As fans we all have certain moments while watching anime that really capture our hearts. A moment or a scene that we really experience as closely as is possible with a fictional event. Everyone has their own. They may not always be the most technically well done scenes, the most artistic, or those with the most significance to a story. But something about them connects with each of us in a very strong manner. In this editorial I list ten of my own, and invite you to list yours in comments. Or even to write your own post and put a link to it. Join me as I nerd out about my favorite moments and hopefully communicate some of their significance to me as a fan.
NOTICE: THERE WILL BE SPOILERS. I have chosen images and headers that are not spoilers in and of themselves, but if you haven’t seen the series (and don’t want anything spoiled) for Char’s sake scroll down to the next one! I would also ask comments to be setup in a similar way so that people can read the first line and know whether to skip it for spoilers or not.
The idea for this article originated from Scamp over at Bokutachi no Blog. He wrote a similar list of his own favorite moments after an off-topic comments exchange in one of his posts that we had concerning Code Geass episode 22 (though the post was about an episode of Hetalia, go figure.) Just so you know, he’s cool with me stealing using the format, heh. This is why the fandom is great: conversing with each other, sharing ideas and influencing each other in turn! *clenches fist to chest and cries manly tears of respect* Now, my ten moments, in something of an order leading up to my singular favorite. As a note, I attempted to find a video link for each scene, but in some cases it wasn’t possible to find one that doesn’t need to be fast-forwarded to the scene I wrote about, or in two instances clips that have no English subtitles (I could have picked an English dub for one, but it was pretty terrible.)
10. Kidou Senkan Nadesico episode 16
SCENE 8:24-9”25, sorry, couldn’t find English subtitles in an online video and you wouldn’t want to hear the dub.
Megumi: “We’ve all been tricked! These people are…”
Akito: “Human beings. Descendants of those expelled from the moon.”
…
Megumi: “Why are you stuck fighting such an old war?”
Akito: “You don’t understand. This has become our war!”
The crew of the Nadesico has just discovered that Nergal has been hiding the fact that the Jovian Lizards are actually humans that were forced off of the moon and then Mars a hundred years ago. Megumi and Haruka find the escaped pilot of one of their Gekigangar mecha and aid him in his escape, leaving with him to try and find out what’s really going on. But Akito has seen enough of the war that the Jovians have brought and now is solely focused on their destruction.
The fight with Akito in the Lunar Frame against the Gekigangar sent to destroy the Nadesico as it undergoes refit was perfectly grim and tragic because it was understandable. Akito kept fighting against the Jovians, humans or not, with a fury born of his personal experiences in the war. Mars, the death of Gai, the refugees in the lunar base. He’s not like some typical anime characters (usually antagonists) who keep fighting because they’re convinced that they’re right, or won’t listen to anything that contradicts their ideals, or because it’s all they know how to do. Akito started out as a cook not a solider, he’s listened to the broadcast, and he knows that his enemies are humans that have been wronged in the past. But he doesn’t care. The war is starting to turn against the Jovians, he’s endured and witnessed suffering at their hands, why turn back now when they’re finally getting what they deserve for what they’ve done? The way Akito’s change from reluctant to dead set was presented suspended that rational part of my brain for a time, the part that would go along with what the rest of the crew was trying to do (stop the war), and made me feel his hatred towards the Jovians control his actions, facts be damned.
9. Cowboy Bebop episode 05
Fay ends up captured and used as bait to lure Spike into an ambush as we get our first major glimpse into the history that Spike and Vicious share. The scene in the abandoned cathedral still echoes through my memories. It wasn’t so much for content (though it is important to the story) but for the way in which the scene was presented. The organ music combined with electric guitar during Spike’s walk to the cathedral, the lack of music during the action scenes, and the choir music as Spike fell through the window set up a great atmosphere in terms of sound. Visually I thought the episode was the best combination of two of the major visual and thematic influences in the show, Film Noir and Hong Kong crime/shooter movies. The cathedral was cast mostly in slanting shadows and the color scheme almost entirely black, purples, and blues. The way the fighting was done reminded me more of the classic A Better Tomorrow instead of later films that often added a little too much (or way too much) stylization and acrobatics to the gunplay. Spike and Vicious have their personal duel and exposition ending in a draw when bombs go off and throw Spike from the building amidst flashback to his past and of Julia. Though the beginning really made the scene for me. “In the Rain” being played while Spike walked up to the front of the cathedral under an overcast sky has stuck with me ever since.
8. Toradora! episode 16
Several important events happen during the school festival in this episode, but to me the crowning moment of awesome of the Taiga X Yusaku arc was when Yusaku was dejected from his (seemingly) one-sided love for Kanou, and Taiga decides to do what she can for him. Despite being in love with him, Taiga takes out her boken and hunts down Kanou after telling Ryuuji to stay by his side while she helps him the only way she can. Finding her in a classroom, lit with heavy, yellow beams of late afternoon sunlight, calls her out for being a coward about her feelings and challenges her to fight. She accepts and the fight goes from shinai/boken to fists, each combatant powered by their feelings for Yusaku even though one turned him down and the other know he’s not interested in her. Eventually Taiga calls Kanou a coward and she then admits that she turned Yusaku down because she knows he would follow her even if it wasn’t in his best interest. While it was melodramatic to express their opinions on each other and Yusaku by fighting, it was a hell of a powerful way to do so, and not so far fetched given the intensity of their feelings and their personalities. And it was the high note that the original Taiga X Yusaku arc went out on. As Taiga and Kanou are restrained by their classmates, Yusaku enters, saying that he was glad to have fallen in love with Kanou, and Minori also watches from the sidelines. The beginning of the next drama arc begins here just as the previous one ends, as Ami returns Taiga’s photos to her and speaks some story altering words to Minori.
7. Gundam 0083 episode 12
SCENE (fast forward to 20 minute mark).
Kou races to catch up to the colony and the Zeon forces guarding it, engaging in fierce combat as he makes a desperate run in the GP03 Dendrobium straight for the colony. The countdown to the point of no return, past which it will be impossible to divert the colony from Earth, is announced several times in the middle of the battle. But despite the best efforts of Kou, the Albion and other EFSF forces, the hijacked colony passes the point of no return. The defining moment for me was when the operator on the Albion announces “The colony…has passed the point of no return.” Absolute silence on the bridge and in the GP03’s cockpit. At that moment, despite all they did, there was no more that could be done (to their knowledge, Bask Om had one more card to play) and it sank in quietly, with just those words and silence. The silence spoke more than anything that could have been said by any of the characters, it descended over the Albion and over my mind like a fog. It was shocking and confusing and made you feel how despair and the desire to do something were straining against each other in the characters’ minds. Whether or not you had seen Zeta Gundam first or not (I had not), what happened was both dire for the characters and those on Earth, but also went against your expectations as a viewer. What do you mean the bad guys win?
6. Initial D Fourth Stage episode 08
There were several moments of pure awesome in the various seasons of this show (if you’re a car fan like I am), but this one has always been my favorite and has always impressed me with how several great components all come together to make a great decisive moment in this race. Keisuke in his twin turbo FD3S Mazda RX-7 vs Kyoko in her nearly identical model FD, only modified with a large single turbo. Always a hothead to a degree even with his more recent training under his brother, Keisuke is having a difficult time with the roughly paved roads that he races Kyoko on. But slowly he starts to understand and learn, slowly adjusting the pressure he applies on the accelerator by tiny increments to stop from spinning the rear wheels. As he does this ‘Right Now’ by Dark Angels starts playing, a wonderful combination of eurobeat with some rock guitar. The two FDs are very close, making the same moves and as the music continues there’s even a point where Kyoko’s taillight light trail stays on screen after she breaks and then Keisuke’s brakelight fits the exact spot and brakes at the same point. SO COOL! Kyoko wants to keep racing with her crush, hoping to bring the match to a second round by keeping ahead. But while she’s thinking about this she’s distracted and lets her tires slip on the rough pavement, and letting off the gas causes her boost pressure to fall. Keisuke instantly notices and figures out the weakness of the single turbo, that it takes more time to spool up. Going around a corner, he slightly bumps her rear fender with the nose of his car, causing her to let off the gas for an instant, bringing them neck and neck as they exit the curve. Here Keisuke’s twin turbo system has the advantage, using its greater acceleration to get ahead before Kyoko’s more powerful single turbo can spool up. The music, the matching moves, the importance of the different turbo systems, Keisuke learning to control himself despite his brash nature, it all just came together to form a nearly perfect moment of racing.
5. FLCL episode 01
From the first ‘tap tap tap’ of drumsticks as the instrumental version of Bran New Lovesong began, the scene where Naota runs feverishly to meet Mamimi on the bridge struck me and carved a place in my mind for the density, melancholy, and futility of what was expressed in it. The everyday life where ‘nothing extraordinary happens’ that Naota is both discontent with and accepting of is challenged by the arrival of Haruko, but what does do about it? He runs full speed back to it by running, out of breath to meet with Mamimi again. She’s once again smoking, and the first closeup is of her crumpled cigarette with “never knows best” written on it, seeming to comment on both her and Naota’s lives and their weird proxy relationship with each other. After this visual, as the song continues, Naota arrives with the left over, stale bread for Mamimi and he brings up the basis of their relationship and Mamimi’s with his brother in a way that was not spoken of before. He first asks if she likes him, and she replies with a list of similes “like a panda with a mean face…or the smell of a chalkboard eraser, or a Sunday when you wake up and it’s been raining”, an odd list that is still very real in its sublime and melancholy descriptions. She embraces him in the one-sided way that they’ve been doing things, and the atmosphere of the scene is just absorbed by watching it. Naota as a proxy for his brother, Mamimi not letting go now that he’s left for America, the desperation of Mamimi’s life, and their mutual acceptance of such a hollow but still desperately important relationship. They’re sad and kind of despicable, but you certainly feel the static desperation of the characters, accentuated by the music and set on the streetlight-lit bridge in the middle of the night.
4. Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann episode 26
SCENE, key part starts at 3:50, sorry no subtitles.
Nearing the end of the fight, the crew of the Chou Ginga Gurren Lagann is caught by one final trap and imprisoned in a false reality that’s meant to give everyone their own personal dream and trapping them in this appealing illusion. But eventually Simon sees through the recreation of his childhood, breaking the illusion’s grip on his mind. As this happens he meets Kamina again. There they stand in rays of sunlight breaking through the clouds, the two leaders and friends together once more. The line that brought the moment to the highest point for me was when Kamina, after a word of encouragement, remarks to Simon that he’s grown taller than him. The time shift and aging of the main characters was one of the best parts about this show, but here is the culminating moment, when Kamina, great though he was, has now finally been eclipsed by his former younger follower. He’s now a hero in his own right, leading everyone on after Kamina and no longer the kid idolizing his brash sempai. His old friend is obviously proud of him, and they share a parting look and moment before Simon says it’s time to leave, leaving both the illusion, his best friend, and the shadow that he grew up in.
3. Honey and Clover season 2 episode 12
This scene! It’s the last moment of my all time favorite series and it was so bittersweet that I’ll never forget it. All the other storylines, characters, and dramas have been resolved, and now Takemoto boards the train to leave Tokyo for his architecture restoration job when Hagu comes to see him off at the last minute and hands him a gift. They embrace, then place their hands next to each other on each side of the window, and as the train moves away Hagu chases it smiling and teary-eyed until she reaches the end of the platform. Sitting alone in the empty train car Takemoto opens the gift to find a stack of bread…and in between each slice honey and a four-leaf clover. His memories of her come flooding back as tears stream down his face and “Inaka no Seikatsu” by Spitz begins to play. All his memories of Hagu and thoughts about their failed love come back as he stuffs the bread into his mouth as if both trying to take in the memories like the bread and as a way to ease his emotions. Despite their love never materializing, the last line of the series is Takemoto’s “I’m glad that I fell in love with you.” Finally there’s a last montage of the other characters as the ending theme plays. This whole episode was an emotional experience just for the fact that a series I loved so much was ending, but the final scene at the train stations/on the train was the peak of it all. I cried. I felt emotionally and physically drained of all energy. And I still can’t listen to “Inaka no Seikatsu” or “Split” anymore. Hearing the music just brings back this scene and feels like my insides are being twisted. It was a great ending, keeping with the genuine emotional expression of the entire series as well as its realism; not everything works out for a happy ending, but you should still treasure the moments anyway. Gah, I need to finish up the part about this scene, I’m starting to feel that emotional drain again just from writing about it.
2. Code Geass season 1 episode 22
Where were you when Season 1 Episode 22 happened?
Talking about this scene is what inspired Scamp to write the post that inspired this one, and I think I’ll reprise some of the comments I made on his blog for this amazing moment. While on a much smaller and infinitely less serious level it’s kind of like one of those historical milestones that otaku point too like the regular public would the Moon Landing, Kennedy Assassination, 9/11 attacks, etc. The moment it happened kind of crystallized in everyone’s memory. Everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing when they first saw it. And after it happened, everything changed. Eupehmia has put together a plan for Japan to be run autonomously, Zero/Lelouch is onboard with his Black Knights, and all of a sudden his Geass becomes permanently active and a casual remark forces Euphie to order the killing of any and all Japanese. Not only was it a huge and sudden plot twist, but Euphie’s death at Lelouch’s hand early in the next episode began Suzaku’s journey to hatred and nearly Titans-level obsession with rooting out the enemy (which just made him even cooler in my eyes, both he and the Titans had good reasons even if they went overboard at times.)
For me I was in my Temple University Japan dorm room on study abroad one afternoon after class. It was a nice sunny day outside and I was relaxing after class and catching up on the shows I was following that season. It was such a rush of emotions as I had no way of knowing that it was coming. My mind just kept racing between ‘WTF’ ‘what now?’ and ‘OH S*** THEY DID FORESHADOW THIS SLIGHTLY!’ while I kept alternatingly yelling ‘what the f***’ at my computer screen and laughing at the insanity of it. It was by far one of the best moments in my years of watching anime.
1. Honey and Clover season 1 episode 15
It may not be as overtly intense as some of these other moments, but when I think of moments in anime that I’ve watched over the years, this one scene has been the one I think back to the most, the one that can definitely point to as a favorite above all others. Maybe it’s because I was a big fan of Mayama and Rika throughout the series, maybe it’s because I’m just a cheesy romantic who is composed entirely of mush on the inside. But this scene just brought things from the depths of despair to the heights of hope and kyyaaaaa for me. After visiting Asai in the hospital Mayama finds out from him that Rika came to visit and mentioned seeing him in the park over the summer, something Mayama though was just his imagination at first and was driving him nuts. In the lobby he runs frantically to find her, finally spotting her in an elevator and running, shaky, slanted camera angle as he does so, to reach the elevator doors and holds them open as “Yoru wo Kakeru” starts playing. Throughout this series the use of insert songs was particularly amazing, this episode being the pinnacle in my opinion along with the scene where “Tamagawa” plays during episode 07. Upstairs they talk, and as Mayama has guessed in his internal monologue, things are still the same and Rika pushes him away again against the beautifully done backdrop of the huge windows and rainy skies outside. After she leaves to visit Asai again Mayama thinks to himself that things need to start again, and hours later that evening he is there waiting with a rental car to give Rika a ride home. But he intentionally (and he admits the selfishness to himself) drives the wrong way to give himself more time with Rika as the car spirals down the Daikoku Fuutou on the Wangan highway amidst the rain and orange lights.
Things start to change with this, though the rest of their relationship is by no means straightforward or easy. But it was a stunning combination of mostly restrained, subtle emotional content, Mayama’s dramatic chance taking, great music, and rich, artistic animation in the still backgrounds and rainy color palette, the placement of the characters both on the bench and in the car, angles from which they’re viewed, and the objects in motion parts such as the car’s blurred taillights. There was a great visual metaphor used in this scene too, contrasting stillness and motion. Mayama and Rika sit still on the bench, discussing the same things and having the same result as their relationship moves nowhere. But then as Mayama makes his play to change the status quo with the car ride, there’s a great deal of movement with the car, the windshield wipers, passing lights, and moving shadows on their faces as their relationship begins to ‘move’ again. And not only was this scene wonderful to watch the first time (and again and again), but elements of it will always be in my mind.
18 Comments
ah good ol Honey and Clover XD
can’t quite remember episode 15 of season 1 so I guess I’ll look back on that
Mwahaha, hurrah for metablogging!
Anywho, I’d say nearly anyone who decided to make their own lists of 10 defining moments would include a scene in Cowboy Bebop. It would be the one that showed to them exactly why Bebop is considered the classic that it is. Mine is the ending song in episode 13.
Ah, the FLCL experience. My favourite moment of that series was the manga scene in the first episode where the dad goes ‘foolying around, koolying around, FOOLY KOOLY!!!…..whats fooly cooly?’.
And wow, you really do love Honey and Clover
For the Geass scene kind of just sat there stupified for about a year trying to collect what the hell had just happened and if I should have some how seen it coming. It was one of those things where, when it was over, you were just like “Wat.”
Just as you wrote Codea Geass was one of the best shows I’ve seen … the overall show was brilliant but ending was just epic… Respect before Zero he was on of those character which was pleasure to watch. Death of Euphie was real attack on emotions of viewers but I must say I was just constantly keeping smiling since I stared watching it ,this insanity was sensational.
Seen most of them, and those are damn good choices!
I’ll throw in Haibane Renmei, when Reki tells Rakka to close her eyes, because it’s the custom for Haibane to take the “Day of Flight” secretly.
I also liked Trigun, where Meryl steps in front of the gun to protect Vash.
Honey and Clover certainly hit me and would have spots on my top ten as well. Another scene that sticks with me is when Vash shot Nagato.
Wondering how we edit our remarks so that I can change Nagato to Legato and look less foolish. >.>
great post. THAT should do more stuff like this. i’m a complete sucker for the emotionally wrenching stuff too, so most of the the stuff on this list i really enjoyed watching.
@ vin-nii
Have fun enjoying that episode again
@ Scamp
Yeah, I don’t really think a person could watch Cowboy Bebop and not have a scene from that show being on their top ten list. FLCL too was filled with these moments, and to me it’s one of those pieces of fiction that after watching, my life was never the same again.
@ Rage
And the wait between episode 24 and the 25-26 ending, as well as the wait between seasons, just left me stunned and trying to figure out where everything was going more.
@ Emperor
Zero was a great character whether you took his side or not. I pretty quickly took Suzaku’s side since I felt that incremental change would be more stable and get less people killed (especially given Zero’s lack of concern for collateral damage and civilian casualties), but Lelouch/Zero was just so thoroughly enjoyable for his plotting, strategies, and willingness to betray.
@ skyhack
Haven’t seen Haibane Renmei, but Trigun is another show with some great moments too.
@ Okugi
The entire episode where Vash shoots Legato was amazing. It’s almost an entire episode centered around Vash shooting this enemy and his reaction to it. Makes me want to go back and watch it now, thanks!
@ gt
Glad you enjoyed the post, maybe I’ll suggest making one to some of the other authors. In the meanwhile check out Scamp’s post if you haven’t already.
Honey & Clover
Number 3
I was alredy criying just to read it again!!! yes!! I felt drained too!! (well, it was melancholy). This is one of my favorite series (the op of the 2nd season is my favorite anime song) and let me that sensation of understand how life can turn us down but we still have to face the world and keep on, because one day the will shine for us and we will be laughing about it and really really treasure that moments… (a tear comes by…)
The ending of Gunbuster. And the ending of Diebuster. Naturally, getting the full effect requires watching everything that leads up to the endings, but that’s certainly no problem either.
Simply linking to the scenes in question on Youtube would probably ruin the effect, so I recommend watching them and avoiding spoilers wherever possible.
OK then, let’s have a go. In rough chronological order, and limiting myself to one per series, ‘cos otherwise I’ll just talk about Lain all the time:
Gunbuster episode 6: the ending:
First time a story drew a tear from me. (Although with anime, it seems to have become a semi-regular occurrence.) But the years have not lessened the way so many conflicting thoughts and feelings are wrapped up into this apparently simple scene.
Utena episode 37: the mutual poisoning scene:
The first thing I ever encountered which I suddenly realised I understood, despite not actually being able to explain it.
Lain episode 12: heartbeats:
This show may spend most of its time looking cold, harsh and uncaring, but it’s actually the most human and affirming thing ever. So there.
KareKano, somewhere in the middle: Uno scene:
That’s what a family which truly works looks like. Right there.
Princess Tutu episode 12: Ahiru clumsily tries to explain herself to Fakir as they head towards the end of season encounter:
I could quite happily just say ‘Princess Tutu’. But that’s stretching the definition of a moment slightly, so… Actually, it’s a bit like Utena, I can’t quite explain what’s so great about this scene. I just know that when I think of the wonderful experience that was Princess Tutu, this is what immediately comes to mind, as representing all of it.
Narutaru episode 12: Aki’s death:
As someone who was bullied at school myself, (though certainly not that seriously), I can rather connect with the idea of wanting revenge. So the (brilliantly acted) apologising in this scene hits quite a complex nerve…
AIR episode 11: Mama!:
I just think this is the most exquisitely crafted moment I’ve ever seen. Just the way the waves hide the sound of the struggle beforehand, and then that one word cuts through it all, and affirms gloriously what is just now sinking in. And then the music.
Haruhi episode 12: God Knows:
Before this, I found the notion of there being any appeal to live music utterly incomprehensible. Now I wanna see some.
Simoun latter parts: One of the Sibyllae gets pushed aside by a military guy:
I can’t remember the episode. I’m not even quite sure who it happened to, it seems like such an insignificant thing on the surface. But this stands out in my mind long after the event, as just a fundamental violation. Which continues my trend of appreciating being made to feel things which are usually foreign to me.
Code Geass episode 50: the big ending death scene (tries to be slightly obscure, even though there are spoiler warnings around and everyone knows anyway):
Well, the massacre certainly has impact, but for me it’s a bit too reliant on having a capricious universe mess with Lelouch as if it’s aware of his destiny to feel fully real. But the ending is just astonishing. To conclude so many threads so well, in keeping with the story themes, and with such impact, “the saving of the world from all that was wrong with it is one person’s tragedy”. Fantastic.
@ ExecutiveOtaku
I completely took his side because, seeing his personality was like looking into mirror.Even if this is fiction he got the chance and ability to change order.
I live in Europe and I can see that my land is suffering and future is really unstable but overall whole world is unstable. One would believe that one empire upon all mankind would be best solution,but nothing like that will ever happen.Every day I hear from random people about same problems but nobody will raise their voice to say it in public,there is nobody who would stand for those people and if was noone would support him that is the real irony. Believing in pacifism or not the world is overpopulated ,I won’t go to details and there are more problems which need more discussion, world war would fix many things as it was in the past. It is said that we should learn from the past from, those mistakes but maybe that is the solution. Everyone have choice to choose. It’s only my belief, for someone maybe too radical.The whole problem is more complex and maybe I’m just seeing it trough shattered glass but some facts cannot be denied. No offence.
Code Geass was hardly a realistic world, more a cathartic one. Like Death Note. It’s a terribly empowering wish-fulfillment fantasy to imagine that one person can “fix the world.” Wouldn’t say it’s a good idea to give into those fantasies though, however seductive they are.
(I’d also hardly find projecting myself on painfully contrived storylines very appealing, either, but that’s just me.)
World Wars don’t happen out of context just because someone felt the “need” to make them happen. (Even Hitler’s rise was greatly helped by the Treaty of Versailles.) Imagining a partial purge of humankind to solve the world’s problems is naive at best, and narrow-minded at worst, because the vast majority of world issues today can be traced straight to simple human needs, wants, and desires not limited to specific “acceptable target” groups. It’s all the result of “human nature” as it were, merely on a massive scale. In order to get rid of these problems, you simply have to get rid of humanity. Frankly, I’d rather not live in a world where I’m dead because some guy wanted to commit global suicide. Or accidentally set off global suicide because he wanted to get rid of “just a chunk, honest guv.”
If you have an issue with your government, take it up with your government. If your government won’t listen, then either live under its boot or revolt. (And good luck either way.) If you have an issue with the world over, then you’re probably just going to have to learn to live with it since, frankly, it appears the best solution you could come up with is another purge fantasy like Hitler’s nutty pulp sci-fi hijinks.
On another note: Empires don’t last for a reason. Keeping an empire running takes a lot of work, and even the most successful empire in the history of humankind eventually just gave up because it wasn’t worth bothering with. The shattered delusions of one’s own imperial ambitions are nearly as oppressive as living under the heel of someone else’s empire.
Too often I see people think of their ideal “end scenarios” without bothering to think about how to get there. Or, just as bad, without bothering to think realistically on how to get there or whether or not it’s even a good thing to get there in the first place! All this sympathizing of “revolutions” and “fixing everything” and “making the world a better place” never ends well, and any sufficiently weathered person should be able to understand why. People who don’t understand are probably just too young, too self-absorbed and self-righteous, and too caught up in their own anger at the world to figure out that the world don’t work that way and don’t care, yo. Or, even worse, are just pretending not to understand so they can take advantage of the actual idealogue idiots.
Personally, I’d rather just make do with what we have. Beats living in the dark ages anyway. People who want to fix the world the “quick and bloody way” lack both the perspective and patience to enact any real change for the better. If you were to tell a medieval serf about the world we live in, he’d think you lived in Second Jerusalem! And getting the world just to the point where it is now–relatively civilized and slightly less bloody than usual–was not at all quick and took a lot more sweat, blood, toil, and thinking than the average angry young man on the internet is actually willing to give.
Don’t take things for granted, always assume things could be worse. Because it’s true. Instead of indulging in imperial power fantasies, why not enjoy the words of a man known for wit, wisdom, and warmth? A bit of cynical comedy from a funny man.
“Don’t put your trust in revolutions. They always come around again. That’s why they’re called revolutions.”
–Terry Pratchett, Night Watch
@ Abby
What a great show. There are so many inspiring and touching moments throughout. I’m glad you enjoyed it greatly as well
@ Dorian Cornelius Jasper
Haven’t seen them myself, might have to look into them sometime.
@ Logopolis
Haven’t seen most of those, but the Haruhi concert scene and final Code Geass scene were both great moments. The concert in Haruhi was so enjoyable, and quite a change from the usual atmosphere of the show with good music to boot. Code Geass R2 often disappointed me when it went off on tangents and introduced new characters that never really went anywhere, but the ending was very much worth it.
@ Emperor
While I can understand your sense of frustration, radical sudden change or even violence rarely creates lasting or positive changes. While one can argue that positive things have come from the two World Wars and their massive conflict (and from other massive conflicts in history), most of the good that came from them was out of a desire to create institutions and have gradual change. I probably would have sympathized more with Lelouch when I was younger, but after learning more about history, politics, and international relations late in high school and in my current studies I’ve come to the conclusion that violence, while sometimes necessary, screws things up like nothing else. Violent or sudden revolutions are the same way. It’s almost always a better option to take the Suzaku route and change a system from within than to create something from scratch.
As for the overpopulation, Mars would make a great place for colonies if only national space agencies would get off their butts and start going there. We could have done it with 1980’s technology, and people like Robert Zubrin have written in great detail on how it could be done relatively cheaply. THAT is frustrating to me, personally.
The CB and CG scenes are great choices, though I will have to say I agree with the person(s) that mentioned the death scene at the end of CG as well. That was really pretty good
Not only was the end scene of CG great, but so was the whole “Code Geass experience” that you got every Sunday, mostly due to the fans and their hilarious reactions (which was only magnified x1000 for the ending: “OMG, HE’S THE CART DRIVER!” or “LELOUCH IS DEAD! NOOOOOO!!!!” or “Zero will never die ;o;” …..things like that….)
I can’t really think of my top ten moments at the moment, but here’s some that I could think of:
Scrapped Princess, Episode 18:
It’s so sad, yet so good.
This is the first time I can truly remember (trying to prevent myself from) crying during an anime. Fulle’s death was a pretty sad scene, which is only made worse by the fact that Pacifica can’t remember him at all later on, except in the form of her “protective charm” at the end of the series. Well, I don’t think many people watched this show, but I’ve always liked this episode
Turn-A-Gundam, Episode 1 (end):
Loran’s joy at finding out that their old homeland is a great place, and then yelling at the moon and wanting everyone to come back immediately was so great, it made me go, “Wow,” and rewind to watch it again. It’s hard to explain why exactly I like this scene so much, but when someone mentions this show, this is the part I think of!
The music only makes this scene even better
Cowboy Bebop, Episode 26:
I don’t think this really needs an explanation
&I’ve always thought Faye’s little speech at the end was so sad
Darker than Black, Episode 14:
Gai’s statement about how nobody should be treated like a doll tugged on my heartstrings, especially considering the world that DTB takes place in, and the fact that he didn’t know that Yin was a Doll. Yin’s crying and being able to make a decision on her own really made an impact on me.
Pumpkin Scissors, Episode 17:
Seeing the (end of) the interactions between two survivors of two different Invisible 9 squads was….. really sad, actually. Not only because you knew these guys were (illegally) experimented on, but that they couldn’t really fit into society or go back to a normal life afterwards. (Okay, well, Oland could have a pretty normal life, but he’d still be somewhat of a giant! A strong giant with subliminal(?) messages implanted in him to have him kill people….. yeah…..)
The flashback at the beginning of this episode was wretchedly well done, especially since you can’t see Hans’ face the whole time, so you can only guess at what kind of expression he’s having as his friends die all around him. Of course, adding to the disgust, we have was scientist-lady’s happiness at being able to get back a dead body in the end for her to study or whatever.
This was one of those episodes where I so desperately didn’t want someone (Hans) to die, but I really couldn’t see any other way for him to continue living as he was. How depressing
Well, that’s all I can think of for now.
“Defining moments” – well, it’s like the episode that stuck til the end, isn’t it? A really good idea for a post – since there’s always one episode per show that really stands out, and you made those episodes personal
*Goes back to the days where I only read Mentar & Garten’s Memento and Omni’s RC for blogs*
I would certainly put your no. 3 to my no. 1 – that’s really the best performance from Hiroshi Kamiya (rewatched the episode when he recovers from the accident). Man…, you’ve brought up nostalgia.
Chrno Crusade, when Rossette meets his brother. Fafner, when Kazuki returns to the island with Mark Sein. One Piece, when Chopper leaves and cries at the sight of big sakura (don’t blame middle schoolers crying over there). 12 Kingdoms, when Youko breaks from the curse of her sword. FMP! 1st season, last episode.
your no.2 goes back from TRAINWRECK-Sunrise tradition from Mai Hime, the episode when Mai lost everything, his brother and *urgh*Tate (I mean, yeah, trainwreckedness already starts from Tomino, but for me who started watching anime from bootlegged CDs in 2000, trainwreck begins there lol). But that’s no. 3 for me, since no. 2 will be Gungrave’s ending, when Brandon told Harry that although he’s most loyal to Millenion, he chose Harry in the end, sacrificing himself to someone that wrecked his life. For mobstory anime, that ending bests Cowboy Bebop’s in my book – that’s the Madhouse before Light’s swimming lesson.
Agree on #2 and #3, especially #2. That’s like the BIGGEST TWIST of Code Geass, if not for most animes, ever! On #1 however, I agree that the scene is less intense but may I add, it was one of those emotionally engaged part of H&C, aside from #3 (scene #3 was very heart-breaking because, admit it, we’ve been there before). We all know Mayama was stalking on Rika. In fact, in #3, he was waiting for her until the end (after visiting Asai in the hospital). Then cue in, Yoru wo Kakeru. Somehow that song fits the entire scene and it was one of my favourite scene of the show. The reason why it was good simply because the visual and audio cues are in harmony, if you want to put it that way. There was simply nothing wrong about the scene whatsoever. But I still find Mayama to be too pushy or forward in that scene, making it less favourable to me. IMO, #3 should be the better one compared to #1. But hey, those are my thoughts. I’m not saying you’re wrong.
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