Attack on Titan, Season 1
One of the only kinda-horror series that I can tolerate, and actually enjoy. The setup with the titans is pretty basic and not a lot is spent diving into their lore; most of this first season’s runtime exposes the structure of Paradis’ military and military police. Humanity here is not in a situation you’d see in the real world, so that requires an unorthodox military hierarchy. Still baffled why not much effort was made to get to Eren’s basement in the demolished house, even after it was known that it contained deep secrets about the enemy, but finding out what was there at the end of season 3, it made sense why we waited so long. Also, this.
Attack on Titan, Season 2
I think this is the season where the animators stopped doing the thick black outlines for the human characters. Anyways, the shortest season offers a segue between the military focus on the first, and diving into the titan lore of the third. Features one of the most low-key, casual secret enemy reveals in known memory.
Attack on Titan, Season 3
Dives into different territory for the first half or so, with the “humans are the real enemy in a monster-dystopia,” but thankfully they don’t drag that out too long like The Walking Dead does. The motion, perspective shots, and dialog inside the pub, of the Levi vs. Kenny scene (English version is here) are animation and narrative gold; worth it alone the long wait for this season to come out. And we finally know what’s inside that stupid basement.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure – Stardust Crusaders
I reviewed JoJo’s previously, but that was before I hit part three, where Araki suddenly changed the superpower mechanism from hamon to the Stands. The closest thing to a “traveling buddy” anime series you’ll come across, but with a dog added into it. It’s not terribly crass but very violent, masculine yet undeniably fashion-conscious. yet has it’s wonderful moments of cat-and-mouse, figure-out-the-enemy’s-superpower logic, like mini Death Note vignettes for each episode. Literal toilet humor. Deserving of all the memes that came out of it, but I never understood why the protagonists were constantly surprised when anything weird happens. Both sides of the fight control superpowered ghosts; what do you expect?
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure – Diamond is Unbreakable
Castalia House has a good take on this strangely slice of life JJBA installment. Whereas the previous part had nonstop travel, Diamond is Unbreakable stayed put in one small town in Japan, but it feels a lot weirder and more cosmopolitan.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure – Golden Wind
Finally! The mafia gets some color. A mix of the previous two, but more of a rescue and escort mission, and ultimate betrayal, and a great finishing move/deliciously Italian tagline combo.
Violet Evergarden: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll
The type of Violet story you’d come to expect. Nothing out of the ordinary, but still very good. I think this got a lot of attention because of the arson attack at Kyoto Animation, the film’s (and series’) production studio, earlier in the year this was released.
Voices of a Distant Star
A girl texts her platonic friend as she travels further and further away into space, fighting an alien race. The time between texts get longer and longer. The two friends I think are the only humans you see in the entire movie, so there feeling of isolation is pretty extreme, even for a Makoto Shinkai film. This, by the way, was his first film, made entirely on Mac at home over a seven-month period. The character designs and animations are a bit wonky, but the crazy story makes up for it.
Beyond the Clouds, the Promised Place
The supreme Makoto Shinkai film, for me. Yeah, I know Your Name is everyone’s favorite, because narrative-wise he was really hitting his stride with that one. There are some weird beats in Beyond, but he lightens up with the “unrequited love/ambiguous friendzone” that he has to put into everything. The relationship between the two male and the female protagonists feels a lot more believable, and less pathetic, than it does in other stories he has.
Cowboy Bebop: Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
A nanomachine virus is released on Mars and makes the infected see glowing butterflies. And you get to see Spike sweep a wall in disguise and ask a woman on a date while fighting her with the broom.