 2006, a little studio by the name of Kyoto Animation decides to pick up Key's first work for a second run after their previous work with an adaptation of Key's Air, another visual novel that came after Kanon. And what do you know, KyoAni manages to work magic on their adaptation of Kanon and create something masterful.
Kanon is about a guy named Yuuichi Aizawa who is moving back to his cousin's house in an indiscreet city to attend school there. The last time he ventured there was seven years ago, and apparently he caught an amnesia of sorts -- he can't remember what happened back then before he came back home, but he gets the feel it was something important. In the meantime, he begins to encounter all sorts of girls "coincidentally" that may or may not be connected with his past. Okay, so the premise of memory loss and convenient plot armor may be a bit dated, but Kanon has a very heart-wrenching story with interesting characters and the right balance of comedy and drama. It also involves quite a bit of romance and has animation that's more beautiful than even some current shows. The adaptation itself follows the novel incredibly closely, so it's no wonder KyoAni and Key managed to create names for themselves respectively with the original and the adaptation together. The wintery atmosphere provides just the right touch for an emotional story.
Why I Chose It: Oh Kanon, we've been through a lot together, haven't we? I swear I've watched this show about six or seven times. Kanon is a great gateway romance/drama that encapsulated me from the get-go, so it's no surprise I find myself rewatching it the most; it was pretty much the first romance anime I ever watched extensively. I'm certain that I first watched it back near the end of middle school near the time it first started airing, so there's a lot of history with it. It's definitely a tearjerker though... I swear Key stuffs onions in their plots or something, because the waterworks occur involuntarily no matter how connected you are to the characters. While it may not stand up as much as I remember it to after gaining more experience on the medium in general, I still highly recommend the show for its devotion to the source material and the interesting characters. Also, it's pretty funny for a moeblob that prides itself on drama and stuff.
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