2016 was a great year for anime. Lots of interesting new shows premiered and the ones that were continuing from last year would only continue to impress. Right now it’s that time to look back on our favorite series that premiered this year so unfortunately, that means Diamond is Unbreakable and Iron Blooded Orphans do not qualify for this list. Time to start this off at number 10:
10. Brave Witches
A spin-off of Strike Witches, Brave Witches expands on the universe while still feeling like the older series. Brave witches is worth checking out if you are a fan of the previous series looking for some more action.
Flip Flappers follows the adventures of two young women as they travel across Pure Illusions which are these weird worlds in an attempt to recover fragments that are said to grant wishes. However, they are not the only ones who desire these pieces. There are other characters who want to use these fragments to conquer the world. At 12 episodes, this is a very interesting series to take a look at with some solid art direction.
8. Drifters
The Team behind Hellsing brought us another action packed series in Drifters. This series follows Shimazu Toyohisa, who fought in the battle of Sekigahara. He fought against and managed to mortally wound general Li Naomasa, however, he does not leave this battle unscathed. In fact, that fight left in critical condition. As he wonders, the battlefield injured he is transported into another dimension where he encounters the Drifters – a group of other well-known warriors who have also been transported there. Their mission is to protect this world from another evil group known as the “Ends”
Who would have thought an anime about Ice Skating would be popular? Well to be fair, ever since Kuroko no Basket, it seems sports anime are making a real comeback. Yuri on Ice!!! is arguably the most talked about anime of last season. With a really catchy opening and some very fluid and beautiful animation, I can see why it got people’s attention.
6. Konosuba
Konosuba definitely has somewhat of a weird premise. It’s not every day that you get into a fatal traffic accident and right before dying given a chance to spend your days inside a fantasy world that is ruled by an evil demon. Konosuba is one to check out if you are into weird fantasy environments. Then again, that would describe a large amount of anime..
Sakamoto Desu Ga? is a really funny anime about a man who is basically perfect. Everything he does is done with such elegance and perfection that his classmates can’t help but look in awe. This show is worth watching just to see what kind of shenanigans this guy gets himself into and in what over-the-top way will he solve any problem that comes his way.
4. Erased
Erased is a mysterious series that definitely can keep you engaged. Satoru Fujinuma is a manga artist that gains the ability to go back in time and prevent certain horrible events from happening. He is able to to do this until the threat that is causing this event is…ERASED!
3. New Game!
Wouldn’t it be exciting to work for the company that produced one of your favorite childhood video games? You certainly would be envious of Suzukaze Aoba from New Game! as that is exactly what happened to her. While it is not the first time we have seen programming portrayed in an anime, it is kind of neat to see game development shown in anime form.
2. Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-
Re:ZERO is yet another series where our main character finds himself transported into another world. Japan really likes this kind of premise. He comes across Satella and discovers he has the ability to reverse time, by dying. Re:ZERO was a series that got a lot of attention for its memorable characters. Rem especially seems to be a popular heroine among fans.
And the winner is……..
1. Keijo!!!
How is it that an anime where the focus is literally on boobs and butts somehow manage to have less fanservice than most other anime out there? Keijo is how. This is a show that is far more entertaining that it really should be. At first glance you might say: “Why are they making an anime based on the Dead or Alive Xtreme Minigame?” but when you actually watch the first episode it’s not that bad. Seriously I expected to drop this after maybe 2 episodes, next thing I knew I was watching more of them. With really over the top and hot-blooded battles, and attacks that are ridiculous and have even more ridiculous names that are said out loud by the characters with completely straight faces, you got a show that left an impression on a lot of the staff here. It’s weird and really shouldn’t work but somehow….it does. This is why Keijo wins Oprainfall’s Best New Anime of 2016.
So those were the series we enjoyed watching last year. What were some of your favorite anime of 2016? Let us know in the comments.
