Friday 8 January 2021

Anime Spotlight : Fall 2020

 

2020 was pretty crazy, but before I get into the top 5 anime of the past crazy year that was 2020. Let's talk about the Fall 2020 Anime season, which had some really fun shows in it, here is my top 5. As always I'll only talk about shows that completed in the Fall 2020 anime season.


Tonikaku Kawaii

Synopsis : First comes marriage, then comes an earthbound love that is out of this world!

From the day his parents named him, Yuzaki Nasa has been destined for outer space...or so he believes. But while trying to join the space program, he is thrown for a loop when an accident introduces him to Tsukasa, a mysterious girl with strange powers. Is she an alien, a moon goddess or something else? Since she insists on marrying him, Nasa has plenty of chances to find out!
Thoughts : From the creator of the much loved Hayate the Combat Butler comes Tonikaku Kawaii, with an extremely fun OP and quite a surprising first episode. This anime never fails to make me smile. Great mix of characters, some good vanilla rom-com fun without any possible ntr or other drama. Highly Recommended.

Majo no Tabitabi

Synopsis : Once upon a time, there was a witch named Elaina, who set off on a journey across the world. Along the way, she would meet all kinds of people, from a country full of witches to a giant in love with his own muscles-but with each meeting, Elaina would become a small part of their story, and her own world would get a little bit bigger.
Thoughts : Elaina's journey in Majo no Tabitabi reminded me quite a bit of Kino's Journey, just with more shoujo ai elements, fantastic countries with their own unique rules and settings, I most enjoyed the one with all the different Elaines, Hondo Kaede did a fantastic job voicing all those different versions of the same character. If you want a fun adventure anime this is for you.

Golden Kamuy (2020)

Synopsis : Separated from Sugimoto, Asirpa now travels toward the Russian border, focused on discovering more about her and her father's involvement with the coded tattoos. But Sugimoto is determined to find and protect Asirpa! Along the way, he'll discover new people, new cultures rich with history, and an unforgiving terrain. Will Sugimoto and Asirpa survive their journeys and reunite?
Thoughts : The third season of golden Kamuy, and luckily not the last. Was everything I loved from previous seasons and more. This anime still has great action, comedy, drama and lore. If you haven't watched Golden Kamuy yet, why not?

Haikyuu!! To the Top Part 2

Synopsis : Karasuno enters into the second half of Nationals with brand-new opponents: Inarizaki High. The long-standing powerhouse team includes a few familiar faces, namely Miya Atsumu. Named Japan's "best high school setter," Miya previously rubbed elbows with Kageyama at the All-Japan Youth Intensive Training Camp. Karasuno will have to overcome a setter that outranks their own, and Atsumu's twin brother is on the team, too.
Thoughts : Haikyuu! never fails to entertain, one of the better sports anime franchises from recent years. In this season we finally see Hinata become the kind of athlete we wanted him to be, and some really great moments in general.

Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear

Synopsis : Fifteen-year-old Yuna prefers staying home and obsessively playing her favorite VRMMO to doing anything else, including going to school. When a strange new update gives her a one-of-a-kind bear outfit that comes with overpowered abilities, Yuna is torn: the outfit is unbearably cute, but too embarrassing to wear in-game. But then she suddenly finds herself transported into the world of the game, facing down monsters and magic for real, and the bear suit becomes the best weapon she has!
Thoughts : Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear reminded me of Bofuri at first, but soon stood on it's own. It's a fairly light hearted isekai anime with plenty of fun moments to be had. I wouldn't mind another season of it.

I know not everyone is going to agree with my picks, as there was quite a lot of good anime in the Fall season, though it does feel like I say that almost every season, with few exceptions. On to the rest, though there  might be some extras ;)

Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka III : Danmachi is back in it's third season with some stressful moments for Bell and the Hestia Familia. With the addition of talking monsters and a deeper understanding of the lore of the world, it was all in all a good season.

Enen no Shouboutai S2 : I quite enjoyed Fire Force season 2, feels like we are getting closer to understanding what the true nature of the Evangelist really is. Still a fun shounen anime, though the fights are starting to get long..

100-man no Inochi no Ue ni Ore wa Tatte Iru : At first I wasn't sold on this anime, but it did grow on me, the MC did become significantly less annoying and the whole premise is pretty interesting, would have hoped it would be 24 episodes though.

Iwa Kakeru! Sport Climbing Girls : I quite enjoyed this anime about wall climbing, granted I'm a sucker for sports anime and this does have all the cliche's and trappings, but I still had a good time watching it, and learning about wall climbing.

Kud Wafter OVA : Adorable, heartwarming and great to watch. The end to Little Busters we all deserve . 

Noblesse : Why do all the webtoon anime adaptations from Crunchyroll have such horrible music? Music aside, and the fact that you need to see Noblesse Awakening, which came out 4 years before the series, before you watch Noblesse, it was generally one of the better webtoon anime's thus far. Though that's not hard to be with such a low bar.

Kamisama ni Natta Hi : Quite enjoyed this latest show from Jun Meada, though not nearly as sad as Angel Beats was, PA Works did a great job with this anime. If you are a fan of Key animes this is for you.

Tenchi Muyou! Ryououki Dai Go-ki : The 5th part in the Tenchi Muyo Ryo-oki OVA series, there is just something about this classic scifi harem anime that pulls me in.

Senyoku no Sigrdrifa :Cute girls that are fighter pilots, norse mythology, funny side cast and a overpowering enemy made Senyoku no Sigrdrifa a fun watch.

Yuukoku no Moriarty : A different take on the whole Sherlock Holmes stories, a friend said it reminded him of Death Note in some regards, though I feel that's doing this anime an injustice ;)

Ochikobore Fruit Tart : A cute anime about a bunch of entertainment dropouts trying to be  idols, with a fair bit of yuri undertones. The music isn't half bad either, except that curry song...

Gochuumon wa Usagi Desuka Bloom : The latest season in this relaxing anime was just what we needed in 2020 to take our minds off the dark times we live in.

Strike Witches - Road to Berlin : I was pleasantly surprised to find out there was a post Movie Strike Witches series, that other badly animated "slice of life" one doesn't count. The battle against the Neroi is growing ever more stressful in this franchise, with quite a few rough moments.

Taisou Zamurai : At first I was  quite unsure of what to make of this anime, but after a few episodes I found myself quite invested in it, with each episode getting better than the previous. Aragaki's recovery as a Gymnast is well worth watching.

Munou na Nana : If you enjoy plot twists this anime is for you, you'll be kept on your toes throughout.
 
Kimi to Boku no Saigo no Senjou Arui wa Sekai ga Hajimaru Seisen : Not a bad watch by any means, just weird that it was so super popular in Japan.

Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - Raihousha Hen : I quite enjoyed the second season of Mahouka, finally we can see what happened between the first season and the movie. Tatsuya is still a boss of note.

Maoujou de Oyasumi : A sleeper hit of the season, pun intended. I'm sure everyone wants more of this anime :D
Assault Lily - Bouquet : Thicc thighs saves...humanity? A enjoyable "magical girl" anime that doesn't really bring anything new to the genre, but doesn't do anything wrong either.

Adachi to Shimamura : I was honestly hoping for something a bit more in the yuri stakes with this one, though for the most part this was just a unrequited shoujo-ai kinda thing, though still had fun watching it, especially for the alien girl.

Akudama Drive : A surprisingly fun watch, with tons of action, good visuals, a lot of craziness and a decent end that felt final.

Ikebukuro West Gate Park : I quite enjoyed watching IWGP, Makoto is such a well written MC and I really liked the characters and stories from this anime.

Kami-tachi ni Hirowareta Otoko : Slime Rancher the anime! JK a fun little isekai anime about a salary worker that got reincarnated as a young kid with too many slimes :D

All in all the Fall 2020 anime season was pretty good and a good closer for 2020 as a year in general. Which anime from the Fall season did you enjoy watching?









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