Issei Hyoudou is your prototypical pervert who isn’t a very productive person and enjoys to peep on females any chance he can get. One day, he surprisingly goes on a date with another girl. Just when everything seems to be going great, the girl reveals herself to be a fallen angel. She then brutally murders Issei and his potential dreams of having a harem one day, or so we thought. A stunning top-class devil by the name of Rias Gremory revives Issei and allows him to become her servant, while including him in the Occult Research Club.

Issei initially struggles to find his new lease on life after his nightmarish first date. It’s not long before he is introduced to many new females in the Occult Research Club that he realizes his chances of being a harem king is not too farfetched. The reason I really enjoy this anime is because of the many different girls it has to offer. They all look and act differently but most of them demand Issei’s attention, as a harem would suggest. The situations and ‘fights’ the girls have with each other over Issei’s stupidity is hilarious.

Highschool DxD has three seasons and several different OVA’s to wet your whistle. The shows strength is the ability to showcase and develop all these girls that Issei is infatuated with, while also being able to tell a somewhat compelling story. As the series shifts forward, it introduces more females for the “Oppai Dragon” and it seems to get even more risqué. This anime is not afraid to show the women’s breasts as you will get a large dose of oppai throughout. However, it carries itself enough not to go over the fine line that separates ecchi from hentai. If the series can continue to maintain its intriguing storytelling with its established fan service, it could eventually move up on my list.

Ikki Tousen takes from the famous Chinese novel, Romance of the Three Kingdoms. If you’re not overly familiar with that story, that’s ok. I never knew much about it prior to watching this anime. This series presents seven different high schools locked down in a turf war in the Kanto region of Japan. Certain (more powerful) high school students have these sacred beads known as magatama. These beads bear the souls of fallen ancient warriors from the Three Kingdom Era. With those magatama, the students are blessed with the abilities of those warriors from the past.

The story follows Hakufu Sonsaku, a doltish, but kind-spirited high school student who recently transferred to Nanyo Academy. Upon arriving she is met with immediate tension from other students, who can sense her power. Hakufu, while not being my favorite character in the series, she brings a lot of comedic relief for such a strong character. Takashi Watanabe plays on her unintelligent nature and her blessed endowment. What makes her so interesting is that, while she isn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer, she possesses a strength that is nearly unmatched. It draws parallels to Goku from Dragon Ball.

This anime blends a historical theme presented in modern times with more than enough martial arts battles and a plethora of fan service to go around. Panty shots, ripped and torn clothing throughout the battles is something of a requirement for these ladies involved. My favorite character from the series is Shimei Ryomou, the blue-haired, eye-patch wearing beauty. She specializes in professional wrestling moves, joint attacks, and throws. Her personality is very reminiscent of Ayane from the Dead or Alive franchise. Ikki Tousen has several different sequels with an abundance of new characters being added to the story. It’s an interesting series that has fun fight scenes and offers just enough fan service to keep ecchi fans engrossed.

Hachimitsu Private Academy is located just on the outskirts of Tokyo. It’s a prestigious all-girls boarding school that has been well-received since its inception. However, things are about to change when a rule is passed to allow males to join the school. Enter a group of delinquents by the name of Kiyoshi, Gakuto, Shingo, Andre, and Jo. They’re the only five male students that got accepted into the school for the first semester. With a ratio of 200 girls to 1 boy, life quickly turns out to be more than they bargained for. They essentially get exiled from any female contact which ruins their chances at a good first impression. Little did they know, their life would change forever on one fateful night when they got caught peeping at the girls in their bath.

As you can imagine things didn’t go well for these boys and they were thrown into a prison school and sentenced there for a month as punishment, thanks to the Underground Student Council. From then on the story takes a radical turn for the boys. Their imprisonment and struggle with the Student Council put this perverted alliance to the ultimate test. I don’t think I have ever laughed so much watching an anime before. I know it’s loaded with ecchi moments and chalk full of fanservice but I felt that the comedy aspect outweighed everything. For example, the questionable ‘liquid battles’ Hana had with Kiyoshi. Kurihara and his porn obsession, making Mari despise males even more, and Meiko and her crude but tough behavior towards the prisoners.

This is the only series on my top five that compelled me enough to add it in after a mere 12 episodes. That should give you an idea of what I thought about this series since it only needed a dozen episodes to envelop me. Without question, Gakuto is my favorite character. His facial reactions to punishment, his ‘expertise’ at lending a helping hand and finally his overall dedication to his friends are something that had me entertained to no end. Needless to say, I cannot wait for the next series.

Every teenager hopes to make a few friends and fit in as much as they can. It can be trying for most in normal circumstances. It makes things even more difficult for Kodaka Hasegawa since he has unusual hair color and intimidating facial features. After transferring to a new school Kodaka was immediately labeled troublesome for his unique appearance. One day, Kodaka meets a female student by the name of Yozora, who seems to be just as much of an outcast, if not more so.

Yozora is friendless unless you count the imaginary friend she talks to. During their meeting, Yozora decides to start a “Neighbor's Club” to attract fellow outcasts to gain more of a companionship with others. As the story continues on, more females are added to the club, all with very distinctive personalities and looks. It leads to some dysfunctional moments that turn out to be humorous most of the time. Out of all these anime on this list, this one focuses on romance more than the rest. It still has some action but it’s all about gathering a bunch of misfits together and learning to accept everyone’s faults and becoming friends, through stories and adventure.

Almost all moments with Kobato, Kodaka’s younger sister is brilliant. Unlike her brother, she is immensely popular at school, but she is shy and peculiar. Her persona she takes upon is based on her favorite anime star Leylis Vi Felicity Sumeragi. She is often seen cosplaying her and pretends to be an ancient vampire. I enjoy every character in this series and they all bring something unique and enjoyable to the club. Yozora has her dry, sometimes hurtful, sense of humor. Sena’s superiority complex, Rika’s perverted views, Yukimura’s loyalty and naïve nature and finally Maria’s youthfulness all play a part in this fascinating anime.

I’m sure we all know the story of Dragon Ball Z, but for the few that don’t here is what you need to know initially for this series. Five years removed from the World Martial Arts Tournament that took place between King Piccolo and Goku, he (Goku) finds himself enjoying a peaceful life with his wife, Chi-Chi, and son Gohan. Things quickly change when a mysterious Saiyan warrior by the name of Raditz shows up and claims to be Goku’s older brother.

When Goku was sent to Earth as a baby his mission was to destroy the planet he now calls home. When he was younger he suffered from amnesia due to a head injury and forgot his ultimate goal. After Raditz was unsuccessful at convincing Goku to work together, Raditz informed him that there was a bigger threat arriving. The entire Dragon Ball universe has been influential to me spanning essentially my entire life. The cast of characters are memorable. The fights and the adventure to collect those elusive Dragon Balls were always something I’d look forward to watching after school.

Things haven’t changed much at all; in fact, as I’ve matured I’ve come to adore this anime more than ever before. It’s one of those series that I can still watch today and see things that I might have missed growing up. The music, the voices, and everything is just top notch for me. The comedic aspects from Krillin and Master Roshi to the selfish pride of Vegeta are great. My favorite character Piccolo brings immeasurable wisdom to the Z warriors and the bond he eventually has with Gohan is simply remarkable. This is the first anime I truly got hooked on, and it will always have a special place in my life.