Anime of the Year 2017
9:57 PM
Hey, it's me again. It's been a real hot minute since the last time I even thought about this place, let alone did anything with it. But I'm back for a quick bit. I've got some words I wanted to write about some stuff, and all the end of year lists I've been reading, be they about games, anime, or ranking the horrible garbage fire of a year that was 2017, got me in a writing mood. So here's my Top 10 Anime of the Year, followed by 3 Honourable Mentions and 2 Dishonourable Mentions. And just a quick note, but at least a few of these titles likely started at the tail end of 2016, but finished in 2017. I'm counting that as a 2017 series, simply because it represents the completion of it's story, rather than it's initial introduction.
First let's get those Dishonourable Mentions out of the way. These are series that just didn't do it for me. I only watch what I like, so this won't be long, but one of them shouldn't surprise anyone.
DISHONOURABLE MENTIONS
- Millepensee: Action, Fantasy - SpringBoy, this one’s really something. Following up last year’s BERSERK series, this one doesn’t seem to improve on anything. The character models are still those flat looking models that are void of emotion, while their backgrounds aren’t really any better. It’s animation has somehow gotten even worse in some parts, and with the cumulation of all of these elements, it’s just a really hard show to look at, let alone watch. In a year where two other 3D anime series have come out and not been as trash (Kemono Friends and Last of the Lustrous). I watched it. I watched the previous season. This series is entirely buoyed by the dark fantasy Kentaro Miura has created, and as the story moves into it's latter half, it shifts into a much brighter, and hopeful tone. I'll watch the next season when Milpensee puts it out and anything else with the Berserk name attached to it, but BERSERK deserves so much better than this.
Lastly, here’s a link to an article about how Berserk ended up the way it ended up. It’s truly an eye-opening read into just how many things went wrong and how things likely won’t get any better for it’s future TV series — the blurays look significantly better, i.e. actually finished. Link
2. Restaurant to Another World
There’s good in this series, it’s just too bogged down with excessive exposition. This serious would’ve been significantly better if they had followed the ‘show, don’t tell’ principle. Show us people are enjoying the food. Show us the various textures and ingredients of the food. The descriptions add, or even detract from these scenes. I really wanted to like this series more than I do, but it really, really just bums me out thinking about it.
- SILVER LINK: Fantasy, Slice of Life - SummerIn stark contrast to BERSERK, Restaurant to Another World is competently made. It wasn’t bad, and, at times, can be pretty good. That wouldn’t warrant it to be placed on a dishonourable mentions list, but this series just bummed me the heck out. It starts out with cooking and good looking foods but as it goes on, it begins to dawn on you that this isn’t a food show. Cooking goes away almost entirely, replaced by dry, overwrought exposition about the food — the kind of descriptions you find on food shows when they’re trying to hype up food that’s clearly not that incredible. The most egregious example of this is episode 4, where the narrator has more lines than any other character in the show.
There’s good in this series, it’s just too bogged down with excessive exposition. This serious would’ve been significantly better if they had followed the ‘show, don’t tell’ principle. Show us people are enjoying the food. Show us the various textures and ingredients of the food. The descriptions add, or even detract from these scenes. I really wanted to like this series more than I do, but it really, really just bums me out thinking about it.
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HONOURABLE MENTIONS
- SHAFT: Drama - SummerThe finale of Monogatari’s story is absolutely fitting for the storied franchise that’s spanned 6 years. Hitagi Rendezvous was a welcome return for the best character Hitagi, and hearkened back to the final episode of Bakemonogatari. Over the course of the 3 episodes, we see Araragi come to terms with his issues — what it means to love oneself, someone else and coming to accept the various facets of himself.
The Monogatari franchise has accrued a bunch of loose story threads over the course of it’s run, and Owarimonogatari’s second season somehow ties them all together, cleaning up the series for an ending that didn’t leave questions unanswered.
2. Tsuredure Children
- Studio Gokumi: Romance, Comedy - SummerTsuredure Children is a solid romance comedy, and one that hits both of those tags really well. It’s short and sweet, and just does everything well. It’s large cast offers both a depth and breadth of comedic situations and moments, ranging from a gremlin of a younger sister to a pair of shy teenagers messing up every step of the way in confessing to each other. The large cast also gives us a bunch of different couples — the childhood friends, the oblivious apple of your eye, best friends turned couple. Each couple tells a different, but simultaneously similar story is consistently good.
3. GARO - Vanishing Line
I’ve really been enjoying this series. I picked it up late into the season, and wasn't expecting a whole lot. I wasn’t super happy with the previous GARO titles (or the last GARO live action I watched), and another entry into the franchise didn’t excite me. It’s first few episodes are definitely spectacle driven, brain parked action, but as it progresses, you see that the series has heart. It can pack an emotional punch of some degree, but it’s not all just boobs and explosions.
10. Boruto - Naruto Next Generations
9. Ancient Magus’ Bride
I think the anime is a fantastic adaptation of Kore Yamasaki’s manga, despite its minor issues and look forward to its continuation.
8. Magical Circle Guru Guru (remake)
This is, arguably, one of the funniest series this year, giving Konosuba a run for it’s money. Most of the gags and jokes have that retro zaniness, and still feels pretty fresh despite coming from a series that’s over 20 years old now. Its designs are pretty timeless, capturing that early 90’s look while also giving it a really sharp update. The feel of the series is different from most comedy series, with it’s particular brand of rapid fire jokes that all mostly land. It also really leans into that Dragon Quest feel, with the chip tune sound effects for accomplishing things, as well as occasional pixel art sequences. It’s pretty rad.
I’ve been watching this series with my girlfriend, who grew up with this series, so for her, it’s been a real nostalgia trip.
If I had anything bad to say about this series, it’d be it’s incredibly tight and fast pacing. It’s really moves, and sometimes feels like it’s going a little too quickly. I feel like it’s cutting the fat out of the original, and just hitting all the important parts. It may be for the best, but a few more slower moments probably wouldn’t hurt.
7. KONOSUBA - God’s Blessing on this Wonderful World! 2
This season didn’t disappoint — I feel like the animation is even better at capturing that ridiculous comedy, and the situations the party got themselves into only expanded as they ventured further away. Each character got to show off their quirks, and the party itself got to work as a properly functioning one at least a few times. Personal favourite episodes were Episode 2, because, yes, I do think that Darkness is best girl, 3, for it’s almost touching story and 7, because it’s easily the best this show has to offer.
This season nailed it’s comedy, never getting old and even it’s misses weren’t as bad as the first season’s. My hope is that it continues the adventure of this shitty party. There’s all sorts of fun to be had and I hope to see more of this series in the future.
6. The Eccentric Family 2
3. Natsume Yuujinchou Roku (season 6)
Overall, I think season 5 was stronger in its episodes — the Touko and Shigeru episode was downright beautiful, maybe even one of the best. Taki’s episode (5) gave us a sweet, heartwarming story with a bit more into her grandfather’s magic circle. I guess you could say that Season 5 was a good distillation of what Natsume Yuujinchou is as a series, while 6 did more to push the story forward a bit. I’m happy with more Natsume though. From it’s first season, it didn’t seem like one that’d be able to go on for 6 seasons, but here we are. Here’s to hoping for more.
2. Kemono Friends
- MAPPA: Action, Fantasy - FallI always like a bad-ass action anime, but nowhere on my list does one actually appear: IBO’s action sequences are cool as heck, but the story around it paints everything with a somber, while B3&B fell more into the comedy side of things. GARO is exactly that, and for the first time in it’s anime form, feels like a GARO series. The previous series in the franchise weren’t bad by any means, but they didn’t feel like GARO. Maybe it was the setting, or perhaps it was the story. It just didn’t feel like the tokusatsu series. Vanishing Line really does feel like a GARO series — the Golden Knight is truly the most powerful of the Makai Knights. The semi-episodic structure with an overarching plot makes it feel like a tokusatsu series.
I’ve really been enjoying this series. I picked it up late into the season, and wasn't expecting a whole lot. I wasn’t super happy with the previous GARO titles (or the last GARO live action I watched), and another entry into the franchise didn’t excite me. It’s first few episodes are definitely spectacle driven, brain parked action, but as it progresses, you see that the series has heart. It can pack an emotional punch of some degree, but it’s not all just boobs and explosions.
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TOP 10 LIST
- Pierrot: Adventure, Fantasy - Spring
If you told me a Naruto sequel would be on my top 10 list 5 years ago, I would’ve laughed at you, with a condescending “yeah right”. But here we are, with Boruto, sequel to Boruto’s Dad (Naruto), at the end of 2017, year of our absent lord and saviour. The main reason for being on the list is nostalgia. I loved Naruto back in the day, well before it’s filler nonsense started, and just sort of fell off of it, becoming a contrarian and haven’t touched it since. The run up to Boruto included marathoning a machete-method extreme of Naruto Shippuden, and pretty much reliving my late elementary school days with the first episode of Boruto.
Nostalgia aside, Boruto is actually pretty good on it’s own. It captures the feel of the early episodes of the original, while spinning them into the new, post-war Ninja world. The new characters (the children) are very much the same — they have elements of their parent’s personalities, while also very much being their own characters. Boruto and Sarada are the best examples of this. The two of them come from such different circumstances as their fathers, yet carry on some of their quirks (less so with Sarada).
I’m likely not the primary target audience for this series, and I don’t know how I feel about saying ‘not every episode did it for me’, but I’ll admit that I’ve skipped at least a handful of episodes out of sheer lack of interest.
Another thing that’s bugged me about the series is it’s emphasis on it’s fathers. All the characters take after their dads — Shikadai is a spitting image of Shikamaru, Cho-Cho’s mother is pretty much unknown, and Boruto and Sarada both have daddy issues. The mom’s just don’t have much of a role to play and aren’t really represented in their kids either.
I could probably go on about this series. I really do like it, but there’s just a lot of things about it that I could pick apart for days. I seriously considered putting in as an honourable mention, but the fact that it got me back into Naruto and is mostly enjoyable and an easy thing to watch (especially during trying times), this series earns it’s spot on my list.
Nostalgia aside, Boruto is actually pretty good on it’s own. It captures the feel of the early episodes of the original, while spinning them into the new, post-war Ninja world. The new characters (the children) are very much the same — they have elements of their parent’s personalities, while also very much being their own characters. Boruto and Sarada are the best examples of this. The two of them come from such different circumstances as their fathers, yet carry on some of their quirks (less so with Sarada).
I’m likely not the primary target audience for this series, and I don’t know how I feel about saying ‘not every episode did it for me’, but I’ll admit that I’ve skipped at least a handful of episodes out of sheer lack of interest.
Another thing that’s bugged me about the series is it’s emphasis on it’s fathers. All the characters take after their dads — Shikadai is a spitting image of Shikamaru, Cho-Cho’s mother is pretty much unknown, and Boruto and Sarada both have daddy issues. The mom’s just don’t have much of a role to play and aren’t really represented in their kids either.
I could probably go on about this series. I really do like it, but there’s just a lot of things about it that I could pick apart for days. I seriously considered putting in as an honourable mention, but the fact that it got me back into Naruto and is mostly enjoyable and an easy thing to watch (especially during trying times), this series earns it’s spot on my list.
- Studio WIT: Fantasy - FallProbably one of the most anticipated series this season, and it lives up to that standard, mostly. It’s gorgeous, and probably one of the best looking series this season, but some scenes aren’t really animated when they probably should’ve been (looking at you episode 12). Let’s stay on that episode, because reusing Lindel’s song so soon felt a little cheap, especially when it’s used to cover up the lack of movement. The scene started well, but I feel like that song is just a little too grand for what was happening, which could be an overarching thing with this series. The music is great, but sometimes it’s just a bit too big for what’s happening on screen. It’s definitely not as big a deal as it was in ERASED, where I felt the music was just too overblown, too often. One last thing is Titania’s entrance in episode 6. That felt unnecessary and wholly out of place. While lasciviously dressed, the same focus wasn’t on the Leanan Sídhe of episode 9.
I think the anime is a fantastic adaptation of Kore Yamasaki’s manga, despite its minor issues and look forward to its continuation.
- Production I.G.: Comedy, Fantasy, Adventure - SummerThis is a remake of a 1994 anime by the same name.
This is, arguably, one of the funniest series this year, giving Konosuba a run for it’s money. Most of the gags and jokes have that retro zaniness, and still feels pretty fresh despite coming from a series that’s over 20 years old now. Its designs are pretty timeless, capturing that early 90’s look while also giving it a really sharp update. The feel of the series is different from most comedy series, with it’s particular brand of rapid fire jokes that all mostly land. It also really leans into that Dragon Quest feel, with the chip tune sound effects for accomplishing things, as well as occasional pixel art sequences. It’s pretty rad.
I’ve been watching this series with my girlfriend, who grew up with this series, so for her, it’s been a real nostalgia trip.
If I had anything bad to say about this series, it’d be it’s incredibly tight and fast pacing. It’s really moves, and sometimes feels like it’s going a little too quickly. I feel like it’s cutting the fat out of the original, and just hitting all the important parts. It may be for the best, but a few more slower moments probably wouldn’t hurt.
- Studio DEEN: Comedy, Adventure - Winter2017 really was the year of sequels, wasn’t it. The second season of Konosuba is very much what everybody wanted and was expecting. More fun with our cast of shitty characters —Kazuma, the Adventurer who's stats are all rolled into Luck, Aqua, an incredibly self-absorbed and equally useless Goddess turned High Priestess, Darkness, a masochistic Crusader and Megumin, a mage who has min-maxed all her spell points into a single, high cost spell. It’s basically a DnD party but the characters were made up while high as a kite and stoned out our your mind.
This season didn’t disappoint — I feel like the animation is even better at capturing that ridiculous comedy, and the situations the party got themselves into only expanded as they ventured further away. Each character got to show off their quirks, and the party itself got to work as a properly functioning one at least a few times. Personal favourite episodes were Episode 2, because, yes, I do think that Darkness is best girl, 3, for it’s almost touching story and 7, because it’s easily the best this show has to offer.
This season nailed it’s comedy, never getting old and even it’s misses weren’t as bad as the first season’s. My hope is that it continues the adventure of this shitty party. There’s all sorts of fun to be had and I hope to see more of this series in the future.
- P.A. Works: Fantasy, Comedy - Spring
Continuing this year’s trend of sequels, The Eccentric Family 2 carries on the whimsical, magical fantasy of it’s first season, from a trip in a flying Tardis bus, to falling down to Hell, and wrapping it all up with conflicts in both the Tanuki and Tengu worlds.
In terms of sequels, The Eccentric Family is somewhere in between Natsume 6 and B3&B, capturing the feeling of the series so well, while also pushing it along. Actually, in terms of plot, EF2 probably did the most, wrapping up most of the unfinished plot points carried over from last season, as well as ones brought up this season. It’d spoil the entire series to list them all, but let’s just say that many of the loose ends are tied up rather nicely. If anything, the last loose thread is probably the aloof Benten, who doesn’t have the best of times this season, to say the least.
It had more Kaisei, and that is a very good thing. She’s great and makes me remember that the Ebisugawa’s aren’t all trash —the most visible members of the family, Kinkaku and Ginkaku, are absolute shitbags, and Soun is trash. Kureichiro and Kaisei likely take after their mother, seeing as they’re not walking filth. It’s pretty great to watch the bad Ebisugawa’s get their comeuppance, though it’s definitely a little bit shocking the first time Soun goes down.
Rambling aside, if you liked the first season and wanted more, this one is pretty much that and more.
And with this, we move into the Top 5 titles of the year.
5. Blood Blockade Battlefront & Beyond
The last arc was nice and feelsy, if not a little cheesy (in a good way). White’s little bit, and the whole gang busting in to finish off what Leo started were great segments, but my favourite goes to the quiet moment where Michella is telling Klaus about the story of the Tortoise Knight. It’s kind of cheesy, but it’s quite lovely, and indicative of Leo’s growth trajectory. Overall, this is some good, easy going watching.
4. Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron Blooded Orphans Season 2
To be clear, my history with Gundam is a fragmented and brief one. Bits of Wing, Seed, Seed Destiny and Reconguista, together with both seasons of 00, Unicorn (Re:0096) and Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket. Basically, I haven’t seen the series that really make Gundam, Gundam.
With that out of the way, the final cour of IBO was definitely more brutal than it’s previous ones, with more key characters being killed off as Tekkadan cruises even faster in it’s collision course for glory. I’d say it’s a well paced series, with really intense battles, punctuated by more intimate, quieter moments that let us see these characters not in life-threatening situations. They built up relationships, addressed their demons, and some even grew a little, and all that just to wind up for that gut-punch when the inevitable happened. God damn does this series hurt. I love it, but I was tempted to push it down lower in the list because of how uncomfortable this series is to watch. That ending was really something, like a slap in the face, with some soothing words accompanying it. It’s grim and somber, but there’s a strong sense of forward facing hope, a theme that’s run throughout the series, one way or another. It’s this morally grey thing, where the victors write history, taking credit for all the work that was done, but if it improves things for everybody, is it all that bad?
Watch this series. It’s probably the best Gundam series to come out in a while, with really cool and striking mecha designs, an incredibly propulsive story and just heart wrenchingly well written characters. You just want them to be happy. LET THEM BE HAPPY!
In terms of sequels, The Eccentric Family is somewhere in between Natsume 6 and B3&B, capturing the feeling of the series so well, while also pushing it along. Actually, in terms of plot, EF2 probably did the most, wrapping up most of the unfinished plot points carried over from last season, as well as ones brought up this season. It’d spoil the entire series to list them all, but let’s just say that many of the loose ends are tied up rather nicely. If anything, the last loose thread is probably the aloof Benten, who doesn’t have the best of times this season, to say the least.
It had more Kaisei, and that is a very good thing. She’s great and makes me remember that the Ebisugawa’s aren’t all trash —the most visible members of the family, Kinkaku and Ginkaku, are absolute shitbags, and Soun is trash. Kureichiro and Kaisei likely take after their mother, seeing as they’re not walking filth. It’s pretty great to watch the bad Ebisugawa’s get their comeuppance, though it’s definitely a little bit shocking the first time Soun goes down.
Rambling aside, if you liked the first season and wanted more, this one is pretty much that and more.
- BONES: Fantasy, Action, Comedy - FallThis season might have been more fun than the previous, simply because we managed to get a look into the lives of more of Libra’s staff — Chain and K.K.’s episodes are both great fun, while Steven’s was just more “cool dude”. We even got an episode on Gilbert, Klaus’ bandaged butler. These episodes were great: fun, fast paced frenetic action with loads of personality. The weaker episodes were the ones focused on Leo. After that climactic battle of season 1, seeing him be a bit of a door mat punching bag was a bit of a let down. The final episode links everything back, showing his growth through both White and Klaus’ words to him, and his actions against that spider-doctor-thing who’s name I can’t remember. He stands up and fights, and takes actions on his own. It’s also a nice little thing to see that White is still in the picture, as her butterflies are seen a couple times in the last two parters a few times. It’s like she’s still watching over Leo!
The last arc was nice and feelsy, if not a little cheesy (in a good way). White’s little bit, and the whole gang busting in to finish off what Leo started were great segments, but my favourite goes to the quiet moment where Michella is telling Klaus about the story of the Tortoise Knight. It’s kind of cheesy, but it’s quite lovely, and indicative of Leo’s growth trajectory. Overall, this is some good, easy going watching.
- Sunrise: Mecha, Action - SpringFrom the generally warm and upbeat list, we come to my Number 3, which is maybe one of the most relentlessly grim and harsh series this year. The second season of Iron Blooded Orphans (IBO for short) ramped up this stakes, and holy shit did it deliver one hell of a ride.
To be clear, my history with Gundam is a fragmented and brief one. Bits of Wing, Seed, Seed Destiny and Reconguista, together with both seasons of 00, Unicorn (Re:0096) and Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket. Basically, I haven’t seen the series that really make Gundam, Gundam.
With that out of the way, the final cour of IBO was definitely more brutal than it’s previous ones, with more key characters being killed off as Tekkadan cruises even faster in it’s collision course for glory. I’d say it’s a well paced series, with really intense battles, punctuated by more intimate, quieter moments that let us see these characters not in life-threatening situations. They built up relationships, addressed their demons, and some even grew a little, and all that just to wind up for that gut-punch when the inevitable happened. God damn does this series hurt. I love it, but I was tempted to push it down lower in the list because of how uncomfortable this series is to watch. That ending was really something, like a slap in the face, with some soothing words accompanying it. It’s grim and somber, but there’s a strong sense of forward facing hope, a theme that’s run throughout the series, one way or another. It’s this morally grey thing, where the victors write history, taking credit for all the work that was done, but if it improves things for everybody, is it all that bad?
Watch this series. It’s probably the best Gundam series to come out in a while, with really cool and striking mecha designs, an incredibly propulsive story and just heart wrenchingly well written characters. You just want them to be happy. LET THEM BE HAPPY!
- Shuka: Supernatural, Slice of Life - SpringAnyone who knows me and my taste in anime should not be surprised by this. Natsume Yuujinchou has occupied a special place in my anime pantheon since it’s first season, and I’m happy to say that season 6 of this franchise keeps Natsume firmly in that place. It’s hard to say much about this, as it’s pretty much more of what this series does best, but this season had some strong episodes. We finally got some more of those increasingly rare plot related episodes, like episode 7, and the two-parter 10 and 11, which dug further into Reiko’s past, giving us a better look at Reiko, Natsume’s enigmatic grandmother. We also got some set up to a possible conflict in the future with Natsume’s actor-exorcist friend, Natori, as he learns of the existence of the Book of Friends. It’s just creeping suspicions for now, but in the future, this is likely to be a major plot point. Episode 6 gave us one of the first true stories on Natsume’s two “normal” friends, Kitamoto and Nishimura, and it’s a really good look into just how strong their friendship is, even if they’re seeing the world differently from Natsume. Also, the opening is gorgeous.
Overall, I think season 5 was stronger in its episodes — the Touko and Shigeru episode was downright beautiful, maybe even one of the best. Taki’s episode (5) gave us a sweet, heartwarming story with a bit more into her grandfather’s magic circle. I guess you could say that Season 5 was a good distillation of what Natsume Yuujinchou is as a series, while 6 did more to push the story forward a bit. I’m happy with more Natsume though. From it’s first season, it didn’t seem like one that’d be able to go on for 6 seasons, but here we are. Here’s to hoping for more.
- Yaoyorozu: Adventure, Comedy - WinterA 3D anime based on a failed mobile game doesn’t exactly give off the best first impression, but boy did this series inspire a following. It can be hard to separate the series from the phenomenon it spawned, but I think that the resulting effect of it's phenom was ultimately positive. It's just sort of rare for fandoms to turn out to be a generally good thing - just look at video games and places like Tumblr, where fandoms of generally wholesome series can become toxic cesspools.
It’s not the prettiest series this year by a long shot. It’s 3D models are serviceable at best, and its animation can be janky and jarring. The animation doesn’t improve, but it does sort of grow on you, in a lovable, dumb kind of way.
Where this series shines is in how gosh darn pure it is. It’s a wholesome, fun time about making friends, and friends cheering each other on. In one episode early on, they’re looking for what Kaban is good at, and while other ‘Friends’ wrote her off, Serval kept on cheering her on. It’s absolutely a feel good series, while definitely a little cheesy, hits you right in the feels with a warm fuzzy mitten punch. It’s a series with a whole lot of heart and charm that’s absolutely the kind of salve we need after the year we’ve had.
This one takes the top place for pulling me out of my comfort zone. I like the Monogatari series, which is probably the closest proxy to something like this I've watched. I like my slice of life, easy going series. This is...not that. It's heavy, slow moving, emotionally charged dialogue. There's no action, no comedic relief, just straight ahead drama. And I loved it. Few series this year made me feel for it's character as much as this did. It's just a beautiful series.
Where this series shines is in how gosh darn pure it is. It’s a wholesome, fun time about making friends, and friends cheering each other on. In one episode early on, they’re looking for what Kaban is good at, and while other ‘Friends’ wrote her off, Serval kept on cheering her on. It’s absolutely a feel good series, while definitely a little cheesy, hits you right in the feels with a warm fuzzy mitten punch. It’s a series with a whole lot of heart and charm that’s absolutely the kind of salve we need after the year we’ve had.
1. Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu
The only problem I had with this series came at the very end. A bit of a bomb got dropped on us that left me with a bad taste, and I’m sure this is the same for a majority of the viewers, or at least us in the West.
- Studio Deen: Historical Drama - WinterDescending Stories (henceforth referred to as simply “Rakugo”) is a stunningly beautiful piece of work. It’s cast of characters is just so deep, rich and painfully human, each one playing off of the others and revealing more and more of their colourful personalities throughout the series. It’s easily some of the best storytelling in anime in recent years. It takes you on a journey with twists, turns, with powerful reveals that are both heart-wrenching and heartwarming, all while maintaining a deeply engrossing story. It features excellent voice acting, which all the more helps a series with such a wide range of emotions, as well as it’s through line of Rakugo — a traditional Japanese form of theatre.
The only problem I had with this series came at the very end. A bit of a bomb got dropped on us that left me with a bad taste, and I’m sure this is the same for a majority of the viewers, or at least us in the West.
This one takes the top place for pulling me out of my comfort zone. I like the Monogatari series, which is probably the closest proxy to something like this I've watched. I like my slice of life, easy going series. This is...not that. It's heavy, slow moving, emotionally charged dialogue. There's no action, no comedic relief, just straight ahead drama. And I loved it. Few series this year made me feel for it's character as much as this did. It's just a beautiful series.
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