2025 was a year of turbulent times, uncertain futures, but if there was one thing I could rely on to pull through, of course, it was anime. If there was any doubt over anime's position in the world, 2025 has undoubtedly proven it is not just popular, but there are titles that can achieve full-blown mainstream success. Demon Slayer became not only the highest grossing anime movie of all time, but broke into the top 10 grossing movies of the year, beating out such IPs as How to Train Your Drgon and freaking Superman.
This movie was an absolute spectacle that delivered the Demon Slayer experience I expected, but damn did it feel long. I think about an hour in, I left to go pee, managed to find time to finish my college degree, got a job, started a family, came back, and I think we're about halfway through the Yakuza flashback. But they weren't the only one in the headlines cuz One Punch Man fans ate this year and then collectively threw up.
After 6 years of waiting, One Punch Man dropped a bomb not even Oppenheimer could recreate, giving us a season of animation so impressive, Google Slides is about to license it out as an add-on. History has taught us that everything good comes in threes. We've had the big three of World War II, the big three of colleges, the big three of tennis, the big three of shownen, and now this year has finally given us the big three of frames.
As the community responded to this failure on a scale anime had not seen before, Berserk fans could only helplessly watch this unfold on the sidelines like, "Hey, you are this, right? You want the real deal. That's what this is.
Wake up. You're in the middle of it. Stop complaining.
" >> This was the year where two letters shot fear into anyone that heard them. AI. >> So, is it any wonder people are afraid of technology?
>> Technology. >> Oh my god. >> And the anime community was not immune to its effects.
We had masses of fake scenes posted with the release of Sora 2. Rock got his own AI companion as if people weren't lonely enough. And of course, Open AI allowed users to flood the internet with Giblly AI drawings, looking Miyazaki right in the eye and thinking, "Man, I don't think you hate anime enough yet.
" And if you're like me and just realized that all this happened within the space of 1 year, yeah, I know I wouldn't blame you if being on the internet felt exhausting at some points this year and the online landscape was as confusing as ever to navigate. We needed hope. We needed positivity.
We were yearning for some real human interaction. >> Raise your HANDS UP. I BEG OF YOU.
THERE'S NO TIME LEFT. >> DON'T BE AFRAID. HE'S A very good man.
>> Offer up your energy. >> But the year ended with actual people united under one banner. One drawing of Freeren with a chin so chopped she could withstand an uppercut from Mike Tyson.
The voice actor for Freeren changed it to her profile picture as artists all around the world came together to help draw her in a rare case of allaround positivity being spread online. This was the alive human theory. Real humanto human interaction.
No bots, no AI, just sheer determination to pick up a pencil and the will to follow what we knew Himmel the hero would do. Once and for all proving the strongest AI slob can still be defeated by the weakest pencil user. Did anything else happen this year?
Oh yeah, I made my own anime or something. This is the part where I normally get to my honorable mentions, but today I have something else I need to mention honorably, and that's today's sponsor, Ark Knight's Enfield. The wait is finally over.
I've talked about it. I streamed the beta, and now with over 30 million global pre-registrations under its belt, Ark Knight's Enfield global launch is now upon us. But just in case you haven't had the release date in your calendar and counting down the days since they first announced it like I have, let me fill you in.
Ark Knights Enfield is a 3D real-time strategy RPG where you command a team of four operators of diverse classes and skills to take down powerful enemies. Being a spin-off of Ark Knights, Enfield carries forward the cinematic storytelling and stylized aesthetic of the original. That means incredible cutscenes, dripped out character designs, and everything we loved about its presentation.
But now you can experience all those great things while exploring a varied selection of dynamic world environments. Whether it's the industrial landscapes of Valley 4 or the wooling regions blend of traditional aesthetics and future designs, each is full of different missions and unique challenges whilst you gather resources and transform the world itself through factory building mechanics. And during the release celebration, not only will you have a chance to pull for the six-star characters, Leverane, Gilberta, and Yavon, but you also get a whole bunch of rewards through in-game events.
This includes up to 135 free pools, two six-star weapon selection crates, the six-star operator, Ardelia, and the six-star weapon Drams of Starry Beach. So, if that sounds as great to you as it does to me, Ark Knight's Enfield is available now on PS5, PC, and mobile. So, check out that link in the description to download the game today.
Thank you again to Ark Knight's Enfield for sponsoring us today. And with that said, here are the actual honorable mentions. If this is your first time here, I rarely put continuations of shows I've already talked about on previous lists, unless it really goes above and beyond and gives me something new to say about it.
But that doesn't mean I didn't continue enjoying them. Dandan might not have gotten the same buzz that episode 7 provided, but I've really enjoyed the character focused development we got. Everyone likes to talk about the weirdness or the flashy action, but this is doing romance better than most romance anime right now.
About a year ago, I introduced my anime illiterate mom to Apothecary Diaries. So, I thought I'd be a loving son this year and save myself from watching season 2 until the Christmas break so I can experience it with her. By which point, she had already watched it four times.
She still doesn't even know its name. She just calls it MMO. City the animation really did not lie about its name, being in my top three of best animated shows of the year that was so close to making the list, but just didn't quite meet the same level of unhinged, gutbusting laughter.
the Nicho gave me. Now, if we're talking most unhinged show this year, that was Nukitashi. >> I would love to talk about this one more, but the amount of frames I'd be able to get away showing here would equal that of an episode of One Punch Man 3: Solo Leveling.
Now, I know you're going to ask me about this, so let me just set the record straight. And the anime award goes to Sanjin Wu from Solo Leveling. >> I like Solo Leveling.
Solo Leveling is a series that knows exactly what it is. It does one thing, but does that one thing so exceedingly well, you do not care about anything else. And this season delivered some of the best power fantasy or a farming action spectacle you can find.
And I ate it up. But that doesn't also mean I think it's the best anime or has the best main character. To me, this is not a three star Michelin dish.
It is a McDonald's chicken nugget for the best nugget you've tasted in your life. And who wants to live in a world without nugs? >> Nice.
Last year, I did a copout by putting a movie at the top of the list. Thankfully, this year was so stacked with choices, I didn't need to do that again. But if I did, two titles would definitely be making the list.
Chainsaw Man lived up to the absolute cinema meme it originally started. This wasn't just another shownen movie adaptation. It was a perfectly crafted cinematic experience.
And I think it says a lot that for how much jaw-dropping, mind-blowing action sequences this movie delivered on, the quieter, serene pool scene is the one my mind always comes back to. But standing toe to toe with that in my eyes is 100 m. If Chainsaw Man was that critically acclaimed blockbuster, 100 m would be that Oscar nominated indie movie with moments equally as breathtaking and cinematic cinema.
This is a film about running, about peoples whose lives are about running. You see people who destroy their lives over obsessions, overchasing records, chasing achievements, sacrificing everything only to wonder what the point of it all was to begin with. You see people unable to fully commit to themselves in fear of finding out they're not as good as they think they are, crafting a prison of their own anxieties they're unable to break out of.
You see people so desperately searching for meaning in what they do, unsure if they live to run or run to live. People who've always been second best yet still have not given up on believing in themselves, breaking the reality life has crafted for them. And then halfway through the movie, you take a step back and think, "Wait, we're still talking about running, right?
" This movie doesn't just speak to the soul. It godamn drags it out, shakes it by the scruff of its neck, and shouts full volume at it. Somebody somewhere is going to find this movie at the right time of their lives.
And there's going to be a line uttered by a character in here that shoots so deeply to their core, they're going to switch their life into manual mode after having lived it on auto. the entire time. >> Do you ever feel like if you watch enough anime, so many of them don't just start looking the same, but also start to feel the same?
Gachiaka spits on that, taking pre-established conventions and says, "Nah, I'mma do my own thing. " This is set in the world of trash taste. But unlike the latter, there is absolutely nothing garbage flavor about presenting one of the most insane worlds shownen has to offer.
Have a look at these characters. Now, unless you've already seen them, you might not be able to tell that these are five characters from five completely different shows. >> They're the same picture.
>> Now, take one character from Gachiaka. Not only will you never be able to mistake the show they're from, but their style, their attitude, how they carry themselves, everything about them screams expression that you know exactly what type of personality they have. Now multiply that by all the minor characters you'll ever see.
Gachiaka has a design philosophy that permeates every single aspect of the show, creating a visual language with a vibe that is absolutely unmatched. Neon lights flood the back alleys. The streets are crude and gritty with a stench that almost permeates through the screen.
Graffiti plasters every wall you walk past. The world doesn't just feel lived in. Every little detail exudes a sense of character that communicates a story to you without having to utter a single word.
The author teamed up with a real graffiti artist to help craft the art behind it, which just adds that layer of authenticity to its visual identity. And also, just look at her. She is a character in her own world.
Then you have the power system. It's trash. Affectionate.
Having a system where objects treated with love and care are imbued with powers is not only original, but serves as another vehicle for characters to express themselves. It's the only show where you'll see characters use scissors, umbrellas, gloves, hair cones, and glasses as weapons. But then you start to wonder, why is that object this character's vital instrument?
What does that say about their personality, their backstory? Which objects do I have that define me? It's ideas like this that feed your imagination to the possibilities it opens up.
And that's what I felt watching Gachiaka in its entirety. It might not be the most polished shownen of our generation. I have a story that pushes it to new boundaries.
Yet, I constantly found myself hitting that next episode just so I could spend a bit more time in the insane world it created. The lord and master of Luna Mountain. The >> kill is bad news.
We need to act too far away. >> What happened over the past millennia? >> What is it that brings them here?
>> Fantasy is the double-edged sword of the anime world. Swing one side and you have some of the most critically acclaimed, beloved shows in the entire medium, respected by everyone who watches them. But swing the other side and you're greeted with some of the trashiest, stinkiest shows you can find in the medium.
And I'm not talking about the gachi kind. So, when a new fantasy anime comes out, I'm always thinking, which side is this one going to swing? All right, looks like we've got some hyperviolent action.
Could be edgy, could be mature, unsure. Oh, hey, there's proper thought put into the world building and politics, so it's not just the same copypaste demon lord fantasy world. That swings that way.
Okay, the hero's been given an immortal body. Sounds like this could potentially be power fantasyish. Yeah, that's a little stinky.
But then I watch as the heroes herself off a cliff, leaving just her mangled corpse remaining, only to have her body parts grotesely shoved back into place as you hear the crackling of bones over the most guttural scream of pain as her body is forcibly put back together little by little while the bandits around her can only watch in horror. And it was this moment that I realized, "Oh, I'm in. " Approved.
>> Cleverest is the kind of brutal dark fantasy show I've been missing. Not a full-on masterpiece like Berserk, but just a fun show that takes itself just seriously enough. You have a protagonist that is heroic and kicks ass without being annoyingly idealistic or stupidly overpowered.
Also, she has an eye patch. The world and power system isn't just copying off every other power fantasy out there. The protagonist has an eye patch.
The violence is gratuitous while being purposeful and setting the tone of the story. You can see the hallmarks of what could have turned into an edgy fantasy. Slavery, prostitution, but then you're reminded that anime can actually treat these subjects with the weight that they deserve.
It's not always for the faint of heart, but it's the kind of grungy '90s fantasy show anime hasn't seen in a long time. SHE'S GOT A GODDAMN EYE PATCH. You ever see a new parent and how their eyes light up when talking about their kids?
They show you a million photos of the same pose. They brag about the smallest achievement their kid was able to do. You feel a sense of pride you've never felt before towards anything else when they speak.
That's what watching Medalist makes you feel like. This is a show about ice skating, but it's also a show about role models, and the rewards are what being a great role model can get you. Inori is an 11-year-old girl who's been told she's too old to enter the figure skating world.
She's shy, insecure, and collects worms for a hobby. This girl is going to get absolutely destroyed in school. But just by finding one person that believes in her, she's able to see something in herself that she never could before.
Shine in a way she never believed, and you're invited to be a part of that transformation. Medalis grabs you with grounded, well-realized characters all around. doing something revolutionary by treating his child characters like normal characters.
Because did you know the people too? >> When you think about it, it's kind of up how much your life insecurities and self-image are defined by a few early moments in your life. Maybe a teacher said that you were dumb and then from then on you just accept that as a fact.
Or maybe hypothetically you were told your hair looks silly so you start spiking it up like Sasuke. or a friend said you were boring so you buy this Scarface poster to pretend like you have a personality or you look like a nerd with glasses so you start wearing contacts every day. So seeing someone who was able to be set on the correct path because they found the right person, found the right role models spoke to a part of my younger self that's might not have gotten that same opportunity.
Every small achievement, every small step they take becomes a collective win. And when they pull through and hit that complete triple axle after numerous falls, you'll be shedding tears like a proud dad telling the person next to you, "That's my kid. " Yeah, that's my kids.
Horror is one of those genres anime rarely gets right. On one hand, I think the medium makes it harder to get genuine scares compared to its live action counterparts. But then one too many times, we get a promising project like Uzumaki that took a bit too much inspiration from its source material and spiraled his own production into madness.
I was beginning to lose faith. But thankfully, the summer Hikaru died not only restored that, but has set the bar of how anime can achieve horror of the highest quality. So, you may be wondering, what's so different about this one?
>> He's gay, but he he has a special connection to classical music. There's many things that are interesting about him. >> I'd heard so many great things about this manga, but I watched the anime knowing nothing about it.
I wanted to go in raw, and apparently so did they. And within the first few minutes, it's evidently clear how this show succeeds where so many others have faltered. Almost immediately, you are drawn in with this eerie sense of dread that crawls under your skin and doesn't let up.
Every scene oozes a sinister air as thick as the summer humidity you're watching on screen. It's not about jump scares. It's the ghastly imagery that gives you a peak into the Eldrich horrors that lay beneath the shadows.
Horrific entities brought to life with haunting arts that make the hair on the back of your neck stand. atmosphere is why this is a masterclass of animated horror. Behind all that though is a succinct exploration of grief and love between two bros that is 100% undeniably categorically platonic.
>> So gross. Oh, so so good. >> Hey yo, what the >> I mean, just look at this man.
He's so straight. He's about to have sex with another man, so he knows what the woman he goes on dates with will feel like. Cuz you know when you have a Lovecraftian nightmare creature wearing the skin of your dead friends, you first got to figure out so many things.
What is it? Is it dangerous? Does it come in peace or just you?
>> You know, maybe Michael's gay, maybe he's not. He is. China China >> has continually been on the rise in the animation space and this year really felt like there was always at least one show per season that stood out in the highly competitive world of animation to be one of the hot shows to watch.
And in my eyes, their crowning achievement of 2025 came in the form of 2 to 2 Hero X. This is China's own take into the superhero genre that ask the question, what would society be like if people could gain superpowers based on the social media influence they have? India is now a world superpower.
Only Fans is more powerful than Disney. But in the world of 2B Hero X, anyone can gain superpowers as long as you are able to convince the masses to believe in you. Trust is how you gain power in this world.
People's mass perceptions dictate not only who becomes a superhero, but the types of powers they get and the life they lead. There's Furman, a firefighter who saved a young girl from a falling ceiling that went viral, gaining him the power of incredible strength and invulnerability at the expense of never being able to take a proper ever again because he can never bend over thanks to his immovable image. Then there's this guy.
He got his pals from a League of Legends chat lobby. The risk with a series like this is that you lack a central protagonist to be able to follow the story through, but it more than makes up for it by being able to explore a multitude of interesting ideas with the premise that they've set up. Not every story is as equally compelling as the next, but every hero is wholly distinct both thematically and visually.
Slowly but surely, you are able to piece together the timeline of events and see it all come together at the end. And if that wasn't enough of a reason to watch it, then there's also Hero X, who has the interesting ability to run through a season's worth of animation budget every time he snaps his fingers. Outside of the unique world setting and power system, this has some of the coolest action sequences I've seen in an animated TV series.
And if that still isn't enough for a reason to jump on, watch it because the creator is a pretty cool guy. Also, I don't know where I heard that one from. >> Of course, there's a lot of misery, but it is the same misery that is all around us.
The trees here are in misery and the birds are in misery. I don't think they they sing. They just screech in pain.
>> I remember the first time I watched the movie Reququum for a Dram. A movie so shockingly powerful that it disturbed me to my core, yet allowed me to experience emotions few pieces of fictions had been able to make me feel. Its message has left an imprint on me that remains to this day and continues to be one of those films I'm glad I experienced but never wanted to watch again.
I said exactly the same thing to myself after watching Taki's original sin. This is one of those shows that leaves you completely drained, giving you the sinking feeling that drops down to the pit of your stomach at the end of every episode. Genre drama?
No, this is a straightup horror anime for your emotions. It's about an alien, Topi, from the planet Happy. All he wants to do is spread smiles and happiness without a single shred of negativity.
He's the type of guy who'd hear about a racism problem and try to solve it by running. Now, pair him with the trauma trio. Three kids whose collective future therapist bill would equal the GDP of Norway.
That's right. >> Hey little buddy, how are you doing? >> Oh my god.
Woah woah woah woah woah. Woah woah woah. >> It's Japanese Smiling Friends.
This is a series that wastes no time into throwing you into the absolute deep end of emotional trauma and letting you sink further from there. Watching the first episode of Taki is like, >> and then the series just continues pounding your emotions into the ground. It presents you with some of the heaviest subjects a child can go through with no filters to help avert your eyes.
If I had a nickel for every time one of these kids got whipped by a belt, I'd have zero nickels because their parents used a fist. Everyone is an everyone is the worst kind of human they can possibly be. Then when you're shown that faint ray of sunlight at the end of the tunnel, your first instinct is to think, "Oh no.
" But that's not to say there is no point to all of this suffering. For how despicable some of these actions you witness are, it constantly reminds you that the biggest villains are the parents who failed them. Parental neglect, physical abuse, and worst of all, a law accurate Asian mom.
Each kid is a product of their own toxic environment. And for how suffocatingly pessimistic this show can be, it never devolves into being downright cynical. It's an important reminder of how trauma can be passed on, how the worst environments can shape the worst people.
And no matter how hard life can be, nothing is more suffocating than having to deal with it alone. Cuz in the end, aren't the friends we made, the trauma bonding we did along the way? Wait, is that how it goes?
>> I know it's our job to help this guy and everything, but I think this guy's a lost cause. He's obviously made up of his mind. Why don't we just cut our losses and get out of here?
>> Settle up. >> 2026 is now officially the year of the horse. But unfortunately, Uma Musme didn't get that memo because like your typical gacha gamer, it came a bit early.
This was the year the internet collectively fell into the Uma Musme rabbit hole. And Cinderella Gay embodies every damn reason of why this franchise became a global phenomenon. This was the highest intensity, no all action sports anime to come out in 2025.
Delivering that level of jump out of your seat hype in every single episode you put on. You are given little room to breathe going from one race to the next. Every match injecting that burst of adrenaline your body starts to crave.
If you were living under a rock last year, yes, there is a gach game of the same IP. Yes, this is anthropomorphized horse running against each other based on real historic races in Japan, which I've already talked about when I covered the show last month. But you don't need to know any of that to enjoy the spectacle it delivers.
>> That rush as you witness that last eruption is as addictive as any drug. You hear the roar of the crowd as the commentator eggs them on. As you watch athletes digging deeper than they ever have before, suddenly this junky ass anime girl run becomes the most hype thing you've ever seen as you shout out, "GOD, THIS IS WHAT PEAK PERFORMANCE looks like.
" And then the race is over. You calm down, switch on the next episode, and experience it all again. >> Wait, that last paragraph sounded familiar.
Was that chat GPT? No. In fact, it was gig GPT because I just copied it from myself.
I've already said everything I have to say about it in that video. So, you know what? I'll just let ChatGpt rewrite my own work to tell you again in the style of Gigok.
That moment when the final eruption hits, your monkey brain just activates. The crowd is screaming. The commentator is absolutely losing it.
The athletes are pushing past every physical limit known to mankind. And suddenly this janky lowf anime girl run has your full undivided soul. YOU'RE SITTING THERE LIKE WHY AM I THIS INVESTED AS you stand up yelling, "God, this is peak human performance at your screen like you've just witnessed the second coming but is sponsored by questionable animation shortcuts.
" And then it ends. You blink. You remember you're an adult.
You sigh, click the next episode, and willingly let it happen to you all over again because anime has once again tricked you into feeling emotions through sheer and spectacle. What the does Chap GPT think I sound like? >> The wanker.
>> You can go watch my actual video if you want to hear everything I have to say about it better than Gig GPT ever could. Okay, I promise I'm going to stop blazing my own work now. Anyway, number three, Barn, the boundaries of adulthood.
This was a new anime made by a fairly new creator in the industry. Attention spans are Memes are incomprehensible. I can't be the only one who feels like every day I see something that makes me lose IQ until my last remaining brain cells are stuck there on life support powering the last bit of sentient thought I have.
But this year, there was no show that healed my soul more than watching Apocalypse Hotel. In an era of brain rot, this one gave me pure brain ripe. Apocalypse Hotel is a different kind of slice of life.
It has all the hallmarks that make up the genre. A quieter, subdued approach to storytelling, charming characters, a whimsical, bright air that complements its calming atmosphere, and then you keep watching. Okay, maybe there's a bit of brain rot in this one.
Doomslayer Tanakus. Power Rangers fighting kangaroo Thanos. A mech battle in the middle of a desolate cityscape.
You can put on an episode and have no idea what kind of unhinged shenanigans you're going to encounter next. But behind the chaos and the laughter, it constantly delivers a story with a heart few series able to reach. A door opening robot that fails at opening doors.
A hospitality robot with no one left to serve. A hotel that opens to a place with a population of zero. This is a world with no meaning, where characters are forced to find their own.
How is it do you find purpose in a place where there is none? Watching this band of lovable misfits allows you to reflect about the purpose you may be missing from your own life. It's a show so hopelessly optimistic, steeped in layers of melancholy.
A story set in a bleak place where no hope should be able to be found. Yet it still is able to greet you with the warmest smile. Where years, decades, centuries pass in the blink of an eye.
Characters you love age, move on. All that is familiar around you slowly begins to change, always reminding you that time will continue to move with or without you. It may be painful, but it's life, and it can be a lot brighter if you let it be.
Episode 11 might just be my favorite slice of life episode of all time. An episode that breaks convention. It doesn't try to be entertaining.
It doesn't try to tell you everything. It sits you down, shuts out the noise around you, and allows you to just feel, ending it with a line that made me stop, walk away for a moment, and remind myself that through all the chaos, life can be pretty damn wonderful. This is the kind of magical feeling this show gives you.
It doesn't just show you a slice of life. It reminds you what living that life means in the first place. Was this supposed to be another shownen action shows are the lifeblood of the anime industry.
They are the most popular, have the most influence, and are very often some of the very first anime we end up watching. It's these shows that help shape a young generation of people. And I certainly can't forget what they instilled into me.
As a kid too young to understand anything, I saw heroes fighting against evil to protect the things they stand for. They stood up for those who couldn't. Represented all the good in the world.
And though I grew up and realized the real world isn't as simple or idealistic as the one portrayed in the realm of fiction, it's these stories that helped set me on the right path. It gave me hope. It gave me role models.
It taught me about the person I should aspire to be. To me, this is what shownen is meant to be about. This is the shownen I grew up with.
This is the shownen I know. And I don't think many shows have distilled that concept down as purely as My Hero Academia has. Regular viewers will know that I've had an up and down relationship with this franchise.
I instantly fell in love in season 1. Watched it explode in popularity in season 2 and three, then gradually fell out of favor as other shows took the spotlight, but I always kept watching in hopes that it could at least end with a bang. And now, 10 years later, I can wholeheartedly say, "Boy, did it ever.
" This final season delivered a spectacle worthy of the legacy it will leave. And now that it's all over, looking back, I feel like My Hero Academia came out in a strange transitionary period in a time where its contemporaries were getting darker, getting weirder, getting bloodier. It almost felt like MHA was the squeaky clean straight lace student in a classroom of delinquents.
And yet, it managed to achieve what so many long-running series have failed to do. For after 10 years of characters, action, drama, and development, it was able to close out standing tall, shouting a clear and concise message for the world to hear that stayed completely true to what it always was. Anyone can be a hero.
Anyone should try to be a hero, even if it's just for the people around you. It's hopeful. It's optimistic.
It's somewhat maybe cheesy, but it is very My hero academia. This may not go down in history as everyone's favorite show. But I will remember it as a testament of what the beating heart of shownen should be.
We will always need heroes. We will always need hope. We will always need a story like this.
And at the end of this era, I'm glad it was there to remind us one last time In my line of work, I watch a lot of shows. I remember a lot of shows, but rarely do I have the time to go back and rewatch them. It's only when something truly lingers, a story that grabs hold and follows me, that occupies my mind whenever I have a free moment, that one line that sticks with me, not because it was witty or punchy, but because it touched on something deep, something meaningful, something real.
I've rewatched Orb on the Movements of the Earth more times this year than any other shows from the past 10 years. And yet, I am still as moved, as aruck, as absolutely mesmerized as the first time I watched it. Why am I telling you all this?
>> This was a show that when half done, I put as fourth on my list last year. not knowing that when I finished the entire thing, it would become my anime of the decade. That's a big statement and you may not agree.
You may have other shows you prefer. It may not have hit you the same way it hits me, but that is my truth. And for a moment, I wanted to invite you to see what that truth meant.
A show like this comes along only a few times in a generation. It is not only one of the most original, beautiful, and non unpredictable series to come out in modern times, but it's one of those stories that has the power to teach you something about yourself without preaching, without telling you what's correct. It presents you with profound ideas and helps guide you to find your own answers.
Orb is an anime about helioentrism. It's about proving the earth moves around the sun, but also it's a story about truth. About people who fight for truth.
About the length people will go to to prove truth. About people who have their truths challenged and respond to it without disrespecting the person that challenged it. An egotistical priest putting his trust in the wisdom of a peasant.
A devout believer defending the words of an atheist. The heroes of the story are not the ones who are right. It's the ones who are willing to accept that they could be wrong.
who will listen to those that oppose them and try to understand even if they don't necessarily agree. These are the people that embody the human spirit that together ignite a flame that transcends lifetimes. Every character is memorable, every line powerful, every journey poetic.
This is simply one of the most beautiful stories I've ever witnessed. And the more time that has passed since I first finished it, the more times I've rewatched it over this year, the stronger its message has resonated with me as I looked out and saw the world as it is today. Unlike the world of orb, we live in a time when information is more readily available than it ever has been.
And yet, truth has never felt so hard to find. Technology that should have allowed us to grow closer has divided us even further. Knowledge is no longer the currency we lack.
It's trust. a lack of trust that has eroded the respect we have of our fellow person. Ideas not built on, they are condensed down, dismantled, and publicly shamed.
Everyone is a soldier enlisted to fight in an ideological war of exchanges where common ground is no man's land, and the winner is decided not by who is more right, but who can prove the other side more wrong. How do I, how does anyone navigate the landscape we are currently in? And I think that's why I was just so constantly drawn back to this series.
A story like this is the reminder I needed that the world doesn't have to work like this. That progress is made through collaboration, not dissociation. That disagree or not, we are still in this together in an era that will be shaped by our collective hands.
Whether any of us have the right answer or not, it's thanks to this show that I remembered. As long as you can continue to question whether you are right, you won't find the wrong answer.
