Interest Stacks

What's a better way to start the video by mentioning the anime that I actually liked most amongst all that I have watched this year? Watching many anime over the years, I have come to the conclusion that there are two types of hidden gems. One type are hidden gems that should remain hidden for people to dig up and come across their value themselves. The other hidden gems need to be exposed so that everyone will be able to know and appreciate them as much as possible. In my opinion, Kaijin Kaihatsu-bu no Kuroitsu-san, or in English, Miss Kuroitsu from the Monster Development Department, belongs to the latter. It is clearly one of the most, if not the most underrated anime this year.

The story is about Touka Kuroitsu, a monster development researcher for the evil organization Agastia. Alongside her senpai, she develops monsters to fight against "heroes," and in Kuroitsu's case, she fights against Blader. This anime is not a mere Kamen Rider parody, it's much, much more. I also reviewed this anime some months ago, so please watch it because this little preview in this video will not be enough to encompass this anime's true potential.

For this one anime, I'll admit to committing heresy. I actually haven't watched any of the Strike Witches series so I haven't been acquainted with characters like Yoshika Miyafuji and the others, so that means this anime, this side story anime, is my first exposure to the Strike Witches franchise, but the fact that I enjoyed it means that it is a valid but rather unique way to be introduced to this highly-acclaimed series, and if you who's currently watching right now hasn't yet watched Strike Witches before, perhaps you might like watching Luminous Witches first.

So, as the united world fights for its freedom against the alien forces known as the Neuroi, human girls with magical abilities—called witches—continue to battle. Behind the scenes, the problem concerning morale has become quite problematic, and one of the proposed solutions is to create a musical brigade—basically an idol group—to hold concerts and inspire people to keep fighting, or heal the hearts of those who are suffering. I myself don't like idol anime that much, that's why I haven't watched series like Love Live or iDOLM@STER, but that didn't really become much of an excuse to witness how good this anime really is. To any Strike Witches fans out there, I am sorry, but don't worry, I am planning to watch Strike Witches. But if you haven't watched Luminous Witches yet, what are you doing with your life?

I just said earlier that I do not like idol anime that much, but how much more if we're talking about a male idol anime that's clearly intended for a female audience? The theme of Heroine Tarumono alone should have made it so that I would not even think of watching it, but I have been following HoneyWorks and their songs for a long time now that I could not ignore it, not to mention that this anime's main character, Hiyori Suzumi, is also unexpectedly cute.

Looking for a job to pay for her tuition, Hiyori stumbles upon a posting looking for event staff, to which she gets accepted against all odds, against applicants who are clearly more experienced than her. It is revealed that she will be working as a manager-in-training for LIPxLIP, a rising male idol duo composed of Yuujirou Someya and Aizou Shibasaki—both of whom are coincidentally her classmates. Funnily enough, when I first watched the anime, I thought it would have a love triangle nonsense, but it's surprisingly neither a love triangle nor a reverse harem. The relationship between Hiyori and the two idols remains non-romantic throughout the anime. But that's not the best part: it's actually the songs, like the opening theme, which goes like "zenryoku na kimi ga kawaii," if you can just hear it all, I am sure you would love it!

Cute Girls Doing Cute Things, or CGDCT, is a staple thing whenever I do my lists, and once again for this year, we have Slow Loop! This is a fishing anime about two girls, Hiyori and Koharu, who become stepsisters and one part of their sisterly bonding would be over fishing. The premise alone is very wholesome, perhaps even more wholesome than Houkago Teibou Nisshi, another fishing anime that's also very good by the way, you should also watch that, that it feels unfair comparing the two.

Nevertheless, if you want a cute, comedic, and calming anime to watch whenever you feel down in life, I believe this one's for you. You might also pick up some fish recipes or fishing knowledge you didn't know yet, so it's also a bit educational!

Speaking of cute, comedic, and calming anime, with the emphasis on calming, how about this one? The anime is about a a salarywoman named Fushihara, who spends most of her time stuck in front of her office computer, always at overtime, which is actually common in real life Japan. A ghost in the form of a cute little girl notices her unhealthy situation and takes it upon herself to "scare" Fushihara out of the office in order to relieve her stress. But let's face it, who gets scared of a cute ghost? If I see something cute that is concerned for my well-being, it will probably make me work even more with better efficiency, and that's exactly what happened to Fushihara. The presence of this adorable soul will only bring more positivity and happiness to Fushihara's life as the two spend more time together. The only sad thing I can probably think of is that, how did this child get in here? Why is she a ghost?

In 2020, we have Kakushigoto, in 2021, we have Sakugan, and this year, we have Deaimon. I hope this means that the father-daughter trope is becoming more popular by the year, because I myself would want to see more anime like this because it's seriously one of my most favorite tropes to see. So after ten years being away from home, Nagomu Irino finally decides to return after hearing that his father—owner of the Kyoto sweets store Ryokushou—has been hospitalized. Nagomu worries that no one would inherit the shop but of course, being away for ten years means that his father has already chosen a different successor—a 10-year-old girl named Itsuka Yukihira

Itsuka was abandoned by her father, and she still longs to see him. Sympathizing with Itsuka's situation, Nagomu's mother asks him to act as Itsuka's father, hoping that Itsuka will open up to him and relieve her pain, even if just a little. I really love this premise, because it shows us that children need at least a parent figure so that they can grow properly. Truly wholesome. I also love this anime's opening theme so much that I reviewed it once. But please don't watch it because it's bad and you'll rupture your ears.

No, this is not yet another idol anime, because idols are those who perform on stage without instruments. This is a band anime, I tell you, a band! (clears throat) So, this anime is a short one, and isn't as hyped as regular season anime, so it's not really much of a surprise why many people wouldn't even have heard of it. Anyways, this anime is about five high schoolers, namely Serina Akesaka, Nazuna Tennouzu, Aliciana Ogata, Hakobe Naru, and Nagi Kobotoke, who form a band and try to become the best band in their school.

But to be honest, it isn't this anime that contains Irodorimidori's true appeal. Like I said earlier, the cast of Irodorimidori is in a band named, well, Irodorimidori, and even since before this anime, I have been an avid Irodorimidori fan. If you don't find this anime good, how about I introduce you to Irodorimidori music instead? You can start from Change Our Mirai, and let the MyAnimeList catalog show you the chronological order of the songs. Incidentally, my favorite band member would be Nagi Kobotoke, and my top two songs are her songs, which is Number 16, entitled Trust, and Number 4, entitled (clears throat) Watashi no Naka no Gensou-teki Sekaikan Oyobi Sono Kengen wo Souki Saseta Aru Genjitsu de no Dekigoto ni Kansuru Ichi Kousatsu.