The Best Anime of 2012

This post is spoiler-free.

After nagging ImperialX for months and months, he has finally allowed me to write on his blog!

Just kidding.

It was the other way around, actually. Because Ryhzuo has been busy with studies and has had no time to watch much anime this year, I’ll be substituting for him for this end of year review.

I go online by the alias Sagoro. Nice to meet you! IPX, Ryh, and I know each other from high school, but are separated now as we have all entered tertiary education in different parts of the world. I’m relatively new to the world of anime, the first airing series I watched being Nichijou. I have two absolute favourite anime so far, one of which is Sora no Woto, and the other you’ll see at the end of this post. I started actively following seasons during the winter season at the beginning of this year, so feel free to disregard my opinions on the grounds of inexperience (though it won’t benefit any of us in any way if you decide to do this).

The main reason I begun this hobby was so that I could have another thing to talk to Ryh and IPX about, especially since we don’t see each other at school everyday now. One day I saw that my brother and IPX were talking passionately about Steins;Gate, which made me watch it (I marathoned all 24 episodes after a physics exam, in 9 hours or so) and I think it was from then that I was hooked. By the way, me and IPX disagree on nearly everything to do with anime, so I’m a little confused as to how we are still friends.

On to the main part of the article. 2012 is the first year that I have actively followed seasonal anime, so every season seemed like the best season ever. Now that I’ve matured in my anime knowledge by a little bit, I can say that I thought that the year was excellent, despite having no groundbreaking titles of the likes of Madoka from last year. As always, only anime that have finished this year will be counted as potential candidates for this post. This does not include anything still airing such as Psycho-Pass, Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojou, Little Busters!, Girls und Panzer, and so forth.

Introduction by Sagoro

Awards by Genre

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Action

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Come on, did you expect anything else? After nominating Fate/zero S1 last year, there’s almost no room for doubt I’d be nominating the second part of Ufotable’s epic adaptation of Urobuchi Gen’s Fate/stay night prequel. The sequel completed the epic, heart-wrenching tale of the fifth Holy Grail war in the same epic fashion as its predecessor. Dazzling animation, gratifying soundtrack and flawless direction accumulate together to form one of the most enjoyable experiences ever in the action genre. Fate/zero S2 is a testament to the level of quality TV anime can achieve. The choreography and timing of the action scenes in this show intertwined with mindblowing cinematographic sequences sum together for one of most satisfying watches this year.

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Airing alongside Jormungand, Upotte!! was the other anime about guns from the spring season. Unlike the former title, Upotte!! didn’t have awkward, static gunfights. Instead it had surprisingly believable combat with a side of gun trivia for the steadily growing niche audience of military otaku. Despite its obviously mediocre budget, Upotte!! compensates for this by having a rather diverse range of tactics which are genuinely interesting: from the basic pincer movement, to vertical entry, even to ricocheting bullets of the surface of water. We even get non-dominant hand suppressing blindfire being used appropriately behind cover, which is rarely ever seen. Upotte!! is a standard that other self-respecting gun action anime should live up to if they want to be taken seriously.
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Honourable Mentions: Medaka Box: Abnormal, Accel World, Dog Days’

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Adventure

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SAO doesn’t need any introduction, and I’ve had my fair share of gripes with it (especially in the second half). Even so, I cannot nominate another series over it here because nothing I’ve seen this year gave off the grand sense of adventure as Aincrad did. Both arcs presented a charming, albeit romanticized portrayal of their respective virtual worlds. Character designs as well as action scenes are all top notch (bar final battle). Kajiura Yuki composes another wonderful score, matching the mood of the series beautifully. Despite having an unspeakable amount of flaws, there’s no denying its entertainment value as long as you’re not going into the series expecting anything remotely serious or thought- provoking. This is my guilty pleasure show of the year.

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From humble highschool beginnings to captaining a pirate vessel to even greater exploits, Morestu Pirates tells of the antics of Kato Marika: the fun-loving, quick-witted, and charismatic captain of the Bentenmaru. With each arc the immersive Moretsu universe reveals another part of itself; all of these parts adding up to form an intriguing universe of space politics and hidden secrets. The orchestral pieces of the soundtrack capture the spirit of adventure, while Middle Eastern and Wild West influenced specific character themes hint that we have barely scratched the surface of the vast Moretsu universe. I have great expectations for the sequel movie; next year can’t come soon enough.
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Honourable Mentions: Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon II

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Comedy

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2012 has been a goldmine for comedy, and picking the best one out of them is a daunting task. I have always been a KyoAni fanboy, and it’s well known that Chu2koi is one of my favourite series this year. Being a KyoAni work, it would be incomprehensible for them to suddenly change the moe slice of life formula that has worked out for them for so long. KyoAni has taken a step out of its comfort zone and introduced colourful, well-written and distinctive non-trope characters for this series, and the result is fantastic. Lighthearted yet hysterical humour is present in this series, yet doesn’t stop the show from being serious when it needs to be. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that this show is purely character-driven, and when KyoAni designed most of them, it’s certainly not a bad thing.

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Consisting of satirical and dark humour juxtaposing with its vibrant colour palette, Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita was certainly one of the more unique anime of the year. Most of the humour stems from the deadpan (ha!) remarks by our charming protagonist – perfectly executed by Nakahara Mai – about the wonderfully insane world she lives in. As IPX has said already, this year has been filled to the brim with comedy titles. Containing much less slapstick humour than most anime comedies (which seems to be the standard form of humour in this form of media), Jinrui offers an experience with a little more depth.

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Honourable Mentions: Yuru Yuri ♪♪, Haiyore! Nyaruko-san, Binbougami-ga!, Daily Lives of High School Boys, Seitokai no Ichizon Lv.2

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Drama

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Drama is one of the most difficult genres to do well in, and that’s why I am usually not a big fan of it. Kokoro Connect offers a refreshing take in a category littered with mediocrity and melodrama. It stands out from the rest with unique characters who don’t fall into the average tropes, a totally original and innovative story as well as flawless direction. Pointless sentimentalism that plague so many drama series today are nowhere to be found. There is no denying the innovation in the drama genre that Kokoro Connect brings to the table, and if this is the general direction that future dramas are going to be moving towards, I think I might cringe less the next time someone introduces me to a “good drama series”.

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The comedy-drama genre combination is difficult to do well. If there is too much comedy, the drama may seem like an afterthought. If there is too much drama, the comedy may seem inappropriate. Belying the inexperience of its director, Tari Tari is one of the rare titles that manages to masterfully balance its comedy (more suitably, humour) and drama. As a light teenage drama (quite an unusual phrase there), Tari Tari’s drama always seems natural and mild. When the drama gets closer to melodrama, a little humour dissipates the tense atmosphere, resolving the delicate situation skillfully. With little, if any, forced drama or melodrama, Tari Tari is undoubtedly one of the better drama titles available.
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Honourable Mentions: Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!, Chihayafuru, Sakamichi no Apollon, AKB0048, Oda Nobuna no Yabou, Tasogare Otome x Amnesia

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Ecchi

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To say that Bakemonogatari has been without any ecchi elements would be a downright lie, so it’s not unexpected that SHAFT would amplify this in the sequel Nisemonogatari for maximum profit. Witty dialogue and over-stylized cinematography that Akiyuki Shinbou is known for is skilfully mixed with blatant and well-drawn ecchi for the first time in Anime history, and the result is pure eye-candy. In our current industry where ecchi is aplenty, Nisemonogatari stands out from the rest simply by not only having the best collection of bishoujo but also expertly directed screenplay. The most famous scene in Nisemongatari; the Toothbrush scene, should be famous enough that it’s self-explanatory. If you want an amazing ecchi experience, Nisemonogatari is your pick this year.
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Honourable Mentions: Dog Days’

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Fantasy

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Dog Days’ is just in general a very enjoyable anime, no matter how you look at it. It has great action, a sense of adventure, enjoyable light-hearted romance, and tasteful ecchi (with beautiful girls). It pretty much has it all, but where it shines the most is its fantasy setting. Flonyard is as beautiful as ever, and sets up the perfect stage for one of the most pleasant anime you can hope to watch this year. Dog Days’ perfectly inherits season 1’s charm despite the director change and the inevitable growth of Sink’s harem. Why do we love watching anime? We all have different reasons, but let’s look at what shines out at me with Dog Days’. Stellar voice acting, vibrant art, fun story and Horie Yui singing in one anime? Yes please.

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A sequel to the OVA of the same name released at the end of last year, Kyousogiga returns, bringing more questions than it does answers. Kyousogiga’s city of mirror Tokyo is colourfully drawn, with quirky details around every corner. The crazy world of Kyousogiga is vividly animated, creating an extremely lively fantastical setting. The main heroine, Koto, is so wonderfully energetic that it is hard not to like her. What I love about Kyousogiga is the lack of explanations, and that all of the information is delicately weaved into the dialogue and visuals. The only problem I have with this show is that it is too short. The next part can’t come any sooner.
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Honourable Mentions: Shiawase no Pan

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Mystery/Horror

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I originally had Mirai Nikki for this position because it’s really a superior anime than Another in general. The plot and characters weren’t the best, but simply put – the art alone justified this series. As expected from P.A.Works, the detail is just stellar although in a different way to their preceding work Hanasaku Iroha. Everything from the rusty door knobs to the flickering lights contribute to the dark and creepy atmosphere of the series. The sound completes the horror experience with an indescribably eerie OST that fits in perfectly with what’s on the screen. Another thing I’ve noticed with Another is that the music never really goes away, and neither does the unpleasant sensation that’s always poking at you as you watch the series. This is some creepy stuff.

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Many horror shows nowadays rely on gore or suddenness to scare the audience. Tasogare Otome x Amnesia belongs to the more uncommon species of psychological horror. By only revealing the faces of relevant characters, Amnesia creates a sense of isolation and discomfort, which is amplified by its dreary colour palette. Although the earlier episodes are rather light-hearted, there is still an underlying sense of unease subtly woven into the narrative. Towards the latter half of the series, Amnesia manipulates this feeling of unease into suspense and hopelessness, leading into the dramatic final arc, which is a satisfying conclusion for the series (if you can ignore the final two minutes of the show).
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Honourable Mentions: Mirai Nikki

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Romance

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Kimi to Boku is one of my favourite anime ever, but Kimi to Boku. 2 is not. The blatant shift in genre from Slice of Life to Romance is definitely a downgrade if you know my tastes. However, I still enjoyed season 2 because the romance here is actually done pretty authentically as well as tastefully. In contrast to most romance series, Kimi to Boku’s take is a lot more subtle and inconclusive. However, this gives it a sense of realism that most romance stories can never achieve, due to not having a slice of life season 1 acting as a solid foundation. As a result, not only does the romance not feel forced, it makes most other romance you’ve seen seem artificial. Now that is something to commend, especially given that the romance scenes in this show isn’t even the main focus.

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Most romance-drama anime occur in school settings, so overdramatisation of normally trivial problems is a frequent occurrence. Oda Nobuna no Yabou is set in the Sengoku era, allowing itself to create drama which is less inconsequential. More plainly: there are life and death situations rather than “Baw he likes her instead of me!” situations, leading to stronger and truer bonds. Instead of love at first sight, our main couple fall for each other before they know it, which I think is much more romantic. It is impossible to identify one single event that caused it; it was a gradual change. As this occurs, both Nobuna and Yoshiharu realise that they each need to better themselves in order to support their other half. Despite being a harem in nature, Oda Nobuna contains very natural romance accompanied by compelling drama.
Honourable Mentions: Tasogare Otome x Amnesia

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Sci-Fi

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I have always felt deep regret for being unable to nominate Star Driver for any categories last year, despite its fabulousness. With Sagoro already nominating the standard winner Moretsu Pirates, I’m pleased to shamelessly pick Aquarion EVOL for my favourite Sci-Fi of the year. Aquarion EVOL may not be as fabulous as Star Driver, but it comes pretty close. This anime has a unique injection of sharp visual originality that you don’t see anywhere else. This show comes complete with materialized stupidity, overdramatic characters, omnisexual love story and most importantly an enjoyment factor which is undoubtedly through the roof. It doesn’t matter how one looks it – there is no denying Aquarion EVOL’s fabulousness.

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It seems that science fiction is one of the least ventured genres in anime, most likely due to the popularity of its Japanese counterpart: mecha. Moretsu Pirates explores various science fiction themes such as generation ships, genetic engineering, and planetary colonisation and its consequences. However, the main attractions of Moretsu Pirates are its beautiful spaceships and exciting battles, which, although computer-generated, do not conflict with the hand drawn styles of the character designs, as much CG tend to do.

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Slice of Life

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Most anime genres depend on the narrative to sell itself, and that’s why Slice of Life is substantially different to other genres. When it comes to Slice of Life, it’s all about the atmosphere and how it resonates with viewers. These viewers inevitably view the same atmosphere differently, and that’s why it’s hard to make a Slice of Life series that appeals to everyone. Hyouka’s atmosphere is certainly captivating and resonated really well with me, and that’s why I will be nominating it. There’s nothing much to say except I loved every aspect of this show, from the introduction of the curious Chitanda Eru all the way to the heart-wrenching conclusion. If possible, I wanted Hyouka to never end and soothe my life every week. One can only dream.

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Those of you who know me may know that one of the greatest compliments I give to slice of life anime is that it “feels like Hidamari”. Hidamari Sketch encompasses all of the elements that make a slice of life show great: lovable characters, an excellent soundtrack, and most importantly an extremely calming atmosphere. SHAFT’s signature abstract style lends itself perfectly to the show, the many camera cuts effective in capturing and holding the audience’s attention. In its fourth iteration, Hidamari Sketch hasn’t lost its magic.

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Honourable Mentions: Papa no Ikuto wo Kikinasai, Kimi to Boku. 2, Busou Shinki
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Awards by Production

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Plot

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Despite a lot of debate regarding the solidity of the ending, Fate/zero S2 still has the most thought-provoking, attention-grabbing script out of all the shows that concluded in 2012. Urobuchi Gen is no stranger to us, and the moral ambiguity he is such a big fan of shines through with the Fate/stay night prequel. The level of maturity and intelligence from season 1 is carried over to season 2 flawlessly despite the increase in action sequences. Season 2 is everything season 1 has prepared for. As the conflicting morals and ideologies of each participant becomes more vivid, the plot in Fate/zero season 2 completely focuses upon their clash. When the curtain falls, who will emerge victorious is anyone’s guess. As for what “victorious” truly means, that is even more questionable…

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Animation

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It’s funny how much Kyoto Animation likes their amateur movies. Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu was set off in 2006 with an amateur movie, and now six years later, KyoAni shows us again with the same method why they are the king when it comes to animation quality. Sagoro explains this with more detail, but simply put, this is probably the most expensive scene to be produced in the history of TV anime, unless you count all eight episodes of Endless Eight as one single scene. The amateur cinematographic techniques were fully realized through KyoAni’s stellar camera work. The rest of the show is pretty much sublime – there is meticulous attention to detail everywhere you see. In general, watching Hyouka is just a treat for your eyes.

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As expected of KyoAni, Hyouka delivers some of the most crisp artwork and detailed animation anime has to offer. Ironically, the amateur murder mystery movie was the most expensive to animate, requiring moving backgrounds for the shaky camera tracking and panning effects, which was a real treat for the eyes. KyoAni had also developed an abstract pictographic style to represent the thought process of Oreki’s deductions, which does well in captivating the audience and presenting the steps of deduction clearly.

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Characters

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To be honest, I really wanted to fit Kokoro Connect’s cast in here because they deserved it, but I simply love Chu2koi’s cast that much more on a personal level. This is a new category this year so I wanted to make sure it’s fueled by personal bias. Quite simply put, Chu2koi probably has the strongest supporting-cast out of all one-cour anime I have ever seen to date. In addition to the leading characters Yuuta and Rikka, everyone gets their moment to shine in this series, and really add something to the story. They are also extremely easy to relate to for me personally, and I know this is the case with several of you out there reading right now. It’s hard to write characters you can truly take to heart, and KyoAni has successfully done so with the cast of Chu2koi.

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When IPX told me that this was a category newly introduced this year, and that it was about my attatchment to the characters – not really about the quality of the characters and their development, I knew I wouldn’t be able to just pick one series. There were too many series with likeable characters that aired this year like Oda Nobuna, Tari Tari, Strike Witches, Hidamari Sketch, and Dog Days. So I decided to choose Kore wa Zombie desuka? of the Dead because I wanted to post a picture of Eu.

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Soundtrack

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This category was where Sakamichi no Apollon should have won… but unfortunately, its OST is just not the strongest out of Kanno Yoko’s works (I’m looking at you, Darker than BLACK). In contrary, Fate/zero S2 probably has Kajiura Yuki’s strongest work yet. The completely orchestrated OST is as diverse and as fitting to the atmosphere as ever. Rarely is there a scene in Fate/zero S2 where the music doesn’t contribute heavily towards the viewer experience, and when a show gets as epic as Fate/zero S2, it becomes equally difficult to synchronize it with suitable, fitting music. This certainly didn’t prove to be a challenge to Kajura-sensei, as she completely nailed it. Get this OST, right now!

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Made up of two distinct sections, the Rinne no Lagrange OST describes the two faces of the anime. Lightly instrumented, playful tracks accompany the slice of life sections, contrasting with the fully orchestrated battle themes. The battle themes build up suspense and expectation extremely effectively, leading to powerful climaxes, perfectly synchronised with the cinematography and animation, sure to send shivers down your spine. Electronic instrumentation in certain tracks emphasise the more surreal aspects of the anime and its sci-fi plot devices. By itself, Lagrange’s OST is great to listen to, but the anime would lose a vital part of itself if it were to be replaced.
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Honourable Mentions: Sakamichi no Apollon, Moretsu Pirates

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Cinematography

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Toothbrush scene. That is all.

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There’s this effect that moving backgrounds gives to animation that makes everything look so much more dynamic. GoHands demonstrates their mastery of this technique in K, choreographing thrilling fights with ambitious camera angles. Unnamed background characters are also constantly moving, which is impressive for a studio whose name isn’t KyoAni. The most breathtaking scenes are the skateboarding montages with fisheye camera effects, rarely, if ever, seen in anime. I’m excited to see that dynamic backgrounds are becoming increasingly common in anime; from this year alone, we have had at least three series use this technique: Fate/Zero, Hyouka, and K.
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Honourable Mentions: Hidamari Sketch x Honeycomb

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Miscellaneous

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Biggest Disappointment

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Where do I even start with this series? Ever since a breathtaking PV took the Anime community by storm, the hype for this series has been off the charts. With an exceptional staff with prior experience from defining works such as Code Geass, Death Note and Fullmetal Alchemist; Production I.G. behind the production and supercell performing the theme song, it seemed like any anime fan’s wet dream come true. However, after a lacklustre premiere, Guilty Crown not only never live up to its expectations, but it turned out to be one of the worst shows to have aired this entire year. Absolutely atrocious, hateable characters on par with Ikari Shinji and a plot that was obviously written while taking a dump all contribute towards the biggest sham of 2012.

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K had a huge promotional campaign long before its airing. Multiple PVs were released, showing stunning action sequences and giving a Durarara!! or The World Ends with You vibe. Unfortunately, K’s city was boring in comparison to the aforementioned titles, and its narrative was all over the place, which I’m blaming on the excessive number of seven authors GoHands commissioned for the single project. Even if the plot was bad, it’s worth watching for the fights– was what I was thinking. But it’s too bad that basically all of the fights were already shown in the PVs; there’s not much point watching it for the action when you’ve seen it all already. Also, as I was worried, one cour was not long enough, so by the end of it K was a mess of underdeveloped characters and blue.
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Honourable Mentions: Sword Art Online

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Biggest Surprise

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To be honest, I had already dropped Tsuritama after the “Three-Episode Test”. I am famous for NEVER dropping anime, but it’s literally impossible to describe how much Tsuritama annoyed me after the first three episodes. Even after hearing countless times how good it is by the time it finished airing, I never wanted to revisit that piece of atrociousness again. However, nothing else really surprised me in 2012. As I approach the end of the year, I desperately needed something to nominate here, and guess what? I picked up this show again, finished it, and I was pleasantly surprised. I kind of expected something good especially after all the good things I heard about it. It’s still far from my favourite show this year, but the ending will definitely surprise you. It sure surprised me.

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Busou Shinki is essentially a toy line commercial. It can’t possibly be any good, right? Surprisingly well animated and with a top tier voice cast, Busou Shinki shatters this preconception. Busou Shinki follows the weekly antics of the main quartet as they participate in cross country races, stop robberies, and even foil terrorist plane bombings. As ridiculous as some of these circumstances sound, the result is a vibrant and unpredictably detailed world. To be honest, it’s probably because of Asumi Kana and Mizuhashi Kaori, who voice Yuno and Miyako from Hidamari Sketch that I enjoy this show so much. It has even been nicknamed “Hidamari with toy robots” by some. I’ll be sorely missing my weekly dose of wacky Shinki antics.
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Honourable Mentions: AKB0048

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Most Underrated

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If there’s one thing I HATE about the anime blogosphere, it’s that they like picking a scapegoat series every now and then, and suddenly it becomes “hip” for everyone to hate that series, barring rationality or fairness. Two years ago, it was K-ON!. Now, it’s Sword Art Online. By now, it’s almost universally accepted amongst anime bloggers and critics that you MUST hate SAO before anything you write is to be taken seriously. In reality, SAO is easily an above average shounen series. It is entertaining and also much better written than the likes of most ongoing shounens out there. Almost all the criticisms of this show I’ve read thus far have been over-exaggerated to the degree that I can’t even tell what is cynicism or sarcasm anymore. I urge you all to think before you judge with this one.

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Most Overrated

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If there’s one thing I HATE about people who don’t watch anime, it’s that on the rare occasion they watch one, it’s almost always something mainstream and mediocre…and then they go on to declare whatever they watched as the “best anime ever made!”. Recently I have seen many friends who have never watched anime before do this with Sword Art Online, and looking around at YouTube comments as well as other juvenile anime communities, it’s really not an over-exaggeration to say that SAO is the new Naruto. SAO has a lot of flaws, and is far from the masterpiece that so many kiddies are referring to it as. If you think that SAO is the best anime ever made…do yourself a favour and start watching something else on this list. I’m begging you here.

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Consistency is creating your own rules, and sticking to them. If you don’t, it’s like playing a game you made up with your friends, then changing the rules because you’re losing. It’s the equivalent of cheating in literature. Sword Art Online does just that. For the majority of the series, SAO sticks to its own rules so closely that even one misstep can destroy all the work that the author is trying to build up, which it unfortunately does. Unnecessary side characters who are a thousand times more interesting than the main characters are introduced and forgotten, and the focus is mostly on solo gameplay even though it is set in an MMORPG. Topping it off with mediocre animation and an unremarkable soundtrack, it’s a mystery why SAO is so popular.

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2012 in Review

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Worst Anime Series of 2012

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To be honest, I am but a newbie in the world of #terribad anime. My incompetence in this area is clearly displayed by the fact I naively nominated R-15 last year as the Worst Anime Series when in reality it’s not even that bad compared to the true atrocities that aired in 2011 (Hen Zemi anyone?). I hope I nominated a title bad enough this time so next year I won’t look back in disappointment. Truly, Ebiten is one of the worst anime I have ever seen, and it doesn’t even have much ecchi at all. Tear-inducing boredom, 100% artificial characters, grossly over-exaggerated schadenfreude…you name something bad, and it’s probably there. This anime is atrocious. It is heinous. It is nefarious. It needs to be avoided like the plague unless you want to pluck your eyes out due to boredom.
Honourable Mentions: Black☆Rock Shooter

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I like moe shows, I swear! But Acchi Kocchi manages to create the blandest, most uninteresting show of the year. It’s characters need absurd traits (think Konata with super strength) in an attempt to be interesting – I would argue that this makes them less so. These traits are used as gimmicks for certain gags, but quickly get old. Characters’ personalities change conveniently for the sake of the jokes, and the sad excuse for romance is unbearably tacky. Beginning and ending in the same inconsequential manner, Acchi Kocchi was one of the most monotonous five hours I’ve had the displeasure of sitting through.
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Honourable Mentions: Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate, Sword Art Online

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Best Anime Movie of 2012

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This one’s little unfair, since it was the only movie I bothered to watch this year, but that’s not to say that it wasn’t good. As a huge fan of Strike Witches, the movie couldn’t come quickly enough, and when it did, it did not disappoint.

If you ask me what I like about Strike Witches, I would reply with: its endearing cast, its well choreographed dogfights, its superb soundtrack – it’s probably my favourite anime soundtrack, and most of all, the beautifully blue sky. Then you would watch the first episode and blame me for getting in an awkward situation with roommates or family because of the pantyshots every other frame. You’ll have to trust me here, I always forget that they exist. I hardly notice them while watching just because they’re so blatant. You’ll get used to them just like you get used to Nico Nico Douga comments scrolling across your videos.

The Strike Witches movie isn’t very different from the series, and can be rightfully treated as an extra long episode. I would argue that the series’ ability to build tension and suspense has improved in the movie. I wish I could explain why, but it would contain too many spoilers.

There was always one character whom I found annoying in the series because of her attitude. Delightfully, Perrine Clostermann was extraordinarily mild in the movie, which drastically changed my opinion of her. Now I am proud to say that I do not dislike any of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing.

Now that the movie’s over, I am anxiously waiting for the third season of this enchanting franchise.

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Best Anime Series of 2012

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Unfortunately, I can’t say I was perfectly pleased with any title that finished airing this year. 2012 has been a fantastic year for anime in general as shown by the quality titles we have seen in our list thus far. However, like Sagoro has already said, this year lacks a distinctive heavyweight such as Mawaru Penguindrum, Puella Magi Madoka Magica or Steins;Gate such as 2011. It’s unfortunate, because if any of them had aired this year, I would gladly have given the title of Best Anime to them. I apologize for having started out the most prestigious section of this blog post with complaints, devaluing our winner.

Enough with the unpleasantries. Regardless of my disappointment with its ending, I present to you my nomination for Anime of the Year 2012: Chuunibyou demo Koi ga shitai! If you want to, you can think of it this way: even though I was immensely let down by the final episodes, Chu2koi is still the series that I enjoyed the most out of everything I have mentioned thus far on this list. In its 12-episode run, Chu2koi managed to build up one of the most lovable and self-relatable cast I’ve ever seen in anime. Comedy, romance and drama are flawlessly mixed together with smooth transitions from one theme to the next. The luxurious level of polish KyoAni poured into the production of this series solidifies it as an absolute joy to watch.

Truth be told, most people who watch this show will most likely not have any gripes with the ending. Unfortunately, it just so happens that the main theme of this series is exactly the same as the theme Umineko no Naku koro ni deals with, and anyone who is familiar with me should know that that visual novel is my favourite piece of literature of all time. I think it was because of Umineko that my hype for this series as it progressed became unreasonably high, and it was because of Umineko that my expectations were never fulfilled. After all, how can a 12-episode, 4-hour anime ever match the level of writing and depth a 100+ hour visual novel?

With all due respect, Chu2koi has been a colourful, brilliant single cour series that really deserves more credit than what I gave it in the past few paragraphs. This is the most prestigious award we’re handing out today, and I have to again apologize for my derailed rant. I am an Umineko diehard at heart, and nothing can change that. I have always wondered what it would be like for a person who haven’t read Umineko to see Chu2koi for the first time. Is it a charming piece of work that you can’t raise any complaints about? I’ll let you, the viewer, decide that. If that is the case, then good for you – you have just finished watching an absolutely stellar anime series.

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Tari Tari to me is probably like what Lucky Star is to IPX. Both are series that each of us find precious for reasons difficult to express in words. By the way, he finds Tari Tari mediocre, while I in turn find Lucky Star mediocre.

As you can see above, I consider Tari Tari to be one of the best light dramas to have been produced. With its energetic soundtrack, witty humour, and shiny, detailed background art, Tari Tari is one of those shows that puts a smile on my face.

One thing I like about Tari Tari is the importance of parents as supporting characters. Most highschool dramas choose to provide an excuse for parents not being present, or if they are, ignore them. In Tari Tari, parents play an integral role in the story as they encourage and console their children.

While it was airing, I would never have considered it my favourite anime of the season, much less of the year. Jinrui had the title back then. But Tari Tari was a late bloomer. Halfway through its final episode, my heart had a hole in it. There was no reason for this. The show hadn’t even ended. But it was there. The very thought that I wouldn’t see these characters again next week depressed me deeply. Let’s not talk about my emotional state by the end of the episode, it’s a little embarrassing. It was really lucky that I didn’t have any exams or assignments due that week since I wouldn’t have been able to get any work done at all.

Music is an important part of my life. Tari Tari is about the meaning of music. Over my highschool years, my best friends were made through the bonds of music that we share. Tari Tari had revitalised my passion for creating music with others, providing the encouragement I needed to join my university’s concert band, which I am wholly grateful for.

Honourable Mentions: Oda Nobuna no Yabou
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As I am putting the finishing touches on this article, 2012 is finally drawing to a close. Compared to last year, 2012 has actually been a more conventional and tame year for us. We have yet to see any idiosyncratic series such as Puella Magi Madoka Magica or Mawaru Penguindrum which truly pushed the boundaries of what the medium is capable of. There is also a distinct lack of a series that definitively stood out above everything else. As shown by my relatively lukewarm post for Anime of the Year, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I personally never handed out a score higher than 8/10 for this entire year.

Despite the year offering me no surprises, 2012 was by no means a failure. This year in general has shown us extremely solid offerings across the spectrum, and I have never been burdened with more difficult choices when it comes to deciding the winners of each category. That’s why for the first time, I introduced the system of “Honorable Mentions” – anime series that we watched which we thought were very good for their nominated categories, despite not winning them. On average, I agree with Sagoro in that 2012 has been the strongest year I have seen for anime since 2008, and that was a long time ago. I have been watching anime since 2006 as you all know, and I can’t be more optimistic with the direction our industry is going.

Even though my year ended without anything spectacular, Sagoro’s emotional post about Tari Tari has reminded me once again what anime is truly about. One thing that has changed about my approach towards anime in 2012 is that I have realized that there is no rational way of judging anime. We watch anime because it brings up happiness. Happiness is an emotion, and hence it’s only logical that we should rate anime using emotional standards. Instead of judging an anime based off critical mark schemes, maybe we should all take a step back, and consider the kind of World this anime tries to portray to its target audience. Tari Tari delivered nothing to me, but gave Sagoro the push he needed to rekindle his love for music. Lucky Star did nothing for Sagoro, but pulled me out of my comfort zone to form the first Anime Club in my high school back in the days.

“Our two worlds are going to be united, and at the intersection, there is a perspective…”

Here at Blickwinkel, we wish you a belated merry Christmas, and a happy new year!

Conclusion by ImperialX