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[Crocodile]

Wait we don't have 5 more hours? I was about to type something up?

 

[Hazaro]

Fuck Timezones.

That's what I get for watching almost 20 episodes of 2199 to catch up I guess.

 

[BGBW]

OK, since people complained I've extended the deadline to midnight on the west coast of yank land, 8am my time. I'll likely be asleep still so don't expect me to post when you need to stop.

Also all posts made after this extension will grant Kitakubu Katsudou Kiroku an extra bonus 50 points.

 

[Dresden]

OK, since people complained I've extended the deadline to midnight on the west coast of yank land, 8am my time. I'll likely be asleep still so don't expect me to post when you need to stop.

Also all posts made after this extension will grant Kitakubu Katsudou Kiroku an extra bonus 50 points.

yay~

 

[Branduil]

Much appreciated.

That means the deadline is a little over 7 hours, for anybody wondering.

 

[Quasar]

Excellent. Can make some last minute edits now.

 

[Shard]

My feelings on my list are the same as when I first wrote them.

 

[Gazoinks]

Maybe I'll add some more semicolons just to be safe.

 

[DiscoShark]

I'm conflicted as to whether or not to add to my list because it feels like that, after my top 3, there's a noticeable drop in quality of the shows that I checked out this year. They don't become bad but they sort of drop a peg on a must-watch tier level in my head. Hm hm.

 

[Dresden]

Just remember to space after the semicolon and to insert a perpacolon after the period of the third line in the fourth sentence.

 

[Hazaro]

I'm conflicted as to whether or not to add to my list because it feels like that, after my top 3, there's a noticeable drop in quality of the shows that I checked out this year. They don't become bad but they sort of drop a peg on a must-watch tier level in my head. Hm hm.

This is how I feel so I'm not doing a top 10.
Actually I came close, oh well!

 

[Basileus777]

I'm conflicted as to whether or not to add to my list because it feels like that, after my top 3, there's a noticeable drop in quality of the shows that I checked out this year. They don't become bad but they sort of drop a peg on a must-watch tier level in my head. Hm hm.

I think you could leave a few spots empty and then fill out the bottom of your list. I'm not too sure on that though.

 

[Hazaro]

1. Gundam Build Fighters ; Enjoyable cast, drawn gundams from everywhere, no shame. I dig it and I'm not a giant Gundam nut. Dat combat budget.

2. Space Battleship Yamato 2199 ; Almost complete with this series, but it's been very enjoyable, if fairly standard. Need more shows like this. Well that was a good ending wrap. I'll bump this one up just a little...

3. Kill la Kill ; Not exactly what I expected but a welcome change of pace from everything else with a ton of style.

4. Log Horizon ; Surprise of the year for me. Sane people making sane decisions in a new world. Is this even anime? I went and read the translated light novels even.

5. Kyousogiga TV ; This made me depressed multiple times, but it's very pretty and caused me to think about things for a bit. Also a nice breath of fresh air.

6. Hajime no Ippo Rising ; Shit yea it's Ippo.

7. Valverave the Liberator ; Rollercoaster of the year. I had fun and that's what counts.

8. Arpeggio of Blue Steel ; I'm a slut for naval combat on Earth or in space AND spell circles. Shame it ended so quickly, I wanted more keikaku. Kind of a half guilty watch.

9. Yowamushi Pedal ; Sometimes it's nice to watch something simple and see the experiences of someone learning to love their hobby.

Nothonorablementions: I could have put some pandering anime at 10, but I didn't, so nothing goes here.

OVA:
1. Little Witch Academia ; Based Trigger
2. Wolf Children ; T_T
3. Garden of Words ; Damn that is some nice rain

 

[Mauricio_Magus]

1. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure ; I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the amazing job David Production did with my favorite manga of all time, they nailed it.
2. Chihayafuru Season 2 ; Every single episode of this anime is amazing, fuck yeah Karuta.
3. Hajime no Ippo: Rising
4. The Eccentric Family
5. Kyousougiga
6. Kill la Kill
7. Space Brothers
8. Monogatari S2
9. Beyond the Boundary
10. Saki Achiga-hen episode of Side-A


I see a lot of people mentioning Gundam Build Fighters, I've NEVER watched a Gundam anime but I might give it a chance.

 

[Freezasaurus]

Excellent. Can make some last minute edits now.

I made "last minute" edits the other day. /thinking ahead

 

[victreeb3l]

Anime

1) Shin Sekai Yori / From The New World

Incredible atmosphere, great world, story and one hell of an ending. I dont think there will be anything like this again sadly.

2) Space Battleship Yamato 2199

Loved it. Epic scope, great characters and animation. Cant say anything new that hasnt been said yet.

3) Chihayafuru 2

I never thought I would watch 50 episodes of an anime about a girl playing some card game I still have no idea how to play and love every bit of it. I really really really hope theres a season 3.

#TeamTaichi

4) Attack on Titan

While some parts were fudged, overall the anime did a better job of telling the story than the manga. Loved the soundtrack and when the animation is good, man is it good.

5) Gargantia on The Verdurous Planet

Great world, fun characters, and an interesting twist. Hope we get more.

6) Kuroko's Basketball

Sports is the best anime/manga genre. Animation sucks for the most part but the cast is great and the basketball is fun. Makes you want to work hard and dunk on fools.

7) Nagi no Asukara

If this series continues to be this good, I can imagine this easily being my AOTY for 2014. The art, the soundtrack, the plot, its all incredible. But seriously, the art is fucking amazing.

8) Kill la KIll

The highs are high but the lows are low. Recently started to get great again so eager to see how it all wraps up. Latest episode was awesome.

9) Gingitsune

My favorite show to unwind after a day of work. Just so pleasant and chill.

10) Silver Spoon

Delicious, delicious animals.

Movies / OAV

1) Little Witch Academia
I need more of this in my life. Great animation, and just oozing with charm.

2) Pokemon Origins
Why isnt this the anime? Made me feel like a 10 year old kid with a big smile on my face.

3) Wolf Children
I had problems with this but overall it was a solid movie

Honorable Mention

Encouragement of Climb

D'awwwwww

 

[ElMexiMerican]

It seems like most are including series that have only gone halfway through their run so far, so I'll do the same.

1.) Attack on Titan - Intense, action-packed, interesting story, good characters.

2.) The Devil Is A Part Timer! - The funniest anime I've watched all year.

3.) Golden Time - One of the better romcom's midst all the mediocrity that fills the genre.

4.) Log Horizon - An anime about VR video games that actually knows what it's talking about (looking at you SAO).

5.) Nagi-Asu: A Lull in the Sea - A drama I fell in love almost immediately. Great premise.

6.) My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU - A romcom that manages to break away from the normal tropes and cliches to make something really unique and funny.

7.) Little Busters! Refrain - A good conclusion to the original anime. Was sort of disappointed with the ending, didn't manage to reach the same heights that Clannad and Clannad: After Story achieved.

8.) The World God Only Knows: Goddesses Arc - Very funny like its previous seasons, doesn't quite stack up in comparison to all the others above it on my list.

9.) Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet - Very great setting and story, but it felt way too rushed, especially towards the ending

Spoiler

Plus, fuck them for what happens to Chamber.

10.) Valvrave the Liberator FIRST SEASON ONLY - I specify in including only the first season because from the first episode to episode 13, it continually gets better. Once the second season starts, however, it's just all downhill from there, and the ending leaves so many questions unanswered and it also felt way too rushed, leaving me very dissatisfied..

 

[Jintor]

Oh yeah... encouragement of climb was adorable

 

[tensuke]

9.) Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet - Very great setting and story, but it felt way too rushed, especially towards the ending

Spoiler

Plus, fuck them for what happens to Chamber.

yeah but

Spoiler

Go to hell, tin can!

 

[Linkark07]

1. Shin Sekai Yori: Incredible, when I first watched it I found it boring. Later, after it ended, I watched like 13 episodes in one sitting. It was so good. The characters, the story, the atmosphere, everything was superb. Only bad point was the animation but nothing can be perfect, right?

2. Psycho Pass: The concept was quite interesting. It certainly exceed my expectations.

3. Hataraku Maou-Sama: What a surprise this anime was. The lovable cast, those funny moments, that crazy language, this anime certainly made me laugh.

4. Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru: another surprise. 8man is quite an interesting protagonist. In fact, if it wasn't because of Hachiman's twisted view of society I wouldn't have watched the anime. Add Yukinoshita to the mix and you have an unusual pair.

5. Chihayafuru 2: Loved the first one, of course I'll love the second season. Although my only gripe is the fact that matches took longer this season, and sometimes they felt to be dragged. Still, the soundtrack was top notch and the animation was great.

6. Servant x Service: Had some good laughs, like when I watched Working!.

7. White Album 2: Dat drama, dat love triangle. Another anime that surprised me in a good way.

8. Nagi no Asukara: I certainly didn't want to add this to the list since it is still going but something P.A. Works will never disappoint is in the visual area. Nagi no Asukara is not an exception. Possibly one of the most beautiful animes I have ever seen. And the story of the first half wasn't bad.

9. Watamote: Tomoko's life is quite depressing, especially since she is so desperate to be popular.

10. Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai Next.

Favorite Films:
1. Steins;Gate - Fuka Ryouiki no Deja Vu: Yay, more KURISUUTINA. Although it didn't bring something new to the table watching the entire cast again and having Kurisu as a main character was enjoyable. Wouldn't mind having more films of our lovable maddo scientisto Hououin Kyouma.

2. Kotonoha no Niwa: The visuals on this film were... remarkable. Truly, that was beautiful. Story was ok, a little sad. It's main focus was though, its visuals.

3. Hanasaku Iroha: Home Sweet Home

Honorable Mentions:
-Seitokai Yakuindomo OVA: Poor Tsuda being the straight man. At least Suzu joined him.
-Little Busters: Refrain: was quite good but since I read the visual novel the comparisons couldn't avoid comparing both. Still, I liked the anime adaptation.
-Shingeki no Kyojin
-Suisei no Gargantia: the end disappointed me a little.
-Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo
-Kotoura-san
-Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya: honestly, this anime had, perhaps, the best battle scene in the entire year. Alter Saber vs

Spoiler

Archer Illya

Dat Emiya remix.
-The World God Only Knows: Goddess Arc: for adapting so many chapters in 12 episodes Manglobe did a great job. Still, the gap between the second season and this one is too big. Would love to see Yui's arc animated in an OVA at least, that was too funny.

Can't comment about these ones since they haven't ended but so far I have liked them:
-Strike the Blood: yeah, another harem series in which the MC doesn't know (or he does know) that the girls are in love with him. But somehow I find myself entertained watching this anime.
-Golden Time: another one I find interesting somehow. Dunno why. Koko is cute though.
-Kill la Kill: crazy and over the top, this is the only explanation I can find.

 

[Fireblend]

There's only one thing I liked enough last year as to feel obliged to post here:

Movies/OVA

1. Wolf Children - I loved this. From the music to the visuals to the story. It deserves the highest praise it can get.

 

[Crocodile]

TV Shows

1) Space Battleship Yamato 2199: I already wrote a lengthy piece on why this show was so good but I'll just link to it here. I suppose I'm not being super original placing this show on this list and I had a few minor grievances with it but hey, a great show is a great show and it deserves recognition.

2) Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Shows like this are why I fell in love with anime. Phantom Blood left me feeling lukewarm but Battle Tendency came back with a vengeance. So ridiculous! So over the top! So manly! SO FABULOUS! Joesph Joestar is truly the best and shames all/most other shonen protagonists. Iwasaki also delivers the OST goods again I wrote more about the series here and here (I think I spoiler tagged all the important parts). My only real complaint was how low budget the whole show was, especially for such a well known and respected property. I'm hoping Stardust Crusaders gets the budget it deserves

3) Gundam Build Fighters: In a world where 3D CGI mechas are infesting our streets, its good to have quality 2D mecha animation represented so strongly here. Let's be clear: this show's primary function is to sell Gundam model kits. Who expected it to be actually good though O_O. We have an enjoyable cast of characters (I appreciate the international nature of the cast though a few like the black weeabo are a bit much), expertly crafted mecha battles, a rocking OST and (I feel like I'm saying this alot but its true) a ton of heart. Episodes 6 and 15 have been standouts. How serious the characters in the show take the hobby can be a bit eye-rolling at time though I do hope they leave enough time to cover some of the plot threads they've laid out (Reiji's world, Source of the Particle, etc.), I think the qualifying rounds went on longer than needed.

4) Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet: While on both ends of the series are an intergalactic war between humanity and the enemy de jour (which itself has some interesting twists to it), what really sells the show is how the main protagonist has to interact and adjust to the new culture he quickly finds himself in. It's such an unusual, interesting and endearing anthropological perspective the show takes. Strong world and character building (even if not every single one of them is likeable) are the shows strengths. Some of the antics/fanservice in the middle of the series was admittedly awkward and unnecessary though :/

5) Gatchaman Crowds: I came into this expecting dudes and dudettes in suits fighting monsters but its mostly a commentary on social media and crowd sourcing. The main protagonist is a weird mix between a Mary Sue and an idiot savant but she kind of makes the show in her odd ways. One thing that struck out to me was how the show features a prominent gay character as well a prominent crossdresser (who I don't think is transgender - the show is a bit ambiguous about that) but treats the characters with complete respect. I find so few shows on both sides of the Pacific do that and I commend this show for doing so. The ending felt limp but the DVD releases, which I haven't seen yet, seem to have righted a lot of the ending wrongs from what I've heard so I'm looking forward to actually seeing them.

6) Yozakura Quartet - Hana no Uta: This gets here mostly on the back of the SUBLIME sakuga throughout and an entertaining cast of characters. When this series wants to do action, it does action WELL. You have to watch a related OVA to this series to get the ful picture (between Episode 8 and 9) which is annoying but that OVA was great so it works out. Points off for the whole "power of friendship" which gets turned up to 11 at some points and some really distracting fanservice that doesn't seem in theme with the rest of the show

7) Kill la Kill: Sometimes you just want a show that's unbridled crazy and this more than fits the bill. The narrative writing is weaker than I expected and the animation has been a let down overall (occasionally they are able to pull off some SICK things though and the staff have more than proven their talent in the past so I can only assume budget or time constraints are the culprits). Overall though, the show continues to be a lot of fun with an interesting cast and I'm very interested in seeing where the show goes for its final act. The sky's the limit as far as I can tell.

8) Attack on Titan: Yeah this show gets a lot of shit and deservedly so. A botched production resulting in some episodes that are basically powerpoint presentations, pacing that falls to shit, mediocre, one note characters (like the protagonist :/) who probably belong in a different show, etc. However, I still have to admit, when the show was on, it was ON. Also I loved the OST (haters gonna hate). Because of those highs, the show sneaks onto the bottom of this list.

Most of the other shows I saw this year I haven't watched enough of them (Watamote, Love Lab, Majestic Prince) to form a solid opinion. I tried Log Horizon but it didn't really hold my interest. Maybe I'll give it another shot at a later time. I have been meaning to check out From the New World, Eccentric Family and Kyousougiga but ran out of time. Some others shows looked promising to start or before release but completely fell apart for me over time (Samurai Flamenco, Valvrave)

Movies/OVAs/Specials

1) Little Witch Academia: It's essentially Japanese Harry Potter but this was a joyful, jubilant romp. AMAZING animation, an enjoyable quirky cast and a quick, well paced tale make for something I've enjoyed watching many times over already. I like dit so much I was more than happy to contribute to their Kickstarter campaign. I hope the LWA series becomes to Trigger what FLCL was for Gainax

2) Pokemon - The Origin: This is the Pokemon anime I've always wanted but never got before. I'd still be watching the Pokemon anime regularly if it was like this. Sure it plays up the nostalgia card hard but the special just had heart and soul ozing throughout every pour. You could feel the "shonen heart" beating through in every battle. Red also grows more as a character in these specials than Ash ever has (though to be fair, they keep rebooting his development in the TV series ). If Pokemon is at all your thing, check this out!

I have to head out but I might have more to say if I get back in time. Thx for the extension BGBW

 

[gokieks]

1. Monogatari Series: Second Season - Bakemonogatari was probably my favorite anime series from the past 5 years, and though neither Nisemonogatari nor Nekomonogatari (Kuro) quite lived up to it, I was still beyond excited for Monogatari S2. And it absolutely delivers, with some excellent development for the wonderful cast of characters.

2. Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199 - Despite some pacing issues towards the end, it remains a fantastically enjoyable show throughout with great characters and epic battles. Oh, and it also featured what is, by far, my favorite anime song of the year (Kokia - Kioku no Hikari).

3. Zetsuen no Tempest - It started off kind of slow, and the reliance on inner monologues may have been a little too much, but the characters and plotline really drew me in and it quickly became one of my favorite shows for the year.

4. Kakumeki Valvrave - In a lot of ways it could not be more like a Gundam series even if it was called Gundam, and as such suffers from many of the same failings, but it sure was a fun ride throughout.

5. Suisei no Gargantia - An interesting change of pace for mecha anime, and did a pretty remarkable job of showing how the environment Ledo finds himself in makes him grow as a character.

6. Kill la Kill - Insanity of the greatest variety. I could really do without the overt fan-servicey outfits, but outside of that, it's been an interesting and fun romp.

7. Shingeki no Kyojin - I don't love this quite as much as so many others do, but there's no denying that it takes an interesting premise and does some pretty cool things with it.

8. Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy - A refreshing take on the romantic comedy genre, though I wish there were more resolution in terms of character relationships.

9. Kyoukai no Kanata - Though seeing it referred to as KnK always make me think of Kara no Kyoukai (which I absolutely adore) instead, it was a pretty enjoyable show with a cool premise and some decent characters (though also some pretty weak ones).

10. Hataraku Maou-sama - The premise and setting is absurd, which works great with the characters and their interactions which were often hilarious.

 

[Branduil]

An hour left guys.

 

[gearseven]

Not necessarily what I think were the best anime of the year, just my favorite. In many cases I stacked shows together for whatever nefarious purposes my mind intended, but feel free to count only the ones I've bolded. I may or may not scribble in more text in a bit.

TV
-------
1. Chihayafuru 2 - Josei has it rough. Seems like every season we get multiple seinen adaptations, but josei's lucky to get that much in a year. I hadn't watched any myself since at least Nana I think, and I didn't realize how starved I was for this kind of joyous tomboy sportmanship until I burned through most of both seasons in a couple weeks. Characters I loved, visuals I adored, awesome BGM. Karuta didn't interest me at first, but with time the show makes it feel alive with a deep sense of strategy and poetic grandeur. So maybe its not the prevailing opinion, but I think the second season even more than the first made karuta interesting and entertaining to watch. And maybe that's an astounding feat in itself.

2. Kill la Kill/Battle Tendency/Shingeki no Kyoujin - The most up-to-11 ridiculous shows of the year. And also the most fun for me.

3. Space Battleship Yamato 2199

4. Hataraku Maou-sama!

5. Suisei no Gargantia/Shinsekai Yori - Slow-mo worldbuilding at its most calming and unsettling, respectively.

6. Yozakura Quartet: Hana no Uta - The most fluid, electric pantsu TV animation of the year.

7. Gatchaman Crowds/Uchouten Kazoku - These were the hardest I've paired to choose between. Both of them became progressively more unconventional and charming, I felt, as they continued, but Crowds won me over more likely because it was Hajime-fronted, whereas Benten spent a lot more time on the sidelines.

8. Non Non Biyori/Kiniro Mosaic - Adorable, goofy humor always seems to have a place with me, even in minimal settings. Biyori's rustic nostalgia and Mosaic's manic airhead cultural exchange captured most of my favorite SoL moments of the year (I unfortunately never got around to Tamayura though). Hotaru/Komari's age swapping candy store visit and Shino's fantasy Disney musical pirate adventure finale episode especially were two of my year's highlights.

9. Watamote/Kotoura-san

10. Turning Girls/Senyuu 2/Teekyuu 3

Extra TV Shoutouts
--------------
Kyousougiga
Mondaijitachi
Symphogear G/Railgun S

Film/OVA
------------------
1. Aura
2. Little Witch Academia/Kick-Heart
3. One Piece Z/Nanoha 2nd A's/Blue Exorcist/Dragon Ball Z

Movie/OVA Extras
------------
Wolf Children
Ghost in the Shell Arise
Sae Hiro Sotsugyou-hen

I should mention that I also love One Piece and Hunter x Hunter, but I didn't watch any of them that aired in '13, I believe (waiting for their current arcs to finish).

 

[Branduil]

5 minutes.

 

[Narag]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jK-NcRmVcw

 

[Branduil]

It's over.

 

[Enron]

I for one welcome our Yamato overlords

 

[Theonik]

I for one welcome our Yamato overlords

[YAMATO INTENSIFIES]

 

[firehawk12]

1. Kitakubu Katsudou Kiroku

 

[BGBW]

Please don't leak the results firehawk12.

 

[Bob Coffee]

Seconding the welcoming of our new yamato overlords.

 

[Thoraxes]

Goddess Shiori will deliver us all to the promised land of Yamato.

 

[Branduil]

BGBW is so broken up by Kitakubu Katsudou Kiroku not winning that he can't bring himself to post the results.

 

[Vincent Alexander]

Deadline: 31/01/2014 23:59 UTC 01/02/2014 08:00 UTC

Deadline was changed? I completely missed this.

 

[Necrovex]

BGBW is so broken up by Kitakubu Katsudou Kiroku not winning that he can't bring himself to post the results.

I am dying for these results. Literally dying right now! Gaaaaa...

 

[BGBW]

[thread=762071]Sorry it took a while.[/thread]

 

[789shadow]

Sorry it took a while.

It's a broken link ahahahahahaha.

 

[MoonLightWave]

www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=762071

Edit: BGBW fixed link.

 

[BGBW]

It's a broken link ahahahahahaha.

Urgh. Fixed now. Copied the post number instead of thread. Besides you could just look in OT for it.