2019 Archives | 100 Word Anime

Best Anime of 2019 – Best Cast of Characters

Posted on January 31, 2020November 5, 2021 by Karandi

It is amazing when a great group of characters get together. Here is my choice for best cast of characters in 2019.

I’m finding more and more that I’m less interested in stand out protagonists and more interested in the cast dynamic as a whole as I get a bit older. Probably that’s because with protagonists you’ve kind of seen most variations, but it is in the cast combinations and interactions where stories can make even pretty generic characters feel fresh and new. That’s why it feels right that I should end my look at 2019 by looking at some of the great casts of characters that we came across throughout the year.

Please note, the nominees and winning choice are entirely my own opinion and are not based on any rigid criteria. Feel free to nominate your own winners for the categories in the comments. Help other readers find some awesome anime from 2019 to watch.

Best Cast of Characters in 2019

This category was insanely hard to narrow down however I finally got my nominations down to 5. Even then, I wanted to give the victory to most of the titles in the nomination list.

Astra Lost in Space

Ascendance of a Bookworm

Dr Stone

Given

Run With The Wind

And the winner is…

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Dr Stone

Dr Stone was a curious anime that for about five or six episodes was perfectly fine to watch, interesting enough, but hadn’t really grabbed my attention. Then Senku left on his own and ended up at Ishigami Village where we met a delightful cast of characters who surrounded and bounced off of Senku for the remainder of the series. It brought the anime to life and turned it from a curiosity to a must watch. I cannot overstate how necessary the cast was in bringing this story to life and really grabbing my attention.

Individually these characters aren’t particularly unique or special. It is the combination of these characters, the way they group them within episodes, the small ways they contribute to the overall narrative, whether they are getting along or rubbing each other the wrong way, collectively the people of Ishigami Village are just great fun to spend time with. Despite some amazing characters in other anime, and ones I really do want to celebrate, I had to give the title of best cast to Dr Stone. The cast sold this story.

So many great choices but I’d love to know which anime had your favourite cast of characters in 2019 so be sure to share. Also, if you missed any of my best anime of 2019 posts be sure to check them out using the links below.

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Karandi James

Best Anime of 2019 – Sci-Fi Anime

Posted on January 30, 2020November 5, 2021 by Karandi

I love a good fantasy or sci-fi anime story but find the need for writers to show off their world building, scientific knowledge, or vocabulary can really drag on a story. Good sci-fi and fantasy organically integrate their fantastic or futuristic settings without drowning the viewer or reader in exposition. However what really makes the genre shine for me is the exploration of characters and possibilities. 2019 certainly gave us plenty of that.

Best Sci-Fi Anime of 2019

Narrowing down the options for this category was harder than I thought. In the end as long as there was some kind of futurisitc or technological lean to the premise and setting I decided to count it under the sci-fi banner rather than worrying too much about whether any of the science was sound. On that note, my nominations:

Astra Lost in Space

No Guns Life

Sword Art Online Alicization

The Price of Smiles

The Promised Neverland

And the winner is…

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Astra Lost In Space

Of course it was Astra. While this one minimises the science jargon and focuses more on the adventure of being in space, far from home, it manages to tell a complete story within its run time and builds up some very fun characters over the duration. Of course there’s the requisite space ships and the food analyser one of the kids fixes up so they don’t poison themselves as well as the threat of encountering a wormhole that will launch them back across the galaxy, but this is one case where the story took precedence over cramming in as much science-ish terminology as the writer could fit and it definitely paid off.

Honestly, Astra Lost in Space, or Kanata no Astra, is just plain fun to watch. Largely due to the interactions in the cast and the fact that they are planet hopping which means regular scene changes and quite distinct transitions throughout the series moving the story along. While the ending is a little bit too wrapped up nicely in a bow, given the number of non-anime endings out there, I’m not going to complain when a story gives me a solid resolution. Astra Lost In Space gets a solid recommendation from me and was my favourite sci-fi for the year.

There’s a lot to choose from and I know I didn’t watch all the sci-fi last year so I’m looking forward to hearing which sci-fi anime was your favourite?

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Karandi James

Best Anime of 2019 – Drama Anime

Posted on January 29, 2020November 5, 2021 by Karandi

Drama, drama, drama… anime is definitely chock full of dramatic works with characters going through some incredibly life-altering situations. Sometimes they are a little more understated but they can leave such a profound impact on the viewer. 2019 was a mixed bag for drama anime and me as I ended up picking quite few that jumped headlong into being full-on melodrama, but I still found a nice crop of dramatic anime for the year.

Best Drama Anime of 2019

This category had me struggling to pick a winner largely because anime does drama in so many different ways. While these are my nominations, I’d love to know what anime drama caught your eye in 2019.

Attack on Titan Season 3 Part 2

Fruits Basket 2019

No Guns Life

Run With The Wind

Stars Align

And the winner is…

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Run With The Wind

Run With The Wind did start in 2018, but the dramatic conclusion occurred in Winter 2019 so I’m counting it. This was definitely a solid anime to start the year off with and one that managed to give each of the ten characters their own story arc and mostly give them enough time to develop and ultimately resolve in the final stretch of the story. Throw in the underdog sports team story and you have all the drama you could want, beautifully told and with beautiful visuals.

I think I also really appreciate that Run With The Wind told its whole story in the space of its two cours. Sure you could do a sequel, a spin-off, or even a next generation thing but there’s no need. It was a lovely, self-contained story that really brought me into the lives of its characters and I loved it.

Okay, what was your favourite anime drama from 2019?

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Karandi James

Best Anime of 2019 – Fighting Anime

Posted on January 28, 2020November 5, 2021 by Karandi

When I first started out with anime it seemed all anime were fighting anime (of course, all the ones that seemed to ever be accessible were). Now I realise how many anime have nothing to do with fighting so it makes finding a fighting anime that really grabs my attention feel even more special. That said, 2019 was a little bit hit and miss with some anime really bringing the action and others being just a little bit more lack lustre than expected.

Best Fighting Anime of 2019

I’m just going to say before I get to the nominees, there was always a clear winner in my mind. While the other anime I’ve nominated here had the potential to be quite good, they never quite got there (for me at least).

Bungo Stray Dogs Season 3

Demon Slayer

Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon Season 2

One Punch Man Season 2

Sword Art Online Alicisation

And the winner is…

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Demon Slayer

This one ended up being a pretty easy decision. Going into the year, I would have thought DanMachi Season 2 was going to claim this because season 1 gave me several of my favourite anime fights of all time. I love watching Bell in action. While season 2 gave us action it just wasn’t anywhere near the same scale or as interesting as season 1. One Punch Man season 2 likewise lacked impact and Alicization gave us some great fights but a story that drove me nuts and so much down time. As for Bungo Stray Dogs season 3, it was very nearly a surprise winner for this category as it actually did have some very cool moments, but it really couldn’t stand up to Demon Slayer if we are talking about cool action sequences.

Even though I didn’t universally love Demon Slayer, one thing for sure was that once the confrontation with whatever new demon began, the anime really brought its A game to the table. The choreography, colour and fluid animation in these sequences is fantastic to watch and each fight is exciting and feels quite novel. Whether it is the early fights where Tanjiro is still kind of finding his way and is assisted at times by Nezuko or the later fights where we are joined by the usually annoying side characters who for whatever reason manage to look actually pretty cool while fighting, Demon Slayer definitely deserves to win this category.

What fighting anime would you have nominated from 2019? What do you think should have won?

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Karandi James

Best Anime of 2019 – Slice of Life Anime

Posted on January 27, 2020November 7, 2021 by Karandi

Slice of Life anime aren’t exactly one of my preferred genres and yet as I find myself getting a little bit older (I won’t suggest wiser) I am finding that calm and relaxing anime are definitely welcome in amongst some of the more plot driven fare I usually consume. 2019 gave me quite a few titles that I watched largely for that calm and stillness after a crazy day at work and so choosing my favourite from the year was definitely harder than I initially thought.

Best Slice of Life Anime of 2019

The nominees for Best Slice of Life Anime are:

Didn’t I Say To Make MY Abilities Average in the Next Life

If It’s For My Daughter I’d Even Defeat The Demon Lord

My Roommate is a Cat

Senryu Shoujo

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime

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Live a Live – RPG Game

And the winner is…

Senry Shoujo - Best slice of life anime from 2019

Senryu Shoujo

This was a hard decision between Senryu Shoujo and My Roommate is a Cat. Then again, My Roommate is a Cat already won for my favourite relaxing anime so maybe that influenced my view a bit. Anyway, Senryu Shoujo was perfectly adorable with the main character only communicating through writing poetry. There’s a bit of romance driving through the series but otherwise it really is just the daily lives of the two main characters as they go to school and get involved in school club activities.

There’s all the standards such as a beach episode, a test of courage, a trip to the amusement park and so on. Nothing overly earth shattering but with this cute cast it is very digestible. It was definitely my pick from the slice of life anime I attempted last year.

Okay, I know I’m not a slice of life guru, it isn’t a genre I actively seek out. So let’s get some recommendations from others. What was the best slice of life from 2019?

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Best Anime of 2019 – Continuing or Rebooted Anime

Posted on January 24, 2020November 7, 2021 by Karandi

2019 saw a lot of series returning or continuing and for quite a number of these, having not finished prior seasons, or even started them, it meant I wasn’t able to watch the follow ups. That said, there were more than enough anime that I had watched getting follow up series or getting rebooted for me to look at which returning series was my favourite for 2019.

Best Continuing or Rebooted Anime of 2019

This was a genuinely hard choice as you don’t get 3 and 4 series into an anime that you aren’t genuinely attached to. That said, decisions needed to be made. Here are my nominees for best continuing or rebooted anime in 2019.

Attack on Titan Season 3 Part 2

Bungo Stray Dogs Season 3

Fruits Basket 2019

Is it Wrong To Try To pick Up Girls in a Dungeon Season 2

The Morose Mononokean Episode 6 Ashiya and Yahiko

The Morose Mononokean Season 2

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Haikyu Kotaro Bokuto (Re-Run)

And the winner is…

Attack on Titan Season 3 Part 2

This was an incredibly tight race between Attack on Titan and The Morose Mononokean. I’d love to say DanMachi was up there but season 2 just didn’t have the thrill factor of season 1. The Morose Mononokean on the other-hand did everything better in season 2 bringing us some fantastic episodes and great plot and character development. It still wasn’t enough to rival the powerhouse that was Attack on Titan as it returned with a hard focus on progressing its plot in season 3 part 2.

This season of Titan gave us beautiful action, heart breaking decisions, characters who have finally grown up through their ordeals, and reveals…Oh so many reveals. It was kind of what viewers had been waiting for since season one ended really and it did it beautifully. This was the season that reignited my enthusiasm for Attack on Titan and now I’m definitely thinking I’ll be rewatching the whole series from start to finish once it is of course concluded.

Which continuing or rebooted series was your favourite from 2019? Be sure to share in the comments below.

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Karandi James

Best Anime of 2019 – Isekai Anime of 2019

Posted on January 23, 2020November 7, 2021 by Karandi

I really quite enjoy stories where protagonists are whisked off to far off worlds to go on adventures. There were so many things that could be said about the isekai anime of 2019. However that doesn’t stop there from being some fun and entertaining entries into the isekai sub-genre and 2019 gave us a bumper crop of possibilities. Not all of them were good mind you, but there were more than enough anime to choose from.

Best Isekai Anime of 2019

Part of me would like to do the reverse in this category. Rather than looking at the best, look at those titles that just missed the point and despite fitting well within the genre were just terrible to watch. For me, Demon Lord Retry fits squarely in that list though it wouldn’t be alone for mis-fires in isekai during 2019. Fortunately, there were plenty of fun titles for those who like a bit of otherworldly fun. Therefore I narrowed down my nominees for the best isekai of 2019 to the following:

Ascendance of a Bookworm

Cautious Hero

Kenja no Mago

Kemono Michi

The Rising of the Shield Hero

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Mondo: The Art of Soundtracks (hardcover)

And the winner is…

Cautious Hero

This was a very tight race in the end between Cautious Hero and Kenja no Mago, both of which I really just enjoyed. Neither was perfect of course, filled with the usual tropes and silliness of associated with the genre at this point, but they both gave decent characters and narrative. I’ll get on to why Cautious Hero won in a moment but let’s look at the others on the short list first.

The Rising of the Shield Hero was an anime I’d actually read the source for prior to watching. Reading the source you can read quickly through the slower parts of the story but watching it in anime form you are kind of stuck with a lot of down time where it feels like they aren’t getting anywhere fast. I found the anime watchable but not overly noteworthy as a result.

Ascendance of a Bookworm took a long time to grow on me and the story isn’t finished yet though I will admit that I can see now why it was being defended early on by those who read the source. It does get better as it goes. Finally, Kemono Michi was a bit of silly fun each week but the jokes get repetitive and the characters can’t quite overcome that. Which brings us back to why Cautious Hero wins for me.

I loved the protagonist, Seiya, from the start with his deadpan delivery of lines and his outright refusal to rush out and die. Instead he was all about careful and thorough preparation prior to battle. That gimmick carried the first half and while the middle episodes were a little less engaging, the ending of Cautious Hero more than made up for it.

I was very satisfied with the end of the season and that is a rarity in the isekai genre as so many of them rely on ongoing stories that usually never get fully made into anime leaving us with a ‘read the source’ conclusion.

Alright, from the dozens and dozens of possibilities, which isekai anime tickled your fancy in 2019 and why? I’d love to know and I’m sure anyone looking for a new isekai to watch would be interested as well.

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Karandi James

Best Anime of 2019 – Relaxing Anime

Posted on January 22, 2020November 7, 2021 by Karandi

There are some anime that are better than a hot cup of chocolate for calming your nerves and just helping all that tension leave your shoulders. These are the best relaxing anime from 2019.

Best Relaxing Anime of 2019

While some of my nominees are pretty obvious, one or two don’t seem like the kind of show that should relax the viewer. However, what one person finds relaxing another might find akin to nails down a chalk-board so to each their own and I’d love you to share your favourite relaxing anime from 2019 in the comments. Meanwhile, my nominees for this category were:

Dr Stone

Didn’t I Say To Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life

Fruits Basket

Kono Oto Tomare

My Roommate is a Cat

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Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai – Chinese Dress Version

And the winner is…

My Roommate is a Cat

This is the perfect bliss out anime for anyone who has ever owned a cat. Meanwhile as I draft this my cat is busily taking over the footrest of my computer table because it has a direct line of cool air from the air-conditioner. Dare I put my toes there they will surely be swatted and you know, I could move her but she just looks too comfortable and cute.

Anyway, I loved watching My Roommate is a Cat last year. It may not have been the most exciting anime ever but it had heart, the characters were great and you really got to know them well by the end of the series, and Haru, the adorable Haru, totally stole the season.

My roommate is a cat - best relaxing anime from 2019

I think what all my nominations had in common was they were at their best when they just let the characters be rather than forcing drama into the story. There was a joy just from seeing the people interact. While I’m normally bored by shows that don’t get to a point, these were all good just because they were relaxing to watch.

What’s your relaxing anime of choice from 2019? Be sure to share.

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Karandi James

Best Anime of 2019 – Dark Series

Posted on January 21, 2020November 7, 2021 by Karandi

Continuing on with my reflection on 2019. There were a number of shows last year that explored darker themes and tried to evoke an emotional response in the audience (that wasn’t laughter at the sheer corniness of it all). These dark series definitely appeal to a certain audience when done right so what was the best dark anime of 2019?

Best Dark Anime of 2019

Here’s the short list. Unlike romance, I had no trouble thinking of anime in 2019 that had decided to share a bit of despair with their audience, even if some did hide darker themes under jovial delivery. Whether they did so successfully was another story but here are my nominees.

Magical Girl Spec Ops Asuka

No Guns Life

The One’s Within

The Promised Neverland

To The Abandoned Sacred Beasts

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Live a Live – RPG Game

And the winner is…

To The Abandoned Sacred Beasts

Unlike best romance, this one was actually a pretty tough decision. Asuka was out because while it certainly had torture, pain and misery at its forefront, it abandoned the idea early on of actually dealing with PTSD in a serious manner and mostly just went for the shock factor. Still, if you like your anime bloody and don’t mind if the story is a mess, by all means check it out.

No Guns Life, despite some fairly complex themes and some really dark ideas, such as the kid having his vocal chords removed, continued to be fairly light and entertaining fare, never really dealing with the underlying darkness. The One’s Within was certainly intriguing but more curious than genuinely dark. Which left me to decide between The Promised Neverland and To The Abandoned Sacred Beasts which were both shows I really enjoyed in 2019.

To The Abandoned Sacred Beasts won out in the end because to me, The Promised Neverland was more about overcoming the challenges to find hope even when there was little there. With Emma at the centre of the story, no matter how dark the situation got, there always seemed to be that little ray of hope plugging away at the problem. Whereas, To The Abandoned Sacred Beasts looks at life after war for a soldier, specifically soldiers who were transformed into literal beasts in order to win the war and then thrown aside because they were no long useful.

While the story is imperfect and the pacing definitely a problem, in terms of exploring the darker side of human nature, To The Abandoned Sacred Beasts gave it a pretty good effort and it certainly left me feeling like it had dragged me through the emotional wringer. That’s why I ultimately decided that it was my best dark anime from 2019.

I’d love to know what titles you would have nominated from 2019 as the best dark anime of the year and what you think should have won. Be sure to share in the comments below.

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Karandi James

Best Anime of 2019 – Romance

Posted on January 20, 2020November 12, 2021 by Karandi

The last two weeks, going over my favourite anime from the last decade, were super fun, but as a result of planning those posts I didn’t really look back at 2019 in any meaningful way. The next two weeks are going to correct that as I look at the anime I thought were the best from 2019 (or at least from the anime I watched). Today I’m looking at Romance.

You may have caught my tweet last week where I realised I’d watched and reviewed 64 anime during 2019 – and that was just seasonal viewing. As a result I decided to look at which anime I thought was the best within a range of genres as well as my favourite cast of characters overall.

Best Romance of 2019

Firstly, the shortlisted nominees from the anime I watched that could be considered romances (2019 was not a good year for anime romance – or at least I was coming up a bit short).

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And the winner is…

Given

That was pretty much a given (sorry). If you followed the blog last year and the coverage of Given, you know I was pretty enamoured by this series and its sweet love story. While it isn’t taking out some of my favourite romances of all time, it was great seeing a BL title managing to avoid a lot of the usual tropes and actually taking a more grounded look at two teen boys falling in love. The support cast were also pretty sweet.

This series does a number of things right. It builds up the characters, provides a plausible basis for a relationship to form, takes its time in having the characters realise they are in love, directly addresses the issue of the fact that they are both boys and in Uenoyama’s case this is the first time he’s considered having feelings for another boy, and once they do realise they feel the same way, they step back and look at the implications for the band. It is a grounded romance story that has inherent drama but never slips over the line into melodrama. All of the characters feel real and their reactions also feel pretty real. Such a great story.

I will admit, I was struggling to find solid romance stories in 2019 that I enjoyed. There were quite a few stories that had romance in them but the romance angle seemed a side note to drama, comedy, or some other element. As a result, Given kind of ran-away with this category and I actually had to think long and hard to come up with other nominees.

Turning it over to my readers, what would you have picked as the best anime romance of 2019? I suspect Kaguya-Sama Love is War is going to get some shout outs but what other romances came out and which ones would you recommend?

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Karandi James

2019

Best Cast of Characters in 2019

And the winner is…

Dr Stone

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Best Sci-Fi Anime of 2019

And the winner is…

Astra Lost In Space

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Best Drama Anime of 2019

And the winner is…

Run With The Wind

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Best Fighting Anime of 2019

And the winner is…

Demon Slayer

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Best Slice of Life Anime of 2019

And the winner is…

Senryu Shoujo

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Best Continuing or Rebooted Anime of 2019

And the winner is…

Attack on Titan Season 3 Part 2

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Best Isekai Anime of 2019

And the winner is…

Cautious Hero

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Best Relaxing Anime of 2019

And the winner is…

My Roommate is a Cat

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Best Dark Anime of 2019

And the winner is…

To The Abandoned Sacred Beasts

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Best Romance of 2019

And the winner is…

Given

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