Well, another year has come and gone, and with 2008 at an end is it once again time for us to share with you some of the highlights of the year. Thus, I am very proud to present to you the 13th Annual Epic Win Best of the Year Anime Award Show, where the awards are made up and the points don’t matter!

Although I felt that this year in anime didn’t have as much to offer as last year, with no new series that really stood out head and shoulders above the others the way Gurren Lagann or Lucky Star did, it nevertheless brought a number of interesting and entertaining moments.

As always, keep in mind that these awards are completely based on our own opinions and preferences. Guaranteed 100% biased, no middleman, factory direct to you from Epic Win! In addition, we’re extremely flexible about what we consider allowable from 2008. Basically, if episodes aired within the last 12 months, it’s fair game.

Now, that said, obviously the two of us can’t watch everything by ourselves, and especially this last year we haven’t even been able to keep up with all the shows we would have liked to, so if you feel that we left out something important, or if you have a different recommendation for a particular category, by all means lay it on us.

Spoiler Alert: We’ll do our best to keep major spoilers to a minimum, but we of course will be discussing the details of many shows that aired this year, so take this as fair warning that there will be some spoilers in the awards.

We’ve done our best to try to catalog the best moments from the past twelve months, but what with the tedious encumbrances of school and work there’s definitely some things we’ve missed. Despite that, there’s been enough stimulating anime this season to warrant another dosage of Epic Ranking.

Best Sidekick Critter

Winner: Aria-shachou, Aria the Origination

Ahh, I remember the very first time I saw the Aria manga, back when I was living in Tokyo. I was browsing through the local Book-Off and stumbled across this series with gorgeous cover art and cute female gondoliers. When I opened it up and saw President Aria staring back at me I must say, it was quite a shock.

And with those huge walnut shells he calls eyebrows, the big blue rings around his eyes, and the weird noises he makes, who isn’t a bit perturbed the first time they see him? I think pretty much everyone’s first reaction is, “What the heck?!”

But it’s funny the way President Aria grows on you. For a character who can’t really talk and doesn’t do much, he really is one of the more memorable elements of the show. Whether it’s doing calisthenics while wearing a Chansey costume, trying to keep Maa-shachou from chomping onto his fluffy stomach, or just having dinner with Akari and Alicia, everything he does is entertaining and heartwarming.

There’s a point at which I think we all have said, “Surely a mischievous cat with a hilarious chapeau would be better suited to the role of president.”

In fact, just think of all the economic woe that could’ve been avoided on Wall Street with the whole sub-prime market and the credit swap fiasco if bank CEOs were replaced with amusing felines. Perhaps we can all take a lesson from the fine folks at Aria company and start appointing more sensible and trustworthy presidents like Aria-shachou.

Most Portable Sidekick

Winner: Pipe Fox, xxxHolic Kei

While President Aria has also shown that he can be handy in a pinch, sometimes you just need a sidekick with some firepower. Fortunately for Kimihiro Watanuki, who has an amazing propensity for getting himself into trouble, when in a bad situation he can rely on a partner who is packing some serious heat – literally.

The kuda kitsune, or pipe fox, is everything you could wish for from an animal sidekick. It comes in chibi travel size, which is both highly convenient and discreet. It is also adorably cute and makes for a excellent fashion accessory and talking point – great for picking up the ladies.

Repeat after me: this is not a pokemon, this is not a pokemon.

And then, when thinks get dicey, it just transforms, rolls out, and lays waste to your enemies. Quite handy, no?

Moses, I cannot think of all the times I’ve thought to myself, “Wouldn’t it be nice if I could have my fearsome fire breathing fox spirit in a convenient travel size?” I mean, lugging around a full size fox spirit can quite cumbersome.

However, good ol’ Watanuki is fortunate enough to have the companionship of the pipe fox, a much more manageably sized means of immortal fox spirit destruction. Seriously, this critter alone is reason enough to watch the series. Add on top of that, the fact that a verbally abusive, drunken Mokona is also part of the show and…I mean, if that’s not enough of a recommendation for you I don’t know what is.

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Best Genki Girl

Winner: Miyako, Hidamari Sketch x365

The Tsuruya-chan and Asa-sempai Memorial “Genki Girl” Award is given each year to the character who best exemplifies a lifestyle and attitude that’s characterized by pure, unmitigated, over-the-top genkiness. Green hair is preferable, but not required.

Miyako is a personal favorite of mine because, unlike many of the typical “genki girl” character stereotypes found in anime, she is not only fun and energetic, she’s also portrayed in a way that’s actually believable. While Yoshinoya-sensei probably tops her in sheer energy and volume, Yoshinoya also comes across as a very one dimensional character, one that exists purely for comedic purposes.

Miyako, on the other hand – she may say and do unexpected things and exhibit an unusual amount of pep, it’s just a part of her uninhibited, spontaneous lifestyle, and she doesn’t hesisate to explain her philosophy on life to her friends. In the episode where Yuno’s newfound cat wanders away, Miyako comforts her by reminding her that “To be free is the most important thing.”

It’s this facet of Hidamari Sketch, the ability to take fairly standard character archetypes and turn them into believable, multi-faceted characters, that makes it such an engaging show. And without a doubt, Miyako is one of the highlight characters of series. She puts so much heart into both her art and her friendships that you can’t help but come away feeling better after seeing her goofy smile as she draws a sketch or tells yet another funny story around the kotatsu.

And after all, anybody who can still be genki while lying on the roof sunbathing with cats deserves some kind of award. =D

Most Educational

Winner: Spice and Wolf

If there’s one thing that’s inevitable it’s this: there’s going to be a time in your life when you’ll be asked about the rigors of a mercantilist economy with a currency based upon precious metals. And after that, you’ll likely be asked to explain the possible problems posed by rival currencies with inferior metal grades, and the unscrupulous business practices involved with the various related transactions.

Thankfully if you’ve watched Spice and Wolf, you’ll have no problem providing an explanation. Heck, you might even be able to talk about it over a slice of sunshine pie. Spice and Wolf had great characters, but the fact that they integrated such a complex economic system within the world of the story is really quite impressive. Who says cartoons can’t teach you anything?

And not only did they integrate it into the story, they were able to convey these many subtle nuances of economics in a way that did not overwhelm the poor reader. With good use of diagrams and other visual aids, as well as some excellent witty banter, it helped make that information relevant in a way was both entertaining and informative.

Best Slice-of-Life Manga

Winner: Yotsuba&

Yotsuba& is one of those rare series that I think most anyone can appreciate and enjoy. It has such a simple brand of humor, such an endearing cast, and such a great way of bringing out the hilarity that can be found in ordinary life. This year in particular has been really excellent for the manga, with some its best chapters yet.

My personal favorite is a scene in volume 8 where Jumbo lets Yotsuba ride on his shoulders, and then pulls his jacket up above his head and over Yotsuba’s body, making it look as though Yotsuba is really huge and tall. The two of them then rampage around for a while, smacking into doorframes and harrassing the locals. It’s one of those goofy things that you might really do if you were hanging out with a little kid, but it’s drawn and portrayed in such a silly way that becomes absolutely hilarious.

Azuma-sensei has really outdone himself with this series overall, and I have to say, I’d also love to nominate Yotsuba& for Manga Series Most in Need of An Anime Adaptation. Come on Azuma-sensei, pretty please?

It might seem a bit dubious to suggest that a series involving the whimsical adventures of a rambunctious four year old is such an addictive experience, but if you’ve spent anytime reading the Yotsuba& manga, I’m certain you can sympathize.

I read the first two graphic novel volumes in Japanese and since, unlike my cohort, my skill with the moon runes and Japanese vocabulary is roughly at the level of Yotsuba herself, I felt somehow more connected to the story. Hopefully it wasn’t because it took me roughly an hour per chapter to plow through the stories.

No, I’d like to think that when I’m in Japan I’m something of a kindred spirit of Yotsuba: a completely oblivious naïve child, easily fascinated by anything and everything, and with utterly no sense of direction. Yotsuba is one of those series that simply makes you laugh on virtually every single page. Not only is the art perfect at capturing the zaniness of Yotsuba’s character and expressions, but the overall cast is excellent as well.

Best Slice-of-Life Anime

Winner: Aria the Origination

Runner up: Hidamari Sketch

Aria is one of those rare, brilliant series that can take a premise that sounds completely absurd on paper and make it into something memorable and magical. It takes a bizarre, extraordinary futuristic setting in which Mars has been terraformed into a water planet, and then uses that as a backdrop to tell a completely ordinary day-to-day story.

In doing so, it examines the hopes, joys, and struggles of normal day-to-day life through rose-tinted lenses. It’s the poster child what are referred to as “iyashikei”, or “healing” series. Heck, it seems it can take even the most hardened of cynics and bring them to reconsider their ways.

Every episode contains plenty of light comedy, with President Aria making funny faces, Alice overusing the word “dekkai”, and Aika forbidding the use of embarrassing comments. At the same time, every episode takes time to portray some innately human experience in an encouraging and upbeat way.

The peaceful music, the soft pastel colors, and the uplifting comments made by the cast as they face the challenges of life remind us to always look for the best in life, to always put our best foot forward, and to always keep a smile on our faces…also hazukashii serifu kinshi! For myself!

This final season of the anime really served to bring things full circle in many ways. It’s been great to watch the characters grow and develop and finally see the fruits of their labor. The series came to a very fitting conclusion, true to the spirit of simple yet poignant storytelling it has maintained since the beginning, and while I’m sad to see it end, I’m also happy to see it come to a conclusion.

To put it succinctly, Aria is a series that inspires a feeling of relaxation usually reserved for enjoying a glass of chilled sake while soaking in a steaming onsen.  Wonderful music, gorgeous art, and incredible voice acting – what’s to keep you from feeling dekkai relaxed?

It’s really a one of a kind show, with excellent artwork, excellent storytelling and pacing, excellent voice acting, and simply spectacular soundtrack. I just can’t find words to praise it enough. All I can say is, go watch it! Watch it now! It is a good shrubbery!

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Well, at long last we’ve come to the end of our little farcical award show. Much like “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”, the awards are made up and the prizes don’t matter, but it’s been a lot of fun to write nevertheless. Now finally, we are ready to unveil our favorite series of the entire year!

We’ve had quite the enjoyable time reminiscing about all the great moments of ‘07; hopefully its been a fun experience for you as well. As we crown our “Anime of the Year”, we also look ahead to the new year with high hopes and great anticipation.

Most Anticipated Upcoming Series

Winner: The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya

Runners-up: Gunslinger Girl 2, ARIA the Origination

Grrr…grrrr…why KyoAni, why must you make me wait for more Haruhi? Why do you insist on animating more stupid Key games?

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Unfortunately for most of us, KyoAni has decided to devote all their time and expertise to Key game adaptations in order to satiate the hordes of melancholic, obsessively devoted fans and make huge piles of cashmoney. This would be far less egregious if only it was not preventing the comedic brilliance of the SOS-dan from reaching us sooner.

Needless to say, I’m in rapt anticipation for the unveiling of Haurhi’s second season. Unlike my esteemed colleague, I haven’t read any of the light novels, so I’m very excited to see what sort of events transpire.

In addition, the new season of Gunslinger Girl is also a Priority Number One in new anime for next year. The series is just so bloody heroic and touching that you’re constantly torn between being awestruck and being emotionally stirred. It’s just so well crafted, with a compelling plotline, an endearing cast, and an amazing score. All I can really say is, “More please!”

I’m also very eagerly looking forward to the upcoming third season of ARIA. I just can’t get enough of that show.

“Dekkai osewa desu.”

“Ara ara~”

“Hazukashii serifu kinshi!”

“Heeeee?”

I’m a huge slice-of-life fan, and ARIA is the pinnacle work in that genre, so right now I’m more excited than Potemayo during a rainstorm.

Speaking of which…

Best OVA

Winner: Aria the OVA ~Arietta~

Simply breathtaking. This OVA captured everything that is brilliant in this series and made it look twice as good. I liked Akari’s new look quite a lot, too. ARIA is one of those series that’s often hard to write about, simply because nothing happens and everything happens. I can’t really say much more than that it was amazing, and you should go watch it if you haven’t already.

Ah yeah, and Akari’s timeskip dream was also pretty cool.

Best New Manga

Winner: Saki

I randomly stumbled across this manga while browsing through the Book-Off store in Harajuku earlier this year, and bought the first couple tankouban on a whim.

It’s kind of a fanservice series, which is a genre that I generally find exceedingly boring and trite, but this one is about mahjong. I happen to love playing mahong, and was also a big fan of Akagi, so I’ve enjoyed this manga quite a bit. Basically take Akagi, but replace all the ugly pointy nosed men with cute lolis, replace the yakuza gambling dens with highschools, and replace the badassery with moe fanservice, and you’ve got Saki.

The story’s titular character, Miyanaga Saki, is a highschool girl who has an amazing genius for mahjong and who comes from a family of mahjong players. Unfortunately, she doesn’t enjoy playing the game at all because she was made to play it from a very young age, so the local mahjong club (consisting primarily of hawt girls, naturally) tries to rope her into playing for them (similar to Tamaki from Bamboo Blade). Over the course of the series she gradually begins to discover her love for mahjong, and lots of wacky hijinks ensue, etc.

(click for below larger size versions…)

Best Feature Film

Winner: Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo

Runner-up: Byousoku 5cm

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time was one of the highlights of the year for me. It’s not often that I see a story with such grand ambitions played out in such an effective manner. Usually stories that mess with time traveling have a tendency to get hopelessly complicated as the narrative loses focus through the constantly shifting perspective. This film, however, firmly plants itself on a specific course, and leads the viewer carefully through it with plenty of specific visual cues to help you keep track of what’s happening and when.
One of the main strengths of the story is in the strength of its main character, Makoto. Her primary distinction is, in fact, that she’s perfectly ordinary. She has no grand ambitions or schemes to leap back through time in order to play the stock market and get rich, only small dreams and simple priorities. Redoing that test she failed, going back to eat the pudding from the fridge before her sister can swipe it, rewinding to avoid an awkward conversation – the important things from a highschool girl’s perspective.

Although admittedly, who wouldn’t want to go back in time to eat more pudding, really?

The film’s sense of humor is top notch.

The dialogue is another strong point of the series. It feels perfectly natural and ordinary, thus reinforcing the setting as being one of complete day to day normalcy. Every character feels real, and every conversation has a natural flow that steers clear of the pretentious scripted feeling of so many film conversations. It makes a great contrast to all the sci-fi elements and serves to anchor the film in something familiar to counter all the trippy time warping.

It’s a film that relies on subtlety to draw the viewer into its pace, which serves to make its message about understanding the things that are really valuable in life all the more powerful. Whimsical and fantastic, yet never too unbelievable, Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo is without a doubt one of the most fun animated films I’ve seen in a long, long time.

Anime of the Year

Click to reveal the winner:

show

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Up to this point the awards have mostly been silly and nonsensical. The final two days of our award show, however, will be a little different. We’re putting aside the random awards in favor of a few more traditional categories. Today we’ll be talking about the best the year had to offer in music and voice acting, and then tomorrow wrap things up with the “Best of the Best”.

Music is one of those things that sometimes gets overlooked. A good soundtrack, however, can really define and enrich a series. Great sound and music make cinematic moments all the more captivating and engaging. Music creates an intricate bond between the images in a work of cinema and the emotion displayed in a given scene. If you’ve ever listened to a song and immediately thought of a film or TV series, then you know precisely what I’m referring to. Today we catalog some of those bits of sonic excellence that helped define the past year.

Best OP

Winner: Motteke! Sailor Fuku, Lucky Star

Runners-up: Curriculum (Moyashimon), Prism (Dennou Coil), Kaze Sagashi (Sketchbook), Sora Iro Days (Gurren Lagann), Guns & Roses (Baccano), Mirai wa Bokura no Te no Naka (Kaiji), Hishoku no Sora (Shakugan no Shana II), Hito Toshite Jiku ga Bureteiru (Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei), Sketch Switch (Hidamari Sketch), Poltergeist (Ghost Hound), Raison d’Etre (Claymore), Hayate no Gotoku! (Hayate no Gotoku)

There were quite a few great OP songs this year, so choosing just one to highlight as “the best” is quite a task. That said, one song really stood out from all the others.

When I loaded up that first episode of Lucky Star way back in April (wow has it really been that long?), not really knowing what to expect, I was instantly floored by the ridiculously fast-paced song and dance sequence. I watched it, mouth agape, eyeballs spinning back in my head. Then I rewound and watched it again. Then a third time.

Often the OP is just filler space, but here it completely stole the show. And while that initial shock factor has worn off over time, even after having seen / heard the song dozens of time I’m still not tired of it. Some may pass it off as just another KyoAni dance dance contrivance, but regardless I certainly still enjoyed it.

Other notables include Moyashimon’s amazing OP Curriculum by the talented Sarasa Ifu, with its genki dancing CG microbes and happy-go-lucky vibe, the mysterious and somewhat haunting strains of Dennou Coil’s OP, Prism, and the amazingly soothing Kaze Sagashi, the OP from Sketchbook ~full color’S~ (I love the show, but gosh I hate that title so much).

They’re aren’t too many opening themes that could be accurately described as complete and total sensory overload. Lucky Star’s, however, definitely fits that description. The frenetic pace of the song combined with the ridiculously energetic dance sequence was just unbelievable. And much like the song “Louis, Louis”, the lyrics were virtually indecipherable (especially for me with my rudimentary understanding of Japanese). However, that almost seemed to add to the maddening intensity of it all.

Additionally, after listening to the off vocal version of the song, I really came to appreciate the composition. The bass line especially is actually pretty damned rockin’ for a show with such laid back presentation. Ultimately, whether you adored it or despised it, it’s clear that Lucky Star had one of the most original and impressive openings of the year. Also, the final line was just the perfect crescendo for the sugar-crack montage, “My darling, darling please!”

Awesome, just awesome.

There were certainly plenty other worthy OPs this year, though. As I mentioned in a previous post, I had “bure bure bure bure~” stuck in my head for days after watching Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei. The matching animation with the bizarre bondage depictions, seemingly spasmodic photos of the creators, and the embryonic ending made it all the more insane. Which is to say, it was good.

As far as the most categorically rockin’, as in Queens of the Stone Age caliber rockin’, I’d have to cast my vote for Kaiji. Not only do the lyrics resonate perfectly with Kaiji’s defiant underdog character but it ends with triumphant shouts! What more could you ask for really?

Best ED

Winner: Dango Daikazoku, Clannad

Runners-up: Mebae Drive (Hidamari Sketch), Zessei Bijin (Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei), Sora no Kakera (Dennou Coil), Get My Way! (Hayate no Gotoku), Danzai no Hana (Claymore)

Dango, dango, dango, dango…

You really can’t hate this song. It just has such a great feeling of innocence and happiness, like a good children’s book. It’s only made all the more awesome by the recent revelation that, like many other anime, it is in fact based on real world places. I’ve blogged about this song before, so I’ll spare you the rest of the overflowing praise.

Mebae Drive was also a really tempting choice; call it a very close runner-up. I love the song so much, and it’s such a great match for the overall vibe of Hidamari Sketch – both happy and peaceful at the same time.

The whimsically horrific ending theme of Sayonora Zetsubou Sensei was also excellent. I mean, you have a swing tempo with highly genki singing accompanying it, but the lyrics are describing death, screaming, and other similarly macabre things. It should be unsettling, but in all actuality it’s highly entertaining. The juxtaposition of dirge-like lyrics with Count Basie swing is enough to pull you out of perpetual despair.

Best Insert Song

Winner: Sora Iro Days, Gurren Lagann

I’m not usually a fan of insert songs, but Sora Iro days was an absolutely perfect backdrop to the final battle for the universe.

The video, by the way, is actually a pretty cool compilation using the full length version of the song.

Best Sound

Winner: Ghost Hound

Sound is one of those things that when done with notable excellence can really define a series or film. Movies like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Apocalypse Now, and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly excellently illustrate the way amazing sound can make a story so much more visceral and moving.

Unquestionably, the series that accomplished that this year was Shirow Masamune’s psychologically gripping Ghost Hound. When I watched the first few minutes of the episode one the first thing that entered my mind was, “Damn, my laptop speakers are deplorable.”

After watching it again with 5.1 surround sound all I could think was, “Holy crap, I have been transported to some mysterious dream realm!” The series has such a rich tapestry of sound – from footsteps to door latches to trippy gurgling noises, it’s all stellar. The narrative is compelling in and of itself, but the sound draws you in all the more.

Best Overall Soundtrack

Winner: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

Runners-up: Dennou Coil, Lucky Star, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, Baccano

With Gurren Lagann’s story boasting such an adventurously GAR plotline, it was only just that it be coupled with a truly epic score. And epic it is; if you’re ever played a Final Fantasy title and enjoyed Nobuo Uematsu’s brilliant symphonic compositions, then you’ll be duly impressed with the stirring musical score of Gurren Lagann.

Perhaps it’s just because it’s so well paired with the action packed story, or perhaps it’s because it gives such a grandiose, epic feel to the mecha combat sequences. Either way, the soundtrack is undeniably riveting; it’s enough to make you want to break into a ostentatious battle stance and proclaim your desire to pierce the heavens.

Gurren Lagann’s musical score is quite simply incredible. The songs are epic in scope, and serve to support and dramatize the series brilliantly.

Without a doubt, my favorite song of the entire soundtrack is the second half of “BafBaf! Sonna ni Moeru no ga…Suki Kai?” It’s the perfect sinister yet badass music for when the bad guys make a dramatic entrance.

Add in the triumphant strains of “Ten wo Tsuke!“, the melancholy piano solo of “Love Conservative“, the tension and drama of “Omaera Zenin Moete Shimaetsu!“, Viral’s totally GAR theme song “Nikopol“, and then of course a healthy dose of ROW ROW FIGHT THE POWA, and you’ve got an incredible recipe for glorious success.

Female Seiyuu of the Year

Winner: Hirano Aya

While she’s perhaps not the most seasoned or talented seiyuu in the world, no one can deny that Hirano Aya certainly made quite a splash this year. Plus I really do love her Konata voice. The maid cafe scene in which she switches back and forth between her Konata and Haruhi voices was one of the highlights of the series. Her character songs in which she sings as Konata impersonating other Lucky Star characters were also fantastic. And despite the numerous technical problems, I very much enjoyed her concert with Goto Yuko and Chihara Minori at Anime Expo, as well.

Also I got to touch her hand at AX. Haha, take that Aya fanboys!

Though I wasn’t able to make physical contact with Aya-chan (lucky bastard), I must concur that her leap into the forefront of the voice acting scene certainly does merit some recognition. Granted, it helps that the projects she was associated with became immensely popular: Haruhi, Lucky Star, and Death Note. Still, it’s undeniable that she has quite the broad range of expressions. Not only do her various roles differ substantially in their character but they each have their own distinct quirks, especially Konata. Additionally, to do other impersonations or imitate different voices while using a character voice takes exceptional talent. Whether it be Konata or Haruhi, Hirano Aya’s work was most assuredly win.

Male Seiyuu of the Year

Winner: Shiraishi Minoru

Between his Lucky Channel persona and his Lucky Star ED songs, Shiraishi Minoru really came under the spotlight this year.

His crazy ED antics started getting old toward the end of the series, but still they never failed to make me laugh. I’ve said this before, but his personality really comes through via the improvised song ‘n dance skits, and he demonstrates a laidback and fun loving attitude that’s a pleasure to watch. You’ve gotta give props to a guy who’s not above getting in front of the camera and goofing off for his fans.

After his captivatingly trivial songs, like “Ore no Wasuremono” and “Otoko no Ikizama”, as well as his devastating rampage on Lucky Channel, it would be difficult to deny that Shiraishi’s presence was anything short of hilarious. Also, to do something so self-deprecating and comical showed his virtuosity as a voice actor. Well played Shiraishi, maybe you’ll be the host to Lucky Channel next year.

Best Overall Vocal Cast

Winner: Lucky Star

Runners-up: Gurren Lagann, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, Hidamari Sketch

Every member of the Lucky Star cast had both a distinct and a memorable voice. The “main four” were all perfectly cast and fun to listen to. Konata is obviously the most notable one, but the others were equally excellent. Even the “side characters”, often weaker in terms of voice acting, really stood out in this show.

Patty-chan, with her “Domo desu~!”, was a rare example of a gaijin accent done right. Shocking! I also enjoyed her “Otome Road-o!” exposition scene. Really, her voice is just fun to listen to. Then you have Kuroi-sensei, Yui-neesan, Misao, Tamura, Yutaka – all of them had great memorable voices that fit their characters perfectly.

The vocal cast of Lucky Star was excellent all around. From the main four girls to literally every member of the supporting cast, the voices were distinct, well rounded, and enjoyable. Though Konata may have stolen the show with her adorably amusing mannerisms, the rest of the cast were certainly no slouches. From Soujirou’s goofiness to Kuroi-sensei’s funky Kansai-ben slang, to Yui-neesan’s fun loving genkiness, the voices are well done all around.

Personally, I found Yutaka and Misao’s voices to be among the best of the side characters. They each had such a distinctness to them that I found myself chuckling at virtually every line they spoke. And who could forget the vocal prowess of Patricia Martin? In all sincerity, I’d have to say “Domo desu!” was a strong contender in my book for Best Catchphrase just simply for the fact that Patty’s voice was so entertaining. Through and through, Lucky Star’s vocal cast was top notch, making the show that much more fun through their performances.

They all deserve a big thumbs up and a Konata “Good job!”

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There was a time when the genre “Action” didn’t have the connotation of mindless protagonists, clichéd “take over the world” plots, and gratuitous vehicle explosions in every other scene. Then a very silly man named Michael Bay came along, and well…the rest is history. A very sad history.

Thankfully, several folks in the anime realm still have the vision that good action means epic tales and captivating adventures, and this year was certainly no disappointment in that department.

Also, just to give fair warning for folks who have not seen all of Darker than Black and Gurren Lagann, major spoilers ahead.

Coolest Superpower

Winner: Amber, Darker than Black

Runners-up: Geass (Code Geass), Megane Beamu (Dennou Coil), Beam Spam (Nanoha StrikerS), Microbe Vision (Moyashimon), Defy All Known Physical Laws (Gundam 00)

Just to make this clear upfront, we’re not considering “spiral energy” to be a superpower.

Although there have been a great many characters with amazing abilities of the course of the year, I think the most fascinating has got to be Amber. Even at the end of the series, we don’t really know the full extent of her powers. She’s demonstrated that not only is she capable of stopping and reversing time, she apparently even has some ability to perceive the future and to give others visions of their future as a warning.

While perhaps not the most visually impressive, it was definitely one of the coolest and most mysterious. And of course, time manipulation is always among the most powerful of abilities just in general.

Amber was quite the intriguing antagonist, not ruthless, but not trustworthy either, and always somewhat ambiguous. It’s no wonder, then, she had such an amazing power.

Of course, being able to control time would also have its advantages for everyday tasks. You burned the bacon in the morning? No need to fret, just back up time! You find yourself unfortunately positioned in the path of an oncoming bus? No problem! Simply stop time, collect yourself, and flip off the driver while you’re at it; it’s not like he’ll ever know.

Come to think of it, such a power would give you quite the license for irresponsibility. Perhaps that’s why the obeisance is so severe. Though you’d think that most women would leap at the chance to literally reverse their age at will. That could probably be considered a superpower all on its own, for that matter.

Lamest Superpower

Winner: Iba Itsuki, Rental Magica

Runner-up: The first contractor from Darker than Black

“Honami! Fire your Kansai-ben attack at 37.86014 degrees north by northwest! Nekoyashiki! Use your zanpakuto…err, I mean, your paper airplanes at e^(i*pi) degrees left by right by pizza!

I calculate that we have a 32.33 (repeating, of course) percentage chance of survival! Everyone attack the monster that we can all see very clearly while I stand here and try to look GAR!!”

Like most others, as soon as I saw that eyepatch in the promotional artwork, I figured it was there to conceal some terrifying forbidden jagan power, a final trump card ability. I spent the whole first episode putting up with Itsuki’s uselessness, just waiting for the moment when it would finally be revealed what kind of hideous deus ex machina power he possessed. Mind control? 24 hours of virtual torture? The ability to make his enemies commit suicide? What?!

And then the grand finale comes, he rips off the eyepatch… and transforms into a middle manager. Seriously, what is a power like that good for? Playing Battleship? *sigh*

Now after watching the first episode of Witch Hunter Robin, I had thought that no “super” power could be feebler or more unimpressive than tripping people with sand runes. However, that longstanding record has been shattered by that first contractor from the beginning of Darker than Black, whose power was to float awkwardly. Not flying precisely but more drifting like a child’s errant balloon. And on top of all that, his obeisance is breaking his own fingers! Ouch.

I would’ve checked the fine print on that contract, buddy.

Best Battle Cry

Winner: Tamaki, Bamboo Blade

Sure there were lots of manly action heroes with big voices and bold attitudes, but none of them could top little Tama-chan yelling out “IRASHAIMASEEEE!” at the customers while wearing full bogu, shinai in hand.

And can’t you just see the light of justice in her eyes when she does her amazing kiai during kendo matches? :3

Best “Magic Legs Lieutenant Dan!” Moment

Winner: Awakened Legs Clare, CLAYMORE

“Motto! Motto! Mwottooo!“

I gotta give props to the makers of CLAYMORE. Despite all the Claymores looking like virtual carbon copies of each other, they actually managed to give them a pretty interesting variety of abilities. Without a doubt, however, the one that made me laugh the hardest was Clare’s episode 23 transformation. I know it was supposed to be dramatic and gripping, but I couldn’t help but chuckle watching her fly back and forth, just trashing whatever building happened to be in her way.

Seriously, somebody get this gal a contract as a running back. After all, partial awakening doesn’t count as steroid use, right? And then just hope she can put on the brakes before she takes out the goalpost.

Best One Liner

Winner: UNDECIDED!

We can’t decide, you decide!

Honestly there were so many amazing one liners it would’ve been a terrible injustice to choose one over all the others. So, instead we compiled a list of our favorites and decided to put it out there for you guys. Do you have a favorite choice out of these?

- “Massugu Go!”

- “All hail Brittania!”

- “Honi honi!”

- “Bye-bee!”

- “Row row fight the powa!”

- “I’m in despair!” / “Zetsubou shita!”

- “What if I had died?!” / “Shindara dou suru?!”

- “Mochi goes whee~.” / “Mochi unyuu~.”

- “Who the fuck do you think I am?” / “Ore wa dare da to omotteiru?”

- “Pierce the heavens with your drill!” / “Omae no doriru de ten wo tsuke!”

- “Believe in the me that believes in you!” / “Omae ga shinjiru ore wo shinjirou!”

- “Just as I thought, you were lying… there’s no one inside you.” / “Yappari, uso dattan janai desu ka… naka ni daremo imasen yo.”

Best Power Stance

Winner: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

Simon and Kamina’s “Pierce the Heavens” battle stance, combined with swelling triumphant music and light streaming down from the heavens, is a moment of near GAR-euphoria. It’s so epic and so monumental that it’s entirely possible you could suffer a brain aneurysm from prolonged exposure.

Best Use of Power Tools

Winner: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

Good thing I’m not into carpentry, because Gurren Lagann has ruined me when it comes to handling drills. I’d forever be holding the bloody thing up in the air and shouting stuff like, “Now I’ve lost it; I know I can drill!”

On the other, it would be kind of handy in a vocational setting, too. You would never have to change to a bigger drill bit, you’d just hold it over your head and yell in a manly fashion and the drill would conveniently level up to the size you needed.

You know, you’d think that Black & Decker would’ve attempted to swing some kind of marketing deal with Gainax. As soon as they figure out how to make drills that are powered by “fighting spirit”, that is.

Haha, so it’d be like the Pizza Hut product placement in Code Geass? “GIGA BLACK & DECKER® DRILL BREAKER!!”

Hmm…it doesn’t have quite the same impact as C.C. sitting on the bed in a T-shirt eating pizza.

Most GAR

Winner: Simon, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

Runners-up: Hei (Darker than Black), Kaiji (Kaiji)

Although Akagi is technically the lifelong holder of this award, we had to make a concession due to the fact that his show didn’t air this year. But even if it had aired, it would’ve been a difficult decision between the always cool and collected gambling genius and Gurren Lagann’s intrepid hero Simon (”Believe in the me that believes in you!”). From somewhat a uncertain adolescent adventurer to the “so GAR it’s almost embarrassing” savior of the universe, Simon is the quintessence of manliness and GAR.

Other runners-up of note:

Hei – Every time he stepped into a battle with his badass Kuro no Shinigami mask on, you knew that some major smack was about to laid down. Combined with his awesome knife wielding skills and lethal electricity powers, Hei is most assuredly GAR to the core.

Kaiji – What kind of a list would this be without mentioning the manly tear-shedding gambling pariah? Kaiji is the classic antihero. No matter how many times he falls, he always rises again.

Best Improvised Projectile Weapon

Winner: Galaxies, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

Runner-up: Giant Stunna Shades, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

Just when you thought Gurren Lagann couldn’t possibly get any bigger, any crazier, any more badass. That final battle was truly epic, a worthy conclusion to the series. And not only were Simon and Co. amazing, you gotta give props to the Anti-Spiral, too! In what other series have you seen the antagonist use galaxies – galaxies! – like they were mere shuriken?

You’ve gotta love the sunglasses-boomerang maneuver, as well. I mean, is there anything more awesome then tearing your opponents asunder with one mighty toss of your stunna shades? I think not.

Best Mecha

Winner: Gurren Lagann, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

Runner-up: Code Geass

And a clean sweep for Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann! Although honestly, there was no real competition that can compare with the peerless dominance of Simon & Co. Coupled with Gainax’s unique and fluid animation style, the cartoonish bravado of the mecha itself is just priceless.

I mean, the thing wears giant sunglasses, and poses with with flames and erupting volcanoes in the background, for crying out loud. In any other series that would be gratuitous and cheesy, but with Gurren Lagann it feels absolutely right.

As cool as the final form Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann was, I have to say, I still like the original version best.

The broken helmet, the two talking heads, the giant shades, the color scheme – it was all great.

Best Action Series

Winner: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

Runner-up: Code Geass

Right from the very beginning, Gurren Lagann was a show that knew what it wanted and where it wanted to go. It’s an increasingly rare example of a series that knew how to pace itself, neither too fast or too slow in unfolding the grand overarching narrative.

The strength of the cast is another thing Gurren Lagann did well. We were able to see all of the main cast grow and mature over the course of the series, especially our intrepid protagonist. From his humble origins digging underground, Simon underwent an amazing transformation to attain legendary status as a true man’s man, a hero among heroes.

I think that after the disaster that was Ikari Shinji, Gainax’s anime karma swung so far off in the emo direction that no normal means was capable of bringing them back. To return to equilibrium, they needed something so bad to the bone, so unquestionably awesome that it could become an equal and opposite match for Shinji. And thus Gurren Lagann was born, Gainax’s redemption, the polar opposite of everything Evangelion.

Really, the opening line, “Are all the lights in the sky our enemies?” and its corresponding answer in the final episode, “All the lights in the sky are stars,” is a nice analogy for the series as a whole. Regardless of how innumerable or insurmountable the obstacles in your path may be, with determination you can pierce through them all and reach for the stars.

Gurren Lagann was one of those series that’s essentially a nonstop thrilling ascent, becoming more and more intense with each episode. Watching it is like listening to a Mars Volta album or riding a roller coaster; it’s just perpetual action and win.

But just because Gurren Lagann is pure adrenaline doesn’t mean it shirks on the plot or characters at all. The story isn’t afraid to “pierce the heavens” and push the envelope. Despite being somewhat in the shounen genre it has the integrity to develop themes of grief, sorrow, and sacrifice. The story is so visceral that regardless of how over the top it gets, it never feels cheap. It’s as if Gainax has performed some great act of penance, purging themselves of the purgatory that is Shinji’s legendary bitchiness. I can say with confidence that with Gurren Lagann they have pierced the ceiling of that purgatory and burst through to the heavens.

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A gripping and intense story is something that captivates us regardless of the medium, be it film, anime, theatre, or literature. The term “drama”, however, is used pretty capriciously nowadays and usually has the connotation of trite relationship infidelities or other such drivel. Disregarding that unpleasant parlance, we felt there were some pretty epic moments this year worth mentioning and reminiscing about.

I’ll warn you upfront that today’s awards are also a bit of a mixed bag, and are a lot heavier overall than our previous awards posts, so get your serious business pants on.

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Nicest Boat

Winner: School Days

Runner-up: Kaiji

The Nice Boat phenomenon will not be forgotten any time soon, it seems. Indeed, it appears to have already entered into anime fan vocabulary as a slang term similar to “jump the shark”, implying a “Bad End” for a show, preferably involving violence.

Of course Kaiji’s Nice Boat, the Ship of Hope: Espoir, was pretty epic as well, but it didn’t cause nearly the kind of sensation that Nice Boat did.

You wouldn’t expect yakuza types hell-bent on enslaving hopelessly indebted degenerates to have such a scathing sense of irony. But what else can you say about a ship named Espoir (hope) that is essentially a one way ticket to the forced labor camps? Even if you escape the hellish barge, you’re quite likely to end up in greater debt. To make matters worse there’s no bar, no buffet, and no room service.

And no cake, either.  :shock:

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Coolest and Spiciest

Winner: Hinamori Amu, Shugo Chara

Runner-up: Epic Win Blog

I’m generally not a big fan of brightly colored shoujo series, nor of magical girl shows, but somehow Shugo Chara seems to have risen above the usual cliches and become a different kind of animal. It’s got all the usual mahou shoujo trappings, sure, but it also delves into slice-of-life and comedy fare, which has helped to keep things interesting. Well, that and Su is awesome.

Additionally, Cool & Spicy™ has definitely got to be one of the better catchphrases this year. It never ceases to make me chuckle when I hear it.

Pointiest Nose

Winner: Kaiji, Kaiji

Zawa zawa!

While many people seem to be turned off by Kaiji’s gritty art style and lack of moe characters, I think this is one of the selling points of the series. It really gives the series its unique flavor and sets the tone for the entire show.

Also, in a nosestabbing contest I’d put money on Kaiji any day. Even if the other guy was Pinocchio.

If the gritty, tense, dark world of Fukumoto’s gambling epic Kaiji doesn’t captivate you, perhaps the sheer nosestabbing manliness of it all will. It’s enough masculinity to break a Gundam emo-tard in half with a single stab.

True it could be argued that Akagi’s nose is slightly pointier than Kaiji’s making him decidedly more GAR. Others argue that the ratio of manly tears to nose pointiness give Kaiji more credibility. The issue is hotly contested to this very day.

Best “You Got Owned” Face

Winner: Kaiji, Kaiji

It’s always gratifying to watch the hero gloriously triumph after many setbacks, and one of the key parts of properly enjoying that triumph is seeing the protagonist dancing in the proverbial endzone. And while Kaiji’s psychological gambling victories are perhaps not as epic in scope as some, he certainly doesn’t come up lacking in the triumphal gloating department. Whenever he overcomes another setback and another opponent, he always makes sure the other guy gets a good dosage of his “You just got owned” victory dance.

In previous posts we’ve compared the “Ron” face of Kaiji and Akagi respectively. However, among shows in the past year, it’s unquestionable that Kaiji has the most scathingly smug “pwn3d” expression. It’s not just that his smirk reeks of superiority, it’s the fact that he looks so damned gleeful about it. Talk about devastating.

Best Meta-Show

Winner: Sensei and Ninomiya-kun, Minami-ke

“Ninomiya-kun!”

“Sensei!”

“NINOMIYA-KUN!”

“SENSEI!”

“NINOMIYA-KUN!”

What started off as a mere cameo developed into a great running gag that seems to have taken on a life of its own. In addition to serving as the set up for several jokes among the Minami sisters, it also employs some excellent comedy in its own right. In particular, it parodies many anime related cliches, such as recycling animation to cut costs, and the mysterious hit-and-run vehicle.

In case you’re a bit behind with your Minami-ke watching (for shame!) or you’ve forgotten, here’s a video compilation of all the Sensei and Ninomiya-kun clips.

Most Underrated

Winner: Baccano!

Despite being ABSOLUTELY FRICKIN AMAZING, it sometimes seems as though nobody has even heard of Baccano. It’s received extremely limited coverage in the anime community; even my esteemed co-writer Guff hasn’t seen it yet.

Admittedly, it’s a difficult show to describe to someone else. The cast is so huge and the story so involved that coming up with a good succinct way to introduce the plot while still doing it justice is nearly impossible. About the only way I can think to do it is by painting a brief picture of the setting in which it takes place:

Baccano is set in the 1930’s USA amidst the dark mafia underworld. In addition to the usual suspects that would be expected in that sort of setting, it also features a number of characters referred to as immortals (不死者 fushisha) who, having drunk the elixir of life, are essentially, well…immortal, enabling them to regenerate and get up unscathed even after receiving fatal injuries. It features a twisting story involving several disparate plotlines which slowly converge together in a fashion that would make even Tom Clancy proud.

Other strong points Baccano has to offer include beautifully evocative artwork, a strong soundtrack, amazingly fluid and well choreographed fight scenes (nearly Samurai Champloo caliber, IMO), and a varied rogues gallery cast of characters, some which you love and some which you love to hate.

The story certainly is not without its shortcomings. It’s a tad predictable in the later episodes, can be somewhat confusing to following the earlier ones, and has a lot of blood and gore, but if you can overcome those obstacles, there’s a real gem of a story hidden within, one that not many people seem to discovered so far.

It’s one part pulp fiction, one part steampunk, one part mafioso, one part Tarantino, one part Fullmetal Alchemist, and two parts pure undiluted win. A delicious recipe indeed, and one you won’t find anywhere else in anime.

Best Drama

Winner: Darker than Black

Runners-up: Kaiji, Dennou Coil, Ghost Hound

Of all the awards we’ve given out so far, none has been as hard to write about as Darker than Black. There are so many things to say, yet words seem so ineffective at adequately conveying the brilliance of this series. It’s one of those rare stories that manages to strike a delicate balance between developing a theme and yet still allowing, perhaps even requiring the viewer to actively think and engage with the show’s thematic elements in order to extract those nuggets of wisdom. Where most series are very blatant, leaving little to the imagination, Darker than Black is subtle, often relying on small details to convey large ideas.

It focuses on emotional themes and philosophical conjectures, weaving characters and story threads in and out to create a fascinating tapestry of memory and humanity. While some complained about the lack of explanation for the many mysteries of the Darker than Black universe, I feel that this is missing the point. The show is not about the larger sci-fi elements; it’s about the characters and their story.

“I was by far the faster.”

Darker than Black certainly incorporates some excellent fight scenes and HUERRGH-laden action sequences, of course, but ultimately it’s larger than those moments alone. It’s a cerebral show, one that can’t be fully appreciated without some effort on the viewer’s part. I love it because it has real and meaningful things to say, and because it doesn’t insult my intelligence in the process of cultivating those thoughts by holding my hand the entire way.

The little moments – Yin pulling the corners of her mouth up to smile, Huang gruffly telling his teammates to go on without him as he sacrificed himself, Hei refusing to make the “logical decision” time and time again, instead choosing to protect those valuable to him – these are what carry the series and give it its depth. If you know how to look for them, Darker than Black can become a delightfully rewarding and immersive experience.

“If you’re happy and you know it…”

Although we’ve discussed at length the narrative excellence, the cinematographic splendor, and the compelling nature of the characters in previous posts, there’s still much to say.

Darker than Black’s plot is complex without feeling overbearing or pretentious. It portrays a world that is inextricably divided by those who have traded their humanity for power and those who haven’t. The human crime syndicates exploit contractors for their cold, logical obedience. Government agencies cover the conspiracy and use contractors to their own ends. The world is one of intrigue and distrust. The contractors themselves are plagued by an obeisance, a ritual they must perform as penance for using their powers.

Elements of destiny, human emotion, suffering, and freedom all come into play and are fought over in an ever more engrossing conspiracy involving the mysterious gate incident, when the stars as we know them vanished forever.

The characters are well defined and remarkably genuine. Their experiences resonate with you. The episode of Huang’s back story, in particular, was a personal favorite of mine. With classic film noir flair, the tale of a man with a betrayed past and washed out memories becomes a rich and palpable microcosm within the greater plot. Similarly, even the seemingly stoic “Doll” Yin becomes integral to the story as she learns what it means to feel again.

“Hei! Watashi wo hitori ni shinai de!”

One of the great character arcs of the series is her redemption of Hei at the story’s climax. “Don’t leave me alone!” I get chills just thinking about that scene; talk about solid execution.

Another awesome aspect of Darker than Black is that it refuses to cut corners on any of the characters, even in more episodic segments, like episodes 17 – 18 (I’ll Sing a Love Song at the Garbage Dump), you have emotionally powerful movements. And what about Havoc’s heart wrenching backstory? Who couldn’t avoid being moved by such a powerful sequence? It speaks volumes to the show’s meticulous narrative. Even the side characters become underdogs that you cheer on and relate to.

Speaking of side characters, how amazing was the hilarious detective duo of Kiko and Kurasawa Guy? It’s always great to see a story knock its own genre, tongue in cheek, with such a stereotypical character. Guy is the classic Sam Spade type, with the chain smoking, cheesy one liners, and fedora to boot; quite the mismatch for a bossy and diminutive cosplaying coworker. Honestly though, even those characters you grow attached to. They make the world of Darker than Black such an immersive experience, and that’s what good storytelling is all about: drawing you into another world.

If you missed Darker than Black previously, consider ringing in the new year with this spectacular anime series. I assure you the amount of win you’ll ingest will make you feel positively gluttonous.

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As much as we all love a good dramatic, action packed series, there’s really nothing better for relaxing after a hard day at work than some lighthearted humor. Well, unless there’s a new episode of Aria, in which case everything else goes out the window.

Fortunately, this year had a pretty strong showing when it came to comedy, with enough variety that there was something to appeal to everyone.

Best Attempted Suicide

Winner: Itoshiki Nozomu, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei

Because the category was for attempted suicide only, we unfortunately couldn’t give the award to the plot of Gundam 00. Aside from that, however, in the realm of despair and suicidal tendencies none can compare to the inimitable Zetsubou-sensei. I mean, his very name inspires dire and dreary times! What’s more, he’s always prepared to spiral into some tangential rant about the shortcomings of society and his inevitable doom, noose in hand.

The man carries a portable suicide kit (a last aid kit, perhaps?) with him, for goodness sake! And among the various poisons and nooses he even has a Best of Enya compilation CD! How do you compete with that kind of preparedness?

Best Cigarette Lighter

Winner: Director Nasu Tian Hoon, Rocket Girls

Rocket Girls was a show that couldn’t make up its mind what it wanted to be. It had all the makings of a ridiculous fanservice comedy, but then kept trying to steer the story in a more dramatic direction, which was enjoyable but very hard to take seriously. The whole sending lolis into space bit aside, however, definitely the most hilarious highlight of the show was the Director’s ridiculous lighter, which was shaped like a miniature rocket.

In a sense, you almost have to admire that kind of over-the-top hubris. After all, who hasn’t seen some poor smoker fiddling with matches on a cold windy day, desperately trying to protect the flame long enough to get his cigarette lit? This guy, on the other hand, could casually light up even during the middle of a snowstorm.

This lighter categorically just does not mess around. I couldn’t help but thinking of the “Toys in the Attic” episode of Cowboy Bebop, in which Spike tries to light up using an acetylene torch. I imagine he would’ve had more luck with one of these puppies. Forget matches, a Bic, or even the trusty Zippo; when you absolutely have to light that cigar, liquid rocket fuel is the only surefire method!

Best Moe Utterance

Winner: “Au~”, Hanyuu, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai

Runner-up: “Jiiiiiii~”

Auau~

If you’re still in doubt concerning the sheer moe power of Hanyuu, perhaps her song will convince you of the sheer versatility of the expression. It really is quite horrifying how addictive it is (the song). It’s catchy to the point of being sinister. Of course, it is from a Higurashi character, after all. Sinister is what they do best.

Jiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii~

Although it’s not a made-up sound per se, this year’s runner-up recognition definitely has to go the Japanese onomatopoeia for the sound of staring, “Jiii~.” Although employed effectively by many different characters over the years, few did it as well (or as long!) as Kagami. As if that wasn’t enough, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei’s resident stalker, Tsunetsuki-san, also made frequent use of the phrase, popping out from random dark corners to monitor Itoshiki-sensei’s every move.

I can’t decide if Tsunetsuki’s stare is adorable or paranoia inducing. Either way, if you’re going to be stalked by someone, I suppose it might as well be an obsequiously attentive and attractive female. Actually, I can’t really see that being all that cumbersome, personally.

Haha, oh wow. Somebody’s obviously never had a creepy ex-girlfriend who doesn’t know when to give up.

>_>

Best Serious Business Face

Winner: Minami-ke

Even Light-o himself would be proud of the Minami sisters when it comes to showing everyone that you mean serious business. All three sisters have their own sinister side, although admittedly Haruka-neesama is probably the one I would be most afraid to cross.

This particular aspect of the show reminded me a great deal of an older series called Damekko Doubutsu, which used a similar technique, constantly shifting from extreme chibi on the one hand to extreme realism on the other. It’s a pretty effective way of creeping you out, really, when you’ve gotten used to moe character designs and teardrop shaped mouths.

See, this is exactly why Kana is Boss. Talk about serious business! Even the boss of them all, Tommy Lee Jones, would be impressed.

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Best Fang Power

Winner: Kuroi-sensei, Lucky Star

Runners-up: Misao (Lucky Star), Kagami Kuro (Kodomo no Jikan)

Tsuruya is and always will be the only true invincible poster girl for fang power, of course, but sadly she hasn’t been around this year.

Thus, we turn to the next best representative in recent memory, Kuroi-sensei! “My honey!”

We’ve already discussed at length the comic virtues of Class 3B’s illustrious instructor, but it’s worth repeating. From her MMORPG addiction and her hysterical laugh to her funky Kansai-ben slang, Kuroi sensei is a shining example of everything that makes Lucky Star fun. Seriously, why is she still single?

And of course, we couldn’t very well even have this category without an honorable mention for Misao! Fang powa!

Best Harem

Winner: Itoshiki Nozomu, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei

Runners-up: Tomoya (Clannad), Hayate (Hayate no Gotoku)

Itoshiki-sensei’s improbable good fortune has left me in despair! Zetsubou shita!

Few shows have ever had such a cavalcade of dysfunctional anime stereotypes as Shaft’s Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei. Hikikomori, stalker, perfectionist, passive aggressive text messager, schizophrenic, tail fetishist, doujinshi fangirl, and perpetually genki girl, too. It’s practically a fetishism paradise. The zany and inventive animation style are another aspect of Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei that made the show so incredibly enjoyable. Really, with such a bountiful bevy of adoring students, how can Itoshiki be so down?

Clannad was a tempting choice as well, mainly because of Kyou, but I just couldn’t resist going with the deliciously broken harem of Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, if only for the lulz. Or perhaps I’m just getting jaded with all the Key game character tropes.

Best Comedy

Winner: Potemayo

Runners-up: Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, Minami-ke, Hayate no Gokotu

As I discussed previously during our 12 Days of Christmas featurette, Potemayo was one of those shows that I initially overlooked when it first aired. The art style and the “moe blob” concept of the series didn’t really seem to appeal to me, so I decided not to watch it. Little did I know what a foolish decision that would turn out to be.

Fortunately, other wiser bloggers raved about the show’s crazy-go-nuts humor, and thus I was eventually persuaded to give it a go. And I’m so glad I did, because this little 12 episode series turned out to be one of the most fun anime of the entire year. Sure, it was almost entirely physical comedy and cheap laughs, but the jokes were consistent and varied enough to keep me rolling the entire time.

Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei and Hayate no Gotoku both started off very strong, but in the later episodes become kind of hit-and-miss. Minami-ke is, of course, a work of sheer genius, but it just didn’t tickle my funny bone nearly as much as Potemayo or Lucky Star did. Nevertheless, I would be remiss if I didn’t give a proper shout out to Chiaka-sama and her devious machinations, Haruka-banchou and her double bubble “kami no shita waza”, Hosaka and his bizarre simulations, Kana and her “I Am Boss!” T-shirt, and of course the unparalleled Mako-chan.

Vitamayo, and her trusty weapon, Graf Iten

There’s really no other series that can to compare with Potemayo’s zany and original brand of craziness. From Potemayo fending off Natsu’s “affection waves” to Guchuko duct taping doors back together after making a forced entry, few shows deliver the slapstick madness better than Potemayo. Granted the series isn’t exactly the most highbrow show out there, but nevertheless it’s absolutely side splitting. If you’re seeking chortles aplenty, look no further than Potemayo.

Kaoru’s obsessing over Mudou got old pretty quickly, but other than that there’s not much you can really say to fault Potemayo. (Well, some people didn’t care for Nene’s squeaky voice, but as an avowed Kugumiya Rie fanboy, I would never admit to such a thing.)

All of the characters were solid and had distinct personalities, and the show had such a perfect balance between sugary cuteness and shockingly brazen humor that I never knew what to expect next. Plus it makes for great crossover fanart.

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The award ceremony marches onward, now with more silly categories and some slice-of-life awards!

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Sometimes you just need a good pick me up. Of course, personally I usually turn to caffeine, tobacco, or alcohol.

When it comes to anime, however, there are time when you really just need something relaxing, simple, and entertaining. That’s where slice-of-life goodness comes in. This year, we had quite a bonanza of shows to choose from. Composing this list of awards was very nostalgic, bringing back many fond memories of the year gone by. Hopefully this post will do the same for you.

Best 6 Minute Food Discussion

Winner: Lucky Star

The first episode of Lucky Star is oft-maligned due to the lengthy food-based discussion that it started off with. While I can understand that not everyone would enjoy that, it immediately attracted me to the show. Admittedly, I may be a bit biased; I enjoy slow-paced shows that feature ordinary, day to day activities in part because it’s good conversational Japanese practice.

Nevertheless, this scene was a lot of fun, and really set the tone for the series. Certainly few other shows this year started off on such a controversial note, with fans quickly polarizing into opposing camps.

Whether you adored it or loathed it, the first episode of Lucky Star and its quandary of choco cornet consumption definitely made quite the impression. Honestly, I was immediately hooked after watching this segment. Being a tremendous fan of tangential conversational humor (i.e. – The Big Lebowski, Seinfeld, etc.), it was fantastic to see Lucky Star accomplish this with such panache.

Eating choco cornets can actually be quite challenging endeavor, it appears. Thankfully, we are not alone in this conundrum.

Best Clouds

Winner: ef – a tale of memories

If the narrative wasn’t your cup of tea, or you felt the characters weren’t particularly compelling, fear not! You can always ignore the dialogue and just look at those clouds. They’re gorgeous…wow, hey that one looks like a piece of barbecued meat! Oops, wrong show…

Wait, where was I? Oh yes, ef was definitively the series of choice when it came to animated cloud viewing this year, without question.

And to be fair, the clouds actually have a fair amount of significance in the overall storyline, as others have pointed out.

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Best Densuke

Winner: Densuke, Dennou Coil

Well, this was a truly difficult choice, what with the many fierce competitors in the race. However, after much deliberation, we unanimously decided on Densuke as the Best Densuke this year. While other Densuke’s made a strong showing, Dennou Coil’s Densuke really sealed the deal with his amazing full back-handspring maneuver, and he stuck the landing to boot! Congratulations Densuke, you’ve earned it!

You couldn’t ask for a more loyal and trustworthy sidekick than Densuke. From patiently enduring Kyoko’s incessant abuse on the one hand, to fiercely fending off illegals and bravely rescuing her when she needed it on the other, Densuke was always loyal and selfless. Plus his face is all squidgy and elastic.

Pinkest Supervisor

Winner: Itoshiki Nozomu, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei

At first Kafuka’s choice of “Pink Supervisor” as Itoshiki-sensei’s title seemed a bit random, but as his dysfunctional harem grew in size it became steadily more apparent that it reflected his true talent – as a playa of the highest caliber. After all, surely there could be no more fitting title than Pink Supervisor for a man who collects an endless stream of haremettes one after another, all without even trying.

Momoiri Kakaricho! Kafuka’s hilarious misnomer for the perpetually melancholy Itoshiki-sensei was one of the more endearing monikers from this past year. Honestly, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei would’ve been great with just the hilarious juxtaposition of Itoshiki and Kafuka, although the rest of the cast was certainly amusing as well.

Hikikomori, shippo festishists, perfectionists, and token foreign exchange students – it’s a regular moe-stereotype cornucopia! Unfortunately, I must wait for the new season to get my fill of the downtrodden Itoshiki-sensei and Co.

*sigh* Zetsubou shita!

Best Long Jump While Holding A Microscope

Winner: Itsuki Keizou, Moyashimon

In a year with many examples of grandiose leaping and flamboyant acrobatics, few were quite as impressive as Itsuki-sensei’s long jump. This clearly dispels the stereotype that elderly Japanese gentlemen specializing in fermented delicacies and microbial studies can’t jump.

No no, you’re thinking of white men.

Anyone who’s seen a Hong Kong kung fu film knows that Asians have hops. As do giant robots, clearly. I mean, that’s just common knowledge, that mecha the size of aircraft carriers can just leap through the air.

The “Now You’re Thinking With Portals” Award for Awesomeness in Technology

Winner: Dennou Coil

Runner-up: Gurren Lagann

If I had a metabug for every time I’ve wished I could launch missiles through the internet at some asshat, well…I’d have a lot of metabugs, I guess. Forget all the trippy “crossing over to the other side” stuff from the later episodes, this was the most inspiring moment of Dennou Coil. When the day finally comes that I can hack into somebody’s computer and launch tiny rockets at them through an open port, I’ll be a very happy man, indeed.

Really, life would be so much more fun if the internets operated in such a fashion. In fact, life would be much better if you could launch explosive projectiles at your foes whenever you saw fit. It would certainly deter random acts of jackassery.

While we’re at it, an honorable mention also goes out to Gurren Lagann for piercing space-time in order to kick off with momentum and surpass the impossible.

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Best Genki Girl

Winner: Kirino Chiba, Bamboo Blade

Runners-up: Yoshinoya-sensei (Hidamari Sketch), Kafuka (Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei), Yui-neesan (Lucky Star)

The Tsuruya-chan and Asa-sempai Memorial “Genki Girl” Award is given each year to the character who best exemplifies a lifestyle and attitude that’s characterized by pure, unmitigated, over-the-top genkiness. Green hair is preferable, but not required.

If you had asked me early in the year whether anyone would be able to top Yoshinoya-sensei, I would’ve said no, but all that changed with Bamboo Blade. Kirino’s incredibly happy and hyperactive personality, coupled with her near religious devotion to kendo, was undoubtedly a recipe for success when it comes to genkiness. Her nekoguchi and hilarious facial expressions only serve to seal the deal.

She’s also wonderfully gif-able, as you’ve no doubt noticed if you’re a regular reader. And having said that I just realized that it sounds kind of wrong, somehow. >_>

As for the runners-up…

With her furious “Initial D” style driving in sharp contrast to her capricious, fun-loving attitude (despite her career in law enforcement!), Yui-neesan was yet another character in Lucky Star that received far too little screen time. And for a police officer, she certainly can drink! Honestly, what’s not to love?

On the other hand, the unswerving optimism of Kafuka was surely one of the most entertaining aspects of Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei. You’ve got to love her blissfully inaccurate appraisals of any given situation, which always end up resulting in some kind of happy resolution anyway.

If you’re ever feeling a tad suicidal someday, I’m certain a healthy dose of Kafuka will show you how impossible such a thing could be. After all, Pink Gabriel would never forgive you.

Most Educational

Winner: Moyashimon

Runners-up: Ghost Hound, Lucky Star

Who says you can’t learn anything useful from anime? This year certainly proved that not only is it possible, it can also be terribly entertaining. And while there were many shows that imparted useful information here and there, one really stood out from the rest of the pack. Moyashimon is not only uproariously funny, it’s also genuinely educational.

One might ordinarily assume that learning about something like the scientific process by which sake is made would be terribly boring, but when the lesson is taught by Itsuki-sensei and an army of Oryzae-tans, it becomes a hilarious tale that entertains, but also makes the underlying lesson stick in your memory amazingly well. After all, three months ago how many of us would have even known what Aspergillus Oryzae even was?

We’ve stated this multiple times, but imagine how much more enjoyable classes in biochemistry would be if teachers used episodes of Moyashimon in conjunction with the textbook? Actually…screw the textbook, leave the explanations to the Oryzae-tans!

As for Ghost Hound, despite the bizarre, psychologically chilling plot and the trippy scene transitions, the narrative certainly did not shirk on its psychiatric homework. From citing actual psychological conditions for the characters’ back stories to using legitimate means of therapy and psychoanalysis, Ghost Hound delivers the goods in spades.

And then of course there’s Lucky Star. Sick of the appalling ambiguity of Wikipedia? Just consult the handy Encyclopedia Miyuki! From proper hair care techniques to tips on minesweeper mastery, Miyuki will not disappoint. Unless you’re not a fan of meganekko characters, I suppose.

Best Slice-of-Life

Winner: Lucky Star

Runners up: Hidamari Sketch, Moyashimon, Minami-ke, Sketchbook

2007 was a great year all around for slice-of-life lovers, with a number of wonderfully laidback series to choose from. Honestly, it was a tough call, since all of these shows have their merits, and to a certain degree they all appeal to different kinds of people.

While everyone will have their own personal favorite, Lucky Star wins my vote with its charming blend of the wacky and the mundane, the serious and humorous. Minami-ke has its silly and non sequitur humor, Sketchbook has its peaceful and relaxing iyashikei vibes, Hidamari Sketch was just plain fun, and Moyashimon is, well… Moyashimon. All of them were outstanding in what they did, but none of them did everything and did it as well as Lucky Star managed to.

This has been said hundreds of times already, but it bears mentioning again – one of the show’s greatest strengths is in the way it takes situations and events that are perfectly ordinary and turns them back at the viewer, helping us to see the humor in the simple everyday occurrences of life.

If you’ve read our blog for a while then you’re probably familiar with our fondness for Lucky Star. Truly though, Lucky Star was a gem in the slice-of-life genre. In all honesty, it’s just a phenomenally entertaining show. If you haven’t seen it, you should. If you have, go watch it again.

It certainly can’t hurt anything… other than your sides from hysterical laughter, that is.

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Another year has come and gone, and with it a number of excellent and entertaining shows. It brought moments that made us roll with laughter, moments that made us shed manly tears, moments that made us smile and nod, moments that healed our spirits, and moments that made us thrust our hands into the air, finger upraised, pointing to the heavens.

Thus, in recognition of our favorite series from throughout the last 12 months, we are very proud to present to you the 27th Annual Epic Win Best of the Year Anime Award Show!

In this segment we discuss a number of notable shows from 2007, and give out awards to those series that we feel are the most deserving. Some are serious, some are silly, and some are just for fun.

Speaking of just for fun…as you may have already guessed from the title, this first day of the awards is our own tongue-in-cheek equivalent of the Razzies, acknowledging the best of the worst and the worst of the best – the Cream of the Crap, if you will.

Don’t think just because we’re talking about epic failure that things can’t get competitive. It was difficult to catalog the most embarrassingly awful moments in the past year, but through meticulous effort we’ve managed to come up with the biggest facepalm inducing catastrophes of ‘07.

Most Emo Series

Winner: Dragonaut

“I’m so ronery…”

“GIIIIIIIOOOOOOO!!”

“TOOOOAAAAAAA!”

If you could find a way to harness all the energy the cast of Dragonzo Dragonauts puts into emocrying you would solve the world’s energy crisis overnight. I won’t even waste time going into detail about it, because the good folks over at WTF?! Anime Blog have already hit that nail squarely on the head in their “Emonaut Thumbnail Theatre” segment.

And if any doubt remained about whether Dragonzo Dragonauts deserved this award, it was settled with the discovery of Kazuki’s secret diary.

Now let me tell you, besting Gundam 00 in the wretched emo whining department is quite the feat. If it wasn’t such a dubious honor I would say Gonzo ought to be proud.

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Best Trap

Winner: Mako-chan, Minami-ke

“Iyaaaaa~”

Genshiken 2 definitely had its moments, but you just can’t beat Mako’s incessant mishaps with three Minami sisters, especially after Haruka’s epic groping scene.

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Worst Trap

Winner: Saito Ayumi-chan, Shion ni Ou

“Look out! It’s a trap!”

Someone should probably notify Admiral Ackbar for this one…I mean seriously.

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Beigest Butts

Winner: Ghost Hound

“I like…beige butts and I cannot lie…”

What does it take to completely annihilate the heart pounding, spine tingling intensity of Shirow Masamune’s Ghost Hound? How about an obnoxious dosage of baboon-like buttocks of the beige variety? Who made this decision, honestly, and how on earth was it decided?

“All right people, what can we do to really amplify the unsettling and surreal nature of the spirit world?”

“Hmmm…how about disproportionate infant bodies with large heads and blaringly beige posteriors?”

“That’s genius Yamada-san! Get an animator on that pronto!”

*sigh*

I honestly was so caught up in the mood that I didn’t even notice this minor detail until Martin at The End of the World went on a mini-rant about it… but now that I’ve seen it, I can no longer unsee. O_O

The beige butts haunt my dreams and nightmares…

Character Who Most Needed More Screentime

Winner: Misao, Lucky Star

Runners-up: Patricia Martin (Lucky Star), Mare (Shakugan no Shana II)

“3 second rule!”

All of the Lucky Star secondary cast needed more screentime and character development, really, but Misao was especially neglected. This was made all the more frustrating by the fact that what little time she did have on screen was awesome. She’s quirky and silly, has an awesome voice, and most importantly she has FANG POWER! How did this get combo overlooked?!

In terms of return on investment, Misao and Patricia Martin were easily the two strongest performers; although they didn’t get much time on screen, they had me rolling on the floor whenever they were.

Now in all honesty, you could easily make a case for Patty-chan or Kuroi-sensei as well, but Misao is just a character ripe for development. I mean, if you have a great character, why not give her a more integral part in the plot? Granted, Lucky Star was not a prime example of classic narrative structure but still, where’s the love? The fang! THE FANG, YOU FOOLS!

I’m also a fan of the Shakugan no Shana DS visual novel, so I was very excited to learn that the exclusive character Mare (メア) from the game would be making an appearance. Unfortunately, she was wasted on a simple one-shot as a monster-of-the-week villain.

Although not on the same level as Misao and Patty-chan, as an awesome character whose potential was squandered, she’s definitely worth an honorable mention.

Best “Oh Shit Not As Planned!” Moment

This award goes to the character who demonstrated the most stunningly epic fail, who represents the antithesis of everything that is Yagami Light, who serves as a textbook example of Robert Burns’ statement that “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.”

Winner: Ike, Shakugan no Shana II

Not as planned…

Ralphing in front of the girl you like, who you had planned to confess to, while stuck at the top of a ferris wheel has got to be one of the most horribly embarrassing things a man can experience. And after all the intricate planning Ike put into the theme park trip, this surely qualifies as one of the best “Oh shit not as planned!” moments of all time.

Poor Ike. You know, if you have a predisposition towards motion sickness, a ferris wheel is probably not the most ideal environment to confess your undying love for someone. Might want to factor that into your plan next time, buddy. And poor Yoshida!

Most Likely To Result in a Visit from Chris Hansen

Winner: Kodomo no Jikan

Moe-tan was also a strong contender, but really no other show can match Kodomo no Jikan on the creepy scale.

I’ve already thoroughly covered my opinion on this series, so let’s just leave it at that and move on briskly, before this becomes terribly awkward…

This show should just be titled “Shameless Pedo-bait no Jikan”.

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Foulest Foodstuff

Winner: Kiviak, Moyashimon

Runners-up: Nia’s Cooking (Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann), Nice Cabbage (Shakugan no Shana II), Cream Stew (Minami-ke)

Tastes just like chicken…

All right, let’s examine this for a bit: you stuff a dead seal’s innards with seagulls. Then you bury it…bury it, mind you. Then later you dig it back up and drink the fermented innards, using their sphincters like a straw?! Just…I mean, how… Dear God…why??

This was definitely the most freakishly bizarre thing I’ve seen in an anime all year, and with Dragonauts in the mix that’s saying a lot. Normally something like Nia’s victory feast or Wilhelmina’s cabbage roll would walk away with the prize, but then Moyashimon came along and everything I knew was thrown out the window.

And of course, Simon ate Nia’s cooking and seemed just fine, so perhaps it wasn’t all that bad. Maybe Rossiu was just lacking in spiral antibodies.

Also, I would be remiss if I didn’t throw out an honorable mention for the intrepid culinary adventures of one Minami Kana, in recognition of her pièce de résistance (literally!) – Cream Stew.

Best Shameless Product Placement

Winner: Pizza Hut pizza

Runners-up: Choco cornet, melonpan

When Pizza Hut approached Sunrise to negotiate a bit of product placement, they were only expecting a few pizza logos in the background here and there. The animation team loved the idea so much, however, that they ran with it, incorporating it into the script in many ways. And now you know the story of how Code Geass became so cheesy.

Fortunately for Pizza Hut, cheesy or not, their campaign has become a viral marketing hit. And apparently it’s working out pretty well for them, too.

Not only do these kinds of marketing tactics subtly influence our opinions, they also present a number of deep philosophical conundrums. For example:

Choco cornets – which end do you eat from? The top or the bottom? In 500 words or less, please provide a detailed description with at least three reasons advocating your decision.

Melonpan – if you pack dozens of melonpan into a box, does that qualify it as a bento? And how does it retain its fluffy shape, anyway?

Pizza Hut – if C.C. eats a pizza in the forest, and no one is around to hear, does her butt still get fat?

And speaking of pizza…

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Best Non-Combat Use of Mecha

Winner: Pizza Flipping, Code Geass

It’s all in the wrists.

It also slices and dices! And if you call now we’ll include a free Slash Harken and a teakwood backscratcher! All for only 46 easy payments of 999,999 Britannian dollars!

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Biggest Letdown

Winner: Gundam 00

Runners-up: Zero no Tsukaima, Shana II

Behold! I have hair!

Holy Mother of FAIL, what have they done to my beloved Gundam? It’s like watching the Star Wars prequels, or the Godfather part III, or any film by Michael Bay. It’s just a miserable maligning of the original story to such a point that you can only look on in horror at the disfigured, tattered remains of your once beloved laying in ruins.

Oh well, hopefully it will end soon. Then we may all shout “Hallelujah Haptism!”

Other notable disappointments this year include Agnes no Tsukaima, who was apparently so upset about Trogdor burninating her villages that she had to hijack half the season to resolve her personal issues, and Shakugan no School Days, which has basically been one huge filler arc so far.

Best Emo Facial Distortion

Winner: Shiraishi Minoru, Lucky Star

Runner-up: The Entire Cast of Code Geass

Under any other circumstances, a show with as many emo dysfunctional characters as Code Geass would win this award hands down. Shiraishi’s epic episode 21 rampage, however, was on a completely different level in the emo facial distortion department. How do you even compete?

The man reduced the Lucky Channel set to rubble faster than you can say, “Wa-wa-wa-wasuremono!” Even the J.C. Staff scriptwriters don’t have that kind of destructive capability!

Miki would be proud, yessir.

This was unquestionably one of the funniest moments of Lucky Channel. Seeing Shiraishi thoroughly dominate the entire set was so gratifying. I mean, he just goes apeshit on everyone and everything! Priceless. Who knew he had it in him?

Most Spectacular Trainwreck

Winner: Code Geass

Runner-up: Dragonauts

Will there ever be another trainwreck as epic as Code Geass? Probably, but it might not come in our lifetimes.

The series started off well enough, a seemingly dark and serious tale of international intrigue and supernatural abilities. And then it nose-dived faster than a French footballer.

It was like an Olympic diver making an elegant, graceful backflip off of the high dive, only to spiral out of control moments later, awkwardly descending ever more rapidly toward the ground, legs askew and arms windmilling helplessly, until finally making a sickening bellyflop into the water at the end.

And the result? Somehow pure genius. A brilliant mix of intentional comedy, unintentional comedy, action, drama, romance, and pure unadulterated WTF that should have been a recipe for disaster…well ok, it was still a recipe for disaster, but it was a really good disaster!

You ever see an impending collision, but don’t have any way to react or to prevent it? Well, sometimes the result can actually be pretty gratifying. Code Geass is case in point.

The show was a series of ever escalating WTF moments, each one more facepalm inducing than the last.

Just consider: Fantastic emo facial distortion…

More dysfunctional characters than you can shake a Maser Vibration Sword at…

Psycho Geass rampages…

“Orange janai!!”

Orange-kun and the Spinning Mecha Yo-Yo of Death…

And of course the final over-the-top cliffhanger of an ending that leaves all the tension up in the air and none of the loose ends resolved…and all of that after making fans wait months for the season finale. Not to mention countless other stunning moments, such as Nina’s shocking escapades in episode 12, and Shirley getting Geassed shortly thereafter.

Completely epic on a completely different level, Code Geass was one of those rare shows that didn’t just jump the shark…it jumped it over and over and over again, making a spectacle out of it, flaunting it. If a regular trainwreck series is like two freight trains inadvertently ending up on a collision course, Code Geass is setting up 20 trains in a giant converging spiral and then gleefully stepping back to watch the result. And we loved every minute of it, oh yes.

It truly is beyond compare, and thus without a doubt deserving of the title Trainwreck of the Year.

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