Muse's Top 12 Anime of 2013

As the year winds down along with the Fall season, I'd like to take a post to look back and cover my favorite titles from 2013. While they're isn't any contest or voting going on this year for top show (that I'm aware of), I'm keeping the format that I used for Kidd's Aniblogger's Choice Awards since that kept things pretty concise. While I did rank the shows, I feel that they are all equally great examples of their genre and/or style and recomend every one of them!


12. Pokemon Origins
While I adored the Pokemon anime growing up (I definitely wouldn't be here now if it weren't for that show), I did wonder what the show would be like if it followed the games more closely. Fast-forward to 2013, and I finally have my answer. Orgins caters directly to the nostalgia factor, playing up memorable in-game dialogue and events that will be familiar to anyone who played this game when they were younger. While it's interesting seeing Red interact with the game world as his own character rather than a player avatar, the short format (only four episodes) leads to a lot of summarizing, particularly when it came to the gym leaders. There's also the frustrating bit where they decided to include Megastones (a new addition to Pokemon X and Y) in the storyline, which made the trip down memory lane feel like yet another advertisement. But despite my complaints, it was amazing to see parts of a game that literally changed my life in animated form. This is a must-see for any Pokemon fan, old or new, even if you think you've outgrown the franchise. At the very least, you have to hear the reworked Champion theme.


11. The Devil is a Part-Timer
I love trope-based humor. I also love when tropes are subverted in interesting ways. So it only makes sense that one of my favorite comedies of the year based its humor around subverting tropes. The absurd premise and hilarious reaction faces of Devil is a Part-Timer had me in stitches more than once, and it managed to pull off the rare event where a comedy covered a serious plotline without creating tonal whiplash. The recycled parts in the second half is the main reason why this is so far down the list, but it's still a very enjoyable comedy. You can read more about it in my review here.


10. Valvrave
It's hard to describe exactly what Valvrave is. "Mecha parody" isn't completely accurate, since there is that episode. Yet I can hardly call Valvrave serious either, since the bulk of it is concerned with absurd plot-twists, ridiculous science, and some of the best one-liners I have ever heard in an anime. However, even considering the much darker side of the series, Valvrave is a lot of fun to watch. I encourage people who are willing to let logic go in favor of entertainment to give this show a try. It's the kind of series where you'll know right away whether or not you're in for the long haul.


9. Kyousougiga
As of the writing of this post, this series is not over and has yet to move into its final act, yet I'm still confortable with putting it alongside my other top series from this year. What started out as an incredibly confusing OVA has turned into an amazing story about family told through mythological references and incredibly creative animation. My only complaint so far is that the story suffers in parts where animation from previous releases is re-incorporated into the plot in ways that don't make a lot of sense, yet it's still quite the sight to see. I don't know where it's going to end up, but it's provided an amazing ride.


8. Chihayafuru 2
I was beyond excited when I heard that my favorite series from last year (and also the year before, I just cheated) would be getting a second season. Everything picked up again like it had never left, like a second season was an inevitability rather than a novelty. It was great to see my favorite characters return and fall in love with the new ones. However, the pacing did stunt my enjoyment of the show, which is why it's tumbled out of the top spot. Tournament fatigue really sets in during this season, and considering how the manga has over twenty volumes out, I'm not really sure why certain matches were stretched put so much. However, more Chihayafuru is a great thing, and fans of the first season should still support it if they want to see more. ...We will get more, right?


7. Eccentric Family
Honestly, this one is pretty much equal with Kyousougiga on my list in terms of being an amazingly animated supernatural story centered around family, but Eccentric Family goes higher on my list since it's completed its run and we can look at the story as a whole. Following the lives of a family of shape-shifting tanuki is a great premise, and P.A. Works proves that they still have originality left when it comes to animation and character designs. Some stuff gets handwaved and other plotlines aren't resolved as conclusively as I would like, but this show provides a great discussion on the role family plays in defining who you are, with awesome mythological


6. Gatchaman Crowds
I've seen this show dismissed in a lot of places around the anime side of the internet for a number of reasons, ranging from "girls can't be a main character in Gatchaman" (I can see the fedora now) to misreadings of the ending. However, I feel like a lot of people missed the actual point; Nakamura (the director) took the opportunity to remake Gatchaman and turned it into a commentary on the hero myth and what it means in an increasingly connected society. It's more about social media and the potential power of gamification than it is about fighting aliens, and I think that was a really interesting move to take. I strongly urge people who passed over it the first time to take a second look.


5. Gargantia
I really struggled with the decision to put this higher on the list than Gatchaman, but Gargantia has still stolen my heart. Eventually I'll finish my longer review, but I'll say here that Ledo's journey to find his place in a world without war was a very interesting one for me, even though a lot of the characters and some of the plot points weren't given the right amount of development to carry the story. In my opinion, its saving grace was the relationship between Ledo and his A.I. Chamber and how that played out in the final episode...but I don't want to get into spoilers. Check it out if you haven't already. Just the worldbuilding alone is a sight to see!


4. Watamote
While it hits close to home and I completely understand why some people couldn't watch it all the way through, I feel strongly that Watamote is an important anime to watch if you're an anime fan. Its portrayal of social anxiety is dead on, and it never makes that the butt of the joke. It presents Tomoko's problems for what they are with no judgement, so most of the humor comes from references or the absurd situations she finds herself in. The art style is also great, taking it a step up from the original manga with unique lighting and visual choices to reflect Tomoko's mood and her relationship to the world around her. While it can get a bit hard to watch depending on much you relate to Tomoko, it's a powerful show all the same.


3. Free!
My top three is where I said "screw it" and went completely self-indulgent. There are shows on this list that are much better written and artistically interesting than Free! (which is not to say that the animation is bad--that's laughable to say about KyoAni) but I had so much fun watching it. It was a really interesting experience to watch an anime that was produced with the female audience in mind and to have it be good, not just another otome adaptation cash-in (*side-eyes Amnesia and Diabolik Lovers*). I have my problems with how it wrapped up its dramatic arc, but it was a fun ride all the same. Hopefully this will result in more club-based anime that actually does what the club is supposed to do. I'll leave my thoughts at that, since I've already gushed enough about this show in my episodic posts. Season two can't come fast enough!


2. UtaPri 2
But while Free! is fun, UtaPri is still king since it remains the only otome adaptation that hits the right notes as an anime in its own right. While I didn't find this season to be as solid as the first, UtaPri is still just an all-around fun time that never takes itself too seriously. ...Which is the understatement of the year, since this is supposably a series about boy band idols, yet features a giant dragon lighting a stadium on fire, shortly followed by what can only be described as the largest group hallucination ever experienced by a group of (allegedly) sober people.

Why aren't you watching UtaPri yet?


1. Attack on Titan
And finally, there was really only one choice for the top spot. For the past several months, this story about soldiers fighting back against the giants who are trying to eat them all has completely taken over my brain. The character arcs are riveting, the battle choreography is incredible, and the hints woven throughout the story about the deeper secrets in the narrative lends a lot towards multiple viewings. Despite my overwhelming love for this series, it definitely isn't a perfect show; story arcs are stretched out more than is necessary,leading to a lot of scenes where characters are just sitting around and talking, and the animation takes pendulum swings from completely gorgeous to not being able to run at a regular framerate (although that had more to do with budget). However, this is a show that needs to be experienced by every anime fan if only because of the huge impact it has made on the fandom, even reaching people who do not watch anime regularly. If you haven't seen this yet, I cannot urge you enough to watch it. It is quite the experience.

What are your top anime from this year?

Images from Crunchyroll, YouTube, Hulu, and Google Image Search.