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Available on Netflix, The Way of the Househusband is a hilarious ONA series about a yakuza who trades his lead pipe for an apron. The Way of the Househusband slips in comfortably alongside some of the studio’s other works such as Excel Saga, Azumanga Daioh, and Slayers Revolution, all of which do not rank among J.C. Staff’s highest-rated shows on MyAnimeList.
Disclaimer: Shows will be limited to one season.
10 Revolutionary Girl Utena – 8.20
Revolutionary Girl Utena is not only one of J.C. Staff’s most beloved anime but also one of its most influential. A significant entry in the Magical Girl genre, Utena plays around with gender tropes and conventions as it follows the titular teenager as she seeks to be with the enigmatic Anthy Himemiya. Naturally, that involves a lot of fighting.
Revolutionary Girl Utena has aged well, both in terms of animation and story content. While the movie, Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Adolescence of Utena, is not quite as good as the series, it is still worth watching.
9 Toradora! – 8.21
Toradora!’s brilliance can be somewhat difficult to appreciate in 2021 since the anime’s ideas have become staples of the slice of life and romance genres. Permitting someone has a tolerance for tsundere characters, Toradora! delivers an emotionally satisfying story that starts out hilarious but then adopts a more serious tone.
The heart of the anime is the relationship between Ryuuji Takasu and Taiga Aisaka, two characters who are polar opposite in more ways than one. Taiga’s character development is particularly fantastic.
8 Little Busters! ~Refrain~ – 8.22
The first season of Little Busters! is a perfectly watchable slice of life anime with plenty of comedy, but it is slightly forgettable and disjointed. Refrain is an entirely different beast from its predecessor, taking far more risks both in terms of plot presentation and progression.
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Refrain still has moments of levity, but the likable characters are backed by some genuinely interesting ideas and themes. The second half of the season is especially strong.
7 A Certain Scientific Railgun T – 8.24
Even though A Certain Scientific Railgun S’s Sisters Arc is the best in the series, A Certain Scientific Railgun T is the only season that is consistently great. Centering around The Daihasei Festival, this season sees Mikoto Misaka forced to work with Misaki Shokuhou, a person she has nothing but contempt for.
A Certain Scientific Railgun T features fantastic animation, solid pacing, and plenty of thrilling moments. Mikoto is one of the best heroines in anime, and she is supported by a strong roster of characters.
6 Honey And Clover II – 8.25
Although hinted at in the first season, Honey and Clover II dives headfirst into its characters’ psyches as the five leads deal with an inescapable part of life: change. It makes for a rather different experience, one defined by direct and pressing drama rather than melancholy timelessness.
Honey and Clover II is a beautiful anime, the type that rarely comes along. It can produce tears, laughter, and anger, all of which feel completely earned.
5 Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma – 8.26
Food Wars! makes the act of cooking and eating seem like the greatest thing in the world. Unlike some of the subsequent entries in the series, Food Wars!’s first season is straightforward and all the better for it. Souma Yukihira takes his background in diner cooking to the Tootsuki Culinary Academy, a school that has no time for failures and an appreciation for fierce contests.
Food Wars! is hilarious, unapologetically over-the-top, and constantly exciting.
4 Nodame Cantabile – 8.31
Romance anime are a dime-a-dozen, but Nodame Cantabile manages to stand out from the crowd for two main reasons. Firstly, it expertly weaves music into the story as a way to bring the main couple closer together and further explore their relationship. The music is generally brilliant.
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Secondly, the two leads, Megumi Noda and Shinichi Chiaki, are flawed in ways that are realistic rather than artificially charming. Particularly in the first season of the show, Chiaki expresses genuine issues with Megumi’s behavior; in turn, this allows the latter to grow as a person. Megumi also influences Chiaki in similar ways.
3 The Disastrous Life Of Saiki K. 2 – 8.46
A contender for one of the funniest anime of all time, The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. follows an extremely powerful psychic and his attempts to keep a low profile. Unfortunately for Kusuo, he tends to attract some rather weird people.
Split into sketches, The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. boasts an extremely strong roster of secondary characters, all of which bring something unique to the table. Kusuo’s deadpan delivery serves as the perfect counter to Shun Kaidaou’s delusions of grandeur, Riki Nendou’s confident stupidity, and Kokomi Teruhashi’s two-faced majesty.
2 KONOSUBA -God’s blessing on this wonderful world!- Legend of Crimson – 8.51
A movie sequel to the anime series, KONOSUBA -God’s blessing on this wonderful world!- Legend of Crimson adds a touch of cinematic ambition to the show’s irreverent nature. A parody of isekai anime, Konosuba flips the typical tropes of the genre on their heads, particularly when it comes to its protagonist, Kazuma Satou.
KONOSUBA -God’s blessing on this wonderful world!- Legend of Crimson delivers plenty of laughs, but the madness on display also has some heart to it. The dynamic between Megumin and Kazuma is especially strong in the movie.
1 Bakuman. 3rd Season – 8.57
J.C. Staff’s crowning achievement might very well be the Bakuman. series, a show that provides a realistic look into the manga industry. In its third and final season, Bakuman. provides closure to all of its characters while retaining the slice-of-life tone that has always been a part of the series.
Lovable characters, strong comedy, and brilliant pacing are just a handful of the praises that can be given to this anime. Bakuman. might not be J.C. Staff’s most universally known series, but it is the studio’s best.
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