Naru’s Top 10 Anime of 2014

What better way to celebrate the end of the year with a post commemorating the shows we got to see? Unlike many, most of the memories of the anime that I’ve enjoyed throughout the year have been pushed to the back of my mind or buried, so I had no choice but to look up countless charts and certain scenes to refresh my memory a bit.

10. Haikyu!!

Yeah yeah, I know. A sports anime loved by fangirls made the top 10 of the year. Some of you might not agree, but I personally believe sports anime delivered in terms of quality this year, and Haikyu!! was simply the one I enjoyed the most out of the many choices we had.

9. Hamatora

I had lots of fun with Hamatora. It made me laugh, cry and also curse whoever thought it was a good idea to end the first season with a cliffhanger. Anyway, for a show where I barely had hopes in at first, I’m glad it turned out to be a good surprise. Can’t say much about the second season, though…

8. Love Stage!

Love Stage! Is sadly the only Yaoi anime I’ve ever enjoyed, since in general Yaoi adaptations end badly (that or I have the worst luck in the world).  Pushing that aside, Love Stage was thankfully faithful to the manga and all, but I wish it could have lasted a lot longer.

7. Free! Eternal Summer

Surprise, surprise. Free‘s second season was much more dramatic, fun, and heartwarming than the last season. Perhaps it’s because I’ve grown accustomed to the characters and their particular personalities or something, I’m not sure. Anyway, with the series’ now over, I’m going to miss the Free cast and their bromance moments.

6. Black Butler: Book of Circus

With the way the Black Butler anime ended, I wasn’t sure or even mentally ready to think that the production studio would release another one. And yet they did, as a way to restore the fans’ faith in them. While I still won’t forget how the second season turned out, I’m glad they were able to fix things a little with Book of Circus.

5. Magi: Kingdom of Magic

While I’m still pretty conflicted about the anime adaptation of Magi, I find that the second season was much more enjoyable to watch than the first one. Sure, the main arc was very reminiscent of Harry Potter going to Hogwarts and whatnot, but thankfully it remained original for the most part and was extremely interesting to watch.

4. Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders

Are you even surprised Stardust Crusaders made my list? How can you expect me to say no to Jotaro and his epic Odyssey across land and sea?

3. Houzuki no Reitetsu

Whenever I think about Houzuki no Reitetsu, I think about the characters talking, Japanese references, and more characters talking. But more importantly, I also remember how hard I laughed at the many jokes thrown around and the times when I replayed certain scenes just to laugh at it some more. Ah, Houzuki. What’d I do to spend a week rewatching it.

2. Gekkan Shojo Nozaki-kun

As much as I loved the anime, I do prefer the manga since some jokes remain better in their original format. Regardless of that, it was a great experience to see a work I adore get animated, even if there weren’t enough episodes for my liking.

1. Barakamon

This anime made such an effect on me that I’ve started collecting the manga and crossing my fingers for a possible DVD/Blu-ray release in my country. And this isn’t (only) because one of the main characters is named Naru, no—of course not! I’d say it’s the heartwarming story of a rather arrogant person from a big city becoming an important part of a small country girl’s life – and the entire village, while he’s at it—and learning that life is meant to be lived joyfully, one step at a time. Or something close to that.