With the beginning of the Winter Anime Season of 2021, It’s time for me to come up with the top anime of the recent year. My list contains anime that continued from 2020, and continues into 2022. More points go to anime that finished their seasons in the same year. Also, since this includes anime that I’ve finished, the rankings might be a lot different as compared to how they appear in my seasonal rankings. That’s just the way it is. Some anime faired better than others in closing their cours. With all my disclaimers done, on to my actual list.
Zombieland Saga
At number ten, we have ‘Zombieland Saga: Revenge’. This anime holds a special place in my heart for being an idol anime that got me sucked in BECAUSE of its zombie story approach. If it weren’t for the zombies that are Franchouchou, I probably wouldn’t be even watching this anime. Also, this anime just makes me laugh out loud, and hum to the beat of the songs.This is my funny, and heartwarming anime of the year.
The Case Study of Vanitas
At number nine, we have ‘The Case Study of Vanitas’. This is the vampire anime of the year, and it has the traditional humor that you find from any Studio Bones anime. The Book of Vanitas thought to corrupt vampires is actually used to cure them of corruption. I love the character designs here, and the relationship building in the series is quite endearing. There is also enough vampire new vampire lore here to keep the series intriguing. Lucky for us, the series continues in the winter of 2022.
Takt Op. Destiny
At number eight, we have ‘Takt Op. Destiny’. What happens when you combine the powers of studio MAPPA and MADHOUSE? You have a beautiful anime about the power of music to save the world. Some complain about the pedestrian plot of the series. I on the other hand see it as a simple plot enriched with great visuals, and a focus on music. That’s enough to put it on my list of one of the best anime of the year.
Re: Zero
At number seven, we have ‘Re: Zero’. Yes, this anime continued during winter, and that’s enough to put it on my list fro 2021. What else can be said about this series from studio White Fox? It’s a beautiful isekai about second chances. We seem to have a lot of those on this list. I can’t wait for Rem to finally wake up (no spoilers!). Even though Subaru has the backbone of an amoeba most times, he just keeps on going learning from his past mistakes, albeit brutally. Even with Subaru’s faults, the anime itself just can’t be denied its place on my list.
The World’s Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat’
At number six, we have ‘The World’s Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat’. This anime turned out to be better than expected, and jumped over the spot of higher ranked fall anime ‘Takt Op. Destiny’. This is another isekai (and not the last one on my list). with the protagonist dying and remembering his former life as an assassin to kill the existing hero of the world he gets reincarnated. I like Lugh’s calm and calculating mind. I like his realization that he needs a lot of savvy to beat the overpowered hero. It helps that the animation is also top notch.
Jujutsu Kaizen
At number five, we have ‘Jujutsu Kaizen’. This most likely won’t win anime of the year because of my top four on the list (which all have a chance of winning many awards). That’s fine since it has won already multiple awards the previous year. The series does continue into the winter of this year, and the reason why it’s on my list just like ‘Re: Zero’ is. I’m eagerly waiting for Itadori’s next adventures as this anime continues.
Ranking of Kings
At number four, we have ‘Ranking of Kings’. One of two anime on this list that caught me off guard (the other is higher on this list), and is also made by Wit Studio. Known for its earlier work on ‘Attack on Titan’, Wit Studio has expanded its reach to stories such as that of Prince Bojji. Though this anime is at number four, I wouldn’t be surprised that it wins awards for 2021 just like the other three that come above it. This is a beautiful hero’s journey to become a king in spite of his disabilities. How could you not root for Bojji to succeed with all that he’s been through? That is truly the magic of this anime.
86 The Anime
At number three, we have ’86’. This would be a lot higher on my list if not for the delays. In fact, had its last two episodes not been delayed, it would have a chance at number one. As it stands, this is as far as I can rank it. This year, there has been a resurgence of mecha anime, and ’86’ is a prime example of it. It’s so frustrating how this series gives you hope only to dash it away as fast as it came. However, this is also what drags you into the series, hoping that there is a happy ending. The struggle for acceptance, and survival is real as seen in through the eyes of Shin, and his compatriots.
Vivy: Flourite Eye’s Song
At number two, we have ‘‘Vivy: Flourite Eye’s Song’. My dark horse to win anime of the year in many anime awarding bodies, this series was made by Wit Studio just like ‘Ranking of Kings’. Similarly, this anime got me blindsided, and I wasn’t expecting to love this anime when I first watched it. Vivy being the reluctant savior of both human and robot kind is reminiscent of a Philip K. Dick story. One years in the making, Vivy learns that there are more important things than her android life, and her song is part of it. What do I mean exactly? Watch this anime to find out.
Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation
At number one, we have ‘Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation’. What happens when you create a new anime studio to create ONE and ONL Y ONE specific anime? Well, this is what you get: my vote for anime of the year. Your time is not wasted on this anime. The opening sequence is imbedded into the story. The opening song changes depending on the setting of the current story. This is the isekai of the year as well as the anime of the year for me. Also, with the way the story ended for 2021, the stage is set for an even better story to continue. The animation is beautiful from the backdrops to the character design. It’s a perfect balance of story, world building, and action. There’s enough drama that focuses also on family relationships. Granted, Rudius is a lech, but that’s also part of his charm. It’s part of the charm of this anime. Put it all together, and you have the best anime for 2021.
Do you agree with me? Let me know in the comments.
I apologize in advance that this will be a long post. When I reviewed this year’s best summer anime, I did mention that it appeared like it was the calm before the storm of the avalanche of beautiful fall anime to come. I was right, and I love it when I’m right. In which case, it would be unfair for me to come up with a reduced top ten list. Instead, I’m putting ALL OF THEM here in this article. So brace yourselves. This will be a long, but entertaining read. I’ll start off with an anime that fell between the cracks of the summer and fall seasons.
‘Fena: Pirate Princess’ is part of this review, but not part of my fall list of anime to watch. Why is that? Well, when I review anime for each season, I give it around six episodes to determine my rankings so I have a decent sample size. Fena, came much later than my normal review time, AND ended before I got to the six episode mark of the fall season. Weird as it may seem, this put the series in purgatory. Still, this anime deserves mentioning because of its gorgeous animation by Production IG, and its historical revisionism. Granted, Fena is more princess than pirate, and is oftentimes annoying, but she is the driving force of the story. Plus, this series has one of the best ending songs for the year. So, ‘Fena: Pirate Princess’ is my FIRST interim season anime.
Now that I’ve given Fena the mileage that she deserves, I’ll proceed to the actual list of fall anime. This all starts with…
….’Muv-Luv Alternative’ at number sixteen. The first of four mecha anime on my list, this is a combination of Gundam and Evangelion clone. The character designs are reminiscent of Eva, while the mecha designs are like those on Gundam. Nevertheless, this is a pretty good mecha anime to watch. It appears that this year has been a resurgance of mecha anime, and this is one anime that I gave a chance to view. It didn’d disappoint so it makes my list. There are a lot of great mecha fight scenes here. The plot can be a little bit confusing with so many references to an alternate world that is(was?). Though the science of this fiction is intriguing enough for me to stick around.
At number fifteen, we have ‘Kyoukai Senki’. My second mecha anime on this list reminds me a lot of Code Geass. Made by Sunrise Beyond (also a part of Sunrise), the story is about Amou Shiiba who joins a resistance force using his mecha (AMAIN) to free the Japanese people from the oppression of the various blocs that rule over it. Yes, it just reeks of Code Geass…which was also made by Sunrise (Hmm…). Just like ‘Muv-Luv Alternative’ this is a pretty good mecha anime even though it has some generic mecha tropes in its storyline. So why don’t you join the resistance (sorry, couldn’t help it), and see how Amou Shiiba takes this story further.
At number fourteen, we have ‘Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon’. This is the second act of the series continuing from last year’s first season. I’m a huge Inuyasha fan, and I’m very happy that the fantasy baton has been passed on to these three ladies of the next generation. Mind you that this was isekai before isekai even became popular. The Inuyasha franchise was one of those anime that paved the way for the juggernaut that is the isekai trope. The story takes off directly after the events of the first season, and it doesn’t slow down with the action. The story and animation is good enough to make my list of regular series to watch as well.
At number thirteen, we have ‘Aquatope of White Sand’. Slice of life anime isn’t really my thing yet this current list has three of them, and this is the first amongh them. This anime is a carry-over from the summer season because it has twenty-four episodes. It’s very rare nowadays to find seasons of twenty-four episodes with majority of anime going the twelve episode route. Aquatope continues its gorgeous animation by P.A Works while showing the growing pains of our cast of mainly adolescent characters led by Kukuru and Fuuka. There’s a lot to love about the relationship building in this anime which is the reason why it’s on my list.
At number twelve, we have ‘Moon, Laika, and the Bloodsucking Princess’. The premiss of this anime is outlandish. The Republic of Zimitra (reminiscent of the former USSR) wants to beat its rival, the United Kingdom, in the space race. To accomplish that, they are sending out Irina, a vampire, as a test subject cosmonaut to space before they send out an actual human to see how their tech will work out for humans. Training Irina is an out-of-favor human named Lev Leps who himself dreams of heading to space. Vampires in space, right? What a formula. It works here, and the budding romantic relationship between Lev and Irina grounds the spacey (hihi) premise. The series tackles the negative effects of racism as well which adds to why this anime is worth watching.
At number eleven, we have ‘The Faraway Paladin’. Isekai in form, but mainly a fantasy series, this series is all about the development of William G. Maryblood. He is raised by three undead characters namely Gus, Mary and Blood (which form part of his name). Not much is mentioned early on with the origins of his former life, and the focus is more on his training by his three undead teachers into becoming, well, the faraway paladin.
William or Will has all the tools to become a powerful paladin, and it’s actually a bit unfair how his character is set up for success. I mean, his undead family were powerful characters when alive so he gets to inherit their knowledge and skills. That’s a bit biased from a character genration standpoint if you ask me. Still, the animation is beautiful, and I’m sucker for a well-presented fantasy story.
Finally we have reached our top ten with ‘Platinum End’ at number ten. This anime is bloody, violent, and definitely not for children. I don’t think that’ll stop kids from watching it. Thirteen god candidates are chosen by angels to be the next god. Of these thirteen candidates, Mirai Kakehashi is our main character chosen by his angel, Nasse. The god candidates are given special powers to prove they are deserving to be the one true God. However, these cnadidates are chosen from people who want to end their lives. Did I mention that this anime shouldn’t be watched by children?
More disturbing is that the angels find all the god candidates in Japan because, according to the anime, Japan has the highest suicide rate. The anime reminds me a bit of Death Note. In spite of its disturbing themes, the anime’s cerebral approach keeps you on edge well enough to keep you going.
At number nine, we have ‘Sakugan’. This is the second to the last mecha anime on my list, and THE father-daughter anime of the season for me.The Labyrinth is a expansive space found underground which father, Gagumber, and daughter, Memempu, want to explore. Big Tony is the mecha they pilot together to explore the Labyrinth. The banter of father and daughter is entertaining and quite hilarious. Memempu plays the genius daughter while Gagumber plays the protective semi-deadbeat father. Unlike ‘Platinum End’ which can be stressful to watch at times, ‘Sakugan’ is a fun ride, like a roller coaster.
At number eight, we have ‘Komi Can’t Communicate’. The second of the slice of life anime on this list, this anime is about Shouko Komi who has a communication disorder. In short, Komi has trouble talking to people. She literally freezes (hilariously) in the anime, and is more comfortable writing to people when she gets the nerve. Other than that, everyone in her school thinks that she is the perfect girl with her looks, skills, and intelligence.
Helping her with her communication problem, and her goal in reaching one hundred friends is Hitohito Tadano. Unlike Komi, Tadano is a nobody. This leads to a lot of knee-slapping situations that I laugh out loud sometimes. However, communication disorder is no joke, and is an actual learning difficulty.
Even though the series presents it in a funny manner, it doesn’t take the disability lightly. The anime can even serve as inspiration to those who do have the same disorder as Komi. Yes, it’s funny. But, the humor is used to highlight solutions to a very real social difficulty.
At number seven, we have ‘Blue Period’ which is the last of my slice fo life anime. This is an anime about visual arts. ‘Blue Period’ is a reference to Picasso’s blue period n which he painted several monochromatic paintings consisting of different values of blue and blue-ish green. Main character Yatora Yaguchi wasn’t really interested in art at first. In fact, he was even making fun of it as he ddidn’t see it as a practical profession to pursue. He changed his mind, and is now passionately practicing his art to get into a college art school. I’m learning a lot from this anime about art that I didn’t know before.
This anime can be used to teach an actual art class. It has a lot of factual information about art. It also shows that, even if you have little talent, with enough passion and hard work, you can accomplish your goals. Any anime that tells you to pursue your dreams in the right way deserves to be on my watch list.
At number six, we have ‘Kimetsu No Yaiba: Mugen Train Arc’. If this were not a movie that came before, it would be higher on my list. This would probably be sacrilege to die-hard Demon Slayer fans that this is at number six. I’m a fan of this anime too, but that doesn’t mean I’ll be blinded by my love for it to affect its ranking. To be fair, I think this serial approach is better than the move that came out (more sacrilege). It has enough to make it this far in my top ten. The animation is spectacular, even the new material added to the story. You have excellent opening and ending songs. But, and there are probably a lot who don’t agree with me, it isn’t enough to break into my top five.
We begin my top five with ‘The World’s Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat’. That title is a mouthful. I really hate long titles that have become the norm of some anime nowadays. That won’t stop me from appreciating this series. I was intrigued with this anime when it was solicited because it came from the same creator of a rather…brutal and sexual anime that I watched and dropped (which I won’t mention here). This anime promised to be something different. I jumped in with low expectations. Needless to say, I was blown away from the first episode of this isekai. Similar to ‘The Faraway Paladin’ the main character, Lugh remembers his last life as an assassin. He is offered by a goddess to live a new life in a world of sword and sorcery provided he kills the hero of that new world. After that, Lugh can do whatever he wants with his life.
So what does Lugh do before he is born? He provides his new human form with the abilities he needs to defeat the hero who has far more abilities than he has. I absolutely like the mind of this guy. I mean, he uses magic to create firearms in a world that has none. Read that again. FIREARMS. Lugh is a deliberate and calculating genius. He knows he can’t succeed in killing the hero alone so he surrounds himself with people who can aid him in his task as he grows up. It’s a bit contrived that all his assistants are female (and gorgeous to boot), but that just adds to the appeal of this anime. Think of this as a James Bond anime with magic instead. Oh, and that backward spell-casting reminds me so much of Zatanna from DC Comics that I was grinning ear-to-ear when it was first used.
At number four, we have ‘Takt Op. Destiny’. This was one anime that I already knew was going into my fall anime viewing list. I even had it pegged as making number one on my list. You have the powerhouse studios of MAPPA and Madhouse tag-teaming to create this series. The character designs are drop-dead gorgeous. The animation flows beautifully from the characters to the background. And, the major theme involves using music as a weapon. That takes me back to Macross, and all of these elements hooked me, and kept me going.
With Takt as the conductor, and Cossette/Destiny as the musicart to rid the world of D2s who have more or less eradicated the use of music from the world, the music-powered combat skills of the musicarts are all that stand between humanity being decimated by the D2s.
Why isn’t ‘Tak Op. Destiny’ at the top of my list? Because it doesn’t have as great a story as the top three on my list starting with…
…At number three, we have ‘Ranking of Kings’. This anime is from Wit Studios, the same studio that came up with Vivy:Flourite Eye’s Song. You know, that anime that came out of nowhere to get to the top of my spring anime list. Since Vivy impressed me so much, I was looking forward to the next Wit Studios production that I could find which was this. I’ll be honest. I was in the middle of watching the first episode, and said to myself, ‘what the hell it this?!’ I was ready to drop this series at the first episode then BOOM. The first episode ended with me saying to myself, ‘WTF just happened?!’ So I watched the next episode. Then the next. And just like Vivy, though to a lesser degree, I was hooked on the story of the deaf and dumb Prince Bojji.
The story of Prince Bojji in his quest to become the greatest king in spite of his disability is truly inspriring to watch. It’s far better than the story of Komi since we are looiking at a child who has these physical disabilities with the additional burden of royal expectations on his young shoulders. Granted, the animation isn’t as good as many of the anime on this list though it sticks true to form to the visual feel of the manga. However, the storyline of ‘Ranking of Kings’ is just too intriguing to ignore, and everyone is beginning to realize just how beuatiful the message of this series actually is.
All these qualities of ‘Ranking of Kings’ make it truly a top-notch anime of not just the fall season, but also of the year. However, the two anime that rank higher than it on my list have great stories as well, but with better animation.
At number two, we have ’86’. This is the last mecha anime on my list, and I can’t say enough on how good this series is. The first season of this anime was number three on my spring anime of 2021.With all due respect to that excellent season one, season two is turning out to be better. For one, it’s more hopeful than the first season. Shin and company are still fighting. He’s still The Reaper. The difference is Shin and the rest of the surviving 86 are fighting for something more than survival. They’re fighting for humanity, and with insanely mad mecha combat skills.
Like season one, ’86’ highlights the presence of discrimination. These teenaged warriors of ’86’ are made of stern stuff. Even in their new environment, they are seen as monsters in the battlefield. The story shifts back and forth between Shin’s group and Lena who doesn’t know that Shin and company are still alive. Everybody can talk about the romance of their favorite couple in their anime, but the relationship of Lena and Shin blows all of those away. The build-up of these two protagonists finally meeting is something worthy of the anticipation. Of course, the threat of death is all around, and we’re not really sure who gets to live or die moving forward (no spoilers from the manga).
Excellent story. Excellent animation. Better than ‘Ranking of Kings’. Why is this still not number one? Well because…
…Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation’ is at number one. Did you know that Studio Bind was a special studio created by both White Fox and Egg Firm to specifically make ‘Jobless Reincarnation’? White Fox as in Re:Zero. Egg Firm as in Sword Art Online. The two production companies wanted to have a team to focus on this isekai and it has paid A LOT of dividends.
Did you know that the opening music for each episode changes depending on the location of the story? When the location changes the background intro music changes as well. That’s a very nuanced detail to use consistently.
Did you know that the story of this anime is optimized by incorporating visual elements in the opening sequence which are unique for each episode? The result is there are more story elements put in each episode.
Did you know that this anime creates different languages for different races ASIDE from the regular language used which is Japanese? You are treated to a fictional lingustics feast when new races communicate differently.
To top it off, there is excellent character development, and in-depth world building to draw you into this enchanting world. Rudeus is lucky to be reincarnated in such a beautiful magical world. He’s given a second chance at life, and he is making good use of it. However, his troubles are only beginning as he know begins on a new quest to find his loved ones.
What makes this better than ’86’? Aside from what I’ve already pointed out, a great fantasy story trumps a great science fiction story in my book. All hail Rudeus Greyrat!!!
Do you agree with my choices? Disagree? Let me know in the comments.
Going into this year’s spring season of Japanese Anime, I wasn’t really expecting a lot of worthy series to watch. I mean, there were so many entertaining anime to watch from the winter season that I was only looking forward to one series this spring which I had declared to myself the best one on this list at one point. I was SO WRONG with that presumption. As of this writing, we are at midseason proving once again that this year’s crop of anime have been very good so far. Yes, I dropped a few bad eggs here and there, and what I was left with was an intriguing list for the spring season. Disclaimer once again, these are actual anime that I am watching so you are allowed to disagree with the list entirely. Though you might end up agreeing with me in the end. So, on with the countdown…
At number eight, we have ‘Joran: The Princess of Snow and Blood’. This reminds me a bit of ‘The Crow’ comick book with a movie adaptation staring Brandon Lee, and ‘Rurouni Kenshin‘. The story revolves around assasin Sawa Yukimura who is a changeling. To my mind, she is a combination of The Crow and Kenshin without Kenshin’s sense of humor. Yukimora is a truly depressing character and she thrives in it. I was about to drop this series from my viewing because the story became quite predictably boring, but the plot took some interesting twists and turns and this barely made my list. The story progresses quite quickly with Yukimura’s band of assassins and moral compass, Asahi Nakamura who is actually the daughter of parents that Sawa murdered. I told you this story was depressing. Don’t take your eye off the story. I was engrossed enough to keep this on my list.
At number seven, we have ‘Mars Red’. No, this has nothing to do with the planet. This series has more to do with vampires and vampire hunters. In 1923, the Japanese government created a new unit to counter the increasing number of vampires. The unit itself is led by Yoshinobu Maeda, a human, who leads a unit composed of both humans and vampires. Similar to Joran, there’s a bit of historical revisionism here to provide the backdrop for the series’ story. Mars Red focuses on the relationship of humans and vampires while also showing how human (humane?) some of these vampires actually can be. I’m sure you’ve heard this story before, but there are some story elements in this anime that, like Joran, have kept me viewing this series in spite of the overfamiliarity of its theme. Check it out to find out.
At number six, we have ‘Combatants Will Be Dispatched!’. Anime like this normally don’t make my list. Why, you might ask? Well, it’s just…it can be…at times…sexually offensive? Who am I kidding. The series objectifies women in a very crass and lewd way. And yet, I find myself laughing at the situations and get to wonder if there is a point to all this.
The series revolves around Combat Agent 6 who works for the Kisaragi Corporation, a corporation of great evil. In fact, Six has to get evil points in order for himself to optimize the resources of the Kisaragi Corporation. The more evil points he has, the more access he has to the arsenal the Kisaragi Corporation has to offer. Six is sent on a mission to spy on a distant planet in order to later takce control of it. He is accompanied by combat droid Alice who serves as his liaison in the conquest of this new world. There are shades of Ranma 1/2 in this anime that allow me to tolerate the female objectification. Seriously, I find myself bursting out in laughter with noboby around while watching this, and I almost seem like a crazy person. It’s sci-fi fantasy harem. it’s semi-ecchi. It can be VERY offensive at times, but it’s just too funny not to be on this list.
At number five, we have ‘Tokyo Revengers’. Takemichi Hanagaki has been given the power to go back in time, twelve years to be exact, which allows him to prevent the try and prevent the death of his former girlfriend, Hinata Tachibana. However, each time he spends in the past, he inhabits his middle school younger self. As Takemichi spends time in the past, his present body is left in a coma. The amount of time he spends in the past is also the amount of time that lapses in the present when he returns. Takemichi skirts back and forth from present to past in order to find clues and ways to prevent the death of his former girlfirend.
I’ve always like redemption stories, and this series is one of them. When Takemichi goes back into the past, he is not only changing history, he is also changing his personality. This dynamic between time travel and redemption is enough to put this series on my list.
At number four, we have ’86’. Welcome to the Republic of San Mongolia which has an existing war with the Gladian Empire. The republic is comprised of eighty-six sectors. Sector eighty-six is where people not considered human reside in order to protect the rest of San Mongolia from the Glaidian Empire’s horde. Valdilena Milze commands her Spearhead Squadron, members of sector eighty-six, far away from the dangers of actual war. Spearhead is led by their field commander known as the Reaper who has the reputation of being the sole survivor of his squad.
’86’ makes it this high on my list because of the beautiful animation, and its focus on the effects of discrimiation. The reason why members of sector eighty-six are forced to fight against the Gladian horde while other sectors do not is the color of their hair. Becasue these people from sector eighty-six do not have silver hair, they are not considered human, and thus, are left as expendable soldiers to die for the protection of the Republic of San Mongolia. Ouch. More painful is the fact that characters fall like flies here so don’t get too attached. How do you work with somebody who you know doesn’t even consider you human? Watch this anime to find out.
At number three, we have ‘Zombieland Saga: Revenge’. I was about ready to crown this anime as THE anime to watch for the spring season. That’s how highly I value the members of Franchouchou. The second season of Zombieland Saga continues a few months after the events of the first season. It’s still funny as hell, with a lot of warm moments. The combination of song, humor and drama got me hooked at the onset, and it helps that studio MAPPA took care of the animation for this series. In a spring season filled with a lot of sad and sometimes depressing anime, ‘Zombieland Saga: Revenge’ balances it all out. When the first season of this anime came out, I wasn’t even expecting to continue let alone finish it. This was out of my regular anime viewing…or so I thought. With the second season, you’ll get the same in-depth character development that even viewers like me who are not fans of idol anime will enjoy. Then of course you have Tae Yamada who will soften even the hardest of hearts.
At number two, we have ‘To Your Eternity’. I’ve heard of this anime, and its manga following but it wasn’t a series I was looking forward to watching. A few episodes in and I was proven wrong. Watching it, I see shades of ‘Princess Mononoke’ and the Studio Ghibli touch. This is surprising because this wasn’t made by Studio Ghibli. And yet, it has that feel.
Created under the guidance of Brain’s Base studio,the story is about an immortal being that can change shape. The being itself has no identity or emotions. However, as it roams the planet, it is able to learn from its experiences, and the death of a being it has bonded with at some level (I’m not sure exactly how) allows this immortal being to take its shape. As the story progresses, the immortal being is named, ‘Fushi’. This anime hits the spot on so many emotional levels that it feels like an extended anime movie. The animation is beautiful, and the thematic element of ‘nature vs. nurture’ is constantly portayed in this series make it an entertaining anime to watch. But, that is not enough to put this on the top of my list.
At number one, we have ‘Vivy: Flourite Eye’s Song’. While ‘To Your Eternity’ was an anime I heard of, and took a gamble in watching, ‘Vivy: Flouriet Eye’s Song’ was an anime that didn’t even reach my initial radar. To be honest, I had caught up with all the anime I had lined up to watch, and wanted a change of pace. So, I found this lying around and tried it out. Little did I know that I was watching my number one anime of the spring season.
‘Vivy: Flourite Eye’s Song’ tells the story of a entertainment AI known as Vivy. Her sole purpose is to entertain humans with her songs. She is contacted by Matsumoto, an AI from one hundred years in the future. Matsumoto tells Vivy that she needs to help him prevent events that will lead to a human and AI war. Only Vivy can help Matsumoto with his task. Initially, Vivy refuses to help, knowing that her only function in life is to sing. She reluctantly agrees to help Matsumoto which sets her on a war prevention adventure that spans the next one hundred years of her life. In the process, Vivy learns to empathize with both humanity and AI equally. This leads to some conflict with Matsumoto at times who has one way of accomplishing the task at hand while Vivy has other ideas on what to do.
This anime makes my top spot not only because of the beautiful animation and storytelling, but also because it focuses on Vivy changing the course of her own programmed destiny. By changing here character and approach in life, Vivy literally can change a a war-destined future. Nothing is set in stone, and you are in charge of your own destiny. That grand thematic element puts this anime at the top of my spring anime list.
Obskura And Then Some 