Top 15 Anime and Top 15 Characters of 2015

Let’s start 2016 with a proper farewell to 2015. Before we look forward to another year of anime, we should look back on 2015 and reflect on what made it one of the best years of anime in recent memory. There were numerous anime and characters that were incredible, dazzling, brilliant sensational, influential, and monumental in 2015, and today, I want to take a moment to provide my thoughts and opinions on the 15 most significant anime and characters from this last year. Come, take a look and re-experience why the anime of 2015 are so remarkable and unforgettable.

12 Days of Anime (2015) – Day 4 – Year of the Sequels

It’s been 1 year, 3 months since Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka?. It’s been 1 year, 6 months since Miss Monochrome, Non Non Biyori, and Noragami. It’s been 1 year, 9 months since Gatchaman Crowds and Monogatari Series Second Season. It’s been 2 years since Kamisama Kiss. It’s been 2 years, 3 months since Dog Days’ (S2).  It’s been 2 years, 9 months since K and Sidoni no Kishi. It’s been 3 years since Yuru Yuri ♪♪ (S2).  It’s been 3 years, 6 months since Working’!! (S2). It’s been 4 years, 6 months since Durarara!!. It’s been 5 years, 2 months since The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya. It’s been 9 years since Utawarerumono, and it’s been 10 years since Soukyuu no Fafner: Dead Aggressor. I think it’s safe to say, with all of these anime franchises returning with TV broadcasts, that 2015 will be remembered as Year of the Sequels.

12 Days of Anime (2015) – Day 10 – 123,714

This might seem like an odd topic for a 12 Days of Anime post, but it’s a topic worth discussing given how it continues to grow on me every year and with every new anime. In fact, it’s routine for me now, something constant and universal that occurs every time I watch an anime. And it’s a subject that can be entrusted quite easily by the number 123,714. So, what exactly does 123,714 mean?

Autumn 2015 – Season Preview

The way most people realize that it’s the beginning of autumn is that the days begin to grow shorter, the air begins to feel cooler, and the trees transition into a palette of warm yellows, oranges and reds. But for me, the only way I realize that it’s the beginning of autumn is when the autumn anime season begins! And yes, with the start of the Autumn 2015 anime season this week, it’s time again to look ahead to this new season of anime and project, speculate, and guesstimate which anime we should watch.

12 Days of Anime (2014) – Day 8 – Giving a Renowned Anime a Chance

Every year, for Day 8 of my 12 Days of Anime, I recall an experience where I gave an anime a chance. So far, my list has included:

• Giving a Bad Anime a Chance (Softenni, 2011)
• Giving a Forgotten Anime a Chance (Yuru Yuri, 2012)
• Giving a Disappointing Anime a Second Chance (Tamayura ~more aggressive~, 2013)

For every rendition of this tradition, I have attempted to cover a distinctive and different focus with each post. The first year was on an anime that I originally deemed bad, but stuck with it to see if I could salvage some entertainment from it. The second year reflected an anime I never gave a chance to, not even an episode when it first came out. The third year was on a sequel to an anime that I was frustrated and dissatisfied with and was originally planning on skipping. Here, for my 2014 version about giving an anime a chance, I look back at a greatly admired, highly acclaimed, and universally respected anime that I never made an effort to watch in my many years of watching anime. For Day 8, I will reflect upon watching Mushishi, and how that watching this renowned anime was one of the highlights of my year.

12 Days of Anime (2013) – Day 8 – Giving a Disappointing Anime a Second Chance

I’ve tried to follow some themes in my 12 Days of Anime posts, and Day 8 has traditionally been reserved for an anime that I normally would not have watched but ended up enjoying greatly.  In 2011, I gave a bad anime (Softenni) a chance and in 2012, I gave a forgotten anime (Yuru Yuri) a chance.  In 2013, I changed my stance again, and decided to reexamine an anime I would not have watched based on how dissatisfied or frustrated I was with an earlier installment.  And earlier this year, Tamayura ~more aggressive~ aired.  Considering my displeasure with Tamayura ~hitotose~, the first television series in the franchise, I considered passing the sequel without a hesitation.  It even took me about a week after the first episode aired to even watch the first episode.  But since that moment, I found myself enjoying Tamayura like never before and it’s all thanks to giving a disappointing anime a second chance.

12 Days of Anime (2012) – Day 8 – Giving a Forgotten Anime a Chance

Much like last year’s Day 8, when I wrote about sticking with a bad anime to find it somewhat entertaining and certainly worthwhile, this post will be able an anime I never gave a fair opportunity to when it aired in the past only try it now and find it enjoyable and definitely worth watching.  It serves as an excellent reminder of the potential gems and stars among the forgotten or ignored anime of seasons or years bygone.  Resting in obscurity or uncertainty, these anime were rejected or dropped due to flawed research, lacking prospects, evolving tastes, time constraints, or for whatever reason we decide not to watch an anime.  However, when the opportunity appears, taking another chance with these anime may completely reverse our opinion on it simply based on the fact that we actually are watching the anime rather than just speculating about it.  For me, that anime is Yuru Yuri, an anime I gave a second (or first?) chance to in 2012 and have loved it ever since.