As the title indicates, in this post I'm going to list my favorite animated shows created in the past five years. Before you start reading however, there's one thing I like to make absolutely clear:
This list is entirely subjective, naturally. It only includes shows that I've seen and, more importantly, liked. If a show isn't on the list I haven't seen it, or it simply wasn't my thing.
Now, with that of the way, let's get to the interesting stuff. Enjoy!
Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated - I've already written about this show here , so if you want a more detailed review of it, I recommend clicking the link. Suffice to say that this is Scooby Doo made for those of us who like our cartoons with character development and on-going story-arcs. The first half of season 1 was dragged down a bit by a really unnecessary and bizarre love-triangle between Shaggy, Scooby and Velma, but aside from that unfortunate subplot, Mystery Incorporated was a great series. I especially enjoyed how the show starts out much like any Scooby Doo show with the gang solving mysteries involving guys dressed up as monsters and such, only for the stakes to gradually become much higher, until, the finale in which our heroes has to prevent the apocalypse. All this and the fact that this show gave us Prof. Pericles, one of the best villains I've ever seen in an animated show, is enough to make me declare Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated as the high point of this long-running franchise and frankly, I doubt that will change anytime soon.
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic - I avoided this show for the longest time, mostly due to all the massive hype it got, but also because, well, it's My Little Pony and that's a franchise I've never been into. However, eventually, I decided give the show a chance and I don't regret it. Friendship Is Magic could easily have been crap; an insipid show designed only to sell toys to young girls. Fortunately, it's anything but. The show is cute without being saccharine, doesn't talk down to it's target audience and, most importantly, is genuinely funny. In other words, it's everything a good kid's show should be.
Gravity Falls - Hands down my favorite Disney cartoon since Gargoyles. Gravity Falls is basically kids-friendly version of Twin Peaks or The X-Files. It has a great mix between stand-alone episodes and an on-going story-arc/mystery and it features what is by far my favorite opening-sequence of any show on this list. The second season airs on August 1st and I for one can't wait.
Archer - This list isn't really in any particular order. However, if it was, Archer would almost certainly take the top spot.It's my favorite animated comedy series since The Venture Brothers.In fact, the two shows do share certain similarities, such as continuity between episodes and a cast of characters that somehow manages to be both complete fuck-ups and surprisingly competent, sometimes at the same time. The main character himself is perhaps the best example of this; Sterling Archer is pretty much James Bond with all of Bond's less appealing traits cranked up to eleven for comedic value, and yet, he's also a genuinely good field-agent. Something which makes him more interesting a character than if he was only a deluded nitwit. Here's hoping we get to follow Sterling and the rest of the misfits in ISIS for at least a few more years.
Armed Librarians: The Book of Bantorra - If there was any show on this list that I think deserves to be more well-known it would be Bantorra.Not only is the premise behind the show interesting, but it's also one of the rare anime I've seen in which a character appearing in the OP is not necessarily a guarantee for said character's survival. In short, Bantorra is a show that's not afraid to take risks or shake things up, which is always a plus in my book. Add to that the presence of a great anti-hero in Hamyuts Meseta and you have a highly underrated series.
Adventure Time -Landon of Mecha-Guignol once described Adventure Time as David Lynch and H.P. Lovecraft by way of Max Fleischer. That's pretty much the most apt description I've seen of this cartoon. Adventure Time is just filled to the brim with weird, surreal and creepy imagery, all of which I'm sure has kept at least a few kids (and possibly some adults) up at night. I also like the development given to some of the characters, such as Marcelline and The Ice-King, not to mention the fact that the show takes place post-apocalypse. I haven't watched all of Adventure Time, but what I've seen of the show has impressed me enough to earn it a place among my favorites.
Young Justice - Another great cartoon from the mind of Greg Weisman. Although not quite at the same level as some of his previous shows like Gargoyles or Spectacular Spider-Man, this was still a damn fine superhero-show. It's a rotten shame it got canceled after only two seasons.
From the New World - I should warn the reader that although the main characters in From The New World start out as children, this is not for the faint of heart. In fact, this is probably the darkest show on this list, being as far from Friendship is Magic as you can get. iI's also the most well-plotted (which may have something to do with the fact that it was adopted from a novel) with a great, suspenseful story set in an intriguing world, whose secrets are revealed gradually to the viewer. If there's anything negative I can say about this show, than it would be that the animation quality is pretty uneven, but the quality of the plot makes up for it.
Wakfu - Video-game adaptions tend to be rather hit and miss (with the misses far outstripping the hits, to be perfectly frank). One exception to this rule, however, is Wakfu. Now, I haven't actually played the game the show is based on (according to Wikipedia, it's a MMORPG), but that did not in any way take away from my enjoyment of the show itself. Wakfu is simply the best 'group of strangers band together in order to save the world' adventure series I've seen since Avatar: The Last Air-Bender. The characters are great, especially the antagonist of the show's first season, Nox, who is as compelling as any villain I've seen in fiction. The first few episodes after the two-part introduction can be a bit rocky (I recommend skipping the Miss Ugly episode entirely), but as a whole Wakfu is an immensely enjoyable series.
Lupin III: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine - The most recent series in the Lupin III franchise, this time focusing not on the master-thief himself, but instead on his female colleague/rival, Fujiko Mine.Stylistically, The Woman Called Fujiko Mine looks completely different from any other Lupin III series and some people may find the sketchy art-style the characters are drawn in to be off-putting. Personally, I loved it. This show is a great example of how you can revitalize an old franchise and make it fresh while still keeping all the ingredients that made it a success in the first place.
Regular Show - To be perfectly honest I can't think of much to write about Regular Show. It pretty much speaks for itself and you either like it or you don't (obviously, I'm in the first camp). The show can be a bit formulaic at times, especially in the first season. However, it is consistently funny and definitely one of the better Cartoon Network shows I can think of at the moment. That said, I do have a slight preference for the episodes that break away from the usual "Mordecai and Rigby screw things over due to their habitual laziness" -shtick.
Shin Mazinger Shougeki Z Hen - I'm not as into mecha/giant robot anime as I used to be, but there are a few shows in that genre that I still enjoy, one of those shows is Giant Robo, which still stands out as one of the best OVA ever made. Shin Mazinger Shougeki Z Hen is from the same guy who directed Giant Robo and it shows. Both series operate on a vast, almost mythological scale, with larger-than-life heroes and villains battling each other in order to decide the fate of the world. However, Mazinger has one thing that Robo did not; Baron Ashura. Kojiro may be the nominal hero of the show, but it's really Ashura who drives the plot. In the end, Shin Mazinger is his/her story and I've always had a soft spot for stories that focused on the villain. That and the ending is one of the most memorable ones I can think of in an anime. If you've seen the show, you know what I mean.
Psycho-Pass - One of two Gen Urobuchi shows on this list and to be honest, much as I enjoyed Madoka, I must admit to having a slight preference for this one. This is i largely thanks to Akane, whom I found to be a far more interesting protagonist than Madoka. She's not the only reason Psycho-Pass is here though; the rest of the cast does a great job as well. Particularly the antagonist, Shogo Makishima, who does make some legitimately good points about how massively screwed-up the system is, even if his methods are heinous. If you are in the mood for a really good cyber-punk police-show/conspiracy thriller à la Ghost in the Shell: Stand-Alone Complex, than Psycho-Pass is a must-watch.
Puella Magi Madoka Magica - To be honest, I'm no expert when it comes to the magical girl genre. I watched Sailor Moon as a kid, read some issues of W.I.T.C.H. and tried a few episodes of Princess Tutu, but ended up dropping it, since I found it to be to repetitive (I might give it another chance though). As such, I'm not really qualified to say if Madoka is a ground-breaking work that changed the genre (the Evangelion of magical girl anime, if you want) or not. That said, Puella Magi Madoka Magica is definitely among the best anime I've seen recently; featuring a strong plot which rapidly goes into pretty dark territory, without it feeling gratuitous and some really great visuals (the witches and their labyrinths are particularly interesting to look at, being surreal and nightmarish, as they should be). The only criticism of the show that I can think off-hand is the fact that I didn't find Madoka herself to be all that interesting, until the end of the show that is. Thankfully, the supporting cast more than make up for her. Kyuubey in particular is a great creation being a subversion of the typical magical girl-pet á la Luna of Sailor Moon fame. His adorable look and cute demeanor becomes more and more disturbing as the truth behind him and his plans for the magical girls are revealed to both the characters themselves and the viewer.
So, there you have it. I may make a sequel to this post where I talk about the shows that almost made it, but were left out for one reason or another. Don't hesitate to tell me what you think in the comment-section.
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