Top 5 Anime Beach Episodes That Didn’t Feel Like A Colossal Waste Of Time

Posted on by Karandi
Anime Beach Episode - Top 5 List

I’ve never really hidden the fact that I’m not a big fan of the beach. Whether it is the gritty sand, the salty/fishy smell, or just the sun and heat, there’s not a lot of appeal for me.

Likewise, I find beach episodes in anime largely pretty pointless so it is always pleasant to come across an episode set on the beach that doesn’t feel like complete filler. Here are my top 5 anime beach episodes that don’t feel like a colossal waste of time.

Anime Beach Episode No. 5 – Ouran High School Host Club

Ouran High School Host Club - Anime Beach Episode with some bite.

When the members of the Ouran High School Host Club goes to the beach, Haruhi mistakenly thinks she’s going to get a bit of a break. Sadly, it ends up being a working holiday with the hosts entertaining their guests on the beach.

However, when some petty thugs start harassing a couple of the female students, rather than seeking help, Haruhi steps in and ends up getting tossed from a rock before being rescued by Tamaki.

This is one of the few times Tamaki actually gets made at Haruhi for real and the episode ends up being a pretty solid episode in terms of character growth as well as in establishing various boundaries and relationships between cast members.

Sure there’s some questionable messaging about gender roles and victim blaming in this episode if you are really wanting to dissect it, but at its core Haruhi got in over her head, scared Tamaki half-to-death, and then gave them both a chance to air their grievances before finding a mutual understanding. The method, like most things in Ouran, probably shouldn’t be tried in real life.

From what could have been just a filler episode of pretty boys doing standard beach things to impress the mass of girls that hang around the host club we actually ended up getting an anime beach episode that felt essential for the ongoing plot.

Haiku Kotaro Bokuto

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Anime Beach Episode No. 4 – Kamisama Kiss

Nanami from Kamisama Kiss - In Karandi's top 5 anime beach episode's.

In Kamisama Kiss, Nanami decides she wants to go to the beach with friends but Tomoe pretty much tells her she can’t go. Being a stubborn and young goddess, Nanami decides she’s going anyway.

Turns out, Tomoe had a fairly good reason to say no. Given his job is to protect Nanami and for reasons that become fairly clear as the episode progresses, he shouldn’t go in the water, Nanami in the ocean is pretty much his worst nightmare.

However, like most episodes of Kamisama Kiss, while this anime beach episode did have some usual filler moments we associate with anime characters at the beach, we actually got some pretty important backstory on one of the main characters who was usually pretty closed off to the audience. it also leads to a pretty dramatic follow-up episode where Nanami and the others try to save Tomoe.

All things considered, this one ends up being a solid character moment and sets up an interesting plot while still being a pretty laid back anime beach episode including high schoolers wearing swim suits on the beach.

Anime Beach Episode No. 3 – My Love Story

Takeo and Yamato enjoying the beach - Anime Beach Episodes worth watching.

I’d be lying if I said that My Love Story did anything particularly revolutionary with the beach episode. In fact, ‘My Ocean’, episode 11 of My Love Story, seems to double down on most of the going to the bleach cliches with a beach volleyball game that goes for a monumentally exhausting length of time, playing in the water, swim suits, cold drinks, sand castles, and a sun-set that lasts an eternity.

However, as far as anime beach episodes go, My Love Story managed to keep theirs firmly integrated with the plot of the story (such as it was). Yamato wants Takeo to move faster with her and is trying her hardest to look adorable in her swim suit while Takeo is trying hard not to ogle the girl he likes in order to not make her feel uncomfortable.

It should also be noted we get some incredibly funny moments in this episode as Takeo, our tower of insecurities, wins the attention and interest of most of women at the beach, entertains various children in the water, and generally has a great time with his friends, and yet still freezes at the mere sight of his girlfriend in a swimsuit.

If an anime is going to do a beach episode, then they should at the very least be as entertaining as this one was.

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Anime Beach Episode No. 2 – Another

Characters from Another think they are getting some down time in this anime beach episode. Poor them.

For me, horror and the beach are actually kind of a perfect mix. Movies like Jaws have already proven that the vast ocean and the dangers that lurk as soon as you step off the beach can be wonderfully put together. When I throw in my own issues with the ocean and drowning, as soon as the characters from Another went to the beach I had fairly solid expectations that we’d get more than just another anime beach episode.

What followed in episode 8 was a strange kind of viewing experience as the characters did go through most of the usual filler beach tropes and yet the whole episode had a strained and subdued feeling. The whole way through you were waiting for something to happen and when it finally did it was almost a relief even though it was kind of horrific.

Now you might ask why school kids being picked off by a curse would even think to go and play at the beach, except that the story had already established that the curse didn’t work outside of the region. Once they got far enough away from the town they all breathed a sigh of relief (though it seems a bit prematurely).

When the curse does catch up with them, they do provide some solid reasoning as to why and how that happened and it also reinforces the sense that these characters are indeed trapped and are not going to get a happily ever after.

Anime Beach Episode No. 1 – Assassination Classroom

Assassination Classroom knows how to integrate its anime beach episode fan-service and plot into one fun bundle.

Assassination Classroom certainly knew how to have fun even with its somewhat morbid premise of a group of students having to ultimately assassinate their super-powered teacher. However after studying ridiculously hard and beating the top class at their own game in test scores, the class get to travel to Okinawa for some much deserved down time. Only they don’t.

They’ve also made a deal with their teacher and due to their top scores, he’s going to give them a one off chance to damage him which may just make an assassination possible. Include the fact that they are at a beach and they already know that water is a weakness for him and what we have is a festive holiday for a class that is all merely cover for a masterfully put together assassination attempt.

What makes this anime beach episode work is we get to see all the characters playing at various leisure activities as well as seeing the cooperation, teamwork and determination they’ve gained in the classroom all coming together.

The actual assassination attempt is a truly brilliant and well choreographed attempt that in a fair world would have succeeded and ended the series, but instead at the very least show-cases how far these kids have come.

It is a fantastic episode and really does show us how an anime beach episode can have its fun and still drive forward a compelling plot and character arc.

Anime Beach Episode - Top 5 List

And there you have my Top 5 anime beach episodes that don’t feel like a colossal waste of time. As always, I’d love to hear from my readers. What are some of your favourite anime beach episodes?

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Inquiring Minds Want to Know #27

Posted on by Karandi
Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Last year I touched on my reasons for rewatching anime in a feature post that I had a lot of fun writing. However the question this week is a slightly different take on the situation. It isn’t about rewatching something you enjoyed but rather taking the time to watch something you didn’t like the first time. For some people that might seem a little crazy, but there’s definitely cases for it.

I’d love to answer a question from you so fill in the survey or DM on twitter.

I originally really didn’t like Stein’s Gate. Eventually after a rewatch I ended up enjoying it very much. Has this ever happened to you? Where you watched a show for a second time, and ended up liking it even though you didn’t like it the first time?

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Those who have followed my blog since 2016 may remember my initial thoughts on Ouran High School Host Club as expressed in my review of the series. While I ended up writing quite the positive review of the series I did explain my impression on the first attempt at watching it:

I didn’t finish it the first time through. I got, maybe 10 episodes in and just couldn’t take any more vapidness so walked away.

Karandi – 2016

Yeah, Ouran was one of those anime, like Haikyuu, that people kept insisting I should watch. However, I was worn down on Ouran much faster than Haikyuu for the simple fact that the person recommending it incessantly knew me well enough to dangle a decent female harem lead as bait and for the sheer novelty of a non-blank slate harem protagonist I decided to give it a twirl. And yeah, it really didn’t go well.

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I think for a lot of Ouran High School Host Club I continue to have mixed feelings toward it. And maybe that is what draws me back to it again and again. There are elements, such as Haruhi’s character and the twins, that have clicked with me, and even Tamaki is less annoying once you get a better understanding of his character. There are other elements, like the repeated banana peel joke, that still fall flat and I wince as those scenes and setups approach just waiting for the poor punchline.

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However, the one element I have the most mixed feelings about is the opening. Whether in English or Japanese I’ll go from singing along to its infectious boppiness one day to cringing the next time I hear it and reaching for the remote or the mouse to skip it fast. One day I’ll find it charming and another grating. Still, given how many times I’ve now watched the anime, I’m pretty sure this one counts as an anime I’ve fallen hard for.

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As for other titles I’ve had a similar reaction to, most of them are comedies. Things like Acchi Kocchi where when I first started watching it I was more bemused than amused and just kind of transfixed and staring at the events unfolding. By the end of the series I was enjoying it and when I went back I found that the first episodes were among the strongest in the series and now that I’d gotten used to the tone and characters they were so much more enjoyable.

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Kyou Kara Maou was another one where the first time I started watching it I bailed a few episodes in because I just found the characters to be too over the top and the jokes weren’t landing. While I won’t argue that Kyou Kara Maou is a particularly amazing anime, and visually it has dated badly, but I for whatever reason went back and watched it and I ended up very fond of the cast and enjoyed the story. The fact that I can now access it through AnimeLab in Australia is just brilliant and I’ve been doing a slow rewatch throughout the year and it is still kind of fun though I think this one will wear out with repeated rewatches because there just isn’t quite enough substance.

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As always, I want to know what my readers think. Which anime did you not like the first time but came back for a second dose and discovered something you could love? Of course if you want to ask me a question please DM me on Twitter or complete the survey.

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Up Close With Haruhi Fujioka

Posted on by Karandi
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Haruhi Fujioka is a pretty well known character. The protagonist of a reverse harem, she isn’t the usual bland or blank slate centre around each of the bishounen cast revolve. Instead, she’s smart, sassy, at times vulnerable, and incredibly well rounded character with her own goals, history, hang ups, and motives. While credit does need to be given to the male cast for holding up their end as well, it is fairly easy to say that Haruhi is the beating heart of Ouran High School Host Club and the reason so many people love it.

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We first meet Haruhi when she’s looking for a place to study. At the time, due to her appearance, she’s largely mistaken for a male student, and it takes the first episode before all the members of the host club realises that Haruhi is a girl.

The idea of gender identity isn’t deeply explored by Ouran, but nor is this facet of Haruhi ignored. She doesn’t mind in the slightest that people mistake her for male and doesn’t really feel like it makes a difference. However, what the audience sees is the way the attitudes of the boys in the club change toward Haruhi as they realise her gender and how gender roles comes up again and again.

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The scene at the beach where Haruhi puts herself in danger and incurs the anger of the other club members is a prominent moment where the theme takes centre stage, as are the moments where we meet Haruhi’s father or the members of the rival club from another school that try to recruit Haruhi. Then there’s the medical examination episode which mostly uses Haruhi’s hidden gender for amusement purposes.

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Ultimately the anime manages to look at gender without making too many judgements or preaching at the audience allowing consideration of an idea without taking away from the entertainment of the story, and all of it centres around Haruhi’s character. It makes her fairly memorable.

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But that isn’t all there is to Haruhi. In a more heavy handed fashion the anime also explores social class and wealth division with Haruhi being a ‘commoner’ and being at the school on scholarship. This theme is less nuanced and is largely played for laughs throughout the series, but again is a clear part of Haruhi’s identity within the story.

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While it would be easy to define Haruhi by the themes and issues that are centred on her, that isn’t really fair to her character. What makes Haruhi interesting isn’t that she is poor or that she doesn’t see gender roles in black an white terms. What makes Haruhi interesting is the way she interacts with the other cast members. Her commentary on the antics of the club, her determination to succeed at her goals, the way she refused to pick up social cues from others when she doesn’t agree with them.

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While watching Ouran High School Host Club it is really easy to rally behind Haruhi. She’s just such a fun and entertaining character to spend time with and even though she starts as an interesting character she still grows and changes through her interactions with the members of the host club. All and all, she’s a character I remember fondly and enjoy going back and spending time with.

What about you? What did you think of Haruhi Fujioka?

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Friday’s Feature: The Value Of Rewatches

Posted on by Karandi
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I’m no stranger to rewatching shows. Even when I was a little kid, I would play VHS’s literally to death. I’d watch my favourite shows and movies time after time, getting to the end of the video and instantly hitting rewind and beginning all over again. Once DVD’s became a thing there were many titles banned from being played in the house usually when I could identify the film from the five seconds of sound. I will admit I’ve watched some films to death to the point where even I won’t watch them anymore and I’ve done the same with more than a handful of books where I start reading them and realise I can literally recall the entire story in vivid detail to the point where I’m not even paying attention to the words anymore.

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This is in stark contrast to some other people I know. A certain relative of mine used to be a great source of novels, mostly because he would read science fiction but he only ever read a book once. Then he would give the book away and knowing I loved to read I received quite a number of these books to add to my own collection. When I asked him if he would want the book back he asked me, “Whatever for?” He genuinely could not understand the point of reading something a second time, let alone a third, tenth or fiftieth time. Whereas for me, the point of trying something new is to see whether it belongs in the permanent collection or not and my greatest lament is that I don’t have enough time to bask in the books, movies and anime that comprise my ongoing collection and explore new media, and actually live a life that involves real human interactions and work.

That said, if you were to ask me what I get from a rewatch or reread my answer would vary depending on what I had recently returned to. It seems to come down to a few basic things.

01. The Rewatch To Understand

Darker Than Black

In the case of something like the original Steins;Gate, Darker than Black, or Evangelion, the rewatch is usually needed to try to get the plot clear in my mind. While I didn’t not get it the first time (way too many negatives there), it is more that a lot of the enjoyment isn’t there the first time because you are spending so much time reasoning and puzzling rather than actually absorbing. It also means you miss substantial amounts of character work, visuals, music, etc because the plot is all encompassing. Repeated rewatches, taking a break and coming back to it, watching in chunks or binge watching, all bring something new out of the experience. Even after the plot is clear, there’s so many other questions and aspects that you can turn your attention to that it never feels like the anime has gotten old.

02. The Rewatch To Relax

Akagami no Shirayuki

There’s a great feeling that comes from crashing into the couch cushions and hitting play on a DVD that I’ve seen a thousand times before. One that I know won’t tax my brain, isn’t going to ask more of me than I can give, and at the time has the exact tone I am looking for. You can’t get this from a series you’ve never seen as you never know what to fully expect and part of your brain stays on alert. Whereas, I know exactly what I’m in for when I press play on Snow White with the Red Hair, Ouran High School Host Club, or even Inu x Boku SS which are all some of my favourite binge and sleep anime that I put on when I just want to crash out.

03. The Rewatch To Share

Yuri on Ice Episode 4

Of course when you come across a great title you want to share. you want someone else to watch it with and to laugh and cry and discuss each moment with it. One of the best things that happened the first time I watched Yuri on Ice was that just after it finished airing I visited a friend and told her she needed to see it. Two days later we’d finished a binge watch of the series and the two of us were happily humming History Maker in her kitchen together. There’s something about watching a show with someone else that really elevates the enjoyment of it, plus you have someone to talk about it with once it is done so this is perhaps the most satisfying of all rewatches.

And then we have the new one.

04. The Rewatch to Analyse

Yuri on Ice Episode 6

I’ve never really done this before, but recently I started yet another Yuri on Ice rewatch with the express purpose of reviewing each episode in far more detail than I had before. It’s a new style of watching I’ve never tried and I’m loving it. Admittedly, a lot of the enjoyment is coming from the subject matter, but it is making me want to give other much loved shows a similar treatment. What I have noticed is that it is taking a very long time to get through a single episode and it isn’t a single watch of the episode I am doing. The other thing that makes this different from any other rewatch is I am only watching a single episode at a time. This viewing is not being binged. I’ll get back to my Yuri On Ice rewatch later this year once things settle a bit for me.

While I do get that some people are happy enough to watch something once and move on, I am as well for shows that are enjoyable enough but don’t grab me. However, the whole point for me is finding those shows and stories that I will never get tired of and want to watch and read again and again.

What is your stance on rewatching anime?

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Tuesday’s Top 5: Male Anime Characters With Pink Hair

Posted on by Karandi
Tuesday's Top 5

It’s been awhile since I’ve done a colour list and I actually struggled a bit with 5 males I liked with pink hair. The female list which will come out next week was definitely easier to come up with. That said, there are some interesting characters on the list below and as always I’d love to know who your picks would be for male anime characters with pink hair. I kind of went for characters that are important to their story and really rock the pink hair colour.

Please note, there will be spoilers below.

Number 5: Hikaru (Ouran High School Host Club)

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Okay, right from the start I am cheating here because Hikaru does not normally have pink hair. Yet, for one episode of Ouran High School Host Club, after a fight between the twins seemingly triggered by an innocuous comment by Haruhi, the twins dye their hair blue and pink. I have to admit, I kind of liked the look and kind of wished they’d kept it going for the rest of the season.

Number 4: Zange Natsum (Inu X Boku SS)

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There’s something super-cute and simultaneously super-creepy about Zange. He see’s far too much and isn’t above manipulating others for his own entertainment. That said, he certainly marches to the beat of his own drummer and provides some of the best scenes in Inu x Boku SS so despite his more questionable tendencies he became one of my favourite characters.

Number 3: Hisoka (Hunter x Hunter)

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I still haven’t decided if I like Hisoka as a character or not. He’s incredibly creepy but he adds a lot to the story and he has some great moments. Plus, you have to admit he’s got a style all of his own and I really couldn’t imagine him with any other hair colour other than pink. He’s certainly earned himself a spot on this list even if I feel like running the other direction.

Number 2: Alice Color (Sunday Without God)

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Alice Color only shows up in the final arc of Sunday Without God (though is in the OP from the beginning) and while he’s a fairly stoic character he is also very cool. Driven and determined to free his town from its endless loop, even when he believes that he’s going to die to do it, his story is one of the best in Sunday Without God.

Number 1: Natsu (Fairy Tail)

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Okay, if it was a question of my favourite character in Fairy Tail, Natsu wouldn’t get much of a look in. Despite some pretty cool dragon themed powers and a fiery personality, I don’t really enjoy Natsu’s antics in much of the early parts of the story (definitely prefer Gray). That said, when looking at distinct pink haired anime guys, Natsu immediately jumped to mind. While I think a lot of the other characters are more interesting, Natsu is definitely a bundle of energy, his interactions with Lucy are adorable, and when he gets going in a fight you know its going to be big. Plus, he has a talking flying cat for a friend so you really can’t beat that.

That’s my list this week, be sure to check back next week when I list my top 5 anime females with pink hair.

Thanks for reading.

Karandi James

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Tuesday’s Top 5: Uses of Dream Sequences in Anime

Posted on by Karandi
Tuesday's Top 5

Previously I looked at the best uses of phones in anime and this week I’ve decided to turn my attention to dream sequences. My criteria wasn’t that these were the best dreams but the best use of a dream sequence to serve either the character development or the plot. This is strictly my opinion so as always, I’d love to know what would be on your list.

Please Note – There are spoilers below.

Honourable mentions to Ouran High School Host Club and Card Captor Sakura.

Number 5: Madoka Magica

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Madoka Magica uses dreams in a similar fashion to a lot of magical girl stories. Our main protagonist starts by having a dream of fantastical and terrible events before waking in the mundane real world where she is decidely ordinary. However, what sets this particular story apart is the nature of the dream itself. Madoka is seeing alternate realities where she has lived through the events to their conclusion before Homura has rewound time start over to try to change the outcome. This makes the events of the dream fairly significant to understanding the eventual outcome of the story and gives it a bit more weight on rewatching than just a cool battle sequence to start events off.

Number 4: Another

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This one is as straight forward as it comes and yet very affective. Kouichi has started to get to know Mei and as a result has been ostracised by his friends (okay is being deliberately and entirely ignored). It makes sense that he is starting to have fantasies and dreams about the one person who is talking to him still. However, other than showing that the two are forging a bond, this dream sequence also gives the audience a space to take a breath. Another is continuously hitting its audience with a dark and gloomy atmosphere with each scene dripping in over the top seriousness, so this brief moment of respite, even though it is a dream, is welcome and also the calm before the horror that follows. All and all, it works well within the narrative.

Number 3: One Punch Man

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I’ll be the first to admit I’m not the biggest fan of One Punch Man but I did appreciate what they did in the dream sequence where we see Saitama energised and enthused in a way we rarely see him reality. What does a man who can defeat everything in One Punch actually want? Clearly, he wants a decent fight. Seeing his character quite literally come to life in the dream made the contrast with his everyday incredibly flat emotional state so incredibly clear and just made him a much better character because you could see he wasn’t bored and disinterested by choice. He genuinely wanted to feel alive. There just wasn’t anything left to challenge him.

Number 2: Sailor Moon

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Like Madoka, Sailor Moon also begins with a dream sequence where Serena dreams of the destruction of the Moon Kingdom as well as the guy she thinks she’s going to fall in love with. However, revealing their past lives isn’t the only thing dreams are used for throughout Sailor Moon. Villains attack characters through their dreams, the dead communicate with the living, future selves send dire warnings, and prophecies for the future all come through dreams. Then again, the entire show is about protecting the dreams of people so it makes sense that the idea of dreams is returned to again and again. Overall, remove the dreams from Sailor Moon and you wouldn’t have much of a show left.

Number 1: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

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The climax of season 1 (broadcast order) sees Kyon and Haruhi stuck in a closed space she created where the two characters get to spend some quality time together and may or may not reveal some fairly interesting points about their developing relationship. However, what I like about the sequence is that after it is over Kyon wakes up from a dream but the next day at school Haruhi has her hair up in a pony tail (a direct reference to something Kyon had said in the ‘dream’). They never actually confirm whether this is a dream or an actual alternate reality that was created and nothing more actually needs to be said. Whether it was a dream or a reality, the impact on the characters has been clearly established without further explanations. Also, when you place this story in the appropriate place from a chronological point of view it makes Kyon’s actions and acceptance of some of Haruhi’s worse moments a bit more believable even if the guy is still a little bit of a doormat who really needs to tell her to stop a lot sooner.

So that is my list of top 5 uses of dream sequences. I’d love to know your favourite anime dream sequences so be sure to leave me a comment below.

Thanks for reading.

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Karandi James.

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Top 5 Most Fun Anime Titles from Studio Bones

Posted on by Karandi
Tuesday's Top 5

I was a fair way into being an obsessed anime fan before I really started paying attention to which studio was responsible for an anime. However, Studio Bones was an exception to that rule.

Even early on in my anime watching days, I found time and time again when watching an anime that I thought it was amazing that it just happened to be from Studio Bones. So in recent years I have actively sought out anime from the studio and I’ve rarely been disappointed. Though since their obsession with the My Hero Academia franchise I’ve not found quite as many modern Bones titles that have really hit the mark.

My criteria for this list was fun. So there are some anime from Studio Bones that won’t be on the list that I am certain some of you will wonder what I was thinking. For instance you won’t find Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood on the list below because fun isn’t the first word I would use to describe that series. It’s awesome, don’t get me wrong, but this list is about fun.

As always, feel free to add your nominations in the comments. Eventually I will just have to do a best show list but I’m definitely avoiding that at the moment. Way too hard to make a decision about which is the best anime overall. But fun? That I can rank.

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

Fun Anime From Studio Bones No 5: Boku no Hero Academia

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  • Image from Studio Bones

It was definitely the fun feeling that exploded from the early episodes of My Hero Academia that won me over. I wasn’t looking for a new anime or a show about superheroes and I really only intended to watch a couple of episodes, do a write up and move on. However, there is some great energy in this show and while the characters are serious, the show itself doesn’t take itself too seriously.

That said, I’m still kind of on break from continuing on with the most recent series of My Hero Academia feeling a bit of hero fatigue to be honest and diminishing returns on the fun to be found. Still, the first season is pretty brilliant and a very good time to watch and I’d wholly recommend it.

That said, Studio Bones spends a lot of time on My Hero Academia these days and I’ve definitely felt the absence of some of their more interesting titles getting follow ups or even just new and interesting properties appearing during the season. That isn’t to say they aren’t making other anime but just that I don’t jump in delight at a new Bones title the way I used to.

Fun Anime From Studio Bones No. 4: Akagami no Shirayuki-Hime

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While this is a different kind of fun to My Hero Academia, as Studio Bones delivers a refreshing return to the childhood days of classic Disney.

Those who have followed my blog for a long time will know I love Snow White With the Red Hair and particularly love the main pair, Shirayuki and Zen. Though the supporting cast are pretty awesome having given us Obi, among others.

This anime isn’t a self-aware, tongue in cheek, sassy modern female takes on the clichés of the past, but it is a strong and very real female lead tackling the trials of being in a classic fairytale setting with dignity and it is just fun to watch. Although, fun in this case relates more to watching the budding romance than to any of the action in the series.

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Fun Anime From Studio Bones No. 3: Ouran High School Host Club

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This is a list about fun, so here they are. Ouran High School Host Club. Ready to entertain. While you can certainly argue that this isn’t the best anime around, it is fun to watch which a likeable cast, some obvious but amusing gags, and a generally light tone as the club goes about it’s business.

There are some genuine moments of human drama (and then there are all the times they just blow situations out of proportion) but mostly it’s great for a few laughs and a marathon watch.

It also brings us some great characters including an interesting female lead and one of my favourite sets of anime twins ever.

Fun Anime Title from Studio Bones No 2: Soul Eater

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The choice between number 1 and 2 for this list was really hard.

Soul Eater is a near perfect blend of goofy, over the top violence, comedic moments and then serious action set pieces and drama. At times it moves at break neck pace through a series of set ups and punch lines and at others it finds ways to include visual humour or some really sharp satire in a more dramatic moment.

It’s one of my all time favourite anime from Studio Bones and in general. It also includes Maka, one of my favourite female characters ever. Yet, it still lost out in the ranks of most fun for two simple reasons. It’s run time as the middle of the series kind of drags before it finds its momentum again to lead to the climax is the first reason. The second is the climax itself. Wow, does this series need a do-over to fix that final battle.

Soul Eater, great fun but please let this story get a full reboot at some point. It totally deserves it.

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Fun Anime From Studio Bones No. 1: Noragami

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It had to be Noragami.

I don’t think I have ever had this much fun while watching an anime through the first time. From the opening songs, to the crazy phantom designs, Yato’s everyday personality contrasted with his serious side, the other gods, the weapons, the sheer over the topness of everything, I just fell in love with the humour in this show.

Favourite moment is the episode where this guy jumps off a building and Yato shows up and they just have this normal conversation while falling to the ground. I get that it is entirely subjective, but this is an anime I happily recommend to people who don’t watch anime and they love it.

I love the energy, the characters, the pacing, and just how enjoyable it is to watch. The two seasons are each only 12 episodes and it doesn’t feel like they finished the story yet, so unlike Soul Eater it doesn’t have that crushing let down of an ending and it’s left us wanting more even while each season resolves at least one part of the character’s dilemmas.

Regardless, Noragami is definitely my number 1 anime for fun from Studio Bones or anyone else.

So, what would you have had on your list as the most fun title from studio bones?

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Karandi James