I really enjoyed putting together the 'Let's Talk About: Quirky Japanese Games That Are Downright Brilliant' article from a month or so ago. So continuing in the spirit of quirky Japanese things, I've decided to talk about a few of my favourite anime series that are absolutely mad but are definitely worth your while.
Ranma ½
This anime is about a boy called Ranma Saotome, his father Genma, and the ancient Chinese curse they acquired after falling into some cursed springs while doing martial arts training. Now when Ranma comes in contact with cold water, he turns into a girl, and when his father comes in contact with cold water, he turns into a panda. Luckily, when both of them come in contact with hot water, they change back to their original forms!
I've been wanting to talk about this anime for ages now as it has to be one of my all-time favourite anime shows, it is nothing short of laugh out loud hilarious. The cold water/hot water joke is used frequently, but when combined with a variety of genius situations that the characters find themselves in, it never stops being funny. It seems like in every episode, Ranma manages to find himself in some sort of bother. Whether it be a girl wanting to be his bride, a rival wanting to challenge him to a battle, or that same rival having a crush on his female form, the gags never seem to end in Ranma ½. I definitely recommend it if you are in need of a good laugh.
Midori Days
I watched this one a long time ago so I can't remember too much about it, but I do remember that I enjoyed it a lot. The concept of this show is just straight up wacky. Basically there is this guy called Seiji Sawamura who is a bit of a delinquent and his right hand punch is feared all around town. He really wants a girlfriend, but due to his reputation, he is constantly rejected by every girl he asks out. However, one day he wakes up to find his right hand has become a girl called Midori Kasugano, who confesses that she has had a crush on him for the last three years.
It sounded fairly normal until you got to the bit about a girl becoming his right hand, didn't it? Midori Days, despite its fairly odd concept, is a great feel good anime and has its fair share of comedy moments, as well as a nice bit of romance as well.
Azumanga Daioh
This is one of the first comedy anime series that I really watched and today I still find it absolutely hilarious. What makes it hilarious? I'm not even sure, it is just a really energetic anime that on occasion, makes absolutely no sense. The characters are much more memorable than most slice-of-life anime shows, my favourite character especially is Ayumu Kasuga, also known as 'Osaka'. She just reminds me so much of myself, a character who lacks attention and tends to daydream about the most pointless stuff imaginable. The manga of Azumanga Daioh was the only manga that ever managed to grab my Mum's interest, as she found the character of Osaka funny too, just because it reminded her so much of me. Anyway, check out this anime, it is good light-hearted comedy.
Nichijou
Nichijou follows in a similar vein to Azumanga Daioh, except Nichijou makes even less sense, but this doesn't mean it is any less fantastic. There is a principle that wrestles a deer, a robot girl that can fire food from her wrists, a talking cat, and an eight-year-old mad scientist. I found myself cracking up at some of this anime's weirder moments, and it has to be without a doubt, the most insane entry on this list. This is definitely worth a watch.
Welcome to the N.H.K.
This is another one that I've wanted to talk about on Alt:Mag for a long time. Welcome To The N.H.K. is an absolutely perfect mix of humour, emotion and straight up crazy shit. The anime focuses on a very erratic fellow called Tatsuhiro SatÅ, an unemployed recluse who believes that a conspiracy has made him that way. He has been shut in so long that he actually has hallucinations of his household appliances talking to him. Misaki Nakahara (one of my all-time favourite anime characters), a girl he meets one day offers to 'cure' him. This is the start of a fantastic 24 episode anime series, that kept me hooked all the way up until the last second. It made me feel happy, it made me laugh, it made me feel sad. This is absolutely one you should not miss. Also, I want the novel but its stupidly expensive, because it is out of print.
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
This is an anime that you undoubtedly have already heard of, and if it is one of your favourites, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. This anime, along with the novel that it is based on, is fantastic. You might at first wonder why I have included it on this list, but think about it for a second, this anime is literally about a high school girl who, when she gets emotionally bored, can end the world. But the world doesn't end with her getting angry and using super powers or anything, her boredom causes giants in an alternative dimension to freak out and destroy everything. Get what I mean now? Good, that's cleared up then.
What are some of your favourite quirky anime series? Let us know in the comments section below or by our Facebook or Twitter page.
