Top 10 Anime of 2019

A tale of deals, demons and one crippled warrior’s desire to reclaim what was stolen from him. Adapted from Osamu Tezuka’s legendary manga, Hyakkimaru and Dororo’s journey to get his body back piece by piece from the shape shifting demons certainly didn’t shy away from the bloodshed or the brutality that lurks within the hearts of man. Whether you were captivated by Hyakkimaru’s struggle to retain his humanity both physically and spiritually, or you just couldn’t get enough of the visceral action, at the very least, this beautiful blood-spray of a series succeeded in doing the OG mangaka’s work justice.

What was supposed to be a paradise for a group of young orphans quickly devolves into a fight for survival when Emma, Norman and Ray discover that they along with the rest of the children are being raised as cattle for the monsters just beyond the borders of their home. With no one to trust and no way to defend themselves, escape becomes the only option. Bringing a fresh angle to the horror anime, the tension here is expertly woven, all held together by the endearing spirit of its young leads as they battle against both time and those that once claimed to love them.

It had some fierce competition, but once again this stupendous superhero shounen has gone Plus Ultra and secured itself a spot as one of the year’s best. With All Might out of commission, society gradually shifting towards the chaotic side of the spectrum, and villains coming out of every crack, it falls to Deku to finally step up onto the world stage as a pro-hero, now under the tutelage of All Might’s former sidekick and his overly optimistic protégé. Of course, not even that is enough to prepare the young fanboy when he finds himself clashing with Overhaul – the yakuza who even has the League of Villains quaking in their boots!

Are you ready to feel the burn? Then prepare yourself for a blazing extravaganza that sees fully armed fire-fighters roasting the bejesus out of hellish entities! Jokes aside, this latest myriad of madness straight from the guy who gave us Soul Eater is a damn good time. In order to discover the truth about his family’s murder, new recruit Shinra joins the noble yet underfunded Company 8, and as such is immediately flung into an investigation surrounding the truth behind Spontaneous Human Combustion as well as potential corruption within the Fire Force Ranks. His answer to all of this? Kicking in a lot of faces with his flaming footwork! This show honestly doesn’t get enough credit for how much ass it kicks – watch it!

Turns out that there’s nothing that can’t be overcome when you’ve got science on your side. Mankind has inexplicably turned into statues? Break free using the power of science! You’re now stranded several thousand years in the future where civilisation as you know it has collapsed? Rebuild it using science! One of the resurrected youngsters is planning to create a new haven free of adults and ruled by strength alone? Combat him with science! This is pretty much the world Senku now inhabits, using his ingenious mind to not only survive, but get humanity on the fast-track back to reclaiming is former technological glory!

What Berserk did for dark fantasy, Vinland has done for historical epics. Yeah, it’s that good. As the war between the Danes and the English continue to escalate, various factions soon start to play their hands, each vying for either power or vengeance, including Thorfinn; our broken and misguided lead who stands at the centre of the conflict. With medieval battles that in no way skip out on the savagery, political duplicity and treachery around every corner, not to mention the bloodthirsty yet oddly charming Thorkell thrown into he mix, this truly is one of modern anime’s biggest triumphs.

There’s a reason this series hit the mainstream in such a spectacular fashion. Thanks to UFOtable and their unlimited budget, they managed to give us what might be the next big shounen. After his family is slaughtered and his sister is transformed into a demon, Tanjiro finds himself taking up the sword as a member of the Demon Slayer Corp – all in the hope he can find a way to save his beloved sibling from her affliction. With a ragtag unit of lovable and equally badass supporting characters, we can’t wait for the next instalment aboard the Infinity Train.

In the midst of what feels like an everlasting waterfall of isekai, there’s been a singular bright spot– a series that would then go on to soar far above the others as one of the best isekai in recent memory, and boy is it a dark one! After being transported to a fantasy world as one of the supposed four legendary heroes, Naofumi finds himself disgraced and discarded when a royal conspiracy leads to him being falsely accused of a heinous act. How ironic that the only one capable of protecting the kingdom from itself and outside threats is the Shield Hero himself. Not enough of a reason to watch? Just look at Raphtalia! There’s your reason.

We knew this esper’s second outing was going to be good, we just didn’t know it was going to be THIS good! With all the heart that made Mob and his unorthodox escapades so captivating to begin with, this sequel series turned up the dial well beyond a hundred regarding its telekinetic beatdowns and mind-bending visuals. The battles are truly insane, but as always the ones holding it all together are Mob and Reigen, whose ever-evolving friendship is as hilarious as it is delightful. You won’t find more lovable dorks than these two.

Before we reveal the best anime of the year, here are a few honourable mentions not to be missed!

“Sword Art Online: Alicization - War of Underworld” (2019)

“Bungo Stray Dogs” Season 3 (2019)

“One-Punch Man” Season 2 (2019)

“We Never Learn” (2019)

“Kaguya-Sama: Love is War” (2019)

“Kengan Ashura” (2019)

It shouldn’t be possible for a show to be able to sustain this much hype, and yet with season three’s conclusion, Eren and the rest of the Survey Corp collectively broke the anime scene with the sheer scale of their counterattack against the Beast Titan and his forces. Where do we even start? You’ve got Levi ripping Zeke a new one, Armin rising up to the challenge of leadership, Historia still parading the best girl banner, even Eren had his very own personal revelation during that oddly serene ending on the beach. Needless to say, it’s going to take a lot for the final season to top this titanic viewing experience…But damn, we can’t wait to see it in 2020.