TV shows
1. Yamato 2199
Beautiful show that deserves every bit of praise it has received. Its one of those things thats not just great anime but a great show period transcendental of the medium.
2. The Eccentric Family
You know how people complain about the dearth of quality anime nowadays and how the good ol bad days were better? Yeah, no. This show was one of the best Ive ever had the pleasure to watch featuring beautiful art, great storytelling, an interesting fusion of the modern day and mythology, no dull moments, and characterization that makes most shows pale in comparison. Its one of the few non-Ghibli productions that Ive been able to lose myself in like it was something from Ghibli itself. If theres something that helped me reaffirm anime was alive and well nowadays, it was this.
3. Gundam Build Fighters
Hey hey, Gundam is fun again. Came for the 2D mecha fanservice, was rewarded with a great show.
4. Flowers of Evil
Beautiful heartbreaking show that more should give a shot. Its been a while since I had the pleasure of watching a show that revelled in raw emotion like this one does.
5. Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet
Despite a technobabble-laden tenuous opening, this show turned into something pretty great. Dont be put off by the notion of the limited fan service or the idea some episodes are filler, the meat of this show was Ledos integration into the culture he found himself in far more than any space alien story thats initially presented. Also theres Chambers interminable bro-ness that made this one rather memorable.
6. Jojos Bizarre Adventure
7. Rozen Maiden (2013)
Lovely show that has me hoping to see what Hatakeyama can do with something original if he could elevate an adaptation as well as he did here.
8. Gifu Dodo!! Kanetsugu & Keiji
The opposite end of the DEEN spectrum, this ones really rough around the edges. Art and animation are all over the place but generally on the bad side. Whys it here then? Yasuhiro Imagawas script tells this great tale of Sengoku era bromance that was just a blast. Admittedly the second cour seemed like it was stretched out, it ended just as well as the first.
9. Muromi-san
Wonderfully animated gag anime that strayed a bit too far into boob joke territory at times. It was a real joy otherwise given the great humor.
10. Gatchaman Crowds
Good show that did a wonderful job in exploring social media but failing to fully utilize its namesake.
Movies
1. Wolf Children
One of the best animated movies I've watched.
2. Blue Exorcist Movie
Always nice when source material is elevated like it was here and that's not even accounting for the godly background art.
3. Little Witch Academia
Funny, beautifully animated, and something you could share with anyone without hesitation unlike so many works. Perfect example of the OVA format.
Honorable Mention: Death Billiards
Dont normally bother with honorable mentions but this was pretty good. Anime Twilight Zone that was only missing was a Rod Serling intro & outro. Wish wed gotten a full show from it.
1. Yamato 2199
Beautiful show that deserves every bit of praise it has received. Its one of those things thats not just great anime but a great show period transcendental of the medium.
2. The Eccentric Family
You know how people complain about the dearth of quality anime nowadays and how the good ol bad days were better? Yeah, no. This show was one of the best Ive ever had the pleasure to watch featuring beautiful art, great storytelling, an interesting fusion of the modern day and mythology, no dull moments, and characterization that makes most shows pale in comparison. Its one of the few non-Ghibli productions that Ive been able to lose myself in like it was something from Ghibli itself. If theres something that helped me reaffirm anime was alive and well nowadays, it was this.
3. Gundam Build Fighters
Hey hey, Gundam is fun again. Came for the 2D mecha fanservice, was rewarded with a great show.
4. Flowers of Evil
Beautiful heartbreaking show that more should give a shot. Its been a while since I had the pleasure of watching a show that revelled in raw emotion like this one does.
5. Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet
Despite a technobabble-laden tenuous opening, this show turned into something pretty great. Dont be put off by the notion of the limited fan service or the idea some episodes are filler, the meat of this show was Ledos integration into the culture he found himself in far more than any space alien story thats initially presented. Also theres Chambers interminable bro-ness that made this one rather memorable.
6. Jojos Bizarre Adventure
I hadnt looked forward to a show from week to week like this since Geass initial airing. Battle Tendency was hyped to me before the run of episodes began and that hype was validated and then some. Despite some lackluster production values at times, the show possessed an energy and style that helped carry it in the face of these problems. To sum up, this shit was manly as fuck, harkens back to the big dumb manime days some of us miss, and Im so damn hyped to revisit Part 3.
7. Rozen Maiden (2013)
Lovely show that has me hoping to see what Hatakeyama can do with something original if he could elevate an adaptation as well as he did here.
8. Gifu Dodo!! Kanetsugu & Keiji
The opposite end of the DEEN spectrum, this ones really rough around the edges. Art and animation are all over the place but generally on the bad side. Whys it here then? Yasuhiro Imagawas script tells this great tale of Sengoku era bromance that was just a blast. Admittedly the second cour seemed like it was stretched out, it ended just as well as the first.
9. Muromi-san
Wonderfully animated gag anime that strayed a bit too far into boob joke territory at times. It was a real joy otherwise given the great humor.
10. Gatchaman Crowds
Good show that did a wonderful job in exploring social media but failing to fully utilize its namesake.
Movies
1. Wolf Children
One of the best animated movies I've watched.
2. Blue Exorcist Movie
Always nice when source material is elevated like it was here and that's not even accounting for the godly background art.
3. Little Witch Academia
Funny, beautifully animated, and something you could share with anyone without hesitation unlike so many works. Perfect example of the OVA format.
Honorable Mention: Death Billiards
Dont normally bother with honorable mentions but this was pretty good. Anime Twilight Zone that was only missing was a Rod Serling intro & outro. Wish wed gotten a full show from it.