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With 187 titles on the list, I believe this is the biggest year of anime we've ever seen. Surprisingly, it doesn't even warrant complaints of "quantity over quality", because there's been a lot of decent shows to make the battle for five favourites fierce. It's arguable whether many are of legendary status, but if you had difficulties finding something to enjoy in 2014, you're probably in the wrong subforum. Note that a couple of shows don't actually air (and finish) until New Year's Eve, so you might want to wait with posting! Things are getting a bit awkward, discerning exactly what gets on the list or not, with the recent onslaught of split-season shows, but it's probably best to continue with the established rules, even if it means some titles will show up in subsequent years. If you'd like to see how people voted in the olden days, visit the ADTRWiki. The Rules * Pick 5 titles from the list below * Write a comment (or essay) explaining why the shows were great * Don't argue with other people's choices Optional: * Rank chosen titles #1-5 * Mention OVAs/movies not listed List of TV series completed in 2014 pre:Abarenbou Rikishi!! Matsutarou (Rowdy Sumo Wrestler Matsutaro) Ai Mai Mi -Mousou Catastrophe- (s2) Ai Tenchi Muyou! Akame ga Kill! Akuma no Riddle Aldnoah Zero Amagi Brilliant Park Ao Haru Ride (Blue Spring Ride) Baby Steps Bakumatsu Rock Barakamon Black Bullet Blade & Soul Bokura wa Minna Kawaisou (The Kawai Complex Guide to Manors and Hostel Behavior) Break Blade (Broken Blade) Buddy Complex Captain Earth Cardfight!! Vanguard Legion Mate-hen + Link Joker-hen Carino Coni Chibi Devi! Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren (Chu-2 Byo s2) D-Frag! Daitoshokan no Hitsujikai (A Good Librarian Like a Good Shepherd) Danna ga Nani wo Itteiru ka Wakaranai Ken (I Can't Understand What My Husband Is Saying) Date A Live II Denki-gai no Honya-san Dibetagurashi -Ahiru no Seikatsu- DokiDoki! Precure (s10?) Donten ni Warau (Laughing Under the Clouds) Double Circle DRAMAtical Murder Duel Masters Victory V3 Escha & Logy no Atelier -Tasogare no Sora no Renkinjutsushi- Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya 2wei! Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works] Free! -Eternal Summer- (s2) Futsuu no Joshikousei ga Locodol Yattemita Fuuun Ishin Dai Shogun Gaist Crusher Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun (Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun) Gin no Saji s2 (Silver Spoon) Girlfriend (Kari) Glasslip GO!GO!575 Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka? (Is the Order a Rabbit?) Gokukoku no Brynhildr (Brynhildr in the Darkness) Golden Time Grisaia no Kajitsu -Le Fruit de la Grisaia- Gugure! Kokkuri-san Gundam Build Fighters Gundam-san Haikyuu!! Hajime no Ippo -Rising- (Fighting Spirit s3) Hamatora the Animation (s1+s2) Hanamonogatari Hanayamata Hi sCoool! SeHa Girls Himegoto Himitsukessha Taka no Tsume MAX Hitsugi no Chaika (Chaika - The Coffin Princess) Hoozuki no Reitetsu Hunter x Hunter (2011) Inari Konkon Koi Iroha Inazuma Eleven GO Galaxy Initial D Final Stage Inou-Battle wa Nichijou-kei no Naka de (When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace) Inugami-san to Nekoyama-san Isshuukan Friends (One Week Friends) Jewelpet Happiness (s5) Jinsei Jojo no Kimyou na Bouken -Stardust Crusaders- (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure s2) Kamigami no Asobi Kanojo ga Flag wo Oraretara (If Her FlagBreaks) Kantoku Fuyuki Todoki Kenzen Robo Daimidaler Keroro (s2) Kill la Kill Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo R Kingdom s2 Kiniro no Corda -Blue Sky- (s3) Konna Watashitachi ga Nariyuki de Heroine ni Natta Kekka www Koukaku Kidoutai Nyuumon Arise (Ghost in the Shell Nyuumon Arise) Kuroko no Basket s2 (Kuroko's Basket) Kuromajo-san ga Tooru!! (Here Comes the Black Witch) Kuroshitsuji -Book of Circus- (Black Butler s3) Line Town Log Horizon Love Live s2 Love Stage!! M3 -Sono Kuroki Hagane- Madan no Ou to Vanadis (Lord Marksman and Vanadis) Magi -The Kingdom of Magic- (s2) Mahou Sensou (Magical Warfare) Mahou Shoujo Taisen Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei (The Irregular at Magic High School) Maido! Uruyasu Tekkin Kazoku Majimoji Rurumo Maken-ki Tsuu (s2) Mangaka-san to Assistant-san to the Animation (The Comic Artist and Assistants) Medamayaki no Kimi Itsu Tsubusu? Meitantei Rascal Mekaku City Actors Meshimase Lodoss-tou Senki -Sore'tte Oishii no?- Mikakunin de Shinkoukei (Engaged to the Unidentified) Minarai Diva Minna Atsumare! Falcom Gakuen Momo Kyun Sword Mushishi Zoku Shou (s2) Nagi no Asukara Nandaka Velonica Nisekoi No Game No Life Nobunaga Concerto Nobunaga the Fool Nobunagun Noragami Nourin Onee-chan ga Kita Ookami Shoujo to Kuro Ouji (Wolf Girl and Balck Prince) Ore Twintails ni Narimasu (Gonna be the Twin-Tail) Oshiri Kajiri Mushi s2 (Bottom Biting Bug) Persona 4 the Golden Animation Phi Brain -Kami no Puzzle- s3 Ping Pong the Animation Pokemon XY Special Saikyou Mega Shinka Act I+II Pretty Rhythm -Rainbow Live- (s3) Psycho-Pass 2 Puchimasu!! -Puchipuchi Idolmaster- (PUCHIM@S s2) Pupa Pupipo! Rail Wars! Robot Girls Z Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? Ryuugajou Nanana no Maizoukin (Nanana's Buried Treasure) Sabagebu! (Survival Game Club) Saikin Imouto no Yousu ga Chotto Okashii'n da ga (Recently My Sister is Unusual) Saikyou Ginga Ultimate Zero -Battle Spirits- Saint Seiya Omega Saki Zenkoku-hen (Saki: The Nationals) Sakura Trick Samurai Flamenco Seikoku no Dragonar (Dragonar Academy) Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance (Blade Dance of the Elementalers) Seitokai Yakuindomo s2 Sekai Seifuku -Bouryaku no Zvezda- (World Conquest Zvezda Plot) Selector Infected/Spread WIXOSS Sengoku Basara -Judge End- (s3) Shingeki no Bahamut -Genesis- (Rage of Bahamut: Genesis) Shirogane no Ishi Argevollen Shounen Hollywood -Holly Stage for 49- Sidonia no Kishi (Knights of Sidonia) Sora no Method (Celestial Method) Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii (The World Is Still Beautiful) Soul Eater Not! Space Dandy (s1+s2) Strange+ (s1+s2) Strike the Blood Super Sonico the Animation Sword Art Online II Tales of Zestiria -Doushi no Yoake- Tamagotchi! -Miracle Friends- Tanken Driland -1000-nen no Mahou- (s2) Terraformars Tesagure! Bukatsumono Encore (s2) Toaru Hikuushi e no Koiuta (The Pilot's Love Song) Tokyo ESP Tokyo Ghoul Tokyo Ravens Tonari no Seki-kun Toriko Trinity Seven Tsukimonogatari Uchuu Kyoudai (Space Brothers) Ushinawareta Mirai wo Motomete (In Search of Lost Future) Wake Up Girls! Washimo -wasimo- Witch Craft Works Wizard Barristers -Benmashi Cecil- Wooser no Sono Higurashi -Kakusei-hen- (s2) World Fool News Yama no Susume s2 (Encouragement of Climb) Yami Shibai s2 Yowamushi Pedal Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal II Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru (Yuki Yuna Is a Hero) Z/X Ignition Zankyou no Terror (Terror in Resonance) darkgray fucked around with this message at 18:05 on Dec 20, 2014 |
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Dec 20, 2014 17:53
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1) Ping Pong: The Animation I love Masaaki Yuasa, and I love sports anime so when this show was announced my expectations were sky high, and it did not disappoint. Yuasa's track record is gold and he continued that tradition here by putting his own spin on a critically acclaimed manga that examines what it truly takes to be the best at a sport. The animation is stellar, the characters memorable, and it's just incredibly satisfying on every level. Anyone who hasn't seen it is doing themselves a disservice! 2) Space Dandy While I didn't find every single episode of Space Dandy funny, I tuned in every week because there's really nothing like it. I legitimately did not know what to expect each week due to the large variety of talent being given the freedom to do whatever the hell they wanted. Even the weaker episodes would have something about them that I could appreciate. In short, Space Dandy was a fantastic series that served to showcase a lot of the talent currently working in anime. I think that making anything more beyond a one-shot OVA or movie would ruin some of the magic, but I would love to see another project with the same plan behind it. 3) Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun Comedy is hard to write about. Nozaki-kun was just a hilarious show where every character was entertaining in their own ways, and not a single character was a flop. It might be taking the piss out of shoujo cliches at times but it's coming from someone who earnestly enjoys the genre and can have a laugh about it. 4) Barakamon It might not be quite as funny as Nozaki-kun, but Barakamon made up for it by having a lot of heart. It's predictable and a bit repetitive what with the protagonist constantly learning life lessons in similar ways, but with a show this strong I didn't mind at all. Like Nozaki-kun it had a great cast that played off each other quite well, and that's really all I ask for in a comedy. 5) Gundam Build Fighters While the current season of Build Fighters is going through a lot of growing pains, the first season was solid as hell and let a lot of animators strut their stuff. Shounen sports anime + a Gundam theme was a combination that, while not having a whole lot of meat to it, was a blast to watch every week. It was a goofy show that knew how to have some fun with the silly premise instead of taking itself too seriously. Honorable mentions to Free! Season 2 and Yowamushi Pedal, both of which were fine shows that didn't quite make it to my top 5.
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Dec 20, 2014 18:30
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Space Dandy (s1+s2) - No matter what anyone says about this show, it deserves respect. The style and structure of the series being what it is may not be everyone's deal, but the ability to let a given director go hog wild and do anything they want paid off in spades. The hits well outnumbered the misses, and even the least enjoyable episodes were an experience I'll not soon forget. The second season somehow managed to make the first one look like a warm-up (but still had its own stand-out episodes of course). Easily one of my favorite shows of all time, and it saddens me deeply that it's not the most successful series ever. Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun (Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun) - In a year of excellent comedies, this one reigned as king. Every character is my favorite, all of them are the best. The comedic timing is spot on and the voice actors/actresses hit it out of the park. The source material is just as good, so I sorely hope we get more of this and soon. Nisekoi - Shaft took a fairly standard wacky romcom manga and made it into a trippy visual treat. It got me into the manga which is as much of a curse as anything, but it delivers that light touch of fun everyone needs every now and again. Ping Pong: The Animation - Whatever I was expecting when I went into this show, even knowing who Masaaki Yuasa is and expecting the best, I was way off the mark. I found myself enthralled by something I thought would be really cool at best. The story is amazing, and the stylization may seem off-putting but it fits so goddamned well. It almost makes me ill when people say the animation style puts them off because it is amazing, and daring to be different is something I respect the hell out of(see also: Space Dandy). Log Horizon - Speaking of expectations, I was way off the mark with this one. It's way too easy to write this off as something you don't need to watch, but it's thoroughly enjoyable and quite well written. The transition to Deen hasn't been all that, but just based on the first season alone, it's well worth watching. Honorable mentions: Golden Time - Refreshing for most of its run, a show about a couple (instead of will-they-won't-they) that couldn't quite bring the whole thing home. Kill la Kill - Did this really air this year? It feels like ages ago. I'm sure someone has a lot more words to say about this one than I do, but as someone who is just along for whatever crazy ride Trigger wants to send us on, I enjoyed it.
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Dec 20, 2014 18:48
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Haven't watched every anime unlike some, but: Space Dandy (s1+s2) I'd like to thank Adult Swim for funding season 2. Thanks to the rotating staff, every episode is good and cool. Gundam Build Fighters Gundam, except without being a lovely modern gundam series and instead being a show about grown men and also children playing with toys. Also hitting on ladies by giving them said toys. Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun (Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun) I was pumped when this adaptation was announced, and they absolutely delivered. Hilarious, and my only hope is that they animate a second season. Barakamon The VAs really sold this one for me. Funny, well-animated, and all-around nice. Mushishi Zoku Shou (s2) Still just as good and mysterious as the original way back. Simply excellent. Honorable Mentions Log Horizon Jojo no Kimyou na Bouken -Stardust Crusaders- (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure s2) Shingeki no Bahamut -Genesis- (Rage of Bahamut: Genesis) Tonari no Seki-kun Ping Pong the Animation Kill la Kill Hunter x Hunter (2011) Syenite fucked around with this message at 21:13 on Dec 20, 2014 |
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Dec 20, 2014 18:56
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including split cour shows in this is dumb, imo. I'll give my rankings later
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Dec 20, 2014 19:00
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1). Barakamon: This was the funniest show of the year and it's not even really close (sorry, Nozaki). But that to me is honestly a secondary plus to the main attraction, which was the extremely endearing cast and relationships. They got it right here on all fronts, especially the voice acting interestingly enough. 2). Mushishi Zoku Shou (s2): I'm not sure what we did to deserve another pass at Mushishi 9 years after the fact, but I'll take it anyway. Still wondrous, thought provoking, beautiful, and often terribly tragic. My only knock might be that you could kind of see the seams of the budget every now and then (lots of white backgrounds) but the underlying story was still superlative. 3). Ping Pong the Animation: I've never been a huge fan of Yuasa outside of Tatami Galaxy, but his style worked great with a story that I already knew I liked from watching the live-action film ages ago. 4). Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun (Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun): I don't think I'm quite as enamored with this as the rest of ADTRW but it's pretty funny and the characters are memorable. 5). Amagi Brilliant Park: I had the lowest expectations in the universe for this but you know what, it's the best thing KyoAni has done in years. It tells me that they should probably just go back to adapting other people's works because all of their previous attempts to write/produce their own content has gone nowhere. I'll gladly watch more seasons of this silly and funny show. Other mentions: Kill la Kill: It was a show that existed. That's about the most time and energy I'm willing to invest to talk about it. Hanamonogatari: Eh, it's really more of a standalone OVA or even extension of the Second Series from last year rather than its own series (also lol at Tsukimonogatari in the list). Even if you did count it I doubt it'd have the merit to crack anyone's top 5 on its own. As far as Monogatari stories go it was pretty good though. Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works]: Can't count this yet myself because like Fate/Zero it won't be finished until the second half airs in the Spring. Not sure it would crack the top 5 though if I could count it, most of the great parts of the story that are to be looked forward to are going to be in the second half. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders: Not sure I'd want to count this either, since it's also not finished. Even so it's probably another case of something that wouldn't break my top 5 anyway. Overall pretty fun even if I liked Battle Tendency a lot more. Nate RFB fucked around with this message at 19:08 on Dec 20, 2014 |
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Dec 20, 2014 19:04
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Ping Pong the Animation - I thought that this was amazing. The only other Yuasa show I had seen before it had been The Tatami Galaxy. I loved the style, and the pacing really felt on. Sabagebu! - The best comedy. It may not have hit the highs of Nozaki-kun, but it also didn't hit the lows. It kind of had a rough patch in the middle of the season, but it finished off extremely strong. Barakamon - This was such a feel good anime. The cast really held it together. Everything was extremely funny. The VAs for the 7 year-olds were actually 7 year-olds. What was there to dislike about this? Haikyuu!! - Boys Volleyball the beautiful anime. This looked amazing. They showed emotion. The voice work was excellent. I watched this at the same time as Baby Steps every week, and while I loved them both, Baby Steps just had too much animation wonkiness at times. Yowamushi Pedal - Guys pedaling bikes the anime. This was really good. They do a good job (at times) of showing how bike races actually work, and the animation was great. I just wish anime could learn that you can't have multiple dialogues within the space of 10 feet while riding at 40 mph. Honorable Mentions: Nisekoi - I didn't even know that this was from this year when I watched it. I just found it and watched it. I thought it was really good, and I would like to watch a sequel. Zankyou no Terror - Everything was good about this except the plot. Ok and the characterization. This had the possibility of being an amazing show. Instead, it was just kind of there. Akuma no Riddle - I didn't expect much going in, I didn't get much when I came out. It was enjoyable to an extent. Kill la Kill - I enjoyed it? It took me a long time to actually finish it though.
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Dec 20, 2014 19:49
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I really didn’t watch much this year. Pretty much everything I actually finished is on this list. I didn’t watch Jojos, but I am going to catch up with it over Christmas break. If nothing else, we got some of the most accessible shows in recent memory. 1. Space Dandy There were some weak episodes (boob monster and courtroom drama being my pick for the two worst), but overall this was just so much fun, and I’m always up for a nice animator showcase. The very best episodes felt extremely fresh and original, and not quite knowing what you were going to get from week to week made it engaging. Here’s hoping we get something like it again in the future. Luckily I got to see about a third of the show as it aired on Adult Swim, and I’ll definitely be buying the Blu-Ray sets as they come out. 2. Monthly Girls Nozaki A comedy that felt very sweet and good-natured, even as it was making a complete jackass out of every character. Speaking of, it had an impressively large and diverse cast as well, and the side characters were just as engaging, sometimes more so, than our main protagonists. It would be a crime if this didn’t get a second season. 3. Barakamon Hell of a year for comedy anime. This had some slow spots (appropriate since its about a city dude stuck in the middle of the sticks), but I could easily recommend this to someone looking for a light, cute comedy. Probably the most accessible anime I saw this year. 4. My Neighbor Seki Completely mindless and inconsequential, but probably the most consistently enjoyable show of the season for me. Funny as hell more often than not, especially whenever the robot family and their theme song showed up. The two full-length OVA episodes were absolute gold. I’d have to recommend people who liked this giving a show called “Hare+Guu” a shot. 5. Ping Pong Something I appreciated more than really loved, hence why its so low on my list. Fantastic animation (its Yuuasa so of course), several interesting creative choices (having the Chinese exchange student actually speak Mandarin throughout the entire show), but the super-dry characterization didn’t quite work for me. Even with that rather subjective caveat, its always awesome to see Yuuasa get work and he had a hell of a year with this, “Space Dandy”, “Adventure Time”, and launching his own animation studio. 6. Coffin Princess Chaika Not exceptional, not remarkable, but fun, solid, above-average fantasy-action fare with some clever comedy bits and decent set-pieces. I’m glad that they didn’t overuse the Frederica character, which made her sparse scenes a hell of a lot funnier (and gave us some of the best gifs of the year). This would have been higher, but its sudden descent into Ted Bundy territory at the end of the first season was really off-putting and unnecessary.
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Dec 20, 2014 20:02
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1) Ping Pong the Animation The best character ended up being the introduced "villian", and the hero kind of a cock. There's so much to say about this show, though. Weirdly human, ugly animation, but absolutely amazing once you notice the perfect little details. I enjoyed it so much. 2) Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun As a big shoujo manga fan, I couldn't help but love this. The premise is hilarious, and the gags end up working as well or better than the manga. Best comedy of the year. I would love a second season, but even without it, the last episode was still goddamn perfect. 3) Yowamushi Pedal So much Burning Shonen Spirit. This show has a ridiculous amount of heart. The pacing is kinda slow, but the character development is worth it. I'm never sure exactly who to root for. Best evil villian. 10m is traveled per minute. 4) Tonari no Seki-kun Close second in comedic value against Nozaki-kun. Great OP/ED. Best roboto family. I hope we see another season, since the manga still has a ton of really great material. 5) Barakamon Excellent VA. Lots of heart! This year with this, GSNK, and Seki-kun, the comedy has been so goddamn good. Honorable mentions: Free s2 & Haikyuu because shonen sports shows are awesome
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Dec 20, 2014 20:02
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Why not, here's my top 5: Space Dandy: More of a playground to let different animators and directors do their stuff than an actual consistent show, but even the "worst" episodes were amazing or hilarious in some way. Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun: Essentially a giant homage/joke about shoujo manga in general with gender roles reversed. Not the biggest fan of shoujo manga, but even so, I loved it. Aldnoah.Zero: I may regret placing this so high on my list when S2 comes out, but having said that, it was a nice Gundam-ish sci-fi show with a main character who used his brain to defeat increasingly dangerous enemies. Barakamon: After all the heavier, evil shows that I watched throughout the year, this was a breath of fresh air. Even when it meandered around, it kinda made me smile. Especially fun to see Sensei's demeanor slowly melt as the story goes on. Shingeki no Bahamut -Genesis-: As someone who knows absolutely nothing about the IP it is based off of, this show came out of nowhere and immediately impressed me. An epic tale that manages to keep itself somewhat grounded by focusing on a loveable scoundrel with a couple of disgraced noble heroes along for the ride. Honorable Mentions: Kill la Kill: I will give it credit for riding the same ridiculous premise all the way to the end. Zvezda: Fits in a space somewhere between Excel Saga and Pinky and the Brain. That smoking episode was...wow. Mekakucity Actors: Essentially a bundle of music videos held together by a loose thread of plot (considering the Vocaloid origins, that's pretty much it), but very enjoyable. Zankyou no Terror: Well, at least you tried. I really gotta stop overhyping myself whenever Shinichiro Watanabe and Yoko Kanno collab on shows.
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Dec 20, 2014 20:10
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1. Ping Pong: The Animation This was absolutely the best show of the year and one of my new favorites period. Yuasa's direction is stellar on every level, and the story is very believable and human, not your average sports anime. 2. Sabagebu This show took a hard left at the outset and kind of ran roughshod over my expectations, the MC is the best. 3. Space Dandy Space Dandy is real good.
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Dec 20, 2014 20:23
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1.Mushishi Zoku Shou One of the best formulaic mystery shows ever. One of these episodes is worth 750 Detective Conan ones. 2.Ping Pong If you've seen Mind Game you'll know Yuasa loves Ping Pong mangaka Taiyo Matsumoto. It really shows its love and dedication. It may be a somewhat standard coming of age sports story but its execution was flawless. 3Hanamonogatari With a dialogue style that always reminded me of the Japanese breed of film noir (but probably has its roots elsewhere) and Shinbou's strong direction Hana is a simple parable I really enjoyed. 4.Tonari no Seki-kun Light comedy with great delivery by Kana Hanazawa. 5.Super Sonico the Animation     
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Dec 20, 2014 20:24
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1. Barakamon I was late to the party on this one, but it was a really nice heartwarming comedy that is basically the closest we'll get to a Yotsuba anime. 2. Gundam Build Fighters A way too effective toy commercial with a really rad soundtrack. Also has some of the best Gundam action in a long time. 3. Ping Pong This was already a pretty decent coming of age story in manga form, but Yuasa fleshes out the characters a bit more, while also adding his own brand of animation into the mix. 4. Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun Just a really funny show in general, poking fun at both manga writing as well as shoujo cliches. 5. Space Dandy Fun experimental show with great animation all around, blending a lot of Western humor with weirder takes in space. Honorable Mentions Mushishi probably should be in the list, but honestly it's season 2 of one of the best anime all around, this should be implicit already. Hunter x Hunter and Space Brothers should also get a mention, since the only reason they don't get a mention is due to being long runners. Space Brothers has its padding problems admittedly, but it's a really good premise that's different from the norm and going to space is rad. Hunter x Hunter, we finally get an animated Chimera Ant arc and Ging getting punched in the face, what's not to love? Shingeki no Bahamut is a surprising anomaly when a game company of a phone card game decides to dump a lot of money onto some animators and asks them to go crazy. Kill la Kill I still think was a pretty fun show overall, but it obviously has its issues.
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Dec 20, 2014 20:59
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Wow, everybody else loves shows I didn't watch. I should probably watch more non-action shows. #5: Aldnoah Zero - It's not as smart as it could have been, it doesn't have enough fleshed-out characters, and it's oddly lacking in a certain intangible energy. Still, seeing the main character come up with clever ways to be weird super-robots was pretty cool, and the ending is at least impressively risk-taking. Also, the main character is a lot more interesting than people give him credit for. #4: Fate/Stay Night - It's a well-animated and generally faithful adaptation of something I mostly like, and I enjoy it for the most part. However, there's probably a little too much downtime, and since the main character's development will happen mainly in the second half, it's understandable that he comes across as somewhat bland to new viewers. #3: Kill La Kill - There's a lot wrong with this, probably more than is wrong with my #4 or #5. It's gets this high mainly because it has the "energy" that Aldnoah Zero lacks. I'd attribute this in part to a combination of the crazy animation and having a lot of over-the-top characters. #2: Stardust Crusaders - I seem to be including a lot of Season 1s that end on cliffhangers on this list. Not quite as strong as Battle Tendency, but better than Phantom Blood. Lots of camp and clever fights. Pacing is a bit slow, though. #1: Hunter x Hunter (2011) - Despite its shaky start back in 2011, it's still probably the best long-running shonen adaptation I'm familiar with. Intricately plotted in a way you don't expect a battle shonen to be, and has some interesting commentary on character archetypes and other elements common in the genre. Also features a lot of weird powers interacting in clever ways. Biggest disappointment: As bad as SAO II was, this goes to The Pilot's Love Song, for having an ending that retroactively ruined everything that came before. I guess you could argue that the point is that the main character learned exactly the wrong lesson, but all the other characters seem to agree with the terrible conclusion he's reached. Best VA: Saori Hayami, for Hatoko's rant in When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace.
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Dec 20, 2014 21:07
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Ping Pong: The Animation - Style, Sports, Sass Mushishi Zoku Shou - Chill, Creepy, Contemplation Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun + Tonari no Seki-kun - Silly, Sweet, Satire Ghost in the Shell Arise - Cool, Combat, Cyberpunk
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Dec 20, 2014 21:33
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#5: Yowamushi Pedal: The thing I like most about this show is that both the usual rival characters of the hot-blooded, passionate idiot and the cool, aloof genius are present - and both of them are really good friends with the actual protagonist, who's mostly just a dork. #4: Haikyuu: Haikuu is not a terribly novel sports anime. The characters are pretty archetypal sports manga characters and there's not a lot of big twists. It is, however, very well animated and acted, and it's always nice to have a good sports anime around. #3: Space Dandy: It's Space Dandy. It's great. If you don't like it, you're wrong. #2: Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun: I already really loved the manga when the anime was announced so this kind of feels like cheating, but it's just really hilarious. The voice acting is perfect, and like other people have said, every character is the best character. #1: Ping Pong: Ping Pong is probably the best anime I've ever watched. Pretty much every single character - including some unnamed background characters! - develops dramatically over the course of the series and ends up being much deeper than they first appear. Go watch Ping Pong if you haven't already. Edit: drat, this was a good year for sports anime 
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Dec 20, 2014 21:36
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1. Ai Mai Mi s2
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Dec 20, 2014 21:56
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1. PING PONG THE ANIMATION Well, dua. Not much more to say that hasn't already been said, it was legitimately innovative in how it was made, and is filled with characters who bring out the best in one another. The kind of show that makes you want to be more you. Really happy it's on so many lists so far! 2.   Animators given the loosest guidelines and then told just to do whatever, and the results are eclectic and a whole lot of fun. 3. Mushishi Zoku Shou  Came back not only as if it never left, but so much better. Every week is different, and every week finds some new way to be really really interesting. 4. Monthly Girls' Nozaki-Kun  Mines the endless well that is mismatch between how someone views themselves and how the rest of the world seems them, which meshes surprisingly well with shoujo manga. 5. Hunter X Hunter Couldn't find a good gif for this one that wasn't spoilery as hell, but this show always owned and the last string of episodes in particular owned. Basically, this year was hella awesome, hail anime.
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Dec 20, 2014 21:57
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It's still Fist of the North Star.
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Dec 20, 2014 22:10
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1. Bones Saikou, I'm not sure what to even say about it, it's the kind of project that only comes around once or twice every decade, tons of incredibly talented staff doing what they love most. It's easily my favorite anime that aired this year and possibly my new favorite of all time. The only way it could have been better is if they'd gotten Mitsuo Iso back from the world of the dead to do a scene or two. 2. Samurai Flamenco One of the most interestingly written shows in recent times that also happened to be one of the biggest scheduling trainwrecks in recent times (it made attack on titan look good!). It was just a god drat joy to watch. Episode 17 is possibly the most ridiculous thing to air this year and just for this episode alone the show deserves the praise I give it. But in complete seriousness the show is completely earnest in what it does and does it well despite the massive amounts of production setbacks. 3. Ping Pong It's Yuasa doing his thing, this time with a Taiyou Matsumoto manga that was already incredibly popular and well received, there was pretty much no way this was going to go wrong even if it had a pretty nuts schedule. (about 5 months from pre production to first episode airing) 4. Gundam Build Fighters Moeagare Gunpla. 5. Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun I'm glad that something could fill the comedy void that stuff like Nichibros left since 2012. Honorable Mentions: Jojo: It's still not done so it's stupid to even list it. HxH: Baller as hell adaptation of a baller manga. Biggest Trainwreck: Kill La Kill: Only proved that Trigger cannot handle big projects on their own just yet, absolutely disappointing in every aspect, subpar animation that was overly reliant on CG during action scenes to cover its weakness, AWFUL use of its already mediocre soundtrack and Nakashima being Nakashima.
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Dec 20, 2014 22:24
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The fact that I was actually conflicted over which five to list means this was a pretty good year, I guess. Specifically I couldn't decide whether Ping Pong or Barakamon deserved a slot more. Then there's stuff that would easily make the top 5 any other year, like Build Fighters, or Space Dandy... Nozaki is funnier than Barakamon, though, so Ping Pong gets a slot for it's uniqueness. 1) Hunter x Hunter: I wish every great shonen manga with a subpar TV anime would get a full spec remake from scratch with no filler and great production values. That won't happen, but at least there's this. 2) Kill La Kill. I like Trigger. If they had a subscription service I would subscribe. Especially if it got me an Inferno Cop hugging pillow. 3) Ping Pong. I don't even like Yuasa's stuff generally, but this was applying his super crazy style to a really down to earth story full of neat characters, and the combination worked great. 4) Monthly Girls Nozaki-Kun. Sometimes people are like "Japanese stuff isn't funny" and then I remember this show and my opinion of them crashes through the ground like one of those theoretical carbon pylon orbital weapons that are as explosive as nukes but with no fallout. 5) Jojo. I don't really see this as a decision that requires justification, even if I don't like Part 3 as much as Part 2 yet.
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Dec 20, 2014 22:25
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There was a ton of good stuff this year, but I'd have to say the five that entertained me most were: Barakmon Was basically pure good, I don't know what else to say about it. If you haven't watched it yet, you should fix that RIGHT NOW. Ping-Pong- if you told me how much I would end up loving this show a year ago I'd call you a loving liar. People will talk about the animation a lot, but for me what really stood out was just how good the character stuff was. The whole thing was just really, masterfully well put together in a way you don't see often on TV. Monthly Girl's Nozaki-kun I thought I was going to die from laughing a couple times there. All the other shows here had great funny moments, but this was the standout comedy for me. Coffin Princess Chaika- A really fun action-adventure show that didn't get enough airtime. Just really solidly thoroughly enjoyable all the way through. Gundam Build Fighters- best toy cash-in I've ever seen.
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Dec 20, 2014 23:46
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1. Ping Pong - it was good And that was all I watched this year apparently
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Dec 20, 2014 23:57
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edit: never mind, it's there after all!
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Dec 21, 2014 00:22
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It just did, I think. I mean it's getting a movie next year but the show is over. E: Bah now my response makes no sense 
Nate RFB fucked around with this message at 00:42 on Dec 21, 2014 |
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Dec 21, 2014 00:23
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wow i watched a lot of mediocre anime and didn't watch a lot of really good anime this year the only show i watched that I think is good enough to be on a list of the year's best is Monthly Girl's Nozaki-Kun
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Dec 21, 2014 00:29
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1. Chaika - Best D&D campaign. 2. Space Dandy - It's just so good. I think those are the only two I can bring myself to vote for. While some others were good, I just found myself stopping halfway through.
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Dec 21, 2014 00:41
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Cake Attack posted:wow i watched a lot of mediocre anime and didn't watch a lot of really good anime this year
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Dec 21, 2014 00:43
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Nate RFB posted:What about the adventures of a Junon Boy?? i still haven't finished it because it's not on crunchyroll, despite my avatar
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Dec 21, 2014 00:46
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Mushishi There's nothing else quite like it. It doesn't overplay its drama, but it has real emotional stakes, depicted with lovely (and sometimes horrifying) surreal imagery. Tonari no Seki-kun This is an excellent series of riffs on a single basic joke, and shows how far you can go with a relatively minimal cast and story. Sure, it's short, but that just means it doesn't overstay its welcome. Barakamon Not uproariously funny, but it has a lot of heart, and using real children as voice actors for the child characters really helped bring it down to earth compared to other shows in roughly the same category. Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun A cast that's neurotic but seldom annoying and just enough revision to the usual high-school formula make this far better than a synopsis suggests. It's funny, what else can I say. Silver Spoon S2 I had totally forgotten that the second season was this year. A mixture of comedy and surprisingly genuine pathos that never feels patronizing or sentimental about its subject matter. Sabagebu almost makes the cut. Uneven, shameless, but there are some really great scenes. I didn't watch most of everyone else's favorites. Kill la Kill had some high points, and I was dumb enough to draw a fanart for it, but it ultimately spent too much time meandering around and being creepy (although the best episode was one that didn't advance the plot at all, so who the hell knows,) One Week Friends attempted to out-cute a month-old kitten, but needed just a bit more edge to it. StandardVC10 fucked around with this message at 05:55 on Dec 25, 2014 |
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Dec 21, 2014 00:48
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I feel like I have a heavy bias toward comedy this year. Barakamon Easily my favorite of the year. It had some of the best comedy moments this year and I'm likely never to forget MANDOM from it. Also was super heart warming, more than I think an anime has hit me in a long time. The fact they had actual children do the voices of all the kids also made it quite memorable as a guy who is always watching bad things due to voice actors alone. D-Frag It was just super, super entertaining for me. Hit every single note of comedy that I enjoy and had some incredibly cute moments. Probably my favorite straight up comedy this year. Chaika Chaika? Mm. Chaika. Nozaki-kun I knew this would be great since I already read the manga well before it got an anime annoucement-- in fact I was the one who told a bunch of my friends it was getting one-- so I was admittedly worried I wouldn't find it as funny since I knew the jokes already. But my god was I wrong. Having it all animated and voiced made it all the more hilarious. I eagerly anticipate them announcing a S2 someday. C'mon Japan!!! Amagi Brilliant Park Unless they completely drop the ball on the last episode, this is the first KyoAni show I've been excited to watch every week the day the subs pop up. It just shows they should always adapt anything the FMP! guy does since his stuff always knocks it out of the park when they do it. Honorable mentions: Jojo: I loved Jojo and I'm 100% blind on it beyond a few things since my friends can't shut up about stuff, but it's no done yet so I wouldn't feel right having it in top five. Kill la Kill: I own a Satsuki nendoroid. So I liked KLK quite a good deal over all since I had a ton of fun watching it week to week with my friends. But looking back on it it really did just lack in too many areas and do too many things too many people weren't comfortable with to be top five worthy. Space Dandy: I haven't finished it yet!! I love Dandy but I only watch it dubbed and I missed a few weeks when I moved so I need to watch the rest. Bahamut: I expected nothing from this show, yet it's turned out to be amazing and gorgeous. If Chaika hadn't aired this year, it would definitely have been a top 5 pick.
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Dec 21, 2014 01:34
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Mushishi Still the best chillest mystery show Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun Consistently funny even though it's a "high school hijinks" show Sabagebu Main character is a jerk up there with the best of the touhou cast. Funny show that didn't overstay it's welcome, but the OVA was meh. Space Dandy If you don't like an episode, try the next one because they all feel different. Zombie one is still the best. I guess Parasyte (Kiseiju) doesn't count, but it's way better than I thought it would be from the description.
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Dec 21, 2014 01:36
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Having watched a bit less Anime than last year, I decided to actually think about my picks. Then I realized that it was a loving no-brainer for the top 5:
Honorable Mentions:
Favorite actors:
Request: WHERE THE gently caress IS MY NEW SEASON OF GINTAMA, SUNRISE? Wark Say fucked around with this message at 02:20 on Dec 21, 2014 |
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Dec 21, 2014 01:40
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Top 5 in alphabetical order: Barakamon: Funny, touching, doesn't try stretch itself beyond what it's actually capable of, and has actual good child voice acting. F:S/N: UBW: Movie-quality visuals in a TV series, excellent adaptation, and more of The Best Type-Moon Character. Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun: The best comedy to come down the line in years. Hanamonogatari/Tsukimonogatari: Shinboooooooou Mushishi S2: More Mushishi Honorable Mentions: Amagi Brilliant Park: A return to form for KyoAni, good comedy and action scenes. D-Frag!: the sort of zany humor that works well in anime but less so elsewhere. Space Dandy: Too inconsistent to make the top five, but at its best (Wacky Racers, Planet Limbo, 2D/3D/4D) it's amazing. Sword Art Online II: Specifically Mother's Rosario, although I should also note that the visuals for GGO were really well done when they weren't spending all their time on Sinon's derriere, and the production quality is always fantastic. Secret Best Series: PUCHIM@S s2
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Dec 21, 2014 02:38
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#1 Nozaki-kun: Best comedy of the year. I really didn't expect to be drawn into this one but once I gave it a shot on Goon-recommendation it quickly became a favourite. The characters are fantastic and the jokes are really well-done. Especially the 'challenge letter'. #2 Chaika: I'm still entirely convinced this was somebody's D&D campaign that ended up becoming a story. The fight choreography was really drat good as well. #3 Nisekoi: I am a huge dork with poo poo taste so I watch almost everything with a rom/com tag in any given season. That said, I've followed the manga for quite some time and the adaptation really delivered with Shaft's pretty visuals  #4 D-Frag: The show was a whole lot of dumb fun and I loved it. The characters were all wacky in their own ways and it was a good value comedy. #5 Fate/Stay Night UBW: UFO Table need to animate more things. The fight scenes are astounding, it's my favourite F/SN route but not a terrible-quality DEEN movie, and it has Rin. Strong Mouse posted:Honorable Mentions:
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Dec 21, 2014 04:28
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This is the year I got back into anime because of: 1) Ping Pong: Emotions and Ping Pong. Some amazing scenes, even if the story goes in the direction you expect it to it's executed well. 2) Jojo's loving Bizarre Adventure: I watched S1+S2 for the first time this year. I have been fascinated by Jojos since I was a kid and played the dreamcast version of the game that made 0 sense. Finally seeing it in anime form, it lived up to what I thought it was about and more. So over the top but sincere about it, in a way nothing really nails these days. I have high hopes for the rest of part 3, and I hope they keep animating the rest because I tried to read the terrible fantranslation of the manga and no thanks. Also the most homoerotic show I have ever, ever watched, in the best way 3) Space Dandy: When was the last time a show had this concept? Have a cast and world and let a different writer+director go wild with what they think would happen every episode? It led to each episode at the very least being an almost entirely new show, since a lot of these guys only had one chance it felt like they really put everything they had into it. Some really great stuff in here. It's hit and miss (I still don't know why people actually like the musical) but when it hits, it does things nobody else is doing. I Dunno that I'll put this on my list: Kill La Kill. Some really cool fights, I actually LIKED the part people hated where the powerup song kicks in like every single episode... just I dunno. I watched it recently, months after everyone was talking about how it's the greatest/worst thing ever, how it's the followup to Gurren Lagann. It's not Gurren Lagann Things I would like to watch eventually but I let my crunchyroll lapse until Jojo is back: Mushishi Amagi Park Parasyte
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Dec 21, 2014 14:36
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1) Kill la Kill : okay, I know there was a lot to criticize in KlK, but there was one thing it had that pretty much nothing else had, it was this shameless desire to please and entertain. Was the story smart, witty, interesting and always well written? Definitely not, but it was constantly moving (not always forward) and never had a dull moment. Did everything make sense? no, and thank anime god for it. Was the animation good? poo poo no, but it never was ashamed of itself, it never tried to hide its minimalist, cartoon-ish style, so I can't fault them for that, hell after a while I ended up loving it. 2) JoJo part III: Okay, so that's why everyone loves part III. It's great, it's fun, it's manly, and it's entertaining. Part I and II were already awesome and fun, but JoJo is so good that when I needed to catch up with the story after like 2 months of work where I didn't have time for fun, I actually binge watched like 9 episodes in a row and I had a great time, even though I hate spending more than 1 hour watching a movie/series. Literally can't wait for the next season, because this will be the one where they punch Dio in the face (never read the manga, so I'm guessing). 3) Amagi Brilliant Park : First Kyoani show I finished since Haruhi Suzumiya, and also since Kyoani show I actually enjoyed since FMP (yes, what I'm going for is that I found Haruhi Suzumiya dull and boring, aside maybe from that one ep with the space battle, but that might be me not remembering the boring part of that episode). Production values were great, but what really made it work was the humor and general cheerfulness of the show (especially the mascots). I have no idea if there will be a second season, but if there is, it's going to be one the first things I watch. honorable mentions: -Inou Battles : haven't yet finished it, so I reserve my full judgement, but it has been pretty good so far. Features one of the best seiyuu performance of the year too. -Space Dandy : I still haven't seen the first season so I don't know what to think of it just yet, but the few episodes I have seen from the second season are definitely something. -Chaika : waiting for the second season to be over so I can marathon it over a week, but if it's like the first season it should be good.
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Dec 21, 2014 16:14
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Chaika's second season is over duder. It was only ten episodes.
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Dec 21, 2014 18:44
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I absolutely cannot decide the order of the list for this year, so I guess I'll make 2 tiers: Tier 1: - Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders (Part 1) : It's loving Jojo, do you need any other explanation? (Technically, this show is not completed yet. Considering the entire season would be ~55 shows, I think just calling this first part its own season is ok.) - Mushi-shi 2 : It's more Mushi-shi, do you need any other reason? - Ping Pong : ...this was one of the best shows of the year. I couldn't deal with Kaiba when I first tried it, but having seen what Yuuasa is capable of I really want to go back and take a look at his earlier stuff. It't not just his visual style that's unique, it's also his approach to storytelling, which is reflected in his visual style. A great show, and not at all what I had been expecting. Tier 2: A gigantic list of things. Seriously, there was so much good stuff this year. For the sake of meeting the 5 show max: - Barakamon : For me, this was the Kyousogiga of 2014, and for those who have seen that show, you know this is some very high praise. It wasn't quite as wondrously imaginative with its visuals, but it was charming, heartwarming, and truly satisfying. I'd agree that Nozaki might have been the funnier show of the fall season, but taken as a whole I believe Barakamon deserves the spot over Nozaki. - Rage of Bahamut: Genesis : This show has no right to be this good, and yet it's impossible to discount how fun and well constructed everything about it is. Like Chaika, this is basically a D&D campaign in animated form, but with way more of a budget than it ever needed. Favaro is easily among the best characters of the year, and the rest of the main cast are all plenty of fun too. This really is a "see it to believe it" deal. - One show I have no regrets leaving off the list is Space Dandy, but it deserves at least a mention because I feel like it's a step in the right direction for anime as a whole. The industry will always pander to otaku, and I highly doubt otakus will disappear as a collective entity. But Space Dandy show the industry that making a show for the western audience is a viable endeavor, which, hopefully, will lead to less otaku pandering and experimentation. But Space Dandy itself didn't entertain me all that much. Yes it was creatively silly, well animated, and oozed charm, but for all that I never laughed. Smiled from mild amusement, yes, but never laughed. So many other shows I think deserve an honorable mention, but I'm not going write something for every single one. So, I'll just make a list: - Amagi Brilliant Park: KyoAni's return to form - Ald.Noah Zero: The Urobutcher strikes again - D-Frag: Second most entertaining bad idea of the year - Fate/SN UBW: ufotable continues to pretend they are not making TV sized movies - Haikyuu!!: Almost the best sports show of the year - Chaika: "Chaika?" "Yes, Chaika." "Chaika" - Psycho-Pass 2: A passable attempt to follow up one of the most unique and interesting shows in years - Sabagebu: A new standard for all generic adaptations - World Conquest Zvezda Plot: Most entertaining bad idea of the year - Tonari no Seki-kun: Most creative show of the year - Terror in Resonance: Not quite what it could have been - Silver Spoon 2: A drat good follow up to a fantastic show ViggyNash fucked around with this message at 01:46 on Dec 22, 2014 |
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Dec 21, 2014 20:44
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 10:25 |
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I'm beginning to regret being in charge of vote tallying, also no one would read a long essay so enjoy my new-and-improved one-sentence justifications Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works: It's super pretty and good, also I have to like anything ufotable does basically by default Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders: It's super pretty and Joseph Joestar is my idol Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun: I don't even like slapstick comedy but this was really good, also every character gets to be the reasonable and stupid one at different points which is nice One Week Friends: Not super good but the cheap drama really works on me for some reason so welp, if you like cheap emotional melodrama this show is for you Silver Spoon: Hiromu Arakawa is the best active manga author and the anime did a pretty okay job adapting it Other good things: Amagi Brilliant Park: Kanye West is unexpectedly good at management No Game No Life: Good thriller but christ if I weren't so jaded to anime bullshit it would be unwatchable, do not watch this if you have any self-respect remaining I tried to watch Ping Pong but the animation made me so motion-sick I literally threw up irl after episode one so that idea didn't work out
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Dec 21, 2014 22:22
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