1. Free! Eternal Summer
Free! Eternal Summer maintains the definitively good storytelling that made its first season fantastic. With well-written drama elements in its storytelling that made it go above and beyond the calling for school sports drama series of friendship, it became one of the best anime ever created. The focus on the characters and their struggles with dealing with the inevitable future of going their separate ways and how to reach their dreams was a subject that many series handle in a weird manner. Fortunately, the writers of Free! Eternal Summer made the story feel realistic and emotional. It actually felt believable that they would struggle with the outcomes and beat around the bush at times with each other in regards to how they will deal with a future that is different than how they live in the present. This great take on the story and drama, along with the creative soundtrack and delicious character designs with pleasing visuals, managed to easily reach the apex of quality entertainment, wholly defining the year as a whole for the entire industry. Generations will look back on Free! and remark upon how so few have striven and failed to be as good as it.
2. Future Card Buddyfight! [EngDub]
Bushiroad's pursuit of introducing another cardgame after the success of the Cardfight! Vanguard property exploded proved to be a worthwhile endeavor. Buddyfight was a bit of a more wacky and friendship filled experience than Vanguard and even Yu-Gi-Oh! but remained incredibly fun, creative, and inspirational. The visuals and sound were and are some of its best parts enhancing the card game experience. The card game experience is enhanced via the dynamic camera, that rotates around characters as they rush unto the field to unleash their powerful finishers, the hi-ougis of sorts in this universe. Every duel is highly exciting because of how the players themselves get to equip items and even ride their buddies into battle. This is an evolution for Bushiroad as Cardfight! Vanguard never possessed such an element of motion. Its a fantastic English dub experience and anime overall. Its rather perfect,
3. Cardfight! Vanguard: Link Joker [EngDub]
Every season of Cardfight!! Vanguard is better than the other. This third season of Vanguard was like the previous. That is to say, each season was exceptionally energizing and fun. Link Joker featured the same elements that made the previous Cardfight! Vanguard series great. However this time it evolved in a new way. The Link Joker clan with its power to Reverse others was a fantastic development to make this season feel much different than the others. With new feelings for some characters offering great insights into them, the series excelled on both a dramatic story approach and fantastic cardfighting.
4. Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V
Action Duels have brought Yu-Gi-Oh! back into relevancy in this new age. The Solid Vision with mass system, along with many characters striving for entertaining the masses that watch these action duels enabled Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V to be as competitively exciting as Buddyfight and Cardfight! Vanguard for me. The focus on fast paced dueling that involves the duelists that can ride their duel monsters as they duel and search the field for action cards made this an incredibly fresh experience. Never before has dueling been more intense than this. One recent episode highlighted the fast paced nature of it as characters dived to grab action cards as they jumped from ledge to ledge on the environment as it fell. I must also say that the story is on a different level as well. The struggle of characters striving to entertain while trying to succeed helped round out the currently unfolding serious multiworld plotline seen never before in Yu-Gi-Oh!. The story may only be opening up, but the entire ride has felt quite intelligent, focused, phenomenal, and epic. It is THE best Yu-Gi-Oh! thus far.
5. Buddy Complex
I never expected that 2014 would bring about a new mecha that could dethrone lasts years hit mecha, Valvrave. Valvrave was a mecha that completely changed the genre. Now, just one year later Buddycom did the same thing. With my favorite composer lending excellent musics, along with witty yet exciting storytelling, fantastic character designs, and marvelous mecha designs, Buddy Complex is a mecha that stands about 95% of other ones. Its the only one that has managed to do a great story of budding friendship along with a deeply thought-out and easy to follow time divergence situation. Because of this and other minor things that would be too numerous to deal, this was a great anime. Connection Dio and Acception Aoba were two of the most defining phrases of the year and will be for years to come.
6. Majinbone
Best Toei anime ever. Giving KENN the lead role of Shougo was a fantastic decision as it helped to make the anime instantly approachable and lovable. It may seem like a kids toy show on the surface but it ended up being far deeper than I could ever imagine. If there is any anime that one must view on a 60inch + class HDTV it is this one. The Cocoon moments with the fast paced action of all the Bones is choreographed amazingly. It feels even better than a video game could ever make it.
7. Hamatora
Rarely do we have mystery anime. However, unlike what that statement would mean on the surface (that is, that anime cant do mystery well), Hamatora was one of the better written and thoughtful anime. Sure characters took many of the plots in a light hearted manner or there were more threads for plot going than one could imagine, but by the time of Re:Hamatora, the story sorted itself out and gave us an "Ah ha" moment. Even then, the ending was still unpredictable and unexciting, a true reward for the attentive viewer.
8. Haikyuu!!
A phenomenal sports series that unfortunately only suffered for stopping before the series truly took off. Many of my favorite parts of the manga came after the adapted portions. Regardless, if the same high level of polish is brought to the table for the second season then it is inevitable that Haikyuu!! may be able to be one of the top three anime of 2015. Hopefully they do select better songs and do a more powerful second ending visuals.
9. Shounen Hollywood: Holly Stage for 49
Shonen Hollywood may not be as refined or as out there at times like the superior idol anime of our generation, Uta no Prince Sama: Maji Love, but it manages to offer an alternate take on idols. The anime felt like a more realistic attempt at the idol life. Seeing these high school age kids attempt to break into the industry through this seemingly bumbling production company led to many lessons to be learned for both them and others. I found myself cheering them on as they embraced feelings of embarrassment, success, and failure.
Tomii and Kira are the best singers. Eternally never ever was best song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zo56DdARQjE
10. Herobank
Most hilarious anime of the year. The herobutt moments are hilarious, Kaito's silly antics in regards to every event going on while being united for friendship and doing things for Free smiles is a perfect sight to see at the morning hour. The first 25 episodes were perfect in every way. Excellent action with the best friend turned rival was a plot that I always love. Meanwhile second half, while even acknowledging Kaito x Nagare as canon, even introduced a new rival/best friend for Kaito giving us a canon OT3. In terms of plot it is just as good with going to new locations, new herosuits, and new companions. Herobank is the best of these type of shows in the morning. I wish they would bring the 3DS game out here.
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Honorable Mention
Nagi-Asu: A Lull in the Sea: Beautiful Drama and music
Glasslip: Beautiful story and character interactions.
Mekaku City Actors: Delightful
M3: Sono Kuroki Hagane: Dark yet somehow entertaining. SABLE for best ED of the year.
Laughing Under the Clouds: Best anime of Fall 2014
Dragon Collection & Oreca Battle: Card game action shorts are pretty intriguing, definitely will be on my 2015 list
Tribe Cool Crew: Fun tone, fun dancing, fun characters
Samurai Flamenco: Best closing episodes of the year, unforgettable
Strange+: Best Nii-san!!!!
Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei: if only the anime got further, nine schools was executed perfectly.
