2015 was a trying year for me. So many small (or bigger) but impacting things happened in my life which had little to do with anime that my enjoyment of what came out each season might have been somewhat affected by it. So, for once, I am actually happy to see a year go by and hopefully the next one will be better.
This year did not have a single glorious season like the Fall 2014 one, in fact this one's Fall season was probably the polar opposite. However, 2015 also offered at least 2 masterpieces and a couple of rather good titles. Yet there was also a lot of wasted potential, especially in the first half of the year.
Before we start, I am afraid that I may have forgotten things or the dates may be off here and there because as followers' of my weekly reviews know, I had to switch computers in October and (almost literally) fought with my old one for over half a year before that. Thankfully, there were only four (if we consider Illya as one series instead of separate seasons, that I watched outside of the seasons). So, let's get to it.
Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru: I started the year with a leftover from last year's awesome Fall season that somehow slipped by me (I still don't know why except maybe that it got lost under all the quantity quality). And I wasn't disappointed. In fact it was worth all the praise I read beforehand which made me took notice of what I did. In some ways similarly constructed as Madoka but taking its own path. Yuuki Yuuna never was being really secretive about its darker aspects as they were clearly shown bit by bit but that never worked against it. I am afraid that due to it being about a year that I watched now and I've lost most of my data where I spoke to someone about it, I cannot clearly recall details. However, it was one of these anime where I was thoroughly engrossed, one shocking moment after another making me wonder whether it was a good or bad thing to have watched it all at once in just a few sittings. The ending was also just right with me. Not too much happy end but not something that left a really bitter taste behind either. As it is Yuuki Yuuna despite being a very open end, concludes the story of the five main characters fairly well while still leaving room for more in their world's setting. Had I watched this along with the rest, Bahamut would have definitely been kicked from its throne in Fall season and maybe NGNL would have even had a contender for best of the year.
Amagi Brilliant Park: The second leftover from 2014. Not quite as impactful as Yuuki Yuuna but a fun ride nonetheless. Once more KyoAnime showed that one can always count on it to make a series at the very least enjoyable. For the most part this was more on the comedy side than anything else and I certainly had my laughs watching this.
-Winter Season-
One strong show, two finishing great ones, a controversial media critic, a few decent ones but also a lot of disappointments in here. Winter 2015 fell deeply into the shadow of its predecessor season most of the time.
Absolute Duo: Let's be brief about it since I have no intention to wasting time on stuff that makes me mad. It started promising, then came Lilith, a mess of a plot and pacing, the almost total deconstruction of the "Duo" concept and well... A huge disappointment. I still fondly remember Julie... and then remember how the anime completely ruined her supposed "main character" status.
Yuri Kuma Arashi: The perhaps most controversial piece of anime this entire year. You can love it, worship it, hate it, get irritated by it or simple be thoroughly confused... which is probably what most normal viewers were during its run whether their general reaction was more positive or negative. Unlike Utena or other works by its creator, Yuri Kuma did not even attempt to spin a somewhat coherent story. It was all about the symbolism, metaphors etc. It served to put off the casual viewer even if its conceptually quality cannot be denied. Yuri Kuma indeed reflected and addressed the handling of Yuri in anime (or Japan in general) very well and I did learn a few things I didn't know before. So as a piece of media critic it was splendid. As a story to enjoy? Not so much (if at all).
Shinmai Maou no Testament: Those damn censors! This could have been a good show, but the censors really ruined it. And I do not let the excuse of saving those scenes for a DVD/Blu-ray release slide. As I stated numerously throughout its run, airing a show where one of its main strong points is the rather excessive fanservice censoring is like cutting out the action scenes out of an action series. Had such action and plot been better, it might have dulled some of the aggravation with this anime. But action scenes often started promising but were usually altogether too short and thusly failing at the end while the plot was in fact fairly focused on the fanservice otherwise which brings us back to the censoring... Enough said.
Kantai Collection: I would strongly advise anyone not a fan of the franchise to stay away. Not that this anime was particular bad, but it was not really worth even a casual view in-between if I were to be really honest. KanColle tried to separate itself from the "source material" but in the end couldn't do so long enough to formulate a coherent, enjoyable plot. This left the series with many good intentions which were countered by pressing as many characters into it due to wanting to please as many fans as possible. In the end, this course probably served neither the fans nor the ones looking for a somewhat decent plot. The only good thing that came out of it was the ending theme.
Assassination Classroom: Rather anticipated and loved by many, I was often a little at odds with this anime. The humor grew on me over time but I cannot say that I was ever a really hardcore fan of the series. It was good enough to watch on a weekly basis but beyond that I don't have a real strong opinion of this anime. Which is probably still better than a lot of other stuff this year. ^_^
Rolling Girls: Not really my cup of tea either. The very weak character development of the main cast is honestly the main reason why I was so aggravated. Especially the way it was handled. Just when I was actually getting into the road trip character of the series and the apparent lack of a need to really dive into the main characters, focus suddenly shifted and Rolling Girls attempted to do what it neglected for almost three fourth's of its run, squishing in far too much and too short a time. It was a mess from a storytelling POV and left me most confused and unsatisfied by the whole thing. There were some highlights like the concert but I pretty much forgot about most of it already.
Dog Days: I admit, the appeal of the series is veining with its third season. I still love the art and magic style but the lack of any greater threat and the ease with which even what could possible become one is handled, any and all suspense is drained out of this series. Why this worked for one, maybe even two seasons, it's obvious that Dog Days is running out of ideas to keep viewer's attention without a serious bad guy... or at least a compelling overreaching plot. One can still have fun with it but overall, the appeal of this anime has certainly reached a low point with its third season.
Log Horizon: One of the two things sadly that saw an end this season and the one most up in the air whether or not and especially when we will see more. A late discovery for me last year, I still consider this the best "stuck in a VMMORPG" setting out there. Its approach to story, system and character is unique and even at its worst, I could still find a lot of ways to enjoy it. Granted this stretch was somewhat trying in the way it was focused more on the younger characters, however, I for one didn't mind too much. The alien bit at the end had me a lot more vexed, honestly. I dearly hope we will see another season at some point.
Seiken Tsukai no World Break: Kind of the polar opposite to Absolute Duo. It started out with a lot of stereotypes of this setting, a main female who screamed "annoying" at first, yet this anime became a lot better as it went. Some of the battles were rather great and while nothing about this really outstanding, it became stable enough that I found myself enjoying each episode more and more as time went by. If you can wrestle past the beginning, World Break is definitely worth at least a glance if anime of this type interest you. More so than almost anything else this year, bar one.
Nanatsu no Taizai: The second one to end but at least we are going to see a continuation of it for sure. Which is good. During this time FT still went through its awful filler arc and Nanatsu was a delightful alternative in this regard. I think everything I said about it last year, applied to the second half as well. Certainly there were quite a few good battles during the finale, even if some stuff was a bit ridiculous.
Maria, the Virgin Witch: Definite winner of the season. Maria came as surprising as all three of the top anime this year. I honestly was sure I wouldn't go beyond a casual peek at the beginning, not quite believing to see an anime with strong religious themes to go over well with me. However, Maria was a surprisingly good watch in many aspects. The historical depiction while perhaps not picture perfect was a lot better handled than in many other media types using historical times as a backdrop. A myriad of themes were mixed together to create a thoroughly enjoyable story with a great handle of historical and religious themes. Neither got really in the way of hampering the plot and are not too far removed from reality than very often seen.
-Winter Season-
Mouretsu Pirates: Abyss of Hyperspace: This one was a pleasant surprise seeing it subbed finally. I loved this show when I first saw it and still think it is sadly underappreciated, especially since most people who did watch it will tell you it is good. The movie fell right into the spirit of the series from what I recall right now. This was right at the beginning of my "suffering", so it was a really nice distraction then to see this up.
-Spring Season-
Overall a step up from the last season, with one of two masterpieces this year and the definitely great DanMachi. Highschool DxD also made its return. Of course, it also had perhaps the most wasted potential in an anime the entire year with Plastic Memories.
Danjon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru DarÅ ka (DanMachi): I came into this intrigued by a decent review of the LN on ANN and found myself enjoying it a lot. Granted, the appeal took some time to really set in but DanMachi provided some of the best battle moments this year, especially with the Minotaur battle. I had the chance to read through the translated volumes of the LN up to now as well and while the anime indeed skipped a few interesting things, I think all in all the adaption has done well on most fronts. The feelings in the important situations definitely came across and instant web celebrity Hestia turned out more than just a boob wonder most of the time. I am definitely not adverse to more.
Assassination Classroom: Continued from last season, I have little else to say here. ^_^
Plastic Memories: Oh boy... If Yuri Kuma was the controversial anime this year, this definitely split opinions right down the middle during Spring season. Let us construct an appealing future, implant a compelling and loveable main pair to work within, get the viewers hyped and interested enough by the setting... only to almost completely drop all the careful, promising work and focus on a rather mediocre if not poorly executed dying girl romance with cringeworthy sitcom elements to "spice" things up (more like make it more stale). Plastic Memories looked amazing and promising until around its midway point. That there would be romance was always clear but the way it was handled while completely disregarding the very promising setting and leaving threads hanging so blatantly is simply bad writing. No matter how you look at it. As a writer myself I really take offense. Plastic Memories was the biggest waste of potential this year. While not a particular bad show in the end, it could have been so much more and this isn't just wishful feeling since the initial performance was solid and promising enough, the directional choice was not.
Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha Vivid: Well, it's something Nanoha again, alright. While I was happy about that, I also knew what I was getting into and as such never had huge expectations. And that was pretty much what we got. The adaption to this point was decent enough but nothing to really get excited about. This, however, was less the fault of the anime and more of the chosen source material. It could have been worse though... it could have been Force. ^_^
Highschool DxD BorN: After the irritation of Testament's censor, the supreme king of the genre returned for a third season and over all it still remains unchallenged. There were parts that I found better than the second season but others were a little underwhelming. While I have no way to confirm this, I heard of lots of cuts and rushing compared to the source material and the impression of the third season being somewhat rushed is certainly understandable. Too much in this season was only briefly touched upon before moving on.
Show by Rock!!: A fun little show for the most part yet it also had a lot of issues with priority choices. For a show centered around music, there was entirely too little actual performances for one, the monster battles were more distracting and somewhat freaky while the CG chibis are probably a matter of taste (not mine). It's watchable for the most part but don't expect to be blown away.
Mikagura School Suite: A delightful twist made a series that otherwise frankly didn't even amount to a whole lot one of my personal joys of the year. Mikagura featured a female protagonist with very pronounced yuri tendencies and fantasies. That alone is rare enough but to have this in a typical magic school setting with both male and female stories and the protagonist in the role usually reserved for the harem lead created something entirely unique, something that I always complained about barely (if at all existing). Anime with female yuri leads are almost always either exclusive yuri, Slice of Life or something that ends bittersweet/tragic. An almost normal setting with such a lead was almost unheard of before Mikagura. Coming in the wake of Yuri Kuma this gave me at least some hope for the industry. The anime itself was mostly for fun though, critically spoken it didn't amount to a whole lot and the battles were somewhat rushed despite some of it seemingly holding some promise. I liked it all the same, although I freely admit to giving huge bonus points for the unique lead character!
Kyoukai no Rinne: Rinne took me awhile to get into, although I wonder why because I personally like the kind of dry humor (am prone to practice it myself). Once you understand and get used to that, it's certainly an enjoyable show, especially on a basis of one episode a week. I imagine watching this in longer sittings will probably turn boring very quickly.
Houkago no Pleiades: I was long at odds with this series. In the beginning it was like we all really wanted to like this but just couldn't. Not quite at least. The disjointed storytelling was definitely one factor. Information was provided not just in a very fragmented way but also rather illogical at that. While Pleiades picked up somewhat towards the finish, the actual end felt somewhat off, with certain threads being rather unresolved. I really would have liked to see a good traditional magical girl show again. Instead we got Pleiades and its somewhat stuttering engine. One more anime that is probably good for a casual watch but nothing to really remember.
Hibike! Euphonium: There were two anime his year that could be called perfect in every aspect of execution. Hibike! Euphonium is the first one. This impression has not changed since rewatching the whole thing in full HD glory about two weeks ago. If anything, it has only solidified. Kyoto Animation has produced another masterpiece here which by all means should have received much more attention than it did during its initial run. Seldom do you see anime where the quality remains solid at the top throughout every single episode of its run but Euphonium managed. Nothing from the characters to the plot and the exceptionally wonderful scene and shot selections felt remotely wasted. I could write pages about its strengths since I would have to go through every episode... Most outstanding to me were the rather relatable main character and her interaction with Kousaka Reina, however. Kumiko made for a perfect choice to reflect the show's plot and growth of the band. She's a very relatable character who doesn't start as some overbearing anime stereotype and her personal growth is enjoyable to watch. The scenes with Reina are a definite highlight of course. Especially THAT scene in Episode 8. The pure electricity those two could create with just a few short scenes plus excellent shot and dialogue choice elevated them to my personal "not quite yuri couple of the year". Obviously the announcement of a second season later in the year definitely made my day!
-Spring Season-
Precure All Stars movie: It has always been one giant parade of every Precure so far but this took the term parade to new levels..... Always somewhat fun but frankly I do not expect anything out of these. ^_^
Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya (2wei): Despite my less than fond memories of the first Fate anime and the franchise as a whole because of it (pretty much avoided it), I gave this a chance in a moment of boredom/frustration and after seeing how it came out with decent scores for a spin-off magical girl show. The first season at least deserved most of the positive reactions. Even as a non-Fate enthusiast I liked what was done here. The battles had quite a few amazing moments at the very least. The second season unfortunately started to slack off a good deal and what should become the series' greatest problem was starting to peek through (more below). Kuro's presence at least served to deter some of these problems and while some of the jokes might be questionable, I always had a lot of laughs.
-Summer Season-
A very similar yield to Spring. One masterpiece, one great, a couple of good ones. At least nothing really controversial this time around.
Joukamachi no Dandelion: Despite all the above decent anime this season, I actually ended up liking Dandelion the second-most. It took its awhile to really grow on me but the way the story was constructed by several mini episodes per one full episode, focusing on each of the siblings turned out to be a practice that worked well in its favor. While some character growth was a bit more pronounced than others, for a show handling so many character in a single Coeur, it has done very well. Considering so many anime cannot even handle four or five main characters in a single season adequately, Dandelion proves refreshingly different in that regard. Dandelion had both its serious and fun moments and among the vast pool of different personalities, something should be in there to appeal to almost anyone. If reality shows were like that, I might actually watch them, that's for sure. ^_^
Gate: Definitely an interesting approach to a clash of two worlds. Itami being a middle-aged man in the typical male lead (harem-target) situation makes for an interesting twist. It helps that while he may start out somewhat unassuming, Itami has many hidden layers and kind of turns out to be a natural talent in the military despite considering it merely a way to support his otaku lifestyle. Rory's character was definitely a high point among the female group. And while the somewhat over-glorification of the JDSF can be a bit annoying, it does not really hinder the very solid experience. With the next part just days away now, I am certainly looking forward to more.
Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya 2wei Herz: And here came the most weird magical girl season ever produced. Because it became a magical girl without a single (for its actual purpose) transformation (not to even say battle) for about three fourths of its entire run! The trend was already starting in the previous season but was outrageously highlighted in 2wei Herz. Considering the title and plot, it is quite clear that Herz is more the second half of split Coeur than a separate season and here poor decision making when constructing the seasons clearly shows. A single 2wei season of 13 episodes would probably have sufficed, omitting lots of the unnecessary stuff (or outsourcing it somehow). The series still remained somewhat adorable and with its special charm but at the end of this season, very little is left of what made this spin-off actually good in the first one.
Senki Zesshou Symphogear GX: Surprisingly enough the third season seems to have finally reached me somewhat where before Symphogear was this show where I would constantly ask myself why I was watching it. Part of my shifted attitude might come from the simple fact that there was actually less of an effort to construct a plot falling apart at its seams constantly. Oh, it was still there and as flimsy as ever but there wasn't much of an effort to fake otherwise and make it worse that way. One could concentrate on the action and things going Boom all over the place and be happy with it. The opening (of the opening) still sends down my spine every time I hear it. Perhaps Nana-sama's best anime opening this year.
Rokka no Yuusha: A "closed room" mystery wrapped in a fantasy setting. Certainly this part of Rokka spent almost its entire Coeur on solving the quest for the fake Brave and giving us a lot to think about each week. Both compelling and vexing at the same time, I still consider it mostly a success. The only downside was the glossed over fallout and certain characters remaining mere shells or at least very superficial for now. Obviously where is more but judging merely the anime and considering how it usually goes these days with single promotional seasons, the ending left a bit of a sour taste that could only be fixed by a proper continuation.
Overlord: A whole lot overhyped honestly. I don't particularly see the appeal of the badass, overpowered character sweeping through everything. But maybe that's just me. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the setting but I enjoyed Lelouch in Code Geass for example a lot more. It didn't help that the anime lacked much of a clear direction so far. If there will be more, then something better can probably come out of it, otherwise it was a somewhat decent, sometimes funny show but not more.
Kuusen Madoushi Kouhosai no Kyoukai: Much like almost everything in this category Kuusen also wasted a lot of potential, spend a whole lot of time on very little and had one of the most stupid "villains" in quite awhile. It is a shame actually because the team actually proved rather interesting from time to time. In the end, another of those rather forgettable anime.
Kyoukai no Rinne: Just as I was getting into it, Rinne shifted gears slightly and I can't say I particularly liked it. Rinne is definitely best as a comedy but when it tries to mix in serious romance into it, a lot of the jokes often fall flat. The second half really wasn't as good as the first even if the final episode despite its strong romantic focus provided a decent resolution and stopping point.
Gakkou Gurashi!: In terms of execution Gakkou Gurashi! aka School-Live! does not lag behind Euphonium at all. It's just a distinctively different kind of story. I was rather reluctant about this at first since I tend to stay away from zombie apocalypse stories mostly. The first episode was rather misleading as well which probably served to throw off and deter some impatient viewers but also provided a good example of how this series operated. The contrast between the cute pretense of everyday school/club life on the inside and the intruding grim reality outside is rather jarring, yet provides the special spice which made School-Live! so good. It is a rather different approach to the whole zombie thing which was actually less about the zombies than about coping in an apocalyptic setting. How do you deal with being one of only four people in a place surrounded by things wanting to infect you as well? The result wasn't the usual splatter action routine but a carefully constructed, relatable show about different reactions of ordinary people in an abnormal situation. School-Life! had me hanging on the edge of my chair almost every week. Definitely worth the award of second masterpiece of the year.
-Summer Season-
Dragonball Kai: I started this a bit out of boredom. Honestly I am not the world biggest Dragonball fan, at least not from Z and onwards. The power levels always annoyed me because they got so ridiculous it wasn't even funny anymore and all it boiled down was the stronger was always the one who gets the newest, bigger power boost... It is still somewhat enjoyable to see the show again in a more streamlined manner after so many years. Since it doesn't really do anything different aside from omitting some side/filler content, I can't really say anything specific. This was my first time hearing the Japanese voices though and man, did it take some getting used to Goku/Gohan/Goten's squeaky female seiyuu... I still haven't actually. Not really. Merely tolerating it... barely. Last time before my semi-annual Nanoha run I ended just at the start of the Goku VS Vegeta fight in the Buu saga, picking up the rest soon for completion sake.
-Fall Season-
A very short season for me, due to only four new titles, one good, two decent, one to be forgotten. The computer change and all the troubles coming with it were more remarkable for me... at least some of it has been cleared with a rather recent update so my new system IS running more or less smoothly now.
Shinmai Maou no Testament Burst: Less fanservice means less aggravation over censoring. The action is a tad better but not enough to push it out of the flawed category, especially since it is too short. Overall Burst hurt itself most by making the season only ten episodes long. Even two more episodes could have been enough to flesh out fights and plot lines, not making Burst quite as unnecessarily rushed.
Gakusen Toshi Asterisk: Best magic school harem of the year, perhaps even best harem show of the year if one does not count DanMachi (and at this point I am loathe to actually put into this category yet). Decent cast, a fairly human female lead, one of the cutest side pairs/harem contenders in a long time, good graphics and overall a consistently good quality each episode. Oh, and a very beautiful ending theme. Can't wait for more.
Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid: Started out as far into hentai territory as one could get without the actual "act" but gradually became a bit more. For its obviously intended target range, Valkyrie Drive did surprisingly well. Don't expect a superb plot or anything the like but again, for its category I have seen much, much worse.
Hidan no Aria AA: And I end on this, meh... Oh well. Um, forget about it, okay? Unless you somehow adore the original and are desperate for any new media (and even then it's probably a stretch), don't bother. Otherwise you'll end in big danger of throwing up at the multitude of stereotypes thrown into a series lacking any kind of suspense. No drama really ever comes up as it is mostly just silly. There was some promise initially but it went away faster than with Absolute Duo and as such I am much less aggravated about it. The somewhat pretty animation doesn't begin to be a saving grace.
-Fall Season-
The Force has AWAKENED. Ahem... Yeah, that. But there's actually one more.
Love Live Movie: Well, I kind of liked the conclusion and that despite the brief revival it staid like this. Making a complete turn now would have really invalidated the made choice at the end of the second season and it was conveyed in a very satisfying way too. While I might not go nuts like others over it, Love Live is the only idol show I ever really watched and will remember it fondly.
Long-term Anime
Wrapping this up a quick look at the year-long or otherwise long-term anime I'm still following.
One Piece: Wow, we've been at this arc for well over a year now... Well, to go back to my favorite quote of an ANN review lately, Bellamy had been in his wall jumping move for over ten episodes... Right. As fun as this arc is and certainly can be considered one of if not the best one in One Piece history to date with a badass villain that can actually pull it off right and lots of cool moments, the pacing is an issue as always. For the last stretch of the year One Piece and Fairy Tail were practically locked in a competition for greatness and the latter tended to win out almost every time simply because the fights wouldn't take months to conclude, taking all the suspense and momentum out of the eventual conclusion. This is, of course, still complaining on a high level. One Piece is and always will be one of my most liked anime and the Dressrossa arc is certainly worth all the waits. Still, part of me is glad we are finally reaching a conclusion of sorts now.
Fairy Tail: Starting out with the continuation of the worst filler arc in Fairy Tail history (and fillers actually are neither numerous nor bad in Fairy Tail usually), the steady recovery was a complete turnaround once things got back to the main arc. The last half year especially as the Tartaros Arc went into overdrive was perhaps the best thing Fairy Tail has produced yet. Epic high points, emotional tearjerkers, great and especially well-paced battles... Everything was there. Even the usual sidelined Wendy and Lucy got important great moments that were among the best of the arc. The nightmare of "that" filler arc was certainly forgotten in a dreamlike firework of epicness. Now I am looking forward to Zero.
Go! Princess Precure: Every year again I seem to agonize over whether or not this franchise still has a right to continue and as usual it's more of an up and down. Usually I start out somewhat hopeful but this begins to change as the year progresses more and more (granted it was actually the other way round last year). While Princess Precure has a few things going for it, the execution and utilization is far from perfect. The main issues are the Mary Sueness of almost all Cures except for Haruka, especially Minami is practically stagnating in her role as the most recent character episodes have underlined. The enemies are some of the most underdeveloped in Precure history frankly (and that is saying a lot considering how underdeveloped the enemy groups are on a general basis). Ever since Twilight returned to being Towa, the Dysdark group has almost no real use than to pop up and throw monsters at our heroines. Oh, sure they are obviously plotting something but there is next to nothing in terms of deeper insight. With just the last few episodes left, I cannot see this being remedied at all. Oh, and speaking of Towa... That was one of the most telegraphed insertion of a new Precure mid-season that I have ever seen. That it would happen that way was practically slapped in our faces. On a positive note, Haruka's development is handled well and it is good to see her grow on her own power without any crutches, yet it also comes at the price of almost everyone else. Kirara is certainly sparkling... and had one of the better character growth episodes towards the end and Yui is a delightful side kick character that shows a lot of mental strength without being a Precure. Visually the franchise has also come a long way. The transformations and other animations look really great (now why couldn't we have that for SMC?). The final judgment depends on how well the series wraps up next month.
Charts
I don't really like giving rankings but for the Top 10 (or at least Top 8 or so) were fairly easy to do and distinguish into places this year without agonizing over it. Also I do not count One Piece and Fairy Tail in here because of their endless run. Precure gets listed because each installment runs roughly a year.
Top 10 Anime of the Year (aired this year)
1. Hibiki! Euphonium
Gakkou Gurashi!
3. Maria, the Virgin Witch
4. Nanatsu no Taizai
Log Horizon
6. DanMachi
7. Joukamachi no Dandelion
8. Gate
9. Yuri Kuma Arashi
Gakusen Toshi Asterisk
Euphonium and Gurashi share the top on THIS list because rating-wise they both excel and putting one higher than the other is just not right on a pure rating scale. The last two are hesitantly picked representatives. I had a lot of anime with an 8/10 to choose from here but I find these two deserve special notice. Asterisk for being the most stable, enjoyable magic school harem series in a long time and Yuri Kuma for being... well, Yuri Kuma (regardless of whatever one wants to think about it). ^_^
Top 10 Anime of the Year (based on pure enjoyment)
1. Hibiki! Euphonium
2. Gakkou Gurashi!
3. Maria, the Virgin Witch
4. Nanatsu no Taizai
Log Horizon
6. DanMachi
7. Joukamachi no Dandelion
8. Gate
9. Mikagura School Suite
Gakusen Toshi Asterisk
Yes, mostly the same thing but for the sake of a definite winner, I agonized with it over and over but I suppose in the end personal enjoyment, the genre and the fantastic moments between Kumiko and Reina just made that smidgeon of a difference. Not much more though. Mikagura was a personal enjoyment for me, so I put it in and I liked Asterisk enough to stay in the Top 10 here as well.
Biggest Flops
1. Absolute Duo
2. Hidan no Aria AA
3. Kantai Collection
4. Rolling Girls
5. Plastic Memories
Aside from the first two or three, I would not consider either of these real "Flops" but they were disappointing in several different ways. PM gets special notice here much like SMC last year for being the biggest wasted potential (even worse than Absolute Duo). It could have been magnificent and up there with the best this year, instead it ended mostly mediocre.
Complete Watchlist Top 10 (of those newly watched + enjoyment factor)
1. Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru
2. Hibiki! Euphonium
3. Gakkou Gurashi!
4. Maria, the Virgin Witch
5. Nanatsu no Taizai
Log Horizon
7. DanMachi
8. Joukamachi no Dandelion
9. Gate
10. Amagi Brilliant Park
With Yuuki Yuuna and Amagi Brilliant Park fit in, this fixes the last two spots problem quite nicely. And yes, Yuuki Yuna tops Euphonium not so much on pure steady execution but because it was simply superb AND my preferred category. Again, only by a smidgeon at best.
And with that. A Happy New Year and all that. May we be blessed with more great anime in 2016.
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