Over the last month or so, Madman Entertainment have been asking their fans to vote for their favourite anime releases from the company (Along with other releases which due to their diversity, most likely won’t make it into this top 20) and giving away on-the-spot prizes to those who provided interesting vote justifications. The intention of this is to generate what fans would consider the companies Top 20 series releases.
So far we have had a number of series announced for spots #20 – 16, mostly older series ranging from the 60’s and 80’s releases of Astro Boy to the 2004 release of Elfen Lied – with Fairy Tail being the only recent release making the list so far. With a new week comes a new set of five announcements, and the fifteenth spot has gone to Fruits Basket which was aired originally in 2001 and soon after distributed internationally in English.
This is what the team at Madman Entertainment had to say on its ranking:
Tohru Honda is a sweet natured girl who has a big heart, despite a tragic background. An orphan, Tohru is invited to live in the house of her handsome classmate, Sohma Yuki. It sounds like a dream come true, only the family is cursed! If hugged by someone of the opposite sex, they transform into an animal of the Chinese Zodiac.
The bittersweet and bizarre nature of the adventure holds promise of budding romance for Tohru, but with the laughter there’s also heartbreak. The journey we take with her as she discovers her inner strength, along with cute and hilarious situations, makes it a uniquely appealing comedy for both guys and girls, anime and manga fans alike. The longer form manga story is possibly even more popular.
Madman stocks the complete anime season on DVD for a currently reduced price of $39.95 alongside a number of manga volumes.
