The year of the dog is upon us and it will bring highly anticipated anime titles with it (New Full Metal Panic!!!) Before the year wraps up, its time to look at the best anime to come out this year. This was an intense year for anime and 2017 produced a lot of titles which turned out to be real gems. Here are the best shows to be released this year.
Infini-T Force
The show may suffer from less than perfect CGI (it’s still better than the new Berserk series) but it finds a way to be one of the better crossover animes to exist. Too many other shows try hard to bring in too many elements and cast members from different shows when a crossover takes place. This show brings in the main heroes of four different Tatsunoko Studios shows and has them fight against a mysterious threat who is trying to destroy dimensions. Just wish Emi the female lead was more likeable and could appreciate all the struggles the heroes go through to keep her safe.
Attack on Titan: Season 2
By sticking close to the manga, the series continues to be an intense ride into a world where giants are the biggest threat against humanity and the true enemy may be closer than you think. This season of Attack on Titan was beautiful to look at but it suffered from slow pacing and a large amount of monologues. Unfortunately, from reading the original manga this trend is going to continue and viewers should be warned there is more excessive dialogue to come. For now thought the show is firing on the same cylinders which caused it to be an international hit.
Knights and Magic
People from the real world being reborn in a world full of magic and giant robots is nothing new. Still, as long as the characters are fun, the story is interesting, and the mecha designs are fantastic then you will find yourself enjoying your time. This is the case with Knights and Magic, a show which wasn’t revolutionary with its premise but was still a lot of fun to watch.
Royal Tutor
This show helped to heal the wound left from Ouran High School Host Club ending years ago. Good ensemble comedies are a hard achievement to pull off as all the characters have to bring some intriguing quirks to the series. Luckily the adventures of Heine Wittgenstein and his trials of attempting to educate the four princes at the royal palace of Glanzreich finds a way to tickle many a funny bone. Hopefully, more antics involving these characters will come in a later season as the manga is still in publication.
Little Witch Academia
After the popularity of the first two movie shorts, fans pleaded with studio Trigger to deliver more adventures of the students of Luna Nova Magical Academy. Luckily, the studio was listening and this year a full TV series featuring Akko as she works to try and follow in her idol, Shiny Chariot’s footsteps by becoming a witch premiered on Netflix. The show was just as adorable, comical, and emotional as the original movies and helped to expand more on the world where the characters lived.
Kemono Friends
Sometimes the internet is right when it mindlessly obsessed over a show as Kemono Friends was all social media made it out to be. Following the amnesiac Kaban who will the help of the energetic Serval and the robotic Lucky Beast, journeys across Japari park in search of answers. It also helped to prove as good long as a series has content, the animation doesn’t have to be top notch.
The show introduced some colorful and entertaining characters but also helped the internet to learn about Grape kun, an adorable penguin in real life who fell in love with the cardboard image of one of the characters from the series. Sadly, Grape-kun was one of this year’s casualties but he lives on in the fans hearts. So long little guy, there is a Hululu waiting for you in Heaven for sure.
My Hero Academia: Season 2
This show keeps reminding the audience why it is one of the new kings of Shonen Jump. The new season introduced more students at the academy, new villains, and new challenges for the young heroes. Just as it seems like Deku has a grasp on the world around him, he gets thrown a curveball, and the harsh reminder he is just as the beginning of his journey. With the promise of a third season coming soon, believe the hype and catch up now as this is the new standard for what an intense action show needs to be.
A Centaur’s Life
Masquerading itself as a cutesy monster girl series, the A Centaur’s Life was far more deceptive than what was on the surface. Using the characters to address real life elements like racism, prejudice, and personal identity, makes it worth checking out even if you aren’t a fan of the monster girl genre. If more shows tried this hard to actually add something extra to the fluff content which is made on a yearly basis there would be less forgettable anime released.
Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid
Though there is a lot of moments which can detract from the show’s overall quality (the “Lucoa has large breasts” jokes get a bit old) this show had a lot of heart to it. The lives of the dedicated Tohru, the adorable Kanna, and the stoic Kobayashi all living in an apartment together is one of the most entertaining shows to come out this year. Possessing real comedy and the joy of watching the bond between Kobayashi and Tohru grow and a huge quantity of gags, this series is one not to be missed.
Ancient Magus’ Bride
With a deep sense of pain, showcasing real emotion, and gorgeous artwork, The Ancient Magus Bride takes the number one spot of 2017’s best anime of the year. Watching as Chise, a damaged girl who feels like she has no worth in the world be taken in by the strange looking but kind hearted Magus Elias is captivating experience. It helps to reminds all who watch it of the power anime has as a media. Though only halfway through its run, the show’s elements allowed it to steal the title of “essential viewing” with ease. A round of applause for the best anime of 2017, which helped the year finish on a very high note.
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What was your favorite anime of 2017? Leave a comment below and let us know.
