Once more, with feeling: Finding the Best Anime of 2012

[Maokun]

Apologies for the sudden dissappearence, got really busy but now we're back on track. My vote:

WOLF CHILDREN

I have already expressed praise for both titles so now I'll talk about what I didn't like in one of them. Kids on the Slope, with all its buddy-building coming-of-age goodness and expectedly amazing musical score, was never too pretentious about its plot in the first half. You were meant to sit back, enjoy the music and warm up to these kids as they fought and become friends and fell in love and experienced some strong emotions and slowly grew up... but the second half threw an unnecessary wrench into it, as it suddenly focused in the intense (and slightly disturbing) drama of two secondary characters, while our original heroes phased to the background. Worst of it, this rather unnecessary subplot stole so much time and bang from the main plot, that it was not so much resolved as aborted: one of the main characters had an irreparable breakdown that undid most of his personal growth and in his wake, the other two main characters' plotlines were left helplessly dangling. The happy, comforting resolution was then given to the secondary couple while the main characters received only a slightly positive epilogue to tell us that they came out alright, after all.


Results for the first match of the semi-finals:

WOLF CHILDREN 5
KIDS ON THE SLOPE 3


As for the second match:

TSURITAMA
TV, 12 episodes
Spring 2012 to Summer 2012
A-1 Pictures
Defeated: Library Wars: Wings of Revolution, Chuunibyou, Nekomonogatari Kuro, Mirai Nikki, Sukite Ii Na Yo.


VS



HYOUKA
TV, 22 episodes
Spring 2012 to Autumn 2012
Kyoto Animation
Defeated: Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun, Moyashimon Returns, Psycho-Pass, Evangelion 3.0, Persona 4: The Animation

Voting will be open for two days, then we'll have the grand final!

[drill]

HYOUKA
This had excellent character development, and was entertaining all the way through. Tsuritama doesn't lack those things, I just think that Hyouka did a better job.

[skreyola]

Meh, I've kind of lost interest in voting in this one. There's nothing left that I care about.

[blkmage]

HYOUKA

[ForeverInspired]

HYOUKA

One of the best series to date so far. The mysteries are engaging without being over the top and the characters and plot are great. Tsuritama is a good series as well, but it still isn't as good as Hyouka. Hyouka is a classic in and of itself.

[MangaRocks!]

TSURITAMA

I can see that a number of people are going to go with Hyouka on this, and I do really love it, too; however, I have to give my vote to Tsuritama here, not only because of all the reasons both I and others have given to it in the previous rounds, but also for one more: the series' respective endings. Hyouka, as fantastic as it indeed was, had far too open of an ending for my taste-- plus it being topped off by that one pretty masterful troll with SPOILER: Highlight text to read: that line from Houtarou to Eru about their futures... aargh, that still really bugs me-- I can't believe he didn't actually say it!! And the Satoshi/Mayaka subplot wasn't really all that satisfying, either (IMO), despite knowing that *they*, at least, were together by the end.) I mean, don't get me wrong, it certainly wasn't a *bad* ending or anything (thankfully); but, still, it wasn't a satisfying one (IMO). On the other hand, Tsuritama was not only fantastic, but also had a *very* satisfying ending. And actually, as long as we're at it, I'll give another reason still-- Tsuritama also really touched my heart in a way that Hyouka, excellent as it was, did not. So, all that said, amazing as both shows are, my vote is with the more-satisfying and touching one (to me).

[DecooPunk]

I had not seen any of the anime voted on the whole time, but I actually watched Tsuritama, so I'm guessing I can still vote?
TSURITAMA

[GeneD]

Tsuritama

Thinking about it, it feels weird to be so attached to a series, like this is truly something that affects my life and makes it better. Because it feels so personal, it also makes it hard to pin point why exactly I feel this way. Apart from the series being so obviously heartwarming and happy, which is in any case not really the types of shows I usually gravitate towards. Anyway, another fond memory I'll always have is sitting on a beach in Nice, France, people-watching and humming the ED, after some emotional stuff that happened.

That said, I really love Hyouka too and will hopefully get around to a re-watch sometime soon, but I agree with MangaRocks! about the ending and want to add that while they weren't bad, the stories after the festival arc all felt a little tacked on to me. I would have much rather liked another 2 or 3 episode long arc to end on.

[blkmage]

Having just finished a rewatch of Hyouka, I have to say that the last few episodes fit the character of the show perfectly. Even though they aren't one long story, there is a unifying thread to them (which kind of makes sense since they're all from the same light novel volume). Anyway, Hyouka is a show that really benefits from rewatching because of how insanely detailed and subtle it is.

[Vii]

HYOUKA

Lovely animation, good characters, fun mysteries, etc etc etc...

I very much enjoyed the ending. It tied up the loose ends, but subtly, and while I would love a movie to cover the final book, I'm content with this ending.
Also, I absolutely agree with blkmage that Hyouka gets better upon a second watch. I rewatched it a while ago and found a lot of character development and foreshadowing that passed me by on my first watch. I would definitely watch it a third time.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

HYOUKA

Don't have time for a real reason, unfortunately, but Hyouka was my favorite anime of the year and I think it is pretty much perfect in every category (except for the fact that when you finish it, there's nothing left, which is really the best problem you could ever have)

[MomentOfInertia]

HYOUKA

Tsuritama is good, but it is at its heart a rather ridiculous tale, and a lot of the entertainment is derived from this absurdity. Hyouka is just as interesting (if not more so) and it does it with out having to resort to spectacle to do it. Hyouka's characters also feel more real somehow, like slight exaggerations of people you might actually meet; perhaps memories of people the author met in his school years, faded by time until only their most standout features remained and then partially filled back in...

Also I think Hyouka is a show that will hold up better under repeated viewings, while some of the suspense may be lost I think that it is a subtle show that does not give up all is secrets in one viewing.

[Maokun]

As with the previous match, after all the praise I feel compelled to also talk about the things that I didn't like. Tsuritama engaged me with it's beautiful palette, visual metaphors and (surprisingly!) fishing education with a slightly supernatural mystery behind. Moreover, the protagonist experienced pleasing and believable character growth, facing his anxiety and purposefully making an effort to become better and in doing so, encouraging the other characters to become better as well. However, all of sudden, the series decides that is done with all the character growth and embraces the supernatural mystery with all the subtlety of a white shark caught on a fishing line. The change in tone and aim of the series in the second half is jarring to say the least, and the fact that the undercurrent zaniness that had been present in the series exploded in a suspension-of-disbelief-shattering manner didn't help. The premise became so ridiculous, the stakes artificially inflated when they were actually really low, the participation of the characters shoehorned into it... it was almost too much for two or three episodes. Thankfully, at the final confrontation, the series managed to refocus on the main characters and how their growth and blossoming friendship saved the day.

Anyhow, my vote is for TSURITAMA

[FllMtl Novelist]

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: the Satoshi/Mayaka subplot wasn't really all that satisfying

That episode is one of my favorite episodes of anything ever. ;__;

Tsuritama is a show that I enjoyed a lot but didn't it didn't really stay with me the way Hyouka has. This might be because of where I was personally when I saw Tsuritama, but regardless, I think Hyouka is something really special. I feel there's a lot of depth to Hyouka's characters and their relationships, which is interesting because nothing in the show is particularly strange or remarkable (except maybe Oreki's deduction skills?). However it worked, I was very drawn into Hyouka's mellow little world, and despite my minor problems with the ending (which I might withdraw when I eventually get around to a rewatch) I was very very sad to leave.

HYOUKA

[MangaRocks!]

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: the Satoshi/Mayaka subplot wasn't really all that satisfying

...That episode is one of my favorite episodes of anything ever. ;__;

Well, to clarify , I actually wasn't talking about the *bulk* of that subplot, and SPOILER: Highlight text to read: all the personal issues Satoshi had to wrestle with and such-- *that* was all certainly very good indeed. What I specifically meant was its 'ending.' SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Like, it's all but said that they're together (though in kind-of a roundabout way), but then... that's it. There's no real resolution (onscreen, I mean), and thus no catharsis about it for the audience (or at least for me ).


...On another note, I'm finding it pretty interesting how deeply personal (and quite polarizing) the effects of both of the two shows in this particular match have been on everyone in the way that one or the other did (or did not) really touch them.

[blkmage]

I'm not sure that your conclusion on how that particular thread ended is definitive, largely because it's been left unspoken it. And from the things that they do say, as far as I can tell, the only sure thing you can say about the is that the immediate conflict in question was resolved and that's all.

[MangaRocks!]

I'm not sure that your conclusion on how that particular thread ended is definitive, largely because it's been left unspoken it. And from the things that they do say, as far as I can tell, the only sure thing you can say about the is that the immediate conflict in question was resolved and that's all.

Which was precisely my point -- and why I said that it wasn't satisfying.

[Maokun]

Sorry for the delay, but now it's time for the awaited final round! Without further preamble:

WOLF CHILDREN
Movie, 1h57m
Summer 2012
Madhouse Studios
Defeated: Kids on the Slope, Shin Sekai Yori, Persona 4: The Animation, Library Wars: Wings of Revolution, Mysterious Girlfriend X, and Acchi Kocchi


VS



HYOUKA
TV, 22 episodes
Spring 2012 to Autumn 2012
Kyoto Animation
Defeated: Tsuritama, Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun, Moyashimon Returns, Psycho-Pass, Evangelion 3.0, Persona 4: The Animation

[ForeverInspired]

This round will probably be close and based off rock-paper-scissors. I just know it.

HYOUKA
I ended up going for this one because I can honestly say that I was never bored watching this series and didn't regret a minute that I dedicated to it. Also, for a character who loves to do nothing, Oreki really engaged me. The mysteries as I have said before are some of the best that anime has produced without being over the top in drama or twists. It made the simple, ordinary, and normally boring things in high school interesting.

[drill]

HYOUKA
This is one of my favorite series for a reason. It has excellent character development, and completely entertaining all the way through. Also, I have yet to actually watch Wolf Children, so that is why Hyouka takes my vote.

[MangaRocks!]

While I don't begrudge Hyouka's win in that match (as I've said, despite some flaws with its ending {IMO}, I did quite enjoy it and it was an excellent show), I am still a bit sad that Tsuritama didn't advance instead (it's a really, really special show for me personally, and also-- to me-- it was perfect). Nevertheless, since I honestly don't know how I would've chosen between Tsuritama and Wolf Children, at least this makes what would have been an *incredibly* difficult decision for me here in this final match only a *somewhat* difficult one.

So, in the end, I'm voting...

WOLF CHILDREN

...because as much as I loved both of these anime, I have to go with an IMO-perfectly-done title over an IMO-also-awesome-yet-not-quite-perfect one. Also, wolves. And beautiful, moving depictions of motherhood. And everything else I (and others) have already praised about this film. I can't recommend it highly enough, and would be perfectly satisfied in seeing this crowned as the best anime of the year.

[FllMtl Novelist]

Abstaining because that picture of Oreki has impaired my judgement.

And because I think I'd need to rewatch Wolf Children to fully work out how I feel about it. It's beautiful, but I'm not sure whether I'd put it above Hyouka, so I shall leave the voting to those who know what they're talking about.

[Vii]

HYOUKA
I have an iPod named Houtarou because energy conservation and an external hard drive named Satoshi because database.

[skreyola]

Abstaining again.

This round will probably be close and based off rock-paper-scissors. I just know it.

Is that a reference to Space Brothers?

[blkmage]

HYOUKA

[MomentOfInertia]

HYOUKA

[GeneD]

I've been trawling blkmage's tumblr for a good Hyouka vote reason and I had to go three whole pages in to find anything Hyouka related. And you call yourself a fan... Anyway, my vote is for Hyouka because this thread made me want to go watch it again.

[ForeverInspired]

This round will probably be close and based off rock-paper-scissors. I just know it.

Is that a reference to Space Brothers?

I wasn't particularly thinking about that when I wrote it, but I guess that could be implied.

[ClosetOtaku]

Well, I know I said I wasn't going to vote, but...

I saw Wolf Children at Otakon this summer, and (based on its popularity in this forum) decided to watch as much of Hyouka as I could.

I finished 10 episodes. Here's what I think.

First, it's a little unfair to compare a full-length film with a 22-episode series. The film is obligated to grab your attention, reel you in, and take you for a ride, while a series can be more leisurely about it. It's also unfair to draw conclusions about a series you've seen only 10/22 of. But...

I have a general rule about multi-episode anime: it has to catch my attention in six episodes, or it goes into the "I'll probably never finish this" bin. The issue I have with Hyouka is that, were it not for the stellar praise it has received on CAA, I doubt I would have ventured beyond Episode 6.

Having gone the extra mile, there's nothing really attracting me to push onwards (except for the very end of Episode 10 which, I must admit, is a tad cliffhanger-ish). If there had been some sort of global, hidden, nascent mystery -- the Walls of Haibane Renmei, the recovery of the mother in Fullmetal Alchemist, the dual worlds of RahXephon -- I might be intrigued. Instead, I feel like I'm being treated to a slightly more slice-of-life version of "Case Closed", and I'm welcome to leave any time I like.

On the other hand, Wolf Children has much going for it. Aside from being directed by one of the people I truly respect in the business -- Mamoru Hosoda -- I felt the plot was engaging, the animation fantastic, the score appropriate and well-managed, and the ending bittersweet. I'm a parent of three children who are now all adults, and I can appreciate the emotions of Hana as she struggles with everything life throws at her.

So, on its own, Wolf Children would certainly be among my choices of the few (VERY few) works I've seen from 2012 as simply great anime. And it may be unfair to characterize Hyouka as somehow inferior without having watched it all -- but honestly, if it had caught my fancy, I would be rushing to try to finish the series and cast my vote later. It didn't. I will finish the series eventually, if only because I respect the opinions on CAA, and don't want to miss out on what I hope will be a good use of my anime-watching time.

WOLF CHILDREN

[Maokun]

As a child of a single mother, WOLF CHILDREN struck some deep emotional chords with me. When you are just a kid you don't understand the hardships your mother went through to bring you up; in fact, there's a pervasive sense of self-entitlement that allows you to be over-critical of their flaws (they're but human beings, after all) while happily being oblivious to the pain and difficulties they faced giving birth to you and keeping you alive for the first few years of your life at enormous personal cost. As you grow up you realise these things and feel gratitude, but you still cannot actually /remember/ any of that. WOLF CHILDREN succeeds at putting all those moments in the spotlight, via a compelling premise (the kids are also werewolves!) but in reality, the hardships are the same, the emotional and physical pain is the same, the loneliness left at then end is the same.

A good story makes you a better person. It changes the ways you look at the world and encourages you to do what you can in your own life to make it a better place. But few stories manage to change the way you look at a person in particular. WOLF CHILDREN did that for me, and I'm grateful that it taught me to be more grateful.


I'll leave voting open for another day, and then post the final result.