# What's your favorite/funniest anime? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 21, 2001, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-funniest-anime/66038 "2001-05-21T02:39:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2001, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-funniest-anime/66038/1 "2001-05-21T02:39:17Z")
What’s your favorite/funniest anime? Best anime: Ghost in the Shell Funniest anime: Castle of Cagliostro (A.K.A. Lupin III) I’d also like to give a special award for world’s most complicated origin story to: Twin Dolls (X-rated) ---
**Author:** ![Pyrrho12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b2d939/32.png) [@Pyrrho12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyrrho12)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2001, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-funniest-anime/66038/2 "2001-05-21T03:41:10Z")
Favorite anime that I’ve just watched for the first time: Cowboy Bebop. I’d tell you what’s so good about it, but I have to go to work soon and that could take a while… Funniest anime of all time: Irresponsible Captain Tyler. Just watching Tyler read a newspaper can crack me up. Funniest anime that no-one else I know got the jokes for: ARIEL Visual, about a giant robot combating an out-of-luck alien invasion company. Funniest anime that is currently playing on Tooniverse: Bono Bono, a strange little kids cartoon about a blue seal/otter creature and all his animal friends. It’s like Hello Kitty gone horribly wrong. Jungle Prince Tarzan, known in Korea as Unstopable Tarzan. It’s incredibly gross, and very funny. Two Korean cartoons that are very funny: Super Robot V, another giant robot parody. An old man and his dog construct a giant robot from assorted scrap, then use it to augment their crime fighting hobby. This one isn’t released yet, but the trailer alone has caused me to stop breathing from laughter… Also, see: [http://www.mashimaro.co.kr](http://www.mashimaro.co.kr) … for the most popular web cartoon in Korea right now. ---
**Author:** ![Drastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Drastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drastic)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2001, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-funniest-anime/66038/3 "2001-05-21T04:55:46Z")
Another vote for **Cowboy Bebop** , just a great series. **Serial Experiments Lain** is another I’m pretty fond of. It even makes a sort of bizarre half-assed goofy sense as it goes further along. Funny ones: certain episodes and scenes within Bebop (Cowgirl Ed and Ein the dog tripping on mushrooms, f’r’instance), but not the series as a whole. **Slayers** has always been good for laughs. Single _least_ funny anime: **Grave of the Fireflies.**. I couldn’t bring it up as being a “favorite”, as watching it’s like being run over by a truck. But in a good way. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2001, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-funniest-anime/66038/4 "2001-05-21T05:16:39Z")
**Trigun** all the way. One of the best and the funniest I have ever run across. I saw the first couple episodes of Captain Tylor, and I’m going to throttle the rest out of my anime supplier when he comes back to town in the fall if I have to. **Berserk** is too cool. Sure, it gets messed up near the end, but it’s one of the most mature anime shows I’ve yet to see and the main characters are just…wow. **Fatal Fury** ’s a good decent one, too. The fights are definitely worth watching. Other funny ones I’ve seen are: Excel Saga (_ **NABESHIIIIIN!** _:D), Ping Pong Club (one of the freakier shows, but hilarious as anything), and, naturally, Ranma 1/2. I oughta get my hands on Cowboy Bebop, too…anyone who’s seen both Bebop and Trigun go [here](http://www.scifi.com/anime/deathmatch/archives/deathmatch4.html). It’s a fictional, funny duel between the cast of Cowboy Bebop and Vash. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Rally\_Vincent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c37758/32.png) [@Rally\_Vincent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rally_Vincent)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2001, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-funniest-anime/66038/5 "2001-05-21T06:54:08Z")
alas, I have not had the pleasure of seeing Trigun yet. I like Gunsmith Cats, of course, and I really enjoyed Blue Seed. I did like Gundam Wing as well. ---
**Author:** ![Cumber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5ac83/32.png) [@Cumber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cumber)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2001, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-funniest-anime/66038/6 "2001-05-21T08:29:47Z")
My favourite anime has to be _Neon Genisis Evangelion_. Close second is _Ghost in the Shell_. Haven’t seen too many other animes. ---
**Author:** ![Saitou](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Saitou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saitou)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2001, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-funniest-anime/66038/7 "2001-05-21T12:20:05Z")
My favorite anime series has to be **Rurouni Kenshin** , which sadly enough was cancelled before they could animate the last arc of the manga. It has a wonderfull story and great characters and no anime thread go without mentioning the brilliance that is the **Rurouni kenshin OAV** The funniest: **Dragon half** , a hilarious self-parodying anime which has the single best ending theme of an anime ever ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2001, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-funniest-anime/66038/8 "2001-05-21T12:29:26Z")
Do you count anime movies? If you count them, then it is Princess Mononoke. If not, another vote for Ruroini Kenshin(or Samurai X). It was the series that made me interested in anime and manga in general. Ah, I do not see much anime either. ---
**Author:** ![Pucette](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/278dde/32.png) [@Pucette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pucette)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2001, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-funniest-anime/66038/9 "2001-05-21T14:05:51Z")
Favorite anime: Vision of Escaflowne, Ghost in the Shell, and the first of the Memories series. Oh and Nausicaa et al. There are so many… Funniest anime: gotta go with Lupin. Bastard is pretty funny too (heavy metal band names for characters). ---
**Author:** ![psiekier](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psiekier/32/116_2.png) [@psiekier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psiekier)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2001, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-funniest-anime/66038/10 "2001-05-21T14:57:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by furryman \* > \*\*What’s your favorite/funniest anime? > > Best anime: Ghost in the Shell > Funniest anime: Castle of Cagliostro (A.K.A. Lupin III)\*\* _Castle of Cagliostro_ is the best animated film ever made. I enjoy it every time I see it. Close runner-ups in the category of favourite anime would be _Patlabor_ (just the first movie, really), _Sol Bianca_ (again, just the first movie), and the original _Bubblegum Crisis_ series. _Neon Genesis Evangelion_ was good while it lasted, but I hated the ending. Funniest anime? Well… > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Saitou \* > **The funniest: Dragon half, a hilarious self-parodying anime which has the single best ending theme of an anime ever** I can’t argue with that. The first time I saw _Dragon Half_, I laughed so hard it hurt. Other favourite funnies include _Project A-ko_, _Prefectural Earth Defense Force High School_, and _Urusei Yatsura: Only You_ (the only Rumiko Takahashi comedy at which I _won’t_ turn my nose up). Some of the _City Hunter_ stuff has a comedic slant to it, and yes, _Irresponsible Captain Tyler_ is pretty good, too, but it got old after a while. * * * Pete Take off every .sig for great justice!! ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2001, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-funniest-anime/66038/11 "2001-05-22T04:08:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by furryman \* > \*\*What’s your favorite/funniest anime? > > Best anime: Ghost in the Shell > Funniest anime: Castle of Cagliostro (A.K.A. Lupin III) > > I’d also like to give a special award for world’s most complicated origin story to: Twin Dolls (X-rated) \*\* That’s way difficult! Best Anime Move: Princess Mononoke Best Anime OAV: Cowboy Bebop Best Comedy: Jubei Chan: Secret of the Lovely Eyepatch Marc ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2001, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-funniest-anime/66038/12 "2001-05-22T11:53:51Z")
I’ve never really watched many of the videos, but as a teen I read many of the book forms. There was this hilarous one about this guy who had his d\*ck blown off or something and replaced with this HUGE machine gun/various other weapons. It was quite naughty and in tune with my adolescent humor. I was reacently watching Princess RANE and I was cracking up, just cracking up. There’s this one guy who talks backwards. I was watching with English subtitles and so to translate his backwards Japanese they had the English backwards. .iht ekil kool dluow ecnetnes a oS He never said anything really that meaningful but I always had to pause to read. And it was SOOO quick I never had much of an oportunity to think what was happening. I think most people who watched it lost the plot pretty quickly but it didn’t seem to matter. ---
**Author:** ![BobSchroeck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/13edae/32.png) [@BobSchroeck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobSchroeck)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2001, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-funniest-anime/66038/13 "2001-05-22T17:31:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Saitou \* > \*\*The funniest: _Dragon half_, a hilarious self-parodying anime which has the single best ending theme of an anime ever \*\* Seconded! And yes, that closing theme is simply bizarre. I have it in MP3 format, but it simply isn’t as much fun without the subtitled lyrics… Best anime? Hard call… I’m very fond of the original _Tenchi Muyo_ OVAs. _El-Hazard_ (again, original OVAs), _Bubblegum Crisis_ (and _BGC24040_) and _Serial Experiments Lain_ are all big favorites. And my wife and I are very into _Gasaraki_ right now. – Bob ---
**Author:** ![Journeyman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/779978/32.png) [@Journeyman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Journeyman)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2001, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-funniest-anime/66038/14 "2001-05-22T20:01:00Z")
I love Princess Mononoke, of course. This is the film that really introduced me to anime, and continues to hold a special place in my heart. I’d also like to add another second for Ruroini Kenshin (or Samurai X). ---
**Author:** ![Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helen_s_Eidolon)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2001, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-funniest-anime/66038/15 "2001-05-22T21:50:33Z")
I haven’t seen many, but both my favorite and the funniest I’ve seen is **Bastard**. Bizarrely enough, the dubbed version was way funner than the subbed. I laughed my ass off. ---
**Author:** ![Tygr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/df788c/32.png) [@Tygr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tygr)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2001, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-funniest-anime/66038/16 "2001-05-23T17:03:10Z")
I’m sorry, I can’t imagine what possible reason there could be for no-one yet mentioning the all-time best anime ever. **Akira** At the risk of coming across as snobbish, I saw this film in an old art-house theater on a seventy-foot screen, after which my best friend and I walked out silent in stunned amazement. I haven’t really been able to bring myself to watch much else of anime. It’s sorta like why I can’t drink much American-made beer - first beer I tasted was in Germany. If your first taste is of the best, any thing after is a settle-for. Sometimes I stumble across “Sailor Moon” or “DragonBall” on 'toon network, and it just makes my head hurt. So please let me know if there’s anything out there that is on the same level as Akira. (Actually, the things I’ve heard about _Princess Mononoke_ have gotten my curiosity up…) ---
**Author:** ![Pyrrho12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b2d939/32.png) [@Pyrrho12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyrrho12)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2001, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-funniest-anime/66038/17 "2001-05-24T03:35:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tygr \* > \*\*I’m sorry, I can’t imagine what possible reason there could be for no-one yet mentioning the all-time best anime ever. > > **Akira** > \*\* No offense, but since you haven’t seen much anime other than **Akira** , I don’t think you can really make the claim that this was the best anime ever. I’ve seen **Akira**. I didn’t much care for it… I found it long, pretentious, and convoluted, all of which would be okay if not for the fact that it also wasn’t particularly interesting. Mind you, it’s an important film. **Akira** really raised the standards for animated film in Japan, and it helped promote anime in the west. There are many, many anime films which, IMHO, are far superior to **Akira**. It’s not really fair to compare **Akira** to things like **Sailor Moon** or **Dragonball** , since those were television shows rather than theatrical releases. Try to find any of Hayao Miyazaki’s movies- **Princess Mononoko** was one. If you want high drama and art, may I suggest that you check out **Grave of the Fireflies**. If it’s science fiction action that you want, I would reccomend **Evangelion** , **Battle Angel** , and the often mentioned **Cowboy Bebop**. If it’s beautiful animation and pagentry, try **Robot Carnival** or **Macross Plus**. ---
**Author:** ![Pyrrho12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b2d939/32.png) [@Pyrrho12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyrrho12)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2001, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-funniest-anime/66038/18 "2001-05-25T02:41:15Z")
Eek. After re-reading what I posted yesterday, I think I must have been in full sanctimonious-geeky mode when I wrote it. I hope I didn’t come off as too snippy… I also hope that I’m not the reason why no-one else has posted to this thread. **Tygr** , I didn’t mean to be unfriendly, or to insult your taste in movies. Sorry if I gave either of these impressions. I think I was also a bit hard on **Akira**. As I said, I didn’t like the movie myself, but that doesn’t make it a bad movie. See the IMDB [comments page](http://us.imdb.com/CommentsShow?94625) for some more reviews. Most people seem to either love **Akira** or thoroughly despise it, with very few people falling in between. It may even be fair to say that **Akira** is the **2001** of anime. And now, in the hopes of inciting further conversation, here are some links to video clips: [Cowboy Bebop opening theme](http://www.streambox.co.kr/media/newmain/search_index/dir.asp?DIR=41511). Click the link in the light blue box. The title sequence really captures the atmosphere of this series, IMO. [Gwi JJa Family](http://www.ontooniverse.com/tooniverse/mms://media.ontooniverse.com/product/images/musicgall/musicgall_148.asf). This one reminds me strangely of South Park- bathroom humor, the main characters are a group of kids, title song was recorded by famous punk rockers. In any case, this show is playng on Tooniverse right now in their late night slot and I’m kind of ashamed to admit that I find it really funny. ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2001, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-funniest-anime/66038/19 "2001-05-25T03:54:56Z")
“Twilight of the Cockroaches” ---
**Author:** ![PublicBlast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/779978/32.png) [@PublicBlast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PublicBlast)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2001, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-funniest-anime/66038/20 "2001-05-25T05:02:29Z")
Far and away, my favorite anime film is **Ninja Scroll**. A little slim on plot, but beautifully drawn, over-the-top violence, and really cool characters. My wife showed me this film while we were still dating, and it made me completely head over heels for the girl. 🙂 I still laugh myself to near-incontinence during some of the more violent scenes. [Cartoon violence is funny!] Close second, but without the humor, is **Rurouni Kenshin OAV**. Beautiful art, music, and story. Ahhh… [hijack] No matter how good the story or jokes, I can’t stand anime with cheap drawing, e.g. Ranma, Devil Huntress Yoko, etc. [/hijack] Finally, best anime to laugh _at_: **Fist of the North Star**! Hilarious, but unintentionally so. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-funniest-anime/66038.md?page=2)