Remember, even the best anime is still anime; anime is still terrible.

--@bigjeffrey (R.I.P.)

Duders and Dudettes of Giant Bomb, welcome one and all to this relatively minimalist presentation of the 5^th annual Giant Bomb Anime Discussion vote for 2016 Anime of the Year! This was the year of the exclamation point! Multiple exclamation points!! One of the shows on this list even had eight of them!!!!!!!! Another had three!!! We’re really excited to see the results, so let’s get down to it!

[Note to all past and present English teachers: I am so sorry, please don’t break my writing hand. One of these days I'll write an actual blog post that isn't about this kind of poll.]

This time around 67 of you voted, plus 2 tossed-out troll votes, bringing us to a very nice total. Congratulations to those of you who voted, and hello to the lurkers out there who didn’t vote but are looking forward to the Top 10 list for recommendations on what to watch.

As before, votes were weighed depending on their placement on each ballot: first place gets 5, second place gets 4, third place gets 3, fourth place gets 2, and fifth place gets 1. If there are any ties among the weighted vote, the entry with the most unweighted votes wins. If there are still ties after that, then the tied choices share the ranking. Though titles and quote excerpts might have been edited for clarity, the votes for each show remain unchanged.

10) Haikyu!! (Season 3)

A kid scrapes together a sports team from otherwise reluctant students at their school. Though they face some troubles early on, they get it together and fight all the way to the championship. It is a classic sports story, but done with a boys’ volleyball team, and done very well.

9) KonoSuba (a.k.a. “Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo”)

After a nerd from our world dies trying to save a girl from a truck, he finds himself in another fantasy world, where suddenly the knowledge that was useless to him now makes him the greatest hero in his new life!

Actually, KonoSuba is more like the story of an irredeemable shithead, stuck in an adventuring party with three girls who drive him (and everyone else) insane, as they try to earn enough money to live a carefree lifestyle and incidentally end up having to fight the Demon King and his minions along the way. Surprisingly funny show that has caught on fire over here, to the point where the light novel and manga adaptations are making their way stateside.

Rather than presenting a dark, horror filled world in peril, that is in dire need of shining protagonists to save them, Konosuba presents a relatively peaceful world with a party of completely terrible (personality and in terms of adventuring ability) adventurers. --@hunter456285

8) Keijo!!!!!!

On one hand, it’s a great sports show featuring teamwork, determination, and fighting against incredible odds stacked against oneself to rise above the challenge and take home the trophy. On the other hand, this story takes place in an alternate universe where butt-sumo is serious business and humans can twist their bodies into MC Escher-esque shapes to knock out their competition. The ultimate distillation of shounen battle tropes packed into the butts of various types of anime girls.

After reading that summary, you should be able to guess whether or not you will like this show.

Keijo!!!!!!!! is the most fun I've had watching anime in a long time. --@slay3r1583

7) Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu

This one’s a bit difficult to explain, as Rakugo is a very Japanese style of comedic storytelling. Also, very few people seem to remember a different anime featuring rakugo performers as cute girls. However, in the sense that it provides a window into realistic adults dealing with each other as the main character seeks redemption both in his life and in his apprenticeship to a master of rakugo storytelling, it is a great show for those who prefer a slower-paced story.

A dense series featuring a uniquely Japanese sensibility to storytelling, unfortunately it's not something that's going to click with everyone. Subtle and detailed, those who enjoy reading between the lines will no doubt find this period piece worth the investment. --@zomgfruitbunnies

I had 0 expectations from this show and was immediately hooked on the first episode. It takes an insanely good voice actor to pull [off] a Rakugo performance in an animated medium. Hell, I didn't even know what Rakugo was before watching this show and now I really want to learn more about it. Watch this if you have any passing interest in the craft of voice acting. --@peregrin38

6) My Hero Academia

With more Western comic influences, My Hero Academia is the story of a boy who joins Professor Xavier’s Academy for Gifted…er, U.A. High School to train and battle with others who have special Quirks that can be harnessed for good, or evil. Despite being a powerless person at the start, the main hero slowly works his way up the ranks with help from an old mentor who gifts him the power of friendship. I’m only half-joking about that.

Oh hey will you look at that! You can make a light-hearted hero anime where the protagonist isn't as exciting as a cardboard box. --@zombiepie

My Hero Academia however builds a character that the viewer can become emotionally invested in, a boy who genuinely has a dream that is out of his reach due to factors out of his control. It is this slow journey, where he has to EARN (not handed, thus giving huge payoff) his power and acceptance by other heroes and the consistency between his personality and his actions that I found enthralling. --@hunter456285

HALFTIME!

To break from the Top 10 list for a moment, let's take a moment to honor Makiko Futaki. A longtime animator at Studio Ghibli, Futaki collaborated with Miyazaki on several films. Her last work before passing away in May 2016 was When Marnie Was There.

It's a good reminder that, as awesome and prolific as studio heads might be, they are nothing without the staff of hard-working animators behind them.

Back to the show, let's wrap it up with the Top 5.

5) ERASED (a.k.a. “Boku Dake ga Inai Machi”)

The story of a struggling manga artist who can shift back in time to help prevent disaster before it strikes must prevent the biggest disaster of his life: elementary school! Also, a serial killer who killed three of his classmates, and his own mother years later. Though this show got a bit of flak for having everything tie together a little too neatly by the end, it was still an interesting drama throughout. The show also featured a few actors more skilled in live-action roles than traditional anime voice-over roles, but they still gave very good performances for their respective characters in the anime.

4) Yuri!!! On Ice

A sports drama and romance story centered around figure skating, featuring a shy Japanese boy and his Russian rival/mentor who like each other very much as they aim for the top. The animation leaves a bit to be desired (especially in the later half of the show), but Yuri!!! on Ice has won the hearts of both anime fans and figure skaters alike, including actual US champion figure skater Johnny Weir:

3) Re:Zero

The Yang to the Yin of KonoSuba in this Top 10 list. Re:Zero is another story of a boy from our world who is tossed into a fantasy world and has to survive, but focuses on the idea of respawning after death in such a game world. Think of how terrifying/depressing it actually might be to go through that experience over, and over, and over, like in the manga “All You Need Is Kill” (or the movie “Edge of Tomorrow” if you want to see a Westernized version of the story with a happier ending).

Even so, much like other protagonists of this type of setting, our hero uses the knowledge gained from each time loop to do a bit of save-scumming, until he can earn some steadfast allies and search for a way back to his own world.

Re: Zero is a modern day classic. It will be talked about for years to come and I am glad I got to watch it while it was airing. --@daveyo520

2) JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable

Once again, the JoJo Bros push their franchise within striking distance of the podium, but not quite #1 yet.

The fourth story arc of the long-running JoJo series, and the one that supposedly provided a big influence for the plot of Persona 4. This one stars the third JoJo trying to hunt down both his younger half-uncle and a serial killer in a town half-full of people with their own Stand powers and a mythical bow-and-arrow that can supposedly create more. Unlike previous series, most of these Stand users are not looking for a fight and just want to live their live free of annoyances, but the musical references of the 80s and early 90s just continue to pile up, as do the dead bodies.

Jojo the only anime where time travelling David Bowie can be a bad thing --@kanpeki

#1 in my heart: Flip Flappers

The dazzle, the spectacle, the sheer amount of painstaking work that this show must have taken to have such colorful animation. It’s the story of two very best friends who end up travelling to different wonderous dreamworlds called “Pure Illusion,” with references from Miyazaki to Mad Max, in search of wish-granting crystals. Sure, the overarching story might be a little thin, but the rest of the show is so great that…

…wait, Flip Flappers just missed the Top 10? This is a travesty! It’s the Russian hackers! They’re everywhere somehow!

Okay, fine, we’ll finish with the real winner of the voting.

Presenting the official unofficial GBAD 2016 Anime of the Year

1) Mob Psycho 100

From the same mind that brought you last year’s winner One-Punch Man comes the new champion: an action-packed comedy featuring a very plain-looking boy who has an incredible hidden power. Enter Mob, so named because he is drawn like a background (“Mob”) character at first glance. Where OPM’s Saitama was able to punch his problems away while trying to be respected as a hero, Mob psychics his problems away while trying to be seen as a good, popular person.

Sure, he might quietly be one of the most powerful people on the planet, but Mob keeps trying to better himself every day without using his powers. Strangely enough, Mob is kept on the straight-and-narrow by a very crooked individual: fake exorcist for hire Arataka Reigen. Though his skills may be more suited for being a chiropractor, Arataka constantly teaches Mob to only use his powers for good, and never on other humans, though Arataka himself has no problems swindling them.

Of course, in contrast to OPM, the artwork is a bit simpler, to keep it more in line with that of the original webcomic. That doesn’t mean there aren’t epic battles or dramatic scenes to be found in this show, but the animation has a little more “budget” feel to it. However, that’s just a minor qualm in an otherwise fantastic show.

In sum, Mob Psycho 100 is your winner for 2016’s Best Anime of the Year, and well worth your time while you wait for the next season of One Punch Man to premiere.

One Punch Man but actually consequential […] Mob Psycho 100 has the same brand of humor, but also some heartfelt looks at feelings of inferiority and the importance of healthy emotional support. It has all of the silly potential that OPM did, but it takes it to a much more vulnerable place - and one that transcends the shounen tropes of "I want to be stronger." --@peregrin38

Mixing a distinct visual style with sharp, fluid animation, Mob Psycho is a feast for the eyes. One can knock it for the uninspired story or shallow characterization, but there's no denying this series is one hell of a fun trip. --@zomgfruitbunnies

Thank you all for making it to the end of this post! The raw vote totals are posted below, and the extra question responses will be addressed soon. Please pick up your chairs, toss any extra exclamation points in the marked bins on your way out, and feel free to leave a message in the comments about how perfect I am or why your show should have won.