Best of the Rest: Anime of 2013

A lot of good anime came out in 2013, but what about the rest? Well, that is what I'm here to talk about one last time. Once again I'll look through all of the series' from 2013 and choose one title. This title will be one I think is worth watching, even if it does have major flaws, that you may have missed. That means I won't think it should be considered as one of the best, just the best of the rest. Hard to choose for this particular year...but I'll give it a try. What did I choose for this series finale? Well...

My choice for Best of the Rest  '13 is....

 

Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi aka Sunday Without God

 

Made by Madhouse and directed by Yūji Kumazawa. Past works include "Oda Nobuna no Yabou" aka "The Ambition of Oda Nobuna".

The story is set in a world without death. That means a special person known as a "Gravekeeper" would have to bury you with their fancy shovel. If that didn't happen you would go on "living" no matter how much time went by or what happens to your body. There were also no more births, so the world was in this stagnant state. The story follows the journey of Ai Astin, a young gravekeeper, and Hampnie Hambart, an immortal (not just unburied immortal, but can regenerate injuries kind of immortal) gunslinger. They meet new people along the way as they travel the world with the goal of fulfilling her dream; saving the world from this deathless existence. She gets sidetracked though...a lot.

Now let me just say first, the show has a lot of plot holes and doesn't have a real conclusion. It is a "read the manga" ending to be sure. If I was rating the show on how good it was overall, it would be average at best. So, why did I choose it as something you should see as a "best of the rest"? Well. I'll explain.... First, it has a unique message along with interesting characters. The premise is wonderfully dark and is taken in surprising directions. The direction isn't always the best, and is sometimes needlessly confusing, but it IS interesting. The show covers a few arcs, most of which have a satisfying conclusion, but don't expect any kind of conclusion to Ai's main quest. They do cover why the world got to this point and the origin of Gatekeepers, so that's something. As I said earlier, the plot gets sidetracked often by whatever she comes across. It could be said the journey itself is the plot, like "Kino's Journey", but I think it would have been better to have more sense of progression than a completely new stand-alone arc to follow.
  

This show tries to be different, and succeeds for the most part. It can come off as a bit Moe, okay a lot Moe, at times, and the plot holes are large and obvious. If you can look past those faults, you'll find a memorable anime that can make you think. It has some beautiful artwork and a certain charm that even the best anime sometimes lack. For those reasons, I name it the Best of the Rest 2013...

...Just for the fun of it, I'll mention the other three choices I considered for 2013: Arata: The Legend, Samurai Flamenco, and Outbreak Company. Questions? Comments? Did I pick the wrong anime? Let me know in the comments if you'd like and thanks for reading. Here is the opening if you're interested.