The Anime Watching Challenge 2018

So you’ll remember that for 2016 and 2017 I started MyAnimeList’s annual anime watching challenge and… failed. I’m not going to be put off though – it’s time for another attempt, and no less ambitious I might add. In fact looking at, I’ve been considerably more ambitious this time around – but it’s a new year and I intend to go into it being optimistic!

This year I have chosen the ‘King’ level, so need to watch 60 anime that fill randomly chosen various criteria. Without making you wait anymore, let me show you what I need to achieve.

1. [Started: 08/03/18] [Finished: 17/03/18] (01) Watch an ONA: B: The Beginning
2. [Started: 07/01/18] [Finished: 08/01/18] (07) Watch an anime which began airing between 2000 and 2009: Higashi no Eden
3. Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (08) Watch an anime which began airing between 2010 and 2014:
4. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (15) Watch a completed anime with a score of or below 6.00: <anime_title>
5. Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (16) Watch a completed anime with a score of or above 8.00: <anime_title>
6. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (17) Watch a completed anime with a popularity of or lower than #701: <anime_title>
7. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (28) Watch an anime that a participant has completed for this challenge: <anime_title>
8. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (34) Watch a stand-alone OVA: <anime_title>
9. [Started: 04/01/18] [Finished: 04/01/18] (35) Watch a Movie with a duration of 90 minutes or more: Harmony
10. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (39) Watch an anime by a director that made one of your Favorite Anime: <anime_title>
11. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (40) Watch an anime without the Producer, Licensor nor Studio listed: <anime_title>
12. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (41) Watch an anime by a studio with 3 to 30 anime in MAL`s database: <anime_title>
13. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (42) Watch an anime from your least favorite studio by weighted score on Anime+: <anime_title>
14. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (43) Watch an anime with a voice actor that worked on 5 or less anime: <anime_title>
15. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (45) Watch an anime which began airing between 1980 and 1989: <anime_title>
16. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (46) Watch an anime which began airing between 1990 and 1999: <anime_title>
17. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (48) Watch an anime adapted from a Game: <anime_title>
18. [Started: 15/01/18] [Finished: 17/01/18] (49) Watch an anime adapted from a Book: Hibike! Euphonium
19. [Started: 22/03/18] [Finished: 24/03/18] (50) Watch an anime adapted from a Web Manga: ReLIFE: Kanketsu-hen
20. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (51) Watch a completed anime with a popularity of or lower than #2,001: <anime_title>
21. [Started: 21/03/18] [Finished: 21/03/18] (52) Watch a completed anime with less than 2,500 completed members: Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch I – Koudou
22. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (55) Watch a completed anime scored by less than 50 users: <anime_title>
23. [Started: 05/02/18] [Finished: 07/02/18] (57) Watch an anime with a main cast primarily of one gender: Fate/kaleid liner Prism☆Illya
24. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (58) Watch an anime with 3 or more human adults as the main cast: <anime_title>
25. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (59) Watch an anime with at least two human children as main characters: <anime_title>
26. [Started: 19/02/18] [Finished: 15/03/18] (61) Watch an anime that mainly takes place outside of Japan, but still on Earth: Spice and Wolf II
27. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (63) Watch an anime tagged as Dementia, Psychological and/or Thriller: <anime_title>
28. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (67) Watch an anime featured in another participant`s forum set: <anime_title>
29. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (68) Watch an active staff member`s favorite anime: <anime_title>
30. [Started: 25/01/18] [Finished: 02/02/18] (70) Watch a completed anime with a synopsis by MAL Rewrite: White Album 2
31. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (75) Watch an anime with 3 or more main characters with unnatural hair color: <anime_title>
32. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (77) Watch a Movie with a duration of 120 minutes or more: <anime_title>
33. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (78) Watch a short anime with 70 episodes or more: <anime_title>
34. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (79) Watch an Alternative Version, Alternative Setting or Spin-Off of something you`ve previously watched: <anime_title>
35. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (80) Watch one of the 5 lowest scored anime from your favorite studio by weighted score on Anime+: <anime_title>
36. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (81) Watch an anime which began airing the same day you joined MAL: <anime_title>
37. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (82) Watch an anime which began airing between 1917 and 1959: <anime_title>
38. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (83) Watch an anime which began airing between 1960 and 1979: <anime_title>
39. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (84) Watch an anime with 50 episodes or more: <anime_title>
40. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (85) Watch an anime with 30 minutes or more per episode: <anime_title>
41. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (87) Watch an anime adapted from a Card Game: <anime_title>
42. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (88) Watch an anime adapted from a Picture Book: <anime_title>
43. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (89) Watch an anime adapted from a Digital Manga: <anime_title>
44. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (90) Watch an anime adapted from Radio or Music: <anime_title>
45. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (91) Watch a completed anime adapted from a manga with a score of 6.5 or lower: <anime_title>
46. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (93) Watch a completed anime with a popularity of or lower than #5,001: <anime_title>
47. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (94) Watch a completed anime with less than 1,000 completed members: <anime_title>
48. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (95) Watch a completed anime with less than 5 favorites: <anime_title>
49. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (96) Watch an anime with 5 or more human adults as the main cast: <anime_title>
50. [Started: 06/01/18] [Finished: 25/03/18] (97) Watch an anime with a non-humanoid main character: Mahoutsukai no Yome
51. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (98) Watch an anime that combines one of your favourite and least favourite genres: <anime_title>
52. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (99) Watch an anime rated R+: <anime_title>
53. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (100) Watch an anime tagged as Shounen Ai or Shoujo Ai: <anime_title>
54. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (101) Watch an anime tagged with 7 or more genres: <anime_title>
55. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (103) Watch a completed anime that hasn`t been reviewed: <anime_title>
56. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (104) Watch a completed anime with no Opening or Ending themes listed: <anime_title>
57. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (105) Watch a completed anime that doesn`t have forum discussion threads: <anime_title>
58. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (106) Watch the Top anime recommended to your Favorite Anime: <anime_title>
59. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (107) Finish an on-hold or dropped anime: <anime_title>
60. [Started: <date>] [Finished: <date>] (108) Watch an anime with 6 or more main characters with natural hair color: <anime_title>

As you can see, pretty much nothing has been filled in yet as I am yet to work out what I’m going to watch – I’ll link this to my front page though, so feel to drop back to keep up with my progress (I’ll endeavour to update this more regularly than last year, I promise!).

Anime Challenge #1 Very first anime you watched: Fullmetal Alchemist

Whenever you take on a ‘challenge’ it’s always nice when you’re given something nice to get you going and when it comes to anime, the first thing you’ve ever watched has got to be the easiest to chose. However, there is a bit of a problem,  I can’t particularly remember why I thought the 2003 version of Fullmetal Alchemist was any good – I mean, I’m pretty sure it was good, I gave it a 9 on MAL and carried on watching anime afterwards…

What a trio.

There were certain things that stood out for me though. Most notably (even in comparison to Brotherhood which I watched about a year afterwards) was the comic aspect of the anime. In FMA Maes Hughs (one of the best characters ever animated) was an absolute revelation – showing off why anime character can be as genuinely funny as real people while still having a serious edge made evident through his (sometimes overt) love of family. Even the relationship between Ed and Al Elric – particularly in the first few arcs – felt funny and genuine.