Summer 2023 Anime Awards

Hey guys! The Summer 2023 Anime Season has officially come to a close this week and I'm excited to shout out my superlatives for the season!

(Original) Anime Of The Season

Rurouni Kenshin is my pick for the anime of the season which may or may not be a slight cheat cause while technically this anime isn't a sequel it is a remake of one of my favorite early 2000s anime. In my defense though I usually stick to choosing anime that aren't sequels for this category so I think ultimately it counts. I also know that the writer for the original manga for this anime is not a good person on so many levels but honestly I can't help but separate the art from the artist in this case cause I adore this story so much. I really am such a fan of this remake so far cause while it's still hitting the same beats the original story did, the story and characters have been tweaked slightly in order to modernize them. Kaoru especially benefited cause she's no longer the butt of every joke especially with her crush on Kenshin which low key feels requited much earlier than expected! 

Also as a side bar Zom 100 really was going to win this category for so long only to lose my interest because of it's terrible airing schedule!

Runner Up - Zom 100: Bucket List Of The Dead 

Hidden Gem 

Dark Gathering is my pick for hidden gem of the season and I seriously think not enough people have checked this anime out! I know technically this show is supposed to be a horror anime and though I'm not sure that anything in this anime is all that scary something about the tone of the show, animation style, and story gives me the perfect amount of creepiness to have a blast! I love that this show is able to balance the cutesy character designs with short shots of creepy faces and the dark tone of what the story is telling without giving you whiplash. Our main trio is so interesting and fleshed out in their own ways and I seriously adore that there's no harem for our main lead cause I can't tell you how tired I am of that trope! I did wish that we had spent a bit more time on the evil spirit that Yayoi was hunting for but I also really liked each evil spirit of the week.

Runner Up - Undead Murder Farce

Best Sequel 

Bungo Stray Dogs Season 5 is definitely the best sequel of this season hands down. I actually can't believe that we managed to have two new seasons for this show in one year and that makes me so happy cause not only do I adore this show so I'm always down for more, season 4 and season 5 tell the same continuous story so it's nice to not have to wait that long for the continuation. I'm just such a fan of the way this show fleshes out it's ensemble cast and tells it's stories in this hopeful tone that makes you want to believe the best in people. I also really love how devious and well thought out our villains are this season cause it really feels like for the first time our Detective Agency is playing defense rather than offense which leaves you on the edge of your seat wondering how they're going to be able to turn it all around cause duh there's no way they lose!

Runner Up - Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2

Greatest Animation/Character Design

Zom 100: Bucket List Of The Dead had the best animation this season. This whole anime is just a love letter with how detailed the animation is. I loved the way the show uses color or the lack thereof to show us how bleak life is when you're depressed v when you're living life to the fullest.

Runner Up - Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 2

Best OP 

Spiral by Longman from Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 2 is the best OP of the season cause not only is it so nice to listen to but I love the way the visuals in the OP fit the somber tone of the song and the somber tone of the season given that it's all about Rudy finding his way after Eris left him.

Runner Up - Tetsu No Ori by GRANRODEO from Bungo Stray Dogs Season 5

Protagonist(s) Of The Season

Miyo Saimori from My Happy Marriage is my protagonist of the season cause of all the protagonists I've watched across all the anime this season, Miyo was the one that had the strongest character growth! She starts out the show this quiet and meek girl who apologizes at the drop of a hat after having been mentally, emotionally, and physically abused her entire life. She never voices her own opinions or stands against what she's told to do even if she disagrees until she meets Kiyoka. After being given the space to actually be a person and not just an object and affection from all those in the Kudo household, Miyo slowly learns not to hide. She is able to say when she wants something and say no when she doesn't. Of course like most people she does regress a bit when she meets the Usuba by being unable to voice her opinions but after a time is able to once again be stubborn about wanting what she wants and it was so fun to experience across this show.

Runner Up - Keitarou Gentouga from Dark Gathering

Antagonist(s) Of The Season

The Hunting Dogs from Bungo Stray Dogs Season 5 are my antagonists of the season cause like I said in my best sequel section, the Hunting Dogs actually felt like the first villains across the 5 seasons I've watched of this show to actually feel like they have the Detective Agency with their backs to the wall! Usually the Detective Agency is running circles around their antagonists but the Hunting Dogs managed to wreak such havoc that they not only separated the Detective Agency members from each other physically (when we know they're stronger together!) but they removed all the Detective Agency's allies from the situation through making them out to be terrorists and they even hurt so many of her members to the degree that if this were another show I'd be wondering if they were actually dead!

Runner Up - Geto Suguru from Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2

Ship Of The Season

Kaoru Kamiya and Kenshin Himura from Ruroni Kenshin are my ship of the season and maybe that's cheating again cause of all the couples that I actually watched this season, Kaoru and Kenshin might be the only one that actually haven't had any real romantic moments yet but in my mind the fact that I've seen so many versions of this story in which these two are a couple that I think it counts! I just love everything about these two! I love that Kaoru is one of the first people that Kenshin meets in his life since the war that gives him a safe place to put his head down. She doesn't judge him for his past or require anything from him outside of companionship. Meanwhile his one trigger is her. He'll be calm and in control 99% of the time until Kaoru's kidnapped or in danger and I think that's such a trope that I adore.

 

Runner Up - Miyo Saimori and Kiyoka Kudo from My Happy Marriage

And with that I'll see you all in the Fall 2023 Season!! Here's hoping that we get a better crop to choose from!

xoxo Allie