Hi I'm Dranzerstorm
You may remember me as a regular contestant on the caption battle contest.
Welcome to Retro Retrospective, my world dedicated to the old guard of the Otaku world; expect some reviews of the old & obscure, and in-depth geeky knowledge with the occasional top ten and I now have a logo.

Little info about me
Well I'm British and I'm in to all things animated and nostalgia.
I've grown up with every cartoon going and have watched hundreds of anime.
Oh and to answer a question I was asked once, no I don't wear glasses in real life, I would wear Loke's sunglasses though.

Top 10 Best Types of Females in a Harem

Now lets bring this list season to a close with the Top Ten Best Types of Females in a Harem.

Honorable Mentions
The Tomboy with a Girly Streak Type
Miss Sakaki from Azumanga Daioh
The Mama Bear Action Girl Type
Yoko Littner from Gurren Lagann
The Out of Luck Hard Worker who Deserves Better Type
Kiyone Makibi from Tenchi Muyo


10. The Genki Girl Who Thinks the Best of Everyone Type
Kaolla Su from Love Hina
These are the girls in a harem you don't want to underestimate as they are usually the first to like the male lead and are usually the ones that give enough confidence to said male lead to keep going. While their enthusiasm can go overboard it's usually that boundless optimism that makes the challenge worth it.

9. The Bifauxnen Girl who can do Both Genders Easily Type
Ukyo from Ranma 1/2
Charlotte Dunois from Infinite Stratos
Bifauxnen is a term used to describe someone of ambiguous gender and both these characters personify this term perfectly, while there is similarities linked to the Tomboy with Girly Streak type at the top of the page what makes this such a good type is that they get on best with the male lead and it's that kind of friendship usually from childhood in Ukyo's case with Ranma that makes the characters stand out.

8. The All Your Fantasies in One Type
The Entire Female Cast of Happy Lesson
This is cheating a bit because you can argue this with any harem but this one stands out for many reasons. Happy Lesson is unique that you have a choice of five different teachers who play mother to the lead character who by the ending become your wife and add to that, a tsundere, a little sister, an older sister and a stalker. Your very much spoiled for choice. There are no other harems like this one.

7. The Perfect Girl who Actually has a Backbone Type
Lacus Clyne from Gundam Seed
Surprised it's not Belldandy? Well for all the perfection this girl gives in her looks, boundless optimism and sickening kindness, Lacus Clyne is not afraid to command a Battle Ship and will call you out for being a dick, which is how Athrun Zala ended up being dumped by her.

6. The One Who Supports you when the Rest of the World Rejects you Type
Hinata Hyuuga from Naruto
It's surprising how often Naruto has managed to appear on these lists, well certain characters do really well to match the subject matter, and some of Naruto's best moments is watching Hinata take on impossible odds to defend Naruto's honor, it paid off after 700 Chapters as they are married with two children.

5. The Dependable Little Sister with Strong Domestic Skills who will make the Best Wife and will Likely win in a Realistic Harem Scenario Type
Sasami Jurai from Tenchi Muyo
Another character not to underestimate is the youngest one, sure you may think she's not a threat being too young to do the things the main females do but she can also get away with a lot more things like spending quality time, winning praise and generally being kind and benevolent; compare that to the other girls which include a Mad Scientist, a stuck up Princess, a clueless Police Officer and a Rambunctious Space Pirate, bonus points that you already know what this girl is going to look like when she grows up, who are you going to choose? It's obvious isn't it.

4. The Extremely Sexy One who will fall in Love with you for Real Type
Rias Gremory from High School DxD
Harem shows get alot of stick for featuring match ups that depict really unrealistic relationships, then you meet Rias Gremory. It's easy to make assumptions considering that the target audience have probably seen this so many times before, really sexy girl and a hapless loser? Actually Rias subverts this by genuinely caring about Issei Hyodo, not only does she encourage him to be a better person but does so the normal way by actually giving useful advice and training and not over reacting when she has to scold him and it pays off when she develops feelings for him for real which saves her from an unwanted marriage.

3. The Thrill Seeker who's Idea of Fun is Building a Fast Car and Testing it out Type
Charlotte Yeager from Strike Witches
A relationship needs to be fun and creating thrills to enjoy makes for some of the happiest of memories, there are plenty of times where you can relax and lay back and forget the world but enjoying activities that both can do creates the kind of memories you tell your kids about. As for Charlotte Yeager? Out of all the characters who love adventure, Charlotte is my personal favorite.

2. The Perfect Gamer Girl Type
Ayame Shaga from Ben-To
As a Geek, the best relationships come when the person who plays games with you is the perfect partner to go into battle with, whether it's pulling an all nighter in Co-op, a team battle in a shooter, an intense racing session or a quick one on one fight, you know full well you'll enjoy the experience much more than playing against a stranger who swears alot. Gamer Girls get alot of unfair criticisms and should be made to feel more welcome into the world of gaming because you don't realize what you're missing. Bonus points for Ayame Shaga being a Sega Fangirl.

1. The Adorable Girl who wants to Shower you with Love Type
Juvia Locksar from Fairy Tail
But the most important girl in the world is always the one who wants to shower you with love, because it's that kind of dedication that becomes an important part of any close relationship and the support beam of the Harem Anime. This may feel like a kop out and it's true that Juvia borders some unhealthy Types such as the Stalker and the Clingy Jealous Girl but Juvia also has streaks of the "Girl who wants to be Accepted". Love is a free emotion and it's a beautiful thing to see when that one girl wants to show it to the Guy she loves the most and while Juvia has her faults so does every other girl and looking past that makes a relationship last a lifetime.

Top 10 Worst Types of Females in a Harem

Moving on to the next list and no prizes for guessing that this is the worst females in a harem list.

Honorable Mentions
The One who means well but will Likely Kill you with her Cooking Type
Mizuki Himeji from Baka + Test
The Emotionless Girl who's only Facial Expression is Blank Stare Type
Nino from Arakawa Under the Bridge
The Constantly Pissed off One who takes all her Frustrations out on you Type
Akira Kogami from Lucky Star

10. The Workaholic who Chooses Career over Romance Despite being the Most Popular Girl Type
Ami Mizuno from Sailor Moon
Not that there's anything wrong with the decision only this hits harder knowing that I have been on the receiving end of this particular type of girl before.

9. The Socially Bankrupt one who expects Popularity on a Plate and then goes Crazy when Nothing Happens Type
Tomoko Kuroki from Watamote
Don't take your dating advice from dating games especially when it makes you look stoned from playing them too much, not made any easier by Tomoko's twisted take on reality.

8. The Bella Swan Wannabe Type
Yuki Cross from Vampire Knight
You're another reason why Vampires can never be cool EVER AGAIN!

7. The One who Forces you to do things for her Amusement and Destroys the World when she doesn't get her way Type
Haruhi Suzumiya from Haruhi Suzumiya
If you're going to give god a form, don't choose a form of a school girl who gets her kicks from bullying people into doing her bidding.

6. The Unstable Murderer Type
Diclonius from Elfen Lied
Any Female Character from Higurashi
Yandere Characters in General
There are some names within the two anime listed to run away from really fast, and I'm fully aware that the point of Elfen Lied is to sympathize with the Diclonius I just find it hard knowing that even when trying to help them my spine is probably going to explode in the process.

5. The Violent Tsundere Type
Houki Shinonono from Infinite Stratos
Naru Narusegawa from Love Hina
Taiga Aisaka from Toradora
At least a Yandere you can pin down to being mentally insane, Tsundere's know what they're doing and 9 times out of 10 there's no reason for the victim to be abused. Speaking of which the next two have similarities to this one.

4. The One who thinks her Title gives her the right to be a Complete Utter Bitch Type
Louise Francoise Le Blanc de la Valliere from Familiar of Zero
Louise takes Tsundere to another level and uses her title as another excuse for violence, what makes this worst is that she still ends up with Saito despite forcing him to sleep rough, making him her slave and hitting him for no reason. You know Japan there's a reason these characters aren't popular anymore.

3. The Psycho Lesbian Feminist who Hates you and Hits you for no Reason Type
Ume Shiraume from Ben-to
You can see a theme going now, while Ume has no business in a harem in the first place it still doesn't excuse her behavior towards men and equally her behavior towards women, she has some pretty sick ideas in her head and I had to purposely skip her focus episode because of it.

2. The One who takes Advantage of Your Kindness who then Dumps you for not being Good Enough to solve her emotional issues Type
Flay Allstar from Gundam Seed
The scary thing about this one is that this is the type of thing you read in gossip magazines and Jerry Springer Esque chat shows and none of them end well. While the Death of her father is a source for all of this that doesn't excuse her from playing emotional mind games with her targets and it only ends badly for her in the end.

1. The Crazy Stalker who goes too far Type
Ringo Oginome from Mawaru Penguindrum
This one takes the award for sickest individual female in anime. Ringo is obsessed with a teacher her deceased older sister was dating and is convinced by her diary and using the excuse of Destiny tries to win his heart, while the early stuff is Juvia level stalking it gets worst when she tries drugging, raping and killing him to get her way. Oh wait I forgot, the guy who made Utena did this show. Kunihiko Ikuhara you are one sick individual!

Top 10 Impossible Costumes

Every so often a costume comes a long in anime that you have to say to yourself, "that can't possibly exist in real life" and yet cosplayers still have a go at pulling off these costumes, some with better results than others. So here are the top ten impossible costumes.
Honorable Mentions
Lina Inverse: Difficult to make sense of but not impossible.
Anything Skin Tight: Not impossible but horribly impractical.
Most of the Strike Witches: I doubt anyone is brave enough.

10. Juraian Kimonos from Tenchi Muyo
While not impossible and ain't half as impractical as their bizarre spaceships, it certainly looks like it takes some effort to put on.

9. Bloodberry's Costume from Saber Marionette J
Has actually been proven in real life to be impractical mainly for the rope loops on the back of the kimono. Then again this is the same show that has characters with cheeks that make them look like they swallowed a coat hanger.

8. Dragon Kid's Hair Decorations from Tiger & Bunny
How do you fight with those disc things on your head? Seriously Dragon Kid is quite a mobile character when she gets going so how on earth do you support those disc things?

7. Knight Sabers from Bubblegum Crisis
I could say the same for other battle suits but these ones are especially notable for their high heel design for the feet, as they are part of the suit itself they cannot be taken off so easily so you definitely don't want to walk in them for long missions.

6. Yuuko's Kimonos from XXXHolic
Clamp does impossible clothes quite a lot but Yuuko's takes some effort to pull off. Many a cosplayer find it easier to make up a design for Yuuko to wear rather than copy her directly.

5. Haydee's Dresses from Gankutsuou
The Art style plays more of a role in this than the actual costume, although her opera dress is especially extravagant.

4. Neya's Cyber Dress from Infinite Ryvius
Provides the image for this top ten list. It looks like it was made from colored tin foil.

3. Lacus Clyne's Entire Wardrobe from Gundam Seed
Whether it's a kimono that can't fit a spacesuit or a dress that seems to defy physics, Lacus Clyne always looks fabulous.

2. Erza's Armors from Fairy Tail
The Heaven's Wheel Armor alone is on a different level to other battle armors. But looking at her extensive catalog of clothing it's fair to say that Erza doesn't always have eyes for style or practicality.

1. Any Stage Dress from Aikatsu
Seems to be a trend for Idol shows these days but Aikatsu takes it a bit further, either through it's impossible color schemes or over the top decorations and wings, you can guarantee that the Aikatsu stage will always light up.

Bonus: A close real life example would be Heian Period Kimonos. Hard to put on and so many layers to wear.

Top 10 Best Dub Voice Acting

And now the other side of the double feature the ten best voice acting in dubs.

Honorable Mentions
Fruits Basket: I’ve never heard a bad thing said about the Fruits Basket dub, but I don’t think it’s enough for a top ten entry.
Full Metal Panic: Just as good as Fruits Basket and sounds like the actors were enjoying themselves during recording.
Sengoku Basara: Only for Jonny Yong Bosch’s performance as Sanada Yukimura, it’s probably the most fun he’s had voice acting anyone.

10. King of Bandits Jing
It's on my list of most underrated Anime of all time and is backed up by a really good dub, and this is ADVs older voice actors from when they started. It goes to show that if you choose the right actors in the first place you won't get a bad dub.

9. Gundam Seed
Pure emotion is a good trait to have in voice acting and veterans Matt Hill & Sam Vincent really do a good job in the emotion heavy Gundam Seed series; the defining moment was watching them tear each other apart midway through season 1. The fact that they are best friends in real life made it more believable.

8. Ranma 1/2
For an anime that was dubbed in the 90s it really stood the test of time, if the license comes back under a different group it shouldn't need re-dubbing.

7. Shinesman
The Shinesman voice cast has very limited credits under them but the scripting was a work of genius and what we got was one of the funniest OVAs since Dragon Half. The offbeat comments like "I'm gonna die in a Godzilla suit" still make me laugh.

6. Medabots
The most fun you can have with a dub ever, the way it was dubbed it felt like it was still authentically Japanese, that's rare for an English dub.

5. Tiger & Bunny
Dubs seem to do better if the anime setting is non Japanese and slightly American, that's what makes Tiger & Bunny such a successful dub. The American hero stereotypes are better done in the English Language and feel more authentic than in Japanese.

4. Tenchi Muyo
Another classically dubbed anime this time with Tenchi Muyo. What makes this dub so special is that a good majority of their choices were veterans of American cartoon voice acting; Ellen Gerstell, Matt K.Miller, Debi Derryberry and Jennifer Darling have years of experience between them and they have even done live action film. There are very few anime who have the same treatment that's not a Studio Ghibli.

3. Nerima Daikon Brothers
I remember reading that many of the voice actors in Funimation, were theater actors, and if there is one series that really showcases that talent it's Nerima Daikon Brothers; it's not easy to sing in a dub but they really pull it off and we even see a new range from voice actors that we never expected them to have.

2. Fairy Tail
The most professional voice acting I've ever witnessed, Funimation really looked after this one, I mentioned raw emotion earlier and it's taken to new heights in Fairy Tail. Rage, tears, comedy, everything is on show, the best dub Funimation have ever done.

1. Pokemon
No seriously, I'm not suffering from head trauma, I'm not being paid by 4Kids or Pokemon Group to say this, neither am I drunk; the Pokemon dub is the best dub I've ever seen. When I watch the Japanese version I don't recognize it at all, I'm part of the crowd where I believe Ash Ketchum will always be Ash Ketchum and not Satoshi. It didn't even bother me when they switched actors later in the Ruby & Sapphire series and who can forget the iconic original theme of Pokemon. How many people still sing that song at conventions.
For everything that 4Kids put us through, remember the only thing they did right.

End