by While seasonal watchers are busy watching winter season 2021, binge-watchers are still reaching for shows from the last year. So without further ado today we will be counting down our top 10 shows from fall 2020 you need to watch.
10. Taisho Samurai (The Gymnastics Samurai)
Genre: Sports
Length: 11 Episodes
Release Date: 11th October, 2020
Coming in at number 10 on our list of top 10 anime of fall 2020 – Taisou Samurai, an original anime by Mappa, written by Shigeru Murakoshi and directed by Hisatoshi Shimizu. Character designs were created by Kasumi Fukagawa, and the music is composed by Masaru Yokoyama(Fruits Basket, Fate/Apocrypha, Your Lie in April).
Despite its shinobi-like sword-action vibed title, Taisho Samurai is actually a slice-of-life sports anime series that follows the story of an almost retired middle-aged Olympic silver medalist gymnast who deals with daily struggles and hardships as he aims for another medal in the Olympics for his own and his daughter’s sake.
Why should you watch it you ask?
Well!
Unlike many other titles we see in the anime sports category nowadays, Taisou Samurai brought something new to the genre this year-a show about gymnastics from a professional player’s perspective and how he manages his social life and family as he continues to pursue a career in gymnastics.
If you are a gymnast you can relate to it to a certain point I’m sure as many gymnasts said so in their review, and even if you are not a gymnast or sports fan, if you love to explore different types of the subgenre of anime or just want to watch a decent wholesome show then just give it a go.
9. Maoujou de Oyasumi (Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle)
Genre: Slice of Life, Comedy, Supernatural, Magic, Fantasy, Shounen
Length: 12 Episodes
Release Date: 6th October, 2020
Who doesn’t adore a comfy sleep on a high quality hypoallergenic quilted-top mattresses on an extra-large bed with the duvet pulled up to the neck and soft cuddly luxury linens goose feather pillows by his side in a window open big, large castle!
We all do right?!
Then you need to check out Sleepy Princess. It is about a cute little princess who was abducted and imprisoned by the demon king, and her quest to sleep well while imprisoned in the noisy dank gloomy cell of the demon castle.
Sounds interesting, doesn’t it?! Well, go check it out. With such a simple theme and setting, the series was able to balance a wholesome comedy that will brighten up your mood up in a second. MAL has an average score of 8:03 for the series.
8. Tonikaku Kawai (TONIKAWA: Over the Moon For You)
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Shounen
Length: 12 Episodes
Release Date: 3rd October, 2020
You never know what fate has in store for you. If you let your guard down, it could cost you everything. Doesn’t matter if it’s just to get a glimpse of a cute girl on the opposite side of the road or some silly promise from years ago. Fate is never fair. It’s like you are caught in a current much stronger than you are; struggle against it and you’ll drown but if you swim with it. and you’ll survive.
Despite the serious tone in the first half, Tonikaku Kawai is actually a rom-com drama that tells the story of a couple who had a strange first meeting (which I won’t tell you now, might spoil you from enjoying the first episode) and ended up together with an irreplaceable bond between them in a twist of fate.
If you are a rom-com fan, you definitely won’t regret watching this one. It might be your favorite rom-com series of the year. Nasa Yuzaki & Tsukasa Yuzaki from TONIKAWA: Over The Moon For You won the best couple award at the 2021 Crunchyroll Anime Awards.
7. Munou na Nana (Talentless Nana)
Genre: Psychological, Shounen, Super Power, Supernatural, Thriller
Length: 13 Episodes
Release Date: 4th October, 2020
If you are familiar with the popular game Among Us and liked the settings and theme of the game (like me who spend half of the quarantine time playing Among Us with my friends). Then you probably might wanna check out Talentless Nana from fall 2020.
It’s not ripped off work from among us or anything but it did boost the settings of the game in a way that it almost feels like a My Hero Academia and Danganroppa amalgam with some psychological suspense thrown in. Now if you aren’t familiar with the game Among Us or My Hero Academia or even Danganroppa, it will still pique your interest as a decent thriller shounen series with a female lead in the action. You should check it out.
6. Golden Kamuy Season 3
Genre: Action, Adventure, Historical, Seinen
Length: 12 Episodes
Release Date: 5th October, 2020
Golden Kamuy is one among the lesser known gems in the anime community. And it truly deserves more attention than it has been getting so far.
Written and illustrated by Satoru Noda, it explores the story of Saichi Sugimoto, a veteran of the early twentieth century Russo-Japanese War, and his quest to find coveted chests of gold of the Ainu people, helped by a young Ainu girl named Asirpa.
If you are looking for something more than just a decent story to add to your watch list, then Golden Kamuy may be the show you want to add up now. With a compelling plot and rich characters and casts, the series dived deep into the history of the Ainu people, and when we say history we are talking about real history. They even have Hiroshi Nakagawa, an Ainu language linguist from Chiba University to supervise the Ainu language in the story. In addition to that, the series won the ninth Manga Taishō award in 2016, the 22nd Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prize in the Grand Prize category in 2018, and the Social Impact Award at the 24th Japan Media Arts Festival in 2021.
Now for those of you who were complaining about the use of CGI in the show or were simply just not able to vibe in with the Ainu culture that you dropped it in the first season, trust me the more season it passed, the more interesting it became in quality.
5. Majo no Tabitabi (Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina)
Genre: Adventure, Magic, Fantasy
Length: 12 Episodes
Release Date: 2nd October, 2020
From fantasy fields of flowers to the city of sorcery, in a magical world of fairy tales where gnomes, witches, magicians, fairies and elves live in harmony, she flies across the realm, she travels from one country to another, looking to sate her inquisition and in search of new experiences.
And just who could this beautiful lady with ashen hair fluttering to the point when even the sun squints from the brilliance of her beauty and talent be?
She is Ashen Witch Elaina!!
Elaina finally ventures out to see the world, in which she meets many people along the way, learning about their various stories. Through all of this, she explores the world at its fullest—experiencing both its bright and dark sides—starting her legendary tale.
And to become a part of her tale you need to watch Majo no Tabitabi or in English Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina. It’s perfect if you are looking for something lighthearted to chill around with a decent magic fantasy drama adventure in it.
4. Yuukoku no Moriarty (Moriarty the Patriot)
Genre: Mystery, Historical, Psychological, Shounen
Length: 11 Episodes
Release Date: 11th October, 2020
On one hand an outstanding mysterious gripping story, on the other hand playing loose with the element of suspended disbelief, Yūkoku no Moriāti by Ryōsuke Takeuchi is a must-watch series for anyone who likes to experience mustache twirly artistic tale of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes series from Machiavellian criminal mastermind Moriarty’s perspective.
Though personally for me it was slightly bit disappointing that the author was trying to make Moriarty look good by making the person he kills preposterously evil, but I will highly recommend you to watch to find your own opinion of the series.
3. Akudama Drive
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi
Length: 12 Episodes
Release Date: 8th October, 2020
In a futuristic modernized world, where cybernetic screens litter the neon landscape, a group of a cute swindler, a psychopath cutthroat, a wacky brawler, a professional handsome courier, a crazy doctor, a genius hacker, and finally a young blackmailer who has lived his whole life as a ne’er-do-well making ruckus in the bustling metropolis of Kansai with all the cops and executioners behind them.
How amazing and wild that sounds?! Super crazy right?
With classic cyberpunk aesthetic design and eye orgasmic animation and smooth fights, it will hook you up for a binge ride. Go watch it.
2. Haikyuu!!: To the Top 2nd Season
Genre: Comedy, Sports, Drama, School, Shounen
Length: 12 Episodes
Release Date: 3rd October, 2020
With how much hype Haikyuu!! has around it right now, it should be no surprise that it’s at no 2 in our list of top 10 anime of fall 2020.
Though a lot of manga readers will tell you how most scenes in S4 felt more engaging in the manga and has better pacing than the animated counterpart, it is still a must-watch for any sports anime fan out there.
While the S4 was not all flawless, but the production committee did a great job. Especially Yuki Hayashi and his diverse composition that brought life to the characters. As from the animation’s point of view, it also contained really good scenes like Tanaka’s cross, Kenma’s effort, Hinata’s receive, Shinsuke’s dig and Miya Twins Quick Minus Tempo Back attack and so many more, considering that the new director for season 4 was Masako Satou, and this was only her second experience as a series director, it makes sense.
1. Jujutsu Kaisen
Genre: Action, Demons, Supernatural, School, Shounen
Length: 24 Episodes
Release Date: 3rd October
Jujutsu Kaisen was one of the, if not the most hyped series that most have been anticipating since the start of 2020, and when it arrived after the lackluster summer in fall, it certainly did not disappoint. From beautifully choreographed action sequences to well-executed animations it managed to quench the thirst of power progression with tight action fantasy shounen scripts and characters that it went on to win the 2021 anime of the year at Crunchyroll Anime Awards.
Adapted by Studio MAPPA, who did a fantastic job of animating the series to a near Ufotable level animation quality, you definitely owe it to yourself to watch this super-hyped series.
So, there you go our list of top 10 anime of fall 2020. What do you think ? Leave a comment below.
