My Favourite Anime? A surprising complex answer :D
A question often asked between avid anime watchers is “what is your favourite anime?”. This is always met with varying answers and reasons. And I know I am not the only one who has many favourites depending on genre, mood, aesthetics etc.
I just want to point out that this is a personal list, there may be anime on here that you don’t like, you may think I have missed an obvious choice but at this point these are my favourites but if you have suggestions please write them down in the comment section, you never know when I go over my favourites again next year, yours may be on the list :D
I have tried to choose anime from different sub-genres, some I take design inspiration from, some I just love because they are amazingly written and enjoyable to watch and some are nostalgic.
Let’s start off with aesthetics, well one side of my aesthetic choice since I can’t seem to stick to one. And that would be the classic Sailor Moon, the original that aired March 7, 1992, is so classically 90s in its animation, colour scheme and fashion choices. It’s an iconic anime that I think everyone has heard of at least, and we cannot deny how inspirational this anime has been in alternative fashion even now there is new merch coming out. There is a wealth of inspiration to be had from this anime the pastels, the cute bunny motifs, the Magical girl transformations, the list goes on and on. I loved this series when I was growing up, I watched it together with Dragon Ball Z (I have fond memories of watching this with my brother so it’s an honourable mention). This was the start of my lifelong love of anime. Its not just aesthetically pleasing to watch it also has a beautiful story about love and let’s face it Sailor moon even if she is a cry baby is pretty bad ass.
I am going to move onto an obvious one for those of you who follow me on social media, you will know that I am obsessed with Boku No Hero Academia, yes it has an incredibly toxic fan base, unfortunately popular anime often do. But it shouldn’t take away from the fact this anime is a great one. The main characters are well written with room for personal growth, they are flawed which makes them endearing, and the villains (mostly) you feel sympathy for. I like the subject matter too, heroes in training, I grew up watching X-Men, Spider man and all those other marvel cartoons so it’s also nostalgic for me.
From a design point of view there is a lot to take inspiration from, the Hero costumes are mostly very graphic in design and have memorable symbols and colour schemes. I have done many designs based off the characters and have many more ideas working in my subconscious. It’s an all-round enjoyable anime and a good one to recommend to people who haven’t watched anime before because of the nostalgia of super heroes.
Ok now we have the obvious out of the way, let’s move onto the anime I could re-watch as soon as I had finished it (if I didn’t have 5 others on the go and a watch list as long as my arm) and that is Bungo stray Dogs, there is not one bad episode in the whole series, it’s an unusual concept of a “armed detective agency” but they have abilities that may or may not help with their “work”…… it’s hard to explain the plot of this one but in my opinion it’s amazing and I will be re-watching it before the end of the year. The art style is beautiful, the characters are loveable, it has surprises, action, humour etc, I just love it.
From a design point of view (since that is my profession) it doesn’t have anything that stands out in colour schemes and symbols like you would find in my earlier choices to draw inspiration from, it does though have a very distinctive overall style, creating a whole look so cosplaying any of these characters would be a lot of fun.
Sometimes I like to watch a sad anime, I have a list of needlessly sad anime that I may or may not ever watch again but they are beautiful, and I highly would recommend. One that is a cut above the rest is a new anime “To your eternity”
Wow does that first episode get you in the heart strings, the fourth episode also, so warning to those who haven’t watched it, be prepared to cry. Because its new the animation is beautiful, the concept is unusual and watching Fushi grow and learn is a bit of an emotional roller-coaster, from the first episode you know it’s going to be sad and there are points where you think something bad will happen but it doesn’t for 2 more episodes and then not in the way you expect either.
Design wise I think I could do a little collection based in a fantasy time but in the past, it has a very organic feel that I can defiantly see being incorporated into jewellery.
Ok I think 5 of my favourite anime’s for different reasons is enough and I will end on a Romantic Comedy because after all the sadness of To Your Eternity you need a pick me up. I don’t actually watch a lot of romcoms as a general rule, I more lean towards Shonen anime but Horimiya was so good, it’s a short series you can binge in a day if you so desire at only 13 episodes long.
It is a feel good anime where not a lot happens, the animation is cute, the characters are well written and the main guy has a great fashion aesthetic. It’s funny and ends well and you know it’s finished and there won’t be another season and that’s fine because it really doesn’t need one.
Some of these may be obvious, or a bit mainstream but what’s the harm when you like it? I have a lot of other favourites but they didn’t make the list, if you would like me to write just a list of anime I love/suggest watching leave a comment down below!
Much Love
Emily for Tornados and Trinkets