Death note brought us a new sort of series when it came around in 2006. Light suddenly one day has a journal fall into his hands that, if he writes the name of the person whom he wants to die, they die in whatever manner he describes. L or L Lawliet comes in to try and crack whomever Kira is and bring him to justice. Thus an epic adventure begins. L… well we never really know what the L stands for. It could come from the moniker that he adopts called Hideki Ryuuga but the reality is is that Ryuuga starts with an R, not an L. This could be though that in Japanese there is no distinct “L” sound in Japanese but more of an R/L hybrid sound. Lawliet, on the other hand, is supposed to be pronounced as "low light"… yeah… we are just going to leave that one there. Clearly, the creator was wanting to make something to be the opposite of Raito and be Low Light but why not Row Right? It makes no sense. Either way, this is not a name you would ever hear in everyday life, and if anyone was shown this without prior knowledge, they would probably just say “Lahw lee-et” and not “low light”. Verdict: Good job Tsugumi Ohba. You kinda tried?

Code Geass was another Shounen/Seinen anime that a lot of the community has seen. Schneizel came to us when he was presented as an amazing strategist in season 1 on par with Lelouch. In season 2, he is the main antagonist. Of season 2 and is shown as being cool and calculated. What was not calculated though was that name. We won’t even get into how the last name “el Britannia”. The Britannia, is not even a real name or word for that matter. Schneizel on the other hand, is a goldmine. One does not have to study very hard in order to know some very basic German. English does come from German after all. Most likely what the creator was going for and horribly missed was some sort of German sounding name or word. What they are close to is Schnitzel. Schnitzel is meat that has been pounded with a meat tenderizer, coated with flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs, and then fried. In Germany is it commonly made with pork which leads to it being a dick joke. Much like how Schneizel tended to act in the series. Have we made you laugh yet? There is more coming. Verdict: You kinda tried Gorou Taniguchi. Thanks for playing. It ain’t what they call you, it’s what you answer to.- W.C. Fields

No, this is not Final Fantasy, and no, no one is about to learn a new spell called Holy via a stone or leveling up. Nice Holystone was actually someone who was introduced in Baccano! In the series, Nice is a fairly mellow individual who loves making explosives. She does not have a right eye due to an accident and she has tons of scares to due to her experiments. Nice and good ole Jacuzzi are the standard childhood friends. They did not even try here. Maybe you could relate stone to her calm disposition, but that's about where it stops. This name is simply an amalgamation of words and sounds slammed together to make a “name”. The equivalent is when people take names for themselves without knowing if it is a real name or not. “Nice” does not sound like anything in Japanese while “Holy” could maybe be close to “Holly” but even then that is a stretch. This name sounds like what someone who is a gem collector and walks into a shop and exclaims, “nice holystone!” while then trying to haggle down the price to purchase it on their own. Verdict: No Ryohgo Narita, you did not even try here. This is a dictionary scramble, through and through.

In the newest episode of “What did you just call my sister?”, Aaroniero Arruruerie is Espada #09 from Bleach. Bleach sports well over 200 characters and this is the effect. Unfortunately, you get a bunch of sounds slammed together and boom a name is born. Now Aaroniero is supposed to be based on the name of Eero Aarnio, who is a Finnish interior designer. That part is easy to see. Reverse the name of Eero Aarnio and you get something that sounds like Aaroniero. That is fine. What is not so fine is where Arruruerie comes from. One could surmise that it was an attempt to make a French sounding name. (Again with the taking of names when you do not know where it comes from nor if it is a real word) Japanese people have an obsession with France. So much so, that when they go and find out that France is nothing like they think it is, they become diagnosed with Paris Syndrome. In fact, it is so bad, that as of 2004, the Japanese embassy now offers a 24-hour hotline to help people who are suffering from this depression while on vacation. It would not be a stretch then, in this idolism of France, to make Arruruerie have a French sounding name. Arruruerie is not a word as far as we know! Verdict: Tite Kubo. The first name is passable but… the second name? You kinda tried. Always use the proper name for things. Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself – J.K. Rowling

Jugem Jugem is a poop throwing side character in Gintama who ends up getting a whole arc in the story called the Jugem Arc. He hates Gintoki and will always throw his poop at him when he sees him. We would talk about this name after giving you the full thing but really, why bother once you read the translation. Jugem Jugem’s actual full name is “Jugemu Jugemu Unko Nageki Ototoi no Shin-chan no Pantsu Shinpachi no Jinsei Balmunk Fezarion Isaac Schneider San Bun no Ichi no Junjou na Kanjou no Nokotta San Bun no Ni wa Sakamuke ga Kininaru Kanjou Uragiri wa Boku no Namae wo Shitteiru you de Shiranai no wo Boku wa Shitteiru Rusu Surume Medaka Kazunoko Koedame Medaka... Kono Medaka wa Sakki to Chigau Yatsu Dakara Ikeno Medaka no Hou Dakara Raa-yuu Yuuteimiyaouki Mukou Pepepepepepepepepepepepe Bichiguso Maru” That translated to roughly “Jugem Jugem Shit-Tossing the Life of Shin-Chan’s Two-Day-Old Underwear Balmung Fezalion Isaac Schneider 1/3 True Love 2/3 Hangnail Anxiety Betrayal Knows My Name Or Does It Really Ignore Calls Squid Dogfish Halibut Trout-Cod Dogfish This Is A Different Dogfish, I’m Talking About The Dogfish Shark Kaluga Ray Yuuteimiyaoukimukou pepepepepepepepepepepepe Runny Diarrhea.” Verdict: Pretty sure you did the same as the others, Hideaki Sorachi, or you just really like to troll everyone. Either way, kudos.

Bring Stabity was a character in Gundam 00. Stoic in nature, he survives until the second season when he is killed in a battle with Tieria. Afterwards, he is cloned and his clones are used as suicide pilots. Not exactly the greatest legacy eh? Bring right off from the beginning is something that clearly was pulled out of a dictionary. Not even bothering to try, he was given the name “Bring”. Now, Stabity, on the other hand, could go a few ways. It could refer to stability and the spelling, surprise surprise, was messed up in translation from katakana Japanese to English and the last “li” just never made it in. That would make sense. Then again, it also sounds as if Bring is bringing some sort of stabity into your life? Maybe Bring is about to stab you? Who knows. Considering that his first name is Bring, the first theory stands with more logic. We doubt that the writer was able to produce on their own. Verdict: What is dictionary Yoshiyuki Tomino? GG For kinda trying? I love the name of honor, more than I fear death. – Julius Caesar

Ren Ren Ren Nagusaran Rensei Rurooonren Nakora was part of DearS as was the DearS for Takeya. Sweet and nice, she was given the name Ren by Takuya but how she got her unique name is related to her ID number which is 000-3901-0. Somehow the series, the creator made up a special language just for it and gave her, her name. Now, in the series, she is called Ren Adiero but her actual name is the monstrosity above. This one, while incredibly ridiculous, is understandable. Supposedly in the made up alien language, her long ridiculous name is essentially numbers being sounded out. Literally. That is it. If we cannot think of a better reason, other than that her name is ridiculous, for being the pronunciation of 000-3901-0. True, in English Zero zero zero threeninezeroone zero is a pretty stupid name. The same falls true for Japanese with zero zero zero sankyuuzeroichi zero. Alternatively, maru maru maru sankyuumaruichi maru is another one. Verdict: Now you are just being silly. Chill out Peach-Pit and have a few seats

In the world of Gakusen Toshi Asterisk, Julis Riessfeld, as she is known, is a princess from a faraway off land where she has arrived to raise money for an orphanage in Lieseltania. Hot headed and arrogant, she is ready for a fight at all times. This includes when she meets Ayato for the first time and jumps to conclusions that he wants her. Tsundere to the core she is just as ridiculous as her name. While there are traditions in certain countries to give people multiple names, such as in Spanish speaking cultures, German does not in particular. So why give a female lead 1, 2, 3…6 names?? Oh right! Cause it sounds EXOTIC. Recently, there has been an uptick in German sounding names to us while to Japanese people, it sounds like as if someone is speaking sweet nothings into their ears. There are no kanji for her name which means they all come in the favorite flavor of, that’s right, katakana! We could look up the etymology of these names but that would be boorish and we don’t want to do that to you now do we? Maybe Japan is just moving beyond France due to Paris Syndrome and has found a new country to idealize. Verdict: Were you even trying Yuu Miyazaki?? Every name is real. That's the nature of names. – Jerry Spinelli

Full stop. This name is a dirty word. Now that we have said that, let’s introduce #2 on our list! Crystel Ketsuno, later found out to be Ana Ketsuno, is a weather reporter who is actually the affection of Gintoki’s crush! She is sweet and upbeat before and after her marriage. Now then let’s get to this stupid name. Ana is a common name cropping up in Japan where they will use kanji to make the sounds An and A or A and Na, to make a girl’s name. What happens though it that in Ana’s case we need to treat her name as Japanese people see it. Not Ana Ketsuno as we see it but Ketsuno Ana. When you break the name apart “Ketsu” means “butt”, “no” is a particle indicating possession while “ana” means “hole”. Can you connect the dots? We will give you a minute… Correct, her name literally means butthole when reached at face value. Now she was given Kanji to make her name seem real as Ketsuno. Ketsu means “to tie to bind to fasten” while No means “plains or field” with the Kanji assigned. However, Japanese people are not about to learn this random character’s name, but rather laugh in glee every time someone says “butthole” when referring to Ana. She was made to be a joke and exists as a joke to everyone in Japan. Verdict: Hideaki Sorachi Troll Level: Over 9000

If you ever want to feel really good about yourself and the decisions you have made in life, watch Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu. The 110 episode OVA started in 1988 and ended in 1997. Littered with battles in Space and a fantastic watch, this space opera is one to write home to mom about when it comes to stupid names. Dickel, however, with his deadpan expressions and horrifying face, takes the cake on stupid names. Dickel. Just take it in. Don’t worry, we will be here when you get back. Dickel. Dickel… Who in their right mind was like, “this sounds like a fantastic name. Let’s do this one. It will be a-ok”, and then submitted it to someone who submitted it to their boss who was like “Let’s make this dude appear in the anime.” W H O said yes to this?? Dickel. Maybe they were going for a friend of Schneizel and ended up with something that sounds like Pickle but… it's clearly not that. Dickel is the perfect example of a stupid name, and what happens when not only do you not have a grasp of a foreign language, but you go and attempt to act like you do, and fabricate names. If Dickel could teach us a lesson it would be this, “Do your research.” Verdict: Oh Yoshiki Tanaka, you troll. You did not even try. Silver star for not even trying… You are a name, not a number. Never forget that name, whatever they tell you here. – Jane Yolen

The first on my list is the one and only Death Note, a true spectacle of a mystery and psychological thriller that has many intense moments that bring you to the very edge of your seat. It follows the story of Yagami Light, a high school genius who one day finds a supernatural notebook that had fallen from the sky, from the realm of the death gods. A notebook that has a very unique ability; any name that is written within its pages will die. The notebook belonged to the Death God Ryuk, who was bored of life and decided to stir up some fun by releasing the power of death into the human world. It may seem like unstoppable power to have, however an unmovable force lurking in the shadows opposes Light. A young and clever man that goes by the name of L is a genius detective that has never failed to solve a case. What happens when an unstoppable force meets an unmovable object? This is the epic story and battle of wits between the two geniuses, each with their own view and way of bringing justice to the world. This is one of my top anime because of its action packed storyline and unique art, which brings a perfect combination of excitement and tension throughout the series. The psychological battle between Light and L entice the mind in a way that is unfathomable, there are many clever moments that make you appreciate the level of thought the writer has put into the series.

The next anime on this list is Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works, part of the Fate/stay night series. It is about a secret magical war that has been going on for generations between seven mages and their heroic spirit servants for the all mighty, wish-granting Holy Grail. The servants are beings that had once existed in the history of the world, who are summoned belonging to a particular class system. The protagonist of the story is Shiro Emiya who accidentally enters the fifth Holy War and ends up summoning the saber class hero, known as Saber. Together they form a temporary alliance with Toosaka Rin, one of Shiro’s classmates who turned out to be a mage with a family lineage that has been involved with the war for generations, she is the successor who was brought up and trained as a mage for this very purpose. Rin has the servant Archer and she also saved Shiro’s life when he was accidentally caught up within her fight with another mage, and their servant. With mutual enemies, together they face the other 5 mages in hopes of winning the ultimate prize, a holy grail capable of granting any wish. I had watched the original Fate/stay night anime when it came out in 2006 and it has been one of my favorite anime for a long time, until I watched this version of the series. The reason this is one of my top anime is because of the great story and in-depth character development. It also has many amazing fight scenes that leave you amazed. The beautiful animation quality and style are one of a kind and it is definitely an anime I would personally recommend to everyone.

Next up is Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood, an action and adventure anime that follows the story of two brothers that go on a journey to discover a way to retrieve what they had lost. Edward and Alphonse Elric are alchemists, people that have the ability to change the properties of something into something else as long as it follows the law of equivalent exchange. They set their sights on an item known as the philosopher’s stone that is an all-powerful legendary item, which allows one to overcome the law of equivalent exchange. The brothers lost their mother at a young age and attempted to revive her with alchemy, known as human transmutation, it is one of the taboos of the art. Their attempt fails, resulting in Edward losing his left leg and Alphonse losing his entire body. In a moment of distress, Edward saves his little brother by attaching his soul to a suit of armor, and in the process he loses his right arm. Edward finds himself obtaining a metal arm and leg known as ‘automail’ that allow him to perform alchemy again, which gains him the name of ‘Fullmetal Alchemist’. I had also watched the original rendition of this anime, but I found that this remake was one of the best things they could’ve done with the series. It stayed true to the original manga source and had better animation quality that brought a new, and lighthearted feel to the otherwise dark tale of two brothers. The story of the two brothers is of epic proportions and is definitely an anime everyone should watch.

The runner up on this list belongs to Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai, otherwise known simply as AnoHana. This is an anime about a solitary boy named Jinta Yadomi who spends his days at home playing games. He has been this way ever since a childhood accident that left him traumatized for life, the death of his friend Menma. One hot summer day, Menma suddenly appears to Shinta and starts to pester him about fulfilling a forgotten wish. He believes that she is a figment of his imagination but soon begins to realize that she actually exists, as a ghost that only he seems to be able to see. Shinta slowly begins to break out of his shut-in lifestyle as he begins to figure out what the forgotten wish is. He ends up reuniting with his other childhood friends that had moved on with their own lives separately since the incident many years ago. One by one, he convinces them that Menma has re-appeared but his friends are skeptical of Jinta, thinking that he has finally broken and become mentally unstable. Soon after, they begin to believe Shinta and together they try to find what the wish that Menma had made was but they had forgotten, to bring peace to her soul. This is a fairly short anime, however it is one of the only anime that has been able to reduce me to tears with its heart-wrenching story. It is a beautifully animated and written story that shares a lot of emotional moments between the characters. There are no other words that I can use to describe this anime other than it’s beautiful.

On the top of my list is the one and only Clannad: After Story, though I’d like to also include the first season, Clannad. This is an emotional rollercoaster of a slice of life anime that follows the story of Tomoya Okazaki and Nagisa Furukawa, who became good friends and lovers after they graduated from high school together. Following the events of the first season, they get married and begin to live together. Tomoya struggles to decide his own future but is determined to do his best for Nagisa, by enduring the hardships of adult life and finding time to be with her. One day, Nagisa reveals to Tomoya that she is pregnant; Tomoya who is overwhelmed by the news works harder than ever to be able to support his family. Though the journey is both difficult and strenuous, together they try their best to push forward and overcome any problems whilst maintaining contact with their friends and family. Clannad: After Story in my opinion is the best anime I have seen so far, with its powerful drama and moving storyline. It is breathtakingly wonderful with great character personalities and development. It tells a story that is true to life itself, making you realize that everything in life is not as easy as it seems and it shows you the importance of family. Clannad: After Story mixes a lighthearted slice of life style of anime with deep emotional moments that are simply magnificent. It is really hard to put this into words, but Clannad is an anime that leaves a long lasting impression and is truly one of a kind.

Gintama really lures you in immediately with its quirkiness, extreme humor, and many hilarious references to other anime. This journey takes us back to feudal Japan as we join Gintama on his crazy random adventures. This isn't your ordinary feudal Japan however, as every encounter Gintoki meets is unusually crazy, which is what adds the spice and flavoring to this tasty treat of a series. Gintoki isn't very keen on finding a job like most other citizens and so we see Gintoki on this endless adventure desperately seeking whatever job comes his way, while battling strange looking monsters, a weird Yakuza clan and much more. As stated earlier, Gintama is just all over the place when it comes to its use of humor. The variety in which humor is used is incredible, ranging from crude all the way to just over the top and it's all packaged together brilliantly. Each time Gintama runs into enemies, they don't even feel like enemies since they all end up doing something so dumb, that you end up tearing up at their randomness. You'll have scenes where characters casually walk around naked, or someone getting beaten to a bloody pulp while getting shot at the same time. The nonstop craziness is what provides the flavor to the show, and lines up well with the humor Prison School portrays.

This show is so full of crude humor that you'd swear you're watching a HBO series. Every scene that you watch is incredible, as both Akutabe and Azazel go at it, with Azazel getting killed every second. His friends however are where the humor goes to the extreme, as Beelzebub is a bird who gets turned on by the sight of fecal matter and, without any shame, devours it on screen. This unconventional humor is what makes this show such a blast to watch, because you're disgusted by it or laughing so hard at just how random it all is. Akutabe's job is to summon demons in order to help his clients who are in trouble, but even his clients are something beyond this planet. For every problem that Akutabe solves, another one shows up more hysterical than the last, as he pummels Azazel to a bloody pulp for disobeying orders and watching ecchi. You'll see cakes made out of poo, eyeballs popping out of their sockets, and more in this extremely funny anime. If you aren't sold by this at all, even the trailer itself is funny enough to sell you, and you're lured into it you're stuck in a world of crazy over the top fun.

Comedy anime never usually have a premise or some sort of direction that it takes you, it usually just throws in a wide variety of antics that keep you glued to the screen. Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu Ni! is the sequel to the first part of the series as much of what happens revolves around Yoshii as he strolls through the halls of his school searching for answers he'll never find. His dense personality will have you scratching your head at first, until you dive more into it all to realize how much of a pervert this guy is. The show serves its true purpose as being a pure comedic blast from the moment you watch the first episode, up until the very end. So you're probably wondering, but what about the story? There must be a story behi- No story to be found here as much of this show is all about unexpected events which just leave you cracking up at all times. Every ecchi scene results in a nosebleed, the romance aspect of the show is overpowered by the constant craziness that Yoshii goes through, and each character works together to create a comedic adventure that truly becomes a story within itself. If you're looking for moe, tsundere, yandere, lolicon, and perverts all under one roof with laughter as the icing on top, then Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu is right for you!

So now we embark on another journey in search of laughter, and we have arrived at Detroit Metal City. Of course none of what transpires throughout the show even takes place in Detroit which already makes you laugh just a little inside, and wonder why they used that name in the first place. The story looks at Negishi, who finds his current life to be a bore and decides to move into the big city of Tokyo. He comes up with an idea to be the front man of a death metal band known as Krauser II, but deep down would rather just sit at home and drink tea. Random right? You definitely don't need to remind us on that one. This show is just tear inducingly funny using quick and unrelenting humor to hit you straight in the gut and keep you coming back for more. You'll see pelvic thrusting, extreme cursing, and just nonsensical things that are bound to have you falling back in your chair chuckling like a child. Each episode is short but undeniably sweet, as you're always in for a treat once the dialogue between characters rolls in. Each time one person tries to speak, another cuts them off with stark remarks that remind you of British slapstick comedy, with Negishi humiliating himself whenever an opportunity presented itself. These jokes are vulgar and poignant, slapping you in the face until you're tomato red, but so incredibly entertaining that you'll crave more each and every time.

So imagine living in a society where anything sexual and lewd has been banned, with any utterance of a word pertaining to the subject leading you into deep trouble. Well that's exactly what goes down in the series as the government has placed very strict rules upon the use of explicit actions, and so Okuma must somehow find a way to break this wall of injustice down before it's too late. He meets with Anna, a girl that he has a huge crush on but then must confront a much bigger problem with a terrorist group known as Blue Snow gets involved to fight against censorship laws. Alright so where does the comedy kick in you ask? Right from the very beginning as this show tries so hard to abolish sex but then uses it in every scene possible to remind you just how much you can't avoid it. Blue Snow, who is also known as Ayame, wears a stylish pair of lewd panties over her head, while strutting her stuff in the latest white cloak with very little to show underneath. Every time Okuma tries to resist temptation and avoid getting arrested, lewd acts take place along with dirty and crude humor to bring it all together. The amount of dirty jokes you'll encounter are enough to make you wonder if this show actually invented dirty humor, since there's so much of it that you can't stop laughing. If you aren't crying by the end of this series, then rewatch it again, and then one more time until you realize the startling truth behind it all.

Seitokai no Yakuindomo is a fantastic school comedy that really doesn't follow much of a plot, but provides a whopping dose of adult humor. Tsuda is a freshman in Ousai Academy and doesn't really know what to expect from it all, until one day he's surrounded by a group of attractive girls. Things get even more interesting as he somehow becomes vice president of the school council, and yet again finds himself in the company of girls. This hilarious story follows Tsuda as he must come to terms with this new life he's been bestowed with, while trying not to get on the wrong side of these girls who seem to already despise him already. So where do we start, sexual humor? Check. Girls who are crass and have no remorse for the main character? Check. Excellent wordplay, paired with sharp witted remarks? Check. Seitokai no Yakuindomo isn't going to appeal to everyone's tastes, but we can assure you that you'll learn a lot of sex while watching this. The incredible amount of dirty jokes and references to ejaculation will have your head spinning, but just enough of a dosage to not scare you away. When you look at the incredibly down right dirty jokes that took place in Prison School, you immediately feel somewhat humbled by this show simply because you become so absorbed by all the laughter that you forget what's even happening. The show isn't about capturing your heart with a romantic tale of fantasy and pleasure, but a show that has absolutely no shame whatsoever, and over the top humor that'll leave you holding your ribs in extreme laughter.