Winter 2018 Anime Impressions - My Favorite OPs and EDs

In many cases, OPs and EDs are just as essential to anime as the show itself. Whether it's to get you in the mood, set the tone, or just be addicting to watch and listen too, I consider these essential to the viewing experience.

Granted, some shows handle these better than others. Thus, here are my favorite OPs and EDs of Winter 2018. As tends to be the case with anime, trying to upload these to YouTube results in region blocking. However, if you want to watch or even download them for yourselves, just click the song title in each category. It'll take you right to it. With that, let's get started!

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OPs

Ne! Ne! Ne! - STARTails✩ (Slow Start)

My first favorite isn't really anything particularly special. In fact, some may call it par for the course. I'd even go so far as to say that I'm starting to get tired of OPs with the voice actors singing them. However, this OP does what OPs do best; setting the mood for the show.

With a nice guitar riff and JPop hook to start us off, the music sets in nicely with the pace of this OP as it shows of the main cast before the camera slams into Hana's forehead to reveal the title. As we go into the verse we get some more profile shots and interactions between the girls before leading into the other cast members.

The OP starts to break away from the standard as we head into the chorus, and it's here we get a nice look at some of the girls' profiles. First is Hana with her pink style, with touches of the show around her like the leek umbrella, teddy bears, and sakura petal globe she got as birthday gifts. Next is Tamate's which shows off her love of cooking and preference with being called Tama-chan.

After a brief break with Hana's death by pancakes, we have Eiko's profile focusing on her hairclips with candies and notebook in tow. After this somewhat boring profile we get Kamuri's showing off her love of food, piano, and Eiko. Ending off with some like lipsyncing, and we've got an OP that every part as cute as the show it precedes. Simple as it may be, this OP succeeds in doing what it intends to do, and I enjoy watching it every time.


POP TEAM EPIC - Sumire Uesaka (PopTeamEpic)

While I enjoy them when they come around, OPs don't need to have a story or deeper symbolism in them. Sometimes an OP can just have a catchy hook and visual beat. POP TEAM EPIC has that in spades.

Matching the chaotic nature of the show and source material, this OP starts off with flipping through various "channels" on a CRT before being smashed in with a spiked bat. This live-action touch also highlights the flexibility of the show's medium.

After panning across animated manga panels reminscent of PopTeamEpic's roots, the verse highlights various abstract effects and animations featuring Popuko and Pipimi before gliding into the chorus. Here we some more live-action touches and pictures and drawings from various cultures as Popuko and Pipimi rotate around the typography.

This concludes with a similar effect as Popuko and Pipimi walk towards the camera before zooming out of a new CRT. An extremely catchy electronic beat accompanies the whole OP and is incredibly easy to get stuck in your head. Bringing it all together, this OP is easily a standout, but there's only one I liked better.


Flashback - Miyavi vs. KenKen (Kokkoku -Moment to Moment-)

My favorite OP of the season does an excellent job combining visual effects and symbolism with some incredible music. Quite fitting for a thematically appropriate show.

Flashback has a similar chaotic nature to POP TEAM EPIC, but it almost psychadelic presentation and typography makes it a standout. This is punctuated by its symbolism surrounding Makoto's family and their association with the frozen world. It also does a great job highlighting the creepiness of the Handler.

I only wish it was a bit more involved in telling its own story, but the focus on such abstract visuals is intentional. Will there be more to this OP? Probably. As the show progresses, the little hints and symbolism will like become more tangible. Regardless, it's still a great watch for its sheer uniqueness and quite fitting as my favorite.

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EDs

PRIMALove - ClariS (Beatless)

Let me get this out of the way; the story of this ED is not good. It has the same flaw that many EDs do when it comes to female casts. Even if they're tangentially related to the story, be sure to show the girls being cute! (Darling in the FRANXX comes to mind as another example this season)

Showcasing Yuka almost exclusively (you know... Arato's little sister? The girl that gets the second-most screentime after the power gap that is Lacia?), PRIMALove does have two things going for it. The art, while mostly stills, is at least pleasant.

More importantly (and the reason i'm including it as one of my favorite EDs), the music is excellent! A song by ClariS? With kz as producer and arranger? That's a shoe-in for me!

That's all I got really. As I said in my Meh post; I'm a sucker for ClariS.


Ref:rain - Aimer (After the Rain)

Having equally as invoking music as PRIMALove with better visuals, Ref:rain is a strikingly emotional ED. This love ballad starts out with a fitting dreary shot of a field track drenched in rain. The presentation during the verse is mainly the movement of the water and the umbrella, with the only flourish being line art of Akira moving across the screen.

While simple, these visuals do develop as the ED transitions into the chorus. Leading up to it, the umbrella disappears and the rain stops. From here, the song ramps up its composition and the singer's voice grows even more soulful. In time with the change, the shining sun causes the water on the track to evaporate with the same bubbly effect Akira experiences when her heart flutters.

There's not much else visually invoking to this ED, but it ends nicely with Akira's full line art profile being filled in by rotating layers of watercolor and a waterdrop falling from her umbrella. The music is what really sells Ref:rain. The composition of the art may not be involved, but it matches thematically. However, there's one ED this season that does both incredibly well.


Jewelry - Saori Hayami (Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card)

After watching the OP and the actual show, I wasn't really expecting anything special about Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card's ED. In fact, the first 10 seconds would lead you to believe that. However, the moment the lyrics kick in is when Jewelry gets special.

This ED is hands-down the best animated anything this season. Every frame is lovingly drawn with nice touches like removing hard lines on Sakura's hands to simulate motion blur and flowing waves on her dress as she comes to a stop. Thematically, it captures quite a bit of the main characters' personalities and looks lovely to boot.

It would be nice if the whole ED could be at this level, but the few moments of panning over still art retain the same lovely quality. Overall, Jewelry is an excellent example of an ED, one that makes me want to watch it every time. And that's something quite rare of EDs for me.

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And there we have it, my favorite OPs and EDs of Winter 2018. This was a bit of an unexpected stop-gap in my impressions of the season, but these lovely songs inspired me to include this. Don't worry, I'll have plenty of time to gripe and be negative with the next post. Keep an eye out for my Worst Anime of Winter 2018!

Winter 2018 Anime Impressions - The "Meh"

Not every show can be a masterpiece. There are plenty of shows that are good and at least fun to watch. Of course, that also means that there are plenty of stinkers too. At the very least, those can be enjoyed for their awfulness.

Really, the worst shows are the run-of-the-mill, the dull and boring. The kinds of shows that have the potential to be good or even great, then end up settling in the mire of mediocrity. Winter 2018 did have its fair share of mediocre, but these are the shows that I would call Meh.

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Katana Maidens

I wasn't expecting much of Katana Maidens to be honest. Nothing about it stood out as egregious, but it seemed that it would occupy the same space as Schoolgirl Strikers and Frame Arms Girls. Still, you know what? I was exactly right.

The strongest part Katana Maidens has going for it is sword combat. The use of actual stances and the short, rapid-fire nature of the sword fights in the first episode tournament was at least interesting. But then there's everything else around it.

Animation is stiff and boring, with some strange inconsistencies in the art. This is most notable with one girl's katana switching from dual-edged Western blade to curved Eastern blade between shots. Smaller, quick action scenes are animated traditionally, but the more intensive ones are handled (sometimes poorly) in 3D.

Really though, the worst part of Katana Maidens is its story and characters. While boring through most of it, the last minute of the show left me high and dry. Why would this one participant attack this obvious boss character? Why would the main girl we've been following suddenly decide to help her? Why are these character that were seen as heroes fighting a monster in the opening scene now attacking these two?

As an original anime, it does a poor job of establishing anything, let alone a coherent plot. This final minute of the show was what really cemented it for me as a Meh. I love seeing and supporting more original work, but I'm not going to do so if I don't enjoy the show.

Beatless

Promise seems to be a premise for most of the shows I ended up not enjoying this season. For the most part it's the execution that causes them to falter, but this is one show that has a slightly different take on it. Whether it is due to the source material or to the production, Beatless can't support its own ambitions. Unfortunately, its not HandShakers levels of throwing budget to the wind. At least that is spectacular.

Beatless is set in a near-future Japan-like world where advanced AI has been introduced into human-like shells and coexist alongside humans, not unlike Blade Runner and its inspirations. Main Character-san Arato has a mysterious past shown in the first scene of the show and has irrational compassion towards these AI called hIEs. In contrast, his friends view them as tools; hIEs were designed to convey emotions for artificial empathy and don't actually have them. Again, this takes the square "what it means to be human" inspired themes and tries to hammer it through a round anime hole.

Besides the few other nitpicks I have about the show I already know the answer to (because it's an anime), the biggest problem with Beatless is Lacia. From the moment Arato and Lacia meet, the show takes a turn for the worse.

Arato's decision to take ownership of Lacia (because anime) to have her protect them from an attacker highlights Arato's shortsightedness and the lack of scope of the show. Lacia warns that using her EMP blast to knock out the attacker could also cause life-support systems in the vicinity to fail. With virtually no hesitation, he agrees. The ramifications of this isn't even hinted at. Beatless just handwaves it away as a placeholder for future "stakes" and "responsibilities".

Thankfully the process of registering Arato as an owner isn't as cringeworthy as Clockwork Planet's finger sucking (even if she's barely clothed because anime), but don't worry! Lacia makes up for this apparent lack of creepy waifu garbage. As she is connected to a cloud network (which doesn't seem to be allowing the government to track her for some reason), she's able to learn how too cook and make tea for Arato and his sister.

At that point, I was convinced that this show wouldn't go anywhere meaningful. I mean how could it? There's only one of two ways it could go; "It turns out, hIEs are human after all!" or "These beings without heart or empathy will eradicate mankind, the must be stopped!". And honestly, with how Lacia is presented and the fact that it's a light novel adaptation, I expect Beatless to stick firmly to the former route.

But hey! At least the ED is good! No, not the animation or actual content (God no). I mean the music.

I'm a sucker for ClariS.

Record of Grancrest War

High Fantasy anime is not my forte. Sure, World's End edges close but I wouldn't consider that in the same category as Grimgar: Of Fire and Ash or Granblue Fantasy the Animation. Heck, Granblue was the closest I got to enjoying this type of show and I've still only watched one episode.

I'm eager for a show to make me interested in a genre, and Record of Grancrest War had the potential to do that.

Well, as you can see...

Record of Grancrest War didn't ignite a passion in me for high fantasy anime. If anything, it choked the wick.

The basic setup is a royal wedding to unite two warring nations is interrupted by a demon killing the fathers of husband and bride. This ends any chance of peace between the nations. Now a mage that was unable to stop the demon from attacking is on her way to form a contract with a Lord in order to...

It's not really clear what the end goal is here. Besides building a Fire Emblem-esque band to do...something?

Record of Grancrest War clearly has ambitions beyond the first episode, but it seems to like to throw you in assuming you have some knowledge of the source material. It could also have something to do with the setup being so boring!

You may have noticed that I excluded names from 3 paragraphs ago when describing the setup. Let's try that again with names included and see if that make it any more interesting;

The basic setup is a royal wedding between Alex Deux and Marrine Kreische to unite the warring Fantasy Alliance and Factory Federation is interrupted by a Chaos Demon killing the couple's fathers, Archdukes of Deux and Kreische. This ends any chance of peace between the nations. Now Siluca, a mage that was unable to stop the Chaos Demon from attacking, is on her way to form a contract with a Lord in order to...

Did that make it anymore interesting? No?

The final nail in the coffin is Siluca removing her cloak in the first episode to reveal her highly detailed and shaded midriff to the lewd gaze of a group of male bandits. This is followed by her saying, "You can have your way with me." So...yeah. That's the level of Meh we're dealing with here.

citrus

Oh, man... I think I'm gonna get some blowback for this one.

Don't get me wrong; I think citrus has an interesting premise for a show and I like how the first episode sets up that premise with its plot.

Gal-girl Yuzu and her mom move to her new stepfather's home, only to discover that her new younger stepsister is the strict student council president Mei. Through an accidentally run-in involving Mei making out with a teacher behind the school, we find out she's not so prim and proper.

Whenever this show comes up, there's always a wave of people who talk about how the manga "isn't just shallow yuri fanservice." "It's actually really good and goes places!" I can't argue with that, and I may even give the manga a shot in the future.

However, nothing about this show is appealing to me.

Let's start with the technical; citrus isn't that great of a production. It isn't so much a lack of talent or resources. It's the appearance of such due to the prioritization of art and animation in certain scenes.

Which scenes do you think got the most time and effort put into them? You guessed it! The ecchi scenes. Namely three; Mei groping Yuzu as part of a stop-and-search, Mei making out with her betrothed teacher, and Mei making out with Yuzu.

What about the rest of the show? Well, it's pretty middling at best. Besides a couple decent visual gags, there's not much else to write home about. In addition, one scene takes a turn for the worse with some noticeably wonky perspective at the dinner table towards the end of episode 1.

These little gripes aren't really why I'd make this a Meh show though. citrus is Meh because I have a direct (if potentially unfair) point of reference for this subject matter; Scum's Wish.

Granted, a show whose core theme is people using other people as body doubles to fulfill their own selfish desires doesn't quite line up with citrus tonally. However, citrus' perceived seriousness does match up well with the Scum's Wish yuri equivalent; Hanabi and Sanae.

Their scenes are given a similar weight and gravitas as Yuzu and Mei with the music and visuals. The difference lies in the predisposition that Hanabi and Sanae are selfish jerks that can't come to terms with their own feelings and are dragging down those around them. This takes titillating scenes and gives them a tinge of disgust deep down in your gut.

That is inherently more interesting to me than citrus doing the same thing without that setup. I was actually on board for citrus right until that last makeout scene. In reality, that scene set the tone for me as to what this show is going to be. My opinion may change after reading the manga, but I honestly don't see anything particular special about citrus. I guess that makes it a Meh for me.

Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody

Isekai is not a genre I actively seek out to watch, but I was intrigued by the title of this one. Using the term "death march" and having a parallel world as escape from the tolls of everyday corporate life made me interested enough to give this a try. And to its credit, it does a good job... at first.

Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody starts out with the protagonist Ichiro Suzuki, a 29-year old programmer in the middle of his death march. Working on debugging and programming for several different games, the real-world segment does a great job of establishing Suzuki as a character.

He's confident in his abilities as a programmer. He gets irritated by having to make up for people quitting right before deadlines. He can be a little vindictive and talk about people under his breath. He even has a funny moment when he helps a young girl find her mother and thinks, "That kid's mom is pretty hot."

All of this actually does a great job of getting me into his headspace. It made me excited to see how this character would interact in the parallel world that was bound to kickstart anytime soon.

And then...

He gets transported to a parallel world based off of War World and FFL, two games he's working on as his alias Satou. "Great!" I exclaim, "Now we get to see how this older guy handl-"

Satou is aged down to 15.

"Oh..."

Shortly after Satou is transported to the world, a batallion of 100 or so Lv. 50 lizardmen head towards him. "Ok, cool! His HUD and some game elements are messing up. Even the meteor boost his team implemented to help low-level players is bugged out and doesn-"

The low-level meteor attack works and wipes out all the lizardmen.

"Oh..."

"Well, even if it was a fluke, at least Satou isn't overpower-"

In what seems like a glitch, killing 100 or so Lv. 50 lizardmen skyrockets Satou from Lv. 1 to Lv. 310.

"Oh..."

Now what are we left with? A young, high-school-age, overpowered protagonist who knows the ins and outs of the world he's stuck in after working on the games it's based on for so long.

I'd love to be wrong and discover that Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody is actually an excellent anime, but honestly? First impressions don't paint it that way. Besides, there are plenty of shows to watch this season that aren't Mehs, so I'll watch those instead.

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And there we have it. Like my favorites (so far), these are subject to change. Still, for the moment I can't see myself coming back to them unless I'm bored out of mind.

That said, at least I'm willing to entertain giving these anime a second chance. That can't be said for the last show I'll highlight in my Winter 2018 Anime Impressions. That would be my Worst Anime of the season. Stay tuned!

Winter 2018 Anime Impressions - My Favorites (So Far)

New year, new anime! It's time to kick off 2018 with my Winter 2018 Anime Impressions. We'll be starting off by taking a look at My Favorites (so far). As only 2-3 episodes of the season are underway, these could always change.

However, it's safe to assume that every show on here left an impression on me. At the very least, give these show an episode or two and see if you'll agree. With that, here we go!

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PopTeamEpic

Let's get this out of the way; just go watch PopTeamEpic.

I'm serious.

If you're a fan of crude humor and incoherent gags, this show is perfect for you. Even if it's not, PopTeamEpic may change your mind.

The best way to describe it would probably be, "What if Tim and Eric was an anime and had Robot Chicken's pacing?"

It's also not exclusive to any service, so you shouldn't have any difficulty finding it.

...

Though, the first couple of minute may throw you for a loop if you're not familiar with the comic it's based on (which happened to me).

Either way, just watch it.

Mitsuboshi Colors

Unconventional for me as someone who dislikes children (in media and in general), Mitsuboshi Colors skews towards the kid side of cute girls. And no, I don't mean it like that.

This show follows Yui, Sacchan, and Kotoha as the titular Colors protecting the peace of the city. Seems typical, but in reality it's just pretend (at least to those on the outside). It's cute to watch and each girls personality shines through.

Yui as leader is the most level-headed. She acts like a kid, though she does get thrown off guard by Sacchan's jokes. She also is the most likely to tear up from scolding or when trouble starts to brew.

Sacchan is the jokester of the trio. She likes to mix things up, but poop jokes are her go-to. As the spunkiest one, she's the most likely to step on adults' toes during hi-jinks. This is especially true in one of my favorite moments from episode 1.

Kotoha is the quiet genius of the group. She's usually the one to put the pieces together on whatever case the Colors may be solving. She's also a bit sadistic, at one point in the first episode expressing interest in finding a pinkie or ear in a locked safe.

Really these girls carry the show. While it still looks nice, mostly everything else is fairly average. In the end as long as its weaker traits aren't distracting, that doesn't detract from my enjoyment of the show. Mitsuboshi Colors is a favorite (so far) for the season in spite of its flaws, and it's a pretty great exclusive for HiDive to pick up.

Slow Start

"Cute girls doing ___" has been a running template in moe anime since its mainstream genesis K-On! Pick a subject and you'll likely see a "Cute girls doing ___" version of it.

Cute girls playing light music? K-On!. Cute girls in theater? Hinako Note. Cute girls driving tanks? Girls und Panzer. Even this season we've got a couple of those lined up (that I may or may not talk about later on *hint*)

However, what if I told you that there was a moe anime this season that was "Cute girls doing...cute things"? You probably wouldn't believe that something so plain would even exist. Well, let me introduce you to Slow Start.

Slow Start follows Hana Ichinose, a 17-year-old girl entering her first year of high school. If that seems unusual, it's because she enrolled one year later than normal. Now Hana is trying to catch up both academically and with finding friends in her new school.

Let's be real here. This is as moe as moe gets. If you don't like the genre, this won't change your mind. However, there's something about Slow Start that makes it infectiously cute.

It might be the animation. Slow Start strikes a nice balance between cute and gag art styles, coupling them with animation that looks much more lively in motion. It could also be the voice acting. While drowning in cuteness, there's a decent range that helps develop the personalities of the four main girls. Speaking of the girls, it could also be the writing. It may be basic, but the writing behind the girls and their interactions helps to make them endearing.

Or, more likely than not, it's everything all at once. All the little pieces that would make for a decent to good show are put together well enough to make something pleasant. Breaking ground isn't what Slow Start does or even needs to do to be one of my favorites (so far). It's just a good show that I happened to gravitate towards. And there's no harm in that!

Laid-Back Camp

For a winter season, it makes sense to broadcast shows that makes you feel cozy. Maybe it'll inspire you to snuggle in a blanket by the fireplace, drinking hot cocoa and watching some great anime. If you're looking for something to scratch that itch, Laid-Back Camp may be just what you're looking for!

Laid-Back Camp introduces us to two girls in the first episode. Rin is an outdoors girl who loves to go to various campsites around Mt. Fuji for solo camping. At one of these sites, she has a run-in with Nadeshiko, a girl who loves the outdoors and recently moved to the area. The evening they meet is where Nadeshiko first sees Mt. Fuji in the moonlight and it inspires her to join the Outdoor Activities Club at her new high school.

At this high school is where we meet the other girls. Rin's friend Ena isn't involved with the club, but helps nudge Nadeshiko to become friends with Rin. Meanwhile, Chiaki and Aoi are the other members of the Outdoor Activities Club Nadeshiko joins.

There's not anything else sophisticated about Laid-Back Camp, in all honestly. In much the same way as Slow Start, its appeal is in the moments and character interactions. Animation is simple, but something about the style of the character designs is adorable, especially the way closed eyes are drawn. Voiceacting also increases the cuteness, with Nadeshiko and Rin being my personal favorites.

Laid-Back Camp also has its fair share of humor and visual gags to help punctuate the blissful feel of watching. In the end, the whole package is light and feel-good. Even if it isn't your cup of tea, watching this show is still a pleasant way to pass the time. That makes it a favorite (so far) for me!

A Place Further Than The Universe

Who would've thought that the literal first show of 2018 would be one of my favorites (so far) for Winter 2018. Seemingly from out of nowhere, this original production from anime studio Madhouse is one of the most engaging and well directed TV anime I've seen!

A Place Further Than The Universe focuses four high school girls with the goal of going on a public expedition to Antarctica. Mari, a normal girl who never really did anything adventerous, has a run-in with Shirase at school. Shirase's mother went missing on an Antarctic expedition three years prior, and it has been her goal to save up to go on the upcoming expedition.

As Mari is inspired by Shirase's ambitions, she joins in on the quest. Along with Hinata and Yuzuri, these four do their best to make their trip a success!

The premise is certainly original, but it's the striking direction and performances that really sell this show. The first episode is chocked full of smart visual direction. Some notable moments were Mari hiding an envelope of 1,000,000 yen inside a book on ethics and Shirase slamming a bathroom stall door that has an "Open and Close Doors Quietly!" sign hanging on it.

The performances also helps the girl's personalities to shine through. Shirase could be played as stoic, but her obsession with Antarctica is obvious through her voice and mannerisms. Mari can be ditzy, but her earnesty is palpable. Hinata is boisterous and speaks her mind. Yuzuki is reserved, but comes from a place of loneliness and just wants friends.

All these little pieces are then taken by Madhouse and woven together into an excellent watch. Were it to premiere in any other season, it likely would have been my top pick for my favorites (so far) of Winter 2018. However, there's only one that I think is better.

Violet Evergarden

Every season, I inevitably get hyped up over an anime coming down the pipeline. Some of the ones of note from recent history were Kiznaiver, Eromanga-sensei, Yuki Yuna Season 2, and Sword Oratoria. Shockingly, not everything lives up to my frankly higher than normal expectations.

Most recently, Violet Evergarden has been on my mind ever since its first episode had limited screening last year. This show has had tons of time to stew and fuel my building anticipation. In every respect, this anime should have left me disappointed. It couldn't possibly live up to mine and other people's expectations as high as they were.

And then, I watched the first episode...

Everything about Violet Evergarden is impeccable. The quality is astonishing in both the detail and line work of the animation as well as the sheer beauty of the artwork and world. Voice acting is superb in its execution. Yui Ishikawa does a fantastic job of emanating Violet's robotic cadence in her speech. The other voice acting talent also helps to maintain the bar.

Contrary to my biggest concern going into Violet Evergarden, it isn't all fluff either. The writing and direction centering the first episode around Violet and her relationship with her commanding officer Major Gilbert is expressed both in solid dialogue and in subtle visual cues.

From what I can tell, the only flaw comes from going in completely blind. Violet is a doll; previously invented for other tasks, they are thrown into the frontlines of Liden's war due to their inhuman prowess.

It isn't like this is a major flaw, as it's pretty much established exactly what Violet is once her adamant silver arms are revealed. The show also does a good job building up to this, with visual cues of a porcelain doll Lt. Colonel Hopkins sees and Violet being unable to describe the feeling she has when seeing an emerald brooch that matches Major Gilbert's eyes.

I think it's safe to say that it's being nitpicky to fault the show for something so subtle. If that's the only flaw, however, Violet Evergarden is easily my favorite (so far) anime of Winter 2018. Heck, I'd even venture to say it has potential for first contender for Anime of the Year!

As someone who lives in the States, it may surprise you that I would have access to this show to watch it. Currently, Netflix is not simulcasting in this region, holding a still-nebulous Spring 2018 over our heads. However, I don't think you'll have a horrible time trying to find a version with English subs. That info is out there.

*wink*

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And those are my favorite (so far) anime of Winter 2018. Of course these aren't the only shows to watch this season; they just happen to be my favorites (so far).

Other great entries like Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card, DARLING in the FRANXX, Kokkoku -Moment to Moment-, Hakumei and Mikochi, and Karakai Jozu no Takagi-san are worth checking out as well.

Fortunately, these aren't my Meh or Worst Anime of Winter 2018. Those you can see in rest of my upcoming Winter 2018 Anime Impressions. Stay tuned!

My Top Ten Anime of 2017

Well, another year, another Top Ten list. For the past few years, I've enjoyed compiling my favorite games as part of my video game news writing. However, since my interests have shifted (and I didn't play enough great games to compile a full list personally) I decided to focus on anime for this year.

2017 had a lot of highs and lows, but one things for sure; it sure was a great year for anime! On the film side, big blockbusters like Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale, A Silent Voice, In This Corner of the World, and Your Name made their way over to the States. For broadcasting, we got a nice diverse mix of shows for every kind of taste.

Still, I have to have some favorites in the mix; as is the point of this Top Ten Anime of 2017 list. For the purposes of a year-end list, expect there to be unmarked spoilers for the most part.

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10) Sakura Quest

There’s something about the simplicity of girls trying their best that so appealing, and P.A.Works is such a great studio when it comes to portraying that. Shirobako was another pleasant watch for me personally this year, and Sakura Quest strikes a similar cord.

Yoshino’s aspirations for not wanting to live a normal life in the middle of nowhere and move to the big city instead isn’t just a bullet point on her character sheet. Throughout the series, she grows as a character alongside her friends who each have their own aspirations.

Does Yoshino succeed in revitalizing Manoyama as she was hired to do? No. But the real beauty of Sakura Quest isn’t the end result. It’s the small victories, the community strengthening, the traditions that make Manoyama and its citizens the beloved country town and people they are. 

An anime like this doesn’t set the world on fire, but it helps remind us of the little things in life we may take for granted. That makes Sakura Quest a standout for me in 2017.

9) Anime-gataris

Quite a few show played around with meta as a storytelling device; acknowledging aspects of culture and entertainment as a whole in interesting ways. One of the best in this aspect is a late contender for the year having just aired this past season.

Anime-gataris starts off like most high school club anime, this time with an anime otaku theme. Besides a weird out-of-place encounter the main character Minoa has with a beret in a secret closet, it’s played pretty straight.

As we progress, we dive into the other aspects of the subculture, like anime production, merchandising, and pilgrimages. All the while it makes sly winks to the camera with tons of legally distinct anime references.

However, it ramps up significantly in the final few episodes. So much so that I really don’t want to go into detail on it even with the spoiler warning at the beginning of the page. While the ending is
relatively weak, Anime-gataris is still a great watch.

8) Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid

Kyoto Animation has a distinct style to their art direction. Whether it may be Sound! Euphonium, K-On!!, or Myriad Colors: Phantom World, you can usually tell if it’s a KyoAni production.

Like with any studio, it’s nice to see them use their talent to adapt a property with a different style. Such is the case with Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid. Striking line work, spikes in animation density, and a softer color palette makes what is essentially a slice-of-life anime look even better than it should.

Visuals aren’t all that it has going for it. Stellar voice work paired with good writing helps give life to these characters. The juxtaposition of powerful mythical creatures in a normal human world is played for laughs, drama, and character development for both the dragons and humans involved in the story.

With that mundanity of the human world, the plot does spin its wheels along its way to the finale (as can be expected of this type of show). Still, a mediocre ending doesn’t take away from the fun of watching the series, and Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid is so well put together that I’m willing to forgive its flaws for the sake of a good watch.

7) KonoSuba: God's Blessing On This Wonderful World Season 2

There aren’t many things that will make me smile from ear to ear or laugh uncontrollably from start to end. KonoSuba was one of those shows. With how concise the first 10 episode run was, I was worried that there wouldn’t be enough material to sustain a second season.

Oh, how wrong I was!

KonoSuba Season 2 ramps up the crude humor and gags of the first season in new and more hilarious ways. From the non-OVA inclusion of Megumin’s rival YunYun to the dastardly Demon King general Vanir, the new characters mesh so well with the returning cast.

As needed by a comedy such as this, the writing is fantastic and jokes flow so well, even in translation. Animation is sloppy, but that’s just what is needed to highlight just how obnoxious and crude these dorks are.

It’s not all perfect, as there are a couple of episodes and extended scenes that were clearly handled by a different director. These make for better action scenes, though at the cost of a cohesive character look.

Another comedy series I’ve watched this year does rank higher on the list, but KonoSuba Season 2 is by no means any weaker as a result. If you want some good hearty laughs, watch it. If you haven’t seen any of KonoSuba, the first season is well worth the watch as well. Heck, even if you’ve seen it already, just watch it again. That’s what I’ll be doing!

6) Magical Circle Guru-Guru

I was convinced for the longest time that KonoSuba would be the shoein for my favorite comedy of 2017. With how heavily and often I busted out laughing watching the second season, it’s easy to see where I was coming from. Still, there’s always a chance for something to surprise me. That surprise was Magical Circle Guru-Guru.

Spoofing classic JRPGs like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, we see a plethora of gags and jabs at the absurdity of children saving the world. It doesn’t just depend on nostalgia, though.

As Nike and Kukuri journey across the world, the sheer variety of characters and monsters makes for tons of humorous situations. Voice direction helps even more to add to the humor of the show.

The result? Practically every episode was more hilarious than the previous one. This trend continues until the very end of the 24 episode series; something that utterly surprised me. Simply put, Magical Circle Guru-Guru is an excellent comedy and one of the best show of 2017.

5) Recovery of an MMO Junkie

Romantic Comedy may be my favorite genre of anime, but even I can admit that it gets tiring to see so many stuck in the high school days. It’s nice to see some change; be it by skewing younger like with Tsukigakirei, or older with Recovery of an MMO Junkie.

Not only does this show explore more adult characters and relationships, it also touches on a seldom-realized aspect of MMOs; social interaction and the ambiguity of an online identity. All of this is presented with the lense of someone who has experience with MMOs unlike certain shows (*cough* Sword Art Online *cough*)

Voice acting and presentation is also on-point. However, its animation is probably MMO Junkie’s weakest aspect. Many still frame and recycled animations can be seen, all with a relatively low frame rate for TV animation.

Flaws aside, the show was still very much enjoyable in my experience. If you want a genuinely sweet love story watch, I can’t recommend Recovery of an MMO Junkie enough!

4) World's End: What do you do at the end of the world? Are you busy? Will you save us?

Light novels adaptations have gotten a lot of flack in the past. In many cases, rightfully so. Older classics like Sword Art Online tend to get poked to death for inconsistencies and plot-holes, while newer shows like Akashic Record are just trash.

This doesn’t mean that there can’t be good ones. Shows like Spice and Wolf make changes to pacing and flow in their adaptations for the better, and Re:Zero is the poster child for how to handle light novel adaptations and isekai well.

2017 got a flawed but nevertheless potent entry in the form of World’s End: What do you do at the end of the world? Are you busy? Will you save us?

Hilariously long name aside, World’s End actually has some substance behind it. It doesn’t really break new ground with its high fantasy setting, and the protagonist does have touches of Mary Sue. Despite this, the show does an awesome job of getting you emotionally invested in the characters.

Romance in these types of adaptations tend to be unrealistic love-at-first-sight stories or tsundere-turned-waifu trash. However, in World’s End, Chtholly’s attraction to Willem is believeable. Willem’s apprehension towards indulging in Chtholly’s attraction is fitting for his character, as he still sees her as a teenager. As the series progresses, this budding relationship and it coming to fruition is so heartwarming to see unfold and makes for an absolute dynamite gut punch in the finale.

I enjoyed seeing this series dubbed as well as subbed, and I can honestly say the dub does a great job investing me in the characters even more. It’s not a masterpiece or even a must-watch like most of this list. However, if you want to watch something to clean your palette of light-novel adaptations, World’s End is worth it.

3) Princess Principal

Original anime are truly special. Freed from the shackles of adaptation, these are free to do whatever they want and make the most of the medium.

Some shows like HandShakers have too much freedom and lack a cohesive vision that turns it into a trash fire. However, one of the highlights of this season is from the fledgling Studio 3Hz, the team behind the surreal Flip-Flappers. That show is Princess Principal.

With its strong steampunk spy-games aesthetic and Western sensibilities, I fell in love with Princess Principal from episode 1. Even with a team of waifus, each girl in the principal cast (pun intended) is likeable for their own reasons and get proper development.

Presentation is also well done here. The direction and cinematography on display during the action scenes is clearly professional. Slow scenes and character moments benefit from great voice acting and musical composition.

However, this series has a similar problem that Flip Flappers does. It starts of strong in episode 1 and ends well with episodes 11 and 12. The downside is that pretty much every episode in between is just spinning its wheels.

This especially hurt Flip Flappers as the only thing that indicated a different episode was a change in landscape. Luckily, this doesn’t hurt Princess Principal as much due to its larger cast with broader characterization.

Ultimately, Princess Principal overcomes its weaknesses to become an excellent series to watch. If it had come out at a different time, I’m sure it would probably have been the best original anime of the year. However, one other show clearly beats it.
*wink*

2) Gamers!

Yes. I realise that it’s a little disingenuous to praise a romantic comedy like Recovery of an MMO Junkie as refreshing while rating it lower than this one. Let’s be honest; Gamers! is very much entrenched in the high school romance setting. That doesn’t mean that it can’t execute on the premise better than most of the genre.

The first episode starts out typically enough; the school princess Karen Tendou taking an unusual interest in our dorky protagonist Keita Amano due to his interest in video games. Unsure as to why the prettiest girl in school is talking to him, Keita stutters and flubs his words as it’s revealed that Karen just wants to invite him to her Game Club. Because, really; who would be romantically interested in a loser like him?

Honestly, that start made me drop the show before finishing it, and it wasn’t until a few days later that I decided to finish the last two minutes of the show.

Yes, my perception of the entire series changed after watching the last two minutes of episode 1. Keita, contrary to typical club anime, rejects Karen’s invitation. This feeling of self-doubt isn’t exclusive to Keita as all the major characters in the show have their own issues.

This ramps up into ones of the best scenes of the year in episode 6, and it only gets better from there. Gamers! is easily one of the best shows I’ve seen this year, but there can only be one better.

1) Re:CREATORS

If you followed me on Twitter as this show was coming to a close, It’d be pretty obvious what my favorite anime of 2017 is. I was worried that I would be so easily caught up in the high of the moment, but Re:CREATORS is genuinely an amazing show.

How exactly the show accomplishes this is a pretty broad subject, but I’ll try to condense it down as best I can.

The writing is easily Re:CREATORS’ strongest aspect. Pacing tends to skew on the slower side over its 22-episode length. However, the quality and density of the writing in the slower scenes makes up for the toned down action and animation.

The density of the plot means that the show is best watched in spurts or by bingeing. Don’t worry if you want to take it slow, though. It still is enjoyable as long as you pay attention (something that’s much easier to do than I’m making it out to be, but I’ll point it out nevertheless).

The presentation is excellent with very strong art and character designs. As mentioned before, the slower moments are used to cut down on animation complexity. Luckily this ramps up during the action scenes as needed. Music is also phenomenal and it wouldn’t be hyperbole to say that this is Hiroyuki Sawano’s best work.

Besides all of that, what really sets Re:CREATORS apart (as well as what makes it my favorite anime) is the meta narrative.

Meta has been getting a lot of play in 2017, but the way Re:CREATORS approaches the concepts of creativity, storytelling, and character writing across a variety of mediums puts in in a league of its own. All of this is topped off with the best recap episode of any show I’ve ever seen!

Not only is Re:CREATORS my favorite anime of 2017, it’s my favorite of all time! This show easily goes down as a classic, and if you have the means you owe it to yourself to watch it.

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And there we have it; my Top Ten Anime of 2017. Watchful readers may have noticed my lack of mentioning Your Name and A Silent Voice in this list, and you know what? I noticed that too.

I think the best option would be that honorable mentions go to these movie. Even though these could fit in the list here, I still feel that I don't have enough expertise on movie critique, let alone anime movies. I would like to take a more in-depth look at them in future. In the meantime, I hope you guys enjoyed this list and that it will you inspire you to check out some anime you haven't seen yet!