10 Best Anime of 2016

Introduction

Oh, boy! 2016 has been a good year for anime. Several shows captivated my eyes and left me pleading for more. However, there were some anime that were spectacular in nature but failed to do their thing as an anime, which was to entertain.

So, to help you out, I've gathered the best anime that I've seen so far that started in 2016, meaning I will not include 2015 left-overs or anime that had seasons before 2016. Furthermore, this is my personal list of favorites, so feel free to drop your favorite shows in the comments section after you've read the whole article. Lastly, this list is in no particular order. Let's start!

1. Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! (KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World!)

Laughing our way to the first entry is "KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World!" or "Konosuba" for short. This is a fantasy anime with brilliant comedy and crazy characters.

The story starts with the death of our hero Kazuma Satou, a NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) who usually shuts himself inside his room. He hilariously lost his life when he tried to save a girl from a farm tractor. However, his death leads him to a purgatory where he meets a water goddess, Aqua. She provides two options to the poor NEET; continue to Heaven or reincarnate completely with his memories into a fantasy world to defeat the Dark Lord. The second option seems to be the perfect choice for Kazuma, so he chose it, but before he goes, he can select any item that can aid him in the conquest. Our ultimate hero then cleverly picks our goddess, Aqua. But Kazuma made a mistake; Aqua is surely a goddess, but she is useless.

The trouble for our duo didn’t end there. The fantasy world that Kazuma thinks of is far from his imagination. Aqua and Kazuma must work to make their living expenses, build a guild and must obtain valuable members – but the members they’ve hoped for end up to be more of a bother than a help.

The second season of this anime is scheduled for January 2017, so I’m very excited and expecting more of its erratic comedy.

2. Bungou Stray Dogs

Our second entry, Bungou Stray Dogs is an anime complete with superpowers and comedy.

The story revolves around Atsushi Nakajima and the "Agency." Atsushi was thought to be the culprit of the strange mystical tiger incidents in his orphanage leading him to be abruptly kicked out. Even though he's hungry and homeless, Atsushi saved this guy, Osamu Dazai, from drowning in a river. Dazai, which is a member of the Agency, asked Atsushi to join his gang. Atsushi rejects it at first, but Dazai uncovers the truth about Atsushi, putting him in a tight spot, which in turn, leads him to join these supernatural investigators. Together with its enigmatic co-workers, the Agency solves several cases that the police cannot handle and fights their right to protect the city from anyone who tries to harm it.

3. Re: Zero Kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu (Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World-)

Next up is Re: Zero -Starting Life in Another World- or just Re: Zero.

It is a fantasy anime with the unusual ability of the male lead, Subaru Natsuki. While exiting a convenience store, Subaru suddenly teleported to a world of magic and fantasy far from his modern world home. Confused and afraid Subaru’s luck turned upon him when a group of thugs attacked him. Fortunately, a passer-by beauty who calls herself Satella saved him. However, Satella did not just want to save Subaru; she's looking for her family’s insignia that had been stolen from her by a little girl. To return the favor, Subaru offered himself to help the search.

However, when Subaru and Satella find the insignia, they were brutally murdered by a woman in black. But, in a strange way, Subaru returned to a life where he awakened in a familiar scene - confronted by the same group of thugs. As if the world for Subaru, repeats itself. He tried to reach Satella but was killed again and everything starts from a particular time, like a checkpoint in a video game- hence he muttered the line, “The only thing worse than dying once is having to die again.”

4. Koutetsujou no Kabaneri (Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress)

Our fourth entry is a steam-packed anime with the twist of an apocalyptic setting.

While humans evolved to use steam and metal to industrialize their living, a group of zombie-like creatures called Kabane began mortifying the scene of peace and innovation. The only way to kill a Kabane is to destroy its steel-protected heart. Only the most advanced fortresses had survived and to add to the ordeal, only heavily-armored trains and railways can get access to these fortresses. Ikoma had the job of maintaining these locomotives. However Ikoma is more than a serviceman, he invented a weapon that can easily pierce the heart of a Kabane. Ikoma waits for the day that he can use this weapon. Little does he know that the day he’s faithfully waiting for is the day he will become a Kabaneri—half kabane, half-human. This turn of events leads Ikoma to meet Mumei, a fellow Kabaneri.

Being the winner of the 2016 Newtype Anime Awards for the Best TV Anime Award, this anime deserves to be on this list.

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5. Boku no Hero Academia (My Hero Academia)

Reaching our fifth entry is the superhero-type anime, My Hero Academia.

Quirk is the term used to describe a superpower. With almost 80 percent of the world gaining abilities, the remainder became powerless, as with our protagonist Izuku Midoriya. He wanted to be a superhero, but Izuku has no superpowers. To comfort himself, he admires heroes and writes notes about them wherever he can. Due to a turn of events, he met his number one idol, All Might, but with a twist. All Might is not as powerful as he can be in the past. His previous injuries leave him limiting the use of his Quirk. No one knows this secret, and furthermore, All Might’s power can be transferred. All Might saw Izuku’s persistence in saving people, so he chose him to be his successor.

Izuku endured the grueling training to ready his body for the power transfer. After that, he enrolled in UA High, a prestigious school for heroes. With his bizarre but quirky classmates and the growing threat of villains, Izuku will soon learn what it means to be a hero.

The second season of this anime is scheduled for April 2017!

6. Kono Bijutsubu ni wa Mondai ga Aru! (This Art Club has a Problem!)

We are now at the sixth entry where we head out from fantasy to a slice-of-life, romantic comedy anime.

The art club is supposed to have members be serious in making or practicing artworks, but this is not the case in Mizuku Usami’s art club. The club members seem to be lacking something: their enthusiasm for working on real artworks. The club members, Subaru Uchimaki a genius in making 2D anime girls, Collette a cute wealthy troublemaker and the club president who sleeps through sessions.

Mizuku is infatuated with Subaru, but Subaru only likes 2D anime girls. Subaru’s weird fetish made a confession more troublesome for Mizuku, so she hid her feelings. However, Collette and the President, on the other hand, know about this and like to tease Mizuku into Subaru. Together they managed to keep the art club lively with their dumb but hilarious behaviors.

7. Drifters

Let’s go into history class with our seventh entry Drifters with a touch of fantasy.

Shimazu Toyohisa was mortally wounded in the Battle of Sekigahara. While he walks himself to safety, he stumbles into a room with a mysterious bespectacled man and put him in a different world. When he awakened to the new world, he met some Elves that helped and transported him into a cave where he met fellow warriors, Nobunaga Oda a Japanese feudal lord and Yoichi Suketaka Nasu an expert archer; known as Drifters.

However, the story doesn’t end there. Toyohisa, Nobunaga, and Yoichi found themselves helping the thrive of Elves from extinction. This marks the plot of claiming the world from the abusive groups of humans. In the process, the Drifters meets the "Ends," a group of villains that claims to destroy Drifters and humans to let the non-human beings, like ogres and goblins, live and thrive in the world.

8. Boku dake ga Inai Machi (Erased)

We’re back to the slice of life setting with this little fantasy, Erased.

Satoru Fujinuma had an ability that rewinds time in times of tragedy. He calls it “Revival.” The 29-year-old manga artist was always busy working with his everyday life, but this was about to change when he was falsely accused of murdering his mother. When he scrams to escape from the officers, his mysterious powers activate, and he wakes up 18 years in the past. His body is brought back to a child state but his memory as an adult remains. He soon realizes the connections between his mothers murder and the disappearance of Kayo Hinazuki, a mysterious individual who is an introvert and doesn’t talk much.

Given the only option to correct the past and the present, Satoru sets on a quest to find the true murderer and almost ends up being the victim instead.

9. Mob Psycho 100

Another addition to our list is Mob Psycho 100, a weirdly animated anime from the makers of One Punch Man.

Kageyama “Mob” Shigeo, is not just your typical high-school student. He possesses powerful psychic abilities. When Mob was young, he can already bend spoons and lift objects through his mind, but later decided to stop publicizing his power due to its negative impacts.

Arataka Reigen employed Mob to do exorcisms. Arataka claims that he had powers, for thus, Mob idolized him, treating him like a mentor. However, as the story progresses, a group of psychic villains began kidnapping kids with psychic powers. Mob’s brother, who looks a lot like him became a victim. While powerful, Mob’s always puts in mind his mentor’s teaching on not to use his power on anyone. But with his brother’s life at stake he and his psychic friends start a rescue operation.

10. Musaigen no Phantom World (Myriad Colors Phantom World)

Last but not least is our tenth entry Myriad Colors Phantom World, which boasts fan service and a cool anime concept.

Phantoms are supernatural creatures that had been a superstition but when a virus infects all human beings it became a fact that phantoms reside in reality. The virus infected those of the next generation significantly, giving them powers to perceive and seal phantoms.

Haruhiko Ichijou, together with his friends Ruru, a phantom, Mai Kawakami, Reina Izumi, Kurumi Kumamakura, and Koito Minase, started a quest to make a living out of phantoms by sealing dangerous ones and protecting themselves. However, things got a little out of control when a very powerful phantom suddenly appeared.

Bonus: Shelter

This short anime is a story of a girl who lives in a post-apocalyptic digital world. An interplanetary collision destroyed her first real-world but she continued living on a space capsule, which seems to be made by her father. However, she hopes that someone out there will contact her. Though residing in infinite loneliness, she is happy that her memories of her family remain intact.

There have been rumors of a 12 episode anime adaptation, but it is still unconfirmed.

Closing Remarks

Certainly, there are lots of great anime shows out there, but only selected ones can get to the spotlight. For me the most awesome anime of the year 2016 is Konosuba. The hilarious moments and the delivery of jokes in splendid. The anime characters are perfect and the second season is a must watch.

But as always, everyone has a different opinion about anime. If you are disappointed on my list, add your anime below, and I'll be sure in checking it out. Furthermore, it's fun to know that a large fanbase of anime in the world exists.

Thanks for reading my article. Hope you've get something new and useful. Additionally, you can choose the best anime in your opinion in the poll below. Have a beautiful day ahead!

Comments

KonoSubaIsTheBest on March 30, 2017:

My name explains everything in this universe.