Much like the last "Favorites" list, this one encompasses solely the series that I've seen, judging them fairly or equally based off of such. I'll mention some of the series I have that are unfinished--either in viewing or just that they'll wrap up next year--but still note that I watched more series from this year than last year.
Also, it's worth noting that while Fate/Stay night unlimited blade works did have its second season premiere this year, I can sort of count it as its standalone thing, however, that is a little unfair. Aldnoah.Zero also had its second season premiere this year, and Yona of the Dawn wrapped up this year as well, but it began as a 2014 season and had no break in it, so I won't be counting it. Sorry...sort of.
I wish, I really do, that Seven Deadly Sins had premiered worldwide this year, too. I believe the second season for it is, and I'm actually quite excited to see what new direction they go with it. But, sadly, only the dub came out this year, so it really doesn't count as a 2015 anime.
The two series that really did surprise me the most from this year were beyond a doubt Gangsta. and Attack on Titan: Junior High. I've already expressed my thoughts on Gangsta., so here, I'll keep it quite brief: it was, overall, disappointing. The animation was one of its only saving graces, I thought, as well as the eerie atmosphere. Even then, the atmosphere does sort of all by the wayside eventually as you just grow saturated to it and it become somewhat dull. The characters had only flashes of being interesting and the ending was just...bad.
Attack on Titan: Junior High, though, is a series I didn't see myself enjoying as much as I am. In terms of the English Dub, all the main voice actors from the original series return and it definitely helps it out. I really liked the first volume of the manga, losing a little interest in it as it went along, and the show mirrors that humor well. The catch with this series is that you have to have seen Attack on Titan--and have a pretty good memory of it--to watch this series. There are tons of self-referential humor moments in it and there are several lines of dialogue used throughout meant to parody the original series.
Which is something I don't think people quite understand: that this is a parody series. It's so obviously a parody series. The characters going from super intense personas to cute little chibi kids is hilarious in its own. Many of the complaints--which I take with major grains of salt but are worth mentioning so you can avoid them, too--are that people can't stand seeing such major, intense characters turned into goofy little kids. But, guys, remember:
It's just a television series.
So calm down. The show is just a fun little 15-minute parody romp of a very good series not trying to take itself seriously and in that regard it works quite well. Every week I look forward to it more and more, wondering what they could parody next. It also helps that characters that die in the show, or have significantly less screen time, are given far more of it here.
Now, let's talk some series that got some pretty serious hype around them coming into their respective seasons: Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign, and One Punch Man. I would rope Gangsta. in with this, but, I already talked about it up top. And I've done a Season 1 review of the former, which you can see here!
Basically, it was just some generic, kind of boring stuff. It was trying very hard to be Attack on Titan-esque and in that regard, it fell flat. In story and characters it also fell flat. The art was pretty but the animation was pretty bad. Luckily, most people dropped off the hype train after about the third or so episode, when it really did drop.
And now, it's time. Let's address the major elephant in the room here:
I thought One Punch Man was...good. Just, good. Basically, to use an example of the series, me watching it was essentially as such:
Now if you like this series and think it's on a whole other level of anime, that's fine. I'm not here to tell you you're wrong. I mean, I really enjoy Fairy Tail.
The thing about One Punch Man is that it just wasn't my type of show. The action was intense and visceral for comedic purposes but, for me, it was too over the top for its own good. Saitama was a fine enough character for this situation, but, the show got a little too routine for me as it went on. I wanted to see more and more of Saitama doing just everyday stuff. Not necessarily a slice-of-life series, but just to see a god among men doing exactly that: being among men. I thought Genos was a good foil for him in this regard.
It was funny in parts, but very repetitive and toward the end got rather boring. It evolved into action for the sake of action, almost forgetting it was meant to satirize many insane, "holy crap this is so actiony wowwwwwww" series.
Oh, and, quick aside: haven't watched a single minute of Dragon Ball Super because I've already seen the two movies it's covering. So there's really no point to do that.
Fate/ Stay Night unlimited blade works was an excellent conclusion to its previous season. It hit more emotional moments than the first season did and stepped it up in terms of story. I felt way more for Shirou in this part than I did at any moment in Season 1. I do think that his situation with Archer went on for a bit too long, dedicating whole episodes to that rather than his relationship with Saber. His relationship with Rin was well-explored, but I just feel that we were given less of Saber this season. Though it was great to see Lancer in a prominent light, and Gilgamesh returning to take over for Caster later on was a wonderful treat.
The final battle is a bit unbelievable at first, but, it actually makes sense once you consider the situation. But also considering that this was a feat that neither Rider nor Saber were able to accomplish in Fate/Zero is something that is a bit of a stretch. Still, F/SN was a ton of fun to watch.
But wasn't actually my favorite anime from this year.
No, actually, my favorite anime was something that I thought would be surpassed eventually on my favorites list. Something would come along later on and pass it up. But, nothing ever did. And I found myself enjoying it more and more as the series went along, to the point where besides Attack on Titan Season 2 and the probable Fate/Stay Night Heaven's Feel movie we may get, I'll say that this anime's second season is the (new) material I'm looking forward to most.
Like how can I not be hyped as all heck for the English Dub of Fairy Tail's Tartarros Arc?
The anime in question?
Assassination Classroom.
Just the concept of a classroom of junior high kids assigned with killing an alien that can go at Mach 20 is hilarious. Each week I was never disappointed with watching the series. I was never bored with it. Even F/SN had moments where I felt it dragged, but with Assassination Classroom I eagerly watched each episode and was pleased with each one. Nagisa and Korou Sensei are amazing main characters, and most new characters we got were pretty awesome as well.
The season ends on a decent cliffhanger, too, making me wonder what might happen next. I've been avoiding the ongoing manga in anticipation of what might happen next.
Assassination Classroom was not the series I thought to be my favorite when I started watching it, but I'm actually quite happy that it is. It was the most fun with a new anime I've had in a very long time. It's also very under the radar for many people, and I highly recommend anyone check it out. Particularly if you can with the English Dub, as all the actors do a great job, Sonny Strait as Korou Sensei mainly.
And that's it for this year's anime talk. I did my best to watch all the anime I could, but, I've also been trying to watch some older material. Heck, I still have to watch Heroic Age, which I purchased, and the Cowboy Bebop movie before moving on. Plus I've been meaning to go back and watch Hellsing Ultimate. But you can expect some more fun reviews and anime next year. Until then!
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