Familiar of Zero Archives | 100 Word Anime

My very first Top 5 list featured our fiery red headed females, so now it’s time for the characters with blue hair. I will eventually run out of hair colours but I’ll space them out given there are so many other topics to cover. Next week I will cover the anime guys and that’s a list I’m really looking forward to.

So what is so special about blue hair? Other than its a colour you don’t normally see outside of anime, it tops some of the most interesting characters around. I actually started with a phenomenally long list of characters I wanted to feature in this list and slowly whittled it down. My final decision came down to how interesting they were as a character and how distinctive their hair was within their anime.

Please Note – There are spoilers below. You have been warned.

Honourable mentions to Rei Ayaname (Evangelion), Wendy and Juvia (Fairy Tail), and Tsumiki (Acchi Kocchi).

Number 5: Touka Kirishima from Tokyo Ghoul

Touka isn’t exactly a nice character. Her first encounter with Kaneki is anything but nice, and yet she does take him under her wing (I promise that wasn’t a deliberate pun). Touka’s hair isn’t exactly amazing but the style is perfect for her as a character. It kind of insinuates that she’s hiding who she is and keeping the world at a distance, while at the same time allows her to look completely cool and ice cold when she lets herself go. She’s a great character in a dark anime and one who suffers from a lot of inner conflict.

Number 4: Tabitha o Tabasa from The Familiar of Zero

I’ll admit this one might seem left field but even in amongst the many female mages in this anime Tabitha stands out. She’s a total book worm and usually lost in her own little world but when she get’s serious she’s unstoppable and there’s a lot of pain hidden behind those glasses. Mostly a laconic character she still manages to give her friends the advice they need and speaks up when the occasion calls for it. So what’s not to like about an incredibly smart and power magic user who regularly steals the scene with her cool headed and direct approach to the situations the characters find themselves in?

Number 3: Kaname Chidori from Full Metal Panic

No matter how I look at it, Kaname deserves some sort of medal. She’s kidnapped, has medical experiments performed on her, and assigned a body guard that just does not get Japanese high school life and yet she still manages to take most things in stride. She does get a nomination for most useless hair ribbon ever (and if anyone can explain how it even stays in her hair I’d be thrilled). I think it is Kaname’s contrasts between super focussed and serious and extreme violence (in the nicest possible way) that makes her stand out. She’s responsible for a lot of the humour and a lot of the darkest moments in the series, but where she really shines is in Full Metal Panic Fumoffu which focusses far more on Kaname and Sousuke’s everyday school lives.

Number 2: Rikka Takanashi from Love, Chunibyo and Other Delusions

I’ve featured Rikka before in my list of eye patch wearing characters. This time it’s her hair that has our attention. While I’m still on the fence about whether her hair is blue or purple, it is definitively Rikka. In addition to her amazing and distinct sense of style, Rikka is just an incredibly fun character to spend time watching. Whether she’s lost in a delusion, struggling with maths, or coming to terms with her emotions, she is always entertaining (if occasionally heart wrenching).

Number 1: Ami from Sailor Moon

Okay, we probably should have predicted this one. From the original 90’s series, Sailor Mercury was the only scout with any sense and all of the scouts would have been dead at least ten times over without her around. While her bubble power’s effectiveness is questionably, there is no doubt that once she powers up in season 2 she is a very valuable member of the fighting team. Besides, Ami was one of the only scouts to go straight up against evil Prince Darian and she succeeded at getting the crystal away from him and saving all of the trapped rainbow crystal carriers. And she did it without backup. Ami, you rock.

So that’s my top 5 but who would you have put on your list? Next week, we will definitely check out the guys.

When it comes to stories, I like a lot of different types but what about harem anime or even reverse harem?

I mean I definitely have a preference in novels and TV for fantasy and science-fiction, although paranormal romances are certainly starting to fill my shelves in recent years. Whether that is because they are any good or because of the sheer volume of books that fall into that category being published is another story.

And when it comes to anime, I’ll give almost anything a shot. That ‘almost’ is important though because while I might try comedies, it is pretty clear I’m not in love with them and sport and idol anime have to do something to draw me in before I’ll commit.

I do state a preference for darker anime, action or mystery or drama. Maybe fantasy or science fiction if done well. But I watch romances, comedies, the very occasional sport, slice of life, and more or less anything else. The genre itself doesn’t put me off because I watch anime for the same reason I read books and watch movies.

I want a good story or some great characters. If I can get both simultaneously then I’ve hit the jackpot. And failing a good story or great characters, I want something that doesn’t bore me (though that is an entirely subjective judgement on my part).

But when you tell people you’ll try almost anything (even if not for long) they then start asking the obvious question. What about…? And inevitably the question of harem anime will come up.

Recently I had a conversation with someone after I mentioned in passing that I’d watched Super Lovers during the Spring season. After the interesting discussion that followed that (regarding BL in general) we began discussing other anime genres that sometimes get dismissed out of hand without really looking at the individual releases. That landed us squarely in harem anime territory.

If you were to ask me if I like harem anime my answer would probably be, not really. They are predictable and generally the protagonists are dull and surrounded by girls that are either cookie-cutter stereotypes, overly sexualized, or just plain stupid. But that isn’t every single anime that falls into the harem category – and even if it is, that doesn’t mean some of them aren’t genuinely entertaining.

Besides, harem anime crosses genres with a great number of isekai stories also being harem and the same for adventure, fantasy, rom-com and so on. Even if I flatly said I didn’t like harem anime it would be quite obvious that I enjoyed titles like Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon which most definitely has a harem queuing up behind the protagonist.

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Haikyu Kotaro Bokuto (Re-Run)

What are some harem anime that I’ve enjoyed?

Boku wa Tomodachi no Sukunai: It’s hilarious. Kodaka has more personality than most protagonists in this genre (though is still passive and clueless) and the girls still fit particular types (and treat each other horribly) but I laughed so hard while watching this and by the end of the second season I really wanted Kodaka to end up with someone.

Kodaka - great male lead in a harem comedy.

The Familiar of Zero: So the girls here are pretty much as standard as they come, as is our mostly personality-less protagonist. Why I like this one is because of the fantasy elements and the plot outside of the harem. I really like the story of Louise and her familiar and their trials even if the harem aspects of this show drive me a little crazy.

The familiar of Zero - another harem anime

Chaos;Head: Alright, like is probably not the right word for this one. I enjoyed it and was bemused by it. Frustrated because the storyline didn’t really find itself. Honestly, until someone else pointed out that this had a harem in it I hadn’t even noticed because I was too busy trying to figure out the plot.

It’s dark and interesting and the protagonist is actively pathetic at times rather than just the generic every man. I don’t know if that is much of an improvement, but at least it made him stand out.

chaos-head-anime-season-2 - Check out this harem anime

The Asterisk War: Yeah, our overly nice protagonist is overpowered and apparently irresistible, but I enjoy this anime. I do want them to finally let the two main characters get together and I know they probably won’t because that would ruin the whole harem setting, but I enjoy their relationship and want to see it develop.