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The Best Anime of 2020


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ANN_Lynzee
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Joined: 02 May 2011
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 29, 2020 1:06 pm Reply with quote
Added Beastars and Danmachi, MHA is considered a 2019 show. We try to stick with what premiered this year.
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al505



Joined: 29 Nov 2003
Posts: 24
PostPosted: Tue Dec 29, 2020 1:10 pm Reply with quote
While the year 2020 has been a shit storm of biblical proportion for, well, all of us, it was also a year of pure escapist anime. I guess all those days of isolation had paid off in some pretty commendable ideas and effort into the creation of some very memorable anime. So, without further ado, and only my personal opinion, I present my Top 5 Best Anime of 2020.

5. Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle. Consistently funny! Syalis (whose name always makes me chuckle as it recalls that ED drug) turns the damsel-in-distress trope on its head.

4. Great Pretender. I'm not sure why this show didn't get a mention on the reviewer's Top 5 lists but it sure makes mine. It was a really fun series to watch and I loved the OP and ED songs. The characters were smarmy enough to like and dislike at the same time, the music was cool and the plot lines were funny and high energy. Surely a shame not to see it on the ANN reviewer's top 5 list.

3. Somali and the Forest Spirit. It's interesting that my top three comes from the Winter 2020 season. Perhaps it is because these shows were "in the can" before the pandemic changed everything. However, it does not minimize the fact that "Somali and the Forest Spirit" deservedly belongs in my Top 5. There's always one show with beautiful scenery, a familial core and a simple story that pulls on heartstrings. Somali is such a story.

2. Dorohedoro. WOW! I imagine that the creators of this anime had some sort of chemical stimulation when making this? Just a guess but still, wow! The OP and ED segments were just a kaleidoscope of crazy and made me hungry for gyoza every time, uh, maybe not from the Bug but still.... I love all of the characters like Nikaido and Kaiman but especially En's crew of Shin, Noi, Fujita and especially Ebisu! Great fun, and if you don't agree, the devils will come to you tonight and stab you in the ass with a spear!

1. Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!. KYHOE! was by far, appointment viewing! The making an anime through the eyes and efforts of three high school girls was, by far, the best anime of 2020, IMHO. The scope, the visuals, the jokes, and the interactions of the three main protagonists, Asakusa, Kanamori, and Mizusaki had me begging for more! I was just rooting for them with every episode and I was truly sad when it was all over. I don' t know if this was a one off, which is okay with me or if there are any plans for a season 2 but KYHOE! is, for me, the Masterpiece of the Year. I loved it!

Honorable Mention. Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? III & Drifting Dragons.


Last edited by al505 on Wed Dec 30, 2020 8:56 am; edited 2 times in total
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ANN_Lynzee
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 29, 2020 1:37 pm Reply with quote
If something was held over in Netflix jail, I'll include it.
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Gem-Bug



Joined: 10 Nov 2018
Posts: 1193
PostPosted: Tue Dec 29, 2020 2:09 pm Reply with quote
octopodpie wrote:
If something was held over in Netflix jail, I'll include it.


Hi Score Girl part 2 released in October in Japan, but Netflix held it until April for us.
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Saeryen



Joined: 26 Aug 2020
Posts: 850
PostPosted: Tue Dec 29, 2020 2:28 pm Reply with quote
db999 wrote:
But Yuki from Fruits Basket is my pick for best character due to how much my opinion of him has improved after seeing his development. It’s not like I disliked him before but the series seemed more interested in exploring Kyo, but seeing Yuki’s development really endeared him to me and his journey of self-discovery was incredibly cathartic.


Ohhhh yes! I loved seeing Yuki's development, and Fruits Basket is already a fave for me (Season 2 was this year's best sequel IMO).
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joeydoa



Joined: 30 Dec 2014
Posts: 121
PostPosted: Tue Dec 29, 2020 3:02 pm Reply with quote
This has been a rough, disruptive year - with anime series postponed after a couple episodes, delayed, rescheduled - yet out of this schizophrenic viewing experience five series, actually six or seven have risen to best of year.

1. A Certain Scientific Railgun T - I mean, this would be best in any year, and the extended screen time for Kongou and Shokuhou is a big bonus.

2. Ascendance of a Bookworm - This season expanded the complexity of the world Myne inhabits, brought up nuanced character traits and motivations, and revealed more of the political system of the world she inhabits.

3. Bang Dream Season 3 - This is the best season of the series, and the larger role for Chu2 and RAISE A SUILEN actually upstages Poppin'Party. I certainly hope they are working on a RAS spinoff.

4. My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! - This is a dream series for any visual novel lover, and especially for those who have a few otome titles under their belt. Absolute perfection.

5. Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! - I came into this series very cautiously - ready to bail after 10 minutes - I was floored as it became a heartwarming slice of life comedy. I am glad this is getting a second season.

There are a couple of series from this season that I think deserve mention, one of which I started late due to firing a couple of series and looking to pick up the slack: Maesetsu! - it is a heartfelt and earnest entry in the cute girls genre but with a feeling of empowerment as we watch these young women seek to make their mark on the world as Manzai performers.

The other show is Ikebukuro West Gate Park - I found it compelling and also heartbreaking - anybody who enjoys urban stories of youth gangs should not miss this serious and way under the radar series. Makoto Majima is by far my favorite character of the year.
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LegitPancake



Joined: 26 Jun 2017
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Location: Texas, USA
PostPosted: Tue Dec 29, 2020 4:22 pm Reply with quote
Will anime that haven’t had a Western release yet, like Demon Slayer Mugen Train and the Violet Evergarden movie, be on next year’s poll? Because most people haven’t seen them yet.
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tfwnoymir



Joined: 03 Dec 2017
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Location: Hungary
PostPosted: Tue Dec 29, 2020 6:52 pm Reply with quote
Here are my top favorites:

1. A Whisker Away: the protagonist is a lot relatable to me because I was also a kid to did a lot of stupid shit to cover my pain and The Cat Returns is also one of my favorite Ghibli movie ever, so let's just say I liked it a lot.
2. Mewkledreamy: probably a lot of people are missing on it since it didn't get licensed at all, but I think it's genuinely the best anime for kids airing as of right now, even better than this year's Precure. The main character, Yume is a cute mess (helped a lot my Murakami Natsumi's excellent voice acting), the plot is totally bonkers, directed by Hiroaki Sakurai who recently worked on A Demon Girl Next Door (another great anime) among many other things. It's fairly episodic, takes things slowly, and it's going to be 48 episodes (it's at episode 35 right now), so it might not be for everyone, but I recommend it regardless. And who knows, it might get licensed someday, because Precure eventually did and also Prichan just a few hours ago (also something I recommend, it has an excellent 2nd season).
3. Is This Order a Rabbit Bloom: Gochiusa is one of my favorite Kirara adaptations, because besides the usual fluff and gags, it has actually something to say - about family, friendship and stuff - and has an actual story going on behind the backgrounds. This season's theme was graduation - Rize from high school and the ChiMaMe Corps from middle school - and I think they handled anxiety about separating from your peers pretty well; nothing too dramatic for the tone of this series but still heartfelt.
4. Asteroid In Love: Another good Kirara adaptatation that in this case is better than the source material itself. I'm also kind of an astronomy and map nerd and it stays true to the subject and also didn't make a secret out of the fact that discovering an actual asteroid is pretty hard, a one-in-a-lifetime-chance, despite having loads of them. And the last two episodes were fantastic. The series could have done without most of Suzu's antics though.
5. Dorohedoro: I'm an anime-only who still needs to read the source material (any day now), but it was a pretty fun series, even with its limitations. I especially dig the atmosphere, the voice acting and the music. And shark Ebisu was too cute for this world.

Also honorable mentions are: Eizouken, Beastars (although technically it's a show from last year), Sleepy Princess, Lapis Re:Lights (for its fantastic finale if nothing else). And Bookworm and Kaguya is still pretty good.
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Kadmos1



Joined: 08 May 2014
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 29, 2020 8:10 pm Reply with quote
TBH, most subbed anime that I watch I watch while not paying close enough to the story, so I cannot really rate what I deem the worst 2020 anime. For #1 best, "Appare-Ranman!" because of fun and diverse it was! For the simuldub, big shout-out to Ace Anderson for his debut anime role as TJ!
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Engineering Nerd



Joined: 24 Apr 2008
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 29, 2020 10:06 pm Reply with quote
I am very interested to see the picks for the best LGBTQ characters of 2020, as we have plenty of good choices this year. Although I am curious is there any specific criteria that made one stand out than the other? Like good representation? Most influential to the community? Story or thematic importance?

That being said, while I can easily name a few good gay, lesbian and transsexual characters from shows debuted this year, now I find myself struggling mightily to find a single bisexual character in 2020, let along good ones. The ones crossing in my mind are too vague to be defined as such
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q_3



Joined: 02 Sep 2015
Posts: 129
PostPosted: Tue Dec 29, 2020 11:37 pm Reply with quote
Bull from Uchitama, Seigi from Jeweler Richard, and Catarina from My Next Life as a Villainess all come to mind (in ascending order of subtext, denial, and prominence).
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maximilianjenus



Joined: 29 Apr 2013
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 30, 2020 9:29 am Reply with quote
Engineering Nerd wrote:
I am very interested to see the picks for the best LGBTQ characters of 2020, as we have plenty of good choices this year. Although I am curious is there any specific criteria that made one stand out than the other? Like good representation? Most influential to the community? Story or thematic importance?

That being said, while I can easily name a few good gay, lesbian and transsexual characters from shows debuted this year, now I find myself struggling mightily to find a single bisexual character in 2020, let along good ones. The ones crossing in my mind are too vague to be defined as such


well , there is the whole bisexual erasure thing, like mushoku tensei just aired and it has a bisexual mc, yet if you ask around he is supossed to not be bisexual because he once rejected a dude, that, if you pay attention to the mcs likes, was totally out if his strike zone . thats how bad bisexual erasure is, a bi character can like 3 same gender characters, but if he does not like another one, he is not bi anymore.
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ANN_Lynzee
ANN Executive Editor


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PostPosted: Wed Dec 30, 2020 12:30 pm Reply with quote
LegitPancake wrote:
Will anime that haven’t had a Western release yet, like Demon Slayer Mugen Train and the Violet Evergarden movie, be on next year’s poll? Because most people haven’t seen them yet.


That's a concern I'm willing to put off until 2021.
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DeTroyes



Joined: 30 May 2016
Posts: 520
PostPosted: Wed Dec 30, 2020 2:19 pm Reply with quote
My Top 5:

1. Keep Your Hands off Eizoukan! - Loved the art style, characters, and story. This and the series below are the only two shows this year I loved so much, I immediately watched them a second time.
2. Kaguya-sama: Love is War s2 - Easily the best RomCom in years.
3. A Certain Scientific Railgun T - After the incomprehensible disappointment that was A Certain Magical Index s3, a very welcome return to A Certain Franchise. Best part was that many of the secondary characters to the series got some impressive moments to shine.
4. Dorohedoro - Didn't expect much going into this series, but was greatly impressed by its art style and overall direction.
5. Akudama Drive - The only reason this series didn't get higher on this ranking is that I thought the ending spoiler[was kind of off from the tone of the rest of the series]. Still, a truly enjoyable ride that from episode to episode, I genuinely had no idea where it was going to go.

Honorable Mentions: Talentless Nana, Jujutsu Kaisen, Madoka Magica Side-Story, Deka-Dence, Tower of God, Gleipnir, Higurashi Gou, Drifting Dragons, My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!, Fruits Basket s2, Re:Zero s2, Is It Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? s3, My High School Romantic Comedy SNAFU s3, No Guns Life s2, Golden Kamuy s3.

Worst: Peter Grill and the Philosopher's Time, Listeners, Titan's Bride, Zero Chronicle, Shadowverse.

Overall, a solid year for anime. Better, I think, than 2019 was, but not as good as the year of win that was 2018.


Last edited by DeTroyes on Wed Dec 30, 2020 2:57 pm; edited 5 times in total
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killjoy_the



Joined: 30 May 2015
Posts: 2457
PostPosted: Wed Dec 30, 2020 2:30 pm Reply with quote
Best Moment is a tough one too. If purely for sakuga, I'd definitely nominate Sogiita Gunha's fight against Mikoto 5.3. It's just a shounen "I'll hold this back, you go ahead" moment, really, but I love these silly boys. On that note, Master and Brawler destroying an abandoned amusement park while fighting in the rain also deserves a huge note, as it looks beautiful, cool, and ends with emotional resonance.

I'm a bit surprised at the Eizouken moments noted in the article - I thought the first anime shown by the Eizouken - with no audio even - was that much stronger than anything the show ever accomplished later on. The integration with the audience - them seeing the world from the anime bleeding into their own - was really powerful to me.

BUT. I'm a sucker for family stories, and ReZero had an entire episode dedicated to "Subaru deals with his family problems" that has this scene. So yeah, that gets my vote.
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