My 2013 Anime Year in Review

With 2013 coming to a close, I decided to reflect on my past year on anime. This is my first full year of following anime on a season to season basis where I would pick up several shows that were currently airing each season. In hindsight, I probably picked up far too many series in the Fall 2013 season by trying to keep up with about 22 series. I found it hard to keep track of everything as well as keep interest in the series which made the shows less enjoyable in my opinion. With that said, I’m looking forward to a great 2014 anime season and will continue working on my backlog throughout the year as well. With that said, I thought I would reflect on two anime series that I watched this past year that really impacted me and gave me a new perspective on things.

My Top 10 – 2013 Anime Season Part 2

5. Gin no Saji (Silver Spoon) – Summer 2013

Gin no Saji is probably one of the most relaxing slice of life series I have watched to this day. Hachiken escapes from the city and the pressure of expectations of him by moving to a rural area and attending an agriculture based school. We get to see how he adjusts to this new foreign lifestyle and how he grows as a person from this experience. I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoys a laid back series to relax!

You can watch Gin no Saji on Crunchyroll (May not be available in all regions)

My Top 10 – 2013 Anime Season Part 1

Since we’re approaching the end of another year, I thought I would list off my favourites from the 2013 anime season. The 2013 anime season is my first full year of watching anime on a season to season basis, scoping out anime lists weeks in advanced and then picking out which series to follow. This list will be the shows I enjoyed most based on my own personal preferences and I’m sure everyone has a different opinion on which series should make their list. I decided not to include the Fall 2012 leftovers and only included series that started in the 2013 anime season (no Psycho-Pass, Zetsuen no Tempest, Sakurasou, although I really enjoyed them).

10. Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai Next (Haganai Next)  – Winter 2013

Prior to watching the second season, I managed to marathon through the first season a few weeks prior to it. Overall it was a light hearted series that was pretty generic with an enjoyable cast and decent comedy. However, the second season added a clear story and direction to what everything was building towards. I feel that the first season was more devoted to the introduction of characters and just establishing their personalities through silly interactions while Next focused on developing the characters’ and deepening their relationships with each other. I’d recommend Haganai Next to anyone who enjoys comedies, drama, romance, and harem genres!