The Mangapanda New Year Special: The Top 10 anime of 2014

2014 is now over, and the year has brought us plenty of unforgettable anime series which have made us laugh until our stomachs hurt or cry our hearts out. But which 2014 anime are really the best of the best?

After two weeks of deliberation and arguing at which anime should be included in our Top 10 for 2014, we have finally decided which ones should be included and how they are placed. We have sadly been forced to exclude some very very very good anime in our list as we can only name 10. Here are the SGCafe Top 10 anime of 2014:

10) No Game, No Life

Spring always has no shortage of great anime, and No Game, No Life is one of them. The anime is full of nifty twists and turns which leave audiences at the edge of their seats. Shiro and Sora’s gaming abilities, as well as their unique personality quirks have truly made them one of 2014’s most unforgettable duos, and with a story that is engaging and exciting, NGNL is the one chosen to kick-off our list at #10.

9) Barakamon

This slice-of-life anime about a big-time Tokyo calligrapher being forced to live in a remote Japanese island on exile is genuinely hilarious and downright heartwarming. Barakamon is one of those no-brainers when it comes to making our list as the anime has certainly brightened up the mood and has tickled many funny bones around the world. For one thing, this anime was certainly a breath of fresh air and is relaxing and fun to watch.

8) Nagi no Asukara

Unlike the bright, sunny, and relaxing Barakamon, Nagi no Asukara is filled with angst, lost love, and lots and lots of Spongebob logic. The anime is certainly painful to watch as you really would feel the pain the characters are feeling. The anime is a tearjerker, and with its complex and lovable characters, excellent animation, and P.A. Works’ beautiful scenery, Nagi no Asu is certainly one of 2014’s best, and it would have ranked higher had its first half been shown in 2014.

7) Sword Art Online II

Ah, good’ol SAO, we had a hard time trying to figure how we would rank it’s highly-hyped season, which certainly did not disappoint. The first half, which featured Phantom Bullet was filled with a dark, murder-mystery sort of vibe and it pulled it off quite well, complete with a hilarious ending to the Bullet-of-Bullets tournament. The second half then started off with a break from all the GGO tension with Caliber, which for us was the low point of the season, but then ended in a grand way with Mother’s Rosario. Yeah, we were crying at the end of SAO, and the anime brought out the tears quite naturally.

6) Kill la Kill

Now, before anything else, we would like to say that Kill la Kill would have ranked higher… waaaaaaaaaay higher, had its first half been aired in 2014, however, we are ranking the best anime which were aired in the past year, which means, we could not rank the anime’s roller coaster of a first half which would certainly put Kill la Kill in the Top 3. The anime has been one helluva ride, and it shows, as people are still talking about Kill la Kill ever since the anime premiered back in October 2013.

5) Log Horizon

With it’s interesting characters, great chemistry, beautiful story, and awesome fight scenes, Log Horizon makes it to our list at #5. Like Kill la Kill and Nagi no Asu, Log Horizon would have ranked a lot higher had the first half of its first season been aired in 2014. Now currently in its second season, the new-look Log Horizon has proven that even though there is a drop in the anime’s animation quality, the series still remains one of the best ones this year.

4) Riddle Story of Devil

This yuri anime was certainly one of the biggest surprises of the year as its lovable cast of assassins go on and try to kill main character Haru Ichinose, however, they did not count on her roommate to fall for her and protect her… The anime is filled with plenty of thrills, twists and turns, and its fight scenes and beautiful animation was just simply marvelous to watch.

3) Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun

Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun is unapologetic about how it pokes fun at the Shoujo manga genre, and it is funny, really really funny. The anime is one of the biggest surprises of 2014 and it certainly deserves its place in the Top 5 with its parody of the many Shoujo manga tropes and lovable characters.

2) One Week Friends

Perhaps the biggest surprise of 2014 is this little gem known as One Week Friends. The anime just tugs at your heart and would certainly make you want to watch more. The anime’s story may have sounded like a rip-off of Adam Sandler’s 50 First Dates, however, it just proves people wrong and surprises them with its beautiful animation and relate-able characters.

1) Aldnoah.Zero

When this anime ended, people were shaking their fists and screamed “Geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen!”… even though he did not write that episode. The anime we have ranked #1 in our list has certainly been one of the most talked about this season, and its twists and turns have left fans at the edge of their seats.

We’ve also considered many other series, however, since we can only rank 10 of them, they were left out. Here are our honorable mentions:

Fate/ Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works

Your Lie in April

Selector Infected/ Spread Wixoss

Hoozuki no Reitetsu

Yowamushi Pedal

Akame ga Kill

Nisekoi