The 2nd Annual GB Anime Poll for Duders: YES WE CAN! Edition

Stay tuned for a special message from your anime president.

So it's that time of year again, that time where we comb through the many pieces of entertainment we enjoyed and see if we can't come to a consensus on which ones were the best, shortly before we yell at each other for having incredibly terrible tastes while the country continues sinking into the ocean from whence it came. Ah, democracy.

But instead of another Top 5 list of video games (you can look in my profile for that one, and it isn't good) this one deals with anime! Cartoons from a foreign land. We had Monsters! Titans! Dressed to Kill! With Silver Spoons! The Devil worked Part-Time! With an Eccentric Family! Monogatari!

*ahem* Anyways, let's get into the details of this whole thing.

How do I vote?

Follow this link to the Google Form I have set up, put your username that you use here on Giant Bomb, and your favorite anime that premiered and/or ended in 2013 AD. You can pick a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 5 per ballot. Also there is an optional comment question at the bottom. Feel free to write whatever you want in it. Or don't. Then submit your form. You only get one ballot, so make it count. Any ballots containing duplicate or unregistered names will not count, and I will frown in your direction.

Your votes will be stored on a secret server that will only be scanned once by NSA-contracted bots for your own good, and then held in a secure location somewhere in the Utah desert to ensure that the votes are not tampered with before they are tallied.

So when do I vote?

Voting is open now, and will end at some point in mid-January. Let's say January 13th.

How are the votes tallied?

The votes will be tallied both on a weighted and unweighted scale. The unweighted tally means that 1 vote=1 vote, no matter where in the list you ranked the show. The weighted tally means that the higher you rank the show, the more points it will get: 1st place on your ballot gets 5 points, 2nd gets 4 points, 3rd gets 3, 4th gets 2 and 5th gets 1.

For reference, here's how the 2012 edition of this poll turned out (before we switched to the new servers, so some formatting might be wonky). In that version, I ordered the vote first by unweighted tally and then weighted. This time I'm switching it up: shows will be ranked by weighted tally first, and then unweighted in case of ties.

When will you announce the results?

Later in January, probably. Don't have an exact date, but if it's February and I haven't done it by then, feel free to hunt me down.

Does [X SHOW] count for this ballot?

I'm trying to limit it to shows that ended in 2013 so the series with hundreds of episodes don't take up too much space, but I'm willing to make exceptions for specific seasons or halves of a show that only appeared in 2013, like Magi's Season 2 for example, or that section of Gintama that appeared in this year. Shoot me a PM or comment if you want to ask if a certain show counts on the ballot.

Okay, so where do I find what shows were released in 2013?

There are plenty of sources to remember which shows came out or ended this year. Here's one, here's another from our long-lost AV friends, and there are plenty of charts floating around the internet if you use the Google.

I have more questions! Can you list them here?

Maybe. Shoot me a PM or comment below, and I'll try to answer them.

Once again, the link to the GB 2013 Anime Poll for Duders is here. Thank you all for voting!

This has reminded me that I need to get back into Majutsu no Index. Dropped off somewhere in the second season (I think I wrapped up the crystal boat arc? I remember the girls failing at laundry.).

I don't watch much anime at all, but put in a vote for Kill La Kill, super fun show.

Looking at those lists, I've realized that while I've watched quite a lot of anime this year, I haven't watched much that came out this year. Kill la Kill, Tokyo Ravens, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure and Attack on Titan are probably the one's I'll definitely put votes in for,(unless the first two shit the bed for some reason) seeing as Chuunibyou didn't come out this year.

Do movies count?

@smokeyd123: Sure, feel free to use a vote on a movie if you really liked it, and it popped up in 2013.

Yo I voted. I think we could have limited this to only shows that came out in '13. There were plenty of new ones. I don't like counting movies either cause I am a jerk. Good luck getting some nice data. I expect the usual suspects will walk away with it though. Kill la Kill (no kidding right Avatar?), Attack on Titan, blah blah.

1. Majestic Prince (Best mecha combat in a long time)

2. Towards the New World (Great psychological horror, showing rebellion from the eyes of the oppressors)

3. Kill la Kill (most promising show of the current season)

4. Gundam Build Fighter (All the franchise service a fan boy could want)

5. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure (Dat Pose)

Hataraku Maou-sama!

Silver Spoon

The Eccentric Family

Chihayafuru 2

Minami-ke Tadaima

Come at me

@ilikepopcans: What is that beautiful gif from? I must see it.

The only animematsu I watched this year was Attack on Titan.

It was pretty good.

Did a quick search on Wikipedia and I was happy to see that Gundam Wing was included in the fanservice. Based solely on the representatives in the Super Robot Wars series, I was under the impression that Gundam Wing was forgotten entirely (save for the occasional appearance of Endless Waltz).

You're the greatest, homie.

Oh, and you get points for JJBA.

Attack on titan, Sword art, Valverave the liberator, Magi, Kill la Kill

Log horizon looks good, but i havnt caught up. Strike the blood my also be better than any of these if it doesn't devolve into a harem.

@smokeyd123:

The Eccentric Family

Now that the winter dry patch is here, I will fill the time with some ah-ni-meh. So far I've made a temporary Top 5 list and when I'm finished with the shows that end this year I will change it accordingly. I won't include shows that end next year, instead I'll put them on next year's list. So things like KILL la KILL, Samurai Flamenco and Nagi no Asukara have to wait. Shows that started last year and ended this year are fine, though. That's why Psycho-Pass is currently my number one.

Making this list is pretty hard, you guys. Shingeki no Kyojin might not even make it.

I know Attack on Titan is going to be number 1. I'll have to think about the other 4 positions. Probably let a few more weeks pass by to see how some shows end.

I wish I would've watched enough stuff this year to have an informed opinion. Other than a few notable animes like Attack on Titan and a few episodes of Kill La Kill and Samurai Flamenco, I've not really gotten into a lot of stuff from this year. Maybe I'll try to watch a few other shows before I go and vote.

Just as an aside but Attack on Titan isn't over yet. The anime is going on hiatus but it will be coming back for a "second season". So by your rules you shouldn't include it anyway :P!!!!

PS: The lack of Flamenco in these lists I see posted is sad, that show is absolutely insane.

I was certain it would at least be in my top 5, if not first, until I looked back at the year of what I enjoyed the most, which shows left me wanting more and chomping at the bit for next week's episode. It didn't make my top 5 after all.

Nah, you have two of my picks also (Chihayafuru and Minami-ke) and two others just missed my list.

1. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

2. Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox

3. Hajime No Ippo: Rising

4. Yowamushi Pedal

5. Attack On Titan

My snarky dark horse or "snark horse" this year is the latest Justice League animated movie. A seriously awesome adaptation for the story arc from DC comics. Biggest surprise was Yowamushi Pedal. What can I say, I'm a sucker for sports cartoons and that show was better than I thought it would be. I have some serious problems with Attack on Titan's plot machinations but even I have to admit it's still more in my wheelhouse than about 80% of the new stuff out there.

Golden Time for life.

1. The Eccentric Family (the only right answer here)

2. The Devil is a Part-Timer!

3. Minami-ke Tadaima

4. OreShura

5. Attack On Titan

I saw this thread when it was initially posted and struggled to come up with any good answers. Then I looked at the list of anime that aired this past year and had trouble keeping it to only five! I guess this season is just so... normal that I couldn't get past what I stopped watching weeks ago.

I also struggled on where to place Attack On Titan. I think it is a interesting show with a lot going for it but it also has horrible pacing and production issues. I ended up generously placing it at 5. If it were top 10 it would be lower but I feel it deserves to be on my list even with it's flaws.

@alexandersheen: Damn it I'd forgotten about Psycho-pass, maybe that says how much I thought of it but, that show was quite good.

Man, this took to much work

http://www.giantbomb.com/profile/ilikepopcans/blog/top-10-animes-of-2013/104143/

1. Uchōten Kazoku
2. Kyousogiga
3. Yuyushiki
4. Pyscho Pass
5. Free (normally, I would say anything KyoAni makes can go suck a dick for all I care, but this shit was dope. Well, Tamako market was kinda halfway decent, but it didn't have dubstep.)

Wasn't even looking forward to a single one of these picks while going over the season previews. They were all stuff I just kinda stumbled upon mostly due to boredom. Really glad I decided to stick with em though as it turned out to a fucking great year for anime for me personally.

I rarely ever watch anime and I don't know anything about the scene, so this post is my way to remember this thread for future reference once its complete so I can find some stuff to check out.

1.Kill La Kill: A part of me feels like I'm the only person who gets it I mean I could go on and on about how great everything in it is (but I won't).

2. Samurai Flamenco: As someone who didn't care for Kick-Ass Samurai Flamenco is awesome. I still feel like King Torture might be the best superhero villain.

3. Watamote: I read the manga I've seen the anime and it's great.

4. Non Non Biyori: I just love the quiet subdued country setting for all the humor to take place in. I should point out that I feel bad for Renge due to the fact that as she grows-up everyone will most likely end up leaving the country for the city.

5. Log Horizon: I love this show. This the kind series that I have been wanting to get an anime. However, the anime does cut out some kind of important stuff from the light-novel.

Honrable mentions Blood Lad- They did an amaizing job with that one. It also is very faithful to the manga.

Shingeki no Kyojin- This show was great 24 episodes in when they were being faithful to the manga (there were only very small changes). However, the last ep was a total mess. They singlehandedly ruined multiple characters (why the hell was Eren raging around for when he was supposed to stay calm and work together with his allies), and they messed-up the reveal that the there are Titans in the walls. I'll put this pic (inside the spoiler) to show what I mean

This happens right after they capture Annie.

I'm curious about the results of this poll. I don't actually remember watching any anime the year it came out. I don't know how to discover new anime very well and when ever I try I only find garbage. The only anime I think I ever watched when it was new was the Persona 4 anime.

I finally voted. I watched so little anime this year, only Attack on Titan and Aku no hana , so that's what I voted for. Looking forward to the results.

Does From Up on Poppy Hill count since it was released in the US this year? If not, I thought that movie was great and figured I'd say that here :-)

Yay! I'm not alone in having this in my top 5.

We've beaten the total vote count from the first poll! Woo! This poll is still open so keep those votes coming!

@gtcknight: you aren't the only one. Kill la Kill is in my top 5 for sure. Reminds me alot of old Go Nagai stuff.

I think I came up with a personally reasonable final list. Even if I missed something, I'm pretty okay with the result:

1. Psycho-Pass - There's hardly anything bad I could say about it. I think it's a better sci-fi thriller than, let's say, Blade Runner. An added bonus is that I could recommend it without explaining the stereotypical anime bullshit parts, because there's none. It's as mature as it could be.
2. Suisei no Gargantia - The little details like the way Red's skin tone changed from episode to episode or the language he spoke was actually alien to the natives did more for me than it should have. While it is not super serious all the time, it is definitely a great sci-fi and is something I could recommend to anyone who is remotely into the genre.
3. Love Lab - What can I say, I like funny stuff and for me, this show was the funniest. It takes the overused formula of "cute girls doing dumb stuff" and makes it stand out with its actually funny humor. I liked pretty much every character, even the minor ones which is a rarity these days. And those animations! Damn!
4. Silver Spoon - As a city boy, I was able to relate to Yugo more than I initially thought I will. The setting is unique and all the explanations are interesting (Moyashimon bored me to tears.) It also made some thought provoking questions about things we take for granted. Not to mention all the food porn... yeah...
5. Danganronpa - Unlike something like BTOOOM! or Gantz, it's not dark just for the sake of being dark. And that is a big differentiator for me because this was the first show in a very long time that did the "Battle Royale: The Anime" right. If I had to describe it in a short way, I would say: Persona + Ace Attorney. Also the character designs are varied and not as stereotypical as they first seem. A good example being: Sakura, probably my favorite character.

So obviously the winners are:

• DBZ
• Naruto
• One Piece
• Bleach

@monetarydread: Haven't you heard? DBZ is out, Fairy Tail is in.

THREE DAYS LEFT TO GET YER VOTES IN. DO IT. OR DON'T. WHATEVER.

1. Hataraku Maou-sama! ~ Hilarious. I had no idea this would be so entertaining. I wish there were more work-place comedies in anime, so this was a welcome surprise. I hope there is a sequel.
2. Magi: The Kingdom of Magic ~ I love a good action-comedy, and this one was a whole lot of fun. I started reading the manga after watching the show and am enjoying it, as well. I am waiting for the S2 to end.
3. Servant x Service ~ Sweet and funny. Again, my passion for more work-place comedies gave this one special attention. Nearly as good as Working!!.
4. Uchouten Kazoku ~ Creative and satisfying. I am always intrigued by the idea of an unseen world living beside us. This one reminded me a bit of xxxHolic, but its story was more personal.
5. Mushibugyou ~ The art style is what first grabbed me, but the wacky humor and high energy action kept me coming back for more.

On a side topic, I started reading Shokugeki no Soma. I was a big fan of Yakitate!! Japan and this is the best cooking manga/anime I've seen since. Similar to Yakitate, the taste reactions are the best. I hope they animate this one someday.

Polling is now closed! Thanks to the duders who cast their votes, and the results will be presented in a separate blog soon-ish. What I will say is that the top 2 were so close to each other, both had the same amount of voters by far compared to any 2 shows and were separated by only 3 votes in the weighted tally.

Also, the fifth place show got replaced thanks to the very last vote! Just goes to show you that in a small poll every vote counts! Which show slipped in? Which show got locked outside the blast doors? Stay tuned to find out!