You know what I miss doing? The Top 100 moment list. It was done during a time where I had so much free time. I watched and reviewed anime with so much joy and enthusiasm that I often run out of shows to watch, as I stick to the seasonal lineups. I filled my free time by making up a top one hundred moment list, and it was pretty awesome. For me, it was a special undertaking and something I cannot do ever again. The seasonal lineups have since drowned me, free time is an alien notion to me now, and I often lose the importance of an anime moment after a month goes by. Sometimes, I even force the description for the moment and it just doesn’t feel right. Sure, the best moments stand the test of time but I really want to do a top one hundred list again. As of now, I have a list for 2013 and 2014 moments that I could not finish. So I decided to do this.

I’m about done with Summer 2014. I think I have about six or seven more shows to watch, and I could really skip them now because f*ck it all to hell. Anyways, I think I can still salvage the top 2014 moments since I still have the Fall 2014 lineup to review. It’s a f*cking long lineup, and I often wonder how I ran out of anime back in 2012. Anyways, to ensure the moment does escape my mind piping hot, I’ll do a round up at the end of every month. I review, at least, one anime a week so I can discuss the moments during the months end. This is an ideal approach, since I can just rank the moments afterwards. I don’t have to rely on my stressed out mind to remember how one passing moment in the show holds so much weight. I’ll also try to revisit some of the moments in the 2014 list that has since turned refrigerator cold in my mind.

I’m also trying to expand my scope, so I’ve been watching a lot of movies. I’ll put some of my random thoughts and point out the notable moments on the certain movies I’ve seen in the month as well. I’ll even comment on stuff I can (miraculously) read, like books or manga. This is really just a monthly wrap up post other bloggers usually do so it’s nothing new, but I’ve finally broken out of my stubborn stance to just feature reviews in this blog. I’ll do random bullsh*t from time to time as well. Why the hell not, right?

SEPTEMBER 2017

Bakumatsu Rock – Shirtless Transformation

Good gawd, this was a bad anime to start this list. There’s nothing really noteworthy with this anime, except for the various blatant fan service it features. There’s an episode about the group performing in a bath house, and it would’ve been the perfect moment to mention, but I’ll personally hate myself if I were to admit the only thing great about the episode is that the characters are half naked all throughout. Let’s just keep repressing that, and focus on something much better. Ugh.

In the first episode, the characters transformed and it was a culmination of everything dumb, awesome and fan service in one bright moment. It kinda sums up the anime. You don’t have to like the show, but it doesn’t stop the characters from shedding their clothes. My reaction to the moment is “indescribably stupid”, and there is no shame in admitting that it’s awesome. Glistening hard bodied hot guys have the right to do that. I’m getting off topic now, so I’ll just move on.

Akame ga Kill – Seryuu and Coro

There are a lot of great moments in this anime, but I’ll just put three of the best ones I remember. Leaving out Seryuu Ubiquitious would be a gigantic crime for this one. She really stood out among all the crazies of the anime, and she does that by even being more bat sh*t crazy than the most bat sh*t crazy character you’d meet. The way she bops from friendly and cute to psychotic and scary really leaves a mark. For a true moment of Seryuu’s utter insanity, it was during a throw away moment when she apprehended a couple of thieves. She handed down her judgement, a clear cut guilty verdict, and she decided to be the executioner as well.

She escalates in the anime, just like the actual show, but this moment kinda signals a no turning back moment for her. She is just downright insane now, and she needs to be killed. She went out in an explosive manner, and she even killed the first Night Raid member in the series but this moment truly gives us a wonderful picture of the scariest character in this anime.

Akame ga Kill – Legacy

Tatsumi didn’t have a significant role in the show until he dons the Incursio armor. The problem is that a Night Raid member currently owns it, so the guy had to go. He didn’t just die in a merciless fashion though. Bulat faced off with three relic users, and he proved just how awesome he is. He ultimately met his demise in a wonderful stalemate against a former general. While he successfully killed the guy first, Bulat was about to die as well. There was another relic user to fight though, but Bulat is already down. He decided to pass on his relic to Tatsumi, and the main character finally assumes the role he was destined to play. He did it in a pretty grand fashion.

The Incursio armor appears before Tatsumi as the passing of the torch happens, and we see a final shot of Bulat acknowledging the succession. It’s a wonderful moment from the amazing fight Bulat had all the way to his exit, and then Tatsumi carrying on his legacy. It’s the end of one story, but also the signal of the start of another one.

Akame ga Kill – Legacy II

The last episode of the anime featured a decisive battle between Akame and Esdeath. It was the most overpowered monster against the last fighting member of Night Raid. It was a fight to end all fights, and it was awesome. My favorite episode would have to be the one before it though. Realizing the empire is about to come to an end, the emperor, a mere child, was goaded into donning the ultimate relic and unleashing havoc. Throughout the anime, the prime minister has always used the emperor like a puppet, with his silver tongue and sh*t, and the gullible kid is still buying into it despite common sense dictating the prime minister led him to ruin. So the emperor unleashes the ultimate relic, a giant ass mecha that obliterates anything it comes across with. Tatsumi decided to face the giant mecha head on, and it was beautifully symbolic as the emperor fought in the middle of the city. Tatsumi was fighting the city itself and everything evil about it, and his character arc peaked at that moment. It wasn’t just him though, because Wave soon joined the battle. The two battle armors, one designed from the other, joins forces to finally beat the biggest sin in the city. It’s another symbolic gesture as Night Raid and Jaeger finds common ground, and they finally fought to protect the same thing. The epic encountered ended with the mecha being disabled, but Tatsumi soon lost his life. It wasn’t from the emperor’s attacks though, but it was from saving innocent people from being crushed by the mecha. It was conveniently falling on top of a group of people recovering in one side of the city. Tatsumi stopped the mecha from falling their way, but he lost his life with that one final act. It’s a beautiful send off for Tatsumi, who was eventually killed by the city he dreamed of finding glory in but soon despising, but also a poignant one because he soon joins his childhood friend, Sayo and Ieyasu, in the same city they died in.

Holy sh*t this episode. Except for Wave’s arc not being properly fleshed out, the entire episode is a culmination of all things great about the anime. Story arcs are completed, character arcs are peaked and the ultimate end goal is achieved. The multiple subplots played an incredible role in making the episode fantastic. The emperor being fooled by the prime minster, as he shouts his manipulative tirade while the emperor fights off Tatsumi, stands out amazingly. The main character eventually meeting his death also impacted the episode. The signal of the end is just fantastic though. How do you end an anime that constantly escalates its action? You feature a giant ass mecha just unleashing sh*t on everything. It was amazing. A high class storytelling at its finest and I love every minute of it.

Jinsei – Koganen

Jinsei is a gem of an anime. It was awful upon first impression, and then it just gradually became amazing. I love this anime, and I rarely become attached to shows. After years of being disappointed and annoyed beyond belief, the rare ones really just feel special. The last anime that made me feel all warm inside was Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru, a rare Shaft anime before their monogatari hype. Jinsei really started to become enjoyable with the introduction of the supermarket hero, Koganen. After the last owner quit being the hero, our main character, Yuuki, donned the mask. In order to solve the mystery of who burned their suggestion box, Yuuki transformed into Koganen. His journey eventually led him to the secret society of the school, the HHH. A confrontation between the culprit and Koganen happens, and it was just so damn stupid.

First of all, using a pressure point, Yuuki can change his voice into Kei Grant. This suave voice is a popular narrator for a bunch of Sentai shows. The wonderful thing is that the show actually got Kei Grant to do the voice, and it was unexpectedly hilarious. The reveal of the secret society also adds to this moment. HHH is actually a group of people that banded together promising each other that, should they die unexpectedly, their porn collection would be disposed by the others. Yeah, oddly enough, there was a reason why the characters watched a porn they picked up next to their burned suggestion box. It comes full circle, with the culprit going into an existential tirade about abandoned porn collections. It was brilliant, and it was a wonderful pay off for sticking with the show for that long. It was also just good writing, so I was really impressed the anime pulled it off that well.

Jinsei – Arts Girl and Student Council President

The best characters, and the ones that completed the anime, are revealed very late in the show. It was worth it though, because these characters are unforgettable in all the right reasons. Art girl has a lot of incredible moments by herself, but my favorite would have to be when she declared that she sleeps nude. So during their pajama party, Art girl stripped under her futon and humanities girl was quick to tell her to put her clothes back on. She didn’t though, and the two of them fought over it. It’s so stupid and random, but it honestly works. I still remember humanities girl checking under the blanket again after Arts girl said she already put her clothes back on. She didn’t, and humanities girl was right to distrust her.

The student council president is a wonderful inclusion into the show. She is corrupt, and she apparently sends people who defy her to the school’s sister academy, where the transfers are tortured. Since her appearance, she has become a thorn in the main character’s side. Her best antagonism was when she banished the club to the gym storage room. The characters are never fazed by it though, but they did plan to get back at her. Realizing her corrupt activities, the group plans to expose her and they decided to infiltrate the school’s rigged beauty contest to do that. They failed, and it was fine because the student council president gives an amazing smug smirk.

Oh my gawd, I just want her. Not as a waifu, because I find that concept a red flag, but more of a top five in my top ten favorite female characters. Side note, Kino tops both the male and female list. Side side note, the new Kino’s Journey better not suck. I love the series too much to see Kino in a bad show.

Looking back

I’ve only seen three anime this month, so I’m digging into my past 2014 moments. This one is from Winter 2014, the tragic anime by Studio Project No. 9 called “Saikin, Imouto no Yousu ga Chotto Okashiinda ga”. This anime was the studio’s first work, and it was supposed to be smash. It had every right to be, but it didn’t work out. I love this anime though.

ImoCho – Masterbait

In the first episode, the main character, Mitsuki, met the ghost girl, Hiyori. In their first meeting, Hiyori possessed Mitsuki’s body, and she proceeded to pleasure herself. The moment is a big introduction to the audience of things that’ll come, and it was also just good. The animation is both cute and filthy, which is a wonderful combination. I happily GIF’ed  that moment, so you’re welcome. I got the censored version, but you’re free to check out the uncensored. It’s ten times better, I promise.

Things escalated from there though, because Mitsuki wanted her body back. Hiyori wasn’t finished though, so ghost girl helped Mitsuki climaxed. It was now a girl on girl masturbation scene, and it was awesome. The animation is so good that it emphasizes how smooth and bouncy Mitsukis skin is, and the groping actions were just animated well.

The sound of Mitsuki moaning is amazing, but Hiyori soon joins Mitsuki in the pleasure. It was full on girl on girl at this point, and it just makes you wonder how the anime will top this. The show itself did try to escalate the perversion, but soon halted. The anime crashed in the second half, but that’s okay, because we’ll always have this moment. Also, the manga is even dirtier and I wish I can GIF that as well.

ImoCho – Car Accident

So, you ask yourself, how did Hiyori die? Well, the ED sequence explained that. After a cute montage of a mascot Hiyori going about her normal school life, well, the anime showed how she died. I love this moment because it was disturbing as f*ck, and the background characters grim reaction paints a horrid picture. Hell, the impact was disturbing and shocking. The anime played it as fluff though, and it just proves how many brilliant minds were at Project No 9 at the time. It’s really a shame this anime failed. Hard.

Non-anime

Groundhog Day

I’ll admit that I never really find the premise of the movie “good”, because it’s basically endless eight and I hate endless eight. Those eight episodes killed me inside, and I don’t want to go through it again. Before going to work one random morning though, this aired on Star Asia. I caught the second half, where Bill Murray is trying to kill himself, and I really liked it. Bill Murray as an actor is really good. He isn’t just funny, but he has this aura about him that makes him charming. I personally hate him for not giving us Ghostbusters 3, and then made me cry inside when the group can no longer reunite one last time. As an actor though, he carried this movie. Repeating the same day sounds boring, but Bill Murray makes a connection with the audience. You feel his frustration, his anger, his depression, and his sudden realization of acceptance. Yeah, Bill went through the five stages of dying. I know, because that was my college thesis. Seeing him desperately trying to revive the homeless guy kinda struck a chord. He didn’t want to be alone, he felt trap, and there’s nothing he can do about it. When Groundhog Day is finally over, you kinda rejoice with Bill Murray, and this movie is just awesome. I love it so much that I downloaded it the same day and re-watched it again.

I should praise Harold Ramis as well. Gawd, this movie is a technical nightmare. It’s like doing multiple reshoots on purpose, and pray to gawd you don’t actually do a reshoot. He ups the ante though, because this movie, set in a small town, features a car chase, an explosion and dead people. I’m glad I saw this movie, but mostly because I saw endless eight first. If I saw Groundhog Day before endless eight, then I’d automatically hate this movie and I don’t want to. This movie is a treasure. It’s a practice of utilizing a simple premise to its absolute best, and then finding out what lies to beyond.