Last season's top 3

[David75]

1-) Mahoutsukaï no Yome
I had to forget about the underage relationship... but has some nice scenes that somehow soothes you and pleases the imagination.
As a manga reader, the adaptation feels nice and complements the original work greatly.
I'm waiting for the next arc and that has already been introduced. The dragonland delivered, but I actualy prefer the next one with the old nobody guy, even if it's a smaller and insignificant arc.

2-) Ballroom e Youkoso
Nice shounen, nuf said.

3-) Blend S
Silly comedy anime, kind of a seasonal thing. Much better than shokugeki no Soma that felt bland and does not really deserve all the praise.

[Ryllharu]

In no particular order:

Ballroom e Youkoso - Good characters, good arcs, dragged a bit at the end but this was the show I found myself waiting for every week and totally engaged in.

Net-juu no Susume - It was a really cute adult age romance series. They tackled a number of real-world issues like karōshi, feeling abandoned or left out, late bloomers, and buying too much cosmetic crap in MMOs. The cast nailed their roles completely, and the OP is pretty amazing too.
And yes, oversized hoodies are great.

Imouto sae Ireba Ii - This series honestly surprised me the most. It is a very self-aware series about light novel authors going about their lives, including stupid shit like research trips, playing card or board games with each other, fleeing from their editors, and their individual quirks about their writing styles, motivations, or techniques. But it is also a series about respect for one another and the reasons why you gain affection for someone. Is it because their work moves you? Is it because you love their determination to find their place in the world while you don't know your own? Is it because their work helped you escape the emotional hellhole you found yourself in? Do you just want money and do your due diligence to ensure you get it? Is your work "art" or is it just a product that sells to your specialty market? Do adaptations of your work diminish or improve the value of your original?
The series also makes a great deal of progress with relationships while appearing to not make any. (In fact, the OP changes in the final episode to hint at a conclusion)
But ultimately, the entire series was apparently written as a bet or challenge between two LN authors. And it works surprisingly well.

Honorable mentions: Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou, Kino no Tabi, Osake wa Fuufu ni Natte Kara

Mahoutsukai is still airing so it is exempt by the standards of this thread. Otherwise I'd mention it this season AND the current season.

[neflight86]

A season I looked more fondly on in hindsight, as my actual viewing volume seems to have dropped, even counting the few continuous shows I can’t list on this season’s chart.

3. Sora Yori mo Tooi Basho: A good time, every time. Sora Yori managed to settle for only mildly cute girls doing only mildly cute things. A story about characters at its core, this one focused on one or more of the titular girls each episode where the journey was truly better than the destination. It could be silly, but never let itself be embarrassing to watch. Recommended.

2. Ryuuou no Oshigoto: Okay, I know I don’t display myself in the best light for admitting to enjoying the ‘loli’ show for this season, but I did. Similar to Welcome to the Ballroom from last year, I enjoy the spectacle of the culture that builds around a specialized competitive activity like shogi. MC has no notable qualities aside from Shogi prowess (and having tragically unfortunate phrasing when talking to and about young girls). So light novel you can taste the cynicism, Ryuuou managed to move fast enough and have enough simultaneous (and cute) character arcs to make me a believer and hankering for more. One look at the tin should tell you everything you need to know about this show. I will say though, that I was surprised at the last arc where the main character broke down at his own inadequacies in a way that readers would not project themselves onto (with requisite redemption); it kind of reminded me of the Re:Zero deconstruction. Hit rock bottom before coming back up.

1. Killing Bites: Har har har, make your jokes... Do I just have poor enough taste, or was this season just that bad? One word. “Entertainment”. Nothing else provided it more consistently and at any expense this season. Sort-of furries fighting half naked with all of the trash talk and trashy fanservice you’d expect from pro wrestling, except people died during Killing Bites. I don’t have to sell this to anyone, because it is so plainly and proudly what it is. That being said, it also took the time to craft an violent, turbulent, and ambitious ending that completely surpassed my expectations. Plain dude was straight up killed, the world order changed, and the story bothers to introduce the next generation of animal characters we will see if this ever somehow gets a sequel. Not bad… not bad. I looked forward to nothing more each week.

Special awards? Who, me? Well, if you insist…

The “Who needs this?" award is being fabricated in 70% post-consumer product for Slow Start: At this point, do we really need more ‘healing’ shows? Are our lives so vapid and empty that borrowing a ‘slice of life’ from an anime could truly hope to fill such a gap? Who knows, but I struggle to even call this “cute girls doing anything”. You got your shy one, the deadpan loli, the otaku, and the yuri-bait comprising our team of friends being friendly, while talking about how they are friends… and what good friends they have… and how they are glad that they’re friends. You know… I’m beginning to question if I’m doing this whole ‘friendship’ thing right. I mean, do my friends even know they we are friends? I don’t tell them that we’re friends very often, so what if they forget? All we have are some shared interests and we enjoy spending time together! Good thing I have the almighty wisdom of anime on my side to explain in no uncertain terms that friends have in common that they are, in fact, friends!

“Catchiest tunes” award is being pirated by Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san: When watching an anime about a certain thing- the thing in this case being some girls’ sexual awakening to Ramen- you are going to be told alot about that thing. It’s just how things are going to go. When said thing isn’t particularly interesting, it is easy to drift off and... just kind of take in the lights and sounds from the screen; no chemical assistance required. During many such moments of Koizumi, I noticed the upbeat twangy soundtrack queueing me that some sort of important thing was happening (usually eating or preparing to eat ramen), snapping me back into the show. Impressive, so it gets a note here. We can’t all be Shokugeki.

Best first episode award goes to Kokkoku: This is up there with Parasyte, Psycho Pass, Death Parade, and HSotD as having the one of the greatest, most effective opening episodes in recent memory. Even if the rest of the series didn’t hold up as well, this episode alone would likely be enough to sell someone on watching at least a few more to find out what happens next.

The "Eyes rolling" award goes to Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san: It’s cute. No denying that. Bright little girl teases dense little boy cuz’ she likes him, and he’s learning he likes her, too. The setups are varied, but the actual format is never really shaken up over these twelve episodes. I could identify the beats in this odd courtship far too early and reliably to not begin feeling just a little annoyed at Nishikata for not wising up a bit more comprehensively given how often he is teased. Still, they were cute. No denying that.

The “I can’t believe it’s a TV anime” award went to Violet Evergarden: Kyoani has raised the bar again by illustrating a realistic turn of the century european-ish country so fantastically that I can still vividly remember some of the landscapes. This is TV animation, and I’m having trouble finding where the corners were cut! Enjoyable and episodic. This is clearly a series designed to make the audience feel things, and it often succeeded, so for that, Recommended.

The “pitchforks and smoke” award is smouldering next to Death March kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyousoukyoku: An isekai anime adapted from a light novel? That’s just crazy talk. What’s next? Magical fighting in high school? Snide jokes aside, I had some slight hopes for this one when the main character spent the beginning of his journey in mortal peril… and then he became the overpowered protagonist within minutes of the first episode. The fact that the MC was satisfied being a corporate drone sleeping at his desk during crunch time in the first place is a bit depressing in hindsight; it suggests a lack of character outside of ‘nice guy’. After a few episodes, the internet at large began to take issue with Death march apparently sliding into the standard harem, no tension escapism route. I lost what little interest I had (already being about 5 episodes behind), and cut my losses.

The"‘true to form" award is rattling around in a vending machine besides Dagashi Kashi 2: The first season was nice enough, though it didn’t need a sequel by any stretch, and here we are. The show, like the products it is centered around, is kind of a poor-man / kids mini-anime that resembles the real thing, when I go by the ½ episode length and slightly worse animation quality. It had some heart, but the jokes/setups weren’t that much different from the first season, and Kokonatsu’s arc at the end didn’t really resonate with me. I also felt that each episode ended a bit too soon, right when I was beginning to settle in with the characters.

Now, the prestigious “fool me twice” trophy is being inversely colored by Shaft for Fate/EXTRA Last Encore, so it doesn’t even look like a trophy: I’m not angry at this for being boring, but I’m not hopeful that anything produced with the name ‘fate’ attached to it will interest me now, after this and Apocrypha. ‘Pretentious’ and ‘Ambitious’ share part of the same second half of their words, and by Shaft logic that allows them to be compared to make my point that the writing and directing of this show just muddled together into something akin to 18if from a few seasons back with a higher budget. It feels aimless and overinspred at the same time. I can enjoy shaft’s work, but this story left me fearing for the ...wait for it… FATE of the franchise!

The ‘like an ugly baby’ award goes to Black Clover: I’m including this on this season’s list because watching another 26 episodes would be an unjustifiable waste of time. Let me be clear: Black Clover is the most soulless, cookie-cutter, produced by committee, half hearted, uninspired, bland, uninteresting, low concept, cynical embarrassment of a show I’ve seen in a while, as a fan of shounen. If Black Clover were just a bit better, it would be a parody of itself. Every shortcut imaginable is employed here from bland characters, tropes that mirror their appearance in other, better shounen, lazy and rushed ‘character development’ segments, filler beginning in episode 2, and of course animation that wouldn’t pass as decent ten years ago. I would encourage you to watch an episode or two just as a sort of litmus test for how much quality you demand in your shounen. Dropped.

[MFauli]

I dropped Black Clover last season already, didn't need to see more. It's the most obvious 'designed for marketing/profit' shounen-anime ever. No surprise it's already getting a PS4-game, dat sweet deals, huh. Meanwhile, no HXH-game. Lol

My top 3:

1.) Gakuen Babysitters
2.) Kokkoku
3.) IDOLISH7

[Ryllharu]

Sora yori mo Tooi Basho - This series surprised me. It's a "cute girls doing [something] cutely" series, but somehow it managed to be something substantially more. The series is both a coming of age and redemption story at the same time. There's four girls looking for meaning in their life, while one of them is looking for closure. And it really, really works.

Mahoutsukai no Yome - As bleak as this series can get, ultimately, it is a healing-type series. Chise acts like far more of an adult than you'd expect (though not in the context of the series itself). There's an "unknown" feel to the entire series that simply draws you in.

Overlord II - Flaws aside, I looked forward to it each week.

[Buffalobiian]

Sora yori mo Tooi Basho - As per Ryll
Mahoutsukai no Yome - As per Ryll
Kokkoku - This last one's hard, it's really a close tie between Kokkoku and Koi wa Ameagari. Kokkoku wins by being rather unique in its setting and actually finishing the story. Stylistically I really liked Koi wa Ameagari, but its less-than-conclusive way of ending just doesn't sit well. Art was amazing however.

Violet Evergarden as a case of being more pretty than substance, despite being a rather good watch. Letter Bee still did it better IMO.

[neflight86]

Another season, another list:

3. Megalo Box. Quite a throwback to the attitude and grit of old 80s-90s anime that was cool by nature, not because it was trying hard to be so. A classic underdog story that surprisingly puts fights into the back seat focusing on the drama of these characters. Certainly recommended.

2. Shokugeki no Souma S3 part 2. An unsatisfying conclusion (in contention for another award below) to the winning ‘recipe’ of Shokugeki’s bombastic food conflicts. Training, eating, and explaining why one dish is ever so little bit better still hasn’t gotten old, somehow. This had the gall to stop (mid arc!) less than two dozen or so chapters from the manga at the time of airing. We may not be getting any more of this for a while, but it was sure worth watching.

1. Hinamatsuri. I love it when a show comes out of no-where and blows me away. This show did just that. Hence, I love this show. I like a straight-man take on supernatural things, because I always find the juxtaposition of those serious elements with a more deadpan reaction hilarious. This comes off as a cousin of One’s writing style (Mob Psycho & One Punch man) where the psychic powers are almost ignored in favor of commenting on the kind of characters that can be created with such a background. Back and forth between silly, stern, and heartwarming, I looked forward to nothing more each week. Highly recommended.

A brief special awards for this season:

The “inappropriate outburst” award goes to “Pretty Derby”. A serviceable show full of cute character designs and rivalries, I was taken over by a desire to make a turrets-like screech of “HORSE GIRLS!” obnoxiously at the beginning of every episode, much to the chagrin of my anime watching buddy (who by the end threatened to drop the show if I didn’t stop; a hollow bluff it turned out). The way I see it, when watching something as Japanese as a show about cute horse girls racing each other, to not make a jest or running joke about even watching it actually makes me uncomfortable, like a dirty middle-aged man watching something so easily mistakeable for fetish fluff.

The “Twin dumpster fire” award is split between Dorei-ku and Mahou Shoujo Site. You could easily draw parallels between these two low budget and somewhat trashy takes on misery with utter rubbish like Evil Live and King’s game from a few seasons back but make no mistake… I found both of these shows largely worth watching by remaining interesting and applying logic to their stories. Mahou goes from misery exhibition to a more meaningful save-the-world story, and Dorei-ku keeps the scope manageable enough to buy into the characters and just enjoy the ride.

The “Overreaching” award is on the high shelf at Grancrest Senki’s place. Seldom do I see a show so obviously, earnestly, and sincerely try to be more than it can be. The realities of anime production can be cruel, and that they were to the many pivotal battle scenes that played out in Grancrest. Prepare to use your imagination while watching, or you might think the playback got corrupted due to the washed out coloring, arthritis laden animation, and student film level ‘direction’ that just makes everyone glad when important bits are over. The dialogue and premise are better served here than any of the lofty battle scenes and their frankly contemptuous
CG might have you believe. There exist many worse fantasy anime out there, if you have an opportunity to watch Grancrest Senki.

The “running out the clock” award, on loan from the funeral home, is awarded to “Toji no Miko”. A wise man once said that the shortest patch to success in modern Anime is cute girls + swords, and apparently, he was not far off with that statement, because I cannot fathom the actual “why” I would finish such an insipid series… It defies logic, much like Toji no Miko, ba-dum-cha. I can’t really look down on anyone’s taste now that this is on my resume of anime watched, but at least I only wasted time and not brain cells like the next entry.

The “Emperor’s new clothes” award is squarely given to B: The Beginning. Netflix funding Anime… some really interesting stuff could be on the horizon, if Devilman Crybaby is any indicator, but perhaps not this. The first episode was crafted well enough to hook me on the setting and characters, and there was an effort to tell a thrilling story… but it had to go all anime and have a sad orphanage flashback halfway into the series with characters I didn’t care about dying slowly when dying faster would have been more considerate to the audience and reminding me that without government programs leading to genocide, most Sci-fi anime wouldn’t even know where to begin constructing a plot. Some of this was worth watching, but the experience was certainly muddied by the moody revenge teen with superpowers trope you’ve seen dozens of times by now.

“Moe-blob #45” tin has been stamped for Comic Girls. You can take one look at the promotional art for this series and tell not only how slice of life it is, but also how all of the character dynamics play out; that is how systemic moe-blob throw away shows are now. Are the girls cute? Is this dialoge fluffy enough to be both voice acted by a popular seiyuu and completely forgotten or ignored to no narrative consequence? These are the questions asked and answered by the studios producing this crap and us morons watching it. A delicate dance I am ashamed to be a part of.

“Strangely Compelling” award somehow found its way to Gurazeni. When it comes to sports anime, I’m more inclined to get into a shounen story about a struggling kid’s team with a heart of gold that…. Yada yada yada. I’m always complaining about school settings, so I forced myself to watch this on principle. While I wouldn’t say I was blown away watching Bonda (the main character) factor his potential contract earnings for his performance during games, and factoring that into how prepared for his retirement at the ripe age of 25, it did certainly put a smirk on my face. I was never in ‘the mood’ to watch this, but I never regretted pulling up an episode, either.

The “Not an Ending” award goes to Golden Kamui. A well put together adventure story set just after the turn of the century makes for some fine entertainment. You might be surprised, then, to find that the last episode completely closes out like any other, and if you don’t stick around after the credits for the fall season announcement, you would be forgiven for expecting another episode to exist or be airing. Very odd. Somewhat related, Golden Kamui also wins the award for the “best outro lead-up”. Each episode, you the ED song could be heard building up for during the final scene, but here it just works so well for whatever reason that it warranted mention, especially if you plan to marathon- keeps the hype high.

The “Cynicism” award goes to Last Period. This bland ‘by-committee’ production loosely aping on gatcha mobile games confuses me. On the one hand, the structure of the series is a by-the-numbers “quest gang” story who’s characters and setting are unambitious- but on the other, the actual scenarios that play out and character designs feel like they have at least the dying vestiges of the sparks of creativity within them. I don’t know who this is for, but I hope they liked it.

The “Time capsule” award goes to Hisone to Masotan. I’ve no grounds for this, but I somehow expect this series to remain somewhat relevant after this season ends, almost like a ‘classic’. I feel like there’s enough here to unpack and a strong enough characters, delivery, and symbolism to feed into the snooty anime analysis machine for a little while. You could also call this the “critical darling” award.

The “Diet Trigger” award goes to Darling and the Franxx. While some of the actions scenes are undoubtedly ‘Trigger-esque’, on the whole, the influence of A-1 pictures coats the majority of DatF. Some have criticized A-1 shows for looking homogenous due to the constant shuffling of their contract staff to multiple and various projects (as far as I can tell, no other studio puts out more weeb-fuel each season), and that could be made a case for here as well. Not to mention the derivative nature of the plot: kids pilot mechs to fight monsters and save humanity... ring any bells? Gurren Lagann it is not, but sometimes you gotta put something out that keeps the lights on.

The “Too Cute to Scoot” trophy goes to Aggretsuko. This is a more promising indicator of what could be possible with Netflix sponsoring Anime. Take the company that makes My Little Kitty, and have those style character designs participate in a workplace… dramedy about working adults with some actual teeth in the writing and scenarios. I’d buy a Tone plushie if it shouted out misogynistic one-liners when squeezed.

[Buffalobiian]

Saiki Kusuo no Ψ Nan and Hinamatsuri both get spots for comedy this season. Coincidentally, both are slice of life involving superpowers and quite a bit of deadpan humour.

The third spot I'll actually give to Megalo Box, mainly because it kept me fairly engaged from week to week with some nice fights. The art was kind of garbage though.

Any of Shokugeki no Souma, Hero Academia or Darling in the Franxxx would have been strong contenders though. The first two were strong showings. I have no qualms about the finale of Souma since it's a continuation anyway. It's just more of the same.

Hero Academia could have fleshed the final boss out a bit before the series concluded. His appearance and subsequent fight then resolution didn't feel as satisfying as it could have if his story and origin was done in depth. Like... in a flashback.

I almost dropped Darling due to it being a Trigger show. I was actually very happy it was toned down. Some abstract scenes reminded me of SHAFT. The generic finale was crap, but the beginning and middle parts were somewhat thought provoking and interesting.

[MFauli]

Tbh that season was so bad, I can't list a top 3.

[neflight86]

It’s that time again! Mediocre summer season. Not the quality I would like, but I haven’t changed my consumption habits enough for that to really carry any weight, now have I?

Top 3:

3. My Hero Academia: Another stellar season, let down only by concurrent events with relatively low stakes in the second half (training followed by prov. hero license exam followed by some drama). I feel like MhA is best when interfacing with the anti-forces of villains, which was sort of front loaded this season. Still great and highly looked forward to. Here’s looking to season 4!

2. Asobi Asobase: This is how you pitch me a “lolrandom” comedy. Make it actually lol-random in a good way. I seldom saw the punchline coming, and the pastel art, along with the troll OP always gave the impression of a nicer show; or a show about nicer people. The girls were horrible to each other, but in the funniest ways sometimes. Even when jokes didn’t hit their mark, I was constantly bemused by the vocal performances of the three mains. Actually, about ½ the jokes fell flat in a given episode, but the other half… I smile just thinking about them.

1. High Score Girl: The sky is falling! I've given the number one recommendation to my sworn enemy: CG anime!! The Horror! I hate how much I enjoyed this. Nostalgia, I suppose, played a small bit into the visual aesthetic of the show whose animation came off as more than a little stiff (how did they get sign-off from all those game companies to have their titles displayed side by side?). The show really worked for me once I let myself get into it. I typically can’t identify with otaku main characters because I just don’t fall into that pattern of worship that they do of their given medium. When it comes to old games, Haruo, the main character both reveres and enjoys the budding industry of video games without the self-destructive obsession so common in these character archetypes. While constantly thinking about them, as a child might, he’s not condescending to outsiders or bewitched enough to break my suspension of disbelief; he earns his love triangle through virtue of being more than a blank slate during some very cute interactions. Very sweet. Looked forward to nothing more this season.

At this point, no special awards would be worrying, so I’ll include just a few.

The “too gay to stay” phallic censor bar goes to Banana Fish: I could overlook the BL roots of this one for all of about two episodes until it made clear, in no uncertain terms, that this was a going to be/get very gay. No hate, but that just ain’t my jam, so I had to drop it after the episode with the prison rape banana joke.

The “participation award” is presented to Sirius the Jager: Look, the story here was about as boring as something with vampires who don’t sparkle could be. That being said, the overall good artwork, character designs, and an oddly conscientious effort to ensure the story make sense kept it all watchable. Some nice action scenes didn’t hurt, either. I’m already forgetting about Sirius, but thank you for airing this season.

“Bipolar Comedy” was forwarded to Chio-chan no Tsuugakuro’s next of kin: Unlike Asobase, there was no cubist artwork or masterful seiyuu work to save gags here. When they hit, all was good, but when they didn’t; well, that was half an episode wasted. Still entertaining, though. Special consideration to how laborious most of the setups were. Chio wouldn’t blink at regularly spending almost a minute just setting the scene in exposition, for better or worse.

The “everyone is OK with a pervy isekai?” award is hereby presented to Isekai Maou to Shoukan Shoujo no Dorei Majutsu: Just your typical power fantasy isekai story with the raunchiness turned up to… about a 9 for Japanese broadcast television. Many folks on the nebulous “interwebz” forgave this show for existing by having plenty of serviceable… fanservice. Maybe I outgrew fanservice for its own sake, and isekai itself has kind of a stigma for me. Not awful, just not any different (or better) than what you expect.

The “very small sweater” wall scroll was ceremoniously presented to Kyoto Teramachi Sanjou no Holmes: Light mystery plus some college age characters (positives) held back by some downright homely animation. I enjoyed the concept of art appraisal, but without a background or innate interest in Japanese period artists, the sloppy character animation and forced romantic ‘tension’ gave cause for pause. Even bald monk Moriarty didn’t kindle my interest for very long. I just couldn’t get into it.

The “Most Depressing Animation Direction” spear was run through a named character in Angolmois: Genkou Kassenki: War has incalculable cost… property, sovereignty, human lives, and most importantly, animation budget. Nobody told Angolmois. Aside from one fight scene at the beginning of the series, we were treated to imagination powered still slides for major battle scenes and not much better for the in-between bits. This sparse production coupled with an obnoxious parchment filter over the entire series kept me at arms length…

The “contrarian because it’s fun” award goes to Planet With: A lot of folks (anitubers, specifically) were calling this out like the second coming of shounen because it ‘has good characterization’, ‘subverted tropes’, and was written/storyboarded by the Lucilfer and the Biscuit Hammer author. Not to be that guy (maybe a little), but I didn’t see anything really special about Planet With. Boiler plate conflict of the week with some techno jargon and competent drama. Watchable, for sure, but I like to think the bar has been set a little higher than this.

The “you know what? let’s give that ‘tell don’t show’ thing another try” honors are abstractly associated with Shoujo ☆ Kageki Revue Starlight: I’ll admit that liking this probably speaks to a base character flaw in mine own being. Pithy Alert: If I were being uncharitable, I would argue that pretention itself is a currency by which true artistic expression can only be sold; after all, no one will want your dream unless you can market it. Revue takes the most heavy-handed approach possible to tell the least comprehensible, abstruce, metaphoracle tale of… I’ll have to get back you on that. Stage girls, I think. Maybe a play? I loved it enough to make me question my own taste. Wakarimashta, said the giraffe to my delight.

The “Diet Thriller” award is presented to Happy Sugar Life: As is typical in anime, an unusual premise, in this case ‘exploring the sociopathic mind of a kidnapper’, while novel and interesting, is handled in a way I couldn’t get behind; much to my dismay. Setting aside the apparent 7/8 ratio of mental instability that Japan’s populace must be struggling with, the complete and utter absence of any and all meaningful law enforcement intervention struck me as particularly odd- as if the author him/herself wanted to create an ideal playground of misery and debauchery in a contemporary setting but such that the characters themselves had to carry all of the burden of their actions and consequences by themselves. Nothing much happened in Happy Sugar Life unless a person with mental issues took inappropriate action. Still entertaining, but it will stretch your suspension of disbelief.

This season’s “waste of everyone’s time” award was Xeroxed for Island. So again shows my jaded sense of “Da ja vu”. Nothing memorable or particularly worth watching, unless you have seen fewer than 30 anime, which might make this seem like a smarter story than it is. You can do better.

The “180 degree backspin” trophy was polished up for Hanebado: Boy, was this to my taste… at first. Attractive, athletic girls cast? Check. Shounen style sports drama? Oh yes, check. Good animation with flashes of stunning motion? Gimme some more, daddy! Abandonment redemption plot reveal? Wait, what? Hanebado no doubt worked best on the court, and if it had stayed that way would have likely ended up as number 1 or 2, but a fairly incomprehensible ‘drama’ plot that stemmed from a main character’s mother halfway through the season put a big question mark above my head. Still, in the final match, it captured the hot-headed passion (one of the few things I haven’t found my practical limit of consumption for yet) well and almost redeemed itself. For a single cour, I can recommend it.

The “Drug dealer” citation was made out for Harukana Receive: I haven’t seen so much unabashed full framed crack outside of a Costa Rican plantation’s security feed. More slice of life moe-blob than sporting focus, but not a bad watch. If anything, it makes me anxious for another season of Haikyuu.

The “old school harem hijinks” award is hereby presented to Yuragi-sou no Yuuna-sa. Aaah, the kind of show I love to hate, except that there haven’t been as many to hate lately, so my Stockholm Syndrome kicks in and I miss it instead. Pervy, but classically reserved about nudity and the display of affection; just like ma used ta’ make ‘em. Air headed and interchangeable, every episode is just another vehicle for fanservice, but I thought the scenarios were at least a little more creative than I’ve grown accustomed to… but do not take that as a recommendation. Herein lies only misunderstandings and fetishes; enter if you dare (to have run your backlog dry).

The “just as relevant as Friends” award goes to Grand Blue. Anime has finally ‘caught up’ to trashy 90’s American situational comedies with Grand Blue. Something odd struck me about this one shortly after the first episode (not the college age; they still function as high schoolers with nothing else going on, but don’t think I didn’t notice). It was that I eventually realized this show reminded me of the comedic timing of sit-coms like the aforementioned. Episodes later cemented my suspicions when derpy drinking hijinks, the after effects of getting plastered, and “relationship problems” became the punchlines for the show. Almost nostalgic, but I moved on from that stuff 10 years ago. Now if only we can get some 90’s courtroom procedural clones, then we’d be cooking!

The “edutainment is a thing” award goes to Hataraku Saibou: Hey kids, would you like it if all of your cells functioned like the Japanese workforce while sustaining your bodily functions and fighting foreign bodies like bacteria with sentai battles? Put your hand down, Timmy- you would die. I always thought biology was the most boring of subjects taught in school, and, while Cells at Work presented them in the most tastefully ‘anime’ way possible, the same sort of holds true here. I retained almost none of the info dumps the show regularly paused to share. I told a friend in jest that, somewhere out there exists the actual demographic for this show: med students with both enough free time and low enough self-esteem to watch seasonal anime. Lo and behold, there is at least one ‘react’ series on youtube where you can watch along with an actual medical professional commentating on the show’s biological accuracy, if that’s how you want to get your kicks.

Another season, another blur in the mind. I don’t know how they are making even more shows each season, when as soon as 2011 we had approximately 10 to choose from a year. Happy watching, and here’s to not burning out just yet!

[Buffalobiian]

Irozuku Sekai no Ashita kara

-PA Works.
-Interesting use of colours/monochrome.
-Strange, magical powers.
-A story about a girl and a boy + their strange bond together related to said magical powers + colours.
-Highschool setting.
-Story actually has a decent conclusion.

-So in other words, the better version of Glasslip.

-The show has quite likeable characters, decent development along the way (though the male love interest could have gotten more development). Quite a solid watch.


Seishun Buta Yarou wa Bunny Girl Senpai no Yume wo Minai

-Funny
-Great characters.
-Interesting takes on quantum physics + 8th Grade Syndrome.

-This is Bakemonogatari without being too wordy, cryptic or SHAFTy, or before it got too pervy.
-It feels less stylistic, but more coherent.

-I'd have loved if Mai-senpai looked slightly older to get more of that Senpai/Kouhai feel, but what they've doing now works well enough.


Goblin Slayer

-Brutal
-The first few episodes were the best.
-Goblin Slaying become somewhat less innovative as time went by, but that's fine.

[MFauli]

Kazega Tsuyoku fuiteru:
Slow start, became my favorite. And now it's pausing until October? Wtf

Tensei shitara Slime datta Ken: Simcity in an isekai setting. Pleasant watch all around. Would love a video game like that.


Golden Kamui:
Promising start, dreadful middle portion, but spectacular final episodes. Didn't like some of the 'so gruesome - funny!' behavior, but the story was unpredictable and the characters had strong agenda.

[shinta|hikari]

Golden Kamui because of hilarious comedy and bad ass action scenes.

Seishun Buta because it has great dialogue with a nice cast of characters.

Goblin Slayer because I hate goblins. And GS is one of the most relatable protagonists to me in a long time.

[neflight86]

Here we are to usher in an optimistic 2019 by complaining about the dregs of the final 2018 season!

3. Goblin Slayer: Cut me a slice of that edge off, because I like my fantasy a bit darker than the typical isekai style RPG homage show. It evoked enough ‘Berserk’ to bring make the romp very fun. Due to the silent nature of the main character, I could never tell what he was thinking, and therefore all of the plans were unexpected yet plausible enough to maintain my suspension of disbelief. A good effort and entertaining show.

2. Release the Spyce: Rated here simply by its ability to keep my attention over weekly viewings.

1. Seishun Buta Yarou wa Bunny Girl Senpai no Yume o Minai: I’ve heard some curmudgeons complain about the derivative nature of this one, but I was almost immediately enamored. A hint of Rom-com snafu vibes really helped there. The supernatural plot device felt well utilized, if not particularly necessary; it worked as a gimmick. I really enjoyed each girl’s arc, and the “blank slate” protagonist actually felt pretty life-like to me. I looked forward to nothing more each week.

Wouldn’t feel the same without just a couple special awards, now would it?

Best OP/ED combo: Akanesasu Shoujo: Take or leave the show itself, but the OP and ED did their jobs of getting me hyped for each episode, and regretting its absence until the next episode.

2nd best gaslight award goes to Double Decker: The entire run time of this one I awaited for the link to Tiger and Bunny, a personal favorite of yesteryear, as this supposedly takes place in the same universe. Never happened, as I sat in disbelief that not one connection was made, even though a few hopeful opportunities arose and were sadly ignored. As for the show itself, I believe that comparing itself to T&B, even fictitiously, did this no favors. Too much low effort CG, and some ‘progressive’ posturing that I rolled my eyes at. Still entertaining for most of the run, though.

“Will the real gaslight please stand up?” award goes to Release the Spyce: The suggestion of a traitor character is handled possibly the best I can remember seeing in anime. The idea itself had me questioning and scrutinizing every girl each episode, bloating my paranoia until the very satisfying reveal/betrayal of the girl in question. That alone, though, wouldn’t warrant special mention, but rather that the entire series-long ploy of setting up a traitor character was a sacrifice to get my guard down for one final twist is… glorious.

The “most forgettable series” award goes to… who again? Oh, Tonari no Kyuuketsuki-san: Look, I know it’s kind of mean to dump on creative works that, though uninspired, are greater than anything I could come up with. That irony isn’t lost on me… But hot dog these shows are have more bland filler than… hot dogs, actually… topical! Vampire girl and her yuri bait sidekick/friends. You’ve already watched this or never will, so there you go.

The “overpromise” trophy is actually a paper voucher and hereby presented to “RErideD: Tokigoe no Derrida”: A true mixer bowl of science fiction gobbledy-gook, Derrida is quite willing to attrition your better tastes by simply throwing every science fiction idea it can at you relentlessly, constantly, and stupidly- until you forget which half-baked idea got you to try it out in the first place. We have terminator robot uprising, time travel, dissociative identity disorder, blade runner cyberpunk, fallout post apocalyptic, corporate conspiracies, and the power of believing in the good of mankind, maybe? All handled with the nuance and care you’d expect of a low budget independent anime production in twelve episodes. You’ve had better written and directed fever dreams, I’m sure. By episode 3, I was too embarrassed to stop watching.

The “I’m getting too old for (some) anime” award is being chased off of my lawn for “Ulysses - Jeanne d'Arc to Renkin no Kishi”: Take an interpretation of the 100 years’ war’s European political climate as filtered through adolescent kids and enough Japanese pop-worldview that your resulting stroke has a stroke and you can approximate the experience of consuming media of such dubious quality. I see what’s to like here: edgy revisionism, gun and sword fighting, alchemy, smart sounding words to explain ‘how the world works’, and ‘hot chix who wanna mouth-to-mouth with the insert character’… but are youth so willing to accept such a base characterization of their desires? I feel like there was a time when I could have been drawn to these elements, but I don’t know if I could have overlooked what the marketing said about the consumer. Couldn’t make it through episode 4 (I tried twice!).

“Charming Fluff” goes to Zombieland Saga. If the plucky girls in Zombieland saga were any more plucky, my eyes very well could have been plucked clean out… Still an idol series, but with enough crossover into what I would actually watch to keep me in.

The “World isn’t fair enough” award goes to Thunderbolt Fantasy Season 2. Super entertaining, but not anime, so it can’t tie for 1st/2nd like it should. A travesty for sure, and highly recommended.

The “This would have gone over better 15 years ago” award is presented to “Kishuku Gakkou no Juliet”: the latest appropriation of a tale (idea, really) from western literature, one look at the art and first episode synopsis will give you all you need to know about it. Watchable and passable in equal measure.

The “Perpetual Search for identity” award is for “SSSS.Gridman”. I don’t care for robot fighting, and the ‘trauma’ of innocents dying in kaiju battles feels kind of limp in a ‘it’s been done’ sort of way. The villain alone carried this one for me. Anime villany has an abundance of edgelords, misguided anti-heroes, and psychopaths, but this girl had a chillingly… bad personality and attitude. That made her chaos more fun to watch, in a more ‘chaotic neutral’ sort of way.

The obligatory “Cute girls being cute friends” award goes to “Anima Yell!”: Cheer leader routines/dancing itself especially lends itself to jabs about this show ‘going through the motions,’ but that doesn’t change the validity of the claim. More empty viewing calories with a side of moe.

The “dying ember” award was extinguished for “Sora to Umi no Aida”: Space fishing… As I looked around the anisphere for the season, my tired gaze often returned here, beaten down by the utter tripe that constantly burned my retinas… I kid, I kid, but this one actually does a little bit, creatively, with the premise, which is more than can be said for many anime. Feel good ‘girl power’ empowerment story/drama with an ending that pulls the foundations laid in previous episodes together into a satisfying conclusion. It helped that half of the girls didn’t get along anyway; friction makes a story have more bite.

Here’s to dusting off the burn out with the next season!

[neflight86]

Knees deep in 2019:

3. Go-Toubon no Hanayome: I liked this much more than I’d expected from yet another harem anime, but the “courting one of the siblings” backdrop makes things just that little bit more enjoyable, as you try to piece together non-existent clues as to the bride actually is. The story beats are also interesting, by sidestepping the usual ‘girl of the episode’ standalone stories that are so common. All of the characters are active at all times and that adds some good variety.

2. Kakegurui Season 2: New season, same old insanity. The best thing I can say is that this is exactly more of what the first season provided. Haven’t had your fill? Come on in!

1. Yakusoku no Neverland: I have some problems with the story being somewhat simplified from the manga, but Neverland did deliver on some gorgeous art, moody scenes, and appreciable tension. Recommended; even for ‘normies’.


Some special awards to keep things spicy:

“Most pleasant surprise” award for Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken: Get out of here. Isekai has no place on this side of ridicule! Especially not one comically devoid of tension or adversity with… mild harem hijinks? Have some self-respect and go full-on Perv, man! Truly, a checklist of this show’s most base components more inspire eyerolls than elation, but there were some surprisingly thoughtful… muted story elements that lent a small something… a spark of creative intent that allowed some more interesting stories to be told even within this most vile of frameworks.

“Filling the Void” award to Hinomaru Sumo: Sumo? You mean, like E.Honda sumo? Nah; I’m good… Shounen battle style Sumo anime? I must escape this body. Of course it isn’t special or unique other than the sport maybe, but that doesn’t mean I can’t love the formula its built on. Really, there is almost nothing here; I can’t remember names, techniques, or most motivations, but the motions of shounen, supporting characters, training, and tournaments alone can carry me through. I’m embarrassed I watched this to completion, but not regretful.

“xXxScarEmoxXx” award was cut off for Mahou Shoujo Tokushusen Asuka: I’m going to go ahead and lump this one into the “tryhard edgelord teenager fiction” category along with recent classics like Taboo Tatoo (flush), Big Order, and Killing Bites (Yay). Just watching this makes me feel like the (insert thing) nuts who freeze frame movies and complain about inaccuracies to an uninterested crowd. It is so easy to pick apart the story, but nothing is serviced by doing so, so I simply ignored what I could to enjoy my show about magical girls shooting and cutting bad guys… some of which were teddy bears. On the plus side, it had some contemporary military(ish) action, and the edgy scenes were constant enough that I can clearly see the audience for this.

“The Feels” digital certificate was uploaded to Kouya no Kotobuki Hikoutai: Stupid CG anime; I still don’t accept you, but this was pretty good. It is rare that enough conversations happen at such a speed that I strain to keep up with reading subtitles, but that was a regular part of watching Kotobuki. What kept me watching (though the dialogue was pretty snappy and entertaining) were the frequent dogfights. I love the dead-pan cinematography used where it looks like the camera was bolted to a wing or such, and it is used to great effect here. Recommended for aerial combat fans with the same caveat as Girlz und Panzer.

“At least it completed the story” obligatory chocolate given to Egao no Daika: So the conventional wisdom is that Mecha shows can pretty much do whatever they want because no one cares what is going on so long as the mecha fight regularly. If that is true, it explains a lot of Daika’s story. A largely defeatist tale of a fallen kingdom that regularly killed off characters to heighten the impact of its episodic plot points. Awful 2d animation with some garish designs made watching sometimes difficult, but the viewer is rewarded with at least a passable sci-fi story and actual resolution by episode 12.

“Head scratcher” de-lice trophy-comb presented to Mob Psycho 100 S2: This should easily be in the running for best show this season, so what happened? I guess I just expected better (different) storytelling than an actual ‘fight the evil organization’ plot, or at least some more deconstruction. The entire first season was sort of built on the premise that psychic powers don’t really make you special, from a societal point of view, yet here we wound up with a small group of espers demolishing a city. No armed response, no emergency services mentions, nothing at all except for the ‘main players’ of psychic soldiers and Mob’s gang duking it out. Don’t get me wrong; the fights were fantastic, but the series never built up to this kind of conflict… never earned the sympathies of the audience by putting in the time with these characters in a conflict-oriented setting to nail the penultimate feat of the feeling of the shounen struggle. The greatest battles of the end of the season weren’t much different than some anonymous Sakuga animation uploads when the context for the battles doesn’t hold my heart. The first half of the season was stellar, though.

“Sacherrine cute” strawberry-shaped award presented to Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Almost a lovey-dovey Deathnote with the amount of scheming these two put in to get the other to confess. Cute, absurd, but nothing really special.

“Aesthetic is everything” Boogiepop wa Warawanai: It makes me look silly to say, but I can’t really recall most of the eight episodes of this I watched. The narrative was all over the place, but I was mostly fixated on the atmosphere. The character designs, color palate, and the moody synth soundtrack… just made me feel a unique… ‘chill’ while watching this, and that alone was enjoyable, but I soon fell off after missing an episode, and realizing I couldn’t recount the story thus far.

“A bit too classic” Dororo: I know it’s the second adaptation, and I never saw the first, but my issue watching this was that Anime has been exploring most of these same story beats/legend references for years, and I feel no love for a potential pioneer of it. I don’t exclusively put on Citizen Kane when I want to see clever cinematography, because I can see it elsewhere, in more modern packaging. Ideas from this show and ones like it being aped on have sort of dulled me to many of the episodic stories Dororo told, though the premise was interesting in and of itself. I wanted to like it more than I did.

I’d say this was an ‘average’ season, but good in the sense that were was a variety of things to watch. Now I have to start Date A Live so I can watch this latest season (don’t judge me).

[neflight86]

Seasonal report, incoming:

3. One Punch Man 2nd Season- The first season was admittedly a tough act to follow, but the “other” studio made a solid go at it. Shortcuts and simple animation were employed in full force, but the pleasantly meandering story and a few actually good cuts of motion made this easier to swallow.


2. Aggretsuko 2nd season- This was way better than a flash cartoon has any right to be, and was easily twice as entertaining as the first season (which was already pretty good). For how little screen time characters get, they develop nicely into more complex individuals than their super simplistic character designs would have you believe. Bonus points for the Eeyore Musk character.


1. Shingeki no Kyojin Season 3- Continued to do the impossible in meeting my unrealistic expectations for how gripping an anime story can be. I suppose some didn’t like the change in scope/direction the story took ¾ through this season, but I’m all for expanding the scale of events to a global confrontation. One of the most satisfying conclusions to a season of anime I’ve ever seen. It left me wanting more yet willing to wait for the next year’s installment.


Some special awards, as obligated:

Hitoribocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu wins the “yesh; very cute” award. As designed, everything about this show aspires to draw out one’s paternal sheltering instincts to root on the Bocchi girl who is weak, but not annoying somehow… must be a side effect of Moe. Well animated and pleasant to take in; you know what kind of show this is by now.

The “Cotton Candy” award is presented to Bokutachi wa Benkyou ga Dekinai - Weather you intake this WSJ harem concoction in Mange or Anime form the side effects remain the same: may lead to vague fuzzy feelings of affection followed by massive short term memory loss. Watch and enjoy it, please… just know it is as vapid and fleeting as a certain fairground confection.

Kono Oto Tomare! Wins the “excused contrivance(s)” writ. To inject conflict into a subject matter as non confrontational as playing a stationary stringed instrument in a club setting, some serious bending backwards is required. Imagine tying gang violence and a troubled past to a character’s motivation to keep a club going to justify kids caring about playing this instrument and you begin to get a picture of how damaged I am to enjoy this. Kids improving at things is my sick vice… get your own!

Fairy Gone just barely qualifies for the “we accidentally ordered one too many trophies” participation award. Congratulations; you aired on television, somehow. P.A. works must be gearing up for something big to follow the tolerable mainstream “Sirius the Jager” with their own white-label imitation of it. I would recommend watching the first episode and counting the number of off-putting aspects that managed to be captured in a single 20 minutes. Super soldiers fighting each other after a war with… stands? Oh no. Well at least it doesn’t feature wounded kids running away from a burning village in a flashbac- I’ll see myself out.

The “this shouldn’t have aired in a kid’s time slot” VHS sleeve goes to Nande Koko ni Sensei ga!?- Its perv fuel. Or at least it was trying to be. Comparing this… production... to the manga is kind of sobering. If the dirty is being held for blu ray releases, then this broadcast was truly worthless, as the art is a notch below the manga (and constantly off model), and the raunchiest scenes are all completely obscured by a blackboard (in theme I admit; its teachers after all) chiding you for watching this in the first place. Animators have to eat too, I guess...

The “shounen impostor” award is awarded to Hachigatsu no Cinderella Nine- You almost had me with your one note characters bringing different passions to this all girls baseball team, but you’re not a shounen at all! You’re a cute girls doing ‘baseball’ in disguise! Fool me once (for about 4 episodes), shame on me. Fool me twice, and this must be a wretched season indeed.

RobiHachi gets the “credit where credit is due” postcard. Three episodes in, I felt lost and oddly familiar at the same time. Original series should get a view on merit alone, but this one’s setups and payoffs were episodic in a boring sort of way. Wish I enjoyed it better.

The “mileage may vary” disclaimer has been approximated for Sewayaki Kitsune no Senko-san- I’ve heard this show described as an ‘advertisement appealing for an otaku to get a wife’, and that seems humorously plausible. I mean, who doesn’t want to be pampered by a cute little fox girl because you’re not as happy as you should be? Apparently I’m due a fox girl in the near future. I hope mine can also cook.

The “overpowered isekai” trophy somehow already belongs to Shin from Kenja no Majo!- If they are going to keep making these series and trodding these tropes, I would figure that there has to be variance by coincidence alone eventually! Reincarnated pubecent wizard superman makes the good girls go “ooooh” and the bad guys go “aaaah”. Contrivances upon fortunes upon BS conspire to elevate Shin to godhood in the most eye-rolling of ways. Isekai drains my morale sometimes.

The “packmule” award is lumbering over to Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari- Seldom is a mediocre show weighed down by its initial premise this much. Most anime with interesting premises simply abandon them shortly into their run and devolve into their niche genre (how many mid 00’s harem shows have had outlandish gimmicks that could have changed the world if handled like Death Note?), but Shield Hero carried on into a perfectly serviceable, generic fantasy romp. I can get behind about one of these at a time. Like Grancrest Senki, these encapsulated fantasy adventures can work if they stay ‘within their means’, so to speak and address issues the audience wants to see. In this case, Shield Hero made good on its premise for ‘revenge’ with mixed reactions. Solid, just not memorable outside of its revenge gimmik.

I would classify this as a below average season, if not for AoT pulling out my bias. Didn’t finish most shows, but added a few to the backlog. See you next season.

[neflight86]

…Better late than never, right?

3. Kimetsu no Yaiba: one of the current ‘condensed milk’ shounen adaptations, I like where this trend is heading. Seasonal adaptations allow much more breathing room and better pacing of even tired stories like the one in KnY. Honestly, this might have been the weakest opening episode to a shounen I’ve seen since Black Clover made me question if anime really was a mistake… A few episodes later it managed to warm up to me, and Zenitsu sealed the deal as making this something I really enjoyed by the end. UFOTable animation didn’t hurt, either.

2. Cop Craft: If Grand Blue was anime imitating “Friends”, Cop Craft is anime taking a swing at “Lethal Weapon”. I could do with more of this, in spite of the Crayola grade animation, I feel like the buddy-cop genre is criminally underserved in anime (pun so intended it hurts). Seedy street-wise half crooked law enforcement protecting society in the only way it can with plenty of collateral damage is a delight to experience, if not watch (again, the animation was awful). I will be seeking out more where I can find it (looking at you, Active Raid).

1. Carole and Tuesday: I’m so relieved I didn’t have to compare this to last season’s Attack on Titan season 3 part 2, because it would have been very close at the time. While the second cour didn’t play out as smoothly as the first (I must have watched the first 12 episodes 5 times), there was still plenty here to enjoy, even if the story put on more allusions to grandeur than actual substance by the end of it. Some loose plot threads and weaker story beats didn’t diminish my hype for an episode each week, and of course the music was always a treat. Recommended.

Special awards incoming

“Heaven or Hell” tension bar was charged up for “Kawaikereba Hentai demo Suki ni Natte Kuremasu ka?”: Watching this was not unlike entering into a catatonic coma. I was there, the anime was playing, and I could only find myself gazing into the abyss. Nothingburger of a main character has essentially his pick of a harem ofcute girls who all happen to be perverts in the most paint-by-numbers ways. Masochist cancels into sadist cancels into stalker into smell fetish, like a retarted fighting game combo finishing with, of course, bro-con. One I was no doubt caught in to the full KO of my self respect.

The “Old habits die hard” rehab brochure is presented to “Senki Zesshou Symphogear”: Five seasons in and this trash has the audacity to treat its audience by calling back previous season’s villains and plot points into a big’ol Symphogear jamboree that raises the stakes and gives the extended character roster enough to do that feels relevant. The animation and fight choreography has stepped up as well. Seldom am I rewarded so thoroughly for mistakes like watching original anime from Statelight. Remember, kids, the show actually began with a flash forward of Hibiki’s grave, so we should be able to spot the last season when it happens.

The “Macho” bust is going to “Dumbbell Nan Kilo Moteru?”: I read some of the manga, so I wasn’t surprised by the good mix of edutainment and cute girls doing “getting ripped”. The comedic chops were put to good use here and the character designs survived the transition to animation nicely. I always yelled out a Randy Savage style “MACHO” every time trainer-kun’s clothes exploded, as it mirrored my experience with the Manga. The tragedy here is that the audience who might most benefit from seeing this likely never will…

The ‘it’s so teen fiction’ award or, whatever, like, goes to “Kanata no Astra” or something; I don’t care…: Beginning as a somewhat suspenseful mystery science fiction story only loses strength as the increasingly preposterous revelations are regularly shared with the audience. I endured main dude espousing the virtues of friendship only to hear that world peace was established by outlawing spirituality, governance, and other bedrocks of the human experience? Smells too much like the something awful forums for me to take at face value without a migraine inducing head-roll…

The ‘non-starter’ broken transmission trophy is awarded to both “Tejina Senpai” and” Sounan Desuka”: I could have watched either or both of these series to completion if their production teams or sponsors had the faith to produce full length episodes. Similar to Dagashi Kaishi season 2, I like a little bit of time to acclimate and get comfortable with characters in dialogue driven comedy anime, or I feel unsatisfied by the end of each episode.

The “that was a thing” finger string goes to “Katsute Kami Datta Kemono-tachi”: I enjoyed the three or so episodes I watched of this: fantasy post civil-war style adventure hunting down disbanded beast soldiers to make it a more ‘anime’ story… But then I just sort of forgot about it, so hopefully I will correct missing out after the 200 other shows I’ve been meaning to watch or finish.

The “tie your shoelaces” award trips over the finish line of “Tsuujou Kougeki ga Zentai Kougeki de Nikai Kougeki no Okaasan wa Suki Desuka?”: I’m always one to try to squeeze an ounce of enjoyment from the latest ‘deconstruction’ or ‘parody’ of anime’s most derivative fad: the isekai story. Okaasan’s twist is that the main character isn’t in another world at all, but just a VR game that he can’t leave and behaves, for all functional intents and purposes, like another world. I’m beginning to think Japan’s understanding of ‘satire’ is different than mine, but I soldiered on. Another twist is that main character’s mom has imba base abilities and steals the spotlight from her son who is a little bit put off by how clingy she is. Did I mention that mommie also refers to herself in the third person so I get to read the word “mommie” in my subtitles enough time per episode to simply assume she is autistic? It really give the story an additional dimension… Well, at some point in the next to last episode (which was surprisingly themed around a person who didn’t appreciate ‘moms’ enough) I had a moment of clarity in that there was really no good reason to watch the last episode… so I didn’t. I won. I think.

Fair season; here’s looking forward to the next.

[Ryllharu]

Summer 2019 In no particular order:

Cop Craft - I truly expected this to be awful. There are so, so many bad fantasy-cop animes out there, and just as many bad scifi cop series. But when you see Murata Renji character designs (Last Exile and thousands of one-off designs), two things should happen. You try it anyway, and it's probably hot garbage. Wizard Barristers comes to mind. Tony Taka comes to mind.
But Cop Craft is actually pretty great. There's solid and sensible worldbuilding, the dynamic between Tilarna and Matoba is always enjoyable, the stakes are occasionally quite high, and there's even a really great supporting cast who are given some depth instead of just being placeholder tropes (though they exist as those too). Sometimes the animation is shit, and other times it's surprisingly detailed and well framed. This is the first fantasy cop-type anime I think I've really enjoyed since Hyper Police.

Kimetsu no Yaiba - I thought this had a great first episode before it spiraled into generic shonen cliché. It certainly felt like the author realized he needed to retcon quite a few things after writing himself into an early corner. But this is one of the few generic shonen series that really elevates itself as it goes, correcting its flaws, weaknesses, and ends as a dramatically stronger series than it started as, leaving me looking for more, and how it will improve further.
It's a lot like Zenitsu's character within it. It's at first disappointing, sometimes annoying, but really grows on you over time, and eventually surprises the hell out of you.

Granbelm - With a bonus award of "consistently mistyped title." I started watching this 3/4 of the way through the season because I'd heard it was a sleeper hit. And man is it ever. A rather generic magical girl series, executed in a unique way (mechs!), and featuring really interesting sound design. This isn't the magic-knight type of clanky mecha, these are truly alien constructs controlled by their mages as puppeteers. Not quite Kamisama Dolls, but no less brutal. A character development driven series with very worthwhile story lines explored. The overall plot isn't that original, it's a magic tournament where there can only be one ultimate victor. But it is the characters' stories that make this series a winner.

[Buffalobiian]

Cop Craft : Reminds me of Blood Blockade Battlefront (alien/human worlds intersect to form a city, peace enforcers go about their shit).
CC focuses on the core 2 characters more which I feel worked well for a 12 episode run. BBB fleshed out more characters, but in turn took longer to make the entire cast feel whole.
Sometimes CC looked like ass, no kidding. I think some scenes were even cut wrong. That is, not badly-but-intentionally, but by mistake.

Anyway, it was good enough to get a spot here.

Kimetsu no Yaiba - Good Shounen. Ufotable animation + Kajiura Yuki soundtrack = Easy Win.

Araburu Kisetsu no Otome-domo yo - A coming of age anime about some highschool literacy club girls coming to terms with sexual desires. Non-ecchi in nature, beautifully drawn.

[neflight86]

Late as per usual, but I just got around to finishing what I could:

3. High Score Girl II: Awkward to pick up if you didn’t watch the ovas bridging the gaps in seasons 1 and 2 (she had a big sister?), but still so worth it to watch as old games and clichéd rom com trappings make my favorite CG anime. More of the same (in a good way).

2. Psycho Pass season 3: I never understood the venomous contempt people by and large had for season two of Psycho Pass compared to the original. I guess I get something different out of these ‘adult’ procedural shows, because I loved that and this and the jump to double length hour drama format was a big win for me. The cases explored in the Cibyl framework this season actually had less and less to do with subverting big brother than any before, but as a result, the cases felt more varied and gave the viewer more time to acclimate to the new broken cast of enforcers. I like the direction the show took with the old characters, like the new section chief (victim season one, bootlicker season two, and jaded tenured bootlicker with a pez addiction now), Akane finally getting a hue (or just thoughts in general) ‘clouded’ enough for detainment, and even a case of re-integration. Oddly, another trend this season is a noticeable abundance of hand to hand fight scenes; at least two per episode on average. I’m not complaining, but enforcers used to let their dominators do most of the work. Anime be anime, after all…

1. Ore wo Suki na no wa Omae Dake ka yo: The premise built in episodes 1-3 alone carried this one, as it wasn’t nearly as well delivered in hindsight, but at the time, the first three episode arc done got my hopes up in a bad way. Following mini arcs and side characters fell into more pedestrian hijinks until settling into a typical “someone is so nice they actually hurt people” confrontation season ender that I’ve only ever seen in the most feminine of anime. Still, while it was airing, I had high, high hopes for this one and looked forward to nothing more each week.

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Special awards; you’re welcome:

The “you had one job” award is shamefully swept under the rug of “Houkago Saikoro Club”: the show I was most interested in going into the season. I had planned to dive into boardgames and the history of each one showcased on the program – nerding out proper, but it just never happened, and I don’t expect to ever get another chance to do that… truly a big regret… the show itself, though was almost vapid in its thin-ness outside of gaming content. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: shy, socially awkward person is pulled into an activity and discovers its merits in facilitating human interaction they’d been craving all along… you can put your hands down, everyone… Nothing really new here- cute girls do boardgames… but seriously, check those (real) games out; they’re pretty fun with friends and family /PSA.

The “tripped on the starting line” award is… well… on the starting line, while “Rifle is Beautiful” took off: I’m an NRA kind of guy, so when my animus want to fetishize firearms for my entertainment, I don’t have to be told twice. That being said; I couldn’t even get through one episode of this dreck. Firstly, all of the guns were repurposed as laser weapons… strike one. Then there was unholy obvious CG during the shooting scenes that count for double strikes on their own, but add to that uninteresting banter and the entire thing just made me wish I was watching Upotte again- at least that knew how to pander a stupid idea like ‘cute girls shooting guns’.

The “Case for CG” trophy goes to “Beastars”: I loved the Zootopia move a few years back as a look at society and racial tensions, even if it was a bit preachy, which is what I can most closely compare Beastars to. Anthropomorphized animal people living sharing society together in spite of their innate incompatibilities (carnivore and predator). I got over the CG pretty fast, and it probably made things like this (fur) easier to animate, but I still missed animation. Anyway, the story and characters had a distinct “live action drama” feeling to them that is a bit jarring in an Anime setting, but it worked well. They even managed to conclude an arc in such a way as to have a climax at the end of the first season, and that there is going to be another season alone is a good sign for its popularity. Recommended if you’re looking for something different.

The “Mud trophy” goes to “Watashi, Nourykou wa Heikinchi de tte Itta yo ne!”: I spent more time typing out that (obnoxious) name than I did thinking about the meaning, themes, and characters of this show. Generic wish fulfillment isekai with obligatory single twist (that pragmatically isn’t even a twist) about some cute girls… adventurer school… tournament… strongest… zzzz

The “sophomore effort” award goes to “Hataage! Kemono Michi”: Coming down from Konosuba gives one unrealistic expectations about how entertaining a show is going to be. This is roughly average or just above average anime. It was watchable and some jokes got me to laugh; but it is not Konosuba good… and that leaves me a little cold coming from the same author.

The “MRE” award has been pouched up for “Shinchou Yuusha: Kono Yuusha ga Ore Tueee Kuse ni Shinchou Sugiru”: A quality production, if it offers what you are looking for. Another self-referential isekai with nice animation, a brisk story and an actual conclusion with plenty of serviceable humor mixed in. It hit all of the right beats in one place and I can’t complain (though it was a bit on the raunchy side), but I won’t remember it in a year, either.

The “So old it feels new again” certificate has been vacuum sealed (to protect its freshness) for “Bokutachi wa Benkyou ga Dekinai! 2: Blank protagonist thrust into close contact with an assortment of cute girls with different primary colored hair, all in various states of love with him as he obliviously embarrasses them and makes then blush like maidens over the course of the wacky situations they find themselves in, often born of misunderstanding… why are everyone’s hands up? …Anyway, at this point you probably know how this plays out even if you don’t watch anime, its so ingrained into otaku zeitgeist that the memes have spilled into the mainstream cringe that is the harem anime/waifu culture. Still, it is an enjoyable watch and the girls remain cute, so I could cruise control though it.

The “Typecast is real” award is presented to Tsuda Kenjirou of “Keishichou Tokumu Bu Tokushu Kyouakuhan Taisaku Shitsu Dai Nana Ka: Tokunana”: This guy has played at least three flippant, “loose cannon cop who doesn’t play by the rules” characters in the last two seasons alone (cop craft, this, Manji, and you could argue Overhaul) and his roles are starting to blend together for me. I’ll always remember him as the Giraffe from Revue Starlight. This show? Forgettable.

The “Wanted it to be better” wish was given to “No Guns Life”: Some shows can make a case for style over substance. Boogiepop Phantom had me watching for the ambience alone when the plot was over my head. This had the cyber noir trappings down alright, but never fully resonated with me as a detective show with cool fights. Juzo had the tough guy thing down alright, but the kid was kind of annoying, and the cases and side characters never amounted to anything of consequence. The episodic nature felt like it was taking time to establish a larger story that we never got around to, and the abrupt ending had me scratching my head. Not bad, just not great, either.

The “overachieving juvenile storytelling” award goes to “Choujin Koukousei-tachi wa Isekai demo Yoyuu de Ikinuku you desu!”: More of a concept than a solid story idea, the viewer needs to set many… more adult presumptions aside to get anything out of this story of a bunch of teenagers so imba that they can turn an entire world upside down by being transported to it. Each one specialized in some skill that allows them to provide so much more worth to their cause of righting the wrongs of this isekai world- I GET IT… PUT YOUR HANDS DOWN!!! In short, if you like the idea of kid- young people slowly saving a world by making it more like ours, you might get some enjoyment out of this… and there’s a fair bit of fanservice to sweeten the deal if you’re on the fence…

The “Much better than I thought it was going to be” award goes to “Honzuki no Gekokujou: Shisho ni Naru Tame ni wa Shudan o Erande Iraremasen”: This is really number four best of the season to me. This show takes the problem, meet idea, meet execution formula and apply it in a wholly satisfying way (for an isekai). Set aside the reincarnation aspect and look at it as a handicap for having forbidden knowledge of… handy crafts… and this is just another crafting adventure ala Dr. Stone. The attention to detail, like how other people catch on that she isn’t clearly really a little girl but are willing to overlook that because her presence is beneficial to everyone is amusing. The worldbuilding is solid as well. Apparently, a part two is in the making, and I will be first in line to partake.

The “speaking of” award was hastily slapped together for “Dr. Stone”: A solid adaptation of a non-battle shounen manga gets the blood boiling without even (hardly) any fights. The secret? Other conflict! Whether disease, power, materials, or any other manner of challenge, the show always presents the next ‘goal’ the characters are moving towards in an easily digestible way (the flow charts actually help in this regard). Combined with strong art, powerful music, and a genuinely smart story, and you have a recipe for success.

The “favorite animation award” went to “Enen no Shouboutai”: Note “favorite” versus “best”. The style of this one did resonate with me. The show itself is your typical shounen fight monsters tripe, until it expands into a conspiracy storyline where the fireforce members themselves are under scrutiny (who to trust = instant intrigue), which sparked my interest all over again (pun very much intended). One of the better shounen series lately.

The “not as good re-heated” award was microwaved for “Vinland Saga”: I remember loving the manga back when I read it years ago, but found myself on reflection feeling that there wasn’t actually very much happening in the story, and assumed I must have simply forgotten the “other good parts”. What is billed as an action series is, make no mistake, really not. There are very few fights (though what’s there are good), and the series as a whole is reflection on the meaning of violence, revenge, and ultimately life… Things I’ve never seen anime handle with a level of comprehensiveness that satisfied me, and this is no different. Pretty, at times exciting, but mostly grim pondering, if Vikings are your thing, give it a try.

Lastly, the “backup plan” award goes to “Kabukicho Sherlock”: The latest adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes character with the twist that he is a private eye who dabbles in rakugo to exposition his case deductions. It works and the mysteries aren’t too obtuse, but nothing about the show gripped me 7 episodes in. Give it a watch if you have time (and aren’t too off-put by the butchest of gay men).

All in all, a strong season leading into what is looking like a weaker one… Here’s to a new decade of Animu!!