5 Favourite Anime Girls

Here's a loose collection of some anime girls I like the most, for various reasons. It's not a definitive list by any means, but I wanted to share some love for some inspirational, amusing, and adorable (fictional) girls.

1. Sakura Kinomoto (Cardcaptor Sakura)

I loved Sakura because she reminded me of myself (but like, a way cooler version). She had this tomboyishness that I clung onto as a kid because as a tomboy I felt somewhat alienated. She wore some very frilly outfits, but she had a tough attitude which I admired. Sakura was really smart and kind and represented everything I wanted to be. She was amazing. And Yuki/Julian (gotta love that localisation) was cute.

2. Mirai Kuriyama (Kyoukai No Kanata)

I wasn't a big fan of this anime series, but Mirai as a character really stood out to me and I liked her. She's powerfully cute and quiet in a way that kinda makes her seem stoic and invincible. She's also a wearer of some pretty nice glasses, one of my preferred mushroomy hairstyles, and a big, beige cardigan. Cardigan club 4ever.

3. Futoba Yoshioka (Ao Haru Ride)

Futaba to me is a strange character for a shoujo, will-they-won't-they anime in that she is quite assertive and sure of her morals. Her smartness and selflessness kept me watching through a narrative of boy-is-mean-to-girl that I otherwise wouldn't have been able to stand. She seems to systematically analyse all her emotional and social situations in a way that allows her to have a great logical focus and understanding of what's going on. That's pretty admirable as I definitely could have used that ability when I was at school. She also has those great big shiny eyes and her expressions when annoyed are the best.

Another great character from Ao Haru Ride is Yuuri, Futaba's friend and similarly kind girl. Yuuri is a more delicate and shy type, but is confident in who she is and what she believes in. They're a great duo.

4. Touko Fukawa/Genocider Syo (Dangan Ronpa)

Fukawa is a very shy bookworm type with a split personality. Her alter ego is a cackling serial murderer. She's not a very likeable character, but she provides some of Dangan Ronpa's best comic relief. I love her long, dark school uniform and similarly long plaits. Steal ten people's hair to copy this look.

5. Hana (Wolf Children)

Hana is the only character on this list who isn't a schoolgirl, so maybe I should have called this blog post "4 Favourite Anime Girls & 1 Favourite Anime Woman" but that doesn't have quite the same ring to it. Wolf Children is a slice of life style anime film which follows Hana and her two werewolf children. It is beautiful and lovely, but also pretty heartbreaking.

Hana faces some really tough and horrible stuff, but she perseveres through all of it and most of the film shows her trying really, really hard to do everything she needs to do in a uniquely difficult motherhood situation. Her courage is pretty inspiring. She also manages to make practical waterproof jackets look very cute, so kudos for that.