NeoGAF 2011 Anime of the Year Voting Thread - voting extended through January 22

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(The original introductory rules post follows, along with the votes, the original results announcement post, and further discussion.)

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If it seems like we only just voted for the 2010 Anime of the Year a few months ago... well, that's because we did. But this wonderful year of 2011 was also filled with tons of new works, from daring original productions to long-awaited adaptations and everything in-between. So like all other forms of media at the end of December, let's look back over the shows and movies we watched and choose our favorites to decide the GAF 2011 Anime of the Year.

The Rules
  • You can vote for up to ten anime. If your list is not clearly ranked I will assume it is ordered #1, #2, #3, etc.
  • Short thoughts on your choices are not required, but would be helpful for the winners writeup.
  • Scoring will be the same as last year: your #1 choice gets 10 points, your #2 choice gets 9 pts, and so on down to 1 point for #10.
  • To qualify, TV shows must have premiered in 2011, and films/OVAs must have first been released on BD/DVD in 2011, even if their theater release was earlier.
  • You can edit your choices any time before the deadline.
  • Below is a substantial though by no means comprehensive list of eligible anime. If you think something should be added to it, shoot me a PM.
  • The deadline for voting is 11:59 pm PST on January 22, 2012. Any posts or edits timestamped later than this will not be valid.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Without further ado:

THE LIST OF 2011 ANIME (open to additions)

.hack//Quantum
A-Channel
Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai.
Ao no Exorcist
Appleseed XIII
Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu Ni!
Bakuman. 2
Beelzebub
Ben-To
Black Lagoon: Roberta's Blood Trail
Blade
Blood-C
Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai
C: The Money of Soul and Possibility Control
C3: CubexCursedxCurious
Carnival Phantasm
Chihayafuru
Colorful
Dantalian no Shoka
Deadman Wonderland
Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko
Dog Days
Dororon Enma-kun Meeramera
Dragon Crisis!
Fate/zero
Fireball Charming
Fractale
Freezing
Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. Solid State Society 3D
Gintama'
Gosick
Guilty Crown
Gundam AGE
Gundam Unicorn
Hanasaku Iroha
Hellsing VIII
Hen Zemi
Hidan no Aria
Hoshi wo Ou Kodomo
Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi
Hourou Musuko
HunterxHunter
Hyouge Mono
Ikoku Meiro no Croisee
IS <Infinite Stratos>
Itsuka Tenma no Kuro-Usagi
Kaiji S2
Kaitou Tenshi Twin Angel
Kamisama Dolls
Kamisama no Memo-chou
Katte ni Kaizou
Kimi ni Todoke S2
Kimi to Boku
Kizuna Ichigeki
Kore wa Zombie Desu ka?
Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon
Last Exile: Fam, the Silver Wing
Level E
Lotte no Omocha!
Lupin III: Blood Seal - Eternal Mermaid
Macross Frontier: Sayonara no Tsubasa
Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai!!
Maken-Ki!
Manyuu Hikenchou
Maria+Holic Alive
Mashiiro-Iro Symphony
Mawaru Penguindrum
Mayo Chiki!
Mirai Nikki
Mitsudomoe Zouryouchuu!
Moshidora
Natsume Yuujinchou San
Nekogami Yaoyorozu
Nichijou
No. 6
Nurarihyon no Mago: Sennen Makyou
Nyanpire The Animation
Ojisan no Lamp
Onii-chan no Koto nanka Zenzen Suki Janain Dakara ne!
Oretachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai
Persona 4 the Animation
Phi Brain: Kami no Puzzle
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
R-15
Redline
Rio - Rainbow Gate!
Ro-Kyu-Bu!
Sacred Seven
Seikon no Qwaser II
Sekaiichi Hatsukoi
Sekaiichi Hatsukoi 2
Sengoku Basara: The Last Party
Sengoku Otome: Momoiro Paradox
Shakugan no Shana III (Final)
Shinryaku!? Ika Musume
Sket Dance
Softenni
Steins;Gate
Suite Precure
Tamayura ~Hitotose~
The Borrower Arrietty
The iDOLM@STER
The World God Only Knows II
Tiger & Bunny
Tono to Issho: Gantai no Yabou
Toriko
Towa no Quon
Un-Go
Usagi Drop
Uta no Prince-sama
Wolverine
Working'!!
X-Men
Yondemasuyo, Azazel-san
Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal
Yumekui Merry
Yuruyuri

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Nice places to catch up on shows you may have missed:

http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime
http://www.niconico.com/anime
http://www.funimation.com/videos/simulcast
http://www.vizanime.com/

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

TL;DR VERSION

- vote for up to 10 anime
- eligible: TV shows starting in 2011, movies with first BD/DVD release in 2011
- points: #1=10pts, #2=9pts, ..., #10=1pt
- deadline is Jan. 22, 2012, 11:59pm PST

Any other questions, feel free to ask me via PM.

Thanks go to:
- Aad for doing a great job running the 2010 AOTY vote
- AnimeGAF for being a great community
- All the different studios for producing awesome shows
- and YOU

Happy New Year everyone!
 
1. Wandering Son
2. Mawaru Penguin Drum
3. Chihayafuru
4. Bunny Drop
5. Steins;gate
6. Idolmaster
7. Working'!!
8. Fate/Zero
9. Hanasaku Iroha
10. Nichijou

Honorable Mention: Level E, Madoka, Tiger and Bunny, Ben-to

Actually a lot of good stuff this year.

2011's 2010 Anime of the Year: Summer Wars. Because
 
1. Penguin Drum
2. Madoka
3. Usagi drop

I'm tempted to vote for Ano Hana, but I won't.


Sentry said:
Wish we had a thread like this for something I give a shit about.
Click to expand...
Congratulations on increasing your post count?
 
Well if 2010 stuff is being included too:

1. Gundam Unicorn
2. Redline
3. Arrietty

Seen some other stuff from this year (X-Men, Gundam AGE, Towa no Quon) but don't really feel like I should be contributing points to them.

edit - there was a new Lupin special this year? was it any good?
 
1. Idolmaster
2. Redline

I'm voting pragmatically for the sake of getting some stuff in the top 10. There is no point in listing PenguinDrum or Madoka when they're obviously getting 1-2 without my help.
 
1. Wandering Son
2. Gintama'
3. Ojisan no Lamp
4. Usagi Drop
5. Chihayafuru
6. Kizuna Ichigeki
7. Fate/Zero
8. Madoka Magica
9. Kaiji S2
10. Level E

Honorable Mentions:
Fireball Charming
Hanasaku Iroha
Mawaru Penguin Drum
Nichijou
Wardrobe Dwellers
Working'!!
 
1. Puella Magi Madoka Magica
2. Fate/Zero
3. Steins;Gate
4. Usagi Drop
5. Natsume Yuujinchou San
6. Nichijou
7. Working'!!
8. Chihayafuru
9. Hourou Musuko
10. Level E
 
1) Fate/Zero
2) Usagi Drop
3) Puella Magi Madoka Magica
4) Tiger & Bunny
5) Mawaru Penguindrum
6) Kaiji S2
7) Ano Hana
8) Hanasaku Iroha
9) Macross Frontier: Sayonara no Tsubasa
10) The Idolmaster
 
Wandering Son
Kizuna Ichigeki
Chihayafuru
Yondemasuyo, Azazel-san
Madoka Magica
Fate/Zero
Ben-To
Dororon Enma-kun Meeramera

Haven't finished Usagi Drop or MPD yet, so . . .
 
Can't decide on 1-10, so I'll just go 1-6 instead.

1. Puella Magi Madoka Magica
2. Mawaru Penguindrum
3. Steins;Gate
4. Usagi Drop
5. Shinryaku!? Ika Musume
6. Working'!!
 
1. Puella Magi Madoka Magica
2. Fate/zero
3. Working'!!
4. Kore wa Zombie Desu ka?
5. Mirai Nikki
6. Shinryaku!? Ika Musume
7. Ben-To
8. Shakugan no Shana III (Final)
9. Last Exile: Fam, the Silver Wing
10. Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko
 
1. Hanasaku Iroha
2. Usagi Drop
3. Steins;Gate

These are the only three animes I have watched in 2011, I think.

But I guess I may have missed some good ones this year.
 
1. Usagi Drop
2. Hourou Musuko
3. Steins;Gate
4. Tamayura ~Hitotose~
5. Puella Magi Madoka Magica
6. Natsume Yuujinchou San
7. Ikoku Meiro no Croisee
8. Shinryaku!? Ika Musume
9. Last Exile: Fam, the Silver Wing
10. Nichijou

Good year.
Steins;Gate the biggest surprise for me, not often a 24 episode series improves as it goes along.
Usagi Drop and Hourou Musuko were beautifully judged, no S2 for Usagi though plz thx
 
1 - The Borrower Arrietty
2 - Puella Magi Madoka Magica
3 - Mirai Nikki
4 - Fate/zero
5 - Ben-To
6 - Redline
7 - Persona 4 the Animation
8 - Macross Frontier: Sayonara no Tsubasa
9 - Nichijou
10 - Guilty Crown
 
Listed, are shows that I found entertaining to watch the whole way through and didn't make me feel like I was wasting my time.

1. Usagi Drop - automatically fills you with joy. Beautiful.

2. Puella Magi Madoka Magica - a great ride, emotional and epic.

3. Hourou Musuko/Wandering Son - very unique direction and pacing in this show. A joy to watch

4. Mawaru Penguindrum - not without its flaws, but still definitely in my top shows because of how great it was throughout large portions of the show.

5. Hanasaku Iroha - a large cast that I found to be well developed and very likeable, there was a range from fantastic to average episodes but the characters helped keep it afloat at all times

6. Blood-C - lol. don't ask questions, just watch it the whole way through and prepare yourself for something very 'special'
 
1. Usagi Drop
2. Nichijou
3. Maria+Holic Alive
4. Kaiji S2
5. Puella Magi Madoka Magica
6. Working'!!
7. Ben-To
8. Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko
9. The iDOLM@STER
10. Hanasaku Iroha

Fail of the year goes to Steins;Gate and MPD, because both show how much trouble 'Anime' has to bring shows to a satisfying and meaningful conclusion when they are trying to tell somehow ambitious stories and I really wish it wasn't like that. Madoka was kinda the same, but it only nosedived during the last episode, so that's still alright. But I really wish stuff like Idolmaster or Denpa Onna would not have made my list in favour of something with more substance.
 
(Shouldnt Sekaiichi Hatsukoi 1 and 2 just be combined, since both seasons were this year?)

1. Sacred Seven

-Alma was a great protagonist who happened to not ask for the power he was given but made best use of it. With Ruri by his side, and empowered with the cool powers, I loved it immensely. Even more, it had great visuals and was just unique in what it did.

2. Phi Brain: Kami No Puzzle
-Puzzle Time! Kaito is my favorite protagonist this year, and with the armband, cool puzzles, and memorable music, every episode had me excited to see him and friends solve puzzles.

3. Guilty Crown
-Shou is easy to relate too. The plot is over the top and just plain epic. It never stops delivering on the amazing visuals, mind blowing powers, and a protagonist who rises to the occasion. I liked the animation style, design of characters, and how the plot makes us care for others in addition to Shou.

4. C: The Money of Soul and Possibility Control
5. Gundam AGE
6. No. 6
7. Bakuman 2
8. Sekaiichi Hatsukoi 2
9. Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon
10. Kimi to Boku

-
For the rest:
C; The ending, RPG, from School Food Punishment is memorable and the animation was unique. Only flaw was that it could have been longer but I did like the main and how he managed to triumph over time.

Gundam AGE; This first generation has been fun and Flit, Woolf, and Grodek, really makes it special. Ultimately my favorite Gundam.

No.6; Anime was really great, Shion and Nezumi are unforgettable. Only problem was the weird background OST which was sometimes too distracting. One of the animes that made me tear up.

Bakuman 2: Its Bakuman and the animators did great with animating the manga. One of the few non battle series to keep me hooked. Animation is lacking at times.

Sekaiichi Hatsukoi 2: It was excellent in developing all the relationships involved. Secondary characters were just not given conclusing endings (Yuu Yanase), but otherwise it was pretty fun and one I always looked forward too.

Horizon: Started slow but really rose as the season progressed. Battles were most memorable.

Kimi to Boku: A slice of life that I actually enjoyed for once that wasnt a flat out comedy. I like the character interactions.
 
1. Hourou Musuko/ Wandering Son
2. Mawaru Penguindrum
3. Usagi Drop
4. Kizuna Ichigeki
5. Yondemasuyo, Azazel-san
6. Hanasaku Iroha
7. Steins Gate
8. Redline
9. Kaiji S2
10. The Borrower Arrietty

It's been a pretty glorious year, all in all, so much so that I have a few other titles that sadly cannot fit into this particular top 10. This would have been a lot harder if I hadn't decided that I'm not going to count unfinished works this time around, because Chihayfuru and Fate Zero are really good as well.

The Rest

11. Puella Magi Madoka Magica
12. Ojisan no Lamp
13. Level E
14. Natsume S3
15. Blood C
16. [C]
17. Roberta's Blood Tail
18. Tiger and Bunny
19. Idolmaster
20. X-Men
21. Ben To
22. Sacred Seven
 
1. Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko
2. Ben-to
3. IS <Infinite Stratos>
4. Redline
5. Mawaru Penguindrum
6. Hourou Musuko
7. Puella Magi Madoka Magica
 
1. Puella Magi Madoka Magica
2. Fate/zero
3. Usagi Drop
4. Yuruyuri
5. Hanasaku Iroha
6. Kore wa Zombie Desu ka?
7. A-Channel
8. Dog Days
9. Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai
10. Tamayura ~Hitotose~
 
This has been a very strong year, so it will take me some time to determine exactly which shows make my cut. Hopefully, I can see a few more episodes of some of the shows from this year before the voting deadline.
 
Top 10 (some of it HNNNGH influenced)

Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Mawaru Penguindrum
Fate/zero
Usagi Drop
Shinryaku!? Ika Musume
Last Exile: Fam, the Silver Wing
Working'!!
Ben-To
Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko
Hanasaku Iroha

The complete list of shows I enjoyed this year.

Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai.
Bakuman. 2 (loved the first series, expect the second to be similar)
Ben-To
Blood-C (because its fucking awesome, thats why)
Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai
Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko
Dog Days
Fate/zero
Gosick
Guilty Crown
Hanasaku Iroha
Ikoku Meiro no Croisee
IS <Infinite Stratos> (OK I only like this show for Charles)
Kamisama Dolls
Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon
Last Exile: Fam, the Silver Wing
Mawaru Penguindrum
Mayo Chiki!
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Shinryaku!? Ika Musume
The iDOLM@STER
The World God Only Knows II
Usagi Drop
Working'!!
Yumekui Merry
Yuruyuri
 
1. Puella Magi Madoka Magica
2. Usagi Drop
3. Hanasaku Iroha
4. Mawaru Penguindrum
5. Anohana
6. Hourou Musuko
7. Steins;Gate
8. Shinryaku!? Ika Musume
 
  1. Mawaru Penguindrum
  2. Puella Magi Madoka Magica
  3. Usagi Drop
  4. Working'!!
  5. Nichijou
  6. Chihayafuru*
  7. Hourou Musuko
  8. Shinryaku!? Ika Musume
  9. Hanasaku Iroha
  10. Mirai Nikki*

Blood-C was the entertainment of the year though.

*These two shows are barely getting to their mid points. There's still plenty of time for both to fuck up!
 
1) Steins;Gate - This show, I only started yesterday 12/31/11. I only intended to watch a couple of episodes to sample it. I ended up watching the entire show in one day, finishing just after New Years struck. And I can't think of a better way for me to have started the new year with this show's ending. I loved the entire show, from the story and setting, to the characters and emotional drive. I never would have thought a Visual Novel adaptation could blow me away like this, but then again I never thought I'd watch a Visual Novel adaptation where my favorite character, the one I cared about the most, was the main character! I know, I'm shocked too! He was a joy to watch from beginning to end. I laughed when he laughed, cried when he cried, was shocked when he was shocked. Okarin has officially raised the bar! And yes, part of the reason I'm gushing is that I'm a total sap. I'm the king of sap. I don't care, I fucking loved this show and that's final! ^^;

2) Redline - Put simply, a modern movie that represents everything that got me into anime in the first place. Like a modern nostalgia trip, except this isn't a remake of previously existing anime. Sure the story is shallow and frankly a bit stupid, but the artwork and animation kept my eyes glued to the screen and never let me go.

3) Hanasaku Iroha - While the tone of the series was somewhat inconsistent, the attention to details with animation and backgrounds really kept me looking forward to each week's new episode. Combined with characters I cared about, especially the charismatic main character Ohana, and this was my overall TV series winner.

4) Ben-To - This show was simultaneously completely absurd and amazing. It didn't have an amazing budget, but the direction and fight choreography more than made up for it's inconsistent animation.

5) Nichijou - This show was like Monty Python's Flying Circus for me. Some skits missed, but the skits that hit REALLY hit. There's a bit in Episode 4 when the characters are taking a test. There's virtually no dialogue at all, but it has one of the most amazing visual gags I've ever seen in an anime. There are other little moments like this that just make Nichijou an amazing show.

6) The iDOLM@STER - It's pretty amazing when a show based off of a videogame manages to be fairly true to the source material while also being completely watchable on its own. Cute designs and fairly good animation throughout makes iDOLM@STER a winner.

7) Shinryaku!? Ika Musume - Adorable and funny. There's not much more I can say about this adorable show.

8) Usagi Drop - HNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGG!!

9) Ikoku Meiro no Croisee - HNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGG!!!

10) Mayo Chiki! - Okay, I'm going to be upfront. Aside from the decent artwork/animation, this show is awful and I would not recommend it to anyone. So why is this show on my list? Because I admit, I enjoyed it, despite it being shallow and disposable. The show is stupid, but it also fully knows this and never tries to be anything serious except a very brief spell at the end which did hurt the show a bit. It's like the creators knew they were making a shit show with an unusually good budget, and just made the most of it. Kudos.

Honorable mentions:

Infinite Stratos
Mawaru Penguindrum
Phi Brain: Kami no Puzzle
Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai
Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai
Blood-C *trollface*
 
01. Kaiji: Hakairoku Hen
02. Natsume Yuujinchou San
03. Level E
04. Ojii-san no Lamp
05. Hourou Musuko
06. Fireball Charming

I haven't watched much this year but these are the only ones that deserve to be in the list right now. Will edit if I watch more.

EDIT: I though we were going to split TV and Movies for this year?
 
1. Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai
2. Steins;Gate
3. Shakugan no Shana III (Final)
4. Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko
5. YuruYuri
6. Mirai Nikki
7. Tiger & Bunny
8. Ben-To
9. Fate/Zero
10. A-Channel

Honorable Mentions:

- Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai II
- Hanasaku Iroha
- Usagi Drop
- Yumekui Merry
- Shinryaku!? Ika Musume
 
1. The Idolm@ster
2. Wandering son
3. Penguin drum
4. Fate/zero
5. Hanasaku iroha
6. Azazel-san
7. Usagi drop
8. Blood-C

That's it, the only anime worth mentioning this year..
 
7Th said:
1. Idolmaster
2. Wandering Son
3. Azazel-san

I'm voting pragmatically for the sake of getting some stuff in the top 10. There is no point in listing PenguinDrum or Madoka when they're obviously getting 1-2 without my help.
Click to expand...

pizzaroll said:
1. The iDOLM@STER
2. Wandering Son
3. Azazel-san

4-10 = lol
Click to expand...
Exposed.
 
1. Dog Days
2. Gundam Unicorn
3. Tiger & Bunny
4. Usagi Drop
5. Ben-To
6. Kore Wa Zombie Desu-ka
7. .hack//Quantum
8. Nekogami
9. Katte ni Kaizo
10. Shinryaku!? Ika Musume
 
Haly said:
But pizzaroll is also duckroll jr.

Is pizzaroll duckroll and 7th's secret lovechild?
Click to expand...

gopher-dramatic.gif
 
1. Usagi Drop
2. Wandering Son
3. Puella Magi Madoka Magica
4. Fate/Zero
5. Working'!!
6. Hanasaku Iroha
7. Mawaru Penguin Drum
8. Steins;Gate

I enjoyed some other shows, but there's nothing else I really want to vote for here.
 
It warms my heart of stone to see so many people voting for Usagi Drop.

I'm going to hold off on voting until I finish a few more series from 2011.
 
Assuming I might change my mind anytime before the 8th...

1 Tamayura: Hitotose - Was there any doubt? SatoJun be SatoJun-ing.
2 Chihayafuru - A sports shoujo show with enough of a love triangle to make it a shoujo and enough sports to make it a sports show. Add in a tolerable genki girl, great writing and direction, and you have the biggest surprise hit of the year.
3 Gintama - The only reason this isn't higher is because I don't really know if I like the original Gintama or the "new" season.
4 Nichijou - Sakuga wank for the sakuga bros, comedy for me.
5 Hourou Musuko (ONLY with the "director's cuts" of episodes 10 and 11) - Those two "new" episodes basically turned the show from a major disappointment to a show that made my top 10.
6 Natsume Yuujinchou San - For me, a big surprise, even though I don't particularly enjoy episodic fair.
7 Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika - THE SHIELD, BUT WITH MAGICAL GIRLS.
8 Usagi Drop - Can't wait for season 2!
9 Shinryaku! Ika Musume II - Squid you!
10 Kimi ni Todoke II - Haters be hating, and even I can see the problems with the second half of the season, but I still think it's the best "romance" shoujo of the year.

(11 Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai aka Secret Base with an anime attached to it. :p)

Shows that might have made my list when they started but lost me along the way:
Bento - The show died after the pool episode.
Mawaru Penguin Drum - Maybe the show as a whole becomes a Brechtian masterpiece in hindsight, but that whole middle section... ugh.
Two rapes, two Jesus moments
... too much.
Hanasaku Iroha - Fuck Tokyo. Brought to you by the woman who brought you Fractale.

Sakuga wank show:
The Idolm@ster - This might be my "11" show if only because of the Chihaya no aware episodes at the end.

The shows that no one remembers:
Level E
Azazel-san
Young Animator Project
Moshidora

Worst thing of the year:
Redline

2011's 2010 franchise of the year:
K-On!! (the movie!)
 
1. Wandering Son/Hourou Musuko
2. Redline
3. Usagi Drop
4. Mawaru Penguindrum
5. Puella Magi Madoka Magica
6. Level E
7. Hanasaku Iroha
8. Mirai Nikki
9. Blood-C (Even though this is mostly bad, the last two episode are awesome)
 
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