Top 50 Anime – 10 through 1

10. My Senpai is Annoying

I like my romance anime and this is clearly not an exception. It’s one of my top anime, by My Senpai is Annoying is more than just a romance it’s also a really good comedy. And it’s different. Now, not completely different, two people from different walks or aesthetics fall for each other. That’s normal. They don’t want to admit it or don’t feel like they can, also normal. But it’s set in an office place which is not that common.

It changes up the feel with that setting. And I appreciate how it can handle workplace and just work life in general. Some of the comedy is around the romance, and some of it is around the workplace. And it has elements of the workplace that feel somewhat real as well, so for me as no longer a high school or college student, it’s a bit more relatable. And I appreciate what sometimes mirrors reality.

9. Space Dandy

He’s a Dandy Guy… in Space.

This is from the same creator who did Cowboy Bebop. But Space Dandy is way goofier and further out there. There are a lot of really fun and weird things that happen in this show. It’s about a space explorer who is looking to find a new and rare creature, somewhere in the galaxy so he can make it big, get rich, and enjoy his life. That is never going to happen. One reason is most of the creatures have already been found. Other reason, he’s just not that good at his job.

The supporting cast is great as well. There is a depressed cat creature and a robot. Both of whom really flesh out the crew with more randomness and weirdness. This show is one that’s great for just throwing it on in the background and watching it on repeat. I should come back to it soon as it’s been a while, and it’s not that long, so easy to watch.

8. Is It Wrong to Try and Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?

The title is long, and it really doesn’t tell it all about the show. This show has a lot more going on than a kid who is trying to hit on girls in a dungeon. There is a complex world of gods on a planet where there is a tower that adventurers with the blessings of the gods, or support of them, can go adventuring. The gods lend the characters their expertise, and the adventurers support the gods.

Bell is a low ranked adventurer who is the only follower of the goddess Hestia. She’s kind of a secondary god in the grand scheme of things, but she tries hard. When he almost dies to a minotaur in the tower, because of another group, he comes into contact with Ais. She’s one of the most powerful adventurers. And it becomes Bell’s goal to level up so that he can reach her power level and he’ll feel worthy to ask her out.

The story, at it’s basic, isn’t that complex. There are some arcs to the anime that are just okay. But the first season, I’ve watched that several times. It’s just again a comfortable anime to watch.

7. Trapped in a Dating Sim

I almost feel like I have this one too low. But the other ones on the list are amazing as well. This one, though, I got obsessed with and binged it quickly. It’s an isekai, but instead of getting pulled in as a hero in a fantasy setting, the main character finds himself as a background character in an otome game that he’d just been playing. He knows the game well, so he starts to make a good life for himself as a background character.

Unfortunately there is another character that he didn’t count on showing up. It doesn’t make sense to him and it breaks the game world. So as he tries to keep the game and the story on the course so he can live a nice life, well, he keeps on messing that up as well. The main character has one of the most annoying voices, but it’s played perfectly for who he is. This is just a really fun anime and it feels different. It makes fun of some tropes, and the world building, surprisingly good.

6. Monthly Girls Nozaki-Kun

What if one of your classmates in high school writes an manga that you read and like? Not only that, but he wants you to help him. And, of course, you have a crush on him as well, but he’s too oblivious to notice. That’s the plot of Monthly Girls Nozaki-Kun. This one is just a light hearted and fun anime that looks into the world of manga. It’s again, one of those romance ones where, in this case, just one character is oblivious to the romance.

One thing that I really like about Monthly Girls Nozaki-Kun is that it’s basically always a positive show. The main character, she’s extremely positive. And the show itself, with a few exceptions, doesn’t have too much drama. Even when there is drama, there is always a light heartedness and kind of hope or absurdity to it.

5. Rent-A-Girlfriend

If you’d asked me where Rent-A-Girlfriend would rank after, say, 10 episodes, I’d have said not high. But there was something intriguing about it. The story follows a college student who gets dumped and to make himself feel better gets a rental girlfriend. Just someone to go on a date with. Turns out, that person is his next door neighbor. And through a series of unfortunate events, involving their grandmothers, they now need to continue pretending, just for a little bit longer.

That doesn’t really even get you to the good part of the anime. As it continues and both of them struggle with the fact that they are gaining actual feelings for each other, it turns really good. And where as Monthly Girls Nozaki-Kun is light, this one has a fair amount of drama and heavier situations. In fact, where I’m up to, it’s very heavy and emotional and written well. There still is sophomoric humor in it, but it’s less and the depth surprised me.

4. My Dress-Up Darling

Another one that after two episodes, I thought I’d skip. I like the premise, a nobody boy who works in his grandpa’s hina doll shop while he’s going to high school finds out that the most popular girl in school is into anime, manga, and cosplay. Things that he doesn’t really care about. But when she finds out that he knows how to sew, she immediately recruits him to help her.

The first two episodes kind of lean into the second hand embarrassment too hard. But as the show goes and as a romance starts to bud between the two of them, it lessens. But one of the highlights of the show, their relationship is the main one, is how it treats and normalizes cosplay for everyone. It’s not something that weird people do, and when people are treated as weird for doing it, or for making hina dolls, the female lead stands up to people. It has a really positive message throughout it while being completely over the top filled with fan service.

3. Shangri-La Frontier

Another one that might move up, though my top 2, I really do love so much. But this one is one that I’m further ahead in the manga. But the anime adaptation of the manga, so much fun to watch. Sunraku, the main character, loves to play the worst of the worst video games. Not just play them, but he masters them and beats them. But when the shop owner at his local video game store recommends Shangri-La Frontier as a change of pace, a top tier level game, he decides to.

The anime mainly takes place in that game. But we do see him some in the real world, and other times in some of the trash games that he’s played. For me, what makes this stand apart from a lot of video game anime is the attention to detail to the video game world building. A lot of them tend to be PvP games or a generic fantasy game. This one has a whole story that the writer clearly has created around the world. So that is unique and I really enjoy it for that.

2. Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki

A romance, drama all around two people who are two of the top people at Super Smash Bros (TakFam in their world) in Japan. One of them just loves the game and life is something that is a chore. The other, she puts the same effort into life as she does the game. To her, life is equally a god tier game. It’s one to be beat and conquered like any video game out there. When the meet in real life, they realize they go to the same school, and Aoi, the girl, is not pleased with Tomozaki. She looks up to him in the game because she can never beat him.

Aoi convinces Tomozaki to give life a try. He’s not convinced, some people have the advantages in life. But when she turns it into a game for him, something that he can attack like he does being the best at TakFam and how she attacks life, he begins to experience it more. And even starts to realize some things about life that he differs from Aoi on. This is an anime with a lot of heart to it. And I think it resonates at times. Sometimes life just feels tough or like others get all the breaks, but it offers a lot of different ways to look at life.

1. Sword Art Online

I’ve watched the first season of Sword Art Online so many times. I need to watch more of it, and I have, but that would probably require another rewatch of the first few seasons. So that’s likely to happen soon. But this is an isekai, kind of, but not really. It’s about characters, people, who are trapped in a video game. It’s a death game, you die in the game, you die in real life. But if you beat the game, everyone will be set free. Kirito is bound and determined to do that and clear all the levels of the game.

But the anime really isn’t about that. It’s about the people who are stuck in the game. Kirito tries to do it on his own. But he keeps on meeting characters who help him and who grow with him. And sometimes, characters who don’t make it. The first arc of this anime is amazing. Some of the subsequent ones, slightly less so, but a lot of them are just good. And the character developments and interactions really work. I like how the show is about the people, mainly, and the game secondly.

It’s one that is very popular. And I know some people look down on it because of that. Or think that it’s too over hyped. Yes, I love it, and I know it’s not perfect. Technically there are better anime, but for me Sword Art Online is just amazing and a great anime to watch again and again.

Final Thoughts

I could already add another anime to the list. Solo Leveling I now have watched enough that it’d likely hit the top 10. Again it’s one that I’ve read the manga or manwa technically for. And there are other anime that I’m looking forward to this year that I’m guessing will make the list. Kaiju #8 and Dandadan are two that I think are going to be great. And others that I should watch, like Frieren and Sign of Affection.

Let me know if there are some you think I should watch. Next year I might do a top 100 anime. This year I was just off from being able to do that. But I imagine that I’ll get through another 10-20 anime this year and be over 100. And at a point where I don’t think the bottom of the list is complete garbage as an anime.

What should I watch next? And which is your favorite from this list?

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Manga Round-up

I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level

This one I was disappointed in. I generally like Isekai and this one has a slice of life feel to it as well. But honestly, it’s just kind of boring. The slice of life aspect isn’t that interesting. The protagonist is not that interesting. And the premise while fun, makes for a fairly standard story. It could have been like Bofuri, but instead it’s just kind of a dull affair.

Shangri-La Frontier

I’ve only read one book for this and I want to read more. Shangri-La Frontier is about a character who is overpowered for the game that they are playing. But it is just a game, and they are taking all of their knowledge of how to play and beat lousy games and transferring it to a really good game. I like that play on the VRMMORPG genre in Manga.

I think it works because it gives the main character a different lens on the game being played. It isn’t a death game, Sword Art Online, and it isn’t just a standard fantasy game. While, it is, but the main characters perspective on it is different. He wants to be lousy games, this is just someone talking him into trying a good game. And he isn’t afraid of dying, if he dies, he respawns and tries again.

Chillin’ in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers

This one I am actually all caught up on. And it’s solid, it doesn’t do anything too groundbreaking, but it tells a fun story. A person from another world, another fantasy world, gets summoned into a new fantasy world to be that worlds heroes. But at Level 1 his stats suck. So he’s cast aside, but turns out he was the hero, and now the dark one and the kingdom who cast him out are trying to vie for his attention. Of course, all he wants to do is be left alone.

The depth in this one is lacking, it is mainly standard fluff. But the slight tweak of him not working for either side can be interesting. And the characters around him are pretty interesting, especially fro the two sides trying to sway him to their side.

Delicious Dungeon

What would happen if you needed to rush into a dungeon (or chose to) to save a loved one and you didn’t bring any food. You’d need to use what you can from the dungeon to make meals. Delicious Dungeon is a goofy premise but another one that I like, pretty well.

I say pretty well, it took me a bit to get through the first manga. Mainly, each chapter is very separate. So you read one, you can put it down and pick it up again whenever. That isn’t a bad thing, it just means it takes longer. And I wonder if I will read more, because the story doesn’t progress that quickly. It is, after all, a manga about cooking.

Kaiju No. 8

The most recent one I read, and I enjoyed it last night. It makes me want to pick-up more. A washed out wannabe Kaiju fighter doesn’t have the best life. He is cleaning up after the messes when a Kaiju is killed. But something happens that makes it possible for him to go after that dream of being a Kaiju fighter again. Of course, this opportunity is not what you’d expect.

Kaiju No. 8 is lighter for sure and more humorous than some of the other manga. But I like where it is going the balancing act it puts on the character. And the jokes it can manage to pull off. It is just a fun experience to read without being too heavy or too brooding. And it feels different. I read a lot of fantasy, but this a good change of pace.

Ghost Reaper Girl

Utterly disappointing for me. Ghost Reaper Girl is very basic and doesn’t do anything exciting. It is mainly a chance for some fan service. But beyond that, the main character is not interesting. The two characters she interacts with mainly are not interesting. The story is just not that fun to experience with them.

Now, I might have the wrong idea for this one. I like horror manga, and I might have thought it was going to be that. But when the characters aren’t compelling, even a misconception of what I was going to read doesn’t cover that. It is just not enjoyable.

Final Thoughts

A mixed bag of manga for sure. I really like Kaiju No 8 and Shangri-La Frontier. And there are some other solid ones in there. But with as much as I saw on I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level, I had high hopes for that one. I thought it is going to be a light and goofy manga. Maybe one that is more standard of an Isekai. But it is not that interesting, unfortunately.

And I need to read a few more manga as well that we got. Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-Kun is high on that list. I know I will like it, I like the anime. And same with Spy x Family. Plus a few more manga are coming in, or are here that I need to checkout and see if I like them.

What new manga are you reading, or light novels? Let me know.

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The Plot – Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-Kun

Chiyo is a high school student who has a crush on her classmate Nozaki. When she builds up enough nerve to let him know her feelings she blurts out that she’s his biggest fan. Little does she know that he writes and draws shojo manga, so he gives her his autograph and gets her to help with his manga. From there, we meet a whole cast of high school students who either know and help Nozaki or are clueless to what he is doing.

General Impressions

This is a very heartfelt anime. And for that reason it’s quite clean in what it does. There isn’t really any fan service throughout the show. Which is nice because it doesn’t draw focus away from Chiyo and Nozaki and their relationship, or lack there of.

Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-Kun is also very much a romance anime without a ton of romance. Chiyo has feelings and very strong ones, for Nozaki, but Nozaki is so obsessed and stressed with his manga that he fails to notice. That is where some of the sweetness and heartfelt nature comes in as well.

What Doesn’t Work?

I have one minor quibble with the show and that is the relationship doesn’t really ever progress with Chiyo and Nozaki. There are a few moments of sweetness between them. But it is all done through the lens of Nozaki trying to figure out real reactions or moments for his manga. I want to see a little bit more progression.

Though this does in some ways stem from how the manga for Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-Kun is written. It is vignettes, so you don’t really see too much into their interactions, it is kept at humorous moments and little bits of story. So my guess is that the manga is slow to progress that romantic element as well.

What Works?

I think that the story itself, even with the slow or stagnant romance, is really fun. It gives you good laughs and I like the behind the scenes into manga and that process. But it is really about the interactions of the characters. Each character does only have one or two strongly defined traits, but the writer uses that to create realistic characters which is impressive.

Which really does lead me into what I like best next, I really like how the characters are developed. Do they all really feel like high school students, not really, but they do as much as basically any anime high school students do. And Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-Kun gives a slice of life look into it versus some big or grand story.

Final Thoughts – Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-Kun

Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-Kun is kind of like a warm hug. It feels good to watch and you want what is best for the characters. Do they always get that, no. But things are never horrible for the characters, it is more just a feeling disappointment and that they will try again. And as time goes on that their story and their feelings will progress.

This is only at one season so far. And theoretically there is another on the docket, but it hasn’t been started yet. So I hope that we get it. I want to see more of Chiyo and Nozaki’s story. I want to see if they end up together or how that romance builds out. It is just fun to watch, but if that doesn’t happen, I will read the manga. And that’ll give me that story, just done in a slightly different way with it’s vignettes.

Have you watched or read Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-Kun? Is it one that sounds like fun for you? Let me know in the comments below.

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Anime

Now, I could do probably a whole list that is just anime, there’s a whole genre of anime, slice of life, that tends to be less heavy and more light hearted. Granted, some of them deal with heavier things, but a lot will be happier. But let’s focus on two of them.

Dagashi Kashi

Now, maybe we shouldn’t be sitting on our couches just eating candy the whole time, but Dagashi Kashi is all about that Dagashi. Dagashi are basically cheap candies and snack foods in Japan. The main character works with his dad in a little Dagashi shop that a big company wants to buy and take over. His dad makes an agreement, but only if the company can convince his son to take over the shop instead of becoming a manga artist. The show takes you into the history of a lot of Dagashi and will make you want to get some, but it’s generally a really good and light hearted romp that is worth checking out.

Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun

A new one that we just started recently, this one is about two high schoolers. Chiyo who has a crush on Nozaki, who is in her high school. However, she can’t ever get the words out right to him. She finds out that he’s a manga creator and accidentally gets roped into helping him with his manga. It’s a very cute story and has lots of weird characters and light hearted moments in it. Definitely a bit all over the place, but that’s what so many slice of life anime are.

Movies

I could pick a lot of kids movies in this category because a lot of them do have good wholesome and up lifting messages, and I could pick a lot of animated movies in general because again, they tend to be made more for kids, but I wanted to give a couple of different options, so only one kids movie.

My Neighbor Totoro!

It’s an animated movie from Japan and it definitely has a slice of life feel to it. Two girls move with their father to a place in the country. Life is fine there, but they are really waiting for their mother to get better and join them. However, there are some unique spirits living around them, most notably Totoro. Totoro is a goofy seeming creature, but is often there to help them and to help them through the times ahead. It has some moments that do have some emotion, but mainly this movie floats through on it’s iconic moments and pacing of a story that really doesn’t go anywhere. It’s nice and short as well, which makes it easier to sit down to in an evening.

Stardust

Now this movie is a bit different, based off of a book by Neil Gaiman of the same name. It’s about a fanciful world and the real world where they meet up, and what seems like true love and real true love. The story has some epic fantasy moments, some final face offs of characters, but overall, it’s done very well and tells what is generally a very light hearted story. In the end it’ll definitely leave you feeling like you’ve sat through an enjoyable romp in a crazy fantasy world.

Television Shows

Now, I could just go back to more slice of life anime for feel good watching, but I don’t want to do that, and I split anime out for that reason. So many TV shows focus around some sort of drama, we have a ton of procedural cop shows out there, but what are some shows that leave you feeling like you had a good time after watching them.

Dirk Gentley’s Holistic Detective Agency

Of course, I’m starting out with Douglas Adams, or at least something vaguely adapted off of a couple of books of his. This falls into that camp of completely absurd humor, but it does it in a great way. Add in Elijah Wood whom we know was Frodo from Lord of the Rings, and that’s a fun little addition as well. This show, both seasons, won’t make a ton of sense always, but it does all come together and it is all light hearted fun after a fashion, it just might be a little bit absurd as well. It has a mystery element to it, but that even keeps you wanting more.

The Great British Baking Show

Now, I didn’t mean to do two British shows, but if you are a fan of reality TV, but the drama is getting to you during the winter months, this, and the SyFy channel show Face Off will give you a couple of options to watch, The Great British Baking Show is just on Netflix so easier for me to tell you were to find it. This is a baking competition where they make all sorts of glorious things to eat, but that’s not all that is great. We have shows in the US like that, but generally there is some drama around it, in this show you can genuinely tell that they care about each other and they want to win, but they want everyone to do well as well.

Board Games

You know me, I love my board games, though, this is harder part of the board game section is that not all games are going to work well with a limited player count. While we’ve never been told during the pandemic to see no one in Minnesota, naturally in Minnesota during the winter, less people go visit people because it’s cold, dark early, and often the roads aren’t great. So what are some fun games that can be played with not a ton of players.

Marrying Mr Darcy

Now, being a Jane Austen fan might help for liking this game, but it works well as a light hearted and light little game that can play from two all the way up to six or possibly more. This game is all about playing one of the characters in Pride and Prejudice and getting paired up and marrying your perfect match. The game has very simple mechanics, draw a card and do what it says, and some set collection card play. That’s about it, but the cards keep Jane Austen’s dry and sarcastic humor on them. I think this works better with more players so everyone is laughing about it, but it can play at a lower count and be a lot of fun.

Second Chance

What, I put a roll (flip) and write on the list, who’d have guessed. This game is very peaceful to play. You flip two cards and fill in one of the shapes on your board, you repeat, repeat again, and so on until no one can fill in anything. What adds to the peaceful nature can be how you fill in the shapes. You don’t just box them in because eventually you’d lose track, so I doodle mine in, my wife makes patterns by filling them in in various directions. You can really do whatever you want, and even with the doodling the game plays so quickly, so there’s no need to feel like you’re rushed.

What is Your Nerdy Mood Lifter?

I could have gone into books and comics as well, but these are four things that I know pretty well, so I wanted to focus on them. What are some of your favorite light and fun things to watch, play, or read?

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