Sabagebu!
This 2014 comedy by studio Pierrot is completely insane from beginning to end, and that is exactly why it is so good. Moe archetypes have been taken their industrial extreme, with seemingly every new show in every new season having a collections of 12 to 13-episode shows about a rapport of moe girls who apparently have nothing better to do with their time but talk about how great their lives are. So, in comes Sabagebu, gives all of those moe girls guns, makes the main character a complete unapologetic sociopath, and throws the group of girls into a parade of bizarre and often fantastical situations. The result, incidentally, is hilarious.
I can't say Sabagebu is going to please as wide strokes of people as other more innocent comedies with its humor, but if you can laugh well enough at gag comedy, episodic structure with allows anything and everything to happen only to be completely ignored in the next episode, and possibly one of the best main characters in a comedy out there, Sabagebu will do you just fine. I do mean that last part, though. Our heroine Momoka Sonokawa is completely brilliant to watch, her audacious actions reminding us every episode that this girl actually isn't that good of a person fully encapsulates the type of humor that Sabagebu excels at. It's not all good though. Just like every comedy, Sabagebu goes through distinct stretches that lack any sort of imaginative comedy or action sequences(which are part of the show since our characters belong to the Survival Game Club), and admittedly not all of the characters are as fun to watch as our psychotic lead. For a comedy however, it does its job fine, nearly always consistently delivering laughs, smiles, and an infectious sense of fun that lasts until beginning to end.
I can't say Sabagebu is going to please as wide strokes of people as other more innocent comedies with its humor, but if you can laugh well enough at gag comedy, episodic structure with allows anything and everything to happen only to be completely ignored in the next episode, and possibly one of the best main characters in a comedy out there, Sabagebu will do you just fine. I do mean that last part, though. Our heroine Momoka Sonokawa is completely brilliant to watch, her audacious actions reminding us every episode that this girl actually isn't that good of a person fully encapsulates the type of humor that Sabagebu excels at. It's not all good though. Just like every comedy, Sabagebu goes through distinct stretches that lack any sort of imaginative comedy or action sequences(which are part of the show since our characters belong to the Survival Game Club), and admittedly not all of the characters are as fun to watch as our psychotic lead. For a comedy however, it does its job fine, nearly always consistently delivering laughs, smiles, and an infectious sense of fun that lasts until beginning to end.
K
If you're seeking an action show with pretty colors and a distinct "anime" feel to it, K(or K Project as it is sometimes referred as), may just be what you've been looking for. Brought to life by absolutely breath-taking animation by Studio GoHands, K's setting takes place in a city torn into pieces by a war between seven psychic kings, where our main character Shiro struggles to understand where he fits into the whole picture, on the run after being framed for a murder he didn't commit. Before I go on, I suppose I should mention that this recommendation is solely for the first season of K, as I haven't seen the sequel movie or television series, but I still feel rather comfortable giving this the green light to watch. Yes, the show isn't quite what I'd define as "good", there's tons of unexplained plot points pouring out of every orifice(though perhaps that is rectified in the second season), and the whole thing feels way too rushed. Sitting at only 13 episodes, the first season of K jumps around much too often to be cohesive, especially with the amount of things it needs to get through, but I still recommend it because, put simply, one hell of a show is put up.
I don't just mean that in terms of the jaw-dropping animation. Everything plot-related is revealed with a flourish of the hand, every character bleeds out commonalities of the medium, and the whole experience is just so distinctly "anime" that it seems like a waste to tell anyone to skip it. The whole thing is just so worth experiencing(and not just for the yaoi fan-girls(though please, let's not get into those weird undertones)), and while it may not leave all that much of an impact overall, the ride when you're watching is enough for me to want to bless you with.
I don't just mean that in terms of the jaw-dropping animation. Everything plot-related is revealed with a flourish of the hand, every character bleeds out commonalities of the medium, and the whole experience is just so distinctly "anime" that it seems like a waste to tell anyone to skip it. The whole thing is just so worth experiencing(and not just for the yaoi fan-girls(though please, let's not get into those weird undertones)), and while it may not leave all that much of an impact overall, the ride when you're watching is enough for me to want to bless you with.
Hanayamata
In a medium where moe shows have become a dime-a-dozen and every orifice of every genre is overflowing with cute girls, it's nice that a studio other than Kyoto Animation remembered that you can still make a good show with these elements. Brought to life with vivid animation and soft colors by the masterful studio Madhouse, Hanayamata manages to separate itself because it actually takes itself seriously.
I don't quite mean that in the literal sense. All things taken as they are, Hanayamata is still a pretty light-hearted and comedic show, a mellow parable detailing the journey of our main character Naru as she discovers her love for the yosakoi dance, along with the group of friends she finds along the way. In that respect, fans of the genre should be pleased with the "cute-girl" antics that the show has; there's certainty no lack of adorable sounds, expressions and characters in this anime. So, what do I mean by the show takes itself seriously? Well, it's a little hard to put into words, but if you were to force me at waifu-point, I'd say that, in a phrase, Hanayamata doesn't undermine itself.
Well, what does that mean? I'll tell you. Moe shows are often happy in their glib existence. It's not that they need to redefine the genre or something, because that would defeat the purpose, but rather that they usually have no intention of being anything other than a moe show. They have their audience no matter what, and they usually just stick to that, not really treating their own story or characters with respect, but rather as fuel for the moe-fire that will surely drive up the sales. They are happy in being dime-a-dozen, because they know they'll get a slice of the pie no matter what. Hanayamata is not, and that what makes it different. Does that make sense? I think it does.
Hanayamata actually had the ambition to make its cute characters actual flawed realistic people, not just cardboard cut-outs to draw smiley-faces on. It had the ambition to not trivialize its own drama with out-of-place comedy or lack of narrative consequence. Hell, it had the ambition to have drama in the first place. I wouldn't say Hanayamata is one of the best of the genre, because it isn't, because that medal belongs basically only to KyoAni's works. But still, it's one of the better additions to it in recent years, and out of respect, yes, respect to this moe show about girls trying to figure out how to dance, I'll give it a recommendation here.
I don't quite mean that in the literal sense. All things taken as they are, Hanayamata is still a pretty light-hearted and comedic show, a mellow parable detailing the journey of our main character Naru as she discovers her love for the yosakoi dance, along with the group of friends she finds along the way. In that respect, fans of the genre should be pleased with the "cute-girl" antics that the show has; there's certainty no lack of adorable sounds, expressions and characters in this anime. So, what do I mean by the show takes itself seriously? Well, it's a little hard to put into words, but if you were to force me at waifu-point, I'd say that, in a phrase, Hanayamata doesn't undermine itself.
Well, what does that mean? I'll tell you. Moe shows are often happy in their glib existence. It's not that they need to redefine the genre or something, because that would defeat the purpose, but rather that they usually have no intention of being anything other than a moe show. They have their audience no matter what, and they usually just stick to that, not really treating their own story or characters with respect, but rather as fuel for the moe-fire that will surely drive up the sales. They are happy in being dime-a-dozen, because they know they'll get a slice of the pie no matter what. Hanayamata is not, and that what makes it different. Does that make sense? I think it does.
Hanayamata actually had the ambition to make its cute characters actual flawed realistic people, not just cardboard cut-outs to draw smiley-faces on. It had the ambition to not trivialize its own drama with out-of-place comedy or lack of narrative consequence. Hell, it had the ambition to have drama in the first place. I wouldn't say Hanayamata is one of the best of the genre, because it isn't, because that medal belongs basically only to KyoAni's works. But still, it's one of the better additions to it in recent years, and out of respect, yes, respect to this moe show about girls trying to figure out how to dance, I'll give it a recommendation here.
Maoyuu Maou Yuusha
It'll never stop being weighed down by the giant shadow of its older cousin Spice and Wolf, but Maoyuu Maou Yuusha, regardless if you've seen that tale of wolf-girls and pennies, has plenty to offer on its own. For one thing, it's a rather refreshing take on the whole fantasy genre, focusing more on war-time politics in a medieval setting rather than battles against dragons. Needless to say, the whole experience ends up pretty damn unique all things considered, it's not everyday you find an anime where the main heroine is the stereotypical demon-king that the human people are fighting the legions of, or an anime that is ready to talk about how much money war produces, and that there are plenty of merchants on both ends of the war that are more than happy to keep the blood spilling. However, these irregularities are regrettably sort of cancelled by the bland protagonist and unnecessary of amount of distracting fanservice, which makes the whole thing come out at a happy medium in terms of the scoring scale. That's a little bit of a shame, but still, it's not enough to discourage me from telling you to watch the show if you enjoyed Spice and Wolf, or hell, even if you didn't.
Gin no Saji
Gin no Saji, or Silver Spoon as we say in English, is one of those slice-of-life anime that basically anyone can enjoy, just because of how insanely likable it is. The story follows our main character Hachiken, as moves out of the big city to attend agriculture school, in order to get away from the severe expectations of his parents, and to discover what he really wants to do with his life. We follow Hachiken as he learns important lessons about life in an experience so pleasant and relaxing that the episodes simply fly by, the time lost in the midst of the excellent humor, a truly fantastic set of characters, and perfectly paced episodic adventures. However, that isn't the only reason for you to go watch this anime.
Underneath the charm and laughter, Gin no Saji is a surprisingly emotionally potent. Not because it takes very real topics like the uncertainty of the future, academic pressure and emotional turmoil to realistic and often painful extremes. Watching Gin no Saji's characters suffer under the stress of everyday is horrible, especially for a cast of characters that made you fall in love with them and are in their own way legitimately good people.
However, things can never stay too sad far for long, which could be argued is the entire point of show. While today might be bad, tomorrow will be better. Even if you don't find what you want to do with your life, it will find you first. And while it may not always feel like it, there are much more good things in this world than bad. Days are better than they seem. People are kinder than you know. So get up, brush off your overalls and get back to work. Life isn't all that bad. And because of all of that, Gin no Saji is, out of all of the anime on this list, the one I would encourage you to watch as soon as you can, both seasons if possible. It really is an experience that I can't recommend to you all enough, it's just that wonderful.
Goodbye for now guys.
Navigate Elsewhere
Underneath the charm and laughter, Gin no Saji is a surprisingly emotionally potent. Not because it takes very real topics like the uncertainty of the future, academic pressure and emotional turmoil to realistic and often painful extremes. Watching Gin no Saji's characters suffer under the stress of everyday is horrible, especially for a cast of characters that made you fall in love with them and are in their own way legitimately good people.
However, things can never stay too sad far for long, which could be argued is the entire point of show. While today might be bad, tomorrow will be better. Even if you don't find what you want to do with your life, it will find you first. And while it may not always feel like it, there are much more good things in this world than bad. Days are better than they seem. People are kinder than you know. So get up, brush off your overalls and get back to work. Life isn't all that bad. And because of all of that, Gin no Saji is, out of all of the anime on this list, the one I would encourage you to watch as soon as you can, both seasons if possible. It really is an experience that I can't recommend to you all enough, it's just that wonderful.
Goodbye for now guys.
Navigate Elsewhere
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