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Honorable Mentions: - Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight - I went in expecting Love Live plus some stage fighting, and I got Revolutionary Girl Utena with a side order of Endless Eight. It's unexpectedly awesome is what I'm saying. Come for the very well-animated musical fight scenes, stay for the bananas. - Asobi Asobase - A mean-spirited absurd comedy about a handful of lovely people. I laughed a lot. Over-the-top VA work and faces did some heavy lifting here. Also a contender for best ED of the year. - Skeleton Bookseller Honda-san - A golden nugget of short-format comedy! - My Hero Academia S3 - It was the best running shonen action this past year, and I enjoy it but don't have a lot to say about it. - Megalobox - This came close to making my top 5. Stylish as hell, amazing soundtrack, gripping high-stakes story of an underdog boxer. I really liked the supporting cast as well as the MC, and the ending was a pleasant surprise compared to what I was expecting. - Pop Team Epic - They made it. The glorious bastards actually made an anime out of it, and it was better than it had any right to be. Amazing VA cameos. Kickass music video parodies. Hellshake Yano forever. My Top 5: 5.) Yuru Camp - Yuru Camp was an absolute joy to watch every week. I've gone camping at least once every year for the last 22 years straight, frequently in October or November in western PA or WV, so this show was super relatable (although being able to walk somewhere less than a mile from your tent that has an indoor bathroom and sells firewood is some luxurious bullshit!), and super comfy. Slice of Life comedy is one of my favorite genres, but only when it's well put together. Yuru Camp nailed it, and I love the fall camping setting and funny fluffy characters. 4.) Violet Evergarden - The PV for this show had me really hyped, but I let the dust settle and just finally watched it last month after clearing my mind of expectations. I love this show. Sure, it manufactures ways to turn on the waterworks every episode, but the execution of it all is just so drat good. Violet's character progression was very satisfying as she kinda grew up, got acclimated to normal human interaction, and overcame loss and grief all at the same time. I can't fail to mention Kyoto Animation's incredibly gorgeous, cinematic visuals that give everything a real sense of mass, inertia, and realistic motion. The show is mesmerizingly beautiful, causing me to rewind and watch certain cuts over again with my jaw on the floor. The lovely soundtrack was fitting, and similarly felt like it belonged in a 2-hour feature film. https://i.imgur.com/bQrJfhQ.gifv 3.) Hinamatsuri - I think a lot of fans are wary when they hear their favorite comedy manga is getting an anime adaptation, because all too often the shows end up being sloppy messes that suck the life out of well-written jokes. I was overjoyed to see the opposite happen with Hinamatsuri. Studio feel. and director Kei Oikawa (SNAFU 2, Uma Musume) did an amazing job bringing the characters to life and making this my favorite comedy of the year. All of the fantastic jokes from the manga were paced perfectly, and the emotional story around Anzu's character and the others in her situation came out really well and probably surprised a lot of viewers who suddenly needed to wipe their eyes. My only complaint is that they had to fit so much into 12 episodes that some chapters from the manga inevitably didn't make it into the show, and there are no bad chapters of Hinamatsuri that deserved to be skipped. Here's desperately hoping for season 2! https://i.imgur.com/bD4k3aD.gifv 2.) A Place Further Than the Universe - The first episode hooked me in just enough with the premise and characters, and the second episode with the chase scene grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me, saying "hey, this is a good show!" Sora Yorimo starts on the tried-and-true foundation of some endearing and relatable characters teaming up to go on a crazy adventure like we all (secretly or not) want to, and then it hits every comedy and drama beat perfectly. This show shines a spotlight on what good writing and directing looks like, and the VA cast's performance was excellent too. 1.) March Comes in like a Lion season 2 - 3-gatsu no Lion continues to be an incredibly emotionally powerful show, and also possibly the most visually creative of the past year at the same time. I can't compliment studio SHAFT enough for the superb job they have been doing with this adaptation of one of my favorite manga. As others have said, one of the arcs in this season is possibly the strongest from the entire manga in terms of storytelling and also punching the audience in the proverbial gut. Everything about the delivery of Hina's arc in the show, from Kana Hanazawa's incredible voice acting to the framing and lighting of quiet little character shots like Akari washing vegetables and talking while Rei peels onions, was perfect. Frequently funny, cute, and hunger-inducing. Sometimes utterly heart-crushing. March Comes in like a Lion is a once-in-a-decade masterpiece, and every fan of animated storytelling as a medium should watch it. https://i.imgur.com/nn4n2Ak.gifv https://i.imgur.com/2YEKSWY.gifv https://i.imgur.com/T5AsuGK.gifv https://i.imgur.com/Ogtp0A1.gifv Shows that I still want to check out because I'll almost certainly like them, but where do I find the time ahhh: - SSSS.Gridman (I watched one episode and it felt like a real return to form for Trigger! Awesome and cheesy at the same time, in a good way, and excellent voice acting. I was trying to watch this before I made this post but didn't make the deadline. Will watch the rest soon!) - Bloom Into You - Irozuku - Planet With - Hisone to Maso-tan - Hakumei to Mikochi (Watched 2 episodes, love it, it's near the top of my backlog) - Grancrest Senki
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Jan 11, 2019 10:29
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| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 10:38 |
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Thanks for the neat chart! I feel like I'm right next to Nate RFB every single year on these things.Expect My Mom posted:Congrats to March Lion for being the 6th best show of the year Me, thinkin' about all the people who would have put March Lion on their list if only they had watched it: https://i.imgur.com/zdtIz74.gifv Although fair is fair, I really need to finish Gridman and Bloom Into You.
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Jan 15, 2019 03:26
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