4/20/08 - 5 anime with the best special abilities/attacks

[Cetonis]

A little late this week, but this time let us vote for five anime with the best special abilities and/or attacks.

Oftentimes an action anime will base it's battles around flashy moves or special powers, each trying to come up with something that will impress or excite the viewers. But it's not limited to that - sometimes special abilities are used as the basis for a drama, or the centerpiece of a mystery, or in various other regards. Which series' offerings did you like the most?

(an aside tagged to save space, not a spoiler)

I'd also like to ask for people's thoughts on a "banned list" of sorts. Sothis has done this in the past, with the basic idea being to disallow some of the absurdly popular anime in order to allow room for others and make things more interesting overall. It seems like every concievable topic finds itself in the clutches of one popular show or another, making it more like a "top 3-4 + the popular one(s)." (this category being no exception, sadly) So, I'm thinking such a list would help keep things fresh, and open up some topic options that would be pointless otherwise. But, I'm not sure how many people might feel like it isn't worth disrupting the outcomes to do so. Let me know what you think.

[ForgottenSon]

Darker Than Black
Elfen Lied
Boogiepop Phantom
Shigurui
Baccano

I'd also like to ask for people's thoughts on a "banned list" of sorts. Sothis has done this in the past, with the basic idea being to disallow some of the absurdly popular anime in order to allow room for others and make things more interesting overall. It seems like every concievable topic finds itself in the clutches of one popular show or another, making it more like a "top 3-4 + the popular one(s)." (this category being no exception, sadly) So, I'm thinking such a lisy would help keep things fresh, and open up some topic options that would be pointless otherwise. But, I'm not sure how many people might feel like it isn't worth disrupting the outcomes to do so. Let me know what you think.

A good idea, though it raises some problems. Notably, where do we draw the line at excluded popular anime. And do we exclude them from all competitions, or just ones where they're obvious choices.

[purplemo]

Kiddy Grade
Gatekeepers Series
Card Captor Sakura
Darker than Black
Alien 9

Special mention: Malice Doll (for Alice's ability), Armitage III (come on, the third's ability was pretty unique), Higurashi no Naku Koroni Kai (for Rena's special ability, used on K1. If you don't know, watch them play zombie tag)

Ah, about the banning of anime, I think that's a bad idea because

1) Who's going to decide what's really popular (I remember an argument about KGNE about this)
2) I don't really think it's fair to cut a show that someone really thinks is one of the best.

And mind you, I think A LOT of the votes on these top 5 lists come from overtly popular shows, and while it's disappointing that because of this most of my votes tend to be loners, I still think people should be allowed to pick what they want.

[Deus ex Digital Boy]

1. Earth Maiden Arjuna - w00t for Indian spiritual techniques!
2. Boogiepop Phantom - I will never forget exploding cat. NEVER.
3. S-cry-ED - there's a guy who can make fucking watermelons appear from THIN AIR
4. Baccano - Immortality FTW
5. Serial Experiments Lain - I'M IN YUR HOUSE WATCHIN U MASTURBATE

[ForgottenSon]

No vote.

This is why I should wait until other people have voted. How could I have forgotten Boogiepop Phantom?

[Deus ex Digital Boy]

>_> I also forgot Code Geass : O

[purplemo]

Originally Posted by ForgottenSon

This is why I should wait until other people have voted.

I put mine up early on the rare occasion someone will notice one of my more obscure ones and vote for it (happened a couple times). This time though there's not really much obscurity there.

[Deus ex Digital Boy]

Originally Posted by purplemo

I put mine up early on the rare occasion someone will notice one of my more obscure ones and vote for it (happened a couple times). This time though there's not really much obscurity there.

Actually, I had to go back and relook at your list since the first time I just saw 'Kiddy Grade', snickered and scrolled down.

[fireydarkness]

Shadow Skill - TEXT OF DOOM but norly, we just gonna punch yo face.
Bastard!! - Instant Kill Everybody Powers?
Gantz - The power suits are freakin awesome, you can't deny it. I don't know if it counts as an item and not a power.. but its really still relient on the person who uses it.. so o.O;
Orphen - Pretty Much goes back to the instant blow everything up powers
Death Note - Again.. its an item with the assistance, but its still like.. the power of the item. "I'm gonna write yo name to death!" And you can pretty much make people do what you want before they die, they can die how you want. Plus there are the eyes which let you see how long someone will live.

[Rhesian]

Hellsing - Alucard, anyone?
Read or Die - Wouldn't you want to control paper like that?
Lunar Legend Tsukihime - Best knife control, ever!
FLCL - Would make Pete Townsend and every guitar-wielding psycopath proud.
Elfen Lied - Vectors are better than Ginzu knives for slicing and dicing.