So here's the final part of my own best of anime, 2010 blog series. These are best-of-genre as well as overall awards. I don't intend to go into too much detail into each winner as to keep things short. Keep in mind that this is a combination of both what I feel where my personal favorites in each category as well which series I felt were of the highest quality. Again, any TV series that aired either completely in 2010 or aired the majority of its episodes in 2010 will qualify.
Runners up: Legend of Legendary Heroes, Strike Witches 2, Durarara!!
This wasn't a tough category as there weren't really many action series this year, not to mention that FMA: Brotherhood just set such a high bar that I doubt any other series could have topped it anyway. Given that I had already seen most of the action scenes depicted in the manga, I'm even more impressed by how much I still enjoyed the action sequences in the anime. This isn't just quality, however, it's also quantity. If you haven't noticed Brotherhood has 64 episodes, the majority of which contain a significant amount of action. The fact that they were able to keep the action sequences consistently high quality and also consistently enjoyable is no easy feat.
Best Comedy Series
Ika loves shrimp...
Winner: Shinryaku! Ika Musume
Runners up: Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru, Working!!, B Gata H Kei, Ore no Imouto
The best comedy series category is a much tougher fight this year due to the shear number of comedies that came out, whether they be traditional or slice-of-life comedies. Out of all those though, the one series that had me laughing week in and week out consistently was Shinryaku Ika Musume. It's definitely does not have the most intelligent humor or necessarily even the most clever but its combination of slapstick, puns, and overall silliness/nonsensicalness edges out the competition. No doubt the comedy that I enjoyed the most this year.
Best Drama Series
Definitely an atypical anime series...
Winner: Rainbow: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin
Runners up: Shiki, Yosuga no Sora, Giant Killing
Rainbow is far and away the best anime drama of 2010. For people who have been griping recently about how all anime has been reduced to moe nonsense and fanservice-fueled train-wrecks, Rainbow's here to punch them in the face, hard. This is a dark and gritty drama filled with ruthlessness and hatred and yet also with surprising camaraderie and hope within such a bleak and depressing atmosphere. And while comparisons to the likes of the Shawshank Redemption or Green Mile may be somewhat of a stretch, Rainbow arguably at least approaches that level of dramatic and emotional resonance. It's a shame that most people probably overlooked this series as it's no doubt one of the best I've seen in years.
Best Romance Series
That's a lot of girls to choose from...
Winner: Amagami SS
Runners up: B Gata H Kei, Kaichou wa Maid-sama, Kimi ni Todoke
Though I'm not necessarily a big fan of romances, they can be enjoyable from time to time. Amagami SS, while definitely having some frustrating moments (as all romances typically do) turned out much better than I thought it would, especially in how it handled each arc (i.e. each one being one possible path). Also, unlike many other anime romances, there aren't really any gimmicks or major contrivances here: it's mainly an anime about romance within a normal high school setting. The focus was also clearly on the girls, and their different reactions in varying situations. The variety is probably one of the major reasons why the series managed continue to be interesting. It's definitely not the most emotionally-involved or romantically charged series but it has just enough realism and believability which many anime in this genre seem to lack these days.
Honorable Mentions
Just because a series doesn't make it into the best of genre categories doesn't mean they aren't worthy of mentioning. Aside from the winners and runner ups above, here are the anime that are definitely worth mentioning:
Arakawa Under the Bridgeis a silly, nonsensical, wacky, and very fun to watch comedy that isn't for everyone but definitely delivered for me. Angel Beats!ultimately did not satisfy but it was enjoyable enough to be worthwhile. Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Girlswas surprisingly good, despite a questionable premise. Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou proves that ecchi series can be fun to watch, though you have to be willing to put up with its gratuitous fan-service and harem tropes. Katanagatari's unique art style and once-a-month long episode format may put some people off, but there's a lot to like in this above average shounen series. K-ON!! is still the standard when it comes to slice of life anime, despite a weaker showing than its predecessor. Kuragehime really spoke to the NEET within all of us in a way that is both scary and yet strangely comforting. Nodame Cantabile Finale is a great conclusion to arguably one of the best shoujo anime series in recent history. Occult Academyfinally delivered for me on the promise that Anime no Chikara made in 2009 and showed that original stories can be just as good as adapted ones. Seitokai Yakuindomo would be a runner up in best comedy series if I wanted to make the list even longer. Sora no Otoshimono Forte somehow managed to be even more outlandish and nonsensical than the previous season, which is actually a big plus. The World God Only Knows would have been given a nomination (do to no small part to Elsie's kawaiiness and Keima's epic speeches) if it only fit better into one of the above categories.
And finally . . .
Overall Best Anime of 2010
Truly the end of an era...
Winner:
Runners up: Durarara!!, Ore no Imouto, Rainbow: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin
This choice shouldn't come as a shock to anyone. While there have been some great anime series this year, none for me was as enjoyable, as remarkably consistent, as well crafted, or as well executed as Brotherhood. It's not easy to create a 64-episode anime that manages to carry its momentum from the start all the way to the finish with a payoff that was not only incredibly satisfying but also just plain awesome to watch. From the great storytelling, memorable characters, great action set pieces, awesome villains, and superb production values, Brotherhood is truly a complete package that is not only my favorite anime of 2010 but also the most worthy of being called the best anime of 2010.
That that about does it for the best anime of 2010. Like any other year 2010 definitely had it's ups and downs as well good trends and bad trends. But it was by no means a bad year for anime. Out of the 100 or titles that would have been eligible for these lists, I would say that at least a quarter of them are worthwhile watches, not bad for what's supposed to be a fledgling medium. Let's hope that 2011 will have more great shows for us to look forward to.
Here's part two of my three-part blog series on the best of anime, 2010: OVAs and feature films. This is the post where I give props to anime OVAs and films that have come out this calendar year. There haven't been that many films or OVAs out this year of high quality but there are definitely a few worth noting. Also, I'm throwing in some more special awards.
Best OVA
One angry meido . . .
Winner: Black Lagoon Roberta's Blood Trail Runners up: Mobile Suit Gundam UC, Halo Legends, Darker Than Black: Kuro no Keiyakusha Gaiden
I've always loved Black Lagoon. It was an anime that succeeded both on the level of its action set-pieces as well as dramatic performances. In many ways, Roberta's Blood Trail is more of the same as it is just as dark, just as violent, just as dramatically resonant as the TV series that came before it. But considering how good the Black Lagoon TV series was, more of the same isn't a bad thing at all, and formating the series in OVA form allows for tighter storytelling and of course much higher production values. So what it's lacking in originality it makes up for with it's splendid execution. Madhouse delivers once again.
Best Feature Film
Winner: The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya Runners up: Break Blade, Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works
Unfortunately, this category is a little gimped at the moment since many of the anime movies that came out this year has not yet been released on DVD or Bluray so I can only judge based on what I've seen. Still, even if Trigun: Badlands Rumble had come out on disc, I don't think my choice could be any film other than The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya. After making a rather large misstep in Endless Eight, KyoAni has redeemed themselves with perhaps it's best animated work to date. Melancholy was light-hearted and quirky but never reached the type of emotional resonance and dramatic storytelling that Disappearance has in spades. As a long time fan of the Haruhi franchise, Disappearance is the ultimate payoff, yet also the ultimate teaser for what's yet to come in the future. Of course, I haven't even talked about how amazing the film looks: this could easily be the best looking anime of the year. Those who started to doubt KyoAni after the Endless Eight fiasco should find solace in this wonderful film. Easily the best anime feature film of 2010.
Special Award: Best Adapted Genre
Gallery
Winner: Comedies (especially 4-koma comedies)
As I think back at the anime series that I've enjoyed this year, comedies saturate that list (i.e. K-ON!!, B Gata H Kei, Working!!, Seitokai Yakuindomo, Oreimo, TWGOK). Also, while comedies in general were the top genre this year, out of those comedies, those based on 4-koma manga really surprised me (i.e. they were surprisingly good). Anime based on 4-koma, or 4-panel manga are nothing new. Lucky Star or Azumanga Daioh are good examples. But I don't think we've had a year where so many 4-koma manga have been adapted into anime series that are actually end up be funny, well-made, and enjoyable. Obviously, this type of anime isn't for everybody as there are those who despise slice-of-life comedies that don't have much narrative substance.
Special Award: Most Wasted Potential
Densetsu no yuusha no densetsu
Winner: Legend of Legendary Heroes
Dark fantasies aren't anything new in anime, and while LOLH didn't present anything particularly innovative or original in terms of storytelling, its dark tone, penchant for blood and gore, and consistent comedic overtones gave it a lot of potential. However, it's uneven storytelling, poor pacing and overly protracted adaption of the light novel series is disappointing. It feels more like a prequel than anything else, which is a very unfortunate statement for a 24-episode long anime series. And while I did very much enjoy many parts of the series, at the end it just feels lacking in cohesion or purpose for that manner (despite the fact that the story definitely showed a lot of promise). If XEBEC had managed to adapt the story cohesively and paced the episodes evenly, this could have potentially been a great anime. Instead, it's sitting straight in the mediocre (abet enjoyable in spurts) bin.
Special Award: The Stan Lee Award for Worst East-Meets-West Collaboration
Oh say can you see . . .
Winner: Heroman
While I still have some hope for Wolverine, Heroman shows us that it's usually not a good idea to mix Japanese and American styles of animation/storytelling in a single series. While Heroman wasn't bad, it had generic animation, generic storytelling, annoying color pallet (yes I understand America's flag is red, white, and blue, I get it, really) and overall just felt unnecessary. Hardly the best of two worlds. (Ironman wasn't much better honestly, though at least somewhat more tolerable) While this is not to say that a combination of Japanese and American animation styles can't work, Heroman is an example of how not to approach things. Let's hope Wolverine fares better.
Special Award: Best Fake-Out OP
And for reference, the original OP:
Winner: Ring My Bell: Tomoki's Version (Sora No Otoshimono Forte)
Pretty self-explanatory: just watch the video. I nearly fell off my chair when I first saw this.
Special Award: Worst Use of Censorship
Winner: Seikon no Qwaser
If you were to watch the TV edit of Seikon no Qwaser, it would be like watching Dexter on CBS rather than Dexter on Showtime. Not only are the "naughty" bits edited out, but the essential merits of the story are basically changed. For those who haven't watched the series, Seikon no Qwaser is essentially a typical shounen series, except that the main character gets his power up from breast milk (i.e. "soma") rather than more traditional methods. The results? Well, watching the edited TV version, which basically edits out all the "soma-sucking" and replaces it with other scenes, is bound to leave the viewer confused and nonplussed at exactly what the hell is going on. This is not to imply that I think this is a good series (it isn't really, and no I don't suggest you go seek out the unedited version either) but that the use of censorship is such that it is essentially a different show after all the editing involved in the broadcast version.
Well that's it for today's installment. I'll finish up the three-part blog series in the coming week.
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So, considering that I'm spending the holidays with my parents' house which is currently lacking a good PC (I'll be building a new one for them tomorrow), but have brought along my 360 (which apparently the TSA agents had to inspect separately?) and the fact that I was going to play it on the 360 anyway I decided to pick up NV for $40 from Amazon (Amazon Prime baby!). So after about 35 hours of gameplay, I have to say that I'm really glad I have a good PC to play games on. Though it's not a big surprise that New Vegas was a superior experience on the PC (all of Bethesda's past multi-platform games have been), the difference I feel was much more significant this time around than it was previously.
To start things off, I have to say that the issue is not with the quality of the graphics as the 360 version of New Vegas looks pretty good. Sure it's at 720p and seems to lack AA (though it's hard to tell since it's being upscaled) but I would venture that it's comparable to "Medium" settings on the PC version with a pretty good draw distance. The issue isn't just the load times either. Certainly, load times for the game seem to increase the longer you play it without shutting the game off but this seems to be a memory/caching issue that's somewhat present on the PC version as well (i.e. game stability decreasing the longer you play it) but load times early on during an extended play session are actually pretty good, sometimes even better than Fallout 3 (of course, this is the with the latest patch). No, the biggest problem is that frame rate. There are parts of the game that run at a solid 30 fps and other parts that stutter like crazy and dip into the slide-show range. At some points the game will freeze momentarily (probably a mini load) whenever a certain event is triggered, as if the game has frozen but then corrects itself moments later. In Dead Money in particular, the game freezes for a few seconds every time an important quest ends or event occurs. The frustrating part isn't that the framerate is always bad at certain parts of the game, but that it's inconsistently bad. Some parts of the Strip for instance, run smoothly at times but like a slide show other times (again, it seems to directly correlate to how much time you've spent playing it in a particular session). Somewhat long load times I don't mind since I can always use a break now and then, but the extreme stuttering and inconsistent frame rate really irritates me (i.e. this is why I didn't like Killzone 2)
Now, this is not to say that the PC version doesn't have issues. Before the latest patches, I had to install a modified DirectX9 dll in order for the game to run smoothly on my Radeon 5870 (which is more than powerful enough to run the game at the highest settings). Without the modified dll, I would experience some of the same stuttering and inconsistent frame rates as I did with the 360 version. However, with the modified dll and with the latest patches, the PC version ran very smoothly and more or less without a hitch, and also with significantly reduced load times (lower still probably, if I had installed it to my SSD drive). Not to mention that the mod support has pretty much erased any issues I've had with the game along with greatly improving my experience with it.
I wish I could say that the frame rate and loading times on the 360 version didn't affect my enjoyment of the game (though for the most part it didn't) but i can't. While I still have an incredible amount of love for the game, it's still pretty jarring just how different the 360 version feels from the PC version.
I also feel that I must discuss Dead Money. Boy, it's been a long time since I've been this frustrated with a game. Obsidian makes design and gameplay choices in Dead Money that just make absolutely no sense and could have ruined what would otherwise have been a fairly decent DLC episode. First off, the radio/speakers that will cause your collar to explode if you're within range of them for too long has got to be some of the most irritating game play I've ever played through in a Fallout game (I can't even count how many times I died in that final quest). I understand that Obsidian is trying to introduce new game mechanics to freshen things up but exploding collars that react fatally to radios and speakers is not it. Almost as irritating as the speakers are the damned stealth missions involving invincible (that's right, invincible) hologram guards. Fallout 3 and New Vegas were never known for having the most proficient game play around and it really shows in Dead Money. Combining holograms and exploding collars in the last quest also results in a cacophony of shittiness. Obsidian, I hope that you've learned from you mistakes as I'm sure that I'm not the only one whose been grumbling about how irritating and downright frustrating some parts of Dead Money is to play.
But ultimately, despite the frustrations of Dead Money and the problematic frame rate and loading time issues, I'm still really enjoying playing New Vegas (again) on the 360, because, as always, it's the narrative and exploration aspects of the game that draw you in, not the game play.Still, I have to thank the heavens that Skyrim in going to be on a completely new engine.
Continuing with the best of 2010 theme, here are some of my picks for best games of 2010 in several special categories. I already listed my top ten favorite games in the list I created so here I'll list the games that excel in a particular category. Let's get started . . .
Best Technical Graphics
PC Version
Winner: Metro 2033 (PC) Runners up: Lost Planet 2 (PC), God of War III (PS3), Heavy Rain (PS3), S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pyriat (PC)
Best Artistic Graphics
NA Box Art
Winner: Kirby's Epic Yarn (Wii) Runners up: LIMBO (XBLA/PSN), Super Mario Brothers II (Wii), Alan Wake (X360), Final Fantasy XIII (PS3)
Best Sound Design
Wake Up, Alan
Winner: Alan Wake Runners up: Vanquish, Red Dead Redemption, LIMBO, Call of Duty: Black Ops
Best Music
Hair Outfit
Winner: Bayonetta Runners up: Final Fantasy XIII, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, Bioshock 2, Halo: Reach
Best Story
Shepard...
Winner: Mass Effect 2 Runners up: Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty, Red Dead Redemption, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, Heavy Rain
Best Writing
Shepard...
Winner: Mass Effect 2 Runners up: Red Dead Redemption, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, Heavy Rain, Fallout: New Vegas
Best Character
Winner: John Marston (Red Dead Redemption) Runners up: Francis York Morgan (Dead Premonition), Eleanor Lamb (Bioshock 2), Mordin Solus (Mass Effect 2), Bayonetta (Bayonetta)
Best Voice Acting
Read Dead Redemption
Winner: Red Dead Redemption Runners up: Mass Effect 2, Heavy Rain, Alan Wake, Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty
Best Single Player Campaign
This is Jimmy...
Winner: Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty Runners up: Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, Mass Effect 2, Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, Red Dead Redemption
Best Multiplayer Game
Zerg rush...
Winner: Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty Runners up: Halo: Reach, Battlefield: Bad Company II, Monday Night Combat, Call of Duty: Black Ops
Best Atmosphere
Alan Wake
Winner: Alan Wake Runners up: Metro 2033, LIMBO, Red Dead Redemption, Heavy Rain
Best DLC
grrrr raor roar grrow...
Winner: Undead Nightmare (Red Dead Redemption) Runners up: Minerva's Den (Bioshock 2), The Secret Armory of General Knoxx (Borderlands), Lair of the Shadow Broker (Mass Effect 2), The Signal (Alan Wake)
Best Zombie Game
Paddlesaw...
Winner: Dead Rising 2 Runners up: Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, Call of Duty: Black Ops: Zombies, Dead Nation
Most Disappointing Game
FFXIV
Winner: Final Fantasy XIV Runners up: APB, Command and Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight, Alpha Protocol, Disney's Epic Mickey
Best Game That Nobody Played/Bought
Winner: Enslaved: Odyssey to the West Runners up: Resonance of Fate, Vanquish, Amnesia: Dark Descent, No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle
Special Award: So Bad, It's Good
Amazing!
Winner: Deadly Premonition
Special Award: Best(Worst?) Use of In-Game Advertising
Energizer bunny...
Winner: Alan Wake
Special Award: Best Game to Do an Endurance Run On
Not sure how long this would last though...
Winner: Resonance of Fate
Special Award: Why Did They Make Another One?
I guess the board peripheral needs more use?
Winner: Tony Hawk: Shred
Special Award: Best Implementation of Baby-Shaking Technology
Also, a definite candidate for GOTY...
Winner: Babysitting Mama
Special Award: Oh Shit, They're Still Making This?
Original Box art.
Winner: Duke Nukem Forever
Special Award: The Greatest, Most Influential Figure in the Video Game Industry of 2010
" Great people don't really want to work at EA..."
Winner: Robert A. Kotick
So there you have it, some special awards for best of 2010, video games edition. Seven hours and counting before I head off on vacation . . .
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So since exams are over and I have nothing better to do before I head off on holiday, I thought I might as well hold my very own Best of Anime, 2010 awards. This will be a two-part blog post, with special awards (this post) followed by the genre and overall awards (the next post). To clarify which anime are covered here, any series that ended its run in 2010 and have also aired the majority or (in the case of FMA: Brotherhood) a significant chunk of it's episodes in 2010 are eligible. Series that started in 2010 but have not concluded are not eligible for the awards that require an evaluation of the entire series (i.e. genre awards), but are eligible for some special awards. Of course, any series that I have not watched obviously will not be included (:P) Also, OVAs and movies are also generally not eligible (except in a few instances) to keep things simpler. So without further adieu, let's get started.
Special Awards
Best Animation
Winner: K-ON!!
K-ON!!
Runners up: Angel Beats, FMA: Brotherhood, Star Driver
Winner: Durarara! ("Uragiri no Yuuyake" by Theatre Brook)
"Uragiri no Yuuyake"
Full Version:
TV Version:
Runners up: HOTD ("HIGHSCHOOL OF THE DEAD", by Kisida Kyodan & The Akebosi Rockets), TWGOK ("God Only Knows", by Oratorio The World God Only Knows), Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou ("REALOVE:REALIFE", by Sphere)
Best ED
Winner: FMA: Brotherhood ("Let it Out" by Miho Fukuhara)
"Let it Out"
Full Version:
TV Version:
Runners up: K-ON!! ("Listen", by HST), Durarara!! ("Trust Me", by Yuuya Matsushida), Nodame Cantabile Finale ("Kaze to Oka no Ballad" by Real Paradis with Nodame Orchestra)
Best Studio
Winner: Kyoto Animation (The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, K-ON!!)
KyoAni
Runners up: SHAFT (Arakawa Under the Bridge, Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru), Madhouse (Trigun: Badlands Rumble, Black Lagoon: Roberta’s Blood Trail), BONES (FMA Brotherhood, Star Driver), Brain's Base (Durarara!!, Kuragehime)
Most Surprisingly Good Anime:
Winner: B Gata H Kei
B Gata H Kei
Runners up: Giant Killing, Seitokai Yakuindomo, Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou
Most Disappointing Anime:
Winner?: Eden of the East Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost
Runners up: Senkou no Night-Raid, Angel Beats, Heroman
I don't feel like writing a description for the winners since, well nobody will read it anyway and besides, it's too early in the morning and I'm too tired to bother with it. Anyway, Part 2 is coming in the next couple of days while I refresh my memory some more and collect some "data." I need more coffee...
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So I took a glance at some of the shows that will be airing/released during the Winter 2011 Anime and I have to say, it looks like I was right about all the good shows being mushed into Fall 2010. Click on the small image below to be linked to the full-sized one
Aside from shows like Beelzebub and possibly Kimi ni Todoke S2, there aren't a lot of titles of titles on the list that stand out/don't look like they're going to be total shit. The OAV/OAD front isn't really anymore more promising aside from titles like Black Lagoon.
Fortunately, I'm going to be very busy during the Spring semester so I probably won't have much time to watch anime in the first place. That makes me luck I guess?
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So since it's been a while since I've posted an anime-theme blog, I felt "what the hell might as well post one." So I'm been contemplating (mostly off the top of my head since I really didn't feel like doing much research) about the anime that I've watched this past year, specifically my favorites so far. I know we still have a coulple of months to go, but enough of the year has past that we can still get a pretty good idea of what the year 2010 was like for anime. Anyway, here are some of my favorites of the past year (keep in mind, I'm limiting my titles mainly to the ones that I have finished watching as there are a bunch of episodes that I have in the backburner that I will need to go back to in the near future). Let's go in alphabetical order (I'll also try to be brief).
That's gotta hurt... Ah, what can I say about this series. I loved it and I also hated it. I loved it for it's great animation, and intriguing premise, but hated it for it's lack of T.K. and lack of depth for many of the characters (and the fact that Jun basically copied Haruhi's character design for Yurippe). Still, Angel Beats! is a pretty good effort from P.A. Works, especially after their previous disappointing showing. And as much as I have hated on this series throughout it's thirteen episode run, I did find many parts of it quite enjoyable, so I can't quite find it in me to completely disregard it. Though I'm definitely not super excited for any future collaborations between P.A. Works and Mr. Maeda (especially not on one of his so called "original stories").
Clearly, Kou didn't know what he was getting himself into...Arakawa Under the Bridge is almost the anti-Angel Beats in the sense that while the previous worked too hard to make us sad, Arakawa didn't need to do much to make us chuckle. It helped that SHAFT stayed more-or-less true to the manga, despite a few original touches here and there, which while I haven't read, has a fairly good word of mouth. At it's heart, Arakawa has a pretty nonsensical premise, some pretty over the top moments, and a lot of silliness in between. But fortunately, the results were pretty damn hilarious more often than not. It's the kind of show that you can just sit down and watch now and then without really having to worry about over-saturated backstories or overarching storylines. It's a slice of life show for post-modernists, whatever the hell that means.
Yes, Kyouka has some, strange fantasies... This was a big surprise for me (in case you didn't know, the titles means Type: B, Style: H; refer to eroge if you still don't get it). I initially had thought this would be a pretty throwaway series. Sure the entire premise of the show is pretty juvenile and most of the jokes pretty raunchy (yet also filled with naivete), but the show has some surprisingly heartwarming moments among it's sea of echi humor. The "will they make it or not?" dynamic between Yamada (incidentally we never get her first name) and Takashi is always awkward and always hilarious and Kyouka's unhealthy love for her oni-sama and her "dark side" never ceases to amuse. I kept wanting to write off this series but ending up looking forward to it week after week.
Yes, Ed Brotherhood is a good series... Technically, this is a 2009 series, but I'm making the exception for it since it's during the second half when Brotherhood really starts to shine (and most of that second half is during 2010). To be honest, my watching of Brotherhood wasn't consistent. I more or less kept up with it on a weekly basis until the fortieth episode or so and then I kind of started archiving (mostly because there was too much stuff to watch and because I already knew what was going to happen). But when I went back to it, I basically watched the remaining 24 episodes in one sitting. Brotherhood is pretty damn good. It may be more of as straight up shounen series than it predecessor, but the story is so good and the characters so well fleshed out that it's really hard to care. And the fact that they were able to properly end the series this time only a short time after the conclusion of the manga is also pretty damned satisfying. The end of FMA truly was the end of an era for both anime and manga.
No, it's not what you think it is... People are probably going to hate me for this but yes I really enjoyed Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou. Forget about the obviously trope ecchi harem setting or the sometimes questionable animation quality. Forget about the fact that they tried to cover way too much material then they should have in only 12 episodes. The fact is, Artland managed to tie things up quite nicely, despite a somewhat rushed ending. And to be honest, this show did make a lot of missteps but it still made me laugh on a consistent basis. And in the end, that's what matters the most to me. Also Akuto's GARness and Junko's tsundereness (?) cannot be discounted.
Super-deformation for the win! On the surface, the premise of the show seems to be rather random. A high school student council president being a maid at a maid cafe? And indeed anyone looking for any serious romantic drama should definitely go elsewhere. But as far a shoujo romantic comedies go, Maid-sama fairs better than most, and that's thanks not only to the large cast of silly but endearing side characters, but also to the strength of the main characters themselves. I compared this to Special A in my preview of the series due to some of the premises of the show and of course the whole Takumi/Misaki dynamic, and while the two shows don't really thematically resonate (Special A is actually somewhat more of a romantic series than Maid-sama), the comparison does hold up in terms of the dynamic between the rich, all-capable Takumi and the poor but almost as capable Misaki. I was somewhat disappointed with the series during the second half as they episodes weren't as funny or as endearing as they were in the first half of the series, but the show ended well nevertheless, despite some odd departures from the manga (more in terms of the chronology than anything else).
R.I.P. After School Tea Time... The one thing I need to say before anything else is that K-ON!! is not as good as K-ON!. The original series was better in almost every way. However, despite the slower pace, and the often lack of HTT performances, K-ON!! is still enjoyable because of KyoAni's attention to detail and because, well I knew what I was getting myself into. Slow moving slice of life comedies usually don't work because well, the audience generally gets bored. And unfortunately, I did find myself getting bored more than once watching K-ON!!. However, unlike some other series, I also couldn't stop watching the show despite it's sometimes drudgingly slow pacing. Sure you could say I'm biased toward KyoAni produced shows (and you would be correct) or that I'm partial toward moe (you would also be correct), but the greatness of HTT's final performance or the light-heartedness of high school life that the show portrays can't be denied (and neither can be the phenomenal production values). In the end, K-ON!! ended up being more of the first series, for better and for worse. And honestly, who would have expected anything else really?
Things finally come full circle... A fitting conclusion to one my favorite shoujo series of all time. I've talked in the past about Nodame Cantabile being the epitome of shoujo storytelling, and nothing has changed since then. Few other shows combine serious real-life issues and lighthearted slice of life comedy as well as Nodame Cantabile and the fact that it's set in the world of classical music just makes it even better. Admittedly J.C. Staff's handling of the animation is less than superb and the ending of the series is less than satisfying (mostly due to the fact that Ninomiya-san had to end the manga prematurely due to her pregnancy) but thematically, the series has never been better. It's always a treat to see characters develop and mature throughout a series and Nodame Cantabile is one of the finest examples of character development in any anime. This is a series that I wish would have gone on longer but also one that I'm glad came to a less-than-satisfying but also fitting resolution.
Now that's what you can call an OMG face! Admittedly, I'm not really a big fan of anime no chikara. However, Occult Academy is beginning to change my opinions. One of the big selling points of anime no chikara is original storytelling, rather than adaptive storytelling (which nowadays is the most common form of story telling in anime) and with Occult Academy, the results were finally what I had wanted out of previous projects like So Ra No Wo To and Senkou no Night Raid. Occult Academy has not only an intriguing premise but also a great overarching storyline and a satisfying conclusion which ties together everything in a very neat way. It's not necessarily a series I looked forward to every week but a series that I, nevertheless, could never let go of. This is no doubt the best series yet in the anime no chikara project and it goes show that original storytelling can definitely go a long way as long as you have the plot, characters, and premise to back it up (which was what I felt the previous two series lacked).
Takatoshi = deadpan Another series that has had a somewhat mixed reactions amongst the various sectors of anime fandom is Seitokai Yakuindomo. In that sense I suppose, it's in the same category as B Gata H Kei, as both of them are based on 4-koma mangas that liked to make use of raunchy humor. Of course, the difference is that B Gata H Kei is more slapstick and Seitokai Yakuindomo is almost all puns and oral gags. Not all of it is funny, but almost all of it is awkward in a broken way. The words that come of the mouths of Shino and Aria are jarring (but also hilarious since it's clear that they aren't saying those things in jest), and Takatoshi's deadpanned reactions are amusing (but also makes us feel sorry for him). There are also some elements of romance here and there, but a lot of the characters are really too broken for this series to have any semblance of actual romance or drama. Then again, that's why I loved the show.
Well, that's one way of dealing with Inami Last, but certainly not least, we have Working!!, yet another slice of life comedy based on a 4-koma manga. Unlike some of the other similar titles already discussed however, Working!! is absolutely hilarious and incredibly entertaining. Each of the characters in the series are broken in one way or another, and how their combined quirkiness doesn't result in the restaurant imploding is beyond my comprehension. Things like Teneshima's unending sensitivity about her height, Yamada's unhealthy love for Kyouko, or Inami's illogical fear of the opposite sex never gets old. The only thing bad I have to say about the series is that I wish the animation was better, and that I wish it would have been 24 episodes instead of 13.
And that just about does it for the shows that have finished airing/I have finished. There are plenty of shows that I really enjoy that are still airing or haven't finished watching, but like I said, it's only fair for me to talk about shows that I have finished or have finished airing. However, here are the other shows that I have enjoyed this year which don't fall into the previous two categories I mentioned (this includes shows that have just started airing this fall):
Well that just about does it for this edition of I was bored so I felt like writing a blog about anime. Now back to studying I suppose.
Edit: updated with pics as original post was sorely lacking them. Edit 2: sigh, I really hate how the images are handled in the editor. <_<
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I'll like to start off by saying this is just some personal thoughts I felt like putting down on paper, and is in no way geared towards starting any flame wars (which is why I probably won't post this to the boards). So I was perusing through Chesterton's writings as usual and I came about this interesting quote: "An interesting essay might be written on the possession of an atheistic literary style. There is such a thing. The mark of it is that wherever anything is named or described, such words are chosen as suggest that the thing has not got a soul in it. Thus they will not talk of love or passion, which imply a purpose and a desire. They talk of the "relations" of the sexes, as if they were simply related to each other in a certain way, like a chair and a table. Thus they will not talk of the waging of war (which implies a will), but of the outbreak of war - as if it were a sort of boil. Thus they will not talk of masters paying more or less wages, which faintly suggests some moral responsibility in the masters: they will talk of the rise and fall of wages, as if the thing were automatic, like the tides of the sea. Thus they will not call progress an attempt to improve, but a tendency to improve. And thus, above all, they will not call the sympathy between oppressed nations sympathy; they will call it solidarity. For that suggests brick and coke, and clay and mud, and all the things they are fond of."
I was thinking today about purpose, especially purpose in life. And as I was reading this passage, something came to me. Why do atheists care about purpose? Especially purpose in life?
Atheism generally holds the view that life itself, including human life, came about as a result of some cosmic coincidence. Life on the earth just sponteaneously occured a few billions years ago and through many millions of years of random genetic changes within populations (ala natural selection, genetic drift, etc), the species homo sapiens emerged. Human beings therefore are just the result of random chance. If this is true, then why should anyone prescribe to the idea of life having a purpose?
Certainly it makes no logical sense that purpose can be derived from random chance. How can something random itself have purpose? Now it is feasible to conclude that nature itself may present instinctive purposes or "natural" purposes as they can be termed. This would generally be described as survival and continuation of the species (again evolution provides us with at least a very basic premise for meaning in life). Hence an atheist would attempt to use this theory to explain why humanity forms families, communities, socities, and nations: it's all for the purpose of survival and preserving the human race.
However it seems to me that by asserting this, many atheists are lying to themselves. If an atheist truely believes that the purpose of life is an instinctual purpose: just to survive, then how do they explain the innate desires of each human being to seek purpose or meaning in life: purpose that is beyond just mere survival instinct?
Some atheists would contend that such desires are merely human beings merely creating a sense of purpose for themselves (selfish and narcissistic beings that we are). However, this explanation fails to explain why humans would believe that purpose is necessary in the first place. In response to this, an atheist may contend that the reason is society-based. In other words, it's society that makes a person feel like they need a purpose in life. However, this seems to me merely a switching of hands -- as society itself is not a separate entity as it is merely a collection of people with something in common. So this also does not answer the question about why people or society feel that purpose is necessary.
The answer, I believe is one which all of us, whether we are religious or not, have ingrained into our very humanity: for each of us feels the drive to find purpose in life, a desire that is not determined by society or by others, but rather a desire that emerges from deep within ourselves, from deep within our soul. Our souls cry out for it.
Even secular scholars have debated extensively about the purpose of life. Some, like Nietzsche, have concluded that life is meaningless. Many atheists however, do not believe this. Many atheists believe that their purpose is what they make of it: without the need of some god to provide one to them. They point to the fact that people do indeed have the capacity to perceive beauty or love and that such ability does not indicate that some god has given them that ability.
However, I would ask these atheists (the ones who believe that life has a purpose) where they believe this ability to perceive purpose and where this desire to find purpose come from. If it does not come from God, then it certainly must come from some other source. Is it nature? Well that seems unlikely as natural can only provide one with instinctual purpose -- to reproduce, to preserve the species. If not from nature then where does it come from? Certainly any belief that humans have the ability to perceive and desire purpose is inconsistent with the belief that humans are merely mechanicals creatures evolved from some lower life form.
So why reject the idea of a "god" when indeed the very concept of purpose in life points us to something that is outside of our physical existence? In fact, when I lived life indifferent to God, my experiences still pointed me away from the narrowness of atheism and toward the freedom of theism. Perhaps atheists are afraid of falling into the trap of religion and feel that their disbelief somehow frees them intellectually. However, when I moved further away from atheism and closer to theism and closer to discovery of God, I found a strange and yet wonderful release. For me belief in God has not narrowed my view of the world but indeed has expanded it. I no longer believed that science was the only way to perceive the world. It seems to me that the closer one move toward atheism, the more one moves toward egoism and the more one moves inward into onself. In atheism, it is us that makes the rules: we are the ones who dictate our lifes. And it seems to me that the farther one moves toward theism and closer to the belief in God, the farther one moves from the self and more one realizes that it is not us who makes the rules, but rather we are the ones who choose to follow them or to reject them. We realize that we are not the masters of the universe and that there does exist truth that is beyond human subjectivity.
We can find truth, and it is truth that will set us free.
In tonight's random blog post, I feel like sharing some of the anime songs (i.e. songs use by anime series) that have been stuck in my head lately. Some of these are actually good songs. Others, well not so much. <_<
I'm sure I'm missing a few that I can't remember at the moment, but the above songs pretty much have comprised the playlist on my Zen for the past several weeks. There are a coupe of songs that I'm not proud to have stuck in my head but a catchy melody is a catchy melody. I've linked each song to a respective Youtube video (some of them aren't high quality unfortunately) just in case any of y'all want to listen to any of them for yourselves. ;)
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So as with the last year of Pharmacy school looming ahead in the horizon, I've been looking back at my academic career. In particular, I'm talking about the fact that I grew up wanting to be an artist. When asked why something got into video games or anime, one may answer with a whole variety of reasons, but if you were to ask me that question, the answer is simple: I loved art. I've been drawing and painting since I was three years old. I remember that I entered my first calligraphy contest at the age of five and one a city-wide calligraphy contest. All throughout elementary, middle, and high school I continued to take art classes, both at school and privately. In fact, from middle school to near the end of high school I've always had a private art tutor. But that all changed in college. To the chagrin of my high school art teacher, I didn't go to an art school or a design school. Instead I went to a research university and majored in biology with the intention of pursuing the Pharmacy D program. She probably thought it was a waste of talent or potential, and now that I think about it, I do feel some regret for not pursuing a career in art, whether it be fine arts, graphics design, or even animation.
In fact, I haven't really drawn or painted much at all during college, and the only art-related class I took was Art History. Sure I've doodled here and there but never anything serious. I can't even remember the last time I sat down and spent a few hours drawing or painting. And looking back at some of the works that I've completed over the years has really made me want to start drawing and painting again. Anyway, the real point of this post of course is to show y'all some of the artwork I've done from middle school to high school. Warning: fanart is definitely present. ;)
Gallery
So there you have it, another pointless blog post from my pointless blog. Hopefully I'll start taking my own suggestions and thus should have some newer stuff up within the next few weeks . . . or maybe not . . . ;)
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