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Looking over the Top 5 lists in this thread, I'm jazzed to see how many people were able to enjoy Utena for the first time this year! Three cheers for Nozomi!

Did the English-subtitled festival print of Colorful play anywhere but the Ottawa International Animation Festival? I got to see it subtitled legally. Yay me! I didn't like it as much as Mai Mai Miracle that I saw at the fest 2 years prior (and which still needs to be licensed so badly), but it was still an uplifiting film in a "get over yourself" kind of way.

I didn't really watch that much "new" to me this year. I guess Nichijou would be the best series I saw, for goofy comedy done slice-of-life style without actually being anything like anyone's actual life. Or Baka and Test, though I mainly only watched that for Hideyoshi. Embarassed

The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya would be my top film even though I haven't seen it subtitled or dubbed yet. (I imported the Blu-Ray of it.) Summer Wars second, though I liked supporting character Kazuma better than either the lead characters. Colorful would be third, and I think that's it for anime features.

I loved the eden of the east movies because they are true to the message (which is highly political) of the tv series and extends its representations of what of all the characters represent. I have problems with the story of the second movie, however I still need to rewatch it. however the movies end the way they do because there is really no way to solve for the problem that the series outlines which (agabam's view of) biopolitics.

I am SHOCKED neither of you mentioned a certain penguin show though. I know zac is waiting for the official release, but me and the only translator for that series thought it was amazing especially it's ending. I thought justin would LOVE it more then you though. I was wondering when utena gets going because I watched episode 5 and I am still waiting for things to really get going.

I dislike any political message in movies aimed at kids. because they are general to young to understand what is being said and analysis it, and decide if it is true or not. I am not surprised that movie would have that message (I never saw it), I mean the point is that moms are being taken because they are needed another planet right.

However I was surprised you left out single fathers, and yet mentioned same sex couples getting mentioned. and yes that could be very upsetting to kids who have only one parent, or one sex for both parents. that would be hard movie for my cousin to see because her dad raised her after her mom died young and he decided not to remarry before she was grown up.

merry christmas. glad you loved hugo I currently did (for some of the same reasons I loved beast player erin), being a prevet student with a theater minor both are like cat nip for me.

Justin's description of Colorful made me very interested in it. I seem to like angst and misery too. (For the curious, Justin referenced All About Lily Chou-Chou, which I haven't seen, but seems like exactly the kind of sweet, charming film that he loves)

I hadn't even thought about Tiger & Bunny for a while, which surprises me in retrospect because it was so successful in Japan, has a good reputation among western fans already and seems extremely well fit to American audiences. I'm like most everyone else in expecting it to be on Adult Swim. It seems like the show for people who like anime, but are disillusioned or exasperated by some contemporary trends, especially all of the damned high school students.

I'm still willing to put money on Steve Blum being the voice of Wild Tiger for the English dub.

That Zac would put Redline in first place doesn't surprise me. I just wish that I could find some enthusiasm of my own for it, but outside of the marvel of hand-drawn rather than computer-generated mechanics and some of the same counter-trend qualities as Tiger & Bunny, nothing about the concept, story or characters really excites me. I might, however, still buy it just for the hand-drawn mechanics and as a vote of confidence for things like it.

I'ven't watched very much that was current, especially since I've spent much of the year watching things that appeared during my six-year 'hiatus' from anime, but I might as well play the game.

I can't even list five things that I saw that were just released in English this year. The only things on it would have to be Birdy the Mighty: Decode, El Cazador de la Bruja, Revolutionary Girl Utena and Phantom: ~Requiem for the Phantom~, so I'll just list the five best things that I saw for the first time this year. Most of them are at least fairly new, except for the one from 1985 and the one from 1998. If I hadn't seen Galaxy Express 999 in the middle of the nineties, it would damned sure be at the top of my list.

(SaiKano would be on the list, but I excluded it since I watched the first half in 2004, even though I didn't finish it until one rather emotionally draining marathon in May of this year)

1. Kite
I had heard about Kite from time to time since I became more serious, if the term may be forgiven, about anime after seeing Cowboy Bebop, but I had never seen it or thought of seeing it until Justin Sevakis, gave it as his favorite in one of the earlier holiday specials. I really enjoyed it. The whole thing has very strong senses of mood. Sometimes this mood is sensationalistic, if not outright silly, but the strongest mood was a brooding, detached feeling in the quieter moments of the film. It also has some excellent, wonderfully preposterous action scenes, a good jazz score and distinctive, memorable character designs (Kanie haunts my dreams).

2. Serial Experiments Lain
I still don't know what to say to this series, but it felt special. The character of Lain was consistently intriguing and endearing; enough that she has become a favorite of mine. The series seemed to respect the intelligence of the audience, being willing to risk that they wanted to interpret some things and solve some puzzles for themselves. It also has a great opening theme that's among the few that I always let play, episode after episode.

3. GoShogun: The Time Étranger
This was one of several things that I was lead to by a Buried Treasures article. (I swear that I'm not trying to suck up to Justin... it just keeps happening on its own, damn it) It's remarkable simply for being a sequel to a super robot series that never refers to the super robot directly and shows it twice, passingly in the background. The heart of the film has a great dream-like atmosphere and I found the chemistry among the cast very convincing, even though it was the first that I'd even seen any of them. The film is very emotionally effective too; it throws melancholy and triumph together well, ending up with something richly bittersweet. I'll cop to it: The finale made me cry a little.

4. Birdy the Mighty: Decode
I liked the Birdy the Mighty OVA from the middle nineties, but really loved this series. I liked Birdy a lot and Tsutomu was easy to like as well, which was surprising, because I would have expected bad, annoying things from a character in his position. Part of what I really like about this series is that it doesn't do the stupid things that one would expect from the premise. It also has a really well assembled story and some terrific action scenes. I happen to have loved the loose, sketchy animation that was used in a few parts of the second season; it might have been off-model, but it moved wonderfully and fit the emotions of the scenes beautifully.

5. Le Chevalier D'Eon
This series become terrifically compelling for me and by the sixth episode I was eagerly awaiting each new happening. It's impressive to the eyes as well; the clothes and scenery are all very well-detailed and the attention paid to the footwork in the fencing is a remarkable touch. Lia de Beaumont was a really cool character who was deployed judiciously enough to always feel a little special. I will, however, concede that some of the characterization was a little thin and the climax wasn't quite was satisfying as what lead to it and probably couldn't have been.

Potential Runner-Up: Revolutionary Girl Utena
I haven't watched the last set of episode yet, although it is waiting patiently on my DVD player. The series hasn't astounded me as it has others, but there is something remarkable about it and I'm very interested in the characters. Anthy is especially interesting and becomes ever more so as her part in the story snakes along.

Worst: Strike Witches
I tried to watch this in the best of faith, well the best that I could muster; all of the abuse that it gets made me almost sympathetic. I expected a mediocre story buoyed by some military authenticity, but drug down by an obnoxious, distasteful gimmick. That good faith was not rewarded. Instead I got a mediocre story inadequately buoyed by some military authenticity and drug down by a stupid, inane gimmick of cute girls being cute, then drug further down by a distasteful, obnoxious gimmick of a camera that could be indicted on charges of statutory rape. The story felt like it was recycled from a mediocre video game and the predominantly inane play among the characters did not provide relief. It was an annoying, uncomfortable and shaming experience.

Maybe I'll watch more current things in 2012.

I don't feel up to writing much about the film portion of the episode. The only thing that I saw in theaters this year was The Cave of Lost Dreams. Well, I can't remember if saw The King's Speech in December of 2010 or January of 2011.

(Don't be too hung up on the particular positions; they played musical ordinal rankings a few times while I wrote this)

I do still enjoy the film portions of the shows. I might not see much, but I like hearing about more things than what television advertisements blast at me.

I had dismissed Rango, but the things that I've heard make me willing to reconsider. I had also dismissed [/i]Bridesmaids[/i] because it seemed like a female analogue to The Hangover and I didn't like the hangover.

I really want to see Young Adult, because I like bleak, but especially for Patton Oswalt. I adore him as a comedian and I can see how he would give an excellent performance in a film like this, especially after seeing him in Big Fan.

Zac saw Mars Needs Moms?!? It sounds even more awful than it looked.

I'm looking forward to the recommendations show.

I just started seeking out animation of the japanese kind actively at the end of last year.
So doing a ranking for anime I have watched this year would be almost (I have seen some before) my top X list overall.
Therefore I am ranking shows that also were released this year,
however my top 2 here would also be represented in my greater list,
namely

Nichijou and Mawaru Penguin Drum

Nichijou is an intelligent comedy being ambitious in terms of animation (dangerously smooth with great visual gags) and story as it tries to tie together the sublime and the mundane of daily life.
I really liked the cuts that showed the passing of a day from the perspective of an elevator or underwear hung on a balcony.
While some segments were just outright hilarious others were rather musing, soothing, searching.

I think I made my point (although I am writing a lot more about it in my mother tongue: German)
I really liked it and it seems as if Nichijou is a love or hate kinda thing so I would suggest to check out in which category one falls and even if someone is not compelled by it there are some great clips and gags on You Tube which should not be missed and are relatively short.
I even found one or two good AMVs since the animation quality is so consistently high.

I do not want to spoiler anything on Penguin Drum
but if one liked Utena (I did) or innovative, engaging and energetic shows in general (with a great director) there is no reason not to watch this.

There were a couple of other shows I liked but not nearly as much.
Madoka had a lot of great visuals with a really suspenseful narrative.
Usagi Drop is a really heartwarming tale but the anime idealizes the joys and rewards of parenthood (and especially Daikichi) even more so than in the manga, which is kind of problematic as it seems too one-sided.

On Movies

I heard a lot of great stuff about "How I Ended This Summer" but unfortunately I missed it on the cinemas and it is not out on DVD yet.
I think the Tintin movie can not grasp the genius of the comics but it is enjoyable and Spielberg has done worse movies.
My memory on Planet of the Apes is kind of hazy but I remember thinking that putting the Special Illness/Social Outsider-Story into a sifi/fantasy movie was a nice move.
Too recently have I watched Tree of Life to really say anything about it besides: impressive visuals.
Hanna was my favorite action-movie of the year (well it also was kind of a road-trip) with a female(!) protagonist that really kicks a lot of ass while still being a person(!!) and a teenager on her way to adulthood.
Oh yeah and Thor was definitively fun to watch with friends and had some genuinely funny lines.

Please excuse orthographic/grammar and jarring stylistic mistakes as I am not a native speaker.

Oh and if it matters I like the talk about movies.
Generally speaking if a podcast does not deviate too much into in-jokes and the such any outside talk makes it more feel more relaxed rather than worked and the speakers seem more as persons enjoying what they do.

I like to hear these top 5 episodes because they would give me a chance to learn about another anime or movie I missed. (I love both). Colorful is on my radar now.

I am disappointed to hear that Drive was not in there, but kudos to Justin for throwing it in there towards the end. It was my favorite of the year (The Artist was dang close).

I do have to ask though, Tin Tin, MI:4, War Horse, and The Artist are / have recently came out. Unless you guys saw them already, shouldn't you guys wait and do this in January?

My top five where:
1. ABC's of Blossoming
2.Chiayafuru
3.Squid Girl (I'm cheating a little but season two did come out this year)
4. Fate/Zero
and number five
Wagnera although season two was pretty weak

I'm so glad you mentioned that Garden of Sinners can be seen on the Playstation Network. I didn't know that, and now I have gotten to watch it legally. I was so happy. Thank you!

I have to say, I don't think being interested in Garden of Sinners necessarily means you would like Fate/Zero. I liked Garden of Sinners and Tsukihime, but I wasn't a fan of Fate/Stay Night or what I've seen of Fate/Zero. They're much more like just fighting shows to me, but of course, everyone has their own opinion.

I also like that you guys talk about movies. It's the only place I really hear about them since ANN is the only informative site I really visit regularly.

My Top 5

1) Steins;Gate
2) Usagi Drop (Convinced me to buy the manga #1)
3) Hourou Musuko (Convinced me to buy the manga #2)
4) Un-Go
5) Hanasaku Iroha

Honorable Mention: Chihayafuru. It isn't done, but from what's aired, I'd probably rank it #2 or #3.

Last edited by CG-LOVER on Sun Dec 25, 2011 1:44 pm; edited 1 time in total

Good podcast guys, and some nice picks for favorite anime of the year. I guess I might as well post my list here as well. And I guess I'll just follow the same criteria that you guys had as far as what makes it on the list:

1. I must have watched it for the first time ever in 2011
2. The shows eligible must have released in Japan or in the U.S. in 2011

My top anime of 2011:

5. Tiger and Bunny
4. The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya
3. Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance
2. Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn Parts 3 and 4 - Obviously I can't speak for the whole OVA series here since it hasn't all come out yet, but parts 3 and 4 did. And I don't want to have to wait until the entire series has released to put it on, say, a best of 2012 list. And when you think about it, that wouldn't really work anyway. I mean, even if the series finished in 2012, could you even make the whole series one of your top five of 2012 considering that 60% of it came out in 2010 and 2011? So, with that in mind, I'm just gonna be speaking in terms of Parts 3 and 4 alone. I continue to be incredibly impressed with this series. So much so that it actually ranks above Eva 2.22 for me, which was a very difficult choice to make.
1. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood - FUNimation released the majority of this show on home video in 2011, and I watched the majority of this show in 2011, so I'm counting it.

I also have to give a special honorable mention to Durarara!!, which came very close to making the list, but Tiger and Bunny just barely nudged it out (mostly because it simply ended better than Drrr!!).

Well that is my list, I'm sure it doesn't quite match up with everyone else, but hey those are just my preferences.

Last edited by TG72 on Sun Dec 25, 2011 7:38 am; edited 2 times in total

Best of what I've seen (couldn't narrow it down to 5):

AnoHana
Steins;Gate
Nichijou
Chihayafuru
Usgai Drop
Ikoku Meiro no Croisée
Hourou Musuko

From R1, Angel Beats, FMA Brotherhood,Soranowoto and Birdy (haven't seen Spice and Wolf 2). Pleasantly suprised by the dub of Oh! Edo Rocket

Overall, my favorite of the year was Gosick

I haven't seen any of those movies (the non-anime ones) from this year. I generally avoid the theatre and pick up recommendations later. Thanks for those, a few sound interesting.

Glad to hear Kara no Kyoukai getting some love. I hope Zac's review, both the written and this audio recap, got some people interested. It really is a kind of obtuse series at first, but the payoff is soo good in the end.

Favorites for the year? Might as well sound off, too. Using the same parameters as in the podcast; only stuff seen for the first time this year, even if not released/aired this year.

1. Madoka Magica (ended in the spring so still counts)
2. REDLINE (ordered two of the blurays, can't wait--and the dub clips sound great to me)
3. Mawaru Penguindrum (haven't seen Utena yet, but plan to now)
4. Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood (late to the party, I know)
5. The Tatami Galaxy (honestly this show was a little bit frustrating with its episode format reminiscent of Endless Eight, but it was still good, smart, fast paced, and oozing with delicious style)

Last edited by 504NOSON2 on Mon Dec 26, 2011 2:59 am; edited 1 time in total

Man, I love this podcast.

I would love to be long-winded, and go into great detail, but I just don't have the energy.

From least best(?) to best.

5) Shiki: The atmosphere, and the message concerning humanity's inherent predisposition to brutality.

4) C – Control – The Money and Soul of Possibility: The intricate concept; the relationship between Kimimaro and Mashu; Jessica(nuff said).

3) Memories (movie): Very well-written mid-1990s film with beautiful animation and emotive strength. The film's "realism" is quite similar to the way Justin described Colorful. Definitely one of the best things I've ever seen. (Yet, not a soul I've spoken to is even aware of it's existence).

2) Gankutsuou: One of the most beautifully animated and designed shows with an element of suspense and mystery that will grab those even familiar with the source material. It has a beautiful original soundtrack, and utilizes some of the most splendid classical pieces. It delivers emotional effects like the original story couldn't. It's just straight-up art.

1) AnoHana: Beautiful, surreal, satisfying to the very end. Why it hasn't been licensed is a question deeper than the existence of energy. Usagi Drop ties with AnoHana.

Honorable mentions: Berserk(this year was my first time seeing past episode 4 since 2000; dark, haunting, thought-provoking, action packed, bloody, and some of best characters in anime... just a masterpiece.) Evangelion(First time actually paying attention to this. It'd take me a couple of hours to really do it justice. So, I'll just say that it really lives up to the hype.)

Quick edit:

Best movies I've seen? Hmmm... Black swan, Hanna, Planet of The Apes... can't remember anymore. Ah, well.

Happy Holidays, guys.

Last edited by ljaesch on Sun Dec 25, 2011 9:12 pm; edited 2 times in total

I'm embarrassed to admit that I haven't had a chance to see the anime or movies mentioned in this podcast. Embarassed

Colorful and Young Adult both sound really interesting, and I want to see Summer Wars. Redline is another one I'll need to watch, especially after hearing Zac talk it up so much.

An anime series I watched for the first time in 2011 was Neon Genesis Evangelion. Embarassed

I've seen all of the television series (as well as the Director's Cut of of Neon Genesis Evangelion Collection 0:7), and I've also seen The End of Evangelion. I haven't seen Death & Rebirth or the two rebuild movies. I'm planning to place holds on the two rebuild movies through my local library system in 2012. Unfortunately, the library system doesn't have Death & Rebirth, so it could be quite a while before I get to see that.

I also saw Dragon Ball GT and the special, "A Hero's Legacy" for the first time in 2011. Dragon Ball GT is definitely the weakest portion of the Dragon Ball franchise. I also finally finished Dragon Ball Z series this year. Because I was placing holds on the orange bricks through my local library, it took me about three years to make it all the way through DBZ.

I just got some DBZ DVDs for Christmas, including the double-feature steelbook release for The History of Trunks/Bardock the Father of Goku and the first DBZ movie box set. So, by the end of the year, I probably will end up watching the two DBZ TV specials and the two movies in the box set I haven't already seen for the first time.

The only other series I can think of that I started watching for the first time in 2011 is Naruto Shippuden.

EDITED TO ADD: I forgot to mention that for movies, I got to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 on Blu-ray a few weeks back. It wasn't a bad ending for the film version of the story. Overall, though, I think the book series is better than the film series.

And I also realized that I forgot to mention that I also started watching Dragon Ball Z Kai in 2011.

Last edited by Zump on Sun Jan 01, 2012 7:22 pm; edited 1 time in total

1. Tiger and Bunny: At long last, a show that could potentially be a hit in the States. The interactions between the titular duo are great to watch, and the side characters are entertaining as well.

2. Michiko To Hatchin: I really wish somebody would license and dub this show, because this could potentially find an audience in the U.S. Here we have a show that focuses on two very flawed yet likeable human beings who find themselves on the run from the law. The way Michiko and Hatchin's personalities play off each other works perfectly.

3. Gankutsuou: Arguably the best show ever produced by Gonzo. This is one of the most emotionally stirring anime to be produced during the 2000s. I really like the overall look of the show.

4. Planetes: I really wish more anime would focus on seemingly mundane subjects in the way this series does. Here we have a show that focuses on realistic human beings living out their lives working a thankless job in a deregulated corporate-run environment.

5. Birdy the Mighty Decode: Now this is how you do a reboot! It revises the original story in a way that allows for better character development of the lead characters. It's a solid action/sci-fi series.

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