Top Ten Anime Series of 2014

Another year came to an end, I’ve sampled nearly 60 shows, watched about half to completion, and it’s time to see which shows stood out (in a good way). If we’re frank, this year hasn’t been nearly as good as 2013. Had I used the cut-off criteria of 2013, only the top 7 shows would’ve made it in, compared to 12 that passed that bar in 2013 (and Aku no Hana that passed using different criteria). But even if the year as a whole was weak, the top shows were still worthy of your time. There’d be “Notable Absentees” and “Honourable Mentions” at the end of the post, so if you don’t see a show, keep reading!

Only full series had been considered, no OVAs or movies of any sort. The names link to the show’s description and information on My Anime List (MAL).

10. Shingeki no Bahamut: Genesis (Rage of Bahamut: Genesis)

One of my favourite films is the first Pirates of the Carribean film, which I describe as a 10/10 performance by Johnny Depp, lifting a 5/10 film to the realm of 7/10. The show had a great sense of action and fun going for it early on, which in the second half all but abandoned it for slow and tepid non-action weighed down by a non-character taking center stage. The first half of the show and the finale though are more than worth the price of entry. Just like Pirates of the Carribean, loveable rascals with an extreme penchant for getting in trouble and over the top facial expressions while swashbuckling dominate the show. Zombies join on our crusade to bring down a CG dragon, as we cross against angels, demons, drunk gods, and inflatable ducks. How can you not love a show so in love with its own irreverence?

Sekai Seifuku / World Conquest Zvezda’s Plot Episode 10 – Homeless. Alone in the Cold.

(Note: Episodic notes are still mostly to be found on the Episodics Notes’ page, but up to a couple every week will have their write-up appear on the main page, when I think they warrant it. For those who don’t know, I take the notes as I watch the episode, and merely re-order them afterwards.)

Last episode ended ominously, with Kate looking long and hard at Asuta before letting him go (an ominous phrasing on my part? Yes it is). Renge knows who Asuta is, and there’s an invisible wall between them. Yasu teaming up with White Falcon? The city being all torn up, or perhaps it had always been this way? The remark that they no longer have a home to return to, when the one theme this show had always pushed was that of having a home, of finding one, of creating one?

Oh boy, seems we might get a continuous story from here on out. Then again, it’s Sekai Seifuku, and I wouldn’t put it past them to mislead us ;-) (Especially considering a novel had already been announced!)

Thoughts and Notes:

1) Brave New World…?

Sekai Seifuku / World Conquest Zvezda’s Plot Episode 4 – Abandon the Past, Obtain Udo!

(Note: Episodic notes are still mostly to be found on the Episodics Notes’ page, but up to a couple every week will have their write-up appear on the main page, when I think they warrant it. For those who don’t know, I take the notes as I watch the episode, and merely re-order them afterwards.)

This show isn’t the show that I’m enjoying the most this season, but is definitely the one that intrigues me the most and that I find the most impressive this season, by a large margin. Third episode was so similar to the third episode of Gatchaman Crowds, and I sure do love me some Gatchaman Crowds – and in case you hadn’t heard, aside from the 2nd season, a movie had been announced as well.

Anyway, what will this episode bring forth? Considering that the themes and behaviour carries over, but that each episode thus far is pretty episodic, I can’t say. So let us observe, world conquerors in their natural habitat.

Thoughts and Notes:

Act 1, Part 1: Home (Sanity):

Winter 2014 Week 4 Overview – (Anime Power Ranking)

(Shows Covered -Nagi no Asukara, Sekai Seifuku, Nobunagun, Gin no Saji, Kill la Kill, The Pilot’s Love Song, Log Horizon, ‘Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha’, Nisekoi,  Tonari no Seki-kun, Tokyo Ravens, Noragami, Buddy Complex, and Pupa)

This week I actually wrote as close as you’ll get to editorials on several episodes, so just head to the main post to see my thoughts on the shows that interest you, and how they stacked up this past week.

Anime Power Ranking is no longer held, so here are the shows I’ve watched this past week and how I order them. Each link leads to my episodic write-up of the relevant show. Since I missed the post on Saturday, and all the shows from last Thursday to yesterday are in one post, there’s no relative placement this time around.

1) Nagi no Asukara Episode 16 

Sekai Seifuku Bouryaku no Zvezda / World Conquest Zvezda’s Plot Episode 3 – Smokers as Inhuman, Smokers as True Believers.

(Note: Episodic notes are still mostly to be found on the Episodics Notes’ page, but up to a couple every week will have their write-up appear on the main page, when I think they warrant it. For those who don’t know, I take the notes as I watch the episode, and merely re-order them afterwards.)

Well, the message of the last two episodes had been two-fold. First we have had our message about how family is important, and how you get to choose your family. People aren’t replaceable, even if Asuta might think so. The second is about obfuscation, about seeing the truth, about lying. Well, dunno where they’ll go with this, but let us see together.

Thoughts and Notes:

1) Yasu: On Self-Identification and Growing Up:

1) Foolish Yasu. He really gives a strong vibe of an annoying teenager poseur, which if Pepel (the general) is truly his father, makes sense. But even if he’s not truly his father, they’re all family, and until Jimon had come along he was figuratively at least the youngest child. He wishes to think of himself as cool and powerful, but/because he’s a nobody. The knife, the cool pose with the cigarette, all of it.

Winter 2014 Anime Season Overview Week 2 – Thursday through Saturday (Anime Power Ranking)

(Shows Covered – Kill la Kill, Nagi no Asukara, Gin no Saji 2nd season (Silver Spoon), Log Horizon, Nisekoi, Sekai Seifuku  – Bouryaku no Zvezda (World Domination – Zvezda Plot), “Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha”,  and Pupa)

Anime Power Ranking is no longer held, so here are the shows I’ve watched this past week and how I order them. Each link leads to my episodic write-up of the relevant show. You will notice half the shows do not have descriptions, these appear in this post, covering the Sunday-Wednesday shows, while this post describes the episodes that aired during the latter half. The numbers in parentheses are where a show’s episode placed compared to its placement last week.

Now, I have too many shows, so I’m going to be dropping shows each and every week until I’m fine with the amount of shows I have left, so keep reading for summaries of new shows, how the shows stack up against one another, and which shows had been eliminated!

Winter 2014 Anime Season Overview Week 1 – Thursday through Saturday (Anime Power Ranking)

(Shows Covered – Buddy Complex, Kill la Kill Episode 13, Nagi no Asukara, Samurai Flamenco Episode 12, Magical Warfare (Mahou Sensou), Gin no Saji 2nd season (Silver Spoon), Log Horizon Episode 15, Nisekoi, Sekai Seifuku  – Bouryaku no Zvezda (World Domination – Zvezda Plot), and Pupa)

Anime Power Ranking is no longer held, so here are the shows I’ve watched this past week and how I order them. Each link leads to my episodic write-up of the relevant show. You will notice half the shows do not have descriptions, these appear in this post, covering the Sunday-Wednesday shows, while this post describes the episodes that aired during the latter half.

Now, I have too many shows, so I’m going to be dropping shows each and every week until I’m fine with the amount of shows I have left, so keep reading for summaries of new shows, how the shows stack up against one another, and which shows had been eliminated!