What is the best Anime you watched this year that is NOT from 2025?
The best Anime that you started and finished this year that is not from 2025. In my case it was "Gridman Universe" as a whole: SSSS.Gridman (2018) - SSSS.Dynazenon (2021) - Gridman Universe (2023). I watched the original Gridman Toku years ago and only now I watched the Anime.
Commentaires
Also watched Your Name and the first 12 episodes of Your Lie in April but wasn't super motivated to finish it
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It's not what bad... I even like it a little bit. I don't get it why people hate it.
Funnily enough there was a story in Japan earlier this year about a guy who was a total shut in and had no idea as to how to properly engage with and act around women which isn't too uncommon there. I get the impression real life issues went into creating the MCs background but the character development has him learning and improving as a person over time. It's really well done but some people can't seem to break out of the initial conclusions they jump to about it.
This is the author intended order. This is not the release order nor the chronological order. Majority of the fanbase recommends this order (for proof, go to any watch order post and everybody who hasn't recommended the author order has been downvoted). The author wrote the novels in this order, so it's the safest (and imo the best) order to go with. [Here's a picture of the watch order.](https://i.redd.it/hueg5ujz8qc51.png?app_web_view=android) (doesn't have the newest season, Off & Monster season). You can always rewatch it in different order.
**First season**: Bakemonogatari (15 eps) -> Kizumonogatari (3 movies) -> Nisemonogatari (11 eps) -> Nekomonogatari Black (4 eps)
**Second season**: Monogatari series: Second season episodes 1-9 (excluding the recap episodes) -> Hanamonogatari (5 eps) -> Monogatari series: Second season episodes 10-23 (excluding the recap episodes)
**Final season**: Tsukimonogatari (4 eps) -> Koyomimonogatari (12 half eps) -> Owarimonogatari S1 (13 eps) -> Owarimonogatari S2 (7 eps) -> Zoku Owarimonogatari (6 eps)
**Off & Monster season**: Monogatari series: Off & Monster season episodes 1-6 -> A Cruel Fairy Tale: The Beautiful Princess (episode 6.5) -> Monogatari series: Off & Monster season episodes 7-14
* Kizu & Koyomi not releasing until after the 1st season of Owari.
* Hana not being available until after Monogatari 2nd Season fully aired.
Kizu is really the only one where it is surprising it took them as long as they did to release it.
I only finished it once Owari was out.
Other highlights were Railgun T (2020), Roshidere (2024), Yahari Ore no Seishun [...long title is long...] Dekite Iru. (2016), Edgerunners (2024) and Monogatari Series: Off & Monster Season (2024).
Though, it's not like I have seen anything from 2025 that is better than any of those.
I can see now how Yuno codified [the Yandere trope](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Yandere) *TvTropes warning.*
What a batshit insane story, with such masterful writing. Characters literally keep walking with their heads cut off so that they can reveal the truth to the protagonist. Gods rise and fall, time travel shenanigans emerge, while also having some plucky friends bringing light into a bleak world. Blood and guts galore, while love still shines...in certain ways...
My mind bent at obtuse angles to see the protagonist's POV, while also hating him at times?
Truly a dark story worth experiencing. What a fucking trip.
Curious as to how they'll proceed, as she stole the show S1
1. Indigo Road [2006] (part of the [Road series](https://anilist.co/anime/7616/Michi/))
2. [Yoru no Kuni](https://anilist.co/anime/132283/Yoru-no-Kuni/) [2021]
3. Aria [2005-2008; 2016-2021] with [Origination](https://anilist.co/anime/3297/ARIA-The-ORIGINATION/) being my favorite season
If we count rewatches, then the order changes a bit with Liz and the Blue Bird as well as Aoi Hana hijacking the rankings.
Yes im very late, dunno how i missed it, a castle in the sky was my first anime
Love how it combines my favorite genres (thriller, slice of life, mystery) and also a couple extra in a perfect way with lovable characters, production, and every episode is exhilaratingly fun
So every series I completed was from this year. Unless counting series which continued airing into 2025 but began earlier, in which case, Orb: On the Movements of the Earth, from 2024.
I know these animes were the real golden of a long past, but I'm sorry they're just the best. I happen to find old animes because most animes in 2025 were just too predictable for me, or the story hike is just really not reaching to me the way old animes somehow did.
That show was great from start to finish and then the ending was fantastic
Honourable mentions to the rascal does not dream series, dress up darling season 1, ranking of kings, lycoris recoil, chuunibyo, and spice and wolf,
and Pretty Derby season 2
I finally convinced my wife to watch it cause shes completely clueless, and boy did we marathon that shit! Greed Island arc is still one of the best anime arc, period.
One Piece - My partner and I are currently going through the series. We just finished episode... 504, which is the tail end of the flash back series featuring Luffy and Ace in their childhood. We'll catch up to current one day.
~~A Certain Scientific Rail Gun - I tried it, and by the second episode, I couldn't enjoy it with Shirai constantly trying to get in Misaka's pants. I know it's played for laughs, but for me, it felt like it was too over the top and distracting. Not sure if I'll ever go back.~~
86 - This is my winner for the year of non-current anime. A friend recommended it to me and I binged all of it in a weekend. The last 5 minutes of the final episode are what I would consider a master class in planning and direction. The combination of animation, music, and voice acting was nearly perfect. It did an amazing job at pulling at all the right emotions, and leaves the viewer wanting more. Sadly, there's no more seasons on the horizon, so I'm listening to the LNs on audiobook (in English, of course).
Charlotte - This one I watched because of the meme with Yu and Nao. I went in knowing barely anything about it, and found it to be quite enjoyable. The pacing is terrible as everything gets turned up to 11 in the last couple of episodes, but other than that, good stuff!
~~In / Spectre - This was my biggest disappointment of the year. This show has so much potential with all these interesting stories oozing from it. But the execution is poor. Our heroine is completely unlikeable through the entire series and exhibits little to no character growth. Most of the stories drag on and on, and the resolutions to those stories are usually very unsatisfying. For a goddess of wisdom, it doesn't feel like Kotoko exhibits much wisdom.~~
Edit - Got wrapped up in previous animes that I forgot we were talking the best, not best AND worst.
My original intro to that series was with Gou lol. Now the story makes a lot more sense.
Movie: Nausicaa of the Valley of the Winds. Princess Mononoke was one of the first anime I ever watched - I don't know how I slept on Nausicaa for so long.
I also quite liked the movies :
[Suu-funkan no Yell wo](https://myanimelist.net/anime/57915/Suu-funkan_no_Yell_wo?q=Suu%20funkan&cat=anime)
[Boku ga Aishita Subete no Kimi e](https://myanimelist.net/anime/49834/Boku_ga_Aishita_Subete_no_Kimi_e#), definitely made the right choice watching [its counterpart](https://myanimelist.net/anime/49835/Kimi_wo_Aishita_Hitori_no_Boku_e) first and this second. It's a pretty interesting idea to make two movies like this but this one was definitely the better of the two in my book
[Natsu e no Tunnel, Sayonara no Deguchi](https://myanimelist.net/anime/50593/Natsu_e_no_Tunnel_Sayonara_no_Deguchi)
Though in that one I could somewhat feel that a good amount of content was cut from the source, so I'm listening to the audiobook now
It's a long one but so so good. The drama, the characters, the life lessons, the comedy. Highly recommend it for anyone who's looking for something a bit different to the usual genres.
Just finished binge watching all of the Rascal Dreams of... series.
I got it on Bluray!