Some hardcore anime fans try to spend as much of their lives as possible watching Japanese animation. But what if it’s not enough to eat, sleep, and breathe anime? What if you were going to die anime, too?
That’s the question Japanese website Charapedia posed when it asked “What anime do you want to be watching during the final moment of the last day of your life?” The results are in, and here are the 20 shows respondents consider the truly ultimate anime.
Charapedia carried out the survey from May 14 to 20, asking the question to 10,000 of its users. 54 percent of respondents were male, with 78.4 percent between the ages of 10 and 29.
Let’s take a look at the overall top responses.
20. Fate/ series (156 votes)
Considering all the sequels, prequels, spinoffs, and video game versions there are for this story of mages battling for the Holy Grail, it may take every last second of your life to wade through them all.
19. Attack on Titan (183 votes)
Here we have the opposite issue. The biggest anime hit of the past decade has been dragging its feet on continuing its TV adaptation, and at this pace, if you watch Attack on Titan on your deathbed, you’ve probably already seen the episode.
18. My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU (188 votes)
17. Natsume’s Book of Friends (197 votes)
16. Doraemon (220 votes)
15. Uta no Prince-sama (223 votes)
Technically, we guess being the Prince of Songs qualifies you to sing dirges too. Also, being a series squarely aimed at female anime fans, not a single guy voted for Uta no Prince-sama as the last anime he wants to watch.
14. A Certain series (233 votes)
Similar to Fate/, if you don’t get started now it might not be by choice if it takes until your dying breath to make it through A Certain Magical Index, A Certain Magical Index II, and A Certain Scientific Railgun.
13. One Piece (236 votes)
12. Dragon Ball (265 votes)
11. Great Detective Conan (271 votes)
10. Puella Magi Madoka Magica (301 votes)
9. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (332 votes)
8. K-On! (372 votes)
In contrast to Uta no Prince-sama, almost all of the support for K-On! came from the guys, with 362 of the 372 fans hoping Ho-kago Tea Time plays them out being male.
7. Love Live! (405 votes)
While this story of would-be high school pop stars also got more support from men than women, it wasn’t nearly as lopsided as K-On! votes. Nearly a quarter of the Love Live! responses, 99, to be precise, came from girls who’d like to worship the series’ idol singers right up until the moment they enter the afterlife.
6. Sword Art Online (464 votes)
5. Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day (466 votes)
Or, you could use almost all of your dying breath to call this story of friendship enduring from beyond the grave We Still Don’t Know the Name of the Flower We Saw that Day.
4. Kuroko’s Basketball (525 votes)
Women’s number-two pick got a lukewarm response from guys, but still finishes high on the list.
3. Angel Beats!(538 votes)
While there’s a lot of unpleasantness involved in this anime’s extra-violent vision of purgatory, it also presents the promise of having unlimited time to make friends and find redemption in the world beyond, both nice things to believe in should you be dying before your time.
2. Gintama (698 votes)
Plenty of women in the poll would like to go out with a laugh, as they made this comedic alternate history samurai story their top pick with 541 votes.
1. Clannad (746 votes)
Considering that each and every character in Clannad has a tragic backstory (even the recurring stray cat), this might seem like a bit of a downer. Still, the way this series puts the value of a loving family into crystal-clear focus (showing how painful it is when members of said family die for vaguely defined reasons) does make it a great choice for those seeking a little catharsis in their final moments.
Plus, if you don’t mind us spoiling the ending, Clannad is also the perfect anime for those hoping that if they wish really hard, they can reset their lives with the cause of their death magically cured.
Source: Charapedia via Jin

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