- Nagi No Asukara (A Lull in the Sea) : No doubt in my top three of all time. Such a rich coming of age tale touching on themes of family, friendship, and growing up. Every still from this show is wallpaper quality, a real achievement for studio PA works. The original soundtrack to Nagi contains a whopping 60+ songs with tunes that really capture the feel of the beautifully created underwater world. Also contains one of the most insane love polygons where you really don't know who ends up with who till the very end.
- Toradora : My favourite romantic anime of all time. Toradora really stands out with it's multi dimensional characters and clear cut dialogue. Each arc is concise and finishes with so much interest for the next while staying integral to the overarching story. Anime is really known for telling opposed to showing (which I prefer the latter) and Toradora does a good job of making expressive characters without the long drawn monologue. It's the only show I rewatch on a yearly basis.
- Haikyuu!! : Haikyuu was one of those shows I didn't realize I loved until I had finished 9 episodes in a single night. You really feel attached to the main characters of the story and their passions for the sport. The inner monologues were very inspiring but didn't drag on like most action anime are known for. The animations were very crisp and easy to follow and it really told so much during the moving shots. Haikyuu really impressed me with how easy it is to consume even for someone who knows nothing about volleyball. The game is explained well and introduces the core ideas with volleyball that I would never think about. Unlike most sport animes (that I hear about) Haikyuu makes problems and solves them in very realistic boundaries eg: deus ex machina, secret moves, and that is why I respect the show so much.
- Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun (Monthly Girls Nozaki-kun) : GSNK is an shoujo comedy. Which means you have to kind of understand shoujo anime tropes. Understanding this you really appreciate the self awareness that GSNK brings to anime. Everything about GSNK feels generic but it's quite refreshing to like every character in an anime who each represent their own caricatures of shoujo character archetypes. This show makes you expect certain things to continue the romance but will always blue ball you and that's fine. Because this is not a romantic anime in the least, you wish it was, but you're glad that you can laugh your way out of it.
- Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso (Your Lie in April):
- Kill la Kill
- Hibike! Euphonium
- Nisekoi
- Steins;Gate
- Zankyou No Terror (Terror in Resonance)
feb 2 2016 ∞
feb 3 2016 +