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Last edited by dennou_san on Tue Dec 30, 2008 1:29 am; edited 3 times in total

This year's so much a surfeit as it is a re-idealizing of anime thanks to the likes of Kaiba, Casshern Sins and Kure-nai. 2008 may not be the renaissance of anime (which 2005 was) and it doesn't seem to stand strong with the titles last year has proffered, but it has its share of "decent" anime, some that most likely have broken some conventions, encroaching the very experience of watching anime.

Personally, Kure-nai (in the vein of Red Garden.....,yah, they were both made by the same person) is one of my picks,a great example of how anime can oppugn the notion of teetering, flimsy philosophies and, with a dosage of excellent characterizations, can create its own socially relevant premise successfully.

Sky Crawlers is another, and we are shown that in the hands of Mamoru Oshii,moral and social issues are kept to to a minimum,leaving to us which is to deduce, what is to infer and speculate, all obscured mostly beneath languidly gorgeous animation.

Just the same, name as many titles as you wish that you think stood out in 2008 as long as they're adducible ( back 'em up with your reasons)!!!

Happy holidays, everyone!! Very Happy

Two problems with this thread:

1) You didn't follow your own rule with your first post.

2) You need to clarify with your subject heading whether you're talking about releases in Japan or outside of Japan when you mention 2008. Don't automatically assume that everyone will know you mean "straight from Japan" since a substantial number of forumites don't do fansubs.

Straighten these out and I'll be happy to elucidate. I was thinking about making a thread about the Best of 2008 in Japan anyway.

You mean anime that were licensed in 2008? I guess my favorite would be Shikabane Hime. I really got into this series for some reason. It's got good action and some pretty disturbing moments in it. It's over all shaping up to be good. Also there was Code Geass R2. It's even better then the first season. I love watching it, one the most intense anime I've seen. That’s all I can think that of right now. Of course that’s just if your talking about anime that got licensed this year.

I'm guessing he means "released in Japan in 2008," given the shows mentioned in the post.

If Kaiba was indeed released this year, it has to be my pick even without having seen anything else that was. The artistry and animation it exhibited were beyond anything I've ever seen before, and it wound up weaving a very touching (if intensely confusing at the outset) story as well.

Last edited by Labbes on Tue Dec 30, 2008 6:29 am; edited 1 time in total

For me, Macross Frontier. I dropped it the first time around, but I totally loved it the second time. The music, the characters...tell me that it's completely cheesy, but I love it. I can't understand how anyone would call this a trainwreck, and I don't even want to know^^

As for the most interesting show, I would say Kaiba and Mouryou no Hako. While I have to finish either of them, they are very good in their own, less-epic-than-Macross way. Too bad it's unlikely that any of these three shows will see a license Sad

Edit: I totally forgot about Casshern: Sins. I don't like episodic shows, so I haven't come further than episode 4, but I am very impressed, the only thing I don't like is the fact that it's episodic (although it's nearly on par with Mushishi) and the bland opening and ending. Along with Mouryou no Hako my favorite show of this season.

I wouldn't have voted for Kaiba, and I honestly think it was overblown and over thought, and that any anime that you have to sit and analyse to even grasp what you're trying to understand is kinda pointless. I'll take my cliched, high-school setting majouko anime thanks.

I also felt that ef - A Tale of Melodies didn't meet up to it's hype or it's predecessor. One of the two stories didn't grab me at all, and most of the uniqueness in the art and stylistic components had already been used in the first series so it felt like really nothing new was brought to the table art-wise (and I felt towards the end that the animation quality dropped substantially as well). Ma, ii. It is possibly still the best of this year, however.

Really nothing has quite stuck with me this year, although I would say that at the moment Toradora is really hitting all the right notes in my opinion. I liked Kannagi a lot, but I wouldn't say it's the best.. I can't really remember all the anime I've watched this year. Heh. Code Geass R2 kinda went wonky but it had one of the best final episodes ever, which is quite a feat considering how unlikely it was looking with the sheer number of loose ends.

If I think of something else I'll repost; this could be a fun thread.

This was a bad year for anime, Code Geass R2 was a massive dissapointment, and frankly I largely stopped watching anime, and just kept to manga. Though I will say that Gundam 00 was quite good although the recent episodes have begun to slip.

In my opinion, Spice and Wolf, Natsume Yūjin-Chō, Toshokan Sensō and Kure-nai have been the bast series of this year. Each of these shows is very good in terms of characters, which make them quite entertaining. Apart from Toshokan Sensō, each has a sensible plot.

Well, I didn't find 2008 to be such a disappointing year, and in fact I recently put together a top 10 list for it:

(note: these spoiler tags are for "suspense purposes" only; there's nothing in them that would actually spoil the plot of any series)
#10: spoiler[They are my Noble Masters
Eat your heart out, Nanoha, this is the ultimate in otaku-targeted anime. Fanservice and ecchi galore, most of the major female archetypes, a trap, every kind of wrong relationship under the sun, a butler theme to go along with the trend, tons of parody and voice-actor role shout-outs...not fine art by any means, but it sure had me queuing up episodes and feeling sad at getting to the end. Plus, it even puts together some good emotional content, if not at the end then in some of the side stories.]

#9:spoiler[ True Tears
Drama based on a romance game, with eccentric but believable characters, no misplaced harem vibe, great music and a level of artistic realism that would've been unthinkable 10 or even 5 years ago. The story was fairly typical for the genre, but the execution was good.]

#8: spoiler[The Familiar of Zero 3 - Princess Rondo
More of the same great ecchi magical fun that made the first 2 series so fun to watch. Louise is just as tsundere as always, and we get more Tabitha, as well as Tiffania in the mix to spice things up. Sure, the story could've been better, but who cares? To me, the plot in the FoZ franchise is something that gets in the way of the fanservice.]

#7: spoiler[Minami-Ke ~Seconds~
While many blast this series for having a different studio and not living up to the first series, I found that most episodes carried on the same level of humor and character interactions from the predecessor. And oh, that Mako-chan is just too much Shocked

]

#6: spoiler[Da Capo II: Second Season One wouldn't expect this sequel of a sequel to be noteworthy. But after Da Capo II took care of some sidestories for some of the female leads, DC2SS is free to address Yoshiyuki's true nature, his relationship with his adopted siblings, the strange events on Hatsune Island, and most importantly provide a final resolution to the story that's existed since the 2003 original series: the story of Sakura Yoshino, Junichi Asakura, and the unwithering sakura trees. Not exactly a standout anime on its own, but to fans of the DC franchise, it stands among the best of 2008.]

#5: spoiler[ToraDora!
Still airing, so I can't quite make a final judgment. But so far, the romance, comedy, and drama have all been top-notch, and the presence of Rie Kugimiya + tsundereloli + Absolute Zone doesn't hurt things one bit. But the real main feature are the moments when characters display emotions and thought processes that you'd never expect from mere anime characters. True to real life? Maybe, maybe not, but ToraDora's still has many anime romances beat.]

#4: spoiler[Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion ~ R2
Despite all the fair criticism leveled at it, Code Geass R2 was nothing if not an entertaining viewing experience. The execution may have been flawed, but CGR2 still delivered insane mecha fights and mass destruction, school romance/comedy hijinx, massive doses of scheming and JUST AS PLANNED, political/mystical intrigue, moemoe C.C., a fitting ending even if a sequel doesn't materialize, and of course the pizza.]

#3: spoiler[Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei
Placing this ahead of Code Geass R2 on the grounds that intentional absurdist comedy is better than uninentional absurdist comedy. ZSZS continues the brand of absurd, black humor from the first season, only with even more relentless artistic experimentation and fewer lackluster episodes. Sure, you have to have one hand on the pause button and the other on your media player's frame advance/rewind to catch every joke, but I've always enjoyed reference-dense comedy since first seeing Excel Saga over 4 years ago.]

#2: spoiler[Clannad ~After Story~
Another one that's still airing and defies final judgment, but so far I've enjoyed this Key/KyoAni combination for everything that it is. While I miss the reduced ensemble compared to the first season, After Story makes up for it by losing the harem-esque vibe and treading into the post-highschool world to the extent that I haven't seen since Rumbling Hearts. And once again, the show looks gorgeous; I'm no animation expert, but I daresay the "other world" introductory sequences were animated on 1's. And from the random spoilerish info I've heard, I think the ending for this one could be as epically tear-jerking as Air or Kanon's.]

#1: spoiler[ARIA The Origination
Just a perfect series through and through. Gives a marvelous conclusion to a franchise thought to have no story whatsoever. Even better art for Neo-Venezia and its waterways (now in widescreen!), and the characters have never looked more warm and expressive. True to its "Origination" subtitle, we learn key facts about the histories of the Prima Undines, and even about Aria Company and Grandma herself. And the last arc is just one deluge of happy/sad tears after another, unmatched for me since Junichi Sato's Kaleido Star. And as if that weren't bad enough, I've never been this sad to see a franchise come to an end than when I finished Sailor Moon Stars, and Sailor Moon had its status as my "first real anime" going for it.]

In regards to your 2005 comment I would have to say it's pretty much on par with 2008, which are both not up to the high standards that 07 and 06 set.

For 08 I felt it was good to great but really lacking compared to last year. In my Top 10 Anime thread on Anime On DVD I've posted my top 10 this year and not changed it once. Last year was so good I was changing after watching nearly anything... I exaggerate of course but zero changes compared to 6-7+ is pretty telling.

Winter Season

Generally the Winter season is the worst season of the year by quite a large margin, this year though was an exception. It had one of the best romance shows I've seen in a long time in True Tears, Spice and Wolf was just a joy to watch and featured one of my favorite female anime characters ever in Horo. Shigofumi was a interesting watch and while I haven't seen it I heard that ARIA The ORIGINATION is the best in the franchise and I've liked what I've seen of the first series.

1. True Tears, 2. Spice and Wolf, 3. Shigofumi.

Spring Season

I was really looking forward to Code Geass R2 and Macross Frontier since I rated the first season of Geass really high and I've been a Macross fanboy ever since I saw Robotech in the 80's. While Frontier lived up to expectations sadly I can't say the same about Geass, yeah it was entertaining... but so was the first season which was just better in nearly every aspect. Soul Eater has been some great fun throughout the year, though I wished Bones had upped the pace a bit earlier. Kure-nai was definitely the surprise of the season and was just great to watch, especially episode 6 the singing episode, best filler ever?

1. Macross Frontier, 2. Soul Eater, 3. Kure-nai

Summer Season

After all is said and done I have a feeling that Eve no Jikan will be considered the best if not one of the best titles to be released this year. You're robbing yourself if you miss this show, it's biggest weakness is it's release schedule.... I'm going to include Xam'd: Lost Memories in this season and this is just one awesome show. Though I have to say it's not living up to it's earlier potential atm but things can change. Lastly I'll like to mention Strike Witches, I initially dismissed this as fanservice crap but after watching it I have to admit I was wrong and it's quite a good shwo. Not a world beater but nowhere near as crap as I thought it would be.

1. Eve No Jikan, 2. Xam'd: Lost Memories, 3. Strike Witches

Fall Season

Quite a few shows still ongoing so this is a hard one to judge and it will probably change for sure by next April. Kannagi is my current fav and will be hard to displace, just puts a smile on your face watching it. Casshern Sins is just an great series from Madhouse, probably the best animated tv series of the year, so fluid and I love the designs and the backgrounds are just awesome... especially episode 9. If the story delivers this will displace Kannagi. Ga-Rei Zero just came out of nowhere and drastically improved upon the manga it's loosely based on. Tytania has been a great watch so far and Index has been good to avg. I liked what I saw of Mouryou no Hako and a lot of people following it raw are calling it the series of the year, I'm waiting for all the subs to come out myself to catch up.

1. Kannagi, 2. Casshern Sins, 3. Ga-Rei Zero.

Overall top 5 hmmm....

1. True Tears
2. Eve No Jikan
3. Kannagi
4. Xam'd: Lost Memories
5. Macross Frontier

Eve no Jikan, Xam'd and Casshern are potentially top ten shows but I won't know until I finish them.

Although I sampled most of the new series that came out of Japan this past year, I only watched out a handful each season. Even so, I feel better-qualified than in any previous year to do a fansub-only "Best of" list. (My annual Best of 2008 in America piece will be coming out as an article probably later this week.)

And unlike Zalis116, I won't succumb to melodrama in my listing. Wink

Series of the Year: Toradora!
I am a huge fan of Spice and Wolf, but even it did not impress me as much as this one has through its first 13 episodes. It is, quite frankly, one of the best anime romantic comedies I've ever seen - and maybe the best. The premise may be typical enough - a perceived delinquent (who's actually rather domestic) teams up with a pint-sized girl so ferocious she's called the Palmtop Tiger in an effort for each to win the affection of the other's best friend - but its execution most certainly is not. It consistently surprises with its depth (especially in character development) and uses an atypically light touch in developing its friendships and love interests, all the while providing plenty enough fun to be fully entertaining. It also steps beyond standard character molds and cliched conventions, in the process creating a plethora of wonderful scenes that might seem sappy in the hands of lesser writing but play out with real conviction here; the post-kicking scene or Taiga's confession in episode 2 and Ryuji's episode-ending confrontation with Taiga about her father in episode 11 are just three great examples.

Runner-Up: Spice and Wolf
Who'd have thought a fantasy series focused heavily on economics and mercantilism could be so entertaining? And yet this one is, thanks in large part to the year's best new character: Horo the Wise, a wolf goddess who decides to take human form (as a teenage girl with wolf ears and tail) and travel when she feels that the villagers who have traditionally worshiped her no longer need her. She has a deliciously sly, cunning, and playful manner, and her interactions with the traveling merchant Lawrence Craft are so delightful that an entire episode of just watching them talk can go by without you ever realizing it. The only downside is that the structure of its second half too closely mirrors that of its first half, but it would have been my#1 pick for the year had Toradora! not consistently proven its mettle.

Third Place: Kure-nai
A teenage martial arts expert is assigned to protect a sassy little girl from her own family in this action-punctuated drama piece which massively impresses early on with its emotional conviction and drops off only slightly during its 12-episode run. Murasaki is one of the most interesting "little kid" characters to come along in quite a while, and the exploration of the bizarre intricacies of the Kuhoin clan, and the relationship that Kure-nai and Murasaki form, make the story involving. An ending which avoids typical clilches also speaks well for the series.

Spectacle of the Year: Macross Frontier
It may not rank as one of the year's best, but not even Code Geass R2 hit the scene with such force. Great music, impressively-animated fights, a classic love triangle, and homages to most previous Macross titles - what more could a fan of the franchise ask for?

Otaku-Centric Title of the Year: Haruka Nogizaka's Secret
Yeah, this one is about as fan-pandering as you can get - a boy discovers that the secret of the beautiful rich girl at school is that she's an anime otaku, and she falls in love with him for accepting her as such - but it has such an undeniable sweetness to it that it's hard not to like. That sweetness carries it through a lot of cliches, and normally being quite funny doesn't hurt. I got the sense that this one was heavily overlooked, but give it a couple of episodes and see if it doesn't grow on you.

Amongst other titles, Real Diver looked like it had a chance (and certainly had top-rate production values), but I gave up on it when its plot seemed to be going nowhere after a dozen episodes. Telepathy Girl Ran has definite merit but probably skews a bit too young for most tastes, and Chaos;Head started quite promising but has gradually devolved into a mess. Mouryo no Hako looked quite promising based on the first couple of episodes, but I just haven't had time to follow that one.

It's been a lean year - nothing at all got my coveted Masterpiece rating Razz

Not all that much got Excellent either, and even of those most are ongoing so it's only a provisional rating. Anyway, in alphabetical order, here are my top five:

Casshern Sins - we're up to episode 13 now and only just getting the first major expository scenes, but it's good sometimes not to be fed the plot details with a shovel in the first few episodes. It makes us identify with the protagonist, who starts off knowing as little about his world as we do.

Ga-Rei Zero - although it didn't make Excellent for various reasons, it still gets in my list. I felt its biggest drawback was that the opening gambit just didn't work, but once I got beyond that, there was a powerful story told with impeccable pacing.

Michiko to Hatchin - if you can cope with a Brazil populated by bullfighters and married priests, then there's a lot to enjoy here. Kino's Journey meets City of God.

Toradora! - don't be fooled by the knockabout antics, this is one of the most subtly crafted shows I've seen for a while. It depicts the changing currents of love and friendship in a group of young people, and as Zalis116 says, you don't expect that sort of depth from mere anime characters. In any lesser show, you'd know how it was going to end right from the start, but we're halfway through now and I'd say it's still completely open - in fact, given the most recent episode, it's maybe more open than ever.

Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei - if you can imagine a show taking up the mantle of Excel Saga and then promptly trying to hang itself with it, that's the Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei franchise. I don't pretend to understand half of the references, but it's still extremely funny nonetheless.

I really don't see why people think Toradora's romance is open, like Lovely Complex which had a similar premise it's pretty obvious who will get together. Toradora just executes things much better than the Lovely Complexes of the anime world.

Last edited by pparker on Tue Dec 30, 2008 1:35 pm; edited 2 times in total

WINTER
Shigofumi - Somewhat of a Boogiepop feel, and episodic, but still done very well and with enough plot twist to keep it interesting.
Kimi ga Aruji de Shitsuji ga Ore de (They Are My Noble Masters)- Just fun. Would have put Hayate no Gotoku here, but it was originally released in 2007.
Spice and Wolf - Not as impressed as others, but I'm in business and the economics wasn't interesting to me. Agree that Horo is the new character of the year, and I really could just watch the two leads interact with each other for 30 minutes a week.
Mnemosyne - Mnemosyne no Musume-tachi - Didn't end up to expectations, but still an interesting show and characters. Off the beaten path, and just thought it should be mentioned.
Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei - The number one series that makes me wish I understood Japanese. Even so, my favorite satire/parody franchise of all time, period. Love the art, the characterizations are all unique and very authentic. The writing is second to none.

SPRING
Kurenai - Beautiful, heartfelt and funny story that surprised me with its originality and range of emotion. Very tricky and icky subject to tackle, actually, and skillfully managed.
xxxHolic: Kei - I'm a CLAMP fan, but I would love this series anyway. Yuuko is one of my favorites of all time.
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 - sort of stretching, but it will be near the top of most lists, and I think deservedly so.

SUMMER
Didn't happen... though I've yet to go back and finish Strike Witches. And Koihime-Musou was better than I thought, decent enough entertainment but wouldn't make a top list.

FALL
Casshern Sins - One of the most gorgeous shows ever. I've been desperately holding off, wanting to marathon this one, though I'll probably give in and go to the mid-point now. The story sucked me in from the first minute, and the first four episodes only got better.
Nodame Cantabile: Paris - What can I say. Best show, at least best comedy, of the year.
Kannagi - Didn't turn out as great as its beginning, but its unique characters and humor, plus the excellent pacing of the wrap-up and ending kept it near the top for the year.

Great Expectations:
Series that I haven't finished, but hope/expect would make such a list:
Toradora! - I wasn't as impressed as others, as it was a bit too cliche in the first four episodes. And I love Rie Kugimiya, but 5 lead tsunderes is enough, thank you.
Mouryou no Hako - Lots of potential, though the initial eps didn't display greatness.
Kurozuka - Loved the first few eps, but haven't heard much about it, so not sure what to expect.
Michiko to Hatchin - I so want this to be as good as its beginning. Love the art, and all the characters are great. Brazilian setting done very well.

Overall... I bought a lot of R1 this year, and lucky I could, because when I looked back, I realized how disappointing the year was overall. Spring season disappointed me the most, though Fall has sort of saved the year.

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Your best anime of '08 (released in Japan).

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Forum - View topicYour best anime of '08 (released in Japan).

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Your best anime of '08 (released in Japan).