I know, Summer 2019 literally ended a whole season ago. Even given my output this past half-year, that’s really late. My excuse is the usual one. I wanted to be thorough and if it’s going to be late, so be it. This is called the “Final Rankings” after all. Fortunately, it’s not as time-sensitive as the Midseason Rankings. And yes, I’m missing some multi-cours here and some sequels there but I got all the single-cour, new shows out of the way so I consider that satisfactory enough to post.
I’m also just glad I have one more rankings post out before 2019 ended. Obviously, it’d be more ideal to be on time and have all four seasons ranked (with sequels and multi-cours) by the end of the year but hey, 3/4 isn’t half-bad. It’s still a step-up from 2018 (I only ranked Summer and Fall that year). Hopefully, finishing Fall 2019’s lineup won’t take three extra months…key word being hopefully.
Anyway…
Completed
#1. The Demon Girl Next Door
Score: 8/10
Episodes: 12
One of the most pleasant surprises of 2019. I thought I’d get tired of The Demon Girl Next Door‘s comedy but it kept splitting my sides from Episodes 1 to 12, even taking what seemed like one-off gags into consistently entertaining recurrences. Most impressive is how much of a heart the story actually has, exploring Yuuko and Momo’s friendship in a thoughtful, endearing, and even emotional manner. Is it the best CGDCT anime of 2019? That’ll depend on how Fall 2019’s offerings ultimately fare but I will say the likelihood in Demon Girl‘s favor is high right now.
#2. Astra Lost in Space
Score: 8/10
Episodes: 12
What a fun ride this turned out to be. The spacefaring adventure aspect of the story kind of fizzles out a bit by the end but Astra Lost in Space remained compelling thanks to its character-driven comedy and drama and an impressively dense web of mysteries. It’s also worth acknowledging how complete the story is. It has a beginning and an ending which is more than I can say for a lot of anime (bonus points for making the premiere and ending an hour long). Admittedly, the ending is maybe a bit too squeaky clean for my liking but it is satisfying and it does fit the tone of the story.
#3. Given
Score: 8/10
Episodes: 11
A music anime with only one insert song that plays in the ninth episode. A romance series where the romance has only just begun. If that isn’t a slow burn, I don’t know what is. But while Given is slower than a snail, it remained captivating. The characters are believable, slow pacing lends to a naturalistic tone, and the direction and BGM are both fantastic. I’ll also give Given credit for not being too heavy on tropes and even light on explicitly sexual content. More yaoi stories like this are welcomed. And yeah, I will watch the movie when it’s available in the States.
#4. Granbelm
Score: 7/10
Episodes: 13
Granbelm was originally omitted from the Midseason Rankings as I wasn’t far enough to rank it and I didn’t feel confident enough to drop it. Here I am now, having just finished the show and making a last minute addition to the rankings. This is why it can help to delay the Final Rankings.
I enjoy the show but perhaps because the show is fresh in my mind, I am still struggling to decide how much I enjoy it. I can safely say that I really loved Shingetsu and her entire arc (that ending) and Mangetsu really grew on me. Everything else is where I think mileage will vary. Anna and Suisho, basically the show’s antagonists, are interesting but also far more over the top than they need to be. And don’t get me started with how dirty this show ended up treating Nene and Kuon. Frankly, I wish I did cover this show in episode reviews while it aired. There’s surprisingly a lot to unpack here.
If nothing else, this show is gorgeous. All the action is spectacle after spectacle and a lot of key dramatic moments are beautifully composed. Nexus really outdone themselves here. I hope to see another action series by them.
#5. How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift?
Score: 7/10
Episodes: 12
Sexy and educational. Not a combo you’d expect but How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift? manages to pull it off. Mixing in fan service with information on how to properly exercise is an amusing, even clever conceit. It also helps that the show can be funny without it (that final scene…). The story is too thin for my liking but I did like the characters, especially Akemi.
#6. Re:Stage! Dream Days
Score: 7/10
Episodes: 12
One of the better Love Live! clones that I’ve seen. I wish the soundtrack was more earwormy and the ending was more conclusive (assuming there’ll never be a second season) but I still found the main cast charming and their backgrounds and motivations surprisingly interesting.
#7. Cop Craft
Score: 6/10
Episodes: 12
I can’t tell if Millepensee had a low budget or if they just suck that much at animation but Cop Craft severely squandered its visual potential. Some of the designs are solid but the action is often barely animated and even non-action shots are composed in ways with the obvious intent of drawing less motion. Simply put, some other studio should’ve animated this show. The writing fares much better. I don’t really like the villains in this show but Kei and Tilarna’s chemistry is pretty good and the show’s political and ethical commentary is impressively topical, especially to an American viewer.
#8. Are You Lost?
Score: 6/10
Episodes: 12
I definitely enjoyed Are You Lost? more than I expected (hell, I finished it) but it did end up wavering back and forth so a 6/10 feels more “right” to me. The comedy is definitely an acquired taste with how shamelessly gross it can be and it’s also at odds with the show’s effort to evoke sex appeal. It still has its moments though in either department and I still found the cast, especially Homare, charming.
#9. The Ones Within
Score: 6/10
Episodes: 12
A slight guilty pleasure. The Ones Within is a very confused survival anime. It’s not very good at evoking suspense and the dark backstories some of the characters are hilariously skimmed over. The show tends to work better the goofier it gets but that obviously undermines the plot. But like I said in the Midseason Rankings, enjoyment is enjoyment and I did in fact enjoy the show. In fact, I’m actually disappointed that this ends without a clear cut resolution (and no, I doubt the OVA will remedy it).
On Hold/Carries Over: Fire Force, Fruits Basket (2019), Star Twinkle Precure, Vinland Saga
Dropped
- Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest (Ep. 1)
- Bem (Ep. 5)
- Demon Lord, Retry! (Ep. 1)
- Do You Love Your Mom and Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks? (Ep. 3)
- Dr. Stone (Ep. 3)
- Ensemble Stars (Ep. 1)
- Hensuki: Are you willing to fall in love with a pervert, as long as she’s a cutie? (Ep. 6)
- If It’s For My Daughter, I’d Even Defeat a Demon Lord (Ep. 3)
- Isekai Cheat Magician (Ep. 3)
- Kochoki (Ep. 2)
- Magical Sempai (Ep. 1)
- O Maidens in Your Savage Season (Ep. 2)
- To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts (Ep. 6)
- Try Knights (Ep. 1)
- Wasteful Days of High School Girls (Ep. 4)
Thanks for reading!
Support the blog via:
Find me at:
Xenodude's Scribbles 
I can’t believed you dropped Oh Maidens… It turned out to be seriously good despite the shark jumping in the last two eps. Speaking of last two eps, Granbelm suffered from problems there too. It would have been so much better with clearer writing and condensing the material some. Really felt like they were trying to run out the clock right at the end.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, now that you brought it up, I’m actually trying to remember why I dropped “O Maidens in Your Savage Season”. Time might’ve had something to do with it and for whatever reason, I didn’t consider checking it again during the delayed time frame I allowed for this post. I do recall liking second episode substantially less than the first one though and I tend to find Mari Okada’s comedic writing so-so. Still, never say never. Returning to a dropped show is rare but always a possibility and I know this show is pretty popular.
As for “Granbelm”, I actually really like the last two episodes so I’m going to have to disagree there. For me, the weak part is some of the build-up to the finale. It gradually became clear that the show itself is only invested in Shingetsu and Mangetsu’s arcs and everyone else is there to contribute to them and I can see plenty of people not liking it. Like I said in the post, I really wish I did cover the show in episode reviews. I feel there’s a lot I could say about the show, good and bad. It certainly would’ve helped me process how I feel about it. I don’t feel 100% confident in the score I left here and if I manage to finalize my rankings for 2019 as a whole (and a Top 20 list by extension), I could see the number changing.
LikeLiked by 1 person