 Hey everyone, welcome to another installment of a week in Geekton. Geo here, counting down the Top 10 Anime of 2019, or rather I should say my Top 10 Anime of 2019. I know how subjective everyone's opinion can be, everybody has a different list, so just keep in mind these are my Top 10 shows. Now, 2019 was quite an interesting year. We saw a lot of returning hit shows like Attack on Titan, My Hero Academia, Sword Art Online, we also saw the continuing rise to prominence of the Isekai genre. Love it or hate it, the popularity of it increases every year. More and more studios are adapting light novels and manga about the subject matter, with no signs of slowing down. I've always been honest about my taste in shows. The Isekai stuff does appeal to me, but even I have to admit how tedious and monotonous it can get. This was also my first year catching up with shows that are currently airing in Japan. Before I would just wait for a home media release, and even then I would take my sweet time watching. So that was an improvement. So for this list of Top 10 shows, I based it on four specific criteria. The story, the writing, the visuals, and my overall enjoyment of it. This was kind of hard to choose, unfortunately the list will leave out series that are continuing from previous years. I need to stress that out. The list is for anime that debuted in the year 2019. So I will not be including things like Black Clover, Food Wars, Mob Psycho, so on and so forth. Without further ado, here are my Top 10. Set in the year 2045, Emma is an 11-year-old orphan living in Grace Field House, a self-contained orphanage housing her and 37 other orphans. Life has never been better, with gourmet food, plush beds, clean clothing, games, and the love of their mother, the caretaker Isabella. The bright and cheerful Emma always aces the regular exams with her two best friends, Ray and Norman. The orphans are allowed complete freedom, except to venture beyond the grounds or the gate, which connects the house to the outside world. Promise Neverland is a hit shown in Jump Manga, and to say that the anime's debut took the world by storm is quite the understatement. If you don't believe me, just look on YouTube, Promise Neverland Episode 1 Reactions. This dark fantasy thriller series stood apart from the rest with its unique dystopian setting, a mystery that honestly, it's worth unraveling, especially the uneasy nature of Mother and the Grace Field House. The show would not be as impactful in my opinion without its wonderful protagonist, Emma. A thoughtful, caring, protective of the other kids, but still being a smart, agile, and resourceful young girl. Boasted by wonderful visuals from Cloverworks, Promise Neverland gives you a haunting story that is way more than meets the eye. At Sushi Okubo's work about firefighters fighting spontaneous human combustion is a wild premise indeed, and one that people wondered if it would translate well into anime. This sci-fi, dark fantasy adventure did. Helmed by the wonderful David production, Fire Force boasts quite the impressive production value with fantastic animation, slick character designs, and a gorgeous city landscape. You feel the sense of this living, breathing world that is constantly on edge as people fear who will combust next. The Fire Force companies all have very unique characters with some exhibiting powers reminiscent of Big Shonen series such as Bleach or One Piece. Our lead character, Shindra Kusakabe, is quite the interesting fellow with a great devotion to his line of work and aspirations of being a hero, saving people and making the world just a little safer. His journey is one filled with tragedy, as any good hero should have. The enemies of Fire Force are visceral, the infernals feel straight out of hell with their devilish designs, David production has gone all out highlighting the eccentric nature of the source material, fantastic visual cues for the heroes and wonderful sound design. When it comes to technical achievement, I would really rank this show a lot higher. However, the competition was pretty stiff and Fire Force does tend to meander a bit halfway. Fortunately, this does improve towards the final episodes and in my opinion gives us a good season finale with more mysteries inbound. If you were to tell me that a coming of age story about a group of literature club students would be on this list, I would have called you crazy. But here we are with a fantastic slice of life rom-com about five wonderfully written girls discovering about life, puberty, romance, and growing up. When the girls in a high school literature club ask themselves, what do you want to do before you die? One of them voices a shocking ambition. Oh maidens in your savage season is hilarious, yet also an emotional rollercoaster of what it truly means to live that teenage life. The art direction is subtle, but gorgeous to look at. The writing is fantastic. Juggling five main leads with different problems is no easy task. Each character demands your attention for the story to work. You get to examine the lives of these girls and how they relate to each other, how their friendship is tested when their problems begin and how they mature and grow from experience that a lot of people will be able to identify with. At only 12 episodes, Oh Maidens satisfies in its journey of self-discovery, high school drama, and first loves. You are really doing a disservice by not checking out this charming series. I've mentioned I like Isekai on my channel. There's something fun about the idea of living a fantastical life in another world. A do-over with more whimsical elements. But what all of these series lack, ascendance of a bookworm, more than makes up for. When book-loving Motosu Urano tragically dies in an earthquake buried under a pile of books, she gets transported to a new world, reborn in the body of a little girl called Mine. She soon discovers this world is very much different than ours. Books are scarce and only available to nobles and elite members of the government. Our hero has her memories of her previous life and will set on a journey to create her own books, so she can read again. Ascendance of a bookworm is rare. Sure, it's not as flashy as the other entries on this list, but it has the biggest heart with a fantastic protagonist, well-written characters in what I can describe as a fantasy slice of life. You see, the world Mine inhabits is really fleshed out. Excellent world-building that leads us to understand how everything works, how the merchants, how the nobles, the military, and the overall governing faction functions, and how difficult Mine's journey is going to be. If you love to read, if you enjoy a book in your hands, you more than sympathize with our wholesome lead and her journey to reclaim her hobby and passion. Along the way, you'll fall in love with the bright colors, beautiful scenery, and of course, Chibi Mine's fourth wall-breaking explanations. Extreme survival in a post-apocalyptic world without the conventional plot devices, such as zombies or quote-unquote nuclear destruction, Dr. Stone is a breath of fresh air with its fantastic premise. What would happen if humanity turned to stone and suddenly woke up 3,000 years later? How would we survive in a radically different world? What roles would our past knowledge do in rebuilding society? And you rebuild a world that has literally faded away, unrecognizable as the passage of time has destroyed and reformed landscapes, through the power of science of course, Dr. Stone seeks to answer these questions with a fully wholesome cast of characters that have been awakened from their slumber. In this series, we follow Senku, a high school genius that is setting about on his ultimate goal of restoring humanity through the usage of science and survival, reminding us of the human spirit and our willingness to fight onward and survive. The series is gorgeously animated, with one of my personal favorite soundtracks of the year. A lot of people do not want to point this out, but in my honest opinion, the series would not be the same without its unique score. You'll learn, laugh, and maybe shed a few tears as you watch to these kids and adults try to reconnect our world and restore humanity far into the future. The Power of Music 2019 was a great year for new shows, and leave it to Shinichiro Watanabe's crew, along with Studio Bones, to bring us one of the most sincere expressions of art, mixed with futuristic escapism with our colonization of Mars. Carol and Tuesday is wholesome and quite endearing. We follow our two main girls as they try to achieve their dreams of being professional musicians, who by fate, or chance, meet up and become the wholesome singer-songwriter duo. Bones rarely disappoints, and this series is a prime example of quality art and anime as a medium. The story reminded me of the dangers of misusing technology, consumerism, and even conservation efforts, while also touching on universal topics that are more than relevant in today's political climate. All of this is set in the backdrop of a journey of self-discovery, as two girls seek to inspire and spread positivity to a world that is simply on edge. I personally found all the performances extremely touching and fantastic to listen to. The girls, along with the supporting cast, are well-designed and a plot that speaks to anyone willing to listen. Carol and Tuesday deserve all the accolades, and I wholeheartedly recommend it as one of my all-time favorite anime shows. Historical fiction, Vikings, war, the importance of honor, friendships, family, Vinland Saga arrived in 2019 with quite the splash. The manga is constantly referred as something you have to read, a fan favorite that many wished for an adaptation of sorts, and in 2019, we got our first season. Drawing inspirations from the saga of the Greenlanders and the saga of Eric the Red, among others, Vinland Saga is a beautiful and brutal depiction of a Dane-controlled England at the start of the 11th century. In it, we follow the journey of young Thorfinn, seeking vengeance after a tragedy. The political power struggles and the realization on how the poor and weak struggle to survive provides a grimmer and more realistic experience compared to the other entries on this list. However, there is a beauty to behold with its lush scenery, fantastic written characters, and a story about a young man rising above hardships, finding meaning in his life and what it means to be a warrior. Pay close attention to it, and you will be rewarded with a strong tale with excellent characterizations, amazing animation from the fabulous witch studios, and visuals unlike other shows of the season. Paruitagaki's manga about anthropomorphic animals in a utopian-like world was a phenomenal release in America in 2019, and to my surprise, the anime adaptation is just as addicting and well-made as its source material. Legacy, a large gray wolf, is a timid, quiet student of Cherryton Academy, a school that mixes herbivores and carnivores. In it, we see all sorts of animals, including the dashing star pupil, the red deer, Louis. The world comes to a crashing halt when a murder occurs on campus. Tim the Alpaca is murdered by a suspected carnivore, and this action sets upon them a chain reaction of unease, distrust, prejudice, and paranoia across the school, as well as the city life. Meanwhile, our main protagonist has a fateful encounter of his own, with a small dwarf rabbit named Haru, beginning a complex relationship with her. Beastars was my favorite read of 2019, with its unique hero in the art style, its wonderful characters, and much to everyone's surprise, Orange Studio decided to animate the series in a CG art style. I know, yet somehow, it kind of works. The animations are fluid and well-designed, you get to see a full range of emotions from its characters, and this is a world that is preaching of peace but has a deep, dark underbelly waiting to seep through. The series has many fantastic twists and turns, and clever interpretations of human relations through the characteristics of the animal kingdom, and a set of lead characters that you will root and cheer for. One of these surprise hits of 2019, this modern adaptation of the classic Tesuka story is filled with anger, sorrow, sadness, and epic storytelling. This new adaptation departs somewhat from the source material, but the premise and characters are mostly the same. A young ronin named Iakimaru, along with young Dororo, must face demons who have stolen body parts of Iakimaru's. Dororo, we find a riveting supernatural action tale of human greed, the strengths of our bonds with friends and family, the effects of war on the poor and helpless, and the grand quest of a child robbed of his innocence for the supposed well-being of his hometown. In this story, we also meet Dororo, a young orphan thief who quickly befriends Iakimaru and forms an amazing relationship with our tragic hero. The series can be brutal, but also rich with detail and gorgeously animated characters and scenery. You really do feel the heaviness of the time period with people suffering from the different wars, famine, and poverty. There is a beauty to the way the action is choreographed, as well as in the heartwarming interactions between our two main leads and the friendship that they establish. It is a samurai action epic that should not be missed by anyone itching for a great story. Alright, before we go to number one, which you probably already guessed what it's going to be, here are some really amazing, honorable mentions that unfortunately did not make it to the top ten, but hey, I still love them and would wholeheartedly recommend them. That trended worldwide with its breathtaking animation by the famous UFO table, a shonen jump title that defied the naysayers and brought us an amazing tale of one wholesome protagonist going above and beyond to save his sister in a time period mixed with evil demons devouring humans. The sacrifice and hardships that our main lead, Tanjiro, has faced makes you root for him and his quest to restore nezuko's humanity. Along the way, we are treated to comical and fearsome allies, the zany senitsu, the great inosuke, and the fearsome hashiras. This anime, in a lot of ways, subverts a lot of the tropes that are common with shonen jump titles and brings us a solid action adventure with tight storylines, great heroes and fearsome foes, masterful animation, amazing fights, and just a visual spectacle overall. It really highlights how great of a year 2019 was for anime. We had from the silly to the musicals to the epic sword fights, the year really brought us great shows that will only grow in popularity. So there you have it, my top ten anime for the year 2019. Agree? Disagree? Let me know in the comment section down below. Thank you everybody for subscribing, liking, commenting, and being a part of a week in geekdom. I thank you so very much, follow me on social media, and hit that bell icon so you know when new videos show up. Thank you so much, I hope 2020 is even crazier with new wonderful shows that we can all geek out over. I'll be seeing you on the next video.