LogFAQs > #886171596

72. Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet
https://myanimelist.net/anime/16524/Suisei_no_Gargantia

Taking place in the distant future, a young man named Ledo has found himself on a mysterious planet not charted on his maps (Note I don't actually recall if this is right, but I'm pretty sure it is). It is fully covered in ocean. I don't think it's a spoiler to say that the planet is Earth (because what other planet would this be? This is not like the most original show). In any case now cut off from this team Ledo must work with new found allies as what's hidden beneath is about to come up to pay them a visit.

Probably the most compelling reason to watch this title is the art work. It is one of the most stunning shows in a visual sense that has aired for its year. In a way it really helps the soft level fan service the show has. Not only the visuals though but the audio quality in terms of the soundtrack is also very strong. If you want a show that clearly has good production values and uses a very strong mix of classic and 3d animation this is a good show to pick up.

Ledo, the main character, basically experiences a drastic change as he is transported to a world that is not only foreign to him in landscape (or lack there of) but in culture and ideals. He has to learn things that many of us take for granted. In a way it's like of like Sousuke Sagara from Full Metal Panic, only Ledo was made to be changed into someone who adapted and for Sousuke that's like part of his character that makes him popular. That said, a lot of the other characters are just kind of there. A lot of them nice to look at yeah, but besides like stock personalities a lot of them are really just there to teach Ledo different lessons. The other character though worth mentioning is Chamber. An AI robot that is essentially Ledo's partner.

The show has a lot more promise early on but still is a worthwhile watch even if it's just for the production quality and some of the easy on the eyes characters. It has a decent main character and some interesting plot development later on.

71. My Hero Academia (S1)
https://myanimelist.net/anime/31964/Boku_no_Hero_Academia

I'd say that My Hero Academia is the worst pure shounen show to appear on this list. I'm assuming this is one of the more well known ones too that I've covered. If you're not in the know, the show is about a group of kids who have what the calls "quirks" special abilities that are used to help people and fight villains, or those who use their quirks for evil. One kid, Izuku Midoriya has always dreamed of being a hero like his idol, All Might. But when he discovers he is quirkless, does it end his dreams?

Okay, I'll answer that. Obviously he gets a quirk. It would be interesting to have a story about a character without powers fighting using his brain and planning to beat villains (something that Midoriya does) but we can leave batman alone. A lot of the first season is him just getting to grips with his new quirk and controlling it. In fact, he has almost none and using it puts him at great risk. It's almost annoying that we don't see this until the second season (which right now is bordering on a 10/10 show). But as a character Deku is simple in his resolve but the show clearly shows the effort and passion he has. The rest of the cast all has their own personalities and a bunch of them even get some decent back story and development too. My favorite one though is the frog girl, Tsuyu.

Like all shounen the story is presented in arcs like training, school stuff, villains, etc. Each one builds off the last and the students need to use what they've learned before to overcome new obstacles. I guess the first season is a by the numbers type show but it has extremely good execution in what it does. If you're on the fence about this, don't be though because S2 has been amazing since episode 1. Worth a pick up even if you're not an anime fan.
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Kokoro's Anime Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaIA0gY11FQ_Zh6kLSam5OA
Updated: July 27th, 2016.