2018 was a pretty variable year for anime; I watched about the same amount of shows as last year but for some reason the quality in general is down, I dunno. A few hype shows but a few big disappointments overall too.
I used to say that to be on this list I had to finish a show completely, while that still holds true for most cases I am going to be making exceptions again for long running shows that got sequels this year and for some shows where I only finished around 1 cour or rather, 50% of a show which normally would run for about 24-26 episodes.
I’d like to take the time again to recognize popular shows that got a lot of attention but for whatever reason, I just didn’t follow through with on watching or appeal to me such as SSS Gridman, I have no idea why this show is so popular when I thought the first episode was so shit, maybe it’s because the girls are so good? Maybe the story is unique and pacing good? The fact that it’s somehow related to Taskuno and ultraman shit? I still have no idea why this show is popular and from my understanding, was a surprise hit that even the studio and producer didn’t expect. I admit that I was somewhat invested in Steins;Gate 0, it seemed interesting and I was eager what kind of twists or spin this sequel of sorts would take, then my sister’s friend’s sister who played the original VN said it was totally shit, waste of time, don’t play it; hearing that pretty much made me loose interest in watching it and that was that, drop. Maybe one day I will still end up watching it, considering that I am now CURRENTLY UNEMPLOYED and I unexpectedly have a ton of free time now…but yea, maybe. People apparently like that Bunny girl show where she is invisible or something, Mai I think she was called? can’t remember but yea, that’s a thing. Still didn’t finish last year’s Konosuba S2, fuck. I’m actually getting through the Fate Stay Night cooking show with fag Emiya, which is surprisingly chill and relaxing, something that I need in such hard times but yea, didn’t really qualify to be on this ranking since I’m not done yet. There’s also a ton of Fate related anime series on Netflix for stream so maybe I can take a look at that too if i’m truly in despair.
Anyways as usual, the criteria for mai ranking is based on a variety of factors which I deem of importance such as: quality of animation, character design, waifu material, levels of epic manliness, opening introduction sequence, effect on popular anime culture, long term fandom, artsy quality, meta jokes, original concept, watch-ability, background history etc.
Shows that I am still watching even though they didn’t even start in 2018 still count on this list.
31. Overlord II/III
Overlord is shit. What a waste of time, I had high hopes for the series in it’s first season but after enduring season 2 and it’s bullshit of lizardmen and other stories that I don’t care about I was cautiously wary of season 3. Season 2 was pure shit, slowest progression that I have ever seen in a show with little or no story progression whatsoever. I came to watch lord momoga and the core cast of characters own shit and unlock the secrets of this fantasy world, not get a POV of ruined tribes and third party fractions about to be annihilated. There was little or no payoff in season 2 and for season 3 I just watched the first 2 episodes and I was like, NOPE, not doing this again. I’m sure the original novels are amazing and well detailed but the thing here it that it just doesn’t translate well to anime. Also, opening songs and animation are shit. Collectively, the worst of the year.
30. Shingeki no Kyojin
I’m not sure if this belongs here considering that I didn’t end up watching S3 but it’s fairly disappointing that from what I saw on S2 that the story has hardly progressed at all. Sure we get some additional info and shit on titans and the other side characters but at this point and after such a long hiatus on the anime scene, it’s hard to keep interest in a franchise that reached it’s peak like 3-4 years ago and since then has only dwindled in popularity and presence in anime culture. There is nothing wrong with the animation itself or the story, it’s just that people have other things going on now. S2 was alright, I got through it with only moderate complaints, first episode of S3 and I was done, the opening ballad song killed it for me; telling me of only boring shit to come.
29. Toji No Miko
Well then this show had some promise but ultimately was a big letdown. I had managed to get through the first 12 episode cour thinking it was done, but atlas it wasn’t over and in the end I kinda just dropped it, telling myself that I would go back to it later but of course, I never did. “Sword Girls” or “Katana Maidens” had all the makings of a possible successful original franchise; cute girls designed by famous kancolle illustrator/designer Yoshinori Shizuma, SWORDS, battle and a lore and story that could have gone anywhere as it wasn’t bound by any existing work. It’s main problem however is that the pacing is just so damn slow and the world just so lazy, it seemed like they designed a bunch of cute sword girls and developed a story around them; which is fine but when the story is also convoluted and confusing, your in for a bad time. Add in some bad annoying background music, crappy sword fights, weak character development, mediocre animation and your setting yourself up for a shitty show. There’s also a mobile game which is supposed to supplement the show but based on the weak reception of the anime, it’ll be difficult to try to turn this would be media franchise from ending up in the graveyard. Sad.
28. Souten no Ken Re-Genesis
Well then, I kinda can’t believe I endured this trainwreck all the way to the end of it’s 24 episode run. Being a continuation of the Fist of the Blue Sky manga/anime that aired in the 2000’s this picks up right off where the original story left off which is not a problem, the problem here is that the whole show is 3D cg and god damn awful 3d cg at that. Make no mistake, the story itself is alright, a fairly true spiritual successor to fist of the north star storytelling style, but the animation and 3d is so bad I kinda can’t believe they approved this. The 3d is only fine during fight scenes which is where it shines but for the rest of the 90% of the show where they are not fighting, it’s terribly choppy, lagged and unnatural. Male models look like they are on crack or steroids, ultra swole as fuck men which doesn’t even make sense. Women models are ok and children models are ok. Badass first opening song, good second opening sequence. Was it worth my time? Maybe. Should I have watched it? Maybe not.
27. Darling in the FranXX
Oh boy. I don’t know man, fukkkkkk. This show has been hyped beyond expectations that I don’t think any outcome to the show could have mitigated some of the backlash and disappointment that was felt by the ending that they decided to go with. Hyped by past success, Studio Trigger needed a win big after failing to capture the anime world’s attention since Kill La Kill and continually failing in other anime projects. Let’s get this shit straight. Franxx should have ended at like episode 13-14 with the whole arc about the whole oni “I was always your darling” thing and end with a high note instead of dragging on for another season/cour. The second half of the show was a mess, with mixed messages, erratic pacing and a progressive degeneration of the characters that they built up so successfully in the first half. People don’t like that shit, why you do this Trigger? Animation was ok, character designs decent, story is greatly lacking and unfulfilling, especially the second half and ending. I was expecting battle for the ending, I got floating out in space and implied battle. FUCK. I think the problem with Franxx is that people were expecting Gurren Lagann 2 or Kill La Kill 2 but instead got Evangelion Redux Light with messages of social conservatism and political commentary. I don’t want that shit in my animu, fuck. Such wasted potential.
26. Chuukan Kanriroku Tonegawa
A very loose spinoff of gambling manga/anime Kaiji except featuring the daily life of one of the main bad guys, Tonegawa as a corporate middle manager trying to make his way to the top. Excellent jew faces and long noses. It’s a comedy with some really good moments and humor but it’s not for everyone considering the barrier of entry is fairly steep; you have to have watched or read all of Kaiji to fully appreciate the jokes in Tonegawa. Despite it’s very long run of 24 episodes, I enjoyed them casually. Not for anyone, just me really.
25. Senran Kagura Shinovi Master – Tokyo Youma-hen
After a few years they finally decided to make a new Senran Kagura anime and after several games and shit it’s glorious. You have to play all the games but it’s ok, there is enough here to satisfy the target demographic: boob watchers. Yes, the main draw to this show is boobs, bare naked boobs. Uncensored exposed nipple boobs which is is a rarity these days for a show to commit so fully to boobs in it’s purest form. Indeed, at least from the horriblesubs that I watch, there is no streaks of white light or censorship, it’s just boobie nipple goodness. Story? It’s there, it’s standard Senran Kagura fare usually involving a problem or issue arising in the ninja world and new characters appear and they fight with the conclusion being no one dies and bad guys become friends. Good shit. Animation questionable at times but at the end of the day, this show delivers big time on the naked boob quota.
24. Boku no Hero Academia
Alright then, another long running show that I fully enjoyed. Once again, not sure if this deserves to be here but for me the longer the show runs, the worst it gets. Luckily for Heroes it’s only gotten better over time with our main characters getting more powerful and the story steadily progressing. I’ll continue to watch the show but like I said, the longer the show runs the more likely for me to drop it, this is especially true with shonen type shows. The fact the the character designs of this show are fairly ugly in my opinion doesn’t help, they are creative yes, but damn they are butt ugly some of them. Driven by pure shonen hype I will follow until I can no longer and my bullshit meter is filled, but until that day comes, PLUS ULTRA BITCH.
23. Uchi no Maid ga Uzasugiru!
A nice funny show about a girl and her annoying maid that is obsessed with her because she is a cute Russian little girl. I wouldn’t fully consider this a moe-blob show because none of the characters are all that cute or attractive to me but it was indeed moderately entertaining. The animation is alright with moments of brilliance and gif quality flow but otherwise solid. The story itself is fairly episodic with story elements carrying over time. One of the problems of the show is the soundtrack, they use the same background music way too much and sound effects too it gets obvious and annoying over time. I wish they had more gags or played up on the main girl’s hikkomori aspects more but atlas they didn’t. The show has a happy ending with resolves the main characters problems and mysteries leaving it open for a S2 if that is ever a thing. Solid show but honestly will probably forget in a year or two.
22. Tonari no Kyuuketsuki-san
A very solid pure moe-blob slice of life show that gets some things right but misses the mark in truly making it a success. The show is about a normal girl who ends up living with a vampire girl and they have nice fun times and shit. The problem here is that they don’t make the most of the situations, often missing points of comedy gold that are so easy to use. The vampires in this show are just normal girls except that they don’t go out in the day and drink blood, in packages from the store, they don’t do enough to make me think “yea that’s a vampire” or make use of the vast array of materials and tropes about vampires that is prevalent in today’s world. A lack of hyperbole and frantic comedic moments hold back this show from becoming a better slice of life show. The character designs are rather plain but you can only do so much from source material I suppose. Not bad, but there is better slice of shows to watch. As one of the only “true” take it easy shows in the Fall 2018 season, it kinda got watched out of default I suppose.
21. Hinamatsuri
This is a pretty solid light comedy with small bursts of family drama, or rather adoptive family drama that I suppose counts as slice of life. The main girl has psychic powers and after escaping a research facility ends up being picked up by a yakuza dude that reluctantly takes care of her. Despite the description, it’s pretty chill, the start of the show is a bit confusing but then it gets back on a nice straight linear story progression although honestly it feels very slow at times. The animation is pretty decent and the characters are interesting enough, the main girl Hina, ends up going to school and making friends and all of her friends find out about her secret powers and somehow get dragged into varying aspects of the yakuza underworld to comical effect while also meeting other psychic girls that escaped from the research facility. Hina herself is very lazy, slow paced and dimwitted but has powers and shit so it makes for an interesting tone for the show. Not bad and there will probably be a second season in the horizon with time jumps to teenage years so that’s something to look forward too. Not bad solid show.
20. Thunderbolt Fantasy 2
Ah yes, the long awaited sequel to the Taiwanese puppet show with Chinese poems and battle. Once one of the top 3 shows of previous years it has fallen off considerable from my expectations for a number of reasons. One of the best things about the first season of this show was that it had a wide range of characters and a nice journey story fighting things and lots of mystery and hype. This season does away considerably with the number of characters, probably less than half than the first season and instead tries to focus on them more with way more talking and less action which is fine but the scale and objectives of characters is so vague and ambiguous that you don’t really understand why anybody does anything anymore. Due to this lack of “grand goal” you end up with characters which you question what is their purpose and why are they focusing on them without any real reason other than the fact that they are new characters or whatever. It doesn’t help that their opening song is a reused song from the first season and very non-hype so that’s a down. The action and presentation is still top notch but i was expecting more from this after the fantastic first season. With a third season planned we will see if the inconclusive ending of this second season has more action and hype to yield.
19. Slow Start
This is a very good slice of life moe blob show with solid comedy and likeable characters although it does suffer from moe overdose syndrome in the sense that some scenarios and situations end up feeling very familiar. The main girl of this show has bad luck and has ended up missing important milestones in her life causing her to get sick or such in exams and thus is held back a year in school, making her very self conscious and pitiful trying to make friends at her new school; the primary means of comedy gold. For a good chunk of the show it’s just her trying her best to hide the fact that she failed a year and is older than all of her new friends but they end up finding out anyways and they are cool with it, in true moe slice of life fashion. Another good point about the show is her neighbor in her apartment complex which is a semi-hikkomori girl which is in a similar situation as the main girl except that she is older and failed to get into university, funny shit. Not the best moe blob but I certainly enjoyed it for the season.
18. Ryuuou no Oshigoto!
Very nice shogi battle anime featuring pretty cute girls, which honestly, is probably the only reason why anybody would want to watch this in the first place. Despite it’s main pull, it does a pretty decent job at showcasing the world and hype around the game and is fairly accessible with great animation, nice character designs and your standard tournament battle format that you can come to expect from any sport/shonen kind of show. Training, struggle, goals etc, cute girl moe moments, it’s all here. However, just like eternal OG moe mahjong battle show SAKI, the show never really ends, it’s just a launching pad for you to buy and read the manga and maybe if your lucky a few years down the line see a second season. Man, I wish they just finish SAKI already. In any regards, this is a solid show for your dose of cute loli girls and shogi fans. Solid shit.
17. Pop Team Epic
Oh boy this shit is just so crazy it’s perfect. There’s really no point trying to summarize it, it’s really just a force of nature of pure Japanese bullshit and it’s wonderful. Consisting of various short skits of random varying quality, it’s like old school flash animation taken to another level except that it’s not. A few skits border on genius level while the majority is somewhere between “heh” and “oh shitttt” which is great. The opening sequence and song for this show is amazing, very catchy and hype well done animation. The show itself is actually only like 15 minutes but because they are so asshole they air the same 15 minute segment again except with different voice actors and slight changes to the skits making it worth watching again for a different experience. If you don’t like random stupid shit stay away from this, but if you do, consider this a must watch.
16. Golden Kamuy
This is a very unique show in the sense that it’s rooted in Ainu culture and history. That in itself is fairly interesting, but when you package it as a grand treasure hunting story during pre-WWI Hokkaido japan you have yourself a story unlike any other that I know of. Do you like snow? Winter? you’ll be seeing a lot of that in this show but it’s perfectly fine due to the setting. The main Japanese solider guy and main Ainu girl are pretty likeable and in a strange way this show is also a hidden food eating show as they often cook up Ainu traditional cuisine while looking for the “Gold” that was stolen from the Ainu. The character designs are honestly very simple and plain but the show makes up for the simplicity with very “JoJo” type faces and expressions which is cool. I didn’t notice it in the first half but in the second half of the season the show increasingly becomes “gay” being that all the men start looking more buff and swole and end up in situations where they are naked or bathing together, so yea, I suppose that’s a thing. For some. The show does suffer a bit of “buy the manga” syndrome as it’s in it’s second season, I am not sure if there will be more anime in the future or it’s still being written. In either case Golden Kamuy is worth a watch if your interested in adventure and some light comedy/action.
15. Zombieland Saga
Oh shit what is there to say about Zombieland Saga? It’s a show about girls who are dead but brought back to life as zombies and forced to become idols for the town of Saga, basically locodols except zombies. In typical idol anime fashion the show follows the main girl in her journey from being killed to being brought back to life and becoming an undead idol, this along with other girls provides enough variety of the show to keep you interested all the way to the end with episodic backstories for most of the girls in the zombie group. One of the main things missing is that they never really provided a story for the traditional kimone girl or crazy tae girl which is unfortunate but ah well. I didn’t know that Saga was a real place and that essentially the entire show is just one big tourism commercial for Saga and it’s attractions, the Tori chicken commercial episode made that especially apparent. But aside from that the show has fantastic character designs, songs and animation with a very catchy opening. Recommended for a different take on idol anime, good shit. Hopefully they make more of the show or do something similar with another town.
14. Uma Musume – Pretty Derby
Much like Zombieland Saga, Uma Musume is another strong entry the the spin on idol anime except this time we have real life race horses anthropomorphized as cute girls. Was it successful? Indeed it was with outstanding animation, character designs and rooted in real life lore that you can’t help but admire the ambition and creativity that the show’s creators put into the story. Sure it’s essentially a idol type cute girl show but with shonen elements that is true to the history of each race horses tale and real life racing record. For instance, “Special Week” the main girl of the show wins and looses accordingly to her historical counterpart, that’s historical accuracy right there. The show does suffer at times with a”just get over it bitch” syndrome when characters hit a slum or get into problems but thankfully these “sad times” only last like an episode and a half which is great since noone wants to see a girl brooding in despair for like 3 episodes. Good shit, recommended for shonen pretty horse idol girls category.
13. Harukana Receive
There has been somewhat of a dry spell in terms of moe sports shows with cute girls, this show however, certainly makes up for it. I wasn’t expecting much out of Harukana Recieve, just cute girls playing beach vollyball but despite it’s description is a really good sports show with outstanding animation, character design and all the standard sports tropes that you can imagine, special techniques, strategies, rivals, joke characters all packaged into a neat and tidy swimsuit package that is easily digestible eye candy. The bodies of the girls in this show are drawn very realistically in the sense that they are anatomical correct and the same can be said for their motion, which is fluid and natural as they hit the balls and dive and serve. The faces of the girls are so shiny and sparkly with crisp defined lines and shading, excellent eye detail and shadows. Show suffers however from the “and our battles with continue” or “next stop, the nationals!” syndrome akin to many in the genre but despite that it’s a great eye candy show on every level with a solid sport story.
12. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure – Golden Wind
Alright then, here it is, we are getting into dangerous territory of popular high profile shows which may or may not live up to expectations and fortunately, this new JoJo arc doesn’t disappoint. After witnessing the shit show that was JoJo Unbreakable Diamond we are finally getting on track on what really matters for the franchise, over the top battles and manly ass gay looking men in bright colors with big words. Yes, with the spin this time being that the main character is Dio Brando’s illegitimate son living in Italy and trying to be a gangster mafia. As a stand user the power has spread somewhat throughout the land and apparently gangs have lots of stand users, including the one he joins so essentially this incarnation of jojo is gangster turf wars edition with escort mission as one of the primary objectives. The colors are bright and blindingly bold, excellent, nice animation and very unique character designs make you wonder with the hell the author was thinking when he made JoJo Unbreakable Diamond, aka My Hometown Edition. Show has just getting started so hopefully it’ll be a journey worth continuing to watch.
11. Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken
Slime takes a radical spin on the whole “isekai” subgenre of anime/novel/lightnovels where some fool is reborn/transported to another world and does stuff in the sense that for once the main guy is reincarnated as the weakest of monsters, a slime blob monster like a poring. This show is pretty damn good, almost next level good. It’s got almost everything you could ever ask for in a isekai show except for cute girls and makes Overlord look like complete shit in comparison. Orcs? Wolves? LIZARDMAN? Orges? Dwarves? Humans? Magic? Dragons? Demon king? Fuck yea we got that shit covered here all presented in a thoughtful and lighthearted comical manner which makes sense and does not insult my intelligence nor test my patience like Overlord does. Indeed, the pacing of this show is very well done, you can guarantee a good fun time with every episode as each makes significant story progress and character growth, unlike fucking lord momonga who doesn’t do shit for 95% of the show nor is even seen at all in Overlord II. Perhaps it’s unfair of me to compare a “serious” isekai show like Overlord to Slime which is more akin to Konosuba than anything else but it just goes to show how massively over saturated this genre is in anime that I’m just sick of it in general; it takes a new bold spin on the classic formula for me to even make them worth my time. Animation is alright, character design is decent could be better but the pacing and story man, shits on point. Will probably continue longer but from what there is now, it can only get better. FUCK OVERLORD.
10. Violet Evergarden
A netflix original production or at least, massively subsidizes by netflix, Kyoto Animation brings us a wonderful tale of a Saber look alike in a alternate post WWI world where women professionally write letters for people of all social classes cause people can’t write or simply are not articulate enough to put their thoughts and feelings onto writing. Violet, the title character is a former child solider who has lost both of her upper limbs and instead has mechanical arms and hands and struggles to find her place in peacetime as she grew up lacking empathy and feelings because of the war. This anime is all about her becoming more human and getting feelings, while at the same time trying to understand and help others do the same in her own way via letter writing on client’s behalf. The animation production on this thing is beautiful, probably one of the best animated shows this year, so much detail and fluid movement it’s what you would expect from Kyoto Animation. The character designs, being a Saber clone is perfectly fine and fits the setting. Based on a series of novels I believe, the show itself is episodic in nature but lends itself to a greater narrative for Violet’s story and her struggle to integrate back into society. The pacing of the show itself is slow but I don’t think it could move any faster because of the tone and subject matter which is not for everyone. If your looking for a possible tear jerking post war drama anime, this is it. Top quality.
9. 3-gatsu no Lion
I can’t believe it. It’s finally over. After watching “I killed your dad” for over 2 years in sporadic intervals, it’s finally over, the tale of shogi Prince Kirayama is finally over…at least for now. What a roller coaster of hyperbole, metaphors and reflection this has been. I didn’t know what to expect when I first started watching this show but I am glad that I didn’t stop, after 44 episodes this is probably the longest running show that I have technically finished outside of shonen/mecha fare and it’s good shit. Lion tries to pose as a sports story but that’s just a front, it’s a coming of age story about struggle, pain, lost, life, a commentary on society and social norms, wealth, happiness, expectations, goals, failure, it’s all there to keep a emo or depressed individual feeling that they are not alone and above water. Great pacing, storytelling and reflection anime, probably one of the best coming of age age anime dramas that I’ve seen in awhile, up there with Erased within the past few years. Highly recommended if your willing to put in the time.
8. Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san
Awww yeaaa, a show that has “Ramen” in the title? Fuck yea boi, this is the shit already. Koizumi loves ramen is basically just that, a slice of life show that chronicles the life and times of a beautiful mysterious blonde girl who loves ramen and makes every opportunity in her life to eat and consume varying kinds of ramen, be it fresh, instant or foreign in nature. There is a serious lack of food shows that I watched this year, despite the existence of “Food Wars” which I have neglected so at least for me this show fills that void substantially. Koizumi herself is the stoic kind of cold girl but warms up whenever it comes to ramen, attracting the interest of main blue haired girl which is super gay for her which is the primary means of comedy and episodic story progression. It’s all good, Koizumi ends up making more friends with their own ramen preferences all with their own personalities and character traits, the usual tsundere, student council girl etc. The animation is decent and the character designs are attractive so it’s all good fun. Good shit, probably the top dedicated food focused show this year, worth a watch if you feeling hungry for ramen.
7. Comic Girls
Ah yes, a most solid and pure slice of life moe blob show to it’s fullest, filled with cute girls, cute moments and hilariously funny meta jokes and self deprecation, Comic Girls is everything that you could ask for in a slice of life comedy and then some. Following a hilariously weak ass girl named Kaos that wants to be a professional manga author, she ends up in a special dorm with other aspiring manga authors in the hopes of bettering her drawing and storytelling ability. Everything about this show is because Kaos is so laughably pitiful and self hating, it drives the show, she’s bad at drawing despite drawing the easiest type of manga, 4-koma, can’t write shit because she has no friends and no youth experiences to relate with and a hardcore otaku that collects figures and watches late night anime causing her to not draw anything because she gets into everything else besides her own work. The fact that she is self aware of these flaws and weaknesses is where the majority of the jokes start off, it’s dope as fuck and super cute as well. The other dormates are chill and cool, a shonen manga author, shojo girls manga author and a eccchi porn author, all cute girls. You can expect great jokes from all of the other girls but it’s Kaos fuckups and reactions which take the cake for this show, her voice actor is outstanding and convey her weakness perfectly. Kaos is the type of character you want to bully then pat on the head saying “it’s ok, I understand” then say, “PSYCHE, that’s the wrong numbaaahh lolololololololol” while running away laughing. Good animation, character design, pacing, story, voice actor, subject matter and jokes. Good shit.
6. Hataraku Saibou
If you haven’t heard of this show, you probably should, it’s good shit. Literally “Cells at Work” is a show about the inner workings of the human body from the perspective of anthropomorphized cells doing their daily functions and shit. The main characters are Red Blood cell and White Blood cell, which are a girl and dude respectively although there are lots of other cells as well. Red blood cells transport oxygen and Carbon Dioxide, while white blood cells fight bacteria and viruses you get the idea. Outside of the basic premise of what it is, it’s probably one of the most unique ideas for a story and anime in recent memory and it’s executed very well, by the same studio that does JoJo, David Production I believe. Lots of nice action, comedy and strangely enough, decently accurate information about how the body works and what happens when you get sick, get a wound, get drugs and even get cancer, it’s all very interesting if you can digest it in episodic nature. It’s a lot of take in at times and honestly a lot of the concepts that the show tries to explain flies over my head cause it’s like what? what the hell is this thing supposed to do? I dunno and I just ignore what was just explained. High production, good opening song and ace voice acting by the main red blood cell, Kana Hanazawa there’s something for everyone. Good unique shit.
5. Killing Bites
Oh boy, is this show fun or what? Killing Bites is a show that I was very skeptical about after the first episode, it had great action, tone and intensity unlike anything else during the season. I was afraid that after the initial good first episode that things would get worst but I was wrong, shit got better and better as I continued to watch. Following essentially the story of various humans that obtained the power to transform into wild beasts such as lions, tigers, monkeys and other creatures, the main girl has the power of a honeybager also known as a Ratel, and as the internet tells me, honeybadgers don’t give a shit, they be fierce as fuck fighting creatures. So when you have a main girl who is brash crazy and don’t give a shit who she is fighting, you got yourself a heroine you can root for and get behind. More importantly is that while there is a weak man main character, he mainly cheers and gives advice on the sidelines, quite literally which is acceptable to me. As for story, it’s a battle royale, hunger games kind of tournament with hints of underworld gangsters/yakuza contesting for power fare, shonen worthy but not quite. The main animal girls are cool and sexy and the battle scenes are excellent, when you have characters pause for a bit to announce their super move or whatever before doing it, you know shit’s going down. A refreshing spin on a classic kind of battle anime. Hopefully there will be more season in the future and not just the standard “hey, read the manga to continue the story.” Good shit hype opening anime song.
4. Hakumei to Mikochi
This is a weird show that I would have never imagined would rank so high, but it deserves so for a variety of reasons. Being a chill slice of life show already has my positive approval but it’s the fantasy world and lore that is built around the story of the little people living in a big world that is explained so well and told so masterfully that you almost have to give them the prize for world building. Hakumei to Mikochi is essentially a slice of life show focusing around two girls, Hakumei and Mikochi which are really small, like fairy or troll sized people just doing their thing, from eating, cooking, preparing clothes, getting haircuts, going to town, building houses and just general living in a world filled with talking bugs and frogs, rabbits and other similar troll like elf creatures such as themselves. Indeed, they never really specify what they really are, my best guess is probably elf since they have pointy ears and are kind of chubby rounded, but then again every humanoid creature looks like that in this world. The show itself is episodic in nature but the span of time between each episode is linear, like the way the show is paced you could easily assume that the first 5 episodes of the show take place within a day or two of each other in sequence and as it goes on, longer gaps between episodes which is cool. Towns, other characters are introduced and are never wasted, they always make an appearance again later on in the show, and in some cases become very frequent guests to the two girls. When characters talk or do something, it’s never superficial, it’s always grounded in the fictional history and lore that was established or set in earlier episodes and accumulates and transfers over to the next episode, continually and steadily growing the world that the characters live in. The animation is pretty good and the character designs, while the girls are not attractive in any way, work for the aesthetic and kind of chill storytelling that this show wants to achieve. Add in some excellent music and great stories and you have a beautiful winning fantasy slice of life chill show. Good shit.
3. Goblin Slayer
There is nothing special about Goblin Slayer when you put it on paper. Indeed, a high fantasy story about a man defending his beliefs and the people that he loves and trying to avenge those that he couldn’t protect and died because he was too weak. It’s the kind of story that has been told before and with great success in other genres like in American movies and television dramas, not so much so in Anime however with such great effect. Goblin Slayer is a fairly simple story with simple characters and a simple message but it does it so effectively without pulling any punches that you have to kind of admire it. Goblin Slayer’s message is simple, goblins are vile, degenerate, evil creatures that must be killed. That’s it, there is no redeeming qualities for the foes that the main character destroys, no backstory or attempt to humanize or sympathize with them, no trying to understand their motivations for murdering innocent humans, capturing innocent girls and raping them in order to give birth to the next generation of goblins, no remorse for killing goblin children that pose future threats, the sheer unwavering view that something is evil because it is evil is somehow very refreshing. As a piece of fiction when you already accept the absolute evil of the enemy, the anime can focus on the main character Goblin Slayer himself and his actions with full attention, allowing for the kind of depth and simple storytelling that does not need to explain much why he set fire to the Goblin cave, or why he kills the goblin children or is so dedicated towards his desire to kill only goblins, despite being a high ranking adventurer. It also helps that you don’t even see his face as it’s almost always hidden by his humble helmet, a testament to his convection that he doesn’t care about fame or recognition, dude just wants to kill goblins because someone has to do it or else. Goblin slayer is a badass competent motherfucker, and a humble down to earth one at that, it’s probably why the show has become so popular in contrast to similar stories with weaker wussy faggy main male characters, dude is just so likeable it’s hard to not like him. Add in some fun side characters such as high elf, dwarf, lizardman and priest girl to balance out the spartan personality of Goblin slayer and you have a solid journeying story and party. Goblin Slayer got alot of attention when it first came out because of the implied goblin rape in the first episode, which shocked a lot of unprepared anime fans but I think it’s quality and storytelling win the day in the long run. Solid animation, character design and story. Probably one of the best fantasy action anime of the year. Hopefully they continue the anime and make more, looking forward to it.
2. Asobi Asobase
This show is the shit, like literally it’s the shit, so mind blowing and meta real that you can not believe that what you are watching is considered a slice of life comedy if you can even call it that. No, it requires it’s own new category, meta slice of life reverb BLACK, yea that’s more like it. Asobi Asobase translates loosely as “Workshop of Fun” and indeed that is what this show is, FUN. GOOD. FUN. The opening sequence of the show and first few minutes of the first episode are extremely deceiving, having all of the standard traits of cute slice of life anime featuring cute girls doing cute things that it would be very easy to dismiss it casually as another moeblob show. But if you hold on for a bit, you quickly realize that this is not the case, this show is actually, so off the grid and unique it’s like a breath of fresh air when the girls do intense jojo faces; in casual moments such as playing cards, playing mobile games or simply taking to each other. The feelings, the emotions of the three main girls; they are real, they feel real, not like anime, but real girls and the voice acting of this show reflects that. The main girl, Hanako, played by relative newcomer Hina Kino is outstandingly crazy good, intense yells, screams, deep voices, shrieks, fat voices, lazy voices, happy excited voices, she really brings the jokes and gags of this show to life, no joke, she’s that good. Add to the fact that they have a pretty good death metal song at the ending with abstract faces popping about makes it sure to you that what you are watching is no ordinary slice of life show, no, it’s a meta slice of life reverb BLACK anime. Probably the the best full length comedy anime this year.
1. Yuru Camp
This show is so comfy as fuck how could it not be the best show of 2018? We have slice of life. check? cute girls? check. interesting Winter Camp theme? check. cute moments? check. funny moments? check. excellent music? check. excellent character designs? check. super chill? HELL YEA IT IS. Literally “Laid-Back Camp”, Yuru Camp is the best slice of life show and best show overall for 2018 despite airing very early in the year as part of Winter 2018 season and despite so many other good shows that came after it, it still has a lasting positive impression on me to the point where I decided to buy a Rin nenderoid months after the fact, yea, and I don’t even actively collect nenderoids anymore. Every aspect of this show is executed mastercraft, flawlessly, from the real life scenic locations that the girls camped at, the tools and supplies they used, even the techniques were on point. It’s a kind of show that is so relaxing and easing to the mind that it just goes down so easily, I don’t have to think about enemies, plot or motivations, conspiracies, I just want to watch cute girls doing real life camping things in winter which just so happens makes it look cute and fun. It’s a kind of show that makes you want to do the same activity that the characters are doing, in this case, camping in winter/fall which in itself is unorthodox which goes to show how strong an impact this show had on me. Although I would never do what the girls in the show did, the fact that I thought about it and think it could be fun, is what makes this show so successful. Two objectives: one, get people wanting to visit scenic rural areas in Japan and two, visit during the fall/winter season; which is insane when you think about it. The animation is smooth and suitable, the characters have enough depth and personality, and the music is just so comfy and chill it’s perfect. Best girl Rin is also voiced by Nao Toyama, one of my favorite voice actors and displays a voice type and range unlike any of the other characters that she has played before such as the Kongo sisters from Kancolle or even High Elf Archer from Goblin Slayer. For once she plays a calm and cool quiet character, for once, not ultra hype or yelling. Looking forward to seeing more material from this series, be it mini shows, movie or otherwise. Good shit.
Congratulations Yuru Camp, you are Mai Top Anime of 2018.