My Top 10 Anime of 2020

Hello everyone! It’s me. The lazy, lethargic blogger man who said he’d try to write more things in 2021. And I’m here. With a blog post. About Anime.

Yes. You read that right. Anime. The thing this blog is supposed to be primarily focused on. I know. It’s wild. Seeing me write about Anime. I know I’m really subverting everyone’s expectations here.

So yeah. 2020 was a great year for Anime. And even though we’re already near the end of January, I thought it’d be fun to give my Top 10 Anime from 2020. Because that’s something I’d have normally done at the end of the year, but didn’t due to… Reasons… So… Yeah… Guess I’m gonna do it now. Even if it’s a bit late.

Also I’m only including shows I watched in here. And for obvious reasons I didn’t watch everything because I’m not an insane person, so if a particular show you think I’d like isn’t on here, that’s probably why. And I’m only including TV series, no OVAs or Movies.

For those who are subscribed to my YouTube channel, I already did a video summarising my brief thoughts on every 2020 Anime that I watched. So if you’d like a more concise, and more all-encompassing, video version of my thoughts on 2020 Anime as a whole, feel free to check it out!

But for those who want a more focused list, or just prefer articles over videos that feature my god awful voice, feel free to continue reading, and enjoy!

10. Interspecies Reviewers

Interspecies Reviewers is a series that received a lot more attention than it probably should have, and it was all because the show was suddenly dropped by Funimation because it apparently didn’t meet their “standards” due to its overly sexual content.

…Which would have been fine if Funimation also didn’t have uncensored episodes of High School DxD on their platform which features bare loli titties and a scene that’s basically a censored blowjob. But I digress.

So yeah. I liked this titty boom boom show. It’s got a stupid premise, focusing on a bunch of fantasy adventurers visiting different brothels and fucking every fantasy race they can, while writing detailed reviews of each to uncover which of them offers the best experience. It’s a little juvenile in its humour. And there’s a lot of uncensored Anime titties and plenty of scenes that can only be described as softcore hentai.

But that’s all a plus for me. I was laughing the whole time, the fan-service was appealing and the central gimmick of the show surprisingly never got old.

It’s definitely not a show for everyone, but if you like fan-service shows you’ll probably get something out of this one. Give it a watch.

9. The God of High School

The God of High School was the second Korean Manhwa to get adapted into Anime this in 2020, with Crunchyroll being responsible for getting the adaptations of said properties off the ground. And while I personally couldn’t be more excited to see these Korean franchises get adapted into Japanese Anime, it seems I’m one of the few, as both The God of High School and Tower of God were either considered to be poor adaptations or just generally bad shows a lot of the larger community.

But as you can tell from it being on this list, I really don’t think The God of High School is bad. At all. I haven’t read the source material, and I probably won’t be doing so any time soon because I’m lazy, but from what I’ve been told from one of my friends who did read it, the Anime wasn’t anywhere near as bad of an adaptation as people were making it out to be. From what I gathered from my chats with her about the series, no major fights or narrative events were really skipped, and while there were some changes, most of them were supposedly for the better.

But putting all of that aside, as an Anime only I had an absolute blast with this series. I never once felt lost or confused by the story that was being told and everything made perfect sense to me, so I’m honestly not really sure why I saw a lot of people say that the story made no sense. It’s a little nonsensical at times, in a wacky and over the top sort of way, but that’s just more the tone of the story than it is bad writing.

The characters are all wonderful, the story is engaging with some interesting twists towards the end, and the fight scenes are absolutely incredible. Seriously, this is by far one of the best animated action series I’ve ever laid eyes on and it looks stunning. MAPPA really have set the bar here. It’s insane how good this show looks.

So yeah. The God of High School is an entertaining romp, and if you like action heavy series with cool fights and quirky characters with a bit of a wild and out there story, give it a watch!

8. Danmachi Season 3

I really loved the first two seasons of Danmachi so it was pretty much guaranteed that this third season would also be a hit with me.

Much like the previous seasons, Season 3 continues to develop Bell’s character in a really satisfying way while also continuing to develop the setting in ways that are honestly really surprising. This season focuses on the monsters of the world of Danmachi and adds a whole new perspective to what was previously a very black and white, “Us Vs. Them” kind of situation between the adventurers who explore the dungeon and the monsters that inhabit it.

The animation is as gorgeous as ever, despite everyone still finding ways to complain about how J.C Staff has “fallen off” in recent years and the central arc of this season is by far one of the series’ most emotional high points.

I’d really like to see a fourth season some day. This story really does continue to exceed expectations, even after doing so many times since the first season dropped back in 2015.

It’s really that good.

7. Fire Force Season 2

I’ll stand by my claim that Fire Force remains one of the most interesting, unique and enjoyable Battle Shounen series of the last decade, and Season 2 only strengthens my stance, taking the story to even more unexpected places while dragging its characters through some really emotional and satisfying story arcs.

I know the fan-service bothers people. Particularly when it involves Tamaki because people have this really weird idea that she only exists to take her clothes off, but my counter to that is that it’s funny, Tamaki is a babe and it’s really not that often anyway. That and, in this season, she actually has some serious character moments again, even helping to fight one of the arcs main antagonists, which is nice.

But putting Tamaki’s naked body aside, the series is just really great. The worldbuilding remains fantastic and the story remains as interesting as ever, with plenty of unexpected twists that really throw a wrench into the characters goals and what they’re fighting for.

And the animation and directing remain top tier, with David Production really giving it their all. They’ve come a long way as a studio since the days of the first season of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure and Level E and it shows. Fire Force is stunning.

If you like Battle Shounen and are craving your next Shounen fix, I can’t recommend this series enough. And this second season is simply outstanding.

6. BOFURI

So here we are with another MMO focused Anime. And here we are with me putting it on this list because I love these kind of shows and BOFURI is no exception.

The series takes the familiar overpowered protagonist trope but manages to keep it fresh by making said protagonist a super powerful tank with ridiculously high defense stats and it surprisingly manages to keep things really entertaining and exciting the whole way through.

The series also does a great job fleshing out the game world and the rest of the cast, who despite Maple’s overpowered status, don’t feel underdeveloped or shifted to the side and who all have their relevant place in the story.

BOFURI is a really fun time and I can’t wait for the second season.

5. The Misfit of Demon King Academy

Another show that does its own thing with the overpowered protagonist trope, Demon King Academy is an Anime I saw a lot of people writing off as yet another “generic Light Novel adaptation” because it involves a school for demonic magic users and a protagonist who’s insanely powerful compared to his fellow students.

But honestly, despite that familiar setup, Demon King Academy manages to be incredibly fresh in everything that it does and is consistently entertaining. The protagonist is witty and has an incredibly unique personality not often seen in these types of characters. He lacks modesty and knows he’s the best and doesn’t even remotely try to hide it, which makes for some incredibly hilarious and badass moments. This is a protagonist who literally says “did you think killing me would make me die?” He’s great.

But outside of that the story itself is also super interesting, with a really well developed setting, an engaging backstory for the protagonist and the narrative that plays out involving him and his companions is one that manages to be both engaging and full of unexpected surprises that really make it stand out from similar shows.

Oh and the fights are fucking incredible. This show had multiple fights that could be considered among the best of the year.

I honestly don’t understand how anyone who watched this one came to the conclusion that it was “generic” and “uninspired” because it was really unique and executed a familiar premise in a way that made it one of the biggest surprises of the year.

This show is fantastic.

4. Tower of God

Tower of God was kind of a big deal. Both for myself and Anime as a whole.

It was big for me because… Well… I made a 22 minute YouTube video discussing the entire series and it’s themes and why it’s a 10/10 for me, so… Yeah! Do I need to say anything else there?

And it was big for Anime as a whole because it marked the first time a Korean Manhwa got a notable adaptation into a Japanese TV Anime that didn’t completely fly under the radar. Tower of God was a show everyone had eyes on, even if many of those eyes belonged to cynical elitists who either thought the show was “generic” because they didn’t watch beyond the first episode, or who refused to praise the show because it was an Anime based on a Korean source material. Yes… These people exist. I know. It’s silly.

But all that aside, Tower of God is an incredible series with some of the most detailed worldbuilding I’ve ever seen from Anime while also simultaneously managing to tell one of the greatest character driven narratives I’ve seen in a long, long time.

And what makes it even more intriguing is that this Anime adaptation is clearly just the beginning of a much bigger story, and I hope to god the later seasons of the Manhwa get adapted into Anime some day, because this story deserves to be experienced by as many people as possible.

With incredible characters, amazing writing and worldbuilding and absolutely gorgeous animation and a kickass soundtrack, Tower of God has it all. If you haven’t seen it yet, do yourself a favour and watch it.

Then you can watch my video on it. I guess. Maybe. If you want.

3. Re:Zero Season 2

After waiting literally half a decade, the second season of Re:Zero finally came out in 2020 and what a season it was.

It’s only the first half of the second season, and the second half is airing right now, but even on its own this first half was absolutely amazing. After a nearly flawless first season, I honestly wasn’t sure what a second season of Re:Zero would be able to bring to the table in order to keep the story interesting and surpass what had come before it.

But damn, did it manage to do both of those things. With exciting new developments, a deeper dive into the lore and history of the setting and a detailed, emotional look into Subaru’s own past, Re:Zero continues to be a masterpiece of dramatic and emotional, character driven storytelling.

It deserves every bit of praise it’s received over the years, and I’m extremely excited to watch Part 2 of the season when it finishes airing this year.

2. Sword Art Online Alicization: War of Underworld Part 2

Hey look! It’s A-1 Pictures’ new Anime series “Sword Art Online“. You should check it out if you get the chance. Anime of the Summer.

Yeah. Despite everything I’m never letting that meme die. Ever. You’re just gonna have to live with it. Forever.

So umm… Yeah! It’s the latest season of Sword Art Online and it’s me. The SAO guy. The guy who will defend this series and unironically love it and share his love for it until his dying breath. Where else is this going to place on the list but near the top?

The Alicization arc was easily the best arc of the entire series thus far, and this final chapter in said arc was just absolutely incredible. Not only did it give the side characters a chance to shine, specifically Asuna due to Kirito not being present, but when our beloved hero finally gets the chance to return to the spotlight, his return is one worth celebrating and had me literally screaming at my screen because it’d been hyped up for so many episodes.

This is the best final chapter this series could have ever asked for, and with the Progressive novels getting adapted into a movie trilogy this year and it being very likely that the next arc in the novels, Unital Ring, will be getting adapted at some point, there’s still so much more SAO goodness left for us all to experience.

I love this series. So damn much.

1. Talentless Nana

But as much as I love Sword Art Online there’s one show that stole the top spot away from it during the final stretch of the year. And that show was Talentless Nana.

I wasn’t even going to watch this show at all. In fact, I’d never even heard of it when it started airing due to being out of the loop with seasonal Anime because I wasn’t really blogging at all and that’s where I tend to get my seasonal info from. But then my best friend, Talentless Banana, messaged me and basically demanded I watch it. “This is the sleeper hit of the season, you’ve gotta watch it!” said Banana-chan.

So… I watched it. And the first episode, not only exceeded my expectations, but it completely blew them out of this reality and into a fucking parallel universe because… It was honestly that great. I haven’t seen a twist opening this shocking and well handled in years and it’s also a twist that the series doesn’t rely on, as the Anime only continues to get better and even more surprising as it continues to tell its story.

Nana is an amazing protagonist, and despite her nature, is a character I find myself relating to a lot. And to see myself in a show that also has such an engaging and impressive story is really all it takes for a show to be incredible for me.

Talentless Nana is so good that it’s been awarded a spot in my Top 10 Anime of all time. And if you haven’t seen it, go see it now. Just do yourself a favour and go in blind if you can, because damn. That first episode is… Something else.

And with that, we’re done. That’s my Top 10 Anime of 2020!

I know this is kind of late. Sorry. Life has been busy and I’m still trying really hard to get over things and into the swing of blogging regularly again. Like I said, no promises, but I’m trying.

I hope you’re all well and I hope you enjoyed the post. And I look forward to discussing some 2021 shows with you all soon!

See you around folks!