My Anime Year in Review: 2025
It's been a good year since I first posted here, looking for suggestions after I finished Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso.
Now, I'm mostly reading (Light) Novels/Manga mostly, but would like to thank y'all for introducing me to a whole new world out there.
So, I would like to share some of the ones I watched in no particular order, since I don't have any preference (don't know if this is the best place to share, so forgive me if I have made any mistake).
MASTERPIECE (Absolute best, would rewatch anytime):
- VINLAND SAGA
- Sonny Boy
- Chi. Chikyuu no Undou ni Tsuite
- Koe no Katachi
- Neon Genesis Evangelion
- Hotaru no Haka
- Takopii no Genzai
GREAT (Respect the shows a lot):
- Shingeki no Kyojin
- Death Parade
- Love, Chunnibyou, and Other Delusions
- 5 Centimeters per Second
- Re:ZERO- Starting Life in Another World (second favourite isekai)
- Steins;Gate 0
- Into the Forest of Firefly Lights
- Oshi No Ko (SEASON 1 only guys, had to mention this coz it's so relatable in the music industry)
- Spirited Away
GOOD (Very enjoyable, good shows to relax to):
- Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines!
- Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation (favourite isekai btw, reading light novel)
- Bocchi the Rock!
- Chainsaw Man (currently reading manga)
- There's No Freaking Way I'll Be Your Lover! Unless... (very funny hehehe)
- The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
- Whisper of the Heart
- Weathering With You
- Suzume
- Your Lie in April
- Reincarnated as a Vending Machine (i forgot the title)
MID (Enjoyable to a certain extent, but found the story flawed):
- Darling in the FranXX
- Clockwork Planet
- SPYxFAMILY
- Steins;Gate
- Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings In Russian.
- Your Name.
- Fireworks
ABSOLUTE TRASH (honestly a waste of time):
- Horimiya
- My Sister, My Writer
- Redo of Healer (yikes!)
NEVER WILL WATCH BC OVERRRATED OR UNAPPEALING, UNLESS I FIND SOMETHING INTERESTING ABOUT IT:
- My Hero Academia
- Demon Slayer
- Jujutsu Kaisen
- Sousou no Frieren
- Tokyo Revengers
- Naruto Shippuden
- Dandadan
- Tbate
SHOWS I HAVEN'T WATCHED YET, BUT LOOKING FORWARD TO WATCHING IT
- Cowboy Bebop
- Fullmetal Alchemist (and Brotherhood as well, why not :fernsmile:)
- GANGELION
- Code Geass
- Dr.STONE
- HUNTERxHUNTER (1999 and 2011)
- Kono Suba
- Mahou Shoujo Site
- Berserk (reading manga atm)
- Ex-ARM (Will skip CGI arc :btr_bocchi_panic:)
- Uma Musume
- Violet Evergarden
- Hibike! Euphorium
- Ghost in the Shell
- JoJo
- Sayonara no Asa ni Yakusoku no Hana wo Kazarou (forgot English title. I read the manga, and i was absolutely hooked on. Sadly, the manga ended halfway through the story.)
- and many more i seem to have forgotten.
all in all, I had one of the best first years, in my humble opinion. Any more suggestions you could throw in?
NOTABLE MENTION: I want The Summer You Were There anime!
Your Name. in "mid" is a take you don't see often.
If you take suggestions, put Haibane Renmei and Fune Wo Amu on your PTW list. And try out some of the highlights from other genres. For example, Non Non Biyori (iyashikei), Strawberry Marshmallow (CGDCT), Nana (josei) and Monster (suspense). Bonus: Sweetness & Lightning (cooking,iyashikei)
Thanks for the suggestions! already added them.
I knew Nana for a while, in my search for josei/shoujo anime to watch (i found myself extremely lacking in that particular demographic)
@anime@ani.social @NineSwords@ani.social
Wow a fricking Ichigo Mashimaro recommendation in the wild. Shows can be both CGDCT and Iyashikei, and they often are. Non Non Biyori is definitely also a CGDCT and Ichigo Mashimaro is quite iyashikei depending on how you receive it. But good picks for sure.
Sure, there aren't that many shows that are just one thing (none come to mind at all). I just put what I considered the main genre. Though putting Strawberry Marchmallow into the iyashikei genre is a new one for me. I obviously get "CGDCT" and "comedy" but I would say it's only iyashikei if one generally considers watching CGDCT as healing/comforting. Different strokes and all that.
I think Ichigo Mashimaro is quite iyashikei because of things like pacing, music, ambient sounds, wholesome moments, those little vignittes between scenes. It just kinda breathes nicely, there is space between jokes and lines. Soft music, kind moments. The environment feels real and "encompassing" (a bit like in non non biyori). For me CGDCT is kinda iyashikei in general but Ichigo Mashimaro is definitely significantly more iyashikei than average to me. A SOL CGDCT that is less iyashikei and more comedy to me is something like Ika Musume. Peak iyashikei to me is ARIA, highly recommended for pure brainmelting wholesomeness and healing of the soul.
Haibane is my favorite but I never succeed in getting anyone to watch it T.T
Yeah, and Steins;Gate 0 rated higher than the original... What?
On one hand, I'm always shilling it, on the other, I feel a bit gate-keepy about it and don't want a flock of tourists shit all over it.