Browsed by
Category: Editorials

The Top 30 Greatest Story Arcs in Anime and Manga: Part 7 – Honorable Mentions

The Top 30 Greatest Story Arcs in Anime and Manga: Part 7 – Honorable Mentions

The following is a list of story arcs we never got around to including for one reason or another. Each compiler will include a reason why the arc was not included and maybe you will hate us all a bit less. Nonetheless, these are all extra nominees that just missed the cut for the final list. Chances are, if it’s good, we looked it over. So enjoy this compilation of stories that didn’t quite make it on. Ashita no Joe – Carlos…

Read More Read More

The Top 30 Greatest Story Arcs in Anime and Manga: Part 6 – #05-01

The Top 30 Greatest Story Arcs in Anime and Manga: Part 6 – #05-01

#05. Revenge/Remembrance (Rurouni Kenshin) Creator: Nobuhiro Watsuki Original Years of Publication: 1997-1999 Manga: Volumes #18-28, Chapters #152-255 Anime: Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal #1-4 (Remembrance only) Studio: Studio Deen Japanese Publisher: Shueisha (Weekly Shonen Jump) North American Publisher: Viz Media North American Distributor: Aniplex of America Recommended Version: Manga Revenge: Rurouni Kenshin is a story about change; changing times, changing values, and changing people. Moreover, it’s the story of how it’s main character, Kenshin Himura, makes an oath to atone…

Read More Read More

The Top 30 Greatest Story Arcs in Anime and Manga: Part 5 – #10-06

The Top 30 Greatest Story Arcs in Anime and Manga: Part 5 – #10-06

#10. The Gung-Ho Guns (Trigun) Creator: Yasuhiro Nightow (series creator), Yousuke Kuroda (writer), Satoshi Nishimura (director) Originally Aired: 1998 Anime: Episodes #12-26 Studio: Madhouse North American Distributor: Funimation Streaming: Funimation, Netflix In recent years, Trigun has been known as the “obvious lesser” of the fan-dubbed “Space Western Trilogy” which has somehow been given an “obvious” hierarchy. The order would be Cowboy Bebop > Trigun > Outlaw Star, despite none of three even remotely attempting the same thing and all three being great…

Read More Read More

The Top 30 Greatest Story Arcs in Anime and Manga: Part 4 – #15-11

The Top 30 Greatest Story Arcs in Anime and Manga: Part 4 – #15-11

#15. Munich (Monster) Creator: Naoki Uraswa Original Years of Publication: 1997-1998 Manga: Chapters #47-77 Anime: (Monster) Episodes #25-39 Studio: Madhouse Japanese Publisher: Shogakukan (Big Comic Original) North American Publisher: Viz Media North American Distributor: Viz Media Recommended Version: Manga There’s a doctor named Kenzo Tenma on the road searching for a man named Johan. A man as sick and twisted as he is good at hiding his evil intentions, Johan quickly rises through the criminal underworld with nothing but charisma…

Read More Read More

The Top 30 Greatest Story Arcs in Anime and Manga: Part 3 – #20-16

The Top 30 Greatest Story Arcs in Anime and Manga: Part 3 – #20-16

#20. Kyoto (Rurouni Kenshin) Creator: Nobuhiro Watsuki Original Years of Publication: 1994-1997 Manga: Chapters #48-151 Anime: (Rurouni Kenshin) Episodes #28-62 Studio: Studio Gallop Japanese Publisher: Shueisha (Weekly Shonen Jump) North American Publisher: Viz Media North American Distributor: Aniplex of America Streaming: Crunchyroll, Hulu Recommended Version: Manga Oh, come on. You can’t tell me you haven’t seen or read this yet? Rurouni Kenshin, known as one of the best manga series out there, and one of the most influential, is a story…

Read More Read More

The Top 30 Greatest Story Arcs in Anime and Manga: Part 2 – #25-21

The Top 30 Greatest Story Arcs in Anime and Manga: Part 2 – #25-21

#25. Ending Day by Day (Full Metal Panic!) Creator: Shoji Gatoh Original Years of Publication: 2000-2001 Light Novel: Volumes #4-5 Manga: (Full Metal Panic! Sigma) Volumes #1-3, Chapters #1-12 Anime: (Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid) Episodes #1-13 Studio: Kyoto Animation Japanese Publisher: Fujimi Shobo (Fujimi Fantasia Bunko/Light Novel, Monthly Dragon Magazine/Manga) North American Publisher: Tokyopop [Defunct] (Light Novel) North American Distributor: FUNimation Entertainment Streaming: FUNimation Recommended Version: Anime Full Metal Panic! was a series of light novels that ran…

Read More Read More

The Top 30 Greatest Story Arcs in Anime and Manga: Part 1 – #30-26

The Top 30 Greatest Story Arcs in Anime and Manga: Part 1 – #30-26

In the world of animated series, there are a plethora of great episodic masterpieces, from the humor of Rocko’s Modern Life to the great stories of Batman: The Animated Series or Cowboy Bebop. However, as amazing as any of those more episodic series can be, it can’t be denied that they have their limitations in story-telling possibilities. After all, there is only so much you can do with just a mere half-hour at a time to work with. This is…

Read More Read More

Revolutionary Girl Utena Episode 7: In the Name of

Revolutionary Girl Utena Episode 7: In the Name of

Before I watched the show, I got a brief glimpse of which characters the fans loved the most, and I saw a lot of people choose Juri as their favorite of the cast. I had that in mind for the past few episodes, as her role in the student council seemed more brooding than any of Touga’s attempts at leading their plans. She resonated with a more mature feel than her cohorts, not partaking in Touga’s womanizing, Saionji’s abrasions, Nanami’s…

Read More Read More

Revolutionary Girl Utena Episode 6: Nanami Does Something Stupid Again

Revolutionary Girl Utena Episode 6: Nanami Does Something Stupid Again

As the show has previously shown, Nanami is the school bitch. She has her own posse, makes plans to humiliate Anthy, and really wants to get in the most popular guy’s pants. She’s like Libby from Sabrina, but with 20% more incest. Even in moments of seeming kindness, Nanami makes a point to ruin it within a second, and this episode is her moment to shine in that regard. Sure, the school bitch trope has become a tired cliché in…

Read More Read More

Revolutionary Girl Utena Episode 5: Children Suck

Revolutionary Girl Utena Episode 5: Children Suck

Back to what I said about desire, desire does not always have to come from wicked or even merely questionable intentions in order to be a destructive force. Here, Miki’s fight with Utena is driven out of a desire to free Anthy from the shackles of being a Rose Bride. Abolition? That ranks highly among noble goals, but good will doesn’t immediately translate into good actions. This seems to be what Ikuhara’s doing in this two-parter by showing that someone…

Read More Read More