Finally, I can talk about what I liked from last year’s winter season! I will be including links to each anime’s MAL page, as well as links to watch, but I only know what works in my region, so keep that in mind that if you live outside of the US. Also, keep in mind that the links I provide are not exhaustive–I link to Crunchyroll because that’s where I watch, but these shows might be available legally elsewhere as well. Please watch legally where you can before resorting to illegal streaming sites or torrents. Click here for a list of streaming sites that work outside the US, and click here to search for legal streaming in English-speaking countries. Onward to the list!
- ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Dept.
ACCA!!! I love ACCA! It’s stylish, slow-paced yet gripping, with lovely character designs and an interesting setting. I love how each state of Dowa is distinguished from the last–the culture, architecture, and especially food of each state are unique; each place Jean travels to feels real and lived in. The characters are down-to-earth and just as distinct as the kingdom’s states–the entire cast is a lot of fun. I love Nino, he’s easily my favorite character. If you’re looking for a mature political drama, I highly recommend this one. It would be my favorite of the winter season, if it wasn’t for… well, I’ll get to that one.
MAL page / Crunchyroll link / Funimation link (dub only, subscription needed)
- Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga
I first watched Blue Exorcist season 1 when it aired on Toonami in 2014, and I absolutely loved it. After its run ended on Toonami, and aware that season 1 had an anime-original ending, I read the manga (well, some of it, anyway). Kyoto Saga had a major problem to deal with–how do you reconcile the anime-original arc of the previous season while being faithful to the manga? After all, there is a huge difference between how the other exwires reacted to Rin at the end of season 1 and how they reacted to him in the manga.
The answer the anime writers came up with was, well, very clunky. They opted to just ignore the final arc of season 1 and tried to make it clear where they were picking up the story from (season 1 episode 17). Personally, it wasn’t terribly jarring for me, because I was aware of the issue going in–but for other viewers who weren’t, I can only imagine how confusing this must have been. Honestly, I believe the writers did the best they could, as I can’t actually think of a way they could have handled it better. The deviation is pretty big; there’s no real way to segue seamlessly from the end of season 1 into manga material, as it would create plot holes later down the line.
Putting that aside, Kyoto Saga was definitely a lot of fun. I was glad to see Rin and the other exwires again, the fights were intense, and it was a faithful adaptation of the manga. Rin and especially Bon shone this season, and I loved their moments leading up to the climax of the final fight. I do recommend this season, but if you’re coming to this off the tail of season 1, keep the changes in mind–or leave season 1 at episode 17.
MAL page / Crunchyroll link
- Kemono Friends
When you think about anime from Winter 2017, you think about Kemono Friends.
Does loving her make me a furry?
Bursting onto the scene with bafflingly bad CG, yet charming characters and surprisingly intriguing lore, Kemono Friends was the talk of the season. The cast is unique and a lot of fun; the premise is simple, yet the plot is engaging and the pacing is tight. Despite the darker tone simmering under the surface, Kemono Friends remains positive, cute, and uplifting. It’s a show about animals, but ultimately it is a celebration of the positive aspects of human nature–Kaban’s ability to consider multiple angles, invent things, and solve problems ends up being what gets the Friends out of a jam more often than not. The bad CG and janky animation may be jarring to some, but if you can look past it, this show really is a gem brimming with heart.
MAL page / Crunchyroll link
- Little Witch Academia (TV)
Little Witch Academia was a highly anticipated series that unfortunately got much less attention than it should have because of its fate of ending up on Netflix. I’m not here to talk about Netflix’s clumsy handling of their exclusive anime titles, but I do lament the fact that Little Witch probably would have gotten a lot more attention and love if it had been officially simulcasted instead. It’s a shame, because Little Witch is such an endearing series. If you’re hesitant because Studio Trigger’s shows aren’t really your thing, don’t be–this show has all the bombastic visual flair of a Trigger show, but that’s about all it has in common with other shows from the studio. It’s endlessly charming, with a protagonist who you just want to root for, and it definitely lives up to the magical wonder of the OVAs (which I also highly recommend).
MAL page
- Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid
Ah, the anime from the Winter 2017 season about anthropomorphic animal-creatures with gay undertones that wasn’t Kemono Friends! Honestly, Dragon Maid was a bit of a mixed bag for me. The relationship between Tohru and Kobayashi was heartwarming. Kanna and her mother/daughter relationship with Kobayashi was adorable. Fafnir was a hilarious character and I loved all of his scenes.
It is certainly a very cute, funny, and well-made (well-maid) show with a lot of heart put into it, but the fanservice was… uncomfortable. Out of all of Lucoa’s scenes, I enjoyed maybe two of them. The author of the original manga has, to put it delicately, a fetish for big-breasted women harassing underage boys, and that comes through in the characters of Lucoa and Shouta. I won’t link it here, but you can find such works on his Pixiv page and other places. Knowing that the author has a, quite frankly, pedophilic fetish, and seeing how it leaks through in what would otherwise be an innocuous work unfortunately makes Dragon Maid difficult to recommend.
MAL page / Crunchyroll link / Funimation link (dub only)
- Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu: Sukeroku Futatabi-hen
I won’t mince words here: Rakugo is a masterpiece. The first season, which I marathoned in a matter of days during the tail end of 2016, was absolutely spectacular. It left me hurting for more, and the second season began a short couple of weeks later. And boy, did it deliver.
Following the season-long flashback of Yakumo’s past, Rakugo season 2 continues telling us the life story of Yakumo and his student Yotaro. Old vs new, keeping tradition vs changing with the times–these themes that were explored in season 1 continue to get expanded on. Tragedy and hope spin together to bring this series to a stunning, satisfying conclusion. Flawless presentation, real and fleshed-out characters, brilliant voice work–especially by my favorite seiyuu, Akira Ishida–and gripping, engaging storytelling made Rakugo season 2 my instant favorite of the winter season and gave the series as a whole a spot in my Top 10 anime of all time. I laughed, I cried, I felt emotions I didn’t know I had… I cried. I cannot recommend this enough.
MAL page / Crunchyroll link
- Yowamushi Pedal: New Generation
If there’s any sports anime that never fails to sweep me up in the excitement and unpredictability of a competition, it’s Yowapeda. New Generation, as the title suggests, says goodbye to the third years as they graduate, and introduces us to the new first-year members of Yowapeda‘s cycling teams. The cast being shaken up like this was off-putting to some viewers, but even though I was sad to see the third years go, I was excited to see the team dynamics change.
Teshima struggles to lead Sohoku as the new captain; Naruko’s role in the team changes; Kaburagi adds a lot of humor. I was sad to see the Hakogaku third years go too, as they’re my favorite team, but Ashikiba was surprisingly a very likable character (I don’t know what I was expecting from him, but it wasn’t that). And–as always–it kept me on the edge of my seat until the end. My only complaint is that the last arc of the season starts the second Inter-High, and we leave off at the end of the first leg on Day 1. I suppose that’s a moot point, since the fourth season Glory Line is airing right now and picks up right where New Generation left off, but I still found it a strange place to end the season.
MAL page / Crunchyroll link
That’s all I have for now! The winter season started 2017 off very strongly, if only because of Rakugo, which is definitely a contender for 2017’s AOTY. Next week, I’ll be taking a break from the retrospectives, because I have a mighty, pressing need to talk about a certain 46-year-old horny, demonic manga… stay tuned.
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