Messofanego
Banned
The dumb reserving post practice was prohibited for the new GOTY voting thread but I guess anime voting isn't as official so mods/voting officiators don't want to enforce it?
NeoGAF Anime of the Year 2015 - Voting Thread
- Thread starter Qurupeke
- Start date
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PshycoNinja
Member
I probably will and most won't click. I haven't posted in a while and I think most people think of me as the "KEY guy" and probably think my taste is crap anyways. Hahaha.
Moral Panic
Member
First page best page. Often I want to go back through the years to see what I wrote for previous years and it's so much easier if you are on the first / second page.
hosannainexcelsis
Member
Or you could search the thread for posts you made (or save your post content offline).
OniBarubary
Banned
As a preface, while I agree this wasnt a stellar year and that a lot of my choices arent AMAZING or 10/10 anime Id have trouble calling it a bad year also. I watched a lot of anime this year, a veritable truck-load, and while a ton of them I didnt even consider for an honorable mention I still watched and found them enjoyable like a Cavalry or Ore Monogatari or Assass Class or Jitsu wa. There were a lot of shows I dont regret watching at all that I found quite fun. So while my list is composed mainly of hey, this show was pretty good seeing as there were very few ASTONISHING BEST ANIME EVER shows I think this was a very solid year and one I found a lot of good shows to enjoy.
No pictures cause I wrote a lot about them and dont wanna clog the thread further.
Enough with the preamble, onto my shit taste.
1. One Punch Man
This show. I dont think I can say anything that others havent already said. The humor, the fights, the animation. Tres magnifique. Id probably say there wasnt a show I looked forward to more each coming week than this one. I wont drone on about this when others will champion it as well so lets just say its a fucking great show and leave it at that.
Also itd just get on the list so I dont have to buy salt for like a decade.
2. My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU S2
I fucking love SNAFU. And while a lot of people may not have liked the turn from most of the comedy into a straight drama this season Id argue that the show was always a drama that just happened to be funny too. But the time for funny has passed and the time for shit to get real is now and boy oh fucking boy does shit get real as fuck.
I find it hard to watch so many anime dramas and romance dramas (because at the end of the day, that is KINDA what this is) because so many of them falter on the execution.
Anime has trouble doing subtle for the most part in this genre and a lot of situations and problems seem to arise due to contrivances, plot elongation or characters acting like straight up idiots even if it isnt in line with how they normally act. I often find myself loving dramas and such but never aligning with a lot of the shows people like or champion in that genre. I find few that I enjoy despite enjoying the ones I do like an exorbitant amount.
Not this one. Not this drama. The characters are excellent. Their reasoning, their problems, their lives are complex and strong; they push the show forward. Even the side characters are people of their own, their own problems and hang-ups and issues. Hachiman is a fantastic lead to get into the head of to see everyones lives reflected across him. His relationship with Yukino and Yui. His combative antagonistic relationship with Hayato and WHY they can never see eye to eye (and Hayatos hidden, dark depth). In this season, the situation with Hina and Kakeru and their group of friends and its mirror to his own situation and the tragicness of Hinas statements. The drama in this, while definitely overdone and fluffed up for the entertainment of an anime still hits so hard and so REAL. Those intimate moments with Sensei.
And one of the most powerfully emotional scenes this year, wonderfully animated and directed, where the build up of two seasons comes to a head and Hachiman breaks down and oh god Im fucking tearing up just thinking about it. Just him not letting Yui or Yukino or himself run from it anymore. The build as he asks them for help and Yui says he should handle it himself, Yukino trying desperately to stop them from always taking everything onto themselves by themselves, their arguing about keeping up appearances and never asking or telling each other what they really felt and just maintaining their fractured relationship, Hachiman saying that no one is guaranteed to ever understand you even if you say everything, Hachimans face scrunching up as it takes going against everything hes ever been or believed to admit to them how he really feels, Yui and Yukinos slow dawning realization and shock as they see him trying to overcome the fear of admitting what he wants, capped off by the swell of the music as he says I want something real is just beautiful. Its perfect.
There are of course faults with the show, from some unnecessary side characters that do little to enhance or move the plot, and the student council thing dragging about one episode too long. But even the subtle ending from Yui where everything isnt solved but its a start works. Its just a wonderful and deeply emotional show. I cannot lavish enough praise on this show and this season was just as strong as the first with a different focus.
I love this anime. Also, itd get on the list just from Hachiman getting Sensei to blush. Get in, motherfucker, GET IN.
3. Gundam: Iron-blooded Orphans
This has to be the best Gundam in YEARS. It has WAY more mature storytelling than I was expecting and a subtlety in its design that is executed incredibly well. Orga and Mika are complex, fleshed out and evolving characters surrounded by a cast of well done and interesting side bros and hoes. The plot is standard but handled with expert hands and directed with a weight to it that youd think Gundam would excel at, being about child soldiers and all, but rarely ever hits the mark on.
The weight of certain scenes and the emotions that it strikes are spot on almost all the time. I have rarely seen a show with so few missteps in regards to its characterization or plotpoints. For a Gundam show its mostly talking and still shots and if anything this enhances the action and how brutal it is by making it harsh and fast like real war. Even in episodes that were nothing but the crew interacting you get great builds and drawn into the relationships between the kids. And when the action happens the violence is striking and cruel and only helps drive home the point the show is making to you.
What situates this show in its spot is that it is an absolutely fantastic show with not a single bad episode, but due to still having another 13 episodes to go a lot of the characters havent gotten their fleshing out and a lot of the plot hasnt moved forward. Which is fine, and not a strike against the pacing, but just that taken on the merits of what it has shown us and not what might be it is still an incredibly good show with characters that seem flat still. My only negative is that Im not really a fan of a lot of the mech designs in the show. Dunno why. Also itd get on the list just for the last scene from this year, TAKE THAT ATRA YOU STUPID KID.
If people can put Shirobako on their lists, I can put this yo (Heavy Object too, now that I think about it).
4. Rokka: Braves of the Six Flowers
Ha ha, what a turn-around this show had. I went into it the same way I went into Cavalry or Asterisk War or any number of Light Novel shows with made up lands and complicated naming structures and silly magic and wait what the fuck it turned into a locked room mystery? Ha ha holy shit what?
While it had an interesting setting and world, though nothing ground-breaking or anything (except for the Aztec motif which was really well done and neat), the complete genre turnover is what really made this show such a delight. I absolutely love when genres tackle things theyre not known for (like a goblin divorce drama or whatever). Not only that but it was actually played pretty smart with a diverse and interesting cast of 7 fashion abortions. Im kidding, I actually liked a lot of the designs which outs me as having no actual taste in anything good.
Adlet turns from an annoying self-promotion box into an intriguing character at the drop of a dime due to a unique and intelligent fighting style and just being a smart and tactical guy. Hes a really enjoyable lead to follow and watching him interact with the cast, who are all (mostly) strong characters in their own right, was a delight. Him puzzling out the mystery and solving the case was a really strong aspect that kept me watching. The fight scenes were well animated (mostly) and utilized a number of interesting power sets thanks to the diverse cast that made each one different in its own way. Im still an 8th grader at heart apparently because I love weird magical rules and powers and worlds like they set up in this show.
The end, while good, had a couple points that couldve been foreshadowed or better explained earlier but it wasnt enough to take me out of it. What was an atrocity was that the end it on a BUY THE LIGHT NOVEL hook and I fucking hate that. It also had a couple missteps where Adlet acts a bit out of character for being such a smart dude but he quickly recovers. The show itself up to that point was just very very good with good to great characters, decent fights and a bottle of intrigue to string you along to each new plot point and episode. Also it would get on the list just from the stupid bunny headband Nashatanya wears. That thing confused the fuck out of me for like 4 episodes.
5. Food Wars!
Just a really good adaptation of the manga and since the manga is great to begin with the anime was too! Nice and easy!
The strengths are easily the characters and reactions to dishes. As well as the animation quality of those reactions and dishes! Art quality? Whatever it is. Colorful cast and hilarious situations and reactions. Dont really have much to say about this one to be honest. Its just a good show. Adapted well. Also itd get on the list just for this scene and the promise of more Jun x Hayama.
6. Heavy Object
This anime looked real dumb from the onset, and a lot of people will probably still agree with that, but I was very surprised by how much I liked this show. Its just a very solid anime war tactics show with likable characters and fun battles. I think it ranks where it does because each individual thing I enjoyed about it lifted it higher and higher until I stood back and looked and was like Huh. Theres a lot about this show to like.
While a lot of people hated the two main characters Havia and Qwenthur and their dialogue, even as vociferous and tryhard as some idiots might call it, I thought they were fairly unique and hilarious characters. And like I said before, when you laugh with characters you get invested in them, and though this show isnt remotely dark or heavy it still makes you root for them in the ridiculous and impossible situations you find them in. I loved these two guys, listening to them complain and rattle off these lengthy comparisons or jokes at each other was just great to listen to.
The combat in this was good and utilized what I like to think of as anime tactics where they say a lot of technical stuff and it sounds good so you dont think about it but doesnt ever hold up if you actually look into it a bit. Which, to be frank, is fine for shows like this. Its also not as bad about it as a lot of other I read Wikipedia once shows that come along as some of it is actually smart or viable and the rest is fine in a universe where giant balls fight proxy wars.
It maintained tension all throughout as you wondered how Qwenthur would puzzle his way out of the latest in a line of overwhelming odds and made you laugh at the after-effects of all their accidental heroism.
Id say what brought it down a bunch was that these two steal the show and while Frolatayia is a decent character who gets better as the show goes on instead of just being a walking pair of tits and stockings (that the camera loves to caress) the Princess of Baby Magnum is just boring, unnecessarily young and completely fanservice pandering to loli-philes. Shes just not a good character and is remarkably dull. She gains a bit more personality later on, but its all based around wanting Qwenthurs dick despite being 14 which makes the belt tightening, sweaty stripping and flute vibration cumming scenes all the more awkward. The turnaround in the pole dancing scene was a nice touch though, laughed pretty hard at that. Looking forward to the next set of episodes. Also it would get on the list just from me shipping Qwenthur and Frolatayia together (which is how God intended it).
7. Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon?
The MMORPG but its totally real setting has now been done entirely to death but a lot of shows keep putting neat spins on it that hasnt put it in the ground yet: Log Horizon, Overlord and Dungeons. Dungeons doesnt do anything PARTICULARLY unique or trend setting in this regard but it plays more to the fantasy than the RPG elements, utilizing them instead as a way to frame the world because nobody is trapped in this fantasy land, thats just the rules. So it utilizes the numbers game to set its characters in place and create the drama, tension and story from there. Nothing amazingly creative but a perfectly serviceable world set-up.
The rest plays out as mostly just a really good fantasy anime. It still hits some tropes and such (all the girls love Bell, his patron goddess is young looking with a rack for days [Im so ashamed that I fucking love Hestia]) but what makes this so engaging to watch is the build. From the start you get Bells idolization and shame of being saved by Aiz which lends you the standard I wanna get stronger that carries with it a subtle, dangerous tinge to it that Hestia picks up on. As each episode goes by it builds more and more on him getting stronger, Hestias fear of it and the shame he feels until it comes to a glorious climax in what has to be one of the best fight scenes in an anime this year and probably in many years. Not just from an animated standpoint, because the fights are where almost all the budget went (other than Hestias tits) but because it comes from literally EVERYTHING the anime was building up to. His fight with the minotaur is absolutely perfect, an overcoming of his trauma, an emotional catharsis and his last hope to see a future where he can stand by Aiz as an equal. The raw emotion in this scene is a testament to the incredible animation in his fighting style and attacks, his desperation and facial animations and the great voice acting. The fight is also surprisingly violent which besides being a nice change from a lot of fights in mostly shonen-esque fighto anime really drives home the themes for the fight. After the fight I immediately clicked back and watched it again. Probably twice.
What drags the show down and doesnt let this place higher is that the climactic fight happens in episode 8. While the rest of the episodes arent bad, and the ones leading up to them werent either since they werent just empty episodes promising later pay-offs, they never reach that incredibleness of Episode 8. Much of the tension falls afterwards and it starts playing a little too much into your standard chosen one fantasy fare. Bell also loses a lot of his edge and character afterwards which made him stand out from typical leads. Its still a fun watch but its a jarring difference in quality from such a drastic high. Theres also a lot of fan service that draws it down, lingering on Hestia and awkward poses and whatnot. Also if the rest of the series was garbage it would get on the list at 10 for that minotaur fight scene alone.
8. Everyday Life With Monster Girls
This show had no right to be as good as it was. Its an incredibly solid adaptation of the manga and the only way I can describe this show is just really fun. Its silly and dumb and haremy and ecchi and all of these things that are so played out and not unique nowadays made entertaining as hell to watch because of 1. The monster girl spin and 2. How earnest and dedicated it is to its premise and just being what it is. Its pretty much entirely a surface level stupid romp. Therere no deep meanings, complicated characters or relationships; its all about monster girls and accidental boobs. They dont try to overextend their reach.
But theres something just so insanely charming about this anime that I have trouble putting into words. I dunno. I was eagerly looking forward to each new episode the whole time and thats a weird thing for such a random ecchi show. I dont have anything more explanatory or illuminating, I just loved watching this show. The characters just grow on you and worm their way into your heart. Also it would get on the list because of Rachnee best girl.
9. Punch Line
What a weird, wild ride. This show was so goddam bizarre but executed a tactic that I think a lot of really really good anime/manga do that happens to work very well for this medium; it makes you laugh at and with the characters and builds your relationship up with them by being funny so that when the story beats hit and shit gets serious you are fully invested in them and emotionally affected. I dont consider this to be a drastic shift in tone because a lot of these shows often foreshadow or hint at the heavier elements early on and Punch Line is no exception.
The story is intricate and complicated and silly but I ranked it because while maintaining a very strong humor throughout the plot was actually very well thought out and thorough and even quite emotional towards the end there. The reveals and twists were quite intriguing and not for shock value or cheap. I liked all the characters quite a bit, especially Yuta, Ito and Rabura. It also wins points for having a very good representation of trans characters ( sorta, considering the odd nature of the souls and possession and whatnot. Still, even with that in the back of the mind the way it handles it during the show is well done).
Show hit a lot of emotions for me while having frenetic action that was enjoyable to watch. Also it would get on the list just based on that squid pajama suit. Seriously, if someone could make me one of those squid hoodie/pajama pants suits from this show Id pay fucking 500 dollars for it. No joke. Hit me up.
10. Death Parade
This show places almost entirely on the strength of its premise and episodic situations. When the show focused on being mysterious and playing the games it was at its best with only hints of the behind the scenes working to really bring out the strength of the show. Sometimes though you dont need to see the man behind the curtain and have him explain how the trick works. While the intrigue that went on with the bartenders and people running things had a decent start with the second episode bringing up the flaws of the system from the first episode, it started to delve too much into it and ignore the stronger part of the show which was the games and character interactions around them. It ended strong and in a satisfying way as in the end the girls story was just another one in the chain we had seen and it solidified the general thrust of the show very well.
I think Im ranking it low (within the 10 I chose) because while Id certainly say it was executed well and enjoyable throughout, the plot with the afterlife dragged the show down and the highs were more consistent goods than full of really great heights. Also it would get on the list just from that OP though, I mean damn.
Now for the honorable mentions, where I promise to be concise and not drown you in words.
DRRRRRRR S2 More DRRRRRRRRR is always a good thing but it didnt hit me as strongly as the first season which would easily be at the top 3 of my list of that year. Shizuo still da gawd and Celty needs to drop that fucking awful scientist character and fuck a real man. Like Shizuo.
Yatterman Night A fantastic and interesting take on an old franchise, which was really good up until the last episode which was almost bad enough to fucking destroy any good will I had towards the show. What the fuck was that? Its the Mass Effect 3 ending of anime.
Yuri Kuma Arashi Really fun and good show about BEEEEAAAARRRRRSSSSSS with some heavy and obvious but still good symbolism (almost dare I say Kafka-esque?) but I still liked Penguindrum WAY more. God Penguindrum was great. A bit hurt by it being relatively shallow outside the symbolism.
Kekkai Sensen Super interesting setting and characters and powers and GOD THIS PACING IS SO FUCKING BAD and then you have to wait a thousand years for the last episode which was just a mess and the plot was all over the place and argh such squandered potential. Still a fun watch.
Gangsta Fun and brutal show with a deaf main character which is fucking sick, ruined by QUALITY and pacing and puttering out and their walking tit character getting very little to do which was unfortunate.
GATE Wouldve gotten on the list if they hadnt chopped it into pieces which made everything feel super rushed as well as taking out all the violence in a fucking show about WAR which really ruined a lot of the feeling of the show. Still decent as it was but coming from a manga that executed it all so much better it seemed kinda pointless.
Jitsu wa Watashi wa Mediocre adaptation that lost a lot of the charm of the manga. Since the manga is one of the most charming manga ever in the history of the world ever and is fucking hysterical even a dampened down version of it is a pretty fun ride.
Prison School First half being rushed really ruined the flow of the show but the rest made up for it. Hana best girl. Not much reason to watch if you read the manga.
Noragami Super inconsistent show with great characters and good fights but sometimes its just a fucking drag to watch and the longest arc in the season was with the dumbest character. I like this show a lot but it has some huge flaws.
Overlord The best show about nothing happening for 12 episodes. Awesome concept and tone which is a lot harsher and pragmatic than most fantasy. Best skeleton MC, would bone.
Plastic Memories Very emotional show and kept to its guns which was nice but I found myself tuning out a lot of episodes because they seemed to repeat a lot of stuff as if the viewer wasnt smart enough to get what they were going for. Good ending though.
Maria the Virgin Witch - not sure why this isnt on the list actually. Great adaptation. Angels are dicks.
Shimoneta Funny as hell show and nice for a show to have a bit more adult humor, but it was hurt by some really awful characters and inconsistent characterization as well as some shit just happening and no one says boo about it (YOU SAID YOU LOVED HER WHY IS EVERYBODY NO SELLING THIS AND NOBODY BRINGS IT UP AGAIN AND WHY DONT YOU FUCK HOLY SHIT) but raised by the better characters like scientist girl and Anna who is the best part of the show. RIP Annas VA, you MADE that part yours. So unfortunate.
Im sure as per usual Ive forgotten a lot of good ones to mention and Im positive theres at least one that wouldve made it onto my list if I had anything resembling a functional memory. Oh well.
And thats all she wrote. If you actually read all that, congrats! You win my eternal love and possibly a Miia body pillow.
No pictures cause I wrote a lot about them and dont wanna clog the thread further.
Enough with the preamble, onto my shit taste.
1. One Punch Man
This show. I dont think I can say anything that others havent already said. The humor, the fights, the animation. Tres magnifique. Id probably say there wasnt a show I looked forward to more each coming week than this one. I wont drone on about this when others will champion it as well so lets just say its a fucking great show and leave it at that.
Also itd just get on the list so I dont have to buy salt for like a decade.
2. My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU S2
I fucking love SNAFU. And while a lot of people may not have liked the turn from most of the comedy into a straight drama this season Id argue that the show was always a drama that just happened to be funny too. But the time for funny has passed and the time for shit to get real is now and boy oh fucking boy does shit get real as fuck.
I find it hard to watch so many anime dramas and romance dramas (because at the end of the day, that is KINDA what this is) because so many of them falter on the execution.
Anime has trouble doing subtle for the most part in this genre and a lot of situations and problems seem to arise due to contrivances, plot elongation or characters acting like straight up idiots even if it isnt in line with how they normally act. I often find myself loving dramas and such but never aligning with a lot of the shows people like or champion in that genre. I find few that I enjoy despite enjoying the ones I do like an exorbitant amount.
Not this one. Not this drama. The characters are excellent. Their reasoning, their problems, their lives are complex and strong; they push the show forward. Even the side characters are people of their own, their own problems and hang-ups and issues. Hachiman is a fantastic lead to get into the head of to see everyones lives reflected across him. His relationship with Yukino and Yui. His combative antagonistic relationship with Hayato and WHY they can never see eye to eye (and Hayatos hidden, dark depth). In this season, the situation with Hina and Kakeru and their group of friends and its mirror to his own situation and the tragicness of Hinas statements. The drama in this, while definitely overdone and fluffed up for the entertainment of an anime still hits so hard and so REAL. Those intimate moments with Sensei.
And one of the most powerfully emotional scenes this year, wonderfully animated and directed, where the build up of two seasons comes to a head and Hachiman breaks down and oh god Im fucking tearing up just thinking about it. Just him not letting Yui or Yukino or himself run from it anymore. The build as he asks them for help and Yui says he should handle it himself, Yukino trying desperately to stop them from always taking everything onto themselves by themselves, their arguing about keeping up appearances and never asking or telling each other what they really felt and just maintaining their fractured relationship, Hachiman saying that no one is guaranteed to ever understand you even if you say everything, Hachimans face scrunching up as it takes going against everything hes ever been or believed to admit to them how he really feels, Yui and Yukinos slow dawning realization and shock as they see him trying to overcome the fear of admitting what he wants, capped off by the swell of the music as he says I want something real is just beautiful. Its perfect.
There are of course faults with the show, from some unnecessary side characters that do little to enhance or move the plot, and the student council thing dragging about one episode too long. But even the subtle ending from Yui where everything isnt solved but its a start works. Its just a wonderful and deeply emotional show. I cannot lavish enough praise on this show and this season was just as strong as the first with a different focus.
I love this anime. Also, itd get on the list just from Hachiman getting Sensei to blush. Get in, motherfucker, GET IN.
3. Gundam: Iron-blooded Orphans
This has to be the best Gundam in YEARS. It has WAY more mature storytelling than I was expecting and a subtlety in its design that is executed incredibly well. Orga and Mika are complex, fleshed out and evolving characters surrounded by a cast of well done and interesting side bros and hoes. The plot is standard but handled with expert hands and directed with a weight to it that youd think Gundam would excel at, being about child soldiers and all, but rarely ever hits the mark on.
The weight of certain scenes and the emotions that it strikes are spot on almost all the time. I have rarely seen a show with so few missteps in regards to its characterization or plotpoints. For a Gundam show its mostly talking and still shots and if anything this enhances the action and how brutal it is by making it harsh and fast like real war. Even in episodes that were nothing but the crew interacting you get great builds and drawn into the relationships between the kids. And when the action happens the violence is striking and cruel and only helps drive home the point the show is making to you.
What situates this show in its spot is that it is an absolutely fantastic show with not a single bad episode, but due to still having another 13 episodes to go a lot of the characters havent gotten their fleshing out and a lot of the plot hasnt moved forward. Which is fine, and not a strike against the pacing, but just that taken on the merits of what it has shown us and not what might be it is still an incredibly good show with characters that seem flat still. My only negative is that Im not really a fan of a lot of the mech designs in the show. Dunno why. Also itd get on the list just for the last scene from this year, TAKE THAT ATRA YOU STUPID KID.
If people can put Shirobako on their lists, I can put this yo (Heavy Object too, now that I think about it).
4. Rokka: Braves of the Six Flowers
Ha ha, what a turn-around this show had. I went into it the same way I went into Cavalry or Asterisk War or any number of Light Novel shows with made up lands and complicated naming structures and silly magic and wait what the fuck it turned into a locked room mystery? Ha ha holy shit what?
While it had an interesting setting and world, though nothing ground-breaking or anything (except for the Aztec motif which was really well done and neat), the complete genre turnover is what really made this show such a delight. I absolutely love when genres tackle things theyre not known for (like a goblin divorce drama or whatever). Not only that but it was actually played pretty smart with a diverse and interesting cast of 7 fashion abortions. Im kidding, I actually liked a lot of the designs which outs me as having no actual taste in anything good.
Adlet turns from an annoying self-promotion box into an intriguing character at the drop of a dime due to a unique and intelligent fighting style and just being a smart and tactical guy. Hes a really enjoyable lead to follow and watching him interact with the cast, who are all (mostly) strong characters in their own right, was a delight. Him puzzling out the mystery and solving the case was a really strong aspect that kept me watching. The fight scenes were well animated (mostly) and utilized a number of interesting power sets thanks to the diverse cast that made each one different in its own way. Im still an 8th grader at heart apparently because I love weird magical rules and powers and worlds like they set up in this show.
The end, while good, had a couple points that couldve been foreshadowed or better explained earlier but it wasnt enough to take me out of it. What was an atrocity was that the end it on a BUY THE LIGHT NOVEL hook and I fucking hate that. It also had a couple missteps where Adlet acts a bit out of character for being such a smart dude but he quickly recovers. The show itself up to that point was just very very good with good to great characters, decent fights and a bottle of intrigue to string you along to each new plot point and episode. Also it would get on the list just from the stupid bunny headband Nashatanya wears. That thing confused the fuck out of me for like 4 episodes.
5. Food Wars!
Just a really good adaptation of the manga and since the manga is great to begin with the anime was too! Nice and easy!
The strengths are easily the characters and reactions to dishes. As well as the animation quality of those reactions and dishes! Art quality? Whatever it is. Colorful cast and hilarious situations and reactions. Dont really have much to say about this one to be honest. Its just a good show. Adapted well. Also itd get on the list just for this scene and the promise of more Jun x Hayama.
6. Heavy Object
This anime looked real dumb from the onset, and a lot of people will probably still agree with that, but I was very surprised by how much I liked this show. Its just a very solid anime war tactics show with likable characters and fun battles. I think it ranks where it does because each individual thing I enjoyed about it lifted it higher and higher until I stood back and looked and was like Huh. Theres a lot about this show to like.
While a lot of people hated the two main characters Havia and Qwenthur and their dialogue, even as vociferous and tryhard as some idiots might call it, I thought they were fairly unique and hilarious characters. And like I said before, when you laugh with characters you get invested in them, and though this show isnt remotely dark or heavy it still makes you root for them in the ridiculous and impossible situations you find them in. I loved these two guys, listening to them complain and rattle off these lengthy comparisons or jokes at each other was just great to listen to.
The combat in this was good and utilized what I like to think of as anime tactics where they say a lot of technical stuff and it sounds good so you dont think about it but doesnt ever hold up if you actually look into it a bit. Which, to be frank, is fine for shows like this. Its also not as bad about it as a lot of other I read Wikipedia once shows that come along as some of it is actually smart or viable and the rest is fine in a universe where giant balls fight proxy wars.
It maintained tension all throughout as you wondered how Qwenthur would puzzle his way out of the latest in a line of overwhelming odds and made you laugh at the after-effects of all their accidental heroism.
Id say what brought it down a bunch was that these two steal the show and while Frolatayia is a decent character who gets better as the show goes on instead of just being a walking pair of tits and stockings (that the camera loves to caress) the Princess of Baby Magnum is just boring, unnecessarily young and completely fanservice pandering to loli-philes. Shes just not a good character and is remarkably dull. She gains a bit more personality later on, but its all based around wanting Qwenthurs dick despite being 14 which makes the belt tightening, sweaty stripping and flute vibration cumming scenes all the more awkward. The turnaround in the pole dancing scene was a nice touch though, laughed pretty hard at that. Looking forward to the next set of episodes. Also it would get on the list just from me shipping Qwenthur and Frolatayia together (which is how God intended it).
7. Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon?
The MMORPG but its totally real setting has now been done entirely to death but a lot of shows keep putting neat spins on it that hasnt put it in the ground yet: Log Horizon, Overlord and Dungeons. Dungeons doesnt do anything PARTICULARLY unique or trend setting in this regard but it plays more to the fantasy than the RPG elements, utilizing them instead as a way to frame the world because nobody is trapped in this fantasy land, thats just the rules. So it utilizes the numbers game to set its characters in place and create the drama, tension and story from there. Nothing amazingly creative but a perfectly serviceable world set-up.
The rest plays out as mostly just a really good fantasy anime. It still hits some tropes and such (all the girls love Bell, his patron goddess is young looking with a rack for days [Im so ashamed that I fucking love Hestia]) but what makes this so engaging to watch is the build. From the start you get Bells idolization and shame of being saved by Aiz which lends you the standard I wanna get stronger that carries with it a subtle, dangerous tinge to it that Hestia picks up on. As each episode goes by it builds more and more on him getting stronger, Hestias fear of it and the shame he feels until it comes to a glorious climax in what has to be one of the best fight scenes in an anime this year and probably in many years. Not just from an animated standpoint, because the fights are where almost all the budget went (other than Hestias tits) but because it comes from literally EVERYTHING the anime was building up to. His fight with the minotaur is absolutely perfect, an overcoming of his trauma, an emotional catharsis and his last hope to see a future where he can stand by Aiz as an equal. The raw emotion in this scene is a testament to the incredible animation in his fighting style and attacks, his desperation and facial animations and the great voice acting. The fight is also surprisingly violent which besides being a nice change from a lot of fights in mostly shonen-esque fighto anime really drives home the themes for the fight. After the fight I immediately clicked back and watched it again. Probably twice.
What drags the show down and doesnt let this place higher is that the climactic fight happens in episode 8. While the rest of the episodes arent bad, and the ones leading up to them werent either since they werent just empty episodes promising later pay-offs, they never reach that incredibleness of Episode 8. Much of the tension falls afterwards and it starts playing a little too much into your standard chosen one fantasy fare. Bell also loses a lot of his edge and character afterwards which made him stand out from typical leads. Its still a fun watch but its a jarring difference in quality from such a drastic high. Theres also a lot of fan service that draws it down, lingering on Hestia and awkward poses and whatnot. Also if the rest of the series was garbage it would get on the list at 10 for that minotaur fight scene alone.
8. Everyday Life With Monster Girls
This show had no right to be as good as it was. Its an incredibly solid adaptation of the manga and the only way I can describe this show is just really fun. Its silly and dumb and haremy and ecchi and all of these things that are so played out and not unique nowadays made entertaining as hell to watch because of 1. The monster girl spin and 2. How earnest and dedicated it is to its premise and just being what it is. Its pretty much entirely a surface level stupid romp. Therere no deep meanings, complicated characters or relationships; its all about monster girls and accidental boobs. They dont try to overextend their reach.
But theres something just so insanely charming about this anime that I have trouble putting into words. I dunno. I was eagerly looking forward to each new episode the whole time and thats a weird thing for such a random ecchi show. I dont have anything more explanatory or illuminating, I just loved watching this show. The characters just grow on you and worm their way into your heart. Also it would get on the list because of Rachnee best girl.
9. Punch Line
What a weird, wild ride. This show was so goddam bizarre but executed a tactic that I think a lot of really really good anime/manga do that happens to work very well for this medium; it makes you laugh at and with the characters and builds your relationship up with them by being funny so that when the story beats hit and shit gets serious you are fully invested in them and emotionally affected. I dont consider this to be a drastic shift in tone because a lot of these shows often foreshadow or hint at the heavier elements early on and Punch Line is no exception.
The story is intricate and complicated and silly but I ranked it because while maintaining a very strong humor throughout the plot was actually very well thought out and thorough and even quite emotional towards the end there. The reveals and twists were quite intriguing and not for shock value or cheap. I liked all the characters quite a bit, especially Yuta, Ito and Rabura. It also wins points for having a very good representation of trans characters ( sorta, considering the odd nature of the souls and possession and whatnot. Still, even with that in the back of the mind the way it handles it during the show is well done).
Show hit a lot of emotions for me while having frenetic action that was enjoyable to watch. Also it would get on the list just based on that squid pajama suit. Seriously, if someone could make me one of those squid hoodie/pajama pants suits from this show Id pay fucking 500 dollars for it. No joke. Hit me up.
10. Death Parade
This show places almost entirely on the strength of its premise and episodic situations. When the show focused on being mysterious and playing the games it was at its best with only hints of the behind the scenes working to really bring out the strength of the show. Sometimes though you dont need to see the man behind the curtain and have him explain how the trick works. While the intrigue that went on with the bartenders and people running things had a decent start with the second episode bringing up the flaws of the system from the first episode, it started to delve too much into it and ignore the stronger part of the show which was the games and character interactions around them. It ended strong and in a satisfying way as in the end the girls story was just another one in the chain we had seen and it solidified the general thrust of the show very well.
I think Im ranking it low (within the 10 I chose) because while Id certainly say it was executed well and enjoyable throughout, the plot with the afterlife dragged the show down and the highs were more consistent goods than full of really great heights. Also it would get on the list just from that OP though, I mean damn.
Now for the honorable mentions, where I promise to be concise and not drown you in words.
DRRRRRRR S2 More DRRRRRRRRR is always a good thing but it didnt hit me as strongly as the first season which would easily be at the top 3 of my list of that year. Shizuo still da gawd and Celty needs to drop that fucking awful scientist character and fuck a real man. Like Shizuo.
Yatterman Night A fantastic and interesting take on an old franchise, which was really good up until the last episode which was almost bad enough to fucking destroy any good will I had towards the show. What the fuck was that? Its the Mass Effect 3 ending of anime.
Yuri Kuma Arashi Really fun and good show about BEEEEAAAARRRRRSSSSSS with some heavy and obvious but still good symbolism (almost dare I say Kafka-esque?) but I still liked Penguindrum WAY more. God Penguindrum was great. A bit hurt by it being relatively shallow outside the symbolism.
Kekkai Sensen Super interesting setting and characters and powers and GOD THIS PACING IS SO FUCKING BAD and then you have to wait a thousand years for the last episode which was just a mess and the plot was all over the place and argh such squandered potential. Still a fun watch.
Gangsta Fun and brutal show with a deaf main character which is fucking sick, ruined by QUALITY and pacing and puttering out and their walking tit character getting very little to do which was unfortunate.
GATE Wouldve gotten on the list if they hadnt chopped it into pieces which made everything feel super rushed as well as taking out all the violence in a fucking show about WAR which really ruined a lot of the feeling of the show. Still decent as it was but coming from a manga that executed it all so much better it seemed kinda pointless.
Jitsu wa Watashi wa Mediocre adaptation that lost a lot of the charm of the manga. Since the manga is one of the most charming manga ever in the history of the world ever and is fucking hysterical even a dampened down version of it is a pretty fun ride.
Prison School First half being rushed really ruined the flow of the show but the rest made up for it. Hana best girl. Not much reason to watch if you read the manga.
Noragami Super inconsistent show with great characters and good fights but sometimes its just a fucking drag to watch and the longest arc in the season was with the dumbest character. I like this show a lot but it has some huge flaws.
Overlord The best show about nothing happening for 12 episodes. Awesome concept and tone which is a lot harsher and pragmatic than most fantasy. Best skeleton MC, would bone.
Plastic Memories Very emotional show and kept to its guns which was nice but I found myself tuning out a lot of episodes because they seemed to repeat a lot of stuff as if the viewer wasnt smart enough to get what they were going for. Good ending though.
Maria the Virgin Witch - not sure why this isnt on the list actually. Great adaptation. Angels are dicks.
Shimoneta Funny as hell show and nice for a show to have a bit more adult humor, but it was hurt by some really awful characters and inconsistent characterization as well as some shit just happening and no one says boo about it (YOU SAID YOU LOVED HER WHY IS EVERYBODY NO SELLING THIS AND NOBODY BRINGS IT UP AGAIN AND WHY DONT YOU FUCK HOLY SHIT) but raised by the better characters like scientist girl and Anna who is the best part of the show. RIP Annas VA, you MADE that part yours. So unfortunate.
Im sure as per usual Ive forgotten a lot of good ones to mention and Im positive theres at least one that wouldve made it onto my list if I had anything resembling a functional memory. Oh well.
And thats all she wrote. If you actually read all that, congrats! You win my eternal love and possibly a Miia body pillow.
Twin Tails
Member
Show
OVA/Film
1. Digimon Adventure tri; HOLY SHIT!!!
2. Psycho-Pass Movie; I liked it quite a bit, I also liked the engrish talk.
Honorable/DisHonorable Mentions
Gourmet Girl Graffiti; Nothing really happened in this. Show is just relaxing with a simple story. Liked it a lot.
Is the order a rabbit??; Fun show.
Story in Which I Was Kidnapped by a Young Lady's School to be a "Sample of the Common People"; Fun show, dumb story.
AntiMagic Academy 35th Test Platoon; It was pretty dumb at parts but had some good moments.
Comet Lucifer; Plain old trash.
The Asterisk War; GREAT ENDING SONG. That is about it.
Charlotte; Key trash once again.
My Wife is the Student Council President; I do give it props for just going "fuck it" on the ecchi.
False Love Season 2 ; THE dumb FACES ARE GREAT.
Triage X; Trash
Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works; Yawn with like 2 good great looking moments.
Plastic Memories; Much potential but ended up being terrible.
Kekkai Sensen; Much potential but ended up being decent at best.
The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan; Yuki sucks, Haruhi stoled show. Bad show.
Isuca; B A D
Aria of Curse for a Holy Swordsman; T U R D
The Testament of Sister New Devil; Y U C K
Tokyo Ghoul Root A; It could of been alright, but it was not.
- Yuri Bear Storm; I didn’t like it as much as Mawaru Penguindrum but I still think it was a fun weird show full of symbolisms that were fun to read about afterwards. It also oozes in style and had a great soundtrack. (CLICK HERE) for badass track.
- The Eden of Grisaia; I thought it was a pretty solid adaptation of the visual novel and captured a lot of the high points. Labyrinth was also great. Liked it very much. (Grisaia no Kajitsu anime is still terrible.)
- Cross Ange; This ended this year huh. A fantastic show that kept me coming back, I even dropped it initially and had to jump back in. If you want a good trainwreck then this will scratch that itch. Fun characters, Mechs, terrible fanservice, the works.
lol
- Sound Euphonium; Take away the blatant baiting and you have a pretty great high school band show.
- Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata; This is something that I should think is terrible, and it is, but I really liked it.
- My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU TOO! - I liked it.
- Braves of the Six Flowers; This was kinda terrible but I kinda enjoyed all of it.
- Absolute Duo; Out of all the terrible magic school anime that has aired this year, this is the only one that I actually liked. Also has some good ending music that I liked.
- Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya 2wei Herz!; It was okay.
- Re-Kan!; I actually thought this was alright. Budget fun.
OVA/Film
1. Digimon Adventure tri; HOLY SHIT!!!
2. Psycho-Pass Movie; I liked it quite a bit, I also liked the engrish talk.
Honorable/DisHonorable Mentions
Gourmet Girl Graffiti; Nothing really happened in this. Show is just relaxing with a simple story. Liked it a lot.
Is the order a rabbit??; Fun show.
Story in Which I Was Kidnapped by a Young Lady's School to be a "Sample of the Common People"; Fun show, dumb story.
AntiMagic Academy 35th Test Platoon; It was pretty dumb at parts but had some good moments.
Comet Lucifer; Plain old trash.
The Asterisk War; GREAT ENDING SONG. That is about it.
Charlotte; Key trash once again.
My Wife is the Student Council President; I do give it props for just going "fuck it" on the ecchi.
False Love Season 2 ; THE dumb FACES ARE GREAT.
Triage X; Trash
Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works; Yawn with like 2 good great looking moments.
Plastic Memories; Much potential but ended up being terrible.
Kekkai Sensen; Much potential but ended up being decent at best.
The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan; Yuki sucks, Haruhi stoled show. Bad show.
Isuca; B A D
Aria of Curse for a Holy Swordsman; T U R D
The Testament of Sister New Devil; Y U C K
Tokyo Ghoul Root A; It could of been alright, but it was not.
names2hard4you
Member
Bookmarks are also your best friend
Decided to put more effort in my list. Really happy with the Yuri Kuma mentions.
Gao gao~
1. JoJo's Bizzare Adventure Stardust Crusaders Egypt Arc; I don't really have a lot to say about this besides the fact that I loved it. The first half was my anime of the year last year so of course the even better second half was going to be my anime of the year this year.
2. Food Wars; A fantastic adaptation of one of my favourite ongoing manga series. Would have been my number one anime but they didn't animate the ping pong chapter and that's just not acceptable.
3. The Eden of Grisaia; I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the first season of this last year but I was even more surprised by how much more I enjoyed this one. Yuuji's story is a lot better than any of the girls stories from the first season. Ends on one of my favourite gags of the year as well.
4. One Punch Man; Fantastically good looking show let down by some dull gags and a not bad but not great story. Would be lower on my list but I really like some of the side characters and it's hard to deny it's the best animated show of the year.
5. Shimoneta: A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn't Exist; A super funny/lewd series. It's a shame the two main characters were the worst characters in it.
6. Mikagura School Suite; A fun series with a great main character but a pretty forgettable story.
7. Gourmet Girl Graffiti; A nice comfy slice of life about cooking and friends. Nothing amazing but I had a good time watching it.
8. The Case Files of Young Kindaichi Returns; Season 2 has been great so far. The Rozenkruz case was fantastic but otherwise not as good as season 1 yet. Still has more episodes to go so it'll probably make my list again next year,
9. Is the Order a Rabbit??; A nice slice of life. I liked season 1 a little more but still a good show and I hope it gets a third season.
10. Castle Town Dandelion; I probably like the concept better than the actual execution but still a fun show.
2. Food Wars; A fantastic adaptation of one of my favourite ongoing manga series. Would have been my number one anime but they didn't animate the ping pong chapter and that's just not acceptable.
3. The Eden of Grisaia; I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the first season of this last year but I was even more surprised by how much more I enjoyed this one. Yuuji's story is a lot better than any of the girls stories from the first season. Ends on one of my favourite gags of the year as well.
4. One Punch Man; Fantastically good looking show let down by some dull gags and a not bad but not great story. Would be lower on my list but I really like some of the side characters and it's hard to deny it's the best animated show of the year.
5. Shimoneta: A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn't Exist; A super funny/lewd series. It's a shame the two main characters were the worst characters in it.
6. Mikagura School Suite; A fun series with a great main character but a pretty forgettable story.
7. Gourmet Girl Graffiti; A nice comfy slice of life about cooking and friends. Nothing amazing but I had a good time watching it.
8. The Case Files of Young Kindaichi Returns; Season 2 has been great so far. The Rozenkruz case was fantastic but otherwise not as good as season 1 yet. Still has more episodes to go so it'll probably make my list again next year,
9. Is the Order a Rabbit??; A nice slice of life. I liked season 1 a little more but still a good show and I hope it gets a third season.
10. Castle Town Dandelion; I probably like the concept better than the actual execution but still a fun show.
I was about to scold you about putting Euphonium above Yuri Kuma
, but I know how you love music so I won't judge you brother bear. Gao gao~I was about to scold you about putting Euphonium above Yuri Kuma
I even wrote out my brief apology to Ikuhara-sama in my post.
Shabadadoo.
MetroidPrimeRib
Banned
Yuri Kuma probably would've gotten on my list if I didn't just watch Utena which made me realize Yuri Kuma could've been WAY better if it was 2 cour. Also individual episodes of Utena were better then all of Yuri Kuma ):
Oh well. I'll always remember the great lines from Yuri Kuma like "Gao gao, delicious smell" "I won't give up on love" and "Shabadadoo"
Oh well. I'll always remember the great lines from Yuri Kuma like "Gao gao, delicious smell" "I won't give up on love" and "Shabadadoo"
PshycoNinja
Member
Best Anime of the Year (for me):
Series:
Movies/OVA:
1. Digimon Adventures Tri; Oh man. My childhood is back and is looking great! This was such a joy to watch and had a great time with it!
2. Little Witch Acadamia: The Enchanted Parade; I watch this with a few AnimeGAF friends and had a wonderful time. The animation was awesome!
3. Working!!! Lord of the Takanashi; A great way to end the series. I had so much fun with this series over the years that seeing this last OVA made me choke up a little towards the end.
Honorable Mentions:
x. Yona of the Dawn; A show that was part of a watchbet that I had a lot of fun with. But I hate cliffhanger endings and that fact aggravated me a but. Still if I was that mad at a cliffhanger ending then it means it must've done something right and I love it for that.
x. Working!!!; I feel incredibly guilty putting this year considering how good the third season was and how much I enjoyed it. This season wrapped up the series beautifully and will be remembered for a long time.
This really was a great year for anime. When I started this list I doubted I would even have ten anime to put into a list. But as I realized what I watched this year it's hard to deny that this year was really great for anime.
Series:
1. Your Lie in April; This show finished up in the early part of this year in the winter season. I caught the show when it was airing it's last two episodes so I was able to binge it. And my god it gave me everything I wanted. I am a sucker for shows that focus on characters the way this show does but I am also a sucker for great music focused anime. I laughed and cried. I connected with the characters. The fantastic art, music, story, and characters is why this show has topped my list as best anime of the year
2. Death Parade; People have been asking me all year to watch this show and I finally got to it last month. I am glad I watched it. The animation is brilliant as expected by Madhouse, but the story and characters were all intriguing and I found myself at the edge of my set every episode.
3. Food Wars!; When I started this show I really didn't think it would be in my top anime of year, and yet here we are. This show has so much fun with itself that it's hard not to have fun with it. Every week I would be eagerly anticipating the next episode. Yay for Season 2!
4. Charlotte; I am a sucker for Jun Maeda, Key, and PA Works. Despite the flaws I enjoyed the show a lot. Now I am ready to be murdered by AnimeGAF for my taste.
5. Plastic Memories; While this show didn't go in the direction I thought it was going to go, it is still one of the better shows to come out of this year and I had an immensely great time with it.
6. My Love Story; Awwwwwwwwwwww! That sums up the show. Just a nice show that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
7. My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU TOO!; Would be higher up but I do not like where it ended and left kind of a sour taste by the end. Still I cannot deny the endless entertainment it gave me throughout it's run.
8. Assassination Classroom; Another show that I caught only last month and finished only a week ago. This anime is just really funny while showing a lot of character depth among a large cast and development. This show also made me and probably a few others go "why did I never get a teacher like this?"
9. Sound! Euphonium; Some KyoAni love. And they deserve it as they made a great show where they actually show what it's like being in an actual school concert band. They got the tone and mood just right and even the music was perfect. Down to even the smallest imperfections that were meant to be noticed by people who have gone through this. KyoAni really hit it out of the park.
10. Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works; While the shows pacing started to fall apart in the second half of the series, I cannot deny that it was still a spectacle to watch. During the action scenes I was really into it and it was one of the few shows this year that I anxiously waited for each and every episode.
Movies/OVA:
1. Digimon Adventures Tri; Oh man. My childhood is back and is looking great! This was such a joy to watch and had a great time with it!
2. Little Witch Acadamia: The Enchanted Parade; I watch this with a few AnimeGAF friends and had a wonderful time. The animation was awesome!
3. Working!!! Lord of the Takanashi; A great way to end the series. I had so much fun with this series over the years that seeing this last OVA made me choke up a little towards the end.
Honorable Mentions:
x. Yona of the Dawn; A show that was part of a watchbet that I had a lot of fun with. But I hate cliffhanger endings and that fact aggravated me a but. Still if I was that mad at a cliffhanger ending then it means it must've done something right and I love it for that.
x. Working!!!; I feel incredibly guilty putting this year considering how good the third season was and how much I enjoyed it. This season wrapped up the series beautifully and will be remembered for a long time.
This really was a great year for anime. When I started this list I doubted I would even have ten anime to put into a list. But as I realized what I watched this year it's hard to deny that this year was really great for anime.
ZachDeKoromaru
Banned
where's the Strike Witches Operation Victory Arrow vote? I thought I could trust you!Decided to put more effort in my list. Really happy with the Yuri Kuma mentions.
Honestly, now that you have better perspective, you would greatly benefit from re-watching any of Ikuhara's works you've previously seen. The second watch always tells a totally different tale. Especially once you get better at reading and observing the visual symbolism.
I also am one who tries to watch most things as they stand on their own, instead of making something's value based on what came before it. Obviously you'll do your own thing (you like what you like), but I think in a void YKA stands pretty tall in my book.
Basically, rewatch Utena and YKA. Then watch Penguindrum, and rewatch it.
Ivan A Nguyen
Member
1. One Punch Man
I didn't think that the same year that would bring me Dragon Ball Super would also bring me an action anime that tops it by leaps and bounds. There is something great about this parody that elevates it to the top. One of two shows this year that had me constantly checking to see if a new episode was out. The series went by too fast and I'm glad that so many people have gotten behind this gem. Saitama is the Superman the people of the world deserve.
2. Gakkougurashi!
This is the other show that had me constantly refreshing my que. School Live! is 70% moe and 30% zombies. The psychological touches in the start of the show hooked me by the credits of the first episode. The music is catchy, the intro is worth watching each time, and the jokes the girls crack are a major part of the charm of this show. Shovel-Kun, you'll be married one of these days.
3. Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?
Hestia isn't the best girl, but she is probably the best goddess. This show doesn't try to be more than it is. It's a boat load of anime tropes in a fantasy game environment with out the use of an MMO. The downside of this show is the classic beta male syndrome of the main character. It's typical to haram plots, but it does make some of the early show hard to watch.
4. Ansatsu Kyoushitsu
I had to check twice to make sure this aired in 2015. How is this not dominating lists as well? This comedic school anime was something I'd make sure to watch every Sunday before I started my work week. The humor was good, the speed of the main character was funny, and the characters were numerous and memorable. The androgynous main character is what makes this anime rate a 4 spot instead of a 3. It's just not my favorite trope.
5. Death Parade
I didn't catch this anime when it was airing, but once I started it, I couldn't stop. Death becomes a little less scary when Quin is judging you. This show could have easily been 24 episodes instead of the few it got. The concept was great. The fact that I wish there was more to it is why I give it my 5th spot.
6. SHIMONETA: A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn't Exist
This is one of the few anime's I've seen where I am sure there is a doujin out there that fixes the issues I have with it. Clearly Anna is the best girl. The main character wants to be with Anna from the start of the show. She falls for him and then he suddenly wants nothing to do with her? Come on. The humor is the main factor of this show, but there is so much of it that it makes it worth watching. The way people throw up when they see the one guy cross dressing has to be the best joke by far.
7. Overlord
Before One Punch Man, there was Overlord. A character so powerful that he clearly dominates the world he is put in. The circumstances that put him there are now familiar to everyone. If it isn't an evil gate opening up in Japan, then it has to be computers taking people to a strange land against their will. The power structure of this show is
8. Aldnoah.Zero 2nd Season
What do you get when you cross Batman with Brother Eye? Inaho. It's a villain of the week anime mixed with military grade robots. Don't look for anything deeper here, and for the love of god watch where you point that gun! You'll shoot your eye out.
9.Cross Ange
One part bloody action. One part yuri. One part societal commentary. And one part fan service. Mix it in with a constantly angry woman and you have this shameful joy of the season.
10. Himouto! Umaru-chan
It's unrealistic as hell, but my wife's spirit animal is definitely a Himouto. There are so many similarities between the two. The only difference is that my wife actually has to work to be awesome at everything and anime likes to take that out so that it's funnier. The snacking, the anti-social tenancies, the whining, and the TV watching all match up with her. This is why this show will always have a special place in my heart.
Honorable Mention
Okusama ga Seitokaichou!
My guilty pleasure of the season.
Kekkai Sensen
Did you like Cowboy Bebop, but didn't care for any of the backstory? Boy, do I have a show for you.
Charlotte
I have conflicting feelings about this show. I was very curious to see how it ended, and then it ended in a way that is so typical of anime that I was really let down. If I hadn't seen so many shows with this trope then I probably would have rated it higher.
Owari no Seraph
This should have been a great Bromance show. Instead it turned into a "I'll never let my friends down" slice and dice fest. The concept is good, the fights are ok, and the second arc is a big pay off as well. The fact that this guy doesn't understand his limitations gets frustrating very fast. Everyone around him is realistic, but when it comes to his views he is as stubborn as Gon Freaks. If he wasn't Bros with Mikka then I probably wouldn't tolerate him.
I didn't think that the same year that would bring me Dragon Ball Super would also bring me an action anime that tops it by leaps and bounds. There is something great about this parody that elevates it to the top. One of two shows this year that had me constantly checking to see if a new episode was out. The series went by too fast and I'm glad that so many people have gotten behind this gem. Saitama is the Superman the people of the world deserve.
2. Gakkougurashi!
This is the other show that had me constantly refreshing my que. School Live! is 70% moe and 30% zombies. The psychological touches in the start of the show hooked me by the credits of the first episode. The music is catchy, the intro is worth watching each time, and the jokes the girls crack are a major part of the charm of this show. Shovel-Kun, you'll be married one of these days.
3. Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?
Hestia isn't the best girl, but she is probably the best goddess. This show doesn't try to be more than it is. It's a boat load of anime tropes in a fantasy game environment with out the use of an MMO. The downside of this show is the classic beta male syndrome of the main character. It's typical to haram plots, but it does make some of the early show hard to watch.
4. Ansatsu Kyoushitsu
I had to check twice to make sure this aired in 2015. How is this not dominating lists as well? This comedic school anime was something I'd make sure to watch every Sunday before I started my work week. The humor was good, the speed of the main character was funny, and the characters were numerous and memorable. The androgynous main character is what makes this anime rate a 4 spot instead of a 3. It's just not my favorite trope.
5. Death Parade
I didn't catch this anime when it was airing, but once I started it, I couldn't stop. Death becomes a little less scary when Quin is judging you. This show could have easily been 24 episodes instead of the few it got. The concept was great. The fact that I wish there was more to it is why I give it my 5th spot.
6. SHIMONETA: A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn't Exist
This is one of the few anime's I've seen where I am sure there is a doujin out there that fixes the issues I have with it. Clearly Anna is the best girl. The main character wants to be with Anna from the start of the show. She falls for him and then he suddenly wants nothing to do with her? Come on. The humor is the main factor of this show, but there is so much of it that it makes it worth watching. The way people throw up when they see the one guy cross dressing has to be the best joke by far.
7. Overlord
Before One Punch Man, there was Overlord. A character so powerful that he clearly dominates the world he is put in. The circumstances that put him there are now familiar to everyone. If it isn't an evil gate opening up in Japan, then it has to be computers taking people to a strange land against their will. The power structure of this show is
8. Aldnoah.Zero 2nd Season
What do you get when you cross Batman with Brother Eye? Inaho. It's a villain of the week anime mixed with military grade robots. Don't look for anything deeper here, and for the love of god watch where you point that gun! You'll shoot your eye out.
9.Cross Ange
One part bloody action. One part yuri. One part societal commentary. And one part fan service. Mix it in with a constantly angry woman and you have this shameful joy of the season.
10. Himouto! Umaru-chan
It's unrealistic as hell, but my wife's spirit animal is definitely a Himouto. There are so many similarities between the two. The only difference is that my wife actually has to work to be awesome at everything and anime likes to take that out so that it's funnier. The snacking, the anti-social tenancies, the whining, and the TV watching all match up with her. This is why this show will always have a special place in my heart.
Honorable Mention
Okusama ga Seitokaichou!
My guilty pleasure of the season.
Kekkai Sensen
Did you like Cowboy Bebop, but didn't care for any of the backstory? Boy, do I have a show for you.
Charlotte
I have conflicting feelings about this show. I was very curious to see how it ended, and then it ended in a way that is so typical of anime that I was really let down. If I hadn't seen so many shows with this trope then I probably would have rated it higher.
Owari no Seraph
This should have been a great Bromance show. Instead it turned into a "I'll never let my friends down" slice and dice fest. The concept is good, the fights are ok, and the second arc is a big pay off as well. The fact that this guy doesn't understand his limitations gets frustrating very fast. Everyone around him is realistic, but when it comes to his views he is as stubborn as Gon Freaks. If he wasn't Bros with Mikka then I probably wouldn't tolerate him.
HamPster PamPster
Member
Not to go full giantbomb goty coverage but this was easily my "moment of the year" even if the show didn't make my list. Great write up (for this and your other picks).
I thought that fell under OVAs! I didn't do my OVA votes yet!! T_T
Great to see you again too btw.
Head of Vengarl
Banned
Series:
1. One Punch Man
One Punch Man is the perfect anime for people who, like me, had become tired/disillusioned with the same goddamn tropes that pervade anime - the cookie cutter shonen heroes; the long, drawn out pseudo-philosophical monologues; the training episodes where the hero unlocks his new powers like a RPG character; the fights that drag on and on; the hero being unwilling to kill, etc etc. OPM is a self-aware anime that parodies anime, and that's why it's great. Sadly, the one trope they did include is one of my biggest pet peeves: the sexualization of young-looking girls.
Come on anime/Japan, this shit is beyond creepy. She looks like a 10-year-old. Her outfit is designed to barely conceal her crotch/ass. Gross.
1. One Punch Man
One Punch Man is the perfect anime for people who, like me, had become tired/disillusioned with the same goddamn tropes that pervade anime - the cookie cutter shonen heroes; the long, drawn out pseudo-philosophical monologues; the training episodes where the hero unlocks his new powers like a RPG character; the fights that drag on and on; the hero being unwilling to kill, etc etc. OPM is a self-aware anime that parodies anime, and that's why it's great. Sadly, the one trope they did include is one of my biggest pet peeves: the sexualization of young-looking girls.
Come on anime/Japan, this shit is beyond creepy. She looks like a 10-year-old. Her outfit is designed to barely conceal her crotch/ass. Gross.
PshycoNinja
Member
Aw, that's right! Shimoneta came out this year...
I stand by my list. My list was hard enough as it was. I don't think it would've made my top ten but this show was indeed pretty funny. Definitely the guilty pleasure of the year.
I stand by my list. My list was hard enough as it was. I don't think it would've made my top ten but this show was indeed pretty funny. Definitely the guilty pleasure of the year.
ZachDeKoromaru
Banned
I'll take that excuse, for now! The Shirley/Luchinni episode definitely aired this year so I wanted to make sure you didn't miss out, lol. Also nice seeing you too, your consistent love for yuri always brightens up my day.I thought that fell under OVAs! I didn't do my OVA votes yet!! T_T
Great to see you again too btw.
The Silver
Member
1. One Punch Man
2. Rokka -Braves of the Six Flowers (I'm a sucker for good mysteries, could not stop watching once it got to the locked room part, my sleeper hit of the year)
3. Kuroko's Basketball
4. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders
5. Prison School
6. Food Wars( this show is what made me really want to start cooking, which I did, thanks animu)
7. Death Parade
8. Garo: The Animation-
yeah that's it, couldn't fill out 10 this year.
2. Rokka -Braves of the Six Flowers (I'm a sucker for good mysteries, could not stop watching once it got to the locked room part, my sleeper hit of the year)
3. Kuroko's Basketball
4. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders
5. Prison School
6. Food Wars( this show is what made me really want to start cooking, which I did, thanks animu)
7. Death Parade
8. Garo: The Animation-
yeah that's it, couldn't fill out 10 this year.
OniBarubary
Banned
I mean, this generally applies to anyone ever.
I'll be honest, the only reason it didn't make my list was because I didn't get much enhanced from the manga watching it as an anime. It didn't make the jokes or actions work better to me. Perfect casting for Koro-sensei's VA though. I will, however, be watching next season as it hits the 2 best arcs.
And not to spoil things, but I'll just say that there's a reason the MC looks androgynous in universe, and it's not to be tropey (entirely).
Yeah dude. That fight is fucking amazing. Everyone's reaction to it at the end made it all the more awesome, like "Did we just fucking see that?"
Mucho gusto my friend, you win a body pillow!
Quoted because for many people in this thread reading is hard.
Cornbread78
Member
Post brotha, YLIA needs help, lol. I just saw ii, very nice.
OniBarubary
Banned
But some of them have stupid names.
Theonik
Member
Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!
KazenY2J
Member
She's 28.
They do in Japanese too, it's just many people don't realise it.
Translations of light novel titles are always a good one for pure amusement value.
Theonik
Member
That is part of why we give you a month to vote.
3. Noragami Aragoto: This anime is absolutely fantastic and it sucks that there aren't as many votes for it as I thought there'd be. The show's art style is pretty well done, godly levels of opening and ending theme songs, and most importantly every character has a decent level of exposure--even the side characters. Among all of these things, the writing is pretty well done for your run-of-the-mill shounen anime, but even more impressive is its main character, Yato. He isn't overpowered and he's incredibly self-conscious and troubled. It has its cool action moments, its goofy moments, but man, when it gets serious, it hits you hard. Case in point,What a great scene.when Hiyori gave Yato his shrine and he started to cry.
This looks great. Will check it out.
MetroidPrimeRib
Banned
Make sure you watch the first season, Aragato is the second.
Head of Vengarl
Banned
That's why I said young-looking girls. I don't care if she's 28 or is actually a 10,000-year-old dragon wizard ghost, it's obvious what they're doing, and I don't like it.
Good to know. Is it good?
MetroidPrimeRib
Banned
I liked the first season well enough, but ended up dropping the second. Might as well give it a try.
Aragato has a much stronger second half. I wasn't feeling the Bishamon arc that much either, but I really liked the season by the end of it.
Oh the first season is just called Noragami, I already started watching that on Netflix. The gif made it look like a samurai anime. Didn't make the connection.
Crash Station
Member
You realize what this is going to turn the thread, a voting one, into, right?
1. One Punch Man - I had no expectations for this thing whatsoever beyond people telling me that the manga was really cool. The animation quality blew me away and I love the characters. #1 mostly by virtue of me knowing Yuri Kuma, BBB, and Owari have no shot at #1. May as well back the winning horse with all the points I can award it.
2. Blood Blockade Battlefront (Kekkai Sensen) - The art, characters, and music were all fantastic. The world of BBB is probably the most interesting out of any animated this year and although there were troubles near the end (months long delays for the final episode) and the ending wasn't my favorite, I really think this show was special.
3. Yuri Kuma Arashi - I'm a fan of everything he does. This is no exception. I liked Penguindrum more than YKA but it was a fantastic ride nonetheless.
4. Owarimonogatari - If you're a fan you're a fan. If you're not you're not. Not much else to say about it. The arcs animated this season were very well done.
5. Hibike Euphonium - Please... please let the ship sail in season 2. Pleeeaseee. Fantastic animation, a few interesting characters, and a setting that makes the most of what is otherwise just band drama.
6. Your Lie in April - Not much to say about it other than it was well done.
7. Death Parade - An interesting setting pulls this one through more than interesting characters for the most part. Best OP of the season IMO.
8. Shimoneta - A comedy show that was actually funny for the most part. Unthinkable.
9. Shirobako - Very well done comedy with nice animation and interesting enough characters.
10 - My Love Story - I enjoyed it. Kind of a tossup as to what I'd pick for #10
Films/OVA
1. Mushishi Suzu no Shizuku - This series has never been anything other than brilliant to me.
2. Little Witch Academia 2 - It was enjoyable although I liked the first one more.
(I need to watch a lot of movies and OVA's this week)
Honorable Mentions:
Concrete Revolutio - You tried so hard... but what? The timeline forwarding and rewinding stuff didn't really work for me at all and left me more annoyed with the show than I should have been.
Perfect Insider - Completely absurd but presented well. I liked the two main leads but
Punchline - Did a lot well but ultimately... eh...
Charlotte - If it had been a 24 episodes series it would have been great. Way too frantic and poorly paced at the end.
Aldnoah Season 2 - We got the good end everybody! We did it, together!
2. Blood Blockade Battlefront (Kekkai Sensen) - The art, characters, and music were all fantastic. The world of BBB is probably the most interesting out of any animated this year and although there were troubles near the end (months long delays for the final episode) and the ending wasn't my favorite, I really think this show was special.
3. Yuri Kuma Arashi - I'm a fan of everything he does. This is no exception. I liked Penguindrum more than YKA but it was a fantastic ride nonetheless.
4. Owarimonogatari - If you're a fan you're a fan. If you're not you're not. Not much else to say about it. The arcs animated this season were very well done.
5. Hibike Euphonium - Please... please let the ship sail in season 2. Pleeeaseee. Fantastic animation, a few interesting characters, and a setting that makes the most of what is otherwise just band drama.
6. Your Lie in April - Not much to say about it other than it was well done.
7. Death Parade - An interesting setting pulls this one through more than interesting characters for the most part. Best OP of the season IMO.
8. Shimoneta - A comedy show that was actually funny for the most part. Unthinkable.
9. Shirobako - Very well done comedy with nice animation and interesting enough characters.
10 - My Love Story - I enjoyed it. Kind of a tossup as to what I'd pick for #10
Films/OVA
1. Mushishi Suzu no Shizuku - This series has never been anything other than brilliant to me.
2. Little Witch Academia 2 - It was enjoyable although I liked the first one more.
(I need to watch a lot of movies and OVA's this week)
Honorable Mentions:
Concrete Revolutio - You tried so hard... but what? The timeline forwarding and rewinding stuff didn't really work for me at all and left me more annoyed with the show than I should have been.
Perfect Insider - Completely absurd but presented well. I liked the two main leads but
Magata was a disappointment, as was the solution to the "mystery"
Punchline - Did a lot well but ultimately... eh...
Charlotte - If it had been a 24 episodes series it would have been great. Way too frantic and poorly paced at the end.
Aldnoah Season 2 - We got the good end everybody! We did it, together!
#FuckSlaine #GodnahoForever
Did you too spend ten hours straight watching all these at the AllTheAnime's showing near the Excel Centre?
CAN NEITHER CONFIRM NOR DENY.
Also: Yes.
I did love the "sprinting out of the room to avoid violence" moment when it was announced Gundam was going to be dubbed.
curlyfriski
Banned
1. Shirobako- AOTY two years straight.
2. Euphonium- Pretty good.
3. Rolling Girls-I'm assuming the blu-rays fixed everything.
4. Somera-chan- Probably.
5-10. Anime sucks.
2. Euphonium- Pretty good.
3. Rolling Girls-I'm assuming the blu-rays fixed everything.
4. Somera-chan- Probably.
5-10. Anime sucks.
For people who are struggling with remembering the Expo dates, I found this: http://animatorexpo.com/titlelist/
1. One Punch Man; Just pure anime bliss. Fantastic action and humor. Probably became one of my all time favorites.
2. Your lie in April: Not gonna lie I cried because of this anime. It just resonated with me and some of my past experiences so well. Beautiful beautiful story.
3. Overlord; Bit of a twist on a rather overused formula of anime. Interesting setting, interesting characters and an intriguing story. Can't wait for season 2! (God I hope there is a season 2)
4. Death Parade: what-a-twist the anime. Interesting plots throughout.
5. Heavy Object; Doesn't really do anything special but I found it to be immensely entertaining. Goes a bit overboard with some sexualization aspects tho.
6. Food Wars: Entertaining ride just like the manga.
That's all I can think of tbh. Hope OPM wins..it deserves it and then some.
2. Your lie in April: Not gonna lie I cried because of this anime. It just resonated with me and some of my past experiences so well. Beautiful beautiful story.
3. Overlord; Bit of a twist on a rather overused formula of anime. Interesting setting, interesting characters and an intriguing story. Can't wait for season 2! (God I hope there is a season 2)
4. Death Parade: what-a-twist the anime. Interesting plots throughout.
5. Heavy Object; Doesn't really do anything special but I found it to be immensely entertaining. Goes a bit overboard with some sexualization aspects tho.
6. Food Wars: Entertaining ride just like the manga.
That's all I can think of tbh. Hope OPM wins..it deserves it and then some.
Ivan A Nguyen
Member
Has the reason already been given or will it show up in the second season?
Bob Coffee
Member
Tv series: Will fill in later
Movies
1. Love Live!:the school idol movie
2.Yamato 2199 movie:Odyssey of the celestial ark
4. Little which acdemia 2
5.dragon ball Z: freeza comes back and does things.
Movies
1. Love Live!:the school idol movie
2.Yamato 2199 movie:Odyssey of the celestial ark
4. Little which acdemia 2
5.dragon ball Z: freeza comes back and does things.
OniBarubary
Banned
Second season.
- Status