Top 5 Moments in Anime That Left Me Breathless

Posted on by Karandi
Top 5 Moments in Anime That Left Me Breathless

There are some moments in movies, TV shows, movies and books where the only appropriate reaction is to sit stunned. Either amazed by the beauty, audacity, shock factor, or sheer amazingness of what you’ve just witnessed/read. These are my top 5 moments in anime that have left me breathless and stuck with me long after the anime has ended.

What are your top 5 moments in anime?

Definitely a spoiler warning in effect from this point onward.

No. 5 – Ichigo’s first Bankai (Bleach)

A top 5 moment in anime - Ichigo goes Bankai

While there are any number of truly epic moments throughout Bleach’s 366 episode run that could have qualified for this list (particularly as I watched Bleach when my access to anime was pretty limited and so scenes that others might find pretty ordinary seemed truly amazing and stuck with me) Ichigo’s first time using his bankai against Rukia’s brother Byakuya was a truly show-stopping one.

Prior to this point, Ichigo’s sword was really big and not much else. Even his special move was really just making a really large swipe at something which left some very cool impressions on convenient rocky mountains but compared to the plethora of interesting swords in the show, his left very little impression.

Therefore, Ichigo managing to unlock a new form for his sword after some gruelling and very truncated training in order to achieve the feat in time to save Rukia, is one of those moments that really just made sure I was glued to the screen as the battle played out.

No. 4 – The Colossal Titan Appears (Attack on Titan)

Another anime where any number of scenes and sequences could have made the list. Attack on Titan played on shock factor and delivered a number of truly gruelling and cruel moments for the cast of characters as well as some very cool moments such as literally every time Levi actually gets to fight. And yet, none of them ever topped the scene in the first episode where the Colossal Titan appears.

This is just such a well paced sequence where we know what is coming and yet the sheer immensity of the threat and helplessness of the characters just brings everything to a halt. It wasn’t just the characters whose lives were inevitably changed by the events here. Viewers were also left staring in awe and a little fear as this menacing figure appeared over the walls.

Its one of those moments in anime where even if you saw the promotional images before hand and kind of knew what was coming, it was still pretty amazing to see unfold.

Horizon

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No. 3 – Yuri and Victor Kiss (Yuri on Ice)

Yuri on Ice Episode 7 - The Kiss Best Moments in Anime

Okay, I’m more surprised this one didn’t end up higher up the list.

If you’ve read my blog for any length of time or if you were on Twitter during 2016, you will know that this moment didn’t just leave some viewers breathless it literally blew up online. Whether it was the argument about whether it was a kiss or not or just people happy to see their ship sail, episode 7 of Yuri on Ice was a game-changer and one of those extraordinary moments in anime that you never quite forgot.

While it is easy for an epic fight sequence to be a spectacle and grab your attention, there’s something special about a character moment, a personal celebration, that manages the same feat. As much as watching Yuri perform his routine and execute an amazing move toward the end of his performance was spectacular, the moments that follow are far more meaningful and will stick with the viewer long after the season comes to a close.

No. 2 Roy Destroys Envy (Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood)

Again, Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood is full of epic battles and emotional moments that more or less take your breath away. However, Roy’s cold and ruthless revenge against Envy still stands as one of the best moments in anime I’ve ever witnessed.

It isn’t just that Roy is saving Hawkeye in this sequence. Nor is it simply that his use of fire is a visual spectacle to behold. Even knowing that Envy is the character that was responsible for the death of Maes Hughes isn’t the reason this scene remains one of the best anime moments ever.

No, what sells this scene is Roy himself. Usually playing a bit of a fool or a competent leader, depending on the requirement of the moment, in this scene we see Roy as the devastated friend face to face with that friend’s killer. If looks could kill, the look in Roy’s eyes as he faces of against Envy would have been enough before he ever used alchemy.

While I’m not big on an eye for an eye, there’s something just utterly compelling about this scene and it may very well have been my number one pick if I’d written this list back when I first started the blog.

No. 1 – Your Turn (My Hero Academia)

  • my hero academia your turn 2
  • my hero academia your turn

While I’ve made no secret of the fact that I kind of grew weary of My Hero Academia and am now taking a break from the newer seasons, there was definitely a moment in season 3 of the superhero tale that truly grabbed my attention. And it was the moment All Might publicly passed the torch to Midoriya, even if the public didn’t quite know to whom All Might’s gesture was directed.

Again, it is odd that it wasn’t the epic battle that lead to this moment as All Might was battered and eventually unable to hold onto his hero form. It is the character moment where he has made his choice and Midoriya’s (and the audience’s) understanding of what this really means.

As far as moments in anime go, this one is one that can truly be appreciated even by non-anime fans. It isn’t a visual spectacle or a colourful explosions across the screen. Instead it is a deeply personal moment playing out on a very public stage and one that has far reaching consequences for the society in the story and the characters at the heart of it.

Top 5 Moments in Anime That Left Me Breathless

These were my top 5 moments in anime that left me breathless but I’d love to know which moments in anime you would have picked. Be sure to leave me a comment below.

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Karandi James

3 Life Lessons You Can Learn From Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood

Posted on by Karandi
Friday's Feature Banner Image

There’s no doubt that Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood is a well loved and popular anime title. The number of mentions on best anime of all time lists, it’s most favourited status on MAL, and the sheer number of fan arts and fan fictions about the characters speak volumes of how the fan base loves this particular work.

And there are plenty of good reasons to love it. Really great story that is given sufficient episodes to really develop, rising action that really drives toward a climax, a great main and supporting cast and even fairly solid villains, not to mention the heart and humour the anime brings to its tale. However, this isn’t going to be a review of FMA Brotherhood, but rather taking a look at 3 life lessons you can learn from watching the diminutive alchemist and his bound-to-a-suit-of-armour younger brother.

Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood is more than just a story – it can teach you so much about how to live.

Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood Alphone and Edward Elric

Lesson 1: Someone who shares the same goals as you is not necessarily your friend.

This one should be self-explanatory but sometimes it is almost as though people crave someone who understand them so much that they overlook this point. Throughout the course of the story, Edward and Alphonse run into many a character who is seeking a philosopher’s stone and their motives are wide ranging as are their uses for the incomplete stones they come across. In the case of Full Metal Alchemist, the brothers can almost assume that anyone sharing a similar goal as them is probably up to no good and will become a hindrance sooner rather than later.

Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood Crimson Alchemist

At the same time, the brothers cannot complete this journey on their own. They need those who support their goal but may not necessarily share it to assist them on their way. And that’s the important lesson here.

Winry may not ever want to be an alchemist and she personally has no desire to possess a stone, but she does understand what drives Ed and Al and she supports them with everything she has. Her goal is not the same, but it complements what the brothers wish to achieve which makes Winry invaluable in more ways than one.

Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood Winry

While finding someone who does share the same goal can be great, just because someone doesn’t necessarily want the same thing as you doesn’t mean they can’t understand what is driving you. This comes through incredibly clearly throughout Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood.

Lesson 2: A government that can manipulate the information provided to its people cannot be trusted not to become corrupted.

As much as I try not to get political on my blog, Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood, through its fictional institutions but based on fairly familiar government structures, manages to make some fairly good points about political power and corruption. While it gives no actual solutions to the points it raises, it becomes quite clear that Amestris as a country is rife with corruption with those in the inner circle benefiting while those on the outside simply become fodder for the machine.

Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood Fuhrer Bradley

A large part of the issue is that the government controlled all the records and there did not appear to be much in the way of independent reporting of events going on. With both the war in the past and the ongoing events in the story, cover-ups and lies were frequently fed to the public and the main characters manipulating their actions and responses.

And while I don’t assume that our governments are actually being run by homunculi that are trying to bring about the end of the country, the point about providing truthful information to the public was fairly well made and is as relevant now as it was when this story first came out (if not more so).

Mondo

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Lesson 3: You can’t stop tragedy but how you deal with the tragedy is more important.

Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood is a story built on tragic events. The war in the past that took Winry’s parents, the death of the Elric’s mother, Nina, Hughes, and so on. However, on each of these occasions we see characters dealing with the tragedy in their own ways and we see that some responses are more helpful than others.

For Edward and Alphonse, they refused to let go of the past and the tragedy and instead of accepting what had happened and moving forward, they created a secondary tragedy when they tried to bring their mother back to life. This cost Edward a leg and his brother his whole body and Ed only saved him through giving up an arm (puts a whole new twist on the costing an arm and a leg). There were a few factors that played into this.

For instance, their incredibly young age and the absence of any other parental figure. While Winry’s grandmother certainly tried to look out for them, it wasn’t enough during such a tragedy to keep them from taking this path.

Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood young edward

And the tragedy may have ended there with the brothers never going any further except that Mustang came along and offered Ed a lifeline. For the remainder of the series we see Edward clinging to that hope and thread as he journey’s forward. When he meets Tucker and Nina and that encounter inevitably leads to tragedy, Ed, while he feels the tragedy, doesn’t make the same mistake again of trying to deny the tragedy or make it go away. Instead he ensures Tucker can’t hurt anyone else and then seeks comfort. It doesn’t make the tragedy of Nina any better, but at least a secondary tragedy was avoided.

Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood Nina
Let’s all just pretend she lived happily ever after.

What lessons have you learned watching Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood or from another anime?

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Tuesday’s Top 5: English Dubbed Anime

Posted on by Karandi
Tuesday's Top 5

While I’m pretty much a strictly sub-watcher under normal circumstances, there are the occasional anime that for whatever reason I’ve enjoyed in English or had to watch the English dub of. Today I count down my five favourite anime that I’m pretty happy to watch in English. At some point I’ll have to count down my top 5 least favourite dubs, but for now I’m counting down my favourites and I’d love to know what some of your favourite dubbed anime is and why.

Please note, there will probably be no spoilers this week.

Honourable Mentions: K and Ghost Hunt

Number 5: Bleach

Fight-Bleach

Bleach is a weird one because I know the dub isn’t that great (not that bad, but not that great). However, given this was one of the earlier anime I watched and initially I was watching episodes in smaller than ten minute chunks on YouTube so the subs were not always done by the same group and some episodes were in English with Spanish subs, actually getting to listen to it in English and not try to work out what the slightly different translated term or name was in the subs was kind of a relief when I could access it in English. There’s definitely a fondness and a nostalgia factor at work here and realistically I mostly watch this one in Japanese now that I own the DVD’s, but when watching with others I’m pretty happy to watch this either subbed or dubbed.

Number 4: Soul Eater

Maka + Soul

Is it wrong if I admit I prefer Maka’s English voice over her Japanese? She’s one of my favourite female characters of all time, one I’ve bothered to cosplay, and I think she’s amazing but something about Laura Bailey’s delivery in the English dub really lifts this character. Again, no actual issue with the original Japanese and I prefer Black Star in Japanese to English (though personally I’d prefer him on mute) but overall this is one of my favourite anime and I watch it in English about half the time I watch it.

Number 3: Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood

Full Metal.jpg

This is another anime I originally watched online, somewhere, because everyone said it was amazing and I didn’t have access. The version I watched just happened to be an English dub and I really fell in love with the characters. By the time I was able to by a DVD copy of this anime, I kind of felt the English voices fit things just right and I actually find it odd when watching this one in Japanese. There’s a real energy to the cast and the characters really do come through beautifully in the dub.

Number 2: Sword Art Online

SAO7

While I love the Japanese of this one, this is an anime that I’ve used on multiple occasions to get people into watching anime so I’ve watched the dub, a lot. At first it kind of bothered me but over multiple watches, the voices have definitely grown on me. There are some characters that really do give a fairly impressive performance in the cast and while I prefer Kirito speaking Japanese, he works quite well in the English dub. More importantly, most of the people I’ve watched it with have been impressed by the voice acting given most of them had previously had limited experience with anime and most of the dubs they had been familiar with were 90’s ones which we should probably all agree just weren’t very good.

Number 1: Steins;Gate

steins2

Yes, it is the original Steins;Gate series. I’ve mentioned in more than one comment online that this one of the few series where I prefer the dub. Not only are the cast amazing, it relieves the problem of the very quick dialogue and multiple characters speaking at the same time. While I have no issues with subs, when the subs cover a third of the screen and pass so quickly you can’t read it all at times, it becomes a slight distraction from the overall enjoyment. Watching this in English is a joy and one I would happily recommend skipping the subs on and just switching straight to dub.

What are some of your favourite dubs? Let me know in the comments below.

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BLEACH ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK
BLEACH ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK

Top 5: Saddest Death Scenes in Anime

Posted on by Karandi
Tuesday's Top 5

We all know the scene. It’s usually about two thirds of the way through the story and the nice character, the one we all love, suddenly gets cut down. What makes it even sadder is that usually the only purpose their death serves is to give our protagonist a renewed focus. yep, the guys that killed your friend are evil. Now you need to go get them back.

Okay, not every sad death scene goes like that. But you must admit it’s fairly common in anime. My list below are the deaths that came in isolation (no group deaths), in non-horror/slasher anime, that serve as a critical plot point and really crushed me. As such, it’s an entirely subjective list. Feel free to add your own in the comments below.

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

Honourable mentions this week go to:Shirou Fujimoto (Ao No Exorcist), Nagisa Furukawa (Clannad After Story), Art (Hamatora), Kuro Sensei (Assassination Classroom), and Mikoto Suoh (K).

Number 5: Maes Hughes from Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood

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  • maes2
  • maes

Kind of a given going into this list that Maes Hughes would appear. Arguably one of the most well remembered anime deaths of all time. What makes Maes stand out (I feel) is that he is a genuinely sweet character, a family man, and very few of the main cast in Full Metal Alchemist die. They get injured a lot and there are some deaths, but Maes is really the only one that get’s treated as a true death with the funeral and the mourning family.

While Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood plays this for the emotional punch and uses it to drive first the Elric brothers and then Mustang into action, Maes’ death is more than just a cheap plot device. It is a devastating reminder that life and death are at the core of the story. If you look at the timing, it has been a long time since the hit from the death of the Elric Brothers mother, and quite a length of time has passed since Nina’s tragic end. There are many lighter moments in the show but they always come back to the darkness at the centre of the story and Maes’ death is definitely one of those moments.

Number 4: Mikage from 07 Ghost

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I was really torn about this one given 07 Ghost really doesn’t end and has no rewatch value. Certainly, I  was really crushed when he died (or rather was horrifically murdered after being forced to try to kill his best friend) but then the show pulls the whole his soul is still with you in the form a really cute animal that follows Teito around for the rest of the run time. It kind of takes some of the impact out of the death.

Clearly though, I decided Mikage’s demise was one of the saddest deaths in an anime. I think it is more that Mikage never did anything to deserve anything that happened to him. Sure he helped his friend escape the military and that certainly deserved some punishment, but having his family threatened, being possessed, and forced to try to kill his friend before choosing to die so that neither his family or his friend would be hurt, just kind of sucked all round. This was definitely a sad death scene. (It doesn’t help that the rest of the anime kind of suffers from Mikage’s lack either).

Levi

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Number 3: Joker from Black Butler Book of Circus

  • joker
  • joker
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I started noticing a theme in my choices. Characters who aren’t inherently bad but end up on the wrong side of the protagonist for whatever reason or try to turn over a new leaf and get killed in the process. Book of Circus gives us Joker.

Joker is a pitiful character. He originally comes off as quite strong and together but it becomes quickly apparent that he is desperately trying to hold up his little sand castle of dreams even as the tide is washing it all away. By the time Joker is killed he literally has nothing left to live for. It is sad and tragic and just leaves you feeling empty inside.

Number 2: R from Jormungand

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  • r
  • r

Hard to believe that any death in an anime about an arms dealer travelling with body guards would get to you but R manages it in Jormungand. In the first season he is almost a non-entity, but he is definitely there. After seeing the second season I went back and watched and began to see how they had managed to make a character who seemed so in the background such a major emotional turning point.

R is working against Koko with the American government, but when one of their agents targets Jonah, R throws caution to the wind to save the child soldier, in the process revealing his duplicitous lifestyle to Koko before getting himself very dead. The impact this death has on Koko is enormous and unlike most of the deaths before it, this one causes the show to pause for some quiet reflection which hits the audience hard.

Number 1: Nephrite from Sailor Moon

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  • nephrite

This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that this has made my list of saddest death scenes.

Firstly, what makes a death sad is emotional connection to the characters, and given that Sailor Moon is one of my all time favourite anime, it should be no surprise that I feel an emotional connection to the characters. Secondly, I saw this when I was pretty young and unlike most other cartoons, they just knocked off a fairly major character, on screen, and one who had redeemed himself (kind of), and they didn’t even wait for a season final or something.

This was really different from anything else I was watching at the time and I honestly couldn’t believe what I’d just watched. I remember sitting and staring at the screen completely stunned. I wanted to scream, “But he just saved Molly!”

No matter what anime deaths come after this one,  I will always remember Nephrite. Even though he was a villain, and not a particularly good one, and even though he was barely in a quarter of the series, his death had real impact.

Okay, who do you have on your list?

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Karandi James