Five pleasant, wholesome Christmas episodes to warm the heart; the other two will make you poop your pants though.
Now, if you've seen a lot of the games I review, you'll catch onto the fact that I like anime.
Anime is a genre of animated T.V. shows animated by Japanese studios. Anime tends to have stories that just gravitate me towards them.
Anime isn't for everyone, and I'd go as far as to say some aspects of it are awful. I'd be a rich man if I made any "if I had a nickel for every time I've been frustrated by [X]" joke here.
However, this isn't a deep dive into the animation style, instead this is about Christmas-themed anime episodes! No holiday is complete without consuming one Christmas-related T.V. episode, special, or movie.
I wanted to try changing that up a bit this year by watching anime Christmas-themed episodes instead. Originally, I made this rank-less list to help organize what to watch on Christmas. Then I realized, I should write about it. So here we are.
Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid — Episode 10: Troupe Dragon, On Stage! (They Had A Troupe Name, Huh)
It's always a safe bet to start with the Christmas Special with dragons (everyone likes dragons).
"Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid" started as a manga series in 2013, receiving an anime adaptation by Kyoto Animation in 2017. Season 2 aired this year during summer.
"Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid" is an office worker Kobayashi who saves a dragon named Tohru. To repay Kobayashi, Tohru becomes Kobayashi's maid. Tohru's dragon friends soon join the cast, with chaos ensuing.
The premise of Episode 10 is where most of the characters get together to write and act out a play for the elderly for a Christmas event. By combining the insanity of each character, hopefully no one will die.
The episode is light-hearted and the play itself is hilarious and well worth the wait. It combines everyone's quirks into one beautiful package.
Fortunately, while I could never get into "Dragon Maid" as it just isn't for me, this episode knocks it out the park. It's a ton of fun and is entertaining all throughout.
My Senpai Is Annoying — Episode 3: And Then, It's Christmas
Now here's an entry that's seasonal in both senses.
"My Senpai is Annoying" started airing in the anime Fall 2021 season on Oct. 10. In fact, episodes are still releasing as of the publishing of this article.
The premise is about an office worker named Futaba Igarashi who works at a trading company with her senior, Harumi Takeda. In Japan, a senior is called a senpai. Problem is, Harumi treats Futaba like a child since she's as short as a child, which annoys her, so the title of the anime isn't a slander campaign.
Futaba also has another job she's not even aware of: being a tsundere. A tsundere is someone who has feelings for someone that they either won't admit or express, sometimes not even to themselves.
The Christmas episode primarily focuses on Futaba trying to both get and give Harumi a gift. Unfortunately, this is harder than she thinks because of the whole tsundere thing.
Episode three is an entertaining time that's adorable and funny. I had a smile on my face the entire time, it's just so cute and even heartwarming.
GeGeGe no Kitarō (2018) — Episode 86: Bloody Christmas
As much as I like Christmas, I've always been a bigger Halloween guy. So, what if we combine the two holidays?
But again?
"GeGeGe no Kitarō" debuted in 1965 as a manga, getting up to six anime adaptations. The sixth anime adaptation is "GeGeGe no Kitarō (2018)." It follows Kitarō, Nekomusume, a human named Mana, and other yōkai as Kitarō tries to keep the peace between yōkai and humanity.
Despite seeming simple, the series is full of social commentary that tackles problems in Japan. Some of these include bosses that drive their employees to suicide, the mistreatment of foreigners, and how Santa drains the life out of children.
Wait... I don't think that last one counts. Well, that's Episode 86: Kitaro and co. try to deal with a yōkai dressed up as Santa Claus. However, the defenseless Mana ends up having to evade this yōkai while waiting for Kitaro to come and save her which makes for one h*ck of a tense scenario.
Bloody Christmas is a blast with a ton of suspense that'll leave you on the edge of your seat, unless you watch anime standing up. Even rewatching this episode still gives me goosebumps.
Additionally, there are no jumpscares... There's no punchline, I just know people like myself really mind jumpscares.
The Disappearance of Yuki Nagato — Episodes 1: Precious Place & Episode 2: Joy to the World
That's right boys, we got a two-part Christmas Special.
This is the beginning of the anime, so the synopsis and episode's story are one in the same. Yuki Nagato is the only Literature Club member and wants to throw a Christmas party with her best friend, Ryoko Asakura, and her crush, Kyon, who... Has no last name.
While the first episode is about setting up the Christmas party, the second episode is about the Christmas party in action. This is a slice-of-life romantic comedy, so expect the funny, blushing, and pure adorableness.
Yes, I am heavily biased. "The Disappearance of Yuki Nagato" is based on the "Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" series that started as a series of light novels before getting an anime adaptation of the same name and movie. "The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya."
"The Disappearance of Yuki Nagato" anime adapts some of the chapters from the 2009 spin-off series of the game name that began as a manga.
While watching "Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" can help better understand the characters, newcomers should still be able to enjoy the anime without prior knowledge.
Vatican Miracle Examiner — Episode 5: The Game of Angels and Demons
This is a loose entry given the Christmas theme is only present in the beginning of the episode, but I'm including it since it does involve Christmas.
See, it's Santa Claus coming to kill a child, pure Christmas spirit. "Vatican Miracle Examiner" is usually about two investigators that examine miracles for their authenticity. While the concept is great, the execution leaves you laughing more than in awe. It originally released as a manga in 2016 with a 2017 anime adaptation.
Episode 5 breaks the norm though, as Hiraga Josef Kou tells a prisoner named Lauren about a story he heard as a young boy.
The story is about a man who, as a child, was given the ability to grant 1,000 wishes, except to grant the wish to rid himself of the ability to grant wishes. Each wish works on monkey paw logic, for example if he wishes to never see someone again, they'll die since that'll guarantee he'll never see them again.
However, how did this boy get these powers? Well, from his father, who- Pft- Who turned o-out to b-be A-Azazel- HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Sorry, I just can't take that last part seriously. It gets funnier the more you think about it.
Surprisingly, despite that aspect being hilarious, the rest of the episode is well-executed. The story nails the tragedy of this poor guy having 1,000 wishes and the severe consequence of each wish is genuinely haunting. At the same time, the episode's ending hits you hard.
Today's Menu for the Emiya Family — Episode 12: One-Pan Roast Beef
This is part of the "Fate" series, so I don't even know if you can go into this anime blind or not. Despite reading "Fate Stay/Night," I still don't even know.
"Today's Menu for the Emiya Family" released an episode monthly in 2018 and is based on the 2016 manga of the same name. There is also a video game based on the anime titled "Everyday♪ Today's MENU for EMIYA Family" for the Nintendo Switch. The anime is based on the "Fate" series which started with the "Fate Stay/Night" visual novel in 2004.
The premise is simple: Shirou Emiya cooks' food for his friends, the reason varies from episode to episode. Sometimes he teaches others how to cook a meal, sometimes it's to help his friends, other times it's to help an assassin. No, I won't elaborate.
This doesn't change in the Christmas episode, as Shirou cooks one-pan roast beef ahead of time to celebrate Christmas at Illya's castle with his friends. This is easily the fanciest Christmas Episode on this list because they can listen to "Castlevania" music on Christmas day without it being weird. I mean, it's a castle, that's awesome.
If you like cooking, this is the one for you, as Shirou goes step-by-step on how to cook his meals. Outside of cooking instructions, it's adorable and funny as the characters perform plenty of conundrums. It's the second comfiest entry on this list.
Yuru Camp△ — Episode 11: Christmas Camp!
We have reached the final frontier, the comfiest of all Christmas Specials that... Aired closer to St. Patrick's Day.
"Yuru Camp△," yes, the triangle is essential... Probably... Like most entries on this list, began as a manga, this one starting in 2015. "Yuru Camp△" got an anime adaptation in 2018, a mini-series, a season 2 this year, and even a movie in the works for 2022. That's a lot of camping.
The premise involves five high school girls doing camping-related activities, like camping. Episode 11 doesn't stray from that, and even sprinkles in some Christmas with gift-giving and more.
"Sprinkles in some Christmas" might be a bit of an understatement.
Like every "Yuru Camp△" episode, it's adorable and comfy. It's best to watch the prior episodes beforehand, otherwise you'll get lost. While others are easier to jump into knowing the synopsis, this one simply isn't the case.
If you do go through the prior 10 episodes, you'll be well rewarded with 11 times the adorableness.
In Conclusion
I like anime.
For fans of cooking, horror, drama, slice-of-life, comedy, and more; one of these seven Christmas-themed episodes will have something for you. If you love all or multiple of these genres, you’re in for multiple treats.
There are hundreds of anime Christmas-themed episodes I didn't bring up, such as from "K-ON!," "Dr. Stone," "Yuri!! On Ice," and many more.
However, it's mostly because I haven't watched all of them. This list isn't so much "the best Christmas-themed" episodes, these are the episodes I've seen and will see again this year. I hope you see them for the first time this year too.
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