[reallyvalid]

the ask i got motivated me enough to draw this dumb idea ive had for months LMAO

[punderfulowl]

Top 8 Anime (That I've Seen) in 2022

Whew boy, I wasn't expecting last year to be such a whirlwind, but all that doesn't matter now when there's Weeb stuff afoot! For those who are unfamiliar, when I make an End-of-the-year list, I like to do so without handcuffing myself to JUST the releases of the previous year. If you are familiar, you guys know that I typically keep to the usual Top 10 (except that one year when it was 12), but as you can see, I only had time to fit in 8.

Rules:

- If an anime had already made it onto a previous list, a newer season can't make it on.

- I only keep to TV series, so no movies.

- No repeating franchises (i.e. if I saw two different Gundam shows in one year, I can only pick one).

- I'm skipping Honorable mentions this year.

8. Tales of Zestiria (2016)

Definitely not my favorite Tales story, but BOY was this show pretty to look at. Ufotable is what Ufotable does, I guess. Truth be told, I couldn't get into the game that this anime is based on, so I figured that watching the anime would be easier. And it was!

7. Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out (2020)

Ah, yes, one of those shows that upset Twitter. I thought this was an adequately told Rom-Com with our two leads having some decent chemistry together. Looking past the "controversy," it was a perfectly serviceable show.

6. Amagami SS (2010)

This was my surprise of the year. This Slice of Life Romance accomplishes a rare feat amongst its peers: Every girl gets a happy ending! You see, our male protag starts out depressed and lonely, develops a relationship with one of the girls over a 3 episode arc, and then starts all over again. Not only that, but during each arc, the camera shows how the other girls are living their lives and they do just fine without him. Maybe I'm not phrasing it the way I want to, but it's just refreshing showing potential love interests living fulfilling lives without Protag-kun. It does, however, lose points for having some questionable moments with its high school cast of characters. Based on a visual novel btw.

5. Komi Can't Communicate (2021)

I can't be the only one who rolls their eyes whenever a story about an average guy gains the affection of the most popular girl in school. I'm, of course, not rolling my eyes at the premise itself, but rather the quantity of stories like this. This story in particular saves itself by having our titular character stumble their way to success despite their crippling social anxiety. I find it both funny and endearing. I look forward to season 2!

4. Recovery of an MMO Junkie (2017)

Speaking of season 2, I wish this anime had one. I may have mentioned this before about a different anime, but I do find it to be a breath of fresh air whenever we have protagonists who are actually adults. A nerd in their thirties looking for love? Couldn't be me 🙂

3. March Comes in Like a Lion (2016)

I still don't know how Shogi is played, heck I don't even have a handle on Chess, but anyone who has ever seen March Comes in Like a Lion knows that's not why we're here. Again, not Shogi specifically, but knowing that people, regardless of age, have weight of some kind on their shoulders, it's such a shame that that weight is on a character so young. Expectations, anxiety, loneliness; all that can be overwhelming for anybody. I would definitely recommend anyone to seek this out. Bonus, it has music from Bump of Chicken!

2. Spy X Family (2022)

I'm sure most of you guys have seen this. You know.

I'm sure there's still plenty of people who haven't seen this yet. It's Everywhere. You guys STILL know.

This show was the right amount of wholesome I needed last year!

1. Mushoku Tensei (2022)

I would probably have to do some more thinking, but this might be my favorite isekai thus far. Has a well built world AND has utilized the whole reincarnation aspect better than most isekai anime. I would go into it more, but I think I'll make that its own post.

This was a bit late, but at least it's still January, right? Hopefully, I'll be in a better head space this year to make a full Top 10.

Make the best of this new year and stay safe out there.

[punderfulowl]

TOP 10 ANIME (that I've seen) IN 2021)

Just like the title suggests, this is a list of the anime I've seen during 2021 and are not necessarily ones that came out that year. My hope in doing lists like these is to provide recommendations for any anime of any year. Here we go!

(Holy crap, my is sort of on time this year!)

Honorable Mentions: K-On!!, Beastars S2

10. When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace (2014)

I could be simplistic and just say that this is a harem show where the main protag is a chuunibyo...but that's exactly what it is. Unfortunately, this show falls to the bottom of the list because it's one of those shows that's more of a commercial for the original source material and it ends before the actual plot starts without a second season. Why recommend it? Well, I will give points for the protag for not being a complete idiot, the animation/character designs are pleasant, and the concept of having someone make believe they have powers then suddenly having them is pretty humorous. Plus, there's a good chance that you have seen a clip from this show without realizing it. This show is the home this scene.

9. Seitokai Yakuindomo S1 (2010)

This show only has one joke. That joke being: what if high school girls were openly perverted? And it's a joke that lands every time. I'll admit it, I enjoyed myself. It's kind of a breath of fresh air having a whole cast of female characters be openly expressive with things of a sexual nature. Sure, there have been harems where, typically, an older woman is more direct with her approach, but for high school girls to have no shame in exploring these kind of things? If it weren't mostly played for laughs, I'd call it a game changer. Even so, I can't wait to start season two this year.

8. Bubuki Buranki (2016)

I can't even be sure if I like the show this much, but I'm pretty sure Bubuki Buranki is this high up mostly on style points. I'll bring up the elephant in the room: this is a 3D anime (but a 3D anime done well). Character models move around just fine for casual scenes, but is turned up a few notches for the battle choreography! As for story, the set up is paced just fine, but then slams on the gas pedal and never lets up. The show reminded me of the early years of RWBY where the fight scenes were the main draw. If all style shows appeal to you, I'd recommend this one. It even has two seasons!

7. Joshiraku (2012)

Based off a gag comic, Joshiraku is a series about cute girls performing in a style of a one person theatre known as Rakugo. While I did have fun watching Joshiraku, I'll be honest and say that it's hard for me to suggest it. There's nothing overly wrong with it, the color palette is very pleasing and the humor goes over well. The best way I can put this is to paraphrase a friend of mine, "It's very Japanese." Again, there's nothing wrong with that, but if you are relatively new to the anime scene, this probably won't appeal to you. If you want to give it a shot anyway, I'd say go for it. If you're a seasoned weeb that hasn't seen this yet, definitely seek it out!

6. Higehiro (2021)

Higehiro is about a young man in his 20s who takes in a runaway high school and helps her get her on the right path and deals with her past. I wish I could bring myself to rank this higher. At the heart of it, the series is really touching and shows that there are still people, albeit rare, that can/will help you out of the goodness of their heart. On the other hand, this show had a habit of picking ill-timed camera angles and framing for certain moments that felt icky. If you're able to ignore those moments and focus on the wholesome parts, give it a watch. If you can't settle for anything less than 100% wholesome, I completely understand.

5. Demon Slayer (2019)

When it comes to my approach of popular shows, I usually wait until most of the hype dies down before I watch them. With that said, being able to watch with clear eyes unaffected by hype:

it's fine. Just fine.

Yes, Ufotable knocks it out of the park once again with its animation. Yes, most of the characters are fun and likable. And yet, I enjoyed just fine. I honestly don't know what it is, but I just wasn't blown away. Still looking forward to the next arc, though.

4. O Maidens in Your Savage Season (2019)

Watching a show about high school girls going through their own sexual awakening as a dude, gotta say, I've learned a lot. Not saying I'm an expert, but definitely have a better understanding now than I did beforehand. To further establish my lack of expertise, I'll just give it a high recommendation before I say anything that shows my ignorance.

3. Records of Grancrest War (2018)

This was the show that got me mad. Not at the show itself, but rather at the several people in the anime community who didn't watch this. I'm not one who's all in on waifu culture, but all y'all slept on this anime! Yes, the waifu game is strong here, but it also has decent animation, large-scale battles, political drama, and allegiances that change! Please check this out. Being three years late is better than never!

2. Den-noh Coil (2007)

This was an anime that had been stuck on my "Want to Watch" list for YEARS, but finally gave it a watch after I found the whole show on Blu-ray for a good deal! Den-noh Coil takes place in an alternate world where people wear glasses that not only connects to the internet, but allows interactive augmented reality. However, this technology isn't perfect, in fact, it's actually kind of sketchy. It's a sci-fi and supernatural story being led by a group of young girls, which is a combination I don't see often. It's a fun series that surprised me quite a bit and I hope it can surprise you, too!

1. HoriMiya (2021)

SCREW. BECOMING. A. COUPLE. AT. THE. END.

I want more romance shows that establishes a couple in the first few episodes and shows their growth throughout! Don't get me wrong, I understand the "Will they/won't they" model because it's a tried and true method to tease the audience to come back for more. But when shows like HoriMiya write relationships, it's so much more satisfying. Ahem, sorry. Yes, for all the reasons I just said as well as comedy with great timing, this was my favorite anime I saw in 2021.

[punderfulowl]

Top 10 Anime (That I've Seen) in 2020

Well now, it has certainly been awhile. I'm currently sitting at eight months too late for posting this, but, y'know, something something life happens. More accurately, I already made this list, but wanted to try out what response I'd get from Reddit. Turns out, they're not as cool as you guys!

Anyways, as the title states, this is not a list of my favorite anime that came out during 2020, but instead my favorite anime that I just so happen to see during that year. While it's fun to have an end of the year retrospective, I find that having a list in this format not only adds variety, but also helps bring attention to anime that might have been lost in the shuffle in previous years (I also don't have enough time to stay caught up in seasonal releases).

Honorable mentions:

Aggretsuko S3, My Hero Academia S4, Today's Menu For the Emiya Family, Interspecies Reviewers (yes, really), and I Couldn't Become a Hero So I Reluctantly Decided to Get a Job

10. Maid-Sama (2010)

In hindsight, I find it a bit funny that I wanted to watch something wholesome to kick off 2020. Anyway, Maid-Sama is about a high school girl that is also a no nonsense Class President and she kind of has to be at a school where, until recently, was an all boys school. While she kills it in academics and is good at shutting down any shenanigans from the male student body, her financial situation isn't the greatest and has to balance a job at a maid cafe along with her school-related responsibilities. She does her best to hide her employment there to keep up appearances, but is one day found out by one of the boys who happens to be a big flirt and, yeah, hijinks ensue. While this anime doesn't have too many surprises, our main leads bounce off each other well enough to keep me entertained. Nothing I haven't seen already in other anime Rom-Coms, but I think it has more than earned its place at the start of this list.

9. Haganai NEXT (2013)

It's a personal rule of mine when making these lists that I don't include sequels of shows that were in previous lists. While I DID see the first season of Haganai a couple of years ago, it didn't quite make it into the top ten at that time. Because of that, it meets the criteria for this year's list. While I found the characters were just as charming here as I did during the first season, the development of their relationships really took off. It's a shame that it will most likely not get a third season, but I'm happy with what ride this show gave me. But hey! At least I can read the light novels/manga to continue the story! Wait, nevermind, the Haganai fans on Reddit are saying that's a bad idea.

8. Engaged to the Unidentified (2014)

Based off of a Four Panel joke manga, Engaged to the Unidentified tells the story of a girl in high school suddenly getting some life changing news. As it turns out, her grandfather made an arranged engagement with her and the son of a family he knew. Next thing she knows, the boy in question, as well as his little sister, moves into her family's house! While the boy is unassuming at first, there may be more to him and his family than he lets on. Plain and simple, this anime has charmed me. There's a decent amount of drama and mystery despite the source material and I applaud it! Even though this also doesn't have much new to offer, even to the point where I would compare this to Maid-Sama, what made me pick this at the 8th spot were the color choices and animation quality. Give this a shot if you can!

7. Grimoire of Zero (2017)

It's a fantasy/adventure story starring a loli sorcerer and a huge, anthropomorphic white tiger man. I honestly can't say anything else. I won't be able to do it justice. That first sentence should intrigue you a lease a little bit. Read it, again. Please check it out. It's an underrated gem that no one is talking about.

6. ID: Invaded (2020)

Hey, here's something recent! Unfortunately, this is also not something I can say much about. There may not be too many deep characters and the secret bad guy isn't hard to figure out, but BOY is this anime cool! The best way to describe this series is that it's like the movie Inception, but instead of brain heists, it's brain murder mysteries.

5. Carole and Tuesday (2019)

A runaway rich girl has a fated meeting with an orphan and they decide to make music together...oh, this also takes place Mars. Joking aside, this show was something special with its music (a new song almost every episode no less), interesting setting (freaking Mars, dude), and endearing main cast. Shoot, the music itself would be top 3, maybe number 1, but what bogs it down is the show's second half. I can easily see myself watching this again someday, and maybe my opinion will lighten up, but for now, 5 is a dang good spot.

4. Fate/Grand Order: Absolute Demonic Front - Babylonia (2019)

Part of me hesitates placing this high up on list due to this show being animated, fan service spectacle for Fate fans. However, that hesitation is overshadowed by the fact that I am a Fate fan myself and I can do whatever I want with this list. Even if you're not a Fate fan or play FGO, if you enjoy some solid fight animation, this is worth a look.

3. K-On S1 (2009)

I'll admit it, I might regret not watching the second season then putting the series on the list as a whole, but this how I've been doing these lists and I'm such a creature of habit. There's not much I can say about K-On that hasn't already been said. By itself it's an anime classic and one of Kyo-ani's biggest properties. It's a sweet and wholesome watch, but be sure to have some insulin within reach.

2. Princess Principal (2017)

Imagine you're working with a team of programmers trying to make a mobile game then all of a sudden someone asks to make a show out of it. You know, a show with different character motivations, plot, twist and turns and all that? Most might say that's just a shameless, shallow cash grab, but it turns out okay for Princess Principal. Sure, most might summarize this anime as, "cute girls doing espionage things," but with its cast, visuals, and interesting alternative timeline, it works! Apparently there's a new season or movie in the works and I am all for it!

1. Beastars (2019)

I was not expecting this to be number one, but with much deliberation (with myself obviously) this feels right. It tells a pretty unique story while showing itself to be the exception to the rule when it comes to 3D anime.....it being that it's actually good. While I acknowledge that shows like K-On are classics and deserves to be number one on many different lists, it didn't line up with my personal criteria like Beastars did. My biggest deciding factor is: Now that I've watched this, do I want more? It's true that while I'm excited to start K-On S2, Beastars intrigues me more and ever since season two was announced, I'm looking forward to that more.

Sorry again for this list being so late, but at least the silver lining is that the next end of the year list is about four months away (in theory)!

[nephenees-lance]

Fire Emblem

Reblog if you agree.

[punderfulowl]

Yuuuuup

[punderfulowl]

Anyone that says Slime Climb is their favorite stage is a masochist.

[punderfulowl]

What if the next Fire Emblem game gave you the option to turn on sprite animations? You can still have your CGI cinematic cutscenes, but give us the option of battling with pixels!

[punderfulowl]

pftftftftft, hey guys, guess what this is...

[punderfulowl]

I wonder if Earth Benders become more powerful on Earth Day...

[punderfulowl]

Since new Summer banners usually come in twos, I predict part two is going to feature Flayn. I will reblog when this becomes true...or, you know, if I'm wrong. I'll reblog either way. I have nothing to do.

[punderfulowl]

Makoto's casual winter/fall attire is supes cute. That is all ;D

[punderfulowl]

From Fire Emblem Sacred Sacred Stones:

Joshua, La’Rachel, Myrrh, Ewan, and Ross

I know it’s not common for Heroes to add characters in groups of five, but Sacred Stones could use some more representation and the app as a whole needs a few more greens in there.

[punderfulowl]

I forgot about this post. Aside from the color I chose for Ewan's, we can call this wish list: Granted

[punderfulowl]

Despite me knowing the events that happen after the original series because of the graphic novels, but I'd like to think that Team Avatar made an agreement to travel together to experience the world without war.

[punderfulowl]

Top 10 Anime (That I've Seen) in 2019

Three months late than never, I guess? There has been a LOT going on in my life and recent developments going on in the world doesn’t help things. However, I recently found a bit of a silver lining to help me back up onto the positive side of things and I hope to turn this into momentum.

With that said, I want to explain the rules of my end of the year list. As the title shows, this list won't be a showcase for the best anime that came out last year, but rather the best anime that I happened to view last year. I’m not the first to make a list in this format, but I find it fun to do so. 

Okay, let’s finally put 2019 to bed! Starting with...

10. Lord El-Melloi II’s Case Files (2019)

Once again, something Fate-related graces its presence on my end of the year list. Sure, being simply what it is gives it a good chance to make it on here, but what made it earn its spot, at least for me, is that this anime gave me a pleasant detour of what I’m used to from the Fate franchise. In short, this anime expands on the Fate lore, specifically on the mages of the Clock Tower, through eyes of an older Waver Velvet (Fate/Zero) as he solves magical mysteries with his Saber-faced partner, Gray. There’s no earth shattering revelations here, but, like I said, it’s a fun detour with magic, decent fight scenes, world building, and some “feels” if you stay till the end of the series. 

9. Humanity Has Declined (2012)

Well, isn’t this the most colorful post-apocalypse ever? 

Humanity Has Declined takes place on a post-apocalyptic world where the human population is down, resources are scarce, and tiny being called “Fairies” seem to be everywhere. The show is episodic in nature, but it doesn’t need to be anything more than that. After all, we don’t always need some deep commentary with a story that takes place after the world ends. Sometimes we just want to see how the remaining inhabitants live their lives in this soothingly-colored environment. If only Covid-19 was more colorful...

8. Shigofumi (2008)

What if you suddenly found yourself in the afterlife and had the opportunity to write one last letter to someone that’s still alive? Who would you send it to? What would it say? Shigofumi takes place in a universe where these happen and, well, there’s not much else I can say about it. Full disclosure, I can get pretty sappy when it comes to stories that involve heartfelt letters. I’m not doing a good job at convincing you to seek this anime out, but please give it a chance.

7. Kakegurui (2017)

Yeah, jumping from a show that tugs at my heartstrings to a show that scratches my head, here’s Kakegurui!

Kakegurui takes place at a prestigious (you guessed it) high school where your place in the social order is decided on gambling. Me trying to describe anything that happens in this anime won’t do it justice. It’s nuts, but it has my respect despite the violence and fan service. A philosophy I have for stories like these is if you’re gonna go crazy, go all in and it surely does. If any of this doesn’t appeal to you, at least check out its OP because it is, as the kids say these days, a “bop”.

6. Aggretsuko S2 (2019)

When putting this list together, trying to figure out what I’d rank where, and coming up with what I wanted to say for each, I decided to add a new rule: No more sequels. That doesn’t mean that I’ll never watch new seasons of a show, but I just won’t include them on the lists for now on. 

With that said, Aggretsuko season two was more of what made me a fan since last season: relatable scenarios for us twenty-somethings. Season two decided to focus on the struggles of romantic relationships and even though it was touched upon in the previous season, it went a little deeper this time.

5. Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl-Senpai (2018)

This anime fascinates me in more ways than one. In the biggest way, I consider this show to be on par with the movie, “Cabin in the Woods,” because fans of both have done a good job without giving anything away. To keep this (kinda) tradition up, I will also not say too much. I WILL say that I loved the dialogue and dry sense of humor. Please watch this so you can be in on this, as well!

4. The Rising of the Shield Hero (2019)

I didn’t watch this because it was recommended to me, I watched it because people kept making memes from it.

The Rising of the Shield Hero surprised a lot of anime fans considering that it was ANOTHER isekai, but it just goes to show that an overexposed genre still has room for the occasional compelling story. I was originally going to put this in the top three, but decided to dock it a spot out of precaution. It has another season coming up which means a whole season to screw this up...please don’t screw this up!

3. Infinite Ryvius (1999)

It’s Anime Lord of the Flies in Space. Yes, it’s better than it sounds.

Infinite Ryvius follows a big group of students living and learning in a space station, but one thing leads to another and now these kids have to fend for themselves. The biggest strength this anime has is how lived-in the environment feels. You get to see all these minor characters live their lives whenever the camera isn’t focused on the main cast. It’s also nice to look back on the amazing 90s animation. Take some time for this underrated classic when you get the chance!

2. Made in Abyss (2017)

“Don’t judge a book by its cover,” indeed.

I was definitely one of those that went into this thinking this was going to be a cutesy adventure, but coming out the other end being several shades of wrong. The abyss is a strange and fascinating world that, in a way, becomes a character in its own right. Can’t wait to learn some more when the movie comes out!

1. Hunter x Hunter (2011)

I’ll admit that Hunter x Hunter being number one on this list is a bit unfair, but it’s also earned. For a long time, HxH was one of those shows that I would hear about here and there, but never anything in-depth. Any art I would see came across as colorful with nothing that would stand out to me. What would eventually get this anime on my radar, oddly enough, was a bit in an AMVHell. Skip ahead to about this time last year and I would finally give show a try. I don’t remember ever coming across a fictional world that’s this thought out. The rules of the power structure alone is enough to floor me. The characters are likable as well as interesting. The animation is consistent throughout. GAH! Please check this out if you haven’t. This very well may be the best shounen anime ever made!

[anonamos701]

Happy New Year! Been away in Hong Kong for a month, and just got back in time for New Years! Super jetlagged so this one took a while to finish today! — twitter.com/anonamos_701 patreon.com/advarcher

[punderfulowl]

I LIVE

[punderfulowl]

Deja Vu

[punderfulowl]

This is How we do...