Best of Anime 2010, Part II: OVAs and Feature Films, and more...
By spazmaster666 8 Comments
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
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
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
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
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.