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We've had quite a bit of great anime shows this year. With that said which anime do you guys think was the best (actually, maybe "BEST" isn't the right word, because there is no such thing as the best, only your personal favorite) of the year?

You can include any anime you like. If you can leave reasons as to why you chose the particular anime it'll be great.

My pick...

1. Fate/Zero S2 (Best animation of any anime show i've ever seen, closest to film i've ever seen. Amazing soundtrack, great characters and dialogues. Very thoughtful).
2. Shin Sekai Yori (Great atmosphere, world building, very good soundtrack, interesting ballsy plot and gorgeous animation, at least in the first 4 episodes).
3. Psycho-Pass (Same as Shin Sekai Yori, although with a much more consistent quality with it's animation).
4. Kids On The Slope (Great soundtrack and animation, for people like me that love music).
5. Sword Art Onlinen (fun, colorful and highly addictive).

This year was quite underwhelming for me for anime compared to 2011. But there were a few titles that stuck out for me. So I guess I'll include my thoughts of titles I enjoyed for this year:

1. Kids on the Slope- Easily my personal favorite title of the year. Having Shinichiro Watanabe and Yoko Kanno together were an excellent fit in this historical anime featuring music and a love triangle.
2. Fate/ Zero 2- The second half of the Fate Stay/ Night prequel retains all the excellent elements of the first half (Master/ Servant chemistry, high quality visual presentation and epic-scale soundtrack) with more background fleshed out on the character of Kiritsugu and showing off the shocking finale of the Holy Grail War.
3. Lupin III: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine- A unique take on the Lupin III franchise that returns the series to its more gritty roots from the original manga, only with more focus on Fujiko than the guys who make up Lupin's gang.
4. Jormungand (both seasons)- A gritty action anime that does enough to flesh out the members of Koko's group of bodyguards, has some nicely animated sequences and knows that it has attitude in its focus on the world of arms dealers.
5. Daily Lives of High School Boys- My comedy title of choice for the year as the show poked fun of quite a bit of subjects despite its high school slice-of-life theme with boys such as ripping at the cliches of the genre, nods to pop culture and otaku fandom, and even ripping at the fourth wall with the characters aware they are within an anime at points.

I thought 2012 was weaker then 2011 as well at first but I think that is only in terms of big hits. For the most part my favorites this season were smaller series whereas in 2011 I actually agreed more with popular consensus and was happy to see series I enjoyed doing so well, that wasn't the case this year where most of the series that sold well were ones I could care less for (excepting Fate Zero).

But anyways my favorites of 2012

Chihayafuru Technically a 2011 series but it ran in the Winter of 2012.

This is the type of series that exemplifies why I am a fan of the sports genre. Great character development, a wonderful story about teamwork & friendship but also fulfilling individual dreams. I find this series both inspiring and beautiful.

Natsume Yuujinchou Shi I loved Natsume since the first series aired back in 2008 but this season really pushed Natsume into my favorite ongoing franchise. It made me realize that I had to start reading the manga because I couldn't imagine not having this series in my life.

Natsume episodes range from good to excellent to me but the final 3 episodes of this season were especially extraordinary, really exemplyfying how much Natsume has grown over the course of the series. For me this series had by far the best finale of the year.

Shirokuma Cafe: My favorite pure comedy series since Azumanga Daioh. This series just fills me with complete and utter joy I am not really sure what else to say. Oh the seiyuu performances are fantastic.

Tsuritama A colorful wacky story and fishing & aliens but at its core a beautiful story about friendship, family and community. Again I loved the characters in this one and how they developed over the course of the story.

Honorable Mentions: Fate Zero, Uchuu Kyoudai, Hyouka, & Uta Koi.

Leaving the fall series out because not only are they not finished I don't feel like I had enough time to reflect on them yet.

Hm, guess I can manage a top 5...

1.) Aquarion Evol - Mecha anime are best anime. Evol looked great, sounded great, the action was great, and it managed to outshine it's predecessor in pretty much every way. I loved the characters, and overall I had a ton of fun. I shipped the hell out of Amata/Mikono.

2.) Another - Had great atmosphere and even though I was spoiled early on, the story managed to keep me engaged in how everything was going to turn out. I shipped the hell out of Koichi/Mei.

3.) Tari Tari - People didn't expect much out of this at first, but boy did it prove everyone wrong. A wonderful little slice of life story about the troubles young people face when they're not kids, but not quite adults. Charming, funny, and heartfelt, PA Works knocked it out of the park. I shipped the hell out of Taichi/Sawa.

4.) Hidamari Sketch x Honeycomb - Still airing, but every single installment of this franchise never failed to put a smile on my face and make it feel good to be alive. I ship the hell out of... no one, actually Laughing

5.) Pet Girl of Sakurasou - Oh how I pity the people who look upon this show with disgust. How unfortunate are they to be missing out on this wonderful series that really hits close to home with the struggles faced by the talented and the not so talented. It's actually pretty light on fanservice and focuses more on the characters as they each struggle to obtain their dreams, not always being met with success. It might falter as things go on, but for the moment it's managed to stay consistantly good. I ship the hell out of... I'm not sure. It's hard to choose Laughing

*Looks up, not a single one of his picks is on anyone else's list* Hurray, I'm different! Laughing

Not including ongoing shows from previous years (sorry Hunter X Hunter (2011)) or shows that were not released in 2012 but I did watched them in 2012 (I watched alot of 80's, 90's and 2000's series this year), or sequels to other shows (so Natsume's Book of Friends S.4 is out), or films/OVAs, my favorite shows are:

Winter
Daily Lives of High School Boys- I never thought watching a show were guys act like guys would be so much fun. The voice acting is great, the art is simple (sort of like Azumanga Daioh), the comedic timing tends to wain at times but, since every episode has three-four sections, they are re-watchable, and...this.

Bodacious Space Pirates: Likable heroines, soft yet upbeat look at the Space Opera subgenre, at times can feel slow but manages to pick up near the end, and, despite having a female heavy cast, almost none of the characters are there just for fanservice; they are all intelligent, well-written people (big shock!!)

Honorable Mention-Poyopoyo Kansatsu Nikki- Just so cute and fluffy to watch. Each episode is only a few minutes to watch and the humor is okay for the most part. Also, sphere cats=adorable!!

Spring
Kids on the Slope- In my opinion, the best series of the year. Excellent music (both original and the usage of jazz songs), great attention to detail with the post-WW2 era of Japan, memorable characters, and the relationships (more or less) were quite believable.

tsuritama- Bright colors, interesting combo of aliens and fishing, characters are fun but also have a bit of depth, and (while not complex) the series is fun to watch multiple times.

Mysterious Girlfriend X- Highly unappreciated romance of the year. Very 'creative' relationship with the main duo, artwork gives off a nostalgic feel akin to Rumiko Takahashi and Shigeru Mizuki, and the use of fanservice is actually palatable.

Space Brothers- Even though I'm not an expert at astrology or anything involving space travel, this series has such a warm, optimistic, and inviting nature that, personally, I think anyone looking for a 'realistic' Science Fiction show with subtle humor and drama can enjoy it.

Summer
Humanity has Declined-Wickedly dark humor in sharp contrast with the bright colors (and creepy fairies), lovable yet deadpan main protagonist, and plenty of Sci-Fi tropes to keep me interested throughout the entire show.

Honorable Mention-Natsuyuki Rendezvous-Not my favorite of the Summer but I didn't hate it.

Fall/Autumn
My Little Monster & Chūnibyō Demo Koi ga Shitai!- I like both shows pretty much for the same reasons. Charming, fun to watch characters, nice music, romantic duos have such great chemistry, the odd situations they get into are funny, and subtle use of drama.

Honorable Mentions-From the New World, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, and Psycho-Pass- These three aren't over yet but I'm enjoying the ride so far.

Out of curiosity, does this only refer to anime that premired in Japan in 2012, or as well as aime thatpremiered stateside in 2012?

Premired in Japan.

Oooo, good thread. My favorites are the following:

Winter
Another - I love horror shows and I really enjoyed how this series played out. It was short but sweet (and pretty creepy).

Spring
Fate/ Zero 2 - I am a Type-Moon fan and had really REALLY enjoyed the first part of this series. The artwork always wins me over and I have yet to hate a T-M series.

Lupin III: The Woman Called Mine Fujiko - This I fell in love with after the first episode. It was very sexy, had great jazzy music, and the artwork was like a moving portrait. This series is an insta-buy for me when it becomes available on DVD/Blu-ray.

Polar Bear Cafe - This show reminds me of the comics section in the morning newspaper; not really funny but very entertaining. Something about the show is just so charming and I constantly look forward to the next episode.

tsuritama - Loved this show, hands down. I loved the unique artwork it had and also the message behind the show about spoiler[coming out of your shell.] I also really loved Akira and his pet duck Tapioca. Anime hyper

Summer
Humanity has Declined - The first episode won me over. I did have some trouble finishing this series (I disliked the spoiler[Time Travel] episodes) but after watching the last episode I then wished there was more.

Sword Art Online - Similar to the .hack franchise but I enjoyed it way more then .hack//sign. I loved the artwork, the music, and the sword fighting scenes were pretty epic to watch.

Fall
Kamisama Kiss - I definitely got a Fruits Basket/Inuyasha feel from this show but I instantly fell in love with it after the first episode. I have yet to find an episode boring and am praying that Funimation will consider the home release rights.

Magi - I always loved Arabian Nights stories when I was a kid and was reminded of this one old Anime I watched called "Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves". I am really glad I decided to get into this series.

My Little Monster - Cute, amusing, and at times hilarious. Haru and Shizuku are a perfect example of how opposites attract.

Psycho Pass - Dude, this show is so f-ed up and I am loving every second of it. The main character is kind of meh but the storyline makes up for it.

Last edited by penguintruth on Sun Dec 09, 2012 9:29 pm; edited 1 time in total

I would say either the new Lupin III TV series or Polar Bear Cafe.

And the reason I would say that is largely because those are the only anime I watched from this year. Laughing

Still good, though.

(Actually, I watched a few episodes of Bodacious Space Pirates, but it's best forgotten.)

I have to second Daily Lives of High School Boys. Straight comedies are rare, and so often anime tries to turn them into medium-appropriate shows and misses the point. DLoHSB knew its limitations, and the limitations of the medium, and rather than just run with them, it used those limitations as comedy props themselves.

I'll throw in Hyouka as well. It's a show that has both nothing going on and enormous amounts going on, depending on how you look at it. It's a show that really used its animation talent to communicate subtleties of character, rather than just showing off, so the character development was visible not through the events of the show (which were generally mundane), but through the characters themselves.

And finally, I'll mention what I'm sure is not going to get much agreement: Utakoi. Disconnected, often anachronistic love stories, sure, but also a great exploration of how reality can sometimes stand in the way, and there's no way around it. The reflective pieces about how characters looked back on their lives and how the decisions they made changed their paths presented a kind of regretful but grounded introspection that we never really see in anime.

Hyouka
This was quite a change of pace for KyoAni. Sure one may look at the asthetics and think that's it's the same (moe) old bag but KyoAni had never really tackled a character-centric piece like this before. And they did it quite marvelously. The characters were all enjoyable and I loved how everything from the first half was just the build up to the KanyaFes arc. The episode where everything fell into place as the festival concluded was just amazing. Kyoto Animation shows time and time again why they're so revered by anime fandom.

Mouretsu Pirates
As someone who enjoys seeing characters being molded moreso than simply explosions and pretty lights this series was quite a treat. The word building in this series and its emphasis on electronic warfare was definitely what hooked me at the start (the first arc) but by the time Marika makes a tough but calculated decision at the end of the first arc, one that didn't seem like it was just spur-of-the-moment like in so many other similar anime that I see, I knew that I was in it for the long haul.

Girls und Panzer
This series has a lot in common with Mouretsu believe it or not, as it too also tends to deal with strategy (such as luring enemy tanks to the city and using guerrilla/ambush tactics or using that fact that the enemy can hear all radio transmissions against them) instead of explosions, though there are plenty of the latter as well. The main characters are all enjoyable, as are all of the other tank crews that have been encountered so far. The research that went into this series must have been immense as there have been plenty of references to various military events (MacAuliffe's "Nuts!" during Battle of the Bulge for instance) and heck even a Kelly's Heroes reference. The most recent episode had the girls representing Russia all sing a few bars of the famous WWII-era song Katyusha in its original Russian. There's a lot of research and heart put into this show, and the result of that is very evident. There's no wonder that this is poised to be the top selling series of the fall season.

Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita
As someone who loves satire, social commentary, and dark humor this series was an absolute gold mine. Watashi/Mediator is one of my favorite characters in anime ever. The pastel bright colors and the constantly happy fairies make a sharp contrast to the at-times morbid topics and the situations that Romeo Tanaka came up with to put Watashi are all zany but enjoyable. Seiji Kishi needs to direct more comedy titles because this, Seto no Hanayome, and Carnival Phantasm are all comedy gold. No other series made me laugh this year as much as Jintai.

Tari Tari
For a show about music (and sometimes Badminton), my goodness did this series produce such wonderful music. I still find myself listening to the entire vocal portion of Utattari, Kanedetari a few times a week. This series is a perfect example of taking a worn and overused premise and creating something that truly stands apart through superb execution. That this is the TV anime directorial debut for Masakazu Hashimoto (who was also the main writer) really makes me look forward to what he will direct next.

I will try what I can.

Black Rock Shooter - Not very popular, but I found the drama and action in it to be top notch, the beggining set it up with average school girls, but we had what seemed at first to be random action. Problems were solved in intelligent ways but the series was aware not perfect, the twist was great, the action fun, and the ending epic. I even bought the DVD.

Listen to Me, Girls. I Am Your Father! - Started out very fun that I automatically fell in love with it, though the series goes through a twist early on to set up the setting, the series then could warm your heart one second, and break it the next. Hina has to be one of the cutest things in anime.

Sword Art Online - One of the most talked about shows I have ever seen, granted a lot of it was fighting between members but there is something special to get so many people worked up. As of yet it is not finished, but I always look forward to each episode.

Kokoro Connect - What do I say, I love drama, and this seires was a particulary gorgeous job at exploring the characters. The voice actors did a briliant job at doing each character, which was an impressive job for the first arc. I also became a big fan of Himeko's voice actress for her work later in the series.

Haiyore Nyaruko-san - I had been looking forward to this series since I found out about Haiyoru! Nyaruani, it is a romantic comedy with Lovecraft monsters, and parodies of various taku culture. I found it to be one funniest shows this year, fun characters, hilarious plot twists, romance, action, it had everything.

Honorable mention:
Chuunibyou: it has been really good so far but the ending will heavilly influence how the series was.
Sakurasou: similar to the above, it may have something special, I don't know.

Hmm, interesting thread. Anyways, mine for this year (2012) are:

1) Kids on the Slope - Shinichiro Watanabe and Yoko Kanno is one of the reasons I watch this series. But besides that, I liked the realism as well as the characters and mood of the general story. The setting is also natural and I liked the themes of it. Plus, the music is smooth.

2) Fate/Zero Season 2 - A nice thrilling masterpiece from Spring in my opinion. Yuki Kajiura and ufotable did their roles wonderfully. The visuals are stunning and some of the battle sequences were quite entertaining to watch. Let's also not forget Archer Cool

3) Kuroko no Basket - I'm not a big fan of basketball but this series was quite entertaining with its cast of characters. The OST of this series is intense and nice to listen to especially with the drama, comedy, and themes mixed in. I'm also expecting a season 2, or at least hoping for in the future tbh.

4) Dusk Maiden of Amnesia - just one of my personal favorites from Spring. The series was entertaining despite its cliched characters in my opinion. I loved watching that ghost troll Yuuko as well as Teiichi Niiya in their roles. The OP song is also one of my favorites and so was some of the many entertaining little scenes here and there

5) Kokoro Connect - tbh, I didn't have much expectation from the series at first but later on, I loved watching the members of the Cultural Research Club from this summer. It was quite entertaining and a refreshing watch for me with the comedic and romance themes throw mixed together. The emotional aspects of the later episodes were also insightful and I enjoyed watching it every Saturday.

6) Jormungand - I'm a sucker for series like this tbh. The violence, full throttle action, and gun themes mixed in are just a few reasons why I liked Jormungand from Spring. Oh, and let's not forget about Koko and her alpha crew. Her loco face and interactions with Jonah and the other characters were that damn entertaining. I'm also enjoying watching Jormungand: Perfect Order as well this Fall.

7) Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun - Hell, this series here puts a smile on my face every Monday. I don't like Mondays much tbh but Tonari-kun has given me some new hope. The lighthearted comedy and characters are so fun to watch. Rather than random fan-service, the series presents comedy that I appreciate every week. I hope it gets a Season 2 in the future..

8) Ano Natsu de Matteru - I found this series quite charming tbh. At first, I didn't expect much out of it but later on, I found it a rare little gem from the Winter season.

9) Binbougami ga! - loved it! One of my top 3's from the summer especially with the comedy and references from various other shows. (like Death Note, Medaka Box, etc) Oh God, Ichiko is just such an amusing girl to watch every Wednesday. Her interactions and role in the series was entertaining and loved all the themes of the show.

10) Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! - It's almost done airing but I still enjoy the hell out of this show. Those delusions Rikka, Sanae, and some of the other characters have are just so funny. The way they dress up, that ridiculously catchy OP song, KyotoAnimation's glorious artwork, and the various themes brightens my day from this series.

Some other memorable mentions this year imo are: Psycho-Pass, Zetsuen no Tempest, Hyouka, Bakuman 3, Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo, and Sankarea

Wait, Dusk Maiden was out this year? I couldn't find it on the preview guides I saved, have to add it.

Dusk Maiden of Amnessia - It dipped a bit in places, and some complaints about it being inconsistant, but towards the end of the series it was very close for me to consider it a masterpiece. The way Yuuko was done in parts was amazing, especially when we found the past, or seeing the turmoil of her character. Unfortuantly the series made one mistake at the end.

My top 3:

Binbougami Ga! - Easily my favorite show of the year, and it wasn't even something I was looking forward to (or even knew about before it aired). As a comedy, it was an absolute riot and kept me laughing almost nonstop. It managed to be funny in many different ways, and the jokes never got old. The characters were great and surprisingly deep; the way Ichiko and Momoji's relationship progressed throughout the season was entertaining, touching, and anything but stale. Maybe not the best show of the year, but certainly one of the most fun. Which brings me to my next selection...

Bodacious Space Pirates - This show should not have been as good as it was. It was a lot less sexy than the title would lead you to believe, it wasn't jam packed full of action like you would expect a show about space pirates to be, and there really wasn't even any piracy to speak of, at least not by any dictionary definition. But what it did have was a cast full of engaging, well-written characters that defied both my own expectations as well as the expectations of their fellow cast. Marika is one of the best leads I've seen, not because she's particularly awesome or insanely cunning, but because she has a healthy dose of self-confidence without being arrogant and the ability to inspire others to follow her lead by staying calm under pressure and making rational decisions. Bodacious Space Pirates was slow at times but it never really felt boring; it was always fun and you always knew something cool was going to happen soon.

Nisemonogatari - Unlike the first two entries, Nisemonogatari was something that I had been looking forward to for some time before it aired. Nise wasn't as good as Bakemonogatari, but it still ended up being one of the best shows this year in my opinion. For all the flak that it caught for being chock full of fanservice, it was still exceptionally well written and wickedly clever. While most of the focus was on Araragi's sisters, I think Nise offers a subliminally deep look at Araragi himself and shapes him into more of a distinct and deep character than the everyman that he was in Bake. The production values were noticeably improved over the already impressive Bake as well, and with less random walls of text this time around it was much easier to enjoy on an artistic level.

And the honorable mentions:

Space Brothers - Let me first say that I haven't watched Space Brothers at all since the end of the 3rd JAXA exam. This is really a fantastic show, and one of the best this year, but the pacing can be excruciatingly slow. Ultimately, I decided that this was a show to be watched a bunch of episodes at a time, not a show that you watch one episode per week. That being said, it's hard to find a show that makes you connect with each character on the level that Space Brothers does. You want to root for Mutta the whole way because he's such a well-developed and believable character. It's a great show with a bad pacing problem, but it's definitely one that I'm going to finish.

Kids on the Slope - I have to admit, I was a little underwhelmed by this one. An anime about jazz music, directed by Shinichiro Watanabe and scored by Yoko Kanno, it seemed almost too good to be true. And in a way, it was. I felt like the jazz aspect of the show was often overlooked in favor of the romantic aspect. In fact, the whole jazz aspect really only ever felt like Kaoru and Sentaro's thing, which is a shame because it could have been explored so much more in depth than it was. Still, it was a very good romance and coming of age story by Watanabe and an excellent jazz score by Kanno, and an enjoyable show overall that still stands out.

Fate/Zero 2 - Probably the most visually impressive show that I've seen all year, ufotable did an incredible job with the Fate/Zero series and it's easy to see why the show is so popular. My main beef with it though is that the end result is just kind of unsatisfying. I know they had to set it up for Fate/Stay Night, but that doesn't change the fact that I just did not like the way that ended nor the characters that made it to the end. But, well, you know, that's just, like, my opinion, man.

Ano Natsu de Matteru - I feel like this one was a little overlooked. It didn't particularly stand out over any other show this year, but it was a solid and enjoyable romcom with some great characters and great development. Stylistically, it's very similar to AnoHana and Toradora! (all three were directed by Tatsuyuki Nagai) and while it may not be as notable as those two, I found it to be just as enjoyable.

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Favorite anime show of 2012?

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Favorite anime show of 2012?