What anime scenes are most memorable to you?
I've only thought about series, but here are the top five that are seared into my mind.
#5 Katanagatari
If you've watched this you probably already know I'm going to say... (SPOILER)
Having been pretty skeptical of watching this in the first place, I made it that far and did not see this coming at all. I was totally dumbstruck. I'm thankful that I didn't see this when it originally aired, because there was no way I would have been able to wait a month for the next episode.
#4 Mononoke
The exorcism sequences.
I would link the first scene, but the only high-quality sources I can find are on YouTube, and their video compression simply cannot do it justice. If you are interested in this show at all (and you definitely should be, it's truly a work of art!), don't try to find out too much, just go in blind.
This just blew me away when I first saw it. I still think of this anime as the benchmark for art direction, and any of those scenes could probably qualify as the best-looking clip I've seen in the animated visual medium, period.
#3 Shigurui: Death Frenzy
Irako Seigen vs. Iwamoto Kogan fight
Even without knowing how the details of this scene fit into the wider context of this near-masterpiece of a show, this video speaks for itself.
#2 Aku no Hana
This show is SO good at building tension, and this scene was almost as cathartic a release for me as it was the characters. At the end of this episode, I was just stunned. Lovely cinematography as well.
#1 Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex: 2nd Gig
When the Tachikoma... (SPOILER)
The Tachikoma are one of the best examples of character development I've seen in anime, if not the best. By the time this played out, I couldn't believe those silly little spider tank robots managed to make me shed a tear..
So, what are yours, and why? Please tag spoilers as necessary!
I had previously loved Full Metal Alchemist, but got around to watching Brotherhood a few years ago. When I tell you that I was running around my living room and losing my mind as The Dwarf in the Flask opened the Gateway of earth and reaches out. It felt like an entire subplot of the show was being revealed as we learned about him, I was fascinated. Such a better ending than the OG FMA
Behold
That's a good choice. Also: "Ed-ward...." :'(
Oh wow... I forgot about that. I never watched FMA 03 past the first 10 episodes before trying Brotherhood instead, but I do remember that... yeesh.
Hard disagree. I've watched both and still prefer the OG FMA series. All the characters that Brotherhood added are obnoxious and it is chock full of overdone anime tropes. I don't care that it is more faithful to the manga, it is simply less enjoyable to watch.
That was my gut reaction when I started Brotherhood, but the story was so much more cohesive with those characters than the OG, since they were making it up as they went by the end of the original.
I get it, but by the end I was sold.
I agree. I read the manga originally and they just kept adding so many characters that I felt like they didn’t know what to do with all of them by the end, it also felt a bit drawn out at time. While Brotherhood/the manga have some really amazing moments, the OG anime felt more cohesive with the smaller cast and fewer episode count.
Having just finished Brotherhood a couple nights ago, I kind of agree. After it was done introducing new characters, I warmed up to them a lot, but I did like the smaller cast in '03. With basically every difference between the two series, I prefer the '03 version, except for the ending. Not that '03 was bad, it was just such a massive bummer, especially after the movie stomped out any hope. 10/10, will not watch again
With regard to BusAlderaan's comment, I hate to say that I sort of had to force myself to feel hyped for that whole sequence. I was genuinely hyped for everything that came after that, tho
I need to add "Today is a terrible day for rain" since someone already added "Ed....ward" (too soon!)
I'm probably dating myself here, but Cowboy Bebop
Spoilers
When Spike goes to the church to rescue Faye and confront Vicious. Rain starts to play as its falling at the church, Spike ignores Jet's wisdom about the bounty and the score to settle, and the silence when Spike confronts vicious is great.
It almost costs him his life and Green Bird begins to play as Spike falls from the glass window to what could potentially be his death, and we get flashbacks to his time in the syndicate.
They really don't make shows like this anymore.
Bebop has a variable spot in my two favorite anime depending on the day, but it's so consistently high-quality and well-directed that I struggle to think of a truly standout scene. The one that comes to mind first is in one of the later episodes when Jet and Spike eat all those eggs, but that's more because I didn't catch a layer of meaning behind it until I read up on it after the fact.
I have the same trouble with my other favorite as well, Mugen no Juunin: Immortal.
I think it's this same scene, where a goon tries to take a hostage. Spike with no hesitation shoots around the hostage and kills him. Ive seen a similar move in a few other things by now, but at the time it caught me completely by surprise. I'd never seen the hero pull something like that before.
It is! I love that Spike doesn't play into bullshit tropes. "Drop the gun or I'll shoot her!" BLAM
IIRC, a similar scene happens in the beginning of the movie, with a bounty target holding a woman hostage, and Spike basically says "we're not heroes, I don't really care if you shoot her, I'm just here for you"
Its been a while since I've seen it, but I feel like in the movie Spike is bluffing whereas in the church he's all business.
BANG.
You're gonna carry that weight.
Good choices OP. My top in no particular order, just stuff that's stuck with me and won't leave my brain:
The breakfast 🥞 🍳 scene in Erased.
"Whatever happens, happens" in Bebop. Actually, I could populate this list with just Bebop haha.
The stadium riot in Legend of the Galactic Heroes. A lot of LOGH fis the bill too.
"You started this, didn't you?" AOT. Close second is Reiner in the basement.
Johan talking to the kid in Monster
The ugly shirt in Mob Psycho 100
The mom's letters in Violet Evergarden
Thorfinn talking to Canute on the beach in Vinland Saga
The ballerina scene in Death Parade
"I hope the rain never stops." Samurai Champloo.
I hope this is all vague enough not to warrant spoilers.
You know, I've seen most of the shows you listed and quite like them, but couldn't remember any of those scenes without looking them up. Isn't it interesting how different things resonate with different viewers?
That letter scene in Violet Evergarden made me cry :( only other anime other than Angel Beats
Have you watched Your Lie In April, or A Place Further Than The Universe? Violet Evergarden and Angel Beats were the only shows that ever made me cry until I watched those. They weren't Violet Evergarden tears, but still
YLIA got a big cry out of me, even though I knew exactly what was gonna happen
That was a lovely anime. Do you mind refreshing my memory on which part is the cry part (in
<details></details>spoiler tags if appropriate)? I would absolutely recommend everyone watch it because it's really sweet.For sure, near the end,
A Place Further Than The Universe spoilers
when Shirase finds her mom's laptop and has to accept that she's actually gone, made me cry quite a bit. Then when they're looking at the aurora australis and Gin sends Shirase's mom's last email. The phrase "the real thing is ten thousand times more beautiful," and the realization that that's what she was looking at when she died, idunno, it just kinda hit the right nerve to make me emotional
Ah, that would do it indeed. Thank you for writing that out. That was a beautiful story now that I'm remembering more of it. I should probably watch it again.
Oh Violet Evergarden. I wish I could see an entire episode but the screen keeps getting blurry for some reason.
With that being said my favorite scene is in the movie near the end when they’re standing in the ocean. It’s so cathartic without really needing words.
How about Erwin's charge in the perfect game?
For me two of the most iconic anime scenes for me are in the film Akira. The first is the opening scene of the motorcycle chase coupled with the riots in Neo-Tokyo. The afterglow of the lights and the way the tear gas spreads, coupled with that beautiful musical track is simply amazing. The other is when Tetsuo can't contain the psychic power and his body begins to mutate. I saw this movie perhaps when I was too young, and so this scene of the body morphing out of control and Tetsuo unable to stop himself from killing the ones he loves left an impression on me.
Twinsies on watching it too young, that mutation scene definitely makes an impact!
Excellent picks, those are what I think of when I think of Akira!
First thing that came to mind was for Neon Genesis, and honestly it could just be the entire End of Eva movie. But specifically (spoilers obviously), when Auska goes ballistic on the pack of angel evas and then gets pincushioned while jamming on the controls that are no longer functioning while completely losing her shit.
And just prior to taking all the Lance of Longinuses, after we've just recently learned that the Eva contains her mother's soul, watching the angel pack tear into it like a pack of vultures, leaving entrails everywhere...Oof.
For me, it’s the first episode of Eva. It’s a show about kids in mechs! It’s like Gundam or Macross, right?!? It’s basically just a kaiju show!
But the first episode has no big fight. It’s all exposition. I can’t imagine it working today. No payoff. No monster of the week. It’s all a tease.
And then the second episode comes and you’re like “Oh. I see. We’re doing something different here.” as it gives you a brutal mech fight.
It’s cliche to praise Eva but that praise was hard won and deserving.
I think Stein's;Gate is another example that couldn't work in today's environment. It's more recent than Eva, of course, but it's basically 10 episodes of slice of life shenanigans and then a thriller starts. And the thriller's impact is so high because of the 10 episodes to get to know the participants but how do you get that past an atmosphere where people are watching your episode by episode ratings that closely?
On the flip side then, you get shows like Aldnoah.Zero which promise a lot with very punchy first episodes, only to ultimately not deliver.
I agree. There have been many Eva-like productions through the ages but none of them have been able to achieve everything that it does or have the density and variety of meaningfulness that it has. The giant robots are just there to draw you into the story about the pain of rejection and inability to connect with other people - except the giant robot stuff was done so well that it's still insanely hard to beat their execution to this day.
I'm one of the weird ones who actually likes the series ending over End of Evangelion since I found it to be more meaningful, but at the same time, End is just so breathtakingly beautiful and terrifying. Some of those images are burned into my brain.
The rebuild movies are great too, but they just don't have the same kind of impact.
I see what you did there.
I've never really felt like I "got" Evangelion. A lot of character motivations didn't make a ton of sense to me. I never seemed to know what anyone was trying to do. I'm not even sure if the monsters were literal angels or of that was a code word they were using.
People told me the movies clear it all up, but I watched two of them and they really didn't help.
So the judeo-christian imagery is mostly just because Anno thought it looked cool. The angels are basically space monsters, but then so are the Lilim. And really, in the shows main events, (I mean, even in Nerv's motto), it's all about individuals having the agency, so it would undermine that to have biblical angels running around doing biblical things.
There is backstory explanation for the angels and all the technobabble from extra material over the years, but I think it's kind of intentionally overwhelming.
I'm actually pretty surprised to hear that. The show seemed to have a lot of super natural elements for a mech show. I was fully prepared to hear that the magic monsters were actually biblical in some way.
I think if anyone says they got it first watch without Wikipedia helping is a liar.
Haha, it's funny you bring that up, I remember feeling the same way when one of my best buds was adamant about me watching it back in the '90s. Naturally, it became real easy to watch it after that episode!
It's also interesting that you say it's cliche to praise it. I'm just now getting back into anime after an almost 20-year hiatus, and while I'm not surprised it has gained many accolades and followers over the years, it makes me happy to hear it. It's always been in my top three and my go-to for recommending to people who aren't into anime. But more often than not, whenever I brought it up, the responses are along the lines of I've never heard of it or that they've heard of it and just never gotten around to watching it. So I guess it's just kind of neat to hear from the other end of the spectrum.
Steins;Gate (and 0)
So Steins;Gate is one of my favourite shows, and 0 is one of those few worthy followups to a critical succes show. The original is still better of course, 0 needs the original to stand on to do it's thing, but actually 3/4 of these scenes are from 0.
Madoka Magicka
Log Horizon
Code Geass
WorldEnd
Fate/Zero
I was debating between the part where Mayuri's pocket watch stops working on Steins;Gate and the first point you listed in Steins;Gate 0. One of the biggest "FUCK YEAH"s that an anime has pulled out of me, beaten only by Yoko's return in the latter half of Gurren Lagann and Trevor's second wind in his fight with [spoiler] at the end of Castlevania
I hated that speech episode of Log Horizon.
I get why some people liked it, and I'm actually kind of happy that it was in there because it gave the game some MMO player realness. I just hated that the show's overall pacing was demolished by it. Season 2 did not go well overall, and although I watched it all, it took a tremendous amount of effort. It was disappointing because I found the first season to be very refreshing at the time.
Between this, Aldnoah Zero, and The Promised Neverland, I'm honestly not quite sure why we keep asking for second seasons of anime anymore. ^_^;
Wow, I had also been thinking of the re-awakening of Kyouma and a few moments from Fate/Zero and Unlimited Bladeworks, what a coincidence. (I'm also a firm believer that the best way to start the Fate series is Zero, immediately followed up by Unlimited Bladeworks.)
The scene where "Last Stardust" plays is one that I'd probably pick for Bladeworks, since it's where a lot of the story comes together.
FLCL, when Naota swings the bat. As a kid who had watched plenty of third strikes without swinging, watching everything culminate into him knocking that shit out of the park gets me every time.
"He finally swung the bat."
Huh. Having never played baseball, I guess I've never fully appreciated the psychology in play there, of mentally replaying the at-bats later and the regret of letting pitches go instead of taking a swing. Maybe that's why I never understood why FLCL was so meaningful to a lot of folks. Thanks for illuminating that for me.
You're welcome, glad to have been able to provide some insight on something unique to a lot of kids! There's really nothing worse in that moment than watching a third strike and not even trying to swing. Even if you swing and miss, you still put in the effort.
Baseball is very unique in how much of the game takes place in one's head. It's a team-based sport, but most interactions are going to be between a single batter and the pitcher, and everything else is in between. That one-on-one interaction is some shit, especially if you're a kid.
With soccer and basketball and etc, you always have your team right there. In baseball, they're just as much on the sidelines when you're up to bat. You gotta swing the bat.
/odd baseball ramblings over lol
Eva Ep1 where the angel catches a missile and degloves it. And unfortunately, the beginning of End of Evangelion. Hard to un-see.
Death Note Ep7 when Naomi (Raye Pember's fiancee) walks up the stairs. That episode seemed just about perfect to me at the time.
As someone who suffered through watching the Evangelion series and was mostly underwhelmed, I thought the first scene in EoE was one of the few things that gave Shinji some much-needed depth, and would argue for its inclusion on that basis above and beyond any supposed reproach to the fans on Anno's part. I've gradually come to realize that never liking mecha shows in the first place probably made me miss out on much of NGE's supposed greatness, as I didn't have preconceived expectations to subvert... but maybe that also plays into why I'd list that scene as one of the good points of the franchise.
Completely agreed, and I love your perspective on it! Now that I've learned some of the sentiment Anno brought into it, it's hard for me to separate, but you're right that it really deepens Shinji's themes of repression and avoidance.
I'm sorry NGE didn't hit right for you. I watched it as a young teenager and the combination of world dystopia and technological utopia really resonated with me. The big robots part was cool but I never found Gundam or transformers to be that interesting alone, FWIW, so the genre subversion and some of the adult themes (e.g. Misato's final conversation with Shinji) flew over my head.
20 years later, though, I'm right there with you: Anno took the show to surprising and totally unique places, and the genre subversion is a big part of why I think it still stands up. The rebuilds were a huge disappointment though imo :(
I would agree but also believe Anno was doing quite a bit of meta commentary "this can never live up to the hype and legendary status of the original." Props to them for trying though, seriously. Even though the narrative is (probably intentionally) buried under some obscure dialogue and overly vague references and such, and therefore not that satisfying—on the other hand, they really pushed themselves to outdo the visual spectacle of the originals.
It's debatable whether they succeeded on that front, but I applaud them for putting forth their best effort, even knowing that their own past unimaginable success was possibly the biggest obstacle to their future reception.
I'm going to come up with better ones, but for some reason I immediately thought of Higurashi when Mion is doing her thing.
Probably remembered that scene wrong. It might speak to my state of mind why I'm remembering that as my first reaction. Or maybe the themes of those series you mentioned in the OP triggered that memory for me.
(Edit: Remembered character's name wrong.)
Yesssss, a fellow Higurashi fan. I think I know the scene you're talking about - it's in arcs 2 and 5, right?
Honestly, I think all of arc 5 manages to qualify in a way, lol. Just, the entire thing, from start to finish - while it's a shallow adaptation of the VN, that entire arc was still so striking to me.
It's been a while but yeah, I think it would be arcs 2 and 5 when Mion takes the spotlight.
I was spoiled on the pacing by watching the anime first, so the VN really, really dragged on for me. So I never read past chapter 1. I plan to rectify that when I have time, as I've heard the pacing improves a lot over the series.
I don't know if I can really speak as to what the pacing is like later on - I've been reading it via the Switch version of Higurashi Hou (there's a fan patch that translates it to English), which is significantly different from the original VNs you can find on PC, in that the first three arcs in particular (as well as some of the console-exclusive arcs) are basically merged into a single, branching episode, much like character routes in a dating sim. I've also only read up through arc 5 of the original, so I'm unsure what the pacing is like from that point onward just yet.
Having said that, what I've read so far has been really good, so I'd definitely recommend it!
Also, Umineko. Definitely read Umineko.That's interesting to know about the changes made in the Higurashi Switch version. I've peeked at chapter 2 on PC and so far, it's more enjoyable than what I remember of chapter 1. Even though it's still packed with a lot of slice-of-life parts, it seems more interesting and helps flesh out each character's individual personality better.
Why is Umineko crossed out? I liked it! Ridiculously long, yet felt like less filler than Higurashi.
Oh, I was just being silly, heh. :P I love Umineko to pieces, it's literallly my favourite work of fiction. Having said that, between some of its themes, the sheer density of the work, and how much it demands the reader's attention, I find it a little hard to recommend sometimes, haha.
Also, honorable mention to the sunrise in 5 Centimeters Per Second. This one is sentimental, as I watched it with my then-girlfriend specifically so she could be awestruck by that visual. I'm sure Shinkai has probably out-Shinkaied that moment in one of his subsequent films by now, but I feel like if you've seen one of his movies you've basically seen them all, so I haven't bothered.
I bet I could think of a scene in almost every show I've watched
Massive spoilers for everything ahead
A Certain Scientific Railgun
Misaka meeting her sister for the first time, and seeing her sister die. This was the first anime I watched in like a decade, so I was not used to seeing death, especially after the first season was so happy and cheerful. I think that's the scene that cemented my current streak of watching at least one episode of an anime every day, because I couldn't put the series down until I finished it. I think I burned through the Sisters arc in two days the first time I watched it.
Misaka's fights with Frenda then Mugino was maybe the highlight of the series for me
I wish I had one for Index, but I genuinely only watched that show to provide context for Railgun
Steins;Gate
If you've seen the show, you know the scene. The first time Mayuri's pocket watch stops working.
Gate
Awful show. Best action sequences.
https://youtu.be/vr3xArnCuEc
https://youtu.be/1SSt4qeb0BQ
Castlevania (shut up yes it is an anime)
Season 2 Bloody Tears fight scene
Land of the Lustrous
All of it. The whole show is the most memorable scene. In particular, I strongly remember how unsettling the Lunarians were the first time we saw them.
Violet Evergarden
Someone else already said mom's letters, so I'll say the first letter Violet received. Made me cry like a grown man
Trigun
Vash's confrontation with Monev the Gale, setting the stage for the moral dilemmas in the show
Gurren Lagann
The whole show. All of it. The entire series. In particular, Yoko's return to break Simon out of prison in episode 20 got the biggest "FUCK YEAH" out of me, but the most memorable scene has to be that one scene with Kittan. "So this is the power of the Spiral. Not bad, not bad at all."
Viral has spiral power and you can't convince me otherwise
FMA '03
Obviously "Ed...ward..."
But since someone already said that, I'll bring up the reveal that Bradley is Pride. I so much prefer that reveal in '03. You go so long thinking Bradley is a good guy, then spend a little bit thinking he's hiding something, then BOOM he's a damn homunculus!
Madoka Magica
If you've seen it, you know. Episode 3.
https://youtu.be/lquMurXN1tc
Cowboy Bebop
Obviously, "bang."
You're gonna carry that weight.
A Place Further Than The Universe
The Aurora Borealis sure was beautiful. Kinda hard to see through the tears, though
FMA:B
Roy versus Lust, of course
The scene where Riza sees Gluttony's monster form was pretty memorable to me, too. She sees manmade horrors beyond our comprehension, and her first reaction is to point a gun at it. She hears a noise from the side, and pulls out a different gun. Love her.
Haibane Renmei
The whole show. Whole damn thing.
In particular, I think Reki finding Rakka cutting her feathers is gonna stick with me for a long, long time.
The walk to Arlong Park.
This was the moment that One Piece fully came together for me - and the moment I knew I would watch all 1000+ episodes of this show. The swelling score, the crew finally working together for the first time, the "Right!" in unison, the look of awe on the villagers' faces. I knew I liked One Piece before this moment, but this was when I realized why it's called "peak fiction".
I’m an animation buff, so any time I see good sakuga it’s memorable. Especially when it’s something I am enjoying and it’s something that rarely happens. Weirdly the best examples are western animation. The Owl House does it around the end of every season, and the Steven Universe movie is full of examples.
For anyone else who didn't know, what is sakuga?
To me it means those moments they blow their animation budget on a big fight, after twenty episodes of standing still and yelling at each other.
One time I saw sakuga unexpectedly was Akiba Maid War (bruh don't judge), in the latter half of the season, the content of the episode wasn't remarkably different than others that I recall, but they suddenly pulled out the stops and animated that episode extra well, for no apparent reason. It's hard to call it a good show, but it's a funny show.
Hey, I’m with Geoff Thew; trash can be very entertaining.
But yes, that’s what I love about it. Western animation tends to be a little too “on model”, so when they pull out all the stops it looks incredible, even if a few frames look a little bit off. Heck, it’s often because they look a little bit off. The appeal of animation is that impossible things can happen.
Berserk has a ton of these, and it helps that I played the game not long ago, where half of it is remade anime cutscenes (clips taken from the anime remake? I'm not sure).
Guts and Griffith's duel stands out to me the most, Griffith practically floating up and landing on top of the sword. It's a classic memorable moment that hammers home their relationship dynamic at the start of that story arc.
The story as a whole does an obscenely good job as allegory for real life group dynamics, relatable in the workplace and careers IMHO. RIP the author Kentaro Miura.
The eclipse scene from the original anime series is pretty damn memorable. Also the part where Guts fights the Pope demon guy in the 2017 anime.
The Eclipse, oh my sweet Jesus. If Berserk was a Tolkien book, the Eclipse would be its own movie of the trilogy. Aside from the Casca part, the second most striking part was Pippin. Him standing stout up on the hill like a beacon of hope, same stoic expression as usual, until....
As for the pope demon later on, yeah that dude is a scary mf, one of the creepiest characters in the entire story now that you mention it.
In the first episode of School Rumble there is a joke where one of the main characters Harima Kenji mixes up his name with someone named Harry McKenzy. It’s a really silly joke, but I think about it all the time.
OG Dragon ball
When Goku reunites with his Grandpa. It's not a huge surprise, but the scene is really emotional. The joy of watching that scene for the first time has stuck with me
FMA:B
When Ed goes through the portal the second(?) time and see's Alphonse's body. He gets pulled out, but he breaks through the door as the ending theme plays. He shouts that he'll be back and that's a promise.
That scene hit so hard it still gives me chills when I watch it
MHA
This a more recent one, but this last season (6) where class A goes and convinces Deku to come back.The whole season has been all gas and no brakes. Watching Deku decline into depression as he comes into his potential was so captivating. Then you get his friends to come and save him from himself using ideas that he used to help them. It's such a beautiful payoff after all these seasons
How bout the ol' Akira slide?
Once you notice it, you notice it everywhere.
Man, that entire motorcycle sequence in the movie was golden. I have to wonder how many of these examples past the year 1995 were done in the spirit of actual homage and how many are just reusing a shot, maybe without even having any real attachment to the film.
I think they're pretty much all homages. Akira was a real game changer for anime. It pretty much broke every production rule at the time. Classic anime was extremely stilted, running at a very slow frame rate, often nothing animated except a flapping mouth.
Akira was drawn at a full 24 fps, it had actual lip syncing and everything was beautifully hand drawn. Lasers, explosions, fire, smoke, holograms, detailed lighting shadows and reflections. They didn't take a single shortcut.
Anyone in the animation industry was likely to be very familiar with it.
Oh, there's a lot of Studio Trigger...
Little Witch Academia
The scene at the end, where all the girls, now friends with each other, each say something supportive to Akko before falling back down to Earth. So, so powerful.Star Wars: Visions, The Twins
Just this whole episode! It's amazing, but especially seeing Trigger combine everything Star Wars into one awesome homage. It's basically one long scene anyway.Fruits Basket
The scene towards the end where Katsuya (Tohru's father) tells Kyoko (her mother) "you fought well"... damn I'm tearing up typing this out. That decked me.My Hero Academia
The All Might / Nomu fight... the Muscular fight... so many good fights! And someone already mentioned but Deku Vs Class 1A... chefs kiss! I know the show is super popular but honestly it deserves it.Cyberpunk 2077: Edge Runners
Have I included enough Trigger? But seriously the way that show depicts David's descent into addiction is so real, raw, and personal. I'll never forget the look he has while he's watching TV, waiting for shit to go down, zoning out.Cinderella Girls: Starlight Stage
Hey, you might think I'm crazy, but this is actually a really good anime with a well told story. They just do such a great job writing each character's individual personality that by the end of episode three I was hooked.There's a scene in Legend of the Galactic Heroes that stuck with me.
Major spoiler ahead, like for real it's huge so don't read it if you're at all interested
In episode 84, when Julian finds Yang dead, is just the most gut wrenching moment. You, by way of the previous episode, saw Yang die. It's fresh for you at this moment, too. It just happened, so there's still a part of your mind questioning whether the show is going to pull him back. Then the camera pans down, and you see Julian's knees buckle. That moment in particular sticks with me because it's the show saying nope, this is real.
For future reference, you can use this to conceal spoilers
Summary Text Here
Spoiler text here
It took me ages to commit it to memory, but you can always look at the formatting help page to remind you
I'm so used to || from other stuff that I just totally spaced lol, thank you. I'll get it corrected
This entire mini series was so good! It really was like a Shakespeare tragedy. The character of the deranged, senile old master particularly creates a lasting impression. I never actually read the manga but I've seen enough of the imagery to get an idea of how deftly the style for the anime was adapted to reflect what, to many, might've seemed like an impossible task.
I really like how the inner perspective of the characters bleeds into reality, how they're so well-trained that they "see through" each others bodies and stuff to a more metaphysical type of chess game that they play. It's a narrative device that comes across very well. So much of the series is practically still imagery, barring brief flashes of action, but it's still compelling and keeps you invested.
I also like that it had an end, rather than spinning off into endless series. It's self contained.
Really? The only, and I mean only, complaint I have against this show is how it ends! It just needed one more episode!
To me the ending made sense because
spoiler
it doesn't actually matter who won the final duel, they're both so messed up and broken down that they may as well both be dead. Everything either of them cared about was consumed by their own bitter rivalry. Both their lives have become utterly pointless outside the context of their hatred towards eachother.
I took the ending as sort of frame the for the whole story as a cautionary tale about obsession and the inherent contradiction of the "warrior monk" code that samurai were expected to model themselves by-- a person cannot be committed to both making themselves a tool of violence and pursuing peaceful, disciplined enlightenment, it tears them apart.
That said, I can definitely understand why people might've wanted to see a resolution to the rivalry. I just don't think it was necessary to the theme of the story, it might've even undermined it a little in my view.
I can respect that interpretation based on the fact we never got anything further... however, I don't agree. They planned for a second season in the first place, the adaptation wasn't intended to end where it did. The show sadly didn't perform well enough to get approved. Also, the notion of bushido as peaceful disciplined enlightenment (or at least our tendency to retroactively ascribe such a rosy ideal to samurai) is something I believe the series purposely sets out to overturn. As the Hagakure says, the way of the samurai is found in death. To sanitize the brutality of their life and era, as popular fiction often does today, is to grossly misunderstand who they were. One of the comments on the video I posted of the fight said, "Shigurui made me aware that people who kill by occupation exist on a different frequency," and THAT is the goddamn truth. It doesn't necessarily make them monsters, but perhaps they operated with an understanding and acceptance of the Tao that we don't.
Sanae-san said the only places I can cry are in a bathroom, or in daddy's arms...
I decided to watch a random episode of Sora no Woto since my friend was watching it, and it happened to be the one with Filicia's flashback. Something about that was really moving to me, convinced me to watch the rest of the show.
A ton of musically-charged sequence scenes really resonate - the Third Impact, the ending piece of 5cm per Seconds, he swung the bat! in FLCL, the missile scene in Eden of the East, etc.
Macross Plus - Isamu vs Guld
This was such a great climax to Macross Plus, and the musical score by Yoko Kanno fits it so perfectly. I used to fastforward to this scene and watch it over and over. One of the best mecha dogfights in anime. https://twitter.com/i/status/1429680548885139456 (apologies I couldn't find a better clip)Galaxy Express 999 (Movie)
The entire movie tbh...I practically have the whole thing memorized. It's such a great coming-of-age story, seeing Tetsuro grow as he strikes out on his own, with each planet the train visits revealing more of the harsh realities of life to him and forcing him to evolve. Also, the soundtrack is a masterpiece that I can listen to on its own any day of the week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pnPcz298h4March Comes in Like a Lion
Episode 3, When Hina is acting strong during the anniversary of her mother's death, but Rei finds her as she sneaks away to bawl in private. Even though this is only 3 episodes into the series, the impact of this scene is so powerful and I still cry just thinking about it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_NHcf7UF7cHunter x Hunter
Meruem and Komugi at the end of the chimera ant arc. The way that Meruem keeps asking if Komugi is still there is just absolutely heart wrenching. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_NHcf7UF7cGalaxy Express 999 is an amazing story. The anime series is a bit too long and dated for modern audiences, but the movie is pretty dang good. It's also essentially the project that made director Rintaro famous, and he's got a few other really good animated movies under his belt. You might also want to watch the sequel film, Adieu Galaxy Express 999.
Technically unrelated but Macross: Do You Remember Love? is also pure gold, and well worth a watch based on your interests.
When Rem confesses to Subaru in Re:Zero
The battle between Kotori and Kurumi in Date A Live
When Behoimi gives up on being a magical girl in Pani Poni Dash
The intro for Steel Angel Kurumi
Numerous gags in Gin Tama, especially
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Tek9ccwPxk
Considering I've only ever really watched anime on toonami in the 90's early 2000's, the moments that stick out to me:
Trunks being revealed as a Super Saiyan. Up until that point Goku was just hyped to the roof as the legendary super Saiyan, then this kid pops up and turns Frieza and king cold into sushi.
Obviously when Goku goes super Saiyan for the first time.
When Heero pilots the Wing Zero for the first time and the zero system almost takes over was awesome. The entire rest of the series with his character is just him trying to understand how it works and control it to be the ultimate Gundam pilot. Gundam Wing.
Outlaw star, when Gene Starwind uses the black hole caster shell. He knew the stakes, the enemy knew the stakes, and he still had the balls to shoot it so he could save his friends.
The ending scenes of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Millennium Actress were incredible. I can’t give anything away because they’re both just great movies worth watching without knowing anything about them. Also the bedroom scene with Jiro and his wife in The Wind Rises when she cares for him in spite of her sickness. Honorable mention to learning about Nina in Fullmetal Alchemist.
The dog scene in Elven Lied. One of the toughest anime I've watched. The manga was rough too. I've only watched and read it once. Part of me wants to go back but I'm torn.
For me the most memorable scene is one from Psycho Pass, which is one of the only anime I've watched (and enjoyed).
spoilers I guess
The scene that has stuck with me is the one where Tsunemori Akane's friend, Funahara Yuki, is killed by Makishima and Akane's just unable to do anything as she watches her friend dies.
For future reference, you can use this to conceal spoilers
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It took me ages to commit it to memory, but you can always look at the formatting help page to remind you
For me it's the bit where a woman is getting attacked, but the killer has the mask that hides his brainwaves. Then a police bot rolls by and is like "I'm sensing you're distressed.
So many good ones already so I'll just add.
Chainsaw man, the kiss.
Any endgame scene from the later Gundam series. The Power fantasy is pure bliss. 00 and IBO come to mind.
Jujutsu Kaisen
Itadori and Todo vs Hanami, after watching the choreography in that fight, I instantly fell in love with the anime.Mob Psycho II
Shimazaki's fight, I loved the artistic style used during the fight's animation