Forum - View topicThe Best and Worst Anime of Winter 2018
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TymersRealm
Posts: 93 |
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My personal top faves of the Season were Darling in the FranXX and Katana Maidens: Toji no Miko. The show I'm most disappointed with this season was Maerchen Maedchen. It had a cool concept and narrative potential, but it was very badly executed.
I'll admit I'm thoroughly disappointed that Toji no Miko didn't get a weekly review (and most likely won't for Spring '18 either...). TnM thoroughly surprised me and was enjoyable to watch week after week. Seeing how the second cour finishes things should be a good ride. While I kinda knew what to expect out of Darling in the FranXX, it did surprise me some too. DitFnXX really does showcase well both the action and the lives of Squad 13. Of other Winter '18 shows, I rather enjoyed Violet Evergarden and Beatless. While I don't feel Violet Evergarden lived up to the hype, it is a very well done drama. I won't say there aren't issues with Beatless' narrative, but the themes and ideas being presented are important to be aware of with how Social Media and technology is evolving. |
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Mealstrom
 Posts: 32 |
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Best: A Place Further than the Universe
Runner up: Overlord 2/FranXX Worst: Fate/Extra |
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invalidname
 Contributor Posts: 2459 Location: Grand Rapids, MI |
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I've got pretty much nothing to add, because I largely spent this season watching shows that were broken out of Amazon Anime Strike jail at the beginning of the year: Princess Principal and season 2 of Yuki Yuna Is A Hero. Plus I started into Kakegurui on Netflix. So that definitely cut into my Crunchyroll simulcast time.
But since I have an inexplicable need to get a word in edgewise, and my tastes are garbage: Best: Anisong Station (not a joke, I am genuinely happy we're getting this and I hope it continues indefinitely) Runner-Up: Pop Team Epic Worst: Märchen Mädchen |
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Merxamers
 Posts: 720 |
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Best for me was A Place Farther Than the Universe; just an incredible show, with a lot of substance that goes beyond just being a good "comfy feelings" generator, like a lot of shows this season.
I want to talk a bit about Death March, aka everyone's punching bag on this site. I was kinda dreading the anime premier, bc i knew, just KNEW, that no critical voice on this site would give it a chance, and that whoever had it for episode reviews would basically have them all ready before it even premiered. Which makes it suck even more that the show is pretty bad. Come at me if you want, but the Death March novel are a guilty pleasure for me. However, a lot of stuff that works in novel form does not work in an anime; the first episode has the main character fiddle with his menus for like 5 minutes. The whole thing felt so minimal-effort, and ugly; the main character's first introduction to the world is in a poop-color pallet canyon with so much dust you can't see anything, with hideous CG lizardmen. This scene should be like Dorothy going from sepia-Kansas to Oz! We should be 100% convinced that yeah, this guy would absolutely want to explore this world and take a break from his terrible work life. Instead, the whole thing is by-the-numbers, ugly, and without imagination. Just look at the adaptations of shows like Chivalry of a Failed Knight, or Overlord; an inspired adaptation can bring out the best in any kind of story, as long as the creative team cares about the project. No one cared about Death March. Last edited by Merxamers on Wed Mar 28, 2018 12:00 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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battlephile
 Posts: 25 |
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BEST: Devilman Crybaby
Runner-up: After the Rain Worst: Pop Team Epic I also agree that the Devilman theme remix is amazing and so catchy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diuexInkshA |
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NonsenseUser
 Posts: 51 |
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Best (Netflix Version): Kakegurui - Since there were so many Netflix shows released this season, I'm giving it it's own category. That being said, the only one that actually stood out to me and the only one I've managed to finish so far was Kakegurui. I'm not much of a binge watcher, but this had me hooked right from the start and I finished it in just a couple days. For me, it was a nice call back to old gambling manga I used to read all the time and it reminded me that this can still be a very fun genre. I eagerly anticipate season 2.
Best (Weekly streaming): Mitsuboshi Colors - I love shows that can depict realistic kids, ala Yotsuba or Barakamon and this season gave us two new shows like that (School Babysitters being the other). Beyond just showing the charming lives of the three leading ladies, the copious amounts of poop jokes and bad puns also fall squarely into my own immature sense of humor, so this was the fairly easy pick for me Runner-ups: Pop Team Epic - Reminiscent of Robot Chicken or one of the many irreverent Adult Swim shows, this is absurdist humor at it's best. Not every gag/joke landed but they didn't all have to. Enough did to propel this show into one my top anime comedies of all time. Please bring on Hoshiiro Girldrop season 2. Karakai Jozu no Takagi-san - The last show I really wanted to call out was Takagi-san, which has one of the more adorable couples I've seen in recent years. Takagi-san herself is so delightfully devilish and I really want to see more of these two! Worst: Killing Bites - I was actually kinda excited for this show after the first episode cause the season had been so fluffy and cute. I thought a sexy, bloody spectacle was just what I needed to balance it out. It didn't take long for me to remember, I actually don't like these kind of mindless action shows. Action is a fine enough genre, but I need emotional stakes and a reason to care about the people involved and this show didn't give me anything close to that. |
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Scalfin
Posts: 249 |
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I feel like part of the split on Franxx is whether you expect a Japanese show about the role of sex and romance to focus on the American preoccupation with gender roles and sexual orientation, as the show is clearly coming from the context of Japan's demographic issues and attitude toward youth. The closest comparison thematically would probably be Luluco's finale, which was basically a giant declaration the adolescent feelings have validity.
It's a bit like how a lot of Americans tend to be angry and confused when foreign or even older works aren't about whatever the racial issue du jour in America happens to be (and god forbid an American product be about, say, antisemitic violence rather than the policing of black communities). |
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Chrno2
 Posts: 6171 Location: USA |
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Why are we even mentioning 'Darling in the FRANXX', and the show isn't even finished enough to judge it. I would remove it from this list. Because it's too early to judge a show. At least I can agree with 'Devilman Crybaby', because it's done. Pop Team Epic is like a horse of a different breed. I wouldn't compare it to some top show. That's like comparing apples to oranges.
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meiam
Posts: 3442 |
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Favorite: Yuru camp, was just a fun cast and super comfy. It didn't try to reach for the star but that just meant it could do what it tried perfectly well.
2nd: A place further than the universe, wish it did more with the Antarctica setting, but when it did use it, it was very good. Shout out to Mitsubishi color cause it wasn't mentioned enough. : ( Worst that I Watched Most of: Overlord 2, The lizard arc just finished in such a baffling way, rendered all of it pointless (and most future arc) and made the main character look like a complete idiot and by extension everyone who praised him for such a "brilliant" move. (I'm not including Violet Evergarden but otherwise it would be my worse, I weep for the poor animator who gave it there all to just to watch there work paired with some of the weakest writing I've seen.) |
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tintor2
 Posts: 1906 |
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I don't watch too many animes but I'll list three like everybody else
Best: Devilman Crybaby: Oh boy, I already read the 70s manga few years ago and I was shocked by its amount of adult content and gore despite being a shonen manga. However, Crybaby probably made it harsher especially due to episode 9's major death. You all know who am I talking about. If there is one bad thing I have to say about it is that the ending felt too abrupt (though to be fair the manga was even more rushed) while the animation was sometimes hard to take it seriously. Runner up: Ancient Magus' Bride: I rarely watch quiet shows but this one kind of reminded to Mushishi, xxxHolic plus some elements from Harry Potter. Its ending was a bit weird as some issues with Ellias and Chise were not solved. However, I really enjoyed it. Worst: Hakyu Hoshin Engi. I was a fan of the series as a kid so I was superdisappointed by the fast pace. Any newcomer to Hakyu will be confused about what is the plot, what is Taikobo, what is Bunchu or even the names because the characters appear for so little time. Even the winged man was removed. The only character that got a time to shine so far appears to be Yosen. |
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SnowyLightning44
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Best of the season: After the Rain
Runner-Up: School Babysitters Worst of the season: Darling in the Franxx (...well I didn't actually find it bad, more like I just got bored of it after a couple of episodes and out of the 10 or so shows I watched this season it was my least favorite) |
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TasteyCookie
 Posts: 421 |
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Best: A Place Further Than the Universe: It was hard to pick a singular favorite with how many excellent shows there were this season, but Yorimoi took the top spot. It was emotional, exhilarating, and downright a refreshing portrayal of coming of age. Plus it didn't have a single bad or unenjoyable episode which definitely helps.
Runner-up: Laid Back Camp and March Comes in Like a Lion: Also hard was picking a Runner-up. Laid Back Camp was consistently a super good time and March had some masterpiece episodes. Shout outs to AMB second half and DitF as well but that still has it's 2nd cour to prove it's worth. Also VEG which has been fantastic. Worst: Kokkoku and Beatless: Kokkoku has been quite the chore to sit through as it's premise quickly grew to a bore. Beatless was by far my worst of the season up until the past 2 episodes, which may push me to watch the 2nd cour. Haven't decided yet. On another note I gotta put Devilman Crybaby as my most disappointing only because the amount of hype it was given. If I went into it totally blind I probably would have came out as just a weird but enjoyable ride, but the fact that everyone online was simply calling it the best masterpiece ever released in the past decade, it definitely did not get even close to living up to those expectations. A personal lesson for me not to care too much about hype. |
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Mhora
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Devilman Crybaby: congrats to Masaki Yuasa for creating such a brilliantly crafted show. Loved the style, tone and visuals.
Also, still watching Aggressive Retsuko, the best short form anime ever. Can't wait for the next series to air this April on Netflix! Last edited by Mhora on Wed Mar 28, 2018 12:47 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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SonicFanA
 Posts: 159 |
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Best: Touken Ranbu Hanamaru Season 2
I loved this season more than season 1. It was so much fun to watch. I loved the over the top water gun fight. They also gave more screen time to other swords. To be honest I love the more goofy slice of life antics. Runner Up: Hakata T. Ramens and Idolish7 At first I ignored Ramens, but then I gave it a chance. It is entertaining. I like Lin and was glad they did not treat him as a joke. As for Idolish7 it is entertaining as well and one of the above average idol shows. Most Disappointing: Yowapeda and Sanrio Danshi To be honest Junta Teshima is my favorite character and it feels like he doesn't get much screen time even though he is the captain. With Sanrio Danshi Kouta kind of annoyed me. I hated when they did the otome game talk to the player and the random fan service shots |
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Oggers
 Posts: 368 Location: Ontario, Canada |
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Best: Devilman Crybaby. Admittedly this was a difficult watch for me, not because it was bad but because every episode was such a visceral punch to the gut in terms of both visuals and plot. The overall results were well worth it, though. And that remix of the 70's Devilman theme song will probably never leave my head.
Runners-up: Pop Team Epic and Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru Zoku. I definitely get why Pop Team Epic's style of humor isn't for everyone, especially with the way the anime is set up, but as someone who grew up loving the surreal humor of stuff like Homestar Runner, I still enjoyed it in all its insanity. As for Touken Ranbu Hanamaru...well, it's because I'm a Tourabu fan and I like seeing the swords relaxing and not worrying about having to fight evil skeletons that are trying to change history. Not a lot of deep reasoning there. I don't really have a worst category since I'm usually pretty sure about what anime I know I'll like before I start watching them, but as a sidenote I should probably watch A Place Further Than the Universe considering all the praise it's gotten. I'm regretting not having watched it while it aired. |
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