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

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Clott

Member
1: Kids On The Slope

-Wonderful art and animation, especially of the jam sessions.
-Some wonderful story twists that hold true to jazz and spontaneity
-Got me to listen to more Jazz
 

Soma

Member
inLYbxXMVMenB.jpg

10. Dusk Maiden of Amnesia
- The first episode wasn't that bad
- Pretty entertaining romantic subplot with good characters
- The art direction for the more supernatural scenes were well done.
- Beautiful ending though almost ruined by
the last 2-3 minutes

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9. Shinsekai Yori
- Very tense and moody atmosphere
- Striking imagery and great soundtrack
- The storytelling and the mystery of the setting is generally well done
- Despite some bad episodes, it manages to pull itself together

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8. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
- Pretty good starting point for someone just getting into the franchise like myself
- Kinda ugly at times but the show is just too fun to deny
- Excellent voicework and music (best OP of 2012)
- It's still getting better
- It's JoJo!

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7. Kids on The Slope
- Watanabe continues to be a master of his craft
- Awesome setting and some amazing musical scenes
- Character drama was usually pretty great
- Wasn't a big fan of the character designs but the art direction was generally really good.
- Could've benefited a couple more episodes but managed to be a great series.​

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6. Kyousougiga
- Very bizarre and imaginative setting
- Great animation and art design
- Surprisingly moving for the last two episodes
- I would love to see more from this world because I think it deserves more than this.​

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5. Nekomonogatari: Kuro
- I was originally gonna be facetious and put Ep. 8 of Nisemonogatari in my list somewhere
- Reminded me of why I enjoyed Bakemonogatari so much
- Very tense and unsettling story despite the slow beginning
- Focused on my favorite character of the series
- I'm just a sucker for the art direction and style of this series

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4. tsuritama
- Fantastic art direction and use of colors
- An endearing cast each with some good character development as the story goes on
- Starts off strong but manages to get better and better to the very end
- Very memorable soundtrack​

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3. Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita
- One of the funniest anime I've watched since Nichijou
- An entertaining cast of characters especially the fairies
- I actually really liked the art direction of this show. Very distinct and colorful.
- The social commentary and satire was excellent
- Despite one or two weak arcs, I thought this was a great and surprisingly unpredictable show.
- Watashi is probably the best female lead for 2012​

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2. Fate/Zero
- Kiritsugu is my favorite anime protagonist in a long time
- Very strong cast of characters with some very good development as the story progressed
- Very well choreographed action scenes
- Some of the most powerful scenes of the year
- Ending could've been better but I just attribute that to how awful Fate/Stay Night is :D
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1. Hyouka

For a while I was completely intent on having Fate/Zero be my favorite show of the year. That was until the last couple episodes of Hyouka aired. It took a few episodes for this show to sink its claws into me, but by the third episode I was completely engaged by it. A lot of my enjoyment came from how invested I was by the characters and the slower pace (especially in the first half) gave me a better appreciation of the attention to detail. I just absolutely love the atmosphere that this anime has. Very relaxing yet manages to make a lot of scenes very engaging to me.

Many of the subplots and characterization hit a lot of the right notes with me, to an almost frightening degree. The production values are just superb and even puts some theatrical productions to shame. With this show, I became a fan of KyoAni and I don't know how they did it week after week. I loved the characters, the animation, the soundtrack, the direction, the art design, and all the little subtle details. It's definitely not a perfect anime and definitely not the most exciting show at times. Despite its faults, this was the show that resonated with me the most.

Honorable mentions:

Medaka Box: Abnormal
Nazo no Kanojo X
Teekyuu
Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!
Ano Natsu de Matteru
Space Bros
Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun
Girls und Panzer

Might write more, might not too sleepy now zzzzzzzzzzzz~
 

boo

Gold Member
1) Sakamichi no Apollon (Kids on the Slope)

2) Hunter X Hunter

3) Uchuu Kyodai (Space Bros)

4) Hyouka

5) Magi; Surprisingly, as the episodes go by, not just a story about Alibaba and Aladdin conquering dungeons and experiencing adventure with the friends they meet on their way. After 13 episodes, it has also become a story about a guy full of self doubt and insecurities, fighting against his own frailties in order to help those around him, from slaves yearning for freedom to people repressed under the heels of corrupt or insane rulers. While it is nice to watch stories about boys out on adventure or boy meets girl; to experience an anime like Magi is like a breath of fresh air, showing the good you can do in this world, and becoming a better and stronger human being in the process. An anime about doing the right thing?

6) Tsuritama

7) Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou (Daily lives of high school boys)

8) Chuunibyou Demo Koi Ga Shitai!

9) Papa no lukoto o Kikinasai! (Listen to me girls, I`m your father!)

10) Another

11) Ginga e Kickoff!!
 

Soma

Member
The ending couldn't any better than that. Seriously that just perfect, dem feels.

Well I'm not saying that the ending wasn't powerful because it definitely was (especially that last scene) but I'm mainly speaking about how there were a few things at the end that I don't think were properly explained (
Angra Mainyu, why Gilgamesh was still alive, why the grail was evil, etc.
). I had to explain some of those things to my friends who were kind of confused by some of the events in the ending. They still enjoyed it though, thankfully.

Like I said I feel a lot of that has to do with the show falling victim to being a prologue of a considerably lesser show.
 

Durante

Member
I watched Daily Lives of High School Boys based on the recommendations ITT, and I enjoyed it -- though not as much as Jinrui. Having Gin's VA voicing a high-school boy was somewhat strange at first, but it worked out fine with his character.
 

lj167

Member
10. Kids on the Slope
9. Kokoro Connect
8. Robotics;Notes
7. Chihayafuru
6. Nekomonogatari: Black
5. Tsuritama
4. Girls und Panzer
3. K-On! Movie
2. From The New World
1. Hyouka
 

survivor

Banned
1) Tsuritama ; fishing, aliens, Nakamura is back

2) Hyouka ; best KyoAni anime

3) Joshiraku ; cute girls talking about random shit

4) Ano Natsu ; best girl lost, but still good romcom

5) Hotarubi no Mori e ; as good as Natsume

6) Daily Lives of High School Boys ; Nichijou done right

7) Dusk Maiden of Amnesia ; learn from this anime Shaft

8) Moyashimon Returns ; downgrade in character designs, but same old Moyashimon

9) Utakoi ; learning history is fun

10) Kamisama Kiss ; best shoujo girl of fall season
 
8. Another

7. Girls und Panzer

6. Robotics;Notes - depending on how it turns out, could end up #1.

5. Nekomonogatari: Kuro

4. Chuunibyou

3. Hyouka

2. Kokoro Connect

1. Dusk Maiden
 

Cwarrior

Member
1.Hunter x Hunter
2.One piece
3. jojo bizarre adventure
4.Space brothers
5.Wasurenagumo

Am going to fill this in later.
 

Blades64

Banned
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2. Fate/Zero
- Kiritsugu is my favorite anime protagonist in a long time
- Very strong cast of characters with some very good development as the story progressed
- Very well choreographed action scenes
- Some of the most powerful scenes of the year
- Ending could've been better but I just attribute that to how awful Fate/Stay Night is :D


I love Fate/Zero, but man I don't like this guy. Granted I'm at episode 17, so I haven't finished it as yet. Does he change or something? It seems to me right now that he's just being a prick.​
 

Dresden

Member
I love Fate/Zero, but man I don't like this guy. Granted I'm at episode 17, so I haven't finished it as yet. Does he change or something? It seems to me right now that he's just being a prick.

episodes 18 & 19 should help, they're flashback eps. That said I liked him well before that.
 

Blades64

Banned
episodes 18 & 19 should help, they're flashback eps. That said I liked him well before that.

Well I finished it. Certainly wasn't any happy ending. He did grow on me. Still not my favorite character though.

Almost cried when Rider died

Although I must say that almost everyone in this show is sick and twisted IMO, lol.
 

Makoto

Member
1) Tari Tari ; Cute female characters and it just resonated with me as someone who would like to become a singer in some type of choir as well. No really, it truly resonated enough with me to make the top spot.
2) Zero no Tsukaima F ; Being an avid reader of the light novel, I've always enjoyed Zero no Tsukaima (which is something I don't tell people). I thought this season was incredibly entertaining and an adequate adaptation of the source material.
3) Kuroko no Basuke ; I played basketball a lot in high school so I was fully on board this show. The characters are great and the situations they are put in are fantastic. Just an all around entertaining show.
4) Space Brothers ; This would have been a candidate for AOTY but dude, that QUALITY in nearly every episode is jarring. It's almost jaded me to any other A-1 show I watch in that you're able to tell right off the bat that they have a higher budget.
5) Kingdom ; I was NOT expecting much from this show but I enjoyed this take on historical action. I also did not expect their to be so much depth within the story.
6) Area no Kishi ; See the sentences following the first one in Kuroko no Busuke.
7) Jormungand ; A Black Lagoon fix that almost gets there. These characters are very interesting and though the show doesn't really explore them in a way that's well written, I still enjoyed the action.
8) Ano Natsu de Matteru ; Best girl won.
9) Another ; No comment.
10) Daily Lives of High School Boys ; Watched this after sort of dismissing it. Turns out, this show was pretty good and pretty funny.
 

RurouniZel

Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
RurouniZel top 10 awards:

1 "RurouniZel award for characters that act like human beings and not like anime characters") Ano Natsu de Matteru

2 "RurouniZel award for best K-On movie") K-On! The Movie

3 "RurouniZel award for ending that he liked and no one else did") Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai

4 "RurouniZel reward for Kininarimasu!") Hyouka

5 "RurouniZel award of ZOMFGHNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNG!!!1") Acchi Kocchi

6 "RurouniZel award of laugh out loud hilarity") Daily Lives of High School Boys

7 "RurouniZel award for best cat") Poyopoyo Kansatsu Nikki

8 "RurouniZel award for best Hnnnnngazawa yuri tsundere") Bodacious Space Pirates

9 "RurouniZel award for best 8 out of 39 episodes I've watched so far") Space Brothers

10 "RurouniZel award for Guilty Pleasure of the Year") High School DxD

Honorable mention awards:

"RurouniZel award for best yuri teases": Yuru Yuri ♪♪
"RurouniZel award for I shouldn't like this OP song it's not good so why can't I stop listening to it?!": Nyaruko-san: Another Crawling Chaos
"RurouniZel award for not being nearly as creepy as I thought it would be": Listen to Me, Girls, I’m Your Father!
"RurouniZel award for cutest character in a show he didn't enjoy": Kuroyukihime from Accel World
"RurouniZel award for What the Fuck am I Watching?": Black☆Rock Shooter
"RurouniZel award for best chibis not found in Acchi Kocchi": Inu x Boku SS
"RurouniZel award for loved it at first but then it fell apart" The Knight in the Area
 

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
1. Uchuu Kyoudai (Space Brothers)
2. Thermae Romae

I didn't watch much anime this year, but I loved those two. I guess I'd put Lupin III as the 3rd (ha?) but it wasn't really a great show so I should leave it unranked....
 

Quasar

Member
1. SAO. Given the rage how could It not be #1
2. Hyouka
3. Chihayafuru
4. Blast of the Tempest
5. Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!
6. Say I Love You

Keeping everything straight datewise has been tough as I got into anime in '12 and so I've been watching a lot of older stuff.
 

Moonlight

Banned
Here's my list, then.

  1. Hyouka: Simply fantastic. It's been quite a while since I've fallen in love with a show as much as this. It's beautiful, not just from a visual or aural standpoint, but from how it treats and develops its' characters, their relationships, and their interactions. It's expertly crafted and brilliantly plotted. There's no question in my mind that Kyoto Animation are the masters of their craft, and this is far and away the best anime of the year.
  2. Fate/Zero (season 2): I wasn't sure how much it counted, given that the first season preceded it by a year, but everyone else is adding it, so I figure that there's no problem. Fate/Zero is absolutely fantastic, with splendid production values, amazing fight sequences, and incredibly satisfying dramatic pay-off.
  3. Tsuritama: I absolutely cannot believe how much this show passed me by. I hadn't even heard of it when I wrote my first draft of this AOTY list. I fell in love with practically everything about it. It's vibrant, distinctive art style, expressive characters, narrative quirks, and sharp, well-plotted script deserves a great deal of respect. It's one of a few shows that I can say only got better and better as each episode went by.
  4. From The New World: Despite some poor episodes, I can't give From The New World enough credit for how strikingly different it is from anything I've seen this year. I can't help but notice some uneven production (and I'm not usually receptive to it unless it's outstandingly good or outstandingly bad), but even that doesn't stop the show from delivering on a delightfully oppressive atmosphere, excellent narrative, and a truly fascinating world.
  5. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: As someone unfamiliar with the source material, I can say with absolute certainty that JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is just absurdly, improbably fun. It's ten pounds of testosterone packed in a five pound bag of heart. Which is why I can forgive its' low production values. Because the pure passion of everyone working on it seeps out of this show's every pore. It's just great.
  6. Humanity Has Declined: The best comedy of the year, I would say. Delightfully satirical and relentlessly surreal, the dark, quirky humour canvassed against such a saccharine, pastel-coloured world was just fantastic. It felt like it was dragging its' feet for a spell, but as the series reached the finish line, it had me hook, line, and sinker all over again.
  7. Code: Breaker: Another series that escaped my attention before, but less because I simply didn't hear of it and more because my first impression of it was rather unfavourable. I gave it another shot, though, and I'm very glad I did. There's nothing remarkable about the base plot or the narrative concept, but somehow it transcends it and becomes far better than the sum of its' parts could possibly suggest. I was tuned out of the story for a good part of the show, but the ride was what mattered. It had excellent effects animation, great action, and a genuinely great finale.
  8. Kids on the Slope: I'll admit to being a victim of my own hype in regards to Kids on the Slope. I came in expecting Cowboy Bebop and got, well, Kids on the Slope. I can't criticize it for what it was never trying to be, though. And it's clear that time has done nothing to Watanabe's skills as a director. It's excellently paced and, despite some problems I had with the narrative, a great ride. But what really brought it up here were the jazz sessions. Easily the highlight of any episode they featured in, whenever they got everybody together and jammed, I could not help but smile wide.
  9. Joshiraku: There was a time where I wasn't at all interested in this series. This was before I knew it was written by Koji Kumeta. Given that Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei is one of my favourite comedies, I was all in. And by and large, I was not disappointed. It's a riot, with amazing slapstick humour, and some hilariously inane conversations. I struggle to suggest it was a particularly meaningful experience, but it was definitely among the more enjoyable.
  10. My Little Monster: I fell in love with the series pretty quickly, to be honest. I loved its' use of colours, its' characters, and how unconventional the progression came off as. At least, at first. It became a bit more difficult to enjoy the series as it continued to spin its' wheels and shuffle aimlessly towards distant plot points. It never stopped being consistently enjoyable, yet as it came to an end, I couldn't help but feel a bit cheated. The ending is as dissatisfying as it is abrupt. As someone who prefers some definitive resolution in their romances, this came across as more than a little frustrating. If nothing else, it's a testament to how much I enjoyed this series despite it's failure to offer any closure. Despite my grievances, rarely has sliding from genuinely entertaining comedy to drama been ever so skillful. It's a real shame, because I thought it had the potential to be one of the absolute best anime of the year during its' promising first few episodes, but never really went anywhere after that.

Honourable mention should go to Chuunibyou, which was enjoyable, but didn't leave much of an impact on me when it resolved, and Ano Natsu de Matteru, for being very safe, but being very good at that.

If there are any omissions of anything obvious, it's in all likelihood because I haven't seen them yet. Or, in the case of Sword Art Online, simply because I didn't like it.
 

Instro

Member
1. Hyouka
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Kyoani really outdid themselves with this one, and I would say its their best work so far. One of the most beautiful shows of all time, the visuals are always on point in all aspects of animation and art. Combine that with incredible direction and storyboarding and I don't think anyone can deny how impressive the production is. You'll often find yourself surprised with how much the show is able to convey in even the shortest scenes. On top that, the show has a high quality soundtrack with a number of memorable tracks throughout. It's mixture of classical tracks and original compositions is pretty tremendous to listen to. A true audiovisual experience.

The writing is strong, particularly when it comes to character developments and dialogue. The latter is often supplemented by great visual cues to help give the mystery solving a clear logic to follow. Some people will not enjoy the general nature of the show, in that the mysteries themselves are essentially commonplace, however that was not really an issue for me. Not to say that there were not a couple weak episodes in the show, there is certainly 1 or 2 standalone episodes that have very little happening due to the mystery being exceedingly silly. In contrast though the characters themselves deal with more complex issues, with the mysteries often being a springboard for this.

All in all, I have to give this show the top spot for the year.

2. Tsuritama
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Tsuritama is a complete return to form for Kenji Nakamura after the disappointment of [C] back in 2011. This show is much more akin to Mononoke and Trapeze, in that it combines a unique premise with the quality of direction we have come to expect from Nakamura. Focusing primarily on fishing, aliens, and the bonds formed between the 4 main characters over their love of fishing the show builds each episode becoming more exciting and fun to watch each week. While most recognized that it was a quality show from the get go, I think it was hard to tell how good it was going to be as its starts out in a pretty simple sort of way. As I mentioned though, the show builds each week with excellent character writing and exciting plot developments getting the viewer really engaged in what is happening and delivering a wonderful conclusion. The characters all have very strong personalities, and are developed together in a heartfelt and compelling way as we see them become closer friends over the course of the show. The final arc of Tsuritama shows us just how far each of them have come over the course of the show, facing some pretty overwhelming odds together.

Tsuritama sports some great visuals as well, bright and colorful with detailed backgrounds and interesting animation. With regards to the soundtrack, which was done by Kuricorder Quartet, it has a very unique sound to it thanks to its instrument variety and upbeat nature. Take this song for example, very light with a great composition I think. There are also more traditional songs as well, equally as impressive. Definitely an impressive and memorable soundtrack. Whats really great about the visuals and audio though is that they work together with the locations in the show to deliver a wonderfully unusual atmosphere to the show.

Going back and forth with Tsuritama and Hyouka was pretty tough, both are a step above the rest of the competition though.

3. Fate/Zero Season 2
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I was really surprised that this 2nd half turned out as well as it did. There's a lot of moving parts to this story, and a huge cast, so it's not easy to manage all the different elements while continuing to deliver the kind of quality we came to expect from the first season, however ufotable managed to pull it off. Even knowing how it all ended, the conclusion is still satisfying and well done. As a prequel, that is also something that I think is pretty hard to accomplish.

The mix of CG and traditional animation continues to impress here. Ufotable has really become a top CG studio in the business, and it shows during a number of action scenes throughout the show. They get to showcase their skill even more in season 2 thanks to the amount of action we are treated to. Definitely the best looking action show this year, the fight scenes are well directed and a blast to watch.

The quality of writing continues to impress from season 1. I really enjoyed the background given on Kiritsugu, which were some of the best episodes of the show. Characters develop in step with the wild developments of the show, much of it being even more explosive thanks to the build up from season 1. Not to say there weren't some missteps in this regard, the pacing near the end certainly caused some problems. The most notable being the lack of development and background on Berserker, who is put in a very important position during the latter stage of season 2 but largely falls flat due to the abrupt nature of it all and the lack of details the audience has on the character. Many thought we would see some extra content added in the Bluray release as was seen in season 1, but that did not happen.

Either way though, great end to a great show.

4. K-On Movie
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Not a whole lot to say here. Another great work from Kyoani, and the best form of K-On. Sporting a more cohesive self contained story for the movie, the girls really shine in their adventure in London. Everything you would expect from K-On but better. The simple fact is, its a damn good movie.

Kind of a banner year for Kyoani, even though Chunnibyou wasn't all that good. Between Hyouka and the K-On movie, they really delivered in 2012. 2013 is starting out great for them as well with Tamako Market.

5. From the New World (Shin Sekai Yori)
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This has to be the most interesting show of the year. It's results in this list are a bit skewed since it is only half over, and it suffered from a rough patch during episodes 5-8, regardless though I'm sticking it in 5th for the high quality it has shown in the rest of its episodes. It definitely has the potentially to reach much higher on this list as well, depending on how the rest of the show goes.

From the New World presents us with a fascinating 1984-esque world with a more spiritual and psychological bent. Set in some far flung future, it focuses on a group a children who live in a small village where everyone has psychic powers. Because of the disasters these powers have caused, everything in the village is heavily controlled, as the children are taught to control their powers at an early age. The show does an amazing job slowly revealing bits and pieces of the history and nature of the world in which the kids live. During the early episodes we are treated to some very impressive openings delving into legends from the past, and the show continues to give the audience a lot of different myths and stories throughout. Much like the audience, the children are very much in the dark about their world, so we have learned with them as the show has progressed. The scenery of this world has a very twisted and fantastical atmosphere to it, showing us how much the world has been affected by humans with such warped power. Vivid backgrounds are common here, and strange beasts populate much of the surroundings.

Outside of the aforementioned 5-8, the show has been very well directed, and the character relationships have a deep emotional quality to them that make the cast very interesting to watch. The soundtrack has been a mixed bag, mainly with some of the upbeat tracks, although those disappeared from the show a number of weeks ago now. While the visuals are not always impressive, they are often very interesting and unique.

As I said earlier though, this show has immense potential as long as it can remain on track. If it hadn't been for those few bad episodes this would have easily been in the top 3 for what it has accomplished so far.

6. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
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If you know Jojo, you know why you need to be watching this show. If you don't know Jojo, why don't you know about Jojo?

This show really is a love letter to the manga, you can tell how much the staff enjoys the material they are working with. Often scenes look pulled right out of manga panels, the direction is really cool in that regard. Jojo is always exciting, funny, and just a downright blast to watch particularly now that we are in Battle Tendency, although I do miss Dio. The pacing feels kind of odd at times, I think part of what makes the show so awesome also hurts it a bit when it comes to abrupt plot developments. However the show really embraces the ridiculous nature of Jojo, you can't help but love it.

What has really hampered this series is the production values, or lack there of. Ugly backgrounds, weak animation, etc. It's character art in stills is good at least, usually pretty detailed. It was expected given the studio, but ultimately disappointing considering how impressive the OVAs are (mainly the 90's ones), in this regard. Admittedly its gotten better since some of the earlier episodes, but its still not much of a looker.

OP2 is fucking amazing btw.

7. Code Breaker

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Another excellent action anime for the list. This one was definitely the surprise of the year for me, I never expected the kind of quality we got out of this one. Initially I only started watching after some talk of good animation and staff, however once the show got going it became clear that it had much more going for it. A cast of characters who have unique personalities, backing up our two leads Ogami and Sakura who develop a great relationship over the course of the show. Ogami is a truly awesome male lead as well, not afraid to do both good and evil in the name of justice, his cold personality really help drive the show in the early going. As the show progresses and the other code breakers com into play, a really nice chemistry develops between the group making the show both exciting and often very funny.

Much like Jojo it embraces a decidedly over the top atmosphere, mixing humor and dark action pretty effortlessly. Its a credit to the staff that they managed to find a good balance of elements that gives this show a very old school action show appeal. On top of that we have a surprisingly good soundtrack that really helps the atmosphere and mood. Much like Tsuritama, this was a show that only got better with each passing episode. Each episode more exciting than the last, concluding with some absolutely fantastic action sequences in the last couple episodes.

As I mentioned earlier, I originally started watching it for the animation, and that is always constantly good in this show. The different effects used during fight scenes are lovely. The flames, lightning, and other attacks are very fluid with lots of movement and detail. Really impressive stuff, that's for sure.

I was tempted to put this above Jojo, but that show is still ongoing and continues to get better, so this is probably a good ranking. Regardless, this is am must see show for anyone who likes action anime.

8. Natsuyuki Rendezvous
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Natsuyuki set itself apart as a shoujo show mostly on the strength of its characters, who are all adults acting accordingly, and the pacing of the relationships. It draws a bit on Ghost, with the dead husband haunting his wife and her new boyfriend, which leads to some humorous and painful situations during the show. What I found most compelling about the show was the character interactions. The entire cast is very straightforward about their feelings and their plans. It's quite refreshing from what you would normally expect from a show of this nature. I love the character designs too, very appealing and somewhat unconventional. Also some nice background art to be seen in this show, they get very detailed with flowers. It kind of goes into overdrive artistically in some of the later episodes too after certain plot developments.

The show really only has 2 main failings to look at. Some feet dragging in the latter stages, making the pace slow down considerably, and the final few scenes in the last episode were a bit annoying.

9. Space Brothers
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For a anime about space, the show oddly spends very little time there. Instead the focus is on the characters struggles to make it as astronauts. Space Brothers is a real showcase in character writing, each week it delivers an experience that is very believable and sincere. It features a strong main cast, each with very different motivations and personalities, all working towards a common goal. Their interactions feel very natural, and there is great chemistry and humor between them. Mutta and the rest are also very introspective, able to expand on their feelings and internal conflicts giving the audience a deep understanding of what drives the characters in the show. This often makes everything seem much more heartfelt and touching, flashbacks in particular are pretty emotionally charged. This feeling is really helped by the amazing soundtrack, which is certainly one of the top from this year. I'd provide an example but I can't find any tracks :(. The composition is fantastic though.

The show is pretty slow, and its often ugly, so its not something that I exactly look forward to or rush to watch. Each week though I am reminded of what makes it so great, and it remains consistently enjoyable.

10. Milky Holmes Season 2
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Last but not least, the 2nd season of Milky Holmes. This series doesn't get nearly the love it should, and it's too bad because its a great action comedy show. The mix of hilarious characters and situations, colorful visuals with lots of variety in the art, and animation that can be expressive as well as awesome during action scenes, Milky Holmes is really a highly entertaining show. It's not afraid to bring all sorts of humor to the table, whether its references to old shows, having the characters break out into songs, or totally bizarre reaction faces, each episode will bring big laughs for various reasons. When the show decides to go action, it does that very well too. Bringing its special brand of humor to the fights, makes them even more fun to watch as you really have no idea what the characters will try next.

Most are turned off before checking it out because the premise involves a little girl team of mystery solvers, but I always try to encourage people on this once because it really is a lot of fun to watch.


Honorable Mentions

Ano Natsu
Kids on the Slope
Girls Und Panzer
Tonari no Kaibutsu
 

Xilium

Member
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1) Ixion Saga: Dimension Transfer ; This show gets the top spot in my list for simply being the show that I enjoyed with the least amount of caveats. The show is completely immature and dumb and doesn't try to convince you that it is any deeper than what you see on the surface. From a pure entertainment point of view, this is great and is the show I enjoyed watching the most in 2012.

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2) Accel World ; Kind of a more action intense .hack, which is an anime I really enjoyed. I like the concept of having an anime based around a VR game though I honestly expected to like SAO more since I like it's fantasy setting more. My issue with both of these shows though are the romance subplots. Generally speaking, I find the romance plotlines in animes (or any show/movie for that matter) that aren't specifically romance shows to be a distraction as they usually feel out of place and unnecessary. That said, AW seemed to do a good job not making the romance scenes disjointed from the rest of the show and the romance plotline itself wasn't eye-roll inducing like it usually is in non-romance anime (and I suppose it could be argued that AW is a rom-com on some level). That minor complaint aside, I really enjoyed this show.

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3) Nekomonogatari Black ; I honestly can't pinpoint what exactly makes the *monogatari series so enjoyable to me but I can't stop watching them. I guess I just like the characters and their conversations with one another (it wouldn't be the first time I've liked a conversation-centric anime).

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4) K ; I was very skeptical of this show at first (possibly because of its bishounen look) but after just sucking it up and watching the show, I found I couldn't stop watching it. I ended up liking the characters, story, and fight sequence more than I had anticipated and now I'm hoping it gets a second season to flesh out the world a bit more.

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5) Hunter x Hunter ; For some reason, I'm liking the reboot of this anime more than the original. I'm sure there have been changes but I honestly don't remember too many of the finer points of the original so it still kinda feels the same to me. Could just be my evolving taste in anime but I've been really enjoying this show.

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6) Nisemonogatari ; Basically same as Nekomonogatari Black. Didn't think it was as good as that or Bakemonagatari but I still really enjoyed it.

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7) High School DxD ; My shameless harem of the year. That said, I actually like the setting and lore of the anime and it's gotten me to read some of the light novels.

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8) Zetsuen no Tempest ; Another show I find strangely interesting. I guess it's mostly the intrigue and mystery I enjoy. It's not a show I'm in a rush to see when it's available but I always enjoy whenever I do get around to watching. I have an odd relationship with this show but I like it nevertheless.

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9) One Piece ; One Piece is my favorite currently running manga and I really do enjoy the show but...Fishman island sucked so hard. Coming off of a time skip into that was just such a disappointment, especially after all the build up for FI. I still love the anime and the arc had some redeeming qualities (the crew was still the crew for instance) but FI will likely go down as one of the worst One Piece arcs.

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10) Sword Art Online ; Setting wise, I like this show more than Accel World. In truth, this show annoys me almost as much as I enjoy it. The romance plotline of the show just slows it down way too much and feels like a completely different show. If it were just that, the show wouldn't be so low on my list (its annoying but I've gotten used to it) but the fact that Kirito is basically a walking Deus Ex Machina and is always defying the laws set within the show is what annoys me the most. I'm used to hero's in these shows getting stronger in a rediculously short amount of time compared to everyone else, but Kirito is just straight up trollin' and doing stuff that shouldn't even be possible. Other than those two things, I really like the show but it really is a love-hate relationship.


Honorable Mentions:
Magi
Mirai Nikki
Medaka Box/Abnormal
Campione!
Persona 4 the Animation
So, I Can't Play H!
Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun
Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero
Crunchyroll - Surprisingly worthwhile subscription. I was a little skeptical at first but they've more than earned my continued membership. Funimation has the content, but their site and player need work.
 

kiunchbb

www.dictionary.com
Accel World; amazing pacing, a lot of touching moment, memorable character, and unlimited story/sequel potential. I can't wait for season 2.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure; show for the perfect gentlemen
Fate/Zero; Amazing hide & seek actions, full of drama, every master and servant had enough content to make their own stories. It really show how amazing the Fate world, a really good taste for those that are missing out on the VN.
K-On! Movie; It is 2 hours of K-On!!!!!
Hyouka ; very smart show, every mystery and solutions are mind-blowing. The ending is a little on the boring side, the story is also too "peaceful", it seems like the main character potential are wasted in Hyouka's world.
Gintama; How do you stay so funny after so many years!?!
Girls und Panzer; Surprisingly huge part of story is revolve around tank battle instead of girls striping each other. The tank battles are actually pretty exciting, the only problem is there are too many side characters...
 

madp

The Light of El Cantare
[Hyôka]

The latter is Gabriel Fauré's Sicilienne, actually.

The power of Tanaka Kouhei, apparently. I'm totally uncultured when it comes to classical music and didn't even bat an eye when an important scene in One Piece used something from Dvorak's New World Symphony. Didn't learn for some time later that it wasn't original :lol
 

Moonlight

Banned
On the note of Hyouka's musical compositions, does anyone know the one that plays whenever (or at least, a good amount of the time) Oreki has figured out a mystery and begins explaining it. I've done a lot of searching on YouTube and found a lot of tracks from Hyouka's OST, but for some reason, never that.
 

Dresden

Member
On the note of Hyouka's musical compositions, does anyone know the one that plays whenever (or at least, a good amount of the time) Oreki has figured out a mystery and begins explaining it. I've done a lot of searching on YouTube and found a lot of tracks from Hyouka's OST, but for some reason, never that.

What, this?
 

Haly

One day I realized that sadness is just another word for not enough coffee.
SSY 15:
Oh great, more molerats shit.
 

Thoraxes

Member
Considering that most of my unrefined classical music knowledge has its roots in incidental usage in tv and film (unfortunate but true!) I'm surprised to see that that piece was apparently never used in either before, or at least not recognizably enough to show up on any IMDB listings. It sounds so familiar that I swear I've heard it before.

Faure tends to be overshadowed by Ravel and Debussy regarding French music of that period in nearly everything it is used in. It's mostly due to his connections with progress in modernism and the new styles being discovered, but he was more a link than a stable force in something like French Impressionism in music, so he tends to get overshadowed.
 

OceanBlue

Member
1. Hyouka
2. K-On! Movie
3. iDOLM@STER (That one OVA qualifies it, right? Right?!)
4. Tsuritama
5. Girls und Panzer
6. Strike Witches the Movie (Thanks for reminding me ZachDeKoromaru!)
7. Space Brothers
8. Fate/Zero S2
 
1. Hidamari Sketch x Honeycomb - This series is, and always will be my favorite slice of life series. The characters remain lovable, the things they do are still cute, and there was even some conflict which tugged hard on my heart-strings. It was also my favorite...character designs(?) of the 4 seasons, which made it look a lot more like Ume's designs.
2. Strike Witches the Movie - No matter how many people overlook this show for being "dumb ecchi shit", I think the alternative WWII setting and ace pilots turned into pantsless girls is the most fun thing ever. This movie is basically an hour and a half of what made the 2 TV seasons so great, plus Miyafuji (MOTHERFUCKING) Yoshika being badass even without her mahou shoujo powers.
3. Inu x Boku SS - RomCom with weird demon powers and a cast of the most lovable characters ever? Yes, I think that sums up this show pretty well.
4. Nisemonogatari - My boner was reaching towards the clouds when I heard about a Bakemonogatari sequel, and it was also that length during some episodes. Nise has the character to character interactions that I loved so much about Bake, and then it also has some extremely absurd , albeit sometimes rather hot moments that make it hilarious.
5. Fate/Zero S2 - I've never played any of the TypeMoon visual novels or read any of the F/Z light novels, I only really know some character names and inside jokes from years browsing /a/. This show REALLY makes me want to get into everything Fate, as it was a god damn joy to watch. I'm certainly staying away from the F/S N anime and heading to the VN though.
6. K-ON! Movie - It was like a really long K-ON! episode, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that for any reason whatsoever.
7. Girls und Panzer - I got into this because the characters were designed by Fumikane (Strike Witches), but got something much different from Strike Witches. A show with cute girls doing tank warfare for fun, you'd have to be some kind of anti-funite like Sodoko to not enjoy such pleasant things.
8. Daily Lives of High School Boys - Why can't Sunrise just keep making comedies? Those are the only shows of theirs I like. The nickname Nichibros perfectly describes this show, except it doesn't ever get Nichijou levels of absurdity.
9. Dog Days' - It's like Nanoha with fluffy tails, ears, and oodles of awesome fanservice. I'm god damn looking forward to that third season.
10. Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita - Cute mediator in dark and humorous situations with some very disturbed fairies during the end of the world.
 
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