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Best Anime of 2012
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on 2013-01-08 01:54:50 (edited 2013-01-29 20:03:06)
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Well first of all would be Happy New year to Everyone! Now to business. I had planned to post this earlier but due to issues involving my pc, I was unable to. So here they are, Roxas's Best of 2012 for anime. 2012 has been an interesting year and honestly a step-up from 2011 which is definitely a good thing. But what do YOU think deserves the best in their respective categories? A lot of the following categories are similar to Random Curiosity but I have added more of them as I did last year. Please do post and tell everyone YOUR opinion and why. Here are my picks for 2012: Best Animation: Fate/Zero Opinion: At first this year, I felt that last year's mega look king Guilty Crown would win it. However to my joy, several anime managed to actually put up a respectable fight and even then, Guilty Crown was defeated by Fate/Zero. Fate/Zero set the bar for animation in 2012 simple as that. Sometimes while watching it I forgot that it was just an anime episode and not a top class world movie premier. Spectacular scenes such as Saber unleashing Excalibur, Iskandar's Ionion Hetaroi, Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon and even the stunning final battle between Kiritsugu and Kirei. Some might ask me why I did not even mention Shana Season III. The answer is that yes, it did have a superbly high quality but it was not maintained through the season and even dropped when several things appeared at once on the screen. This mastercalss anime deserves its spot as the best animated series of 2012. Honorable Mentions: K, Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon, Guilty Crown, Aquarion EVOL, Black Rock Shooter Best Story: Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon Opinion: To me, the outcome was not in question. Kyoukaisen provided one of the most unique plots seen in an anime in several good years. A spectacularly written story that has it all. A large cast, most of whom had their own developments and time to shine, several beautiful romances and lovely couples, hilarious comedy, shocking action that leaves one begging for more, and the list goes on. Honorable Mentions: Accel World, Jormungand, Sakamichi no Apollon, Sword Art Online, Fate/Zero Best Soundtrack: Kyoukai Senjou no Horozon (Tatsuya Katou) Opinion: 2012 was a geat year for anime and their OST's. So good that many anime came very very close to winning this award; 2 by Yuki Kajiura no less! I was honestly and pleasantly surprised with this anime. A sci-fi style anime that has outstanding and superb music? Yes please. Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon had excellent music present through the series and its soundtrack was also wonderful bliss of music. The right music was present as EXACTLY the right time and with probably the best inserted song of 2012 (Save you from anything), Kyoukaisen stands tall and proud above the others. Honorable Mentions: Aquarion EVOL (Yoko Kanno), Sword Art Online (Yuki Kajiura), Fate/Zero (Yuki Kajiura), Guilty Crown (Hiroyuki Sawano), Eureka Seven AO (Nakamura Koji) Best Opening Sequence: To The Beginning by Kalafina (Fate/Zero OP2) Opinion: My, my my. So many choices, its hard to pick. But overall when I have to choose, let it be Kalafina's tribute to the Fate series. A melancholy song that makes utter sense if you can speak Japanese, and if you have already seen Fate/Stay Night. The song sings of the fact that no matter what happens in Fate/Zero, tragedy WILL fall. People will die, and those that do not will suffer. Kalafina sings of how the actions of those in the 4th Holy Grail Way will pave the way for what happens in the tragedy of the 5th. Also of note, is the suffering that will fall upon Kiritsugu Emiya because of his actions. A wonderful haunting melody that in my opinion is the best opening of 2012. Honorable Mentions: ZONE//ALONE by Minori Chihara (Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon OP2), Light My Fire by KOTOKO (Shakugan No Shana III: Final OP1), Under/Shaft by Maon Kurosaki (Jormungand:Perfect Order OP1), Spirit Inspiration by Nothing's Carved in Stone (Zetsuen no Tempest OP), Innocence by Aoi Eir (Sword Art Online OP2), Kimi no Shinwa ~ Aquarion Dai 2 Shou by AKINO with bless4 (Aquarion EVOL OP1), Moshimo by Daisuke (Naruto Shippuden OP12), I Wish by Milky Bunny (Fairy Tail OP10) Best Ending Sequence: Sora no Uta by Masami Okui (Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon Season 2 ED02) Opinion: Honestly, the variety of ending songs for 2012 was a bit of a disappointment compared to last year. As such to me, Sora no Uta from Kyoukaisen is the best of the few picks of the year. Its an upbeat, peppy and cheerful song that I've listened to over and over again. Honorable Mentions: Yume Sekai by Haruka Tomatsu (Sword Art Online ED01), GekkÅ Symphonia by AKINO & AIKI of bless4 (Aquarion EVOL ED01), By My Side by Hemenway (Naruto Shippuden ED20), Laterality by Nagi Yanagi (Jormungand:Perfect Order ED), Unite by Sachika Misawa (Accel World ED02), MASK by Aqua Timez (Bleach ED30), One by ALTIMA (Shakugan No Shana III: Final ED01), Kanashimi wa Dare no Negai Demonai by Aira Yuki (Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon Season 2 ED01), Sora wo Takaku Kazu wa Utau (Fate/Zero ED02) Best Male Character: Kiritsugu Emiya (Fate/Zero) Opinion: When we saw Fate/Stay Night, we knew very little about the man. What we did know was that he was a kind father to his adopted son and a good friend to the local yakuza. However, Fate/Zero completely destroys any assumptions about him. Kiritsugu Emiya is revealed as a killer. A magus hunter that uses any brutal methods with no knowledge of the words "overkill" or "non-combatant". Through the series we see him belittle his servant who equally despises him, cheat on his wife, manipulate another servant's honour to remove a status effect from his own, and even use a man's fiancee as a hostage to force him to kill his servant and following up with executing them all. At that point, he was more of a villain then a protagonist. However, the 2 episodes specials: 'Distant Memories' and 'Where Justice is Found' finally show us the real Kiritsugu. Kiritsugu wishes to be a "hero of justice" that protects the weak. Kiritsugu's goal was initially to make his actions on the day of killing his father by his own hands meaningful and worthy. Only by hunting and assassinating all heretic magi like his father could he truly prevent such tragedies from occurring again. He lost all traces of youthful innocence after having spent his life going through countless battles while trying to obtain a utopia that could never be fulfilled. After finding out about the existence of the Grail, he wishes to use it to obtain that utopia. During the climax of the war this man lost his wife, his partner and sacrificed his chance at happiness to destroy the tainted holy grail. The resulting fire destroyed all in a massive radius with only 1 survivor. Fate Zero ended with this poor man's tragic countdown to his own death as a result of being cursed by the grail. Nevertheless, he chooses to put on a happy face for his adopted son and the survivor of the fire, Shirou. He dies 5 years after the war passing onto Shirou his ideal of a 'hero of justice'. In his last thoughts, he recalled when Shirley asked what kind of adult he wants to become and he had said: "I’ll never forget what I felt today. I want to be a hero of justice!" This is the best Male Character of 2012 in my opinion. Honorable Mentions: Tori Aoi (Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon), Jonathan "Jonah" Mal (Jormungand), Kazuto "Kirito" Kirigaya (Sword Art Online), Ao Fukai (Eureka Seven AO: Astral Ocean), Yuji Sakai (Shakugan No Shana III: Final), Yukiteru "Yuki" Amano (Mirai Nikki) Best Female Character: Koko Hekmatyar (Jormungand) Opinion: ~She is Koko, She is Loco, I said oh No!~ That's right, Koko "Loco" Hekmatyar is my pick for best female character of 2012. Why? Where do I even start? A crazy arms dealer who travels with her retinue of bodyguards to some of the craziest locations around the world. Not to mention he knack for getting out of messy situations with some of the whackiest and unexpected maneuvers seen in a long time. The death of one of her team "R" cracked her slightly. And everything in the series was a buildup to her masterplan: The Jourmungand System. Towards the end she graduates from Arms Dealer into Evil Mastermind territory. She was willing to kill over 400,000 people just to show the world her new power. She also is a shameless shotacon! Honorable Mentions: Asuna YÅ«ki (Sword Art Online), Shana (Shakugan No Shana III: Final), Kyouno Madoka (Rinne no Lagrange), Medaka Kurokami (Medaka Box), Eru Chitanda (HyÅka), Marika Kato (Mouretsu Pirates), Naru Arata (Eureka Seven: AO) Best Villain: Kirei Kotomine (Fate/Zero) Opinion: Yup, it was close. Actually, no not really. Many of this years villains were real pieces of work but none match the sheer depravity of this man. You saw him in Fate/Stay Night as the villainous priest manipulating everyone behind the scenes now you get to see the journey of a man into the darkness. At the start we see a broken man who's wife commuted suicide just to make him regain some humanity. Chosen as a master he is quickly drown into a plot between the Church and Tokiomi Tohsaka. The master of the Assassin servants soon shows us why he summoned that hero first. Unknown to all those around him, Kirei was born defective, possessing a warped mind since birth. He is an evil person, but not a villain. He is deviant, but not inhuman. He is not sane, but neither is he insane. Despite his personal accomplishments, he never felt satisfaction. Despite his best efforts he could not enjoy what other people found happiness in, and instead found himself drawn to negative emotions like the pain of others. He is in fact the only man considered a real threat by Kiritsugu. We see as he is slowly manipulated and encouraged by Gilgamesh to embrace his depravity. Finally he accepts his evil and shows his true colors after his father is killed by Kayneth. He kills his teacher, Tokiomi with the same dagger that the man gave him as a graduation gift after he promises to become the guardian of Tokiomi's daughter in the case of the man's death. He manipulates events so that Kariya Matou kidnaps Irisviel von Einzbern and kills Maiya. He then reneges on his deal to let Kariya confront Tokiomi by letting him find Tokiomi's body before being found by Kariya's friend and Tokiomi's wife, Aoi Tohsaka. He then watches as his manipulations cause Kariya to strangle Aoi due to her misunderstanding and breaking his heart. To Kirei this was merely light entertainment. He then proceeds to strangle Irisviel and kill her as a challenge to his rival, Kiritsugu. During their fated final battle, the polluted holy grail crashes through the ceiling on him as he is killed by his rival. In his last moments, the Holy Grail appeared to Kirei; filled with hatred and envy for Kiritsugu, he reached out and touched the cursed artifact. Kirei prayed for an end to humanity; his wish was granted in the form of fire. Amidst the roaring flames, Kiritsugu's Saber obliterates the Holy Grail, allowing its tainted water to soak Kirei's lifeless body, resurrecting him with an artificial, black heart. After looking at the burning town, Kirei laughs out in pleasure. He finally realizes what brings happiness to him in this world: bringing utter despair to others. 6 months later, coming up with a plan to entertain himself, he gives Rin the Azoth knife that killed her father as a gift, saying he received it from her father upon completing training. He then is annoyed as he failed to get a hard on from Rin's despair as she did not show it. There is probably no one else who deserves the titles of the Finest Villain of 2012 then this wretched excuse for a human being. Honorable Mentions: Kayaba "Heathcliff" Akihiko (Sword Art Online), Sabrac (Shakugan No Shana III: Final), Samon Kusaribe (Zetsuen no tempest), Towano Mykage (Aquarion EVOL), Gai Tsutsugami (Guilty Crown) Best Supporting Character: Tenzou Crossunite (Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon) Opinion: Kyoukaisen is a strange anime and a fine one no doubt. But even I did not expect it to have such a large change during its second season. The most important was that its main characters, Tori Aoi and Horizon Ariadust took a backseat to their roles. The new face of the anime for its second half was the perverted but honorable ninja: Tenzou Crossunite. Its hard being a ninja in a sci-fi world but he manages. Tenzou's character is developed greatly via his romance with England's Mary Stuart. The whole England Arc was focused on the love between the ninja and his queen. Tenzou and Mary after their meeting got to know each other and fell in love. However they were tragically forced apart due to international politics where Mary had to be executed. After being cut down during their date, he is forced to watch his love taken away by her own sister and the English forces. Even then, Tenzou plans to stage a rescue mission to save her. He originally planned to go alone due to his honour not letting his friends to get involved and complicating matters further for the people of Musashi. However, they invited themselves along and help break a hole through London for him to reach Mary. He then confronts both Mary and her sister, Queen Elizabeth. Tenzou declares his pure (and slightly perverted) love for Mary in a spectacular scene where he tell her that despite her having several husbands and scars, he will still love and accept her. Tenzou then manages to force a situation whereby Elizabeth has to let Mary go or face a civil war for the throne of England. They then return to Musashi to join their comrades who had been fighting in the Battle of the Spanish Armada. He and Mary then save the ship from Tres Espana's final attack and win the battle. Honorable Mentions: Iskandar/Rider (Fate/Zero), Yamano Remon (Ano Natsu de Matteru), Chiaki Kurihara (Mouretsu Pirates), Kagura Demuri (Aquarion EVOL), Toshio Fukai (Eureka Seven: AO) Best Plot Twist: Obito Uchiha (Naruto Manga) Opinion: We've all been wondering who was the man behind the mask? Years ago some said it was Minato, after that most thought it was Madara Uchiha but finally this year the truth was revealed. When Naruto cracked "Tobi"'s mask, the man revealed was dead nearly 20 years ago in the series: Obito Uchiha. To everyone's shock, Obito was revealed as the mastermind behind almost the entire plot of Naruto. From releasing the Kyuubi on Konoha, being the main reason Naruto has no parents, manipulating Nagato and the Akatsuki, helping in the Uchiha massacre, turning Sasuke into one of Konoha's worse enemies, declaring war on all the shinobi nations, and many more. Obito was originally thought to be a shinning example of the Will of Fire, sacrificing himself to save his friend Kakashi and then giving one of his eyes to his friend. He has been unmasked in front of the very man whose life he shaped with his "death" to Kakashi's shock. Obito is revealed to have done all of this as revenge of Kakashi killing their teammate, Rin. He plans to put the world under an illusion so that everyone's dreams can come true especially the one where he, Kakashi and Rin are alive together again. Now he and the real Madara Uchiha face off against Naruto and the entire Shinobi Alliance for one of the final battles of the series. Obito's last act of 2012 was killing Neji Hyuuga to taunt Naruto. Honorable Mentions: Yuno Gasai is a God (Mirai Nikki), Tohru Adachi is the killer! (Persona 4: the ANIMATION), Musashi represents England in the battle of the Spanish Armada (Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon), Kirei Kotomine kills Tokiomi Tohsaka (Fate/Zero), Koko reveals the Jormungand System (Jormungand:Perfect Order), Heathcliff is actually Kayaba Akihiko (Sword Art Online) Most Memorable Death: GenryÅ«sai Shigekuni Yamamoto (Bleach manga) Opinion: Despite the anime ending this year (premature in my opinion), the manga goes on. An in it, come the Quincy Vandenreich and their leader, Juha Bach who lead an assault on Soul Society. Their first attack killed several shinigami including his longtime friend and lieutenant, Sasakibe. The threat is so great that during their 2nd attack, Yamamoto himself come out all guns blazing. He BBQ's 3 of the Stern Ritter whom are devastating his Captains before facing Juha Bach himself. Yamamoto goes all out by activating his mighty bankai, Zanka no tachi. He reveals several techniques and manages to defeat his opponent only to discover that he had killed a body double. The real Juha Bash appears and is bisected from his shoulder to his waist and falls down dying. As Juha Bash taunts him, Yamamoto grabs his leg only to have his arm cut off and then his entire body obliterated by an attack from the Vanderich leader. A spectacular death in a manga where "good guys" don't die. It marks the end of 1000 years of Yamamoto's rule over Soul Society. Honorable Mentions: Rider/Iskandar (Fate Zero), Neji Hyuuga (Naruto Manga), Lancer/Diarmuid Ua Duibhne (Fate/Zero), Schrade Elan (Aquarion EVOL) Best Battle: Iskandar/Rider vs Gilgamesh/Archer (Fate/Zero) Opinion: In my opinion any anime that has the words 'action' in it needs some good fights. I'm not talking about pathetic fights over in a few minutes but in full fledged battles for a reason. Interestingly this year, Naruto Shippuden had several great fights going on. However, the sheeer quality was surpassed by Fate/Zero. Iskandar and Gilgamesh's final battle was nothing short of beautiful. We saw Iskandar and his army attempt to take on the King of Heroes with no fear despite the odds. And the unveiling of Gilgamesh's Ea for the first time and its mighty power left me forgetting that this was not a movie. With his army gone, we see Iskandar take the final charge alone knowing that he will die to Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon. He dies as he lived, a man who enjoyed life. As a final act to honor the only being in the war he respected, Gilgamesh spares the life of Iskandar's master: Waver Velvet. Honorable Mentions: Minato Namikaze vs Tobi (Naruto Shippuden), Team Lehm vs the Night Nine (Jormungand:Perfect Order), Mystogan/Jellal Fernandes vs Jura Rokiron (Fairy Tail), Kiritsugu Emiya vs Kirei Kotomine (Fate/Zero), The Elements vs Mykage (Aquiarion EVOL), Mifune vs. Hanzo (Naruto Shippuden), Naruto Uzumaki vs The Kyuubi/Kurama (Naruto Shuppuden), Futayo Honda vs Munishige Tachibana (Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon), The Five Kage vs Madara Uchiha (Naruto Manga) Best Action Anime: Aquarion EVOL Opinion: All of the series I choose to represent for action were spectacular no doubt. However for sheer insanity to show the meaning of the word 'action' I choose Aquarion EVOL for Best Action of 2012. This anime is utterly insane, on drugs or both. 5 star vocals, BEAUTIFUL fighting animations, and the sheer ridiculousness in fights not seen since Sengoku Basara and Guren Lagann. Well what are you waiting for? Go and take a look! NENSHIN! GATTAI! GO AQUARION! Honorable Mentions: Fate/Zero, Jormungand, Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse, Sword Art Online Best Romance Anime: Ano Natsu de Matteru Opinion: This category is for anime that focus on pure romance. Sure many many have romance in it buts its more of a sub-plot then the main one. In 2012 Romance was a bit low in quantity but made up for it in quality. All of the anime mentioned here are great anime of that is no doubt, however Ano Natsu de Matteru set the bar so high this year that I honestly do not feel any of the others can compare. It was a very beautiful romance that was easy to empathize with, punctuated with all the unease and uncertainty of a first love. Great character interactions, and a good ending are all a plus in my book. Although I feel that the music could have been better, it did fine I guess. Some call it a rip-off Onegai Sensei from a few years ago, but to me...meh. If the formula works, why spoil it? They fine-tuned it and managed to make this one almost as unique as its spiritual predecessor. Honorable Mentions: Amagami SS+ plus, Sankarea, Natsuyuki Rendezvous, Sukitte Ii na yo Best Drama Anime: Sakamichi no Apollon Opinion: Alright, I know people might call this a weird pick. Admittedly, this anime did disappoint sightly. I also honestly did not like its ending. Sakamichi no Apollon reminded me of a kind of sleeping drug used in surgery. It had a nice flavor but a horrible aftertaste. A coming of age story, this was a story about life and all the drama it brings with it—a first love, rejection, the overcoming of obstacles, and the realization of one’s true self. To top things off, we got a love triangle, cultural clashes of music and familial values. Love it or hate it, you cant help but admit this anime had more then its fair share of dramatic moments that when brought together seemed to mesh just right. Honorable Mentions: Natsuiro Kiseki, Kokoro Connect, Chihayafuru, Amagami SS+ plus, Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate Best Sci-Fi Anime: Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon Opinion: Normally I do not watch many sci-fi shows in a year, but even I will admit that 2012 brought with it many shows from this genre that grabbed my attention and would not let go. Althrough I have the nod for Best Action to Aquarion EVOL, I feel that Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon deserves this one more. Virtually everything about the world just oozes sci-fi, with flying ships home to entire countries and portable weapons of mass destruction maintaining the power balance. From the clothing they wear to the way they go about their daily lives, technology is the basis of everything. Even more impressive is the way they integrated region and magic into this world of technology (technohexen wtf?) in such a way that if they were NOT there something would be wrong. The detail is expanded via proper explanations on WHY something is the way it is for EVERYTHING. Added to wonderful work done in the graphics department, this anime stands tall and proud in its category. Honorable Mentions: Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse, Eureka Seven AO, Rinne no Lagrange, Aquarion EVOL, Mouretsu Pirates Best Horror/Thriller Anime: Mirai Nikki Opinion: With Madoka taking this slow last year, I had hoped for something good. 2012 was the year that this category disappointed me. In all honesty, there was not much competition for the winner. Mirai Nikki wins 2012's Best Horror/Triller Anime for the sheer reason that it was the only decent thing worth watching. Another came close, but in reality the result was settled early in the year turning into a semi-two horse race. Honorable Mentions: Another, Tasogare Otome x Amnesia, CODE:BREAKER Best Mystery Anime: Persona 4 the ANIMATION Opinion: An opposite of anime in a category quality between horror and mystery. Last year Horror had Madoka to set the bar but the anime in the Mystery category failed. This year, horror is a gigantic disappointment with only 1 worthwhile anime while the Mystery genre sees a minor comeback. Persona 4 the ANIMATION was the one that consistently delivered the more compelling mystery. Not only was the ultimate identity of the culprit foreshadowed in a subtle and fitting manner, but the numerous red herrings along the way continuously kept up the aura of uncertainty while never feeling as though they got in the way of the final reveal. Hyouka and Phi Brain did well too but they focus on minor mysteries as a theme whereas in Persona 4 the theme WAS MYSTERY. Honorable Mentions: Hyouka, Tasogare Otome x Amnesia, Phi Brain: Kami no Puzzle 2 Best Comedy Anime: Haiyore! Nyaruko-san Opinion: This anime came as a surprise for me. I watched it out of boredom and it nearly made me vomit blood due to its sheer hilarity. Using various Chutullu themes in comedy was certainly different but still when I did not expect such insanity. Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou was a good anime but I did not feel a link to its 'tsukommi' style of jokes. Binbougami ga! came very very close to beating Nyaruko but in the anime I gave the loveable and whacky chutullu alien the nod. Honorable Mentions: Binbougami ga!, Yuruyuri, Kore wa Zombie Desu ka? OF THE DEAD, Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou Best Romantic Comedy Anime: Kore wa Zombie Desu ka? OF THE DEAD Opinion: This the category of hilarious jokes added on top of fanservice. There were quite a few good romantic comedies this year, though none quite managed to match the ridiculous antics of Kore wa Zombie Desu ka? OF THE DEAD. From the constant delusions of Yuu, the frequent fan-service, and a high caliber harem ranging from tsunderes to yanderes and everything in between, we got plenty of humorous romantic interactions to go around. Add in Ayumu’s unfortunate cross-dressing and the world’s sudden fascination with his arse, and there’s much in the way of regular comedy to be found as well! Honorable Mentions: Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankei Nai yo ne, High School DxD, Campione!, Zero no Tsukaima F Best Slice of Life Anime: Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita Opinion: Its hard to describe what I feel or this. My favorite genre is Slice of Life no doubt. 2012 had many good anime in this genre, but I did not like most of them. In the end, most of you might have your own opinions but I decided to give the award to the one I found 'least' troublesome. Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita to me is the best I can hope for of the motley collection available. Honorable Mentions: TARI TARI, Natsuiro Kiseki, Acchi Kocchi, Moyashimon Returns, Sakamichi no Apollon, Tsuritama, Chihayafuru, Nazo no Kanojo X, Papa no Iu Koto wo Kikinasai! Most Underappreciated Anime: Mouretsu Pirates Opinion: Sometimes in a year we have so many anime that some which should be acknowledged just lose to the brightness of their bigger counterparts. They end up forgotton by most despite the face that they also deserve reconigtion of their own. Mouretsu Pirates is one such anime. Its premisise can be described as "something different". A high school girl who ends up becoming captain of her deceased father's ship is something interesting. This anime actually has it all: action, comedy, romance, sci-fi, sliece of life and more. The sad thing as it had to go up agains juggernauts like Fate/Zero and Kyoukaisen for the award roles. I actually pity Satelight Studios. They had no choice but to release this anime during the Winter 2012 Season as any other slot would have destroyed it. At least during that season it only had to contend with Ano Natsu de Matteru and Aquarion EVOL. Honorable Mentions: Oda Nobuna no Yabou, AKB0048, Rinne no Lagrange, DOG DAYS Season 2 Best Heartwarming Moment: Kirito and Asuna, Reunited (Sword Art Online) Opinion: Heartwarming. Moments in time that make even the coldest of hearts melt for a moment to appriciate the sheer beauty of those cherized moments. In a year of great such moments, this one in particular stood out the most to me. After being trapped for 2 years together in the MMORGP, Kirito and Asuna fall in love and begain a relationship. Eventually, Kirito maanges to defeate Kayaba and free the residents of SAO. However, he discovers that not all of them are free. At least 300 people have had their minds captured and are being trapped in another online game. It is then revealed that a man named Nobuyuki SugÅ had done this in order to experiment on them to develop mind control technology. He also traps Asuna to trick her father into letting him marry her 'coma' body so that he can take over RCT Progress Inc (the company that created SAO and owned by her father). After Kirito finally manages to confront him in ALefheim, and defeat him he manages to save Asuna. He frees ehr and the other 300 victims and rushes to the hospital to meet her. On he way he defeats Sugo again before beingreunited with his beloved at last in reality. Honorable Mentions: Chihiro promoses to protect Rea (Sankarea), Yuuta brings his girls home (Papa no Iu Koto wo Kikinasai!), Ichika coems home and finishes the movie (Ano Natsu de Matteru), Tenzou and Mary confess their love (Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon) Biggest Disappointment: Guilty Crown Opinion: I will place a quote here from Random Curiosity as I feel it describes this anime best: "Guilty Crown will likely stand forever as a shining example of how to make a series seem fantastic, only to crash and burn. The biggest issue came from the repeatedly inconsistent writing. It almost felt as though there were multiple writers, each of whom was only given a few vague details between each episode. Several characters would change personalities on a weekly basis, plot elements were introduced with no purpose whatsoever, and many threads seemed to be outright forgotten." This anime is WHY I emphasize on the STORY of an anime. Guilty Crown had admittedly great graphics and an excellent soundtrack. But with its HORRIBLE story I cannot in good faith acknowledge this anime. It has spawned a cult following of sorts but in reality, this is how an anime can be gold plated; shiny on the outside but crappy on the inside. Dishonorable Mentions: Last Exile -Ginyoku no Fam-, Senki Zesshou Symphogear, ZETMAN, Upotte! Best Dark Horse: Eureka Seven Ao: Astral Ocean Opinion: This category is for anime that despite what you feel is one of the best you've seen in 2012 but is heavily overshadowed by the bigger guns (Fate/Zero, Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon, Sword Art Online, Aquarion EVOL, Jormungand, Ano Natsu de Matteru). It is not underapricated and in fact can be considered one of the top 5 best of the year. In my opinion this would be Eureka Seven Ao. The sequel to 2005's Eureka Seven did actually very well in my opinion. It had the best of a lot of categories: action, sci-fi, soundtrack, graphics and more. The only problem was this promising sequal was overshadowed by the larger then life anime's of 2012. In all honesty I recommend this anime to anyone willing to give it a try. It can be watch as a sequel or as a stand alone. Honorable Mentions: Shakugan No Shana III, Mouretsu Pirates, Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse, Accel World Exceded Expectations : Oda Nobuna no Yabou Opinion: Honestly when I saw the poster for this anime, I expected something like Sengoku Otome; a gender bender Sengoku Period anime that focuses on fanservice. I was very very pleased to be proven wrong. yes, this is a gender bender anime but interestingly it actually has a story. The story is quite in depth and detailed on historical events. It has respectable graphics and soundtrack. Even the characters act less like airheads and more like their namesakes. Honestly this is an anime that I can easily recommend to a veteran fan or someone new. Honorable Mentions: Binbougami ga!, Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse, AKB0048, Tsuritama, K Best Anime of 2012: Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon Opinion: Surprised right? Most people might bitch and complain to me why I did mot pick Fate/Zero. Admittedly, both anime are the top 2 of this year, that is no doubt. I had to pick apart both anime at every single area to help me in my mission to select the best of 2012 and in the end the one that turned it for me was simply what I look for in an anime the most: The Story. Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon has possible the MOST unique story of all of 2012's anime. I wont bother summerizing it here but I will easily state that it complies almost every single genre of anime except for Horror/Thriller and Mystery. In reality to me the only area that it is visibly beaten by Fate/Zero is in Animation and Graphics. Ufotable broke the bank and then some to turn Fate/Zero into a high class movie rather then an anime each episode. That is not to say Kyoukaisen is beaten. It's Animation and graphics are one of the best of the year but Fate/Zero outclasses everyone. In most of the other aspects, I find Kyoukaisen to be deserving of its status. It left me salivating for more every week and left me satisfied completely (although I am begging for more). The big guns of this year I can say are MUCH better then 2011 and of all of them, Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon stands strong and proud at the summit. TESTAMENT! Honorable Mentions: Fate/Zero, Aquarion EVOL, Sword Art Online, Jormungand, Ano Natsu de Matteru, Hyouka, Accel World, Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita, Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai, Mirai NIkki, Nisemonogatari Best OVA/Movie of 2012: Naruto the Movie 6: Road to Ninja Opinion: I admit, I like reading fanfiction. Especially good fanfiction. Naruto Shippuden's 6th movie was actually quite fun for me as I was watching one giant piece of animated fanfiction. I found the story to be interesting, the characters to he hilarious, the soundtrack good, and generally a great movie. The only part of it I find disappointing is the animation. The movie's anime was pretty much the same as the previous Naruto movies with little to no new effects. Overall I enjoyed myself more watching it then Boukoku no Akito. Honorable Mentions: CODE GEASS Gaiden: Boukoku no Akito OVA, Fairy Tail the Movie: The Phoenix Priestess, Gundam Unicorn Episode 5, UN-GO episode:0 Inga-ron, Hotarubi no Mori e, Rurouni Kenshin Shin Kyoto Hen 01, From Up On Poppy Hill, The Wolf Children Ame and Yuki Best Manga of 2012: Cage of Eden Opinion: After reading through most of the manga of the year( at least the good ones), I can easily a shortlist of what I felt to be the most interesting manga of the year. Out of all of these, I choose Cage of Eden as the best of 2012. Cage of what? you might say. Cage of Eden is one of the lesser known manga around that is rarely updated but I feel can easily match most of the top ones around. It has a dark, deep and engrossing story that almost guaranties a plot twist every week. I wont give away the plot here, but I honestly recommend it to be checked out by a more mature audience. This is more alluding to the horror side then the "pervy" side which is why I feel that a mature mind is required to fully understand this manga. It's not that its complicated, but more geared to this type of audience. Please give it a try. Honorable Mentions: Fairy Tail, Denpa Kyoushi, Assassination Classroom, Rosario-Vampire II, Beelzebub    |
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Re: Best Anime of 2012
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on 2013-01-09 15:23:11 |
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@ Roxas- It seems like more than half of your best of 2012 go to either Fate/Zero or Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon. Just saying (Of course, I have a ton of Uchuu Kyoudai in my favorites XD). For my list I tried to keep it to series that ended in 2012, but there were some that no matter how they end are too good to not include. Uchuu Kyoudai is in its fourth cour now, so I've included it in my list (It would be pretty bare without it XD), and I have some Shinsekai Yori, Psycho-Pass, and Zetsuen no Tempest as well, but most of them are honorable mentions (Or at least, they're honorable mentions for this list, 2013 is a different story XD). Best Animation: K Opinion: As much as K is a feast to the eyes, I really want to give credit to both Tonari and Natsuiro as well. Both have simpler styles, but they do well with it, not afraid of using bright colors and doing a wonderful job of expressing the emotions of their characters. Sakamichi no Apollon did great in this category as well, especially in motion scenes (Like when Sentaro plays the drums). Honorable Mentions: Natsuiro Kiseki, Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun, Sakamichi no Apollon. Best Story: Uchuu Kyoudai Opinion: Uchuu Kyoudai is an example of slow-paced anime at its finest. If you're dead set against slow-paced anime, then this is not for you, but I will admit that this anime turned me into a slow-paced believer, or at least I have more faith in them than I once had. Uchuu Kyoudai has a very heartwarming tale, and I'm glad that the anime chose not to skimp on the slow-pacing. It's easily one of the most fleshed out anime that I have seen in a long time, all of the cast members, even the minor ones, get a chance to shine at some point or another. And all of them manage to contribute to the story in some way, helping Mutta reach his goal of becoming an astronaut. Honorable Mentions: Natsuiro Kiseki, Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun, Shinsekai Yori. Best Soundtrack: Sakamichi no Apollon Opinion: The Jazz in this series was awesome, even if they used engrish for some of their songs. The instrumentals made up for it though. Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun had a great soundtrack as well, but Sakamichi no Apollon takes the cake. Honorable Mentions: Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun, Uchuu Kyoudai, Shinsekai Yori. Best Opening Sequence: Feel So Moon by Unicorn (Uchuu Kyoudai OP1) Opinion: Mutta has rainbows coming out of his nose. What more do I have to say? It's a zany and incredibly catchy opening. Tsurezure Monochrome also has a ton of catchy-ness, but Feel So Moon wins out thanks to its incredible creativity. Honorable Mentions: Tsurezure Monochrome by Fujifabric (Tsuritama), Q&A Recital! by Haruka Tomatsu (Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun), New Wuthering Heights by Naruyoshi Kikuchi y Pepe Tormento Azcarar feat. Ichiko Hashimoto (Lupin III: Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna) Best Ending Sequence: Yume no Naka no Watashi no Yume by Masami Itou (Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita) Opinion: Very dreamlike and an awesome animation sequence for it as well. Kokuhaku and Wareta Ringo were both close calls, but Yume no Naka no Watashi no Yume gets it because of the animation. Honorable Mentions: Kokuhaku by Angela Aki (Uchuu Kyoudai ED2), Wareta Ringo by Risa Taneda (Shinsekai Yori) Best Male Character: Mutta Nanba (Uchuu Kyoudai) Opinion: Mutta, the main protagonist of Uchuu Kyoudai, is very much alike to Kotetsu. Both start out as middle-aged men at a downpoint in their careers, and their voice actor is the same person. But Mutta, much like Kotetsu, becomes such a lovable character over the course of Uchuu Kyoudai. He goes against conventions and surprises everyone, even himself sometimes, and yet at the same time he is still incredibly relateable. He's an incredibly charming character, and honestly I just couldn't see anyone else be my top pick for males other than him. Honorable Mentions: Kenji "Yamaken" Yamaguchi (Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun), Sentaro Kawabuchi (Sakamichi no Apollon), Chizuru Tachibana (Kimi to Boku), Yoshino Takigawa (Zetsuen no Tempest) Best Female Character: Watashi (Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita) Opinion: It was a tough choice between Saki and Watashi, but since Shinsekai Yori is still ongoing and is full of so many plot twists, I gave it to Watashi. She's so cynical and her dry humor really made the show in my opinion. The arcs about the assistant and her life at school really brought her character to life. Honorable Mentions: Saki Mizukoshi (Natsuiro Kiseki), Serika Itou (Uchuu Kyoudai), Saki Watanabe (Shinsekai Yori) Best Villain: Quartz Christie (Mouretsu Pirates) Opinion: Honestly, I didn't really watch a lot of anime that had true "villain" characters this year. I don't really view Samon as a villain, and we haven't learned much about Psycho-Pass's Makishima yet either, so this goes to Quartz Christie by default (She was the villain towards the end of Mouretsu Pirates, right? I forget honestly XD). Honorable Mentions: Makishima Shougo (Psycho-Pass) Best Supporting Character: All of Uchuu Kyoudai's Support Cast Opinion: And in my opinion, it's true. There are just too many great ones to name, and as I said before for why I think Uchuu Kyoudai has the best story of the year, each of the side characters contribute to the overall picture somehow (And Nasuda wins the award for the most hilarious character of the year in my opinion XD). Honorable Mentions: Keito Sanada (Tsuritama), Yamaken (Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun), Misa Grandwood (Mouretsu Pirates) Best Plot Twist: Mouretsu Pirates Ending Opinion: There were quite a number of plot twists in the last arc of the anime in general, it's not as big as Mawaru Penguindrum was with their non-stop plot twists last year but it's still noteworthy. Honorable Mentions: Body Switch (Natsuyuki Rendezvous), She doesn't love him (Sakamichi no Apollon) Most Memorable Death: Mikoto Suoh & Isana Yashiro (K) Opinion: Both of these deaths were well portrayed in the anime, and quite honestly I wasn't expecting Isana's death until the very end. Aika gets a mention because even though she doesn't die in the timeline of the anime itself, her death has a strong impact on the events that go on within the anime. Honorable Mentions: Aika Fuwa (Zetsuen no Tempest) Best Battle: Blue King vs. Red King Opinion: You could see it coming from miles away in K, the epic showdown of the Red King versus the Blue King. And it lived up to its hype, the battle was what you would expect from the anime and its ending was all too memorable. I especially love how Munakata tried to avoid the battle at first by giving Mikoto an ultimatum of sorts. Honorable Mentions: Mouretsu Pirates Finale (It's a space battle does that count? XD) Best Action: K Opinion: At first I was going to give this to Zetsuen, but K's ending episodes made me reconsider since they were so well done. There was so much going on, so many different and unique action scenes, and all fo them were so incredibly fluid and nice to watch. Honorable Mentions: Zetsuen no Tempest Best Romance Anime: Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun Opinion: I find Tonari's romance to be more realistic than Sukitte's, even if Haru is a mish-mash of many male lead characteristics, the series provides an explanation for much of it (And ahdoihsfkh Yamaken is just amazing). The whole model thing they threw into Sukitte is just a bit too much for me, and honestly if I was in Mei's situation I would give up on Yamato already. Props to Kimi to Boku S2 for the wonderful romance between Chizuru, Shun, and "Mary," which I honestly liked more than the romance in Sakamichi no Apollon and Natsuyuki Rendezvous (I'm not a fan of the whole ghost characters/romances at all, first AnoHana and then Natsuyuki, neither of the two appealed to me much at all XD). Honorable Mentions: Sukitte ii Na yo, Kimi to Boku S2, Sakamichi no Apollon, Natsuyuki Rendezvous. Best Drama Anime: Natsuiro Kiseki/Sukitte ii Na yo Opinion: It's a toss up between these two. There certainly is more drama in Sukitte ii Na yo, but I like how the drama was done in Natsuiro Kiseki more. Sure it was more simplistic, but I think it was well executed, as opposed to Sukitte's out pour of drama. Sakamichi also had it's fair share of drama, but in my opinion a lot of it was predictable. Honorable Mentions: Sakamichi no Apollon Best Sci-Fi Anime: Psycho-Pass Opinion: Psycho-Pass, even though it's not over, has already established an environment that heavily depends upon its technology, to the extent that it decides whether a person is a threat to society and if they need to be killed. I love how the villain of the anime is out to try and prove otherwise, and even though the anime hasn't ended yet, this is the best Sci-Fi that has aired in 2012. Honorable Mentions: Mouretsu Pirates Best Horror/Thriller: Shinsekai Yori/Psycho-Pass Opinion: I know both of them don't really count since they haven't ended yet, but they're the only horror/thriller-esque shows I've seen all year and both do an awesome job at it. Honorable Mentions: From what I've heard of them, Another and BTOOOM!. Best Mystery: Hyouka Opinion: I didn't watch it, but I read blog posts about it and it seems pretty good. Honorable Mentions: Shinsekai Yori? XD Best Comedy Anime: Kimi to Boku 2 Opinion: It's humor made me laugh through the show, but the nice thing was that it knew when to be serious. Which is a good thing, especially in comedy-centered anime which want to include more than just non-stop gags. The humor in the show was also more sophisticated, and not bad humor (For example of what I consider bad humor, Binbougami-ga!). Honorable Mentions: Uchuu Kyoudai, Tsuritama (Duck!), Binbougami-ga! (Towards the end it got better) Best Romantic Comedy: Kimi to Boku 2/Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun Opinion: It's a close call between these two for this category, Kimi to Boku for reasons I explained above in the Comedy category, and Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun because even though it is a romantic comedy, I find it's romance infinitely more appealing than it's comedy (Which is still good, but not the best). Honorable Mentions: N/A Best Slice of Life: Uchuu Kyoudai Opinion: Sure this series describes Mutta's journey to becoming an astronaut and going into space, but it still feels extremely realistic. It's set a bit more than a decade in the future, but it's all just so life like and just amazing. The characters are lovable, even the ones that seem bad at first grow on you, it really is an amazing anime. Honorable Mentions: Kimi to Boku 2 Most Underappreciated Anime: Uchuu Kyoudai Opinion: Uchuu Kyoudai is one of the best anime I've seen in a long time, and I certainly don't see enough people keeping up with it (Or at least, not too many people talk about it). I've explained so many reasons why I love Uchuu Kyoudai already, so it's self-explanatory that I hold a soft spot for this series, but to me it's just that good. Honorable Mentions: Natsuiro Kiseki, Kimi to Boku 2 Best Heartwarming Moment: Mutta Becomes an Astronaut (Uchuu Kyoudai) Opinion: After all the build up from episode one and over 30 episodes later, Mutta finally achieved his dream of becoming an astronaut. After being fired from his previous job and being reminded of his childhood dreams, after finding a crush, after making friends with his teammates while being in a simulation for two weeks, after watching his brother go into space, after passing all of the tests and trials JAXA had in store, Mutta at long last is now an astronaut. Yes I cried. I cried even more that Hoshika was the one to tell him. And I'm proud of it. Honorable Mentions: Hibito Goes into Space (Uchuu Kyoudai), I trust you! (Uchuu Kyoudai), Reunited (Sakamichi no Apollon) Biggest Disappointment: Sword Art Online Opinion: You have no idea how much this anime pissed me off. I mean, there are anime that are aimed to be crappy, but this just turned crappy almost by default, especially when they started getting into the whole sister/cousin romance thing. Dishonorable Mentions: Black Rock Shooter Best Dark Horse: Natsuiro Kiseki Opinion: Natsuiro Kiseki was a very secretive show before it came out. All we knew was that it was going to be a show revolving around a group of idols, although there had been plenty of idol shows before it. Natsuiro Kiseki definitely blows them all out of the water. I haven't seen AKB0048, which I've heard was a good idol show as well, so I won't be comparing the two or anything, but Natsuiro Kiseki's plot was barely about idols other than it being the dream of the four main characters. Even then, the show didn't let us see the characters become true idols (Excluding the festival thing, which I don't count as a "rise to stardom" if you will). What we do see is some tasteful and not-overdone drama, pretty visuals (Not K quality but good nonetheless), and a story about 4 girls learning how to grow up. Honorable Mentions: Mouretsu Pirates, K Exceded Expectations: Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun Opinion: I never expected Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun, Natsuiro Kiseki, or Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita to be as good as they were, and it was a close call between Natsuiro Kiseki and Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun for this one, but the more I thought about it, the more Tonari impressed me. Its animation, although somewhat simplistic, served its purpose and was very pretty, and its romance was well done and not as predictable as most series Honorable Mentions: Natsuiro Kiseki, Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita Best Anime of 2012: Uchuu Kyoudai Opinion: There was never an episode that I was dissapointed with in Uchuu Kyoudai. Not one out of its entire run starting Spring 2012. On top of that, there are only a few episodes I can say I was neutral about. Everything else I liked, or better yet, loved. The plot is simple and to the point, but the series expands so much onto it and makes it more than just a "Mutta wants to go to space" sort of thing. It's about friendship, trust, dreams, luck, hope, and learning to find out who you really are. Of course, with success there comes disappointment, as some characters don't succeed on the road to becoming an astronaut; but then again, isn't that what life is like? Uchuu Kyoudai uses it's slow pacing well, and the result is an incredibly well-developed series. Honorable Mentions: Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun, Shinsekai Yori (I still love it enough for this list even though it hasn't ended yet XD) Best OVA/Movie of 2012: Kyousougiga Opinion: It's an ONA, but it's pretty much the only thing that falls into this category that I've seen this year. But it's a good ONA, and I really hope to see more Kyousougiga in the future. Honorable Mentions: N/A Best Manga of 2012: N/A Opinion: I haven't read much manga at all this past year.  |