Mental health is the subject of the upcoming Your Mind Matters Event on 22nd January 2020. The Event is being spearheaded by HN Consultants Ltd and it is hoped that each person will be able to take something away that will help to improve their mindset and ignite positivity and empowerment.

The Event will hear from Julie Crawford who has worked within the field of addiction for over 11 years, Doreen Ritchie an Experienced Life Coach and Author and Guest Speak Gary Doherty of the THINK Network.

Ms Crawford has provided services to agencies including Addiction NI, Nexus and Ascert a charity that helps people address the impact of alcohol and drugs in their lives, as well as delivering training initiatives for the academic sector including Belfast MET.

Ms Crawford will share her insight to possible causes mental health issues and coping mechanisms.

She will be joined by academic and life coach Doreen Ritchie from Queens University. Doreen is an Executive Life Coach and shares her skills by public speaking and mentoring. Her accolades include contributing as an Author to the book Activate Your Life Vol 2.

Doreen will talk about changing your mindset and share techniques to help do this. Doreen currently works with many professionals helping them to reassess their current mindset and adapt to ensure a healthy work life balance.

Guest Speak, Gary Doherty founder of the THINK Network. Gary is on a crusade to elevate others through empowerment hosting empowering speaking events throughout Northern Ireland with plans to scale up Nationally and Globally, changing the World one event at a time. He will share his own personal experiences.

Heather Macartney director of HN Consultants said mental health issues are particularly acute in Northern Ireland, there are steps we can all can take to help combat the issues of stress, anxiety and depression and sharing these techniques is so important.

Ms Macartney said:

We provide consultancy services to businesses, but we also come into contact with individuals who may be experiencing life changing events or financial difficulties. By launching this initiative, we hope to engage with the public and employers to provide them with the opportunity to hear from professionals in Counselling and Life Coaching who they may not otherwise have access to.

Many Business owners who operate initiatives inhouse to support their staff see the benefits of reduced time off for sick leave and an appreciation from their staff who can see further value of their place within the business.

The event is taking place on Wednesday 22nd January 2020 from 6.00pm to 8.30pm at Malone Lodge Hotel, Belfast. Tickets are priced at just 29.50 each (booking fees may apply) and be purchased by emailing admin@hnconsultants.co.uk or by visiting Eventbrite.

The rest is here:
Event addresses Mental Health and seeks to promote Resilience, Empowerment and Positive Mindset - Love Belfast

A lot has been written recently about how mindfulness can serve the social reproduction of capitalism. CEOs list meditation as a daily practice that helps them stay mentally agile in their pursuit of profit maximisation. Commentators like Slavok Zizek, tell us that, by allowing us to uncouple and retain some inner peace, such practices actually function as the perfect ideological supplement [to capitalism].

In his recent article for Transformation, The Future of Mindfulness, Ron Purser reiterates the fact that mindfulness can be used for nefarious purposes when divorced from a larger ethical framework. If used purely as a method to relieve individualized stress or enhance personal performance, it can compound individualistic self-preoccupation, distract us from the structural causes of injustice, and deflect our efforts away from projects aimed at building collective agency for systemic change. Like most things, mindfulness is susceptible to co-option in a world where capitalism seamlessly occupies the horizon of the thinkable, as Mark Fisher once put it.

And yet, thats not the whole story. Purser finishes his article by saying that we need a new language and praxis of spiritual and political liberation that isnt muted by the weak balm of self-improvement. Many of us who are integrating mindfulness into activist training couldnt agree more, but for us this isnt the future of mindfulness, because the language and praxis we need are already here. In our work at the Ulex Project with people committed to struggles of solidarity, mindfulness has proven itself a powerful resource for radical transformation and a vital tool for dismantling oppressive structures, both within and around us.

Weve been developing programmes that embed mindfulness in activist education for the last decade, helping activists to become more sustainable and effective. Our journey started amidst the failure and repression that surrounded the Copenhagen climate conference in 2009. The burnout, frustration, and disintegration of grassroots groups afterwards seriously undermined our movements through the hemorrhaging of talent and experience. This highlighted the importance of integrating practices that strengthen self-awareness, emotional literacy and resilience within activist cultures. Seeing burnout as a political issue, we began to develop sustainable activism trainings with mindfulness and related approaches as their cornerstone from 2010.

Hundreds of activists have attended these trainings and the majority report that mindfulness and meditation have been key in helping them to address burnout, feel more equipped to face challenging circumstances, collaborate better, and balance action with reflection in ways that enhance organizational learning. We added a specific course dedicated to training secular and social mindfulness in 2015. By helping activists to stay in the struggle for the long haul, mindfulness becomes anything but an ideological supplement to capitalism.

For example, Melanie Strickland, one of the Stansted 15 campaigners who grounded a charter flight in 2017 to confront the UK deportation system, drew on these skills to navigate difficult times and a long legal battle. Becoming aware of how my own mental processes weren't always helpful, especially when I'm already stressed and burnt out, was vital, she told us. Mindfulness also helped me start to learn how to work better with really big, overwhelming feelings like grief - which are healthy and necessary responses to the crisis of these times.

However, weve also found that the benefits of mindfulness practices are determined by the key motivations and framing that are brought to them. Working with people who are already committed to action for social change or ecological defence and who are engaged in collaborative projects or organisations helps to mitigate the risks of mindfulness becoming co-opted.

At the same time, to avoid individualisation, we place it in a framework that shows how effective strategies for transformation need to pay attention to three mutually interdependent spheres: the personal and psychological, the interpersonal and organisational, and the wider social movement and socio-political. Neglecting any one of these spheres, or failing to recognise their interplay, can undermine our struggles.

Unfortunately, for many activists, recognising the structural nature of oppression and the pitfalls of individualism all too often leads to the feeling that any attention to the personal or psychological sphere is inherently narcissistic. This often guilt-driven simplification props up behaviours and group cultures that are ultimately self-sabotaging.

In reality, acknowledging the strategic and political importance of practices for increased self-awareness and care is a crucial source of collective empowerment. As the civil rights activist and writer Audre Lorde once pointed out, from the position of someone subject to oppression, caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare. To support this change, shifting the balance of activist cultures to include personal contemplation and psychological inquiry is essential.

In developing these skills with activists we explore mindfulness-like practices across three dimensions: Mindful Awareness, Skilful Emotion, and Ways of Seeing. Skills in mindful awareness help activists to make choices about where they direct their attention. This builds up defences against the onslaught of the attention hijacking economy which seeks to steal and dissipate our focus across surveillance capitalisms digital drag nets. It helps us nurture continuity of experience, cultivate greater mental clarity, and break free of debilitating habits. When its all going arse up around me, as a common refrain puts it among the activists we work with, these skills really help me to stay grounded and open.

Mindful awareness can help us to push back against the tendency to react to constant demands for urgent action, and to see the strategic value of opening up spaces for deeper reflection and learning. Fire-fighting is sometimes inevitable, but, as Adrienne Maree Brown puts it, the author of Pleasure Activism, there is such urgency in the multitude of crises we face, it can make it hard to remember that in fact it is urgency thinking (urgent constant unsustainable growth) that got us to this point, and that our potential success lies in doing deep, slow, intentional work.

Skilful emotion rests on building greater emotional literacy, which helps us to channel difficult feelings like rage and grief in ways that bring vitality and passion to our struggles. Without these skills, powerful emotions can play havoc on our bodies, wearing us down and slowly leading us into despondency or cynicism. Skilful emotion enables us to nourish our capacity for empathy and solidarity, as well as being a necessary foundation for more effective communication and the ability to work creatively with inevitable conflicts. These emotional skills are crucial to the relationship- and trust-building that healthy activist organisations need to cultivate.

Exploring ways of seeing helps us to acknowledge the provisional and partial nature of our views and to recognise how they can empower or undermine our struggles. Complemented by anti-oppression perspectives that direct mindful attention towards deeply-rooted mental paradigms of competition and productivity, as well as patriarchy, racism, sexism and classism, this enables activists to gain the depth, humility and compassion they need to create transformative change, and it can help us to collectively embody the liberatory social relations we are fighting for.

Developing the ability to recognize the constructed nature of our views enables us to recognize when our political identities are truly empowering - and where they can imprison us. This can help us to work with diversity within our groups and movements more effectively, replacing unproductive and entrenched antagonisms with open-minded inquiry and recognition of the creative potential in our differences.

All three facets of mindfulness work require both personal practice and a supportive interpersonal context. Deep self-awareness doesnt just come from introverted contemplation; it also needs the feedback, challenge and support that working with others provides. Emotional literacy can be enhanced by training in techniques like somatic awareness, but it also needs spaces where we can express and honour the whole range of our emotional experiences with each other.

Uncovering our assumptions and mindsets, and learning to hold our views less rigidly, does require inner reflection, but equally it depends on dialogue and collective inquiry. With this in mind, our trainings integrate tools and skills that are both individual and collective. Change in people goes hand in hand with transformation in the activist and organisational cultures we create together.

The methods we share arent intended to provide a universal set of practices. Diverse socio-economic conditions require diverse methods. Neuro-diversity makes some practices more or less useful to different people. Historical and cultural differences will make some approaches a better fit than others. Consequently we take a very open source approach, honouring some basic principles but assuming specific practices will always be adapted.

Echoing Pursers call for the future of mindfulness, Roberto Mangabeira Unger, in his book The Religion of the Future, conjures a vision for a new religio-political praxis which should convince us to exchange serenity for searching. In much the same way, our integration of mindfulness within activist training is not so much about developing calm and serene minds as it is about effectively empowering our struggles.

And yet, unless activists are prepared to turn their attention inwards as well as outwards our struggles will continue to be undermined by our own mental habits. If so, the potential we have for truly liberatory collective action is unlikely to be realized.

Read the rest here:
Don't wait for the future of mindfulness it's already here - Open Democracy

How does Sex Education measure up to the shows you watched when you were younger?

I was very sheltered growing up, I was watching The Worst Witch and Tracy Beaker until I was like 15. I did secretly watch Skins when I was a bit older, but I never told my parents. It was scandalous. I was like, is this what its like in the UK? Theyre taking drugs!

Did filming take you back to moments in your own teenage years?

All the stuff to do with coming of age, the awkwardness and the fear and the silliness and the love those bits I can relate to. But the world that Sex Education exists within is very different to mine. Sex wasnt something I was interested in at school or thinking about till much later [laughs]. I grew up in a very small town, it was very conservative. I went to a Catholic school, so it all felt quite protective, like a little bubble. It wasnt until I left that I started making my own mind up about things and having my own opinions.

Why did you leave France?

When I was seven I said, As soon as Im 18 Im moving to university in the UK. But I didnt realise how much of a trampoline uni would be for me. If Id stayed in my town I wouldve been such a different person. Im so thankful I was able to come to the UK and broaden my mind. Leeds University was a big old culture shock from this tiny place in France to a big industrial northern town with loads of people from all around the world. It was so exciting, and I absolutely needed it.

Thats a big leap. What was driving you?

I think that when you have two or more cultures, it feels like youre always asked to choose between them youre either French or youre British. And I felt a pull towards the UK and to be British because thats where a lot of great theatre and music is. I weirdly kind of rejected France for most of my life; I was like, they dont get me, they dont get my sense of humour. But now Ive been in the UK for a few years Im like, hmm, actually now Im going to get a fringe and go to Paris as much as I can [laughs].

Read the original here:
Sex Education star Emma Mackey talks season 2, her French childhood, and not getting into drama school - Stylist Magazine

General News of Tuesday, 7 January 2020

Source: Ijahra Larry Chibara

1000 Kayaye to benefit in Unilever supported project

The Ink Ghana with support from Unilever Ghana Limited together with other youth-led groups distributed care packages to 50 kayaye in Nima, a suburb of Accra, during an outreach activity, which forms part of a larger project dubbed #1K_Kayaye_Care_Package_Drive.

The activity took place at the Nima market, where volunteers converged and interacted with the kayaye, before distributing the care packages to 50 of them. It was a brief activity, as the organizers were determined not to engage the girls for too long on their rest day.

The Ink Ghana is embarking on the Care Package Drive, with the aim of distributing care packages including sanitary pads, toothpastes, toothbrushes, deodorants, laundry soaps, and toilet soaps, to street girls in Accra, popularly known as kayaye who are mostly head porters.

Each care package contained 1 pack of sanitary pads, 1 toothpaste, 2 toothbrushes, 1 deodorant, 2 bars of laundry soap, and 2 bars of toilet soap. Some of the kayaye expressed delight at the gesture. Rahina was particularly thankful as she shared her excitement that she would not have to spend from the meagre amount she earns daily, on any of the products contained in each package. She said I am happy that this month I wont buy pad, and toothpaste.

Our money is not enough to be buying all of these things every day, especially deodorant.

Karima also complained about their poor sleeping places in front of shops, and asked for help with that saying, we dont have any proper sleeping place, and so we sleep outside near the gutter. So, when it rains we suffer.

Various individuals and organizations have contributed their kind support in cash and in items, to make this project a success

Save The Red Days, one of the partners for the project led by Fatima Bintah provided sanitary pads, in a bid to increase awareness on the need for personal hygiene among girls.

Other partners include Recycling For Hope, Social Youth Drive, Hope For the Street Child Foundation and El Jay Creatives.

One of the volunteers, Grace East expressed excitement at the opportunity to participate in the initiative.

Grace who is a Fulbright Scholar currently conducting her research work in Accra said, its amazing to be part of this outreach, and interact with the kayaye. She commended the team for embarking on such a positive project.

The poor living conditions of young females in the streets, who are mostly head porters lead to severe health and personal hygiene challenges. Their inability to regularly afford basic welfare needs like sanitary pads, toothpaste and toothbrushes, bathing soap and more makes them vulnerable to exploitation, extortion and various forms of Gender Based Violence (GBV).

These expose them to maltreatments that constitute GBV; negatively impacting society, especially girls and women, and pose serious challenges to women empowerment and consequently socioeconomic progress in Ghana. For these reasons and more Ink Ghana, which is a youth-led Non-Profit Organization has teamed up with some organizations to embark on a Care Package Distribution Drive targeting 1,000 kayaye in Accra.

The project aims to distribute welfare packages to 1,000 kayaye in Accra, promote hygiene and personal care habits among street girls, as well as create mentorship, life coaching and career guidance opportunities for kayaye.

Last Sundays distribution brings the total number of packages and beneficiaries so far to 100, in addition to a similar activity at the Mamobi market, in November, 2019.

Ink Ghana welcomes individuals and corporate organizations alike to support the initiative with kind donations in cash or items.

Original post:
1000 Kayaye to benefit in Unilever supported project - GhanaWeb

At a recent Indian actors round-table which featured performers from all over the country, Malayalam film actor Parvathy Thiruvothu stood out for voicing her mind and calling out the misogyny in Indian films. The show featured three actors from south Indian films and five from Hindi cinema, of whom at least four were successful mainstream stars. This says much about the lists we create and how the bests are identified. Among the performances featured on the show as one of the finest was that of the male lead of the deeply problematic Arjun Reddy (Telugu, 2017).

Parvathys comments invited considerable public attention because it is indeed rare for a successful actor to take on misogyny or similar social issues that are wrongly coloured within the cinema ecosystem. That she did so in the presence of her colleagues, who were otherwise engaged in polite conversation about method acting, genre and managing social media, is commendable.

Typically, most Indian actors speak before film releases or parrot tailor made publicity statements. Most media interactions are also engineered with facile questions.

These conversations can sometimes be peppered with lines on womens empowerment, caste issues, and various forms of exploitation, if they have some bearing on the film in question. Consider the stoic silence of most mainstream leading actors when the country is being ravaged by protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

Often, actors tend to pick issues depending on the films they endorse. In most cases, these decisions are influenced by commercial gains and not ideology. A question then arises: is the Indian actor largely apolitical? There are a few exceptions, like Swara Bhaskar, Richa Chaddha, Mohd Zeeshan Ayub and many from Malayalam cinema, but the question is to be answered in the affirmative.

At times, purported social concerns of Indian actors are reflected through dalliances with electoral politics but thats often done primarily for personal gains. On occasion, some have joined politics to save a fledgling career. This is not to suggest that actors ought to be activists or espouse social issues, but their choice of films says a lot about their truest convictions.

Things are however different in the West. In 2017, Meryl Streep used her Golden Globes Award speech to castigate Donald Trump. In 2018, Cate Blanchett delivered a wonderful speech on gender equality at the Cannes Film Festival. In contrast, our award functions are like soap operas where members of the film fraternity smile benevolently from the front rows while their associates accept awards and thank each other.

In a departure, the show referenced above had Parvathy airing her concerns about Telugu film Arjun Reddy, in the presence of the male lead of the film, Vijay Devarakonda. Rejecting the gentle, conversational format that is the norm in these shows, she expressed her discomfort with the portrayal of abuse, camouflaging as love, in films. She also mentioned that cinema shouldnt be used to mainstream or normalise deviance and violence.

This conversation could be an important beginning to breach the genteel ambience of these shows, where womens issues are reduced to mere glib talk and celeb-gazing. Lest we forget, Parvathy was also subjected to vicious trolling when she took on Malayalam superstar Mammootty for his depiction of a rogue cop and dialogues denigrating women in the film Kasaba (2016). Along with other comrades, she later contributed to the establishment of the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), which comprises some of the finest talent in contemporary Malayalam cinema. We need many more similar interventions by actors.

Kunal Ray teaches literary and cultural studies at FLAME University, Pune

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Standing up to on-screen abuse - The Hindu

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In 2019, Mary Kay Inc. continued its decades-long commitment to enriching the lives of women around the globe, manufacturing irresistible products and building healthier, more sustainable communities. In recognition of Mary Kays achievements throughout the year, the brand has taken home more than 20 coveted awards in the business, corporate citizenship and leadership categories from various reputable sources.

The awards, which range from Forbes Best Midsize Employers for 2019 to Best in Show at Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship Film Festival, highlight Mary Kays unwavering business values and its dedication to the principles defined by the brands legendary founder, Mary Kay Ash.

Awards in 2019 include:

Excellence in Business

Excellence in Corporate Citizenship

Excellence in Leadership

About Mary Kay

One of the original glass ceiling breakers, Mary Kay Ash founded her beauty company more than 56 years ago with three goals: develop rewarding opportunities for women, offer irresistible products, and make the world a better place. That dream has blossomed into a multibillion-dollar company with millions of independent sales force members in nearly 40 countries. Mary Kay is dedicated to investing in the science behind beauty and manufacturing cutting-edge skin care, color cosmetics, nutritional supplements and fragrances. Mary Kay is committed to empowering women and their families by partnering with organizations from around the world, focusing on supporting cancer research, protecting survivors from domestic abuse, beautifying our communities, and encouraging children to follow their dreams. Mary Kay Ashs original vision continues to shineone lipstick at a time. Learn more at MaryKay.com.

Read more here:
Mary Kay Inc. Earns More Than 20 Prestigious Awards in Business, Corporate Citizenship and Leadership Categories Throughout Remarkable 2019 - Business...

Investors have never had a better decade than the 2010s. Certainly, the U.S stock market did incredibly and Canada was solid. But the real gains were in investor empowerment. A decade of competition, innovation and regulation has brought lower costs, more choice and more transparency to individual investors. Lets look at some of the highlights.

Robo-advisers have been around for five or so years in the Canadian market, not long enough to build a significant market presence. So dont succumb to the temptation to write them off as a faddish riff on fintech (financial technology) that will never go mainstream.

What robos offer is vitally important low-cost help in building and maintaining a properly built portfolio of exchange-traded funds. There isnt a financial goal in life that cant be achieved using a robo-adviser.

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Why use a robo? Because you dont want to buy overpriced mutual funds from your bank; because you cant find an investment adviser to handle your modest account; or you have an adviser, but she or he is only interested in selling you overpriced mutual funds. Robos connect investors to effective investment portfolios in an economical, effective way.

ETFs were on track in fall 2019 to outsell mutual funds for the second straight year. With more than $200-billion in assets as of Nov. 30, assets held in ETFs are still only about 12.5 per cent of the amount invested in mutual funds. But ETFs now have the momentum the mutual fund industry had in its 1990s heyday.

The ETF industrys growth isnt a totally great story for investors. In particular, theres a tendency to issue funds to capture trends that any experienced investor knows are both temporary and bound to end badly. But the benefits of ETF growth outweigh the negatives. You can now buy ETFs to track the Canadian stock market with a management expense ratio of 0.06 per cent. Thats awfully close to zero.

Yes, you do have to pay commissions to an online broker to trade ETFs. But over the past decade, several brokers have conditionally limited or eliminated these costs.

Balanced ETFs took off immediately after their introduction in early 2018, which shows just how useful this product is. A balanced ETF is a fund of funds, which means it holds ETFs tracking stock and bond indexes in mixes that appeal to conservative, middling and aggressive investors.

How to be a successful investor: Pick a balanced ETF to suit your needs, then add money regularly over decades. You dont need to rebalance your holdings because thats done for you. The cost of owning balanced ETFs? About 0.2 per cent to 0.25 per cent, which is a monster-size bargain in comparison with the balanced funds the mutual fund industry offers.

A lot of big U.S. online brokers cut their stock-trading commissions to zero in 2019, and the response from Canadian brokers was predictably lame. We are still waiting to see whether any brokers in this country will even reduce commissions, never mind eliminate them.

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But lets take the long view here. As the past decade began, investors were paying about $29 minimum to trade at the big bank-owned firms, or about $9.99 flat if they had $100,000 in assets with their broker. The $100,000 requirement for $9.99 trades later fell to $50,000 at bank-owned brokers and then started to disappear altogether at mid-decade.

Still lower commissions were available from independents Questrade and Virtual Brokers. They helped put pressure on the big players to cut costs.

Fee-for-service planning has been around a long time, but mainly as a service for wealthy families. Now, its starting to catch on with a much wider swath of the population. Apparently, theres an appetite for paying hundreds and, often, thousands of dollars to get questions about debt, retirement, taxes and more answered by someone who does not sell investments or want to manage your portfolio.

As noted in a recent Portfolio Strategy column, some fee-for-service planners are so busy they have waiting lists. There are now enough planners of this type to populate a national directory you can download here.

More and more fee-for-service planners are segmenting their services so you can buy a full, big-picture plan, or discuss specific matters such as the affordability of buying a house, debt reduction and retirement planning. Fee-for-service planners usually dont discuss specific securities, but they can help you find the right mix of stocks and bonds to meet your investing goals.

If youre interested in any sort of financial planning, make sure you deal with a properly accredited planner. The top designations are the certified financial planner (CFP) and the registered financial planner (RFP).

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Money market funds were the go-to place to park cash until the financial crisis came along and sent interest rates into the sub-basement. The 10-year annualized return for one of the countrys largest money market funds was 0.7 per cent as of Nov. 30, which compares with an average inflation rate of 1.7 per cent over that period.

The better option is the high-interest saving account packaged either as a mutual fund or ETF. Returns as of late December ranged from 1.4 per cent to 1.6 per cent for high-interest savings account mutual funds and roughly 2 per cent for the ETFs. I recently compiled a full list of the savings account products offered by all major online brokers.

Sorry for the jargon, but CRM2 (for client relationship model, phase two) is what everyone calls the regulations introduced in 2017 to improve disclosure of fees and returns for individual investors. Every January, investors receive a statement showing what they have paid for advice in dollar terms and their annual returns.

CRM2 is not comprehensive enough. Mainly, there needs to be more information to show the full range of fees paid by investors who own mutual funds. But think back to the level of pre-CRM2 disclosure. Returns for the previous quarter or month, with no long-term numbers. Advice fees described in percentage terms only, which has less impact than fees shown in dollars.

The bottom line with CRM2 is that investors are better informed about advice fees and returns than they used to be. If they read their CRM2 statements, that is.

Stay informed about your money. We have a newsletter from personal finance columnist Rob Carrick. Sign up today.

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These trends of the past decade made investors smarter and richer, and they can do the same in the 2020s - The Globe and Mail

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Its the dawn of a new decade and based on new survey insights, it might be a naughty one.

More than half of American adults already own a sex toy and one in four hope to start or expand their collection in 2020, according to the Sex and the State of the Union survey conducted by Lovers Family of Stores. When asked which titillating activities adults want to do more of in the year ahead, 32% of participants hope to do the deed in risky or unexpected places, while 22% want to watch adult videos with their partner and 21% want to ratchet up the role playing. The top answer though? 38% simply wish for a romantic, sex-centered evening in with their sweetie.

As a retailer, were beyond thrilled to see the stigma around sex and intimacy lifting! says VP of Marketing for Lovers Family of Stores Jessica Ivey. These survey results mirror what were experiencing on the retail side: people are less discouraged by their embarrassment and more encouraged by unlocking their pleasure potential when it comes to fun, sex and intimacy.

So, who exactly is getting down with the get down and what are the trends for 2020? The survey reveals these top stats:

Jennie Ketcham Crooks, therapist and anxiety specialist, reviewed these results in-depth and had a unique perspective on the findings. People are talking about sex more so now than at any other time in historyits also everywhere. We see it on television and can access pornographic images on our handheld devices, said Lovers in-house sexpert Ketcham Crooks. The mainstream media is more openly discussing all things sex, especially the darker areas of sex after the #MeToo movement, so it makes sense that we are witnessing this uptick in perceived social acceptance. We are actually talking about whats okay and what isnt okay, and as a byproduct of that conversation, we end up having open and honest conversations about sexual habits.

By Movement

Female Sexual Empowerment

58% of females reported owning a sex toy, and with 75% of adults comfortable with the growing movement and support for female sexual empowerment, its no wonder we're seeing a spike in sex toy ownership and less-elusive female orgasm. And, only 10% perceived female sexual empowerment to be less socially accepted than it was a decade ago. You go, girls! According to Lovers sexpert Ketcham Crooks, weve still got work to do on this front. Popular culture and the medical field are still trying to debunk the belief that bringing a man to the brink of an orgasm and then not completing the task is dangerous for mens health. There is no such mythology for women; in fact, we have been socialized to 'fake it' if our partner doesnt do the deed.

Gender Fluidity

"They" is the 2019 word of the year, but less than half of Americans say they are comfortable with gender fluidity. Unsurprisingly, Millennials and Gen X are the most comfortablebut not as comfortable as you'd think. When responding to this survey, only 57% of Millennials reported being comfortable with gender fluidity and more than one-third of Gen Xers reported being uncomfortablewith 20% of both groups reporting they were "completely uncomfortable" with fluid gender identity. And the OK Boomer trend came to life in the results, as we saw a complete flip in opinion between Gen X and BoomersBoomers reported being 65% uncomfortable and 35% comfortable with transgender identity whereas Gen X reported the exact opposite: 35% uncomfortable and 65% comfortable.

When asked if there had been any perceived change in social acceptance around gender identity, 73% of adults responded that there has been a positive shift in the overall acceptance of gender fluidity.

Open Relationships

One-third of adults have either been in, have thought about or talked about being an open relationshipthough survey results show that nearly a quarter of Americans think open relationships are less socially acceptable in the eye of the public than they were a decade ago. Gen Zers and Millennials were most comfortable with the idea of an open relationship, but it was a 50/50 split between the two camps in both age groups.

Ketcham Crooks weighed in on this and said, This finding is interesting because these are also two generations of individuals for whom mixed families have been normalized. Many of us (as a Millennial myself) witnessed our parents' attempts at monogamy fail and became open to less traditional familial relationship constructs. It may also be that, due to the internet and ease of access to information, we are exposed to all of the ways relationships can look.

Sex Toy Ownership

Americans who took this survey like their trinkets and toys, and those who own them proved to be most open and adventurous when it came to all things sex. 20% of sex-toy owners are looking for some backdoor action in 2020, along with 38% who are interested in a new position or technique to try in the bedroom. Almost half of all sex toy owners also reported they are looking to add a new gadget to their bedside drawer next year and are equally as likely to visit a retail store as they are to look online for information on their next boudoir purchase.

By Gender

Self-pleasure for men was perceived at 40% less socially accepted over this last decade, while female self-pleasure was perceived as 67% more socially acceptable. Males are more likely to perceive that sexual health is connected to their overall wellbeing than females are, and both sexes were equally interested in adding a new toy and romance to their 2020 routines. Males also reported engaging in open relationships nearly twice as much as females.

By Generation

69% of Millennials own a sex toy, and surprisingly, Gen Z was daring, but not as daring as Millennials77% said they wanted to try something sexually new in 2020 compared to 88% of Millennials (but 28% of Gen Z did say they wanted to try anal for the first time!). Gen Xers and Millennials are the romanticswith nearly half wishing to add more romance to their sex lives for 2020. When it came to try new things in their sex lives, Boomers encapsulate the saying If it aint broke, dont fix it, as only 37% of Boomers said they wanted to try something new in 2020 to spice things up.

Ketcham Crooks explains, The Gen Z demographic are likely encountering a variety of new experiences at this phase of life; breaking away from parents, going to college, meeting new people from different backgrounds and being exposed to new ideas. It can be helpful and less intimidating to take this phase of extreme change one beat at a time.

By Region

If you live in the Midwest, you're more likely to own a sex toy than any other region, and youre also least likely to be comfortable with transgender or gender fluidity. Those who were most satisfied with their sex lives live in the West, with those who are least satisfied reside in the Midwest and Northeast. And, its possible you have or are engaging in an open relationship if you live in the Northeastover a fifth of Northeasterners reported doing so at some point in their lives.

A Look Back: A Decade in Review

Overall, Americans feel that an array of sexual behaviors are in general becoming more and more socially accepted (even if they do not necessarily agree with the behaviors on a personal level). The big takeaways from the last decade:

On behalf of Lovers, CITE Research conducted an online survey among 1,000 U.S. adults representative of the U.S. Census population. Respondents were screened to match the U.S. Census on, gender, age, ethnicity, region, household income, region and marital status.

About Lovers

The Lovers Family of Stores is a sex-positive, judgment-free, fetish-friendly community dedicated to enhancing your sexual pleasurewhatever pleasure you pick. Mother-daughter duo Phylis Heppenstall and Kriss Butt founded Lovers in 1981 under the belief that everyone has a right to great sex, regardless of gender identification, race, sexual orientation, or socio-economic status. Our 43 locations span across Washington, Oregon, Texas, Tennessee, and California under A Touch of Romance, Christals, and Lovers. Each store offers high-quality toys, curated products, and education to help you consensually fulfill your desires. Maybe its time you finally realized that fantasyyou know the one. Satisfy your curiosity at http://www.loverspackage.com or on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

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Lovers | Sex and the State of the Union Survey - Business Wire

Sharon Stone in Los Angeles in July 2018.

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

Stars truly are just like us: engulfed in a personal reckoning with a dating app. Sharon Stone announced in the very early hours of Monday morning (prime time for lying awake and swiping!) that she had tried to use Bumble, only to have her account shut down. Some users reported that it couldnt possibly be me!, she wrote on Twitter, tagging the companys account. Dont shut me out of the hive. She finished with a bee emoji, and then tweeted a screenshot for good measure.

So fortuitous was it for Bumble to be called out in this wayhere we are, adding to the cacophony of pressthat I initially assumed it all had to be a PR stunt. Who but someone on the inside would call Bumble a hive? Alas, a representative for the company insisted this wasnt planned. Especially for an apparently organic interaction, the problem was quickly resolved. At 4:26 a.m.just hours after Stones initial tweetBumbles editorial director replied to the actor to report that her account had been restored.

Why is accidentally blocking a famous person great for Bumble? The immovable reality is that dating comes down to meeting people plus serendipity, which means that no matter how fancy its sorting algorithm is, any dating apps most distinguishing feature will be the kinds of people who use it (or at least appear to). The fact that Stone was blocked (and unblocked) from Bumble means that she is on Bumble, making it both a place where you can run into celebrities, and one where a celebrity would deign to be seen. In fact, Bumble has made some effort to position itself as a place where you can bump into note-worthy people. Among photos of beautiful nobodies in last years Find Them on Bumble ad campaign were a handful of niche famouses, like Vox journalist Liz Plank, former Obama deputy chief of staff Alyssa Mastromonaco, and Soul Cycle founder Julie Rice.* Bumble also recently ran a contest to hang out with 20-year-old Riverdale hunk KJ Apa; users could enter by finding his (presumably PR-crafted) profile on the app and swiping right. Celebrities typically note that theyre on the more exclusive app Raya, so Sharon Stone is a big upgrade for Bumble.

Stones foray into Bumble also boosts the apps appeal for older folks (shes 61), and in particular, people who might be looking for more than a hookup, a space well-claimed by Tinder. A survey of users that the company shared last year suggested that the vast majority are looking for a partner. The women that use the app (or that the company wants you to think use the app) have established their careers, experienced love, had families, and know what they want in their next relationship, Bumbles in-house sociologist told Mashable.

Even the fact that Bumble blocked Stone neatly fits into its empowerment-app narrative, alongside its central feature of having women make the first move, in theory cutting down on creepy spam. You want your dating app to err on the side of aggressively blocking catfishers. Bumble, a PR rep told me, was also the first app to offer a way for users to verify that theyre real people (you take a photo of yourself making the same gesture as shown in a random photo). Its unclear why Stone didnt do thisperhaps going on the app was a lark, and she just hadnt bothered with looking at all the features. After Bumble unblocked her, it invited her in a wildly shared statement to its headquarters for some personalized dating help. If only the company would build perfect dating profiles for the rest of us, too.

Correction, Dec. 30, 2019: This post originally misspelled Alyssa Mastromonacos last name.

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Bumble May as Well Have Blocked Sharon Stone on Purpose - Slate

Ten years is a long time for anything. Its especially a long time for any industry that is seeing the explosive yearly growth that anime is. Over this past decade over 1500 anime series have premiered, not even including the countless more films! With that many shows behind us, its naturally time to do a little introspection and think about which series truly rise above the rest. Before we send off this decade and look forward to the next, check out these anime to see just what this wonderful medium is capable of giving. These are the best anime of the decade.

Studio: KyoAni Runtime: January 11th, 2017 April 6th, 2017

Dragon Maid is a wholesome slice-of-life that works in spite of its oftentimes overwhelming fanservice. It is, perhaps, indicative of KyoAnis charm, that such an egregiously horny show can manage to be so wholesome. Whether its because of the colorfully soft visuals, the playfully gentle background music, or the endearing cast of characters, Dragon Maid stands above its many, many competitors.

But what makes Dragon Maid more than a gimmicky SoL? Simple: family. The relationship between the titular Kobayashi and her equally titular dragon maid Tohru is one of sincere affection that gets explored as the series progresses. Its a slow change that we see in Kobayashi, one that she herself doesnt notice until its gone. Helping with groceries, visiting school, and going on picnics: Dragon Maid does what few other SoLs have and gives weight to the small moments, the doldrums of daily life that can only be found with family.

And I mean, cmon. That OP.

Chu chu yeah! Kyle Rogacion

Watch on Crunchyroll (subbed) and Funimation (dubbed)

Studio: Studio 3Hz Runtime: October 6th, 2016December 26th, 2016

Animations true wonder is its lack of physical, earthly constraint, and yet too few series take advantage of the medium. Not so with Flip Flappers, which burst onto the scene in kaleidoscopic colors and with a visual freneticism that never abated. With the scant trappings of a magical girl series to barely maintain cohesion, every episode shifts genre and style crossing multiple dimensionsall to resolve maternal and interpersonal relationship issues.

There is a good story here, especially as the series plunges deeper and deeper into manifestations of psychological trauma, but its superseded by the beauty of the animation and the overriding sweetness of the friendship (with increasingly homoerotic implications) between protagonists Cocona and Papika. With bold lines and a density of detail across the screen, Flip Flappers is a tonic for those wishing that anime would push boundaries more often. In the world of Flip Flappers, there are no boundaries that cant be crossed. Declan Biswas-Hughes

Watch on Crunchyroll (subbed)

Studio: White Fox Runtime: April 4th, 2016 Sep 19th, 2016

Re:Zero succeeds in how it takes two heavily-used anime tropes and makes it its own. It employs the basic set up for an isekai and the groundhog day trope as its key plot tool.

The shows story arcs range from slice-of-life to faux-medieval political drama to all-out fantasy-action. Its distinct yet still working in tandem for both world-building and more importantly character development, with main character Subaru Natsuki as the constant element. Subaru, whose character development is arguably the highlight of the show, is most interesting as the repeated tragedies start affecting his psyche, and how he does (and doesnt) cope. He is also flawed in his seemingly pure-hearted infatuation with Emilia the half-elf, and the show doesnt hold back in drawing out the ugliest parts of its protagonist. This only allows for redemption toward the very end of the season.

Re:Zero also takes time to develop its core supporting cast, creating fan favorites as their story arcs twist and turn around Subaru. The show even led to an enduring waifu war between Emilia and Rem, a testament in itself to the shows development of its supporting cast. Katharine Booth

Re:Zeros second season was recently announced for 2020.

Watch on Crunchyroll (subbed) and Funimation (dubbed)

Studio: P.A. Works Runtime: July 7th, 2013June 25th, 2017

Fittingly, The Eccentric Family occupies an odd space at the intersection of whimsy, magic realism, and character drama; there is no other series quite like it. Steeped in Japanese folklore, The Eccentric Family tells the story of a family of shape-shifting tanukis, and the precariousness of their existencealways under threat from being captured and thrown into a hot pot stew by humans. Combined with flying tengu overhead and the enigmatic magical human, Benten, whose mercurial relationship with protagonist Yasaburou is both alluring and terrifying, comes a wistful and moving meditation on existence. Yet the series is always pleasant owing to its eccentric delight in the fun of ephemeral life, and thus is a show worth seeing. Declan Biswas-Hughes

Watch on Crunchyroll (subbed)

Studio: Lay-duce Runtime: July 6th, 2019September 21st, 2019

This is Mari Okadas most technically adroit melodrama, which is surely an odd thing to say about a series hinging on the irrational flood of feelings regarding sex and sexuality. But her decades worth of experience examining the teenage psyche in all its perceptiveness and irrationalities comes to bear in O Maidens.

For sure, only Okadas fine attunement to teenage minds could result in a character so empathetically written as Niina. Niina is fascinating and capricious, with her sexual maturity being both an asset and an isolating force amongst her friends, and her story an incisive exploration of the warping male gaze. All the characters in O Maidens are interesting in their own right, each unravelling various facets of their own sexuality, but there is no character in anime quite like Niina, and only Okada could have written her. Declan Biswas-Hughes

Watch on HiDive (subbed/dubbed)

Studio: Satelight Runtime: Oct 6, 2013 Dec 29, 2013

Despite anime being veritably flooded with series with romance as a core tenet, the amount of truly good romantic dramas are few and far between and even fewer still that dont rely on cheating to create cheap conflict. White Album 2 is part of that esteemed list.

Relationships are more than just the leadup to a confession, contrary to what many anime may lead you to believe. Theres the actual dating part and, sometimes, the fallout afterward. White Album 2 details all three parts of the dating process in all their nit-gritty glory. Characters are emotionally hurt, relationships irrevocably damaged, and fond memories smothered by bittersweet events.

The worst part and the part that makes the series so incredible is how no character was in the wrong for their actions. As corny as it sounds, they were true friends always thinking of the best for each other and that makes the outcome all the more painful. Few series are as beautifully tragic as White Album 2, and it is certainly one that will leave scrambling to pick up the pieces of your broken heart. Matthew Ponthier

Watch on Crunchyroll (subbed)

Studio: KyoAni Runtime: April 3rd, 2011 September 25th, 2011

Its hard to get the slice-of-life formula wrong. The genre, at its core, relies on highlighting the common experiences we all share: doing laundry, making dinner, hanging out with friends, etc. Narrative takes a back seat in favor of situational comedy and the characters caught in them. What puts Nichijou several cuts above the rest is just how absurd those situations are.

Nichijous brilliance is how it balances over-the-top exaggerated Japanese comedy with a genuinely comfy atmosphere. Deer wrestling and nuclear explosions are the order of the day, but how these moments are rooted in the mundane aspects of everyday life make them land so much better. All of this is helped by KyoAnis stellar animation team, who brings the wild nature of the comedy to a whole other level. One simply need watch Nichijous OP to understand exactly what theyre getting into. Kyle Rogacion

Watch on Funimation (subbed and dubbed)

Studio: Lerche Runtime: January 13th, 2017March 31st, 2017

Anime may too frequently take an emotionally and sexually neutered approach to romance in its idealisation, but sex, love, and happiness are separate entities in Scums Wish. The series seeks to display all three nude and unspun in all their explicit sensitivities, with no moralizing or punishment.

Fully capturing intelligent, hormonal teenagers standing on the precipice that is the edge of adulthood and the harsher romantic truths of adulthood through grown-ups themselves Scums Wish then submerges its characters and itself in social taboo. In doing so, it presents one of animes most realistic depictions of the pursuit of empty affection and the idolatry of the imperfect.

Chika Ansai gives a stellar, earnest performance as Hanabi navigating these murky waters, which emotionally tethers the series. On top of this, Andou Masaomis direction visually shows estrangement and entanglement in an engaging manner. Its everything somebody, scum or otherwise, could wish for. Declan Biswas-Hughes

Watch on Amazon Prime (subbed)

Studio: TMS entertainment Runtime: April 6, 2019 September 21, 2019

At its core, Fruits Basket is a story about learning how to accept others for everything they are, as well as oneself. Such a simple-sounding concept is, in reality, difficult to realize, especially when trying to do so alone.

The Souma family circumstances are fantastical, to be sure, but each members plight touches upon the many forms of doubt and insecurity one may feel throughout various stages of life. The cast of Fruits Basket all have their own inner demons to grapple with and chances are youll find yourself sympathetic to at least one of them for one reason or another. Its in seeing protagonist Tohru unconditionally believe in that projection of yourself that has such a profound healing effect both inside and outside the screen. It also helps that the updated animation makes the high-emotion scenes hit all the harder.

Fruits Basket is a rare anime series that challenges the viewer, challenges them to be a better person. It shows how difficult it can be to be that person to soothe others pain, but it also shows the importance of at least trying. Mathew Ponthier

Watch on Crunchyroll (subbed) and Funimation (dubbed)

Studio: MAPPA Runtime: October 6th, 2014 December 29th, 2014

An anime series based off a mobile game has no right to be this good. Defying expectations, Rage of Bahamut: Genesis tells a compelling story that doesnt stray too far from your traditional Japanese take on Western fantasy. At first glance, it might even seem rather mundane for the genre. Grand conflicts between angels and demons, with humans caught in the middle; plot-driving MacGuffins that everyone desperately desires; an ancient god sealed away lest it destroy the world.

What sets Rage of Bahamut apart is its presentation. Thrilling orchestral scores, thrilling swashbuckling fights, and genuinely endearing characters create the perfect ingredients for a wholly engrossing adventure. The main trio of Amira, Favaro, and Kaisar establishes its core dynamic with refreshing alacrity. You immediately understand whats at stake and why each of the characters are driven forward. Spanning twelve episodes, the series covers a staggering amount of ground without feeling rushed.

Rage of Bahamut was one of the first series to come out of MAPPA and it quickly helped to establish the studios presence. MAPPA would go on to create such series as Yuri on Ice, Zombieland Saga, and Sarazanmai, showing that this relative newcomer was an animation powerhouse ready to make its mark. Kyle Rogacion

Watch on Funimation (subbed and dubbed)

Studio: Tatsunoko Production Runtime: April 11th, 2014 June 20th, 2014

Despite the name, Ping Pong is decidedly not about the sport. Rather, its about the people who play it and their reasons for doing so. Upon first watch, the most striking aspect about Ping Pong will be its art style. Its scratchy and somewhat off-putting, but a perfect fit for the incredibly stylized nature of the show. Director Masaaki Yuasa brings his signature flair to Ping Pong; dynamic motion and intense framing ensure that every second your eyes are glued to the screen.

By leaning into this heavy stylization, Ping Pong makes liberal use of metaphor and symbolism to get its points across. Yuasa and his animation team instill a palpable sense of fun into their work, making even the most mundane action seem grand and mesmerizing. At its core, however, Ping Pong is a journey of self-discovery, a hunger for purpose and motivation. Through the context of table tennis, the show dives into what exactly this sport means for its players and how they use it to not simply define their lives, but inform them. Kyle Rogacion

Watch on Funimation (subbed and dubbed)

Studio: A-1 Pictures Runtime: January 12th, 2019 March 30th, 2019

Kaguya-sama is a joy because it pokes fun at the ridiculous dance of high school romance while reminding us just how serious those situations felt at the time. Its immediately relatable; hesitating to confess ones feelings, not knowing how to exchange contact info without seeming desperate, trying to give love advice knowing full well youre not qualified to do so, etc. While everything is escalated to hilarious heights, its all anchored by a subconscious Yeah, Id be freaking out about that, too.

Aka Akasaka and A-1 Pictures manage to sidestep much of the saminess of other shows by leaning into the sketch comedy format la Aho-Girl. Instead of following around one character for an entire episode, each episode is instead broken up into vignettes featuring the cast in different scenarios. Kaguya-sama leverages this format to deliver sharp satire and fascinating glimpses into the lives of its characters.

Beyond the relatability, format, and smart writing, however, Kaguya-sama nails the balance between comedy and character-building. For as many laugh-out-loud moments as there are, Kaguya-sama hones in on each non-Kaguya/Shirogane cast member just enough to get viewers attached. Its never been a better time to enlist as a soldier of love. Brent Middleton

Watch on Crunchyroll (subbed) and Funimation (dubbed)

Studio: TMS Entertainment Runtime: July 5th, 2019 Dec 13th, 2019

Dr. Stone presents a unique take on the end of the world, taking a heavily-used plot device and making it its own. The show takes time to develop its characters while presenting its overarching morality conflict pitting the first seasons two opposing factions against each other. However, the show convinces the viewer to root for protagonist Senku and his kingdom of science, just as the side characters warm up to him as well.

While Senku seems like a one an army because of his intellect, self-confidence and problem solving ability, the narrative still makes a point of showing his need to rely on the help of the other characters, thus making the story suspenseful as he wins them over to his side. Throughout the first season, Dr. Stone makes sure to keep technical science components light-hearted and easy to understand, which is essential for the side characters, but really meant to keep the viewer engaged and on the same page throughout the story.

Dr. Stone has just hit the ground running over the past several months and shows no signs of slowing down, with season two announced for 2020. Katharine Booth

Watch on Crunchyroll (subbed)

Studio: David Production Runtime: October 5th, 2018 July 28th, 2019

This isnt the first time Ive discussedJoJos Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind. In short: its superb, and a must-watch for anyone passionate about creatively imaginative storytelling. In long: heres a rap I wrote about it!

Its bonkers and bizarre, the protagonist drives a car. Hes only fifteen so evidently hes not a law-abiding star. He runs with a gang in the streets of Italy, beating baddies with a beatdown bitterly. Employing peculiar powers to pimp out plant life and turn gravel into a tree.

This is the best season of JoJo, Arakis mind hasnt lost its mojo. Its the most narratively consistent iteration of an anime thats loco. So checkGolden Windif youre seeking fun, and off the walls action to get your head spun. And you can count on affairs to include ablonde-haired boy shouting Muda Muda Muda!. Harry Morris

Watch on Crunchyroll (subbed)

Studio: White Fox Runtime: January 26th, 2010December 11th, 2010

Like most Nisio Isin creations, Katanagatari is clever. Wordplay, subversions of samurai film structures, metatextual commentary, thematically meaningful mundane objectsthis is a finely crafted sword hunt story (the title itself a clever portmanteau of katanagari and monogatari), where the ostensibly simple plot of searching for twelve legendary swords is enriched by literary accouterments.

What really sets Katanagatari apart, however, is the love story between Yasuri Shichika and Togame at its core. These mystical Deviant blades are corrupting and powerful, and so Togame only recruits Shichikas help on the condition that he does so for the sake of pure love. Shichika, having lived a secluded life, agrees. So begins an enveloping romance evolving through conversation about lifes oddities.

Yes, there are some spectacular and inventive fights each episode, but its rare to have an anime so quiet, with characters dissecting idiosyncrasies through discussion. Even with its atypical visuals and quirky dialogue, this is natural-feeling love story that is as engrossing as its sword hunt story. Declan Biswas-Hughes

Purchase on Amazon

Studio: Wit Studio Runtime: April 6th, 2013 September 28th, 2013

This first season of Attack on Titan sets the stage for what has become one of the most critically acclaimed and loved series of the past decade. The shows world-building and art direction create a setting unlike any other show to date, and the pacing covers a lot of ground with its plot development to make the show fast-paced without feeling rushed.

As the main characters become more entangled in the central conflict of their world, the show immerses viewers in its universe. Attack on Titan pulls no punches with its depictions of violence and terror from episode one, presenting the viewer almost immediately with just how high the stakes are for both the main characters and every single person living in this brutal world. The first season succeeds in both building up the three main characters development while also taking the time to share the spotlight with its secondary characters. This gives just the right amount of attention to everyone based on their future importance to the series. Attack on Titan hits the ground running, and demands your attention, getting the viewer hooked on this wildly popular thriller. Katharine Booth

Watch on Hulu (dubbed) and Crunchyroll (subbed)

Studio: Madhouse Runtime: April 22nd, 2010 July 1st, 2010

In many respects, Tatami Galaxy is self-indulgent. Director Masaaki Yuasa has made a name for himself with his insanely stylized and fluid animation, and its impossible to mistake this show as having any other person at the helm.

Lacking any real plot, Tatami Galaxy revels in the fantastic and the absurd. Its a distorted vision of college life, a narrative and visual mile-a-minute ride that takes viewers through a cavalcade of people and places.

The show knows exactly what it is and carries with it a meta sense of wit and humor without ever winking at the audience. Because the show effectively tells the same story in different ways, Tatami Galaxy benefits from a sense of freedom that allows it to explore a variety of different approaches. Through the conceit of parallel worlds, the show takes a charmingly cynical look at the fickle nature of youth that, by the end, settles on the notion that our mistakes and failures are simply a part of what drives us forward. Kyle Rogacion

Watch on Funimation (subbed)

Studio: Production I.G. Runtime: October 12th, 2012 March 22nd, 2013

A cyberpunk, crime laden city chock-full of sci-fi splendour; Psycho-Passs backdrop is instantly appealing. Centered around Dominators, weapons that can measure a persons crime coefficient (their mental state and likelihood to commit a crime), Psycho-Pass confronts viewers with an array of gripping criminality, all the while utilizing said crime coefficient concept to carve out its own identity. Its morbid, packed with futuristic creativity, and a shining diamond in its genre. Harry Morris

Watch on Funimation

Studio: Toei Animation Runtime: Oct 10, 2013 Dec 19, 2013

Anime and manga have always had a distinct fascination with Alice in Wonderland, often facelifting cues and characters directly into their own works. Enter Kuousou Giga, a distinctly Japanese take on the world-famous fairy tale thats as bombastically creative as it is heartwarmingly emotional.

Journeying through the city of Kyoto Through the Looking Glass is a visual joyride of flamboyant colors complemented by a boisterous orchestral soundtrack that all too easily matches the fantastical nature of the locale. Its wondrous scenery ironically exemplifies just how common and relatable the threads of the story are, though.

Characters in Kyousou Giga may be based on ones from Alice in Wonderland on the basest of levels but the numerous Buddhist and Shinto principles that permeate throughout make them nigh unrecognizable beyond their eye-catching designs. The story goes through its fair share of twists and turns, spanning time and space that sometimes gets a little too grandiose for its own good but it all ultimately boils down to one universal truth: the importance of family bonds. Its a melancholic, heartfelt tale thats sure to elicit memories of those warm halcyon days. Matthew Ponthier

Watch on Crunchyroll

Studio: Kyoto Animation Runtime: April 8th, 2015 December 28th, 2016

KyoAni understands people and relationships like no other studio. Hibike Euphonium is a tour de force of storytelling that strikes at the heart of what drives us as human beings. The show follows the journey of the Kitauji High School Concert band as they slowly improve and aim to become contenders in Japans national music tournaments. Hibike! Euphonium starts the band at the bottom so that their meteoric rise over the series progression is all the more impressive.

Passions, goals, and heartbreak stream forth from the show in a way that manages to consistently top itself. With each episode, stakes continually build as characters come to better understand both themselves and the others around them. These powerful emotions center around music, which tug at the core like nothing else; viewers are there for every painful step of the way. Each moment of self-doubt, each moment of triumph: Hibike! Euphonium masterfully showcases the insane amount of dedication and effort that it takes for a disparate group of individuals to come together and make beautiful music. Kyle Rogacion

Watch on Crunchyroll (subbed)

EDITORS NOTE: A special mention to the Liz and the Blue Bird movie which is part of the Hibike story. Only one author had watched it though and so it was unable to be placed on the list.

Studio: Asread Runtime: October 9th, 2011 April 15th, 2012

Writing a great thriller anime is no easy feat. They need to maintain a careful balance of suspense, action, and softer character-focused moments to give viewers an emotional break throughout the course of an entire season. The way that The Future Diary handles this while keeping the stakes of its killing game consistently high is inspired.

Yuki and Yuno are the primary protagonists, but their safety never feels fully assured. Yunos mental instability but undeniable combat prowess makes her a necessary liability throughout; her love for Yuki is strong, but its this same manic love that could easily lead to his demise at the turn of a hat.In many ways, watching The Future Diary feels like watching a nightmare. Its equal parts fantastical and gruesome, and is made all the more impactful because of how well the rest of the cast is fleshed out. Each absolutely shines with backstories so compelling that it can make rooting for Yuki and Yuno questionable at times.

More than anything, The Future Diary excels at asking the tough questions. Its hard to look at the expression unconditional love the same way after this. Brent Middleton

Watch on Funimation

Studio: White Fox Runtime: October 6, 2017 December 22, 2017

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The Best Anime of the Decade (Ranks 25-1) - Goomba Stomp