Anime Girl Rankings

1/21/2012 2:55PM

Today's update brings two series filled with saintly girls and - okay, that might be a bit too far. Most of the girls involved are on the side of good, but what they really have in common is series with 'Saint' in the title: Saint October and Saint Tail.

I first heard about Saint October years ago and my initial reaction was 'Gothic Lolita Magical Girls? I'm in!' but then it took upwards of four years to finally be completely subbed. It's not a series that will win any awards, but I enjoyed it much more than I expected, and I was pleasantly surprised at the lack of fanservice other than some obvious subtext in the transformation sequences. Despite being classified as a parody, the series played things so straight that I can't really agree with that assessment.

Then we have Saint Tail, a mid-90s magical girl series that is effortlessly enjoyable and unassuming. The artwork is a perfect example of the kind of super cute character design that was common at the time and that I severely miss.

In other news, the general design for Version 2 of the site has been worked out and cross-tested against as many browsers and resolutions as possible, so we'll keep moving forward with development and aim for a launch at the end of the year. Look foward to it!

1/01/2012 12:57PM

What better way to ring in 2012 than with a massive update? At 60 characters from 15 different series, this is the largest single update we've had, beating the previous record holder, Sailor Moon with 43 characters.

The definite headliner is Kodocha, the wonderful story about the trials and tribulations of a hyperactive child celebrity. In short bullet format, we also have (with asterisks by recommended titles):

• Photon - The Idiot Adventures
• My My Mai
• Elf 17
• Arjuna *
• Houkago no Pleiades
• Time of Eve *
• Kowarekake no Orgel *
• Sol Bianca *
• Prefectural Earth Defense Force
• Monkey Punch no Sekai Alice
• Coicent
• California Crisis: Gun Salvo
• Hoshikuzu Paradise
• Elf Princess Rane

We're looking to head into the new year strong. We're right on the cusp of hitting our 250 series milestone, and edging closer to the 1,500 character milestone, so look out for that. I plan on at least trying to start work on Version 2 of the site as well, which is something to look forward to. For now though, happy new year and keep on voting!

11/17/2011 7:45PM

Well, after a brief hiatus I'm back! And with me I've brought 28 new characters from 3 differents series.

The first is a fun, slice of life show called Aishiteruze Baby. It follows a high schooler as he learns to take care of his five year old cousin (who was abandoned at his house by her mother) while trying to balance a relationship with a classmate. The characters are all fun, especially Yuzuyu who adorably acts very much like one would expect a little girl to behave. There are a few somewhat teary moments, but overall the show is very positive and fun.

Next, there's the semi-harem show Dragon Crisis. It's the story of Ryuji, a highschooler who also has a special power that allows him, reluctantly, to help his cousin Eriko search for lost items of power. Along the way, he meets Rose, a cute Red Dragon in human form. Rose is the first of many girls that eventually surround Ryuji along the way and the story of Rose's past and connection to Ryuji, as well as their developing relationship, make for a fun, somewhat action-packed series.

Lastly, we have Maid-sama! It stars an overachieving highschool girl, Misaki, who also secretly works at a maid cafe after school in order to help support her mother and sister. Her foil is Usui, a seemingly perfect, but rather apathetic, pretty boy who sets his sights on Misaki, taking great enjoyment out of teasing her. In typical fashion, Misaki refuses to accept that she may have feelings for Usui. This series was very enjoyable and it didn't even fall into too many genre conventions.

28 new characters! Go! Vote!