1. One Punch Man
Saitama is bald, unremarkable, and can end every fight with a single punch. While that sounds like a terrible plot, One Punch Man is hilariously good fun. It’s hard to explain exactly why to someone who hasn’t watched it, but if you’re willing to give it a chance, and get past the mundaneness of Saitama’s head, you might just find one of the best anime of the year.
2. Noragami Aragoto
The second season of Noragami focuses on Bishamon, the God of War, and her “shinki”, the weaponised spirits wielded by the gods. Noragami Aragoto explores the relationship between Bishamon and Yato, the main protagonist, in a way that the first couldn’t present. Accompanied by splendid art and great story-telling, Noragami Aragoto is definitely worth a look, especially if you liked the first season.
3. Gate: Thus the JSDF Fought There!
What would happen if the modern world and the fantasy world collided? Gate: Thus the JSDF Fought There! tries to give us the answer, with members of Japan’s Self-Defence Force first retaliating against an assault from the fantasy world and then later performing a more exploratory role. The series also brings with it a touch of satire directed at politics of the modern world. Plus, Rory Mercury is the best.
4. Arslan Senki (The Heroic Legend of Arslan)
The standard hero’s journey, Arslan Senki tells the tale of a prince who lost his kingdom and is trying to reclaim it. The parallels between Arslan’s world and ours are quite hard to miss, with the implications of politics and religion right in your face. At the same time, Arslan Senki also presents characters' varying motivations, with the realisation that everything is not simply in white and black. While the story itself seems common, the characterisation of the individuals is what makes Arslan Senki so watchable.
5. Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru noha Machigatteiru darouka (Is it wrong to try to pick up girls in a dungeon?)
Otherwise known as DanMachi, this fantasy anime follows the journey of Bell Cranel in a city with a structure known as the “Dungeon”, as he fights and progresses for his chosen goddess Hestia. Like Sword Art Online or Log Horizon, Bell gains levels and can use skills, gains gold and experience for killing monsters, and receives item drops. Unlike those other anime, Bell isn’t trapped in a game world, it’s just the reality he lives in. Making use of mythological figures from cultures across the world, DanMachi has enough in it to appeal to most fantasy anime fans.
6. Overlord
Another anime where the protagonist is trapped in a game world, Overlord sees the protagonist Momonga logging in to his online reality for the last time before it shuts down and finds himself unable to quit, with the non-player characters around him coming to life with their own personalities (programmed by his former guild mates). Unlike Sword Art Online or Log Horizon, Momonga isn’t some dashing, young man - his form is that of a skeletal wizard, and his companions are demons and monsters. And who wouldn’t want to watch such an overlord take over the world?
7. Rokka no Yuusha (Rokaa: Braves of the Six Flowers)
Six heroes are chosen to save the world from the Demon God, but seven have gathered. Is one an impostor? It’s a different enough plot, but Rokka no Yuusha takes a while to get going, so patience is advised for the initial episodes. The mystery of who isn’t really one of the six heroes is what drives this story, and while Rokka no Yuusha may suffer some lapses in production values, the end product feels cleverly put together.
8. Kekkai Sensen (Blood Blockade Battlefront)
Kekkai Sensen is basically one of those anime you’ll either love or hate. Set in a fictional New York where a breach between two worlds has led to New Yorkers and monsters from other dimensions living together, Kekkai Sensen tells the story in a disjointed manner that may not appeal to everyone. Its eccentric style may take some getting used to, if at all, but it’s definitely one of the more unique anime this year.
9. Ushio to Tora
A good story, a great bromance, and humour with a heart make this supernatural adventure tale of a boy and demon fighting reluctantly side-by-side one of the standout anime of this year. Also, Tora is both fearsome and loveable. Based on a 1990s manga, the art will probably feel a lot more nostalgic to fans of older anime, too.
Saitama is bald, unremarkable, and can end every fight with a single punch. While that sounds like a terrible plot, One Punch Man is hilariously good fun. It’s hard to explain exactly why to someone who hasn’t watched it, but if you’re willing to give it a chance, and get past the mundaneness of Saitama’s head, you might just find one of the best anime of the year.
2. Noragami Aragoto
The second season of Noragami focuses on Bishamon, the God of War, and her “shinki”, the weaponised spirits wielded by the gods. Noragami Aragoto explores the relationship between Bishamon and Yato, the main protagonist, in a way that the first couldn’t present. Accompanied by splendid art and great story-telling, Noragami Aragoto is definitely worth a look, especially if you liked the first season.
3. Gate: Thus the JSDF Fought There!
What would happen if the modern world and the fantasy world collided? Gate: Thus the JSDF Fought There! tries to give us the answer, with members of Japan’s Self-Defence Force first retaliating against an assault from the fantasy world and then later performing a more exploratory role. The series also brings with it a touch of satire directed at politics of the modern world. Plus, Rory Mercury is the best.
4. Arslan Senki (The Heroic Legend of Arslan)
The standard hero’s journey, Arslan Senki tells the tale of a prince who lost his kingdom and is trying to reclaim it. The parallels between Arslan’s world and ours are quite hard to miss, with the implications of politics and religion right in your face. At the same time, Arslan Senki also presents characters' varying motivations, with the realisation that everything is not simply in white and black. While the story itself seems common, the characterisation of the individuals is what makes Arslan Senki so watchable.
5. Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru noha Machigatteiru darouka (Is it wrong to try to pick up girls in a dungeon?)
Otherwise known as DanMachi, this fantasy anime follows the journey of Bell Cranel in a city with a structure known as the “Dungeon”, as he fights and progresses for his chosen goddess Hestia. Like Sword Art Online or Log Horizon, Bell gains levels and can use skills, gains gold and experience for killing monsters, and receives item drops. Unlike those other anime, Bell isn’t trapped in a game world, it’s just the reality he lives in. Making use of mythological figures from cultures across the world, DanMachi has enough in it to appeal to most fantasy anime fans.
6. Overlord
Another anime where the protagonist is trapped in a game world, Overlord sees the protagonist Momonga logging in to his online reality for the last time before it shuts down and finds himself unable to quit, with the non-player characters around him coming to life with their own personalities (programmed by his former guild mates). Unlike Sword Art Online or Log Horizon, Momonga isn’t some dashing, young man - his form is that of a skeletal wizard, and his companions are demons and monsters. And who wouldn’t want to watch such an overlord take over the world?
7. Rokka no Yuusha (Rokaa: Braves of the Six Flowers)
Six heroes are chosen to save the world from the Demon God, but seven have gathered. Is one an impostor? It’s a different enough plot, but Rokka no Yuusha takes a while to get going, so patience is advised for the initial episodes. The mystery of who isn’t really one of the six heroes is what drives this story, and while Rokka no Yuusha may suffer some lapses in production values, the end product feels cleverly put together.
8. Kekkai Sensen (Blood Blockade Battlefront)
Kekkai Sensen is basically one of those anime you’ll either love or hate. Set in a fictional New York where a breach between two worlds has led to New Yorkers and monsters from other dimensions living together, Kekkai Sensen tells the story in a disjointed manner that may not appeal to everyone. Its eccentric style may take some getting used to, if at all, but it’s definitely one of the more unique anime this year.
9. Ushio to Tora
A good story, a great bromance, and humour with a heart make this supernatural adventure tale of a boy and demon fighting reluctantly side-by-side one of the standout anime of this year. Also, Tora is both fearsome and loveable. Based on a 1990s manga, the art will probably feel a lot more nostalgic to fans of older anime, too.
