Not the aesthetic style or art, but animation. Not of those seem to be as high quality as fate. Haven't watched them outside trailers, though.
NeoGAF Anime of the Year 2015 - Voting Thread
- Thread starter Qurupeke
- Start date
- Status
Only watched a few series last year.
TV
1. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders - Egypt Arc;
I can't deny it, I've been a huge fan of JoJo for a few years now. I know where the material comes from and I've seen the gritty OVA's of Part 3 before. This is definitely the most fabulous definitive version. Just like Hunter x Hunter (2011) a great adaption that stays fresh, even though it's based on an old classic. Maybe it's the low expectations, but a small studio like David Productions continues to amaze me.
The D'Arby fight is still one of my favorite battles in the series. It shows a battle of wits, something that's always hidden under the supernatural powers.
2. Parasyte - the maxim-;
Always wanted to read the manga and then this came along. I really enjoyed watching it. Amazing soundtrack and some interesting points in the story, too bad it doesn't really do much with it. The animation is a bit inconsistent and the pacing is not the best.
3. Ronia the Robber's Daughter;
A very charming take on Ronia. The CG can be a bit weird to look at, but it becomes natural after a while. Goro did a good job mixing it with a Ghibli-esque style.
4. The File of Young Kindaichi Returns - Season 2;
Feels a bit like cheating putting on an ongoing series, but it's Kindaichi so screw that.
5. One Punch Man;
This anime really delivers with it's rad animation. Sit back and enjoy the ride, that's One Punch Man. The bad thing? I've felt zero hype from all this. Kinda like with Attack on the Titan. Now the wait starts for the next season.
Honorable mention:
Food Wars;
It's a bit dangerous to vote for something you haven't watched. I'm reading the manga, so I left it as a honorable mention.
Dishonorable mentions:
Fate Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works; Why? It's nothing more than guilty pleasure. The ending was really bad lol.
Dragon Ball Super; Utter garbage fights. The only reason I keep watching is for the laughs. Especially the non-fighting parts is some satisfying nonsense I can get into.
-----------------------------------
Film/OVA
1. When Marnie Was There
Not sure if it counts, but it's a nice anime to end the Ghibli legacy. Whether it's temporarily or not. Charming from start to finish. On a sidenote I "completed" my Ghibli collection.
Honorable mention:
Digimon Tri; I haven't watched it yet, but I'm really excited for this return. Hype is such a silly thing.
TV
1. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders - Egypt Arc;
I can't deny it, I've been a huge fan of JoJo for a few years now. I know where the material comes from and I've seen the gritty OVA's of Part 3 before. This is definitely the most fabulous definitive version. Just like Hunter x Hunter (2011) a great adaption that stays fresh, even though it's based on an old classic. Maybe it's the low expectations, but a small studio like David Productions continues to amaze me.
The D'Arby fight is still one of my favorite battles in the series. It shows a battle of wits, something that's always hidden under the supernatural powers.
2. Parasyte - the maxim-;
Always wanted to read the manga and then this came along. I really enjoyed watching it. Amazing soundtrack and some interesting points in the story, too bad it doesn't really do much with it. The animation is a bit inconsistent and the pacing is not the best.
3. Ronia the Robber's Daughter;
A very charming take on Ronia. The CG can be a bit weird to look at, but it becomes natural after a while. Goro did a good job mixing it with a Ghibli-esque style.
4. The File of Young Kindaichi Returns - Season 2;
Feels a bit like cheating putting on an ongoing series, but it's Kindaichi so screw that.
5. One Punch Man;
This anime really delivers with it's rad animation. Sit back and enjoy the ride, that's One Punch Man. The bad thing? I've felt zero hype from all this. Kinda like with Attack on the Titan. Now the wait starts for the next season.
Honorable mention:
Food Wars;
It's a bit dangerous to vote for something you haven't watched. I'm reading the manga, so I left it as a honorable mention.
Dishonorable mentions:
Fate Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works; Why? It's nothing more than guilty pleasure. The ending was really bad lol.
Dragon Ball Super; Utter garbage fights. The only reason I keep watching is for the laughs. Especially the non-fighting parts is some satisfying nonsense I can get into.
-----------------------------------
Film/OVA
1. When Marnie Was There
Not sure if it counts, but it's a nice anime to end the Ghibli legacy. Whether it's temporarily or not. Charming from start to finish. On a sidenote I "completed" my Ghibli collection.
Honorable mention:
Digimon Tri; I haven't watched it yet, but I'm really excited for this return. Hype is such a silly thing.
Raging Spaniard
If they are Dutch, upright and breathing they are more racist than your favorite player
I don't think 2015 was as strong as 2014, but oh well. My first 5 feel solid but the last 5 I could mix them all up.
1: Shirobako
2: Haikyuu s2
3: One Punch Man
4: Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?
Horrible, misleading ass title aside, this was a great surprise. It goes heavy on the fanservice but it introduces a bunch of nice ideas, adds RPG elements that actually fit the show and the narrative well and builds up the drama to great conclusions.
5: Food Wars!
6: Charlotte
7: Parasyte
8: Ace of Diamond
9: Fate/ Stay Night
10: The Perfect Insider
1: Shirobako
Just amazing in every sense of the word. As somebody who has gone through the production grind of 2D animation, this was a revelation. Full of insight and personalities I myself have met in my career. Does a great job of highlighting and humanizing many of the thankless jobs in the industry as well a spay homage to the previous generation
2: Haikyuu s2
My favorite show of last year and this time it hasn't skipped a beat. Introducing great personalities, has a great focus on every single member of the team and we see them all grow in their own way. Skips many cliches, creates new standards and it doesnt even matter if you like volleyball or not
3: One Punch Man
Surprisingly I still find the manga to be "better animated" than the show, but its a tour de force. One of those shows that you can show to anybody that used to be an anime fan and they will sit their ass down and stare in awe.
4: Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?
Horrible, misleading ass title aside, this was a great surprise. It goes heavy on the fanservice but it introduces a bunch of nice ideas, adds RPG elements that actually fit the show and the narrative well and builds up the drama to great conclusions.
5: Food Wars!
Another pleasant surprise and a good candidate for "boy they really will make anime out of anything eh?" however this show oozes charisma from all sides, it has a wide cast of characters that contribute greatly and in many ways it offers something fresh for those of us who watch a lot of Top Chef or Iron Chef while still keeping a little bit of realism to ground it all together.
6: Charlotte
7: Parasyte
8: Ace of Diamond
9: Fate/ Stay Night
10: The Perfect Insider
1. One Punch Man
A fantastic show that was great all around, great humour and great action means this one will be a classic for the ages. Surprisingly has a bit of heart for what is otherwise a parody of the genre.
2. Shirobako
This show taught me anime is produced by the Fast & the Furious cast. Amazing group of characters and has a very satisfying conclusion to the series. If the second half of the series was as great as the first, this may have just better One Punch Man but still a fantastic anime.
3. Assassination Classroom
The premise of the show was enough to get me intrigued but the antics Korosensei gets upto was what kept me coming back for me. Plenty of laughs and real progression from how the class started at as would be assassins to what they become at the end of the series. Highly enjoyable viewing and looks like season 2 is off to the same standard.
4. Kekkai Sensen
As a big fan of both Trigun and GunGrave I was excited to hear Nightow's latest manga series had got adapted and this one doesn't disappoint. Taking NYC as the ultimate melting point, combining it with off the wall antics of its main characters and some lovely pieces of music makes this one memorable ride. A somewhat chaotic finale means this isn't higher in the list but the episodes before it meant it did enough to earn it's place.
5. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders 2nd Season
Almost recovers to the highs of David Productions' original season but just misses out though no fault of the team behind the anime. Some great new situations makes this show less predictable than the previous season and Joseph Joestar continues to be awesome.
6. Lupin III (2015)
Some slick animations and solid entertainment gives Lupin a nice firm footing in the chart. Though some rough episodes means his tumbled down a bit but sure enough by the end of the series (As it's still ongoing) these band of rogues might climb up the chart.
7. Prison School
Who would have thought a show about dirty humour would end up looking better than any right it had to be? An excellent artstyle combined with some of the funniest situations any pervert can find themselves in means it's in the same position as what I'd rate the show.
8. Knights of Sidonia: War of the Ninth Planet
Not as strong as the first season but the world was so well made that I still enjoyed the show. Nagate and Shinichi (Below) must be having a competition for roughest life.
9. Parasyte
As someone who loves seeing mutations this was particularly great with the monster design and had some nice character progression between Shinichi and Migi too.
10. Arslan Senki
A show that started off strongly then just went through the motions before regaining momentum and then losing it again. At least had an enjoyable final fight but disappointed in the end.
TV:
1. Hibike! Euphonium; Far best show, watched twice
2. Shirobako; Very good and informative
3. Himouto! Umaru-chan; Highly enjoyable
4. Subete ga F ni Naru; Surprisingly good and enjoyable
5. Kiseijuu: Sei no Kakuritsu; Good all-round
6. Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso; Good all-round
7. One Punch Man; Very good action and likable characters, ok plot
8. Overlord; Enjoyable characters and an unique take on a common setting
9. Shokugeki no Souma; Enjoyable for the hyper-reactions
10. Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka??; かわええええ～
Honorable:
1. Sore ga Seiyuu!; Enjoyable, kinda hard to watch at times because of all the struggles
2. Death Parade; Some episodes are very good, other episodes? Just ok
3. Arslan Senki; Good, nothing special, but I will watch the sequel
4. Blood Blockade Battlefront; Like Death Parade, but with even fewer good episodes
5. Kantai Collection; As a big fan of the game, I have to mention this. It was enjoyable for a few fans, but no good otherwise. I personally liked it enough that I will watch the movie and sequel whenever they're out
Movie:
1. When Marnie Was There; Nice all-round movie
2. Love Live! The School Idol Movie; Enjoyable movie for LL fans, and I am one
Huge disappointment:
1. Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works; Highly overrated and bad all-round, except for the opening and actions
2. Aldnoah.Zero; Promising first half, the second half is pretty garbage
3. Charlotte; Good and promising until the last few episodes
1. Hibike! Euphonium; Far best show, watched twice
2. Shirobako; Very good and informative
3. Himouto! Umaru-chan; Highly enjoyable
4. Subete ga F ni Naru; Surprisingly good and enjoyable
5. Kiseijuu: Sei no Kakuritsu; Good all-round
6. Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso; Good all-round
7. One Punch Man; Very good action and likable characters, ok plot
8. Overlord; Enjoyable characters and an unique take on a common setting
9. Shokugeki no Souma; Enjoyable for the hyper-reactions
10. Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka??; かわええええ～
Honorable:
1. Sore ga Seiyuu!; Enjoyable, kinda hard to watch at times because of all the struggles
2. Death Parade; Some episodes are very good, other episodes? Just ok
3. Arslan Senki; Good, nothing special, but I will watch the sequel
4. Blood Blockade Battlefront; Like Death Parade, but with even fewer good episodes
5. Kantai Collection; As a big fan of the game, I have to mention this. It was enjoyable for a few fans, but no good otherwise. I personally liked it enough that I will watch the movie and sequel whenever they're out
Movie:
1. When Marnie Was There; Nice all-round movie
2. Love Live! The School Idol Movie; Enjoyable movie for LL fans, and I am one
Huge disappointment:
1. Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works; Highly overrated and bad all-round, except for the opening and actions
2. Aldnoah.Zero; Promising first half, the second half is pretty garbage
3. Charlotte; Good and promising until the last few episodes
Dedication Through Light
Member
Oh I should do mines.
1. God Eater
2. Seraph of the End: Battle in Nagoya
3. Seraph of the End
4. Heavy Object
5. Tantei Team KZ Jiken Note
6. Monster Strike
7. Hero Bank
8. Assassination Classroom
9. Punchline
10. Cardfight!! Vanguard G GIRS Crisis Arc
1. God Eater
2. Seraph of the End: Battle in Nagoya
3. Seraph of the End
4. Heavy Object
5. Tantei Team KZ Jiken Note
6. Monster Strike
7. Hero Bank
8. Assassination Classroom
9. Punchline
10. Cardfight!! Vanguard G GIRS Crisis Arc
I feel like this year was relatively weak. The last few years, there's always been at least one real standout show that it feels like will stand the test of time as something to recommend. And I don't think we got that this year. Fortunately, there were a number of solid titles. These were my favorites:
1. Shirobako
This anime about making anime built on the strengths of what it had done last year, further developing the diverse crew at Musashino Animation over the troubled development of another exciting show. It even somehow managed to redeem Taro after making his incompetence infuriating before. I appreciated how it explored not just the act of creation, but the process of trying to find your place in the adult world, and finding something to commit to. It felt extremely pertinent to me at this point in my life. Finally, there are some beautiful flights of fancy here, despite it generally aiming for realism. The second-to-last episode might be my favorite of the year.
2. ONE PUNCH MAN
The show I vote for next might be "better", but who cares. One Punch Man is, above all else, an animation showcase for today's most talented action illustrators, bringing to life the crazy world of a hero so strong that all his fights are trivial. Building on the strengths of original manga author ONE's quirky humor and great staging, every fight thrilled, and much of the comedy was delightful. I don't think it's a perfect show (certain scenes definitely drag) but its highs are nearly unmatched. It's a show one can recommend to nearly anyone.
3. Sound! Euphonium
Kyoto Animation's best work in years. Here is another show that does a brilliant job developing the fairly large cast of characters in the Kitauji High School band as they go from nigh-unlistenable to the Nationals. In every performance, the animators demonstrate a remarkable attention to detail, accurately depicting every note from every instrument, with music that reflects the band's skill level at every stage of their journey. I'm very excited for the next season, whenever it airs.
4. Wakakozake
Pshuuu~. This relaxing show hit the spot every time it aired, showing an office lady enjoying all sorts of delicious Japanese food after work. It had the perfect length. Everything was really just right. I tried watching the drama version of this, and it really wasn't the same.
5. Yuri Kuma Arashi
Kunihiko Ikuhara's latest definitely felt hampered by being crammed into 13 episodes, but I still love them. Like all the original shows he's directed, this one is fanciful, beautiful, and densely symbolic, with an incredibly orchestrated climax. It starts out weak, but by the end I had entirely bought in to this crazy story of bears, girls, and love.
6. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders
What great, creative fights. What an amazing finale. It couldn't match the highs of the old 90s OVAs, but David Production's work feels incredibly true to the spirit of the original manga, and by covering the entire long, arduous journey, the conclusion felt that much more meaningful. I can't wait to see them return with Diamond is Unbreakable.
7. Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron Blooded Orphans
Build Fighters Try disappointed, but this new Gundam Series started extremely strong. Surprisingly, the writing was the show's biggest strength through 2015, developing its ragtag crew of war orphans efficiently and satisfyingly throughout the show's run so far. Also, it's a show that knows how to integrate its ending theme before the end credits sequence starts for real, which is always an awesome effect. I miss when Jojo used to do that sometimes with Roundabout.
8. Blood Blockade Battlefront
I love Hellsalem's Lot. It's this frantic mix of New York, Cthulu, and Japan at high speed, where anything can and will happen, stuffed with an unbelievable variety of characters. This show was at its best when it let those elements be the star, an unpredictable, cartoonish delight. The show's climax doesn't quite let those elements take center stage, unfortunately, but I won't let it throw a damper on those great memories from the early episodes.
It also had a fantastic opening and ending.
9. Concrete Revolutio
Concrete Revolutio is a deeply ambitious show, tackling Japan's post-war history through the superheroes, magical girls, and fighting robots of the country's pop culture. Jumping around through time, it poses the question of what it means to fight evil for the sake of peace and justice in a world where people can't agree on what those terms actually mean. From student protests to military occupation and human experimentation, all of Japan's messy past comes forward here. I don't know if the non-linear storytelling always works, but I found it a fascinating work, and I'm legitimately excited for more come spring.
10. Prison School
Adapting the lush art and perfect comic timing of the original manga was perhaps an impossible task, and this adaptation doesn't quite live up to it. Even so, the original work is so perverse and hilarious that I still feel it's worth recognizing.
Movies/Shorts
1. Diary of Ochibi
Absolutely delightful. This short from Animator Expo explored the four seasons using four different, non-traditional mediums. Surprising, fun, cute, heartwarming.
2. Little Witch Academia 2
I don't think this matched the perfect cartoony fun of the original, but it was a worthy followup, with some great new characters and plenty of exciting action and elaborate comedy.
3. Bureau of Proto Society
This short was basically the perfect length to explore its goofball premise of a society locked underground trying to understand its history through the "documentary" of mankind's cinematic legacy. The final punch line basically killed me.
4. Space Battleship Yamato 2199: Odyssey of the Celestial Ark
More of 2014's NeoGAF AOTY. It was basically a long-form episode, with the crew getting trapped on a mysterious alien world, forced to figure out its secrets in order to escape. Beautiful as always, and just generally solid sci-fi.
5. Hammerhead
This grim, nihilistic action short is remarkable not just for its fluidity, but for its incredible violent gore. The story of an immortal hero forced to fight, doomed to regenerate from any injury no matter how brutal, it really stuck with me.
1. Shirobako
This anime about making anime built on the strengths of what it had done last year, further developing the diverse crew at Musashino Animation over the troubled development of another exciting show. It even somehow managed to redeem Taro after making his incompetence infuriating before. I appreciated how it explored not just the act of creation, but the process of trying to find your place in the adult world, and finding something to commit to. It felt extremely pertinent to me at this point in my life. Finally, there are some beautiful flights of fancy here, despite it generally aiming for realism. The second-to-last episode might be my favorite of the year.
2. ONE PUNCH MAN
The show I vote for next might be "better", but who cares. One Punch Man is, above all else, an animation showcase for today's most talented action illustrators, bringing to life the crazy world of a hero so strong that all his fights are trivial. Building on the strengths of original manga author ONE's quirky humor and great staging, every fight thrilled, and much of the comedy was delightful. I don't think it's a perfect show (certain scenes definitely drag) but its highs are nearly unmatched. It's a show one can recommend to nearly anyone.
3. Sound! Euphonium
Kyoto Animation's best work in years. Here is another show that does a brilliant job developing the fairly large cast of characters in the Kitauji High School band as they go from nigh-unlistenable to the Nationals. In every performance, the animators demonstrate a remarkable attention to detail, accurately depicting every note from every instrument, with music that reflects the band's skill level at every stage of their journey. I'm very excited for the next season, whenever it airs.
4. Wakakozake
Pshuuu~. This relaxing show hit the spot every time it aired, showing an office lady enjoying all sorts of delicious Japanese food after work. It had the perfect length. Everything was really just right. I tried watching the drama version of this, and it really wasn't the same.
5. Yuri Kuma Arashi
Kunihiko Ikuhara's latest definitely felt hampered by being crammed into 13 episodes, but I still love them. Like all the original shows he's directed, this one is fanciful, beautiful, and densely symbolic, with an incredibly orchestrated climax. It starts out weak, but by the end I had entirely bought in to this crazy story of bears, girls, and love.
6. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders
What great, creative fights. What an amazing finale. It couldn't match the highs of the old 90s OVAs, but David Production's work feels incredibly true to the spirit of the original manga, and by covering the entire long, arduous journey, the conclusion felt that much more meaningful. I can't wait to see them return with Diamond is Unbreakable.
7. Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron Blooded Orphans
Build Fighters Try disappointed, but this new Gundam Series started extremely strong. Surprisingly, the writing was the show's biggest strength through 2015, developing its ragtag crew of war orphans efficiently and satisfyingly throughout the show's run so far. Also, it's a show that knows how to integrate its ending theme before the end credits sequence starts for real, which is always an awesome effect. I miss when Jojo used to do that sometimes with Roundabout.
8. Blood Blockade Battlefront
I love Hellsalem's Lot. It's this frantic mix of New York, Cthulu, and Japan at high speed, where anything can and will happen, stuffed with an unbelievable variety of characters. This show was at its best when it let those elements be the star, an unpredictable, cartoonish delight. The show's climax doesn't quite let those elements take center stage, unfortunately, but I won't let it throw a damper on those great memories from the early episodes.
It also had a fantastic opening and ending.
9. Concrete Revolutio
Concrete Revolutio is a deeply ambitious show, tackling Japan's post-war history through the superheroes, magical girls, and fighting robots of the country's pop culture. Jumping around through time, it poses the question of what it means to fight evil for the sake of peace and justice in a world where people can't agree on what those terms actually mean. From student protests to military occupation and human experimentation, all of Japan's messy past comes forward here. I don't know if the non-linear storytelling always works, but I found it a fascinating work, and I'm legitimately excited for more come spring.
10. Prison School
Adapting the lush art and perfect comic timing of the original manga was perhaps an impossible task, and this adaptation doesn't quite live up to it. Even so, the original work is so perverse and hilarious that I still feel it's worth recognizing.
Movies/Shorts
1. Diary of Ochibi
Absolutely delightful. This short from Animator Expo explored the four seasons using four different, non-traditional mediums. Surprising, fun, cute, heartwarming.
2. Little Witch Academia 2
I don't think this matched the perfect cartoony fun of the original, but it was a worthy followup, with some great new characters and plenty of exciting action and elaborate comedy.
3. Bureau of Proto Society
This short was basically the perfect length to explore its goofball premise of a society locked underground trying to understand its history through the "documentary" of mankind's cinematic legacy. The final punch line basically killed me.
4. Space Battleship Yamato 2199: Odyssey of the Celestial Ark
More of 2014's NeoGAF AOTY. It was basically a long-form episode, with the crew getting trapped on a mysterious alien world, forced to figure out its secrets in order to escape. Beautiful as always, and just generally solid sci-fi.
5. Hammerhead
This grim, nihilistic action short is remarkable not just for its fluidity, but for its incredible violent gore. The story of an immortal hero forced to fight, doomed to regenerate from any injury no matter how brutal, it really stuck with me.
darkside31337
Tomodachi wa Mahou
1. Your Lie In April; Great series, one of my favorites in a long time.
2. Haikyuu!! Season 2; Might end up being my favorite sports series I've ever watched. Which is impressive because I don't care for volleyball in the slightest.
3. Gintama; Could vote for this every year, 2015 was a pretty great year for whats the best shounen series ever made.
4. One Punch Man; Okay.
cant bother sorting the rest, everything else I enjoyed about the same amount, but I voted for what I wanted to vote for.
2. Haikyuu!! Season 2; Might end up being my favorite sports series I've ever watched. Which is impressive because I don't care for volleyball in the slightest.
3. Gintama; Could vote for this every year, 2015 was a pretty great year for whats the best shounen series ever made.
4. One Punch Man; Okay.
cant bother sorting the rest, everything else I enjoyed about the same amount, but I voted for what I wanted to vote for.
Series
1. One Punch Man; The tone-shifting comedy of the manga was translated perfectly, and the action animation was great throughout, culminating in one of the hypest finales ever. Having the GOAT OP doesn't hurt, either.
2. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Stardust Crusaders: Egypt Arc; More patented Araki weirdness. Another show boosted by an amazing finish, with a performance by Takehito Koyasu that would have been career-defining for almost any other voice actor.
3. Shirobako; A funny and heartfelt examination of the anime industry, it successfully balances out its large cast and gives an appropriate amount of focus to everyone. Having a group of moe girls be the viewpoint characters might come off as kind of cynical, but I would argue there's actually something mildly subversive about seeing such characters stress out about their careers and get hammered after work. Plus, they're the prime source of funny faces, the key ingredient of any anime comedy.
4. Ninja Slayer; A gritty '80s OVA with animation quality to match is writing quality. A bizarre parody in the Inferno Cop mode, the whole production is one of those jokes that goes on so long it stops being funny, then keeps going until it becomes funny again. Recite your death haiku!
5. Yuri Kuma Arashi; The most comprehensible Ikuhara show ever, if only because it's immediately upfront about everyone and everything in it being a metaphor (in this case, for the relationship between gay people in Japanese society and their depiction in the media). There are also cute Morishima Akiko characters making out. In short, this show is Sexy! Shaba-da-doo.
6. Hibike! Euphonium; Another typically gorgeous-looking Kyoani show, the writing also manages to convey the sense of tension that goes into preparing for any kind of to glive performance. Somehow almost as gay as my #5 entry.
7. Lupin III (Blue Jacket); A welcome return to goofy, lighthearted Lupin antics after the dour, pointless conspiracies of The Woman Called Mine Fujiko. The show's episodic nature provides room for many different types of stories and a few interesting looks at Lupin's supporting cast. Second-best OP of the year ain't nothing to sneeze at.
8. HackaDoll; Reference comedy with appropriately manic pacing and animation. Another prime source of funny faces.
9. Blood Blockade Battlefront; The best looking anime of the year, and rivaled in past years only by Space Dandy. Consistently amazing backgrounds, fighting animation, and visual density on par with a Star Wars cantina scene, every frame packed with detail and leaving you wanting to see and know more about the weird creatures gone by in a few moments. The story's mainly an excuse for a bunch of interesting personalities and/or superpower sets to bounce off each other, although it does devolve into schmaltzy melodrama at the end. It's also got the ED of the year.
10. Non Non Biyori Repeat; In which Renge ORAORAs someone. 'Nuff said!
x. Monster Musume: Daily Life with Monster Girls; Depressingly better animation quality than a lot of more ostensibly action-focused harem shows like DxD and Testament. It takes the existence of monster girls to some logical and darkly humorous conclusions. If you're in the mood for a harem comedy, you could do worse
x. Cross Ange; This show is total garbage and I can't recommend it highly enough. Its many incredible failures at every level are almost all hilarious, and its few successes are deliberate attempts at comedy, creating a total package that's very funny if you watch it in the right mood.
x. Undertale; Anime is real.
Film/OVA
1. Little Witch Academia: The Enchanted Parade; It's as good as the first one, and with even more wacky side characters. Sucy still da best, though.
2. Space Battleship Yamata 2199: Odyssey of the Celestial Ark; Your thoughts on Film/OVA B. As a self-contained story it's an adequate trapped with the enemy/Twilight Zone twist fusion, but it also does some serious world-building, resolving some issues brought up in the series and introduce new ones for the sequel.
1. One Punch Man; The tone-shifting comedy of the manga was translated perfectly, and the action animation was great throughout, culminating in one of the hypest finales ever. Having the GOAT OP doesn't hurt, either.
2. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Stardust Crusaders: Egypt Arc; More patented Araki weirdness. Another show boosted by an amazing finish, with a performance by Takehito Koyasu that would have been career-defining for almost any other voice actor.
3. Shirobako; A funny and heartfelt examination of the anime industry, it successfully balances out its large cast and gives an appropriate amount of focus to everyone. Having a group of moe girls be the viewpoint characters might come off as kind of cynical, but I would argue there's actually something mildly subversive about seeing such characters stress out about their careers and get hammered after work. Plus, they're the prime source of funny faces, the key ingredient of any anime comedy.
4. Ninja Slayer; A gritty '80s OVA with animation quality to match is writing quality. A bizarre parody in the Inferno Cop mode, the whole production is one of those jokes that goes on so long it stops being funny, then keeps going until it becomes funny again. Recite your death haiku!
5. Yuri Kuma Arashi; The most comprehensible Ikuhara show ever, if only because it's immediately upfront about everyone and everything in it being a metaphor (in this case, for the relationship between gay people in Japanese society and their depiction in the media). There are also cute Morishima Akiko characters making out. In short, this show is Sexy! Shaba-da-doo.
6. Hibike! Euphonium; Another typically gorgeous-looking Kyoani show, the writing also manages to convey the sense of tension that goes into preparing for any kind of to glive performance. Somehow almost as gay as my #5 entry.
7. Lupin III (Blue Jacket); A welcome return to goofy, lighthearted Lupin antics after the dour, pointless conspiracies of The Woman Called Mine Fujiko. The show's episodic nature provides room for many different types of stories and a few interesting looks at Lupin's supporting cast. Second-best OP of the year ain't nothing to sneeze at.
8. HackaDoll; Reference comedy with appropriately manic pacing and animation. Another prime source of funny faces.
9. Blood Blockade Battlefront; The best looking anime of the year, and rivaled in past years only by Space Dandy. Consistently amazing backgrounds, fighting animation, and visual density on par with a Star Wars cantina scene, every frame packed with detail and leaving you wanting to see and know more about the weird creatures gone by in a few moments. The story's mainly an excuse for a bunch of interesting personalities and/or superpower sets to bounce off each other, although it does devolve into schmaltzy melodrama at the end. It's also got the ED of the year.
10. Non Non Biyori Repeat; In which Renge ORAORAs someone. 'Nuff said!
x. Monster Musume: Daily Life with Monster Girls; Depressingly better animation quality than a lot of more ostensibly action-focused harem shows like DxD and Testament. It takes the existence of monster girls to some logical and darkly humorous conclusions. If you're in the mood for a harem comedy, you could do worse
x. Cross Ange; This show is total garbage and I can't recommend it highly enough. Its many incredible failures at every level are almost all hilarious, and its few successes are deliberate attempts at comedy, creating a total package that's very funny if you watch it in the right mood.
x. Undertale; Anime is real.
Film/OVA
1. Little Witch Academia: The Enchanted Parade; It's as good as the first one, and with even more wacky side characters. Sucy still da best, though.
2. Space Battleship Yamata 2199: Odyssey of the Celestial Ark; Your thoughts on Film/OVA B. As a self-contained story it's an adequate trapped with the enemy/Twilight Zone twist fusion, but it also does some serious world-building, resolving some issues brought up in the series and introduce new ones for the sequel.
hosannainexcelsis
Member
TV Series:
1. Sound! Euphonium; As a musician, I cannot help but give this my top place for 2015 anime. There have been numerous anime with music as a prominent theme - Nodame Cantabile, Kids on the Slope, Your Lie in April - but aside from Gauche the Cellist, nothing I've seen has gotten music as right as Sound Euphonium does. When I heard Reina's first note in the trumpet solo reaudition, I knew I was in love with the show. That scene right there powerfully demonstrated the difference between a good and a great musician. I have to commend Kyoto Animation for putting in the time and effort to ensure an accurate depiction of music both visually, with elaborate mechanical drawings of the instruments, narratively, by researching how concert bands worked, and aurally, by using the resources of a music college and having the performances be appropriately poor or excellent depending on what was appropriate for the context of the story. It really captured why people fall in love with music, and what it means to struggle to perform to the best of your abilities as a musician. Beyond that, it did a good job of fleshing out its cast - pretty much every member of the band who got any reasonable screen time had depth to their character. A stunning achievement.
2. Garo the Animation; Yuichiro Hayashi proves himself to be a visionary director with this animated take on a tokusatsu franchise. From beginning to the end you can feel a strong creative mind at work, from the backgrounds to the creature designs to the character designs to the writing to the direction. It is a model of how to make an original anime. Many times in TV (both anime and live action!) it feels like the writers are making it up as they go along, but here there was evidence of careful planning everywhere, not least in how the last episode directly called back to the very first scene of the show and shed new light on it. Some of the episodic content can be inconsistent, but when the series needs to deliver it always delivers. Lots of creativity in the action sequences as well. Easily MAPPA's best work.
3. Shounen Hollywood; This character study set around a male idol group only got stronger in its 2015 season. This is a rare anime where the writing really stands out and carries the whole thing - the direction is solid, and the animation can be quite good when the staff have had time to polish it, but it is undoubtedly the writing, done by a novelist who is an ex-idol herself, that's the star of the show. It's very grounded, with characters who are truly fleshed out humans instead of collections of tropes artificially constructed to appeal, and the development the cast go through is engaging. There's a literary eloquence to the writing as well, without being overbearingly faux-philosophical. Also notable are the "gimmick" episodes, such as the episode about the cast watching an episode of the TV detective drama one of its members guest starred in, or the episode that exclusively features one of the group's performances. They're the mark of a writer who's confident enough to play around with the television format, and the experiments pay off. This is a show that proves that judging by the cover, by which you might get the wrong impression that this is an UtaPri style show, is not completely reliable.
4. Kagewani; With 8 minute episodes, this series manages to create a masterpiece of horror. Its low budget nature shows with the very limited animation, but the director uses that to best advantage to create atmosphere and tension surrounding mysterious creatures attacking people across Japan. The creature design is remarkable, being gruesome and alien enough that the monsters remain frightening even when they are clearly visible. Also remarkable is that not only are the individual episodic horror stories well executed, but there's also an overarching narrative that's brought to an exciting climax and appropriate ending. I hope the director goes on to make works of similar quality.
5. Koufuku Graffiti; Shaft can do it when they try. Somehow this ended up being Shaft's prettiest show, with not only attractive character designs and generally good animation, but also attractive, elaborate backgrounds that are a stark contrast to the normally barren and utilitarian backgrounds that populate Shaft shows. The food that is focused on throughout is singled out for particularly loving treatment, with mouth-watering detail and movement. What elevates this above being an ordinary "cute girls" show is the level of tenderness brought by the main character's loneliness following her grandmother's death and the connections she gradually makes and strengthens throughout the series, with food being the element bringing people together. The last episode does an excellent job of underscoring this. An unexpected pleasant surprise, solidifying my opinion that Tatsuwa is the best (non-Oishi) director at Shaft today.
6. Working!!!; Gave me the closure that I didn't know I wanted. On one level, it's baffling that Aniplex would resurrect this series four years after the last anime season just so they can give it a proper conclusion in anime format, but I'm certainly glad they decided to do so. It's rare to see a sitcom/romcom like this actually wrap up and resolve all the ongoing plot threads it set up. I was impressed that, even though the plot resolutions had serious moments, the show managed to treat them with grace without ungainly disturbing the general comedic framework. It always feels good to get the end of something and be completely satisfied.
7. Concrete Revolutio; A very intriguing series, certainly the best work of Shou Aikawa and Seiji Mizushima in a long time. Taking 20th century Japanese history and reinterpreting it through the lens of an alternate world where all forms of superheroes coexist, from mythical youkai to mad scientists to alien invaders - it's a really neat idea and leads to a lot of interesting moments. The main theme of the show is morality, specifically how the world of straightforward good and evil is an illusion - cynical, but with a cynicism that feels authentic (and not without hope) rather than an affectation. This is an idea that's common to a lot of modern superhero media, but I find this a more interesting use of superheroes than much of what's come out of the current Marvel-led superhero craze in film and TV. The show is densely plotted, perhaps a bit too much for its own good, but it's able to pack a powerful punch.
8. Sore ga Seiyuu; A fun series about life as a struggling voice actor in Japan. It maintains a good balance between light-hearted comedy and a serious and honest portrayal of how hard it is to get and keep work in the industry. The main character is very likable, and I really wanted her to pull through and succeed, so it was great to see her growth over the course of the show, even if she never magically attained stardom. The character art was willing to get extremely loose and cartoony, which added to my enjoyment. It was also amusing to see the parade of real-life voice actor cameos steadily showing up throughout the show.
9. Haikyuu S2; Continues and builds on the strengths of the first season. It's "just" a normal sports series, but one that's very well-executed both due to a consistent quality production and dedication to fleshing out and developing the Karasuno team individually and collectively. Matches are kept interesting through the thoughtful use of strategy on both sides, instead of resorting to shounen heart willpower or superpowers.
10. Show by Rock; Another real surprise, in numerous areas. I was not expecting this to have the level of visual charisma it does, or to have some of the best CG in anime, or to treat drama within a light-hearted framework surprisingly smoothly. It was well paced, particularly in how it built up to a satisfyingly cathartic climax at the end. I'm not sure where season 2 will go, but I hope it will be as strong.
Movies/OVAs:
1. When Marnie Was There; This has one of the best depictions of depression I've seen in film. I could see myself in Anna; the way she thought, acted, and felt reminded me of earlier times in my life. The direction was suitably atmospheric, particularly in its depiction of the mysterious Marsh House and the curious figure of Marnie. The way Anna was gradually opened up over the course of the film through her interactions with Marnie and others she met was very healing. I completely broke down when the ending credits song played in the theater. The film hit me very hard in a sensitive spot, which it why it has stuck with me so strongly since then.
2. Space Battleship Yamato 2199: Odyssey of the Celestial Ark; I did not expect this film to be an expansion of my favorite episode of the first season (the surreal episode 14), but I'm certainly glad it turned out the way it did. Izubuchi has a good handle on how to create solid science fiction in the traditional mold. This film had the job of calling back to the first season, telling its own stand-alone story, and teasing the second season, and it did an excellent job in all three areas. Plus it had the balance between intimate character drama and broad spaceship battles that I so appreciate about this series. I'm excited to see where it goes next.
3. The Diary of Ochibi; An incredible labor of stop-motion animation love. The effort that went into using real-life objects such as fans, leaves, and tea cups to portray four seasons in the life of Ochibi was impressive and paid off in spades. Irrepressibly charming.
4. Miss Hokusai; A fascinating film from Keiichi Hara, admirable in its understated depiction of scenes from the life of the daughter of Edo's most famous artist. The touches of fantasy and the bits of visual experimentation were tastefully integrated into the whole. The depiction of the Hokusai family situation was especially strong. It's a bit rambling, but comes off very well on the whole.
5. Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie: Lame title aside, this is a really solid cyperpunk action thriller, the highlight of which is Kazuya Nomura's excellent storyboarding. The film sets up many complex action scenes with many moving parts over large areas, something which could easily have become a mess in the wrong hands, but Nomura constantly guides the viewer so that everything is portrayed clearly. This is no Oshii, but it doesn't really try to be, and I respect it for that.
1. Sound! Euphonium; As a musician, I cannot help but give this my top place for 2015 anime. There have been numerous anime with music as a prominent theme - Nodame Cantabile, Kids on the Slope, Your Lie in April - but aside from Gauche the Cellist, nothing I've seen has gotten music as right as Sound Euphonium does. When I heard Reina's first note in the trumpet solo reaudition, I knew I was in love with the show. That scene right there powerfully demonstrated the difference between a good and a great musician. I have to commend Kyoto Animation for putting in the time and effort to ensure an accurate depiction of music both visually, with elaborate mechanical drawings of the instruments, narratively, by researching how concert bands worked, and aurally, by using the resources of a music college and having the performances be appropriately poor or excellent depending on what was appropriate for the context of the story. It really captured why people fall in love with music, and what it means to struggle to perform to the best of your abilities as a musician. Beyond that, it did a good job of fleshing out its cast - pretty much every member of the band who got any reasonable screen time had depth to their character. A stunning achievement.
2. Garo the Animation; Yuichiro Hayashi proves himself to be a visionary director with this animated take on a tokusatsu franchise. From beginning to the end you can feel a strong creative mind at work, from the backgrounds to the creature designs to the character designs to the writing to the direction. It is a model of how to make an original anime. Many times in TV (both anime and live action!) it feels like the writers are making it up as they go along, but here there was evidence of careful planning everywhere, not least in how the last episode directly called back to the very first scene of the show and shed new light on it. Some of the episodic content can be inconsistent, but when the series needs to deliver it always delivers. Lots of creativity in the action sequences as well. Easily MAPPA's best work.
3. Shounen Hollywood; This character study set around a male idol group only got stronger in its 2015 season. This is a rare anime where the writing really stands out and carries the whole thing - the direction is solid, and the animation can be quite good when the staff have had time to polish it, but it is undoubtedly the writing, done by a novelist who is an ex-idol herself, that's the star of the show. It's very grounded, with characters who are truly fleshed out humans instead of collections of tropes artificially constructed to appeal, and the development the cast go through is engaging. There's a literary eloquence to the writing as well, without being overbearingly faux-philosophical. Also notable are the "gimmick" episodes, such as the episode about the cast watching an episode of the TV detective drama one of its members guest starred in, or the episode that exclusively features one of the group's performances. They're the mark of a writer who's confident enough to play around with the television format, and the experiments pay off. This is a show that proves that judging by the cover, by which you might get the wrong impression that this is an UtaPri style show, is not completely reliable.
4. Kagewani; With 8 minute episodes, this series manages to create a masterpiece of horror. Its low budget nature shows with the very limited animation, but the director uses that to best advantage to create atmosphere and tension surrounding mysterious creatures attacking people across Japan. The creature design is remarkable, being gruesome and alien enough that the monsters remain frightening even when they are clearly visible. Also remarkable is that not only are the individual episodic horror stories well executed, but there's also an overarching narrative that's brought to an exciting climax and appropriate ending. I hope the director goes on to make works of similar quality.
5. Koufuku Graffiti; Shaft can do it when they try. Somehow this ended up being Shaft's prettiest show, with not only attractive character designs and generally good animation, but also attractive, elaborate backgrounds that are a stark contrast to the normally barren and utilitarian backgrounds that populate Shaft shows. The food that is focused on throughout is singled out for particularly loving treatment, with mouth-watering detail and movement. What elevates this above being an ordinary "cute girls" show is the level of tenderness brought by the main character's loneliness following her grandmother's death and the connections she gradually makes and strengthens throughout the series, with food being the element bringing people together. The last episode does an excellent job of underscoring this. An unexpected pleasant surprise, solidifying my opinion that Tatsuwa is the best (non-Oishi) director at Shaft today.
6. Working!!!; Gave me the closure that I didn't know I wanted. On one level, it's baffling that Aniplex would resurrect this series four years after the last anime season just so they can give it a proper conclusion in anime format, but I'm certainly glad they decided to do so. It's rare to see a sitcom/romcom like this actually wrap up and resolve all the ongoing plot threads it set up. I was impressed that, even though the plot resolutions had serious moments, the show managed to treat them with grace without ungainly disturbing the general comedic framework. It always feels good to get the end of something and be completely satisfied.
7. Concrete Revolutio; A very intriguing series, certainly the best work of Shou Aikawa and Seiji Mizushima in a long time. Taking 20th century Japanese history and reinterpreting it through the lens of an alternate world where all forms of superheroes coexist, from mythical youkai to mad scientists to alien invaders - it's a really neat idea and leads to a lot of interesting moments. The main theme of the show is morality, specifically how the world of straightforward good and evil is an illusion - cynical, but with a cynicism that feels authentic (and not without hope) rather than an affectation. This is an idea that's common to a lot of modern superhero media, but I find this a more interesting use of superheroes than much of what's come out of the current Marvel-led superhero craze in film and TV. The show is densely plotted, perhaps a bit too much for its own good, but it's able to pack a powerful punch.
8. Sore ga Seiyuu; A fun series about life as a struggling voice actor in Japan. It maintains a good balance between light-hearted comedy and a serious and honest portrayal of how hard it is to get and keep work in the industry. The main character is very likable, and I really wanted her to pull through and succeed, so it was great to see her growth over the course of the show, even if she never magically attained stardom. The character art was willing to get extremely loose and cartoony, which added to my enjoyment. It was also amusing to see the parade of real-life voice actor cameos steadily showing up throughout the show.
9. Haikyuu S2; Continues and builds on the strengths of the first season. It's "just" a normal sports series, but one that's very well-executed both due to a consistent quality production and dedication to fleshing out and developing the Karasuno team individually and collectively. Matches are kept interesting through the thoughtful use of strategy on both sides, instead of resorting to shounen heart willpower or superpowers.
10. Show by Rock; Another real surprise, in numerous areas. I was not expecting this to have the level of visual charisma it does, or to have some of the best CG in anime, or to treat drama within a light-hearted framework surprisingly smoothly. It was well paced, particularly in how it built up to a satisfyingly cathartic climax at the end. I'm not sure where season 2 will go, but I hope it will be as strong.
Movies/OVAs:
1. When Marnie Was There; This has one of the best depictions of depression I've seen in film. I could see myself in Anna; the way she thought, acted, and felt reminded me of earlier times in my life. The direction was suitably atmospheric, particularly in its depiction of the mysterious Marsh House and the curious figure of Marnie. The way Anna was gradually opened up over the course of the film through her interactions with Marnie and others she met was very healing. I completely broke down when the ending credits song played in the theater. The film hit me very hard in a sensitive spot, which it why it has stuck with me so strongly since then.
2. Space Battleship Yamato 2199: Odyssey of the Celestial Ark; I did not expect this film to be an expansion of my favorite episode of the first season (the surreal episode 14), but I'm certainly glad it turned out the way it did. Izubuchi has a good handle on how to create solid science fiction in the traditional mold. This film had the job of calling back to the first season, telling its own stand-alone story, and teasing the second season, and it did an excellent job in all three areas. Plus it had the balance between intimate character drama and broad spaceship battles that I so appreciate about this series. I'm excited to see where it goes next.
3. The Diary of Ochibi; An incredible labor of stop-motion animation love. The effort that went into using real-life objects such as fans, leaves, and tea cups to portray four seasons in the life of Ochibi was impressive and paid off in spades. Irrepressibly charming.
4. Miss Hokusai; A fascinating film from Keiichi Hara, admirable in its understated depiction of scenes from the life of the daughter of Edo's most famous artist. The touches of fantasy and the bits of visual experimentation were tastefully integrated into the whole. The depiction of the Hokusai family situation was especially strong. It's a bit rambling, but comes off very well on the whole.
5. Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie: Lame title aside, this is a really solid cyperpunk action thriller, the highlight of which is Kazuya Nomura's excellent storyboarding. The film sets up many complex action scenes with many moving parts over large areas, something which could easily have become a mess in the wrong hands, but Nomura constantly guides the viewer so that everything is portrayed clearly. This is no Oshii, but it doesn't really try to be, and I respect it for that.
SliceSabre
Banned
Yay someone else gave Sore ga Seiyū props!
I'm not putting unfinished airing shows in my top (Gundam IBO, Utawarerumono, God Eater lol). Just some random thoughts of the... 10 animes I watched last year. Production value does not necessarily weight a lot in my top.
1: Favorite
2-3: Great tier
4-5: Good tier
6-7: Ok tier
8-9: Nope tier
10: Trash tier
1. Sound! Euphonium; Like every KyoAni shows, the production value is fairly high. I have never been a big fan of the studio's previous works. What makes Euphonium shines is how they managed to transpose the learning process of music in a grounded way, such as: no miracles for beginners, the frustration of not improving, the extremly well-done and detailed sound deisgn... It's rare to watch an anime where I could relate to what's hapening with my personal experience. That's why Hibike! Euphonium is my Anime of the Year.
2. Gundam Build Fighters Try; Weaker than the first season, but with crazier ideas. The second half felt too flat. Heck, some outcomes felt too forced. Still really enjoyable with awesome battles. I won't say no for more.
3. One Punch Man; Sakuga. I was not totally sold before the 3rd episodes despite the crazy animation. I largely prefer when OPM is fun and laid-back than when it's serious. I am not particularly looking forward for the next arc.
4. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders - Egypt Arc; A fun journey. I would have prefered a more synthetic adaptation like the first 2 arcs. 48 episodes for the whole arc is far too long, some 2-parters arc could have been done in one episode.
5. Durarara x2 Sho&Ten; It felt good to see those characters again. It's still hard to follow all those plotlines. I think Durarara would have worked with 1 season/year (just an impression, I never dug this thought).
6. Kekkai Sensen; It was ok. Some stand alone episodes were really good. But like many Bones shows, it felt too disconnected and hard to catch for the main story.
7. Fate Stay Night Unlimite Blade Works; Or how Ufotable was struggling with their schedule. The main issue I have with UBW is how the original source was not reworked enough. I found the epilogue better done than the whole series, yup the epilogue which is not from the original game.
8. Aldnoah Zero Second Season; Well, they removed what made the first season entertaining/interesting. What's left then ? A really bland show.
9. Charlotte; Nope, it didn't work. The drama felt forced and came out of nowhere... A lot of plot lines could have been setup in a better way (like the main character's growth, damn the "fall" really came out of nowhere).
10. Cross Ange; Akiko Shikata for the soundtrack. A group of well-known of Seiyuus gathered in the same show. Cool Nana Mizuki songs. Cool mecha designs. What could have gone wrong...? It seemed that the shows tried to take the good-ole Gundam SEED formula and tried to make it grosser and dumber throughout the episodes.
1: Favorite
2-3: Great tier
4-5: Good tier
6-7: Ok tier
8-9: Nope tier
10: Trash tier
1. Sound! Euphonium; Like every KyoAni shows, the production value is fairly high. I have never been a big fan of the studio's previous works. What makes Euphonium shines is how they managed to transpose the learning process of music in a grounded way, such as: no miracles for beginners, the frustration of not improving, the extremly well-done and detailed sound deisgn... It's rare to watch an anime where I could relate to what's hapening with my personal experience. That's why Hibike! Euphonium is my Anime of the Year.
2. Gundam Build Fighters Try; Weaker than the first season, but with crazier ideas. The second half felt too flat. Heck, some outcomes felt too forced. Still really enjoyable with awesome battles. I won't say no for more.
3. One Punch Man; Sakuga. I was not totally sold before the 3rd episodes despite the crazy animation. I largely prefer when OPM is fun and laid-back than when it's serious. I am not particularly looking forward for the next arc.
4. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders - Egypt Arc; A fun journey. I would have prefered a more synthetic adaptation like the first 2 arcs. 48 episodes for the whole arc is far too long, some 2-parters arc could have been done in one episode.
5. Durarara x2 Sho&Ten; It felt good to see those characters again. It's still hard to follow all those plotlines. I think Durarara would have worked with 1 season/year (just an impression, I never dug this thought).
6. Kekkai Sensen; It was ok. Some stand alone episodes were really good. But like many Bones shows, it felt too disconnected and hard to catch for the main story.
7. Fate Stay Night Unlimite Blade Works; Or how Ufotable was struggling with their schedule. The main issue I have with UBW is how the original source was not reworked enough. I found the epilogue better done than the whole series, yup the epilogue which is not from the original game.
8. Aldnoah Zero Second Season; Well, they removed what made the first season entertaining/interesting. What's left then ? A really bland show.
9. Charlotte; Nope, it didn't work. The drama felt forced and came out of nowhere... A lot of plot lines could have been setup in a better way (like the main character's growth, damn the "fall" really came out of nowhere).
10. Cross Ange; Akiko Shikata for the soundtrack. A group of well-known of Seiyuus gathered in the same show. Cool Nana Mizuki songs. Cool mecha designs. What could have gone wrong...? It seemed that the shows tried to take the good-ole Gundam SEED formula and tried to make it grosser and dumber throughout the episodes.
There's a huge gap between 4 and 5 on purpose, this year was pretty weak.
TV
1. One Punch Man;
Awesome show, ended up watching most of the episode multiple times animation was top tier for a TV series and I liked the comedy part a lot.
2. Shirobako;
Wow that was 2015.
Pretty good depiction of the making of an anime in Japan (bar the cute girls I guess), maybe a bit too much on the "ogosh so lucky to be working on the anime industry" but I guess that has something to do with me being a bit too much on the cynical side (because when you think about it, most of the characters have a terrible workload and almost doesn't do anything outside of work with most being singles or having family problems), but don't worry my case isn't as bad as Daisuke
3. Garo: Honoo no Kokuin;
Damn it was this year, 2nd half was pretty rad Herman was a terrible father Leon had a shit life and still managed to have some kind of an happy ending in the end.
It's unfortunate that they didn't manage to get rid of Mendoza to set up another big bad guy, makes the ending of the first half kinda useless in the end.
4. Gundam Build Fighters Try;
Heee it was this year², can't really remember but Build Fighters have always been great show and, ironically, better than allmost every Gundam we got in the last decade (except Unicorn of course).
5. Rokka no Yuusha;
Was pretty good but damn the plot dragged on and dragged on...
6. Owarimonogatari;
With Kizumonogatari finally coming (just saw it the other day) I just came back once again to the Monogatari world (didn't see hanamonogatari and tsukimonogatari yet).
While not reaching the level of storytelling Koimonogatari had, most of the arcs were still rather enjoyable so... good to be back I guess ?
7. Durarara;
It's been years but Durarara is finally back, the plot is way too convoluted with too many characters and conflincting interests for me to be able to follow what's happening properly and rank it higher than this.
8. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure : Stardust Crusaders Egypt;
Stardust Crusaders is far from being my favourite arc in Jojo, And Stardust Crusaders really dragged on for way too many episodes (50 !), but it's still Jojo so while far from the enjoyment I had while watching Battle Tendancy it was still a worthwile watch overall
9. Gundam Iron Blood Orphan;
It's still a bit too soon for me to be able to rate IBO properly, its biggest quality so far is that it doesn't have any glaring default or terrible character (mind you some characters and especially Kudelia are not good, but I do have some kind of hope for her to improve), not having too many mechs battle is fine and the slow pace doesn't bother me so far.
10. Arslan;
While still being pretty far from the standard set by Hunter x Hunter it did fill the quota for my weekly anime shonen.
Movies/Shorts
1. Little witch academia - The enchanted parade;
Eh so I backed this years ago so if it's not on my top it would mean that it was a dissapointment right ?
Joke aside it was an enjoyable show, it being longer than originally scheduled didn't do as much good as I thought it would though, I wouldn't mind another OVA later
2. Mobile Suit Gundam: Thunderbolt ;
Almost forgot that one, too short for what it is a really good show out of the 80's
3. Miss Hokusai;
It was okay
Honorable mentions
Parasyte;
Wow it was in 2015.
Enjoyable show, the end clearly isn't satisfying.
God Eater;
What a trainwreck of a broadcast it was for this show, between two weeks of nothing and one terrible episode it did have a lot of high moments, I can't really put something like that in my top 10 as Ufotable still hasn't finished it yet.
Sidonia;
Half ot the show is good, the other half not really, it's about mechs and some harem, I let you guess which one is the good half and which one isn't.
Kind of a waste to have Nihei Tsutomu draw something like this despite the interesting premise at the very beginning.
Could have been better tier
Overlord;
Somehow the premise was OK, having such an OP main character was pretty fun too, however the fanservice and a very slow pace made it worse than it could have been
FS/N UBW;
Fate/Zero was a great show with some things here and there that could have been done better, UBW isn't improving anything from Zero and instead makes (almost) everything worse and is a snooze fest for the most part.
Props to the epilogue episode which was pretty good.
Garo Guren no Tsuki;
It still boggles my mind how with the same studio we went from a great show to something like this, I mean even the 3D CG is worse by far !
Concrete Revolutio;
Bones should stop writing plots and storyboard, it's such a waste to have great animation wasted on a shitshow like this.
Why did I even bother tier
Charlotte;
Terrible plot, terrible twist, edgy as fuck, tearjerking as fuck, yup that's a Key anime.
TV
1. One Punch Man;
Awesome show, ended up watching most of the episode multiple times animation was top tier for a TV series and I liked the comedy part a lot.
2. Shirobako;
Wow that was 2015.
Pretty good depiction of the making of an anime in Japan (bar the cute girls I guess), maybe a bit too much on the "ogosh so lucky to be working on the anime industry" but I guess that has something to do with me being a bit too much on the cynical side (because when you think about it, most of the characters have a terrible workload and almost doesn't do anything outside of work with most being singles or having family problems), but don't worry my case isn't as bad as Daisuke
3. Garo: Honoo no Kokuin;
Damn it was this year, 2nd half was pretty rad Herman was a terrible father Leon had a shit life and still managed to have some kind of an happy ending in the end.
It's unfortunate that they didn't manage to get rid of Mendoza to set up another big bad guy, makes the ending of the first half kinda useless in the end.
4. Gundam Build Fighters Try;
Heee it was this year², can't really remember but Build Fighters have always been great show and, ironically, better than allmost every Gundam we got in the last decade (except Unicorn of course).
5. Rokka no Yuusha;
Was pretty good but damn the plot dragged on and dragged on...
6. Owarimonogatari;
With Kizumonogatari finally coming (just saw it the other day) I just came back once again to the Monogatari world (didn't see hanamonogatari and tsukimonogatari yet).
While not reaching the level of storytelling Koimonogatari had, most of the arcs were still rather enjoyable so... good to be back I guess ?
7. Durarara;
It's been years but Durarara is finally back, the plot is way too convoluted with too many characters and conflincting interests for me to be able to follow what's happening properly and rank it higher than this.
8. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure : Stardust Crusaders Egypt;
Stardust Crusaders is far from being my favourite arc in Jojo, And Stardust Crusaders really dragged on for way too many episodes (50 !), but it's still Jojo so while far from the enjoyment I had while watching Battle Tendancy it was still a worthwile watch overall
9. Gundam Iron Blood Orphan;
It's still a bit too soon for me to be able to rate IBO properly, its biggest quality so far is that it doesn't have any glaring default or terrible character (mind you some characters and especially Kudelia are not good, but I do have some kind of hope for her to improve), not having too many mechs battle is fine and the slow pace doesn't bother me so far.
10. Arslan;
While still being pretty far from the standard set by Hunter x Hunter it did fill the quota for my weekly anime shonen.
Movies/Shorts
1. Little witch academia - The enchanted parade;
Eh so I backed this years ago so if it's not on my top it would mean that it was a dissapointment right ?
Joke aside it was an enjoyable show, it being longer than originally scheduled didn't do as much good as I thought it would though, I wouldn't mind another OVA later
2. Mobile Suit Gundam: Thunderbolt ;
Almost forgot that one, too short for what it is a really good show out of the 80's
3. Miss Hokusai;
It was okay
Honorable mentions
Parasyte;
Wow it was in 2015.
Enjoyable show, the end clearly isn't satisfying.
God Eater;
What a trainwreck of a broadcast it was for this show, between two weeks of nothing and one terrible episode it did have a lot of high moments, I can't really put something like that in my top 10 as Ufotable still hasn't finished it yet.
Sidonia;
Half ot the show is good, the other half not really, it's about mechs and some harem, I let you guess which one is the good half and which one isn't.
Kind of a waste to have Nihei Tsutomu draw something like this despite the interesting premise at the very beginning.
Could have been better tier
Overlord;
Somehow the premise was OK, having such an OP main character was pretty fun too, however the fanservice and a very slow pace made it worse than it could have been
FS/N UBW;
Fate/Zero was a great show with some things here and there that could have been done better, UBW isn't improving anything from Zero and instead makes (almost) everything worse and is a snooze fest for the most part.
Props to the epilogue episode which was pretty good.
Garo Guren no Tsuki;
It still boggles my mind how with the same studio we went from a great show to something like this, I mean even the 3D CG is worse by far !
Concrete Revolutio;
Bones should stop writing plots and storyboard, it's such a waste to have great animation wasted on a shitshow like this.
Why did I even bother tier
Charlotte;
Terrible plot, terrible twist, edgy as fuck, tearjerking as fuck, yup that's a Key anime.
TV Shows
1) Shirobako - I thought the second half was just as good as the first and pretty much everything about the show is just top quality. Really enjoyed every episode and it's one of my favorite anime shows ever made.
2) Sound! Euphonium - If not for Shirobako this would have been my first choice.
Kyoto Animation does it again not only with their amazing visuals making this one of their best looking shows up to this point but with their great use of and attention to detail in the sound design as well.
3) Fafner in the Azure: -Exodus- - It might not be the best mecha show but I've just always enjoyed this show and this past years continuation. The visuals keep getting better and the plots twists and turns were pretty entertaining.
4) Owarimonogatari - The next continuation in the now long running "monogatari" series. Getting to see or learn a bit more about the one main character, Ougi Oshino, was nice and the story was just interesting with its twists and revelations. Both for this current series and the general larger story as a whole. Its general narrative style or presentation still might be more of an acquired taste though.
5) Gintama° - The latest in the long running Gintama series. Naturally as it is with humor, not every joke was to my liking but overall I found the latest part of the series to be pretty entertaining and one of the best shows of the year.
6) Gourmet Girl Graffiti - An attractive looking show with its character designs and backgrounds. It has a slower more relaxed pace and deals with the subject matter of food and cooking. It also deals with the matter and friendship and families and I liked how well the show was directed to show those aspects and the somewhat "mono no aware" themes that were present as well. Just a well made pleasant watch.
7) Yuri Kuma Arashi - "Lesbian Bear Storm"(English Titles were asked for). Kunihiko Ikuhara's latest created show. It's much more condensed than some of his past works like Revolutionary Girl Utena and Mawaru Penguindrum but it's probably also much more understandable or at least more straightforward in its plot twists and themes. Despite that, great use of symbolism was still used and overall I still enjoyed it despite any flaws.
8) Snow White with the Red Hair - its storytelling might come across as more average or safe but I still think it's a pretty well done show overall. The character designs like Shirayuki herself are pretty nice as well.
9) Food Wars - Again the jokes used in this show weren't always to my liking but taking the idea of cooking show competitions and putting it in a more shonen type setting or theme and the way so many things are over-dramatized or made so melodramatic did end up being pretty entertaining in its silliness.
10) School Live! - Normally I'm not as interested in the subject matter this slice of life type show added but it did make for an interesting change in this case with how it was handled.
---
Movies/OVA
1) Space Battleship Yamato 2199: Odyssey of the Celestial Ark - First of all it's more Yamato 2199, which became one of my favorite shows, but also took the general theme or idea from one of my favorite episodes and turned it into a full length movie.
2) Little Witch Academia: The Enchanted Parade - Not as good as the first OVA in my opinion but it still has really great art and animation and is still fun overall.
1) Shirobako - I thought the second half was just as good as the first and pretty much everything about the show is just top quality. Really enjoyed every episode and it's one of my favorite anime shows ever made.
2) Sound! Euphonium - If not for Shirobako this would have been my first choice.
Kyoto Animation does it again not only with their amazing visuals making this one of their best looking shows up to this point but with their great use of and attention to detail in the sound design as well.
3) Fafner in the Azure: -Exodus- - It might not be the best mecha show but I've just always enjoyed this show and this past years continuation. The visuals keep getting better and the plots twists and turns were pretty entertaining.
4) Owarimonogatari - The next continuation in the now long running "monogatari" series. Getting to see or learn a bit more about the one main character, Ougi Oshino, was nice and the story was just interesting with its twists and revelations. Both for this current series and the general larger story as a whole. Its general narrative style or presentation still might be more of an acquired taste though.
5) Gintama° - The latest in the long running Gintama series. Naturally as it is with humor, not every joke was to my liking but overall I found the latest part of the series to be pretty entertaining and one of the best shows of the year.
6) Gourmet Girl Graffiti - An attractive looking show with its character designs and backgrounds. It has a slower more relaxed pace and deals with the subject matter of food and cooking. It also deals with the matter and friendship and families and I liked how well the show was directed to show those aspects and the somewhat "mono no aware" themes that were present as well. Just a well made pleasant watch.
7) Yuri Kuma Arashi - "Lesbian Bear Storm"(English Titles were asked for). Kunihiko Ikuhara's latest created show. It's much more condensed than some of his past works like Revolutionary Girl Utena and Mawaru Penguindrum but it's probably also much more understandable or at least more straightforward in its plot twists and themes. Despite that, great use of symbolism was still used and overall I still enjoyed it despite any flaws.
8) Snow White with the Red Hair - its storytelling might come across as more average or safe but I still think it's a pretty well done show overall. The character designs like Shirayuki herself are pretty nice as well.
9) Food Wars - Again the jokes used in this show weren't always to my liking but taking the idea of cooking show competitions and putting it in a more shonen type setting or theme and the way so many things are over-dramatized or made so melodramatic did end up being pretty entertaining in its silliness.
10) School Live! - Normally I'm not as interested in the subject matter this slice of life type show added but it did make for an interesting change in this case with how it was handled.
---
Movies/OVA
1) Space Battleship Yamato 2199: Odyssey of the Celestial Ark - First of all it's more Yamato 2199, which became one of my favorite shows, but also took the general theme or idea from one of my favorite episodes and turned it into a full length movie.
2) Little Witch Academia: The Enchanted Parade - Not as good as the first OVA in my opinion but it still has really great art and animation and is still fun overall.
strangedopamine
Member
TV Series.
1. Shirobako - The best out of 2014 and also the best out of 2015 as well. The second half was as good if not better than the first half. Episode 23 will be a standout episode for me for years to come.
2. One Punch Man - It's that funny show that has that bald bloke who punches things. So good I ended up watching it twice in the space of a month.
3. Wakako-zake - Pshuu~! (Just watch it, it's just over half an hour long and it'll probably make you go eat something nice afterwards.)
4. Show By Rock!! - The dark horse of Spring 2015 ended up being the only anime from that season that I actually ended up finishing (Sorry Kekkai Sensen)! A show that oozes charm at every second and has quite possibly the best use of CG I've seen in an anime.
5. Wish Upon The Pleiades - An anime recommended to me not so long ago and one I probably should've payed a bit more attention to while it was airing. Wish Upon The Pleiades is a cute magical girl show powered by science and the sounds of Subaru's boxer engines and it improved upon the original ONAs in every conceivable way.
6. Yuri Kuma Arashi - Was looking forward to this one because of Kunihiko Ikuhara who has been a part of some of my favourite anime (Sailor Moon, Mawaru Penguindrum and let's not forget Goldfish Warning!! too. I've still yet to watch Utena, don't kill me!). The first three episodes were a bit flat but the rest of the series made up for it, especially the cute backstory episode of Episode 4.
7. Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron Blooded Orphans - Probably has the most brutal opening few episodes to a Gundam series yet. It's calmed down considerably since then and it's still pretty enjoyable. Had the best ED in my opinion of this year.
8. Gundam: G in Reconguista - I really think this was hurt by the series length as it really felt like it was rushed in the last 5-6 episodes. I will commend the interesting mecha design and the amazing ED which was thankfully kept in the second half of the series.
9. Death Parade - This was something I only recently finished after a friend of mine recommended that I finish it after leaving it on hold after two episodes. In the end, I wasn't that keen on the expanded plot and Episode 2 was a bit pointless (It's why I stopped watching in the first place). It did have the best OP of the year at least!
10. Gundam Build Fighters: TRY - On the list barely. It's only saving grace is Tryon 3 which is one of the best mechs I've seen in anime.
OVA/Film
1. Third Aerial Girls Squad: File 01 - It's the best out of the OVAs I watched solely because of the awesome dogfights and also the great creative talent of Musashino Animation. You go guys!
2. Mobile Suit Gundam: Thunderbolt - The perfect Christmas present (It was released on Christmas Day)! A short episode based on a Gundam side story with some great animation (Loved the first person perspective Zaku shot in particular) and a lively jazz soundtrack that I'd love to have a copy of to listen to.
3. One Punch Man: Road To Hero - A fun little side story to One Punch Man. Not much more to say apart from that really.
1. Shirobako - The best out of 2014 and also the best out of 2015 as well. The second half was as good if not better than the first half. Episode 23 will be a standout episode for me for years to come.
2. One Punch Man - It's that funny show that has that bald bloke who punches things. So good I ended up watching it twice in the space of a month.
3. Wakako-zake - Pshuu~! (Just watch it, it's just over half an hour long and it'll probably make you go eat something nice afterwards.)
4. Show By Rock!! - The dark horse of Spring 2015 ended up being the only anime from that season that I actually ended up finishing (Sorry Kekkai Sensen)! A show that oozes charm at every second and has quite possibly the best use of CG I've seen in an anime.
5. Wish Upon The Pleiades - An anime recommended to me not so long ago and one I probably should've payed a bit more attention to while it was airing. Wish Upon The Pleiades is a cute magical girl show powered by science and the sounds of Subaru's boxer engines and it improved upon the original ONAs in every conceivable way.
6. Yuri Kuma Arashi - Was looking forward to this one because of Kunihiko Ikuhara who has been a part of some of my favourite anime (Sailor Moon, Mawaru Penguindrum and let's not forget Goldfish Warning!! too. I've still yet to watch Utena, don't kill me!). The first three episodes were a bit flat but the rest of the series made up for it, especially the cute backstory episode of Episode 4.
7. Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron Blooded Orphans - Probably has the most brutal opening few episodes to a Gundam series yet. It's calmed down considerably since then and it's still pretty enjoyable. Had the best ED in my opinion of this year.
8. Gundam: G in Reconguista - I really think this was hurt by the series length as it really felt like it was rushed in the last 5-6 episodes. I will commend the interesting mecha design and the amazing ED which was thankfully kept in the second half of the series.
9. Death Parade - This was something I only recently finished after a friend of mine recommended that I finish it after leaving it on hold after two episodes. In the end, I wasn't that keen on the expanded plot and Episode 2 was a bit pointless (It's why I stopped watching in the first place). It did have the best OP of the year at least!
10. Gundam Build Fighters: TRY - On the list barely. It's only saving grace is Tryon 3 which is one of the best mechs I've seen in anime.
OVA/Film
1. Third Aerial Girls Squad: File 01 - It's the best out of the OVAs I watched solely because of the awesome dogfights and also the great creative talent of Musashino Animation. You go guys!
2. Mobile Suit Gundam: Thunderbolt - The perfect Christmas present (It was released on Christmas Day)! A short episode based on a Gundam side story with some great animation (Loved the first person perspective Zaku shot in particular) and a lively jazz soundtrack that I'd love to have a copy of to listen to.
3. One Punch Man: Road To Hero - A fun little side story to One Punch Man. Not much more to say apart from that really.
I'm only listing 5 because I got really busy the second half of the year due to medical school.
1. Shirobako
I just finished this a few minutes ago, but I knew it was going to be my choice for a long time. The series takes what seems like quite a boring subject and turned it into something that was absolutely a joy to watch. Every main character was focused on in one episode or another and changed throughout the course of the series, something you can't say happens in a lot of other anime. Aoi's struggles throughout the show about why she wants to make anime spoke to me on a personal level; for the longest time I wasn't sure if medicine was what I really want to go into, but when I found my motivation it changed my whole world.
And of course you can't talk about Shirobako without talking about episode 23. An episode that included over the top action, an emotional ending, and everything in between. Talk about a masterclass.
2. SNAFU S2
I really liked the first season so I was looking forward to this a lot and it delivered. While it definitely had a lot more drama than the first season (some of which was just due to bad communication on the part of many people) I think the show worked better like this. Sadly, it does not look we will be getting a third season anytime soon, even if there are quite a few things to be resolved1
3. Hibike Euphonium
I was never in a band or around instruments growing up, but I don't think you had to be to appreciate all of the hard work that was put into this show. Also, even if I was never in one, all the problems felt quite real to me? I think that's a reason why I came back each week to see what would happen next, and I'm quite excited for the second season.
4. Shigatsu Wa Kimi No Uso
The show I religiously followed every week. You could definitely see the ending coming from a mile away but that didn't make it any easier to accept. The style the characters were drawn in weren't exactly my cup of tea, but that might be the only gripe I really had with the show. The music was great, the show colorful, and drama and tension always high. People said the random comedic moments bothered them, but I felt like it never hindered my enjoyment of the show.
5. Working!!!
I actually still need to watch the 14th episode that aired a few months after the season ended, but I can kinda glean what happens and I enjoyed the rest of the season enough to put it here. All the loose ends were finally tied up and the comedy was just as good, so I loved it.
1. Shirobako
I just finished this a few minutes ago, but I knew it was going to be my choice for a long time. The series takes what seems like quite a boring subject and turned it into something that was absolutely a joy to watch. Every main character was focused on in one episode or another and changed throughout the course of the series, something you can't say happens in a lot of other anime. Aoi's struggles throughout the show about why she wants to make anime spoke to me on a personal level; for the longest time I wasn't sure if medicine was what I really want to go into, but when I found my motivation it changed my whole world.
And of course you can't talk about Shirobako without talking about episode 23. An episode that included over the top action, an emotional ending, and everything in between. Talk about a masterclass.
2. SNAFU S2
I really liked the first season so I was looking forward to this a lot and it delivered. While it definitely had a lot more drama than the first season (some of which was just due to bad communication on the part of many people) I think the show worked better like this. Sadly, it does not look we will be getting a third season anytime soon, even if there are quite a few things to be resolved1
3. Hibike Euphonium
I was never in a band or around instruments growing up, but I don't think you had to be to appreciate all of the hard work that was put into this show. Also, even if I was never in one, all the problems felt quite real to me? I think that's a reason why I came back each week to see what would happen next, and I'm quite excited for the second season.
4. Shigatsu Wa Kimi No Uso
The show I religiously followed every week. You could definitely see the ending coming from a mile away but that didn't make it any easier to accept. The style the characters were drawn in weren't exactly my cup of tea, but that might be the only gripe I really had with the show. The music was great, the show colorful, and drama and tension always high. People said the random comedic moments bothered them, but I felt like it never hindered my enjoyment of the show.
5. Working!!!
I actually still need to watch the 14th episode that aired a few months after the season ended, but I can kinda glean what happens and I enjoyed the rest of the season enough to put it here. All the loose ends were finally tied up and the comedy was just as good, so I loved it.
OniBarubary
Banned
Since I don't care about the Shirobako/One Punch whinefest I'm just sorta happy SNAFU 2 is getting more representation than I thought it would. Neat.
1. The Basketball Which Kuroko Plays 3rd Season
2. One Punch Man
3. K:Return of Kings
4. Ace of the Diamond 2nd Season
5. Fate/Stay Night Ultimate Bladeworks 2nd season
6. Gate
7. School Prison
8. Gundam Iron Blooded Orphans
9. Death Parade
10.Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?
2. One Punch Man
3. K:Return of Kings
4. Ace of the Diamond 2nd Season
5. Fate/Stay Night Ultimate Bladeworks 2nd season
6. Gate
7. School Prison
8. Gundam Iron Blooded Orphans
9. Death Parade
10.Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?
nintendoman58
Member
1. Jojo's Bizzare Adventure: Stardust Crusaders.
2. Ushio and Tora
3. Shokugeki No Soma
I still need to finish 2 and 3, but I'm holding off on them until their respective S2s come out so I can binge them and not have to wait. I enjoyed them both enough though to include them on my list.
2. Ushio and Tora
3. Shokugeki No Soma
I still need to finish 2 and 3, but I'm holding off on them until their respective S2s come out so I can binge them and not have to wait. I enjoyed them both enough though to include them on my list.
1. Shirobako: Anime about people working in anime industry. Can't say I expected much of this show when I started out, so when I watched out of curiosity, I was surprised at how good it was. The second half is just as great. Furthermore, even though it is about anime, I feel like it is relateable to any up and coming adult in their career. Because of that and the position I was in when I watched the show, it sort of has a special place in my heart.
2. Death Parade: A show that deals with death and how vulnerable people are. It is probably more flawed than some of the shows I mentioned here, but the good parts are so good that for me it elevates the show to my favorite show of the year. Full of striking imageries and intense emotional moments, this show that will stick to my mind for years to come.
3. Sound Euphonium: Just a good drama (well, mostly, some drama was annoying but I don't hold it against it too much) about a team of school band trying to enter the nationals. It has an impressive amount of details, the show just looks gorgeous, and have great characters. It also makes the struggle of musicians palpable.
4. Concrete Revolutio: A fantasy/superhero show with a dose of politics and reality. While the finale was a mess, it was overall a compelling package. I look forward to the next season.
5. The Perfect Insider: A mystery anime in which the solution to the puzzle is pretty cool and some of the characters are intriguing in that the way they think of the world are nuts, but at the same time there were a few boring moments and it sorts of leave you underwhelmed.
6. Your Lie in April: A serviceable music/drama anime. The drama aspect, while there are many good moments, are undercut by the terrible use of comedy. The concert scenes though are amazing. Also, I am a big fan of its color palette.
Honorable/dishonorable mentions:
One Punch Man, a show I have seen only 3 episodes so I can't rank it. Animation is really great, and it's funny at times. As far as I have seen though it's nothing special.
Osomatsu san, the first two episodes are really funny, it shows promise. Unfortunately I haven't seen the first cour of it so I can't say much.
Blood Blockade Battlefront: Very entertaining first episode, not to mention great direction and awesome animated moments. I look forward to watching the rest of it.
Yuri Kuma Arashi, having seen only 5 episodes, so far I would call it incoherent and silly, and the main character is annoyingly single minded, but episode 4 or 5 have shown promise that the show will get it together, so I am not giving up on it!
Parasyte, an initially compelling show sorts of drops the ball, staying mostly as a mediocre show with a few good episodes in between, and then drops the ball so hard at the finale that I can't give it a position in the top 10.
2. Death Parade: A show that deals with death and how vulnerable people are. It is probably more flawed than some of the shows I mentioned here, but the good parts are so good that for me it elevates the show to my favorite show of the year. Full of striking imageries and intense emotional moments, this show that will stick to my mind for years to come.
3. Sound Euphonium: Just a good drama (well, mostly, some drama was annoying but I don't hold it against it too much) about a team of school band trying to enter the nationals. It has an impressive amount of details, the show just looks gorgeous, and have great characters. It also makes the struggle of musicians palpable.
4. Concrete Revolutio: A fantasy/superhero show with a dose of politics and reality. While the finale was a mess, it was overall a compelling package. I look forward to the next season.
5. The Perfect Insider: A mystery anime in which the solution to the puzzle is pretty cool and some of the characters are intriguing in that the way they think of the world are nuts, but at the same time there were a few boring moments and it sorts of leave you underwhelmed.
6. Your Lie in April: A serviceable music/drama anime. The drama aspect, while there are many good moments, are undercut by the terrible use of comedy. The concert scenes though are amazing. Also, I am a big fan of its color palette.
Honorable/dishonorable mentions:
One Punch Man, a show I have seen only 3 episodes so I can't rank it. Animation is really great, and it's funny at times. As far as I have seen though it's nothing special.
Osomatsu san, the first two episodes are really funny, it shows promise. Unfortunately I haven't seen the first cour of it so I can't say much.
Blood Blockade Battlefront: Very entertaining first episode, not to mention great direction and awesome animated moments. I look forward to watching the rest of it.
Yuri Kuma Arashi, having seen only 5 episodes, so far I would call it incoherent and silly, and the main character is annoyingly single minded, but episode 4 or 5 have shown promise that the show will get it together, so I am not giving up on it!
Parasyte, an initially compelling show sorts of drops the ball, staying mostly as a mediocre show with a few good episodes in between, and then drops the ball so hard at the finale that I can't give it a position in the top 10.
Terareflection
Member
1. Shounen Hollywood; The second season came out earlier in the year. A drama about teen boys struggling to become idols. This is not like the average idol show, and because of that I think it is the best idol show. I like the second season less than the first, but it's still most likely better than most of the other shows that came out this year too.
2. Yuri Kuma Arashi; I agree with others that the series needed a second cour, but hats off to Ikuhara. Social commentary is a rarity in the anime world, and I'm sucker for it. It comes in second because the first half is mostly nonsense that doesn't come together until the last few episodes. It all comes together surprising well.
That's all. I never finished One Punch Man.
2. Yuri Kuma Arashi; I agree with others that the series needed a second cour, but hats off to Ikuhara. Social commentary is a rarity in the anime world, and I'm sucker for it. It comes in second because the first half is mostly nonsense that doesn't come together until the last few episodes. It all comes together surprising well.
That's all. I never finished One Punch Man.
Permanently A
Junior Member
1. One Punch Man
2. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Stardust Crusaders pt 2
3. Prison School
2. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Stardust Crusaders pt 2
3. Prison School
Joe Molotov
Member
1. Non Non Biyori Repeat
2. Non Non Biyori Repeat
3. Non Non Biyori Repeat
4. Non Non Biyori Repeat
5. Non Non Biyori Repeat
6. Non Non Biyori Repeat
7. Non Non Biyori Repeat
8. Non Non Biyori Repeat
9. Non Non Biyori Repeat
10. YuriYuri S3
2. Non Non Biyori Repeat
3. Non Non Biyori Repeat
4. Non Non Biyori Repeat
5. Non Non Biyori Repeat
6. Non Non Biyori Repeat
7. Non Non Biyori Repeat
8. Non Non Biyori Repeat
9. Non Non Biyori Repeat
10. YuriYuri S3
ZachDeKoromaru
Banned
TV:
1. Hibike! Euphonium
2. Non Non Biyori Repeat
3. Shirobako
4. Go! Princess Precure
5. Shokugeki no Soma
6. Koufuku Graffiti
7. Prison School
8. Yuri Kuma Arashi
9. Utawarerumono: Itsuwari no Kamen
10. Hello!! Kiniro Mosaic
OVAs:
1. Strike Witches: Operation Victory Arrow
2. Mushishi Zoku Shou: Suzu no Shizuku
3. Little Witch Academia 2
1. Hibike! Euphonium
There's not much I can say about this show that many people haven't said much better. Euphonium is a teenage drama without all the patronizing and weird caricatures of the genre, elevated by the strong script, direction, and KyoAni's master animators cramming in as much detail on the musical portion of this series as much as humanly possible. I'm glad it was as successful as it was and am looking forward to the already announced movie and sequel series.
2. Non Non Biyori Repeat
Remove all the gross, unfunny Hotaru stuff from last season and you get the amazing comedy slice of life that NNB knew it could be. The strong character dynamics not only make me consistently laugh but also for the only time this year, made me cry of sadness and happiness all in the same episode. Hopefully we can see more of this in the near future as it is still an ongoing manga, nyanpasu~
3. Shirobako
Tsutomu Mizushima's love letter to an industry that has its fair share of problems, but also has so much good in it that he can continue to work on it with such grace. Even though this show sometimes frustrated me to no end, I think that's indication of me just caring so much about the wonderful cast of lovable characters ranging from hot babes to slacking goofballs. This show isn't going to make you an expert on anime production (I'm sure as shit not), but it will hopefully make you appreciate the staff working on shows a little more.
4. Go! Princess Precure
Like all Precure series GoPri is not without its faults, including but certainly not limited to its poor character conversion arc which pales in comparison to other similar arcs in the franchise, and the over-reliance on the main character to be the ONLY driving force for other character's development. Still though, everyone in the cast is so lovely and charming that I can't help but love almost everything about it, especially the last stretch of the show with Minami and Kirara's character arcs draw to a close and the incredible and wonderfully conclusive finale. This is easily my favorite Precure since Heartcatch and will likely with time become my personal favorite entry in the franchise, even if it doesn't excel as much as others.
5. Shokugeki no Soma
A creative and damn good "battle manga" adaptation with some surprisingly deep characters, great direction, and food that I've grown to hate because they look so good in the show that it makes me hungry.
I did bad on my screencaps for this but this will do.
6. Koufuku Graffiti
The best thing Shaft has done since best thing ever Hidamari Sketch, and like Soma focuses on food as its theme. Unlike Soma though, food is used as a means to connect with friends and family rather than to win and achieve goals yadda yadda. You can really feel how much closer Ryou and Kirin become as the series goes on and it's the kind of gooey sweetness I need sometimes in my slice of life.
Thanks Ume-sensei.
7. Prison School
Mizushima proving again last year that he has fun making anime by adapting probably the best manga ever. He gets all the comedic timing and incredible moments of tension just right in this fine adaptation.
8. Yuri Kuma Arashi
While it's slow to really get going and could have used twice as many episodes, Ikuhara proves that he can still tell a well-crafted story with the resources he has. Also Ginko is bae, gao gao.
9. Utawarerumono: Itsuwari no Kamen
The savior of bad/mediocre mofu shows plaguing me since late 2014, and also a sequel to a mofu/show game that was quite different but also (mostly) good. This seems to take the slice of life route with all the plot threads moving forward in the background for the entire first half but that's fine since mofumofu gib me the tails.
10. Hello!! Kiniro Mosaic
it's still Kinmoza and that's still good.
OVAs:
1. Strike Witches: Operation Victory Arrow
If they think this could hold me over until S3 deets were finally given they were sort of right. Goddess Perrine being a badass motherfucker in OVA3 only proves that she is the best, cutest, best cutest witch of all time.
My action star wife.
2. Mushishi Zoku Shou: Suzu no Shizuku
It took a decade but Mushishi has now been completely adapted in all of its fine, well-crafted, mystical and sometimes scary glory. We don't get a whole lot of anime like Mushishi so I'm glad it got so many passionate people got to work on it to its completion, even with some notorious production issues.
3. Little Witch Academia 2
Not even remotely as good as the first one but Amanda prprprprprpr.
My man.
striferser
Huge Nickleback Fan
1. Shirobako
2. Sound! Euphonium / Hibike Euphonium
3. One Punch Man
4. Owarimonogatari
5. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Stardust Crusader
6. Yuri Kuma Arashi
7. Prison School
8. Durarara 2nd season
9. Koufuku Graffiti
10. Death Parade
Movie/OVA
1. Bureau of Proto Society
2. Psycho Pass the movie
3. Girl
4. Little witch academia 2
5. Diary of Ochibi
Honorable mention
1. Shokugeki no soma
2. Monster Musume no iru nichijo
3. Sore ga seiyuu
4. Perfect Insider
5. Himouto Umaru-chan
2. Sound! Euphonium / Hibike Euphonium
3. One Punch Man
4. Owarimonogatari
5. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Stardust Crusader
6. Yuri Kuma Arashi
7. Prison School
8. Durarara 2nd season
9. Koufuku Graffiti
10. Death Parade
Movie/OVA
1. Bureau of Proto Society
2. Psycho Pass the movie
3. Girl
4. Little witch academia 2
5. Diary of Ochibi
Honorable mention
1. Shokugeki no soma
2. Monster Musume no iru nichijo
3. Sore ga seiyuu
4. Perfect Insider
5. Himouto Umaru-chan
PdotMichael
Banned
TV
1. Owarimonogatari
2. Shirobako
3. Koufuku Graffiti
OVA
1. Little Witch Academia 2
2. Strike Witches
I didn't watch (finished) more anime last year.
1. Owarimonogatari
2. Shirobako
3. Koufuku Graffiti
OVA
1. Little Witch Academia 2
2. Strike Witches
I didn't watch (finished) more anime last year.
Linkstrikesback
Member
TV
1) One punch man.
I don't have time to watch a lot of anime. This being the only one I would strongly recommend that I did this past year.
1) One punch man.
I don't have time to watch a lot of anime. This being the only one I would strongly recommend that I did this past year.
Unfortunately, I don't really have the time to expound on my choices this year so I'll just make a short list
TV Series
1) One Punch Man
2) Shirobako
3) Jojo's Bizarre Adventure -Stardust Crusaders S2
4) Death Parade
5) Food Wars
6) Blood Blockade Battlefront
7) Prison School
8) Rokka -Braves of the Six Flowers
9) Lupin III 2015
10) Concrete Revolutio
Honorable Mentions
A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn't Exist
Gundam Iron-Blood Orphans
OVAs/Movies
1) Little Witch Academia 2
2) Animator Expo (just in general. I'd saw of the shorts I was able to watch, Cassette Girl and Bureau of the Proto Society were the best ones in that order)
Honorable Mention
Space Battleship Yamato 2199 movie - I unfortunately didn't have the time to watch it but I loved the TV series so I'm assuming I'd love this one too
TV Series
1) One Punch Man
2) Shirobako
3) Jojo's Bizarre Adventure -Stardust Crusaders S2
4) Death Parade
5) Food Wars
6) Blood Blockade Battlefront
7) Prison School
8) Rokka -Braves of the Six Flowers
9) Lupin III 2015
10) Concrete Revolutio
Honorable Mentions
A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn't Exist
Gundam Iron-Blood Orphans
OVAs/Movies
1) Little Witch Academia 2
2) Animator Expo (just in general. I'd saw of the shorts I was able to watch, Cassette Girl and Bureau of the Proto Society were the best ones in that order)
Honorable Mention
Space Battleship Yamato 2199 movie - I unfortunately didn't have the time to watch it but I loved the TV series so I'm assuming I'd love this one too
1. Lupin The Third Part IV. While some people would complain that it's not that original since it hampers back to Part 1, it still great at what it does being a fun watching thief/adventurish show with likeable adult main cast characters that's severely lacking these days. The animation also happens to be top notch and the music is spot on Lupin should be. Shame not a lot of people are mentioning Lupin since the subs didn't come out till January of this year, so hopefully more votes get voted for it for 2016 GOTY.
2. Ushio and Tora. A top notch old school like Shonen show but having a lot of the filler cut out, it's well paced and animation remains consistent good. If your a fan of old school shonen from the 90's I would highly recommend this series.
3. Shokugeki no soma. Surprisingly this became more than just a heavy fanservice show, many will get turned off from the first ep because of all the fanservice but it becomes more than just that, lots of food porn showing off, seeing the food being made and prepared, seeing the likeable characters interact with each other and be put through tournament ordeals is extremely fun. Really give this series a chance, don't let the first ep make up your mind on this series, it gets so much better.
4. Shirobako. An interesting and fun look of the anime industry with likeable characters to follow their ordeals on how hard it is to make anime.
5. Non Non Biyori Repeat. One of the better comedy slice of life anime out there these past few years. Very fun show to watch.
6. One Punch Man. Good action scenes, that's all need to be said.
7. Kekkai Sensen. Fun show to watch, somewhat weak in the story department but you'll ignore that with the top animation going on.
8. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Stardust Crusader. Jojo at it's best
9. Your Lie in April. Dem emotions, very well animated too.
10. Sound! Euphonium. One of a rare few KyoAni show that doesn't just rely on moeblobs being moeblobs on;or being just a good animated series but nothing more. Very well done show.
2. Ushio and Tora. A top notch old school like Shonen show but having a lot of the filler cut out, it's well paced and animation remains consistent good. If your a fan of old school shonen from the 90's I would highly recommend this series.
3. Shokugeki no soma. Surprisingly this became more than just a heavy fanservice show, many will get turned off from the first ep because of all the fanservice but it becomes more than just that, lots of food porn showing off, seeing the food being made and prepared, seeing the likeable characters interact with each other and be put through tournament ordeals is extremely fun. Really give this series a chance, don't let the first ep make up your mind on this series, it gets so much better.
4. Shirobako. An interesting and fun look of the anime industry with likeable characters to follow their ordeals on how hard it is to make anime.
5. Non Non Biyori Repeat. One of the better comedy slice of life anime out there these past few years. Very fun show to watch.
6. One Punch Man. Good action scenes, that's all need to be said.
7. Kekkai Sensen. Fun show to watch, somewhat weak in the story department but you'll ignore that with the top animation going on.
8. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Stardust Crusader. Jojo at it's best
9. Your Lie in April. Dem emotions, very well animated too.
10. Sound! Euphonium. One of a rare few KyoAni show that doesn't just rely on moeblobs being moeblobs on;or being just a good animated series but nothing more. Very well done show.
MikeHattsu
Member
30 mins left
Lee Chaolan
Member
My goodness, almost forgot about this.
So, I guess I didn't watch too much new anime this past year.
1. My Love Story!!; So, this show kind of hit me out of nowhere. Great opening and ending, characters are wonderful. Show was too damn sweet it probably gave me cavaities. Made me smile quite a lot though, although feel sad for Ai still, best girl.
2. Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma; This one was recommended to me a GAF. Loved old school Iron Chef, and stuff like Stephen Chow's God of Cookery. Was an enjoyable watch, but was sad it ended on a cliff hanger.
3. Rokka: Braves of the Six Flowers; I do love mystery sort of whodunit type stuff. Rokka did a good job of keeping the tension up and keeping you guessing. Although my initiall guess was correct. ;p
4. Shirobako; Cute girls, good comedy, awesome 1st opening. Enjoyed the first arc more,
5. One Punch Man; Didn't watch this one til super late, but really funny show, love the ridiculous outfit.
6. The Seven Deadly Sins; I'm glad Netflix actually advertised this a bit on their main page. Was a pretty good shonen, nice cast of characters. Love Diane <3
7. Chivalry of a Failed Knight; The battles are fun, and more cute girls. Only found out about this show from ohlawd.
So, I guess I didn't watch too much new anime this past year.
1. My Love Story!!; So, this show kind of hit me out of nowhere. Great opening and ending, characters are wonderful. Show was too damn sweet it probably gave me cavaities. Made me smile quite a lot though, although feel sad for Ai still, best girl.
2. Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma; This one was recommended to me a GAF. Loved old school Iron Chef, and stuff like Stephen Chow's God of Cookery. Was an enjoyable watch, but was sad it ended on a cliff hanger.
3. Rokka: Braves of the Six Flowers; I do love mystery sort of whodunit type stuff. Rokka did a good job of keeping the tension up and keeping you guessing. Although my initiall guess was correct. ;p
4. Shirobako; Cute girls, good comedy, awesome 1st opening. Enjoyed the first arc more,
5. One Punch Man; Didn't watch this one til super late, but really funny show, love the ridiculous outfit.
6. The Seven Deadly Sins; I'm glad Netflix actually advertised this a bit on their main page. Was a pretty good shonen, nice cast of characters. Love Diane <3
7. Chivalry of a Failed Knight; The battles are fun, and more cute girls. Only found out about this show from ohlawd.
1. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders - Egypt Arc;
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure is just such an amazing series. The amount of creativity and imagination that Araki put into it is just outstanding, and it makes watching the show incredibly fun. On top of that, the anime did an outstanding job of adapting the source material. David Production might not have a very high budget, but it feels like they truly understand what makes the series special.
All in all, It was simply the most fun show I watched last year, which is why I decided to put it at number 1.
2. One Punch Man;
I honestly don't get the vehement negativity some people have towards the show. I feel that dismissing this show as just a bunch of sakuga scenes with no real depth is a bit unfair - after all, the show was made by a team of incredibly talented anime veterans, and it clearly shows. Both in animation, which is outstanding, but also in the action direction itself. Most action shows wish they had action scenes that were half as well directed as some of the best ones in OPM. On top of that, the source material the show is based on is pretty great, and is a welcome change from most anime out there.
3. Gintama;
It's still the funniest anime around, really. There isn't much more to add that hasn't already been covered a thousand times already. This season really didn't feel like the show's strongest, but it was still great. Basically, more Gintama is never a bad thing.
4. Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma;
This show was pretty dumb, but it was also incredibly entertaining. It didn't really break any new ground, but it was fun for what it was.
5. Haikyuu!! Second Season
Honestly, after the first season of Haikyuu I wondered what more they could possibly do with the show. They seemed to have exhausted their primary plot points (the lack of trust between the main characters and the team's inability to work together), which really made me wonder where the show will go next.
As it turns out, my fears were completely unfounded. The second season introduced some really interesting plot points and provided an unexpected level of character development to some of the supporting characters (which was great, since great characterization was always one of Haikyuu's strengths). However, I was mildly disappointing with the rather slow pace (the training camp dragged on for way too long) and the lack of any actual volleyball matches.
Sadly, I didn't manage to watch some of the shows that probably deserve to be on this list, like Shirobako, Blood Blockade Battlefront, Garo and Death parade. I would also have liked to write a longer list, but since I'm doing this at the last minute that would obviously be pretty hard to do.
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure is just such an amazing series. The amount of creativity and imagination that Araki put into it is just outstanding, and it makes watching the show incredibly fun. On top of that, the anime did an outstanding job of adapting the source material. David Production might not have a very high budget, but it feels like they truly understand what makes the series special.
All in all, It was simply the most fun show I watched last year, which is why I decided to put it at number 1.
2. One Punch Man;
I honestly don't get the vehement negativity some people have towards the show. I feel that dismissing this show as just a bunch of sakuga scenes with no real depth is a bit unfair - after all, the show was made by a team of incredibly talented anime veterans, and it clearly shows. Both in animation, which is outstanding, but also in the action direction itself. Most action shows wish they had action scenes that were half as well directed as some of the best ones in OPM. On top of that, the source material the show is based on is pretty great, and is a welcome change from most anime out there.
3. Gintama;
It's still the funniest anime around, really. There isn't much more to add that hasn't already been covered a thousand times already. This season really didn't feel like the show's strongest, but it was still great. Basically, more Gintama is never a bad thing.
4. Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma;
This show was pretty dumb, but it was also incredibly entertaining. It didn't really break any new ground, but it was fun for what it was.
5. Haikyuu!! Second Season
Honestly, after the first season of Haikyuu I wondered what more they could possibly do with the show. They seemed to have exhausted their primary plot points (the lack of trust between the main characters and the team's inability to work together), which really made me wonder where the show will go next.
As it turns out, my fears were completely unfounded. The second season introduced some really interesting plot points and provided an unexpected level of character development to some of the supporting characters (which was great, since great characterization was always one of Haikyuu's strengths). However, I was mildly disappointing with the rather slow pace (the training camp dragged on for way too long) and the lack of any actual volleyball matches.
Sadly, I didn't manage to watch some of the shows that probably deserve to be on this list, like Shirobako, Blood Blockade Battlefront, Garo and Death parade. I would also have liked to write a longer list, but since I'm doing this at the last minute that would obviously be pretty hard to do.
OniBarubary
Banned
I think I speak for everyone when I pre-emptively declare the winner of this year's NeoGAF Anime of the Year voting to be Akikan! for the 7th straight year!
Good showing by everyone but the champ reigns supreme!
Y'all can pick up your silver medals by the exit. I leave you with 2015's Waifu of the Year, whatever this girl's name was.
Good showing by everyone but the champ reigns supreme!
Y'all can pick up your silver medals by the exit. I leave you with 2015's Waifu of the Year, whatever this girl's name was.
OniBarubary
Banned
You saw nothing.
Deputy Dangle
Member
Movies/OVAs
1. Shashinkan;
2. Kanón (Animator Expo);
3. When Marnie Was There;
I hope that Ghibli sort of bowing out doesn't signify that this is the last we'll see from Hiromasa Yonebayashi. This sophomore effort demonstrates how much he's come into his own with establishing mood and a certain elegance fitting of good source material.
4. Space Battleship Yamato 2199: Odyssey of the Celestial Ark
5. I Can Friday By Day (Animator Expo)
1. Shashinkan;
I get the feeling Takashi Nakamura is a fan of Sylvain Chomet. Loved it.
2. Kanón (Animator Expo);
While I very much enjoyed many of the entries throughout the past three seasons of Animator Expo, Mahiro Maeda was the star of the show that proved to me how badly I want him to direct more shows after he's done with the Eva Rebuild stuff. Nishi-Ogikubo, Hammerhead, and Kanón all demonstrated his versatility with different tones, locations, and pacing. His storyboarding in Kanón really sells the manic dialogue and uses the lack of defined space to its benefit. It's remarkably dynamic and completely different from his other two shorts.
3. When Marnie Was There;
I hope that Ghibli sort of bowing out doesn't signify that this is the last we'll see from Hiromasa Yonebayashi. This sophomore effort demonstrates how much he's come into his own with establishing mood and a certain elegance fitting of good source material.
4. Space Battleship Yamato 2199: Odyssey of the Celestial Ark
5. I Can Friday By Day (Animator Expo)
TV Series
I didn't watch too much, but I'm glad I finished just enough to make a list of those that got done airing in 2015.
1. Sound Euphonium - While I was not in a band, I do understand musical competition and somehow Euphonium reminded me of trying to compete in fighting game tournaments. The drama of choosing what you want to do... Do you want to be a casual, or do you want to compete at EVO, the biggest tournament of them all? This was without question KyoAni's best in recent memory and I'm so happy that the music, instruments, and the major characters made this my AOTY 2015.
2. One Punch Man - An amazing looking action show of trying to be a hero. The animation is stellar, the music is amazing, and if need be, Saitama puts on his serious face and it's on. The fights are crazy and there's good comedy in this too.
3. Owarimonogatari - I haven't properly sat down and watched the previous Monogatari series, although I do have a pretty good idea what the supernatural elements of the show are in relation to the characters. That being said, it was refreshing to see the first half not have those and I'm okay with the 2nd half going back to the supernatural. Ougi Oshino is the star of Owari with her Sherlock reasoning.
4. Cross Ange - Never since Code Geass have I seen a train ride be this continuous and crazy throughout the show. This one is without question trashy and messed up, but the main character grows stronger and stronger amongst the insanity and I really wish this train ride didn't stop.
5. Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma - I want to try all the food that is shown in here. They look so tasty and makes me drool everytime. This shounen manga may have some asspulls and fanservice, but they get toned down as it progresses. Both Nakiris are the best chefs.
6. Concrete Revolutio - A world where superhumans want to live amongst normal people and be treated the same way. This was a unique portrayal of superheroes in dialogue and powers with a little mix of Xmen and Sentai Warriors, and jumping back and forth between years may throw people off a little, but each detail is important to how the plot progresses later on. Even some episodes that may seem standalone are important because they get referred back to later. There's also a lot of internal conflicts of characters over what really is right and wrong in reality. Well worth a rewatch, I think.
7. SHIMONETA: A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn't Exist - This one was a little Brave New World like where pretty much any coarse language is forbidden and everyone is tracked by the government. Show was pretty funny and a little over the top in expressing a few people's desire to fight back against their Big Brother and teach their peers that it's okay to have dirty thoughts.
8. Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend - If it wasn't for Utaha, then most of this show really would've been boring just to help the MC make a game and sell it at Comiket.
9. Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? - Finally, an MMO-like setting where you start from the beginning with nothing and work your way up. At least Bell's Kirito voice wasn't exactly the most OP person who can pull his ass out of any fight with super ease.
10. Hello!! Kin-iro Mosaic - The followup season was more hilarious than the first season and just brings a big smile to my face every episode. Karen still remains the best being carefree and energetic along with her broken Japanese.
I didn't watch too much, but I'm glad I finished just enough to make a list of those that got done airing in 2015.
1. Sound Euphonium - While I was not in a band, I do understand musical competition and somehow Euphonium reminded me of trying to compete in fighting game tournaments. The drama of choosing what you want to do... Do you want to be a casual, or do you want to compete at EVO, the biggest tournament of them all? This was without question KyoAni's best in recent memory and I'm so happy that the music, instruments, and the major characters made this my AOTY 2015.
2. One Punch Man - An amazing looking action show of trying to be a hero. The animation is stellar, the music is amazing, and if need be, Saitama puts on his serious face and it's on. The fights are crazy and there's good comedy in this too.
3. Owarimonogatari - I haven't properly sat down and watched the previous Monogatari series, although I do have a pretty good idea what the supernatural elements of the show are in relation to the characters. That being said, it was refreshing to see the first half not have those and I'm okay with the 2nd half going back to the supernatural. Ougi Oshino is the star of Owari with her Sherlock reasoning.
4. Cross Ange - Never since Code Geass have I seen a train ride be this continuous and crazy throughout the show. This one is without question trashy and messed up, but the main character grows stronger and stronger amongst the insanity and I really wish this train ride didn't stop.
5. Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma - I want to try all the food that is shown in here. They look so tasty and makes me drool everytime. This shounen manga may have some asspulls and fanservice, but they get toned down as it progresses. Both Nakiris are the best chefs.
6. Concrete Revolutio - A world where superhumans want to live amongst normal people and be treated the same way. This was a unique portrayal of superheroes in dialogue and powers with a little mix of Xmen and Sentai Warriors, and jumping back and forth between years may throw people off a little, but each detail is important to how the plot progresses later on. Even some episodes that may seem standalone are important because they get referred back to later. There's also a lot of internal conflicts of characters over what really is right and wrong in reality. Well worth a rewatch, I think.
7. SHIMONETA: A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn't Exist - This one was a little Brave New World like where pretty much any coarse language is forbidden and everyone is tracked by the government. Show was pretty funny and a little over the top in expressing a few people's desire to fight back against their Big Brother and teach their peers that it's okay to have dirty thoughts.
8. Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend - If it wasn't for Utaha, then most of this show really would've been boring just to help the MC make a game and sell it at Comiket.
9. Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? - Finally, an MMO-like setting where you start from the beginning with nothing and work your way up. At least Bell's Kirito voice wasn't exactly the most OP person who can pull his ass out of any fight with super ease.
10. Hello!! Kin-iro Mosaic - The followup season was more hilarious than the first season and just brings a big smile to my face every episode. Karen still remains the best being carefree and energetic along with her broken Japanese.
I kinda forgot about this.
1.Shirobako-
4.Shokugeki no Soma
5.Hackadoll
6.Death Parade
7.Yuriphonium (Euriphonium)
8.Show By Rock
9.Blood Blockade Battlefront
10.School Live
Movies/OVA
1.Tomorrow From There-
3.I can Friday By Day
4.GIRL
5.Endless Night
1.Shirobako-
2.Garo:The Animation-
3.My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU Season 2
So the show as a whole was a slow burn. It had too much episodic content and the standalone episodes weren't really that compelling. That said, the show really started to come into its own near the end of the first cour and really nailed it out of the park in the 2nd. It actually had multiple leads who had honest character progression and growth. That's not only super rare in anime but writing in general. People go on about Ange's growth in Cross Ange but Leon had just as much character development if not more. The show did a fantastic job of initially establishing Leon's character and mindset, only to break it down and have him deal with the fallout. He is a completely different character at the end of episode 24 compared to the start.
It's not just Leon though, the writing as a whole does a great job of showing consequences. The city doesn't magically get repaired overnight and things such as the mecha Golden Garo are an organic development from the first cour. There are also a lot of story elements that work to establish the medieval setting so it doesn't feel like just another 'fantasy-lite' time period.
The production values definitely fluctuated however I feel like the budget was properly allocated to the scenes that mattered. The second cour as a whole, was much better animated than the first cour. I really didn't like the CGI armors initially but I've gotten used to them and I feel the show has justified their usage with the high speed camera tracking.
The show was surprisingly mature in a way that I didn't really expect from a tokusatsu show going in. It was definitely an uneven journey but the writing for the core characters was exceptionally strong.Absolutely criminal that it's not even selling 1000 copies per volume. Best show I've seen coming out of MAPPA.Again it's not often when the lead character seriously attempts suicide, only to come back a much stronger individual at the end.
4.Shokugeki no Soma
5.Hackadoll
6.Death Parade
7.Yuriphonium (Euriphonium)
8.Show By Rock
9.Blood Blockade Battlefront
10.School Live
Movies/OVA
1.Tomorrow From There-
2.Little Witch Academia: The Enchanted Parade
In some ways this is the most elegant short out of all of them. It's extremely simple and straightforward in that it's a girl struggling to get by, and seemingly ashamed to contact her parents, while she studies to be a marine biologist. All of this while she dreams of a better life for herself. In addition, Avaivartika’s music along with Takeshi Honda's animation really helps excel this piece to the top of the Animator Expo short list.
I feel like this highlights how bad so many of the Anime Mirai shorts are. How am I getting more out of a five minute OVA than all those other works? I imagine the level of creative freedom is similar. Look at how the color palette changes throughout the episode to reflect her mood. The work also uses reiteration to good use to display the monotony of everyday life. It’s subtle touches like these that really add to a work, especially one with a short run time like this.
This is really a short about changing your perspective on life. She became obsessed with wealth, luxury goods, and status to the point where she was depressed about her life. Instead she failed to see the beauty and vibrance around her everyday. It seems to be saying that while it's good to try and better yourself, don't obsess over it and enjoy your life.
There are so many small subtle things in the short. The way she holds the glass ball above her head like it's beyond her or 'above' her life, as it is now. The double rainbow is there to also signify her transformation and her internal happiness. The cake being misshapen shows how she was idolizing something that was false and corrupted. It was all an illusion in her head. There's the obvious water symbolism to represent rebirth, in that she has a new attitude. In the transformation sequence when she sees the 'big city', she sparkles instead of the tower. The way the city doesn't shine at the end visually represents how to her; now it's just a bunch of buildings. It’s chokeful of these small things to visualize her feelings.
3.I can Friday By Day
4.GIRL
5.Endless Night
Theonik
Member
Well I managed to edit my very shitty list in just in time. Not really that happy with it but this year sucked.
MikeHattsu
Member
PoeticProse22
Member
This wasn’t a particularly good year for anime, featuring relatively little in the way of excellence or even consistency. As such, I’ll be limiting my list to five series.
1. Death Parade - Despite the inconsistencies borne from its episodic format, this series was beautifully distinct, both visually and creatively, strengthened by a bevy of intriguing characters and some exceptionally well-executed moments, namely the ice skating sequence. Though weakened in its storytelling by a narrative undercurrent that was ultimately pointless, the majority of the story was quite compelling, elevated by its uniqueness and consistently excellent direction.
2. Shirobako - Though not overly informative, this was an immensely enjoyable series that rarely faltered in quality, as it offered a surprisingly engaging glimpse into the industry. The cast of characters, above all, was wonderfully varied and almost entirely enjoyable. Though the second half wasn’t quite as strong as the first, riddled as it was with several cheap dramatic cues, the conclusion was beautifully and poignantly handled.
3. Lupin III - Though incomplete, this series of Lupin has been thoroughly entertaining and, as always, stylistically marvelous, boasting several classically fantastic episodes. Though I didn’t abhor Fujiko Mine on first watch, this series smartly avoids the needlessly dramatic nonsense that littered the aforementioned bizarre re-imagining, quickly becoming the best Lupin in quite some time. Had the individual narratives within each episode been more consistently compelling, this would have quite possibly been first on my list. The fantastic OP is perhaps the best of the year.
4. Osomatsu-san - Exceedingly inconsistent though it may be (which, given its genre, is certainly understandable), this is unquestionably the strongest comedy of the year, featuring, as well, some surprisingly superb visuals. The main characters, for their part, have been uniformly amusing, which, unfortunately, doesn’t exactly extend to many of the frustratingly dull secondary characters.
5. Gatchaman Crowds Insight - Unfortunately, this season was notably weaker than the first, as the exploration of its themes was rather poorly handled and Nakamura’s direction, though typically terrific, was considerably less focused than I would have liked. Having said that, it edges onto my list due to its often inventive storytelling, a bizarrely unique world, and several great characters (particularly Hajime).
Films/OVAs
1. Bureau of Proto Society
2. The Diary of Ochibi
3. Hammerhead
4. Kanon
Honorable Mentions
1. Concrete Revolutio - Plagued by a decidedly mediocre beginning, this has slowly improved, becoming a thoroughly creative and surprisingly engaging show. It is, however, needlessly convoluted and tarnished by an inconsistency in both writing and execution that seems remarkably common in anime over the last year.
2. Subete ga F ni Naru: The Perfect Insider - Though the mystery in this series was weakened by occasionally monotonous pacing and some thoroughly unremarkable production values, the show as a whole and its characters were surprisingly solid. It also features a fantastic OP and ED.
3. One Punch Man - Though buoyed by some stellar action sequences, nearly everything else was disappointingly tepid in execution, primarily weakened by largely ineffective humor and production values that, aside from the exquisite animation, were consistently unimpressive.
Unfortunately, I haven’t yet watched several series and films that could have very likely been included in my list, such as Hibike Euphonium, When Marnie was There, Mushishi Zoku Shou, and Little Witch Academia: The Enchanted Parade.
1. Death Parade - Despite the inconsistencies borne from its episodic format, this series was beautifully distinct, both visually and creatively, strengthened by a bevy of intriguing characters and some exceptionally well-executed moments, namely the ice skating sequence. Though weakened in its storytelling by a narrative undercurrent that was ultimately pointless, the majority of the story was quite compelling, elevated by its uniqueness and consistently excellent direction.
2. Shirobako - Though not overly informative, this was an immensely enjoyable series that rarely faltered in quality, as it offered a surprisingly engaging glimpse into the industry. The cast of characters, above all, was wonderfully varied and almost entirely enjoyable. Though the second half wasn’t quite as strong as the first, riddled as it was with several cheap dramatic cues, the conclusion was beautifully and poignantly handled.
3. Lupin III - Though incomplete, this series of Lupin has been thoroughly entertaining and, as always, stylistically marvelous, boasting several classically fantastic episodes. Though I didn’t abhor Fujiko Mine on first watch, this series smartly avoids the needlessly dramatic nonsense that littered the aforementioned bizarre re-imagining, quickly becoming the best Lupin in quite some time. Had the individual narratives within each episode been more consistently compelling, this would have quite possibly been first on my list. The fantastic OP is perhaps the best of the year.
4. Osomatsu-san - Exceedingly inconsistent though it may be (which, given its genre, is certainly understandable), this is unquestionably the strongest comedy of the year, featuring, as well, some surprisingly superb visuals. The main characters, for their part, have been uniformly amusing, which, unfortunately, doesn’t exactly extend to many of the frustratingly dull secondary characters.
5. Gatchaman Crowds Insight - Unfortunately, this season was notably weaker than the first, as the exploration of its themes was rather poorly handled and Nakamura’s direction, though typically terrific, was considerably less focused than I would have liked. Having said that, it edges onto my list due to its often inventive storytelling, a bizarrely unique world, and several great characters (particularly Hajime).
Films/OVAs
1. Bureau of Proto Society
2. The Diary of Ochibi
3. Hammerhead
4. Kanon
Honorable Mentions
1. Concrete Revolutio - Plagued by a decidedly mediocre beginning, this has slowly improved, becoming a thoroughly creative and surprisingly engaging show. It is, however, needlessly convoluted and tarnished by an inconsistency in both writing and execution that seems remarkably common in anime over the last year.
2. Subete ga F ni Naru: The Perfect Insider - Though the mystery in this series was weakened by occasionally monotonous pacing and some thoroughly unremarkable production values, the show as a whole and its characters were surprisingly solid. It also features a fantastic OP and ED.
3. One Punch Man - Though buoyed by some stellar action sequences, nearly everything else was disappointingly tepid in execution, primarily weakened by largely ineffective humor and production values that, aside from the exquisite animation, were consistently unimpressive.
Unfortunately, I haven’t yet watched several series and films that could have very likely been included in my list, such as Hibike Euphonium, When Marnie was There, Mushishi Zoku Shou, and Little Witch Academia: The Enchanted Parade.
- Status