As you might have gathered from the title, this is about a mild-mannered teenager named Kazuya Maeda and his camera. As his uneventful summer break comes to an end he receives a gift. What he received was that aforementioned camera. The prospect of gaining that camera was intriguing to say the least for him because photography happens to be an interest of his. While in his possession he snaps a “trial” photo session with his younger sister Kanon. Needless to say, he wanted to continue photography within a school club. He receives a couple of offers from clubs. This is where things pick up and it would lead to some highly regarded decisions for young Kazuya. This anime fits in the same category as Amagami SS because of its romantic visual novel influence. The omnibus route it takes, as the audience tries to come up with their own choices on what female he should be with by its conclusion.

This visual novel was also made into an anime and its similarities are apparent to Amagami SS. They both highly rely on romantic match-making; however the difference is that in this case it’s a heroine meeting many different males. It’s a reverse harem if you will. The story is about this shy and clumsy heroine who awakens one morning, only to find that all her memories are gone. Amnesia is nothing to joke about, what a frightening situation to be in. All she has left are notes, numbers and names of people that she doesn’t recall ever adding to her phone. Oh and one other thing, a boy named Orion who shows up on the scene to assist her. With the guidance of this unknown character, she has to try and piece everything back together in her life. Needless to say, it’s not an enviable task. As the story progresses she starts to meet guys that she may or may not have had a past with. It ultimately leads to several different character arcs throughout the anime that might excite the viewers.

The feelings are real in this romantic short animation. It’s comprised of six episodes telling three different love stories. All are compelling stories and have a different tale to tell. The three couples were all bonded by love, but are played out quite differently. It’s sweet, sometimes funny and heart wrenching at times. The first story has Youji and Chiaki’s five-year relationship put into jeopardy from an announcement made by Youji. The next story involves childhood friends Aoi and Haruki, who come across new feelings from a triggered event. Lastly, Takumi meets this girl named Natsuko at a ski lift on the mountain in Nanto, and he develops feelings for her quickly. Clocking in at roughly seven minutes per episode it almost felt like an extra-long trailer. Sadly, it was such a short anime but the three stories did an exceptional job in that time frame. Whether or not you were affected by all three or just one of them, it left a strong impression on us.

Just like many of the others on this list, this also was based off a visual novel that was released in Japan on October 29, 2010 for PC. Koi Senkyo to Chocolate has the high school romance; it has the drama and the comedy that you come to expect from this style of anime. The main character Yuki Ojima you might say is a slacker. He joined the Food Research Club as a way to satisfy his extra-curricular activities. It’s far from the strains of other more active clubs and it enabled him to do as little as possible. All is well and good, until he finds out that a new candidate is running for student council president and she plans on abolishing the club. How does he combat that? Run against her, in a struggle to keep his precious club around. This has some of the makings of being yet another Amagami SS to a degree. There is a lot of tongue-in-cheek humor that goes along with this one. The main difference is the story arc doesn’t “reset” after the main character meets up with all the different ladies involved. It’s a fun-filled, romantic-comedy, which should get you on a number of levels.

Kono Aozora ni Yakusoki wo brings the heavy nature of the harem genre to the table. You can expect to see the usual suspects, from the comedy and romance genres as well. It’s based off the 2006 visual novel on the PC, which was later ported to the PS2 in 2007. The series starts off with the main character Wataru Hoshino waking up and finding an unknown female sleeping in nothing but her pink underwear, in his room no less. She wakes up only to punch him in the face and then escape out his window. What a great start to his day eh? We later find out that the girl goes by the name of Rinna Sawaki. She is a new transfer student who now lives in Wataru’s dormitory. One of the major companies on the island had an aviation cancellation which now leaves the four females Wataru is living with only a years’ time before they have to leave. Knowing this Rinna doesn’t want to be friends with them because of the inevitable separation they will encounter. Wataru, has other plans. The school romance and the comedy do share some parallels to Amagami SS.

This anime is the second one on our list that doesn’t get it source material from a visual novel; it comes straight from a manga. Keima Katsuragi is a self-proclaimed “God of Conquest” online with dating-sim games. He accepts a request to prove his title and worth by unknowing helping this demon from hell Elucia. He is now shackled to this demon via the deadly collar he’s wearing around his neck, he now has no choice but to help her return the evil spirits back to hell. How does he have to go about that you ask? Well, he now has to put all his gaming to the test against real-life females and “conquer” their hearts. Like in Amagami SS this story follows the omnibus pattern of following Keima’s adventure with one of the girls and then hitting the “reset button” and starting over with another adventure with a different lady. The romance and comedy are strong in this one and it comes complete with the entire ensemble of your prototypical cast of personalities. Those include such characters like the sporty one, the tsundere and an introvert to name a few. What differs in this anime is the added supernatural element that we haven’t seen much of on this list.

Space Dandy serves as a parody of the “Jack-of-all-trades In Space” archetype with titles like Space Adventure Cobra and Cowboy Bebop. What also makes Space Dandy distinct from other space titles is that it explores alternates dimensions and timelines in the same way the Star Trek franchise explores in virtually every installment showing that space and time/inter-dimensional travel could be related. So how does all this happen? We can thank the Aloha Oe for all that. The Hawaiian based gimmick of the Aloha Oe (homage to a traditional Hawaiian song) serves as a great foundation to represent the comedic and upbeat atmosphere. To characters of anime of these types of series, these spaceships are not only their means of transport, but also their place of permanent residence and not as a residence while on tour of duty. It is a place to have a good time and sleep while on autopilot and just ultimately find the next awesome adventure. The series and its ship is something you can say is what Peter Quill from Guardians of the Galaxy could re-built it as.

In this anime, the good news is that humanity (like any other space anime) has migrated to space. So what's the bad news? Men and women are considered separate species and are at war. Our main character is Tokai Hibiki and wanting to prove himself as a man, he along with two guys named Duelo and Bart get captured by female space pirates. Due to each man having a respectable skill useful to these pirates, they serve useful to their captors. So what is the name of this pirate ship they sail the seven stars on? It is called the Nirvana, a fusion of a former intergalactic battleship and the ship of the pirates. This was done due to a being sucked into a wormhole by the Pragma Paxis, the ship's core which powers everything. And even though some mega-cannons can potentially cause friendly fire, what makes this a great ship is that it has a great lock-on system that manages to avoid this.

Ever wondered what war would be like as a reality show? Try this series. Upon returning home from its maiden voyage, an interplanetary war with very complicated political conditions has broken out, and it has the government of the planet Kibi in exile and their funds frozen. So how does the ship keep going? A TV deal through the Galaxy Network. Their rules, to have their adventures broadcasted as a reality show while the ship acts as something of a sovereign nation of its own. It is a ship where its crew have their roles and issues, but manage to work things out like any other controversial reality shows like Keeping Up With the Kardashians (as for anyone on board who can match Kanye’s ego? Maybe Captain Kanzaki can sort of match his inability to understand regular people and not self-proclaimed geniuses). Besides its heavy firepower, class/crew structure, and sharing many design influences of Japanese World War II battleships, it is strongly a story of its messed up crew as they fight for their freedom. The ship represents their pride and sacrifices. Kanzaki shows what it means to be a leader by not being clouded by emotion. Having their trials broadcasted as a reality show is a great reflection on how society views the real struggles of human beings as entertainment (the again, who gets a laugh out of uncontrollable teenagers on Sally or when a man celebrates he is not the father on Maury?), and how media coverage of Vietnam gave people a live exposure to war. The Amaterasu is a great gateway for us as human beings to reconsider how we should conduct ourselves and greet one another.

Generations after Earth is massacred by an unknown alien threat, the last of mankind use some remains as a space colony/battleship to survive and find new worlds. The ship is appropriately modified for Earth-like conditions (and ready for combat with its mega-cannon) and its citizens are allowed to live a normal life, but is governed in a very Brave New World like setting. As opposed to being born naturally, humans are genetically created. Due to food shortages, people are modified to nourished through photosynthesis. As for having water, if you remember the beginning of Kevin Costner's Water World, you get an idea of what I'm saying as a source. Then again, some accomplished combat sports athletes such as Juan Manuel Marquez (boxing legend) and Ryoto Machida (former MMA champion) have been advocates of these means of hydrating. But when such space stations are regulated to self-govern, how is that power handled? Who becomes the real threat? How do we truly define equality? The circumstances which lead to the necessity of the Sidonia is a great representation of some theoretical answers. The ship is a very excellent representation of where mankind can evolve for better or worse if we go into space. As I mentioned earlier in the space opera list, maybe someone can show Dr. Neil de Grasse Tyson this series and get his take on the concept of a colony/space battleship such as the Sidonia.

In this series, we have the Soyokaze, or meaning breeze in Japanese. Prior to being captained by the titular character (who would be a better fit in the world of the hit Sci-Fi novel, Ender’s Game), it shares an unfortunate history of its previous crew committing suicide just because they were bored of being stationed on that ship. Despite, its tragic history and being outdated compared to other ships, the military uses that ship to crew unwanted members in hopes they either quit or die. This use of the Soyokaze by the military in the series is a perfect metaphor on how Japanese companies deal with unwanted employees. So why that analogy? Allow me to explain. Just like in numerous countries, in Japan, if a person gets let go from a company, there are some payment packages they get. In order to avoid paying these packages, Japanese companies send their unwanted employees to dead-end positions with no chances of advancements or raises so they can psychologically break them down and make the quit. If the employees quits, the the company is not obligated to pay the package. With the military in this anime, they put their unwanted serviceman in a situation where they make the employees still part of the team, but not significant. But with a lot of luck and the drive to never give up, we can all rise from adversity just like the Soyokaze.

In this series, the Bebop serves as as a residence, base of operations, and as transport. Despite Spike being the central character, the official owner is his partner, Jet Black. The ship has an adequate navigation system, comfortable living quarters (such as a living room and bedrooms for its crew), a kitchen and a Bonsai tree garden. Its design shows it is both functional, but its condition gives the audience some impression it could be for middle class residents in outer space. So if you want to live and work in space, the Bebop may be for you but be prepared to get your hands dirty to maintain its costs. If you can be as successful as Dog the Bounty Hunter on the Hawaiian Islands, then being a space cowboy can be for you. For combat purposes, its attached fighter plane known as the Sword Fish can achieve that. This ship is also home to some crazy adventures you have to see to believe. Heck, one particular episode is subject as an AMV based on Livin in the Fridge by Weird Al.

In this parody of the mech genre, Earth is at war with the Jovian lizards from Jupiter who control frightening mechs that are mostly AI operated. The only hope for humanity is the crew of the Nadesico, a ship under the exclusive command of Nergal, a private military contract company. Despite having some official military consultations, the crew mostly consists of a ragtag group of some crazy civilians that may cause some personality clashes, but come together when it counts. In addition to being a parody, Nadesico is entirely a homage to space and mecha anime and the ship itself takes the best of various ships from the anime it spoofs. The design of the Nadesico itself with its shape and white, red, and blue color scheme pays tribute to the White Base from the original Gundam series, while its space jump physics is a reference to space folding from Macross. It also carries heavy fire power with its main weapon being a reference to Space Battleship Yamato’s Hadouho. Heck, the title Nadesico, or Nadeshiko in the original Japanese alphabet, is a homage to Yamato. When the Japanese use the word Yamato Nadeshiko, it's a means of expressing the ideal Japanese woman and the title is very appropriate considering its captain is a beautiful lady.

Just like how the Serenity from Firefly is designated as a Firefly ship in that show, the White Base is designated as a Pegasus class ship. When looking at the design, it loosely looks like the mythical creature. This ship would later pave way for numerous other ships in the Gundam franchise such as the Minerva in the SEED seasons. Just like the original Enterprise from the old Star Trek shows, the series has a feel that despite being futuristic, is still in touch as a product of its time that still resonates with audiences to this day. The White Base does a great job of demonstrating those qualities. On the Captain’s chair, there are phones that are like the old phones. Instead of simple buttons or touch screens, there are switches and levers like you would see on radios and television sets from the 1970s, etc. Despite being an advanced ship, its crew would circumstantially consist of lower ranking soldiers both officer and enlisted, and teenage civilians. The White Base crew would not only experience the horrors of war in both space and on earth, but strong and realistic tensions in their relationships. The attitude of the civilians were natural and wanted to run away, and heck, they did only to come back because it was the right thing. It would suffer damage and repairs. It served as a battleship, and ultimately as a home to a group of strangers that would end a war.

In this hit classic, in the year 1999, this spaceship randomly crash lands on Earth and scientists work hard to reverse engineer it for space travel for the human race. Taking ten years to accomplish, on the day of its maiden voyage, the planet is invaded by the Zentradi race and it becomes an intergalactic war that wages across the universe. So how did this all happen? During the middle of the first battle, the Macross, its crew, and surrounding civilians were “space folded” to the opposite end of the Galaxy. Try to imagine the plot of Star Trek Voyager times a hundred (and this was 15 years before Voyager). Due to the distinct and immense size of the SDF-1 Macross, to accommodate the civilians, the city is also retrofitted to have a city of its own with shopping centers, cars, etc. It’s as if you never left home. But when it's time to fight, the Macross transforms into a giant mech and carries heavy firepower. This allows it for more flexible defensive capabilities and serves as an effective form of back up to its Valkyrie squad. The Macross is also home to a distinct crew where they also deal with human emotions, most especially love.

At number one, we have the Space Battleship Yamato. After an invasion that has Earth on the brink of extinction, a crew of space cadets retrofit the sunken World War II Japanese battleship, the Yamato for space travel and warfare. All of this is thanks to the hadou engine, or wave motion engine. But the hardware of this ship is not what defines what makes it number one, but the crew that mans it. It is home to other tensions and high stakes. Despite his rapidly deteriorating health, Captain Okita courageously leads his crew to the final frontier. Even though the concept of using a Japanese World War II battleship as its foundation would be an understandable source of controversy to the Chinese and Koreans (seeing it as a means to glorify their imperial past up until the end of WWII), the titled ship in this series to its native audience is a representation of courage and sacrifice. Lives were lost As the westernized adaptation known as StarBlazers (such as being renamed the Argo), the same messages reached those respective audiences and continue to have a profound impact on the audiences of those generations. In case you missed other articles highlighting Yamato, its main cannon, the hadouhou, was the inspiration of the hadouken in the Street Fighter franchise.

First on our list is our very own main character: Fujioka Haruhi! Haruhi is a first year at Ouran High School and renowned as the scholarship student, which makes it known her incredible intelligence and severe lack of wealth. Haruhi may be female, but she lacks any consciousness of her own gender, which works to her advantage as a host. While not everyone would say Haruhi is a moe character, let’s take a real look at her. At first, Haruhi appears as the serious, studious type but when given something that she likes, she gets this blissful expression that you can’t help but stop and stare at. Her expression changes are very slight, but they have a huge impact. You can feel her happiness when Honey shares his slice of cake or when she’s about to try otoro. Like Tamaki, you can’t help but want to spoil her! Her tiny smile just melts your heart!

If you don’t remember Yasuchika, he’s the younger brother of our very own Honey! Yasuchika looks very similar to Honey, but he has brown hair, wears glasses, and dislikes sweets. He is the captain of the Karate Club at Ouran High School Host Club, taking Mitsukuni’s place when he left the club. Yasuchika is a bit of a troublemaker for the Honey, but how can you hate him? Yasuchika is the little brother with a big brother complex who suffers from an inferiority complex. He’s that little brother who wants attention! Yes, Yasuchika is an arse, but deep down, he’s a little boy trying hard to get his brother’s attention. Yasuchika even denies himself things that he loves like cute animals so he isn’t like his brother. Honey may be the resident shota, but Yasuchika is a shota on the inside and that’s what we love!

Tamaki is the only son in the Suou family. Tamaki is a second year student at Ouran High School and king of Ouran’s Host Club. After coming up with the idea for the Host Club, Tamaki handpicked each individual member to create a bishounen heaven for all the rich ladies in Ouran High School. Sure, he’s a little too carefree, but he’s not as big an idiot as he acts. While Tamaki has his charms as the top host in the club, what really makes him moe is how he reacts whenever Haruhi’s face brightens or when he finds out that Haruhi likes something. He turns completely red and becomes speechless. Incredible, right? However, the best moment was when Tamaki realized he had feelings for Haruhi that were not the same as a father and daughter. That moment of realization was done so well that viewers can truly feel Tamaki’s confusion over the perversion of his fatherly love. His expression at that moment was so perfect. It was executed so well. Tamaki isn’t even our favorite character, but we cannot deny that in that moment, we loved him!

When Ouran High School Host Club was first aired, Takashi, was known as the stoic type. Now, Mori fits the kuudere mold. He’s a third year student at Ouran High School and has the responsibility of protecting the Haninozuka family heir, Honey. While Takashi is a man of few words, he will do everything in his power to help others he cares for. Takashi is usually in the background in Ouran High School Host Club, but the few moments he gets to shine in the limelight, he shows just how much he cares for Honey. Sometimes he’ll even help out Haruhi. He is the strong silent type but when Honey becomes angry at Takashi, Takashi is torn, unable to function any further. He may look like the uncaring type, but he has feelings just like everyone else. Takashi just hides it better. Doesn’t it just make you want to bring them out?

Now Kirimi is the cute baby sister of Nekozawa Umehito. Kirimi is an adorable blond haired, blue eyed girl with one goal: to find her prince. To add to her innocence, Kirimi is terrified of the dark and cats, so she needs her prince to protect her! While Ouran High School Host Club doesn’t lack innocence, Kirimi brings in a more innocence storyline of a little girl seeking out her prince, which is in fact her older brother who she doesn’t know. Like Yasuchika, Kirimi has a big brother complex. Kirimi is in search of a love that she never knew. With her fear of the dark and strange fear of cats, you can’t help but want to protect her until her prince comes. She’s that little lolita character you just want to glomp onto.

Kasanoda Ritsu, most commonly referred to as Casanova by the Host Club, is a first year at Ouran High School and the heir of the Kasanoda yakuza. Casanova has a rather rough looking appearance that has spawned several rumors, which has lead to many people fearing him. Casanova may have a scary expression, but he’s completely adorable! He has no idea how to make friends, but he adores cute things despite scaring them off. He even falls for Haruhi and doesn’t know what to do with his feelings. How can you not feel for him when he endures the humiliation that the Host Club puts him through to gain friends? Casanova is that one character with the rough exterior and the innocent interior. How can you say that the yakuza can’t be moe? Casanova will even wear cat ears if it’ll make him well respected. His naivety is just sweet.

Nekozawa Umehito is the older brother of Kirimi as well as the president of the Black Magic Club. He has a photophobia which is why Umehito often wears a black cloak and hides within the shadows. Nekozawa is often seen with his cat puppet, Beelzenef. How many are confused by Umehito’s inclusion on this list? Don’t be! Umehito may appear strange at first, but in reality, he’s misunderstood. Who doesn’t like a man with a complicated background? He hides in the darkness due to his aversion to light, but Umehito would sacrifice himself to protect his imouto, Kirimi. Umehito has a darling sister complex, but since she fears everything about him, will stay away from her regardless of his own feelings. Umehito is the type to give his all for the person he cares about; you just have to break through his barriers first. Why would you even question his inclusion onto our list of moe characters?

Haninozuka Mitsukuni, referred to as Honey, or Honey-senpai, is a third year in the Ouran High School Host Club and the resident shota. Despite his age, Honey is small in stature, enjoys eating sweets, and is often seen with his stuffed rabbit, Usa-chan. Honey can usually be seen bouncing around the Host Club or climbing Takashi like a tree. Whether you’re a shotacon or not, how can you not love Honey? He’s the adorable shota who eats nothing but cake and candy, while enjoying the company of Usa-chan. Honey is that little boy you want to cuddle. He’s got that warm smile that gives you that special burning feeling that is moe! Forget social norms and just open your arms to his shota charms. You know you can’t resist!

Ootori Kyouya is the youngest son of the prestigious Ootori family as well as the manager of the Ouran High School Host Club. Unlike the other hosts, Kyouya handles more of the business side of the Host Club, manipulating events to help increase revenue. As a second year at Ouran High School, Kyouya is working hard towards his future due to the fact that he is the youngest of his family. This is for all the people who love megane-moe! Kyouya’s cold and calculating personality pairs so well with his meganekko, how can you not love him? When the light flashes over the lenses as he pushes his glasses back into place, it’s game over. Kyouya won. Kyouya is he cold type, but that’s what makes him so moe. You just want to melt his heart and find out who he truly is, if you can just get past the damn glasses because he wields them so well. Either way, both sides of Kyouya are irresistible. As Renge says, [we] can eat three bowls of rice!

We know the Hitachiin twins are two people, but truly, you can’t ignore that much of their identity is as one. Hikaru is the more devilish twin with a mean streak while Kaoru tends to have a more sensitive side, especially when it comes to the feelings of his twin brother. Alongside Haruhi, Hikaru and Kaoru are first year students and the devilish twins of the Ouran High School Host Club. There’s a saying: “Twincest is wincest” and for this host club, it is so true. Hikaru and Kaoru capture many fans with their display of yaoi twincest that plays off of two taboos that makes it all the more incredible. If that doesn’t have your attention, then maybe you’ll love how these twins find meaning in Haruhi, who sees them for who they truly are. Hikaru is the tsundere who has no idea how to express his feelings other than through pranks while Kaoru hides away his own feelings in favor of his brother. Oh, it’s just moe!

Saori is the type of side character who initially does not seem to do much, but gradually sticks to the mind more and more because of a unique trait. In Saori’s case, this unique trait is none other than her headphones. Always by the side of president of the Student Council, of whom she seems to have feelings for, Saori is also one of the few friends of Misaki outside of the Sakurasou dormitory. Her role in the plot may not be of much significance but her notable character design certainly sticks to mind. Her headphones, a custom-designed full-sized model with orange ear pads, are made even more unique with her nickname “Hau-Hau” (given by and only used by Misaki) engraved on the cups. The lack of any wiring to be seen also indicate that they are wireless, which is to be expected by a student of one of the most bombastic and exciting high schools in anime. As a student whose life goals is to work with professional audio, especially being a peer of some of the greatest creative geniuses in her world, her set of headphones is a great addition to appearance. Despite that, one only has to compare her to other Anime Girls with Headphones and see her lack of presence in her placing Maybe if Sakurasou told its viewer more about who she is, she would be more appreciable relative to the competition.

The first episode of Chihayafuru introduces the charming, passionate but regrettably dense protagonist Chihaya in the midst of her clumsy high school life. One such scene shows her longstanding inner fire coming to a pause, her mind wandering back to her precious childhood experiences that forged the path leading her to who she became today. She lies on the grassy field, cutting herself from any outside stimuli through the barrier of a closed-back headphone and the hypnotic rhythm of the show’s iconic Hyakunin Isshu poetic verses. While Chihaya’s utter immersion in her task is as evident as it gets, we gradually know that there is nothing connecting this specimen of the Anime Girl with the Headphone other than her dedication to the Karuta sport. As such, we can understand that even though the headphone is part of a medium that allows Chihaya to tap into the beauty of Japanese poetry, there is little love that she directs towards the headphones in particular nor does it ever play to any importance in the show’s plot. Unfortunately, the headphone model cannot be easily ascertained with the lack of details in the shows drawings and expresses little about Chihaya’s character. As such, Chihaya’s headphones end up being outshined by the eye-catching iPod Nano, which instead speaks more of her apt decision-making in choosing a device with an intuitive UI for track selection for her Karuta habits. Therefore, Chihaya settles in 9th place where she is undoubtedly competitive, but lacks the subtle nuances that makes the girl and the headphone.

Introduced as the cranky third member of the main character’s harem, Koito’s headphones may as well be attached to her neck as there is barely a scene of her without them in sight. In fact, her headphones stands out so much that her other trademark accessory, a hair clip with a star-shaped attachment, barely leaves an impression. The headphones model is once again unclear, but the features that can be seen on it is much more impressive than our previous two entries. The single-side cable attachment inspires a greater degree of practicability than your typical Y-shape cables, which tends to get in the way more often than not, and fits Koito’s capacity and willingness to work as an independent fighter. The light-red shades of colouring, pink highlights and star-shaped decorative mark fits her overall red-theme perfectly, and certainly adds something extra to her character. Less apt is the integration of the headphones as a natural element of the show’s environment; the fact that we never even hear the music that Koito listens to nor does she ever do anything with it related to her activities as a monster-busting high schooler makes the headphones a difficult object to accept, even if they do contribute significantly to the anime girl’s personality. As a result, we have here a picture-perfect poster girl of a Anime Girl with Headphones, except that she has yet to convince us of her integral connection with the headphones in a coherent manner.

A few years ago, the anime industry was taken into a trend of adapting Light Novels about their protagonists dealing with little sister problems. Leading the charge was the popular OreImo, a show about Kyousuke and his troublesome (albeit multitalented) otaku sister Kirino, the latter of which enjoyed playing dating simulators about romancing little sister characters more than anything else. Soon after Kirino reveals her secret to Kyousuke, we viewers come to appreciate the little things about her lifestyle that creates a sense of camaraderie. Not only does she have a huge collection of games and anime relevant to her interests, she also has a brilliant set-up that maximises her capacity to enjoy them. Most importantly, she has a set of Dre Beats Solo HD in white, speaking much about her fashionable tastes and grasp of the current technological trends. The Beats brand is as popular as it is controversial, ironically reflecting the gradual development of OreImo’s reception among its audience both in Japan and in the West. While it is regarded by most common consumers as the peak of what the headphone industry has to offer, the more critical audiophile community deems it to be a step below most studio monitors or professional-grade offerings available. However, what is apparently lacking in Kirino’s appreciation of music playback quality is a demonstration of her awareness to fashion and a clear understanding of what fits her best, for nothing can possibly make more engaging gaming experience than a decent pair of closed-back bass-beating headphones.

Hanasaku Iroha is an anime about teenagers, in this case all high school girls, finding their footing in life and figuring out what they want to do with their lives. The setting has Ohana, the protagonist, be thrown into the hands of her grandmother’s holiday inn as a staff member after having lived most of her life with a less than responsible mother and begin interacting with a wealth of interesting side characters. During the scenes of her journey to the inn, we see Ohana donning a Panasonic RP-HTX7A closed-back headphones which speaks of her attentiveness to sound quality and appeals to any geeky headphones enthusiast as a more than respectable choice of audio playback devices. Ohana herself is by upbringing a full-on city girl, and seeing this particular model certainly does enhance her integration in urban society as a thoughtful individual who knows what she likes. It certainly does help that the headphones themselves look really, really good. Despite that, Hanasaku Iroha may as well be a story about Ohana losing her headphones as she develops into a character that not only has much to say, but is also willing to listen to the people around her. The RP-HTX7A never makes an appearance after the first episode and we as the viewers understand why, since we see Ohana become the person who becomes fully engaged with the world and the people around her. Therefore, it is regrettable that Hanasaku Iroha is a story about an Anime Girl with Headphones losing her headphones as part of her character’s development. One may argue that the good times were short, but in Ohana’s case, it may simply have been for the best.

At number 5 of our list, we finally have a character from an anime that is even remotely about music. Any K-On! fan can tell you that the show is much more about the slice of life than about the music, not to do any disservice to the magnificently constructed, if sparse, musical performance scenes. Mio’s entry to anime headphones-dom is exemplified in episode 13 of the first season, after the climax of the series. We get an insight of Mio’s daily life outside of the Light Music Club room and without the influence of Ritsu, finally seeing a bit of her going through life on her own. Working on the computer, she has on a more than respectable pair of AKG K701 audiophile grade open-back headphones, and is clearly used to interacting with the digital world while enjoying some kind of background music. The appeal of such a natural Anime Girl with Headphones is instant, especially when music is obviously such a huge part of her life. Later in the episode, we see Mio travel to the seaside in an attempt to gain some inspiration for writing song lyrics. During the train journey, we once again see her display a bit of tech wisdom by changing into a pair of nondescript earbuds, albeit one of which the design inspires no confidence in the quality of its drivers. It does leave a good impression for this Anime Girl with Headphones listen to her and her bandmates’ songs even when doing her own thing, and thus Mio deserves nothing less than the best-of-the-rest position of 5th place.

The iDOLM@STER’s Chihaya, unlike the protagonist from Chihayafuru, is to her very core a lover of music and of singing. Anyone who has watched The iDOLM@STER will easily recognise that beyond essentially slice-of-life shows like K-On!, The iDOLM@STER is an anime about characters chasing their dreams and pursuing a life where they can do what they love most. Our first insight of Chihaya’s inner feelings within the anime begins in episode 4, when we see her emotional struggles with life as an entertainer in the midst of trying to become a professional singer. The episode ends on the note of her overcoming these issues by relying on her fellow idols, but not to the point of being able to fully open up to even Haruka, who seemed to be closest to her. In the moments of weaknesses that follow, we see her put on a pair of blue earbuds (not unlike the ones worn by Mio) on the train ride home. Chihaya is a character who chooses to be obsessed with what she loves, and as part of her characterisation she naturally became an Anime Girl with Headphones. As an individual character within a show with a coloured cast, it is remarkable that her relationship with music is neither a gimmick nor one-dimensional. Instead, her engagement with music as a form of relaxation and as a path to her dream of becoming recognised as a singer allow even brief images of her with headphones on to have a vivid, affective impression. Furthermore, it is worth noting that the ending animation of that very episode features a shot of Chihaya wearing the Sony MDR CD900ST headphones. While momentary, her choosing a professional studio monitor over the usual consumer grade fare speaks volumes of her character’s dedication to audio reproduction. There is no debate that she is no less worthy than any of the higher placing characters of being one of the best Anime Girls with Headphones.

Although Mekakucity Actors was not a great adaptation of the Kagerou Daze media, it did allow us to put one of the hallmark of Anime Girls with Headphones into our list. It certainly helped that so much of her physical appearance borrows from the shape and form of the immensely popular Hatsune Miku, although any sense of her personality immediately makes her a distinct character to the viewer. Ene, the cyber-sidekick of the protagonist, is in essence a character whose design incorporates as much technology onto her form as possible. She exists as an eventual member of the Mekakushi Dan, a group of young teenage boys and girls possessing strange powers, who can only interact with the world through the electronic devices of main protagonist Shintarou. As touching onto her background story inevitably steps into spoiler territory, it is more appropriate to summarise that a great job has been done in her design to represent her role as one of the essential figures in the plot. The black custom-designed headphones serve as a permanent centerpiece of Ene’s techie themed physical appearance, fitting her almost as if they were the wings of a fairy. They serve as a symbol of communication between her and the physical world, reminding the viewers that despite her human-like shape, she is a formation of data that exists inside the digital world of computing devices. However, such is the charm of a character who despite being unable to physically interact with any of the other cast members is still able to create memories and flaunt her energetic personality. Ene’s greatest strength lies in a character background that fully supports the presence of her headphones and a physical design that encourages us to believe that they really were meant to be there. It is therefore no tough decision to put her behind two other anime girls who have shown an even greater synergy with their headphones.

Shirobako is a show full of characters who we recognise by sight and maybe by name, but do not really get to see much of their personal stories. Asuka is one such character, working as a recording and mixing assistant in the voice acting studio where every dubbing scene takes place in and subsequently makes an appearance in. As such, it is more than remarkable that her qualities as a particularly well-defined Anime Girl with Headphones makes her much more memorable than a typical cameo character. Asuka’s K121 Studio may not be as well-regarded as the aforementioned Sony studio monitors worn by Chihaya Kisaragi, but oozes a greater deal of personality while adding a fashionable twist. She never contributes to the scenes she is involved in other than signposting the end of a recording session with her signature 回りました― line of dialogue, but we know from how she wears her headphones (keeping one ear open) that she has been attentive to what the other characters were talking about throughout. Her interaction with her headphones is special even among the other characters mentioned in this list, simply because they do more than tell us more about who she is, but also what she is doing in a given moment. She exemplifies the reasons why the use of a prop can be more than just for aesthetic reasons as they demand from us our curiosity towards who she is and what she does, simply because the headphones exist. Anime Girls with Headphones simply do not get much better than this. In fact, it is only because of the massive strengths of the first place entry that prevents Asuka from topping this list.

Tari Tari, unlike K-On!, is a full-fledged musical anime about a number of high school choir club members singing their way through youth. Among them is Konatsu Miyamoto, whose youthful passion is sensibly matched by a practical, albeit old-fashioned and overly-glossy, pair of Zumreed ZHP-005. Cutting straight to the point, only in Tari Tari do the headphones have the level of significance that clearly demonstrates to the viewer a certain plot point, in this case Konatsu’s passion for singing, and how that ends up being a catalyst that brings the five members of the to be constructed choir club. At the climax of the first episode, Konatsu and her close friend Sawa are in town together but are separated when the latter goes to grab some ice cream. In the meantime, Konatsu is unable to contain her love for singing and breaks into song while fully immersed in the music played in her headphones, catching the attention of Wakana, Taichi and Wien who happen to be nearby. This scene is simply marvelous to witness as we see for the first time Konatsu’s belittled passion for singing in action, dismissing any of our doubts that her attempts to create her own club to have been whimsical and convincing us that someway and somehow, the five of them will come together. So, the ultimate question is how this scene puts Konatsu over all the other Anime Girls with Headphones in this list. To put it simply, it is because the headphones, for this show, is not just a window to understanding Konatsu as a person, but also as an object that enables the plot of this anime to work. It is precisely because Konatsu is an Anime Girl with Headphones that we get to witness one of the most underrated school-life shows in anime; otherwise, her ambitions will have never taken flight. Konatsu’s straightforwardness and passion won the favour of her fellow clubmates and doing so with impressive interactions with the Zumreed makes the process marvelous. She decidedly takes first place because she is an Anime Girl with Headphones and makes the concept a meaningful one.

As our first selection for you, is Samurai Deeper Kyo, an anime series that tells the story of Mibu Kyoshiro a normal looking man, that keeps a low profile, because he fights with himself to keep at bay “Onime-no-kyo” or “Demon eyes Kyo”, an assassin soul that sleeps within him, and have a price on his head for the murder of 1000 men. Just like Kenshin Himura in Samurai X, Mibu Kyoshiro from Samurai Deeper Kyo, share the same internal fight to overcome his past, leaving behind the skilled swordsman/killer that he once was, while trying to have a normal and pacific life. Another point in common, is that they both help a tenacious girl to reach her goals; Kenshin helps Kaoru to rebuild her martial arts school, and Kyoshiro ends up helping Yuuya to find her brother's killer. One of the strongest characteristic of this series, is the continuous internal confrontation of Kyoshiro, to maintain control of his own conscious being, because while Kenshin has his heart wavering between fighting or not under his own control; Mibu Kyoshiro has this struggle represented in two totally separate entities inside one body, each of them so different that are barely conscious one of another. If you are looking for an anime full with battle scenes, bits of comedy and supernatural powers, Samurai Deeper Kyo is a good option to continue in the mood of sword fighting action.

As a second recommendation, we bring you a classic tale of redemption, “Sword of the Stranger”, so don't miss out the chance to bring a snack and get comfortable in your favorite place, because this anime, 95 minutes long, will keep you in your seat for what it is, a good samurai movie. This animated movie, tell us the story of Kotarou, an orphan, and his faithful dog Tobimaru, and their daily struggle to survive, not just from hunger or the violence of the era in which they live, but from a mysterious Chinese organization that wants to capture Kotarou for their obscure purposes. Luckily for the boy and his dog, a Ronin called Nanashi, saved him from danger, and became his bodyguard in the journey they have to undertake, to try to keep the young Kotarou from harm. Sword of the stranger, shares with Rurouni Kenshin that, both main sword fighting characters are red-headed, which makes them stand out, and sometimes even, be mistreated for having foreign blood. Also, both anime leads share their struggle to overcome the past and the nightmares that haunts them; all the blood they spilled in the fights that made them infamous. Drifting without purpose, Kenshin Himura and Nanashi, both figuratively put away the sword, until fate reunites them with persons that, little by little, enter their hearts, and makes them worth defending until death, redeeming them. Rather than a romance, like in Samurai X, Sword of the Stranger, centers the human element of the story in a tale of friendship; and then, in a very straightforward way, fills everything else with action; leaving us with an anime without pretentions and easy to enjoy, because of the beautifully made battle scenes.

Developed in the Bakumatsu, the era where Kenshin Himura made his reputation as the “Battousai”, is where our next recommendation. Intrigue in the Bakumatsu: Irohanihoheto; an unusual anime series, that introduces a story based on facts about Japanese History; using supernatural elements as an allegory of how the thirst of power and political ambitions can ruin a nation. The plot of this series starts with Youjirou Akizuki, a stoic samurai, that, being tortured by his past failure to protect his mentor Sakamoto Ryōma, witnessing his death; pushes himself into the duty of destroy a powerful mystic artifact, that is manipulating the high spheres of power in Japan. As the bearer of the legendary sword, Getsuruitō (Moon Tear Sword), our young protagonist, gets involved in the struggle of the different factions that seek the control the country; and involuntarily, ends up in the middle of the revenge plot of the Yuyama Troupe, a wandering group of kabuki artists under the leadership of Kakunojo Yuyama. Intrigue in the Bakumatsu: Irohanihoheto, shares primarily two aspects with Rurouni Kenshin, first, the heart stirring encounters between two of the main characters Akizuki and Kakunojo, charged with chemistry and longing, just like the evolved relationship between Kaoru and Kenshin in the final season of Samurai X series. Second, the intensity of the action and choreographies of the fights, bringing the same feeling of excitement, in the encounters were the samurais and their katanas, level up to skilled firearms fighters, giving us an amazing spectacle of east versus west.

If after number three of this list, you are still feeling the need for more action, we recommend you to refill your snacks and prepare for this great animated short film: Ryō Written with the Japanese kanji for “Dragon”, Ryō tell us a story based on the fictitious character, of a very young and extraordinarily skilled samurai, that served as an aide and bodyguard of Sakamoto Ryōma, one of the Japan's most famous and charismatic Historical figures. Using a war as a setting, this short animation superbly portraits the chaos at the end of the bakumatsu era, and by accompanying the young Ryo and Sakamoto Ryōma, we become subconsciously allies in his endeavors; giving us a frame that introduce us into the events that make possible the reintegration of Japan into the modern world. One detail worth mentioning about the movie, is the amazing landscapes, for example, the scenic view of the city of Nagasaki is really accurate; if you have the opportunity to see it for yourself someday, don't miss the chance to admire the panoramic view from Glover Garden facing the city port; it surely will make you evoke this anime. The trait that this short film shares with Samurai X the most, is not just the time period, but the way in which many complicated social situations and pieces of everyday life and history, are explained and delivered in a friendly way; intertwine them with excellent animated action scenes, and you have all in all, a good samurai film that makes you enjoy it's 25 minutes length and leave you with a nostalgic feeling so characteristic of the genre.

As our Fifth selection, we introduce Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom, an anime series based on a visual novel, that give the fans, a great assortment of male characters, dress up in cool traditional Japanese clothes to root for. This anime developed around the same time period were Kenshin Himura, from Samurai X lived; surprisingly goes beyond to please the fans of the otome games, and bases its storyline in real events and characters from Japanese History; giving the audience, the feeling of learning something interesting in a fun way. Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom, tell us the story of Yukimura Chizuru, the daughter of a researcher, that after his long absence, decides to go to the city of Edo looking for him; as a way to protect herself, she disguises as a man, but the moment she steps into the capital, began to be persecuted by strangers, and ends up in the middle of a frightening fight between her pursuers, and two bloodthirsty beings. In her moment of peril, our heroine is saved by the Shinsengumi, and because she witnessed mysterious events, is brought to their operations center, where she gets to known the members of this famous group; who struggle to unravel the mystery behind the violent attacks in the city, and Chizuru's father disappearance. Just like in Samurai X, Hakuoki delivers a plot were little by little the characters get involved in a world of politics and intrigue, showing us a good drama, tainted with romance, fantasy, comedy and after introducing good designed characters based in real life history personalities, a lot of cool fighting scenes to get you entertained.

For number six, we bring to the pool of suggestions a lot of humor: Gintama, Silver soul; an anime series that lures you in with samurais and cool designed characters, and delivers hilarious situations in a Sci-Fi world where the old Japan meets outer space alien invasion. Gintama is a very popular series adapted from the renowned Shounen Jump Magazine’s manga of the same name; featuring Sakata Gintoki, an extraordinary skilled samurai that leads a very easy go looking life, and the adventures in which he ends up getting involved, while searching for an ends meet. Together with his companions: Kagura, Shinpachi Shimura and his loyal pet Sadaharu, these four friends always find a way to make a job request, a fun disaster that will make you laugh and enjoy every episode. Compared with Samurai X, Gintama shares, not just the samurai setting, but the fact that is one of the few anime series that entertains his audience with jokes that introduce them unsuspectingly, in real life history facts, or Japanese culture details; that’s why after 201 episodes, Gintama retains its freshness despite using time after time, it’s strong suit; the parody, reflecting what is going on in the urban fashions in Japan.