Ruri Rocks
Do you enjoy learning? Do you have an interest in rocks? Enjoy seeing characters grow and change and interact and joke with each other? And accompanied by some incredible production values? Then Ruri Rocks is the perfect show to watch. It’s an example on how edutainment can work for adults. The anime delves deep into the world of geology, like how types of rocks form and move above ground. There’s an entire plot point about finding which river sediment flows from so that the cast can collect sapphires. If you’re not interested in the education aspect, the show is propped up by a solid story and great characters.
The main character Ruri only cares about pretty rocks at first. But as she meets and forms friendships with people who love studying minerals and the earth, she gains a deeper appreciation for geology. Including Ruri, the cast stays at less than half a dozen for the entire run. This compact amount of characters includes Ruri’s mentor Nagi. At first she’s a glorified way to explain geology concepts and get Ruri more interested in rocks. But as the show continues she reveals the reasons why she loves studying the earth, and gains a layer of humanity and vulnerability. This goes for the other members of the cast, who have their own worries and aspects of geology they love. It creates a complex cast that’s fun to watch as they make learning about the earth fun.
Food for the Soul
Food for the Soul is a slice of life anime centered around a group of freshmen college girls who create a food research club. The girls then do activities like hiking up a mountain or creating a food stall at their college’s culture festival. The five girls all have very different personalities that bounce off and mesh with each other in fun and interesting ways. One girl is very fluffy and bouncy, just like a sheep. Another girl is the fun one who doesn’t think too far ahead, and there’s a serious one that keeps the group in line.
The girl with the most development is the main character Mako. She learns to come out of her shell and make the most of her life through the help of her friends. With her love for food, Mako cooks and/or eats at least one dish each episode that puts real life food to shame. In one episode she cooks and eats Camembert curry pilaf, complete with fried rice and an egg on top. In another she downs a sauced katsudon, where there’s fried chicken and copious amounts of sauce drizzled across. Every step of the process is animated as well, making the dishes even more mouthwateringly delicious. Food for the Soul is for every gourmet and slice of life fan out there.
Dandadan Season 2
I love Dandadan because of the creativity of its world. In one episode the cast reunites a sentient mannequin with his lover, while in another they fight against a loch ness monster in a pocket dimension. Dandadan juggles between different genres and themes like body horror and romcom shenanigans with ease. And the second season takes all the best parts of the first and ramps up the quality even more. The animation is more fluid and vibrant, effects like fire and lightning crackle and pop, and the encounters get more outlandish with each episode.
The relationship between Momo and Okarun continues to progress this season. They slowly realize their love for each other, building up a slow romance that I know will end in a confession further down the line. After the sudden end of season one, this season goes pedal to the medal from the first episode, with all kinds of new spirits and aliens. There’s plot twists and payoffs at every turn, including the spirit haunting Jiji. There’s even another cliffhanger at the end of the season, one that’s luckily going to get resolved with the announcement of season three. If you enjoyed Dandadan season 1, this season takes what made it great and improves on it in every way.
Takopi’s Original Sin
Takopi’s Original Sin is not for the faint of heart. It deals with themes of child abuse, suicide, bullying and other similar subjects. There’s an intensity and viciousness to commit to and unflinchingly show the brutal reality of what acts like bullying actually entail. It’s to the point that at the start of the anime, there are two separate suicide warnings. And to make matters worse, it mainly involves children that are still in elementary school. Aside from one notable exception, every named member of the cast does something truly heinous, including the titular character Takopi.
Takopi is a squid like alien that’s naive to a fault. He doesn’t understand negative emotions like hate or anger. His constant expectation that everyone can be happy and get along results in some truly terrifying consequences when those expectations are inevitably shattered. He learns negative emotions for the first time, and is the accessory to some of the worst crimes imaginable. It’s a very heart wrenching story that at the same time has some of the best production of the year. There’s visually stunning character acting and effects work, camera angles range from POV shots complete with shaky cam to fish eye lens, and the character designs are very distinct, both for the humans and the aliens. If you’re willing to take the plunge, Takopi’s Original Sin deals with the brutal reality of very serious topics in a way that’s both visceral and beautiful.
Zenshu
Zenshu is a classic isekai in the vein of The Vision of Escaflowne. Not like Sword Art Online and the wave of generic isekai that you still see to this day. In this show, the main character Natsuko actually wants to return home! And what makes it even more compelling is that the world she enters is from her favorite anime growing up. She has to appreciate these characters as actual living beings while confronting her flaws, such as how she doesn’t take help from anyone, and save the world from destruction. Every character deals with grief over the impending end of the world. This ranges from drinking away sorrows to bottling away emotions and not acknowledging them for as long as possible.
Natsuko’s power where whatever she draws turns to life is the visual highlight of the show. She goes through a “transformation sequence” that has her ending up at her desk in the most anime fashion imaginable. Natsuko then draws some powerful, outlandish creature or object that is accompanied by beautifully animated battles. Zenshu is both a heart pumping adventure and a heartfelt character drama, and stands as one of the best anime of the year.
