Best Anime of 2010 2: 2011

[goldenspines]

And here I thought Haruhi would shut out Usagi Drop. But it appears that I'll have to vote.

<ＳＯＳ団>

So, why The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya? Because everyone needs to feel wanted.

[Falx]

<ＳＯＳ団>

Dropping bunnies is animal abuse. so I'm voting for the non animal harming Haruhi.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

Well, poop. I guess I'm going to wait until Penguindrum goes toe to toe with Madoka to see if, like JP, has the edge to win. At least Frontier 2 has been avenged.

So, I saw some of Haruhi, and I enjoyed it, though not enough to make me go through season two yet, but Usagi Drop is one of the best shows of the year. Daikichi is boss, Rin is awesome, the whole show is fantastic. It also is a great example of what noitaminA is supposed to be, and it really is just one of the best things I have seen. I really hope it gets a release so I can buy it and love it.

<うさドロ>

[goldenspines]

Oh, that's the trouble. People are saying The Disappearance is like the 2nd season of Haruhi (or the first season as well).

Simply put, it's not to be compared with the francise as a whole. It's not even worth to be mentioned in the same sentence as the 2nd season. The Disappearance stands on its own. Even after the horror and pain of Endless Eight (if you've watched them all, you would understand), it made me forgive the creators.

But yeah, if you're comparing Usagi Drop to the second season of Haruhi (which is NOT up for vote, so why bring it in?), then of course Usagi Drop is going to win.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

I'm not saying Disappearance is like either of its predecessors. I was saying that while what I saw of Haruhi I enjoyed, I didn't like it enough to go watch more, aside from a "Maybe, sometime." I'll eventually get around to Disappearance, but against one of my favorite shows of the year, I'll be picking one of my favorite shows of the year.

I mean, Fate/Zero almost lost to Steins;Gate even though it is clearly better in every way imaginable, so I can't vote when I've seen some of something's predecessor and its opponent?

[blkmage]

I love Usagi Drop and am willing to defend it even after its popularity tanks after the second half of the manga. It's an excellent story about a guy who gives up his life as he knows it to raise someone else's kid. That said, Disappearance outclasses Usagi Drop in pretty much every way.

On production, Disappearance outclasses every single anime this year. The soundtrack is amazing and not just because it's good music. It made certain scenes which I was familiar with even more intense than I would've thought possible. And all of the lighting and reflections and the animation was just stunning. It's like Makoto Shinkai except instead of making him work on skies, they had him work on fine details like snow collecting on peoples' shoulders.

But the thing that sets apart Disappearance here is its direction. Usagi Drop is a very straightforward adaptation. The two Haruhi TV anime were, for the most part, very straightforward adaptations. Usually, if you've read the manga or novel, you have a pretty good idea of what to expect and that was the case for Usagi Drop and Haruhi. And I'd read Disappearance and knew what was going to happen and it still made my jaw drop.

So, I guess Usagi Drop is a good anime because of everything that made the manga good, but Disappearance is a good anime because of everything that made the light novel good and all of the things that it gained in its transformation to animation. It's a rare case in which the anime adaptation is better than the source material and even rarer because it's simply because the adaptation was done well.

I haven't even talked about the story yet, which I think is a better time travel story than Steins;Gate, but has more to do with Haruhi as a series rather than Disappearance.

<ＳＯＳ団>

[MangaRocks!]

^ Wow-- how can I follow that up?

...

...Um... I guess I'll just add that I love Kyon. :thumb:

<ＳＯＳ団>

[MasterDias]

<ＳＯＳ団>

Kyoani really did a great job with this. Endless Eight aside, Haruhi was already a really good series, but this was excellent. I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen the TV series or at least has some investment in the characters/story beforehand though. I'm not sure how comprehensible it would be to anyone completely unfamiliar with Haruhi. So that may be its one actual flaw as a movie.

[mechana2015]

<ＳＯＳ団> Best time travel story I've seen in anime yet.

[Neane]

But we all know that Mawaru-Penguindrum will win in the end.

[blkmage]

Bunny Drop: 4
The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya: 8


[font="Times New Roman"]IDEOLOGICAL WARFARE[/font]
[SIZE="5"]Fate/zero [font="Times New Roman"]vs.[/font] Mawaru Penguindrum[/SIZE]
<Ｆａｔｅ／ｚｅｒｏ> ★ <ピンドラ>

[SIZE="4"]Fate/zero[/SIZE]
I wanted to be a superhero
Rank: 6
Aired: Fall 2011
Studio: ufotable
Director: Aoki Ei
Cast: Kawasui Ayako, Koyama Rikiya
Adaptation: Light novel by Urobuchi Gen
Defeated: Guilty Crown, Mobile Suit Gundam AGE, Steins;Gate
Voting Code: <Ｆａｔｅ／ｚｅｒｏ>

[SIZE="4"]Mawaru Penguindrum (輪るピングドラム)[/SIZE]
There are penguins in it
Rank: 2
Aired: Summer 2011
Studio: Brains Base
Director: Ikuhara Kunihiko
Cast: Kimura Ryohei, Kimura Subaru, Arakawa Miho
Adaptation: Original
Defeated: Ikoku Meiro no Croisée, Kimi to Boku, Hourou Musuko, UN-GO
Voting Code: <ピンドラ>

Voting closes on 22 December at 2300 EST.

[Neane]

Easily Mawaru Penguindrum.
The other is nothing but a show full of simplistic characters.

Mawaru Penguindrum has penguins in it.

<ピンドラ>

[goldenspines]

Disappearance won!

There is still hope in this world.

While this probably will be a shut out by Penguindrum, I'd like to give Fate/Zero a bit of credit for what it does have going for it.
Normally, I wouldn't be watching Fate/Zero because after an info dump first episode and so many other factors that rely on previous knowledge of the Fate series (such as Fate/Stay), it became mostly meaningless to me as a viewer who has no prior knowledge and frankly wasn't given a reason to care.

Yet, there is something charming about the series. Whether it be the animation, the music, or even the characters (at least the servants), it shines brightly even though its story still remains muddled with too many details and unable to stand on its own quite yet.

Penguindrum still has a chance to mess up its ending, but we all know that probably won't happen. It was a series I almost dropped in the beginning as well. It started out really confusing and I didn't care about most of the characters. Yet, I still watched it, for Shoma as first, but I was amazed how well the show could make a character you hate one episode seem very noble and lovable in the next.
Plus, the music and animation were sensational.


EDIT: Due to circumstances and other reasons, I don't feel bad for wanting to change my vote. Penguindrum is great, but I'm not in love with it, nor am I in love with Fate/Zero, but it does deserve some love for what it has accomplished. :3

Man, I dunno even know if you can change your vote. But I am anyway. XD

<Ｆａｔｅ／ｚｅｒｏ>

Long live the king!

[blkmage]

Easily Mawaru Penguindrum.
The other is nothing but a show full of simplistic characters.

I was going to vote for Penguindrum but now I have to seriously consider whether I still feel like it anymore.

[AnimeGirl]

Yay, Haruhi is winning!!

[Vii]

Disappearance still has a chance! \(`o`)/

Anyhow, SEIZON SENRYAKUUU!

Mawaru Penguindrum is easily one of the most interesting anime I've seen. The crazy plot and unique artstyle are the main things I like.
Even though there's only one episode left, I'm quite positive that it will not disappoint.
And so, I cast my vote to...
<ピンドラ>

[mechana2015]

is the finale of penguindrum before this vote expires?

[Falx]

<Ｆａｔｅ／ｚｅｒｏ>

I tried to like Penguindrum. I really really did. I don't know why I didn't, but I don't.

Also peeing into the wind etc etc.

[blkmage]

is the finale of penguindrum before this vote expires?

It airs before then, yes, but I wouldn't rely on subs coming out that quickly.

[TWWK]

<ピンドラ>

I'm really digging Fate/Zero. I skipped it for most of the season, having dropped Fate/Stay Night and so finding it useless to watch a prequel.

Of course, I was very wrong. Fate/Zero is full of fascinating characters and contains some wonderful, thoughtful dialogue. It's also slowly, slowly, slowly building toward its finale (I have to wait 'til spring?!), creating a tension that I feel whenever I think about the show, even if I'm not watching it.

That said, Mawaru Penguindum is rock and roll brilliant. When I think about, I'm overwhelmed at how so many plotlines comes together so perfectly in this show, which made an amazing shift from a peculiar, funny, and mysterious series into a heart-thumping and heartbreaking series that has so many (SO many) layers to it. It's the most ambitious show of the year, and it works on every level.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

<ピンドラ>

[insert I-like-Fate-Zero-too preface]

TWWK already gave a great account of Penguindrum's strengths, so I can't really add too much in terms of what it does well. Instead, I will talk a bit about my experience with the show.

I think the main reason I am voting for it over F/Z, though, is because while F/Z is wonderfully entertaining, Penguindrum is equally entertaining and has a lot of important things to say. The indirect, often surreal manner in which Ikuhara chooses to communicate his messages is glorious to behold. I think about both shows when I'm not watching them, but I think critically about Penguindrum, analyzing its scenes, applying different theoretical frameworks to certain episodes/the series as a whole, mentally mining certain scenes looking for multiple levels of interpretation that hold simultaneously. My thoughts about F/Z are usually, "That scene. That was freaking awesome."

Edge: Penguindrum.

[Sakura]

<ピンドラ>

Definitely Mawaru Penguindrum. I simply love it. <3

[MangaRocks!]

<ピンドラ>

TWWK and SubtleDoc have really summed this up well-- all I can add is that I, too, have found Mawaru Penguindrum to be amazing in pretty much every way, from its pure craziness, to its deep emotion, to its intricate multilayered symbolism, to its powerful messages, and etc. I've never experienced anything else like it.

[FllMtl Novelist]

Abstaining, since I love one and am very interested in the other. I leave the voting to more informed people.

[mechana2015]

Abstain.

[blkmage]

Both Fate/zero and Penguindrum are very clear that there's a message or theme that they want you to get out of it. Nasu and Urobuchi tends to go the route of endless walls of text, while Ikuhara goes the route of endless symbolism. Confrontations in both shows are very similar, though. For Fate/zero, it's easy to dismiss the fights as just flash, but in both shows, these kinds of battles are much more than the physical fights themselves and symbolize the more important clash of ideals that's bubbling just beneath the surface. And these clashes are made possible only because all of the players involved are all after the same thing for different reasons.

Both of these shows have something to say and make it obvious that they have something to say, but both of them force us to dig a little deeper. Fate/zero may seem simple, but that's just because it doesn't have a smattering of symbols to accentuate that there's something deep going on. It's very easy to walk away from Fate/zero with the surface stuff and thinking that's all there is to it. There is a lot more to it than that.

Where Fate/zero ultimately falls short is that it explores its themes with the understanding that you already have the necessary context from Fate/stay night to work with. In Fate/stay night, we're already acquainted with Kiritsugu and we've already gone through the themes that it examines. Going at it the other way, there are little behaviourial details that highlight characters' motives which may not make it through an adaptation where we're not always privy to the characters' thoughts. Reading through the thread here, it's become apparent that people are coming away with really different impressions if they hadn't done the whole Fate/stay night visual novel circuit.

<ピンドラ>

[blkmage]

Fate/zero: 2
Mawaru Penguindrum: 7


[font="Times New Roman"]BEST FRIENDS FOREVER[/font]
[SIZE="5"]Puella Magi Madoka☆Magica [font="Times New Roman"]vs.[/font] Chihayafuru[/SIZE]
<まどまぎ> ★ <ちはやふる>

[SIZE="4"]Puella Magi Madoka☆Magica (魔法少女まどか☆マギカ)[/SIZE]
Magical girls with Faustian themes
Rank: 1
Aired: Winter 2011
Studio: Shaft
Director: Shinbo Akiyuki
Cast: Aoi Yuuki, Chiwa Saitou, Katou Emiri
Adaptation: Original by Urobuchi Gen
Defeated: Last Exile: Fam, the Silver Wing, Tamayura ~Hitotose~, Kimi ni Todoke 2nd Season, Tiger & Bunny, Mobile Suit Gundam UC
Voting Code: <まどまぎ>

[SIZE="4"]Chihayafuru (ちはやふる)[/SIZE]
Even when the gods held sway in the ancient days
Rank: 5
Aired: Fall 2011
Studio: Madhouse
Director: Asaka Morio
Cast: Seto Asami, Miyano Mamoru, Hosoya Yoshimasa
Adaptation: Manga by Suetsugu Yuki
Defeated: GOSICK, Tiger & Bunny, Tegami Bachi Reverse, Kimi ni Todoke 2nd Season, REDLINE
Voting Code: <ちはやふる>

Voting closes on 26 December at 2300 EST.

[Neane]

Going to go with the best show to show to kids.

<まどまぎ>

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

Chihayafuru has pretty much lost at this point, and though I know it can't defeat 'dem magical girls, I'd like to see it put up a valiant fight. It's a great show that fills me with the fuzzies every time I watch it, and I eagerly look forward to every Tuesday for the new episode. Madhouse did a stellar job with the visuals, which really helps make it great, the soundtrack is fantastic, and I love the characters. It's a show that needs some lovin' in it's final days.

<ちはやふる>

[TheSubtleDoctor]

I guess I should slightly rephrase: I didn't actually mean to claim that F/Z has nothing to say, just that Penguindrum has more and more interesting (important?) things to say and says them in a way that is not only unique to the medium but is also artistically better and more valuable. This, of course, is a totally subjective thing to say. Purely in terms of message-delivery, though, even ardent F/Z fans have to concede that the "they're not just dueling with swords but with ideologies" is a schtick that has been done in anime. We have seen this before. Most competent shonen fighting shows use this means of communicating their ideas. This is fine, and is in no way a knock on F/Z (a show I dig a lot); however, when compared to a show that conveys its ideas in ways reminiscent of great literature and paintings, I give the edge to the latter. I also don't believe that the fact that the visual abstract symbolism is up front and out there detracts from its quality; heavy use of symbolism is not an artistic or ideological cop out if you know what you're doing, as Ikuhara clearly does. Plus, the things Penguindrum "talks about" are dealt with less often in anime than those that F/Z deals with, at least in my experience. Not to mention that there are multiple layers of meaning in Penguindrum and various possible interpretations of symbols and events. I personally don't believe that this is the case with F/Z (again, not a diss; I love Gaogaigar for crying out loud) as it is less ambitious in terms of its ideas and delivery, IMO.