Alright, here we are. The last top 5 list of 2018 anime titles and it is the list of my favourites for the year. This list was brutal to make because as much as the Spring and Summer seasons didn’t really work out for me, 2018 started strong in Winter and the Autumn season is one of the best I’ve seen. Now, I haven’t included any anime from the Autumn season that are incomplete on the final list here so Run With The Wind, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime and several others weren’t considered. Otherwise, anything that aired and finished in 2018 that I watched was considered and there were still a lot of strong contenders because there are shows that were technically amazing but not really my style and shows that were just great fun, but not technically impressive. Trying to balance it for a top 5 list was incredibly hard but I’m happy with the final list.
Previously I’ve just done my favourite anime as part of my best and worst of the season posts so this is the first official top 5 list of best anime from a year. No surprise though that Yuri on Ice took out my favourite anime of 2016 and March Comes in Like a Lion took out best anime of 2017.
On that note, I’d love to know what your picks for the year were so please leave a comment below.
Honourable Mentions:
For 2018 my honourable mentions go to two shows that I really loved and had great fun watching, but both are fairly riddled with problems in terms of visuals, presentation, pacing, and narrative. That said, that didn’t stop either one being fun. For 2018 my honourable mentions go to Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens and Spiritpact Season 2.
Number 5: Banana Fish
An emotionally wrenching journey this anime definitely knew how to hit its audience in the feels. Okay, logically nothing in this story makes sense and contextually it is dated even if they did do a patch job to move it into the modern era. However, these characters have charm and make it very easy to get behind them and want them to succeed. While seeing Ash do his Rambo act might be unrealistic it is certainly satisfying. The subject matter won’t be for everyone with sexual assault among other confronting issues taking a central role in the narrative. All and all though, this was an exhilarating ride to go on this year.
Number 4: Attack on Titan Season 3
Honestly, I wasn’t expecting this one to show up on my best of the year list. And yet, Attack on Titan season 3 managed to give us some fairly solid character work and some pretty impressive plot development given how stalled both seemed during season 2. I ended up really enjoying what we got of Attack on Titan in 2018 and while I know the second part is coming out next year, this season was enough to get me interested in this franchise again.
Number 3: Bloom Into You
An anime I went into with very little expected of it. However after a fairly ordinary start, Bloom Into You very quickly won me over with its very solid direction and visual symbolism. It is an incredibly impressive telling of what is a fairly ordinary story but the amount of thought and care put into the execution of this one definitely makes it one well worth the watch. I’m still not a huge fan of Yuri and high school romance in general, but I would firmly recommend this one to anyone because it is fantastically presented.
Number 2: Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai
No surprise that this one made the list. It took a lot of reviewers by surprise with its strong dialogue and clever writing. While not a flawless series, this one managed to balance its supernatural elements as stand ins for the normal stresses and anxieties faced by teenagers in high school in a manner that was both relatable and charming. With a cast of characters that were superbly written and thoroughly enjoyable to spend time with. Other than the animation used for characters running this anime can almost do no wrong and what few complaints I have about it definitely come up sounding fairly petty. It’s a wonderful story and one that you should definitely check out if you haven’t.
Number 1: March Comes in Like a Lion Season 2
Okay, anyone who follows my blog is not surprised by this. As much as Bloom Into You and Bunny Girl Senpai were solid late entries for 2018, they just couldn’t shake my love of March Comes in Like a Lion. It is every bit as visually impressive as Bloom Into You and the cast of characters are every bit as charming and relatable as those in Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai. As tough a decision as these three made it, March Comes in Like a Lion season 2 comes out ahead because I just can’t imagine it being any better.
There it is. My Top 5 anime from 2018. Now I’d love to know yours.
Or, use one of my product affiliate links.
TENSEI SHITARA SLIME DATTA KEN 1/6 SCALE PRE-PAINTED FIGURE: SHION SWIMSUIT GRAVURE STYLE
- Top 5 OP’s of 2018
- Top 5 ED’s of 2018
- Top 5 Disappointments from 2018
- Top 5 Surprisingly Good Shows from 2018
- Top 5 Visually Interesting Anime from 2018
- Top 5 Couples from 2018
- Top 5 Mascot Characters and Pets from 2018
- Top 5 Heroes from 2018
- Top 5 Villains from 2018
- Top 5 Duos from 2018
- Top 5 Female Anime Characters from 2018
- Top 5 Male Anime Characters from 2018
- Top 5 Anime from 2018
Nice to see Bloom Into You there! 😛
I have to get into Banana Fish ASAP though! After I watch Tales of Zestiria (I want to watch it before playing the Tales of Berseria) it’s probably going to be the one I’m gonna watch that it’s not in the season side xP
Banana Fish definitely has its problems, not the least of which is the lack of sense some elements in the plot make, but it isn’t really about that. It is definitely the feels and the journey and it gets those elements right almost every time.
My top 5…
5. Iroduku – despite the weak ending, it was pretty strong through most of it’s run.
4. Laid Back Camp – surprisingly good despite being (on it’s surface) a straightforward CGDCT show. Not in the least because of it’s strength of characterization.
3. Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai – Pretty much for the same reasons you list. Would have scored higher if not for the deep weakness of it’s final arc.
2. Bloom Into You – Astounding characterization, incredible storyboarding, etc… etc…
And number one should come as no surprise because I’ve been shouting about this show to anyone who would listen ever since about ep 2 aired:
Yorimoi – What can I say that hasn’t been said? Well directed, strong characters, etc… A strong coming of age drama that really is a must watch. (And I say that rarely.)
Very nice list and while Yorimori didn’t work for me, I agree it was a very nicely done anime and it is one I would recommend people try.
No surprise, I love every single one of the top 3.
I adore character dramas, so no real surprise there.
Yes, thinking back over last year these character dramas really stood out over any plot driven stories. I would really love a great plot driven anime this year but if the character dramas are as good as some of these I’ll still be pretty happy.
I’ve never been able to get into “March Comes in Like a Lion”. I don’t know why. Bananafish went off the rails for me when it stopped just being a street hoodlum vs a mafia don.
I’d probably put Bloom at number one instead. March would drop into honorable mention and be replaced with Yuru Camp. Banana would drop into honorable mention and be replaced by Yuru Camp and FLCL Alternative/Progressive tied for 5th place.
I have not seen Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens and Spiritpact Season 2, so I cannot rank them.
For me March Comes in Like a Lion works because I really connected with the characters. I think if that connection is lacking the viewing experience will probably also be lacking. However, for me it is that unmissable viewing experience and I am so glad I found it.
I didn’t start watching seasonal anime until the summer, so there’s plenty to catch up on, but my 5 favourites are Bunny Girl Senpai, Demon Lord, My Hero Academia 3, High School DxD Hero, and Violet Evergarden.
I also put off watching season 3 of Titan until all of it had been released.
I just couldn’t get into Violet Evergarden. I tried it after it finally became available and it had a lot of recommendations from bloggers I tend to like similar things too, and yet it just didn’t really work for me at all. Demon Lord was definitely a lot of fun last year though.
Fun tends to weigh heavily on how much I enjoy shows. I love the clever ones and a good twist, but even without those if I had fun watching it will stick in my memory.
I am so here for Bunnygirl Senpai. I expected it to be hot garbage and it was actually my 2018 fave.
The title and promo image were pretty misleading about what we were going to get with that one.
I really need to make sometime for Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai and Bloom Into You, I think.
Both were very solid during the Autumn season and just fun to watch.