Best Anime of 2010: Tournament-style

[Falx]

Gundam never grabbed me so...

<7*LetterBee>

[Atria35]

<7*LetterBee>

[CrimsonRyu17]

...

<19*GundamUC>

I don't even know why I bothered to post in here. Did I really have to be the first voter for UC? Really?

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

<7*LetterBee>

I feel bad because UC has such an epic soundtrack, but I haven't actually seen it, so I'm voting for the good but flawed Tegami Bachi.

[GeneD]

<19*GundamUC>

[blkmage]

The best Gundam production in a decade which also happens to be the first return to the Universal Century in about two decades and easily one of the best things I've watched in the last few years.

<19*GundamUC>

[MightiMidget]

I have not seen UC, but I am putting my vote in for Tegami Bachi because despite its filler-ness, it is positively charming and never fails to put a happy smile on my face.

<7*LetterBee>

[Fish and Chips]

<19*GundamUC>

Fat guy died to save you. Never forget.

That's the same problem SoRaNoWoTo had too, wasn't it? Why do shows like Fantastic Children, that only have 2 or 3 hours worth of plot, get 26 episodes, when interesting complicated shows only get like 13!

SoRaNoWoTo

interesting complicated show

[mechana2015]

Abstain. And shouldn't that read Gundam UC, Episode 1?
Also...what fish said about SoRaNoWoTo.

[MasterDias]

SoRaNoWoTo received a ton of speculation while it was airing concerning the anachronistic weaponry/technology/culture and the constant hints of an past apocalyptic war. So, yeah, I'd say it had a complicated background setting.

But, anyway, I'll vote for <19*GundamUC>
I like Tegami Bachi, but I can't deny that Gundam Unicorn is the better production, even if novel readers have complained they condensed a lot of material. TB just had way too many bland/boring filler episodes in its first season.

[mechana2015]

SoRaNoWoTo received a ton of speculation while it was airing concerning the anachronistic weaponry/technology/culture and the constant hints of an past apocalyptic war. So, yeah, I'd say it had a complicated background setting.

It seemed to me (and this is just what happened when I personally watched it) that the show promised that a lot more of it's story was going to tie into the mythology, like the giant demon skeleton in episode 1 and the mythology they present regarding it. I personally consider beating on a element of storytelling like that, and then not delivering on it to be really bad writing and drastic misuse of the background information given. It may not bother some people, but I personally felt ripped off.

[blkmage]

I don't know, a lot of shows in the genre are like that. I definitely didn't expect Sora no Woto to have the plot that it ended up having. I think the final plot developments kind of came suddenly, but I had no expectation that the mythology and world-building was meant for anything more than painting the setting.

An example off the top of my head is Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou, which is set in a similarly post-apocalyptic setting. Throughout the manga, there are a few occasional flashbacks to the past. Those flashbacks (and most of the stuff that happens in YKK) don't contribute to any particular plot (mostly because there really isn't one) and they serve only to shed light on some characters and the setting.

I believe the classification for this is kuuki-kei, where the entire point of the thing is atmosphere.

[MasterDias]

It seemed to me (and this is just what happened when I personally watched it) that the show promised that a lot more of it's story was going to tie into the mythology, like the giant demon skeleton in episode 1 and the mythology they present regarding it. I personally consider beating on a element of storytelling like that, and then not delivering on it to be really bad writing and drastic misuse of the background information given. It may not bother some people, but I personally felt ripped off.

I don't think it was bad writing. I'm almost certain it was deliberately structured that way. Keep in mind that Sora no Woto was still mostly a character-driven "slice-of-life" story (hence the K-On! comparisons). While finding out about the skeleton/the war/mythology would have been cool (and I don't deny that is what got my interested in the show as well), it was largely irrelevant as far as the characters and their interactions were concerned.

That said I can see why people might not like that style/technique, so we can agree to disagree I guess.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

Does the atmosphere of a show, along with fan theorizing about said atmosphere, merit a show's being classified as "complicated"?

[mechana2015]

I guess I just expect more plot driven stories and prefer the mythology be used for more than scenery, especially in shows with deep mythologies. :/

[Midori]

All I can say is I really like shows that break pre-existing genre prejudices. SoRaNoWoTo did that pretty well, I think. Unfortunately those are the shows that tend to fall in the cracks between various fan groups.

[Cadence]

I feel like I am being a bit unfair, since I have never watched Gundam anything, but I have to put in my vote for <7*LetterBee>. It's quite charming and tons of fun...and Niche is the cutest thing ever!

[blkmage]

Tegami Bachi: 6
Mobile Suit Gundam UC: 5

Doesn't have 60 hours of prerequisite watching.

***



[SIZE="6"]Otome Youkai Zakuro vs. Time of Eve[/SIZE]

[SIZE="4"]Otome Youkai Zakuro (おとめ妖怪ざくろ)[/SIZE]
"Race relations, youkai edition"
Rank: 25
Aired: Fall 2010
Studio: J.C. Staff
Director: Chiaki Kon
Cast: Nakahara Mai, Sakurai Takahiro
Adaptation: Manga by Hoshino Lily
[color="Lime"]Voting Code: <25|Zakuro>[/color]

[SIZE="4"]Time of Eve (イヴの時間)[/SIZE]
"Race relations, robot edition"
Rank: 17
Aired: Summer 2008
Studio: Studio Rikka
Director: Yoshiura Yasuhiro
Cast: Fukuyama Jun, Nojima Kenji, Tanaka Rie
Adaptation: Original
[color="lime"]Voting Code: <17|TimeOfEve>[/color]

[color="Red"]Voting closes at 2300 EST.[/color]

[Atria35]

<17|TimeOfEve>

I've seen some of Zakuro, and it just wasn't that impressive. Time of Eve, though, was fantastic.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

<17|TimeOfEve>

Tegami Bachi: 6
Mobile Suit Gundam UC: 5

Doesn't have 60 hours of prerequisite watching.

Also: it's free AND legal. Double threat.

[MightiMidget]

I love Zakuro, but...Time of Eve has such a level of depth to its simplicity...very few things would I vote for over it.

<17|TimeOfEve>

[Cadence]

Zakuro annoyed me...but I really love <17|TimeOfEve>.

[blkmage]

Also: it's free AND legal. Double threat.

I wasn't aware that Gundam was banned from the United States of America. My condolences, it must suck down there. I guess that explains why so few have seen Gundam, dohohohoho.

Meanwhile, <17|TimeOfEve>

Otome Youkai Zakuro is a pretty decent show. At least, it's a lot more entertaining than I was really expecting it to be. Still, I don't think I'd go out of my way to pick it up. Time of Eve, on the other hand, is very much worth going out of my way to take a look at.

[Falx]

<17|TimeOfEve>

Poor Zakuro didn't stand a chance with this one.

[MightiMidget]

Delayed reaction -- why does Time of Eve qualify for the 2010 Tournament if it says it aired in '08? Did it only come out on DVD/BD this year in Japan?

[CrystalChalice]

<17|TimeOfEve>

I haven't seen the other show yet.

[Fish and Chips]

<25|Zakuro>

While there is no question in my mind that Time of Eve is the better show, I object to its being included in 2010 simply because it was re-aired theatrically in 2010. It's a product of 2008 and 2009.

[Falx]

That might be valid if it was just the original OVA edited together and cleaned up a bit.

However there are numerous extra scenes that flesh out the characters a great deal, so IMO it stands as a work on it's own, which was released this year.

[Fish and Chips]

That might be valid if it was just the original OVA edited together and cleaned up a bit.

However there are numerous extra scenes that flesh out the characters a great deal, so IMO it stands as a work on it's own, which was released this year.

Peter Jackson's Return of the King debuted December 1, 2003. The Academy went on to name it Best Picture. Next year, 2004, the extended edition was released on DVD, including "Numerous extra scenes that fleshed out the characters a great deal."

In order to qualify for an Academy nomination, a film must have a theatrical release. Are you telling me, Falx, that had you been on the board of the Academy, and had the extended edition of Return of the King received a theatrical premiere, you would defend its inclusion in the 2004 Academy Awards and possibly have voted for it over other contenders?

[TWWK]

<17|TimeOfEve>