...

                                                                                    

STATS

                                                                                    

This post is a little slow to load with all the imagery. Please be patient as it loads depending on your connection speed or device strength. Apologies if anyone has any issues going forward!

What a year it has been! After several years in a row of having the desire to get back into anime properly with my life schedule, I finally matched to do it for the first time since probably 2019. Things started fine enough, but as I hit the springtime my initial motivation waned, and I seemed to be slumping back into those habits once again. Thankfully, around the fall time, I came up with an idea to spark my mind and body into action. I crafted a tournament with my anime community for things to watch, and it seems to have snapped my long hiatus of normal watching after all the roadblocks that blockaded me prior. It’s so nice to be back, I suppose is what I want to say. I haven’t felt this excited about anime in quite some time, so I hope all of you enjoy how much effort I put into making this a fun post to browse through, no matter our differences in opinion.

Overall, I wouldn’t say I watched the best anime I’ve seen in a long while, but I did have plenty of worthwhile experiences that validated my time spent. Even if I saw some real stinkers this year, I haven’t actually had hype or excitement for an upcoming year of animation in all this struggle to get into my groove. Not that there weren’t interesting shows coming out; I just wasn’t keeping up with any of them. Yet as I look forward to the next year, I see so much to catch my eye. Just to name a few offhand would be: Vinland Season 2, Mix Season 2, Ancient Magus Bride Season 2, Blue Exorcist Season 3, Yuru Camp Season 3, and the new Rurouni Kenshin series. There is a lot more than that to be eager for, but as you can see, I think many anime fans have plenty of stuff to add to their watchlists over the next 365 days.

The rest of this post will go as follows for those reading through it proper. First up, I will cover the active anime challenges I am in the middle of and my current progress with them. I intend to at least come up with a small ballpark mission for all of them, so if you care about what silly shit I put myself through, that is the place to be. After that, it will the part I spent the most time on for this post. It will be 29 individual awards given out for my favorites in their respective categories. Everything from shorts to movies to openings get a mention to some degree. I can’t cover everything I’ve watched this year without making this post too bloated to enjoy, so I hope you like the visual flair I put into my awards section! Finally, I will have a ranking of all 40 shows I completed this year from my least favorite to my Anime of the Year. They will all be accompanied by a small blurb of my thoughts on the series. While I can obviously only get a fraction of my emotional thoughts out there, I hope it will suffice enough to get readers an inkling, if anything else, of my inside thoughts. That’s the gist of it all, though! Let’s get this show on the road!

Challenges Progression

5 Year Anniversary Anime!

What’s the challenge?: For my 5 Year Anniversary on Hummingbird/Kitsu I decided to watch 5 anime for the commenters. The catch? I would only choose the people with the best sales pitch. This year I managed to do exactly none of it, but I suppose to be fair I finished Hunter x Hunter the year before. It’s been almost 5 years since I started this challenge, so to put it bluntly, I am far overdue on it. I haven’t given up, though, and sincerely plan to complete it.

My Current Progress: 3/5

2023 Gameplan: I’m going to finish this in 2023. That is one of my few absolute resolutions I want to stick to. I plan to finish this, The Master Keaton OVAs, and maybe even Polar Bear Cafe next year! I really hope I can post this next year, and be proud of myself for doing what I set out to do. I’m great with a goal though, so here I come Nodame and Guru Guru!

50 years in Animation

What’s the challenge?: At the start of 2022, I was inspired by a user named Ninja522 to start a long-term anime project for the next few years. The idea is to watch an anime from roughly every to now so as to experience a huge variety of animation throughout history. I decided to make mine a clean 50 and go from 1970-2020 since that was the best feeling for my personal list.

My Current Progress: 6/50

2023 Gameplan: You know, for not purposefully working at it, I will say knocking out a tenth of the challenge in the first year feels pretty nice. A few of them are actually in my tournament coming up in round 1 so they will get finished next year as long as I stay steady on it. The rest of the list though? I think I might focus in on one or two of the really long shows to get them done, and that’s about it in terms of conscious effort. Who knows, maybe I will somehow knock out a few more in the meantime without trying.

The MUST WATCH Anime Recommendation Tournament

What’s the challenge?: A massive tournament where 64 people go head to head to give me anime to watch. They are trying to recommend anime they think I will like and become the best at recommending anime to me. Will I actually find that people get better as this goes on? Will I die in the process of watching mediocre crap? I DON’T KNOW! What I do know is, this really allows me to watch a massive amount of series and stay in communication with my fellow anime community better than anything else. It’s a bit over the top and stupid, but I’ve been having a ton of fun with it, so I guess I won’t complain too much. This will definitely be a big part of my next year as well, so I have plenty to look forward to.

My Current Progress: 8 matches of 32 in Round 1

2023 Gameplan: I got 1/4th through the first and longest round despite starting in August and having the November Challenge/Holidays eat up an exorbitant amount of time; I say job well done to me on this one! I will for sure get to round 2 next year and have a lot of new shows to add to my water later once that point is hit. I’m having a blast with this, so things only look up from here for me! I have faith round 2 will be even better if people actually care and consider what I say about all the anime I watch. If not, well, I guess the joke is on me then.

Anime Group Challenge

What’s the challenge?: Me and a group of my friends decided to come up with a group activity towards anime. We would all pick 3 topics that were broad and could be filled in with all sorts of series. An example being something like: watch an anime from the year you were born. With those topics in hand and an extra one from our discord server leader, we all set out to compile our lists and start working on them. We started this at the end of October, so this is the most recent of everything, and the one I’ve purposefully been silent about because my plan to is to make a blog post on it here on the whole process when I finish.

My Current Progress: 7/25

2023 Gameplan: Despite picking mostly movies and ovas for my list, I am still pleased with my progress. I think by summertime next year I will have 80% of this finished. We will see, but I am confident that I can do it all next year if I stay diligent. I guess you will see though, if I end up making a post!

“Best of” Awards

The majority of this blog is powered by Google Slides, so below are a few useful tips to get the most out of the visual experience as much as possible.

The vertical … is your tool to go into fullscreen: The Recommended Way to View All Awards and their information The <- & -> allow you to go back and forth between slides. Clicking also moves the slides forward: Best used on slides without videos in their visuals The number between the arrows not only dictates the active slide but can be clicked on to advance to a specific slide of your choosing: Best used on slides with video visuals you want to skip or avoid watching. * Contains a video that has full content of nomination. Watch at own risk

Best Film

Best OVA

Best Short*

Best Performance by a Voice Actor(Jp/Chn/Kr)

Best Performance by a Voice Actor(Eng)

Best Original Score

Best Song*

Best Opening Theme*

Best Ending Theme*

Best Animation(Short)

Best Animation(Film)

Best Animation(Tv Series)

Best Use of CGI

Best Action Sequence*

Best Pilot Episode

Best Finale Episode

Biggest Surprise

Biggest Disappointment

Best Animal/Creature

Best Comedy

Best Romance

Best Drama

Best Antagonist

Best Ensemble Cast

Best Supporting Male Character

Best Supporting Female Character

Best Lead Male Character

Best Lead Female Character

Seal of Approval

FINAL RANKING AOTY

40. Mahou Shoujo Spec Ops Asuka

It’s a rare day when I get the opportunity to watch not 1 but 2 anime that fall into my personal bottom five series of all time. First on the docket, and the dishonorable winner of the year is Specs Ops Asuka. From terrible art to ludicrous logic, this series falls apart at the seams. There is a serious attempt to meld psychological aspects of war with the magical girl genre, but it is completely overshadowed by the gratuitous amounts of violence and sexualization. The dichotomy is nothing short of a spectacular failure as it stumbles from episode to episode. I don’t get the chance to say a series lacks a redeeming quality all that often, but hey, I guess this is how it goes with my resurgence into the medium. Pro-tip for you storytellers out there, maybe try and not mix thought-provoking with huge tits and torture porn. The two really clash like my fashion style and the current trends.

39. Magical?Shopping Arcade Abenobashi

Jesus criminey Christ, what is it with Japan and being wildly inappropriate at the weirdest times. What starts off as a potentially interesting premise quickly devolves into derivative reference-snatching and lazy sex jokes as the cornerstone of the series. Any attempt at making a story that could be neat on the concept of an arcade shopping area or coming of age for the young duo is completely stripped by the intrusive sexual humor. Using referential humor can be a delight, but when you rely on it solely to try and carry your show in between your distasteful collection of low-hanging fruit jokes, well, you are set up to be exactly what you are. A terrible and destructive failure of a series. Let’s not even take much time to mention how the whole show works towards a thematic end for the show to completely swerve last minute and not commit to it. The only thing it does commit to is being a disappointment, and we all already have enough of those in the anime community.

38. RPG Fudosan

Boy howdy, how surprising is it to see this so low? Not at all, you say?! Ahhh you got me, loli bait is not the market for me. Toss in weird fanservice that feels grossly incorporated (I’m sensing a theme) and you strike the fuck out with me. I mean, the show has the innate issue of being a revolving door of the same conceptual setup every episode as well, so that might not aid its cause either. They finally abandon this lighthearted comedy nature to tell an overly serious last leg of the journey that is absolute tonal whiplash to balance it all out though! I like the concept of the fantasy world and the real estate focus being pretty unique. But unfortunately, these elements are just mere springboards for trying to sell the lazy archetypes the cast comprises of, to sell it to their target demographic. A real shame, but that is what happens when you just try to be a little different than actually inspired.

37. Gatchaman Crowds/Insight

Speaking of trying to be different without knowing your place, we have Gatchaman Crowds. The Japanese have a fascination with identity and style rather than an actual understanding of what makes superhero stories loved so deeply. It’s relatability you crackhead smoking geese you! Gatchaman is so focused on trying to be a little different with the hero genre it forgets to make the cast remotely interesting or even marginally complex. They just go with the flow outside the main character who doesn’t act like a human being and just asks the perfect question to meet any scenario without ever giving a real answer to them. Piss poor antagonistic forces and execution to their schemes and resolutions, and Gatchaman fundamentally misunderstands how to tell a compelling story of heroes. Also, man does this show make the Japanese common people come off as the stupidest and most gullible people in the entire universe. They just make group decisions that always happen to shift the narrative momentum when needed. And yes, the mechs are ugly as all get out, and I won’t compromise that the ugly CGI doesn’t even justify the action scenes either.

36. Yuru Yuri

Some folk assume I want to burn all moe creations to the ground, and they would be rightfully smart to think so! Well….except that I’m not that extreme, and it isn’t the art style that bothers me so much, as the series that tend to lend themselves to it. Yuru Yuri is another one of those absolutely forgettable anime that revolves around a half dozen or so bland archetypes that only exist to cater to the same tired jokes on repeat. If it sounds like I am beating a dead horse with my complaints, it is because this is exactly what the shows do when they think they are being funny. It just drives me up a wall having to sit through a series that relies on easy comedy gags with no variation and wants me to give it a pat on the back. I’m not going to do it, because no one should.

35. Tonikawa

Another example of a just cancerous approach to representing “romance” in anime. I swear, I don’t understand why this show is so loved when it is built off a totally disgusting male fulfillment aspect that is old-fashioned, and not in a good way. The main character is a sycophantic controlling child with no common sense and the girl? Well, you see, she is perfect at all the things a man would want around the house, but no worries, she also likes all your favorite hobbies and is seemingly eternally youthful. Bravo, you’ve done it again anime, you’ve made a low-effort example of a romance that forgoes telling interesting concepts around love or making a decent couple of relatable people and instead just cater to wishful thinking that is harmful for people to think their couples should be like. I for one am thrilled I never have to watch any more of this sad drivel in my future. I can only take so much of two clay blobs smushing their faces together like it’s the first time, every single time they do anything intimate. It’s about adults, yet juvenile, and completely misses the mark of healthy romantic dynamics. Hurray for how easily people settle for blushy faces!

34. Key the Metal Idol

How are you gonna make a series about a girl who is a robot becoming human and proceed to just not put her in like 85% of the screen time? That baffling choice aside, I want to complain once again about how this series ends with two movie-length episodes and the first of those two being one of the most painfully boring episodes I’ve ever seen. Imagine two guys sitting around sharing exposition for 70 minutes straight! It’s a gauntlet alright, and that is this show in a nutshell. The ideas aren’t all bad, and for the time it looks pretty slick, but man, does it have too many issues compounding upon each other. Overly complex and when finally explained neither satisfying nor interesting, Key the Metal Idol doesn’t know how to combine the ideas it has into something tangibly enjoyable and suffers greatly for it. Because of this, when the big moments occurred in the last leg of the series, I felt literally nothing and was just tired and happy to be done with it all. This is never a good feeling to have, let me tell you.

33. Un-go

I love a good mystery. The way they unravel these layers of ideas to a conclusion that is meant to wow you is always one of my favorite things to read or watch. Who doesn’t love Tim Curry running around nuts explaining all the intricacies of the murder mystery? This is why I hate it when a series is built on mystery with the worst supporting mechanics you could imagine. Instead of having crazy impressive intelligence or being a master of deduction, how about we just give them a super robot computer and magical being who can force people to tell the truth. Who needs to solve the mystery when you can brute force it, am I right? This major contrivance isn’t aided by the series having a completed post-war mythos that isn’t properly explained at any point, yet is always crucial to why characters make the choices that they do. Far too many holes and not even cheese for me to enjoy. The first rule in any good mystery is to make the audience believe that they could feasibly solve it themselves if given the chance. Without this simple implementation, the rest just crumbles around the foundation.

32. DNA² 

What a mixed basket we have here. The start is fucking horrendously stupid, but I love it so much, and the end of the series brings that same type of tomfoolery as well, but cranked up to 11. Everything else in between though? Kind of a big fucking waste of time that meanders through standard high school love melodrama. If you have a series with a stupid concept like the Mega Play Boy personality being a future wrecker, god damn it, COMMIT TO THE BIT! You also shouldn’t introduce a much better match for the main character and not choose her just because of reasons either. You gotta be better than this, seduce me, fuck me up real good, and make me want to have your playboy children! This isn’t that hard to understand anime. Don’t be afraid of your possibilities and instead embrace them! What could have been a cult classic is now a forgotten piece of 90s anime that was too afraid to go big or go home.

31. Wotakoi

As I mentioned in my post already, at some point, there are two types of typical conventions in anime romances I do not care for. One is the old hat of living and thriving in outdated dynamics, and the other is when the characters are a terrible fit for each other. Wotakoi is the latter, and is filled with not one, but two couples that are just poorly matched. The only thing that puts them together is a crossover in work life and being into “geeky” fandoms. They don’t even like each other’s hobbies, often make fun of them, and normally are verbally abusive to one another with no concern for each other’s feelings. Well, okay, 3 of the 4 are, not Hirotaka, he genuinely cares and loves the person he is dating. He is a good partner and the rest are absolutely selfish inconsiderate twats with no chemistry or charisma whatsoever. I don’t know, this show tries a little too hard to make me just go with the flow that weebs oughta date weebs even if they don’t fit together, and I don’t vibe with that. You don’t have to share interests, but what you do need to do is show a general interest in the other person and be respectful to them. That’s a triple miss for Wotakoi, and I am sitting here wishing the younger brother couple was the main focus now.

30. Lord El-Melloi

Ah Fate, I hardly knew ye. My relationship with this franchise is muted to say the least, and this spin-off that just makes shit up constantly didn’t exactly repair that. I mean, Gray is cute and lovable, but that isn’t enough to save this journey of trepidation and boredom that tries to impress by imparting brand-new lore every few minutes to explain new concepts. Never mind that these things never had any place in other Fate content that chronologically took place first. They are totally real, and you should be more than impressed, I say! Slick presentation and a cute girl does not make for riveting anime, though, trust me, this has been an ongoing battle with me and certain other series. You gotta have more depth of flavor to your roast, and if you don’t, please stop pretending you do. I get you want to advertise you got the best coffee, but when the stuff looks fancy but tastes like Dunkin’ you aren’t gonna impress a professional barista like myself. I feel this metaphor is going off the rails, but hey, I got a Zepplin waiting for me to bring me back on track. That was more enjoyable than this show,. That’s my feelings, end of story.

29. Utawarerumono

It’s kind of a bummer when a video game adaptation leans too hard on the source material. A decent world and somewhat fun cast could have been really revitalized to new heights with some new writing blood if they were given the chance. This is not the case, sadly, and we got a fantasy story of much violence and war that is severely marred by janky pacing, piss-poor animation, and repetitive dead-end story beats. Utawarerumono has a decent chunk of ideas set up that just don’t pay off as well as you’d expect, and the last 3rd takes a really, really mismatched turn that left me wondering what the point was. I feel in game form this would be far more enjoyable than the anime production that just didn’t lend itself all that well to some of the creative choices made for its pacing. Alas, this isn’t the case, but hey, I still like those dinosaur mounts, and the really cool unstoppable tiger. Great fantasy vibes that just don’t get their full use, sadly.

28. Jujutsu Kaisen

Holy hell Batman, what happened here!? For a genre that is normally an easy win, this sure was anything but that. I mean, where do I start here? Is there a single person I am meant to actually like in this show? Itadori is fine, but just such a plain rice cracker in motivation and personality that I can’t really say anything notable about him. The rest of the cast is just plain jerkish outside of a few exceptions, and the series spends next to zero time with actually getting to know anyone on a personal level. The few times we do it makes them even less likable, so I can’t even root for them either way. Mix that with the odd choice that the first half of the season goes with of starting with scene 3 or 4, plays opening, then does scene 1-2, and then skips to scene 5 after that, and you get a series that feels shaky in delivery for the first 5 minutes for half the duration. These don’t add suspense or excitement, but unnecessary confusion to things that would have worked best in chronological presentation. Assuming that was my only major concern and you’d be right to assume this show really disappointed me, but I think worst of all…..the show is just boring as sin. All the slick presentations in the world can’t save a yawn-worthy story that I can barely keep my focus on. This is what people are raving about? You mad lads you!

27. Grand Blue

The moment when you are excited about the prospect of a diving anime, and get completely sucker-punched by reality. Oh, you wanted something neat and focused on the finer details of the underwater world with some gorgeous visuals to boot? TOO BAD DUMMY SAUCE! You will just get a nonstop carousel of drunken stupored comedy with ridiculous faces. It’s a shame too, because, in itself, that is a pretty funny gag, but when the whole show leans on it solely for almost all content, it grows stale really fast. Not only did I get disappointed that diving is merely a side piece to the main attraction, but the central content is just far too samey, and honestly not that funny when thrown at you in large doses. It does take away from any sort of investment in the actual story or cast as well, so I just found myself feeling rather muted overall about Grand Blue because it could be so much better than it is. It has a solid comedy baseline and if it were smart it would use that to levy harder moments or to break up the pacing of inspirational stuff. Instead, it is a one-note comedy series with one series of bits that lacks any variety to make it worth my time or enjoyment.

26. Devil is a Part Timer Season 1

Everyone and their dog has complained up and down the street how much season 2 was a dumpster fire of a continuation. And here I sit, wondering when it was ever good? I mean, it isn’t bad either, but I struggled to feel anything towards the first season of this series other than indifference. While yes, it is occasionally funny, I wouldn’t say it does anything particularly that gut-busting nor does the cast really make up for the lack of other qualities it doesn’t have. They too are fine at best, and nothing I find stand out amongst the droves of comedy anime that exist out there in the world. There just isn’t really a standout feature to this show other than the devil working at McDonalds, which they really could do a lot more with to make it more than it is. If the King of Zamunda can do the same type of gig, but 20-plus years before way more enjoyably, then what does this show have to offer me in comparison? That’s this show for me in a nutshell. It is there, it can make me laugh, but usually, it doesn’t, so I guess…..moving on?

25. Jojo: Stardust Crusaders Part 1

Part 1 is simple but enjoyable. Part 2 is brilliantly creative and unique. Part 3….part 1…..is a god damn slog. Jojo really helped craft the monster of the week formula here, and it is exhaustingly boring to sit through. The cast seemingly forgets from one episode to the next, and their is next to no growth between any of them. Whereas in Part 2 Joseph was constantly pushing against the line of possibility, this part just goes through the same motions on repeat with a slight twist each time. It definitely helped here and there, but as of now, Stands kinda blow ass in comparison to Hamon. Also, am I the only one who thinks Jotaro is just too stoic for his own good? What else does he have going for him outside of being a cool badass? The cast dynamic is solid but isolated, he really falters in comparison to the first two jojos we have seen. This is especially plain as day when Joseph is part of this cast as well. I really hope part 2 of Part 3(I hate this in anime so much) is way more cohesive and enjoyable than this beat-up monster weekly junk we had here so far. If it isn’t, I will be praying to push through this as Part 4 begins. There are a lot of ideas thrown into Part 3, and they just don’t work yet.

24. After the Rain

Say it with me, everyone:  “AKIRA IS AWFUL!” Very good! I am so proud of you all! This show looks and sounds flipping gorgeous and is unfortunately plagued with one of the worst protagonists I’ve seen in an anime in years. She never stops being a selfish unempathetic twat who wants nothing but her own desires. If she wants you to succeed it is because she likes the idea for her, not you. I can’t describe how fucking frustrating it is to have to follow a character who purposefully doesn’t communicate well with others and is unapologetically rude, even when it is totally uncalled for. She is as easy a goddamn book to read and just wears bitch face constantly, and honestly, I didn’t want her to succeed because she didn’t deserve it. On the flip side, the old lad is lovable as shit and I wish I could see the second half of his journey of self-discovery because he was awfully relatable and kind. A little repentance and effort towards becoming a better human being would have made Akira strides more tolerable. Instead, we get someone I would have been perfectly okay being alienated by the entire human race for being such a little shit. I too, wish the story wouldn’t have ended with the revelation of making the steps forward. I don’t need the journey half done. I want all of it you silly story writer. Absolutely ungratifying in every sense of the word.

23. Chuunibyou Season 1

Ahhh, Kyoto Animation, whatever shall I expect from you? I have a long history of feeling mixed on Kyoto Ani due to just how stale their casts tend to be, so as always I went in with low expectations when starting Chuuni. I will say despite the middling rating overall, I was decently surprised with how much I enjoyed parts of it. The romance and friendship angles presented in this series are actually quite wholesome and pleasant. I wasn’t sold after the first two episodes, but 3-9 really made for great content that built upon itself. Well, aside from the devil witch Fake Mori Summer, who I would have loved to just remove from the series altogether. Then we got to the last quarter of the show and right as the show found a perfect groove, it pretty much ruins it in typical Kyoto Ani fashion. The end of the 10th episode abruptly has key moments happen offscreen, and then the proceeding episodes jump forward in time, skipping all the relevant and important character moments. It continues to run at this breakneck pace all the way until the end of the series. The heavy topics that were slowly getting handled just get resolved in a few big gestures and the most important words of wisdom that should have been shared between the leads were relegated to a supporting cast member and the narrator as the show came to a close. It just really falls flat after doing a decent job of setting up the premise. So points for the cast, comedy, and love, and two thumbs down for the resolution on the topics of coping, communication, and acceptance.

22. Cells at Work Season 1

We are…CELLS AT WORK! What a fun and cute concept. It’s a real shame that is kind of kills itself after just a few episodes. Insert formula here: Introduce new type of cell. Problem occurs. Scary thing that attacks body happens. No one has a solution. The real solution is the new cell to save the day so you understand its true function. Informative sure, but too much of the same process creates a sense of familiarity in a bad way. You end up not having anything to look forward to but the obvious explanation incoming towards the backend of the episode. There is no tension, excitement, or real depth here. It’s weird too, because they could most certainly do more with this concept to make it fun and episodic; they just don’t really. I found myself initially enthralled, and after taking a massive 2-3 year break, was majorly sad to see the show doesn’t offer much else outside what you get when you first begin. The boredom started to set in, and outside the cancer cell and finale episodes; Cells at Work struggled to keep my interest despite the charming visual flair and excellent setting. Guess it is time to boot up Osmosis Jones again to show them how it is done.

21. Fire Force Seasons 1-2

I really want to love Fire Force, because when it excels at a section, it really does it fabulously. Unfortunately, this show is a true example of peaks and valleys. The first few episodes are okay and quickly mediocre with the comedy and time-filling action. Afterward, we get some backstory on the heads of the 8th, which is quite good. Then the best arc of Fire Force so far happens. Immediately following that you get another solid smaller arc introducing a new character. It all culminates in a fantastic last stretch (minus any content with Tamaki) that lets every major hero showcase their resolve and skills in creative and amazing battles. The SFX are especially notable as it elevates the tight choreography and explosive firefights to new levels. Then season two rolls around and we get almost an entire season of content of a similar quality of the first few episodes of season 1. Little growth happens, most of the fights feel like a major waste of time, and the show stagnates extremely hard. I am hopeful a future arc will get back into the swing of things, but only time will tell. Because if season 2 only has 2-3 great episodes and the rest is average to brain-numbing, Houston, we have a problem!  Chuck out the tasteless fanservice and useless comedy bits that waste time, and focus more on the mystery and relationships of the cast and you could turn it around Fire Force. I believe in you!

20. Chainsaw Man

Calm down boy! I’m unsure the last time I was part of a hype storm as it was happening, but Jesus Christ I gotta say, Chainsaw Man fans are an affront to the world. Manga fans never stop alluding to spoilers to new fans, and new fans treat it like the third coming of Jesus Christ has finally come to save us from Armageddon. Let’s get it out of the way though, yeah, this show looks really slick. Visual fidelity here is some of the most detailed work I’ve seen on character animation, and should certainly be lauded. What drives me up a wall is how people are so blown out of the water by the content so far. It’s essentially the typical introduction arcs to the main cast, their powers, and small inklings of the bigger story to come, and that is about it. Yeah, it is gritty and commits to being darker than a typical Shonen Jump series, but that doesn’t make it life-changing either. I can’t name a single character outside of Aki that I’d care about if they died, because we just don’t have a reason to give a shit about most of them so far. Power is whatever, Denji is fine, and the rest are mostly forgettable at best outside of the enigma that is Makima. She is certainly more interesting than everyone else, but its not like we have a lot to go on either. We have some groundwork laid, and I’m here for it, but I can’t say from a character/story aspect this anime has crossed any sort of line that made me feel floored in any respect.

19. Rin: Daughter’s of Mnemosyne

What a surprise this ended up being huh? People made it out to be just torture porn, the anime. I would say they give it a real injustice because it really is a pretty fantastic mystery show with a neat gimmick. I do think the sex is the weakest part of the show, and like 3/4’s of it should have been cut. The double-length episodes though, give enough content to mostly erase that eating up too much valuable time, and instead the crime fantasy thriller that makes up most of the show is fairly fascinating stuff. The weakest part is the show could have been even more fascinating with like twice as many episodes to flesh out all the gaps in the timeline. They might not be necessary, but certain big plot points would have been far more emotional with that extra time to make it happen. Oh well, this show is still pretty ambitious when it isn’t being a fuck fest. If you aren’t super averse to hyper-violence and sexual content, I’d say this is a sleeper gem that will be forgotten as time goes on. Kind of ironic when considering the series itself in a way.

18. Spy X Family

A fall from grace, I must say. If only part 1 had aired SpyFam would have almost cracked the top ten. Part 2 unfortunately, is an absolute labor to get through. Part 1 is filled with charming introductions, hilarious uses of their unique gimmicks, and some of the most fun episodes of anime you could ask for. Part 2 starts with the excellent Bond arc and then meanders around the rest of the time with small short stories that neither fully utilize the strengths of the cast nor tell stories that will stick with you. Characters like Fiona are just awful and waste almost a fourth of the season, and my biggest complaints with Part 1 still aren’t addressed. Is Yor ever gonna be more than a one-note character? Anya is fine in both sections, and Loid flip-flops between being stellar and plain as shit, but Yor….she is just there and nothing more. If this series wants to keep lasting power after the initial gimmicks, then it needs to give her some sort of real goal or story arc that matters. Otherwise, she feels completely arbitrary to the show most of the time. With a really good part 1 and a really middling part 2 SpyFam is looking a little unsure as it moves forward for me, but I have faith it can course correct into the better characteristics it holds.

17. Heaven’s Design Bu

Any show that is so bold as to have a man in a comfy sweater hold onto a baby seal for 20 minutes is bound to be the type to garner my attention. This show is just like a light snack. It satisfies a craving and is continuously enjoyable the entire time. There are small lulls when comparing the delivery and creativity between animal reveals, but I still had a great time anyways. I just love and adore wildlife, and this fun spin on the idea of animal creation is just a delightful canvas for so many wacky and entertaining ways to educate an audience. What it lacks in depth it makes up for in charm and legitimate factoids. I said this recently upon finishing the series, but it falls in a category of hyper-focused anime that I wish we had more of. I don’t need it under the guise of something else either. I want a pure unadulterated experience that hits the same desire each and every time. I don’t really care what the topic is either, although if you cater to my sensibilities like this series ended up doing, you are probably gonna make me a very happy camper overall. That reminds me, I have an extra episode of this to watch with a camel that has my name on it!

16. Yamada’s First Time(B Gata H Kei)

American Pie the anime? Well, not exactly but incredibly similar vibes. After all the gross sex content anime has thrown at me this year, who would have thought a series about a girl wanting to become a goddess of sex would be the most refreshing and enjoyable of them all? This series is stupid and over the top, and never falters from that position, and it is all the better for it. It understands how outlandish teenage imagination and hormones are and utilizes that as an X-factor to make a really sweet romcom series out of it. The romance building feels cute and genuine, and the comedy is the right kind of self-aware goofiness that I am looking for. It really melds together really nicely for a pretty enjoyable series overall. It isn’t an all-time favorite or anything, but as far as exceeding expectations go, this is a real winner in my book. I can see myself revisiting this in the future when I need a good laugh, because I know it will deliver with how fucking silly Yamada is. It makes a huge difference when you place the content in the driver’s seat of a gal, and I really applaud them for making it work as well as they did. While it doesn’t work 100% of the time, the success rate is high enough for me to not be unhappy.

15. Isekai Shokodou Season 2

Ever had a really tasty meal and then the next time you were at the restaurant, instead of trying something else potentially delicious, you just order what you loved the first time? You sink your teeth into the meal and all those sweet memories come into the forefront of your memory. You easily recall why you chose this dish over something and have zero regrets of any kind. That’s what season two of this anime is. If you liked what you consumed the first time, well, guess what? It’s the same pleasant and fluffy experience it was last time, and yes, that is a wonderful thing. More episodic nom-filled adventures filled with food porn, and really intricate fantasy world-building interspliced between the many courses. It’s a series I never expected would be such a good fit for me, but here we are, and my belly is full and filled with happiness. Kind of like anytime I eat cheddar broccoli soup when my girlfriend makes it. It’s all good, and I would gladly have it the next go around again. I might just get fat off this juicy, comfy factory of feels being given to me.

14. Heaven Official’s Blessing

I feel my partner is slowly converting me into an experienced boy’s love consumer. I’m not on the level of all the fujos out there, but I am starting to have seen more than the average person, it seems! From the same mind as Mo Dao Zu Shi, HOB is another hi-fantasy romance show filled with mystery and intrigue. Unlike Mo Dao where they make all the love stuff super allusion-heavy, despite being pretty clear cut, the flirting is strong with this one. I think that is part of what makes it so compelling too. This writer is already great at setting up complex worlds with dark underbellies, but her characters really just pop with charisma and chemistry. It really allows their conversations to feel quite lively. Never a dull moment between all of the spooky happenings being solved. A really solid first season establishes a lot of the world and politics, and I for one am super eager to see it get into the meat of the content. If it is anything like Mo Dao Zu Shi that is when the plot really kicks it into high gear and character dynamics are put on full display. The best of the best of her work is yet to come, and I am ready for it. The real question is, will they be even more explicit or will I just have to know it is a reality and read the books to get the true nitty gritty boy nomnom time?

13. Akagami Shirayuki-hime Season 1

Apprehension always fills my soul when I have to watch a show that I can’t tell if it will vibe with me or not. I had a sneaking suspicion this show would fall flat for me and was afraid of the eventuality, so I avoided it for that reason. I can confidently say, “Yaaaaaay” I was wrong! Shirayuki is definitely my type of female lead, strong-willed, kind, and intelligent. The rest of the cast doesn’t deviate too far from typical fantasy romance plotlines, but they serve their roles admirably. While this is no Sense and Sensibility or Pride and Prejudice, this story does a wonderful just thus far of modernizing the classic Snow White story with some fun pizazz. It’s just solid work that I don’t have much complaint for. I mean, the series doesn’t have many WOWSERS moments, so that would be my biggest poke aside from the classic storylines at play. Even with that, I find Shirayuki a really pleasant series both visually and emotionally to consume, and am more than happy to be shown the error of my ways this time around. Whenever I get around to part 2/season 2, I will be an eager little seal to see what surprises may lie in store for me. And even if it doesn’t cross that threshold often, I can at least count on the incredible lead character to deliver great scenes regardless of that.

12. Dr. Stone: Stone Wars

As a huge fan of season 1 and the author’s prior work, this was an easy sell for me to get back into the world of Dr. Stone. Season 2 is a little less fun science experiment time, and more war preparations. To be fair, the story was working towards this to resolve the biggest hurdle in front of Senku and crew currently, so I wasn’t bothered if it ate up more time than you’d want typically. The whole cast still gets plenty of time to shine, and the series maintains the wonderful charm and inspiration it had from the start. I don’t have much else to say honestly. If you liked Dr. Stone already, this should be right up your alley, and if you didn’t like it, I wonder why you continued in the first place. This series is consistent in quality enjoyment, and next year looks to give me a nice new heaping of inventions from the Kingdom of Science. I am 1,000,000 billion percent sure this will be an anime that ranks high come this time 2023.

11. Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru

I was very curious to try this show when I first read the synopsis. The angle of covering something like Hina dolls seems endlessly interesting, yet the first trailer was a terrible representation of that, or the show itself for that matter. If you exclude small select scenes and most of episode 2, this series is absolutely stellar. Those are the only times the horniess of the direction takes it too far and detracts from an otherwise super hilarious and sweet budding romance series. Marin is obviously electric in any scene she is in, but Gojo is the actual all-star of this series. Instead of a boring by-the-numbers forgettable guy who somehow gets the cute main heroine, he is a rich character with plenty of emotional hang-ups that earns her attention with his craftsmanship and kindness. It allows actual believable love to be slowly built up between them as their relationship deepens through the two of them learning about one another and growing more considerate of one another. For the most part, the series is consistently funny, and most of the fanservice and sex-related topical stuff is handled with tact. I really appreciated that, but the golden aspect that puts it above the standard romcom series these days is the way it crafts a wholesome dynamic between the main couple that feels realistic and palpable. It’s a rare occurrence with all the wish-fulfillment stuff out there, but this actually gets in the ballpark of being fairly plausible, which gives me nothing but praise to share for it. And yes Marin is also one of the standout gals in recent anime memory with her eccentric personality that is filled with boundless lovable energy.

10. Dorohedoro

I loved…..a full CGI anime?! I guess I really am maturing more than I thought I was! It certainly has nothing to do with the cool lizard man who munches on boat loads of gyoza like a happy child either. Well, okay, that does help, but I mean this show is surprisingly fluid and detailed for a CGI series. My biggest complaint has always been how distracting and disruptive CGI tends to be, especially with living objects. They move unnaturally and it makes it hard to not be thrusted out of the experience. Dorohedoro does the smart thing though, and builds the entire anime around it. The CGI also really maximizes some of the grittiness of the visuals to create a wholly new type of visual experience compared to many contemporary anime. Doroherdoro is one of the shows that doesn’t seem like it would work but just kinda does. It’s gratuitously violent yet filled to the brim with dark comedy that made me laugh on many occasions. You would think the dark world and light-natured personalities of the cast would conflict, but they end up being a weird contrast that compliments one another on this rare occasion. The biggest knock I have against this show is we are left high and dry on the main mystery of the show, but sometimes that can’t be helped with how many episodes get adapted. What we got was super entertaining, and it definitely jumped up on my list of anime I want to see more of now, please. This series is the type of thrill ride I seek with crisp action, colorful characters, and an intriguing mystery looming around everything. All in all, a perfect show to round out the best of the best of this year for me, and one of the few I actually enjoyed from my tournament challenge.

9. Sasaki to Miyano

Move over heterosexual anime, there is a new kind of wholesome romance walking down this street! It’s kind of impressive to think that this show not only does the beats of a romance series so effectively, but it also became one of the best in the entire genre it falls into. All the questionable pitfalls of the Boy’s Love genre are erased and treated with prime consideration. Being at the top of both the romance and BL fields is no easy task, and yet here we are. Unlike a lot of other series, this show really focuses on the ideas of consent, and understanding the other person instead of merely just pining for them. These two constantly grow and the story shifts between their points of view to give new clarity and perspective that we’d never get in a romance story. I really can’t commend what they did here enough. I know some of the lovers of the genre are a bit miffed that the big moment isn’t as explicitly shown as they’d like, but I just thought the whole setup and execution were magnificent. As of now, this stands atop the pile as the best show of the tournament, and it is funny since not only was it the first but a series I didn’t expect all that much from. I always say though, it doesn’t matter who it is, but if you can tell me a good love story I am all ears. The big problem is most stories fail at understanding what makes love such a great feeling. Sasaki to Miyano fully understands though, and for that, I am now a converted fan for life.

8. Vinland Saga

Your mileage will vary with Vinland depending on how well you deal with Thorfinn and his coping mechanisms. While thematically it is brilliant and plays into the ideas of parallels he is a little strong to handle at times. Vinland is exceptional though in my book. It tells a wonderfully complex story with a great historical backdrop with really nuanced and human characters. The way they react and think is generally something that feels palpable and relatable even if it leans into negative emotions more than anything else. I think an author must have a lot of confidence to commit to this with how much it actively tries to make the audience conflict with the main protagonist.  I have always noticed that people tend to really react strongly to this type of narrative approach, and I find it is because they don’t truly put themselves in the shoes of the characters. Empathizing is something most people suck majorly at, but they think they are good at, so you often see this sort of separation when people are asked to really think about what it would feel like. As I grow older I really find these types of stories incredibly rich and dense with tons of captivating food for thought. Vinland is a great series that really only falters a few times, and is probably only at its weakest when the battling feels like a comic book rather than the down-to-earth narrative being presented normally. I can live with that though, and am more than a little excited to see how Thorfinn evolves in the next stage of his life. It will be a challenge for him, and I think we might begin the path of healing he has sealed himself away from for so long and find a goal all his own finally.

7. Mo Dao Zu Shi Season 3

It’s always nice to see a story that has so many twists and turns come to an appropriate end. I do wish Chinese names weren’t so damn hard for me to remember because this show doesn’t and has not ever babied its audience with information. If you don’t get it, that is your problem, and I suppose I can vibe with that since it is my responsibility to follow the events. This does everything that the last leg of the story needed to do. It maintains the stupidly pretty visuals all the way through as well, which I just can’t ignore. Every loose thread and question gets answered and the reveals are surprising and satisfying. I really couldn’t have asked for anything else, really. I mean, explicit kissing would have been cool, but what can you do with Chinese standards of censorship? This story makes the obvious romance so easy to appreciate with tons of little moments of cute fanservice. Mo Dao Zu Shi was always exemplary at using the cast well with the story and the conclusion is no different. If you loved the series before, you will no doubt feel the same as me and many other fans. This is a satisfying conclusion through and through. Well, unless you want juicy physical intimacy, but I have it on reputable sources, there is plenty of that in the novels if you are looking for it.

6. Mob Psycho Season 3

 

Well speaking of a really nice final stretch of a story. Mob Psycho has always been a half-and-half type of series. It partially is filled with high-octane action and some of the most expressive comedy in all of anime. The other side of the coin, though, is the lifeblood of Mob. The deep human condition being explored through bottled-up emotions, relationships, and growing up. The first part of the season is mostly just a collection of smaller stories to give all the beloved side cast a little extra time to shine before the true closure arrives. The last third though? It is the culmination that the entire series has been working towards, and yes, it is super pleasing. This series is primarily about Mob and Reigen. Their relationship is the core of the entire series, and it gets the passionate ending it deserves from this team at Studio Bones. Similar to Mo Dao Zu Shi, I really couldn’t ask for much more here. Everyone in the show gets a proper resolution of some sort, and the most pivotal scenes that are meant to tug at the heartstrings do so with extreme gusto. Mob Psycho isn’t just a coming of age story, but a story of being honest with yourself and those you are close to. The effects of being truly open and happy with who you are is the best reward for anyone’s psyche, and I think this show does a really spirited job at showcasing that. It is oh so uncommon to see an anime series get this much love poured into it, and when we are lucky enough to see that happen…everybody wins. There is only one of us in this world, and that is special and worth appreciating.

5. Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit

I’m honestly astounded by how little attention the works of Nahoko Uehashi get. Kemono no Souja and Moribito are not just great anime; they are among the elite of their era. I can think of few modern anime that look as crisp and fucking slick as this show does. The attention to detail is insane, and that is just the visual side of things. Moribito is a very thorough story that takes its time to establish a meaty world filled with dense lore and intrigue. The fantasy elements meld so well with the tangible stuff we all already understand. The heart of it, though, is the same as any show that is great. The cast is superbly written and they all have multiple sides to them that show the facets of their personality. I am bummed that only book 1 of like 10 got adapted for the anime. This would probably be one of the greatest anime of all time if they did every part of the story properly. On the bright side, what we got is quite resolute, and the content, doesn’t leave you yearning with anything resembling disappointment. Balsa is a prime example of what most anime writers should take notes of if they want to run their story with a fantastic female lead. She is not only strong in combat/personality but also in understanding. Too often the idea is to take away the best traits of tough characters by not giving them deeper sensitivities, and it is a mistake! Her relationship with Chagum is really sweet and helps this show have an anchor in between all the uncertainty of what the future holds. I have very little complaint to bring up with this anime, other then wanting more because I am a greedy git. This show does everything correctly and is easily one of the best of its decade.

4. Ousama Ranking

BOJJI HEAAAAAALS!!! From the moment this little guy hugs your heart every so tenderly…you will be forever healed to some degree. Ousama is the type of anime that I think is exactly my style. It is inspirational, comforting, and exciting. It is filled to the brim with a nuanced cast that all show new layers to who they are as more things happen. Its story is filled with wonderful messages that warm me to the bones. I do have minor complaints about how the ending resolves a few aspects of the story, but I will say the overall experience more than makes up for it. This show is probably the best example of the year at utilizing the medium of animation to the fullest extent. I laud the creative team and their dedication to pushing the boundaries of what they could come up with. I was really pleased with Ousama pretty much from the get-go, but as you learn more of its world, I just became entranced by it all. I think a second season would go a long way to fill in the very minor cracks in an otherwise exceptional anime series that lived up to my own expectations. If you toss me an anime with a rich fantasy setting littered with people that are fascinatingly imperfect, and put strong themes that make me feel happy watching anime as a hobby…well you do good work I must say. I really loved this anime a lot and honestly, it feels downright criminal to put it so low on my list.

3. Golden Kamuy Seasons 1-3

How does Golden Kamuy pull it off? I ask myself this question often enough, and really can’t find the answer. This show does so much right, but in ways that could be an absolute mess in any other writer’s hands. What starts off a little rough around the edges but with a sizeable chunk of charm really hits a stride around the start of season 2. The elements of Ainu culture, the hunt for the gold, and the bombastic comedy all cook together into a pot to make the most delicious of stews. Similar to Dorohedoro, things that seem like they would detract actively from each other actually work amazingly well. It really makes Golden Kamuy feel like no other anime out there to some degree. I already awarded it funniest show, because it really is by a long shot compared to most anime, but I’m sure some of you noticed something else too. It also showed up in various categories of all manner that are the exact opposite of others. In fact, I believe it had more nominations than any other series. This is because Golden Kamuy is some of the best entertainment I had this year from almost every consideration. I mentioned how I was impressed by how Vinland leaned on the side cast to showcase unique thematics in contrast with Thorfinn, but Golden Kamuy takes it a step further. It actually dedicates probably almost half of its content to people who aren’t the main heroes of the story, and it gives them the same respect and dedication to

---

View Entire Post