Best of 2019 - Anime

Written by Shiggins

The final victories of the decade.

2019's anime was quite a great bunch, wasn't it? We had shonen, sports, seinen, comedy, and more isekai than was bloody necessary. And this year, I'm putting down my favourite ten! This list is in no particular order, as I just wanted to celebrate the anime we got and not care about any rankings or whatnot. And of course, only anime seasons that started in 2019 are eligible for this list. Enjoy!

Demon Slayer

Let's get the most obvious one of them all done first. Animated by Ufotable (Fate/Zero), Demon Slayer was the internet's precious baby for the entire year and is no doubt winning many first places all over the blogs. I decided to wait to see it, not wanting to be involved in all the hype and enjoy it at my leisure... and I was still as giddy as everyone else.

In an alternate Taisho-era Japan where demons roam the land, a young boy named Tanjirō Kamado loses his entire family, with the exception of his sister Nezuko, who has been transformed into a demon herself. So Tanjiro vows to find a way to cure her, by becoming a Demon Slayer that can take on the one who did this to her.

The animation is as gorgeous as you'd expect from Ufotable, and the music is lovely, but what really stood out to me was the surprising depth of the characters. Many of them, such as Zenitsu Agatsuma, start off seeming to be typical and cliche, but they quickly endear themselves to the audience and will easily be some of your favourites this year. And the brilliant fights... well, they just slay me.


Beastars

If you aren't watching this show because "ew it's about animal people which means furries blah blah blah", then you've honestly missed out. You've also missed out on Zootopia, and that's two major problems you need to fix in 2020. Beastars is one of the quieter gems that a lot of people are missing out on, so I'm relieved I can at least recommend it to you now.

Set in a world where animals are humans, Beastars is all about the dynamic between prey and predator made to attend a high-school together (because Japan love their high-schools). And the entire school goes into disarray when an alpaca student is eaten in the middle of the night, and this causes our wolf protagonist Legosi to run into a white rabbit named Haru, who he develops surprising feelings for.

The premise and world immediately create situations and characters mostly unique to this series, and the Zootopia comparison might feel obvious but isn't as predictable as you'd expect. Nuance is on full display here, with Louis the red deer taking home quite a few fans at the end of the day no doubt. The animation might throw some off due to being a blend of CG and 2D, but it definetly stays on the more attractive side for viewers. Also, it has my favourite Wes Anderson-inspired opening of 2019.


Dr Stone

I TOLD YOU THIS SHOW IS AWESOME! I've been saying it since the beginning, back in the day before it even had an anime adaptation announced! And while I do think the manga is slightly better because it includes a few more funny faces, this is still an anime worthy of the source material, and hopefully has encouraged a whole bunch of people to check out this manga and others like it.

A mysterious light coats the entire world, and every human is covered in stone, and frozen for literal centuries. 3700 years after the incident, genius student Senku Ishigami is freed, waking up in a land without modern technology. Vowing to restore humanity to it's former glory, Senku teams up with his friend Taiju Oki and a tribal village full of unusual characters to use his mind and whatever resources he can find to create some truly shocking scientific achievements.

From water wheels and gunpowder to cotton candy and even phones, Senku will build it all! Dr Stone is a clever and peculiar series that the world needs more of, supported by some great characters, (one of which, Kohaku, has some very strange eyes in the anime) and a unique setting. I just wish I was smart enough to understand all of it.


Fruits Basket

While I won't say that the animation of the 2001 adaptation of Fruits Basket is bad, it does feel somewhat dated when compared to what we've got in this day and age and there's nothing wrong with an update. And unlike the previous version, 2019's Fruit Basket knows how the manga ends and can follow ever page of it from start to finish. That's always a plus, such as when this happened to Fullmetal Alchemist.

The story follows a young girl named Tohru Honda, who comes across a strange trio of boys living together, eventually discovering that they are in fact the living embodiment of the zodiac animals, with one of them being the rejected cat who isn't part of the zodiac. With the lessons from her dead mother, Tohru bonds with these boys and more characters, has some cute adventures, and discovers the surprising drama of their family.

The colours are gorgeous, the story sweet and the characters fun. Fruits Basket is often seen as the inspiration for so many other shojo series, the Dragon Ball of it's genre, and one can see why. It's a lovely story with a lot of joy, and a nice change of pace from the usual action I'm expected to focus on.


The Promised Neverland

I've gone on about The Promised Neverland quite a few times. How it's one of the best of Shonen Jump's current line-up, and here is an article all about why I loved it a few months ago. So it feels almost redundant for me to talk about it again, but here it is because it deserves to be. Let's make this one quick.

TPN is about a young girl named Emma who lives in an orphanage under the wise eye of her adoptive mother, alongside her friends Norman, Ray and many others. However, they soon discover that they are actually cattle, raised to be delicious to a race of flesh-devouring demons, and they are running out of time to escape...

Like every truly smart series, The Promised Neverland delivers something complicated in a simple way, keeping the viewer informed throughout. It doesn't talk down to you, but it does keep you on your toes and impresses throughout. This is arguably the best TPN's story has to offer, with the exception of what season 2 will be adapting, and I know you'll check this one out. Promise me you will!


Do You Love your Mom and Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks?

So many bloody isekais! Isekai... isekos... whatever the plural is, there's too many! And none of them can beat Konosuba, so I don't know why they bother. Anyway, I needed to pick one of these isekais for 2019, so I decided to go with the one that had the most fun and stood out the most to me, at least in terms of sheer "lol-factor".

It's an isekai! A guy who plays games a lot gets transported into a fantasy-themed video game, and must use his knowledge of games to escape and fight monsters blah blah blah... Except the twist is that his overly-doting mother has accidently come along for the ride, and plays by her own logic and rules.

DYLYMHTHMTA (I'm never typing that out again) is no Konosuba, by any means, but it's at least fun enough to keep my attention and give a few laughs. There's the usual fanservice, good-natured laughs, and I haven't started any of the Sword Art Online shows yet so here we are. So congratulations, Mom-show. You're the isekai that stood out the most to me this year. Now please calm down with this genre, Japan.


Attack on Titan Season 3 Part 2

And so we come to Attack on Titan...

You already know it all by now.

Either you watch it or you don't. At this stage, what else can be said?


Fire Force

Poor FF. Every now and again, the world picks one series to pick on for a host of problems that so many others have, and act as if it's the only one to commit the sin. Sword Art Online got it. Fairy Tail got it. And now so does Fire Force, which has been a target of insults for having fanservice during scenes where it shouldn't have. And I feel bad for FF because that's stopping people from looking at what's so good about it too.

Coming to us from Atsushi Okubo, best known for his work on Soul Eater, Fire Force is all about specially-equipped firefighters who combat against fire monsters. Our main character, Shinra Kusakabe, is a pyrokinetic boy who has recently joined an oddball division of firefighters because he aims to become a hero and uncover the truth behind the conspiracy of the land.

While it doesn't reach the heights of Soul Eater, Fire Force feels distinctly-Okubo, with it's fun artstyle, fast-paced action and sharp edge that Soul Eater Not was severely lacking. The characters are zany, and the fire animations during combat are as beautiful as they deserve to be. It's just a fun series, and nothing more is needed when the fun is done right.


My Hero Academia Season 4

More MHA? With the same lovely animation by Bones, the voice actors all returning, a dub simultaneously released alongside the subbed version, Kyle Hebert playing the amazing Fatgum, and it's adapting the Overhaul arc from the manga? Well, I'm already won over, and that might seem unfair but I got no excuse.

You all know the story by now, with Izuku Midoriya/Deku becoming a hero by being gifted with All Might's ability One for All, and fighting the numerous villains and monsters out there in a world full of people with superpowers known as Quirks. Except in this arc, Midoriya is now having to take on the sinister Overhaul, work alongside his senpai Mirio/Lemillion, and (hopefully) Gentle Criminal appears in the later episodes.

While I don't necessarily believe that the Overhaul arc is as good as, say, All Might vs All for One, this is still a great and dramatic story. Kirishima gets some absolutely outstanding moments alongside Fatgum, Overhaul is one of MHA's greatest antagonists, Lemillion and Nighteye provide some great character growth for Midoriya, and Stabby Waifu makes another appearance! Honestly, the only real downside is very little Bakugou.


Vinland Saga

I told a small lie when I said there was no ranking. While it is true that there is no number 2-10, I can't deny that my favourite anime of 2019 was easily Vinland Saga, animated by the same studio that worked on Attack on Titan, Seraph of the End and The Ancient Magus' Bride, Wit Studio. I loved it so much I even did a first impressions article on it when the show started.

Set in 11th century England, during a time in history when vikings sailed the seas and war was everywhere, Vinland Saga follows the story of a boy named Thorfinn, who loses his father and becomes changed by that incident, as well as the people he travels with, most notably Askeladd, and the wars around him.

If I knew my history better, I'd most likely be able to tell you about how factually incorrect this entire series is, but I don't so I can't. Sorry. What I can tell you however is that the transformation of Thorfinn is one of my favourites in all of anime, the depth of characters like Askeladd and Thorkell is shocking, and the visuals are beeeeautiful! There's been plenty of other anime this year that are more joyful or ridiculous or fantastical, but Vinland Saga was the one that got me hooked from start to finish, and it takes home the number 1 spot of 2019.

Any anime I missed this year? What were your favourites? What are you looking forward to in 2020? Comment below and let me know!

Bye-bye for now!

Shiggins:[Admin]
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Born under the stars of the Dark Gods, Shiggins owns the power of the Great Eye and is utterly magnificent in his omniscience. If you dare to discover more about someone as great as him, then go ahead. And to all my friends and family members, YOU are wrong and I should be disappointed! Not the other way round!,. You can find out about him or ask him stuff on ask.fm/shigginsishere or go to his tumblr page http://otakugajeel.tumblr.com/