Arcane Specials: Top 10 Ladies In Anime

Hello ladies, peoples, and animals it is I, the Arcane Reviewer! Here to bring a little something special this time around. You know what I've noticed, I have a lot more favorite female anime characters then I do male characters. It's kind of funny how a lot of people think anime isn't to flattering. But there are some cases in which an anime has a much more interesting and much more likable female character then the actual main lead, who most of the time is a male character. So today I've decided to give the ladies their time in the spotlight. So here's my Top 10 Ladies In Anime! Now this list is based on my own personal opinion. If you feel like you have a better list them by all means make your own and share it with me, I would love to see some different list. Also I DID NOT list these characters on hotness. I ranked these characters on just how interesting, memorable, well developed, and overall enjoyable they are as characters. If you where expecting a hottest anime character list then I apologize but that's not this type of list. But without further or due, let us begin shall we?

Number 10: Ami Kawashima from Toradora

Though she my not look it, Ami Kawashima actually has a lot of emotional baggage she's hauling around. But I wouldn't blame you if you didn't think that, her introduction into the show was not the best in any way shape or form. She was two-faced, rude, and just nasty to anyone she didn't like. Now you're probably wonder just why the hell I put her the list then, well remember what I said earlier? Ami is the way she is because she is a person who isn't exactly comfortable to really show her true self. So she covers up her real self by putting on a fake teenybopper persona as a way to cope with society, meanly because society pretty much painted her as a teenybopper. But she really starts to change her ways when she befriends the rest of the cast. This is when we start to see the real Ami. She's just like any other person and she even tries really hard to break out of her shell as the show progresses. She starts to actually speak like a real person and lends some much needed advice to the main character. Ami is a great example of a character who is not at all the same person that she was in the beginning of the show. She shows the most growth out of the entire cast and even helps them to grow up as well. There's a reason people were pissed that she wasn't the main love interest. Ami Kawashima, a perfect example of never judging a book by it's cover.

Number 9: Haruhi Suzumiya from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

If you though you ever had a crazy female friend, consider yourself lucky. Haruhi Suizumiya is a basket case of pure unadulterated lunacy. Now Haruhi is not a very hard person to understand. She simply wants to be kept constantly entertained so she gets an esper, a time traveler, an alien, and poor random fuck to keep her entertained at all times or else she might just destroy the world because she just so happens to be God. Okay so maybe she isn't that simple as I thought. But that's what make Haruhi such an enjoyable character to watch, you have no damn clue what she'll do next. She could want to play a simple game of baseball with her whole makeshift brigade one day. then the next she'll want to hole of rock concert. Them maybe she'll make everything into a galactic battle between star-ships high up into the cosmos of space. Why? Because she thinks it'll be fun. She is completely unpredictable and she just seems to have fun with just about everything she does it almost become contagious. When you see her do a stupid thing that she's having fun with you can't help but also have fun at the same time. She is just so much damn fun to watch that she leave a very lasting impression on your mind. Haruhi Suzumiya, yes my friends God does exists and she's bat-shit insane.

Number 8: Faye Valentine from Cowboy Bebop

Arguably the best anime has to produces a badass anime lady right? Well my friends you guessed right as we have none other the Faye Valentine from Cowboy Bebop. Faye is one of the most popular anime characters out there due to just how much of an impact she left on viewers of the anime classic. She's a femme fatale who can hold her own in a gun fight as well as a fist fight. She has proven to be a vital member to the Bebop crew and she has a snappy personality to boot. She'll talk trash to just about anyone and isn't afraid to whip out her gun and blow a hole in the sorry sap who tired to cross her. Needless to say, Faye is a deadly beauty that you don't want to mess with. Faye Valentine, if looks could kill, we'd all be deep sixth by now.

Number 7: Major Mokoto Kusanagi from Ghost in the Shell 

A badass cyborg who takes shit from no one. The Major is a super popular character in the world of anime for a reason. She has a very cold and collective composer about her that makes her even more of an enigma. Not only that but she is one woman you do not want to piss off. Hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn? Well try having that said woman blowing away your chest piece with a mother fucking anti-material rifle at point blank rang with only one arm! Yeah that doesn't sound like the type of scorn you want reign down upon you huh? Not only do you have the Major being a complete badass on the field but you also have a very human side to her as well. In both the movie and the show she asks a lot of tough questions that no one really has an answer to. Question like what exactly does it mean to be human, how can some determine what is and what isn't human. As well as the question of can there be a soul living in a machine. These questions as well as her very serious and somber way of asking and detailing the questions makes the Major a much more interesting and psychologically deeper character then she my seem to be at first glance. Mokoto Kusanagi, a badass cyborg cup who my be more human then machine.

Number 6: Touko Aozaki  from Kara no Kyokai

Not gonna lie. I couldn't in good heart leave out anyone of the great Type-Moon ladies from this list. So decided to include a few in this list, the first of which is the puppet master herself, Touko Aozaki. A leaving the Mage's Association as one of the top Magus, Touko decided to put her skills to work running her own company called Garan no Dou, a contract-based production company that deals in the supernatural or abnormal elements. She shows that she has some pretty efficient detective skills. Being able to pick up on odd supernatural elements and surroundings just by being around the area long enough. She is also very diverse in the world of magic and is a master at puppet based magic. But aside from her skills and a detective and a magus she's also a very fun character to watch. Her interactions with the other supporting cast is very good as she is able to bounce back and from with them. As well as coming p with some witty comebacks to mess with them. Touko shows that she's a very reliable and fun character to watch and though she may not look it, she is a very powerful magus who can wreck your shit. Touko Aozaki, call her "Dirty Red" and you'll soon be seeing red.

Number 5: Lain from Serial Experiments Lain

If you want an example of someone completely losing themselves the world of the internet then look no further. Lain is an example of some losing their grip on reality and questioning what is real and if everything she has been lead to believe is even true anymore. What makes Lain such a great character is that originally she wasn't like this at all. She was basically a nobody in the beginning of the show, she was the quite type that you paid no mind to and let them do their business. That's something that most of us can relate to on a personal level and that makes us more interested in her. Then when she starts to slowly lose her self into the internet we can also relate to that because we honestly can be slaves to the internet, which is what Lain just about becomes! We follow her from such a human beginning that when we start dwell deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole we can't help but put ourselves in that situation because this is something that could or hell has happened to us. We can see ourselves in Lain which is why I feel that she's such a good character. Lain, a perfect example of a slave to the web. Well aside from WOW players anyway.

Number 4: Kurisu Makise from Steins;Gate

All the way from Steins;Gate is the redheaded genius herself, Kurisu Makise. Kurisu stands out among some of the best female characters in anime largely due to her level of growth through out the series as well as the great interactions with the whole cast, most notably with Okabe. Whenever Kurisu and Okabe share the screen together you have either a funny as hell scene or a very heart warming and pretty touching scene. Not only that but she actually stands on her own as a leading character in the Steins;Gate film in which she's the main focus with very little interaction with other characters. It's mainly just her alone with her thoughts and you really get to see what type of person Kurisu is. We see what goes through her head as well as the struggles she faces in the events of the film and how desperate she is in the current situation that she's in. She comes off as a very real person that you would meet and even more so you see that she really cares about the people that's close to her. She's even willing to flat out embarrass herself just to try and motivate her friend to snap out of their depressive state. She is a really well done character and she's most defiantly earned her spot on the list. Kurisu Makise, a super genius and a closet anime nerd. Why is she so perfect?

Number 3: Saber from Fate/Stay Night

Now if you're a personal friend of mine you might be a bit shocked to see Saber at number three. And to that I say fuck you I'm not that predictable, give me some credit guys. But anyway, Saber from Fat/Stay Night gets a spot on this list for a couple of reasons. None having to do with her being my personal favorite character of all time but I digress. Saber is a kickass character for her impressive strength and fighting capabilities. She's one of the best swordsmen around welding Excalibur as well as very strong wind magic that can leave a devastating blow on her opponent. She's not only a powerful fighter but she also has a strong sense loyalty and a serious code that she holds very dearly, due to her being a knight. But she also has a lot of emotional baggage as well as she feels as though she was the cause of her kingdom being lead to ruin so she also wants to try to ease her personal demons. She starts off as a no nonsense type of character but she is eventually show more of a human side as she comes in contact with the people around her. Iri shows that even if you have a short life with very little happy memories to hold you should still hold on dearly to those memories as they can make a world of difference as well as how to enjoy such simple things in life like going to the beach. You also have all of character interaction she has with Shirou. He bring out the more human aspect in her and really shows her that there's more to life then wanting to fix your mistakes and he even tries to convince her to move on from her mistakes. This all eventually leads to them falling in love which brings out more of the human elements that Saber originally didn't show when she first appeared in the show. We get to see her change into a different person but she never loses that knight spirit that made her such an awesome character to begin with. Saber, she's my waifu. I have nothing clever to say I just thought I stated that. None of you can have her.

Number 2: Asuka Langley Soryu from Neon Genesis Evangelion

Okay I have a lot of redheads on this list, shut up! But seriously Asuka from Eva is a pretty messed up character and at first you really don't like her because she does act like a bitch. However it isn't until you figure out her past that you start to see why she acts that way she does. Asuka did not have a very good childhood at all. Her father was barely for her and her mother ended up having a horrific psychological that she started calling a doll she had her daughter and completely ignored Asuka. But when it seems like she has a small sliver of hope she ends up walking in on you mother right after she had hung herself. Asuka has not had the best experiences in life as well as a proper childhood so to cope with this she plays it as if she's much more mature than other teens her age. She tries to act like an adult while also blocking off anyone who wants to try and get close to her with either a sever ego or just blatantly insulting them so that they don't get to close to her and she won't be hurt in the process. She does however want to be understood and she doesn't want to be alone but at the same time she can't quite get over her fear of people so that why she still keeps this persona of a bitchy little teen when in reality she's a poor soul crying out for help. This becomes even more apparent when her mind get violated and all of her repressed memories come flooding back in. We see her completely striped down as see the real her and it's a hard thing to watch. You feel bad for her because now she is forced to face the truth of her existence and it's even more heartbreaking when before you just thought she was a generic tsundere character be really she's a broken person. Asuka is a character who is dissected so well that you start to see just why she is the way she is and you do feel a little bad for passing on earlier judgment. Asuka Langley Soryu, a bitch on the outside but a scared and lonely person on the inside.

Number 1: Shiki Ryougi from Kara no Kyokai

Am I cheating by putting a second character from Kara no Kyokai on this list. Well it's my list so yeah. I don't give a damn. But the reason why Shiki's on this list is because she's such a damn good character. Similar to how Asuka is afraid of people, Shiki also shares a little bit of that trait as well. But in her case it's because she is such an odd individual that she feels as though human interaction and human contact is something that she almost doesn't have the right to feel or be apart of. From the get go she's a bit odd because has a split personality and that right there puts her in a mindset that she's a abnormal so a normal life is already out of the question for her. She also has a self destructive life style, she fights supernatural beings but she'll flat out attack head on against something that's clearly much more powerful then her with zero disregard for her own body. But underneath all of that is a small desire to live a normal life and feel some sense of peace. This comes in the form of Mikiya, a boy from high school who gets close to Shiki and tries to let her feel some sort of normality and partnership in her life. Now while at first she doesn't seem interested in him at all we do get little hints that she does actually like having him around. He sees her as a person, as a human being and this slowly show off little bits and pieces of the human part of her. There's a part in the 7th film that happens, I won't spoil it but it within this scene that we truly get to see Shiki. We see her her true self and we understand the reasons why she caged herself from the world but we also see what made her reveal her human side that she denied for so long. Shiki Ryougi, the number one lady in anime.

I hope you guys enjoyed my list and I hope you might just share some of your personal favorite ladies in anime. Thank you very much and stay tuned for next week's anime review.

Arcane Reviews: Corpse Princess

Hello ladies, peoples, and animals it is I, the Arcane Reviewer! Here to bring you a new anime review. So it's been awhile since I've seen a really heavy action packed anime with lots of blood and gore! You know, awesome stuff. So while I was searching for an anime to watch I came across this little gem right here. Now the question is; is it any good? Well my fellow readers I'll answer that question for you in today's review of, Corpse Princess. Or if you like the Japanese title better Shikabane Hime. Does it give you your fill of gory anime goodness or does it just decompose on the spot? Let's find out shall we?

Story:

The story here is pretty cool and is really interesting as well. The world that Corpse Princess sets up is that of a very grim and depressing one. In this world if a person dies with a huge amount of regret and sorrow they come back as these horrible creatures simply none as Shikabane. These monsters can't be killed by any human as they are already dead but that doesn't mean they can't be killed at all. You have these other group of Shikabane called, Shikabane Hime. They're different then the other Shikabane because they died but somehow kept their humanity. So you have the Shikabane Hime fighting off the corrupt dead from harming the world of the living. Now while this set up is really cool and open to a lot of possibilities for a really harsh and deeply character driven story it doesn't really do that. You do have character stories but they're side plots, the main plot here is pretty much just a former good guy is now evil so we must stop him. There's nothing wrong with that but personally it feels a little to simple for a concept with such a heavy emotional potential here. There's an episode that shows a Shikabane that was a mother that died in child birth, that's a great set up for some deep story telling and possible character development. To bad none of that happens. They reveal the Shikabane and then they just kill it off like it was nothing, then in the next episode they face a completely new Shikabane. That just seems like a huge missed opportunity for something that could have been really, really heavy and dramatic. But instead it was just a cool fight scene. That's it. But even then it was still enjoyable and fun to watch so it's not that bad.

Animation:

Animation in this show is top notch which is a little surprising to me. Why? Because this was done by Gainax. You know, the studio that completely blew their budget on Evangelion and then made the last two episodes with sketches and recycled animation. Okay I'm joking, but in all seriousness that anime moves very smoothly and looks very nice. Though I will say that sometimes it looks like they leave details out of the big fight scenes for characters so that animating said scenes are easier to do. I'm not the biggest fan of this style of animating I will not lie ans say that the action scenes weren't cool to see. They were in fact very fun to watch. So I really like the animation in this show and it was one of the biggest highlights in the show overall.

Music:

The second biggest highlight here though would have to be the music. The music in the show is just badass and insanely enjoyable to listen to and it set the mood incredibly well. The music was slow, creepy, and thrilling when the scene needed it to be and it was done so well. Then when an action-packed and crazy scene would start up the music would kick up into high gear and have a hard hitting background track to get your blood pumping. The music is just the right amount of awesome to get any fan of action or suspense ready and glued to their screen to see what'll happen next.

Characters:

Now this is kind of a mix bag for me. The characters aren't really bad at all in this show, hell a lot of them are really cool or fun characters to watch. But with that being said they just kind of fit in the little spot that they're signed to and don't really move forward from said spot until it's important to the plot. A good example would be with the main character of Ouri. He is shown as a kind hearted person who just wants to keep the people he loves safe. That's about all he really does in the show and nothing else until a big plot point happens. Then Ouri is given a bigger role and is made to be a lot more important to the plot. They even heavily imply a major personal feeling he has for one of the other characters. Now with all of this you'd think that he would have a big character change right? Well no, he doesn't. He just has a more active role in the plot but a side from that he pretty much stays the same. They also go pretty much nowhere with his feelings for that character. It's almost like they stay the same and don't really move on which isn't really horrible. Because they still are enjoyable characters that you like to watch they just feel like characters not people.

Nitpicks:

Okay I have two major nitpicks here. The first is with the main character Makina, she is the main shikabane hime that we follow. She's presented as an dual Uzi welding badass that no one can take on. Oh wait yes they do because she gets her ass kicked all of the time. I know you wanna try humanizing the character so that we can relate to them but it to a point when it looked like she was just fucking incompetent. She just gets her ass handed to her. I know she can't die so it's all cool but come. Shiki could kick this girl's ass and she's not even dead! Also my second nitpick is the lack of anyone explaining anything. Now by that I don't mean that the show is vague about it's plot or anything like that, they actually explain it to you, but they explain it to you and not the main fucking character! No one just talks like a normal human being instead everyone wants to tell only half truths and make assumptions. But they don't need to do that because we as the audience already know what's going on so it's frustrating as all hell to watch these assholes run around like fucking headless chickens! Just explain something damnit!

Overall:

To wrap up this review I guess I'll say that this isn't a bad show. It's not the best show ever but it does have some good things in here that people can enjoy. Like I said before I like the show, I had fun with it but it won't leave a lasting impression on me. It's just an okay show that some may like. I recommend it but only a not highly. Just if you're looking for something fun to kill some time.

Arcane Reviews gives Corpse Princess a 7 out of 10.

You can watch"Corpse Princess" on:

Funimation (Sub and Dub)

Hulu (Sub and Dub)    

Arcane Reviews: Squid Girl

Hello ladies, peoples, and animals it is I, the Arcane Reviewer! Here to bring you a new anime review. Sorry about being MIA for a little bit. I needed a bit of a break from anime but now I'm back and ready to watch all the anime! So now for today I decided to take on an all comedy anime. I know about three weeks ago I reviewed an all comedy anime and I pretty much hated it. So I decided to watch another to see if that show was just bad or if I just don't like those types of shows. I guess there's nothing left to do then just get on with the review. So now I present to you my review for, Squid Girl. Is it any good? Well let's find out shall we?

Story:

So they story here is pretty silly. You young humanoid squid creature named Squid Girl. Clever. She comes up to the surface to take over the world and make the human race pay polluting the sea. Until she and the other people she comes in contact with realizes that she's the only sea creature that has come up to the surface and she has no army what-so-ever. Also she doesn't know jack-shit about the human world so she has no idea what to even take over to begin with. Hell her first major concurring point is a Goddamn beach side restaurant. You know what, I can't even say that she concur it because she the two owners out smart her! Needless to say that she's kind of an idiot. The show plays off the fact that our main character Squid Girl has no clue about the surface world and in all honesty. The show is pretty damn funny. The comedy of this show is actually pretty clever. They don't go for the easiest joke that you see coming, instead they do go the extra mile to try and go for jokes that you don't see coming right off the bat. This does show that the writers do have an idea of what real comedy is and they are trying to make a genuinely funny show, and for the most part they do. I was surprised with what did and I came out of the show really liking it. It was a lot of fun and a show like this that's all I ask for.

Animation:

Now for the most part I have to say the animation is pretty good here. The sporadic and frantic movement of the characters are done very well by then level of the animation that's done here. All the characters are crazy and as you would expect they have some crazy movements and none of it looks cheap or it looks like they were cutting corners. The animation is done very well here and I am very happy to say that it really brought out the characters personalities even more. Also the setting is done very nicely to, seeing as how the setting is a beach and all. The areas that they put in the show look nice and it gives you a very summer like feeling which is perfect because this show is taking place around spring and summer. So the animation is solid here, no doubt about it.

Music:

So the music here is pretty bland to say the least. Now I don't mean that music is bad or hard to listen to but it was just nothing special at all. The music is just boring and it did nothing for any of the funny moments in the show. Well I will say that in two episodes that the music did stand out and the music was good but that's only because in these episodes, more importantly one episode in particular, there's almost no dialog at all. The music just didn't click with me at all and I don't that anyone would really remember any of the tracks if they watched it. Sadly the music is not anything to write home about. Nothing here to get your interest.

Characters:

Now this show does something that I think is pretty hard to do. This show doesn't have any unlikable characters, yeah I'm being serious here. None of the characters here are bad to the point of being hated. The way that there set up and presented is just as a character who has a certain trait and they just have fun with what they do with them. You Squid Girl who is very ignorant to the world of man and she just messes up a lot but it never goes to the point of being annoying. She actually comes off as genuine in her curiosity of something and when a funny incident happens it makes it all the more funny because she's just lost about what's going on. All of the other characters are fun to watch too and lend there own style of silliness into the mix. The cast of characters are fun and I enjoyed all of them.

Nitpicks:

I really didn't have any real nitpicks to talk about to be honest. I anything it's that I know that this style of comedy isn't for everyone and I can see some people not really meshing well with it too much. aside from that I have nothing else to add here.

Overall:

Well I think it's safe to say that this show is pretty good. I had a lot of fun with it and I really enjoyed watching the whole series. Now at the time of me writing this I just figured out that there is indeed a season two. I didn't know this and I don't want to push off the review anymore then I already have so just consider this review for just the first season. Will I ever review season 2? Maybe sometime later but for now I most likely won't. But if it's any good as this season I will be most happy when it comes time to review it.

Arcane Reviews gives Squid Girl an 8 out of 10.

You can watch "Squid Girl" on:

Crunchyroll (Sub only with 1st and 2nd Season)

Netflicks (Sub and Dub with 1st Season only)

Hulu (Dub only and first 10 eps only)