T5W#176-Top 5 Best Titles Ive Reviewed in 2018

2018 is over next week.  Overall, on a personal level, each year since 2015 has been an increasing, stressful challenge.  Which is why I channel a lot of time into Anime and the friends ive gained from it, probably why Katsucon 2018 and Otakon 2018 have found high spots on my list of best conventions ever (yeah ill do a redux Top 5 next year for sure).  Here at the Anime Corner, ive reviewed 45 titles this year, from TV shows to films.  I have to say, this has probably been my favorite year of titles to date as ive had a blast reviewing most of my selections, the good and the bad.  Well with 2018 closing out next week, why don’t we look back at the long list of incredible Anime ive reviewed in 2018…and try to choose five of the best.  It’s my last Top 5 Wednesday of 2018, the Top 5 Best Titles Ive Reviewed in 2018.

#5-Pilot Candidate aka Candidate for Goddess

Kind of like Silent Mobius in 2017, Pilot Candidate became this years series that drove me to the brink of insanity with how bad it was…and it was so much fun to bite into.  I had heard tales of Pilot Candidate’s terribleness and I wasn’t sure id survive the short but painful experience.  From the bad mechs to the worse characters to the waste of a really good musical score, somehow it was a lot of fun giving this god awful show the terrible review it deserved.  It was both stressful and a strange form of stress relief (which really is a lot of what this blog is for me).

#4-Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love?

This was more than a treat, it was a privledge.  Seldom seen and hard to come by, I lucked into getting a chance to check out this much beloved Anime movie that is considered one of the best of the 80s mecha era.  The visuals, the music, the action.  Even when DYRL wasn’t at its best, I still felt like I was watching something special.  It almost makes me wish I could review more Macross here on the blog if I could ever find it.  There’s always the first season of Robotech as a Plan B.  In the here and now, im so happy I got to see what I now consider probably the second best Macross outing of all time…and give it further props for that distinction because without the success of Do You Remember Love, we wouldn’t have Macross Plus.

#3-One Punch Man

God, between this and My Hero Academia, Japan has given us some of the best superhero stories outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  One Punch Man took the woes and responsibilities that come with being a hero and give them a refreshingly interesting coat of paint.  Superheroedom doesn’t have to be all business, it can actually be fun and even a little boring depending on who you ask.  And Saitama balances both perfectly with his deadpan deliveries and easy going attitude.  I could easily see him blowing off Batman or the Justice League to do his own thing before showing up to save them all from certain death with one punch.  Amazing fights, an amazing main character and an ever growing cast of loveable goofs, I cant wait for Season Two to finally arrive next year…and hope the magic of Saitama and Genos is still there in droves.

#2-Full Metal Panic: Invisible Victory

No one probably expected much from a sequel season to Full Metal Panic thirteen years after The Second Raid.  But they sure as hell weren’t expecting anything to be THIS DAMN GOOD.  The first episode kicked things off with a bang and nothing ever really let up until the final episode.  Sure we got an unresolved cliffhanger with no confirmation of a fifth season.  We did still get Sousuke wagging a one man war to save his girl both in and our of his Arm Slave and some of the most game changing moments ever in the entire Full Metal Panic story to date.  The Second Raid showed Full Metal Panic it could take risks and succeed.  Invisible Victory took that lesson and hit the NOS button for a full blown ride into awesomeness.  I’d say I have no idea how Season 5 will top Invisible Victory…but im sure I said the same thing after The Second Raid and look what we got eh?

#1-The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya

Of all the shows ive reviewed this year, could you ever imagine me having a crap ton to say about a Haruhi Suzumiya movie?  Well I did and I still think this is one of the best reviews ive ever written for this blog in general.  So much happens in Disappearance that keeps you so engrossed, you almost forget the movie is almost three hours long.  It rights the wrongs of the TV Series and pays off painful watch moments like “The Endless Eight” in unexpectedly brilliant ways.  This review was so heartfelt that I had to do a follow up Top 5 that same day to delve deeper into some pretty spoiler heavy thoughts.  Ive never done that with a review before and I don’t know if ill ever find a film I can do similar with.  2018 saw One Punch Man, Psycho Pass, Fate/Stay Night and even My Hero Academia grace the Gundam Anime Corner.  Whodve thought theyd all somehow be topped by Queen Haruhi Suzumiya…not me.