BanG Dream! It's MyGO!!!!!

-Bang Dream (without ARGONAVIS)

Explicitly Cannon Couples and Hard Subtext Shows. Subtext shows listed here have substantial content and not just a little bit of teasing here and there. Subtext can also be an unspoken focal point of the series. These are shows I can actually recommend and like enough to suggest checking out.

-some popular shows in here simply worth mentioning because it would be criminal not to mention them.

link to part 2: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/47086

Anime that great and not popular enough

Anime in the CGDCT genre that subverts traditional expectations of the genre as the pure formula of a show about the plotless everyday life of cute teen girls.

This collection has:
1. K-On!
2. Bocchi the Rock!
3. BanG Dream!
4. Every Love Live! Series

This stack is made according to the collective will of the 5ch users. Basically each person makes their own list of the top 5 anime of the year, where the first places receive a certain score and in the end all the points are added up to choose the winner.

Since the vast majority of users are Japanese, some notable discrepancies can be felt by Western fans.

Up to date as of Feb 13, 2023.

Update Apr 9, 2023:
"BanG Dream! It's MyGO!!!!!" announced for summer 2023

June 24, 23:
"BanG Dream! It's MyGO!!!!!" added, airs June 29.

This stack is intended for a show that premiered and peaked in popularity during the so-called Generation Z, and was also largely intended for this audience (people born between 1997 and 2012). Accordingly, the list also includes updated versions of classic franchises for modern audiences.

If I missed anything, including among the upcoming hyped adaptations, feel free to PM me about it.

The most prominent signs or clichés of anime for the zoomer audience:

* Return to the topic of confrontation between adolescents and adults who do not understand them and the conflict of individualism against collectivism in general.
* More progressive content, expanded focus on feminism, environmentalism, LGBTQ friendliness and awareness of many other social topics, etc.
* More female (especially in previously more or less male franchises) or unusual development of male protagonists, expansion of the role and writing of female characters in general.
* Increased attention to the realities of modern life like gadgets, social networks (Internet) and modern pop culture in general.
* A greater focus on psychological experiences of characters and the spread of awareness about the importance of mental health
* More original attempts to update some old genres or trends. And of course, actively abuse the most successful.
* More adaptations of non-standard sources or topics like Korean manhwa or Chinese games.

P.S. The list is constantly updated depending on the emergence of new significant anime or the loss of relevance of old ones.

Derived from AniFem's seasonal recommendations and top picks for 2023

See the website for their pros and cons per title:
https://www.animefeminist.com/anime-feminist-recommendations-of-winter-2023/
https://www.animefeminist.com/anime-feminist-recommendations-of-spring-2023/
https://www.animefeminist.com/anime-feminist-recommendations-of-summer-2023/
https://www.animefeminist.com/anime-feminist-recommendations-of-fall-2023/
https://www.animefeminist.com/anime-feminists-top-picks-for-2023/

Scott Pilgrim Takes off was also among the top picks, but is not listed on MAL

See also:
Parts 1-6
https://myanimelist.net/stacks/17514
https://myanimelist.net/stacks/17515
https://myanimelist.net/stacks/18757
https://myanimelist.net/stacks/18755
https://myanimelist.net/stacks/18995
https://myanimelist.net/stacks/18999
Manga Recs
https://myanimelist.net/stacks/17520
https://myanimelist.net/stacks/28358
https://myanimelist.net/stacks/28535
Chatty AF
Anime
https://myanimelist.net/stacks/22027
Manga
https://myanimelist.net/stacks/25862
https://myanimelist.net/stacks/25883
https://myanimelist.net/stacks/26994
https://myanimelist.net/stacks/27949

This stack is intended for non-shoujo or josei shows that have a female protagonist while avoiding the traditional objectification, sexualization, or other possible issues in portraying female characters in male or gender-neutral shows. It may still be somewhat problematic or not fit the ideal female representation, but at least it's not related to ecchi or waifu bait things.

I also tried to bypass all-female shows whenever possible, since most of them are objectified and they would be enough for 2-3 more separate lists.

This stack is for relatively realistic Slice of Life anime that depicts the daily life of the characters quite realistically and lacks excessive moe or other idealization/objectification of the social groups shown. Of course, taking into account the genre and premise of anime. For example, I defined Hibike as realistic since it's a rather visualy metaphorical anime, but didn't include many other CGDCT shows due to the "girl's zoo" premise.


If you know of other realistic shows that I have not mentioned, then feel free to write me about it in private messages or on the wall.

You may be wondering, what is "autistic-coded?" is it the same as head canons, what is it? Well, no, autistic-coded is a term to refer to a character in media who, intentionally or not, is written in a way that can be deemed as them having autism. Most autistic-coded characters have multiple autistic traits. If these characters were a real person, they'd probably be diagnosed with ASD.

Most autistic people look to autistic-coded characters instead of canonical characters for representation. Why? autistic rep is not only extremely rare in media, its also most of the time not done correctly.

In this stack I will be adding characters who I deem to possibly be autistic-coded, some people may disagree but that's ok! I respect their opinions.

note this stack is a work in progress as I plan to give reasons why i believe these characters are autistic-coded

basically anime with lots of great female characters in them

Updates:
-- started Post-season
-- added Clockwork Dandy Noodles awards
-- added Otaku Spirit best of

Updates:
-- Mid-season update: Otaku Spirit, ViniiTube, Echidnut, AH Brandon Reviews
-- added Chibi Reviews discussion of ZOM 100 production problems

=-=-=

This stack consolidates watch recommendations for Summer 2023 from several YouTube critics/commentators. URLs are frowned upon in stacks so go to YouTube and search if you want to watch the videos. Or you can watch them at this blog post:
https://myanimelist.net/blog.php?eid=900154

Mother's Basement (Geoff Thew) 1.32M subs: "Beat the Summer heat (and smoke) with the best new anime of the season!" MB only mentions his top 10 recommendations but includes a "bargain bin" with what amount to runners-up. In this stack, if MB is not in the description, then the show did not make his list. Returning or continuing shows are not included in his review. If you want to see his tier list for all shows, look for the Basement Life video noted below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YwoExo6hi4

Glass Reflection (Tristan Gallant) 582K subs: GR provides his first reaction to all the new seasonal anime in terms of whether he will be watching them: "Toss" those he is not interested in; "Hold" pending further judgment; "Keep" the ones to watch. GR watches at least the first episode of each show. Returning or continuing shows are not included in his review.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZiu3gHb-eA

Garnt 477K subs: "I Watched EVERY Anime in Summer 2023". Garnt's rating system: "Must watch" for shows he will be watching for sure; "three episodes" for shows that catch his eye but don't yet rate a full season commitment; "one episode" for shows he will give a chance; "skip" for those shows he is not planning to watch. Garnt passes judgment based on the show description and trailer. The review video is a 38 minute edit of a five hour (!) livestream. A few of the shows were cut from the edit, presumably because they were rated Skip without much fanfare.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-95z9B2pY4I

Gigguk 3.52M subs: "Summer Anime 2023 in a Nutshell". Garnt and Gigguk are the same person - I don't know the channels well enough to tell the difference. This video is a rundown of shows this season with often snarky commentary, but unlike the others supporting this stack, there is no systematic evaluation. I do enjoy the snark so I'll try to capture some of it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfrZW6JVWvA

AH Brandon Reviews 59.4K subs: "What Will Brandon Watch Summer of Anime 2023". Brandon makes YouTube videos for shows that he enjoys watching and that pique the interest of his community. He will drop shows that either don't meet expectations or don't generate interest from his community. Brandon's subscriber count is modest compared to the others here, but his tastes and sensibilities are similar to my own so his review is included here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlZW-38sxiI

414Anime 151K subs: "DO NOT MISS These Summer 2023 Anime". 414Anime mostly makes listicle-type videos. Given his subscriber count, I guess people like these lists. His review doesn't include popular returning anime like Jujustu Kaisen. I will simply list 414Anime under the show if they make his list.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mI4rpLf1PPk

Animeology 182K subs: "Top 10 Best New Anime For Summer 2023". Animeology also mostly makes listicle-type videos. This review contains 10 shows in rank order: 1 > 10. For each show, I'll just note the rank order (not too sure how a Summer 2023 top 10 list exists without Bleach).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7ZAtaM2HU4

Basement Life (also Geoff Thew) 39.3K subs: "I Ranked EVERY Anime of Summer 2023". This is a side-channel for Mother's Basement. The MB review listed the top 10 in no particular order. This review is a tier list for *all* anime this season. In my opinion, this is a pretty good assessment across the board, but beware, this is a 56 min video. Tiers: Banger > Good > Ok > Mid > Bad > Trash. Thew uses "Trash" to mean a show could be real trash, but also could be "good trash" in that people with specific tastes might enjoy it. A nicely animated harem anime might qualify as "good trash". For each show, I'll simply note the tier level.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teAfAC7U84s

I will interject in a few cases but for the most part, the focus is on the recommendations from the YouTube commentators.

=-=

Just eyeballing the consensus amongst the critics, these are the shows to watch, in alpha order.

Three returning heavy hitters:
* Bleach
* Jujutsu Kaisen
* Mushoku Tensei

Plus five new shows:
* Dark Gathering
* Reborn as a Vending Machine
* Reign of the Seven Spellblades
* Undead Murder Farce
* Zom 100

=-=-=- Mid-season Update -=-=-=

I'll add to this stack as more mid-season and post-season reviews roll in.

Otaku Spirit 14.4K subs: "Does Japan Love Your Favorite Anime? Summer 2023 Anime Ranking!" Contrasting anime popularity in Japan and the West using popular ranking systems and sites such as MAL and Anilist. I added the mid-season rankings for the top 10 on MAL and Anilist to the appropriate shows. I skipped the long-running and carry-over shows on the MAL "Top Airing" list (why is Eminence in Shadow still on the Top Airing list?). The other lists OS cites are: Anikore (Anilist equivalent), Akiba Souken, NicoNico Video (Japanese YouTube equivalent), and Dimora (weekly TV rankings). I don't read Japanese so I am going strictly and only by what OS says about these sites. He doesn't cover every ranking so if he doesn't talk about it, it is "n/a". A show that doesn't have a ranking was not mentioned at all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0eFWSpLRUw&t=201s

ViniiTube 1.06M subs: "Top 10 Best New Anime of Summer 2023". This is a mid-season Top 10 list of the best non-sequel shows. ViniiTube mostly produces listicle-type videos. The anime are described in order from 10 to 1, 1 being best. I've noted the placement in the appropriate description.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrbFBAfVx1s

Echidnut 241K subs: "Ranking the Best Anime in Summer & Spring 2023 (Tier List)". Tier list using TierMaker. Standard tiers: God > S > A > B > C > D. I only noted tiers for the Summer shows.

=-=-=- Post-season Update -=-=-=

Otaku Spirit 17.1K subs: "Best Anime of the Summer 2023 Season!". Top 10. "... unfortunately this season where we've seen a really big gap between the good and the bad."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqJp0ZqHwm0

Clockwork Dandy Noodles 719 subs: "Top 3 Summer Anime 2023! Summer Anime Awards!". More than three awards but I only noted the Top 3.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jchk3BbYXRA

Best Animes of 2023 according to MAL users :
All anime that started being released in 2023 with a score of 8 or more on MyAnimeList.
All types included (TV, movies, ONA, OVA and specials).

Best Animes of 2022 : https://myanimelist.net/stacks/34009

The Anime that are listed in this interest stack have a mode score of 10 (meaning that 10/10 is the most common rating that users have rated the anime).
Feel free to message me for any series I have missed.

scary stares & soft smiles, opposite attracts mostly (contains different kind of relationships, not just romance)