Top 10 Anime Series
of 2016
Written by: ClayDragon & Shiggins
Well, it’s that time again. Another year has ended, and a bunch of new
anime shows are about to start airing any day now. So for our final
retrospective article of 2016, let’s have a look at the best series that graced
our screens over the past year. And whilst there may have been less hype for
some of these shows compared to 2015’s series, our entries this year were more
than enough to keep us satisfied. As with our other lists, only shows that
started airing in 2016 are eligible.
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 series 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.) KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on this Wonderful
World! (Written by: ClayDragon)
Has anyone here ever played Dungeons
& Dragons? The basic idea is that each player makes a unique character
in order to create a well-balanced party capable of dealing with any situation.
Sadly, no-one in KonoSuba got that
message. When Kazuma is transported into your typical fantasy world, he forms
an adventuring party consisting of himself (a thief), Aqua (a water goddess), Megumin
(a mage) and Darkness (a knight). Unfortunately, this entire party is
incredibly ineffective – Kazuma has poor stats all around, Aqua is too vain to
use her powers properly, Megumin only knows one limited-use spell, and Darkness
has such low accuracy that she couldn’t hit water if she fell out of a boat.
 |
| "...God, we suck." |
In spite of their numerous shortcomings, the team do occasionally enjoy
success – granted, their victories are more due to sheer dumb luck as opposed
to actual skill, but credit where it’s due. Whilst the main plot is meant to be
about Kazuma slaying the Demon King, the party is so incompetent that it’s
unclear if they’ll ever achieve this goal. Instead, the series mainly focus on
their many mishaps, and we get to see them grow closer over time.
 |
| Agreed. That's why I hardly ever leave the house. |
Although fantasy shows are becoming more and more common lately, KonoSuba stands out because of two
reasons. The first is that the main character isn’t a capable, undefeatable badass
– rather, Kazuma is a pathetic perverted jerk who dances the line between ‘likeable’
and ‘asshole’. The second reason is that it’s funny – almost every aspect of fantasy shows and games are
lampooned, from things like levelling up to resurrection spells. It’s an
amusing, lighthearted take on the genre, and given that the second season is
just about to start, this is a perfect time to get in on this show.
9.) Kiznaiver (Written by: Shiggins)
While it's nowhere near as amazing as it could have been, Kiznaiver gets on this list by having
some brilliant ideas and fun characters alone, although I do feel the series could
have improved on the usage of its premise and delivered something worthy of our
top 3. For those of you who don't know, Kiznaiver
is made by TRIGGER, the same company who gave us the surprisingly wonderful Kill la Kill, and have definitely got
some connections with the epic sci-fi Tengen
Toppen Gurren Lagann. So some could argue that expectations were high just
from the get-go.
 |
| I love when anime colour-code their characters. It means I don't have to actually put any effort into remembering their names. |
The premise is that a group of characters, all with big personalities
and quirks, have suddenly been linked by magic-science and can now feel each
other's pain, because this is an experiment that will apparently create a
solution to world peace. When one of them gets hurt, they all get hurt. And as
time goes on, the experiment begins to evolve and suddenly the pain goes from physical
to emotional trauma.
 |
| Today on "Pictures to show Non-Anime Fans without Context..." |
I remember watching the first episode and realising that this could be either
brilliant or horrific, depending on the quality of the writing. And while the
characters, including the uncaring Katsuhira Agata and the seemingly snobbish Tsuguhito Yuta, really do carry
the show in every episode, the plot desperately tries to undermine it. Focusing
far too much on romantic relationships instead of the dramatic ramifications of
the experiment, Kiznaiver ends up at
8th because of characters and premise alone.
8.) Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash (Written by: ClayDragon)
I previously mentioned that one of the best aspects of KonoSuba is the fact that it parodies
many expected features of the fantasy genre, and Grimgar takes a similar approach. Except instead of poking fun at
these clichés, Grimgar deconstructs
them – sometimes to brutal levels. When Haruhiro wakes up in a strange new
world with no memories, he joins a team of people with similar circumstances,
and together the six of them form an adventuring party in order to survive in
this new world.
 |
| Just kick him in the balls! |
But it turns out that living in a fantasy world is a lot more
difficult than it might sound – after all, you need to earn money somehow, you
need a safe place to sleep, and simply getting new clothes becomes a lot more
challenging. Plus, there’s the very real danger that you could be killed by a
monster at any given moment, and this indeed happens to an unlucky party member
roughly halfway through the series, and Grimgar
takes great pains to emphasise the grief and pain that the rest of the party go
through.
 |
| Look how pretty the night sky is! |
This series takes a lot of the genre’s established tropes and turns
them on their head, forcing the audience to think about fantasy life in a
completely different way. Whilst some of the characters aren’t the most
well-developed, it’s still a slow-paced, beautifully-animated,
thought-provoking series that portrays the mourning process with a depth and
sincerity that few shows can match. If you’re looking for a slightly different
fantasy show than normal, you could do a lot worse than Grimgar.
7.) My Hero Academia (Written by: Shiggins)
It's funny to think that superheroes were once considered the bottom
bar of drama and story. During the 90s, superhero movies and tv shows suffered
a huge downfall, and nobody took them seriously. The best you could get was the
epic cartoons of Spiderman and X-Men, but it wasn't enough. Nowadays
you can't go five feet without being told about a superhero film from Marvel or
DC, and the occasional third party trying to throw their hat into the ring.
Well this year, anime took a chance and we now have My Hero Academia!
 |
| Now, if only Midoriya could get the perfect costume... |
Set in a world where the majority of civilians actually have
superpowers, Izuku Midoriya is a power-less geek who feels inferior to everyone
around him. That is until he meets the greatest superhero ever, All Might, and
is chosen as his successor so he can attend an academy literally devoted to
teaching kids to use their powers to fight villains.
 |
| Now, I COULD show you some intense action or brilliant comedy, but...nah. |
In many ways, this is the ultimate child fantasy. A lonely nerd who
gets bullied by the surprisingly badass Bakugou is suddenly given the powers of
his idol that he keeps a poster of, gets a girl he likes, a bunch of friends
and will fight against the evil villains who do evil things because they're
evil. As someone who grew up with comic books, I adore this series. I just wish
it went a bit less predictable with its plot... but on the bright side, that's
where season 2 comes in!
6.) Yuri on Ice (Written by: Shiggins)
If you had told me in 2015 that a sports anime about figure skaters
would make it to the top 10, you'd be rewarded with a huge scoff and spit in
the face. That sounds ridiculous! And yet here I am, writing about Yuri on Ice and wondering how I got to
this point in my life. Did I do something wrong? Did I do something right? I
don't know. The only thing I do know is that I like Yuri on Ice far more than any other sports series out there, and
that's something for the history books.
 |
| I think from now on, every Top 10 should have a "Tempting Shiggins" category... It's getting far too frequent with all these anime pretty boys. |
 |
| Aaaaaaand I'm gone. |
The first thing that really caught my eye about this series is the
figure skating itself. I think figure skating works better than basketball or
football because it feels like a spectacle. A show filled with emotion and an
internal drama, and one that the animation makes absolutely beautiful. The
scenes where Yuri, Yuri, Victor or the other tight men skate across the ice is
just wondrous, and the series is made even better by the bright and interesting
characters and their relationships with each other. Chances are you've heard of
Yuri and Victor's romance and... yeah, that's wonderful too. It's all
wonderful! It doesn't reach the top five in this list because I still roll my
eyes when a character acts as if the sport is their entire life, but other than
the amount of charm and wonder in this series makes it an absolute treasure.
5.) Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope’s Peak
Academy (Written by: Shiggins)
It's over! This beautiful, painful, brilliant story about murdering
your own classmates finally comes to an end in a finale packed with ups and
downs. I've adored Danganronpa since
Game 1, and I'm already planning to buy every single game when it comes out on
PS4 this year. (2017 is already looking good!). For more on the spoiler-filled
reasons why I loved this series, click here.
 |
| Yay! I only like one of you! |
With half of this series being a prequel and the other half being a
sequel, Danganronpa 3 begins its
complicated events filled with murder, mystery and madness. Monokuma announces
a new Killing Game, with brand new rules and characters, in a last attempt for
Despair to wipe out the heroes who fight for Hope. In the prequel, we see how
the main characters of Danganronpa's
second game interacted with each other and how their actions influenced the
entire franchise as a whole.
 |
| So when am I getting my Danganronpa on Ice with these two? |
Danganronpa 3 was filled
with many ups and downs, causing quite a controversial reaction from fans and
newcomers alike. Personally, a lot of the flaws for me were completely
outweighed by the great parts. Whenever I got pissed off at the protagonist
Naegi, I got reminded of how much I adored newcomer Munakata. Whenever one
twist made no sense, another twist came out of nowhere to please me. I can't
pretend it was perfect, but Danganronpa 3
provided me with closure. It satisfied me. Thank you, Danganronpa.
4.) Bungou Stray Dogs (Written by: ClayDragon)
Isn’t
it weird how sometimes, an idea can look strange on paper, but turn out to
actually be really good? The concept of famous authors with superpowers beating
each other up in the present day might sound like a bizarre plot, but Bungou Stray Dogs manages to pull it
off. In this series, every character is named and based off of a well-known
author (although the vast majority of characters are inspired by Japanese
writers because, you know, anime). Despite this, you don’t need a vast
knowledge of Japanese authors to enjoy the show – although it does help for
some of the references.
 |
| Why are they dressed like they just walked out of the 1920's? Who cares! |
When
protagonist Atsushi rescues a man who’s trying to commit suicide, he ends up
being inducted into the Armed Detective Agency – a group of superpowered
individuals trying to maintain order in the city. Complicating things is the existence
of the Port Mafia, who are trying to capture Atsushi for their own reasons. The
series mainly focuses on the cases that the Agency take, whilst the conflict
with the Mafia takes a back seat until the end.
 |
| Maybe you shouldn't have taken your eyes off of the Great Old One, Dazai. |
Bungou Stray Dogs is a weird
mixture of superpowers, crime drama, and literary references all wrapped up
together, and it somehow all fits. There are one or two problem areas, but when
you have interesting powers, hilarious characters (i.e. Dazai), and H.P. Lovecraft as an antagonist in the
second series, it’s hard to hate this series. Don’t let all the literary
allusions put you off – it’s perfectly accessible and very entertaining.
3.) Erased (Written by: Shiggins)
I'm actually shocked that Erased
wasn't our number one, but you can take that up with the other two on our list.
Not every series needs to explode or be filled with chaos, but instead can be a
straightforward story about friendship and abuse. There's no intense action
scene or hysterical comedy reaction, but just strong emotion and care.
 |
| Oh, he turns young too. Don't worry, the relationship isn't creepy now. |
Satoru Fujinuma is a delivery boy who has the power to travel back in
time, somehow, and after a horribly tragic event occurs in his life, he goes
back to when he was a little boy in school. Realising that the event in his
life is connected to a series of murders from his childhood, Satoru promises to
save their lives and uncover the mystery that killed them in the first place.
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| One weird nitpick I have is this kid. He's awesome but he's waaaay too mature for his age. It's scary. |
While the mystery itself is average and the ending is a bit of a mixed
bag, the entire relationship between Satoru and the emotionless child Kayo
Hinazuki is a fucking masterpiece. As we learn more about Kayo's life and the
brutal abuse she has to deal with, we grow ever more thankful of Satoru's
compassion. We want to help Kayo, and our hearts absolutely melt as she is
opened up by Satoru and his mother. I don't want to say another word because
you should be watching it. Watch Erased.
Erased is beautiful, in every way.
2.) Mob Psycho 100 (Written by: ClayDragon)
Remember One Punch Man? That
insanely popular show from 2015 that’s getting a sequel series this year? Well,
Mob Psycho 100 is written by the same
person, which should already give you a reason to watch this show. Whilst the
two series may look similar at first glance – both star an average-looking
protagonist who is actually incredibly powerful, yet dissatisfied with his life
– they actually turn out to be very different.
 |
| "...No habla ingles?" |
Despite being an incredibly powerful esper, Mob doesn’t really like
his powers that much. Since they are tied to his feelings, when he gets particularly
emotional his powers run out of control, forcing him to keep a constant check
on his emotions lest he accidentally hurt the people around him. In actuality,
all Mob wants is to be a normal high-schooler, and many of the decisions that
he makes throughout the series reflect this desire. He realises that there’s
more to life than just having powerful abilities, and he actively tries to
better himself in more conventional ways, causing him to grow as a character.
 |
| *Insert 'rock you like a hurricane' joke here* |
When this show first started airing, I said that it was good, but it
looked as though One Punch Man would
still be considered ONE’s magnum opus. Well, I was wrong. Mob Psycho 100 has flashy fights, great
humour, strong character relationships and a solid emotional core, but all of
these elements are tied together because of Mob himself. If you liked One Punch Man but thought it was lacking
something, then look no further than Mob
Psycho 100.
1.) Re:Zero –Starting Life in Another World–
(Written by: ClayDragon)
I’m going to be honest here – I never actually bothered with Re:Zero when it was first airing in
spring. It was only at the start of December, when we were first drawing up
plans for these Top 10s, that I thought “oh shit, Re:Zero’s really popular. I should probably get in on that before
we write these lists in case one or two aspects make it into the Top 10s”. And,
well, you’ll have read our other lists this past week – Re:Zero made it onto every one. The whole ‘trapped in fantasy land’
genre has become incredibly popular lately, but the standout shows in this
oversaturated market are ones that do something different with the formula – KonoSuba plays it all for laughs, Grimgar analyses the human cost of such
a life, and Re:Zero says ‘what if an
otaku was placed in a fantasy land but got zero special treatment?’. The result
is a brilliant deconstruction of pretty much every facet of the genre.
 |
| "If elected queen, my first act will be to kill the whole lot of you, and burn your town to cinders!" |
Upon arriving in this new world, main character Subaru discovers that
he can rewind time whenever he dies, essentially like going back to a previous
checkpoint in a video game. Despite the ‘dying’ part, Subaru jumps at the
chance to be a real protagonist, and over the course of the series he starts
believing himself to be a proper hero. Unfortunately, this belief causes him to
develop a vastly overinflated ego, and the scene in which his arrogance is laid
bare and his worldview is promptly torn apart is a sight to see.
 |
| "...sonuvabitch." |
Re:Zero is a wonderful
combination of KonoSuba and Steins;Gate, and it goes even further in
tearing down the genre than Grimgar
did. Subaru is given absolutely no leeway for his actions, and the consequences
always come back to bite him. The deconstructions are excellent, the characters
are likeable (especially Rem – see Wednesday’s list), and it’s obvious that the
anime staff put a huge amount of effort into this show. It’s an endearing,
emotional, yet also dark series that had me hooked from the beginning –
something that no other anime this year pulled off quite so well.
Honourable Mentions:
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| Flying Witch |
 |
| Planetarian |
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| Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto |
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| 91 Days |
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| Keijo!!!!!!!! |
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!
 |
| "Excellent..." |
Thanks for reading!
ClayDragon:
ClayDragon has finished studying Physics at university, and understands about as much as he did when he started. 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 figure out what to do with his life. He revels in mediocrity.
Shiggins:[Admin] .
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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