No one has the time to sit around and give all the new anime series of a season their fair shake. Or maybe you are the type that would rather wait until everything is all wrapped up so you can binge it in one Mountain Dew and Doritos dust smattered weekend. Regardless of why you’re not watching the latest anime of the season, that doesn’t mean there aren’t shows that weren’t worth watching, so here are our favorite picks.
*Note: As always, this list doesn’t include sequels or remakes, of which there were SO MANY this season. So if you are a fan of March Comes in like a Lion, Mr. Osomatsu, Food Wars, Himouto Umaru-chan, Kino’s Journey or any of the ten tons of other ones, you should, by all means, go watch those too.
Best Fall 2017 Anime
The Ancient Magus’ Bride
After being abandoned by her family, Chise Hatori is a 16-year-old teenager without hope. In order to not have to worry about herself, she sells herself to slavers, only to be purchased by Magus Elias Ainsworth. There she is told she will become his apprentice and, in the future, his bride. Together they work together to build a relationship and work to control her own magus powers that will eventually result in her early death.
Why is it Worth Watching? – This series is easily the big phenomenon of the Fall 2017 anime season. It’s beautifully animated, as one would expect from the studio that animated Attack on Titan, and it provides a unique, albeit Harry Potter-esque story of magic. Despite the title, the romance of the show is not central to the plot, but the small bits of it are sweet and wonderful. The real reason to watch this show, though, is the magical world that it explores.
Inuyashiki
At only 58 years old, year of overwork and stress has Inuyashiki Ichirou looking like he is well into his 80’s. Ignored and disrespected by his family as well as diagnosed with cancer, all seems hopeless. However, a light descends from the sky and strikes Ichirou where he stands. When he awakens, he finds he is a new man, one augmented with alien technology. However, he sees this as just the power he needs to become a hero and earn the respect of his family.
Why is it Worth Watching? – Inuyashiki was one of the next projects of the creator of the Gantz manga. True to form, the story masterfully melds the realistic looking and realistically depressing characters with an alien story that isn’t ridiculous. However, unlike the Gantz anime, it doesn’t stray from the storyline, because this time they waited to adapt it until the manga actually concluded. This means you get a cohesive story that makes actual good use of CGI to augment the visuals of the story.
Blend-S
Maika is a person with naturally bad luck, although much of that comes from her mean-looking eyes. These eyes have since prevented her from gaining part-time employment in order to fund her dreams of studying abroad. However, one day she meets a man named Dino who runs a very special café. Inside, the waitresses all adopt very specific personas for the customers, and Dino wants Maika to be his sadistic-type girl. However, despite having the eyes for it, Maika isn’t a sadist.
Why is it Worth Watching? – Every season has to have one. There is always that one show that doesn’t take itself very seriously and is either really relaxing or just funny. This is that show, and it chose to go the comedy route. The synopsis is one of those that can easily turn people off, but it is funnier than it sounds. Essentially, it is a slice of life show that berates you with every waifu trope you ever wanted from Tsundere to Imouto. There is plenty of cuteness, but plenty of comedy as well.
Recovery of an MMO Junkie
Morioka Moriko has had enough of being an overworked corporate slave, so she decided to retire herself to the NEET lifestyle. While at home, yearning for the previous connections she once made in online gaming, she starts up a new MMO. There she creates her character, the handsome Hayashi. However, in her newbie struggles she meets a Lily, another character willing to help her and they begin to grow closer to each other. At the same time, in real life, Moriko also has a shocking encounter with a handsome corporate employee.
Why is it Worth Watching? – Typically people enjoy many NEET anime series because of how relatable the characters are, and if you are also an MMO gamer, you won’t find a more relatable series. It has great realistic characters while still having the charms of its MMO comedy to keep people interested.
Juuni Taisen: Zodiac War
This is the tale of 12 warriors, each burdened with the names of the 12 Chinese Zodiac. They are all in a fight to the death in order to have just one wish granted.
Why is it Worth Watching? – You know Fate/Zero? This show is like Fate/Zero with more action. Zodiac War has the notable flaw of not having very much character development, but it constantly berates you with well animated action to make up for it. Combine that with a plot of “kill everyone else” and you have a pretty good series to waste time with.
Children of the Whales
Chakuro is a young archivist on the island of Mud Whale. This island floats above an endless wasteland of sand. On this island, nine of the ten residents have been blessed with special powers but also curse them to an early death. While the inhabitants have seen other islands, they have never met or even seen any other inhabitants. However, one day, then find an island as large as their own. There Chakuro meets a girl that will change her destiny.
Why is it Worth Watching? – If there was one series that was almost criminally overlooked this season, it would be this one. It is given an air of whimsy with its watercolor art style, but it creates an intriguing universe with tons of lore and almost has a From the New World-type feel to it. While it can be a bit slow at times, it is a series that, like Made in Abyss last season, draws you in because you need to learn more about the world.
Have any more good anime recommendations from the Fall 2017 season? Give the what and the why to the world in the comments section below. Yes, we thought about including Black Clover, but it’s just been shounen trope after shounen trope and it’s not doing justice to its manga.
Great list. Can’t wait to see Juuni Taisen: Zodiac War!