2008 Year-Ender Anime Rankings

I forgot to mention that on the 7th of December, Animeshoon officially turned a year older! (cue: fireworks ~) But I'm not a sentimental person and stuff like a blog's birthday usually flies over my head, so that (aside from occasional bouts of amnesia) explains the silence. Still, to celebrate my coming back to life after the Christmas and New Year hiatus, I've decided to compile a year-ender report for 2008. Mind you, I'm not good at this so please excuse the suckage.

Before I begin though, I would like to say outright that my blogging list does not necessarily reflect my watchlist. Weird, huh? But that's me. That said, on to the list ~ ♥

Top 5 Highly Anticipated Series

1. Blade of the Immortal - I thoroughly enjoyed the manga series so I thought the anime might prove to be a great experience as well
   
2. Ghost Hound - the darkly psychological themes interested me but it was the art that got me first
   
3. Spice and Wolf - I was intrigued by the concept of fantasyslashtrade&economics
   
4. Kurozuka - I thought it was a love epic with vampires in it and the time-leaps piqued my interest
   
5. Shikabane-Hime - Aka - the promo said that the main character is an undead and I have a thing for the undead -- zombies specifically
   

Top 5 Series with the Best First Episode

1. Ga-Rei - Zero - because nothing beats killing all your characters in the first episode
   
2. Xam'd: Lost Memories - the series' best assets -- great OP and ED themes, excellent pacing, interesting cast of characters, and a simply brilliant storyline -- can be readily seen from the first episode
   
3. Ghost Hound - the focus on sound distortion and the dark, mangly themes gave me goosebumps; production value was tops as well
   
4. Blade of the Immortal - the series's first episode does a good job juggling character revelation and an ass-kicking, bloody fight scene
   
5. Kure-nai - the first episode implies a lot of heavy stuff and yet has just enough quirkiness to keep you coming back for more

Top 5 Series with the Best Finale

1. Ghost Hound - I seriously did not want the series to end
   
2. Kure-nai - yes, it was corny and ridiculous, but people got beat up and wise words were spoken, and overall it gave a satisfying feeling
   
3. Real Drive - after muddling a lot of the episodes, the neat and tidy ending is refreshing
   
4. Mnemosyne: Mnemosyne no Musumetachi - ohmygod, there was SECKS and then more SECKS and then lots of people die, it was just WOW
   
5. World Destruction - a spectacular ending to a rather bland show; it surprised me
   

Top 5 Random-picked Series that Turned Out Great

1. Natsume Yuujin-chou - something about the slice-of-life approach to a gentle storyline riddled with fantasy reminds me of Mushi-shi
   
2. Xam'd: Lost Memories - a mecha series that I actually enjoy because it's mecha
   
3. Mahou Tsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto ~ Natsu no Sora - another slice-of-life series that surprised me with its subtle depth
   
4. Eve no Jikan - the two-month wait is so worth 15 minutes of pure genius
   
5. Kure-nai - I like it mainly for its quirkiness
   

Top 5 Favorite Titles

1. Eve no Jikan - yes, only three episodes are out but every single one of them has been nothing short of excellent, leaving me with no doubt that the next trio are going to be just as spectacular
   
2. Ghost Hound - a coming-of-age story that manages to delve deep into parapsychology, science and the supernatural at the same time
   
3. Xam'd: Lost Memories - the excellent pacing gives plenty of room for character development and boy what development!
   
4. Real Drive - a series that suffered from its slice-of-life approach but still managed to deliver in the end
   
5. Kurozuka - it knows it has nothing going for it other than pure, unadulterated violence in a simple plot that is unabashedly too straightforward for a mystery
   

Top 3 Favorite Female Characters

1. Yayoi (Kure-nai) - I like her mainly because she is the only serious (not to mention capable) character in a series that does not take itself, let alone its characters, seriously
   
2. Otono-Tachibana Makie (Blade of the Immortal) - Hyakurin will likely steal her place but until the series actually gets to that point in the manga, Makie remains on the top 3
   
3. Isayama Yomi (Ga-Rei - Zero) - because she's badass
   

Top 3 Favorite Male Characters

1. Manji (Blade of the Immortal) - he's tough, he's rude, he's freakin' immortal!
   
2. Takehara Akiyuki (Xam'd: Lost Memories) - a main character that I don't find annoying, what are the chances?
   
3. Kuro (Kurozuka) - strange how a one-dimensional, flat, stereotypical character managed to make it to this list but Kuro manages to be all that and still maintains a semblance of respectability (meaning: you can't laugh at the poor vampire boy - HE WILL CUT YOUR HEAD)
   

Top 3 Funniest Characters

1. Michael Kohaku (Ga-Rei - Zero) - his crazy outfit did it
   
2. Toppi (World Destruction) - who didn't like the bear?
   
3. Makoto / Mako-chan (Minami-ke Okawari) - cross-dressing boys is one thing, a cross-dressing boy who actually secretly likes to cross-dress is another
   

Top 3 Favorite Villains

1. Otono-Tachibana Makie (Blade of the Immortal) - the reluctant murderer, the hesitant prostitute, the very thing that makes her feel conflicted is what makes her character fascinating; Anotsu Kagehisa, however, is a close runner-up if the fan-subs were any faster
   
2. Isayama Yomi (Ga-Rei - Zero) - because she's badass
3. Furuichi (Xam'd: Lost Memories) - nothing like a psychotic villain to make my day; and his Xam'd form is fugly as hell
   

Top 3 Favorite Couples

1. Sora and Gouta (Mahou Tsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto ~ Natsu no Sora) - heart-warming, then heart-wrenching, then heart-warming
   
2. Aoi Souta and Holon (Real Drive) - seeing the two of them together makes me feel all giddy inside; I especially like that their little romance isn't shoved in front of your face but remains on the side the whole time
   
3. Takehara Ryuzo and Takehara Fusa (Xam'd: Lost Memories) - sure, Akiyuki and Haru are sweet but Ryuzo and Fusa are married, for god's sake! and they still manage to light up the sparks with their love-hate interactions
   

Favorite Crack Couple

Benikawa Ishuu and Tsunomata Raigyo (Xam'd: Lost Memories) - if only because they are both HAWT

(NOTE: Ryouko and Izumida (Ryouko's Case Files) shared lots of sexy passive-aggressive moments on-screen but surprisingly they're not as smoldering hot as Ishuu and Raigyo and the bath conversation)

Favorite Slash Couple

Asogi Rin and Laura (Mnemosyne: Mnemosyne no Musumetachi) - let's get one thing straight: they're not a couple, but wouldn't it be fun though? with Laura constantly trying to BLOW UP Rin and Rin constantly trying to kill the living daylights out of Laura, such romance will never be boring

(NOTE: Mikhail and Alto (Macross Frontier) almost made it to the top but I can't say the two shared a moment together on screen quite like Rin and Laura did)

Part 2, with my list of "best" 2008 animes is up next....

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Spring 2008 Anime Previews

TITLE: Amatsuki
EPISODES: 13+
GENRE: adventure, fantasy, historical, samurai
LINKS: ANN, OFFICIAL
SUMMARY: A high schooler uses state-of-the-art museum technology that allows him to travel back to the Edo period only to end up trapped in time. There he meets another person who is in the same position as him and a female samurai who saves his life.

COMMENTS: I do so love my samurai animes.

TITLE: Vampire Knight
EPISODES: 13+
GENRE: supernatural, fantasy, vampires, romance
LINKS: ANN, TV-TOKYO, OFFICIAL
SUMMARY: (from ANN)Yuki's earliest memory is of a stormy night in winter, wherein she was attacked by a vampire... And then rescued by another. Now 10 years later, Yuki Cross, the adapted daughter of the headmaster of Cross Academy, has grown up and become a guardian of the vampire race, protecting her savior, Kaname, from discovery as he leads a group of vampires at the elite boarding school. But also at her side is Zero Kiryu, a childhood friend who’s hatred for the creatures that destroyed everything he held dear, is now determined never to trust them. This coexisting arrangement seems all well and good, but have the vampires truly renounced their murderous ways, or is there a darker truth behind their actions. Is Kaname's infatuation with Yuki the beginning of a forbidden romance, or is it something in her forgotten past that draws him to her. Because in this world of secrets, nothing is as it seems. And the price of misplaced trust may even be worse than death.

COMMENTS: Attractive character designs and intriguing story with the potential to be a sort of dark romance? But probably just a lot of angst. I don't mind. Angtsy vampires are just my thing.

TITLE: Chiko, Heiress of the Phantom Thief (Nijuu-Mensou no Musume)
EPISODES: 22
GENRE: mystery, action
LINKS: ANN, Fuji Creative Corporation, OFFICIAL
SUMMARY: The adventures of a female thief.

COMMENTS: I am quite partial to thieves. I thoroughly enjoyed the Lupin series, both novel and anime version, so yeah. They must lead glamorous lives, these people, despite the danger.

TITLE: S.A. ~Special A~
EPISODES: 24
GENRE: romance, comedy, drama, school life
LINKS: ANN, GONZO, OFFICIAL
SUMMARY: Childhood rivals, Hikari and Kei, are still at it even in high school. But while Hikari considers Kei as a rival (and perhaps occasional friend), Kei loves Hikari. Only problem is Hikari is too dense to notice.

COMMENTS: It's like Kare-Kano! But without the dark undertones, probably.

TITLE: Mnemosyne ~ Daughters of Mnemosyne ~ (Mnemosyne no Musume-tachi) (OVA)
EPISODES: 6
GENRE: dark, supernatural, scifi, horror, mystery, mature
LINKS: ANN, OFFICIAL, XEBEC, TRAILER
SUMMARY: Private investigator Rin Asougi and her partner Mimi make it their job to look into various mysteries, from a seemingly harmless search for a lost cat to top-secret research projects. But their own secret which they hide are by far more sinister.

COMMENTS: It's not my usual cup of coffee but I have been following this. Maybe because it has a kind of dark appeal.

TITLE: Kite Liberator (OAV)
EPISODES: 1
GENRE: action, scifi, thriller
LINKS: ANN, OFFICIAL
SUMMARY: (from ANN) Years after the events that transpired in Kite, Sawa's whereabouts are a mystery. During this time, rumors of a new killer have begun to circulate the city. They call her the Angel of Death, an unfeeling assassin who eliminates her targets with grace and precision, leaving only a flurry of feathers as her calling card. What the public is unaware of is the fact that this notorious hitman is a actually a polite young lady named Monaka. Like her spiritual predecessor, Monaka has lost most of her family, and her father's duty as an astronaut keeps hims practically worlds apart. However, they are close despite the physical distances and Orudo promised his daughter that he would return. Until then, daily life for the timid and somewhat clumsy Monaka involves mostly school and her part time job as a waitress, but her nature completely changes once she receives an assignment.

COMMENTS: Uhm...Madlax?

Well, I'm definitely blogging about Kite Liberator. I am in fact downloading it now. Of Mnemosyne, I'm not too sure. I enjoy watching it but it's so graphic and dark that it's hard to take relatively clean screencaps. I'll be following Vampire Knight if the story holds. The rest, we'll see.

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