[...]AnimeNation Anime News Blog » Blog Archive » Ask John: Which Anime is John Most Grateful to have Watched?[...]…

But seriously, Earth Girl Arjuna? That was so dull and preachy I’m not even sure if I bothered to watch the last DVD. (But to each his own, I guess).

I only saw the Geneon theatrical release, but man, that Streamline video was something else. Definitely not like even any Hollywood movie at the time. And, judging by what’s popular now, it’s still ahead of the curve.

“Yoju Toshi (Wicked City, although I was first introduced to it as “Supernatural Beast City”) was another production that I watched very early in my career as an otaku. It was the third horror anime I ever watched following Vampire Hunter D and Lily C.A.T. (yes, I do keep personal record of these things) and the first to really impress upon me the ability and willingness of anime to be genuinely adult animation.”

You’re a rare one. Most people trash Wicked City and praise Ninja Scroll.
It probably explains why your also in the minority on Highlander, like me. [Does this mean you also thought XTV was one of Kawajiri's weaker paycheck efforts?] Did you pick up the novel yet? Not really as good as the film. And while we’re at it, did you see the LA Tsui Hark film? ^_-

As for me, I’m glad to have seen Only Yesterday when Takahata was hosting it in L.A., Nasu, when Maruyama was hosting it at BAAF, and Mindgame, when they played it briefly in L.A., too. [Fuck companies which don't want to license the latter anime, because it's been Youtubed. [At least if Arias is being accurate about its status...] No one else would buy it otherwise.] It was also nice that they had an L.A. screening of Memories, even though it was licensed by then, because it’s a more enjoyable experience with an audience. Oh, yeah, and seeing the Streamline dubs of Neo Tokyo and Silent Mobius at a midnight screening were also effing awesome. That will never happen again in my lifetime.

As for actual shows, definitely Utena, UY, and Patlabor. Those had talented directors at their peaks who probably will never be as spontaneous as that again. I’m also beginning to think I missed out on Ippo the first time, as I buy discounted copies of it at a nameless competitor. Definitely what a sports anime should be if they actually care about getting the sports aspect right, as well as the “bromance” elements. But that thing was just out of my price range back when Geneon first released it. And I know people like trashing it, because it didn’t follow the story, but that original version of Hellsing got me to read the manga, and that doesn’t always happen with most anime shows. Plus, that remake of Area 88 and Macross Plus are perfect for fans who grew up on the original shows, and fans who haven’t seen the original shows, but who’ve grown up on anime in general. [Well, M+ might be a little more dependant on the source material, but not enough to hurt the main story.] Oh, and Cromartie High is for people who actually went through high school, not people who just lived there, and acted out their shallow fantasies they saw on MTV.

And it’s kind of weird, but I think Nabeshin’s stuff deserves some credit, too, because even though Excel and P^3 ain’t my favorite, Nerima and Wallflower really demonstrate how you can do comedy without relying on gratuitous fanservice. And I thought he also worked on the show, but even so, Gravitation is more accurate about relationships in general than most hetero anime. And Descendants of Darkness is an example of how you improve a manga: by being focused on the story, and not the ADD-stuff.

On a related note, I’ve noticed you omitted Eva and even His and Her Circumstances. Anno grates on you, too, ne? ^_- The only thing I liked from him myself was Gunbuster, and he hasn’t been able to live up to it since then.

Anyway, you should come up with a top anime of the decade list, since other sites are doing regular movies and tv shows right now. And maybe a top manga of the decade thing, too?