2020 was a good year for anime fans as we had quite a few good series that kept us entertained during the pandemic.

In this article, I will write my ten personal favorites. As we will be talking about television anime series, movies such as Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train, Violet Evergarden: The Movie, and so on, are excluded from this list.

We all know that especially Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba was more than popular this year and will probably continue to be for years to come, too.

However, if you want to read more about the two above, I recommend reading the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train and Violet Evergarden: The Movie articles on our website. You can read the reviews and get an idea of how it felt to watch them at a cinema in Japan, what safety measures they took during the pandemic, etc.

Now, it wasn't easy narrowing the list to only ten anime series as this year was a good one anime-wise, but I tried my hardest and picked my top 10 favorites, and I will be starting with the most recent ones:

1. Jujutsu Kaisen

Jujutsu Kaisen (Sorcery Fight) had its release this autumn and is still an ongoing series. The plot revolves around the Jujutsu Sorcerers and our protagonist, Itadori Yūji, your normal high school kid, that got involved in the world of cursed objects (呪い/ Noroi), demons, and other monstrosities.

 

It is in the top most popular series on Netflix Japan and occupied the first place since it appeared, up to recently when it got down to number two, after the new drama series, Alice in Borderland.

The graphics, plot are epic and easy to follow, the characters are full of charm, and there is plenty of action and badass fight scenes.

At first, characters wise, it reminded me a bit of Naruto, and I felt that it has potential and might well become the next hit anime series in the shonen genre.

2. Akudama Drive

Personally, Akudama Drive is my favorite. It is unique, catchy, and I can never read what is going to happen next. Unfortunately, it is not available on Netflix (in Japan) for now, and I am currently watching and recording it on TV.

 

The same as Jujutsu Kaisen, it belongs to the 2020 fall series and has just finished. The visuals have a cyberpunk feel, and the characters are very well-defined.

What I love about this series is that the bad guys are the highlight of the action. The story takes place in a future Japan after Kanto dropped a bomb on Kansai, and the two became divided. 

The Akudama, our main characters, are a group of villains from Kansai who are brought together by an adorable cat robot to complete some dangerous tasks. Those missions end up with a fight with the Execution Division that is part of the police department.

At first, I was wondering where all this is going, and by the 9th episode, I got shocked at how everything turned out and was so excited for the following episodes.

3. Ikebukuro West Gate Park

Another gem this fall is IWGP. Street gangs, mysteries, thrill, good music, and interesting stories. It gets super exciting around episode 8, and I feel that it has a mix of Banana Fish, Kabukichou Sherlock, and Durarara vibes.

It might be due to the street atmosphere, gangs, detective work, and graphics, but if you like mysteries and gangster stuff, you’re going to love it.

4. I'm Standing on 1,000,000 Lives

This is another isekai kind of anime, and I like the main character a lot. He has a bit of an evil side, feels more real, and is not your typical isekai mc.

5. Talentless Nana

I am a bit conflicted about this one. At first, it felt like My Hero Academia (still does) in terms of characters, but the plot is a lot different. The ending of the first episode was so unexpected, and I think that’s how it got me even more interested to see how it was going to end. If you are familiar with the game Among Us, that’s basically how the plot feels like.

6. Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon

I feel that many of you don’t need any further explanation for this one, especially if you have watched Inuyasha. The plot follows the daughters of Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha: Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha, on their journey to recover their memories and past. I feel that many Inuyasha fans are dying to know what happened with their parents, so hopefully, it will be revealed soon.

7. Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World

A fight between the Empire and Nebulis, one knight from the Empire and one princess from Nebulis; Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World gives me Romeo and Juliet vibes. However, as a fan of the Shakespearean plays, I tend to love everything inspired by Romeo and Juliet or other of his masterpieces.

8. By the Grace of Gods

This anime also had a top spot on the Japan Top 10 popular series on Netflix, and I understood why the moment I gave it a try. It is another isekai type of anime, but it has this hokkori/healing effect that makes it so fun to watch. I recommend giving it a try if you are a fan of slice of life anime, as you’ll be loving this one for sure.

9. Sport Climbing Girls

For fans of sports series, this anime brings bouldering and rock climbing into the spotlight. Sports anime are probably my favorite type of anime, and this one is a must this season.

10. Somali and the Forest Spirit

Another type of healing/full of warmth slice of life anime is Somali and the Forest Spirit.

It is completed, has extraordinary art, and reminds me of the Studio Ghibli animations. The feels and the father/daughter connection the two of them have is so beautiful. It warms me up inside.

There are also new seasons of Haikyuu, Golden Kamuy, Fire Force, and Attack on Titan that appeared this fall, so I recommend checking them out too!

I chose to recommend the most recent series this year, but here are a couple more that you might want to check out:

Darwin’s Game, In/Spectre, Tower of God, Wave, Listen to Me, Sing "Yesterday" for Me, Arte, The God of High School, Gleinipir, and Great Pretender.

I hope you found my recommendations useful, and if you have any personal favorites, don’t forget to share them with us.