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The art is the worst part because it started out so good for like an episode and a half like I was promised cute boys doing cute cheer competition things together and they didn't. Would have been better if they just ripped off the plot to Bring It On and gay'd it up. That would be awesome, actually, and they had Sparks to use for it… god damn it Japan, all the super sports out there and you give us an anime about actual newbie cheerleaders that can't get it together. The more I type the more I want someone to strangle.

but gay ice skating is giving me life so I guess I can forgive and forget.

this is like the third page that has my gay ranting at the top of it

I mean yeah as a sports anime it was garbage, but it had mostly good writing so I let it slide (I mean it tried tackling dementia I mean hot damn). It was still beating the ACTUAL sports show of the season (Why did you betray me Days I trusted you). This season has been waaaay better for my gay sports though, like even past Yuri on Ice (which is perfect but that goes without saying), I'm enjoying All Out a.k.a. Rugby butts the animation. I like the character designs a lot, and the main character is an adorable cinnamon roll. An adorable, dorky, aggressive, short cinnamon roll <3

At least we got that super cute second ED out of Days. If you dropped it and didn't see it you should go watch it real quick. We should all strive to find us a man who looks at us like Kazama looks at Tsukamoto sleeping T_T

I've seen people mad hating on All Out's art man, I think it's amazing! Everybody's all about dat ass but have you guys even seen their thighs?? Strict senpai with the weird hair is gonna end me but chubs has the best thighs tbh. he thicc.

Is anyone else watching Trickster, and do you have any idea what the invincibility thing's mechanics are? I've been arguing with someone about it all day and we're basically stuck at: if it only activates when something could harm him/he's in danger/he's emotionally compromised then why couldn't he walk through the crowd? If it activates no matter what when something gets within 30cm of him, and the range gets bigger when threatened, then why was he able to grab the rope that orange jumpsuit threw, considering they specifically bothered to establish the 30cm thing at the beginning of ep2.

I'm confused and idk if it's just not been totally revealed how it works or if they're inconsistencies. That seems a bit glaringly obvious to be overlooked.

Porter Robinson just fucking lived out his weeb dream.

he's living the goddamn weeb dream and no one's gonna stop him

In all seriousness this is gorgeous. Shelter was a hell of a collaboration in my opinion and I'm so glad to see this happen.

Shoutout to r/anime who keep deleting posts about Shelter because "WAH IT'S NOT ANIME WAH" despite it being made by fucking A-1 Pictures. And yes Shelter is super good, I really liked it.

Anyway, I wanted to make a quick list of what I'm following this season, but I'll keep it brief and to the point because I'm following 16 shows and 2 shorts, the most I've followed in a year. In order of my enthusiasm

LOVE LOVE NEED MORE tier:

• Yuri on Ice – Anime has been saved yet again by my gay Ice skaters. I can recommend this regardless of whether you're into guys or not, it has very broad appeal.
• Girlish Number – Did not expect to love this as much as I did, really surprised me this one. Good if you want a more cynical look at the anime industry, by the writer of SNAFU

Yeah, this is pretty awesome tier:

• Ajin 2 – I loved season 1 a lot, it's CG that actually doesn't look terrible. Can recommend if you want a nice dark action show
• Flip Flappers – Not quite sure what's happening but I like the fairytale aesthetic. Easily the prettiest show this season alongside yuri and eupho
• Drifters – Love the art, don't quite get all the Japanese history jokes but I like the premise a lot
• The Great Passage – A fantastic little drama that not many will know about because Amazon. Fuck Amazon, fuck them hard
• Classicaloid – I love this dumb fuckin show so much Beethoven is top husbando
• All Out – A return to form for sports anime, I love the character designs and the dorky characters themselves
• Poco's Udon World – The Sweetness and Lightning replacement of the season. Not as good as that but it's still really cute. Tanuki kid is fun, shark teeth dude is pure
• Sound Euphonium 2 – Was never truly in love with season 1, the yuri baiting really gets to me and pisses me off. If they'd just commit to their romance I could easily love it but alas
• Keijo!!!!!!!! – Keijo is like legit funny fanservice like seriously. I'm glad there's finally a worthy successor for Monster Girls

Yeah this is alright I guess tier:

• Izetta The Last Witch – I actually like this a fair bit but I feel like I can't get into it because I'm just waiting for Guilty Crown dude to fuck it all up
• Miss Bernard Said – Easily the best short, very relatable premise of wanting to seem well read but not being bothered to actually read
• Nanbaka – This is fine, I'm growing to like it's weird weird art and designs. It can be pretty funny, it's just generally nice to watch
• WWW.Working – I miss the old cast, and the jokes are hit or miss, but there are still some standouts. Ep 2 was great, I hope future eps are more like that one
• March Comes in like a lion – I was pretty hyped going into this but it's way too Shaft for me :/ It's so melodramatic about it's portrayal of depression I can't take it seriously. People think Orange was boring and THIS is the accurate portrayal? Really people?
• Gakuen Handsome – I enjoy this more in theory than in practise, it's just a bit too random for my tastes, I'd prefer more grounded parody

WAKE ME UP INSIDE (CAN'T WAKE UP) tier

• Occultic;Nine – This is some real gibberish of a show right here. It's pacing is all over the place, the characters suck and it's just generally funny to laugh at more than it's actually good. It's pretty though!

I'm watching a bit more this season, will plan to watch Keijo!!!!!!!! after a new episode comes out.

• Yuri on Ice – Pretty great so far. Gay undertones are obvious, but the show is great no matter.

• Girlish Number – Possibly AOTS. Maybe that is too much of an early call, but it's fucking great so far. A jab against VA and LN part of the industry.

• Izetta – Fun show. I don't think it will reach anywhere special unless it does something crazy, but it's still entertaining. Nothing like seeing historical firearms and tanks in anime.

• Mahou Shoujo Ikusei Keikaku – No one seems to be watching this (or at least no one is posting about it). Madoka Ripoff? Maybe. I think it's balance between the "cute" and "dark" parts are bit a bit clunky. Unless it pulls something stupid, I'll keep watching.

• Lostorage Incited WIXOSS – I'm going to recommend to watch the Selector Infected Wixoss, even though this is a spinoff. Too much mystery for now to say if they are going in a good direction. Thematically weaker than the original for now.

I also need to watch Hibike Euphonium S1. Going to wait for more before deciding on Flip Flappers and other shows.

Today's ep of Yuri on Ice was something else, those ice skating routines were so good. Also is it basically confirmed at this point that Yuri/Victor have something going on? How can one show be this amazing

it was too lit fam

So much has happened in three episodes it's like an entire season's worth of the standard shit that gets aired. I can't fucking wait for the omegaverse djs.

Any other show would stretch out the training so much longer. Imagine if we get a full 26 eps of this show, my lord I don't think I can handle it

Also that slower piano version of shelter is fucking amazing. I hope more collaborations between anime and artist can happen like this.

The opening to Drifters is amazing

I finally got around to watching all the shows I've planned to watch this season. You know your schedule is fucked when you can't even squeeze in your main source of entertainment/pasttime. School is killing me, yet this season is one I've been anticipating for some time. Anyways here are my thoughts:

Haikyuu S3 – I don't think I've ever been so hyped for an anime before, let alone something sports related. I marathoned S1 and S2 the week before school began for me, and I gosh I'm hooked with this one. The big game match is finally here, I'm so ready to see more of Shiratorizawa. Eager to follow this one, strongly recommend watching this show, despite it's relatively slow beginning. S2 is oh so worth it. And I like discussing it with my Japanese friend, she's read the manga so she's ahead in the story.

Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru – What I expected it to be, about as dry and bland as a standard game anime can get. I like Touken Ranbu, especially the character designs. I have tons of it bookmarked on pixiv, but the anime itself is just uninspired. Even my friend who plays the game didn't like Hanamaru. Oh well, guess I'll wait for ufotable's adaptation of this popular series, that is bound to be visually stunning.

Udon no Kuni no Kiniro Kemari – Getting a lot of Barakmon parallels with this one, but with a touch of shinto incorporated in. Loving it, especially for someone who's into these kinds of cute and little stories with cuisine involved. Kagawa and Shikoku don't really appear much in anime, at least in recent memory, glad to see the quiet regions explored.

Yuri!!! on ICE – Gay. Russian. Skating. Gay Russian Skating. GAY RUSSIAN SKATING. Yes Mappa, this is the artistic kind of show that I want. Sakamichi no Apollon was excellent, I expect this to be similar in success.

3-gatsu no Lion – Now my friend highly recommended this. It's been… odd. I can't say I like it, but I don't particularily dislike it. Some odd tone directing, competent visuals, and good music, but it doesn't really feel complete and captivating enough. Not a solid start, but I'll stick to it.

Fune wo Amu – Holy shit yes, this is it, already my personal anime of the season. That Enoshima reference, oh gosh that alone was a 10/10, an A+, a perfect rating. I'm going to be following this one very closely, and I plan on watching the drama film after finishing the anime. My friend again really enjoyed said film, so that's one more thing to look forward to.

Here are some other thoughts I'll bring up.

Two shorts: Nobunaga no Shinobi and Sengoku Choujuu Giga involving Sengoku themed episodes are nice little viewings. I like them, they're cute and fun. Just wish there was more real historical anime out there involving period pieces, I want a Kurosawa worthy show. Something like Hyuge Mono or Sword of the Stranger.

Natsume Yuujinchou – Ahh gosh I love this show so much, but I'm not caught up yet. It's a very calm and tranquil show that I take my time with, I don't want to rush it. But I'm definitely happy more are being produced.

Hibike Euphonium – I'm not watching this for the most trivial of reasons. Which involve some certain scarring I recieved after reading a very, very, very explicit doujin. I'll leave it at that. Season 1 was decent enough, but still low on my list for what KyoAni has dished out. The visuals are certainly some of their best, but not keen on the story and writing.

Daft Punk was first to live the weeb dream than anyone else! Just sayin'

Also, this is coming from the same person who had one of his songs to be used in this

ICE SKATING GAYS CANON AS FUUUUUUUUCK BE STILL MY FUJO HEART if I weren't trying to be subtle irl right now I would be on the floor SCREAMING

21, get in here and freak out with me did you see the preview

DON'T WORRY I'M HERE OH MY GOD WHY IS YURI ON ICE SO PERFECT. My wish for actually good canon gay characters is finally coming true thank you Yuri on Ice this is better than I ever could have hoped for ;_;

It's all abstract!

But oh my gosh Yuri On Ice is near perfection right now, I'm so pleased with it. That opening song is god tier, and the ending is so energetic too. I want Victor in my body now, he's seriously one of the best and most likable characters all year.

Holy shit why are there so many good shows this season. Can't wait for next week~~~

why is waiting a week between episodes a thing T_T

It's not even empty gay fanservice either, the plot is real, the animation is quality, the choreography has been delightful, seriously my only concern thus far is that they'll reuse animation in the finals but I don't really think they will.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3nTqfMyCiw

What are your thoughts on this, KYM?

^ was talking about that on ANN and me and at least a few other people aren't willing to have anything to do with it. I didn't watch the trailer and I'm not going to follow its development. I consciously try not to monetarily support Islamic countries whatever the product is, and Saudi Arabia? Might as well donate directly to ISIS.

Victor Nikiforov

Wednesday roll call, 21, Xin, you still alive?

where do we even go from here.

Here, reporting for duty. Why are Victor and Yuuri so precious I love them both. There was so much just pure sex appeal in the episode it was overwhelming like don't even get me started on Chris' performance hot damn. "I'm gonna come" indeed.

Chris's ass hugging costume was just… was just too much. I need some time to recover from those close up shots.

I want to see the Korean and Kazakh skaters, they look pretty interesting. And oh my gosh Georgi's commentary, that was really great. We need more Mila too, what a queen. Why are the ladies in this anime so damn sexy, but the males even sexier?

Oh, and since we're actually in China this episode, I might as well point out a few things cause the culinary in me is geeking out.

Victor and Yuri head to a Beijing hot pot place, and order some interesting things.

Shanghai crab is a rather expensive autumn specialty that, well, is part of Shanghai cuisine rather than northern Chinese/Beijing cuisine. Very good, us Shanghainese love our crab.

Drunken shrimp, as the name implies, is shrimp immersed in Shaoxing wine (basically wine of the gods that's used all over in Chinese cuisine, I'm told it's similar to Sherry).

Victor has ordered the live variety, and you'll fine that in Southeast, or really all of East Asia, the more recent the food was alive, the better one considers the flavor will be. Restaurants in Korea, China, and southern nations will often present live fish or other seafood from a tank to the diners moments before they are sent off to the kitchen to be steamed or boiled or whatever. It's a sort of insurance to the customer to show "our food is fresh".

Duck blood. Some rather translucent duck blood. I actually quite like blood, pig blood in particular, when it's formed into curds or pudding. It has a consistency similar to medium firm tofu. Another thing we eat in Shanghai, but it's consumed in other parts of China often as well. From the image in the show it seems to be more of a jelly.

Ah yes, the prize of the Chinese dining experience, the centerpiece and the unifying energy that brings families and friends together… 火锅, or hot pot. Personally I'd translate it into the more poetic "flaming cauldron", but the idea is deceptively simple and astoundingly delicious.

Stock, usually seafood, chicken, or Sichuan spice filled soup is used as a primary base. It is heated on a center stove of a restaurant, and while the diners wait for it to boil, they order vegetables and slices of meat and cuts of seafood. These are then presented on plates, and the diners use their chopsticks to place whatever they desire into the stock. What results towards the end is a richly flavored soup that has been transformed from the heavy amounts of flavorful meats and vegetables dunked in.

It's kind of like fondue, but with much more ingredients. And it's really something that brings people together. You eat it during New Years. You eat it to celebrate a birthday. You eat it to congratulate a colleague for his promotion. And you eat it when you just feel like stuffing yourself with hot food.

Victor and Yuri have ordered the "Ying and Yang" version, half regular broth and half spicy. Sichuan spiced soup usually has things like peppercorns and seeded chiles in.

Adorable Ji here has ordered one of my favorites… Jianbing, a bastion of Chinese breakfast foods. And what better way than to get it from a small roadside stand? Nothing more Chinese than that. Jianbing is kind of like a crepe, expect it's rolled with a crispy crepe inside… while scallions and eggs are garnished in too… as well as different sauces, sometimes sweet, sometimes savory, sometimes spicy. One can add cilantro too, and sometimes meats depending on the stall. Jianbing is very starchy and very filling, perfect for a lazy morning where you just want to fill yourself up.

It's not animated in the show, but the way to make Jianbing is actually pretty interesting.

WHAT. What kind of Chinese person doesn't like hot pot? What? What? WHAT?!?! What is wrong with vegetables and meets simmering in a flavorful broth? WHAT? WHAT? WHAT? Go and enjoy your roadside crepe Ji, Yuri and Victor are dining like kings.

A pretty typical drunken late night scene. I don't drink, but depending on what you order, Chinese liquor is like fire and can knock you out if you aren't careful.

In an effort to conglomerate Manga into Anime because the Manga thread keeps dying and Manga is practically talking about future anime, anybody who just read Food Porn Wars is shitting a brick right now, because right after a heartwarming ending, a shit machine gun just fired into a warehouse of fans:

>newest Yuri On Ice episode

>born to make history

I'm rewatching right now, had to watch it on the DL at work but I forgot my headphones!!

Been catching up with Flip Flappers.

Holy shit it's good.It's hard to really explain what this show is, but it's fucking brilliant.

How have I called myself a trumpet player of 7 years without ever hearing of Hibike! Euphonium for more than a year? Currently starting episode 4 of the first season, and while it's sweet and enchanting at times, the pacing is like dragging glue across a carpet. Is it due to being oversaturated in Shounin anime before this? I don't know.

Some things in the anime that made my eyebrows twitch and even made me laugh out loud due to having significant music experience:

-- Concert band is not a class, but a club. You get no highschool Arts credit

-- Paid instructor tells class to do watever hte fuk they wanna do

-- Band members have severe sheet reading and conductor-watching ineptitude, but have the embouchure of post-college-graduate elites.

-- "Okay, we're now going to teach the freshmen how to circle breathe" made me spit out my tea. What is circle breathing? It's where you can breathe in your nose but simultaneous blow out your mouth. I've played trumpet for 7 years. Fuck tryna circle breathe. And you mean to tell me a room full of people who can't figure out when the conductor started playing can teach beginners how to circle breathe? Good luck with that!

--The Juniors who left the band were the ones gung-ho about playing and gittin gud, while the Juniors who stayed were the lazy shits who couldn't care less…..And not the other way around.

Reina best girl

First time watching Naruto. Leagues better than what I was watching earlier. cough Fairy Tail cough

Yeah I stopped at episode 5 of Fairy Tail tbh

Try forcing yourself through almost 200 of the 252 episodes, all because I thought it would get better. It did at some points, but the series as a whole was awful.

At least you got to 5…I stopped at 2.

well 21 isn't here anymore so I'll just

Well I don't know where else I can talk about this but
I just finished Code Geass for the first time. I originally started in October but got caught up with midterms mid-way.
What a fantastic series!
>mfw S1 Ending

And pretty much every time Lelouch kept pulling through his crazy antics.
I instantly love series that make me feel these emotions and you done good Lelouch. No wonder its among the classics.
Now I can join the rest of those in questioning how S3 turns out. Pretty funny that it was announced while I was nearing the end of the series, just in time I guess.

Finished Naruto. On to Naruto: Shippuden. I haven't seen Shippuden in over 7 years, and I'm only 2 minutes in and the memories are coming back. I'm glad that I watched the first series to get a connection with the characters, so now the events in Shippuden will have much more meaning behind them.

Edit:

And already the preview into the future of the episodes is perfect. With Naruto having been searching for Sasuke for years, the bittersweet reunion, and the near-perfect delivery of the dialogue, the series is already off to a promising start!

As exciting as the first few minutes of Episode 1 was, I disagree with it, just because the manga followed through the series of events leading up to that first. The animators could barely keep themselves from humping their desks animating the reunion before anything else.

Early Shippuden was great. Then later on in Shippuden you start to sense the Iron Fist Consumerism that Studio Pierrot is infamous for in the animation. They either cut their budget or cut the animators' wages, the latter I wouldn't be surprised, because animation studios are also infamous for the fact that they are sweatshops.

One of us, one of us. When it comes to season 3. I keep saying that if it's a great addition to the story. That will be fantastic. If it isn't, then we can all pretend it didn't happen. From what I read, it's supposed to take place a few (others say several) years after the Zero Requiem. I'm curious to see what happened to the world since then.

You and me are the only ones left Xin, get your gay ass in here and toast with me.

This episdoe of Hibike! Euphonium sucked :| No music, and 100% highschool girl drama. I want my trumpets dammit!

@lisa

Otabek is a hottie. That is all. And all I need.

oh and the marriage. right. there's a marriage. sorry need more otabek

Hi, posting this in the name of 21. Official 2016 Fall tiers:

please read my lists I put hours into them I just want some validation

ARGH NEED MORE GIVE ME MORE tier

1. Yuri!!! on Ice – obvs. This show was just too great. Like let alone being the rare example of a well done gay relationship, which is a win in itself, it's also a really fun great sports show on top of that
2. The Great Passage – Yay Noitamina is back to being good again. A really nice drama with a fun and charming characters about an actually really interesting subject, making a dictionary. Great character animation too.
3. Poco's Udon World – This is as close a show has gotten to Barakamon really. The cute kid hijinks is almost just background to what is a great look at a bunch of adults regaining touch with their childhoods and really evaluating where they want to go in life. Even Barakamon didn't get that far.
4. Ajin 2 – At this point I'm completely over the CG, this is one of the best action shows I've seen. I don't think I've been this on the edge of my seat for a show in a while, just a fantastic show all around, with really great characters especially.
5. Flip Flappers – ANOTHER great depiction of a gay relationship, this time wrapped in gorgeous visuals and lots of metaphors, which is my kind of thing to a T. Each episode focusing on a different, beautifully animated dream landscape, with an engaging overarching story to boot. These shows are the kinds of risks that can either flop hard or be just fantastic to experience, and this is definitely the latter

That was a pretty awesome show yeah, definitely tier

6. March Comes in Like a Lion – In the biggest bump in the list, I really like this show now. It always felt a bit too self-indulgent at first, but after it revealed the backstory of it's main character, I was sold. This show has a lot of heart and emotion behind it, and after it stopped beating about the bush and revealed it's cards, I couldn't help but love it
7. Classicaloid – I don't give a fuck what people think, this show is pure fun. It's dumb, for sure, but it's just so charming and energetic I can't help but love it. Plus, I appreciate that all the gags are actually based on the composer's actual personalities and references their music. That's a neat touch.
8. Drifters – A fantastic, beautiful action series let down by just awful comedy. I think it's a testament to how strong the characters and action are that this series ended up as good as it was, despite it's really bad jokes. Plus, I've just got to respect a show with the balls to make Jesus it's main villain.
9. Keijo – I'm not inherently opposed to fanservice, I loved Monster Girls after all, but it's got to at least be confident and fun enough in it's fanservice in order to pull it off. Keijo does just that, it's a really dumb great show that never makes it's fanservice creepy, just fun. Plus it's actual a really good sports show on top of that, who'd have thought it
10. Girlish Number – It kind of fell from it's initial highs early on, but it's still a damn good show. A great cynical take on the anime series, that isn't particularly kind to it's characters, but it's still a very interesting show. Oddly underrated.

Yeah it's alright I guess tier

11. All Out – I'm being harsher on this show than it deserves, because it is still a lot of fun. It's issue is that it's just way too paint by numbers, with pretty bad animation to boot. At the very least it has some strong art and fun characters + designs to back it up. Definitely charming, if nothing special
12. WWW.Working – This show definitely got better but it still just can't beat the original. Remained very hit or miss throughout, really high highs but really low lows. I appreciate that it got it's couples hooked up so early on though, letting the chemistry deliver some of it's best comedy. Even the original Working suffered by dragging the storyline out so much
13. Miss Bernard Said – It never really capitalised on it's great concept but it was still tons of fun. I'm glad I watched it
14. Gakuen Handsome – What a bizarre series. I wish I could love it more than I do but it's commitment to shit animation pushes a little too far even for me. Plus it's sense of humour is just so abstract and weird, I don't think I've seen much like it

Blargh anime is bad tier

15. Izetta the Last Witch – groan, basically killed any momentum it had with poor, unnecessary fanservice and try-hard writing. A low rate Maria the Virgin Witch. What a waste of time
16. Sound Euphonium 2 – This show just was a massive waste of time, a snorefest beginning to end, with awful shitty queer baiting to boot. Airing just before Yuri on ice did it no favours either

WAKE ME UP INSIDE tier

17. Occultic; Nine – I'd like to make clear that while it is far and away the worst thing, at least it didn't bore me and waste my time like the two above it did, it's still a fun show to watch and I'd recommend for hatewatch purposes. God damn this show is incompetent.

Also dropped Nanbaka because it was boring and not very funny I'd probably put it at the bottom of the "It's alright" tier because at least it didn't actively piss me off like Izetta or Eupho, it just was kinda dull.

As for the shows I'm watching next season, season 2 of Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu is a given (Watch season 1 guys it's soooo gooood), as is Little Witch Academia and Gintama. I've got my eye on ACCA, since it has some interesting staff attached to it. I always give the Noitamina show of the season a shot, with this season being Scum's Wish, which I've heard mixed things about. I will also check out Akiba's Trip because I hate myself. That's it. Next season looks really really garbage guys.

Continued from above, 21 bursted

Also because it's the end of the year it's BEST OF THE YEAR TIME WOOOOO. I'm not including sequels in this one because I'd feel bad if Durarara topped this year too (I'm joking, it wouldn't, but it would be in the top 3). For my rankings, I'd have to go:

1. Yuri!!! on Ice: Having a strong depiction of an LGBT relationship goes a long way for me, and Yuri on Ice fulfilled my hopes even more than I was hoping it would. Honestly I was kind of braced for disappointment in that regard and instead it blew me away. Far and away the best thing this year
2. Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu: Like YoI, this was another show with a focus on LGBT people, albeit not as happy as that. It's a tragedy first and foremost, and a great one too. If you're a fan of dramas you basically have to watch this, also if you want to see more strong LGBT depictions like Yuri. It's getting a sequel soon too.
3. Mob Psycho 100: I like OPM well enough but Mob honestly does laps around it. Great animation is one thing, which both have, but strong art also goes a long way and Mob has that in spades. Plus just straight up, these are way more likeable characters with a way more engaging story and themes. When you get past the joke of OPM there's not really much else backing it up, Mob has some actual meat to it.
4. The Great Passage: Another fantastic drama this year. It's a shame Amazon's Noitamina deal screwed up this show's chances of getting a wider audience because it really is pretty special. Some pretty great character animations, with great characters to go with them. The process of making a dictionary is a lot more interesting than expected, so I'd definitely check this one out if you get a chance.
5. Flying Witch: I'm not usually a SoL guy but this show really worked for me. Being able to manage atmosphere is a big deal for me, I like to be able to feel the world, what the world feels like to live in, and Flying Witch really captured that rural vibe and light fun that I haven't really seen in other shows. Plus it's just really funny and charming anyway.
6. Poco's Udon World: This show gets a lot of hate and I don't really get it at all because I think this show is great. Barakamon is one of my favorite anime ever, and even among the "adult takes care of child" sub-genre that's popped up, I don't think there's been much that captures it's appeal like Poco does. Give it another try if you were turned off by the first episode, it's worth your while.
7. Thunderbolt Fantasy: I know so many people who refuse to give this show a single try because puppets and you know what? That makes me actively angry. If you'd just stop being so closed minded you'd realise you're missing out on the best action show of the year. An incredibly fun series with campy, almost JoJo like dialogue, I promise you'll get over the puppets quickly, because it's just that fun
8. Ajin: Another show that's easy to be put off about because of it's particular animation style, but yeah, I get it, CG anime don't usually look great. This is some of the better CG animation but it still doesn't look great. I think it's a testament to how strong the show is that it's great despite that. It's a legitimately tense series, it reminds me a lot of early Tokyo Ghoul, before it went downhill. Be sure to give it a try.
9. Space Patrol Luluco: The best short of the year, Trigger are always at their best when they're being just mad and hyperactive. One of those shorts that really shows the potential of how shorts can be really great. Given that each episode is only 7 minutes long, there's no real excuse to not give it a watch, or at least give it a few episodes.
10. Orange: Orange isn't a perfect series, I'll admit that up front, but you know, Orange just hit close to home. The way it handled depression and anxiety felt very real and true to my own experiences that I couldn't help but enjoy it despite it's faults. Kakeru felt very similar to myself, to the point that when I saw people calling him boring I got pretty angry. I really don't know how you could see him and say "I don't know why anyone would want to save him", as I remember one person distinctly saying.

Best OP of the year goes to History Maker from Yuri on Ice because it was just so catchy, with really great animation, it always got me pumped to watch the show. Runner up goes to Lay Your Hands on Me from Kiznaiver, a great final song for a great band.

Best ED goes to the ED to Erased, a really great, creepy song, a perfect fit for a show like Erased. Runner up goes to Fighter from March Comes in Like a Lion because it's Bump of Chicken and Bump of Chicken are great. Also pretty visuals. My full rankings are here btw

Okay… okay… okay… like can we talk about how sexy Chris looks with glasses?

And yes! Yes! That's my Kazakh steed!

That death glare to pierce a king's gilded persona. Glorious.

Look at him. Look at how precious he is. Hero of the steppe right here.

16. Sound Euphonium 2 – This show just was a massive waste of time, a snorefest beginning to end, with awful shitty queer baiting to boot. Airing just before Yuri on ice did it no favours either

Ehh, it's biggest fail is the lack of music, like, some episodes just air without major music pieces playing, and when that happens, their competitions only feature Crescent Moon Dance, a fantastic piece in itself, but a show about music cannot be supported with one song.

Coupled with the lack of music is the teenage girl drama. Yeah, teenage drama is pointless in real life, but that doesn't mean aired anime teenage drama has to be too. Their arguments almost always have been ended with "just talk to her". There isn't any "side meat" to go with the main plot of music competitions.

So what they should have done is start these chillins from the beginning of music learning (4th grade for a couple, sixth grade for most) and use their Shounin genre to Shounin it up. I've seen a total beginner in music in this anime go from "uhhhh how do I blow in this mouthpiece?" to "yeah, I can play with the rest of them", and the musician in me is like "okay, you had how many weeks, where's the part where you learn how to read sheet music!?"

me irl for the last 20 min

Yuri on Ice is my AOTY but I can't even comment or review atm because it will come out a gross blubbering mess. I'm just going to go cry more and think about how alone I am.

>Last episode of season 2 of Sound! Euphonium
>National Competition heating up
> This is it guys, the big pay off
>Get on stage
>Band about to play
>Conductor throws his hands up
>Skip the climactic event to the band members shopping
>Once again, another episode where an anime about music skips the part about playing music
>Awards ceremony
>Teenager confesses love for grown-ass adult teacher
>BAND GETS BRONZE, literally last place
>Seniors unfazed by bronze rank
>"You guys did so well!"
>Teenager confesses love for grown-ass adult teacher again
>grown-ass adult teacher does not get creeped out nor attempts to get teenager to drop it, rather thanks her for her support

@Freakenstein
I really think you got off on the wrong foot here man, your expecting something that your not really going to find.
I really think the point of this anime is that its more charcter driven than music driven. Its been this way since season 1. The music is just an added bonus. When I watch this anime Im reminded about my high school band days and the people, friends, and the conductor we played for, its more of a relatable experience in that case. I hardly remember any of the pieces we played to be honest.
The heart of this episode is abiding to feelings man!
The heartfelt farewell of the seniors, the president in tears. Kumiko in tears from her sister. There are all these feelings that are presented throught this show that are presented through the characters rather then the music. Sure there end goal is to play the best to their ability and it shows, but at the end of the day it goes back to the characters.

The Re:Zero entry hasn't been updated for a long time. Also, it's the most popular anime in Crunchyroll worldwide. FYI Rem's overrated and Felt is underrated so please Tappei give her more screen time ffs