I hope everyone had a fantastic festive season and year end! The new year is upon us! I was away on vacation so had a fair bit of anime backlog to work through before I could even START on this writeup. But rejoice for it's here...kinda. Fall 2017 for me was a VERY enjoyable anime season which left me mostly smiling with the few exceptions here and there. As usual my criteria for shows to be talked about at the end of the season, are shows that finished in that season. So sadly this time 3 gatsu no lion, garo and mahoutsukai no yome won't be in the running for "best of".
Enough rambling let's get to the list!
Netojuu no Susume
Synopsis : After quitting her job, Morioka Moriko became a NEET and got addicted to an online game. In that game, even a wilting woman in her thirties like her can become a young, handsome guy and Moriko's new adventure as Hayashi began.
AniDB : http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=13345
Thoughts : No surprises here. I'm fairly certain everyone loved Net-Juu no Susume, Either that or they are crazy ;)(just kidding) But a heartwarming tale with adults, fairly accurate portrayals of things that happen in games. And a bit too many coincidences...made for a very enjoyable show.
Thoughts : No surprises here. I'm fairly certain everyone loved Net-Juu no Susume, Either that or they are crazy ;)(just kidding) But a heartwarming tale with adults, fairly accurate portrayals of things that happen in games. And a bit too many coincidences...made for a very enjoyable show.
Ballroom e Youkoso
Synopsis : Feckless high school student Fujita Tatara wants to be good at something - anything. Unfortunately, he's about as average as a slouchy teen can be. The local bullies know this and make it a habit to hit him up for cash, but all that changes when the debonair Sengoku Kaname sends them packing. Sengoku's not the neighborhood watch, though. He's a professional ballroom dancer. And once Fujita Tatara gets pulled into the world of the ballroom, his life will never be the same.
Thoughts : A big thing I've always loved about Anime as a whole, is how sometimes people can make the most entertaining shows around topics I would normally not be interested in, like bread battles and boxing for example. In this case Ballroom dancing is the topic and other than the weird facial expressions from time to time. I have to admit Ballroom e Youkoso was a blast from start to finish. Yes the characters had very long necks but it was still worth every second I watched it.
Kujira no Kora wa Sajou ni Utau
Synopsis : Chakuro is the 14-year-old archivist of the Mud Whale, a nigh-utopian island that floats across the surface of an endless sea of sand. Nine in ten of the inhabitants of the Mud Whale have been blessed and cursed with the ability to use saimia, special powers that doom them to an early death. Chakuro and his friends have stumbled across other islands, but they have never met, seen, or even heard of a human who wasn't from their own. One day, Chakuro visits an island as large as the Mud Whale and meets a girl who will change his destiny.
Thoughts : I absolutely loved Children of the Sand Whales, even when it made me cry horribly. A fantastical setting with lively characters hid a very dark secret this show had plenty of cruel scenes. It seems the story does go on after the anime ends, I for one am hoping we get another season animated.
Just Because! : For some really strange reason, some people think this anime is a AOTY contender...perhaps they are a tad masochistic as Just Because! was torture to watch and the way the end was done makes the it all feel like a waste of time.
Animegataris! : For the most part I really enjoyed Animegataris, it had a ton of fun references and some very interesting facts about the anime industry. That being said the last few episodes ruined the anime for me. As everything went out of whack..
Himouto Umaru-chan R : Umaru is always fun to watch, if you enjoyed the first season the second is well worth your time.
Konhana Kitan : This anime was super adorable, I really enjoyed the japanese mythology that permeated throughout it. Some of the episodes had a sad tone, also slight yuri ;)
Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou : Also known as Girls' Last Tour, this anime, even though slowly paced, was relaxing yet stressful and depressing to watch. That being said I'm glad I watched it.
Imouto sae Ireba Ii : I'll admit the first episode's start gave me a completely wrong impression what this anime would be about. I also believe that it caused a fair bit of people to drop the show. Which is a big shame. A Little Sister is All You Need is ironically not an incest anime, but quite and intriguing anime about very peculiar light novel authors and their lives. Maybe give it a second chance?
Shoukoku no Altair : Set in a fantasy setting that has a very ancient middle eastern feel to it, I was initially unsure if I would enjoy Shoukoku no Altair, but thanks to the Arslan Senki vibes I got from it, I stuck with it and I'm very glad I did!
Kino no Tabi 2017 : Even though it was just a remake of the old Kino no Tabi, and some people said it wasn't as "gritty" as the original I still thoroughly enjoyed it. Well worth watching.
Houseki no Kuni : Initially I was quite unsure about this anime. but it grew on me in a good way. And now I'm here awaiting the announcement of a possible second season...
Youkai Apartment no Yuuga na Nichijou : Even though Youkai Apartment has a lot of flaws, I do believe it's a fun, light watch. For when you want something to watch that has just enough action and comedy to keep you interested.
Kekkai Sensen and Beyond : The second season of Kekkai Sensen was a BLAST, in more ways than one. Sadly the OP and ED wasn't as good as the first season, and it didn't have a central story arc. Other than the last two episodes that is...
Blend S : I loved Blend S at the beginning, it had me in stitches for the most part. But it kinda fell a bit flat comedy wise nearing the end. It did spawn a plethora of memes though.
Wake Up, Girls Shin Shou : Personally I find WUG to be the superior Idol anime this season. Far better girls and music. And a bit more realistic look at the idol and entertainment industry.
Fate Apocrypha : So far my least fave installment in the Fate series. It didn't help that at times the pacing was a bit off. Sure it has pretty good action scenes and some good characters that made the watch worth it, and it does come together a lot better in the second half of the anime. Just a shame Astolfo didn't die earlier..
Any other anime not mentioned here that finished with Fall 2017, I definitely didn't watch. Please share your thoughts about the season with me in the comments here or on social media. Always love seeing what other people think.
Inuyashiki
Synopsis : Inuyashiki Ichirou is down on his luck. While only 58 years old, his geriatric looks often have him written off as a pathetic old man by the world around him and he's constantly ignored and disrespected by his family despite all that he's done to support them. On top of everything else, his doctor has revealed that he has cancer and it appears that he has little time left in this world. But just when it seems things couldn't get any worse, a blinding light in the night sky strikes the earth where Ichirou stands. He later wakes up to find himself unscathed, but he soon starts to notice that there's something... different about himself. However, it turns out that these strange, new changes are just what Ichirou needs to take a new lease on life and now it seems like there's nothing to stop him from being a hero worthy of the respect that he never had before... unless, that is, there was someone else out there with these same changes...
Thoughts : I'm ecstatic to say that the Inuyashiki adaptation to anime went a lot better than Gantz did, and we weren't left with a very open end. Though some people weren't happy with how it ended. Inuyashiki was a wild ride from start to finish, filling you with emotions of despair, horror as well as hope and joy.
Shokugeki no Souma: San no Sara
Synopsis : Yukihira Souma had been polishing his cooking skills while helping at his family's diner and one day, enters the elite cooking school, Totsuki Teahouse Culinary Academy. Souma met various other chefs at the academy and as he grew, he started searching for his own way of cooking.
With the curriculums that required the students to go help out at actual restaurants, Souma gained even more experience. With that, he was able to break through his old self and break through to a whole new taste for his dishes. He successfully completes his curriculum and grew even more.
After his training in the actual restaurant, Souma finally sees the top of Totsuki Academy, the Totsuki Elite Ten at the Momiji Meet and Greet and challenges them.
The venue that was decided for Souma and the Elite Ten to battle was the Totsuki school festival, the Moon Festival. What will Souma make happen at this monster event that brings in 500,000 ever year?
Meanwhile, someone's plan is coming together in the shadows. Souma's new battle was about to begin!
Thoughts : Admit it, you expected this to be on the list. If you don't know me by now I'm a huge fan of the Shokugeki no Soma franchise. Third season was really good, especially with all the twists. AND ERINA FINALLY FINDING OUT WHO SOMA'S DAD IS....ahem well Season 4 when?
And that's my list for the best 5 anime that ended with the fall 2017 season. Obviously your list would be different so please let me know which anime you loved most.
That being said the rest of the season wasn't bad either and it was actually quite hard to choose 5 titles...so here are my thoughts on the others.
Animegataris! : For the most part I really enjoyed Animegataris, it had a ton of fun references and some very interesting facts about the anime industry. That being said the last few episodes ruined the anime for me. As everything went out of whack..
Himouto Umaru-chan R : Umaru is always fun to watch, if you enjoyed the first season the second is well worth your time.
Konhana Kitan : This anime was super adorable, I really enjoyed the japanese mythology that permeated throughout it. Some of the episodes had a sad tone, also slight yuri ;)
Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou : Also known as Girls' Last Tour, this anime, even though slowly paced, was relaxing yet stressful and depressing to watch. That being said I'm glad I watched it.
Imouto sae Ireba Ii : I'll admit the first episode's start gave me a completely wrong impression what this anime would be about. I also believe that it caused a fair bit of people to drop the show. Which is a big shame. A Little Sister is All You Need is ironically not an incest anime, but quite and intriguing anime about very peculiar light novel authors and their lives. Maybe give it a second chance?
Shoukoku no Altair : Set in a fantasy setting that has a very ancient middle eastern feel to it, I was initially unsure if I would enjoy Shoukoku no Altair, but thanks to the Arslan Senki vibes I got from it, I stuck with it and I'm very glad I did!
Kino no Tabi 2017 : Even though it was just a remake of the old Kino no Tabi, and some people said it wasn't as "gritty" as the original I still thoroughly enjoyed it. Well worth watching.
Houseki no Kuni : Initially I was quite unsure about this anime. but it grew on me in a good way. And now I'm here awaiting the announcement of a possible second season...
Youkai Apartment no Yuuga na Nichijou : Even though Youkai Apartment has a lot of flaws, I do believe it's a fun, light watch. For when you want something to watch that has just enough action and comedy to keep you interested.
Kekkai Sensen and Beyond : The second season of Kekkai Sensen was a BLAST, in more ways than one. Sadly the OP and ED wasn't as good as the first season, and it didn't have a central story arc. Other than the last two episodes that is...
Blend S : I loved Blend S at the beginning, it had me in stitches for the most part. But it kinda fell a bit flat comedy wise nearing the end. It did spawn a plethora of memes though.
Wake Up, Girls Shin Shou : Personally I find WUG to be the superior Idol anime this season. Far better girls and music. And a bit more realistic look at the idol and entertainment industry.
Fate Apocrypha : So far my least fave installment in the Fate series. It didn't help that at times the pacing was a bit off. Sure it has pretty good action scenes and some good characters that made the watch worth it, and it does come together a lot better in the second half of the anime. Just a shame Astolfo didn't die earlier..
Any other anime not mentioned here that finished with Fall 2017, I definitely didn't watch. Please share your thoughts about the season with me in the comments here or on social media. Always love seeing what other people think.
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