When?

Probably when I got back into anime again.

Previously, I was more of a casual anime viewer, just watching anime that are highly popular (e.g. SAO), those that my friends recommended (e.g. Infinite Stratos) or just the few that caught my attention (e.g. Gundam 00). That most memorable one from that period is Toradora!, so I shall consider it my previous top one. I haven’t seriously thought about it back then TBH.

What got me back into anime was Gundam: The Witch from Mercury, around the time season 2 was airing (and not long before joining Lemmy).

My initial impression - based on the synopsis and pictures - was: man, how far has Gundam fallen to pander to its audience, focusing on cute girls in their school life instead of its core themes of war and politics. I picked it up just to pass time, with the intention of dropping it at the drop of a hat once I lose interest. But I never did.

The prologue immediately had me reevaluating my preconceived notions and biases. It reminded me that I should not judge a book by its cover; that I should probably try more anime out instead of being so selective.

The main criteria for determining if an anime belongs in my top 10 / favourites are

1. my enjoyment of the whole story
2. how many times I rewatch it
3. its personal significance to me

I enjoyed WfM a lot, I replayed various scenes and episodes (and sometimes whole episodes or even seasons) many times, and most importantly, it got me to check out around 300 anime between then and now.

Naturally, it has to be my top one anime.

WIP