Aria the Animation, Aria the Natural, Aria the OriginationLovely, sleepy slice of life set on a tourist trap copy of Venice on Mars in the distant future. Beautiful visuals, beautiful music, a cast of characters that are utterly charming without exception, and just enough magic, sci-fi and gentle comedy thrown into the mix to suit my tastes. It's not the sort of anime that I'd ever sit down and power my way through, as it's simply too relaxing and slow-paced, but over the twelve months or so that I watched the three series, it was like a mug of hot chocolate on a cold winter's day.
...if Aika were here, she'd totally 'hazukashii serifu kinshi!' me for that one. :'D
Azumanga Daioh!One of the first anime I ever got into in a big way. Irresistibly cute, cheerful and charming, hilarious without feeling like it's trying too hard to be, and surprisingly moving at times for anyone who still remembers their school days. It was also both the last anime I watched before starting to learn Japanese, and the first one I watched without subtitles, years later. It has a special place in my heart for knocking home just how far I've come with the language over the last four or five years. ^_^
Cardcaptor SakuraA huge part of my childhood. At a time in my life when I had severe issues over my gender, getting together with a friend after school to be unashamedly girly and watch CCS (in its Western incarnation, Cardcaptors) was a great deal of comfort. Though it's definitely a show for younger viewers, I feel that the development of its characters, particularly its two leads, is handled in a very mature, grown up way, and the show doesn't dumb things down for its young audience. The end result being that wrapped in a fairly standard, formulaic magical girl show, you have a genuinely sweet and well-written romance story for all ages.
Fruits BasketFor exactly the same reasons that I stated about the manga in another thread. It's not a perfect adaptation, and it only covers a comparatively small portion of the series, but it captures everything I love about the manga, and mixes in a wonderful cast of voice actors and a perfect soundtrack by people who clearly
got the series. Episode 5, in particular, sticks in my mind for taking a moment in the manga that was quite sweet and turning it into something beautiful enough to make me cry by the bucketloads. :'D
Full Moon wo SagashiteRises above a potentially silly premise and a number of filler-y episodes toward the start thanks to a really strong cast of characters, all of whom had a place in my heart by the end of the series (I'm still more than a little bit in love with Takuto~). The ending is definitely one of my favourites ever!
Haibane RenmeiLike almost nothing else I've seen, anime or otherwise, conjuring a world and an atmosphere that is utterly its own. Deep without being terribly heavy-handed, visually and aurally stunning, and deeply moving.
Nodame CantabileAny show that makes classical music so appealing to a younger audience is worthy of praise. ^^ The show captured everything I love about music, and wove that seamlessly into a light romance that is funny, touching and full of great characters. Made me proud to be a pianist!
Ouran High School Host ClubDelicious reverse harem is delicious. And hilarious. I watched it far too quickly and mourned its passing when it was over. D: Definitely one of the funnier anime I've seen, with a lovely lead character and some rather touching moments throughout despite its putting comedy first.
PlanetesI'm not especially big on sci-fi when it's more about the science. When the human element is lost in a sea of jargon and technology porn. But this sort of sci-fi, I really, really like.
The characters are a delightfully motley bunch that you really grow to care for over the course of the series, and far from the space opera of Star Wars or the all too far off utopia of Star Trek, it presents a future that feels plausible, completely believable and close enough to home that it's easy to become involved in.
Oh, and the ending to Episode 7 is so perfect, and gives me goosebumps every single time I watch it. :'D
