Saturday, December 31, 2016

Remembering 2016: Best of Anime


There has been a strewth of new and returning anime shows throughout the year 2016. From ice skating, to idols, to the edge of tomorrow, to video game-based animes, you name it, you tell them how good  (or bad) this year's anime offerings are and regardless on which way you're watching those shows, you are glad that you are a fan on those anime shows offered in 2016.

In this final part of this yearender, time to jot down the best 16 anime shows of 2016.

1) KONOSUBA - The hilarious adventures of teenager Kazuma Sato and would-be goddess Aqua are highlighted in this anime series where the unlikely duo embarked on a quest to a mysterious world overrun by the powerful demon king.

2) Bakuon! - Targeting bike enthusiasts who love to hit the open road with their fast bikes, this anime centers on the life and times of Sakura Hane, a schoolgirl who became part of her school's bike club and then set off on an epic road trip across Japan with their motorcycles.

3) Mahou Shoujo Nante Mouiidesukara - This bizarrely fun anime series is about an average girl named Yuzuka Hanami who encountered a mysterious creature named Miton and told Yuzuka that she has the makings of a magical girl. Sadly, when Yuzuka transforms, her costume's only a swimsuit.

4) Aikatsu Stars - Served as the successor of the Aikatsu franchise, this new series ventures on the life and times of Yume Nijino, a young girl whose dream is to follow the footsteps of her idol, Hime Shiratori, who was part of the Four Star Academy's elite group of students known as the S4.

5) High School Fleet - A certain someone believe that the main reason why she likes this anime so much is because TrySail did the songs on this naval anime series about a young girls named Akeno on her journey to become one with the Blue Mermaids. This anime is set in a near future when tectonic plates shifted, causing Japan to lost almost all of its land due to submergence, prompting the rise of coastal and marine cities.

6) Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World - This hit anime series of 2016 is about an average schoolboy named Subaru, who ended up on another world and encountered a mysterious girl he rescued. To repay the debt, Subaru is on an adventure to help the mysterious girl find something she's looking for, and that meant he's pushing himself to the edge of tomorrow.

7) Love Live! Sunshine!! - The Love Live Sunshine TV show aired from July to September of 2016 and it centers on the origins of Uranohoshi Girls High's school idol group, Aqours, comprising of Chika Takami, You Watanabe, Riko Sakurauchi, Ruby Kurosawa, Yoshiko Tsushima, Hanamaru Kunikida, Dia Kurosawa, Kanan Matsuura, and Mari Ohara, and how this school idol unit was formed in the hopes of picking up where the famed school idol unit μ's left. There has been some joy, sadness, disgust, anger, and fear felt throughout the show and regardless of the emotions, fans worldwide finally understand who the Aqours really are.

8) New Game! - This slice-of-life anime series centers on the life and times of Aoba Suzukaze, a high-school graduate who enters her life as part of the game company that created her favorite game and working for their upcoming sequel.

9) Mob Psycho 100 - From the creator of One Punch Man, this explosive anime series is about a young man who didn't realize that he has psychic powers and tries to hide his powers from the world until chaos ensues and made him the marked man because of his psychic powers.

10) 91 Days - This suspenseful crime drama anime centers on an town made infamous for the black market sales of illicitly brewed liquor and highlights on the 91-day chronology of the two ill-fated men named Avilio and Nero.

11) Girlish Number - This anime is about Chitose Karasuma, who begins her life anew as a seiyuu filled with dreams, hope, and ambition, although unaware of the harsh reality awaits her voice acting career. With friends and rivals, Chitose's seiyuu life is one heck of a ride for her and this anime is very relative for the voice actors and voice actresses of today.

12) Magical Girl Raising Project - The anime series centers on the life and times of Koyuki Himekawa, a huge fan of magical girls, who was chosen to become the new Magical Girl Snow White of the popular social game until the game has turned into a deathmatch where 16 magical girls are battling themselves until the winner is named.

13) Sound! Euphonium 2 - Sequel to last year's anime series, this anime continues the life and times of Kumiko and her brass band colleagues continue their journey following their win at a certain band competition in Kyoto, facing old pasts and new challenges Kumiko may come across.

14) Pokemon Sun & Moon - A day before the launch of the Sun and Moon games, an anime adaptation of the newest installments was aired on TV Tokyo. In this new series, Ash and his longtime Pokemon Pikachu are venturing through the Alola Region as...yes, a student of the Pokemon School. Throughout this journey, Ash must take on a new kind of challenges throughout the Alola Region while meeting new friends, enemies, and Pokemon.

15) Touken Ranbu Hanamaru - The first of the anime projects based on the popular browser game franchise, this series is about the stories of the Hanamaru days of a certain group of Sword Warriors in a certain citadel. Set in a distant future, it centers on the life and times of men who are forged from swords doing their usual stuff before dispatched through history to stop the History Retrograde Army from altering history. You heard that?

16) Yuri!!! On Ice - Considered as one of the best animes of 2016, this inspirational sports anime is about a Japanese figure skater named Yuri Katsuki, whose life changed forever when a veteran Russian skater Victor Nikiforov became his coach and...um...well, long story short but everyone in the world got hooked on this breakout sports anime show with some "boys love" stuff aboard.

...and there you have it. After all, with so many stuff happened in the year 2016, good or bad, I'm very glad that this year has finally came to an end and turning the page to the year 2017 with new hopes, new challenges, new troubles, new crises, and endless possibilities that will keep the world loud enough to be heard. After all, it's a loud, loud, loud, loud world after all. Everything is possible but if you believe in your faith, your destiny, your luck, and yourselves, here's hoping we can survive the year 2017 unscathed and overcome all our fears here, now, and for many years to come.

Until then...HAPPY NEW YEAR 2017!!!

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