For the previous lists check them out using the links below:
First part
Second part

Again, no need for introductions. Let’s get down to it!

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7. Steins; Gate 0

Genres: Sci-Fi, Thriller

Studio: White Fox

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Brilliant, excellent, masterpiece are only few of the words I could award this series with for it truly stands at the pinnacle of the medium, a show that will probably change many people’s opinion about anime being all about children’s story not in a similar way that gore anime deviates from that view but by offering a story that will challenge one’s thought process and maturity to understand what is going on. It is not a show that is easy to follow, the first installation especially was dropped by many before finishing it because it was all over the place at first glance but when you paid attention to details and diligently watch till the final moments, you will be left with nothing but praises towards it for its carefully crafted story that deals with one of the hardest topic to elaborate - time travel.

Time travel is a classic and a favorite trope by many but utilizing it is easier said than done. There are of course other anime shows that utilized the concept but more often than not, they only focused on going back in the past to change a thing to solve a problem in the present time which is the most common use of the trope in the first place. So is Steins; Gate any different? It is yet not. It is in the sense that our protagonist is going back to the past to change an outcome, yet it is not in the sense that changing the past doesn’t mean he has successfully altered the present or the future because what he needs to change is the world line in order to effect the change that could turn out to be for the better or for the worse. That is what makes Steins; Gate a cut above not just your ordinary anime show, but even among the notable titles that the medium has been known for.

For the first two preceding paragraphs, I was referring to the series as a whole so let’s start talking about Steins; Gate 0. This is the second season of the show, however in chronology of order of events, this is an alternate reality that explains how the ending of the first season came to be as we know it. This is the story of how things would have turned out had our favorite mad scientist, Rintaro Okabe a.k.a. Houin Kyouma gave up on reaching Steins; Gate and moved on with his life carrying the death of certain someone on his shoulders; and the show, at the same time, serves to show the origin of the game changing event at the end of the first season that connects everything together.

The show features a different version of Rintaro that adversely affected most viewers since majority, if not all, of the people who watched the first series definitely loved that mad and delusional version of Rintaro, but this time around we are presented with a gloomy and depressing Rintaro. I am not telling that Rintaro’s current state is bad per se, in fact I believe that goes to show how hard things are for him since he is the one that shoulders the death of his beloved and while he is carrying that burden, he is also being pushed to change the future by going back to the past for who knows how many times of trying to end up with the same result every time. If you are not getting a clear picture of the situation, then I will advise you to go watch the endless eight episodes of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and see for yourself how frustrating it is to see the same thing happen again and again (I for the record watched all of those eight episodes lol). Other shows with similar time travel induced suffering includes Re: Zero and Puella Madoka Magica, two shows that I would also recommend while I’m at it.

As what I have been saying on my previous posts with this show included in the list, this is the kind of show that needs to be seen in a bigger picture and not in the scope of episode by episode discussion because this connects things at the end, leaving you with one of the best mind blowing experience you could ever have. I would refrain from saying anymore than what I have already divulged because unlike other shows, Steins; Gate relies heavily on its reveals and twists, just keep in mind that you are in for something great the moment you stepped in to the world of Steins; Gate, keep a good head on your shoulder.
El
Psy

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8. Baki

Genres: Action, Martial Arts, Shounen

Studio: TMS Entertainment

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Martial arts is, without a doubt, one of the most popular and entertaining way of depicting fights not only in anime but of course even on other forms of medium because who doesn’t like to see people beating each other using their bare hands right? There is something in it that sword fights and gun fights couldn’t capture, the ingenuity and myriad of possible combination of moves that one can come up with, makes hand to hand combat an all time favorite, not to mention that the quick and snappy movements makes for an eye popping experience, unfortunately though, Baki doesn’t showcase such quality and that is its major downside, I wonder how things would have turned out, had Ufotable or P.A. Works handled it.

I can seriously hear Gigguk shouting "We are being attacked by bad CG!" everytime they resort to using CGI for a fight like the one above.

Despite that, Baki has the best fights this season, not because it has splendid fluid animation sequence, in fact, as I said earlier, it’s the other way around, it has poor CGI animation and numerous still images while fighting, so how in the world do I get off saying it has the best fights? Simple, it is the narration, battle flow and unpredictability of each bout. Let me dive a little with each since I am not really sure if the plot itself would hook people up for I believe it is the badassness that each character in this show exudes is the main reason why a lot of people are into this.

First up is the narration. It is pretty common for shows to have narrations as a way of conveying to the viewers what is happening in the fight and what is going through the minds of the characters, one show that has done well in this department as well is Hunter x Hunter, watch the fight of Netero and Meruem to know what I am talking about. This show also made use of a unique way of narrating a fight, take Hanayama’s match for instance, the part where they narrated the fight through the eyes of the policeman is remarkable, it was as if you can come up with images using the richness of the words used and the way the guy described how the fight went between two individuals with over the top strength and physique, it deviates from the traditional way where the characters’ thoughts are displayed or explained for the viewers. Long story short, it was a clever and creative way of narrating a fight.

Second one is the battle flow. I am pretty sure if you have already watched numerous anime series, you can sometimes work out how things will play out. Prime example would be shows falling in the shounen category, the standard formula would be to have two factions to fight and each encounter will be fought between one on each team while the other members move forward to repeat the process until the final boss is reached and defeated. That is where this show further distanced itself from your run of the mill shows, every fight is free for all, no rules and any kind of restrictions, weapons, tricks, deception, 2 versus one, anything goes as long as you can defeat the opponent before you.

Finally, the show’s unpredictability. All of the fights that has happened so far doesn’t clearly point at who the winner is going to be until the winner is finally decided. A fight could have a victor but there are also times that one party will escape, you can’t really tell if the fight will be decided or if another factor will affect the outcome and that thrill of anticipating for the outcome is another experience one wouldn’t feel in just any other show. And as I mentioned above, the fights are free for all so predicting who will fight who further spice things up.

This show is going to carry on to the next season so it is not too late to know what the hype is all about. And as a bonus for the first 100 viewers Retsu will be treating you with something sweet.

Yeah these killing machines are fond of candies too. Problem?

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9. Banana Fish

Genres: Action, Adventure, Drama, Shoujo

Studio: MAPPA

A show many overlooked because it looks “gay”

ok it really does, no use covering it up since it is really there but I am telling you now, the undertone is bearable, get past through it and you will see why many hails this as this season’s best anime.

So what is this show about anyway? I know that the title sounds really “meh”, come on, what’s up with banana and fish anyway? And combining it doesn’t make it any cooler, if anything that sounds worse when those two words are separate however it is not really that important so just accept it as is an you are finally set and ready to witness one of anime’s best piece from this season.

Banana Fish dives into the world of Ash Lynx, a gang leader that has learned the secret of Banana Fish (this is a name of a drug by the way) and the people that are pulling the strings behind its creation - the mafias and other big wigs of the society. It was originally a revenge story where Ash is trying to find who caused his brother’s current miserable state but looks like the whole thing about this Banana Fish is on a scale that he should have never stuck his nose on.

I can’t think on the top of my mind any other anime that shares the same premise as this one so it got me curious at first and I was surprised at how much depth it has explored topics like child trafficking, drugs and other underground dealings without coming off as “edgy” or over dramatic. Entertaining wouldn’t be an appropriate way of describing the show because the overall mood of the show is depressing and sad (no, don't play Despacito) but the engaging story will keep you coming to see how things will go for Ash and the people around him as they confront influential people that are involved in the project.

This show is only at its mid point and will be continuing on the next season but so far it had the most emotional moments and intense scenes, gun fights, fist fights, knife fights and many more. This is one of those anime that will only come once in a blue moon so book your tickets and join the ride before you get spoiled more than you already have.

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Another list done, next week probably would be the last and I may finally be able to catch up to this season's list but so far I am enjoying Goblin Slayer, SAO: Alicization, Tensei shitara Slime Datte Ken, Irozuku Sekai no Ashita kara, Zombieland Saga, Toaru Majutsu no Index III, Kishuku Gakkou no Juliet, Golden Kamuy 2nd and Release the Spyce, but my list might change since I am still yet to give other titles a shot and some shows I've listed for now might not hold up in the long run. That's all from me for now, see you again next week!

Ciao~