| Now that 2008 is winding down, let's commiserate about it. You can do any kind of list you want (best, worst, most erotic, most overrated, best use of ducks), but only use series that came out in 2008. (wikipedia has a lot of them in one list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Anime_of_2008 ) edit: You can make a list of anime you watched this year, too, if you feel so inclined. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mmm... 2008 was a pretty great year. I could do the obvious top anime list, but that would be boring. I think I'll complain instead. Top 5 Most Disappointing Animu of 2008 5- Akane iro ni Somaru Saka - Never before has a director done so little with so much for so long. Absolute proof that you need more than an all star cast to be successful. 4- Chaos;Head - "fun^10 * int^40=Ir2" That's an actual quote from the show. Apparently it's the equation that enables you to create anything you want out of thin air. Chaos;Head could have been an awesome mindfuck show. Instead, it degenerated into the ordinary kind of crazy that so many anime fans seem to enjoy. 3- Allison and Lillia - Ah... Well, it's not that bad, but therein lies the problem. Started off with a pretty cool concept from an amazing author (come on... Kino's Journey... how can you go wrong?) and then pretty much went nowhere with it. 2- Kure-nai - First half of the series is great. Brains Base is awesome. And then the ending. WHAT. THE. FUCK. I never imagined it was possible to go so wrong. The last battle was horribly written and directed, and bordered on destroying the image I had of the characters. 1- Shigofumi - The episodes that didn't involve the main story could have comprised my favorite series of 2008, taken alone. But any episode that tried to develop Fumika was absolutely dreadful. The contrast between the two kinds of episodes was agonizing - it was like they hired Dostoevsky to write half of the episodes, and Uwe Bole to do the other half. And then you have an extremely unsatisfying ending which the OVA did nothing to help. 2/10 series instead of 8 or 9/10. Dishonorable mention: Shikabane Hime - Generic action and plot, what's wrong with you GAINAX? |
naikouDec 23, 2008 10:04 PM
| Well, since I haven't seen that many disappointing shows that came out this year, I'll just list some of those which I really enjoyed. :D Detroit Metal City - The funniest anime I've ever seen True Tears - For a typical harem/romance it was actually really good; great art style. Code Geass - There are a lot of people that hate it, but I really enjoyed it. Zero no Tsukaima - Same thing as above. I found it hilarious, but I guess other people focused too much on the romance side of things, which takes away from the comedy (or something...idk). Nodame Cantabile: Paris Chapter - Picking up where the great first series left off. Shame it's only 11 eps. :( Spice and Wolf - One of my faves. Great adventurous type anime, that goes where no anime has gone before!>>!>!>Economics!??! |
| Agree on Akane iro [...] and halfway on Shikabane, but regarding Kure-nai and Shigofumi - did we see the same anime? Kure-nai was very awesome in the beginning, original and had some of the best comedy scenes I have ever seen in anime. The end was really rather bad but overall it was a pretty good anime. Shigofumi was awesome form A-Z. No exceptions. I didn't doubt to give that 9. Finally an anime with good episodic stories that really mattered. The main storyline was also pretty good. With all due respect, there can't be an anime so bad as to deserve a 2/10. Of course it's your opinion and every opinion has it's worth. I can safely add Rosario+Vampire and Kanokon to that list. For me the best 2008 anime was Spice & Wolf, though I haven't watched the 2nd ef yet. Other very good ones were Toshokan Sensō, Macross Frontier and the 2nd season of Code Geass. |
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Forever said: With all due respect, there can't be an anime so bad as to deserve a 2/10. You hit a nerve with that line. 2/10 = 1 Star. You're saying that there aren't any series that only get 1 star. That's ridiculous. As for Kurenai, I agree, the first half was great. That's why it was disappointing. Notice that my list wasn't "worst" of 2008, but "most disappointing". |
naikou said: Forever said: With all due respect, there can't be an anime so bad as to deserve a 2/10. You hit a nerve with that line. 2/10 = 1 Star. You're saying that there aren't any series that only get 1 star. That's ridiculous. As for Kurenai, I agree, the first half was great. That's why it was disappointing. Notice that my list wasn't "worst" of 2008, but "most disappointing". 2 is "horrible" going with the MAL explanation for each number. I have yet to see an anime so bad. But going with a 5 star rating I might give one star to some anime. But it's no 5 star rating system. The average score is around 6-7. I see this as the base score. You are right. I unintentionally read "most" disappointing" as "worst". My bad. For me Akane [...] would be number 2 and Kanokon number 1. After that interesting episode 1, I never got another good episode after this. That's my biggest disappointment 2008. :) |
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| 1 - Kaiba For most of those who have seen it, this easily takes the number spot of 2008. The only series I have had the urge to write a review for. A masterpiece. Everyone should at least check it out. If you don't like the first few episodes, it's safe to drop it. 2 - Nijuu Mensou no Musume (The Daughter of Twenty Faces) This one exceeded my expectations. A great Action/Adventure/Mystery series. Every episode was fantastic. 3 - Code Geass R2 I didn't like it as much as Season 1, but it's still worth mentioning. As a whole, this series is a good one-time watch-through. 4 - Detroit Metal City Hilarious. |
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| Top 5 Worst of 2008 5. Strike Witches Okay, first off... Strike Witches isn't that bad. It's really only here because I didn't put myself through a lot of bad anime this year. It is fetishistic and perverted, but the characters are likeable and GONZO didn't pack this full of CG. It's not the worst anime I've seen, but it just has to be here. 4. Mnemosyne Not so much a "god this sucks" but a "wow, this is what I was waiting for?" Granted I've only seen the first episode but that was all it took to drain my excitement for future volumes. While execution was good, it just felt so rehashed and uninspiring. I'll try to finish it, but it won't be with the same vigor I had going in. 3. Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei The first season, I was disappointed. This season, I was enraged. A complete grabbag of random gags that fail more than they hit. It felt like they were throwing darts at a board of Japanese puns for inspiration. I'd ask for Shinbo Akiyuki to remove himself from making anime if not for Hidamari Sketch x365 (one of the best anime of the year, surprisingly). 2. Chaos;Head If you're watching the series, you know by now that Seira-tan, the Maromi-like figment of the main character's imagination ended up having no point being in the series. In fact all the otaku fantasies, all the horrific massacre events... were all pointless. This series went from intriguing delusion otaku murder mystery to LOL YOU CAN MAKE SWORDS WITH YOUR MIND in just a few short episodes. And Kozue... is... not... CUTE. Seriously, why isn't she dead?! Someone please kill her so I don't have to listen to her retarded and uncalled-for speech impediment! 1. Yozakura Quartet Though it seems unfair after my previous rant, at least Chaos;Head has passion. Yozakura Quartet has nothing. Wonky character designs, boring characters, no plot or even a call to action. It feels so tedious and random that there's no reason behind why it should even exist. At least Chaos;Head pisses me off. With Yozakura Quartet, I just felt nothing. It's a soulless monstrosity, and what makes that feeling even worse is this was what I pinned my hopes on as "surprise of the year". Now I feel sick. -------- Top 5 Best of 2008 5. Macross Frontier I've never seen Macross before, but I loved this. Stellar animation, killer soundtrack, but the main trio was downright annoying. Though a severe flaw, it's really the show's only flaw as even the narrative is practically flawless. I gotta say, I wanna watch the old series now :3 4. Hidamari Sketch x365 Wow, I liked Hidamari Sketch, but I loved x365. It's not only easily the high point of Shinbo Akiyuki's use of his inventive style, but all the characters even milquetoast Yuno, shine from start to finish. 365 really brings us into the girls' world rather than just suverying it and overall it makes it a satisfying and worthwhile slice-of-life above most others... well, not one, but we'll get to that soon enough. 3. Clannad After Story I've always wondered "what happens after the guy picks the girl?" Clannad After Story has finally come to quench my curiosity. KyoAni and Jun Maeda once again provide fantastic technical support, but applause is owed to a dat-sim series that makes the male lead arguably the most interesting character of the bunch. I honestly have yet to see a "pick a girl" anime that invests so much time into the guy. The result, naturally, is phenomenal as it makes the story a romance worth caring about. Ongoing, so it can only get better... and sadder... remember, this IS a Key adaptation. 2. Detroit Metal City Few comedic anime have ever gotten a 9 from me, the only two before being Fumoffu and Ramen Fighter Miki. Finally, something comes along that busts my gut hard enough that I can't say no. DMC is a complete mockery of metalhead culture and bad taste. Every joke sticks as Negishi's completely opposing personas duke it out as the series progresses. Metalocalypse, eat your f*cking heart out! 1. Aria the Origination And in a radical switch of gears, we arrive at number one, and a well-earned number one at that. Making it's way onto the scene four years ago without much accolades or even recognition, Aria is the underground darling that won over supporters little by little. In its final season came the culmination of everything 39 episodes and an OVA had been leading up to. Though the goal was always in sight, with Origination we get the payoff and the benefits reaped. Happy tears for all as the final five episodes are nothing short of slice-of-life poetry, capping off what is arguably the best slice-of-life series ever. |
| My first novel, Kardia has been published! Click here to read! |
Forever said: 2 is "horrible" going with the MAL explanation for each number. I have yet to see an anime so bad. But going with a 5 star rating I might give one star to some anime. But it's no 5 star rating system. The average score is around 6-7. I see this as the base score. Ah, if you use MAL's wording, your view makes more sense. However, I'm not really a fan of the wording itself - It lists 5 as average, when, as you've already brought up, most people use 7 as average. So I just disregard that and balance my ratings on a bell curve from 1 to 10. @ Splitter - no to Zetsubou Sensei, really? That's somewhat understandable, I suppose, but it still makes me sad to see someone list it as worse than Strike Witches. |
| Whenever effort isn't even apparent, an anime instantly becomes bad to me. Why the heck should I watch something the staff isn't even enthused about? It's worthless when that becomes apparent. |
| My first novel, Kardia has been published! Click here to read! |
| Considering that I haven't have the time to finish most of the 2008 anime, it is very difficult to rank them, so I will make a list of favorites instead: Blassreiter Clannad Code Geass R2 Gundam 00 Second Season Kannagi Kurogane no Linebarrels Nabari no Ou Persona: Trinity Soul Rosario to Vampire Capu2 Tetsuwan Birdy DECODE Toradora! Tower of Druaga True Tears Vampire Knight Yakushiji Ryoko's Strange Case Files For now.. I am still like hundreds of episodes behind, so.. (laugh) |
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| While I haven't seen too much of 2008, I believe I can safely say, without being hyperbolic in any way possible: Aria the Origination - God's gift to mankind. |
| Top 3 Disappointment 3. Akane-iro ni somaru saka - Didn't know a thing about this anime but when I looked at the voice casting, I was amazed and decided to give it a shot. I say great casts ruined by shallow story and one of the most crap ending I've ever seen in romance genre. Also Junichi's parent's appearance made the episodes so bizarre and unfunny everytime. 2. Ikkitousen GG - When I heard it was original story, I had a feeling it'll turn out bad. Two new characters introduced both lame. 1. Yozakura Quartet - Looked at the character design first because again I didn't know anything about this series, liked the design so I decided to read the manga first. Got and read first 4 volumes, wow loved it! It had nice character development and story. Pretty decent shounen manga really. Then first ep airs, I was like "Errr wtf have they done..." I kept watching it hoping it'll get better and it did slightly but no where near as good as manga. I liked it, but it was huge disappointment. Top 3 Favourite 3. Kyouran Kazoku Nikki - Started super crazy and awesome! Likeable characters, many lol moments and character development was pretty good. There were some average eps but overall it was a great anime. 2. Tales of the abyss - Fan of the franchise and it has one of my favourite Tales character Tear! So far I'm really liking how well they are doing with the adaptation. Hoping that it'll keep up end up as best Tales adaptation so far! 1. Spice and Wolf - Very original AND interesting story. Great OST, artwork, acting, just about everything was perfect. What more can I say really? Hopefully second season is just as great or better Why did they even bother anime Rosario + Vampire Capu2 |
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| Top 5 Best 5. Kannagi A show that I have read the manga before hand and thought was pretty good. The adaptation was done very well. I am generally in favor of these types of slapstick/parody shows so no surprise that this would make the list. Humor and characters really drive this show. 4. Spice and Wolf This one really came out of nowhere for me. I read the manga a little bit before the anime aired and liked it a lot, so I had high expectations. I'm happy to say that they were met. The dynamic between the leads were quite something. And Horo is just love <3 3. Code Geass R2 I don't care what everyone says, this was one of the more entertaining shows I watched this year. And the way it ended was one of the best I have ever seen. This show was one of those that I really looked forward to watching each week. 2. Kurenai Probably my surprise hit this year. I read the manga before and, like Kannagi, thought it was only pretty good. But this adaptation just blew me away. The main reason why I loved it so much was the dialogue. It felt so real and was quite engaging. Even if it did slip a little bit there at the end, this show still got a rare 10 from me. 1. Aria The Origination Easily my favorite this year. It just summed up everything I love about this series. Truly an amazing end to an already amazing show. It made me cry. It made me smile. It made me laugh. It brought out so many emotions from me. How can I not give this my top spot. Top 5 Disappointments 5. Shoujo Sect I don't like the changes they made from the manga. Plain and simple. Still love the show though due to my huge bias for the yuri and characters :x 4. Zero no Tsukaima ~Princessess no Rondo~ I had to lower my expectations of this series due to Futatsuki no Kishi but it still disappointed somewhat. Maybe I'm just overestimating the novel material but I did not like some of the direction the show went. 3. Tytania Still currently airing so I can't be too harsh on this but I think this had too much pre-hype. Even though I have not watched LoGH, I ws still expecting something pretty epic, only to get something decent. I'm expecting this show to get better soon, but for now, it gets on the list. 2. To Love Ru Overall it was still a pretty decent show, but they really wnet for too much original material. Most of them was as good as they could be. Also, the character design didn't quite fit. 1. Rosario Vampire (and Capu2) I actually liked how the manga turned out so I was coming in with some expectations only to find out that they got rid of some of the more cool stuff that was in the manga. Only positive thing was that they introduced Mizore early. Top 5 Underrated/underappreciated 5. Toshokan Sensou Not the greatest show I have seen but it was certainly unique and fascinating. 4. Gunslinger Girl -Il Teatrino- I for one was quite content with this show. I thought everything about it was as good as the first season. It's a shame that not many viewed it the same way I did. 3. Persona Trinity Soul I think people gave up this show way too early cause it got really good in the latter portion of the second half. I was quite suprised at how this turned out. 2. Kyou no Go no ni TV Sure it may be inferior to the OVA but it is still a lot of fun. Art is different but still cute. Humor lacks at some places but overall is pretty solid. 1. Hyakko I can't believe the reception this show is getting. Sure the art may be weird but that should be a minor thing. The humor in this show is great. But I guess it could just be my bias for slapstick comedy. |
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| Hmmm, I might have to check Hyakko out. |
| (づ°‿°.)づ |
| There's still some stuff I've got to watch before the year is up so my list isn't 100% concrete yet. I've got a little over a week of vacation from work that I'm planning on using to catch up on a few more shows so I'll probably edit this with more later. As of now the top 3 for me is looking like 03. Shion no Ou (started late '07 but finished in '08 which is why I include it) 02. Spice and Wolf 01. Kaiba And bottom 3 03. Mnemosyne - Mnemosyne no Musume-tachi 02. ef - a tale of melodies 01. H2O ~Footprints in the Sand~ |
 ...even a saint needs a soldier to do the dirty work. |
| I havent seen alot of the series especially from fall season I want to watch so my list is not as complete as others. Im waiting for them to finish because i hate waiting from week to week! My Favorite show of the year without a doubt is: Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu - I loved it from the art to the music and just though it was cute and hilarious other favorites: Code Geass R2 - Great show I was riveted, ending is not as great as every says tho. Wagaya no Oinari-sama - Loved it though ending felt incomplete. Spice and Wolf - beautiful to watch Special A - very funny though didnt like all the bishounens ZnT: Princess no Rondo - I know alot seem to find this disappointing but i loved it Koihime Musō - i shouldnt like it but i did anyway, call it a guilty pleasure Toradora! - loving it so far so have to add it Mnemosyne - was kinda confusing at times but i still really enjoyed it Lucky Star OVA - <3 more of one of my favorites to love! Disappointments Strike Witches - really was interested in seeing this after first episode but it let me down in the end. and why didnt anyone wear pants? Kanokon - biggest piece of crap of the year and maybe ever School Rumble San Gakki - i was really let down by this one, I love the series alot but this was lame |
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| My most disappointing list would be similar to Naikou's, though with a few changes... While I found Kurenai's ending facepalm-worthy, I didn't think it was terrible. I also disagree with the Shigofumi juxtaposition of Dostoevsky and Boll; at least Boll's work is of the "so bad it's funny" category. ;d (Though Kirameki might fit in.) And unfortunately, I have a certain distaste for Hirano and her AIDS-inducing voice, so another minus for Akane-Iro on my part. Allison to Lillia... They should have stopped at four episodes... or one. Though out of respect for Sigsawa, I'm inclined to believe that it was Madhouse's scriptwriters rushing the dialogue and forcing development to fit two novel series into one two-cours series and not his source material that made it fail. When I heard news of Chaos;Head, it would suffice to say that I was expecting something from Kon but received something from Okuchi. :psyduck: To add to that list: Code Geass R2: As if the first series didn't flow like it was written by a four-year old on acid (albeit very entertaining), the second became so rushed, forced, and simply stupid with the characters so mutilated, thrashed, and torn apart that my desk probably has a permanent imprint of my forehead in it. (On the plus side, at least there was plenty of fanservice.) I'd like to take the time to laugh at the fanbase: In before lulz. In during lulz. In after lulz. o/ Zero no Tsukaima 3rd: My expectations went down the more I watched, but it still succeeded in disappointing me. Gunslinger Girl: il Teatrino: It's not bad,but the aesthetic changes were disappointing, with a terrible choice in new seiyuu and the obvious (lack of) budgeting. Not to mention the refreshingly contrasted characters, dark mood, and unobtrusive writing of the first season now seems to have turned into a stupid Dan Brown story. Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu: lol. |
| The only tens I gave this year were: 1) Ookami to Koushinryou 2) xxxholic Kei (sequel but it was beautifully done) 3) All of the Kara no Kyoukai movies (incomplete but still stunning) 4) Macross Frontier. Kannagi may or may not get a ten depending how it ends... two eps to go. |
| I decided to avoid going with a negative list and instead present my "Shows That I Thought I Would Never Like And Then I Did" list. 5. Real Drive - Considering the last Production I.G./Shirow Masamune collaboration gave us Ghost Hound, a show I can't believe I wasted my time watching, I didn't figure I would like this. Turns out it was actually a delightful little sci-fi slice-of-life. 4. Kure-nai - From the promo art alone I figured "do not want," but after giving it a try it turned out to be quite likeable. Well, the characters did at least... 3. Detroit Metal City - While it eventually became way too repetitive, DMC actually had a few really funny segments. Certainly a lot better than Metalocalypse which had...well, none. 2. Natsume Yuujinchou - What could have been, "Oh great, another show about youkai," turned out to be, "Pretty much the only show worth watching this summer." 1. One Outs - Gambling on baseball? Considering it only worked for a little while with Mahjong I didn't figure it would go too well. Surprisingly it pretty much rules as long as you don't mind shows with explanations that can border on being a bit too long-winded. |
| My 'anime of 2008' (and anime quotes) is here although not very organised as I watched so much anime (I'm sure it was a 'normal' amount for most of you) that I have no idea what is what and when it came out anyway and am too lazy to check. My 'crappy anime of 2008' is pretty short though: 1] Kure-nai (pathetic) 2] Code Geass R2 (its like initially spending 25 months building up goodwill towards a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestine conflict, then spending the next 25 episodes nuking it to death with a crazed smile, i.e - ruined potential on a massive scale) 3] Blade of the Immortal (the director continues plaguing anime with his presence so that was expected but WTF @ Ko Otani!?) 4] Minami-ke Okawari (not a heavy dip as CG R2, nothing is, but still pretty noticable fall in quality in every way) 5] Appleseed Saga Ex Machina (ok a 08 release in the US not Japan, but so bad its worth re-mentioning this year) EDIT: Oh yeah, Real Drive was pretty Goddamn awful too, man what a piece of shit. *angry face here* |
"I'm starting to think mal is run by Xinil generating electricity on a bicycle." - idklol |
| 1. One Outs. It takes up 10 spaces on my top 10 of 2008 list. |
| Favorites of 2008 1. Kaiba: This series was really... something else. The art was a bit off putting for me at first, and I didn't really get into the series until episode 3. But episode 3 was just so good and touching. It had very different art from the usual "moe" big eyed, rainbow hair look, with very good themes and plot. The only flaw was the last few episodes and how the ending played out was a bit weak to the first half of the series. Great series, nevertheless. 2. Natsume Yuujinchou: My favorite anime of the summer season. I liked the characters, the emotions and atmosphere. 3. Shigofumi: I really enjoyed this series. A lot more than I expected. Though the beginning 2 episodes and episode 8 were the best, and the ending was weak. 4. Hakaba KitarouThe art itself was enough for me to watch this series, but I really liked it. It's a bit strange and out there, but good for me. Most Disappointing of 2008 1.Chaos; HEAd - Sono me, dare no me MY ASS. Words cannot describe how disappointed I was with this series. And I don't even play the visual novel. The first two started out good, but everything got worse from there. And episode 8 basically ruined any good values the show previously had. 2. Zero no Tsukaima: Princess of Rondo - Uh, I didn't even have expectations going into this show, but I still thought it was pretty bad. I really wish Louise and Saitou's relationship will develop more. Every time there's progress, Saitou has to joke about boobs and Louise proceeds to blows him up. That got old since the first season. 3. Vampire Knight - Blandness, generic, shoujo. But WITH VAMPIRES! >.> 4. Zoku Sayonara Zetsuobou Sensei - More and more outrageous social commentary that I found to be less and less funny. 5. Code Geass R2 - Very weird pacing, plot twists that makes me want to pull out my hair (and not in a good way either), and just overall disappointing. At least the ending sort of made up for the badness. Wow, I watched less shows than I thought this year. |
z-pakDec 22, 2008 9:30 PM
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Deadpool135 said: 1 - Kaiba For most of those who have seen it, this easily takes the number spot of 2008. The only series I have had the urge to write a review for. A masterpiece. Everyone should at least check it out. If you don't like the first few episodes, it's safe to drop it. Seconding this. Well, we've talked about how much we like Kaiba of course, some other people should really go watch it. As for a list, hmm.. I haven't seen to many 2008 anime yet. So, this is the "Best of 2008 anime that hikky happened to see, which is maybe 6 or 7 so being on this list is not necessarily much of a compliment". 1. Kaiba. 'Nuff said. 2. Mouryou No Hako. Still watching this and it's hard to find raws lately (Ep. 8 is crawling by at 10 kb/s with 2 seeders) but it's good so far. I wish Share worked for me. 3. Minami Ke Okawari. Not really groundbreaking or amazing, but I didn't hate it and that means a lot coming from me when we're talking slice of life anime. 4. Code Geass R2. Didn't really do much for me (The cheesy grandeur got old way back in the first season), but it wasn't quite awful, at least. 5. Rosario + Vampire. I've only watched 1 episode so far but I can tell I will probably be dropping this show eventually, it's absolute crap from what I can see at this point. Like a somewhat toned-down Elfen Lied or something. |
| Top 3 1. Macross F This was my first series in the Macross franchise, but I loved every moment of it. I really don't like mecha all that much, but it had just the right amount to not turn me off. The music and the romance were awesome. 2. Spice and Wolf This series was a lot of fun to watch. I really enjoyed the time period it was set in and the merchant aspect of the series. <3 Horo. 3. Itazura na Kiss Awesome. |
Pokedude97Dec 22, 2008 9:53 PM
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| I usually do this in June after I've had a chance to watch the April-April anime 'fiscal' year, but for 2008, these have struck me: RIDICULOUSLY GUILTY PLEASURES: 3. Strike Witches 2. Zettai Karen Children 1. Kamen no Maid Guy MOST DISAPPOINTING 4. Tales of the Abyss - There are probably plenty this year 'worse' than this that I dropped after 1 episode, but for some reason I'm pushing onward, hoping something will happen, despite being bored to tears. 3. Chaos Head - The main character seems like he'd be the type of person who would like this anime very much. 2. Rosario + Vampire - I enjoyed Drak Pack more. 1. Zero no Tsukaima: More Crap blah blah Rondo. One minute of Montmorency belly-dancing cannot redeem this franchise. BEST 3. One Outs - Akagi with baseball. I'm all in. 2. Detroit Metal City - Biggest laughs in several years. Excellent manga adaptation. 1-b. Gyakkyou Burai Kaiji(second half aired in 2008) 1-a. Kaiba You know, I could give either of these shows the top spot. Kaiba was an utter vision made real, and an absolute triumph of the medium. My head tells me this is the best piece of animation I've seen in a decade. On the other hand, Kaiji was supremely transfixing from start to finish and one of the most surprisingly poignant commentaries on the human condition I've ever seen animated. This is the one my heart tells me was best. So I'll cheat and have two at the top. |
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| My 2008 Best Aria the Origination - I pretty much never cry when series end... but this show broke the record. It's a beautiful ending to a beautiful series. I was truly thankful at the end that I had run across Aria. Runners-up 1. Itazura na Kiss - surprisingly entertaining watch, I loved the whole aspect it showed of life after marriage. As annoying as I found some of the characters at time, they developed nicely by the end and I was thoroughly pleased when I finished. 2. Macross Frontier - a big one for me since I'm not into this type of genre at all. I absolutely loved the story, music, characters, and animation. I listened to Aimo repeatedly after first hearing it. I would love to see more Ranka in the future! 3. Spice and Wolf - this show gave me my #1 saimoe contestant. I cannot wait for the second season to come out. This show also gave me my favorite OP theme. All hail the tail! 4. Nodame Cantabile: Pari hen - well now... what can I say? I adore Nodame and all her quirks. I loved the first season, the manga, and the live action. I appreciate the music scenes and wish there were more. I would track this girl down and want to be her friend! 5. xxxHOLIC kei - I was delighted when I found out about this second season. xxxHOLIC was my first step towards Tsubasa Chronicle, and for that I'm thankful. Every episode trapped my attention to the fullest, and I just can't get enough of kuro mokona :p Other favorites: -Natsume Yuujinchou - GREAT show. Can't wait for more :) -Skip beat -Allison to Lillia... yes I know a lot of people disliked it, but I liked both arcs... *shrug* -Wagaya no OInari-sama - more glorious ears and tail -Kannagi Yawn-worthy -Chi's Sweet Home -Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu -Rosario + Vampire Capu2 -Zoku Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei -True Tears |
Marina27Dec 22, 2008 11:07 PM
| I feel really weird being the only one to put Soul Eater in their list. Hell, I have it as #1 Best series 1. Soul Eater A fun series overall. I'm starting to worry how it will end. The manga isn't finished, so I fear it may get a rushed ending. I'm hoping it will end and get another season. I find the action scenes to be exciting and amazing. Never dragged out like most shounen series, which makes everything even more enjoyable. It has an interesting cast of characters. It doesn't have a plot/story that is confusing and filled with a lot of BS that requires you to watch it closely. It's really easy understand. The one problem I had with series like Kaiba is, I felt like if I missed one scene, I wont get what will happen next. (hence, why I did not bother grading Kaiba) Soul Eater gives off a really relaxed feeling that doesnt stress me out about missing something. 2. Natsume Yuujinchou I can't really think of a thoughtful post for it, but it was an enjoyable series. I really loved seeing what kind of adventure Natsume and Nyanko sensei got themselves into. 3. Toradora The loli tsundere is overused.... this is probably the first time I've enjoyed and liked a character played by Rie Kugimiya. Other than that, the characters make this series so enjoyable. 4. Hidamari Sketch x365 5. Shigofumi Disappointing/ Overrated: 1. Clannad ~After Story~ I'm going to be in the minority here. This anime seems like a complete rehash of other Key visual novels. Yes, it's very cute. Yes, it's very more. But it doesn't do anything that makes it distinct from other anime. It's just another series, with one guy, solving problems for all of the girls. It's a fun anime, but I don't see why it gets great reviews. The main female character, Nagisa, for the first half of the series said Tomoya-kun more than anything else. Her development stopped, and what happens later on will just not have a great effect on me. I know they wanted to follow the visual novel, but following something doesn't make an anime series good. It makes it faithful to the original work. Other than the new characters that were introduced, we got more of the same from the older ones. Sunohara is probably the only older character that had pretty good development. Also, I prefer the movie over the first series, and so far what has happened right now. 2. Code Geass R2 Don't even get more started Other than that, Kaiba got an indifferent from me. I knew Strike Witches, Kanokon, and Mnemosyne were going to be below average. Though I ended up enjoying Strike Witches and Kanokon. Ny list will probably change. School was hellish this year, and series like Kannagi, kuroshit(can't even spell it), etc..... have to wait. |
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| My Top 5 :3 5) Detroit Metal City 4)Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei 3)Clannad -After Story- 2) Spice and Wolf 1) Aria the Origination Bottom 5 - _- 5) Yozakura Quartet 4) Kanokon 3) Sekirei 2) Amatsuki (Yes! I don't care what anyone says it bore me to tears!) 1) Neo Angelique |
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| Best 5 of 2008 1. Aria ~ the Origination - no contest 2. Kaiba - A really good story, very entertaining. Looking forward to see Vanilla in the next MAL GAR (hope, there will be next) 3. Mobile Suit Gundam 00 - 2008, Year of the d**d snipers. 4. Shigofumi 5. Kaiji Greatest letdowns of 2008 1. Code Geass R2 2. Zero no Tsukaima ~ Princess no Rondo 3. To Aru Majutsu no Index 4. Wagaya no Oinari-sama Best movies (according to hype): The Sky Crawlers Best singer: Tomoko Kawase Best animation: Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Best OST: Kaiba |
| My faves from 2008 1. Detroit Metal City - the funniest thing I watched this year, very unexpectedly good. 2. Code Geass R2 - this had its flaws and all that, but I was still very happy every day that it was released. 3. Special A - quite good, it got a lot better towards the end. 4. Toradora - I enjoy the characters in this one. 5. Itazura na Kiss - good love story and good comedy. 6. Clannad ~After Story~ - it is better than the first season. |
| Best 1. To Aru Majutsu no Index 2. Kannagi 3. Strike Witches 4. Soul Eater 5. Casshern SINS |
 Old avatar and sig retired for now. |
| Best Kure-nai Glad to see I'm not the only one who very much enjoyed this series. I found it to be pretty original imo, havn't seen much anime similiar to this. The storyline of it was pretty awesome, loveable characters. Just love the "protecting" theme of it. Bounen no Xamdou The first episode blew me away. The character design isn't your average type, but that's what makes it much better in my sense. The animation is awesome, same goes for the soundtrack. The characters are pretty different in their own way too, which makes it more interesting. ef - a tale of melodies Wow. The first season was awesome, guess what? So was the second! If not, probably better. Interesting how the show tells us 2 different part of the story. 1 tells us the past of Himura Yu while the other talks about the present with Kuze. The characters are very likeable, and cute<3 The storyline is by par the best aspect of the series. Hyakko I know, you might be thinking "God, you got to be kidding me, Hyakko, one of your best?!" Well, yeah I have to admit it is. Been too long have I not laugh as hard as I watched Hyakko. Just the wide range of cute, strange likeable/loveable characters, the story is pretty much randomness, nonesense. But this series made me laugh soo much, even if it's stupid, I found this to be one of the best comedy of this year by far. Michiko e Hatchin Love how the story doesn't take place in the same city as the 90% of the animes out there. The story is pretty entertaining, but it's abit of a wild goose chase. Yet I'm enjoying this one very much. Besides the main character is hawt <3 yet it's not ecchi. lawl Nodame Cantabile: Paris-Hen Can't forget the loveably Nodame. Love her in every aspect. Nice classical music, funny scenes, great storyline. Muykaa~ Worst To Aru Majutsu no Index By far my worst one of this year for me. Dropped it after episode 5, I think. That episode alone made me want to drop it like that. That whole episode you basically watching that bitch kept on saying "you don't want me to say my name, you don't want me to say my name, you don't want me to say my name" Like ffs who the hell cares GOD !! Rosario to Vampire Capu2 Do I have to say? Kuro Shitsuji Kurogane no Linebarrels Cocky Bastard |
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| Worst 1. Kamen no Maid Guy 2. Kemeko DX Others pending. |
Old avatar and sig retired for now. |
naikou said: Yes, to be honest I don't really go after the wording, too. I'm going down from 10. 6 is average for me. 5 or 4 is already pretty bad and nearly never achieved because there is at least something good in every anime I have seen so far. Well, everybody has a different way of rating. I was just shocked that you said 2/10 for Shigofumi. Ah, if you use MAL's wording, your view makes more sense. However, I'm not really a fan of the wording itself - It lists 5 as average, when, as you've already brought up, most people use 7 as average. So I just disregard that and balance my ratings on a bell curve from 1 to 10. To add something new: Best ecchi-type anime of 2008: Ah, well, I wonder why I always end up watching those ecchi-type shows. I think it's only because I have a slight hope of seeing a good romance story. But I am pretty much always disappointed. 90% is total crap. I even had to drop To Love Ru, because I couldn't stand it any longer. Without further words I present: Sekirei Again no real romance, but it had a decent story, many funny scenes and was pretty enjoyable. Pokemon with girls? xD Well, it was not really that good but compared to all that other ecchi shows out there ... Most original anime of 2008: Detroit Metal City |
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| My top 3 or 5 2008 are: 1.Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei 2. Kara no Kyoukai 1: Fukan Fuukei 3. Sword Of the Stranger |
- Signature Removed - The signature seriously lacked "It's a Sony" qualities. |
| Top 5 1. Aria the Origination 2. Kannagi 3. Shigofumi 4. Soul Eater 5. Toradora! |
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| TOP 5: 1. School Rumble: I love it. Eri,Tenma and the other bitches are funny and hawt :3 2. Ergo Proxy: I am in love with Vincent. He's the coolest character I've seen so far. Story is awsm O: 3. GANTZ: yes, most dramatic anime IMAO 4. Full Metal Panic: Never though it would be so awsm. I am happy that I watched it <3 5. Mahou Sensei Negima!: idk why people dont like it T_T I am a fan of comedy and school animes. TOP 5 WORST 1. Elfen Lied: idk why its so overhyped. worst anime i watched this year 2.KARAS: perfect animation but crapy story 3. Devil May Cry: ..... 4. ? 5. ? |
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Tao-san said: TOP 5: 1. School Rumble: I love it. Eri,Tenma and the other bitches are funny and hawt :3 2. Ergo Proxy: I am in love with Vincent. He's the coolest character I've seen so far. Story is awsm O: 3. GANTZ: yes, most dramatic anime IMAO 4. Full Metal Panic: Never though it would be so awsm. I am happy that I watched it <3 5. Mahou Sensei Negima!: idk why people dont like it T_T I am a fan of comedy and school animes. TOP 5 WORST 1. Elfen Lied: idk why its so overhyped. worst anime i watched this year 2.KARAS: perfect animation but crapy story 3. Devil May Cry: ..... 4. ? 5. ? It's not the best/worst anime for YOU this year, it's the best/worst anime RELEASED this year. :p |
| Lucky Star OVA was awesome :) Though there was other awesome shows like Toradora! and Daughter of the Twenty faces |
BigSimo said: Tao-san said: TOP 5: 1. School Rumble: I love it. Eri,Tenma and the other bitches are funny and hawt :3 2. Ergo Proxy: I am in love with Vincent. He's the coolest character I've seen so far. Story is awsm O: 3. GANTZ: yes, most dramatic anime IMAO 4. Full Metal Panic: Never though it would be so awsm. I am happy that I watched it <3 5. Mahou Sensei Negima!: idk why people dont like it T_T I am a fan of comedy and school animes. TOP 5 WORST 1. Elfen Lied: idk why its so overhyped. worst anime i watched this year 2.KARAS: perfect animation but crapy story 3. Devil May Cry: ..... 4. ? 5. ? It's not the best/worst anime for YOU this year, it's the best/worst anime RELEASED this year. :p confusing @_@ |
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| 1. Code Geass R2, best so far this year 2. Clannad, beautiful I really endjoyed it 3. Mobile Suit Gundam 00 S2, didnt finished it but I really like it 4. Casshern Sins, it started airing this year so I take it into my ranking, very entertaining anime 5. don' know |
Tao-san said: BigSimo said: Tao-san said: TOP 5: 1. School Rumble: I love it. Eri,Tenma and the other bitches are funny and hawt :3 2. Ergo Proxy: I am in love with Vincent. He's the coolest character I've seen so far. Story is awsm O: 3. GANTZ: yes, most dramatic anime IMAO 4. Full Metal Panic: Never though it would be so awsm. I am happy that I watched it <3 5. Mahou Sensei Negima!: idk why people dont like it T_T I am a fan of comedy and school animes. TOP 5 WORST 1. Elfen Lied: idk why its so overhyped. worst anime i watched this year 2.KARAS: perfect animation but crapy story 3. Devil May Cry: ..... 4. ? 5. ? It's not the best/worst anime for YOU this year, it's the best/worst anime RELEASED this year. :p confusing @_@ hahah. That's alright. A lot of people here follow the current season of anime in Japan - to stay on the cutting edge of things, so to speak. Actually, though, your kind of list might be fun to do, too. Maybe I'll edit the topic to include that. |
| things that sucked: ef, gundam, clannad, blade of the immortal, geass the tightest shit this year are like: yugioh, kaiba, one outs, macross, michiko |
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| Top anime posters for 2008: Akane-iro ni Somaru Saka Blassreiter Casshern Sins Clannad ~After Story~ Detroit Metal City Ghost in the Shell 2.0 Kure-nai Kuroshitsuji Soul Eater Special A Toradora Vampire Knight |
 I take icon requests. |
| Best: 1. Clannad After Story: I was so hyped about this series since I first heard about it at the end of the first season. I had very high expections for it and the show has certainly lived up to it. It's very interesting to see a series finally depict a relationship instead of just ending the series after a girl is chosen. 2. ef a tale of melodies: The second series is just as good as the first. At least Yuuko's story was. The series maintained the beautiful art style as the first and story was just as intriguing. If it wasn't for Kuze's annoying story, it would have been way better. Worst: 1. Akane-iro ni Somaru Saka: I expected way more from this anime than what it delievered. From the first episode I knew there were going to be some cliches, but hoped for good things. The best thing about this anime was the animation. The plot was basically worthless. Most things either didn't make sense or were unnecessary. The whole series sets the stage for one girl, but yet it ends with a different one. 2. Chaos;Head: I've seen worse this year, but this one I actually had high hopes for. To me, it just took way to long to get the point. I'll just have to see how it ends. These were the best and worst delievered anime of 2008 and from how the winter schuedule looks, they'll be plenty more next year. |
| Code Geass R2 -> Face-slapping, mind-gaming show that never let up. Toradora! (ongoing) -> Hilarious; based on similar grounds yet unique in many of its own ways. Probably going on an all-time faves list. Clannad ~After Story~ (ongoing) -> I have a feeling this will also be one of my all-time favourites. Loved the first season; season two has no intentions of holding back. Already had many teary moments. Vampire Knight -> Had a very unexpected effect on me, considering its rather dark mood. Well-pieced story. Can't say too much about season two (Vampire Knight Guilty) though. Lacking a fifth, due to the fact that I hadn't watched Anime for a while up until about April this year, and even then it has been on and off. |
  Dango, dango, dango, dango, dango, daikazoku~ |
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