The Best Anime of 2017

Jacob Chapman, Amy McNulty & Lauren Orsini

We're publishing our bonus categories once per day. Today's installment is The Best Plot Twist or Moment of 2017!

Jacob Chapman

Frankly, this was an amazing year for anime, so narrowing down this list was harder than it's ever been for me before. Fortunately, I got to ramble on and on about my top five picks (and more!) in our Best of the Year ANNCast, so if you want more detailed thoughts on these five anime and more, please check out the podcast as well. The only new thing I can add is that I recently saw the last episode of Girls' Last Tour, and it was so incredibly good that it would make a firm #6 for my list (and the only show on it from the fall season, surprisingly)!

5. Little Witch Academia
While it's not my absolute favorite of Studio Trigger's seminal projects (that's still Kill La Kill), this is definitely the Trigger anime that feels the most heartfelt and truly personal for them, if such a thing can be said about an anime studio. Functioning as an animation showcase, a magical family-friendly adventure, and a uniquely clever metaphor for animation as art in a business-driven industry, Little Witch Academia is a little bit of everything for all audiences, that rare anime you can show to Grandma and your little sister at the same time. What it might lack in narrative ambition, it makes up for in overwhelming passion and polish. Almost every episode of the series has something memorable or worthwhile to laugh at, be wowed by, or just warm the cockles of your heart. Beyond those episodic adventures, its overarching narrative also trips a terrific line between Trigger's familiar tongue-in-cheek self-homaging and fresh observations on keeping the magic of animation alive when the more "practical" voices of the world might make you lose sight of what inspires you about it. Akko could easily be the mascot for Studio Trigger going forward, but even setting all that meta-commentary aside, you're still left with a strong story told beautifully that anyone can enjoy.

4. Scum's Wish
Seeing as my other four picks are tremendously populist even by my crowd-pleaser-loving standards, I'm really glad there's just one weird thing on here so I don't look like a total rube. I like esoteric stuff too sometimes! And Scum's Wish is as much of an acquired taste as you can get, with its perpetually uncomfortable wallowing in painfully ugly feelings about sex, love, intimacy and the self-loathing that consumes us when we find ourselves lacking in those things. But despite all its pathos and agony, I love Scum's Wish for its surprisingly big heart. The story never condemns these characters for their twisted desires, cruel actions, or emotional breakdowns. For as melodramatic and miserable as it can be sometimes, it seems all the author wants to do is tell these girls (and a couple boys) "It's okay. This is all normal, you'll get through it someday, and you'll come out stronger on the other side." If screwed-up high school romance is your cup of tea, Scum's Wish delivers all the juicy drama you could want and more—with an added bonus of powerful psychological insights and some unexpectedly heartwarming conclusions. Scum's Wish wasn't always easy to watch, but I loved every episode of its surprisingly empathetic journey.

3. My Hero Academia season 2
While I did enjoy casually watching it week to week, I came away from season one of My Hero Academia a little cold. It was nice and all, but with its sluggish pace and predominant focus just on Midoriya's perspective, I think I came away with a limited impression of this story's deeper strengths. It just seemed like a well-written Shonen Jump standard with much more inspired art than usual to me at first. (I'll never get over how excellent All Might's two different looks are in personality and expressiveness, and he's just one character of many in a cast exploding with meticulous yet endearing character designs.) But season two revealed MHA to be much stronger as an ensemble piece, riddled with astute observations on the heights and depths of the human spirit sandwiched between one killer fight scene after another. Kohei Horikoshi has an incredible talent for taking old ideas and making them feel new again, and Studio BONES brought his meaty bites of story to life with some of the best animation of the year. Todoroki could have just been another grumpy perfectionist with a tragic backstory, but Horikoshi's deft handling of his trauma made leagues of difference, and Yutaka Nakamura gave him the most jaw-dropping battle blowout of 2017. (Then there's the brilliant Stain arc, which I'll discuss one page over on Plot Twists.) This is as good as shonen anime ever gets, and I can't believe how excited I am for season three next spring.

2. Attack on Titan season 2
Yes, the only season three I'm more excited for than My Hero Academia is season three of Attack on Titan! This continuation was a long time coming—arguably too long—but if I'm being honest, I'm kinda glad that Attack on Titan isn't the world-crushing phenomenon it was in 2013 anymore. Even though it's still ridiculously popular, I feel like I can fully enjoy the story on its own merits without getting lost in all the memes and hype and overblown Eren hatred (he can practically bunk with Shinji Ikari on that by now) that dilute the conversation into talking about the fandom instead of talking about the show. Because underneath all that stuff, Attack on Titan is still just a damn fascinating story told with constantly compelling momentum. Season two just so happened to cover some of the manga's strongest material (another reason the four-year wait was agonizing), so I'm especially glad that Studio Wit and I.G. teamed up to deliver a Titan devoid of the pacing and animation issues that speedbumped the first season, proving that a grade-A execution of this story could go from good entertainment to a transcendent nightmare. This season was actually frightening, continuing Titan's greatest strength of delivering a steady stream of "answers" that only raise more questions. It's the kind of hyper-engaging torture that left me begging for more every week, and I can't wait to start freaking out all over again in 2018.

1. Made in Abyss
To be honest, I had reservations putting this at #1, and not just because all five of my choices felt very close together in my heart. For certain reasons, Made in Abyss is definitely not as easy to recommend as my other picks, even Scum's Wish depending on how deep you are down the anime well. And in terms of raw writing quality, it might also come in fifth place, if only just barely; it wouldn't be unfair to call this series grossly or transparently exploitative at times, in moments even verging on sadness-porn. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized no anime in 2017 left a positive mark on me so indelibly as Made in Abyss. No anime made me physically gasp, cry, or even laugh (I like gross monsters a lot okay) as much this year. And even if I'm uncomfortable with the author's shall we say unsubtle fetishes, I can't deny the power, uniqueness, and universality of the fantasy world he created, to say nothing of its exhilarating art direction, by far the most cinematic achievement in TV anime this year (with Land of the Lustrous in close second) coupled with one of the best anime soundtracks I've ever heard period. Akihito Tsukushi's vision of the Abyss isn't just visually imaginative as an analogue for our own natural world, it's also thematically discerning in its balance of uncaring brutality and the meaning people have built for themselves by surviving such a harsh environment. The strength and love those who have suffered can give to others so that they too might find the will to keep going comes through stronger and stronger, as every episode takes us deeper into hell to find life still thriving there. While Reg and Riko are a shining example of this emotional power, nothing will wreck my shit quite like the love Nanachi gives back to Mitty for believing in her long ago. Made in Abyss won't be for everyone, but it's a real treasure.

Amy McNulty

5. Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid
When it comes to this year's slice-of-life offerings, the best was arguably the one with dragons. Kobayashi's passion for European-style maids turns out to be excuse enough for a besotted dragon to don maid attire, though it takes her a bit to learn what a maid even does (the fact that Kobayashi lives in a tiny apartment that's hardly in need of a full-time maid notwithstanding). As more dragons shapeshift to human forms and come to interact with the main duo on a daily basis, the situational humor gets more and more entertaining. The subtle romance between Kobayashi and her dragon maid is a particular highlight; it's not often that a woman finds herself the object of a supernatural bishoujo's affection in anime and manga. The romance isn't frequently overt, but it's ever-present as the backbone of this charming series.

4. Made in Abyss
At first glance, Made in Abyss looks like it might be about the cuddly adventures of explorer kids, but the cutesy art style belies a meaningful story that's emotionally moving, often shocking, and constantly heart-wrenching. The visuals are one-of-a-kind, and the animation is beautifully executed. The concept of a supernatural abyss that gets more dangerous the lower one descends is enough to keep viewers tuning in on its own, but the central characters make it all so much more meaningful. Riko's optimism and determination—even in the worst of situations—gets tested again and again, and it truly seems like every character could die at any moment. The final story arc of the season is especially affecting, as it forces Reg to make impossible choices.

3. Attack on Titan
The long wait ended this year as Attack on Titan finally returned to our screens, chock-full of action and tension as always. This season, we even got some twists and turns and important reveals. The animation and visuals were in top form, the pacing was top notch, and there wasn't a single boring episode in the batch. Though Eren arguably remains one of the least interesting characters despite being the protagonist, there are enough other colorful personalities to round out the show. My only real complaint is that it was just one cour this year.

2. The Ancient Magus' Bride
Elias and Chise are a modern-day Beauty and the Beast living in an enchanted world full of magic that's just around the corner from our own. Though it's far from not fast-paced, The Ancient Magus Bride is the story of two reticent characters opening up to one another as Chise finds her place in the world—amongst dragons, selkies, fairies, and the like. While the conflict with a chaotic sorcerer has yet to take up a central role in the series, there's been enough to lay the groundwork for a more epic battle to come. The show certainly intends to take its time getting there, but I'm loving every minute until then.

1. Gintama
Gintama served up two quite different helpings in two cours separated by several months this year. Earlier in the year, Kagura stepped into the spotlight as her family history finally came to light and the strained relationship between her father and brother got some long overdue closure, and Gintoki and Shinpachi stepped up—and put all selfishness aside—to offer the third member of their trio the support she needed. Before that though, fans got to see Gintoki exchange blows with and then stand beside Takasugi on the battlefield, a moment hundreds of episodes in the making. In the more recent Porori Arc, Gintama returned to form with one zany, humorous story after another as chapters from the manga fans had long ago figured would never be adapted finally got their due in anime form. All in all, it was a good year for Gintama fans and a good lead-up to the final arc to grace our screens in 2018.

Lauren Orsini

5. Kemono Friends
In 2017, we were treated to the latest in skilled animation and high production values through many new series, but anime doesn't always have to be so elaborate. Kemono Friends is a throwback to the cheap and weird era of anime—as long as the story was compelling and we wanted to spend more time with the characters, it was sure to find a following. Beneath its veneer of poor CGI, this show depicts an intricate world that follows its own sound logic. As cute characters exchange quirky lines of dialogue, there's no mistaking an undercurrent of the bizarre holding everything together. In tantalizing hints, viewers soon learn that this world is more than a playground for animal girls, and that's when the magic happens.

4. Land of the Lustrous
In contrast to Kemono Friends, Land of the Lustrous shows the potential of CGI rendered with the highest possible skill and care. It's a little early to stick this still-running show on my list, but I'll take that risk—for its memorable plot with the constantly taut pull of a mystery just about to unravel paired with its groundbreakingly gorgeous CGI, it's safe to say this will be one of the most memorable shows of 2017. The show stars Phos, a protagonist I initially didn't like but have done a 180 on thanks to their extremely relatable coming-of-age woes. This show always has something breathtaking to say about life and what it means to be human, (even though it stars non-humans!) but at the same time it can hit you unsuspectingly with giggle fits. It's both a fantasy escape and a mirror into our own humanity, and it straddles this line flawlessly.

3. Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid
This show demonstrated that a family can be an office lady, her dragon maid, and a revolving cast of mythical creatures. Tohru and her pals could have fit perfectly into a serious high fantasy story but instead we were treated to a real-world AU filler episode of such a show for a whole season, and it worked. With characters this likable, I loved tuning in each week to plot points as fluffy as marshmallow and just as sweet. This warm and cheerful show was full of tender moments between characters, and each episode was like a weekly hug.

2. Made in Abyss
By the first episode, Made in Abyss has already established a dangerous but irresistible world that's just begging to be explored. In such a short time, this show immersed viewers so deeply into its titular abyss that once you've seen it, there's no forgetting it. Don't let the cute character designs fool you; with a life-or-death premise and extremely high stakes, this story grips viewers with its urgency and potential for big wins or lethal failures. Despite doom lurking around every corner, it's not a sad story but one that celebrates and preserves the spirit of adventure that lives inside us all.

1. Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans season 2
Gundam's latest TV series managed to both take a new direction and pay overt homage to some of the most classic works in the franchise. The second cour upped the ante by leaving protagonist Mikazuki almost totally paralyzed. Things couldn't have been worse for our scrappy band of child orphans as adults all over the universe conspired against them. But instead of a magical hero-saves-the-day scenario, Iron-Blooded Orphans played out more like reality, with big wins few and far between but hope in every small victory. The interpersonal drama and political landscape were always intense, but fans will also appreciate some brutally medieval robot battles that build on—and occasionally surpass—what this franchise does best.