So I had this idea and posted it on my Facebook Page. Since a lot of us are stuck at home during quarantine because of COVID-19, I decided to come up with a list of anime that I would never get tired of re-watching time and time again. But, the list didn’t give it justice. So, I’m providing here a better elaboration of why these are my choices. Here goes then.
I’ll start with the oldest one on the list, Voltes V. This is a Filipino phenomenon. Though there was Combattler V that came before it , Voltes V was the super robot that won the hearts of anime fans in the Philippines, including me. By my count, this anime has been shown three times. One in it’s incomplete English dubbed version when it came out in the late 70s. Another time with completed English dub in the 90s. And then there was a Tagalog dubbed version that came later. If that wasn’t enough, there will be a live action adaptation of Voltes V in the Philippines. I don’t think there was ever an anime well-revered by Filipinos than Voltes V. Sure, the anime is dated, but the themes are not. Think about it. Rebellion against tyranny is something that a lot of Filipinos can relate. There are other super robots that came before it, but this is the one that has embedded itself into the Filipino psyche for arguably generations to come. Let’s Volt in!!!!
The next oldest on the list is the 1980s version of Astroboy. There was a version of this anime in the 60s, but this later version is the one I like. Created by Osamu Tezuka, Astroboy is wish fulfillment Pinocchio style. His wisdom, power and charisma are what make Astro such an appealing character. As you watch the anime, you’ll appreciate Astro’s sense of wonder, and respect for the human race. There’s a bit of Asimov in this series as well as robots are not supposed to harm humans. The beauty and irony of the anime is that Astroboy, being a robot, is more human than a lot of human characters in the show. In fact, he often shows humans how to become more humane from his robot perspective.
Third oldest here is Macross. Actually, ALL the Macross anime except for Macross 7 (that is one part of Macross history I choose to ignore). Created by Shoji Kawamori, this anime presents jet planes that transform into mecha. Hell, the dimensional fortress itself transforms into one giant robot. My eyes feasted on this anime from the get-go. Gundam might have come first, but this is the mecha anime that caught my fancy. Oddly enough, the mecha is not the ultimate weapon in the series. It’s actually culture in the form of music. Aside from that, the fight scenes in those mecha were outstanding. The initial anime was so popular that the jet transformation was adapted into another popular show in the 80s, Transformers. Jetfire/Skyfire’s transformation is the exact copy of the Macross fighter planes. Also, while everybody was falling in love with either Lynn Minmay or Misa Hayase, I was more interested in Milia Fallyna, the better half of ace pilot Maximillian Jenius. That couple could easily take out a cadre of elite pilots on their own without breaking a sweat. Speaking of couples…
Next on the list is Ranma 1/2 created by Rumiko Takahashi. Ranma Saotome falls into the cursed spring of Jusenkyo which transforms him into a pig-tailed girl of equal age. His father, Genma, falls into a similar spring which transforms him into a panda. From then on, they can only transform into their original forms when they bathe in hot water. Later, Ranma finds out that he is set to marry Akane Tendo, daughter of Soun Tendo and best friend of Genma, when they come of age. This sets up a series of misadventures wherein Ranma seeks to cure himself from Jusenkyo’s curse, and avoid marrying tomboy Akane. I’ll be blunt. The premise of this anime is outrageous. It’s downright hilarious. And, it’s very, very entertaining. There is a slew of characters in this anime that follow the same theme as Ranma….victim of Jusenkyo’s springs. The characters themselves are layered and bring their own brand of hilarity to the show from the vain Kuno to the dangerously cute Shampoo. No matter how many times I watch this anime, I always end up laughing and sometimes laughing into tears. This is one of Rumiko Takahashi’s greatest works. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any funnier, Ranma 1/2 surprises you with more out of this world humor. Now, let’s move on to something a little bit more serious…
The next anime on my list is another mecha anime, Neon Genesis Evangelion. Yeah, I loved a lot of robot anime. It’s no surprise I have four on my list of ten, and Evangelion is the last robot anime you’ll find here. Whereas Ranma 1/2 was comedy, Evangelion was heavy on drama. This anime tackled serious existential themes,and by the time the series was done people still got to wonder if they got the gist right. The villains there were called angels, and that’s not the only biblical reference in Eva. The main character, Shinji Ikari, is a weak-willed emotional boy who holds the fate of humanity in his hands. Throughout the series, he learns to develop his skills in piloting the Eva to save the human race from these angels…or does he? Joining him are fellow Eva pilots, Rei Ayanami and Asuka Langley Soryu. Created by Hideaki Anno with designs by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, Evangelion had psychological, philosophical, social and religious concepts that made the anime a total mindfu–warp. Providing multiple perspectives into intellectual thought, this anime had layers upon layers of hidden meanings. Unsurprisingly, some of them were sexual in nature. At the center of it all is the Freudian relationship between Shinji and his mentor/mother figure, Misato Katsuragi. I tell you this was heavy viewing for an anime. As it was coming out, I had to watch each episode at least twice to see if I got the concepts right. Did I? Not quite. As the many discussion boards will tell you, just when you think you have the series figured out some new information comes out of the wood works and screws up your initial theories. This was one anime that let me think deep in more than one occasion, and that’s why I keep coming back to it for more.
So here’s my first five of ten anime that I’d gladly watch over and over. Next time, I’ll discuss the next five. That’s all for now. Happy binge watching.
Soft Places 