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[Shard]

Right, the finalized ATOY list: unfinished shows go at the bottom no matter how good they are, can't put an unfinished show above a finished one.

10. Ace of Diamond: It is a sports anime that is not a sequel and that also has me watching, started out pretty iffy but the Chris arc really has allowed this show to come into its own.
9. Kill la Kill: I have expounded many words on this one, but to sum up so far it is a victim of the hype. delivering somewhat on the action and comedy but falling too flat in other areas to rank higher this year.
8.Gundam Build Fighter: This would place higher then Yamato 2199 if it were complete solely on the designation of using 2d animation for its fights were it complete. As it is we have the makings of the best Gundam series in ages which often transcends its, well, I will be blunt a format on par with Beyblade.
7. Log Horizon: This may be my AOTY of 2014 depending on how things play out in its second half, this is the show SAO wanted to be instead of becoming a crime against humanity. It started off a bit shaky but has blossomed into a program this is balancing political intrigue with solid action that actually understands MMORPGs and it one of the most intricately plotted anime programs I have watched recently.
6. Attack on Titan: Yes, this one is going on a lot of lists, and it is on mine as well, this is one of two titles that dragged me back into current anime after years of dormancy and it does happen to be pretty good in spite of its shonen pacing and missed opportunities.
5. Yozukura Quartet: Hana No Uta: This is the show that Kill la Kill wants to be, right down to the similarly awkward fanservice, and for that alone it places here on this list. This is a program that overcomes its mediorce at best manga source material to become a great action anime filled with characters that are actually developed over the course of its 13 episode and OVA run.
4. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: The manga series that help defined the modern shonen genre finally sees its long overdue adaptation. The anime is just as goofy and over the top fun as its counterpart is and that is a truly wonderful thing. This is the other title to drag me back into the current anime scene and it has me wanting Stardust Crusader.
3. Gatchaman Crowds: Probably one of the starkest reboots I have ever scene, this series has precious few elements from the old Gatchaman series and what is left is so radically reinvented you might have to squint to be able to recognize them. This is deepest series on this list as it became the new Ghost in the Shell, even more so then Arise. Gatchaman Crowds ends up exploring a lot of heady themes such as the real definition of heroics, gender identity, the power of social media and is one of the few anime titles that has an openly gay male character where it is no big thing and also not yaoi bait. This would have been ATOY had then not fucked up the final two episodes and they know they fucked up the final two episodes because they are being redone for the BD, that is nice but not the version I have watched.
2. Love Lab: This one can be defined in two simple words, comedic chemistry, it has been an age since an anime title has made me laugh this much and this is due to the excellent pair of Maki and Riku who just worked perfectly together. The five group dynamic is a bit diluted and if you are looking for actually romance you will not find it here. this is a comedy about the concept of romance and how little these girls know about it.
1. Space Battleship Yamato 2199: So how do a gritty remake a venerated 1970s sci-fi space opera and not fuck it up? Well, first you don't shit the bed on the storytelling and then while applying the grit you can remember to fucking smile every once and again. Indeed this series lives up to a very huge legacy in spades and manages to fucking thread that needle and bring modern sensibilities (there are a LOT more women in this for example, and are not just there for eye candy) fixes elements that didn't make sense in the original (I will not spoil anything here) and gives a LOT of nuance to both side of the conflict. It does all this while still retaining that old fashion even nostalgic sense of optimism especially in some of the best space battles seen that were not on Gundam Build Fighter. Anyway, this is your AOTY of 2013.

OVAS/Films: I have not watched enough of these to accurately judge the category so I abstain from this voting.

 

[Soma]

Anime Series

10. Attack on Titan
Probably the best adaption I could hope for, all things considered. While I'm pretty much over the series as a whole nowadays, this show was still a lot of fun. It had a lot of issues, but it had quite a lot of moments where it proved it could be a genuinely good show and those highs were pretty damn high.

I do still wish the pacing hadn't been nearly show-killing towards the middle section but all in all, I enjoyed this show quite a bit.

Best girl: Mikasa

9. Love Lab
Probably the funniest show I watched all year. Not only was the comedy good, but the show had lots of moments of surprisingly excellent animation. The show really benefited from having great chemistry among all of its five main characters. Each of them were likeable and they each had their own moments. I expected to hate this show but ended up wanting more by the time the last episode finished.

Best girl: Maki

8. Monogatari Series Second Season
More Monogatari craziness and as a fan of the previous series, I was quite pleased to see some of my favorite characters return. This season provided some of the best arcs of the series. I'm still a sucker for that weird pseudo-post modern art direction the studio loves to use all the time. There's just something about the atmosphere and characters of this series that has me hooked and while the first season was by all accounts much better, this season was really enjoyable.

Best girl: Hanekawa

7. Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet
One of the best examples of a fish out of water scenario that I've seen in anime in a very long time. The show had great attention to detail with the dialogue and character interactions, not to mention being set in a very unique and interesting location.

The show really benefited from its excellent pacing. With only 13 episodes, the show never felt like it needed to be any longer than it needed to be.

Best girl: Ridget

6. Yozakura Quartet: Hana no Uta
As a big fan of the Hoshi no Umi series, I was really excited to see this new season. This was a really fun show with a large, yet very charming and likeable cast of characters. There's always a light-hearted atmosphere even when the story takes a serious turn. The action scenes are great with fluid and lively animation. The fanservice can get a little excessive yet it manages to never let the show itself be any less enjoyable.

Best girl: oh god I can't decide between Kotoha or Juri

5. The Flowers of Evil
Just to get it out there, I'm not a fan of the manga. Hell I'm not even a big fan of Oshimi. But I'll be damned if this show isn't one of the most oppressive and atmospheric things I've watched in a long time. The direction and storyboarding really made the source material into an almost entirely different beast and developed into something that I think many should consider watching.

I was ready to write the show off after watching the first episode for the first time, but after reconsidering and giving it a second chance, I saw what the show was trying to do and I'm pretty happy I gave it another chance. I still don't think the show lived up to the climax of episode 7 and the ending was pretty messy, but Aku no Hana managed to surprise me and prove me wrong nonetheless.

Best girl: This girl

4. Kill la Kill
This has not been at all what I expected coming into this show and once I got over the realization that this was not the next Gurren Lagann, I finally accepted and enjoyed this show on its own merits. While there's still quite a bit holding this back from being better than what it currently is, there's still a lot to enjoy about this. The high-octane energy is something that I'm not quite used to and this has been a fun change of pace from shows that I'm used to.

Lots of fun characters, clever visual gags, and action that (while could be improved) is hot-blooded as hell. I just hope the second half lives up to my expectations.

Best girl: Satsuki

3. The Eccentric Family
One of the bigger surprises of the year.

Nearly everything about this show from its cast of crazy characters to the wonderful art direction is full of charm. While very silly and energetic at times, this show proved to be very thoughtful and heartwarming with its themes of family values and enjoying life. It balances the crazy fantasy elements so well with the endearing (and at times tear-inducing) emotional moments.

Best girl: Benten <3

2. Space Battleship Yamato 2199
Not only one of the best anime series to come out this past year but one of the best sci-fi anime series ever. The production values are rock-solid and each important character from the very large cast feels thoughtfully developed by the time the final episode ends. Every action scene is intense and the character drama is refreshingly well done. This show is a genuinely fantastic ride from beginning to end without a single dull episode in its 26 episode roster.



Best girl: Melda

1. Kyousougiga
This is a series that I've been familiar with for quite some time and hearing that it would finally be receiving a &#8220;proper&#8221; television series filled me with excitement. This is a really unique anime with a setting unlike many others and a story that is quite deeper than it might seem to be at first. There's really nothing quite like it out there and it's not an easy show to summarize.

I've always wanted to see more from this crazy universe after watching the ONA series and this show satisfied me and then some. The characters that I didn't even know I wanted to know more about got fleshed out and the show was all the more enjoyable for that. Great art direction, a charming cast of characters, a gorgeous soundtrack, and a story chock full of emotional depth and Japanese mythological references.

This is an anime that I think anyone even remotely interested in the medium should at least consider checking out.

Best girl: Koto > Koto


Anime Films/OVAs
5. The Garden of Words
4. Saint Young Men
3. Blue Exorcist Movie
2. Little Witch Academia
1. The Wolf Children Ame and Yuki

 

[Necrovex]

Is Madoka Magica 3 eligible for this year?

 

[Turin Turambar]

Shows

1. Hunter x Hunter. edit: hah I changed places and put hxh first!. Great adaptation of the best shonen ever done by Japan.
2. The Eccentric Family. Very easily, the best new anime of the year, which on the other hand it has been a bit lackluster, excepting two or three animes. A heartwarming bittersweet tale of family, love, past relataionships, and comedy, and drama, all done from the optic of a magical realism fantasy. The type of story that has everything and somehow it's very balanced about it.
3. Attack on the Titan. Thrilling suspense, great bursts of action, interesting mysteries and worldbuilding, characters that can *gasp* die and are not cookie cutter clones, a wild ride with the problem of not having end for now (and who knows if the story won't fall in a cliff later).
4. Shinsekai yori. Though it had a few weak episodes and some problems in the narration, in the end it was a very worthy story to tell. A very different story you are accustomed in anime.
5. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. Cheesy, crazy, fun.
6. Kyousogiga. A lackluster ending, but for several episodes it was a very good anime!
7. Gin no Saji. Uhh... t had 3 good episodes. For the rest, it's a decent slice of life series.
8. Servant x Service. Amusing comedy.
9. Blast of the Tempest. Hey, somehow they got to make an end that wasn't an asspull.

Movies

1. Wolf Children. [Ame is dumb.]
2. Garden of Words
3. Steins Gate Movie

Disappointments:

Gargantia
KLK
Samurai Flamenco

 

[wonzo]

TV

1. The Flowers of Evil ; Yet another Nagahama directed masterpiece, elevating the fantastic source material.
2. Space Battleship Yamato 2199
3. Kyousogiga
4. The Eccentric Family ; "What is fun is good!"
5. Gundam Build Fighters
6. Yama no Susume ; A excellent mountain climbing short series with some superb animation.
7. Rozen Maiden Zurückspulen
8. Love Lab
9. Yozakura Quartet: Hana no Uta ; lalalalala lalalalala la~
10. Yuyushiki ; dumb girls googling dumb things

Movie/OVA

1. Little Witch Academia
2. Wolf Children
3. Aura: Mary&#363;ink&#333;ga Saigo no Tatakai

Honorable Mentions

TV

Bakumatsu Gijinden Roman ; Leave it to monkey punch to turn a Pachinko machine into something truly great.
Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet ; Should've stayed as Sci-Fi SoL.
Kill la Kill (eps 3-7, 12)
Kyoukai no Kanata (ep 6) ; One of the episodes of the year!
Samurai Flamenco ; What Valvrave wishes it could be.
Silver Spoon
Tamako Market (eps 3, 6, 9)
Tamayura ~more aggressive~
Yowamushi Pedal ; Hot-blooded biking at its finest, and not a needle in sight!

Movie/OVA

Blue Exorcist Movie ; No prior experience of the series required for watching this great movie.
Death Billiards ; Madhouse has still got it in them for truly creative works.
Garden of Words ; Completely shits the bed in the last 10 minutes but it's still Shinkai's best work to date.
Otona Joshi no Anime Time
Saint&#9734;Young Men Movie ; moe jesus & buddha doing moe as fuck things

 

[DiGiKerot]

Is Madoka Magica 3 eligible for this year?

No home release yet, so nope.

 

[Cwarrior]

1.Hunter x Hunter
Forget anime of year, the episodes that air-ed this year certify it as one of if not the greatest anime ever produced, the thinking mans anime, nothing is ever simple with HxH, very cleverly written engaging intense plot brimming with layers of depth in every corner of it's being, right down to it's intricate battle of wits style fights where it's much more about analyzing opponents, how varies abilities match up and devising a strategy then your garden variety brainless anime like killa la kill where it's about screaming the loudest and pulling deus ex machina out our ass.

This year it brought us the long anticipated Chimera Ant Arc and My GOD it's even better then I could ever imagine, the arcs keeps on escalating on the shit got real meter getting more grim and dark for our heroes while it keeps building on it's story with every twist and new element brought into the plot as it builds towards a mouth water hyped up Climax.

2.Hajime no ippo
No one believed it could happen but the king truly has returned, bringing with it the most epic and funniest fight in anime,along with an awesome manly men of sea fight,return of sendo,takamura and plenty of great comedy & excitement,the king is always so good to us.

3.One piece -Even after 6billion episode it continues deliver on all fronts, moving drama,high impact action,comedy,exciting/hype story developments & sense of wonder and manages to stay fresh by mixing up the structures of each arc like adding elements like Law & smoker G5 to the fray and multiple threatening antagonists.

4.Jojo's Bizarre Adventure
5.Attack on titan

Will write up on them later.

 

[Bob Coffee]

Anime of the year 2013

#1 Uchu Senkan yamato 2199

Like others who have posted before me, and others who will hopefully post after me there really isnt any other choice for the aoty 2013, a story reborn from old which transcends the medium yet seamlessly blends in modern elements to be a complete joy from beginning to end. Nothing is wasted,the show is an interwoven tapestry of events that few shows not named Babylon 5 could ever hope to achieve. The way izubuchi carefully retells the core yamato I story, yet distills the matsumoto 70s craziness into something more palatable is amazing.

The writing is superb, the pacing second to none. The voice casting for the garmalins is amazing(wakamoto gonna wakamoto) and one of the few cases where the bad cg actually works, in favor of the yamato mecha designs. Everything is given a modern shine and tune up, that looks new yet doesn't betray the shows origins. this is how reboots should be done folks, this is what JJ Abrams(startrek09) and Ron Moore(BSG reboot) wishes they could have made. And honestly as a fan of the original series, i say wholeheartedly that this reboot is superior to it in every way. I mean shit it even has a remix of Isao sasaki's seminal "uchu senkan yamato" song for the opening, you cant go wrong. Never forget the vallent sacrifices of the yamato crew to save anime! *salutes*

#2. Jojo pt 2 battle tendency

#3. Gundam build fighters

#4. Valvrave the liberator/valvrave season 2

#5. Aku no hana.

#6. Akb 0048 s2

#7 Kill la Kill

#8. Watamote

#9. Gargantia

#10 shin sekai yori

MoviesOav


#1. Madayline dokes the movie 3: homuhomu of the rebelion

#2. Little witch academia

#3 gendam unicrons 6

Things that trancend anime: Inferno Cop

 

[Basileus777]

Shows
1) Rozen Maiden: Zurückspulen
2) Space Brothers ; Still as great as ever, at least when Hibito isn't around
3) Space Battleship Yamato 2199
4) Minami-ke Tadaima ; Best comedy of the year, best Minami-ke since first season
5) JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
6) Hajime no Ippo: Rising
7) Kiniro Mosaic ; Another excellent comedy
8) The Eccentric Family
9) My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU
10) White Album 2

Films
1) Wolf Children
2) The Garden of Words
3) Little Witch Academia

 

[Dedication Through Light]

1 Free!

Free! Is simply put the best anime Ive watched ever. It defines exactly how and what anime ought to be in this modern and contemporary world. Full of excellently defined characters, both figuratively and even litrally with their well defined upper body, legs, and even feet, while also being made to be as realistically wonderful personalities there is just about nothing that this anime does that is not perfection.

2 Hakkenden: Eight Dogs of the East

Hakkenden is one of the most well written stories of the year, and oddly one that shows that a writer who typically focuses in one genre is versatile enough to bring their excellent and competent talent to the table in a different genre and still deliver something truly definitive, phenomenal, and wonderful. All 24 episodes of Hakkenden were crafted intricately together to yield a series that left nary a dull moment. In fact, every episode delivered the same high quality level of superior direction, visual and musical talent and mastery, and even gorgeously rendered characters. The fantasy setting and story often gave us wonderful and marvelous two or so miniarcs that managed to be emotionally memorable and powerful episodes. Hakkenden stands in an entirely higher level for the genre and one such series that all future series will look back on and strive to reach this same quality.

3 Uta No Prince Sama Maji Love 2000%

STARISH delivered amazing things in this second season and unlike season 1 which spent lots of time introducing them to us, this time we were able to see all of STARISH (and Cecil) spend even more time together now that they officially formed a unit. What this meant was that even more groups could be introduced and an actually well crafted plot could be delivered. I must say that it turned out to be a fantastic attempt. Truly by breaking from its otome roots it was able to truly be a shooting star in the idol genre and even among all anime this year. HEAVENS with HEAVENS GATE, Quartet Night with Poison Kiss, Tokiya with Independence (not in the anime), Syo with Challenge, Ittoki with Horizon and Smile Magic were all the definitive musical songs for this year. Whoever composes these songs and the one that is creating these characters all deserves tons of kudos, lots of praise, accolades, and encomium. It is all way too amazing and memorable. UtaPri for life!

4 Makai Ouji: Devils and Realist

William Twining, Dantalion, Sytry, Isaac and more made this anime the one with the most solid cast interactions of the bunch. Everyone loves William Twining both in heaven and the underworld. The cast has many stunning characters, the action was some of the best, and then the character songs for the ed and op (Believe My Dice, and a Shadows Love Song), gave it the edge in jumping high into my favorite anime list. Fantastic series and great job with selling the manga to me. Really fun, intense, and Solomon showing up was a fantastic way to build a huge event to make the anime serious and not just fun and games.

5 Karneval

Be my reason! Surely there are lots of reasons why Karneval is so good (well and KAMIYU with Reason as the ed is one of them). But it has beautiful art and characters, the visuals for magical attacks and how powerful and stunning they became in the midst of a plot that was potentially grounded at times with the things of science, and bordering somewhat on really close friendship moments between Gareki and Yogi worked to create this tense, fun, and serious story. It would have been nice if it could have lasted a tad bit longer.

6 Cardfight!! Vanguard

Cardfight!! is the best games series around. It always remains seriously focused on things and though the episodes in 2013 introduced us to a few more things in terms of the supernatural, it still managed to focus on keeping things realistic and easily doable in the life. I like how grounded it feels always and the close nature of the cast. The English dub was a blast and the new clans introduced kept it from feeling like the same. Asia Circuit was a nice run through of new teams and characters and the portions of Link Joker running through now with the new school, new characters like Naoki joining the main cast suggests that the people running the series know exactly how to keep a long running series from feeling tired and dull. All the right moves are constantly being played with this franchise and it shows in these episodes. Excellent year for Vanguard 2013 was.

7 Tokyo Ravens

Fantasy school stories with magic and good leads characters often end up being a formula for success. And like the rule states, Tokyo Ravens is a success. It's perhaps the best Light Novel adaptation of an anime this year with arcs that are well-defined, focused, and waste no time with useless trivialities. The friendship plot of those around Bakatora is actually interesting and doesnt feel gimmicky or terrible like the other series that were in the year. Bakatora Touji relations are just as or even stronger than those of him and the romantic interest. The cast is funny, and the plot gets deeper as things go on.

8 Gundam Build Fighters

Though only half of the episodes have come to pass, Build Fighters is a strong series. I think it is definitely up there with Gundam Wing as the best Gundam Franchise around and that designation speaks volumes as to the sheer high adrenaline experience this is. Reiji and Sei are the best duo in mecha anime thus far, and their ability to understand each other, partner up and connect with each other in an extremely deep and personal level just never fails to make this enjoyable and entertaining. The soundtrack is one of the most varied in a series and every song is used smartly.

9 Kuroko's Basketball 2

Kuroko no yaoi defines this best, but beyond that aspect which makes it second best sports since Free and Oofuri, it has good basketball (best in the basketball anime, sorry Slam Dunk), and really cool visuals for the marvelous mindblowing moves from the Generation of Miracles and others. Why can't all sports be this good?

10 Space Battleship Yamato 2199

Yamato 2199 managed to, though it spanned an impressed 255 days or so to release all episodes, be a thrilling experience from beginning to end. Unlike that which I need in all my other shows it just managed to be the purest and most intense experience for sound and drama without all the other things that I believed anime needed to be good. I have slight inclinations to enjoying science fiction space stories and this was rather amazing for all the stuff Ive met before. Sure it could have been number one if it was more exploration and mission based space stuff than simply journeying to save the earth from destruction, a rather dull theme that’s done in lots of stuff, but still for this story and how it was done even with a large cast of both humans and those on other planets it was still a wholesome and pleasing story. Visually stunning at times, it had some of the most memorable scenes in 2013. Ill never forget the way it looked like there were jets in the blue sky at near dawn or so with the clouds in space and what not. In an age that is swiftly drawing nearer and nearer to the death of anime, Yamato 2199 is more of what is needed to right the anime world.

 

[Pancakes]

(This is a work in progress)

I only recently got back into watching anime again since I got a crunchyroll subscription, and I still need to watch several acclaimed shows.

Need to watch: Steins;gate movie, Battleship Yamamoto , Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Wolf Children etc etc. But here is my list so far.

1. Space Battleship Yamoto 2199

An amazing sci-fi adventure that encapsulated my favorite aspects of shows like Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica into an anime form. Kept me entertained from start to finish with amazing battle sequences and a great a cast.

2. Attack on Titan

The show that got my hyped up and got me to jump back into anime since all my friends were raving about it. It took me a bit to get past the hype and actually dive in the show but once I did I watched all 25 episodes in 2 days because I had to see what happens next.


3. Non Non Biyori

A show that has absolutely no right to be as charming as it is but does just that. AnimeGAF was constantly spamming gifs and screencaps about this show that normally got me interested since it look just like "cute girls doing cute things" genre that I'm not a huge fan of. I was legitimately surprised how relaxing the show is and I actually wanted to keep watching their various adventures.

4. Kill La Kill

My disappointment of the year though it's more because of the hype surrounding the show instead of the actual show itself. Heavy pacing issues and incredibly lewd fan service leads to a mixed experience of "wow this is amazing" to "oh my god I'm so bored."

5. Hataraku Maou-sama

Very funny show with an interesting premise, just waiting on a season 2 now,

 

[LordCanti]

WIP:

1. Monogatari Season 2 - It's a tough decision, but with KLK only half done, Monogatari probably provided me the greatest entertainment (and aggravation during recap episodes) of the year. People claim that Nisemonogatari was a step back from the brilliance that was Bakemonogatari (others claim all gatari's suck, but we'll ignore them for now) and while that may be partially true, Monogatari Season 2 was a return to form.

2. Uchouten Kazoku - Great from start to finish and from the man behind The Tatami Galaxy. I wanted more from the relationship of Yasaburo and Benten, but I realize that the focus was more on the familial relationships and their place in society after the death of their father.

3. Kill la Kill - An unapologetically violent and fanservicey bit of escapism that is slowly (in the past two or so episodes) finding its way out of the box that being a "school fighting anime" kind of put it in. The fights were awesome; They just weren't the Gurren Lagann-esque shift that people were expecting. That may have started to happen though, so I'm hopeful.

4. Kyousougiga - There was a portion in the middle that kind of slogged, but they nicely stretched out the original shorts into a fantastic full length anime. The animation was generally pretty good, the setting was nice, and the mystery of what was really going on was enough to keep me hooked all season.

5. Yamato 2199 - I've seen a lot of entries in the Space Opera genre (...a lot) and this one was pretty great. There are groanworthy moments

Spoiler

One ship? Oh God what will we ever do?! An entire fleet of thousands? Fuck it #YOLOswag, let's go right through them unscathed.

but the quality of the animation was pretty much maintained throughout and it was entertaining to watch.

6. Shin Sekai Yori (From the New World) - With probably the most interesting world of any anime aired this year, I'd be remiss if I didn't include it. The characters were interesting and truly grew (literally) over the course of the show.


Movies/OVA:

1. Wolf Children - Outside of one incredibly uncomfortable moment that ensures that I'll never watch this with another living soul

Spoiler

the scene where he's in the bed as a wolf

this was a fantastic movie. We lost Satoshi Kon, but it's nice to know that there are a few people trying to fill at least some of that void.

2. Garden of Words - I'm a sucker for older lady/younger dude. Shinkai is wildly hit or miss for me, but this was a massive hit IMO.

3. Little Witch Academia - I know it's Hogwarts the anime, but dammit it was pretty.

(Obviously these next two won't get any points, but I wanted to denote that they're both above my HM's)

4. Nekomonogatari - I'm sure it'll be forgotten, but I enjoyed it immensely (if it wasn't 2013...I digress, and move everything else up a slot)

5. Death Billiards - What a fantastic short.


Honorable mentions:

Steins Gate the Movie - Why did this need to happen again? In any case, I love the setting and the characters so... I was glad to have been able to see it.

Yozakura Quartet - Great animation and kind of a cool premise but no payoff in sight. I guess I should find the manga?

Dishonorable mentions:

Samurai Flamenco - I've been hate watching it all season. Bad animation, god awful background music, and a story that is so bland that you can't even taste it. That all changes in a hilarious way, but by then it is far too late. With one episode to go, there is nothing that they could possibly do to have truly righted the ship.

Kyoukai no Kanata- There were flashes of a better anime in there somewhere and some episodes were genuinely entertaining but....man....meh.

Genshiken S2 - The new characters were infinitely less likable or interesting to me when compared with the old characters. If that's going to be the case, why bother? So much time was spent on the crossdressing ways of their newest member and that stopped being interesting after about the second time it was the main focus of an episode. He likes to wear women's clothing and talk in a feminine voice; Great. Move on. Oh wait, the season is over. Drat. No time for moving on. Oh well.

Spoiler

I knew he'd never bone Madarame, so a whole season of...I don't know...tension? Wasn't interesting to me. I mean, it's all well and good if he had, but you knew they weren't going to do it.

 

[dakkumauji]

TV Shows

1. Gintama': Enchousen

Second year running, and even if it was just a couple of episodes, they adapted an amazing arc and made them pretty much a great couple of episodes. The Courtesan Arc was pretty amazing from start to finish and it is a damn shame there are no more episodes planned for this series.

2. Kyousougiga (TV)

Take the already impressive ONA and the OVAs and buff up the very interesting world to make this really great series. The visuals were very impressive and getting all this character development and plot for this show just rekindled how much I enjoyed the ONA and the OVAs.

3. Uchouten Kazoku

One of the more surprising hits of last year. An interesting story and very impressive visuals. The visuals of the show were definitely something I never expected the studio to ever produce.

4. Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru.

Definitely one of the more interesting shows this past year. The protag really made this show since it was definitely different from other high school related shows.

5. Kuroko no Basket 2

With how well the first season sold, the sequel got a nice budget bump and it shows. Great sports action and I really do enjoy the comedy of the show.

6. Hataraku Maou-sama!

A show with pretty great characters and comedic moments. Takes an interesting premise and just runs with it.

7. Senyuu.

I guess I'll count both seasons here. My favorite short series of last year. Take your average RPG plot and basically make it a slapstick comedy.

8. Cuticle Tantei Inaba

My favorite comedy series of the past year. Really enjoyed the comedy and how silly the whole series was from start to end.

9. Yozakura Quartet: Hana no Uta

A very good adaptation of an already strong manga series. A little heavy with the fanservice but still an enjoyable watch.

10. Blood Lad

The most stylish show I watched. An interesting use of color just has this show ooze style.

Honorable Mentions: TV Shows (in no particular order):
- Gatchaman Crowds: A fun watch. GATCHA!
- Tamako Market: Pretty down to earth slice of life show.
- Kyoukai no Kanata: A visual impressive show.
- Pokemon X/Y: It's been very impressive at how nice it looks and how all the characters so far have been very enjoyable to watch.
- Yowamushi Pedal: All the characters are fun to watch and never expected to enjoy cycling so much.
- Samurai Flamenco: The giant shifts in direction and tone of this show makes it so great.
- Hakkenden: Touhou Hakken Ibun: A nice series which had pretty interesting stories interwoven into one bigger plot.
- Log Horizon: Pleasantly surprised at how everything this series sets out is so interesting to watch.
- Silver Spoon: A good adaptation of an already strong series.
- Uta no&#9734;Prince-sama&#9834; Maji Love 2000%: The idols are back and fabulous as ever.
- Ace of Diamond: A pretty good and enjoyable baseball anime.
- Free!: Most fabulous abs even if the drama brings it down.
- Genshiken Nidaime: Even with the new cast and the slight shift in topic material, still pretty enjoyable to watch.
- Yondemasu yo, Azazel-san. Z: Some hit or miss episodes, but still a very funny series.

Movies/OVAs:

1. Gintama: Kanketsu-hen - Yorozuya yo Eien Nare

The Gintama movies to end all Gintama movies and more. Completely impressive and if this is the end of the Gintama anime, it was definitely the best way for it to go.

2. Ao no Exorcist Movie

A very good self contained movie. The background visuals were completely impressive and I enjoyed the plot for what it was.

3. Little Witch Academia

Great visuals and a cute story. Wasn't expecting much and at the end was pleasantly pleased with it.

Honorable Mentions: Movies/OVAs:
- Garden of Words: Probably the most amazing visuals of water and rain I have ever seen.

 

[Cloudy]

1. Attack on Titan - Suspect animation aside, it was the best show by far IMO. Plot, action and music etc. AOT had it all
2. The Devil is a Part Timer
3. Golden Time
4. Servant x Service
5. A Lull in the Sea
6. Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet
7. My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU
8. Genshiken 2nd Season
9. Log Horizon
10. Watamote

I guess I need to watch Flowers of Evil. It was ugly so I started reading the manga (which I liked) instead. Why did the screw up the art so bad?

 

[Shergal]

I still have to wrap up some stuff but I can at least make the film list because it's easy

1. Wolf Children - Hosoda's best film to date. It's a very personal story that manages to be surprisingly expansive in the range of what it covers regarding motherhood, without losing on detail. The story itself is overly emotional, but it avoids becoming sappy mostly thanks to Hosoda's careful storytelling that knows when to get quiet and when to unleash the feels. It's all complemented by an extremely solid aesthetic that's in the same line as the other Hosoda films but with a higher level of polish. Special props to the snow sliding scene for being the best sequence of the entire year.
2. Little Witch Academia - surprisingly detail-oriented for a first-time director. The trademark Yoshinari cartoony expressions, the sound design and the effects are the highlights in this little gem.
3. Rainbow Fireflies - I'm voting for this because I enjoyed it more than the other films I saw this year, even if it might not be as good. Purely thanks to the animation and aesthetic. The story is mawkish and the characters bland, but who cares?

Special mention to the Blue Exorcist movie for being a franchise film that's actually better than its franchise.

 

[Thoraxes]

1. Jojo's Bizzare Adventure: Battle Tendency ; Because Joseph is the shit.
2. Yamato 2199
3. Monogatari S2
4. Kill la Kill ; It's cool, I like it, based TRIGGER, dat everything
5. Valvrave the Liberator
6. Kiniro Mosaic
7. Henneko ; Too cute for my body to handle
8. Kyousougiga

Best VAs: Chiaki Omigawa and Kaori Ishihara

OP of the year: Kaikigatari
Waifu of the year: Kaiki
Show that made me cry: Yamato 2199

 

[NewFresh]

Time to read up on what shows I did not watch this year...

 

[Red_taiyaki]

I'll base this off of the series that I've watched this year.

TV:
1) Kyoukai no Kanata
2) Arpeggio of Blue Steel
3) Kill la Kill

Movies/OVA:

1) Wolf Children
2) Little Witch Academia

 

[Kettch]

1. Shingeki no Kyoujin - While I was already a big fan of the manga, it's great to see a solid adaptation. After recent failures like Beelzebub and Magi it was a significant worry. Despite a few still animation scenes, the plot was intact and everything important was animated well. Can't ask for anything more.
2. Monogotari: Second Season - A worthy sequel to Bakemonogatari. Nisemono was quite a disappointment, so this was great to see. A bit of a slow start with the first arc, but the classic SHAFT direction ramped up nicely after that.
3. Hataraku Maou-sama! - Great comedic timing. Basically the Working!! of this year.
4. Servant x Service
5. Chihayafuru 2
6. Non Non Biyori
7. Genshiken Nidaime
8. Tamako Market
9. Kill la Kill
10. Kotoura-san

Not the best year for anime overall. Actually had a tough time filling out the bottom here.

 

[Infernodash]

OVA/Movies of the year

1. Blue Exorcist The Movie - Beautiful art and a very touching story.

2. Hanasaku Iroha: Home Sweet Home - Another movie with a very feel good story and great art.

3. Steins;Gate - Fuka Ryouiki no Déjà vu - It was a great year for movies with this one capping it with a moving story.

Honorable Mention:

Dragonball Z: Battle of Gods - Not my favorite DBZ movie but still fun and satisfied the nostalgic dept.

Death Billiards - Very neat concept, I enjoyed it. I still wonder who went where...

Anime of the year

1. Shin Sekai Yori - Grim, deep, everything I want in an anime.

2. Psycho-Pass - Great story, deep, the type of anime that's easy to become a western movie.

3. Hataraku Maou-sama! - Had me looking forward to Thursday nights! Easily one of the funniest shows of the year.

4. Blood Lad - Downright funny, great art and characters.

5. Watamote! - Funny, but downright depressing at times.

6. Ace no Diamond - I love baseball, I enjoy anime, put the two together and focus on the pitcher, my favorite position, and you have a winner! One outs still rule supreme.

7. The World God Only Knows III - Keima Doin' Work!!!! nuf said

8. Kakumeiki Valvrave - Attack on titan? Meh, this is how you do over-the-top!

9. Golden Time - Refreshing take on romcom anime, more adults please!

10. Hajime no Ippo: Rising - Funny season, loving the focus on counter punchers...

 

[cosmicblizzard]

Honorable Mentions

Corpse Party: Tortured Souls
This gets an honorable mention not because it’s great or anything, but because it actually succeeded in making me cringe from the sheer level of terrible things happening in it. Keep in mind I am a guy that reads guro on a regular basis and have watched Apocalypse Zero and several other gory shows/OVAs/movies without flinching. This takes everything disturbing about Corpse Party and brings it up to 11. Seeing the awful things done to kids was bad enough in the games, but my god is it made a thousand times worse and more explicit here. Seriously, poor Yuka

Mondaiji-tachi ga Isekai Kara Kuru So Desu yo?
What happens when you take a Gary Stu, drop all pretense of the guy getting believable growth and empathetic traits, give him a personality that is every bit as gung-ho as it is indifferent, then throw him in a world of fantasy and fighting? You get one crazy show that doesn’t take itself seriously and only seeks to entertain. And that’s only 1 of the 3 over powered protagonists. By making them slacker and uncooperative douchebags, Mondaiji turns the “transported to a fantasy world” trope on its head, and the result is something damn fun

The Sunday Without God
What’s interesting about this show is the content really isn’t anything special, but the atmosphere is possibly more effective than in any anime I’ve seen in a long time. Despite the premise being shaky and the world not being super well-explained, there’s really something enjoyable and thought-provoking about how it’s presented. The idea of death being erased from the world is not an entirely unique concept, but the way it’s displayed here alongside the melancholic yet beautiful presentation is really something worthwhile.

Film

1. One Piece Film Z
The first One Piece movie of the New World and possibly the best One Piece movie, period! It's got the scale of a typical OP arc condensed into a feature film, showing off many of the big players that exist in the series' canon to give a ridiculous display of many super-powered fights that are just plain exciting to watch thanks to amazing choreography, appealing dynamic camera movement, and, as expected, fantastic animation. Story ain't bad either.

TV

10. Yozakura Quartet: Hana no Uta
The action packed Yokai story finally gets a good tv anime. Welcome to Sakurashin, a town where Yokai and humans coexist. Sometimes fights happen, and boy are they a visual treat! Top-notch choreography and animation is present in every fight, and boy does it get the blood pumping! It also manages to explain the setting a hell of a lot better than the manga did, which is always good for context and stuff.

9. Watamote
The lovable and relateable introvert Tomoko finally joins the world of anime! What is essentially Socially Awkward Penguin: The Animation, it's hard to watch this without feeling bad for yourself, the characters, and the world around you all thanks to your own social anxiety and delusions of grandeur when it comes to interactions with other people. It being so effective is what makes it so good. Perhaps you'll take another look at yourself and your lifestyle, but until then, you can enjoy Tomoko's cringe-worthy antics as she makes a social fool out of herself.

8. Mushibugyo
Can something generic be good? With the right presentation, you bet your ass it can! Mushibugyo is the very definition of standard battle shounen, yet the direction and music elevate it to an exhilarating display of hot-blooded bug-crushing. Thanks to some good choreography, legitimately intimidating villains, and a hint of comedy, Mushibugyo is a fine example of good shounen.

7. Valvrave the Liberator
Following in the footsteps of Code Geass, this is a deliciously insane display of madness starring high schoolers and the intergalactic war taking place all around them. I always say that for something to be good, it needs to not be boring. Well it's hard to call this boring when a ridiculous development happened nearly every episode, even if it betrayed the perceived direction of the story. From body-swapping vampires to space Nazis, Valvrave is a damn fun ride that ends way too soon

6. Senki Zesshou Symphogear G
The most hot-blooded female in anime returns, as does all the musically-charged action, ridiculous and insanely over-designed weapon designs, and screaming! Despite there being a poorly paced patch of boring in the middle, the highs are higher than ever and the battle choreography mostly blows its predecessor out of the water. While I can't deny the disappointment of a subdued battle cry near the end in comparison to its season 1 equivalent, that's a small price to pay for the increased quality of the rest of the show.

5. Hataraku Maou-sama
What happens when an evil overlord bent on world domination gets transported to the real world where he has to work at Mcdonalds to survive? Well, fun stuff happens I guess. A unique "fish out of water" show that relies on more than just its humorously expectation-betraying characters to tell a story that isn't just funny, but also heartwarming. There's even a bit of well-done action!

4. Attack on Titan
Hey, it's that show that all non-anime fans like! Giants eating people, Spiderman action, MMA; what's not to like!? The dramatic and bombastic approach of famed Death Note director Araki breathes new life into this already beloved property. With patches of excellent choreography and animation scattered throughout, this intense action-filled adventure is a fantastic addition to the "mainstream" anime family.

3. Hunter x Hunter
Hunter x Hunter appeared on my list last year as well, but it continued its ascent up the quality ladder. I was all but convinced that Madhouse would not have the balls to animate the absolutely brutal Chimera Ant arc, yet here we are with very little censorship and an air of futility unlike anything ever seen in modern shounen. With surprisngly consistent animation for a long-running series, I would say this elevates the already good material noticeably by virtue of actually being visually discernable. It's very sad to think this will end thanks to Togashi's laziness, but that we got an animated version of one of the most thought-provoking arcs in battle shounen makes it almost worth it.

2. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure
For the second year in a row, JoJo gets the number 2 spot! Of course, the part 2012 covered can't even begin to compare to the testosterone-fueled badassery of Battle Tendency. Starring the most likable Joestar as well as a more absurd yet colorful cast of fantastic characters, part 2 of this massive franchise is a testament to just how good it can get. Being strong has never been so fabulous.

1. Kill la Kill
Entertainment mediums are first and foremost, obviously about entertainment. What better way is there to entertain than an unmitigated display of high energy! Kill la Kill is a show that has its roots in hot-blooded badassery, taking notes from the creator’s previous high energy shows, primarily the unopposed champion of the genre, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann! Serving as somewhat of a spiritual successor to TTGL, Kill la Kill maintains the same enthusiastic and over the top presentation of its predecessor, sometimes even going farther. In a spectactular fusion of good animation, directing and battle choreography, a good soundtrack with a few amazing and fitting tunes, a likable cast of larger than life characters, and an inspiring message telling people DON’T LOSE YOUR WAY, it’s easy to see why this is every bit worthy of the title anime of the year.

 

[A Black Falcon]

TV Anime
--
1. Girls und Panzer - Fantastic series! Tank sports + yuribaiting? Sounds good. I'm looking forward to the OVA and movie.

2. Saki Achiga-hen: Episode of Side-A - Saki Achiga-hen was really good, but not quite as great as the first season was... the beginning is too rushed, most notably. And why wait until the last episode before you reveal the main characters' power? Otherwise lots of fun though.

3. Log Horizon - I hope that this series stays as good as it has been so far, because it's by far the best currently-airing anime. It's not perfect, but it's good.

4. Senran Kagura - I really liked this show! It's great. I want another season. Haven't played the games yet though. But this was very good. I liked the characters, story, writing, and action; this show has a lot better plot than people who don't know the franchise might think based on the fansericey concept. It's not just about that.

5. Kill la Kill - Good, oldschool-style action anime. The plot is kind of dumb, but what else do you expect?

6. Teenage Romcom SNAFU. - Surprisingly good, interesting show most of the time. This isn't just another stupid harem show, it's much more intelligent than that, and actually has interesting plots (involving looking into how/why people behave how they do, often) and decent writing. Way better show than I expected! I want another season.

7. Mangirl - Entertaining little short-episodes series.

8. Infinite Stratos S2 - Much worse than S1, but I felt it had ot be on my list anyway. It earned it for the entertainment value at least; even if it's far from a good show, it was still plenty entertaining. Plus that cliffhanger ending made me want S3, soon!


Might add more later.

Honorable Mentions: Aiura (fun short-ep series), Crime Edge (better than expected), AKB0048 Second Stage (as good as S1), Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Iliya (just too much fanservice of too-young characters for me to be able to put it on the list; otherwise good.)

Series I really hate even though I haven't (and won't) watch them: Railgun S, Valvrave -- these are awful shows and it's unfortunate that people actually like them, in the vein of past shows in this category like SAO or Code Geass. I don't understand why people actually like this stuff, Valvrave or Geass particularly, but it's awful.

Most disappointing (that I actually watched some of): Psycho-Pass (story completely falls apart), Yuyushiki (characters are completely brain-dead idiots)


Movie/OVA
--
1. Little Witch Academia - Yeah, it was good. Great animation too.
2. Zetsumetsu Kigu Shoujo: Amazing Twins - This just recently aired, but I liked it. It's nothing special really, but was entertaining, so since I don't have anything else to put here, here it is.
3. The Garden of Words - It was good and beautiful as always from Shinkai, but not Shinkai's best work; I still prefer The Place Promised in our Early Days.

 

[Vecks]

Shows of the Year

1. Hunter x Hunter ; There is no doubt in my mind about this placement. HxH stands atop my list because it is simply one of my favorite shows of ALL time. Everything you could ever want from a Shounen series (intriguing concepts/plot ideas, fun characters, cool villains, nice action), without the fillers. HxH is consistently great from start to "finish." As I get older, I feel more and more disconnected from series like Naruto and Bleach. But HxH I can always appreciate.

2. Minami-ke Tadaima ; Okay, I'm sure everyone is looking at me weird because this is so high on my list. I know this series isn't really that popular around here. Nobody watches it or talks about it or cares. But for me Minami-ke is just one of those series that I find not only enjoyable and funny, but also... relaxing and comforting as well. I am really glad this series continues to get a season every now and then. Season 4 in particular feels like it captures the best of what made Season 1 great.

3. Space Battleship Yamato 2199 ; Quite the epic sci-fi adventure. Really tightly paced, great soundtrack, beautiful backgrounds, understandable characters. Every episode goes by in a flash and none of the time is wasted. While the main story is great, I do wish there were more episodes like ep 14. I really wanted more episodes to just spend some time on the ship, going in more detail about the characters and their relationships.

4. Non Non Byori ; This is the first of the surprises on my list. I had ignored it for almost half the season until some gifs showed up in the anime thread, and now it's one of my favorites of the year. Ren-chon is wonderful. It's a show that not only makes you smile, but also tugs on your heart strings and leaves you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.

5. Silver Spoon ; From the creator of FMA comes a new tale of... farming in school. Gin no Saji is, yet another, slice of life that I thoroughly enjoyed last year. Like non-non byori, it actually makes the school setting feel fresh by adding a healthy dose of country life that I can't relate to at all. Kind of just makes you want to--oh, I don't know--go into a secluded country side and start farming. Yeaaah... no.

6. Gundam Build Fighters ; A family friendly Gundam show, or at least that's what I like to think. The story itself isn't very interesting (at the moment), but it's a kids show so that's totally fine with me. I haven't watched many Gundam shows, but they usually feel a bit too overwhelming after a while, so a fun show like this is quite nice. I'm actually pretty fond of the tournament format in general, but if they flip a switch and go crazy, I'd be down with that too.

7. Hataraku Maou-sama! ; It's like a rom-com, but with a demon lord who works part-time at mcdonalds. Whoever came up with the concept should get a medal. But seriously, I thought the concept was great from the get go, and the show is great too.

8. Yowamushi Pedal ; The first sports anime to grace my list. I love underdog stories and I am particularly amazed at how upbeat/light-hearted this is. All the main characters are just like... really, really cool people (except for that annoying girl who needs a slap in the face).

9. The Eccentric Family ; This was more pleasant and more elegant than most anime, and really seemed more like a long movie than a tv series. A poignant tale of tanukis trying to live in a world with humans. Of course, there's a bit of fantasy to it, making these tanukis seem more human than, well, the humans.

10. Mondaiji-tachi ga Isekai Kara Kuru Sou Desu Yo? ; All right, this was another surprise. I really didn't expect to like this show as much as I did. I love fantasy, and this is pretty much what it is. It starts with a limitless idea: a bunch of kids go to a world full of myth, monsters, gods and demons, and they play these made up games for... a living I guess. The only downside was that it ended really abruptly. This is a show that needs a conclusion.

 

[kiunchbb]

1. Gundam Build Fighters - all the gundam action without politic
2. Log Horizon - mmo meet wolf and spice, in many way this show handle politic a lot better since many of us are already familiar with mmo politic.
3. Hataraku Maou-sama!
4. Rozen Maiden: Zurückspulen - good old rozen maiden minus the cry baby.
5. Kill La Kill
6. Steins;Gate: Fuka Ryouiki no Déjà vu
7. Girls und Panzer

 

[Basileus777]

2. Minami-ke Tadaima ; Okay, I'm sure everyone is looking at me weird because this is so high on my list. I know this series isn't really that popular around here. Nobody watches it or talks about it or cares. But for me Minami-ke is just one of those series that I find not only enjoyable and funny, but also... relaxing and comforting as well. I am really glad this series continues to get a season every now and then. Season 4 in particular feels like it captures the best of what made Season 1 great.

You have impeccable taste. Comedies do tend to get the shaft in these kinds of votes, and this isn't helped by being a 4th season. But it really was the funniest anime made this year.

 

[bistromathics]

ohhh man thank you thread for informing me that there is a whole new season of Genshiken. I'll check out some other mentions too, but I gotta see what those guys are getting up to these days. Genshiken 2 was pretty much as far as I read in the manga.

 

[Guess Who]

1. Aku no Hana (Flowers of Evil)
2. Kill la Kill
3. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

 

[Silky]

1. Aku no Hana - To this day it's still very unexplainable and bizarre as anime gets, and I think that's the huge selling point.

2. Log Horizon - the best representation of an MMO in an Anime. well written, colorful cast, and lovely music.

3. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure - Joey JoJo

 

[firehawk12]

1 Free!

1. Kiniro Mosaic

I love how dedicated you guys are.

 

[Roubjon]

Shows of the Year:

1. The Eccentric Family - Great characters, awesome atmosphere, and fantastic animation.
2. Shinsekai Yori - The world was fascinating and mysterious, both of which I love.
3. Attack on Titan - A sick scenario backed up with fantastic action.
4. Kyousougiga - More mysteries and shit, as well as beautiful animation.
5. Kill la Kill - Funny cast, great animation, over the top action.

If this thread has told me anything, it's that I need to watch Yamato 2199. I've never even heard of this before too.

 

[Quasar]

You have impeccable taste. Comedies do tend to get the shaft in these kinds of votes, and this isn't helped by being a 4th season. But it really was the funniest anime made this year.

The main problem with Minami-ke is that no one streams it legally or has put it out on disc in the west. And a family comedy is not the kind of thing that drives many to download fansubs.

Its kind of a surprise. I'd think it would fit well on CR.

EDIT: well outside the US. It seems funimation has streamed some of it.

 

[Superflat]

Everyone who put Love Lab, Girls und Panzer, or Minami-ke on their lists. Mah bros.

 

[Clov]

TV:
1) Monogatari Second Season
2) The Eccentric Family
3) Gatchaman Crowds
4) The Flowers of Evil
5) Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet
6) The Sunday Without God
7) WataMote
8) Kiniro Mosaic
9) Free!
10) Muromi-San

Movies:
1) Wolf Children
2) Little Witch Academia
3) Steins;Gate: Fuka Ry&#333;iki no Déjà vu

Not a fantastic year for anime, but it definitely wasn't bad. There were a few surprises in there; I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Monogatari Second Season, for example. The final arc with Kaiki was just fantastic in every way I can think of. I didn't expect a Gatchaman reboot to be as good as it ended up being, but the smart writing, endearing characters, and Mamoru Miyano won me over in the end.

Of course the biggest surprise of all was Flowers of Evil, which completely caught me off guard with its animation style. I loved it! Very well directed; few anime have ever been able to so effectively fill me with dread. I want more, but I doubt we'll be getting any with how low the BDs sold. At the very least the director is still getting work with that upcoming Mushishi special.

 

[Instro]

Seems a little redundant to have people posting shows that started in 2012 and ran into 2013, when said shows(JoJo, SSY, GuP, etc) already placed very highly in last year's awards. I'll do my list later, sadly its going to be rather small as I have not yet had a chance to watch a couple of the highly touted shows as of yet, although maybe I can knock out a few things real quick since we have a month for voting still. I'm glad that we have an extra category for films and OVAs now btw, I've been asking for that for years.

 

[solomon]

1) Log Horizon, even if its not done yet, I enjoyed the first couple episodes but waiting for it to finish.
2)Free (not even gunna lie was somewhat of a guilty pleasure) and Walkure Romanze tied for second

2) For real Hunter X Hunter
3)Kill La Kill
4)Mushibugyo but wow it missed a lot from the manga, sometimes I really do hate the 24 episode format they don't let shows breath, not to mention how behind the scans are for the manga =_=
5) shingeki no kyojin aka attack on titan, (got impatient and read the manga, and have yet to finish the anime
6)Blood Lad
7) Yozakura Quartet: Hana no Uta

Honestly a bunch of the fall anime like log Horizon, Magi, kuroko no basket etc, I've put on the back burner until they finish, I like to marathon.

 

[Etrian Oddity]

#3. Attack on Titan

Just the OP alone puts this show in top-tier category (seriously, the last time I saw an anime's credits take the Internet by storm like this was Lucky Star). Great music by Sawano, a very grim and nasty world, and a unique art style.

#2. Gundam Build Fighters

Talk about a premise that overdelivered. The self-awareness in this show is what makes it great, and the fanservice (from character cameos to the mecha selection) leave very little to be desired. The hand-drawn fights are splendid, and the customized mobile suits are all magnificent. The music that plays in the battle scenes are wonderful, too.

#1. Shin Sekai Yori

This show. This show right here. I simply cannot remember the last time a series sucked me into its world and atmosphere the way this anime did. The setting/world is absolutely incredible, and the story being divided into three arcs of childhood, young adulthood, and adulthood all allow the characters to grow on you. The plot twists are entertaining and well done, and the music (if repetitive) is absolutely marvelous. And then you have the art design which, apart from a handful of questionably-directed episodes, is a display of rustic beauty.

Shin Sekai Yori pulled me into it like no other show has before. I genuinely felt the sense of defeat in the latter episodes when the series neared its climax. These characters man, seeing them grow the way you do really endears them to you, and the original suite of music adds an unbelievable weight to these already emotional scenes.

Music example 1 (so somber)
Music example 2 (the musical movement from which the series gets its name, "From the New World")
Music example 3 (intense!)

Ending 1 (special credits of episode one, for the nostalgic feels)

Moreover... I felt a total emptiness when SSY ended. It had taken me on such an emotional journey over the several months it aired that I felt like there was a void in my heart. I had become so invested in the story that I was incredibly sad and nearly brokenhearted that this show had ended because... well... we're just not going to see anything like it, perhaps ever again. It was an extremely ambitious project to adapt a novel like it did, and the show was not a very big financial success.

Nevertheless, I must nominate Shin Sekai Yori as my Anime of 2013 for how incredibly poignant a series it was. It drew its viewer into an alien yet familiar world and told a very heavy story that pulled heavily on your emotions. It's going to be one of my very favorite shows in any medium for years.

 

[dakkumauji]

ohhh man thank you thread for informing me that there is a whole new season of Genshiken. I'll check out some other mentions too, but I gotta see what those guys are getting up to these days. Genshiken 2 was pretty much as far as I read in the manga.

Just a note with the new Genshiken series. They basically skip some chapters in the middle between the end of 2 and the start of it, so you might have to read the manga to supplement what they didn't bother adapting.

 

[JCG]

Just for the sake of making a rough draft, still subject to a few potential adjustments in any direction:

TV

1. Space Battleship Yamato 2199: This is literally the sci-fi anime I've been waiting to watch for a long time. If it takes a remake to do that, then so be it.
2. Eccentric Family: I didn't think I'd like this, somehow, but I'm glad to be wrong. Great cast of characters and wonderful artistry.
3. From the New World: Lots of excellent world-building and just the sort of storytelling that makes a bit of a bizarre concept work out in practice.
4. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: The absolute champion in terms of providing stupid mindless fun and one of the best manga adaptations for this type of content.
5. Kill la Kill : Trigger sure has brought us a lot of fun with this production so far. I'm hoping the series will finally start to get to more interesting material soon.
6. Attack on Titan: If it weren't for the pacing and other issues, I'd rank this higher. Great setting and an effective way to breathe some life back to an old formula.
7. Gundam Build Fighters: It took me a while to pick this up, but I'm being entertained despite my very limited interest in any sort of model building.
8. Suisei no Gargantia: Perhaps it didn't live up to the full potential of the concept. Even so, the setting was refreshing and the best parts made it worthwhile.
9. Majestic Prince: This series surprisingly improved over time, characters included, and the 3D battles were quite well done.
10. Valvrave the Liberator: Yeah, I'll put it here. This had more of the crazy side of Code Geass (but way less interesting). Rather mediocre ending, but ERUERUF.

Movie / OVA

1. Gundam Unicorn 6: Mostly a lot of political talk and setting up the framework for the final battle, but the production values, acting and directing sell it.
2. Code Geass Akito the Exiled 2: Almost missed 2013! This had more of the interesting side of Code Geass (but less crazy). Still not done yet, but awesome 3D robots.
3. Wolf Children: I'd rank this higher if I weren't such a mecha guy or if one scene wasn't a bit creepy. Very good movie and full of emotional moments.

 

[toddhunter]

Wait, Aku no Hana was good? Huh, might have to give it another chance.

Didn't watch enough to make a meaningful vote, but I look forward to picking up on some good shows.

 

[Hours Left]

I watched barely any this year, and I have a lot to catch up on, so my list will be extremely short.

Shows
1. Free! Iwatobi Swim Club ; I thought it would just be guys in speedos, but you actually grow to love this group of friends, and feel involved the ups and downs of this extremely emotional swim club. (Though there are actually not enough speedos IMO.)
2. Makai Ouji: Devils and Realist ; Great cast dynamic set in an interesting and engaging world.

OVAs/Films
1. From Up on Poppy Hill ; Proof that Goro actually can deliver a film up to the Studio Ghibli standard. Quiet, yet endearing.

 

[BGBW]

Seems a little redundant to have people posting shows that started in 2012 and ran into 2013, when said shows(JoJo, SSY, GuP, etc) already placed very highly in last year's awards. I'll do my list later, sadly its going to be rather small as I have not yet had a chance to watch a couple of the highly touted shows as of yet, although maybe I can knock out a few things real quick since we have a month for voting still. I'm glad that we have an extra category for films and OVAs now btw, I've been asking for that for years.

But some may have chosen to only vote for said shows after they had seen the ending. This also means that their votes will be split because others will not vote for them this year because they voted for them last year.

There have benn a few detractors of the split but when I brought up the idea in the anime thread responses were overall positive. Glad that you also like it.

 

[Hitokage]

TV Shows

1. Yamato 2199
2. AKB0048
3. Kill la Kill
4. Inferno Cop
5. Jojo

OVAs/Movies

1. The Mystical Laws - This may not be the best movie of the year, but it was certainly funnier than the rest!
2. Wolf Children - Actual best movie
3. Little Witch Academia - Best short

 

[IKizzLE]

1. Attack on Titan
2. Kill La Kill
3. Valvrave the Liberator
4. Gargantia

 

[CorvoSol]

So here are my votes for OVA/Film

1.

Pokemon: The Origin was a fun little OVA about retelling Pokemon in a way that didn't make it suck. It had brilliant, loving, 2D animation, wasn't Pikachu's bitch, and had some great throw downs. You couldn't ask for a better Pokemon show.

2.

Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn is the best thing to happen to Universal Century Gundam since Crossbone Gundam. It's slick, it's amazing to listen to, and it is incredibly easy on the eyes. This episode had the Banshee throw down with the Unicorn, folks. Doesn't get a lot better than that.

3.

Wolf Children was a heartwarming story about a loving single mother and her wonderful daughter, struggling with problems both fantastic and realistic. It was hard not to love them. The movie is weighed down, though, by her asshole son Ame and the fact that the viewer is somehow supposed to see "turning into a vicious asshole who tries to rip people's throats out and abandons his pack to be savaged by bears for the sake of strangers he just met" as a valid alternative to "being a loving being." The movie was endearing, but Ame's shit prevents me from recommending the film in good conscience.



1.

The Flowers of Evil is a masterpiece and if you haven't seen it but have squandered your votes on shit like Ass of Titan or something, I urge you to not sleep for the next day and watch this instead. This is a riveting drama about the influence of evil and corruption in your life, centered on the story of three intensely lonely young people, so desperate for the affection of one another that they go to ever more insane lengths for each other. The backgrounds in this show are stunning to the point of shaming even the likes of Wolf Children, and the rotoscoping gives everyone a distinct look and the show it's own visual flair. Everything from the music to background details plays an important role in this show in some way.

2.

Gundam Build Fighters is a light-hearted Gundam show designed around fan-service and selling toys, but don't let that fool you! Behind that lies the single best Gundam show Sunrise has put out since like, SEED. And it's better animated than SEED by a country mile! Glorious 2D Mecha combat graces this show, and that is a rare and precious gem, my friends.

3.

Some might accuse Monogatari's Second Season of being lazy or a bit perverse what with the entire episode being made of stills or the many cut aways, but past that is a fair amount of character development and emotional moments for the cast. It also gave us deadpan Kaiki Desshu in a Hawaiian Shirt and Mrs. Araragi, so it's pretty much tops bloobie.

4.

Valvrave the Liberator is better known as Code Geass in Space. The show is absolutely, completely, and totally insane. It is that insanity which is best enjoyed when you don't take life too seriously, and when you're in that frame of mind the show is absolute bliss. There are just so many crazy things Valvrave does that you aren't ready for. And it's home to some of the funniest biblical quips of the year!

5.

Kill la Kill is what would happen if you combined Gurren Lagann with Revolutionary Girl Utena. In other words one of the best anime in years. All about a girl who is trying to find out who killed her dad, Ryuko fights the Honouji Academy Student Council for a chance to accuse their president, Satsuki Kiryuin of this very crime.

 

[Celestial Mortal]

1. Maoy&#363; Ma&#333; Y&#363;sha ; Loved it through and through. The Devil Is A Part-Timer! inspired me to watch this one and I wasn't expecting nearly anything from it but damn was blown away.

2. My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU
3. The Devil Is A Part-Timer!
4. Attack On Titan

 

[Jex]

TV Shows

1. Yamato 2199

Wait, when did this even happen?

 

[Razgriz-Specter]

TV.
1. Log Horizon
2. Monogatari S2

Movie
1. Steins;Gate

 

[faridmon]

Sadly, This might be the first AOTY where I am not agreeing with anyone entirely. I am not sure if I will post my top 10, but I have to say my Favourite show is Chihayafuru 2. Such a perfect balance, of Sports hyperactivity, Slice-of-life calmness and Shojou hijinks. great visuals, amazing writing and fantastic soundtrack just makes everything comes together very nicely. One of the shows that actually comes to perfection, so

1- Chihayafuru 2

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

Nice to see a lot of votes for From the new World.

Good to know people don't forget a great show!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRxbi_jXMOE

 

[Etrian Oddity]

I'm listening to the Aku no Hana recommendations, and wow how did I miss this show..