Here we have my top ten anime girls! I actually seem to have managed to stick with just anime for this one instead of throwing a random manga lady in there...though admittedly, there are two of them whom I've seen in both mediums at some point or another. It was kind of hard for me to come up with people for this list—there are plenty of girls in anime that I like just fine when I'm watching the series, but not many I'd say I adore and can think of otherwise
Number Ten: Kanade Tachibana(Angel Beats!)
As one of the lead women in Angel Beats!, Kanade (aka Tenshi) caught my eye pretty quickly. In fact, within the first few minutes. What can I say—you stab a guy through the heart to prove he can't really die, that's going to make me interested in you.
I see Kanade as a beautiful character, not only because she's physically very pretty (and there's some amazing art of her out there) but because of her purpose in being. The group initially sees her as an enemy, but really, she isn't. I won't say anything more for risk of spoilers, but basically, Kanade is a good person and it's something that makes me love her.
Number Nine: Misuzu Kamio (Air)
If we met in real life, Misuzu and I would get along very well. She loves dinosaurs. That, in and of itself, tells me we could be friends, because, I too, love dinosaurs. Other than that though. Misuzu is an adorable, sweet young girl who just wants to be happy and make friends. That's the entire reason she starts talking to Yukito in the first episode, is to make a friend—she wants to play.
This girl has one of the most heartbreaking stories I've ever seen in an anime. Cursed to become ill and die when she gets emotionally close to someone, and therefore her aunt, who has been raising her, is forced to act pretty cold to her. It's a depressing thing to think about, and Misuzu...well, Misuzu deserves to be allowed to get close to people. She's such a good girl.
Number Eight: Kotomi Ichinose (Clannad)
The ladies of Clannad are some of my absolute favorites on the whole, and Kotomi is near the very top. Much like me, she is a lover of books, and she's very quiet. Granted, her reasons for being quiet are incredibly different from mine—she has extreme emotional issues and me, I'm just shy. Still, I loved her for being quiet and cute and intelligent yet completely lacking in the common sense department. Besides, her obsession with being called “Kotomi-chan” made me smile.
Kotomi...is a girl that I felt a lot of pity for. Her arc of the anime was one of my favorites to watch, and probably the one I considered the saddest. The way she shut herself down was just...sad. I don't know what other word to use. It made me tear up.
And on a lighter note, Kotomi + violin = don't do it man.
Number Seven: Fuko Ibuki (Clannad)
I am quite positive that it's impossible to watch Clannad and not have an intense urge to glomp Fuko at least once. When I look at her I have those Rena Ryugu “I'm taking it home” moments, because seriously, she's adorable. And she makes me laugh. Like with her starfish—well, that part's just plain cute, but when it comes to the cuts on her hands and how she denies that she's in pain...it's just adorable.
My one regret in watching Clannad was that she didn't wake up earlier. I really wish she had. But I loved the times when she would pop up and do something random and declare that they didn't have to remember yet, that she could wait. She's just so amusing.
Number Six: Rena Ryugu (Higurashi no Naku Koro ni/Kai)
Oh, Rena...On my list of 'most psychotic anime characters' (actually, that list doesn't exist) she's probably at the top. Or at least in second place, because Mion might just have her beat. But at the same time, despite her utter insanity, she's freaking cute. And I got attached to her throughout the course of the two Higurashi seasons.
That's all.
Number Five: Sakura Kinomoto (Card Captor Sakura)
Sakura is one of the two I've seen in both mediums. I read the Card Captor Sakura manga in its entirety and watched the second movie of the series, though I still have yet to watch the rest of everything that goes with it. Still, I 100% adore this little girl. Not...not in a creepy way. She's just cute and has such a fighting spirit—watching her I always had to cheer her on, kinda like Tomoyo, just without the clear lesbian attraction.
...Uhm, anyway. Watching her capture the Clow cards and develop a relationship with Syaoran made me very happy, and so did her interactions with everyone else. She's such a bright girl. The world needs more people like her.
Number Four: Mai Taniyama (Ghost Hunt)
I think this attachment may have been formed because I've sat through Ghost Hunt about a million times now. I have the dub, so if I need something to play in the background, Ghost Hunt is my go-to series. I've sorta developed a love of Mai. I like her because she's spunky. Naru is her boss, but she doesn't put up with his crap the way everyone else is willing to. If she doesn't like what he's doing, she makes sure he knows it.
So for that, I love her.
Number Three: Celty Sturluson (Durarara!!)
Look man, Celty is undeniably badass. For anyone who hasn't seen Durarara!!...well first of all, fix it—go watch the series, right now. But I was saying she's a Dullahan, a sort of Irish fairy who can control shadows and whatnot. This one doesn't have a head as a result of plot points I shall not disclose. And instead of riding a horse, she rides a motorcycle...which actually is her horse, but still.
Despite being a powerful mythical creature who can't die and heals incredibly fast, she's not always brave. She isn't one of those typical icy bitches who acts like she's the most epic thing ever to walk planet earth—there are moment where she's truly scared, where she throws herself at Shinra and tells him she's scared. It makes her seem to human. She's amazing.
Number Two: Nagisa Furukawa (Clannad)
Clannad has to make one last appearance on this list. I don't even know how to explain my love of Nagisa, because I don't fully understand what it is that I love about her. She's sweet. She's pretty. She doesn't want to cause trouble for anyone. She's...just a wonderful girl all around.
And I'm not going to bother justifying my love of her.
Number One: Ai Enma (Jigoku Shoujo)
I love the series Jigoku Shoujo, and Ai Enma, Jigoku Shoujo herself, is very much my favorite girl in the world of anime. Ai is obligated to take people to hell for people who wish revenge, and this applies whether or not the person deserves to be sent to hell or not. In one episode, for example, she takes a nurse who is truly a wonderful person, because some drug addict has a problem with her that isn't fully explained—presumably he's just an asshole.
During the first season I didn't have much of a reason to love Ai, I just did. Then season two, Jigoku Shoujo Futakomori, happened. It was...wow. At the end of the season, Ai was forced to take this little boy who didn't at all deserve to be sent to hell. And she brought him back. She was punished for that, harshly. But she did it anyway.
Love her.
This has been, my top ten anime girls.
