D-2: Top 10 Anime of 2011

I know I'm fairly limited in what I had to choose for this so consider this a 'best of what I've seen' rather than an absolute best of.  A list of what I've seen can be viewed here.

10. Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukanai

I picked this series up 5 episodes in because I noticed the art was similar to Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko and I was pleasantly surprised. It was refreshing for me. What I really loved about this series was the humour. It was awkward and hilarious and I really enjoyed it.

9. Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu Ni

Forget profound plot development and epic fight scenes, Baka to Test is just here for a good laugh. While I didn't enjoy it as much as the first season because of the lack of constant summon wars, I still loved the cast of interesting characters and their crazy antics.

8. Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto

Hands down the most fun I've had while following any series was during Star Driver. It's so over-the-top with the flashy fights, the colours, the Ginga Bishounen and everything but I've honestly never had so much fun watching anything in my life. It's not overly profound or anything but I really enjoyed waiting up on Sunday nights for the release even though I had school the next day.

7. UN-GO

UN-GO is officially the last series I completed before the end of 2011. What people said about it initially made me hesitant to pick it up but when I did I was hooked. Though purely as a detective anime, it isn't fantastic, there is something about the underlying themes that really had me interested.

6. Black Lagoon: Roberta's Blood Trail

Black Lagoon is my favourite series. Ever. I really enjoyed this except for the fact that there was too much of a gap in between the episodes and it was really just a blood bath most of the time. I really did enjoy it though.

5. Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko
4. GOSICK
3. Usagi Drop
2. Fate/Zero
1. Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokuta wa Mada Shiranai

The top 5 I mentioned as the top series per genre and you can read what I said about them here.

D-5: The Best Anime of 2011「GENRE」

Part 2 of the countdown to 2011 with the best anime of 2011 in each genre. Keep in mind that this was my HSC year so I am limited to the series that I was able to watch, which you can see here. I am excluding series that are running into 2012.

Action - Fate/Zero

Fate/Zero has truly moved into a class of it's own in all aspects of the anime. Ufotable seems to have left Studio DEEN's adaptation of Fate/stay-night in the dust with their adaptation of Fate/Zero. While the action sequences are great, Fate/Zero is also much more than simply flashy fight scenes with magical powers. It is a combination of good story telling, interesting characters, beautiful animation and an amazing soundtrack by Yuki Kajiura (who did Tsubasa Chronicles, one of my favourite soundtracks). Altogether, Fate/Zero is a real quality production that I won't be forgetting any time soon.

Other notable series: Roberta's Blood Trail (even though it's an OVA because if I had to pick a series that had truly ended, then I'd probably have a hard time choosing one that was really above the rest)

Comedy - Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko

While it's not purely comedy driven, Denpa Onna is still the best anime that falls under this category in my opinion. The first three episodes were a lot more than I expected and could've functioned alone as a separate series. I know quite a few people didn't enjoy it after it reverted to a standard slice-of-life kind of story but I surprisingly still found it extremely enjoyable. That probably had something to do with the amazing artwork and the interesting mix of characters that never failed to amuse me.

Other notable series: Baka to Test: Shoukanjuu Ni, Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukanai

Drama - Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai

I was never meant to pick this series up during the spring season this year, so it ended up being the reason I was watching a lot more than I could handle. Surprisingly, AnoHana turned out to be a lot more than I expected, becoming on of my favourite series of the year, and of all-time so far. I'm not exaggerating at all when I say this series made me cry in every single episode. What can I say? I'm a sucker for sad dramas. I really, really loved the way this story was told.

Other notable series: Hanasaku Iroha

Mystery - GOSICK

Detective stories are never out of style but the difficult thing is making it interesting. I really liked the some of the cases they had to offer. While the story was fairly linear and somewhat episodic initially, I liked the darker turn it took at the mid-way point. The main characters were fairly standard with the odd detective and the sidekick, or the loli tsundere and the male lead that was made to show character development. The supporting characters really made up for that though. While everything seems standard in hindsight, it wasn't something I consciously thought about while watching. GOSICK was definitely a really good series that I enjoyed this year.

Other notable series: Un-Go

Slife-of-Life - Usagi Drop

Usagi Drop really could be a page out of the book of someone's life. It doesn't romanticise or exaggerate what would happen if a young girl were to suddenly become a part of a middle-aged man's life and what they would both have to go through. It's not overly dramatised and it is the kind of story that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I wasn't too keen on the series initially when it was recommended to me by a friend but I couldn't help but fall in love with all the characters. There is a real charm about the series that is really rare in anime nowadays.

I'm a little disappointed that I couldn't put anything under romance or sci-fi, especially since romance is one of my favourite genres, but there was really nothing that I could specifically put under each genre as a major focal point.

D-6: The Best Anime of 2011「PRODUCTION」

Kicking off the countdown to 2012 with the best of 2011 by production. Please keep in mind that these are purely my personal opinions and therefore are constrained to the 40 or so anime I was able to see this year. That being said, let's start.

VISUALS
Visuals are a huge part of why I watch anime. If it doesn't look 'pretty', the chances of me picking up the anime is reduced by 50%. If it looks nice, you can't guarantee I'll like it, but I'll definitely watch it. So here are my top 3 for 2011.

3. Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko

This series might not have any of those epic fight sequences the animation looked beautiful. I loved SHAFT's fancy camera angles and the scenery. I also adored Buriki's character designs. Definitely my favourite character designs for the year.

2. Shakugan no Shana III

Shakugan no Shana is one of my favourite series and I've always recognised it for it's impressive visuals. The finale definitely did not disappoint in that aspect.

1. Fate/Zero

Ufotable did an absolutely amazing job with this. It definitely doesn't look like a low budget production and I don't think I've ever seen so much work put into an OP in my entire life. Hands down one of the most beautifully animated series I've ever seen.

Other notable series: 
Hanasaku Iroha, Guilty Crown

STORY
While visuals are the part the gets me to start watching, the story is by far the more important factor that keeps me coming back.

3. Usagi Drop

The kind of story that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It didn't have the over the top melodrama that this kind of series generally has and I liked that.

2. Fate/Zero

Shaping up to be one of my favourite series of the fall season and perhaps of the year, Fate/Zero is full of clever dialogue and cliff-hangers that keep me coming back for more. I've also read that it's quite faithful to the original light novel but I haven't read that.

1. Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai

A beautiful tear-jerker.

Other notable series: 
Gosick, Ao no Exorcist

SOUND
Where would a series be without the awesome background music to set the mood for the story?

BGM - Kore wa Zombie desu ka?
I don't feel as if I've heard any outstanding soundtracks but when I think of background music that I like this particular show comes to mind, especially with this track.




OP - LiSA - oath sign (Fate/Zero)




Other notable OPs: 
KOTOKO - Light My Fire (Shakugan no Shana III), Oogame Akua - Os-Uchuujin (Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko), Nakano Aiko - Camellia no Hitomi (Hidan no Aria)

ED - Komine Lisa - Unity (GOSICK)



Other notable EDs:
Aoi Eir - MEMORIA (Fate/Zero)

Insert Song - Tomatsu Haruka - Monochrome  ~version de l'apprivoiser~

GOSICK: The Two-Thirds Edition

So zak4994 commented on my previous post and asked what I thought of GOSICK so far, and I thought this would be the perfect time to do a post on it. Why now you ask? Because two-thirds is better than a half. Besides, a nice arc just finished. Beware of potential spoilers.

Overall, what I love about this is the elegant style. A 20th century European setting is perfect for a mystery and really adds to the whole feel of it. (Does anybody else love Victorique's absolutely gorgeous period dresses?) It reminds me a little of Sherlock Holmes. I also really like the way the story doesn't solely focus on the mysteries but also focuses on the development of the characters' relationships.

Characters

I absolutely adore Victorique. She's too cute for words. Her back-story is really interesting and at this stage, seems to be the driving point of the story. I also really like the development of the relationship between her and Kujo. Avril just seems irrelevant except for her own arc in the story. Grevil is an interesting one. It's as if he's torn between doing what his father wants and doing what he wants. I'm curious as to what the role of Brian Roscoe is, and Corderlia's relationship with him. Victorique's father, Albert, seems to have some sort of major role in this.

Forehead flicks do hurt. I know from experience.

Plot

I think initially, we don't really realise the point of all the mysteries. They didn't connect, and it was just one case after another. As soon as one finished, another one would start in the next episode. I've read a lot of comments and things about the mysteries, and a lot of people seem to be saying that the they're too simple. They really aren't that simple. If you watch this series while sitting there straining your mental ability to figure it out, you're just lessening the enjoyment for yourself. Just sit back and enjoy it. Seriously.

Now maybe I'm reading too much into this, but consider this. GOSICK is set in 1924 between World War I and World War II. Albert, Victorique's father, asked Leviathan to created an army of homunculi. An army of artificial soldiers to fight in the war. I'm guessing here that this is World War I. Now, before Leviathan died, he suggested that if Albert wanted to have power, he would have to have a daughter of unexplainable power. Enter Victorique. Although the biggest mysery right now might be the origin of the Gray Wolves. With that aside, the story of GOSICK seems to be an alternative path of history, rather than an isolated story. It's a take on 'what would happen if there was another country involved in WWII?'

Raspberry face.

After the Leviathan arc, the story has become considerably darker. I've started to view in a different light I guess. It's not simply just my mindless Saturday morning fun any more. It's like having a sudden epiphany that made it all seem worthwhile. I really was starting to wonder where the series was heading. That doesn't  mean I wasn't enjoying it. I really love this series. It is by no means a perfect 10 but it is definitely one of my favourites. I could probably watch it over and over again, just for the fun of it.

Future?
In terms of what's going to happen, I'm just as curious as the next person. However, I'm not usually one for trying to guess what is going to happen in the next episode or even at the end. It just lessens the impact if you turn out to be right. I prefer to take it as it comes. I'd like to find out the history of the Gray Wolves besides the fact they possess some sort of supernatural power. I don't ever want to see Victorique and Kujo separated. The thought of it pains me.

---

So there you have my thoughts so far. For now, I'll leave you with some adorableness.

Resuscitated Hope Piano Version

I found this pretty cool piano cover someone did for Resuscitated Hope.

If you click through to the youtube page, you'll find the sheet music in the description. I can't wait for the full version of the song to be released.

The Golden Fairy

Well, we're about halfway through the Winter 2010-2011 season of anime at the moment and I thought I'd just show you what this blog was inspired by. I've seen quite a few anime having only been watching for a few months and I have to say my favourite is Black Lagoon. I almost know this one inside and out. However, that is not what inspired this blog.

There's this one anime that is only five episodes in and goes by the name "Gosick". It's my favourite current anime. I'm really loving the mystery and everything but more on that later. Although seriously, there's so many losers that think they're so good because the "like totally knew that was going to happen." I mean, if the mystery was hard to solve, they'd be saying "Oh like how the heck were we supposed to figure that out?" Yes I know. People are weird.

Anyway, I really love epic songs. For example, ones with violins and stuff. I simply adore the ED of Gosick.

Song: Resuscitated Hope

Artist: Lisa Kommie

Lyrics in romaji

Lonely night, fighting back again, seems to be like it never ends
Give us hope, through the love abyss, moon, shine on me

Tsuyoku furiyamanu ame ni
Egao wasureta mama
Kurushimu surechigau sekai

Arasoi to itsuwari no naka de
Kokoro karasu no nara

Arekuruu nami ni ukabu hana no you ni
Make a way arashi o norikoete
Kare yuku daichi o fumishimeru you ni
Go ahead massugu ayumidaseru

Lyrics in English

Lonely night, fighting back again, seems to be like it never ends
Give us hope, through the love abyss, moon, shine on me

In the heavy rain that won’t stop falling
As I’ve forgotten how to smile
I suffer in a world where I pass you by

In the midst of conflict and pretense
If my heart is drained dry

Like the flower floating on the raging waves
Make a way, overcome the storm
So to tread firmly on the parched earth
Go ahead, I can start walking straight forward

Might post a download or make an AMV if I'm bothered when the full song comes out.

OP release: 2nd March
GOSICK OST: 30th March