Celebrating the 7th Anniversary of blogging at Otaku Orbit

Mob Psycho 100 celebrating
Mob Psycho 100 celebrating

There was a time when I was afraid of writing for the public. I didn’t think I was smart enough or a good writer. Regardless, this blog has done well since 2013. Today marks my 7th-anniversary blogging on WordPress. To celebrate, I created a list of 7 things I learned while blogging. 

Here we go:

  1. I learned to be a much better writer. On way to become better at something is to do it frequently. Having read some of my older posts, I use to be a terrible writer. Poor sentence structure, grammar, and word choices. I’m not saying that my writing is perfect now, but it’s much better than it uses to be.
  2. Joining a larger anime community. I was initially afraid that nobody would read my blog let alone comment. However, over time I started to receive likes and comments. Some bloggers were more active than others and unfortunately some stop blogging. I have fallen short of the kind of interaction that I wanted but I’m working on it. 
  3. I expanded my anime tastes. Before this blog, all my anime favs were largely shonen. Part of the reason I want to blog was to watch different anime. While most of the anime is still popular among fans, the genre’s were different from what I found typical. Particularly, series like Yuri on Ice, Made in Abyss, and Haikyuu. 
  4. Willing to be critical. I was afraid of being criticized for some of my thoughts. However, being critical of someone else can be even harder. It’s not like MAPPA would read my blog or care, but being will to be negative can feel daunting. It’s important to be clear and kind, as your being critical. 
  5. Reignited my love of comics. I abandoned comics after discovering anime and manga. It wasn’t that I didn’t love Batman or the X-Men but comics were too inconsistent. Unlike in the manga, American comic books can have multiple artists and writers. This leads to inconsistent art styles and storylines. Despite this, I reestablished my love of comics. Many comics still have consistency issues, but I could find a more consistent series. Pepe Larraz art rocks. 
  6. Increased my knowledge of animation. Anime is nothing without good animation. Opinions vary on what makes animation good. Generally, I believe Sakuga animation is best. However, before writing this blog I was ignorant of the term. If you want to learn more read this blog and you will understand. 
  7. I’m a better blogger. This should be obvious but I’m a much superior blogger than used to be. I understand more about SEO, blogging on schedules, keywords, and content quality. My posts are longer (they use to be one sentence) and more sophisticated. I have learned to use social media to promote my blog (except Facebook, I haven’t figured it out yet). Like my writing, I still need to improve. I’m eager to learn. 

Thank you for reading. Let’s hope I can blog for 7 more.

10 More of My Favorite Anime OP’s

Top 5 Anime Tropes I Hate

The Sailor Scouts
The Sailor Scouts

Parental Abandonment

It’s common for heroes to have no parents. They’re either dead, strangely not mentioned, or abusive. Everyone is “conveniently an orphan.” This often avoids the question of why would someone allow their child to leave home alone? Even if the parent didn’t care it would still be parental neglect. Furthermore, if the main protagonists is a super-powered demon slayer or an actual demon, it would be necessary to explain why their parents didn’t know or didn’t tell them. It’s an understandable trope but one that’s overused. 

  1. Sailor Moon. Rei lives with her grandfather. Her mother died and her father abandoned her, leaving her to be raised by his mother. Ami’s parents are divorced. Makoto’s and Mamoru’s parents both die in tragic accidents. 
  2. Naruto. Sasuke’s parents were slaughtered by his brother. Naruto’s parents died fighting the Nine-Tails. Gaara’s mother died during childbirth. Asuma dies before his child is born.
  3. Bleach. Orhimes parents abandoned her, shes lived alone since she was 12. Chad’s parents died, then his grandfather leaving him to take care of himself since the age of 15. Uryuu’s mother died and his father is estranged. 

Instant Expert

Every once in a while a character must learn something that is conveniently helpful. Not only that the user can master the new power instantly. If you think too hard you will realize that it probably would take years if not decades for the character to learn the new skill. Of course, that’s why writers grant their characters instant abilities in the first place.

  1. Kamehameha. It took Master Roshi almost a century to learn it, Goku does it after seeing Master Roshi do it once. 
  2. Rasengan. Naruto’s father Minato learned the Rasengan after years. Naruto learns it in a week, although he didn’t master it.
  3. Bankai. Normally it takes decades to learn the Bankai. Ichigo learns his Bankai in three days. 

Calling Your Attacks

In anime, long-winded names given to attacks are the norm. Whether its the name of a punch, weapon, or magical attack these names are important to their coolness. The origin of this behavior can be connected to the ancient concept that “special words can invoke control over the supernatural.” The use of a spell’s name can sometimes be part of an incantation. The Kido in Bleach require long incantations that seem to be a random collection of words, however, a user can avoid saying the entire spell, but must sacrifice some power. These names use to be limited to special moves, now every attack has to have a title. 

  1. Bleach. Ultimate Technique: Stunning Charlotte Chuhlhourne’s Miracle Sweet Ultra-Funky Fantastic Dramatic Romantic Sadistic Erotic Exotic Athletic Guillotine Attack. 
  2. Fairy Tail. Metsuryuu Ougi Guren Bakuenjin (Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade)
  3. Kenshin. Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu Ougi Ama Kakeru Ryu no Hirameki

The Power of Friendship

The villain in many series often mock friendship. Why would you rely on others when you can do everything yourself? Of course, these villains generally have massive group followers that fight for them. However, they’re not friends so it’s different right. What the villain doesn’t know is that these friends are also a secret power. The hero will reach a new level of power to protect his friends or they will work together to defeat the villain. 

  1. Fairy Tail. Wizards gain power based on the strength of their friendships.
  2. Naruto. Like most Shonen heroes Naruto can get stronger to save his friends. Also known as Friendship no Jutsu. 
  3. One Piece. Basic this series runs on the power of friendship or Nakama. 

Explaining Your Power to the Enemy

The villain monologue has become a trope and is now mocked often. The practical reason for it is to inform the audience, however, this info could be gained without telling the villain. Like having the character think about the effect of their attack or its power. The explanation can range from what an ability does to how to counter it. Sometimes it doesn’t matter what they explain as their too powerful to lose, although, they usually make their lives harder. 

  1. Berserk. A demon tells Guts that he can’t regenerate if his head cut off. Gut’s immediately cuts his head off. 
  2. Bleach. Hirako Shinji does this twice the time. First, he tells Aizen how his Shikai works. (its powers reverse his opponents’ senses and movements). He then does it again when fighting Bambietta. 
  3. Dragon Ball Z. Gohan explains that his true power only comes out when he’s angry. So Cell tries to kill his father and his friends. 

Top Five Amoral Groups or Races in Anime

Top Five Amoral Groups or Races in Anime

The shinigami from Death Note
The shinigami from Death Note

The Shinigami (Death Note)

The Shinigami in Death Note exists to kill humans. It’s required for them to survive. Ryuk deliberately drops his Death Note into the human world out of boredom. He takes joy in Light Yagami’s mass-murdering but largely doesn’t care about their death because it’s all part of nature. Since all humans are going to die anyway, why be concerned with premature deaths. 

The Zoldyk family (Hunter X Hunter)

The Zoldyk family is a family of assassins. The family is highly pragmatic that practice tough love. They have a strict approach to their profession and a love of violence. However, they have a strict rule against killing the innocent. Their cold demeanor extends to each other. It works when assassinating people, not so much when relating to the family. 

The Pillar Men (JoJo Bizarre Adventure)

The Pillar Men are an ancient humanoid race. They’re almost extinct, but use to live thousand of years ago. Highly intelligent, powerful, and capable of manipulating the bodies to a high degree. Due to being such an elite and old race, they have very little regard for humanity. They view humanity the way humans tend to view insects. They even killed a character without noticing. However, the Pillar Men seem to value non-human life, going out of their ways to avoid destroying things like flowers. 

The Angels (Evangelion)

Angels in Evangelion refer to the fifteen children of Adam. Exactly what Angels are can be confusing. Supposedly, Angel’s are a variation of the human race. At first, they appear as humanoid entities, then they “reject” the human form. Angel’s have unique forms. The motives of the Angel’s are left ambiguous. One theory is that they’re trying to “return to Adam,” that’s located deep underground. They may want to “access Lilith and reset all life.” Angel’s don’t seem to communicate and often have no expression. Overall, the Angel’s seem to function on some sort of autopilot. What motivates hem is unknown but it appears that they only fight out of instinct. 

The Saiyans (DBZ)

According to Akira Toriyama Saiyans are considered amoral. They are a warrior race that loves battle and strength above all else. Goku often displays the amorality and its possible consequence. He often spares the life of a villain so they could get stronger a fight again. During the Cell Games, he gives Cell a Senzu bean so he could have a “fair fight” against Gohan. He does this although it would have benefited Earth and increase Gohan’s chances. Also, the Saiyans have an odd view of romantic relationships. Saiyan form sexual relationships for procreation and not for love. Most Saiyans don’t have romantic or parental love for spouses or children. It’s the primary reason Goku and Vegeta don’t have the best relationship with their wives and children. 

Top 5 Best Anime Couples

Top 5 Anime Characters with Scars

Guts with his Scar against his nose

Guts (Berserk)


Shoto Todoroki (My Hero Academia)


Shanks (One Piece)


Kenpachi (Bleach)


Vast the Stampede (Trigun)


The Top 10 White Haired Anime Characters (Part 2)

The Top 10 White Haired Anime Characters(Part 1)

Killer B writing down some lyrics

Killer B

The Eight-tails Jinchuriki and shinobi from Kumogakure, Killer B is one of the most beloved characters of Naruto. He’s was able to befriend his tailed beast, becoming the first Kumogakure shinobi to do so. B also inspires to be the world’s greatest rapper, even though he seems to be Naruto’s only rapper. An extremely powerful shinobi, Killer B was able to singlehandedly defeat Sasuke, Suigetsu, Karin, and Jugo. Most members of the Kumogakure are dark-skinned people with white hair. 

Killua Zoldyck

Killua is the third child of Silva and Kikyo Zoldyck. A child assassin and one of the smartest characters in the series., he’s very positive most of the time but when necessary he has a killer instinct. Killua is also loyal and protective of his friends, willing to risk his life for them. He has spike silver hair, blue eyes, and pale skin. As a child he hair was longer, reaching his shoulders. 

Toshiro Hitsugaya

Hitsugaya is the Captain of the 10th Division in the Gotei 13. He’s short, with green eyes, and his white hair often draws attention in the Human World. He’s young for a Captain, which is a source of humor for the series. Despite his childlike appearance, he’s very uptight. Toshiro had been given the nickname Shiro-chan, meaning “Whitey/Snowy.” 


Inuyasha is the half-human, half-dog demon main protagonist of the manga and anime series Inuyasha. He was bound to the sacred tree by the priestess Kikyo. He was later released from this spell by Kikyo’s reincarnation Kagome Higurashi. After Kagome accidentally shatters the Shikon Jewel, they team up together to collect the lost pieces. 

Mirajane Strauss

Mirajane is an S-Class mage from Fairy Tail. She has long white hair that curls at the ends. Mirajane also puts he bangs into a small ponytail, making the style more distinct. In her youth, she was known as “The Demon.” As she grew older, Mirajane’s personality change and she became more reserved. Despite her Demon-like powers being a type of magic, she often wondered if she was still human. 

The Top 5 Bald Anime Characters

The Top 5 Bald Anime Characters

Anyone that watches anime knows that one of the trademarks of the genre is the hair. In anime, a character’s hair is very important. Often weird-looking, physics-defying, oddly shaped, and/or strangely colored, hair allows characters to stand out. Anime feature all kinds of hairstyles and even hair effects. For example, there’s the Ahoge or Idiot Hair, which is the “noticeable slim forelock of hair that sticks straight up from a character’s head.” There’s “expressive hair” when a character’s hair seems to move independently. Naruto’s mother, Kushina’s, hair is expressive, floating wildly in the air when angry. If you want more examples check out TV Trope

Regardless, I here to list those that lack this magnificent hair. It’s rare but there are several bald characters in anime. I created a list of my five favs.

Dot Pixis (Attack on Titan)

The commanding officer from Attack on Titan, Pixis is responsible for the safety of the southern territory within Wall Rose. He organized the mission to reclaim the Trost. As General, he is responsible for the defense of the military. Pixis baldness seems to be related to his age, but he’s got a kickass mustache. 

Gluttony the Voracious (FullMetal Alchemist)

One of the homunculi in the Fullmetal Alchemist, Gluttony is simple and childlike. He can and will eat anything. Despite his size, he’s extremely fast. A lot of Gluttony’s behavior can be easily characterized as evil, however, he has shown kindness. His sibling relationship with Lust often shows this kindness. Anyone that harms her will certainly be eaten and when she dies he’s deeply hurt. 

Krillin (Dragon Ball Z)

Krillin is probably the most famous of the bald anime characters. Initially, he was an awesome fighter, being able to learn the Kamehameha simply by watching Goku and Yamcha do it. Unfortunately, he’s mostly used for comic relief particularly in the movies. Krillin’s been peed on by Gohan, rubble falling on him, and getting punched in the face by the villain. Krillin is bald by choice, having shaved his head since childhood to emulate what he thought martial artist looked like. 

Ikkaku Madarame (Bleach)

Ikkaku in my opinion is an undervalued character in Bleach. This is in part because he hides his power to remain in Squad 11. He’s currently the vice-captain of Squad 11. His baldness is a running gag throughout the series. When he’s teased for his baldness he erupts in anger. Ikkaku takes hiding his Bankai so far that he will throw a fight to avoid using it. However, everyone already knows he’s achieved Bankai. 

Saitama (One Punch Man)

Saitama may have surpassed Krillin in terms of public recognition at this point. A former salaryman, Saitama trained for three years to gain his power. According to Saitama, “if you don’t train so hard that all your hair falls out then you won’t be able to One-Hit Kill any opponent you face.” He used to have a full head of hair that fell out due to the intensity of the training. This is also true for Superalloy Darkshine who apparently “deliberately” trained until his hair fell out. It seems that One Punch Man believes that baldness is correlated with strength. 

Top 10 Anime Hero Beatdowns (Pt.2)

Top 10 Anime Hero Beatdowns (Pt.2)

Mob Psycho 100 Promotional art

Mob vs Koyama

When Koyama tries to capture Mob for Claw, he mistakenly kidnaps Ritsu. Mob intervenes to save his brother. Koyama brutalizes Mob with his Telekinetic Helix. Eventually, Mob reaches 100% Animosity, due to the violent abuse that Koyama inflicted on him and his brother. Despite Mob dominating him and beating to a pulp, Koyama does manage to escape with Ritsu. As most Mob Psycho 100 battles this one was highly entertaining and well animated.

Colonel Mustang vs Envy

Mustang encounters Envy, who reveals that he was Hughes killer. Seeking revenge for the killing of Hughes, Mustang goes berserk. He’s complete without mercy as he burns Envy’s tongue. Envy transforms into a grotesque monster, Mustang responses by setting Envy’s eye fluid aflame. Envy realizing Mustang could easily kill him, flees. Envy attempts to confuse Mustang by transforms into Hughes, however, Mustang isn’t fooled. Envy fails to make any headway as Mustang is too good.

Mustang mercilessly burns Envy. Envy try’s to trick Riza, but Envy falls for a trap she sets. She can damage him with her guns, but Envy gets the advantage. When Envy is about to kill her, Mustang furiously attacks him. He burns Envy to the point where Envy reverts to a smaller parasitic form. Riza and Edward manage to stop Mustang from killing Envy. Envy doesn’t comprehend humanity’s ability to have compassion, he starts crying and commits suicide.

Saitama vs Boros

Saitama often defeats his opponents in One Punch, however, Boros is an exception. Saitama’s initial punch destroys the “restraining armor” that Boros wears. After transforming the attacks Saitama. He easily blocks Boros attacks. He finally takes off Boros’s arm. They end up fighting outside. Boros is impressed that Saitama has survived this long. He regenerates, regrowing his arm. 

Using Meteoric Burst, he unleashes a torrent of powerful hits on Saitama, eventually knocking him to the moon. None of this effects Saitama. He returns from the moon, finally ready to take Boros seriously. He hit him with “consecutive normal punches” splattering Boros. Using his abilities, Boros returns. Using his strongest move, Collapsing Star Roaring Cannon, he plans to destroy the planet. Finally, Saitama uses Serious Series: Serious Punch, destroying Boros.

Gon vs Pitou

When Gon learns that Kite is dead he snaps. A dark aura surrounds him and Gon transforms. His powers increase to such a level that he rivals the Chimera Ant King. Neferpitou uses her Terpsichora, trying to kill him. Gon vanishes. She gives chase. She attacks him while his back is turned. He dodges, kicks her in the stomach, and uses his Jajanken. He punches with it at point-blank range, sending her into the side of a mountain. He then brutally beats her head in, shattering her skull. Lifeless, Pitou corpse is still able to attack. She rips off Gon’s right arm, he’s unharmed. He finally finishes Pitou with another Jajanken.

Gohan SS2 vs Cell

When Cell crushes Android 16’s head killing him Gohan finally snaps, unleashing his hidden powers. After this power boost Gohan strength and speed increase tremendously, he quickly destroys the Cell Jr’s. Cell and Gohan begin their fight and it appears that Gohan isn’t even trying, he becomes rather cocky. Cell powers up one more time but it doesn’t matter, Gohan is still stronger. 

He delivers two devastating punches on Cell, knocks him to his knees. Cell becomes enraged at being dominated by a child, Cell uses a series of the Z fighters attacks. He concludes with a massive Kamehameha aim at destroying the earth, Gohan simply reflects it with his own. Cell is damaged by Gohan’s Kamehameha, but Cell heals himself. Cell increases his size and loses his speed in the process. Gohan continues to damage Cell, resulting in him regurgitating Android 18 and transform back. Gohan is still too cocky and allows Cell to regain the advantage. He still manages to win though.

Top 10 Anime Hero Beatdowns (Pt.1)

Top 10 Anime Hero Beatdowns (Pt.1)

10. Genkai vs The Beautiful Suzuka

Suzuka is an arrogant, big mouth opponent in the Dark Tournament. Impressed by his talent, but infuriated by his psychical weakness Genkai unloads on him. She leaves fist-shaped indents over his body. His face is left swollen and unrecognizable. It’s a dominating fight that is also played for laughs. Genkai defeated him without needing her spirit energy. 

9. Levi vs The Beast Titan

At this point, it’s clear that Levi is the best fighter in Attack on Titan. After the sacrifice of his fellow Scouts, and enraged Levi dominates the Beast Titan. With quick and powerful strikes, Levi manages to incapacitate the Beast Titan. He rips Zeke from its nape, however, Zeke is rescued by the Cart Titan.

8. Goku vs Burter and Jeice

After Recoome’s quick defeat, Burter and Jeice attempt to defeat Goku. After dodging effortlessly dodging their attacks, he appears behind Burter. Burter, considers himself to be “fastest being in the universe” is pissed. Burter charges directly at Goku, with Jeice following him. Goku continues to evade their attacks, he switches gears and knocks Burter out. Goku decides to give Jeice two choices, leave the planet, or stay and fight. Jeice takes the first offer and “leaves”. Vegeta takes advantage and kills both Burter and Recoome, Vegeta tells Goku ” he is too soft to be a Super Saiyan”.

7. Monkey D. Luffy vs Blueno

Unlike their previous fight, Luffy is more prepared to handle Blueno’s techniques. Luffy also reveals his new technique, “Gear Second”. He demolishes Blueno after this, preventing him from getting any advantage. Luffy hits him with a devastating “Jet Bazooka”, which Blueno decides to use his strongest “Tekkai Gou” to block it. Luffy is prepared to reveal his “Gear Third technique”, but it’s not necessary.

6. Kurapika vs Uvogin

Uvogin and Kurapika battle at a small canyon outside Yorknew City. Kurapika can endure the massive hits that Uvogin can deliver. Kurapika captures Uvogin with his Chain Jail. Begging to be killed, Uvogin begs Kurapika to kill him. Kurapika uses his Judgement Chain to try and force him to tell the truth. However, Uvogin still doesn’t care, forcing Kurapika to crush his heart with Judgement Chain.

Top 5 Anime Villains that dominated the heroes

My Top Five Anime Announcers

Image of one of my My Top Five Anime Announcers, Juri during the Dark Tournament
Juri during the Dark Tournament

The tournament arc is common in anime. An arc that generally puts several characters in direct competition, the tournament arc can consists of anything from fighting to cooking. Sometimes the tournament arc is used as filler or used to give unknown characters some development. If your series has a large amount of characters, a tournament arc is good to introduce them. These arcs can be used for fanservice, by pitting two or more characters against each other, as they generally won’t fight in the normal story. The tournament themselves tend to be single elimination. The last opponent is almost always a Big Bad.

The most overlooked aspect of the tournament arc is the announcer. The hype men and women provide color commentary for the tournaments are often considered background noise. The are tasked with explaining what occurs during a “match.” Some series pay more attention to the announcers than others. I have collected my top five favorites.

5. Marian (Pokemon)

It should surprise no one that Pokemon needs announcers. The series is of course built around tournaments. Marian is the master of ceremonies in the Sinnoh region. Marian made her debut during the Jubilife City Pokemon Contest. Since that moment she was featured in several Pokemon Contests. Like most announcers on the list, Marian has a lot of energy. As a announcer she comments on battles and performances, then rewards the winner after the Judges decide.

4. Gatz (One Piece)

Gatz is the announcer at the Corrida Colosseum. He debut in chapter 702 of One Piece. Despite being expected to be neutral during the competition, Gatz showed some bias. He favored Hack from B block and was cheering for Lucy (Luffy/Sabo). He also admired the strong. Gatz was sympathetic toward Luffy and Sabo, even though they broke the rules by switching places. Gatz shows that he’s honorable as he is unwilling to force anyone to fight if they can’t and even put himself in danger to protect Rebecca and Viola from Doflamingo.

3. Koto and Juri (Yu Yu Hakusho)

I’ve watched and re-watched the Dark Tournament arc so many times I can conjure Koto’s voice in my head. A ‘D’ level demon, Koto was the referee then commentator for the Dark Tournament and later the Demon World Tournament. Cheerful and fair, Koto is surprisingly bloodthirsty. She enjoys witnessing the murder and mayhem in the tournaments. However, she has standards, disapproving of Bakken’s cheating.

This honor got her demoted to commentator. She was replaced by Juri. Also a ‘D’ level demon, Juri was less dedicated to her job. She lacks Koto’s sadism and often shows fear of what occurs in the ring. Koto and Juri both escape together, later becoming idols in the demon and human worlds.

2. Present Mic (My Hero Academia)

Present Mic (Hizashi Yamada) is the Voice Hero and English teacher at U.A. He’s eccentric and always talks at a high level. His Quirk, “Voice” allows him to “to increase the volume of his voice, giving him an ability that is similar to a sonic scream.” Mic was the announcer (along with Shota) of the U.A. Sports Festival. Midnight explained the rules and was the ref.

1. Worlds Martial Arts Tournament Announcer

Making his debut in Dragon Ball episode 21, Worlds Martial Arts Tournament Announcer (his “name”) is the energetic referee. He’s a common fixture in the Martial Arts world, having hosted every Tournament from Dragon Ball to Dragon Ball GT. He often is seen with his eyes bulging out of his head when watching Goku and his friends fight. He’s often so distracted that he fails to start the count on time. He has some understanding of Ki and is well aware that Goku and his friends defeated Cell, not Mr. Satan.

My Top Five Sports Anime

My Top Five Sports Anime

I uses to wonder why anyone watched sports anime. Why not just play it or watch on tv? It can’t be more entertaining than real thing, right? Turns out it can be or at least sports anime is a different kind of entertainment. Regardless, I learned to love some anime sports. The best sports anime create drama through the characters and matches, while explaining the rules of the sport. I prefer series that allow the protagonists to lose from time to time. Even if the main character is a prodigy, even body loses in sport. At least sometimes. My top five are:

5. Air Gear

Air Gear is the least realistic of the anime on this list. Air Gear is an in-universe invention that is based on inline skates. Itsuki Minami “Crow” is the main character. Air Gear focuses on Ikki and his friends as the try to climb to the top of Trophaeum Tower. Personally, I preferred the manga to the anime because of the amazing art of Ito “Oh Great” Ogure. The anime isn’t true to the manga series leaving out some story aspects. Overall, Air Gear is fun, high action comedy anime.

4. Prince of Tennis

The Prince of Tennis series from Takeshi Konomi. Adapted from the manga in 2001, the series featured several OVA’s, 178 episodes and a movie. I love Tennis. It’s my favorite sport, so seeing it get the anime treatment was exciting. The animation in this series isn’t great, but the dramatic matches, and the dynamic presentation of tennis is entertaining.

3. Ping Pong the Animation

The first thing you notice when watching Ping Pong the Animation is the animation style. Rather innovative the art style is fluid in motion and the line work is phenomenal. That said, its unique styling isn’t going to work for everyone. Some characters can look deformed at times, but I didn’t find it of putting. The series focuses more on the characters than you would expect. Ping Pong the Animation is a complex series, with electrifying animation, and good character building.

2. Yuri on Ice

I only pay attention to Ice Skating during the winter Olympics. So when I kept hearing about Yuri on Ice I wasn’t convinced I would like it. After the first episode I was hooked. The ice skating was well done. With great music, camera angles, choreography, and animation Yuri on Ice stands out. However, it’s the characters that makes the series great. The main characters Yuri Katsuki, Yuri Plisetsky, and Victor Nikiforov all feel real. At the same time the secondary characters all have interesting stories. You hope they skate the best routine, and are heart broken when they fall.

1. Haikyuu

Volleyball is one of those sports that everyone thinks they can play. It was one of the sports I was required to play in basic gym class. Most of the class was uninterested in the game, but if you grade depends on participating you better try. It was surprisingly fun to play once everyone got involved. Haikyuu reminded me of this moment. Turns out real volleyball isn’t that easy. Haikyuu explains the strategies to the audience. Like Yuri on Ice, this series has amazing animation that works well with the action. Centered around the short Hinata and his antagonist/best friend Kageyama, Haikyuu is awesome. Balancing emotion, with dramatic action, and the occasional loss, Haikyuu is the best sports anime in my opinion.
