Tuesday 20 May 2014

My top 5 emotion inducing anime series

Bit of a weird list to make but I thought I would make a list of the five anime/manga series that practically ripped my heart out. This doesn't mean they had to be full of depressing back stories but they had to make me feel a range of different emotions- I'm sure if you watch at least one of these you will know what I mean! Some you've seen on my lists before and some I don't think I've blogged about yet! I'm also excluding films for this list as that is a list I can make for another day!


5. Kids on the Slope (Sakamichi no Apollon) //  Watch the anime & read the manga
This is such a 'real' anime- no fantasy elements, no supernatural powers, no magical girls. I remember when I watched Kids on the Slope for the very first time about a year ago and I was so caught up in the story that I watched all twelve episodes in the one sitting- completely abandoning the piles of school work that I was supposed to be doing. Kids on the Slope is set back in 1966 in the very real sea-side town of Sasebo where Kaoru Nishimi moves to live with relatives. Kaoru is an honours student that prefers to keep to himself, that is until he meets the infamous mischief maker Sentaro Kawabuchi. Now this is going to sound a little lame but Kaoru discovers the wonders of jazz music and through a shared love for this music he finally makes his first ever friends. Kids on the Slope is something anyone could easily watch (though I do recommend watching it in Japanese with English subtitles as they dub doesn't really come close to the original), has a range of intriguing characters and a storyline sure to keep anyone watching.   

4. Mawaru Penguindrum // Watch the anime
Try and watch Mawaru Penguindrum without getting confused the first time around. I personally didn't find this anime particularly sad until the very end. Obviously there were moments throughout the story line that had me sniffling slightly, but overall it's the ending that gets me every single time. I apologise for not explaining the plot line for this anime but I seriously could not find the words to explain this one. I think the best way to discover this anime is to either watch it without fully knowing what it is about (but please watch it to the very end, I know some characters will really creep you out/get on your nerves easily- but you must keep watching!) or you could read the wikipedia page here (I can feel all my teachers looking at me in disgust right now). I would recommend watching this in Japanese but the dub is not actually that bad- there's just a few main characters that could have done with different voice actors. Mawaru Penguindrum is full of colourful characters, amazing art and a beautiful soundtrack that I hope keeps you watching until the very end- though you should prepare for heartbreak... just saying!

3. Clannad: After Story // Watch the anime
Clannad: After Story is definitely the straight out saddest anime on this list. This is actually the second season for the Clannad series (hence the "After Story" in the name) and is a continuation of events from the first season, though I personally think you can watch After Story without watching the first season. I was not particularly fond of the first season, it was adorable but really didn't hold my interest but I'm glad I watched until After Story. I'm not going to lie to you guys and say this would be one of my favorite series or anything like that, but it did make me feel all the feels, which is why it's on this list! I don't want to spoil anything for those of you that do want to watch the first season but you can think of this anime as a typical shoujo series that eventually leads into something a lot more heartbreaking and interesting. I hope that has got you a little intrigued! 

2. Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle // Watch the anime first (to avoid disappointment) then read the manga
This is actually one of my favorite series of all time. I'm going to recommend the manga to you all today as the anime adaption was poorly done (excluding the OVAs) but I do recommend that you watch the anime first to avoid disappointment in the adaption. You've heard me mention Clamp before in one of my posts and this is without a doubt my favorite Clamp manga. The story is incredibly confusing and many fans (myself included) have discovered new things that we missed previously each time the series has been reread. We follow the story of Syaoran Li (Sound familiar? Classic Clamp reusing characters from previous series) as he travels around many different worlds with his childhood friend and obvious love interest Princess Sakura (there we go again...), a ninja from Japan named Kurogane and a powerful but mysterious magician named Fai D. Flowright (my all time favorite anime/manga character... I seriously love this guy). That short synopsis doesn't really explain just how detailed, amazing, addictive and intricate the series is but I'm sure you will understand once you have read it! 

1. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood // Watch the anime and read the manga
You've all heard of it and I hope you've all watched it. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood has been mentioned on here before, along with the original Fullmetal Alchemist series and you can check out that post for some info on both of the series! This will undoubtedly bring tears to your eyes and each and every character will more than likely make their own soft spot on your heart. There's not really much else to say other than this is something everyone should watch, anime lover or not!

I would also like to mention Anohana: The Flower we saw that day, NANA and Fruits Basket which will all get anyone emotionally involved!

Thank you for reading!
Love from Maddie xo

6 comments:

  1. You two are so beautiful and I love your blog so much! Thanks to you I have a new addiction to manga <3 Your instagram photos are amazing too, what camera do you use!? Thank you again for all the interesting reads!!! xx

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    1. Aww thank you anonymous! xx I have converted so many people to anime/manga addicts in real life- it's nice to know it's paying off on here too! I just use my iphone 5 to take my photos! xx

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  2. You ALWAYS post about some animes that I've never heard of! Mawaru Penguindrum? Kids on the Slope? What even are those? Where do you hear about them?

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    1. Really? I just come across them in comic book stores or on tumblr! hahahaha

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  3. I love fruits basket so much that every time I want to start a new anime series I end up just rewatching that |: definitely want to watch some that you have recommended though n.n

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    1. Aww! Fruits basket really is a lovely series! I hope you like them as much as I did! xx

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