Top 3 Anime of 2015

While I did manage to start quite a few anime in 2015, I was not able to finish half of them. Part of this was a result of my attempting to juggle too many at a time, part of it was due to personal events outside of the blog that demanded my attention late this year. Despite this setback, I did manage to complete three series that stood as a cut above the rest. I’ve nearly finished two anime properties that I hope will kick my 2016 anime reviews off with a bang. Until then, here are me picks for the three best anime that I viewed in 2015.

#3) Mobile Suit Victory Gundam: Considered by many to be the height of series creator Yoshiyuki Tomino’s ‘kill-‘em-all’ presentations, Victory Gundam carries a melancholy tone - more so that most other Gundam anime projects - which provides a curious but surprisingly effective contrast to the positivity exhibited by young protagonist Uso Evin. The hand-drawn animation still holds up quite well today, and avoids reuse of stock footage whenever possible, only increasing the perceived production quality for its day. The efforts of the League Militaire against the Zanscare Empire mirror the fight that the A.E.U.G. took to the Titans in Zeta Gundam, while also harkening back to the severity of losses during original Mobile Suit Gundam’s One Year War. The mobile suit designs are at their most bizarre for a Universal Century setting in Victory Gundam, with many of the Zanscare Empire’s bearing insect qualities. There are a couple laughable moments of gaps in logic, but on the hole, Victory Gundam still holds up well more than twenty years after its original release.

#2) Lupin III: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine: A return to the flashy and upbeat action the series is known for, The Woman Called Fujiko Mine also displays a sultry, mysterious side befitting of the titular character. Effectively one of the earliest tales in the Lupin III chronology, The Woman Called Fujiko Mine focuses in part on how the classic cast first crossed paths with one another, but also explores Fujiko as a complex individual – the motivations behind her life of thievery, her sexuality, ghosts of her past, and the image others have of her versus how she perceives herself. While it certainly does not skimp on exciting chase sequences and zany humor that the franchise has become known for, The Woman Called Fujiko Mine treads into darker, more serious territory than most of its predecessors, to a mostly-successful payoff.

#1) Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders – Battle in Egypt: Building upon the already-stellar previous half of Stardust Crusaders, Jotaro, Joseph, Avdol, Kakyoin, Polnareff and newcomer Iggy face their toughest challenges yet from Dio’s Nine Egyptian Gods on their journey to defeat the time-stopping vampire. With each new installment in the Jojo’s anime series, the animation improves upon greatness, with wild color palette swaps, intense Stand battle sequences, and tactfully drawn-out scenes of drama and grief. This second half of the Stardust Crusaders anime adaptation wonderfully brings to life some of the most memorable encounters from the grander Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure storyline, balancing its action, humor, and mild horror elements with absolute perfection. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders is the best anime adaptation of the classic manga storyline fans could have hoped for. The absurd attention to detail and labor-of-love conveyed through this series make it easily one of the best anime of the past year, as well as among the most masterfully-executed anime of a generation.

Top 5 Anime of 2014

As in years past, I have compiled my end of the year selections for my five favorite anime that I viewed in 2014.  Not all of these anime were in fact released during 2014, though each was released and aired within the past couple of years, and a few of these saw a run that carried on through 2014.  As with my top ten video game selections of the year, my rankings for these five best-of-the-best anime bears little correlation to the ratings I gave to each in my full review posts - rather, they are the five anime that I enjoyed most, and the five which left some noteworthy impact on me as a viewer. 

#5) Knights of Sidonia: Offering a more gritty and dire take on the mecha genre than many of its bigger-name contemporaries, Knights of Sidonia knows how to get from point A to point B in a timely manner, while still exploring enough individual stories that branch out from the core plot.  The scientific advancements made since mankind took refuge among the stars are curious and compelling, if not mildly inconsistent, but the way in which these play off the otherwise outdated tech and cramped living conditions for what are, in all likelihood, the last remaining humans, does well to balance the thriller, drama, adventure, and classic science fiction components.  If only the basic motions of the main cast members’ character models looked half as good as the Garde Unit mechs did when battling the parasitic and ever-adaptive Gauna, this series might have ranked a bit higher on this list.

#4) From the New World: Often times, the whole ‘post-apocalyptic’ subgenre gets stuck in a routine of desolate worlds decorated with litter more than ruins.  How much a breath of fresh air, then, was From the New World, which depicted not only a prospering society, but one which had performed an odd return to ancient technologies and lifestyle.  The strict, often shady rules of this future-past culture incorporate dystopian themes, while the science of the world is largely centered around the esper humans reserving their powers for practical uses that will better the whole community.  From the New World is very smart in its scripting, even though the emphasis on certain plot points might not make their importance known until many episodes later.  Other contemporary science fiction and fantasy anime would do well to learn a thing or two from this series’ careful planning.

#3) Puella Magi Madoka Magica: I admit, I was quite skeptical going into this series.  A number of people had talked it up as being a real game-changer for the magical girl genre – a genre that I was not particularly fond of – but Madoka Magica is much more than that.  Its twelve episode run delivered just the right number of twists and turns to keep me hooked from start to finish, and was fueled by some of the most genuine and raw emotion I’ve encountered in an anime yet.  It’s a dark and depressing tale, but in a similar fashion to Evangelion, it is multi-layered in its themes, yet ever-mindful of tying the narrative threads together for an impactful endgame.  Sometimes the saddest stories deliver the best development for both plot and character, as evidenced by Puella Magi Madoka Magica.

#2) Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders: While the first season adapted the first two parts of the Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure manga impeccably well, they were, to a certain degree, always serving to set up the most popular Jojo’s story arc, Stardust Crusaders.  It’s no surprise why Stardust Crusaders has been so well-received since its debut twenty-five years ago – the cast of Jotaro, old man Joseph, Avdol, Kakyoin, and Polnareff makes for quite a raucous crew.  Regardless of how dire the circumstances or rotten the foe, Jotaro and company always manage to turn the situation back to their favor, with plenty of intense action and hilarious shenanigans along the way.  The Stardust Crusaders arc masterfully handles just what a long-running action series should be about – having fun, balancing the action and comedy, and knowing how to properly pace the story for fans new and old.

#1) Mobile Suit Unicorn Gundam: Unicorn Gundam is both a return to form and a push forth into bold new territory for Bandai and Sunrise’s long-running franchise.  I’ve stated in the past that I find the Gundam OVAs are typically among the most high-quality offerings from the franchise, and Unicorn Gundam is unquestionably among the best Gundam projects of all-time.  It has a large cast to juggle, and yet it handles each individual appropriately, shaping them as pieces of a more complex puzzle over the course of its seven (approximately) hour-long episodes.  It’s a love letter to Gundam fans new and old – one that is certainly among the most easily accessible for new viewers who have little understanding of the chronology of the Universal Century, but one that is also chock-full of references and ties to previous Gundam works like Char’s Counterattack, ZZ, and the original Mobile Suit Gundam that kicked off this definitive mecha franchise way back in 1979.

Top 5 Anime of 2013

#5 - IGPX: I’ve long been a huge fan of mecha, and as a result, I tend to be more highly critical of how these stories of giant robots pan out. I was pleasantly surpsied by IGPX, a show which I had missed out on during its original Toonami run, because of just how fresh a concept it was. The best description I can provide is that IGPX is much like F-Zero, but with robots and greater emphasis on the dynamic of the teammates and pit crew than the actual races. Which is not to say the combination of breakneck-speeds and exchanging of metal punches isn’t incredibly satisfying to watch unfold in a curiously graceful manner, but there is certainly something to be said for putting the spotlight on a crew of young pilots who have to learn to cooperate if they want to succeed.

#4 - Wolf Children: A heartwarming tale about a single mother attempting to provide her children with a secluded upbringing so that they can one day determine for themselves if they wish to live as humans or wolves, Wolf Children is the most emotionally human tale to be conveyed in the anime medium in a long while. The kids, Ame and Yuki, are simply adorable, and the movie is genuine in its timing of making viewers laugh, cheer, and tear up along with the characters. For a film that seems to want to sell itself largely on its fantasy elements, Wolf Children is, at its core, about family and the challenges a single mother faces in raising two young kids who just so happen to harness the ability to transform into wolves.

#3 - Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: I appreciated Gurren Lagann for reasons similar to why I have come to love Gundam, Evangelion, and many other mecha works over the years, except that in the case of Gurren Lagann, it was because it made fun of all the staples that have defined giant robot action over the decades. Combining robots for no apparent reason other than it looks equal parts silly and cool? Check. Ridiculous monologues that don’t actually mean anything but somehow strike fear into the hearts of foes and instill courage and determination in the heroic main cast members? Check. Gunmen mechs that just keep getting larger to the point where galaxies become viable options for Frisbee-like weapons? Check. It’s a series that punches subtlety in the face, but it’s a heck of a lot of fun.

#2 - Steins;Gate: Too few works dealing with time travel and divergent realities steep themselves so deep in real-world scientific theory. The fact that Steins;Gate lays out its rules before it really gets running not only makes for a more intelligently-scripted show, but a more entertaining viewing experience as well. Knowing how the ripples across time and space can cause either subtle or drastic changes keeps you guessing until the very end, the diverse and very human characters are ones you care about and want to see succeed, despite how great the cost to some might be. Other time travel-related works, anime or otherwise, could learn a thing or two from Steins;Gate about how to balance the nerdy factual elements with humorous pop culture nods and self-referential humor.

#1 - Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo: By the finale of Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance, we had a pretty good idea that the story was headed into bold new territory. What I don’t think I was fully prepared for, however, was how dark and complex the narrative would become. The Rebuild of Evangelion films have done a phenomenal job thus far of consolidating one of the most deep and thought-provoking anime works of all time into hour-and-a-half/two-hour installments, but there is a lot at play in Evangelion 3.0, and the attention to detail as well as the sinister nature of some of the grander schemes in motion are on par with 1997’s End of Evangelion. It’s a perfect follow-up to the groundwork the previous two films laid out, and is an exciting marker as the beginning of the end of this masterful tetralogy of films.

Top 5 Anime of 2012

My feelings toward the anime I viewed this year were overall quite positive, even though not all of the classics that I set out to watch made this list. But the surprises that were in store were quite welcome, with Serial Experiments Lain and Casshern Sins proving among the freshest entries into the science fiction genre. Ghost in the Shell proved disappointing, but series like Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Cowboy Bebop, and Darker Than Black: Gemini of the Meteor more than made up for it (that last series came just a hair shy of making this list). As I begin working my way through new anime for 2013, here are the five anime I was most impressed with in 2012 - keep in mind that, as with my top five video games of the year, the rankings do not necessarily reflect the ratings I ascribed to them, but rather are a reflection of my own personal enjoyment in watching them.

#5 - Casshern Sins: As mentioned in my review of this series, Casshern Sins presents a breathtakingly beautiful vision of a world on its way to extinction. This is one of the most fresh and original post-apocalyptic tales I've experienced in recent years, and it is thanks in large part to the fact that the cast is almost entirely devoid of humans. Instead, the world's remaining populous is comprised primarily of robots - robots who have discovered they are mortal, thanks to Casshern's unleashing the Ruin. The way that these robots take on human characteristics or even behave in ways they believe to be human is as entertaining as it is unsettling, as there is little to compare them to in this increasingly devoid realm. Meanwhile, Casshern's need to conquer his destructive side and learn just who he is and what he has done, as well as the manner in which he learns from each individual he meets, fuels the main story arc.

#4 - Serial Experiments Lain: The more experimental a sci-fi anime is, the greater tendency it has to be highly-polarizing. In the case of Serial Experiments Lain, my viewing experience was one so bizarre yet fulfilling - a feeling that can only be accurately compared to my first viewing of Neon Genesis Evangelion. Lain is incredibly trippy, and the series raises just as many questions as it answers. But it's a wonderfully inventive product of 1990s grunge culture and new wave industrial science fiction.

#3 - Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam: I'm a huge fan of Gundam and tend to be partial to the Universal Century series over the Alternate Universe visions of this long-standing mecha powerhouse. I have a real appreciation for everything that was accomplished with Zeta Gundam in solidifying a number of characteristics that would appear in nearly every Gundam series thereafter. Sure, the dialogue is cheesy at times, and the battles often take on a back-and-forth approach for large portions of episodes. But on the larger scale, the writing is solid, the mobile suit designs very creative, and the characters quite the likeable bunch. The dynamic that Lt. Quattro and Kamille share is easily one of my favorites in the metaseries, and the fact that there's a balance of cast members new and old makes the show all the more accessible.

#2 - Akira: I'm quite fond of early science fiction/speculative fiction works like those by Aldous Huxley and Ray Bradbury, and Akira certainly carried a similar tone throughout. I'm also a diehard fan of Neon Genesis Evangelion, and to see one of its predecessors handled so perfectly was a real treat. Though I've seen a fair number of standalone anime films in my day, there are not many that I consider to be at the caliber of full-fledged series. But Akira is an incredible achievement for its day, and ranks as one of my very favorite anime films.

#1 - Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood: I fell in love with the 2003 quickly after starting it, and though I realize it deviated heavily from the manga source material, I still found the development of plot and characters a major step up from most other anime. Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood cranks it up another notch, having better focus in mind from the outset. Though the first dozen episodes are rather fast-paced, the remainder of the series is handled brilliantly as Ed and Al search for a way to restore their bodies. The story feels more complex due to its following a now-completed source material, and the story of the brothers Elric is easily one of the most wonderfully human tales expressed in any modern fantasy epic.

Top 5 Anime of 2011

#5 - Eden of the East: Many contemporary espionage/action films or television series draw the bulk of their inspiration and formula from the familiar, like James Bond or the Bourne Identity. There are certainly some similarities between the latter and Eden of the East, but this anime takes a rather different approach. In trying to recover his memories, Takizawa relies heavily on Juiz and an everday girl, instead of playing the role of a lethally-trained badass. Because everything plays out like a game, action is often swapped out in favor of mystery, lending this genre a fresh new spin on things. It's not quite perfect, but I found it a welcome break from so many copycats.

#4 - Devil May Cry: Far too often, licensed material becomes so bogged down in trying to recreate whatever it is based off in anime form that it loses any creativity or logic. Devil May Cry maintains the signature style of the games through Dante's characteristic cool nature, but takes a step back from slaying one giant demon after another. The anime chooses to instead focus on lesser demons, allowing Dante's relationship with young Patty - often humorous as the two are - to take center stage. The soundtrack and fantastic animation courtesy of Madhouse make this a standout series for its kind, and others would be wise to take notes from it.

#3 - Darker Than Black: I generally steer clear of anime that tries to sell itself as 'dark' or 'mature-themed', as a lot of these end up being violent and bloody without much in the way of plot. Darker Than Black certainly has its violent moments, with Hei driving his knife into another Contractor's hand and Wei throwing his own blood to puncture gaping holes through bodies of those opposed to him. But it isn't so reliant on these elements. Instead, the story makes its primary focus on what it means to be a contractor, and how being a human correlates to that. With a thought-provoking story and incredibly catchy soundtrack, Darker Than Black is as cleverly-scripted as it is entertaining to watch.

#2 - Mushi-Shi: This series stood out to me for two major reasons. First, the episodic nature of the relatively unrelated episodes made it really easy to pick up and watch a lot of episodes in one sitting, or set down for a while, knowing exactly where I left off when I returned. Second, the combination of traditional fantasy elements and old Japanese folklore gave the series a very unique identity and really boosted the quality of the storytelling. It doesn't try to force the mystical aspect on you, but somehow it's still difficult not to be mesmerized by this show, one bizarre Mushi after another.

#1 - Full Metal Alchemist: It may break away from the manga source material a number of times, but there is no denying that this is not only among the best anime in recent years, but among the greatest anime of all time. The story of the brothers Elric is a very human one, as the two stick together for better or for worse, even as the darkening forces of the Homunculus and the Amestrian military close in on them. It's a fantasy story that, frankly, can hold its own against a giant like the Harry Potter series - and in some cases, FMA manages to trump HP.