5 Favourite Recent Anime

I have been watching all the anime lately and I thought I'd do a round up of my favourites in all their glory. Keep your arms and legs inside the ride at all times as I take you on my anime tour. There will be saxophones, dogs, and some terror, as can only be expected.

1. Hibike! Euphonium

This sweet, orchestral wonder is a nice show about how cool trumpets are, and of course, the titular euphonium. It's very pretty and a good watch for those of us that like emotional instrument-playing. I really like the mascot/gatcha characters that make an appearance every so often too (oh Tuba-kun, we love you so). Another nice thing is that the show keeps telling me new things about instruments, and I appreciate that.

2. Madoka Magica

This is a cute magical girl anime with a really sweet and slightly chibi-like art style and everything is very nice until the rock music kicks in. It's best to watch this with little preconception or context, I think, so I'm not going to say much about it, but one of my favourite things about it is how it cycles through some art style changes for effect during battle sequences. It works really well. Madoka Magica has this nice feel of psychological unease that creeps in under the door as you're watching. It's great.

3. Magical Girl Raising Project

This is a very nice anime about a smartphone app and some magical girls. It's really cute and the pacing is good. I've noticed I really enjoy concepts that utilise some kind of alternate game world or something similar. Maybe that just stems from a deep and ingrained love of Digimon, but regardless, I really enjoy the way the smartphone/game 'reality' is meshed with the real world in this one.

4. Pokémon Sun and Moon

Pokémon has gone for a softer and doughier art style with this incarnation and it makes the series feel really lovingly crafted and expressive. The writing is also great for this series and it brings out all the particular humour and spook of the very first series. Mimikyu is everything. It all feels like a nice departure from the style and tone of previous series, and to me represents the perfect harmony between making Pokémon fresh and new whilst retaining nods to the fond memories of older Pokémon fans like me.

5. Yuri!!! on Ice

Of course, I had to include this anime of the moment. Like many people, I fell in love with this series and its quirks. My favourite thing is our delightful poodle, Maccachin, but Yuri!!! on Ice has so much charm within its pacing, over the top but self-aware emotional pulls, and flawless art. It also has possibly the most uplifting theme song of any anime (my previous holder of this title would have probably been the theme from Revolutionary Girl Utena). I'm hoping for a Maccachin spin-off, because surely we deserve that.