Or more accurately the top anime i finished in the past year... this year there is actually a lot of potentials for older shows to make the list (but I'm thinking they may just be Honourable mentions... we will see.
Honourable Mentions (in no particular order)
Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Yes.... i only saw this show for the first time a few months ago.... Yes i have been living under a rock for the past 6 years. and yes i really liked it.However! Everyone knows how amazing this show is so it felt silly to give it a spot on the top 10. Also i still have some issues with the first 3 episodes... but yeah this show is amazing and i still need to watch the movie but there was just so much good this year that i couldn't justify this eating up a spot on the list.
Cute High Earth Defence Club Love! Love!!
I adore this show but the second season lost some of the charm of the first season.... also it gave Hiroshi Kamiya a much smaller part and that is no good. In all seriousness i just felt like it was good... but not good enough to be in the actual list.
Erased
This show was amazing... right up till the very end were it lost a bit of it's charm... and there are just so many good shows that even something as simple as a lack luster ending could bump it off the list. Still a great show with a neat concept and setting... just like.... once everything is wrapped up maybe stop.Sailor Moon Crystal 3
I have made 2 things very clear about Sailor Moon as a Series.1. it was one of the first shows i ever watched and just loved every second of.
2. Sailor Moon crystal 1 & 2 nearly destroyed all the joy i used to have for the series cause it was so awful... it was my number 1 disappointment last year.
Season 3 however redeemed itself completely... and i don't even like the arc it covers. it did such a good job, the animation was so much better and it just made me smile from start to finish.
Had it been the Helios arc it would have been on the list... bu it's not so it just gets a honourable mention and a big thank you for fixing what was a blatant crappy cash grab.
And the rest are all too good... so they go on the list...
Year End Top 10 13
13. Danganronpa 3 (Despair/Future/Hope arc)
I think this show was incredibly ambitious... airing 2 separate stories at pretty much the same time and having them play off each other was such an interesting use of non-linear storytelling... and that final episode to tie it all together was simply Brilliant.So why isn't such a unique show higher on the list? one reason... i have a feeling it'll be packed in a way where it's completely in order instead of alternating the episodes... so you lose some of the great reveals for the second half while reveals for the first half wont happen to the end. and even if they do sell it with the episodes alternating between arcs the show still has problems. I can't really elaborate but certain aspects do not make any sense if you think about them for any amount of time... and the reveal of how [spoiler] does [spoiler] was lame... i figured it would be a bit more complicated then just that.
still with that final episode... it had to make it onto the list now i just look forward to Danganronpa V3 the game.
12. Mr. Osomatsu
This show made me laugh more then i would like to admit.Hell it made me cry more then i would like to admit.
I mean i can't even pick a fav Matsu... Choromatsu is great... but then Ichimatsu is like... who i am.
this stupid show about Sextuplets shouldn't be as funny as well made as it is. I honestly thought this would be higher (like around 7) but in the end... there was just too much good this season and as much as i loved it... i don't necessarily want to watch it again (unlike pretty much everything else after this entry)
So great show, if you want a really funny/goofy watch then give it a chance.
11. My Hero Acedemia
I'm not the biggest fan of Shonen anime so i didn't expect to like this show as much as i did. I wish there was more (I'm sure soon their will be) and I hope that ti wont follow certain Shonen anime tropes (granted i already know it follows one that i loath so... guess I'll see) It may have been higher on the list if it had been longer and dealt with more character development but I'm sure we will get another season down the line. For now this is as high as i could put it.10. Planetarian
Imagine the world has ended, but a lonely robot tries to continue on her job as a Planetarium MC.Imagine after years of never seeing another human one just happens to stumble by.. and he helps you fix the Planetarium even though you know you will probably never see another human again.
This is short, 5 episodes of different lengths (or 1 movie if you stitch them all together)
it's heartbreaking, beautiful and one of my fav shows of the year. the only reason it's not higher is because of how short it is... and how good this year was for anime. I want to say it redeemed Key/vis arts a bit but considering the game this is based on was made around the same time as Clannad (their peak in my opinion) they are still on probation... cause their other shows have been so bad lately. But this was a gem.
9. Re: Zero - Starting Life in Another Dimension
This show has such a neat concept... what if you had the ability to jump back in time (like a save point) however it only worked when you died and how traumatic would that actually be. Seeing the main character go through death after death just to get a little ahead and be murdered even more violently then before. Sure this show was hell to watch week to week but the payoff was worth it every time.....well except the ending... i mean i guess we just gotta wait for another season but that ended felt a little rushed.
the other reason this show is as low as it is is the fandom... yes i get it everyone loves this side character that has been outright told she will not be the love interest... but just cause someone is nice to someone else doesn't mean the other person is obligated to have romantic feelings for them.
I'm not saying him an the canon love interest are any better... it's shallow at best... and selfish at worst... but it's just the sense of entitlement that the fandom has to their fav character being the girlfriend that pisses me right off and actually sours my entire experience with the show. I am looking forward to season 2 even though i know it'll probably be a year or two (or more... i have no idea how fast the Light novels are coming out) before we see it... and i worry by then that i may have stopped caring about this world and it's issues.
8. Haikyuu!!
I was behind on this show for a long time... i still feel like ever since Kuroko's Basketball i just can't watch Sports anime week to week... it is too painful.This show however has excellent pacing, realistic team dynamics... every member is interesting and i really enjoyed every minute of it.
I'm sad season 3 was cut short by the untimely passing of Tanaka, Kazunari on Oct 10th (literally 3 episodes into the new seasons.... however they seem to have recorded enough to last till episode 8 or 9 of a 10 episode season) However i hope that soon we get another season and the new voice actor can cement himself in the role... the show/manga is apparently insanely popular so hopefully that wont take too long.
Why isn't it higher? cause season 3 is literally only against 1 team and even though it's paced well and so many character grow in those 5 matches... i still wanted to see more.
Ok i feel like i should mention.... most of these titles are fighting for 3rd place... like these are all amazing shows.
7. Sweetness & Lightning
Ok.... but... the shark song.have... have you ever seen anything so utterly heart melting-ly adorable?
Sweetness and lightning is a cooking show wrapped in a family drama of a husband losing his wife while his daughter is still very young.
it made me laugh, it made me sob and most of all it made me want to try cooking some new things.
I just wish there was more... i wish it never ended... i am planning to read the manga (just haven't had the chance) and i hope it's longer cause... juts too cute for words.
6. Bungo Stray Dogs Season 1 and 2
I.... thought this would be higher.I loved everything about the show, it's goofy nature, the animation, the characters, the serious moments... i love the concepts of people having these gifts that are oddly specific but can be quite useful. i love that the most useful character in the show isn't gifted.
I understand it's not for everyone... it doesn't take itself seriously at all until near the end where shit goes down and suddenly everything is serious.
I think the on;y reason this isn't higher is because i know that we are still missing so much of the story so there is stuff to do next season (whenever that arrives) that incomplete feeling is the only reason it's not number 3... well that and just... so many good shows... too many good shows.
5. Durarara
I thought this would be higher too.Durarara is a brilliant story in the fact that while it is completely honest about who the main character is we think it's someone else because of their own assertions. while the 3 cours of season 2 are far less non-linear then season 1 and overall some plot elements don't get the best resolution (cause the cast is massive by the end) I still felt completely satisfied with how this ended... and the fact that is actually did end. it's rare for shows to be as final as this one was. I can't even think of any way to make this show better... it was really good and I've been enjoying the light novel quite a bit. the other shows on this list just hold and even more special place in my heart.
4. Snow White with the Red Hair
I think about this show all the time... i think about the characters, the art, the music, they story... how they could do another season and how that would be awesome and probably cover my fav arc so far. I Have already re-watched it a few times and it's not even been out very long. i hope we get another season soon. I love that Shirayuki is always willing to fight and not just be a damsel in distress... i like they she makes people around her try to act better. the only reason it isn't in the 3rd spot is because i didn't get my fav arc in the season that aired this year... and the next 3 shows were pretty much set from the start.3. Showa Genroku Rakugo Shingu
Full Disclosure, i am currently re-watching this show to prepare for season two in a few weeks.I adore the show, i wish every episode was as long as the first one. every week i was heart broken that it ended cause i just wanted to know more. The fact that this show is pretty much all a giant flashback (at least this one season is) is a really smart move... they could have rushed through to get back to the present but instead we spend so much time learning about these characters and their lives that brought them to this point.
not to mention for a show that mainly relies on the voice acting to carry it... it is fantastic.
When the actor isn't feeling it we feel that he isn't feeling it.
when he's scared or rushing it's physically uncomfortable... and when he's in his element you feel pride in him doing a good job. it's just so powerful where they don't have to tell us what the characters feeling because we feel it at the same time. I cannot wait for season 2 and the fact that it's so soon makes me incredibly happy.
but not quite as happy as the next two shows.
2. Yuri on Ice!!!
If not for the number one show being this year... this would have easily been number 1This is one of the best Sports anime i've ever seen... i am so happy i finally a good Skating anime... and not only is it good it's probably one of the best shows i have ever seen. also the fact that it's got a well developed/ non fetishised homosexual relationship that is just there and not the point of the show... this is good... we need more shows that have romantic plots but are not focused on them. like it's there and it's important but the show is about a skater gaining confidence in himself through seeing the love surrounding him from his friends, his family, his fellow skaters and his coach. The characters are great and even though some of them need to chill (here's looking at you Chris and JJ) you do end up wanting to cheer for them all.
My only issue is how much they had to rush things because they were only greenlit for 1 cour.... I think this show gained popularity faster then anyone expected (especially considering it's a rare show that isn't based on a manga or Light novel... this had no established audience going in) More importantly this was a worldwide phenomenon. I have never seen a show actually gain fans that as in the actual sport being portrayed. Reading how Johnny Weir or Evgenia Medvedeva enjoy the show as much as they did or seeing people who may have never given anime a shot giving this a shot is just so incredibly cool i have a hard time putting it into words.
I hope this show continues to improve the perception of anime to those who don't currently watch it... i hope it continues to push the boundaries and i hope it allows other shows that may not have been greenlit a chance.
but most of all i hope when season 2 hits... it's 2 cours instead of one... i'll even take a three month gap but this rushing through an entire skating season was too fast... slow it down and develop the characters even more then you already have.
but yeah i love this show and i look forward to owning it and probably re-watching it many many times.
1. Natsume Yuujinchou Go
Because of course it is... this is me we are talking about. So essentially no one should be surprised.look this is the 5th season of my fav show... of course it's going to be number one... there was never a question about that.
Not only that it animated 3 of my fav chapters/arc.
AND after all that... season 6 was announced... i literally (not figuratively) cried for about half an hour when i saw that announcement because i knew i would only have to way a little (most likely 3 months but no confirmation just yet) to see more of my fav show and i wouldn't have another 3-4 year wait.
Yes i am bitter that this season was 11 episodes instead of 13... but we are getting more of it and that makes up for everything
oh and the show is still about a boy who can see spirits and the cat/youkai that is his bodyguard and just wants the book of friends.... granted i think only two names get returned this season but hey we still have the original concept so it's all good.
if 2017 is even half as good to anime as 2016 was... I'll be happy (even though you already know my number 1 pic for next year... so that's fun. )
Next I'll be talking about games and then we'll poke fun as some of the years disappointments in anime and video games.
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