Tumblr’s top anime of the year is a surprising mix of new and old

Tumblr is publishing its year in review lists on the Fandom blog this week, with today’s entry detailing the 30 most popular anime and manga among bloggers throughout 2018. The list of most blogged, reblogged and liked series contains some obvious titles — My Hero Academia, Yuri!!! On Ice, Attack on Titan — to some bigger surprises, namely the strong debuts of older franchises like Bleach and Dragon Ball Z.

My Hero Academia had a banner year on Tumblr, overtaking 2017 favorite Yuri!!! on Ice as the most discussed series in 2018. My Hero received both its first video game and feature film this year, so its multimedia takeover is only beginning. The series has even been optioned for a live-action Hollywood movie adaptation.

Yuri!!! on Ice hung in at number two, despite a lack of new episodes. But rounding out the top three is Devilman Crybaby, the Netflix-exclusive take on Go Nagai’s classic Devilman tale. Devilman Crybaby is a unique masterwork, stitching together humor and horror to create a beautiful and very devastating season. Although it premiered in January, Tumblr has continued to sing its praises throughout the year.

Netflix’s Aggretsuko also makes an appearance on the list as one of the new entries in 2018. (It’s one of those shows that seems built for social media, after all.) Also new: Bleach, Digimon and Dragon Ball Z. These three are among the most recognizable names on the year in review list, but there are easy explanations for their sudden appearances.

Bleach resurfaced in Japan as a live-action film in July, later coming to Netflix worldwide. Reviews were kind enough. Digimon also wrapped its own new, feature-length series in 2018, with the sixth part of the six-film Digimon Adventure tri hitting Japanese theaters in May. Digimon Adventure tri is an example of a revival done right, reuniting the cast of the original anime for something meaningful and moving.

And Dragon Ball Z is on its own renaissance of late, with Dragon Ball Super’s popular run recently finishing up. But Dragon Ball Super isn’t over with yet: A film based on the sequel anime series is coming to theaters, and it will notably make the villain Broly a part of the Dragon Ball canon for the first time. That movie is out in January.

The full list is below. Some other names of note: Sailor Moon (which jumped two spots), One Piece (four spots), and Fullmetal Alchemist (13 spots).

1. Boku no Hero Academia (+2)
2. Yuri!!! on Ice (-1)
3. Devilman Crybaby (new)
4. One Piece (+4)
5. Killing Stalking (-3)
6. Banana Fish (new)
7. Pop Team Epic (new)
8. Sailor Moon (+2)
9. Tokyo Ghoul (-3)
10. Attack on Titan (-3)
11. Aggretsuko (new)
12. Haikyuu!! (-7)
13. Fullmetal Alchemist (+13)
14. Fairy Tail (-10)
15. Boruto: Naruto Next Generations (-2)
16. Bungou Stray Dogs (-2)
17. Hetalia (-2)
18. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (-6)
19. Houseki no Kuni (new)
20. Gintama (-3)
21. Little Witch Academia (-10)
22. Free! (new)
23. Black Butler (-2)
24. Digimon (new)
25. Hunter x Hunter (+1)
26. Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (-4)
27. Violet Evergarden (new)
28. Bleach (new)
29. Dragon Ball Z (new)
30. Mob Psycho 100 (-21)