Top Ten Anime I Watched on Hiatus

Posted April 16, 2020 by Octavia in Features & Spotlights / 0 Comments

Last week I talked about all my favorite manga I was lucky to read during my *cough* two year* cough* hiatus. Well this week I want to talk about anime!

Anime is something that honestly takes up 90% of my free time. I love so many different shows and I love that every season there is new content for me to experience. This list was much harder to compile and I think that just shows how many great shows there are. As a reminder these are only shows I watched during my hiatus, so YOI will not be feature (EVEN THOUGH I LOVE IT WITH MY WHOLE HEART!).

Given

Somehow, the guitar that he used to love to play and the basketball games that he found so fun just lost their appeal… That was until Ritsuka Uenoyama randomly met Mafuyu Sato. Ritsuka had started losing his passion for music in his everyday life, but then he hears Mafuyu sing for the first time. The song resonates with his heart and the distance between them starts to change.

Given is definitely my favorite anime of 2019 and without a doubt it is in my top 5 fave anime ever (a list for another time). What I hit play I did so assuming it was “just a music anime”. Something I honestly planned to have on in the background while I did something else. But Given turned out to be so much more than anything I anticipated. The characters had depth and growth and even though Mafuyu and Ritsuka are in high school I didn’t roll my eyes once at the hurdles they faced. I can’t say it was the most beautiful story I’ve ever watch but it was beautiful in its own rite. I loved every single character so much, and I cry every single time I watch it, but I laugh too! And sometimes I cringe, and other times I rage because people are stupid. Long story short, if there is one anime I can convince you to watch this is it.

Hozuki Coolheadedness

Japanese Hell consists of 272 subdivisions, and the demon Hozuki is tasked with making sure they all run smoothly. Calm and level-headed, he efficiently navigates Hell’s internal affairs while his boss, the Great King Enma, is busy judging the dead. Although Hozuki has a soft spot for cute animals and is known for his love of gardening Goldfish Flowers, he’s certainly no pushover. This demonic bureaucrat has a mile-wide sadistic streak that keeps his subordinates and even King Enma himself in check. Is Hozuki’s iron will – and iron club – enough to keep the afterlife running smoothly?

Not even joking I watch Hozuki Coolheadedness at least once a month. It’s another favorite anime of mine and it’s so freaking funny! Who knew hell would be fun???? The entire series follows Hozuki as the adviser to the Great King Enma (who is a giant softie and push over and I love him) and what it takes to efficiently run the Japanese hells. Every day is a new work place problem and only Hozuki can solve it with efficiency and a…cool head (I made a funny). If you’re looking for something that will make you laugh the entire season this is it.

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime

Lonely thirty-seven-year-old Satoru Mikami is stuck in a dead-end job, unhappy with his mundane life, but after dying at the hands of a robber, he awakens to a fresh start in a fantasy realm…as a slime monster! As he acclimates to his goopy new existence, his exploits with the other monsters set off a chain of events that will change his new world forever!

For those who know me it is no secret that I am proud isekai trash. I know it’s a genre that gets a ton of hate and side eye but honestly it’s my jam so *shrugs*. Anywho That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime is one I watched with A. We binged it together over her winter break last year and that’s probably a (small) part of why I loved it so much. The bigger part though is it was funny and was full of all the cliches I love. Over powered MC? Check. Harem? Check. Multiple lovable characters who are just trying to live but are always drawn into some trouble? CHECK!

We Never Learn

Nariyuki Yuiga needs a special scholarship, but he has to tutor three genius girls to get it! One is a literature virtuoso, but her skills in science are lacking. Another excels in math, but the arts are in her heart. The last one’s athletic prowess is unmatched, but she struggles with everything else. With university application deadlines on the way, can Nariyuki teach the unteachable in time?

I started We Never Learn hoping for some fluff to break up my normal blood and doom anime/moving watching. Who knew I’d be so invested I’d set a weekly timer for when new episodes aired? I think the biggest draw for me was that each character were themselves. There wasn’t a single bland character and I appreciated that so much. While the overall plot wasn’t very deep watching each character learn and adapt and realize what was important to them was nice and wholesome and I laughed my head off 90% of the time.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

Bloodthirsty demons lurk in the woods, and nobody dares to venture out at night, save for the demon slayer of legend. Surviving in this harsh world, young Tanjirou takes it upon himself to protect his family–until the day that everything is taken from him in a vicious slaughter. Now, all he has left is his sister, and she’s not even human anymore.

Even if you don’t follow anime per se there’s a VERY good chance you’ve at least heard about Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. To be honest I also dropped this one MANY TIMES. I disliked a number of characters upon their first introduction and I was worried about the pace. And yet…here it is in spot number 5 no less. I think what made me stick with Demon Slayer was how beautiful it was (art wise) and how much care was taken to show character growth. For a show that didn’t grip me until the 7th or so episode I was so upset when it ended and I think that says plenty about the show as a whole.

Cells at Work

Strep throat! Hay fever! Influenza! The world is a dangerous place for a red blood cell just trying to get her deliveries finished. Fortunately, she’s not alone … She’s got a whole human body’s worth of cells ready to help out! The mysterious white blood cell, the buff and brash killer T cell, the nerdy neuron, even the cute little platelets—everyone’s got to come together if they want to keep you healthy!

I loved Cells at Work! It was HILARIOUS and the red blood cell found herself in no limit of crazy situations. But more importantly the entire premise of the show was so cool!!! An entire show (accurately) describing the inner workings of the human body mashed with anime humor and shenanigans?? YES PLEASE! I am long overdue for a rewatch of this one.

Kakegurui

Hyakkaou Private Academy. An institution for the privileged with a very peculiar curriculum. You see, when you’re the sons and daughters of the wealthiest of the wealthy, it’s not athletic prowess or book smarts that keep you ahead. It’s reading your opponent, the art of the deal. What better way to hone those skills than with a rigorous curriculum of gambling? At Hyakkaou Private Academy, the winners live like kings, and the losers are put through the wringer. But when Yumeko Jabami enrolls, she’s gonna teach these kids what a high roller really looks like!

Kakegurui is twisted AF. The story of a school who decides everything through gambling sounds completely ridiculous but I was sold. I’m not a gambler, by any stretch, but I was so deep in this hole of WHAT WILL THEY GAMBLE NEXT I binged the entire first season in one sitting. Not only that but I’m a giant sucker for sinister backstories and I just knew there was more going on than what was on the surface and I’m so intrigued watching it all unfold.

Hitoribocchi no Marumaruseikatsu

Hitori Bocchi, a girl with extreme social anxiety, has had only one friend throughout elementary school. When Bocchi learns they’ll be split up after graduation, she makes a promise to her: “By the time of my middle school graduation, I’ll make friends with everyone in my class.” And if she can’t do it… they won’t be friends anymore?! But Bocchi has a hard time talking to people. When she gets nervous, her legs cramp. She can’t look other people in the eye. She doesn’t even know how to make friends! Every way she thinks of to make friends ends up failing. Will Bocchi’s friend-making plan pay off?! It’s a story of the persistence of the lonely girl, Bocchi!

Hitoribocchi no Marumaruseikatsu is not something I typically would gravitate towards. It’s a bit too cute, and a smidge too young…or so I assumed. But in all actually it is SO FREAKING CUTE. The story of an adorable middle schooler who just wants to make friends but has crippling social anxiety; Hitoribocchi was an adorable story about how important it is to have good friends and how to put yourself outside of your normal comfort zones. 10/10 would recommend for those who just need something wholesome to watch and someone adorable to root for.

Wotakoi: Love Is Hard For Otaku

Narumi Momose has had it rough: every boyfriend she’s had dumped her once they found out she was an otaku, so she’s gone to great lengths to hide it. When a chance meeting at her new job with childhood friend, fellow otaku, and now coworker Hirotaka Nifuji almost gets her secret outed at work, she comes up with a plan to make sure he never speaks up. But he comes up with a counter-proposal: why doesn’t she just date him instead? In love, there are no save points.

I’m not sure if I love this one so much because it’s relatable (I’m 31 and legit KPop and anime is my life outside of work and being a mom…not exactly a sexy trait to have) or if I loved it because it was a realistic story about people older than your run of the mill teens/college age you see in anime. It’s probably a mix of the two honestly. Being able to relate to the characters and enjoying watching them struggle until they eventually find their way is endearing and provides hope for the rest of us dorks.

Goblin Slayer

Rumor has it that, in a certain guild in the middle of nowhere, there is an extraordinary man who has climbed all the way to the Silver rank just by killing goblins. At the same guild, a priestess who’s just become a new adventurer has formed her first party… and the man who ends up rescuing that party when they get into trouble is none other than the Goblin Slayer.

Goblin Slayer comes with a surplus of trigger warnings so I can’t openly recommend this one without people first understanding that there is more than just a cute girl and a goblin slayer. There is blood. So. Much. Blood. There is rape. There is kidnapping. There is murder. Please be mindful of this if you decide to look into Goblin Slayer.

That said, I personally enjoyed this one. The story wasn’t ground breaking. The characters weren’t the best. But the overall idea of a story focusing on the people that hunt the “little” monsters was very endearing to me. We often see the person that slays the dragon but rarely do we get to see the heroes that keep the “lesser” monsters away.

And that’s it for this list! Most of these can be found on CrunchyRoll (Kakegurui is on Netflix, and Wotakoi is on Amazon Prime video). I want to make this a more common feature since I watch so much anime but we’ll see! Please let me know if you’ve watched any of these (or if you plan to now) in the comments below! And if you want recs for other shows drop that too!

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