All Thingz Fictional eMag

Five anime that hold my heart - part 1

I don't know if I could apply the term otaku to myself, but I do know that I'm a huge anime fan, and I can become slightly obsessed with the ones that I love.

I don't go as far as cosplaying or anything like that, but I have to admit I have thought about it, and yes, I might have researched where I can get certain outfits from. But who hasn't, right? 😳

When it comes to anime I would say that I have quite an eclectic taste. As long as it has a good set of characters that I can either root for, or just completely hate, and an interesting storyline, I'm there. Although I must say, if there is a romantic theme, I may also fall in love myself!

This aside, let me quickly break down my TOP five absolute favourite anime.

NUMBER 5: Rurouni Kenshin

Rurouni Kenshin was one of the first anime I fell in love with, and it still holds its place in my heart until now.

What it's about: Kenshin Himura was a lethal and legendary assassin during the Meiji Revolution, earning himself the name Hitokiri Battousai (literally the sword-drawing man-slayer - yeh, he was that good he would wipe out people with the simple draw of his sword).

After the revolution, Kenshin feels a great amount of remorse for the amount of lives he'd taken, and he decides to become a wanderer in the hope that he can find redemption. As a part of his redemption, he has a sword made for him with a reverse blade, which means he can still carry his sword, yet he won't be able to kill with it.

He wanders for ten years before meeting Kaoru Kamiya whom he befriends after rescuing her from someone who is pretending to be the legendary Battousai to bully and rob people. After saving her, Kenshin agrees to stay at her dojo and for the time being, ends his period as a wanderer.

Why I love it: I absolutely love Kenshin as a character and what he stands for. He is, by far, one of the strongest people around, yet he has the softest disposition. He doesn't feel the need to use strength as a means to intimidate people to get what he wants, and will happily let others take the lead and even boss him around, which Koaru regularly does, but it's all done from a place of them both being completely safe and comfortable with each other.

But don't let his soft and sometimes goofball attitude lead you to think he is a pushover; trouble one of his friends, and you will see a different side to him. Threaten one of his friend's lives, and you may even get a glimpse of the Battousai that he tries so hard to keep under wraps.

As well as Koaru, there are a few other characters that he befriends and who follow him throughout the show, two of the main ones being Yahiko and Sanosuke, as well as some others who each have their role to play. And then, with the help of the many enemies that they meet along the way, you get a show that delivers action, comedy, and some soft, sweet romance.

Rurouni Kenshin is number 5 on my list of best anime, and Kenshin Himura is also number 5 on my list of best characters, so as you can see, it's HIGHLY recommended.

NUMBER 4: Fruits Basket

I get giddy when I think about Fruits Baskets because of the amount of feels that this show gave me.

I watched the first season many years back, and I really enjoyed the cute storyline and characters, but when the newly animated edition came out a few years ago, I decided to rewatch it and got hooked. Thankfully they also animated the following seasons and completed the story.

What it's about: A family curse causes random members of the Sohma family to be possessed by different spirits from the zodiac animals. This means that whenever a said member is hugged by someone of the opposite sex, they transform into the animal that they are possessed with. The story follows a girl named Tohru Honda, who, after becoming homeless, accepts an offer to stay with a school member, Yuki Sohma, the rat zodiac, (who lives with his cousin Shigure, the dog zodiac) and, as a consequence, she discovers their secret. When another cousin named Kyo comes to live with them, Tohru learns that the curse has a very dark side to it, and as Kyo is possessed by the cat spirit, which has a demon-like form, he is destined to soon be banished to a family prison for life.

Tohru, who had always loved the zodiac cat, also begins to build a strong bond with Kyo, despite his best efforts to keep her at arm's length, and she then takes it upon herself to discover a way to help them break their curse.

Why I love it: In a word - Kyo.

If there ever was a black sheep in the family, Kyo is one. From an early age, he had been told that he was possessed by the evil zodiac, and he had been disliked by, or at the very least, kept at a distance from most of the other family members. His mother always tried her best to counteract the treatment of the other family members, but only ended up alienating Kyo even more by her obsession with hiding his true form; something which eventually turned her mad herself.

With all this against him from such a young age, Kyo grows up as an angry young boy, partly believing that he doesn't deserve to be loved, and partly hating everyone for treating him that way. As a result, he puts a lot of energy into keeping people at bay, as well as fighting with Yuki, who he believes is the cause of his downfall.

I honestly related to Kyo on so many levels, and couldn't help falling in love and wishing I could be his Tohru.

Kyu is also number 4 on my list of best characters, with Shigure and another cousin Hatsuharu, the bull zodiac, taking places 7 and 8, respectively, within my top 30.

I highly recommend Fruits Basket to anyone who loves romance anime, and if you're prone to falling in love with adorable characters, I know you'll find at least one member of the Sohma family to steal your heart.

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Check back next week for the top 3

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Have you watched either of these anime?

What are you opinions?

What would be your place 4 and 5 in you top five anime?