Current Events > Best story-driven anime in the later half of the decade?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I know the Crunchyroll top list is out there, but the fact they didn't include the one I felt was a complete emotional roller coaster leads me to believe that their list wouldn't suit my interest.

I haven't watched much anime at all in the past 5ish years. I may have only seen only 6 total since 2015. I've seen Golden Time, Anohana, From The New World, Romeo X Juliet (although older), Kampfer, and Attack on Titan.

Anohana and From The New World were exactly what I wanted. Only Anohana was recognized by the site, but I felt From The New World was the most pieced together anime I might have ever seen. It was a thriller that got me wanting more and wrapped up in a full circle as the ending came. It provided a sense of humanity at the end that got me feeling and saying "wow........." down to the last episode. Anohana kept me engaged for sure as well though. Prior to these two, the other anime that really tugged at me was Full Moon wo Sagashite. This was the only anime that I was able to binge 5 episodes a day, which is a lot for me. It was also the only anime I managed to buy all the manga of and actually complete the manga series of because I loved it so much. The emotion.... the understanding of Mitsuki's desires to see her loved one again before she were to die. It was..... amazing.

I want that feeling again and would like a recommendation. As someone who doesn't really watch anime anymore, please tell me, if there is a must-watch anime from the last five years that someone who likes non-action, but deep or emotional shows has got to see, what is that one anime and why (without spoilers) ....

Last time I asked this, I was recommended Stein's Gate. I appreciate it and expect it is great, but it felt too sci-fi for me that I couldn't make it passed two episodes. Sci-fi is a hard pull for me. Very hard.
---

Code Geass
---

Erased

aki_sora posted...

Code Geass

Thats not from this decade

---

Ascendance of a Bookworm
---

Shiba Inuko San

---

aki_sora posted...

Code Geass

Mech shows don't do it for me. I only got through Full Metal Panic because I watched Fumoffu and fell in love with Sousuke's character. It got me through the initial first season of the show. Code Geass is no interest of mine at all.

YookaLaylee posted...

Erased

aki_sora posted...

Code Geass

Thats not from this decade

I heard of Erased. Why do you recommend it, in non-spoiler way?

DespondentDeity posted...

Ascendance of a Bookworm

What makes you recommend this without spoiling?

The_Doge posted...

Shiba Inuko San

Best Anime Wow
---

Yeah Erased is pretty top tier. I personally thought it should've been higher on Crunchyrolls list. It does a good job subverting expectations... Well not expectations maybe but desired outcomes. Without spoilers it's a time travel murder mystery that's well paced and contained into like 12 episodes I think.

---

Erased is really good. Or the anime is maybe good? Tbh I saw the live-action series on Netflix and fell in love with that one. I later read comparisons between it and the anime and read the anime cut some things out with the ending, so I just never bothered tbh.

A Place Further Than The Universe
---

Made in Abyss, though its not finished

---

SailorGoon posted...

Yeah Erased is pretty top tier. I personally thought it should've been higher on Crunchyrolls list. It does a good job subverting expectations... Well not expectations maybe but desired outcomes. Without spoilers it's a time travel murder mystery that's well paced and contained into like 12 episodes I think.

Leanaunfurled posted...

Erased is really good. Or the anime is maybe good? Tbh I saw the live-action series on Netflix and fell in love with that one. I later read comparisons between it and the anime and read the anime cut some things out with the ending, so I just never bothered tbh.

Great to hear. Shinsekai Yori had me saying to myself "Man, what a freaking ride" ..... Would Erased leave me feeling like that too?
---

Hrmm. I felt something similar enough lol. It was definitely a show that I kept thinking about for a while after finishing it. Most shows I watch and it's like "okay what's next on the list", but with Erased it was like "I need to talk to someone about this"

---

Came in to say Erased. Wasn't big on the ending stuff, but for most of it, it's very enjoyable.

---

Hmm. Maybe I'll have to give that one a chance then. It seems like there's a quorum on this show.
---

Sayoria posted...

Great to hear. Shinsekai Yori had me saying to myself "Man, what a freaking ride" ..... Would Erased leave me feeling like that too?

Big time. It's a really nice story I think.

Just watched episode 1. A few questions in my mind, but I am sure going forward, they will be answered. It seems good so far. The good thing about short shows is that they only have X amount of episodes to get everything said and done, so I don't expect that there would be much of any filler in here. I'll give it a few more episodes later. I am working late tonight and don't expect too much to do, so yeah.
---

Zombieland Saga

Its like angel beats with none of the fighting.
---

You said earlier that you have no interest in Code Geass because its a mecha series but that's not really accurate. There are mech suits in it, but its about strategy and manipulation and using people as pawns to achieve your goals. Its closer to Death Note than something like Gundam. I think you should give it a chance if you really like shows with a gripping narrative
---

What? But Gundam has a gripping Narrative. Gundam: The Origin has definitely solidified its place in my personal top 10 shows of the 2010s

---

Jeff AKA Snoopy posted...

A Place Further Than The Universe

This and Your Lie in April. Though it kinda misses the latter half of the decade requirement slightly.

---

What year did Stein's;Gate come out?

Mawaru Penguindrum
---

my memory sucks when it comes to anime series, but I remember liking 91 Days and The Promised Neverland.

the former is a Prohibition Era revenge story dealing with the Mafia, and the latter is about children raised in an orphanage that isn't what it seems.

I also liked Banana Fish, but they made the lead pretty much perfect in every way... which makes a lot of the stuff that happens seem more tragic

---

SailorGoon posted...

What? But Gundam has a gripping Narrative. Gundam: The Origin has definitely solidified its place in my personal top 10 shows of the 2010s

The Origin was fucking fantastic. Love UC.

Three episodes into Erased.

I am liking it a lot so far, but the cut into the childhood confuses me as to why it happened. Like, if it was a flashback, I'd understand, but it seems like the guy himself is back into his childhood body. I just don't get why. He said something about going back 5 minutes in the first episode, but here, he's far, far, far back. Far beyond 5 minutes. I am sure this will be explained. If not, did I miss something?

Either way, I like heartfelt anime that has to do with kids. Most of the anime I have talked about above had something to do with tragedy and children. Maybe I find it more wholesome. I dunno. Either way, thank you for this recommendation. So far, it is spot on with what I was hoping for.
---

Seishun Buta Yarou wa Bunny Girl Senpai no Yume wo Minai (Teenage Pig Does Not Dream of Bunny Girls.)

Especially if you like the Monogatari series.

I just sat down and finished Erased. It was great, but I am confused, and a bit disappointed in how predictable some of it was. For those of you who recommended this one to me. Please explain:

- Why did Satoru have this ability to flash back like that? I feel like it was never explained. I know he had no control over it, but I feel like this wasn't fully thought out.

- What was Yashiro's..... purpose? He stated his plan was to kill those kids and all, but I mean............... why? I feel like they really didn't go into his backstory of why he was doing all of this.

Also, who else was the villain going to be besides Yashiro? The mother recognized him, showing that from way back then, he must have been a full adult too. He was the only real adult that was around too outside of the Yuuki guy, who was clearly innocent from the get go. The killer had to know a lot about the kids in order to target the kids, so I mean..... I was sitting there waiting for him to just..... reveal himself as the killer. When it happened, I was like "Well, that was no mystery" ....

A friend of mine recommended something about "A Promise......" something or other anime about three children or something for me. I might look into it. Non-spoiler thoughts?
---

Gundam The Orgin
Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
---

Sayoria posted...

A friend of mine recommended something about "A Promise......" something or other anime about three children or something for me. I might look into it. Non-spoiler thoughts?

The Promised Neverland, I haven't watched the anime but I'm caught up on the manga. This is a great story, it was also recommended earlier in the topic by @boxington. It follows three genius children whose idyllic life is shattered by a horrifying realization. What I found really good about the story is that despite the supernatural horror elements and overwhelming odds against the children, it never really feels like anything they achieve comes out of nowhere, their actions are really well thought out, but since they don't always have complete information there is still some suspense and dread when they're trying to do things. The art is just beautiful as well, especially when the manga first released the style felt really unique and from previews I've seen the colors they chose for the anime are amazing.

Sayoria posted...

What makes you recommend this without spoiling?

The thing I really like about Honzuki or Ascendance of a Bookworm is that it perfectly captures the sense of discovery and wonder that I love in fantasy. I'm usually not able to really get into slice of life anime, but this one just ticks all the boxes, really cute art, fun believable characters, a charming setting, a well paced story. I'm gonna lay out the premise from the first 5 minutes of episode 1. Basically, a girl in modern times is a college student who adores books more than anything and wishes to live her life surrounded by them; however, she dies in an untimely accident, and is then reincarnated into the body of a sickly, frail 5 year old who happens to be a medieval peasant girl. So the story follows her trying to achieve that dream despite the new challenges she faces, but what I love the most is how her modern knowledge impacts the life of all the characters around her, and how with each episode her new world gets bigger and more lively. The series is not finished yet, last I looked it had 9 out of 14 episodes released.
---

DespondentDeity posted...

Sayoria posted...

A friend of mine recommended something about "A Promise......" something or other anime about three children or something for me. I might look into it. Non-spoiler thoughts?

The Promised Neverland, I haven't watched the anime but I'm caught up on the manga. This is a great story, it was also recommended earlier in the topic by @boxington. It follows three genius children whose idyllic life is shattered by a horrifying realization. What I found really good about the story is that despite the supernatural horror elements and overwhelming odds against the children, it never really feels like anything they achieve comes out of nowhere, their actions are really well thought out, but since they don't always have complete information there is still some suspense and dread when they're trying to do things. The art is just beautiful as well, especially when the manga first released the style felt really unique and from previews I've seen the colors they chose for the anime are amazing.

Sayoria posted...

What makes you recommend this without spoiling?

The thing I really like about Honzuki or Ascendance of a Bookworm is that it perfectly captures the sense of discovery and wonder that I love in fantasy. I'm usually not able to really get into slice of life anime, but this one just ticks all the boxes, really cute art, fun believable characters, a charming setting, a well paced story. I'm gonna lay out the premise from the first 5 minutes of episode 1. Basically, a girl in modern times is a college student who adores books more than anything and wishes to live her life surrounded by them; however, she dies in an untimely accident, and is then reincarnated into the body of a sickly, frail 5 year old who happens to be a medieval peasant girl. So the story follows her trying to achieve that dream despite the new challenges she faces, but what I love the most is how her modern knowledge impacts the life of all the characters around her, and how with each episode her new world gets bigger and more lively. The series is not finished yet, last I looked it had 9 out of 14 episodes released.

Thanks for all of that. For the bookworm one, if I watch it, I'd rather it finishes first so I can go at it at my own pace. I fell off of Strawberry Panic so long, long ago trying to keep up but the weekly thing just never worked out.

And wow, I completely didn't even see box's post. Given what he, you, and the friend of mine said, maybe I'll start that next. Thanks :)
---