Welcome to the Best of Spring 2018 and while we might say there were slightly leaner pickings this time around, as always it has been fun following the shows with others in the blogosphere and discussing from week to week. Whether that is the discussions around Wixoss, the laughing at Devils’ Line, or just being perplexed by what Grancrest planned to do next, there’s certainly been entertainment to be had this season. But now, even though some shows are yet to complete, it is time to reveal our choices for best of the season.
To my awards…
Best Story – Tada Doesn’t Fall in Love
I realise this is a really odd choice, but to be perfectly frank the story is what failed on so many of the shows I watched this season so Tada Doesn’t Fall in Love might be a fairly ordinary story, but it was at least competently handled from beginning to end. I nearly went with Wixoss, but unfortunately that story makes no sense unless you’ve watched the three prior seasons, so Tada it is.
Best Visuals – Darling in the Franxx
This is another category I struggled with more than I should but this season nothing has really visually grabbed me or made me want to discuss it (outside of the anime that have been pretty terrible). Even Full Metal Panic isn’t exactly a visual masterpiece as it is trying to reconcile a look with its predecessor from 13 years ago. While Franxx may have its issues, it does at least have an interesting and memorable look about it.
Best Opening – Steins;Gate 0
Finally, an easy question. The opening here is distinct and really does set the tone of the story, while also being reminiscent of the original series. I really enjoy this OP each week. The only other one that really grabbed my attention was Space Battleship Tiramisu but that’s mostly because it got stuck in my head for hours after watching.
Best Character – Sousuke (Full Metal Panic Invisible Victory)
Okay, he had the advantage of already being one of my favourite characters from way back when and his return was greatly appreciated. Most so when I realised that the character progress he made during season 2, even if he had to break apart a bit to get there, was going to continue into this season. Sousuke is a dynamic character who might seem static at times but each event he goes through definitely leaves its mark and it is really rewarding seeing those small advances even if they are interspersed with some backsliding at times.
Best Slice of Life (First Time I’ve Ever Included This Category) – Rokuhoudou Yotsuiro Biyori
I don’t normally get to the end of anything that would actually be described as a slice of life and I got to the end of my awards and realised that this consistent sweetness and relaxation in my week had come up dry. Rokuhoudou Yotsuiro Biyori isn’t a masterpiece or an unforgettable anything, but the number of times it gave me that moment of pure mental relaxation during the Spring anime season meant it deserved a mention here.
And now…
Best Anime of the Spring 2018 Season – Lostorage Conflated WIXOSS
This season there was probably plenty of doubt given so many shows were very hit and miss. But with Full Metal Panic giving us two recap episodes and then not finishing in time because of needlessly dragging out its run, My Hero Academia having another cour to go, and not much else that really made sit up and take note (though plenty of light entertainment shows this season), WIXOSS kind of won by default.
That isn’t to say it doesn’t deserve the victory. The culmination of four seasons of build up is a hard thing to pull off in a manner that satisfies and doesn’t feel anti-climatic and yet WIXOSS more or less accomplishes this with only a handful of minor areas where criticism could be laid. It isn’t the single most exciting thing ever, but nor does it need to be. It is a fairly solid work delivering a compelling conclusion that feels like it is giving the audience some closure.
Finally, Reader’s Choice
Voting this time round was scattered as it was clear there wasn’t one single title that people were getting behind. However two titles ended up gaining quite the lead and kept it most of the way with My Hero Academia only really gaining ground toward the end of the vote. Interestingly enough, I haven’t seen either of the top voted anime and will have to rectify that for one of them soon as it is available. The other I won’t be able to see unless it gets a DVD release or ends up going onto a different streaming service.
And the winner is… Hinamatsuri!
Normally I would write something about the show and what I liked or didn’t about the reader’s choice, but I still haven’t actually seen this one so other than noting that it is on my watch list, I really don’t have a lot to say about it.
Wotakoi narrowly edged out My Hero Academia to take the third spot and Megalo Box is sitting in a comfortable second. These two along with Hinamatsuri will go into the poll in December for anime of the year. Interestingly enough, I watched none of these this season which could account for why I had a pretty slow season.
Thanks to everyone who voted and shared the poll. Be sure to check back for the worst of the season coming out later.
Thanks for reading.
Karandi James
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“the laughing at Devils’ Line”
And this is why you and your blog is absolute garbage.
Oh man Wotakoi looks like it came in a bit close. I really did enjoy that anime. I think it could have used a bit more development but I liked the slow progression.
I think Wotakoi’s biggest issue is access. I’ve noticed that a lot of the shows that don’t stream on Crunchyroll or easily accessible services tend to get a little overlooked due to the number of people that just don’t watch them while they are airing.
Very true. The only reason I have amazon prime is that is saves tons of money as a teacher with ordering items.
Although you felt lukewarm about what was on offer, this is a good Spring wrap-up. Here’s hoping you have better luck with Summer! *whispers (’cause I hate shouting recommendations at people)* I’ll join the chorus of Hinamatsuri converts in urging you to become One of Us.
This is my tweaked-for-anime-fans version of a tag floating around the book blogging community. I haven’t posted my answers on my blog yet, because I have all the follow-through of something with no follow-through, but I know you can reach people. And those people might enjoy this.
Rules:
1) If you like what you see, and want to tag yourself, have a go!
2) If you want to tag someone, or several someones, go nuts!
3) Just do you, because there is (probably) no wrong way to reflect. Even if the result of your reflection is realizing anime is a mistake.
“Mid-Year Anime Freakout” Tag
Best sequel of the year so far:
Summer show I am most looking forward to completing:
My hype is strongest for this Fall 2018 title:
Biggest disappointment of the year so far:
Biggest surprise of the year so far:
New favorite anime creators (writers, directors, studios, voice actors, folks behind the music):
New favorite characters:
Show that made you cry/feel some kind of way (if turning on the waterworks isn’t your style):
Show that made you happy/the Vulcan/robot equivalent of happiness:
Best looking show:
Favorite show(s) in the genre(s) of your choosing:
Do you have anime-related goals for the year (shows to cross off your To be Watched list, blogging, getting more involved in fandom, or doing less anime)? What kind of progress are you making? My resolve to complete resolutions vanishes on January 2nd, guys, so no judgement here!
Do you have any new opinions about the state of anime/the state of the fandom/why harping on the state of anime needs to stop?
Has your taste in anime changed?
I feel like Hinamatsuri didn’t quite stick the landing and it wasn’t 100% perfect, but I felt better about it in comparison to BnHA. BnHA is a good show (or else I wouldn’t have dealt with it for 3 seasons), but consistently ends up second of the season for me every season it appears, even when it runs for 2 cours…that’s because even though it definitely outdid itself this season, it’s always plagued by slow starts and the occasional thing that holds it back (e.g. Mineta and Kota at the start of s3).
It’s interesting that Wotakoi edged out BnHA though…I didn’t think it was that popular.
I think a lot of people chose not to vote for My Hero Academia because it isn’t finishing. That’s just my speculation but I’d be surprised if it doesn’t do better in next season’s poll. Unless of course season three decides to take a really sharp downhill turn in the second cour.
Oddly enough the top three user voted shows are the only shows I have any interest in completing and I didn’t vote this season.
Hopefully you get the chance to finish them. I’d love to know what you end up thinking of them. Despite the high votes, I’m probably still not going to check out Megalo Box. Not my thing.
I am shocked how well Hinamatsuri did but then again, it and Megalo Box were my top picks this season!
Seems you had better luck picking shows than me this season.
Only by a little, and watch me in the summer season only watch the sports series lmao
Woohoo! Go Megalo Box!! I’m surprised that it made second after the ending was a bit lackluster
That seemed to be more or less the trend of the season though, and despite my not being thrilled by the subject matter, I’ve read some great stuff about Megalo Box this season.
Hinamatsuri voted best of the season? *Faith in humanity restored*
Maybe I’ll check out Wotakoi…
I still need to actually watch Hinamatsuri. Hopefully I’ll have some time this week to give it another shot (I didn’t make it through the first episode initially).