Pretty busy last couple of weeks, resulting in me delaying to start writing this post until the day of posting this. However, I am determined to continue to make these once a year posts of my top ten anime. With this year coming to an end and my reposting of content from sekijitsu, it has been enjoyable seeing all my opinions from the past as they came out -- especially my net neutrality post from a few years back after the incorrect decision by the FCC this month.
Either way, going through all these anime in one day I have clearly seen a trend of the type of anime that drew me in this year. It was a bit more difficult to make my decisions for who made the top ten this year, but I did have one anime that clearly was number one and worked from there. So lets kick off the new year right with another top ten list that I'm sure many people are looking forward to reading.
For the Lazy
Top 10
- Made in Abyss
- Boku no Hero Academia 2
- Inuyashiki
- Ballroom e Youkoso
- Shingeki no Kyojin 2
- Mahou Tsukai no Yome
- 3-gatsu no Lion 2
- Sagrada Reset
- Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata ♭
- Demi-chan wa Kataritai
Honorable Mentions
- Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! 2
- Shuumatsu Nani Shitemasu ka? Isogashii desu ka? Sukutte Moratte Iidesu ka?
- Youkai Apartment no Yuuga na Nichijou
Explanation
Youkai Apartment no Yuuga na Nichijou
An odd mix of fantasy and slice of life that actually worked pretty well together. I found myself more engrossed in the arc where Inaba improved his spirit ability, which didn't last that long. Unfortunately, with that that build up, it didn't really pay off that much with the focus shifting back into the more slice of life elements. Luckily, for me, these elements were good because they covered a subject that is always fascinating to me, that being psychology. Overall, even with the stark contrast, "Youkai Apartment no Yuuga na Nichijou" was a light hearted anime that didn't shy away from the darker parts of human nature creating entertaining episodes a majority of the time.
Shuumatsu Nani Shitemasu ka? Isogashii desu ka? Sukutte Moratte Ii desu ka?
A story filled with loss, tragedy, and a world invested with monsters. Even with that themes mostly being drowned in sadness, "Shuumatsu Nani Shitemasu ka? Isogashii desu ka? Sukutte Moratte Ii desu ka?" manages to create hope in it's viewers, making for a compelling series to navigate through. They end up packing a lot of backstory into this series that ended up being squished twelve episode, but what we got I was enthusiastic to find out that more it revealed. Lastly, as I mentioned at the start, tragedy and character development go hand and hand, and we ended up getting a variety of well fleshed out characters. Each of them growing in a believable manner that fit well with the narrative themes. Overall, this anime had a really interesting world with good characters that felt like it could have been better served as
a longer anime.
Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! 2
I never mentioned this series when the first season came out last year, but I did thoroughly enjoy it. I don't usually put comedies into my top ten list because I never really think about them past it's airing, but "Kono Subarashii Sekai no Shukufuku wo! 2" made it this time around. What it did to make it this time was take the main reason I loved the original series and improve on character dynamics through comedy and further build on the world -- as they are no long stuck in one space. Resulting in an increased sense of progress and truly was the funniest
anime I've seen this year.
Demi-chan wa Kataritai
An anime that tackles a serious topic like discrimination and the desire to find a place to belong, in a very gleeful way. "Demi-chan wa Kataritai" introduced each character at an steady pace while also adding new dynamics between each character. It ended up creating a fun and captivating atmosphere between characters while showing the different types of monsters, or demi-human, and the lore behind them. This was one of the first anime that stood out to me this year and I'm glad it continued to delivery as more characters created a bond and the last demi-girl was well worth the wait with all the teasing incorporated throughout the series.
Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata ♭
Another second season of a series that surprised me enough to put it on my list, but checking the 2015 top ten, "Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata" was there and ended up in the same number. Like most second seasons, this was more of the same, but this time around we finally got to see Megumi develop more as a character. She was always my favorite compared to the more over the top girls -- although Utaha comes in a close second. A lot of advancement toward the end felt more rushed with Utaha graduation on the horizon. However, that sense of urgency worked as the catalyst for pushing Tomoya out of his complacency, allowing for development from all character involved in Blessing Software -- as well as, breaking the by-the-book nature of this harem romcom.
Sagrada Reset
The type of anime that starts out dull, but builds up to the point of becoming a really compelling story with a lot of complexity. "Sagrada Reset" starts out simple with the idea of a town that inherently manifests powers for the people that live in it. However, as more characters are introduced, and their beliefs and goals become clear, this simple concept turns into a complicated situation where people fight for what they believe propelling the story from that. This was one of the few anime that made me think more about components they introduced. "Sagrada Reset" does a good job of showing not telling that can confuse some viewers that are use to the exposition type of storytelling. Really enjoyed the mystery and how it was laid out for the viewer, concluding with a satisfactory ending.
3-gatsu no Lion 2
One of the anime from this season that is only half way through, but has managed to convince me enough to put it on the list without finishing. Last season Rei didn't really feel like he had much motivation for anything and just went with the flow. This made the driving focus for the story not that impactful, but with the season season, his motivation became very clear and pretty quickly. This contributed to my increased attraction to the series, as well as the cuteness of the series that continued from the previous season. So this mixing of innocence contracted with human anguish, really tugs at my heartstrings in an enjoyable way.
Mahou Tsukai no Yome
Initially got into "Mahou Tsukai no Yome" through a three episode OVA that helped establish the character Chise and her tragic backstory. So going into the full anime with that knowledge, I was already in love with Chise and opening the world with new characters and a more cheerful tone made for in enjoyable experience. Even with this being another anime only half way through, the amount of information blended into a cohesive theme elevated this series into one of my favorites, not only in this season, but this year as well. I can't wait to see how much more this season builds the world and how each character will develop.
Shingeki no Kyojin 2
The initial hype around "Shingeki no Kyojin" back in 2013 didn't really register with me at the time. I'm not usually that into action anime, however, with more details being revealed about the titans, that hook finally started to catch something. All that fog of ambiguity of a human killing machine started to clear with the motivation of why titans wanted to wipe the human race. So will all that information, Attack on Titan swung to being a political anime featuring action and gore scenes. So really, the second season convinced me to continue this series and I hope they continue to bend in the political and psychological side of the narrative.
Ballroom e Youkoso
Every now and then a sport anime ends up surprising me, see as I rarely watch them. "Ballroom e Youkoso" is another one on a short list that fits that category. This anime has great pacing from start to finish, assuming that the viewer knows very little about dance and all the complexity of it in a competitive space. I found myself being engrossed in the world of dance and the topic of parter compatibility, synchronous movement, body control, and the lead/follow dynamic. These subjects helped create a nice arc for Tatara going from a green dance into a worthy competitor with a strong cast of characters.
Inuyashiki
This one took me by surprise because I had no idea what I was getting into as I watched this. Luckily, "Inuyashiki" turned out to be an interesting commentary about humans in similar situations and how they react depending on their past experiences. The situation itself was being handed power in the form of a new robotic body after their previous bodies were destroyed. This concept worked well in creating a villain with a purpose, although it wasn't there initially. As well as an unlikely hero, whose compassion also isn't as clear in the beginning, and develops as the villain gains traction. And with them having the same type of body, it really shows that that "good" and "evil" aren't binary, but more of a scale depending on the situation.
Boku no Hero Academia 2
Last of the second season anime that ended up in my top ten list. This season of "Boku no Hero Academia" finally allowed for Izuku to development his One for All powers changing the essence of a bumbling hero that faces danger in foolishness, into a more competent that is still struggling to catch up. More the world lore gets revealed and that created a future incentive for Izuku to get stronger. Really the second season helped me get even more invested into the world and I'm waiting in anticipation for the next season to air.
Made in Abyss
Going into this anime, I thought this would be a merry little adventure that I might enjoy, however, as the title suggests, the bleakness of the abyss fools you into a sense of comfort. "Made in Abyss" is one of those adventure anime that reveals concepts of the abyss fairly quickly in the first episode, but doesn't really show the abyss until our characters enter it. This is another case of showing rather than telling being better, but the anime ended up using both almost like a warning for those that attempt to stare into the abyss. The horrors of abyss isn't the only thing to look forward to in this anime, the character we stick with grow up fast in this environment. With them encountering many dangers worked as a consent remind of how easy it is for these characters to be killed. So I wouldn't recommend this to those that are easily squeamish, but those that stick with it will be rewarded with a fascinating world and characters that represent useful pieces of an adventuring crew that you will quickly begin to cherish.