Spring has been a mixed season with early rumblings of a weak season and yet there have been some stand out performances. Earlier this week I released my rankings for the season but this post is all about you, the readers, and what you thought the best of the season was.
We’ll start at the bottom and work our way to the anime of the season as voted by you. All anime that received a vote will be mentioned. This time around there were 247 votes which is an excellent result. Thanks so much for participating.
1 Vote – Boruto Next Generations, Cardfight!! Vanguard: Zoku Koukousei-hen, Namu Amida Butsu!: Rendai Utena ,
Strike Witches: 501 Butai Hasshin Shimasu!, Yatogame-chan Kansatsu Nikki, and Diamond no Ace: Act II.
Right, I haven’t watched any of these and have no idea what they are about or what they are like, but all of them received one vote from one of my readers for being the best (or at least most enjoyable) show of the season.
1 Vote – RobiHachi and Shoumetsu Toshi
I was kind of happy both of these picked up a vote. While neither was particularly great they both had their moments, and RobiHachi certainly gives more than a few laughs if you stick with it.
2 Votes – Senryuu Shoujo, Nande Koko ni Sensei ga!? and Bokutachi wa Benkyou ga Dekinai
The only one of those three I know much about is Senryuu Shoujo and it was a delight this season. The other two I’m kind of in the dark about, okay, I’ve read the synopsis for Nande Koko ni Sensei ga? and realised pretty quickly it wasn’t for me.
3 Votes – Fairy Gone and Kono Oto Tomare!
Both of these had so much potential and it is great to see that some readers still found them highly enjoyable. For me, these two ended up fairly low on my list of preferences for the season, but they were both watchable and clearly there’s an audience out there for them.
4 Votes – JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 5: Ougon no Kaze, Mix, Hachigatsu no Cinderella Nine, and Mayonaka no Occult Koumuin.
Of these, the only one I’ve watched is Mayonaka no Occult Koumuin and I really enjoyed it. I was a bit surprised to see JoJo so low as I expected it to get a few more votes, but as I haven’t watched it I don’t really know whether it should have been higher on the list or not.
5 Votes – One Punch Man Season 2
You know, considering all the controversy around the change in studios and the like, I’m actually really happy that 5 readers still threw their support behind One Punch Man. Season 2 has been surprisingly entertaining considering I thought season 1 more or less played the joke out so I’m happy with this getting some votes.
6 Votes – Fairy Tail: Final Series, Kenja no Mago, and Isekai Quartet
Right, so the only one I’ve watched here is Kenja no Mago and for those who like the generic isekai thing it is definitely a fun watch. Not a high quality watch mind you, but fun. I’m hopelessly behind with Fairy Tail as a franchise at this point so am not even considering the final series. Isekai Quartet is an interesting concept and the bloggers who have followed it seemed to really enjoy it. I avoided it because it was a comedy and because most of the characters involved came from shows I didn’t particularly like or finish in the first place. Still, the reviews of that one show it to be fairly entertaining for those into that kind of thing.
7 Votes – Hitoribocchi,
No surprise this one got a lot of love. Reading reviews of it most people have found it utterly charming. The charm was a little lost on me but for those into school based slice of life anime it is definitely worth trying to see if it clicks for you.
10 Votes – Bungo Stray Dogs Season 3 and Sewayaki Kitsune no Senko-san
I’m kind of surprised by how little buzz Bungo Stray Dogs has had given it is in its third season (okay, certain bloggers have given it a lot of buzz but there’s not a lot of general chatter). The fox one I just never got to so don’t really have an opinion on, but again other than a few key bloggers I haven’t heard a lot of chatter about it. Despite the lack of general conversation though, these two both took out 10 votes in the poll so clearly the fans are there even if they aren’t the vocal majority.
11 Votes – Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari
After the initial controversy finally died down, a lot of the conversation around this one kind of vanished as well. Still, it had some very loyal fans who have kept with it until the end. Overall it is a fairly enjoyable if reasonably average anime and I’m glad it got some recognition in this poll because it is entertaining enough.
14 Votes – Carole and Tuesday
Despite using 4 services to stream anime legally at this point, I still don’t actually have access to this title. It has been a favourite of a lot of reviewers but I suspect I’m not the only one without access given the number of votes. The problem with exclusive releases is unless you actually subscribe to that service you don’t get to see it. That said, if you do have access, all the reviews have been pretty optimistic about this so be sure to give it a go.
16 Votes – Sarazanmai
Right, I do have access to this one and this is on my list of titles that I didn’t watch this season to go back and check out at some point. My issue was I tried the first episode and it just didn’t click, at all so I put it on hold. However, I’ve continued to follow the reviews and chatter around this one and while the opinions are mixed there is a very vocal group of staunch supporters for this anime.
20 Votes – Dororo
Another one I didn’t have access to when it started but I’ve enjoyed reading along with those who have reviewed it. This one seems like an anime worth checking out and coming into fourth place in the reader’s poll kind of confirms that if you have access to it and haven’t given it a shot now might be the time to check it out. It is however a step back given after the Winter season Dororo was in 2nd place and because of that it will be going into the best of the year poll in December.
Affiliate Link – Figure
Top 3 – Going Into The Best of the Year Poll
29 Votes – Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
No surprise this one made the top 3 though it certainly lost steam after episode 11 aired (I wonder why – *cough* Zenitsu *cough*). Still, it is a visually pleasing and fun story. The action has been solid, the pace is moving along nicely, and in general there’s very little to complain about. Looking forward to seeing more from this one.
33 Votes – Fruits Basket
Turns out nostalgia is an amazing thing, that and this is one anime people have wanted rebooted forever because there was so much more to the story than we ever got in the original anime. And this is rebooting done right. Visually superior, great music, keeping those important moments but building more of the ongoing story because this time we’ll actually get to see it. Fruits Basket 2019 has been a winner and while I get the low key and emotional experience isn’t really for everyone, it is certainly worth trying. Incidentally, this one got an early lead in the poll but then ended up playing catch up with the number one title before that one finally got away from it.
BEST OF THE SEASON
36 Votes – Attack on Titan Season 3 Part 2
There is no surprise here. Anyone who has watched this season of Attack on Titan knows that it has been an emotional experience. Finally we get the right balance of horror, spectacle, plot, and character development in this series and it seems like it just keeps getting better this time around. For anyone who gave up on Attack on Titan after season 2, go back and pick it up. This was so worth it.
Now, let me know what you think. Did the anime you voted for make it into the top 3? Do you think any of these might be the anime of the year given they are up against The Promised Neverland and Mob Psycho 100?
Thank-you for reading 100 Word Anime.
Join the discussion in the comments.
Karandi James
Previous poll results:
Positively thrilled to see Titan at the top, where it belongs. Also, more people should’ve watched Kono Ota Tonare—it’s such a sweet series!
On that note, I need to go and finish watching the season of Kono Oto Tomare.
Okay, so I was wrong – I figured Fruits Basket would be the walk away winner of this, given its history and accessibility over other titles.
My choice came very low as expected… 🙁
I think earlier in the season Fruits Basket was the favourite, but Attack on Titan got a lot of momentum going as the season continued whereas Fruits Basket is a pretty even viewing experience. Not to mention, it isn’t finished.
Sort of surprised Saranzanmai and Rising of the Shield Hero weren’t a little higher but I can’t disagree with the top 3!😁
I think the controversy early on for Shield Hero meant a lot of people either dropped it or didn’t try it. For me, I enjoyed it well enough but it didn’t get me as emotionally invested as other anime this season.
I had a feeling Attack on Titan would win this one! It was a pretty good season after all.
Definitely managed to bring the series back to being one I look forward to rather than one I’m following just to find out what happens.
Agreed! I’m back to being excited for the next season of this which is a change. :’)
I know. After season two was delayed forever it kind of killed the anticipation and by the time season two ended I was pretty sure I was over AoT. Talk about a come back.
Nooo y Sarazanmai not in top 3?!
Thanks so much for these poll results! 🙂
I think Sarazanmai had a strong niche following but it didn’t quite manage to get across to anime fans as a whole. Still, I’ve been reading good things about it so I should check it out at some point.
Wow, your personal top anime list did guess pretty close to your poll’s list too.
I know. No one is more surprised than me given my history of having not even watched the reader’s top picks.
I figured the top slot would either go to Attack on Titan or Fruits Basket. 🙂
It was a pretty safe bet given the season. I’m kind of glad Attack on Titan got it though given it was the only one of the top three that is actually finished airing .