Top 10 Anime Series
of 2015
Written by: ClayDragon & Shiggins
Let’s not beat around the bush – 2015 was a damn good year for anime.
This was partly due to the hype surrounding the fact that a couple of old shows
got revitalised, but there were also some notable original series. And what
better way to celebrate the end of the year than by making our final 2015 list be about the
best shows to grace our screens these past 12 months?
IMPORTANT: For this list we’ve only considered shows that started
airing this year. Shows that were staggered across 2014 and 2015 have not been
considered for this list (sorry, fans of Unlimited
Blade Works). However, shows that got a completely separate series this
year are eligible for this list.
Side note: Whilst we made an effort to watch lots of shows that
started airing this year, we couldn’t see them all. So if there’s a show that
you think should be on this list but isn’t, then it’s probably because we never
got around to watching it, as opposed to us not liking it.
As is this the case with many of these lists, SPOILER ALERT. You have
been warned.
10.) Gangsta (Written by: Shiggins)
Guns, swords, prostitutes and a weirdly-coloured street. All can
kill you and all will probably find a way to kill you somehow in this very odd
but very entrancing anime about two dudes who live together (not gay) in the
city of Ergastulum as they work as “handymen” for
the police and the mob. Worick and Nicholas, both flawed and with their own
disabilities, end up befriending a sex worker named Alex and getting involved
with tons of crap along the way.
Gorgeous...and Alex isn't half bad either. |
What really appeals to me with this series is the atmosphere. The
emptiness of the streets, the low misty lighting, the lack of overly-aggressive
music during the quiet scenes... It helps to create a dismal but intriguing
setting that you end up just wanting to explore for hours alone. If this was a
Telltale game, it would probably be perfect. The two male leads are fantastic
too, with Nicholas' deafness not only being unique, but endearing to who he is
and how he acts. Oh and Worick is a gigolo. Enjoy that image, ladies.
Ice Cube strikes again. |
While the animation isn't stellar, the writing certainly is. At
least, for the first half. The progression of the series tends to work against Gangsta's favour, as it just becomes
less engaging. The first half is a huge blast, and the series as a whole is
well-worth your time. The friendship of Nicholas and Worick alone is demanding
enough for you to love the series, so I do suggest you check it out. It slips
up and has quite a few flaws, but I enjoy it all the same.
9.) Aoharu x Kikanjuu (Written by: Shiggins)
What would happen if you crossed Ouran Highschool Host Club with Assassination
Classroom, while making the main girl voiced by my favourite Nisekoi character? Well, besides a very
awesome fanfiction, you'd get Aoharu x
Kikanjuu. The end result is something that, while not entirely unique, is
still a lot of fun and a great waste of your time. This is the story of Hotaru
Tachibana, who dresses like a man and despises those who defy justice.
*choir music* |
The action is fairly classic comedy material. It's taking something fairly ordinary and typical, in this case paintball, and kicking it
up a notch so it looks like this extreme badass way of life filled with gangs,
personal war, military experts and bloodlust, when in actuality it's a few
prats hitting each other with paint pellets. It's like that series Ben-To, if it wasn't a huge
disappointment and actually made some interesting characters and jokes, instead
of doing nothing at all...
Right... Because girls always react badly to porn. Ha! |
Hotaru is a fun character, if a bit unusual in how they refuse to
explain her reason for looking like a boy. Haruhi had an excuse, but Hotaru's
excuse of “I just do” feels a bit too lazy. The other characters are tons of
fun however, including a truly evil villain that is so fucking twisted, I
actually gasped, and the S&M doujin artist that always makes me giggle with
his disinterested attitude to the world. It's not as yaoi-friendly as Ouran is, or as action-packed exciting
and dark as Assassination Classroom,
but if you're just looking for a casual, fun watch that isn't too draining,
then you can't go wrong with this one.
8.) Shimoneta (Written by: Shiggins)
What if I told you that it's okay to be a pervert? In fact, you
should be one and anybody who isn't a pervert is actually part of a corrupt
society that is refusing to let you embrace the beauty of vaginas, dicks and
other body parts? Well, that's exactly what Shimoneta
sets out to do. The story of Tanukichi Okuma and how his life is turned
upside-down by the erotic terrorist Ayame “Blue Snow” Kajou and the
sex-obsessed organisation is nothing short of hilarious.
And yet... I can't stop staring at the worm! |
If the series just stuck to the formula of exploring different
sexual fetishes and items, from vibrators to hentai, it would probably be
memorable enough because of just how amazingly ridiculous the series takes
itself. However, the truly captivating aspect of this series is infamous
yandere stalker Anna Nishikinomiya, and her love
nectar cookies. Yes, THIS IS THAT SERIES! You thought Yuno Gasai was the
maximum freakshow of yandere? Y'all ain't seen nuttin' yet!
Same. I hate how modern society sexualises everything these days. |
I wrote an article about Shimoneta
a while back, expressing my satisfaction of taking a dark topic
and shedding some light on it, while still maintaining the message it was
trying to get across, and I stand by that article today. Shimoneta is not only hilarious, it's decipherable. You can easily
analyse it and discover your own interpretation, whether it's about society as
a whole or just the manner of how one should raise a child. And that's why I
think this series is not only hilarious, but more than worthy of your time. Oh and...
this is going to sound weird but... I consider this less perverted than series
like some series out there. No, seriously. If you disagree, just remember; It
doesn't take a killer to write a murder story.
7.) Gintama (2015) (Written by: ClayDragon)
The series that just won’t stay dead, ladies and
gentlemen. Last seen in 2013, Gintama
underwent yet another resurrection and came back to our screens in Spring this
year, called Gintama
2015 for those of us who don’t know how to pronounce that weird circular
symbol. From the very first scene, it was clear that Gintama had lost none of its charm nor its humour, and it still
continues to make us laugh to this day.
Wait, what? |
Following the misadventures of Gintoki
and the rest of the Odd-Jobs Squad, Gintama
2015 seems to pick up where the last series left off – although given the
oddball nature of the show, it’s hard to make sure. But honestly, who cares
when you have plots like Gintoki accidently freezing time across the entire
universe, the Shogun losing his memories and joining the Anti-Shogun Faction,
Hijikata and Gintoki fighting over a lottery ticket, and an arc in which every
main character switches genders?
Not that Gintoki is one to talk about relationships... |
Really, Gintama’s only issue is that the main plot is spread rather thin,
so there’s no real reason to keep watching beyond the humour. But that’s more
than enough, since if there’s one thing Gintama
isn’t short on, it’s laughs. Every character and every moment is mined for all
the humour possible, and the result is one of the funniest anime series out
there.
6.) Assassination Classroom (Written by: ClayDragon)
“School
days are the best days of your life”, they say. Whether or not you agree with
that statement is up to you, but going to a school where your teacher is a
super-powerful tentacled creature would certainly make your adolescence interesting.
Said creature, nicknamed Korosensei by his students, has threatened to blow up
the Earth in one year, and the only people capable of stopping him are the
pupils of the class that he has decided to teach.
These are the six most important characters. Everyone else is irrelevant. |
Most
of Assassination Classroom revolves
around the different methods that the students use in order to kill their
teacher, and the humourous ways these plans often fail. But an equal amount of
time is spent establishing how having Korosensei as their teacher brings out
the best in the pupils, and seeing them grow and mature to the point where they’re
capable of tackling huge problems on their own was one of the highlights of the
show. The other highlight is Korosensei himself, as despite his appearance and
threats, he’s really just a soft-hearted goofball.
So close, and yet so far... |
The
only issue with Assassination Classroom
is that, since the class has a lot of pupils, many of them don’t get a lot of
screentime. Aside from Nagisa and Karma, most students only get one episode
focusing on them, if that. Granted, it would be impossible to give every
character the same amount of focus, but it would be nice to learn a bit more
about them. Still, Assassination
Classroom is a compelling watch, and with a second season coming out
in early 2016, you really have no excuse not to watch it.
5.) One Punch Man (Written by: Shiggins)
How are there not more superhero anime out there? One Punch Man fills a hole that the 2015
Fall chart was seriously lacking; Violence! Lots and lots of violence! Violence
in capes! Violence from robot men! Violence from monsters and animals and
meteors! VIOLENCE! And thanks to our Lord and Saviour Madhouse, One Punch Man
is extravagant. Who needs story and development when you can break every bone
in your enemy's body and make them literally explode into guts and one
remaining eyeball?
Ooh! Shiny things! |
The story of Saitama, his overly-dedicated cyborg student Genos
(and one of my favourite characters ever), and many villains throughout is one
of little substance but much wonder. Saitama is a funny character to watch, as
he provides the majority of the comedy and combination of good-and-bad drawing
skills. Don't worry, it's meant to look bad. And even when it looks bad, it
looks good. And if you still don't believe how good this series is at pure
action...
...I am speechless. |
One Punch
Man can be
lacking in story and not all the characters can be as captivating as Genos, but
it definitely gets your blood pumping and your mouth grinning. It's pure
testosterone, with explosions up the arse and out the machinery, with just some
jokes added in for extra appeal. Even though the story isn’t particularly engaging,
I love watching Genos blow up as much shit as possible, while Saitama goes
“ooh”. The fight scene between those two is enough to get me cheering! Three
cheers for being a badass!
4.) Digimon Adventure tri. (Written by: ClayDragon)
If
you’ve read any of our other lists this past week, you should really have seen
this one coming. Yes, it was only four episodes, and yes, it only really set
the story up for the next film/four episodes, but who cares? Digimon is finally back on our screens,
and it looks better than ever! Taking place three years after the conclusion of
Digimon Adventure 02, tri focuses on the original eight
Digidestined members as they tackle the threat of the digital world overlapping
with the real world.
I approve of this ship. |
A
couple of new characters and new Digimon are introduced, and although we don’t
find out too much about them, it’s not that big a deal. The focus is still very
much on the original cast members, and the scene where they all reunite for the
first time made me feel all warm and tingly inside. It looks great, too – the Digivolution
sequences and the fight with Alphamon towards the end really shows how awesome Digimon can be on a film budget.
I also approve of this ship. |
The
writers obviously haven’t forgotten the original series either, as subtle
references and nods to previous plot points are peppered here and there,
although not to the extent that it would completely alienate new viewers. Sure,
it pretty much reignited the Tai x Sora/Matt x Sora shipping war, but it
introduces at least three new ships, so there’s that. If you ever watched Digimon when you were young (or even
when you were older), you need to watch tri.
If nothing else, then simply for the sheer nostalgia factor.
3.) Noragami Aragoto (Written by: ClayDragon)
Noragami was great. It was
funny, it was action-packed, and it was emotional, with enough poignant moments
to make viewers tear up a little. So when a second series titled Noragami Aragoto was announced, fans
were very excited. And for good reason, as Aragoto
builds on the strengths of the previous season and runs with it. The
relationship between the three central characters is explored in more detail,
and Yato in particular is given a large amount of backstory and depth that
makes him a more well-rounded and sympathetic character.
"When's bin collection day again?" |
Unlike the first season, Aragoto
has no anime-original content, meaning that the plot proceeds at the perfect
pace with no filler to bog it down. The two story arcs that this series adapts
are both well-written and well-animated, with Yato’s fight against Bishamon
being one of the standout moments. Aragoto
knows how to make an impact on an emotional level as well, as a certain scene
with Yato and a homemade shrine perfectly exemplifies.
Don't hold it too tight, you might break it. |
There’s really nothing negative to say about this season, to be
honest. If you haven’t watched Noragami
yet (and if so, why on earth not?), then you should go and do so right now.
Well, not right now – there’s still
two more entries on this list to go – but it should be at the top of your list.
It’s hilarious, character-driven and emotional, and Aragoto takes all these traits and improves upon them.
2.) Death Parade (Written by: Shiggins)
Whenever I feel like I'm too happy, I put on Death Parade. It reminds me that I need to cry, and cry like a
bitch at her vet appointment because Death Parade is so good, it hurts. The
opening credit sequence is not only a bluff, it's a fun bluff that makes you
laugh and smile as the characters literally dance to the music. And after each
episode, the smile you gained is destroyed. Forgotten by the unholy despair and
darkness that the drama and dilemma you were bombarded with, resorting you to a
cheap shell of your former self and making you beg for a hug from the comfiest
teddy bear you have to hand... Damn, I love this series.
As you can see, the main selling point of this series is the tragic story. Nothing else is meant to catch your eye here. |
Focusing on a woman with amnesia that everyone calls Onna, the
setting itself is the first truly eye-catching quality. The Quindecim bar gets the
unique appeal of being a bar placed in the afterlife, where people who have
died play fun minigames so they can be judged about whether or not to go into
heaven or hell. It's like if the Jigsaw Killer tried to make a Mario Party game. It's just so much fun
to see various characters come in, play something seemingly arbitrary like air
hockey or twister, then end up bursting into tears because sometimes, you need
to be told that life will shit on you and you deserve it.
No, seriously. This is the sad show. |
The reason this show gets so high is because of the relationship
of the two protagonists, as the bartender Decim and the black-haired woman bond
and become inseparable friends due to the circumstances they go through, and
the final episode involving memories and tragedy is the ultimate criminal that
deserves to go to prison for serial heartbreak. Honestly, this series would
probably be our number 1 if the sub-plots of the series didn't end a bit...
anti-climatically. One or two side-characters seem to be hinting at something
big or dangerous, but then the series ends and it almost feels like a cop-out.
If Death Parade gets a season 2, this
issue could be fixed and we'd probably put this as number 1 on our list...
after I've elbowed the first person in line and sat my arse down with the tissues.
1.) Blood Blockade Battlefront (Written by: ClayDragon)
I think it’s pretty obvious by now that I’m a massive fan of Blood Blockade Battlefront, and for good
reason. Set in a post-interdimensional-crossover New York City, BBB focuses on Leonardo Watch, a young
man who was given the All-Seeing Eyes of the Gods by a mysterious entity. Leo
arrives in the chaotic city (now called Hellsalem’s Lot) and ends up joining a
Libra, a group dedicated to keeping the peace, whilst searching for answers
about his new eyes. That’s nowhere near the full story, but I have to keep this
entry to three paragraphs.
Not pictured: explosions. |
There is so much going on in Blood
Blockade Battlefront that it’s impossible to summarise accurately. There’s
high-stakes chess matches, super-fast monkeys, blood-based superpowers,
vampires, locations that don’t follow Euclidean geometry, boxing matches,
burgers, monstrous monster trucks, carnivorous lunches, budding romance, hilarious
villains, people trafficking, and a touching story about a brother and sister.
Seriously, there’s something for everyone in this show.
*choir music* |
The crazy thing is, it all fits together perfectly. The animation is
brilliant, as every single frame is filled with detail, with special focus
given to the buildings and streets of Hellsalem’s Lot. The soundtrack fits each
moment perfectly, and it uses such a wide variety of instruments (name me one
other anime that has a musical piece played on a didgeridoo). The characters are funny and memorable, and the show
hits all the right emotional notes. Seriously, I cannot recommend this series
highly enough.
Honourable Mentions:
Yamada & The 7 Witches |
Nisekoi: |
Charlotte |
Seraph of the End |
Dragon Ball Super |
Is there a series you feel we missed out? Or do you have any suggestions for another Top 10 list? Let us know in the comments below!
That's it from us for the moment! |
Thanks for reading!
ClayDragon is currently studying Physics at university, and is constantly bewildered by it. The main method of contacting him is his Gmail account at claydragon.on@gmail.com. He has an ask.fm account at ask.fm/ClayDragon. When not playing games or reading, he can be found with his head in his hands whilst trying in vain to understand quantum physics. Yes, I know this isn't technically a 2015 list since it was published in 2016, but shut up.
Shiggins enjoys many strange forms of communication, especially those including cosplayers or presents or videos. However, until that wonderful day comes when people care enough to give him things for being him, you can contact him on his Skype; shigginsishere. He can also respond to you if you contact him through GMails at shigginsishere@gmail.com, and you can find out about him or ask him stuff on ask.fm/shigginsishere.
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