Hello there, folks, D.K. here coming at you with some wholesome Otaku Saga Power Ranking goodness!
With the delays of Digimon Adventure Tri. and the Lupin the 3rd reboot, some of the hype of the preseason has faded. However, this season is still loaded with awesome anime. Seriously, the honorable mentions list has TEN anime alone! So, without further ado; here are my picks at the (approximate) halfway point of the 2015 Spring season. Now, do note that any series currently airing qualifies for our Mid-Season rankings.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
These are all great anime which even have my personal recommendation; but they're still out of the top ten...
Hibike! Euphonium
Kyoto Animation brings us K-On! with classical music in an attempt to make amends for Free!... So far it's working.
Grisaia no Rakuen / Grisaia no Meikyuu
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| "OK, Yuuji; tell me where the man touched you..." "Everywhere, J.B. EVERYWHERE." |
"Hmm, I wonder how we could make our character's back stories even MORE fucked up?" said the writers at Front Wing Studios. Mission Accomplished; Freud would have a field day with the whole cast.
Yamada-Kun and the Seven Witches
Definitely one of my dark horses this season; think Kokoro Connect, but more lighthearted.
Kekkai Sensen
Preseason ranking: 3
Ore Monogatari!
Preseason ranking: 7
Gunslinger Stratos
Preseason ranking: 5
Triage X
Preseason ranking: 8
Yes... Yes, exactly that.
Arslan Senki
Highschool DxD Born
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| BLUSHING RIAS IS BEST RIAS. |
More pervy goodness, now with 50% more plot; and I don't mean boobage this time.
Etotama
Another dark horse series. A very humorous anime that loves tearing down the fourth wall.
And now, without further ado, the top ten!
10. Re-Kan!
This anime is so funny you can forgive the cliché "teenage spirit medium" plot device and pseudo-yuri common in many yonkoma adaptations.
9. Kyoukai no Rinne
I know, I know; it's yet another anime with a girl that can conveniently see spirits, but it's a well used cliché for a reason. Trust me, I'm remiss for not covering this title in my preseason rankings. The first anime adaptation of a Rumiko Takahashi work since Inuyasha has all the set pieces that make her work memorable: a charming cast, quality slapstick, and a flair for the ridiculous.
8. Punchline
Preseason Rank: 9th
Speaking of ridiculous...
Punchline, AKA. The Plot Thickens: The Anime.
Seriously, I haven't seen a series with such a well-layered plot in a very long time. Great animation (especially in the opening sequence), and a seemingly never-ending supply of plot twists will keep you on edge waiting for next week's episode. Also, brace for major zaniness.
Preseason Rank: 9th
Speaking of ridiculous...
Punchline, AKA. The Plot Thickens: The Anime.
Seriously, I haven't seen a series with such a well-layered plot in a very long time. Great animation (especially in the opening sequence), and a seemingly never-ending supply of plot twists will keep you on edge waiting for next week's episode. Also, brace for major zaniness.
7. Nisekoi
Preseason Rank: 6th
It's been a rough, and I mean rough season for us here on Team Onodera... On the other and brighter side of things: Chitoge is less of a twisted twatface with gorilla DNA for brains, we get to meet new characters, and Shaft continues its trend of toning down its once extreme animation style. That means less garish backgrounds and a whole lot less of this...
6. Shoukugeki no Soma
Chairman Kaga would approve, and so do I. For those not in the know, imagine this: Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star has been reincarnated as a teenage chef. YOU'RE ALREADY BEGGING FOR SECONDS.
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| ALLEZ CUISINE! |
5. Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon? (AKA. DanMachi)
Preseason Rank: 10th
Some years have what I like to call, "It Series". These are the series you see ALL the cosplayers taking cues from and ALL the internet forums buzzing about. 2012 had Sword Art Online, 2013 gave us Attack On Titan and Kill la Kill and I think that 2015 will be the year of Danmachi. Hestia's meteoric rise in popularity aside, I actually like this series for it's overall concept and the high fantasy world it's set in. Somebody should make a Danmachi Skyrim mod like, last week.
4. Assassination Classroom
Shonen Jump has definitely published better and better manga now that it's outgrown it's "Blonde Haired Superhuman" phase. Since I started reviewing anime, I never would have imagined that ONE Shonen Jump manga adaptation would take any spot on a normal top 5 Power Rankings list, let alone THREE such anime taking spots on the TOP TEN. Last week's episode pretty much sealed the deal for a high spot on my list. The A-Class / E-Class rivalry is as heated as it is cemented, the principal has started to make his move, AND we're getting a beach episode!? To quote the greatest assassin to ever live...
Also, this.
3. Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works
I don't know what kind of black magic Ufotable cast on their animators, but it WORKED. Rarely does a series make it this high on a Power Rankings list by technical merit alone. Now if only I wasn't effectively forced into catching up on ALL of Fate/Stay Night by a certain Rin fanboy who may or may not be the other half of Otaku Saga, perhaps it would've found a higher place on my list.
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| Deal with it. |
2. The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-Chan
Preseason Rank: 1st
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| I'M SO SORRY... T-T |
This series can be described in two words: cuteness overload.
Since I'm so nice, have some more words: This is moeblob at its finest; the fact that the spirit of the original Haruhi series is kept alive is even better. Having the ENTIRE original cast certainly helped in that respect. The reason why this isn't my no. 1 at the halfway point has nothing to do with any obvious imperfections. Rather, the no. 1 series is simply, in my mind, getting much more awesome, and that series is...
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1. My Teenage Romantic Comedy SNAFU Too!
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| FLUSTERED YUKINON IS BEST YUKINON. |
Preseason Rank: 4
Studio Feel gave the artwork of this future classic a major upgrade and kept the snarky goodness alive and oh-so-well.
Unfortunately, we've had two titles which have not lived up to their hype... Indeed, it's time for D.K.'s Shit List.
Denpa Kyoushi
Preseason ranking: ...2nd?!
Oh, how the mighty have fallen! I was expecting far better comedy from this series; something along the lines of Great Teacher Onizuka, even. Lackluster animation (by A-1 Pictures standards) doesn't exactly make matters better, either. Here's hoping for a quick turnaround before I drop it.
Houkago no Pleiades
"When you've seen one magic girl series, you've seen them all." I know very well that isn't true, but one would sure feel that way after watching the first few episodes. Even with masterful animation from Gainax, I dropped this series like a bad habit after four episodes.
So, that's that. Don't be too upset if a series you liked didn't make the cut; it's only the halfway point of the season, after all. Feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts on the best and worst anime airing at this point in the season.
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| Stand aside, The Jake; I'll take him down myself. |
