Tag Archives: Top 5

Top Five Most Anticipated Anime of Winter 2019

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations


With what was honestly one of the best anime seasons to happen in a while now behind, it is time once again to look forward to a new season. This is not to say that the upcoming season has nothing to offer. Far from it, in fact. With new seasons for older shows and some exciting new releases, here are my top five most anticipated shows of winter 2019

5. The Rising of the Shield Hero

It is not a new piece of anime criticism to say that the Isekai genre, for the many pieces of legitimately fantastic art it has spawned, has become incredibly stale. Still, though, I find myself drawn to, and even excited for, The Rising of the Shield Hero. Part of this is attributed to the absurd amount of praise that was given to the light novels, which I still have not read. However, another part of me just attributes my anticipation toward the staff working on it. The director, Takao Abo, has done episode direction for a number of other shows, including Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage, Eureka Seven, and Made in Abyss. So, hopefully, something great comes out of this.

4. Dororo

I would be lying if I said that there were not times when the main thing to draw me towards a new anime was the studio producing it, and this just so happens to be one of those times. Studio MAPPA has created a lot of great shows, including one of my favorites Terror in Resonance. The subject matter of Dororo does seem interesting, though. Hyakkimaru and Dororo must travel the countryside looking for the demons who hold his missing body parts after Hyakkimaru’s father sold them away for power. I definitely see a lot of potential in the show, so I hope it turns out well.

3. Revisions

Mecha anime are almost never my go to, and a lot of the time I usually just ignore them. However, Revisions seems like it could be a legitimately interesting anime. I like the premise of the entirety of Shibuya getting transported into the future, and having to work with the people who are living in the future in order to save the world. The one other thing that does bother me is that it looks like the animation will be largely CGI, but if the show’s quality is high then I do not think it will be that big of a deal.

2. The Promised Neverland

I’ve been curious about The Promised Neverland for a while now, especially since the summer when someone I met at Anime Midwest recommended the show a lot. In fact, she said it was one of her favorite manga series that she had read in a while. The premise of the story is incredibly interesting, focusing on a group of orphans who learn about the true nature of why it is they are there in the first place. My only concern is how well the said premise will be executed. However, considering that Studio Cloverworks, who are currently finishing up what is probably one of my favorite shows in a while, Bunny Girl Senpai, I am not too worried about it.

1. Kakegurui Season 2

It might seem a little unfair to put a second season at the top of my most anticipated list, but it is the truth. Kakegurui’s first season was a show that I went into, as I do most shows, with little in expectations. I mean, a show about gambling in which the loser receives a punishment? It sounded a lot like a much edgier Yu-Gi-Oh. It turned out, however, that the show was incredibly high in quality. It did become somewhat boring in that the stakes of the show’s bets ended up becoming absolutely meaningless, but what kept me interested was the reaction of the show’s main character Yumeko. I am excited to see just how the show will change it up and how the main conflict will resolve.


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The Top 5 Most Mediocre Action Series

Welcome, weebs and authors alike, to The Aniwriter

As many who appreciate the medium will tell you, including me, anime has an extremely diverse array of shows to chose from, even within the same genre. However, as with any form of entertainment, amidst the excitingly amazing and the horrifically bad lies a category of show that can simply only be described as mediocre. The type of show that inspires almost nothing, and is really only worth talking about because it would make an interesting enough blog post. So, here are the top five most mediocre action anime.

5. A Certain Magical Index

A Certain Magical Index.jpg

I put Index at number five because I actually genuinely like the show in a lot of respects. The world itself and the lore of the show is fascinating, with it being made up of both Espers and magic users. However, beyond that, there is not a lot that inspires confidence in it as a story. The main character, like many on this list, is painfully bland, and the show never actually makes any meaningful difference in terms of what an Esper is other than, like, science or something. Even the action in the show is not particularly interesting outside of a few key characters, and by that I mean mainly Accelerator. It seems like a great concept was largely wasted on terrible execution.

4. Noragami

Noragami.jpg

One of the reasons that Noragami is on this list, at least for me, is because I have never cared much about it as a series. Yeah, when it first came out, I watched all of it. At the time, I might have even said I enjoyed it. But when the second season came out, I had absolutely no desire to watch it, and that made me realize that the first season felt a lot more like a filler show to watch while I looked for something better. However, its more than just that. While Yato is slightly more interesting than the average anime action series, he still does not bring enough to the table to make me want to stick around. Yukine never came off as much more than the edgy teen that the writers make him out to be, and Hiyori is very much the stereotypical female sidekick character that shows up in a lot of shonen action. The action itself, much like in Index, is alright, but not amazing enough to really stand out.

3. Freezing

Freezing

Now I’m getting into “really wish I had not wasted my time on this series” territory. I hate to break it to mister Dal Young Im, but adding goofy sci-fi gimics to your already uninteresting ecchi romance does not actually make it much better. Now, considering I have not actually read the manga, I could not tell you if the original author himself does the story much better, but what I can tell you is that Freezing is absolutely mediocre.

2. Busou Renkin

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Have you ever wondered what a knock-off version of FMA with objectively worse animation and much less interesting concepts behind it would look like? Well, then you’ve come to the right place. Busou Renkin, aside from also being incredibly edgy, has the distinction of being one of the shows I was genuinely bored enough to make an AMV about. It had what I, at the time, thought was fairly good action scenes and a bland enough protagonist that I could project myself onto. But, as with my number one entry on this list, it has literally nothing going for it.

1. Kaze no Stigma

Kaze no Stigma

As I was making this list and writing down some general things to talk about for each entry, I noticed a pattern emerge. Aside from Freezing, all of the shows on this list came out in the mid to late 2000’s and had the male main character and female sidekick dichotomy, and, at least to me, this makes a lot of sense. All of these shows came out when the big three were either beginning to rise or hitting their peak in popularity. Bleach, in particular, had a large influence over shows of this time frame, and it makes sense. It was an extremely popular show with an extremely popular main cast, so viewers were like to reward shows that had similar setups.

Kaze no Stigma differs slightly in that both the main male and main female in the series are of equal importance, but it still does not make the show any more interesting. The story centers around two magical clans, one that uses fire and one that uses wind. At the center of the wind clan is Kazuma, who is suspected of murdering one of his family members and must clear his name. Despite sounding like a fairly interesting premise, the show overall is boring and does not offer much beyond the aforementioned interesting premise.


What other shows would you guys put on this particular list? Let me know in the comments below. Also, if you want to support the Aniwriter through donations or are just feeling generous, consider buying me a coffee on Ko-Fi. Otherwise, thanks for reading and bye for now, Friendos!

12 Days of Anime #6: Top 5 Best Soundtracks I Listened This Year

Music, for me, is an integral part of any anime production. Music is what sets the tone for a battle of all ages and for a romantic climax. It lets people know when to expect a heartfelt tearfest and also when its time to laugh, even if the joke doesn’t exactly land. Without music, many of the best moments in anime would not have nearly the emotional punch that they do. For another end of the year list, here are my top 5 best soundtracks of the year.

5. Durarara!!

Durarara2

No show set in the bustling and always exciting city of Ikebukuro would be complete without Durarara’s equally as bombastic and overactive soundtrack. It takes everything great about the show and transforms itself into the music equivalent. Its mix of Urban and J-Pop sounds makes for a wonderfully diverse listening experience.

4. Jormungand

Jormungand

Jormungand’s soundtrack was a large part of my initial love of the show. Tracks like Time to Attack and Cul-de-sac know how to set the mood of the more action-packed and darker moments of the show. It always felt that the music knew exactly when to come in and when to leave, which is part of why it is such a good soundtrack.

3. Sound! Euphonium

Sound

One would hope going into a show about a high school with a dream of reaching 1st place in the national competition that it would have a good soundtrack to support it, and luckily Sound! Euphonium delivers on that front. A highly expressive soundtrack for a highly expressive cast of characters.

2. The Ancient Magus Bride

the ancient magus bride

While Ancient Magus Bride is an appealing show for many reasons, its soundtrack is one I find to be a particularly convincing one. Its opening Here is one of the many examples of what the show does right, blending Celtic origins of many of the myths that appear in the show with just the right amount of fantastical energy to give it a particular feel.

1. No Game No Life Zero

NO GAME

Everything about this movie is great. It recreates an entirely new world that otherwise hadn’t been mentioned in the No Game No Life anime and manages to bring it to life with exceptionally high quality. I’ll admit that I never thought much of the music in the original, but No Game No Life Zero cranks it up to 10 and breathes life into what would otherwise have been just another J-Pop/electronic filled soundtrack, making it feel vital to the movies overall feeling.


What was your favorite soundtrack of the year? Was it even an anime soundtrack? Let me know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and bye for now, Friendos!

12 Days of Anime #5: Top 5 Best Shows I Watched in 2017

2017 ended up being a much slower year when it came to watching anime for me. I ended up stopping and starting new shows a lot more than usual, and that was mostly because of my school year. The second half of Junior year and the first half of my senior year were pretty rough, all things considered. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t watch some good shows.

5. Jormungand

Jormungand

If I were to ever do a What Else Should You Watch on Black Lagoon, Jormungund would be the first show on the list. It comes off as a more modern version of Black Lagoon, exploring the black market of weapon sales.

Indeed, Jormungand has a lot of high points. Its cast is large, but the show makes them feel fleshed out even when we do not know a whole lot about them as people. To be fair to Jormungund though, it does try to establish a backstory for the characters using some well-done flashbacks. Its animation, specifically when it comes to the show’s action, is extremely well done. Truly, its a show worth watching.

4. AHO-Girl

AHO-Girl 2

AHO-Girl is one of the best things I saw this year because it was honestly just a really good break from the stress at the beginning of the semester. Almost none of the classes that I selected were on my schedule, and turning my brain off to some really dumb humor was therapeutic.

This show has just the right balance of running jokes and new gags that keep things fresh. And yes, the low brow humor is obvious and dumb, but if its something you can appreciate even a little bit, then you’ll love it.

3. A Silent Voice

Koe no Katachi

A movie that needs no introduction, this year’s critical darling was a breathtaking experience that I would gladly watch over and over again. I can’t say that I have a personal connection to the show’s material, but it does feel like a fairly accurate portrayal of the life of a deaf person.

The bullying in the movie was a bit more relatable. Middle school me was a bit more on the shy side, and it was definitely hard trying to talk to people I don’t know. It’s become a lot easier now but still stings just a bit.

2. No Game No Life Zero

NO game no life zero.png

Unpopular Opinion: The No Game No Life movie was better than A Silent Voice. I haven’t read the light novel volume that No Game No Life Zero is based on, but it feels like a really good adaptation, and as a prequel to the original story, it does a great job at setting up the world and how Disboard came to be.

If you liked No Game No Life, you’ll like this.

1. March Comes in Like a Lion

March comes in like a lion 3

I watched the first season of March Comes in Like a Lion before I started this blog, and boy am I glad I did. This has easily become one of my favorite series of all time and will likely remain so for a while. Everything about the show just feels so relatable even when the events in the story seem so far off. I’m honestly not sure I can justify doing a full-on review because it will likely just turn into me gushing about the show for over a thousand words.


What were your favorite shows this year? Let me know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and bye for now, Friendos!