Fall/Autumn has been a weird anime season. Not because of the anime. That’s been perfectly normal with plenty of solid shows, some middling ones, and some that have been iffy to dodgy. No, the community has been a bit weird largely because so many of us didn’t really get to watch much this season or were a little distracted by life. That really showed in the vote with this being the lowest number of votes for a seasonal favourite for a long time on the blog. Still, we do have a winner.
The top 3 of which are going to go into the best of the year poll which will open tomorrow.
One Vote
There’s a lot of sequels this season that got a small bit of love in the vote. That said, these titles fared better than those that received no votes.
Fairy Gone Season 2
Mairimashita! Iruma-Kun
Ore wo Suki nano wa Omae dake ka yo
Psycho Pass Season 3
Grandblue Fantasy The Animation Season 2
High Score Girl 2
Two Votes
Still going strong 4 seasons along and Food Wars is still topping some people’s lists, but its joined by a very mixed group of anime from shounen, isekai, comedy and sport.
Fire Force
Watashi, Nouryoku wa Heikinchi de tte Itta yo ne!
Africa no Salaryman
Ahiru no Sora
Food Wars Season 4
Three Votes
Top competitors for shortest name and title with most subtitles after it, these two clearly have some loyal fans out there.
Babylon
Sword Art Online: Alicization – War of Underworld
Four Votes
I never did get around to starting the second season of this.
Kono Oto Tomare Season 2
Five Votes
Another anime fighting for longest additional subtitles. This franchise just keeps on going.
Fate/Grand Order: Zettai Majuu Sensen Babylonia
Six Votes
At six votes each it is a battle of the isekai. Do you like your isekai protagonist to be a cute bookworm or a paranoid hero?
Honzuki no Gekokujou: Shisho ni Naru Tame ni wa Shudan wo Erandeiraremasen
Cautious Hero
Seven Votes
The only thing surprising here is how low My Hero Academia ended up. Then again, the season hasn’t got off to a great start and it isn’t finished yet. I’ll be interested to see where it is at the end of next season.
Hoshiai no Sora
My Hero Academia Season 4
Eight Votes
While the season end might have been a bit of a fizzle, this was fairly entertaining to watch and at least felt like it had its own tone and story to tell. I’m looking forward to its return in 2020.
No Guns Life
Eleven Votes
I’d love to watch this one but I don’t have the access at this point. Still, definitely on my future watch list.
Beastars
Top 3 – Going Into The Best of the Year Poll
12 Votes – Chihayafuru 3 Given the acclaim of the first two seasons I wasn’t surprised to see this one jump into the top 3. That said, the whole franchise is still on my to be watched list and I just haven’t gotten to it yet so I don’t have a lot else to say.
15 Votes – Vinland Saga Another anime I can’t yet access but it is on my watch list. The buzz around this one has been strong since it began so I was unsurprised to see it hold strong in the top 3 in the poll.
BEST OF THE SEASON
17 Votes – Dr Stone Dr Stone was definitely a slow burn in the beginning but as the poll shows, patience was rewarded this time around as the second cour of the anime really grabbed viewers. I’m not a big fan of telling people stuff gets better so they should keep watching it, but in the case of Dr Stone I really am glad I stuck around and I’m thrilled that this topped the reader poll and made it into the final vote.
Definitely curious as to what you think. Did the title you voted for make the top 3? Leave us your comment below.
Summer has been a hot season as far as anime go and I have to thank everyone who voted. 300 votes of the best of the season and now it is time to announce what you have chosen. The vote was incredibly close for the first couple of weeks but the final week saw the top pick race ahead. After that all the next couple of titles could do is scramble for second place. Still, it was interesting seeing how the order changed after final episodes aired.
Earlier I released my picks for the season but this post is all about the readers. Remember the top 3 choices will go into the best of the year poll. So, without further delay, lets get to the results.
One Vote
Yami Shibai 7
Toaru Kagaku no Accelerator
Maou-Sama Retry
Isekai Cheat Magician
Lord El-Melloi II Sei no Jikenbo: Rail Zeppelin Grace Note
Two Votes
Hakata Mentai! Pirikarako-chan
Okaasan Online
The One’s Within
Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san 2
Arifureta
Three Votes
Senki Zesshou Symphogear XV
UCHINOKO
Cop Craft
Tejina Senpai
Four Votes
Machikado Mazoku
To The Abandoned Sacred Beasts
Kawaikereba Hentai demo Suki ni Natte Kuremasu ka?
Five Votes
Dumbbell Nan Kilo Moteru?
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Seven Votes
Granbelm
Joshikousei no Mudazukai
DanMachi Season 2
Nine Votes
Carole and Tuesday
Fourteen Votes
Araburu Kisetsu no Otome-domo yo.
Fifteen Votes
Fire Force
Nineteen Votes
Dr Stone
Twenty-Five Votes
Vinland Saga
Thirty-One Votes
Fruits Basket
Affiliate Link – Game
Top 3 – Going Into The Best of the Year Poll
33 Votes – Given I’m surprised this one did so well in the reader’s poll. It didn’t seem to be getting a lot of coverage throughout the season. Though, given it was my pick of the season, I’m really glad it will at least get to have a run at being the best of the year. It is unlikely to win, but it is great that it got nominated. Seriously, this one isn’t just good for a BL, it is a great drama anime. Well worth the watch and if you gave it a pass because of the BL label definitely go back and give it a go.
36 Votes – Kanata No Astra Having finally had a chance to watch the final two episodes I am genuinely in awe of how good the story to this one ended up. It never over-reached or tried to be too ambitious, the characters continued to develop in logical ways, and all and all this one was just a fun watch from start to finish with the right mixture of humour and tension. I would not hesitate to recommend it and hopefully more people get a chance to see it before the end of the year.
BEST OF THE SEASON
53 Votes – Demon Slayer For a long time in this vote, Demon Slayer was more or less tied with Kanata no Astra and Given. However, the last week saw a run of votes and it raced ahead. I will admit, this seems to the anime that the largest number of people have been following and talking about and most people seem to enjoy it even if it isn’t their favourite, so that is likely where it picked up a lot of extra votes as people could pick up to three titles and this one would have had the most cross-over. Whichever way, it was already going into the poll for best of the year from last season, however if this vote is any indication, the other titles will need to work hard to stay in contention. This is by far the largest winning margin ever.
Definitely curious as to what you think. Did the title you voted for make the top 3? Leave us your comment below.
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.
They agree on the important things – RobiHachi
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.
You did, you were so cute. – Senryuu Shoujo
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.
Tono Oto Tomare was at its best when it focused on this delightful group.
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.
Sound advice from Mayonaka no Occult Koumuin.
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.
Just a romantic late night confession surrounded by friends – Kenja no Mago
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.
Obvious to everyone but them – Hitoribocchi in a nutshell
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.
Yep, definitely worth checking out if you haven’t – Bungo Stray Dogs Season 3
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.
If nothing else, The Rising of the Shield Hero gave us some excellent closure in the final episode.
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.
Brother and sister both equally determined – Demon Slayer
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.
She’s such a breath of fresh air – Fruits Basket
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.
Tragedy has never looked so cool – Attack on Titan
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?
Yay! Winter 2019 has been a fantastic season and while I shared my overall thoughts on the anime I watched this season earlier today, this post is about you, the reader and what you voted on.
So 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 313 votes which is the most ever for one of these polls. Thanks so much for participating.
1 Vote – 3D Kanojo Season 2 I tried this. I didn’t hate season one. But episode one of season 2 did everything I didn’t like about season one in the one episode and so I decided to wait until the season was done before I picked it up. I guess that means I probably need to do that at some point.
1 Vote – The Magnificent Kotobuki I haven’t really given this one a go and honestly none of the reviews I’ve read have really made me want to. Still, someone out there clearly likes it so maybe check out a review or give it a go.
1 Vote – The Price of Smiles As much as I’ve defended the Price of Smiles during its run, anime of the season it really isn’t. Still, I was happy to see someone gave it a vote because it wasn’t actually that bad and some parts were actually reasonably good.
1 Vote – Pastel Memories I tried an episode of this and it didn’t work for me. Very few people have covered it this season so I’m still undecided if I should go and try and binge it. Still, one person thinks it is worth the time.
1 Vote – JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Golden Wind I oopsed and left this one off the polling list but one determined voter wrote it in. I’m guess this would have received more votes if it had been listed. Sorry.
2 Votes – Magical Girl Spec-Ops Asuka Not for everyone, this is a dark magical girl story with a bit of a military colouring. There’s torture and fairly bleak situations for our fairly young heroes to face and the ending is pretty much a non-event. But in terms of dark magical girl stories, this one brings some interesting ideas and you could certainly do worse.
2 Votes – Meiji Tokyo Renka Fair enough. This one isn’t anime of the season quality in any way, but it is a nice, average, and fun anime and one well worth checking out if you in any like reverse harems or time travel stories with a bit of a supernatural edge. It’s cute and harmless and I’ve had fun, but I fully understand why two votes is all this one collected.
3 Votes -Bang Dream Season 2 I didn’t watch season one and I’m not even really what this one is about. But three people think it is great so maybe check out a review of it.
3 Votes – Kemurikusa Another one I accidentally left off the list to vote for and yet 3 people wrote it in – one in all caps so I assume they were frustrated that they couldn’t vote for it. I have no idea about this one at all but clearly some readers believe this one needs your attention.
4 Votes – Domestic Girlfriend Kind of curious about this one getting four votes. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had a lot of fun with this trashy romance this season, but I still find it interesting that some have decided it is the top of the season.
4 Votes – Date a Live 3 Haven’t watched season 2, don’t really intend to. Also haven’t really seen many reviews of this one so I was surprised to see it picking up votes.
4 Votes – Wataten! An Angel Flew Down To Me Watched part of one episode of this. Not for me. Definitely worth checking out someone else’s review though to see if this is something you’d like.
6 Votes – Kakeguri xx I didn’t get very far into season one of this one and have no idea what has happened in season two. Six people think it’s awesome though so maybe this one is worth trying if you watched the first season.
6 Votes – Endro Honestly this one surprised me by how charming it actually has been and six votes here does not surprise me. There’s a definite appeal to this anime even if it doesn’t grab everyone.
8 Votes – The Morose Mononokean Season 2 It got votes! Given how few people have been covering this anime I’m just happy that this one collected any votes. Season 2 has improved on season one in every way and has been highly entertaining. If you were waiting for it to finish before picking it up, now’s the time to binge.
9 Votes – Boogiepop wa Warawanai Still haven’t actually finished watching this one. I’m finding it increasingly hard to do so. That said, for all that a lot of people find this one confusing and a little dull (and I’d be in that list), there are plenty of people who’ve found it to be quite a compelling story. 9 votes here reflects those who have really connected with this one.
12 Votes – The Quintessential Quintuplets I’m honestly glad I didn’t cover this one this season. I watched a few more episodes beyond the first one after some positive reviews from other bloggers but it just isn’t my kind of story. That said, this one is probably one to read the reviews for because if you like the set up and style then you may very well have a good time with this one.
13 Votes – My Roommate is a Cat This may very well be one of the underrated gems of the season. Not perfect by any means, but a really nice watch if you are looking for something low key with just enough feels to give you some warm-fuzzies at the end.
14 Votes – Sword Art Online Alicization Colour me shocked that this even got 14 votes. I genuinely went into Sword Art Online Alicization wanting to enjoy it and have a good time given I’ve been a fan of the franchise since Aincrad, and to be honest I’ve been left mostly wondering where the fun has gone from the series. Still, some people are clearly still enjoying it and hopefully they will get what they are wanting from it when it continues.
19 Votes – That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime I honestly expected this to be higher, at least higher than Shield Hero. However, on reflection, even the die hard fans of the show have gotten quieter during the second cour so maybe that slump kind of put them off a bit. Still, with a season two coming and a fairly strong core audience, I don’t think this is the last we’ve heard of slime.
25 Votes – The Rising of the Shield Hero I’m a little surprised this one made it so high. Certainly there are readers who have been enjoying it but there are plenty who have made it known that they don’t like this anime and find it quite problematic. And yet, here it is.
Affiliate Link
Top 5
26 Votes – Run With The Wind So happy this made a top 5 appearance. I know this one has been very low key compared to some of the big names this season, but it was my pick for best of the season and really the sheer consistency of quality in this one as well as the wonderful way the drama of the story unfolded just made it pure joy to watch (when it wasn’t causing me to burst into tears of sadness, happiness, and frustration on the character’s behalves in the final few episodes).
32 Votes – Kaguya-Sama Love is War I knew this one would reach fairly high in the reader’s poll. While it is doing very little for me, it is an incredibly well made anime so if the characters and the comedy work at all for you I can fully see why this would be an enjoyable watch.
Anime Going into the Best of the Year Poll
33 Votes – Mob Psycho 100 Season 2 I haven’t finished season 1 and I wasn’t a fan so I certainly haven’t tried this. Still, I knew going into the vote, this one was going to be well favoured by my readers. The number of you covering it on your blogs and giving it glowing reviews speaks volumes. While not for me, this one has certainly been a crowd pleaser.
34 Votes – Dororo Yeah, I can’t watch this one (no access). So we once again get the anime that’s been heaped with praise of the season that I couldn’t watch even if I wanted to. Eventually I will see it and alas by then the hype will have made it impossible to live up to, but hopefully it is sooner rather than later because I am very curious about this one.
BEST OF THE SEASON
49 Votes – The Promised Neverland Okay, no surprise here. The Promised Neverland has just been good. Even if you aren’t a fan of the genre, each episode has been well put together and it has told a remarkably coherent story. This one was charming and excellent fun and I really hope we get more anime as well made as this one has been.
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?
With 12 titles going head to head, the top 3 anime from each season, it was always going to be a close race. With a day to go the top 4 were within 4 votes of one another. Then there was a last minute rush and the top 2 titles kind of took off.
Thanks to everyone who voted and who shared the link. I do think I’m going to keep this format next year of only including the top 3 series of each season in the final poll as it makes the final poll far more manageable.
But for now, let’s announce winners.
Tied for third place, with 13 votes each, we have March Comes in Like a Lion Season 2 and My Hero Academia season 3.
I was really pleased that March performed so well given it isn’t an anime that gets mentioned a lot. That said I absolutely love it and feel it definitely deserves a place among the top of 2018. My Hero Academia it is far easier to understand why this one got voted up and while season 3 wasn’t my favourite, it is still overall a fairly solid story.
In second place we have Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai with 19 votes, only one vote away from winning.
This one was clearly always going to do well in the poll having been talked about at length during the Autumn season and having only just ended it was fresh in everyone’s minds. A very quality anime and well deserving of the mention.
However, that leaves us with the anime of the year.
Waiting for more fireworks.
And it is Sora Yori Mo Tooi Basho or A Place Further Than The Universe with 20 votes.
Now this was an anime I didn’t really get into and ended up dropping two episodes in. I did go back after in won best of the season and tried to watch it again. It really isn’t my kind of show. That said, it is fairly clear what the appeal of this title is and if you didn’t watch any anime last year this is an excellent starting point.
Thanks again to everyone who voted, the full results are below, and we’ll be back again at the end of the winter season to start shortlisting for 2019.
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