All Thingz Fictional eMag

Five anime that hold my heart - part 2

Continuing from my last post, here are my top three anime.

Remember, I HATE spoilers, so I'm going to do my best to describe this top three without any.

NUMBER 3: My Hero Academia

I put this anime off for a long time as I didn't see anything new in it. A group of kids with superpowers who want to be heroes, hasn't that been done enough times already?

Well, I have to thank Tiktok for getting my interest piqued towards MHA. I couldn't get enough of the interactions between the characters (which I later learnt were not legit, though sometimes fairly accurate), and I just had to learn more about them.

What it's about: Our main character Deku, lives in a world where special abilities, known as quirks, have become commonplace for people, so much so that being born without a quirk is what would make you odd. Deku is one of such people who, by the age when quirks usually manifest, discovers that he is, in fact, quirkless. Being quirkless is stigma enough, but for poor Deku, it is especially heartbreaking as he had idolised a man named All Might, the number One hero, and always wanted to join a hero course and become a hero himself.

Despite being quirkless however, Deku is brave, and one day when trying to save a friend he gets noticed by All Might who later approaches him and offers to transfer his own quirk, (All Might's quirk being different from usual quirks, in that it can be handed down). '

Of course, Deku accepts, and after fulfilling the challenges that All Might sets out to prove his worthiness, he is given the All for One quirk and starts his journey to becoming the new number one hero.

That's the short story of what it's about, but it covers the journeys and transformations of a lot more characters who come into Deku's life after he joins the hero course at UA High.

Why I love it: MHA is a very entertaining mix of comedy, action and drama, and contains a whole host of lovable and highly inspiring characters.

Kōhei Horikoshi, the manga creator, writes each character, so perfectly and gives you such a good insight into their motivations and inspirations that I couldn't help becoming emotionally invested in each of their stories and was in their corner rooting for their success.

NUMBER 2: Tokyo Revengers

I struggled for a long time over which truly deserved my top spot as Tokyo Revengers is so close to what I call True Love!

I was (and still am really) completely obsessed with the characters in this story, and it was not the first anime that I vowed to read the manga of because I loved it so much, but the first anime that I followed that promise through with, and am I glad I did!!

What is TR about: After finding out that his middle school girlfriend has been killed in an accident, Takimitchi himself falls into an accident and finds himself transported back to his middle school on the specific day which changed the trajectory of his life.

Once he realises what is happening, he takes it upon himself to befriend the leader of the delinquent gang that will in the future be responsible for his girlfriend's death and do what he can to change the future timeline.

Unfortunately, it's not as clear-cut as he thought it would be, and as he gets deeper and deeper into the story, he realises that the gang leader is not a bad guy, as well as some of his friends. He then makes the vow to save, not only his girlfriend but also the gang leader, from whatever changes his fate and turns him into the person he becomes in the future.

Why I love it: The storyline is good, it's interesting, and it has its twists and turns, but I love it for the characters. There aren't many anime that I've watched where I fell, almost completely, for so many of the characters. The bond that the captains and leader of the gang share is so strong you can feel it in your heart as you watch them, and you can't help but want to be a part of it. Yes, I have iseka'id myself into the Tokyo Revengers' story, and I am not coming out.

I must say though, that I have a very unstable love/hate relationship with Ken Wakui, the writer. The amount of trauma that I went through reading this manga coupled with the amount of love I felt, was amazing. I cannot wait until it is completely animated. This is an anime I can watch over and over without feeling bored, and I advise you to do so too.

NUMBER 1: Attack on Titan

Oh, this is when we get to the good stuff! And by good stuff, I mean an absolute classic!!

What it's about: Gosh! Without dropping any spoilers (I hope) Attack on Titan is about a land of people who live confined within some huge walls. They have lived there for over the last 100 years, and the story they are told is that the walls were built to protect them from these man-eating giants, titans, that have destroyed the rest of mankind.

The story mainly follows a young boy named Eren Yaeger who, when the Titans manage to destroy the walls and enter the first inhabited city, witnesses his mother eaten by a titan. This fuels his thirst for revenge and his desire to destroy every last titan which prompts him to join an army regiment that protects the city and kills the titans.

Why I love it: I'm going to be succinct with this because Attack on Titan has some of the best twists that I have experienced in a long while. Friends turn to enemies, enemies turn to friends, and the truth turns out to be a whole load of propaganda hiding the real truth and the real enemies.

I know I just said a whole lot without actually saying anything, but seriously you just have to watch it. I love this anime because it was an amazing ride and ultimately posed a very deep question; Who's actually in the wrong when they all believe they're fighting for their people's freedom?

Just to be clear, I'm with Eren, though I wouldn't exactly call myself a Yaegerist (his supporters group), but I feel him and what he is doing so deeply.

So, there's a short rundown on my top 5 favourite anime of all time. If I've left anything out that you're interested in, please let me know in the comments. I am always happy to talk more about these 5 anime ... to be honest I'm happy to talk about anime full stop.

Also, feel free to drop a comment and let me know what you think of my list and even what your own top 5 anime are.