Top 5 Best Anime That I Watched in 2017 + Top 5 Anime Openings I Heard in 2017
Warning: The following list may contain spoilers of the shows on this list. If you wish not to know some plot details in the stories, or simply don't wish to find out what happens in the series that are mentioned, please exit the tab, and come join me once you've watched the first few episodes. But than again, if you don't mind spoilers, feel free to stay put.
Also, the pictures in my special posts are chosen randomly. Let's just appreciate the beauty that is young Kei before he goes full on salt. Doesn't he look precious?
These anime shows and openings are my personal favorites out of 2017, and won't be specifically ranked besides #5 in both (the best of the best). Ratings for my best list are mainly 8 or above, but some 7.5's will sneak in there.
With that said:
Thankfully, the anime I watched this year provided comfort and escape when I got too overwhelmed. The good news about this was only seeing one new horrid anime (Dynamic Chord) and a few meh ones; the bad news was that I didn't watch as many shows as I would have liked, thus making this list shorter than years previous.
But I should focus on the positives. The shows I watched were all at least good. The bad shows have packed their bags and flown to who knows where, because I don't see them or have watched them out of masochism. These are all finished and wrapped up in bows for a late Christmas. Even with minor problems, these were the ones that brought out the emotions inside me.
Oh, and ample opportunities to add more characters to my favorites because why not, right?
Oh, oops. These are all boys.
Hehe.
ANYWAYS, this fast-moving year and its best list has another component, that being my favorite openings. Since I found the past two years setups to be more efficient this way, I'm keeping the style as it is. You're welcome.
This list wasn't as hard this year, considering I didn't have a plethora of openings or shows to dwindle down, but it was slightly tricky to pick the ones that had the most impact on me. In the end, I think I got a good list, so it's time to show it off.
Let's start with the series first, since that's the first topic I talk about regardless. Going up first is:
#1
Nanbaka's second cour.
Everyone else and Mitsuru: Nanbaka is a comedy anime!
Me:
I mean, you can say that, but really, that's not the truth anymore. As stated in my first update post, the real dark s**t happens in this cour of Nanbaka when a long imprisoned sibling strives to have his revenge along with the help from some of his friends. Though we still have those hilarious moments now and then, the tone of this season begins to shift, and aside from the obvious lack of sparkles EVERYWHERE, darker shadows emerge from the bowels of Hell.
Still entertaining with a lovable cast of dorks, still colorful and well animated for the most part (the budget increased despite this streaming online in Japan), and still fun to listen to with its OST and audio (both the English dub and Japanese have their strengths, but the former is where it's at), I loved having this show in my life. Despite having some mild pacing issues toward the end, along with the biggest non-ending since Divine Gate, this was still a nice late Christmas present. What am I going to find next year that's as entertaining as you, Nanbaka?
Score to be revealed eventually.
#2
The Royal Tutor.
This show was pretty much up my alley the moment I heard about it. Though I had some worries, they were stomped down immediately as I started to watch the first episode. With a great story (while starting off as a slice-of-life, the final story arc is not that), lovely characters (SO SOFT), pretty animation, and another example of having a fun time no matter what language you choose (yet I still have four episodes of the dub to watch), this was a whole bundle of fun to end my previous school year and go into the summer.
I do think some of the character development wasn't as strong, as well as the score, but in the end, this was still incredibly satisfying and I couldn't ask for more. I'd like to see what the manga will offer whenever I pick it up in the next year or so, since I don't think a second season is possible, sadly. But you never know.
Score to be revealed eventually.
#3
Classroom of the Elite.
Hey, look. It's another anime that surprised me! I was expecting something completely different, but what I got still satisfied me. Pointless fanservice aside (and I do mean it when I say pointless), the novel-like pace helped move this show along well, offering great development of its world, characters, and some great animation to boot. Dedication came to the forefront here, and I wish to see it more among writers in the LN field.
Oh, and maybe studios could start adapting book series written by women? I haven't seen any novels that have a female author attached to them, but it would be really nice to see.
That point aside, I think this series started well, continued well, and ended with one of the biggest mindf**ks ever. I'd definitely recommend it.
9/10
#4
Code:Realize's anime adaptation.
It was tempting to put both Code:Realize: Guardian of Rebirth and Magic-kyun Renaissance on this list, as both gave me a fluttering heart. However, I decided to stick with just the former because HONEY CAN WE TALK ABOUT THIS?
I BASICALLY LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS AND WAS VERY ENTERTAINED! IT MAY HAVE THE DEVELOPMENT INEQUALITY THAT SOME OTOME ADAPTATIONS HAVE, BUT COMPARED TO OTHER SHOWS, IT'S NOT AS BAD! EACH CHARACTER WAS HOLY AND HAD SOME PRESTIGE OF HAVING TO PROTECT THEM AND UGH THAT ANIMATION WAS BEAUTIFUL!
NOT TO MENTION THE FINAL EPISODE TOWARDS THE END WRECKED ME WITH ITS CUTENESS! LIKE, WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT WOULD HAPPEN? I DIDN'T AND IT MELTED MY HEART AND CLEARED MY DRY SKIN AND MADE MY CHRISTMAS EVE AND JUST UGH YAS SLAY ME CODE:REALIZE! SLAY! ME!
I LIKE ALL OF THE BOYS, BUT IF I HAD TO CHOOSE JUST ONE, IT WOULD BE IMPEY! THOUGH ST. GERMAIN IS HEAVILY APPRECIATED AS WELL!
JUST THANK GOD I WATCHED THIS AFTER DYNAMIC CHORD FLOPPED BECAUSE I WOULDN'T HAVE DISCOVERED THIS GEM OF A SHOW AS SOON AS I DID! THANK YOU, JAPAN!
Score to be revealed eventually (sooner than the other two with this text, at least. I just need to finish the Broadcast Dub and also wait for that to wrap. It'll be in the next four for sure)
Before going onto my personal favorite anime (so obvious, BTW), here are the Honorable Mentions and the shows that wouldn't have made the cut regardless.
Honorable Mentions
Bungo Stray Dogs' second cour
Clockwork Planet
Hitorijime My Hero
Magic-kyun Renaissance
Place to Place
Not Quite Honorable
Soul Buster
Tenchi in Tokyo
Damn, this is kind of sad. But next year, I promise it won't be like this. I hope.
Are we ready, kids? All right, here we are:
#5
Katsugeki Touken Ranbu.
Everyone else when the love for my show comes out in full force is up above TBH. Sorry, everyone.
Like Haikyuu, this anime leaves me WEAK. I'd go into more detail, but I have a limit of one passionate fanboy session with this post (I also have a review), so just know that this anime means a lot to me, I loved everything once again, I need more, and UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LIKE WHY WAS THIS SO GOOD? I DON'T UNDERSTAND!
Don't worry, I'll be fine in about a couple paragraphs. Let's move on in the meantime.
10/10
One quick segue before I hit the opening list!
Now that I'm back and fulfilled my fanboy destiny, we still had some great anime openings this year! Thought not played on repeat as much, I still had fun singing along. bopping my head with the beats, and appreciating them with all of my heart. Again, all of the openings on this list are from shows I watched this year, but there are still many others out there from shows I haven't seen waiting for their turns.
After Highschool DXD's first opening, Gakusen Toshi Asterisk's first, and Qualidea Code's second, it's time to see what will follow with the help of screenshots and GIF's because easier accessibility, am I right?
I'm going to start off with:
#1
Clockwork Planet by fripSide (from the series of the same name).
This was my second offering of fripSide material. All I knew prior to hearing them was that they did stuff for the Certain Magical Index franchise (more specifically, Scientific Railgun) and that Yoshino Nanjo was the vocalist, known for her work in Love Live and Riddle Story of Devil. I had a few problems with their opening for Seraph of the End's second cour (the production was bad, Nanjo's vocals were incredibly thin to the point where they were washed out), so hearing that this group would return for this made me a little nervous.
Well, I didn't need to be. This opening was incredibly likable from its first listen and catchy enough that it was hard to not hum along. Nanjo's vocals worked better here even though they're still not the best, and the beat of the song reminded me of the time when the radio was full of club jams. It was a good way to start off each episode of Clockwork Planet because of its goddamn charm. I'm curious to see where fripSide will go next.
#2
My Sweet Maiden by Mia REGINA (from Sin: Nanatsu no Taizai).
This screenshot worked for me because it was the icon of the first version of the TV size edit in the anime on YouTube. Again, GIF's and screenshots outside of the fanservice moments of this series are hard to find anywhere I look. But regardless, I figured this opening was going to be a smash once I heard it in the PV.
From a trio I had never even heard of before this year, they were able to get two slots on this list and for good reason. Not only is this song incredibly catchy, the guitar driven melody easily stands out, churning along as the powerful vocals from all three ladies build up to a satisfying crescendo. There was a lot of passion put into this, and considering this was for a fanservice series (where most of the good openings seem to go), I'll gladly take it. Especially since I have the OST CD for this.
#3
Caste Room by ZAQ (from Classroom of the Elite).
The more I've found out about ZAQ, the more I respect her as a performer. She's deeply involved with composing, producing, and writing that it makes me quite happy. Plus, she's a great performer and has put out a few openings that I've enjoyed (for example, the one from Maria the Virgin Witch and Trinity Seven). I was expecting greatness here, and that's what I got.
We have another beat that's easy to jam out to, ZAQ's edgy vocals that come through very well and make you feel that intensity, and from the translations I've read, intricate lyrics that are detailed but not to the point of being pretentious. It's very entertaining and one that I will come back to in the years to come.
#4
Heart Signal by Wataru Hatano (from Hitorijime My Hero).
Wataru Hatano has impressed me more as a singer than a voice actor thus far. My favorite role of his thus far was his character in Yuri in Ice, but overall, his performances as a whole haven't pulled me in to his appeal compared to various other seiyuus. But his vocal contribution to the Yuri on Ice ending (if you glance past the additional effects done to his voice for that bop of a song) was quite good, so I was curious to see how he would pull this off.
Like the last song of his, Hatano is placed against a sugary electronic beat (this time albeit more cutesy) for another love song that manages to work pretty well for this kind of series. Yes, Luke, the tone may not match what you've seen of this series, but it works for what it is with catchy lyrics, a great beat, and hope that in the end, love wins. Despite the morals of your relationship.
#5
kalmia by Mia REGINA (from Code:Realize's anime adaptation).
I'm sure you can image my initial reaction to hearing this opening for the first time:
Yup, that's the one.
SERIOUSLY, HOW THE HELL IS THIS THE SAME GROUP THAT PERFORMED MY SWEET MAIDEN? FOREVER SHOOK! IT SOUNDS SO DIFFERENT! OH MY GOD!
Yeah, this opening became my favorite of the year based off of five seconds. The fact that one of the members of the trio wrote this makes my heart even happier. It's epic, builds into the best emotional sentiment I've ever heard, and is just a sad little bop that makes my heart soar and UGH IT'S EVERYTHING I WANTED BUT NEVER KNEW I NEEDED!
So, this was a complete snatch. The appreciation will stay with this one, even as I-
NANNNIMO
SHIRANAI SHOOOUJO NO YUME
MUUUUKU NIIIIIIII
KOIKOGARETETA NO
DAREEEMO
SHIRANAI SHOOOUJO NO TANE
MEBUKU
KIBOU
KIESATTAA KOODOKU
YURERUUU
GEEEKKOU NO SHIRUEEEETO
TOKEEEETA
YUMMME NO KAGE NI
FUREEEETE
MUSHIBAMERETA KONO MI MO
KIETA
KOKORO NUSUMU
UDE NO NAKA SAKIHOKOOOOOROU
Yeah, don't worry, everyone. I'll be okay.
And with that, both lists are a wrap! What do you all think of my picks? Did you agree? Disagree? Would you like to mention any other of your favorite shows or openings that I didn't mention here?
2017 is officially coming to a close, and I would like to thank all of you for tuning in when I came back in August. Next year will hopefully not be one where I put this blog into deep freeze for eight months, but one where I actually update this at least once a month. Happy New Year, and see you all in 2018 for more enthusiastic content!
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