Miscellaneous / Poll

The end of the year is here and it’s time for the eleventh 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? There’s no electoral college here. The anime with the most votes wins!

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 ~195 TV series/shorts and ~95 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 2016. The idea is that you can’t truly judge a series until it’s over, so 3-gatsu no Lion and Sousei no Onmyouji, 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 2016 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 Zephyr an email or tweet at him via @ZephyrRC and we’ll 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. Last but not least, here’s a special shout out to Takaii for taking out time from his busy schedule to help compile the polls!

With that said, vote away.

Note: The polls will close at midnight PST on 12:00AM, 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 2016 post, which will be written by myself and Zephyr (the two active writers who have watched the most anime this year).

123 Comments

  1. Please comment below or contact me via twitter/email (see post) if you see a series/OVA/movie missing or if something doesn’t belong. 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:
    – Under the Dog (Removed, duplicate entry in wrong category)

    OVA/Movie List:
    – Genocidal Organ (Removed –> 2017 Air Date)
    – Shisha no Teikoku (Added)
    – Bakemono no Ko (Added)
    – Shelter (Added)
    – Macross 7: Ginga ga Ore wo Yonde Iru (Removed, mistakenly included due to new BD remaster)
    – Detective Conan: Episode One – Chiisaku Natta Meitantei (Added)
    – Detective Conan: Junkoku no Nightmare (Added)
    – Gravity Rush OVA (Added)
    – Digimon Adventure tri. 2: Ketsui and 3: Kokuhaku (Added)
    – Code Geass: Boukoku no Akito 4 (Fixed to Code Geass: Boukoku no Akito 5)
    – WORKING!!! Episode 14: Lord of the Takanashi (Added)
    – Fate/Grand Order -First Order- (Added)

    Zephyr
    Reply

  3. I can only say one anime this year that if it wins 1st place not much people would complain, it’s Re zero. There aren’t many anime this year that are considered undisputed on the top 5 list, but Re zero is one those i believe. Personally I would love to see Grimgar on the top 5 too, because it’s good, and the animation was beautiful. It was like a work of art. I hope 2nd season is not impossible for it.

    danes256
    Reply

    1. Grimgar was a really fun series, I agree. A-1 Pictures does have a habit of revisiting stuff they’ve done and giving them a second season. Realistically I wouldn’t rule out a second season happening, it’s just a wait and see situation.

      Lyfe
      Reply

    2. I don’t know. People started turning on Re:Zero towards the middle. They didn’t like Subaru’s character change. By the end of the show, everyone kept talking about how it was the most overrated anime of the year.

      Mormegil
      Reply

    3. To be honest, Kimi no na wa is the only anime I enjoyed in 2016.
      If it is not there, I am not voting anything, it was all mediocre…
      Well, perhaps Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju and Boku no Hero Academia.

      But seriously, 2016 was bad.

      swa
      Reply

  6. Always nice to go through the year’s offerings and realize there’s easily 10 I’d recommend to people.

    Any year where I have to leave off masterpieces like Yuri on Ice and Jojo 4 off my lists because I ended up watching and rewatching Mob Psycho and Haikyuu and Shokugeki no Soma… it was a better year than I’d remembered, for anime.

    Guile
    Reply

    1. Hmm, that likely has something to do with either javascript issues, adblocker, or Polldaddy.com being blocked as a domain. If you have another browser, you could also try that as well.

      Zephyr
      Reply

      2. Good question. Aside from checking for the most recent updates and trying another browser, I’m running low on ideas. I’ll ask around some more in the morning when I get up in a few hours.

        Zephyr
        Reply

      1. Hey, would you mind respecting others’ opinion? Acting high & mighty like you have the better taste only shows your arrogance. Please read Samu’s article above that said…

        “Please respect the opinions of others, even if you may disagree with them.”

        … and try to follow it.

        Oby
        Reply

      1. Hmmmm, I thought about it initially, but it has a full 12 episode run, a run-time equivalent/exceeding that of a short, and also technically “aired” on the net rather than appearing directly on video/BD/DVD, so I put it there instead. It sure falls under an odd gray area though.

        Zephyr
        Reply

  11. Ansatsu Kyoushitsu
    Boku Dake ga Inai Machi
    Nejimaki Seirei Senki: Tenkyou no Alderamin
    Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu
    Shokugeki no Soma 2nd Season

    Not in particular order though…

    Altstrike93
    Reply

  13. 1. Boku Dake ga Inai Machi (best mom in anime history)
    2. Flying Witch (best slice-of-life story to date)
    3. Kono Suba (best ending video and best ex~plo~sion!)
    4. Re: Zero
    5. Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju (this is anime as a fine art)

    Amaama to Inazuma and 91 Days are good too.

    The suffocated
    Reply

  14. #1 : Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju
    #2 : Hibike! Euphonium 2
    #3 : Mob Psycho 100
    #4 : Amaama to Inazuma
    #5 : Boku no Hero Academia

    this year was not a fantastic one tbh ( it was if you like mindless action shows ) but to the rest of us many shows disappointed in one way or another

    Orange was ruined by plastic characters
    Fune wo amu had good early/mid phase but started dropping near the end
    Boku Machi was a freaking disaster
    91 days started good but was meh
    Joker Game was really good but ended up being totally episodic , no grand payoff/closure
    Mayoiga …. this anime’s existence was the first and most important mistake
    haven’t watch Yuri or KonoSuba yet so fingers crossed

    Urahara
    Reply

  17. TOP 5 Anime
    1. Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju
    2. Mob Psycho 100
    3. Re:Zero
    4. Hibike! Euphonium S2 (Last episode isn’t out yet as of posting this, so that might shift its position.
    5. Hai to Gensou no Grimgar (Perhaps not so popular, but I enjoyed the hell of it)

    Honourable mentions
    Ansatsu Kyoushitsu
    Boku no Hero Academia
    Flying Witch (Best Slice of Life of the year)
    Fairy Tail S2 (Don’t really consider long run anime for top of the year, but still gets my honourable mention)
    Boku dake ga inai Machi (Especially for best mom)

    Movies/OVA’s
    Kizumonogatari

    I noticed I didn’t watch so much Movies/OVAs this year, that I even consider to vote for. Its always a more difficult section to fill, but seemed more so this year.

    Overall a somewhat weak year imho, I usually have a harder time picking a top 5, and even have to sort the honourable mentions, but not this year. With that said, I very much look forward to 2017, with a few big names coming up like Nanatsu no Taizai S2, and Shingeki no Kyoujin S2!

    Shrubbery
    Reply

  19. my picks, in no particular order:
    GATE – for tanmks and jets meeting dragons and kicking their ass
    Konosuba – for wonderful character dynamic
    ReLIFE – for unusually adult chareacters in school setting
    Joker Game – for very good and quite realistic spy thriller
    Drifters – for geopolitics meeting awesome action

    ewok40k
    Reply

  20. My top picks are going to come down to what I made time to catch every week pretty much as soon as it aired.

    Haikyu!! – What I like about Haikyu is that it doesn’t get bogged down in off-court drama. Sports anime is at its best when it’s focused on the sport and Haikyu hits its high notes with perfection.
    Grimgar – This one is all about the characters and the relationships between them.
    Konosuba – Sublime satire of the MMO genre in general yet also eerily accurate to the behaviour of some players. “Explosion!” indeed…
    Joker’s Game – I’m a sucker for a good spy story.
    Re:Zero – Runs on the growth of Subaru as a character and the mystery puzzle of solving his way out of each arc. It’s a show where you need to actively listen to what’s being said and re-watch because it throws out pieces of the puzzle and key story points so casually you’ll miss them if you don’t. It’s not going to beat you over the head going: “this is important, damnit!”

    Honourable Mentions
    ReLIFE
    Ansatsu Kyoushitsu
    Boku Dake ga Inai Machi
    Bungo Stray Dogs
    91 Days

    Dave
    Reply

  22. Anime (In no Particular Order):
    Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu
    Space patrol Luluco
    Yuri on Ice
    Mob Psycho 100
    KonoSuba

    OVA/Movie:
    Girls und Panzer der Film
    Under the Dog
    Little Witch Academia: The Enchanted Parade
    Gundam Thunderbolt
    Oregairu OVA

    GoukaRyuu
    Reply

  24. Anime :
    Mob Psycho 100
    Joker Game
    Yuri!!! on Ice
    Haikyuu!! S3
    Occultic;Nine

    OVA/Movie :
    Mahoutsukai no Yome: Hoshi Matsu Hito
    High Speed!: Free! Starting Days
    Kizumonogatari
    Joker Game: Kuroneko Yoru no Bouken
    Ajin OVA

    Paru-u
    Reply

  25. I thought it would be terrible, but I really liked Phantasy Star Online 2. Probably because I was a regular player of the game. I’m not saying it’s the best anime of 2016 or anything no, probably a million miles away from it, but it was a good little show.

    Anyway I’m voting for Rewrite and Mayoiga. Just because 😉
    Terrible anime need love too.

    Lyfe
    Reply

      1. Lol yeah yeah. It’s not like I’m two decades late or anything. XD

        That said, now that we mention it, the month the BD remaster came out also just so happened to be the season where I had a little extra time so I added in BD remasters to the list too.

        …this is certainly an example of extra work not being a good idea. Remind me not to include those next time. Lol.

        Zephyr
        Reply

  27. @Zephyr: I think that should be Tenchi Muyou! Ryououki 4th Season; with a ‘c’, not ‘s’.

    My picks: 1. Haikyuu, 2. Re: Zero, 3. ReLIFE, 4. Asterisk 2, 5.-6. Terraformars Revenge (ties with Grimgar, but TF likely needs support more).

    Kageyama
    Reply

  28. Yuri on ice! Haikyuu S3! Erased! Boku no Hero Academia! Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu! Mob Psycho 100!
    KonoSuba! Re:zero! and even Hibike! Euphonium 2 as well!（☆∀☆）Oh man, thats more than five, I cant seem to choose! Σ(T□T) Oh gosh, somebody help! (*ノз`*)

    xchyssa
    Reply

    1. My Top 5.
      Fune wo Amu, Gundam IBO, Hibike! 2, New Game!, and Re:Zero.
      I do not understand the love for Haikyuu, the MC gets low self esteem then overcomes it, then gets low self esteem again and overcomes, repeat and rinse all seasons. He becomes a pussy with every new opponent they play against.

      sadamitsu
      Reply

  31. My picks for top 5 this year would probably be among these:

    Heavy Object
    Amaama to Inazuma
    AssClass
    Boku No Hero
    Asterisk S2
    Haikuu
    Kono Suba
    Re:Zero (REM4Life)
    Love Live Sunshine
    Osomatsu-san
    Erased
    Stella no Mahou

    Not in any particular order and this was just off the top of my head.
    (Also, more than 5 because why not :^)

    Takaii
    Reply

  33. This was a strong year in my opinion, there’s so many good series to choose from.
    My Top 5 would be something like this:

    1. Flip Flappers
    2. Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu
    3. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable
    4. Mob Psycho 100
    5. Amanchu!

    Ninja'd
    Reply

      2. Oh. My bad. It was on the initial list to be ported over to the poll, I assumed it made it but I guess we missed a few on transition. Also mis-read it as “why is it on the list.”

        Added.

        Zephyr
        Reply

  35. Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu
    Flying Witch
    New Game/Love Live Sunshine
    Flip Flappers

    Basically voted for whatever show I looked forward to the most each season, summer getting the remaining vote because that was the hardest season for me to make the call.

    Arche
    Reply

  36. My picks in no particular order, with a brief reasoning:

    – Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu -> decenr premise (if not the most original), great plot/storylines, great characters with AMAZING character development, and brilliant execution overall

    – Boku no Hero Academia – just a very, very good shonen series. Excellent characters, great premise, likeable MC. Best shonen of the year IMO.

    – Boku Dake ga Inai Machi (Erased) – great drama with gripping and suspenseful story. Ending wasn’t as strong as rest of the series, but doesn’t detract too much overall.

    – Mob Psycho 100 – Amazing animation, great twist on typical shonen series with the unusual mindset/personality of MC. Excellent supporting cast of characters. Storyline a bit unoriginal/predictable but still very enjoyable.

    – Nejimaki Seirei Senki: Tenkyou no Alderamin – ‘war / strategy’ series of the year IMO. Interesting premise, with an interesting MC – if somewhat ‘overpowered’ (no apparent weaknesses + always wins = ???) rather irritating with his constant lechery. Decent supporting cast, engaging story.

    It ALWAYS annoys me when people comment their fave series but give not even a brief reasoning to explain their picks, so hopefully my brief assessments explain my picks.

    lebleu
    Reply

    1. Honourable mentions:

      – Hai to Gensou no Grimgar -> narrowly missed out my top 5. really interesting take on ‘transported to another world’ premise. the slow (sometimes very slow) pace can certainly drag the story down a bit at times, but watching the characters develop and the party progress is satisfying. the unexpected deaths also adds drama (if a tad over-wrought).

      – Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! -> another alternative take on ‘transported to another world’ premise, but the polar opposite tonally of Hai to Gensou no Grimgar. Slapstick comedy, a hilarious and sometimes very relatable MC, and funny supporting cast and their interactions with MC carry this series though the plot/storyline is a bit thin/flimsy at times.

      lebleu
      Reply

  37. I had so much trouble choosing to leave out drifters, but this year was a wonderful year for anime.

    In no particular order (I gave Re:Zero and Mob a 10 though)

    Re:Zero
    Mob Psycho 100
    Yuri On Ice
    Konosuba
    Boku No Hero Academia

    Art of Choice
    Reply

  39. Hai to Gensou no Grimgar
    Re : Zero
    Girlish Number
    Sound! Euphonium
    ReLife

    So hard to limit it to only 5… I’m sure others will vote for Assassin Class, Konosuba, Days and so many more.

    Juan
    Reply

  41. Not gonna lie, I “wasted” a vote on Princess Precure despite knowing it’s not gonna be a popular choice with readers here. However, I think it’s worth it to recognize excellence in kids’ programming, too.

    Despite being of the “glorified toy commercial” mold, Pripre showed a knack for characterization and storytelling above and beyond most of its contemporaries. Heck, even amongst other series in its own franchise, the only one I can think of that matches it on those fronts is the fandom’s darling, Heartcatch Precure.

    Anyway, just wanted to get that out there. My other picks?
    * Flying Witch (Near-perfect iyashikei show. Season two when? T_T)
    * Sakamoto Desu ga? (Very few comedies manage to make me laugh out loud multiple times per episode. We can add that to the list of Sakamoto’s impossible feats)
    * Gundam: Tekketsu no Orphans (As I say to my friends: After a parade of disappointments from Destiny to G-Reco, G-Tekketsu reminded me of just WHY it is I love Gundam so damned much.)
    * Ushio to Tora (Hands down the best shounen battle series I saw this year.)

    Toto
    Reply

  42. Nice to see love for Flip Flappers in the comment section. What a unique gem. Came out of nowhere. Felt like Masaaki Yuasa meets Ghibli meets old Gainax. Wonderful stuff.

    Disappointing year for Madhouse, since they’re my favorite studio.
    Madhouse 2015: Parasyte, One-Punch Man, Death Parade, Overlord, My Love Story.
    Madhouse 2016: Alderamin( it was okay I guess), All Out(also okay, but continuing into 2017), Prince of Stride(the running anime…did anyone even watch this?).
    Overall, a big drop in quality. I guess 2015 was too much for them.

    Clearly, Studio Bones and Studio Deen are the big winners of 2016, and MAPPA and David Pro(just for JoJo) to a lesser extent.

    My personal favorite anime of 2016:
    Flip Flappers
    Euphonium S2
    Rakugo
    JoJo
    My Hero Academia

    I also loved KonoSuba, Sakamoto, Mob Psycho, Yuri on Ice, Stray Dogs S2(flashback arc was a masterpiece), Tanaka, Ushio, Haikyu, Flying Witch, Orange, Sweetness & Lightning, Poco’s Udon, Natsume, Grimgar, Amanchu, AssClass, New Game, Shounen Maid, Thunderbolt Fantasy, and 91 Days.
    Yeah…very strong year.

    Mormegil
    Reply

  44. Mine, in no particular order:
    1. Shouwa Genroku: Best Adult Drama (I have watched several disappointing shows that try to pander for more “adult” qualities, yet this is the only one that doesn’t disappoint at any aspect)
    2. Re:Zero: Best Fantasy (Despite of its numerous flaws it had its very strong peaks. I like its ambition)
    3. KonoSuba: Best Comedy (Very rarely I put comedy on my top list. Konosuba is the exception)

    The last 2 are difficult choices, in the end I put:
    4. Re:Life (for completely flipped over my low expectation despite of sluggish middle part)
    5. Erased (Yeah the final arc is disappointing as f but the rest of it is strong enough to be included here)

    I might cheat and log in with different PC to include Gen Urobichi with Dolls – The (Not) Animation because after submitting the vote I keep thinking that I must have included this before. It’s just so refreshingly good. There are also a lot of strong slice of life shows, but for some reason I stalled many of them. Probably I’m just not really in a mood for SoL.

    zeroyuki92
    Reply

  47. I can’t belive I couldn’t vote for Bungou or 91 Days, the list for this year is too much, so many new cool series 🙁

    Though the highlight for this year, no other contender goes for 1 for me is Erased, definitely like no.1 :p anything else is a POOPY opinion!

    Mi-Chan
    Reply

  48. In terms of the movies I’d support adding the two Digimon Tri movies that aired in 2016 (Digimon Adventure tri. 2: Ketsui and Digimon Adventure tri. 3: Kokuhaku). Thanks to CR airing them as they came out in theaters in Japan we certainly got to see them.

    FlareKnight
    Reply

    1. It’s been considered yeah, but at least for this year, we’ve been really low on time overall so it wasn’t something we could do (the extra poll, results tallying, entry, html etc. would tack on an hour or two easy to a post we already spend over two dozen or so on).

      We’ll think about it again once next year comes along though!

      Zephyr
      Reply

  50. 1. Boku no Hero Academia — This is what a super hero show should be like.
    2. Boku Dake ga Inai Machi (Erased) — Best mystery
    3. Hibike! Euphonium S2 — ASUKA-SENPAI
    4. Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! — best explosion / comedy
    5. New Game! — best couple (Rin / Kou)

    Kraftypoo
    Reply

  51. My Votes

    Best Anime 2016
    Haikyuu!! S2 + S3
    Orange
    Ushio and Tora S2
    Alderamin on the Sky (Nejimaki Seirei Senki: Tenkyou no Alderamin)
    Erased (Boku dake ga Inai Machi)

    Best OVA/Movie 2016
    Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV
    Persona 3 The Movie 4: Winter of Rebirth

    chad28_69
    Reply

  53. Was actually a bit difficult to narrow it down to 5, but here were my choices:

    1. Re-Zero (should be self-explanatory :P)
    2. Jojo’s Bizzare Adventure Diamond is Unbreakable (Favorite arc so far, JoJo is an instant classic. Good characters, creative fights, fabulous poses, it’s got it all)
    3. Hai to Gensou no Grimgar (Not especially popular, but I liked how the show took their time for the characters to slowly grow. It was slow paced at times, but not without purpose.)
    4. Kono Suba (best action/comedy of 2016. This show had me in tears. Also explosions!!!!)
    5. Haikyuu (high adrenaline volleyball, and such a freaking exciting match. Gave me goosebumps as I watched it. Probably one of the better, if not best sports anime I’ve watched so far)

    Honorable Mentions: because there are too many good shows
    1. Mob Psycho 100
    2. Hibike Euphonium S2 (might have made it in my top 5, but the last two episodes felt a bit weak to me overall. Still a great show otherwise)
    3. New Game
    4. Erased (wonderful until the time skip, then it became a bit meh)
    5. Boku no Hero Academia

    ChromeNova
    Reply

  54. The Code Geass Akito entry should be called “Code Geass: Boukoku no Akito 5 – Itoshiki Monotachi e”.

    My list
    Re-Zero:
    My anime of the year, which was sometimes painful to watch, but those moments made later episodes even better, with Rem as “female chara/waifu of the year (in a supporting role)”. Episode 15 was my anime episode of the year. The ending scene with the credits was masterfully done.
    Konosuba:
    Funniest show of the year, with Kazuma (“Hai, Kazuma desu”) as “male chara of the year”
    Erased:
    While the ending wasn’t exactly what I had hoped for and a bit rushed, the show was very suspenseful and I enjoyed some of the “camera/animation work” that was used here.
    Tales of Zestiria the X S1: Excellent animation thanks to ufotable and good enough in all other aspects
    Utawarerumono:
    Although the adaptation had tons of issues, I still enjoyed watching it, particularly due to Taneda Risa’s performance as Kuon. All the best to both her and Haku’s seiyuu, Fujiwara Keiji.
    I would also add Gate (tanks/helicopters in the middle ages) and last season’s Magical Girl Raising Project (another “dark” magical girl series).

    boingman
    Reply

  55. For me, KonaSuba is the one anime this year that truly stood out. There were other good shows, but that one was the one I enjoyed the most. Lots of LOL moments, good/memorable/fun characters, and overall high level of execution (other than maybe visual quality, but eh, it’s a comedy so what do you expect?).

    Re Zero had its moments. Then again, hard for me to think of Re Zero without thinking of Re Zero in 8 Minutes. Quite well done and pretty damn hilarious IMO. XD

    daikama
    Reply

    3. @Cherrie: Glad you enjoyed it. :D. Granted comedy is subjective, but I’ve watched that several times and it still makes me laugh. XD

      @Nishizawa Mihashi: Yeah, he puts out some funny stuff. I don’t always agree with his opinion, but he does make some good points as well.

      daikama
      Reply

  56. I didn’t watch much this year.
    1. Re-zero.
    2. Shokugeki no Soma S2
    3. Hai to Gensou no Grimgar
    4. Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo!
    5. Hundred (gotta have at least have one trash harem series on your list)

    Notable mentions:
    6. Girlish Number
    7. Ansatsu no Kyoushitsu
    8. Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan
    9. Last episode of Koyomimonogatari
    10. The first half or so of Boku dake ga inai machi

    I actually dropped Re-zero at ep5 after I spoiled myself about what would happen in the puppy curse arc via 4chan. Luckily, I decided to pick it back up and marathon through it 14 weeks later when the series was at ep19.

    Pizzagate is Real
    Reply

  57. My Pick:

    TV Series:
    1. Re:Zero
    2. KonoSuba
    3. Osomatsu-san
    4. Macross Delta
    5. Shuumatsu no Izetta

    Didn’t watch much OVA this year but both Geass Akito 5 and Gundam Thunderbolt are one of my favourite OVA this year (both are tie though)

    Anon Number 666
    Reply

    1. My Biggest Disappointing Anime of 2016:
      5.Drifters: Don’t like the artstyle
      4.Utawarerumono 2: Boring asf despite cute female characters
      3.Schwarzesmarken: Despite great and sexy waifus and good mecha animation, everything is disappointing as heck
      2.Kabaneri: Soon-to-be-Masterpiece turned into Trainwreck thanks to shithead like Biba
      1.Gundam IBO: Mediocre Mecha and Anime of the Year. Crappy Animation, ugly art style and character designs, unlikeable characters, and horrible pacing, also it’s Okada garbage at the best. Even Aldnoah is better than this shit.

      Anon Number 666
      Reply

      1. RC should introduce a ‘Most Disappointing’ thing, e.g. readers’s poll, larger entry in end-of-year review

        everyone likes to have a good ol whinge about the disappointments of the year, why not make it happen? its rather cathartic too…

        lebleu
        Reply

  58. There were definitely a few shows that I found to be absolutely appalling but so far none of the shows that I’ve watched can ever be considered to be the best. Perhaps the best in a particular category but not much else.

    Then again… Just what on earth is the best anyway? What is ‘good’ or ‘bad’ in these contexts anyway?

    I have no idea… I truly have no idea… I’ve always had favorites but the Platonic form of the ‘best’ is elusive. You could define it using Indian paradoxical logic but even then… Indeed, I truly have no idea.

    Anyways, if I had to pick my top 5 favorites of 2016 though, they’d have to be:

    1) Bakuon
    2) Drifters
    3) Konosuba
    4) Netoge
    5) Alderamin Of The Sky

    And also, if ya took a peak at the seasonal charts and analyze it for a bit, you’d realize you actually forgot a ton of the shows that you watched and so do the rest of the world. And the best thing is, there aren’t even cosplayers for the characters of those shows, HAH! (or at least very few) It truly is an age of disposable experiences. Now that is the real tragedy.

    Nishizawa Mihashi
    Reply

  59. I’d say (no particular order)…

    – Boku no Hero
    – Mob Psycho 100
    – ReLIFE (real surprise)
    – Showa Rakugo (a true surprise, one of my few 10/10)
    – Saiki Kusuo

    Honourable mentions:
    – Flying Witch, Konosuba and Netoge for doing REALLY good on their main genres.
    – Erased for the best feels on the first part. Too bad the last arc kinda ruined it. Still really solid.
    – Re:zero… It’s kind of a roller coaster. One episode you think it’s awesome, the next one it’s annoying. Overall good though.

    A great year, I have to say. There are a lot of other good anime, some I have still to watch that are apparently good (like Flip Flappers).

    I’m ready for another hopefully great year, I already have another potential 10/10 masterpiece, 3-gatsu no Lion.

    youkai
    Reply

  62. RC should introduce a ‘Most Disappointing Anime’ thing, e.g. readers’s poll, larger entry in end-of-year review

    everyone likes to have a good ol whinge about the disappointments of the year, why not make it happen? it’s pretty cathartic too…

    lebleu
    Reply

  63. I watched most of the shows listed but I actually only voted 1 for best anime and 2 for best ova this year which is really sad. I guess for me this year was disappointing compared to last where I had trouble voting for shows that I really liked.

    Rue Ryuuzaki
    Reply

  64. Shoot i probably only watched 5 series this year. Been phasing out my anime watching. But 2016 seemed like a good year by the MAL ratings, lot more hidden gems which I love to unearth. I haven’t touched mainstream shows like this Re:Zero thing, looks uninteresting?

    Haikyuu was good but overrated, Natsume deserves more credit. This seemed like a very good year in anime overall, but no huge hits like Code Geass or Shingeki no kyojin?

    Natsume,Haikyuu, Durarara,Osomatsu, Gate,cause those are the only ones I’ve seen so they’re top 5,need to catch up, plus the code geass ova

    fishies
    Reply

  65. One of my votes goes to Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm. A show that seems cursed by the wrong expectations. Funny enough, it actually delivered what it advertised on the PVs. Has more air combat than Macross Delta, but less romance. A niche sports anime perhaps?

    It inspired me to check out Keijo!!!!!!!!, which I amusingly didn’t regret. (No, that one isn’t a great anime, but it was entertaining in an absurd way)

    theirs
    Reply

  67. Out of everything I watched this year, my top 5 would have to be:

    Non-sequel:

    Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuku – A piece of art. The only 10/10 gave this year and well deserved.

    Re:Zero – Almost was my top pick. I knew this would be a good show, not a special one. Probably the series I looked forward to watching every week the most.

    Mob Psycho 100 – The coolest show that aired in 2016. The art, the story, the character designs, everything totally stunned me.

    KonoSuba – Best comedy of the year. I haven’t laughed this hard at an anime in who knows how long.

    Tales of Zestria the X – Probably the best video game adaption I have watched. Sure it made some changes, but I thought every change made was for the better and the animation and story was spot on.

    Honorable mentions: Amanchu!, ERASED, Flying Witch and Grimgar all really surprised me. Probably completes my top 10 list.

    Sequels:

    Haikyuu!! S3 – Love my boys, so happy for them <3

    Natsume Yuujinchou Go – THANK THE ANIME GODS FOR S6

    Ansatsu Kyoushitsu S2 – A huge step from S1. Real feels towards the end.

    Ushio and Tora S2 – Again, a step above the first season, which was already good as well.

    Sailor Moon Crystal: Death Busters Arc – Everything I wanted for a SM remake. This fan was happy.

    Honorable mention: Bungou Stray Dogs S2 was considerably better than S1, really enjoyed it. Hibike Euphonium S2 was also great as well!

    Overall, I thought this was a great year for anime. On to 2017!

    Roy-kun
    Reply

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