The fall season has arrived, and a good handful of anime has a ton of potential! Once again, I’ve arranged my list from least to favourite picks of the season. Actually, once I was done making the list, I realized a lot of my top choices probably will leave people questioning my taste, but that’s the way the cookie has to crumble. My life has been a bit chaotic lately, so I was hoping to find some simple and entertaining anime to watch to balance my life out, and I’m a glad to see a good deal of series fit that criteria perfectly!

Onwards to the list! 

18. Medaka Box Abnormal

It’s no secret I pretty much hated season one of Medaka Box. Though, the reason I decided to give the sequel a try is because everyone told me it’s going to cover the much better part of the manga. And from this episode alone, I can pretty much agree that it’s clear Medaka Box is going to improve. Sure, it may have taken the spot at being the worst right now, but I actually have some faith in it. There’s a different atmosphere about it, and the new plotline is already miles better than anything season one had to offer. Not to mention, Medaka just seemed to be a bit more bearable. It still didn’t impress me all that much, but this is a sequel I’m willing to stick around to see if it really can become something good.

17. Robotic;Notes

This is the next alternative setting series to the semicolon franchise, and since it’s proceeding the much loved Steins;Gate there’s been a lot of buzz about this one. Maybe the potential might be there, but the first episode was just flat and boring. Nothing felt new or refreshing to this series at all! I’m thinking there’s a possibility they may have decided to make the first episode misleading because otherwise I have no idea why in any sane mind, they’d make a character like Kaito the lead. I’m actually hoping this series won’t become a mecha one because it’ll just reek even more of blandness. Point is, this series has a lot to improve on!

16. Sukitte Ii na yo

out of all the shoujo series that are airing this season, this was the only one that just didn’t click well with me. The genre is pretty much my guilty pleasure, and I’m aware a good deal of all these series are the same thing over and over again, but this one just seemed way too similar. Not a single character caught my interest. On one hand you have a guy who everyone in the school loves, and on the other you have a girl who everyone in the school pretty much hates. I wonder where this story is going? ha! I don’t even care all that much if the story is a repeat from everything, I wouldn’t have minded if it at least tried to throw in its own flare some way or another. Even the palette to this series has barely any life to it. I’m just going to be hoping this series might introduce some good plot twists along the way.

15. Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo

Maybe it’s just because this anime was way better than I expected it to be, but I actually quite enjoyed the first episode. The setting gives plenty of material for the show to work with, and the characters weren’t all that bad either. Most importantly, this was simply a lot of fun to watch! It looks to be a good anime to just sit back and enjoy, and that’s all this series needs to accomplish for me. The addition of lots of cats also is a definite bonus!

14. Hayate no Gotoku! Can’t Take My Eyes Off You

I’ve never really cared much for Hayate. I’ve seen/read some of the series here and there, and I decided to give this series a shot since it’s not really a sequel to the series at all. I can definitely agree that production values are a real downer, but luckily the script is still pretty darn good. It actually delivers quite a few good laughs. My only question to the fans out there…is the character Hayate always this boring? Sure he helps Nagi when she asks, but otherwise the only characters with personality are the females, which I have no problem with, but I’m just curious.

13. Code:Breaker

Although I doubt it’ll happen, Code:Breaker does have the potential to be a dark horse of the season. It sadly is not the most memorable thing in the world, but it’s interesting and it only got better as the episode went on. I like a series that creates some good mystery elements to it that leaves me wanting more, and this anime definitely did just that. It has a lot of potential, so hopefully it doesn’t waste it.

12. Magi

This is an anime that already has a huge following due to the popular manga it’s based on. Not to surprisingly, I haven’t read it myself, but from what the first episode has to offer I see the appeal. The setting is interesting, but besides that nothing really jumps out at me all that much. It seems like a typical shounen, but I’m guessing that might not be the case perhaps since I doubt it could be that popular if it was. The names of the names of the characters sorta make me cringe, but I’ll give the main cast some points for being entertaining and cute. I feel there is a lot riding on this to be good, and if it stays at the same calibre as the first episode, I’ll probably be satisfied anyway, since it really was quite amusing.

11. BTOOOM! 

If you didn’t already know, I love survival game stories, and I’m well aware that I tend to put too much faith in them. Anyway, this newest one to take the plate has already managed to impress me. I like the maturity it has to it. There’s a rather dark atmosphere to it all, and that’s exactly what these types of stories need. I also liked how the main character seemed to have some backbone to him, and he’s a character I can actually believe has the potential to be better than a lot of the other players. The only thing I wasn’t too big a fan of in the first episode was how long they spent explaining little details to the time bombs that everyone pretty much understood right away.

10. Jormungand: Perfect Order

I really enjoyed the first season of Jormungand and I’m glad to see it back so soon. Ever since the end of the first, I knew it needed this sequel to really tie the story together well, so hopefully it doesn’t disappoint. The first episode didn’t really offer too many interesting aspects, but the ending at least did a good job at pretty much explaining the direction this season wants to take, and that’s something I’m interested in seeing. At it’s worse, Jormungand is a fun action packed series, so as long as the plot doesn’t get too contrived, I’ll be fine with a nearly any direction this series may take.

9. Zetsuen no Tempest

In the first episode alone, Zetsuen offered a lot of interesting aspects, making this a series that has quite a lot of potential. The production values are good, and the characters are interesting. As I mentioned, I do like stories that introduce a good mystery, and this one seems to fit that bill really well. If Bones actually manages to deliver a story that has a good conclusion and makes sense throughout, this could truly become something great.

8. Little Busters

I’m a shameless fan of all key anime. There has yet to be one that I’ve really disliked. With that said, so far I have yet to see anything that makes this series fit the hype, but I’m no doubt willing to believe it’s going to improve a lot. At the moment, it can be best categorized as being really adorable. The characters are cute, just like the jokes. I’m still a bit disappointed that KyoAni isn’t behind this, but J.C Staff looks like they’re trying at least. I’m also not a fan of the voice acting (it’s a little too unnatural for my liking). Either way, for someone like me who’s a fan of key series, I’m sure this one will probably be another hit in my books.

7. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure

This is my first introduction JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures, and the first episode alone was one hell of a ride! The art style alone can keep me around for more, but it offers a lot more than that. In a lot of old school manga, the over the top drama they create is undeniably interesting (and a bit laughable at times). From the first episode, the clear feud that instantly got created between JoJo and Dio was beyond intriguing. Within twenty minutes, the way in which it escalated was perfect! Watching these two characters face it off one another is something I just know I need to see!

6. Shinsekai Yori

I applaud this series for managing to engage me in the story within the first three minutes. Despite the nearly light-hearted atmosphere the rest of the twenty minutes had to show, the initial massacre this anime seems to be building up to is very intriguing. There’s a constant impeding doom, so watching the character just go about doing “normal” activities still has a tense atmosphere to it because I’m just waiting for the moment when someone finally snaps and causes all hell to break loose. It’s a brilliant way to construct a story that will no doubt keep the viewers coming back each week. There’s also some very well done animation and cultural aspects to this series making this one an anime you shouldn’t be missing out on!

5. [K]

I know it goes without saying, but this anime has visuals that are truly incredible. Yes, its story may still need a bit of work, but it’s clear this anime wants to rely on its visuals, and that’s something that doesn’t bother me at all. Not to mention, the story isn’t nearly as bad as some make it out to be, and with such a large cast, it makes sense this series needs a bit of time to set up. It’s a series you need to embrace for what it is, and once you do, you’ll realize how much fun this anime is! It’s energetic and truly creates a setting that is bursting with life!

4. Kamisama Hajimemashita

This hit all the right notes of what a good shojou should be. The characters are good, the comedy is genuinely funny, and it has a great unique flare to it. It borders that perfect line of never taking itself too seriously. Also, the end result of where this romance will go is not obvious for once! It’s a lot of fun, and it’s clearly going in the right direction. If it keeps up the same level of entertainment the passed two episodes have had, this will no doubt be a shoujo that will remain forever memorable.

3. Psycho-Pass

It’s about time the Noitamina lineup gets out of their funk and delivers something worthwhile once again. Maybe I shouldn’t, but I’m putting my faith in this anime to be the one who does it. The first episode may not have been the best thing out there, but it got much better as it progressed and left me craving more. The dystopic setting teamed up with a great animation team leaves me practically begging that this turns out good. Not to mention, the script writer does have a lot of talent. I really am hoping for this series to be a hit!

2. Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun

There’s a hell of a lot of controversy attached to this series, but it was still something I really enjoyed. It’s very amusing, and definitely falls in the category of being good shoujo. It’s funny, cute, and just seems to be bursting spirit and charm. The characters most definitely work for me and the story is definitely strong enough with some good unique quirks for the genre that it won’t lose steam in its thirteen episode run. For some this may not be there thing, but for me it just left a smile on my face throughout the whole episode. This was initially my most anticipated series of the seasons, and it definitely shows no signs of disappointing!

1. Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! 

I’m sure to some this may not be a surprise, but for anybody who does find it strange, it’s simply because I’m a giant fan of all things KyoAni. After the wonderful Hyouka, I’m glad to see they’re already back once again to steal my soul and get me totally hyped for a new series. This anime is bursting with cuteness and hilarity! Not to mention, a fantastically unique story to top it all off! My sister and I also agree that the Chuunibyou syndrome most definitely is a real thing (we’ve seen it happen!).  It doesn’t get any more fun than this!