PHJapanese message board website 2channel, or 2ch, had recently held their own polls and rankings for the top anime of 2014. After a week of deliberation, 2ch have compiled their top 50 anime from 2014. Do note that anime series from the Fall/Autumn 2014 anime season that are 2 cours/seasons long, ie. ending in 2015, are not included in the list. Conversely, anime that started in the Fall/Autumn 2013 anime season and ended in 2014 are included in the rankings.
So, what have the Japanese anime fans of 2ch voted as their top anime?
So, what have the Japanese anime fans of 2ch voted as their top anime?
50. Shounen Hollywood: Holly Stage for 49
Synopsis from MAL:
The anime will tell an original story set 15 years after the novel’s story.
It takes place at a fictional theater called Hollywood Tokyo in Harajuku, where members of the idol group “Shounen Hollywood” develop their talents with diligent work and studying.
49. Nobunaga Concerto
Synopsis from MAL:
Due to some unlikely events, Saburou is flung back in time to the Sengoku Era. In the past, he meets a young, but sickly Oda Nobunaga, one of Japan’s greatest warlords. Unable to shake Saburou’s uncanny resemblance to himself, Nobunaga asks Saburou to take his place as warlord. Equipped with knowledge from the modern era, will Saburou be able to unite Japan?
48. Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii
Synopsis from MAL:
Nike, the fourth princess of the Rain Dukedom and one who holds the power to call forth the rain, travels to the Sun Kingdom to marry Sun King Livius for her country, despite her own reluctance. She soon discovers that the King, who conquered the world in only three years after his ascendance to the throne, is still a child! Furthermore, for trivial reasons, he has demanded that Nike call forth the rain…?!
Synopsis from MAL:
The anime will tell an original story set 15 years after the novel’s story.
It takes place at a fictional theater called Hollywood Tokyo in Harajuku, where members of the idol group “Shounen Hollywood” develop their talents with diligent work and studying.
49. Nobunaga Concerto
Synopsis from MAL:
Due to some unlikely events, Saburou is flung back in time to the Sengoku Era. In the past, he meets a young, but sickly Oda Nobunaga, one of Japan’s greatest warlords. Unable to shake Saburou’s uncanny resemblance to himself, Nobunaga asks Saburou to take his place as warlord. Equipped with knowledge from the modern era, will Saburou be able to unite Japan?
48. Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii
Synopsis from MAL:
Nike, the fourth princess of the Rain Dukedom and one who holds the power to call forth the rain, travels to the Sun Kingdom to marry Sun King Livius for her country, despite her own reluctance. She soon discovers that the King, who conquered the world in only three years after his ascendance to the throne, is still a child! Furthermore, for trivial reasons, he has demanded that Nike call forth the rain…?!
47. Glasslip
Synopsis from MAL:
The daughter of a glass artisan family, Fukami Touko, spends relaxed days at a cafe called “Kazemichi” at a friend’s house. On the summer vacation of her third year in high school. In front of them appeared a transfer student boy: Okikura Kakeru. He told Touko that he can hear the voices of the future. If someone knew in advance what their future would look like, what would they wish for? While feeling never-before-felt tremors in herself, Touko realises that she has started getting a feeling in her heart which she can’t leave alone…
46. Kenzen Robo Daimidaler
Synopsis from MAL:
The comedy centers around a high school boy named Madanbashi Kouichi who has Hi-ERo particles, the power source to operate the robotic weapon Daimidaler.
With the help of Sonan Kyouko from the mysterious Prince Beauty Parlor organization, he stands up against the Penguin Empire that troubles humanity.
45. Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren
MAL synopsis:
Due to various events, Yuuta and Rikka are living together. This secret co-habitation is so exciting for the two lovebirds! Or so it should be…
Is having a chuuni girlfriend too high of a hurdle for Yuuta, who never even went out with a normal girl?! Yuuta worries about how to advance his relationship with Rikka. And then everyone else, Nibutani, Kumin, and Dekomori, have powered up by advancing a grade. Furthermore, the cause of his chuunibyou outburst in middle school, the girl who calls herself Sophia Ring Saturn the 7th, Satone Shichimiya appears…
This is the long-awaited second season of the adolescent romantic comedy revolving around chuunibyou that makes you laugh and cry.
44. Sora no Method
Synopsis from MAL:
It’s been seven years since an unusual saucer mysteriously appeared in the sky above Kiriya Lake. With no one knowing what this strange object was or where it came from, concern and panic spread amongst the people. But as time went on this occurrence went from oddity to tourist attraction. Before long, the world lost interest entirely, and the saucer remained nearly forgotten in the sky. Now, former resident Nonoka Komiya returns to the small town after seven years in Tokyo. With only vague memories of her time in the town, the appearance of a spritely girl named Noel causes Nonoka to slowly remember wishes she and four of her friends made in an old observatory.
43. Isshuukan Friends.
MAL synopsis:
Kaori Fujimiya is always alone because all of her happy memories, including time spent with her friends, disappear every Monday. Deciding that he wants to be friends with her anyway, Yuuki Hase tries to get close to Kaori each week, wishing that she would one day call him “a friend.”
42. Nourin
Synopsis from MAL:
When the national idol Kusakabe Yuka suddenly retired from the entertainment business, it shocked the world and it devastated teenager Hata Kosaku. Kosaku was Yuka’s biggest fan and her departure left him depressed. His classmates at the Tamo Agriculture School finally are able to get him to leave his room and attend his class, but to everyone’s amazement, Kusakabe Yuka (her stage name) comes into the class under the name Kinoshita Ringo as a transfer student. Kosaku realizes he has the once in a lifetime opportunity to get to personally know his dream girl and, together with his group of friends, try to find out why she is here and become closer than just classmates.
41. Silver Spoon
MAL Synopsis:
Yugo Hachiken dreams of life separated from his family, so he takes the initiative by enrolling in an agriculture school. He thinks, with his talent in studying, no problems will arise no matter what kind of school he attends. He is proven wrong very quickly. Raised as a city boy, he is forced to uncover the inconvenient truth about agricultural life. Enjoy the story of Hachiken, as he tries to keep up with his new friends, farmers’ heirs, who are already accustomed to the harsh world of farming. With no clear goals or understanding of farming life, how will Hachiken survive this new, cruel reality? The story of a sweat, tear, and mud-stained youth begins!
40. Uchuu Kyoudai
MAL Synopsis:
Mutta’s life has hit rock bottom. He’s been fired, blackballed from his profession and now he’s had to move back in with his parents. Meanwhile, his kid brother Hibito has been literally riding a rocket and training to be an astronaut. The same career Mutta once dreamed of. So, is it ever too late to go after your dreams? Through a little coercing and a bit of covert activity, Mutta’s family and friends can get his resume on the right desk, but from that point on it will be up to Mutta himself. Does he have what it takes to turn his life around and put his footprint on the moon? The first step on the highway to the stars is always the hardest, and in a job where crash and burn isn’t just a euphemism, it will be the biggest risk Mutta’s ever taken. But with the best support team ever, maybe he’ll find what he needs to rekindle the spark inside him and light the biggest candle of them all!
39. Buddy Complex
MAL Synopsis:
On the first day back after summer break, high-school student Aoba is attacked by a giant robot that appears out of the sky. As he’s pursued through the city, his classmate Hina appears in a robot of her own. She rescues him, and tells him cryptically that “Dio is waiting for you”, before she disappears. This begins Aoba’s new life as the pilot of the Free Treaty Alliance against the Great Zogiria Republic.
38. Saki: Zenkoku-hen
Synopsis from MAL:
Sequel to the Saki series covering the Inter High School Mahjong Championships.
Saki Miyanaga is a high school freshman who doesn’t like mahjong. Ever since she was a child, she would lose her New Year’s gift money during her family mahjong game. If she won, her parents would be upset, and if she lost, well, she lost. As a result, she’s learned to play in such a way that her score differential always remains ±0: not good enough to win, but not bad enough to lose. When we meet her, she’s being dragged to her school’s mahjong club by an old friend. How will a girl who hates mahjong, yet has become adept at the game as a result of her upbringing, survive in this environment?
37. Hitsugi no Chaika
MAL Synopsis:
Toru Acura is a 20-year-old retired soldier meandering through life post-war. He encounters Chaika Trabant, a 14-year-old sorceress carrying a coffin, and follows her in hopes of finding some semblance of meaning in his life again. The two are accompanied by Toru’s adopted sister Akari, the sole employed member of the group and thereby their source of sustenance.
36. Log Horizon
Synopsis from MAL:
By its eleventh expansion pack, the massively multiplayer online role-playing game Elder Tale has become a global success, having a following of millions of players. However, during the release of its twelfth expansion pack: Novasphere Pioneers, thirty thousand Japanese gamers who are all logged on at the time of the update, suddenly find themselves transported inside the game world and donning their in-game avatars. In the midst of the event, a socially awkward gamer called Shiroe along with his friends Naotsugu and Akatsuki decide to team up so that they may face this world which has now become their reality along with the challenges which lie ahead.
Synopsis from MAL:
The daughter of a glass artisan family, Fukami Touko, spends relaxed days at a cafe called “Kazemichi” at a friend’s house. On the summer vacation of her third year in high school. In front of them appeared a transfer student boy: Okikura Kakeru. He told Touko that he can hear the voices of the future. If someone knew in advance what their future would look like, what would they wish for? While feeling never-before-felt tremors in herself, Touko realises that she has started getting a feeling in her heart which she can’t leave alone…
46. Kenzen Robo Daimidaler
Synopsis from MAL:
The comedy centers around a high school boy named Madanbashi Kouichi who has Hi-ERo particles, the power source to operate the robotic weapon Daimidaler.
With the help of Sonan Kyouko from the mysterious Prince Beauty Parlor organization, he stands up against the Penguin Empire that troubles humanity.
45. Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren
MAL synopsis:
Due to various events, Yuuta and Rikka are living together. This secret co-habitation is so exciting for the two lovebirds! Or so it should be…
Is having a chuuni girlfriend too high of a hurdle for Yuuta, who never even went out with a normal girl?! Yuuta worries about how to advance his relationship with Rikka. And then everyone else, Nibutani, Kumin, and Dekomori, have powered up by advancing a grade. Furthermore, the cause of his chuunibyou outburst in middle school, the girl who calls herself Sophia Ring Saturn the 7th, Satone Shichimiya appears…
This is the long-awaited second season of the adolescent romantic comedy revolving around chuunibyou that makes you laugh and cry.
44. Sora no Method
Synopsis from MAL:
It’s been seven years since an unusual saucer mysteriously appeared in the sky above Kiriya Lake. With no one knowing what this strange object was or where it came from, concern and panic spread amongst the people. But as time went on this occurrence went from oddity to tourist attraction. Before long, the world lost interest entirely, and the saucer remained nearly forgotten in the sky. Now, former resident Nonoka Komiya returns to the small town after seven years in Tokyo. With only vague memories of her time in the town, the appearance of a spritely girl named Noel causes Nonoka to slowly remember wishes she and four of her friends made in an old observatory.
43. Isshuukan Friends.
MAL synopsis:
Kaori Fujimiya is always alone because all of her happy memories, including time spent with her friends, disappear every Monday. Deciding that he wants to be friends with her anyway, Yuuki Hase tries to get close to Kaori each week, wishing that she would one day call him “a friend.”
42. Nourin
Synopsis from MAL:
When the national idol Kusakabe Yuka suddenly retired from the entertainment business, it shocked the world and it devastated teenager Hata Kosaku. Kosaku was Yuka’s biggest fan and her departure left him depressed. His classmates at the Tamo Agriculture School finally are able to get him to leave his room and attend his class, but to everyone’s amazement, Kusakabe Yuka (her stage name) comes into the class under the name Kinoshita Ringo as a transfer student. Kosaku realizes he has the once in a lifetime opportunity to get to personally know his dream girl and, together with his group of friends, try to find out why she is here and become closer than just classmates.
41. Silver Spoon
MAL Synopsis:
Yugo Hachiken dreams of life separated from his family, so he takes the initiative by enrolling in an agriculture school. He thinks, with his talent in studying, no problems will arise no matter what kind of school he attends. He is proven wrong very quickly. Raised as a city boy, he is forced to uncover the inconvenient truth about agricultural life. Enjoy the story of Hachiken, as he tries to keep up with his new friends, farmers’ heirs, who are already accustomed to the harsh world of farming. With no clear goals or understanding of farming life, how will Hachiken survive this new, cruel reality? The story of a sweat, tear, and mud-stained youth begins!
40. Uchuu Kyoudai
MAL Synopsis:
Mutta’s life has hit rock bottom. He’s been fired, blackballed from his profession and now he’s had to move back in with his parents. Meanwhile, his kid brother Hibito has been literally riding a rocket and training to be an astronaut. The same career Mutta once dreamed of. So, is it ever too late to go after your dreams? Through a little coercing and a bit of covert activity, Mutta’s family and friends can get his resume on the right desk, but from that point on it will be up to Mutta himself. Does he have what it takes to turn his life around and put his footprint on the moon? The first step on the highway to the stars is always the hardest, and in a job where crash and burn isn’t just a euphemism, it will be the biggest risk Mutta’s ever taken. But with the best support team ever, maybe he’ll find what he needs to rekindle the spark inside him and light the biggest candle of them all!
39. Buddy Complex
MAL Synopsis:
On the first day back after summer break, high-school student Aoba is attacked by a giant robot that appears out of the sky. As he’s pursued through the city, his classmate Hina appears in a robot of her own. She rescues him, and tells him cryptically that “Dio is waiting for you”, before she disappears. This begins Aoba’s new life as the pilot of the Free Treaty Alliance against the Great Zogiria Republic.
38. Saki: Zenkoku-hen
Synopsis from MAL:
Sequel to the Saki series covering the Inter High School Mahjong Championships.
Saki Miyanaga is a high school freshman who doesn’t like mahjong. Ever since she was a child, she would lose her New Year’s gift money during her family mahjong game. If she won, her parents would be upset, and if she lost, well, she lost. As a result, she’s learned to play in such a way that her score differential always remains ±0: not good enough to win, but not bad enough to lose. When we meet her, she’s being dragged to her school’s mahjong club by an old friend. How will a girl who hates mahjong, yet has become adept at the game as a result of her upbringing, survive in this environment?
37. Hitsugi no Chaika
MAL Synopsis:
Toru Acura is a 20-year-old retired soldier meandering through life post-war. He encounters Chaika Trabant, a 14-year-old sorceress carrying a coffin, and follows her in hopes of finding some semblance of meaning in his life again. The two are accompanied by Toru’s adopted sister Akari, the sole employed member of the group and thereby their source of sustenance.
36. Log Horizon
Synopsis from MAL:
By its eleventh expansion pack, the massively multiplayer online role-playing game Elder Tale has become a global success, having a following of millions of players. However, during the release of its twelfth expansion pack: Novasphere Pioneers, thirty thousand Japanese gamers who are all logged on at the time of the update, suddenly find themselves transported inside the game world and donning their in-game avatars. In the midst of the event, a socially awkward gamer called Shiroe along with his friends Naotsugu and Akatsuki decide to team up so that they may face this world which has now become their reality along with the challenges which lie ahead.
