5 Light-Hearted and Fun Anime To Bring Warmth and Laughs This Christmas

Anyone feel like this year has just flown by? The festive season is already here and the Winter 2018 anime season is just a few weeks away. Christmas is a time to unwind and be around with those close to you with laughter and smiles. Christmas is a time to be merry. It’s also the perfect time to catch up on all the anime you have in your backlog. 2017 was a mixed blend of good shows like action-packed My Hero Academia and light-hearted Tsure x dure Children.

I want to recommend five series from 2017 that are guaranteed to get you in the festive mood. Christmas time should be a time for relaxation and each of these series made me laugh, cry, and have an amazing time. They brought this inviting warmth which makes you think of the people closest to you. Don’t forget that the moments you spend with your family are very important, so why not make some good anime memories with them?

Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid

Winter 2017 | Anime Info
Kyoto Animation
Episodes: 13 + OVA

(C)クール教信者・双葉社／ドラゴン生活向上委員会

Do you like dragons? How about one showing up at your door claiming over a drunken promise you once made that they could stay in your home? That is what happens to Kobayashi after being so drunk to recollect a promise she made when she encountered dragonanTohru. As a avid lover of Kyoto Animation, I have a knack for the slice-of-life genre. Having seen Tamako Market, I expected Miss Kobayashi Dragon Maid to be just as warm-hearted.

Episode 1 had me laughing almost immediately. The way Kobayashi and Tohru interact with one another due to their opposite personalities is hilarious. Tohru is very curious and full of energy, while Kobayashi is a laid-back introvert. Tohru’s attempt to do maid duties most the time are to no avail and her presence there attracts more dragons. Imagine the laid-back Kobayashi trying to deal with all those unique creatures.

Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid is a warm-hearted watch that displays what it means to be part of a family. Kobayashi and the dragon girls form their own niche one and in it, they find a sense in belonging. The daily life antics of Tohru and the dragons learning about the human world will have you on the floor holding your tummy. I couldn’t stop laughing at Tohru as her curiosity in everything is adorable. Cute and comedic Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid will be bringing the laughs this joyous season.

Tsuki Ga Kirei

Spring 2017 | Anime Info
feel.
Episodes: 12

Christmas time rings romance and Tsuki ga Kirei is one series from Spring 2017 which needs your notice. It is an original anime by studio feel that explores teenhood. Middle schoolers Akane and Kotaru encounter one another and start out as friends. As they learn more about one another, affectionate feelings begin to bloom.

Tsuki ga Kirei was my favourite anime of the spring season. I did not think much of the series after watching the first three episodes but its unexpected charm arose just after. The growing relationship between Akane and Kotaru was so cute and endearing. They are both very shy and watching them come to terms with all these new-found feelings they have reminded me that it is in that age bracket that most of us have our first crush.

There’s nothing more satisfying to me during Christmas than watching a good romance. I do it every year and Tsuki Ga Kirei is the perfect choice if romance is your thing. Its cuteness is overload, however. Just warning you now, my feels were all over the place.

Aho Girl

Summer 2017 | Anime Info
Diomedea
Episodes: 12

(C)ヒロユキ・講談社／アホガール製作委員会

Nearly every Christmas, I re-watch one of my favorite comedies, Full Metal Panic Fumoffu. It has been a long time since I watched a really good comedy that can make me laugh as much as FMP, and I found it in Aho Girl. It is the most hilarious anime I’ve watched this year. Yoshiko is not the smartest chap on the block and annoys to no end her neighbour Akuru and classmates Sayaka and Fuki.

A friend convinced me to give this series a go, and I’m so glad I did. The ridiculously stupid situations that occur in the anime had me laughing till I had tears in my eyes. You know a comedy is good if you get to that point, right? Yoshiko denseness to everything and excessive love of bananas make this series memorable for me. Even thinking about it just makes me laugh. This is a must-watch comedy for this Christmas.

The Ancient Magus’ Bride

Fall 2017 | Anime Info
Wit
Episodes 25 – Currently Airing

The Ancient Magus’ Bride has made center stage this fall season as one of the most anticipated series. Its magical world is beyond fascinating, a mix of Harry Potter (the anime does take place in England) and Beauty and the Beast. It is still airing and it will continue into Winter 2018, but this Christmas is the time to see the first cour if you haven’t already.

Chise’s ability to see spirits and celestial creatures leads her to have a tough upbringing. Years later, Chise is bought in an auction by a sorcerer named Elias, who claims her as his bride and apprentice. Everything about this series is fascinating, from Elias and Chise to the magical realm in which they live. Wit Studio truly brings the series to life with their visually beautiful animation. The Ancient Magus’ Bride hits home for me as it is set in England. It reminds me all of my family’s Christmases before moving to the Aussie land.

While The Ancient Magus’ Bride has taken some unexpected twists, they do not take away the magical atmosphere. It’s nice to feel that bit of magic during the holidays and this anime will cater to this nicely.

The anime is part of MANGA.TOKYO’s weekly anime reviews. Start your journey here:

The Ancient Magus’ Bride Episode 1 Review: April Showers Bring May Flowers.

Fuuka

Winter 2017 | Anime Info
Diomedea
Episodes: 12

Last on this list is an unexpected series I ended up loving. A sequel adaptation from Suzuka, Fuuka focuses on introvert Yuu who spends his time on Twitter and nothing else. Encountering Fuuka due to a misunderstanding leads Yuu to start a band with Fuuka. come out of his introverted shell, and meet new people. Enter Yu’s childhood friend Koyuki. He is Fuuka’s idol and stirs the pot in Fuuka and Yuu’s growing relationship.

Fuuka fills all of your typical cliches when it comes to romance like the accidental ‘falling into a girl’s chest’ scenario and the numerous small misunderstandings. Despite these common tropes, I still ended up loving Fuuka. The music aspect of Fuuka enhances the growing relations between the characters. It made for a really fun watch, especially watching the band members just having fun with music. The songs in Fuuka are actually quite catchy and they got stuck in my head. As a huge lover of romance anime (and not only), it did not matter to me how cliche the romance seemed. The anime was meaningful and cute.

Have a Merry Anime Christmas

So there you go! Five anime series to accommodate you this festive season and get you in the mood. Have you watched any of these series? What did you think of them? Let us know in the comments! From us here at MANGA.TOKYO, we hope you have a Merry Christmas and a joyous new year.