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NeoGAF Anime of the Year 2016 - Voting Thread
- Thread starter Cornbread78
- Start date
- Status
GoldCrusader
Member
To my knowledge it should be.
Zevenberge
Member
I don't watch that many anime, but at least I can agree with one being the best:
(Series)
1. Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu
I can't really put it better than people have already done. I do theatre plays myself so of course I am interested in this Japanese performance style. The animation is really good, especially if you take into account that one medium needed to be translated to another. In the beginning the rakugo performances took a lot of the screen time, but just before it got boring, they started chopping them down, allowing for the story to flourish.
2. Girlish Number
Definitely the surprise of this season. It is refreshing to have an asshole protagonist for once. The story centers around Chitose, one of five relatively unknown voice actors scouted for a lead role in an upcoming anime. While all the others are trying their best at all that they do, Chitose thinks that, because she is elected as a main role, she is the best voice actress there ever was. Her emotional downfall when she realizes that she ruined the one chance that she got, is shown very beautifully and naturally.
3. Flip Flappers
One of the few popcorn animes that I can dig.
4. Re:Zero
It started out really well, then got quite bad at the end.
5. Occultic;Nine
Technically it is my number 5 anime of the year. But that is because I only watched 5 series. It started out really well, with high pacing. It even managed to put everything that had happened so far upside-down twice an episode.
Then the ending came. Worst ending ever.
(Series)
1. Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu
I can't really put it better than people have already done. I do theatre plays myself so of course I am interested in this Japanese performance style. The animation is really good, especially if you take into account that one medium needed to be translated to another. In the beginning the rakugo performances took a lot of the screen time, but just before it got boring, they started chopping them down, allowing for the story to flourish.
2. Girlish Number
Definitely the surprise of this season. It is refreshing to have an asshole protagonist for once. The story centers around Chitose, one of five relatively unknown voice actors scouted for a lead role in an upcoming anime. While all the others are trying their best at all that they do, Chitose thinks that, because she is elected as a main role, she is the best voice actress there ever was. Her emotional downfall when she realizes that she ruined the one chance that she got, is shown very beautifully and naturally.
3. Flip Flappers
One of the few popcorn animes that I can dig.
4. Re:Zero
It started out really well, then got quite bad at the end.
5. Occultic;Nine
Technically it is my number 5 anime of the year. But that is because I only watched 5 series. It started out really well, with high pacing. It even managed to put everything that had happened so far upside-down twice an episode.
Then the ending came. Worst ending ever.
Cornbread78
Member
Bedtime reading/shows sure are in high demand these days. Saves you money on Advil PM....
And I have arrived to put you a GOOD top 10 list, damn people, some of those picks feel... Weird for your top 10. Don't expect Re:Zero on the list since it's only worth for episode 15 and that's it.
Let's begin!
1. Haikyuu!!: Second Season / Haikyuu!!: Season 3 - Karasuno vs Shiratorizawa - Wow... just... Fucking wow... I didn't added this series on Top 10 last year and 2014 and I apologize, but this just, wow. Animations were good, the story was strong, the emotions, the strategy, this series in the 25 S2 episodes and the 10 episodes of the finals did something every other series couldn't do. Made me care a lot about the characters and how they make everything work.
WATCH IT.
2. Mob Psycho 100 - The animation on fights is amazing, BONES did an amazing job on every front to ensure we get a quality show. The way the characters develop, how Shigeo follows his drama about being OP but wanting to live a normal life. This series also has comedy and it's the best of the bunch.
3. Konosuba - Binge watched the entire series and I'm happy I did. I had a big laugh out of it, it made me lose my mind on some scenes, I feel that this series is taking the torch from Gintama in comedy while Gin is on serious mode. Also the trope that was made famous for Re:Zero is better applied here due to comedy. Check mate.
4. 91 Days - The dark horse of the year, no one gave a dime about this series and I got blown away how the story developed, the animation was almost top notch, the ending was good, not a thing from genius, but it left at a good point, it's something you watch on a normal american series but in anime, yes, anime fans doesn't like this, japs hate it sometimes, but this is good stuff.
5. Gintama° - The best arc of this series, by far, it made me cry like a baby, it's amazing how this series known for its comedy makes you care about the characters so hard. They're doing an amazing job and the next season is poised to be the top 3 series of this year.
6. Occultic;Nine - The series started... Weird? But once the series went on we got something amazing in our eyes, it's not for everyone, it's a series that it's quick, and tons of info go into your head when you're watching it but once you figure everything in here you'll love it. Also, RYOTAS!!.
7. My Hero Academia - You know, people call this the new big hit of the mass market of manga, and I think they're right, but also it feels that they made one of the smartest moves ever when they made this series as "seasons" without filler than taking the naruto/one piece/bleach route. The animation again, superb thanks to BONES and the story and characters are so much feel good it makes you smile and watch it again.
8. Osomatsu-San - Cour 2 started during this year, it was as great as the first, just pure humor from the brothers, no series left me in tears or laughter like this one, and it has to be the same team behind Gintama, thank god we got something from them while Gintama becomes serious business. Expecting new episodes from this one soon.
9. Yuri!!! on Ice - And this is the first time someone in NeoGAF mentions this series, people say "but it's the hype, it's about two men on anime, it's borderline BL", but let me tell you that the story is so well made, the focus on sports anime is perfect, we have the Yuri and Viktor relationship there but it's just a side story up until chapter 10-11.
10. March Comes In Like a Lion - It's a great drama series, with good animation and I think some of the best PoL sections, it's interesting that we get a series so different to the rest but you can relate to it. It might not become a series that sets the world on fire but it's one of those series that makes you think.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
- WWW.Working!! - It's the prequel to "Working!" but the series feel like a condensed 3 seasons of Working!! in 13 episodes. It's great, makes you laugh and makes you ship, it does everything in 13 episodes I repeat.
- Erased: I want to like it, but it has some flaws that take it from top 10, still, good series.
- Assassination Classroom - Season 2/Final Season: It felt rushed but still a great series, a 13 episode season this year and another 13 episodes for next would have been optimal but they saw what's coming next year...
- Flip Flappers: A slow start but ended up enjoying it, still barely out of Top 10.
- Dragon Ball Super: Because it started low, but with Trunks Saga went up, I hope this year hits a new peak.
- Sakamoto desu ga?: Because yes. Watch it.
- Pokemon XY&Z: Had Ash won the finals this series would become top 3 immediately, sadly it lost some logic after Ash lost.
BEST OPENINGS:
1. '99' by Mob Choir | Mob Psycho 100
2. 'The Day' by Porno Graffiti | My Hero Academia
3. 'XY&Z' by Rika Matsumoto | Pokemon XY&Z
4. 'History Maker' by Dean Fujioka | Yuri!!! on Ice
5. 'Hikari Are' by BURNOUT SYNDROMES | Haikyuu!!: Karasuno vs Shiratorizawa
6. 'Signal' by TK from Ling Tosite Sigure | 91 Days
7. 'Fighter' by Bump of Chicken | 3-gatsu no lion (March Comes Like A Lion)
8. 'Zenryoku Batankyū' by AouP | Osomatsu-san
9. 'Know Know Know' by Does | Gintama°
10. 'INFERNO' by 9mm Parabellum Bullet | Berserk (2016)
"WHY I'M I WATCHING THIS?" AWARD:
- All Out!!!: I mean, the series tries to be Haikyuu but it can't, tries some of the Days! approach, the MC on All Out is a dick who doesn't know shit about Rugby, meanwhile Tsukamoto on Days can be relatable at least on the first half. I still watch it but because Winter season isn't showing up strong except for Gintama and Fuuka in some way.
Let's begin!
1. Haikyuu!!: Second Season / Haikyuu!!: Season 3 - Karasuno vs Shiratorizawa - Wow... just... Fucking wow... I didn't added this series on Top 10 last year and 2014 and I apologize, but this just, wow. Animations were good, the story was strong, the emotions, the strategy, this series in the 25 S2 episodes and the 10 episodes of the finals did something every other series couldn't do. Made me care a lot about the characters and how they make everything work.
WATCH IT.
2. Mob Psycho 100 - The animation on fights is amazing, BONES did an amazing job on every front to ensure we get a quality show. The way the characters develop, how Shigeo follows his drama about being OP but wanting to live a normal life. This series also has comedy and it's the best of the bunch.
3. Konosuba - Binge watched the entire series and I'm happy I did. I had a big laugh out of it, it made me lose my mind on some scenes, I feel that this series is taking the torch from Gintama in comedy while Gin is on serious mode. Also the trope that was made famous for Re:Zero is better applied here due to comedy. Check mate.
4. 91 Days - The dark horse of the year, no one gave a dime about this series and I got blown away how the story developed, the animation was almost top notch, the ending was good, not a thing from genius, but it left at a good point, it's something you watch on a normal american series but in anime, yes, anime fans doesn't like this, japs hate it sometimes, but this is good stuff.
5. Gintama° - The best arc of this series, by far, it made me cry like a baby, it's amazing how this series known for its comedy makes you care about the characters so hard. They're doing an amazing job and the next season is poised to be the top 3 series of this year.
6. Occultic;Nine - The series started... Weird? But once the series went on we got something amazing in our eyes, it's not for everyone, it's a series that it's quick, and tons of info go into your head when you're watching it but once you figure everything in here you'll love it. Also, RYOTAS!!.
7. My Hero Academia - You know, people call this the new big hit of the mass market of manga, and I think they're right, but also it feels that they made one of the smartest moves ever when they made this series as "seasons" without filler than taking the naruto/one piece/bleach route. The animation again, superb thanks to BONES and the story and characters are so much feel good it makes you smile and watch it again.
8. Osomatsu-San - Cour 2 started during this year, it was as great as the first, just pure humor from the brothers, no series left me in tears or laughter like this one, and it has to be the same team behind Gintama, thank god we got something from them while Gintama becomes serious business. Expecting new episodes from this one soon.
9. Yuri!!! on Ice - And this is the first time someone in NeoGAF mentions this series, people say "but it's the hype, it's about two men on anime, it's borderline BL", but let me tell you that the story is so well made, the focus on sports anime is perfect, we have the Yuri and Viktor relationship there but it's just a side story up until chapter 10-11.
10. March Comes In Like a Lion - It's a great drama series, with good animation and I think some of the best PoL sections, it's interesting that we get a series so different to the rest but you can relate to it. It might not become a series that sets the world on fire but it's one of those series that makes you think.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
- WWW.Working!! - It's the prequel to "Working!" but the series feel like a condensed 3 seasons of Working!! in 13 episodes. It's great, makes you laugh and makes you ship, it does everything in 13 episodes I repeat.
- Erased: I want to like it, but it has some flaws that take it from top 10, still, good series.
- Assassination Classroom - Season 2/Final Season: It felt rushed but still a great series, a 13 episode season this year and another 13 episodes for next would have been optimal but they saw what's coming next year...
- Flip Flappers: A slow start but ended up enjoying it, still barely out of Top 10.
- Dragon Ball Super: Because it started low, but with Trunks Saga went up, I hope this year hits a new peak.
- Sakamoto desu ga?: Because yes. Watch it.
- Pokemon XY&Z: Had Ash won the finals this series would become top 3 immediately, sadly it lost some logic after Ash lost.
BEST OPENINGS:
1. '99' by Mob Choir | Mob Psycho 100
2. 'The Day' by Porno Graffiti | My Hero Academia
3. 'XY&Z' by Rika Matsumoto | Pokemon XY&Z
4. 'History Maker' by Dean Fujioka | Yuri!!! on Ice
5. 'Hikari Are' by BURNOUT SYNDROMES | Haikyuu!!: Karasuno vs Shiratorizawa
6. 'Signal' by TK from Ling Tosite Sigure | 91 Days
7. 'Fighter' by Bump of Chicken | 3-gatsu no lion (March Comes Like A Lion)
8. 'Zenryoku Batankyū' by AouP | Osomatsu-san
9. 'Know Know Know' by Does | Gintama°
10. 'INFERNO' by 9mm Parabellum Bullet | Berserk (2016)
"WHY I'M I WATCHING THIS?" AWARD:
- All Out!!!: I mean, the series tries to be Haikyuu but it can't, tries some of the Days! approach, the MC on All Out is a dick who doesn't know shit about Rugby, meanwhile Tsukamoto on Days can be relatable at least on the first half. I still watch it but because Winter season isn't showing up strong except for Gintama and Fuuka in some way.
shira
Member
#KORRAgotrobbed
Cornbread78
Member
#TrailsofColdSteelII got robbed
names2hard4you
Member
#thinkTitanfall2GotRobbedAsWell
Please, if you're going to push for a show, push for Amanchu.
phoenix296
Member
The superior puppet show.
I've... haven't really watched much this year. I've watched re;zero, but my opinion on that series cratered when it hit the midway point and regressed into just being another light novel. I loved Diamond is Unbreakable, and while it definitely had a lot of issues, I enjoyed Erased as it aired. Prisma Illya was as creepy as ever, but at least the creepiness was extremely concentrated into singular scenes as opposed to tainting the entire series.
I'm terrible at keeping up with anime as it airs. I only really followed those four and Vivid Strike this year, I just spent a lot of time catching up on older stuff. I'll probably watch a bunch of stuff in 2017 instead.
1; ViVid Strike!
It's another chapter in the Nanoha series, and I really enjoyed it for a lot of reasons. While every piece of official art to come out of it, as well as the entirety of Vivid, portray the entire franchise as some creeper-bait series, the content of the series themselves tend to be clear of such... content. There's fanservice but thank god it's surprisingly less than the standard for anime garbage.
Vivid Strike is a stand-alone that mostly separates itself from the rest of the franchise, only retaining three major characters and a few minor ones every here and there. Like a lot of anime that aired this year, it's centered around competition. Specifically, it's about martial arts.
But honestly, it's not about the fights at all. It presents itself as a stereotypical shounen series, and as nothing more than a self contained season of a single fighting tournament, but the martial arts itself isn't really important. There's a bunch of fight scenes, sure, but aside from the two most pivotal ones, they're all over in a flash. So if you're just in it for the action, you'll be sorely disappointed. In fact, you can replace martial arts with any sort of competition sport and you'll get the exact same result.
The series is almost entirely focused on the antagonist, Rinne Berlinetta. Her character arc starts the very first second of the first episode, and it keeps going until the end of the last. We see how she is as a child, and then later in the episode, we see how she is as an early teen. She's clearly changed a lot, and the first arc in the series is about why she's changed. The final episode in this arc, episode 4, finally shows us exactly what had happened.
I'll be segmenting these spoilers:
There's a lot more reasons why Vivid Strike is really good, but I don't want to spoil everything. Rinne's character arc is probably one of my favourite character arcs in everything I've ever watched, read or played, because of how intensely hard it struck me on a very, very sensitive subject.
2; Jojo's Bizarre Adventures: Diamond is Unbreakable ;
I really, really didn't like part 1. It didn't feel like there was a lot of stuff going on there. I really, really liked part 2, though, because the interactions between especially Joseph and Caesar were all really nice.
But then Part 3 hit and I lost all confidence in the series. I haven't read the manga, but forty eight episodes of what was essentially a monster of the week series was extremely tedious. I could've skipped everything after Polnareff joined, and then go back at the d'Arby showdown and essentially lose nothing.
Because people said Part 4 was extremely filler heavy, I was worried. But it turned out good. There's not much to say here. I'm probably overrating this series a bit because of how much better it struck my groove than Part 3, but it was good.
3; Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya 3rei!!
F/Z is the only Ufotable Fate anime I can stand. Prisma Illya is a little dumb and a lot of creepy, but the scenes that are actually done right feel closer to anything Fate than UBW does.
I used all my energy up, at 6 AM in the morning, writing about vivid strike. If nothing made sense I blame the alcohol. I might sanity edit this later. Probably not.
I'm terrible at keeping up with anime as it airs. I only really followed those four and Vivid Strike this year, I just spent a lot of time catching up on older stuff. I'll probably watch a bunch of stuff in 2017 instead.
1; ViVid Strike!
It's another chapter in the Nanoha series, and I really enjoyed it for a lot of reasons. While every piece of official art to come out of it, as well as the entirety of Vivid, portray the entire franchise as some creeper-bait series, the content of the series themselves tend to be clear of such... content. There's fanservice but thank god it's surprisingly less than the standard for anime garbage.
Vivid Strike is a stand-alone that mostly separates itself from the rest of the franchise, only retaining three major characters and a few minor ones every here and there. Like a lot of anime that aired this year, it's centered around competition. Specifically, it's about martial arts.
But honestly, it's not about the fights at all. It presents itself as a stereotypical shounen series, and as nothing more than a self contained season of a single fighting tournament, but the martial arts itself isn't really important. There's a bunch of fight scenes, sure, but aside from the two most pivotal ones, they're all over in a flash. So if you're just in it for the action, you'll be sorely disappointed. In fact, you can replace martial arts with any sort of competition sport and you'll get the exact same result.
The series is almost entirely focused on the antagonist, Rinne Berlinetta. Her character arc starts the very first second of the first episode, and it keeps going until the end of the last. We see how she is as a child, and then later in the episode, we see how she is as an early teen. She's clearly changed a lot, and the first arc in the series is about why she's changed. The final episode in this arc, episode 4, finally shows us exactly what had happened.
I'll be segmenting these spoilers:
She was the victim of bullying and snapped. While a lot of series handle bullying, Vivid Strike nailed it on the head. The slow build up, the intense tear it caused in Rinne's heart, and definitely her reactions to all of it. She blames herself, she doesn't want to tell anyone, she tries to hide it, and as it gets worse and they promise to not bully her anymore, they beat the nativity straight out of her. It was extremely disturbing to watch- not because it was overly graphic, but because I've seen all these exact situations happen. Things that didn't happen to me happened to the people around me.
There's a very slow, and very painful buildup to Rinne breaking and turning it onto the bullies. Most anime that handle the bullying well tend to fall apart here. They usually deliver some 'righteous justified' and the bullies either never pick on them again or they just become friends. Hell, not just anime, practically everything I've seen touch bullying glorifies the 'reversal'. Vivid Strike just... shows off how horrifying it actually tends to be.
Rinne beats her bullies up and leaves them hospitalized. The animation and music beautifully blends together in this amazing scene and it turns into something... completely unwatchable. It isn't portrayed as justice, it isn't portrayed as anything... it's portrayed as a young girl snapping, taking all of her anger out on the people that tormented her, and almost beating them to death. I really couldn't feel good watching it, and neither could Rinne
There's a lot more reasons why Vivid Strike is really good, but I don't want to spoil everything. Rinne's character arc is probably one of my favourite character arcs in everything I've ever watched, read or played, because of how intensely hard it struck me on a very, very sensitive subject.
2; Jojo's Bizarre Adventures: Diamond is Unbreakable ;
I really, really didn't like part 1. It didn't feel like there was a lot of stuff going on there. I really, really liked part 2, though, because the interactions between especially Joseph and Caesar were all really nice.
But then Part 3 hit and I lost all confidence in the series. I haven't read the manga, but forty eight episodes of what was essentially a monster of the week series was extremely tedious. I could've skipped everything after Polnareff joined, and then go back at the d'Arby showdown and essentially lose nothing.
Because people said Part 4 was extremely filler heavy, I was worried. But it turned out good. There's not much to say here. I'm probably overrating this series a bit because of how much better it struck my groove than Part 3, but it was good.
3; Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya 3rei!!
F/Z is the only Ufotable Fate anime I can stand. Prisma Illya is a little dumb and a lot of creepy, but the scenes that are actually done right feel closer to anything Fate than UBW does.
It's actually just up here because Shirou does the thing and continues to do the thing. I love you, Shirou
I used all my energy up, at 6 AM in the morning, writing about vivid strike. If nothing made sense I blame the alcohol. I might sanity edit this later. Probably not.
papertoonz
Member
1.Jojo Bizarre Adventure Diamond is Unbreakable
it's jojos, David Productions really put alot of effort into this and while at times them aiming for a 3 season with no breaks did hurt some episode they pulled it insanely well, highlight goes to all the cool transitions and the overall colour palette, this show was a blast to watch
2.Mob Psycho 100
best animation the whole year hands down, such a visually interesting show to watch and not going into the characters, Mod is a refreshing take on the whole OP main character idea with more a focus on him trying to make his life better without using his powers and reigen being the best bro
3.KonoSuba
such a fun show, i know every one loves Megumin but i think Darknessis may fav
4.Haikyuu
i watched the whole show this year but the payoff of the end of season 2 and 3 make it's worth it alone
5.My Hero Academia
a good honset take on the shonen, sadly the short time didn't give the best opportunity for all the characters to shine and ended just when thing were starting to get really good, lucky there is season two but as of right now could be better
6.Keijo!!!!!!!!
7.Ushio and Tora
oh man i miss these type of shows, this was such a blast from the past. the real highlight of this series for me was Ushio and Tora relationship
8.Space Patrol Luluco
i'm not a big fan of most of triggers work but i'll admit this was a enjoyable ride, it's short episode length made is a easy watch
it's jojos, David Productions really put alot of effort into this and while at times them aiming for a 3 season with no breaks did hurt some episode they pulled it insanely well, highlight goes to all the cool transitions and the overall colour palette, this show was a blast to watch
2.Mob Psycho 100
best animation the whole year hands down, such a visually interesting show to watch and not going into the characters, Mod is a refreshing take on the whole OP main character idea with more a focus on him trying to make his life better without using his powers and reigen being the best bro
3.KonoSuba
such a fun show, i know every one loves Megumin but i think Darknessis may fav
4.Haikyuu
i watched the whole show this year but the payoff of the end of season 2 and 3 make it's worth it alone
5.My Hero Academia
a good honset take on the shonen, sadly the short time didn't give the best opportunity for all the characters to shine and ended just when thing were starting to get really good, lucky there is season two but as of right now could be better
6.Keijo!!!!!!!!
7.Ushio and Tora
oh man i miss these type of shows, this was such a blast from the past. the real highlight of this series for me was Ushio and Tora relationship
8.Space Patrol Luluco
i'm not a big fan of most of triggers work but i'll admit this was a enjoyable ride, it's short episode length made is a easy watch
6.Keijo!!!!!!!!
Lmao
The Illiterati
Member
1. Re:Zero ; I'm an edgy masochist, what can I say?
2. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure : Diamond is Unbreakable ; My favorite Jojo so far. Amazing.
3. Mob Psycho 100 ; Best Animation. Made me love Regan by the end.
4. My Hero Academia ; I love this type of shonen...just wish there was more.
5. Ajin ; Love the brutal/ clever ways the immortality is used.
6. Kuromukuro ; Really loved the characters here.
7. Alderamin on the Sky ; Ditto, after really disliking the first episode, turned into something solid.
8. 91 Days ; Baccano is one of my favorites, so I've got to love that this reminds me of it.
9. Kiznaiver ; This makes it on for that one brutal episode in the middle, and the animation.
10. Space Patrol Luluco ; Fun and happy and I love the theme song.
2. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure : Diamond is Unbreakable ; My favorite Jojo so far. Amazing.
3. Mob Psycho 100 ; Best Animation. Made me love Regan by the end.
4. My Hero Academia ; I love this type of shonen...just wish there was more.
5. Ajin ; Love the brutal/ clever ways the immortality is used.
6. Kuromukuro ; Really loved the characters here.
7. Alderamin on the Sky ; Ditto, after really disliking the first episode, turned into something solid.
8. 91 Days ; Baccano is one of my favorites, so I've got to love that this reminds me of it.
9. Kiznaiver ; This makes it on for that one brutal episode in the middle, and the animation.
10. Space Patrol Luluco ; Fun and happy and I love the theme song.
Mattakuevan
Member
Here's mine:
1. Thunderbolt Fantasy ; Excellent visual design and honestly an all-around enjoyable experience. Goddamn the hype-building one-liners.
2. Mob Psycho 100 ; A show that consistantly usurped my expectations for it. Best OP this year.
3. Konosuba ; Actually funny, which is a rare thing to see in Anime nowadays. I eagerly await more adventures from this collection of dunces.
4. Yuri!!! on Ice ; One of the first 'sports' anime I've actually enjoyed. Well formatted and overall a heartwarming show.
5. Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV ; Easily the highest quality thing to come out of FF15's inception. Ep 1 and 5 were only decent, but 2-4 were fantastic.
I watched a lot more shows that this, but honestly these were the only ones I thought actually deserve recognition. Really didn't like this year.
Edit: Forgot Brotherhood came out this year.
1. Thunderbolt Fantasy ; Excellent visual design and honestly an all-around enjoyable experience. Goddamn the hype-building one-liners.
2. Mob Psycho 100 ; A show that consistantly usurped my expectations for it. Best OP this year.
3. Konosuba ; Actually funny, which is a rare thing to see in Anime nowadays. I eagerly await more adventures from this collection of dunces.
4. Yuri!!! on Ice ; One of the first 'sports' anime I've actually enjoyed. Well formatted and overall a heartwarming show.
5. Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV ; Easily the highest quality thing to come out of FF15's inception. Ep 1 and 5 were only decent, but 2-4 were fantastic.
I watched a lot more shows that this, but honestly these were the only ones I thought actually deserve recognition. Really didn't like this year.
Edit: Forgot Brotherhood came out this year.
TV Series:
1. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable
2. Mob Psycho 100
3. Yuri!!! on Ice
4. Thunderbolt Fantasy
5. Hibike! Euphonium Season 2
6. Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu
7. KonoSuba
8. Erased
9. Keijo!!!!!!!!
10. Ajin
Fantastic year imo. Haven't watched a lot of apparently good stuff.
1. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable
2. Mob Psycho 100
3. Yuri!!! on Ice
4. Thunderbolt Fantasy
5. Hibike! Euphonium Season 2
6. Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu
7. KonoSuba
8. Erased
9. Keijo!!!!!!!!
10. Ajin
Fantastic year imo. Haven't watched a lot of apparently good stuff.
Jex
Member
No I'd say you're pretty good, actually.
Turin Turambar
Member
Just add Haikyuu.
GoldCrusader
Member
You got a pretty good list! You are missing awesome stuff like My Hero Academia and Haikyu though. Give them a watch if you have not.
Raging Spaniard
If they are Dutch, upright and breathing they are more racist than your favorite player
Some anime left to finish still, so this is preliminary for now:
Haikyuu!
Mob Psycho 100
Yuri on Ice
Rakugo
Erased
Re:Zero
The Lost Village
Ajin
Flip Flappers
Kiznaivers
JoJo might have made the list but Im still working through Stardust Crusaders. I did enjoy the chapter in manga version though.
I also did not watch or finish Hero Academia, Thunderbolt Fantasy and 91 Days
Haikyuu!
Mob Psycho 100
Yuri on Ice
Rakugo
Erased
Re:Zero
The Lost Village
Ajin
Flip Flappers
Kiznaivers
JoJo might have made the list but Im still working through Stardust Crusaders. I did enjoy the chapter in manga version though.
I also did not watch or finish Hero Academia, Thunderbolt Fantasy and 91 Days
Dedication Through Light
Member
You need to watch The Morose Mononokean and Trickster.
Raging Spaniard
If they are Dutch, upright and breathing they are more racist than your favorite player
Sure! Its hard to know whats good every year so I do rely on threads like these to check on more stuff. Thanks!
MetroidPrimeRib
Banned
oh you sweet summer child
dont listen to Dedication Through Light
he has very specific tastes. Mostly involving boys love.
GoldCrusader
Member
I see you did not watch My Hero Academia! This is an important must watch!
Also Haikyu, Poco's Udon World and Occultic;Nine.
Yabberwocky
Member
I didn't watch many shows this year, but I absolutely adored what I did watch.
TV Series:
1. Yuri on Ice; I do have to write a mini-love letter to Yuri on Ice in particular, as it was such a pleasant surprise all-round, considering it was a show I had immediately dismissed as being yet another queerbaiting sports anime. The character development and revelations on the main cast and supporting cast are superb. Yuuri is one of the best written leads that I've seen in any anime. Considering I'd dismissed Victor at first, he turned out to be an incredible revelation, too. YoI's plot beats are constantly surprising, and come together for a fantastic - and refreshing - finale. (Around Episode 10, YoI turns into the goddamn quivalent of Fight Club for anime.) YoI is also one of the most distressingly on point characterizations of general anxiety and performer's anxiety that I've ever seen. There is no magical cure/love cures all to Yuuri's anxiety, on or off the ice, but he keeps trying anyway. It's a soothing and respectful look at anxiety, and is a show I'd recommend for anyone with anxiety or dealing with mental health issues, even if you're not a fan of sports anime. Because two of the leads are a lot older, YoI side-steps repetitive anime sports tropes. The building relationship between Yuuri and Victor is beautifully done, and their dynamic is entirely one of a kind and not remotely cliched. Yuri on Ice fittingly surprised the hell out of me from beginning to end, and made me remember why I became interested in anime in the first place. Mitsurou Kubo , Sayo Yamamoto and MAPPA did an incredible job, and went above and beyond what I'm sure their time and budget allowed. Fantastic OP/ED themes. The dub is great, too, props to whoever localized the dialogue. The Japanese version is charming, but the localized dialogue turned YoI into one of the rare laugh out loud anime series that I've watched. It's up there with Space Dandy in terms of localized dialogue for me - true to the original, whilst still being funnier.
2. Flip Flappers; Trippy, beautiful, and sincere. I think I'm still a little bit baffled, but in a really, really good way.
3. Mob Psycho 100; Dat animation. That is all.
Movies:
1. Your Name; I managed to go into this entirely unspoiled, and what I surprise I had. To be as spoiler free as possible, it is a beautiful and sincere film, with a lot of laughs and genuine poignancy in equal measure.
TV Series:
1. Yuri on Ice; I do have to write a mini-love letter to Yuri on Ice in particular, as it was such a pleasant surprise all-round, considering it was a show I had immediately dismissed as being yet another queerbaiting sports anime. The character development and revelations on the main cast and supporting cast are superb. Yuuri is one of the best written leads that I've seen in any anime. Considering I'd dismissed Victor at first, he turned out to be an incredible revelation, too. YoI's plot beats are constantly surprising, and come together for a fantastic - and refreshing - finale. (Around Episode 10, YoI turns into the goddamn quivalent of Fight Club for anime.) YoI is also one of the most distressingly on point characterizations of general anxiety and performer's anxiety that I've ever seen. There is no magical cure/love cures all to Yuuri's anxiety, on or off the ice, but he keeps trying anyway. It's a soothing and respectful look at anxiety, and is a show I'd recommend for anyone with anxiety or dealing with mental health issues, even if you're not a fan of sports anime. Because two of the leads are a lot older, YoI side-steps repetitive anime sports tropes. The building relationship between Yuuri and Victor is beautifully done, and their dynamic is entirely one of a kind and not remotely cliched. Yuri on Ice fittingly surprised the hell out of me from beginning to end, and made me remember why I became interested in anime in the first place. Mitsurou Kubo , Sayo Yamamoto and MAPPA did an incredible job, and went above and beyond what I'm sure their time and budget allowed. Fantastic OP/ED themes. The dub is great, too, props to whoever localized the dialogue. The Japanese version is charming, but the localized dialogue turned YoI into one of the rare laugh out loud anime series that I've watched. It's up there with Space Dandy in terms of localized dialogue for me - true to the original, whilst still being funnier.
2. Flip Flappers; Trippy, beautiful, and sincere. I think I'm still a little bit baffled, but in a really, really good way.
3. Mob Psycho 100; Dat animation. That is all.
Movies:
1. Your Name; I managed to go into this entirely unspoiled, and what I surprise I had. To be as spoiler free as possible, it is a beautiful and sincere film, with a lot of laughs and genuine poignancy in equal measure.
Spyder_Monkey
Banned
1. My Hero Academia
2. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable
3. Yuri On Ice
4. Mob Psycho 100
5. Kiznaiver
6. Erased
7. Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju
2. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable
3. Yuri On Ice
4. Mob Psycho 100
5. Kiznaiver
6. Erased
7. Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju
Raging Spaniard
If they are Dutch, upright and breathing they are more racist than your favorite player
Anime was a mistake
Dedication Through Light
Member
Best written leads is Yuuri? dont you mean Yurio??? Yuuri stayed the same from Episode 0 to the final Episode, meanwhile Yurio developed from being self center to being a bit more open and finding out what love actually is.
The dub is great though I think some of the accents and choices for whom to give accents too was odd.
It does seem like it was a good year. Had plenty of contenders for the 10 spots, where normally I'm not spoiled for choice. Like games this year.
Cornbread78
Member
1. Re:Zero
2. The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.
3. Kiznaiver
4. Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju
5. Yuri on Ice
6. Mob Psycho 100
7. Girlish Number
8. Erased
9. Sound Euphonium 2
10. Konosuba
x. My Hero Academia
x. Flying Witch
x. Space Patrol Luluco
x. Ninja Girl and Samurai Master
Overall a pretty good year held back by a few really bad endings (Kiznaiver, Erased, 2pho, Flip Flappers) but some pretty strong series made it all good.
2. The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.
3. Kiznaiver
4. Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju
5. Yuri on Ice
6. Mob Psycho 100
7. Girlish Number
8. Erased
9. Sound Euphonium 2
10. Konosuba
x. My Hero Academia
x. Flying Witch
x. Space Patrol Luluco
x. Ninja Girl and Samurai Master
Overall a pretty good year held back by a few really bad endings (Kiznaiver, Erased, 2pho, Flip Flappers) but some pretty strong series made it all good.
Cornbread78
Member
Mr Touchdown
Member
Hey, I actually watched current anime this year! Vote time!
Only like 3 though. No movies either.
TV Anime
1. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is not Crash
I love JoJo's so deeply. It's actually had quite a profound effect on my life so this series takes my year every year. Awesome characters, animation is great (some of those scene transitions this season were god damn incredible), wacky fights, wacky hanging out around town, a map and sightseeing tour of the town, and one of the strongest villains in the series. An extremely good time.
2. Mob Psycho 100
MP100 is by far one of the most fun and interesting shows I've had the pleasure of watching. The best animation of this year. A personal highlight was the final Reigen parts (that character is amazing). Mob himself is a pretty atypical protagonist, but it makes the show super compelling and different. Beats OPM for me honestly.
Also, the Body Improvement Club is awesome and I want to be their friends.
3. Keijo!!!!!!!!
People kept mashing clips of this show with JoJo dialog and so I started watching it. The plot's pretty good and the show has a great sense of humour. Also a vehement celebrator of "Booty". It's way better than it has any right to be.
Only like 3 though. No movies either.
TV Anime
1. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is not Crash
I love JoJo's so deeply. It's actually had quite a profound effect on my life so this series takes my year every year. Awesome characters, animation is great (some of those scene transitions this season were god damn incredible), wacky fights, wacky hanging out around town, a map and sightseeing tour of the town, and one of the strongest villains in the series. An extremely good time.
2. Mob Psycho 100
MP100 is by far one of the most fun and interesting shows I've had the pleasure of watching. The best animation of this year. A personal highlight was the final Reigen parts (that character is amazing). Mob himself is a pretty atypical protagonist, but it makes the show super compelling and different. Beats OPM for me honestly.
Also, the Body Improvement Club is awesome and I want to be their friends.
3. Keijo!!!!!!!!
People kept mashing clips of this show with JoJo dialog and so I started watching it. The plot's pretty good and the show has a great sense of humour. Also a vehement celebrator of "Booty". It's way better than it has any right to be.
1. Haikyuu: I have no interest in volleyball whatsoever but I still really loved it, I was legitimately cheering on for the characters and getting excited.
2. ReLife: Was a bit luke warm towards the beginning, but it really has you caring for the characters later on. The concept drew me in and it pretty much delivered.
3. Dagashi Kashi: I keep remembering this fondly for some reason even though I don't really know why I liked it so much.
4. Mob Psycho 100: This anime is like an improved version of OPM which I didn't really like a lot.
5. Sakamoto Desu Ga: Enjoyed this one for some reason. Though the MC bothered me sometimes I still liked him.
6. My Hero Academia: This was pretty fun. After being burnt out by OPM, I was ready to drop this within a few episodes but I was pleasantly surprised.
7. Erased: This is where we get to the animes I'm less excited about, the concept sounded cool but it felt quite bland to me. And I REALLY disliked the ending.
8. Kiznaiver: It was okay. The story and the scar thing really didn't grab me. And adding to that, you get the really annoying MC.
9. Oshiete! Galko-chan: Uh... I mean... it was okay... for when I wanted something short enough that I could eat food whilst watching.
10. She And Her Cat: Everything Flows: No Idea what this was about honestly. I remember nothing about it. (Putting it here since I've only seen 10 animes from 2016)
2. ReLife: Was a bit luke warm towards the beginning, but it really has you caring for the characters later on. The concept drew me in and it pretty much delivered.
3. Dagashi Kashi: I keep remembering this fondly for some reason even though I don't really know why I liked it so much.
4. Mob Psycho 100: This anime is like an improved version of OPM which I didn't really like a lot.
5. Sakamoto Desu Ga: Enjoyed this one for some reason. Though the MC bothered me sometimes I still liked him.
6. My Hero Academia: This was pretty fun. After being burnt out by OPM, I was ready to drop this within a few episodes but I was pleasantly surprised.
7. Erased: This is where we get to the animes I'm less excited about, the concept sounded cool but it felt quite bland to me. And I REALLY disliked the ending.
8. Kiznaiver: It was okay. The story and the scar thing really didn't grab me. And adding to that, you get the really annoying MC.
9. Oshiete! Galko-chan: Uh... I mean... it was okay... for when I wanted something short enough that I could eat food whilst watching.
10. She And Her Cat: Everything Flows: No Idea what this was about honestly. I remember nothing about it. (Putting it here since I've only seen 10 animes from 2016)
PshycoNinja
Member
Top 10 Anime Shows:
Honorable Mentions:
x. Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV
x. Food Wars! Season 2
x. Flying Witch
x. Sound Euphonium Season 2
x. Assassination Classroom 2nd Season
Films/OVAs/Shorts:
1. Digimon Adventures tri. "Confession" ; I loved Digimon in my late childhood and these new movies/OVAs are a good reminder of why I liked them so much.
2. Digimon Adventures tri. "Determination" ; So I didn't watch many OVAs and movies this year (I really wanted to watch Your Name and A Silent Voice before I finished this but I am now seeing that may not happen now), but Digimon really was great and this "second part" was a great addition and really added to "Confession" when it finally aired.
3. Sheltered ; A really great short and something I think I will remember for some time yet.
1. Erased ; I know many things could be argued about how well this show told its story. But for me it was my favorite show of the year. The moments created were tense, the music was fantastic, the OP was awesome, and I was sooo satisfied with how it ended. Endings for shows, for me, are paramount and I feel the show did well with its ending despite whatever the manga's ending was.
2. Sweetness and Lighting ; So many feelings about this show. But it was a comforting show when I needed it. It hit every note it wanted. It was my "comfy" show of the year and I enjoyed each episode I had the pleasure of watching.
3. Orange ; I thought this show was quite beautiful. Yeah, it's a slice of life through and through. And yet, I enjoyed it. While I never outright cried to anything the show did, it did constantly leave me rooting for the group of friends and made me sad when things would go awry.
4. Re:Zero ; I could say many things about this show. But all in all, I enjoyed it for what it is. We will see if they follow up on the show. It had me and my roommate coming back each week to see what new antics Suburu would put himself in.
5. Kiznaiver ; OP of the year! That and the show was genuinely interesting I wasn't a massive fan of Triggers previous works but I love what they did with Kiznaiver and thought they got a really great premise and executed on it well. So praise where it is deserved.
6. March comes in like a Lion ; My first impressions of the show is that I wasn't into the art style. Yet, slowly throughout the season I came to appreciate the art and love what they did with it. The story is actually quite beautiful in how it depicts loss and acceptance. Losing and winning. Loneliness and family.
7. Tanaka-kun is Always Listless ; I love Silver Link. So it's no surprise that I really loved the comedy employed in Tanaka-kun. This show could've easy went off the cliff and not have been funny. Yet they managed to pull it off and I applaud them once again of making yet another great anime comedy.
8. Konosuba ; Literally came out of nowhere for me. I expected absolutely nothing when I started it (I almost didn't!), but I came away laughing at each episode. EXPLOSION!!!
9. Mob Psycho 100 ; This one took quite a few episodes for me to get into, hence why it is further down my list. Yet I cannot deny how great the show gets once it does get going, and I enjoyed it more and more as the show went on.
10. My Hero Academia ; It's really hard for me to get into shonens these days. They used to be my bread and butter but now, due to my limited schedule, I rarely find the time to get into them. My Hero Academia rekindled what I loved about these shows and executed it fantastically and I look forward to what season 2 has to offer.
Honorable Mentions:
x. Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV
x. Food Wars! Season 2
x. Flying Witch
x. Sound Euphonium Season 2
x. Assassination Classroom 2nd Season
Films/OVAs/Shorts:
1. Digimon Adventures tri. "Confession" ; I loved Digimon in my late childhood and these new movies/OVAs are a good reminder of why I liked them so much.
2. Digimon Adventures tri. "Determination" ; So I didn't watch many OVAs and movies this year (I really wanted to watch Your Name and A Silent Voice before I finished this but I am now seeing that may not happen now), but Digimon really was great and this "second part" was a great addition and really added to "Confession" when it finally aired.
3. Sheltered ; A really great short and something I think I will remember for some time yet.
Well might as well post my list. I watched way too many shows in the first half of the year, and then I couldn't be bothered the second half. oh well.
1. Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu
2. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable
3. Mob Psycho 100
4. Thunderbolt Fantasy
5. Flying Witch
6. Kiznaiver
7. 91 Days
8. Space Patrol Luluco
9. orange
10. ERASED
Honorable Mentions:
x. Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto
x. Assassination Classroom 2nd Season
x. My Hero Academia
x. Shokugeki no Soma: The Second Plate
x. Handa-kun
1. Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu
2. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable
3. Mob Psycho 100
4. Thunderbolt Fantasy
5. Flying Witch
6. Kiznaiver
7. 91 Days
8. Space Patrol Luluco
9. orange
10. ERASED
Honorable Mentions:
x. Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto
x. Assassination Classroom 2nd Season
x. My Hero Academia
x. Shokugeki no Soma: The Second Plate
x. Handa-kun
The most criminally underlooked show of the year. It's consistently hilarious but no one ever talks about it.
Valdfellgar
Banned
At least it's getting a second season.
1. Haven't you heard? I'm Sakamoto ; Not only is the comedy brilliantly written, leaving you suspenseful in how Sakamoto will get around his next predicament, it also makes incredible use of character development and world building. At first it simply appears to be an occurrence of the first episode or so: but then you realize that despite its episodic nature there is no status quo, and almost every character goes through an incredibly humanizing character arc, which is almost a paradox when one considers the inhuman perfection of the protagonist. Throw in some incredibly well animated and physically impactful fight scenes every few episodes, along with an incredibly heartwarming finale, and you have an incredible 12 part series with a smashing OP to go with it.
2. Mob Psycho 100 ; My love for this show turned a tad bitter at the end when I realized they weren't giving the karma in the ways I wanted to. That said, this show still does a great job of buildup, its action scenes are very forceful, and the music is sublime. I also enjoyed Ritsu's character arc a great deal.
3. Re:Zero ; Sort of falls apart towards the tail end, but I won't deny this is a reasonably solid show simply to see how weird some of the timelines go. I didn't like the fact that the MC tried so long not to say anything (that there's a wall at all from him saying something bothers me, but I suppose is necessary for some of the tension). The place it chose to end was really poor and rather anti-climactic.
2. Mob Psycho 100 ; My love for this show turned a tad bitter at the end when I realized they weren't giving the karma in the ways I wanted to. That said, this show still does a great job of buildup, its action scenes are very forceful, and the music is sublime. I also enjoyed Ritsu's character arc a great deal.
3. Re:Zero ; Sort of falls apart towards the tail end, but I won't deny this is a reasonably solid show simply to see how weird some of the timelines go. I didn't like the fact that the MC tried so long not to say anything (that there's a wall at all from him saying something bothers me, but I suppose is necessary for some of the tension). The place it chose to end was really poor and rather anti-climactic.
MotionBlue
Member
1. Flip Flappers; The most memorable show from last year. While it did suffer flaws, it was unique and fun to watch. The amazing art design pushes it ahead of others that had significantly better plot(Rakugo).
2. Konosuba
3. Space Patrol Luluco
4. Sweetness and Lighting
5. Kiznaiver
6. Dagashi Kashi
7. Erased
2. Konosuba
3. Space Patrol Luluco
4. Sweetness and Lighting
5. Kiznaiver
6. Dagashi Kashi
7. Erased
A brief caveat, I don't like to put anything into these lists unless I've finished them. I don't think there's anything I'm currently watching that would make my top 10, though.
TV
1. Ushio and Tora Season 2
This was a pretty decent battle/adventure shonen when it started airing last year, but the second season was gold all the way through.
Following on from the first seasons wandering adventure, the second season just brings everything back for a glorious ending which ties together all the characters and events from the first season and stays exciting the whole way through. The Hakumen no Mono is far more of a relevant threat from the start here, no longer relying entirely on minions but taking a more direct involvement in the attempts to stop it, and it feels like every part of this series is a struggle for the heroes.
Overall it feels like a tightly plotted and well told story, with some kick-ass heroes and some cool fights.
2. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable
Jojo part 4, and one of the more beloved parts, has finally been adapted. Part 4 scales back the conflict from the world spanning adventures of Joseph and Jotaro, and possibly introduces the most lovably weird cast of any Jojo to date. Set in a small town which is giving rise to a collection of Stand users, Part 4 can seem aimless if youre expecting a clear villain, and although one is eventually introduced, much of the series is more about the various characters and their day to day life as they get involved in further Stand-based weirdness.
3. Macross Delta
I always love seeing a new Macross, and this was a pretty solid one. My major complaint would be that the love triangle aspect was a little weak this time around, although the music and fighting were both top notch and the use of Do You Remember Love in the final episode really worked well. I may be simply biased towards Macross, since the original was one of the first anime I ever saw, but I really do think that each Macross story is excellent in its own way. Well, maybe 7 was a little weak, and Frontier was vastly improved in the movies, but nonetheless I have enjoyed them all.
4. Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans
The first season of this show felt like a real return to form for Gundam, after the trash fires that were Reconguista and Age. Telling the story of a group of orphans who have joined a military organisation on the impoverished Mars colony just to survive, it manages to have a group of characters who grow over the course of a series while getting involved in fights against other children, worker uprisings, mafia dealings, political struggles and authoritarian crackdowns.
On the action side, its also set several hundred years after some kind of Gundam apocalypse, where Gundams are an ancient technology that have a better build quality than current mechs, and no-one has laser weapons. The more restricted technology manages to help the show feel more interesting than the typical beamspam that Gundam is at risk of becoming, and the overall grittiness of everything conveys the tone of a fairly downbeat universe wuite wel.
5. Mob Psycho 100
Much like the authors other work, One Punch Man, Mob Psycho deals with someone who has overwhelming power, in this case psychic powers. Unlike One Punch Man, Mob Psycho is less about the ennui that comes from having no challenges, and focuses on mobs attempts to live life on his own terms. Mob represses his emotions to avoid causing trouble with his powers, and just wants to fit into society normally. Along the way he deals with an assortments of ghost and other psychics, and unlike in one Punch Man, Mob isnt as untouchable, and can get hurt.
The other show this year about a kid with overwhelming psychic powers, Mob Psycho takes it all a bit more seriously, and deals with issues like self-image, talent vs hard work, the role of society. It still has a bunch of jokes, but its generally a far more serious show.
6. Flip Flappers
Flip Flappers, despite being a more grown up take on magical girls, Flip Flappers manages to largely avoid falling into the Dark and edgy cliches that so many other magical girls shows have been doing lately. While it started to lose the plot a bit towards the end, it recovered well and managed to tell a good story about the relationship between the two main characters. Essentially becoming an extended and more in depth look at, for example, the relationship between the two girls in the first couple of Precure shows. The main characters are opposites in many ways, using the classic pairing of an energetic and risk-taking character with a sensible and reserved one.
On top of all this, the animation is gorgeous, with fluid and beautiful fight scenes and some excellent use of colour palettes that is reminiscent of the average Jojo show.
7. Thunderbolt Fantasy
Oh it's so good. A classic wuxia story about swords and adventure and super cool martial artists fighting enemies and each other. It's just well made and endlessly fun to watch.
8. Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan
I became a little curious about Saiki Kusuo after he appeared in the J-Stars fighting game, but never really got into the manga. Luckily, I managed to get into the anime very easily, and its been one of the most consistently funny shows of the year. A classic gag anime about a boy with absurdly powerful psychic abilities and the idiots that surround him, there isnt much to say about the production quality or the plot, but it manages to keep the jokes coming consistently enough to be well worth a watch.
9. Yuri!!! on Ice
The story of a professional figure skater who has severe confidence issues, and how he manages to overcome them with the love of his coach and idol. Yuri on Ice looks good, sounds good, and has a decent cast of figure skaters with their own goals, although the focus is squarely on Yuri himself. An excellent show.
10. Osomatsu-san
While Saiki Kusuo was the most consistently funny show this year, Osomatsu-san probably had higher peaks. Its probably one of the most anarchic shows Ive seen out of Japan, hitting the level of Excel Saga and Panty and Stocking. The first episode, which really hooked me in, is sadly no longer available through conventional means, but was honestly one of the funniest things Ive seen in a long time. The show didnt always manage to keep that level of comedy up, but it did manage to cover a large variety of comedy, from absurdist vignettes to longer form stories and even a couple of more serious tales, while always keeping the viewer on their toes.
Honorable Mentions
ERASED
This was a really good murder mystery story for a while, even if the ending flubbed it a bit.
The murderer reveal itself was probably the worst part of this. The murderer was possibly the most cliched evil for the sake of being evil villain that they could have written, which was a real shame after some of the excellent emotional nuance from earlier in the show around the main girl and her situation.
Kiznaiver
It tells a fairly basic story about a group of teenagers having to learn about the concept of empathy and what relationships actually mean, and while it had a fairly weak ending, it really managed an excellent arc in the middle around one of the characters and how she closes herself off after an incident involving a childhood friend which I thought was on the level of any of these other shows.
Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku o!
Another comedy show that mostly parodies fantasy stories, Konosuba is quite funny, although its not on the level of Saiki Kusuo or Osomatsu.
Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto
This show pretty much has one joke: Sakamoto is the best at everything with seemingly no effort, and also quite eccentric. But it pulls the joke off very well, and manages to end without dragging it out too far.
Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash
At first glance, this seems like another Kids get trapped in a fantasy game world story, but the heroes have no special powers (or even memories of Earth), and have to get by with hard work and effort. This show delves a bit more into what it means to live in a world where you earn your living by killing goblins and delving into dungeons, and is generally quite slow paced. It also does a good job of portraying grief and mourning, without getting too bogged down and wallowing in sadness.
Hibike! Euphonium 2
While it was a bit aimless in its second season, KyoAni still managed to produce a solid show with some excellent moments.
Films and OVAs
1. Your Name
Makoto Shinkai seems to get better with every film he puts out, even if his films do feel similar to each other. While I still rate Garden of Words above this, this is an excellent film with a broad appeal and some gorgeous skies.
2. A Silent Voice
Being a big fan of the original manga, I was excited for this one, and I really think they did a good job fitting the story into a single film, even if the side characters were necessarily demoted in importance to fit the core story in. A good story about childhood bullying and how no-one really comes out of it unaffected in some way. While Kiznaiver was more blatant about the concept of empathy, A Silent Voice was much better told and certainly emotionally affecting.
Honourable Mentions
Kizumonogatari I and II
I saw both of these films at the same time, so it's hard to separate them in my mind and pick which one is better. On top of that, I haven't seen part 3 yet, so it's hard to say how I feel about the trilogy, but it seems pretty decent, if not up to the level of Bakemonogatari.
TV
1. Ushio and Tora Season 2
This was a pretty decent battle/adventure shonen when it started airing last year, but the second season was gold all the way through.
Following on from the first seasons wandering adventure, the second season just brings everything back for a glorious ending which ties together all the characters and events from the first season and stays exciting the whole way through. The Hakumen no Mono is far more of a relevant threat from the start here, no longer relying entirely on minions but taking a more direct involvement in the attempts to stop it, and it feels like every part of this series is a struggle for the heroes.
Overall it feels like a tightly plotted and well told story, with some kick-ass heroes and some cool fights.
2. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable
Jojo part 4, and one of the more beloved parts, has finally been adapted. Part 4 scales back the conflict from the world spanning adventures of Joseph and Jotaro, and possibly introduces the most lovably weird cast of any Jojo to date. Set in a small town which is giving rise to a collection of Stand users, Part 4 can seem aimless if youre expecting a clear villain, and although one is eventually introduced, much of the series is more about the various characters and their day to day life as they get involved in further Stand-based weirdness.
3. Macross Delta
I always love seeing a new Macross, and this was a pretty solid one. My major complaint would be that the love triangle aspect was a little weak this time around, although the music and fighting were both top notch and the use of Do You Remember Love in the final episode really worked well. I may be simply biased towards Macross, since the original was one of the first anime I ever saw, but I really do think that each Macross story is excellent in its own way. Well, maybe 7 was a little weak, and Frontier was vastly improved in the movies, but nonetheless I have enjoyed them all.
4. Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans
The first season of this show felt like a real return to form for Gundam, after the trash fires that were Reconguista and Age. Telling the story of a group of orphans who have joined a military organisation on the impoverished Mars colony just to survive, it manages to have a group of characters who grow over the course of a series while getting involved in fights against other children, worker uprisings, mafia dealings, political struggles and authoritarian crackdowns.
On the action side, its also set several hundred years after some kind of Gundam apocalypse, where Gundams are an ancient technology that have a better build quality than current mechs, and no-one has laser weapons. The more restricted technology manages to help the show feel more interesting than the typical beamspam that Gundam is at risk of becoming, and the overall grittiness of everything conveys the tone of a fairly downbeat universe wuite wel.
5. Mob Psycho 100
Much like the authors other work, One Punch Man, Mob Psycho deals with someone who has overwhelming power, in this case psychic powers. Unlike One Punch Man, Mob Psycho is less about the ennui that comes from having no challenges, and focuses on mobs attempts to live life on his own terms. Mob represses his emotions to avoid causing trouble with his powers, and just wants to fit into society normally. Along the way he deals with an assortments of ghost and other psychics, and unlike in one Punch Man, Mob isnt as untouchable, and can get hurt.
The other show this year about a kid with overwhelming psychic powers, Mob Psycho takes it all a bit more seriously, and deals with issues like self-image, talent vs hard work, the role of society. It still has a bunch of jokes, but its generally a far more serious show.
6. Flip Flappers
Flip Flappers, despite being a more grown up take on magical girls, Flip Flappers manages to largely avoid falling into the Dark and edgy cliches that so many other magical girls shows have been doing lately. While it started to lose the plot a bit towards the end, it recovered well and managed to tell a good story about the relationship between the two main characters. Essentially becoming an extended and more in depth look at, for example, the relationship between the two girls in the first couple of Precure shows. The main characters are opposites in many ways, using the classic pairing of an energetic and risk-taking character with a sensible and reserved one.
On top of all this, the animation is gorgeous, with fluid and beautiful fight scenes and some excellent use of colour palettes that is reminiscent of the average Jojo show.
7. Thunderbolt Fantasy
Oh it's so good. A classic wuxia story about swords and adventure and super cool martial artists fighting enemies and each other. It's just well made and endlessly fun to watch.
8. Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan
I became a little curious about Saiki Kusuo after he appeared in the J-Stars fighting game, but never really got into the manga. Luckily, I managed to get into the anime very easily, and its been one of the most consistently funny shows of the year. A classic gag anime about a boy with absurdly powerful psychic abilities and the idiots that surround him, there isnt much to say about the production quality or the plot, but it manages to keep the jokes coming consistently enough to be well worth a watch.
9. Yuri!!! on Ice
The story of a professional figure skater who has severe confidence issues, and how he manages to overcome them with the love of his coach and idol. Yuri on Ice looks good, sounds good, and has a decent cast of figure skaters with their own goals, although the focus is squarely on Yuri himself. An excellent show.
10. Osomatsu-san
While Saiki Kusuo was the most consistently funny show this year, Osomatsu-san probably had higher peaks. Its probably one of the most anarchic shows Ive seen out of Japan, hitting the level of Excel Saga and Panty and Stocking. The first episode, which really hooked me in, is sadly no longer available through conventional means, but was honestly one of the funniest things Ive seen in a long time. The show didnt always manage to keep that level of comedy up, but it did manage to cover a large variety of comedy, from absurdist vignettes to longer form stories and even a couple of more serious tales, while always keeping the viewer on their toes.
Honorable Mentions
ERASED
This was a really good murder mystery story for a while, even if the ending flubbed it a bit.
The murderer reveal itself was probably the worst part of this. The murderer was possibly the most cliched evil for the sake of being evil villain that they could have written, which was a real shame after some of the excellent emotional nuance from earlier in the show around the main girl and her situation.
Kiznaiver
It tells a fairly basic story about a group of teenagers having to learn about the concept of empathy and what relationships actually mean, and while it had a fairly weak ending, it really managed an excellent arc in the middle around one of the characters and how she closes herself off after an incident involving a childhood friend which I thought was on the level of any of these other shows.
Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku o!
Another comedy show that mostly parodies fantasy stories, Konosuba is quite funny, although its not on the level of Saiki Kusuo or Osomatsu.
Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto
This show pretty much has one joke: Sakamoto is the best at everything with seemingly no effort, and also quite eccentric. But it pulls the joke off very well, and manages to end without dragging it out too far.
Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash
At first glance, this seems like another Kids get trapped in a fantasy game world story, but the heroes have no special powers (or even memories of Earth), and have to get by with hard work and effort. This show delves a bit more into what it means to live in a world where you earn your living by killing goblins and delving into dungeons, and is generally quite slow paced. It also does a good job of portraying grief and mourning, without getting too bogged down and wallowing in sadness.
Hibike! Euphonium 2
While it was a bit aimless in its second season, KyoAni still managed to produce a solid show with some excellent moments.
Films and OVAs
1. Your Name
Makoto Shinkai seems to get better with every film he puts out, even if his films do feel similar to each other. While I still rate Garden of Words above this, this is an excellent film with a broad appeal and some gorgeous skies.
2. A Silent Voice
Being a big fan of the original manga, I was excited for this one, and I really think they did a good job fitting the story into a single film, even if the side characters were necessarily demoted in importance to fit the core story in. A good story about childhood bullying and how no-one really comes out of it unaffected in some way. While Kiznaiver was more blatant about the concept of empathy, A Silent Voice was much better told and certainly emotionally affecting.
Honourable Mentions
Kizumonogatari I and II
I saw both of these films at the same time, so it's hard to separate them in my mind and pick which one is better. On top of that, I haven't seen part 3 yet, so it's hard to say how I feel about the trilogy, but it seems pretty decent, if not up to the level of Bakemonogatari.
Might has well help some of my fav ones with a few points 
TV Series
1. Haikyuu ; I love this series. So much. Probably the sole reason why I sort of watch anime now. If anyone has a suggestion for anime similar to Haikyuu (character-wise, not sports-wise) with mostly women in it, I would totally appreciate it!
2. Bungo Stray Dogs ; I always joke that no one cared for this show, but I'm pretty sure no one actually cared for this show lol. Premise is weird, animation is great, and Dazai is amazingly interesting guy. Despite how much I would rag on it, I always looked forward to it.
3. My Hero Academia ; Beautiful animation.
TV Series
1. Haikyuu ; I love this series. So much. Probably the sole reason why I sort of watch anime now. If anyone has a suggestion for anime similar to Haikyuu (character-wise, not sports-wise) with mostly women in it, I would totally appreciate it!
2. Bungo Stray Dogs ; I always joke that no one cared for this show, but I'm pretty sure no one actually cared for this show lol. Premise is weird, animation is great, and Dazai is amazingly interesting guy. Despite how much I would rag on it, I always looked forward to it.
3. My Hero Academia ; Beautiful animation.
Dropping in to help pad out what I felt were some of my favorite shows of the year. I sort of feel bad because half of my shows are in a near random order after the first 3. Also, I know I skipped a few shows that came out last year that I still want to check out now so had I been diligent and actually watched new anime in a timely manor I might have a more diverse list.
1. Thunderbolt Fantasy: A show that completely passed by me, until a friend brought it up and after the first episode we were hooked. The direction, the writing, the beauty. Gen Urobuchi and Pili brought some A+ game to what could have easily been a run of the mill "puppet show". By the end, I could only think that I was Dan Fei walking out of a building called "Thunderbolt Fantasy" saying "Everything was trolling" and what a great feeling that was.
2. Mob Psycho 100: A great adaption of ONE's work, this time by BONES who did an amazing job not deviating too far from ONE's style but still making the whole thing so good looking and animated. I wondered how it would do, given how "slow" the first few episodes might be considered, but glad to see that by the end it got as crazy as it did.
3. JBAiU: Another case where I was already too familiar with the source material and was happy to see it done with such care and justice. The way David used colors and animation to make Part 4 of Jojo's feel like a different time and place than the first 3 parts gives me hope that if (when) they make Part 5 they can do something equally neat to
arc.
4. Re:Zero: A show I started very late (way after it had all aired) that from the first episode should have turned me away, but unlike most other "Other world" shows that I toss, this one...I don't know. I can't say why I liked it as much as I did. I can say it's probably not for everyone. But I think there was something about the "suffering" within the show that got to me and kept me around. And the little world building bits, the "mystery" which they dole out just enough of right when things start to seem boring.
5. My Hero Academia: A shonen that has a main character that I liked almost as much as Gon from HxH. Funny that. Will check out the manga because waiting for the second season is already killing me.
6. Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress: Loved the look and feel of the world, great action, liked the characters and
. Ah, who am I joking, I watched it because it has some of the best looking Haruhiko Mikimoto characters, something I feel I hadn't seen in a long time.
7. Ushi and Tora: Confession here--Ushio and Tora was one of the first manga I fell in love with during my high-school years (along with Ranma 1/2 and Yaiba) so seeing it well done in long form to the very end was just a joy for me.
8. Space Patrol Luluco: Simple crazy Trigger animated comedy fun. Also short so as to not overstay its welcome.
9. Kiznaiver: Another great effort by Trigger with a fairly interesting and weird story hook.
Man, looking at my list, I feel like I'm some sort of Shonen apologist. I think next year I'm going to try and keep up with GAF on what's being watched so I don't feel LTTP on everything I watch.
1. Thunderbolt Fantasy: A show that completely passed by me, until a friend brought it up and after the first episode we were hooked. The direction, the writing, the beauty. Gen Urobuchi and Pili brought some A+ game to what could have easily been a run of the mill "puppet show". By the end, I could only think that I was Dan Fei walking out of a building called "Thunderbolt Fantasy" saying "Everything was trolling" and what a great feeling that was.
2. Mob Psycho 100: A great adaption of ONE's work, this time by BONES who did an amazing job not deviating too far from ONE's style but still making the whole thing so good looking and animated. I wondered how it would do, given how "slow" the first few episodes might be considered, but glad to see that by the end it got as crazy as it did.
3. JBA
iU: Another case where I was already too familiar with the source material and was happy to see it done with such care and justice. The way David used colors and animation to make Part 4 of Jojo's feel like a different time and place than the first 3 parts gives me hope that if (when) they make Part 5 they can do something equally neat to
Giorno and his crew's
4. Re:Zero: A show I started very late (way after it had all aired) that from the first episode should have turned me away, but unlike most other "Other world" shows that I toss, this one...I don't know. I can't say why I liked it as much as I did. I can say it's probably not for everyone. But I think there was something about the "suffering" within the show that got to me and kept me around. And the little world building bits, the "mystery" which they dole out just enough of right when things start to seem boring.
5. My Hero Academia: A shonen that has a main character that I liked almost as much as Gon from HxH. Funny that. Will check out the manga because waiting for the second season is already killing me.
6. Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress: Loved the look and feel of the world, great action, liked the characters and
didn't think that Biba ruined the show
7. Ushi and Tora: Confession here--Ushio and Tora was one of the first manga I fell in love with during my high-school years (along with Ranma 1/2 and Yaiba) so seeing it well done in long form to the very end was just a joy for me.
8. Space Patrol Luluco: Simple crazy Trigger animated comedy fun. Also short so as to not overstay its welcome.
9. Kiznaiver: Another great effort by Trigger with a fairly interesting and weird story hook.
Man, looking at my list, I feel like I'm some sort of Shonen apologist. I think next year I'm going to try and keep up with GAF on what's being watched so I don't feel LTTP on everything I watch.
Emperor_Uriel
Member
I watched two anime this year, one was incredible and the other might be a strong contender for worst of all time.
1. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable; What's left to say at this point? Arguably the second best arc of JoJo with the best overall villain and a really great supporting cast.
The other anime was Mayoiga, a horror show which I began watching after stumbling into some references to an episode that sounded interesting. Namely, the one where a character apparently got a breast implant in his head to make himself look taller.
The whole show is about hinting at really silly and gruesome ways the core cast has been tortured (or perhaps worse) before arriving at a mysterious, low-rent spooky ghost town. In the end, it
That's right, you watch the whole show for that tantalizing prospect of annoying shitheel teens getting wrecked and
If even one person is saved from watching this turd, then I'm glad I've said my piece on it.
1. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable; What's left to say at this point? Arguably the second best arc of JoJo with the best overall villain and a really great supporting cast.
The other anime was Mayoiga, a horror show which I began watching after stumbling into some references to an episode that sounded interesting. Namely, the one where a character apparently got a breast implant in his head to make himself look taller.
The whole show is about hinting at really silly and gruesome ways the core cast has been tortured (or perhaps worse) before arriving at a mysterious, low-rent spooky ghost town. In the end, it
subverts expectations by not killing anyone and allowing everyone to leave the town while singing a happy song.
it never fucking happens.
If even one person is saved from watching this turd, then I'm glad I've said my piece on it.
I've only watched five shows this year, and I liked four of them, so I guess I'll put them down.
1. Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu ; An interesting look at several different characters through the art of rakugo, a sort of sitting stage production. It's transformation from smart comedy to intense drama over the course of the show is only intensified by those involved in the story and the changes they go through.
2. Mob Psycho 100 ; A very interesting take on the "power level" archetype and structure of traditional shonen anime and manga. The way the show controls expectations on fights, escalation and deescalation are the main source of tension that drives a lot of motivations, and it keeps the viewer extremely interested.
3. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable ; DiU is a mixture of Jojo's building action and threat weekly formula, with more light and slice-of-life trappings. Keeping the whole series in one town helps build a lore and appreciation for the town and the people who live there. DiU also offers the most bizarre enemy stands in the series yet, as well as it's most interesting villain.
4. Yuri on Ice ; One of the most beautiful shows this season. Each backdrop is gorgeous, and the interplay of skate choreography and musical choices are fantastic. Light bits of fan service are sprinkled through, but the whole package offers some amazing characters growth and a lot of heart-wrenching moments.
1. Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu ; An interesting look at several different characters through the art of rakugo, a sort of sitting stage production. It's transformation from smart comedy to intense drama over the course of the show is only intensified by those involved in the story and the changes they go through.
2. Mob Psycho 100 ; A very interesting take on the "power level" archetype and structure of traditional shonen anime and manga. The way the show controls expectations on fights, escalation and deescalation are the main source of tension that drives a lot of motivations, and it keeps the viewer extremely interested.
3. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable ; DiU is a mixture of Jojo's building action and threat weekly formula, with more light and slice-of-life trappings. Keeping the whole series in one town helps build a lore and appreciation for the town and the people who live there. DiU also offers the most bizarre enemy stands in the series yet, as well as it's most interesting villain.
4. Yuri on Ice ; One of the most beautiful shows this season. Each backdrop is gorgeous, and the interplay of skate choreography and musical choices are fantastic. Light bits of fan service are sprinkled through, but the whole package offers some amazing characters growth and a lot of heart-wrenching moments.
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