Attack on Titan Restored My Faith in Anime

“I can take him, no problem.”

My faith in anime was at an all-time low. I had thought about completely giving it up more than once. The last show I really enjoyed was Gurren Lagann and before that, Akagi. Those series came out in 2007 and 2005, respectively. Since this is 2014, that means there had only been two great shows in the last seven years. That’s pathetic. Nobody in Japan seemed interested in creating a good series any more. All they care about is selling moeblob merchandise which cater to the lowest pedophilic denominator.

And then I watched Attack on Titan.

I’m not going to say this series is perfect. It’s not. It isn’t the next Cowboy Bebop or Haibane Renmei. It has flaws. But it is a huge step in the right direction. It tones down the moe factor, ramps up the action, and even took the time to include a plot. These are the only things I ask for in an anime. Unfortunately, most anime are incapable of meeting these three criteria. Attack on Titan, however, made all the right moves.

Heat Guy J – Surprisingly Good

Here is a list of reasons why you would think Heat Guy J sucks:

1. The title is Heat Guy J.
2. It aired in the U.S. on MTV2.
3. It has girly character designs.
4. It has people with wolf heads.
5. It has a lot of filler episodes.
6. Nobody has ever heard of it.

Despite these apparent shortcomings, Heat Guy J is actually a high quality series. Let’s take a look at those problems and see if they are actually problems or not.

First of all, the title. Heat Guy J. What the fuck does that mean, anyway? It’s a reference to the android character, J, and the fact that when he’s in action he builds up a ton of heat (get it, heat guy, lololololol, sigh, I know…) and needs to expel it at various points. Sounds dumb? Not really. It works well in the context of the series, and it isn’t like the title is all that bad considering it’s anime. The title does actually reference something in the series. It isn’t some crazy-ass, nonsensical title like  I My Me Strawberry Eggs, Fruits Basket, Sumomomo Momomo, Pumpkin Scissors, XXXholic, Tantei Opera Milky Holmes, Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo, and… well, you get the idea. Overall, a title like Heat Guy J actually refers to the titular character, and isn’t completely fucked. Verdict: not a problem.

Top 30 Anime Openings (with Video Evidence): Part 2

I’m back with the second entry in this three part series. This week, the next ten openings will be revealed. These range greatly in terms of style and music. Every single one is different, and cool in their own way. Enough talk, let’s get on to the openings. Part three will be posted next week.

Note: Sometimes after watching so many embedded files, Youtube audio files will stop working, or the entire file will load incredibly slowly. If that happens, reload the page, and everything will work again.

20.) The Vision of Escaflowne – No Need for Promises by Maaya Sakamoto

A classic series deserves a really good opening. I’ve always found Maaya Sakamoto’s singing to be rather soothing. The song is upbeat, and the visuals showcase a wide variety of the thematic elements that appear in the show. Overall, a well composed intro.

19.) Dai-Guard – Back Alley Space Boy by The Cobra Twisters

Baa ba ba baa ba ba ba ba baa ba ba barara ra ra ra ra!!!!!!!! Catchiest opening song ever? Yep.

18.) Excel Saga – Love (Loyalty) by The Excel Girls

It’s a pretty rare thing for a comedy series to have an opening that is actually funny. This one has a lot of visual humor, as well as jokes in the song lyrics. It also earns points for its general weirdness. Every aspect of this series is top-notch (not to mention completely insane), including the opening.