Board 8 > Johnbobb ranks every show he's ever seen [TOP 75]

(+) Yeah! (+)

up next:
my highest-ranked Netflix original
my highest-ranked animated comic show
my highest-ranked anime anime
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ninth season wasn't too bad, it just wasn't really the same show. scrubs is solid but feels too high given most of the other comedies that are below it.
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SeabassDebeste posted...

ninth season wasn't too bad, it just wasn't really the same show. scrubs is solid but feels too high given most of the other comedies that are below it.

yeeeeah, actually looking at this list and comparing, say, Scrubs and The Office, I'm not entirely sure why I ranked Scrubs 55 spots higher.

Some of these rankings would definitely change upon re-examination
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I watched two episodes of scrubs randomly, and liked them. But I could never watch the whole series.
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Johnbobb posted...

Se7enthrust posted...

Raising Hope is hilarious. Kind of a bummer that there were only 4 seasons.

*high five*

More people should really watch that show. I've been rewatching it lately and it's just so consistently great.

Jimmy getting his nipple stuck in the baby crib was comedy gold but I feel like the show delivers so many moments like that over the 4 seasons that it's near perfect.
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Dancedreamer posted...

I watched two episodes of scrubs randomly, and liked them. But I could never watch the whole series.

This is kinda how I feel. I have watched and enjoyed individual episodes plenty of times (John C. McGinley is the man... which btw has anyone watched The Belko Experiment?) ...but I tried to binge watch the first season and found myself falling asleep more often than I expected. So far I'd say that I've seen at least 60-65% of the show though.
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up
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Hooch is crazy
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18. Orange is the New Black

Seen: All 5 seasons so far

Favorite character: Red

As much as I enjoy Kevin Spacey in House of Cards, Orange is the New Black was pretty easily the best Netflix has to offer. It follows the Lost style of focusing individual episodes on characters (typically flashing back to before prison to show how they ended up there). It's honestly impressive how the show balances humor (of which there is plenty), drama (of which there is PLENTY) and real social commentary (especially in the most recent excellent fifth season, which directly tackled the problems of privatized prisons). This all leads to shockingly well-developed characters who are sympathetic (despite all being labeled "villains" by the world around them). Morello I all but fell in love with as soon as I saw her (she's one of the closest things I'd say I have to a waifu, as much as I hate that term; thanks B8). The show manages to tackle everything from LGBT relationships to mental health without sugarcoating any of it and STILL manages to be hilarious to boot.
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17. Teen Titans

Seen: All of it

Favorite character: Slade

Growing up, it was pretty much Static Shock and Teen Titans for me as far as superheroes were concerned (at least until I discovered Fox's X-Men movies). The show was just crazy fun. It was goofy, the action sequences were particularly impressive, and the characters were impressively fleshed out. In particular, the episodes focusing on Raven were shockingly good, examining her psyche in a way that was pretty heavy for what was essentially a kids show. Likewise, there were plenty of impressive villains, but none came close to Slade (the Teen Titans version of Deathstroke). Ron Perlman was at his best, and the character was so excellent B8 voted him the 4th best TV villain a few years ago (under Ben Linus, The Joker, and Gus Fring).
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16. Death Note

Seem: Almost alll of it, twice

Favorite character: L

Let me just start by saying I know Death Note is basically considered the "anime for beginners." But I also say that's not a bad thing. It the first non-kids WB anime I really got into, and I think that's because it's so easy to get into for people who aren't really anime fans. While I wasn't really an anime guy when I saw it, I got hooked because it simultaneously appealed to me as a detective mystery and a supernatural thriller. It caught me off guard; the show jumped into its conflict right away without bothering to slow build up a moral dilemma for Light like other shows might (and like I'm worried the upcoming film adaptation will). L was incredible, and quickly became one of my favorite TV characters (one of my favorite moments was L initially revealing himself to Light; in fact, most of the show's best moments dealt with their relationship, whether it was their fist fight or L washing Light's feet). I did doubt myself on its ranking for a while, but recently, I was looking for something to just have on in the background while I did other things, but found myself totally invested in it all over again. Like Dexter, I do think this is a show best ended early. End it after L dies; that episode in particular is excellent and the show goes downhill pretty drastically afterwards. Also, it gave us this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC6T3_O2iWc
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is that link the potato chip

i think death note is a solid show for its first half with about 5 whoooaaaaa moments. but its 24ish episodes aren't even very close to the best 24 episodes of an anime i've seen, so i wouldn't have it ranked so high
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SeabassDebeste posted...

is that link the potato chip

yes

SeabassDebeste posted...

i think death note is a solid show for its first half with about 5 whoooaaaaa moments. but its 24ish episodes aren't even very close to the best 24 episodes of an anime i've seen, so i wouldn't have it ranked so high

for what it's worth I've watched like 5 anime
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keikaku
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yeah i figured you hadn't seen many. i wouldn't personally rank anime combined with tv because each list is quite long alone. my intent was to say the good stretch of DN doesn't necessarily surpass the good stretch of most top tier shows either though! maybe part of that is medium bias.
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15. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Seen: All of it

Favorite character: Charlie

This isn't really a show that needs explained to B8. It's got a ton of fans on here, and it's well deserved. Everyone in this show is horrible, all for different reasons. The most likable person on the show is Charlie, who's a spends his time huffing various substances and killing rats with a bat. It's downright bizarre how the show is as good as it is without anyone to really root for, but somehow it works. Sometimes things work out for the gang, sometimes they don't, but it's always satisfying to see what havoc comes from their antics. The cold opens are one of the best parts of the show, and almost always tell you pretty much everything you need to know about the episode going forward. I think the basic consensus is that Charlie Day and The Nightman Cometh are the best the show has to offer, though I am also a big fan of Sweet Dee Has a Heart Attack (especially the One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest subplot with Frank). Now, after however many seasons later, even though the show does tend to cycle through some of the same cycles, everything just continues to get more and more intense and shocking to the point that it's never anything but entertaining.
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When I watched Death Note for the first time like three years ago, I actually found the hate on the later episodes overblown. I get that some folks detest it, but I only found it a little lesser.
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14. That 70s Show

Seen: All of it, at least twice

Favorite character: Hyde

That 70s Show takes the position of Best Sitcom. Now that's not a unanimous opinion, of course, and I'll be the first to admit the show went a little downhill after Eric left, but in its, prime, I never found another sitcom to be funnier. There wasn't really anyone to dislike from among the main cast; even the characters with unlikable qualities (Jackie being the standout from the main group) are still enjoyable to watch due to some excellent comedic writing. It's one of the shows that best defined early 2000s comedy for me, despite the fact that at the time, I was too young to really get the 70s references, but that just added more fun when Netflix came around and I was able to rewatch it as an adult. Red might hold the position of best TV dad, Kitty DEFINITELY wins best TV mom, Eric and Laurie's sibling rivalry is hilarious, Hyde was always like the coolest guy when I was younger. It's a show that I could put on for hours and not really get tired of it.
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Jeff Zero posted...

When I watched Death Note for the first time like three years ago, I actually found the hate on the later episodes overblown. I get that some folks detest it, but I only found it a little lesser.

I wouldn't say I detest it, but I certainly didn't enjoy it like I did the Light v. L plot
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Johnbobb posted...

It's downright bizarre how the show is as good as it is without anyone to really root for, but somehow it works.

one of the things about always sunny that keeps me going is that almost every episode, one of the characters is a voice of morality. it's usually dee, mac, or charlie, but it rotates. there's something appealing about the way that one awful member of the cast will call out another member of the cast for being awful sometimes.

it's also hilarious when one cast member explains the scheme, which is predicated on terrible assumptions. the others will argue with logistics of the scheme, but not with the incorrect assumptions, or they'll just go along with the whole thing with 'of course.' it's also always hysterical when they get along or agree on a point - that thinking a white person would taste better than a black person would be racist, that it's awesome that the action star 'hangs dong,' etc.

then there's of course, 'that doesn't sound right, but i don't know enough about stars to dispute it.'

Jeff Zero posted...

When I watched Death Note for the first time like three years ago, I actually found the hate on the later episodes overblown. I get that some folks detest it, but I only found it a little lesser.

pretty painful for me. the stakes are lower, and the new characters are less interesting, to the point where i found myself mostly apathetic by the end. it's just not interesting. the final five minutes were fun though.

re: that 70s show - loved watching hours of that, at hotels. never seen it the whole way through, and i suspect that doing so might ruin it for the future. a little more 'basic' than most of my favorites, which have shown on this list already.
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Almost forgot perhaps the best Always Sunny scene:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zgk8UdV7GQ0
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13. Legion

Seen: The one season so far

Favorite character: Lenny

One of the most recent shows on this list already manages to make it near the top. It's only run for one season so far, but that's been enough to make me desperate for a second. The show is made by Noah Hawley, which alone would've been enough to get me to watch. BUT it's part of the X-Men universe. I know this isn't a popular opinion, but the X-Men cinematic universe is quite easily my favorite. I've been a dedicated X-Men fan since the original over 15 years ago, and I get WAY more hyped for new entries in the X-Men series than I do for any other super hero movies. Hell, I rank X2, Days of Future Past, Deadpool and Logan all above anything in the MCU, so it's no surprise that Legion tops the MCU shows for me. I went into the show with impossibly high expectations, and the show exceeded all of them. It was surreal and funny and thrilling and horrifying (just thinking about The Angriest Boy in the World creeps me the fuck out) and I loved every moment of it. If the show keeps this up in later seasons, it'll easily break into my top tier of shows.
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Johnbobb posted...

Almost forgot perhaps the best Always Sunny scene:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zgk8UdV7GQ0

can't watch this atm. assuming it's the 'implication'
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Champion of the Sun tier
13. Legion
14. That 70s Show
15. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
16. Death Note
17. Teen Titans
18. Orange is the New Black
19. Scrubs
20. Raising Hope
21. South Park
22. Arrested Development
23. Heroes
24. Mr. Robot
25. The League
26. Attack on Titan
27. Jackie Chan Adventures
28. One-Punch Man
29. House
30. American Horror Story
31. Static Shock
32. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
33. Westworld
34. Louie
35. Jessica Jones
36. Black Mirror
37. The Walking Dead
38. House of Cards
39. Food Wars!
40. Daredevil
41. Wilfred
42. The Powerpuff Girls

Too Many Dicks tier
43. Malcolm in the Middle
44. The Legend of Korra
45. Preacher
46. Dexter
47. Stranger Things
48. Bob’s Burgers
49. Better Call Saul
50. American Dad!
51. Fillmore
52. Brooklyn Nine-Nine
53. Parks and Recreation
54. How I Met Your Mother
55. Over the Garden Wall
56. Flight of the Conchords
57. My Name Is Earl
58. A Series of Unfortunate Events
59. The Cleveland Show
60. Scream Queens
61. Regular Show
62. Elfen Lied
63. Luke Cage
64. Sense8
65. Nip/Tuck
66. Check It Out!, with Dr. Steve Brule
67. Black Dynamite
68. Adventure Time
69. Pokemon: The Animated Series
70. iZombie
71. Silicon Valley
72. Courage the Cowardly Dog
73. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
74. True Detective
75. The Office

Good news everyone! tier
76. Saturday Night Live
77. Master of None
78. How to Get Away with Murder
79. The Last Man on Earth
80. Metalocalypse
81. Gotham
82. Futurama
83. Portlandia
84. The Simpsons
85. Hemlock Grove
86. Penny Dreadful
87. The Fairly OddParents
88. The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy
89. The Colbert Report
90. The Daily Show
91. Samurai Jack
92. The Emperor’s New School
93. Robot Chicken
94. Once Upon a Time
95. Ace Attorney
96. American Dragon Jake Long
97. Recess
98. 13 Reasons Why
99. Spongebob Squarepants
100. Glee
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POCKET SAND tier
101. Hercules: The Animated Series
102. Aladdin
103. Aqua Teen Hunger Force
104. The OA
105. The Amazing World of Gumball
106. The Flash
107. Broad City
108. Bill Nye the Science Guy
109. Garfunkel and Oates
110. Scream
111. Teen Titans Go!
112. The Cape
113. Home Movies
114. Phil of the Future
115. Even Stevens
116. Life with Derek
117. King of the Hill
118. Lilo & Stitch The Series
119. Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends
120. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
121. Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide
122. Ninja Warrior
123. Full House
124. Fringe
125. Bones
126. Drawn Together
127. Codename: Kids Next Door
128. All Grown Up!
129. Rugrats
130. Chapelle’s Show

True Believers tier
131. Doctor Who
132. Terriers
133. Important Things with Demetri Martin
134. Tosh.0
135. MythBusters
136. Cutthroat Kitchen
137. The Following
138. Nick Cannon Presents: Wild ‘N Out
139. The Sarah Silverman Program
140. Kim Possible
141. Iron Fist
142. Dexter’s Laboratory
143. Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
144. Code Lyoko
145. Phineas and Ferb
146. Wizards of Waverly Place
147. Who Wants to Be a Superhero?
148. Family Feud
149. Total Request Live
150. Johnny Bravo
151. Love
152. The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius
153. Mary Shelley’s Frankenhole
154. Drake & Josh
155. iCarly

This One's Better. MUCH BETTER! tier
156. The Amanda Show
157. New Girl
158. Inside Amy Schumer
159. Family Guy
160. The Big Bang Theory
161. Heroes Reborn
162. Rocket Power
163. Darkwing Duck
164. 30 Rock
165. FlashForward
166. Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi
167. Viva la Bam
168. The Suite Life of Zack & Cody
169. Blue’s Clues
170. Under the Dome
171. Skin Wars
172. DuckTales
173. V
174. Arrow
175. Reno 911!

We Are Number One tier
176. Total Drama
177. Zoey 101
178. The Wild Thornberrys
179. Cory in the House
180. Yo Momma
181. Lloyd in Space
182. ¡Mucha Lucha!
183. Pimp My Ride
184. The Proud Family
185. Fuller House
186. LazyTown
187. Two and a Half Men
188. Lizzie McGuire
189. Animaniacs
190. Hey Arnold!
191. My Life as a Teenage Robot
192. The Oblongs
193. Dragon Tales
194. Totally Spies!

Doin' the Bone Dance tier
195. Jackass
196. The Celebrity Apprentice
197. Dave the Barbarian
198. Lil' Bush
199. Celebrity Deathmatch
200. KaBlam!
201. Allen Gregory
202. Camp Lazlo
203. Max & Ruby
204. Dora the Explorer
205. Fear the Walking Dead
206. That's So Raven
207. American Idol
208. Survivor
209. Big Brother
210. Angry Beavers
211. Hannah Montana
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Johnbobb posted...

Almost forgot perhaps the best Always Sunny scene:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zgk8UdV7GQ0

That was old my sig!
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Down to the final 12, the absolute top tier. Every show left is one I've seen all of, and most of them multiple times. The ones I consider absolutely the best of the best and cannot recommend more highly. No more hints from here out.

Breakdown by network:
4Kids - 1
ABC - 1
AMC - 1
CN - 1
Disney - 1
FX - 2
HBO - 1
NBC - 1
Nick - 2
WB - 1
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Johnbobb posted...

Nick - 2

Avatar TLAB
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locks:

yugioh
breaking bad
game of thrones
avatar the last airbender

???:

the americans
the shield (both seem unlikely)

samurai jack??? seems already listed for CN.

community was listed i think for nbc, plus you said you already listed your highest sitcom.

wb... don't think you're a buffy guy and supernatural would be supernatural...
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Johnbobb posted...

Disney - 1

Praying this is Gravity Falls
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what's the list so far

i predicted LOST on the other list and i'm predicting it here too
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7 posts up chief

And yeah with how much talk about LOST there's been in the write-ups that's pretty much a lock too given it hasn't come up yet
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oh thanks

um, rick and morty, for CN, maybe?
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Legion is fantastic, pleasantly surprised to see it so high with just the one season. Can't wait till it's back.
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There's one show I forgot that would've finished in the top tier had I remembered it, so it'll get a write up too.

Bonus points if you can guess that one (it's not in the list with the other forgotten shows, all of which will be added to the final list with a brief note for each)
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lmao
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12. Gravity Falls

Seen: All of it, many episodes twice

Favorite character: uhhhh, Soos? Wendy? Maybe Grenda?

Unlike MOST of the kids shows on this list, this one I actually didn't see until I was an adult. For the most part, I had moved on to watching heavier, darker shows, but after hearing everyone talk and talk and talk about this and Steven Universe, I decided to check them both out. Steven Universe I watched a couple episodes, thought was okay, and essentially decided "maybe I'll come back to this eventually." Gravity Falls hooked me immediately. The art style is colorful, the characters are fun, the antics are shockingly creative, and the show is absolutely hilarious. Dipper and Mabel are the kid protagonists that do shitty things, but unlike worse kids shows, the show totally calls them out when they do shitty things and they actually develop as characters because of it! Weird how revolutionary of a concept that is. Wendy, Soos and Grunkle Stan are amazing in their own ways (I'm actually considering cosplaying as Soos), Waddles is adorable, and I lose my shit every moment Grenda is on screen. Even the one-note characters are shockingly good. I all but wanted to cry when Cutebiker finally "Got 'em," the America guy had me rolling, and I had to respect for the show actually just straight out admitting that yes, the goofy police officer guys are in love with each other. The show only lasted two seasons, and I was sad to see it end, but we got a shockingly mature, well-made ending that completely exceeded my expectations.
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11.5. Horace and Pete

Seen: The one season, 2.5 times

Favorite character: Pete

I've mentioned "oh this show came out of nowhere" quite a few times, but it applies here more than anywhere else. Louis C.K. released this show online in ten individually released episodes on his website. The show got absolutely no advertising, despite the fact that it had an all-star cast (including Steve Buscemi in what may have been the greatest performance I've ever seen from him). There's really no other show like it. It's shot like a play, with all the sound being completely diegetic except for the theme song (which makes theme closing theme feel particularly powerful when it starts to play) and single-camera shots. It's almost entirely done in two locations, the bar and the home above the bar, with everything just being very simple dialogue. No special effects, no action, just an incredibly, sometimes painfully human story. It doesn't pull the punches on anything, whether it's racism or alcoholism or abuse. The real standout of the show (and there's a LOT to be impressed by here) is the show's portrayal of mental health, which I honestly don't think I've seen any show handle as well as this show does with Pete. I have so much more I want to say but don't want to spoil anything. It's gotten to the point where whenever I recommend a show, it's this one. A single contained story that is fucking phenomenal.
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Gravity Falls is amazing, really hoping for the Rick and Morty crossover that's been slightly hinted at.
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11. Xiaolin Showdown

Seen: All of it, twice

Favorite character: Jack Spicer, Boy Genius

Nobody predicted this show even once during the entire ranking! It's almost as if this show wasn't particularly popular! You know what though? Fuck that, this show was the best. It had the find the new crazy power thing episodic formula of Jackie Chan Adventures, but with even wackier items and wackier characters from all over the world. Even as a kid I was impressed by some of the things the show was willing to do. Season 1 ended with one of the main characters getting screwed over by his team, betraying them, and going through ACTUAL CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT (again, it's really less common than it should be in kids shows). And the series finale was more impressive: after spending most of the series suggesting that Omi, the self-obsessed "main character" of the show was going to end up the leader," it actually went to Raimundo, the character who had legitimately developed the most as a character, a mature move that I just wasn't expecting. Put that aside and there's still a bunch of cool animation, fun action, awesome powers. It was the coolest thing when I was younger and surprisingly held up when I rewatched it as an adult. Even the dumb jokes (Clay's TEXAS stereotype, Omi's mispronunciation of slang, etc.). But the absolute best thing is, of course, Jack Spicer Boy Genius. Perhaps the funniest TV villain out there.

And no, I'm not including Xiaolin Chronicles with this. They retconned the series finale, changed voice actors, changed the names of the Shen Gong Wu to the stupidest shit (the "Shroud of Shadows" became the "Shroud of Monster Camo," who the fuck came up with that?) and the new main character they introduced was literally an exact copy of Omi, but with glasses, and named him fucking Ping-Pong. THE NAMED THE CHINESE CHARACTER PING PONG. I don't know what they were thinking with this spin-off, but there have been very few shows that were more disappointing.
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I absolutely adored Xiaolin Showdown growing up, I even still have the card game they came out with way back when. I really need to go back and rewatch it
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okay, that show looks kinda awesome. i... wanna watch it!
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BetrayedTangy posted...

I even still have the card game they came out with way back when.

Me too!
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SeabassDebeste posted...

okay, that show looks kinda awesome. i... wanna watch it!

Which one?
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almost forgot, obligatory whenever talking about Xiaolin Showdown:


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i meant xiaolin showdown

but the art is a little iffy
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Save

Busy weekend
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Johnbobb posted...

Save

Busy weekend

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10. Yu-Gi-Oh!

Seen: All of it (first few seasons multiple times0

Favorite character: Maximillion Pegasus

This is the one show in my top ten that I will outright say is objectively bad. The show constantly repeats itself because it wants viewers to be able to immediately pick up on what is happening. Maybe this works for only seeing one episode a week (a terrible way to watch since one battle may take anywhere from 2-5 episodes) but it's hilarious when binge-watching. It results in things like Joey talking about how he needs to win for his sister Serenity EVERY GODDAMN EPISODE. The characters directly state their motivations constantly, they arbitrarily break the actual rules of the Yu-Gi-Oh TCG (because Screw the Rules) and the heroes always win by the "Heart of the Cards," which they never even pretend is anything more than 100% ex machina. But I fucking love it. I love every ridiculous moment. Kaiba is the greatest douchebag on television, Joey is a lovable goof, and for the first season (aka the best season) Pegasus steals every scene he's in, and quickly solidified himself as not just my favorite anime character, but one of my favorite fictional characters of all time.
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Seto Kaiba best character
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