Forum - View topicThe Best Anime of 2020
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18252 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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Normally you'd probably have a case, but that those two are going to wind up dating is obvious from the first episode. I don't see anything too spoilerish about revealing how long it takes to get there. |
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FilthyCasual
Posts: 2238 |
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Mildly annoying how every mention of Michiru gets ALL CAPS'd and hyperlinked to some rando.
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Ryu Shoji
Posts: 671 Location: Cambridge, United Kingdom |
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I would have at least liked some clear spoiler warnings before something so big was casually dropped into an article that was supposedly specifically about the anime, which did not adapt those light novel volumes. As an anime-only viewer, I was disappointed to have it spoiled so casually, even if its eventuality was seemingly obvious from the initial set up. (Spoiler tagging the next chunk as I mention it on more detail) spoiler[A big part of the anticipation of Adachi and Shimamura, at least for me, was whether Adachi was going to finally just pluck up the courage and confess, or whether Shimamura was going to finally put 2 and 2 together. The series clearly knew that, given its love of creating scenarios where it almost happens, then doesn't - usually because of Adachi's own hesitation. Now, however, I'll have that "Is this it?" deflated by knowing it isn't, because it doesn't line up with where the sixth light novel material would be. The two affirming their feelings would be a major moment for Adachi's narrative arc in particular. Sure, it's a tiny matter in the grand scheme of things - but so is everything related to cartoons tbf. I do appreciate that there are strong feelings about a number of anime being unwilling to outright show or confirm LGBTQ couplings, so the community may need reassurance that there actually will be something more concrete down the line, so an argument can be made for it being mentioned, but I would have appreciated spoiler warnings for the non-anime content at least. So that way, people who need that reassurance could have still found it, but those who'd prefer not to know, could have continued to do so until they see/read it happen.] The light novel exists, so there should be avenues for people to discuss and critique should someone desire it, but I personally don't think its mention was handled well here. |
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meiam
Posts: 3442 |
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It was advertised as a lesbian romance, and I can't recall a single anime being advertised as such where the main girls don't end up forming a couple (I'd love to have a story where one of the pair was straight but I can imagine that ending with a "well I'm just not interested" wouldn't be very popular). Just looking at the main illustration gives it away, I imagine not a single person went out of the first episodes not knowing for a fact what would happen.
I'd say the next entry, If My Favorite Pop Idol Made it to the Budokan, I Would Die, would be more spoiler territory since it was advertised more as a comedy/commentary on idol. Also it's still freaking creepy that an idol fall for her fan, talk about an unhealthy way to start a relationship. |
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yuna49
 Posts: 3804 |
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For me, the best songs this year were both EDs -- Miyano Mamoru's wonderful crooning on "Last Dance," the ending to In/Spectre, and "Lost in Paradise" by ALI featuring AKLO from Jujutsu Kaisen. I liked Miyano's music video, too, but I didn't get what the chess match was about. "Easy Breezy" placed third for me. Chelmico's music video is a lot of fun, too. |
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Takkun4343
 Posts: 1521 Location: Englewood, Ohio |
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Am I the only one who thinks Kaiser was reaching a little by calling Appare and Kosame a romantic couple? I mean, yeah, I can see the interpretation of such now that I think about it, but when I actually saw that scene, I viewed it as a purely platonic interaction, more Appare admitting to care about someone in general as opposed to shipping fuel played unironically. Still, if that's how you wanna view it, I won't stop ya.
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Key
Moderator
Posts: 18252 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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The latter is the one I forgot about; it should have been an also-considered for me. Still stand firmly by my top pick, though. |
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MasterGhost
 Posts: 125 |
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2020 was a really good year for anime. The summer season did take a big blow by having major titles being delayed as a result of the pandemic, but the other seasons all turned out strong by having numerous excellent productions that left huge impacts on me, and reinforced my faith in the media.
This was the first year (in my nearly 10-year history of watching anime) that I considered 2 titles "perfect" in my opinion. My top favorite goes to Fate/Stay Night Heaven's Feel III - Spring Song. Without spoiling anything, the movie did a great job in completing Shirou's and Sakura's character arcs, adding more layers and context to the already complex world, and delivering a heartwarming romance story. Praise also goes to the animation team who created yet another visual spectacle, particularly spoiler[Rider vs Saber Alter] which I thought is the most awe-inspiring anime fight in recent years. Another "perfect" show was Keep Your Hands off Eizouken!, for reasons that most of the reviewers had already given. This is a simple show with a simple plot, but the character writing is the main highlight. The three main characters are just so lovable, and each of their lines and actions reflect the love and passion for the work that they do, serving as great inspirations in these difficult times. A show that I'm surprised no reviewer mentioned is Love Live! Nijigasaki School Idol Club. Promoted as a "spin-off" of the original series, the show goes on a different route of having individual episodes for every member of the club, delving deep into their personalities and motives, and I thought this is a far better approach than any of its predecessors. The characters are realistic, likable, and you could feel the love that each of them put into their mutual hobby/dream. On the aesthetic side, this is one of the most polished, fluidly animated idol shows in recent memory. As many people have already pointed out, the directors of Episodes 10 to 12 deserve special praise for putting in effort into the camerawork and even the background of every single scene, adding layers of subtext that reflect each individual character's emotions in that scene. Nijigasaki is not a perfect show by any means, but it's probably one of the best idol titles to come out in recent years. Other shows which I found great but did not have the time to do long write-ups include Interspecies Reviewers, a show that defied expectations by presenting sex as something that is positive rather than falling into the same misogynistic tropes as other ecchi shows. Deca-Dence wins the title for Best Original Anime of the year, slightly beating out Akudama Drive which was also fantastic. The Demon Slayer Mugen Train Arc movie was equally as great for making Rengoku a truly memorable character, though slightly undercut by the fact that I'm not too personally invested in the Demon Slayer franchise. |
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annasartin
 Posts: 38 |
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When do we vote in the mega poll for 2020? I still haven't seen it on the site's main page yet.
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killjoy_the
 Posts: 2463 |
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^ I linked it here in the thread (and you can always check out the Survey link under My ANN), but now the poll is over. The survey was only linked through the main page's header, as far as I could tell.
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Princess_Irene
ANN Reviewer
 Posts: 2619 Location: The castle beyond the Goblin City |
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You're not wrong, but part of the appeal of the story (which I think works better in the original novels) is how slow and uncertain the progression is. So even though it is basically a given that they'll end up together, it's less about the ending and more about the journey, which could easily leave some people feeling spoiled. There's not really a clear-cut right-or-wrong answer to the spoiler question here, because it's less about answers and more about narrative structure. |
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Ryu Shoji
Posts: 671 Location: Cambridge, United Kingdom |
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It's also worth noting (which I only realised after posting last night), that the Adachi and Shimamura light novel volume where said thing is said to occur (spoiler[Volume 6]) hasn't been solicitated for English publication yet, with Vol. 5 slated for a print release on 1st June 2021 (with digital releases typically being 3 months earlier, iirc). So even those who are up to date with Seven Seas' English releases might have been blind-sided by it.
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Saeryen
 Posts: 918 |
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My opinions on Japanese video games:
I love Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town. I love the SoS series as a whole, with the iyashikei vibe, and I love how in this one, you can romance the same gender! Marrying Ran as a female MC was so heartwarming, and now they have a little daughter in my game. In a similar vein, I recently got Animal Crossing: New Horizons. So much fun! I love how creative you can be, and though I've only been playing a few days, I have so many custom clothes already and am steadily making the shoujo iyashikei island of my dreams! Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin is another recent acquisition (both it and AC were Christmas presents). It is also very fun! I love a female protagonist, and I love the unique character designs. The farming part is very in-depth and I've heard it's realistic, too. The scenery is beautiful and the fighting mechanics aren't too hard to figure out. Plus, it's a fantasy world based on Japanese mythology, which I'm really into. |
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zawa113
 Posts: 7358 |
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Hmm, Gibiate hadn't even been on my radar, but I do also love a really bad anime sometimes. Can anyone tell me if it's "so bad it's good" sort of mess? I feel like it's been a while since we've had one of those (the mid-2000s was pretty good for that genre, with Gundoh Musashi, Legend of Duo, AND Genma Wars). But adding bad CGI sounds like an added bonus to me.
Also probably going to want to watch Island of Giant Insects in this case. |
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ThatGuyWhoLikesThings
Posts: 1011 |
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How was Attack on Titan: The Final Season even an option on the Mega Poll list when only 5 of it's 16 episodes actually aired last year? That's more than a little ridiculous
As for worst of the year, RAG is the easy choice because I don't tend to watch more than 3 or 4 seasonal anime as they're airingm But it was definitely pretty bad lol. Wandering Witch is a somewhat distant second Last edited by ThatGuyWhoLikesThings on Sat Jan 02, 2021 5:46 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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