So, the last few years have seen quite a few new anime movies and series, so I was wondering what where the pieces of anime media that particularly impacted or impressed people here that came out in the last 4-5 years or so.

For me, there have been a few that stood out.

A Place Further Than The Universe had a huge emotional impact on me and I loved every second of it and it just clicked with me that not many stories do. The funny and charming parts just made me grin and laugh and the heavy and sad parts made me teary eyed. Just such an outstanding story.

Oddly enough, Youjo Senki really worked for me and it was better and more fun than it had any right to be. I don't know what it is but the magic-y/punk-y WW1 setting was really interesting and the main character was just super engaging. The no fanservice thing helped, for sure, and it was just extremely entertaining watching her do her thing, misunderstandings and all. Wish it had a bigger and better fanfiction base.

Your Name, a bit predictably of course, was also excellent and similar to Further Than the Universe, it just resonated with me on an emotional level.

There was other stuff I liked, of course, but those were the big ones for me, I believe.

What about you guys?

 

Violet Evergarden swept me away from its very first episode and never looked back. It was one of the earlier shows I'd watched, and yet even then I could tell that the animation quality was unmatched by anything not produced by Makoto Shinkai. But most importantly, the stories that each episode told; the emotional impact they had on me; the messages that each episode had on love; it all combined to create my favorite anime I've seen.

Death Parade taught me a lot about humanity. Back when I started, I remember thinking of it as a rather morbid albeit fascinating show. The first few episodes were decent, I suppose, but once the story really starts delving into the human condition... well let's just say that those twelve episodes were probably the best twelve episodes worth of time I could've spent. I feel like I can get into each character's head, feel the emotions they feel, act the way they act, and even regret the things that they've left behind. And that is worthy of commendation.
~Everybody, put your hands up!

Sound Euphonium was my nostalgia show. As someone who participated in a club very similar to the concert band of Kitauji HS (the competitions, the cameraderie, the blood, sweat and tears poured into practice, the willingness to sacrifice everything to win nationals) in my own high school, Sound Euphonium brought back so many memories of my time with some of the greatest people I've ever met back when I was in HS. It also didn't hurt that Asuka is one of my favorite characters in all of anime.

Kimi no Na wa introduced me to anime, and I'll probably be forever regretful grateful for that. The song, the story, the characters. Shinkai will be eternally writing sad stories on love and loss and maybe even finding your happy ending. And I'll always be there to eat up his next film.

Other than VEG, these aren't necessarily my favorite anime ever, but they definitely had the largest impact on me.

 

I will get back to my favourite anime of last five years later. I just have to respond to this.

1. Shinkai is not a producent.
2. It is only recently with Garden of Words and Your Name when his projects were impressive animation-wise.
3. There are other as well and better animated movies than Shinkai's recent which came out in last five years. Last year Maquia being an obvious example.
4.There are other series which are better animated than VEG, in fact VEG is not even among KyoAni's bests.

 

Hunter x Hunter: The characters were amazing, the character development was great, the animation was consistently great and the world and plot were incredibly creative emotional and brought a very fresh perspective to shounen. Absolutely amazing 10/10. Not sure if it even counts I think it ended in 2014 so I will take it.

There really isn't anything else for me though that would get a 9 or 10 for me stuff like Devilman Crybaby, Your Name or One punch man were great and very fun but no real classics imo.

Really hate the direction modern anime is taking since the early 2010's, can't stand most slice of life stuff, videogame bullshit, and moe is unwatchable trash to me.

Even modern shounen like Hero Academia are completely mediocre and only popular because it's not infested with filler and has good animation.

 

Madoka (2010) remains my favourite anime of all time. Amazingly compelling characters, used to deliver a single, perfect, complete story of hope and despair and the transcendent salvation that is love.

In more recent times - Seishun Buta Yarou (2018). The chemistry between the protagonist and the heroine is off-the-charts, an almost physical thing, and the dialogue is effortlessly charming and right.

 

I loved Bunny Senpai as well and eagerly await the movie, but I enjoyed Shirobako even more.

Besides just being fun and well-made, it was very very relatable. I was and am also struggling with the transition from school/uni to working life and finding out what I actually want to do with my career while trying to have some kind of social life, and Shirobako reflected that wonderfully.

 

1. Produced as in he created it not he's the accredited producer.
2. I liked 5 cm and for its time the animation is good.
3. I didn't like Maquia and Liz and the Blue Bird's animation doesn't compete.
4. Disagree.

 

2. Saying that animation was good for its time is a very good proof that you have no idea what you are talking about. Technology improvement helped with achieving passable animation but it didn't do much for upper quality since 80s aside from digital photography getting rid of the limit of cell layers, but 5 cm/s was already far into the digital era so it's irrelevant. 80s were a great period for animation quality in general, with economic bubble leading to a lot of OVAs with a large degree of creative freedom and relaxed schedules. It's pretty telling that despite being popular 5 cm/s only got two cuts on Sakugabooru.
3. What does your liking Maquia or not have to do with the impressive animation work in it? Liz probably wasn't as well animated as Your Name was though. People praise it mostly for the direction, which is pretty obvious given Yamada.
4. And I disagree with your disagreement. Also, Nichijou.

 

2. Im not going to argue about the technical aspects of animation. I'm not an animation nerd, nor do I particularly care about nuances within animation that people who do care about animation details drone on about. To me, animation quality reflects how beautiful the show is, how lifelike the characters are. And I happened to like 5 cm's animation in that regard.

3. I didn't think that the quality of the animation was as good as Kimi no Na wa's. When I said I didn't like it, I was referring to the animation itself, irregardless of the movie quality (which, also pretty bad). Liz was okay; it could've been stronger, but I much prefer the original series.

4. I haven't seen Nichijou so I won't comment on it, but of all of KyoAni's works that I have seen, VEG has the best animation.

 

Well, when you say stuff like this and talk about quality it sure seems like you are talking about technical aspects.

It's extremely sweeping and annoyingly ignorant. Though not as ignorant as going with "for its time".

Now, I have a very strong feeling that you say "animation", but mean "every visual aspect". Also, even taking that stance I sure don't know how the characters seemed lifelike in 5 cm/s with those ugly designs.

I'm generally used to people being blind, but this baffles me in terms of your previous statement because Mauqia has a really big focus on character acting and many more standout scenes in this regard.

While not in my recent favourites, Shirobako is on my "everyone who watches more anime should watch this" list, because people have no idea how the industry looks like, but like to say stupid things about it (budget).

And to actually go to my favourite anime works from the last five years:
Ping Pong the Animation - Directed by Masaaki Yuasa, this adaptation of Matsumoto Taiyou's manga is a coming of age sports series. As usual with modern Yuasa, we get a really creative direction and expanding on character building in regards to the source material. The expansion is especially focused on side characters and is so good (that Christmas scene) that it creates a problem of overtaking the stories of main characters in terms of quality. The series, unfortunately, suffers from being done on a crazy schedule (Yuasa went and storyboarded all episodes himself because he decided it will be faster than to coordinate with other people). Also unfortunately, it's also a start of Yuasa's Flash experiments.
Trailer

Devilman Crybaby - Directed by Masaaki Yuasa, this adaptation of Go Nagai's classic manga tells a chilling apocalyptic story. As usual with modern Yuasa, we get a really creative direction and expanding on character building in regards to the source material. The original manga is the best thing I've read from Nagai (but that's more on the quality of his other works) and I understand why it was extremely influential when it came out, but the anime improves on it immensely. Definitely, the best thing Netflix foray into original anime brought us so far, and probably the most significant as while it was planned earlier, we don't know what distribution format it would have to have as this definitely wouldn't be aired on the TV. Unfortunately, what I talked about before is a problem here. The series suffers due to being animated in Flash.
Trailer

The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl - Directed by Masaaki Yuasa, this adaptation of Tomihiko Morimi's novel is a romantic comedy and a loose prequel to earlier Tatami Galaxy (also adapted by Yuasa, and even better than this), and also set in the same world as the Eccentric Family (also adapted, but unfortunately not by Yuasa). As usual with modern Yuasa, we get a really creative direction, but I am not sure about expansion this time considering the span of the movie and the novel translation only comes out in June so I couldn't compare. Flash this time didn't hurt due to the style of the movie.
Trailer

What I wanted to say, Yuasa is really great. But I'm kind of sad that other strong directors either worked on stuff with a weak script recently or wrote a weak script themselves. Sarazanmai comes out in the Spring and I hope it will shake up the situation.

 

Within the last 4-5 years

Haikyuu: Probably the best Sports Shonen going, great characters and character development. It's definitely not realistic, but it also doesn't fall into the horrid power creep of other shows. It's just high school kids playing Volleyball, and it's reflected in both the opponent's and the protagonists. There's no overwhelmingly evil villain and everyone gets a turn to shine.

Megalobox: Wasn't as good as I expected it to be when It started. Overall it was a solid 7/10 show and I haven't come across many of those recently so it's high up on my list.

Shokugeki no Soma: Season 1 was great, Season Two up until the stagiaire arc. After that the Manga took a massive nose dive in quality and it's reflected in the anime.

Re:Life: Unemployed Mid-20's man gets offered the chance to get his life back on track. The catch? Has to spend a year in high school under the supervision of his handler. A really great slice of life/romance

 

I guess you're one of those people with a very set worldview (anime-view?) and an absolute belief in yourself as being correct, so I won't bother wasting any more time here.

 

The Night is Short, Walk On Girl had a really great first two thirds but fell a bit flat in the last third for me. It was a great visual experience but a few story decisions really took me out and I haven't really thought about it since. It was still a very fun movie though.

That said, Mind Game is probably my favorite thing of his that I have seen. Now that was an impossible to describe experience.

PMMM, Black Lagoon, Oregairu and Angel Beats are other a bit older anime that would also be up there for me. All impressive works that I still revisit from time to time. Same with FMA Brotherhood but that kinda goes without saying and that is definitely a bit older by now.

I loved Hibike Euphonium! and it had a spectacular season 1, with probably the best voice actress in Kimiko that I can name on the fly who really imbued that character with a lot of (for the lack of a better word) depth and "realism". However, as much as I loved season 1, season 2 took a few steps back for me, what with the drawing back from the Reina and Kimiko relationship and exploring their very interesting characters and dynamic and the growth they inspired in each other and instead pushing Asuka as a main character suddenly, at the cost of Reina. And while she works as an interesting secondary character, didn't warm up to her as a more important focus.

 

I don't really go for the dramas that get all the accolades, not interesting in the least to me tbh.

This season has two of my favs in recent memory (Shield Hero and Kaguya-sama). As Wynter mentioned, Shokugeki until it took a nosedive (F).

A friend of mine was desperate for me to watch Hunter X Hunter, but I can't get over how much I dislike the art style. Ditto Jojo.

Frankly, I could probably more easily give you a list of the ones I despised than the ones I loved...

 

I actually thought Asuka was a more dynamic character than Reina because of her background. It also kind of feels a bit more logical since Kumiko would see her more often as they are the only euphs in the band. Nothing against Reina, I just never really felt like her character went beyond this singular focus of becoming special, which doesn't even have a whole lot of back story as to why behind it.

 

@Miner Does it need that much back story though? I felt it worked perfectly fine and led to a super interesting dynamic between the two, not sure what else was needed. Reina wants to be special and exceptional, which, in turn, inspires and motivates Kumiko as well. That they have different instruments just adds to that fact, if they had the same, that motivation would inevitably lead to a rivalry which I don't think would have worked nearly as well if they had been competitors. This way, they encourage and drive each other.

I especially love the fact that Kumiko had been mostly trying to fit in and put up a facade of how she thought she should behave as a good person, which inherently kneecapped her own ambition and comfortableness as a person, but Reina brought out the part in her that made her behave as she wanted for a change, which put her in collusion course with others, like when she confronted the class itself in order to stand up for Reina. In return, Reina found a friend who was not put off by her ambition and talent and instead of turning against her, was inspired by her, has her back and strives to stand side by side with her and become even better, which in return, also inspires Reina more.

I don't know, fair enough that Asuka worked for you but the Reina and Kumiko dynamic just resonated a lot more with me and I personally believe there is a lot more to that. They have an insane chemistry, whether you read them as a romantic couple or a platonic one. Just feels wasted that season 2 doesn't really build on that and lost that spark. Season 1 was special, season 2 was just okay, imo.

 

I felt like Kumiko's biggest issue was that she refuses to commit. Like, she's always trying to avoid conflict, always toeing the line between committing to a side and just being another face in the crowd. She prefers to blend in, not rock the boat, etc. And yes, her friendship with Reina does eventually cause her to commit, but I personally felt that while Reina is someone she'll stand by and support for the trumpet solo (this isn't actually as notable because in a merit-based band Reina always wins as she is the superior player), Asuka is the first person that Kumiko kind of goes out of her way for? I mean, maybe the whole Taki-sensei thing put me off Reina as a character, but I actually preferred season two over season one because of how they developed Asuka as a character and because season two held more of the music and the competitions and that brought back a lot of nostalgia for me.

 

Oh I can absolutely be wrong about anime, but you are talking absolute nonsense. If we are comparing worldview and anime-view it's as if you were saying that Earth is flat.

Mind Game is my least favourite Yuasa thing. It's from the time when he only cared about style and not about substance, and is the work that most lacked in substance, making it a drag to watch despite the visual side.

 

Hibike! Euphonium (season 1) was my favorite anime from the last 5 years, and I love seeing others here comment on it. It had some of the strongest characters and interactions between characters out of anything I've seen. Unfortunately, season two was a bit disappointing in those aspects. It certainly still qualifies as a "strong" show, but not as one of my favorites.

Following that, favorite recent anime tentatively ordered are:
2. Kimi no Na wa
3. Shirobako
4. Devilman Crybaby
5. Liz to Aoi Tori

I almost feel like movies should be on a separate list since they have a tendency to be much more memorable and impactful than shows. (At least compared to shows watched a week at a time) The Fate/Stay Night Heaven's Feel movies and Kizumonogatari II would definitely end up on a favorite movies list, although I do like the shows I included above more.

Thinking back, several of the other highly-praised movies I recall watching in the last few years were actually quite disappointing. In particular, Maquia, Night is Short, Walk on Girl, and Koe no Katachi did not impress me at all.

I thought Maquia, the character, was quite bland, and her emotional growth (and growth as a mother) was not interesting to me at all. The movie also relied far too much on circumstance, to the point where it bothered me despite the fact that I normally have a high tolerance for that sort of thing. To some extent, I felt that it was one of the themes of the movie, (i.e. the inability to know where life will take you) but it didn't work for me at all.

I should probably rewatch Night is Short, Walk on Girl because, while I felt that I understood it at the time, I cannot currently remember exactly what story the movie was trying to tell or what points it tried to make about life.

Finally, Koe no Katachi was a movie that I really wanted to like, but I never connected with the characters, and the emotional scenes towards the end of the movie fell flat. I hear many scenes were cut from the manga, which likely would have helped, but as is, I felt that it relied far too much on the viewer already having experiences with bullying and sympathizing with the characters for that reason. (I personally do not have any such experiences)

Pure quality of animation isn't something I particularly care about, but from what I've seen in the last five years the best animation could be found in Fate/Stay Night Heaven's Feel or maybe Kizumonogatari III.

Violet Evergarden had some beautiful art, but Nichijou's animation is just out-of-this-world. Highly recommend if you ever find yourself looking for something to watch.

 

Oof, am I the only one who enjoyed S2 much more than S1?