My Top 10 Favorite Anime

Not including movies, I have currently seen roughly 27 different anime, and not necessarily all the seasons of some of those anime (ex. Haven't seen Spy x Family season 2/3, haven't seen past season 1 of Attack on Titan and One Punch Man). 

Here are my top 10 favorites from what I have seen.

Note: Interesting distinction which many people I think don't realize is an important distinction: It's a list of my favorite anime and not a list of what I think are the best anime. Since it's my favorite, I can just use random perhaps unjustified opinions I have to judge things. When discussing best, I think that's a more objective question rather than subjective. Anyway, here are my picks:

HM: Promised Neverland

Starting from the bottom and going to #1, we're beginning with an honorable mention: The Promised Neverland. I loved loved the first season; it was fan-freaking-tastic. Big problem, though: The 2nd season was absolutely terrible 🙃 Like actually terrible. So here it sits in HM land.

HM: Erased

I think Erased is quite good -- I think the concept is fascinating, and overall it is really well done. The ending was a bit rushed, and the spoilers got spoiled to me (regardless, are allegedly fairly easy to figure out), so that's not good either. Regardless, I still think it's a great anime. It was in my top 10 when I first drafted this post, but then I watched Frieren: Beyond Journey's End and it shifted Erased into HM land.

10. Hunter x Hunter

Hunter x Hunter is fantastic. It's pretty much what I wanted to get out of long-running anime. It not being complete yet is bothersome to me, but if I remember correctly, the current ending is satisfying enough. Due to it's 148 episode length, I don't see myself rewatching it unless they release new stuff, but it was a ton of fun, the characters are great, some of the arcs are just so good. Great stuff.

9. Haikyuu!!

So I just rewatched/caught up with Haikyuu! It was great. Can't say I absolutely loved it though. There were many parts that were absolutely phenomenal. A ton of fantastic character moments and character arcs. The fact that they were able to build up and have a phenomenal moment about being a pinch server is just fantastic. 

But, also, like: The anime is too long for what it does? And too unrealistic? And has random subplot strings that go nowhere/feel unnecessary/I don't enjoy?  

Idk, maybe those things only bug me, but for some reason the errors in this show seemed more prevalent/noticeable compared to errors in other shows. 

8. Mob Psycho 100

I've cooled quite a bit on Mob Psycho. In the past, I would consistently say it was in my top 3 favorite animes. Now, let me say: It is REALLY good. I think what's really holding me back from ranking it higher is the third season. The third season just wasn't my favorite :/ Which is an absolute shame. 

The first two seasons are some of my favorite stuff, but I'm ranking the show as a whole, so the third season drags it down a few spots for me. If I ignored the 3rd season, I think this would most likely be top 3 or 4. And perhaps I'm over hating on the 3rd season; it wasn't bad per se, just not very good, imo. Idk.

7. Frienen: Beyond Journey's End

This is my most recent new anime I've seen and it is simply wonderful/incredible/amazing. I've fallen in love with the world and the characters, and everything is extremely well done. It could very easily climb the ranks of this list in the future. Thinking about it, frankly, it should probably be higher. Currently just waiting on more episodes to eventually release. In its current state, it feels like just the beginning, which makes it a little more awkward to rank super highly, imo. But I am very excited for more, and, like I said, I think once more does come out it could easily go up.

6. My Hero Academia

3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 were all very tough to rank. I love My Hero Academia a lot, and feel it could easily take any of the 3-7 slots. I gave Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood the edge because the ending is so good in Brotherhood, and My Hero isn't done yet. Having good endings is important to me (similar issue with Frienen and Hunter x Hunter right now). I really hope it ends satisfactory.

Another reason I lowkey feel it's not higher is its high episode count which continues to grow. As kind of referenced, this is a downside to Hunter x Hunter as well. But its peaks are impeccable, and it's just a show I enjoy. It's just fun; a comfort anime in a way. 

5. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Wonderful wonderful show. I've also seen the original, but I rewatched Brotherhood recently, and I'm fairly confident I prefer Brotherhood, so I'm only ranking it. This show is, like, actually so good. Characters are incredible, fights are superb, world is fascinating, storyline is awesome. So good. Love and agree with the fact that it's generally regarded as one of the best animes of all time.

  

 4. Steins;Gate

There's a thrill in the back of my mind when thinking about this anime. It is so tense, so interesting, so cool. So so good. Does time travel extremely well, imo. Goated anime.

3. Your Lie in April

So Your Lie in April has been my favorite anime ever since I originally watched it, but I rewatched it this year and decided it no longer was. Major plotline I just didn't like this time around is the main thing. Do I absolutely adore it still? Of course. Incredibly emotional; I cried this watch through for sure for sure. 

It would not surprise me if it slips a couple-few spots more, but for now its legacy of it being my absolute favorite for years is keeping it in the top 3. My heart is still full of love when I think of this show, and that love is simply stronger than other shows right now. But for the first time in a long while, it is not my number 1.

2. Odd Taxi

Holy, I love this anime. The characters are endlessly fascinating and fun. The storyline wraps up so incredibly. It's mix of serious and light-hearted moments is wonderful. Absolute banger. Thanks for the recommendation old roommate Joe.

1. Ping Pong the Animation

Let me tell you, this anime is a masterpiece. I'm not sure if there's a single thing I would change about it. It is beautiful and wonderful and poignant and I wrote all whole blog post about it a while back which you can read here. I did not know it would become my favorite anime back when I wrote that, but after rewatching it again recently with my roommates, I was reminded of how much I adore this perfect little anime.

Zach's Farewell Talk

I wanted to share a beautiful moment I got to be a part of when I was serving as a missionary in Holladay, Utah. At the time, I was covering 1 Family Stake and 1 YSA Stake (which I share mostly for my future self).

We met this awesome dude who was preparing for his mission. We'll call him Zach. Because that's his name. He went through some crazy things and the fact that he's alive is a miracle, but that whole story isn't what I wanted to talk about here. I wanted to talk about part of his missionary farewell talk.

In the middle of his wonderful talk, he asked for all the missionaries in the congregation to stand up. Immediately, my companion and I stand up; practically at the same time, and a few others stand up, who I assume were ward missionaries. Zach stayed silent; waiting. After a few seconds, another clump stood up. Then another. Slowly realization filled the congregation along with myself. Everybody stood up. 

Every member a missionary.

My Fav TØP Album

Note: I will be referencing the tier list found here quite a bit.

What's my favorite twenty one pilots album? It's a tough question. It's clear what my top 3 are simply based off looking at my top 25 songs.

8 are from Clancy, 7 are from Vessel, 5 are from Trench, 2 is from Self-Titled, 1 is from Blurryface, and 1 is from Scaled and Icy (and 1 is a single (Level of Concern)).

Vessel, Clancy, and Trench are clearly my top 3, but the order is tough.

I think the main question is what I value. Vessel is very top heavy. 4 of my top 10 songs, 7 of my top 20; this really points towards Vessel. But you've got some stragglers. Screen, The Run and Go, and House of Gold are sprinkled across a couple lower tiers.

Clancy also has an impressive top end, although not as impressive as Vessel. 2 of the top 10, 5 of the top 20. Once again, though, there are several songs that sprinkle the lower tiers (Lavish, Overcompensate, Midwest Indigo, Backslide, and At the Risk of Feeling Dumb). 

(Granted, in Midwest Indigo/Backslide case, 'A' tier doesn't hurt the case that much. And 'A-' with At the Risk of Feeling Dumb, The Run and Go, and House of Gold isn't bad either.)

Trench, on the other hand, is simply the king of consistency. Only 1 song in the top 10, and 4 songs in the top 20, both numbers being lower than both Vessel and Clancy. But NO songs lower than A tier. Trench dominates the upper tiers outside the top 10. 

Out of the 34 songs that appear in S+, S, S-, and A+, Trench holds 12 of those spots. Clancy with 6, and Vessel with 5. Trench is incredible with its consistent fantasticness. But can it really be my favorite album if it only has one song in my top 10? Idk, it's a great question.

Not too many moons ago, Ben, Eric, and I (we also go my dad involved) were tier listing meats and different ways you can have the same meat. I stated that chicken was almost always good regardless of its use, but rarely, if ever, S-Tier for me, and thus I felt I could not say it was my favorite meat. In that moment, I also knew and declared that Vessel was my favorite twenty one pilots album. 

(It was actually a pretty funny moment. It legit went like this: "I just really feel I can't say Chicken is ever my favorite since any individual way of making it isn't ever really my favorite... And thus, Vessel is my favorite album." Ben then went something like, "Yeah, that makes sense" without skipping a beat even though it was the first time music had gotten brought up at all during that conversation, hahaha. He instantly knew what I meant/was referring to.)

((Wait, only now just in: on a completely separate note, I feel this also makes me feel what I already believed: That Michael Jordan is the GOAT in basketball. Felt that was worth sharing. Anyway, back to music. (Okay, a little bit more context: I just value peak in regards to rankings more than consistency/longevity, I think. In other words, MJ > Lebron)))

I think it's important for my favorite of something to actually be amongst my all time favorites. And Vessel does that.

Now, it wouldn't surprise me if one day Trench or Clancy overtake Vessel -- my enjoyment of all the songs in those albums continue to grow (and, frankly, at a quicker pace than many songs in Vessel), but for now Vessel is still my favorite twenty one pilots album.

A Thought In Regards to Keeping the Name of Christ Sacred

Thought today that I've had for quite a while. Now, I will state here: We're all doing much better than we think in regards to everything; I don't mean for this post to be discouraging or have it be, "Oh, another thing I have to think about in order to try to be perfect" etc. It's just something I care about a lot that I wanted to bring attention to. And I myself am not perfect at it either; go ahead and look at bullet point 4. Anyway, here are some thoughts:

Throughout growing up in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the phrase "in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen." has become a little wrote to me, and I'm sure others. Growing up, not doing the best paying attention to prayers/talks as much as would be beneficial to me, it was the phrase that your mind passively looks for to know when it's over.

Over the years, I've definitely gotten better at actively listening to prayers and talks which has helped with this, but I'm afraid the phrase in the church in general has become too much of "this is just how we close things" rather than "I invoke the name of Christ in regards to these words". The phrase is simply being said rather than used. I think the name of Christ is incredibly important and sacred, and using this phrase more carefully will help us keep it so.

Some things in regards to the phrase that point toward us not treating Christ's name as important as we should:

1. Ending a talk with, "In the name of Thy Son, Jesus Christ, Amen". 'Thy Son' does not makes sense in this context since you are talking to the congregation, and it is evidence that the phrase is no more than just something one says.

2. Saying "In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen" really really quickly. I feel this makes it feel like just a wrote phrase that must be said and subtracts from the meaning. 

 3. I have one specific memory of the following, and it wouldn't surprise me if it happened more frequently than I've noticed: What the person said should not, frankly, have been associated with the name of Christ, but they said "In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen" quickly to signify that they were done talking -- that is not why we should say the phrase.

4. I do this one frequently and me thinking about it was the inspiration for writing this post. I don't know how often other people do it because it happens during personal prayers. I often start standing up/opening my eyes/whatever during the phrase, "In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen." To me, it's like I'm treating it as barely part of the prayer when it's arguably the most important part.

Once again, I iterate that I don't want this to be 'yet another thing to have to think about', but rather just shifting some focus/light on it? Idk. These are just some things I've noticed, and I care about the topic. I hope we all are careful when talking about Christ and saying things in His name.