16. 91 Days
Available on: Crunchyroll, Funimation
Angelo
Lagusa is just your average boy living in Prohibition-era America,
complete with loving parents and an adorable little brother. Sadly,
things immediately go south when Angelo’s entire family is killed in a
mafia dispute, only nearly escaping himself. Years later, Angelo
receives a mysterious letter identifying his family’s murderers, all
prominent members of the mobster Vanetti family. With nothing else to
live for, he sets out on a quest for revenge, determined to put the
killers down and finally let his family rest. Things can hardly be
expected to go smoothly when gangsters are involved, but Angelo isn’t
one to let anything stand in his way.
15. Yuri!!! on Ice
Available on: Crunchyroll, Funimation
Yuri!!! on Ice
follows professional Japanese figure skater Katsuki Yuri. After a
disastrous performance in his first Grand Prix Final, Yuri is dejected
and defeated, slinking home with his motivation all but extinguished.
However, when one of his practice videos hits the world wide web, it
attracts the attention of one Victor Nikiforov, a five-time skating
champion hailing from Russia, who also happens to be Yuri’s inspiration
and idol. In a move that shocks both the skating world and Yuri himself,
Victor decides to drop out of competitive skating entirely and become
Yuri’s coach. With a massive new pillar of support in his life, Yuri
rediscovers his passion and sets his sights on the next year’s Grand
Prix Final.
14. Ansatsu Kyoushitsu (Assassination Classroom) Season 2
Available on: Funimation, Hulu
Assassination Classroom,
funny enough, tells the story of a classroom focused on training
assassins. That in itself would perhaps be interesting enough, but the
twist is that they are training to kill their teacher, who has promised
to destroy the Earth if the students are unable to complete their
mission by the end of the school year. The twist on the twist is that
this teacher is not human, but a smiley-faced octopoid creature voiced
by Jun Fukuyama, capable of reaching speeds of Mach 20 (as well as being
just a damn fine teacher).
13. Sakamoto desu ga? (Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto)
Available on: Crunchyroll, The Anime Network
The
first pure comedy on the list. There’s this new kid at school, you’d
probably know him if you see him. Glasses and a pretty face, with an
unmistakable aura of sophistication.
No matter where he goes, he’s always suave and stylish. All the girls swoon after him
,
and the local bullies just don’t stand a chance. He’s not cool, he’s
not even cooler, he’s the coolest. Haven’t you heard? He’s Sakamoto.
Sakamoto
is a series I really enjoyed… for all of one episode. The core of every
joke in the show is the same. Sakamoto, or someone he knows, is placed
into a difficult situation, but Sakamoto effortlessly finagles his way
out every time, looking perfect and cool all the while. I don’t
inherently mind the same joke being basically repeated over and over.
It’s a very common tactic (I can easily think of three other anime this
year that generally followed that same style, at least two of which I
enjoyed), but my problem here was Sakamoto himself. I didn’t find his
antics entertaining, because I rarely found him himself interesting. His
character is a blank slate. He has practically zero signs of outward
expression or personality beyond stylishness.
12. Orange
Available on: Crunchyroll, Funimation
A
high school girl named Takamiya Naho receives a letter from herself,
ten years in the future. The letter correctly predicts the day’s events,
as well as many days thereafter, and urges Naho to follows its
instructions. Apparently, the future version of herself has been left
with many regrets, but none moreso than her interactions with fellow
classmate Naruse Kakeru, with whom there had at some point been a
falling out, shortly before his untimely demise. Although initially
dismissive of the letter, Naho quickly realizes its truth and decides to
listen to its instructions, hopefully avoiding her yet-to-be-made
mistakes and maybe, just maybe, keeping Kakeru alive.
Orange
is interesting. For every bit that I like or is well-written, there’s
another that feels sloppy or ill-conceived. Naho’s extreme shyness and
lack of confidence is simultaneously sympathetic and frustrating, while
her friend group is fairly likable despite a relative lack of
development. Like
91 Days, its largest fault would have to be
the animation, which collapses rather dramatically in the middle chunk
of the series, robbing the emotional material of some weight it
desperately could have used. While I cannot say
Orange is
something you should avoid, neither can I say it is particularly worth
seeking out, unless it seems exactly like your type of thing.
11. Hai to Gensou no Grimgar (Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash)
Available on: Crunchyroll, Funimation, Hulu
Yet
another rendition of the “trapped in a video game” sub-genre.
Ironically, while it is a sub-genre that gets a lot of flak, I have
personally found each series to tackle it distinct and notable in some
way (with the exception of last year’s
DanMachi).
Grimgar
goes for a fairly grim and unidealized approach. The Japanese youths
summoned into this world have no knowledge or memory of their prior
lives, and must scrape out a living by fighting monsters and selling
their parts to earn gold. But unlike a
Sword Art Online or
Log Horizon,
where the monsters are just high-fidelity digital creations, all the
monsters here are much more flesh and blood. A goblin won’t take an
attack lying down just because it’s a goblin. It wants to live as much
as anyone else. Likewise, the heroes are naturally completely
unexperienced in the ways of combat, initially struggling to take down
even a single opponent despite overwhelming numerical advantage.
10. Bungo Stray Dogs
Available on: Crunchyroll, Hulu
The
18-year-old Nakajima Atsushi (so named after the famous Japanese
author) is hungry and homeless, after being kicked out of his abusive
orphanage. Although hardly in a position to help even himself, Atsushi
sights and does not hesitate to rescue a man in need, an eccentric
drowning fellow named Dazai Osamu (also so named after the famous
Japanese author), and “eccentric” because he had in fact not been
drowning but trying to commit suicide, an attempt which Atsushi had
unintentionally foiled. Coincidentally, Dazai is an executive of the
Armed Detective Agency, a local extralegal police force that deals with
supernatural phenomena. As these stories go, Atsushi winds up a member
of the Agency, just in time for them to come in conflict with other
organizations in the city, chiefly the Port Mafia and the Guild.
9. Kiznaiver
Available on: Crunchyroll
In
Kiznaiver,
the latest production from Studio Trigger, a government agency has a
great idea on how to bring about world peace: if everyone could truly
understand everyone else, then there would be no need for conflict.
That’s a bit of a tall order, so they sprung for the next best thing:
kidnapping a group of teenagers and, in the hope that a bond of some
sort will form between them, linking their senses of pain. If one of
them gets hurt, they all feel it.
Kiznaiver is somewhat of a
departure from the standard Trigger output (even Trigger’s other show
this year), opting to be a relatively reserved (comparatively) character
drama instead of the studio’s renowned hyperactivity, a la
Kill la Kill.
Written by Mari Okada, of
Anohana,
the story is somewhat uneven, with a slanted distribution of depth
throughout the archetypal cast and a plot that can get much too absorbed
into itself for its own good, but this is contrasted with a handful of
genuinely effective or even touching scenes, plus stylish visuals that
evoke the usual sense of Trigger-ness. In short, it’s a mixed bag. I
can’t easily say that it’s immediately worth your while, but if you do
some looking into it and it seems right up your alley, there’s nothing
here that’s awful and broken, so I’d be surprised if you weren’t at
least able to enjoy the experience.
8. Shokugeki no Soma: Ni no Sara (Food Wars! The Second Plate)
Available on: Crunchyroll, Hulu, The Anime Network
The second season of last year’s hit series
Food Wars!. The actual narrative synopsis for
Food Wars!
is not extremely important, because it would be more efficient to just
explain what this show is all about. The title is an apt one, as the
story is dominated by cooking battles, indulgent and over-the-top
displays of culinary prowess, with food so good that it is nearly
orgasmic (or at least that’s what the imagery would lead you to
believe).
7. Mob Psycho 100
Available on: Crunchyroll, Funimation
The anime adaptation of the manga series from ONE, who would be better known as the creator of
One Punch Man. Any series mentioned in even the same breath as
One Punch Man will be set with certain expectations, namely in regards to animation, and Bones was completely up to the task. Not only is
Mob Psycho 100 incredibly well-animated and visually creative.But there are few people satisfied by something just
looking good. If that weren’t the case,
Sword Art Online wouldn’t have nearly as many detractors. So what’s
Mob about?
Mob is
about… Mob, or Kageyama Shigeo. Despite his unimpressive appearance,
the middle school boy is an all-powerful psychic, gifted with the
ability to defeat and exorcise any supernatural entity without even
breaking a sweat. However, where another man would use these powers to
set himself up as a king and ruler, Mob prefers not to use his powers at
all, wishing for nothing more than to live a normal life, and
constantly being discouraged by the aspects in which he falls short,
like his lack of social skills or unimposing physical stature.
6. ReLIFE
Available on: Crunchyroll, Funimation
ReLIFE’s
main character is 27-year-old former salaryman Kaizaki Arata, currently
unemployed and generally down on his luck. However, one day Arata is
approached by an only slightly creepy lab scientist, offering a pill
that reverts one’s appearance to that of a high schooler. If Arata takes
the pill, he will receive a monetary compensation equal to one year’s
worth of living expenses, in exchange for actually
going to high school, for a full academic year, while being observed from afar by the scientist.
5. Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! (KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World!)
Available on: Crunchyroll
Satou
Kazuma is on his way back from buying a video game, when he turns
around and notices a cute girl on the brink of danger, about to be run
over. Leaping into action, Kazuma pushes her out of the way and dies
himself, reviving in a form of the afterlife, sat in front of a minor
goddess named Aqua. While he is at first elated that the girl’s life was
saved, Aqua, between laughs, informs Kazuma that the girl’s life was
never actually in danger, as the apparent threat was in fact a
slow-moving tractor, and Kazuma died a meaningless death out of simple
shock. But lucky for him, there are plenty of openings in another world,
so Aqua offers Kazuma a bargain: he can be reborn in that fantasy
world, along with any one thing he desires. Irritated by her stuck-up
attitude, Kazuma impulsively chooses Aqua herself. The contract now
sealed, Aqua and Kazuma are both transported to the fantasy world, with a
mission to defeat the Demon King terrorizing its citizenry. But before
they can become heroes, they have to deal with some basic amenities,
like food, comfortable lodging, and a stable source of income.
4. Koutetsujou no Kabaneri (Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress)
Available on: Amazon Video
During
the Industrial Revolution, mankind is threatened by the sudden
emergence of undead monsters - the Kabane - who can only be killed by
piercing their heart through an iron plate.
Genres: Apocalyptic fiction, Steampunk, Action fiction, Adventure fiction, Horror fiction
3. Boku no Hero Academia (My Hero Academia)
Available on: Funimation, Hulu
It tells the story of
a world where superpowers (called “Quirks”) are commonplace, present in
something like 90% of the population. Our hero though, Deku, is no hero
at all. He idolizes the superpowered men and women that fearlessly
protect the world, but is himself without a Quirk. He has no powers.
Despite this, he is determined to attend U.A. High, a prestigious high
school that is the best in the business for training up-and-coming
superheroes. One thing leads to another as it so often does, and by
giving it the classic shounen try, Deku is accepted to U.A. High, in the
first step of what may be a long journey to come.
2. Boku dake ga Inai Machi (ERASED)
Available on: Crunchyroll, Funimation, Hulu
The story follows Satoru Fujinuma, a young man who somehow possesses an ability known as "Revival" which sends him
back in time
moments before a life-threatening incident, allowing him to prevent it
from happening again. When his mother is murdered by an unknown
assailant in his own home, Satoru's ability suddenly sends him back
eighteen years prior to when he was still in elementary school, giving
him the opportunity to prevent a kidnapping incident that took the lives
of three of his childhood friends, two classmates and one young girl
studying at a different school nearby.
1. Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu (Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-)
Subaru Natsuki is a
hikikomori
who does nothing but play games. One night, after visiting a
convenience store, he is suddenly summoned to another world. With no
sign of who summoned him, he soon befriends a
silver-haired half-elf girl who introduces herself as Satella, and her companion
Puck. Satella mentions that her insignia was stolen by a thief named
Felt.
When he and Satella are mysteriously killed, Subaru awakens and
discover that he has acquired the ability "Return by Death", enabling
him to
reverse time
by dying. He greets Satella again, only for her to be offended at being
addressed by the name "Satella", which in fact refers to the "Jealous
Witch", and is considered a taboo. With the help of
Reinhard
(a knight) in another timeline, Subaru saves "Satella's" life from the
assassin Elsa; she reveals that her real name is Emilia, and as a token
of gratitude, Felt returns the insignia to her.
Title: Hotaru no Haka
Title: Little Witch Academia (TV)
Title: Free!
Title: Free!: Eternal Summer
Title: Shokugeki no Souma
Title: Kiznaiver
Title: Orange
Title: Bungou Stray Dogs
