We come, finally, to the last list of the year. Anime! Glorious anime. If you know me well then you know I love animation. So it should be no surprise that I am making a list for it too. The only downside is that you have to read it; but that's only a downside for you. Shall we start?
I decided to shorten this up a bit since the Video Game list proved to be really long. It helps to keep things snappier, right? Anyways, the farther down the respective list the item is, the more it is liked/loathed. Honorable mentions are all good but are in no particular order.
Stuff I Liked
Higurashi - When They Cry - Seasons 1, 2, and OVAs
This is a fun series that absolutely must be seen in order if it is to be enjoyed and understood. To do so otherwise would only confuse and ruin. This story is initially told in an anthology style where terrible things happen in the small town of Hinamizawa. We get to see all manner of horrible things through the eyes of our various protagonists; kids of various ages.
Since I do not want to give anything away I will simply say that this is a very intriguing series that ended up going in unexpected directions. There are some gore scenes but it's a solid story overall. If you choose to watch this, definitely be prepared for some blood. Also, make a note that if you like dubs, only the first season of this has them. As to why, that is is a sad story.
Another
If you like the horror/thriller genre then you should absolutely check this out. Our protagonist is transferring into a new school where everyone is on edge. No one wants to talk about it either. Everything is just tense and awkward. Once the story gets moving, though, it is quite the ride!
Again, horror, I don't want to say too much. Just check it out. It's probably one of the best horror things I've ever seen. There are some gruesome scenes so if you don't like blood then you might want to avoid this.
Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya - Seasons 1 and 2
It is unlikely for anyone to really know that I do not really like the main Fate/XYZ series. So, I was really apprehensive about this title. I went ahead and took the plunge and was glad I did. This series follows Illyasviel Von Einzbern as the protagonist who gets suckered into becoming a magical girl by a tricksy magic wand named Ruby. The goal: to collect all the Class Cards. Fortunately for Illya she has help from others because some of the foes are ridiculous.
This is a beautifully animated show(kudos to Silver Link). Lots of color make the world seem a lot more fun and friendly despite having so much chaos. There is a bit more CGI than I typically like but they use it rather tastefully to make for some pretty cool shots. Fortunately we have a fun cast of characters and the writing is excellent.
If you want something fun and silly that doesn't take itself very seriously, then I absolutely recommend this. Some of the action scenes are really intense!
Keijo
For this year's runner up we have literally, I think, the dumbest thing I have ever seen in my entire life. This series is based on a cast of young women training to become professional competitors in a fictional sport called Keijo. This is a women's only sport where the competitors try to knock each other off the various "Land" with only their boobs and their butt. Yes, you read that right. It's also absolutely as stupid as it sounds.
So, why is this rated so highly for me? I'll be honest I initially looked into it based on the premise alone. I'm a male after all. However, the shear amount of creativity on display in this series was commendable. Every single episode it got more and more ridiculous. The laughs never stopped and it kept out-doing itself.
I have no real words to describe this other than "stupid" and "hilarious". If you can handle some stupid and a bit of obvious female objectivity then you might have fun with this. It pretends to be nothing other than what it is.
AKB0048
Finally, my favorite series of the year! AKB0048 is a musical group that spreads happiness, excitement, and hope, all over the galaxy. The only problem with their mission is that most of the galaxy is an Orwellian dystopia where entertainment is either restricted or outright banned.
This series tackles so many themes: bullying, friendly competition, taking criticism, terrorism, government corruption, and many others. Hell, there is even some mysticism thrown in for good measure! I have no idea how this came to be but it's a genuine oddity. Even more impressive is that it's almost entirely coherent and most of the plot points are wrapped up by the end.
This series' entire musical score is derived from the real AKB48's library. There are a ton of different songs and probably something for everyone to enjoy. I know I listen to a lot of them frequently, still! The concerts themselves are often done using a crazy flying stage that breaks off of their orbital dropship.
This is by all accounts something I should have avoided like the plague, but, like many things, I got it on a great sale. Fortunately for me, too, as it is one of the most interesting things I have seen. It is filled with so much happiness that I am surprised I did not burst into flames as a result.
Bottom line: This blew me away. It was unexpected and a lot of fun. I have seen this several times now and it still holds up. They took the most insane ideas and slapped them together and warmed my cold and cynical heart. It is for this reason that it was my favorite of the year.
Honorable Mentions
Shiki
Do you like vampires? Do you like crazy character designs and lots of gore? Well, check this out.
Yamada's First Time
A hilarious story about a girl wanting to de-flower a large number of guys. She just needs practice first! Hysterical! If you want laughs, then look no further.
The Asterisk War
A harem-theme anime with a cool universe tie-in. Magic and technology come together to create some pretty neat action. Great use of color and not-too-terrible writing.
Koihime Musou
If you liked Koihime Enbu, then check into this. It's quite funny, but a bit lacking on the action. I still recommend it, though, if you like to laugh.
From the New World
What would the world be like if everyone was telekinetic? This is a great series that explores just that idea. It follows a group of kids throughout their life as they discover more about their world.
The Familiar of Zero
A kid gets pulled into another world to become the familiar to the world's worst sorcerer! Lots of laughs are to be had. Just keep in mind that, like Higurashi, this series only has a dub on the first season for literally the exact same reason.
Shimoneta
A world where people are unable to make dirty jokes or even obscene hand gestures without fear of being busted. Follow the exploits of the renowned Ero-Terrorist "Blue Snow" as she combats the oppressive tyranny of a heavy-handed government. (There are some seriously NSFW scenes in this.)
Sailor Moon R and S
It's Sailor Moon. You know by now if you like it or not. Although this does seem to start taking itself less seriously. Which was fun.
Stuff I Liked Less
Lunar Legend Tsukihime
This is an anime adaptation to the visual novel series Tsukihime. It's also the source material for the fighting game Melty Blood. What we have isn't bad, however, there is so much to put into such a paltry few episodes that it feels especially weak. I want to know so much more but there's nothing to be had!
Leviathan
This was a surprisingly cute series. It had some laughs and the characters were fun but the story just went nowhere. It's like it started a series and then gave us nothing else. If there is more to it, I have no idea. The fairy was the best character, though.
Canaan
Another series that felt lacking. It feels like we are slapped into the middle of a story with very little to explain the universe and characters/motivations. It could be fun if it had more time to develop key points but, alas, we did not get that version. A waste of a potentially great action series.
Dream Eater Merry
This is a fun story where the dream world and real world sometimes overlap. Yet again, the biggest issue I had with it is that it wasn't fleshed out enough. There are a ton of possibilities to be had here. You can see it in the bizarre world settings and varied character designs. There just isn't enough to it. It seems like this is probably a media adaptation of something much bigger. I liked it but just wanted more.
Truly Awful Things
Dragonar Academy
This series was really bad.
Oh, you want a bit more? Okay, allow me to spin you a yarn. So, in this universe, some people are blessed with something called a Star Brand(I think that was it?) that means one day they will be granted a dragon companion. Our hero/protagonist/idiot is blessed with a truly awesome Star Brand(no joke it's actually pretty awesome) that he likes to keep hidden for some reason. Of course, this being a Harem, our protagonist's dragon turns out to be a humanoid! Who saw that coming? Oh, and there's like, sexual tension here? Why?
How about the other characters? Are there other characters? I can't remember. I think the only one that had any development was the Princess and that only happened after she had her clothes torn off her body; the second or third time.
This series was totally hopeless. It crammed in fan service but it wasn't even enjoyable because the entire rest of the series was crap. It was crap from start to finish. There were several plot elements without any resolution too. And one of them was at the very end! Which is hilarious. It seems like there will be more later due to this, but I can only pray to Science that it has either not happened, or that it never happens.
Avoid this like the plague.
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