Like a lot of anime fans, I keep a list of my all time favorite anime series. It’s only on rare occasion that I add a show to the list. And it’s a pretty exclusive grouping. Even though I enjoy most of the shows I watch, getting a spot on that list is no easy task.
For years, I’ve broken the list into two parts: Favorites, and Other Favorites. In other words, “the shows I’ll love until the day I die,” and, “the shows I’ll love until… the day before.” The former list is essentially static, frozen in time and fixed at three entries. I like it that way. Those shows will never be challenged. And three is a nice, clean number, don’t you think?
Lately, however, I’ve been thinking something is missing from that list. There’s a certain show in the “Other Favorites” list that deserves a promotion. And even though I like my existing list of three, I don’t like not having that particular show included. So, four shows it shall be.
Congratulations, Aria. You’re a Prima now.
I’m curious about the rest of the lists.
I probably should have linked to it in the post. Anyway, the lists can always be found here.
Gintama, GitS SAC, Planetes and Last Exile for me! We sure have different tastes.
I think I upgraded ARIA from my ‘casual’ favorites to ‘this is a keeper, I’ll treasure this for the rest of my days’ by the beginning of ORIGINATION. Laid-back (not to mention great) storytelling at it’s best.
…And here I was thinking I was the only one that obsessive about my “top” list. Glad to hear you finally found another anime worthy of that addition, though.
Ah, yes. Was that poetry in the last paragraph :3
Aria, Haibane Renmei, Serial Experiment Lain and Fumoffu are in that special category for me.
Do you have a larger version of the picture in this post?
I still haven’t gotten to watching Aria, but I’ll definately give it a look now ^^.
I recently added Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann to my list of all time favorites. Simoun, FLCL, and BeCK: MCS round out the list.
To keep my favourite less to three items would be extremely hard for me. There are a number of series that I like, but ARIA would definitely near the top.
Aria is one that also recently made my “top” list, along with Irresponsible Captain Tylor, GiTS: SAC, and El Hazard, although I’ve debated adding Gurren Lagann as well.
Socrat,
I’ve posted a larger version of the image on my blog, dorkside.mee.nu
Just click on the image to bring up the full size version. I know how hard it is to find any images of the series, and had to beg for a larger version of one of these images off another site recently.
ARIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA ! daisukiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii !!!!
Azumanga Daioh, Kanon ‘06, CCS for me… Aria is running up the list in a hurry, though.
I suppose you wouldn’t have just happened to finish episode 9 of Aria the Origination? :p
Episode 8, actually. However, I think it was around Episode 4 that I realized The Origination was shaping up to be the best season of Aria ever. I can’t stop rewatching the episodes.
Jeff: Wait till see you see Ep 9 - they’re hitting the manga, and pulling some things out of it… which really shape the story very well, although it looks like they’re starting to wind down now. Ep 10 seems to have pulled out another manga chapter.. and it looks lovely.
Nice to see I’m not the only one with a two-tier favourites system! The only problem I’m running into now is that my top tier favourites are so awesome in my mind that I have trouble adding new shows to that list because the new shows don’t feel as awesome as the old shows. I hope you don’t have the same problem. :|
For something that’s going to end up with 52 episodes at least and one OVA, ARIA has always been consistently good. Of course some episodes are better than others, but every episode tickled my fancy in some way or another. The more I think about it, the more it should also move up in my favorites list.
Cardcaptor Sakura, TRC, Patlabor, Evangelion, Fate, Lucky Star, Haruhi Suzumiya… my list is a little extensive. I like and enjoy a lot every anime show and I also have my favorites list and my so-so favorites list.
I can’t wait for Aika, Akari, and Alice to become Primas! I’ll be sad when the series is over. T_T
I, for one, can’t wait to see the day when Prima-Akari will start going around the ‘hood & teaching the ropes to a new two-glove trainee under her responsibilty.
…Well, I can always wish at least.
I’ve never come up with a definitive top whatever list, though mushishi and haibane renmei would be at the top and Aria would be somewhere on it just because it almost consistently delivered. I think it sometimes took the supernatural element too far and some of the numbers just don’t seem to make sense but you learn to ignore those and go with the flow.
Also Alice looks about ten in that picture…
Aria really has been top notch this season so far, and you can feel the tension ratcheting up a little as the girls approach possible promotion time.
It’s a lovely show, but I’m not sure it would break into my top ten.
Saikano, Gunbuster, Higurashi, Code Geass.
Its a mix and shows my diversity. ;)
ARIA, Gurren Lagann, Honey & Clover, Air, Kannon, Clannad, Fruits Basket. .some more stuff
I actually have a big list >_>