Anime Watch of 2025

Let me start this year-end review by ripping off the band-aid and coming clean: I didn't watch a lot of new anime last year.

I can't exactly explain why beyond sheer laziness and having a stronger urge to rewatch previous favorites like Fairy Tail, Komi Can't Communicate and the first episodes of My Happy Marriage. I did try out HIDIVE, albeit only for just one show and only for a handful of episodes of said show. Why yes, I did stupidly continued to pay for the service every month for the rest of the year (and beyond!). I could at least make a valid enough excuse why I didn't watch anything new on Crunchyroll during the fall, which I'll get into more later, but there were plenty of backlog titles that I could have watched instead.

Though I didn't watch a lot of new anime series, I was able to support anime more by seeing many anime films in theaters. And oh boy, what a great year for that, what with the plethora of films that were released. The biggest one, of course, was Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle, which was #7 on the worldwide box office of 2025. But the best news came in the United States: it went to #1 in its opening weekend with a $70 million total, ended up as #18 highest grossing film for 2025, and made Marlon Wayans whine and cry and scream "Fuck Anime!" when the film easily beat his forgettable football horror movie. Then came Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc, which also debuted at #1 and brought in a good chunk of money (it also beat Wayans' movie as well). Most of the other movies (Attack On Titan, Dan Da Dan, Jujutsu Kaisen, Witch Watch, Gundam GQuuuuuuX) were more along the lines of television special events, often consists of previews of new series/seasons and/or reedits of past season arcs. But you could still find some hidden gems, most notably the critically acclaimed 100 Meters. Then there were the so-called one-night-only events, like the 4K restoration of Angel's Egg (breathtaking animation and sound design but pretentious as all hell, causing me to fall asleep at one point) and Clockwork Girl, the first short film of Yasuomi Umetsu's Virgin Punk series (amazing animation and gunplay but did we really need more of his lolita complex?). This is all fine and good for me as a cinephile but I still felt bad for neglecting the rest of anime in 2025.

So, to quote Thomas Jefferson, what did I miss?

It was the year of second seasons, with Solo Leveling, Dan Da Dan, My Dress-Up Darling, My Happy Marriage, Call Of The Night, Grand Blue Dreaming, and, shock of all shocks, New Panty & Stocking With Garterbelt all earning raves. However, it was The Apothecary Diaries and its highly anticipated and hugely popular second season that stood above all.

Netflix handed out more Blue Box and Ranma 1/2, premiered Sakamoto Days and a revival of YAIBA, and stunned critics and animephiles alike with The Summer Hikaru Died.

Honey Lemon Soda brought teen romance and plenty of tears, Kowloon Generic Romance brought adult romance and plenty of sex, Dealing With Mikadono Sisters Is A Breeze brought goofy romance and plenty of laughs, Okitsura also brought goofy romance but instead brought plenty of Okinawan humor, and May I Ask For One Final Thing? brought no romance because it's female lead was too busy beating the shit out of her so-called Prince Charming.

Super Sentai fans got to enjoy The Red Ranger Becomes An Adventurer In Another World, at least until Toei and TV Asahi announced the cancellation of the 50+ year franchise at the end of the year, while Kamen Rider fans got to enjoy the offbeat Tojima Wants To Be A Kamen Rider. And if you wanted more superhero stuff, there was the surprise success of To Be Hero X.

You want dark stuff instead? Okay, you glutton for punishment. You had the action fantasies Gachiakuta and Tougen Anki, "The Thing meets Groundhog Day" with the space horror GNOSIA, the yokai and yuri-fest This Monster Wants To Eat Me, and the ultra dark, holy-shit-what-did-I-watch, near universally acclaimed but you'll never watch it again Takopi’s Original Sin.

Kyoto Animation made it glorious return with the long anticipated adaptation of CITY.

Sunrise and Hideki Anno teamed up for a unique take on Gundam with the very uniquely titled Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX.

Anime critics and plenty a YouTuber express their appreciation for little seen and talked about series like Zenshu, Anne Shirley, and Medalist.

The long and tortured fight to bring the full Macross franchise to America finally ended, with many of the shows, including fan favorites Macross Plus and Macross 7, available via Hulu.

Meanwhile on Disney+, Twisted Wonderland wowed both anime and Disney fans.

Shonen series were still popular with the third season of Spy x Family, the first half of the final season of Fire Force, and the premiere of My Hero Academia: Vigilantes.

And finally, My Hero Academia went out with a huge bang with its final season, which was practically the Stranger Things of anime last year due to how many people watched it, talked about it, and raved about it (yeah, maybe the Stranger Things comparison doesn't work with that last one).

Wow, all of this make it seem like anime was very good in 2025. Well, it was. That's what makes my sheer laziness even more frustrating! Especially since I passed up on the second seasons of past beloved shows like My Dress-Up Darling and Let This Grieving Soul Retire!, not to mention forgoing the anime adaptation of I'm The Evil Lord Of An Intergalactic Empire!, which is one of my current favorite light novel series to read. At least with the latter, however, I heard fans were disappointed that it was only a full adaptation of the first volume and nothing more.

Now, usually this is the part where I talk more about the bad side of the anime in the previous year. Unfortunately, I didn't really venture much into the muck or heard a lot of ire beside there being too many mediocre to fine yet forgettable shows. The only disasters and disappointments that I consistently heard and saw online were: director Shinichirō Watanabe returning with Lazarus to mixed reviews; infamous studio GoHands unleashing another visual monstrosity with Momentary Lily; the long gestated only to flop hard adaptation of Übel Blatt, which was often compared to Berserk, particularly the infamous 2016 series with its inaccessibility and bad production values; the second season of Go! Go! Loser Ranger! collapsing due to it cramming too much plot and faulty animation; and certainly the biggest point of discussion, One-Punch Man refusing to die and giving us a third season that is apparently even worse the infamous second season.

But there were far worse things that happened to anime. Far, far worse than any bad show or season. And what a surprise, they came from major American companies! First, there was Crunchyroll. The company/streaming service continued to lose their goodwill with anime fans when it was discovered that they were allegedly using generative AI for their subtitling of shows in the summer and fall seasons. This is incredibly awful because, as someone who can attest to and witnessed the anime distribution of the past, we live in an era now where Japanese-to-English scripts can be properly executed by talented translators. But because that costs money and you have all of the annoying tech bros talking up how great AI is, despite it being practically universally loathed, Sony and Crunchyroll would rather pinch their pennies and really hope that anime audiences will forgive and forget that they are actively ruining their own business with this terrible strategy. That's really bad, hence why I didn't really watch stuff in the fall, but then came early December, when it was discovered that Amazon was also testing out generative AI but for far more devious reasons. Announced in early March but slyly integrated at the end of the year, Amazon created "AI beta" auto-dubs for shows like Banana Fish and No Game, No Life, despite the latter actually having an official English dub. Everybody, from fans to professional voice actors to creators, were utterly aghast, that is when they weren't laughing their ass off at the viral clips that were being shown across the web, most notably a scene from Banana Fish when the main character is "distraught" when a kid is shot and dying in his arms. This generated nuclear heat online, causing Amazon to quickly remove the auto-dubs from their site and they have since become lost media. However, the fact that someone tried this has woken a sleeping giant and could lead to a potential reckoning down the line.

Shit, that last paragraph was really depressing, even though I already lived through both debacles. Let's end on a positive note: you know was also great about 2025? The return of the $4.99 anime sale on iTunes! They came back in April and since then have continued biweekly, with many previous Funimation titles such as Ai Yori Aoshi, Haibane Renmei, and Level E, all of which are still unavailable on Crunchyroll, being up for grabs. And why yes again, I spent more time and money on buying up these shows than actually watching any of them.

Now, let's just get on to the main event, shall we? Here are the list of anime series that I watched last year. As always, the list goes from what I decided was the best and continues all the way down to the least liked or worst.

The rules are the same: The overall quality of the show and my response to it are the major factors toward their rank. However, other additional factors such as replayability, voice talent, and lasting impact can help sway the show's placing. Only new shows/new viewings count; rewatches are immediately disqualified and if I watch a show that I already started, only the continuing unwatched episodes will be reviewed. I treat and grade all series fairly, even ones that I haven't actually finished or may not choose to finish. If you see a * next to the title, that means I had a limited sampling of the show or didn't complete the series/franchise fully.

1. The Eminence In Shadow* [episodes 1-5]

I know a lot of people dunk on this series or simply call it trash entertainment but come on, everyone, this show is so much fun. Granted, the first episode is a bit of a throwaway outside of the ending moments. But then you get into the main drive of the show, where a chunibyo get isekaied and reincarnated into a new world, proceeds to become a darker version of Batman and create his own cult/band of superheroes, only to not realize that it shares the same name as an actual group of villainy and scum. Again, come on, people, how can you hate on a show where the protagonist buys a bunch of expensive crap, places it all around his student dorm room, and waits until nightfall just so he can look cool to an underling? And I'm not even getting into the whole "he created McDonald's" subplot or the famous "I Am Atomic!" scene. So why did I stop at episode 5? Can't really give you an answer, quite frankly. Maybe all of the torture scenes? I don't really know anymore, as I watched this last January, but I do want to get back on the crazy train and see what happens next.

2. I Left My A-Rank Party To Help My Former Students Reach The Dungeon Depths!* [eps. 1-7]

A little sad that I stopped watching this, as it was the most entertaining 2025 anime for me (which isn't saying much when I only watched two series). I liked how it went beyond the usual "banished and betrayed" tales by having the protagonist finding his groove again as a new party leader/instructor on how to adventure in dungeons. The whole live-streaming aspect is really weird at first but it gets further developed and help make the show stand out more, especially with a subplot where the main character's former party get caught spouting racist insults at a dark elf, creating a public relations nightmare. Props also to Drew Breedlove's steadily righteous voice performance and the pretty cool opening theme "Enter" by L.E.I. Definitely will pick it up again and complete it.

3. A Playthrough Of A Certain Dude's VRMMO Life

The only series that I finished entirely. Was it worth it? Eh, sorta of. I mean the show lives up to its title; it really is just some guy's misadventures while playing a VRMMO. Sometimes he ends up being a hero, other times he's spending an entire episode crafting and cooking. While I liked this laissez-faire approach to the story, it also serves as the show's biggest issue. New characters keep getting introduced, making you think that they will be important, especially since they all appear in both the opening and ending credit sequences, but they only stop by for an episode or two, save for the delightful wolf-eared fairy queen. Events and other troubles get resolved in the background without the protagonist's help. Worse, you never get any answers as to what's up with the secret boardroom of game developers that the show keeps cutting to. Then at the last episode, the showrunners are like ah screw it, bring in some random dragon guy so we can end the show with one last battle. Not great but an okay watch.

4. The Strongest Magician In The Demon Lord's Army Was A Human* [eps. 1-3]

Tries to be super serious on all fronts but it works better if you treat it as dumb but fun fantasy fluff. The scene where the hero is "assassinated" in the flattest manner ever yet his underling screams to the heavens was the most unintentionally funniest moment of the year for me. I'll probably give it a second try.

5. Possibly The Greatest Alchemist Of All Time* [eps. 1-3]

This was on the fine line of okay until it got into the whole slavery aspect. Seriously, why have that? It tries to play it off as a softer, more humane take on it but it didn't really need to be here in the first place. For God's sake, this is a show where the main guy makes a fortune after he creates a magic toilet that eliminates odors and shit! I might give it another chance but I really believe it will not stick with me at all beyond that magic toilet.

6. Bogus Skill <<Fruitmaster>>: About That Time I Became Able To Eat Unlimited Numbers Of Skill Fruits (That Kill You)* [eps. 1-6]

This show was featured on many worst anime of 2025 lists, so of course it had to be really bad, right? The thing is the show is watchable but it just so pedestrian and not awful enough for bad anime watchers. Most of my hatred of it, however, was targeted towards the show's main antagonist. Not only is the character blatantly evil in public, she runs the whole skill fruit enterprise, possesses immense control over the adventuring and merchant guilds, plus openly shepherds the so-called best team of adventurers despite them all being assholes who create public destruction everywhere they go. And nobody bats an eye to all this because everyone else is underwritten and just plain stupid. Probably will just call it and leave the rest of the show to rot.

Yeah, I know, not exactly a great crop of shows. Plus, I once again failed all of my anime-based new year's resolutions. So, what do I have planned for 2026? Well, there is a major personal project that I'm currently finalizing. It will be revealed in a couple of months from now (here's a hint: when does a certain "big number" impacts your own life and leads many people to cheer/jeer you?). I will say at least that I will, not try, finally watch Classroom Of The Elite and High School DxD for the first time and catch up/finish up Iruma-kun, Fire Force, and My Next Life As A Villainess.

Anime Watch of 2024

Anime continues to grow in popularity and acceptance in America, all thanks to 2024 being another banner year for the art form. Netflix certainly deserves major kudos, as the streaming platform hosted and produced what many considered the best new offering of the year, Delicious In Dungeon. They also expanded their selection by being the backer behind Blue Box and the remake of Ranma 1/2. And in order to steal some of Crunchyroll's thunder, Netflix sub-hosted and gave the biggest exposure to other acclaimed fare, most notably the breakout fall hit Dan Da Dan. Blue Box and Dan Da Dan weren't the only popular adaptations from works published by Shueisha and featured as part of Shonen Jump. Kaiju No. 8 was a huge favorite in the spring and The Elusive Samurai proved to be a real winner, the latter more so in Japan than in other parts of the world though given its subject matter. Romantic comedies continued to sprout up, with the clear favorites being Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings In Russian, Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines!, and the acclaimed second season of The Dangers In My Heart. Despite generating a lot of controversy and some backlash from certain anime fans, the very kinky Gushing Over Magical Girls shockingly became more and more well received as its progressed through its first season and became a surprise hit. Solo Leveling was the latest adaptation of a South Korean work to become majorly popular, largely thanks to the animation of A-1 Pictures. Quiet hits came in the form of The Apothecary Diaries and Girls Band Cry, the latter having to suffer from colossal mismanagement from Toei Animation before it was officially released overseas in the fall. Author Fujino Omori was on cloud nine, as his light novel Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In a Dungeon? continued on with a successful fifth season and his manga Wistoria: Wand And Sword was finally adapted and became a summer hit. And to close things out on a high note, Oshi No Ko once again stormed the charts with its second season while Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, which ended its 28(?) episode run in March, stormed a different chart, when it dethroned Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood to become the new number one top anime series on the popular website MyAnimeList.

Amid all of this great fanfare and entertaining, well, fare, there of course were some bad titles. However, instead of focusing on the ones that are doomed to be forgotten (hello The Banished Former Hero Lives As He Pleases!), I want to highlight the projects that left an indelible impression last year for all the wrong reasons. 2024 started with many critics and viewers thoroughly impressed with the first episode of Metallic Rouge, with some going so far as to call it best of the year material. Then the rest of the series transpired and it steadily lost its luster and all of its goodwill, with many anime fans lamenting the pacing and numerous story issues. Speaking of losing their goodwill, former Crunchyroll Original and 2020 big hit Tower Of God became a total laughingstock with its elongated and much hated second season. That may have been pretty bad, to the point where it seemed you couldn't go anywhere without someone lambasting it, but it wasn't as near universal as the poor reception for the fourth season of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba. This season could be summed up with one word: Boring. I'm still not caught up with the show to totally confirm this assessment but considering my opinion of the To The Hashira Training movie last year, I can totally believe it. And despite harsh critical reception and being a presence on many worst of the year lists, the edgy isekai Failure Frame was a popular hit with many and a true guilty pleasure for some but was no Arifureta.

One of the biggest negatives of Failure Frame was its fluctuating animation quality, a complaint that proved to be a very notable issue in other shows but for a few, it became the death blow. Shonen soccer drama Blue Lock ramped up the stacks for season two but you wouldn't have felt it because the sports action was practically a slideshow, largely thanks to alleged poor production conditions and decision making. Whisper Me A Love Song became a bizarre affair because of similar production issues as the yuri romance was scheduled for January, delayed to April, aired its first ten episodes until the end of June, then ghosted until December 29 when the final two episodes aired. But there were two that took the cake of infamy last year. First up was Our Last Crusade Or The Rise Of A New World, whose second season was greenlit back in 2021 but by the time it premiered last July, only four episodes were made. It was quickly announced that all future episodes were delayed indefinitely in order "to maintain the quality" of the show, with no word since of any progress or cancellation. And then, there was Uzumaki. Dear lord, Uzumaki. The television adaptation of the beloved manga from horror maestro Junji Ito was heavily hyped up for several years, had the backing of both Production I.G. and Adult Swim, and looked to finally deliver what Ito fans wanted. The first episode aired to utter rave reviews due to its breathtaking animation, haunting black and white art style, and faithfulness to the original story. Then episode two aired and everything quickly went to shit. The animation was now completely poor and horribly executed. Clips were quickly shared online and memeified, the show started to negatively trend on social networks, and its issues were becoming more widely noted by mainstream outlets. Nothing improved with the third and fourth episodes and the miniseries would become the biggest fiasco of the year.

Those were some pretty bad shows but there were worst things happening in the news front of anime. The biggest news story for all American anime fans was the official closure of Funimation. The distributor/streaming service fully merged with its Sony compatriot Crunchyroll in April, with users given the option to unite their accounts and watch history. However, there were two very big problems, one of which drew the most ire. Not only were a great amount of Funimation shows not coming to Crunchyroll, including anime classics like Crest/Banner of the Stars and Escaflowne, but user's digital copies of anime shows, which came with the purchase of Funimation blu-rays, would be nontransferable. Myself and a ton of others were rightfully furious at the latter issue, to the point that it made mainstream business news. The president of Crunchyroll would later state that they are looking to compensate users for the digital copies but nothing has been heard of the action since. Crunchyroll would further draw anger when in July the streaming service removed all fan reviews and episode comments, as in the entire history of them since the service's inception. This decision apparently was brought on due to an online hate campaign and review bombing of the new yaoi romance show Twilight Out Of Focus but others also point out that it coincided with the negative reception to the poor subtitling of another new show My Deer Friend Nokotan, allegedly due to it being A.I. generated and an attempt for Crunchyroll to justify cutting costs and reducing staff.

When it comes to poorly received dubs, however, Crunchyroll had nothing to do with that last year. Instead, it came from the near mishandling of the American blu-ray release of Lovely Complex. The popular 2007 romcom was finally coming to blu-ray via Discotek Media and it was also announced to be getting a new English dub. However, the release became product non grata when one of the dub writers, Brendan Blaber aka YouTuber JelloApocalypse, opened his smug mouth and stated in an online post that he hated the show and how he helped "fix" it by changing a lot of its original elements. Apparently, Discotek noticed the changes and removed them in the nick of time, right before they and everyone else in the anime distribution, translation and localization industry blackballed Blaber from all future projects. But the biggest declaration of blackballing actually came from Japan, when legendary voice actor Toru Furuya, the man who was the voice behind Amuro Ray, Tuxedo Mask, Seiya, and Sabo, self-imploded his own career after a damning interview in late May. Furuya shockingly admitted to previously having a 4 1/2 year long affair with a fan, where he physically and mentally abused her and disturbingly forced her to have an abortion. A month later, when the outrage refused to go away and companies began to pull him from current and future projects, the actor announced that he would be stepping down from his talent agency and from all of his famous roles. One anime production company that also didn't have any future projects and didn't survive to the end of 2024 was Gainax, the legendary animation studio that gave us Gunbuster, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and Gurren Lagann. After more than a decade of controversy, poor business decisions and creative exodus, the studio declared bankruptcy and ceased operations in June.

While there were a lot of bad things that happened in the anime industry last year, nothing was as worse as when we lost several people that helped shaped it. Noriko Ohara and Atusko Tanaka were two of the greatest voice actresses ever, giving life to such famous characters as Nobita Nobi and Mokoto Kusanagi respectively. Hinako Ashihara was a popular shojo manga artist that just wanted her work to be faithfully adapted by others. Rachel Lillis was one of the American queens of anime voice acting from the late 90s to mid-2000s, being the original and signature voice behind the tomboy gym leader turned Ash's traveling buddy Misty, Team Rocket villainess Jesse, and the ever troublesome singing creature Jigglypuff in the Pokemon franchise. She also became a hero for many girls and/or those looking for a strong character that matched their sexuality when she voiced the titular character/queer icon of Revolutionary Girl Utena. And then, there's Akira Toriyama. The man who created Dragon Ball, the title that changed the medium of manga and the shonen genre. The man who created Dragon Ball Z, the title that was so revolutionary and different for the American public that they were able to accept this thing called anime. The man who co-created Dragon Quest, the video game franchise that became an institution of the role-playing genre and a true cultural phenomenon in Japan were it not for his contributions as character and monster designer.

I wanted to get all of the good, bad, and really heavy stuff out of the way first because, well, there was a lot of it in 2024 and they were far more important than the so-called plights facing this anime viewer. I only watched a little more than I did last year but I didn't feel like I squandered anything besides not paying for one last month of Funimation before it was wiped from online existence. I really had a hankering to watch Crest of the Stars again and to finish up Chrome Shelled Regios but not so much as to go and buy them on DVD. I of course also didn't hit any of my goals, with the one I'm really angry at myself for not doing was watching and cheering on the second season of Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki-kun. Despite getting really good reviews, the show seemed to have suffered the same audience apathy that befalls all second seasons of anime shows. But the thing that really pissed me off, more so than the Funimation digital copies issue strangely, came in August when iTunes suddenly without explanation ended its $4.99 anime sales. For a long time now, an anime fan could biweekly get a 13 to 26 series/season digitally and spend only five bucks, whether it was one of their favorites or a title that looked interesting or simply to grow their digital library. And this just ended late last year with no announcement why, leaving myself and many others truly dismayed. Seriously, there are a lot of Americans that don't want to support Crunchyroll or Sony but would gladly give up a Lincoln to Apple. Whatever or whoever was responsible for the demise of the sales, Apple certainly suffered the consequences of the action, as their anime television sales have dropped significantly on iTunes according to their daily top charts. 

Now let's just get on to the main event, shall we? Here are the list of anime shows that I watched last year. As always, the list goes from what I dubbed was the best all the way down to the least liked or worst. The rules are the same: The overall quality of the show and my response to it are the major factors toward their rank. However, other additional factors such as replayability, voice talent, and lasting impact can help sway their placing. Only new shows/new viewings count; rewatches are immediately disqualified and if I watch a show that I already started, only the continuing unwatched episodes will be reviewed. I treat and grade all series fairly, even ones that I haven't actually finished or may not choose to finish. If you see a * next to the title, that means I had a limited sampling of the show or didn't complete the series/franchise fully.

1. The Wrong Way To Use Healing Magic

Next time somebody says that there isn't any good isekai shows around, point them to this one. This series gives us a really likeable mc, an awesome twist on "healing" magic, characters that we actually care about, a lot of great action and comedy, and a fantastic English dub. Seriously, my favorite quote of the year was Alexis Tipton's delivery of the line, "Look at all of this BEEF!". And once, RIP Atusko Tanaka. Colleen Clinkenbeard may have pulled off her usual badassery as the hardnosed, hardcore healing mage Rose but Tanaka brought the goods, especially the comically maniacal side of the character.

2. My Happy Marriage* [eps. 1-8]

Oh, I just love a good melodrama when it is pulled off well. With this show, you get six excellent episodes and a fantastic climax only to go, oh wait, there are another six episodes left. Unfortunately, I fell off with the next storyline, mainly because of that stupid boring interloper, but I do plan on catching up with the show so I can watch the second season, which has currently started on Netflix. This show also gets bonus points because I actually got my mom interested in watching it.

3. Chillin’ In Another World With Level 2 Super Cheat Powers

Yep, another isekai but with a slight twist. I frankly just enjoyed how this show spent a lot of time on the main couple and their ever evolving relationship, to the point where holy crap the main characters actually had sex! Also, the protagonists' first encounter with the djinn character was one of the best anime moments of the year. It did have some notable issues though specifically how the other summoned so-called hero just becomes a gag character despite his evil actions and how the Demon Lord's ordinary form doesn't make him good looking at all. Still, the show was straight up funny and I had a good time with it.

4. The Ossan Newbie Adventurer, Trained To Death By The Most Powerful Party, Became Invincible

One of the sleeper hits of 2024, this had a lot more to it than just a goofy premise and a hot dark elf girl. It has a great message about how even when the world gets you down and says you can't, holding on to your dream and pursuing it any way you can will always be a just cause. Yeah, I'm reading a little too much into something that basically presents what if Izuku Midoriya lived in a fantasy world and was in his 30s but the show was still a nice surprise treat to enjoy. Lastly, having the opening tune be a throwback to old hero anime theme songs was the perfect cherry on top.

5. Fairy Tail* [eps. 87-118]

Finally cleared the Edolas arc, only to get stuck in the Tenrou Island arc. I swear I'll eventually "all clear" this series simply so I can finally play the franchise's recent JRPGS. Also, "Soul of Iron"/"Iron Soul" is a great watch.

6. Let This Grieving Soul Retire

I loved how this series played with standard fantasy tropes and its satirization of so-called heroic adventurers and the fearless mastermind who oversees them. Unfortunately, the show slugs a bit in the middle episodes, especially since the action is literally taking place at the same dungeon from the first storyline but now with more forests. Still, it gets by with its humor, creative touches to its opening credits and ending previews, and great performances from Kensho Ono and Fairouz Ai.

7. Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable!* [eps. 1-10]

This was the first anime I watched last year and I had a lot of cozy fun with it, even with all of the blatant "come to Hokkaido" story elements. My only guess as to why I didn't finish it was probably because I didn't like how the protagonist's grandma suddenly turned heel and actual stakes were thrust into the story. I'll try to get around to finishing it, or at least re-watch the Valentine's Day episode, which I felt was the best of the series. 

8. In Another World With My Smartphone 2* [eps. 2-4]

Yep, I'm still chugging through this second season, even though it is not as great or fun as the first. After seeing three more episodes, I can now safely say that man, what a terrible first episode this season had! It needed to spend less time staring at all of the heroines' bras and breasts and more time on the comedy and interpersonal relationships. No wonder I gave this up in 2023.

9. Ladies Versus Butlers [eps. 1-7]

I would love to say that fan service shows aren't always that bad but then I watched this one. It has its moments and the dub is okay given that it's coming from Media Blasters. However, to paraphrase the great Crow T. Robot, this is a good display of when sexy becomes annoying. And come the fuck on with that female artist character and how she is totally "19" years old.

So, what do I have geared up to do this year? First, I want to dabble with HIDIVE and their selection of shows, especially since Amazon did another one of their special subscription sales through Prime Video. I want to finally give two big Funimation titles a watch, those being Classroom of the Elite and High School DxD (yes, I will be watching the dub despite you know what). I want to catch up with Fire Force, especially before the final season starts later this year. I also want to catch up with my beloved Iruma-kun before season 4 comes about. And finally, I want to finish up the second season of My Next Life As A Villainess, which I have putting off for three years now!

Anime Watch of 2023

Demon Slayer continued its reign at the top, utilizing movie theaters to help build up the anticipation for its next season, which of course drew huge numbers. On the other hand, the debuting Oshi no Ko had a firm hold on the anime world, largely thanks to its shocking first episode, dark storyline, and a killer opening theme. Jujutsu Kaisen, Spy x Family, and Vinland Saga all had popular second seasons and we got to see the return of a certain red jacketed space outlaw in a highly acclaimed revival. Romance was in the air, as we saw many hearts aflutter in comedies (Tomo-Chan Is A Girl!, The Dangers In My Heart, Skip and Loafer) and dramas (My Happy Marriage, The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten) that were all well appreciated. Netflix had two regular anime hits with Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead and and the American co-production Scott Pilgrim Takes Off and was the toast of the summer with their popular live-action adaptation of One Piece. Frieren: Beyond Journey's End lived up to its high expectations and became a big hit. And finally, Attack On Titan was laid to rest, ending its protracted fourth season and the series entirely with two special episodes.

Yep, 2023 was a very good year for anime. Too bad I let the majority of it go to waste.

As stated in my last Anime Watch article, thanks to Sony trying to consolidate Funimation and Crunchyroll together (despite the fact that they are strangely still two separate pay-to-watch entities), my paid yearly subscriptions were also combined. I could watch all of the anime that I ever wanted on Crunchyroll and I didn't have to paid a single cent until December 1, 2023. However, my energy and urge for anime just wasn't going to the television and streaming fronts. Why sit down with a long-form romantic comedy when Makoto Shinkai dazzled me in one sitting in movie theaters on my birthday? Why watch an entire Gundam series when I could get its story streamlined while blowing up mobile suits in tactical RPGs or action video games? Why check out new series when I can just rewatch old episodes of MegaMan NT Warrior on Twitch and YouTube via Capcom or finally check out the English dub of the second half of Komi Can't Communicate? Or quite simply, why watch when I can spend more time reading manga and light novels and feel more satisfied?

So yeah, I pretty much squandered my free subscription. I didn't really watch a lot of regular anime shows, nor did I hit the anime goals that I set last year. I didn't watch Spy x Family, season 1 or the premiering season 2, instead settling for reading the entirety of the manga. They were second seasons for shows I previously enjoyed but I either didn't partake in them or pathetically watched only the first episode. Though I don't really feel too bad about my lack of anime watching (again, I didn't waste money on it unlike say my Max subscription), it still kinda sucks I let the majority of it escape me.

Not helping matters was all of the drama that popped up, which I spent more time looking at or watching YouTube videos about than actually watching anime. While Oshi no Ko was the new hot thing, the fact that the property used the real-life struggles of pro wrestler Hana Kimura, who committed suicide in 2020, as the basis for one of the characters discouraged a lot of people, most notably her mother Kyoko Kimura who called the show out for it. Resurgences of COVID affected the releases for a lot of shows, killing their momentum and the attention of viewers. Sony did another shutdown/merger when popular long-time online store RightStuf was merged with Crunchyroll's own online store. Crunchyroll sunset their digital manga section, which was a popular place at one time but quickly died a slow painful death after losing the licenses to Kodansha titles. Major scandals emerged when popular anime company MAPPA was hit with allegations of poor working conditions and male idol talent agency Johnny & Associates was revealed to having a long disturbing history of sexual harassment claims, cover-ups, and blacklistings. Controversy came to American dubbing when Anairis Quiñones's role and all of her recorded lines as Yoruichi in Bleach: Thousand Blood War were being replaced by the character's original voice actress Wendee Lee, leading to anger, frustration, a whole lotta drama on Twitter, and questions about diversity in voice acting and caving to "fan" pressure. And then you had the anime shows that were just so bad, including KamiKatsu, I Got A Cheat Skill..., Ayakashi Triangle (broadcast version), MF Ghost, Butareba, and quite sadly the second half of the second season of The Devil Is A Part-Timer!

But enough about about all of that, let's just move on to the small list of the anime shows that I actually did watch last year. As like before, the list goes from what I dubbed was the best all the way down to the worst. The rules are the same: The overall quality of the show and my response to it are the major factors toward their rank. However, other additional factors such as replayability, voice talent, and lasting impact can help sway their placing. Only new shows/new viewings count; rewatches are immediately disqualified and if I watch a show that I already started, only the continuing unwatched episodes will be reviewed. I treat and grade all series fairly, even ones that I haven't actually finished or may not choose to finish. If you see a * next to the title, that means I had a limited sampling of the show or didn't complete the series/franchise fully.

1. Star Blazers* [eps. 1-5]

2. Pokémon Concierge

3. My Clueless First Friend* [eps. 1-5]

4. Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny* [eps. 1-6]

5. In Another World With My Smartphone* (Season 2) [ep. 1]

6. The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses* [ep. 1]

Yeah, as I said, not a whole watched last year. Funny how the best show I watched was something I had to glean off of YouTube. Seriously, someone really needs to bring Star Blazers to blu-ray now! I don't really think 4-6 were truly terrible but they all had big issues, namely pacing (SEED Destiny), boring Japanese voice acting (Smartphone), and whatever you call that animation (Glasses). Man, I kinda enjoy the original manga of The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses but GoHands is an infamous animation studio and they did quite a number on such a simple romantic comedy.

So what to do this year? Finally watch all of Spy x Family, hopefully in time for the American release of the movie Code: White. Also maybe finish SEED Destiny, despite its many troubles, in time for the new movie. Watch Season 3 of Iruma-Kun. Catch up on all of the romantic comedies I missed out on. Watch and cheer on the second season of Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki-kun. Finally finish Fire Force!

Anime Watch of 2022

2022 was pretty monumental for the anime industry, especially here in the United States. After much stalling and people lamenting when the other shoe would drop, it was announced in March that Sony would consolidate their anime brands. Funimation, the long time anime distributor and licensor company which had survived both the 90s anime rush and the mid-to-late 00's dark age of anime, would be consolidated with Sony's streaming service Crunchyroll. All of Funimation's current acquisitions and airing shows? Now premiering on Crunchyroll, including the dubs. Their back catalog? Slowly being added throughout the year. The online store? Also consolidated with Crunchyroll's. The home video releases? All now under the new name and sporting the Crunchyroll logo. And their current streaming platform? Still up as of January 2023 but no new titles and will eventually be sunset.

I get it, the Crunchyroll name and brand is more well known across the globe but it does still suck. Despite their own history of issues, I've always liked and trusted the Funimation brand; whenever I saw their logo pop up before something, it would make me smile and give me some assurance that everything would relatively be in good hands. Unfortunately for me and everybody else, there were far more things that sucked with the Crunchyroll "takeover". First, most obviously because of the merger, Sentai Filmworks removed many of their exclusive titles from the Crunchyroll platform by the end of March, including several big shows such as the first two seasons of My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU. Then to further conquer the anime market and beef up their frankly poor online store presence, Crunchyroll bought up the popular anime online retailer Right Stuf in August and did the obvious corporate decision by immediately jettisoning their adult section. And finally, to hurt even more feelings and cause a lot of controversy, the company in September chose to not renew voice actor Kyle McCarley's contract to voice the main character of hugely popular show Mob Psycho 100 largely due to him being a member of SAG.

All of that sucked but unless you wanted to enter pirate waters to watch anime, you just had to swallow it and move on. And the thing is, at least with me, it wasn't really that bad. I was very concerned about the merger especially since I had a yearly subscription to both Funimation and Crunchyroll. Thankfully, Crunchyroll was aware of this issue with many of their subscribers and thanks to the very helpful customer service department, I have a free subscription until December 2023. Though they took over Right Stuf, non-adult business is still usual and Crunchyroll hasn't prevented any of their competitors from having their products be listed. However, though I am happy that a lot of the Funimation crew and cast are still being retained, I do really wish that Crunchyroll start to take voice acting and unions more seriously.

Now enough about Crunchyroll, what about the anime of 2022? Well, as I said up top, is was pretty monumental. Spy x Family and Chainsaw Man were the two most popular new shows of the year and crossed over with a lot of non-anime fans. Romantic comedies were all the rage led by the pretty surprising success of My Dress-Up Darling. Netflix and Studio Trigger's Cyberpunk: Edgerunners surprised everyone by actually being very good, so much so that it helped spur sales of the infamous video game it's based on. Several cult gems popped up and became the most talked titles of the year, such as Lycoris Recoil, Bocchi The Rock!, and the non-licensed Summer Time Rendering. Many shows returned with another season, Urusei Yatsura got a modern remake, Bleach came back, Blue Lock made Americans interested in soccer and people started to care about Gundams again with Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury. And then you have the rich collection of anime movies that all quite surprisingly got theatrical releases here in the States, including One Piece Film Red, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, Jujutsu Kaisen Zero, The Quintessential Quintuplets Movie, Mobile Suit Gundam: Cucuruz Doan's Island and Teasing Master Takagi-San: The Movie.

Of course, not everything was truly rosy. Some of the new seasons/parts ended up being huge disappointments. The most notable examples: the second seasons of The Rising Of The Shield Hero, The Devil Is A Part Timer!, and Rent-A-Girlfriend; the second part of Ranking Of Kings; and the final season of Attack On Titan. People were rolling their eyes and mocked the heavily censored World's End Harem and Harem In The Labyrinth Of Another World. The highly anticipated anime adaptation of Lucifer And The Biscuit Hammer was so bad it created a ton of vitriol online not seen since The Promised Neverland Season 2 (wait, no, there was no second season). And truly the worst thing to happen last year for anime, worst than anything you can say about Crunchyroll, voice actor Billy Kametz passed away shortly after revealing that he had been diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer.

As for myself in 2022, well, though everything eventually worked out with the Funimation-Crunchyroll merger, the drama of it all coupled with my declining interest in watching anime let alone television in general hurt my anime watch. Of the six titles I mentioned at the end of my Anime Watch of 2021 article that I planned on viewing, I only saw half of them. I stupidly skipped out on Spy x Family, Chainsaw Man, Love After World Domination, and Shikimori's Not Just A Cutie even though I'm a fan of their respective manga. Did the same skip with The Genius Prince and Trapped In A Dating Sim despite being a fan of the light novel series, especially of the former. I couldn't stupidly bring myself to spend $5 for at least one month for Hi-Dive just to view Call Of The Night and most egregiously Season 3 of Teasing Master Takagi-San. And despite my praise for them in the past, I didn't watch the latest seasons of Uzaki-Chan Wants To Hang Out! and Welcome To Demon School! Iruma-kun. I spent more time last year caring about watching anime on the movie theater than I did on my computer or television. Fun note: I literally planned on making a long drive to Boston in order to see Teasing Master Takagi-San: The Movie, this despite again not even attempting to watch Season 3!

Since I like to capture my thoughts and feelings, I once again decided to create a list of my watched anime shows, starting from what I dubbed were the best and traveling all the way down to the ones that left me angry and/or stupefied. The rules of the list are the same: The overall quality of the show and my personal response to it are the major factors towards their rank. However, other additional factors such as replayability, voice talent, and lasting impact can help sway their placing. Only new shows/new viewings count; rewatches are immediately disqualified and if I watch a show that I already started, only the continuing unwatched episodes will be reviewed. I treat and grade all series fairly, even ones that I haven't actually finished or may not choose to finish. If you see a * next to the title, that means I had a limited sampling of the show or didn't complete the series/franchise fully.

1. My Dress-Up Darling

2. Komi Can't Communicate (Season 2)

3. How A Realist Hero Rebuilt The Kingdom (Part 2)

4. Kotaro Lives Alone* [eps. 1-2]

5. Knight's & Magic* [eps. 1-5]

6. Absolute Duo* [eps. 1-6]

7. Trinity Seven* [eps. 1-3]

So, where do I go from here? Well, my number one thing to do in 2023 is definitely watch Spy x Family. Regardless if my anime fever remains low, I just have to watch that show. I definitely also want to watch Season 3 of Iruma-kun, maybe after rewatching Season 2 with the English dub. I do want to turn things around and watch more anime but I don't want to force it. On other hand, I don't want to watch something just when I happen to have a sudden interest in it, as that was my strategy in the second half of 2022. I'll certainly figure something out and not lose sleep on it. Besides, even if I don't watch anything in the first three months of this year, I'm not losing any money for it plus there are several titles I'm looking forward to come April. Hopefully you get to hear my thoughts on those and more next January.

Anime Watch of 2021

2021 may very likely go down as one of the best years ever for anime. The year was flooded with many highly acclaimed series and highly anticipated adaptations. Even when it looked like the fall season was going to be skippable, it birthed out some original titles that greatly shook viewers. Netflix started to break the chains off of their "jail" policy in order to experiment while also delivering several titles that had fans cheering up and down for. Even the movies side came in spades, from the American box office success of Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train to global fans finally able to say goodbye to Evangelion and allow Hideki Anno some much needed rest.

However, I purposefully said one of the best years ever for anime, not perfect. Because oh man were there some mammoth lowlights. Let's start by talking about the elephant in the room: the disaster that was the second/last season of The Promised Neverland. A catastrophe so monumental that some fans now more willingly than jokingly believe it never existed. Then you have the other "holy shit" collapses of the year, namely Wonder Egg Priority, The Detective Is Already Dead, Peach Boy Riverside and (depending on who you ask) Fena: Pirate Princess. These failures were so big and dreadful that they literally made everyone forgot all about the controversy surrounding Redo of Healer. And though the fall season had some surprises, the worst of them was the universal rejection of Netflix's live-action adaptation of Cowboy Bebop, a bomb so bad that Netflix had to announce its cancellation mere weeks after it dropped.

As for myself in 2021, I continued my journey through anime series I missed while also partaking on newer ones that caught my eye. I kicked off the year re-upping my annual subscriptions to Funimation and Crunchyroll, though I still greatly wish that I could get a discount on them now that the two streaming platforms are both owned by Sony. I pretty much predicted myself not to pig out on anime as much as I did in 2020 but I expected to have a big enough haul. Things were going fine for the most part until I reached the end of September. At that point, I just flat out stopped watching. From then to New Year's Eve, I didn't watch anything save for one show on Netflix, not even a rewatch of an episode. After theorizing and doing some research, it appears that I've underestimated how greatly the sudden death of a beloved family member to COVID affected me. Instead of finding some comfort in anime, I went to movies, video games, YouTube, and Twitch. I do feel bad about leaving anime in the dust during this period, as I was counting on myself to finally make time for Horimiya after richly enjoying its first manga volumes, support Banished From The Hero's Party after reading its first two light novel volumes, continue my trek through rom-com with My Senpai Is Annoying, check out the highly anticipated (but stupidly delayed in America) adaptation of Edens Zero, partake in the sports insanity of Sk8 The Infinity, return to Cell At Work!! with its new brief season and its spinoff title Code Black, and/or see what all the hubbub was about ODDTAXI. Hell, I also didn't make time to finish up shows I liked in 2020, such as Fire Force and Black Clover. Regardless, I ended the year with a watch count of 39 series.

Since I like to capture my thoughts and feelings, I once again decided to create a list of my watched shows, starting from what I dubbed were the best and traveling all the way down to the ones that left me angry and/or stupefied. The rules of the list are as follows: The overall quality of the show and my personal response to it are the major factors towards their rank. However, other additional factors such as replayability, voice talent, and lasting impact can help sway their placing. Only new shows/new viewings count; rewatches are immediately disqualified and if I watch a show that I already started, only the continuing unwatched episodes will be reviewed. I treat and grade all series fairly, even ones that I haven't actually finished or may not choose to finish. If you see a * next to the title, that means I had a limited sampling of the show or didn't complete the series/franchise fully. However, to shake up things from the 2020 edition, I have included shows I watched on Netflix to the list, thus giving a more fuller view of my anime habits in 2021.

(NOTE: Like last year, I wanted to have the full list made live as soon as possible. I will be continuing to edit and include more thoughts and screenshots until fully satisfied.) 

1. Komi Can’t Communicate

2. Welcome To Demon School! Iruma-kun (Season 2)

3. Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki

4. Oresuki: Are You The Only One Who Loves Me?

5. Don’t Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro

6. My Next Life As A Villainess: All Routes Lead To Doom! X* [eps. 1-5]

7. Pui Pui Molcar

8. Haganai

9. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

10. Tonikawa: Over The Moon For You

11. The Devil Is A Part-Timer!

12. Suppose A Kid From The Last Dungeon Boonies Moved To A Starter Town

13. How A Realist Hero Rebuilt The Kingdom

14. How Not To Summon A Demon Lord

15. Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon?

16. Toradora!

17. The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.* (Season 1)

18. Jujutsu Kaisen* [eps. 1-3]

19. Kuroko’s Basketball* [eps. 1-14]

20. The Misfit Of Demon King Academy* [eps. 1-4]

21. I’ve Been Killing Slimes For 300 Years And Maxed Out My Level* [eps. 1-3]

22. The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter* [eps. 1-6]

23. Tsukimichi -Moonlit Fantasy-* [eps. 1-4]

24. Black Clover* [ep. 170]

25. Hundred

26. Lovely Complex* [ep. 1]

27. Kyo Kara Maoh!* [eps. 1-3]

28. Hortensia Saga* [eps. 1-4]

29. High School Prodigies Have It Easy Even In Another World* [eps. 1-2]

30. The Saint’s Magic Power Is Omnipotent* [ep. 1]

31. Rainbow Days* [eps. 1-8]

32. My Hero Academia* [S5 eps. 89-90]

33. Tenchi Muyo! War On Geminar* [ep. 7]

34. Death March To The Parallel World Rhapsody

35. Full Dive: This Ultimate Next-Gen Full Dive RPG Is Even Shittier Than Real Life!* [ep. 1]

36. Record of Ragnarok* [eps. 1-8]

37. Masamune-kun’s Revenge

38. The Way of the Househusband* [eps. 1-2]

39. Armor Shop for Ladies & Gentlemen* [S1, Flips The Script, S2 eps. 1-7]

So where do I go from here? For 2022, I hope to watch and finish more series so I don't suffer a huge crash in my watch count. I least get to enjoy the second season/part two of Komi Can't Communicate and How a Realist. Plus, My Dress-Up Darling premieres in two days and the hugely anticipated Spy x Family comes out in April. As for older titles, I would like to finally sink my teeth into Classroom of the Elite and My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU. Hopefully you get to hear my thoughts on those and more titles next January.

How A Realist Hero Rebuilt The Kingdom Anime - First Episode Thoughts

After over a year of patiently waiting, the long anticipated anime adaptation of the Japanese light novel series How A Realist Hero Rebuilt The Kingdom premiered today. The series is streaming here in the United States thanks to Funimation, who clearly see big things in the series, enough to make it one of their exclusives for Summer 2021. According to eagle-eye online snoopers, the series is set to be one season of 13 episodes.

Since dipping my toes into the niche world of light novels, How A Realist has become a favorite book series of mine. I have purchased and read every single volume that has been so far translated via their American distributor J-Novel Club. I have even re-read several of the volumes, a rare feat for me when it comes to regular books. For those who may be wondering, my favorite volume is #6 (second season just for animated Naden, please!).

Due to my excitement pre- and post-viewing of the first episode, I wanted to record my thoughts on it.

BEWARE: BOOK SPOILERS/LATER EPISODE SPECULATION BELOW!

Don't let the above image fool you. I really enjoyed the first episode. I had a big stupid grin on my face watching it, thrilled at seeing all of my favorite characters being given life.

However, if I wasn't a big fan and had no experience with the books and manga, would I still enjoy this episode? Honestly, I would have probably thought this series looks fun and be a bit interested to see where it goes. But I would've more than likely waited to binge it properly or at least enforce the "three episode rule" before being committed to watching it weekly.

Given the sheer pace of the first episode, plus what has been revealed in the promotional videos, it is quite clear to fans that this season will just be an adaptation of the first two volumes. Thank god!

Though the opener is not a standout in the slightest, I did think the song by Inori Minase (who also voices Liscia) to be pretty good. Plus, the cameo of Little Musashibo could mean that the side adventuring party will make an appearance in the series.

There clearly needed to be some creative decisions when adapting the book to television but this first episode featured quite a few major changes.

So far, the show's tone appears to be more comedic and sarcastic than it is in the book. This was probably implemented mainly in order to help the show get through its introductory growing pains. Additionally, punching up the writing does help distract the viewer from the show's less than glorious animation style.

The king's mediocre abilities as a ruler is now more closer to near incompetence. It also appears that the makers decided to now leave him in the dark from the series' big twist.

I really liked how they changed Kazuya Souma's attitude to being summoned. The book basically had him shrug his shoulders and go "oh well" at the forced teleportation. Here, he gets pissed once he hears the details and reason for his summoning. His initial contempt, coupled with his blunt strategy to be the new king just for the short term, will surely be messed with in the coming episodes, making him more likable to viewers and eventually circling back to the talk about "family" brought up in the show's prologue.

Biggest shock of the first episode: the very early reveals of Roroa (and Sebastian) and the Euphoria sisters. The later pair makes a bit sense since the first episode discusses the Gran Chaos Empire and their "request" for tribute. But having Roroa just pop in at the start, coupled with the new material of what happened to the "Group B" treasures, threw me off.

Biggest disappointment: giving up the ghost of Juna being a secret spy for Excel. The makers didn't even try to have her hidden in shadow or anything. They just placed her right in the middle of a bright room and did a useless tilt up of her front appearance before cutting away from her face.

Changing the reveal of the king and queen post-abdication happily eating cake to ear cleaning kinda stunk. Still got a laugh out of me.

I knocked it a little but overall the animation is fine. Not the best of all time but serviceable enough to be pleasing. The 3D camera movements were quite interesting to say the least though they were pretty distracting.

The voice cast is pretty much the best thing of the series so far, at least according to other viewers and critics. Yusuke Kobayashi did a great job as Souma. From the small amount of Inori Minase as Liscia we got at the end of the episode, I thought she did quite well playing up the tomboyish side of the character.

I looked at other people's opinions and it seems so far most people have it around the middle, usually as a 3.0-3.5 out of 5. Most appear to have the opinion that I had above if I was a non-fan. Then you had the others that made me roll my eyes and/or shake my head: the isekai detractors who have nothing better to do than sneer at a show they didn't watch, the easy pleasers who saw the Yu-Gi-Oh joke and clapped at the reference they got, and the easily enragers who couldn't get past the idea that an 18-year-old teen was smarter than the royal court of a medium nation.

Also, I had quite a laugh at all of the dummies who have immediately written the show off because they believe it will just be stuck in the castle and involve nothing but office work. The comments about the queen being useless beyond smiling made me chuckle as well.

Though a good chunk of the initial reviews/comments are laughable, many fans and non-fans brought up some good criticism, such as the bombardment of world info, the intro of too many characters and how the episode lacked a big bang moment. I may laugh at those Yu-Gi-Oh people but I can't do the same for those who felt it was dull.

I'll of course be spending every Saturday for the next 12 weeks watching this show but this will probably be my first and last piece on it until I do my wrap-up of watched anime next year. I don't really have the intense urge to do reviews of each and every episode unless the show pulls a Promised Neverland Season 2 and somehow complete botch it. But more than likely, the show is in nice hands and will play out fine.

Anime Watch of 2020

2020 was not a very good year for myself when it came to film. However, the opposite happened when it came to anime.

I haven't completely expunged my love of anime from my system, as evident by the many appearances of Japanese animated films on my past best and worst film lists, but my overindulgence of it had been long dormant since I called it quits back in 2006-07. I was in college at the time and I was growing more and more distant toward the exported medium. I got to partake in the gloriousness of some great shows, either by myself or with the college's own anime club, such as Ouran High School Host Club and the first season of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. But it was when I was bitterly swallowing some popular shows with the club that had me rip off my imaginary otaku badge and seemingly burn the bridge to anime altogether. For those curious, the shows were the absolute slow misery porn of Hell Girl and the sheer stupid and overhypeness of the first series of Fate/stay night.

After that walk out, I fairly quickly stopped buying anime and manga and focused more on my other hobbies. I was still keeping an eye or ear to what was going on in the anime world but I slowly stopped visiting Anime News Network everyday and caring about what was the new hot property hitting Japan. This turn of events ending up being what I later call my "Splendor in the Grass moment", as the anime market would soon crash, wiping out practically all of the American licensing/distributing studios and leading to a somewhat dark age for anime until the crossover success of Attack On Titan in 2013.

Though I may have had a brief gander here or there of an anime series, or at least played a video game based on a property, it really wasn't until the American acceptance of Attack On Titan in general pop culture that kinda started the juices flowing again. I slowly started to inch my way back into anime: I partook in a couple of series; started watching anime reviews, video essays, seasonal retrospectives, and "isekai rant" videos from YouTube content creators; and going to the theaters to see movies based on anime series that I had little to no real knowledge of. The real turning point however came when I faced several issues all at once towards the end of 2019. First, I started watching the Fairy Tail anime series via Netflix but it only consisted of the first season, leaving things off at episode 48, and I really wanted to continue. Secondly, I started a habit of watching anime clips posted by the anime streaming service Crunchyroll on YouTube and they did what they were supposed to do and made me want to give some of their shows a shot. And thirdly, I really needed to see for myself what's all the hubbub around KonoSuba. Since I've never was a fan of fansubs back in the day, didn't care to get shows via alternative sites, and I frankly loathed sitting through ads, I ultimately decided to get memberships both to Funimation and Crunchyroll at the start of the new year and have at the anime buffets in front of me.

In the year of 2020, I watched 60 series, more than half of which were complete viewings. And no, I somehow didn't find in all of that free time we had during the year to actually watch KonoSuba. But I did get to enjoy some classics and fan favorites, found some diamonds in the rough, and even had the "pleasure" to be dismayed at several popular targets within the anime community. I was originally going to write out my thoughts of my journey back into anime as seen with my article on the first three seasons of My Hero Academia but like most of my writing projects on this site it quickly fell apart. To kinda make up for it, I decided to list out my watched shows of the past year, starting from what I dubbed were the best and traveling all the way down to the series that left me angry and/or stupefied.

How I formed this list is not as similar as I how I do my movie lists. While the overall quality of the show and my personal response to it are the major factors toward its grade, I have additional factors such as replayability and increased awareness of the voice acting talent. Another key difference, as hinted earlier, is that I graded shows that I have not finished or even may not choose to finish. If you see an * next to the title, that means I had a limited sampling of the show, didn't complete the series/franchise fully or, in the case of one title, it is still ongoing at the moment. Also, this list consists solely of shows that I watched via Funimation and Crunchyroll. I will not be including anime that I watched via Netflix. That means that you don't see and hear my thoughts on the masterpiece that is Cells At Work!, my struggle with Durarara!!, and the glorious stupidity that is The Irregular At Magic High School.

(NOTE: I wanted to have the full list made live right now. I will be continuing to edit and include more thoughts and screenshots until fully satisfied.)

1. Black Lagoon

When I was leaving behind my otaku wannabe lifestyle, this show was set to come out on DVD via my then favorite anime licensor Geneon Entertainment. I really thought about picking up the series as a possible farewell gift but I was tired of the "$30=3-4 episodes" routine and continued my long walk away from anime. I'm kinda glad that I finally got to watch it, along with its second season and OVA run, more than a decade later because I think that if I did view it back then, it would have been just another great show whose DVDs are currently locked up in my mounds of physical media storage. It wouldn't have been my favorite watched anime of last year, nor even one of my favorite anime shows of all time. I routinely kept rewatching the show throughout 2020, enthralled by its glorious violence, impeccable scripts, often times amazing animation, and fantastic English voice casting and direction. Similar to Simpsons and Sopranos fanatics when it comes to certain episodes, I now want to preach how "Calm Down, Two Men" is a masterpiece of television. It's not perfect: the concluding Tokyo arc can charitably be labeled as overlong and the OVAs include an icky flashback that really didn't need to be there. But I just absolutely adore this ode to moral conundrums and dirty money.

2. My Hero Academia

Up top I said that KonoSuba was one of my goals with the new subscriptions but this show was my secret real goal in mine. This despite the sheer fact that I had several chances to watch it: when the first season was on Netflix, when I bought the first two seasons through iTunes and Amazon, and when I bought a limited box set via Walmart. Anyway, the show is amazing and I really wrote most of my thoughts in a previous article. As for my opinion of season 4: Overhaul was a great villain, Eri was adorable, I loved the "oh shit!" moment of episode 2, I'll admit that I now like Kirishima, the school festival arc was a nice breather, and I'm looking forward to the next season but not so much when it comes to the possible full redemption of Endeavor. Unfortunately due to the COVID pandemic, my audio preference (the English dub) halted at episode 83. Not quite desperate, I finished the rest of the season via Crunchyroll, which wasn't a problem as the original Japanese cast is also excellent. As for those "special" OVAs, boy did they not even try to make a truly compelling piece of padding.

3. Today's Menu For The Emiya Family

Funny how life works: a franchise whose first television show helped killed my immense interest in anime in the past would later produce a series that would end up as one of my absolute favorites of the year. This show easily won me over with its laid-back nature and many scenes of creative cooking and divine dishes. It's pure comfort food, both figuratively and literally. I also just love how even a non-fan can enjoy the show's weird world where obviously some big anime war happened but now all of the warriors are just living peaceful lives as if that's what they would normally do. I will gladly go for seconds and thirds with this show.

4. Welcome To Demon School! Iruma-kun

This was one of two shows whose clips on YouTube drove me to join Crunchyroll and immediately start watching. And what a shocker, it's great. This was just a nice simple fantasy comedy that wanted to have fun and be lovable and achieved it with ease. Iruma is such a good boy, Clara is best girl, and I also appreciated its careful handling of much darker elements to the often carefree story. This show is so perfect for American consumption that it makes me mad at the current state of Cartoon Network and Disney XD. Instead, Crunchyroll got all of the show's glory, both with the original airings and an English dub that was a lot better than I expected. Now when in the hell will someone officially license the manga?!

5. Fire Force*

This was Dog Soldiers all over again. To all of those that said this show sucks and deserved to be labeled as being one for worst anime shows currently on air: I really, really hope you have some happiness in your life. I can't believe I drank that kool-aid because this shonen show is plain freaking awesome. It struggles in the early-goings trying to find some stability in its plot but once the Evangelist and the Knights come in, the show delivers incredible brawl after incredible brawl crafted with beautiful animation by David Production. It was like every episode was a straight up action blockbuster, supplied with three fantastic opening themes (still been headbanging to "MAYDAY" since its debut). As with Academia, my love for the English dub suffered from the pandemic, as I stalled out at episode 11 of the new second season. I tried the Japanese option when my interest in the show was at its peak but I stopped after the Inca arc. As much as I liked the JP crew and enjoyed hearing Zoro as the captain, I was more enamored with Funimation's company.

6. School Babysitters

This would have fallen through the cracks were it not for a random Twitter post. As kinda evident by the selection of titles on this list, shojo isn't one of my go-tos when it comes to anime entertainment. However, I am a secret sucker for it when there's something for me to latch on. I utterly adored this very cutesy and quite hilarious look at temperamental toddlers and the family that struggle with them. I really appreciated its sincerity with its tales and the fact that it just loves to put the babies through the ringer just for a laugh. But man, I didn't expect for the very first episode to wreck me the way that it did and almost made me into a sobbing mess. Probably the only thing I couldn't accept from the show wasn't actually the nose-bleeding junior but the theme songs; I could only take so much kawaii. I would love to continue the adventures of the Kashima brothers, that is if someone is man enough to license the manga!

7. Black Clover*

I remember when YouTubers and general anime fans raised a major stink at this show and said a lot of negative things about the Japanese rookie who got the main role of Asta. I hope all of those detractors had plenty of shoes and hats to eat considering it weathered the storm and became one of the most popular concurrent shonen series. I seriously plowed through the show, mainly helped when I was out for a week with the flu, and had a very fun ride up until the start of the Heart Kingdom arc with the English dub (Thanks again COVID!). Yes, the series itself isn't winning any originality awards, the constant shouting of Asta in the early-goings is rough, the padding gets annoying at times, and there are often issues with the animation and plenty of off-model shots. But it more than makes up for it in many fronts.  It possesses the best overall cast of characters with the Black Bulls. The story offers up many huge surprises, such as when a routine side-story mission ends explosively with a sudden duel between the group's captain and the big bad. And as with your attachment to the heroes, you as the viewer find yourself more and more cheering on as the show improves itself with better drama, fantastic fights, and some jaw-dropping animation. And just when it tries to settle down for a bit, in comes episode 151 to shake up expectations and have the whole anime world buzzing.

8. I Couldn't Become A Hero, So I Reluctantly Decided To Get A Job

Every anime fan has a select number of titles that they personally really enjoy and wish were more well known or popular. For myself, this show has joined that list. I think its premise of a fantasy take of My Hero Academia but following down a Bad End route is purely brilliant. I really enjoyed the central couple and I just loved the plethora of worldbuilding it offers. But what really made the show stick with me was how real it got with its story of a post-graduate's life. The euphoria of becoming a new voice being swept away by economic and political dilemmas. The struggle to spin your artistic qualities in interviews. The melancholic get-togethers with your graduating friends. Seeing a strong-willed female friend struggling with sexism. All of that really cut me to the core and made me fall more in love with the show. Sadly, it just came and went back in 2013 and its original light novel series ended shortly there after, with nary even an English fan translation. The show has some issues, such as its very high fan service quotient that even had diehard anime fans think is really too much and not necessary, but I would like to go back to it often and help champion it as an unsung little gem.

9. My Next Life As A Villainess: All Routes Lead To Doom!

If you want to know what was my best 2020 show of the year, and disqualify Iruma-kun since it technically premiered at the end of 2019, this is the one. What an absolutely fun and charming show to have in this day and age. Catarina is just such a great protagonist, able to remind so lovable despite being so dense and putting a nice spin to the ole harem hero trope. I also loved how the show plays with the limitations of video game storytelling and the conventions of isekai tales. Even with its "whoa, that's pretty dark" conclusion, this was pretty much a perfectly packed season of television. Which poses a problem, considering it got renewed for a second season. From what I learned from its later light novel volumes, I like many others do kinda wish that this series would only stay 12 episodes.

10. Lord Marksman and Vanadis

Despite many opportunities as a kid (my older brother begged me several times to read The Hobbit), I just wasn't a fan of the fantasy genre. It wasn't really until my teen years when I started to get the itch for it. Two of the non-Tolkien titles to help this new interest were Record of Lodoss War and Fire Emblem (both the GBA video game and the anime OVA). With my return to anime, I was looking to find some non-isekai fantasy to sink my teeth into and found one in this light novel adaptation. Luckily enough, it even felt like it was a Fire Emblem title, with a hint of Valkyria Chronicles and an added touch of Robin Hood. The show is a straight-up fun and thrilling tale of swords, sorcery, bows, betrayals, and boobs, supplemented by a opening theme that would make Hiroyuki Sawano call up his lawyers. It only has two caveats: it really rushes itself to near exhaustion, squeezing five volumes into 13 episodes, and though the fan service is more on the playful end, it doesn't help that it is debatably implemented during an attempted rape scene in the second episode.

11. Dagashi Kashi

This show looked to absolutely be in my top ten after viewing its first season. I loved its great humor, all of the amazing candies, sweets and snacks it featured prominently, the goofy fan service, the stellar English cast, and the way it easily achieves in making you want to leisurely hang out with these characters in their dinky small town. Then came the second season. Granted, it is certainly not bad in the slightest but you still have to stare in shock as you watch the series have its wings clipped. The show's star, the buxom and candy-crazy Hotaru, becomes MIA. Episodes are now 15 minutes long, with more focus on drama rather than the absurd comedy. And because of that switch-up in the storytelling, you as the viewer can no longer keep yourself from shouting at the protagonist to stop whining and just work at the shop while also following his mangaka dream. A great show to rewatch but try to limit your time with the second season as much as you can.

12. Tsuredure Children

The original manga that was adapted into this show has now become one of my absolute favorites of all time. I love the characters, the humor, the melodrama, the year-long journey of all of the romantic struggles and courtships between the teens, etc. So of course it would be a tall order for the show to match up to that high opinion, especially given that it came out in the middle of the manga's run and had no chance for a proper conclusion. I ultimately really enjoyed the show and liked both of the voice casts, though the English version had a couple of dud performances. The big problem against it however, especially for manga fans, is that it really needed a better handling in the direction department. The characters/couples are quite limited with several shocking cuts of fan favorites, it spends too much time on Kamine and Goda, one of the title's big love triangles is dropped suddenly after episode 5, and again the show just ends right when it gets going. I know the show most likely had a limited budget and the animation crew did do the best they could in adapting the material. It's just hard to shake off the bug of disappointment.

13. The Pet Girl of Sakurasou*

This completed show must have really impacted me somewhat fierce for it to be this high up despite only watching the first half of it. It is just a lovely romantic comedy that brings a lot of depth to its colorful cast of characters and really nails conveying their feelings of ambition, insecurity and jealously. Props also go to how it waltzes with standard anime storylines (misfit wants to leave the land of misfits, old friend wants someone to come back home) and making them feel fresh. I don't really have a reason for why I stopped at episode 12 other than it was a perfect time to give my heart a break before embarking on another round of melodramatic bliss. This year I will definitely finish the show.

14. Himouto! Umaru-chan

Finally glad to see and know why people were once marveling over some orange blobby girl thingy and placing her in many a GIF. This was a very funny and heartwarming little comedy that often made me thirsty for some Coca-Cola. Unfortunately, Crunchyroll only had the first series; if I wanted to experience Umaru-chan R, I would have to plop down a monthly payment to HiDive or buy the blu-ray. Honestly, at this moment, I kinda had my fill and don't really have the urge for more antics just yet.

15. Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga

I watched the first series of this shonen property on Netflix and had the same experience as nearly all anime fans: loved the first 15 episodes, hated the rest (though #19 is enjoyable). I really wanted to watch its much later produced second season, which thankfully retcons the putrid original material and sticks close to the original manga, but Netflix didn't have it yet. I was about to watch it via Crunchyroll when Funimation announced it being on their service complete with the English dub (my preferred cast). This season certainly isn't very friendly for newcomers but it delivers some pretty awesome action and great development among the cast. Plus, that absolute killer opening theme by UVERworld.

16. Monster Girl Doctor

The runaway summer 2020 show for me. Yes, I was easily sucked in by the appeal of a show featuring a plethora of various female anthropomorphized monsters. But what really made me like the show and come back to it often, both in Japanese and English, wasn't just that nor the hit-or-miss fan service. It was how the show really took a medical look at what makes a monster girl tick per se and played with the traits associated with the fantasy beings. Couple that with some interesting world building, general camaraderie among the characters, and the great relationship between the protagonist Glenn and his lamia assistant Saphee. The show ended with a fun victory lap episode and a promise for a second season. So far it sadly looks like that may not happen but I and other fans at least can continue on with the original light novels thanks to Seven Seas.

17. Monster Musume: Everyday Life With Monster Girls

Technically, as revealed by Monster Girl Doctor's author Yoshino Origuchi, his idea wouldn't have existed were it not for this very monster girl show and the original manga it came from. Also technically, I would rate this show higher compared to Monster Girl Doctor in terms of animation, direction, humor, music, and acting. To further add in its favor, this show gets shocking great in the drama department whenever it puts the focus on the human/monster cohabitation aspect. So why do I have it just below Doctor? Though I laughed quite a lot through out the series, some of the really adult jokes borderline on hentai material and just turned me off in general. I was also quite dismayed at the several threats of sexual assault that popped up and the scummy characters who were created solely to be gross and rile up the audience. I would gladly watch it again but I would need to be ready to skip ahead at certain points.

18. Seton Academy: Join The Pack!

And here's the second show Crunchyroll sold me on to join their service, while also being the very first thing I watched. This school comedy featuring animal girls (clearly different from monster girls) isn't going to win major awards or truly stand out a ton but it's a very funny and surprisingly educational show. Hina Kino was fantastic as the rambunctious Ranka, the gags involving the always dying sloth girl were a delight, and I found myself rewatching episodes more than once. Even with some stumbling issues, most notably the buzz-killing/tsundere-acting male lead, it's a simple delight.  And I must lament yet again: where the hell is the manga at?

19. Kiss Him, Not Me

I had some reservations with the central premise of this shojo title but I decided to give it a shot after catching some clips of the English dub. I really enjoyed my time with it and was quite stunned at some of the plot turns it featured even if its just for one episode. I applaud seeing a harem show where the harem falls apart in the early stages or when an accidental instance of sexual aggression leads to serious consequences and thoughts. I also have to really give it to Funimation as I was more pleased with their cast, scripts and direction (especially when it came to episode 5) compared to the original take (going with that fat voice, huh Kana Hanazawa?). For anyone else interested: it's better to relish the show as a funny rom-com than as a harem because it's way too obvious who the main heroine will end up with from the very first episode.

20. Rail Wars!

Whenever I think about this show, I instantly recall an old MADtv gag commercial about "Horse Porn", a very special magazine that combines the separate niches of hippology and pornography. Just swap out horses with trains and lower the erotica quotient from full frontal nudity to reasonably high fan service and you have this light novel adaptation. I frankly appreciated how nerdy and pervy it got because it just goes all in on both fronts while trying to keep a straight face as a high stakes action-comedy. I had a real blast with it but I have to admit that while I may laugh off at how literally every single female character is in love with the dorky main protagonist, I can't forgive whenever the male lead goes "oh woe is me" at not being a train operator.

21. In Another World With My Smartphone

Oh boy, some people will be mad seeing this high on a list that doesn't have "Worst" in the title. I can't lie: I had such a fun time with this isekai that I watched the whole thing in English twice and nearly did it again in Japanese. It's a fluffy show with pitifully low stakes but I enjoyed the characters and their goofy adventures. I also liked how it even dared to make itself a true harem show or constantly mock itself with its abundance of deus ex machinas. I really think that it was the Funimation dub that fueled my enjoyment as the original version is okay but lacks a bit of punch. Of course not everything works in the show; I was not a fan of its hypocritical attitude towards a certain underage girl and I hated how it ends by remembering at the very last minute to introduce that stranger who kept appearing in the opening credits. It is not a perfect show in the slightest but it is certainly not as abysmal as many anime aggregated review sites say it is.

22. Fairy Tail*

The show that made me subscribe to Funimation sadly ends up below my top 20. Why? Because of season 2. This season starts off with a few solid episodes and then kicks into the Oracion Seis arc. Though the arc welcomes Wendy and Carla to the story and features some cool early fights, it greatly bogged itself down and had me begging for it to end. And once it does thankfully end with a great conclusion, I then had to watch a jawdroppingly awful mini-arc made especially for the anime to finish the season. Season 3, on the other hand, lifted me back up and I'm currently in the back half of the Edolas arc and rocking out to "The Rock City Boy".

23. Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered But Overly Cautious

I remember when this first premiered and critics were overfrothing themselves over it being another welcoming parody of isekai tropes. Didn't hear much after that but I didn't think much about it. At first, I was laughing a lot with the first couple of episodes but then I grew tired of the same comedic notes being hit. I actually stopped halfway but picked the show back up later in the year. The drama side of the show suddenly picks up and gets me more intrigued. Then came episode 11. Yeah, no wonder people stopped hailing the show as a new comedic masterpiece. I didn't cry at all with the last episode but it did make me enjoy the full experience. Like the hero though, I need to be cautious when recommending it to other people.

24. Teasing Master Takagi-San (Season 1)

The second season of this show is a favorite of mine and is my go-to Netflix title whenever I want to watch something heartwarming or, in the case of its last episode, if I want a little cry. I was glad to finally experience the first season, which sadly didn't get the Saiki K treatment on Netflix and be made available for interested viewers. Once I viewed it all, I can now see why some people aren't a fan and were turned off by the series. Takagi's teasing of Nishikata wasn't always charming and Nishikata doesn't really earn many "wins" for anyone's liking this season. It also greatly lacked a binding idea, such as the large focus on the character's hands in the second season. But by the end, I was enjoying the skits more and it ended with a great final episode. This would have been higher on the list but the original English dub prevented that from happening. Watching only a couple of episodes, I just didn't really like Funimation's take. Aaron Dismuke has always been hit-or-miss for me and Sarah Wiedenheft was fine but sounded like a high schooler rather than a middle schooler.

25. Kokoro Connect*

Ah, so this is where that masturbation GIF comes from! I was giving this show double thumbs up when it first started. I loved the characters, the sci-fi gimmick that plays with the fourth wall, and all of its well-earned melodrama. But then you realize after the first arc that the show is kinda just spinning in circles. The two succeeding predicaments end the same way with everyone realizing once again that hey maybe we should talk things out and be real with our emotions. And even if you are fine with it, the show ends on an absolutely horrible tease for its later OVA releases, which provides the actual conclusion to the show! I still give it high marks for what it achieves but I don't know if I want to go back to it often.

26. Uzaki-chan Wants To Hang Out!

Bizarrely, this was the most controversial anime of 2020. Well, only if discount that other show that's pretty much a hentai (a well received one at that). This was mainly because a few reviewers had their justifiable reasons for not enjoying it and a whole ton of online idiots that weren't paying fully attention. I was really looking forward to this show as I'm a fan of the manga. Granted, the show is quite simple and sometimes poor in the animation front. Plus, the flat direction does kill some of its better jokes and that "vacation" episode was quite dubious. But I had a blast seeing the characters with voices and in motion as they recreated memorable gags; I frankly loved how a lot of people gravitated to the chocolate mint speech. I also enjoyed the additions and changes the makers made to fill in the gaps of the story, such as the new prologue or the hilarious aftermath to the ruined futon incident. Can't wait to continue seeing the two college kids slowly fall in love with the next season.

27. Hitori Bocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu*

This entry and the very next one were being watched at the end of the year and remain currently in progress. I saw some of the immense love anime fans have for this comedy but my first try ended after the first episode. A very odd reaction for myself considering I've enjoyed many other school based comedies revolving around a social disorder afflicted individual. I gave it a second shot and it's going down more smoothly after four episodes. Though man, that running headbutt joke with the would-be perfect student is so Japanese and getting pretty stale.

28. Tenchi Muyo! War On Geminar*

I've kinda steered clear of the Tenchi Muyo! franchise after the fiasco that was Tenchi In Tokyo and being not really enamored with the first DVD of GXP. But I caught some clips from this show, which strangely was marketed and titled as a random isekai in Japan, and decided to take the plunge. It's a fun romp but seriously the episodes don't need to be nearly a hour long. Most of the material in them could've been easily condescended and I'm pulling a Milhouse and begging for the show to get to the rebellion plot already.

29. Tower of Druaga: The Aegis of Uruk*

Video game anime tend to quickly dissipate save for the big heavyweights like Pokemon. For example, I just recently found out that NES shmup favorites Gradius and Salamander were adapted into OVAs. This show, based on the once prominent Namco series, kinda did too which is really sad considering the amount of effort put behind it. I was first intrigued by it way back when it was released on DVD and some of the very glowing reviews it received. Finally got around to watching it and my god what a phenomenal first episode it has. And then the show follows that up with an amazing opening that I'm shocked nobody ever talks about. I unfortunately hard-stopped after the third episode for no reason other than being distracted by other works but I really would like to return to this playful yet serious dungeon crawler.

30. Shadowverse*

I'm a sucker for card game anime. This show was an easy target to mock for 2020 anime reviewers but honestly it's a decent enough watch. It clearly has a budget behind its animation and voice cast. No joke, I think I would rather play this game than Hearthstone.

31. GATE*

I churned through this show at a fast rate, relishing all of the military vs. fantasy action and the fish out of water jokes. I stomached its leaden nationalist propaganda and inadequate writing just so I could mark out when the female soldier took out a whole room of soldiers and punched the shit out of the evil prince. And then five episodes before reaching the finish line, I suddenly stopped. Maybe it was the shitty storyline where the main hero pretends to be the dead dad of one of his love interests. Maybe it was because I revolted at how the big evil king is given a reprieve and the chumped out prince returns as the possible final villain. Whatever the real reason was, it sucked out pretty much all of my enthusiasm for the show and prevented me from trying to blow through the remaining episodes. Hopefully I'll just take the plunge this year.

32. Wise Man's Grandchild

This show barely qualified as an isekai and is frankly quite average but it had some of the same fun and energy that I liked from Smartphone and the later magic battles were pretty cool. I also kinda liked how the main antagonist was content with achieving his simple evil dream, stopped there and went straight to babymaking mode. One final note: Seriously, what the hell was with that one episode intro with the bidet?

33. Princess Connect! Re:Dive

This had all of the earmarks for me. A cute elf girl, a cute warrior princess, a cute catgirl, a focus on food and cooking, and a comedic fantasy attitude. Couple all of that with some pricey animation quality and it should have been a perfect fit. Alas, while I did enjoy it, it just wasn't something to stick with me fully. It seemed to care too much on introducing too many side characters and its implementation of some drama into the story didn't really work to its fullest.

34. Another

So this was part of an attempt to watch some horror anime to help celebrate Halloween. Unfortunately there really isn't a whole lot to choose from on the streaming sites that looked appealing and are considered good by fans. This was one of the better ones but even it kinda stinks. I watched the whole series and said to myself that it would have been better as a movie, only to then find that the show is based on a book and was adapted into a live-action film. Anime critic Mother's Basement was right: the show is far more laughable with its gruesome deaths and kid-on-kid violence than actually chilling. Still, despite plenty of eye-rolling, I oddly looked back on it fondly, similar to how I feel about some regular horror movies. Like those, I wouldn't mind watching it all over again.

35. Astro Boy*

This entry kicks off a block of shows that you would call laid-back entertainment, the kind you simply enjoy without thinking too much and/or having on in the background. I have had many glances at this OG anime and only watched the first three episodes but it is something I like to come back every now and then just to see how crazy and strangely smart kids shows used to be. Seriously, the second episode has a Frankenstein robo-monster straight up killing a robo-ballet dancer and the third episode deals heavily with xenophobia and the show's consistent theming of a robot's soul.

36. Card Fight!! Vanguard*

Again, I'm a card game anime sucker so I watched the first five episodes of this series. It's fine but I'm still confused as to whether this is the first series of this convoluted franchise or a remake. I also hated how the main character later befriended his bully, the one who literally preyed on his social disorder and stomped the daylights out of him when the prick stole his legendary card/comfort object.

37. One Piece*

Yeah, it's a classic anime but grading it is a tall ordeal unless you're a masochist and watch every single episode within a calendar year. I wanted to watch the new dub of the Punk Hazard arc but just plain stopped after two episodes. No reason other than that I wanted to watch something new and different.

38. NG Knight Lamune & 40*

I watched the Knights of Ramune OVA way back when and always had a curiosity for the franchise it spawned from despite the fact that that video sucked eggs. It was a one and done really of this first series but I'm always a sucker of early 90's anime.

39. Digimon Universe App Monsters*

Oh Digimon, when will I fall for you truly? Never really could as a kid or as a teen but I keep giving it a try. I thought I only watched the first few episodes of this series, the last original attempt for the franchise, but I shockingly found out that I only just watched the first episode. Must have been the lame main character or all of the eye-rolling I did at its smartphone gimmick.

40. Mon Colle Knights*

And the laid-back block ends with an old favorite. I watched this series back when it was airing on Fox Kids and had some joy with it. When it was announced that it was to come to Crunchyroll in its original language, I though it might be a good nostalgia trip. That really didn't happen and I stopped after the first episode. Oh boy, some of its original humor has not aged well.

41. Actually, I Am...

I was enjoying this semi-throwback to old harem shows with a monster/alien/supernatural twist for most its run, even with the main character being as flat as the show's actual title (the English manga title is way more fitting). But then the show shoots itself in the foot with its last two episodes and I was unfortunately happy to be done with the series.

42. Strike The Blood*

This was part of my initiative to watch all of the series that were featured in the awesome PS3 fighting game Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax. Though I was looking forward to it, this series didn't really wow me in its first arc, aka the first four episodes. I'll pick it up again later but it is already getting further pushed back in my shuffle of shows.

43. Tower of God*

One of the heavily hyped Crunchyroll Originals, this manhwa adaptation had me shrugging. I might just chug through it someday but I don't think its sometimes pretty animation and cool action fights will make up for all of its problems.

44. Chrome Shelled Regios*

I'm glad that I haven't looked up other's opinions of this show just yet because while I'm having some fun with it, it's just a overwhelming mess of light novel tropes. It takes place at a superpowered high school, the MC is secretly OP, classes and teams fight against each other, then those teams team up to fight other cities for resources, the main city is in a sci-fi bubble trying to survive in a post-apocalypse, there are evil giant monsters, there are glowing fairy things and animals, and there's a big ole subplot that may be a flashback or is some very crappy movie the characters are watching. And my god, what a dreadful title! My admiration for the show's Rei Ayanami clone Felli Loss and her relationship with the protagonist Layfon, plus Brina Palencia's performance as Nina, will allow me to continue past episode 15 and finish the series but it will still be a struggle to watch.

45. My First Girlfriend Is A Gal

The show that was saved by its English dub. No lie, I had a lot of laughs with the Funimation version but even at 10 episodes, this show quickly lost it luster. The fireworks scene is a great moment that I still think about but then the show follows that up with an awful concluding chapter. Worthy of a glance but your mileage will vary on whether it will totally stick with you.

46. Oreshura

This show should have been higher up this list but it just can't. It fails as a harem show, especially considering its real full title straight up tells you that the "fake" girlfriend and the childhood friend are the only ones with a real shot. It does a lot of telling not showing, especially with the so-called sad backstories of its main protagonists. The chunibyo comedy/drama is handled better in other shows and it likes to rely on JoJo's Bizarre Adventure references for cheap pops. I know that a lot of other people like or even love this show but it's kinda clear why it still hasn't had a second season.

47. Nanbaka*

Now we have a small block of shows that I took a gander at and pretty much flopped. I was intrigued by this show's very vibrant color palate and its gimmick of a tsundere prison warden. Despite an adequate pilot, I just wasn't amused in the slightest.

48. Uchitama? Have You Seen My Tama?*

I was intrigued by the press surrounding this show and its central gimmick of switching between the cartoony creatures and their dogboy counterparts. Upon finishing the first episode, I had no drive to continue with it. Its fluffy harmless nature frankly expedited its demise and lead myself and others to remark, "Oh yeah that was a 2020 show wasn't it?"

49. The 8th Son? Are You Kidding Me?!*

I watched an episode of this isekai chiefly because it premiered on my birthday. Despite being more accepting of an isekai anime compared to the many, many jaded anime fans who love to bash them from all corners online, this show was flatter than dollar store cola.

50. Gundam Build Divers Re:RISE*

Same as the above entry: an episode premiered on my birthday. I put it lower because I had no idea what was going on in the plot and no drive to care. Plus it had far more talking than giant roboting, which might be one of the many reasons why nobody likes mecha anime anymore.

51. The Future Diary*

Now we get to the true worst shows I watched last year. This bottom ten kicks off with a real doozy, a show that is quite infamous among the anime community. I really enjoy the idea of a battle royale story where the protagonist's only ally is a yandere. I also genuinely loved when the show actually nails its horror aspects, most notably the chilling conclusion of episode 3. Plus those great stinger segments with the would-be mascot. But this show is straight up nihilistic junk. When it's not crude or misogynistic it's beyond stupid. I didn't know what I hated more: the game itself, the MC being proficient in throwing darts, everything from episode 2, or how every major female character needed to be sexually humiliated and/or raped. I only watched six episodes and was dismayed that there were 20 more to go. The dumpster diver/bad movie lover in me does want to continue but it's going to be a hard journey.

52. Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS*

No wonder this show still hasn't aired dubbed here in America despite the still resonating popularity of the card game. Its first episode needs to be held as an example in all future studies of how not to make an anime pilot. I sent my entire deck into the graveyard after the third episode. At least it didn't give me a massive headache like when I watched season 2 of ARC-V.

53. Love Tyrant

My experience of viewing this series was similar to Actually, I Am... but it fell apart way sooner. I liked the yandere would-be girlfriend before they ran the joke into the ground and then decided to ruin it all by explaining her backstory. I liked the the MC's younger sister and her issues with an evil penguin before they ran that into the ground as well. The same thing happens with all of the show's jokes and then it bottoms completely out whenever it tries to be super serious, especially in the last couple of episodes. Plus holy shit, what an absolutely ugly protagonist! It furthered dropped in my opinion when I tried to stomach its pitiful English dub.

54. Triage X

Big breasts can only get you so far. I should have listened to the title's fanbase and just read the manga as this show is just eye-rollingly bad. This anime take on Death Wish heavily censored all of the "good bits" (need to sell those blu-rays!), leaving you to enjoy its edgelord tripe and clear swiping of American blockbuster entertainment. There's some very minor fun sprinkled here and there but it's greatly overshadowed by the poor fan service and laughable story.

55. The Asterisk War*

I saw all of the bile spewed by reviewers and thought to myself that it couldn't be that bad. Oh it's bad alright but the kind of bad that eventually leaves no real lasting impression. You might loathe something more but at least there's weight to it and some worth, unlike this show. Besides its opening and ending themes, I struggled to think of anything good in the first season. I even had a hard time thinking of a memorable moment, good or bad. All I can really remember about the show was that it had a blond bombshell that the protagonist of course has no interest for, it distressingly loved to gaze at the undressing of an underage supporting girl, and that it had a magician tag team tournament where two mechas somehow were allowed to compete. You can find those things in more noteworthy shows, including those magical mechas.

56. Tanaka-kun Is Always Listless*

There were shows I stopped coldly after the first episode and then there's this fiasco. I was looking forward to this show after seeing a few clips only for me to sit through 25 minutes laugh-free. I wanted to stop once the eyecatch popped up but I did my duty and finished the first episode. A part of me wants to give it another try, hence why the show is still in my Crunchyroll queue, but it might be quite a long while.

57. Snack World*

Poor Level-5. They have been going through some hard times lately, with this failure of a cross-media franchise being one of their latest missteps. Despite being perfect for the Cartoon Network of the past, the whole show was dumped on Crunchyroll one day and was quickly washed away from view the next, aka the Netflix Effect. I took a gander and while I may be putting this lower than it really should be, there really wasn't anything interesting or enjoyable to remember of this failure.

58. Infinite Stratos 2

Some people warned me about this popular series but I still went ahead. I didn't have access to the first season so I just winged it with the second season. And holy shit, what a catastrophe. The MC is a total dope (yes, I know he's different in the novels), the action sucks, the comedy is more miss than hit, the plot is pathetic, and once you reach the end you realize that nothing much happened. Though my admiration for Charlotte and Laura has kept the franchise lingering in my mind, I gladly never want to watch this specific season ever again.

59. The Lost Village

A full blown disaster. And this was my first real taste of Mari Okada. Seriously, the first episode ends and the entire group of unlikable dumbasses were still not even close to the titular location. Then they get there and proceed to act like total psychos when they aren't whining and complaining or running away from laughable evil spirits. And man, you could easily see when the production of the show changed, as the makers had to quickly resolve all of the stupidity that it could. It is too torturous of a watch to be considered so bad it's good.

60. Chargeman Ken*

This show, however, is properly so bad it's good. This glorious disasterpiece had to be at the bottom but I would gladly watch more of its harsh 70's violence, missing sound effects, dreadful direction, putrid scripts, and that awful robot.

There you go. This was fun so I might do it again next year, depending on my watch output. Though, as I sadly joked up top, this so-called annual list might be an one and done thing. We will have to wait and see come next January.