#5 Darling in the FranXX
Trigger and A-1 Pictures colab to bring you this mecha powerhouse. If you're more privy to the Shounen genre then this is the show for you this season. Although technically it isn't finished airing yet, it could've placed higher on the list. Think Sword Art Online meets Kill La Kill. I'm sure people will be chanting, "Zero Two best girl!" for the rest of the year, possibly Girl of the Year. Darling in the FranXX places at number five because I appreciate the humor and the effort, but so far it feels like a standard (ctrl+c, ctrl+v) mecha anime that I know I've seen somewhere before.
Animation: 8/10
Soundtrack: 6/10
Story: 2/10
Overall: 5/10
Animation: 8/10
Soundtrack: 6/10
Story: 2/10
Overall: 5/10
#4 Kokkoku
(Moment by Moment)
Holy Hell, I should have put Kokkoku at number one for it's OP - and that's it! Geno Studio is new to the game, but I do have high hopes for them! It is no secret I have a time-control love fantasy. About any story to incorporate time-control will have me in awe. Kokkoku is about a family with the ability to freeze time and trying to keep it out of the hands of evil. I mean, what more could you want?
Check out the opening!
Animation: 5/10
Soundtrack: 10/10
Story: 7/10
Overall: 7/10
Animation: 5/10
Soundtrack: 10/10
Story: 7/10
Overall: 7/10
#3 Sora yori mo Tooi Basho
(A Place Further than the Universe)
If your go-to genre of anime is slice of life, then this Madhouse original will probably be your favorite of the season. Never convoluted. Never boring. Best of both worlds. It is just an adventure from start to finish, and the emotion is insane (if this doesn't make you cry, you probably aren't a human). It sounds boring, some teens want to go to Antarctica, but I dare you to jump on and just ride!
Animation: 9/10
Soundtrack: 8/10
Story: 8/10
Overall: 8/10
Animation: 9/10
Soundtrack: 8/10
Story: 8/10
Overall: 8/10
#2 Koi wa Ameagari no You ni
(Your Love is Like After the Rain)
This one is at number two because it was my favorite one personally. WIT studio (Attack on Titan) adapted this story beautifully and effortlessly. On the surface it's a silly story about a teen with a crush on her manager, but the layers and emotions of this show are truly compelling and make you dig deeper into yourself.
Animation: 8/10
Soundtrack: 8/10
Story: 8/10
Overall: 9/10
Animation: 8/10
Soundtrack: 8/10
Story: 8/10
Overall: 9/10
Violet Evergarden is at number one for the brilliant animation and the emotionally gripping story. It's by Kyoto Animation, does this really come as a surprise? However, it is kind of hard to get into Violet Evergarden just because it feels like the show doesn't really take off until after episode five. Most people with the three-episode-rule probably dropped it. If that was in fact you, PICK IT BACK UP. You will not regret it. I think no matter the genre you're into, everybody will love Violet Evergarden.
Animation: 10/10
Soundtrack: 8/10
Story: 8/10
Overall: 9/10
Animation: 10/10
Soundtrack: 8/10
Story: 8/10
Overall: 9/10
Please note: I did not include any titles from the U.S. Netflix line-up. Those titles will be for another post specifically for Netflix. Also did not include ongoing anime.
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