Anime in Retrospect: 2020

The year of 2020 was rough, wasn't it? Natural disasters, political turmoil and a global pandemic really messed with everyone's plans for it. Although I wasn't particularly affected by any of it, most countries' economies and markets were hit pretty hard. That also extended to the anime industry. Massive delays, understaffed productions and general lack of budget and production time during the lockdown reflected on the quality of this year's anime overall. However, in the sea of mediocrity that was 2020's selection of anime, there were some gems that shined brightly enough that they were able to somewhat improve the picture. As I did last year, I'll go season by season and cover all anime that I completed this year and in the end give the mandatory best of award for what I think was (or were) the best anime of 2020. As always, the studio name will be given in the brackets next to the show's name.

Winter

Anime that I watched:

Interspecies Reviewers (Passione)

Darwin's Game (Nexus)

BOFURI: I Don't Want to Get Hurt, so I'll Max Out My Defense. (SILVER LINK.)

In/Spectre (Brain's Base)

Dorohedoro (MAPPA)

Id:Invaded (NAZ)

Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! (Science SARU)

Isekai Quartet 2 (Studio PuYUKAI)

Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story (Shaft)

Heya Camp (C-Station)

Altered Carbon: Resleeved (Anima)

Goblin Slayer: Goblin's Crown (White Fox)

Interspecies Reviewers caused quite a stir back when it first aired due to its

nature. Namely, the show was dropped by multiple streaming platforms because it "didn't align with their values". So, what was that whole thing about? Well, Interspecies Reviewers is an anime about a group of friends in a fantasy world who go around and review brothels. Ecchi comedies are a dime a dozen nowadays, however Interspecies Reviewers pushes the boundaries of what can be shown before the anime is dubbed a hentai. But, here's the thing: Interspecies Reviewers is genuinely funny. I expected the show to be reusing the usual, boring "hehe sex funny" jokes for the millionth time, however the jokes were really funny and unique, drawing mostly from the bizarre nature of the show's situations that arise from its premise. The cast was goofy and lovable, and their chemistry was great which resulted in some amusing running gags throughout its twelve episode run. Overall, I must say that I enjoyed Interspecies Reviewers far more than I thought and I would highly recommend it if you're looking for a good laugh, but I would also recommend you to watch it in private, lest you lose your public image.

Darwin's Game was honestly

quite boring and generic. Dude gets thrown into a battle royale unwillingly and has to survive and adapt to this new and harsh reality while forging alliances with potential comrades in order to win. Everything about Darwin's Game just screams "mediocre" to me. From the predictable, overused plot, the bland and underdeveloped characters and average production values it just seems like your average seasonal anime that you forget in a month after it's finished airing. Watch it if you have a craving for the edgy action it offers and have way too much free time. Otherwise, there are plenty of other shows that can give you way more entertainment for your time.

BOFURI: I Don't Want to Get Hurt, so I'll Max Out My Defense. - with a name this long, you just know it has to be a Light Novel adaptation. And if it's an LN adaptation, chances are high that it will be an isekai. And that's exactly what we have here. BOFURI is yet another isekai power fantasy that follows and overpowered protagonist in their adventures, but this time, instead of an edgelord Kirito rip-off, the protagonist is a cute girl. The show follows Maple, a highschool girl who gets invested in a newly released MMO. Being an inexperienced gamer Maple decides to just stack points into her defense stat and manages to completely break the game, so much so that the developers start nerfing her. To be honest, at first I wrote BOFURI off as just a generic isekai but I must say that I ended up enjoying it quite a bit. The show balances action and slice of life moments pretty well, and the action sequences are decent. The goofy cast was entertaining to watch and Maple's way of dealing with different situations in-game was pretty funny at times. Pair that up with a decent production and you've got quite an enjoyable, although a bit forgetable experience.

In/Spectre was also a decent seasonal anime that aired during the Winter 2020 season. An urban fantasy dealing with Japanese folklore and urban myths, its premise follows Kotoko and Kurou, youth whose lives are deeply intertwined with the supernatural, who try to solve the mystery behind the appearance of a malicious ghost of a tragically deceased idol.

For me, In/Spectre hooked me up at first because urban fantasy with a dash of mystery is right up my alley, but the awkward pacing and weak resolution of the story's arc made it quite a mediocre anime in the end. The last two to three episodes kept dragging on which made for an underwhelming climax. On the other side, the chemistry between the main couple was nice and both of their backstories were interesting. Concerning the production values, animation was decent, but nothing special. When you sum it all together, In/Spectre is a show that starts off strongly only to fizzle out by the end.

Dorohedoro was a wild ride, and perhaps the prelude to what MAPPA had in store for us in 2020. Set in a grimdark world known as the Hole it is the story of Kaiman, a bounty hunter with a lizard-like head and a deep resentment for mages. Kaiman's journey to lift the curse casted on him and regain his memories brings him in conflict with En, one of the most powerful people in the world of mages. Dorohedoro was simply awesome. When the first PV dropped, it really interested me so I decided to check the manga out. Two days later I finished reading the final chapter. The world of Dorohedoro is dark, twisted and macabre, yet full of humor and together with a unique cast of wacky characters that populate it, it presents itself as a breath of fresh air amongst an oversaturated landscape of generic isekais, shounens and high school slice of life comedies. What worried me most about this adaptation was that it was to be animated in 3D, and with the exception of the works of studio Orange, 3D in anime rarely looks good. However, MAPPA delivered with great art design overall, excellent compositing and pretty sharp models. It wasn't Orange levels of 3D animation but it came pretty close at times. I also have to mention the acid trip which were the OP and ED. Looking back, Dorohedoro was an excelent adaptation and I'm excited for what is to come next in a potential season 2.

Id:Invaded was a really decent anime original by studio NAZ. The self-proclaimed great detective Sakaido wakes up inside a fragmented world, with the knowledge of only one thing: having to solve a murder. But in actuality, Sakaido is the representation of Akihito Narihisago, a detective turned convict who solves murders using a sophisticated system known as Mizuhanome, which allows certain individuals to dive into the minds of murderers under certain conditions. With the premise being already this engaging and mysterious Id:Invaded proves to be a competent sci-fi thriller. From the first episode it gave me Christopher Nolan's Inception vibes with all the diving into the subconsciousness deal. Narihisago is a well written protagonist, a good man who lived through a trauma which changed him forever. The supporting cast was decent, if somewhat flat, with the exception of Hondoumachi who was also fleshed out really well. Although I must say that the ending is a bit too predictable the story overall was enjoyable, thrilling enough to keep your attention with some really well done plot twists. The animation was good as well, with some nicely directed and coreographed fights, and I liked the character design and art direction too. To sum it up, Id:Invaded is a pretty solid anime original, and worth at least checking out.

After the brilliant existentialist acid trip that was Devilman Crybaby director Masaaki Yuasa returns with a brilliant, insightful meta-anime: Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! As the epithet meta implies, Eizouken is a show about making anime in which three high school girls decide to start making doujinshi animations. And no, not that kind of doujinshi. Doujinshi just means self-published work. But before I stray too far into cultured territory let's get back to the topic at hand. Eizouken was a truly inspirational show. Just seeing the three girls from different backgrounds and with different interests united by their shared passion for animation motivated me immensely. And with Yuasa's excellent direction the show is allowed to explore that passion for creation in a truly meaningful way. From the changes in art style, the voice actors making onomatopoeias to mimic the sound effects that will be added in the final product and the trio's imaginary journeys through the worlds they create, not only the characters' passion but the passion of everyone on the Science SARU team shines through. Even the opening is incredibly unique. Honestly, I could sit here and gush over Eizouken all day long, but if I did that this post would develop into a 20 000 word essay about why animation is great but I have to stop myself here. In short, Eizouken was one of the highlights of this season and the entire year and a beautiful testament to the amazing power of animation as an artform and I wholeheartedly recommend it.

A second season to Isekai Quartet is, in my opinion, enough to make you realize that each season is slowly becoming oversaturated with isekai and that Kadokawa basically holds a monopoly on that setting. So in short, it's more of the same, except this time Naofumi and the rest from Rising of the Shield Hero are here as background characters. Not that more of the same is bad in any way. As a fan of all the series this anime is a crossover off, I must admit that I enjoyed it quite a bit. The chemistry between the different casts is really good and we actually get some character development. We even get to witness some unexpected friendships start budding. And yes, Aqua is still useless and everyone's favorite punching bag. So yeah, Isekai Quartet 2: more of the same, but still good.

As a big fan of Puella Magi Madoka Magica, I expected great things out of Magia Record. Maybe it was because the source material is outstanding or because CloverWorks's amazing adaptation of Fate/Grand Order gave me hope that mobile game adaptations can be worthwhile. Either way, I was greatly disappointed. Magia Record is a dull anime with a forgetful story and shallow characters that is getting carried by its great visual design. Although even there, studio Shaft seems to have lost their edge a little. Another thing that stuck out like a sore thumb is that the anime tries too hard to make its world seem as strange as possible, but whereas in Madoka Magica the strangeness of the world enriched the story, here it just feels like a cheap way to try to tie the two shows together. Same thing for returning characters: they're just there to be present on screen in order to tie things together without doing anything of relevance to story progression. Gen Urobuchi's writing, together with Akiyuki Shinbou's direction, made Madoka Magica the masterpiece that it is. Without either, Magia Record as a spinoff fails to capture what made the original great, and ultimately makes the whole thing just look like an attempt at cash-grab not worth watching.

Generally speaking I'm not a fan of slice of life anime, but there's something about Yuru Camp that makes it my perfect comfort anime. It's the combination of great visuals, moe characters and chill atmosphere that push it beyond other slice of life shows that I watched. So I'm happy to say that Heya Camp captures the appeal of Yuru Camp in a smaller package. With every episode being around two minutes long it is a super short and super sweet series that serves to satiate the fans' appetite for comfiness before season 2 airs (Note: as of writing this season 2 started airing and it is as comfy as it gets). And there isn't much else to say. It's just Yuru Camp girls doing Yuru Camp things, but this time it's really short. If you've seen Yuru Camp, just find those 30 minutes of free time and watch this as well. You won't be disappointed.

Altered Carbon: Resleeved is a tie-in anime film to the Netflix series of the same name. Set some time before the first season of the show, it follows the main protagonist of the series, Takeshi Kovacs, who is tasked with protecting a teenage tattoo artist named Holly amidst turmoil caused by the death of a yakuza boss. Resleeved joins Dorohedoro as the second 3D anime on this list. And honestly, it isn't half as bad as I thought it would be. The action set pieces were pretty fun at times, and the story expanded on the Altered Carbon world. Regarding animation quality, it was pretty good for a 3D anime, although not as eye popping as the works of studio Orange (Beastars, Land of the Lustrous). What bothered me somewhat is that shading made organic textures look plastic in some scenes, but it wasn't very noticeable. The VFX and lighting was great, and it shows the advantage the use of CGI presents in animating effects, something studio ufotable are amazing at utilizing (although they were not involved in this project). I'd say that Altered Carbon: Resleeved is a worthwhile watch if you're a fan of the Netflix series and possibly if you're a fan of the original novels. Otherwise, it might be hard to get into if you're not familiar with the franchise, but that is only natural.

Goblin Slayer caused a bit of a controversy when its dark and brutal first episode aired. But behind that shocking first episode, it was a mediocre edgy fantasy about the anime version of the DOOM Slayer doing his job: slaying Goblins. Goblin's Crown serves as a continuation of the story. This time, Goblin Slayer and his squad get a request to save an adventuring noblewoman who has gone missing while on a goblin extermination mission. As a direct sequel, it is only natural that it brings more of the same: edginess and goblin slaying. White Fox did a decent job at animating the action, but it was nothing spectacular. There was also some pretty bad looking CGI, which made some action scenes look janky. The characters are still the same, except for the Priestess who actually got some superficial development. And I don't know what else I can say about it without going into spoiler territory. It's just the same old Goblin Slayer doing what he does best. If you're a fan, I don't see why you wouldn't watch it. If you're not familiar with the franchise and it piqued your interest, I'd recommend that you read the manga instead.

And that marks all the anime that I watched during Winter season of 2020. If you can't tell by now, there were only two shows that I would consider for the anime of the season: Dorohedoro and Eizouken. It's a hard choice between those two, but I'd have to give the win to Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! for being a brilliant love letter to the art of animation itself.

Spring

Anime that I watched:

Kaguya-sama: Love is War Season 2 (A-1 Pictures)

Tower of God (Telecom Animation Film)

Gleipnir (Pine Jam)

My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom (SILVER LINK.)

Fruits Basket 2nd Season (TMS Entertainment)

Princess Connect! Re:Dive (Cygames Pictures)

Ascendance of a Bookworm Part 2 (Ajia-do)

Great Pretender (Wit Studio)

BNA (Trigger)

Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 (Production I.G, Sola Digital Arts)

The Outcast 3rd Season (BigFireBird Animation)

Violet Evergarden: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll (Kyoto Animation)

The first season of Kaguya-sama: Love is War caught me off guard. Rare are the anime comedies that made me laugh as much as that show. So it's safe to say that I was excited for the second season of this fantastic show. And it didn't disappoint. On the contrary, it was much better than I expected. So good, in fact, that I couldn't bear waiting and started reading the manga. Because, behind all the running gags and slapstick lies a great high school drama with amazing character development. Sure, the main selling point of the series is its amazing comedy, but where it shines the most are the more serious, personal moments that let its characters shine. And the comedy enables the story to show the bonds of friendship and romance between the student council members grow as they spend more time with each other, playing to each of their strengths and weaknesses. The highlight amongst the characters this season are treasurer Ishigami and the newcomer Miko Ino. I've sung Kaguya-sama plenty of praises already, and I didn't mention its stellar animation yet. A-1 Pictures delivers again in this regard, going above and beyond to animate this show, with most of the animation cuts being unnecessarily complicated, whereas a lesser studio would have those scenes animated simply, probably on threes (eight frames per second), with only the characters' mouths moving. The opening and ending sequences are also visually stunning and creatively directed. So, season 2 of Kaguya-sama is just a straight improvement over the first season, and I can't wait to see more of it. I would highly recommend you to check it out.

"What do you desire? Honor and pride? Power and influence? Money and riches? Revenge? Or... to transcend all such things? Climb the tower and everything will be yours. At the top of the tower exists everything in this world, and all of it can be yours. You can become a god."

Tower of God is the first anime to be created in a collaboration between Crunchyroll and Line Webtoon, the largest publisher of Korean manhwa webtoons. It is the story of Bam, a boy searching for his friend Rachel. This search quickly brings him to the mysterious tower, atop of which lay all your desires. In order to have his wish fulfilled, Bam starts climbing the tower. The world of Tower of God sucked me in instantly. The mysteries surrounding the tower along with all of its unique world and power systems are designed really well. When I saw the first trailer it immediately piqued my interest, and before I knew it, I had read through all the 450+ chapters of the webtoon. Strictly speaking, Tower of God is a power fantasy isekai, but it manages to stand out in this oversaturated genre by simply not following most tropes related to it, partially thanks to it being a Korean comic instead of a manga or Light Novel. The animation style chosen by Telecom Animation Film also feels really unique, with striking character designs and an almost sketch-like feeling of the world. Although not filled to the brim with long cuts of sakuga, its visual design makes it stand out. Sheer animation quality might not be one of its strong suits, but the soundtrack certainly is. Composed by Kevin Penkin, of Made in Abyss fame, the music is brilliant and further emphasizes the strangeness and grandeur of the Tower. When you put a unique visual style, great world building and a thrilling and engaging story together and spice it up with a breathtaking score, you have a recipe for success. Tower of God truly delivers, although a lot of content from the webtoon has been cut to squeeze in the first season of the comic in 13 episodes. Nonetheless, it is a worthwhile watch if you want a new and fresh take on the isekai power fantasy genre.

I decided to check Gleipnir out on a whim. The premise of a death game is overdone to hell, but what made me interested was the fact that the main character could turn into an overgrown furrsuit. That bizarre fact alone made me want to see what it's all about. In the end I was highly underwhelmed. In my opinion, the characters were all unlikable with little development, the animation was inconsistent and the story was exactly what you would expect from a battle royale. At least the voice acting and character design were decent, and there was a couple of well animated fight scenes. Although it wasn't anything special, it was still better than Darwin's Game, which aired the prior season. My recommendation stays the same, though. Watch it only if you have a craving for an edgy battle royale with a wimpy main character.

My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom, or Hamefura for short, is the second isekai series on this list adapted from a Light Novel with an unnecessarily long name by studio SILVER LINK. Although they share the fact that they both have female leads and that both are similarly wholesome, unlike Bofuri, the premise of Hamefura is quite a unique one. The main character gets Truck-kun-ed into a fantasy world in the body of Katarina Claes, the villainess of an otome game she liked to play. Knowing that Katarina dies in all of the game's routes, she decides to fix everything to avoid dying again. As a villain, Katarina does a poor jobs because she is so likeable, innocent and pure. That doesn't make her a bad protagonist, though. Through her kind and compassionate personality, you follow her as she changes all characters around her to the better, building a diverse harem along the way, as is befitting of an isekai protagonist. The animation really isn't anything special, although the character design befits its otome game inspiration. All in all, Hamefura is a pretty wholesome and fun romcom that just so happens to be an isekai. It's a pretty decent watch, so if you're tryinng to find some fluff, you should try it.

I really enjoyed the first season of Fruits Basket when it came out. I was curious to see why everyone was hyped for the remake of an old shoujo romance. By the midpoint of the first season, I understood. The characters were really well written, and their struggles sometimes hit too close to home. So, leaving satisfied from that experience, I awaited the second season with great expectations. And it delivered in style. Even more drama, even more romance, even more feels, everything in season 2 was just bigger and better. And although I spoiled myself by accident on some plot points, those moments were still executed so well that they carried a lot of impact even though I knew they were coming. If there were any highlights that I needed to point out it would be superb voice acting, especially Maaya Sakamoto as Akito and Nobunaga Shimazaki as Yuki, and tension building in key dramatic scenes. Just like with the first season, I left season 2 of Fruits Basket really satisfied and I can't wait to watch the final season which was announced just recently. This is a must watch for drama fans.

After Magia Record, I was again disappointed in mobile games adaptations, but Princes Connect! Re:Dive, or PriConne for short, brought my hopes up again. The series is a pretty lighthearted fantasy that often makes fun of classic Light Novel fantasy tropes. The main character is a hero that is prophesized to save the world, but he has amnesia and can't even remember how to speak, which leaves him as the de facto comic relief, but it's not like the rest of the charming cast can't fulfill that role when needed, from the ever cute Kokkoro to the tsundere cat girl Karyl and hyperactive glutton Pecorine. And I have to give props to the voice actors, as this is the first time that I could hear most of them in main roles. As a relatively new animation studio, CygamesPictures thoroughly impressed me with their animation overall, but I must highlight their compositing work, which was nearing ufotable's in some shots. Compositing, of course, refers to blending together CG effects and traditional 2D animation. Good animation and a likeable cast make PriConne a treat and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good laugh.

Geez, I really did watch a lot of isekai in 2020, did I? Ascendance of a Bookworm Part 2 is yet another isekai, but this one too puts a unique twist on the genre. It is the continuation of Myne's story, the story of a librarian girl reincarnated as a peasant girl in a world where books are a rarity, and her fight for equality and knowledge by using the only power she has - her brain. The central theme is class divide in a feudal society, and the story tackles the issues of its world in a tasteful way. Myne, although extremely knowlegeable, is still merely a child, which doesn't give her much opportunity to act on her desire to change the society for the better. Thankfully, she is surrounded by likeminded adults who support her in her endeavors. The show also captures another thing: how difficult technological progress actually is. Aside from its serious narative, Ascendance of a Bookworm also has a lot of lighthearted moments that serve as a breather between the more dramatic segments of the plot, and they are highly welcome. Animation wise, the show isn't anything to write home about, but it has solid character design and color palette. When you put it all together, Ascendance of a Bookworm Part 2 makes a solid watch, and with its unique take on isekai I find that it's a worthwhile recommendation.

I had high expectations for Great Pretender, Wit studio's latest original anime, and for the most part it met those expectations. At some point, I thought that it might just be a serious contender for the anime of the year, but then the final arc of the series entered its conclusion and everything just fell apart. As it turned out, the story was just pretending to be good. With the way the final act, case four, ended, Great Pretender just made every meaningful moment of character development fall apart while also playing with the viewers suspension of disbelief. But let's put the terrible ending aside for now and talk about the rest, which was extraordinary. Wit are no strangers to creating a beautiful world, as they have proved with Attack on Titan (of which the final season is airing now - go watch it!) and Ancient Magus' Bride, and Great Pretender is no exception. The color palette is vibrant and the background art is stylish. The oversaturated, vibrant colors also allow Wit to composit 3D backgrounds in some scenes almost perfectly. So, safe to say that the show is a visual treat. The opening and ending are also really well directed, but I must ask you to pay special attention to the ending, with which I have finally gotten a chance to say that Freddy Mercury sang an anime song. The first three arcs, or cases as the anime calls them, are great. The first being my favourite, introducing our international cast of conmen, with Laurent and Cynthia being my favourite out of the crew. If we disregard the last case and just look at the first three, Great Pretender would easily be my anime of the season, but with the last arc being as it is, I can't say that. Taking all of that into the account, perhaps "Good Pretender" would be a more fitting name for the show. Don't get me wrong, I think the production values alone make it a decent watch, as long as you turn your brain off and accept its story at face value.

After Promare, I'm afraid to admit that studio Trigger has lost the faith that I had in them. BNA did absoultely nothing to regain it. It's the classic Trigger package that is getting tiring to write about: a stellar production brought down by its nonsensical plot, cracked out pacing and forgetable, if not sometimes dully written, characters. It worked for Kill la Kill several years ago because it was something novel, but nowadays Trigger just seems like a one trick pony. BNA is the story about a girl that turns into a Beastman and has to find out why this happened. The story shows some attempts at tackling racism and segregation and other difficult themes, but it fails to do so miserably in my eyes. The protagonists are spectacularly dumb with their decision making most of the time, the villain is so comically over the top that they can't be taken seriously... quite frankly, the entire story is a mess. The technical aspect of the show is, on the contrary, really good. Trigger is no stranger to stylish character designs and background art and are famous for their sakuga cuts. All of those elements are present in BNA as well, but do little to improve the viewing enjoyment. In the end, I was deeply disappointed with BNA and wouldn't recommend it.

Mamoru Oshii's adaptation of Masamune Shirow's manga Ghost in the Shell is a monumental work of science fiction that has spawned a massive franchise in the last 25 years or so. One of the most prominent spinoffs is Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex whose third season is subtitled SAC_2045. As a big fan of the 1995 film, I was very excited to see this one, even though I haven't watched the previous seasons of Standalone Complex. From the first twelve episodes, it was decent, but it left a lot to be desired. First of all, the animation is again full 3D and it looked decent, although not groundbreaking in any way. I had the same gripe with it as I did with the animation in earlier mentioned Altered Carbon: Resleeved, namely most of the stuff looked plastic and unnatural. I could give it a pass for the Major, since she is an android, but it looked really jarring at times. The story was entertaining enough to keep my attention, but some plotlines in the later half were plainly silly, which was a real shame because it was unintentional. So, should you watch SAC_2045. I'm not sure. If you are a fan of the earlier entries you might get some enjoyment out of it, otherwise maybe avoid this one. I, for one, will most likely give the second cour a watch whenever it comes out, simply because the story ended on a cliffhanger and I'm curious to see where it will go.

I love Chinese wire-fu movies. As a kid, I was glued to the screen whenever Zhang Yimou's films like Hero and House of Flying Daggers or Aang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon played on the TV. So when I saw that one fight from the third season of The Outcast that pays homage to classic kung-fu films I was impressed so I decided to give the show a try. I quickly binged some 36 episodes of the first two seasons and went straight into the third. Was it worth it? Absolutely not. Although technically not an anime but instead a donghua (Chinese animation), The Outcast aka Hitori no Shita is just a generic battle shounen that does absolutely nothing to improve upon the well known formula. Outside a couple of solid fights the animation is average at best and subpar most of the time, with terrible compositing and really ugly and overused CGI that make it look like a PS2 era game at times. The characters are also underwhelming, with little development and largely predictable and disinteresting stories. Overall, The Outcast 3rd season isn't worth it, and if you want to watch the fights just find them on youtube instead.

At first, I didn't like Violet Evergarden. I wrote it off too quickly as a shallow story that had amazing visuals and nothing else going for it. Oh, if I had only known how wrong I was. Now, after watching the entire show a couple times, I think that it is one of the best anime dramas that were ever made, and it's certainly the only one that made me cry. When Kyoto Animation announced not one, but two anime films that should serve as sequels, it's safe to say that I was enormously excited. However, not long after those announcements tragedy struck, as 36 lives were lost and 33 were injured in the 2019 Kyoto Animation arson attack. So instead of joyous, the release of this movie was truly sad, knowing that it is the last work of some immensely talented people whose lives were tragically lost. There was, however a silver lining in this tragedy, as we got to see a lot of new talent prove themselves with this project, finishing the work of those who sadly couldn't. And thankfully, Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll was breathtakingly beautiful. A bittersweet tale of two girls separated by circumstances who try to reconnect through Violet. The film is split into two parts, with each following one of the girls as they encounter Violet and start developing their relationships with her. I liked both the new characters, Isabella and Taylor, two orphans of war who found each other by chance and developed a sister-like bond. Unlike in the show that preceded it, the central theme of Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll isn't coping with the loss of a loved one, but instead separation and longing, allowing the story to explore a different theme and possibility of the two girls being reunited. I'm also glad that we see a more developed Violet who is still doll-like in appearance, but now has a deeper understanding of complex human emotions she struggled to comprehend in the show. On the visual side, the film is just stunning. The direction and cinematography were outstanding and animation, as well as the overall visual design, were superb, which is expected from Kyoto Animation. Overall, Violet Evergarden: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll is a great addition to an already amazing series and I can't recommend it enough.

So, those would be all the anime that I watched during the Spring 2020 season. There were quite a few shows that I enjoyed, but in my mind there is only one that deserves the Anime of the Season moniker: Kaguya-sama: Love is War Season 2. Although the likes of Fruits Basket, PriConne and Hamefura were really enjoyable shows in their own right, none of them stood out to me as much as Kaguya-sama did. The new Violet Evergarden movie was amazing as well, but since I watched several anime films this year I will make a separate film category when deciding on the best anime of 2020 overall.

Summer

Anime that I watched:

Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Season 2 (White Fox)

The God of Highschool (MAPPA)

Rent-a-Girlfriend (TMS Entertainment)

The Misfit of Demon King Academy (SILVER LINK.)

Fire Force Season 2 (David Production)

Sword Art Online: Alicization - War of Underworld 2nd Season (A-1 Pictures)

Konosuba Movie: Legend of Crimson (J.C.Staff)

Fog Hill of Five Elements (Nice Boat Animation, Samsara Animation Studio)

After years of waiting, Re:ZERO is back and stronger than ever. While the first season was a dark psychological thriller that just happened to be set in an isekai setting, this season adopts more elements of horror of various kinds: psychological, existential, eldrich, slasher. But before delving deeper, let's have a quick reminder about the plot. Natsuki Subaru is a boy transported to another world. Being a shut-in otaku, he immediately assumes that he was summoned as an isekai hero to save the world, only to be brutally murdered not long after that. He awakens at the beginning point of his new life again, and quickly concludes that he has the ability to return to set points in time upon dying. The new season finds Subaru finally triumphant after his fight at the end of the first season, but the feeling of victory is short lived, as he soon discovers that in order to win, he had to give up something incredibly precious to him. Without a way to get it back in sight, Subaru must continue moving forward with hope of being able to return things as they once were. Now that the synopsis is out of the way, let's start by stating this: the direction and writing in this show is impeccable. Every episode had me sitting at the edge of my seat, with even the most mundane scenes being filled with unease due to us, the viewers, and Subaru knowing about the impending doom that will befall the cast if Subaru doesn't manage to save the day. The pacing is also superb and almost every episode ends on a shocking cliffhanger that leaves you craving for more. The crave I felt was such that after the second episode aired, I immediately jumped to reading the web novel. As of writing this I have fully caught up with the novel's seventh arc, which is currently being published. In total that is a rough equivalent of 16 volumes of the Light Novel read since July. As I mentioned the writing earlier, I must also mention the amazing antagonist of this season's arc - Echidna, the Witch of Greed. With another amazing performance, Maaya Sakamoto brings the smug, calculated witch to life in great fashion. The rest of the cast is amazing as well, with Yuusuke Kobayashi giving a career defining performance as Subaru. The soundtrack by Kenichiro Suehiro is amazing as well, with some tracks like "Satella" and "Elsa Granhiert" perfectly capturing the horrors Subaru has to face on a daily basis. You'll notice that I didn't talk about animation in the show so far, and the reason is simple: with a story this good, the animation needs to be passable at worst to be of any importance. Although without many sakuga cuts, the animation is thankfully better than average most of the time, with a lot of detail given to some of Subarus deaths to make them even more brutal. Although each and every part of it is great, Re:ZERO season 2 somehow manages to be even greater than the sum of its parts. As the story will get even better in the next season, I am certain that we are witnessing the greatest isekai story told at its worst, and a true classic at its best. Since a simple recommendation would be a disservice to the show's greatness, I must implore you to give it a try, and if you do you too will bear witness to a tale of an incredibly ordinary human being forced to become an extraordinary hero.

The God of Highschool can be easily described in two words: wasted potential. Following after Tower of God, TGoH is the second anime to be produced as a collaboration between Crunchyroll and Line Webtoon and it follows Jin Mori, a high school student and talented taekwondo fighter who gets invited to participate in a mysterious martial arts tournament. On paper, everything about it sounded promising: studio MAPPA handled the animation with Seong-Hu Park directing (key animator and animation director for some episodes of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Zombieland Saga and Yuri!!! on Ice). However, the production committee and script writers absolutely butchered the story of the source material by trying to cram in more than one hundred chapters (first two seasons of the manhwa) into a 13 episode anime. The pacing is terrible, skipping way too much dialogue and character building scenes only to get to the next fight and it feels more like a Dragon Ball Z fights AMV rather than a fully fleshed out story. If you look at it from a technical aspect, The God of Highschool shines. The animation is crisp and clean and the fights are directed really well, with lots of dynamic camera pans and great choreography. A lot of fights used rotoscoping (animating over live action footage) which made the fights have an added touch of realism - minus all the flashy effects and superpowers, of course. The only thing that I disliked in the animation itself was the character design, specifically the reddish hues of the characters' noses which made everyone look like they have a cold, which wasn't the case with the art in the webtoon. Despite the great animation and fights, I can't really recommend The God of Highschool because of the awful pacing and at times confusing and poorly explained story. Instead, if you're interested in the series, go and check out the webtoon. It's got great art and awesome fights without skipping the story.

Urban Dictionary defines the word simp as follows: "someone who does way too much for a person they like." Kazuya Kinoshita, the main character of Rent-a-Girlfriend, is a simp. As a college freshman that got dumped recently, Kazuya finds an app that lets you hire girls to act as your girlfriends and decides to cope with his breakup by hiring Chizuru Mizuhara. It soon turns out that Chizuru is his next-door neighbor, and as one misunderstanding leads to another the two of them are forced to pretend to be a couple, leading to a contrived romcom plot. Let me just get this straight: I despise Kazuya. He is a spineless coward, a weakling and a creep who does absolutely nothing to try to become a better person and improve his life. Half of the time watching him on screen I was suffering from second-hand embarrassment. The worst thing is, he isn't even the worst person out of all the cast, that honor going to Mami, Kazuya's ex. Thankfully, Chizuru's power as best girl is so high that she somehow manages to balance it all out almost singlehandedly. Rent-a-Girlfriend feels like a massive trainwreck, one so big that you just can't look away from it. Every week I was eagerly awaiting the next episode, hoping that Kazuya will learn how to be less of a simp, only to be disappointed by the episode's end and then having to wait for another week. Unlike the outstandingly wacky story, Rent-a-Girlfriend's animation is completely average, and I can't think of anything that stands out or is worth being pointed out. On a second guess, maybe the opening sequence was decent. As a whole package, Rent-a-Girlfriend is a trashy romcom that comes around once every few seasons, and it might be worth looking into for the memes if nothing else.

On a scale of how good or bad a piece of media is, there exists a special kind of bad: the so bad it's good kind of bad. Think of something like Tommy Wiseau's The Room or The Wickerman remake. The Misfit of Demon King Academy falls right into that category. Yet another light novel adaptation from studio SILVER LINK. (but this time not an isekai) it's the story of Anos Voldigoad, the powerful demon lord who gets reincarnated 2000 years after his death and joins the Demon King Academy in order to regain his title. Misfit is your run of the mill underdog that is actually overpowered power fantasy story, except that it is so over the top that I can't be sure whether it is ironic or not. The plot twists are so stupid that you can't take them seriously so the show ends up being a comedy most of the time and I have a feeling that the story doesn't take itself seriously as well. Anos is the perfect main character for the type of show that Misfit is aiming to be, at times being the perfect caricature of an OP LN protagonist. Some of his one liners are really ridiculous but they fit the atmosphere perfectly. The animation isn't anything special but there are a few nice cuts here and there. The Misfit of Demon King Academy is an incredibly stupid and incredibly fun show, and it's worth checking out if you want a good laugh.

I wasn't really impressed by Fire Force's first season. It was a mediocre battle shounen with great production values, held back by its annoying fanservice which often broke the pacing. Thankfully, season 2 is a straight upgrade which fixes most of the problems of the first season while still staying consistent with its unique visual style. The fanservice was toned down quite a bit, and this time around it serves as setup for a couple of really funny scenes. The story was also more engaging, with the mysteries behind the Cataclysm and the Evangelist slowly beginning to unravel and we are introduced to many new characters on both sides of the conflict. The animation took a bit of a hit this time, with most of the fights not being as visually impressive as in the first season. Nevertheless, there were a few impressive and hype inducing action sequences. If you watched season one of Fire Force and liked it the second season is a must watch, otherwise I wouldn't bother with it since there are a lot more battle shounen of a higher quality around these days.

I have a complicated relationship with Sword Art Online. I love to hate it, yet I also hate that I kind of love it. The writing is so bad that I just can't take it seriously. It's a series that is full of cardboard cutout characters and a series that often confuses edginess and shock value for "mature themes" making even the slightest attempts at serious drama seem comical. But, there are some redeeming features to it. For one, the world building is decent and A-1 pictures handle the animation pretty well. So, where does all of this leave Sword Art Online: Alicization - War of Underworld 2nd Season? To be honest, it does absolutely nothing to try and improve upon the previous seasons, and as the conclusion of the longest arc in the series it fails to provide a satisfying ending after this much buildup. The first season of Alicization was good because it offered something new and fresh in a stale franchise, so to have it all return to just being Kirito saves the day for the who knows what time is really disappointing. I was expecting something more out of Alice's character as well, so to have her turn to yet another cardboard box waifu for Kirito's harem didn't feel right to me. Unlike the disappointing story, the animation was great. A-1 Pictures really went out of their way to animate some of the fights, with great genga as well as amazing compositing and CG. The soundtrack by Yuki Kajiura is amazing as always, though I would still say that her works from the Fate franchise are better. If it isn't clear by now, I wouldn't recommend SAO to anyone, and I think that you can find more enjoyment out of almost all other titles on this list.

Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! (God's blessing on this wonderful world) or Konosuba for short is, in my opinion, the peak of anime comedy. A wacky, stupid tale of a degenerate shut-in who gets transported to an another world, but instead of being a hero of his dreams he ends up being surrounded by a group of idiots and misfits with whom he has to save the world. Every episode of the series had me rolling on the floor laughing with amazing slapstick comedy and jokes that play heavily off of the show's viewers' knowledge of standard isekai tropes. The Legend of Crimson movie is the same in that regard. I can't remember when was the last time I laughed this much at a piece of media. The story is a direct sequel to the second season. This time, Kazuma and the crew must travel to Megumin and Yunyun's village because of a prophecy that it will be destroyed by the Demon King's army. The lovable cast of idiots are still as you remember them: Kazuma is still a piece of shit, Darkness is still useless, Megumin is still useless and Aqua is still useless. Wait... Well, besides the main crew, the new villain Sylvia is hilarious, her interactions with the perpetually horny Kazuma being comedy gold. The animation was surprisingly amazing, considering that J.C.Staff doesn't have the greatest record in that regard. Thankfully, Konosuba seems like a passion project for everyone involved, so its no wonder why they put this much effort into it. I also have to point out the great voice acting because its rare to find a project where the actors clearly have so much fun recording and the product still ends up being top notch. Konosuba movie: Legend of Crimson is an absolute blast and I consider it a must-watch.

Fog Hill of Five Elements is a short and sweet donghua that packs some of the most impressive fights of last year. With only three episodes, it is an adrenaline rush of almost non-stop action. This donghua's protagonist is Xuan, the guardian of the titular hill and a powerful fire user. After making a great mistake, Xuan needs to fight demons to correct his mistake. The story is simple enough and it honestly isn't anything special, but it serves as a great setup for the amazing fights. It is kind of ironic that in the last year, one of the most impressive "anime" fights came from a Chinese cartoon. But man, Fog Hill's animation is breathtaking. The first noticeable thing is it's unique visual style, with really thick line art and an almost aquarelle like color palette making it resemble a traditional Chinese painting. The fight choreography is also uniquely Chinese and they give me a Wuxia feel, although with more flair that animation as an art allows. What impressed me even more than choreography was the effects animation. The explosions and fire effects were a treat for the eyes. If you watch anime for its animation alone, I would highly recommend Fog Hill of Five Elements. It is really short and fast paced and it is a great way to kill time on a boring afternoon.

Although I feel that Summer season this year follows the trend of it being the most uneventful season of the year, there were still some anime that I really enjoyed. Well, one anime in particular - Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Season 2. Re:ZERO returned after a four year break and it came back stronger than ever, the current arc being one of the strongest in the series as a whole, making it an easy contender for the anime of the year.

Fall

Anime that I watched:

Jujutsu Kaisen (MAPPA)

The Irregular at Magic High School: Visitor Arc (8bit)

Akudama Drive (Studio Pierrot)

Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina (C2C)

Higurashi: When They Cry - Gou (Passione)

Talentless Nana (Bridge)

Moriarty the Patriot (Production I.G)

Burn the Witch (Studio Colorido)

Made in Abyss: Dawn of the Deep Soul (Kinema Citrus)

Jujutsu Kaisen is a banger. I really can't find a word that suits this anime adaptation of Gege Akutami's hit Weekly Shounen Jump manga more. As a fresh, new and exciting battle shounen with a darker tone and amazing production values it really stands out from its competition managing to create something special. JJK focuses on Yuuji Itadori, a youth blessed with extraordinary strength who, after losing his grandfather, decides that he will help people as best as he can. Things soon turn out sour when Megumi Fushiguro from Jujutsu Tech informs him that his friends from the occult club will unknowingly unleash a powerful curse and Yuuji is soon forced to become the vessel of the so called King of Curses - Ryoumen Sukuna. Jujutsu Kaisen knows its audience, so it often plays with shounen tropes allowing its characters to grow beyond well established archetypes of the genre. The story often defies expectations and goes in the direction you don't expect it to go, again utilizing the earlier mentioned tropes to subvert the viewers' expectations in ways that are creative, if not sometimes ruthless. I mentioned already that JJK's production is amazing, but man, did MAPPA really knock it out of the park with this one. Seong-Hu Park is back in the director's chair fresh off of God of Highschool, and here he also showcases his love for dynamic camera movement and amazing fight choreography. Akutami's manga is a masterclass at paneling and that translates exceptionally well into animation, with fights being explosive and exciting. The fights wouldn't be the same without the Cursed Energy power system, which is up there with Nen and Stands as one of the best power systems that I have seen, lending itself in order to create incredibly unique and well thought out powers. Everything in JJK just oozes style, and the soundtrack is no exception. The blend between electronic beats and hip hop fits right into the modern urban atmosphere of Tokyo, but also provides a sharp cotrast to the in-universe mythology rooted in Onmyoudou. Jujutsu Kaisen is the peak of todays Weekly Shounen Jump, certainly being one of the better if not the best currently ongoing manga in the magazine and the anime does it full justice, if not elevateing it to even greater heights, so it gets a no brainer recommendation from me.

The Irregular at Magic High School, or Mahouka for short, is just one out of a sea of light novels with gloomy, edgy main characters who are secretly overpowered. So if the source material is so generic and uninspiring it's no surprise that the anime follows the same beat. After that's said, why on Earth did I watch Mahouka's second season. Well, it's for the same reason that I watch SAO: it's a sort of guilty pleasure that I know is bad, but I still go back to it. In the Visitor arc, Tatsuya must discover the truth behind the mysterious vampire attacks while also having to confront Lina, US's most powerful mage. First of all, since production shifted from Madhouse to 8bit I expected a slight downgrade in animation quality, and honestly it didn't happen here. There were even some pretty good looking cuts. But decent animation isn't enough to push Mahouka above the mediocrity that it is and I really wouldn't recommend it. Instead, you should watch more meaningful and better shows.

It's no secret that cyberpunk is my favorite genre of sci-fi. So when I heard that there was a cyberpunk anime airing during Fall 2020 I just had to check it out. Akudama Drive is a stylish and fun cyberpunk action that is one of the best anime originals of the last year. The story follows a girl who lives in a dystopian Kansai, who by chance and a stroke of bad luck gets involved with the titular akudama, criminals who are considered a great threat for the society. Taking up the title of The Swindler, the girl must work with other akudama to sabotage Kansai's power structures under the threat of being killed by the one who orchestrated it all. First of all, the visual design of Akudama Drive is amazing. The character designs really stand out as they are designed by Rui Komatsuzaki, the character designer of Danganronpa. The color palette is also really distinct, with a neon pop characteristic of cyberpunk, giving Akudama Drive's world a Blade Runner-esque look. The animation is also pretty decent, one of the better works of Studio Pierrot in the last few years, offering a really well blended 2D character animation with mostly 3D backgrounds during action scenes. The fights were also pretty decent with solid emotional impact behind them. The story, penned by Kazutaka Kodaka, the writer of Danganronpa, is also entertaining and engaging, with some pretty decent plot twists in the second half of the show. Overall, Akudama Drive is a really solid anime original and is a fun watch for all fans of cyberpunk.

Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina took me by surprise. Again, I'm not really a fan of slice of life anime, but Elaina's adventures offered an interesting perspective on the genre, one that could be pretty dark at times. As is evident by the title, the story follows the young witch Elaina on her journey with everything that encompasses that, from ordinary day to day life to exciting adventures. Every new location that Elaina visits feels unique due to the distinct quirks that every nation and city in this fantasy world possesses. Elaina's adventures are often mundane and deal with trivial stuff, so it was quite surprising when some of the adventures took an unexpectedly dark twist, dealing with heavy themes like slavery, class divide, murder and past trauma. Although unexpected, those darker episodes were the peak of the show in my opinion, because they put Elaina in situations that tested her sense of values and made her question her choices. I don't have any particular comments about the show's animation. It was pretty standard and it didn't stand out in any way, for better or worse. Wandering Witch thus proved itself to me as an unexpectedly decent show, definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of fantasy and slice of life.

Higurashi: When They Cry is a classic horror anime based on the popular visual novel by the author Ryukishi07 so it is a matter of course that a new season of a beloved classic generates much hype. Thankfully, the new season, simply subtitled Gou (業 - karma), lives up to its predecessors in offering a suspenseful, thrilling horror story. The small village of Hinamizawa is a great location for the horror tale it is trying to tell, as the village's past is full of dark and unexplained events. As is expected, Hinamizawa receves a much needed facelift this season, as do the characters, which is welcome because the original seasons by studio Deen didn't really have the best track record with their animation and character designs. The characters are just as you remember them from the first two seasons. The focus this season, however, focuses more on Rika from the get go. The great new character design aside (done by Akio Watanabe, the character designer for the Monogatari series) the animation is nothing special, but it was passable. There were, however, some pretty gruesome kills which serve as a twisted way of catharsis after several episodes of paranoid tension or uncomfortably wholesome slice of life segments. Although animation quality isn't outstanding, the music definitely is, thanks to the legend Kenji Kawai returning to score this season as well. The uncomfortably creepy OP and ED are also amazing and fit Higurashi's atmosphere really well. I would definitely recommend Higurashi: When They Cry - Gou to any fan of Ryukishi07's work, as it ambitiously aims to connect Higurashi and Umineko, but I'm not sure whether new watchers will find it satisfying, as it is naturally hard to get into, considering that it's the third season of the show and all.

Talentless Nana is hard to describe without spoiling the great twist at the end of its first episode. The only way that I can describe the story is that in a world where superpowers exist, teens with extraordinary abilities, called the Talented, are trained on a secluded island in order to fight the mysterious and elusive enemies of mankind. However, there is an imposter amongst the kids - Nana. Nana isn't talented, but she pretends to be for an unknown reason, deceiving others only through her great power of deduction. The show is full of mind games, big-brained planning and deception, the most important of which are the mental fights between Nana and Kyouya. The show presents interesting scenarios for the characters to solve, but it's a shame that the writing can't fully follow the show's ambitions. Some of the difficult situation Nana gets into are solved solely through luck and simple deus ex machina writing, which is a shame. Nonetheless, the story is pure popcorn entertainiment so I was willing enough to ignore its flaws. Regarding the animation, it was simply mediocre. There was nothing that stood out with it, neither good nor bad. The anime did use changes of the color palette akin to JoJo for some creative depictions of its mental battles, so it has that going for it, I suppose. In the end, I wouldn't really recommend Talentless Nana, and from what I've seen from the manga, the next arcs won't get any better, so even if it gets another season I probably won't watch it.

Sherlock Holmes is a household name of detective fiction. Throughout the past 150 years or so, the character of this genius detective was featured in countless books, films, TV shows etc. Moriarty the Patriot presents itself as an interesting take on the well-known story, this time showing the adventures of Holmes's archnemesis, James Moriarty. Just like Sherlock, Moriarty is a genius, but one that uses his wit as a so called "crime consultant". Moriarty and his brothers are given an interesting backstory that I wouldn't want to go too much into, but although they are nobles themselves, they have grown to resent Britain's corrupt and twisted nobility due to their circumstances. The show's main conflict is class divide of Victorian era United Kingdom. The depravity and lack of basic human decency amongst the nobles is ever present in the show, however the way how its presented is purely black and white and a bit too much on the nose for my taste, often lacking the subtlety that such a serious topic demands. Moriarty and his accomplices apparently only go after evil nobles, but it doesn't help when we're not presented with any nobles who have at least a couple of redeeming features. The animation isn't sakuga abundant, and honestly, for this kind of anime it doesn't have to be. It wouldn't hurt if it were the other way, though. Despite its lack of subtlety, Moriarty the Patriot is still an entertaining watch, and I'll probably check out the next season when it airs in Spring 2021.

Tite Kubo has been best known for his famous (or if you ask some, infamous) Weekl Shounen Jump manga Bleach. After a long hiatus, he returned to the manga scene with a short work called Burn the Witch, which received a special, three episode anime adaptation this fall. Burn the Witch is set in Reverse London in a Britain plagued by dragons and it follows two young witches, Ninny and Noel, as they solve dragon related problems for the agency called Wing Bind. The story didn't catch my attention that much, if I'm honest. The characters were fun and the writing was decent enough, but the story is unfinished and it ends without a satisfying conclusion, which is a shame because Kubo's character design is superb and really stylish. The magic system also has potential, although it too remains underdeveloped. Being a short special, the animation is good, as should be expected. The action is smooth and well directed, and the character animation is expressive enough to be worth a mention. Because the story is basically unfinished, I'm not sure whether I can recommend Burn the Witch or not. I'll have to see more in order to give my final verdict on the matter.

I really don't know why I didn't include Made in Abyss in my quintessential anime list, because it has everything right going for it. A harrowing tale of searching for lost family, a beautiful world unexpectedly full of eldritch horrors, innocent characters that need to adapt to this unforgiving place and much more. Made in Abyss is a modern classic in the making, and this sequel movie, subtitled Dawn of the Deep Soul, further reinforces that notion. Having reached the bottom of the fifth layer of the Abyss, Rico, Reg and Nanachi must confront Bondrewd, the man behind Nanachi's tragic past, before being able to proceed further below. Along the way they meet Prushka, Bondrewd's daughter, and try to befriend her. Dawn of the Deep Soul hit me really hard, despite being caught up with the manga. I knew what was going to happen, I thought I was prepared. I wasn't. This movie is brutal, and really hammers home the fact that the Abyss is a terrifying place, and that in order to venture further down, you must shed your humanity. Bondrewd is a terrific villain. A purely utilitarian individual willing to do anything for what he considers scientific progress for the betterment of mankind. He is calculated, shrewd and extremely manipulative, and he owns every scene he is in. As a stark contrast to him, Prushka is a sweet and innocent little girl who is too good for the harsh conditions of the fifth layer, and her story is heartbreaking. Not only the story, but the visuals are impressive as well. Kinema Citrus really outdid themselves with this one. The vibrant, oversaturated, pastel-like color palette provides a stark contrast to the dark and glum atmosphere. The animation is outstanding as well, with great cuts of sakuga and amazing effects animation and compositing. As a whole package, Made in Abyss: Dawn of the Deep Soul is an impressive movie that is absolutely worth a watch. It left me speechless, and I believe that it will leave the same impression on you.

Although Fall wasn't as packed as some of the seasons of 2020, there were still some amazing shows to watch. Amongst them, one in particular stands out as a clear contender not only for the anime of the season, but anime of the year as well, and that show is Jujutsu Kaisen. Akutami's manga translates beautifully into animation offering us some of the best action of the entire year, maybe topped only by F/GO Babylonia's second cour which aired in January of 2020. One other title on this list deserves special mention, and that is the Made in Abyss movie. A great sequel to an already amazing show, it provided some of the darkest and most painful moments of the year, paired with amazing visuals and a beautiful soundtrack by Kevin Penkin, making it an easy contender for best animated film of the year.

Conclusion

Despite all the happenings in the world making 2020 one of the most difficult years to go through in recent history, the anime industry kept moving through it to deliver some amazing content. The two studios who were carrying 2020 pretty hard were MAPPA and ufotable, whose Demon Slayer movie (which I unfortunately didn't get to see yet) basically carried the entire Japanese entertainment industry, and as things currently stand will probably continue to do so in 2021, with MAPPA handling the final season of Attack on Titan and the much awaited anime adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto's Chainsaw Man and ufotable recently announcing the second season of Demon Slayer. One other studio to watch in 2021 is CloverWorks who are slowly but surely shaping up to be a new titan of the anime industry, if its to be judged based on their hits of Winter 2021: Wonder Egg Priority and Horimiya. As 2021 is slowly shaping up to be one of the best years for the anime industry in a while, let's take one last look at anime in 2020 and give some obligatory, yet ultimately meaningless awards.

The candidates for best new anime are: Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, Great Pretender, The Misfit of Demon King Academy and Jujutsu Kaisen. And the best new anime award goes to:

Jujutsu Kaisen

The candidates for best sequel are: Isekai Quartet 2, Kaguya-sama: Love is War Season 2, Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Season 2 and Higurashi: When They Cry - Gou. And the best sequel is:

Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Season 2

The candidates for best anime film are: Goblin Slayer: Goblin's Crown, Violet Evergarden: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll, Konosuba Movie: Legend of Crimson and Made in Abyss: Dawn of the Deep Soul. And the best film award goes to:

Made in Abyss: Dawn of the Deep Soul

And that, ladies and gentlemen, would be my look back at 2020 anime and my take on what the best out of them are. Here's to a better 2021, and hopefully you'll hear from me again soon.