Anime Girl Rankings

Technology and Faith and Love, Oh My!

Tonight's update features a veritable grab-bag of differing genres and themes for your pleasure. Let's get right down to it, shall we?

First we have the somewhat recent Accel World, about a social outcast's introduction into a dangerous yet fulfilling virtual game. I daresay I enjoyed it more than Sword Art Online even if its ambitions didn't seem as grand, and the fact that its harem aspects are more muted in comparison to SAO's overbearing Kirito worship is a big point in its favor.

Next we have Chrono Crusade which I finally got around to watching, and now I'm kicking myself in the butt for not having watched it back when it came out. At once humorous, serious, and touching, it hits all the right notes for a really good time.

Then we have the interesting Gasaraki, a mech show set in a world in which bipedal machines are used and managed by various competing entities. This show more than ever convinced me that Sunrise doesn't do 'mech shows' so much as it does shows about the human experience which are framed with giant robots. I absolutely loved the aspects regarding global politics, information warfare, and the like, but ultimately felt like the supernatural aspects were tacked on and unnecessary.

Fourth, we have the romance series Itazura na Kiss, about which I am of two minds. While the setup was interesting and I loved many of the characters, the fact that the male lead was such an unrepentant jackass irritated me to no end. He was rude to nearly everybody - ESPECIALLY the female lead, except for the specific moments the plot required him to be nice so she would keep following him around with puppy dog eyes. It ultimately soured me on the series despite how good the supporting cast was.

Fifth is the seemingly forgotten Kurau: Phantom Memory, a Bones series from the time they were churning out hit after hit. I'm a huge Bones fan from this time period but for some reason this series, involving a species of alien beings and their interactions with humans - primarily Kurau - slipped by me back when it aired. While not the best of their work from that time period, it still packed a good emotional punch for me.

Sixth is another romance series - Namely Lovely Complex, focusing on a taller-than-average girl developing feelings for her best friend, a shorter-than-average boy. Given the series builds off that concept rather than it being the entirety of the show, I found it to be a wonderful experience from beginning to end, and there wasn't one character I didn't like. Plus, everybody speaks in Kansai-ben, which really satisfied my Kansai-ben fetish. I already miss the show.

Lastly, we have the recently completed Magica Wars, a four-minute-per-episode Gainax series about magical girls who are personifications of the various areas from which they hail. At such a short length, it served as a good appetizer for longer anime during watching sessions, but ultimately is the kind of throwaway series you forget about when you're done. This is the Gainax of the 2010s, everybody.

In addition to the 39 new girls on the site, we have a new poll! This one asks which girl you think has the nicest looking eyes. My vote goes to Sawako, but what about you?