Let’s take a look at spring’s anime
I didn't want to write full reviews of everything I watched, so instead I’ll just give some personal awards to shows since it’s more entertaining! I did that for myself at first and then thought I might as well share it for anyone interested. Please note that this is only from what I watched. I know there is still amazing shows I didn’t look at, but I couldn’t watch them all. Also, this is my personal opinion. We all like different things and you are free to agree or disagree with what I say.
Top 3 best shows of this season
First place: Fumetsu no Anata e (To Your Eternity)
As expected from the author of Koe no Katachi (one of my favourite manga and anime), it is amazing. But the truth is, even if I tried to describe what I liked about it, I couldn’t explain much. There’s something about it, even through all the suffering, that makes incredibly beautiful to watch. It’s very simply done and I like simple things. To see the main character grow is something I love to see and that’s exactly what happens here. We go through a journey with the main character, meeting new people and understanding what they go through.
That’s about it. There’s no hype, it’s not something that you could really binge, but it’s something beautiful that is definitely worth the watch.
Second place: Mairimashita! Iruma-kun (Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun!) second season
Iruma-kun (the series) always bring sunshine wherever it goes. It’s the only series I can actually watch/read and have a big smile on my face, simply because it brings happiness. Second season, like the first one, was a pretty much flawless adaptation of the manga and we even got some animation of a spin-off prequel (which was a nice surprise, considering the thing only came out about 2 months ago). There’s something about it, about it’s world building and characters, that makes it special. It’s a very simple show, but it’s very good at what it’s going for and it’s all it takes to make it great.
Well about season 2 now. Two arcs were adapted in this first part and second part should be adapting one or two more with some fillers (careful here, fillers in Iruma-kun is not a bad thing). As for the rest… cute Amelie is very cute and Ronove is even louder than expected. Of course, Irumean is just Irumean, really. I loved to see all of those moments be adapted and I can’t wait to see what will be next and, of course, a possible third season.
Third place: Shadows House
I’m half satisfied half disappointed. The first part of the anime (let’s say up to episode 10) was very well adapted. A character was skipped, but it was honestly understandable since the questions regarding that wouldn’t be answer until the end of a second season. However, we got an anime original. I wouldn’t say the original part is bad, but it definitely is a serious downgrade compared to what should’ve been there. We’re talking about some things explained/showed in late chapters obviously shown too soon and character actions that look odd.
I’m still satisfied with the anime (it’s still in my top 3), but I would advice anyone who was interested in the story and want to know more to read the manga from the beginning or starting at chapter 18 (where we meet the skipped character). I hate to seem like a " manga purist ", but it has to be done here.
Best opening of this season (from any show)
Mashiro no Oto’s opening: BLIZZARD by BURNOUT SYNDROMES
Mashiro no Oto’s opening: BLIZZARD by BURNOUT SYNDROMES
I can’t say anything about if it represents the anime properly since I didn’t watch it, but I can enjoy the sound well enough. I always loved traditional sounding songs and this one is just one more example. The mix of modern and traditional sounds is perfect. That song slaps.
Best ending of this season (from any show)
Shadows House’s ending: Nai Nai by ReoNa
Shadows House’s ending: Nai Nai by ReoNa
This ending is perfect, from the music to the visuals. Yes, the song is fire (I can’t remember how many times I played it on repeat), but the rest is also incredible. The lyrics themselves are extremely meaningful if you know about the story. The ending's visuals are stunning and there’s a nice easter egg for any manga reader.
Best first episode
Fumetsu no Anata e (To Your Eternity)
Anyone who watched it probably gets why. I think that was the fastest I’ve been broken in anything I’ve watched. I got attached and destroyed within 20 minutes. That shows how good the writing was for this. This episode itself, if longer, could’ve made an excellent movie and that’s what makes it so special.
Best final episode (only for shows that ended completely)
Bishounen Tanteidan (Pretty Boys Detective Club)
I won’t give any spoilers here. It’s one of the shows that is the most underrated this season. I think most people kind of " missed the point of it " as it doesn’t really fit in any precise genre and people got disappointed thinking it will be like the Monogatari series. The best word to describe the show is " strange " and even " crazy ". The final episode fits into this perfectly, with its weird way of being interesting. It’s a heartwarming and quite satisfying ending, a rare sight in anime. Overall, good ending to an anime about childhood dreams and having to grow up.
Best art and animation
Bishounen Tanteidan (Pretty Boys Detective Club) made by Shaft
Shaft rarely disappoints when it comes to artistic elements, that’s just one more exemple. The art style itself is, of course, really pretty, but that’s not all there is to it. Shaft has this very special way of creating atmosphere and sceneries and it’s even more amplified by the fact that this was written by Nishio Ishin (aka the author of the monogatari series). It’s, visually, a work of art that you could watch just for the sake of looking at it.
