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NeoGAF 2012 Anime of the Year Voting Thread (voting ends January 29)

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DiGiKerot

Member
So why is Hell's Angels eligible. Isn't it several years old?

It was only just released onto physical media for the first time this year - it may have been years old, but unless you were at one of the few theatrical screenings in Japan, you'd never have been able to see it.
 

Forgot about P4. A terrible series that was at the same time completely awesome. I've put it in my top 10.

im_the_king_toddhuntebtkcc.gif
 

Kusagari

Member
1. Humanity has Declined - Brilliantly deranged comedy with my favorite protagonist of the year
2. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure - It's Jojo
3. Tsuritama - Really the ultimate feel good anime
4. Hyouka - This is a show that should be boring, but strangely rarely feels so
5. Yuru Yuri ♪♪ - Easily the funniest cute girls doing cute things show I've seen
6. Nisemonogatari - It gave us the toothbrush scene
7. Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun - It's a shoujo I actually liked
8. Joshiraku - Really enjoyable randomness
9. Medaka Box Abnormal - This is only on here because of the last episode
10. Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! - This is only on here because I can think of nothing else I watched except for Sword Art Online.
 

flawfuls

Member
It was only just released onto physical media for the first time this year - it may have been years old, but unless you were at one of the few theatrical screenings in Japan, you'd never have been able to see it.

Wow they waited 4 years for a physical. I guess that explains why nobody seemed to have had seen or heard of it until this year.
 

Maedhros

Member
1 - Jojo Bizarre Adventure

Simply masterful. An anime that we didn't deserve. It oozes with FABULOUS and GREATNESS. Brought back that 90's feel of anime. There are some bad points, like the small budget reserved for the show, but the pros are so good that it makes everything worth it. Best show of the fucking year, for sure.

2 - Tonari no Kaibatsu-kun

Never thought a shoujo could be so good outside of Utena. The cast, the interactions between them... everything is freaking amazing. Some shoujo cliches here and there, but it didn't really made the show drag so much.

3 - Kids on the Slope

Masterful comeback by Shinichiro Watanabe. Good adaptation of the source material, a jousei manga (considering the episodes constraints, of course). While the manga is meatier, the anime never felt incomplete.

4 - Tsuritama

The most colorful show of year. It's pallete is so freaking beautiful. The story isn't really half bad too (I didn't like the cast that much, outside of the supporting one). Very solid storytelling.

5 - Accel World

Another great "game/MMO" anime, from the same creator of Sword Art Online. The battles were pretty cool, the MC grows up a bit, the support characters are great. Great mindless fun too.

6 - Sword Art Online

A breath of fresh air. This type of anime, since .hack, was everything I hoped for when I played MMOs back in the day (and got the terrible Ragnarok Anime instead). Too bad the source material isn't really that good, but A1 studios made the animation be enjoyable despite the problems. Here, waiting for the next season, since this is extremely popular in Japan.

7 - Hyouka

Pretty show. Boring story. Shit main girl. Great MC. 'Nuff said. The keyword: Boring.

8 - Code:Breaker

Solid action, nice black/white world, lots of AKU, Sakurakouji Sakura! Seriously, whatch this, it's fun as hell.

9 - Jormungand

The gun anime of the season. Love these type of shows. Probably the best group of any anime in this year. The music department on this show is so FUCKING AMAZING. It only looses to Jojo.

10 - Saint Seiya Omega

Nostalgia talking here. Being Brazillian, it's good to see any material related to one of the most influential anime in Brazil. Some great stuff here and there, just like the original series.
 
1. Fate Zero 2nd Season

Absolutely incredible 2nd season. Was even better than the first and much more action packed. I loved every episode and was really into the universe.

Didnt really like any other series this year.
 

Hagi

Member
1. Space Brothers

2. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

3. Code Breaker

Eh pretty sure that's it really. I still need to finish a lot of series. :(
 
1) Hyouka
2) Fate/zero
3) Space Brothers
4) JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
5) Daily Lives of High School Boys
6) Dusk Maiden of Amnesia
7) Kids on the Slope
8) Humanity has Declined
9) From the New World
10) Kokoro Connect
 

cryptic

Member
1. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure.

Its pretty much the only anime I've watched last year. :(

Same here, well, that and the new VOTOMS, also the new Space Adventure Cobra. I won't even give these new shows a chance just because I disklike the moe artstyle most of them umbrella under.
 

Defuser

Member
Isn't it kinda of unfair to other shows if a poster only make a list of 1 show instead of 10/ a few for Aoty? It's not giving other shows a chance if it's heavily skewed.
 
Who cares, and who are you to judge what votes are legitimate or genuine when you've got Symphogear and Accel World on your "ballot"?

Well that's not very nice :(

Not judging your tastes here, just your legit opinion. I meant it to be a sarcastic tone, so sorry if it came off as genuinely douchey.
 

duckroll

Member
Votes

10. Minori Scramble - A cute action comedy short film about a girl with a penguin phobia learning to overcome that with a strange penguin robot with the personality of a little girl. Yeah that sounds weird, and it is, but also pretty funny and it's filled with energy and lots of nice animation with really bold colors. Extremely pleasant to look at, and fun to watch on a lazy weekend with friends.

9. Kids on the Slope - Cowboy Bebop's Watanabe made a surprise return to directing this year, and while I would love to rate his series higher, the facts speak for themselves. Adapting a 9 volume manga into 12 episodes of anime is a bad idea. Hence it is not surprising that while the show had a really strong first half, it then suffered greatly from pacing issues and felt like a rush to the finish by the last couple of episodes. The mid-series climax was fantastic though, and deserves to be acknowledged for that alone.

8. Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos - I think I voted for this last year, but with the new rules it makes sense to give it a vote again anyway. I liked this movie quite a bit, other than the lackluster ending itself. Lots of solid action animation and effects animation as expected from BONES, and as a self-contained random FMA side story it works quite well and the new setting keeps things interesting. Too bad about the dumb ending though.

7. Letter to Momo - This film was in production for about 6 years. It's a labor of love by Okiura, who previously directed Jin-Roh. It was a good movie, with really good production values, but I felt it was a bit too simple and a bit too orthodox to really move me in anyway. It's certainly nice to have another Ghibli-style movie from a non-Ghibli studio, but I just felt there was something missing from it to make it really memorable.

6. Code:Breaker - I don't really think the story or characters are that great, and the manga it is based on is really crappy. Yet somehow, director Irie has managed to take what he has to work with and made it work. What we end up with is a totally cheesy 90s style shounen action series with really solid effects animation, tight direction, and scripts which focus on creating exciting fighting scenarios making the best use of the characters they have. Definitely the best effects animation in anime this year.

5. Girls und Panzer - This series is just plain fun. The premise of an alternate reality where schoolgirls drive tanks to compete in non-lethal competitions as a club activity is just off the wall. What makes it work here is a combination of smart direction, a great script, and really solid music - many of which are remixes of popular marching tunes themed to different countries. Really fun stuff. Panzer vor!

4. One Piece - Episode of Nami - Another huge surprise for me this year, especially since I don't even watch the One Piece anime usually. This TV movie special adapts the classic Arlong Park story from early in the One Piece series, and it's probably my favorite story in early One Piece. The adaptation here was pretty solid, and captured all the emotions which I felt the original handled so well.

3. Hyouka - The very definition of "slow burn". This series started out in a really mundane way, and for much of the first half remained slow and sometimes straight out boring. But the character development is good, the interactions are interesting, and by the second half the series it really takes advantage of that to deliver what is ultimately the best character drama series of the year. Amazing production values too.

2. Tsuritama - This was quite a surprise for me. The first series I watched directed by Nakamura was [C], which turned out to be pretty awful. Here he does a total turnaround and delivers a really upbeat, quirky, but enjoyable drama-comedy about aliens and fishing set on the Japanese island of Enoshima. Great pacing and build-up all the way to the climax. Very satisfying ending too.

1. Fate/Zero 2nd Season - I loved the first season, and I'm a total sucker for modern settings mixed with urban fantasy nonsense. The compelling characters, dark tone, and tight script made for a really thrilling ride. Ufotable's creative usage of digital techniques in the series really elevated it from a normal television anime series into something which felt more at home with OVAs or theatrical animation. Great stuff.


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Honorable Mentions

Wolf Children - If the rules allowed, I would totally be voting for this as the number one anime of the year. Mamoru Hosoda has done it again, and this is his best film yet. A very mature piece of film making, relying more on visuals and sound than dialogue, and it tells a powerful story of how a young mother brings up two kids on her own - except they're part-wolf. Hey, I'm not really a furry. Honest!

009 Re:Cyborg - This year has a lot of stuff from big directors who haven't done anything for a while. This is Kenji Kamiyama's full CG stereoscopic 3D anime movie based on the Cyborg 009 franchise. It was kinda weird, and honestly I didn't like it much when I got out of the cinema, but after some reflection, it definitely has some interesting ideas. It starts of feeling extremely reminiscent of Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex, but eventually ends up feeling more like a partially successful love song to Oshii's Ghost in the Shell movies instead. Weird stuff, with some pretty decent 3D effects.

From the New World - This is the only series I considered on my Top10 list this year but couldn't fit it in. It's just hard to justify with the uneven pacing, and some really wretched episodes in-between of certain story arcs so far. It's a great scifi mystery-horror if we're talking about the atmosphere and tone, but when it comes to actual narrative, sometimes it just falls short.


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Dishonorable Mentions

Lupin III: Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna - I'm mentioning this here because this is the worst anime I watched all year. If you are even considering watching this because of the Lupin brand, don't. IT IS FUCKING AWFUL. Don't watch it. It starts off with decent but underwhelming episodic episodes, and then it completely falls off the cliff when the "real" storyline starts and it just goes crazy in all the worst ways possible. Total.Waste.Of.Time. #youhavebeenwarned
 

Articalys

Member
Isn't it kinda of unfair to other shows if a poster only make a list of 1 show instead of 10/ a few for Aoty? It's not giving other shows a chance if it's heavily skewed.
Point taken. There weren't as many single-vote lists last year, so I don't think the issue came up, but I do want to make sure everyone's votes are included.


Open question: would there be an objection to changing the points distribution to 4-3-3-2-2-2-1-1-1-1, like the Game of the Year poll did a few years back? I applied the same formula to last year's list as a test, and there were actually very few large changes -- in fact, the entire top ten remained the exact same in order.
 

wonzo

Banned
Dishonorable Mentions

Lupin III: Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna - I'm mentioning this here because this is the worst anime I watched all year. If you are even considering watching this because of the Lupin brand, don't. IT IS FUCKING AWFUL. Don't watch it. It starts off with decent but underwhelming episodic episodes, and then it completely falls off the cliff when the "real" storyline starts and it just goes crazy in all the worst ways possible. Total.Waste.Of.Time. #youhavebeenwarned
Better yet, just watch episodes 1, 2, 5 & 6.

Open question: would there be an objection to changing the points distribution to 4-3-3-2-2-2-1-1-1-1, like the Game of the Year poll did a few years back? I applied the same formula to last year's list, and there were actually very few changes -- in fact, the entire top ten remained the same.
It seems like a pretty pointless thing to do if that's the case.
 

Ultimadrago

Member
Point taken. There weren't as many single-vote lists last year, so I don't think the issue came up, but I do want to make sure everyone's votes are included.


Open question: would there be an objection to changing the points distribution to 4-3-3-2-2-2-1-1-1-1, like the Game of the Year poll did a few years back? I applied the same formula to last year's list as a test, and there were actually very few large changes -- in fact, the entire top ten remained the exact same in order.

I'm fine with the way it is.
 

Brazil

Living in the shadow of Amaz
Well, let's do this shit.

1. Fate/Zero 2nd Season - Kiritsugu God, welcome new CG overlords, yadda yadda.
2. Ano Natsu de Matteru - Superb slice-of-life show with great sound direction and characters designs. Very touching. Also, Team Kanna's tears were delicious as an added bonus.
3. Chihayafuru - It just brings a smile to the face.
4. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure - Manime at its finest. It's so majestic it makes me cry tears of joy.
5. Hyouka - Lovable characters portrayed in a mind-boggingly beautiful way. KyoAni are the kings of anime.
6. Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai - Read above.
7. Girls und Panzer - Surprisingly amazing.
8. Space Brothers - Feel so moon.
9. Tasogare Otome x Amnesia - Probably the biggest surprise of the year. It started off with one of the worst debut episodes ever, but grew on me week after week because the team behind it started outSHAFTing SHAFT and doing everything right. Good stuff.
10. Tsuritama - Started off annoying, ended up awesome.

Honorable mentions:

Another - Beware: umbrellas.
Binbougami ga! - Dat ED.
Black★Rock Shooter - Better than Cowboy Bebop.
Chouyaku Hyakuninisshu: Uta Koi. - All my feels.
Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou - Awesome comedy, worthy of the "Nichijou"... Word.
Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita - Great for those that managed to beat the OP boss.
Jormungand - Ugly as sin but still alluring somehow.
Kokoro Connect - Prank of the year.
Lupin the Third: Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna's first episode - Oh man, you showed so much promise there.
Medaka Box Abnormal - I'll fund Medaka Box Minus and the other seasons all the way to Medaka Box FRESH, goddammit.
Mirai Nikki - Worst. Protagonist. Ever. Also pretty enjoyable until the last two or three episodes. Then it goes downhill faster than Sonic.
Natsuyuki Rendezvous - Ghost NTR.
Robotics;Notes - I'm just waiting for you to go batshit insane.
Sakamichi no Apollon - I fully expected this one to be the best noitaminA show of that season instead of Tsuritama, but things went wrong. Still, enjoyable and classy.
Sankarea - It turned to shit later on, but it definitely had its moments.
Sengoku Collection - Oh, Brains Base, you so cray cray.
Shinsekai yori - Delicious yuri in a bizarre world.
Sword Art Online - I liked the genre shift into comedy after the second episode.
Tari Tari - Sawa /drools.
Upotte!! - Forever in my heart.
Yuru Yuri♪♪ - More of the same, but still fun.
Zetsuen no Tempest - Talking in the forest arc is best arc.

That... Was a great year, wasn't it?
 

BGBW

Maturity, bitches.
The first episode was quite fun. Pyramid one was alright.

And then owl be, it all went a bit bird brained and no one knew hoot was going on.
 

Haly

One day I realized that sadness is just another word for not enough coffee.
Open question: would there be an objection to changing the points distribution to 4-3-3-2-2-2-1-1-1-1, like the Game of the Year poll did a few years back? I applied the same formula to last year's list as a test, and there were actually very few large changes -- in fact, the entire top ten remained the exact same in order.
Not at all, it would actually be a welcome change. Many of the lists so far are lopsided because some people only watch 1 or 2 anime a season and so these shows default to #1 and #2, while the more prolific anime fans have to cull from a ginormous list.

And while this wasn't exactly a standout year, it had a variety of decent shows so the voting isn't skewed by one or two "must see" shows.
 

duckroll

Member
Nah, this way you get the only good episodes without the awful after-taste this owl obsessed piece of shit train-wreck of a series leaves. Win win imo.

There were no good episodes. Only decent episodes and plain bad ones. Why waste your time when you can watch something better instead, like another series.

Not at all, it would actually be a welcome change. Many of the lists so far are lopsided because some people only watch 1 or 2 anime a season and so these shows default to #1 and #2, while the more prolific anime fans have to cull from a ginormous list.

This doesn't make that much sense to me. Mathematically what difference does it make? People who vote more shows doesn't make their lists more or less important than people who vote one show. The aim is to find the anime of the year. So maybe everyone should just have ONE vote! :p
 

Kenturoxx

Member
1. Fate/zero
2. From the New World - Probably gonna be my show of the season next year when the anime is complete.
3. Sankarea
4. Sword Art Online
5. Mirai Nikki
6. Jormungand
7. Tari Tari
8. Btoom!
9. K
10. Binbougami ga!
 

Articalys

Member
Alright, sounds like leaving the 10 to 1 point format is fine, so we'll stick with that.

And my list, as it is:

1) Hyouka
2) Fate/Zero S2
3) Space Brothers
4) From Up on Poppy Hill
5) JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
6) Ano Natsu de Matteru
7) Shin Sekai Yori
8) The Pet Girl of Sakurasou
9) Medaka Box Abnormal
10) Mysterious Girlfriend X
 

wonzo

Banned
There were no good episodes. Only decent episodes and plain bad ones. Why waste your time when you can watch something better instead, like another series.
---

Watched episode 1 on NTV On Demand. Very stylish, quite a bit of nudity, but not really as HARD AND DANGEROUS as I thought. The episode was pretty fun, with some good action, and it definitely feels oldschool, but it wasn't exactly super awesome. Promising start though.
Episode 2

Wow. That was pretty good. I liked the writing a lot more in this episode. It was more interesting, better paced, and less "wild" in general. The more serious and adult take on the Lupinverse is definitely interesting to watch, and the art is really impressive. If the first two episodes are any indication, it at least suggests that every episode in the series will be very different, and there is no specific restrictions or formulas to the self contained stories.

Can't wait for Goemon to show up next week. :D
Are you telling me... you lied!?
 
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