Like many people, this year has been rather busy for me for a variety of reasons both personal and practical. So rather than my usual arbitrary awards show with bespoke categories, I’ll just be going through all the anime I watched in 2020 in chronological order and giving each one the words I think they deserve, for either good or ill.
Big titted mommy dictators have taken over the government and banned war. Now all conflicts are settled through rap battles. We follow the stories of Japan’s four greatest rap crews.
Mankind is invaded by an otherworldly entity known only as The Pillars. With conventional weaponry failing to stop them, an individual claiming to be the god Odin bestows the human race with the power to fight back in the form of the Valkyrie; cute anime girls with magical planes.
Itadori Yuji is just a regular high school guy trying to live his ordinary high school life who also happens to have supernatural physical ability. When his friends get attacked by demons known as Curses, he takes a gamble on harnessing demonic power. I assume he will go on adventures and fight more Curses.
The God of High School tournament is held to determine the best fighter among Korea’s high school population. Mori Jin is a fight guy who meets another fight guy and fight girl. Presumably, they will fight more guys.
In a world devoid of music and under constant attack by monstrous creatures known as the Earless, Echo Rec is a boy who makes his living as a junk collector in his small town. One day, he stumbles upon a mysterious girl with an audio input jack on her body and no memories of her past. Turns out she possesses the rare ability of a Player, an individual capable of controlling mechs called Equipment. The two embark on a journey of self discovery.
An uneasy tension exists between humanity and beastmen, a divergent path of evolution who possess the ability to transform into animal people. Michiru Kagemori, a human girl who finds herself transformed into a tanuki, flees to Animacity, the free bastion of the beastmen. There, she seeks refuge and to discover the nature of her mysterious condition. Hijinks ensue.
Gee is determined to use this opportunity to talk about Granbelm as much as possible.
After the war, cybernetically enhanced super soldiers known as Extends struggle to reintegrate themselves into society. Their bodies modified to the point of barely resembling humans, they are powerful, dangerous, and sometimes unhinged. Often resorting to becoming criminals or mercenaries, the world has become rife with Extend related crime. Inui Juuzou is an Extend, with no memory of his past or how his entire head got replaced with a gun. Now he lives as a private eye, taking on Extend related cases.
Anthropomorphic herbivores and carnivores live together in a civilized world. After an herbivore student is found murdered and eaten at Cherryton Academy, old racial tensions flare up among the student body. In the middle of all this is a grey wolf named Legosi. Taciturn, awkward, but ultimately compassionate, he struggles with his own place in the world. While navigating the often complicated relationships between both herbivores and his own fellow carnivores, he meets two herbivores who will change his life forever. A dwarf rabbit named Haru and a red deer named Louis.
It is the dawn of the 11th century. Northern Europe is embroiled in conflict. Thorfinn is the son of a renowned Viking warrior. In a violent world, he only knows violence. But legend tells of a land far to the west, peaceful and verdant, known as Vinland. This is the story of a young man’s desperate struggle to escape the violence that has defined his entire life.
Kohinata Mangetsu is a regular high school student with a cheery attitude. However, one night when the full moon is out, she finds herself transported to another dimension where magic girls fight in a battle royale with mecha called Armanox. The prize? The inheritance of all the world’s magic, which was sealed away 1000 years ago. Kohinata is now in possession of her own Armanox, finds herself thrown into the fray.
When Sakura Hibki’s love of habitual snacking starts to put on pounds, she signs up at her local gym. Only problem? Her classmate Akemi’s muscle fetish and the gym’s…hardcore clientele. And so Sakura embarks on her journey to achieving physical wellness through lifting hard and heavy.
In a world where fairies and humans live among each other, some humans have gained the ability to summon a fairy partner as a weapon. After a long war, many of these users, known as “Fairy Soldiers,” reintegrated into society in a variety of ways, from government service to organized crime. Maria is searching for her long lost childhood friend, Veronica, and in the process ends up gaining the power to summon her own fairy. Faced with potential imprisonment, she joins the government organization “Dorothea,” tasked with responding to fairy related crimes.
The Kotobuki Squadron are mercenary pilots for hire, flying their Hayabusa fighters in a vaguely apocalyptic frontier. There they fight it out with sky pirates and enemy aces in remarkably accurate dogfights.
Asuka Otori is the former leader of the Magical Five, a squad of magical girls who saved the world from a supernatural menace. Having left that life behind, she struggles to fit into peacetime. But when a new threat appears to endanger the world, she may be forced to once again take up arms to protect humanity.
On a distant planet, Princes Yuki Soleil ascends to the throne of Hariant. By her side is her faithful bodyguard and confidante Joshua. Like most 12 year old monarchs, Yuki struggles with the responsibilities of leadership, even in a kingdom as saccharine as hers. However, rumblings on the border they share with the Empire of Grandiga may bring their idyllic peace crashing down. Also there are mechs.
Gee you can’t just make up awards as an excuse to praise whatever you feel like.
We continue across the sea of stars, where Gee and Iro watch the seminal 1988-1997 Legend of the Galactic Heroes OVA a few episodes at a time. Keep an eye out for this podcast between main installments of The GLORIO Chat as we work our way through the history books. This time: Episodes 25-26, and Season 1 roundup!
After his father’s death, Masaru Saiga inherits 18 billion yen, making him the target of dark forces using powerful combat puppets. While on the run, he meets Narumi Kato, a kung fu practitioner with a strange illness and Shirogane, a servant who’s sworn to serve Masaru’s family. Shirogane wields the powerful puppet, Arlequin, against those that would attempt to harm Masaru.
