Hello Duders and Dudettes of Giant Bomb! Hope you've been enjoying your holiday season, because now it's time to get voting on your favorite anime of 2015! In years past, we've had Daily Lives of Highschool Boys take home the first one in 2012, and then Kill la Kill seasons 1-2 taking home consecutive victories in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Now this year the field's open for someone else to take home the crown.

We've had some good times and bad times this year. We've had plucky heroes fighting off entire kingdoms, children discovering the value of family, highschoolers fighting their oppressive/dystopian governments, the return of a few great franchises, and more monster girls than you could shake a stick at. Seriously, you should find something better than a stick to wield against them.

How do I vote?

Click here, and enter your username and choices in the respective fields. You can ignore all but the first two questions if you wish, but you'll be missing out! If you need help remembering which anime aired this year, @takashichea has compiled a handy list for you to peruse through and pick out which show(s) are "Best of 2015" worthy.

Is this an official Giant Bomb thing?

Unless shadow Anime Editor @austin_walker says otherwise, no. This is all me and taka, with love from the GB Anime Duders.

What if my favorite show started before but continued into this year?

You'd be only considering the episodes that aired this year when making your choice. I don't have a real way of enforcing this, so we're just going to go on the honor system here.

Can I still vote for a show that's not on the list?

If it aired this year and it's missing, let myself and takashichea know and we'll add it. If it didn't air this year, then feel free to vote for it anyways, just know that it probably won't count.

Anime is for Jerks!

Yes. Also, that's not a question.

How long do I have to vote?

I'll end this around the second weekend of January.

Weeks after all the 2014 [X] Of The Year lists have faded from memory, the community has turned their attention to the next shiny thing. Of course, this is the perfect time to finally tally up the somewhat-delayed reveal of the 2014 anime poll among the Giant Bomb Anime Duders who voted. As always, if you're curious about what's good, you'll find us in the Anime/Manga Megathread.

This year, 52 people cast their vote, plus at least 2 troll votes to tell me how much anime is for jerks, so it's a sign this thing is becoming more popular. Maybe one of these days I'll actually implement a better voting system than "read the Google Drive spreadsheet and hope I didn't miss someone's vote while tallying the results" or allowing everyone to vote for an anime that aired this year without regard to if it's an ongoing series.

Then again, I just might be cynical about how the results shook out this year. Stupid me not-rigging the vote so my should would win.

But you didn't come here to watch me grumble, you came here to see the results of the poll. So without further ado...

The Top 10 Anime of 2014, as Voted by You!

Note: Results were tallied by weighted vote where First = 5, Second = 4, Third = 3, Fourth = 2, Fifth = 1. Unweighted vote served as a tiebreaker where needed.

#10: Hunter x Hunter (2011 edition) - 17 points (4 votes)

I know very little about this series other than that it was a great shounen story written by the same mind behind Yu Yu Hakusho with a verrrrrry slow update schedule. So here's a quote from one of our voters.

@shinmaru007 - Its best story arc had many of its best moments this year, and the show also concluded with an interesting arc that unfolded like a game of politics. Great show.

#9: Ping Pong the Animation - 24 points (8 votes)

One of those "artsy" shows that you will either immediately love or leave scratching your head after the first episode. A semi-realistic show about a couple of high schoolers who play ping-pong and the Chinese exchange student looking to regain his own honor, with interesting animation from Masaaki Yuasa.

@hamst3r - Masaaki Yuasa is a god.

@kvel2d - Ping Pong is a breath of fresh air, as it has zero, ZERO stereotypes or anime tropes and at the same times strays away from the common formula both in story and animation.

#8: Aldnoah.Zero - 30 points (9 votes)

A original series that feels like Gundam both in terms of attitude and the giant robots. This one started off with an assassination and ended with more than one bang at least until the pilot episode of season 2 rendered the entire climax moot, as the Earth forces constantly had to find ways to defeat the enemy with lesser firepower at their disposal.

@epidehl - [...]a group of people in the equivalent of GMs from Gundam fighting a bunch of Mazingers was amazing. Also a robot that has six (?) rocket punches and also turns into a giant fist is a win in my book.

#7: Barakamon - 31 points (11 votes)

In the grim drama and gritty darkness of the anime year, Barakamon provided a bright ray of happy sunshine. An introverted young calligrapher in self-exile to a remote island of Japan slowly comes out of his shell and refines his own craft while learning how to deal with little kids and grumpy adults alike. Naru alone makes this show worth watching.

@viciousbearmauling: Pure light-hearted joy. No other show this year was as charming and genuine feeling.

@billymaysrip - Everything else sucked and Barakamon didn't.

#6: Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works - 32 points (11 votes)

Just barely edging out Barakamon in the weighted vote category, the remade classic Visual Novel-turned-actual story about Japanese magicians calling upon the spirits of legendary heroes to fight for the Holy Grail. Also, King Arthur was a girl all along.

@slyspider - Fate/Stay has the best animation quality of any anime ever. I'll hold on that statement.

HALFTIME

Thank you for staying with this blog so far. Take a break and stretch your legs.

A day before this post was written up, Russian singer and composer Origa passed away from lung cancer at the age of 44. Though born in Russia, she did a ton of work in Japan and collaborated with the famous Yoko Kanno on some music, including the soundtrack to the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex soundtrack.

Now back to the poll results.

#5: Monthly Girls Nozaki-kun ("Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun") - 40 points (14 votes)

The story of a lovestruck Paras girl who ends up becoming the assistant to a shoujo manga-ka (maker of comics geared towards young girls) who happens to be a stoic guy. Both an homage to the writer's earlier work that got terrible reviews and a parody of the manga industry in general, this show was surprisingly entertaining.

Oh Kashima, some day you'll find your prince.

@viciousbearmauling - Hilarious! A very simple plot carried by it's comedic timing and charm.

@gaspower - Very funny dialogue combined with great use of visual comedy and really likeable characters made this my favorite anime this year.

#4: Parasyte: The Maxim - 42 points (12 votes)

He was an ordinary high school boy. It was an alien parasite that took refuge inside said boy's right arm. Their lives will never be the same. A sci-fi story with tons of body horror and lots of people who don't survive as a boy ends up hunting down various parasite-controlled people. If you can stomach the occasional high-octane bloody action and drama, you will love this show.

No one who voted on this show bothered to defend their choice, so let's move on and hope they don't regret it as the show continues into next year.

#3: Space Dandy - 52 points, 17 votes

How big was the hype for this show? So big that Cartoon Network threw money at the producers to make a second season and air the show on Toonami just before it even premiered in Japan. So big that there was even a commercial on ESPN at one point. So big that the show's titular character even had a shot at becoming the God of all Creation at one point.

If you came into Space Dandy expecting the Second Coming of Cowboy Bebop, you would leave disappointed. Instead, what we got was a show that Watanabe Shinichiro (the Director of Cowboy Bebop) oversaw while a whole slew of talented Japanese animators and writers took turns using Space Dandy to experiment with their own styles. With everything from a phantom ramen stand to an alien library book that erases memories to a literal musical high school, even the "worst" episodes of the show were amazing.

So of course you fuckers didn't vote this show #1. I hope you're happy with your choice.

@shinmaru007 - First half is solid, but the second half consistently hits it out of the park with interesting conceptual episodes involving taking a weird concept to its logical conclusion.

@recspec - Dumb insignificant plot points all come back in the end and tie everything up perfectly.

@jesna - Space Dandy is the only anime this year that features a fully-grown man returning to high-school to sing about how much he loves asses.

#2: Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders - 69 points (18 votes)

Well, you Jojo bros (almost) finally got your wish, as what some consider the "best" story arc of the franchise aired this year and managed to claw it's way high up the list. A franchise that has spanned decades and contains references to all kinds of music from Ronnie James DIIIIIIOOOOOOO! to the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The soundtrack is good and the fights are classic shounen style with the characters monologing for minutes in-between attacks, but they ham it up so well.

Plus, the first season got me to listen to ELP's Tarkus concept album, so props to the creator for that.

@viciousbearmauling - Unbelievably faithful recreation of one the most iconic manga out there. Everything thing here is crazy and fun.

@tobbrobb - Old Joseph is amazing.

@epidehl - The first season was what got me back into anime after years of watching nothing, and the second got me to buy the first manga I bought in a long time because holy shit I couldn't wait a year to finish arc 3.

And now, the anime you've all been waiting for and @zombiepie's favorite though he will deny it to (your) death, the back-to-back champion of the Giant Bomb Anime Poll For Duders!

#1: Sonic Adventure 2 The Anime, a.k.a. Kill la Kill - 106 points (29 votes)

Unlike last year where it just squeaked out a victory over Attack on Titan, the second season apparently cemented a place of honor in what the GBAD consider to be a "good" show. Either that or enough trolls got together to push this show over the edge.

The biggest show from Studio Trigger, here to "save anime," might have run low on budget and story as it ran through the second season and some of the fights were reduced to a looping .gif of two swords swiping through the air...but to Kill La Kill's credit, the show rode its crazy-ass premise of alien clothes conquering humanity all the way to the end.

For those of you who missed the show or wanted to wait for a translated version, you're in luck: the show has been confirmed to be coming to Toonami this February. It is unknown how much censoring will be needed for Cartoon Network's lawyers to deem it acceptable for the FCC, but at least this gives me a faint hope that they'll find a way to air Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt at some point in the future (no they won't).

@jthomeslice - Jojo's and Kill la Kill are exactly what anime action shows should be. Insane and over the top with endearing characters that pull the most ridiculous bullshit out of their asses and it working. Incredible rides all the way through.

@billymaysrip - I like boobs, Trigger, and dumb stuff. Kill la Kill has all of those, wrapped up in one. The soundtrack is killer, the art is dope, and the plot's ability to hype is unparalleled.

@hoshinosenshi - Over the top and insane, but still somehow able to make a legit plot from the tangles of whatever drugs were taken at the time.

@splodge - Anime is dying [...] fuck clothes.

@zombiepie - All of you that are voting for Kill la Kill...this is how communism wins. A vote for Kill la Kill is a vote for Stalin.

@ajayraz - I got over Kill la Kill. I did not get over Satsuki Kiryuin, though.

You guys are jerks.

Thank you all for reading this all the way to the end. Looking forward to 2015, where at least it'll be impossible for Kill la Kill to win again even by my lax polling standards. As always, feel free to tell me how right I am, defend your choices, bitch about the ones that didn't win, or whatever you want in the comments below.

Quotes were either taken from the poll or my forum thread about the poll itself. They are authentic as of January 18, 2015

Bonus Features:

Final Vote Counts, in Alphabetical Order

Also, as a fun little experiment, I added an optional question to the ballot of "Your waifu (or huzbando) is...?" Here were the answers of those that chose to respond.

• Aikuro Misusugi. Yes I'm a guy, and yes, I'm straight. I stand by my choice

• Alluka

• Chie Satonaka

• Chie Satonaka!

• Chiyo Sakura

• Chiyo Sakura

• Coffee Maker (From episode 13 of Space Dandy)

• Diane (The Seven Deadly Sins)

• Elsie from Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai

• Homura Akemi

• Kawakami Norifumi

• Kiryuuin Satsuki

• Mako Mankanshoku

• Marie (Persona 4 Golden)

• Mitsuru-senpai

• nico robin

• Nonon Jakuzure

• Old Man Joseph

• Rin Tōsaka from Fate/stay

• Ryuko Matoi

• Ryuko Matoi

• Saber or Jotaro

• SAMURAI FLAMENCO

• Secret

• Shiba Tatsuya

• Shinobu

• SHIT!

• Shun Kurosaki

• Sinon (Asada Shino)

• Takane Shijou

• Tanpopo Kuraishi

• Terezi Pyrope

• SATSUKI-SAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• The 4 best girls from Kill la Kill and Joseph Jostar

• waifus are stupid.

• Yuu Kashima

Hello everybody. Now that E3 has lived up to its usual disappointments it's back to business as usual. This means summer vacation for most of you and work for those of us stuck in cubicles waiting for the world to end, hopefully after we blow our paychecks on booze and hookers. Either way, it's fucking hot outside right now, and you can only watch the World Cup for so long before you realize how pointless it is to believe anyone else besides Brazil will win it all.

Instead of braving the heat outside and possibly melting into a puddle of goo, stay in your air-conditioned home and watch some anime! There's plenty to be excited about! Ghost girls, giant robots, teenagers with swords, and just like E3, we herald the return/rehash of some beloved franchises to this season.

As always, the following previews are highly subjective should not be taken seriously, except when they should. If you want a longer, more "serious" version, there are plenty other blogs and sites around the net for that sort of thing.

Still here? Okay then, here we go.

ANIME! SUMMER 2014 SEASON! CAPSULE PREVIEWS!

Akame ga Kill! (July 7): Reading through the manga, I'm reminded of a creative writing workshop back in college where 2/3 of the stories I read early on had the villain establish himself by raping and/or murdering someone just because he could. Even if it's not heavily censored you probably still shouldn't watch it unless you can stomach a lot of gore and bad writing. At least it will be decently animated thanks to White Fox.

Aldnoah Zero (July 6): Humanity is at war with Mars and giant robots with high-schoolers are involved. Also it's set around the 70s so I choose to believe the robots are forced to disco battle each other.

Ao Haru Ride (July 8): A love story about a girl who tries to reinvent herself for two years so a boy will notice her, or a gender-swapped version of "She's Out of My League."

Bakumatsu Rock (July 2): The Shogun is using J-Pop Idols to brainwash the country! Are you a bad enough rock star to fight the Shogun? If there isn't a Gitaroo Man cameo involved then someone missed a golden opportunity.

Barakamon (July 6): A city boy who studies the art of calligraphy is forced to live in the country. Can he ink his way back onto the stage against the evil calligraphers who threaten the world, while remembering to rep where he came from?

Sailor Moon Crystal (July 5): After being rumored for so long, it's finally back! A re-imagining of the classic Sailor Moon cartoon, with a sidestory how Sailor Pluto accidentally wrote herself out of existence.

DRAMAtical Murder (July 7): based off a yaoi-themed visual novel about a guy forced into a digital fighting game called "Rhyme," and he must prove he's got the "Rhythm" to solve the mystery of the many people who have disappeared into the Rhyme. Featuring Busta Rhymes as the secret sub-boss.

Fate/kaleid S2 (July 10): Another season of that Fate franchise spinoff where Ilya and friends are little magical girls. A little too cutesy for my taste but you Type-Moon freaks out there will probably eat it up anyway.

Free! S2 (July 3): More FABULOUS! dudes showin' off their hot bods for all you anime-dudettes out there looking for equal-opportunity fanservice in their animes. Kyoto Animation is returning to produce this so it will be very well animated.

Locodol (July 4): 2 high-school idol girls spittin' their game in their small town with dreams of makin' it to the big city. Along the way they meet a city boy who studies calligraphy who encourages them to never give up on their dreams. Can they save the little brother from the thug life while keepin' it real?

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun (July 7): One's a manga artist, the other's his assistant who is not so secretly in love with him! Now with 95% less sexual harassment than the other series with this tagline!

Glasslip (July 3): Six high-school students are forced to learn the ancient art of glassblowing so that the James Bond villain named Glasslip can finally have a perfectly clear lip worthy of his name! Can these students with their can-do attitude please him in time?

Hanayamata (July 8): A 14 year old girl is forced to learn a special dance or a fairy will EAT HER SOUL. Featuring music from that one black guy who sings enka for a living, performed by ?uestlove.

Jinsei (July 6): One boy who teams up with three girls to become the best damned newspaper advice columnist he can be in his high school. Featuring a guest appearance from the ghost of Michael Hastings.

Black Butler: Book of Circus (July 11): Something about a little rich demonic English boy and his handsome demonic butler. Only thing I remember about this franchise is that its creepy fans turned me off from local anime clubs forever.

Love Stage!! (July 10): One dude wants to make manga, the second dude wants the first to be an idoru. FABULOUSness ensues.

Majimoji Rurumo (July 9): He's a pervert in high school, she's a witch who fucked up big time by not replacing his soul with that of someone decent. They fight crime.

Minarai Diva (July 14): A comedy series about idols in training that will somehow be performed live? If reality shows are any guide, I'm looking forward to seeing one of the idols break down in tears while another one calls her rival a total bitch.

Momo Kyun Sword (July 9): Hey, you know what story Japan hasn't filled with little girls yet? The classic tale of Momotaro. Good thing this anime remedies that.

Nobunaga Concerto (July 12): A boy travels back in time to the Sengoku era, and after an incident that involves landing on Oda Nobunaga with his desk, he must take on the fearsome warlord's identity himself before he triggers a time paradox! Meanwhile his courtiers and handlers must use magic-desk technology to send him back to his own time.

Persona 4 Golden the Animation (July 11): An adaptation of the remake of the Persona 4 game. No word on if they get a bigger budget for this one, but apparently they're cynical enough to think we'll throw money at anything with the Persona 4 name on it, even this Purse-Owner 4 manpurse I bought at a mall kiosk on...I'm sorry, what were we talking about?

Rail Wars! (July 04): Glorious Japan Railways! Fight against evil oppressive corporation that already won in the real world! If it helps, think of it as a prequel to Galaxy Express 999.

Re: Hamatora (July 8): Second season of the show about teen detectives with superpowers that go on adventures with talking hamsters. Or was it talking bacon? God I'm so hungry right now.

Rokujyouma no Shinryakusha?! (????) Dude shares his apartment with magical ghost girls who all want his dick for some reason.

Sabagebu! (July 6): Innocent Schoolgirl shanghai'd into joining her school's airsoft club...wait, didn't we already do this show, and it was kinda okay if unrealistic? Supposedly this one has more of a comedy focus though.

Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance (July 14): blah blah swords, blah blah schoolgirl, blah blah pervert is the hero when his mother should've spanked him years ago, I'm getting tired writing this description for anime, and that's a bad sign.

Sengoku Basara Judge End (July 6): Another season of the adaptation of the game featuring your favorite sengoku-era fighters.

Shirogane No Ishi Argevollen (July 3): Something Something Giant Robots. That's literally all I can find, so I'm going to make up a plot description: The evil Ruskians come through a wormhole with their golden alien ships, and the only thing that can stop them is a giant robot made of sterling silver and the heart of a loved one, protecting the freedom and liberty of its pilot, a Japanese-American boy who tries to find his father.

Shounen Hollywood -Holly Stage for 49- (July 5): Cool dudes forming a Hollywood style idol group, whatever that means. Is it the "wild crazy booze, drugs and sex parties" Hollywood or the "boring bean counters pushing out the same stuff they know you'll buy" Hollywood? How did Entourage-man solve this issue?

Space Dandy S2 (July 6): The only constant things are that there's a dude named Dandy who is obsessed with a Space!Hooters, a robot that speaks in autotune, a cat-like alien who is obsessed with social media, and that we pretend Shinichiro Watanabe does anything other than let his name get slapped on this mess. Beyond that it's essentially been a giant playground for various anime directors/animators/writers to show their craziest stuff and you will love every minute of it.

Sword Art Online S2 (July 5): Gary Stu becomes a girl in a game about guns and breaks the rules with his/her super Japanese katana duel-wielding skills to win everything while all the girls want his/her dick again because the entire show literally revolves around him. Fuck SAO and fuck you.

Tokyo ESP (July 12): Like Japanese X-Men, where glowing fish give superpowers to various people around the country. One girl and her policeman father must use their new powers for good, while others seek to eliminate the non-mutants. I love the manga but the recent track record of the studio (borderline porn with occasional boring stuff) gives me pause.

Tokyo Ghoul (July 4): A boy is turned into a man-eating monster, or what will happen when a mixture of lax regulations, pollution and nuclear radiation devestate Japan's fishing industry.

Zankyou no Terror (July 11): SPHINX runs a deadly game as two boys commit a heinous terrorist attack in Tokyo. I've heard good things about this show, especially since it's reuniting the directorial prowess of Shinichiro Watanabe with the based beats of Yoko Kanno, and when those two work together, good things usually happen.

OVAs/Movies to watch out for

• Hanamonogatari (Aug. 16): A 5-part chapter in the -monogatari franchise with ShaftxShinbo doing their thing. I don't even remember where this one fits in but you probably know whether or not it's worth your time by now. PS: Kizumonogatari will be paired with physical copies of Half-Life 3 at this rate.
• Ghost in the Shell: Arise Part III, "Ghost Tears" (June 28): The first two parts were entertaining, but a bit of a drop in quality compared to Stand Alone Complex. Still, you want your new GitS fix, you've come to the right place.
• Persona 3 The Movie, Part 2 (out now?): In case you didn't have enough Aigis in your other Persona anime adaptations.
• Lupin the III: Daisuke Jigen's Gravestone (June 27): Most recent Lupin films have been pretty crap, but this one's supposed to be from Koike and the crew behind Redline, so it might actually be good? Let's hope so!

This was a terrible blog, and I hope you learned some lessons. Let me know how right I am or what I missed in the comments.

Noticed that most of my blogs have been either about animu or that corny "Endure This! Run!" about The Last Remnant (still on indefinite hiatus, sorry @video_game_king), but I gotta put this all down somewhere, so here we are.

In Which I am an Official Game Designer

Back in January, me and a few wonderful people developed a game for the Global Game Jam (GGJ). 48 hours (including time set aside to sleep and eat) later, we had ourselves a puzzle game where you literally use your head to escape from an evil space dungeon, and we called it Ichabot Crane. You can play it here.

I contributed heavily with the level design, a paragraph of "story" that few people will bother reading, and otherwise provided moral support. Why bring this up now? Because we've gotten positive feedback, and now we're making tentative plans to expand the game into something worth selling.

It wasn't the first time I've gotten myself into designing games before. Heck, I even taught a summer class full of kids last year about how to make their own basic platforming game using GameMaker. But compared to my friend Taro and his vast knowledge of UNITY, I might as well have been a newbie. Still, we came together and made a working game in 48 hours, and we earned some ad revenue off the game, so we can technically call ourselves game developers now.

Also in the GGJ, we worked on a card game under the working title "The Game of Truth," about being the biggest troll while arguing on a fake internet forum. More news on that as it develops.

Unfortunately, we have a long way to go before we can quit our day jobs and do this game dev thing full-time. Want to guess how much ad revenue we each accrued so far from Ichabot Crane? Here's a hint: it starts with zero dollars.

The Takeaway:

• Visit Taro's site, he's a cool dude with vast knowledge of UNITY and has made several small games for the iPad and PC to demonstrate his knowledge.
• You can make videogames too! It was thanks to the local International Game Developers Association (IGDA) branch here in the DC area that gave me the confidence (and a bit of nagging) to attend the GGJ and connect with people. Find one near you, have some business cards handy, and start trading some information.
• You don't need to know a shitton of code (unless you're planning to make your own AI, then you do) to become a game designer these days. Some of the biggest engines have ways to automate processes that used to be complicated back in the day. If you have art/graphic design skills, that alone will be highly valued.
• In contrast: don't be the "ideas guy" dictating to everyone what they should do to make your game. Everyone's got "ideas" of what makes a good game, try to find a way to put your "ideas" into practice or you will be left behind.

In Which I Am A Little Behind The Times

With the PS4 and Xbox One officially battling each other for supremacy now, I instead decided to finally buy a PS3 off of eBay, and work my way through the exclusives I missed now that they are dirt cheap.

So far I've collected used copies of Uncharted 1-3, Infamous 1-2, MGS 4 (now with dead multiplayer!) and BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma (because I am a sucker for animu fighters). I also downloaded Front Mission 3, God Hand and Persona 3: FES off the PSN store. If there are any other exclusives you recommend I get before I inevitably join the rest of the gamerdudes in the next gen a few years down the road, let me know.

Good things I've noticed about the PS3: built in wi-fi connectivity and Bluray support whereas you had to buy extra accessories for the 360 if you wanted wi-fi or HD-DVD support (which, sadly, did not pan out like Microsoft hoped it would). Not to mention that there were more exclusives near the end of its run compared to the 360. Bad things about PS3: The DualShock 3 really sucks compared to the XBOX 360's controller, especially for my big hands, and the "Sixaxis" tilting functions that seem shoehorned in just to show some unique difference in games when they just become more of a hindrance. You let me down, Sony.

The Takeaway:

• Finally I get the chance to play all those games I missed, provided I can fit them into my schedule what with have a full-time job, social obligations and other adult responsibilities.
• Video game console wars are stupid and you shouldn't bother with them, even "ironically." Besides, they'll all be obsolete anyway when Gaben's Steamboxes conquer the world only for us in America to realize we don't have the internet infrastructure needed to reach their full potential because of old rich fucks who don't want to give up their...sorry, let me stop here before this becomes another Net Neutrality rant.

In Which...okay okay here's some stuff about anime

If you happen to live in the Metro DC area, Funimation is hosting a presentation of the first two parts of Ghost In The Shell: Arise, for $10 at a movie theater in Northern Virginia this upcoming Thursday (5/29). Get tickets now while you can. It's a lot more action-y than the other interpretations of GitS, but still a pretty fun ride.

In newer anime news: Chaika the Coffin Princess seems to be the story of a group of D&D players trying to stretch their GM's sanity to the breaking point, including one who wields a magical anti-tank rifle to try and cook chicken. You can find it on Crunchyroll and you should watch it.

One More Thing!

I can also add "voice actor" to the list of things I am allowed to call myself, now that I officially have a published audiobook on Amazon/Audible.com called "Once A Knight." In a nutshell, it's historical fiction told from the POV of a Texas Ranger who decided to join the English Royal Flying Corps. He shoots down Germans and makes love to a lovely French mademoiselle while trying to prove his mettle to the world. You can hear a sample of it here, and even buy it if you want to hear more.

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY EVERYONE!

Duders and Dudettes! Welcome to the results of our 2nd annual poll about Japanese cartoons! First off, thanks to the folks at AV for letting me borrow their big-ass spreadsheet so I could remember which shows actually aired in 2013 and not just last season. Also, thanks to the anime/cartoon megathread. You're cool enough.

This year had a surprising mix of shows. Comedy, drama, serious topics, random craziness all popped up through 2013...we had Titans plunging humanity into the depths of despair, a Couturier who acted as the judge/jury/executioner of the fashion police, lessons about family sticking together through thick and thin, FAAAAABULOUS posing and diving...and yes, the uninteresting and uninterested guy who would have several girls with large chesticles passive-aggressively fighting each other in order to get an indirect kissu from him, or at least some kind of acknowledgement. There were plenty of those floating around too.

And yet, I still feel something's missing here. Specifically, the fact that NOT ONE OF YOU VOTED FOR THE REAL BEST ANIME OF ALL TIME EVER: INFERNO COP. With its high animation values, top-notch voice acting, and incredible plot twists, it should have been a shoe-in! You let me down, anime duders.

*ahem*

Anyways, we had 36 duders cast their votes. While a small number, it's an improvement from the 25 of last year. One person put down votes for AnoHana and Durarara!! While those are not 2013 animes, they are available to watch on Crunchyroll and you should watch them for different reasons. For my rankings, I took the weighted vote total depending on how high the show was placed on each ballot, and put tiebreakers to the unweighted vote total. Raw data will be posted after these rankings.

Without further ado, here are the Top Five Ten anime as voted on by you all.

#9 (tie): My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU (a.k.a. "OreGairu") (a.k.a. "My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected") and Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet (a.k.a. "Suisei no Gargantia")

One is a show about the Anime Hero we deserve, the other one is about the Anime Hero we want. I'll let you figure out which one is which. These two got the exact same amount of weighted and unweighted votes, and I didn't have a tiebreaker after that so they'll both get the honor of the #9 spot...whatever that's worth.

#8: Silver Spoon (a.k.a. "Gin no Saji")

A story about a city boy who goes to school in the country, loosely based on the life of the lady who created the Fullmetal Alchemist manga. A fun little slice of life show that definitely deserves a look.

#7: Samurai Flamenco

This show lures you into a sense of complacency. You go into the first few episodes thinking it'll be like a Japanese brand of Kick-Ass then suddenly POWER RANGERS, BABY! FULL TOKUSATSU JAMMED RIGHT DOWN YOUR THROAT! The seventh episode of this show either made you love this series or drop it altogether.

#6: Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

An homage to old progressive rock bands with oddly muscled men doing fabulous poses. I could tell you the plot of the story but I don't know if it can beat a scoundrel R.E.O. Speedwagon being afraid of an evil, vampiric Ronnie James Dio. If nothing else, this show will introduce you to some interesting music albums you might be too young to have heard of.

#5: The Eccentric Family (a.k.a. "Uchoten Kazoku")

From the same writer who brought you The Tatami Galaxy (which you should also watch) comes The Eccentric Family. About a family of shapeshifting tanuki (racoon-dogs) trying to deal with the fact that a group of humans literally ate their dad in a hot pot and now they are trying to hang together while other tanuki are trying to muscle in on their turf. Also there are tengu that fly around and a girl who enjoys playing around with both sides.

This show teaches us quite a bit about sticking together, even when things are tough. It's also got a catchy opening theme. It isn't the most relaxing show, considering it deals with a few serious themes, but if you're looking for something sort of serious in your cartoons I highly recommend this show.

#4: Monogatari Series: Second Season

Not sure what to tell you about this one, considering last year's Nisemonogatari (which also made that year's Top 5, coincidentally enough) kinda creeped me out on the whole series, but apparently this show takes place before then, and is sort of less creepy, I guess? I saw one episode full of head-tilts and a little bit of No Need for Ararararagi and then I kinda forgot to watch the rest...I was hoping to fill this space with someone's quote from another thread, but apparently nobody felt like defending their vote for this one. Even so, enough people liked this show that they put it as their #1 vote and pushed it higher in the rankings.

*rapidly shuffles cue cards*

Um, uh...here, listen to this while I find the rest of my notes.

Let's move on.

#3: The Devil Is A Part-Timer! (a.k.a. "Hataraku Maou-sama!")

This show gave a new meaning to "Fish Out of Water." In this case, "Satan Out of His Hellish Kingdom." Because magic doesn't pay the bills (except maybe for that one guy who majored in Magic from my alma mater), and he has no other skills, he ends up taking a job at not-McDonalds to make ends meet. His vengeful rival? Working at a call center in the same town. Two different layers of hell that every well-heeled member of society has to deal with at some point in their lives.

That's probably what made this show strangely down-to-earth. That, and the fact that the hero kept having to balance adjusting to the new world, with the fact that her archnemesis was stuck in the same position. Though it kind of tapered off near the end once the main cast was all introduced and the plot suddenly got stuck, it was better than the other light novel adaptations this year, especially that Hero Works in an Item Shop one with the long-ass name.

#2: Attack on Titan (a.k.a. "Shingeki no Kyojin")

Show of hands, how many of you expected this to be in first? So did I, and this one came very close, but sadly, not enough to take down the upcoming champion with the more recent premiere.

Certainly the most epic anime that we could have asked for in 2013, a story about humanity being driven into an almost-literal corner by an enemy they have barely managed to stave off, until a literally-giant foot kicks in the door and all hell breaks loose. Suddenly, humanity finds themselves once again fighting for their lives.

Sure, this anime had a few problems with animation that wasn't quite finished, and the episode-long flashbacks squished within action scenes, and whether or not Eren's story should have gone the way it has so far...but fuck it, I loved this show, you loved this show, people who were mostly uninterested in anime loved this show. It had great action sequences, music, and the VAs all playing their parts on an incredible scale. Funimation's going to add an English dub and release it state-side. And already there's a spinoff or two being drawn up in manga form.

We can only speculate as to how the second season will be able to even match such the scale of epic, monstrous, huge, gigantic, TITANIC story.

Fuck, I couldn't resist that pun.

And now, your Number One Anime of 2013...drumroll please?

#1: Kill la Kill

From the team that brought you such masterpieces as INFERNO COP, Fooly Cooly, and Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt, comes a story about love, war and clothing. Dressed to kill and swiping the top spot from Attack on Titan, Kill la Kill proved that you don't need things like animation, or a coherent plot, just as long as you're willing to let it all hang out, the minds at Studio Trigger are not afraid to bare all as they make a statement with their choice of show.

Their statement, thumbtacked to the back of my head, that reads, "WE ARE CRAZY MOTHERFUCKERS AND WE DO NOT CARE WHAT YOU THINK." Talking school uniforms that give you superpowers? A one-eyed couturier who can impale you with a smile? A resistance group so dedicated to destroying special clothes they call themselves Nudist Beach? This show has it all. Wear it to the ball or leave it on the rack, there is no trying it out once you take it off the clothes hanger.

And of course, this description wouldn't be complete without a speech from the best character.

A show so crazy that a girl was almost arrested for cosplaying the main character. A show so fabulous that the teacher is sexier than anyone in Free! Kill la Kill is Giant Bomb's Number One Anime of 2013!

Thank you everyone for skimming to the end of this. The complete voting tally is below. Feel free to defend your vote in the comments. Or tell me how awesome I am. Or what you are looking forward to in 2014.

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!

Guess what guys, it's that time of year again! The time of year where Gaben lowers the prices on everything and all the money you planned to spend on things like "food" and "central heating" instead goes to pay for Santa to bring you Dishonored's GOTY Edition! It's only $13! How could you pass up that deal? It certainly beats stomping over the bodies of retail workers and crazed mothers to get $5 off that new XSbone4 or whatever you kids are playing these days.

Rather than deal with the hassle of having to shop for people, why not curl up in a warm blanket with a nice hot cup of hot cocoa, and enjoy some anime? Maybe if you're really good, you'll get a visit from the three ghosts of Xmas, and they'll be magical girls! Not me though, I don't get that option. My own holiday came and went much earlier this year.

Seriously though, there's a handful of anime involving girl ghosts, giant robots, and girl ghosts who are also giant robots. Also, lots of magic flying around. So there should be something here that catches your eye. Or you could keep watching Kill la Kill and Samurai Flamenco. Those should be entertaining.

As always, remember that these previews are highly subjective and not meant to be taken seriously. If you want serious previews of animu, there are other blogs/sites for them.

[pics will be added later as the upload thing is being annoying today]

• 12/20 Pupipo-!:A 5th grade girl and her pink monster friend. They fight evil spirits.
• 12/31 Burning Wind Ocean Earth Samurai Lord (Neppu Kairiku Bushi Road): Some mecha card game tie-in anime, though the mecha designs are expected to be really good at least.
• 12/31 Double Circle: CG robots fighting each other in a double-dutch tournament for control of what's left of Japan after the remaning landmass that still exists above the new sealine has been broken into double circles. Okay, only the first part of that sentence is true.
• 01/04 Robot Girls Z: 10 minute shorts by Toei Animation about Go Nagai robot-themed girls fighting each other. If you don't know who Go Nagai is you should probably not watch this show.
• 01/04 Future Card -BuddyFight-: Okay so I got this totally original idea for anime, you're gonna love it: There's this boy, he's named Yugi, but he fights bad guys with the power of friendship contained in a special deck of cards...HEY WHERE ARE YOU GOING?

• 01/04 Space Dandy: Shinchiro Watanabe (Director: Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo), Dai Sato (Script: Eureka Seven, GITS:SAC), and studio BONES developing a new space opera adventure. Space Dandy is about "a dandy guy in the space." Named Dandy. He is partnered with a space-cat named Meow, and a glorified roomba named QT. They zip around the galaxy in their spaceship in an homage to old pulp sci-fi adventures. Even better, it will be airing simultaneously stateside on Adult Swim with an English dub track for those of you who don't want to read subtitles! There is no excuse for you to not watch this show now.
• 01/05 Buddy Complex: Another notch on the "mech show that isn't Gundam," belt for Studio Sunrise, revolving around the buddy system. Well, that puts the Power of Friendship front-and-center. Also I think there's a ghost girl involved.
• 01/05 Everyone Gather! Falcom Academy (Minna Atsumare! Falcom Gakuen): Honestly I don't know what this is so I'm just going to borrow some words from the GB wiki that no one reads: Captain Falcom is the star of all the F-Zero games. Originally from the mechanized trade city of Port Town, he has won a great number of Grand Prix events; however, Falcom is also an accomplished bounty hunter that pursues dangerous criminals across the entire galaxy.
• 01/05 NobunaGun: Gatling Gun infused with the soul of the legendary Oda Nobunaga and wielded by a high schooler who fights monsters. I'm also expecting high-schoolers with Vasili's Mosin-Nagant, D'artagnan's Saber and Moses Wooden Stick + Matzah Shield while we're at it.
• 01/05 My Neighbor Seki (Tonari no Seki-kun): A series of 10 minute shorts about a girl named Yokoi who keeps getting distracted by her classmate Seki as he plays a series of increasingly complex games at his desk, but only she seems to notice. I actually found the manga light-hearted and funny, so this might be an amusing show to watch.
• 01/05 Witchcraft Works: Stop me if you've heard this one before: loser dude with almost no redeeming qualities crushes on the most beautiful girl in his class who seems to be smuggling sandbags under her shirt. One day, she saves him from danger, then hangs on to him everywhere. In a twist, she's the real hero and he's the princess who has to be protected.
• 01/06 Love Song for a Certain Pilot (To Aru Hikuushi e no Koi-Uta): Light Novel adaptation about a deposed prince who flies around in a plane. I choose to believe it's a story about what really happened to Amelia Earheart.
• 01/06 D-Frag!: A wanna-be delinquent is kidnapped/forced into joining a club of bizarre girls from the (Temp) Game Creator Club. They barely do anything involving Game Creation. Whether or not you like this show depends are your tolerance for Japanese "manzai" comedy, but I'm just surprised this manga got an adaptation at all.
• 01/07 Wooser’s Hand-to-Mouth Life (Season 2) (Wooser no sono Higurashi (Season 2)): Jeeves and Wooster attempt to live out their true lives on the mean streets of Kabuki-cho. Dr. Gregory House returns to his role as the actor Hugh Laurie.
• 01/08 Youkai Watch: 3DS game being adapted into an anime, where a kid discovers a mysterious watch in an old capsule toy vending machine, which allows him to see monsters. He teams up with a ghost butler and a demon cat to fight them.
• 01/08 Chuu-2 Koi! Season 2: Boy trying to grow out of his middle-school fanfiction stuck with girl trapped in her own delusions who won't let him forget it. I'd recommend it if you want the same humor as WataMote but less cringing throughout each episode.
• 01/08 My Big Sister has Arrived (Onee-chan ga Kita): 3 minute episode shorts about a 13 year old boy who gets a new big sister with creepy intentions and you know what I'm just going to stop right there.
• 01/09 Unconfirmed & In-Progress (Mikakunin de Shinkoukei): No, that’s what it’s actually called. Girl founds out on her sixteenth birthday that she's betrothed to a boy her age, who then moves into her home from the countryside with his younger sister. Hilarity ensues?
• 01/09 Magical Warfare (Mahou Sensou): Magical girl reveals she turned an ordinary schoolboy into a magical dude to fight magic battles with evil magicans. Or something. I choose to believe that it's a longer version of WIZARD BATTLE.

• 01/09 Sakura Trick: Comedy with lesbian schoolgirls doing things.
• 01/09 Pupa: The anime that was delayed from last season and unfortunately not forever. Do not watch it.
• 01/10 Wake Up, Girls!: Like Idolm@ster but not, about a producer-san recruiting idorus to save his failing production company. Being produced both as a TV and a film simultaneously.
• 01/15 Inari, KonKon, Koi Iroha.: Girl has a crush on a boy, but boy is in love with another girl and hates the former after being humiliated by her. Girl #1 saves a magical fox who grants her one wish, and her wish is...to become girl #2? Hilarity ensues.
• 01/09 Silver Spoon (Season 2): More chill adventures of city boy in a farming school, loosely based on Hiromu Arakawa's (Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood) own experiences growing up on the family farm. Unfortunately, the first season's director jumped ship to focus on Sword Art Online because money.
• 01/11 Fake Love (Nisekoi): Schoolboy from yakuza family forced into relationship with girl from rival yakuza family. Turns into annoying harem "comedy" thing where same boy trying to find out which girl he made a love promise with 10 years ago. I'm still mad that this manga is going strong while Double Arts got cancelled before its time, but I guess that's where the sales are.
• 01/09 Z/X -Zillions of Enemy X- Ignition: Card battle game show but with people from alternate dimensions this time.
• 01/09 Cool-Headed Houzuki (Houzuki no Reitetsu): Dark comedy based on a manga nominated for the Taisho Manga Awards in 2012. The assistant to the King of Hell tries to keep things running smoothly so Hell doesn't freeze over and his boss doesn't fire him. So it's like a Japanese Dilbert comic with a less-stupid Pointy-Haired Boss, I think.
• 01/15 Maken-ki! Two: If you have seen any anime involving schools, fighting, and/or girls in paper-thin clothing, you have already seen this anime. Trust me on this one.
• 01/11 World Conquest ~Zvezda of Intrigue~ (Sekai Seifuku ~Bouryaku no Zvezda~): Original anime by A-1 Pictures. It's being directed by Tensai Okamura (Darker Than Black). It follows a secret society bent on world conquest, led by a half-naked little girl. This is what you're doing instead of a Season 3 of DtB, Okamura? For fuck's sake.
• 01/12 Wizard Barristers: Benmashi Cecil: Based on the title alone, finally my crossover fanfiction involving Harry Potter and Law and Order: UK has come to fruition! The main character is a public defender for mages accused of magical crimes. If the magic judges don't wear those powdered wigs in episode 1 then I am dropping this show.
• 01/04 Seitokai Yakuindomo *: GET IT? IT'S A CHEAP JAPANESE JOKE ABOUT SEX! Also about how the smartest girl is a midget. There, now you have heard all the dialogue..I'm still going to watch it though. Fuck.
• 01/?? Soni Ani -Super Sonico The Animation-: Nitroplus mascot anime about Sanic Hegehog n hsi adventturs. [note: DocHaus fell asleep on his keyboard halfway through typing this summary]
• 01/?? Hamatora: In a world where there exist special powers called “minor miracles”, a detective agency called Hamatora investigates a serial murderer involving people who carry these genes. Apparently another mixed-media franchise involving a video game, with Seiji Kishi directing (Persona 4 and Danganronpa adaptations) I expect no less.

• 01/10 No-rin: Someone trying to muscle in on Arakawa's turf? A farm boy obsessively follows a sexy idol who suddenly quits the biz, then quits farm school himself in depression. He is convinced to come back when he discovers said idol has transferred in! Hilarious antics ensue! Shin Oonuma (Baka Test, among others) directing and Silver Link producing, so expect some Shaft-lite antics.
• 01/04 Lately, My Little Sister has been a Bit Strange (Saikin, Imouto no Yousu ga Chotto Okashii nda ga): Little sister possessed by a ghost girl who wants to enter Heaven by forcing the sister to start coming on to her not-blood related brother, which in turn will...you know what? Just watch Dusk Maiden of Amnesia instead and forget this anime exists.
• 01/05 Stray Gods (Noragami): Bullied schoolgirl finds help from a minor demigod in the form of a boy wearing a jersey after seeing his phone number scrawled on the inside of a bathroom stall. Despite that setup, it's [probably] not going to be about "having a good time."
• 01/05 Saki: Zenkoku-hen: The continuing adventures of lesbian schoolgirls who play Mahjong.
• 01/05 Nobunaga the Fool: SPACE!Joan of Arc and SPACE!Leonardo da Vinci team up to fight with SPACE!Oda Nobunaga while in search of some SPACE!Jesus. Also there are mechs. DID I MENTION SPACE?
• 01/09 GO! GO! 575: SEGA threw enough money at the artist behind OreImo (that "other" implied incest series) to create characters to represent their Vocaloid-like game where players create haikus and a girly voice recites them back. I guess the Best Girl will appear as DLC in the new Sonic and SEGA All-Stars game.
• 01/?? Strange+: A kid comes to a slum, discovers that his older brother runs a private detective firm. The original manga is apparently pretty chill, based off some 4koma I haven't read.
• 02/?? Happiness Charge PreCure!: Something something magical girls again.
• ??/?? Sailor Moon: 20th Anniversary Anime (Name Pending): New anime for the 20th anniversary of Sailor Moon that may or may not actually appear in this season, as it's been delayed so many times before. Right up there with Code Geass: Akito Part 2 with being stuck in development hell.

Winter 2013/2014 Movies/OVAs to watch for:

• 12/07 Lupin the Third vs Detective Conan: The Movie The TV special was a real letdown as it focused too much on other characters nobody cared about. Hopefully the movie will be better, but I doubt it.
• [already released?] Ghost in the Shell: ARISE - Border 2: Ghost Whispers The GITS alternate universe series continues. This time, a mysterious hacker takes control of Tokyo's traffic network and a military unit accused of war crimes tries to prove their innocence. This one's got a lot more action than the first, if that's your thing.
• 12/29 Destructive Dangerous Foolish Girls - Amazing Twins -, OVA Episode 1 (Zetsumetsu Kigu Shoujo -Amazing Twins-, OVA Episode 1) 2-part OVA thing involving magical girls and one of them is a ghost sister or something. Junichi Sato (Sailor Moon) directing and Mari Okada (Hanasaku Iroha) writing. Could be worth a watch?
• 12/31 Sword Art Online: Extra Edition Bonus episode of the show that forever ruined Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" for me.
• 01/04 Mushishi Special One-hour special Mushi-shi episode, about a wandering old-timey spiritual doctor who solves mysteries in old-timey Japan. If you haven't seen this show already, do so. You'll find it on Hulu.
• 01/25 The Idolm@ster Movie I know some of you duders have played the game before.
• 02/01 Live action Haganai movie Didn't know this was a thing until now.
• 02/08 Tiger & Bunny - The Rising: Until/unless someone feels like slapping down fat stacks of cash for a season two, this is the best you're going to get for Japan's love letter to western superheroes.
• 02/08 BUDDHA 2 Based on the Osamu Tezuka manga about the OG Buddha's life story.
• 02/?? Bodacious Space Pirates the Film The film sequel to the TV series with the very '80s name.
• 03/?? Gundam Unicorn, Episode 07 After years and years, this series is wrapping up. Unless it doesn't.

As always, tell me how right I am or what I missed in the comments.

[I kinda like Boney M and there was an Idolm@ster anime (three of them!) so it counts.]

Welcome to the capsule preview of fall anime, Duders and Dudettes! I attempt to break each of these upcoming shows down to their essentials, or at least what I think are the essentials. Even I can only care about so many shows in so little time these days. We've got some really awesome stuff and some really horrible stuff that will make you question your faith in humanity, kinda like last season with Dog & Scissors (Anime of the Year, All Years).

Before we begin, please note that the following is a completely subjective list of previews and may or may not contain serious information. If you want more detailed previews check other sites like Random Curiosity or The Cart Driver or the part of Anime Vice that's still alive. Also, dates are subject to change depending on the whims of Japanese broadcasters.

Still here? Good! Here we go!

9/05 Tamagotchi! Miracle Friends

Wait a minute, are Tamagotchi still popular? I thought they died out in the 90s with VHS and that hairdo Will Smith had during his Fresh Prince days?

9/13 Super Seisyun Brothers

Chill slice of life short series about two girls and their respective brothers, one pair's a little bit country, the other's a little bit rock-and-roll. Aimed at the ladies. Don't know much else about this one.

09/16 DIABOLIK LOVERS

A family of sadistic vampire brothers who trap a girl in their house and abuse her and treat her as their living blood bank. What the actual fuck Japan?

09/22 Ultimate Zero Battle Spirits (Saikyuu Ginga Kyuukyoku (Ultimate) Zero ~Battle Spirits)

The newest season of anime based on that TCG that you probably didn't play. Or maybe you did. Fuck if I know.

09/30 Butt-Biting Insects 2 (Oshiri Kajiri Mushi 2)

Someone fetch me a can of Raid.

10/01 Miss Monochrome

Wait a minute is this the gender-swapped version of Rainbow Bright's archnemesis who wanted to turn the world grey just to fuck with everyone? Apparently it's a fake alter-ego for VA Yui Horie, so maybe the Vocaloid fans will like it.

10/02 Gaist Crusher

Studio Pierrot and Bandai team up to sell you their newest video game with toys sold seperately. Also it's an anime or something.

10/02 Coppellion

Originally scheduled to premiere 2 years ago, until the plot suddenly came a little too close to home for Japan: In a world where an earthquake caused a power plant to meltdown, turning Tokyo into an irradiated wasteland, 3 Japanese schoolgirls who are immune to radiation (because NANOMACHINES) look to rescue survivors and/or fight some fools. Might be worth watching, stupid premise aside, but I can also see why it's been delayed.

10/02 Pokemon: The Origin

One-off special about the OG Pokemon hero. Not Ash "hasn't aged in 16 years" Ketchum, we're talking RED Muthafucka!

10/02 Beyond the Boundary (Kyoukai no Kanata)

Dark fantasy featuring a half-monster boy with regenerative powers and a some kind of blood mage type girl. They fight crime. Sounds like a less amusing and/or pretentious -monogatari show. Kyoto Animation (Free!, Chuunibyou) is behind it, so it will be well-animated either way.

10/02 Kyousogiga

A longer version of a one-shot special that's kind of Alice in Wonderland but with a few more people involved.

10/03 Kill la Kill

Studio TRIGGER's first TV anime ever since the split with Gainax. Hiroyuki Imaishi (Dead Leaves, FLCL, Gurren-Lagann, Panty and Stocking, Inferno Cop) is directing. The story is about two badass school girls with swords on a campus ruled by the blade. The campus? Also a sword. Between the staff and their track record and the previews that have come out, you will watch it and fucking like it. Or else.

10/03 Outbreak Company

Here's a sample of dialogue from the show [citation needed]:

"SIR! WE JUST FOUND OUT THAT THERE'S A PARALLEL FANTASY WORLD WITH MAGIC AND SHIT! WHAT WILL WE DO?"

"Send in the most pathetic otaku author you can find and make him our Moe~ Ambassador."

"MAY I ASK WHY SIR?"

"Best case scenario, they buy our worthless moe~ shit and stimulate the economy. Worst case, they get rid of him while I concentrate on laundering my bribe money."

"YES SIR!"

10/03 Infinite Stratos 2

Sequel to the series about several girls who want to jump one boy's dick, except that they can all pilot mobile suit-type things against each other.

10/03 GOLDEN TIME

Adaptation by J.C. Staff of a light novel by the author of Toradora. This one's about a love triangle between an amnesiac law school student, his friend/classmate, and the creepy childhood friend who has been stalking the friend/classmate. Chiaki Kon (Higurashi, Umineko, Otome Yokai Zakuro) is directing. Maybe you Toradora fans will like it, but I could care less.

10/03 After the Calm Tomorrow (Nagi no Asu Kara)

Manga adaptation by P.A. Works, directed by Toshiya Shinohara (Kuroshitsuji, Red Data Girl, Book of Bantorra). Two friends from under the sea now go to school on land, and drama ensues. So basically The Little Mermaid, but without the singing crab.

10/04 Freezing Vibration

This is a sequel of a terrible show based on a terrible manga where girls beat and cut each other up because I guess the original manga-ka really had a bad breakup or something. Also aliens. I hope the writer gets smacked in the balls with a full ice cube tray.

10/04 STRIKE THE BLOOD

He's the world's strongest vampire, she's got a large anti-vampire spear. They fight crime with some guy calling himself The Lion King (seriously). If there's no musical number featuring a black-furred lion and some hyenas I am going to be disappointed.

10/04 I, Who Didn't Become a Hero, Reluctantly Decided to Find a Job (Yuusha ni Narenakatta Ore wa Shibushibu Shuushoku o Ketsui Shimashita.)

Boy trains to become a licensed hero, ends up running an item shop when some other Hero officially defeats the Demon Lord before his exam and the Hero market crashes. Then the Demon Lord's daughter shows up to apply for work at the not-hero's shop. I could swear we already had this show.

10/05 Log Horizon

Essentially .hack or Sword Art Online, except this time it's from the original author of Maoyu and the anime's directed by the guy behind the Fairy Tail anime. Might be good?

10/05 Little Busters! ~Refrain~

The "true/ending" route of the Little Busters visual novel. Turns out that one of the girls accidentally stumbles upon Mega Man's Mega Buster and destroys half of Japan before Mighty No. 9 comes along to defeat the evil queen and show the MC the error of...wait what were we talking about? Oh yeah, Little Busters is a harem VN thing.

10/05 Fighting Spirit: Rising (Hajime no Ippo: Rising)

Angry dudes boxing each other. Kind of a legacy series, not my favorite fictional boxer from Japan but might be worth a look.

10/05 Kuroko's Basketball (Kuroko no Basuke (Season 2))

Basketball show with high school boys designed for the ladies doing basketball things.

10/05 White Album 2

Another visual novel to anime adaptation about a college light music club, but not exactly K-On!

10/06 Ace of the Diamond (Dia no Ace)

Production I.G. and MADHOUSE team up to do an adaptation of a manga about baseball. Might be good if you're into that sort of thing.

10/06 Magi, Season 2

Another season of A-1 Pictures' shounen manga to anime adaptation about 1001-Nights inspired shounen antics. Aladdin and Alibaba going around not-Arabia freeing genies and saving people and shit (I still need to finish the first season).

10/06 Phi-Brain ~God of Puzzles (Season 3)

Another season of that show about a kid who solves puzzles with DRAMA. Can he defeat the evil NY Times crossword puzzle and discover the truth behind his robot henchman S.U.D.O.K.U.?

10/06 Want to be the Strongest on the World! (Sekai de Ichiban Tsuyoku Naritai!)

Hey Wrestling Thread, wanna prove how very not-gay you guys are? This is the anime to watch, full of scantily-clad anime idols wrestling each other for reasons!

10/06 Teekyu Season 3

LOLSORANDUM show about girls in a tennis club who rarely play tennis. The lowest budget anime of all time that I can think of, next to maybe Inferno Cop (which you should watch right fucking now, unlike this show).

10/06 Yozakura Quarter ~Song of Flowers~ (Yozakura Quartet ~Hana no Uta~)

Something about four Japanese schoolkids who act as monster police? All I know about this show is that it's being directed by the same guy behind the Baccano! anime. Someone else fill me in on the plot.

10/06 Silver Fox (Gingitsune)

Some chill anime about a girl who can talk with old-timey Japanese fox spirits. May or may not involve the use of a hash pipe.

10/07 Gundam Build Fighters

Someone's being a little more direct about selling Gundam model kits here.

10/07 Unbreakable Machine Doll (Machine-Doll wa Kizutsukanai)

Japanese dude joins academy with girl-doll-machine thing who wants to jump his bones in a world where about everyone has their own magitechnological machinedoll personanimal thing and there are evil doings afoot at the academy. Manga's okay I guess, don't know if I'm going to watch this one..

10/07 Weak Pedals (Yowamushi Pedal)

Hot blooded shounen anime about...cycling? Okay then. Throw in an ersatz-Lance Armstrong and then I'll watch it.

10/07 Non non biyori

City girl moves to the countryside. She interacts with other schoolgirls. Culture shock ensues.

10/07 Arpeggio of Blue Steel (Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio -Ars Nova-)

In a world where Japan and some US forces are cut off from the rest of the world by alien warships and a giant fog bank, their only hope lies in a sub piloted by a friendly alien AI. Also, all the alien AIs are represented as little girls, because Japan. Also, everything is in 3DCG, so that might turn off a few people.

10/08 Tokyo Ravens

Something something Harry Potter something something monster fighting something something Directed by the same shmuck behind Korean Zombie Desk car. Might be worth a watch?

10/09 My Mental Multiple-Choice Power Is Completely Ruining My School Romantic Comedy (Ore no Nounai Sentakushi ga, Gakuen Love Come o Zenryoku de Jama Shite Iru)

We're sure someone didn't slip in a fake romcom show in this list based off a Light Novel title generator? We are? Okay then.

10/10 Galilei Donna

noitaminA show starring three descendants of Galileo Galilei who are on international wanted lists. Some lady who is a Galileo historian/nerd wants to learn things from them. Without having seen anything about this series, I'm assuming they're running from the "Pope-po" who seeks to burn them at the cross for heresy like in the olden days. Those Catholics can carry a grudge like you wouldn't believe.

10/10 Samurai Flamenco

noitaminA series directed by Takahiro Omori (Baccano!, Durarara!!, Hell Girl among others). A young model for a male fashion magazine who has always longed to be a Power Rangers-style hero uses a device his grandfather invented to turn into the hero Samurai Flamenco. It's looking like a cheesy action-comedy thing, might be worth watching if there's a mariachi-themed samurai in there.

10/17 Pokemon XY

Another Pokemon anime adaptation! Somehow Ash is still going on his adventure and is still 12 despite this show having been going since 1997 with a bajillion episodes. This one is set in not-France.

10/?? Valvrave the Liberator, Season 2

Something involving Space Nazis in evil mechs vs. a kid who is also a vampire who pilots a mech of his own and he also goes to school. I really should have thought twice before I posted my Code Geass fanfiction on the internet where anyone could steal it.

10/?? Glasses Club the Animation (Megane-bu! The Animation)

Cute boys with glasses. That's about it really. I guess there's a certain type of woman who likes that in Japan.

10/?? pupa the animation

It's better if we forget this show's existence while we still can. Seriously. Just don't bother.

10/?? Walkure Romanze

Boy with vague anime disease goes to a high school where all the ladies want to jump his dick because why not. The twist is that these ladies are training to be knights of the jousting variety. Form-fitting breastplates included, but not recommended.

BlazBlue -Alter Memory-

The studio did a bunch of borderline-hentai series before so I'm kind of wary about this, but they do have the same VAs from the game. If you really want a story summary, read the GB wiki pages (who reads those amirite?) on BlazBlue that I contributed to or check other sources. There's way too much going on storywise for me to summarize here.

Lupin the Third: Princess of the Breeze - Hidden City in the Sky

The annual Lupin TV special that will probably be disappointing because at this rate they're pretty much just phoning it in.

-----------------

That's all I've got for now. Feel free to tell me how right I am in the comments. Or visit the Anime thread.

tl;dr, watch Kill la Kill.

Lots of social awkwardness apparent in this upcoming animu season. I tried to find something on youtube with "spaghetti" in it, this is what came up.

[Crossposted on that anime site that people loved/hated before the big breakup. You know the one. If you are looking for a more serious/thorough/good explanation of what's coming up, now's your chance to look for another blog/site.]

It seems most people interested in watching Japanese cartoons these days are too busy having all the sex or earning all the paper, and they don't have time to read through paragraphs upon paragraphs to find out what anime are worth watching or not. They want anime previews in bite-sized chunks, so I am here to deliver that. Someone's gotta dig through the crap to find the swallowed diamonds in the turd pile. Nothing like doing one of these long lists to make you appreciate Sturgeon's Law that much more.

Before reading, keep in mind that 1) these previews are pretty subjective and may contain unserious language and 2) premiere dates are subject to change depending on whims of animation studios and Japanese broadcasters. I will try to edit in new dates and pics when I can to make this more readable.

• 06/08 Kingdom 2 -- a sequel to Yet Another Adaptation of China's Three Kingdoms stories. Did anyone watch the first series?

• 06/14 There goes Yuuto-kun (Yuuto-kun ga Iku) -- Kid plays soccer, does soccer things. Do they call it soccer or football in Japan? I'm just asking because I know there's like a niche of American Football fans over there. Or maybe that's just the Americans in the Okinawan army base. What were we talking about again?

• 07/01 Recorder and Ransel Mi -- Here is every single joke in the show: little kid who looks ten years older doing childish things, but every adult sees him as a creepy pervert. His older sister who looks ten years younger wishes she was bigger. Her friend is sort of in love with the brother. Their neighbor is a NEET. Now you don't have to watch this series.

• 07/01 Dog and Scissors (Inu to Hasami wa Tsukaiyou) -- bibliophile boy shot by a robber, reincarnated as a dog because JAPAN. Taken in (as a dog) by his favorite female author who abuses him with scissors. I don't even know what the fuck. Gonzo is doing this one.

• 07/02 Kanetsugu and Keiji (Gifu Dodo!! Kanetsugu to Keiji) -- two Sengoku-era generals who aren't Nobunaga or Hideyoshi. Based on a manga by Tetsuou Hara (Fist of the North Star), directed by Bob Shirohata (Hetalia, Gravitation) with script by Yasuhiro Imagawa (G Gundam, Giant Robo, Shin Mazinger Z). The staff makes it sound manly, but on the other hand, Studio DEEN.

• 07/02 Senyuu 2 -- Continuation of the crack series featuring a hero (kind of) who uncovered a conspiracy about the recent demon war and has to save humanity or something. There was a gag about a giraffe and a demon lord who accidentally opened a portal trying to make popcorn. Episodes only five minutes so whatever.

• 07/02 BROTHERS CONFLICT -- Reverse harem where a girl has 11 "brothers" who all want her tits for whatever reason.

• 07/03 Tamayura ~More Aggressive~ -- Shy girl makes friends, loves photography. I'm waiting for the big reveal where it turns out that photography is dead because any asshole with a cellphone can take a picture and put LOLCAT captions on it. Fuck you, internet. You destroyed the art of photography.

• 07/03 FREE! -- Sexy high school boys in swimsuits. Who said creepy anime fanservice wasn't equal-opportunity? Kyoto Animation is handling the production, so it will be well-animated.

• 07/04 Go-Home Club Activity Minutes (Kitakubu Katsudou Kiroku) -- In Japan the "Go-home Club" is a way of saying "I don't have an afterschool club, screw you guys, I'm going home!" before you hop on your moped and speed away, flipping the bird at your teacher all the while. Only problem is a schoolgirl here discovers someone made an actual club out of the name and she ends up joining it. Wacky hijinks ensue!

• 07/04 Stella Women's Academy, High School Division Club C³ (Tokurei Sochi Dantai Stella Jogakuin Koutou-ka C3-bu) -- Cute girls with [_________], this time it's airsoft club! On the other hand, they did have this trailer with a catchy tune.

• 07/04 Rozen Maiden (New Series) -- a hikkikomori NEET plays with dolls that have supernatural powers. Maybe the main character reacts to his sister's quips with "THEY'RE ACTION FIGURES ONEE-SAMA!" while he frantically tries to yank his pants back up.

• 07/04 Swan Song of the Valkyries: Symphogear G (Senki Zessho Symphogear G) -- J-pop idols with special music-powered armor to fight aliens.

• 07/04 Servant x Service -- The name might make you run for the hills, but it's a comedy about the staff of a health and welfare office in Japan, based on a manga by the writer of "Working!!", directed by the person behind the Squid Girl anime, might be funny?

• 07/04 Dangan Ronpa: Academy of Hope and High School Students of Despair, the Animation -- Seiji Kishi (P4 and SMT:DS2 anime, among others) directing a game adaptation. Murder mystery set in an elite high school with Persona-esque social links? Someone here can probably explain it better.

• 07/04 Love Lab (Ren-Ai Lab) -- Romantic comedy thing where girl helps her friend the Student Council President be less awkward. I'm hoping it's like My Fair Lady with lesbians.

• 07/06 Golden Mosaic (Kin'iro Mosaic) -- about a Japanese girl who is friends with a blonde-haired British girl who is moving in with her in Japan. I'm going to start humming the Odd Couple theme here. Da-dadadadaaaaaa dadada-dadadaaaaaaaa-daaaaaaaaaa...

• 07/06 The Sun Penetrates the Illusions (Genei wo Kakeru Taiyo) -- Dark-magical girl series. Only a matter of time before someone tried to out-Madoka Madoka. At least it's not an adaptation of something else.

• 07/06 Something-monogatari Series -- Written by the prolific NisiOisiN, directed by ShaftxShinbo again. That supernatural mystery romance that veered straight into creepytown with Nisemonogatari (but managed to grab the #4 spot in the GB 2012 Anime Poll for Duders!).

• 07/06 Genshiken: The Next Generation -- Another Genshiken series by Production I.G. where a bunch of otaku form a club, but apparently with a different cast this time around? .

• 07/07 Ecstatic Family (Uchōten Kazoku) -- Original novel adaptation by the same author behind Tatami Galaxy, so it might actually be good?

• 07/05 Ro-Kyu-Bu! SS -- Hello, my name is Chris Hansen. Maybe you'd like to take a seat over there? You're going to end up in the party van one way or another for liking this show unironically, might as well get a reaction on camera from you before we let the sherriff burst through the door and haul you away.

• 07/06 The Sunday God Wasn't There (Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi) -- Manga adaptation handled by Madhouse. A sci-fi/mystery story about a girl who works as a gravedigger in a world where no one actually can die or be born. Then crazy shit goes down. Might be good?

• 07/06 Fantasista Doll -- Wait a minute, don't we already have a Rozen Maiden adaptation?

• 07/07 Teekyuu 2 -- A group of girls who formed a tennis club but rarely play tennis. Budget of the first one consisted of 10 yen and a gum wrapper someone found on a Tokyo subway platform, I don't expect it will change much with this offering. At least the episodes are only like 3-4 minutes long.

• 07/07 Demon World Prince: Devils and Realist (Makai Ouji: Devils and Realist) -- Comedy/fantasy/supernatural adventure thing for the ladies about a poor guy who summons a demon and ends up subbing for Lucifer. Kind of like Bruce Almighty but with Hell and no Morgan Freeman or good humor.

• 07/07 High School DxD NEW -- The "W" in the poster is a giant pair of tits, or a scrotum, depending on how you look at it. Point is, this ain't exactly high art.

• 07/07 Hakkenden something something who cares

• 07/08 No Matter How I Look at It, It's Your Fault I'm Not Popular! (Watashi ga Motenai no wa dō Kangaetemo Omaera ga Warui!, or "WataMote!") -- A manga about a socially awkward girl where the majority of sales were actually driven by 4chan instead of Japan. 5 minutes in to the first episode and I guarantee you will know why without having to visit that site. 20 minutes and you'll start contemplating the meaninglessness of life. Directed and produced by the same team behind the BakaTest adaptation, so it might be funny while cringe-worthy.

• 07/08 The World God Only Knows Season 3 -- In a world where dating sims = real relationship advice, a hardcore gamer has to date a new girl like each week to draw out some evil ghost from their heart or something.

• 07/10 Blood Lad --Hikkikomori vampire who falls in love with the ghost of a human girl, so kinda like Twili--*USER WAS BANNED FOR LAME JOKE*

• 07/11 Silver Spoon -- noitaminA series based on the award-winning manga by Hiromu Arakawa (Fullmetal Alchemist). About a nerdy boy who escapes family troubles by joining an agricultrual high school. Loosely based on the experiences that Arakawa herself had growing up in a farm family. Fucking read/watch it.

• 07/12 Hyperdimension Neptunia: The Animation -- Game to anime adaptation by David Production (recently did the JoJo anime). It’s anime girl manifestation of the Console War, so you duders arguing over XBONE/PS4/Wii U/Ouya supremacy will love it.

• 07/12 Fate/Kaleid Liner: Prism-Illya -- Fate/Stay Night spinoff with magical girls instead of ancient warriors fighting for a Holy Grail. A little more cutesy than the main story. Being produced by Silver Link (BakaTest, others), with Takashi Sakamoto (Dusk Maiden of Amnesia) directing, take that as you will.

• 07/13 Milky Holmes sequel --Yo Holmes, pass me another hit of dat magical-girl series, but make 'em detectives in school or some shit. I dunno. Who gives a fuck.

• 07/13 A Town where you Live (Kimi no Iru Machi) -- A self-conscious male teen meets an extroverted female teen who moves from Tokyo to the other’s home in Hiroshima, sounds like 1-2 different adaptations that pop up every season. Directed by Shigeyasu Yamauchi (Dream Eater Merry). Maybe one of you have read the manga?

• 07/13 Gatchaman CROWDS -- Remember Battle of the Planets? Or that Eagle Riders show that popped up in the west? Yeah this is like that but with teens now, and a female lead apparently. Produced by Tatsunoko Production, with direction by Kenji Nakamura (Tsuritama).

OVA's/Movies to watch for:

• 06/22 GitS: Arise -- A prequel to the main Ghost in the Shell storyline, except in a different universe than the movie/SAC anime/manga universes. First 8 minutes are on youtube right now.
• 06/10 KICK-HEART -- Maasaki Yuasa and Production I.G.'s Kickstarter-funded film about S&M wrestlers.
• 07/06 Gintama movie -- this one supposed to talk about Gintoki's past I think?
• 07/13 -- Fate/Zero set in a cafe.
• ??/?? -- Code Geass Akito Part 2? Rumored to come out this season but who knows...

Feel free to tell me what I missed or how right I am in the comments.

First off, I want to say thank you to all 25 of you in the thread that voted. I probably should've made this poll a separate topic. Maybe next year, but at least we got a decent sample of the regulars to the General Anime Thread in the Giant Bomb forums. I have tallied the votes and come up with both weighted and unweighted totals. I will post the full vote totals at the end of this blog post. Before I announce the winners, I'd like to pay tribute to a few that were ineligible.

Honorable Mentions

• Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica: There were a couple of Madoka movies that came out in 2012, but the voter did not specify which one, so this one is ineligible. Even so, for those who have not already seen the show, I encourage you to do so at your earliest convenience. It is that amazing.
• Asura's Wrath: Technically a video game but as a throwaway vote it's a pretty good one. Pretty much like a playable Dragonball Z, and it's probably cheap to buy now if you're curious.
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012): Not a Japanese anime, though it is animated. Also, I didn't know they made another one until I saw this one pop up on a ballot.
• TRON Uprising: See above.

Okay, I've gotten those out of the way. Now to announce the Top 5 Winners! Winners were ranked first by unweighted vote, and ties were broken by weighted score. Save your inevitable arguments over my vote-counting methods in this unofficial poll for later.

#5: Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun ("My Little Monster")

A story about a girl. And a boy. And a chicken. And a weird girl. And some bullies. And another guy. And another girl. Light-hearted high school romance ensues. Even if it tilts more on the shoujo side of things, I liked this show as well as several of those who decided to slip it into a bottom 3 spot on their ballot. Worth watching if you're looking for something on the lighter side of things.

#4: Nisemonogatari

The next entry in the -monogatari series, originally written by the weird NisiOisiN and adapted for the small screen by the infamous duo of Shaft Studios and Akiyuki Shinbo. As much as I usually like ShaftxShinbo adaptations, honestly, I thought the creepy factor was ramped up a bit too much with the incestuous undertones and the molestation in the first couple episodes and I didn't finish this series. Others in this community thought differently about this show, that's all I can say without putting words in anyone's mouth.

#3: Fate/Zero (Season 2)

It is my regret that I haven't seen more than a few episodes of this series so far (it's in my backlog, okay?). A story of seven legendary fighters serving seven different mages to obtain a Holy Grail that will give them immense power. Being the prequel to Type-Moon's acclaimed visual novel series Fate/Stay Night, there's quite a bit of screentime that just shows people talking to each other in lengthy diatribes about one aspect or another of the story's universe, but when the Servants get involved that's when things get interesting.

#2: Hyouka

In both weighted and unweighted votes this one was so close with Fate/Zero, but it beat Fate by 1 in the weighted department so Hyouka is #2.

What is this show about? I heard it described as a group of four students form their own mystery-solving club. Kind of like Scooby-Doo's Mystery Machine, minus the stoner and the talking dog and the old guys in masks who are always the culprits. Take that how you will, because I have not seen this show yet.

#1: Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou ("Daily Lives of Highschool Boys")

When this show appeared at the beginning of 2012, no one expected much to come of it. All we had was the description, and we thought it was just going to be "K-ON with dudes." Oh how wrong we were.

Take the hilarious source material by Yasunobu Yamauchi that draws from realistic events in the lives of high school boys, sprinkle in the Director and several voice actors from the Gintama anime adaptation (which you should also watch), and you have a Japanese comedy that for once doesn't rely solely on the manzai routine of "Person A says something stupid in a flat tone, Person B overreacts." Some of these jokes actually broke through the language barrier and you could relate to them, doing stupid shit that seemed cool at the time you were younger (and if you didn't, I feel sorry for you).

The best part of the show? The Funky Highschool Girls. The possibly-psychotic Yuu Kobayashi really shines as she voices the hot-blooded Yanagin in her short but sweet appearances in this series.

Though there won't be a second season due to the manga-ka deciding to stop writing this series, the adaptation we did get is amazing, and worthy of the #1 anime of 2012 among those who deigned to cast a vote for it.

Thank you all for reading this. Shows 2-5 can be found for free (legally!) in Crunchyroll if you wish to view them for yourself. Feel free to tell me how right I am in comments below. Or complain that your show wasn't picked. Or tell me to make a seperate poll thread next time because I am a dumbface that should have thought of that instead of study for finals at the time I started it in the anime thread. Or whatever else comes to mind.