Nerdy Bloggers | Y0uC4n7kn0w | Star & Luna

On the 10th day of Weebsmas, Luna & Star gave to me, Top 5 anime episodes to watch on Christmas eve

Hey everybody! We’re super close to Christmas (and the end of Weebsmas, but we’re not done yet! Today I’m going to share with you my top five anime Christmas episodes! Let me know if you’ve seen any of them or if you have other favorites in the comments below! Anyway, let’s get to it.

1. Chrono Crusade

The Chrono Crusade Christmas episode is a star studded example of everything a Christmas episode should be. The star of this episode is Azmaria. Throughout it, we learn how she has never had a good Christmas. Being an orphan, she didn’t have a home. The first flashback we see from her shows her acting more like a servant that one of her happy host family. The second shows a brief happiness that was snatched away and filled only with terrible things. Azmaria never had anyone to spend the holiday with. So this Christmas she wants to get presents for Rosette and Chrono which she tries so hard to do, only to give away the item she’d wanted to buy to someone else who she thought needed the present more (the charity of this girl. She is honestly too good for this world). Of course this episode also features Rosette and the gang giving away presents to the kids at the orphanage (through an effort made from all the nuns), Rosette & Chrono exchanging gifts with each other and Azmaria, and most touchingly–Azmaria enjoying her first true Christmas thanks to all the other nuns. When I say this christmas episode has it all, I really mean it. There’s so many things in it that are good. From the charity Azmaria shows, to the pure love and happiness from Rosette, Chrono, and everyone. It truly brings the spirit of Christmas alive (amazing considering Chrono’s a demon).

2. Pet Girl of Sakurasou

This Christmas episode is one of my favorites hands down. When thinking of episodes revolving around the holiday, THIS is the first I thought of. Pet Girl of Sakurasou is one of those anime’s whose name doesn’t do the anime justice. While it is humorous, and a bit of a romance, the story of Sakurasou is surprisingly profound. It deals with the struggles of being a wanna be artists in a world that is highly competitive and how these kids deal with their struggles and successes. The Christmas episode, while definitely erring on the romantic side of Christmas episodes, also paints a story of jealousy as well as complicated feeling. Sorata, our main character, spends much of the episode seemingly angry at Shiina due to his own frustration at his lack of success. However, his feelings become even more complicated due to the fact that he know she is working just as hard, she’s just more successful. Meanwhile Shiina is sorting out her feelings towards him while also trying to apologize to him even though she has no clue what she did wrong. There are also two romantic subplots going on in this episode, both of which seem to end in failure, giving this episode a melancholic yet sweet vibe. The snow is a perfect setting, but the night of holiday cheer seems to leave a decidedly bittersweet taste in your mouth after watching this. But it also tells important stories and brings gorgeous scenes to life.

3. Aggretusko -A Very Metal Christmas

How can this be on there? It just came out. Well, I don’t care. See, I look at Aggretsuko as a series and just…relate a little too hard sometimes. That isn’t to say I work in a hell hole like her, but I can see her frustrations with the situations and tasks she often (and I often) get assigned to do. So when I saw a Christmas episode was out I was pumped and watched it immediately.  The story is surprisingly Haida heavy, and picks up with the last scene from the series where he confesses. And then gets turned down. But he still likes her (I get it. There’s no way to just stop having feelings because you were rejected) and wants to ask her to spend Christmas with him. Meanwhile, Retsuko realizes she has no plans and in turn, nothing to instagram (ain’t we been there). She ends up creating a fake date post to get likes and fake validation (which leads Haida into drinking from a jack daniels bottle which I found drop dead hilarious and relatable), only to later find out that it’s much better to spend it with friends. I think this just tells a great story of how Christmas is best spent with the people you love and the people you want to spend it with, rather than faking happiness or going on expensive dates just because it’s exciting. The true Christmas spirit is found in your and your friends smiles.

4. Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku

Technically this was only half an episode, but still something wonderful. It’s a very low-key Christmas episode. That’s to say, nothing really happens that’s dramatic. Much of the Christmas portion of this episode is spent reminiscing on Hirotaka and Narumi’s childhood. They talk about believing in Santa, and how they had once spent a Christmas together as kids eating cake. It was a really cute thing to watch in my opinion, and it kind of brought about something I think a lot of people can relate to which is that nostalgia of being a kid around Christmas time. No matter what age you stopped believing in Santa (it’s not a contest like Narumi was making it), the joy from when you did is still there. Being able to spend it with loved ones was always great and happy, and sometimes Christmas as an adult just isn’t like that. To prove that, there’s the second subplot with Hana and Kabakura. The year before on Christmas, Hana had an awful Christmas because Kabakura was working. She was alone and worked on cosplay (HA. I SO RELATE). This year she expected nothing different, however this year Kabakura did make plans for them, and while they did end up with a happy ending where they got to spend the holidays with the person they cared for most, it’s a good reminder that not every Christmas is like that. Wotakoi really just hits me on a lot of levels, and I think their Christmas episode is surprisingly profound despite being so simple (also I live for these ships in the show. Narumi x Hirotaka and Hana x Kabakura FOREVER)

5. Tokyo Godfathers

Okay I had to put this on here. There was just no avoiding it. To me, Tokyo Godfathers is basically the Home Alone of anime. That isn’t to say it’s about a kid home alone, booby-trapping robbers, I’m just trying to say it’s a holiday classic. The main characters in this movie are three homeless people–an alcoholic, a trans woman, and a runaway girl (Gin, Hana, and Miyuki). The driving plot has to do with this strange trio finding a newborn in the trash and attempting to find it’s parents. Throughout the movie, we get glimpses into how each of our heroes ended up homeless, and while they are all sad, let me tell you that some of them are fucking tragic (Hana!!! *sobs*). This movie that takes place on the Eve of Christmas is perfect for the holiday time as it will remind you of everything you have to be thankful in your life. But most importantly, it’ll remind you to be thankful for your family and friends, because on Christmas–no–IN LIFE there is nothing more important than friends and family.  And not to mention you’ll get some really good stories out of this movie that I guarantee will make you tear up a little. While some call this strange, I say it’s brilliant. If there is one thing to watch on this list, I highly recommend it to be Tokyo Godfathers.

So these are my five festive favorites to watch on Christmas! If you have time on Christmas day, spend it with your family and friends (preferably watching these episodes)! Until next time!

Happy Holidays!

xoxo

—Luna