cat_clan's Anime List | cat_clan's Manga List

cat_clan's Profile

Full list for the whole year is here. If I had to describe each of the top 10 in a sentence (or two)...

1. Mouretsu Pirates - A supremely fun and intelligent sci-fi that fuses a bishoujo-heavy cast with a classic space opera storyline , takes the idea of "legal pirates" seriously, and manages to execute everything flawlessly over two cour. Best new character and best new seiyuu of the year in Katou Marika/Koamtsu Mikako.

2. Hyouka - Deftly utilizes mundane mysteries as vehicles through which the characters uncover as much and more about themselves and their relationships with each other as they do about the tricks they're unraveling. Hands down the most gorgeous production values of the year as well.

3. Hidamari Sketch x Honeycomb - Four seasons in, Hidamari-sou feels like a second home, and the girls who live there like a second family. It is deeply soothing, funny, and above all very sweet to see how each character cares for, and gets support from, the others as they try to discover what they want to do with their lives and who they want to be.

4. Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! - A story of equal parts drama and humor that teaches us that there's more to growing up than conforming to societal norms, that "normal" is usually the most fraudulent persona of all, and there's a little bit of a chuunibyou dreamer in all of us - so perhaps we should let them out once in a while. We might just enjoy it.

5. Girls und Panzer - [see previous comment]

6. Dog Days' - Much like the main characters visiting the fantasy world of Flonyard, the one and only objective of Dog Days' is having fun and if plot isn't needed to achieve that, discard it. The cast is huge and every effort is made to highlight as many of them as possible, primarily though battles that serve as like friendly international sporting events.

7. Yuru Yuri♪♪ - Similar to Hidamari Sketch but heavier on skit comedy and lesser on the soothing "iyashikei" atmosphere. Ridiculously cute, with impeccable comedic timing from the seiyuu, and last but not least, yuri!

8. Saki Achiga-hen - While not as action-packed with supernatural, over the top mahjong insanity as the main series, like the first season it features a large cast with ample focus on characters outside of the titular team and all the youthful passion of a sports anime without being about, well, a traditional physical sport (as those are a bit of a turnoff for me). Oh and yuri here too of course.

9. Jinrui wa Suitaishimashita - Dry humor, surreal wit, and morbid observations about the ridiculousness of society in a world where humanity has declined and child-like, well-meaning, insatiably (and dangerously) curious "fairies" have become the dominant life form. All delivered in brilliantly snarky deadpan by Nakahara Mai, the voice of Watashi.

10. Ano Natsu de Matteru - Top notch teenage romantic drama, probably the best pure romantic drama of the year, as expected from Nagai Tatsuyuki of Toradora. The little callbacks to Onegai Teacher are also fun.

The only thing that keeps it from near perfection is the unfortunate production delays that have pushed the final two episodes back to March. I hate when a great show loses momentum like that, but there's not much that can be done about it...

The reason it's selling so much is that it captures audiences from a lot of different angles. The girls are adorable and very likable. The highly accurate depiction of the tanks grab military otaku, and 'bishoujo military" god Shimada Fumikane (Strike Witches) did the original designs. The action is incredibly intense and exciting. Even someone like me, who hates 3DCG in anime more than anyone alive, can't really criticize the way it's used for the tanks - it's by far the best integration of 3DCG into anime ever (granted that's a low bar, but it's really well done). Fanservice is kept minimal to appeal to people who would be turned off by it, while at the same time the naturally attractive designs and a bit of bikini/bathing fanservice is there to appeal to people who do like such things (it's a very good balance). The story is tightly paced and handles an absurd premise quite seriously, without forgetting to be a crapton of fun in the process.

In short, yeah, it really is that good. It's in my top 10 of 2012, though I haven't decided where. Possibly #6-8.

Nah I'm just not in the mood for that kind of show. I might un-drop it later on though.

Thank you for the friend request and I totally understand when I first formed my list it was more of gathering the shows I had seen than ratings came later. I have been watching for about 7 years now and I have no life so that is why my list is so big but your list is also quite impressive.

I have a rather bad relationship with Hanasaku Iroha for various reasons, so that made me approach Tari Tari with great hesitation. I'm sure it colored my perceptions of Tari Tari, unfairly even. But early on I found myself only really caring about Konatsu, and once her initial arc was over there just wasn't a lot left for me. I am not interested in the two male characters, and while Wakana got better by the time I dropped it, her arc didn't hit me emotionally the way it did most everyone else.

Sawa seems to be the most popular character, and I like her well enough, but with no broader motivation to watch the show, Sawa plus whatever screentime Konatsu would manage just wasn't enough to keep me around.