Let me unwind for a bit from all the reviews I’m doing. As people know, and surprise to everybody else, I watch a twelve episode anime in a day then do the review afterwards. It’s both a first impressions and a review of the anime. Imagine watching eleven anime in two weeks and working your brain till it turns mushy. I charged through the Spring 2012 lineup and watched as many anime as I can. Dear God, it was painful. I watched and reviewed eleven times. I felt defeated afterwards. I did try to find out how many reviews I can do before I tap out. Eleven seems to be the magic number for me. It’s funny because I’m downloading the other 12 episode anime of the lineup that I haven’t reviewed yet and I’m already losing my enthusiasm.

Some of you dear readers may ask why I am doing this to myself. Others might be asking if I even do other things because I seem to have a lot of free time. This blog site was created because I plan on doing a thousand anime reviews. I do have responsibilities at home but my amazing time management skills help me do my work and watch a lot of anime at the same time. It’s my little secret pantless technique. So just be in awe at how fast I watch anime. I finished a hundred in two months once, too bad I didn’t do reviews then.

Anyways, my mind has seemingly checked out and went on vacation. I must find it soon but luckily my cat is on it. So in the meantime, I’m doing a generic top ten list. Yes. Whether you’re an otaku, a gamer, a movie buff or a carpenter, I’m sure you have come across these biased list that often time has no credibility. Some dude just made a half assed list and when he is probed on the questionable ranking, his response is “It’s my opinion. It’s my list!!!” So you know what, I’m not doing a top ten list. I’m doing a top twenty list!!! No, top fifty!!! No, wait. Yes. No. It’s a top ten. Yeah.

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This is my top ten ending anime themes. It is my personal ranking. I used my nostalgia on ranking the list. Some ending themes reminds me of the anime whenever I watch them on youtube. It’s certainly a powerful thing for a medium to make you feel nostalgic. Whether it’s the unforgettable theme song or the awesome ending sequence, I ranked this list as fairly as I can. It’s still biased though so shut the hell up.

10. I Can Dance It Too!!!

Song: Hare Hare Yukai by Aya Hirano

Anime: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

The year was 2006. A high school boy bought a pirated anime on random as a gesture to a friend who owns the pirated shop. He spent a majority of his allowance on it so he decided to watch the thing he wasted money on. He sat down at 3 pm at his parent’s home. He turned on the DVD and watched it. He finished it and realizes it was already 9 pm. He looked shocked but a smile ultimately came out of his face. He said to himself, “I think I’m a Haruist.”

The ending song of the first season of Haruhi was an animation treasure. It was hypnotizing and it was never done before. There you have Haruhi and the members of the SOS Brigade dance along the ending song. The ending theme was soon rampant on YouTube and Nico Nico Douga. You even see diehard fans do the dance. It’s unbelievably awesome in every sense of the word.

My experience with the anime is certainly special because it was the one that turned me into marathoning anime. I also have a love hate relationship with the anime. I love the anime back in ’06 then excitedly waited for season two that took two years and then I loathe it after watching endless eight. It was a really roller coaster ride for me. When I watch the ending theme though, I still have a smile on my face as I remember my rocky otaku experience with the anime.

9. My First Taste Of An Original Screenplay

Song: Ride on Shooting Star by The Pillows

Anime: FLCL

Two friends were talking as they go home. The rain was getting heavy so they decided to stop on the school’s study area. One of the friends said that he is tired of all the bad endings of manga adapted anime that ruins the overall experience. The other friend agreed but he decidedly mocked how his friend only watches what is on TV. “You gotta expand, man.” He told his friend that there are anime that is original and doesn’t follow any manga. The other friend suddenly lit up and asked what anime his friend was referring to. His friend had an annoying grin on his face, closed his eyes a bit and said “F. L. C. L.”

Actually Cowboy Bebop was my first O.Screenplay anime but FLCL was truly special and I didn’t know Bebop was an O.Screenplay back then. It’s a six part OVA about growing up and experiencing teen angst. It had so many symbolisms that threw the anime off the norm of what an anime should be. It was weird, it was confusing and it was one of the best anime I have the pleasure of watching. One thing that perfectly tied the anime together is the soundtrack.

If I do a top ten OP song then you can bet FLCL will appear on it again. The ending song though captivated me. Its impressive guitar riffs and catchy beat truly captured the essence of FLCL. Whenever I see someone share the song in facebook, I stop my work and listen to it. The Pillows is also a very good band. I love all their songs. I truly do.

8. You Found Your Niche, Damn It.

Song: Dango Daikazoku by Chata

Anime: Clannad

This boy watched shounen all his life. He even went as far as to proclaim that drama anime sucks and they don’t do their job of making people cry. He ranted for hours on end while the rest of the anime club slaved on the poster they’ll use to attract new members. The boy then said “I dare any anime to try and make me cry.” His friend just stayed quiet feeling the annoyed aura the other members are emitting. “You agree, right? Shounen is the best and all anime should be shounen.” The last remark pissed all the members off even the one who is pretending to sleep. The club president ordered him, “Go watch Clannad.”

I’m not the boy who liked shounen. He’s just a fellow club member but when you talk of a good drama anime, Clannad comes to mind. Back when KyoAni was just a small time company, they had a hard time finding the perfect audience to cater to. They did Kanon then Full Metal Panic and even Air. While still unaware of the moe uprising, the studio focused on drama. They adapted some tear jerking visual novels and one of them was Clannad. I remember this beautiful anime for one reason only. The cute ending theme about round people.

The song and the sequence share the anime’s theme of family and belongingness. Of a warm hug you get from people that love you. It also reminds me of the sad moments of the anime. The teddy bear in the suitcase, the crowd at the wedding and dango that the character refused to eat. Oh god, they’re all coming back to me. It’s truly a wonderful ending song and one of the most nostalgic ones on the list.

7. My High School Life Was Awesome

Song: Cherished Memories by The Hong Kong Knife

Anime: Great Teacher Onizuka

It was 12 in the morning. Animax just aired in the Philippines and this young boy wanted to watch as many anime as he can. Around 1 AM, he saw this anime called Great Teacher Onizuka. He watched it and his eyes slowly widened at the awesomeness of the anime. He decided to watch the series on a weekly basis. He slept at 1:30 AM and woke up at 5. His lack of sleep made it hard for him to concentrate in class. Luckily, he had recess. Twenty minutes to take a power nap. A girl approached him one recess break. It was the top 1 student of the class quietly scolding him not to sleep in class. The boy was embarrassed but half awake, he was suddenly very chatty. “I watched GTO last night. It was just too awesome to miss.” he said. Miss top 1 student (it means she is the smartest) chuckled very lady like and quietly told him, “I know, I saw it too.” The two would exchange cellphone numbers afterwards and text each other about the awesome exploits of Onizuka.

Oh god, this brings me back. Sadly, I was super awkward back then so I stupidly got stuck in the friend zone. She was very quiet in class and rarely speaks to anyone else. It’s like a beautiful set up from an anime but I was slow on the prowl that we eventually lost in touch after graduation. I moved from the province to the city and my cellphone was stolen mere weeks after.

I’m going off topic. Great Teacher Onizuka is one of the best anime of the early 2000s because it was honest, sincere, perverted and very touching. The story of a teacher who used to be a biker that decided to help students was one of the best things in anime. GTO is in my top ten and I especially love the soundtrack. The third theme song was the best in my opinion. It was reminiscing the good things about the anime while playing this awesome song in the background. I have this in my Ipod till today. Well, not till today because that damn thing was stolen too.

6. Ritsuko Okazaki, You’re Still The Best

Song: “Chiisana Inori” by Ritsuko Okazaki

Anime: Fruits Basket

The boy was ready to watch The Centurions that was on Cartoon Network but his sister is hogging the TV. His mom said “let your sister watch TV for once!” and he was forced to sit and wait for whatever show his sister is watching. What’s this? He’s leaning forward. He’s liking the show? Oh, he’s quiet now. His little sister could help but laugh. She looked at him and said “That’s Tohru, Yuki and Kyo. Isn’t Fruit Basket cute?”

Yes, my f*cking little sister. Fruits Basket is cute and it’s one of the first romance anime I ever watched. I especially love the anime because of Tohru. She was hated by the Sohma family but her genuine honestly and remarkable ability to say what you want to hear made her very endearing. I hated the anime though because the ending was crappy. Yeah, I both loved and hated it. I had to ask one of manga addicted friends to find out she got together with the cat. It didn’t matter to me who she grew old with, I just wanted to closure. Other people hate Tohru though.

Ritsuko Okazaki is legendary. She is up there with Megumi Hayashibara who lent her voice to a lot of characters. Ritsuko was a singer and she is probably known for the songs in Love Hina. I love her in Fruits Basket. Her song, Chiisana Inori” perfectly captured the playful yet simple theme of the show. The beautiful instruments coupled by her hushy voice were a great combination. Every time I listen to the song, yes, I smile. A rush of nostalgia hits me. Ristuko died back in ’04 and it really got to me but her beautiful songs will forever live on.

Whenever I hear this song, one line from the anime always pops in my head. “A rice ball doesn’t belong in a basket of fruits.”

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And crap, this turned into a wall of magnificent text. I have to stop here for now. I do feel revitalized after making this post. It’s probably because I listen to the songs in youtube as I make this list. Tune in for the rest of the list that I’ll do probably when my brain goes mushy again. I don’t know when that will be but I appreciate you dear lurkers for stopping by.

Let’s all enjoy them pantless. Peace.