Plastic Memories had some issues going throughout it’s runtime. However, Isla was generally one of the positives. Plastic Memories was, at it’s strongest when it was honing in on themes of death and loss, and that’s where Isla as a character shined as well. Being a ‘Giftia’, an android who due to technological limits will only have a 9 year lifespan, Isla drives home the themes of the entire show.

Isla is a likeable heroine because the journey she goes through really mirrors how anyone of us would relate to death as well. She’s scared of losing all her memories and she doesn’t want to leave her friends behind, she’s uneasy because she doesn’t know what comes after.

Yet, with all these anxieties, she soldiers on and, in helping retrieve other Giftias before their 9 year period ends, she consistently faces her own demise, and gives courage and some hope to those undergoing the same process.

Shinoa had so much sass in her that she was impossible not to like. I came very, very close to dropping Owari No Seraph a multitude of times but I always thought to myself ‘Yeah but then I wouldn’t get to watch Shinoa’, and got through the next episode. Shinoa is Ballsy and sarcastic, willing to tell anyone what she wants them to hear with few reservations while simultaneously embodying cutting wit and adorable cuteness. It’s also just fun to see her cut through some vampires with a massive scythe.

For a while it seems like many of the main characters, especially Yu, in Owari no Seraph would be pretty lost without Shinoa. And while her smug sarcastic side is what won me over, it was nice to see the more emotional, caring sider of her develop as the series went on. Shinoa is a memorable new face and one of the few things Owari has going for it.

I’d definitely want to hear Shinoa crack some jokes at my expense one day and for that she earns a spot on the list.

Saber might take somewhat of a backseat in this season of Unlimited Blade Works, but still has some shining moments. She’s instrumental in the final battle, and also has meaningful development and background building where we start to get more insight into some of her past as Arturia Pendragon.

Saber is, by now, a longstanding famous character and really has been ever since the original Fate/Stay Night visual novel adaptation by Studio Deen. She’s a top-notch fighter but she has a vulnerable side, her image is both extremely powerful while also graceful and beautiful and she also has armor that doesn’t just cover her boobs and butt!

Truly a revolutionary concept.

Megumi Tadakoro is often seen in the shadow of Shokugeki no Soma’s titular character, Yukihira Soma. In some way this Is justified because Yukihira does have an edge in cooking skills, and may (Or may not) be the best among the students within the show as a whole.

Howver, Tadakoro shines equally both as a compliment to Soma and in her own light. Megumi originally set’s out to the elite culinary school, Totsuki Academy, to make a name for her small-town in rural Japan. Her bucolic, humble beginnings give her a boost in Totsuki, giving her an edge of knowledge in growing, preparing and cooking vegetables.

It was awesome to see how her arcadian upbringing helps her out in a big way throughout the series.

Megumi definitely has the everyman (or everywoman) appeal. In a school of prodigy’s and geniuses who are out to prove themselves the best, Tadakoro’s desire to help out her family and her hometown sticks out and resonates with the viewer. Even better is how the show handles her development and her relationship with Yukihira Soma.

Instead of having her constantly play second-fiddle, Yukihira actually helps Megumi stand on her own two feet in a way that’s a nice break from the norm in a Male/Female character dynamic.

Kumiko Oumae might be the most well-developed character of the spring 2015 season. Starting off as aloof, uninterested and generally un-driven in life and school, Kumiko changes rapidly through her exploits in the Kitauji high school band. We slowly see some of the events in middle school that made Kumiko so fearful and anxious about getting into band, and why she want’s a fresh start in HS.

However, because of both new friends she makes in high school and some old characters from her middle school, she challenges her absent mindset and becomes more deeply involved in the band. If someone described Kumiko’s character arc as someone who gets more involved in a band, you might think that the story might be kind of dull.

But Hibike is so excellent at using detailed character arcs and relationships to make the story engaging. Kumiko Oumae is the finest jewel in the crown in this regard, becoming the driving emotional force of the series. It’s never easy to become so involed and care so deeply about something or someone that failure would become a devastating blow.

But often times, we have to open ourselves up to this if we’re to follow who and what we’re passionate about. Kumiko has a character arc that’s simple yet so human and so well done she easily nabs the top spot.