21. Summertime Rendering 1,000,000/10

Anime of the year award goes to this masterpiece. This show was so severely overlooked that it should be considered a crime against humanity. This was the best time travel anime I’ve ever watched. The MC was so incredibly smart that it was such a breath of fresh air. Every time you think you understand the plot BAM something unexpected happens. Folks if you haven’t watched this as yet please, please, please give it a watch.

22. The Deer King 4/5

I know a lot of people said that this plot was predictable and the movie was bland but I absolutely loved it. The characters were so endearing that you just fell in love. The animation was stunning and the soundtrack was lovely. Also that doctor looked so much like Xie Lian that I almost cried.

23. Cyberpunk Edgerunners 3.5/5

Urghhh. *SPOILERS AHEAD* Everyone loved it. I wanted to love it. The problem was he was warned so many times about overusing his equipment to the point where I knew he wasn’t to live at the end. Even the communication between him and Lucy was so painful to watch. Their story could’ve gone so much better if they’d only communicated with each other. Props to the studio for the top class animation as well as a killer soundtrack but even that wasn’t enough to make me like this series.

24. Magi 4/5

This one has nostalgia all over it. It reminded me of the anime I looked at when I just got into anime. The characters were all so well done and the development was perfect. The plot was somewhat predictable but again nostalgia made up for it. I heard the manga gets better so I’ll definitely check that out

25. Cautious Hero 5/5

This is a perfect example of how to do a comedy anime right. You never knew where the plot was heading. The comedic timing of the FMC was just right and the jokes never got repetitive or tiresome. When you think it’s just comedy the tragic plot slaps you in the face bring you back to reality that the world is a cold dead place. But seriously everyone should watch this to understand how a comedy anime should be done.

26. The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting 5/5

Ahhhh this was just kawaii!!!! No more explanation needed. Just a dangerously hot guy Babysitting his boss’s daughter. Folks enjoy!

27. Yuri on Ice infinity/10

This show called me single, sad and lonely in so many different languages. I went into this one completely blind and I was hooked from the intro. I’m not kidding, when I saw the intro for the first time I burst into tears; don’t ask me why and don’t get me started about the ending. The animation in this was smooth, the storyline: gripping, the romance: superb. I heard a movie is in the works so I’m absolutely looking forward to that

28. Is It Wrong To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon 4/5

This is where I’m reminded of my mother’s words of don’t judge a book by its cover or in this case an anime by its name. This kept showing up as a recommended for me to watch but I kept ignoring it until boredom got the best of me. While the plot was not perfect, the animation, ost and characters made up for it.

29. Romantic Killer 5/5

When I tell you that I laughed out loud with this one I sincerely mean it. Holy shit this one caught me off guard. I think this was probably the only anime I binged in one sitting; it was that good. A lot of critics said the plot was predictable but nuts to them because I had no idea what was going on. I was too busy trying to get oxygen back to my brain from laughing so much. My favorite thing about this show was that there was absolutely no ecchi scenes! Just a regular high school girl trying to live her regular reclusive life.

30. Raven of the Inner Place 5/5

I don’t know what drew me into giving this one a chance but whatever it was I’d like to thank them. This was another hidden gem for this year. A mysterious plot, intriguing characters, LOTS of angst, combined with a touch of barely there romance made a crave for more each week. I really, really hope we get another season because it’s cruel to end it where they did.

11. Rising of the Shield Hero Part 2- 3/5

Where do I begin with this? It started off strong but by the 3rd or 4th episode I started to question if this was the same shield hero that I watched before. Don’t even get me started on how many times I watched Ost die only for her to come back to life. Thank goodness for the banger opening and ending. I briefly read the manga a while back so I knew that content was left out. After this season ended I reread and yup A LOT was left out. Hopefully the next season can redeem this show.

12. Spy x Family 10,000/5

Ahhhhh I was so excited for this one. I read the manga so I knew the plot well and was a wee bit nervous when I saw Cloverworks was one of the studios doing the production (they basically cut 90% of Horimiya content) but much to my surprise they kept all of the original content, plus added some to really flesh out the show and it’s characters. This will be one of those shows that people will be talking about for years to come. The animation, the characters, the opening and ending were all spectacularly done. Anya deserves all the happiness in the world. Loid is the best fake dad and fake husband (all for the mission of course) and Yor is the new waifu, I don’t make the rules. God I really love these characters and seeing them animated so wonderfully brings a smile to my face.

13. Ya Boy Kongming 5/5

This was a underrated gem for this year. I need to thank tik tok for showing me clips for this one otherwise I wouldn’t have know it existed. And that opening: A BANGER!! Seriously, if anyone skips the opening, they need to be arrested immediately! All the characters were so likable and you were cheering on the ‘rivals’. If you’re a fan of music, I highly recommend this anime.

14. The Case Study of Vanitas 5,000/5

Ahhhhhh! Ok ok. I’m calm now. But seriously this anime has turned my brain into goop. I had serious Vanitas brain rot when I finished watching this one. From opening to ending this one hooked me. Alllll the characters were interesting, even the minor ones; you just wanted to know more about every one and everything. And I know, I KNOW Vanitas and Jeanne are endgame but whyyy is the chemistry between Vanitas and Noe sooooo good. Like holy guacamole their chemistry was off the charts (and that first ending didn’t help either) I can’t wait to know more about these characters and see what shenanigans they get up too.

15. Misfit of the Demon King Academy 5/5

There’s just something about overpowered characters that gets me so hyped. Now don’t get me wrong, I like to follow the journey of a character from rock bottom and see them rise to the top. But sometimes you just want to see a Main Character just go nuts from the get go and that’s the main character from this series. “Did you really think killing me would stop me?” will never stop being epic. Like damn! This was such a refreshing anime and the ending I didn’t expect. Really can’t wait to see more of this universe.

16. The Millionaire Detective: Balance Unlimited 4/5

Listen, there was so much hype around this anime that I went into it expecting a lot. Especially the chemistry between the two male leads but alas I was severely disappointed. While the story and other characters were good it just felt like something was missing. And I know everyone loves Kambe but I was more into Haru and I just wanted him to one up Kambe in some way (don’t ask me to go into detail because I can’t even explain it myself). Maybe I need to read the manga to get into this one.

17. Love After World Domination 5/5

This was such a cute, dorky romance. If you were a Power Rangers fan as a kid, I think you’ll appreciate this one. It’s a nice spoof of that universe with the main characters trying to navigate their love life, school, being a hero and being a villain (is she really a villain though). I went into this one with absolutely no expectations but every week I was continuously surprised by this story. Really hope we get a second season to this.

18. Skeleton Knight in Another World 5/5

I know a lot of people kept comparing this one to Overload but can I just say that I enjoyed this one wayyy more than Overload. Arc and Arianne are much more enjoyable characters to me and I just adored their chemistry. And Ponta was just the cutest addition to this series. This anime only has 12 episodes but it was enough to hook me in to that universe. I’m really hoping we get another season.

19. Overlord Season 1 3/5

I really tried to like this one. Honestly I tried my best to like it but I couldn’t get past the first season. The characters felt bland and overdone for me. Maybe it’s because I watched so many isekai anime’s prior that this one didn’t wow me. Maybe if I’m bored I’ll give this another go.

20. Komi Can’t Communicate Part 2 5/5

Ahhh cuteness overload. I really love Komi and seeing her progress slowly but surely is always a wonderful sight to behold. Chadano will forever be best boy. This season had so many laugh out loud and wtf moments that I really hope we get another season.