The Best And The Worst of 2008

Now that 2008 has gone let us look back at what transpired in the year past
Looking back, it was a season full with quite a good anime series. And also many weird stuff happened in Japan as well (which I will mention below). Anyways, HAJIMEMASHO! (still updating as the internet fixes itself. So check regularly )

Best Series
	Must be Gundam 00. Compared with the failure (Seed) before this, this was more relevant to the world right now. Yes, it has mecha and shit, but the main thing about 00 is about the world at war, and it’s complication. What set it apart from all the other shit of it’s genre that it has this gritty realism to it. You see superpowers clamoring to shut out countries that can threaten their source of income. Allies stabbing each other in the back. The Middle Easterns, instead of being shown as mindless terrorist just want to blow people up in the name of Jihad, are just normal human being, fighting to stay alive just because they HAVE to. The pilots have their own demons that they must face, and everyone bar Allelujah seems to have their own scheme in mind. There are no clear antagonist as of yet, and everyone seems to be using everyone and we see multiple backstabbing happening as the series goes.Honourable mention also for Clannad ~After~ for being able to invoke a good sense of sadness and human in it’s story.

Best Animation/Best Novel Adaptation
	Kara no Kyoukai. Nuff said. UFOTable did a good job in taking Nasu’s novel and turning it into an animation that is top notch. The way the character is portrayed, the detail to even the smallest thing, even the clothes and cast. Bar the “Singing in the Rain” Engrish singing by Kokutou, I’d say this is the most perfect can you get from an animation. I still lol’ed at the stop motion animation that they do at the start of each movies. It’s small things like this that makes attracts fans and honestly, I bow my head to them. Shiki’s conflict with her family at the start, and then her encounter with Touko, to her awakening, and her acceptance of Kokutou was nicely done and is easy to follow even if the movies are shown out of order.

Best Song
Diamond Crevasse was by far the best song this season	Quite a large selection this season, but in the end, nothing can beat the sadness that comes with Diamond Crevasse. While the soundtrack was largely biased towards the modern J-pop, Diamond Crevasse has the same sadness that the original “Runner” had with the original Macross. Not to mention it had fellow blogger Setsuna crying in tears whenever he hears it . What I love about it is how May’N's voice is perfect for a mature song like this. Even during ep 2, when Ranka sang it, it somehow sounds off. The song was a perfect irony to Sheryl’s tsundere persona, and somehow it fits her as it tells a sadness behind all that smile that she has to put up for everyone as the “Ginga no Yousei”.Also a mention to Lia’s Toki wo Kizamu Uta (Clannad ~After~). The sad song blends perfectly to the tragic drama that is unfolding in Clannad.

Best Opening Sequence
I’d put the Kannagi OP here if not for JewTube being Jew

Best Drama
	Stormy 001 might argue with me on this, but I’d say it’s Clannad ~After Story~. Yep, stommy, the first season might be moe shit, but not After. The first season of Clannad is pure harem animu that is based on any galge. But, in After, once it’s only about Nagisa and Tomoya, that’s when it got into pure drama mode. Once Tomoya had graduated, he has to learn the hard way that life is not really a bed of roses. He has to fight to keep his happiness, and as we saw, fate can be cruel. But what makes me attracted to it was the pure love between Tomoya and Nagisa. While fanboys still are clamoring over Tomoyo, Nagisa had stole the show with her pure love to Tomoya. She tries to keep him happy while also worries about Tomoya’s relation with his father. And she was there when he was down, not to mention caring for him in his new environment after he starts working. Kyoto Animation manages to capture the beauty in their relationship, and shows Nagisa’s strength even tho she is physically weak. For that Nagisa, I salute you

Best Adult Anime
	Asked by Oldman, I choose SoraMizu OVA 2. Why? Because it’s by Tony Taka. Nuff said…

Best Game Adaptation
	With all those Galge and Eroge adaptation out there, it was a surprise that a good ol’ RPG adaptation manage to endear to me. Maybe it’s because I NEVER had a console, and thus I never played Tales of the Abyss before. So it was like watching a new series, even tho according to a friend of mine it follows the game storyline as close as it can. The quality is nice, and the character is designed by Fujishima Kousuke-sensei, although the anime version don’t really have that Fujishima look that you see in Sakura Taisen or Aa Megami-sama!. The quality was maintained throughout the series run, and effects are nicely done. Story wise, it’s as good as an RPG can get, although I would prefer if the main character is not so whiny. A good anime overall. And stormy would be please that I didn’t choose some moe shit for this lol

Most WTF Ending
Code Gayass, Aka Pizza Hut whore	Code Geass R2. It was a roller coaster ride from the start really, with the director was given a different timeslot from what he had preferred, thus having to change the story drastically (less mature stuff). Indeed, many of the characters were introduced and killed of in just a matter of seconds. Some characters like Kallen who was shown much promise at the start had their development stunted due to the ongoing battle between the staff and Sunrise at the background (Kallen was supposed to have her history shown in R2, with her father playing a prominent part and herself a major role in Lelouch’s life in the end). The turnabout and multiple Deus Ex Machina left the story with an unfulfilling taste, altho it was saved by an ending that was devised by the director so that they series would absolutely end at R2. This does not stop Sunrise from declaring their intention of creating another series based on the Geass timeline, much to the chagrin of many.

Most Waited but turned out to be just plain
	Since the leaked news that Tatsunoko was searching for a new face to be the lead in a new Macross series, fans were hyping about this new series. The series, which was created to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the original Macross, was finally aired this season. Expecting the same level of story, and the intriguing space opera of the original Macross, I was left disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a GOOD series. But thinking of the hype, it turns out to be the same old generic shounen love triangle stuff that is dominating the anime world right now. I mean it’s not even a space opera like the original Macross was (thankfully we got Tytania this season for that). The lead was insecure and undecisive, up to the VERY LAST EPISODE. I mean even the original Hikaru choosed his partner at the end of the original Macross to end the love triangle and to show that he has grown up. Alto meanwhile can’t decide, leading to the death of his best friend who ironically died to save the one that he knows he truly love. Animation quality also varies, between kick ass awesome to blardy awful (why send to Vietnam or Philippines? Malaysia can do the same quality for a cheaper price). The only thing saving it was the awesome soundtrack, and most importantly Diamond Crevasse. Thus sadly Macross Frontier, you ARE overrated.

Most Lulz
	Well nothing really beats Kannagi this season in term of funnies. The parody of just about anything can be found in the anime, from “It’s a Sony!“, to “Uoo~ MABUSHI!!” to just about everyone (notable side appearance was from Colonel Sanders, Hayao Miyazaki, Suzumiya Haruhi, and the whole cast of Raki Suta just to name a few). It was expected from the former staffs of KyoAni, and it doesnt dissapoint, altho Tsugumi needs more love T.T Anyways honourable mention goes to the Kodomo Legend thread at lowyat. LONG LIVE KODOMO!!

Most Dissapointing Animu
	Gonzo’s Kurogane no Linebarrels. Pictars worth a thousand words, so let me show you how bad it was by the help of fellow blogger Kurogane and Aoshi

Weirdest Otaku Behaviour
	Has to be a tie between the Japanese Otaku raging at Kannagi, and local otakus obsessive search for Hirano Aya during her stay in Malaysia In Japan, 2ch otaku RAGE when they found out that not only Nagi already had a boyfriend, but also might not be a virgin as they thought at first (teh hell? Isn’t she a tree?). Many went berserk and started to rip apart their Kannagi mango, altho it must be said, once you buy them, the money would still go to the publisher anywaysLikewise in Malaysia, when news comes out that thong idol Hirano Aya was here for a photoshoot, the lolwut.net forum went into a frenzy with obsessive fans trying to track her down. Some even threatening to bite her D:

Best Local Event
Ayase <333	Comic Fiesta. The sight, the people, the cosplays. Ah yes.. the cosplays…

Best RickRoll
Aya roll. FYI this pic shouts of photoshop must D:	Aya manage to create a frenzy among Malaysian otakus when she announced that she was in Malaysia, and conveniently failing to tell them when she was going back. I created an epic thread, and epic post at Sankaku Complex, and RAAAAAAGE backlash. In the end, Aya rickrolled everyone. Thus we salute your Aya-roll Hirano-chan

naga_jahat MALAYSIA

5 January, 2009 at 12:59:42

lol ..
all from mecha anime .. kah kah kah
best romance anime will be True Tears!!

[Reply]

Quazacolt

5 January, 2009 at 13:07:12

i see ur not mentioning much on soap dramas or moe-tard-bait

mostly in same concensus with ur listing, considering im more of a mecha/action anime fan too

Quazacolts last blog post..Death Meets Moe WordPress Upgrade to 2.7 and other news

linkinstreet MALAYSIA

5 January, 2009 at 13:59:15

oh well, the list is not finished yet. For example, I am still wondering if I want to put Kannagi in the “Best lulz of the season” category, just because I want to.

5 January, 2009 at 14:51:41

lulz ka, kannagi does fit in hahaha.

go ahead then

if you dont: