Anime Recs from 2016

Was a bit bored this morning so I decided to do this. A few of these were big time shows that created a bunch of hype, and some will be underrated gems. Also, I'll just do ones that started in 2016, so no sequels. One more also, I'll link to scenes rather than posting them here for the sake of those with not so great internet.

Erased
(Other name for it: Boku dake ga Inai Machi

To sum up the main story, an underachieving twenty something has a weird power that will send him back in time a short distance when something really bad happens. He has no direct control over it, as it's like a fate/destiny thing or whatever. Anyways, he's generally given a short time to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it. In the first episode near the end he comes across a murder victim and the power goes haywire, sending him all the back back to when he was a kid in the 90s. The murder in the present is linked to a series of child kidnappings and murders that happened in his neighborhood when he was young, and now he has to try to stop that from happening.

The primary draw of this series is that it doesn't feel like the standard anime series. No cute girls doing cute things just for the sake of cuteness, no gravity defying breasts, and no increasing power levels. It feels like the type of high production value drama you'd see on a network during primetime. They even used live action actors rather than the standard anime VAs for the original Japanese version of it to make it sound different than the standard anime.

I will give fair warning, the ending isn't great. For me the first nine episodes were a solid eight or nine out of ten. When they nailed a scene, they really fucking nailed it. Oh, and they nailed scenes far more often than not. Though the last couple episodes weren't nearly as good and the ending was just kind of anti-climatic. Not horrible, I didn't hate it, but just didn't live up to the rest. If endings make or break a show for you, then despite the good parts Erased might leave a bad after taste. However if you're a journey is more important type of person, I highly recommend it.

Due to the nature of the show I'm had pressed to find clips that don't spoil things, so here's a trailer instead: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZzMOC-4k6M

Space Patrol Luluco
(Other name: Uchuu Patrol Luluco

A young girl must assume her father's responsibility of investigating aliens in their home district within Japan.

A series created by the famous Imaishi (director of Dead Leaves, Gurren Lagann, Panty and Stocking, and Kill la Kill). If you've seen his other stuff, you know what to expect. Insane, occasionally nonsensical action series with over the top comedy that's a wild ride from start to finish. Like Panty and Stocking the budget wasn't high for this show, but Imaishi seems to be a master of making the most out of what he has. Also, it makes a ton of references to other Studio Trigger shows and (like Panty and Stocking) to some western cartoons. For instance it references Street Sharks and Extreme Dinosaurs.

Here's probably the most well known scene from episode 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDamWhiox_0

Mob Psycho 100

A young, powerful psychic trying to live a normal life and impress a girl. Also, if his stress level reaches 100 he kinda goes insane for a bit, and rather bad stuff can happen.

This is a series created by One, the creator of One Punch Man, as such it has a very similar type of humor to it. However, unlike OPM, it copies One's art style which is very... unique. The series itself is primarily a comedy focusing on slapstick and reactions, but it has the occasional nice action moment in there as well. It's quite different than the standard kid in school with powers type of anime, but it's also a love it or hate it kind of thing.

Here's a scene from the first episode of the dubbed version (couldn't find a good one to use from the subbed version, but the dub is pretty solid): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWVyfPJvqEw

91 Days

Set in 1930s American the protagonist was born into the mafia. His parents were killed in an internal power struggled, and now that he's older he's seeking revenge.

This is a very western style, mobster series mainly getting inspiration from the Godfather movies and shows like The Sopranos. It's fairly realistic without anyone having special powers or whatnot, and this studio really did a decent job of depicting mobsters during the prohibition era. If you're into mafia based movies, shows, games, or whatever, then this is the anime for you. Personally, this was my favorite series of the year Also, I'd highly suggest the dub. The actors are good, and it makes it sound more authentic for the setting. However, it's worth checking out at least the first episode in the sub because the sub is great for one character in particular, Fango, a crazy enforcer. The Japanese VA for him held nothing back.

Here's the trailer for the dub: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6SMPQqpvI8

Drifters

Two gods compete for control over a fantasy world. Rather than fight directly, they each send in champions to do their dirty world. The evil god, Easy, mainly picks famous people from history that were driven insane by betrayal and a brutal death. To counter it the other god, Murasaki, sends in other famous warriors/leaders from Earth's history.

This series was created by the same guy that created Hellsing. Like Hellsing, it's filled with tons of violence and rather questionable heroes. if you want some good old fashioned, brutal action here's where to see it. The history nerd in me just loves seeing the way the interactions between the historical figures play out. Such as one scene where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid are helping Hannibal and Scipio Africanus get out of a city that's besieged by an evil empire; the empire's armies being led by the likes of Princess Anastasia and Joan of Arc. Also, it's the only series you'll find that has both Hitler and Jesus.

Couldn't find a decent clip, so here's one of Funimation's trailers for it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-J0O8TwAneQ

Flip Flappers

A coming of age story of young girl who got dragged into the search for magical objects.

A simple description, mainly because it's quite hard to put this series into words, it's very unique. The best way to describe it is imagine putting FLCL, Miyazaki movies, and a pinch of shonen and magical girl genres into a blender. Flip Flappers is what you'd get out of that. The animation is so varied and has a ton of small details. Each episode takes place in very different settings, where the artists really got creative. It can handle whimsical and serious moments very well. Also the series ramps up the intensity as it goes without it ever feeling forced. if you do enjoy anime like FLCL or Kyousougiga, or just want something different I highly suggest this. For me, it was second only to 91 Days for best anime of the year.

Here's a clip from episode 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dM8nLRhsmBU