While not for the faint of heart, Go Nagai's Devilman manga is an influential property well-worth seeking out for anyone interested in the medium. What is the premise? A timid student fond of a good cry, Akira Fudou is tricked into fusing with a devil by his supposed friend, Ryou Asuka. Creating the being known as Devilman, Akira takes it upon himself to rid the world of any rampant demons seeking to use humans as vessels or food. At a short 10 episodes, Devilman: Crybaby is a quick but unforgettable sit. Wisely opting to remove some of the source material's fat, Science SARU's adaptation mainly focuses on Akira's origin story and the manga's final Apocalypse arc. In this day and age, Devilman's themes of corruption and futility are nothing new, but the manga helped popularize these ideas. So, how is the action? Devilman: Crybaby is rarely pleasant, and this extends to the battles. Backed by quite a loose art style, fights often amount to grotesque body parts wailing against each other to form something akin to a strange piece of abstract art; however, that is the point! Devilman: Crybaby does not glorify action.

Mecha shows are not quite as mainstream as they used to be. Sure, Gundam periodically produces a new season, but the days of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann and Eureka Seven seem to be long gone. Luckily, 2018 refused to let sleeping dogs lie and gave the genre a shot in the arm! While Planet With and Darling in the FranXX had their moments, SSSS.Gridman stood out as the year's definitive mecha extravaganza! Created by Trigger, a studio intimately familiar with the action genre, SSSS.Gridman takes place in a city constantly under attack by massive monsters. If it were not for a first-year high school student who happens to discover a digital mecha in an old computer, hope may have been completely lost! Clearly, SSSS.Gridman is more concerned with looking good than making sense, but Trigger backs up its pretty visuals with fluid animation and memorable battles. Mecha need to properly convey a sense of scale, and SSSS.Gridman accomplishes this better than most. Along with introducing various interestingly designed monsters to test Gridman, most encounters include a strategic element.

In a year packed with excellent anime, Golden Kamuy could easily be overlooked, particular due to the first season needing a couple of episodes to hit its stride. Set during Japan's Meiji era, Geno Studio's series is basically a rat race pitting various groups against each other to determine who can locate a hidden stash of gold. Also, the treasure map is written on the back of various escaped convicts scattered throughout the vast snow-covered region. Golden Kamuy is weird. Even though comedy is not listed as a genre on myanimelist, Geno Studio's anime has a wicked sense of humor, one that juxtapositions well with the brutal and gory action. Due to being a budget series, Golden Kamuy's animation cannot compare to some of 2018's prettiest releases, but the tense atmosphere and grounded fights compensate for the somewhat lackluster visuals! Golden Kamuy's action arrives in bursts, but it nearly always leaves an impression.

Following a season defined by discourse rather than action, Attack on Titan’s sequel pushes human versus human conflict to the forefront. In fact, titans seldom make an appearance during season 3! Newcomers should definitely start from the very beginning, but 2018's season arguably represents the franchise at its peak. While Eren Yeager remains the protagonist, Levi is thrust to the lead for the bulk of the latest batch of episodes. Wit Studio has always done a brilliant job animating the anime's action scenes, but this season marked the first extended period were Attack on Titan could not rely on gore or titans to sustain a viewer's attention. The end result is an increased focus on fast-paced battles and flexibility, as tactics designed to take down a titan are hardly suitable against a human enemy. Shingeki no Kyojin Season 3 embodies the best elements of the franchise! Unlike its predecessor, 2018's entry rarely slows down to take a breather.

Based on a manhua, Mo Dao Zu Shi has a credible claim to being 2018's most underappreciated show. Chinese anime are not especially common, but a few series are starting to slip through the cracks; out of all them, Mo Dao Zu Shi could very well be the best! Detested for establishing the Demonic Sect, the disgraced Wei Wuxian spends years wandering a world that does not want him. Ultimately, the former grandmaster takes a knife to the back and dies. Luckily for the protagonist, death is merely the beginning in this anime, and Wei is reincarnated into someone else's body. While this is far from ideal, things could definitely be worse for Wei; for example, he could be forced to accompany his archenemy on a journey laced with mystery and neverending battles. That is exactly what happens. Heavy on flashbacks, Mo Dao Zu Shi is somewhat slow paced, but individual episodes basically consist of nonstop action and comedy. Blending supernatural and historical elements, Mo Dao Zu Shi is perfect for action fans seeking to sample Chinese anime.

Traditional shounen anime are steadily becoming a rare occurrence. One Piece seems set to continue producing episodes until the Sun calls it a day, but Black Clover is practically the only new long-running shounen series to rise up from Naruto and Bleach's ashes. Boruto already had an established fanbase. With its perverted protagonist and overpowered characters, The Seven Deadly Sins is almost nostalgic. Distributed through Netflix and created by A-1 Pictures, Nanatsu no Taizai had an impressive 2018, releasing a new season and a movie. While the latter grants a rare opportunity to watch all the Sins working together, the former's action packs more of an impact, primarily due to there actually being stakes. A-1 Pictures' animation is unsurprisingly gorgeous, but Nanatsu no Taizai's battles amount to more than just exciting explosions. Depending on the participants, a battle could take on the form of a rapid thrill ride or a grueling exchange of blows. Variety helps stave off boredom.

Innocent lives do not have to be on the line for an encounter to feel significant. Shounen action series tend to adhere to the "go big or go home" rule of thumb, but sports anime are an inherently more personal bunch. A victory means proving the doubters wrong and overcoming one's own limitations to obtain a place in the universe. Megalo Box pays tribute to the granddaddy of boxing anime, Ashita no Joe. Known as Junk Dog, Joe is forced to throw fights to satisfy his promoter's bookies, who do not appreciate surprises. After the announcement of a new tournament and a brief match against the current champion, Joe sets out to take on the world and rise above his status as a Junk Dog! With CGI running rampant throughout the industry, Megalo Box's traditional animation is a breath of fresh air. Even if boxing is not someone's cup of tea, Megalo Box's fights carry so much emotion, it is near impossible to not get invested. Whether a fan of sports or action anime, Megalo Box should not be missed.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is back and more Italian than ever! Stardust Crusaders and Diamond is Unbreakable are two hard acts to follow, but Golden Wind has all the makings of an instant classic. Set in Naples, 2018's entry centers around Giorno Giovanna's ambitious goal to infiltrate and reform the mafia. Having an attachment to the Joestar family tree does not hurt the teenager's chances, but Naples happens to be home to some rather dangerous stand users! Golden Wind sticks to the same formula established by its predecessors. The story is split into a sequence of fights pitting two or more stand users against each other. As battles are decided by countering the opponent's abilities rather than overwhelming them with brute force, Golden Wind's action is slightly more methodical than some other entries on this list. More time is allocated to hearing the characters plan their next moves than actually watching the execution of said moves, but Viz Media's dynamic animation makes every thought hit harder than most punches!

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Already among the highest-grossing anime films of all time, Dragon Ball Super: Broly made quite a splash towards the end of 2018. For arguably the action genre's definitive, or at least most popular, franchise, Dragon Ball's movies have left something to be desired. The slower opening half prioritizes Broly's new back story while reinforcing that Frieza is still the worst; however, the second Broly steps foot on Earth, the fighting does not stop! What do you expect from a Dragon Ball Super movie? Along with Goku consuming enough food to feed a starving nation and Vegeta challenging Toradora!'s Taiga for the title of anime’s greatest tsundere, fans want to see Saiyans punch or be punched through mountains. Broly is filled with these type of moments. While Toei's TV animation is often suspect to criticism, the studio greatly ups its game when putting together a movie. For the most part, Broly successfully blends traditional animation and CGI to create an action-packed addition to one of anime's landmark franchises.

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How could anything possibly top My Hero Academia? Dragon Ball ended 2018 on a high note, but the year belonged to Deku, All Might, and Bakugo. My Hero Academia's previous seasons effectively introduced the endearing cast, established the broader society's reliance on heroes, and hinted at potentially tearing down this universe's safety net. While not lacking in action, the previous seasons were mostly setting the stage for 2018's entry. Thankfully, the 3rd season lived up to the hype! Action for the sake of action is not enough. An audience needs a reason to care about the affected players. Why does this fight matter? My Hero Academia 3 always supplies a reason to care. On the surface, the central conflict seems like a straightforward scenario pitting heroes vs villains, but ideologies are on the line. All Might dominates the season's standout moments, and it will take something special to outdo My Hero Academia.

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Made In Abyss follows Riko, the orphaned daughter of a famous cave raider and a amnesiac robot boy named Reg as they journey ever downward into the seemingly endless levels of the titular Abyss, a massive hole that goes down deep into the earth that is full of strange creatures and environments and bestows a mysterious curse on anyone that enters. Like Yakusoku no Neverland, Made in Abyss has children thrown into some very serious and dark situations. While Made in Abyss’ setting is much more fantasy than science fiction, both series have strong world-building that contributes much to the interest of the series and also share a common element of adult characters being untrustworthy/antagonists against child protagonists as well as the more superficial escape from an orphanage. We think you’ll enjoy Made in Abyss if you’re looking for an even more intense anime, especially if you appreciate an excellent setting.

After an apocalyptic event in 2011 caused by the sudden violent awakening of psychokinesis in a small percentage of humans, society and technology have been dramatically changed. 1000 years later in the utopic town of psychics called Kamisu 66, strict social order is kept by the Ethics Committee built around safely controlling their powers, including a “holy barrier” that prevents impure things from entering. The story follows the life of Saki Watanabe, a twelve-year-old girl whose powers have just awakened, and her friends as they navigate their unusual education and soon begin to discover some of the strange secrets of their society. Shinsekai Yori is another anime with compelling world design that makes you want to learn more and more as secrets are slowly revealed and it is interesting even just on the surface level for its unique take on a far-future, post-apocalyptic setting. It shares a lot with Yakusoku no Neverland from its faux-utopia with dark secrets and sinister adults to its child protagonists and frequent arcs revolving around escape and deception. Shinsekai Yori is one of the most interesting, albeit sometimes perplexing, anime out there, and one that we think fans of Yakusoku no Neverland will definitely want to check out.

Young Japanese boy Shu finds himself transported from his ordinary life to the confines of a gigantic mechanical fortress in a bleak desert world after a chance encounter with a mysterious girl called Lala-Ru. Captured and forced to join the fortress’ group of child soldiers, Shu fights to survive and hold onto his values in a desolate world torn apart by war and madness while trying to rescue Lala-Ru and return to his home. Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku is known for being an underrated “hidden gem” and as one of the darkest anime out there, and we would agree on both fronts. Out of all of our recommendations here, Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku is probably the most intense but definitely worth checking out for its unusual setting, storytelling, and foray into very serious topics. Yakusoku no Neverland fans will definitely appreciate the character dynamics between Shu and the other children, the series’ focus on escape and unique setting, just understand what you’re getting yourself into!

Jaded 29-year-old aspiring mangaka Satoru Fujinuma has a mysterious power that makes him travel back in time whenever he is around any sort of accident or disaster. He calls the ability "Revival" and it typically only sends him back a couple minutes but after he is accused of a murder he finds himself a child again, sent all the way back to 1988. Everything seems to be connected with the abduction and murder of one of his classmates, a quiet and solitary girl named Kayo Hinazuki. ERASED follows Satoru’s quest to find the killer and understand the particulars of his unusual ability. While their settings, characters, and plot are quite different, ERASED and The Promised Neverland share a lot in how they feel. Both are full of tense and suspenseful moments revolving around mystery and deceit, with things such as Satoru sneaking around and having to hide his true age and knowledge from those around him. There’s also a strong group dynamic between him, his school friends, and others, which along with its “child” protagonists, makes it an anime you should try if you like The Promised Neverland! As an added tip, we’ll recommend waiting a while between episodes to keep intact the weekly tension that made watching it as it came out so exciting.

During summer camp, a group of 15 children stumbles upon a cave by the sea full of computer equipment and a strange man calling himself Kokopelli. He tells them that he is the designer of a game where you control a robot to fight off alien invaders and entices the children to sign a contract in order to play. It’s quickly made clear that this game is all too real as the children have to pilot the hulking mecha Zearth to battle against both aliens and their own personal struggles. Bokurano is another bleak anime series involving children trapped in a dangerous situation, this time a do-or-die (or perhaps do-and-die) battle where they must risk their lives to fight off the monsters. While there is a giant robot involved, like most mecha series the story is more about the psychological side of the pilots and, like Neverland, much of the enjoyment comes from the twists, which there are many. Mecha fans may also find extra interest in the way Bokurano goes into the realistic ramifications of a giant robot moving through a city. Overall we think it is both a solid and rather unique anime and one that Yakusoku no Neverland watchers might really enjoy, just be prepared for some heaviness.

While it’s not the case for everyone, some people absolutely love going to school and Yuki Takeya’s enthusiasm for student life knows no bounds, in fact, she never leaves because she’s one of the members of the School-Life Club. Unfortunately, things are far from normal and Yuki’s rosy delusion of a happy school life hide the shocking truth of the zombie apocalypse she and her friends are struggling to survive in while barricaded in the school. School-Live! is an unusual juxtaposition between cutesy slice-of-life comedy and psychological survival-horror that somewhat mirrors the twist at the beginning of Yakusoku no Neverland and similarly has a focus on survival. While the framing is quite different, other things like how the girls keep up the ruse of a happy and normal life to Yuki (and sometimes themselves) connects the feeling of the shows together in a way that warrants our recommendation for Yakusoku no Neverland fans, not to mention orphaned child protagonists trying to escape monsters.

Takuma Sakamoto has nothing going for him outside of his reputation as the Demon King Diablo in an MMORPG called Cross Reverie. When he’s summoned into a fantasy world resembling the MMORPG he called home in the body that he once inhabited virtually, he hides behind the persona he’d built as Demon King to survive the many social interactions to come. The two girls responsible for his summoning quickly find themselves at his mercy when their enslavement spell backfires unto them. Takuma is eager to rid himself of the enslavement spell but for now, that’ll mean learning to interact with the two girls and the many people he’ll meet in this world. How Not to Summon a Demon Lord is a perfect illustration of how a change of perspective can freshen up a traditional fantasy world. Takuma’s socially awkward demeanor and his portrayal of a fictional persona of a demon lord is a new dynamic we haven’t seen much in fantasy anime. It becomes even more interesting because Takuma must negotiate his demon lord character with his internal desire to help the two girls that have summoned him. It’s an example of how sometimes changing the fantasy world isn’t necessary but changing the character you’re telling the story of can make everything feel new.

Sakura’s successes in changing all the magical Clow Cards into Sakura Cards are short lived when she wakes up from a dream with a mysterious cloaked figure to discover that all of her cards are now blank. In another dream, she receives a key that remains in her hand when she wakes up and turns out to be a means of capturing a whole new set of transparent cards. Together, with her friends Shaoran, Tomoyo, and Kero, she’ll need to begin a new journey in capturing all of the transparent cards and figuring out who is the cloaked figure that haunts her dreams. Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card is one of two on this list that stand out on their own. It’s a Shoujo fantasy series and predominantly set in the present day. The show focus around Sakura’s quest to capture destructive cards from episode to episode but also touches upon her maturing relationship with Shaoran and has a larger plot that develops over time but isn’t an immediate focus. It’s everything you would’ve loved from the original series with the characters maturing a bit as they’ve since grown. In the end, Sakura’s a classic schoolgirl by day and magical girl by night character, but with less of those series being prevalent today, it helps the show stand out on this list.

Violet Evergarden was a tool of war who had little reason to exist beyond hurting the enemy. With the end of the Great War, Violet found herself maimed and the sole man she dedicated her life to on the verge of death. After recovering from her wounds, Violet discovers she is without purpose in a world without war. Through a strange set of circumstances, she eventually ends up employed by CH Postal Services where she finds a new purpose in life: the task of writing down people’s thoughts and feelings into words. Having a tough understanding of human emotion thanks to her troubling upbringing, Violet will find such a purpose to be even more tasking than that of war. You won’t find a more unique selection on this list than Violet Evergarden. As a drama, it’s incomparable to any other fantasy series you’ll see here. It’s a show about finding the right way to express feelings and emotion, of learning to move forward past grief, and of growing as an individual. It’s slow paced but rewarding, and one of the best-looking anime you’ll see all year.

There is an adventurer whose sole purpose in life is the task of slaying goblins, he is fittingly called Goblin Slayer. Priestess, a brand-new adventurer, has her first encounter with Goblin Slayer in dire circumstances. Having joined a group of similarly new adventurers for her first adventure, she could not have expected that they would end up overwhelmed by a horde goblin. On the verge of sharing the same tragic fate as her fellow adventurers, Goblin Slayer’s timely arrival allows her to live on. Priestess decides to accompany the lonely adventurer from thereon, aiding him in all his goblin slaying business. Goblin Slayer is part of that trend of fantasy anime that have switched up perspectives to liven the genre up. Here, we focus on a young man who has a fixation on goblins because of a tragic past. Goblin Slayer’s fixation has alienated him from almost everyone around him and socially stunted him. Through the Priestess, we see Goblin Slayer’s xenophobic dedication to the eradication of goblins but also his slow progress in learning to open up after closing himself off from others for so many years. That’s not to mention that this is another of the better-looking series you’ll find on this list.

Kirito has been helping with the development of a new Full Dive technology called Soul Translator. Whenever he does a Full Dive into the Soul Translator, he enters a world where he is a kid and has no memory of his real life as Kirito. Similarly, when he leaves the Soul Translator, he has little memory of his time in it. When Kirito is injected with a poison syringe, he awakens to find himself in the world of the Soul Translator again except this time he has no memory of his past time in the Soul Translator and only memories of his real life as Kirito. Alicization has a rather interesting mystery established at the start of the season that leaves viewers with a myriad of questions. Despite being one of many sequels on this list, Sword Art Online introduces us to a whole new fantasy world with Alicization, one that feels more alive and thus more consequential than the previous world Kirito has visited. Kirito also spends most of his time in Alicization with a different set of characters accompanying him and a greater emphasis on his friendship with a boy called Eugeo. This is a welcome switch-up to the usual Sword Art Online dynamic and gives us new characters to support.

Yggdrasil was a world that was once the setting of a game but became real when one of its greatest players, Momonga, remained in it as the servers closed. Momonga’s ambitions as a skeletal dark lord led to others desire to see him killed and one of his own servants manipulated to attack him. Having survived the ordeal has only increased the interest that the Slane Theocracy, responsible for the manipulation, have in him. Furthermore, as other nations become embroiled in war, Momonga will find himself becoming further involved in the world’s politics. Overlord II steps away from focusing on Momonga and starts to shine some light on the rest of the characters that make up the world of Yggdrasil. We get a big picture of the show’s intention of building up a kingdom for Momonga to rule. While Momonga’s look and the title of the show may betray a villainous lead character, it’s all a mask for Momonga’s more moral goals of creating a society for all demi-humans. Overlord II tends to be at its best less when we see Momonga dispatching his enemies and more when we get to see the many side characters help contribute to Momonga’s idealistic goals.

Meliodas, leader of the Seven Deadly Sins, must gather his comrades after having finally redeemed their reputation in the eyes of the Kingdom of Leones to be able to save the world from the wrath of the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments, chosen by the Demon King himself, were very much responsible for the downfall of the sins and terrorized the world thousands of years ago. Unfortunately, not only will uniting the Seven Deadly Sins prove challenging, but their current power may not even be strong enough to defeat them. Meliodas never felt like he had much of a challenge in the previous season of Seven Deadly Sins but that all changes with the Revival of the Commandments. The leader of the Sins has his past unearthed by his fellow sins as he tries to regain his old powers in a bid to be able to save the people he cares about from the commandments. We also get to see the unwavering confidence his fellow sins have in him start to crack and his own optimistic personality take a slight step back. It’s a welcome change in a wonderful Shounen that at-times made its lead out to be too powerful.

It’s clear that not everyone within the last remaining society of humanity has the same collective goal of survival. Although the Survey Corps plots to have Eren transform into a titan in order to rebuild the wall that was shattered years ago and stymie the titan threat to humanity, the Military Police and current government don’t seem inclined to support those plans. Now led by a serial killer called Jack, the Military Police are out to capture both Eren and another Survey Corps member called Historia for reasons only a conspiring government knows. Attack on Titan Season 3 is the season where we get a great deal of answers about what led to Eren Yeager getting the ability to transform into a titan. There’s a lot less titan-slaying action in this season as well and it becomes a war between two factions of the government military: the Survey Corps and the Military Police. It’s a welcome change of pace and continues to add layers to the conflict between humanity and titans with increasingly more indications appearing that this war isn’t as clear cut as simply being one for humanity’s survival.

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Having lost to the dark wizard Zeref and the dragon Acnologia, Natsu saw his guild Fairy Tail disbanded and its member spit up. That set back only spurred Natsu into further training to face off against Zeref and now he’s ready to gather the members of his former guild and return it to prominence. Of course, while Natsu’s plans to reunite Fairy Tail will be challenging, none of it will compare to his inevitable battle with Zeref. Fairy Tail Final Series feels very much like a throwback to the early parts of the show in the sense that we get to see Natsu, Happy, and Lucy gather all the members of Fairy Tail once again. It’s not as straightforward as that and we see that Natsu’s former guildmembers have all been pre-occupied in their own ways since they disbanded. The most attractive part of Fairy Tail Final Series is the build-up to the inevitable duel between Natsu and Zeref that will very much have the fate of the world riding on the result.

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After being stabbed to death by happenstance, Satoru Mikami wakes up in a fantasy world as a slime. The first creature he meets is a legendary dragon called Veldora that bestows upon him the name Rimuru Tempest. Newly named, Rimuru promises to help Veldora be freed from the seal that binds him by swallowing him up as the unknown being within him works on freeing it. Little does Rimuru know, swallowing Veldora has altered the delicate balance of the ecosystem in the world he now inhabits, and the endless consequences will be his to deal with. That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime quickly goes from an adventure series into a fantasy city-builder. Like Overlord above, we see Rimuru aspire to build a nation where everyone is welcome because he can’t stop himself from helping and extending a hand to nearly everyone he meets. Rimuru’s inherently good nature pushes him into building a society where the many struggling people he meets, often of lesser species, can lead happy lives. These purely altruistic intentions make for one of the most likable characters in Anime and a series that’s hard not to enjoy.

Kirito has become a part of experimenting in a new world, one he is now trapped in again. Befriending a boy named Eugeo, who is strangely familiar to Kirito, the two set off on a quest to rescue their friend Alice from the capital city. However, this world is not what it seems, and the two boys will be forced to come to terms with some harsh truths… All the while, Kirito is remembering things about this world that he should not, getting further from being able to return to reality. Will he ever find a way to log out? Sortiliena is one of the strongest women in Kirito’s new world, mentoring him for a time. She reminds us of the days when Asuna actually fought and stood up for herself, as Sortiliena vies for the top placement at their Academy. She manages to teach Kirito a few things, and graduates as the top-ranked elite swordsman of her class!

Mari Tamaki is determined not to let her youth go to waste, especially now that she is in her second year of high school. Meanwhile, Shirase Kobuchizawa has been trying to fund a trip to Antarctica, one that many people think is impossible. Shirase pushes onward despite the doubts, fueled by her desire to find her mother, as she disappeared in that place. Mari decides to join Shirase in her quest! As they continue to work for their dreams, the duo soon attracts the excitable Hinata Miyake and quiet Yuzuki Shiraishi. Bonded together by friendship and their struggle to get to Antarctica, these four girls are determined to achieve their dreams! Shirase’s mother is Takako Kobuchizawa, and she plays a big part in the anime series despite not actually being there. Takako forged an adventurous path, traveling to Antarctica on an expedition years before the events of Sora yori mo Tooi Basho. We love Takako because she is a strong female figure for her daughter and the other girls to look up to! She does have her problems, especially as she missed most of her daughter’s childhood. Yet her adventurous spirit and kind personality make her a remembered character by the others, noticed even more so for her absence. She braved danger for her own dreams. And though Shirase held conflicting emotions toward her mother, she truly did love her, striving through her whole journey to be able to see what her mother had seen in that barren place.

After the Russo-Japanese war, soldiers in the Hokkaido region struggle to move on from the horrors they faced. Saichi Sugimoto is no exception. Called “The Immortal Sugimoto” because of his ability to survive things that would normally kill a man, Sugimoto is wandering the cold lands of the north when he hears talk of a treasure up for grabs—one that could help him fulfill his promise to his deceased friend. In the midst of searching for the gold, Sugimoto meets a young Ainu girl named Asirpa who saves his life. When the two discover they have similar goals, they decide to team up against the other criminals and soldiers looking for this infamous treasure. Inkarmat is an Ainu fortune teller, and one of the few women in Golden Kamuy with any prominence. Though she seems like just another random character to encounter, we discover later on that she has ties to the criminal Noppera-bu and Asirpa’s father! Inkarmat is a mysterious character, manipulating others to get what she wants. She is a fairly neutral party, not really out for the gold but willing to help whichever side is more convenient to her own ends. She is an interesting addition to the list of characters, bringing an element of surprises to an already-surprising series.

Yoshifumi Nitta is a vicious yakuza member. When he is suddenly hit in the head with a strange capsule containing a powerful blue-haired girl, Nitta finds himself in a new role—caregiver! The girl, named Hina, must use her powers freely in order to keep an explosion from happening, so Nitta takes her to work for construction. But when he is forced to attack a rival yakuza gang, Nitta discovers that Hina might be able to help him in that as well… We love Anzu because of the contrast that she brings out in Hina, especially as she is seen as a sort of rival initially. Anzu is just like Hina, brought into the world in the same method and with similar powers. When she fails to defeat Hina, she finds she cannot return home. Instead, Anzu ends up living in a homeless encampment, where we see her kinder side appear as she uses her strengths to help the others living there. She becomes a vital and integral part of Hinamatsuri, yet is still classified as a supporting character. We loved Anzu from the moment she showed up in the series!

Tensei shitara Slime Datta Ken seems like just another isekai anime on the surface. Satoru Mikami is killed when he tries to stop a passing robber. With his dying thoughts, he wishes he could be stronger, better. Little does he know, he will soon be reborn as a very special slime in a new world! He certainly is not just any normal slime monster as “Rimuru Tempest” is able to take on qualities of anything he absorbs. Soon enough, Rimuru will find that he is the most powerful being in this new world and change its course forever! Shizue Izawa only has a short role in Tensei shitara Slime Datta Ken, but it’s one we will not soon forget. Summoned to the new world as a child and possessed by the demon Ifrit, Shizue was freed when the Hero saved her. She happened upon Rimuru toward the end of her days, as Ifrit’s power over her was returning. We love Shizue because she never gave up hope through all of the hardships in her life, always striving to be better! She has a beautiful, kind spirit that outweighs all the hate in her life and allows her to make friends even in a short amount of time. Shizue focuses her later life on teaching others and building up communities.

As Shingeki no Kyojin moves into the next legs of its intense story, we learn even more about the Titans and the origins of humanity behind the walls. Eren Yeager has no idea where his newfound powers come from. His goal of defeating all Titans seems so far away now, but he and his friend Armin Arlert still dream of the outside world. Still, the Scouting Legion still has obstacles to face. Not only are the Military Police and the government after them, but Levi’s old mentor Kenny is also working against them! Even more dark secrets will be revealed this season… Hange Zoe is one of the toughest women around, helping to lead the Scouting Legion alongside Erwin and Levi. She is also one of the few people who question how the world works, interested in studying Titans rather than just killing them all. She is insanely smart and can plan ahead in a way to best protect her comrades. We love how she can be lighthearted and free-spirited, yet switch over to deadly in a split second! We also love how intelligent she is, allowing her to discover things about Titans that no one ever imagined. Without Hange around, the fight for humanity would be lost.

The world of Seishun Buta Yarou wa Bunny Senpai no Yume wo Minai is full of interesting characters. And with puberty syndrome causing many of these characters to have abnormal experiences, Sakuta Azusagawa is in for a crazy year! He meets a few different girls, all going through puberty syndrome. He first meets a strange girl dressed as a bunny in the library. Yet later, it seems that no one else can see her! Sakuta learns her name is Mai Sakurajima and he grows closer to her as he tries to help her with her plight. Of course, there are even more strange girls Sakuta will meet soon… Rio Futaba is one such girl, a beautiful and intelligent second-year student struggling with her own issues. She has body insecurities which cause her to split into two different people. She views the world through the lens of science, which allows her to distance herself from life. While she does not wish to attract attention for her body, Rio’s second self that appears revels in the risqué. Yet neither person has full control over their actions and impulsions. Despite her struggles, Rio has been helpful through the whole series, offering assistance with Sakuta’s troubles even while she is going through something herself.

For Retsuko and her friends, life in their office can be frustrating. The kindhearted and calm Retsuko has a secret for making it through the day – death metal karaoke! As she learns to deal with work, love and the everyday struggles of life, Retsuko tries to keep her true nature from her friends and co-workers. A quiet and perceptive friend of Retsuko’s, Fenneko enjoys laughing at other’s misfortunes. Despite this, she is supportive of her friends, looking out for both Retsuko and Haida at work and in their lives outside the office. She cares for them, but also wants them to grow, pushing them to become better. Fenneko is a self-proclaimed social media stalker as well, thanks in part to her perception skills. She is easily one of the most enjoyable characters, able to be maniacal and kind in the same breath.

This season of Boku no Hero Academia begins as the students are enjoying their summer, continuing their training to become heroes. At a training camp put on by UA’s pro heroes, the students train together and battle to see if they push past their limitations. But when the League of Villains arrives to crash their camp, Izuku Midoriya and his friends must join a new fight, one for their own lives! Ochako Uraraka is one of Deku’s classmates, though she takes a more backseat role this season. She is also training to become a Pro Hero, with the ability to manipulate gravity. Ochako is kind and friendly, always willing to lend a hand to help her classmates. She is trying to become a hero to help her parents’ financial situation, but she also genuinely enjoys seeing others smile. Ochako seems airheaded and weak, yet her powers and gifts in martial arts actually make her a fierce competitor!

There is a battle going on every day, and it’s happening inside your body! All of the billions of cells within you are working hard at their jobs each and every day. From the reliable red-blood cells to the protective white-blood cells, each individual cell has a job to carry out. This is the story of that process, told in a relatable and sometimes hilarious way! Braving the front lines of the wounds on your body, the Platelets protect and cover your wounds with other cells, sealing them up to heal. Not only is this an important job, but let’s face it, the Platelets in Hataraku Saibou are adorable! The Platelets in this series reflect the tiny cells working to protect our bodies in real life as well. We love how adorable and fierce they are, struggling to pick up their equipment one minute and then rushing deftly into the midst of battle in the next! We firmly believe that the Platelets are the best female supporting characters of 2018 (though not all of them are female, but the main leader is!). Whether it’s in supporting one another or supporting Hataraku Saibou as a series, the Platelets really captured our attention with their antics.

The great thing about Kakegurui 2nd Season is that we are getting more of Yumeko’s personality rather than just the stock “mysterious girl hell-bent on destroying everyone with a fetish for gambling.” The OP is also really well-done. Anyway, this week we get to see Kaede and Itsuki have their moments. My money is on them getting together. So we see Yumeko, Itsuki, Kaede and two others pool their chips and gamble for a chance to get a massive amount of votes to challenge Kirari. Either way, it gets very twisted fast and we learn that there is a traitor. Or is there? Yumeko is accused, but honestly, it could be the girl who is running the whole bet who enjoys infighting. If Yumeko is the traitor, then she has a plan with Itsuki where she is going to make her pretend to be out of the loop, but considering that Mary is the only other one who is as ruthless as Yumeko, this scenario seems outside of the realm of possibilities. Which means that it could be the woman running the whole thing to see who is weak enough to cave or start being the traitor. Either way, the BEST part of this episode is where Yumeko is confronted and asked if she feels remorseful for the people she has crushed. She says she is remorseful... because she doesn't feel remorse for destroying the dreams of others. For you see, that is what the spirit of gambling represents. While I am tired of matches being forced to span more than an episode, it is fun to watch this background drama and characterization play out. Who is the traitor? Next week will tell!

It feels like the love triangle in Domestic na Kanojo is just getting more intense. This week, we had many things happen in Domestic na Kanojo. First off, Hina and Natsuo go on a trip together where Natsuo tries to make a move on Hina, who has not ever shown any real feelings for Natsuo. Then Hina suggests committing double suicide as symbolism for the hardships they will have to go through as step siblings dating. Then Rui goes into Natsuo’s room and they kiss upon her suggestion. Rui really seems to be falling deeper. Not to mention there are two other female characters thrown into the equation because why not? Then at the end, we see Hina masterbating with the door open and call out the name of the person with whom she was having an affair with, Shuu. Yup, it’s been super complicated so far. I thought School Days was messy, but man, this is definitely messy. I don’t even know if I’m supposed to be rooting for any particular ships, but it’s clear that this anime is supposed to be a lot of drama for all of the characters. Not one of them seems to have experienced reciprocated feelings (unless you count Hina and Shuu), and the sibling aspect just makes things more complicated. I’m really curious how this anime ends because I think it’s heading towards the Kuzu no Honkai route. What does everyone else think?

A teacher, five girls, an exam. The moment of truth. The seventh episode of Gotoubun no Hanayome was all about the Nakano sisters facing their first test, but we all knew things would not go so well. With Fuutarou and the girls running late, the only way for them to bypass the teacher guarding the door was impersonating Yotsuba, who was already inside. That's when Miku, Nino, Ichika, and Itsuki all arrange their hair to look like their genki sister, and this being an anime about quintuplets, all it takes to impersonate her is a cheerful, high-pitched voice and her signature bunny-ears ribbon. Who cares about hair color and length, right? Well... to be fair, they all have the same hair color in the manga though. Miku had it easy since she was the first and the best impersonating Yotsuba's voice and manner, but even the other girls succeeded. What I wasn't expecting was Fuutarou himself trying to pull this off, and his expressionless face has to be the cherry on top of the cake! I cracked so hard at that scene because it was so random but at the same time so faithful to this series' spirit. I imagine Fuutarou's reasoning being something like "I'm not a girl, I'm wearing male clothes, I'm not even changing my deep voice... but the ribbon will do, I guess?" lol. In the end, Operation Doppelganger was a success, and Fuutarou confirmed again that he is one of the best anime teachers you can find, and thanks to the tsundere sister Nino, now he will continue working along the girls, hoping for a better performance on the exams to come. Parfait for everyone!

After receiving their exam results, and Bakugo finding out he failed, he calls out Izuku for a private conversation and confronts him about having received All Might’s powers. All Bakugo wants is for Izuku to prove to him that he is worth the power of the hero they both admired as children. And so, Izuku is begrudgingly pulled into a shounen rival battle that will surely grace at least one of our future lists. During the fight, Bakugo keeps thinking of Izuku chasing him and always being weaker than him, he remembers how All Might told Bakugo he has what it takes to be a hero, and he remembers when All Might hit the nail on the head when he said “I know you’re angry because of Midoriya’s improvement”. He remembers that All Might encouraged him and told him Level 50 (meaning Bakugo) and Level 1 (Izuku) can’t improve at the same rate, thus reassuring Bakugo that he is indeed strong enough and All Might recognizes his talents. And yet.. He’s still so angry. But why? From the beginning, we’ve been wondering exactly why Kacchan hates poor little Deku so much… And after an all-out attack from his childhood friend, Deku decides to use his strength and push Kacchan away with a strong yet gentle block/shove. Deku can stand on his own now and that just pisses Kacchan more… (why are you so angry, kid!?) Izuku sees his friend on the ground after his defensive attack and reaches out to help Kacchan up. Of course, Kacchan swats his hand away wondering why he’s helping him and not fighting… why? And it finally happens, Bakugo spills his guts and faces all his issues as they come out like uncontrollable tears on a shoujo heroine’s face. “Why did I end up chasing someone who was always behind me? Why did you get strong and become acknowledged by All Might while I… ended All Might!?”. There it is! The angsty teen finally voices his emotions and we all get to understand. He feels responsible for All Might losing his powers because he was weak and got captured by the villains, thus leading to All Might losing his power and retiring. Bakugo cries and cries and all you want is to hug the poor boy. He admits to his feelings and not knowing what to do and his overall feeling of helplessness. And then, once the boys have said and heard enough, they decide to continue the fight, but it’s different this time. It’s a proper shounen rival battle! It’s exciting to see Bakugo grow out of his immature anger issues and (hopefully) backing off of Izuku. Things can only get better if these two finally become the friends they should be!

Ummmmmmmm What just happened in Mob Psycho? We got this super adorable episode about Mob trying to be in the top 10 of this marathons, in order to push himself to confess his feelings to his crush. It’s cute and he tries really, really hard. Then his brother answers the door and we see a psychic from the previous season. Things go from 0-100 and it’s clear that Mob’s house is on fire. He goes inside and SEES A CORPSE. OH. MY. GOD. This episode was so disarmingly sweet as we see Mob really is putting forth his best effort to not only be more social, but be braver and train more. He really does do a great job… and then boom. This bomb. Like here we go… I am DYING to see the next episode and I really, really, really hope this isn’t the death of a family member because WTF.

Gotoubun no Hanayome has been a harem anime that I’ve surprisingly enjoyed, which hasn’t really happened in a while (Maybe since Hajimete no Gal back in 2017). It’s a harem anime, but really, the whole point of the anime is for Fuutarou to help the Nakano quintuplets pass their exams, which is hard since every one of them fails most of the subjects. There’s some ecchi moments, but overall, the anime isn’t all about the fanservice but more so the relationships between each of the quintuplets and Fuutarou, as well as about sisterly bonds. This week, they finally started talking about marriage ever so slightly, which is something that can be seen right in the opening theme as the theme is ever present there. It really makes you wonder why exactly the opening theme song is all about marriage. Then they introduced the childhood friend theme in this week’s episode. Evidently, Fuutarou and one of the girls had met when they were younger. I’m willing to bet it’s Itsuki, but it just makes me wonder if Gotoubun no Hanayome is going to actually end with some sort of marriage scene or engagement since that seems to be where the series is going.

Slaying a dragon is not an easy task, but killing a zombie dragon is definitely not something you can achieve without pain. That’s why this week’s episode of Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari is so impactful… or is it because of Filo’s rampage? It all started as a simple cleaning quest, though it turned out to be one of the best fight sequences so far. The rests of a dragon killed by the Sword Hero were causing plague and so our protagonists head to the place in order to take care of it, but a few minutes later they were fighting a reanimated corpse with awesome power. And it even ate Filo! Well, not really, but that’s what makes this part of the eighth episode so cool. Seeing his friend getting killed after a careless attack fueled Naofumi’s rage, which in turn gave him a brand new set of awesome yet dangerous skills. And let’s not forget that Raphtalia was poisoned by the plague, so you can’t blame the Shield Hero for being consumed by his own darkness. Though it all seems so dramatic, one of the best parts of the episode has to be when Filo rips the dragon apart from the inside, revealing that she was alive the whole time and what appeared to be blood coming out of her was just her vomiting tons of fruit she had been gobbling down before the battle. Typical Filo! So there’s that, a new dark path for Naofumi to master and the best Filo scene so far. What are you gonna do about it, Raphtalia?!

This week’s episode of Sword Art Online really had us quite shocked. The beginning of the episode seemed a bit overly slow and kind of worried us that episode 20 was going to be a set up episode with no impact to it. As Alice and Kirito retraced Eugeo’s steps and ran into Bercouli Synthesis One, our excitement returned. The final words of Bercouli wishing for Kirito to protect his student/ally--Alice--was truly heartwarming and surprising to see even if it was semi-silly that he said it as a frozen popsicle.. Yet, the excitement of the episode truly ramped up greatly when Kirito and Alice met the little clown we have begun to hate and to then have Eugeo reappear, but not as we once remembered him made our eyes widened with utter surprise!. Eugeo now clearly under the Administrator's control made our jaws drop as the two partners reunited in quite a surprising moment. When Kirito pulled his blade against Eugeo and made that statement of him being his master, we knew this was the perfect set up for episode 21s inevitable big fight between the two partners. We anticipate that Kirito will be able to snap Eugeo out of his brainwashing but will it be so simple!? How will the battle between two great friends end!? Plus, Alice still looks pretty awesome with an eye patch.

For Shirogane, Shinomiya and the other Shuchiin Academy student council members, the time has come for term-end exams. The stakes are high for everyone, but when it comes to these students, you can be sure that simple studying is not enough! Shirogane’s younger sister comes to visit, and Shinomiya tries to enact a scheme to use the girl to further her relationship with the president, but as always, Chika’s involvement causes her plan to go awry! We also get to see another side to Shinomiya as she helps Ishigami study for exams, worried about him possibly being held back a year if he fails again. Of course, Ishigami goes into the process as he does anything involving Shinomiya - full of fear and trepidation - but it does end up helping him in the end! Shinomiya is also trying to finally reach the top podium, to topple Shirogane as the top student academically. Each one of the student council members has their own worries regarding the exams coming up, but in the end, Shirogane keeps his top score and the status quo is maintained. As always, it was another great chance to see the interactions between Shinomiya and Shirogane, which balance perfectly between hilarious, devious and endearing.

Bucciarati and crew have finally delivered the boss’ daughter to him, only to discover that the boss planned to kill Trish with his own hands! His stand, King Crimson, uses its time skipping power to punch a hole straight through Bucciarati’s stomach (continuing the grand tradition of JoJo villains turning beloved side characters into donuts), but our zipperific leader just barely manages to escape with the unconscious Trish. Facing his comrades, Bucciarati declares his intention to betray the boss. The shadowy man is invincible now, but if they can find his weakness, they can overthrow him and reform Passione themselves. So who’s going to join him? If Mista, Narancia, Abbacchio, or Fugo step onto the boat, they’ll be branded as traitors – but it’s the only way to bring the boss to justice. The boat scene is one of the most famous moments of Golden Wind because it’s the turning point for the entire story. Luckily, David Productions has done the fans proud once again by portraying this scene with the utmost effort and care. Narancia’s inner turmoil is brought to life with striking facial expressions and Daiki Yamashita’s superb voice acting, and the extra lines added for Fugo bring in some of the deeper characterization found in his light novel, Purple Haze Feedback. As the boat speeds away from the island, Fugo is alone with the boss’ belfry looming behind him, left as the only one who couldn’t bring himself to betray the gang.

The drama that has been building between Tae, Poppin'Party, and Raise a Suilen is finally here. With the school festival only a few days away, the girls are preparing to put all their hard work on display, but Tae has found herself double booked. Tae is unwilling to cancel her performance with RAS, forcing her bandmates to wait for her on the day of the school festival. Kasumi decides to put her faith in Tae and runs out looking for her, however, they fail to make it back on time, ruining their anniversary performance. It was nice to see the first instance of drama between the Poppin'Party this season. They have been building up this moment for a couple of weeks now and I was excited to finally see it unfold. Seeing how each of the members of Poppin'Party reacted to the situation was heartbreaking, especially when you think about what the band means to each of them. They also did a great job setting this up like the last school festival only to give us a heartbreaking ending. It will be interesting to see where they go as we head into what should be the most exciting episode of the season, and hopefully, we get some emotional scenes between Tae and Arisa, who seemed to be taking the situation the worst.