2016 didn’t really end when it became 2017 and this hellscape of a world continues to get increasingly stupid and hostile, but hey! At least the anime was good.
These are my favourites from this year! I’m only including series that completed this year (i.e. if it’s a multi-cours series, it gets counted if the final cours aired this year. So March Comes in Like a Lion counts but March Comes in Like a Lion 2 does not) and films if I actually got the chance to watch them this year. Why top 14? Too many good shows, and I couldn’t cut any of them. It’s been a good year for me!
Without any further ado, let’s begin.
14. Eccentric Family 2
It’s more Eccentric Family! It was a bit of a weird sequel in that the first didn’t necessarily need it, but nonetheless it honed in on what made the first great and redelivered, while also expanding on the two fan favourites Benten and Kaisei. An enjoyable return to a very memorable series that, while missing a strong central theme this time, has better character stories to compensate.
13. Kemono Friends
The surprise hit of the year, Kemono Friends was a weird and wonderful show full of brilliant characters and ingenious world-building. It should never have been this good, but somehow this goofy, cheap-as-heck show about animal girls was one of the most intelligently directed series despite being geared towards simply being as pleasant as possible.
12. Tsuki ga Kirei
A sensitive, considerate, muted and thoroughly naturalistic romance anime about a couple of awkward middle-schoolers experiencing their first relationship, it was a breath of fresh air from the usual, melodramatic or cartoony romance anime. It was the finale that really sealed it for me, providing a bittersweet climax that lead into a surprise epilogue – end result was a powerful, heartwarming little series.
11. New Game!!
The first was a cute, fun workplace sitcom, but for season 2 New Game!! brought out the big guns. Pride, competition, insecurity and doubt, without the obligation to introduce the characters or concepts it was able to tackle much harder themes, and did so to great success. Emotional depth was greater as well, with the closeness and intimacy between the cast explored and tested. I didn’t expect to tear up to the cartoon about moeblobs making a cute game but boy New Game!! hit me much harder than I could have predicted. Loses points for not being called New Game+.
10. Girl’s Last Tour
Equal parts Kino’s Journey, Sora no Woto, Texhnolyze and Hidamari Sketch, Girl’s Last Tour showed two cute blobby teenage girls in military drab explore the ruins of a far future human civilisation ravaged by war and god knows what else on a bike, scavenging for food, encountering the bizarre remnants of the long-lost culture, bickering, and getting into the occasional philosophical discussion. It was post-apocalyptic without being grim; it was barren and quiet without being cold and nihilistic; it was vast and terrifying and cute and comfortable; it was exactly my kind of thing. Moe slapstick with depth and intelligence, I adored every second of it.
9. Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid
It’s KyoAni! I was initially hesitant because it looked like a tiddy fanservice show, and while the tiddy and fanservice was there, it took a (mostly distant) backseat to the quiet development of an unconventional family. Kobayashi’s gradual warming to Tooru, finally finding comfort and love with her after god knows how long spent alone, was one of the most subtle, genuine and heartfelt pieces of character development this year. It helps that Maidragon is hilarious too.
8. Kirakira☆Precure A La Mode
While not over yet (only 4 more episodes as of writing!), this has been a truly, consistently fantastic series. The animation and fight scenes may leave something to be desired, and characters that aren’t Ichika or Ciel might not get enough attention outside of their own episodes, but I can’t help but adore this. From the very beginning it has been sugary, bubbly fun with tremendous variety and colossal emotional depth – including some of the most powerful, difficult Precure episodes I’ve seen – and has not once let up. It’s fast becoming one of my favourites from the franchise, and while I’ve yet to see all of them it’s currently lining up as second only to the literal masterpiece that is Heartcatch Precure!.
7. March Comes in Like a Lion
I’m quite open about my love of shows that deal with depression, so it’s no wonder that March Comes in Like a Lion is on this list. Rei’s misery, self-loathing and love-hate relationship with shogi made for compelling viewing, with SHAFT’s stylistic touches framing his mental state perfectly. It was not just him though – the presence of the Kawamoto’s and their kind, warm house where loss and sadness hang over like a cloud made for a deeply emotional inclusion that encompassed comfort and tragedy in one. While the second half lost that painfully bittersweet focus in favour of the competitive shogi that serves as the nucleus of the story, the overall experience was still thoroughly moving. The second series is airing right now, and has continued with that personal, intimate, emotional approach, and it has been so wonderful.
6. My Hero Academia S2
It’s more My Hero Academia! It’s just as good as it was before, but has the ‘middle entry’ problem of mostly being setup for later plot points, with the arcs present – while far from being bad – lacking the immediate weight and impact of those from the first. More focus is given to secondary characters, which while highly valuable moving forwards ultimately leaves the entry without a meaningful emotional core. But this isn’t criticism as much as it is simple reality – the series is continuing so we need this kind of stuff, and this was still fantastic despite the limitations. That one fight during the sports festival being a major, breathtaking highlight of the entire damn year. This was more My Hero Academia and that is fucking good.
5. Little Witch Academia
The other ‘academia’ of the year and unreasonably good fun, Little Witch Academia is Trigger’s latest work and an alternative version of their very popular OVAs. Joyously cartoony antics and stunning animation highlights made this a blast to watch and strong character development from both Akko and Diana made it richly satisfying – the sci-fi elements in the latter half were weird, but I don’t think I could have asked for more from a TV series working from such a standout OVA.
4. Land of the Lustrous
By far the most imaginative, original and daring show this year, bar none. While Land of the Lustrous’ long-term notability will likely be as the first series to prove that a 3DCG animated anime series could not only be good but also a stunning visual triumph, what made for me is its nuanced, emotionally complex story about self-worth, self-loathing and PTSD within the context of a premise so dreamlike and novel. Even more remarkable is how trivially it balances wacky slapstick, sardonic bite and heavy seriousness without ever encountering a tonal clash. An unforgettable show that I dearly hope gets a second season if only so I can watch Phos fuck up even more.
3. Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu 2nd Season
The first series was brilliant – an intricate, muted historical drama about a dying, traditional Japanese performance art. On the surface it sounds dry, but the depth of its characterisation and the integration of their storytelling with the story made it superb. The only real problem I had with it was that it felt… distant. That we were being held back at arm’s length from the characters. Not so in the second season – this time it is far more intimate and personable, which in turn lead to a far more powerful story.
2. Made in Abyss
Mysterious and haunting, Made in Abyss made for both compelling adventure and lasting horror. Riko and Reg’s journey down into the abyss is replete with deadly tension, evocative scenery, and terrifying revelation. Nonetheless, Riko’s determination compels her to keep moving forward despite it all, taking us along with it. From the get go, the atmosphere and bizarre nature of the abyss drew me in and never let me go, and the dread of watching these young children force themselves through such hardship just to maybe find Riko’s mother has had a lasting impact. What pushed this from being merely ‘brilliant’ to the masterpiece I feel it is is the final episode. The conclusion of episodes of buildup of empathy and horror, no single scene has been so powerful and emotionally devastating as that.
1. A Silent Voice
Bullying, guilt, depression – from where its story begins to the hardfought hope it eventually finds, A Silent Voice is a powerfully, carefully human film. The sensitivity and consideration which it has for its cast – even when it shows every worst part of them – belies the tenderness and love with which it was made. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect film for me, given the themes it explores, the artistry it handles it with, and the dramatic presentation its shown with. KyoAni’s delicate, beautiful animation of course brings it up yet another level, and to my complete lack of surprise this has landed as one of my favourite films of all time. Utterly perfect.
And that’s 2017! For as garbage as it has been in most facets of general life, there sure have been some good cartoons. I eagerly look forward to seeing what 2018 has to offer!
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