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The end of the year is here and it’s time for the tenth Annual Reader’s Choice poll. Do you have a favorite series you’d like to see win? Are you just curious to see what everyone else enjoyed this year? Either way, the microphone’s in your hands now. Make your vote count.
As per the usual, there will be two polls for you to vote on this year – one for regularly broadcast TV series, and another for OVA/movies. We’re asking you for your top 5 picks in each poll, which should stop the results from being heavily skewed towards the mega-popular shows. This year we have an astounding 194 TV series/shorts and 111 OVA/movies for you to choose from, so make sure you look over the entire list before deciding. Keep in mind that like all entertainment, anime is subjective. There is no one size fits all here. Please respect the opinions of others, even if you may disagree with them.
Criteria-wise, the following is what was used to decide what shows did (or did not) make it onto these lists:
- For a regular broadcast TV series to be considered, it has to have finished airing in 2015. The idea is that you can’t truly judge a series until it’s over, so shows such as Haikyuu!! Second Season, Heavy Object, Utawarerumono: Itsuwari no Kamen will appear on next year’s poll. Series with a second season coming but a clear stopping point in the one we’ve already seen are included.
- For OVA/movies, it has to have been released on Blu-ray/DVD in 2015 to qualify, ensuring that viewers outside of Japan have had a chance to watch it. This mostly pertains to theatrical offerings. The difference from TV series is that they don’t necessarily have to be complete to be included, since it can take several years for an OVA series to finish.
As far as we’re aware, the anime series list is complete, barring a handful of shows that are animated but unlike “typical” anime. The OVA/movie list is less so, but this is by design; there are lot of really niche OVAs that aren’t really worth considering and there is a tendency for series in this category to be delayed or released at different dates, so accuracy will vary greatly. If you feel there’s something that deserves consideration, isn’t listed, or is listed but shouldn’t be, please leave a comment or send me (Zephyr) an email or tweet at me (@ZephyrRC) and I will add it in as soon as possible. Please note that the first comment in this post will keep a list of shows added, so keep an eye on that before voting.
With that said, vote away. Time’s ticking.
Note: The polls will close at midnight PST on Friday, January 2nd. This means the morning of the 2nd, the second it turns into 12:00:00AM PST on the 2nd, and 8:00 AM GMT on the 2nd. Results will be posted in the Best of Anime 2015 post, which will be written by myself and Samu (the two active writers who have watched the most anime this year).
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Please comment below or contact me via twitter/email (see post) if you see a series/OVA/movie missing. They will be added in ASAP so please hold back on your voting until that happens if you don’t see your pick on the list.
The following are a list of modifications (in alphabetical order) to each poll as we do them:
Series List:
Osiris no Tenbin (Added)
OVA/Movie List:
Aikatsu! The Movie (Added)
Code Geass Akito Ep 3 + 4 (Combined into one entry)
Detective Conan Movie 19: The Hellfire Sunflowers (Added)
Digimon Adventures Tri (Added)
Futsuu no Joshikousei ga [Locodol] Yatte Mita. OVA (Added)
Gundam the Origin I + II (Combined into one entry)
Gundam Thunderbolt (Added)
Hibike Euphonium OVA (Added)
Hoozuki no Reitetsu OVA (Added)
Hori-san to Miyamura-kun (OVA 3) (Added)
Kamisama Hajimemashita: Kako-hen Episode 1 (Added)
Little Witch Academia 2 (Added)
Mushishi Zoku Shou: Suzu no Shizuku (Added)
One Punch Man OVA (Added)
Pokemon the Movie XY: Ring no Choumajin Hoopa (Added)
Strike Witches Operation Victory Arrow 2 + 3(Combined into one entry)
Steins;Gate: Kyoukaimenjou no Missing Link – Divide by Zero (Added)
Youkai Watch Movie 1: Tanjou no Himitsu da Nyan! (Added)
Osiris no Tenbin
Added. Thanks.
Kamisama Hajimemashita
Sorry I meant the OVA for Kamisama Hajimemashita, not the 2nd season. (sorry for bad spelling too lol)
Added. Thanks.
I’m curious. Why is Happinesscharge Precure! on the list for series? That was last year’s series and it ended a month into 2015. I know Go! Princess Precure is still airing but it’s the Precure series that aired for most of the year.
nota: kamiosama is ova
Jason because it wasnt included in last year’s and it ended in 2015.
Futsuu no Joshikousei ga [Local Idol / Locodol] Yatte Mita both TV and OVA missing
The TV series ended in September of last year so it was counted in last year’s poll already.
Futsuu no Joshikousei ga [Locodol] Yatte Mita. OVA has been added.
Have these been included:
Ghost in the Shell
dragon ball z resurrection f
Kyoukai no Kanata Movie: I’ll Be Here – Kako-hen
Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199: Hoshimeguru Hakobune
Yeah.
Where can I see the List.
It’s at the end of the post. Check to make sure you don’t have ad-block on and/or javascript on.
Quick question – it’s mentioned that series with a second season and clear stopping point are included on this list, but what about split – cour shows? I ask because I wasn’t expecting to see GATE, which is split – cour, on this list.
That’s the sort of examples Zephyr was referring to. Shows like GATE, Akagami no Shirayukihime, Concrete Revolutio, and Gakusen Toshri Asterisk can all be voted for this year for their first cour and next year for their second, similar to Aldnoah Zero last year. Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works was an exception to that rule last time, but this time everything (except still ongoing shows) is eligible.
You’re missing Bakemono No Ko movie
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boy_and_the_Beast
Its BD release is not scheduled until Feb 2016, so it will be included in next year’s poll.
first Votes 🙂
One Punch Man #1
AOTY 2015
I hope people can remember Parasyte and other series from the winter.
Yes, for me Parasyte beats OPM… It’s just more interesting as a whole.
Your Lie In April
Comet Lucifer!
Just kidding don’t kill me.
Ladies and gentlemen, start your pitchforks!!!
Don’t be krul!
If this or Charlotte doesn’t make it as the biggest disappointment of 2015…
Whoa, now! If we’re talking about crowning the biggest disappointment of 2015, that, hands down, goes to Chaos Dragon: Sekiryuu Seneki.
That series was absolutely horrible in every way imaginable!!
And God Eater. Because DELAYS!
The funny part is God Eater got delayed so much it’s not even considered for this year anymore.
The Japanese may have a very different opinion on the subject. Check my comment below with a list. For them, Charlotte managed to get the top for best anime of 2015″. I, myself, can’t comment on the series since I never finished it. And OPM isn’t almighty for them as it apparently is for western viewers.
There were so many good shows this season, but Fafner Exodus gets my vote. The ending was incredible. Hopefully Xebec gets another season out soon.
Shokugeki no Soma
Akatsuki no Yona
Ansatsu Kyoushitsu
Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry
Kiseijuu
————-
Those were the 5 anime that got me right. Still haven’t bothered to watch OPM
When you eventually watch One Punch Man, you’ll likely find yourself watching episodes back to back. It’s THAT good 🙂
I will be damned I know but I though 1Punch was overhyped really. Too predictable, same sequence but fun to watch. New monsters to meet and new heroes to like. But.. just good. Maybe I need to rewatch it to understand why it might be good but I can’t shake off the idea that it is overhyped. 😡
I think it’s popular because it’s just a really fun and crazy show. Also, the way it makes no sense at times and you can forgive it because, well, it’s just so fun and epic. It not taking itself seriously helps too.
I think One Punch Man might work better if you weren’t a regular American comic book reader.
As it is, it was okay, but a bit stale, with themes of comic book action/parody that had been done over and over in the past. But if you only read manga, it might have seemed fresher.
It was fun to watch and the animation was drop dead gorgeous at times, but that’s about it. There isn’t much of a story to speak of and Saitama, much as I like him, just ain’t the kind of MC you find yourself investing much in.
If One Punch Man had gone full-on Gurren Lagann and just went with its early foreshadowing of a potential god inhabiting Saitama’s body and really expanded on that to include other characters, the sky would’ve been like a glass ceiling that got shattered into a billion pieces because that’s how damn awesome the fights could’ve been that would’ve shaken the entire universe apart! Instead, we got what we got; fun to watch and funny too, but just kinda… alright.
Comet Lucifer and Charlotte.
–
If one of those two aren’t the worst of the year…if not the entire damned decade idek what makes sense anymore.
Compared to the putrid, blasphemous and smoldering refuse that was Chaos Dragon: Sekiryuu Seneki that plagued Summer 2015, those two are remotely decent if deserved any defense.
You could probably add Absolute Duo to that list, it was pretty bad. I make a habit of finishing stuff I start eventually if they’re bad, and this one was, ew.
I liked the second opening sequence.
It was one of those shows where the opening is vastly superior to the content of the series itself. Looping the opening for 23 minutes would be better than sitting through that trainwreck lol
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ErwgLxBNL0
I am the bone of my wallet..
Ufotable is my body, and Kalafina is my blood…
I have created over a thousand fangasms…
Unaware of budget, Nor aware of DEEN…
Withstood years to create episodes, waiting for Heaven’s Feel…
I have no complaints. This is this year’s best show…
My whole life was, Unlimited Budget Works!
http://i.imgur.com/teB6srz.gif
Here I come, King of Wallets.
http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s–6qwAlcZa–/1474396007646750754.jpg
Do you have enough money in stock?
This is the time of year I’m again reminded I should watch more OVAs. So many titles I never knew existed but think I should watch. But then there’s all the series too… Off to the backlog they go.
Gave my votes to Log Horizon 2, Akatsuki no Yona, Working, Unlimited Budget Works and Death Parade.
Great choices, though I didn’t include Log Horizon 2 in my picks. I found the first season to be much better.
My top 5:
– Death Parade (this one stood out from the rest in my opinion)
– Shokugeki no Soma
– Kuroko no Basuke
Haven’t had the chance to watch the following two but voting based on what I’ve read on RC 🙂
– One Punch Man
– Parasyte
Just realised the poll doesn’t show up on Google Chrome 🙁 Lucky I opened Safari to check… putting my votes in now! 😀
It should show up. Do you have ad-block on?
I don’t have adblock… Not sure why 🙁
For me, it’s Firefox where it doesn’t show up (neither with nor without ad-block), and works fine on Chrome.
If you have JavaScript or Polldaddy.com block it might not show.
Ah that might be why~ Thanks!
This year had many good ones. Was hard to pick.
My top 5:
Akagami no Shirayukihime
Akatsuki no Yona
Noragami Aragoto
One-Punch Man
Ushio to Tora
Runners up:
Kantai Collection -KanColle- <–Fun stupid show of the year. I'm sorry, I enjoyed this one a lot.
Overlord
Shokugeki no Soma
Classroom Crisis
It was painful to not include Classroom Crisis somewhere in the top 5, but the 5 shows I did select were just that good.
Top Anime for myself
Gangsta
Noragami
Fate/Stay Night – Unlimited Blade Works
Your Lie in April.
Didn’t have a fifth, it’s been a slow year for me.
Well, despite there being many great shows this year, there is only one favourite for me: Kuroko no Basuke.
Almost forgot that “Kiseijuu” is japanese for “Parasite”, the name under which the anime/manga is more known IMO. Maybe you guys should add that to the title?
My top 5:
UBW 2nd season
Kiseijuu/Parasite
OPM
Yahari 2nd Season
Either Gate Season 1, AZ 2nd Season or Arslan
I’ll add that in parentheses next to it for easier reference!
Thank you!
Oh, and I forgot that we didn’t get to vote for UBW last year. My bad.
While we’re at it, how about adding the Sunny day OVA?
Ah, if you’re talking about the UBW Special, we don’t usually include it because its a short 10 minute special. Only full OVA’s and/or movies are included. Apologies.
Hmm, Prison School also deserves a top 5 spot. I don’t remember laughing as much this year as with this show. Everybody a least remembers the chairman of the school. 😀
Hm, 10 mins is rather short, I agree. If it were me, I’d have still included it due to the same animation style/directing, but your choice of course.
Only 5?! Gah, the decisions! x_x
Think about how difficult it is to do that on over 2 dozen categories for the big post!
well we can only say Good Luck guys.
I have to preface this with an I never saw Shirayukihime but the series that got my love this year were:
One Punch Man
Shokugeki no Souma
Unlimited Blade Works
Ore Monogatari
Charlotte (although because of pacing issues one of my least favorite Key animations)
My top five :
–One Punch Man
–Shokugeki no Soma
–JoJo’s Bizzare Adventure Stardust Crusaders Egypt Arc
–Kiseijuu Sei no Kakuritsu
–Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works
Did anyone one here watch JoJo?
Me and Zephyr both watched it. It was JoJo awesomeness, as expected. However, I’m more excited for Part 4!
Both JoJo and OPM have the most satisfying final fight this year. I think they deserve to be mentioned in the best action category.
1) Kiseijuu
2) Kuroko no Basket 3
3) One Punch Man
4) Working!!!
5) Prison School
Disappointment – second cour of F/SN.
Glad to see that im not the only one who thinks FSN was a huge disappointment
Yeah, I liked both the VN and Zero series but this adaptation was the most boring anime of the year for me. The only thing I really loved was that totally awesome opening sequence.
Nothing made sense , the characters and the interactions were too serious to be silly and too silly to be serious .
High production quality and nothing else
Article: Japanese Fans Weigh In On “Top 10 Most Magnificent TV Anime of 2015”
01.) Charlotte. (193 votes)
02.) Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works. (186 votes)
03.) Sound! Euphonium. (177 votes)
04.) Mr. Osomatsu. (173 votes)
05.) One-Punch Man. (128 votes)
06.) Blood Blockade Battlefront. (112 votes)
07.) Haikyu!! 2nd Season (103 votes)
08.) Is the Order a Rabbit? (97 votes)
09.) Gintama. (96 votes)
10.) Prison School. (93 votes)
Charlotte’s amazingly popular there, I’ll say that.
I liked the beginning, maybe 2/3rds of it.
Best episode was his going off the rails after his sister’s death, with Noa watching over/out for him.
After that… After that, the last few episodes especially, it’s like they gave the job over to interns, or highschool work-experience kids (is that a thing in Japan?). It plumbed the depths of mediocrity and worse.
The penultimate episode, where he’s saying goodbye, felt more like he was off to the local convenience store for noodles, instead of a year(s)-long, life-threatening, world-saving trip.
I rage-screamed at that to the point my throat was sore.
It was also the focal point where I finally gave voice to something that had been bothering me for a while:
Is there a social more in Japan about (public) kissing?
That there (kinda/sorta) is, makes me more forgiving of scenes like that, by my western ideals, fairly screaming for a hug and/or kiss, but not getting it, now…but watching it then….RAGE!!
Soma not being there bothers my entire existence…
very bothered by the fact charlotte wins number 1. does japanese people only care for waifus these days ? it’s not that bad actually charlotte, but i don’t think it deserves anywhere near number 1.
The fact that it was made(sorta) by KEY. Anything made by key sells like pancakes in Japan. Not to mention the amount of music( the fact that they blatantly derail the first few minutes of a certain episode to insert a music video does not go unnoticed) in the show.
Kindred spirits though our Japanese brothers and sisters may be, they’re drinking the KyoAni kool-aid if they honestly think Charlotte is a better anime than Blood Blockade Battlefront. Just sayin’
Huh, some of these I remember loving, but haven’t thought about them since. Log Horizon 2, mostly, but Shirobako and Monster Musume too.
MyTop 10:
– Charlotte
– Akatsuki no Yona
– Akagami no Shirayukihime
– Cross Ange
– Fate / Stay Night Unlimited Blade Wrks
– Noragami Aragato
– Strike The Blood OVA
– High School DXD Born
– Tai-Madou Gakuen 35 Shiken Shoutai
– Radukai Kishi no Chivalry
Very tough choice, but I go for
– SHIROBAKO (AOTY hands down simply masterpiece)
– Death Parade (expectations more than just fulfilled)
– Shigatsu wa kimi no uso (beautiful)
– Kuroko no Basket 3 (because Kuroko)
– Hibike: Euphonium (god this art, these characters, this KyoAni)
Really many great titles this year, Oregairu, Parasyte, Shokugeki, Kekkai Sensen, Durarara, Non Non Biyori, Prison School and others that now I forgot
Also haven’t watched yet some greats from autumn, including One Punch Man and Noragami so my top 5 might change in future 😉
-Death Parade
-Hibike Euphonium
-One Punch Man
-Shirobako
I am holding off on the OVA/Movies because Little Witch Academia 2 is amazing and everyone needs to watch it.
Apologies, I thought it was put in but apparently the new addition of it didn’t save. It’s on there now.
Almost exactly like mine, my fifth is Yowamushi Pedal since I can’t vote for Haikyuu!!
Mine are: (in no particular order)
1)Fafner Exodus (best mecha anime i’ve seen all year)
2) Gakkou Gurashi (Since i love the manga, its a great adaptation)
3) Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka?? (At first i wanted to pick Non Non Biyori, but this one beat it in terms of making me feel happy and as a stress reliever)
4) Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha ViVid (As a long time Nanoha fan, im glad this got adapted)
5. Hibike Euphonium (best Kyoani show in a while)
Other titles i liked but couldnt vote for: Junketsu no Maria, Shirobako, Show by Rock, Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata, Plastic Memories, Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya 2wei Herz!, Yoru No Yatterman.
Movies/OVA:
1) Love Live (its the movie i wanted for the Idolmaster, but Love Live did a nice job)
2) Appleseed Alpha (Didnt like the new look for Deunan, but more Appleseed is good)
3) Suisei no Gargantia ~Meguru Kouro, Haruka~ (Any more about the Gargantia series is welcomed)
4) Psycho-Pass Movie (Way better than S2, quite the fun ride watching it)
Top two without question:
Hibike! Euphonium
Shirobako
And then I have to pick three out of the next four:
Parasyte (Kisejuu)
One Punch Man
Junketsu Maria
Gakkou Gurashi
A few others I could eliminate, but I’m not sure how to pick one out of those to drop. With 193 shows this year, it’s a real shame the voting isn’t for a top 10 (basically the top 5%).
I think that, ultimately, while OPM had the highest ‘fun’ rating, it was the weakest in terms of story, relatively speaking, so it’ll be the one I drop in order to fit within a 5 vote limit.
As for the OVAs and movies, I saw almost none of them, so it’s basically just a half-full grab-bag of whatever I happened to watch.
Man, there were a lot of good shows this year. I chose my top 5 for the poll, but here is my complete list of favorites, because it’s hard to narrow it to just 5:
– Akagami no Shirayukihime
– Akatsuki no Yona
– Cross Ange (an absolute travesty of a show that turned out immensely entertaining; Ange best female lead)
– Death Parade
– Hibike! Euphonium
– Noragami Aragoto
– One Punch Man
– Ore Monogatari!!
– Prison School
– Rokka no Yuusha
– Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso
– SHIROBAKO (best of the year!)
– Yuri Kuma Arashi
And there’s still so many on my backlog that I have to see! 🙁 Namely Kiseijuu.
This is such a difficult decision to make, i had these zero-ed in;
– Shigatsu wa kimi no uso
– Shirobako
– Fate UBW
– One Punch Man
– Parasyte
– Hibike Euphonium
– Shokugeki no soma
Why even bother with a poll? Just get working on the Best Anime post for Comet Lucifer now.
You’re a funny one aren’t you?
You can tell by his name
Voted for:
SHIROBAKO
Kiseijuu
Death Parade
Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso
Arslan Senki
Darkhorses:
Junketsu no Maria
Oregairu Zoku
Rokka no Yuusha
Disappointments:
Charlotte
Comet Lucifer
Plastic Memories
1.-Is the Order a Rabbit??
2.- Yuru Yuri San Hai!!
3.- Rokka no Yuusha
4.- Jojo
5.- Gakkou Gurashi
I would have to say that for me it has been a good year in my anime watching :p I would list my top 5 as follows:
Best of Ze Best (Personal View and in no particular order):
1 – Garo: Hono no.. (Garo was excellent, both in animation and story. If you haven’t watched it yet, go now!)
2 – Noragami Aragoto (I thought season 1 was good and fun. To be honest never expected a season 2 and even much worse didn’t expect it to damage me emotionally with how good it is!)
3 – Kamisama Hajimemashita (my love for Kamisama is biased, so no whatever it delivers, Kamisama is as great as ever!)
4 – Akatsuki no Yona (it is one of those animes that give you quiet the impression you’d get from old animes like Scrapped Princes. Solid throughout and a good story.)
5 – Nanatsu no Taizai (definately a must watch, and perhaps the best out there.)
Good Watch Anime: (ones you’d enjoy watching):
1 – One Punch Man
2 – Ansatsu Kyoaus(Assisination Classroom!)
3 – Yahari Ore No Seishun…..
4 – Ore Monogatarii!
5 – Akagami no Shirayukihime
Animes you can watch and enjoy (neither best nor worst):
1 – Tokyo Ghoul Root A
2 – Owari no Seraph
3 – Yaro no Yatterman
Animes I wanted to watch (saved for later but I thought were good):
1 – Arsalan Senki
I didn’t watch as many animes as I wanted this year. I sadly will remember 2015 as the year I rewatched Naruto+ Naruto Shippuuden, Bleach and Gintama. So the long-run-anime year? perhaps!
Ty for your list =)
Cheers,
M
Mm not to forget that Digimon Adventure Tri is the highlight of my inner child’s excitement =)
no shigatsu ? just curious why it’s not on your list.
I could not edit my message 🙁 I wanted to put it under Arsalan Senki, I have watched 4-5 episodes and couldn’t continue at the time! I remember complaining on the lips art long ago :p
so you haven’ finished it? i think you should finish it. just be ready for dem feels though.
That is why I probably didn’t continue, there were many feels stirring from the start. Reminded me of Nagi no Asakura and it made me not want to watch it for the thought that in the end the story will be devastating to watch – aimed only at breaking every part of your soul and not at all being relevant to what cour 1 was faithful to.
true people would have hesitation watching something that would give them heartbreak. but for me, i would regret it even more if i never watched such a great series. but it’s everyone’s freedom to choose what to watch and what not to watch though.
Long list to really compare what you have and have not…Show Spoiler ▼
MY TOP 5 ANIME OF 2015:
Kuroko no Basket S3
Prison School
Shokugeki no Soma
Akatsuki no Yona
GATE: Jieitai Kano Chi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
One Punch Man
Death Parade
Diamond No Ace
Shimoneta
DISAPPOINTMENTS:
Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works <——–Surprisingly vastly inferior to Fate/Zero
i think you have it the opposite, it’s not that UBW is inferior to Fate/Zero, it’s just that Fate/Zero is superior to UBW. at least that’s in my opinion. i always like anime that is dark like Fate/Zero, it will mercilessly kill any character.
Saying that you were disappointed in UBW because you found it “surprisingly inferior” to Zero is like saying you came away disappointed from Prisma Illya because it wasn’t as good as Zero either. They’re all series that come from the same Fate Universe, but if you put one series on a proverbial pedestal – Zero in this case – and compare another one to it, you’re always going to come away disappointed.
Even if they’re both made from the same studio, you’ve gotta judge each series on its own merits and look at them for what they are.
#1 Death Parade (If you have watched it you know it is the best )
#2 OPM
#3 Kekkai sensen
#4 KimiUso
#5 Noragami Aragato
Death Parade was the first series in a while where I loved and genuinely hoped they won’t do another season. It just wouldn’t be the same. The ending closed this series off perfectly, especially Decims evolution as a character, and any more would be too much.
It might be the best anime of the past five years or so and I agree that it ended exactly where it needed to end , PERFECTION , nothing less
shigatsu wa kimi no uso definitely has to win best soundtrack and best music. also i strongly believe digimon adventures tri deserves best OVA vote, a nostalgic trip for many, but a quality that also could win new viewers.
Top 5 in no particular order:
Shirobako
Parasyte
Yurikuma Arashi
Ore Monogatari
JoJo
i’m thinking that when there’s so many anime within a year, RC might need to give people 10 votes, not just 5. i’m having some very tough decisions to make. i also believe that would be able to distribute the vote better because there’s just so many anime this year.
I just came to a startling conclusion, there were few anime tv series that I actually fully watched in 2015 (I think Log Horizon was the only one this year), most I either found lacking in plot or just too busy with work to fully to commit to watch or just so bad I stopped watching them. On the opposite hand I watched a lot more of OVAs and read a lot of Manga. It’s interesting how one’s own tastes change as one get’s older, something I didn’t fully articulate until doing this poll.
My top 5 🙂
Noragami Aragoto
Akatsuki no Yona
Kamisama Hajimemashita
Assasination Classroom
OPM
Sort of tangentially related to the actual post, but do you guys have any sort of general site-related email address to contact? I figured a broad post like this would be the best place to ask, and I don’t know the first thing about IRC.
I was mainly curious if there was any consideration for the idea of guest posts here on RandomC. It’s nothing crazy, but there’s a recently-finished anime I feel deserves some wider recognition, and my only regular anime blog came to mind first.
I totally understand if the answer is just a flat no, it’s a pretty sudden idea from just an infrequent commenter. Sure the site has plenty on its plate as-is, so thanks for hearing me out if this doesn’t get lost in the sea of comments.
If there’s anything you would like to ask regarding adding things to the site and general stuff, you can send an email to divine@randomc.net.
Otherwise for queries you think might get lost in the comments, you could also email either me or Stilts (same format to email, our names then @randomc.net) and we’ll either answer or send it over to Divine.
I will say that we don’t really do guest posts. Maybe we did way in the past, but I can’t remember a time since I started reading the site, and definitely not in the past four years I’ve been writing here. I hate to discourage like that, but it’s mostly more trouble than it’s worth for us.
Also wanted to add that hopefully the show you want to talk about will be caught in the monthlies, which will be going up whenever I stop replying to comments long enough to catch up on the twenties episodes I need to watch to finish mine ;_; If not, our apologies; we’re usually better at doing END posts about a bunch of series, but the end of the year is rough, with the preview and the end of year and (this time) monthlies.
Replying to myself in the hopes that this all formats properly underneath both replies, but thanks for responding, both of you.
If there’s not really any precedent set for guests then I don’t want to cause any unnecessary trouble, I imagine that would be complicated with accounts and such anyway. So like I said I understand, I appreciate you guys taking the time to consider it.
The series in question is Fafner Exodus, which if I remember from seasonal previews, no one here was watching. As-is I’m shocked to see a few others mention it among their AOTY lists in comments. The franchise in general seems relatively unknown in the west, with some barriers to entry as a mecha series from eleven years ago with multiple continuous installments, a well-debated art style, and an admittedly slow start.
But at the very least I’ll take the chance to recommend it here. With Exodus being quite possibly the end of a journey eleven years in the making, barring any sudden announcements, it’s a cap on one of the best character-driven stories I’ve had the joy of experiencing. Well worth checking out for even non-mecha fans, it’s just criminally unheard of in most communities I’ve seen, that being my main motivation for wanting to spread the word.
Ah, yeah, none of us are watching that one. Heard a lot of good things about it, but the time-barrier to entry is just too high for most of us at the moment. Shame, ’cause from what I hear it seems like a good’un. Thanks for the plug!
Log Horizon 2
Fate Stay Night (UBW)
Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry
One Punch Man
Dungeon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatte Iru Darouka
Can’t see poll on firefox :(((
Make certain you don’t have javascript disabled.
Thx, is it normal, that when i click vote seemingly nothing happens.
I can only really pick 2 for certain
1. Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso – a beautiful coming of age story
2. Shokugeki no Soma – Good shounen fun
Then it’s a toss up between:
– Fate Stay Night UBW – I didn’t like the Rin x Shirou moments and I still haven’t been bothered to watch the last episode but it’s visually gorgeous and good adaptation on the VN route.
– Rakudai Kishi no Chivalry – Copy-paste plot but refreshing Ikki/Stella pairing. Battle scenes were well done and I liked the artistic touch Shin Oonuma gave to the series.
– Dungeon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatte Iru Darouka – the Minotaur episode was very well done
– One Punch Man – Fun jab at shounen heroes. The SoL and monster-of-the-week format doesn’t get me invested though
– Yahari Ore no Seishun Rabukome wa Machigatteiru Zoku – Visually better but I preferred Season 1’s arcs
– Sidonia no Kishi: Daikyuu Wakusei Seneki – Felt like a step down from season 1. Too much love comedy.
– Rokka no Yuusha
– Gundam Build Fighters Try Season 2
– Kuroko no Basket Season 3
– Prison School
– Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata
Voted for:
– Death Parade
The comment cut itself short for some reason.
Voted for:
– Death Parade
– Jojo’s
– Kiseijuu
– FateSN/UBW
– One Punch Man
Would have voted for:
– Your Lie in april
– Oregairu Zoku
– Rokka no Yuusha
Secretly kinda wanted to vote for:
– Rakudai Kishi
– Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata
I was waiting for this post!
My top 5 this year:
1. Death Parade (no questions asked, this is without doubt a no.1. The emotional rollercoaster with each episode was very enjoyable)
2. Hibike! Euphonium (KyoAni is BACK! This serie has such a great set of characters)
3. One-Punch Man (I expect this to be the winner this year, since its still fresh on peoples memmories. It sure did deliver, which is why its in my top)
4. Kekkai Sensen (I loved every aspect of this anime. Its jokes, action, (b)romance (neji),)
5. Shigatsu wa kimi no uso (What a tearjerker, another emotional ride)
Runner-ups/honorable mentions (in no particular order):
– Kiseijuu
– Ansatsu Kyoushitsu
– Arslan Senki
– Gangsta.
– Log Horizon 2
– Shokugeki no Souma (Shounen done well, with food!)
OVAs/movies:
– Hibike! Euphonium OVA
– Steins;Gate: Kyoukaimenjou no Missing Link – Divide by Zero
– Mushishi Zoku Shou: Suzu no Shizuku (the last episode of mushishi ever ;_;)
– Nanatsu no Taizai: Ban no Bangai-hen OVA
– Digimon Adventures Tri
Didn’t mention Owarimonogatari! Let me edit posts! D:
Damn ! It’s like you read my mind except for one thing , Noragami Aragato instead of Gangsta because it started really well but was a HUGE let down at the end , a good anime ruined …
Haha, thats why I gave you an upvote on your top5 post 😉
I have to agree, that Noragami Aragoto deserves an honorable mention. I was not a fan of the first season, but this one was really well done! And well, what can I say about Gangsta, it is like you say. Still I enjoyed the first part a lot. Its somewhat comparable to SAO, first half good, second half meh.
Slice of life fan, voted for
Akagami
Hibike
Usagi desu ka
Kiniro
Non non biyori
Would have choosen yuruyuri and working but no more than 5 🙁
One Punch Man & Kekkai Sensen are definitely my 2015 top favorites, but there was tons of good shows this year, hard to pick 5 of them !
OPM or Fate will probably get the top vote but I’m really hoping(no matter how slight) that SHIROBAKO will win. AOTY definitely and on my top 5 of all time.
Also Digimon for OVA for the nostalgia feels. On my~~love!!!
anybody who voted for Aldnoah zero 2nd season and Comet Lucifer Gather your power here!!
people please stop rigging the vote with troll.
My votes (My opinions):
– Soukyuu no Fafner: Exodus (Great Writing, beautiful animation, great soundtrack)
– Shokugeki no Soma (Best hypefest ever second to Haikyuu which is still ongoing)
– Working!!! (Best ending ever)
– Rakudai Kishi no Chivalry (Best romance ever)
– Monster Musume no Iru Nichijou (Best Harem MC ever and tasteful censoring)
Special mentions (Since Zephyr is a tyrant to limit us to only 5 votes)
– Shirobako
– Noragami Aragoto
– Hibike Euphonium
– Junketsu no Maria
– Arslan Senki
– FSN UBW
– Kuroko no Basket S3
– One Punch Man
– Overlord
– Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata
– Shimoneta to Iu Gainen ga Sonzai Shinai Taikutsu na Sekai
– Sidonia no Kishi: Daikyuu Wakusei Seneki
Errr… okay Zephyr, is the voting fool proof? After reloading the page, I can vote again. FYI.
Hmm… it blocks by IP address, cookies, and a few other restrictions. It’s possible your vote just didn’t count at all for some reason.
People will eventually realize that OPM is not that good.
I agree with some people that this show is overhyped. It’s good. The action scenes are well animated and explosive, but not really memorable. I feel there are anime series that outdo OPM in the action department such as JoJo and Hunter X Hunter and other awesome shounen classics. I prefer action scenes that are more tactical and better choreographed. For a superhero genre, Tiger and Bunny was much more original and innovative and had gorgeous animation in my opinion. However, I do give credit to the studio who evidently enjoyed making this series and it shows in the great quality.
Rakudai Kishi
OPM
FSN
Cross Ange
Gate
As much as I really crazy like Saitama, I have say DEATH PARADE is my number 1 for 2015. It was the anime that has the biggest impact on me for 2015. I bravely said it will be number 1 at the beginning of 2015, and boldly repeat again its the number 1
This was really too rich of a anime year to simply pick 5.
My top picks are:
– Prison School(AOTY for me)
– Shokugeki no Souma
– Cross Ange
– One Punch Man
– Owari no Seraph(especially the 2nd cour/season)
– Parasite
Tho there were was plenty of other entertaining shows, even if not outstanding, as well and I’m finding myself liking these types of series more & more. After a few years of watching anime, I find myself less & less looking for that one mind-blowing anime and enjoying the simpler but well executed ones more & more. I mean heck, I have Cross Ange & Owari no Seraph as some of my top picks.
To be honest, I watched only few anime shows of this year and I usually watch the first episodes to decide on continuing watching them or not..
Some has successfully caught my attention to a point where I had to finish it.. some are on the pending list (will continue watch later) and some will try to watch after reading your favorite list
My Top 5:
1. Akatsuki no Yona (my favorite shoujo show for a while.. and I think it deserve more votes and attention …am dying for a second season)
2. Parasyte (interesting story)
3. Akagami no Shirayukihime (shoujo fan what should I do XD)
4. Death Parade
5. Rinne & Charlotte (enjoyed them)
I think I need to watch more shounen anime (after the shock of bleach anime end, I stopped watching shounen shows in general)
As for One Punch Man (I haven’t watched it yet) it’s upsetting me to see how this late show of the year is overtaken most of the anime show >.>”
5 choice? Mission Impossible for me.
Give me at least 10.
My Votes For Top TV SHow
1) Yahari Ore Zoku
2) Akatsuki no Yona
3) Shirobako
4) Shokugeki no Souma
5) Hibike! Euphonium
Not voting on OVAs right now as there’s a number I’m thinking I should try to check out before I vote on that category. I might add it later.
Top 5, in no particular:
– One Punch Man -> best action anime in a long time; unique and hilarious MC, great cast of secondary characters and fantastic animation give it amazing entertainment value.
– Parasyte -> very interesting premise, gripping narrative with twists and turns, superb characterisation, great voice-acting (Migi’s seiyuu produced performance of the year IMO), deep themes.
– Rokka no Yuusha -> very original setting in Aztec/Incan civilization, interesting characters, great mystery execution that kept me guessing and doubting every character right until the end.
– Wakoko-zake -> my ‘hidden gem’ of the year; just 3 min per episode, but one of the most relaxing and satisfying animes I have ever seen
– Overlord -> essentially wish-fulfilment fluff, but the interesting angle on the ‘enter into game’ premise, with the very interesting and amusing characters and quite unique MC; great entertainment value.
Honourable mentions:
– Arslan Senki -> great historical epic series, but this is ‘war-lite’. this sugar-coated portrayal of war and Arslan’s continual naivety and refusal to accept the true nature of war become quite vexing. also the very convenient plot turns and EXTRA STRONG plot armor on every main character (numerous battles are fought yet not a single one of Arslan’s party even really gets injured) means it falls short of its potential.
– Dungeon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatte Iru Darouka -> a slow and rather generic start gives way to a MC one feels like rooting for and the development of the MC into ultimately a titan-slaying badass is very well executed and satisfying. great secondary characters also. nothing truly original, but a RPG-esque fantasy series done well.
Re: Arslan Senki
Show Spoiler ▼
Cross Ange
Sidonia 2nd season
Shokugeki no Soma
Prison School
Gate
Voted anyway, but I could not find Anthem of the Heart (Kokoro ga Sakebitagatterunda) and Boruto: Naruto movies.
Neither have received BD releases since the last time I checked, so they weren’t included for this year’s poll.
Suggestion: add a readers’ top 5 most disappointing anime of the year poll (as a complement to readers’ top 5 best of the year)
hmmm i just realize that this years anime line up
oh well im crossing my fingers that a non moe anime will win this year
None of these shows are perfect but these 5 gave me left an impression long after the last episode.
(In no particular order)
1) Shirobako (unbalanced series but really warmed the heart and gave me an appreciation for the industry overall)
2) Shokugeki no Souma (typical if not generic shounen cooking show but it was entertaining as hell-something shounen shows rarely are these days thus giving me a lasting impression)
3) Death Parade (all the praise and criticism it has received are warranted but some themes will leave with you long after the final credits roll)
4) Soukyou no Fafner: Exodus (Having invested in the first anime and 2 movies and the first season- the payoff is well worth it, and while it can be hard to watch for those still new and the final episodes feel rushed, a prize lies at the bottom of Fafner)
5) Shigatsu wa kimi no uso (It was an uneven emotional ride, but definitely memorable.)
Honorable mentions: Other animes were as good or even better than the ones above, but few of them made the same lasting impression. One Punch Man was a technical marvel, but fell short of greatness. Sidonia no Kishi went the harem route which left a bad taste. Parasyte was entertaining but fell short too. FSN/UBW was probably the most divisive anime of this year and outside of some beautifully animated sequences, I was unimpressed at the end. Same goes with GATE, Kekkai Sensen, Arslan Senki, Cross Ange. Rakudai Kishi, Akatsuki no Yona. All good anime but fell short of greatness.
Hot damn, quite unlike how it usually is, this year it was really hard to pick my Top 5. It’s tough when you have to start really nitpicking shows for some element you didn’t like because you must drop something from the list.
In alphabetical order:
Himouto! Umaru-chan (incredibly heartwarming silliness, haven’t laughed this much in a long time)
One-Punch Man (nuff said)
Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso (just beautiful, the greatest emotional ride)
SHIROBAKO (such an uplifting show, quite educational too)
Shokugeki no Soma (to think that I almost dropped this after the first ep… boy am I glad I didn’t!)
And while I sort of appreciate the fact that it didn’t make it even harder for me to pick my series, at least in the case of Haikyuu!! it’s a rather BS reason if is not on the series list because “you can’t truly judge a series until it’s over”. I can’t for the life of me expect the quality to drop on this one.
That’s probably true for a series that’s as consistent Haikyuu!!, but for every one of these there’s a dozen out there that either get a lot better or a lot worse as they go along.
That’s certainly so, but then again we’re supposedly talking about the best anime of 2015, so whether a series as a whole is top-notch doesn’t really matter if if was top-notch during its 2015 airing. I think if a series has aired at least one cour during the year of consideration, it should be included regardless of it continuing from before or continuing after. To not do so needlessly penalizes shows that don’t split by cour vs those that do the splits, which in the end is just a rather meaningless technicality.
-shigatsu
-death parade
-plastic memories
not really a good year in my eyes
I can’t see the poll, any idea why?
Did you enable your cookies? Or Javascript?
Fafner Exodus gets my vote, a very underrated show.
so many good shows… in no particular order:
Arslan Senki for epic warfare history
Fate/UBW for epic heroic story
Fate/Kaleid Prisma Ilya for comedic yuri romance
GATE for heroic comedy with epic warfare in background
OrGaIru for epic snarkiness with outbreaks of heartwarming
I have a bad habit of only voting on one choice. There my vote goes to Noragami Aragoto.
However, my top 5 goes to:
1. Noragami Aragoto
2. Kiseijuu Sei No Kakuritsu
3. Akatsuki No Yona
4. One Punch Man
5. Kekkai Sessen
My Honorable Mentions goes to: Hibike! Euphonium and Working XD
add Osomatsu-san (mr. Osomatsu) please.. Thanks
Osomatsu-san is scheduled to air through into 2016, so it won’t be considered till next year.
Huh, I ended up choosing the shows I enjoyed more than what I thought was AOTY material.
Is Rakudai considered an underdog, or did it exceed expectations? Because it certainly was one heck of a guilty pleasure. (In that vein, you can hear me chanting OTPOTPOTPOTP; Gahara-san and Koyomin had so little interaction in Owarimonogatari that it HURTS, damn it.) Same goes to Shokugeki no Soma, I suppose- now I’m hungry.
Death Parade and Kekkai Sensen would probably make it to top 5-ish in the polls, hopefully! Fingers crossed that UBW is not going to end up dominating Reader’s Choice of Best Anime of 2015 like its predecessor did back in 2012, because while I loved UBW to death and it basically had Unlimited Budget Works, I think that other titles are more deserving of the top spot. YMMV though.
After finally going through deliberation:
Akatsuki no Yona
Death Parade
Noragami Aragoto
One Punch Man
Pokemon XY
I’m probably going to get a lot of hate for the last one, but the series has vastly improved. The fillers are now, usually, plot oriented for the most part.
My Top 5
SHIROBAKO – my Anime of the Year; I’m in the design industry and the show really connected with me, like their work schedules, work loads, and sleeping in the office =)
Yahari Ore no Seishun Rabukome wa Machigatteiru Zoku – I like the complexity of the characters and their thought processes; I also like the revamp design of feel
Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso – the lively color palette, drama and the music
Akagami no Shirayukihime – a very nice love story done right + the female lead character has a strong personality and can handle herself well
The Rolling Girls – I had fun watching it and liked the art style + the soundtracks based from The Blue Hearts
Other shows that did not made to the top 5:
– Ansatsu (for the life lessons)
– Arslan (for the story)
– Hibike (story, animation and music)
– Nanatsu (story, action)
– Noragami Aragoto (story, animation and action)
– Sidonia no Kishi (good sci-fi)
I don’t really care about the rest, but if Death Paradr don’t win any thing this year, I’m gonna be really sad haha
God damn, this was a good year for anime. But when Ito Mrs down to it, my top 5 of the year are:
1. Shirobako – God, did this exceed my expectations. I expected it to be good, but not this good!
2. Death Parade – I really liked Death Billiards, and this was even better than that. Really reminiscent of shows such as Mushishi and Kino’s Journey, which I love.
3. Noragami Aragoto – Now THIS is how you make a sequel. Superior to the already good first season in almost every way.
4. One Punch Man – This was a given.
5. Hibike! Euphonium – KyoAni sticking to their comfort zone and it’s still godly.
Honorable mentions for me are Akatsuki no Yona, Gakkou Gurashi!, and Junketsu no Maria, as they were my favorites after the top 5 I picked.
My favorite anime this season is aldnoah zero 2. It has the best plot character development action and romance.
and one of the worst ending
best plot? character development? romance? are you sure you where watching aldnoah zero.
Voted for Owarimonogatari,Diamond no Ace,Garo: Honoo no Kokuin,SHIROBAKO since the were the only good shows from 2015
Hana to Alice no Satsujin Jiken (Really, how can it NOT be on this list…)
That’s likely because it did not appear in the BD/DVD release lists on the sites we used to check for these dates. Doesn’t usually happen considering this is the first movie we missed in a while that wasn’t a copy+paste miss, so it likely was a late addition close to its release date and thus hit the gap in between when we check for them and didn’t show up on recent releases upon our double-check later in the season it released.
It’s added now if that’s any consolation.
My top 5 (in order)
Oregairu/Snafu
Shigatsu wa Kimi no uso
Death Parade
Parasyte
Fate Stay Night
Honorable mentions:
Jojo
AssClass
Shokugeki
Owarimonogatari
(Winter and spring really were better than fall and summer)
TOO MANY CHOICES!!!!
4 out of 10 – IGN
My top… Not in order because I honestly don’t know, don’t like, won’t and can’t decided wich one is better than the other.
Sore ga Seiyuu
Overlord
GATE: Jieitai Kano Chi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri
Dungeon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatte Iru Darouka
Log Horizon 2
Euphonium
Death Parade
Parasyte
OPM(Solely for animation)
Shirobako
Looking back, I definitely didn’t watch that much anime on the later half of the year.
Aldnoah Zero
Fate UBW
Shougeki no Soma
DanMachi
GBF TRY
I told myself not to vote the worst series. I failed.
Top five huh?
1.) Oregairu Zoku – It’s surprising I managed to give 10/10s for two straight years (Last year being Ping Pong and Love Live) which usually does not happen but this series is truly deserving of such a score. The drama hits the right notes and the themes rode sky-high with honest-to-god, truly genuine characterization.
2.) Rokka no Yuusha – A stunning combination of Fantasy and Mystery with all the right ingredients to make it perfect as both an introduction and adaptation. Good shit and needs more recognition, honestly.
3.) Subete ga F ni Naru – Everyone’s favorite punching bag. It’s hard to understand how a series that uses the same kind of plot-purity aesthetics as Sherlock Holmes and discusses existentialist themes at Lewis Carroll density could be so universally hated.
4.) Kekkai Sensen – After the success that was Kyousou Giga, Rie Matsumoto returns and glorifies us once more with her godly direction. Though not everything is on-point, it’s still a surprising series that managed to hook me on till the end. An easy recommendation, at the very least.
5.) Hibike! Euphonium – Breathtaking visuals isn’t all KyoAni’s got. A symphonic and heartfelt tale that manages to explore both its themes and characters to great depths. Expecting a whole lot more in the second season, but for now, this is the Slice of Life of the year.
Honorable mentions, One Punch Man and Death Parade. The former, not the best anime ever but does a stellar job in nearly everything it does. The latter, deeply emotional, thought provoking and somewhat enchanting.
Biggest Disappointment, SHITpo SHITan – SHIT of SHITlace. You do not know shitty anime until you’ve seen this.
Shows: Jojo, Kuroko, Nora, Shigatsu, Shokugeki
Movie/OVA: Ghost (2015), Mushishi, Sidonia, Suisei, Naruto
I didn’t vote for Fate and Owarimonogatari because I haven’t finished watching the whole series, but would be happy to see them win something.
Exceptional Shows IMO this year:
-OPM
-Parasyte
-Death Parade
-Noragami
-Fate UBW
OPM
Death Parade
Ore Monogatari
Parasyte
JoJo
Man I completely missed out on the last season so I’ll have to be biased towards the other 3 🙁
Top 5 (From top to bottom)
Your Lie in April
Definitely one of the best I’ve seen since Clannad After Story. Not just the story about music, love and friendship, but also about cherishing the moment together with very little time (s)he has.
Death Parade
Hands down!! Considered the best original anime so far. Very refreshing anime concept about complexity in passing judgement on the deceased that makes me wondered how one be decided to be reincarnated or “voided”
Noragami Aragato
Finally, an anime sequel that is definitely better than prequel itself. Absolute solid character relationship improvement between Yato and Yukine as compared to previous season
Assassination Classroom
(One of the best comedy anime (along side with One-Punch Man). The voice acting of Koro-sensei’s definitely set this anime in a very lively, comical atmosphere. Oh, and never forget Koro-sensei’s life lessons)
One-Punch Man
One of the best comedy anime (along side with Assassination Classroom). I love the less-talking, just-go-straight-to-the-point action scenes, packed with tons of absurd bullsh*t (which can be comedy materials at some points) and lack of logic (I know fans will just say “F*** logic”, but too bad, I really do care about that)
Honorable Mentions
Fate Stay Night UBW
I like how this anime is set in much darker atmosphere as compared to the original Fate/Stay Night anime by Studio Deen (Seriously, f*** that one), as well as character development of Shiro when being put his determination as the hero of justice to the test. Unfortunately, this would be better if the studio could provide more screentime/character development on other Masters and Servants, like in Fate/Zero.
K: Return of Kings
Not my top 10 anime this year, but still worth mentioning. So much better than the prequel itself. Storyline is way more straightforward than prequel, but still have some plot elements left unexplained, which can replace unnecessary scenes like the clan fight in the prologue, lots of draggy conversations and super long Spectre 4 formation
Hmm … for me in terms of most enjoyable series it would be:
5. Himouto! Umaru-chan (my biggest surprise series of the year)
4. Kekkai Sensen
3. Death Parade
2. Koufuku Graffiti
1. Akatsuki no Yona