While there was only one fall anime that made the best of 2018 list, that doesn’t mean that the fall season didn’t have its own share of great anime. Here are five you definitely shouldn’t miss out on.
*Note: Entries are listed in alphabetical order.
Image source: やがて君になる【公式】TVアニメ好評放送中！ on Twitter
Bloom into You
Genre: Lesbian Romance
Studio: TROYCA
Number of Episodes: 13
Non-spoiler plot summary: Yuu is a teenage girl in love with the idea of love. She reads romance manga, listens to romantic music, and dreams of her own grand romance. But when she’s finally confessed to, she finds that she feels nothing. Now months later, Yuu has accepted that she is simply unable to be in love–no matter how much she wants to be.
Its then that Yuu encounters Touko, the most popular girl in school–and a girl well known for turning down every love confession. Believing she has found a kindred spirit, Yuu reveals her inability to fall in love to Touko. Yet, Touko’s reaction is far from what Yuu anticipated: Touko announces that she’s falling in love with Yuu. Thus begins the mystery of why Touko is in love with a girl who can’t love her back.
Why you should watch it: Bloom into You dives deep into the mindset and worries a of person who finds out that he or she might be asexual or aromantic–and more generally, the struggles anyone faces when they discover that they aren’t “normal.” And just when Yuu thinks she may have found someone going through the same process, she is instead caught up in a lesbian romance–despite the fact that she is neither emotionally involved or sexually interested in Touko. Yet, upon seeing through Touko’s perfect girl facade, she is compelled to play along with the relationship.
Touko is a girl struggling with her own identity. To everyone except Yuu, she appears perfect–effortlessly able to do anything and everything. But in front of Yuu, she is able to let the cracks show and reveal the real her struggling underneath. The problem is, Touko doesn’t like the person underneath and wants nothing more than to be who she pretends to be. Hers is a story of self-discovery and the importance of self worth. It explores the old adage, to truly love others, you must first learn to love yourself.
Watch it if you like: Sakura Trick, Citrus
Where to watch: HIDIVE
Image source: 「ゴブリンスレイヤー」/ Goblin Slayer公式 on Twitter
Goblin Slayer
Genre: Fantasy, Ultraviolent
Studio: White Fox
Number of Episodes: 13
Non-spoiler plot summary: In a fantasy world of demon lords and heroes, many young adventurers cut their teeth by hunting goblins–though few return alive. Constantly underestimated by the inexperienced–and considered beneath notice by veteran adventurers and national governments alike–goblins are free to raid towns, murder villagers, and carry off women to be raped.
But now the goblins face an enemy unlike any they have ever encountered before: a man who thinks of nothing but killing goblins. He’ll hunt them anywhere–be it hovels in the hills or faraway sewers. He shows no mercy and uses everything he can as a weapon–especially the contents of his own devious mind. To the common man, he is a hero. To the goblins he is genocide incarnate. To other adventurers, he is an oddity. But in the end, all will come to know his name: Goblin Slayer.
Why you should watch it: Goblin Slayer is a man with a singular focus. If it doesn’t have to do with killing Goblins, he’s not interested. Or to put it another way, while a genius at tactics and combat, he’s completely broken as a human being. He’s a man dealing with a past trauma in the only way he knows how. But that doesn’t mean that his way is the only way–nor even the correct way.
When it comes down to it, Goblin Slayer is the story of how, thanks to the people in his life, he starts to truly heal. Because while he may be terse and focused, he’s not evil. He does care about the people around him–and people in general. He just has priorities that the rest of his world does not.
Watch it if you like: Berserk, Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash
Where to watch: Crunchyroll, Funimation
Image source: アニメ『色づく世界の明日から』公式 on Twitter
Iroduku: The World in Colors
Genre: Coming-of-Age, Romance, Modern Day Low Fantasy
Studio: P.A. Works
Number of Episodes: 13
Non-spoiler plot summary: In a world much like our own–only where magic exists but is treated as little more than a curiosity–high schooler Hitomi is the latest in a long line of mages. Unfortunately, her life is far from a happy one; not only does she loath magic, but she has lost the ability to see colors as well. Seeing Hitomi lonely and isolated, Hitomi’s grandmother gives her a strange magical hourglass that sends Hitomi 60 years into the past. Lost and with no way to return home, Hitomi encounters a young man drawing a picture–a picture that Hitomi is somehow able to see in full color.
Why you should watch it: The World in Colors is a wonderful, beautiful anime. Hitomi, like so many of us, is stuck in her own personal world. She is living–but only in the most literal sense of the word. Forced on a trip into the past, she has no choice but to rely on those she meets–to let them into her heart even as she finds a place in theirs. It’s through these normal, everyday experiences that she begins to heal and accept herself–and through that, her magic powers.
But as beautiful as the story is, the animation is even more so. With colors and art as central aspects of the plot, the anime takes every chance to play with color and light to make the work as visually stunning as it can possibly be.
Watch it if you like: Orange, Your Name., Violet Evergarden
Where to watch: Amazon
Image source: アニメ「青春ブタ野郎はバニーガール先輩の夢を見ない」公式 on Twitter
Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai
Genre: Supernatural Mystery, Romance
Studio: CloverWorks
Number of Episodes: 13
Non-spoiler plot summary: Due to some unfounded rumors, Sakuta is socially isolated at school but he takes it all in stride thanks to his dry, witty sense of humor. But one day, he sees the unthinkable. School beauty (and former child actress) Mai Sakurajima walks through the library in nothing but a sexy bunny girl outfit. Odder still, no one reacts to the sight but him. It seems that Mai has started to become invisible to the world around her–and as the odd pair soon discover, it’s only getting worse.
Why you should watch it: Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai puts a personal twist on the standard mystery format. Every few episodes, Sakuta encounters a new girl with a strange supernatural problem. However, rather than the problem being caused by a some supernatural being, these phenomena are caused by each girl’s own personal insecurities. Thus, the only way to solve their respective problems is for each girl to understand what is happening, why it is happening, and then come to terms with whatever they discover about themselves.
The other thing that stands out is Sakuta and Mai’s relationship over the course of the series as a whole. As it develops and grows, both of the pair have to deal with the inconvenience of their far from normal lives even as they try to move on together. And watching this is a ton of fun–especially since Mai is every bit as dry and witty as Sakuta is.
Watch it if you like: Bakemonogatari, Sagrada Reset
Where to watch: Crunchyroll, Funimation, Hulu, AnimeLab (AU/NZ), Aniplus (Asia), Wakanim (EU)
Image source: アニメ ソードアート・オンライン 公式 on Twitter
Sword Art Online: Alicization
Genre: Virtual World Death Game, Cyberpunk
Studio: A-1 Pictures
Number of Episodes: 50 (approx.)
Non-spoiler plot summary: When he was a child, Eugeo the woodcutter watched helplessly as the the Integrity Knights came to his tiny village and took away Alice, his best friend, in chains. In the years since, he has dreamed of going to the capital to find her. But even attempting this journey would be a violation of the law unless he is fist able to cut down a massive tree–one that his forebears have been hacking at daily for generations. And so he toils on hopelessly.
But one day, he encounters a strange young man named Kirito who has no knowledge of the world or how he came to be there. And it is here that Eugeo’s adventure truly begins.
Why you should watch it: Sword Art Online: Alicization is the climax of Sword Art Online. And while it is a slow build (with 50+ episodes planned), it pulls together all the lingering plot threads from past series to make a fantastic ending adventure.
It also breaks the mold of past SAO series. Instead of the token “heroine of the arc” that inevitably develops feelings for Kirito (while he remains oddly oblivious), Alicization instead explores the deep and powerful friendship that develops between Eugeo and Kirito along their journey to find Alice. It’s believable and heartfelt–especially as it becomes clear that, despite their vastly different personalities, they can accomplish together what neither could alone.
Watch it if you like: Sword Art Online, Log Horizon
Where to watch: Crunchyroll, Funimation, AnimeLab (AU/NZ), Wakanim (EU)
Top Image source: 「ゴブリンスレイヤー」/ Goblin Slayer公式 on Twitter
Be First to Comment