Okay, I didn’t expect that.
Thank you to everyone who voted. 2019 was a more low-key voter turn out than 2018 and that is kind of reflective of so many bloggers who have been getting caught up in real world business. Still with the poll open for one week there were 103 votes and we did end up with a winner in the end even though for the first half of the week we had about half the anime titles in the poll sitting evenly for first place.
Remember the poll included the three best anime from each season, but because Demon Slayer made the top 3 for best of the season twice last year there were only 11 titles in this final poll. Without any further delay let’s see where they all ended up. There are no losers here. All of these anime were chosen as part of the best of their season. However, when going head to head for best of the year, someone had to get the least votes.
11. Dr Stone – 3 Votes
Dr Stone was an anime that won a lot of viewers over in its second cour but I’m guessing that a lot of the same viewers who enjoyed Dr Stone in the season it was airing liked some of the other titles more from the rest of the year. That said, still a great anime from 2019 and one that if you didn’t watch you will hopefully try because it ends up being a lot of fun.
10. Kanata no Astra – 6 Votes
The early votes had Kanata no Astra up with the top of the pack but then that is where it stayed. I really loved this anime and just found watching these kids try to survive in space and get home was a lot of fun. Also, the story finishes very nicely making it a good stand alone watch.
9. Chihayafuru Season 3 – 7 Votes
Okay, I’m still yet to watch anything from this franchise, but given the loyalty of the fanbase I was surprised that this one didn’t climb higher during the voting. Chihayafuru is on my watch list though I doubt I’ll get to season 3 anytime soon.
8 – 6. Mob Psycho 100 Season 2 – 8 Votes
8 – 6. The Promised Neverland – 8 Votes
8 – 6. Attack on Titan Season 3 Part 2 – 8 Votes
A three way tie between titles that all had a lot of buzz during the year. I didn’t watch Mob Psycho 100 Season 2 having not enjoyed season 1 all that much, but I do know many bloggers who thoroughly enjoyed both seasons one and two. The Promised Neverland was great fun to watch and to speculate about each week. Though having aired so early in the year usually does work against a title in the best of the year polls. Meanwhile Attack on Titan Season 3 Part 2 made me actually really love the fact that I kept watching the franchise. While the second half of the first season and season 2 felt like they were dragging, season 3, and particularly part 2, was hitting us hard with reveals and character moments and ended up being truly delightful to watch.
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5. Dororo – 9 Votes
This one is streamed on a service I don’t use so alas I’ve still yet to see it even though it is definitely on my watch list. Dororo had a lot of people talking, particularly in its earlier episodes, and I really hope I one day can watch it.
4. Fruits Basket – 11 Votes
Nostalgia may have played a role in this as did the overall desire by so many fans for this franchise to get rebooted. However, unlike some other series reboots that have met with mixed reactions, Fruits Basket 2019 delivered exactly what fans had been wanting and was absolutely gorgeous to watch. While this anime may not be for everyone, I was thrilled with this season and I really can’t wait for more.
3 – 2. Demon Slayer – 14 Votes
3 – 2. Vinland Saga – 14 Votes
Now if you were to ask me going into this poll which anime was going to win I’d have picked one of these two. Vinland Saga I don’t have access to but I have been hearing the hype since this one started. It has a large and vocal fan base and honestly from what I’ve read about the anime, it seems fairly warranted. I really want to watch it. Demon Slayer also created a splash and with its great looking action and memorable characters it definitely won over the shounen audience this year. While I didn’t end up quite as in love with it as some viewers, I can definitely see the appeal of the show and honestly I was surprised that it didn’t win the vote.
1. Given – 15 Votes
And my readers have spoken: Given for anime of the year, 2019.
I was completely surprised by this outcome. More surprised two days before the poll closed to see Given had jumped ahead of Vinland Saga by two votes. While the final flurry of voting brought Demon Slayer and Vinland Saga right up behind it, they couldn’t catch it. If anyone had asked me what I thought the odds were of Given winning this vote, as much as I loved Given, I certainly wouldn’t have made them particularly high odds.
Given was such a sweet BL story about two adorable guys who end up in a band together. The animation isn’t impressive, probably due to budget restrictions, but they’ve made up for it through a phenomenal use of sound and shot composition. Not to mention the two main characters are absolutely adorable.
Here is the official poll results:
And that wraps up 2019. Now our focus can turn to 2020 as we start looking for our next anime of the year.
Thank-you for reading 100 Word Anime.
Join the discussion in the comments.
Karandi James
Glad to see the results of the poll. I had been waiting for the results for the past several days. Although I voted for Vinland Saga I was actually pretty surprised to see it get as many votes as it did. Happy to see I wasn’t alone.
Wish I actually had more votes than one, but I felt like it was a good showing of contenders. Winner of the poll actually took me by surprise as well.
The one vote only made it very hard to decide because there were so many shows that excelled in different ways last year.
Demon Slayer has a couple of characters who dragged it down for part of the season. I feel Nesuko is being unnecessarily abused. That gag in her mouth really really bothers me.
I still haven’t seen Vinland Saga. I think I got burned out on the Vikings series on TV. Nor have I seen Fruits Basket. Maybe someday.
Given was really good. I think is is proof of my contention that a good love story is a good love story and the gender of the characters isn’t all that important.
My heart still belongs to Chihaya though. Season 3 hasn’t lost any of the magic.
Yes, I enjoyed Demon Slayer but it wasn’t my anime of the year. I certainly see why it will probably win more mainstream votes for anime of the year though.
I didn’t vote for Given myself, but it’s probably the result that makes me the happiest out of all the possible outcomes. The surprise has a lot to do with it. It’s really a show that deserves the prize. Congratulations to Given!
I was very happy too. I really enjoyed watching Given and I enjoyed rewatching it with a friend recently. I did not expect it to win any kind of popularity contest but apparently a lot of my readers also enjoyed it.
I honestly did NOT see that #1 coming. Personally, I thought it would be a toss up between Dr. Stone and Demon Slayer but I’m not complaining! I adored watching Given come to life and Demon Slayer isn’t far behind. The results for Dr. Stone does surprise me but all in all it was a great year of anime!
I think a lot of Dr Stone’s votes went to Demon Slayer because they would have appealed to a reasonably similar audience.
That’s a fair analysis seeing as how I’m guilty of doing the same!
Wow, Given as number one?? I mean, I’m not complaining! Wish Astra got more rep tho.
True, but with so many good titles last year and people only able to choose one something had to miss out on votes.
The results were fairly interesting. I wouldn’t have guessed some of these would have been where they ended up.
It’s very hard to tell going in though because each of these shows had fans within their season but when they go head to head people need to make the hard choice. They might have loved The Promised Neverland or Dr Stone but they then have to put that against shows from other seasons. I know I struggled thinking about what I would have voted for in this list.
Yeah, that’s for sure. If anything, it makes this sort of thing all the more fun though 🙂
I’m glad to see Vinland Saga so high up! The anime was amazing so I’m glad to see it there! 😊
I honestly expected Vinland or Demon Slayer to win just based on what seemed to have the most positive buzz this year. Very surprise with the result.
That is very true. Both had a great buzz before, during and after airing so they were probably favourites to come out on top. But it’s nice to see a surprising outcome like this.
Well that was a surprise.
Agreed. I certainly didn’t expect it going into the poll.